#SEO Audit Team

[valuepromax]

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#SEO Audit Tool #SEO Audit Team #get traffic #find and fix on-site issues #Sitemaps #internal links #canonicals

[jsr-marketing-solutions]

#jsrmarketingsolutions #seo audit #seo services #contentmarketing #social networks #tumblog #smm expert is an experienced team that specializes in providing google reviews and other review services to clients worldwide. we have a de #services #socialmediamarketing #digitalmarketingstrategy #digitalmarketingagency #bestagency

[stuffnonsenseandotherthings]

CityBoy_Log: Blurring the Lines Between Fiction and Reality.

I was doing my daily scroll through YouTube one day when a thumbnail (this thumbnail) caught my eye:

Now, at first glance I'll admit there's nothing exceptional about it. In fact, it's so perfectly run of the mill that I actually thought it was a vlog from a new K-pop band that I hadn't heard of before at first. The name, the picture they chose, the title.... all of it checked out and I had no reason to be suspicious that it was anything other than it seemed.

Anyway, I was bored, it had been a while since YouTube had recommended me anything K-pop that wasn't a group I was already subscribed to and I was feeling nostalgic for a good K-pop vlog.

It was only 5 minutes

What harm could it possibly do?

So I clicked on it.

And then I feel down a rabbit hole.

CityBoy_Log: The Drama

So it turns out that "CityBoy_Log" is not, in fact, a K-pop group's travel vlog series, nor is it a vlog series at all...

Well, it is...

But not really.

It's actually an 11 episode BL drama.

Summary:

Idol Lee Jae Jun, model/actor Lee Ji Han, actor Seo Byuk Joon, and rookie model Ahn Hyo Sang start a vlog channel about their trip to Okinawa, Japan for a photoshoot. The four meet for the first time (aside from JaeJun and Byuk Joon, who are longtime friends) when they learn they will be sharing a home during the trip. Though Ji Han's introduction caused some tension within the circle, the group's feelings towards each other start to change and grow as they keep vlogging. The vlogs show how their individual friendships develop by the end of their stay and after coming back to Seoul, some even beyond just platonic. (Mydramalist)

On the face of things, "CityBoy_Log" is a pretty straight forward drama (some might even call it mundane). Four friends navigating their relationships with each other on a trip. There's a main couple and a side couple and plenty of pining and love squares to keep the audience and the characters on their toes. Really nothing standout in a world where Semantic Error, Love for Love's Sake, and Eighth Sense exist, right?

Except the format.... the format is something else.

Because when the summary says "the vlogs", it really means the vlogs.

"CityBoy_Log" is a BL drama told entirely in character.

Like your typical k-vlog, the majority of the content comes from hand-held cameras carried about by the characters, only occasionally interspersed with aesthetic shots from their "camera crew". The characters talk openly to the audience, updating them on what's going on and what they're thinking and feeling; transitions between scenes are choppy and periods of time are missed due to "unfilmable" moments that we either only catch glimpses of or are told about later (or in some cases, have to fill in the blanks ourselves); dialogue is choppy and sometimes even awkward (especially as they're still getting to know each other) and voice cracks, nonsensical lines, and awkward pauses are all over the place.

It is feels messy, lightly edited, unscripted, and, for the most part, very very real.

Blurring the Boundaries Between Fiction and Reality.

Seeing how far the creators of the show have gone to make this drama feel realistic is fascinating. All the episodes are posted as vlog episodes on the show's YouTube Channel, they post additional shorts that follow the latest trends, and even have celebratory lives where they talk to fans. And all of this is done in character.

They also have an Instagram page and on MDL there is very little information about the actors (who use their real names for their characters) and no information about the team behind the scenes (although I suspect they're linked to whoever made Semantic Error because that show gets name dropped a lot and they even "audition" for the upcoming drama made by it's creators) .

Given how much effort has gone into making "CityBoy_Log" pass as real it shouldn't be surprising that there are quite a few people who believed it was real for a time.

Now personally I am a huge fan of innovative storytelling techniques and "CityBoy_Log" has really hit it out of the part creatively (it reminds me a little of SKAM in that respect). I applaud the actors for just how realistic their characters feel (I actually can think of anything harder than having to pull off "act like you're not acting" and they do it flawlessly at least 90% of the time) and whoever came up with and executed the show really did something special too. It's an incredibly compelling watch (I binged it) and I immediately felt connected to all the characters in a way it normally takes a drama a few episodes to set up.

Do I have my doubts about how wise it is to blur the lines between fiction and reality so much? I won't lie, yes, especially as this show is rooted so heavily in 2 fandoms where those boundaries are already heavily blurred but for now I'll trust that they know what they're doing (perhaps more so than many other shows that draw heavily on fan service). It does seem like, at least for now, while everything feels real and in character, that it does exist in its own little bubble and that the actors involved are able to leave it behind when they get off work.

Anyway, it'll be interesting to see how it progresses, given that a second season has been confirmed and there was.... a very interesting reveal at the end of the last episode. I'm looking forward to how they continue to play with the format and getting to spend more time with Jae Jun, Ji Han, Byeok Jun, and Hyo Sang

🔗Here's a link to the channel if anyone wants to check it out:

https://youtube.com/@CITYBOY_LOG?si=CKqz8QdfzySCqRyL

CityBoy_Log: The Vlog

Team Hyo Sang all the way. All this puppy wants is for his hyung to notice him and he is adorable about it.

Tagging @lurkingshan @twig-tea @respectthepetty and @rocketturtle4 because I don't know if you guys have seen the show yet!

#cityboy_log #kbl #i binged this show #and I have thoughts on the format #also the ending #because where are we going with this??? #where ever it is it looks fun 👀

[lacy-o-meter]

⁽ ALL YOU NEED IS ⁾ ⁎ LACY ¸ get to know the members of the fictional four member girl group under memory bank entertainment who debuted on march 14th 2020 with their single “ love world ”

⁎ … … HAEUN HWANG, known by her stage name LOVIE was born in south korea to a professor father and pediatrician mother, who haeun recalls being 'very strict.' despite her parents protests, haeun had a passion for the arts and was auditioning and performing whenever she could. she joined a dance team in middle school where she caught the eye of scouters from DOHE- one of the top four entertainment companies- and signed with them.

haeun left DOHE in 2018 after being removed from their debuting girl group 4TUNE and being told there was no longer a place for her there. she was immediately picked up by memory bank where eun jangmi promised her that she would debut within two years.

⋯ BIRTHDAY ⁙ june 2, 2000 ⋯ ZODIAC ⁙ gemini ⋯ BIRTHPLACE ⁙ daegu, south korea ⋯ HOMETOWN ⁙ suseong, daegu ⋯ NATIONALITY ⁙ korean ⋯ YEARS TRAINED ⁙ 8 years ⋯ POSITIONS ⁙ center, main vocal, lead dancer ⋯ FACECLAIM ⁙ kim chaewon

⁎ … … SORA KIM, known by her stage name ADORA was born in california to a banker mother and accountant father. sora grew up with a variety of skills and interests, especially in sports. she was getting ready for college when she joined her friends to a random audition in the city, not expecting anything and just doing it for fun. the company holding the audition was CLOCKWORK CREATIVE- the company that bought out memory bank. surprisingly, sora was accepted while her friends were not.

although she previously had little interest in performing, she was feeling aimless about her future and what she really wanted to do. sora graduated early from high school, and after speaking more with eun jangmi, she decided to sign with the subsidiary company and flew to seoul a month later in 2017. ⋯ BIRTHDAY ⁙ august 6, 2000 ⋯ ZODIAC ⁙ leo ⋯ BIRTHPLACE ⁙ california, united states ⋯ HOMETOWN ⁙ san francisco, california ⋯ NATIONALITY ⁙ korean-american ⋯ YEARS TRAINED ⁙ 3 years ⋯ POSITIONS ⁙ lead vocal, main dancer, sub rapper ⋯ FACECLAIM ⁙ park chaewon

⁎ … … CHAEYEON SEO, known by her stage name CHEY was born in south korea to a single working mother who chaeyeon calls her role model. although they struggled when she was growing up, chaeyeon has been working to support her family since she was a child by busking and helping neighbors. when she was 12, she was street casted onto a singing show looking for potential stars. although she didn't win the competition, she got far enough to show her skills and got the attention of STARSET STUDIO, a new company which had a handful of singers and actors at the time.

since chaeyeon was so young, the company was unsure of what to do with her, so she was thrown into acting and got to sing a couple of OSTs that never showed much success. chaeyeon left STARSET in 2016 to join CLOCKWORK where she finally got real training. she was then approached a year later to switch to their new subsidiary where she met eun jangmi and began training for LACY. ⋯ BIRTHDAY ⁙ may 19, 1997 ⋯ ZODIAC ⁙ taurus ⋯ BIRTHPLACE ⁙ seoul, south korea ⋯ HOMETOWN ⁙ gangseo, seoul ⋯ NATIONALITY ⁙ korean ⋯ YEARS TRAINED ⁙ 10 years ⋯ POSITIONS ⁙ main vocal, dancer ⋯ FACECLAIM ⁙ song hayoung

⁎ … … YURINA HARADA, known as YURINA was born in japan to a lawyer father and stay-at-home mom, who divorced when she was thirteen. yurina chose to stay with her father afterwards, while her two younger brothers stay with their mom. she says she chose him because he said she could join an arts high school, which she was accepted into despite her being an amateur.

dancing came naturally to yurina, which is how she got into ONE IN A MUSIC when she was 15. yurina was one of the most talented trainees at the time, which got her on a flight to korea for a summer training camp. there, she met eun jangmi who managed to convince her that her skills her better suited for a group like LACY than whatever she was going to wind up in. ⋯ BIRTHDAY ⁙ april 17, 2002 ⋯ ZODIAC ⁙ aries ⋯ BIRTHPLACE ⁙ tokyo, japan ⋯ HOMETOWN ⁙ setagaya, tokyo ⋯ NATIONALITY ⁙ japanese ⋯ YEARS TRAINED ⁙ 3 years ⋯ POSITIONS ⁙ main dancer, lead vocal, rapper ⋯ FACECLAIM ⁙ fukutomi tsuki

#‿ ⁎ LACY.members #fictional idol community #fictional idol group #fictional kpop group #‿ ⁎ LACY.lovie #‿ ⁎ LACY.adora #‿ ⁎ LACY.chey #‿ ⁎ LACY.yurina #these are so! short and vague! but i barely know anything about these girls yet so these will get fleshed out more eventually :)

[slytherinshua]

Your favorite moments with your moots?

also i love the way you write it's just ✋🏻❤❤

skdjsk first of all ty skdjsskdjsk totally not blushing and giggling rn

@eternalgyu uhm its too copout to say every single moment w hannie is my favourite so instead im gonna say whenever we call :( we always end up giggling sm and making a bunch of new inside jokes and she does alpha male podcast impressions and i always throw things that im not supposed to and its just so healing idk KSDJKS I LOVE HANNIE SM GUYS I WOULD NOT BE HERE WITHOUT HER I SWEAR :(((

@blue-jisungs whenever we're texting and we realized we twinned again is hands down my favourite bcuz i end up giggling sm i love axe :( and we're on the same wavelength like all the time CAUSE I SWEAR WE'RE ALWAYS DOING THE SAME THINGS AND LIKE HOW???? we sent the same seungkwan gif at the same time, do the same things on the same days, write the same things, say the same things, etc etc etc LIKE I JUST LOVE IT SM (bonus: getting into new groups w axe/showing her new groups/her listening to me rant abt how much i love onf all the time)

@wheeboo we haven't talked too much lately bcuz she's a working lass 😓😓😓 LMFAO IM JOKING BUT my favourite moments w rania are when we call each other a bitch LMAO THAT SOUNDS SO BAD BUT SRSLY its whenever we're joking around and saying we hate each other but rly we don't bcuz the next moment we're proofreading each other's fics or writing fics for each other :((

@haecien my favourite moments w cien are whenever &team comes up bcuz its nostalgic and i miss the time when i was introducing cien to &team for the first time and watching him fall in love w harua in real time :( i miss getting ppl into new groups damn like its just so <333 i need to share all the nugu love istg

@candewlsy my favourite moments w mizu are when we're texting and she sends her mizu™️ memes they make me giggle sm sdkjkds and also her rbs!! bcuz she has the best rbs that always manage to make me giggle and cheer me up :(( i love writing fics for her too bcuz ik my writing can make her day a bit better and so i always find myself thinking of seo yul fics to write for her skdjks </3

@weird-bookworm i feel like i haven't properly talked to sky in so long cause she poofed for a while and i also fixed my sleep schedule which meant that i wasn't online when she was online a lot but i miss her and my favourite moments w her were def watching kdramas or trying to introduce her to new groups only for her to call me insane (ik im insane shhhh 🥸👹) hopefully i will pull her over to multistan hell soon 😍

@evalevaeva eva is insane tbh and when hannie and eva and i were talking a lot that was an insane era and def my favourite moments w eva 👹👹 i love hearing abt her auditions too i never say this but i think eva is rly rly talented and i hope she makes it like i better see her in sm soon next to sohee 👹👹👹👹👹 but overall she's just fun and she likes to bully me abt being the only riize writer but i will never stop 👹👹👹👹

i'm only doing these moots for now cause i feel like i'm closest to them rn BUT I LOVE ALL MY MOOTS IM SRY IF UR NOT HERE <//3 it might just be that we haven't talked in a while or we need to talk more so like pls message me im always here to talk <333

#zanna answers the inbox!! #anon ⌦ .｡.:*♡ #i haven't done a moot game in a hot second #and its honestly bcuz ive just been so tired lmao im sorryyyyyy #i have some old ones rotting in my inbox lets see if i ever get to those

[be-netz]

it’s been a whole year since the three ceos have sat in the same room. they appear one by one, emerging into a black-clothed studio space through the door centered in the camera frame. YOON JIHUN of STUDIO DELTA is first, smiling and greeting the mnet staff as he takes his seat. he’s followed closely behind by SEO RAN, the namesake of SR MEDIA with an even brighter smile. she pauses for a moment, singling out a staff member and running over to give them a hug. it’s clear she remembers this person from last season; they exchange a few short words before she’s ushered to her seat beside her fellow ceo. last but certainly not least to the party is the representative of LIME ENTERTAINMENT, YUNA. while she may not be an executive like her fellow judges, she holds a certain presence of her own even as she smiles and takes her seat on the opposite side of ran. 

“i didn’t realize how much i missed this,” yuna remarks, a smile on her lips. 

“i’m excited for this season,” ran agrees, “we were treated to some amazing talents last year and i’ve heard that the quality and caliber of the auditionees has only improved this year.”

“we’ll see.” jihun again takes the role of the antagonist, arms folded and the slightest frown on his lips as if he refuses to be impressed by anyone today.

ran hits his arm lightly, a smile still on her lips. “don’t be a grouch,” she chides him, “we’re in for a treat today.”

there is no emcee yet for the first episode, just the three judges and a series of television monitors in front of them. at first, they only display the NEXT GEN logo, though the screens change soon enough. on each monitor, there seems to be a different angle of the same room, like the studio has been turned into a massive editor’s booth. the judges look around expectantly, obviously not at all surprised by their scenery. this was all part of the plan.

“the auditionees think that we’re too busy to watch them,” ran explains directly to the camera, sitting in a room not entirely dissimilar to the interview backdrop used in the first season. it seems even the judges want to share their minds this season. “but actually, we’re watching their whole audition process. from the time they walk in the front door and check-in with the staff, we have them all live on the screens in front of us. i almost felt like a spy.”

“it really allowed us to see what they’d be like with their guards down,” yuna explains as she takes over the screen next, “auditions are nerve-wracking, especially if you want something really bad. but sitting in front of your idols? that’s a whole new level of fear and anxiety. i feel like this gave us a chance to start to get to know everyone much deeper than if we were standing in the room with them.”

a quickly edited clip of auditionees showing parts of their skills back to back to back takes over the screen for a moment, a preview of the talent that is to come. jihun’s voice plays over the image: “this gives us the opportunity to examine them from all angles. how do they conduct themselves among their competition? how do they treat the staff? appearance and skills are important to become an idol, we can’t deny that, but the intangible efforts are important to building a healthy team as well.”

“shall we begin?” jihun glances at the other judges, a rare smile on his lips. the others nod and verbalize their agreement with positive hums and all three begin staring at the screens.

a graphic plays over the screen, showing a photo of the auditionee in question as well as his name, age, and date of birth as a quick introduction to the audience. ASAKURA TOUMA, the graphic reads, before dissolving into the room where the auditions were held. the camera shakes slightly as it zooms in to focus on touma. the boy introduces himself, reciting the same information that was on the graphic moments ago, but then he continues beyond that. more names are listed, each a little nonsensical, until he reveals that those are the dogs that he walks every few days.

“cute,” ran murmurs, the scene cutting back to the judges for a moment. she smiles and rests her head on her interlocked hands. “he stands out immediately.”

“what’s he doing?” jihun frowns, brow furrowing together as he sits back in his seat with his arms crossed. the scene shifts back to the audition, to the young man rapping, singing, and flapping his arms around and jumping here and there with an apparent lack of coordination. he sends a heart to the camera, even as his own ears turn red and flustered. “at least he has the sense to be embarrassed,” jihun remarks, clearly unimpressed with the performance. yuna, silent, presses her lips together with disappointment coloring her face as well.

"if i'm being honest, i want to try everything at least once." touma tells the camera.

“that’s the problem,” yuna points out. “he’s too ambitious for his own skill level. if he’s a dancer, he should just dance at this stage. if he’s a singer, just sing. he wasted a lot of energy trying to show too much at once and made himself look worse.”

“there’s potential there,” ran points out anyway, “he’s creative and energetic. we can work with that.”

finally, the camera zooms in on his special skill, the artwork he creates on the spot. bright colors and wild shapes paint the canvas in a way that seems to fit the auditionee’s zany personality rather well.

“well, that was a bit of a disappointing start,” jihun sighs. “hopefully the next will be better.”

a new profile graphic lights up the screen, now introducing CHOI HANGYEOL. after a few seconds, it again fades into the audition setting with a young man smiling gently at an auditionee much younger than himself, hardly more than a child. "ah, your number's much smaller than mine, are you lost?" he asks gently, a warm smile on his face that could melt even the coldest heart. "i think your group is down that way. good luck! you'll do great."

“he has leadership qualities,” yuna points out, the screen splitting to show her reaction to the scene in front of them. “he’s good at talking to people and putting them at ease.” 

the man on the screen nudges the auditionees next to him. it’s impossible to know if they’re old friends or if they just met today, but the other boy on the right and the girl on the left seem to be soothed by his presence, smiling in return when he raises his fist in a small fighting! gesture.

“we’ll have to see if he’s any good,” jihun remains determined to be unimpressed, still frowning at the screens. that said, the camera picks up the slightest bit of interest across his expression as hangyeol introduces his audition as being self-choreographed.

whatever the judges had been expecting, it was apparently not beyonce. even if the argument could be made that the song and choreography was much better suited to femininity than the young man performing, there is no denying the grace and power in his movements as he seemingly takes up the whole room, turning the audition into his own personal stage. the young man even has the sense to look directly into the eye of the camera, a strong gaze capturing the viewers instantly. 

“this is what we were expecting from this season,” yuna smiles appreciatively. “he’s a talented dancer, it’s clear he’s very experienced as a performer as well. i wanted to see more by the time the performance was over.”

"i've always felt most in my element when i can be strong or sexy, or when i'm given something i can make bold choices with,” hangyeol’s face takes over the screen again, a quiet confidence coming from him even as he answers the rapid-fire interview questions. “i think as long as i get to put a little bit of me into it, i'll perform it well."

“do we need to see his special skill? i think we’re all quite smitten,” ran half-jokes with her fellow judges. regardless of her wishes, though, the television shows all anyway. again, the natural leadership of hangyeol is on display as he selects staff and fellow auditionees alike and begins teaching them what appears to be quite the difficult dance move, the death drop. from the name alone, it seems to intimidate some of the less experienced dancers. but, within minutes, hangyeol has them all looking like professionals.

“even i have to like him,” jihun finally admits. “i wish i could sign him today.”

“it wouldn’t be fair if you did,” ran chides him again, “i’m sure we all want a chance to make him an offer.”

the next contestant’s profile lights up the screen, introducing HAN YURA to the audience. 

“​​what was the first thing you thought about when you woke up this morning?” a staff member asks her, showcasing her interview first unlike the previous contestants.

“what shoes to wear and whether it would match my jacket,” yura answers.

the scene is interrupted by a snort from jihun, clearly unimpressed with the response. 

“which company would you want to receive an offer from and why?”

“delta studio,” the woman answers with confidence.

“she doesn’t even know the name of my company,” jihun laments. “and she expects me to sign her? she’ll have a lot to prove.”

“she’s angered the bear,” ran jokes with a smile. “i like her enthusiasm, though. i hope we can channel it to the right areas.”

only a short clip of her rapping is shown, the judges seemingly less than impressed other than a remark from yuna that competent female rappers are rather rare. “she has the fundamentals, at least,” the judge concedes. “and choosing to do something different from her peers makes her stand out.”

as if standing out was a problem for yura, her special skill seems to take all three judges by surprise. the screen is painted in hues of red and yellow as the woman proclaims that she’s about to heat things up. the ends of the batons catch and suddenly all three judges are on the edge of their seats, watching as the woman dances with fire in the middle of the room.

“she’s lucky the fire alarms didn’t go off,” jihun is even taken aback as he remarks on the special talent. 

“look at how precisely she throws the baton,” yuna points out as the camera catches the whirling fire stick soaring just below the ceiling of the building.

“i like her,” ran grins. the warm lights from the screens in front of them almost make her look like she’s the one playing with fire, a surprisingly sinister look for a woman known for her warmth rather than heat. “did she prove herself to you, jihun?”

“not yet,” the stubborn man frowns, “but it’s a start.”

while they may want to see more from yura, it’s time to move onto the next contestant. the profile of HAN JUEUN takes over the screen, only lasting a few moments before dissolving into a lovely girl dressed in a flashy pink outfit.

“she looks the part of an idol,” yuna points out, a smile on her lips. “didn’t another group dress like that for one of their songs? it’s familiar somehow.”

“i think you’re right,” ran agrees. “it wasn’t one of our groups, was it?”

their question is answered soon enough by jueun’s performance. for a brief moment, the screen cuts to a music show recording of kara performing the original song, then a split screen with jueun showing how she would blend seamlessly into the group in her current getup.

“she’s smart to focus on her vocals,” jihun points out. “but if she’s going to dress up like that, shouldn’t she dance? if she’s a singer, she should have chosen a song that’s a little more vocally impressive. pretty girl is a popular song, but it’s not very difficult. i would’ve liked to see something else.”

as if directly responding to the man’s critique, the response from jueun’s rapid-fire interview plays across the screen next. “i think the perky, fun and energetic style that’s similar to what i prepared today fits me the best because i’m looking to have fun! plus, i think my smile’s really pretty,” the girl laughs. and it’s true; she does have a lovely smile.

the girl continues to surprise as she initially explains that she had a ribbon rhythmic gymnastics routine prepared, but instead of batons and ribbons she pulls tangerines of all things out of her backpack. “i will now show you the fastest tangerine peeling i guarantee you have ever seen.” she announces.

“she’s a bit odd, isn’t she?” ran remarks, though the fond smile on her face betrays that she’s rather charmed by the oddity. “she’s not as flashy as the last auditionee, but she captures your attention anyway.”

in less than ten seconds, the girl has two tangerines entirely peeled. the camera cuts to a staff member trying to peel a tangerine of his own, seemingly testing how difficult the task really is. it’s clear that he’s not nearly as good as the girl.

the scene fades away into the next auditionee profile, HAN YUWOL. “that name seems familiar, somehow,” jihun remarks. he doesn’t have time to place the memory before the skills performance begins, yuwol singing in the center of the stage.

“he has a unique voice,” jihun speaks again, “unrefined, but i like that it’s different.”

“he’s good at expressing the emotions too,” ran points out.

“what is the most interesting place that you have been to wearing the shoes that you’re wearing now?” the staff leap into the interview rather quickly, never betraying their emotions about the performance they witnessed. it’s not for them to decide anyway.

“it's probably... a forest somewhere. i was trying to get myself lost." yuwol responds.

“excuse me?” jihun nearly chokes as he takes a sip of water from the bottle on the desk in front of him. “where did they find the kids who are auditioning this year? none of these people are normal.”

“i think it’s fun,” ran beams.

“they know how to stand out,” yuna laughs, seemingly baffled by the young man’s response. 

"not sure if this counts as... unique, but this is what i do to make it through my daily life. i play my violin." the young man is clearly a skilled musician from the moment he draws his bow across the strings. although only a short portion of his piece is shown on camera, it’s clearly high-level playing.

“that explains it,” jihun nods his head, “musicians are neurotic.”

“you’re one to talk,” ran laughs.

the profile of the next contestant up interrupts the banter between the judges. HWANG JINGREN’s face and basic information light up the screen before fading back into the audition, the young man standing before the staff and immediately singing a slower, poignant song. the scene flashes to the three judges, their expressions unreadable. they almost seem bored.

there’s very little commentary on jingren’s performance, for better or worse, before he’s immediately thrown into the rapid-fire interview. this one stands out, however, as being a little less rapid. perhaps it’s a strategy, or maybe the young man is just good at hearing the sound of his own voice. and yet, somehow, very little of note comes out of his lips. the editing does him no favors as it speeds up each response to the questions, making him look like he rambled on and on but also never really exposing what he actually said. 

“he’s a bit…” ran seems to struggle with the right word for a moment.

“he’s boring,” jihun finishes for her, not one to mince his words or try to soften the blow. “the fundamentals are there, but there’s no personality to this one.”

“he has potential,” yuna argues, “his vocal fundamentals are strong and he must have good stamina if he’s able to do handstands like that.”

“lime can have him, then,” jihun snorts dismissively. “though i thought your standards were higher than that.”

the show is quick to hurry away from a lackluster performance and onto the next contestant, his profile displayed in all its glory. HWANG YEJUN’s turn is now on display before the judges. those with a keen eye might notice hangyeol next to him or remember him as one of the contestants that the other man encouraged earlier in the episode. for only a moment, the cutting and scrambling of clips of an mnet show for reactions and views is betrayed.

“another musician,” jihun points out as yejun pulls out his guitar. “let’s see what this one has in store for us.”

unlike the violinist, yejun comes across as much more normal. his responses are soft-spoken, matching the way his hands move across the strings and frets almost lovingly.

“he has a nice voice,” yuna praises the short performance. “though his pronunciation could use some work. it’s a… choice to perform a song in a language you’re not proficient in at an audition like this.”

“it’s nice to hear authentic music, in a sense,” jihun remarks, “everyone else so far has sang acapella or to a pre-recorded backtrack. there’s skill in being able to play and sing at the same time as well.”

"i can't whistle,” it seems as if the young man makes the confession out of the blue, though it’s clear it’s in response to one of the interview questions. perhaps the editors wanted to continue the ‘all musicians are neurotic’ trend even with a more mild-mannered contestant. “i've tried to learn, but no sound ever comes out." he punctuates the thought with a demonstration that makes all of the judges laugh.

“he’s cute,” ran giggles, “yuna, does lime have any workshops on teaching trainees to whistle?”

“we don’t, but i’ll make that suggestion to ceo kwon,” she laughs.

the judges watch as the young man demonstrates his talent next, jihun wincing as a staff member intentionally clips one of the strings of the guitar. the young man is right when he admits that he’s not the quickest in the world at restringing a guitar, but the time passes quickly anyway. perhaps more impressive than the stringing is how quickly he tunes it.

“does he have perfect pitch?” jihun’s brows raise. “normally someone would use a pitch pipe or tuning fork, or even the low e string to get the right note. he didn’t use any other sound for reference.”

“it’s not as uncommon of a skill as you’d think,” yuna points out, “especially among musicians.”

ultimately, yejun’s time on screen comes to an end somewhat unremarkably. he’s quickly replaced by the profile of ITO SEIRA, the second foreigner to appear so far.

“she’s the second japanese trainee we’ve seen so far,” yuna points out, “this show must be gaining international interest.”

“i’m not sure we can take credit for that,” ran smiles, “it’s last year’s contestants who must have captured everyone’s hearts.”

it turns out that seira, like yura before, is another rapper. she performs a senior’s song, fairly proficiently for someone who is not yet considered a professional.

“it’s a shame that the rappers we’ve seen today haven’t written their own lyrics,” jihun sighs. “it’s a wasted opportunity.”

“i think she has more performing experience than we know,” yuna observes, “she’s a little nervous but she seems to know what she’s doing.”

very little is shown of seira’s interview, the editors apparently thinking nothing is worth showing to the audience. they only briefly show her answering the questions as ran looks down at her notes, seemingly lacking interest in the contestant before them.

the girl pulls out a bag of watermelon seeds and anyone who has seen a variety show before should know where this is going. she’s admittedly quite skilled at getting the seeds she spits into the air to land exactly where she wants them to. 

“it’s unladylike,” jihun frowns.

“it’s cute,” ran disagrees.

“she’ll do good on variety shows with skills like that,” yuna also concedes.

again the scene changes to the next contestant, bearing the profile of JANG HYUNKI. his profile photo fades into the auditionee himself, scanning down his body until reaching his bare toes, exposed for all to see.

“what?” ran laughs aloud at the foot reveal. “did he rush here and forget his shoes in the morning?”

“dancers sometimes perform barefoot,” yuna reminds her fellow judge. “though… it’s a bit brave to walk into a new place with nothing on your feet. i don’t know if i would have made that choice.”

the young man announces that he will be performing original choreography, piquing jihun’s interest again. “we’ll see how this compares to the other,” he remarks, “i’m guessing it will be an entirely different style of dance.”

as predicted, in stark contrast to the bold, captivating choreography that hangyeol had shown before, hyunki displays a far more emotional performance to a much slower, ballad-esque song. 

“some emotion seems to be missing,” yuna murmurs, seemingly still deciding exactly how to place her critique. “he choreographed it himself, he says, but some parts almost seem… robotic? like a performance of what he thinks the emotion should look like instead of actually feeling it himself.”

“i see what you mean,” ran agrees. “i think more practice with facial expressions might help… and he seems a bit rigid as well.”

“it’s a strong choreography, though,” jihun, shockingly, gives the highest praise of the trio of judges this time. “he just might not be the right dancer for it, even if he made it. i can’t tell you how many songs have been written that the writer couldn’t sing as well as the performer. it happens.”

"what can you bring to the table that we won't see in any other contestant?"

"no one else here can dance the way i do,” hyunki answers the question with confidence. “and execute all the styles i can with the same, or even close to similar, charisma and talent."

“am i the only one who would love to see hangyeol try his choreography?” jihun remarks, a sly grin on his face. a rivalry is already being established by the judges and editors. “i feel like he’d make him eat his words.”

“i agree,” yuna smiles as if imagining the showdown already. “hangyeol was much more expressive. he wouldn’t dance it the same way… i suspect he would do it better.”

the young man’s special skill is ventriloquy, and the judges seem more disturbed than impressed by this one. 

“what a strange skill… and that he uses it to torment his friends,” ran frowns.

“i don’t think i believe that he could do that perfectly on a whim without any practice,” yuna’s expression darkens as well. “maybe his real talent is storytelling.”

“that’s a nice way of saying lying,” jihun says the quiet part out loud. the mood of the judges darkens for a moment. they are not yet a fan of this contestant, as far as the editing shows.

the editors are quick to move onto the next segment, introducing KIM ARA through her profile graphic. 

“she’s pretty!” yuna remarks, cooing over the young wannabe immediately. 

“she photographs well,” ran agrees, holding back laughter at yuna’s cute reaction.

the contestant is another dancer, showing off a routine usually performed by animated video game characters. the song was very popular, but it wouldn’t be unheard of if someone hadn’t seen the choreography performed by a real human being before.

“it’s not the most impressive choreography, but it shows she has the fundamentals of dance down,” yuna observes. “i wish she had chosen something a little more challenging to show off her skills.”

“unless she doesn’t have the skills to show off,” jihun, always the pessimist, points out.

“hush, you,” ran swats him on the arm. “they’re all here to learn.”

"why do you want to become a kpop idol?" the staff questions the girl, moving onto the interview without any further preamble.

"i enjoy dancing a lot,” ara responds, “i enjoy performing on a stage, and i enjoy being in the spotlight.”

“she reminds me of me when i was younger,” yuna smiles. “it’s good to have a love of the stage. being an idol is a hard job to have if you’re not passionate about it.”

“it only gets harder,” ran nods her agreement.

ara’s special talent is juggling, perhaps made slightly more impressive by the fact that she handles three completely unrelated objects with ease instead of evenly-sized juggling clubs or balls.

“can you do that?” ran suddenly asks of jihun.

“i don’t know,” jihun admits, but somehow is willing to embarrass himself and give it a shot. he makes a weak attempt at juggling the pens and water bottles on the table in front of them, only for everything to come crashing down from his lack of experience.

“apparently not!” ran laughs.

up next is JORDAN MOON, as announced by the profile graphic displayed on the screen.

“as someone who has flown thousands of miles to be where i am today, it will be worth it in the long run.” jordan’s voice is heard as he stands in the audition room, preparing for his turn to show off his skills.

“where is he from?” jihun looks through the notes in front of him, looking for the answer.

“new york,” ran finds the answer first.

“that is quite the trip. did he really come all the way to korea just for this show?” yuna’s brows raise expectantly. 

“we did remark about the international interest,” ran points out.

jordan is a singer, and a talented one at that to be performing beyonce for the staff and judges. it’s a difficult song, certainly harder for a deeper masculine voice, and the camera cuts to yuna nodding her head appreciatively.

“is it bad if i say he’s a bit… boring?” jihun pretends to beat around the bush for a moment before going in for the kill. “as yuna would say, he has vocal fundamentals. but is that all he has?”

“let’s see,” ran refrains from passing judgment before the rest of the tasks are completed.

"what would you do if you won ₩1,000,000,000 in the lotto?" a staff member asks.

“if you spot me front row at a beyoncé show, you do not know me.” jordan’s tone is lighthearted, but his joke goes over like a lead balloon with the judges. jihun’s frown deepens.

“is there more to his personality than being a beyonce fan?” he remarks, clearly unimpressed. even ran now keeps her lips sealed, her own opinion falling low enough to refrain from commenting further.

perhaps the final nail in the coffin is a lackluster special skill, showing off a painting that he claims to have made himself.

“when we had other contestants showing their skills live to our judges, i’m not sure if we can really accept this,” jihun sighs. “we don’t even know if he really painted this himself. which, if i’m being honest, i’d expect it to be beyonce if it were really his own work, based on everything else he’s shown us.”

“he has talent, but he doesn’t stand out,” yuna agrees.

“let’s just move on,” jihun frowns.

move on they do to MOON SOOYOUNG, whose profile takes over the screen not a moment later. 

“oh,” jihun’s brows raise at the mention of this contestant’s name. “she’s auditioned for my company before… look here,” he points to something in his notes, unseen by the audience. “she’s the older sister of one of my trainees. do you remember MOON JINYOUNG?”

“he was on last season,” ran recalls, the best memory of the group or perhaps just the quickest at reading the notes provided to them. “he ended up in studio delta after all?”

jihun nods. “he’s quite the dancer. i wonder if his sister is similar.”

the young woman is also dancing to viviz’s maniac. as the music plays, the judges seem to watch her with rapt attention. 

“this choreography is much more difficult than it looks,” yuna points out, “and the fact that she makes it look just as simple as the original is a good indication of her skill. she’s a bit stiff in the waist, but she probably just needs to work on her flexibility in that area.”

“she doesn’t look happy to be here,” ran points out. “it’s probably nerves. still, i’d like to see her smile.”

her interview questions pass quickly and without any comments from the judges, seemingly uninterested in her responses. “it’s interesting that she doesn’t mention her brother,” jihun points out only once.

sooyoung only recaptures their attention as she showcases her special talent, using another unnamed auditonee as a model to show off her ability to quickly change someone’s style in a matter of seconds.

“i didn’t know that bang trick!” yuna exclaims. a brief break where both she and ran attempt to try something similar on themselves ensues, though it seems that sooyoung’s ability to style hair far exceeds the judges’.

they move on quickly to the next contestant, PARK AHYOUNG introduced to the audience with her profile on the screen.

“why do you want to become a kpop idol?” the staff asks her.

the girl shrugs, seemingly disinterested in a genuine response. “i just think it would be fun.”

“excuse me?” it’s yuna who bursts out laughing, perhaps thinking of her own early experiences as a trainee and young idol and the path that brought her here today. “that’s… a bit flippant for an audition, don’t you think?”

“she can be flippant if she has the skills to back it up,” jihun argues.

the girl seems to have some manners, though. she bows politely to the staff before beginning her performance. of all of the rappers today, ahyoung is the first to use her own unique creation rather than someone else’s songs. that said, the lyrics aren’t exactly her own either.

it’s jihun’s turn to laugh now, though lacking the incredulous tone from yuna moments ago and genuinely amused instead. “these are all lyrics from QUARTZ’s songs,” he explains to his fellow judges, who look confusedly at him. “how clever to put them all into one performance like this… i like this one.”

it’s high praise from the notoriously picky judge. even yuna begrudgingly has to acknowledge ahyoung’s skill.

the impish character returns, however, for her special skill. the girl drags a male staff member into the center of the room where she begins doing his makeup. "you have really nice skin,” she tells him, “your skincare routine must be amazing. you have better skin than half of the girls whose makeup i've done before, for real."

“i think her special skill is actually flattery,” ran half-jokes. 

“he does have nice skin,” yuna agrees.

the final results are… not terrible, but maybe a bit questionable. at least the man can leave the studio when filming wraps without attracting too much attention in public.

“ryeo ‘luciel’ jihyun,” jihun reads the next contestant’s name out as RYEO JIHYUN’s profile is displayed on screen. “it’s certainly a… unique name.”

“he must be another foreigner,” ran offers.

the young man does not command any great stage presence as he steps forward for his audition. yet there’s a charming freshness about him as he smiles and introduces himself. he wastes little time before beginning his song, perhaps much more somber and sentimental than was expected of him.

“he shows off his vocal color well,” yuna praises him. “this was a good song choice for this audition.”

“his gestures are nice,” ran observes, “there’s a lot of singers who don’t know what to do with their hands or look too rehearsed. he seems to feel the music well.”

they move quickly to the interview portion, a staff member suddenly asking the question “what style of music suits you best and why?”

“i grew up playing classical instruments and listening to them, i even used to participate in a piano competition,” luciel explains, “classical music conveys dramatic emotional stories that comes from the heart, it’s like poetry in the form of music. so i believe that kind of genre suits me.”

“he’s a classical musician but sang a rock song?” jihun looks confusedly at the notes before him as if unsure if he’s getting something mixed up or that they’re hearing the broadcast correctly. “they really all are quite strange, aren’t they?”

as if in direct response to the ceo’s comment, luciel introduces his special talent: “it wasn’t for long, but for a while i learned waacking,” the contestant reveals.

ran can’t help but let out a delighted little laugh. “he’s full of surprises, isn’t he? classical piano, rock, and now waacking… what can’t ryeo luciel jihyun do?”

“he’s very versatile! i like it,” jihun remarks.

the clip of luciel’s dancing is only a short few seconds, leaving the viewer wanting for more. it only lasts a few seconds before the editors are introducing RYU INHO with his profile taking over the screen.

“another guitarist,” jihun points out. “is that an amp?”

an amp it is indeed with inho pulling his electric guitar out for his vocal audition. it’s a different color than yejun’s had been before, as could be expected for acoustic versus electric instruments, but the judges are seen nodding along and enjoying the vibe of the song. 

“he seems confident,” ran observes. “he must have practiced this a lot.”

the staff begin questioning him shortly after the performance wraps up, launching into their tirade of questions without hesitation. "why do you want to become a kpop idol?"

"i love to sing and connect with people. if i was to become an idol, i would be able to do both of those at the same time. maybe have the power to make positive impacts on people's lives."

the scene cuts back to the judges, a rare shot of all three smiling as they listen to the wannabe explain his dreams on screen. “we’ve heard similar answers a lot,” yuna points out, “but he seems very sincere”

“i don’t know what it is. he has this aura that makes you want to root for him,” ran smiles.

"i would be fortunate and honored to receive an offer from any of the three companies but any three of them would also be very lucky to have me. i don't have a preference." inho answers the staff a second time.

jihun bursts out laughing. “he’s bold… but i suppose he’s fair. it’s wise not to choose a favorite when all three of us have to decide if he moves forward or not.”

inho’s special talent is revealed next, showing the young man quickly breaking apples in half with his bare hands.

“maybe we should be afraid of him,” yuna jokes, “he’s strong.”

“oh, he’s handsome,” ran is quick to remark on the next auditionee up, the screen showing the good looks of RYU SIWOO alongside his basic information. and indeed, even in a very amateur selfie image, the young man has remarkable good looks.

“look at that watch,” jihun points out the contestant’s outfit, “that’s cartier. he’s decked head to toe in luxury brands… either he comes from money, or he gets tricked by counterfeits easily.”

the young man before them is another rapper, performing in a rather unique style that has jihun leaning forward with interest and the two women looking rather confused.

“does he want to be an idol like that?” yuna questions, “his tone is good, but i don’t think he has a sound that will appeal to many people.”

“that’s why we shape them with further training,” jihun argues, “he’s starting from a decent foundation. you said that for other contestants, remember?”

“what is the most interesting place that you have been to wearing the shoes that you’re wearing now?”

“the windsor castle,” siwoo responds, “i went with some family friends last year, they really wanted to see the place.”

“he definitely comes from money,” jihun confirms, “i haven’t even been to windsor castle. have you?”

he glances at his co-judges, who both shake their heads in confirmation.

“i hope there’s more to his personality than luxury brands and european vacations,” yuna straightens the stack of papers in front of her. “he’s good enough that we can see what he does on the show. but i’m not so sure about him.”

the less than glowing review fades into a new contestant, now introducing SONG JAEYOUNG. little time is spent on initial observations from the judges this time, now diving right into the young man’s performance. fast-paced, intense, and…

“is that japanese?” yuna blinks in astonishment. “he’s korean, isn’t he?” she checks the information in front of her again, seemingly not believing what she’s hearing. “this is certainly a… unique choice.”

“i couldn’t tell,” jihun grumbles, “he sounds like he’s yelling more than singing. i suppose i was distracted by that.”

the trend of somewhat erratic contestants continues with jaeyoung, the judges watching bewilderedly as he somehow balances a whole stool on a single finger, tilted and wobbling just a little but upright nonetheless.

“you have to admit, that’s a little impressive,” ran points out. 

“it’s just physics,” jihun remains unimpressed.

“people say i’m horrible at shutting up,” it’s the only intelligible part of the rapid-fire interview that the audience can hear from jaeyoung. the rest is sped up to the point it’s all gibberish, the young man going on and on with his answers and proving his point.

“i suppose it’s charming in a way,” ran smiles. “we certainly have a lot of characters on this season.”

“we could do without them.” jihun’s grouchiness has yet to fade.

next up is SONG JIAYI. as her profile fades from the screen, the young woman’s audition begins immediately.

“it’s a bold choice to perform goeun’s songs in front of her ceo,” jihun remarks, glancing sideways at ran. 

“i’ll admit, i’m surprised she’s not singing,” ran muses, “goeun’s choreography is flashy, but not overly demanding since she’s such a strong vocalist. it’s… an interesting choice to focus on her dance instead of vocals when choosing one of her songs.”

“maybe she has a weak voice,” yuna suggests. it’s what they’ll have to believe until they see jiayi sing, someday.

"which company would you want to receive an offer from and why?"

"lime entertainment." the scene cuts to a small fist-pump from yuna, grinning as her company is chosen by the contestant. jiayi continues to explain: "i grew up listening to cherish, and i admire lime entertainment's strategy when it comes to business.”

“interesting she would say that but sing a song from a sr media artist,” jihun the instigator remarks. ran shoots him a sharp look.

“oh my god!” all three judges exclaim at the same time when jiayi reveals her special talent. it’s unnerving to see a human body contorted into unfamiliar, uncomfortable-looking shapes. "i'm very flexible," jiayi laughs.

“she looks like a horror movie,” jihun attempts to recover his composure after the shock.

“i wish she had picked choreography that used her flexibility better,” yuna remarks. “showcasing it like this is… a little scary.”

the next profile should be familiar to anyone who watched last season and even the judges clap their hands appreciatively when they see STEVIE PARK appear on screen.

“i’m surprised he’s back,” jihun’s brows raise. “i hope he’s matured since last season.”

a short compilation of stevie’s antics of season one plays across the screen, from him goofing off in practice rooms to chattering away with his fellow contestants while he probably should have been practicing. what will stevie do this year? the question is asked of the viewers.

“what was your favorite thing about the last season of next gen?” an off-screen staff member asks stevie the question, the cameras zoomed in on the young man’s face to study his reaction.

“i think probably…performing and working with people. i’m a social butterfly after all.” stevie laughs, and a short cut to the judges seems to say i know without anyone actually verbalizing the words. the clips from last season have already highlighted that well enough. “some might say it’s my biggest flaw, though.”

“at least he’s self-aware,” jihun sighs. “let’s hope he’s learned about the proper time and place for such things.”

“he was a dancer, if i remember,” yuna chimes in, “i wonder what he’s showing us today.”

subverting all expectations, stevie chooses to sing instead. he moves, of course, as all dancers do when they hear music, but it’s simple sways and hand movements, a clear focus on his vocals this time.

“i think it’s safe to say that the class clown is turning over a new leaf,” ran generously forgives stevie for last season’s transgressions. it’s time for a new slate, after all.

“his skillset has definitely broadened,” yuna admits.

there seems to be an uncharacteristic amount of nerves from the boy as he introduces his special skill. he rushes to grab something and the cameras catch the slightest tremor in his hands.

“he’s nervous,” ran points out. “i don’t remember him being so anxious last year.”

“i skateboard, and i skated here,” stevie stumbles over his words as he adjusts the skateboard in front of him, placing a foot on it in preparation for his trick. “so i’ll– do a trick i guess. i’ll keep it safe, though, i promise!”

the promise is good and the young man lands his trick without incident. he gives a thumbs up, smiling perhaps in relief. “safe and sound.”

“he’s changed,” ran murmurs.

“hopefully for the better,” jihun responds.

the screen changes to a new profile, introducing a new face after reminiscing over an old one. YAMAMOTO KAITO’s profile fills the screen before fading into the auditions, kaito repeating some of the same information as the basic profile already listed but then adding on a short list of the many jobs he’s currently working.

“he’s busy!” yuna exclaims. “how does he have time for this?”

“he made time for it,” jihun folds his arms and leans against the table in front of him. “i like this type of person. he works hard but makes time for the things he’s passionate about. this type usually makes for an excellent artist.”

his skills are tested soon enough, kaito showing his prowess as a rapper before the staff and the judges sitting behind the cameras. 

“look,” jihun points out to his fellow judges, “he’s making eye contact with every single person in that room, even if they’re not paying attention to him.”

“i wonder if he’s been on stage before,” yuna ponders aloud.

“if not, he just has good performing instincts.” jihun seems to be a fan of the young man already.

“i have a strong passion for rapping and dancing, so i'd love to share my own passions with more people while performing on stage someday.” kaito’s interview is condensed into a single response in the broadcast.

“i wish he had shown his dancing too,” yuna frowns and scribbles down a note. “if he’s passionate about both, he could have shown it.”

“especially since his special skill was beatboxing,” ran agrees. “that usually goes hand in hand with rapping, doesn’t it? it would have been nice to see a little more diversity in his skills.”

“still,” jihun agrees, with a twist, “what he did show he did well. i think there’s promise there.”

the show is nearing its close, but there’s one contestant left to show the viewers. YOON EUNWOL is last, and hopefully not the least of the many talented auditionees evaluated by the judges for this season. the scene fades to a rather nervous looking wannabe. eunwol greets the staff and introduces his audition piece. “i prepared a dance to a song that i created, i tried to make a pop feel with a ballad flow.”

“so he created the choreography and the track?” ran’s brows raised, impressed at the amount of work that goes into such a feat.

“don’t get excited yet,” jihun warns her, “i’ve seen something like this go badly before.”

eunwol performs, though the majority of the broadcast is dedicated to the judges’ reactions. the consensus seems to be that they remain unimpressed.

“fundamentals, this and that,” jihun sighs, “but no character or soul. even you have to admit, it was lacking.” he glances at yuna, who nods her agreement.

“attempting to show us something completely unique was a great idea. i just wish he had shown us more,” she agrees, “i feel like i didn’t learn anything about him, his style, or his personality. if you’re creating a performance from scratch, usually you put a little bit of yourself into it.”

"what two things do you consider yourself to be very bad at?" a staff member asks the young man, who answers with awkward laughter. 

“interviews seem to be one thing i think i am bad at,” he admits. the response earns a smile from the judges. at least eunwol is cute.

however, all three stare incredulously at the screens before them as the wannabe stands up and walks away as soon as the rapid-fire interview is over. “he just left?” yuna sputters, in awe at the audacity. “what about his special skill?”

“he may have thought that he already showed it during the skills part of the audition?” ran offers, trying to come up with an excuse or explanation.

“under normal circumstances, i would call for an immediate disqualification,” he shakes his head, poorly holding in his laughter. “but since the special skill was my request, i think i’ll let this pass. honestly, it’s just funny. and i want to see what this guy will do next time.”

ran and yuna look utterly unamused by jihun’s decision, but even the two of them can’t override what the studio delta ceo decides for his own challenge.

“well, i think that wraps up the auditions,” ran announces, clapping her hands together once. “we have some decisions to make, some contestants to reach out to, and a show to put on.”

the screen fades to black. then, all of a sudden, a bright flash and a new set appears with the season two theme music playing in the background. for the first time, RHEE JIAN appears on screen to reprise her role as emcee of the show. “welcome everyone,” she smiles as she gazes out across the contestants seated expectantly before her, “and congratulations on being selected to participate in season two of NEXT GEN!”

the camera pans across the contestants, revealing the auditionees who made it past the final round of auditions and onto the show.

“now that we’ve started to settle in, it’s time we revealed a secret to you,” the hostess smiles, a glint in her eye. “i know you believed that you were selected by the mnet and axis staff that hosted your auditions a few weeks ago. however, i’m sorry to say that we tricked you.”

the giant monitor behind jian changes suddenly, showing the three judges in the studio room they had observed all the auditions from. “our judges were watching you every step of the way, evaluating your character as well as the skills you showed. why don’t we give them a warm welcome as well?”

yoon jihun, seo ran, and yuna emerge from backstage to stand next to jian, waving and smiling at the contestants that they had judged not so long ago. a round of applause and cheers go up and the camera captures the most exciting reactions from the contestants who were surprised by the sudden news.

“we’re sorry for tricking you,” ran smiles as she addresses the crowd. “but we’re under a lot of pressure to make this season bigger and better than last year, and we agree that all of you can help up with that.”

“you’re here today because you’re all talented or interesting enough that we want to see more from you,” jihun explains. “over the next few weeks, you’ll be put through our training curriculums and given a series of missions to complete. the winners will be signed to a company of their choice, or we’ll choose if we want to sign you. the losers will be sent home.”

yuna speaks next: “we’re excited to see how all of you grow and develop throughout your time on NEXT GEN. we wish the best for all of you and your careers as performers and hope that this will be an exciting and informative experience for all of you.”

“that said,” jian takes over as host again, “this is a competition. based on your auditions, our judges have ranked all of you in order of most promising to least promising. those who didn’t make the top twenty-one were eliminated from the show entirely. while we’re not sending any of you home today, it’s good to know where you rank and to try to ascend to the top. you should all be working for first place.”

a pause falls over the crowd while they’re left to absorb the information.

“without further ado, let’s reveal the rankings,” jian turns to the screen behind her again, now displaying a graphic for the contestants’ initial rankings. one by one, the contestants are revealed until only the number one and last place are left. “in first place for episode one is… CHOI HANGYEOL!”

the camera catches hangyeol’s reaction, as well as eunwol’s reaction to being revealed in last place for the first episode.

“this is only based on the auditions that you prepared on your own,” jian explains, “but we want to make this fair for everyone. your first mission will be the CENTER SELECTION.”

a short clip of last year’s song and male and female centers is played before returning to the present season. “the song this year is DO BETTER. once again, you will all learn the same song and choreography to perform alone for our judges to evaluate your potential to be the center of a future group. the center is a pivotal role for any idol group and should be someone who has the stamina to sing and dance at the same time, and make both look and sound good,” jian explains.

“you’ll be working with axis staff and coaches to prepare you for this evaluation. however, we’re also bringing in some of the most qualified special coaches to help you achieve success this season. please allow me to introduce our special coaches,” jian gestures to the side of the stage, where the mystery guests file out one by one.

fans from last season will recognize the top three winners from last season, YEOM SARANG, LEE SEOJUN, and ZHOU RENYI. they’re joined by fellow trainees and former contestants LEE NAYOUNG and PARK DOHYUN, as well as a new trainee to the public LEE CHAERIN. each special coach introduces themselves briefly before jian resumes her hosting duties.

“sarang, seojun, and renyi will be assisted by nayoung, dohyun, and chaerin in preparing you all for this evaluation. listen closely to their advice as they’re familiar not only with what it takes to win NEXT GEN, but also the intricacies of each company they represent.”

“you’ll be re-ranked based on your performances. just like last year, the top female contestant and top male contestant will be selected as centers. you’ll all be performing on an episode of MCOUNTDOWN following the evaluation, so this is a great opportunity to show your best side to fans and the judges alike.”

“we’re excited to see the results of this season of NEXT GEN and all that you can accomplish,” jian smiles at the contestants again. “good luck!”

the show ends by zooming in on the logo on the screen behind the host with do better’s instrumental playing in the background.

#be:ngs2 #be:ngs2p1

[nctsona]

SONA WITH HER FAMILY

SONA & LEE EUN-SEO (MOTHER)

They are on good terms, but they are not that close. Although she tried, Sona never felt any deeper connection to her mother. Their personalities clash a lot. Still, Sona thinks she is a good mother and is thankful for raising her.

SONA & SHIN SEOK-DONG (FATHER)

They are very close. Her dad has always treated her like a princess. They used to do everything together when they lived in Japan. He taught her how to take care of animals, he got her singing lessons from one of the best teachers in Seoul, he went with her to the audition. They share a lot of personality traits. She loves him and considers him her best friend.

SONA & SOHYUK (OLDER BROTHER, 1998)

They didn’t get along well as kids, but now that they are both adults, their relationship is great. Both are very supportive of each other and are there for each other when they need it. She trusts him with her problems and sometimes opens up to him. Definitely more friend-like vibes, Sona still experienced the ‘older brother bullying’ though.

SONA & SOJUN (YOUNGER BROTHER, 2004)

Although they are not as close, mainly due to growing up separately (Sona became a trainee when Sojun was 9), they are still very fond of each other. Sojun is very supportive of Sona’s career. They often tease each other, Sojun saying her members would be better siblings than she is and Sona responding he is younger than Jisung, so he is not real (yes, she also believes people stopped being born after February 5, 2002). Sona loves him a lot.

SONA & HER AUNT

Sona is her aunt’s favorite. She was the one who came up with Sona’s name, definitely the leader of ‘team Sona’ in the family. She is always somewhere in the crowd during concerts in Seoul. Very proud of her, likes to show her off and brag about her niece being famous. Sona finds her fangirling a little funny, but she loves her and appreciates her efforts.

#nct sona 🐵 #fictional idol addition #fictional idol community #fictional idol group #fictional idol oc #fictional kpop community #fictional kpop idol #fictional kpop oc #kpop addition #kpop female addition #nct added member #nct dream addition #nct dream added member #nct dream female addition #kpop added member #nct addition #nct female addition #nct female oc #nct dream female member #nct female member

[boysplanetrecaps]

Boys Planet Eps 9-10 Recap: Switch

Hello, lovies! As you may know, I already wrote a recap/master post for episode 9, and another one for episode 10. This recap focuses just on the stuff that’s relevant to team “Switch” -- so their rehearsal period in episode 9 as well as their rehearsal footage and performance in episode 10. But you’ll have to switch to the full post first, which is my cheesy way of saying to click read more! 🙂

The Trainees Here’s a list of the trainees in this group along with their rank as of episode 8 and their two previous missions:

Kim Tae Rae 7 / Back Door -K / Man in Love

Keita 8/ Kill This Love - G / Zoom

Park Hanbin 13/ Hot Sauce - K / Law

Yoon Jong Woo 15 / Back Door - K /Home

Na Kamden 20 / Back Door - G / Law

Zhang Shuai Bo 23 / Back Door - G / Feel Special

The First Rehearsal Segment

At 31:45 of episode 9, we visit with team Switch for four whole minutes!

They start by deciding who would get the killing part, and Yoon Jong Woo says he doesn’t want it because it’s all about confidence, and he has none. Also, I kind of get the feeling that he's a little over the whole thing. Can't blame him, but I hope he shakes that off.

But you know who does want the killing part? - the formerly blue haired Park Hanbin. 

Surely, though, he won’t be able to do a good audition? He can’t learn the choreo that fast? 

But he gets up and does the killing part for his team and does it flawlessly. Better than Kamden, who has had a week to prepare. TaeRae, comparing Hanbin’s dance to the video on the tablet, says, “how much did he practice?” (We’ll come back to that in a second….) 

What happened is this:

Park Hanbin looked at the numbers. He knew his initial team, En Garde, would almost certainly lose all or most of Ji Yun Seo, Lee Ye Dam, Oh Sung Min, and Hiroto. Hanbin knew that if Hiroto or one of the other three survived elimination, then his team would have one extra trainee. They’d probably vote out Hiroto, or whoever else survived, which would mean that Park Hanbin would be stuck with his 10 seconds of subvocal 3 as his only contribution to the team. There was a vanishingly slim chance that Kum Jun Heon or Park Gunwook was going to yield the killing part to him, or that his team would award it to him from merit. So, betting on the chance that at least one of Hiroto, YunSeo, YeDam, or Sungmin would make it, Hanbin learned the choreography to Switch, while also learning the choreography to En Garde, with the plan of volunteering to switch to Switch. 

You guys, I told that story to my fella, and he was like, “that is some Rian Johnson, Knives Out, Poker Face level of machination and plot surprise,” and I was like, yeah. Accurate. 

I don’t think that Park Hanbin liked Switch better the whole time or anything like that. He asked the Star Creators to put him in En Garde. But Hanbin wanted a Killing Part, and he was willing to work twice as hard as anyone else in order to get it. 

Now, what about Kim TaeRae? I think that Hanbin and TaeRae talked about this ahead of time. Remember, they’re both with WakeOne. They auditioned together at the Star Level Test. TaeRae is a vocalist and probably relies on Hanbin to help him with choreo when needed, at the agency. Hanbin knows that TaeRae isn’t a hyper-social butterfly, nor is he hyper-audacious, pushing for the parts he wants. TaeRae somehow or another didn’t get main vocal in Backdoor. Like, what the fuck? So Hanbin knew that someone other than TaeRae was likely to end up with that juicy subvocal-1 part in Say My Name. Not great for TaeRae. But meanwhile, Hanbin also knew that TaeRae is much beloved by the Star Creators, and is an excellent singer and a decent dancer. Hanbin knew that he, Hanbin, would be able to teach anyone how to dance. He also knew that having TaeRae on his team will benefit both his team and TaeRae, because it’ll ensure that TaeRae gets a main vocal part and it’ll ensure that his team has at least one top-9 trainee and at least one trainee who can sing really well. It’s win/win/win for Hanbin, TaeRae, and their team. Also, having TaeRae on his team meant that he’d have one more chingu who would be sure to vote for him to have the killing part. And also also, since TaeRae and Hanbin are both at WakeOne, what’s good for one is good for the other, because they’re undoubtedly going to debut together eventually and their fame and future success is tied together.

Notice how TaeRae asked, “How much did he practice?” when Hanbin did the killing part -- not “how does he know this?” or “did he practice this?” TaeRae already KNEW that Hanbin had been practicing this. He was only surprised as to the extent of it. That’s further proof that they talked about this in advance. 

I love this so much, and I just love Park Hanbin. That kid is the Jeon Soyeon of this batch of trainees. I mean, not necessarily in terms of song composition or whatnot, but in terms of brilliant strategy. Whether he debuts in Bepler or not, he’s going places. 

Also, Na Kamden is just a sweet guy, isn’t he? Losing the killing part, he just says, well, Hanbin is really good. You’re good too, Kamden! This whole team is pretty strong, and this is the performance I’m actually looking forward to the most at this point. 

So here’s the part distribution -- wait, Keita is sub rapper 3? At first I thought that Keita must have been planning something, but as I watched more, I became less sure. Oh no...

Anyway, they start practicing, and the editing focuses on how TaeRae is having a little trouble learning the choreo. It's! Shocking! That a Main Vocal! Would have a little trouble! Learning choreo!!!! 

Even his hair won't cooperate. Don’t worry. He has Hanbin there to beat the steps into him! 

Now, let’s skip to 30:00 in to Episode 10.  It’s D-Day and the boys come out on stage, all dressed in super bright colors.

Key asks Hanbin about rehearsal, and we jump back to the team’s first meeting with the psychopath dance teacher. We’re reminded of how the team ended up together, and the dance teacher says that this is a good team, with several trainees who got a good result in the second challenge mission -- Hanbin came in first for Law, TaeRae came in first for Man in Love , JongWoo came in first for Home, and Keita came in first for Zoom. 

But their dancing isn’t perfect, how dare they not be perfect after like 12 hours of rehearsal?

Especially TaeRae, who at some points didn’t dance at all but just sort of walked because he is a VOCAL and was going to be SINGING at that point. (1) Aren’t they allowed to adjust the choreo? Isn’t that part of the assignment? And (2) Let me get this straight, you fucking psychopath -- you want TaeRae to be dancing “powerfully” WHILE HITTING THE B ABOVE MIDDLE C? ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? That’s several notes higher than that high F# they made the boys hit in Na BiNa. This is fucking falsetto territory, and you want him to dance “powerfully” AT THE SAME TIME? I hate these dance teachers so much sometimes. Human beings have human bodies. Jesus Christ. This is why singing in Kpop is going down the drain -- because they want people to dance “powerfully” while hitting B4. 

The judge guy actually helps a bit (shocker, right?) by suggesting a modification for the choreo for TaeRae, but TaeRae doesn’t understand, so he makes him do it over and over like 19 times before getting off his lazy evil ass and showing him. 

That night, Hanbin asks Keita why Keita didn’t go for a bigger rapping part…

Hey, I know what you readers like. 

… and Keita says, “I don’t have any energy left.” Keita interviews that he’s lost a lot of confidence. Oh no, Keita!! Oh NO!!!!  

Back at rehearsal, Na Kamden, who is really a good guy, hands over leadership to Park Hanbin, because he thinks -- no, he KNOWS -- that Hanbin will do a better job. Everyone at home is like, “wait, Hanbin wasn’t already the leader?” 

They work on the dance, both the big picture and the details, sometimes over and over and over. 

Then, like the fucking genius and sweetheart that Hanbin is, he gets Keita involved in fixing up the choreo, which does two things: (1) re-energizes Keita and (2) utilizes their resources! Yes. 

Just a little nudge from a friend seems to spur Keita back into action, and soon they’re all involved, all dancing. 

40:30 The Performance

So we skip to D-day. 

The judges are looking over the stage, which is set up to look a bit like an arcade, with bright day-glow colors. There’s an elevator door that is going up to the 9th floor -- referencing their desire to go up to the top9. 

Out in the audience, Wumuti is spoiling it to the audience that the concept of the performance is that the boys are stuck in a video game world. The fact that he knows that is an indication of how much of the performance was determined by the boys who were in each group before The Great Reshuffling. This implies that a lot of the stuff the various teams are doing might be the result of the hard work of trainees who aren’t in that group anymore. This is all really messed up, MNET. 

And the boys come out on stage to perform. It’s time!

My Take:

I know I’ll be in the minority here, but I actually like this song. I know, I know. But listen to the studio recording of it and maybe it'll grow on you. It's like a weird NCT song mated with a Black Pink song and had a child that mostly took after its father. But I'm fine with that. I also really liked the dance practice. I feel like I can focus more on how good their dancing is -- especially Yoon JongWoo, who is wearing white here, and seems to be trying his best to remind us that he would have been fucking fantastic in Over Me. They look like they’re having fun, like I just sort of want to jump up and join them dancing. They just have good chemistry and seem like friends. It’s one of those things that makes Twice so fun to watch, is the feeling that you’re watching a group of friends having fun rather than a group of coworkers forced to work together.

As for the Stage Performance: 

Overall, they do a great job. I wish we saw more of Keita, and I wish the camera work and outfits let us more easily see their dancing, but it was a cute, fun, lively performance. I don't have a ton to say about it, but I enjoyed it. Hanbin was the standout for me in the live performance -- though I'm telling you, Yoon Jongwoo stands out in the dance practice I linked above, and I think he would have stood out a lot live as well. Kamden, Keita, and Z-Bo did well too. I thought it was all really cute and cheerful.

TaeRae’s live vocals sounded great, because I love his vocal color, but still, they are just a bit shaky here and there. I hope he gets some more vocal training because he really could be great. Baekyhun wasn’t perfect when he debuted either and with more time, he has better learned how to control that powerful instrument he was born with. TaeRae needs to work on his mix, and his agility, but I know he can get there. 

Afterwards, we find out that Zhang Shuai Bo got the lowest score, with an obviously punitive 402 points. You and I and he and all the other trainees know that this is the audience punishing Z-Bo for his “bad behavior” in earlier episodes, and I’m really sad for him, actually. I’ve come around to him -- yeah, it wasn’t cool to be passive aggressive with Solji, or to leave Woongki to sing the whole chorus by himself. Not cool, Z-Bo. But on further review of the situation, I think I was wrong to think that Z-Bo was being rude to Woongki in general -- Woongki has no animosity toward Z-Bo, so why should I? Plus, Z-Bo did a good job in his Switch performance and didn’t deserve such a low score. This was actually the first time that I really understood why some people are big fans of his -- he looked great on stage, actually! The dumb hair extensions really worked, the ugly pants looked good on him, I don’t know, he made it all work. But he seems resigned to his fate. 

Who came in first? Well, obviously Park Hanbin, with 741 points. 

This is his third straight time coming in first in the mission.

He’s slightly less amazed each time it happens.

He interviews that he’s starting to gain confidence. Well, I should hope so, lovey! 

That brings us pretty much to the end of this recap, but I do want to say that if you like slightly weird kpop songs, give Switch another try, ok? Listen to the official studio audio and use headphones. It’s actually a pretty cool song. It’s ok if it’s not your thing, I totally respect that, but I think the live performances on this show are consistently hampered by a poor mix -- the vocals stand out like it’s karaoke, and that’s not great for your overall enjoyment of the song. So it really can’t hurt to just give the song another try when you can really hear all the cool touches on the low and high ends. I’ve come to really like it. 

And that’s really the end! 

See you in the next one, lovies! It's Say My Name .

#boys planet #park hanbin #zhang shuai bo #keita #switch #na kamden #kim taerae

[girlsculturetechnology]

SONA’S RELATIONSHIP WITH HER FAMILY

╭┈──── ◌ೄ◌ྀ ˊˎ

╰┈➤ ❝ LEE EUN-SEO, MOTHER, 1970

They are on good terms, but they are not close. Although they tried, Sona has never felt any deeper connection to her mother. Their personalities clash a lot. Still, Sona thinks she is a good mother and is thankful for raising her.

╭┈──── ◌ೄ◌ྀ ˊˎ

╰┈➤ ❝ SHIN SEOK-DONG, FATHER, 1967

They are very close. Her dad has always treated her like a princess and they used to do everything together when they lived in Japan. He taught her how to take care of animals, he got her singing lessons from one of the best teachers in Seoul, he went with her to the audition. Sona is basically a female version of him. She loves him and considers him her best friend.

╭┈──── ◌ೄ◌ྀ ˊˎ

╰┈➤ ❝ SHIN SO-HYUK, BROTHER, 1998

They didn’t get along as kids, but now that they are both adults, their relationship is great. Both are very supportive of each other and are there for each other when they need it. She trusts him with her problems and sometimes opens up to him. Definitely more friend-like vibes, Sona still experienced the ‘older brother bullying’ though.

╭┈──── ◌ೄ◌ྀ ˊˎ

╰┈➤ ❝ SHIN SO-JUN, BROTHER, 2004

Although they are not as close, mainly due to growing up separately (Sona became a trainee when Sojun was 9), they are still very fond of each other. Sojun is very supportive of Sona’s career. They often tease each other, Sojun saying her members would be better siblings than she is and Sona responding he is younger than Jisung, so he is not real (yes, she also believes people stopped being born after Jisung). Sona loves him a lot.

╭┈──── ◌ೄ◌ྀ ˊˎ

╰┈➤ ❝ LEE GA-YEON, AUNT, 1975

Sona is her aunt’s favorite. She was the one who came up with Sona’s name, definitely the leader of ‘team Sona’ in the family. She is always somewhere in the crowd during concerts in Seoul. Very proud of her, likes to show her off and brag about her niece being famous. Sona finds her fangirling a little funny, but she loves her and appreciates her efforts.

@alixnsuperstxr

#⇢ ˗ˏˋ sona ࿐ྂ #⇢ ˗ˏˋ girlsculturetechnology ࿐ྂ #fictional kpop community #fictional idol oc #fictional kpop idol #fictional kpop oc #fictional idol group #fictional idol community #nct fanfic #fake idol community #fake idol oc #fake kpop member #fake kpop oc #fake kpop addition #fake kpop idol #fake idol group #fake kpop group #kpop added member #kpop addition #kpop female addition #nct female oc #nct added member #nct addition #nct dream addition #nct dream female member #nct female addition #nct female member #nct dream added member #nct dream female addition #nct dream 8th member

[ussgallifrey]

Dagger Squad Headcanons | Part 2

LOGAN "YALE" LEE

Originally from the Bay Area (San Francisco), he got into Yale (his first college choice) when he was 17. He was set to study in the medical field.

He saw the Blue Angels perform when he was home during his summer break and immediately thought: I wanna do that, I can do that.

He finished his senior year and earned a Bachelor in Kinesiology and immediately enlisted in the Navy as an E-4. Going right to officer's school for flight aviation after his first deployment.

He's the youngest child in his family with three older sisters.

His oldest sister, Ashley (Ae-cha, 애차) is a cardiologist. His middle sister, Chelsea (Chung-ha, 김청하) is a professor at Berkley. And his other sister, Hanna (Ha-yoon, 하윤) is a concert violinist.

His Korean name is Seo-jun (서준), which means naturally talented.

The reason he picked Logan as his English name was because he was absolutely obsessed with X-men growing up. He dressed up as Wolverine two years in a row for Halloween.

He loves the Golden State Warriors. As a kid, he had dreams of becoming a point guard for the team but ultimately lost his drive for a basketball scholarship around eighth grade.

Do not get this man started on Steph Curry. He will not shut up about him.

In his off-time, he does trick shots on the court. He dominates games of Horse and will literally decimate the competition.

He also enjoys spinning basketballs on his finger - it took him all summer when he was nine to figure out that trick.

He was known as DJ Lee throughout middle school because he was constantly burning music onto CDs from Napster for his classmates. He ran the underground music market at the time and saved up enough money from the illegal sales to buy his first flip phone. His parents still have no idea about his young enterprise.

This man is obsessed with banana milk. He drinks at least, bare minimum, two a day.

He swears by eating ginger rice before he flies because it'll settle his stomach better than anything.

His rotating music consists of a lot of classic west coast rappers (Tupac, Dre, Snoop, Easy E, etc.). But he definitely has a secret playlist dedicated to Ariana Grande.

If he has a fully choreographed dance routine for "Dangerous Woman", that is strictly between him and his bathroom mirror, okay?

BRIGHAM "HARVARD" LENNOX

If it wasn't obvious from the name, Harvard is from Utah.

The family farm consists of twenty acres of rolling hills and goats. Just so many goats.

He is the second oldest out of his eight siblings - five brothers and three sisters. He's closest to his sister, Jocelyn who is two years younger than him.

He was a band kid (third trombone). He joined because his fifth grade teacher asked if he would be auditioning for it and he just went yeah, okay.

Also a swimmer on the high school swim team. His best friend at the time asked if he'd be trying out and he just went yeah, okay.

He broke the school record for the backstroke and the butterfly. He's the reason the team made regionals.

This may surprise people, but he has a really amazing singing voice and performed in the spring musical each year. He played both the Beast in Beauty and the Beast (junior year) and Danny from Grease (senior year).

Jocelyn asked him if he'd be putting that shower concert singing to any good use and he just said yeah, okay and he became a theater kid.

The drama/economy teacher told him to put in his college apps to more than just one university, since his parents really wanted him to go to BYU, and he thought just the one application would do.

No one expected Harvard to extend the invitation for him to attend in the fall, least of all Harvard himself. But his grades were all there and he had the stunning recommendations to match, so... to Harvard he went.

He earned a Bachelor in Engineering Sciences.

At the end of term, there were army recruiters just about everywhere within walking distance of campus. Lo and behold, Harvard crossed paths with a Navy recruiter who asked if he ever considered serving his country. He just looked at him and said yeah, okay.

Joining the Navy as an E-4, he served for barely six months before his CO recommended him for officer's school.

Look, people think Harvard is a simple guy. But he's just overly polite and eager to please. He went to Harvard University, after all. And he graduated from the Top Gun program when he was 26. He is very good at what he does.

He doesn't drink. Okay, he let's himself have one drink when he's out with the squad. But he's usually a designated driver.

He dominates at strategy games. Back home, he has a cupboard full of board games that his family almost flat out refuses to play with him because he's just that good. Do not let this man near a Monopoly board.

Absolutely loves chili cheese fries. Even the bad ones they serve in the mess hall. He will literally never turn down a basket of them.

He has a watch collection. All with different purposes (formal events, hiking, first date, etc.). And he usually spends a good chunk of his pay on a new purchase.

His Spotify consists of a lot of musical theater numbers, Dolly Parton, and Nirvana (oddly enough).

˚ ✧ more top gun headcanons ✧ ˚

#top gun headcanons #top gun maverick headcanons #dagger squad headcanons #logan yale lee #brigham harvard lennox #top gun fan fic #my fic

[seobud]

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[avengingseo]

Balancing Quality and Cost: How Affordable SEO Companies Maintain Value

In the ever-evolving landscape of digital marketing, search engine optimization (SEO) stands as a cornerstone for businesses striving to enhance their online presence. However, for many businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the cost of SEO services can often seem prohibitive. This is where affordable SEO companies step in, offering cost-effective solutions without compromising on quality. But how do they manage to strike this delicate balance?

Affordable SEO companies are adept at maximizing efficiency and minimizing unnecessary expenses while delivering results that matter. Here's how they do it:

Streamlined Processes:

Affordable SEO companies have honed their processes to be as efficient as possible. They have a clear roadmap for each client, from initial site audit to ongoing optimization efforts. By streamlining workflows and eliminating inefficiencies, they can deliver high-quality services without unnecessary time and cost overheads.

Specialization and Focus:

Instead of offering a wide array of services, affordable SEO companies often specialize in core areas of SEO where they excel. This specialization allows them to focus their efforts and resources where they can provide the most value, without spreading themselves too thin. Whether it's technical SEO, content optimization, or link building, they prioritize what matters most for their clients' success.

Utilization of Tools and Technology:

Affordable SEO companies leverage a range of tools and technology to automate repetitive tasks and gain insights more efficiently. These tools help them analyze data, track performance, and identify opportunities for improvement without requiring extensive manual labor. By investing in the right tools, they can deliver results faster and at a lower cost.

Flexible Pricing Models:

Unlike traditional SEO agencies that may require long-term contracts or hefty retainers, affordable SEO companies often offer flexible pricing models. They may provide customizable packages tailored to each client's specific needs and budget constraints. This flexibility allows businesses to scale their SEO efforts according to their financial capabilities without compromising on quality.

Focus on Core Strategies:

Affordable SEO companies prioritize proven strategies that deliver tangible results rather than chasing the latest trends or fads. They understand the importance of fundamental SEO techniques such as keyword research, on-page optimization, and building quality backlinks. By focusing on these core strategies, they can deliver consistent and sustainable results without wasting resources on ineffective tactics.

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Effective communication is key to the success of any SEO campaign. Affordable SEO companies maintain open and transparent communication channels with their clients, keeping them informed about the progress of their campaigns and any challenges encountered along the way. By fostering trust and collaboration, they can align their efforts with their clients' goals and expectations more effectively.

Continuous Learning and Adaptation:

The world of SEO is constantly evolving, with search engine algorithms undergoing frequent updates and changes. Affordable SEO companies stay ahead of the curve by investing in ongoing training and education for their team members. They continuously monitor industry trends and adapt their strategies accordingly to ensure that their clients remain competitive in the ever-changing digital landscape.

Emphasis on Results:

Ultimately, affordable SEO companies are judged by the results they deliver for their clients. Whether it's improving search engine rankings, increasing organic traffic, or generating leads and conversions, they prioritize outcomes that directly impact their clients' bottom line. By focusing on measurable results, they can demonstrate the value of their services and justify their affordability.

In conclusion, affordable SEO companies are able to keep costs down without sacrificing quality through a combination of streamlined processes, specialization, technology utilization, flexible pricing models, core strategy focus, transparent communication, continuous learning, and emphasis on results. By adopting these principles, they can provide cost-effective SEO solutions that empower businesses to enhance their online visibility and achieve their marketing objectives without breaking the bank.

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[rahuljangir]

Unveiling Excellence: The Best Digital Marketing Agencies of 2024

In the rapidly evolving landscape of the digital world, businesses are constantly seeking innovative ways to connect with their audiences, drive engagement, and achieve growth. Among the myriad strategies available, digital marketing has emerged as a powerhouse, enabling brands to reach global audiences with precision and impact. As the demand for digital prowess surges, the role of digital marketing agencies becomes paramount, offering expertise, creativity, and a competitive edge to businesses of all sizes.

In this era of digital dominance, selecting the right digital marketing agency can make all the difference. To guide you through the maze of options, we present a curated list of the best digital marketing agencies of 2024. These agencies stand out for their exceptional strategies, impressive track records, and unwavering commitment to client success.

ArtistryAds: Best Digital Marketing Agency in Ahmedabad, India

In the fast-paced digital landscape of today, where every pixel counts and every click matters, having a strong online presence is paramount for businesses of all sizes. This is where ArtistryAds shines as a beacon of creativity, strategy, and innovation. As a premier digital marketing agency, ArtistryAds is dedicated to catapulting brands to new heights through cutting-edge digital solutions tailored to each client's unique needs.

Unveiling the Artistry Behind ArtistryAds

At the heart of ArtistryAds lies a team of passionate and skilled professionals who live and breathe digital marketing. From seasoned strategists and creative designers to savvy social media experts and analytical wizards, ArtistryAds boasts a diverse talent pool that collaborates seamlessly to deliver unparalleled results.

Tailored Strategies for Maximum Impact

One size does not fit all in the world of digital marketing, and ArtistryAds understands this implicitly. Whether you're a budding startup looking to establish your brand identity or a well-established corporation aiming to reach new markets, ArtistryAds crafts bespoke strategies designed to achieve your specific goals.

From comprehensive SEO audits and targeted social media campaigns to engaging content creation and precision-targeted PPC advertising, every aspect of your digital presence is meticulously planned and executed by the experts at ArtistryAds.

Creativity Redefined: Compelling Designs and Content

In a world where attention spans are fleeting, captivating visuals and compelling content are non-negotiable. ArtistryAds prides itself on its ability to weave magic through stunning designs and impactful messaging that not only grabs attention but also fosters lasting connections with your target audience.

Whether it's a visually striking website that seamlessly guides visitors through your brand story or an eye-catching social media campaign that sparks conversations, ArtistryAds delivers creativity that leaves a lasting impression.

Harnessing the Power of Data: Analytics-Driven Success

Data is the backbone of effective digital marketing, and ArtistryAds leverages the latest tools and technologies to track, analyze, and optimize campaigns in real-time. By diving deep into the analytics, they uncover invaluable insights that fuel continuous improvement and ensure maximum ROI for every marketing dollar spent.

Client-Centric Approach: Your Success is Our Success

At ArtistryAds, client satisfaction is not just a goal—it's a commitment. The agency prides itself on fostering strong, long-term relationships with clients, built on transparency, communication, and a relentless drive for excellence.

From the initial consultation to the ongoing support and reporting, ArtistryAds keeps clients informed and involved every step of the way. Your success is their success, and they stop at nothing to exceed your expectations and deliver results that propel your brand forward.

Join the ArtistryAds Revolution Today

In a digital world brimming with noise, standing out requires more than just a presence—it demands artistry. ArtistryAds offers the perfect blend of creativity, strategy, and innovation to help your brand not just survive, but thrive in the digital realm.

Whether you're a startup with big dreams or an established enterprise aiming for greater heights, ArtistryAds is your trusted partner in the journey towards digital excellence. Contact ArtistryAds today and let's embark on a transformative digital marketing journey together.

Transform your brand with ArtistryAds—where creativity meets strategy, and success knows no bounds.

Website: www.ArtistryAds.in

Email: [email protected]

Phone: [phone]

2. Creative Minds Digital

Creativity knows no bounds at Creative Minds Digital, where each campaign is a masterpiece in the making. This award-winning agency combines cutting-edge design with strategic thinking to craft compelling narratives that captivate audiences. Whether it's immersive digital experiences, viral social media campaigns, or stunning visual content, Creative Minds Digital pushes boundaries to deliver exceptional results. Their client roster reads like a who's who of industry leaders, testament to their ability to transform visions into digital reality.

3. Strategic Edge Marketing

Strategic Edge Marketing is not just an agency; it's a partner in growth. Renowned for its holistic approach, they delve deep into market insights to develop strategies that drive long-term success. From comprehensive digital audits to tailored roadmap planning, they leave no stone unturned in optimizing client ROI. With a focus on transparency, communication, and continuous optimization, Strategic Edge Marketing ensures that every campaign yields maximum impact. Their collaborative ethos has earned them accolades from clients who view them as an extension of their own teams.

4. Innovate360

Innovation is the beating heart of Innovate360, a digital marketing agency that thrives on pushing boundaries. Renowned for its out-of-the-box thinking, they excel in creating disruptive campaigns that generate buzz and drive conversions. From AI-powered chatbots to interactive AR experiences, Innovate360 leverages the latest technologies to create unforgettable brand moments. Their nimble approach ensures agility in an ever-changing digital landscape, allowing clients to stay ahead of the curve.

5. Elevate Digital Solutions

Elevate Digital Solutions is synonymous with results-driven marketing that leaves a lasting impact. With a laser focus on ROI, they craft strategies that align with client objectives, whether it's brand awareness, lead generation, or e-commerce optimization. From omni-channel campaigns to precision-targeted ads, Elevate Digital Solutions leverages the full spectrum of digital tools to deliver measurable outcomes. Their analytics prowess provides clients with real-time insights, empowering informed decisions for continuous improvement.

The Essence of Excellence

In a world where digital noise is abundant, these top digital marketing agencies of 2024 shine as beacons of excellence. Whether you're a startup aiming to make a splash or a global enterprise seeking to maintain market dominance, partnering with these agencies ensures a strategic advantage in the digital realm.

As businesses navigate the complexities of the digital landscape, the role of digital marketing agencies becomes indispensable. These agencies not only craft campaigns but also forge lasting partnerships, guiding clients towards sustainable growth and success.

In the dynamic world of digital marketing, where innovation is the currency of success, these agencies stand tall as pioneers, setting benchmarks for creativity, strategy, and impact. When excellence is the expectation, these agencies deliver nothing less.

Whether you're embarking on a digital transformation journey or seeking to elevate your brand presence, look no further than these best-in-class digital marketing agencies of 2024. Embrace the future of marketing, where possibilities are limitless, and success knows no bounds.

#digital marketing #seo #ppc services #social media #graphic design

[purpleavenuesong]

Why is SEO critical for online success, and how can a digital marketing agency help?

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is critical for online success for several reasons:

Elevated Visibility: Ascending the ranks in search engine results pages (SERPs) through SEO catapults your website into the spotlight, captivating the attention of potential customers. Studies underscore that a significant portion of users gravitate towards the top results, amplifying the probability of enticing clicks and directing traffic towards your digital domain.

Precision Targeting: SEO facilitates pinpoint precision, channeling users actively seeking products, services, or information pertinent to your enterprise. By fine-tuning your website to resonate with relevant keywords, you magnetize individuals predisposed to conversion, fostering a stream of high-quality traffic.

Building Credibility and Trust: Securing a prime position atop search results imbues your brand with an aura of credibility and trustworthiness. A well-executed SEO strategy bolsters your brand's standing as an authority within your niche, cultivating confidence and reliability amongst your intended audience.

Cost-Efficiency: In contrast to conventional advertising avenues, SEO presents a cost-effective avenue for steering organic traffic towards your digital doorstep. Once your website establishes a strong foothold for pertinent keywords, you can sustainably attract traffic sans continual investment in paid promotions.

Sustainable Returns: While the fruition of SEO endeavors demands patience and persistence, the dividends reaped tend to be enduring. Unlike the transient influx generated by paid advertising, the impact of SEO resonates over time, furnishing a perennial wellspring of traffic and leads.

A digital marketing agency can help with SEO in various ways:

Expertise and Insight: Digital marketing agencies boast seasoned teams of SEO virtuosos, abreast of the latest trends and methodologies. Leveraging their acumen and experience, they orchestrate bespoke SEO strategies calibrated to align with your business objectives.

Holistic SEO Audit: Digital marketing agencies undertake exhaustive audits of your website, unveiling avenues for enhancement encompassing on-page optimization, technical SEO, and off-page factors. This diagnostic scrutiny delineates your strengths, rectifiable weaknesses, and avenues for optimization.

Keyword Mastery: Armed with adept keyword research capabilities, digital marketing agencies unearth the linguistic cues resonating with your target audience. These insights empower them to infuse your website's content, meta tags, and ancillary elements with optimized verbiage to amplify visibility.

Crafting Compelling Content: The bedrock of SEO efficacy rests on the bedrock of compelling content. Digital marketing agencies excel at crafting engaging, informative, and SEO-optimized content spanning blog posts, articles, infographics, videos, and beyond, fostering resonance with your audience.

Fortifying Link Ecosystem: Backlinks from authoritative and relevant sources wield considerable influence in the SEO realm. Digital marketing agencies adeptly navigate the labyrinth of link building through adept outreach, guest blogging, content partnerships, and other stratagems to fortify your website's authority and ranking.

Vigilant Monitoring and Reporting: Rounding off their suite of services, digital marketing agencies vigilantly monitor your website's performance metrics, encompassing traffic, rankings, and conversions. Armed with actionable insights, they furnish regular reports to gauge the efficacy of your SEO endeavors, effecting iterative refinements to optimize your strategy over time.

#digital marketing #online marketing #digital marketing agency #digital marketing services #business growth

[applaud-solution]

Elevate Your Business with the Top SEO Company in Sector 63 Noida

Are you seeking to maximize your online presence and drive unparalleled traffic to your website? Look no further than Applaud Solution the premier SEO company in Sector 63 Noida. With a proven track record of delivering exceptional results, we specialize in elevating businesses to new heights through cutting-edge search engine optimization strategies.

Why Choose Us

Proven Expertise: Our team comprises seasoned professionals with extensive experience in the ever-evolving realm of SEO. We stay ahead of the curve, constantly adapting our techniques to ensure optimal results for our clients.

Tailored Solutions: We understand that every business is unique. That's why we offer customized SEO strategies tailored to your specific goals, industry, and target audience. Whether you're a startup or a well-established enterprise, we have the expertise to meet your needs.

Transparent Communication: We believe in building trust with our clients through transparent communication every step of the way. You'll receive regular updates and detailed reports on the progress of your SEO campaign, allowing you to track performance and ROI effectively.

Ethical Practices: Integrity is at the core of everything we do. Unlike some SEO companies that resort to black-hat tactics, we adhere strictly to ethical SEO practices endorsed by major search engines. Rest assured that your online reputation is in safe hands with us.

Results-Driven Approach: Our ultimate goal is to deliver tangible results that translate into increased visibility, traffic, and revenue for your business. By focusing on key performance indicators and continuously refining our strategies, we ensure maximum return on your investment.

Experience the Difference

Don't let your competitors overshadow you in the digital landscape. Take the first step towards online dominance by partnering with the Best SEO company in Sector 63, Noida. Contact [Applaud Solution](Company Name) today for a comprehensive SEO audit and personalized consultation. Let's propel your business to the top of the search engine rankings and beyond!

#online marketing #seo #seo services #best seo company in noida #seo company

[uaegraphics]

Technical SEO Services in Dubai

SEO Tech Experts, a leading provider of technical SEO services in Dubai, focuses on optimizing the intricate technical elements of your website for peak performance. Our dedicated team conducts thorough technical audits, addressing factors such as site speed, mobile responsiveness, and structured data to enhance search engine visibility and user experience. With a commitment to staying ahead of industry trends, SEO Tech Experts ensures your website aligns with the latest SEO best practices, setting your brand apart in the competitive Dubai market. Elevate your online presence with our specialized technical SEO services, designed to boost rankings, drive traffic, and enhance overall website functionality.

#technical #seo #services #dubai #uae #company #agency