#they’ve been so active ever since their debut

[lunetual]

♡ HAPPY TAEHYUN DAY ♡ to my star boy, my very best boy, my boy with entire universes in his eyes. i don’t know that i could say it better than yeonjun so i’ll just echo his words — i hope taehyun can have a better birthday than anyone else can.

quick cc note: ah, taehyunnie! i always say he’s my most special kpop boy and like! i mean it! from the drop he has had such a particular place in my heart. and by from the drop i literally mean from day one when txt hadn’t even debuted yet and we all thought taehyun was a rapper. ah, the good ol’ days. we’ve come so far since then!

every time i look at how well he’s growing up, how he’s really coming into his own, i just feel. SO so proud. i worry that i’m getting repetitive in these tubatu bday notes always talking about how they’ve grown so much and so well but it’s just. i can’t help it. to me the tubatus are like. my little brother group? it is such a privilege to me to have been able to watch taehyun turn from this clever, bright eyed, ambitious little rookie to... well, he’s still clever, bright-eyed, and ambitious! but he’s older and wiser and even steadier than before. he’s always been so confident and surefooted about what he wants but now he’s also got all the weight and knowledge of nearly four years of working as an active idol behind him.

i love how quick-witted he is and how genuinely funny he is around his members and when it’s just moas, but how he gets shy and says he is no fun on variety shows. i love the way he tries to make eye contact with every fan he can at performances and the way he spends so much time interacting with moas on weverse. (i love when he uses weverse as google... like nothing makes me feel more embarrassingly fond than when he’s desperately asking whether it’s okay he swallowed a feather or casually inquiring about geopolitical relations in europe.) i love the way he throws himself into this job with his whole self. i love that he’s so passionate about it, that he’s so serious about it. this is his craft and he really doggedly pursues the avenues he wants to — i’m glad he’s getting to write and topline more and i’m over the MOON that he’s been discussing releasing a mixtape with the company. i love his tenacity to continuously improve and his tenacity to maintain his own standard of excellence. he works so hard to do so. another thing i love SO much is like. okay so, i’ve said this before but. if yeonjun works hard and likes that he can make things look effortless, taehyun works hard and likes for us to see that hard work. :’)

speaking of yeonjun, i think the other thing i love so so much about taehyun is how much he loves his members. he has so much faith in them and you can just tell that if he could do it all over he’d choose those four boys every single time. when soobin said that taehyun really cares about the people in his circle and not at all in a personal way about those not in his circle and that he can tell that they are in taehyun’s circle.... well what am i supposed to do but cry? the way he and hyuka are forever soulmates, the way he never stops telling yeonjun that he’s his driving force, the way that he always lets soobin know that he’s the best leader, the way that he and beomgyu pretend that they’re so different with their mbtis but are always, always there for each other and looking out for each other in every way that counts.

to taehyun!! my boy who lives so tucked inside my heart, who has lived there ever since that little intro video over four years ago now. i think no matter what happens, no matter how busy i am or where i am in life, i will always be rooting for you. i will always be proud of you. every which way i look at it, you have so much still ahead of you and i have no doubt that you will excel at everything you choose pursue — if not right away, then in no time at all. i hope this year is just the biggest one yet and that it gives you so many reasons to laugh. and most of all, i hope that you always, always keep those stars in your eyes.

♡

#taehyun #kang taehyun #txtnetwork #moasource #moahour #moacentral #kpopgfxs #mine: gfx #txt.meg #bday collection #WHEEEE another movie poster <3 #unfortunately i want this movie so bad.... lakdjfladks #as usual tysm and sorry if u make it all the way through my sappy sappy cc note !! #i hope u guys like it though hehe <3 #usermowah #hijaehyukkies #usergyukai #aleksbestie #marieblr #wabisarah #marekwan #heetual #userfairy #ayabestie #useryeonjuins #useryjunies #tuserchrissy #ocora #majatrack

[eunjiswrld]

🤍🫧 … Eunji with SKZ !

BangChan — JiChan 🫧

If there’s one person Eunji can go to for advice, it’d be Chan. He’s Eunji’s biggest supporter and always has been ever since she joined the team. They absolutely enjoy working with each other and they always find ways to have fun together. Chan definitely sees Eunji as a little sister, and is always there to defend/protect her. Whenever Eunji is struggling with something, Chan is always there to help her. Eunji also enjoys cooking for Chan and bringing him gifts whenever they all have a comeback as a way to show her appreciation. Chan is definitely the reason why Eunji is here today.

Minho — Minji 🎀

Cat Duo. Is there more needed? These two are so cat coded, and them being friends makes it 100% better. They enjoy knocking things over and causing chaos, just to be seen taking a 9 hour nap mere minutes later. They’re a disastrous combination, as they can either get in some kind of trouble together, or they can be the calmest people to be around. They’re also learning buddies as well, they enjoy teaching each other English. Often, you’ll see these two exchanging random english phrases they’ve learned together. On top of everything, they both own cats!! They both love talking about their cats and showing them off. They love going to each others houses to see one another’s cats.

Changbin — Binji 🌿

These two are gym rats, perfect for one another to work out with. Eunji loves going to the gym with Changbin, and she even wakes up earlier than him to work out. Changbin also really loves Eunji’s cooking, and is always the first to taste anything she cooks in the dorm. He calls himself her ‘Chef in Command’ and likes to think he’s helping in the kitchen when in reality he’s just there to get a plate first. They also really enjoy going out and singing at Karaoke rooms. If you see these two walk in together and the place contains a Karaoke Machine, run. You definitely do not want these two singing their hearts out all night, you’ll never hear the end of it.

Hyunjin — Hyunji 🧸

These two get along really well, and they’re favorite activity to do together is paint. They love talking about different painting techniques and different styles to try out whenever they paint. Hyunjin and Eunji have always been good friends from the start, and it was even found out that they attended the same high School at some point. The two have a lot in common and even though they act like they don’t get along, they care about each other to death. They also like cooking in the dorm together and often exchange recipes to each other. They’re also huge dog lovers!! They enjoy bringing their dogs over to each other’s houses so they can play together. Taka and Kkami are best friends, just like their owners.

Jisung — 2ji 💐

(1/3 of soulmateracha)

If there was a such thing as having Best Friends as your Soulmate, It’d be Soulmateracha. Jisung and Eunji didn’t have a good start to meeting each other when they first debuted. They started off absolutely resenting each other, always butting heads and never getting along, but now they’re inseparable. Where one goes, the other absolutely has to follow. Eunji and Jisung do almost everything together, and it’s tough on them to be apart. They’re like a tornado when they’re together, because if you thought Minji was bad, 2ji is even worse. They’re very loud when they’re together and there’s never a time when they’re not laughing together. These two are very playful together and they’re bound to cause mischief wherever they go. They have a bond like no other.

Felix — Eunlix ⭐️

(2/3 of Soulmateracha)

Eunji’s Guardian Angel in Human form, and a dear member of Soulmateracha. Felix is the type to do absolutely everything and anything for Eunji, and he cares about her very much. From the start, Felix has always been there for Eunji, and has never left her side. He enjoys taking her to visit his family and spending time with her, and just adores everything about Eunji. When Eunji is unsure about something, Felix will always be there to give some advice or to help her. It proves that he’s willing to help her with anything she needs. Their favorite activity to do together is baking, as Felix loves baking brownies and Eunji loves baking cakes. Together, they make the best desserts known to everyone in the dorm. They also play video games together, and often boast about their ranks in games. Eunji enjoys playing pranks on Felix, often tricking him to drink coffee and teasing him about his gaming rank. In other words, Felix and Eunji were meant to meet.

Seungmin - Seungji ⛅️

(3/3 of soulmateracha)

Eunji’s playful puppy rival, since she is apart of nyannyanracha after all. These two are jointed at the hip, hence why he’s apart of soulmateracha. When together, they’re the most playful duo ever imagined. They always end up getting into some kind of mischief together even when they’re not trying. During MV shoots they’re usually the ones playing pranks on the other members while they’re filming. These two also enjoy playing games together, and tease one another if someone loses. They definitely cannot be trusted to do anything together or separate. They’re the bestest of friends and nobody can really ever tell them otherwise. They do everything together and their favorite activity is to tease the other members and watching baseball games.

Jeongin — I.NJI 🪐

Eunji will literally defend Jeongin til the end of time just because she can. Eunji is the literal number one Jeongin defender. She’s always been protective of him since they’ve met and instantly felt a sibling like bond with him just like the others. When the others tease him, she’s always quick to defend him, and says that only she can make fun of him. They enjoy going to the beach together and collecting seashells together to hang on the walls of their dorm like little garlands. Eunji and I.N are also Karaoke Machine lovers (a little less bad than Eunji and Changbin), and they love late night convenience store runs together.

🤍 …’ (Soulmateracha is a unit composed of Eun-ji, Jisung, Felix and Seungmin. It is named that way because of how close they are with one another, and they were given that name by the fans.)

#[🪽] — eunji’s relationship’s #skz 9th member #skz female addition #skz female member #skz female oc #skz oc #stray kids 9th member #stray kids female addition #stray kids female member #stray kids female oc #skz #stray kids #stray kids oc

[suzdotranslation]

[Interview TL] Minase Rio animate interview -3D debut commemoration-

Original article

An interview session to commemorate Holostars UPROAR!!'s 3D debut! First up: Minase Rio

"For the sake of everyone who has supported and grown to love my voice, I'd like to do my best and let out my voice as much as I could"

.:I would love to continue singing:.

──Please introduce yourself.

Rio: I'm Minase Rio from Holostars' UPROAR!! group! Back then, I used to admire idols but now I came back as a ghost... But thanks to my genmate– Fuma's invitation, I'm now able to walk down the idol road once again!

──Could you describe your reaction the moment your 3D reveal debut was decided and your feeling nearing the debut day?

Rio: Although I was initially happy the moment I was informed about this, there's another part of me that wonders whether the date might be too fast. In my opinion, when a VTuber earned their 3D it is also a symbol of the achievement they've made so far. But now that I finally own a 3D form itself, I thought about the number of activities that'll grow even more from now on, it's also a way to get me closer to the image of the "Idol" I've always dreamed of so I'm really excited for everyone to see it later!

──With the reveal stream just a few days ahead, what kind of stream you've prepared for it?

Rio: I especially like singing, so that's definitely something I will do! To be honest, my voice isn't so much different even after I became a ghost so I had some complex about it. But for the sake of everyone who has supported and grown to love my voice, I'd like to do my best and let out my voice as much as I could.

──If you had any message for everyone who's looking forward to your 3D reveal stream, please let us hear it!

Rio: Borrowing the songs I've loved, I will do my best to give it my all as I sing. I'd also wanted everyone to pay attention to the setlist and most importantly because KEKI-mama has prepared the cutest visual ever so please pay attention to me!! (laughs)

UPROAR!!'s members' supportive messages are also present!

Yatogami Fuma

Singing! As the one good at it, I'd like to hear his singing a lot! Since we'll be able to see his movement and gesture while he sings once we see his 3D, don't you think we'll be able to feel the real "Rio" even closer!? I wanted to see it as if we were watching a live concert!

Utsugi Uyu

I'm excited to see Rio's 3D reveal stream as he himself has been continuing to do what he could uncompromised. Even amidst the busy preparation, he still managed to give his all on his streaming activity, Rio is truly an amazing person. Seeing his persistence makes me want to do my best in my activity too. I'm looking forward to his 3D reveal!!

Hizaki Gamma

Rio, congrats on 3D!!! Does it count as a horror flick now that you're 3D? The thoughts linger on my mind but I'll be careful so as there won't be any exorcism performed so let's get along from now on too 'kay!!🤟😎

#topic: holostars #topic: minase rio #type: interviews

[yegarts]

“I Am YEG Arts” Series: Darrin Hagen

Speak less and listen more. It’s one heck of a resolution, and one Darrin Hagen made decades ago. His reason? You don’t learn much while you’re talking, and Hagen wants to learn. Consequentially, as pandemic fate would have it, he’s had more time than ever to work on that. While some of us were perfecting our sourdough, Hagen spent his hiatus taking comfort in his first love: music. He’s been writing about it, composing it, producing videos, and learning how to share it all digitally with the world. If that isn’t exciting enough, you can also look forward to the two plays he’s bringing to this years’ long-awaited Fringe Festival. Writer, performer, composer, and listener—this week’s “I Am YEG Arts” story belongs to Darrin Hagen.

What keeps you choosing Edmonton as your place to live and work?

I arrived in Edmonton four decades ago and never intended to stay, but good things keep happening to me here. Edmonton has always opened doors to experiences I never could have had anywhere else. It’s also a big anniversary year for me: 40 years living in Edmonton, 35 years since Guys In Disguise made its debut at the Fringe Festival, and 25 years since the publication of The Edmonton Queen.

Tell us about your journey as a storyteller of queer history and where you hope it takes you next.

I never try to predict or anticipate what’s next—and I think that’s the secret to moving forward. I didn’t write The Edmonton Queen 25 years ago to be political or to fulfill an agenda. I just wrote what I had experienced and what I was feeling. We are all the authorities in our own lived experience, and for whatever reason, I’ve lived through some pretty unique circumstances, and that’s given me a distinct outlook on the world around me.

I’m a history nerd and love research, so I’ll just keep digging and expanding my knowledge of what the Queer population of this province has endured. It’s important for the young Queers to understand the struggles of prior generations in order to fully appreciate and protect the privileges we now enjoy. And it’s important for the elder Queers to know that their pain and their efforts were not in vain.

I recently did a Zoom call with the gay seniors group and told stories of the many moments where I was in drag, dealing with the media that not only didn’t understand my gender fluidity, but didn’t even possess the vocabulary to describe it. The session was a blast and made me realize that I have many more stories to tell. I do feel a shift toward creating documentaries, though. Again—that’s not something I ever could have predicted—but it began to happen, and I am very open to it!

What’s your favourite part of the creative process?

I love that moment when you stop trying and just allow the art to happen—the moment where effort becomes effortless. It doesn’t always happen, but it’s so good when it does. After I’ve composed some music, my favourite part of that process is spending a few hours just listening. I also love that moment on stage when you’re in the last seconds of a play, and you can feel that it worked.

What does community mean to you, and where do you find it?

My answer to this has changed many, many times over the years. For a long time, it was in the club scene—the world of Flashback both saved and inspired me. Then it was the world of activism that was my foundation. Then for years it was the theatre scene. But I think through all of that, the people who enjoy my work and honour it by spending time with it are the community that means the most to me. My creative output is a conversation between them and I, and some have been on this journey with me since the days I was spewing Life cereal all over the Flashback stage in the early 80s. They’ve allowed me to grow, and struggle, and sometimes triumph.

The pandemic years have also shown me that my world has gotten very insular as I devote my time to solo creation. I think that’s a natural progression, as I morph into an artist that’s newly intrigued by digital dissemination.

What has surprised you most over the course of your writing career?

I don’t think I was ever really meant to be a writer, so everything I write is still a surprise. I’m surprised by some of the advances around Queer equality—most of the activists I knew couldn’t have predicted how quickly things could progress. I’m also surprised at how quickly language has changed in my lifetime. That kind of change used to take centuries, didn’t it?

It is said that to be an activist is to speak, and to be an advocate is to listen. You’re known for both. How is each reflected in your current work?

I made a New Year’s resolution decades ago to speak less and listen more. Anyone who knows me can tell you what a struggle that can be for someone as verbose as I. But I say it to myself every December 31: One doesn’t learn much while one is talking. I want to learn.

I have also spent decades interviewing people—first for Outlooks Magazine, then for HelpTV, then many, many interviews with Queer elders for the many Queer history projects I have been working on. It’s important to leave room for people to speak. As I get older, I get less and less interested in being the one speaking. When I do, I want it to be measured and thoughtful. That’s why I hate social media.

Metronome at Workshop West, directed by Heather Inglis.

What excites you most about the YEG arts scene right now?

I’m intrigued to see what new art and which new voices will emerge from the darkness of the pandemic. I had a very productive time composing music and learning how to edit video, and am about to start releasing music I made during the hiatus. I’ve already seen and heard some brilliant things. Society experienced something huge. The ripples will never stop.

Tell us about the importance of mentorship throughout your career and what it’s taught you.

Working with other writers makes me a better writer. I had some inspiring and generous minds that gave me early encouragement/advice. I feel a duty to pay that generosity forward.

The Queer community is in a situation now where a lack of mentors has created an impasse, or a gap, between generations. This has resulted in a population unaware of the struggles that came before. We should be building bridges between the present and the past. The more Queer history work I do, the more important that seems.

Describe your perfect day in Edmonton. How do you spend it?

A perfect Edmonton day is spent in my garden with a friend or two.

You visit Edmonton 20 years from now. What do you hope has changed? What do you hope has stayed the same?

In 20 years I will be 78. What I hope to see is a provincial government that has finally stopped fighting Queer equality. I also hope I see seniors’ homes for the Queer elders who changed the world for the rest of us. I hope the river valley is still natural and unspoiled. I hope the Edmonton Arts Council is still helping Edmonton artists contribute to the vibrancy of our city.

Want more YEG Arts Stories? We’ll be sharing them here all year and on social media using the hashtag #IamYegArts. Follow along! 

Visit Darrin Hagen’s Vimeo to discover his digital catalogue of new music and art, and be sure to catch his upcoming Fringe 2022 plays: Crack In the Mirror (Varscona Theatre) and Pansy Cabaret (the Roxy).

About Darrin Hagen

Darrin Hagen is an award-winning playwright, author, composer, and Queer historian whose plays have been produced across Canada, in the US, and Europe. Since The Edmonton Queen (published by Brindle & Glass), he has created art that is a unique window into gender and history. During the pandemic, he turned his attention to creating video art and has done a deep dive into Queer history research, including many hours working with MacEwan’s Edmonton Queer History Project.

He has been Artistic Director of Guys In Disguise since 1987, has received 7 Sterling Awards for his work in Edmonton Theatre, and an AMPIA for his broadcasting work. Other plays include, Tornado Magnet, BitchSlap!, Witch Hunt at the Strand, Buddy, The Empress & The Prime Minister, Metronome, and the upcoming Pansy Cabaret.

Together with his collaborator, Trevor Schmidt, he has created a decade’s worth of hit Fringe comedies, including Flora & Fawna’s Field Trip, Flora & Fawna Have Beaver Fever, Dragula, Psychobabble, Prepare for the Worst, Puck Bunnies, Don’t Frown at the Gown, Klondykes, and the upcoming Fringe hit, Crack In The Mirror.

Hagen has been named one of the 25 Most Influential Alberta Artists in the Past 25 Years, as well as one of 100 Edmontonians of the Century.

#yegarts #edmonton #IamYegArts #ArtistFeature #yegtheatre

[existentialmagazine]

Review: The singer-songwriter Sunflower Summit warmly reflects in new single ‘Hiding’, a fearful admission of self-doubt and unfollowed dreams

The Chicago based Latinx queer artist and producer Sunflower Summit has been boldly creating music that ‘hits right in the feels’ for as long as they’ve been able to express themselves. Since her debut album in 2019, following into 2020 artist collaborations and learning production entirely on her own, Sunflower Summit has since been on a determined roll to continue creating work that above all prioritises meaning. Actively looking to de-stigmatise mental health discussion and education through her music, Sunflower Summit is also an integral voice for the masses with work that’s unafraid to channel the thoughts that others’ may shy away from.

With their most recent single ‘Hiding’, Sunflower Summit found themselves penning the realities of a late-night, darker headspace often kept tucked away privately for their own safe and solemn reflections, a song that’s one of many midnight splurges of buried emotion - but one of the rarer ones to also see the light of day and the ears of the masses. Gentle but warm finger-picked acoustic guitar embraces this intimate focus, a soundscape intentionally isolated but with Sunflower Summit’s company, it becomes familiar like the hug of a friend rather than the solitude of an empty mattress. The dreamy, emotionally-wavering vocals sing with a light, slightly hushed emphasis, maintaining the song’s sincerity and secrecy while beautifully cascading into higher notes with such an ease and comfort that feels just like home.

Ironically, Sunflower Summit’s words are the opposite of its title, rather than hiding she comes completely unclean with the most confessional of thoughts that we all often weightily carry alone. From the realisations of self-sabotage to the conflicting desire to stay where she is while desperately yearning to do more, Sunflower Summit sings of all those dreams we’re all often too afraid to chase. Whether it be imposter syndrome; a self-doubt that leaves it feeling unachievable, or perhaps just fears of being undeserving, ‘Hiding’ looks within in an attempt to understand why we all often reject opportunities before even allowing ourselves the chance to feel worthy of grabbing hold of them with both hands.

Between soft thudding beats and entanglements of guitar, Sunflower Summit sings words just as paired-back yet complex, confused by their own mental dismissals of every opportunity and yet no further in moving forwards: ‘but I’m hiding from the dreams in my soul, I’m hiding from what I can’t control, I don’t want to anymore.’ Acknowledging the anxiety that comes with taking on the unknown and the uncontrollable, ‘Hiding’ is almost like an embodiment of that safe space we all crawl back too, the comfort zone we often struggle to breach the built-up safety-net like walls of once making it a home. Themes of avoidance are just as apparent as she guiltily shares ‘close my eyes, block it out, I don’t want to think about the mess I made’, knowingly regretting letting go of chances that she couldn’t find the confidence to attempt.

Building in instrumental intensity, alongside layers of backing vocals that hauntingly rise and fall between one another, ‘Hiding’ sonically seems to find the confidence that the narrative has been pleading for this whole time. Perhaps it’s always been there, buried within, something we’re all capable of down below, but reaching that faith within oneself requires a journey of patience too, especially as Sunflower Summit reminds of how ever-so human it is to be hesitant to put yourself out there from a place you’ve found secure for so long.

Make sure to check out ‘Hiding’ for yourself here, as Sunflower Summit flavours your auditory journey with an undeniable catchiness alongside more poignant hard-hitting lines buried within.

Written by: Tatiana Whybrow

Photo Credits: Unknown

// This coverage was supported and created via Musosoup, #SustainableCurator.

#tatiana

[nickgerlich]

Pour Me Another

They’re ba-a-ack. AB InBev and its Bud Light brand have been radio silent since mid-April and the LGBTQ/transgender controversy. But they’ve returned with both guns blazing, and their biggest summer ad campaign ever. With Bud Light, it’s “Easy To Summer.” Or so they say.



Probably not a bad idea, given that Bud Light has now slipped to the Number 2 brand in the US.

The new campaign is rich in outdoorsy activities that typify summer in the US, meaning lots of picnics, playing in the sun, goofing off…and drinking Bud Light. If you watch the ad a few times, you will notice they have done a slick job pigeonholing their target market, as the undercurrent is decidedly very white, straight, and…to be honest…rather out of shape.

Yup. Sounds like Joe Six Pack to me. Bud Light is getting back to basics.

There is also no escaping the fact that, no matter what Bud Light does, it is going to alienate someone now. While it may get some of its boycotters to reconsider, those who are LGBTQ or its allies may feel slighted. Of course, Pride Month is only one month out of the year, and Bud Light (nor the vast majority of other major brands) never actively showed any support the other 11 months. Still…it’s June for a few more days, so there’s that.

You also cannot miss that Bud Light is relying on music to carry its message, just as we have been discussing lately. The song—Chic’s Good Times—dates to 1979. Whether this means Bud Light is going for an older demo, or thinks the song is timeless, will be determined in the next few months.

The campaign is not just a knee-jerk reaction to what happened in April, but rather an extension of what was launched during Super Bowl LVII last February. That campaign was “Easy To Drink, Easy To Enjoy.” It was well-received, and is easily expanded to different seasons.

The summer promotion includes $10,000 a week in giveaways, sweepstakes to cover bar tabs, and the Bud Light Backyard Tour, a concert series featuring several artists. Bud Light is also working in advance of the coming NFL season by linking to several star players in ads that will debut right before football action fires up.



By now you are probably wondering whether any artist or athlete would risk being connected to Bud Light, given what happened a couple of months ago. The naysayers have been pretty vocal in condemning anyone remotely connected to the brand, including independent distributors and retailers. Individual brands, meaning personal brands, are just as critical for maintaining as are corporate brands. Either these artists and athletes do not see any risk, or they were paid well enough to allay any fears.

It is critical for Bud Light to get on with doing business, crisis or not. Their silence lasted a bit too long. The ticking clock suggested the brand did not know what to do. But with the new campaign, even though they are acting as if nothing happened, it is better than silence. And you would never want to bring up April again anyway, so it is apropos for them to pick up the pieces and try to rebuild their position as the top-selling beer. After all, even with the controversy, they only slipped to second. It’s not as if they were exiled to an uninhabited island.

Welcome back, Bud Light. Although it was pretty noisy on social media it was rather quiet on the telly. While marketing text book authors will be mentioning the controversy for years to come—much like Coca Cola’s fateful move in 1985 to kill its flagship brand, only to reinstate it—I am betting that Bud Light will regain its prominence. Heck, we forgave Coca Cola its moment of indiscretion, and we will likely do the same for Bud Light.

One can hope, anyway.

Dr “Still Not My Beer, Though” Gerlich

Audio Blog

#marketing #advertising #Bud Light

[lgcdanbi]

solo : crystallis mission 6, cf gigs

word count : 325

it’s nice that they’re able to do more group activities together - for a while now (ever since debut, actually), they’ve all been focusing on their solo schedules when they’re not currently promoting. danbi understands why - of course, she’s guilty of it, too - but it’d be a lie to say that she wasn’t just the tiniest bit disappointed that the company wasn’t pushing for more marketing of the group as a whole. 

be it name power or individual recognition or what, it was hard to be accepting of their current status quo, so these new cf gigs were a pleasant surprise and wholeheartedly welcomed as a chance to advertise themselves as just crystallis - even if not entirely as seven.

the whole shoot went fine and was, honestly pretty fun. it was nice to pose and play around with others on sets she usually finds herself alone at - plus, the pictures coming out pretty is a nice cherry-on-top, too.

the individual shots were next, and she’s not sure what scents soyoun and hyejoo chose - and believe her, she’s trying her absolutely best to not care about picking any repeats - so danbi’s going into the whole task kind of blind as she stares at the array of sprays before her. her interest naturally wanders to the ones with cooler-toned packaging as she assumed they’d have cleaner, less floral scents - the kind of scents that she likes.

“ooh, this is so hard!” she mumbles, mostly to herself as the staff members hover around her and (silently) wait for her to hurry up and choose one.

“maybe i should just pick a blue one, since that’s my representative color anyways,” she says as her hands hesitate to outrightly grab one of the sprays. she sighs before she shakes her head with some newfound determination, reaching for the ‘pure aqua’ scent and turning around to show off her decision.

“i choose this one!”

#lgc:crystallismission #SOLO (TAG)

[jiahlgc]

WHY DID YOUR MUSE BECOME AN IDOL?

Realistically, Gaeun became an idol because she was a born performer who would do well in whichever path she decided to trudge. There was a time she believed more in being destined for stardom, but nowadays, that's a lot more subdued. Honestly, she became an idol when she had her injury in her teenage years and couldn't go back to the ice rink. She had more time in her hands than ever before, and nothing seemed to scratch the itch the same way that figure skating did. She did expect that doing something like dancing would help her with that, but Gaeun didn't expect to spend the next seven years practicing nonstop to debut.

WHAT DOES YOUR MUSE THINK OF THEIR COMPANY AND THEIR GROUP?

Gaeun thinks she lucked out with Gold Star Media and Femme Fatale. In terms of entertainment companies, Gaeun believes that out of the big 3, Gold Star is the best option. Of course, no company is perfect, and there are a lot of flaws underneath the façade of having idols with good personalities and free to express their feelings. However, as far as Gaeun is concerned, there is nothing major to complain about them. They give her work and let her explore fields in the entertainment industry, even if they are not her specialty. She feels at ease under her care when it comes to her activities. As for Femme Fatale, she loves her group. Genuinely is enamoured with them and is very protective of their name and team. With that being said, Gaeun is also worried that with how successful they are, not only people will start to find flaws where there is none to criticize them, or they'll start releasing whatever to fill in the blanks. Gaeun loves their music so far, and she hopes that going forward they won't decline in quality just because Gold Star knows their fans will support them regardless.

IS YOUR MUSE ON THEIR FIRST CONTRACT OR THEIR SECOND? IF THEY’VE RENEWED, WHAT WERE THEIR FEELINGS AROUND THAT AT THE TIME AND WHAT WERE THEIR HOPES FOR THEIR SECOND CONTRACT? IF THEY HAVEN’T RENEWED, WHAT ARE THEIR CURRENT THOUGHTS ON THE END OF THEIR EVENTUAL FIRST CONTRACT?

Surprisingly, Femme Fatale is still in their first contract. They have been around since 2019, which feels weird since they've done so much since. Not only have they released hit after hit since debut, but Femme Fatale also had variety shows on their own, held concerts in most of Asia, Europe, Oceania and North America, debuted in Japan, collaborated with Selena Gomez, among other milestones, and all in less than four years. Gaeun is an overachiever, so having this much to do in so little time doesn't bother her. She thinks there's nothing better for them since having work is better than waiting for scraps ever so often. As long as they stay busy and the quality of their work doesn't decline, Gaeun has no reason to complain about it or even have doubts about the possibility of renewing her contract in 2026.

WHAT ARE YOUR MUSE’S GOALS, AMBITIONS, AND MOTIVATIONS?

Because she feels like she's already at the top of the world with how successful Femme Fatale is, wishing to become a global star doesn't seem far-fetched for Gaeun. Of course, many people already know who she is, even if they aren't Soleils, but Gaeun wants to become known not only as a member of Femme Fatale but also be recognized alone. She wants to expand her horizons and do everything she's allowed to in the industry. She's already a strong name when it comes to fashion and modelling, and she started her journey as an actress recently as well, but Gaeun also wants to start writing music for Femme Fatale and maybe appear in more variety shows that aren't their own. Maybe she even hosts a radio show at some point in her career, too. Opportunities won't stop coming if her name continues hot.

WHAT MOMENTS OR PEOPLE IN YOUR MUSE’S LIFE ARE OR HAVE BEEN THE MOST IMPACTFUL AND/OR THE MOST IMPORTANT TO THEM?

Her family is the obvious answer, but they played a big part in why Gaeun is the way she is now. Her parents were always supportive of her and have always given her the best of the best they could offer, but it's her brother and sister, Gaeun thanks more often. When Gaeun suffered her injury in 2012, she thought about giving up entirely. She didn't want to back to practising and wanted to forget about ice skating since she wouldn't go back to it. It was Gayoung and Garam who offered her their words of advice and encouraged her to not only do the surgery to repair her knee but also go to physiotherapy. Of course, she didn't recover a 100% from her injury, but if it wasn't for her siblings, Gaeun wouldn't even be capable of becoming an idol.

WHAT ARE FIVE OF YOUR MUSE’S FAVORITE THINGS? FEEL FREE TO EXPAND ON WHY THIS IS AND/OR HOW THESE BECAME THEIR FAVORITE THINGS.

Her ice skates. For obvious reasons, it was her first love (even though she has changed pairs more than a handful of times since she began ice skating), and she still harbours positive and affectionate feelings for the first art form she was ever introduced to. Digital camera. As mentioned above, there is a lot that happened in Gaeun's life in the past four years alone. She developed a liking for immortalizing the people and the places they've been to, and it's the best thing she ever acquired since debuting. Driving. Trust Aster to be your designated driver at any time. She loves being behind the wheel and taking people to places. She hopes to have the time in the future to go on a road trip around South Korea at some point. Her guitar. Yes, she only started picking it up again after becoming a trainee, and she has barely touched the instrument in the past couple of months, but that doesn't take away how much she loves the sound and how she enjoys playing it when she has the chance. Gummy bears. Just, gummy bears.

WHAT IS ONE CONFLICT, INTERNAL OR EXTERNAL, THAT YOUR MUSE IS CURRENTLY DEALING WITH, HAS RECENTLY DEALT WITH, OR WILL NEED TO DEAL WITH IN THE FUTURE?

Gaeun is Femme Fatale's first and biggest fan. She'll have to deal with the fact that their upcoming songs will not be of her liking and that will put a lot of strain on her belief that they are good artists. She wants to deliver the best performance she can especially because fans trust them to do so, but they are also a new group with not much say in the direction of their comebacks. That's one push more to make her want to be more involved with FF's future releases.

IF YOUR MUSE HAS ESTABLISHED CAREER CLAIMS, WHAT ARE THEIR THOUGHTS ON THEIR CAREER SO FAR? IF THEY DO NOT, HOW DO THEY FEEL ABOUT NOT HAVING INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITIES YET? WHAT WOULD THEY LIKE TO DO IN THE FUTURE, IF ANYTHING? IF THEY DON’T HAVE AMBITIONS FOR INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITIES, EXPLAIN WHY.

Gaeun has a lot of previous modelling and fashion claims. She has appeared in big magazines at least once every year since her debut, and she's very happy with how things have been turning out for her on that front. She loves modelling even if it's not seen as something essential or difficult. She wants to keep doing it in the future since there are still three of the top 6 fashion magazines in Korea to appear on. As for acting, Gaeun hopes for more roles, and just like everything else she does, she'll put her whole effort into delivering a good performance. Acting is surprisingly fun, and pretending to be someone else is not as bad.

#famednewmusetask #( i hate the “new” format of posts )

[0613magazine]

210615 BTS, THE BEST Fan Club

Ever since their debut, BTS have continued to sing for ARMY, going beyond the boundaries of South Korea and Japan to flourish on the global stage as well. Taking the opportunity of the release of their best - album “BTS, THE BEST,” we asked them to speak on their preferences about song making, the struggles they’ve faced, and the things they’ve been thinking about with their future activities in mind.

Come to think of it, it’s been around 7~8 years since you first received an offer to sell your albums overseas (note: Japan), but do you remember how you felt back then? 

Jimin: I do remember. At the time, sunbae artists who were famous in South Korea were doing their activities overseas. I recall how excited we were to also extend our activities overseas.

Hobi: Back then, we were excited over literally anything.

Yoongi: It made me feel like we were joining and becoming one of the superstars.

Namjoon: It was very tough for us back then, however. Singing in a language that we’re not used to itself was a source of pressure for us.  

Until now, Jung Kook has been involved in making 2 Japanese original tracks, Your Eyes Tell and Film out. Was anything different from the usual because of a member participating in the song(making)?

Jin: First of all, each team and songwriter has their styles/tendencies for songs. So because we’ve gotten in sync with each other, and become one with our songwriters, there are sometimes melodies that align with us better than with other songwriters sensitivity-wise — I guess you can call it the BTS style? 

Jimin: I guess it’s easier to practice with, and it’s easier to pull out our emotions while singing. Jung Kook-san makes amazing songs, so they made me think about how (the songs Jung Kook made) are like the “model answers,” during our recordings.

How was Film out, the result of a collaboration with Japanese rock band back number?

Jung Kook: There weren’t any lyrics when I listened to the guide demo at first, and it was sung as “La la la la” from the beginning to the end. I started working on it to get a sense of the song, by putting my own lyrics on it and organizing it out. It’s an honor to be able to collaborate with amazing artists, and I’m really happy about it. It would be great if we could have more of these opportunities in the future as well.

So, how do you feel about it now after singing Film out?

Jimin: It was difficult to sing, but I think it’s a really great song. It made me learn (a lot of things) while singing. 

Taehyung: I think the same way as well. It was my first time singing a song like this.

Jung Kook: There’s a wide variety of song genres in the world. There are a lot of genres we still haven’t touched, and I think this song was one of those. It was a new song for both the members and myself -- we were able to learn a lot, get a good experience, and ultimately come out with a good song.

Jin: It’s true that it’s a genre we’ve never tried, and because it’s left such a deep impression in us, we start singing “Lalalalalalala~ ♪” whenever we make eye contact with each other.

Everyone: “Lalalalalalala ~♪”

Jung Kook: And when we sang this song, we were able to discover a new side of the rapline members.

Namjoon: Yeah, like “The two glass cups placed side by side ~ “ (Joon’s part). It was a unique rap.

Jung Kook: They usually don’t rap in this style, but they did it this time to fit the song.

Taehyung: Looking at the members fills me with an indescribable emotion -- that they hold infinite potential. 

As BTS has expanded their reach globally, fans around the world have started listening to the songs you sing. How do you take in this phenomenon of BTS’ music spreading to the entire world?

Namjoon: It’s a wonderful thing. We’re grateful that so many people around the world are listening to our songs. I think it’s proving what we’ve always wanted to believe. I’m thankful from the bottom of my heart. 

You’ve increasingly immersed yourself in music production/writing these days, but what’s the song making process always like? Do you have any favorite methods?

Yoongi: I sometimes record on my phone, but I also carry around equipment, so I usually create my songs using that. I’ve also been learning the guitar, so I sometimes use the guitar as well — I use a lot of methods to write.

Hobi: I often use the recording function on my smartphone. Any time a melody pops up in my mind, I record it and use that to make my songs later.

Jung Kook: For me, I don’t really use my phone. I really enjoy recording melodies and lyrics, without the track, with all of the equipment set in place.

Jimin: I’m gonna try that as well! I think it’ll work well for me (laugh)!

Namjoon: I can’t play any instruments, so I feel like I’d be able to create a much better song out of the things that pop into my mind when I’m working with people that are skilled at playing instruments. (laugh)

Taehyung: I also record melodies on my phone, and start refining the details later.

Do you have each other listen to the completed songs, and exchange your opinions?

Yoongi: Yes. We share them with everyone, and have each other listen. I sometimes ask the others to listen to things I’ve made.

Jimin: We asked each other “I made this song but what do you think?” and completed (the songs) by giving advice and saying things like “Ah, that sounds good.”

Are they any musical things you want to challenge yourself with in the future?

Yoongi: along with the guitar, I’m thinking of learning how to play the drums as well

Namjoon: Looking forward to that! With music, every moment is a challenge. So there aren’t specific things I want to try, but I want to sing a lot of songs. Do lots of vocals, do lots of rap..

Jung Kook: In that case, I might try taking rapping lessons.

Jin: I’ll start rapping from today as well (laugh).

Jimin: I also want to improve on my singing, and on my rapping as well (laugh).

Hobi: I think it’s best for me to keep pouring my heart into what I’ve been doing up until now. As for things I want to do, dancing is my strength so I’d like to expand on that and do something that merges dancing and music.

Jung Kook: There’s not a specific genre in mind but I want to become a skilled and versatile artist 

Jin: I’m not good at grasping the rhythm, so it might be a good idea for me to try working with a song that has a (strong) sense of rhythm.

Hobi: I think your sense of rhythm is great!

Taehyung: It’s impossible in my current life, but in my afterlife, I want to become a classical pianist. I actually took lessons from 6th grade to 9th grade. I was scared of the piano keys back then, but looking back, I’d realized just how much I truly loved it.

Jimin: Why do you think it’s impossible in your current life? If you start trying hard now you’ll probably be able to do it!

Taehyung: Thank you (laugh).

While more people are increasingly listening to BTS music year by year, do you ever feel that the weight of the words and messages you spread through your music is also becoming heavier?

Namjoon: There is pressure. But we plan on continuing to spread words that we feel the world needs, so I want to keep on doing it without viewing it as a burden/pressure. I think it’s the best way.

Jimin: I believe that “that” kind of pressure is relatively small. Of course, we can’t compare the struggles and pain that we feel to people around the world, but I think we all are the same -- the souls, the lives that we have, we share it all. Because we’re all the same human beings. 

Hobi: It does make us worry sometimes, but I think it’s a positive thing to spread messages through music. Being able to incorporate messages into music is a beautiful thing, and within the things that we have the ability to carry out, it’s a good thing. So I want to enjoy it as much as we can, and try not to be so scared of it.

Jung Kook: Like we’ve been doing up until now, I want to do/perform the music that we want to do, while conveying messages that can have a good influence. We’re artists that are loved by so many people, and so we hold a large amount of influence and power to communicate. I want to keep on spreading good messages to lots of people and enjoy it without thinking of it too much as a pressure.

Jin: Even with things that can’t really be verbalized, it’s possible to communicate them through music. Furthermore, that message can be interpreted and received in many ways so I think it’s a thing to be happy about.

Taehyung: For me, the most important thing is to spread messages that can become a source of healing and empathy for as many people as possible. So wouldn’t it be the best if we could communicate these feelings of empathy and healing without feeling any pressure? I would like to do that with music.

Yoongi: The number of people listening to our music is amplifying, so I want to deliver music with a theme that can be empathized with a lot of people. I think creating (music) in our own way is BTS’ style, so I’m working as hard as I can to make music.

English translation by kookceptional

#2021 #bts

[tommysparker]

Never Forget You [Chapter 3]

Obi-Wan Kenobi x Jedi!Reader

A/N: hey y’all! thank you for your patience with this chapter. enjoy!! :) [also totally didn’t have this in my drafts then forget to post earlier pfftttt whaaaatt?]

Warnings: angst with a tiny amount of fluff. anakin finally makes his debut in this series. it gets better just stay with me. long italic paragraphs = flashbacks

Anakin Skywalker had witnessed many things over the years. 

Giant beasts? At least once a week. Sith Lords? Becoming too common. Droid armies? All year long. Looking death in the eye? Simply another day in the life of a Jedi. 

Nothing could ever have prepared him for the sight he was currently witnessing. 

Obi-Wan Kenobi, his Master, The Negotiator, the Jedi Council’s most prized Jedi…sulking.

It has been a full week since You returned to the Jedi Temple and Anakin couldn’t help to think his former Master’s mood and your arrival were connected. He was vaguely aware of your past friendship, only hearing bits and pieces of the adventures you had together as Padawans. 

During his days under Obi-Wan’s apprenticeship he would often hear about how “a wise Jedi I once knew” would do certain things. He wanted to know more about this oh-so-great Jedi, however, any time the young boy asked his Master would always brush him off with a mournful look in his eyes.  

He didn’t understand at the time but now he’s beginning to piece together that perhaps there was something more between the two of you. 

“You think Master Y/l/n and Master Kenobi were courting?” 

“Keep your voice down, Snips,” Anakin hushed.

“Sorry, sorry. But Master,” Ahsoka lowers her voice, “what led you to that conclusion? I’ve hardly seen them together since Master Y/l/n came back. What makes you think they could be lovers?” 

“That’s just it, Ahoska. They’ve been avoiding each other like the Rakghoul plague. Obi-Wan told me they were such good friends, and now that they’re back they can’t stand to be in the same room as each other? I don’t buy it.” Anakin looked back to where Obi-Wan sat with Commander Cody, no doubt brainstorming new battle tactics and liberation plans. 

“So what do you suppose we do? Set them up or something?” The look her Master gave her made her regret her words the moment they left her mouth. 

“Come on, Snips. It’s a good idea. We get them to stay in the same room so they have no choice but to confront each other and talk things out! It’s genius.” Anakin smiled, his eyes still on his former Master. He had a feeling if Obi-Wan were to find out about this plan he would be in for a major lecture but he couldn’t bring himself to care at the moment. He couldn’t stand to see the old man look so miserable, not if he can do anything about it. 

Ahsoka crossed her arms and followed her Master’s gaze. Something was clearly different about her Grand-Master. He had put his full attention into ending the war, which wasn’t new. However, she could tell something was off. He no longer came out to the landing zone to greet returning fighters, stayed away from the meditation and training centers as well as the Jedi Archives which was the most off-putting observation considering that was where he spent most of his time.

Anytime someone needed to find Obi-Wan Kenobi, the first place they would check was the ancient history section of the Jedi Archives. 

“I don’t know why you find so much interest in these old books Y/n/n,” Obi-Wan complained from across the table. “Can’t we go practice our lightsaber skills instead?” 

You smiled. “Nuh uh, mister. If I won the wager you promised to sit with me during my reading time. Now shush, and read.” You pushed the unopened textbook toward the pouting Padawan. “Maybe you’ll actually learn something.” 

Obi-Wan stuck his tongue out in a childish manner, sighing dramatically when you gave him a certain look and reluctantly opened the cover and began to read Tales of The Old Republic. 

Safe to say from that point onward, Obi-Wan would join your daily Archive visits with zero complaints. 

You close the book, careful to make sure no pages fell out and gently push it back into its place on the shelf. Using the force, you carefully push the ladder you were currently standing on over to the next column and begin nitpicking through the array of old texts. 

It took a few days for you to settle in and readjust to the Jedi Temple life. Once you had, however, things quickly took a turn. 

Master Yoda requested that you help train some of the younglings who were having trouble advancing into the next stages of becoming a Jedi. In all honesty, you much rather have had the freedom to roam for at least one more week, but the new role presented an excuse to not be around a certain blue-eyed Jedi. 

“Looking for something?” 

The voice startled you, causing you to jump and lose your balance on the ladder. You yelp as you begin to fall towards the ground, bracing yourself for the hash impact and the bruises that would add to the collection on your side still currently healing.  

Instead, you feel a pair of arms catch you, one under your back and the other behind your knees in a classic bridal style. The hold felt secure instantly, and you instinctively clung to the tunic of your savior. You look up to thank the person for preventing any injuries, but the blue eyes staring back at you made your mind go blank. 

Obi-Wan stared back, unsure of what to say. This was the closest he has been to you since you left a decade ago. He longed to have you in his arms, to hug you, to regain that safety net you provided he knew he could always fall back on.

“Um...thank you, General.” It came out as more of a question, your mind still reeling from almost falling and also the fact that the man who you had been actively avoiding just happened to be in the same place you spent hours of your youth together. 

“Obi-Wan, please. No need for formalities, darling.” The old nickname slipped out, and he was about to apologize when he noticed the light blush that spread across your face. Perhaps not everything about you has changed. 

“Right...Obi-Wan. Well, I’ll be on my way then,” You rushed, trying to pass by him but he stopped you once again by the call of your name. 

“Y/n/n’s wait. Whatever game you’re playing, frankly I am not a fan of it.” Obi-Wan crossed his arms and furrowed his eyebrows. 

“What are you talking about?” You turned around and looked at him confused. 

“You were the one who summoned me here,” he stretched his arms out, “here I am and now you’re trying to run away again. I hardly think that’s fair.” He was beginning to get frustrated. He came in with his heart on his sleeve, ready to finally talk to you after so long and find out why you’ve been keeping your distance. Now, all he felt was betrayal and irritation at the ongoing dance you insist on doing around each other. 

He preferred to dance like you did in your youth, but alas this was nothing but another sign he needs to get mind out of the past.  

You scoffed lightly. “Again? What is that supposed to mean exactly?” You knew exactly what he meant, but you didn’t want to admit it. You’ve been denying it for ten years and Force be damned if you’d admit it now. 

“You’ve been avoiding me since your return--” You open your mouth to protest but he ignores you and continues “--and then you send the youngling to bring me here, only to try to flee upon my arrival,” He frowns, lifting his elbow and resting it on his remaining crossed arm. “I know our history can make things...difficult in the present time,” He glanced around cautiously as he spoke,”but I would appreciate it if we make an agreement simply to not speak from now on. No more games.” 

You blinked, head tilting slightly as you waited for him to finish. “Obi-Wan, I didn’t ask for you to come here. Nor would I ever involve younglings in personal matters.” He should know that, you thought. But should he really? 

His face fell from annoyance to embarrassment, his arms falling to his sides. “Oh.” He wasn’t sure what to do now. It was his own fault for getting his hopes up. I should have known better. 

You purse your lips and nodded slowly. “Well, I’m glad we at least came to an agreement. Goodbye, General Kenobi.” You took your leave, forcing yourself not to look back as you felt his eyes watching your figure. 

Obi-Wan let out a frustrated sigh, knowing he just ruined any and all changes of reconnecting with you. In his defense, however, you were the one avoiding his attempts at friendly conversation and refusing to meet and make up for lost time.  

Still, something didn’t feel right about this. 

“What the kriff was that?” 

Ah, there’s that something. “Anakin, please tell me this was not your doing.” 

Anakin smiled guilty, Ahsoka coming out from behind the bookshelf to stand next to her Master. 

“It was Snips' idea.” Anakin shrugged, flinching when he felt her punch his arm. “Ow!”

“You were the one who came up with the plan, and now look! Master Y/l/n and Master Kenobi will never get together--” Ahoska stops herself, realizing she said too much. “Oh no.” 

“I beg your pardon?” Obi-Wan looks at them both incredulously. “First of all, Master Y/l/n and I are simply…” he wanted to say friends, but even that was a reach at this point, “acquaintances. We knew each other in the past, and in the past our friendship shall stay. As for ‘getting together’, you both know very well any implication of that goes directly against the Jedi Code.” He crossed his arms tightly as he scolded. 

“I can tell you harbour feelings for them, Obi-Wan. You don’t need to lie to us.” 

“Whatever feelings I may or may not have for Y/n are unrelated. You must understand your responsibilities as a Jedi. No matter what emotional sacrifice we must make.” He made a point to look at Anakin at the end, knowing he won’t follow the implication but at least hoping he’ll get the message.     

“We’re sorry, Master.” Ahsoka looked down in shame not at what they had tried to achieve, but at the cost and clear damage they caused. 

Obi-Wan sighed, running a hand over his beard before resting it on her shoulder. “It’s alright young one. You meant no harm. Perhaps some things are better left forgotten.” 

Oh, if only it were that simple. 

A Padawan approached the three of them quickly. “Excuse me, Master Yoda sent me to tell you he and Master Y/l/n are waiting for you all in the council room.” 

Of course, these things never are. 

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heres a box to put your heart pieces in  -> []  :) 

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[the-final-sif]

Okay, so I think I’ve got a solid timeline of events for villain!Katsuki

Katsuki leaves UA just before the provisional license exam, he’s at the point where he no longer things the hero system can be fixed without outside intervention. He’s done with how the media acts, he’s done with the blame being shifted to victims based on their quirks, and he’s done with the lies he’s been fed all his life.

Prior to this he started researching and planning what actual change would look like and require.

He meets up with Dabi, who’d only let the rest of the league know about the bet a few days prior. He was curious if Katsuki would keep his word or not. Dabi prods Katsuki gently, saying he knew the kid took honestly seriously but he’s still kinda surprised to see him go this far over a bet. Katsuki replies explaining it’s more than the bet. He talks about what he’s seen, and the failure of hero society to change. It’s more than enough to convince Dabi.

Dabi brings him to a secure location, then relays information to Shigaraki. Shigaraki is hesitant, he’s surprised Katsuki came back to them, but when Katsuki explains his side of things, and with Dabi vouching for him, Shigaraki decides to let him in. He can understand what it’s like to fall for hero society. He did for awhile too. Katsuki just needed more time on his own to realize that.

There’s an introduction period, the league is still figuring themselves out and most of them are hesitant to trust Katsuki. It’s about a week before he’s properly reintroduced to everyone and gets the sense that they’re not headed in any particular direction.

After that week, Katsuki decides “fuck that, I’m going to do shit, y'all are coming along” and since Shigaraki doesn’t really have anything better in mind, he decides to go along with Katsuki’s plans.

UA started panicking as soon as they realized Katsuki was gone, but nobody really knows what happened to him yet. Since he took all his stuff with him, all signs point to him having run away.

Izuku refuses to believe that, and most of the class holds out hope for awhile, but as no evidence turns up, more of them start to think it might be true and start discovering the amount of harassment and guilt he was facing.

There’s about a month and a half period in which Katsuki focuses on getting the league in shape. During this period, they do a forcible take over of the Shie Hassaikai.

Overhaul is killed, Eri goes under Katsuki’s care, and the league is established as a much more powerful force.

The Hero Commission is starting to get nervous, but not overly so. Not yet.

After this month and a half, Katsuki makes his first public appearance as a villain.

He’s in an updated version of his costume, most of it has stayed the same, but he’s added what looks like muzzle to the costume that covers his mouth. The muzzle actually functions as face shield/oxygen system so he can move at much faster speeds safely.

Katsuki’s villain debut is a full scale attack by the league on the Hero Commission directly. An event meant that the Hero Commission had gathered in a relatively accessible location, and the villains take advantage.

Importantly, Katsuki is enforcing a policy of limiting needless harm or deaths, because it ruins their message. The league reluctantly agrees, so they’re being a bit more careful than they were before. However, they’ve still got a hit list for this party.

The list consists of officials who they have confirmation deliberately manipulated polices or actions of heroes at the cost of people’s lives, all for some private gain. They do a lot of damage, and manage to kill 7 people on their list.

Katsuki’s first kill happens here. Previously, he’d managed to defeat Overhaul, but wasn’t quite able to kill him. He just wasn’t ready.

Shigaraki took care of it for him, and told him it was fine if he needed time to learn to kill. He was kind and understanding about it in a way that was genuinely weird to Katsuki. Not only because this was all about murder, but it was the first time in his life that he failed and an adult supported him rather than punishing him for his mistake.

At this event, one of the people he takes down tries to appeal to him by offering him a position as a hero to save themselves, and that pushes him over the line. He ends it quickly.

The league escape afterwards, and footage plus eyewitnesses confirm Katsuki was there, and he didn’t say a word to anyone he attacked.

UA, the Hero Commission, and the media collectively assume / sell the story of him having been brainwashed. It’s the only thing that doesn’t make them look horrible.

Aizawa has been weighed down by a lot of guilt during all of this. He should’ve done more, should’ve reached out, but he’d been waiting for Katsuki to come to him. He’s tried to find Katsuki, but Katsuki has purposefully avoided facing him in battle as Aizawa is one of the few people he doesn’t feel like he could hurt or allow one of the other villains to hurt.

The attacks start getting frequent over the course of another month, primarily targeting the people behind the scenes of the heroic’s system, with a lot of other targets of corruption along the way.

On his third attack, Katsuki has his first run in with Izuku, the first of any of his classmates to face him in battle.

Katsuki refuses to speak a word to him, despite the fact Izuku heard him giving directions to Toga, and the two clash.

Katsuki manages to pull ahead in their fight, but he’s distracted from their fight by someone caught in the crossfire. He diverts course to protect them. Izuku was so hyperfocused on Katsuki he didn’t notice the person. It throws him off enough that Katsuki is able to win their fight complete his goal.

After their clash, Izuku’s finally realized Katsuki isn’t brainwashed. Given what happened, he can only assume it really is Kacchan making all these choices, which leads him to reflect on why.

 Between slowly uncovering what Katsuki was suffering through, and watching Katsuki’s actions and their very real impact, Izuku finds himself struggling with the idea of heroes as well. Most of Class 1-A and society as a whole really are.

Shouto & Izuku talk, and Izuku confirms that it really is Katsuki. Not a brainwashed version of him.

At the end of their conversation, Shouto assumes that because it’s really Katsuki, they’re gonna go join him. He defects, and is a bit surprised when Izuku doesn’t follow him right away.

Dabi almost has a heart attack over this, but he can’t really judge.

Shouto is accepted into the league after he and Katsuki talk and he apologizes for not having done anything. Katsuki doesn’t blame him for it, as he understands Shouto had no real sense of what was okay.

Eri gains a new older brother, and she could not be more delighted.

During this period, after the first attack, Hawks was sent in to infiltrate the league. Katsuki can smell the commission on him from a mile away, but tells Dabi to kind of let Hawks in anyways.

The league begins slowly working Hawks out of the Commissions control, before finally after about three months, Hawks realizes how shitty they are and defects properly.

A big part of this happens after Hawks finally comes to terms with the fact that Katsuki isn’t brainwashed, and after Hawks meets Eri and realizes how happy and safe she is with her new family vs how he felt at that age with the Commission.

By the end of that three months, a number of other class 1-A kids and a few kids from 1-B have dropped out of the hero course, or in some cases, UA entirely. The public at large has started to become more disconnected from the hero system as they start to see some of it’s major flaws. The Commission comes under more and more questioning and is seriously losing power.

During this same time, you’d expect to see an increase in crime, but you actually see the opposite.

Katsuki has been very careful and forged an alliance with the MLA such that they’ve been able to crack down on certain types of crime (domestic violence, quirk kidnappings, sexual assaults, etc) while also steadily funneling money into getting social services in theses areas.

This means that you start to see less crime, people feeling safer and more secure, even as the hero commission and system is crumbling.

All of this comes together after a year or two of solid in the form of the government submitting to a major reform driven by figure heads planted by the MLA, but only after the league manages to eliminate the last key figures standing in their way.

Since so many heroes have either fallen from grace, stepped back from the system, or been killed in certain cases, Izuku ended up as an unwilling symbol of peace due to his connection to Katsuki.

Izuku is tasked by what’s left of the heroics system with stopping Katsuki from killing the final major figure whose all that’s standing in the way of the reform.

Izuku, in the end, makes the active choice to step aside, giving Katsuki the key he was given to the room so Katsuki can get to the person to kill them.

Izuku finally decided that he’s had enough of this too, and he’s done defending a broken system based on ingrained ideals that don’t add up.

Aizawa is watching inside the room up in the rafters, he’s stayed a hero of sorts but still functions like he did before.

Inside the room, Aizawa had the chance to cancel Katsuki’s quirk and stop him from killing the person. Instead, he chose to close his eyes and let Katsuki go through with it.

Katsuki looks up to where Aizawa is once it’s done, and Aizawa realizes he knew he was there the entire time. He hops down out into the open and speaks plainly as he always did.

“I’m sorry.” Is all he can really say. There’s so much he’s sorry for. For not speaking up. For letting Katsuki be put through so much. For letting him be driven to this.

Katsuki looks at him for a long, long moment, before he finally looks away and shrugs his shoulders. For the very first time in years, he speaks to a hero. To the only hero who ever tried for him, even if it wasn’t enough.

“S'okay. The problem was bigger than you every could’ve fixed.”

“I should’ve tried. I should’ve done more.”

Again, Katsuki needs a moment to consider that.

“Yeah. Probably.”

There’s silence for a few moments, and then Katsuki’s radio crackles to life. Dabi’s calling him back.

They share one more glance, and Katsuki turns on his heel and walks out.

Aizawa watches him go. There’s nothing else for him to do. His right to change this story ended when he failed to speak up all those years ago.

#villain katsuki bakugou #katsuki bakugou #shouta aizawa #izuku mydoria #todobaku #the league of villains #dabi #shouto todoroki #tomura shigaraki #sif speaks #bnha #mha #this is a repost #thank you to alex for saving the text for me! #hopefully tumblr won't eat this one too

[writingbeary]

Kingdom - Introduction Stage (pt.1)

Minyoung’s Outfit

Note: 

Texts placed inside brackets are Kingdom's show subtitles

Italicized texts are in English

Texts that are block quoted are interview cuts

────────── ♔ ──────────

“Minyoung-ah, are you nervous?” Yeosang asked the girl who was fidgeting beside him.

She let out a sigh, nodding “A bit? We’re going to meet senior groups and compete with them. But I’m also excited to hear their performances that I’m not sure what I’m actually feeling right now” She was nervous but also excited to finally be here.

Today was the first meeting of the groups that are participating in Kingdom. It was finally the day that they will show off what they’ve been working on for the past month or so. If you ask Minyoung, she’ll say that this stage might be more nerve wracking than when they made their debut. The groups they’re competing with are the same people who inspired them to be an idol.

Yeosang smiled and gave her hand a light squeeze “We’ll be alright.” It was such a simple gesture but it calmed her nerves a bit. She was reminded that she’s not facing this challenge alone, she’s with 8 other people to represent ATEEZ. Mingi might not have been able to participate with them but he made sure to send everyone a message of support and that he’ll be watching their broadcasts.

The distinct sound effect sounded signaling them to make their way inside the studio. ATEEZ logo for Kingdom was flashed and they made their way inside. Greeting the groups before them with Yunho in-front asking how far they have to go.

“Waah. So it looks like this. It looks bigger than what I imagined.” Minyoung looked around the studio following behind Yeosang. Hongjoong then led the members to stand in the center to introduce themselves. “We’ll introduce ourselves. 2, 3 . Hello, we’re ATEEZ. We’re looking forward to this.”

[During the pre-interview]

“I’m sure a lot of people won’t know who ATEEZ are, the kind of performances we put on, and our colors as musicians” Wooyoung answered when they were asked what they expect will happen on the show

San nodded adding “We want people to remember who ATEEZ is.” 

“How do you want the other singer to perceive your group?” The staff asked and San immediately answered “They will probably say, ‘They are ATEEZ?’. They probably heard about us, but I want to impress them once they see our performance.”

“I want them to acknowledge us and have someone say something like ‘They’re crazy’ or ‘How did they come up with this performance?’ or ‘As expected of ATEEZ.’. I think it’ll be a really meaningful experience if I could hear them say that at least once throughout the show. Afterall, we’re the youngest group participating.” Minyoung adding in her thought as the others smile agreeing with her

“Or it could be ‘Good job, our babies.’ We’d be open to that too.” Wooyoung added making the others laugh

[ATEEZ is a group that needs love and attention]

Once the greetings are over, Minyoung sat in-between Wooyoung and Hongjoong as discussed beforehand. She wanted to sit beside Jongho at first but since they might get interviewed during the show, it was best for her to sit beside Hongjoong to help her out if needed.

“It’s too quiet that it’s making me really nervous.” Minyoung mumbled taking deep breathes to calm down. Wooyoung noticed, taking her hands and patting it. 

“You know when you’re visiting a friend’s house for the first time? The atmosphere feels like that.” Minyoung laughed as she recalled the silence in the studio when they sat down in their booth. 

The awkward silence in the studio was broken when BTOB entered. They immediately started a conversation with the groups, upon noticing the heavy atmosphere. Eunkwang joked around with Chan making everyone in the studio laugh, easing the nerves of all the groups.

“Omo” Minyoung gasped, immediately bowing again as she met eyes with Minhyuk. She turned to Hongjoong and whispered with a mix of panic and shyness making the leader chuckle “I accidentally met Minhyuk-sunbaenim’s eyes.”

“Are you bringing out your fangirl mode?” Wooyoung grinned knowing how big of a Melody she is. Minyoung pouted however kept quiet as she knows she’ll probably forget they’re even filming and just enjoy the show.

When SF9 came, Minyoung was excitedly waving at her friend Chani, the latter showing a thumbs up. She giggled upon hearing Hongjoong’s comment on how the members of SF9 all look like models. “Oppa, we need to make sure never to stand near them. We’ll look really small beside them. That’s what happened when they visited the set when I was filming with Chani.”

“That’s how you wear a suit.” Seonghwa commented as he looked at the group

“Will we ever be able to wear suits until this show ends?” Hongjoong wondered as the other members immediately turned down the idea.

“I think we need to protect ATEEZ’ image and not have you wear suits until then. Let’s stick with what everyone looks good in.” Minyoung piped in teasingly

When iKON entered the studio, everyone thought of the same thing: they are different. It’s not that they are scary but they have a certain force that makes you pay attention even when they are just sitting down.

“I used to be a trainee under their company, so I have met them in passing and even then, they have this aura about them. iKON-sunbaenim also inspired many of our members to become idols. They’re really cool and being on the same room with them, it’s just...they’re really cool.” Minyoung nodded to herself smiling

ATEEZ went first as they were picked by iKON, which the group was thankful for as they felt like it would be a lot more pressure if they performed after the senior groups.

Minyoung didn’t have a particularly active role in this performance although she does need to do the ending pose with San holding up a torch, while she holds up a flag with their logo on it. During the rehearsals, she had a hard time getting to her place since she’s either getting caught in the camera shot or she’s a beat late in getting to where she needs to be.

“I was really nervous when we were sitting down but now that I’m wearing the mic, I’m just..I want to perform already. All I’m thinking about is that we have to do well and show them the stage ATEEZ prepared.” Minyoung laughed as the staff assisted her in putting her mic in. 

As soon as ATEEZ finished their performance and they were all backstage, Minyoung immediately rushed to Wooyoung apologizing. “Sorry oppa! Are you okay? I stepped a bit too hard.” she was panicking looking at him and checking if he got injured. 

Wooyoung shook his head, smiling “It’s okay, it didn’t really hurt. You didn’t hurt yourself right?”

Minyoung nodded, still a bit shaken “I’m okay. Are you sure? You didn’t get injured? Maybe we should it ice your shoulder just to be safe” making Wooyoung chuckle and pinch her cheek

“I’m fine. See?” he said as he moved his arms and rolled his shoulders to prove it “Stop worrying so much. We finished the performance well and that’s all we need to remember. Now, we can just sit back and enjoy the rest of the performances.”

────────── ♔ ──────────

ATEEZ Minyoung Masterlist

Disclaimer: This is just a work of fiction. Any portrayal of real people is a combination based on what we could see on cameras and imagination of the author. This is purely fan fiction written for entertainment. Thank you for understanding.

━━━━━━ʕ ˵• ₒ •˵ ʔ━━━━━━

Writing Beary Corner

I cut this into two parts with this one probably being longer than the other. I originally didn’t want to go into details but as I was writing it...this happened lol I’m thinking if I should keep this format or have interviews be in bullets rather than the blocked quote. Tell me what you think :)

- Mimi

11

#kpop scenarios #kpop reactions #ateez scenarios #ateez #ateez 9th member #ateez au #ateez oc #kpop oc #atz au #atz #atz oc #kpop imagines #park minyoung #ateez minyoung #minyoung masterlist #writing beary

[stayarmytinyzenmoa-l]

side note i just remembered that you said that prominence was supposed to be on the darker side- honestly i would like to see how that would be but i like this au as well ahkdbfn

I mean, if you're curious I'll include the main premise of it under the cut here:

TW: Kidnapping, Sasaeng Activity, Backstabbing, Death Threat Mention, etc.

I scratched it for much obvious reasons but here's the original idea I had for it before realizing "shit that's too fucking dark for Tumblr and for k-pop fanfiction the fuck?"

Basically in the original draft of Prominence, note it wasn't supposed to be called Prominence at first, I believe I settled on Viridity, but I'll check later. It was going to play out similarly, ANiMA debuts, they get a lot of hate initially because WHAT NCT's coed now? Then when they finally debut they blow people away. NCThree is also still a thing here and it makes people even more mad for no reason but they end up being one of the best-selling NCT U subunits. There were originally five members of ANiMA but when YN and Seonghwa start dating and the group start's getting shit on again for no reason one of the members starts to harass and gaslight YN until she finally decides fine I'll break up with him and when she does Seonghwa sees through it easily and tells her that if she really loved him then it wouldn't matter leading to a huge fight because at least ATINY are nice about it meanwhile she gets death threats on the daily. So they end up not breaking up and said fifth member gets pissed and teams up with a ssng to get said ssng and YN together. Obviously the whole process of getting kidnapped is traumatic for both YN and Seonghwa, YN because she's the victim and Seonghwa because where the fuck is she but since he's an idol he has to pretend that everything is okay and only goes on hiatus for about a week before the company asks him if he's okay coming back because he's Park Seonghwa, to put it bluntly he's one of the main moneymakers of the group whether they liked it or not. Eventually after about three weeks she is found and hospitalized cuz girl was not doing well and the status of ANiMA was up in the air for a while until the police started investigations and linked Fifth member to the kidnapping causing an even bigger scandal that now involved the whole of NCT because what's this? Johnny Suh throwing a woman out the door? What a misogynistic prick, right? Nah, man was hella pissed that anyone would have the audacity to even think of that. Soon though police release a report, truth comes to light, YN is asked whether she wants to terminate her contract or keep going and she chooses to stay with the company because Fifth Member wanted her to leave and she didn't want to give her the satisfaction of winning. Her and Seonghwa end up getting closer than ever because mm trauma, people realize how irrational they've been towards her so they all apologize save for some Fifth Member apologists cuz you know they're gonna be there, etc.

Then I realized "shit this is not a good thing to write about" and turned it into a comedy series instead lmfao

#asks #rose 🌱 #prominence

[tomorrowxtogether]

The Unstoppable TXT

In another world, TOMORROW X TOGETHER (TXT)’s schedule for March 2021 would have been packed with in-person activities. March 4 was the two-year anniversary of the Korean boy band’s stratospheric debut, the mini-album The Dream Chapter: STAR, and in the K-pop world, anniversaries are a big deal. There would have been fan meetings and maybe even a commemorative live performance. Instead, with the COVID-19 pandemic severely limiting the scope of public life, the boy band’s five members focused on their already well-honed virtual fan activities, uploading their usual week's worth of nonstop content (dubbed "DREAM WEEK" this year) to their social channels. Other than that, they likely passed the milestone the way they say they’ve spent most days this past year: writing music, working out, and watching a lot of TV.

“I also eat ice cream with various toppings,” says Hueningkai, the youngest member of the group. Yeonjun, the oldest, tells cheesy dad jokes.

This is not to say that TXT have lost any momentum due to the pandemic; they’ve used it for inspiration. Consider the COVID-themed hit “We Lost the Summer,” from their October 2020 EP, Minisode1: Blue Hour, an anthem for every young adult whose life the pandemic put on hold. “Our favorite cafe is now locked shut,” the boys sing. “Hiding my sigh behind a stifling mask… A nightmarish week, another month, a year… We lost the summer, when we lost each other. Give us back our season.”

“I cannot listen to this song without crying, even though it sounds so optimistic,” one of the music video’s 17 million YouTube viewers commented. That emotional connection wasn’t a fluke; part of TXT’s appeal is the band’s willingness to explore darker corners of youth and modern life.

When TXT, made up of Soobin, 20; Yeonjun, 21; Beomgyu, 19; Taehyun, 19; and Hueningkai, 18, released their debut album, with an accompanying music video and live performance, they were under intense pressure to succeed. They were the first group to launch under Big Hit Entertainment, South Korea’s most prolific entertainment agency, since 2013, when it introduced BTS, the K-pop band that sold more music worldwide in 2020 than any other artist, including Taylor Swift. K-pop has been a booming industry in Korea since the ’90s, but it’s seeing more and more international demand with each passing year. K-pop generated more than $500 million in export revenue in 2018, according to a study released last year by the Korean government. Even amid the pandemic, the biggest K-pop groups saw their album sales increase in 2020. BTS sold more than 4 million copies of Map of the Soul: 7. Because it is so visible and, for some, lucrative, K-pop attracts far more aspiring stars than will become actual ones; some groups work tirelessly for years before they’re recognized domestically. Even the most successful groups with major labels backing them may not ever make it big in Western music markets.

TXT made an impact right away. The Dream Chapter: STAR topped the iTunes charts in 44 countries, and the group swept all of the major K-pop new artist awards. TXT’s first studio album, The Dream Chapter: MAGIC, debuted at No. 3 on Billboard’s World Albums Chart in November 2019. Considering that Big Hit is now one of the most powerful labels in the world, exposure was never going to be a problem for TXT. Talent wasn’t either: Like most K-pop stars, they have gone through rigorous training required and provided by their label. They are skilled singers, dancers, and rappers; Yeonjun’s talent in particular has been called “legendary.” The biggest hurdle for the group was distinguishing themselves artistically from their mega-hit “older brothers” BTS but also the rest of their musical peers.

K-pop is known for its cheerful, happy portrayals of youth. TXT have regularly deviated from that standard, straddling the line between shadow and light from the beginning. Their debut single in 2019, “Crown,” explores the loneliness of a boy who grows horns on his head, perceives himself as a monster alone in the world, and eventually finds comfort in friends who share his suffering. The heaviness of the lyrics is balanced out by a cheerful melody and colorful, eye-grabbing visuals.

The shadows in TXT’s music continue to evolve and became visible in the music video for “Eternally,” from their May 2020 mini-album, The Dream Chapter: ETERNITY. At more than 19 minutes long, it resembles a short horror film more than a pop video. The boys stand in the middle of an apocalyptic landscape of ruins, wander through dark corridors and infinite rows of doors, and even come across dead versions of themselves as they sing about the despair of being trapped in a “darkness that swallowed the scream,” in a “fragmented world” of nightmarish dreams.

“We didn’t know [the music video] would be over 19 minutes,” says Hueningkai. “As we kept shooting, the video expanded. I’m happy we were able to show new sides of ourselves. MOAs seemed to love it,” he says, referring to the TXT fans collectively called MOA, or “Moments of Alwaysness.” According to Allkpop, the name refers to “all of the moments that TXT and fans spend together always,” as well as the moments they share to create the unified dream referenced in the group’s album titles.

The songs explore the confusion of adolescence and the role friends play in getting you through it… as they’ve navigated the confusion of adolescence with their friends, and shared those experiences with their combined 22 million YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook followers. The group’s October 2020 EP, Minisode1: Blue Hour, peaked at No. 25 on Billboard200 and topped charts in Japan, the world’s second-highest grossing music market after the United States.

“We became trainees when we were in high school and middle school,” says Soobin, the 20-year-old leader of the group. “There were a lot of things we hadn’t experienced. So when we debuted, we faced a lot of difficult ordeals, thoughts, and tribulations for the first time, trying to resolve conflicts and learning about the world.”

“When we debuted, it was difficult for me to even stand on stage,” Hueningkai says, laughing. “It was particularly hard to look at the camera. I didn’t know where the [camera] lights were; I didn’t make good facial expressions.”

Beomgyu, who writes music as part of his pandemic self-care routine, fondly remembers the 2020 song “Maze in the Mirror.” “We composed it during our trainee days,” he says. “It was eventually included in the same album as ‘Eternally’ [in 2020]. When we recorded the song, we remembered all those times we’d had together, crying, laughing. That’s why this song was particularly special to us.”

He thinks sometimes about life before TXT. “I loved the moments of walking to [Big Hit] and walking back home. In spring, I loved the weather; after work, I loved seeing the crowds of people on the street. [Because of fame,] now that is gone.”

Taehyun, perhaps true to fans’ sense of him as “unbothered,” feels no such nostalgia. “I don’t really miss my life before debut,” he says. “I think I’m much happier now.”

If success has made some aspects of normal life harder for TXT members to access, that doesn’t prevent them from imagining what something as simple as a great date will look like after COVID: “Going to the amusement park. A stroll on the beach at night,” Beomgyu says. Soobin and Yeonjun chime in, “Same here!”

TXT’s third year together is about broadening their musical horizons. “We have to learn about music beyond the repertoires we like,” says Soobin, who is a major Bebe Rexha fan. “We’re making an effort to participate in composing and writing songs, and finding our own styles.” Part of that process includes regularly covering the work of other artists — Marteen’s “Sriracha,” Ariana Grande’s “Thank U, Next,” and others — on SoundCloud.

Taehyun, who says he likes “genres that mix hip-hop and rock,” learned the power of getting out of your comfort zone while making TXT’s first album in 2019. “I have loved listening to a variety of songs since the trainee days. But there was a particular song in the debut album, ‘Cat & Dog,’ that was challenging because I hadn’t rapped before. It was incredibly meaningful to tread the line between rapping and singing. After this experience, I started liking this kind of music.”

TXT couldn’t have debuted during a more uncertain time. No one knew the pandemic would disrupt the entire music industry, making live performance impossible and thus changing the way artists engage with fans. In a separate interview with Elite Daily published last May, Soobin said he was optimistic about the group’s ability to connect with fans amid social distancing: “Physical distance doesn’t equate to emotional distance.”

One year later, he’s even more convinced that music is a means of connection and understanding. “I get deeply comforted by listening to music,” he says now. “I’m still this way. I listen to songs I can relate to, and realize that there are so many people who feel like me. TXT also tries to make music that many people can empathize with. I hope we can keep creating lots of songs that comfort others, songs that they can relate to.”

The last two years have brought Yeonjun around to a similar sense of a larger purpose, which he didn’t always feel. “Whereas in the past, I kept running forward for my dreams, now I have members who dream together with me,” he says. “And we have fans who love us. For their sake, we want to work harder.”

#txt #tomorrow x together #210312 #elite daily #soobin #yeonjun #beomgyu #taehyun #hueningkai #article

[thoughts-on-bangtan]

Can you imagine losing interest in BTS and their music ever? I've seen it's a hot topic on Twitter, how some fans just lost connection and how others put it as "exiting the magic shop". I don't understand. I spent my teens listening to the Beatles, Incubus and now that I'm 30's I still love them. I suppose it could happen but I just dont like it when people say they lost interest bec BTS has already healed them. Like, you can heal and listen to them at the same time right? Your thoughts guys?

First of all, thank you for this ask because this is such an interesting topic.

Secondly, I'm fairly sure this whole thing about "being healed from BTS", as in stopping being ARMY/stanning BTS was started by "ex-ARMYs" (or people cosplaying as such) on either twt or t*kt*k (or both) as a way to feed into the narrative of how you can only possibly like Bangtan while you're "sick" but eventually you get "healed" and move on to other artists, specifically other K-Pop groups. It's also occasionally used by people who stopped "stanning" BTS to make themselves look better in the eyes of kpoppies (or suck up to them) and to get hit twts. A quick twt search showed me a twt where someone spoke about how now that they've "left the Magic Shop" they're able to "love other people" and have found themselves in (Other Group’s fandom name)-land. As in Bangtan healed them so now they can listen to/stan “better” groups.

Do I think there are also genuine people among them who credit BTS for helping them heal before moving on? Probably, but I find the phrasing and way of thinking rather weird and also something that plays into the stereotype that liking a "boy band" is just a phase that you grow out of and then move on to "real music". 

Are there people who genuinely "lost" whatever connection they felt or interested they had in BTS? Probably, though sometimes I feel like people misinterpret twts where people talk about leaving ARMY twt/their sns stan accounts as them stopping being a fan which is false. Being a fan of a musician is more than just posting on your stan account, right? There are plenty of people who are ARMY yet don't engage in fandom sns.

Now circling over to your question about if we/I can imagine basically falling out of love with an artist (BTS) and, well, personally I think it depends on certain factors. Just like you in my early teens I used to listen to a band called HIM, a little later to a band called Placebo, and to this day, if someone asks me who my favorite rock band is, I still name both of them without hesitation despite not actively listening to them anymore the way I do with Bangtan, as example. Yet it doesn't change the fact that I still love their music and check out what Placebo are up to from time to time. 

I think there are certain bands and artists whose music simply does something for us, this specific something that makes us connect to them in a deeper sense, in one that makes their music and artistry stick with us even far down the line when we might not listen to them daily anymore, might not check their sns every day anymore, or even at all. At this point I'm pretty sure BTS are exactly that for me as well. I can imagine that perhaps one day I might not be as invested (invested in the sense of having a stan account and blogging about them) anymore as I am now, because that's natural, but I doubt I'll ever go as far as saying "I've lost interested" or "been healed from being ARMY" or whatever else some say.

So, when I said it depends on different factors if you'll ever fall out of love/loose interest, what did I mean by that? I think a major deciding factor is why you became ARMY/a fan in the first place and what it is that keeps you interested in them.

More below the cut:

If you became a fan because you’re into shipping and your main focus is your ship and nothing else, honestly, I doubt you’ll stick around all that long. And I say that as a vminnie and namjinist myself. I imagine, if the only thing about Bangtan I would care about would be those two pairings and I would spend all my time hunting for clues and looking at gifs/pictures and discussing them and nothing else, their music only being of interest to me if I could make it about my ship? I’ll be honest, I would probably lose interest in less than a year because you can’t possibly remain invested in two people, their lives, “relationship clues” and ship fights with others for years without basically getting tired of it.

Also when I say just focusing on a ship, I literally mean just the ship aspect, not even the artistry those two people have, like their music etc, but just the bond they have and nothing else. And yes, there definitely are people like this. I’ve seen Xkookers only care about (insert song here) because they thought it was about their ship but once they realized it isn’t, they never brought up the song again, and never spoke about the song itself at all. And I don’t want to just point my finger at them, there are also people who ship other pairings who act this way as well, definitely.

At the end of the day, eventually you’ll have analyzed all there was to be analyzed, discussed every aspect and detail, seen every moment and taken it apart, and will have had every fight you could have, and then...what? There’s only so much “content” and “entertainment” you can get out of someone else’s life and bond and that’ll only be able to keep you interested for so long...and then what?

But if you got interested in Bangtan due to their music first and that is your primary focus while them as people is more of a nice “extra”, that’s “sustainable”, for a lack of better words. They release lots of music every year, have a huge discography along with side/solo projects, their lyrics are so layered and you can find so much in them, immerse yourself in their artistry. Their music can become your companion, basically. There are so many ARMY that have songs and albums that mean the world to them, that helped them heal or love themselves, that they keep coming back to, that engage in discussions about their music, old and new, and who find boundless joy in all of it while also adoring the members themselves.

If you got into them for their personalities while thinking their music is just okay, an all right extra, but you love their bonds and shows like RUN or Bon Voyage, I could imagine that being some kind of middle group but then again, why stan musicians whose music you only find okay? Would you be a fan of an actor whose personality you like but find the movies they are in and their acting ability mediocre/okay?

I’ve been around for a long time and the way I think that’s possible, and why I think I will remain ARMY for years to come as well, is because I genuinely love their music, love spending time listening to it, reading about it, talking to others about it, but also because I adore the members, their personalities and who they are, their bonds, their variety show type content and vlives, and I adore vmin and namjin. While I love talking about vmin/namjin, if I had to just focus on that (as in the ‘ship’ aspect of their bonds) all the time, I’d get exhausted and/or reach a point where everything that could be said would be said, but because I also spend a lot of time with OT7 content and in non-shipper ARMY spaces, with their music, their other content, reading their interviews and everything else, it’s a “sustainable” way to be ARMY. And I’ve seen and spoken to other ARMYs who have been around far longer than me, some even having been around since the very beginning, even before their debut, and that's how they’ve remained ARMY since, because it was this package deal that they fall in love with, the fact that they spend their time engaging in different fandom discussions and activities, instead of hyper focusing on a certain part of it exclusively, like shipping.

Of course, if you fell in love with the package deal in your twenties while in a dark place but then reached your thirties and, with the help of their music (side note: while Namjoon (inspired by Seokjin) told us to use BTS to be happy, don’t put the “responsibility” of healing you/helping you heal solely on an artist, since that’s not fair or healthy, rather if you really need help/assistance/someone to talk to, please reach out to someone, friends or family, or a professional if you can) and other (outside) factors, reached a better place and don’t feel as connected to them anymore as you did before, it’s possible you might “unstan”, but that doesn’t have to mean you’ll move away from their music completely, that you’ll make a clean cut and never look back. Especially if they helped you, chances are they will always remain with you one way or another for a long time. At the same time, I guess it’s only natural that sometimes our interests and tastes change and the band you used to love might just not “do it” anymore for you. It’s human. There are bands I used to love as teen but don’t care about anymore nowadays because their music isn’t my taste anymore, I don’t connect with it the way I used to etc. Does something like that make you a fake fan? No, it just, well, makes you human. Though, like I said, at this point I don’t foresee that happening for me with Bangtan and there are a lot, and I mean a lot, of others who will tell you the same thing. We’re in this Bangtan sh*t for life, purple blooded. Even Namjoon joked about how once you get into Bangtan there is no exit anymore. Or that no jammer joke about how once you JimIN you never JimOut.

Lastly there’s also a whole conversation to be had of what will happen once the members start enlisting, or once the daily content turns into monthly, bi-monthly, every half year and eventually only sporadicly spread out throughout the year, when their music will be all that we’ll get instead of music + additional content like sns posts or RUN. What will happen when that day comes? Shippers and those interested in their personalities will stop “being fed” and eventually their interest will dwindle away. Those who need to constantly be engaged with and fed to remain interested will likely dwindle away and move on to other content/musicians that’ll keep them fed with new things on a regular. And those who are into their music, or the package deal, they’ll likely still be fans, still love their music and come back and be active when new releases come, still occasionally return to content like watching concerts or old RUN episodes, but even they won’t stick around the same way we all do right now. This isn’t to say that when that day comes we’ll find out who “the real fans are”, because the question of what a real fan is, is a whole other discussion to be had, but rather it’ll be a natural, normal part of fandom, of a musicians career, of a human cycle.

Take AC/DC as example, after so many decades they still have fans that show up when they release a new album, but I doubt those fans have active stan accounts and engage in daily fandom stuff the way you do with a constantly active/present artist like BTS etc. And I can imagine that’ll be Bangtan and ARMY much later down the line as well.

To sum it all up, I don’t think there is a black or white answer, merely a gray one.

#BTS #discussion on loving an artist #answered ask #bangtan sonyeondan

[spishidden]

Liyue Gang Idol Group Headcanons

Featuring: Xingqiu, Chongyun, Xiangling, Hu Tao

Head empty, only idol au. There are other groups in this but for now I wanna share the Liyue Gang (I don’t have an actual name for them so I’m using that as a placeholder)

~

Their debut had a rough start. The song didn’t get much traction and it had a hard time selling

They blew up after a clip of Hu Tao and Xingqiu having a rap battle in public went viral, they’ve been a hit ever since

Even though they’ve been active for a bit, they still consider themselves rookies

They are pure chaos on and off stage. They’re live performances are famous for their improvised bits. They never pass off a challenge to one-up themselves, so they always make sure their next performance is better than the last.

They all have one individual brain cell that constantly fights with one another

Their Vlives are the most chaotic bullshit you’ll ever see. It’s next level crackhead energy. One time, they streamed themselves doing parkour in a car junkyard. They all got in a lot of trouble with their managers for that one

The apartment that they all share is always a mess. Since they’re always tired after a busy day of work nobody bothers to clean

The group concept is teen crush. Super dancy tracks with high energy and beat drops that slap. Their mini albums always have one calmer track, but most of the time all of the B-Sides have the same energy

Groups/songs to reference from: 

Itzy

NiziU

Weeekly

Cherry Bullet

LOONA

Red Velvet

Weki Meki

GFRIEND

VERY NICE, Seventeen

Fancy, Twice

As If It’s Your Last, Blackpink

Lion Heart, SNSD 

 Nun nu nan na, Cignature

Xingqiu

Leader of the group

Lead rapper and main dancer. Writes lots of the lyrics for their songs. His rap lines however are popular for being poetic and elegant unlike other groups

He has the most stage presence in the group. His facial expressions and energy are a force to be reckoned with

The stylists love him, and it shows. His outfits are always the most elegant while still being comfortable to dance in. He’s friends with all of the stylists, too.

Can dance extremely well. His moves are sharp but graceful. In the dance formations he’s often the one who gets picked up

He hates wearing headset mics but doesn’t complain. They’re uncomfortable and get in the way of him freely dancing

For being a leader, he’s often the one who encourages the group’s shenanigans.

Childhood friends with Chongyun, auditioned into the company together

Is friends with Zhongli for sharing the leader role in their respective groups and having read a lot of good books

All of his instagram posts look like professional photoshoots for no reason

He has his own show where he reviews books and gives book recommendations

His fanbase is extremely protective of him, but he also gets the heat of the group’s backlash for being the leader. Though he handles it very well and never lets it get to him

Hu Tao

Main rapper and lead dancer

If their brain cells were in a constant battle, Hu Tao would be the reigning champion

Never stops smiling, on and off stage

She’s been dancing all her life and has won some competitions

She actually used to be a backup dancer for Xinyan

When their first comeback flopped, Hu Tao was the one keeping the group’s spirits up. She always makes sure everyone is laughing and smiling, although sometimes she goes too far

She can’t help it if her pranks go too far sometimes, like the time she sprinkled chili flakes on Chongyun’s popsicle before performing, it’s all supposed to be good fun. Besides, Chongyun had a blast at that performance

She’s friends with a lot of the backstage crew

Her solo Vlives are the most insane. She tries pulling pranks on her group mates live for the whole fanbase to see. Of course in this situation she makes sure to control herself

Their fandom name was probably chosen cause of some dumb thing she said to make everyone laugh

Sometimes she worries if her friends secretly dislike her pranks and if they’re annoyed with her. They know this, and always reassure Hu Tao of how much they love her

Her and Xiangling had a short vlogging series where they taste tested different restaurants

OH you thought it was only the group that got pranked? Nobody in the entertainment company is safe from Hu Tao

Xiangling

Lead vocalist

Is very close with the fans and is always the most interactive at fan meets and live shows

Her and Hu Tao became really close friends during their trainee days. They were inseparable and were always seen together

There was a time when Xiangling was almost taken out of the group lineup, but was thankfully saved. It was the company’s best decision they’ve ever made

Xiangling’s vocals are ethereal and out of this world. Her voice is powerful and is packed with emotion. Her weakness is that she can’t do her best when dancing since she runs out of air very easily

Barbara was her inspiration to become an idol. She actually tried to audition at her company but was sadly rejected. She strives to become just like her, and hopefully more

Before Xiangling debuted, she was studying to be a chef

She’s the only one in the group who knows how to cook so she always makes everyone’s food. They did feel bad for putting all the work on her, but Xiangling doesn’t mind. She finds cooking fun and exciting, even more so when it’s for her friends

She struggled to learn how to dance and is still learning how to get better. Thankfully, Hu Tao helped her out and she managed to keep up with the rest of the trainees

The fanbase loves how sweet she is and how it rubs off on everyone around her

She definitely shines the most in the B-Side tracks

She MCed on a music show with Xiao

She and Chongyun make popsicles together

Very good at makeup, like actually. Some of the makeup artists are impressed with how professional her day-to-day makeup looks when all she does is try to keep up with makeup tutorials

Loves filming music videos, it’s one of her favorite parts of being an idol

Chongyun

While everyone is a visual, Chongyun is THE visual

He has the most photoshoots out of everyone, somehow at every angle he manages to look amazing

It’s funny because he has the most indifferent facial expressions out of everyone in the group. It’s always either o-o, ^-^, o^o, o~o

Main vocalist

He dances pretty well, but he jokingly gets yelled at by Xingqiu and Hu Tao to “keep up”

The thing that challenged him the most when training was his stage fright. It took him months to get over it. It was the one thing holding him back and the company was on the fence about putting him in the lineup. His temporary solution was to eat a popsicle before performing, but he knew that it wouldn’t be sustainable. So through multiple chaotic team building exercises, they found that he could perform when with Xingqiu, Hu Tao, and Xiangling. It was one of the major influences in debuting the group together

Is the youngest in the group and is treated as such

He has a huge belief in ghosts and always gives the group talismans and various objects to ward evil spirits away. Most of them don’t believe this, but they keep them anyways since they know it makes Chongyun happy

Has a very low tolerance to spicy foods in stark contrast with Xiangling. She always makes sure to take away the spiciness in his foods

Fans keep comparing his visuals to Albedo to see who is better. Chongyun is kinda embarrassed about this, which the group makes fun of him for

In reality, Albedo was actually his role model, much like Barbara was for Xiangling. He always tries to do things like him, so he wasn’t all to surprised that the fanbase caught on

He admires his overflowing confidence, something that he lacks

He hates travelling for promotions. The longer the worse. It’s always super tiring and the jet lag does not help. Most of the time he just sleeps

Part of the group’s success was the magazine covers, most specifically Chongyun. They took note of how many more sales they made when Chongyun was featured on magazine photoshoots

The stylists have dyed the tips of his hair multiple colours before for promotions, but his favorite and default one will always be the icy blue

Some other stuff:

At the company, Xinyan is a soloist

Xiao and Zhongli are apart of another group at the company that I’ll probably make a post about later

Albedo and Barbara are at the same company

#genshin impact #genshin headcanons #idol au #liyue gang #xingqiu #xiangling #hu tao #chongyun #best friends your honor