![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
THIS IS AN INFINITE SHIPS POST (for nicki!)
I promised Nicki I would make her an Infinite ships post, and I was going to do something brief on tumblr, like a paragraph for each of the major ships, but I am me and completely incapable of being anything but verbose, so this turned into a monster. Who even am I?
So you've got 7 really attractive guys in this band, all of whom are always hanging all over each other, some of them because they're naturally demonstrative, some of them because that's their job, but either way: obviously people are going to ship things. Here's a rough guide to the bigger ships in fandom and also to the smaller things that I personally ship. Yay!
source
source
source
+ Myungsoo/Sungyeol - We'll start with this ship since you're already having ~feelings about them. Myungsoo and Sungyeol are BROS. They're always shoving each other and talking about how much they hate each other, but everyone acknowledges that they're BFFs. Myungsoo thinks that Sungyeol is the most hilarious person on the planet--when Sungyeol is goofing off, it's honestly more fun to watch Myungsoo watching Sungyeol than it is to watch Sungyeol. Myungsoo is obviously more attached to Sungyeol than vice-versa--he's a clingy guy, which Sungyeol is NOT, and he's also, imo, less embarrassed by his feelings (one of my favorite moments: Sungyeol tweets "I like you" to Myungsoo; Myungsoo tweets back "Me too I love you." THAT IS SO THEM--Myungsoo ups the ante).
By which I mean, I think Sungyeol cares about him a lot, but he's not one to show that; he's totally that guy who gets embarrassed when his mom hugs him in public. So he's not going to be one for PDA or even talking about how close he and Myungsoo are. Myungsoo will tell interviewers flat-out that Sungyeol is the one he's closest to, but Sungyeol shows most of his feelings via teasing. He does some fanservice-y stuff, but most of the time it's very clearly fanservice, if you know what I mean. This is one of the reasons why the Hug to End All Hugs was such a big deal for Myungyeol shippers: it was Sungyeol instigating, which he almost never does (see: Myungsoo latching onto Sungyeol's back and Sungyeol not even acknowledging that Myungsoo is even there--absolutely hilarious). You can even see in that last gif that Myungsoo's the one who wants to hold on longer after Sungyeol pulls away. Myungsoo just loves to cuddle, and Sungyeol very much doesn't (which is fun because Myungsoo is the more "masculine" one or at least that's what fandom is constantly telling me).
For some reason that baffles me, most fanfic writers tend to write their dynamic as Yeollie being in love with Myungsoo and Myungsoo starting out as oblivious/indifferent/not interested. Which is okay sometimes, and I've definitely enjoyed fics like that, but I don't get why there isn't loads more Myungsoo-is-derpily-and-awkwardly-in-love-with-his-bff-and-it-takes-a-while-to-win-him-over fic. I want more.
Obviously I ship this, sometimes on just a they're-bros level, but they keep taking over my fanfic-writing brain, too. Basically I can't get enough of this dynamic. BOYS.
source
+ Sunggyu/Woohyun - FEELINGS. How are you not going to ship them when Woohyun walks around saying things like, "A Kim Sunggyu without a Nam Woohyun is like chopsticks without a spoon, a thread without a needle, a kite without string"? I mean really.
They're the biggest ship in this fandom, at least as far as I can tell and if amount-of-fic-written is any indication, and for good reason. Sunggyu is Mr. Leader and takes his responsibilities very seriously. Woohyun is absolutely his right hand and isn't afraid of saying so. (I have a lot of feelings about this. A lot. Ahem.) The funny thing about that is that on the surface Woohyun seems like he's all flash: he's the greasy king of fanservice and aegyo, the most over the top and excessive (sometime I'm going to write an ESSAY about his gender performance and how interesting it is, but that's another day). Sunggyu has said that he didn't like Woohyun at first, but now he trusts him more than anyone, which I can easily believe. So Woohyun has more substance than people give him credit for--underneath that idol-mask there's someone who Sunggyu can rely on. He works very hard and takes his idol responsibilities very seriously (by which I mean: I don't think he's naturally that greasy or that he really wants to show off his abs every five seconds the way he does, but he thinks it's his job. Woohyun fascinates me).
They're kind of an odd couple, but they're the power couple of the group, definitely. What I find really fascinating about them is that I think their relationship isn't all that straightforward: there's no way they don't fight (and probably a lot) since they're so different and Woohyun has such a forceful personality but Sunggyu is In Charge and I imagine there have been a lot of power struggles between them at times, and yet there's this undeniable bond there. I think both of them are also very Aware of their status as "The Woogyu Couple" and play directly to that, so in fic you can take advantage of the dissonance between who they really are and how they present themselves for audiences. They're lots of fun to explore via fic because you can have them be together and happy and have that seem realistic, but you can also go as angsty and complicated as it's possible to be, and that'll seem real, too. They're very dynamic, is what I'm saying. Yes, I ship it.
source
+ Hoya/Dongwoo - Okay, confession: I don't ship this. But this is the other one of the Big Three ships in the fandom, so we're going to touch on it. Hoya and Dongwoo are bffs, and they're basically the happy old marrieds of the band. They are absolutely the most talented rapper line in kpop--they can both sing, dance, and rap better than your favorites. And they do dances and raps and stuff together; they're kind of a unit. Dongwoo is the most delightful person in the history of the world and he's always laughing and being more wonderful than everyone else in a delightfully bizarre way. Hoya is more subdued generally speaking, not nearly as open, but he seems like a steady kind of person, though he has a ridiculous sense of humor--they mostly don't let him talk in interviews because he's sure to say something inappropriate. He's kind of the most fabulous when he's making fun of the other members, especially Sunggyu.
ANYWAY. They're friends in the most straightforward sense of the word. But they also are aware of their shippers--their ship name is YaDong, which: yeah. Uh-huh. Hoya made lots of jokes on Sesame Player about how he and Dongwoo were filming We Got Married, so this pairing is full of rappers-got-married jokes. I don't really ship this (probably mostly because I'm not that interested in Hoya?) so I don't have much to say about it, but I read lots of fic about them because the fic is often great.
source
+ Myungsoo/Sungjong - Every five minutes it seems like there are shipper wars between Myungjong fans and Myungyeol fans. It's all very annoying. Myungjong is pretty popular, and for obvious reasons: Myungsoo loves to squish Sungjongie's pretty face and hug him and generally be adorable and Sungjong tolerates this (honestly, this cracks me up so much: the toleration is so clear to me. Poor Sungjongie!). They were, I hear tell, the biggest ship right after debut, because they're maknae line and so were always together and, besides, they're both insanely pretty. I don't ship this at all, but I think I could if people would write them correctly.
The thing that bothers me about this ship as I see it presented is that people act like Myungsoo is really an ice prince cool-guy and that Sungjong is all sweet and innocent and adorable. This frustrates me to no end, because those are their stage personas: in actuality Myungsoo is a giant dorky loser who only looks emotionless because he's constantly zoning out, and Sungjong is a fierce, fearless diva who is absolutely terrifying when he's scary and who is totally unimpressed by his hyungs and their silliness. Honestly, I could ship that! Because that dynamic could be HILARIOUS, especially with derpy Myungsoo tripping all over himself to get cool, bitchy Sungjong's attention. But you never really see that dynamic presented, so I don't have any interest in this ship, though I love them as friends.
source
source
+ Woohyun/Sungyeol - We're talking about them next because I'm writing the Epic Fic of Doom about them! I ship this for two reasons: 1) They are absolutely evil together and make each other laugh a lot, and 2) They could hurt each other the most.
When I say they're evil together, I mean that it was these two who came up with the idea that the best way to celebrate Dongwoo's birthday would be TO MAKE HIM CRY. Like, why do people let them in a room together, I do not know? If they combine their powers they could easily take over the world. They're both snarky and can be totally banter-y with each other. And on top of that, Woohyun is in second place on the list of People Who Think Sungyeol Is Hilarious--obviously no one's going to replace Myungsoo as king of this category, but Woohyun often just dies laughing at things Sungyeol says, and Sungyeol seems to enjoy that. It's why I think they could be totally adorable together. It seems that Woohyun has also taken Sungyeol as his padawan in the ways of fanservice--they throw hearts a lot together now and he's teaching Sungyeol how to be greasier. It's hysterical and I love them. (Also, Sungyeol has been saying things like, "My Woohyun, who I respect the most..." which makes me want to shout TEASE at him.)
On the other hand, my Epic Fic of Doom basically explores the idea that they can hurt each other the most. The reason is this: Woohyun is always ready to fight a war when it comes to power. He knows what his weapons are, he knows how to use them, he's constantly aware of other people's weaknesses. Sungyeol, on the other hand, is sharp. Very sharp. You don't notice that he's got a brain in his head because he's so often being silly, but he does, and I have zero doubts that when he actually pays attention to those around him he is more insightful and able to see through people's lies than anyone else in the group. What I'm saying is: I think these two could figure out how to hurt other people more easily than anyone else, and they could do it with such skill. They don't tend to do this (or when Woohyun does, he does it in a passive-aggressive way, I love this kid), but they could, and the idea of them doing it to each other fascinates me endlessly.
Also they're the two members I find most insecure--Woohyun is a giant mess of Performance as Identity and complicated feelings about his role as an idol, constantly being called fake and even a whore, everything is a mask for him; Sungyeol is always last choice, constantly being told that he's the least talented member, he wants to be an actor so bad but his career hasn't taken off while Myungsoo's has (and now Hoya's, too!), he thinks his role is to be the jokester but I think he wants more than that, he never gets any lines in the songs: basically they're both giant messes, so I like throwing them in a room and making them bump into each other. Obviously I ship this.
source
source
source
+ Dongwoo/Sunggyu and/or Dongwoo/Woohyun - What I'm trying to tell you is that I ship any permutation of Sunggyu/Dongwoo/Woohyun. And I ship it as an OT3, absolutely. Dongwoo has been ALL OVER Sunggyu lately, and it is adorable. He gave him his new Gyu Gee Gee nickname (which Sunggyu has turned into his twitter handle, isn't that precious?), and watching Sunggyu hold Dongwoo's hand while Dongwoo was so terrified in the scary episodes of Ranking King was the sweetest thing in the world. They're the hyungs, the oldest guys in the group, and kind of the dad and mom in the sense that Sunggyu is the authority (when his dongsaengs listen to him, which isn't often) and the one who pushes them, and Dongwoo is the supportive, concerned one who loves to hug on everybody and cares the most. They're totally sweet together.
As for Dongwoo and Woohyun, I think Woohyun would say that Dongwoo is his closest friend in the band (besides Sunggyu)--I think Dongwoo wouldn't judge him the way some of the other guys would, and he'd be able to trust Dongwoo enough to be honest about who he really is when he's with them. They're always hanging all over each other, so comfortable together, and it's so very sweet.
Basically these three should all be married together imo.
source
+ Myungsoo/Sungyeol/Sungjong - MAKNAE LINE OT3. Why have shipper wars when you can have an OT3? The little brothers should all just go together, is what I say. Sungyeol and Sungjong have some serious chemistry in their PERFORMANCE OF TROUBLEMAKER WITH SUNGYEOL AS A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN WITH AWESOME LEGS AND THEY ACTUALLY KISS (have you seen this yet? This is something that exists in the world), so why not ship all three of them together? That way nobody gets left out! I demand more fic, okay?
source
+ Hoya/Sungjong - This ship is SO UNDERRATED and I do not know why. I ship this super hard. They're roommates and seem pretty close. People consider Hoya the most "masculine" member of the group and Sungjong is the most "feminine," but what's fun about them is that there are lots of ways to subvert that dynamic: Hoya is a very gentle guy, honestly, and Sungjong is the the one who watches scary movies that make his hyungs tremble without batting an eyelash. And by all accounts, when cameras aren't around, he's very manly. Sungjong has presented himself as very innocent, but I don't believe it for a second (he probably knows way more about the world than Myungsoo and Sungyeol, let's be honest), so I especially like fics where Sungjong seduces Hoya and knows exactly what he's doing. Mostly I started shipping this when in an interview Hoya was asked how he and Sungjong seem so close when they also seem so different, and Hoya's answer was, "Sungjongie is my matter of interest." WHO EVEN SAYS THAT? Instant ship.
What I want most in life is to see them dance together--Hoya doing what he usually does, Sungjong doing one of his girlgroup dances, and then them fusing them together.
Obviously there are other possibilities, combinations, whatever. But this should get you started and hopefully give you feelings.
So you've got 7 really attractive guys in this band, all of whom are always hanging all over each other, some of them because they're naturally demonstrative, some of them because that's their job, but either way: obviously people are going to ship things. Here's a rough guide to the bigger ships in fandom and also to the smaller things that I personally ship. Yay!
source
source
source
+ Myungsoo/Sungyeol - We'll start with this ship since you're already having ~feelings about them. Myungsoo and Sungyeol are BROS. They're always shoving each other and talking about how much they hate each other, but everyone acknowledges that they're BFFs. Myungsoo thinks that Sungyeol is the most hilarious person on the planet--when Sungyeol is goofing off, it's honestly more fun to watch Myungsoo watching Sungyeol than it is to watch Sungyeol. Myungsoo is obviously more attached to Sungyeol than vice-versa--he's a clingy guy, which Sungyeol is NOT, and he's also, imo, less embarrassed by his feelings (one of my favorite moments: Sungyeol tweets "I like you" to Myungsoo; Myungsoo tweets back "Me too I love you." THAT IS SO THEM--Myungsoo ups the ante).
By which I mean, I think Sungyeol cares about him a lot, but he's not one to show that; he's totally that guy who gets embarrassed when his mom hugs him in public. So he's not going to be one for PDA or even talking about how close he and Myungsoo are. Myungsoo will tell interviewers flat-out that Sungyeol is the one he's closest to, but Sungyeol shows most of his feelings via teasing. He does some fanservice-y stuff, but most of the time it's very clearly fanservice, if you know what I mean. This is one of the reasons why the Hug to End All Hugs was such a big deal for Myungyeol shippers: it was Sungyeol instigating, which he almost never does (see: Myungsoo latching onto Sungyeol's back and Sungyeol not even acknowledging that Myungsoo is even there--absolutely hilarious). You can even see in that last gif that Myungsoo's the one who wants to hold on longer after Sungyeol pulls away. Myungsoo just loves to cuddle, and Sungyeol very much doesn't (which is fun because Myungsoo is the more "masculine" one or at least that's what fandom is constantly telling me).
For some reason that baffles me, most fanfic writers tend to write their dynamic as Yeollie being in love with Myungsoo and Myungsoo starting out as oblivious/indifferent/not interested. Which is okay sometimes, and I've definitely enjoyed fics like that, but I don't get why there isn't loads more Myungsoo-is-derpily-and-awkwardly-in-love-with-his-bff-and-it-takes-a-while-to-win-him-over fic. I want more.
Obviously I ship this, sometimes on just a they're-bros level, but they keep taking over my fanfic-writing brain, too. Basically I can't get enough of this dynamic. BOYS.
source
+ Sunggyu/Woohyun - FEELINGS. How are you not going to ship them when Woohyun walks around saying things like, "A Kim Sunggyu without a Nam Woohyun is like chopsticks without a spoon, a thread without a needle, a kite without string"? I mean really.
They're the biggest ship in this fandom, at least as far as I can tell and if amount-of-fic-written is any indication, and for good reason. Sunggyu is Mr. Leader and takes his responsibilities very seriously. Woohyun is absolutely his right hand and isn't afraid of saying so. (I have a lot of feelings about this. A lot. Ahem.) The funny thing about that is that on the surface Woohyun seems like he's all flash: he's the greasy king of fanservice and aegyo, the most over the top and excessive (sometime I'm going to write an ESSAY about his gender performance and how interesting it is, but that's another day). Sunggyu has said that he didn't like Woohyun at first, but now he trusts him more than anyone, which I can easily believe. So Woohyun has more substance than people give him credit for--underneath that idol-mask there's someone who Sunggyu can rely on. He works very hard and takes his idol responsibilities very seriously (by which I mean: I don't think he's naturally that greasy or that he really wants to show off his abs every five seconds the way he does, but he thinks it's his job. Woohyun fascinates me).
They're kind of an odd couple, but they're the power couple of the group, definitely. What I find really fascinating about them is that I think their relationship isn't all that straightforward: there's no way they don't fight (and probably a lot) since they're so different and Woohyun has such a forceful personality but Sunggyu is In Charge and I imagine there have been a lot of power struggles between them at times, and yet there's this undeniable bond there. I think both of them are also very Aware of their status as "The Woogyu Couple" and play directly to that, so in fic you can take advantage of the dissonance between who they really are and how they present themselves for audiences. They're lots of fun to explore via fic because you can have them be together and happy and have that seem realistic, but you can also go as angsty and complicated as it's possible to be, and that'll seem real, too. They're very dynamic, is what I'm saying. Yes, I ship it.
source
+ Hoya/Dongwoo - Okay, confession: I don't ship this. But this is the other one of the Big Three ships in the fandom, so we're going to touch on it. Hoya and Dongwoo are bffs, and they're basically the happy old marrieds of the band. They are absolutely the most talented rapper line in kpop--they can both sing, dance, and rap better than your favorites. And they do dances and raps and stuff together; they're kind of a unit. Dongwoo is the most delightful person in the history of the world and he's always laughing and being more wonderful than everyone else in a delightfully bizarre way. Hoya is more subdued generally speaking, not nearly as open, but he seems like a steady kind of person, though he has a ridiculous sense of humor--they mostly don't let him talk in interviews because he's sure to say something inappropriate. He's kind of the most fabulous when he's making fun of the other members, especially Sunggyu.
ANYWAY. They're friends in the most straightforward sense of the word. But they also are aware of their shippers--their ship name is YaDong, which: yeah. Uh-huh. Hoya made lots of jokes on Sesame Player about how he and Dongwoo were filming We Got Married, so this pairing is full of rappers-got-married jokes. I don't really ship this (probably mostly because I'm not that interested in Hoya?) so I don't have much to say about it, but I read lots of fic about them because the fic is often great.
source
+ Myungsoo/Sungjong - Every five minutes it seems like there are shipper wars between Myungjong fans and Myungyeol fans. It's all very annoying. Myungjong is pretty popular, and for obvious reasons: Myungsoo loves to squish Sungjongie's pretty face and hug him and generally be adorable and Sungjong tolerates this (honestly, this cracks me up so much: the toleration is so clear to me. Poor Sungjongie!). They were, I hear tell, the biggest ship right after debut, because they're maknae line and so were always together and, besides, they're both insanely pretty. I don't ship this at all, but I think I could if people would write them correctly.
The thing that bothers me about this ship as I see it presented is that people act like Myungsoo is really an ice prince cool-guy and that Sungjong is all sweet and innocent and adorable. This frustrates me to no end, because those are their stage personas: in actuality Myungsoo is a giant dorky loser who only looks emotionless because he's constantly zoning out, and Sungjong is a fierce, fearless diva who is absolutely terrifying when he's scary and who is totally unimpressed by his hyungs and their silliness. Honestly, I could ship that! Because that dynamic could be HILARIOUS, especially with derpy Myungsoo tripping all over himself to get cool, bitchy Sungjong's attention. But you never really see that dynamic presented, so I don't have any interest in this ship, though I love them as friends.
source
source
+ Woohyun/Sungyeol - We're talking about them next because I'm writing the Epic Fic of Doom about them! I ship this for two reasons: 1) They are absolutely evil together and make each other laugh a lot, and 2) They could hurt each other the most.
When I say they're evil together, I mean that it was these two who came up with the idea that the best way to celebrate Dongwoo's birthday would be TO MAKE HIM CRY. Like, why do people let them in a room together, I do not know? If they combine their powers they could easily take over the world. They're both snarky and can be totally banter-y with each other. And on top of that, Woohyun is in second place on the list of People Who Think Sungyeol Is Hilarious--obviously no one's going to replace Myungsoo as king of this category, but Woohyun often just dies laughing at things Sungyeol says, and Sungyeol seems to enjoy that. It's why I think they could be totally adorable together. It seems that Woohyun has also taken Sungyeol as his padawan in the ways of fanservice--they throw hearts a lot together now and he's teaching Sungyeol how to be greasier. It's hysterical and I love them. (Also, Sungyeol has been saying things like, "My Woohyun, who I respect the most..." which makes me want to shout TEASE at him.)
On the other hand, my Epic Fic of Doom basically explores the idea that they can hurt each other the most. The reason is this: Woohyun is always ready to fight a war when it comes to power. He knows what his weapons are, he knows how to use them, he's constantly aware of other people's weaknesses. Sungyeol, on the other hand, is sharp. Very sharp. You don't notice that he's got a brain in his head because he's so often being silly, but he does, and I have zero doubts that when he actually pays attention to those around him he is more insightful and able to see through people's lies than anyone else in the group. What I'm saying is: I think these two could figure out how to hurt other people more easily than anyone else, and they could do it with such skill. They don't tend to do this (or when Woohyun does, he does it in a passive-aggressive way, I love this kid), but they could, and the idea of them doing it to each other fascinates me endlessly.
Also they're the two members I find most insecure--Woohyun is a giant mess of Performance as Identity and complicated feelings about his role as an idol, constantly being called fake and even a whore, everything is a mask for him; Sungyeol is always last choice, constantly being told that he's the least talented member, he wants to be an actor so bad but his career hasn't taken off while Myungsoo's has (and now Hoya's, too!), he thinks his role is to be the jokester but I think he wants more than that, he never gets any lines in the songs: basically they're both giant messes, so I like throwing them in a room and making them bump into each other. Obviously I ship this.
source
source
source
+ Dongwoo/Sunggyu and/or Dongwoo/Woohyun - What I'm trying to tell you is that I ship any permutation of Sunggyu/Dongwoo/Woohyun. And I ship it as an OT3, absolutely. Dongwoo has been ALL OVER Sunggyu lately, and it is adorable. He gave him his new Gyu Gee Gee nickname (which Sunggyu has turned into his twitter handle, isn't that precious?), and watching Sunggyu hold Dongwoo's hand while Dongwoo was so terrified in the scary episodes of Ranking King was the sweetest thing in the world. They're the hyungs, the oldest guys in the group, and kind of the dad and mom in the sense that Sunggyu is the authority (when his dongsaengs listen to him, which isn't often) and the one who pushes them, and Dongwoo is the supportive, concerned one who loves to hug on everybody and cares the most. They're totally sweet together.
As for Dongwoo and Woohyun, I think Woohyun would say that Dongwoo is his closest friend in the band (besides Sunggyu)--I think Dongwoo wouldn't judge him the way some of the other guys would, and he'd be able to trust Dongwoo enough to be honest about who he really is when he's with them. They're always hanging all over each other, so comfortable together, and it's so very sweet.
Basically these three should all be married together imo.
source
+ Myungsoo/Sungyeol/Sungjong - MAKNAE LINE OT3. Why have shipper wars when you can have an OT3? The little brothers should all just go together, is what I say. Sungyeol and Sungjong have some serious chemistry in their PERFORMANCE OF TROUBLEMAKER WITH SUNGYEOL AS A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN WITH AWESOME LEGS AND THEY ACTUALLY KISS (have you seen this yet? This is something that exists in the world), so why not ship all three of them together? That way nobody gets left out! I demand more fic, okay?
source
+ Hoya/Sungjong - This ship is SO UNDERRATED and I do not know why. I ship this super hard. They're roommates and seem pretty close. People consider Hoya the most "masculine" member of the group and Sungjong is the most "feminine," but what's fun about them is that there are lots of ways to subvert that dynamic: Hoya is a very gentle guy, honestly, and Sungjong is the the one who watches scary movies that make his hyungs tremble without batting an eyelash. And by all accounts, when cameras aren't around, he's very manly. Sungjong has presented himself as very innocent, but I don't believe it for a second (he probably knows way more about the world than Myungsoo and Sungyeol, let's be honest), so I especially like fics where Sungjong seduces Hoya and knows exactly what he's doing. Mostly I started shipping this when in an interview Hoya was asked how he and Sungjong seem so close when they also seem so different, and Hoya's answer was, "Sungjongie is my matter of interest." WHO EVEN SAYS THAT? Instant ship.
What I want most in life is to see them dance together--Hoya doing what he usually does, Sungjong doing one of his girlgroup dances, and then them fusing them together.
Obviously there are other possibilities, combinations, whatever. But this should get you started and hopefully give you feelings.