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in which i vomit feelings about this ridiculous boy band all over the place
[eta] Just an fyi: this post is a continual work in progress. I'm always editing and updating and changing my mind about things, so it's probably never going to be the same any two times you visit it. But this is real people we're talking about, so obviously my feelings are going to change as my perceptions do.
I am going to go ahead and apologize in advance about this, y'all. This is one part pimp-post of DOOM, two-parts me spewing incoherent feelings on everything in the world, with a dash of meta and some drooling thrown in. It's basically a big giant mess, just like I am these days. I am so, so sorry. Please just love me anyway.
This is a post about these kids:
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Awww! Aren't they cute? Well, forget all about that.
Introduction
(or: they're sexy and they know it)
Note: I am blaming this opening on ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
aerintine because she enables me. Ahem.
LET'S HEAR IT FOR THE FEMALE GAZE.
Gah, this is so over-the-top in its invitation to look at the beautiful boys and drool over how sexy they are. Like, it's so over-the-top that I'm almost ashamed for falling for it. Except that I am not even a little bit ashamed because THESE BOYS ARE REALLY HOT and they are playing to my gaze and there is no room for shame here in being a woman and having a sex drive and thinking guys are hot. I love it.
Part I: Music and Me
(or: this part will only be relevant to my friends who were wondering what happened to my sanity)
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Y'all, in the last couple of weeks of falling for this silly little kpop band, I have sometimes wondered whether it actually makes sense to be this obsessed with a band whose music I care nothing about. This is not what I do. I never went through the boyband phase back in the heyday of N'SYNC and BSB--my friends were all crazy about them, and I was listening to Queen and Paul Simon (inheriting my daddy's taste--he has really good taste in music) and also, like, dc Talk and such. I know some of the boy band songs, but I never had any crushes on them and I never had any of the albums and I never cared. I still don't get really into the people who create the music that I enjoy--I mean, how much do I love Led Zeppelin's music? And how much do I really not care about Plant and Page and whatever? I worship Patty Griffin's music, but I really don't care about what's going on in her life?
I don't know what I'm trying to say except that music fandom has always pretty much eluded me. Until I accidentally tripped into Infinite because Myungsoo was in Shut Up! Flower Boy Band (which I would pay y'all to watch: IT IS SO GOOD) and I ended up watching clips of Sesame Player and now I've worked my way through You Are My Oppa and Sesame Player and now I'm watching Birth of a Family. And I just love these boys. They are just so hilarious and cute and adorable and they love each other so much. And they're talented. (And, all of a sudden, extremely hot. But more on that anon.)
But I still don't really care about the music? Some of their songs have grown on me, some of them I don't care about. But I'm never going to be into kpop for the music. That just isn't going to happen. I don't listen to Top 40 here for a reason--while I do love a good really poppy pop song (yes, One Direction, I think "What Makes You Beautiful" is hella fun), I mostly like music involving actual instruments (which is NOT to slam on electronically-produced stuff--it can be brilliant, it just usually isn't for me). I love rock. I love the blues (love the blues). I love bluegrass and more of the stripped-down country/Americana/folk. I love singer-songwriter stuff. I love classical and orchestral music. I love church music, from Sacred Harp up through Rachmaninoff's Vespers. (I wish I liked jazz, since it's apparently music for smart people, but I guess I'm not that smart because I don't like it.) That's not going to change any time soon, I don't think. I may like to bop around the house to ABBA sometimes, but mostly I'm going to stick to other types of things.
But. I have to admit that I am in kpop fandom now. It's happened.
Part II: The Greatest Video Ever
(or: a brief introduction to the boys being supremely silly that proves why you should find them endearing)
I've thought that Myungsoo is beautiful since the first episode of SUFBB. And I was really taken with him when I watched clips of him on youtube because, as I said in another post, I have this huge soft spot for people who are trying to be cool and just aren't. But I didn't really expect to be taken with the rest of the boys, but I have been.
So let me share with you this video again, and I will talk about it and how much I love these kids.
Things I love about this video:
+ The fact that they're having a dance party to their own music in a hotel room in Singapore. Because of course they are.
+ Sungjongie looks adorable in that hoodie that's flopping around everywhere.
+ MYUNGSOO IS SO RIDICULOUS. Like, making fun of himself and his tendency to look ridiculous when he's dancing and his tendency to fall over and the fact that gravity loves Myungsoo the most. People who can make fun of themselves: my favorite. And I love that he's not laughing out loud at himself: he's weirdly intense in a very Myungsoo sort of way even in this moment of supreme silliness. What a weird kid. I love it.
+ Dongwoo's laugh. BEST LAUGH IN THE WORLD. He just bubbles over with joy.
+ Dongwoo looks so cute in his glasses! Awwww!
+ OMG WOOHYUN YOU ARE SUCH A FLIRT. I seriously think there has never been a guy who so much wants to present himself for the female gaze. He is always playing to the ladies, always flirting. They call him "greasy" for a reason. Not that I'm complaining because:
+ WOOHYUN HAS SOME ABS. And they are pretty.
+ And his arms aren't bad, either. (I think of Buffy: "Did you see his arms? Those are some good arms to have.")
+ And, okay, his butt looks great, too.
+ Sungjong attacking him with the pillows because he is the most ridiculous. He totally deserves it.
+ Sunggyu not even making it it through more than one move before the guys all mock him to death. These kids love to persecute their leader, and it is glorious.
+ Hoya's dance. It is hysterical to me. What a goof. We don't get to see this side of Hoya often enough, imo.
+ They don't remember to call Myungsoo "L" until halfway through the video.
+ Myungsoo tripping over the bed. THIS CHILD.
+ Hoya's accent when he speaks English that doesn't sound like any other accent I've ever heard and is so adorable it hurts.
The only thing I do not like about this video: Sungyeol isn't in it, because he was sick that night. I can only imagine how much better it would be if he were. Watch this video of ridiculousness and let your imagination run wild.
Part III: The Boys
(or: way too many words and feelings about these people I have never met)
And now for some thoughts on each of the boys. I'm going in reverse-age-order because everyone always goes in age order and I want to shake things up a bit.
+ Lee Sungjong
dob: september 3, 1993
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LEE SUNGJONG FIERCE MAKNAE GOD. This kid's hips do not lie! Sungjongie started out so adorable I almost can't stand it but has transitioned into being THE FIERCE ONE. He's the baby (maknae) of the group, and to quote this invaluable post, he enjoys girl group dances and being a brat. Actually, less of a brat these days: he's finally grown up and has that androgynous beautiful boy thing going on. He's very pious, which is sweet, and loveslovesloves girl group dances. And kills at them. I don't know how his ass does what it does. SERIOUSLY? He apparently learns the dances after watching them like twice and then makes his hyungs watch him do them and tell him that he's better than the original performers. HA. He also apparently told Sunggyu early on after they first met, "Hyung, a face like mine is rare." He's incredibly aware of his own attractiveness to the point almost of vanity, but it's not obnoxious the way it could be because he's a great young man.
As an aside, my all-time favorite Sungjong-is-pretty moment was in Sesame Player when the boys have to clean the dorm because they're told that a girl band is coming to visit. The guys all start speculating on who it is, and Sunggyu interrupts and says, "It doesn't matter who comes. Sungjong is probably prettier." And Sungjong does this half matter-of-fact agreement/half preening face, and it is GLORIOUS.
He takes out his frustration with his hyungs (specifically Sunggyu) by beating up on his teddy bears (he's probably outgrown this by now, but it was funny while it lasted). And he needs to do it, too; part of the whole kpop boy band ~thing~ is that the maknae is everyone's bitch, and while most of the other boys don't treat Sungjong this way, Sunggyu does quite often and sometimes the other boys pile on, and poor Jongie gets frustrated and who can blame him? Poor kid. I actually got mad at the other guys in a couple of their variety shows for the way they treat him. But apparently he's gotten really scary when he's angry. Recently they did something that made him mad and he stormed off and sat in the van without them and they all came out and crowded around and were trying to figure out how to apologize and he leaned out of the car and yells SHUT UP in banmal and now they're all terrified of him. I love it.
He's the only member of the band with anything like dignity and his default reaction to everything these days seems to be to roll his eyes while the others act like idiots. I would love to watch a show where he offers commentary on his hyungs, because I know he would be snarky as hell and it would be glorious. The other boys will be acting like fools (as they do) and he's just sitting there with his legs crossed being totally unimpressed.
He also seems less comfortable with his effeminate reputation these days. He never seemed to take issue with it before (talking about his 24 inch waist and doing girl group dances at the drop of a hat), but now he seems intent on proving that he is MANLY (the other guys all agree that he is). My suspicion is that this is because he's growing up and wanting to be an adult, and he seems to somehow view this as going hand-in-hand with being more "manly." He said on a recent variety show that he doesn't really like to do girl group dances anymore. I don't know if he doesn't enjoy them anymore (doubtful) or if he just doesn't enjoy performing them in front of people and what that signifies. I imagine it does get annoying to be told you're a pretty little girl all the time, but I hope he finds a comfortable middle ground, because I really think his androgyny is one of his strong points.
Actually, scratch that last paragraph. Since this performance, I am convinced he's totally all about playing with gender, he just wants to make sure he does it on his own terms. ALL HAIL LEE SUNGJONG, HIGH PRIEST/ESS OF A NEW WORLD ORDER.
He can flip on his "I am a sex god worship me" mode during performances, and it's kind of jaw-dropping. Because of his "effemenence" and love of girl group dances, everyone assumes he's gay, but I see no evidence that would lead us to have any confidence in what his sexual orientation actually is. Nothing at all would surprise me, honestly, and I respect his desire to keep his personal life personal. He seems to absolutely adore any kind of animal (I've yet to see him encounter an animal that he doesn't take into his heart immediately--on one variety show they locked him in a room full of frogs and he was totally happy). He's incredibly savvy and probably the best at actually being an idol; he also seems to know everyone in the entertainment business (see: his many friends in other groups, all the phone calls he made in Birth of a Family to ask for favors) and I have no doubt that he will continue to thrive in the industry. He's fabulous and fierce and fearless and seems like such a good person. You wonder how someone so flawless can exist.
I miss his BTD hair like I miss a person. At the time he was too young to really objectify properly without me feeling guilty, but if he was to bring that hair back? All bets would be off. ALL BETS WOULD BE OFF.
+ Kim Myungsoo (L)
dob: march 13, 1992
I already have a post just word-vomiting about Myungsoo/L, but I'll briefly go over my feelings about him again.
So initially I became aware of him as a giant dorky spazz, because I watched clips from Sesame Player first, and that's who he is in that show. This speaks to me, obviously. He's physically awkward, has the world's dorkiest laugh, makes the derpiest faces on the planet (so much so that I am actually running a tumblr blog dedicated to his derpiness), zones out completely a lot of the time, and is just plain weird.
But then I went back and watched You Are My Oppa, in which he sits around sullenly for most of the show. I kind of love this, too, him trying to be a sullen, petulant ice prince because I love people who just want everyone to go away and leave them alone because I am often like this. I think most of the time this is a front, and that he was really trying to create this personae that he'd either decided to create or been assigned by the company (my suspicions: the latter). His personae is ~mysterious~ and ~cool~ and that's what he was going for on that show and most of the time on stage. It's probably a good thing for him: the way he's able to separate who he really is (spazzy yet introverted) from who he's supposed to be as an idol (ice prince). This is where the whole not-as-cool-as-he-wants-to-appear-to-be comes in.
And yes, he is the introverted one (Sunggyu is also introverted and I think Hoya might be as well, though he's not shy). He's one of the calmest of the boys (unless he gets caught up in Sungyeol's energy), and sometimes he does just seem like he wants to sit in the corner and chill while the rest of them freak out. This may sound strange, but I actually worry about him because I just know he doesn't get enough alone time, and we all know introverts need that. I think the idol thing was never really part of his plan--it's not really suited to his personality, really--but he's made this decision and he's going to work very hard and take criticism silently and just do what he can. He's very determined, and I appreciate that. He works very, very hard; there's absolutely no doubt that his his the voice that has improved the most since the boys debuted. He isn't ever going to be the best singer of the group (Woohyun and Sunggyu have so much natural talent that no one else could ever touch them), but he's come really far, and I'm very proud of him. He also seems to be working equally hard on his acting career, and I think he'll make a perfectly good little actor someday, though I imagine his range will always be limited.
In other Myungsoo-is-a-dork news, he loveslovesloves romance mangas, nunchucking, the color black, and he's something of a fashion disaster when left to his own devices. He admits that he becomes easily obsessed with anything whether foods (he will eat the same thing for lunch EVERY SINGLE DAY FOR A YEAR until he discovers a new obsession, I'm not even kidding) or people, and I can so see that. He loves photography and seems to take it quite seriously.
He is the clingiest person on the planet, always latching himself onto Sungyeol's back or squeezing Sungjong's face or trying to kiss Dongwoo. He loveslovesloves hugs and cuddles and always wants to be touching someone, especially Sungyeol, who is his bff. He also LOVES to stare at people, especially Yeoljong, and though no one can blame him because they're both gorgeous people, he sometimes comes across as a GIANT CREEPER.
He's a good and obedient dongsaeng and seems like a doting hyung to Sungjong, he loveslovesloves small children and says he wants to have, like 50 kids (when people ask the members what their goals are for the future, the other guys all say something about working hard and making Infinite better; Myungsoo says he wants to be a good and loving father), and is basically the epitome of a sweet boy. He's a precious darling baby with a bottomless heart.
He also seems to me to be quite uncomfortable with the attention that gets paid to his looks--I think he finds it pretty irrelevant about himself, honestly. I like that about him.
Oh, crap, I forgot to talk about his face. His face is a big deal, okay? He's the visual in the band, which literally means he's there to be good-looking. He could have easily coasted on his looks, but instead, he works hard as I've said, and wants to make a contribution. I don't want to be all "poor him, he's so attractive," but it does have to get annoying to be told in EVERY INTERVIEW YOU EVER DO "Oh, you're so handsome." And for everyone to not expect much of you just because they assume you got what you have because of your face. And there's no doubt that his face is a work of art. But he wants to be more than that, and I love him for that.
And I blame him for everything. I blame him for getting me into kpop, I blame him for me having all of these feelings, I blame him for every problem in the world. It's all his fault. Jerk.
+ Lee Sungyeol
dob: august 27, 1991
Lee Sungyeol is my prince. He's also incredibly weird, and I mean that in the best sense of the word (this band is filled with weird people, but Yeol, Dongwoo, and Myungsoo are probably the weirdest). The others call him choding (elementary school kid) because he just gets into messes all the time, and it is the most adorable thing when he does.
He used to have the world's most adorable chipmunk cheeks, but he's losing his babyfat now, so they aren't as obvious. On the other hand, he has a very untoned stomach that he hasn't lost despite maturing, which I find ridiculously endearing. He used to be very emotional and cry at anything sentimental, which makes me love him, but he seems to have grown out of that, and now he's such a dudebro it's hilarious, and he is one of the least touchy of the guys--the Cuddle Brigade (Myungsoo, Dongwoo, and Woohyun) are always cuddling and touching, and Sungyeol will have none of that. It's hysterical.
I totally fell in love with him in Sesame Player where he was so silly and lovable and has this really weird, throaty laugh that I love more than I can say. Then, recently and out of the blue, he went through a couple of weeks where he seemed to be really toned-down and low-key, and it was super-confusing. That said, confusing as it was, his behavior on the first two episodes of Ranking King was amazing--he clearly didn't care about anything that was going on and threw out snarky questions and comments here and there (asking Woohyun why he was shorter today--he wasn't wearing his lifts--and telling Sunggyu that he couldn't see his eyes. WONDERFUL BOY). He's always been the witty one, in an off-beat way, but he was so hella snarky those first few episodes of Ranking King that I almost died. He's since recovered most of his energy, though I do think his volume is a bit lower now than in the past, which I think is just a sign of maturity. He keeps talking about being more mature and having more confidence, so I think he's working quite hard at that. As hard as he can work, anyway.
There's no doubt in my mind that Sungyeol is the smartest one in this band. His strangeness might detract from that, but if you pay attention, he's obviously sharp as a whip--he's always throwing out insightful, witty comments. As we all know, I like smart people. But his mind is so different than anyone else's that you almost don't notice how smart he is.
I get angry on his behalf because he rarely gets many lines in the songs and very little face-time in videos, either. His problem is his lack of confidence--he's by no means a singer, but he can pull off more than he's trusted with when it's in the right range (look at the "Bangkok City" performance and you'd never know he has singing problems) and while the choreography looks different when he does it (he's so lanky with these long limbs that even though he knows all the moves, it just looks looser and less clean than when the other guys perform), he masters it well--but he doesn't believe that he can. So he messes up the notes more than the other guys when they're performing because he lets that lack of confidence trip him up. He gets the fewest lines BY FAR in the songs as a result. They often try to make up for it by letting him do more in the MV, which I appreciate. He's just far and away the most insecure one in the group, and though he covers that most of the time with his antics, I can still see it: I think he carries all those insecurities around with him. He's seemed a little more confident lately--he promised in his message on their latest EP that he was working on that, and I really hope he is. Basically I want to wrap him up in blankets and giving him good things to eat and tell him that he's wonderful.
This video pretty much encapsulates all of his issues, and I kind of teared up when I watched it. For once he's center-stage, but he can't trust that: he has to keep glancing back and getting reassurance from Leader Gyu that he's doing things right (Woohyun is oblivious, because of course he is, but this is one of those times when I think Sunggyu must be a really good leader, because he doesn't hesitate to offer that encouragement that Sungyeol needs).
One last thing and then I'll shut up about this kid: music/being an idol isn't his primary interest. He wants to act. He was in a sitcom for a while, but it seems from the outside looking in that he hasn't had much luck since then though he's still trying. I can't help but think that this is somehow tied to his lack of confidence, as is the fact that he was originally with SM (one of the Big Three entertainment companies) training to be an MC (which he would be great at, actually) before he made it over to Woollim somehow (still a bit unclear on how that happened). But that had to kind of feel like movie backwards. I really hope he gets some roles soon. I want him to have what he wants.
+ Lee Howon (Hoya)
dob: march 28, 1991
I initially had a few issues with Hoya. Almost the first thing I heard about him was that he'd said some things about black people that, while I truly believe come from a place of ignorance in an attempt to be truly complimentary, are ridiculous enough that it took me a while to fall for him. Somebody needs to sit him down and educate him, because I know that if he was told that it's not okay to say that he wants to be black or whatever, he would absolutely apologize and change his behavior because he's a really, really good guy.
Anyway, because of that, it took me a while to fall for him but now I adore him. He's the official dance machine of the group and is very good at it: he gets into the dancing and he's an incredibly hard worker. He knew from the time he was very young that he wanted to sing/dance for a living, and when he dropped out of high school, his parents kicked him out of the house. He packed up, went to Seoul, and made his dream happen, and he's incredibly inspiring in his dedication and talent. He's probably the most talented member of the group in a complete-package sort of way--he sings, dances, raps, and acts, and he's very, very good at all of those things. Add to that the fact that he's handsome and it's easy to see why people fall in love with him.
He has the world's most adorable accent when he speaks in English. He's known for having amazing instincts. He seems like a very gentle guy, which I greatly appreciate in a guy, especially because he's the manly-man of the group. He wears that manly role lightly, always ready to talk about how sexy Sungjong is, or do a girl group dance with the other guys, or play a gay character on a drama. He can be really sweet, but he also has a sharp tongue sometimes and they don't let him talk much in interviews because he has a very adult sense of humor. He's HILARIOUS when picking on Sunggyu. He's even quieter than Myungsoo can be, especially in interviews, and part of that is because he's known for saying inappropriate (but hilarious) things and so he's encouraged not to talk to smuch in interviews, but he's more laid-back (Myungsoo has can be moody and probably a bit of a bitch--Hoya seems to just go with the flow most of the time). He has the greatest smile on the planet and enjoys showing off his amazing musculature and being sexy during performances.
What made me fall in love with him first was the way he interacts with the other boys (specifically Dongwoo and Sungjong--I would watch a TV show about him giving Sungjong piggyback rides and the way he kept cracking jokes on SP about how he and Dongwoo were filming We Got Married made me laugh). I couldn't possibly dislike anyone who loves Dongwoo and Sungjong as much as he does, because that means he has awesome taste. One of my all-time favorite moments from anyone in the band was when he was asked in a written interview how he was such good friends with Sungjong when they seem so different (they've been roommates for years), and his answer was: "Sungjongie is my matter of interest." He's also ALWAYS TALKING about how sexy Sungjong is and I really suspect he has a crush. And who can blame him?
If you really want to love Hoya, watch Reply 1997 and see him in his role as Junhee. I promise you will ADORE him after that.
+ Nam Woohyun
dob: february 8, 1991
The first thing Woohyun wants you to notice about him is that is a very good-looking guy. And he has reason for this: I mean, he's hot! I love his nose. He has beautiful abs. He likes to show them off. I do not complain. He has a drawer full of skin care products and makeup, because of course he does. He can seem like a strutting peacock, but I think that covers up some insecurities and is more what he thinks he needs to be rather than what he really is (see below).
As I mention above, he is the world's biggest flirt. His main goal in life seems to be showing everyone just how much he loves the ladies and how much they love him. He's also a giant ham; he's always performing. He seems so very aware of what's expected of him as an idol and he's determined to give it. So he's definitely the most fanservice-y. And I think he thinks of himself as an idol before he does as a musician, despite the fact that he's one of the main vocalists of the group and has an awesome voice. They call him greasy, which means he's over-the-top with his fanservice, with his flirting, with his saying things to ingratiate himself with fans (talking about how he doesn't need a girlfriend because Inspirits are all his girlfriend, things like that). It's kind of like cheesiness. I really don't think this has anything to do with who he really is away from the cameras (whenever he's not in idol mode he is ENDEARINGLY awkward and shy around girls)--I think somehow early on he settled on that role (or someone settled on it for him) and now it's expected and so he still does it. Boy works hard and is absolutely committed. You could never say otherwise.
He can be an annoying troll, but mostly in an endearing way. He comes across as vain at times, but that's more about him hiding his many, many insecurities (he doesn't think he looks like an idol, he wants plastic surgery, he thinks he's too short, etc.). From everything I've seen, he's a really, really good guy, and I find people who view their ultimate identity as that of performer really interesting, and he strikes me that way.
I've decided that he's basically the male version of Mini from Skins: totally building his identity around how he appears to others. He's lost a huge amount of weight since his trainee days--he used to have this adorable round face and be a bit chubby in a completely cute way, but he's honed his body down to reveal the abs of glory. His comments about food make me think he might have an eating disorder of some sort, and I think he gets too skinny sometimes--you can see his ribs on occasion--and I worry that he doesn't take care of himself like he should. That he sees his body as something to be looked at rather than as something to serve him, you know?
I also know that he has to know that people call him greasy/a whore/whatever, and that has to affect him. I HATE this way of labeling him because really, Woohyun just loves and appreciates his fans so very much that he wants to speak to them in their own language--and that sometimes comes across as greasy or fake when in actuality it's totally sincere and beautiful. He fangirls the fangirls and lives to make them happy, and that is a beautiful thing. Honestly, his is the mental health I worry about the most: it can't be healthy constructing your identity around performance like that. I think he's got more going on in his head than he lets on. I worry about him sometimes.
I also find his combination of "feminine" characteristics (aegyo, greasiness, etc.) with more "masculine" ones (his muscles, his ability to take the lead) really, really fascinating. Kid's gender performance is so unique. I love him for it.
One of the guys (Sunggyu?) once said that Woohyun is one of those people that you will like more and more the more you get to know. I think that's a beautiful compliment and a great description of Woohyun--the guys all seem to love and admire him and the more you get to know him, the more you absolutely will fall for him.
One last thing: his last name + the first part of his first name are pronounced like the Korean word for tree (namu). Because of this, there are a lot of tree puns that people make involving his name, and one of his nicknames is "greasy tree." So if you see any tree references, they're talking about Woohyun.
+ Jang Dongwoo
dob: november 22, 1990
Jang Dongwoo is actually the most delightful person alive. By all accounts he is the world's sweetest guy--I have heard not one negative word about him while spending way too much time reading up on these guys. The other guys occasionally make fun of him for being not all that bright, but I don't think that's the case--he is, I believe, plenty smart, it's just that he's very easily distracted, can't keep himself from moving around constantly, and prefers to look at the world in a straight-forward and simple way. Sometimes he zones out, too, but I think when he does pay attention he's plenty clever, he just isn't one to analyze things.
He can dance like nobody's business. Apparently he was originally supposed to be the dancer of the group, but when he was in the center of the line he brought the level up too high (the other boys couldn't keep up with his intensity) and so they went with Hoya instead as the main dancer. But I just like Dongwoo's style better: I could watch him dance all day. He can't sit still, either: he's constantly in motion, dancing silly dances or running around the room. He's the most tactile of all the boys: he's always hugging one of the other guys or (hilariously) grabbing their butts or whatever. Touchy, touchy, touchy.
They call him the 999-dimensional one (apparently a 4-d personality is a description of someone who's strange, so 999-d means he's REALLY strange) because he's really quirky. He carries around so much stuff in his backpack, and one of the best bits they do on variety shows is "going through Dongwoo's backpack and making fun of the random stuff he carries around" (and it is so very random). But he takes it in stride, because he's incredibly good-natured, with a fantastic laugh--he laughs a lot--and is friends with everyone. The boys describe him as the mom of the group, and he seems to genuinely care about each of them. He's laid back and doesn't complain and is just completely guileless. He is like joy incarnate--so very, very much joy spilling all over the place--but he also has the most epic cry face. I lovelovelovelovelove him. No one else brings me as much joy as Dongwoo does. He is made of sweetness and light and laughter and being wonderful and he may be the only perfect person on the planet.
I realize he's not the most conventionally attractive guy; I've seen some people calling him ugly, even. And up until recently I think his looks were pretty much irrelevant. But in the comeback trailer up at the top and "The Chaser" promos, I think he's gotten just so hot. So hot. I basically think he's the hottest thing on two legs. Wow. Okay, Dongwoo. Keep up with that.
+ Kim Sunggyu
dob: april 28, 1989
Grandpa Gyu confuses the heck out of me. I keep saying everyone say that he's a good guy and an excellent leader, but from watching Sesame Player and some of the earlier episodes of Ranking King, he seems like he can be a jerk? He's not very nice to Sungjong, which breaks my heart because HOW COULD YOU BE MEAN TO SUNGJONG? People say this is just for the cameras, and I sincerely hope that's true, it's just that I don't feel like I get to see him be the person people keep telling me he is as much as I would like to. It's all very confusing to me.
Okay, forget all that. I have reached the point where I love Gyu madly. I don't know what happened, and I do sometimes think he's too hard on Sungjongand not supportive enough of Sungyeol but everyone has weaknesses and his strengths have won me over.
He clearly takes his leadership responsibilities very seriously, and I respect that. He works the other boys really hard, but he wors just as hard himself, which makes him a good leader. He seems pretty myopic to me: totally focused on honing Infinite and making it the best. He can sing very, very well, with great range, and he works hella hard at it AND HIS VOICE IS SO BEAUTIFUL IT SOMETIMES MAKES ME CRY. He came to Woollim not to be a kpop idol, but because his favorite band, Nell, is with Woollim. Nell is this indie-rock band, completely different from kpop in general and Infinite's music in particular. And pre-Infinite, he was in a rock band that played very different music than what Infinite is putting out there. So I think Leader Gyu's got a lot of angst that he carries around with him over the fact that his path isn't leading where he wanted it to. Despite that, he seems completely committed to making Infinite work, and I respect that.
He decided not to go to college and so got kicked out of his house, so he moved to Seoul to do anything with music. He lived in a student hostel and worked like three jobs before he became a Woollim trainee, and he volunteered to be the leader when the first one dropped out because he thought it was his duty as the oldest. He takes his career incredibly seriously and is incredibly passionate about music.
Still, I just haven't been charmed by him as often as I have by the rest of the boys, and I can't shake the feeling that he's too mean to the others on variety shows sometimes (even on Weekly Idol, where he is hilariously persecuted by everyone, he listed all of Sungyeol's bad qualities in a way that struck me as not-kind move: Sungyeol has notoriously low self-confidence so why would anyone do that to him on television? Things like that rub me the wrong way. Though I can understand if he was wanting to strike back because he was hurting from what they were saying to him. I just wish he hadn't taken it out on Sungyeol--if he'd said that about literally any of the other boys, I would have just gone with it. But I'm protective of Sungyeol). But the other guys don't seem to hold it against him, which is why I remain confused.
He has quite a dry sense of humor that pops up at unexpected times. HE CAN BE THE MOST HILARIOUS. All-time favorite Sunggyu moments was in Sesame Player when he looks like he's fallen asleep on the bus and Sungyeol says that they should just leave him there, and without opening his eyes, he says, "I hear everything." It's such a leader-parent kind of moment that I died. He also has more of these moments on Ranking King, which, if Sesame Player is the Lee Sungyeol Variety Hour, Ranking King is the Kim Sunggyu Is Hysterical Show. (And Birth of a Family is a love story about Guy falling in love with the puppies.)
Honestly, this performance won me over to liking him more than anything else I've ever seen him do. Because it's so incredibly out of character: it's poppy and silly and so, so much more like something Woohyun would do. Remembering him screaming in a "hardcore" rock band back in high school, this seems even more hilarious. I can only imagine how his friends from back home reacted to it. Every single thing is out of character. Every single thing. And yet he sells it--he goes for it all the way, though there's humor in his approach as well, like he's aware of how out of character it is. I like a person with a sense of humor who can make fun of his own personae. I love this performance.If he keeps up with this sort of thing, he'll win me over completely.
AND HE HAS. I have come to love this squishy little hamster to death. He takes things so very seriously and is so much more conservative than some of the other guys about age roles and things like that, but he is just the best. He can be charming as hell, he can be totally ridiculous in a 'how do you expect me to take you seriously?' kind of way, and he can even sometimes be really sexy. I loff him now. And I am glad.
Interlude: Friendships
(or: some feelings about the two of the biggest ships in English-speaking fandom)
I want to take a brief moment to touch on a couple of relationships between the boys that I find interesting, too.
+ Myungsoo and Sungyeol
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Myungsoo and Sungyeol are BROS, and theirs is my favorite friendship. They're best friends, and apparently have been since before the debut. I find this adorable, especially because you might not expect it, given how different they are. They're kind of the typical guy bffs in that they like to shove each other around a lot and tease each other and pretend like they hate each other. But they'll spin on a dime and say they love each other, too. What I find so cute I can hardly stand it is that when Myungsoo gets clingy (Myungsoo is extremely clingy--Woohyun does fan service, Dongwoo is just a touchy person, but Myungsoo is clingy) and attaches himself to Sungyeol's back or throws an arm over his shoulder or starts playing with his hair (Myungsoo loves to play with people's hair), Sungyeol doesn't pay the slightest bit of attention, just carrying on with whatever else he's doing and letting Myungsoo treat him like a teddy bear.
The other great thing about them is that Myungsoo finds Sungyeol hilarious. Sungyeol is a giant ham, so he often acts like an idiot for the cameras, and whenever he does, Myungsoo is always the one laughing the hardest. Oftentimes it's more fun to watch Myungsoo watching Sungyeol than it is to watch Sungyeol. While Myungsoo isn't the ice prince his L personae indicates, he can be distant and zone out a lot, so the fact that he's always so there when Sungyeol is the center of his attention makes me so happy. He laughs and smiles more when Sungyeol is around, and the fact that Myungsoo appreciates Sungyeol helps my prince's self-esteem, I think.
Lately, though, there seems to be a bit of a distance between them (which I and others like me have been exploiting for the sake of angsty fanfic), and I can't help but assume that this is because Myungsoo's acting career is taking off and Sungyeol's isn't. Maybe that's not even true, but it feels like the case. I hope they're okay, because I am overly invested in their everything. THEY SEEM TO BE BACK TO LOVING EACH OTHER HARDCORE AGAIN. Basically I could watch them just exist in a room together and be happy. BOYS. ♥♥♥
+ Woohyun and Sunggyu
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The other relationship that fascinates me is Woohyun and Sunggyu's. This is the biggest ship in fandom right now, and I can't say I don't understand why. Their relationship is...complicated. That's the way it looks to me. They're the two lead vocalists, and I don't think anyone would disagree with me when I say that that probably meant there was a ton of competativeness between them during their trainee days. Sunggyu has admitted that he didn't like Woohyun at first, but he says now he trusts him more than anyone. I can so easily see how their personalities would clash: Sunggyu is much quieter and more professional, completely focused on his career, where Woohyun is much more flamboyant, almost? He's excessive in everything and doesn't know when to drop things.
And yet now they appear to be incredibly close. They're roommates and have been since the beginning. 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." They're always with the fanservice, touching and making eyes at each other and just always pairing up for everything. Woohyun is undeniably his right hand, his lieutenant, the second leader of the group. I think he balances him out as a leader in a really, really amazing way. (I have a LOT of feelings about Woohyun-as-Sunggyu's-right-hand. Do not even get me started.)
And yet that seems too simple to me. I don't think their relationship is as easy as, say, Hoya and Dongwoo's (known as the married couple because they just have this lovely, easy friendship). Sunggyu is the leader, for one thing, and I just can't believe that sometimes things with Woohyun aren't some sort of power struggle. I bet they fight a lot and it gets ugly. And yet their closeness and trust remains. I can't help but wonder how much of their friendship is for the fans and how much of it is genuine, because sometimes it's hard to tell. They seem very dependant upon each other, but I don't know if they're all hearts and smiles about that or if they sometimes resent it/chafe against it. I read lots of fic about them because there's so many different sides to their relationship that I find enthralling and I'll read all these fics that approach that relationship from completely different angles and yet they all seem realistic to me. Basically: they're complicated and bottomless and I do not know what to make of them but I know that I love them madly.
Part IV: INFINITE
(or: who they are as a group)
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And I think another aspect of my affection for them is that they are, in a lot of ways, the underdogs. Their entertainment company isn't one of the Big 3 that dominate Korean music and who have tons of money to promote their groups. From what I understand, they're Woollim's only big pop group (they also have Nell, who I think I'd like if I got into them a bit more and are obviously very respected, but they're not pop, they're indie rock, and that's a whole 'nother ball game, and they used to have Epik High who were this indie hip-hop group, but they've gone their separate ways) and I get the impression there's just a lot of pressure on them. It makes me feel very protective of them. I think no one expected them to do very well, and yet they have, and it feels like they've done so through sheer tenacity and hard work, and I love that.
I've also read that they're basically keeping Woollim afloat because Woollim has lots of money issues (meaning: they never have enough) and Infinite's the only one bringing in much revenue. They lived in this crappy old house for 3 years, the seven of them and a manager, and the place was a giant mess (especially with 8 guys living sharing one bathroom) and moldy and with a leaky roof. The CEO promised them they could move if they got a song in the top 10, and then when they did that he changed it up on them and told them they had to get the top 3 (I get the impression I would not be fond of this guy). They reached number 1 with "Be Mine," and the apartment they moved into once they accomplished that is very, very nice and they finally have two bathrooms and an actual closet.
They still aren't as big as some of the other groups, but they've carved a niche with their sound: an Infinite song sounds like an Infinite song. They also have the best choreographer in kpop (whoever this guy is, he is brilliant) and they are my favorite dancing band as well. I could watch them dance forever.
I also get the feeling that most of them didn't get into this to be idols (Woohyun and Sungjong aside, possibly, but that's speculation). They had other interests--Hoya and Dongwoo just wanted to dance, I think, and Sungyeol wanted to act, and Sunggyu wanted to make great music, and I still haven't figured out what the heck it is that Myungsoo wants--but they ended up in this place, with these guys in this group. And all of them have worked so hard (when I think about how hard kpop idols work, how little free time they get, how little they get to rest, I honestly get a bit upset, so I won't go there now) and been gracious and humble, and it's lovely. Their relationships seem like sibling ones; I know they have to fight and annoy each other, and since they live together and are together more than people are with their actual siblings, there's no way they do't grate on each others' nerves, but they also really believe in the family that is Infinite, and that's terribly sweet.
Conclusion
(or: actually, I don't just treat them like eye candy)
Now, remember how cute they are:
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Awwww!
But here's the thing: for all that drooling I did way up there at the top of this post, 90% of the time I don't really look at these kids that way? I feel like I've gotten to know them a bit through their variety show appearances, and I'm very, very fond of the ones I'm fond of. But most of the time it's in a big sisterly way. Like, I want to be their noona and look after them and take care of them and give them advice and tease them and stuff. Like I said: not hugely into their music, but I'm proud of them for working so very, very hard (it's amazing to me how hard Korean entertainers work. Their work ethic is insane). But then that 10% of the happens: they'll come out with a video that's all about how hot they are and I'm like, "OH YEAH THEY'RE ATTRACTIVE, TOO."
Anyway, these boys make me happy. I'm pleased that they were my introduction to kpop and that they are, from what I can tell, having a hell of a lot of fun making music and dancing together. I hope they keep it up for as long as it makes them happy.
And now if you're curious, here are their music videos (I actually included the dance versions of a couple of them because they're better than the actual videos):
The Chaser
Be Mine
Paradise
BTD (Before the Dawn)
Lately (White Confession)
Nothing's Over
She's Back
Come Back Again
I am going to go ahead and apologize in advance about this, y'all. This is one part pimp-post of DOOM, two-parts me spewing incoherent feelings on everything in the world, with a dash of meta and some drooling thrown in. It's basically a big giant mess, just like I am these days. I am so, so sorry. Please just love me anyway.
This is a post about these kids:
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Awww! Aren't they cute? Well, forget all about that.
(or: they're sexy and they know it)
aerintine because she enables me. Ahem.LET'S HEAR IT FOR THE FEMALE GAZE.
Gah, this is so over-the-top in its invitation to look at the beautiful boys and drool over how sexy they are. Like, it's so over-the-top that I'm almost ashamed for falling for it. Except that I am not even a little bit ashamed because THESE BOYS ARE REALLY HOT and they are playing to my gaze and there is no room for shame here in being a woman and having a sex drive and thinking guys are hot. I love it.
(or: this part will only be relevant to my friends who were wondering what happened to my sanity)
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Y'all, in the last couple of weeks of falling for this silly little kpop band, I have sometimes wondered whether it actually makes sense to be this obsessed with a band whose music I care nothing about.
I don't know what I'm trying to say except that music fandom has always pretty much eluded me. Until I accidentally tripped into Infinite because Myungsoo was in Shut Up! Flower Boy Band (which I would pay y'all to watch: IT IS SO GOOD) and I ended up watching clips of Sesame Player and now I've worked my way through You Are My Oppa and Sesame Player and now I'm watching Birth of a Family. And I just love these boys. They are just so hilarious and cute and adorable and they love each other so much. And they're talented. (And, all of a sudden, extremely hot. But more on that anon.)
But I still don't really care about the music? Some of their songs have grown on me, some of them I don't care about. But I'm never going to be into kpop for the music. That just isn't going to happen. I don't listen to Top 40 here for a reason--while I do love a good really poppy pop song (yes, One Direction, I think "What Makes You Beautiful" is hella fun), I mostly like music involving actual instruments (which is NOT to slam on electronically-produced stuff--it can be brilliant, it just usually isn't for me). I love rock. I love the blues (love the blues). I love bluegrass and more of the stripped-down country/Americana/folk. I love singer-songwriter stuff. I love classical and orchestral music. I love church music, from Sacred Harp up through Rachmaninoff's Vespers. (I wish I liked jazz, since it's apparently music for smart people, but I guess I'm not that smart because I don't like it.) That's not going to change any time soon, I don't think. I may like to bop around the house to ABBA sometimes, but mostly I'm going to stick to other types of things.
But. I have to admit that I am in kpop fandom now. It's happened.
(or: a brief introduction to the boys being supremely silly that proves why you should find them endearing)
I've thought that Myungsoo is beautiful since the first episode of SUFBB. And I was really taken with him when I watched clips of him on youtube because, as I said in another post, I have this huge soft spot for people who are trying to be cool and just aren't. But I didn't really expect to be taken with the rest of the boys, but I have been.
So let me share with you this video again, and I will talk about it and how much I love these kids.
Things I love about this video:
+ The fact that they're having a dance party to their own music in a hotel room in Singapore. Because of course they are.
+ Sungjongie looks adorable in that hoodie that's flopping around everywhere.
+ MYUNGSOO IS SO RIDICULOUS. Like, making fun of himself and his tendency to look ridiculous when he's dancing and his tendency to fall over and the fact that gravity loves Myungsoo the most. People who can make fun of themselves: my favorite. And I love that he's not laughing out loud at himself: he's weirdly intense in a very Myungsoo sort of way even in this moment of supreme silliness. What a weird kid. I love it.
+ Dongwoo's laugh. BEST LAUGH IN THE WORLD. He just bubbles over with joy.
+ Dongwoo looks so cute in his glasses! Awwww!
+ OMG WOOHYUN YOU ARE SUCH A FLIRT. I seriously think there has never been a guy who so much wants to present himself for the female gaze. He is always playing to the ladies, always flirting. They call him "greasy" for a reason. Not that I'm complaining because:
+ WOOHYUN HAS SOME ABS. And they are pretty.
+ And his arms aren't bad, either. (I think of Buffy: "Did you see his arms? Those are some good arms to have.")
+ And, okay, his butt looks great, too.
+ Sungjong attacking him with the pillows because he is the most ridiculous. He totally deserves it.
+ Sunggyu not even making it it through more than one move before the guys all mock him to death. These kids love to persecute their leader, and it is glorious.
+ Hoya's dance. It is hysterical to me. What a goof. We don't get to see this side of Hoya often enough, imo.
+ They don't remember to call Myungsoo "L" until halfway through the video.
+ Myungsoo tripping over the bed. THIS CHILD.
+ Hoya's accent when he speaks English that doesn't sound like any other accent I've ever heard and is so adorable it hurts.
The only thing I do not like about this video: Sungyeol isn't in it, because he was sick that night. I can only imagine how much better it would be if he were. Watch this video of ridiculousness and let your imagination run wild.
(or: way too many words and feelings about these people I have never met)
And now for some thoughts on each of the boys. I'm going in reverse-age-order because everyone always goes in age order and I want to shake things up a bit.
+ Lee Sungjong
dob: september 3, 1993
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LEE SUNGJONG FIERCE MAKNAE GOD. This kid's hips do not lie! Sungjongie started out so adorable I almost can't stand it but has transitioned into being THE FIERCE ONE. He's the baby (maknae) of the group, and to quote this invaluable post, he enjoys girl group dances and being a brat. Actually, less of a brat these days: he's finally grown up and has that androgynous beautiful boy thing going on. He's very pious, which is sweet, and loveslovesloves girl group dances. And kills at them. I don't know how his ass does what it does. SERIOUSLY? He apparently learns the dances after watching them like twice and then makes his hyungs watch him do them and tell him that he's better than the original performers. HA. He also apparently told Sunggyu early on after they first met, "Hyung, a face like mine is rare." He's incredibly aware of his own attractiveness to the point almost of vanity, but it's not obnoxious the way it could be because he's a great young man.
As an aside, my all-time favorite Sungjong-is-pretty moment was in Sesame Player when the boys have to clean the dorm because they're told that a girl band is coming to visit. The guys all start speculating on who it is, and Sunggyu interrupts and says, "It doesn't matter who comes. Sungjong is probably prettier." And Sungjong does this half matter-of-fact agreement/half preening face, and it is GLORIOUS.
He takes out his frustration with his hyungs (specifically Sunggyu) by beating up on his teddy bears (he's probably outgrown this by now, but it was funny while it lasted). And he needs to do it, too; part of the whole kpop boy band ~thing~ is that the maknae is everyone's bitch, and while most of the other boys don't treat Sungjong this way, Sunggyu does quite often and sometimes the other boys pile on, and poor Jongie gets frustrated and who can blame him? Poor kid. I actually got mad at the other guys in a couple of their variety shows for the way they treat him. But apparently he's gotten really scary when he's angry. Recently they did something that made him mad and he stormed off and sat in the van without them and they all came out and crowded around and were trying to figure out how to apologize and he leaned out of the car and yells SHUT UP in banmal and now they're all terrified of him. I love it.
He's the only member of the band with anything like dignity and his default reaction to everything these days seems to be to roll his eyes while the others act like idiots. I would love to watch a show where he offers commentary on his hyungs, because I know he would be snarky as hell and it would be glorious. The other boys will be acting like fools (as they do) and he's just sitting there with his legs crossed being totally unimpressed.
He also seems less comfortable with his effeminate reputation these days. He never seemed to take issue with it before (talking about his 24 inch waist and doing girl group dances at the drop of a hat), but now he seems intent on proving that he is MANLY (the other guys all agree that he is). My suspicion is that this is because he's growing up and wanting to be an adult, and he seems to somehow view this as going hand-in-hand with being more "manly." He said on a recent variety show that he doesn't really like to do girl group dances anymore. I don't know if he doesn't enjoy them anymore (doubtful) or if he just doesn't enjoy performing them in front of people and what that signifies. I imagine it does get annoying to be told you're a pretty little girl all the time, but I hope he finds a comfortable middle ground, because I really think his androgyny is one of his strong points.
Actually, scratch that last paragraph. Since this performance, I am convinced he's totally all about playing with gender, he just wants to make sure he does it on his own terms. ALL HAIL LEE SUNGJONG, HIGH PRIEST/ESS OF A NEW WORLD ORDER.
He can flip on his "I am a sex god worship me" mode during performances, and it's kind of jaw-dropping. Because of his "effemenence" and love of girl group dances, everyone assumes he's gay, but I see no evidence that would lead us to have any confidence in what his sexual orientation actually is. Nothing at all would surprise me, honestly, and I respect his desire to keep his personal life personal. He seems to absolutely adore any kind of animal (I've yet to see him encounter an animal that he doesn't take into his heart immediately--on one variety show they locked him in a room full of frogs and he was totally happy). He's incredibly savvy and probably the best at actually being an idol; he also seems to know everyone in the entertainment business (see: his many friends in other groups, all the phone calls he made in Birth of a Family to ask for favors) and I have no doubt that he will continue to thrive in the industry. He's fabulous and fierce and fearless and seems like such a good person. You wonder how someone so flawless can exist.
I miss his BTD hair like I miss a person. At the time he was too young to really objectify properly without me feeling guilty, but if he was to bring that hair back? All bets would be off. ALL BETS WOULD BE OFF.
+ Kim Myungsoo (L)
dob: march 13, 1992
I already have a post just word-vomiting about Myungsoo/L, but I'll briefly go over my feelings about him again.
So initially I became aware of him as a giant dorky spazz, because I watched clips from Sesame Player first, and that's who he is in that show. This speaks to me, obviously. He's physically awkward, has the world's dorkiest laugh, makes the derpiest faces on the planet (so much so that I am actually running a tumblr blog dedicated to his derpiness), zones out completely a lot of the time, and is just plain weird.
But then I went back and watched You Are My Oppa, in which he sits around sullenly for most of the show. I kind of love this, too, him trying to be a sullen, petulant ice prince because I love people who just want everyone to go away and leave them alone because I am often like this. I think most of the time this is a front, and that he was really trying to create this personae that he'd either decided to create or been assigned by the company (my suspicions: the latter). His personae is ~mysterious~ and ~cool~ and that's what he was going for on that show and most of the time on stage. It's probably a good thing for him: the way he's able to separate who he really is (spazzy yet introverted) from who he's supposed to be as an idol (ice prince). This is where the whole not-as-cool-as-he-wants-to-appear-to-be comes in.
And yes, he is the introverted one (Sunggyu is also introverted and I think Hoya might be as well, though he's not shy). He's one of the calmest of the boys (unless he gets caught up in Sungyeol's energy), and sometimes he does just seem like he wants to sit in the corner and chill while the rest of them freak out. This may sound strange, but I actually worry about him because I just know he doesn't get enough alone time, and we all know introverts need that. I think the idol thing was never really part of his plan--it's not really suited to his personality, really--but he's made this decision and he's going to work very hard and take criticism silently and just do what he can. He's very determined, and I appreciate that. He works very, very hard; there's absolutely no doubt that his his the voice that has improved the most since the boys debuted. He isn't ever going to be the best singer of the group (Woohyun and Sunggyu have so much natural talent that no one else could ever touch them), but he's come really far, and I'm very proud of him. He also seems to be working equally hard on his acting career, and I think he'll make a perfectly good little actor someday, though I imagine his range will always be limited.
In other Myungsoo-is-a-dork news, he loveslovesloves romance mangas, nunchucking, the color black, and he's something of a fashion disaster when left to his own devices. He admits that he becomes easily obsessed with anything whether foods (he will eat the same thing for lunch EVERY SINGLE DAY FOR A YEAR until he discovers a new obsession, I'm not even kidding) or people, and I can so see that. He loves photography and seems to take it quite seriously.
He is the clingiest person on the planet, always latching himself onto Sungyeol's back or squeezing Sungjong's face or trying to kiss Dongwoo. He loveslovesloves hugs and cuddles and always wants to be touching someone, especially Sungyeol, who is his bff. He also LOVES to stare at people, especially Yeoljong, and though no one can blame him because they're both gorgeous people, he sometimes comes across as a GIANT CREEPER.
He's a good and obedient dongsaeng and seems like a doting hyung to Sungjong, he loveslovesloves small children and says he wants to have, like 50 kids (when people ask the members what their goals are for the future, the other guys all say something about working hard and making Infinite better; Myungsoo says he wants to be a good and loving father), and is basically the epitome of a sweet boy. He's a precious darling baby with a bottomless heart.
He also seems to me to be quite uncomfortable with the attention that gets paid to his looks--I think he finds it pretty irrelevant about himself, honestly. I like that about him.
Oh, crap, I forgot to talk about his face. His face is a big deal, okay? He's the visual in the band, which literally means he's there to be good-looking. He could have easily coasted on his looks, but instead, he works hard as I've said, and wants to make a contribution. I don't want to be all "poor him, he's so attractive," but it does have to get annoying to be told in EVERY INTERVIEW YOU EVER DO "Oh, you're so handsome." And for everyone to not expect much of you just because they assume you got what you have because of your face. And there's no doubt that his face is a work of art. But he wants to be more than that, and I love him for that.
And I blame him for everything. I blame him for getting me into kpop, I blame him for me having all of these feelings, I blame him for every problem in the world. It's all his fault. Jerk.
+ Lee Sungyeol
dob: august 27, 1991
Lee Sungyeol is my prince. He's also incredibly weird, and I mean that in the best sense of the word (this band is filled with weird people, but Yeol, Dongwoo, and Myungsoo are probably the weirdest). The others call him choding (elementary school kid) because he just gets into messes all the time, and it is the most adorable thing when he does.
He used to have the world's most adorable chipmunk cheeks, but he's losing his babyfat now, so they aren't as obvious. On the other hand, he has a very untoned stomach that he hasn't lost despite maturing, which I find ridiculously endearing. He used to be very emotional and cry at anything sentimental, which makes me love him, but he seems to have grown out of that, and now he's such a dudebro it's hilarious, and he is one of the least touchy of the guys--the Cuddle Brigade (Myungsoo, Dongwoo, and Woohyun) are always cuddling and touching, and Sungyeol will have none of that. It's hysterical.
I totally fell in love with him in Sesame Player where he was so silly and lovable and has this really weird, throaty laugh that I love more than I can say. Then, recently and out of the blue, he went through a couple of weeks where he seemed to be really toned-down and low-key, and it was super-confusing. That said, confusing as it was, his behavior on the first two episodes of Ranking King was amazing--he clearly didn't care about anything that was going on and threw out snarky questions and comments here and there (asking Woohyun why he was shorter today--he wasn't wearing his lifts--and telling Sunggyu that he couldn't see his eyes. WONDERFUL BOY). He's always been the witty one, in an off-beat way, but he was so hella snarky those first few episodes of Ranking King that I almost died. He's since recovered most of his energy, though I do think his volume is a bit lower now than in the past, which I think is just a sign of maturity. He keeps talking about being more mature and having more confidence, so I think he's working quite hard at that. As hard as he can work, anyway.
There's no doubt in my mind that Sungyeol is the smartest one in this band. His strangeness might detract from that, but if you pay attention, he's obviously sharp as a whip--he's always throwing out insightful, witty comments. As we all know, I like smart people. But his mind is so different than anyone else's that you almost don't notice how smart he is.
I get angry on his behalf because he rarely gets many lines in the songs and very little face-time in videos, either. His problem is his lack of confidence--he's by no means a singer, but he can pull off more than he's trusted with when it's in the right range (look at the "Bangkok City" performance and you'd never know he has singing problems) and while the choreography looks different when he does it (he's so lanky with these long limbs that even though he knows all the moves, it just looks looser and less clean than when the other guys perform), he masters it well--but he doesn't believe that he can. So he messes up the notes more than the other guys when they're performing because he lets that lack of confidence trip him up. He gets the fewest lines BY FAR in the songs as a result. They often try to make up for it by letting him do more in the MV, which I appreciate. He's just far and away the most insecure one in the group, and though he covers that most of the time with his antics, I can still see it: I think he carries all those insecurities around with him. He's seemed a little more confident lately--he promised in his message on their latest EP that he was working on that, and I really hope he is. Basically I want to wrap him up in blankets and giving him good things to eat and tell him that he's wonderful.
This video pretty much encapsulates all of his issues, and I kind of teared up when I watched it. For once he's center-stage, but he can't trust that: he has to keep glancing back and getting reassurance from Leader Gyu that he's doing things right (Woohyun is oblivious, because of course he is, but this is one of those times when I think Sunggyu must be a really good leader, because he doesn't hesitate to offer that encouragement that Sungyeol needs).
One last thing and then I'll shut up about this kid: music/being an idol isn't his primary interest. He wants to act. He was in a sitcom for a while, but it seems from the outside looking in that he hasn't had much luck since then though he's still trying. I can't help but think that this is somehow tied to his lack of confidence, as is the fact that he was originally with SM (one of the Big Three entertainment companies) training to be an MC (which he would be great at, actually) before he made it over to Woollim somehow (still a bit unclear on how that happened). But that had to kind of feel like movie backwards. I really hope he gets some roles soon. I want him to have what he wants.
+ Lee Howon (Hoya)
dob: march 28, 1991
I initially had a few issues with Hoya. Almost the first thing I heard about him was that he'd said some things about black people that, while I truly believe come from a place of ignorance in an attempt to be truly complimentary, are ridiculous enough that it took me a while to fall for him. Somebody needs to sit him down and educate him, because I know that if he was told that it's not okay to say that he wants to be black or whatever, he would absolutely apologize and change his behavior because he's a really, really good guy.
Anyway, because of that, it took me a while to fall for him but now I adore him. He's the official dance machine of the group and is very good at it: he gets into the dancing and he's an incredibly hard worker. He knew from the time he was very young that he wanted to sing/dance for a living, and when he dropped out of high school, his parents kicked him out of the house. He packed up, went to Seoul, and made his dream happen, and he's incredibly inspiring in his dedication and talent. He's probably the most talented member of the group in a complete-package sort of way--he sings, dances, raps, and acts, and he's very, very good at all of those things. Add to that the fact that he's handsome and it's easy to see why people fall in love with him.
He has the world's most adorable accent when he speaks in English. He's known for having amazing instincts. He seems like a very gentle guy, which I greatly appreciate in a guy, especially because he's the manly-man of the group. He wears that manly role lightly, always ready to talk about how sexy Sungjong is, or do a girl group dance with the other guys, or play a gay character on a drama. He can be really sweet, but he also has a sharp tongue sometimes and they don't let him talk much in interviews because he has a very adult sense of humor. He's HILARIOUS when picking on Sunggyu. He's even quieter than Myungsoo can be, especially in interviews, and part of that is because he's known for saying inappropriate (but hilarious) things and so he's encouraged not to talk to smuch in interviews, but he's more laid-back (Myungsoo has can be moody and probably a bit of a bitch--Hoya seems to just go with the flow most of the time). He has the greatest smile on the planet and enjoys showing off his amazing musculature and being sexy during performances.
What made me fall in love with him first was the way he interacts with the other boys (specifically Dongwoo and Sungjong--I would watch a TV show about him giving Sungjong piggyback rides and the way he kept cracking jokes on SP about how he and Dongwoo were filming We Got Married made me laugh). I couldn't possibly dislike anyone who loves Dongwoo and Sungjong as much as he does, because that means he has awesome taste. One of my all-time favorite moments from anyone in the band was when he was asked in a written interview how he was such good friends with Sungjong when they seem so different (they've been roommates for years), and his answer was: "Sungjongie is my matter of interest." He's also ALWAYS TALKING about how sexy Sungjong is and I really suspect he has a crush. And who can blame him?
If you really want to love Hoya, watch Reply 1997 and see him in his role as Junhee. I promise you will ADORE him after that.
+ Nam Woohyun
dob: february 8, 1991
The first thing Woohyun wants you to notice about him is that is a very good-looking guy. And he has reason for this: I mean, he's hot! I love his nose. He has beautiful abs. He likes to show them off. I do not complain. He has a drawer full of skin care products and makeup, because of course he does. He can seem like a strutting peacock, but I think that covers up some insecurities and is more what he thinks he needs to be rather than what he really is (see below).
As I mention above, he is the world's biggest flirt. His main goal in life seems to be showing everyone just how much he loves the ladies and how much they love him. He's also a giant ham; he's always performing. He seems so very aware of what's expected of him as an idol and he's determined to give it. So he's definitely the most fanservice-y. And I think he thinks of himself as an idol before he does as a musician, despite the fact that he's one of the main vocalists of the group and has an awesome voice. They call him greasy, which means he's over-the-top with his fanservice, with his flirting, with his saying things to ingratiate himself with fans (talking about how he doesn't need a girlfriend because Inspirits are all his girlfriend, things like that). It's kind of like cheesiness. I really don't think this has anything to do with who he really is away from the cameras (whenever he's not in idol mode he is ENDEARINGLY awkward and shy around girls)--I think somehow early on he settled on that role (or someone settled on it for him) and now it's expected and so he still does it. Boy works hard and is absolutely committed. You could never say otherwise.
He can be an annoying troll, but mostly in an endearing way. He comes across as vain at times, but that's more about him hiding his many, many insecurities (he doesn't think he looks like an idol, he wants plastic surgery, he thinks he's too short, etc.). From everything I've seen, he's a really, really good guy, and I find people who view their ultimate identity as that of performer really interesting, and he strikes me that way.
I've decided that he's basically the male version of Mini from Skins: totally building his identity around how he appears to others. He's lost a huge amount of weight since his trainee days--he used to have this adorable round face and be a bit chubby in a completely cute way, but he's honed his body down to reveal the abs of glory. His comments about food make me think he might have an eating disorder of some sort, and I think he gets too skinny sometimes--you can see his ribs on occasion--and I worry that he doesn't take care of himself like he should. That he sees his body as something to be looked at rather than as something to serve him, you know?
I also know that he has to know that people call him greasy/a whore/whatever, and that has to affect him. I HATE this way of labeling him because really, Woohyun just loves and appreciates his fans so very much that he wants to speak to them in their own language--and that sometimes comes across as greasy or fake when in actuality it's totally sincere and beautiful. He fangirls the fangirls and lives to make them happy, and that is a beautiful thing. Honestly, his is the mental health I worry about the most: it can't be healthy constructing your identity around performance like that. I think he's got more going on in his head than he lets on. I worry about him sometimes.
I also find his combination of "feminine" characteristics (aegyo, greasiness, etc.) with more "masculine" ones (his muscles, his ability to take the lead) really, really fascinating. Kid's gender performance is so unique. I love him for it.
One of the guys (Sunggyu?) once said that Woohyun is one of those people that you will like more and more the more you get to know. I think that's a beautiful compliment and a great description of Woohyun--the guys all seem to love and admire him and the more you get to know him, the more you absolutely will fall for him.
One last thing: his last name + the first part of his first name are pronounced like the Korean word for tree (namu). Because of this, there are a lot of tree puns that people make involving his name, and one of his nicknames is "greasy tree." So if you see any tree references, they're talking about Woohyun.
+ Jang Dongwoo
dob: november 22, 1990
Jang Dongwoo is actually the most delightful person alive. By all accounts he is the world's sweetest guy--I have heard not one negative word about him while spending way too much time reading up on these guys. The other guys occasionally make fun of him for being not all that bright, but I don't think that's the case--he is, I believe, plenty smart, it's just that he's very easily distracted, can't keep himself from moving around constantly, and prefers to look at the world in a straight-forward and simple way. Sometimes he zones out, too, but I think when he does pay attention he's plenty clever, he just isn't one to analyze things.
He can dance like nobody's business. Apparently he was originally supposed to be the dancer of the group, but when he was in the center of the line he brought the level up too high (the other boys couldn't keep up with his intensity) and so they went with Hoya instead as the main dancer. But I just like Dongwoo's style better: I could watch him dance all day. He can't sit still, either: he's constantly in motion, dancing silly dances or running around the room. He's the most tactile of all the boys: he's always hugging one of the other guys or (hilariously) grabbing their butts or whatever. Touchy, touchy, touchy.
They call him the 999-dimensional one (apparently a 4-d personality is a description of someone who's strange, so 999-d means he's REALLY strange) because he's really quirky. He carries around so much stuff in his backpack, and one of the best bits they do on variety shows is "going through Dongwoo's backpack and making fun of the random stuff he carries around" (and it is so very random). But he takes it in stride, because he's incredibly good-natured, with a fantastic laugh--he laughs a lot--and is friends with everyone. The boys describe him as the mom of the group, and he seems to genuinely care about each of them. He's laid back and doesn't complain and is just completely guileless. He is like joy incarnate--so very, very much joy spilling all over the place--but he also has the most epic cry face. I lovelovelovelovelove him. No one else brings me as much joy as Dongwoo does. He is made of sweetness and light and laughter and being wonderful and he may be the only perfect person on the planet.
I realize he's not the most conventionally attractive guy; I've seen some people calling him ugly, even. And up until recently I think his looks were pretty much irrelevant. But in the comeback trailer up at the top and "The Chaser" promos, I think he's gotten just so hot. So hot. I basically think he's the hottest thing on two legs. Wow. Okay, Dongwoo. Keep up with that.
+ Kim Sunggyu
dob: april 28, 1989
Okay, forget all that. I have reached the point where I love Gyu madly. I don't know what happened, and I do sometimes think he's too hard on Sungjong
He clearly takes his leadership responsibilities very seriously, and I respect that. He works the other boys really hard, but he wors just as hard himself, which makes him a good leader. He seems pretty myopic to me: totally focused on honing Infinite and making it the best. He can sing very, very well, with great range, and he works hella hard at it AND HIS VOICE IS SO BEAUTIFUL IT SOMETIMES MAKES ME CRY. He came to Woollim not to be a kpop idol, but because his favorite band, Nell, is with Woollim. Nell is this indie-rock band, completely different from kpop in general and Infinite's music in particular. And pre-Infinite, he was in a rock band that played very different music than what Infinite is putting out there. So I think Leader Gyu's got a lot of angst that he carries around with him over the fact that his path isn't leading where he wanted it to. Despite that, he seems completely committed to making Infinite work, and I respect that.
He decided not to go to college and so got kicked out of his house, so he moved to Seoul to do anything with music. He lived in a student hostel and worked like three jobs before he became a Woollim trainee, and he volunteered to be the leader when the first one dropped out because he thought it was his duty as the oldest. He takes his career incredibly seriously and is incredibly passionate about music.
He has quite a dry sense of humor that pops up at unexpected times. HE CAN BE THE MOST HILARIOUS. All-time favorite Sunggyu moments was in Sesame Player when he looks like he's fallen asleep on the bus and Sungyeol says that they should just leave him there, and without opening his eyes, he says, "I hear everything." It's such a leader-parent kind of moment that I died. He also has more of these moments on Ranking King, which, if Sesame Player is the Lee Sungyeol Variety Hour, Ranking King is the Kim Sunggyu Is Hysterical Show. (And Birth of a Family is a love story about Guy falling in love with the puppies.)
Honestly, this performance won me over to liking him more than anything else I've ever seen him do. Because it's so incredibly out of character: it's poppy and silly and so, so much more like something Woohyun would do. Remembering him screaming in a "hardcore" rock band back in high school, this seems even more hilarious. I can only imagine how his friends from back home reacted to it. Every single thing is out of character. Every single thing. And yet he sells it--he goes for it all the way, though there's humor in his approach as well, like he's aware of how out of character it is. I like a person with a sense of humor who can make fun of his own personae. I love this performance.
AND HE HAS. I have come to love this squishy little hamster to death. He takes things so very seriously and is so much more conservative than some of the other guys about age roles and things like that, but he is just the best. He can be charming as hell, he can be totally ridiculous in a 'how do you expect me to take you seriously?' kind of way, and he can even sometimes be really sexy. I loff him now. And I am glad.
(or: some feelings about the two of the biggest ships in English-speaking fandom)
I want to take a brief moment to touch on a couple of relationships between the boys that I find interesting, too.
+ Myungsoo and Sungyeol
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Myungsoo and Sungyeol are BROS, and theirs is my favorite friendship. They're best friends, and apparently have been since before the debut. I find this adorable, especially because you might not expect it, given how different they are. They're kind of the typical guy bffs in that they like to shove each other around a lot and tease each other and pretend like they hate each other. But they'll spin on a dime and say they love each other, too. What I find so cute I can hardly stand it is that when Myungsoo gets clingy (Myungsoo is extremely clingy--Woohyun does fan service, Dongwoo is just a touchy person, but Myungsoo is clingy) and attaches himself to Sungyeol's back or throws an arm over his shoulder or starts playing with his hair (Myungsoo loves to play with people's hair), Sungyeol doesn't pay the slightest bit of attention, just carrying on with whatever else he's doing and letting Myungsoo treat him like a teddy bear.
The other great thing about them is that Myungsoo finds Sungyeol hilarious. Sungyeol is a giant ham, so he often acts like an idiot for the cameras, and whenever he does, Myungsoo is always the one laughing the hardest. Oftentimes it's more fun to watch Myungsoo watching Sungyeol than it is to watch Sungyeol. While Myungsoo isn't the ice prince his L personae indicates, he can be distant and zone out a lot, so the fact that he's always so there when Sungyeol is the center of his attention makes me so happy. He laughs and smiles more when Sungyeol is around, and the fact that Myungsoo appreciates Sungyeol helps my prince's self-esteem, I think.
+ Woohyun and Sunggyu
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The other relationship that fascinates me is Woohyun and Sunggyu's. This is the biggest ship in fandom right now, and I can't say I don't understand why. Their relationship is...complicated. That's the way it looks to me. They're the two lead vocalists, and I don't think anyone would disagree with me when I say that that probably meant there was a ton of competativeness between them during their trainee days. Sunggyu has admitted that he didn't like Woohyun at first, but he says now he trusts him more than anyone. I can so easily see how their personalities would clash: Sunggyu is much quieter and more professional, completely focused on his career, where Woohyun is much more flamboyant, almost? He's excessive in everything and doesn't know when to drop things.
And yet now they appear to be incredibly close. They're roommates and have been since the beginning. 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." They're always with the fanservice, touching and making eyes at each other and just always pairing up for everything. Woohyun is undeniably his right hand, his lieutenant, the second leader of the group. I think he balances him out as a leader in a really, really amazing way. (I have a LOT of feelings about Woohyun-as-Sunggyu's-right-hand. Do not even get me started.)
And yet that seems too simple to me. I don't think their relationship is as easy as, say, Hoya and Dongwoo's (known as the married couple because they just have this lovely, easy friendship). Sunggyu is the leader, for one thing, and I just can't believe that sometimes things with Woohyun aren't some sort of power struggle. I bet they fight a lot and it gets ugly. And yet their closeness and trust remains. I can't help but wonder how much of their friendship is for the fans and how much of it is genuine, because sometimes it's hard to tell. They seem very dependant upon each other, but I don't know if they're all hearts and smiles about that or if they sometimes resent it/chafe against it. I read lots of fic about them because there's so many different sides to their relationship that I find enthralling and I'll read all these fics that approach that relationship from completely different angles and yet they all seem realistic to me. Basically: they're complicated and bottomless and I do not know what to make of them but I know that I love them madly.
(or: who they are as a group)
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And I think another aspect of my affection for them is that they are, in a lot of ways, the underdogs. Their entertainment company isn't one of the Big 3 that dominate Korean music and who have tons of money to promote their groups. From what I understand, they're Woollim's only big pop group (they also have Nell, who I think I'd like if I got into them a bit more and are obviously very respected, but they're not pop, they're indie rock, and that's a whole 'nother ball game, and they used to have Epik High who were this indie hip-hop group, but they've gone their separate ways) and I get the impression there's just a lot of pressure on them. It makes me feel very protective of them. I think no one expected them to do very well, and yet they have, and it feels like they've done so through sheer tenacity and hard work, and I love that.
I've also read that they're basically keeping Woollim afloat because Woollim has lots of money issues (meaning: they never have enough) and Infinite's the only one bringing in much revenue. They lived in this crappy old house for 3 years, the seven of them and a manager, and the place was a giant mess (especially with 8 guys living sharing one bathroom) and moldy and with a leaky roof. The CEO promised them they could move if they got a song in the top 10, and then when they did that he changed it up on them and told them they had to get the top 3 (I get the impression I would not be fond of this guy). They reached number 1 with "Be Mine," and the apartment they moved into once they accomplished that is very, very nice and they finally have two bathrooms and an actual closet.
They still aren't as big as some of the other groups, but they've carved a niche with their sound: an Infinite song sounds like an Infinite song. They also have the best choreographer in kpop (whoever this guy is, he is brilliant) and they are my favorite dancing band as well. I could watch them dance forever.
I also get the feeling that most of them didn't get into this to be idols (Woohyun and Sungjong aside, possibly, but that's speculation). They had other interests--Hoya and Dongwoo just wanted to dance, I think, and Sungyeol wanted to act, and Sunggyu wanted to make great music, and I still haven't figured out what the heck it is that Myungsoo wants--but they ended up in this place, with these guys in this group. And all of them have worked so hard (when I think about how hard kpop idols work, how little free time they get, how little they get to rest, I honestly get a bit upset, so I won't go there now) and been gracious and humble, and it's lovely. Their relationships seem like sibling ones; I know they have to fight and annoy each other, and since they live together and are together more than people are with their actual siblings, there's no way they do't grate on each others' nerves, but they also really believe in the family that is Infinite, and that's terribly sweet.
(or: actually, I don't just treat them like eye candy)
Now, remember how cute they are:
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Awwww!
But here's the thing: for all that drooling I did way up there at the top of this post, 90% of the time I don't really look at these kids that way? I feel like I've gotten to know them a bit through their variety show appearances, and I'm very, very fond of the ones I'm fond of. But most of the time it's in a big sisterly way. Like, I want to be their noona and look after them and take care of them and give them advice and tease them and stuff. Like I said: not hugely into their music, but I'm proud of them for working so very, very hard (it's amazing to me how hard Korean entertainers work. Their work ethic is insane). But then that 10% of the happens: they'll come out with a video that's all about how hot they are and I'm like, "OH YEAH THEY'RE ATTRACTIVE, TOO."
Anyway, these boys make me happy. I'm pleased that they were my introduction to kpop and that they are, from what I can tell, having a hell of a lot of fun making music and dancing together. I hope they keep it up for as long as it makes them happy.
And now if you're curious, here are their music videos (I actually included the dance versions of a couple of them because they're better than the actual videos):
The Chaser
Be Mine
Paradise
BTD (Before the Dawn)
Lately (White Confession)
Nothing's Over
She's Back
Come Back Again
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Also: by which I mean: it doesn't sound anything like any accent I've ever heard. I love it
I've actually heard plenty of people speak this way! But Toronto has a huge Asian population, and the area I live in particular has a large Korean population (not that every Korean person sounds this way, but there were some pronunciations I've heard quite often).
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His accent sounds so different than the Korean accents I'm used to from both my friends and what I've seen on TV and such. At any rate, I always love accents of every kind, and his is especially cute.
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ALL I WANT TO DO IS READ THIS POST BUT IT IS 1AM AND I SPENT THE LAST 3HRS PLAYING WITH LOST SCREENCAPS (instead of a- working on a paper or b- getting much needed sleepings) SO ANYWAY! PREEMPTIVE FLAILS!And then I read it all anyway, and I love that you do this - that you let us see you LOVE on them. Because - I honestly don't have the time to compile all of this information for myself and I LOVE YOUR LOVE.
THESE BOYS!!!! ASLDKFJ ASDLKFJASDLFKH!
I want to be their noona and look after them and take care of them and give them advice and tease them and stuff.
This pretty much defines my FEELS about all Kpop -
especially my love for little G-Dragon and Big Bang.ESPECIALLY EVERYONE, APPARENTLY!Lets buy a big house in Korea and let them all live with us! Infinite (and Big Bang and 2ne1 and Eun-hye) and they'll all be loved and have love and there will be love.
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I love that you love my love and that you will flail over the boys with me!!!!
I am not into Big Bang, but G-Dragon has the most adorable little face and I find it hilarious when they're all trying to be so badass because LOOK AT HIS LITTLE FACE.
Lets buy a big house in Korea and let them all live with us! Infinite (and Big Bang and 2ne1 and Eun-hye) and they'll all be loved and have love and there will be love.
THIS IS THE NEW PLAN.
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I am having sleep-problems this week, probably would have stayed up anyhow ;)
FLAILING!!!!! I love that you have love for me to love and share in your flail over these boys!
I am not into Big Bang, but G-Dragon has the most adorable little face and I find it hilarious when they're all trying to be so badass because LOOK AT HIS LITTLE FACE.
Sometimes, look at ALL THE FACES. Taeyang is the only one I can take seriously - except that all his solo-work is about women cheating/leaving him, so... he just seems too sad. Daesung has this ridiculously toothy-adorable smile, that totally distracts from his Ripped-body of Bod. Little Seungri is a puppy. I don't think T.O.P. has a personality, he seems to just always be in "I think I'm a model"-face, poor little guy. And G-Dragon is JUST A LITTLE BOY AND DON'T YOU JUST WANT TO MAKE HIM HOT COCOA? (I get overwhelmed with wanting to make them all nommy foodstuffs and wrap them in blankets, no matter how gorgeous they are.)
THIS IS THE NEW PLAN.
IS THE BEST PLAN.
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They do have great faces!
I don't think T.O.P. has a personality, he seems to just always be in "I think I'm a model"-face, poor little guy.
Yeah, I think this is actually why I don't find him attractive? It's always more about personality for me than it is about looks.
(I get overwhelmed with wanting to make them all nommy foodstuffs and wrap them in blankets, no matter how gorgeous they are.)
We share this reaction.
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it's fascinating that so many of them didn't want to be idols. there're definitely tons of idols who use idolhood as a leg up into the acting biz, but most of infinite seem to have stumbled into such a tough life by chance (or, yno, fate, if you want to go there). it would be terrible if myungsoo and sungyeol were having problems bc of myungsoo's acting. :( i saw gifs of sungyeol's show when it was airing, he was being the biggest bitch to his mum and pouting and showing off his beautiful arms and i think he impregnated some girl at one point lmfao. i didn't know he was at SME either, now i want to see him interacting with smtown bc that company is my drug.
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jang dongwoo is seriously the most pure-hearted person in the world.
He is he is! I seriously cannot think of one bad thing to say about him.
a jyp-stanning friend of mine saw dongwoo and made a snarky comment about his sharkteeth and i felt a rush of real hatred.
I would feel a similar rush. I am very protective of him.
THEY ARE THE MOST ADORABLE.
but most of infinite seem to have stumbled into such a tough life by chance
It is so strange to me. I honestly believe that Woohyun and Sungjong are the only ones who want it. And I spend lots more time than I reasonably should trying to figure out what the heck Myungsoo wants because the others are all so obvious but I honestly have no clue with him.
I really, really hope that Myungsoo and Sungyeol are still fine. Neither one of them has said anything remotely like they're having problems--quite the opposite; Myungsoo mentioned in an interview that he got a lot of support re: his acting from Sungyeol--but there's this distance between them lately and people will speculate.
Yes, Sungyeol's character had a shotgun wedding! I've only watched a few clips here and there and he didn't blow me away but he's far from the worst actor I've seen, so I hope he gets what he wants. I love him so much and want him to have EVERYTHING, that poor insecure boy!
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snsd's jessica is known for being lazy and sleepy; her vocal skill is decent but her vocal texture is a bit shrill, so she can sound good but she's not that pleasant to listen to, and her dancing is shoddy. she doesn't seem to really have wanted to be an idol either, and she only recently mentioned, almost 5 years into debut, that she's into fashion and she wants to design shoes and handbags. idk how that kind of kid, jessica "no matter how late i am i never run" jung, made it this far!
as for those who idol hoping to act, idek how much time they can have to work on acting while they're going through idol training. it's crazy.
fandom can get really fucking annoying about otps. years ago in shinhwa's heyday, the band's biggest otp were shipped to such a degree that the company actually came out with a statement that they were not in a relationship, and apparently afterwards there was a visible distance between them. whatever's going on (or not) between myungsoo and sungyeol, at least it's probably not something as, well, infuriating as fandom shippers.
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Sunggyu is the leader, for one thing, and I just can't believe that everything with Woohyun isn't some sort of power struggle.
Huh. What makes you say that? I've noticed recently that SNSD fandom seems to have a weird thing in some places about ~INTERNAL DRAMA~, which idk if there's really any basis or reality to any of it, but it does make me wonder where people get certain impressions and all. Especially when a lot of interaction is based around a super positive group dynamic? IDK if it's as big a thing with Infinite's image, but SNSD definitely seems to have a thing about the ~power of nine and building each other + the closeness of their friendships up. And like, I'm sure they fight sometimes! People get stressed out and arguments are a thing that happen! But I have no idea where people get the impression that OMG X MEMBER HATES Y. Which could just be me being new but idk, it reads as so weird and mostly baseless to me. Like just today I read "Taeyeon and Jessica are mortal enemies" on a board somewhere, along with a bunch of other stuff about how Yuri and Jessica's bffery has ended and is "beyond repair" which is sad because Jessica ~needs~ Yuri and but no omg Jessica's actually a jerk and so is Tiffany and just WHAT EVEN, none of it had any actual explanations for WHY people thought these things so I was just like "what??????? are there Commonly Known Things i am unaware of??? AM I JUST NOT IN ON THE JOKE???????"
ALL OF WHICH IS A SUPER LONG-WINDED WAY OF SAYING that lately I have become curious about where the less-than-obvious conjectures in fandom come from??? lollllllll I feel like this comment sounds super accusatory/suspicious/passive-aggressive. I JUST HAVE A LOT OF WORDS IDK.
Unrelatedly, I'm kind of mad about how attractive Dongwoo (I think it is Dongwoo?? WHOEVER IS THE PREVIEW IMAGE FOR THE COMEBACK TRAILER) is to me rn. Slow your roll, kid.
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I totally get what you're asking, and even though I don't know loads about SNSD, I think those people speculating are crazy. They genuinely do seem to love each other loads--they remind me of Shinee, actually, just in the sense that with Shinee they all just get along so incredibly well, and I know they fight and stuff, but their friendship seems absolutely rock-solid to me. I do think those people are just trying to create drama because they like drama. I would ignore them, really.
When I say that about Woohyun and Sunggyu, mostly it comes from just knowing Woohyun's personality. Woohyun is wonderful, but he is also passive-aggressive and manipulative (I don't mean this as ugly as it sounds. I love him! He is really a good guy, but he's far from perfect) and he absolutely thinks of himself as An Idol. He is all about identity construction, really. And I know he can be a really good friend, too, really sacrificial for the band and he works damn hard.
So I don't think he and Sunggyu hate each other or anything, but Woohyun has this very out-there personality that can come across as abrasive and I do think there's some pushing back against Sunggyu's leadership that goes on. Sunggyu has said that he didn't like Woohyun at first, which I totally believe. I think they initially clashed and competed a lot before they were both named main vocalists and Sunggyu got his leadership position. And I can't help but shake the feeling that Woohyun latched onto him at the beginning more out of the desire to construct an identity as the right-hand man than from any real friendship between them. That said, I think their trust and affection for each other is really deep now, I just think it's also pretty complicated. I imagine they fight quite a bit and that it gets ugly--I can't see anything else with the personalities they have that are so different. But I think they really care about each other deeply, even if it's not always comfortable for them, and they are both absolutely dedicated to Making Infinite Work, so I think the vast majority of the time they have the same goals and are working in the same direction. I just think that they probably fight a lot more than Hoya and Dongwoo do.
That said, this is of course speculation based on how I've seen them interact and things they've said. They could absolutely hate each other irl or they could be screwing each other silly like most of fandom seems to think and honestly most of my speculation is for the sake of fanfic which doesn't have any bearing on anything. And I would accept being proved wrong--it's not like I'm going to die on this hill or anything. These are just the ~feelings~ I get, and I would never argue with someone about them if they disagreed. I don’t take these things too seriously because I know what we see is so constructed and I don’t really know any of these people, obviously. So it’s just me speculating, though other people often agree with me.
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Basically, Dongwoo is not conventionally attractive. His mouth is too big and he has these ginormous teeth, and when you compare him to someone like Myungsoo's perfectly symmetrical beauty, it's almost laughable the way he looks. Except that he is LIVING PROOF that you do not have to be conventionally attractive to be ridiculously, ridiculously hot. I swear that 90% of my sexual frustration lately can be traced back to this guy. It's a combination of having this interesting face and how openly his face shows his emotions (laughing or crying, his expressions are so BIG) and how he is actually just such a good guy. He just exudes joy—he’s laughing all the time and it’s so genuine. He is pure-hearted and sweet and generous and he cares so much about everyone around him and sometimes I want to grab his shoulders and yell in his face "YOU ARE TOO SWEET FOR
ROCK'N'ROLLKPOP" and I also worry he might get taken advantage of one day by the business except that I think he'll always have people around him to look out for him because everyone loves him always and who can blame them? He might be the biggest sweetheart in the world and literally the only thing I dislike about him (besides the ocean + continent separating us, lbr) is his complete disregard for my sexual frustration levels I mean really HE KEEPS INTRODUCING HIMSELF AS THE LIPS OF INFINITE THAT IT NOT OKAY, CHILD. Plus, the way he moves should be illegal.And I think it’s sexy sexy sexy that he seems to neither be insecure nor vain. He has a sense of humor about absolutely everything that I think must also cross over to his own perception of his attractiveness level because when he’s performing he has zero problem going into SEXY MODE but he switches it off so easily, too, like he doesn’t really think about it much. It’s part of the job, I think, part of dancing and rapping and doing what he loves. I don’t even know how to explain it except that it is so attractive to me.
In short, I think he’s the sexiest thing on two legs and I have no shame about that.
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And i don't know what to comment cause you practically wrote down all my feelings bout Infinite that i just nodded while reading your post.
I'm gonna save this page for some reading to cheer up my mood on bad days :D
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I basically just made it for myself because I'm self-indulgent like that, so I'm glad it could provide someone else with joy! You're sweet to comment! Thanks for dropping in!
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ALSO HIS FACE PARTS ARE REALLY GOOD.
Dongwoo is precious omg. THE BACKPACK FULL OF STUFF! the other primer you linked to that says his journal is just full of the basics such as what time he ate lunch! ahahaha WHAT IS THIS CHILD. such a little weirdo, I love it.
I have feeeelings about all of them now. oh man. YOU HAVE CONVERTED ME, WELL DONE.
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Myungsoo was totally the first one to win me over, and he still just delights me. I approve of your falling for him and his face.
That crying video just slays me--Myungsoo takes age roles so seriously, and he's very aware of Proper Behavior, so he feels really uncomfortable expressing his feelings to his mom in public, which just makes the breaking down crying thing so much more moving. HIS LITTLE MOUTH. And the way his mama just tucks him under her arm and wipes his face just leaves me aflail! THIS KID.
Also, I would like to point out that sometimes he looks at his bff like this. I am just saying.
Dongwoo is scientifically better than every other person who has ever lived on the planet. I cannot even begin to put into words how much I adore him.
Or how much I am attracted to him lbr.I need to update this post, actually, because Sunggyu has really been growing on me lately. Mostly because of things like this performance, which is actually the most ridiculous/wonderful thing I have ever seen and which you should watch. I spent the entire thing in stitches, wondering what his friends from his old rock band back in high school were thinking of him--IT'S SO OUT OF CHARACTER AND IT MAKES ME LOVE HIM. Also he has the best grumpy faces ever.
ANYWAY. I am so, so, so happy I gave you feelings about them because they are life-ruiners in the best sense of the word. And if you need more of them, you should watch Sesame Player, which is basically a season of them actually ridiculous and silly and delightful (there is no plot to that show. It's: watch the pretty boys act silly. That's it. That's the show) and Ranking King, the first two episodes of which are bad but after that it gets SO GOOD OMG. EVERYONE IS WONDERFUL.
I will spend the rest of the day curled up in the corner crying over how much I love them. Or something.
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I want to live in that gif. what. how. FACE.
THAT PERFORMANCE, ahahaha, I kind of want Sunggyu's old band mates to download the audio to that performance and every time they hang out to start playing it and imitating his dance moves to make fun of him because that is the kind of thing that would bring me joy. HE IS BEING SO PEPPY. and there are practically jazz hands going on towards the middle of the song. Too hilarious.
!!!!!! Haha, watching pretty boys act silly sounds like a great plot tbh. ALL SHOWS SHOULD HAVE MORE OF THAT. I WILL HAVE TO FIND THESE SHOWS. Kpop is so good to me. There are so many interviews and performances and VARIETY SHOWS and whole tv shows devoted to groups. I CANNOT DEAL WITH IT.
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YES YES YES YES YES YES.
I kind of want Sunggyu's old band mates to download the audio to that performance and every time they hang out to start playing it and imitating his dance moves to make fun of him because that is the kind of thing that would bring me joy. HE IS BEING SO PEPPY. and there are practically jazz hands going on towards the middle of the song. Too hilarious.
This is now canon to me. I am so delighted!
It's insane how much of these people's lives is documented on film (like it's actually sad and disturbing when you think about it). I've been living and breathing Infinite for a couple of months now and I still haven't seen everything there is to see. I don't know how people who are into tons of bands do it. It must be exhausting!
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It is. Trust me when I say it's extremely exhausting. Especially when 3 of my Top 5 were promoting at the same time and they each have shows running.
But it's worth it. I think sometimes I'm more invested in their lives than I am in my own family and I feel a twinge of guilt which is quickly washed away by all of the emotions that they instill in me.
But one thing I must say, I don't see how anyone can find Dongwoo unattractive.
Honestly, when I got into Infinite he was the member I fell in love with. Not only is he ridiculously good looking, he also has such a positive vibe that disliking him is akin to kicking puppies and tossing kittens out of a moving car. I was also seriously confused how visuals were chosen for kpop groups. Not saying that Myungsoo isn't attractive (I actually really only firmly believed that less than a week ago thanks to Lee Hyunsoo, electric guitars, and leather pants) but I just didn't see what everyone was going crazy over.
My realization of Infinite's attractiveness was Dongwoo, Sungjong, Sungyeol (I cried... literally), Woohyun, Hoya (Hoaegi is my life), Sunggyu, and finally Myungsoo (I finally realized that Myungderp was being hidden under uninteresting L).
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I'm a creeper).I'm going to own my female gaze and say that I straight up love Woohyun for the pretty. But now that I see he is a part of a really intriguing ship with Sunggyu (that gif of them is ADORABLENESS), I am even more interested. I need to learn more about him than just "omg his face his face his face." Basically, though, he can be as greasy as he wants because I like his grease a lot a lot. He can come to my house and just strike pose after pose.
And Myungsoo is just the most adorable little toddler-baby I've ever set eyes on. IDK how people find him sexy, per se, because the more I've seen him and learned about him the more sexless he becomes to me. Does that make any sense at all? He's just too much of a precious derpy baby boy, you know? Maybe if I saw Shut Up, Flower Boy Band I would get a different impression? I just can't imagine him making out with anybody, boy or girl. Holding hands and making daisy chains, yes. Making babies, NO. And for me, unless I'm just friend!shipping folks, I have to be very much invested int he idea that my shipping pair will at some point shag like bunnies.
I haven't really thought about Sungyeol all that much but this post piques my interest. Being shy and unsure of himself even though he's so intelligent makes him that much sweeter, IMO, and I love his friendship with Myungsoo (especially after the fic I just read ♥). Also with the pretty. But that video, omg all my creys - when he's out front but can't just go for it - he breaks my heart, the poor kid. Here's to Team Sungyeol's Self Esteem!
But really the one I love most because of all, probably due in no small part to the osmosis through you, is Jang Dongwoo. I think he's the whole package, and the idea that anybody could find him ugly confuses me greatly. I mean, the boy is SEX. I think he has the most penetrating smoky eyes and his mouth is so beautiful with his full lips and the way he moves his body is just UNF - and then there is this whole other dimension to him because he's not only pretty, he's also kind and open and you're right - when he smiles and laughs it's like the most beautiful thing ever. I want to rub my face on his face, tbh.
I feel like I have a hard time remembering who's who and which name goes with which boy, so having this will help me HUGELY. Excellent post is excellent.
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the truth is that now that I've quit tumblr I've made your tumblr my default home page so I can see info on these adorable boys updated regularly
I am delighted by this!
I actually find myself loving Woohyun more all the time. Like, obviously he's just gorgeous, but he's also really just lovely, too. His stage personae creates the idea that he's all flash and no substance, but that's obviously not true to anyone who pays the slightest bit of attention. Beneath the excessiveness he's a solid guy, and I luff him.
And Myungsoo is just the most adorable little toddler-baby I've ever set eyes on. He's just too much of a precious derpy baby boy, you know?
I understand you! I find him sexy only when I'm focusing on his jawline (which is AMAZING). Most of the time he reads as very sexless to me, too (and you're the first other person I've heard say that, so I'm glad that someone else is thinking it and I'm not just totally out of it).
I just can't imagine him making out with anybody, boy or girl. Holding hands and making daisy chains, yes. Making babies, NO.
HAHAHA. YES. I can really only imagine him with Sungyeol and that's just because of how much I ship them at this point. But as a general rule, I actually quite agree.
Sungyeol is the one I'm by far the most protective of, and I just want good things for him. He's ridiculous, but he's so vulnerable under that ridiculousness.
But that video, omg all my creys - when he's out front but can't just go for it - he breaks my heart, the poor kid. Here's to Team Sungyeol's Self Esteem!
I KNOOOOOOW.
You have the BEST TASTE IN PEOPLE OMG.
I think he's the whole package, and the idea that anybody could find him ugly confuses me greatly. I mean, the boy is SEX. I think he has the most penetrating smoky eyes and his mouth is so beautiful with his full lips and the way he moves his body is just UNF - and then there is this whole other dimension to him because he's not only pretty, he's also kind and open and you're right - when he smiles and laughs it's like the most beautiful thing ever. I want to rub my face on his face, tbh.
I agree with this so hard that I think I pulled something. Most attractive person on the planet to me, bar none. He doesn't even have any competition for that position.
Thank you for reading my self-indulgant post! Your thoughts make me happy!
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And I reread what I wrote about this post just over a month ago and I cannot believe myself because everything is so different now. Like, I've been gobbling up every video, picture, gif, and fic of these boys I can get my hands on and I feel like I'm getting to ~know them now and holy crap BABIES I just kind of am in love with each and every one of them? To the extent that I type these ridiculous run-on sentences that make no sense?
I feel like I have a hard time remembering who's who and which name goes with which boy, so having this will help me HUGELY. Excellent post is excellent.
I read this back now and I'm all JAMIE WHAT HAVE YOU DOING WHAT IS WRONG IN YOUR FACE. Because HOW could I have ever confused any of these boys? They're such individuals and everything about each of them is fascinating in its own unique way. When I first watched the comeback video several months ago my thoughts consisted entirely of things like whoa omg faces shoulders mouths eyes undulating chests amazing hair omg omg omg so sexy especially the one in the mesh and the one with the arm stretches holy crap
Now? I hit play and I think things like
Hoya omg your jacket is AWFUL WHY and I'm not sure blonde suits you
Yeollie your BRAIDS and your beautiful fingers I WANT TO HUG YOU and WHY AREN'T YOU IN THE MIDDLE YOU SHOULD BE THE CENTER OF ATTENTION *cough*havingasungyeolsituation*cough*
Dongwoo if you keep moving like that I will start spontaneously having babies (nothing new there lol) Stop it with your everything
Woohyunnie only YOU could look this amazing in a t-shirt with a pegasus on it and you are so precious for looking straight at the camera because you know the girls will all love that the best and I heart you for trying to make us happy you precious perfect boy
Sunjongie you are such a MAN in this and good for you for showcasing your maturity and being baddest bitch on the block
Myungsoo you are still a derpy baby and wearing a suit jacket that's too big decorated with a ladies' brooch only makes you look even more like the adorable toddler you are and here can I make you a sandwich and snuggle with you I know you love to snuggle and no one will do it with you but I WILL, MYUNGSOO let me be your noona
Sunggyu you are so obviously the leader and the one IN CHARGE and the one calling all the shots and holy crap my ovaries Gyu STOP IT. STOP LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT I CANNOT TAKE IT.
Ahem. So, yeah.
The thing is I think I might be a serious fangirl now for these kids. Like, for reals. What is that? How did this happen? Who am I? I don't even like this music and yet I've had Before the Dawn and Be Mine stuck in my head for days and I keep humming one or the other while I do things like make breakfast and hang the laundry up. I CAN'T GET THEM OUT OF MY HEAD.
I mean, I have an OTP and everything, Lauren (your fault your fault your fault). The situation is critical.
It also doesn't help that my G and I have been reminiscing this week about our trip to Seoul last year and missing the food and the subway and the shopping and our TERRIBLE attempts at speaking Korean and deciding we need to go back soon. And then I think to myself hey, maybe we would get lucky and be able to go to a concert next time we're there and WHAT. WHAT IS THAT. WHAT ARE THESE THOUGHTS IN MY HEAD.
SEND HELP.
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It's so weird thinking back to the times when Myungsoo was the only one I knew! I couldn't keep them straight, either, and now I can't even remember how that was possible!
Hoya omg your jacket is AWFUL WHY and I'm not sure blonde suits you
I KNOW! Hoya is such a handsome guy (with a great smile), but he looks so bad blonde and ugh the jacket!
Yeollie your BRAIDS and your beautiful fingers I WANT TO HUG YOU and WHY AREN'T YOU IN THE MIDDLE YOU SHOULD BE THE CENTER OF ATTENTION *cough*havingasungyeolsituation*cough*
NEVER ENOUGH YEOLLIE! And his braids!!!! And his pretty pretty hands!!!
Dongwoo if you keep moving like that I will start spontaneously having babies (nothing new there lol) Stop it with your everything
The way he moves should be illegal I just don't even know what to do about it. I just don't know. DONGWOO DANCING = ALL I'VE EVER WANTED IN LIFE.
Woohyunnie only YOU could look this amazing in a t-shirt with a pegasus on it and you are so precious for looking straight at the camera because you know the girls will all love that the best and I heart you for trying to make us happy you precious perfect boy
He is such a precious perfect boy and he just wants to make us happy and omg I love him so muuuuch!
Sunjongie you are such a MAN in this and good for you for showcasing your maturity and being baddest bitch on the block
FIERCE BADASS. Half the poeple I've converted to Infinitism have Sungjongie as their bias and I thoroughly approve of this. Flawless maknae!
Myungsoo you are still a derpy baby and wearing a suit jacket that's too big decorated with a ladies' brooch only makes you look even more like the adorable toddler you are and here can I make you a sandwich and snuggle with you I know you love to snuggle and no one will do it with you but I WILL, MYUNGSOO let me be your noona
I WANT TO BE HIS SNUGGLE NOONA TOO. Let's all snuggle together! And omg why do they make such consistently awful style choices when it comes to that child?
Sunggyu you are so obviously the leader and the one IN CHARGE and the one calling all the shots and holy crap my ovaries Gyu STOP IT. STOP LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT I CANNOT TAKE IT.
YES YES! HE'S THE LEADER!
This comment just makes me so happy, I can't! And I'm not so crazy about the music, either, except that I do like how it's got a sort of 80s vibe to it and everything but omg it's so not about the music, it's about these boys and I only care about the music because it's their dream and what they're working hard at and OMG FEELINGS.
Maybe I shouldn't do this, you might hate me, but I can't resist: here is my delicious account with all the good Infinite fics I've read, tagged by character and pairing! DON'T HATE ME!
I JUST LOVE YOU! And I'm going to make you a yellow/gold WooYeol icon this weekend, I am!
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Let's all snuggle together!
YES this is clearly the best solution.
but omg it's so not about the music, it's about these boys and I only care about the music because it's their dream and what they're working hard at and OMG FEELINGS
SO MUCH THIS. I watch their performances and all I can think is YOU'RE ALL SO AMAZING LOOK AT THIS BEAUTIFUL THING YOU'VE CREATED and you all work so hard and OMG I love you so much I almost forgot to broooood. I saw this last night:
and it gave me so many FEELINGS. I smiled so huge at Woohyun's opening raise-the-roof vocals, and then when Sunggyu does the little wave and winks/smirks at the crowd I NEARLY JUMPED OUT OF MY SKIN WITH HAPPINESS. And doofus Myungsoo in his sunglasses that won't stay on his nose. And Dongwoo and Hoya's ovary-exploding rapping and dance feature (I was so mad they cut to the crowd in the middle of it. WHY. WANT TO WATCH BOYS DANCING). And then Sungyeol looking over at Myungsoo with that little half-smile holy crap so adorable and BOYS. FEELINGS. ACK.
Maybe I shouldn't do this, you might hate me, but I can't resist: here is my delicious account with all the good Infinite fics I've read, tagged by character and pairing! DON'T HATE ME!
Um. Okay. Here's the part where I confess I've been scavenging your link list for many days, since I saw it posted on your tumblr. I have read all the WooYeol (duh) - especially loved the one where they're forced to live together because Yeollie burned his apartment down, and the short little ficlet when Woohyun has a dream about Sungyeol and then goes and climbs into bed with him as soon as he wakes up. I listened to the recommended music while reading it and got all blubbery in the face. BEAUTIFUL. I also started in on the Woohyun/Dongwoo/Sunggyu stories (and the twosome tags within that threesome), and I have to say your taste in fic is flawless. I just finished reading what's been posted so far of the post-apocalyptic story about Dongwoo having his brain messed with so he's a killing machine if triggered (need to leave some comments for that one) and it's so RAW and painful and AMAZING.
Fic has made me fall hard for the boys I wasn't as interested in to begin with - especially Sunggyu, and shipping Sunggyu with Dongwoo, and with Woohyun (though I think I prefer Woohyun with Dongwoo instead of Sunggyu - I can't even say why because WooGyu is so damn cute irl). And I would really like to read some Myungsoo/Sunggyu because their dynamic fascinates me. And there must be fic out there featuring Hoya/Sungjong, yes? I think I might need it. I haven't read any of your Dongwoo/Hoya links yet but I will get to them.
Essentially, ALL THE FIC! I MUST HAVE IT ALL.
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. I watch their performances and all I can think is YOU'RE ALL SO AMAZING LOOK AT THIS BEAUTIFUL THING YOU'VE CREATED and you all work so hard and OMG I love you so much I almost forgot to broooood.
I KNOW! This is exactly how I feel!
OMG your little commentary there was so delightful! BOYS. ♥
Oh, I'm so happy you're liking the fic! Yay yay!
especially loved the one where they're forced to live together because Yeollie burned his apartment down, and the short little ficlet when Woohyun has a dream about Sungyeol and then goes and climbs into bed with him as soon as he wakes up
Also my favorites! I flailed and flailed in the comments to the domestic one!
OMG THAT POST-APOCALYPTIC ONE. Honestly, once that's finished I've no doubts it'll become one of my favorite fics in the fandom, easily. It hits my kinks left and right (including my fandom-specific ones like Woohyun being Sunggyu's right hand and Woohyun not realizing how valuable he is to the people around him who just adore him so much). The writer recently reassured me that she means to continue it, so hopefully we'll have more soon!
I think fic won me over to Sunggyu, too.
And I would really like to read some Myungsoo/Sunggyu because their dynamic fascinates me
There actually is some! I haven't read much of it, but you might try out their tag in
There's a little Hoya/Sungjong (and a few fics in my tags! Including a few quite good ones!), but honestly there's not nearly enough and it baffles me because his relationship with Sungjong is the thing I love most about Hoya. NEED MORE HOJONG.
Dongwoo/Hoya doesn't really appeal to me on its own, but it's inspired some truly amazing fics, so I read them and even if the ship itself isn't for me, it is while I'm reading the fics.
ALL THE FIC INDEED.
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I love how you updated the Hoya section this time around - I think it's a fair assessment as well as a very sweet expression of the blossoming love you have for him. Honestly, hasn't it been wonderful falling for him? It was such a slow process for him and me that it feels, I dunno, really ~solid~, I guess? Like my Infinite heart is finally complete. Like I know the unattractive parts of all of them not just the pretty parts, and loving them is a richer experience for it. Oh jeez listen to me. I'm such a sap. But I'm just so damn GRATEFUL to love him now - like something was missing before I did and now everything is perfect and I have my OT7 and nothing could be better.
I'm sure I'll come back in a few months and read again and sigh again with happiness about whatever new thing I've come to love about our boys.
Was there ever a fandom that ever made me this happy and content?
Quite simply, no. There wasn't. How lucky are we? Seriously though we are so lucky.
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I KNOW I KNOW. It's so weird to think back on where we started! SO WEIRD.
Honestly, hasn't it been wonderful falling for him? It was such a slow process for him and me that it feels, I dunno, really ~solid~, I guess? Like my Infinite heart is finally complete. Like I know the unattractive parts of all of them not just the pretty parts, and loving them is a richer experience for it. Oh jeez listen to me. I'm such a sap. But I'm just so damn GRATEFUL to love him now - like something was missing before I did and now everything is perfect and I have my OT7 and nothing could be better.
I know exactly what you mean and you know I'm a giant sap too. *happy sigh*
Was there ever a fandom that ever made me this happy and content?
Quite simply, no. There wasn't. How lucky are we? Seriously though we are so lucky.
I love how you always speak my feelings on this fandom so well. LOVE.
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I love what you did with this. You basically reminded me why I love these boys and why I'll continue to love them for a very long time ;; <3
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Its amazing to see someone put so much thought into the behind the scenes kinda stuff like "Stage interactions" and what causes them and the relationships and looking underneath the underneath and all that, because that's my tendency too and god. I'm so new to these boys i don't know where to start and what to watch and what to think because they are all freaking onions in their own way except maybe dongwoo but maybe dongwoo, but he is so precious and open and genuine its just like gah. and no matter what i learn they do something new that totally throws me and and just wae.
The problem i've been having with them is observing their group dynamics. for some reason i just can wrap my head around it, and let it sink in. Idk wae, it just is like that for me. I hope after being in infinite fandom for a while help me understand because they seem to just fit, in an odd way. Not like the perfect sunshine and butterflies kinda way but because they fit each others gaps? does that make any sense?
like... almost like a puzzle were the pieces overlap. they dont fit perfectly, but its so close sometimes. They are all so different from each other but i get the feeling that they all rely on each other, and each has their own thing to bring to the table and the others appreciate that but sometimes when they get too close or something tensions may rise, making it difficult and i'm sure they argue more than they'd like us to think, but in the end they can rely and trust each other? IDK im new here soo....... thats just the feeling I get.
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See I've been hardcore into suju fandom for a few years, and they've never captivated me like infinite has, i just cant explain.
and like I've known about them since they debuted, but honestly i didn't really like come back again. I loved she's back, but it wasn't enough to pull me in. BTD was amazing and i loved it, but i never learned any ones names but sungjong because i recognized his voice and blonde hair. It took till Nothing's over for me to take interest in them more than that.
Because of Dongwoo. Like ever since i first saw them Dongwoo's been my fav, even before i knew his name. Its just something about when he's on stage, especially when they were rookies I remember being surpised at how comfortable and confident he seemed. He's got this ease of movement, and this kinda silent charisma that always has drawn my eye to him. I never learned his name till Nothing's over tho lol. Because really I thought he was super cute and just omfg. Like super cute. and maybe he isn't conventionally handsome but I've always been a little odd that way, but i thought he was very attractive. when i first saw teh vid i stared for a while at him IDK. So he's been my fav since then.
I kinda ignored Be Mine and Paradise and the Chaser all when they first came out. when i went back and listened to them recently I liked them so much more but yeah. This is after i watched sesame player, and my mind tends to make me like songs more once i know the group.
and before I really liked dongwoo as a performer and now i love him as a person and its one fo those things where im amazed because My first bias is NEver the same once i get personalities because honestly personalities are a big thing but wow dongwoo is just argjalcdvfb;kjdbnkjf;lad IDEK. Seriously he gives me so many feels and i just wanna hug him so bad and just ARGH. yeah lol sorry for rambling
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Most idol groups have a sound that is very synth driven. Infinite uses real musicians for almost all of their songs. When they first came out they were the only group doing this. I think their sound is heavily influenced my the members. I remember reading in an interview that they actually pick the songs that go on their album (this is not the case of most groups).
They also have a CEO who is full supportive of anything they want to do. The group and the CEO didn't think that The Chaser would be successful because of the use of old Korean slang, but it was a song the boys wanted to promote so the CEO let them. It became their most popular song yet. The CEO also supports their acting choices too. Sungyeol and Hoya have both taken VERY non-idol acting roles. Hoya as a gay character(he told the CEO that he really wanted to play the character) and Sungyeol played a high school kid who gets his girlfriend pregnant.
As for how Sunggyu acts to Sungjong. That is totally normal in Korea. I lived there and I saw it all the time. One thing that surprised me is when you listen to Sungjong talk to Sunggyu in BTS footage he often uses informal language. Tus is something that only same age friends and really close family do. I think this shows how close they really are.
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I literally came across Infinite two days ago and have been absorbing all sorts of interviews, videos, and whatever I can find about them. And so I've seen a couple of meta posts but yours just seem to fit PERFECTLY with my views of them.
My bias is Sungyeol, so you can say that I am extremely happy to see you being protective over him and it just makes me glad that he has someone that appreciates him as much as you do!
And yeah your post on Sunggyu was something I've been dying to read ever since I've stepped into the Infinite fandom. I'm very curious of Sunggyu's personality in real life because he can come off as a bully sometimes but then again the members' interactions with him seem to indicate nothing of that sort.. I really don't want to hate on someone but Sunggyu has been making it difficult for me since he seems to be undervaluing Sungyeol always.. especially during the recent Weekly Idol episode.. (BTW Sungjong was so sweet in the show for his compliments of Sungyeol and I just want to coddle him so much for being the best maknae ever, not to mention he's badass and snarky as hell) and the way Sungjong regularly lashes his frustration on a teddybear named Sunggyu just makes me seem there's more to it.. But then people boil it down to just them having exaggerated reactions for variety purposes so I don't know how I should think.. Do you mind telling me how you feel about Sunggyu's relationships with the maknae and Sungyeol?Also, I love LOVE LOVE your fics, can we be friends? *V*
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I will come back and go into detail about the Sung brothers relationships at some point, but I just can't go through all that again, so for now I will just say WELCOME TO INFINITE I'M SO GLAD YOU'RE HERE AND I'M SO SO SO SO HAPPY YOU LIKE MY FIC AND YES LET'S BE FRIENDS.
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OH SO EXCITING! Welcome to the world of Infinite! It will take over your life completely & you won't even care because the boys are all so wonderful! If you haven't yet, you should definitely watch Sesame Player & Raking King because those are the absolute best ways to get to know the boys WHO ARE SO WONDERFUL I DIE.
I collect so many Sungyeol stans IT MAKES ME SO HAPPY MY PRINCE!!! He's beautiful & wonderful & I totally approve of people having him as their bias! I'm too in love with all of them to choose one bias, but my heart explodes with love for Lee Sungyeol.
Okay, I totally, totally get twhy you feel that way about Sunggyu b/c it's exactly how I used to feel about him. He's a prickly one, which I now love about him, but at the beginning I couldn't stand him. It took a while for him to win me over, & though I now love him to pieces I can totally understand why you don't, especially since you're a Sungyeol fan.
I think the thing to remember about Sunggyu & Sungyeol is that they're opposites in every conceivable way. Sungyeol is honest to a fault & basically doesn't care about anything if it doesn't affect him directly so he's a pretty liberal guy. He's impulsive & uninhibited, too. Sunggyu, on the other hand, is very conservative, very hung up on things like age roles, respect for elders, etc. Sungyeol is not the respectful type, he doesn't much care about authority. So I imagine they clash a lot & spend a lot more time ignoring each other, simply because they embody totally different worldviews. & so Sunggyu likes to rag on Sungyeol, but Sungyeol likes to rag right back. It really does go both ways. Also, they do really care about each other--Sunggyu might say thoughtless things & Sungyeol might flout his authority, but they also are both really committed to Infinite & they do trust each other.
[Favorite random WTF story ever: so once Gyu dreamed that Dongwoo was mad at him but he didn't realize it was a dream & thought it was real so he went to SUNGYEOL to talk to him about it. WHY SUNGYEOL? No one knows! But Sungyeol was like, "Dude, that was a dream, stop being stupid." & I'm just perpetually delighted that when he had this problem he went to Yeollie, even if it doesn't seem to make sense.]
Also, it's important to remember that Gyu gets REALLY FLUSTERED in the free-form environment of Weekly Idol. (It's my favorite variety show, but it's really different than most places where they answer pre-approved questions.) He's not a naturally eloquent guy, he's introverted & a bit shy & basically Weekly Idol loves to pick at him. Bully him, almost. It's funny & I know Gyu doesn't take it seriously, but that means he's not always thinking before he speaks b/c he's so on edge. So Gyu may say thoughtless things about Sungyeol, but I don't get the feeling he really believes them. You might not have seen it yet, but there's an episode of Weekend Idol (different show) where Sunggyu says something about Yeol not having much to contribute or something, but then seconds later when Sungyeol says the exact same thing (something about how his height's the only thing he's good for), Gyu's the first one to tell him not to talk about himself like that. I think they're sort of like siblings--I can tease you & talk down about you, but no one else can do it & you shouldn't do it about yourself. Does that make sense?
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Anyway, I hope that's helpful. I'm SO SO SO GLAD you like my fics, and yes, absolutely, let's be friends
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I collect so many Sungyeol stans IT MAKES ME SO HAPPY MY PRINCE!!! He's beautiful & wonderful & I totally approve of people having him as their bias! I'm too in love with all of them to choose one bias, but my heart explodes with love for Lee Sungyeol.
Haha that's great! I actually noticed Infinite H first and fell in love with Dongwoo but when I started to watch their variety shows, I gained so many feelings for Sungyeol. I mean how can anyone not love his CUTE, his SMART, his CHODINGNESS, the way he BREAKS HIS VOICE AT THE END OF EVERY SENTENCE, his ACTING and really everything about him. The fact that he has so many insecurities just breaks my heart ;;
Your reply really clarified things up for me! Now that I think about it, I wrote my comment almost immediately after watching Weekly Idol so that must have affected my opinion of Sunggyu at that instance. I actually have noticed plenty of times Sunggyu has comforted Sungyeol and I also know that Sungyeol depends on Sunggyu. Yes, and I've also noticed that Sunggyu seems to compliment Sungjong the most.
And also I feel that these situations come up because the Infinite members don't seem to restrict what they say at all? I mean, I say a lot of mean things to my siblings and my friends too but I never mean it seriously; in fact, it's precisely because I love them and I'm very close to them that I tease them. But you won't see this happen on tv among idol groups because they're trained to be perfect beings without any fault. I think this probably stems from the fact that they aren't from one of the big companies and so their company isn't as strict? Well, at least that's what I gathered from their interactions with their manager, the PDs and the staff. Like, they don't seem to be as tight-lipped and reserved when compared to other idol groups and so they tease each other a lot, but there will always be foolish fans (LIKE ME) who simply see it on the surface level and assume that certain members are being mistreated.
[Favorite random WTF story ever: so once Gyu dreamed that Dongwoo was mad at him but he didn't realize it was a dream & thought it was real so he went to SUNGYEOL to talk to him about it. WHY SUNGYEOL? No one knows! But Sungyeol was like, "Dude, that was a dream, stop being stupid." & I'm just perpetually delighted that when he had this problem he went to Yeollie, even if it doesn't seem to make sense.]
I NEED to see this!! Could you give me the link to this?
Anyway, I hope that's helpful. I'm SO SO SO GLAD you like my fics, and yes, absolutely, let's be friends
Definitely!!! <3
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But I am so choked up at your Hoya upgrade I just have to WAIL for a bit
HOWOOOON ;_______; <3333
ugh
ONCE HOAEGI TAKES OVER YOUR HEART THERE IS NO SHAKING HIM
/this has been a comment
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I'm just happy you like it enough to reread it and also HOWOOOOOOOON. With Sunggyu I at least understand why it took me so long to love him (he can be a TOTAL ASS OMG), but with Hoya I don't know why it took me so long! I'm just glad I'm here now!
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So in my stalking haze I came upon this old post, and felt compelled to VOMIT EMOTIONS @ YOU. So let's do that.
Firstly, I feel like I'm doing it wrong because I actually did get into Infinite for the musical aspect. The personalities came later for me when I started watching Sesame Player. Maybe I was just really spoiled by The Chaser? That's clearly one of their best tracks.
OMG CAN'T DEAL WITH THAT VID OF THEM DANCING IN THAT HOTEL ROOM. How absolutely typical of Woohyun to use his turn basically to do a strip tease. NAMGREASE. (AND GETTING RIGHTFULLY PUNISHED BY SUNGJONG. <<<3333) ALSO L, THAT SPAZ. <<<<33333333
The guys all start speculating on who it is, and Sunggyu interrupts and says, "It doesn't matter who comes. Sungjong is probably prettier." And Sungjong does this half matter-of-fact agreement/half preening face, and it is GLORIOUS.
I KNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW. It's got to be in the top 5 best moments of that series.
Obsessed with that Coming of Age performance. Sungjong and Woohyun are probably the ones who fascinate me most purely because of their relationship with gender fuckery. \o/
He admits that he becomes easily obsessed with anything whether foods (he will eat the same thing for lunch EVERY SINGLE DAY FOR A YEAR until he discovers a new obsession, I'm not even kidding) or people, and I can so see that.
OMG like how he buys a dozen copies of the same piece of clothing in different colours, right? LMFAO.
So he messes up the notes more than the other guys when they're performing because he lets that lack of confidence trip him up. He gets the fewest lines BY FAR in the songs as a result.
THIS IS WHY MAN IN LOVE IS SO GREAT. You'd never be able to tell Sungyeol had problems with singing just by listening to that. Hopefully he can keep it up! I admit, Sungyeol is the member I had the most difficulty getting attached to at first, because I got to ~know the band initially through MVs and performances? And since Yeol is always given so little to do I really had no idea who the hell he was. But Sesame Player in addition to your (and some brilliant other people's) meta have absolutely won me over.
He's probably the most talented member of the group in a complete-package sort of way--he sings, dances, raps, and acts, and he's very, very good at all of those things.
IKR I hate him.
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I really don't think this has anything to do with who he really is away from the cameras (whenever he's not in idol mode he is ENDEARINGLY awkward and shy around girls)
Haha, I'm reminded of the behind-the-scenes interview Woohyun did with that girl whose name I can't remember, the singer-songwriter he did a duet with for some TV show? The duet was called "the cactus song" or some nonsense, AND THE INTERVIEW WAS SO ADORABLY AWKWARD. It literally started off with "hello, I brought you a gift, it's a cactus"/"ah yes, I have a cactus for you too" and at some point Woohyun told the girl she had a really sweet voice and asked, "What do you use? Pear juice?" And I sputtered and screamed NAMU WHAT ARE YOU. /worst bias
The thing I find really interesting about Woohyun is that his whole greasy routine actually tends to undermine the respect he gets for his musical talent? He really doesn't NEED to flash his abs and be the Sex Symbol -- he's a lead vocalist, he's indispensable to the group, his competence is not in question! But he seems to value being seen as attractive and desirable (by women) just as much, if not more, than being respected for his voice. Yo, that is fascinating. I could write essays about this boy.
lol wtf how is Dongwoo ugly. Whatever. It is my extremely objective opinion that all these boys are gorgeous. End.
Haha, your initial Gyu angst is adorable tbh. I seem to recall you and Jamie saying that he'd be a hard sell for me, which is hilarious because I've never not liked him? Jerky qualities and all. What can I say, I'm easily swayed by talent. AND THAT IMMORTAL SONG 2 PERFORMANCE IS SO PRECIOUS, SO MUCH WOOHYUN CHANNELLING OMG <<<<<33333
Whoa, you've suddenly made me very interested in Myungsoo/Sungyeol. First of all I had no idea they're actually long-term best friends! Eleonore informed me that they're a really popular ship but she herself doesn't ship it? For whatever reason I haven't gotten much of an impression at all about their relationship but I think I'd be interested now in fic. Will troll your Delicious list.
lol, I can totally believe Sunggyu hated Woohyun back in the day. Gyu's supposed to be the leader and then here comes along this infuriatingly gorgeous and talented dude who also happens to be a grease master. But I'd imagine Nam won him over eventually by being so hard-working and committed? They definitely have that in common.
In conclusion: Terrible post. I mourn for my life.
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I hate the world.
UGH I DON'T WANT TO TYPE IT ALL UP AGAIN NOW. I will just say that all your observations are spot-on, they should definitely ship Hoya/Sungjong because everyone should (here are some reasons why) most underrated ship I've ever encountered, that Myungyeol brotp is my favorite thing ever and I will never get over them as a ship but their fandom is the worst (here's some thoughts too).
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Most people get into them because of their music. I came into it exactly backwards. And now I do love the music a LOT.
Maybe I was just really spoiled by The Chaser? That's clearly one of their best tracks.
IT IS. I love it. And the dance video.
OMG CAN'T DEAL WITH THAT VID OF THEM DANCING IN THAT HOTEL ROOM. How absolutely typical of Woohyun to use his turn basically to do a strip tease. NAMGREASE. (AND GETTING RIGHTFULLY PUNISHED BY SUNGJONG. <<<3333) ALSO L, THAT SPAZ. <<<<33333333
IT'S ONE OF MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE THINGS. It's so THEM. Dongwoo is dying laughing and Sunggyu can't even doing it without getting laughed out of the game. The best part is when Hoya (who is the authority, clearly) declares that the worst dancer is Woohyun because he has a 'dirty body'. IN ENGLISH. I die.
It's got to be in the top 5 best moments of that series.
It totally is. HIS FACE. I can't handle it.
Obsessed with that Coming of Age performance. Sungjong and Woohyun are probably the ones who fascinate me most purely because of their relationship with gender fuckery. \o/
They're definitely the two I have the most ~thoughts on, especially meta-wise.
OMG like how he buys a dozen copies of the same piece of clothing in different colours, right? LMFAO.
YES. He has the most obsessive personality I've ever seen. It's more obsessive than mine. I love how in the interviews for Man in Love they ask him what he'd be like in love and he says, "I think I would be obsessive." NAH YA THINK??? At least he's self-aware enough to realize it. (I love him to distraction.)
THIS IS WHY MAN IN LOVE IS SO GREAT. You'd never be able to tell Sungyeol had problems with singing just by listening to that.
YES. I am absolutely in love with that.
That makes a lot of sense about your journey re: Sungyeol. If you're going by performances, have you seen 'Trouble Maker'? It's simultaneously amazing and so uncomfortable.
IKR I hate him.
HE'S GOOD AT EVERYTHING.
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SCREAMING
I love how in the interviews for Man in Love they ask him what he'd be like in love and he says, "I think I would be obsessive."
MORE SCREAMING
I have seen "Trouble Maker", but it was a really bad video so I didn't get much from it. I do think it's interesting considering Sungyeol's "dudebro-ness", though.
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I also discovered Infinite only through the magic that was Shut Up Flower Boy Band (ugh, so much in that show), and then when I was trying to figure out where else I could watch this Myungsoo person I stumbled first upon the clip of him reading his mom's letter in Birth of a Family and I was 100% done for. I wasn't into kpop at the time (really I'm not even into kpop now), and not finding other dramas featuring L at the time, I lost precious time not knowing about this amazing group. Then High School Love On started this summer, and I was completely captivated by Sungyeol. When I found out he was not only in a band but in a band with L, and then I found videos of them snuggling (well, L snuggling...) and dorking out and being the destructively beautiful Myungyeol? I might have wept.
I spent the next several months completely irrationally lovesick, all my spare moments watching every clip of You Are My Oppa and Sesame Player and This is Infinite and endless dance practices, and I am still kind of wonderstruck by how much this boy band a world away can make me have so many emotions. L, the bitterly wounded boy I knew from SUFBB transformed suddenly into this logic-defying amalgam of cool perfection, innocence, devotion, awkwardness, and unabashed transfiguring hilarity (omg that seal clap he does when he laughs) that left me sort of breathlessly confused and smitten. Sungyeol's profound beauty and insecurity makes my heart ache to the point where it's sometimes hard to look at him. As time goes on I'm not getting any better... just discovering that I can feel more and more about each of the members as I get to know them. (Dongwoo is rapture, Sungjong is a deity, Hoya shines brighter in the glow of Sungjong, Woohyun has this magnetic shadow of vulnerability? Still figuring out Sunggyu -- the link above is broken and I'm dying to know what performance it was that won you over.)
I am SO delighted that I found your post and your fics - they help, somehow, and you write these boys exactly as I imagine them to be. I wish I had arrived earlier. If you grace the internet with more stories I will be *thrilled,* but even your briefest commentary is a comfort. Basically at this point I just feel like I want to frame everything you have ever written and hang it all over my house because it is just so wonderful. Thank you.