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xparrotSo a lot of my BTS fanning is about the music, but of course it's also all about the feels for these random Korean guys. And last week was an exciting one in boraland. June always is -- their debut was June 13, 2013, and they make a big event out of the anniversary. This Festa was extra special, though, as we got our Jin back! As the eldest member, he was the first to start his mandatory military service back in December 2022, and on June 12th he was officially discharged.
Which was a joyous countdown celebrated around the world. And the other members (who are all doing their own service now) took leave to be there at the base when he got out, so we got a minute of sweet reunion hugs and some amazing looks-photoshopped-but-it's-real shots:
courtesy of Namjoon, who was PLAYING THE SAXOPHONE for the entire time??
Yoongi due to his civil service wasn't on the scene, but they posted a pic with all seven of them later that day. And Jin did a fan meet the very next day (at his insistence, because you can't spell BTS without "overachiever") and then a couple days later Namjoon put up this group selfie:
It's hard to explain how much this last pic meant the fandom, especially when it's so far from what anyone pictures as "idols," just a bunch of ordinary guys hanging out? But it's the first pic we've gotten of all of them together and unmasked since 2022. And just seeing them so casual and comfortable with each other...
It's funny because a while ago I was talking about my BTS fanning with a friend (longtime media fan but, like me until now, not into RPF), and she mentioned something about how with idols you only ever see them made up and posed -- when that's actually one of the reasons I really starting fanning on BTS? Because I do love their staged looks, the performances and the photoshoots with the wild costumes and makeup, the female gaze focus, redefining masculinity and the genderplay. But it's also not uncommon at all to see them bare-faced and out of costume -- going back to the very first video logs they did, pre-debut, when they were just teenagers in a cramped studio talking about how hard training was, how they missed their families, their hopes and fears about the future.
It's not that they show us all of their lives -- they have clearly said that they don't, that there are parts of themselves that they keep private, and I'm very relieved about that (and that the majority of the fandom is respectful of this, e.g. the biggest BTS subreddit doesn't allow personal life speculation or any sharing of media pictures that aren't posted by the members or the company). But they aren't afraid to show that they're regular human beings.
...They also aren't afraid to sit down on stage and eat tuna sashimi in front of 4,000 cheering fans. ARMY is in for a wild ride for the next few months with Jin babysitting us...
Which was a joyous countdown celebrated around the world. And the other members (who are all doing their own service now) took leave to be there at the base when he got out, so we got a minute of sweet reunion hugs and some amazing looks-photoshopped-but-it's-real shots:
courtesy of Namjoon, who was PLAYING THE SAXOPHONE for the entire time??
Yoongi due to his civil service wasn't on the scene, but they posted a pic with all seven of them later that day. And Jin did a fan meet the very next day (at his insistence, because you can't spell BTS without "overachiever") and then a couple days later Namjoon put up this group selfie:
It's hard to explain how much this last pic meant the fandom, especially when it's so far from what anyone pictures as "idols," just a bunch of ordinary guys hanging out? But it's the first pic we've gotten of all of them together and unmasked since 2022. And just seeing them so casual and comfortable with each other...
It's funny because a while ago I was talking about my BTS fanning with a friend (longtime media fan but, like me until now, not into RPF), and she mentioned something about how with idols you only ever see them made up and posed -- when that's actually one of the reasons I really starting fanning on BTS? Because I do love their staged looks, the performances and the photoshoots with the wild costumes and makeup, the female gaze focus, redefining masculinity and the genderplay. But it's also not uncommon at all to see them bare-faced and out of costume -- going back to the very first video logs they did, pre-debut, when they were just teenagers in a cramped studio talking about how hard training was, how they missed their families, their hopes and fears about the future.
It's not that they show us all of their lives -- they have clearly said that they don't, that there are parts of themselves that they keep private, and I'm very relieved about that (and that the majority of the fandom is respectful of this, e.g. the biggest BTS subreddit doesn't allow personal life speculation or any sharing of media pictures that aren't posted by the members or the company). But they aren't afraid to show that they're regular human beings.
...They also aren't afraid to sit down on stage and eat tuna sashimi in front of 4,000 cheering fans. ARMY is in for a wild ride for the next few months with Jin babysitting us...
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Date: 2024-06-25 01:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-06-25 04:36 am (UTC)