anonymous · 8mo
that makes so much sense about run bts being at a distance! i’ve been thinking a lot about the different kinds of content they do and how they all show us different sides of them, but how aware of it they and we all are. i feel like one one hand run is the most traditionally showbiz-esque content they do given that the nature of variety shows are quite literally just to entertain which can make it feel more curated. but i feel like the distance you mention also makes it weirdly more candid? idk if candid is the word but the unpredictability of it shows more of their group dynamic in a more casual way to me. and i feel like the way specifically jk is characterized within group dynamics in little bird and emotional transparency is so well reflected. of course it’s the same for all of them, but the way you balance him being kind of out of it (think jin suchwita where they talk about jk zoning out a lot) and being so attuned to them and IN IT when he’s in it (makes me think of group scenes in their tour docus) is just so THEM.
I’m also just feeling super sentimental right now so I’m gonna ramble LOL. I’ve been an army since 2017 and am a little younger than all of them, and i’ve been in my OT7 feels hard since jin came home.
but also going back to the freedom of being a side character, i feel like your works also reflect jk’s growth. exactly like you said, him as part of the group vs the careful way he curates his image as an individual (i.e. takedown jk/ irl bleach blonde jk) while telling us that’s exactly what he’s doing early 2023/ seven/ golden lives). idk. i’m rambling and hormonal so i’ll leave it there for now after asking—have you ever though about writing ot7 all together or do you have any recs that you particularly like? i will happily read whatever you write, just curious if that’s a dynamic you’ve thought about exploring in a different way.
re: this answer
i agree it's super interesting to think about the content we're given as like, narrative works that are crafted to show us something specific! i think with reality content people are more inclined to take it as just a dispassionate depiction of reality, and the only like "analysis" of it as an edited work with a specific agenda tends to just be weird conspiracy theory stuff from solos or tinhat shippers lol (stuff along the lines of like "it's all FAKE and they're HIDING the TRUTH from us"), which i don't find interesting or credible. like, rather than thinking of editing and reality show crafting as something that's hiding things from us, i think it's interesting to think about what it's meant to highlight or reveal. the docu content packages the overall bts history narrative for us, and it gives us a lens for interpreting their different eras through, like it tells us what bighit/hybe wants the big picture takeaways to be. stuff like bon voyage and especially in the soop is meant to be more slice of life and relatable, with them doing more "regular person" non-idol kinds of things. and stuff like run bts gives us heightened versions of their personas and dynamics with each other; like they all definitely think of themselves as having a specific role to play in the run bts stuff, and they've each tweaked those roles a little as time has gone on. and, like you said, they make it clear to us that they're like, intentionally trying to be entertaining! it doesn't mean it's fake, but it IS performed and curated.
this is a bit of a tangent, but when i first was getting into bts (i'm talking like, week one lmao) i found that i couldn't watch run bts, and bon voyage was really my entry into them, because they're all so heightened and On during run bts, it made it difficult for me to get a sense of them. like, my first impression of hobi from run bts was just that he was SO fucking loud and irritating 😂 and then once i felt like i kind of got who they were as people from watching them be slightly more toned down on bv, i found run bts a lot more enjoyable because i had a different context through which to view those personas. and we do get a lot of kind of fun weird tidbits from run bts that we just would never get otherwise! it's a good format for bringing up odd personality quirks or childhood stories or whatever.
i'm really happy that you feel like my fics reflect jungkook's growth! he's changed a lot during the 5+ years i've been in the fandom and it's been really interesting to watch, and also to try to incorporate into my fics a bit. i think takedown jk is definitely the one who captures the most variety of that, and then hgif jk is like, very solidly Past jungkook, and unfastening jk is very solidly present/future grown-up jk! though obviously all warped/enhanced by my own fixations and tastes and the needs of the story~ i wouldn't say any of my jks Depicts the Real him ofc!
i find writing group scenes where ot7 all interact to be super fun, and it's always one of my favorite things when i get to do it (like in emotional transparency or little bird or hgif!), but i don't think i'd ever write ot7 as a romantic pairing! and it's the same with reading, like i always really appreciate when a fic highlights the group dynamics and love they all have for each other really well, but i tend to find ot7 pairing fics unsatisfying to read. i know a lot of people in the fandom really love them, so if that's you reading this, then i think that's fantastic, and i'm glad they speak to you! every type of fic has its audience! but for me i find they have a difficult time creating conflicts that i find interesting, and i have a hard time connecting with any of the individual dynamics because the fic doesn't have time to dig into those dynamics and find something new to say that really resonates with me. they're just not usually my favorites! i think the closest you'd ever get from me as an author might be an ot3 one day lol, and even that i find intimidating as an idea!
