i’ve had this discussion with several different authors on this platform, so i’ve been privileged with a lot of different opinions on the topic - here’s mine. purely based on observation, you’re right. i do think the online portion of the fan base tends to skew younger than other groups around the same era (skz or ateez, for example.) i also think that while minors debuting in kpop is definitely not a new thing, bighit did a lot to make sure that txt’s first few comebacks were very “safe” since 2/5 members were minors at the time. that seems like a much larger percentage of the group than skz or ateez, who debuted with (i think) only 1/8 being minors. thus, they had a more mature image from the start. for better or for worse, i think that really set the tone of the fan base for txt. with blue hour being by and large the song that got txt famous, the fanbase isn’t used to seeing the group through a more “mature” lens.

while fanfiction isn’t inherently sexual, i think it’s gotten that reputation, and blue hour happened to intersect pretty perfectly with covid. as we all know, that’s when everyone was inside - and the people who otherwise might be participating in things outside of fandom turned to the internet. my theory is that what you might call the “normies” came to kpop, and thus to txt - people who are not used to fandom and fanfiction.

in addition, i think txt’s image is more “palatable” to people who aren’t comfortable with sexy concepts. despite songs like the killa and srr, txt still has more of a pure image than other groups of a similar era. that means that people who might be more on the religious side or just younger people in general might feel more comfortable stanning txt.
overall, i think the fandom just kind of failed to mature with the group. fanfiction has always been and will be a fundamental part of fandom, and im particularly interested to see how things unfold in the wake of hybe yaoigate and txt’s break - to see if fanfiction starts to be more widely accepted when the constant flow of company content diminishes. sorry for the long answer, but this is a fascinating topic to me hahaha

hi hi!! i’m having a lovely day, actually :) i hope you’re doing well too!!

honestly i thought i was gonna have to pull up the periodic table to answer this before i kept reading lol. i struggle to remember anything i’ve written at any point so i’m just going to make it up with what i got - beomgyu from pity purgatory definitely has super tuna by jin as his top song not because he listens to it but because he makes the alexa in the kitchen start playing it randomly while he’s out of the house to annoy people. taehyun from nobody’s business definitely has classical music as his top 50 songs - keeps him from murdering soobin for incompetence. everyone from new york strip has the most banging spotify wraps ever, except steak guy - it’s white girl music. that taehyun definitely listens to taylor swift. lastly, yeonjun from maybe it’s fate had evacuate the dance floor as his top song. don’t know why, he just does.

fun facts… hmmm… most surprising fun fact is that i think new york strip might unironically be the best thing ive written all year. second fun fact? it took me and sisternator3000 like four different hour-long phone calls to come up with all the deaths from pity purgatory 😭😭 she’s a trooper fr

thank you!! it was really fun even if i ate myself to the point of pain hahaha. you are so sweet!! it is a big hug - we are hugging. at your job i guess?? lmaooo but yes im glad that’s the feeling you get :) i dont think i intentionally write found family, but since i try to include everyone to the max that i can then i guess that is what it becomes. maybe the found family is the family we found along the way!! (im trying to be funny but i haven’t finished my coffee im sorry) IM SO GLAD YOU CAN LAUGH AT LIFE its my biggest life philosophy :) welcome to the seungminator lifestyle!!

mostly, though, i’m so glad that i’ve inspired you to write again. what a massive honor for me as a fellow author!! i hope everything goes well for you and is a lot of fun. if you want to drop me a link when you’re done, i’ll add it to the list of things to read while i’m on my break :) i love a good retro rant!! happy holidays and lots of love <3

oh my god oh my god!! what a great message to wake up to. even to make someone momentarily happy brings me so much joy, but it’s even better to know that you remember them throughout the day!! i do genuinely put a lot of thought into each work even if it seems like a silly fic, so i’m glad to know it’s being thoroughly appreciated :)

good good question!! my usual logic is that a double space is for a short time jump, or for a turn in conversation - basically a scene break-up without a major time jump. a triple space is for another place or another day, representing a bigger jump in the storyline!! that being said, ao3 also COOKS my spacing whenever i try to transfer from the mac pages program - so some of the spacing may be an accident. i hope that answers your question!! happy thanksgiving if you celebrate and if not have a happy day :)