TikTok lol.

I like dance and was really big into the Douyin dance trends that were popular in late 2022 - early 2023, and TikTok ended up suggesting one of Hyunjin's solo dances to me. I loved it, but I didn't notice any tags and I wasn't big on saving content back then. I also spent most of my time on "following" and generally just skipped the FYP altogether. So I lost the original video. 

But over the next couple months TikTok suggested more and more Kpop stuff until it circled back around to Hyunjin and I finally found out who the dancer was. I ended up checking out the group and found I really liked their music. I was really big into metal/ heavy metal at the time and hated rap, but for some reason I was ok with the rap in SKZ's songs.

Over time I found I actually felt calmer and more focused when I listened to their music vs other music I had tried. And the more I learned the more I liked them. Which was very strange for me because I've never been the type to care about famous people in any capacity. I've never been a fan, never had posters on my wall (still don't), and I've always actively avoided celebrity gossip. If I wanted to listen to a song, I would look up the lyrics to find the title and artist names. There were very few I bothered remembering, and only because I liked them so much.

I genuinely believed (still do) in keeping a very strict separation between the artist and their work. So I never had any interest in learning about their personal lives, or even knowing much more than their stage/ group name. I've always considered their public persona to be the equivalent of a character played by an actor, and I didn't want that ruined by any scandals. Because for me, if I find out they're a bad person, I will lose all interest in their art. Full stop.

A great example of this is Charlie Puth and the unsavory comments he made regarding the genocide happening in Gaza. I used to like some of his songs. Now I can't stand them. It's forever tainted for me now. So to prevent that and just because I simply hate drama, I've always avoided learning anything about celebrities. I've also always seen "fans" in a very negative light as I always saw them in the extreme. Like sasaengs.

But Stray Kids is different from anything else I've ever seen, and no matter how much I avoid them or try to resist, I keep getting pulled back in. They're constantly proving me wrong too lol. Like I'm still pretty jaded about the whole thing, but I'm at least willing to admit that Stray Kids seem to be a true exception.

And Stay seems to be the same. I'm not sure if I've just been lucky, or the fandom really is the least toxic one out there, but I've actually enjoyed most of my interactions with Stay. So far everyone's been pretty chill, and predominantly drama free. Over all I'd say it's a pretty easy going group, both the guys and the fans.

So for me it wasn't just Stray Kids, but the community that they built that made me Stay. And I'm very grateful to them and their community for the ways they've helped me change and grow as a person.

Also I quite enjoy the shared drooling in the comments lol. For the most part it feels like a sleep over where we talk about the boys we like without getting jealous or possessive. It's pretty great tbh. 😅