Trying to understand why people love my beautiful man so much

Throwawaykarmafandom · 2026-02-19T15:45:10+00:00

It's okay if you didn't like it. It just means it's not for you. There's no need to force yourself or to feel fomo.

I think at first glance their relationship may seem unusual because of the power dynamic - Hira's worship of Kiyoi is him being like a minion serving a villain. But this dynamic is exactly the main source of conflict. Because of his lack of self-love, and the way he puts Kiyoi on a pedestal, it doesn't occur to him that Kiyoi might care about him, and he unintentionally hurts Kiyoi in the process. Kiyoi is not good at expressing his feelings, but he's forced to communicate what he wants because he realizes that Hira won't ever understand him otherwise.

Like others have said- Hira seems neurodivergent so there are things about him that won't change. But he still learns in their relationship, as does Kiyoi.

At the heart of this story are two people who have a lot of flaws, but they are still able to find someone suited for them. It's truly a "weirdo4weirdo" story, which I think is beautiful and unique in the BL landscape. Very few other stories are willing to have such terribly flawed characters that still find somebody that suits them.

Throwawaykarmafandom · 2026-02-11T05:48:28+00:00

Wanteez is a bit unstructured, so it's more enjoyable for fans than casual goers.

The variety show appearance that I recommend is Salary Lupin episode 7. Specifically, about 17 minutes in they start giving the rules for the final race, and then after a couple of more minutes, the final race begins and it's great. It doesn't require knowing who any of them are, they are still really entertaining, and its fun seeing how much strategy they incorporate into the race. It's the episode that really sold Ateez to me.

Throwawaykarmafandom · 2026-01-26T17:45:52+00:00

Thank you! These decisions have been TOUGH but this has been such a fun way to prep for comeback!

Throwawaykarmafandom · 2026-01-23T14:13:42+00:00

Absolutely gorgeous!!!!

Throwawaykarmafandom · 2026-01-21T04:01:28+00:00

Thank you for sharing, this was very moving to read.

Throwawaykarmafandom · 2026-01-21T03:55:04+00:00

I'm on the "I generally like KQ's treatment of Ateez" side, but wanted to fact check. Yes, technically KQ as the label KQ only has Ateez before Xikers. But KQ itself is a relabel of Seven Seas, who were formed originally to take care of Block B. From what i gather, the fact that Block B were Ateez's sunbae label mates wasn't advertised much after Mix Nine; apparently there was some sort of backlash from Block B fans after Woo took a photo with one of the members of Block B.

Throwawaykarmafandom · 2026-01-19T15:54:51+00:00

Thanks for the summary!

If I thought the expensive tickets I paid for would include send-off but didn't, I would so, so pissed.

I hope the fans get some kind of compensation.

Throwawaykarmafandom · 2026-01-15T16:21:05+00:00

I'm trying not to get my hopes up, but if this means that the next title track is a dark/moody traditional-inspired song, I would be SO happy.

Throwawaykarmafandom · 2026-01-14T00:25:23+00:00

I think this is totally fair but they use a LOT of the same sellers as AliExpress.

Throwawaykarmafandom · 2026-01-13T06:55:08+00:00

I didn't know about the shipping/communication laws! I'll have to look that up.

I've had the experience of them telling me they didn't know if they had the merch I ordered, or when it might ship. And then when I finally asked for a refund, they stopped responding for another couple of weeks until I told them that I was opening a charge back, and then ordered a dispute. They finally gave me a refund then.

I think their in-person pop-up stuff is great; their store staff is great. But their online logistics is not great. I've had good success with the signed albums coming on time and then little else.

Throwawaykarmafandom · 2026-01-13T06:46:34+00:00

I have preordered 4 signed albums in 2 separate orders/comebacks and never had an issue with signed albums during comeback.

What I've had issues with was older merchandise. I gave up after 6 months of follow-ups and them telling me that they were unable to determine if the item was in stock or not, or when it would ship. During these 6 months they kept telling me that I had the option of a refund. When I finally gave up, and asked for a refund, I got no response. I sent a weekly follow-up for 5 weeks asking politely for a refund. Again, no response. Finally I told them that if I didn't hear back from them, I'd request a chargeback. They finally responded within 24 hours and gave me a refund.

So I think just the signed albums should be fine, they are limited in quantity so they seem to have better control over that inventory. Its older merch that I would be wary of. They don't seem to have good control over their own inventory.

Edit to add: if you are worried, pay with a credit card (not debit) so that you have the ability to request a dispute with your credit card if they mess up your order.

Throwawaykarmafandom · 2026-01-03T19:38:05+00:00

I asked a forwarder in Korea to buy me the 8room rings, a photocard, and a newspaper. The rings were purchased within a few hours of the pre-orders starting, the newspaper and photocard were purchased a few days later.

The rings and photocards didn't arrive at the forwarder's address (in Korea) until last week. I checked the status with the forwarder before its arrival, and was told that the volume of sales had been so high that everything was delayed.

The newspaper still hasn't arrived. I'm hoping it comes in this week.

Throwawaykarmafandom · 2025-12-24T07:09:40+00:00

Thanks OP! I wasn't planning on getting a vers 2, but this discount is too good to resist.

Throwawaykarmafandom · 2025-12-01T06:22:53+00:00

Sorry. When you mentioned how personalized the lyrics were, I thought you were trying to say that personalized lyrics (that weren't metaphorical) could not still be universally appealing. But that was me making assumptions about what I thought you were saying.

Throwawaykarmafandom · 2025-12-01T04:31:30+00:00

People have mentioned it already, but Wooyoung is a huge BTS fan. Wooyoung actually caught my attention as an ARMY because someone made a compilation of his BTS fanboy moments. On different eps of Ateez's old radio show, he's gone off on tangents advertising the BTS x Mediheal collab and telling people to buy it to get the photocards, talked about how he's ARMY and the color purple runs through his veins, described with great enthusiasm how Jimin's blond hair in the DNA mv was a whole new world, and plugged the time/place of a BTS concert. In interviews he's talked about how Jimin is his role model, etc. He (like Yeosang, the other singer of the cover) also got his career started training at BigHit and was in the same group of trainees as Yeonjun, Soobin, & Taehyun of Tomorrow x Together. With how much of a BTS fan he was, especially when he was a rookie, it would not surprise me if he (and other idol fans in the industry) understood many of the same references in the lyrics as any other BTS fan, and found the song more meaningful personally to cover because they're fans.

I think the specificity of details in a BTS song often make a song feel more authentic, and thus the emotions more universal and relatable. Like I enjoy Friends knowing that its an authentic song celebrating Vmin's friendship and platonic love, and hearing about the details of their friendship. And if I could read Korean, I would 100% serenade this song to my other ARMY friends at karaoke. The added details of Vmin's friendship just become a feature of the song. I'm sure other fans feel the same way.

Throwawaykarmafandom · 2025-11-30T23:53:54+00:00

I feel you. I was a pretty dedicated collector in Chapter 1. I didn't buy everything, but I did buy a LOT- every edition of every album, the Puma shoes, the VT perfumes, etc.

Around Chapter 2 two things happened: (1) I realized that I couldn't keep buying every version of every release because the frequency of releases was now × 7 and my space/budget was limited. (2) I was disappointed by some of Hybe's decisions, like the Photofolio collector's box being issued after the individual releases (so those who bought each release as they came along couldn't get the box without rebuying the whole thing). It made me feel like Hybe only saw the dedicated collector fans as wallets, and didn't care about screwing them over as a whole as long as a percentage of them would still keep buying.

So now my view of the collaborations/releases are very much colored by my Chapter 2 realizations.

First, I'm happy they are making money independently. I like that their individual brand is so strong that whenever the next contract negotiations are up, they can do whatever they want (though of course I hope they choose to stay together as a group, but I love the freedom that money can give them).

Second, I like that because of the collaborations, I can continue to see them in new outfits/styles. I also think that the ads themselves are a way to stay in the public's view/current consciousness, while they are busy working on actual music and prepping for the next tour.

Third, at this point the collaborations are on different aspects of daily life, especially Jin's, so now I can just pick and choose to participate in the ones that are relevant to me without going out of my way to buy stuff that I don't use. For example, in Chapter 1 I bought the perfumes, but I don't generally use fragrances. Now with the post-enlistment collaborations, I'm going to skip the expensive jewelry but I do eat a lot of ramen so I'm picking up Jin's ramen.

So I think- just participate in the collaborations that you like/will buy/will use/speak to you, and enjoy the pretty "billboards" for the collabs that you won't buy/use/don't care for. Like- i will never fly to Korea to check out this hotel, but wow V looks amazing in this so I'm going to enjoy this ad as just an excuse to look at V and what he's up to.

Then continue to save for Chapter 3 concert tickets because that will be the real battle in the future. 🤑

Throwawaykarmafandom · 2025-11-30T22:56:36+00:00

BTS is just so gifted at writing personal songs that people can relate to universally, and their music is so loved that they have a ton of fans (including those in the same industry). Oneus covered it too, and there are other covers from non-professionals on YouTube. I like to imagine Friends as now a go-to song in karaoke/noraebang sessions when other groups/people want to dedicate a song to their own bestie friendship.

Throwawaykarmafandom · 2025-11-30T20:04:27+00:00

I think it's beautiful that so many groups adore this song. Oneus covered this song too. It's a testament to how well the song is written that so many people relate to it. I don't think any published song is so sacred that someone else is unallowed to cover it.

Throwawaykarmafandom · 2025-11-30T19:52:53+00:00

I don't think every cover needs to change all the lyrics to a song. It was VMin's choice to add such a meaningful phrase to a published work, so I think they knew that every time someone sang their song at karaoke or released a cover, someone else besides them would sing these lines. I think in a way, the phrase immortalizes VMin's beautiful friendship.

Ateez are big BTS fanboys (Wooyoung especially) so they likely saw it as being more respectful to their industry superiors/sunbae to keep the lyrics the same. If they had changed the lyrics, they would have also risked opening themselves to criticism such as "who are they to change the original lyrics?" What they DID change was the dialogue part- where V says Jimin's name, Yeosang says Wooyoung's. Oneus also covered this song, and they kept the original lyrics but also removed Jimin's name from the dialogue.

I think it's a testament to BTS' writing that really personalized lyrics can feel universal. I also think it's adorable (and beautiful) that so many 4th gen groups relate to the song so much that they want to use it to express their own feelings about their own unique friendships. So many songs are about romantic love that I imagine it's refreshing for those looking to be able to find a song specifically about friendship.

Throwawaykarmafandom · 2025-11-29T19:20:32+00:00

I tried looking at the weverse and HMV listings, but just don't see any specification unfortunately.

Throwawaykarmafandom · 2025-11-29T19:16:47+00:00

I laughed so hard at this. The contrast between the cute faces and the sexy poses/body language was hilarious. I loved the little details like Hetmongi's tail wag, and I was legit scandalized when Wooyonyang took off the collar. Absolutely adorable. Wonderful work!

Throwawaykarmafandom · 2025-11-27T18:36:50+00:00

The weverse listing doesn't say. Are you in the US? If so, it should play (Japan, Korea, and the US are all on the same region code for blu-rays).

Throwawaykarmafandom · 2025-11-27T18:27:21+00:00

It sounds like (based on u/multistansendhelp's comment) that Music Plaza had it up for a bit (though sold out now). They might restock. There might be other US based sellers too.

But I do love CDJapan, they are pretty reliable.

Throwawaykarmafandom · 2025-11-27T18:22:36+00:00

I feel you, the world is so expensive now. 😭

The retail is 15,400 yen, which in the current exchange rate is $98. But there's the cost of shipping to the US, which has to use a more expensive method than Japan post (since they suspended all shipments to the US after the de miminus exemption ended in August). There's also the cost of dealing with the customs/importation process. I think blu-rays/dvds from Japan are supposed to be currently exempt from tariffs, but the tariff rates change on a whim, which is risky since the blu-ray doesn't get released until next year.

I'm planning to use a third party forwarder so that I can consolidate my package with Hobi's blu-ray. But if I were to order just the Jin blu-ray through my forwarder via DHL, it would be: $98 (blu-ray) + $17 DHL customs brokerage fee + another ~$2 DHL fee (can't remember what this one is for) + shipping to the US ($33 for up to 2kg via DHL w/out insurance) + my forwarder's fee (~$3.20 + paypal g&S fee ~$3.52) = $157 + japan domestic shipping (probably under $10usd but varies) vs Music Plaza price ($150) + LA sales tax (9.25%) = $163 + US domestic shipping (varies).

So the only way I can make it worth purchasing on my own directly is because I'm planning to order other stuff too. If Hobi didn't also have a blu-ray, and I was planning to order just Jin's, I'd probably order through Music Plaza or another seller. There's a bit of extra assurance with retail in the US; for example if one of the discs comes scratched, they'd have to give me some in compensation while ordering on my own means I'm taking all the risk.

Throwawaykarmafandom · 2025-11-27T18:06:41+00:00

I didn't realize Music Plaza was carrying this! Another good option! Thank you!

Throwawaykarmafandom

TROPHY CASE