#a-min

ranking epex members on how easy they are to draw 🔭✨ (individual members under cut) twitter crosspost

aaa plz i love epex 😭 yesyes this is so cute

im doing this in bullet points, hope you don't mind ❤️ if you wanted headcanons or if you want me to elaborate on any of them plz don't be afraid to ask! — not proofread, lowercase intended

─────────────────────

epex — falling asleep on them !! (pre-relationship)

×× 곽 다윗 —★ kwak dawit ! wish ···

• will let you sleep unless you look uncomfortable 💀

• hes probably used to his members leaning on him and sleeping on him all the time but.. you??

• oh he's a wreck

• wants you to be comfortable and if it looks like you're in pain even in the slightest he will move you or wake you up

• overall just wants you to rest well, doesn't care that you're leaning on him

×× 금 동현 —★ keum donghyun ! keum ···

• 100% confused and WILL wake you up 💀

• "do you want to sleep? i can come back another time"

• vv worried and wants to know if you're getting enough sleep

• if you tell him you are actually tired he would be so conflicted

• he wants to spend time with you but he wants you to sleep

• prob just ends up letting you sleep on him after, win-win lol

×× 서 경민 —★ seo kyungmin ! mu ···

• will not intentionally wake you up but the second your head hits his shoulder he tenses up enough to scare both him AND you 💀

• will apologize and let you sleep on him ☹️

• WILL take photos of you but will 100% delete them if you don't like them lol

• texting EVERYONE for moral support

• "omg omg guys they're sleeping on me what do i do help help help" but no matter what anyone says he's not gonna move you until you wake up

• has ruined your sleep before, will not let it happen again 💀

×× 조 민우 —★ cho minwoo ! a-min ···

• confused but will let you sleep

• will 100% just. look at you.

• not like out of adoration but like why are you sleeping in the middle of the day and why on me look (out of adoration too)

• eventually understands because he's had his moments too

• might look at something on his phone and laugh a little too loud 💀

• will apologize even if you don't hear him or wake up lol

×× 김 현우 —★ kim hyunwoo ! baekseung ···

• nervous and will tell everyone who walks in the room to be quiet 💀

• will make sure you stay asleep because he wants you to rest and he needs to calm down

• will be vv sweet and will ask one of the members to bring you a blanket or something

• he won't hear but said member will walk away grumbling about how whipped he is

• v soft and just wants you to be warm and happy ☹️ need

×× 권 예준 —★ kwon yejun ! ayden ···

• will try to wake you up, ultimately fails, doesn't try again 💀

• "why me and why now." FEAR. someone help this boy 😭

• thinks that you meant to fall asleep on him and will get delusional /lhj

• will not be able to function until you wake up, whatever he was doing has been long abandoned

• might fall asleep too ngl 💀

×× 서 예왕 —★ seo yewang ! yewang ···

• takes him a second to realize what's going on but will let you sleep lol

• will try to wake you up but when you don't he won't push it

• if you're tired, you're tired, and he wants you to rest

• (so you guys can actually hang out 😭💀)

• will watch you and will make sure you're still sleeping and not just leaning on him to make him nervous 💀

×× 이 재호 —★ lee jaeho ! jeff ···

• you have broken him. congratulations.

• the most scared of them all a literal chill would run down his spine I think 😭

• would be 100% still and would NOT move

• will totally wake you up out of fear plz help him ☹️

• he'd wake you up like yejun but will not give up until you wake up 💀

• will ask you why you fell asleep on him but totally didn't mean to lol

• his ears are bright red please dont mention them he already knows

─────────────────────

thank you for reading this far! ❤️ feedback, likes, and reblogs are always appreciated.

EPEX (이펙스) - UNIVERSE M/V

first impressions:

wish - nct sion if he had rbf

keum - certainly a guy

mu - very pretty

a-min - he serious’d

baekseung - he could use a better haircut

ayden - foreign member(?)

yewang - sing it little boy

jeff - a polite young lad

current thoughts:

wish - loser-ish leader

keum - evil /j/j/j

mu - a victim of his members

a-min - mom friend

baekseung - a big baby(literally)

ayden - part-time idol, full-time comedian

yewang - a victim of his members pt.2

Another typical day of scrolling videos on Youtube. One video I came across was from the username "everglow-up." I knew the clickbait-y title would lure me into her channel, but boy did I find the video interesting and informative.

This video was particularly talking about Billlie's Stage Presence Archetypes based on the following:

Aura (Feminine vs Masculine)

Energy Type (Overt vs Covert)

Energy Type (Overt vs Covert)

Presence Type (Dominant vs Charismatic vs Sensual)

If you'd like a deep dive into those concepts, go ahead and check out the video I have linked above, or check out this video of hers as well.

I have also seen her do an analysis of other groups like EXO and Red Velvet, but I haven't seen her do EPEX or NCT (which I might make a blog on in the future).

I will mainly focus on EPEX's Stage Presence Archetypes using those concepts.

Disclaimer: This is not to determine whether a member's presence is good or bad, but I will point out some of their weak points. I am not writing this to hate on any member nor will sugarcoat any of my takes. If you disagree with any of these, it's okay—just don't be a jerk about it. If you want to, then don't read this.

Ayden

Masculine Overt Charismatic

As a performer, Ayden seems underappreciated. He has one of the best stage presence in the group. Similar to Keum, he also has the perfect balance of almost everything. He tends to maintain great consistency and energy level throughout every performance. His strong facial expressions and body language are in perfect harmony.

At the same time, those facial expressions are appropriate for each concept. When he needs to exhibit the cutesy "Noona's Cat," he becomes this little dancing ball of fur, especially with his fluffy platinum-blonde hair. Oh, man!! It was such a joy to watch. When he needs to exude a dark "Rebellious Wolf," he turns a 180. He would give you passion and hardcore. In other words, he is a versatile performer. His fancams are never tiring to watch.

Overall, the issue with his stage presence would be his face looks too aggressive sometimes. But it's not bothersome enough to ruin his performances.

Keum

Masculine Overt Dominant-Charismatic

The first thing that I thought when I saw Keum's stage presence was, "I love it!" From facial expressions to body language, he has the perfect balance in almost any aspect. He knows what facial expressions are suitable for each concept and do these effortlessly without seeming too intense.

I've seen his performances in Produce X 101, and they were crème de la crème. His Dominant side started to manifest during Believer, and integrating it with his Charismatic facial expressions was just on point. As for Super Special Girl, it showed how he can smoothly adapt to a wide range of concepts.

Under normal circumstances, performers look dead when they stop moving their faces. But with Keum, he manages to capture my attention regardless.

On the other hand, his stage presence comes with extraneous factors despite carrying out consistently good performances. His wardrobe styling and hair color choices could be the leading contributors to this. While everyone else had hair and outfits with vivid colors, he stuck to the monotonous palette during Do 4 Me era. This made him visually overshadowed by (for lack of a better word) more multicolored members like Baekseung or Ayden. I wish he had a more striking hair color other than blond with brighter concepts.

Wish

Masculine Overt Charismatic-Sensual

Wish is like the Overt version of EXO Xiumin. He has both strong facial expressions and body language whenever he performs. He tends to move in an "in your face" manner with a hint of such subtlety.

The performance that really showcased his Sensual side is Lone Wolf. That song was totally made for him. He had pink hair at the time they performed it on music shows, but the fact that he had black hair during their Seoul concert was such a cherry on top. It really helped in strengthening his overall stage presence.

However, the issue with Wish's stage presence is consistency. They tend to be what I call "all or nothing." One minute, he outperforms everyone, and then the next, his facial expressions are almost nonexistent. This happens when the camera pans away from him. He also seems to struggle with versatility, which becomes apparent when the song does not suit his stage presence archetype. He was quite too seductive in cute songs like Do 4 Me because he doesn’t have the right facial expressions, and was boring to watch on Hymn to Love because he didn’t have any.

Baekseung

Masculine Covert Charismatic

Baekseung possesses strong facial expressions. But unlike other Charismatic performers, his body language does not come across as “in your face.” Hence, I classify him as a Covert performer.

Despite his passive energy type, he was able to attract enough attention from the audience through his looks and hair color. This case was most evident with his long pink hair during Do 4 Me era. Apart from the fact that it makes him look like a real-life AI, it is one of the contributing factors to accentuating his naturally Charismatic stage presence.

Although Baekseung managed to maintain the same energy level throughout performances, versatility is something that he needs to work on. He made the facial expressions work for each performance, but he has been doing the exact same set for songs with totally different vibes. For instance, he winks and sticks his tongue out during AOTS (a dark hardcore song) the way he does with Do 4 Me (a light funky one).

Jeff

Masculine Overt Dominant-Charismatic

Jeff manages to balance both his Dominant side and Charismatic side. I was confused about classifying him as either one of the two at first. His facial expression is either too strong for a Dominant performer or too subtle for a Charismatic performer. Thus, I came to the conclusion that he is both.

He relies a lot on body language without having to become as expressive as other Charismatic performers. Even if he becomes as expressive, he does it with great timing. But for the most part, he furrows his brows and intensely stares into the camera for the entirety of each performance, which I'd like to call the "Squinty Eyebrows."

In that sense, it's both a pro and a con. It's a pro because even if he doesn't do much with his face, he doesn't come across as boring. Similar to Baekseung, it's a con because THAT'S IT. That's all he does whenever he performs. He may do a little aegyo or the double squinty brows and all that jazz. But other than that, he's bringing nothing new to the table.

A-Min

Feminine Covert Dominant-Sensual

Being the only Feminine performer in the group, one thing I like about A-Min is that he has great chemistry with a group full of masculine performers. Despite the difference in stage presence aura, he blends in so well since he is a Covert performer. There are three other Covert performers in the group, making him not seem entirely invisible in performances.

A-Min doesn't do much with his face but projects it through his body language instead. He has both loud and subtle movements without making it seem "in your face," which I think is still interesting to watch. This, in turn, makes him both a Dominant and a Sensual performer. Lone Wolf is THAT performance that he absolutely nailed along with Wish, another Sensual performer. Whoever thought of making them do a dance duet in the intro is such a genius. It really displayed their sensual sides so well.

However, I thought A-Min would show off his cuter side in songs with lighter concepts. But nah...he remained constant. He manages to keep a stable level of energy but lacks versatility. He does the same thing as he usually does with more serious concepts, making him less fascinating to watch. This is quite a shame because he has the potential to be more cutesy in a more Dominant performer way.

Yewang

Masculine Covert Dominant

Like other Dominant performers, Yewang relies more on body movements. His facial expression would sometimes complement his overall stage presence (Not to be confused with Charismatic performers. They treat facial expressions as the main course of their stage presence, while Yewang's is a side dish).

However, he would come across as aloof (even more than MU) whenever he missed the right timing for the expressions. Either he stares at the camera and does the "squinty brows" the way Jeff does, or he looks straight-up dead.

He managed to improve some of these aspects in just a year. Just look at his fancams in No Questions compared to Hymn to Love. He was a bit dull and boring on the former, but he had a better grasp of what to do on the latter. He had better timing for using his face and toned his gaze down a bit, and it's not boring at all. He still needs to work on his longevity and consistency. He sometimes struggles to retain the same energy in the long run.

MU

Masculine Covert Dominant

MU, like Yewang, tends to use facial expressions to complement his stage presence. Except, it doesn't work at all. In other words, he is a Dominant performer trying hard to exude Charisma. This is why watching his fancams often felt like watching a triangle trying to fit into a round hole (particularly during the AOTS era). He emphasized his facial expressions so much that they came across as unnatural. While it is supposed to aid his stage presence, it just looks so funny and awkward on him.

I get that he wants to go for the vibe of each concept, but I don't think he needs a loud face to do just that. He could just stand there and still be entertaining to watch. All he has to do is rely more on body language. He was able to attain this with his performance during Breathtaking, and it was...breathtaking. It was pleasant to watch, as he did a fantastic job utilizing his stage presence.

On a side note, he still struggles to fit in his Dominant side in EPEX's Dark and Charismatic-heavy concepts, which makes him more aloof than he actually is. He is not a bad performer, just a confused one. He hasn't explored himself as a performer enough to find the right stage presence type. He has a long way to go.

Group Chemistry

EPEX overall has yet to fully establish their chemistry on stage. Despite this, they have a perfect balance of Overt and Covert performers. While they have a balanced number of Dominant, Charismatic, and Sensual performers, there's no doubt that their performances cater to the Charismatic performers. The songs and choreographies are Charismatic-heavy, so it makes sense that members with this archetype stand out the most. It does not help that most of them are Overt performers. Heck, even Baekseung stood out among them. While he is a Covert performer, he is also a Charismatic one.

This does not imply that non-Charismatic performers live in their shadows, as there are Charismatic members who also have another archetype. Keum and Jeff are both Charismatic and Dominant, while Wish is both Charismatic and Sensual. That does not disorient them from Dominant performers, especially A-Min, who is also a Sensual performer.

It would have been better if they had more concepts or choreographies that show their Dominant side, especially when the non-Charismatic Dominant performers are all Covert.

Subjective Takes

I know—it seems like I have written Keum as the one with the best stage presence, but Ayden takes the lead on who is more interesting to watch. Apart from the hair color choice, he tends to bring more charm and color to every concept in comparison. I realized this when I tried to watch another member's fancam (I think it was a Baekseung one). I accidentally saw Keum and Ayden next to each other, but the latter happened to captivate my attention more.

As for the rest, they are great performers. Maybe they're not as excellent as you want them to be now, but there is always room for improvement.

I believe EPEX as a group has so much potential, especially Wish. They are the group whose growth and development would totally look forward to.

After all, it has only been a year since they debuted, and they have six more years to learn and perform better. STAN EPEX!!