きっとまたいつか会えるだろう。

i think cortis is so interesting to me as a group, and mind you, i was trying to hard not to get into them after hearing "go!", but "what you want" completely took me by surprise in every good way. in terms of identity, though it's too early to tell, cortis isn't really unique (i'll get to this later). like, you have a lot of groups that turn the la skater/grunge garage rock subculture into an aesthetic, but what really stood out to me about cortis is their heavy involvement in crafting their artistry so early into their careers. with txt being more conceptual, some of their albums, depending on the aesthetic they're going for can disconnect with them, but i don't really feel that way with cortis, even if it's so easy to tell yourself that this "organic" identity is highly likely to come from a boardroom of execs looking at trends because profit matters before anything else. that being said, it's still too early to tell, but i'm actually looking forward to what direction they'll take their artistry, considering, again, that they are quite involved in everything about their brand.

all day project has all day to kick that man out of the group: kpop's sound is stolen from black culture and time and time again i'm so disappointed like it's 2025, teddy is westernized and should be aware of certain issues that he who shall not be named represent in the current dialogue of kpop and globality. yet you have this walking caricature that basically is a one-man mistrel show cosplay black culture ????? and people LOVE him for it ?!?!?!??!?!?!?! bailey is complicit in this btw she should know better and if she cared enough she would call him out on his bs. i thought y'all hated kiss of life for doing the same thing and then bend backwards and do some of the craziest mental gymnastics to defend this guy because you like woochan and yeongseo ????? also i can't stand the discourse around annie like wbk kpop idols are rich as hell esp these days like who can afford to remove themselves from the job market or the education system for a couple years ??? definitely not a middle class family that's what. what i don't stand by is people idolizing annie and romanticizing chaebols. she's handling it decently imo but it leaves such an icky taste in my mouth when people talk about her being a chaebol like it's a good thing, almost reminiscent of the resurgence of "old money" aesthetics and soft conservatism seeping into pop culture.

boys ii planet needs to fire their casting director: bro it's so BORING had it not been for sangwon i wouldn't even keep myself updated on whats' going on. it's so stale, there are no singers (and this is a larger issue with later generations in kpop wbk after le sserafim's coachella disaster), and we have a wholeass bully who's still not kicked out of the show ?!?!?! pmo fr. if only hybe hadn't fumbled trainee a and handled leo's controversy better we'd have a better boygroup than woochan being in adp. i'm serious save that man.

it’s insane how i read that fic as a miserable little teenager and now i’m literally going off to my dream school as a uni student for philosophy in less than 2 months.

at the time, 14 steps was such a source of comfort for me because i was at a point in my life where i was terrified i would amount to nothing. paralyzed by inaction, i didn’t know how to move on from the past. during that summer i got absolutely shitfaced on coming of age media like omg it was honestly crazy. but things are different now, and i think i have started to commit to a little less yearning and a lot more learning!!

sometimes i look back to 14stab as a reference point, and i often want to thank you.

your passion for writing makes me want to be better too and i think that is super epicness ngl. i’m reading lots more, and i am starting to turn my ambitions into reality.

i feel like im the biggest 14stab and viv glazer on the planet but eh, so be it!

it’s great to hear from you again. always wishing you well in a little corner of my heart n mind. yay!

hey min !! so sorry for not getting back to you sooner !! i've been so busy with everything in my life at the moment and couldn't carve out the time to properly read your message and respond. every time someone tells me how much 14 steps resonated with them, i can't help but feel so much joy at the thought that, even if my words were a true reflection of my own anxieties, fears, and doubts about what kind of adult i'll become after uni ends as a second-year student with zero experience owing to the pandemic basically locking me in the house for the first two years of my uni life, i'm glad people found a sense of solidarity and comfort in that, in this idea that we're really not alone in this journey. i'm overjoyed to hear that you got into your dream school, pursuing what you want, and learning as you go. i think the tunnel vision that the pandemic created can definitely consume you in its black, endless void, but there's always a light at the end of the tunnel, and i think, as cringy as this sounds, i've been trying to think about that aspect of resilience a little bit more (also because as someone who's currently studying disaster risk reduction, resilience, management, preparedness, etc., it's kind of hard to be pessimistic and ennui about things such as courage, bravery, and resilience....).

in the same way you've constantly thanked me for providing you with some of my works, which are an extension of myself, i'd like to thank you for reaching out to me personally and speaking with me. our interactions here and there really mean so much to me, and getting to know you as a person made my writing journey here unforgettable, almost as if i'm reminded that there's real people out there reading my works, hearing what i have to say, and taking my words with you. truly, that kind of interaction always warms my heart.

bro i thought you've moved out already? but yeah, get your master's first, tho. also where do you think you'll end up, esp being your nomadic self? and a freaking novel??

it still shocks me that i get ppl coming back every now and then, finding my personal blog just to tell me they've read 14 steps or any other orpheyeux era works. i feel like a niche internet micro celebrity LOL