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don't lose the pieces if you break yourself apart
First, a small Chinese lesson~! This has been a bit of a pet peeve since SJM fics started coming out (before they even debuted, lol @ fandom):
Zhou Mi should be written, well, like Zhou Mi. Zhou = 周, the last name. Mi = 觅, his given name. If you write Zhoumi, it's much like writing Johnsmith. Or, even, Smithjohn.
Likewise, Han Geng (韩庚) is last name, first name. Hankyung is correct as one word since it's his given Korean name (...he has no last name in Korean), but Hangeng would be incorrect.
This probably doesn't bother anyone but Chinese speakers (or maybe not even some of them), but it's been a minor annoyance for me. I'd hate to read an HP fic, for example, where the main character is referred to as "Harrypotter" the entire time. "Harrypotter sighed and looked wistfully at Dracomalfoy." No, guys, please. :( Let's not.
So...the more you know!
--
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dear_whimsy pointed me in the direction of this fic last night. It's very thought-provoking, poignant, and does not shy away from painful subjects.
Dancing in a Burning Room bykayjayloves
Super Junior, Eeteuk-centric, PG-13, angst/drama
They’re breaking apart (fragmenting, cracking, suddenly two halves of a whole) before anyone thinks to say stop - what are we doing?
My review: Okay, so! I think the leader dislike is unfair (though obviously everyone is entitled to their opinions). I disagree with what Leeteuk did too, but I can't blame him for feeling scared and protective of "his" group. I think you did a very good job portraying that - the fact that he's worried and unhappy and unsure, about where he stands or how he should react, about the fact that he's afraid but is letting the fans convince him that his choice is the right one. It's the path of least resistance, and with so much support, it must feel like the right decision. (And I really like the way you worked Kangin's support into this too.)
But I think it's unfair (in general, not in this fic specifically) to crucify Leeteuk for saying what he did. Even if he did exclude Henry and Zhou Mi from Super Junior (though I doubt either HR or ZM want to be part of SJ, it still sort of draws a line between "us" and "them" which alienates them from them from the main SJ group), we can't assume that Eeteuk meant to be deliberately hurtful. But there are all sorts of unseen consequences in a situation as hard as this - the memebers aren't allowed the luxury of just having their opinions and differences of opinion, and expressing them. They have a far more complicated dynamic because they are idols and have to worry about the management, about fans, about their public image. We as private individuals are much luckier in this aspect than they are. So it's easy to look at what they do and judge them, for good or for ill, but it's not our right when we've never been put in a situation like that.
Er, this is mostly not directed at you, because I don't think you've done that. Like I said, I think you did a very good job with this fic, portraying Eeteuk and his imperfections, but also his humanity. I also really liked the conflict from Sungmin and Kyuhyun - more aggressive from the former than the latter, but there. The ending is also especially heartwrenching.
So my mini-rant/essay was inspired by your fic. Ahaha, sorry. I meta too much when it comes to SuJu fandom. I hope you don't mind if I rec and link this fic later on my journal with further commentary. :) You did a really good job.
--
Then today I had this MSN conversation withblack_goose:
[16:43] these words are only half-written:
oh god. i'm rereading this fic and my stupid comment and i realize i'm such a hypocrite. i say it's unfair to hate leadersshi, and it is, but right now i just kinda wanna smack him and tell him stfu and take it like a man.
[16:43] these words are only half-written:
but, er, greece! :D
[16:44] Goose /// You don't even know how much I want your kiss:
LOLLOLLOL yes, i know what you mean. why couldn't he have just let Sungmin's comment stand?
[16:45] these words are only half-written:
it's b/c he worries too much about the fans.
[16:45] these words are only half-written:
sm and kh and some of the others take the fans with a grain of salt, knowing they're young (and batshit insane) even while they're grateful, but sometimes eeteuk is just...
[16:46] these words are only half-written:
too dependent on them.
[16:46] these words are only half-written:
he and dh always always thank the fans at every opportunity and bring everything back to ELF and say they love ELF etc etc
[16:46] these words are only half-written:
except dh isn't even as bad as eeteuk because part of him is more committed to his dad. leader has a coupla insecurity issues. and WOW psychoanalyzing kpop idols. i'm so done.
[16:47] Goose /// You don't even know how much I want your kiss:
XD
[16:47] Goose /// You don't even know how much I want your kiss:
honestly? i totally agree
[16:47] Goose /// You don't even know how much I want your kiss:
the pandering to the fans that Eeteuk does really annoys me sometimes
[16:48] these words are only half-written:
seriously. i hate ELF*, so every time the pandering happens i twitch a little and hope they mean things very very generally
[16:48] these words are only half-written:
and that they personally harbor a good dose of "god, wtf, our fans are crazy" sometimes.
[16:48] Goose /// You don't even know how much I want your kiss:
because these girls don't support you like they want you to believe, they just want things to go their way, and force their feelings onto the band
[16:48] Goose /// You don't even know how much I want your kiss:
oh, Kyuhyun totally does
[16:49] Goose /// You don't even know how much I want your kiss:
partly why i love him so much
[16:49] these words are only half-written:
<3 sungmin too
[16:49] Goose /// You don't even know how much I want your kiss:
yup. that thing about them all being one - wow, i have never loved him so much as i did then
[16:50] Goose /// You don't even know how much I want your kiss:
oh my GOD, parents, will you hurry up and go to bed so I can write kihae almost-smut without worrying about you coming in? >:(
* some of ELF, the batshit insane part
Please note that there was absolutely no segue from our serious discussion of Super Junior members to her complaining about writing fic, but it made me laugh because, bah, too much deep thoughts on fandom.
Despite all this tl;dr meta, however, the fic was very well-written. If you don't mind the drama of the issue, or the angst, definitely go read it.
Plus, new icons! (Look at how hot Heechul and his new hair is alsjflkdslkj!!)
Zhou Mi should be written, well, like Zhou Mi. Zhou = 周, the last name. Mi = 觅, his given name. If you write Zhoumi, it's much like writing Johnsmith. Or, even, Smithjohn.
Likewise, Han Geng (韩庚) is last name, first name. Hankyung is correct as one word since it's his given Korean name (...he has no last name in Korean), but Hangeng would be incorrect.
This probably doesn't bother anyone but Chinese speakers (or maybe not even some of them), but it's been a minor annoyance for me. I'd hate to read an HP fic, for example, where the main character is referred to as "Harrypotter" the entire time. "Harrypotter sighed and looked wistfully at Dracomalfoy." No, guys, please. :( Let's not.
So...the more you know!
--
dear_whimsy pointed me in the direction of this fic last night. It's very thought-provoking, poignant, and does not shy away from painful subjects.Dancing in a Burning Room by
kayjaylovesSuper Junior, Eeteuk-centric, PG-13, angst/drama
They’re breaking apart (fragmenting, cracking, suddenly two halves of a whole) before anyone thinks to say stop - what are we doing?
My review: Okay, so! I think the leader dislike is unfair (though obviously everyone is entitled to their opinions). I disagree with what Leeteuk did too, but I can't blame him for feeling scared and protective of "his" group. I think you did a very good job portraying that - the fact that he's worried and unhappy and unsure, about where he stands or how he should react, about the fact that he's afraid but is letting the fans convince him that his choice is the right one. It's the path of least resistance, and with so much support, it must feel like the right decision. (And I really like the way you worked Kangin's support into this too.)
But I think it's unfair (in general, not in this fic specifically) to crucify Leeteuk for saying what he did. Even if he did exclude Henry and Zhou Mi from Super Junior (though I doubt either HR or ZM want to be part of SJ, it still sort of draws a line between "us" and "them" which alienates them from them from the main SJ group), we can't assume that Eeteuk meant to be deliberately hurtful. But there are all sorts of unseen consequences in a situation as hard as this - the memebers aren't allowed the luxury of just having their opinions and differences of opinion, and expressing them. They have a far more complicated dynamic because they are idols and have to worry about the management, about fans, about their public image. We as private individuals are much luckier in this aspect than they are. So it's easy to look at what they do and judge them, for good or for ill, but it's not our right when we've never been put in a situation like that.
Er, this is mostly not directed at you, because I don't think you've done that. Like I said, I think you did a very good job with this fic, portraying Eeteuk and his imperfections, but also his humanity. I also really liked the conflict from Sungmin and Kyuhyun - more aggressive from the former than the latter, but there. The ending is also especially heartwrenching.
So my mini-rant/essay was inspired by your fic. Ahaha, sorry. I meta too much when it comes to SuJu fandom. I hope you don't mind if I rec and link this fic later on my journal with further commentary. :) You did a really good job.
--
Then today I had this MSN conversation with
black_goose:[16:43] these words are only half-written:
oh god. i'm rereading this fic and my stupid comment and i realize i'm such a hypocrite. i say it's unfair to hate leadersshi, and it is, but right now i just kinda wanna smack him and tell him stfu and take it like a man.
[16:43] these words are only half-written:
but, er, greece! :D
[16:44] Goose /// You don't even know how much I want your kiss:
LOLLOLLOL yes, i know what you mean. why couldn't he have just let Sungmin's comment stand?
[16:45] these words are only half-written:
it's b/c he worries too much about the fans.
[16:45] these words are only half-written:
sm and kh and some of the others take the fans with a grain of salt, knowing they're young (and batshit insane) even while they're grateful, but sometimes eeteuk is just...
[16:46] these words are only half-written:
too dependent on them.
[16:46] these words are only half-written:
he and dh always always thank the fans at every opportunity and bring everything back to ELF and say they love ELF etc etc
[16:46] these words are only half-written:
except dh isn't even as bad as eeteuk because part of him is more committed to his dad. leader has a coupla insecurity issues. and WOW psychoanalyzing kpop idols. i'm so done.
[16:47] Goose /// You don't even know how much I want your kiss:
XD
[16:47] Goose /// You don't even know how much I want your kiss:
honestly? i totally agree
[16:47] Goose /// You don't even know how much I want your kiss:
the pandering to the fans that Eeteuk does really annoys me sometimes
[16:48] these words are only half-written:
seriously. i hate ELF*, so every time the pandering happens i twitch a little and hope they mean things very very generally
[16:48] these words are only half-written:
and that they personally harbor a good dose of "god, wtf, our fans are crazy" sometimes.
[16:48] Goose /// You don't even know how much I want your kiss:
because these girls don't support you like they want you to believe, they just want things to go their way, and force their feelings onto the band
[16:48] Goose /// You don't even know how much I want your kiss:
oh, Kyuhyun totally does
[16:49] Goose /// You don't even know how much I want your kiss:
partly why i love him so much
[16:49] these words are only half-written:
<3 sungmin too
[16:49] Goose /// You don't even know how much I want your kiss:
yup. that thing about them all being one - wow, i have never loved him so much as i did then
[16:50] Goose /// You don't even know how much I want your kiss:
oh my GOD, parents, will you hurry up and go to bed so I can write kihae almost-smut without worrying about you coming in? >:(
* some of ELF, the batshit insane part
Please note that there was absolutely no segue from our serious discussion of Super Junior members to her complaining about writing fic, but it made me laugh because, bah, too much deep thoughts on fandom.
Despite all this tl;dr meta, however, the fic was very well-written. If you don't mind the drama of the issue, or the angst, definitely go read it.
Plus, new icons! (Look at how hot Heechul and his new hair is alsjflkdslkj!!)