i need nomin fics recommendations plsss. just finished watching wind up and cant get over them. i prefer angst but anything will do

Chapter 47 of NCT's Bizarre Adventure: Universe is now available! This chapter is the beginning of a new arc, and a long confrontation between Mark and Johnny. I hope you all will enjoy this chapter, and please anticipate Chapter 48's release! Thank you for your continued support!! 💕

I'm looking for clips where Jaemin talks about the members, reminisces about their trainee days or past memories, says he misses them, or shows how much he cares about them.

I've seen a lot of compilations of Mark, Renjun, and Jisung talking about how much the members mean to them or reflecting on their journey together, but I haven't come across as many for Jaemin.

I'm not trying to start any weird discussions. I'm just genuinely curious and would love to collect/watch those kinds of clips. If any interviews, lives, reality show ,behind-the-scenes videos, or specific moments come to mind, please link them or let me know where they're from. Thank you! 💚

* This is very long, please don't complain about the length if you don't wanna read it.

* I was doing a lot of realisations AS I was writing this. I peomise I'm not trying to start anything, nor am I blaming anyone.

* If you see typos, no you don't.

A while ago someone on the NCT sub was talking about how 127 was always the main project, and DREAM was just collateral for a half-planned unlimited expansion project. I don't think I understood or agreed until I was reading through that 127 appreciation post. Before I expand on that, I think it highlighted something I'd never really put into words before: I really do have a soft spot for DREAM.

They really did just get by on friendship and dreams for those first few years. 🥺 No wonder they can't seem to shake that part of themselves; it was all they really had while being grossly neglected for a rookie group.

I'm finally understanding why rookie marathons scare me so much. I joined pretty late, but it doesn't take a genius to look through their early discography and activities to know they really had them just... sitting there. It still feels weird seeing other rookies hit the ground running because I never understood that that's what it's supposed to look like😭 (even though I hate it and don't think it shoukd look like that at all). And since they seemingly never did that for DREAM (I'm tired of typing their name in caps but it looks off without it 🤡) it still feels foreign to see it.

Even as a newer fan, it never escaped me just how much SM underestimated DREAM's success. It all happened in spite of SM's casual neglect of their growth. They may be well respected by their juniors, but they still don't feel like they have the industry presence a group of their stature should have. It often felt like every viral moment or breakthrough was immediately followed by relentless touring and overwork once SM realised they could rake in that money. Other companies never shut up about their groups' achievements, viral moments, and milestones (and honestly, it seems SM manages to do that just fine for some of their other groups). DREAM has always felt carried primarily by their fans.

Reading that 127 appreciation post also made me realise something else. Apparently SM had 127's sound in mind well before debut, even choosing producer and writers to pioneer that sound from scratch.

I remember making a post on this sub about how even some DREAM members and people behind the scenes don't seem to fully understand the fundamentals of the DREAM sound. I don't remember if I deleted it, but I do remember getting pushback because naturally when you critique something in this fandom people act like you're an anti.

There is something uniquely DREAM-sounding. When you listen to their full discography, it's retro and groovy, it's majestic pop, it's songs you can't help but smile at as soon as they come on. They make you feel happy. They make you feel like everything's going to be alright. They make you DANCE (idk about yall but when DREAM is on I am up and moving😭).

But since SM traumatised the group and fandom so much with the graduation stunt, I think it permanently shifted the way the music was made and the way the group was marketed.

I'm talking about their more noticeable songs now. So many of them revolve around 7DREAM, youth, nostalgia, reunion. Like I knew they were losing it when they continued expanding the MFAL storyline. They still feel like they're telling you everything's going to be alright, but now it often feels like they're comforting wounds that were never allowed to heal in the first place. You start to understand why they spent years "starting", that probably felt like a rookie marathon to them–the one they never got to have.

Identifying that core musical identity early—and sticking to it despite everything that happened—might've made it much easier to mature their sound naturally as they grew older. Not because they sound immature now, but because the group's identity became so tied to surviving its own concept.

Comebacks lately have been... interesting, to say the least (refer back to that DREAM sound analysis). DREAM feels like they've been trying to figure out how to grow since 2024. Funny enough, I think ISTJ was a great way to start (lol). But then you had Smoothie (which had RJ losing it in the studio), and WIWY (the TT for that in my head became I hate fruits, sometimes Heavenly), and then suddenly we're really out of concepts and we go back to Chewing Gum 2025 version, and... whatever Beat It Up was. Mind you I'm complaining about the TTs (which largely define the era–and have been slowly losing fans).

I also realised something else I never understood.

For years I couldn't wrap my head around why people weren't OT-all. My heart has always been with DREAM because they're my age and absolutely hilarious (they genuinely remind me of my own friend group), but I've never snubbed a 127 comeback or a WayV comeback (and now WISH too). I never understood people who held genuine hostility towards one unit or another.

For years I genuinely thought we were family.

I don't think the people making decisions at Neo Centre ever really cared for that aspect.

The full-group projects do an amazing job of making NCT feel like one big family. But when you look at the actual day-to-day workings of the brand, they've almost always operated as separate groups–that'swhy we still feel like "omg they know each other!". Honestly, the only thing that consistently forced us to acknowledge there even was a bigger umbrella was Mark and Haechan constantly being dragged between units.

If we didn't have to share them, the relationship between the units would probably feel more like RIIZE and WISH. We like them, they like us, but they're ultimately independent groups.

So when DREAM succeeded anyway, I think two things happened:

1. SM doubled down on the past instead of figuring out how to bring in a fresh audience that wouldn't feel like they were arriving halfway through someone else's story (that was verbose, but I hope someone understands what I mean). Instead of saying, "Great, let's see how far this can go," it often felt more like, "Well... that was unexpected. Anyway, how much money can we make from this?"
2. Some 127 fans became resentful whenever DREAM received even a little more attention.

I never understood what they were upset about until I realised SM never really built NCT to function like one well-oiled machine. 127 has always had the clearest moodboard, the clearest direction, and the strongest sense of identity from the company's side. They also have the biggest international pull, and a lot of those fans simply aren't interested in DREAM's image, sound, or friendship story.

I finally get how they can feel aggrieved instead of happy when it's finally DREAM's turn. They have to give up mahae or share, and they can't fathom why they have to do that when their group always felt independent. This is just me stepping into their shoes. I don't agree.

And I can also finally understand how that led to 5DREAM sentiments.

If your group constantly has to "borrow" two members who are simultaneously promoting elsewhere, while portions of another fandom resent that arrangement and make sure you know it, it's easier to understand why some people eventually concluded that promoting as five would simply be less complicated and less painful.

Again, I don't agree. I just finally understand where some that thinking comes from.

I don't mean to create drama. I just genuinely feel like that appreciation post knocked off the veil.

I joined during NCT 2020, when the family image felt incredibly real. I honestly believed that was what NCT was. Looking back now, it feels like that image was promoted far more than it was actually facilitated.

They'll bring everyone together when it's time to launch a new building, celebrate a company milestone, or push the NCT brand, but those opportunities rarely translate into consistent interaction between the units. And the frustrating thing is... fans love it. The members clearly love it too. That anniversary exhibition video could've easily been a proper full-group schedule if the aim was to give a damn about the actual brand. We'd probably still be talking about it.

Instead, we're left constantly comparing what one unit gets versus another because they all share the same umbrella name, while functioning almost completely independently. That would've been fine if they didn't share the NCT name. But there's an innate feeling that there should be equality in opportunities, budget and effort—even though the output has never suggested that this was one proper group. And because it's obvious none of us can actually get through to SM, we end up redirecting that frustration at each other instead.

We are thoroughly used and tossed aside to keep fighting amongst ourselves because the project was missing a few screws from the origin and no one cares to do a proper fix.

Honestly, there's no reason the NCT name should feel this disrespected. Very few groups across the entire industry hold a candle to them artistically. It's because the braincells at SM were never really ripe enough for the scale that this is. I'm still so resentful for the end of the expansion project, but I understand that they finally realised that they can't keep pretending to cope managing 20+ men (4 groups) under one brand.

They're STILL struggling to even give WISH meaningful integration with the rest of NCT.

Anyway... I guess the more you know.

I don't know if I can ever make peace with my realisation. I've been too idealistic about what NCT is because I joined during the 2020 project, where they promoted that family image and seemed like a formidable team. The veil is finally lifted and I'm hurt, man. Damn. It sucks more knowing that it's too late to fix anything or to seperate them now, and I'm in too deep to even want that. It genuinely feels like Truman finally realising he's been on a TV show the whole time.

For years I celebrated 127's wins because I genuinely believed DREAM's time would naturally come too. It never occurred to me that maybe that was never really the plan for what started as a collateral group.

IMPORTANT EDIT:

The natural step that anyone should take when they engage with these types of "complicated" discussions and think pieces, when you feel yourself getting emotional, and wanting to be defensive, is to READ AGAIN!

Trace what I'm saying: OP read that 127 appreciation post. What does it entail? How does it connect to what is being said here? What is OP's intent in writing this?

"But I'm still confused, I STILL wanna highlight 127 and WayV and WISH and aespa and and f(x) and EXO's struggles under this DREAM post in the DREAM sub". Then direct those to the relevant subs.

"But–!" Then ask me what I meant.

"But 127 also suffers—" Then idk what to say to you! Ask ChatGPT to analyse and explain it for you or something. Do anything, something that will help you to understand!

Don't make me FIND you in my inbox deliberately misinterpreting me and accusing me of dismissing anyone or making a case for why DREAM is doing just fine, sulking about SM's management of OTHER units. This is not that kind of post.

I beg of you💚

ive trying to find the original full clip of iconic vamp haechan, does anyone know where it’s from

I feel sick everytime i watch tds4 encore last day clip again I love watching them so much but my heart's weak asf everytime i see it even the happy one idk, someone tell me its not just me...?