Fannish 50 S3 Post 63: Cortis and stage presence
Dec. 10th, 2025 12:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
glitteryvLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISEN, I'll be the first one to own up to not quite getting Cortis' music when they began dropping songs a few months ago.
Part of it was that I legit CANNOT DEAL with their MVs (which are chaotic to the point of overwhelming me in the most negative of ways.) The other thing is that a lot (by which I mean over 50%) of the PR abt BigHit's newest group (yes, that's BTS and TXT's agency) was pushing how involved the members were in terms of songwriting and production. Per what I know of BH (and Hybe's agencies in general) is that they do tend to offer songwriting and production tracks for their trainees. A large part of the thinking comes from how BH worked with BTS (especially the rapline, but all 7 members have worked on their music since pre-debut era).
In any case, I do acknowledge that a lot of my 🤨 came from my own expectations on what Cortis' sound was gonna be like. I wasn't ready for any of it. That said, I sat thru all of the MVs (not having a great time, but still.) Even though I would 🙄 at the videos (which were co-directed by Cortis and some other guy), there was something abt the sound that kept me from outright dismissing the whole thing.
Then, some weeks ago, I happen to listen to Cortis' music on streaming and it was like something clicked in my brain. Suddenly, I got it. Have checked out a few of their live performances and have enjoyed most of them.
Anyhoodle, the 2025 Mnet Asian Music Awards (or MAMAs as they're known) were held over in Hong Kong two weeks ago. Not even gonna front, I didn't tune in for the live show cuz there truly wasn't anyone I was RARIN' to watch. Some years is like that, LOL. [Unlike the 2020 shows where I watched the show for, like, 6 hrs or so while waiting for BTS to perform, LOLsob. My one consolation is that there were millions of other ARMYs watching along. Small mercies and all that.]
Scrolled thru this year's performances once they were uploaded on YT. And my jaw DROPPED when I saw Cortis' stage. One thing to keep in mind is that this group has mainly young members; Martin, the leader, is 17 y.o., frex.
Trigger warning: lots of happy screams from the fans; A ton of fast camera movements (that are on par with Korean shows) including shaky-cams; Additional warnings for HEAVY STROBE LIGHTS starting 3:10 and going til the end.
I love the set-up with Martin working his keyboard (with the additional work from MAMAs' PD team synching up the lightsticks to represent the lights of a soundboard/equalizer thingie.)
Then how it expands to just the five members doing their choreo in between singing and rapping. Yes, there was backing track (per what I saw of everyone's performances, there wasn't a single performer who didn't have it. However, unlike some of the other artists, Cortis DID sing and rapped live at least 60% of the time, IJS.).
FWIW, I'm aware that the production team has tweaked the sound a little to push the crowds' roar to the forefront. I did see a few tweets (now locked) that were fancams and the crowds were HELLA LOUD for Cortis. It was impressive; gave me chills, heheh.
Part of it was that I legit CANNOT DEAL with their MVs (which are chaotic to the point of overwhelming me in the most negative of ways.) The other thing is that a lot (by which I mean over 50%) of the PR abt BigHit's newest group (yes, that's BTS and TXT's agency) was pushing how involved the members were in terms of songwriting and production. Per what I know of BH (and Hybe's agencies in general) is that they do tend to offer songwriting and production tracks for their trainees. A large part of the thinking comes from how BH worked with BTS (especially the rapline, but all 7 members have worked on their music since pre-debut era).
In any case, I do acknowledge that a lot of my 🤨 came from my own expectations on what Cortis' sound was gonna be like. I wasn't ready for any of it. That said, I sat thru all of the MVs (not having a great time, but still.) Even though I would 🙄 at the videos (which were co-directed by Cortis and some other guy), there was something abt the sound that kept me from outright dismissing the whole thing.
Then, some weeks ago, I happen to listen to Cortis' music on streaming and it was like something clicked in my brain. Suddenly, I got it. Have checked out a few of their live performances and have enjoyed most of them.
Anyhoodle, the 2025 Mnet Asian Music Awards (or MAMAs as they're known) were held over in Hong Kong two weeks ago. Not even gonna front, I didn't tune in for the live show cuz there truly wasn't anyone I was RARIN' to watch. Some years is like that, LOL. [Unlike the 2020 shows where I watched the show for, like, 6 hrs or so while waiting for BTS to perform, LOLsob. My one consolation is that there were millions of other ARMYs watching along. Small mercies and all that.]
Scrolled thru this year's performances once they were uploaded on YT. And my jaw DROPPED when I saw Cortis' stage. One thing to keep in mind is that this group has mainly young members; Martin, the leader, is 17 y.o., frex.
Trigger warning: lots of happy screams from the fans; A ton of fast camera movements (that are on par with Korean shows) including shaky-cams; Additional warnings for HEAVY STROBE LIGHTS starting 3:10 and going til the end.
I love the set-up with Martin working his keyboard (with the additional work from MAMAs' PD team synching up the lightsticks to represent the lights of a soundboard/equalizer thingie.)
Then how it expands to just the five members doing their choreo in between singing and rapping. Yes, there was backing track (per what I saw of everyone's performances, there wasn't a single performer who didn't have it. However, unlike some of the other artists, Cortis DID sing and rapped live at least 60% of the time, IJS.).
FWIW, I'm aware that the production team has tweaked the sound a little to push the crowds' roar to the forefront. I did see a few tweets (now locked) that were fancams and the crowds were HELLA LOUD for Cortis. It was impressive; gave me chills, heheh.
Fic in a Box recs!
Dec. 10th, 2025 09:55 amsnickfic posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
recthethingThere's a bunch of amazing stuff in the FIAB! I've made a couple of recs posts for fics I've loved so far.
My gifts (Red Sonja, Kyle Murchison Booth stories)
Horror fic recs (Cthulhu Mythos, House of Leaves, Original Work)
My gifts (Red Sonja, Kyle Murchison Booth stories)
Horror fic recs (Cthulhu Mythos, House of Leaves, Original Work)
fic recs: horror from FIAB
Dec. 10th, 2025 09:49 amsnickficThe Sorcerer and the Shadow, Cthulhu Mythos, Original Miskatonic Student/Original Sorcerer, 3k. Nathaniel Palfrey seeks a sorcerer's aid. Ambrose Corbin is more than happy to oblige. A twisty, nasty little horror story, full of layers. Really captures that menace Lovecraft's villains have while also being a literal gay seduction story. You love to see it. :')
HousesuoH, House of Leaves, 7k. Pre-canon horror fic about a contractor who agrees to do a renovation project on the house and really, really regrets it. This author has correctly identified the missing quarter-inch as the best/worst part of the whole book and has expanded on it. What a fun little horror story.
Yggdrasil Station: A 1-day Wormhole Hopper's guide!, Original Work, gen, 2.6k. Join interstellar travel blogger 1DAYWORMHOLEHOPPER as she guides you through the unique attractions of the one-time backwater Yggdrasil station! A delightfully terrible little story/blog/transcript of a cheerful vlogger trying out the gourmet dining experience of a meal prepared from a bodymodded human tree. Must be read to be believed. The author absolutely nails the voice of this particular genre of media.
HousesuoH, House of Leaves, 7k. Pre-canon horror fic about a contractor who agrees to do a renovation project on the house and really, really regrets it. This author has correctly identified the missing quarter-inch as the best/worst part of the whole book and has expanded on it. What a fun little horror story.
Yggdrasil Station: A 1-day Wormhole Hopper's guide!, Original Work, gen, 2.6k. Join interstellar travel blogger 1DAYWORMHOLEHOPPER as she guides you through the unique attractions of the one-time backwater Yggdrasil station! A delightfully terrible little story/blog/transcript of a cheerful vlogger trying out the gourmet dining experience of a meal prepared from a bodymodded human tree. Must be read to be believed. The author absolutely nails the voice of this particular genre of media.
FIAB fics!
Dec. 8th, 2025 04:42 pmsnickficficinabox reveals have happened, and after being a post-deadline pinch hit (and then a post-post-deadline pinch hit...) and being a little nervous about it, I got some great things. :3 More recs to come once I get a chance to explore the rest of the collection.i said farewell (i meant don't go), Red Sonja (2025), Sonja/Petra, 7k. Petra survives the arena, goes traveling with Sonja after the end of the movie, and absolute does not pine or have any feelings about it (and then gets abducted by an eldritch cult, oh no). Jaded traumatized warrior women/young earnest warrior woman, what an excellent ship. :') The writing here is gorgeous, and the fic hits that good tropey goodness in a way that can be hard to find in femslash.
Probably readable canon-blind? If this sounds like your jam at all, I definitely recommend. This fandom is SO SMALL that the tag is unwrangled on AO3, and I worry that no one but me is going to find this fic and read it.
The Lonely Ones, Kyle Murchison Booth stories, Booth/Alexis Rigby pre-slash, 5k. One misterable stormy night, Alexis appears on Booth's doorstep, to their mutual surprise. This is the first fic for this ship longer than a drabble, and I am so delighted it exists. The writing is really delicate and lovely, and very careful, as it needs to be when writing Booth making new personal connections (whether he wants or not).
Reflections, Kyle Murchison Booth stories, Booth/Ratcliffe, 3k. Despite his best intentions, Ratcliffe loses touch with Booth and then starts to form some suspicions about why that might be. I love this premise of Booth being a kind of liminal being as well, which fits right in with some of the ways Monette treats time and setting in canon. A nice shippy little ghost(?) story.
fic recs: femslash
Dec. 5th, 2025 10:37 amsnickficStar Trek: TOS
Cheek to Cheek by![[archiveofourown.org profile]](https://p2.dreamwidth.org/b164c54b26e4/-/archiveofourown.org/favicon.ico)
septemberbells
Chapel/Uhura, 100 words. Very sweet. <333
The Haunting of Hill House
Oleander Square bygalaxyofroses
Theo/Eleanor, 2k. Theo returns haunted from Hill House, maybe literally. I love this unconventional form of haunting. This has just great atmosphere, with lovely prose and such elegant imagery.
Original Work
Little Rat byChocoChipBiscuit
Noblewoman/The Woman Her Husband Is Having an Affair With, 5k. A noblewoman goes to a her London townhouse, only to discover her estranged husband's newest bed-mate. I enjoyed the hell out of this. I love their dynamic, their mutual respect for each others' worldliness and practicality combined with their attraction for each other. Also: the smut is scorching hot. Just delightful all around.
True Detective: Night Country
All Summer in a Day byLuna
Danvers/Navarro, 3k. Or: six months later, a reunion. This is the hot, gorgeous, atmospheric, character-driven, immediately post-canon shipfic at that random lake cabin that we all deserved! The writing here is so lovely, and the dynamic between them is complicated and full of sparks. I especially love the Danvers voice here. Wonderful stuff.
Cheek to Cheek by
Chapel/Uhura, 100 words. Very sweet. <333
The Haunting of Hill House
Oleander Square by
Theo/Eleanor, 2k. Theo returns haunted from Hill House, maybe literally. I love this unconventional form of haunting. This has just great atmosphere, with lovely prose and such elegant imagery.
Original Work
Little Rat by
Noblewoman/The Woman Her Husband Is Having an Affair With, 5k. A noblewoman goes to a her London townhouse, only to discover her estranged husband's newest bed-mate. I enjoyed the hell out of this. I love their dynamic, their mutual respect for each others' worldliness and practicality combined with their attraction for each other. Also: the smut is scorching hot. Just delightful all around.
True Detective: Night Country
All Summer in a Day by
Danvers/Navarro, 3k. Or: six months later, a reunion. This is the hot, gorgeous, atmospheric, character-driven, immediately post-canon shipfic at that random lake cabin that we all deserved! The writing here is so lovely, and the dynamic between them is complicated and full of sparks. I especially love the Danvers voice here. Wonderful stuff.
2025 entertainment round-up
Dec. 5th, 2025 03:09 pmlucymonsterFandom: I'll make a separate post about my own year's writing later this month (once my last couple of exchange fics are revealed lol) but in general terms, this has been a really good fannish year for me! The Legacy of Vader comics have kicked my obsession with Star Wars back into overdrive (I still pinch myself every time I think about just how good to me they've been). I also found myself unexpectedly fannish about The Love Hypothesis, which turns out to have a thriving and quite active little fandom.
I only signed up to a handful of exchanges but received some truly gorgeous gifts - special mention has to go toambiguityisnoonesfriend who 1) has never once written me a fic that wasn't an insta-fave but most especially 2) went and actually bought the relevant issues of the Kylo comic (which released barely before deadline) for the sole purpose of gifting me this perfect ficlet about my horrible new blorbo. Just opening the link again to copy it here has me grinning hard enough to hurt.
Books: This year I continued my streak of reading more fiction. According to my Goodreads tracking, I've read 29 new novels/novellas this year so far and will likely finish one or two more by the end of the year. (I don't track DNFs, rereads, books that are long-term in-progress reads, short stories, poems, or books that I've intentionally only read bits of.) I've also read some longform nonfiction, mostly Christian stuff, but for the purposes of this post I've only counted the fiction.
Trends of interest: most of my reading has been adult SFF, with minor forays into romance, mystery and horror. Virtually all of it has been by female authors, the sole exception being one single Stephen Graham Jones novel. This isn't an intentional project but an organic phase I seem to be going through in my interests - I'm just feeling far more drawn to women's voices at the moment. Most of this year's protagonists have been women, too, and all the romance has been M/F or F/F.
I'm not going to try and pick a favourite book of the year. I've read so much good stuff and am feeling very creatively nourished.
This has also been my year for audiobook adoption. I can still only really listen to books I've read before (or books that are really formulaic and easy to follow) because I tend to intermittently zone out, but pretty jigsaw puzzle + nice familiar audiobook has become one of my favourite ways to unwind on tired evenings.
Music: This year I managed to mostly quarantine the kids' music onto the Youtube Music app so that my Spotify stats actually mean something. (I need to get the fuck off Spotify and start buying my music again; I'm thinking of making it a project/resolution for next year.) That said, the stats haven't told me anything I didn't already know. I've had a fairly unadventurous year, listening mostly to the same few artists on repeat. Top three:
I'd like to pay a bit more attention to new releases next year, but we'll see. I've been enjoying my stint of comfort listening.
TV and movies: I've barely glanced at the telly all year, let alone made it to the movie theatre. IDK, nothing has interested me that much and I'd usually rather be reading. The only things I was excited for were Murderbot and season two of Andor, both of which ended up being disappointments - but more of the 'I've moved on and forgotten about them' than the resentful variety.
I did enjoy watching The Terror, though again, I haven't thought much about it since finishing the last episode.
I only signed up to a handful of exchanges but received some truly gorgeous gifts - special mention has to go to
ambiguityisnoonesfriend who 1) has never once written me a fic that wasn't an insta-fave but most especially 2) went and actually bought the relevant issues of the Kylo comic (which released barely before deadline) for the sole purpose of gifting me this perfect ficlet about my horrible new blorbo. Just opening the link again to copy it here has me grinning hard enough to hurt.Books: This year I continued my streak of reading more fiction. According to my Goodreads tracking, I've read 29 new novels/novellas this year so far and will likely finish one or two more by the end of the year. (I don't track DNFs, rereads, books that are long-term in-progress reads, short stories, poems, or books that I've intentionally only read bits of.) I've also read some longform nonfiction, mostly Christian stuff, but for the purposes of this post I've only counted the fiction.
Trends of interest: most of my reading has been adult SFF, with minor forays into romance, mystery and horror. Virtually all of it has been by female authors, the sole exception being one single Stephen Graham Jones novel. This isn't an intentional project but an organic phase I seem to be going through in my interests - I'm just feeling far more drawn to women's voices at the moment. Most of this year's protagonists have been women, too, and all the romance has been M/F or F/F.
I'm not going to try and pick a favourite book of the year. I've read so much good stuff and am feeling very creatively nourished.
This has also been my year for audiobook adoption. I can still only really listen to books I've read before (or books that are really formulaic and easy to follow) because I tend to intermittently zone out, but pretty jigsaw puzzle + nice familiar audiobook has become one of my favourite ways to unwind on tired evenings.
Music: This year I managed to mostly quarantine the kids' music onto the Youtube Music app so that my Spotify stats actually mean something. (I need to get the fuck off Spotify and start buying my music again; I'm thinking of making it a project/resolution for next year.) That said, the stats haven't told me anything I didn't already know. I've had a fairly unadventurous year, listening mostly to the same few artists on repeat. Top three:
- The Night Eternal, especially their album Moonlit Cross
- Unto Others - I'm still hooked on Never, Neverland from last year
- Iron Maiden (I don't need to link you guys to Iron Maiden).
I'd like to pay a bit more attention to new releases next year, but we'll see. I've been enjoying my stint of comfort listening.
TV and movies: I've barely glanced at the telly all year, let alone made it to the movie theatre. IDK, nothing has interested me that much and I'd usually rather be reading. The only things I was excited for were Murderbot and season two of Andor, both of which ended up being disappointments - but more of the 'I've moved on and forgotten about them' than the resentful variety.
I did enjoy watching The Terror, though again, I haven't thought much about it since finishing the last episode.
Community Recs Post!
Dec. 4th, 2025 11:14 amglitteryv posting in recthethingEvery Thursday, we have a community post, just like this one, where you can drop a rec or five in the comments.
This works great if you only have one rec and don't want to make a whole post for it, or if you don't have a DW account, or if you're shy. ;)
(But don't forget: you can deffo make posts of your own seven days a week. ;D!)
So what cool podfics/fancrafts/fanvids/fanart/other kinds of fanworks have we discovered this week? Drop it in the comments below. Anon comment is enabled.
BTW, AI fanworks are not eligible for reccing at recthething. If you aware that a fanwork is AI-generated, please do not rec it here
This works great if you only have one rec and don't want to make a whole post for it, or if you don't have a DW account, or if you're shy. ;)
(But don't forget: you can deffo make posts of your own seven days a week. ;D!)
So what cool podfics/fancrafts/fanvids/fanart/other kinds of fanworks have we discovered this week? Drop it in the comments below. Anon comment is enabled.
BTW, AI fanworks are not eligible for reccing at recthething. If you aware that a fanwork is AI-generated, please do not rec it here
10 True Loves
Dec. 4th, 2025 03:32 pmlucymonster10trueloves is a prompt challenge to create ten fanworks for one character, each work featuring a different ship (/ or &). I've chosen Kylo Ren (surprise!) and prompt table #9:| 01. | Safe. | 02. | Danger. | 03. | Limits. | 04. | Private. | 05 | Denial. |
| 06. | Reality. | 07. | Lies. | 08. | Wound. | 09. | Habits. | 10. | Flaws. |
Fancake Theme for December: Amnesty
Dec. 3rd, 2025 09:34 amrunpunkrun posting in fandomcalendar
fancake is a thematic recommendation community where all members are welcome to post recs, and fanworks of all shapes and sizes are accepted. Check out the community guidelines for the full set of rules. This theme runs for the entire month. If you have any questions, just ask!
Legacy of Vader #11: Rudie Nudie
Dec. 3rd, 2025 07:35 amlucymonsterListen. I don't have time to write a proper recap right now, but I need you guys to know as a matter of urgency that Kylo Ren spent the entirety of today's issue frolicking around Fortress Vader in his underpants.
( Cut for frolicking! )
( Cut for frolicking! )