kep hierarchy (TO ME!!)
Jun. 16th, 2022 12:26 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
xihului'm always fascinated by group hierarchies and what they entail. i was talking to the lads about loona hierarchy (bbi haeng > girls > blonde baby unit) and as interesting as it was there is only so much i can ponder on a group i no longer know well. and then i remembered i like new groups! itzy i'm still learning (midzyfication post...eventually...) though the hierarchy is clear and thoroughly discussed. KEP1ER ON THE OTHER HAND. i simply will not be interacting with the fandom aside from my friends and also the fic/rpf scene is dead so if i finish my drafts at some point i can be a pioneer.
the thing is kep are stupid hard to rank because they're all pleasant people. almost no one reaches for power! even the girls who were formidable on 999 have softened and thrown all that out in favor of puppyisms. maybe i'm susceptible to the dynamics they're trying to push but everyone is just so nice to each other. this extends to 999 to some extent (me struggling to insert conflict in xrn drafts) but not really (999 had the endlessly entertaining and dynamic xihulu)
for the purpose of not making me think too hard, i'm determining hierarchy based on:
KIM DAYEON IS A LOSER. i think this is so funny to me she is utterly pathetic now. the reason she looked like a good leader in 999 was because she lead ice cream (unconfident members that relied her completely) and snake (cai bing a nervous wreck after being evil edited to her grave). in the group? that girl just goes with the flow. saying yes to marriage proposals willy nilly, following #3 around like a puppy and doing anything she asks while not being able to look her in the eye... she's also soooo bad at games and this is where everyone clowns her. i could list examples but that would just be me giving a play-by-play of kep-chup eps 3-4. if ranks 4 through 8 have no power, dayeon has negative power.
CHOI YUJIN let's be honest here: if the most capable person was older and korean, yujin would not be the leader. not that she can't do it-- i think she simply doesn't have the mindset for it. she leads by kindness which lead to problems on more than one occasion. it's why we have a co-leader, and why part of why #2 is #2. yujin actively relinquishes her power when she doesn't need it, and she eats up opportunities for aegyo and yaja time. she's also reaching out to friends and unnies all the time. yujin crumbling when bona calls her a baby and asks if it's hard? she wants to be taken care of!
SEO YOUNGEUN says she's infp and always has been. okay............ anyway she is just a little lad! playful menace but playful outweighs menace i think. likes to tease, doesn't like to be teased, but also doesn't fight back. she's tricky for me to figure out because she doesn't have a person. she does however attach herself to people nearby; girl has like 8 moms after queendom, we've seen that she likes to sleep with others on 999, etc. i dont know! she's a baby! the scary youngeun of 999 is dormant because she is simply having too much fun. for now i'm lumping 04z together and she seems the most...content? of the three.
EZAKI HIKARU is the aforementioned formidable girl who is now a puppy. menace outweighs playful. however it's mostly unintentional? girl emptied her mind as soon as she was announced in the group. i keep thinking about her helping moving into the dorm by unraveling the towels that were just folded....... she's just happy to be here. she is more likely to tease but all in good fun, and takes it well too. However, if you hit a sore spot she will fight back more than youngeun (shoving dayeon in dance vlive (it's dayeon but still)). she Is the puppy of the group but you have to play your cards right.
HUENING BAHIYYIH is um... higher than hikaru LOL. while hiyyih is the least menace of 04z she is the most focused in her menace-isms. when she wants to mess with someone, she messes with hikaru. but they're also besties and would die for each other or something. she's a little petty (stealing back her line from xiaoting during part switch in idol theater) and is very expressive so you see when she feels insulted, however exaggerated it might be. but again, this is a group of nice people and there's no bite.
KANG YESEO could have so much power if she wanted. she absolutely does not want it. the girl hates yaja time! hates pretending mashiro is her sameage friend. takes clowning in stride. when she teases people (rare) it's more of a test of wit than with any intent to clown. the girl eclipses everyone in terms of industry experience but she uses said experience to help everyone and be the best maknae to her unnies. what a good kid...
KIM CHAEHYUN BOSS BABY. is a brat and gets away with it because everyone lets her!! she is the only one trying to enforce some sort of hierarchy and by that i mean she challenges yujin and fucks with dayeon on the regular. the thing is those are her main, dare i say only victims. she's nice to everyone else, and adores #2 and #1. IN GAMES HOWEVER, no one is safe. (kep1er zone running man, kep-chup field day, kep-chup mafia) she will win with a smile on her face. you better stay out of her way, even if you're on her team!
SHEN XIAOTING does not actually have power. or maybe she does but she is not organically this high. she's a leader support. when you have a leaderline as nonthreatening as kep's, someone has to make sure they're actually listened to. wrt yujin specifically-- xiaoting adores her and is always watching out for her. xiaoting has led a winning team before (fate), but kep listen to her out of respect. she doesn't need direct leadership because her presence alone guides and reassures the others. one of the lads said this the other day: yujin is fake leader, #1 is leader proper, and xiaoting is coleader proper. and that brings us to...
SAKAMOTO MASHIRO YOU ARE A FUCKING ENIGMA. yes she is my bias-maybe-ult. i promise this is not biased. (it is, but it isn't) two talking points for this:
you guys i really love kep. i've gotten over all apprehensions about the lineup and literally adore the person i actively disliked... you can point and laugh it's okay
the thing is kep are stupid hard to rank because they're all pleasant people. almost no one reaches for power! even the girls who were formidable on 999 have softened and thrown all that out in favor of puppyisms. maybe i'm susceptible to the dynamics they're trying to push but everyone is just so nice to each other. this extends to 999 to some extent (me struggling to insert conflict in xrn drafts) but not really (999 had the endlessly entertaining and dynamic xihulu)
for the purpose of not making me think too hard, i'm determining hierarchy based on:
- if a person has power to persuade/guide the group, and/or
- if a person has power over specific people
#9
KIM DAYEON IS A LOSER. i think this is so funny to me she is utterly pathetic now. the reason she looked like a good leader in 999 was because she lead ice cream (unconfident members that relied her completely) and snake (cai bing a nervous wreck after being evil edited to her grave). in the group? that girl just goes with the flow. saying yes to marriage proposals willy nilly, following #3 around like a puppy and doing anything she asks while not being able to look her in the eye... she's also soooo bad at games and this is where everyone clowns her. i could list examples but that would just be me giving a play-by-play of kep-chup eps 3-4. if ranks 4 through 8 have no power, dayeon has negative power.
#8
CHOI YUJIN let's be honest here: if the most capable person was older and korean, yujin would not be the leader. not that she can't do it-- i think she simply doesn't have the mindset for it. she leads by kindness which lead to problems on more than one occasion. it's why we have a co-leader, and why part of why #2 is #2. yujin actively relinquishes her power when she doesn't need it, and she eats up opportunities for aegyo and yaja time. she's also reaching out to friends and unnies all the time. yujin crumbling when bona calls her a baby and asks if it's hard? she wants to be taken care of!
#7
SEO YOUNGEUN says she's infp and always has been. okay............ anyway she is just a little lad! playful menace but playful outweighs menace i think. likes to tease, doesn't like to be teased, but also doesn't fight back. she's tricky for me to figure out because she doesn't have a person. she does however attach herself to people nearby; girl has like 8 moms after queendom, we've seen that she likes to sleep with others on 999, etc. i dont know! she's a baby! the scary youngeun of 999 is dormant because she is simply having too much fun. for now i'm lumping 04z together and she seems the most...content? of the three.
#6
EZAKI HIKARU is the aforementioned formidable girl who is now a puppy. menace outweighs playful. however it's mostly unintentional? girl emptied her mind as soon as she was announced in the group. i keep thinking about her helping moving into the dorm by unraveling the towels that were just folded....... she's just happy to be here. she is more likely to tease but all in good fun, and takes it well too. However, if you hit a sore spot she will fight back more than youngeun (shoving dayeon in dance vlive (it's dayeon but still)). she Is the puppy of the group but you have to play your cards right.
#5
HUENING BAHIYYIH is um... higher than hikaru LOL. while hiyyih is the least menace of 04z she is the most focused in her menace-isms. when she wants to mess with someone, she messes with hikaru. but they're also besties and would die for each other or something. she's a little petty (stealing back her line from xiaoting during part switch in idol theater) and is very expressive so you see when she feels insulted, however exaggerated it might be. but again, this is a group of nice people and there's no bite.
#4
KANG YESEO could have so much power if she wanted. she absolutely does not want it. the girl hates yaja time! hates pretending mashiro is her sameage friend. takes clowning in stride. when she teases people (rare) it's more of a test of wit than with any intent to clown. the girl eclipses everyone in terms of industry experience but she uses said experience to help everyone and be the best maknae to her unnies. what a good kid...
#3
KIM CHAEHYUN BOSS BABY. is a brat and gets away with it because everyone lets her!! she is the only one trying to enforce some sort of hierarchy and by that i mean she challenges yujin and fucks with dayeon on the regular. the thing is those are her main, dare i say only victims. she's nice to everyone else, and adores #2 and #1. IN GAMES HOWEVER, no one is safe. (kep1er zone running man, kep-chup field day, kep-chup mafia) she will win with a smile on her face. you better stay out of her way, even if you're on her team!
#2
SHEN XIAOTING does not actually have power. or maybe she does but she is not organically this high. she's a leader support. when you have a leaderline as nonthreatening as kep's, someone has to make sure they're actually listened to. wrt yujin specifically-- xiaoting adores her and is always watching out for her. xiaoting has led a winning team before (fate), but kep listen to her out of respect. she doesn't need direct leadership because her presence alone guides and reassures the others. one of the lads said this the other day: yujin is fake leader, #1 is leader proper, and xiaoting is coleader proper. and that brings us to...
#1
SAKAMOTO MASHIRO YOU ARE A FUCKING ENIGMA. yes she is my bias-maybe-ult. i promise this is not biased. (it is, but it isn't) two talking points for this:
- i know 100% mnet winrate is a joke but is it really? the only times she hasn't won on mnet competitions are skz survival (rigged), shine team 1 (yujin was leader) and queendom 2 (co-leader + this is a whole other post). and then when you look at the people she has lead. whipped fiesta team into shape and they won. fyn (two years older) IMMEDIATELY said she didn't want leader and it should be mashiro, jiwon agreed, and they won. uml team had three people kicked out of their original teams and won. ooo mission didn't have a team winning aspect but yujin was on her team and won (notably the only killing part to do so), also 7/9 members ended up debuting. like at that point it's no longer a phenomenon but a testament to how she leads right? and rigging aside ALL of itzy have spoken fondly of her (me having a section of my carrd dedicated to compiling interactions), and bangchan has mentioned her as well. idk i think having that many people sitting in the bleachers for her has to mean something. to be a fly on the wall...
- mashiro was never on a team with xiaoting or chaehyun until ooo mission, but look at them now. unnie line vlive has chaehyun feeding mashiro throughout. sure you could say chaehyun has another leader eating out of her hand, but it's giving mafia princess. chaehyun is always poised to strike at someone but it is never shiro. very convenient how she was absent when dayeon and youngeun were chasing mashiro in kepzone running man, when she pounced literally everyone else. and in their qd2 spotify video, instead of practicing they bonded over their playlist/blend and chaehyun did a taeyeon cover on the spot simply because shiro asked? thinking emoji
- (splitting up for readability) now put your xiaoshiro glasses on. ~99z blood type ab introvert line~ couldn't be more different. xiaoting is incredibly competitive But she doesn't leave 2nd-most-uncompetitive-idol-ever shiro behind. she's another one of those people who like to care of mashiro. and it's mutual! mashiro helps translate obviously, and i forgot what interview/show/etc but xiaoting has been quoted saying "thank you for always making me feel safe" ❤️❤️❤️ also THE 99Z LIVE? SHEN XIAOTING IS A BRAT? mashiro having to literally pull the coleader card to prevent more spoilers is mind boggling. i think xiaoting is still a mystery herself but much less than the 999 days, and there is a level of respect/trust in mashiro that she chooses to open up and be a menace with her. she sees that tiny little marshmallow and says ah yes, i can finally let loose. and she's in vlive jail for it LMAO
- not another point but watching the 99z live really made me nostalgic because she called herself WUBAI.... i miss 999 😭
you guys i really love kep. i've gotten over all apprehensions about the lineup and literally adore the person i actively disliked... you can point and laugh it's okay
