Author: liz

Dear, guys – welcome back to Letters From Liz!

I wanted to do something different for the blog! At first, I was thinking of just writing my thoughts and opinions on being a collector in the Kpop community, but then I thought: why not let the collecting/trading community ask me things they will like to know? So one night over the weekend, I asked people on my trading and collection accounts to ask me questions and, well, there’s a lot of interesting ones!

So without further ado, hi, I’m Liz and I’m a Kpop collector!

ktrades_cr (Cameron) asked: Where do you find your Victon non-album photocards and how do you know it’s for a good/decent price?

So for those who may not know: a non-album photocard is an official photocard that are not from their albums; they are typically from special events, merchandise, music show broadcasts, pre-order benefits, etc.

At first, it was really hard to find non-album PCs for Victon because I didn’t have the resources to find them. I say your moots (or mutuals) are your best way to score non-album PCs for any group that you may be collecting! My moot and friend, Amy, helps me find a lot of the rarer non-album PCs through sellers directly from South Korea. Many collectors have overseas connections so if you have a friend that can help you reach out to them for rarer photocards, I suggest doing that because it brings me to by next answer about pricing…

Pricing for PCs are insane these days, and if people are selling in-print album PCs for an absurd amount of money, people will do the same (if not worse) for non-album PCs because in most cases, non-album PCs are harder to find and not always available for immediate purchase. Sellers from the United States will sell a Seungwoo non-album PC for $50, but Korean sellers (directly) will sell them at a reasonable price just because of how frequent and available those cards are to obtain.

I say non-album PCs should not be more than $30 unless it’s a PC that is extremely rare and hard to find. Music show broadcast PCs should go for a little more just because they are only given out to people who attend these music shows during a groups’ promotion, so they have more of a rarity. It’s all about hearing from other moots and their buying experiences to see what price range works best for you.

hansetrades (Amy, my IG child) asked a couple of questions! She first asked: Any goals for my collection?

More space. I envy those who have, like, a real bookshelf for their albums and collection! So I guess for right now, my goals for my collection is to think smarter about it. When I started collecting, I started to buy albums that I thought I liked but I think I was just really in the moment of those releases, so there’s a couple of albums I might get rid of because I don’t like them being on my shelf! But I definitely would like to also finish my Seungsik collection to its entirety, I know some PCs are going to be harder to find than others, but honestly I’m even shocked that I made it this far into my Victon and Seungsik collections.

Amy also asked: How do you feel about your collection?

Oof. The deep question. Being a collector, I’ve realized there’s been many ups and downs. For starters, the great part about collecting is that it’s a hobby and something you look at and be proud of. I’ve always been an album collector (CDs in jewel cases) when I was younger and I guess it just transitioned into Kpop albums, but it’s been a really fun journey to have a collection and be so far into it.

But, my collection also can be a cause of my anxiety. I say that because although collection isn’t a competition and there’s no race to who collects the fastest, many collectors do run on that mentality and it always freaks me out if I’m trying to find a rarer PC that I might miss out on it because someone snagged it before I did. I’ve been on both sides of that scenario where I was lucky to find PCs and claim them before anyone else, and vice versa. But, I also am an adult with responsibilities so I know my collection will slow down for the time being, but – I don’t regret it. Should I have put all my money into a savings account for a rainy day? Sure, but I didn’t and I’m okay with that because I used it for something that has brought me an immense amount of joy.

My girl Amy coming in with the heavy hitters! She asked: What did you expect when you joined the trading community?

I expected to actually be kicked out of it because of my age. I am 26, and I always felt some shame behind me being so into Kpop and wanting to collect albums and PCs, so when my moot and friend, Ella, convinced me to open a trading account, I was skeptical at first because then it required me to expose that hidden fact about myself. I thought I was going to leave after awhile because I absolutely hate new things, and at first this account stressed me out. It’s been the complete opposite; I feel more accepted into this community more than anywhere, and I’ve made some amazing friendships because I joined the trading community.

The one thing about the trading community that I didn’t expect is that where there is a community, there will be some sort of drama. I try my hardest to stay out of any drama, whether that’s exposing people as scammers or time-wasters or just getting into arguments; I am more of the listener and occasional advice-giver! Just like any type of community, I know not everyone will like me for me or not connect with my energy and that’s cool; as long as we can keep things professional and just trade or sell for any given circumstance then that’s all that matters. But, you have to do whats comfortable for you at the end of the day and you have control what you want on your account or not.

Amy asked: Worst experience with a trade or a sale?

Juicy! I haven’t had many bad experiences with trades or sales; the only ones that come to mine are just the type of trade or sell accounts that kept things… very professional. I mean don’t get me wrong, the trading community is like a business so I know some people like to keep things professional and stoic, but with my own personal anxiety, I always feel the most comfortable when the person I’m trading or selling to is nice and excited for the transaction. I’m very grateful that most of my transactions with people have been smooth but I know I’ll get a bad experience sooner or later; it’s inevitable.

Amy & Mallory both asked: What’s your favorite/least favorite thing about collecting?

My least favorite thing about collecting is the judgment people have about people and the amount of love they have for a group based on their collection and priorities of collecting them. People have these assumptions about people’s true intentions in liking a group based on how their collection of them looks like: if someone only collects the most popular member of a group, then that person is deemed “not a true fan of the entire group”. If someone collects all members of a group, that means they “stan” that group more than those who only collect their biases. For example, I learned that moving forward, I will not be hardcore collecting Seungyoun’s PCs anymore because they are stressful and not fun to collect and find and the prices are expensive due to his popularity. Just because I’m stopping my collection for him, it doesn’t mean I like him any less than the person who decides. Collecting is all about preferences and priorities, not about who can collect the most and the fastest.

But, my favorite thing about collecting is being able to finally obtain cards and things that I couldn’t do on my own. I believe I wouldn’t have finished Seungsik’s album PC collection if I didn’t have amazing friends in the community that always help me with my collection and vise versa. The friendships made are definitely my favorite part of the collection process.

Last question from Amy! She asked: Do you have any plans for your collection if the group(s) disband?

Such a great question! To be honest, I have no clue what my plans are for my collection if the groups I collect disband. I believe if groups that aren’t my ult groups disband, I feel like I would probably sell them because I wouldn’t have space to put cards or albums I haven’t touched in awhile and they probably at some point will be forgotten. Ult groups, oof I don’t even wanna think about the fact that one day in the very distant future, Victon will individually move on to other endeavors. I think I would keep them, in all honesty – I feel like my collection is more than just a collection, it’s a representation of the person I am now and to look back at it in the future when collecting isn’t a hobby of mine anymore, it would be nostalgic (night) as hell to just see the progress I’ve made.

jiutrades (Jaqui) asked: What inspired you to start collecting?

I started to secretly collect when I started to collect all albums of Victon’s earlier this year. With photocard pulls, I was lucky not to get any duplicates of members, so when I bought their 6th Mini Album, Continuous, I had pulled 6 out of 7 members throughout their discography. The one member I didn’t pull was Seungwoo, and well, I also really wanted Seungsik’s nostalgia (nostos ver.) PC because it was the absolute cutest so, yeah – I bought Seungwoo’s VNTW PC and Seungsik’s nostalgia PC and the rest is history.

Because I pretty much follow Kpop IG on my personal account, I was always intrigued about people and their collections and even if I wasn’t going to initially go hardcore in collecting, I wanted to at least have an album collection. Well, 25+ albums and 2 binders full of PCs later, and here we are: a hardcore collector.

sub2jae6 (CeCe) asked: If you could design an album, what would you do that hasn’t been done already?

Very interesting question! I don’t think there has been a single thing that hasn’t been done yet in the Kpop industry, but a concept and album I would love is an album that resembles a composition notebook and the photobook itself would be showcasing the process of making the album from the members in the form of journal entries. The pictures would be taken by the members, the lyric book would be hand-written by the members who work on that specific song (and mark it up like actual sheet music); I guess what I’m getting at is that I would love to see an album that was personal and made by the members for their fans.

jeonswonu (Sunshine) asked: Least favorite album based on packaging?

Oh my god, so the first album that came to mind was WayV’s recent album, Awaken the World only because of the paper opening thingymabob that accesses everything else, but because I don’t physically have those in my collection yet, I’ll have to say Victon’s 6th Mini Album, Continuous. Personally, I feel like they missed a great opportunity to put some amazing imagery on the cover, like, hear me out:

How sick would these photos been as album covers?! Also, I really wish they did different photobooks for each version because, I mean, three versions but the same photobooks is not cool. She was an iconic era, but I reach for my Continuous albums the least because of the packaging.

jjongtiny (Mallory) asked: Rarest official merch you own?

I’m surprisingly not that much of a merch collector! If I had to choose just a couple of things I consider to be more on the rarer side, I think Seungsik’s Kapsul Collective necklace is a little harder to find. It was a limited edition jewelry collection that I haven’t seen anyone reselling yet, and I don’t believe many people got it when it was first released. PC wise, I think the rarest set in my collection is a set that is on the way to me! It’s the “Welcome to Wonderland” Fanmeeting photocards. From what I recall, they are a really hard to find in the trading community and when they do pop up, a complete set of one member goes for $40 ~ $60.

Oh! Also broadcast PCs can be a little rare; some more than others! Some of the rarest broadcast related things are actually photos and postcards which aren’t that common to do for music shows anymore.

I think the rarest album I own is my all-member signed X1 album, only because as a group they disbanded and although there are signed copies out there, not all of them are all-member signed; only promotional ones are.

That’s it for this post! Thank you to everyone that sent me their questions and made this post so interesting and fun to write! If I get more questions from people, we’ll write a part 2 for this series!

Until then, happy collecting!

Dear, guys – welcome back to Letters From Liz!

So, a lot of things have been changing in my life recently. I feel like the person I was even back at the beginning of the summer was not the same place that present me is in now. It’s a little scary, but I feel like I’m more than ready, especially now, to take on these changes.

For starters, I might be returning back to work soon! It’s been 5 months since I last had a day of work and now that the pandemic is slowing down here in NYC, we’re all are getting back to our lives in somewhat a normal (new normal) way.

I’m a little nervous to get back to it because I feel like I will need to relearn everything I knew before. I’m sure many of us who are returning are going to need just a day of relearning things, but I know myself well enough that I would get back into the swing of things once I’m physically there and going back to my routine.

Another major thing that is changing is also my lifestyle. Within the next couple of months, I’ll be finally prepping myself for bariatric surgery; it requires a lot of sacrifices and a complete change within my lifestyle. I can’t lie, it’s been causing me a lot of anxiety lately because I feel like I don’t have much self-control to ever majorly change my lifestyle in the way that I have to for this surgery. In other words, I feel like even if I slip up for a day or two, I would be extremely hard on myself for lacking discipline. I know it’s not going to be an easy transition and I know I will fail here and there while adjusting, but knowing that fact scares me.

Also, let me just slip the fact that any change whatsoever scares the living shit out of me.

Dealing with an anxiety disorder, no matter what spectrum its on, it makes change extremely worrisome. We work the best when we have a routine packed down; we feel the most comfortable when he know what’s going to happen, how’s it gonna happen, and when it’s going to happen. It’s knowing that we’re not threatened when things happen and that we don’t feel so overwhelmed when things don’t go as planned.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that we hate change, because we don’t know how it’ll affect our already established routines.

For me, I’ve been personally writing in what I call a anxiety journal; I wanted to write out my anxieties as they happen just so they don’t linger on my mind for too long! For the most part, it’s been working; it’s given me a place where I can talk thing out with myself and possibly resolve any worries I have about things. Of course, it’s not going to be the solution for every anxiety I deal with, but it’s still a good alternative to resolve some of them out.

Although many of these new lifestyle changes are up and coming and I have to start getting used to them, I know that in the wrong run that they will become a part of my routine and it won’t be as scary as it is now.

Embrace some changes, especially if they are positive changes.

Mollie stands in front of her closet doors, staring at the dress hanging on the hook of her closet. She sits at the edge of the bed and takes a deep breath in. The sun is starting to set and she knows she needs to start getting ready for one of the most important nights of her life. Although she didn’t plan for things to go the way they’re currently going, but her life was never conventional.

She stands up from the bed and walks to her vanity. She looks in the mirror and sees herself. She’s still pretty petite and fit, but her stomach is slowly getting more round as the weeks go by. She’s 4-months pregnant and she’s feeling indifferent about it. She’s scared, she’s anxious, and at some points she’s depressed; she stopped her whole life to get ready for the one she’s about to live. But, she also knows that when people are madly in love, they do crazy things, and she’s become one of them.

There’s a picture of her and her fiance, Weston, when they were teenagers. They’re both in caps and gowns, smiling as Weston’s “bunny ears” hand is behind Mollie’s head. Mollie smiles. There was no doubt that she loved him since the moment she met him in high-school, and even with a couple of obstacles in their way, they’re just a couple of hours from getting married and 5 months away from welcoming their first child. She’s happy, yet she feels like she doesn’t deserve to be.

Her thoughts are quickly brought back to reality when she hears someone knocking on her front door. The person outside of the door calls out for Mollie; she recognizes the voice; it’s Sophie, her best friend’s wife. Mollie yells out that the door is open, and she frantically starts to get her hair and makeup done.

Sophie walks into the bedroom and looks at Mollie.

Sophie: You’re not ready yet?

Mollie: Hello to you too, Sophie.

Sophie grabs a couple of bobby pins from the vanity and helps Mollie with her hair.

Sophie: I just expected for you to be ready by the time I got here, is everything alright?

Sophie looks at Mollie through the mirror of the vanity; Mollie looks anxious and worried.

Mollie: I’m fine, everything’s fine.

Sophie grabs the hairspray from the vanity; she shakes her head.

Sophie: Aigo…

Mollie: *confused* What?

Sophie: Nothing, Mol, you’re just sitting in this chair, lying to me…

Mollie: *turns around, irritated* I said I’m fine, Soph.

Sophie: *eyes widen, sarcastically* Wow, was I this moody with both of my pregnancies? Because you’re taking it to the next level.

Mollie rolls her eyes and faces the vanity mirror again to continue putting on her makeup.

Mollie: Look, I’m a little stressed, that’s all.

Sophie: I mean, that’s normal. You are getting married tonight.

Mollie: I’m eloping tonight, Sophie.

Sophie: *confused* It’s a marriage, Mol…

Sophie finishes with Mollie’s hair and turns the chair around to face her. With her hand out, Mollie gives her the makeup brush; Mollie was never the makeup wearing type.

Sophie: Are you having second doubts about this?

Mollie doesn’t answer; she’s just immersed in thought.

Sophie: *questions* Are you having second doubts marrying Weston?

Mollie: It’s not that, it’s just- everything is happening so fast…

Sophie: I mean, it happens, Mol. Things didn’t go the way Milo and I wanted.

Mollie: Well, you two are different. You guys are… normal.

Sophie: And you’re not?

Mollie wears a worry face; Mollie never thought she was as “normal” as Sophie. Sure, Sophie is a person that has traveled the world with her parents; born in South Korea, raised in England; living her American dream in New York City. Sure, she hasn’t had the most conventional relationship with Milo; she was pregnant with their daughter once they graduated high-school, they got married after graduating college, and now have a newborn son. Yet, their relationship felt natural, normal. There was no doubt that Weston loves Mollie, and Mollie loves Weston just as much, but she can’t help but feeling like she’ll ruin everything, since she believes that’s what she’s done all her life.

Mollie: *guard is up* You’re right. I’m just overthinking everything.

Sophie: Weston is lucky to have a woman like you. He’s madly in love with you and I know he’s probably back at the house with Milo excited as ever to marry you.

---

Back at Milo’s, Weston is in the bedroom looking at himself in his suit through the mirror. He takes a deep breath; he’s nervously adjusting his suit. Milo walks in the bedroom while trying to put on his tie. He takes a look at Weston.

Milo: Looking sharp, my man!

Weston: *nervously* Thanks.

Milo: That didn’t sound convincing. You’re okay?

Weston takes a deep breath and turns around to face Milo.

Weston: Didn’t you feel this nervous on your wedding day?

Milo: Well, yeah, it’s normal to feel nervous, but you look like you’re about to sweat your suit off. *pauses* I mean, you gotta save that move for Mol on your honeymoon!

Weston smirks as Milo laughs at his own joke. After Milo puts on his tie, he walks over to Weston to fix his up.

Milo: Man, you’re marrying Mollie Sue Castro… how does that feel?

Weston: *giddy* Amazing. Unbelievable. Like, whoever thought she’d say yes?

Milo: Mollie loves you, man. Of course she would’ve said yes.

Weston: *worrisome* I know, but… you know how Mollie is…

Milo: You mean how difficult she could be?

Weston looks at Milo uncomfortably. If anyone knows Mollie well, it’s her long lifetime best friend, Milo. Milo and Mollie were born just a month apart, and because Mollie’s oldest sister and Milo’s father have been best friends for life (now married) so it was only nature that most of their time was spent together. Milo knows just how much Mollie struggles with her own inner demons, and he knows that Weston juggles them as well as his own. But, Mollie loves Weston with all of her heart, and he loves her just as much, if not even more. They are expecting their first child together, and although that’s another adventure they’ll be going through, he knows he wouldn’t want nothing more than to marrying the love of his life.

Milo notices the look on Weston’s face; he knows what he’s thinking.

Milo: I didn’t mean it like it, man. I just… I just know how she is.

Weston: I know.

Milo: I just know that she overthinks everything and believes she can’t have good things happen for her.

Weston: *asks out loud* You think she wants this?

Milo scrunches his eyebrows; how could Weston even think such thing?

Milo: Bro…

Weston: She’s been struggling these last couple of months. It’s sometimes so hard to read her mind and see if she’s really happy, y’know? I know the pregnancy happened so unexpectedly, but still, I just hope she’s just trying to deal with everything coming our way.

Milo: Listen, Mollie is love with you, she just has a hard time expressing it. She thinks she doesn’t deserve it. And from what she tells me, it seems like you let her know all the time just how much she deserves to love and be loved.

Weston takes a nervous deep breath, and then turns back to look at the mirror in the bedroom.

Weston: She’s the best fucking thing to happen to me, man.

Milo: *gets up* Then let’s go and give her your last name, bro!

---

The men sit inside the church hall waiting for the ladies to arrive. Milo is sitting on a bench while Weston paces back and forth. He’s panicking and he’s thinking about all of the scenarios that could’ve possibly happen: what if she’s not feeling well? What if she changed her mind? What if she ran away and Sophie can’t find her? Weston hasn’t heard from Mollie since last night, and it’s been the longest since they’ve not seen or spoken to each other.

The door opens and Weston turns around; he sees Sophie holding the door open as Mollie walks in. Weston instantly smiles at the sight of Mollie. She’s wearing a flowy, white summer dress; one that perfectly showcases her ever growing belly. Her hair is perfectly curly with a princess braid wrapped around her head. A little veil is tucked in her hair, making her look angelic and fairy-like. Weston’s eyes get watery, and Mollie notices it.

Mollie: *cutely laughs* Oh, Weston.

Milo and Sophie caress each other and watch the couple taking each other’s sights in. They both mutually agree to walk away from the couple to give them their time.

Weston and Mollie hug each other tightly, and then step back to take a good look at each other.

Weston: You’re so fucking beautiful, Mol.

Mollie: And you’re so fucking handsome, Weston.

He laughs and takes in his view.

Weston: How you’re feeling, babe?

Mollie: Nervous, anxious… queasy.

Weston kneels down to Mollie’s stomach and directly talks to it.

Weston: Hey, princess, mommy looks incredibly beautiful in her dress today, and today’s the day that mommy and daddy get married. I know you wanna be the center of attention– mommy’s the same way– but let’s make this day special for her.

Mollie looks down at Weston and all of the nerves she had about marrying Weston disappears. She knows Weston already loves their child and will do anything to protect her and their child. She knew for a really long time that Weston was her person, THE person that she was meant to be with for the rest of her life. She didn’t expect it to be going as fast pace as it was going. She may feel like she doens’t immediately know where life will take her, but she’s sure enough she wants Weston by her side.

He gets up from kneeling and back staring at Mollie. The smile never leaves his face.

Weston: Is this what you want, Mol?

The question takes her off-guard. She expected her hand to be held by Weston’s and guided her towards the inside of the church. The look on her face makes him nervous.

Weston: Mol?

She snaps out of the thought.

Mollie: Yeah?

Weston: *whispers* Listen, if you’re not ready to do this, we can always wait. If you want the whole wedding ceremony, I will give you just that, babe. Anything.

Mollie smiles at Weston. Damn, when did she get so lucky to have this man? She leans in and kisses Weston softly.

Mollie: Let’s do this, Mr. Ashmore.

Weston smiles and opens the door for Mollie. He bows.

Weston: After you, soon-to-be Mrs. Ashmore. 

They both walk into the Church with Milo and Sophie as their witnesses.  

Dear, guys – welcome back to Letters From Liz!

So, let me state the obvious: I don’t have many friendships in my life; half of the reason is because of my SAD preventing me from building and keeping friendships and the fact that I’m not a good enough friend for others and, well, a lot of other insecure and anxious thoughts that come to my head.

Of course, this past year has been a year that I’ve gotten the chance to meet a ton of new people and make meaningful relationships with them in my life. It first started with my coworkers at the bookstore (who I miss with my whole heart; we all need to go back to work), which then it turned into others who I got to see every day in my routine, and now, we have some internet friends.

Lemme explain.

I’ve mentioned before that throughout the summer, I got into the Kpop trading community on Instagram to take my collecting more seriously and in the process, I’ve met some really awesome people in the community. It was refreshing to find people who were interested in Kpop and knew the groups that you liked as well! It’s no secret that my favorite Kpop group is Victon; they own my entire heart and to find people who see Victon in the same eyes was amazing. For once, I felt like I was allowed to talk about and go crazy for over the group that quietly enjoyed on my own for the last couple of months. The amount of Seungsik photos I get spammed on my trading account from my moots always attacks me, but so highkey appreciated.

In the weeks I’ve been in the community, I’ve made some friendships with people that I’m so glad to have now in my everyday routine and where we can help each other out with our collections.

Normally, I stray away from internet friendships because there’s always a sadness behind it: you never know if you’ll ever get the chance to meet them in person, and sometimes, friendships strive best when you see them in person! I also used to not see the point of having online friends or saw it as a negative thing. My lack of better judgment thought that online friends only exist for people who can’t keep IRL friends which isn’t true, but go off inner negative voice in my head. It wasn’t until I started to make some online friends on my own that I soon realize that any friendship is a friendship, whether or not it’s a traditional one or not. You can hang out with your online friends in watch parties (like I do very frequently with Ro) you could have mass group chats with a group of your friends and just have a good time in there; the choices are unless with the technology we have!

I appreciate my online friends in this community because they give an escape from the real world and give me a chance to just appreciate good Kpop music and fan-girl over them. My online friends (some younger than me, some older) have showed me that music as no age and anyone can enjoy it and that being a collector is not a dumb thing. If anything, being in this community has helped me embrace this part of my identity even more; it’s showed me that it’s okay to have such an interest in something that’s a little different than everyone else’s.

My friend Ro and I (I now know two Ro’s in my life: my mentor and now my kpop twin, haha) were talking about the importance of friendships and how the best kinds were the ones that involve both parties involved being open and comfortable enough to share their interests with each other. Being a person that hasn’t had many opportunities to discuss what I like and what my interests are to my friends, being in this community is one thing to have a common liking of a genre, but to actually be open to learning about groups you didn’t know about or didn’t listen to prior to meeting these people makes the friendships that more genuine and authentic. I’ve been more of myself these last couple of weeks more than I’ve been in my life, and that says a lot about the people you connect with in the community.

I am so grateful for people like Ro, Amy, Ella, Lae, and the others I’ve got the pleasure in knowing! I’m so happy that with the little time I’ve been on this side of the Kpop community, I was able to make online friendships that may one day be in person ones! Like, the group chat already got plans to do a whole tour to meet each other and when the day comes when Victon makes some U.S stops on a tour, you best to believe we are all going to be waving our vickeybongs and singing Victon songs and crying over our boys and honestly – any friendship, whether it is in person or online, is a friendship. It’s the same love and caring nature you feel when you build friendships in any way shape or form.

So, for my trading community friends, thank you for making this summer a great one and a fun one.

Thank you to Ella, the person who lives in Europe but feels so close like I’ve known her forever, thank you for encouraging me to make a trading account and thank you for always coming to me for advice when you need it and for also being so comfortable for sharing your story with me and vice versa. Thank you for also taking me under your wing and allowing me to be a apart of some of your Kpop activities with your friends like it makes me so happy that you seek out for my opinions on things and for always being comfortable enough to write me and share your work stories because best to believe, I’ll be sharing mine when I go back! You are amazing I can’t wait for the day you decide to come to NYC to visit your family so that we can do all the goofy and fun things together!

Thank you to Ro, who I’ve gotten the pleasure in getting to know and realize that we might’ve been twins in our past life, for everything you do and for always making me feel comfortable in being myself. Thank you for putting me onto all these new groups and for introducing me to watch parties, like it still means so much to me that you’d want to virtually hang out with me and gush over our boys together and for introducing so many new groups in my Kpop discography! Thank you for also understanding my insecurities of being an adult collector; you definitely helped me embrace the fact that I’m an adult collector and that Kpop is not just a thing for younger audiences. Also, thank you for understanding my ult love for Seungsik as I understand yours with Sejun! It makes me the happiest that I could go insane for Seungsik the way that I do and not feel shameful for doing so because, well, after the Seungsik fancam is a Sejun one and you’re pretty much doing the same thing! Also, putting this out into existence: we will get into a fansign one day and completely stop breathing in front of our boys because, like, well you already know the deal. (Also, thank you for giving me even more reason to visit South Korea when you move there; not only do I get to hang out with someone as awesome as you but I’d be crossing something off my bucket list of things to do in my lifetime! In the words of you yourself: SLAY!)

Thank you to Amy, possibly the one person on this planet that will always reign on top alongside with Subin because, y’know – “respect for the maknae, where” – for accepting me in your circle in the trading community. Before I got to know you, I followed your Victon edit account and felt like the biggest fan when I got to meet you because your edits were some the staple points in me falling hard for Victon and to be friends with someone who you admired as a creator was simply surreal, so thank you for taking me under your wing! Thank you for trusting me and if there’s something I appreciate more than ever, it’s that you feel comfortable enough to talk to me about things that worry you or stress you out; it means the world that my advice and my words can help you out in whatever you’re dealing with! Thank you for always making me smile and for also attacking me with Sik related things and a BIG thank you for helping me with my collection as well as providing me a space to be comfortable to share my excitement on my collection and vice versa! Thank you for loving Hanse the way I love Seungsik and the way Ro loves Sejun: unconditionally! Haha.

And for everyone else who I get to interact with and me myself with in the community, thank you so much for accepting my energy and for always supporting me whenever I’m not in the best of spaces. Your energy and your support means the absolute world to me, and it truly makes me feel like I’m not alone and that I, a person who fears that I deserve to be alone, actually isn’t. Thank you.

Dear, guys – welcome back to Letters From Liz!

So, July was a very interesting month for “favorites”! I say favorites because, well, these things have so much potential to be favorites possibly this time next month!

July was a month that I got the pleasure to listen to a lot of new music and meet a lot of new people through the trading community who recommended these new songs to listen to!

Shall we get straight to it?

1.) WayV

So first, I’ve met an amazing person this past month that has become literally one of my closest friends in the community alongside Amy and Ella; their name is Ro and they’ve been making my days so great lately by either spamming my DMs with pictures of my ult, Seungsik, and crying over the fact that Sejun is a literal masterpiece. Just recently, they’ve put me onto a boy group that I’ve occasionally heard through the KPop community but never really checked out: WayV!

WayV is the fourth and most recent sub-unit in the whole NCT mega-group in SM Entertainment. What makes them different than the other NCT groups is that this is the first NCT-related group to be based in China; so technically they aren’t Kpop, but instead Cpop! This is also the first group under that is fixed, meaning they don’t change members for every comeback like most of the other NCT-related groups which, for me at least, I like. I don’t really much like change, especially when you’re researching a new group trying to get into them and know who the members are and all of that. For WayV, there are 7 members: Kun, Ten, Winwin, Lucas, Xiaojun, Hendery, and YangYang.

Anyway! These boys are, like, crazy with their duality. One minute you’re sweating over their very sexy dance moves and songs, and the next minute you’re uwuing over their cuteness. They have a very similar familial energy that Victon has, which clearly I’m a complete sucker for groups with crazy-ass chemistry. But yes, after getting educated on WayV by Ro, I’ve started to realize just how much I was about to double-bias in this group. I instantly was hooked on Ten, possibly my favorite dancer ever, and who’s vocals are like butter. Honestly, that man took all the damn talent. He has a duality that I guess is my type in Kpop biases because he’s oof one minute and then smiling like the baby he is. Ugh, such a talented man! My second bias is Kun, the leader and eldest in the group and someone who has the prettiest vocals ever. He sorta came in out of nowhere, like I was not expected to bias him but like… the bias is real and I’m not complaining.

Honestly y’all, just stan WayV!

2.) BTS

Hi, my name is Liz and, like, I’m getting into BTS?! Who would’ve thought that me, LIZ, would get into BTS in any way! I still have a long way to go to learn about them, but from what Ro showed me and exposed me to, they are a talented ass group that although get so much love, needs to be recognized for their productions behind the scene. Hah, BTS…

Anyway, if you don’t know who BTS are, they are a 7-member group under BigHit Entertainment that debuted… I believe back in 2013? Do not come for me, Army. They gain international success a couple of years ago and have been the most known Kpop group in westernized countries. So these 7 members are RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook. They also carry such family energy that makes it hard to not like them. After a couple of research videos and performance videos, I’m definitely also double-biasing. First of all, J-Hope is such a fucking cutie like, his personality is so 4D and he’s completely the most chaotic one in the group. He’s one of the rappers in the group, but like his dancing is what got me; it’s incredibly clean and so animated like, wow, we stan talent. Also, Jimin and his pretty ass vocals wrecked me; it’s funny because Victon’s Sejun is a huge BTS fan and he has a bias just like the rest of us and his bias is Jimin so like, talent stanning talent; we love. But yeah, gimme a couple of weeks to fall head over heels for BTS, like I already brewing inside my Kpop heart already.

3.) A.C.E.

I adore ACE for so many different reasons, let’s be real. They are a very different type of Kpop group; they aren’t your typical “we just do cute and sexy concepts” type of boy group, they are very different in their styling and aren’t afraid to come off as too feminine, especially Byeongkwan: our crop top king! So ACE is a 5-member group under Beat Interactive and they debuted back in 2017! Their names are Jun, Donghun, Wow, Byeongkwan, and Chan. When listening to their earlier stuff, it’s definitely so unexpected like if any group knows how to switch up genres, it’s them for sure. What i like about this group is that they all are some serious all-rounders; they all can dance insanely well and their vocals… like, stan a group where every member in the group can hold the main vocalist position. I definitely have to do some more research on them, but like I’m already so in love with them and their vocals so I’m excited to get into them a little more!

That’s it for now! I know for this month there’s going to be a ton of favorites because, well, so many comebacks and albums are coming and like, we are living for it. Until then!