long time no see my uni professors want me dead and i want to write fanfic so here’s the start of a thread of character analysis/headcannons about post-canon lost in translation
Jaewon:
ok first things first this guy goes through so much head trauma in canon what the fuck is up with that?? i don’t feel like verifying all the occurances right now but off the top of my brain i count four different times (ceo park literally stomping on him, jaewon hitting his head on a door knob (and yes rhat is mostly humor but also im counting it), jaewon hitting his head on the floor of the club (club situation with minseok and dae), ceo park hitting him over the head with glass bottle AND stomping on his head (two for one combo)) and as far as i recall, jaewon doesn’t specifically get treated for head trauma in any of these situations? yes he gets hospitalized twice, once with a visible bandage on his head, and while i can understand not wanting to get super medical i am also just like 🤨🤨🤨🤨 someone check him for a concussion please???
so i know this sounds insane but keep the previous stuff in mind: i honestly to god think he’s got a TBI (traumatic brain injury)/some sort of brain damage by the end of season three, and my main reasoning for this is his behavior in the episodes when he is hospitalized/leading up to the trial. YES he has dealt with a lot mentally by that point and that could also explain his behavior, BUT!!!! his behavior in those episodes (specifically when he snaps at daehyun) just feels. off. INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH THEY ALSO LINE UP WITH SOME SYMPTOMS OF A TBI!!!! specifically behavior/mood related symptoms but yeah the point still stands. He’s irritable and i’d even say a bit aggressive (behavioral symptoms) but he also seems to be swinging between being angry to anxious/lonely to just straight up apathy (specifically during the bridge scene.) which are all common mood-related symptoms. FURTHERMORE. he is back to normal (basically) at the trial, and many of the symptoms mentioned are like. shorter term symptoms? so. TBI is definitely a possibility and a very likely one in my opinion bc ceo park kinda fucked him up ngl!!!!
anyways. the headcannon that comes from this. spiel of medical stuff. ok the headcannon is that jaewon has a TBI, but more specifically there are long term symptoms of those, A LOT OF WHICH DO NOT WORK WELL WITH BEING AN IDOL. given that he does redebut with mayhem and there is no mention of him having severe medical repercussions, i have sorta cherry picked things that like. make sense but also still Theoretically let him be an idol?? anyways here we go:
i think that post-canon, jaewon would likely still have issues sleeping (partly due to like. stalker trauma, partly TBI), but I also think he would end up with some form of chronic migraine situation/sensitivities to light & sound AND I KNOW YOU’RE THINKING “HOW DOES THAT WORK WITH BEING AN IDOL” well lemme explain.
- CEO Choi (SHC’s CEO & MAYHEM’s new CEO) seems to be like. very willing to pull strings and just generally help his idols/models? just from what we’ve seen he really does seem to care about MAYHEM :’) and i really do think he would like. ensure MAYHEM have an altered promotion schedule/whatever else is needed if the options are having jaewon be able to be in the group or not having him promote when he wants to be with the group.
- as someone who has dealt with chronic migraines! yes they suck but 1) you can. sorta self manage a lot of stuff? (i.e. sunglasses/hat for light sensitivity, headphones/earplugs for noise sensitivty) and there’s a point to which you can just. deal with it? not optimal but tbh you don’t always have a quick fix. THERE ARE SOME EXPERIMENTAL THINGS OUT THERE THOUGH!!!! i got a daith piercing (not officially considered a cure but it did work for me), and a more researched option are these red/pink tinted glasses?? i haven’t had to try them but. jaewon would kinda rock some pink sunglasses. SO THE TL;DR is that there are options, i absolutely think jaewon would find a way to be active with MAYHEM, and more than likely he (and mayhem) would have more rest days/rest periods built into their promotion schedules.
THE SECOND THING: jaewon’s reputation post-canon. i do think he would end up doing some sort of exclusive tell-all interview (likely with a magazine/newspaper instead of a recorded interview?) prior to redebut. mayhem would likely also get interviewed for it, both to confirm some parts and to just reiterate the fact that they didn’t know what was going on???? at all??? so between that and the lewsuit (and HCE being bought out), I do think it would generally be received as the truth and mayhem/jaewon’s names would be cleared.
I do honestly think jaewon would end up being one of the most popular members, if not the most popular. part of this is previous fans of his coming back, part of it is just that he sort of has that it-boy factor??? (handsome + cute, dyed hair, is close to and is supporting his family, sorta tragic backstory) BUT ALSO. AND THIS IS A KEY POINT OF IT. he would absolutely say that he took on the wyld reputation For Mayhem. a side effect of that (not completely/necessarily a bad one?) is that he would sort of become a martyr-type figure to a lot of fans. very much in a “oh he took on so much hate for them to get their chance” type of way. some people would obviously take it too far, but generally he would kinda be given a break by kpop twt 😭 (also like. duh. the whole bridge situation.) very little hate towards him, i do think a lot of people would probably kind of pity him a bit??? (even more so if he did end up being open about any ongoing physical/mental health stuff) and his photocards would cost so goddamn much. HCE-era jaewon photocards or a downpayment on a car, you decide.
but yeah post-canon jaewon? adored and can do no wrong in mayhem twt’s eyes. they are right.
man. he is absolutely riddled with guilt. that is not even an understatement one of the only times he cries is because he FEELS RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT’S HAPPENED TO JAEWON. i need to like. shake him by the shoulders or pput him in a blender or something.
yeah anyways that doesn’t go away post-canon. like at all. if anything i think it gets worse! one BIGGG reason for this imo is that dongho would very much take the mental stance of “nothing physically happened to me, so therefore i am fine” and just. act like he’s fine. even though he is #losingit !! he would be the last to start going to therapy for this exact reason.
I think he personally holds himself responsible for a lot of what happened in canon, mostly because of the fact that he was the one to find out about jaewon’s scandals first, he was the one to do something after the saesang break-in, but also he was the one who was a bystander when anything happened to the others. he had to see daejae in the hospital, jaewon seemingly getting hurt by their management, and also minsoo immediately after the break in??? it’s responsibility because he didn’t (couldn’t) do anything, whereas the bridge is more like. responsibility because he thinks he was the main reason/deciding factor for jaewon.
also. i do suspect that someone Probably got a video or at least a photo of dongho kicking jaewon out of the group. they were in public when that happened. i suspect if it did exist, it would get released pre-redebut and any backlash towards dongho would mostly get settled by that tell-all interview (dongho would likely address it/explain his thought process) and they’d be close enough post-canon that people. probably wouldn’t make too much of a deal out of it after the interview? but i do believe that in general, some people would legit blame dongho (and the others but we’ll get to that) for “not noticing” or “not doing anything” about the truth behind wyld. definitely not enough to completely trash his reputation, but enough that he’d be aware of it.
mostly due to everything already discussed, I think dongho would have the worst sleep schedule in mayhem post-canon. just kind of a clusterfuck of insomnia/nightmares/probably telling the others they can come to him if they can’t sleep. a lot of dongho not sleeping well would be. mostly guilt related imo? i do think he’d just generally have a lot of nightmares about the bridge/the news broadcast of that/other related stuff (idk. jaewon’s funeral. that sorta thing.) and as a result, would check on jaewon A Lot at night. he’d probably say he’s just checking on Boba or something, but it’s mostly him making sure jaewon’s where he’s supposed to be (in bed) and hopefully asleep.
so like. dongho’s just kinda tired post-canon. definitely naps a lot (cue old man jokes from minsoo), insane coffee consumption, all that jazz. he and jaewon probably wind up spending a lot of late nights just sorta. hanging out when their horrendous sleep schedules somehow line up.
they get along well post-canon, dongho has absolutely apologized a few dozen times (and jaewon’s definitely forgiven him/told him he doesn’t have anything he needs to apologize for), and I think they’d wind up with a duo single (if not a mini album).
this next thing is more my variety of headcanons that consist of a somewhat insane reach away from canon (and are somewhat based on my experiences/wanting to make my fav characters like me (🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈)) so please just like. disregard if you don’t agree LOLLL
there are obviously a lot of reasons why dongho would generally look more at ease/happier as LiT goes on, but I am still going to draw a connection between that and the fact that his hair gets longer throughout the series. a lot of his character arc in season 2 is loosely framed around him going after his own dreams instead of what his parents want/expect from him, but the important part there to me is that he still held himself to their expectations for like. a while. he did need a push to persue his dream (jeongmin buying him the plane ticket to seoul), and i don’t see why that wouldn’t also be applicable for other areas where he maybe is still following expectations that aren’t really want he wants for himself, even unconsciously so. it’s never outright said if dongho starts growing his hair out because he just wanted to or if the stylists suggested it, but i wouldn’t be surprised if it was the latter, mostly because there is very little other change made to his wardrobe (on or off stage) while still at HCE. he only starts wearing more gender-nonconforming/androgynous clothing when he’s under SHC, aka when mayhem get new stylists, but his hair is still long. it stays long over their hiatus. obviously men can just. have long hair and wear androgynous clothing, BUT. it would not surprise me if dongho has some sort of suppressed gender/sexuality crisis going on. i say suppressed because while he seems to be very chill about the styling, he’s not incorporating it into his personal wardrobe. the hair is a bit more deniable (or even a bit safer) and that is the thing that he keeps over their hiatus. no one pressures him to keep it. and OOOHHH kang dongho i know what you are. actually i don’t his gender is lowkey an enigma to me and probably to him as well!! i definitely think he would keep growing his hair and slowly get a more androgynous wardrobe, i dooooo think. that minsoo would likely pick up on some things. they’re like. absolutely still roommates (i think) so if anyone’s going to notice it’s minsoo. i really don’t think dongho would talk about it to anyone in mayhem though! slight tangent: i do think that despite probably having beef with him, dongho and minseok would get along well eventually. dongho would talk to minseok about it all for sure. minseok would keep that secret like his life depends on it. while i don’t have like. a nice way to tie this all off, it really does play a big role in how i interpret/write dongho (specifically post-canon) and it REALLY does become prevalent in some fic(s) i have planned. he is very queercoded to me though, and i do in fact think he has feelings for minsoo. that is all.
long time no see my uni professors want me dead and i want to write fanfic so here’s the start of a thread of character analysis/headcannons about post-canon lost in translation
Jaewon:
ok first things first this guy goes through so much head trauma in canon what the fuck is up with that?? i don’t feel like verifying all the occurances right now but off the top of my brain i count four different times (ceo park literally stomping on him, jaewon hitting his head on a door knob (and yes rhat is mostly humor but also im counting it), jaewon hitting his head on the floor of the club (club situation with minseok and dae), ceo park hitting him over the head with glass bottle AND stomping on his head (two for one combo)) and as far as i recall, jaewon doesn’t specifically get treated for head trauma in any of these situations? yes he gets hospitalized twice, once with a visible bandage on his head, and while i can understand not wanting to get super medical i am also just like 🤨🤨🤨🤨 someone check him for a concussion please???
so i know this sounds insane but keep the previous stuff in mind: i honestly to god think he’s got a TBI (traumatic brain injury)/some sort of brain damage by the end of season three, and my main reasoning for this is his behavior in the episodes when he is hospitalized/leading up to the trial. YES he has dealt with a lot mentally by that point and that could also explain his behavior, BUT!!!! his behavior in those episodes (specifically when he snaps at daehyun) just feels. off. INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH THEY ALSO LINE UP WITH SOME SYMPTOMS OF A TBI!!!! specifically behavior/mood related symptoms but yeah the point still stands. He’s irritable and i’d even say a bit aggressive (behavioral symptoms) but he also seems to be swinging between being angry to anxious/lonely to just straight up apathy (specifically during the bridge scene.) which are all common mood-related symptoms. FURTHERMORE. he is back to normal (basically) at the trial, and many of the symptoms mentioned are like. shorter term symptoms? so. TBI is definitely a possibility and a very likely one in my opinion bc ceo park kinda fucked him up ngl!!!!
anyways. the headcannon that comes from this. spiel of medical stuff. ok the headcannon is that jaewon has a TBI, but more specifically there are long term symptoms of those, A LOT OF WHICH DO NOT WORK WELL WITH BEING AN IDOL. given that he does redebut with mayhem and there is no mention of him having severe medical repercussions, i have sorta cherry picked things that like. make sense but also still Theoretically let him be an idol?? anyways here we go:
i think that post-canon, jaewon would likely still have issues sleeping (partly due to like. stalker trauma, partly TBI), but I also think he would end up with some form of chronic migraine situation/sensitivities to light & sound AND I KNOW YOU’RE THINKING “HOW DOES THAT WORK WITH BEING AN IDOL” well lemme explain.
- CEO Choi (SHC’s CEO & MAYHEM’s new CEO) seems to be like. very willing to pull strings and just generally help his idols/models? just from what we’ve seen he really does seem to care about MAYHEM :’) and i really do think he would like. ensure MAYHEM have an altered promotion schedule/whatever else is needed if the options are having jaewon be able to be in the group or not having him promote when he wants to be with the group.
- as someone who has dealt with chronic migraines! yes they suck but 1) you can. sorta self manage a lot of stuff? (i.e. sunglasses/hat for light sensitivity, headphones/earplugs for noise sensitivty) and there’s a point to which you can just. deal with it? not optimal but tbh you don’t always have a quick fix. THERE ARE SOME EXPERIMENTAL THINGS OUT THERE THOUGH!!!! i got a daith piercing (not officially considered a cure but it did work for me), and a more researched option are these red/pink tinted glasses?? i haven’t had to try them but. jaewon would kinda rock some pink sunglasses. SO THE TL;DR is that there are options, i absolutely think jaewon would find a way to be active with MAYHEM, and more than likely he (and mayhem) would have more rest days/rest periods built into their promotion schedules.
THE SECOND THING: jaewon’s reputation post-canon. i do think he would end up doing some sort of exclusive tell-all interview (likely with a magazine/newspaper instead of a recorded interview?) prior to redebut. mayhem would likely also get interviewed for it, both to confirm some parts and to just reiterate the fact that they didn’t know what was going on???? at all??? so between that and the lewsuit (and HCE being bought out), I do think it would generally be received as the truth and mayhem/jaewon’s names would be cleared.
I do honestly think jaewon would end up being one of the most popular members, if not the most popular. part of this is previous fans of his coming back, part of it is just that he sort of has that it-boy factor??? (handsome + cute, dyed hair, is close to and is supporting his family, sorta tragic backstory) BUT ALSO. AND THIS IS A KEY POINT OF IT. he would absolutely say that he took on the wyld reputation For Mayhem. a side effect of that (not completely/necessarily a bad one?) is that he would sort of become a martyr-type figure to a lot of fans. very much in a “oh he took on so much hate for them to get their chance” type of way. some people would obviously take it too far, but generally he would kinda be given a break by kpop twt 😭 (also like. duh. the whole bridge situation.) very little hate towards him, i do think a lot of people would probably kind of pity him a bit??? (even more so if he did end up being open about any ongoing physical/mental health stuff) and his photocards would cost so goddamn much. HCE-era jaewon photocards or a downpayment on a car, you decide.
but yeah post-canon jaewon? adored and can do no wrong in mayhem twt’s eyes. they are right.
When you get an unexpected uptick of kudos/comments/bookmarks on an old fic and it’s like… who recced it and where…. please….. i need to send a flower basket and include them in my will…….
“omg you’re so creative. how do you get your ideas” i hallucinate a single scene in the taco bell drive thru and then spend 13 months trying to write it
what if i open fanfic commissions and donate all the money to pcrf (palestine children's relief fund)? would people be interested in that? i would love to be able to do even more
presenting the (un)official Lost in Translation relationship chart! I didn’t get into peoples’ parents (unless they were there for other reasons (looking at you ceo park)) but please let me know if there are any other relationships i missed!
