#newarmy

[newarmy]

What does “I Purple You” mean?

The phrase “I purple you” is quite a popular phrase in the BTS fandom but a lot of people may not know exactly what it means, or how it started.

In November of 2016, during BTS’s third Muster - a fan club event - V (AKA Taehyung) coined the phrase. While the night was winding down and BTS was wrapping up their show, V told the crowd of fans “I purple you” in time with the lights changing to purple. V went on to explain that purple was a color of love. He stated: “Do you know what purple means? Purple is the last color of the rainbow. Purple means I will trust and love you for a long time, I just made it up.” 

The audience lovingly cheered to V’s words. V went on to say that “I wish I could see you for a long time just like the meaning of purple. We will always trust you and go up the stairs with you. You don’t need to help us all the time. You can hold our hands and follow us now. We’ll go up really high. I’ll make it nice.” 

So when you see or hear the phrase “I purple you” or a slew of purple hearts on BTS posts know that it’s a sign of love. 

[teevzieforthetea]

So to anyone not interested, this is gonna be a BTS post. If they're not your thing plz carry on on your way to the next post no problem.

I have a lot of friends who are absolutely loyal BTS fans. They're so excited about anything BTS related it's a sight to see. So needless to say I was curious to see what it was about BTS that gave my friends so much joy.

So I opened YouTube and looked them up.

It took a couple of videos and a lot of subtitles to get the hang of it but by the end of the day I was admittedly hooked.

You know why? I'll tell you from a the perspective of a "yea I've heard a couple of their songs"person to "these ppl are geniuses" person.They are essentially the biggest boy band in the world, and for good reason too.

They have lovingly created their fanbase by personally interacting with their fans on a regular basis. They vlog, they live, they answer the most random questions ppl send their way. One of the members, Suga, even made over 300 handmade little gift packs on his own birthday, to give back to fans for their constant support and many birthday wishes.

The vast majority of their lyrics are written by their own members, mostly by leader and rapper, Namjoon(RM) and Suga, who also produces their music. And god, what lyrics they are. Their lyrics and music videos are so rich in metaphor and symbolism. They have songs in such a diverse range of emotion. Their music is personal to them, and somehow they make it relatable to all of us.

They are excellent storytellers. Their music shares their stories, of happy times and sad ones. In one of their interviews, Jimin said that he was greatful for the fact that he could relate to the words he sang, that they held meaning for him. Add visuals to that and you get a new perspective, like a parallel story or a puzzle piece sliding into place. Their whole "wings" series is a jackpot to dramatics and literature students like me. It's like reading an Agatha Christie novel it's brilliant.

They work so damn hard man. I don't deny that a lot of western artists also work super hard. BTS seem to be on another level tho. That's why they're successful. There's countless videos of members randomly falling asleep on sets, photoshoots or dance practices. It's not because they're lazy, it's because they're probably working around the clock to create the content they do. The members are very cute about it with teasing those who fall asleep but it's clear that the exhaustion gets all of them. They have continued to perform after sustaining painful injuries and even collapsing. Y'all should see the images of their knees after a performance, they're so bruised from all that choreography.

They're like a family, almost like brothers. The members share a very strong bond with each other and their staff members. While most of it can be attributed to the Korean culture of respect and having lived together for over 7 years now, they are genuinely respectful and loving of the ppl they work with. They greet everyone on set, from CEO to spot boy. They obediently listen to their stylists while being playful and silly. I guess coming from an otherwise small company allows for strong bonds amongst it's employees but the BigHit entertainment calls itself the BigHit family for a reason.

There's no denying that they're all ridiculously attractive. But their humility and loving nature is what keeps ppl fixated on them. They're so entrenched in their fanbase.

They're a stellar example non toxic masculinity. They wear makeup, they cuddle with each other, they hold hands, they give out compliments for the smallest things. But they also wrestle around, are competitive,flirt,make as many random dick jokes as any other group of 20 year olds,talk about farts, are messy and scream at the tv watching sports like any other group of guy friends. They're a cultural shock to western audiences in the best way possible.

I personally feel that as amazing they are, they're still underrepresented in pop culture. But the fact that they're steadily climbing to prominence makes me happy.

TLDR: New fan perspective on BTS- we love them because they're intelligent, hardworking and humble instead of just being hella attractive.

[guidicommunity]

#newarmy meet #guidi / 📸 @onionsearchengine thanks https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw907ldhVkF/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=9bwf5vva0buv

[newarmy]

Everything you need to know about V from BTS

1. Full Name: Kim Taehyung (AKA V, Tae), 

2 . Birthday: December 30, 1995 (age 25, 26 in Korean years)

3. Height: 178 cm (5′10.1″)

4. Position: Vocalist, Dancer

5. Personality Type: ENFP

V was the last member to join BTS and his audition was actually an accident; he had only gone to the Big Hit auditions to offer moral support for a friend but was convinced by a staff member to try out. V was born and raised on a farm and he has admitted that he would likely have ended up becoming a farmer too if it hadn’t been for BTS. V is very important to the group as his voice is very deep and offers variety to BTS’s sound. He is also very passionate about fashion (and has said his father is his fashion icon). He greatly enjoys photography and has acted in the K-drama Hwarang: The Beginning. He is very outgoing and is very easy to talk to, as he is very kind and understanding. 

Fun Facts:

- V has a younger brother and sister, mom, and dad, as well as several younger cousins

- His role model is his father 

- V can both play the saxophone and piano

- In addition to photography and music, V enjoys painting in his free time

- V came up with the popular ARMY phrase “I purple you” which he explained is another way to tell the ARMY that he loves and trusts them

- He has a pet Pomeranian named Tannie who he posts about often

- For his birthday in 2018 many ARMYs made donations to the World Wide Fund to help save endangered tigers (which is one of V’s favorite animals)

[newarmy]

Everything you need to know about Suga from BTS

1. Full Name: Min Yoongi (AKA Suga)

2. Birthday: March 9, 1993 (age 28, 29 in Korean years)

3. Height: 174 cm (5′8.5″)

4. Position: Rapper

5. Personality Type: INFP 

Suga is the second oldest member in BTS and despite his cold exterior he is often taking care of his fellow members. Suga is a known introvert but when he gets excited he’s like a little kid. He is very hard working and has often been cited in his live streams working late into the night. He has been very open about his mental health as well as his sexuality, and advocates for both mental health and the LGBT community. Before joining BTS he was and underground rapper and he didn’t have much money at all. He’s explained in the past that his family didn’t support his dreams of music but have seen come around to the idea - he even cried on stage when they first attended one of their concerts. He also goes by the name Agust D, which is his other rapper name for when he produces solo albums. 

Fun Facts:

- Suga used to go to a school that specialized in teaching English before moving to Seoul

- He has an older brother, mom, and dad and they struggled financially when he was growing up

- He has a mini poodle named Holly who he often posts about

- His stage name, Suga, reflects his love of basketball which stands for his former position as shooting guard (SG)

- Suga can play the piano and is said to have perfect pitch

- For his birthday in 2019 he made a donation to the Korea Pediatric Cancer Foundation under the name of ARMY

[newarmy]

[newarmy]

Some basic information about BTS & the ARMY

What does BTS stand for?

BTS is an acronym for the Korean expression “Bangtan Sonyeondan” which translates to Bulletproof Boy Scouts - which is why they are also know as Bangtan Boys. However, in July of 2017 they also announced that BTS would also stand for “Beyond the Scene” as part of their new era.

     2. When did they debut?

BTS debuted in 2013 with their single album, 2 Cool 4 Skool and the song “No More Dream” - this was the first installment of their school trilogy series. It is interesting to note that Big Hit Entertainment was recruiting members from 2010 to 2011, which was finalized with all seven members in 2012.

    3. What and who is the ARMY?

The “ARMY” is the name given to BTS fans which is also an acronym for “Adorable Representative MC for Youth.” The ARMY is known for the undying support for BTS, as they stream songs hourly, post about them constantly, and vote for them for numerous awards. BTS is a very open community as well, and many Korean BTS fans state that American AMRYs are some of the nicest American fans they’ve interacted with online and in person. The ARMY is so dedicated that in 2017 they got BTS to be the “most-tweeted-about celebrities!” As such the AMRY has created a plethora of social media posts about BTS and have even created their own theories, fanart, fanfictions, covers of songs, etc. that all gain a lot of traction online as well! BTS inspires the ARMY in more ways than one!  

   4. When did BTS get BIG?

While BTS debuted as early as 2013 they did not see any of the worldwide fame they now see. Their debut wasn’t even all that successful and they struggled a lot to gain popularity in Korea. Their music label (Big Hit Entertainment) struggled to promote the boys and pay for the expenses of running a K-pop group - all seven members had to share one cramped room for years! However, they continued to make music and release albums, some even in Japanese. They didn’t make it to America until 2015 for the K-pop convention KCON. It wasn’t until 2016 with their Wings EP and “DNA” music video that they would really take off! Quickly after their “DNA” music video (along with their Album Love Yourself ‘Her’) they rose to the top of the Billboard Social Artist chart and stayed their for 95 weeks! They soon were invited to the Billboard Music Awards, and by 2018 were appearing on shows like Good Morning America, Carpool Karaoke, and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. One of their biggest accomplishments was speaking in front of the U.N. General Assembly to discuss their new initiative to empower youths! (The link to their speech can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhJ-LAQ6e_Y)

[newarmy]

Why I created this blog

Hi fellow ARMY members, I’m making this blog in the hopes to help new ARMY members become “encultured” into the fandom. Recently for my English class we were instructed to examine an online community we were a part of and examine the different genres/texts within that community. Obviously, I chose the ARMY and BTS because that’s what I know best. We were then instructed to find a problem within the community and see if we could create a new genre that could help solve the problem.

What I found was that there is sometimes a bias from older ARMY towards newer ARMYs who may not know as much about BTS and the community norms. As such it can be extremely difficult for newer members to truly become apart of the community, and also can create a negative stigma surrounding the community as well. I also found that not only does this discrimination towards new ARMYs make it difficult for them to become apart of the community, but also the sheer volume of posts and content out there about BTS - where should one even begin!?

Additionally, in my English class we were given essays from scholars on the very topic of genres and their impact on communities. One of the scholars we looked at was Kerry Dirk, in her essay she explained that genres interact with members and provides them the “ability to know how to best interact.” Therefore, if members cannot access these genres (i.e. social media posts and group chats specifically) then they cannot become fully immersed. Another scholar, Fishman, explained in her essay that “all aspects of community life rewards uniformity” and therefore allows members to know not only how to interact but to separate members from nonmembers. 

As such my solution to this issue was to create a Tumblr blog that would have all the information a new ARMY member might need to know! I think this creates opportunities for new members to become more informed and hopefully find new friends! I understand that being that I am using a social media platform like Tumblr is might still be hard for new fans to find my blog and therefore get the information them need - but I hope this helps and am looking for any feedback that might improve this blog!