Hi! It’s Annie!
Sorry for the late post! So, a lot happened to this group recently and there’s a lot that I want to talk about and a lot that I really don’t so much. But I feel that some of it needs to be talked about because this group really deserves the publicity they were getting before all of this happened. The first thing, of course, is that if you at all were considering getting ONEUS tickets, they are on sale and these boys deserve to be supported. We don’t want the five remaining members to go under or not see support because of anyone’s mistakes. Whether you’re blaming the company themselves, the accuser, or even former members; the five remaining members don’t deserve for this to affect them. My sister and I got our tickets the minute they went on sale and I can’t believe how good our seats are. This is probably the closest I’m ever going to be to a K-Pop group and the fact that I’m seeing them, never mind that close, is still blowing my mind! But, that aside, there’s a lot of arguments over who is right, who is wrong, and how we should act towards the company and the group going forward. And I don’t want to get too involved in the argument. There’s a lot of straight up fighting going on that I really don’t want to get involved in, but I am going to talk about how we got here and maybe some things to consider going forward.
Ravn Leaving:
We already have a general news post where I discussed the allegations against Ravn. I’m sure everyone already knows anyways, so I’m not going to mention them again here. What I am going to say is that we’ve gotten an update to the investigation. This update said that they were essentially still investigating, but they had found that some (not all) of the evidence was fabricated. They were not specific so we don’t know what exactly they’re saying was proven wrong, but so far they did say they found “false information and malicious editing”. Not quite sure what that exactly means yet; but we’ll probably have to wait to really figure it out. If they even say. But we also know that Ravn has left the group officially amidst the allegations in order to not hurt the other members of the group with the continuing controversy. This is what the company says anyways. We know from experience that a company saying that a member left voluntarily is not always true. Either way, this leaves ONEUS without one of their major writers and composers. They do have other members who work on writing and a full team behind them as well, so hopefully they’ll be able to continue forward with strong and unique music. Contrary to what some believe, Ravn was not the leader. ONEUS decided not to have a leader and to split the responsibilities; which is an incredibly smart move considering how many current K-Pop leaders struggle with all the responsibility.
First World Tour:
ONEUS had planned to embark on their first official world tour before any of this happened and they are continuing on as scheduled. As excited as I am to see them, I think the members should have a little bit of a break before they move forward so much. This hit them hard very quickly and I doubt any of them have finished processing. However, I’ve seen several people say that because of decisions regarding the controversy, they are planning to boycott this tour. I think that’s a mistake. I understand being upset about this and it’s difficult to figure out how to express to the company the extent of your anger no matter what side of this argument you fall on. My opinion is this; the five members who will be touring do not deserve to be negatively impacted by any of this. And if people boycott their first world tour, no matter what happens, it could mean that they don’t get to do one after this. I think that they have enough popularity to get through this, but we shouldn’t just abandon them. And if you’ve decided to not go to their concert only because Ravn isn’t there and you think the group will be awful without him; that’s solo stan behavior. Each of these members are amazing on their own and amazing together in collaboration, and each of the other five will continue to be amazing. If, for example, Namjoon were to suddenly leave BTS, I wouldn’t cease to go their concerts. Because I absolutely love the other six members! Don’t be a solo stan!
Concert Etiquette:
I already see so much fighting, and also fighting specifically about how people should and should not act at the concerts coming up. Here’s my advice. Just have fun! They are doing these concerts to have fun with us and they will probably be a good distraction for them after everything that’s happened. We want to have fun with them and show them that we’re still there for them! There are people who are planning on wearing red roses to the concerts in honor of Ravn and that sounds like a great way to pay tribute! But please do not get into fights with TOMOON who might not be wearing the roses. And, on the other side of that, do not fight with the fans who are wearing the red roses. What I think both sides of this fandom is missing, is the fact that both sides of this argument are understandable and perfectly ok. If you have chosen to wait out the investigation and are wary of Ravn right now, that’s fine. If you are devastated by this and want to continue to support Ravn, that is also ok! This is a complicated situation and I can’t say that there’s a correct way to react. I think showing a little respect to each other at the concert is the best we can do. I don’t want to see any fans fighting at any of the concerts for any reason. And also, let’s not assume how the members are feeling and shout out anything regarding this situation unless the members seem to be ok with it or start it. Mentions of Ravn could make them feel sad and (wrongly) like they are incomplete without him, or they could make them feel comforted. I don’t mind keeping his name in the fan chants (unless, perhaps, the investigation ends very badly or the members say differently), but I do mind yelling at them while they’re on stage. Which honestly isn’t a thing we should be doing in general at concerts. Just, don’t harass them or yell things at them unless prompted. This should be a general concert rule anyways.
General Etiquette:
Respect the group as five. I’m not saying you have to completely accept the group as five; but you need to at least respect the group as five. What we don’t want to do is make them think that they will be forever incomplete in their careers. Mentioning that you still love Ravn could be very comforting! But asking them about Ravn in every fan sign, or them continuing to receive harassment about him, or interview questions about him, might make them think that we don’t respect the group anymore if he’s not in it. We saw this when Wonho left Monsta X and it not only affected the members of Monsta X, but it later also affected Wonho when he started his own solo career. Wonho has discussed how he doesn’t think that Monsta X should be constantly questioned about him and how he doesn’t want to be constantly questioned about Monsta X. Again, it is perfectly ok to not fully accept this right now. But you have to respect the group as five for the sake of the members. So be careful about the wording of the signs you bring to the concert. In fact, considering the small venues, please don’t bring signs at all and if you do please make them very small. Many of us will be sitting on a flat floor and we want to be able to see.
Update: Leedo in his ending ment for a recent concert asked fans to address the group as five from now on. This is the wish of all five members. Please respect their wishes.
This is a difficult time for ONEUS and TOMOON. But we can’t give up and we can’t stop supporting our boys. Let’s all be understanding of what they might be feeling and also what each member of TOMOON might be feeling. Because there’s been a lot of misunderstanding and fighting. Right now we have a scandal and toxic fandom behavior driving away potential new TOMOON. Let’s be welcoming and try to navigate this positively and warmly. Let’s be excited about their first world tour; because the boys deserve to be excited about their tour as well! I still can’t believe I’ll be seeing them so close! Leedo, that close!! Will I even survive???
See you cross the pond!
Sincerely, Annie
Oreos & Peanut Butter 