Chapter 10: Oh man I really loved the past chapter especially. The way you twist the mood between excited debut and then the switch in members like it's such a splash of cold water and it really shows well the harsh realities. I also love that Somang was the new girl when she's the one who's now outing everyone's dirty secrets. The dramaaaa. But also just the heartbreaking reality of Jinah being replaced with someone who is essentially exactly like her. So many trainees just waiting for a chance, they're all replaceable ;A;

Chapter 10: ok i said i'd come back but ended up having a bad day but im here now!!

i like the mystery of the profiles. somang is so much younger than the rest 😢 sure its only three years younger than dasom but everyone else is already an adult by the time of their debut. and i figure its not going to be like le sserafim where the whole group dotes on her. or maybe it is! i'm interested in learning about the group's dynamic.

sodam and youngsook being completely unbothered by somang's tell-all while nabi is understandably worried. which now i feel bad abt youngsook bc u can tell she has a lot a trust in her friend and somang's going to trample all over that. will she still be defending her if something more personal and detailed comes out in her book or will it affect their relationship?

it's so cute sodam became a dollmaker! i didnt even think of that as a possibility for her but i love it so much. when i was making her app, i was contemplating if i should add anything in the comments or dos about her life afterwards & how she might feel about somang's expose but i decided to leave it up to you bc i love when authors play around with the characters i send in (and other people's too! the art of collaboration is creativity between minds! yesss!) sorry if that made it harder to write future sodam but you did such a good job and i love her already ❤️

aw yeah sodam is a successful fan lol. they're so cute and i like how hanoong is asking her about how she feels about whats going on, even if she doesnt feel any particular way about it. thats very sweet! and they just work! i was literally "aw"ing over the latter part of this chapter. and you included her getting itchy palms when she's nervous! i realized so freaking late that i didn't include that anywhere else in her app other than in the love interest section when i reread for my app for vanity reasons lol but im glad i conveyed that aspect of her well yahoo! will sodam's feelings on the book change when more info is revealed or will she continue to be indifferent 😏

(also hanoong and suki's nicknames are so cute)

a foreigner being the leader is unusual for kpop (tho im sure its happened before!) but it makes a lot of sense in the case of erie. she seems so well put-together and their ceo seems to think so as well. oh no, i always feel bad when i see characters that are not in the final lineup showing up in the trainee days bc i know theyre definitely getting replaced 🤒 and i feel so bad for them bc you can tell they've been together for a good amount of time to bond as much as they did! its not like boni and jinah are some girls that came then immediately left, they were friends or at least close enough to a friend.

also feeling sorry for erie bc she's basically the one putting her friends' heads on the chopping block or at least made to feel that way. i mean they probably would've been cut even without her words and the decision was already made before they went out to eat, but i'm sure erie discussing jinah's chronic pain with their ceo didnt help in that matter. and her being cut a week later, it's like how do you not feel partially responsible even if you're actually not. she tried as best she could to save jinah without overstepping tho so for that i commend her. plus she seems used to many lineup changes due to being a ex jyp trainee...

somang being oblivious to everyone being on edge made me lol. but it's so sad how they can't relax bc of how jinah got let go and no one wants to be next :( and its so true how they cant waste time mourning over their friend or anybody else who will get let go bc that could be them too! so they just have to it up... but some might be better at that then others. woo trainee life is not for the weak.

loved erie's pov! i like how in the dinners with the ceo, she's calm on the surface but is always questioning and contemplating her and oksun's actions. and when she came back to the dorm, the coat of responsibility was just lifted off of her and she relaxed more. but then it's back on even stronger than ever after jinah being cut oof.

i will wait patiently for the next update! thanks again!

Chapter 6: Chapter 6: Wow, profiles and two chapters dropped at the same time? You spoil us!

The profiles are beautiful and I love the synopsis, they certainly give intrigue. The lineup is a great mix of dynamic personalities and I can picture them together visually as well. I do feel a bit bad for Somang being in a different life stage from the rest of the members :/
Thank you so much for picking Nabi, making her was kind of out of my comfort zone, <3
And Sodam being the official center will be really interesting, I wonder how she herself will feel about that?

I’m amazed at how much character you were able to express in the chat, the different ways they talked and responded really brought you right into understanding them as people, and the different ways they responded to Somang starting her book.

I really like the chapter layout, as I find it easy to read, I have a lazy eye so sometimes reading is a bit of a struggle for me.
Ahh man hanoong and sodam are so cute, I loved the way they communicate with each other it feels super healthy! I think it’s cool to have Hanoong be a concerned onlooker as I’m sure the ride is gonna get bumpy
And I adore Sodam being a doll maker!

And into the past! Once again your character writing POV is fantastic, the difference in voices between Erie and Sodam are so distinct.
Your writing brought me into the moment I felt immersed emotionally in what was happening, being happy for them but having a pit in my stomach knowing that the lineup would be changing soon and how that would affect them moving forward.
I honestly wasn’t expecting to see Boni there, but it was a pleasant surprise, her having lived with the Elysium members will make the potential future drama very interesting haha. I am curious now, I wonder if Dasom was brought in after Boni leaves?
I’m excited to see how things unfold timeline wise, and how the rest of the Elysium members feel about Boni moving forward,
As someone with a chronic illness, I feel really bad for Jinah, being axed for chronic pain :/ Training for so long, and how even Erie brought up how the choreography could be altered but ultimately, trainees are basically disposable and replaceable, it’s only once they debut and fans become attached that companies will sometimes have to alter things for the members.
Speaking of which, that anxiety and tension of them all realising how quickly they could be cut, really does showcase how if it wasn’t for the company fostering the competitive environment they could have been a much better team.
And then you have that complicated element of somang coming into replace someone that the other members had already bonded with. Even if it’s not somang fault it’s understandable for some resentment to be there, the fact coming was a direct replacement not just an addition makes it hard not to sting. I do wonder how often this happens in pre-debut groups and if the team chemistry is able to recover from it properly.

Well I’m fully hooked, I loved reading from Erie’s and Sodams pov’s and I can’t wait to see how the other members view the world and how things will unfold.

And a Side note, I hope with practice I can become as good as a writer as you <3

Chapter 8: OOH! it's out it's out! first of all, I love that you've separated the story into three parts: pitfalls, present, and past. but she went from idol to doll maker? okay, sodam that's so unique! and she's doing it for the sake of perfecting her craft and doing her best for her customers instead of just trying to make money. what kinda wholesome— 'he smells like hairspray and exhaustion' this line made me laugh. you have such a vivid way of describing things where I feel like I'm actually at sodam's house with them, watching her work and greet hanoong!

aw, I love that sook's nickname for hanoong even brainwashed sodam into associating the food with her man hah oh and he already knows what's about to go down with somang's book too. it's funny that sook wasn't worried because she put a lot of faith in somang where sodam is just like she can do what she wants. side note: sodam and hanoong are actually adorable and seem so pure. somang please don't mess with them!!

ooh, and now we're getting erie's pov in the past. oh, and she's being TREATED by the ceo. I envy her because this sounds like a fancy place to get lunch with your boss. aww erie I think you're doing well despite your little mistake. I think it's admirable though how determined she is to be seen as a good representation of her fellow trainees.

oh sook, sweetie. I really think erie is more suited as the leader. you're a bit too volatile! pfft, poor things are toasting with apple juice. geez, a flu outbreak and then just struggling in general with the pressure of a very possible oncoming debut. and here comes our girl! somang has entered the building! wait cause this is so stressful for them. I actually can't wait for them to debut because damn I know they're all close to losing it at this point. these two chapters were so fun to read! you know I've been waiting for this story, and I'm so excited to actually get to read it. absolutely worth the wait, and thank you for giving us two chapters!

Chapter 6: Omg it's here! I'm sorry in advance for not leaving a longer comment, life has certainly been an interesting ride so far :')

Imagine my surprise when I saw Erie on the members page. Thank you so much for choosing her, and congrats to everyone else! I greatly enjoyed reading Erie's POV, the girls preparing for debut and tensions resulted by Jinah's replacement with Somang (which is something that is questionable, but not surprising given how easy it is to chuck one trainee out and take the next. There's never a lack of k-pop hopefuls to begin with) and a perceived drop in the standards of the female trainees. Erie seems to be, for the lack of a better word, the most "normal" of the lot, and with her being arguably the most mild-mannered member and the leader, I think it'll be interesting to see how she navigates her own time in Elysium and dealing with the other members. I foresee that she might be doing quite a bit of damage control in the future, because I foresee some of the members getting into controversies on the future. I think balancing the needs of staying in line and her members' desires could cause some tension, so I'll be looking forward to that!

And Sodam's got her man! Looks like she's doing well as a business owner in 2029. I also find it interesting that she doesn't feel strongly about Somang posting the history of Elysium for the internet to see, but I think this has to do with it not really being something that she's concerned about. I agree that Somang has the right to speak what she perceives is the truth to her, but is it the objective truth?

Chapter 10: yaaay its here!!
member profiles AND two chapters right off the bat? we're being spoiled this new year. thank you (again!) for choosing sodam & congratulations to everyone else, i really enjoyed reading all the apps. and i enjoyed the chapters! i'll come back and give my actual comments when its not... 2 in the morning for me lol but i did read through them both & i have things to say (dw they're all good comments!!)
happy new year and thank you for the chapters 👍🏽 yeehaw!

internally screaming that we're about to read somang's masterpiece!

Chapter 3: i was worried for siyeon because she was a bit rushed but thank you for liking her! also caroline is my fav too <33

Chapter 3: thank you so much for the review!! it’s been a while since I’ve applied for stuff so I’ve missed religiously refreshing aff for an update haha
I’m glad you liked the details I peppered in, I do try to make my characters as believable as possible. I know that she’s not the most conventional leader, but I saw her as being chosen for her age & industry experience. and with how she isn’t a motherly / super nice leader I thought it’d make somang see her differently because I think somang would have an impression of how a leader should act? if that makes sense.
and I wasn’t expecting you to go into specifics of what happened to her before either! I think by the start of the story she’d be more angry than traumatised and thus have a different outlook of the industry… which would further lead to more clashes with certain members.
also not me completely ing up pyxis and arthouse staff names lmao period brain is terrible. I’ll fix them when I get on my computer!!
and once again thank you for the review <3