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Humor and dongren
Mar. 31st, 2024 08:17 pmEver since amanda first suggested I make a dreamwidth account, I’ve thought about what my first post could look like. Bc the only ones ive seen (and they’re not many) have been long and thought-provoking, I kept building up the idea of the First Post in my head, so much so that the prospect of finally posting became a little intimidating.
BUT THEN--
While I was showering the other day, I began my favorite bathroom activity: Dongren Free Association Shower Thoughts. One interaction from a recent youtube segment, kept replaying in my mind. And so, I think unpacking this tiny moment can be a nice start to whatever my dreamwidth account will grow to be (or not.. maybe this will be my only post. who knows...)
The interaction is from the Dream Haus ep.1 video and it starts at around the 13min mark.
Anyone who’s heard me blab during a dream comeback knows that these roleplaying vids are my favorite. I love improv and social interactions that are communally performative…aka bits. And I think dream are just good enough, or maybe, just bad enough at it, to make it a perfect blend of enjoyable and hilarious but also… revealing. And as someone who needs to feel an interpersonal connection to the celebs I stan, this can be really exciting.
The 7dream guys in particular are pretty dang well-balanced on camera. (Sidenote: jisung is the real star of this episode, bravely adhering to the number 1 rule of improv - Never Say No. Had he said no, just once, I feel the whole bit woulda cracked wide open :o yay jisung). The skit involves places the dreamies in a marketing firm, and the first task is to create a logo design for their smoothie beverage. The guys have a good time spewing out a few jabs at each other - renjun at jisung, haechan at jeno, mark at all of them - as they settle down to create their logos.
I’m only going to talk about heachan’s.
The Zero Smoothie© is a small carton drink labeled ZERO despite being a high calorie beverage. The joke being that “zero” is just the name, not an indication of its nutritional value (or lack thereof). And to quote renjun, “it’s just called ZERO.” haechan-the-scammer adds, “there will be clarification in very small print.”
The rest of the logos are great, i'm gonna talk about em though. The important thing here is, when the time came to vote on the best one, to no one’s surprise (I hope…), renjun chose haechan’s.
Haechan didn’t even choose haechan. The only person that voted for his design was renjun.
It’s a small moment, and I don’t consider this “ship” evidence in any way. What I do consider it to be is further insight into renjun’s perception of haechan, specifically the traits he likes about him. There was a point during last year’s promotions where renjun mentioned more than once that the thing that he liked most about haechan was his wit. Other times, he called it haechan’s “way with words”, concluding that haechan lives life easily because of his ability to craft sentences so well. And of course, there’s the note on haechan’s ability to make them all laugh “until getting abs” that renjun has mentioned a bunch of times over the years.
I think it’s because I myself center humor within my relationships with people that I find this to be one of the more special things about haechan and renjun’s dynamic. Renjun clearly values someone’s ability to express themselves well. Renjun also loves humor and is, arguably more than any other member, the most committed to making their videos humorous for fans/viewers. And I like to think this sentiment extends to his personal life, seeking humor as a touchpoint between himself and others.
There was this tumblr quote that made the rounds back in, like, 2011 I think it was a Tina Fey comment (lmao?) that said, “you can tell a lot about a person by what they laugh at.” I was in high school at the time, with dreams of being a sketch comedy writer, and so the quote really resonated.
I love how freely renjun laughs at his members’ shenanigans. His belly laugh, his dad laugh, his sweet close-lipped giggles– it’s earnest and so damn loveable.
I’ve noticed that although haechan smirks, giggles, chuckles, and SNICKERS at his members and their tomfoolery, he rarely offers up a big genuine laugh. I think sometimes he laughs to encourage the guys or to help with pacing/flow, but those big belly laughs are rare. I wonder what it feels like to get/earn that response from him. I think Renjun does too, and maybe even actively craves it. (I know he’s gotten belly laughs out of heachen [on cam], but I can’t recall the specific instances off the top of my head. I’m thinking 2020-2021).
Alright, I should wrap this up! And here I thought I would make this short…
To conclude, I love love love thinking about dongren through the lens of humor and their humor compatibility. I also think haechan’s savviness and wit feels very relatable to me. At risk of sounding arrogant, I am a fellow Funny Person Who Has Been Called Funny By Various People From All Walks of Life. *smiles painfully* I can’t help but feel kinship with him.
In 2016, in the middle of winter in Chicago, I took a train with my friend. It was a long train ride. I remember we broached some serious topics. She’s 6 and half years older than me, and had known me for about 7 years then. She said, “you know, I know you. I know you’re good with words, with saying the right things at the right time. But what’s under all that?” she was teasing me, mostly. I remember feeling an odd sensation in my chest, the same feeling you get when you miss a step while climbing down a staircase. Surprise and, momentarily, vulnerable.
Even now, thinking about this, I feel a bit hollow… With that one phrase, my friend painted a picture of me with colors I didn’t fully believe other people could see. I wonder if Renjun has ever told heachan something similar. “You’re so funny Haechan. But what are you hiding?”
BUT THEN--
While I was showering the other day, I began my favorite bathroom activity: Dongren Free Association Shower Thoughts. One interaction from a recent youtube segment, kept replaying in my mind. And so, I think unpacking this tiny moment can be a nice start to whatever my dreamwidth account will grow to be (or not.. maybe this will be my only post. who knows...)
The interaction is from the Dream Haus ep.1 video and it starts at around the 13min mark.
Anyone who’s heard me blab during a dream comeback knows that these roleplaying vids are my favorite. I love improv and social interactions that are communally performative…aka bits. And I think dream are just good enough, or maybe, just bad enough at it, to make it a perfect blend of enjoyable and hilarious but also… revealing. And as someone who needs to feel an interpersonal connection to the celebs I stan, this can be really exciting.
The 7dream guys in particular are pretty dang well-balanced on camera. (Sidenote: jisung is the real star of this episode, bravely adhering to the number 1 rule of improv - Never Say No. Had he said no, just once, I feel the whole bit woulda cracked wide open :o yay jisung). The skit involves places the dreamies in a marketing firm, and the first task is to create a logo design for their smoothie beverage. The guys have a good time spewing out a few jabs at each other - renjun at jisung, haechan at jeno, mark at all of them - as they settle down to create their logos.
I’m only going to talk about heachan’s.
The Zero Smoothie© is a small carton drink labeled ZERO despite being a high calorie beverage. The joke being that “zero” is just the name, not an indication of its nutritional value (or lack thereof). And to quote renjun, “it’s just called ZERO.” haechan-the-scammer adds, “there will be clarification in very small print.”
The rest of the logos are great, i'm gonna talk about em though. The important thing here is, when the time came to vote on the best one, to no one’s surprise (I hope…), renjun chose haechan’s.
Haechan didn’t even choose haechan. The only person that voted for his design was renjun.
It’s a small moment, and I don’t consider this “ship” evidence in any way. What I do consider it to be is further insight into renjun’s perception of haechan, specifically the traits he likes about him. There was a point during last year’s promotions where renjun mentioned more than once that the thing that he liked most about haechan was his wit. Other times, he called it haechan’s “way with words”, concluding that haechan lives life easily because of his ability to craft sentences so well. And of course, there’s the note on haechan’s ability to make them all laugh “until getting abs” that renjun has mentioned a bunch of times over the years.
I think it’s because I myself center humor within my relationships with people that I find this to be one of the more special things about haechan and renjun’s dynamic. Renjun clearly values someone’s ability to express themselves well. Renjun also loves humor and is, arguably more than any other member, the most committed to making their videos humorous for fans/viewers. And I like to think this sentiment extends to his personal life, seeking humor as a touchpoint between himself and others.
There was this tumblr quote that made the rounds back in, like, 2011 I think it was a Tina Fey comment (lmao?) that said, “you can tell a lot about a person by what they laugh at.” I was in high school at the time, with dreams of being a sketch comedy writer, and so the quote really resonated.
I love how freely renjun laughs at his members’ shenanigans. His belly laugh, his dad laugh, his sweet close-lipped giggles– it’s earnest and so damn loveable.
I’ve noticed that although haechan smirks, giggles, chuckles, and SNICKERS at his members and their tomfoolery, he rarely offers up a big genuine laugh. I think sometimes he laughs to encourage the guys or to help with pacing/flow, but those big belly laughs are rare. I wonder what it feels like to get/earn that response from him. I think Renjun does too, and maybe even actively craves it. (I know he’s gotten belly laughs out of heachen [on cam], but I can’t recall the specific instances off the top of my head. I’m thinking 2020-2021).
Alright, I should wrap this up! And here I thought I would make this short…
To conclude, I love love love thinking about dongren through the lens of humor and their humor compatibility. I also think haechan’s savviness and wit feels very relatable to me. At risk of sounding arrogant, I am a fellow Funny Person Who Has Been Called Funny By Various People From All Walks of Life. *smiles painfully* I can’t help but feel kinship with him.
In 2016, in the middle of winter in Chicago, I took a train with my friend. It was a long train ride. I remember we broached some serious topics. She’s 6 and half years older than me, and had known me for about 7 years then. She said, “you know, I know you. I know you’re good with words, with saying the right things at the right time. But what’s under all that?” she was teasing me, mostly. I remember feeling an odd sensation in my chest, the same feeling you get when you miss a step while climbing down a staircase. Surprise and, momentarily, vulnerable.
Even now, thinking about this, I feel a bit hollow… With that one phrase, my friend painted a picture of me with colors I didn’t fully believe other people could see. I wonder if Renjun has ever told heachan something similar. “You’re so funny Haechan. But what are you hiding?”
