DBSK - JaeHo Fic Recs
JaeHo Rec Post of Shame
I'd heard of DBSK before, but I hadn't really stumbled upon them myself until I watched the mini-drama Banjun Theater - Dangerous Love, after which I shipped JaeHo. In a...vague, distanced sort of way, not being a DBSK fan.
After this horrible Korean wave overtook me (damn you Big Bang, damn you SuJu, except not because I adore you both): I ventured another look into DBSK fandom.
Goddamn. It's terrifying. DBSK is phenomenally huge, which means their fanbase is both extensive and rabid. Oh god, the rabid. Also, JaeHo is the unquestioned king of all slash pairings in this fandom, and because there are fewer boys all around to slash (unlike SuJu), it means the JaeHo fanbase gigantic. And rabid.
You can't escape the rabid in this fandom.
My favorites are the ones who swear up and down--and will kill you with the power of their hate and badly-spelled capslocked rage if you dare disagree--that Jaejoong and Yunho are not gay. THEY ARE NOT GAY, IT IS KOREA, THINGS ARE DIFFERENT THERE, THEY ARE JUST VERY GOOD FRIENDS. Special friends, if you will. But still, these girls will insist, they're not gay.
(Then there's the other end of the spectrum with the rabid ones who insist that JaeHo is the Epic Gay Romance no one ever knew about because they are hiding it from everyone and isn't it tragic and yet so romantic? Because, really, all the touching and the hand-holding and the jokes about being Mommy & Daddy of the band are hiding it real well. Not fanservice at all.)
But, uh, despite the crazy that runs prevalent in DBSK fandom--I'm easy. And apparently I have a thing for Mommy/Daddy pairings (hello Kyouya/Tamaki, Kangin/Teukie), plus Korean boy bands > me currently, aaaand they're pretty and can dance. All that plus the gratuitous fanservice? How was I supposed to resist?
I had no idea until I started making this post how really, really huge the fandom was though. Take a look at these sites:
The Lovers Collective, featuring sites that just...blow me away. Organized archives of JaeHo photos, both professional and fan? Organized archives of all the shittastic voluminous fic from jaeho_detox and jaeho_yongwonhi? HOLY SHIT, GUYZ.
And then there's this site: YunJae Virus. An archive of JaeHo video clips. From MVs to random clips (rated for the amount of JaeHo, what) to the Banjun to fanmade videos? I...am overwhelmed and a little bit scared for my life.
JaeHo fandom = rabid as fuck.
And, not so surprisingly, full of crappy fic. :| I mean, I suppose it makes sense proportionally speaking... But I swear to god all the good authors are hiding. I did find a couple of decent JaeHo fics, though, so I thought that I'd rec them.
Because I have given up all self-respect for my Korean boy bands, you see. It's okay. I'm only dying of shame on the inside.
Disclaimer: I'm new to fandom and good fics are rare. Chances are you've read a lot of these if you're in DBSK fandom.
title: 5 Tmes Yunho Wanted To Confess But Didn't by i_shiki
stats: YunJae, PG-13, romance
summary: As the title says.
reaction: I liked her SuJu fics, so I knew I could trust her JaeHo/YunJae. It doesn't disappoint. Very enjoyable read, lighthearted and fun and sweet. Cute story of their relationship without all the gratuitous angst to drag it down; just some poking fun at poor Yunho. Aww.
title: the agony and the ecstasy by indistinguish
stats: JaeHo, PG, moodpiece, slight AU
summary: Yunho carves a statue of Jaejoong. (summary mine)
reaction: I'm a literary whore, okay? I love the title, I love the statue-carving (because sculptures are hot and Michelangelo was the shit). It's a very, very good moodpiece with a very careful attention to the shaping of detail and description--so that it works with the mood, but doesn't overwhelm it. Short and a little bit heartbreaking, but just a little.
title: apartment 1509 by candy_swirlz
stats: JaeHo, PG, slight angst
summary: love is love is love. homosexual or not.
reaction: I--I don't know whether or not to call this fic original. I think I will settle for creative, because I've seen this kind of thing done before but not in JaeHo fandom and not quite like this. It's lovely, even though I knew immediately the biggest plot twist (you'd have to, knowing the pairing). It's still a lovely read, though, and the ending--oh the ending is tragic. In a distant kind of way, because you're a third-party observer along with the narrator, but it's still a beautiful story told through someone else's eyes.
title: Befriending the Devil by rah_rah_ramen [ch 14; links to previous chapters]
stats: JaeHo, one-sided Hosu, Yoosu, het, PG-13, romance/drama, AU
summary: Jung Yunho is without a girlfriend, and if it’s anything he won’t do, it’s to date a girl twice. He only has one choice left: beautiful but reserved Kim Jin Hee. Getting through to her and winning her heart won’t be so hard; the hard part is getting past her bad tempered, overprotective brother. And the only way around that, is to make friends. “Kim Jaejoong, how about we be buddies?” “If you favor having fingers, you’d kindly reconsider laying a hand on my sister before I chew them off.” One thing’s certain, it sure won’t be easy.
reaction: High school AU for the motherfucking win! :D I love a good HSAU. I know fandom as a whole tend to hate them, rightly so because they tend to be abysmal, but this writing is good. It's entertaining, at any rate, and I live to be entertained. How much do I love the premise of this fic? It's like a cheesy (gay) teen romance. This is awesome. I love fun fics like this where I don't have to take the fic seriously, heh. (Whether or not the author does is a different story, haha). The het...is pretty prevalent. It takes a long time (um, 'til chapter 14) for the JaeHo romance to really start showing up, but it's good to see the JaeHo friendship develop. Also, there is a hot Hosu scene, and lots of fun Yoosu angst. Whee!
title: Double Vision by digindeeper [ch9; links to previous chapters]
stats: JaeHo, dash of Yunho/OMC & YooMin, R to NC-17, drama/romance, AU
summary: Yunho has to learn to see beyond the surface.
reaction: College AU this time. I told you: I'm easy. This is awesome shit. Jaejoong has a twin brother who's after Yunho, Yunho is not as clueless as he appears to be, and the Yoochun/Changmin is fucking hot alksdfjlkd. Ugh, I love plotty fics. I love plotty, well-written AU fics. This is fantastic and gay and I want more, now, plzkthx.
title: face value by nhaca_writes
stats: Yunho/Heechul, Yunho/Jaejoong, R, angst
summary: when he kisses you, you taste smoke, bulgogi, and kim jaejoong.
reaction: I love this fic. So, so much. alksjdfl Oh my god. It's terrible, I shouldn't want this for Heechul, but it hurts so good! And it's beautifully told. This is good writing, with a circulation of themes, and an edge of smut, and bitterness. Yes, god. Love like a razorblade. It's awesome.
title: Mamacita by chaigreen
stats: JaeHo, R, smut
summary: His hand is sliding up your thigh and you've only got half a mind to stop him.
reaction: This was cute and fun and also hot. It's nice to see mommy!Jaejoong because, god, I'm weak for band umma, clearly. It's cute and lighthearted and I love it in the Sea of Angst that is so much of JaeHo fanfic. Yech. I hate gratuitous angst so fucking much. This was lighthearted and enjoyable.
title: Opportunistic by angelacaduca
stats: JaeHo, G, drabble + pic
summary: A drabble, because Paris pictures are inspirational.
reaction: 100 words of subtleties. It's fantastic, especially paired with the picture. It actually speaks more to me on the level of JaeHo platonic love, of the bonds of friendship that surely do exist, but it works pairing-wise too.
title: Sitting Pretty by elizacake
stats: JaeHo, NC-17, smut
summary: Sometimes it's not a kink, it's a necessity.
reaction: Probably the first decent JaeHo I read (oh, other than the two I recced in that SuJu fic rec post by sugarfrosting). The prompt was "chairsex" and it was lovely and carried through on its promise. Very comfortable dynamic between Jaejoong & Yunho, believable banter, hot sex. Yay. :)
title: Take Me I'm Yours by ranalore
stats: JaeHo, PG, romance
summary: JaeHo through the five senses. (summary mine)
reaction: Understated but lovely. I abuse that adjective, I know, but it truly describes these. They're a series of JaeHo drabbles that are connected through the five senses, and they all show different facets of the JaeHo relationship. So cute, so sweet. Very well-written, all of them.
title: this is my winter wonderland by nhaca_writes
stats: JaeHo, PG, fluff
summary: Later, Yunho sits on their old, tattered love seat, hands full with a large cup of hot chocolate and arms full of Jaejoong.
reaction: SHORT AND FLUFFY. Leave me be; I need some fluff sometimes. It's not entirely pointless or superficial fluff either--sweet in a more quiet, subtle kind of way. Where holding the other person is enough, because of all the unsaid things. Aww, very domestic.
title: your biggest crime is your gender by indistinguish
stats: JaeHo, PG-13, angst
summary: reality is something you will never be able to give him.
reaction: Oh fuck yes, here is the epic JaeHo angst. You know what I've noticed? JaeHo fandom has this overwhelming tendency to TYPE IN ALL LOWERCASE. (Which I clearly do not do; I go for the opposite extreme, lol.) But, seriously, it doesn't bother me that much in most fics, but in especially angsty fics, it's just antoher reminder that "Hello, I am Angst, this fic is supposed to be Angstful. Wow, am I pretentious." Yeah, anyway. This fic is actually not that pretentious. I like it, for all its angst--mostly because it's more concerned with reality, with marriage and children and the pain of letting go (or not taking in the first place). Reality's a bitter place.
Now. I rec everything DBSK that rain_streaked has written because she's a fantastic writer and I'm not totally biased just because she's on my flist, heh. ::loves:: But I picked out my three favorites to rec specifically:
title: from zero to sixty in half a breath by rain_streaked
stats: JaeHo, PG, gen
summary: The room of secrets is the only place Dong Bang Shin Ki can be themselves.
reaction: My heart my throat. The writing here is gorgeous--but it's not just the writing. It's also what it depicts. The feeling and the care and the love, the respect and the secrets and the support askjfldks. This fic makes me incoherent, I'm sorry. It makes me ache and I don't even know why. It's beautiful and not angsty at all. It's just--yeah. Sorry. Go read it.
title: three times yunho didn't give the pd-nim heart attacks by rain_streaked
stats: JaeHo, PG, humor
summary: As says the title; plus one time he did.
reaction: askjlkdl FUNNY. CUTE. LIGHTHEARTED. I love this fic. Plus it has links to awesome videos for your very own JaeHo perusal. Kpop fandom at large needs more fics like this, god. Why can't people stop being gratuitously angsty and write awesome, funny, cute fics?
title: what it took to get us there by rain_streaked
stats: bandlove, some JaeHo, PG, gen
summary: it was all for this, yunho thinks.
reaction: I like Korean boy bands, I think, because besides the singing and the outfits (lol the outfits) and the dancing (askdjfld hips) and the fanservice and retarded antics of male stupidity and cuteness--there is the care. There is the support and the love. It's really so, so lovely, and I'm so jealous of it. The closeness and the bonds. This fic depicts a little of that, which makes me smiley all over the place. It's such a "day in the life" kind of fic, except for a crazily hardworking boy band, and it ends on a very sweet (JaeHo!) note. So, yes, A+.
In conclusion: JaeHo fandom scares me and tempts me at the same time, I love Big Bang, and I fucking hate broken!fuckedup!KangTeuk.
[bitching alert!] Just because they are obvious fanservice doesn't mean they hate each other IRL. Just because they're one of the most popular, easy-to-get pairings in SuJu fandom doesn't mean they're boring and the only way to spice that up is to fuck with one of their characterizations until they're practically unrecognizable. There's writing well, there's being avant garde and edgy, and then there's just trying too damn hard to be different. Screwing with a good thing != good writing, okay? It can, but it doesn't guarantee it. (Stop screwing with a good thing, you fail.) There's nothing wrong with a little happy, funny, lighthearted, sexy, (even tired, drained, uncomfortable, doubting, afraid) KangTeuk, okay? Just--this gratuitous angst. It pisses me off. (This applies across the board to all fics, but KangTeuk seems to see more of it than any other pairing in SuJu. Grumpkillmaim.) [/bitching]
Right. In happier news: Komatta Toki ni wa Hoshi ni Kike is now a joint project between Peccatore Sanctuary + BLiss + Biblo Eros! What does this mean? It means it will actually get scanlated, possibly before I die! \o/ ajsldkfld best BL manga series ever.
I'd heard of DBSK before, but I hadn't really stumbled upon them myself until I watched the mini-drama Banjun Theater - Dangerous Love, after which I shipped JaeHo. In a...vague, distanced sort of way, not being a DBSK fan.
After this horrible Korean wave overtook me (damn you Big Bang, damn you SuJu, except not because I adore you both): I ventured another look into DBSK fandom.
Goddamn. It's terrifying. DBSK is phenomenally huge, which means their fanbase is both extensive and rabid. Oh god, the rabid. Also, JaeHo is the unquestioned king of all slash pairings in this fandom, and because there are fewer boys all around to slash (unlike SuJu), it means the JaeHo fanbase gigantic. And rabid.
You can't escape the rabid in this fandom.
My favorites are the ones who swear up and down--and will kill you with the power of their hate and badly-spelled capslocked rage if you dare disagree--that Jaejoong and Yunho are not gay. THEY ARE NOT GAY, IT IS KOREA, THINGS ARE DIFFERENT THERE, THEY ARE JUST VERY GOOD FRIENDS. Special friends, if you will. But still, these girls will insist, they're not gay.
(Then there's the other end of the spectrum with the rabid ones who insist that JaeHo is the Epic Gay Romance no one ever knew about because they are hiding it from everyone and isn't it tragic and yet so romantic? Because, really, all the touching and the hand-holding and the jokes about being Mommy & Daddy of the band are hiding it real well. Not fanservice at all.)
But, uh, despite the crazy that runs prevalent in DBSK fandom--I'm easy. And apparently I have a thing for Mommy/Daddy pairings (hello Kyouya/Tamaki, Kangin/Teukie), plus Korean boy bands > me currently, aaaand they're pretty and can dance. All that plus the gratuitous fanservice? How was I supposed to resist?
I had no idea until I started making this post how really, really huge the fandom was though. Take a look at these sites:
The Lovers Collective, featuring sites that just...blow me away. Organized archives of JaeHo photos, both professional and fan? Organized archives of all the shittastic voluminous fic from jaeho_detox and jaeho_yongwonhi? HOLY SHIT, GUYZ.
And then there's this site: YunJae Virus. An archive of JaeHo video clips. From MVs to random clips (rated for the amount of JaeHo, what) to the Banjun to fanmade videos? I...am overwhelmed and a little bit scared for my life.
JaeHo fandom = rabid as fuck.
And, not so surprisingly, full of crappy fic. :| I mean, I suppose it makes sense proportionally speaking... But I swear to god all the good authors are hiding. I did find a couple of decent JaeHo fics, though, so I thought that I'd rec them.
Because I have given up all self-respect for my Korean boy bands, you see. It's okay. I'm only dying of shame on the inside.
Disclaimer: I'm new to fandom and good fics are rare. Chances are you've read a lot of these if you're in DBSK fandom.
title: 5 Tmes Yunho Wanted To Confess But Didn't by i_shiki
stats: YunJae, PG-13, romance
summary: As the title says.
reaction: I liked her SuJu fics, so I knew I could trust her JaeHo/YunJae. It doesn't disappoint. Very enjoyable read, lighthearted and fun and sweet. Cute story of their relationship without all the gratuitous angst to drag it down; just some poking fun at poor Yunho. Aww.
title: the agony and the ecstasy by indistinguish
stats: JaeHo, PG, moodpiece, slight AU
summary: Yunho carves a statue of Jaejoong. (summary mine)
reaction: I'm a literary whore, okay? I love the title, I love the statue-carving (because sculptures are hot and Michelangelo was the shit). It's a very, very good moodpiece with a very careful attention to the shaping of detail and description--so that it works with the mood, but doesn't overwhelm it. Short and a little bit heartbreaking, but just a little.
title: apartment 1509 by candy_swirlz
stats: JaeHo, PG, slight angst
summary: love is love is love. homosexual or not.
reaction: I--I don't know whether or not to call this fic original. I think I will settle for creative, because I've seen this kind of thing done before but not in JaeHo fandom and not quite like this. It's lovely, even though I knew immediately the biggest plot twist (you'd have to, knowing the pairing). It's still a lovely read, though, and the ending--oh the ending is tragic. In a distant kind of way, because you're a third-party observer along with the narrator, but it's still a beautiful story told through someone else's eyes.
title: Befriending the Devil by rah_rah_ramen [ch 14; links to previous chapters]
stats: JaeHo, one-sided Hosu, Yoosu, het, PG-13, romance/drama, AU
summary: Jung Yunho is without a girlfriend, and if it’s anything he won’t do, it’s to date a girl twice. He only has one choice left: beautiful but reserved Kim Jin Hee. Getting through to her and winning her heart won’t be so hard; the hard part is getting past her bad tempered, overprotective brother. And the only way around that, is to make friends. “Kim Jaejoong, how about we be buddies?” “If you favor having fingers, you’d kindly reconsider laying a hand on my sister before I chew them off.” One thing’s certain, it sure won’t be easy.
reaction: High school AU for the motherfucking win! :D I love a good HSAU. I know fandom as a whole tend to hate them, rightly so because they tend to be abysmal, but this writing is good. It's entertaining, at any rate, and I live to be entertained. How much do I love the premise of this fic? It's like a cheesy (gay) teen romance. This is awesome. I love fun fics like this where I don't have to take the fic seriously, heh. (Whether or not the author does is a different story, haha). The het...is pretty prevalent. It takes a long time (um, 'til chapter 14) for the JaeHo romance to really start showing up, but it's good to see the JaeHo friendship develop. Also, there is a hot Hosu scene, and lots of fun Yoosu angst. Whee!
title: Double Vision by digindeeper [ch9; links to previous chapters]
stats: JaeHo, dash of Yunho/OMC & YooMin, R to NC-17, drama/romance, AU
summary: Yunho has to learn to see beyond the surface.
reaction: College AU this time. I told you: I'm easy. This is awesome shit. Jaejoong has a twin brother who's after Yunho, Yunho is not as clueless as he appears to be, and the Yoochun/Changmin is fucking hot alksdfjlkd. Ugh, I love plotty fics. I love plotty, well-written AU fics. This is fantastic and gay and I want more, now, plzkthx.
title: face value by nhaca_writes
stats: Yunho/Heechul, Yunho/Jaejoong, R, angst
summary: when he kisses you, you taste smoke, bulgogi, and kim jaejoong.
reaction: I love this fic. So, so much. alksjdfl Oh my god. It's terrible, I shouldn't want this for Heechul, but it hurts so good! And it's beautifully told. This is good writing, with a circulation of themes, and an edge of smut, and bitterness. Yes, god. Love like a razorblade. It's awesome.
title: Mamacita by chaigreen
stats: JaeHo, R, smut
summary: His hand is sliding up your thigh and you've only got half a mind to stop him.
reaction: This was cute and fun and also hot. It's nice to see mommy!Jaejoong because, god, I'm weak for band umma, clearly. It's cute and lighthearted and I love it in the Sea of Angst that is so much of JaeHo fanfic. Yech. I hate gratuitous angst so fucking much. This was lighthearted and enjoyable.
title: Opportunistic by angelacaduca
stats: JaeHo, G, drabble + pic
summary: A drabble, because Paris pictures are inspirational.
reaction: 100 words of subtleties. It's fantastic, especially paired with the picture. It actually speaks more to me on the level of JaeHo platonic love, of the bonds of friendship that surely do exist, but it works pairing-wise too.
title: Sitting Pretty by elizacake
stats: JaeHo, NC-17, smut
summary: Sometimes it's not a kink, it's a necessity.
reaction: Probably the first decent JaeHo I read (oh, other than the two I recced in that SuJu fic rec post by sugarfrosting). The prompt was "chairsex" and it was lovely and carried through on its promise. Very comfortable dynamic between Jaejoong & Yunho, believable banter, hot sex. Yay. :)
title: Take Me I'm Yours by ranalore
stats: JaeHo, PG, romance
summary: JaeHo through the five senses. (summary mine)
reaction: Understated but lovely. I abuse that adjective, I know, but it truly describes these. They're a series of JaeHo drabbles that are connected through the five senses, and they all show different facets of the JaeHo relationship. So cute, so sweet. Very well-written, all of them.
title: this is my winter wonderland by nhaca_writes
stats: JaeHo, PG, fluff
summary: Later, Yunho sits on their old, tattered love seat, hands full with a large cup of hot chocolate and arms full of Jaejoong.
reaction: SHORT AND FLUFFY. Leave me be; I need some fluff sometimes. It's not entirely pointless or superficial fluff either--sweet in a more quiet, subtle kind of way. Where holding the other person is enough, because of all the unsaid things. Aww, very domestic.
title: your biggest crime is your gender by indistinguish
stats: JaeHo, PG-13, angst
summary: reality is something you will never be able to give him.
reaction: Oh fuck yes, here is the epic JaeHo angst. You know what I've noticed? JaeHo fandom has this overwhelming tendency to TYPE IN ALL LOWERCASE. (Which I clearly do not do; I go for the opposite extreme, lol.) But, seriously, it doesn't bother me that much in most fics, but in especially angsty fics, it's just antoher reminder that "Hello, I am Angst, this fic is supposed to be Angstful. Wow, am I pretentious." Yeah, anyway. This fic is actually not that pretentious. I like it, for all its angst--mostly because it's more concerned with reality, with marriage and children and the pain of letting go (or not taking in the first place). Reality's a bitter place.
Now. I rec everything DBSK that rain_streaked has written because she's a fantastic writer and I'm not totally biased just because she's on my flist, heh. ::loves:: But I picked out my three favorites to rec specifically:
title: from zero to sixty in half a breath by rain_streaked
stats: JaeHo, PG, gen
summary: The room of secrets is the only place Dong Bang Shin Ki can be themselves.
reaction: My heart my throat. The writing here is gorgeous--but it's not just the writing. It's also what it depicts. The feeling and the care and the love, the respect and the secrets and the support askjfldks. This fic makes me incoherent, I'm sorry. It makes me ache and I don't even know why. It's beautiful and not angsty at all. It's just--yeah. Sorry. Go read it.
title: three times yunho didn't give the pd-nim heart attacks by rain_streaked
stats: JaeHo, PG, humor
summary: As says the title; plus one time he did.
reaction: askjlkdl FUNNY. CUTE. LIGHTHEARTED. I love this fic. Plus it has links to awesome videos for your very own JaeHo perusal. Kpop fandom at large needs more fics like this, god. Why can't people stop being gratuitously angsty and write awesome, funny, cute fics?
title: what it took to get us there by rain_streaked
stats: bandlove, some JaeHo, PG, gen
summary: it was all for this, yunho thinks.
reaction: I like Korean boy bands, I think, because besides the singing and the outfits (lol the outfits) and the dancing (askdjfld hips) and the fanservice and retarded antics of male stupidity and cuteness--there is the care. There is the support and the love. It's really so, so lovely, and I'm so jealous of it. The closeness and the bonds. This fic depicts a little of that, which makes me smiley all over the place. It's such a "day in the life" kind of fic, except for a crazily hardworking boy band, and it ends on a very sweet (JaeHo!) note. So, yes, A+.
In conclusion: JaeHo fandom scares me and tempts me at the same time, I love Big Bang, and I fucking hate broken!fuckedup!KangTeuk.
[bitching alert!] Just because they are obvious fanservice doesn't mean they hate each other IRL. Just because they're one of the most popular, easy-to-get pairings in SuJu fandom doesn't mean they're boring and the only way to spice that up is to fuck with one of their characterizations until they're practically unrecognizable. There's writing well, there's being avant garde and edgy, and then there's just trying too damn hard to be different. Screwing with a good thing != good writing, okay? It can, but it doesn't guarantee it. (Stop screwing with a good thing, you fail.) There's nothing wrong with a little happy, funny, lighthearted, sexy, (even tired, drained, uncomfortable, doubting, afraid) KangTeuk, okay? Just--this gratuitous angst. It pisses me off. (This applies across the board to all fics, but KangTeuk seems to see more of it than any other pairing in SuJu. Grumpkillmaim.) [/bitching]
Right. In happier news: Komatta Toki ni wa Hoshi ni Kike is now a joint project between Peccatore Sanctuary + BLiss + Biblo Eros! What does this mean? It means it will actually get scanlated, possibly before I die! \o/ ajsldkfld best BL manga series ever.