WEEK 73 | Don’t Make it Weird.
June 2-8, 2025
Trust.
Admin at Kansas City 2024
It’s June 2025… HAPPY FESTA!
This time next week we’ll be welcoming back four more members of BTS from their military service. We’ll be about to celebrate the group’s 12th Debut Anniversary with them, AND we’ll be gearing up for j-hope’s final concerts in Seoul and the release of his single, “Killin’ It Girl”. It feels like a whirlwind, right?
But hey. Look at us. We’ve almost made it to 529 days.
Who would’ve thought?
We did. We all did. Not every second of every day, but enough that we kept going to see Chapter One of ARMY Project 529 all the way to its FESTA finish line. But at the end of 2023, that goal seemed a million years away.
When Stefne, just kind of talking out loud to herself on TikTok, asked, “What if we just make a sort of book club to have while they’re gone?” she had no clue what it was she was setting into motion with those words. And truth be told, neither did any of the rest of us when we each raised our hands and said, “I can help.” And somehow, we found ourselves trying to create and launch a big fan project in less than a month… during the holiday season. For those first few weeks it was nothing but a whirlwind of chaotic ideas and tasked out solutions through Discord chats and many, MANY Zoom meetings.
The Inspiration
We were stressed, exhausted, and often confused, but SO excited. Though we were mainly going off of instinct and pure nerve, we could tell that what we were trying to build could have the potential to make a major impact… if only we could make it to launch day and get it off the ground.
Somehow, we did. At 12:05 AM on January 1st, 2024, ARMY Project 529 launched with the release of our first blog and newsletter. The Admins gathered in our Discord chat, virtually hugging each other as we watched the reactions happening out in the server and on social media. Later that day, Stefne went LIVE on TikTok (the rest of us were too new to the platform and couldn’t join her yet) to talk about the project and BAM! More people signed up, word began to spread, and more people began following us.
Though we had quite a few painful hiccups in the first month after we launched, slowly—week by week, our community began to grow. With each blog, each livestream, each video, each new member in our server… ARMY Project 529 became more than just “a sort of book club”. We became a place where people who love BTS can come to feel seen, valued, and safe.
We’ve laughed, we’ve cried, and we’ve talked for hours and hours about “seven normal boys from Korea”. We’ve got inside jokes now, catch phrases, and most importantly—a desire to see all ARMY feel like they belong. Over the last 500 and some odd days, we didn’t just run a fan project about some band we like. We built a family based on the love, respect, and understanding we’ve always received from BTS themselves.
This week, join the six members of the Admin Team as we answer some questions picked by members of the AP529line and reflect on what this project and community have meant to us over the past year and a half. Grab a drink and some tissues, and hope that we “Don’t Make it Weird.”
Skip to Content: Not Today | Run | Magic Shop | Euphoria | We are Bulletproof: The Eternal
NOT TODAY
What were the major obstacles or challenges faced that we initially felt we couldn’t overcome?
How did we eventually tackle them, or are they still ongoing?
Even though Katie wasn’t there in Chicago with us, we overcame, adapted, and got her face in the pic!
Stefne: My self-doubt, insecurities, and fear. When the project was new and we didn’t know what we were doing, it was more carefree. However, as more people joined and we took on additional tasks, I realized that we were carrying a certain level of responsibility, and I feared letting people down.
Taking financial risks and having to trust that the community would support us and the bills would be paid.
The not-so-fun side of social media.
Patricia: Although we have been through moments that some might label difficult, I think the biggest obstacle for me was initially trusting all these strangers that were suddenly part of my life, particularly the Admin team. I was willing, but it felt a bit weird and I also noticed reticence from the others. People tend to bond quickly during intense circumstances, so I guess that helped us; as did the feeling that we all had the best of intentions. Luckily, we were right, and WE ALL did. Time has also been our friend to overcome challenges. When you first come across a problem, it can be overwhelming and you can react very emotionally because maybe you don’t understand why this is happening to you. But as months have gone by, I think we have built a set of skills that has definitely helped us cope better. And we do know we have each other's backs, always… it always comes back to trust and how those strangers have become sisters and friends.
Christina: I think we started off feeling small, in a way? Like we weren't going to be good enough, or smart enough, or whatever enough to stand on our own. However, as the project grew our confidence did too. It worked out just fine. What the hell were we so worried about? Sheesh!
Quince: Initially our biggest challenge was ourselves. We worried we would fumble everything… that we weren’t built to withstand everything that comes with building a big fan project and putting yourself out there on social media. But I think the opposition and backlash we faced as soon as we launched ended up being a sort of crucible for us. It was a trial-by-fire that forced us to rise to the challenge and I think it helped us solidify why we wanted to start AP529 in the first place. There was a need for a space within the ARMY fandom for people to come together and feel seen, understood, and safe to be themselves while loving BTS!
Doc: Online hate. We started this project as six unsuspecting women who loved BTS and wanted to make a fun and safe space where other people who loved BTS could come together to squeal and squee, and talk about this band we mutually loved. We were ill-prepared for the hateful side of trying to do something healthy, happy, and fun on the internet. The biggest thing we learned was how to ignore the negative keyboard warriors who hold ill-intent, and redirect the emotions from unsolicited, baseless attacks into humor. At the end of the day, haters will exist in all corners of both the world, and the internet. We will never be capable of making everyone happy, making everyone like us, or even making everyone who doesn’t like us just go away and ignore us. There is a desperate need by some to exercise their right to an “opinion” no matter how hateful, damaging, or wrong they may be, and that is a behavior that is impossible to stop. The only thing we can stop, change, or control is how we react and respond to that negative behavior. When you take authority over something out of your control, and make it your own in the form of controlling how you respond, and how it makes you feel, it is invigorating, freeing, and empowering.
Katie: Time. Finding time is still a challenge, especially when my availability doesn’t align with other schedules. I am often finding snippets of time during the day or working late into the evening. With a newborn, my schedule is much less predictable and I’m adapting to week-by-week changes in routine. It’s frustrating when we have more ideas than we have time to execute, but we do our best to prioritize what can be done and track what we can’t in case we can do it later. (On many spreadsheets.)
Working as a team. I’ll be honest, I was always the person who loathed group projects and did most of the work myself. (I know, I know. Please contain your surprise.) Learning to work with others in an environment where I don’t have to be a professional so much as a friend has been a growth experience for me!
Real life shit. Over the past 18 months, the Admins and other Project leaders have experienced just about every major life event one can imagine. Job losses. Births. Deaths. Major illnesses. Two organs and a baby removed surgically! Sometimes we felt broken. Sometimes we had to pause for a bit. I’m beyond grateful people stepped in when others needed a break.
Haters. We were truly shocked at people bringing hate to our doorstep. People we knew taking things out of context or interpreting our words with the worst possible intent—even making recordings and screenshots to share. Complete strangers were publicly mocking us. The first time it happened, we cried and re-considered if we should really be doing this. Now we get frustrated, but we move on pretty quickly. “Cypher 4” helps!
Admin & Joscelin at Kansas City 2024
RUN
What passion or drive made us ‘Run, run, run again’—inspiring us to keep moving forward despite obstacles?
Cake celebrating the halfway point of the AP529 project!
Stefne: It was Namjoon, Jin, Yoongi, Hobi, Jimin, Taehyung and Jung Kook. It was the Admin Team, the mods, the horde of volunteers, and the community we all built. Maybe, at first, we ran for distraction, or to feel less alone. We didn’t even know what the project would look like. How could we? But we just followed where the current took us, and with each day, I realized more and more what this community meant to everyone. The community we’ve built made it all worth it.
Patricia: When people say BTS is a movement, I tend to agree. They stand for so many things I find true and just. They are a beautiful example of how to be human. BTS first pulled me in intellectually—the depth of what they are putting out in the world is fascinating, captivating, and so necessary. And as someone that has struggled and worked hard to succeed, I also feel a kinship with the members that is hard to explain. That is probably part of the inspiration and the drive to keep on keeping on, and to even contribute a smidge to put that message out in the world—even if it sounds a bit brazen to say so. Also, the Admin, the moderators, the volunteers. Because when I got into this project, even if I didn’t know them, I was making a promise to support them in any way I could. Their enthusiasm, their drive, their passion, their love—all are certainly a big part of what keeps us afloat and it pushes me forward to try and do as much as I can and keep running.
Christina: Hmmm. I think what makes this Admin team, Mods, volunteers, and 529ers run through difficulties is our mutual love of the 7, our refusal to accept defeat in any aspect, and our audacity. It is with stubbornness and unmitigated GALL that we do what we do. I wouldn't bet against us.
Quince: There are a few things that have driven us without fail. At the start, it was the question, “What would Bangtan do?” Much like BTS did after they debuted, AP529 faced a lot of opposition and hate after we launched (on a much much smaller scale of course). At all times, no matter how tired or hurt we were, we reminded ourselves that BTS dealt with opposition by NEVER stopping. They didn’t wallow in the mud, they kept running, and they invited us to run with them. So that’s what the Admin team and this community do too.
Doc: For me the passion and drive was originally because we made a public promise. We set a goal, we made that goal public, and I would be darned if I was not going to fulfill that promise. I had made the determination before the project began, that even if only a few of us continued on this journey for the duration of the 529 days initially planned, I would see it through to the end. Once we got going, and more and more people joined our chaotic little journey, it felt more like a deep desire to keep going so that I wouldn’t let anyone down. But then it morphed into a passion to keep going for nothing more than a love of the community we were building. For inspiration, it always went back to BTS. When the road became difficult, or challenges arose, the number one question we asked ourselves was, “What would Bangtan do?” Over the course of the first phase of this project, my passion and drive shifted—I switched from wanting to do this for myself and the other Admins to fulfill our promise—to wanting to do this for all of the beautiful souls who chose to join our community. While the inspiration and motivation remained, as always, seven normal boys from Korea.
AP529ers in Chicago for HOTS!
Katie: Truthfully? Dogged determination, sometimes to the point of pettiness! If anyone told us that we couldn’t do something or we were too old as people or too new as a project or too new as ARMY, it just made us want to make it happen even more. We’d make some jokes, put on “UGH!” or a Cypher, and get to work.
I drew a lot of inspiration and motivation from the Admin team, Mods, and community members. If I felt tired, I thought of the people counting on us, the people who’d told us that something we created was a bright spot in their week. And from the pictures people shared in our Discord server of meeting their new friends in person. I was also hugely inspired by BTS themselves—I’m astounded by how many life lessons I’ve been able to put to words thanks to their music and content.
MAGIC SHOP:
What specific skills, resources, or ‘magic’ did we discover or utilize that helped us overcome challenges?
Where did we find our comfort and strength?
Stefne: The women of the Admin team each have a skillset that the project needed, and when given the freedom to do their “thing,” they each do it well. The same happened with our volunteers and our teams. If we had a need, we put out a call, and people answered. That’s what community does.
With every challenge, we’d hash it out, figure out a solution, and do what had to be done. And we always kept the community first and foremost in our decision-making. What was best for them? What made them safest? What brought them the most joy? All of Admin, as well as the Mods, have the goal of keeping our little space on Kim Namjoon’s internet joyful, safe, and factual. It can be difficult (for our Mods, especially) to keep up with that, but I think it's much of what sets us apart.
AP529 Community in Chicago to see j-hope!
Patricia: The most amazing resource that we have is each other—Admin, moderators, volunteers, and even the people that just lurk quietly. I’m still amazed at how we have embraced each other, allowing everyone to be themselves. Being an ARMY is sometimes met with ignorance and a lack of understanding. All the support the community gives to others that might not feel as comfortable calling themselves ARMY is the most valuable and astonishing thing I have seen happen this last 18 months. It has been a source of comfort and strength not only to me but to many others. There’s an element of magic in how our 7 got together and I truly believe that the same was at play when AP529 was born. How do all these people from different corners of the world, with completely different backgrounds and personalities get together and make this happen? BTS found us and we found each other. For a lot of us, BTS are our comfort and our strength, and I want to believe that we have to bring that to each other as well.
Christina: There is a special skill that is like magic, that so many of us in this project possess. We can learn anything. We have a certain way of figuring things out that involves everyone, and it is by that Bangtan-like magic that we all trusted each other from the beginning enough to do so!
Quince: None of us were particularly well-versed in ARMY “dos and don’ts” or being “creators” on social media before we began AP529. As a result of this, we learned some hard lessons as soon as we launched the project. We struggled with understanding what was happening and why, and had to dig deep to ask ourselves and each other if we thought it was worthwhile to continue. Though shaken, all six of us answered with a resounding “Yes!” And we kept digging deep within ourselves, utilizing our talents and life experience to support not only the project, but each other as well. And we were also smart enough to know that no matter how capable the six of us are, we couldn’t do this alone. It was only possible for the “magic” to keep happening because of the amazing Mods and volunteers who answered our call for help. Our strength and comfort lie in knowing that if any of us reaches out a hand, someone will be there to take it.
AP529 at HOTS concert in Chicago
Doc: For me personally, I have found the greatest comfort and strength in AP529 members, volunteers, Moderators, and our Admin team. There have been many obstacles and challenges throughout the time we’ve been together as a project. But for me, the most impactful was the way I found my Magic Shop of healing and hope after my mom passed away. She had been struggling with end stage Parkinson’s for many years, and I was her primary caregiver when not at work, so her passing was not necessarily a surprise, but it was very sudden. She had been doing well, but got sick and was hospitalized in the middle of the project’s journey. During her hospitalization and after her passing, while I temporarily stepped away from the529live events—and wasn’t in Discord or on social media much—I never missed getting the link flows for the blog prepared each week. It was a source of comfort for me at that time to continue to fulfill my main task in the project—as the research team lead. Once I was ready, I re-joined the community, and they collectively hugged me and comforted me in my loss. As I reconnected with my people, I found happiness again. I found comfort. I found strength. I found reasons to laugh, and shoulders to cry on during difficult days. I had lost my father the previous year, and my son in 2015 (before the project existed), and the transition back into “normalcy” was so much less painful with this crazy community of people sending me Bangtan hugs in GIF form, and silly video clips to make me laugh. Receiving flowers, food, comfort, hugs, and emotional support from thousands of people around the world made it so much less of a struggle to face and overcome my grief, and for that I will forever be grateful and thankful.
Katie: The magic was discovering that pretty much no matter what we needed, one of the Admins or someone in the community had that skill and was willing to help. One of the great things about working with a community of adults is the variety of experiences each person brings to the table. We learned that Stefne has written books and screenplays. Patricia worked for the Australian Navy. Christina has a degree in geology. Quince is a convention junkie who can exchange quips about any nerdy fandom. And Doc is an amazing crafter with almost unlimited capacity for shenanigans.
I took comfort and found strength in knowing that no matter how I was feeling, someone would be there to let me sort through my thoughts and find a way to move forward. Even if I was angry or frustrated.
EUPHORIA:
What moments brought us pure joy and excitement? What achievements truly made us feel “euphoric”?
Stefne: When 90+ people set aside their time, saved up their funds, and chose to spend a few days in the middle of the United States with the community that we’d built. Seeing that people would make it a priority and show up made me realize that it was all worth it. I doubt the people who attended (and who will attend this year) have any idea what it means to Admin. It’s special. Truly, special.
Patricia and Doc getting their SOPE on!
Patricia: The most euphoric moments in my life are usually not tied to an achievement but more to an experience. A single moment, a mental photograph, or a fleeting feeling of joy usually have more meaning than any goal I have reached in my life. So for me, the first Kansas City meetup and the j-hope concerts in NY and Chicago are the moments that bring the fuzzies to my heart. Because I got to share them with my new ARMY sisters and because they were the result of something we fought hard to get to. I also find pure joy in hearing the stories of our AP529ers—how this community has welcomed them (regardless of background or how long they have been ARMY), when they find their first in real life ARMY friend, and seeing all the pictures of the local groups that have sprouted up all around in the community. They are the ones that make us, and I want to thank them for their support and love. Another moment that stands out as “terrifying roller coaster euphoria”, was when the Ma City Map went online and out of control. That scramble with Katie to get it fixed while thousands of people were trying to get on it was an exhilarating chaotic moment of euphoria I’ll always remember.
Christina: Two things for me—when we can introduce someone to something that's new to them, whether it's an old video or SoundCloud song—that's so satisfying. And the other is moments when we can share a new video, music, or event in the Discord where all of us get to experience it together!
Quince: There are too many, honestly. I’m exceedingly proud of the “brand” we’ve built for our community—the safe space we’ve created. But personally, it’s the smallest moments that often bring me the greatest joy… when someone tells me that something I wrote in the blog really touched them or made them think about something in a different way… during watch parties when everyone is laughing, crying, or screaming together… or when someone in the server reaches out and says, “I’ve felt so alone, I’m so grateful I found AP529—this has been a lifesaver.” All of these moments add up to the reminder that what we’re doing is bigger than a fan project dedicated to BTS. While that’s what we gathered around initially, much like the members themselves, now we stay and continue for each other.
Getting sassy in front of Kim Taehyung & Jeon Jung Kook in Kansas City 2024!
Doc: There have been many moments that made me excited and joyful during this project.The moments that have brought me the most joy have been the ones where connection and community stood out. Everytime another lonely ARMY finds a local friend on the Ma City Map, I rejoice. When we had our KC meetup in 2024 and spent the weekend squealing and nerding out about Bangtan with a hundred of our now-closest friends, it brought me joy.
When I watched as AP529 members met up in city after city on j-hope’s tour, my heart overflowed with happiness. Every time I see our community find each other, and lose a little bit of that loneliness, I feel a sense of euphoria because at the end of the day, the whole purpose of “Content and Community” with AP529 is so that we “Never Bangtan Alone”. So every time I see another set of ARMY Bangtanning together, I feel euphoric.
Katie: Bringing my freebie bags to the D-Day film a few months into the Project and finding people in my theater had already heard of AP529. Enjoying a meal with some local project members that day. It was the first time I’d sat down at a physical table to talk about BTS with people who didn’t think I was crazy.
Raising over $20,000 for UNICEF as a show of support for all seven members through the #BTSOnMyMind campaign. Turning those anxious, frustrated, and angry feelings of last summer into something good and positive.
Meeting people I had come to love in Kansas City. Looking them in the eyes and giving them a hug. Seeing true joy around the room, especially from people of a certain age—people who told us they often felt invisible or unwelcome. Watching people feel safe and have FUN in a space we created.
WE ARE BULLETPROOF: THE ETERNAL
How has your understanding of “community” evolved or been reinforced over the past 18 months of this project?
Stefne: What I’ve realized is that real community isn’t about who lives closest or even who thinks the most alike. It’s about being seen, known, and welcomed to come as you are. Over the last 529 days, I’ve watched a Discord server turn into a digital front porch, our TikTok and YouTube lives turn into chats on the sofa, and participated in social media interactions—like I was passing a friend in a coffee shop and stopping to give an update on life or an opinion about what’s going on in town. Our community may be virtual for the most part, but it’s real.
Jin Pajama Squad, Kansas City 2024
Patricia: When I fell down the rabbit hole, being a BTS fan was something completely solitary that I kept mostly to myself. I wouldn’t even call myself ARMY. I was trying to rationalize it for months because the absolute obsession made no sense and it was slightly scary. Even if it made sense theoretically, it was completely out of my comfort zone. My first concert in years, Agust D/SUGA D-DAY in NY, swayed me a bit to the idea of being an ARMY, but I still wasn’t sold. I am and I have always been a bit of a loner. And then AP529 came into my life and I resisted no longer. I went from spending a lot of time alone to having a worldwide sisterhood with inside jokes we didn’t even have to build over time. Time zones, location, age, and many other things that seemed to be important before didn’t matter anymore. Meeting other ARMY has been and continues to be a beautiful thing. Creating a safe space where we can be ourselves is probably one of the most rewarding things I have done in my life, and we have to congratulate ALL of us for that achievement. And given that I was practically a hermit previously, it’s astounding that in the last 18 months I have met a lot of new people virtually and in person. I have traveled to see new friends all over the US. I have shared meals, laughs, concerts, movies, walks, and so much joy. I’m in awe and incredibly grateful for this community, and so proud to be part of ARMY after resisting it for so long.
Christina: I'm old school, so before this project began I didn't really believe you could make friends solely in an online space. I was happily proved wrong. I have been part of several communities before, but the AP529 community became so special for me because for the first time, I felt very safe with so many new people. I don't normally open up to this many humans very easily.
Quince: I am a solitary creature by nature. I’m not shy, and I get along with others easily, but I am an only child and tend to feel most comfortable when on my own. I also, by nature of the volatile childhood I had, grew up far earlier than I should have. As such, I loathe admitting weakness or when I can’t handle something on my own. When times are tough, I default to isolation. While I have always been lucky to have wonderful friends and family, when I discovered BTS and no one else in my life seemed inclined to follow my leap down the rabbit hole, I began to feel incredibly lonely. I stuck it out on my own for almost a year, enduring the “That’s nice” platitudes I’d get from friends when I blurted out random BTS facts, until I finally downloaded TikTok out of sheer desperation—wanting to find other ARMY to connect with. I found Stefne, then joined the Discord, then said “Yes” when she asked if anyone could help start a “BTS book club”, and it was just a hop, skip, and a jump until I realized that I’d found where I was meant to be. Community isn’t a place—it’s a feeling. It’s laughter, it’s tears, it’s support and love. It isn’t view counts or viral videos, it’s understanding and education that uplifts. It’s a group of women who took a chance, reached out our hands, and said, “Come with us…”
New York City AP529ers seeing HOPE ON THE STAGE in the movie theater!
Doc: I always understood community as just a group of people who share common characteristics or interests, often linked geographically or culturally. When we started this project, I continued, initially, to view our community more loosely, thinking of it as merely a group of people who love BTS and would miss them together. What I was not expecting was to find family. To find lifelong friends. To collect people from across the globe, and from all walks of life, who now know me better than my real-life acquaintances know me. I was not expecting to find a space where I could scream, and cry, and laugh, and find joy even when life is hard. For me, it reinforced the concept of the NEED for community in our lives… I never knew I needed to have close friends from around the world, with whom I can share my life any time—day or night—and find some level of connection. I guess I never knew (to quote RM) how “fuckin’ lonely” I had become in the post-COVID world until we six Admins became 7 with you, our lovely 529line.
Katie: During COVID lockdown, I joined a Discord server for people expecting children in October 2021. I didn’t anticipate it turning into a sisterhood that made my daily life and parenting journey so much brighter. When I found Stef on TikTok looking for ARMY friends, I immediately wanted to help bring the joy I had found in both BTS and online communities to more people.
Over the past 18 months, I’ve learned how many intelligent, interesting, hilarious, and generous ARMY there are, and how putting them together can create magic. I’ve also reinforced my belief that online friends and communities are just as valid and important as people you see in person.
Bangtan Bubble: What does the AP529 community mean to you?
Let us know your answer in the comments below or on social media (include #BangtanBubble)!
SIDE QUEST SQUIRREL:
MIKROKOSMOS: What small, individual contributions coalesced into something beautiful and significant?
Stefne: For me, it’s every single person in our community who stepped up to fill a role, welcome a new friend to the server, help plan an event, or host a watch party. To those who stepped in to help us out or make something happen, even in what to them may have felt like the smallest way—their efforts made the most significant impact on this project.
Every share, comment, and emoji. Every conversation. Every piece has added up to a fantastic community, and I am forever grateful.
Christina: Every single pic posted in the Discord server, every "hang in there" message to each other, every friendship made through the project… All tiny little moments that make our community such a wonderful place to be.
IDOL: Did we ever feel pressured to conform to external expectations or "perform" in a way that wasn't authentic to our project's needs? How did we handle that?
Patricia: This might be surprising but I would say NEVER. When you put together 6 very strong women with strong convictions and a common objective, who also strive to be authentic and true to themselves (we have a GREAT EXAMPLE to follow), this was never a question. There’s one thing that would have totally made me run in the opposite direction as fast as I could and that was if any of us 6 was, even mildly, egotistical. Even if we had to figure things and each other out as we went, we have built a common ground that doesn’t want to conform to what is expected but what we feel is right, and also our truth. It’s very empowering and refreshing to find women supporting women when sometimes we can be our own worst enemies.
FAKE LOVE: Were there any assumptions, expectations, or initial ideas that turned out to be "fake"? What did we believe was true that wasn't?
Quince: In the beginning of the project we based our ideas off of the assumption that in order to get attention and grow, we would need to curry favor from and include outside creators/guests in our plans. Early on we planned to base our livestreams around interviewing different guests in the ARMY social media sphere. While we have had guests join us that were amazing and we had a great time with them, we ultimately discovered that the greatest synergy in AP529 lies within the Admin team and our community. We have the most fun when we’re just chatting and shooting the shit with each other about topics surrounding BTS that matter to US, and aren’t pandering to an algorithm. The AP529 community grew organically—one person at a time, as the word spread that “Friends never let friends Bangtan alone.”
ANSWER: LOVE MYSELF: In what ways did we demonstrate self-care and mutual support within the team? How did we empower each other?
Doc: As I said in a previous answer, one of our project mottos as an Admin team has been “What would Bangtan do?” With over a decade of footage available to us, we have been allowed to witness the way in which they deal with conflict, and the ways they show support for each other. Much like that old cliché, “nobody loves BTS as much as BTS loves BTS”, I truly believe that nobody loves AP529 Admins as much as the Admins love each other. In the last 18 months, we have spent an inordinate amount of time together. We have had small arguments, and in every situation have taken the time to talk out our differences and resolve our conflicts. We have also been each other’s biggest cheerleaders and enablers. When one of us is applying for a job, or writing a book, or facing the daily grind at work, all of us are sitting in that interview, cheering each other on, hugging each other when we don’t have the greatest outcome, and encouraging each other that we CAN make it through a daunting day. We have taken each other on trips, and to random places. We have hugged, cried, laughed, yelled, squealed, screamed and jumped with joy, and above all, we have done it together.
Katie: I like to think that each of the Admins has learned at least one lesson from the others. Stef taught me to see more possibilities and say YES. Patricia taught me to think bigger, sometimes so big it’s scary. Christina taught me to be more creative, even if the end result gets thrown in the trash. Quince taught me how to meet people where they are instead of where I wish they’d be. Doc taught me to have more fun (and use more cuss words, which is honestly impressive).
I found empowerment through maximizing each person’s best traits and seeing people shine in the roles they enjoyed. I supported the team by (attempting) to keep things organized so we could achieve the things we dreamed about.
Watching “Yet To Come in Busan” with AP529 in Kansas City 2024
Final Thoughts
Six intelligent women with varying skills, razor sharp wit and humor, questionable senses of decorum, and a vague dream walk into a bar (Discord server)…
Launching and growing ARMY Project 529 with the rest of the Admin Team and writing this blog week after week has been one of the hardest, yet most rewarding things I’ve ever done. I have had some of the highest highs and the lowest lows of my entire life during this past year and a half. I’ve learned a lot about myself, what it means to be part of a community, and of course about BTS.
When we started out, we talked a lot about brand cohesion and all the things we would need to do to get the word out about the project. What we ended up learning was that there wasn’t any special time of day we needed to post on social media… there weren’t certain people we had to align ourselves with… there wasn’t a need for hot takes or clickbait. All we really had to do was keep our promises and keep showing up. So we did.
And little by little, the community began showing up with us. We didn’t always know what we were doing (Spoiler Alert: we still don’t), but we always knew we were going to keep trying our best to make sure no ARMYs ever feel left out or alone. AP529 has become the place where friends Bangtan together.
And this is not the end! Not by a longshot! Come back next week friends as the Admins look forward and speculate on the future of ARMY Project 529. We have so many ideas for our Chapter Two… aren’t you curious to hear about them?
But first, let’s make it through FESTA and the return of OT7! Borahae!
CREDITS:
ARMY Project 529 Volunteers
Research Team: Angel (TikTok: Lilangel2828), Leslie Day (TikTok: Leslie Day), Merry (TikTok: merryj67), Sam T (TikTok: samt_26), Shelley (TikTok: shels167), Trudy (TikTok: theeducationmommy), Viv (TikTok: VivEliz); Video Team: Leslie Day (TikTok: Leslie Day), Namz (TikTok: Namz07)
Join us LIVE every Sunday evening at 8pm ET for #the529live, a wrap up of each week's “Monday Muster”, thoughtful discussions, and tons of laughter! And catch us on TikTok each Wednesday night at 9pm ET for #the529tea, when we talk Bangtan news and dish about any TEA that might be happening on Kim Namjoon’s internet.
Sunday’s LIVE is hosted on ARMY Project 529’s YouTube channel: @ARMYProject529 while Wednesday’s LIVE is on our project TikTok: @ARMYProject529.
