ARMY has always had a complex, evolving relationship with multistans (I say this from personal experience as well as initial studies into fandom culture). And I still hold this truth: there’s no single, correct way to love BTS or your Kpop idols. Or both. And all of the above. Fangirling doesn’t have to follow a template. However, fandom culture can serve as a compass: a guide for how we care for and interact with one another, not a set of rules to police, control, use one’s fan group authority over members who express a different opinion, even dissent. We can co-exist by honoring each other’s space and recognizing the moments we come together in joy, memory, and meaning.
I deeply appreciate perspectives that highlight inclusivity and musical exploration. To say, “We’re ARMY, and we’re here to appreciate BTS’ music and others’, too,” is a valid and thoughtful stance. After all, art invites openness, and BTS themselves have never asked us to close our ears or hearts.
But here is where the complexity lies: being ARMY isn’t just about enjoying music. It’s an identity shaped by shared history, grief, joy, activism, and meaning-making. For many of us, choosing to stay rooted in BTS, especially in moments when it would have been easier to drift and stan other groups, wasn’t just preference. It was intention. It was love made active. And that choice, while never demanded, does hold value. It forms the core of a community that didn’t just survive BTS’ absence during enlistment, it grew, reflected, and remained.
That said, now that BTS has returned and the next era is beginning, with PTD On Stage Live as a marker of that transition, fan loyalty holds a renewed kind of weight. It’s not about exclusion or elitism. It’s about continuity. BTS’ legacy was built through years of shared dedication and ARMY’s loyalty has been key in preserving their story, especially during the enlistment period when silence could have meant abandonment and erasure.
So when some ARMYs express what seems like protectiveness, or even gatekeeping, it often comes from a place of history and love. From the effort it took to keep streaming alive, to organizing community projects, to simply showing up even when it was hard. That labor mirrors the love and sacrifice BTS has poured into us over time.
Yes, there’s space to love others. But there’s also something beautiful and worth naming about fans like us, ARMY who held the line, and are now ready to march again as this new chapter opens. In this moment of return, may we honor both the openness BTS inspires and the loyalty that kept the light on while they were away.
Apobangpo! Purple and true!
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