1 of 30

The LOONAVERSE

Anna Deng

2 of 30

K-pop Group LOONA

stylized in all caps or as LOOΠΔ; Korean: 이달의 소녀; lit. Girl of the Month
South Korean girl group created by Blockberry Creative
The group is composed of eleven members: Heejin, Hyunjin, Haseul, Vivi, Yeojin, Kim Lip, Jinsoul, Choerry, Yves, Go Won, and HyeJu. Originally a twelve-member group, Chuu was removed from the line-up on November 25, 2022, due to a contract dispute. The remaining members of the group departed Blockberry Creative later that year, putting the group on an indefinite hiatus.
The group debuted as a full ensemble on August 19, 2018, with the extended play (EP) [+ +], supported by the lead single "Favorite" and the title track "Hi High"
The group debut was preceded by an 18-month-long debut project, with monthly promotional singles, each revealing another member of the group.

3 of 30

4 of 30

Fan Theories

5 of 30

Butterfly

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEOCbFJjRw0

Edm style music

Shot in Iceland, Paris, Hong Kong: MV captures freedom and courage of girls worldwide

Fly high like a butterfly to break the loop, spread knowledge about the looped world to get everyone in the “normal world” to help break it

defeating the idea that ‘you shouldn’t listen to K-Pop because you aren’t Korean’.

Butterfly effect in other songs and js flying in general

The term is closely associated with the work of the mathematician and meteorologist Edward Norton Lorenz. He noted that the butterfly effect is derived from the example of the details of a tornado (the exact time of formation, the exact path taken) being influenced by minor perturbations such as a distant butterfly flapping its wings several weeks earlier. Lorenz originally used a seagull causing a storm but was persuaded to make it more poetic with the use of a butterfly and tornado by 1972.

6 of 30

Predebut Project

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DqimpVfWoAUx1sD.jpg:orig

Jeon Heejin - Loona ⅓

Kim Hyunjin - Loona ⅓

Jo Haseul - Loona ⅓

Im Yeojin - No Subunit

Vivi (Real name Wong Gahei) - Loona ⅓

Kim Lip (Real name Kim Jungeun) - Loona Odd Eye Circle

Jung Jinsoul - Loona Odd Eye Circle

Choerry (Real name Choi Yerim) - Loona Odd Eye Circle

Yves (Real Name Ha Sooyoung) - Loona yyxy

Chuu (Real name Kim Jiwoo) - Loona yyxy

Go Won (Real name Park Chaewon) - Loona yyxy

Olivia Hye (Real name Son Hyejoo) - Loona yyxy

7 of 30

Symbolism

There are also other representative things that are applied to specific subunits. ⅓ and Yeojin have representative locations, Odd Eye Circle has representative “odd eyes' ' and yyxy has representative forbidden fruits.

Heejin - Hot Pink, Bunny, and Paris, France

Hyunjin - Yellow, Cat, and Japan

Haseul - Green, A white bird, and Iceland

Yeojin - Orange, Frog, and Taiwan

ViVi - Light Pink, Deer, and Hong Kong

Kim Lip - Red, Owl, and Red Odd Eye

Jinsoul - Blue, Betta Fish, and Blue Odd Eye

Choerry - Purple, Fruit Bat, and Purple Odd Eye (Choerry also has a representative fruit, which is a cherry)

Yves - Burgundy, Swan, and Apple

Chuu - Peach, Penguin, and Strawberry

Go Won - Eden Green, Butterfly, and Pineapple

Olivia Hye - Black, Wolf, and Blood Plum

8 of 30

The Mobius Strip

Where the LOONAverse resides
Earth: real planet Earth, though it follows the laws of the LOONAVERSE, hence why things like cyborgs, angels and giant frogs exist on Earth and are considered to be a normal part of life. “light” side of the Möbius Strip - the members of LOONA 1/3 represent realism; they wear school uniforms and most of their subunit music videos take place at schools or cities.
The Middle Earth: the space “between the Earth and the Cosmos”. looks the least like the real world, in the middle of good and evil. considered to be the “fold” of the Möbius Strip; neither dark nor light, but in-between. Music: ODD EYE CIRCLE - love should be taken control of rather than being passive.
Eden: similarly to Earth, it is an imitation or mirrored version of the real planet but with a dark twist, using locations such as industrial warehouses, factories, and dense forests as it is the “dark” side of the Möbius Strip. The members of yyxy represent self-discovery and self love through escaping Eden.

9 of 30

10 of 30

Subunit 2: ODD EYE CIRCLE

Kim Lip (2/10/1999)
JinSoul (6/13/1997)
Choerry (6/4/2001)

Debuted 9/21/2017

In LOONA’s lore, each member has an “ODD eye”, an eye that glows their respective colors. The ‘ODD’ is also described to symbolize three moons overlapping. Each member’s representative shape is also a circle.

11 of 30

ODD EYE CIRCLE

“Girl Front”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyInv6RWL0Q

1:36, 3:11

12 of 30

Kim Lip and JinSoul

Kim Lip: Power - travel through time using enhanced speed (3:31)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qJEoSa3Ie0

JinSoul: Power - move throughout space by covering her eyes (2:31)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWeyOyY_puQ

13 of 30

14 of 30

15 of 30

Choerry

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBbeuXW8Nko

Choerry and cherries, move across dimensions!!

16 of 30

They meet each other!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Q9hJBog8QI

17 of 30

Subunit 1: LOONA 1/3

HaSeul (08/18/1997)
ViVi (12/9/1996)
HeeJin (10/19/2000)
HyunJin (11/15/2000)
(?) YeoJin (11/11/2002)

Debuted 3/12/2017

centered around the concept of purity, love
Live on earth

18 of 30

Subunit 3: LOONA yyxy

Yves (05/24/1997)
Chuu (10/20/1999)
GoWon (11/19/2000)
Olivia Hye (11/13/2001)

Debuted 5/30/2018

“four girls who denied Eden”, forbidden fruit and youth, but seem to succumb to temptation

19 of 30

LOONA’s lore :(

Kinda disappeared
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPYX2y4NzTU still, very pretty girls!
Company exploitation (BlockBerry Creative) and fan boycott

Chuu’s removal
Lawsuits!

Post BBC:

Chuu
Yves
ARTMS
Loossemble (inactive)

20 of 30

K-pop in general

Worldbuilding

Prevalent in Billlie, aespa, ATEEZ, Enhypen, etc. etc.
Good for fan engagement - create your own theories
Critiques: idols not often aware which gets disappointing

K-pop idols in general: they sing and dance… get cancelled and stuff
They are employed unlike fans… very brutal

Giving groups concepts in general
Creating music w/ meaning – fast-fashion type industry in k-pop that loses this sometimes

ARTMS MASTERPIECESSS

21 of 30

🤓

Methodologically, the study employs a mixed approach combining text mining, topic modeling, and cluster analysis to analyze official album content and approximately 1,350 fanfictions. Shinhwa’s narrative, lacking a unified official storyworld, emphasizes emotional and seasonal themes, fostering fan-driven interpretations and creative reimagination. In contrast, EXO’s meticulously crafted storyworld, grounded in a supernatural concept (EXO Planet), reflects a paradigm shift in K-pop storytelling, where immersive world-building serves as a key engagement strategy.

The study further demonstrates that fanfiction, as a medium, not only supplements but also transforms the official storyworld, underlining the reciprocal and symbiotic relationship between official and fan-generated content. Additionally, the study examines the ethical implications of fan creations, particularly regarding idol privacy, image distortion, and the challenges of regulating digital fandom platforms.

https://www.fwls.org/uploads/soft/250414/1-250414144940.pdf

22 of 30

Other Group’s Lore Documents! (that i haven’t read)

SUMMARY OF BILLLIE LORE

ATEEZ LORE MASTERDOC

AN UNOFFICIAL GUIDE TO AESPA LORE

TripleS Ultimate Lore Document

23 of 30

ARTMS!!!

Debuted May 31, 2024

Birth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsCd9tUdUS8

Virtual Angel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCodzDc61oc

Burn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWyw9wTPgv4

ICARUSS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-bEGflpV9k

24 of 30

Virtual Angel: parasocial relationship commentary

25 of 30

26 of 30

27 of 30

Icarus: the journey of LOONA members

28 of 30

29 of 30

The Future for ARTMS

https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/jaden-jeong-interview-modhaus-kpop-storytelling-loona-legacy-1235881717/

Regarding Modhaus, I truly want to make it the entertainment company that proposes and showcases new content, concepts and visions. What this means is that — well, there are many entertainment companies and several hundred or dozens of new [K-pop] teams each year. I am sorry to say this, but they are all pretty similar. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but for tripleS, people can say “Modhaus debuted a 24-member group.” Whether the people like it or dislike it, whatever their reaction is, it is a new concept in Korea or around the world. So, we want to try and pursue a different vision and try different content — the very content that people will say, “I never saw that before” or “I’ve never seen that in K-pop.” We want to pursue and showcase that and succeed with that mindset.

30 of 30

Support artms

They’re releasing member singles rn

Can you entertain by kim lip is very good!
JinSoul is releasing a song like tmrw