Hi, nice to meet you here. 🤗
This is Moament, a bi-weekly newsletter about Tomorrow X Together (Twitter) and MOA. You can find us on Twitter at @moament304.
What is Moament?
Beginning is always the hard part, but we have to start somewhere. So I am drawing inspiration from listening to “New Rules” on repeat.
Moament has a simple purpose: to let readers stay in touch with Tomorrow X Together and MOA. Catching up can feel overwhelming, even for someone who is inactive for a few weeks. New TO DO episodes, new Weverse posts and comments, new tweets and TikTok, new livestreams, new videos and performances… While Twitter and Weverse are gold mines, many of us don’t have the time to consistently stay up to date on our own.
If this is your first time learning about TXT and MOA, we hope you are here to stay! MOA is the name for TXT fans, also known as Moment of Alwaysness.
Wouldn’t it be nice to have a place that has the essential updates on TXT and MOA-at-large every once in a while? That’s why I’m excited to start Moament (in addition to finally giving back to the MOA community at large).
The name is also nice, right? Moa + ment = Moament. It’s almost meant to be!
Source: ELLE Korea March 2022
But who are you? Why should we read this?
Both are excellent questions. Let me introduce myself quickly.
My name is Michael. I have been a proud and happy MOA for two-plus years since The Dream Chapter: Magic. I was initially curious about TXT as a five-year ARMY. After listening to DC:M on multiple repeats without realizing it, I knew I should be a fan. In fact, each comeback makes me love TXT more. I can’t wait for the next release!
Note: I will write in first-person voice for the rest of this piece, since it’s a one-person effort so far (but fingers crossed for Moament to grow in the future).
Writing about K-Pop (especially one specific artist) has multiple challenges. There is a big misalignment between media and the artist and their fans. Media coverage often comes with its own agenda, which may lead to prejudice, sloppy reporting, and everything in-between. It’s a shame how little some journalists covering K-Pop care about it, even thought it is a major cultural force in today’s world!
I have some journalism experience (at NPR), so I want to be upfront with any potential bias I may have. The only thing I care about is to accurately cover TXT. If Moament only has personal opinions, then it’s no different from a fan account. My perspective must not interfere with Moament’s coverage. Of course, I still have personal opinions and feelings as a MOA, but I will label them as such.
I have seen so many fan-led initiatives start with ambition and then slowly fizz away. Trust is always the biggest issue. Projects that start with good intention sometimes become vehicles for personal gains (e.g. certain BTS ARMY “journal). Building and maintaining trust between Moament and the readers is the only thing that matters here.
And sometimes projects simply run out of steam. Ask any great account on Twitter and they will tell you no matter how much they love TXT, consistency doesn’t come easily. I greatly admire fan accounts that update regularly - each K in 30.4K translates to so many hours.
I am aware of the challenges and risks, so what I am asking you is to place a little bit of faith in Moament. Say I can continue this for three months. You can then trust me (probably) for another three months, and so on… At the end of the day, I do not want to become someone I deeply despise.
If you want to take the leap of faith right now, you can click on the Subscribe button below. Thank you very much. Dubaddu wari wari.
What can we find at Moament?
To be honest, I can only do so much. Writing a newsletter is a lot of work. If we lower our initial expectations (on quantity, not quality) and just keep going at it, eventually a lot will happen. I prefer consistency over over-ambition that turns into dust.
Since Moament is intended to let the readers stay in touch with TXT and MOA, TXT updates are the most important things here. Each bi-weekly Moament will come with the following sections:
Latest news on comeback, performances, awards, charting data, etc.
Notable member updates on Twitter, Weverse, and TikTok.
MOA moments, such as threads, stories, fan art and edits, etc.
Note: Moament may seem “short” or “not comprehensive” and that’s by design; our goal is to give you enough, not everything (though we will generously link to many resources over time).
I believe sharing our thoughts and experiences makes MOA the strongest and most loving community there is. That why I wish Moament can celebrate and archive these precious moments. I actively look for them AND I would love for you to send some my way (regardless if you are the original poster).
I estimate each Moament will take ten hours of work, including time to source materials, write and edit the newsletter, and speak with readers and our lovely MOA friends for feedback. Once again, I need to make sure Moament sustains itself first and foremost.
You may ask, why bi-weekly? First, writing a weekly newsletter is so much work, many people actually do this for a living. Second, two weeks seem to be the Goldilock number for TXT updates. You get two TO DO episodes, plenty of selcas, and all sorts of social media updates. Plus, bi-weekly makes it sustainable on my (and future team’s) behalf.
Look at the five of them enjoying their moments together!
Source: TO DO Ep. 71 Behind Cut
What are the plans for Moament?
I always want to give back to the fandom. I have actually thought about Moament for a year now, but I needed to first convince myself that I could actually do it. I witnessed so many projects fizz away and I’d hate for that to happen under my watch. The good news is I feel comfortable enough to do it now.
If Moament grows steadily in readership (and team size), there will be more sections such as:
More comprehensive coverage on all things TXT.
More MOA generated content such as essays, threads, edits, art, etc.
TXT library, an ongoing archive to document TXT members’ journey and ours. For example, Taehyun’s Book of Wisdom 😆 If MOAs are already doing things on this front, we hope to support them in whatever way possible (giving shout-outs, collaborations, etc.). It’s important to give back to MOAs doing so much hard work.
Moament-specific things such as deep dives, community posts, interviews, etc.
Community events such as listening/streaming party and meet and greet.
I’ve thought a lot about how to build a community at Moament, but let’s start one step at a time. Moament needs to earn the trust of its readers first.
How can we help?
The most important thing you can do is to read Moament, share it with people, comment here and on Twitter, and give feedback. Just as seeing MOA in-person gives TXT the biggest burst of motivation, having people read Moament gives the newsletter the momentum it needs.
Moament relies completely on MOAs for everything, from news updates and member translations to edits and threads. Everything on Moament will be properly credited. Plagiarism is strictly forbidden.
Please message Moament’s Twitter with prompts, ideas, links, etc. It doesn’t always have to be your original content. Both the original poster and the recommender will be fully credited.
If one day this newsletter (somehow) generates income, all the proceeds will go back to MOAs. The plan is to send contributors TXT official merchandise.
Anything else we should know?
I want to repeat these principles for Moament:
Consistency above all else. We will release Moament bi-weekly at all cost.
We will stay true to our original purpose, which is writing a newsletter for MOAs to stay in touch with TXT.
We will reliably cover all facts about TXT, including (and not limited to) quotes, data, etc. Any issue will be promptly addressed with correction when applicable.
We will maintain open communications. We will state personal opinions as such, instead of dressing them in an editorial voice.
We are not here for personal gains, including but not limited to money.
We will rigorously vet, in case Moament expands.
We do not tolerate any form of hierarchy or prejudice within Moament based on age, seniority (when you became a MOA), or any other identities. We are MOA because we love TXT. MOA loves MOA.
We do not condone any type of hate and harassment, per most online community guidelines.
These principles will not change, though more may be added in the future.
A place of alwaysness
I want to end this introduction with a few parting thoughts.
When we think about Tomorrow X Together, there are invariably a few questions that come to mind.
What does Tomorrow X Together stand for? What is One Dream? What does Moment of Alwaysness mean? These questions have been on my mind since 2019.
The answer is obvious: there is no definitive answer. We are here to love and cherish TXT together. We are simply here to be with each other in this moment, today, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, together.
Tomorrow X Together may be known as the leader of fourth-generation K-Pop to many people, but to MOA they are five wonderfully talented young men, who are inviting us on a journey with them. We are here to live, to laugh, and to love. Think about how open the members are on Weverse, even about pooping… That authenticity is what makes TXT special (in my opinion).
I hope Moament can be a place for us to rejoice in TXT and MOA's existence. I hope we can feel comfortable and confident about ourselves. Personally, a few minutes of TXT bring me so much joy on a daily basis. I’m sure many of us feel that way. Each of those moments will ALWAYS be enjoyable. Those moments are the places of alwaysness. Let’s treasure them and capture them.
Moment of appreciation
If you have read up to this point, I have nothing but gratitude for your patience. I hope you are as excited as I am for Moament. You should be excited, anyways, since it will soon be the third-year anniversary of Tomorrow X Together’s debut! Click this Weverse Shop link to purchase the online concert MOA X Together.
I want to thank the following MOAs for making Moament (and my understanding of TXT) possible:
Translations: @translatingTXT, @304verse, @txt_sarangdan2
Data: @TXTCHART_KR, @TXT__News, @txtstreambase
Lyrics: @lyrictubatu, @txtlyricism, @dreamsputnik, @txtmvstills
Archive: @txt_book, @whatcontxt, @txtsayings
I will continue to introduce more MOA accounts down the line, including topic-specific and member-specific accounts. Some are already friends and others we hope to be friends.
No matter when you read this, welcome to Moament! 🥰
Don’t forget about TXT winning the TikTok gold and silver awards!
Happy 3 year anniversary TOMORROW X TOGETHER!! (Source: TXT Weverse)
We need more of these. More like you. Keep going bestie! Slowly but surely works best! ❤️