Time to consider 37 reasons why Shownu is a fantastic artist, leader, and role model to all of us. Inspired by no one other than our majestic papa bear, himself.

Please chime in with your favorite things, too, as long as you try not to break the thread!

1. I want to start out with a refresher course on Shownu's journey as an artist. Long story short, Shownu never gave up on his dream. After having to leave JYP, he then began establishing himself as a backup dancer and eventually was chosen to be part of Starship's Monsta X +

+ through a very painful, competitive elimination show called No.Mercy. Right from the start, we know that this man is resilient and dedicated as an artist.

2. From the start, Shownu has had an irresistible voice. I've tried to describe it, but the best I can do is say that it is moonlight, brown sugar, and/or silk. It's very sweet but with a slight and unexpected edge to it, balancing the lighter tones of the other MX boys.

3. Shownu's DANCING. I'm a sucker for "Move," and Shownu is one of the few artists who I believe does it well. He's so controlled that it almost makes me stop breathing to watch him. And yet, his grace seems nearly effortless.

4. I want to bring up Shownu and Wonho's "Mirror." This is where we see the full, heart-aching ability of (both of them, but this is about Shownu) Shownu's expressing lyrics and emotions through dance. His passion is starkly evident.

5. Yet Shownu is humble. We don't see him demanding the spotlight (or attention). We don't see him stepping over his members to ensure he has the limelight. He's confident enough in his talent and considerate enough of others that he wants them all to have sufficient attention.

6. Shownu has immense respect for those around him. Whether it's applauding his members, giving credit where credit is due during speeches, heck, even listening attentively to the singer on Hello Counselor when everyone else (minus Kihyun) laughed, he is respectful and kind.

7. Let's talk about something. Shownu's visuals. Yes, let's talk about that. This man is so freakin beautiful. Look at those cheekbones. That jaw. His proportions. His gaze. Oh, gosh. Look at it. Be changed. Be blessed. Now go tell the world.

8. And you know what? While we're at it, let's talk about Shownu's modeling. He's been getting SO MANY modeling gigs this year, and below, I present to you my greatest argument as to why that could be (feat. fun friends!!!):

9. Shownu's stage presence.

Shownu is in THE ZONE. He is focused. He is intense. He commands attention just by existing onstage. He oozes confidence. I'll leave you with this fancam here because let's be real, the opening of Shoot Out is SHOWNU'S MOMENT.

10. So who is this intimidatingly gorgeous man, you may ask? Well, let me tell you: he's the man who sometimes gets tonguetied at fans' compliments at fansigns, the one who is careful about touching women's hands because he doesn't want to overstep boundaries, the one who +

+ whenever he says I love you to a fan, gets a bit shy and has the sweetest smile. That's the man we're talking about.

11. Shownu is also very honest. I noticed it first when, during Right Now, he told Changkyun that he was concerned about CK's tendency to be melancholy and think dark thoughts. And then I think about how he told Kihyun that, at first, he thought Kihyun's pronunciation +

+ ought to be corrected, and now, he thinks it's one of Kihyun's charming points. And then I think about how Shownu is honest about his guilty pleasures when asked about them in American interviews (WHAT IS IT with America's obsession with asking them what their guilty +

+ pleasures are smh), and I come to the conclusion that, really, Shownu is the real deal. He's honest and authentic.

12. I wanted to wait before bringing this up because we all know that people focus on Shownu's leadership skills, 9 times out of 10, rather than focusing on him as an artist. But now that we've discussed his artistic talents, I do want to bring up his leadership skills. +

+ Shownu is cool because his members openly talk about respecting him and not being able to find fault with him, but they ALSO do stuff like insult him and bite his arms IN PUBLIC, which shows that he is a leader who commands respect BUT ALSO sets a comfortable +

+ enough atmosphere that his members aren't afraid to clown him.

13. I want to remind you of the moment in the elevator (that we didn't get to see because it was, rightfully, a private moment) after MX had gotten their first Dramarama win. Apparently, Shownu cried as he told them all how proud he was of them. I'm so glad they have that memory.

14. Now, I want to talk about Shownu's relationship with each member because I think it demonstrates a lot about who he is as a person.

In Shownu's relationship with Wonho, there's definitely a lot of joking around, but there's a lot of softness, which strikes me as amazing +

+ because they're both the kinds of stars who have tough, buff exteriors when performing. Shownu knows how to tease Wonho while also remaining sensitive because let's be real, Wonho is a sensitive little love.

15. Shownu's relationship with MInhyuk is hilarious. I love watching them dance around and goof off. Minhyuk can bring out that playful side in Shownu that we don't always get to see. Also, Shownu says that he looks up to Minhyuk's leadership and interpersonal skills a lot, +

+ and Minhyuk says that he respects Shownu and looks to him for advice and calm.

16. Shownu's relationship with Kihyun is one-of-a-kind. They really are the parents, huh? They definitely bicker, but they also pull together to take care of their five babies.

Heck, they have a shared recipe, and Shownu called Kihyun when in need of cooking advice, and--

17. SHOWNU'S RELATIONSHIP WITH HYUNGWON. SOMEBODY PLEASE SAVE BABY HYUNGWON. HE REALLY DRAWS OUT SHOWNU'S TEASING NATURE IASODSAIDUA

Shownu just...throws him around and hides his drinks...but it's okay because he also dotes on Hyungwon and laughs with him and it's sweet

18. Shownu and Joohoney knew each other long before debut, and it shows in the way Shownu looks out for Joohoney and Joohoney looks up to Shownu. Out of all the brothers, I think they have one of the strongest big-brother-little-brother dynamics.

19. Shownu is the longsuffering father who puts up with Changkyun's shenanigans while also drawing him out of his shell and encouraging him, and Changkyun definitely pulls extra aegyo around Shownu. Theirs is the father-son relationship we love to see

20. All of this leads me to my next point: I don't want to hear anybody reduce Shownu to his "quietness" because it's clear that his "quietness" is what makes him so perceptive. His relationship with each member is unique, showing that he has figured out what each one of +

+ them needs in order to feel loved and supported. That's a level of interpersonal skills that goes far beyond the surface. Shownu best leader, indeed.

21. Which leads me to my next point.

Shownu COULD be tough. He's cool, well-built, talented, reserved. And yet, he's affectionate with his members and with Monbebe. He has every right to be standoffish and intimidating, but instead, he chooses to meet everyone at their level.

22. This deserves its own tweet. This is one of my favorite moments exemplifying Shownu's love and care. https://twitter.com/i/status/1216149168202240000

23. While we're discussing specific favorite moments, here's a ten-minute loop of "hi hello annyeong." You're welcome.

If you listen to it long enough, it almost starts to sound like a rap.

24. I've mentioned before that I'm a soft stan, and so I want to be cautious how I mention this, but

SHOWNU IS A HUNK ASKDHKAJSHDJAKSHD

He dedicates himself to working out, and IT PAYS OFF.

And yes. I chose the softest muscle-y photos I could find.

25. SHOWNU. IN. SUITS.

26. SHOWNU. NOT. IN. SUITS.

27. SHOWNU'S MUKBANGS.

Y'all, he has the appetite of one thousand lions, but that's ENDEARING because he gets SO INTO his food, and SOMETIMES, he remembers to "share" his food with us, and he's just so IN HIS ELEMENT, and it feels like a natural, domestic moment.

28. SHOWNU ON LIPSTICK PRINCE, Y'ALL. His face was so precious and shy and focused the entire time. He was SO careful not to touch her face more than necessary, and he was SO gentle. And you know what? He does makeup WAY better than I do.

29. Shall we talk about Shownu with children? Specifically, Shownu with the daycare kids, when he randomly got a lil kiss and then shyly chuckled and gave a lil kiss back? When he pretended to fart because he knew the kids would laugh? When he fell asleep during naptime like +

+ a real, seasoned parent sometimes will do? Shall we discuss Eunjun? How he carried Eunjun around like a sack of groceries? How he gave Eunjun little airplane rides? SHALL WE DISCUSS THOSE THINGS?

30. Which brings me to my next point:

Shownu is Papa Bear.

Let me explain:

31. Now I want to bring up Shownu's care and concern for Monbebe. I'll never forget him saying that there's a lot of hard work and difficulty that goes into being a k-pop star, but that he doesn't want Monbebe to see that because he wants us to have happiness only. +

+ And with his recent back injury, Shownu's first thought was to reassure us multiple times that he's okay. He's so gentle with us, so selfless.

32. ALL RIGHT, FAM, TIME TO BREAK UP THE UWU'S AND TALK ABOUT HOW SHOWNU IS A STRAIGHT UP COMEDIAN. I already mentioned his hilariously awful he is to Hyungwon and how he pretended to fart to make kiddos laugh. I would also like to remind you of +

+ "You're really cute! Shut your mouth." and Shownu pretending to kiss the members when they were doing situps and came close to his face and SHOWNU'S DEADPAN DELIVERY OF RIDICULOUS LINES IN "TEMPTATION OF WIFE OF HEIRS OVER FLOWERS" SADASIODUASD Y'ALL PLEASE

33. Shownu Aegyo.

It's rare.

But it's there.

34. I'm sorry to bring up painful memories, so I'll only do it once, but I just want to say--Shownu is fearless. So much has happened in the past six-and-a-half months, and he would have had every right to just withdraw completely into himself. And, yes, he did go quiet for +

+ a time. But then, slowly, he came back. He continued to be faithful in speaking up at awards ceremonies, but he got back into posting selfies (I mean, as much as he ever did ) and speaking up during (English!) interviews and smiling, really SMILING, again. He is so strong.

35. This is a small moment, but...really, it isn't insignificant, is it? Let's remember how Shownu split his solo incomes with his other members. And of course, it wasn't Shownu who told us this. It was the other members who brought it up.

36. My second-to-last reason to love Shownu is that he was made his journey of personal growth so apparent to us. He went from intentionally making the choreography of "Bang Bang Bang" really difficult because he wasn't so sure of Kihyun (THAT'S RIGHT, Y'ALL, I BROUGHT IT UP) +

+ to gently looking out for his members and proudly taking photos of them. He went from a man who was known almost completely for his dancing to a man who is respected for his vocals (but deserves more respect still, excuse me). But the personal growth I love the +

+ most is how slowly, slowly, he began to let his guard down around us, to the point that he is now willing to cry in front of us and talk about painful subjects. I won't forget him asking us to love him despite his changes in weight. It was an incredibly vulnerable moment. +

+ In short, growing up alongside Shownu has been a privilege.

37. And now, I have my final reason. Well, final out of this list--the list could truly be endless. :)

Shownu is selfless. And I want to be careful how I say that because, again, so many people reduce him to how he sacrifices himself for the members and thereby completely +

+ skip over any discourse about his actual talents and personality traits. But in the end, here is our situation. Shownu has stage presence like none other. He is intelligent. He is gorgeous. He could throw his weight around (like how he throws Hyungwon around) and get away +