#but i feel like it was carats that took it to a whole different level that was frankly kind of gross

[lesbiancarat]

sometimes i randomly remember that instead of 'cute, innocent, funny guy' jun's fandom-assigned archetype used to be 'narcissistic fuckboy' back until like 2018ish 🧍‍♀️

[fy-wonwoo]

2022 SEVENTEEN  MOMENT: Original Content -> Staff pick “WONWOO’s Diary”

Why “WONWOO’s Diary” is SEVENTEEN’s best episode of the year

Yi Yunju (PLEDIS Marketing 1 team head): I think the “WONWOO’s Diary” episode of GOING SEVENTEEN was something only SEVENTEEN could ever pull off. The whole thing was made possible thanks to their sense of humor and their trustworthy acting skills. The members usually always pull GOING SEVENTEEN along, but their short skits and fake documentaries like “WONWOO’s Diary” are especially improvised, so there’s more raw fun. We have a teaser series for GOING SEVENTEEN called GGOYO-ILER, and in the teaser for this episode, WONWOO was dressed in summer clothes. But it was an intentionally misleading teaser. (laughs) We worked extra hard to make it impossible to guess from the preview what happens in the actual episode since it’s full of extraordinary characters.

They are SEVENTEEN

Yi Yunju: The whole structure of the episode was based on what the members improvised. We just gave them a general outline and the rest is all thanks to their skills. Now they don’t even feel flustered if we just, you know, throw them into a random situation. (laughs) I think the highlight is when Yoon Nieun (JEONGHAN) and Jo Giyeok (JOSHUA) are on-screen together. Previous episodes of GOING SEVENTEEN showed JEONGHAN to be a strategist and a master of mind games, while JOSHUA’s been painted as someone who very occasionally can’t hide his crazy side. We expected them to be a duo of handsome, lazy bums, but they did even better with their characters than expected. One of them stops in the middle of washing their hair and says things like, “You want? (Do you want to wash your hair?)” and, “Look Tho (You look like Thomas).” We never expected them to say such iconic lines. They really took abbreviations to a new level. Whenever we shoot the show, it never goes as expected. (laughs)

Behind the scenes of “WONWOO’s Diary”

Yi Yunju: You can see in “WONWON’s Diary” that there’s so many different kinds of people living in the town of Seong-ri, and they all have the same goal, which is to be on National Singing Contest. I think it can be seen as a metaphor for the way the 13 members of SEVENTEEN are all working toward the same goal together. This episode also showed us how serious fans are about GOING SEVENTEEN. We had absolutely no idea the “WONWOO’s Diary” episode would end up spawning a spooky story about Sevong-ri. It was fun to see them coming up with their own analysis that went beyond the content itself. S.COUPS was originally supposed to be a scarecrow who protects Sevong-ri, actually. He was going to be this scarecrow who’s everywhere in the town and so he knows all of its secrets. Seeing how popular the spooky story became makes me wonder what the episode would’ve been like if he had ended up playing that character after all.

GOING UNIVERSE

Yi Yunju: One of our goals is to create a big fictional universe that exists solely inside GOING SEVENTEEN. We want the episodes to connect in a way that the memes and characters from one episode carry over into the next ones. Fans really liked the character Fe Turin (DINO) when he first appeared at the group’s fan meeting, CARAT LAND, in a video called What on Earth. I always thought it was a shame to just let go of the character and “WONWOO’s Diary” was the perfect opportunity to bring him back. (laughs) And it isn’t just Fe Turin—there’s also the song “Zero Step” as sung by Jo Eulho (HOSHI), which is like an early version of “One Step,” a song Dan Dara (DK) and Hong Heungho (HOSHI) sang in another CARAT LAND video titled “Boo Drop Guru.” In the case of “Zero Step,” HOSHI was on set and trying to figure out what would be a good song to sing. Seeing as Jo Eulho’s a trot singer, it was a perfect fit, so that’s what we ended up going with. Fe Turin even made an appearance during their latest stadium tour (laughs) and I hope we can have more chances to take the fun things that get their start in the GOING UNIVERSE and give them to the fans.

What to expect next from GOING SEVENTEEN

Yi Yunju: The group members and the staff are always working to make sure GOING SEVENTEEN is always full of laughs without crossing the line. The members get fully immersed in each episode but they never say or do anything that would hurt each other. I think people naturally get a look into the real teamwork SEVENTEEN has by watching the show because they’re always so considerate. It’s amazing that there’s so many fans of GOING SEVENTEEN that there’s even a whole separate fandom, CUBIC, and we’re so grateful for that. I feel sorry that we couldn’t make as many episodes toward the end of the year since things are getting busy again with the endemic phase approaching. We’ll be back with a refreshed and more diversified GOING SEVENTEEN next year, so I hope everyone’s looking forward to it!

source

[1plus1kiyoomi]

Chapter 16: 6PM Walks

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[masterlist] [kia’s slambook]

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“What did you call me a while ago?” Kiyoomi asks Kia, not listening to what you’re saying.

“Kiyoomi, this isn’t our issue right now.”

“No, it is. She has to call me that again.”

“She won’t.”

“She will. She did it a while ago.”

“Kia’s probably playing with you,” you mumble to yourself, but you leave the two of them to continue making breakfast before the whole fiasco. You figure that Sakusa is too excited being called papa that he won’t listen to anything you will say at the moment.

“Kia say it again. What you called me a while ago,” Kiyoomi asks Kia. They are on the couch in the living room, Kia’s eyes stuck on the television screen. She ignores Kiyoomi. He takes the remote and turns the TV off. The little girl looks at him in disapproval. “Say it again and I will turn the TV on.”

“What?” Kia asks, obviously not hearing Kiyoomi’s pleads a while back.

“What did you call me a while ago?” Kiyoomi pushes, his eyes piercing through hers, begging.

“Kyo,” Kia deadpans.

Kiyoomi pouts, turning the TV back on. He leaves Kia on the couch, then goes to you at kitchen. You don’t notice him so he just leans his back on the counter, admiring you from behind. You looked so cute with his shirt and boxers on, the apron you’re wearing is the cherry on top. He’s trying his best not to jump on you especially that Kia is just there.

You, on the other hand, are slicing the apples, Saki in your mind. “That fucking bitch,” you mutter, slicing rougher than needed. “She better not show up here again.”

“Have mercy on the apples,” Kiyoomi chuckles. He wraps his arms around your waist, his chin on top of your head. You continue to slice, Kiyoomi carefully watching your hands. “Where’s the ring I gave you?”

“It’s in my bag. I took it off when we were in Universals since it was slipping off my finger. I was scared I’d lose it,” you reply. His hug feels comforting so you slow down in slicing. “Have you given up on Kia calling you papa?”

“No,” he huffs, his chin now on your shoulder. You giggle at his determination. “You’re probably shocked about what happened.”

“Didn’t know your fuck buddy was psycho,” you respond. He starts leaving small kisses on your exposed neck, so you put the knife down and turn to him. “Kiyoomi, why are you so touchy today?”

“What do you mean? I was also touchy yesterday,” he corrects you. His hands intertwine with yours as he brings it close to his. He gives all your fingers soft kisses, completely calming you down. “You seem so stressed. You should get a massage or something.”

“That sounds nice.” You smile at the thought of simply relaxing. Ever since you had given birth to Kia, time for yourself was impossible.

“Then take a day off from being a mom today,” Kiyoomi mumbles, planting a kiss on your forehead. You look up to him in confusion. “I’ll drop you off at the mall. I actually booked you an appointment at a salon and spa a week ago.” You stare at him in suspicion but he seems solely genuine about wanting you to relax.

“What about Kia?” You ask hesitantly.

“I’ll take good care of her,” he responds. “Get changed. I’ll continue making breakfast.”

After eating breakfast with Kiyoomi and Kia, they send you off to the mall. You are so excited to relax. “Me time” is rare as a mother. You shall cherish it without questions on how and why you got to do it.

As you left the car, Kia and Kiyoomi drive to another street in the city of Osaka. They leave the car, and go to a small cafe that doesn’t have a lot of customers. A woman waves at him and he goes to where she’s seated.

“Kyo who’s that?”

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You finish your appointments at around 5:30 PM. Kiyoomi really wanted you to relax. He had appointed a full body massage for you, a hair treatment appointment, manicure and pedicure and lunch at a 4-star sushi place; he’s spoiling you.

You see his car at the driveway outside the mall. You enter his car, then you sanitize your hands. Kia is asleep so you keep quiet. You take a look at him and he looks nervous.

“Are you okay?” You ask him and he nods. You eye him warily as he starts driving off without a word. “What did the two of you do today?”

“We went to a cafe, then met up with my nutritionist. Kia is also gave him a checkup. Apparently, Kia is taller than most of her peers. She’s 8 centimeters away from 100cm and she’s only 30 months old...” Kiyoomi states in a stressed manner.

“Are you afraid she’ll get bullied by other kids for her height?” You look at him and he seemed upset about it. “On the brighter side, with her height she can be a volleyball player like you.” You reassure him, he still looks like he’s on the edge.

“It’s the flower field Kia and I went to a while ago. Do you wanna take a walk?” He suddenly suggests, looking out the window of his car. You hum as a yes, then he parks his car somewhere near the flower field.

“Baby...” You coo at Kia, taking her seatbelt off. Her eyes slowly flutter open and she smiles when she sees you. You lift her off her chair then close the car’s door.

You look around, and notice that there aren’t a lot of people. No wonder why Kiyoomi wanted to take a walk. The place is peaceful and breathtaking. Rows of different kinds of flowers, but mostly roses and tulips. You look down to Kia and see that she is staring at the sun setting over the flower field.

You finally sense Kiyoomi beside you, but the energy he’s giving is off. You take a glance at him and he isn’t wearing his mask on. Now your suspicion has risen to the highest level. You want to ask him about it but Kia suddenly wriggles out of your hold. You run after her but stop when you see two familiar boys.

“Mu-chan! Ki-chan!” She squeals in excitement, running towards the said boys. You greet them with a wave as they are standing from a far. You watch Kia run to them before walking towards them too.

“Mama! Turn around!” Kia shouts but you don’t hear properly.

“Turn! Around!” Atsumu shouts this time, signaling you turn with his hand. You raise an eyebrow at them before turning around.

3rd Year, Itachiyama Academy

August 19

“Omi... I suddenly thought of something,” you spoke, watching the sunset. You two were at his backyard, enjoying your first anniversary in the comfort of his home. “How will you propose to me?”

“Are you really thinking about marriage just because we’ve been dating for a year now?” Sakusa squinted his eyes at you. You shrugged, leaning on his shoulder.

“I’m just curious since you hate surprises. You might tell me to get my nails done a week before so it’d look good in pictures,” you joked. He let out a chuckle in agreement.

“I might do that.” He saw the excitement in your eyes. Now, he’s curious about your dream proposal. “How do you want me to propose? Do you want a grand one or a simple one?”

“I want you to propose just like this,” you replied, eyes glued on the setting sun. “You, me, on our anniversary, with the sun setting.”

“Do I have to be on my knee? The ground might be dirty,” he rambled so you pouted.

“How is it a proposal if you don’t go on one bended knee?!”

“Then I’ll do that,” he replied, determined. There was no hesitance in his response so your heart beat faster.

“Really?” You asked, hopeful. You were now looking at him and so was he.

“Yes.”

“Sakusa Kiyoomi, why?!” You exclaim as you cover your face with your hands, tears already falling from your eyes.

The Sakusa Kiyoomi who well known as a germaphobe is on his knee in front you, with a ring in his hand. You check your phone to see the date, just to make sure. August 19. You cry even harder, not able to process what’s happening. Your heart is about to jump out of your chest. How does he remember even that?

“Will you marry me?”

Unable to answer due to too much emotions, you pull him up and kiss him deeply, hooking your arm on his neck, pulling him close to you. He wraps his arms around your waist, lifting you up the ground in excitement. He puts you back on the ground, then gives you another chaste kiss before slipping the ring in your ring finger. He gives it a kiss, before kissing you once more.

“Mama!” You hear Kia run to the two you. Kiyoomi lifts Kia with one arm, his other arm not leaving you. “Look! Kyo proposed to me too!”

“Kyo who’s that?” Kia asked as she and Kiyoomi sat in the same table with a strange woman.

“Is this your daughter?” The woman asked Sakusa. He nodded. Kia was still looking at her weirdly. “Hi, I’m Nako. I’m a jewelry maker. I make necklaces, bracelets, and rings. Do you wanna see?”

“Sorry, I’m late,” a familiar voice spoke, catching Kia’s full atention.

“Mu-chan!” Kia greeted him with a kiss. He sat down beside her, greeting Nako and his teammate with a smile and wave. Nako was Atsumu’s classmate in high school that has become a famous jeweler in Japan.

“Here’s the ring and necklace you have requested to custom made,” Nako told Kiyoomi, handing him two black velvet boxes. “Just as requested, a palladium engagement ring with a 2.4 carat round cut diamond. And in this box we have a 14k white gold ring attached to a 14k white gold chain. I also made sure that this won’t choke your daughter. But to be extra careful, take it off during her sleep or if she’s playing without you or your wife around.”

They finished their transaction and Nako left, leaving the boys with Kia in the cafe. “So we’ll wait for at the flower field near your house and Kia will run to us, then you’ll propose?” Atsumu clarified.

“Yes. That’s right,” Kiyoomi approved. “Please thank Kita-san for me.”

“I will. I will. We’ll meet you there.” Atsumu bid his good byes, leaving the father-daughter duo.

“Papa what’s the rings for?” Kia asked, staring at the shiny jewelry set in front of her.

“Baby, I’ll propose to your mama,” Kiyoomi started to explain. “I’ll give her this ring so we can get married and we’ll be together forever.” He tried to explain in simpler words so the child could understand.

“Why do you want to be with mama forever?” Kia questioned, which made Kiyoomi smile.

“Because I love your mama.”

“How about Kia? Do you love Kia?” Kia tilted her head to the side, her hopeful eyes peering at his. He cupped her cheek, planting a kiss on her forehead.

“So much. I love Kia so much,” he replied. “That’s why I’m giving you this.” Kiyoomi took the necklace out of the box, presenting it to her.

“You’re proposing to Kia?” She asked in an excited manner, her hands clasped together, pressing them close to her chest. “You wanna be together with Kia forever?”

Kia started crying in joy so Kiyoomi picked her up from her chair, giving her a tight hug. Her sobs quiet down so Kiyoomi put the necklace on her. She hugs him again, giving him a lot of kisses.

“I love papa, too.”

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Facts:

The idea and tradition of engagement rings dates back to ancient Egypt. The Egyptians believed circles were symbols of eternity.

The truth is the most popular engagement month in a year is December. 

In all, about 70% of brides wear their rings on the fourth finger of their left hand; a tradition that comes from the Roman belief that the vena amoris, or vein of love, was located there.

Wedding rings were traditionally made of gold because it was considered the most pure and valuable metal, and was thought to perfectly symbolize marriage.

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Taglist:  @elianetsantana​ aoi-turtle ptv-hades  aquzairus a-applepi justoneofthefangirlsarianna-r13 morenabambinii chaelysian loser-keiji mxngy ne-kuroon1fangirlsblog d-efendmissalicebaskervillemarvelousbakugou @agaashesmilktea​ bonkyandloki kimi09 ntimacy @mkazuyuh  ushi-please minty-mangos-world @dearest-kiyoomi​ yeehawslap  onlyshinji obsessedwhxre

[bananban-feature]

Seventeen: Hoshi

(It took me a while to write this because... I’m also not sure. There’s a lot of ideas here and there and my mind is all over the place. But here it goes.)

Hoshi appreciation time! I’m here to talk about another one of my biases in my bias group that I love so much, Seventeen. Hoshi is incredibly talented and creative, fun with an extremely loveable personality! Now, where do I start?

Talent

Dance - This talent is pretty obvious as he is the leader of the performance unit, which is equivalent to the team of the main dancers of the group. (Other Seventeen members who aren’t part of this unit are already really good dancers, so this unit is really something.)

Stage Presence and Energy - A big part of what I like about Hoshi’s performances is not simply his dance - it’s his energy and attitude. I especially like it when he performs with intensity, like his Fearless intro dance with the drums (GDA 2021). I remember watching a clip of their Ode To You in Manila concert on Youtube and seeing Hoshi  made me really wish I was there. (I only became a Carat after this, during quarantine.) It’s like he’s a ball of energy that hypes people up. 

His duality is INSANE. He knows how to use his facial expressions and charisma that would make you feel the intensity of the music and fall for him on stage. And yet irl he’s absolutely adorable.

Singing - With Hoshi being such a main dancer already, you wouldn’t think he would have good vocals, but Hoshi is actually a lead singer too! In fact, in Performance unit, he is the main vocals. He has a powerful voice!

Rap - Hoshi is the main rapper in their super fun sub-unit BooSeokSoon. (Sure, he’s not actually the best singer or rapper there is in all of kpop, but he really has the talent for it.) There are many songs only a few people can pull off but he does. His energy and attitude in “Just Do It” by BSS and “Bring It” is next level, and absolutely necessary for the song to be successful.

Songwriting - This hasn’t been much (you know, as much as Woozi), but Hoshi has also participated in writing some of their songs, and even composed some with the help of Bumzu/Woozi! He co-wroteThanks with Woozi and Bumzu.

In general, I just also love Hoshi’s confidence in his talents. He knows his strengths, he isn’t afraid to showcase all the good things he can do, and he recognizes when he performs well. Confident, but not bragging. He’s just so real and so passionate about performing.

Performance Unit Leader & Choreographer

I have a lot to say about this because the first thing that really struck me about Seventeen is the absolutely beautiful choreography and incredible synchronization. It is the reason why I really checked them out in the first place after seeing a video of them dancing to Don’t Wanna Cry in x2 speed.

Choreography - Hoshi co-choreographs the Seventeen performances with a choreographer hyung/noona, and also with the help of the performance team. (I am not disregarding the work of the pro choreographers, who in fact, did such an amazing job, but I’ve seen some people dismiss Hoshi’s contributions to these. Hoshi himself doesn’t brag about it, and ALWAYS mentions the choreographers that helped them.) There are a lot of records of him working on the choreo and formations, and there are interviews with Seventeen members, Hoshi himself, and even the choreographer hyungs that talk about his work. There’s a lot of hard work involved in this, especially when you have to think about 13 people’s positions in each scene. It just requires a lot of brain power! To add to that, Hoshi is incredibly creative! He is able to take inspiration from random objects (such as street lamps), and turn it into story-telling choreography (DWC example, skip to 1:32, this is an amazing video). I really love Seventeen's choreography, and I think they have one of the best choreographies in kpop! They are my all-time favorite in this area.

Leadership - (Obviously, they practice these dances also with the help of the choreographer hyungs too, but Hoshi really leads the whole group in terms of the performance.) Hoshi is strict and particular even with the tiniest details, angles and timing. I definitely think this is one of the biggest reasons why Seventeen is so good with their dance and are called Kings of Synchronization. Not only do they practice a lot, but I think they all really work hard because they’ve developed this sense of meticulousness in choreo that Hoshi imparted.

***Hoshi said himself that he’s a quick-tempered person. The members have actually shared their accounts of how Hoshi was as a performance leader - strict, not very patient, and has a tendency to say harsh words when they did not meet his expectations. (He’s the opposite of Minghao in Idol Producer. Normally, this impatient teaching style would get me pissed, but Hoshi as a teacher to Seventeen is different. Unlike the ordinary teacher-student relationship, Hoshi has a very close friendship with the members like family. Even when there are hurts and arguments during practice, they are able to talk about it, fix and overcome it.) It seems Hoshi has changed from this harshness though. And now the members are able to talk and laugh about it freely as memories from their earlier years.

Personality

Hoshi is so talented, but what really drew me into him was his outstanding personality. People who only look at Hoshi on stage might get shocked because Hoshi in real life is like a cute crazy hamster. (Oops, I meant “tiger”, horanghae!)

Hoshi is hilarious and adorable at the same time. It’s almost like a toddler in a grown man’s body. He says the silliest things and acts the silliest way! What makes him funny is not just because he tries hard to be funny by making jokes. He’s just naturally funny - the definition of chaotic comedy, major crackhead energy! His overhyping is hilarious. And his randomness will make you laugh. I love that he is unapologetically himself, accepting himself in all his weirdness. And no one can stop his tiger agenda.  🐯 🐯 🐯

Don’t Lie I & II are two of the first episodes I watched in Going Seventeen. I was so in love with Hoshi, especially after Don’t Lie II. He was so chaotic and crazy, but also very intelligent! It really was a successful game because of his incredible deduction (with the help of Seungkwan, of course). And my gosh, the way he copied Seungkwan (and even Vernon) in their 5th Anniversary is legendary! That’s both talent in comedy and talent in acting!

Despite being this comedian, he is often seen being very sweet to the rest of the members. Honestly, unless they are in the practice room or when he needs to protect the members, Hoshi is one of those who’s often like a fake maknae in the group because he’s so cute. (Okay, except Woozi always rejects his hugs. lol) He’s also sweet to the fans and interacts with them a lot.

Hoshi’s Visuals

He may not be an official visual but nowadays, I am really appreciating his looks. I’ve always found him cute (like a child-like cute). Even in his old videos as a rookie, he has a cute and fun visual. But he really has a face with nice proportions. Honestly, he’s growing more and more mature each day. And recently, I’m just loving his visuals so much as a handsome guy.

Like...look at this beauty?

///Update, March 2021: As I predicted, Hoshi has been showing his handsome boyfriend look more and more.

A better look of the last photo, whew:

*** update done ///

This post is waaaaaaay longer than I planned it to be. There’s just too many things to appreciate about Hoshi.

Anyway, here are random things I found you also might enjoy:

Article on Hoshi as a dancer/performer (The title is misleading, but this is actually a great compilation of amazing Hoshi and Seventeen dance things.) 

Reddit thread on Hoshi’s talents

IDK, random Hoshi YT compilations (1) and (2)

The Leader Line

I’ve written about my top biases right now: Woozi (previous post) and Hoshi, hard-working members for the team. In general, I really appreciate the leader line. At a young age, they led a group of teens to rise to the top of a very demanding industry. This is real life leadership with real life issues and pressures. They had a huge responsibility, it wasn’t playtime. (Great job to S.Coups, too, for being able to handle the crazy kids and keep them in order together. Imagine having to think about the individual issues of 13 people!)

Anyway, hopefully I’ll be able to talk more about them soon in my Seventeen members general appreciation post!

[svtmatokis]

Far Away P6

I’ve had this written for a while...I’m starting work again and I’m trying to finish all these incomplete fics~!!

If you guys don’t know what this fic is, it was one of the first series I posted but lost direction of during the writing process...If you want to check it out (and my terrible writing at the time) then check out the parts below. I’m not sure when Part 7 is going to come out because the direction is still not really there and I’m not sure how to end this but it may be one of the last fics to be completed.

Plot:  Valerie and Joshua are childhood friends. Joshua debuted with Seventeen while Valerie is a big lifestyle blogger/youtuber. They haven’t seen each other in years but now Seventeen’s coming to L.A for a small vacation. What’s going to happen between the two childhood friends?

Pairing: Valerie X Joshua

Genre: Fluff

Words: 2208

Parts:  1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5

The next day, Valerie and Joshua had woken up early to get ready for their day trip to Disneyland. 

“It’s been forever since I’ve to Disneyland” Joshua said as the two were getting ready. 

”I went….” Valerie thought to herself, “Three months ago for Kellys birthday….something like that” she said as she put her makeup on. She looked at Joshua through the mirror as he took out the hair wax.

“Want help with your hair?” 

Joshua looked at her smiling, “”Yes please” he handed her the hair wax as she jumped to sit on the counter. 

This had been a normal routine between the two of them since Joshua had started styling his hair though it had been ages since she had last done it, it always felt good when she ran her hands through his hair. 

Once she finished styling it, Valerie washed her hands and grabbed the necklace she was going to wear that day. Before she could put it on, Joshua took it from her hands and told her to turn around. 

“Thank you” Valerie said shyly and lifted up her hair. 

As he was putting the necklace on, he noticed a new addition to her tattoo that she had on her shoulder. They were Korean letters in between the two birds that she already had.

Once he made it out, he realized it was the name of her grandmother. 

“Hey…” he started not knowing how to approach the subject, “How’s your grandmother?”  Last he heard, she had been really sick but was told by his mother around the time of his debut that she was doing well. 

Valerie froze before her shoulders sulked. 

 She...uhm…she passed away about a year and a half ago..” she responded softly and Joshua’s heart dropped as she turned to look at him, her eyes full of sadness. 

“Wait...a year and a half ago?” He clarified and she nodded her confirmation. He held her by her shoulders and shook her gently, “When? Where? Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked slightly hurt. 

He wasn’t hurt at the fact that she didn’t tell him, but he was more hurt at the fact that it had happened a while ago, but he hadn’t heard anything about it and the fact that he wasn’t able to be there for her. 

Valerie let out a shaky breath and ran a hand through her hair, Joshua was her closest friend and her grandmothers death was a time that she needed him the most but of course, she thought about him first over herself, “It was spring about a year ago I think…” she started, her heart hurting thinking about the moment. “We...we got a call from my dads sister saying that grandmother had fallen and was rushed to the hospital...they ran a series of tests on her and realized that she had stage 2 liver cancer… “

Joshua gasped, though they were about to head out, he wanted to know the story. He wanted to know why she didn’t call him. 

“Val…” he whispered as Valerie continued.

“She was put on medication for a while but as months progressed, she wasn’t getting any better...my dad’s sister called again in the early summer...the doctors had told them that she wasn’t responding to medication and that” she felt tears well up in her eyes, “and that..” she choked back a sob, “That we should start preparing…” tears escaped her eyes.

“My parents left that next day, I had to finish some things first so I was set to leave a few days later…” this time she just let the tears go but continued, “The day before I was supposed leave...my dad called…” 

“Oh no…” Joshua whispered, his heart breaking at the sight of Valerie’s tears. 

“She passed away in her sleep” she whispered, at this point, Joshua had led them to their makeshift sleeping area in the living room and sat her down on the couch, her smaller hands folded in his larger ones. 

Valerie took a big breath, “I never got to say goodbye” she let out a sob and the next thing she knew, Joshua had pulled her into his arms and she just let herself cry.

Joshua ran his hand through her hair, whispering comforting words as his other hand rubbed her back soothingly. He himself wanted to cry, he couldn’t have imagined what it was like for her to go through something like that especially alone.

“Baby...its okay…” he whispered in her ear, letting the term of endearment slip but neither noticed as he continued to rub circles on her back.

After a few minutes, Valeries sobs subsided and she continued her story. “I remember crumbling to the floor in a ball, I don’t remember how long I was there for… I just remember your mom walking in and finding me like that..” 

“My mom found you?” He asked and he felt her nod. 

“I was going to stay with your parents for the night since they lived closer to the airport” she explained and Joshua felt her smile against his shoulder, “I guess when I didn’t show up she came to look for me, she held me just like my own mother would have if she were here…the next day, she was on the flight with me to Korea...I owe your mom my life for that..” she whispered. “She was my rock.” 

Joshua pulled away and looked at Valerie, her eyes were red and puffy and her nose was running but to him, she had never looked more beautiful. 

“Val…” he whispered holding both her hands in his, “Why….why didn’t you call me? I would’ve been right there, I would’ve been with you at the funeral…” 

Valerie let out a light laugh and shook her head, “Your mom asked me the same thing…” she thought back to that day, no...she definitely did not regret not calling him. “You were on your first world tour and I recall you were in South America at the time.” 

“I would’ve flown-“ 

“I know and you would’ve missed the rest of the tour. I would’ve hated myself if you did that…” she looked away, “When we talked on the phone, the world tour was all you could talk about, how excited you were to meet all the Carat’s..the places you would get to visit…I didn’t want to ruin that for you.” 

Joshua sighed and kneeled in front of her so that they were eye level and he made sure she was looking him in the eyes. 

With both hands still holding hers, he spoke “Valerie Ye-rin Yang,” he said firmly. 

“YOU are the most important person in my life. YOU. I would’ve been there in a heartbeat if you had called and I understand why you didn’t..but please Val… do you know what it was like not hearing from you at all during the tour? Your cellphone was off, you weren’t responding to emails... I  had to call my mom and she said you were in Korea...she didn’t tell me why..” 

“Cause if she told you, you would’ve dropped everything..” Valerie whispered and Joshua nodded. “She also thought that I would’ve told you eventually…” 

“But you didn’t” he stated and sighed. He wasn’t going to ask why, Valerie had her reasons and if she didn’t want to tell him, he had to respect that. 

Instead, he leaned forward and kissed her forehead softly and pulled her close to him wrapping her in his embrace, their height difference making it perfect for him to rest his head on top of hers. 

“From now on, if something is ever bothering you... you have to talk to me okay?” he murmured into her hair, “You’ve always been there for me, supporting me, and cheering me on...let me do that for you too...let me in Val...don’t think that just cause I’m an idol, I’m not here for you...I will always be here for you. That’s never going to change...I was Joshua Hong, Valerie Yang’s best friend first, not Hong Jisoo, gentleman of Seventeen. Talk to me okay?” 

The only answer Joshua got was Valerie wrapping her arms around his waist, her head buried in his chest, and he could feel her nod as she tightened her arms around him. That was all he needed.

Soon, they realized time was not on their side and they had to rush out to meet everyone at the Disneyland gates. Valerie quickly redid her makeup and composed herself before the two best friends left and made their way to the parks. 

“You guys are late!!” Jeonghan yelled as Valerie and Joshua walked up to them.

‘Only by like 5 minutes” Valerie retorted looking down at her watch. “We literally saw you guys in front of us as we were walking in..” 

“Yea, but thats five less minutes in Disneyland” Jeonghan shot back.

“Aren’t we staying until closing?”  Joshua interjected and Jeonghan looked at up with faux disgust. 

“Who’s side are you on?” He asked glaring at him.

“Just stating the facts. Now let’s go in before you complain that this conversation wasted more of your time.”  Joshua said walking towards the main gates everyone following. 

Somewhere between Space Mountain and the Tea Cup ride was where Joshua and Valerie had separated. They had spent about an hour going on various rides before the group split off into smaller ones, Valerie,Dino, Vernon, DK, Seungcheol, Jeonghan and Jihoon, had wanted to go ride the teacups while the rest of the group including Joshua opted for space mountain, both sides agreeing to meet up at the next ride, but that didn’t happen. 

The two groups had split up the whole day and only met up towards the end right before the fireworks had started. 

Joshua and Valerie had not seen each other all day, for Valerie, it was nice to spend time with the boys but for Joshua, he was slightly anxious since he hadn’t spoken to her all day. Since today was supposed to be “THEIR” day but Valerie knew already deep down that it wasn’t going to happen so instead of being upset, she let it go. Unlike Joshua.

He and the first half of the group waited for the other half to show up at the meeting point, obviously they were late. Looking at his watch, he began to worry since the group had yet to show up and the fireworks were about to start. 

“Oh there they are” Joshua heard Wonwoo say and looked over in the direction the others were coming from. 

“Is Valerie okay?” Seungkwan asked, concern evident in his voice. 

Joshua looked for Valerie in the group of boys and knitted his eyebrows together. 

Valerie was walking between Jihoon and Seungcheol, wearing Seungcheols oversized black sweater, his arm wrapped tightly around her shoulder as if trying to keep her warm. He saw the apologetic look on Seungcheol’s face though all he saw was smiles on Valerie’s.

Quickly walking up to them, he realized that Valerie was beyond soaked to the bone, the boys around her were slightly wet but she was soaked. 

“What happened?” Were the first words that came out of Joshua’s mouth as he approached the three, eyeing Seungcheols arm around Valerie carefully. When had the two gotten so close?

“Splash Mountain and Grizzly River Run gone wrong” Jihoon said shaking his head. 

“I sat at the front on Splash Mountain and I sat on the wrong side for the Grizzly mountain ride and they wanted to ride them back to back” Valerie explained shivering slightly walking up to him away from Seungcheols warmth much to Seungcheol’s dismay. He had really liked having Valerie under his arm.

Joshua quickly took out the extra sweater he carried just incase out of his backpack and draped it over her shoulders before wrapping his arms around her frame in an attempt to warm her up. Both missing the look of pain on Seungcheol’s face. 

As the fireworks started, Joshua kept his arms wrapped around Valerie’s shoulders from behind, both wearing identical smiles on their faces now that the two were reunited. The two whispered to each other, lost in their own world as the rest of the boys watched on with smiles on their faces. It was easy to see that Valerie was rambling on about what she did with the other boys while Joshua listened intently, a bigger smile on his face as he tightened his arms around her frame.

“I told you the keeping them apart plan would work.” Jeonghan whispered to Seungkwan and Soonyoung, “Distance always makes the heart grow fonder. Even after a day. They’ll confess to each other in no time”

Seungcheol looked on as Joshua and Valerie continued to whisper to each other, he couldn’t help but feel a slight ache in his heart. Jihoon who was more observant than the others looked at the groups leader and sighed. On one end, things were going as planned, on the other side, he saw things going sideways. 

He just hoped that their leader was smart enough to make the right decision and not complicate things further.

[fangirlsdailylife-blog]

#DiamondEdgeinJakarta , Placed Me on the Edge of Joyful Tears

- Saturday, September 23rd 2017 -

That day is definitely going to be one of the most memorable days in 2017. I finally accomplished one of my life goals, to see Seventeen live.

Truth be told, there was a backstory behind this. Flashback to 2016, during their Asia Pacific Fanmeeting Tour. Well, my country was on the list. But the date was just not so compatible with my schedule because during that time I had to undergo a series of freshmen orientation program. August 20th 2016 was the first day of the orientation program so it was a logical reason to not attend their fanmeeting. Disappointed? Yes. Mad? Most definitely. But I made a promise to myself.

‘If the next year they will hold a world tour, I’m definitely going.’

I could say that I am pretty determined, and lucky, that I could actually prove my words.

And with that, here is the story of my amazing Saturday Night with the boys, and my family, the Rose Quartz and Serenity.

It’s happening! It’s finally happening! My long wait has come to an end. The crowd cheers as the opening VCR is played on the screen. The VCR is so bright and colorful it satisfies my eyes. Shortly after VCR ended...

‘JAKARTA! MAKE SOME NOISE!’

I know that voice. I know it too well. It was no other than Seventeen’s very own Happy Virus, Dokyeom. As he said so, the members are starting to appear one by one. I was in the edge of crying because THEY.ARE.SO.HANDSOME.IN.REAL.LIFE. For real!

And with that, the concert is opened with one of their hit songs... Pretty U.

Pretty U is one of my favorite songs. It’s just so sweet and light. Along with the cute and romantic meaning of the song, that’s my type of bubbly music. Not forgetting about the boys as well. They look so cute in those colorful suits. Cuteness just went up to a whole new level.

Once the first song was finished, Beautiful is up next.

Okay. Let me be honest. This is even bubblier(?) than Pretty U. And I swear, I saw Dino and The8 doing the backpack dance when Dokyeom was singing his first line. Everyone was just so sweet. Throwing hearts here and there. Waving to us with a smile painted on their faces. It’s so refreshing to see them do their thing like that. There’s also a snippet of JeongHao moment during the performance. Basically, this performance is fluffy explosion everywhere.

Once Beautiful is over, they move on to the last song of the session, Adore U

Adore U was a good ol’ classic. It just brings out their natural stage appeal. Along with the fun bickers by the members during the performance, it’s another type of stage that lifts up the audience’s mood. The highlight part is definitely Dokyeom’s ‘Baby you are my angel~’. For a moment, the whole audience and Seventeen became one when that line was sung. Overall, the opening sequence is amazing! What a way to start a day, or a concert in this case.

Next...  They introduced themselves in Bahasa Indonesia. Indonesia 101, in terms of K-Pop Concerts, the most common way to greet the audience is by saying ‘Apa kabar? Nama saya ...’ which translates as ‘How are you? My name is ...’ . Seventeen did a really good job at that. I would like to point out that Jeonghan, has the cutest voice when he was greeting the audiences in Bahas Indonesia.

Again, Dokyeom is the one with the most energy in here. Oh, scratch that. Hoshi is probably the one with the most energy during their introduction. Hoshi used his iconic 10:10 introduction. In which the the audience replied as expected! The rest? As an Indonesia, I’m pretty impressed with their introductions. Pronunciation wise, they are pretty good for beginners. If they ever planned for another concert here, I hope they could improve their skill more.

Introduction took quite some time, perhaps 10 minutes or so. Once they finished, the stage continues with ‘Still Lonely’ and Performance Team’s ‘Swimming Fool’. Again, the last song to close the second song session is the hit song, ‘Very Nice’. With that, the first part of the concert was over.

Second part starts with the screen displaying a few photos of Seventeen during their childhood. I gotta say, Joshua, Jun, Vernon, and Mingyu has the best childhood photos. Jeonghan looks really plain back then. Well, now, he’s slaying, at the very least. So I guess that’s quite an upgrade for him. After the VCR ended, we were greeted with Seventeen in uniforms of black and white. Probably a High School Uniform and they are performing Mansae.

I would like to state that I love how they wrote ‘Jakarta Mansae’ on the blackboard. And Jeonghan sounded so clear when they were performing this song.

Mansae ends. Boom Boom starts.

You may notice by now that my fancams usually starts with Jeonghan singing. It’s just because I love him so much. :3 Also, Hoshi in sleeveless tops are the death of me.

After Boom Boom ended, the members returned to their respective places to prepare for the next stage. Well, everyone but two, S.Coups and Wonwoo.

They are holding the ‘Going Seventeen’ camera and doing little talk sessions with us. S.Coups is quite known with his sweet talks. Basically S.Coups is just babying us Carats to the point where Wonwoo said ‘If you guys could scream loudly, S.Coups hyung will do aegyo’. Oh yeah we screamed alright. Who doesn’t want to see the leader’s aegyo anyways. Once they finished their talk, it marks as the end for the first quarter as well.

After the talks, S.Coups and Wonwoo introduced the next stage. I was expecting a unit performance. And guess what? Yep. We’re going to watch the units in action. First up for the session, Vocal Team.

Click Here (So apparently tumblr doesn’t allow adding more than 5 videos. What a bummer.)

They performed two songs. We Gonna Make It Shine, the new version, and Don’t Listen Secretly.

I have a question. Do Vocal Team sound like angels or angels sounded like Vocal Team? That’s a conspiracy circle that I will always wonder at.

No, for real. They sounded so clear and so good! I took special attention to my biases since I know that they didn’t have much lines compared to the other three. When I was listening... Wow, my ears has never been this blessed. You know the difference in quality between a live broadcast on a music show and actually hearing them live. Like they’re singing in front of you. Their voices are crystal clear. Dokyeom, this guy, never fails to amaze me with his vocals. Seungkwan, can’t say any other thing about his vocal range as well. Woozi, his sweet soft voice is enough for me to squeal on him. Jeonghan, his part snatched my life. Literally. IT WAS THAT GOOD AND IT SUITED HIS VOICE WELL. Joshua, his voice is soft, but not the Woozi kind of soft. It’s soothing enough to sing you a lullaby. I swear I could got diabetes from watching this unit just because how sweet and tender their voices are.

I would like to talk about their performance of Don’t Listen Secretly. It was the second song, right after We Gonna Make It Shine. The stage went dark for a few moments and then when it lights up again, there’s a small setting in the lower back stage that sort of resembles an old Victorian-styled office room. Dokyeom, Joshua, and Seungkwan were sitting in an old-fashioned chair while the remaining two stayed standing. And when the music plays, it got me off guard. The song was remixed in some sort of angsty horror manner and it clicked me. They were doing the Don’t Listen Secretly stage with a vampire concept. These lonely vampires just want some love. XDD

Vocal Team brought the crowd into one with their vocals. Now it’s time for the next unit to lift up the mood again. The visual, I mean, Hip-Hop Team is up next!

Click Here

They performed two songs. 언행일치 and Check In. To be honest, I haven’t laid my ear on the first song. So I got a little confused with the it. I was expecting for either 기대 or Fronting. But oh well, I enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed the other songs. The once mellow atmosphere that the Vocal Team set was turned into something hot like Show Me The Money.

What can I say about them? They’re called visuals for a reason. Wonwoo, Jeon Wonwoo, especially him. To me, he was the member that looks BEST when I see the live. Like, he has this stage presence that could captivate the whole audience hearts. He’s what I call, the bias wrecker.

Second song, Check In. See, I was actually glad that this song was performed. Because of that one line, that one specific line, that goes ‘Yeah I check in Jakarta City~’. And yes, that part was the most lit one in my case, or rather, in the audiences case. Because they’re singing that line in the very same place. The crowd goes wild when they got to that part. It was lit. I could feel the tension and the burning atmosphere. Feels like I’m watching Unpretty Rap Star or something.

Last unit is up! And the air just got even hotter.

Click Here

Performance Team, the multi-talented unit. Rap? Check. Vocals? Check. Dance? They are called for that. They got on stage in full whites and started performing their signature song, OMG, as their first song. What’s interesting is this performance of OMG had a mix of rock music in it. Who knew that EDM would sound so majestic when you add a pinch of Rock into it? Now I’m wishing I had the clean version of this remix...

Following the next song, which is by far my favorite song from the unit, Highlight.

GODDAMN WHY ARE THEY SO HOT? They were literally covered with burning aura, no kidding. Like, Even when I’m not that close to the stage, and their aura just spreads everywhere like wildfire. It was hot in the concert hall thanks to this unit. And boy, they even added a dance break to this performance. The whole hall just felt like an oven. Hip-Hop Team was lit, but Performance Team is on fire at this rate.

Second quarter of the concert passed. Time for the real deal. Because everything hyped always happens at the third quarter. (Wth, this ain’t basketball)

The atmosphere was still hot as ever. Perhaps Performance Team set the temperature a bit too high. Hall was dark, until I saw the screen turning all red and displaying a visualization of flames. Wow shit, it’s gonna get ugly, in a good way. Click Here And as I expected, it’s gonna be lit for the rest of the quarter. The first song is ‘Crazy in Love’, my favorite song from the latest album. With all the red themed visualizations, and Seventeen wearing red, I’m practically a boiling water at this rate. Also, during Mingyu’s ‘Can’t stop it, neukkim, woo!’, I had the urge to dab. Just because I saw Wonwoo doing so during their dance practice. And yea, I dabbed. Click Here Click Here As if the torture wasn’t enough, they continued with another series of unit performances. This time it goes by the order : Vocal, Performance, and Hip-Hop Team. THEY ARE ALL FLAWLESS! And I figured, this quarter is the time where the fully perform their songs from their latest album. Minus Swimming Fool. Performance Team sent Jun and The8 to perform their duet song.  Boy, there’s a bit of hot moment during their performance that made the crowd go crazy. (I don’t have the footage of Jun and The8′s performance. Sorry.) Finished with the unit performances. It’s Talk Time again! They did a lot of commentaries about the stage they just did, Indonesian Carats, and they did a little bit of dance battle! Click Here Joshua is just the cutest fluffball. And the leaders tho. Not forgetting to mention the amazing Diva Boo. His dances is literally the most lit one in my opinion. And last but not least, Wonwoo demonstrated Hip-Hop Team’s dance for their ‘If I’ stage. The moment he did that, I saw heaven. :’)) Click Here After they finished the dance battle, the performance continues to again, my personal favorites. Rock and Chuck. Now that the concert has finally come to an end, well, you know what I mean. They expressed their gratitude and the last song soon follows. The song we’ve been waiting for.

Click Here

I would like to point out a few stuffs that I didn’t get to record. Before the actual song was starting, there was a dance part performed by Dokyeom, and maybe, Jeonghan? I couldn’t see clearly because he was facing the opposite side. BUT HEY. THAT WAS THE MOST MAJESTIC THING I’VE EVER WITNESS. Jeonghan is a blessing. ;’))

The song finished. The screen went black. And the crowd?

‘ENCORE! ENCORE! ENCORE!’

Before the encore stage played, there was a VCR showing each of Seventeen’s members thoughts about Carats. To them, Carats are their energy, friend, air, something they could never live without. To sum up, Carats are their everything. What a sweet bunch of boys.

And the VCR ends... When another voice continues.

‘Slip into the Diamond Life...’

WOW. Just wow. Everyone showed up with their Diamond Edge tee. You know, the pink and blue one. Basically everything is so hyped and there was a lot of fanservice going on.

Click Here Click Here

That was so lit! It really brings back a lot of memories to me knowing that I’ve liked Seventeen back when they were still on Seventeen TV. I kinda teared up a bit despite the song being an upbeat one. Memories will be forever...

And the next song, the very last song, really makes the crowd heals. Yep, it’s Healing. :)

Click Here

There was a fan project going on. And everything went really smoothly. I hope we got the be in the next episode of Going Seventeen. Teehee~

As the song ends, it is finally the time to say goodbye. They bid their messages to us. And I’m surprised that they actually brought up a lot of memories during their tour last year. Mingyu, Jeonghan, Seungkwan, S.Coups, Hoshi, Dokyeom, and Vernon talked about their first ever visit to Indonesia last year. I’m ... Impressed actually. I assume that maybe, Indonesia left a good impression to them.  So they were actually pretty glad to visit here again. And I’m glad that they are glad to feel that way.

It’s finally the time to say goodbye. For real. But I clearly remembered Mingyu’s words.

‘If you live your life happily while you’re waiting for us, I’m sure that the next time we meet will come faster.’

I’m taking that as a promise that one day, they will return. And the day of their return, I’ll be there to watch them again.

Looking back to that moment, I’ve never been so blessed in my entire life that I could finally meet them in such a close distance.

As I reflect on Mingyu’s words, I made a new promise to myself...

I will meet them again one day, in a closer distance. Where I can fully immerse myself in their stage presence.

And that closes the story of my amazing night with my boys, Seventeen. And my family, the Rose Quartz and Serenity.

[fabglance1]

#XD30 - Day 12 - HAPPY

It was Friday night and Corey was ready to go see the newest horror movie in the theaters. He’d texted Ahlia three times through the day to make sure she purchased the tickets and was ready to get her scare on. Corey secured the garage and headed home. He knew he’d beat Ahlia to the house, and was happy about it. She’d been in a mood lately and he didn’t know what was wrong. It would be nice to head home and kick back for an hour or two without having to navigate her feelings.

He knew something was going on with her, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. He knew the 15th Street Playground was a hard project that she’d been navigating for more than a year. But, throughout their relationship, he saw Ahlia create community opportunities that he never thought would be possible. She, not only had a knack for helping the least of people, but showing those people who to keep and create better for themselves was her specialty. Before Ahlia, he dated selfish women who cared about material things and looks. He loved Ahlia because she was different.

Driving home he continued to think about his love and how he could help her feel better. She was definitely in a weird mood. Maybe they’d skip the movies and just go out on the town. He started thinking about restaurants in the city that they hadn’t tried yet. He did remember her saying something about going to this new Greek spot. Or maybe, he’d make a reservation somewhere fancy, a place that would make them have to wear fancy clothes. Yeah, that’s it. It didn’t have to be a special occasion, he just wanted her to know that she was appreciated. Plus, he loved to see her when she dressed up, that body, so right!

Corey decided to drop by the florist on the east side, they were the only black owned floral shop in town, and he loved to support black owned establishments. He was at florist so often they knew him by name and greeted him like a hero. He was the one to convince Ahlia and her bougie friends to start using this place instead of being cheap and going with the other people in the city. That was Corey’s way. He called people to task on their BS, then made sure to follow-up with the facts. No need to attack someone’s character without offering them the help they needed to be better. The bougie blacks didn’t support black people (or people of color), he told them they were lame and wrong, and would continuously give them options to fix their bias.

Driving to Quarter Floral, he realized he was right by the jewelry shop. He’d been cruising this shop for a minute thinking about getting his girl a ring. He was ready to get married, but was hesitant to ask Ahlia because she’d always been weird about marriage. Her parents didn’t make it any better, with mom being on husband number three and her dad on wife number two, they only talked to each other when Ahlia was involved. Ahlia’s mom was still very bitter towards her ex-husband, and made it no secret.

Corey grew up the youngest of four siblings, his dad was in prison for more than 10 years due to selling weed. However, his childhood was pretty epic. His mother was a TRUE ‘ride or die’ chick. She waited for their dad to get out of jail, never cheated once, raised four kids, got a college degree, and managed to keep everyone out of trouble. She’d take the kids up to the prison once a month to see their father. She’d bring report cards, gifts the kids made, and lots of positive energy to their visits. She often told her kids that, “You never give up on the love of your life, even if they mess up. Everyone has a journey.”

When his dad came home, he vowed to treat his wife like a queen because she treated him like a king even when he felt worthless. He started a successful landscaping business and now hires felons who can’t get employment. From watching his parents, Corey knew, that if you worked hard, set goals, and tried to help people, life would work out for you.

Thinking about his parents and walking into the jewelry store, Corey Knew what he was going to do.  He was gonna get a ring. It was time. No more allowing Ahlia’s fear to run the relationship. It was time for them to move to the next level.

“Back again Mr. Lowell?” the friendly jeweler greeted Corey, “I hope you’re here to get something bigger than a pair of earrings.”

“Hey Mr. Stephens, I think it’s time!” Mr. Stephens smiled then slapped Corey on the shoulder. His smile was so big that it made his wide eyes appear to be closed, “Well, let’s walk over to the special side of the store!”

The two walked over to the engagement ring section. Corey saw rings large and small. Rings that sparkled under the display lights. Rings that were celebrity big. Rings that looked like promises of rings to come. Rings for that guy who didn’t have much, but a whole lot of love. And then, the ring: An asscher cut, nearly colorless, 2 carat diamond ring, with an additional carat of channel set emerald cut diamonds on the band. It was modern, yet unique, and he knew Ahlia would love it.

Mr. Stephens gleamed with delight as he polished the ring for Corey. He asked Corey if he had a plan for the proposal. Corey told him that he was just going to wing it. They fell in love on a whim and he felt like the time was right for him to propose. Mr. Stephens hugged Corey as if Corey was his own son. Corey felt like a super hero, he felt like everything was about to be SO right in his world. He couldn’t wait to get home and start preparing his surprise.

When he walked in the house, just like he thought, Ahlia wasn’t home yet. He texted her to see when she was due to arrive and she answered that she’d be home before 8pm, “My meeting is running so long!”, she texted. Corey replied, “No problem”, added a smiley face emoji and started getting ready. He decided not to go out, but to call Postmates and order in. He cleaned the house a bit, put the flowers in the vase, and took a shower.

Deciding what to wear, he wandered to Ahlia’s closet to pull an outfit for her too. He wanted her to come home, get a long bath, and put on something comfortable. He decided to pull out a beautiful silk kimono-style robe that she barely wore and a silky pajama short set. He figured they’d have a pajama party, at home, while eating take-out. When the time was right, and their stomachs were full, he’d ask her to marry him. As he was looking for the mate to Ahlia’s pajama ensemble, a small box tumbled from the shelf.

At first Corey paid no attention; it looked like one of the 100’s of boxes of beauty products that Ahlia’s liked to order online after watching too many of those YouTube girls do makeup. He picked up the box to return it to its place, reading the label he was stunned. It was an opened pregnancy test.

Could it be? Like, that’s why she’d been so cranky and moody! He’d been so busy at the garage; he didn’t even think to look at the period tracker to see if she’d missed a cycle. Wow, If the love of his life was pregnant, then he KNEW the time was right to propose. Corey sat on the bed just thinking about how happy he would be if Ahlia was indeed, pregnant. He could barely contain his excitement as he got ready for what he hoped would be the BEST night of his life.

[athome-businessideas]

Millennial Moms Are More Than Just Sales Targets

“That’s right! That’s what’s important, my new cookbook. And my husband, and my family, and making a perfect home. It’s a lesson every gal needs to learn, especially you.” – Bobbie Markowitz, “The Stepford Wives,” Paramount, 2004

Direct Sales Home Business Start-Ups – Visit the Home Business EXPO

Mixed in among the really important stuff like drones, smartphones, laptops, entertainment systems, VR headsets, cars; CES has got to be the biggest congregation of tech toys you’ll find– except maybe the Hong Kong Toy Fair.

I’d love to buy a lot of it for my kid so I could enjoy it.

Then, there’s the stuff hyped for the Millennial mom and kid.

I wonder how in heck we raised two reasonably normal kids.

We had them, took them home without an instruction/operator’s manual and fumbled through the process of raising them, faking most of it; and damn …. they survived!

However, today, in our increasingly connected world; there’s a barrage of new technology being added to tried and true solutions that seems to say, “This will ensure you can maintain your busy professional/home lifestyle and raise a happier, more advanced child that is ready to face the challenges of the world he or she will inherit.”

CES Collection – Folks are developing a lot of overly connected things for millennial females to maybe make them think they’re doing the mom thing, right? Like (l-r) on-the-go breast pump, preparation for college baby bed and really useful Legos you can program and make robots.

Times have changed and Millennial moms obviously must need certain things like:

–        Pregnancy monitor on the stomach (my wife hollered at me)

–        Milking machine

–        A $1,100 bed to keep the little tyke happy

–        Diaper devices that tell you the kid has done something normal

–        Tablet-mounted stationary trike so the kid can experience new trails

–        Spy cameras to track him/her in their room

–        Legos that let the kid practice programming early (now that I think is cool in our digital world)

–        Toys that talk to them and feed family info back to somebody’s cloud

–        Other really expensive stuff we couldn’t afford when we started our family.

Even though GjK reported that less than nine percent of baby products sold last year were “tech,” parenting blog, The Bump, found 76 percent of moms consider technology an important feature they look for so, who am I to knock it?

Millennials are now the biggest target segment for marketers; and well, kids have kids.

Of the 80 million Millennials in the U.S., one-quarter are parents. Or, put a different way, 83 percent of new moms are Millennials, so the market is rather large.

Most of them are the household CFO (chief financial officer), which means they have tremendous spending power ($200B). So, she’s rather important to you; whether you’re selling stuff for the kid, for the home or just about anything that you market to families.

Smart Parents – Millennials are today’s prime audience to reach and sell to. And they’re the ones most in tune with IoT, smart stuff and augmented intelligence. It’s all good if only it all really worked together without the user having to study real hard.

They’re a lot like their (your) mom with traditional values and lifestyles. They’re ambitious/determined and take pride in handling all aspects of their lives including raising kids, managing the household, building a career and maintaining awareness about the world around them.

Understanding Her

But, according to Carat research, they’re also different.

Sixty-seven percent are multicultural (half Hispanic, most bilingual), four in 10 are single parents, often live in multi-generational households and are the main wage earners for the kids.

As powerful as they are with their influence, more than a quarter of them told researchers at Fluent that they seldom or never received marketing messages specifically directed to women.

Whether they receive a gender-specific or neutral message (or are in the market for something), they check online customer reviews and browse products online before heading to the store.

Online First – When today’s females consider buying anything, the first thing they do is go online to learn everything possible about the product, the company, quality and support as well as where the price is. If it’s a “fair trade,” they’ll share their information with you.

They are somewhat more likely to follow brands on social media and sign up for email marketing news than their moms.

Regardless of their income, BabyCenter found that 66 percent are tightfisted in their spending so a smart stroller with headlights, phone charger, distance monitoring and similar “features” might not be high on their gotta’ buy lists.

To maximize their budget, they constantly go online for their research and, according to Edison Research, eight in 10 use their smartphones continuously. Research Now found that they use the phone in-store and outside and that most (75.2 percent) search for the best possible price.

Smart Shoppers – Today’s female is smarter than a lot of male marketers seem to think. Sure, they like a bargain, but a bad bargain just isn’t something she’s willing to risk.

Six in 10 download mobile coupons, while seven in 10 “always look for special offers or hold off buying until they are on sale.”

However, even in lower-income households, they don’t simply snap up the cheapest product because they’re concerned it might be a dud. So, they shop intelligently and thoroughly doing plenty of research before they buy something.

So, they’re very tech savvy!

According to a recent Nielsen report, while working mothers have the most access to these devices and platforms, stay-at-home mothers have more of a penchant for them.

There are 25.1 million females in the U.S. who are between the ages of 18 and 49 and have one or more child under the age of 12. Almost three quarters of them are in the work force.

The one issue I have with most of the Millennial mom research is that they divide the group into working moms and stay-at-home moms. Seriously? I think they both work!

I sure wouldn’t want the job!

But I’ll use the industry’s breakdown so the percentage of working moms increases with age: About 71 percent of moms 18-34 are working, whereas 77 percent of moms 35-49 are working.

Tools of the Trade – Being a mother, whether it’s one that spends full time at home or one that juggles two careers (office/home), women use today’s communications tools to stay abreast of the world around them and to contact friends/family.

Mothers who work outside the home tend to use their devices more than stay-at-home moms. Working mothers also tend to be more affluent and highly educated, and are therefore more likely to live in high-tech homes.

Compared with stay-at-home mothers, working moms are more likely to own technology across the multimedia board. This includes 98, 80, and 74 percent for smartphones, tablets and subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) respectively.

Stay-at-home moms use their technology and consume content differently.

While they may have fewer devices, stay-at-home mothers use them for longer periods than working moms.

Devices – We found it counter intuitive that the stay-at-home mom used all of their devices more frequently.

Obviously, out-of-home working moms do more non-live TV viewing using DVRs and SVOD services. But both feel these options are more of a convenience than a necessity.

Stay-at-home moms tend to also use their PCs, smartphones and tablets more than those who work outside the home.

They want the best for their kids – everyone wants things better for their kids than they had – but I’m not certain she’s getting a fair shake in the deal.

According to the APA (American Psychological Association), Millennials are more stressed than earlier generations and women even more so.

Juggling Workload – When working moms have an enlightened employer, they often set aside certain days when they can work from home and juggle office work and children.

They juggle work, family, money, bills and now the industry lays on the unsaid concern that they aren’t giving their kids technology fast enough so they can be prepared for their future.

They have a higher overall stress level than their partner or parents, especially when it comes to money.

The gender stress gap is most notable in recent years, when women reported their stress at 5.5 and men at 5.3. A couple of years ago, those numbers were much farther apart, at 5.2 and 4.5, respectively, and men’s stress was going down at a faster rate.

Throw kids into the equation and the problem becomes even worse.

Beyond the Sale

The challenge seems to be that company and organization management still fails to appreciate and address the issues as well as their importance and contributions in business of business.

In today’s work-life economy, businesses have a difficult time adjusting their support to women who want to grow, exceed in their careers and then go to their second job of household management, child care and stuff.

Even Sheryl Sandberg, of Facebook and Lean In, has said balancing family and job isn’t easy.

Stress – I’m not quite certain why stress has decreased over time; but the APA says it’s dropping. However, women seem to have more than their share.

Unfortunately, most marketers (guys) view them as sales targets rather than understanding the whole woman and appealing to her wants/needs:

–        Being a Millennial mom is a tough, challenging, complex job. In our increasingly complex, dangerous always-on world; they want to be both free but have peace of mind.

–        They’re constantly bombarded with new studies/facts on nutrition, education, physical fitness and work guidelines; and every one of them swears to gawd they are the definitive answer rather than “you’re doing a good job and we’ll help you along the way.”

–        According to the Connell Partners’ Millennial Mom Project, two in five feel the pressure of having their life and family all together and use social media as an outlet to share problems, issues and imperfections. That’s why ads show Millennial women come in different shapes/sizes; and leaving a project early to catch a kid’s game is a good thing

–        Growing up, they were constantly told they were an individual/original; but at work and at home, they’re expected to fit a pre-conceived mold.

Perhaps before we start viewing Millennial moms as sales targets we should view them as productive members of the global community, which means equal treatment–including pay.

Pay Inequality – Most firms today at least recognize that equal pay for equal work is simply the right thing to do and progress is being made. Someday (soon, we hope), individuals working side-by-side will be paid the same.

That seems to be a slow process. The Lean In Organization reported last year that women will achieve pay equality in 100 years … that’s like a bunch of generations!

Women not only get less pay (overall) than their male counterparts in most positions, it turns out that having a child could be a poor career move, according to a recent report by the American Sociological Review.

Motherhood Penalty

The journal’s study aptly called it a “motherhood penalty” of four percent per child. And if she happens to be a highly-skilled, highly-paid employee; that penalty climbs to 10 percent per child.

As if that weren’t bad enough, according to the Center for Work-Life policy, these prime marketing targets often drop out of the working environment entirely after a few years because they don’t get adequate maternity leave. Note: the U.S. is the only country in the developed world that doesn’t offer government-mandated paid maternity leave.

They also depart the workforce because they don’t have enough flexibility in dealing with their dual home/work careers.

Damn!

Of course, the obvious answer is to get the Stepford gals to help them. You know as Bobbie Markowitz noted, “And you’re selfish! You wanna rule the world! I can fix you. I can change you.”

Or, instead of just viewing them as marketing targets, we could think of them as part of the team that keeps businesses working.

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