#Jaewon might be a little to relatable

[soyellowcurtainsthen]

I’m honestly so damn proud of Jaewon, it takes so MUCH strength and will power to pull yourself out the depths of your depression and try to make small steps towards being okay again, it’s so damn hard but he did it.

[wanderlust-in-my-soul]

My weekly roundup CW 15

Well, I watch a lot during the week, as you all might know. I really want to write a little bit more about the stuff I watch, but time and work kind of get in my creative way. So I try to write down my thoughts after watching stuff to create a little weekly ranking in relation to the previous week on my, most of the times, quiet sundays (and because I love lists and this is a good excuse for me to create a new OneNote journal!).

The Promise is on hiatus, so it didn't make it on this week's list.

↑ 1. The Eighth Sense (Ep 5+6)

I love it. This series is so brilliantly good. What I especially like are those little gestures, like how excited JaeWon was when he called JiHyun and how he smiled when he told his therapist about him. The entire beach scene made me melt. What a wonderful love scene! Very aesthetically pleasing and realistic, because you can have fun with something like this and explore the other in a playful way, not everything has to be oversexualized. The series really does so much right here! The end of the episode on the other hand…I have read quite a few analyses about the next episodes and I guess we will suffer together with Jaewon, who will fall back into his old pattern and his old life to not cause more harm to the one he cares for the most and in the end harming himself, because he can't live the life he desperately wants; and we will suffer with Jihyun, who is in love and understands that Jaewon has some baggage, but is left alone in the end and is hurting and that will make my heart hurt very much and thinking about all this makes me tear up...

→ 2. Unintentional Love Story (Ep 9 +10/Final)

One of the best encounters with an ex took place this week. And Wonyoung kicked that guy's ass! In general, he has grown a lot over the episodes and has undergone a good character development. He has gained more confidence and seems more mature than he did at the beginning. I also found the phone call between Wonyoung and Taejoon a good solution to make Taejoon realize that it's not just Wonyoung who did something wrong and that the past can definitely get in the way. All the nicer that they end up watching the sunset together. I liked the series a lot.

☼ 3. Our Dining Table (Ep 2)

Yes, this won't be the most dramatic thing we're currently seeing, but that's just fine. It is a pleasant and calm balance in this rather hectic series environment. Everywhere they try to lure you in with more action, more suspense and drama, more trauma or more sex and here we have a young man overcoming his eating disorder and finding a family with the help of two brothers. It's nice and quiet and doesn't hurt anyone. I'm really looking forward to the next episode and can't wait to see what they will cook next and where their conversations will take them.

↑ 4. Chains Of Heart (Ep 9)

Okay, we now have a psychic on board who can see people's past by touching them…Nothing really surprises me anymore! But seriously, what an episode! Finally we have Mr. Lue/Din and Ken together! Even though Ken seems to be in denial that Mr. Lue is Din? I think he knows, but can't stand the thought of Din lying to him all this time. So Mr. Lue is supposed to make him forget what he knows and wow, he does! These two were really starving for both affection and passion. What else happened? The scene also made me forget what happened next. Hin is the older brother of Din…Wouldn't have thought that, I thought he is the younger one. And then he is also the brain-cell of the whole episode! I am very impressed, he seemed more like the simple-minded shadow of Yu. All in all, once again a very good episode.

↑ 5. A Boss And A Babe (Ep 7)

So Gun is just the best in this series.

How he came into Cher's room after the shower and just doesn't give a shit what others think and says goodbye with "I'll wait in bed." And Cher's friends…they already know something since the BBQ, but they happily ignore it away. That's another way of dealing with it. Some say that not much happens and the show has no real plot. Does something outstanding always have to happen? Aren't everyday problems and how to deal with them sometimes enough? Like the problems with the foster brother or overcoming a first love and discovering a new, different love. I really liked walking with Cher through his life this week.

☼ 6. Naked Dining (Ep 1)

What do you do when you want to relieve stress? I craft or watch series or listen to loud music. Our protagonist eats…naked. And feels free. Honestly, if it helps? Who am I to judge? He finds a letter in the mail from his grandmother, who has already passed away. She wrote the letter six months ago and put it into a program that sends mail at a chosen time. He visits the house to clean it up and relax a bit from the stressful world of work. There he meets Miki Mahiro, who has taken the grandmother on a culinary journey to discover the world in this way. And as fate would have it, he discovers that our protagonist likes to be naked while eating. The scene was hilarious!

↓ 7. Bed Friend (Ep 9)

I'm only watching now because it'll be over soon. The series started really strong, but somehow it lost me. The positive thing about this episode was that for once there was no drama and Uea could take a breath (okay, except maybe at the very beginning, but that's positive drama when the former abuser is arrested and the abusive mother is done with the world). And finally Uea came around and accepted King as his boyfriend. It was getting a bit exhausting to see King begging and at the end I was just confused what their status is now. The introduction to King's parents I found really charming, between door and hinge. So not the hit for me this week.

☼ 8. My Story (Ep 1)

There's so much going on that I've lost track of everything. But one guy is a cook and goes to Thailand to earn money and meets the future love of his life there. And another one takes in a young man in his dormitory, which the dean finds totally fine, also that they have to share the bed together and that's why he just gets put up there from school and you can already tell in episode one that the two of them are going to be exciting. They have definitely stolen the show for me.

→ 9. Tin Tem Jai (Ep 7)

Now why the hell did Park have this change of heart? It feels like yesterday he wanted to do everything to convince Tin that he doesn't like him and will never marry him, and suddenly they're sitting in the living room and he confesses to him, in the creepiest way possible, that he tried to think of him as just a brother, but the older Tin got, the prettier he got…What masterful mind-brain came up with this dialogue? And those random jumps in time and space, and why didn't Tin and Park talk to each other? And Park really only has three emotions…annoyed, tired or neutral…Nothing else comes across…I can't really feel his affection for Tin either. Anyway…Three more episodes and if this doesn't end with the wedding of the two, I'll throw hands.

→ 10. PastSenger (Ep 6)

Okay, they like each other. Everybody likes each other. I just can't see the chemistry between Plawan and Moodaeng. For me, there's nothing there and it feels a little too rushed how Plawan got over his crush on Bamee. Then Kiev and Bamee…just talk to each other! But no, argue. And by the way it's totally normal when your friends want to interfere in your life or at least worry! What kind of friends are they who just let him work in this place? I would have taken him in and looked for something more suitable…And Franc is suddenly not so bad after all and makes her laugh? Very fast and confusing changes that happened this week. And I'm not talking about the kisses…Except maybe you shouldn't have held the camera on them quite so long…Had to look away briefly at the drunken mouth on mouth placement…

[famedroleplayarchive]

As promised, here’s an admin update post. This addresses several topics you all probably knew were coming and might have been waiting for the answers on, as well as some other topics, additions, and changes! Please take your time to read this thoroughly, and thanks again for four years of Famed! There’s a lot here, so take your time reading it.

URL change

The main blog’s URL has changed to famedroleplay. Some links are still being updated, but if you notice anything still links back incorrectly after a week or so, please do let me know!

Faceclaims

After hearing out the opinion of everyone who shared theirs regarding banning faceclaims involved in bullying scandals and taking that into consideration, face claims will be banned if they are linked to outside crimes or severe such as sexual assault, molka, or bullying in connection to suicide / suicide attempts. This means the initial ban on actor Kim Jisoo and April members Kim Chaewon, Lee Naeun, Yang Yena, Lee Jinsol, and and ex-member Jeon Somin remain in tact.

Bullying allegations not linked to these outside factors will still be grounds for someone to be allowed to ask to change a faceclaim before their faceclaim change waiting period is up, though, if they are uncomfortable continuing to use a faceclaim because of bullying allegations. If a faceclaim leaves the industry and/or removes themselves from the public eye for the foreseeable future for any reason, they are also still unusable, but this rule was already in place.

As for how this will affect parts of the roleplay other than faceclaims, please see the section further down about Element. Two April songs (”Oh My Mistake!” and “Love Clock”) were previously used for the first season of base’s COLLA3ORATE. These will be retroactively replaced with Elris’s “Jackpot” and “Like I Do” respectively, but if you had a muse involved in “Oh My Mistake” and would prefer to remove them from COLLA3ORATE season one entirely, just message me and they will be removed. I assigned the lines trying to match the positions and line distributions up similarly, but if your muse was involved and you’d like to keep them in “Jackpot” but want to switch to an untaken position, you’re welcome to request that as well. Otherwise, any references to that can simply use those songs instead now.

Element update

Due to the recent allegations involving Somin, a major revamp of Element has had to be conducted. After discussing the situation with the current muns of the group, the past model discography of Element has been replaced using Checkmate, K-Tigers Zero, and Lucky J, and they will be making their final comeback on April 12. After those promotions end, Element will be disbanded and the members will re-debut later in the year in a boy group, Quicksilver, with model groups of Ateez and Treasure and a girl group, Marigold, with model groups of BVNDIT and Melody Day with two new members each. The Element spots have been reopened, but the new positions in the new groups won’t be opened until after Element have finished promoting. This will be a major plotline for the roleplay and Gold Star in particular so expect to see it brought up in schedules and in some articles on the Exclusive blog as the storyline unfolds.

The new debuts in Quicksilver and Marigold will be available on May 13.

Fuse’s model discography update

Thanks to everyone’s suggestions, I was able to find two groups to add to Fuse’s model discography that I felt could align with their sound, direction, storyline, and positions enough to be happy with for now. These groups are Cherry Bullet and Weki Meki. The updated line distribution can be found on Fuse’s page.

There are other groups I’m looking into adding onto the model discographies of, but Fuse was the most urgent, so they’re the only official update I have today!

Canon soloists

Ultimately, after the poll, more people voted to remove canon soloists than to keep them, and they are officially being removed from the roleplay.

Those discographies previously used for the soloists will begin to be open for points claims at midnight/12AM EDT on April 12.

With the removal of canon soloists, the plan is to allow a solo music career to become a more prominent claiming option, and there are plans for some additional claim options to become available in relation to such a career, but those will be added and addressed at a later time.

As for storylines linked to some of the soloists, this is how those will be retconned:

BC Soloist 1: Instead of BC signing and debuting a known Gold Star trainee, BC hired a high profile creative director from Gold Star known from working with Gold Star since their inception and had worked on some of their most defining comebacks and announced she would be taking over as one of the company’s main creative directors. She has since worked on conceptualizing several group’s comeback as well as most heavily on Chroma’s pre-debut project.

Dimensions Soloist 3: Instead of Dimensions buying out a small and brand new company created by a crew of popular music producers with one soloist who they transferred to their label, in early 2020, Dimensions bought out a music production company that was created by a top music production team with several rising producers signed with them and made the producers in-house producers for Dimensions. Since then, the new producers have helped to produce several hit Dimensions songs since.

While Gold Star Soloist 1 no longer exists as an IU stand-in, Gold Star still had an incredibly popular and loved NPC soloist as one of their first artists that helped give their name prominence. At the beginning of 2021, she announced her departure from the agency to create her own label, citing her reasoning as feeling she needed a more focused environment than Gold Star’s growth could provide. There are rumors she was alluding to dissatisfaction with Gold Star’s recent management and gossip that Gold Star was pushing for her to pursue activities in overseas markets she wasn’t interested in.

Anyone who had a feature or MV appearance claim on a soloist can contact me and let me know whether they’d like to just drop the claim (and, if a points claim, recollect those points), keep it as a claim in an unspecified work, or try to replace it with something else. The following muses had claims this applies to:

Features:

Cha Kyonghwa (Kami) (app claim) Kang Sunghee (app claim) Park Jaewon (points claim, 10 points) dropped! Choi Joosung (Sun) (points claim, 10 points) Moon Chaeyeon (Dita) (app claim) Park Duri (points claim, 10 points) kept as unspecified!

MV appearances:

Kim Kyongmin (Alice) (app claim) Ryu Jaein (points claim, 5 points) dropped! Seo Minjung (points claim, 10 points) points reclaimed! Moon Chaeyeon (Dita) (app claim)

Points shop updates

There have been a few updates to the points shop!

Firstly, the nation’s title claim checklist now requires a headcanon on the muse’s image and how it relates to their claims and career to be completed. This is just so I can see a mun’s own intentions for how everything ties in with their image. This headcanon shouldn’t focus on the title itself since that isn’t ever guaranteed for approval, but the muse’s general image as the mun has shaped it. The viral moment requirement for a nation’s title is now also specified to need to relate to the image involved in the desired title.

In the wake of canon soloists being removed, I’m planning on being a little more strict regarding music claims aligning well with positions.This applies to both individual songs and whole discographies. Still, the intent is to be reasonable. Chungha having a rap-like verse in “Bicycle” won’t require someone to have a rap position to claim it since it’s not a lot of the song and she’s not known as a rapper, but I also wouldn’t approve a muse whose most prominent position is main rapper or a main dancer making their entire discography IU releases since IU is primarily a singing-focused artist.

There used to be a rule requiring that muns seek admin approval before claiming songs written by deceased artists, but that rule has now been removed. Keep it respectful, though, please. If any issue arises with muns breaking the fourth wall in relation to these songs to be disrespectful about a real person’s passing, that claim may be revoked and the rule may be reinstated. Songs performed by deceased artists still cannot be claimed.

There’s also a new claim available — a YouTube variety show or talk show. Please see the variety page for examples and more information, but note that this is separate from both a reality show claim. I’ve tried to specify the difference, but if you’re ever unsure which one what you want to claim would fit into, feel free to ask! Both will now be uploaded in-’verse to base’s Youtube Channel. Likewise, there has been a small change so that future radio show claims are now through base Radio, a radio streaming application (think Naver Now). 

Company building pages + Pinterest

I’m currently working on pages that give more detail on the layout of the company headquarters. They aren’t quite finished yet, but I have created a Famed Pinterest account for those of you who find more muse visually or who are into visual worldbuilding! One of the sections on the boards there gives a rough idea of company building visuals. There are group concept boards as well, so if you’re struggling to decide where your muse might fit, looking at those might help you if you’re more of a visual person. No one is required to follow it and I won’t be answering messages or anything of the sort there, but I thought it might be a helpful way to visually convey locations and concepts! I’ll make a small post to let everyone know when the pages with in-depth information on the company buildings is available.

Activity rules updates

I mentioned there’d be a few more touch-ups to the activity rules to fill in loopholes that have been around a while, so here they are.

- There is now a formal hiatus request form that must be submitted to request a hiatus. Simply sending the main an IM that you want a hiatus will no longer qualify as a valid request and it will not be processed.

- There will no longer be a week-long grace period after a hiatus ends. You are responsible for being active for the next activity check after your hiatus ends.

- The maximum length of a hiatus is now three weeks (and the minimum one week). The initial hiatus request maximum is still two weeks with one week extensions, but extensions may not be stacked to exceed three weeks total without a passed activity check in between. If you can’t be around for a longer period of time, it might be best to rejoin at a later time when you’re more available! In total, a mun is allotted a maximum of four weeks of hiatus over any twelve week period.

- If a muse reaches three activity warnings in a month, they will be automatically moved to the unfollow list on their third warning instead. If a muse is removed and refollowed three times over the course of six months, they will not be able to be re-followed again and will have to re-apply.

New points opportunity

As of this post going up, muses may now collect one point for every first closed thread with a new muse after it has reached ten posts. This will no longer only apply during events and the ten post requirement is new. Members should be interacting with new muses all the time, not just during events, so it felt right to adjust this accordingly. This applies only to threads started after this post goes up.

Chroma

As schedules have been made quarterly, all remaining Chroma roles will be made available for reserves and applications in at midnight/12AM EDT on April 12.

Suggestions + Feedback

I want to end off this post by reminding everyone that I’m always taking suggestions for events, tasks, etc! I plan on opening an official suggestion submission blog at some point down the line, but I’m happy to take suggestions through the ask box or submit if you have any. I’m also open to feedback as well. If you do send in either of these things, please specify if you’d like a reply from me, since sometimes I might be naturally inclined to keep a message simply giving a suggestion or idea without any questions instead of responding to it.

Thanks for reading this very long update! There are more additions to the roleplay in the works, some I’ve hinted at here and some I’ve not, but I hope Famed’s fifth year is able to be its best one yet!

[fmdjaewonarchive]

hi besties! i’m here with a q3 schedules post that has been a few hours in the making because i’m Stupid and have no braincells so this took a long ass time. below the cut i’ll detail most of what my muses are getting up to both with their groups and sprinkle in some relevant personal bits and pieces as well, personal schedules, character development and what not. this is a plot call for all my muses but yena and minah specifically could use a little more love, just throwing that out there! i also have a bunch of the base prompts still unfilled, might you be looking to do any of those you can find them here! to plot, please like this post, slide into my ims or hmu on d*sc*rd: huang renjun supremacy#5703

jaewon: 

okay first off july is jaewon month, his birthday is the 14th he will insist on being lowkey about it but tbh does that ever work out?

right after his birthday he’s holding his first ever solo concerts, on july 16th & 17th, anyone who is close friends with jaewon is most definitely invited and he will be very happy if they can make it because he’s both very nervous but very proud of it

july also has the dimensions company photoshoot, i’d love to do something there, mae him work with someone he doesn’t like or someone he’s not that familiar with possibly?

jaewon will be in an awful mood tho, just tryna vibe with unity and suddenly dimensions is like SIKE champion comeback BITCH

he will be bitching, he will be grumbling, he will be complaining

not to mention jaewon haaaaates 100, like, he was neutral enough about jopping (eventhough he still thinks ‘jumping and popping’ is STUPID) but 100 he absolutely hates as a song and he will make that everyone’s problem, anyone that spends time with it or even worse he runs into while promoting will not hear the end of it 

he will be a bit placated working on 90′s love but it won’t do much until champion schedules will truly come to an end

yuanjun: 

charm is mainly doing a lot of touring, especially in july/early august so he won’t be around much for that time but after he will return with souvenirs and big stories about his adventures in japan

i might elaborate some more on the charm tour but that will be in a bit, i’ll come back to that at a later time

after that there will be a lot of comeback work for semi;colon

he’s excited for home;run though, living his best theatre kid life

will be annoying everyone at the bc concert, would love to do something there, he will be bouncing all over the place probably

at the end of september charm will be at the hallyu dream concert like a Lot of artists, plenty of opportunity to have meetings there

and throughout the entire thing, all bc artists are workin on the documentary as well and as yuanjun is an annoying little social butterfly he might pop up in unexpected places while people are filming their things?

minah: 

oooooooh boy minah is busythis woman hasn’t had any sleep in god knows how long and that’s not about to change anytime soon

july and a part of august are filled with hurtlocker promotions and lipstick has a super super super busy festival season so if anyone finds themselves at one of those, odds are lipstick is there too

she doesn’t really care much for hurt locker but the reception is good and minah is very happy with that, she’s relieved to see lipstick still makes such a splash as a group

on top of all of that she’s preparing her own first full length album which she’s releasing on the heels of lipstick promotions, preparing for that is stressful, promoting for that is stressful but the album is super dear to her and she will be very proud that it’s out into the world

the bc concert also happens and honestly, she really likes their setlist (minus party) and she’s super excited to perform as lipgloss again, that’s been a while, she’ll be in a good mood there even if she is tired

filming the documentary will be a lot as minah is doing 50 things at once but at least she will be around the company building a Lot working on things

yena: 

gal.actic’s ten year anniversary happens and yena is just like... meh okay? honestly it’s kinda insane to her that gal.actic is still around and its not like she’s necessarily happy about the fact that they are

but hey it happens and gal.actic has some fanmeets which is a lil weird to yena, gal.actic doesn’t do a lot of concerts or fanmeets and it’s always a bit... odd for her to see how many fans they apparently have? 

at least the fanmeets ask very little performing on her part other than 5 songs (which tbh she all doesn’t want to perform with maybe the exception of a, also someone like u is kinda meh but she still doesn’t really care?)

for gal.actic related work the fanmeets will be kinda positive in yena’s book but don’t expect any overwhelming enthusiasm

the rest of the time she will go straaaaight back to complaining about the stupid festival performances, about the stupid comeback they’re preparing for, about stupid dimensions entertainment not just disbanding them already 

will be taking any excuses she can to sneak out of deepened choreo rehearsals, please enable her, or scold her, either one works

luckily her solo career isn’t exactly on a backburner either, she has some modeling going on, some photoshoots, some brand stuff, and if anyone asks how she’s doing or what she’s doing she’s more likely to bring those up than gal.actic

for the dimensions photoshoot the same applies as for jaewon, i’d love to use the opportunity to get her to interact with labelmates she hasn’t worked with at much, unlike jaewon tho she will actually be in a pretty good mood doing it, she loves photoshoots v much!

[fmdxyoungjoo]

Our Songs Episode 1 & 2 : Interview 2

Premise: the second interview for our songs episode 1 & 2 Word Count: 720 words A/N: :) @fmdjaewon @fmdtaeyong @fmdxsuji

Talk about your song. How does it match the theme of “Introduction / Identity”?

this is familiar territory for joo. at the very least, they didn’t start with asking her about anything related to the other participants, or else she might not have been able to control her usually tight lipped mouth from spewing things that she didn’t want anyone knowing. 

“you see, when it first came to light that the topic for the songs that we were supposed to perform being the theme of introduction or identity--i went back to the basics of what i was, and what..made me who i was today as a singer and and artist. with that in mind, i wrote a whimsical themed ballad, and went back to the basics of the instruments that i usually used in my old compositions of my songs, the piano and the guitar. E.T was something really stripped down, dreamy and acoustic, which honestly..”  she laughed in the moment, recalling her youthful days walking by the han river and the bitter tears that would follow. “ during my trainee days, i would tend to write my composition pieces as piano pieces and guitar pieces, and as classically cliched as it sounds, i often brought my guitar and just started composing by the han river. so i started the lyrics of E.T with something that i always felt my songs had. truthfulness and frankness. honesty was the type of identity and introduction that my songs usually suscribed to, so likewise, i went with that idea while writing the lyrics, and fell back into the simple, acoustic manner of which was how i started off my own song writing years ago.”

How do you feel you did with your performance? What regrets do you have?

“how did i feel? what regrets i had?” it took youngjoo barely a moment to register the question that was posited to her, before she astutely shook her head. “no, i don’t think that i had any regrets in particular with my performance.” she admitted a little sheepishly. “i know it sounds really prideful and all, but that’s what i truly think of my performance. i hope you don’t mind it.” she paused for a moment, wondering if she should go into the details of why she thought so further. “honestly, i liked the way that i did the performance. just a guitar and being so stripped down took me back to the days where i actually made myself feel better with just a guitar and my sentimental voice. before silhouette and everything. and that was why i didn’t have any regrets. being reminded of that, despite that period being hard as hell, was something that i treasured very much.”

Which of the other songs/performances caught your attention the most?

“i.. actually really really liked alarm by jaewon.” she laughed a little shyly. “it was a really honest track i think. a lot of things that as an idol myself i could find myself relating to. i’m very inclined to like things that are really honest and true to reality or oneself?” the end of the sentence tapers off into a little question, as though unsure of her own self. “but yes. that was a song that really really caught my attention.” she admitted. “i like the rawness of it and yet the honesty in the lyrics. its something i would tell myself when i feel exhausted at times in life, and i thought it really resonated with me.”

Who do you think got the most votes from the online audience based on the track and who do you think got the most votes from the offline audience based on the performance?

“votes?” she laughed nervously. “um..definitely not me. i’m pretty sure suji and taeyong would have gotten a lot of votes for their performances.” she dodged the reason why she thought so. “both of these two are really known for their artistry? or at least personally i think both their artistry and performances are always electrifying and interesting.” she mumbled, clearly nervous at the thought of the votes. “and um..for the most votes from the online audience based on the track? perhaps..me?” she blushed at the hopeful admission, nervous laughter falling from her lips. “honestly i don’t think i’d be the one, but whoever ends up getting those votes, i hope that..i’m not the last? i really do want to stay on for more than just a while longer, because i’d like to show off a little more of the sides that my fans and others who have heard of my music have not..you know seen.” her hands waved in habit, before nervously retracting, smoothing out her outfit upon her lap nervously as she quickly ended the interview.

[lordsicheng]

a (not so) mini astro analysis: kim samuel

*I will only base this on his personal planets (sun-mars) and a couple of aspects I have noticed that are showing / have shown throughout his activities in the industry. It’ll be unlike my other analyses because I want this to be direct to the point but also informative at the same time. Please take this with a grain of salt since I am no expert and everyone might not relate to him if they have the same exact placements. 

Sun in Capricorn, Moon in Pisces

This part will be quite long. 

This combination shows that he is truly one of those hardworking individuals who have big dreams, and I mean big. He imagines himself doing so many things for his future and takes every step to get to success. Being a Capricorn himself, he already showed us how much effort he puts in with whatever he does and, in comparison to those who are around his age, he shows himself as quite mature both in thought and action. 

His moon sign shows that even with all of the qualities of a Capricorn™ in general, he is a softie deep down. He is affectionate and sensitive to those around him, especially ones close to him. He truly has a big heart and will make any effort to help anyone who asks of his help. Sometimes he might even think of others before himself, which he needs to take care of because if he goes too far he’d end up being too much of a giver and could forget his own needs. He can get quite emotional too, but he restrains himself because he doesn’t want to be seen as vulnerable.

That’s where his Capricorn sun comes, he disciplines himself and even challenges himself by juggling on things he wants to face while still young. He wants to get ahead on his future because there are so many things he wants to learn and do, even if he fails. Failure is a huge no-no to him. In fact, he sees this as a lesson to himself in case he were to do those things again or switches to another. Even though he might seem quite “cloudy” for many, he’s got good common sense. Actually, great common sense. 

However, seeing his chart he has quite a minor aspect that could be a little troubling on the way. He has sun biquintile moon. Biquintile is one of the more minor aspects (major ones are like those conjuncts, squares, etc) and is considered a quite more tense aspect that’s close to a square. He could have trouble expressing his emotions and what he really wants, which I can see because Capricorn and Pisces have obvious differences in traits itself. 

Examples of this would be, unfortunately I have to mention this, the fall of 1Punch and the finale of Produce 101 Season 2. 

Take in mind also that I am only explaining what had possibly happened to him and possibly how he felt, rather than what really did. I’m no fortune teller.

(what a cutie let me squish???)

Let’s go with the sudden disbandment of 1Punch. Jaewon established himself as a very talented rapper after Show Me The Money and became widely popular. This also led others thinking of what would happen to Sammie whilst 1Punch was indefinitely put to hiatus because of Jaewon’s activities AND move to YG-- I’m likely sure Sammie knew this was coming. He probably already knew 1Punch wouldn’t work out. He probably already knew Jaewon wasn’t satisfied with the idea of the duo or even wasn’t happy with the music he was making. 

Because honestly, it’s unfortunate that they had to disband, but they possibly had no other choice. And because of this, many people felt that Jaewon betrayed Sammie to join SMTM and YG. I’ll be honest, it’s slightly possible. It was all sudden, and with the reaction of their fans I’m pretty sure Samuel may have had thoughts of disappointment to not only the whole outcome, but also to himself. He felt very sad and very hurt from the result, but had no other choice but to move on. Pretty sure Jaewon didn’t mean to even leave Samuel and had talked to him beforehand about their plans, even with their company.

My opinion on this is neutral and I am sure Samuel just went on with the plans Brave Brothers had for him even though it took a while. I felt really sad that Samuel had to go through training again, but what can we do. Many people still thought he was too young to take on adult-like challenges when he debuted. So I’m likely sure Samuel promised himself that he can do many more things to improve when he grows older and learns more. He just strived and strived until he felt like he was it was time (or if Brave Brothers did).

Produce 101 Season 2 was a big step for Samuel. People were already aware of his (unfortunately failed) debut. But they saw him as competition-- he was already exposed to the hardships and struggles in the entertainment industry. So when Samuel was seen, other trainees probably saw how much he had matured both physically and mentally compared to the young child they saw during 1Punch. He had learned so many things whilst out of the spotlight (no pun intended he released a song titled Spotlight before broduce badum tss LISTEN TO IT IT’S FUN sorry silento but no). 

He wanted to show that he was capable of doing many things even though he’s still young, like I said. So joining the show itself was a very overwhelming thing for him. We’ve seen him grow, we’ve seen how competitive he was, we’ve seen how hardworking he was, we have even seen how people saw him as competition because he had so many talents up his sleeve, even ones that other’s can’t do. He had the drive, he’s a quick learner, he knows how to build up the atmosphere. All of that, despite his, again, young age.

Let’s get straight to the point-- the disappointment was obviously seen in Samuel’s reaction when he didn’t get into the top 11. He felt vulnerable yet he really didn’t want to show how hurt he was to many people, especially his fans. Many were so expectant for him to be able to get into the lineup as he had always been consistent with his ranking within the top 11. But the result immensely broke his heart and reminded him of how 1Punch ended. He might have thought he had failed yet again despite all the hard work he had put just to be able to be active in the industry again. This hurt both his pride and ego, but again, he didn’t want to show it to everyone. He cried, he obviously did. It broke our hearts.

Now before you think about why I am explaining this, is because Samuel’s sun and moon combination makes him slightly psychic but nervous. He might have had many thoughts of 

“What if I can’t get in the top 11?”

“No... I must think positive! I need to show I’m strong and confident. I got this.”

“But something inside me still thinks otherwise...”

This is common for those with tense aspects to their sun and moon. The sun shows our ego, how we want to show ourselves to the world. The moon represents emotions, what keeps us on the down low, what he truly feel. In Samuel’s case, he might’ve had trouble trying to express himself fully at times. He wants to show he is strong, but inside he could be slightly much of a worrier than anyone thinks. 

In his mind it’s like a battle where he gets confused easily on what he needs to show. He’s determined, but also nervous. He’s hardworking, but also slightly a pessimist. He can get things done, but he gets all worried right after of the outcome. This is common for everyone, even out of astrology-wise, but to him this could be slightly frequent especially since he’s working in a very harsh industry at a young age.

But actually, this could actually turn into a more positive note for him! He felt that even though he could not get into the top 11, he’d believe he also felt like he had time to do things that he wanted. He maybe also wanted to challenge himself again. To this, he gained even more independence and possibilities of many endeavors may have popped inside his mind.To sum it all up, he saw the outcome of the results as a challenge to a new start. And he loved the idea of it.

Let’s look at the very bright side: he debuted, even had a couple of comebacks right after, gone into variety, did some hosting, even had a concert-- ALL on his own. 

This is a very positive thing for him and in comparison as to how he was being strained from doing many things and I think he was given even more freedom this time by his company through his hard work and persistence. He showed how capable he was of doing many things along the way after Produce 101 so of course, all the blessings have come to him. I feel like he’s definitely more comfortable now

Some other traits he can get from this combo is that despite all of this, he remains humble. That’s what I admire about Samuel-- he’s hardworking and definitely has many things to be proud of especially with his achievements in his age, and yet he remains very humble to anyone and everyone. He doesn’t show off, but when he does, it’s really out of his own understanding and achievement. His kindness his pure, he is softhearted himself, and he’s very likeable. He has a sense of knowing things quickly but he’s also innocent. He can definitely adapt easily to environments even though he’s quite shy in the beginning, learning along the way is what makes him feel more comfortable and blend in. 

I see a very, very bright future ahead of him. This is only the beginning and he’s still young, so I’m sure he’s gonna take up so many challenges, especially ones that catch his eye. Pretty sure he’s gonna be very successful along the way.

Mercury in Aquarius

Another placement I love from Samuel. He’s creative, sensible, but also goofy! He probably has a lot in his mind and majority of them are conventional ideas, like future endeavors and always thinks forward. He loves getting new ideas out of the blue and always tries to show it (this depends on his rising sign as well, especially if for example he has an idea for a future concept + wants to explain it to his company). But he’s also likely stubborn (Aquarius is fixed) at times if people don’t appreciate his efforts in his ideas, nonetheless he goes on and just embraces new ideas and opinions from others to reformulate the ones he already has. Can also be impatient, sliiightly inconsistent as it is sometimes.

Logical, objective, straightforward thinking. If he has one thing on his mind, he’s likely set to that thing and focuses on it without hindrances. He’s got sense of loyalty on anything he wants to put focus on. This also shows how he is a quick learner and is able to understand things easily. This is such a good placement for Sammie because he is also open-minded and innovative, people would be very appreciative of his unique and eccentric mindset. Heck, I wouldn’t even be surprised if he believed in aliens at some point.

I’ve met a couple people with Aquarius mercury and what I’ve noticed is that they have a very unique sense of humor. They can even be funny without even trying! Sometimes even their actions that seem like their usual self are what makes others find it humorous. Let’s be real, we see him overexaggerate at times (look at that gif up there). Yet we see this as funny or even adorable of him. There can be times where we see him restrict himself from doing so (his Capricorn sun is a square to Aquarius, his mercury sign, but it is not shown in his chart / the orb is not enough for a tight aspect). Nonetheless, I think his progressive mind is very compatible to his straightforward sun sign.

Venus in Capricorn

He’s got a very good mindset and definitely has determination. He craves to get the best out of everything he does, so he’ll put effort on that goal without worries. He’ll strive on getting on that goal, and he will always make sure he’s gonna succeed. He’s a go-getter, so he’d definitely make sure he can get things right. With his Aquarius mercury that is much of a quick learner, he’s gonna be fast moving on his goals and he’d probably get there faster than anyone else. Even with his ideas, he’d put effort on making them into reality. He’s also dependable and responsible, very nice traits to have especially in his area of work.

Considering all of this, our Sammie is likely the type to want to wait for a while when it comes to love. No, not by any means he’s got high standards (that’s definitely personal preference, by the way), but he want to learn ahead first as he doesn’t want to be seen as someone “without experience” when in love. People think that Capricorn venuses are also the type to be all like “work before love”, which is possible. But he’s young, he’s definitely gonna fall here and there often, he just isn’t sure of himself yet and may tend to test himself or someone he likes if they’re willing to commit to him. He doesn’t have time to joke around. He doesn’t find it attractive, at least to his standards.

Also the best part, he’ll always remain loyal. Like I said, he may tend to test the waters first before he can say he’s “ready”. He’s young, he’s got time and lots of it. He’ll fall in love, he’d definitely get crushes, he’ll get into relationships later on in life. But once he sees the apple of his eye, chances are he’s gonna befriend them first before he pursues them. However his Pisces moon can definitely show a slight tendency of being shy, which I find absolutely adorable. 

It’d be like a fairy tale when Samuel is your boyfriend. He’s gonna be so loyal but also affectionate. May be slightly traditional, but his Aquarius mercury would definitely spice up the relationship (he’d probably think of very fun dates like going to the arcade, even doing adventurous stuff!). By all means, he can get a little strict but not in a very irritable way, but rather he is protective and wants you to be secured at all times. 

He’s gonna be very giving and also considerate. Maybe at times, he’ll throw out his own needs for a while and puts yours first. The important thing, though, is proper mutual understanding. You both would need to be accepting of each other’s positive traits and flaws. He can get emotional in a very subtle way, behind the public eye, so someone just as loving and understanding of him this way would be so benefiting. 

Also he’s crushing on Blackpink’s Jisoo. Jisoo is a Capricorn. If this ain’t the cutest thing ever.

Mars in Pisces

Aha, another trait that is quite visible. He’s rather shy especially because of his moon sign, even more with his mars sign. He can get slightly timid, sometimes having a hard time showing how angry he is. In fact, he probably hates the idea of getting angry and wouldn’t want to suppress it all, even though he has to at times. He’s got a lot of patience in him. Similar to Libra mars, he does not like arguing or anything that causes disruption. He’s all about understanding, definitely the type to talk things out than go all rough housing-- BIG no no for our Sammie.

He’s prone to daydreaming often and is quite sensitive, even the smallest judgment on him can slightly hurt him inside. His Capricorn placements make him show he is a strong character at times, but he’s truly and actually a softie inside. Very empathetic, helpful and always at service. I’m afraid there’d by times he’d be used for other’s benefits, may tend to get dominated by others, or slightly shows he can be gullible so he needs to be careful of this.

However, this shows how committed he is to his dreams and aspirations. Along with his Capricorn placements, his drive is much more prominent than to most. He wants to make his dreams a reality and will work hard, even if he’s gonna have to go the long way. This is also how how he is in love.

Mars in Pisces males love the idea of falling in love. He has probably thought or even daydreamed a romance you see in dramas. When he gets in a relationship, chances are he’ll put his partner’s needs first before his own. He’d be cooperative and willing to help them out all the way. However, this shows hows truly committed he is. This is why I said it’d be like a fairy tale when in a relationship with him. 

He’s going to be very loving, understanding, and would work hard for the relationship to grow and be like a learning experience for both of you. He’s also gonna give endless amounts of support, always thinking that whatever you both want to do, you both should do it with your heart and proper ease of mind. He’s gonna do his own thing, you can definitely do your own. Supporting each other is definitely a big thing for him.

Some aspects Samuel has that I have short explanations/interpretations of (and noticed):

Moon Square Saturn - may have experienced a bit of loneliness during childhood or was forced to have to be responsible/mature at an early age. (Being a trainee/part of then-Seventeen’s lineup at such a young age, debuting quite early)

Sun Sextile Mars - the honest and direct type, quite the type to be very into exercising, generally very good in health and is quite popular. also gives a very youthful appearance (baby face!! also shows how he is popular/friends with almost every PD101 trainee he communicated with)

Mercury Trine Saturn - persistent, great means of success, ideas and mindset is in harmony with what he truly wants to do in life, dependable, loyal, very much going to be good for business ventures (how he was very persistent on joining PD101 in the first place, likely also how he decided to go forward/debut right after it ended)

Mars Square Jupiter - excitable, innovative, fearless and goes straight to the goal, talent reaches great bounds yet these individuals may have struggled with goals throughout their life (1Punch debut/disbandment, PD101 finale)

alright I think I typed a lot? I suddenly had the urge to write something about him because I saw Leaving the Nest season with him and honestly he was such a fluffball I would make him my baby brother :(((( I hope you guys enjoyed~ I did my best and hopefully this information can be helpful for some. I may not be 100% accurate but I really did my best. Keep supporting our lovely Samuel everyone! Ciao

[x-wearethefuture-x]

How do you get inspiration? Is there a muse that you consistently have the muse for? What has influenced your writing and blog? Take the opportunity to write a short ramble/drabble about something you want to write about.

How do you get inspiration?I’ve actually been struggling with this a lot lately. Usually it’s music,books, games, shows, or movies that give me inspiration to write. Though, mostcommonly, my inspiration to CONTINUE threads comes from the people I write with.If they seem actually interested in the thread (it doesn’t matter how longreplies take, I just mean the writing. Sometimes you can tell through how theyreply whether they’re interested or not) then that gives me more reason to wantto reply to it :)

Is there a muse that youconsistently have the muse for?Sooyeon on my other account is the one muse that I ALWAYS have muse for. I think it’s because she’s been a muse of mine since even before I moved over to tumblr rp, so I have a ton of history with her.Over here, it fluctuates a lot more, mostly dependent on things I mentionedabove. Yongsun is my most consistent muse with Wheein being a closesecond. Then probably Hyuna and Hyuk? Usually my female muses are my strongest ones,honestly. Lately I’ve had a ton of muse for Sarah. When I have musefor my boys, though, the strongest ones tend to be Seunghyun, Hyuk, and Jaewon. I think that Jaewonand Hyuk have similar personalities in some ways, so when I have high muse forHyuk I tend to have high muse for Jaewon, as well.Also, I ALWAYS have a ton of muse for most of my secondaries. I’m alwayswatching, reading, or playing stuff related to Star Wars so those are mystrongest muses, closely followed by my muses for Jack and Nisha (I literally play Borderlands all the time, and TPS is my favorite of the three). I’ve beenDYING for another thread with Jack, one where I can show off the complexity ofhim. Jack is technically the “bad guy” ofBorderlands 2, but he doesn’t see himself that way... he honestly believeshimself to be a hero even if his methods of achieving peace are a little harsh. He kind of thinks of it like it’s “for the greater good”. I would love to explore that more and have a chance towrite about it. Atton is such a complex character, too. He’s one of the biggest reasons that I’ve replayed KotOR2 so many times. And, like, I would even be okay with writing him in a normal verse as opposed to a Star Wars one because I just love him that much.The one muse of my secondary muses that I have a hard time with is my maleRevan. People expect me to water him down so he’ll be easy/fun to write with orthey want to write with him because he’s a Jaejoong face claim and they haven’tread his bio, but he’s actually incredibly difficult to write as or with. Andromantic threads are an absolute no-go. If he’s intimate in that way withanyone, it’s purely for power, not for love. So while I think he’s super interesting and I’d love to write him in some very serious threads, I think he’s the kind of muse that people have to be careful of ^^;

What has influenced your writing or blog?I’ll be answering this one in another ask soon~ I’ll try to remember to link it here when I’mdone~

Take the opportunity to write a short ramble/drabble aboutsomething you want to write about. Can I ramble about more than one? I’ve been desperate to write almost anything on my Wanted Plots list, honestly. Something based a little bitaround Princess Yue from A;TLA. Hogwarts AUs. Star Wars AUs are (obviously) myfavorite and I’d REALLY love someone to write an Old Republic based AU with,even if you haven’t played any of the games (I’ve, personally, hardly evenplayed the MMO). I’d specifically love a chance to use Atton or Meetra. I’dLOVE someone to write their own version of the Exile opposite of my Atton becausein KotOR (2 specifically because that’s where these characters are from) youget some back story but mostly get to choose your own path, so you don’t haveto feel inclined to follow a specific type of character (also the Exile cantechnically be male or female in the game, so that helps too! She’s femalecanonically, but I’m not entirely like stuck on canon- in fact, I prefer Revanto be a female as well, personally, and canonically Revan is a male so...).But, yeah, I know I’m older than some of the rest of this community (andprobably more into Star Wars than a lot of them, too xD) so I know it’s a longshot finding someone to write Star Wars AUs with me, but they’re my favoriteand I could accidentally ramble for a hundred years about Star Wars AUs oTLI’ve also REALLY wanted to do an AU where both muses are on the run from the law(a serial killer duo would be fantastic, but I’d also just love one where maybethey’re both thieves doing heists together. Or maybe one of them hasaccidentally killed someone in a struggle and in a panic fled the scene and theother is a proper criminal who happens upon them and they join up to outrun thelaw). Speaking about NON-aus though, I’d really love to explore my muses powers more. I getto do it a little here and there (mostly with Hyuk and a little with Wheeinwhich is PERFECTION) but I’d like to focus a little more on the mutant side ofmy muses. How they discovered their powers growing up. The control (or lack of)that they have of their abilities now. How people react (both positively and negatively). How it affects their lives.Sooyeon trying desperately to control other elements because she knows shetechnically CAN, but she struggles with anything outside of water manipulation.Hyuna being able to transform into animals, maybe having to do so in order toescape. Also her ability to speak with them would be fun to explore, too. ALL OF HYOJIN’S ABILITIES. She can absorb memories and powers both, and shestill sometimes can’t control either. So her catching flashes of someone’smemories when she touches them, or finding out that someone is a mutant becauseshe accidentally starts stealing their powers and draining them of their life force. Hyojin is such an underrated muse of mine tbh.Ericka thinking the bar is closed and empty, but Rui didn’t tell her that shehired someone new so when Ericka teleports from home to the bar and suddenlyshe just kind of APPEARS there, she’s got a lot of explaining todo to the new employee. Sarah’s emotions accidentally manipulating the weather because she can’t alwayscontrol her powers, and it goes from a perfectly bright and sunny day tohowling winds and downpours. And maybe she has a friendwho kind of catches on, whether immediately or not. Her eyes go white when shechanges the weather intentionally, but that doesn’t always happen when it’sjust emotions causing it, so it might make it harder to catch on in that way. And I’d also love more chances to explore the harsher side of things-anti-mutant coalitions trying to assassinate mutants. Underground governmentprojects to create power suppressing/eliminating serums. “Science”outposts where they kidnap mutants and experiment on them, trying to discoverif they can eliminate their abilities or take them and give them to others tocreate super-soldiers. I’ve had a few opportunities to scratch the surface ofthese types of things, but I’d love the chance to go more in depth!Also, just about anything that’s a “broken timeline”. Like AUs but based on theactual muses backstories, just with a change or two that set things way offcourse and now they’re completely different people from who they are in themain verse. So, like, if Sooyeon and Seunghyun had never met, where would theybe right now? Or what if Wheein had kept her powers hidden and continued tolive with her over bearing, overly religious, family? What if Sooyeon’s father hadn’t diedand she’s stayed with him? Or if Seunghyun’s mother hadn’t passed away, wouldhe have ever discovered his abilities of resurrection? What if one of the museswho attended Xavier’s had been drafted into the Avengers? Or joined the X-Men?What if someone became an actual superhero, bringing vigilante justice andhiding in plain sight? What if one of them had started using their abilities ona larger scale for more sinister acts? How would they have gotten to thatpoint, anyway? Things like that.

[olko71]

New Post has been published on All about business online

New Post has been published on http://yaroreviews.info/2020/12/instacart-looked-like-a-savior-now-stores-arent-so-sure

Instacart Looked Like a Savior. Now Stores Aren't So Sure.

A shopper fulfilled an order at a New Jersey Wegman’s in August for Instacart, which has more than doubled its largely gig workforce this year.

Photo: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

By

Jaewon Kang

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Jaewon Kang

Dec. 28, 2020 5:30 am ET

Grocery-delivery service Instacart Inc. once seemed like the perfect partner for supermarkets looking to break into e-commerce. After several years together, though, some grocers are starting to question the relationship.

Instacart’s technology provided a ready-made solution for grocery chains that hadn’t yet created options for customers to shop online. And it became even more attractive when delivery demand ballooned with the pandemic, providing armies of on-demand shoppers to fulfill orders in-store and deliver groceries to people’s homes.

But many supermarkets say they aren’t making money through Instacart, largely because the delivery company typically charges them a commission of more than 10% of each order. Some of Instacart’s retailer partners say the service holds too much control over customer interactions and expect it to take an increasing share of money that food makers spend on marketing.

All that has put grocers in a bind, as delivery continues to boom and becomes a necessity. Some grocers are focusing more on their own pickup operations or working with rival delivery companies.

For many supermarkets, food delivery cuts into already-thin profits. “We don’t think we make money from an Instacart order,” said Mark Skogen, CEO of Skogen’s Foodliner Inc., which operates more than 30 stores under its Festival Foods brand and began offering Instacart about a year ago.

Mr. Skogen said his company pays Instacart a percentage of its online sales. The grocer still works with Instacart because it allows for higher revenue even if there is no profit.

Nilam Ganenthiran, Instacart’s president, said in an email that the company’s services help grocers grow without spending years of work and capital investment to build infrastructure.

“We don’t compete with retailers,” Mr. Ganenthiran said. “We don’t operate out of warehouses and haven’t launched our own stores or mini-marts like other services that directly compete with grocers.”

The Save A Lot chain joined with Instacart this summer because the service was quick and easy to implement, said Chris Hooks, chief merchandising officer at the Midwest grocer that operates more than 1,000 stores. He said Save A Lot views Instacart as a way to appeal to existing and potential customers.

Instacart said it has added or expanded arrangements with more than 150 retailers in the U.S. and Canada this year, putting it in partnership with more than 500 companies including Kroger Co. , Walmart Inc., Aldi Inc. and 7-Eleven Inc.

Like many of its peers, the delivery service struggled to meet surging demand at the start of the pandemic but said it has since caught up. Instacart said its orders have been up 500% annually at times this year and that its workforce of largely gig workers has more than doubled to 500,000.

The boom in business has helped give Instacart its first profitable month, in April, since its founding in 2012. The company has raised nearly $500 million since March, for a valuation of $17.7 billion. Instacart has said it expects an initial public offering but declined to comment on the timing.

Over the years, Instacart has added services such as suggesting replacements for out-of-stock items based on customer preferences and allowing consumers to communicate directly with Instacart shoppers, Mr. Ganenthiran said.

Instacart has started delivering nongrocery items, such as prescriptions and alcohol. The company is expanding a business building websites and providing technology support for retailers.

Instacart is also working with manufacturers to promote and discount products on its platform. Mark Griffin, president of B&R Stores Inc. in Nebraska, said that means retailers and Instacart are going after the same pool of money that brands spend on marketing.

“We’re competing with what we perceive to be a partner,” he said. When working with Instacart, B&R becomes part of “a whole laundry list” of retailers rather than customers’ local store, he said.

Instacart’s Mr. Ganenthiran said the advertising business gives consumers access to discounts, which would ultimately encourage them to buy more from supermarkets. Instacart has been built to protect retailers and help them gain share in the online market, he added.

When H-E-B LP partnered with Instacart in 2015, the Texas-based chain raised prices on products it sold through Instacart to help cover delivery-related fees, said people familiar with the talks.

Will the coronavirus pandemic lead to long-term changes in how we shop for food? To better understand the challenges facing grocery stores, WSJ’s Alexander Hotz spoke with an industry insider, a store owner and a Walmart executive.

To maintain some control, others are choosing not to outsource their entire e-commerce business. Kroger, the nation’s biggest grocer, handles pickup orders with its own staff. The company also encourages customers to order delivery through its website—rather than Instacart’s—by offering digital coupons and fuel savings at Kroger gas stations for members of its loyalty program. Kroger executives described Instacart on a recent earnings call as a big partner but said the grocer is always seeking delivery partners.

Retailers have more options at hand. DoorDash Inc. and Uber Technologies Inc. started delivering groceries this year while Target Corp.’s Shipt Inc. continues to expand.

Associated Food Stores, a Salt Lake City-based cooperative of more than 400 stores, said it is exploring using Instacart early next year. To date, it has been using DoorDash, partly because of the service’s low commission rate of roughly 9% per order charged to stores, said Thomas Horne, a senior e-commerce manager at the company. Instacart’s rate is higher, he said, though the rate varies by retailer.

Instacart said that it wants to give all supermarkets an edge.

“It’s much more complicated to pick the perfect bunch of bananas or the best replacement for your favorite cookies than it is to deliver someone a burrito,” Mr. Ganenthiran said, adding that the company continues to make investments to improve its operations.

Some supermarkets are holding out. Northeast chain Weis Markets Inc. prefers encouraging customers to order online and pick up in stores, said CEO Jonathan Weis. The grocer doesn’t use Instacart but relies on Shipt for delivery.

“They were a little expensive, in our opinion,” he said of Instacart.

Instacart might remain just one of many ways to shop for groceries online. Farhan Siddiqi, chief digital officer at Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize NV, said customers prefer specific delivery services. The owner of Giant and Stop & Shop chains uses Instacart in addition to its in-house delivery services Peapod and FreshDirect LLC, which it is teaming up with a private-equity firm to buy.

He added, “It’s a very complicated world.”

Write to Jaewon Kang at jaewon.kang@wsj.com

Copyright ©2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

Appeared in the December 29, 2020, print edition as ‘Grocery Delivery Fees Squeeze Supermarkets For Supermarkets, Instacart Cuts Both Ways.’

[nellpire]

[171126] Nell - Oh My Star interview (translation)

Q: How did you form the band and take your first step onto the indie scene? Jaekyung: We were elementary and middle school classmates. Jongwan started writing songs in high school, so we played those when we first formed the band. That was in our third year of high school. We started out playing in almost empty clubs in Hongdae. Junghoon: Unknown bands needed to play covers of famous songs to get the audience to notice them, but we didn’t.

Q: You slowly made your way up the indie scene and came all the way here. What’s your secret? Jongwan: The indie scene was bigger back then than it is now. Harcore and funk was the trend back then, so we were outsiders on the scene. Outsider bands usually unfortunately didn’t make it very far, but I think we’ve made it here because we stuck with our own sound. We just did what we wanted. Junghoon: There could have been the temptation to play whichever music was popular at the time, but we never felt that. I think we got here by sticking with our own music.

Q: How do you feel about having continued for eighteen years? Junghoon: It doesn’t feel like it’s been that long, it just feels like it’s been a few years. (Agreement from other members)

Q: How do you think your music has changed over these eighteen years? Jongwan: Whether it’s a team or a solo musician, I think it’s hard to determine their musical “color” before they quit. It could also be that it’s not the color that changes, but the person. Junghoon: I think their basic sensitivity always remains somewhat intact. Music also has character of a sort, so I think you prune it as you age.

Q: So if it isn’t a color, what is the base, the essence of Nell’s music? Jongwan: Disbelief and doubt? That’s the base. So I think it’s optimistic. It’s not positive, but it’s optimistic.

Q: Could you talk a little about the concrete difference between positivity and optimism? Jongwan: “It’s okay even if it all goes to hell. So what if it does?” That kind of thing. I’m the type to not be torn back and forth between hope and despair a lot. That’s optimistic to me. Junghoon: There’s never been a suffocating atmosphere between us. There’s never once been a time when things have felt so wrong that someone has gone “christ… I’ll just get going”.

Q: You signed with Seo Taiji company in 2002 and received attention for being “Seo Taiji’s first act”. Please talk a little about that. Junghoon: We first came in contact with one another when we were playing in clubs and Seo Taiji hyung was searching for talented bands. It was surreal. We met at a hotel, and we arrived first so we were just sitting around waiting when Seo Taiji hyung opened the door and walked in. He said “come to (sign with) our company” and we said “of course we’ll go”. Jongwan: Everything including the studio was so professional. We met experts who could help us make reality of the music we had in mind for the first time. We were incredibly lucky.

Q: How did Seo Taiji influence you? Jongwan: He mostly gave us broad advice rather than detailed ones. That was when we first realized that we have to look at our music as a third person, that we have to become producers who see ourselves from a listener’s perspective. He gave us very high standards.

Q: It’s been ten years since your representative song “Time Spent Walking Through Memories” was released, but you are still loved for it. How does that make you feel? Jongwan: Certain tracks become what we call title tracks, but we go into composing every single song on our album with the same energy. They’re all precious to us, and that song is simply the one that made people recognize the team ‘Nell’. I think it’s important to us to make music that can stand the test of time. We want to make music that touches people’s hearts not for one month or one year, but even five or ten years later. Seeing how this song is accomplishing that, we’re very proud. Junghoon: We pick the title track once the whole album is finished. “Time Spent Walking Through Memories” is a long song so we considered going with something else, but as we felt that people would be able to relate to the lyrics, we picked it anyway. And the result was great. Jaekyung: Lots of people around us were surprised, saying they’d never seen a band chart #1 before.

Q: Last year, you left Woollim Entertainment after ten years and set up your own independent label ‘Space Bohemian’. What was the reason you wanted to go independent? Jongwan: Our contracts with Woollim expired last april, so the time was just right. We could have resigned for another one or two years, but we wanted to try something more interesting. Woollim Entertainment was a good company where we could work on our music freely, but we had already been thinking about creating our own label for a long time. We felt that it was now or never.

Q: You released your seventh album ‘C’ last year in August as your first album under your own label. Did you feel burdened at all? Jongwan: Making music is always the same for us. It was more like we realized when the album was already out that people might think it was burdening for us. We just continued like we always had. Junghoon: Jongwan is someone who fights 100% until the end. Someone who makes sure the work gets completed. Jaewon: As we made our own studio, it was wonderful to not have any time restrictions anymore.  Jaekyung: We could experiment as much as we wanted on things we couldn’t have if we still had those time restrictions.

Q: You are constantly attempting new musical changes. Therefore some people say you’ve lost your color. Jongwan: We’d rather have people say “they did something new” than “I like that they are the same as they always were”. I think it’s important how the albums do over time. You can’t know that right away. In my opinion you can’t properly critique an album until at least four or five years after its release.

Q: What is the reason you keep trying your hand at different types of music? Jongwan: We all have so many different ingredients with us. We are not an Italian restaurant which would never serve sushi; we are a local restaurant that makes fresh new food for our daily menu. If you can’t express what you feel in the moment but wait to say it later, it is merely a copy of what you felt back then. That’s why I think we’re just doing what we want in the moment. With our fresh ingredients. But we can’t be sloppy about it.

Q: Is Nell a local restaurant? Jongwan: I personally prefer a local restaurant with a good reputation rather than a franchise. Our team is like a local restaurant. If I love bread so much that I open up a bakery, then that will to show the taste to other people is the same as with our music. We hope other people will also enjoy the things we make out of love for the final product.

Q: If you were to pick the album where your musical direction changed the most, which would it be? Jongwan: The home of “Time Spent Walking Through Memories”, “Separation Anxiety” is where we changed the most.

Q: Where do you get inspiration for your songs? Jongwan: It all comes down to ‘sound’. Just like all a chef needs is fresh ingredients, the inspiration from sounds is the most important, since sounds themselves are the ingredients of music. Each sound tells its own story to the point where it makes me think they all have their own lives. The sounds each have something to tell, and I feel as if musicians simply convey those stories. So I think you shouldn’t use too much of your own ego in your music. The things told by the sounds are more important than we are. There are sounds that get music started. And there are times when just one bang of a drum turns into a song.

Q: Where do you get inspiration for your lyrics? Jongwan: I think “what do these sounds want to convey?” and I get inspiration from that. I also use memos from my everyday life.

Q: What kind of memos are those? Jongwan: The first snow fell yesterday. I write down what I think of when I see things like that.

Q: I’m curious about what you thought when you saw that snow. Jongwan: Uhm… that it’s similar to life?

Q: In what way, specifically? Jongwan: It snowed, but it didn’t remain on the ground. It’s just like life. Sometimes things you want to forget will remain in your memories, and things you want to remember will disappear. I feel it gets harder to hold onto memories as you get older.

Q: Doing variety shows could make you more well-known. Do you have any wishes to become famous (as people)? Jongwan: Ever since we were young, we wanted people to recognize our music, but not us. Because we’d lose so many things, including our private lives, if we were famous. Jaewon: We just want to be known for what we do well.

Q: You recently released the single “Today” with the producer duo Groovy Room. You don’t usually collaborate with other teams, so how did that come to be? Jongwan: We’ve worked with Epik High in the past since we are close with them, but other than that we’ve never collaborated with anybody. We’ve wanted to for a long time, though. Groovy Room makes many different types of music, just like us. So we wanted to try a collaboration with a talented producer team like them.

Q: I heard that you arrange your brand concert “Christmas in Nell’s Room” every year. How do you design your performance? Jongwan: We have lots of ideas. You know, you get images in your mind sometimes while reading books or watching movies. We think “we should try that out at our concert” like an occupational illness, and then we try to put those images into our shows. Jaekyung: Sometimes we change our setlist as a result of that.

Q: What do you think is the most important part about your concerts? Jongwan: We find it the most important to take away the audience's sense of reality. We want them to feel like they just had a surrealistic experience when they step out of the concert hall two hours later. Because reality sucks.

Q: It’s like you tear down the walls between reality and fantasy in your music videos as well. Do you come up with music video ideas yourselves, too? Jongwan: We do. We think of visualizing the sounds as at least the second highest priority, if not the first. You get certain images in your mind when you make music, too. It’s important to use means like stage design or music videos to maximize the music.

Q: How do you feel when you look back at your eighteen years in the industry? Jongwan: I think we’ve been extremely lucky. We met the right people (the members) at the right time and spent this time doing things we love. Musically speaking, I think we've come one or two steps of the way. We’re making music because we love it. If you lose your passion, you become a fool. When we look at musicians who continue on their whole lives, like Paul McCartney for example, we can tell that they haven’t lost their passion at all. They’re the same as way back when. Actually, they seem to only become more and more passionate. That’s our dream.

Q: Will Nell continue to make music when you’re old, too? Jongwan: We will continue as long as we are passionate about it. If we’re not passionate, then we are truly growing old.

Q: Finally, how do you wish to improve in the future? Jongwan: We’ll work hard in order to make it up that third step. Advancing one step at a time is enough, just as long as we don’t start going back. We want each album to be better than the previous.  Jaewon: Our goal is always one step at a time. Step by step. We will make it up the next one at some point.

Feel free to use, but please credit Nellpire.

[wanderlust-in-my-soul]

My weekly roundup CW 17

I try to write down my thoughts after watching stuff to create a little weekly ranking in relation to the previous week on my, most of the times, quiet sundays (and because I love lists!). These are just my personal opinions and preferences.

And yes, this may contain spoilers!

→ 1. The Eighth Sense (9+10/10 Final)

Phew. How should I sum up my feelings about it? Korea has a knack for good stories, for me, anyway. And this story is definitely one of my favorites and one of the best I've seen so far. And you can tell it's leaning more towards western television. You can notice the Skam notation and also a bit of the Young Royals setting. But what about the last episodes? I knew there was going to be a happy ending because I was spoilered thanks to MDL, since the movie has already aired in Korea. Nonetheless, for me the journey is the destination, I also like to spoil myself on purpose sometimes. Because while I knew it would end well, I didn't know what the journey would be like. And the way was so beautiful! JaeWon is slowly realizing that his life belongs to him and he won't be better off if he excludes JiHyun from it. He worries so much about not hurting others, about what he thinks is good for others, without looking at what the others might want. He hurts JiHyun much more by avoiding him and excluding him from his life, and he's starting to realize that. And yes, in the end they meet again and this reunion climaxes in such an unbelievably great kiss and a night where both of them can hardly sleep because they can't stop looking at each other and finally enjoying each other's closeness. And JaeWon is completely absorbed in the role of "it's now or never, you only live once and screw everyone else". He's with JiHyun and he doesn't give a shit who knows it all then. And the message of it all: they don't know if they'll make it and stay together, but that doesn't stop them from trying anyway, giving themselves a chance and believing in something positive. It's worth allowing some happiness and love in your life. I am thrilled by this series. The only thing that bothered me a bit was the "reconciliation" with EunJi and TaeHyung.

↑ 2. My Story (3/10)

I was so looking forward to the next episode. Not necessarily because of the good acting of the main couple or their chemistry, but because of Zeke and Fifth! I got a really bad second-couple-syndrome! They're just so cute together, even though I really didn't need the close-ups of their feet! But Fifth was jealous! Ahhhh! And makes no bones about finding men attractive. What's going on with the main couple? I don't know. They briefly didn't interest me after the kissing-after-puking moment…that wasn't romantic that was gross!

Yes, I might be lowkey obsessed with them...

☼ 3. Happy Merry Ending (1+2/8)

Korea is coming up big this year with plots that deal with social anxiety and depression. I'm curious to see how this will be implemented here. In the first episode, we definitely learned that SeungJun has trauma and is medicated in that regard. It seems to be an important, central theme. Especially as a wedding singer who only dares to perform wearing sunglasses because he's afraid of the looks of the audience. And in return, we have JaeHyun who can fit in well with groups and new environments. I love JaeHyun already! He's so obviously hit hard with SeungJun and I love it! He is so direct and wants to spend time with him. Oh love at first sight! Love it!

☼ 4. La Pluie (1/12)

La Pluie surprised me. I didn't think the story would pick me up like that in the first episode. Yes, the concept of going deaf when it rains and only being able to hear your soulmate's voice (even if he's not present but telepathic) takes some getting used to, but I honestly found it quite cute. And yes, love at first sight is also a little favorite of mine. So Tai goes deaf but can hear his soulmate's voice in his head when it rains. However, he has mostly refused to answer him so far because he doesn't believe in soulmates or love. After all, his parents, who were also supposed to be soulmates, divorced each other. That changed his view of love. But his first encounter with the person behind the voice in his head perhaps showed him, what he might miss, if he doesn't reach out already. And as a second couple, we have an enemies-to-lovers story! I am excited!

↓ 5. Our Dining Table (4/10)

Yutaka's brother is just an asshole. But he couldn't help it as a child/teenager, but the parents could have said something. It's so easy to say you're part of the family now and then just ignore when the son bullies the adopted son like that. I want to box him and the parents. And Minoru wants to know so much more about Yutaka. He's so on his way to totally falling in love with Yutaka and his sensitive nature. And he's so sweet and insecure about it. I'm happy if Yutaka can open up to him a little bit.

↓ 6. A Boss And A Babe (9/12)

Yeah, what can I say. Gun is an idiot if he really thinks Cher betrayed him like that. And then he doesn't talk to him right away but gives him the cold shoulder first. Uncool, boss! And the friends realize that Cher was apparently a bit more serious with the boss after all. Even though they're there for him, I'm still pissed about last week. The sleepover was really nice though. Even friendships are not without drama. But it all works out in the end. Gun breaks Cher's Gameboy, but repairs it right away because of his bad conscience. But that's it for the drama, at least between Cher and Gun, right?

↑ 7. The Promise (7/10)

Party, my man! He has really thought, if you can not, Phu, then I'll show you how it's done right! Well, the result was rather so devastating, but I love how Nan reacted! As a person who has witnessed both sides, I think Nan gave the best reaction possible. He showed Party and told him that he is important to him and is and will be his best friend. And Party can now so slowly detach himself from the feeling. It is indeed easier to do such a thing when it is spoken out. Well and Phu…I even understand him. He just has zero hopes, so why jeopardize the friendship? Even though Nan took every opportunity to touch Phu's face in the morning…You can apply sunscreen several times, come on I'll show you. Yeah, right! The two of them have to finally talk to each other. And of course Phu isn't Nan's best friend anymore, because Nan doesn't consider him a friend anyway, he just doesn't quite understand yet what Phu actually is to him. Good episode.

↓ 8. Naked Dining (3/10)

Ohhhh, Futa is jealous! You can tell already very much that the two like each other a bit much. And finally the naked dining was back! And also with the homemade food he made together with Mahori. Yes, this is a rather quiet series as well. I don't know how much drama we can expect, but so far it's a gentle sprinkling. And I'm permanently hungry by the time I'm done with the episodes…

↓ 9. Step By Step (2/12)

Hm. I don't know. I don't like Jeng? And all the colleagues just suck! And then Pat is supposed to leave the only one who is nice to him and who is on the same page with him alone, because there might be gossip? That's bullshit! So I found the second episode not quite as convincing. The friends, on the other hand, except for the slip of his friend, who met professionally with his ex, I still find great!

↓ 10. Our Skyy 2 (3+4/16)

I really wanted to like it. But shit, was it boring! It's a fireworks display of cheesy dialogue…And what kind of ring is that? Am I just too anti-romantic to find that beautiful? I mean, yes, cute, sunflower and star together, but that's too much for a ring…And I have an idea for a new drinking game: A shot every time one of the two says I love you! And finally the cringiest quotes...

"Dao, you're trusting the right person, because I no longe know how to love anyone else. You're the only one I love." "Will you eat breakfast first or eat me first?" "I am all yours, Kluen. Yours and yours only, Kluen." "Once our home is done, our parents will discuss our wedding plans." (Even though Kluen didn't ask and Dao couldn't say yes…)

→ 11. Tin Tem Jai

I took notes: Why did a series like Tin Tem Jai have to include a drug storyline? There was no resolution to the story whatsoever, except that Kana would hit Pao if he took drugs again. Problem solved…Wow! Screw Pao's problems, they'll take care of themselves! Next, I noted: Why does Tin continue to be portrayed as this little boy. That just feels wrong to me. And again, I ask myself the question, how old is Tin supposed to be? And further, you guys can just kiss like that. You don't have to wait until your birthday. The whole kissing contact just doesn't feel good. There's just too much riding on the fact that Park is so much older and more experienced than Tin. I am constantly confused and not feeling good. Luckily next epsiode will be the last one! Finally!

[fmdjaewonarchive]

► pit-a-pet.

date(s): 10 october - 27 october 2020 mentions of: @fmdsamsoo, @fmdsuwei word count: +/- 1090 (with lyrics) warnings: n/a details: fmdos3, the creative process behind pit-a-pet. jaewon distances himself from his work for the first time so that’s a good thing, he also has a revelation or two about how much easier it is to write music for other people, less stressful most defintely. 

and back to the studio it was, the cycle starting all over again, another deadline looming over him paired with the pressure of please, for the love of god, doing well enough this time around.

this time, most of the small talk with the producer stayed out, the mood much more grim than it had been last time around. the man could sense jaewon wasn’t in much of a talking mood and jaewon could appreciate that. he didn’t want to dwell on the last round, he wanted to do better this time around. 

“a love song for a female vocalist huh? you sure aren’t making this easy on me.” was the only comment the man slipped in before they got to work.

the rhythmic bounce in the opening is one of the first things the producer suggests and throughout the entire process, it remains the backbone of the song even if it takes a less central position as the song processes, a faint skip in the background. 

as usual, jaewon sits in on the entire process of the song, the composer does pretty much all the work (it’s what he’s the composer for) but it would feel unfair to let the poor man slave away over a demo only to pluck it off his hands. the least jaewon can do is sit by and do suggestions, help shape the song. 

the progression to deep, bass-heavy chorus is a suggestion that initially comes from jaewon’s side. of course, the execution is all on the older man, because thinking up ideas and carrying them out are two different things and while jaewon has been slowly dabbling in more composing himself, he knows damn well he could never put out an end result as polished as the one he leaves the studio with.

it’s too bad he’s already this indebted to the poor, poor producer, otherwise jaewon might have just asked for a few pointers and lessons on composition once the whole show was over. he probably won’t dare to at this point though, the man has put up with more than enough of his bullshit already.

 -----------------------------------------------------

writing the lyrics comes surprisingly easily. 

in general, jaewon has noticed writing lyrics for other people is a much easier task than writing for himself. which, at first glance, feels a bit paradoxal, he’s never been the best at relating to other people and their emotions. 

to some degree, it makes sense jaewon supposes. he’s never been good at pretending to himself, which is why he always got stuck writing music he couldn’t actually relate to himself. but for other people, he doesn’t need to know if they completely relate to the song. hell, he doesn’t even know who he is writing for, there is little space to calculate their personality into the equation. he’ll just have to assume they’re better at pretending than he is and truly, that doesn’t sound like that much of a stress.

so, writing a light-hearted love song is much easier this time around, because it’s not his love song, it’s not about him, it’s about something so vague and general that it could apply to almost anyone. 

the instrumental sounds like the stutter of a heartbeat. jaewon had already made that observation as he had watched the producer work but back then, he hadn’t wanted to pin himself down on a singular idea too early on. 

giving the song a few listens however, he continued to come back to the same conclusion, an anxious excited heartbeat, skipping a beat around your crush.

in a way, it wasn’t that much different from reply. 

that was a risky choice, reply hadn’t done very well (the understatement of the century, jaewon still hasn’t shaken the stress of being almost eliminated) but a part of jaewon had come to the conclusion that reply’s failure hadn’t so much been the song being terrible but his execution being the absolute worst. 

your voice in my ear

it’s getting closer

finally, with your eyes full of you

truth be told, jaewon hardly recalls what it is like, to have a crush on someone. he used to, way back in the day, when he was younger and more careless but somewhere over the course of his teen years, he had lost sight of the jittery feelings of young love. of course, he was in a steady relationship of over two years and he was over the moon for samsoo. but the bordering on anxious feeling on butterflies in his stomach had never really applied to them, not when samsoo already knew him in and out long before they started dating. they had skipped the whole awkward getting to know each other phase, making the feeling hard to place for jaewon.

but again, he wasn’t writing about himself, about his own feelings. maybe that was why writing came more easily this time, because jaewon was less weighted down by the worries about what part of him this song reflected, what it revealed about him. for once, it said nothing about him. it was just a song, nothing more, nothing less.

the moment we are together

time passing

you waited for me

i know your heart

it’s just a song. just a love song. and that’s all it needs to be.

 -----------------------------------------------------

this time, jaewon has taken all the production onto himself. maybe because he wants to prove himself or maybe just because his schedule much more so allows for it this time around. october is a relatively calm month compared to those before, the small breathing space between one album and the next and jaewon intends to use that time well. it’s also easier to oversee it all when all he has to do is sit behind the soundboard rather than record the song himself as well.

he might just like writing for other people better than writing for himself. it’s less stressful, more distant. 

the song is pretty much the same as it was when he first presented it to suwei, the only addition being the interjection of some background vocals, interjections of quiet ‘tell me you love me’s’ faded into the instrumental. it’s a bit hectic but well.. the song is supposed to be; eager, awaiting and a little clumsy.

which is exactly how they record it, and, how long after suwei has gone home and he has thanked her for her efforts, jaewon polishes the song and finishes it up. 

he can get used to this behind the scenes work. it’s nice to work on music without fearing to lose his entire identity to it.

[fmdjaewonarchive]

‘our songs’ episode 2: interview

mentions of: youngjoo, joosung, ash, suji

with the performances behind them, jaewon finally feels like he can breathe again. that’s nice, he definitely missed that feeling. it also comes in pretty handy as he’s yet again whisked away and shoved into some room to answer some questions in front of a camera. he feels a little more equipped to handle it.  before the stress had made it hard to properly focus on his answers but now his mind was relatively clear, there was no use in worrying anymore anyway, the performance already done. so he should probably focus on his interview, god knows he could use every active braincell he had to make himself look likeable in front of the camera.

talk about your song. how does it match the theme of “Introduction / Identity”?

“my song alarm talks about feelings of stress and pressure and the needing rest to recover from those. i think it’s a feeling that a lot of people can relate to, my fellow contestants but also people at home listening to it. i think we all need to be told that it’s okay to take a break from time to time.” jaewon could most definitely use a break himself but oh well, apparently writing songs about taking breaks would have to do for now. maybe he’s a bit of hypocrite. “i think it suits the theme of this mission well because i tried to write from my own experiences and give the listener an insight in my mind. people that have been listening to my music for a long time might be familiar with me writing my own struggles into music because i have a hard time voicing them otherwise so in that way i think it reflects me well.”

how do you feel you did with your performance? what regrets do you have?

“i think... i’m pretty proud of my perfomance.” a genuine comment and it’s actually caught on camera? jaewon surely hopes the producers of the show are counting their blessings on this one because he’s not sure he can promise something like this happening again for the rest of the show. “i worked hard and gave it my everything so i try my best to not have regrets, there is nothing i can change about it anyway.” he nods softly. “but i think there are definitely a few learning points and as i hope to get better with every performance i will surely keep them in mind and take them with me. for today’s performance i think i could have paid some more mind to the actual performance, some of the other contestants got really creative with their stages. i will work hard to present a more complete performance next time.”

which of the other songs/performances caught your attention the most?

"i really liked e.t, i think youngjoo-sunbaenim did a really good job on the song. it’s very pleasant to listen to, i found myself relaxing immediately the very first time i heard it, i think it’s very good if a song can make you to that.” he nods quietly to himself before speaking up again. “i also really liked joosung’s song, the lyrics were really beautiful and he did an incredible job conveying his feelings, i was very moved watching his perfromance, it felt very emotional and relatable.”

who do you think got the most votes from the online audience based on the track and who do you think got the most votes from the offline audience based on the performance?

“mhm, maybe  or suji-sunbaenim’s little wildflower in terms of song. her voice really suits such a delicate and melancholic song and i thought her performance was very touching and intimate, i’m sure a lot of viewers will enjoy such a beautiful ballad sang by such a beautiful voice.” jaewon smiles at camera. “as for performance.... maybe taeyong-sunbaenim? i think he showed a very complete perfomance from the song to the execution. he brought a lot of energy and all around i have a lot of respect for him for being such a strong last performer, he most definitely lived up to the expectations i think the public will have for him.”