To celebrate Kim Taeyeon’s birthday, I’ll be hosting a small giveaway! Thanks to the anonymous donor who generously offered the prize. :) 

• What am I giving away? 1 copy, SNSD - The Boys (American Album) 
• Who can participate? Anyone - that means you! And you! And you, too!
• Is there an age restriction? No, just make sure your parents are okay with you giving out personal details (i.e. your address) if you’re a minor.
• What do I have to do? Reblog/Like as many times as you want. Each reblog/like counts as an entry. You don’t need to be a follower. 
• When does the giveaway end? Friday, March 16, 2012 
• How will the winner be chosen? A random number generator 
• What happens if I win? I’ll make an announcement on both Twitter and Tumblr that someone has won. I’ll notify the winner via his/her Tumblr Ask Box at which point they’ll have 48hrs to give me more info. Otherwise, another winner will be chosen.
• Questions? Leave them in my Ask Box :) 

Good luck!

This is a rant post. It won’t be all unicorns and rainbows and butterflies. I’m warning you ahead of time because I know some people may get offended by what I have to say. If you’re easily offended, I recommend you move along. :)

I’ve been ignoring this for a while because I saw no point in ranting about it. Ranting generally leads to arguments, fighting and confrontation — all of which make me squirm like a kid who’s about to get a painful booster shot. But, I recently saw a tweet that, I suppose, caused me to crack. 

Some people seem to think that there are “rules” to being a fan, and more specifically, being a S♥NE. We have to buy albums, listen to all their songs, support them in every poll, obsess about them 24/7 and love all 9. Don’t meet the criteria? You aren’t a S♥NE, some say. 

Here’s the thing. There are no “rules” to being a fan. The way I see it, if you like the group, you’re a fan. There’s no job description associated with being a S♥NE and I have yet to see a list of duties and obligations. 

So no, I don’t have to buy every single album, photobook, poster or any sort of merchandise to prove my fandom. If I have the luxury of being able to afford these items, and if I want to purchase them, that is my prerogative. That doesn’t make me unsupportive. I find other ways to support and cheer our girls on. I save up to see them in concerts, I watch their music videos, I stay up to watch them on music shows, I vote for them in polls. I’m not any less of a fan. 

I’m also not any less of a fan because I have a bias. I respect all 9 women. I appreciate all 9 as hardworking, ambitious, talented individuals who all contribute something essential to the team. Each is unique. Each is a vital piece of the beautiful puzzle that is SNSD. Each has her strengths and weaknesses. But, that doesn’t mean I love all 9 equally. I love and respect them all — but I don’t love them equally. And I am not apologizing for that. I won’t apologize for that. When I see my bias acting adorable, I can barely suppress my squeals. When I see her strutting on stage like the sexy woman she is, my heart flutters and my breath stops. And when she sings? It’s as if all my troubles melt away, leaving only warm, fuzzy feelings. The other 8 make me feel this way, too, but to a lesser degree. It’s not that they aren’t equally cute, sexy or talented. It’s just that I share a connection with my bias that I don’t with the others. It’s not something I control. It just sort of… happens. 

In my mind, the “rules” to being a “true fan” are simple: Enjoy their music. Support them in any way you see fit. Respect them. You’re a S♥NE. 

cr; gif makers

(Source: xocescaxo)

“JIGEUMEUN SO NYUH SHI DAE! (지금은 소녀시대!)

APPEURODO SO NYUH SHI DAE! (앞으로도 소녀시대!)

YEONGWONHI SO NYUH SHI DAE! (영원히 소녀시대!)”

We all know and love this classic fan chant. Right now it’s SNSD, In the future it’s SNSD, Forever it’s SNSD! But lately, I’ve been thinking — this won’t all last forever. One day it’ll come to an end. Maybe I’ll gradually lose interest in SNSD and KPOP. Maybe work and school will become too overwhelming, and I’ll be forced to withdraw from the fandom. But in all likelihood, it’ll all end when SNSD stops being SNSD. One day, the girls will go their separate ways. 

And what happens then?

What will become of SONEs? Where will we all be 5 or 10 years from now? 

I wonder if we’ll find a new group to spazz about. Maybe we’ll find a group just similar enough to SNSD to spark our interests, but different enough so as not to be considered copycats. Maybe this new group will fill the empty void in our hearts that was once occupied by Taeyeon, Jessica, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona and Seohyun. Maybe we’ll come to love this new group as much as we loved SNSD — learn all their dance moves, memorize their lyrics, come up with fan chants. And maybe we’ll spazz about this new group, buy all their merchandise, stay up to watch them perform and support them through all their ups and downs. 

But maybe we won’t. Maybe we’ll forget about all of this years from now and settle back into our regular lives. We’ll get preoccupied with college or grad school applications. Work becomes more of a priority. Some of us may even get married and have children. 

And inevitably, we’ll one day forget about those crazy people on the internet who consumed so much of our time back in the day.

So enjoy the fandom now, SONEs. Attend concerts. Spazz until you can feel the beat of your heart in your chest. Celebrate every award, every solo concert, every interview, every victory. Dance until your breath is ragged and your shirt is soaked with sweat. Sing proudly — even if you don’t know the lyrics. Wonder about the newest concepts, songs and music videos. Stand in awe of the incredible strength of our SONE community, all banding together to love and support 9 girls who forever changed our lives. 

Enjoy what you have now so that one day, you can happily reminisce about all that you had. 

cr; picture/gif uploaders and editors

(Source: xocescaxo)

I’m a proud SONE. I incorporate as much pink as I can into my daily life. My bathrobe is pink, my shaving cream is pink, my workout attire is pink, even my stapler is pink. When I’m on my computer, I spazz about the girls’ latest magazine shoots, song releases and awards. I try to keep up with all of their current activities. I cheer our girls on. I vote for them in polls. I laugh with them during interviews and variety shows. I cry with and for them when I see them struggle. I worry about their health. I’m glad when they take long breaks but I miss them, too. I poke fun at their flaws. I marvel at their goddess-like beauty. I celebrate their wide array of talents. I stay up late and wake up early to see them perform. I’m tempted to buy whatever new product they’re endorsing.

When haters call our girls promiscuous, untalented and spoiled, I can’t help but laugh and wonder how their sentiments would change if they simply got to know the girls.

It breaks my heart when I see them pushing themselves to perform, despite them being ill and exhausted. It happens too often. Seohyun during last night’s Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Concert — you could hear her fighting with all her might to belt out her last few lines. Then at the 2011 SM Town New York concert/fanmeet — Taeyeon who could barely breathe and was exhausted beyond belief and Yoona who was struggling with every step — both used sheer will, determination and whatever strength they had left to continue performing. Sunny during their 2011 Japan solo concerts, who went to the hospital mid-show and came back, despite her being ill.

I celebrate with our girls when they win at music shows and award shows. When I see those precious smiles on their faces or the tears of joy streaming down their cheeks, I can’t help but feel a shared sense of accomplishment. We’ve achieved this together — SNSD and SONE. They pour their hearts and souls into everything they do, and they do it for us. And we return the favor by cheering them on along every step of the way. Their happiness becomes my happiness. And in moments like those, when they thank SONEs for supporting them and standing strong beside them, I feel truly happy and content.

I marvel at their many talents. From singing to dancing to acting — is there anything they can’t do? Each girl has her strengths and weaknesses, and that’s the beauty of SNSD. They’re only human, and not a single one of them is truly “perfect”, but together they create a perfect combination of 9 girls. 9 girls who carry themselves with poise and class. 9 girls who are as drop dead sexy as they are cute. 9 girls who surpass expectations and achieve the unthinkable. 9 girls who can be serious when they need to be, but are playful kids at heart. 9 girls who have remained humble and grateful even through their monumental fame and success. 9 girls who treat others with the same respect they deserve. 9 girls who share an enviable, beautiful bond.

But you know what, haters? You go ahead and keep hating. In the end, you’re the ones missing out. You know who you are. The ones who purposefully go out of their way to say nasty things and spread rumors about our girls. The ones who make it their life’s mission to tear our girls down. But don’t you fret. SNSD and SONEs are stronger than that. SONEs will always be there for SNSD. And SNSD will use all that negativity and criticism as fuel for improvement. That’s just the kind of people they are — hard workers, role models and inspiration for SONEs. 

Jigeumeun SNSD! 지금은 소녀시대~!

*cr; gif makers, picture uploaders and editors

(Source: xocescaxo)

Taeyeon approves: 

❤

This kid really loves her peas XD

(Source: xocescaxo)

snsdfans:

(via skylarvice)