#what happens in la stays in la

[kruemel8]

Ay papi.

[cadillacjohnf1]

[the-lost-profile]

LN 11 spoilers

Self gaslighting queen

Self gaslighting king

[jmdbjk]

Wow.

I can't leave to enjoy a few days vacation without the world falling apart?

Hybe vs. Min HeeJin. Not on anyone's bingo card this year. I have not caught up on everything but who tipped off Hybe about her dastardly plans? The timing of it all... and her little extemporaneous skit she did for a press conference was perhaps part of her plan to turn public opinion in her favor? She claims to have invented kpop or at least made it what it is today but out the other side of her mouth says she hates idol culture?

Hybe's not here to play, they will not be nice. I see no benefit to her for showing us the not so pretty side of the idol industry. Maybe that's her problem, she can't see what she's doing because she's too far into it. Thirty years in the business will make you lose your objectivity. She has no idea she is coming across as a greedy, spoiled, entitled, manipulative, narcissistic, emotional female in a male dominated industry. Basically a nut case.

The lady had a tremendous opportunity to perhaps take ownership of her company in due time, become a great example for female leadership in a country where corporate culture is steeped in chaebolism. Instead she squandered that and thinks she will come out on top. Did she miss the Hybe vs. SM Entertainment episode from last year?

Anyway.

RM's new album! RPWP!

The Monochrome pop up store is doing well!

Jin will be back after 6 Fridays!

In other news. I went to Las Vegas. This is what I saw:

The Bellagio Fountains. They're huge. The Bellagio is SWANK. I looked for Jimin in Dior and Tiffany, Hobi in the Louis Vuitton store, Namjoon in the Bottega Veneta store, but none of them were in there. There was no Calvin Klein store.

When Hobi, JK and Tae were there watching the fountains dance to Dynamite, they were standing here:

Passed by Allegiant Stadium a few times. It's huge.

Drove out to Seven Magic Mountains. I am happy to report the lowest boulders had no writing or graffiti. They were amazingly huge as you can see.

Joon's pic of the above rocks:

Went to AREA 15 and it was HUGE and amazing! It's impossible to show everything that its about, there are multiple buildings and installations and activities, gift shops, bars, etc. We went into the Omega Mart (mega art) experience which led to a maze of fantastically created chambers, each different from the last one, all pulsing with animated lights, texture walls, ceilings and floors.

And ate at Hobak Korean BBQ. We couldn't find out which tables the members of BTS sat at but I got a pic of the Butter album they all signed. There were other autographs from other famous Korean celebs but the BTS signatures were displayed in a more prominent place on the wall.

We also scoped out The Sphere. Also HUGE. The concert space is arena sized. I don't know who was playing there that night but the parking lot was filling up.

We also walked the Strip.

The Fremont Street Experience. That's an animated video screen overhead with ziplines running through the length of it. It's two blocks of casinos, restaurants and gift shops. People are also doing busking and shows at street level.

Hoover Dam, view of the dam from the highway bridge and view of the highway bridge from the dam. Spent a few minutes on the Arizona side.

Hiked in the desert. Saw cactus and wildlife. Drank a lot of water.

Drove to the Mojave Desert Preserve in California just to say we did.

We hated leaving. It was a fun trip. But damn, I have so much stuff to catch up on now. Hiatus my ass.

If Vegas is on the BTS comeback tour I promise I will be there this time.

We gambled at the airport on our way out. The slot machines were next to our gate. And in the baggage claim area. But as you can see, its not just about gambling there.

In case you didn't get it, everything in Vegas is HUUUGGE and FARRRR. Walk a lot, spend a lot of money.

Overall, Las Vegas was clean, the people were extremely friendly and welcoming of course, they might be teaching hospitality as a school subject there, I don't know.

[eskawrites]

okay who’s gonna take one for the team and write a super soft ptsd/recovery ronance fic with the title ‘if you wanted you could do no harm’

[thedeathdeelers]

idk i feel like we’ve already talked about this (we did!! it’s here!! by the lovely @mac-lilly) but a sweet home alabama-ish juke au. yknow. childhood friends to lovers to strangers to enemies to lovers again

mostly for this scene:

“nice dress,” he shouts over the rain and the sound of waves crashing against the shore. “where’s your husband?” he barely throws a glance at her, his eyes quickly averting back to his task at hand — burying the rods deeper i to the sand.

julie is drenched from head to toe, her wedding dress ruined, her hair a nightmare — her make up is probably leaking all over her face, and her feet are aching. but as she gets ready to give him her answer, she can’t help but smile — a genuine one.

“i’m looking at him,” she says simply.

luke stops moving, his back to her as his arms hang on either side of the metal rod he was now gripping with a little more force than necessary.

for a moment neither of them say anything, with only the sound of nature roaring around them.

it represented them well — the pouring rain, the crashing waves; the thunderous clouds and blinding lightning: it was a lot, all-encompassing and overwhelming.

their love was a force of nature, and they both knew it.

luke slowly turns around, hands dropping to his sides.

“what are you talking about?” his eyes scan the darkened area behind her, trying to spot the blond head he knows will inevitably pop up. “where’s nick?” he finally asks when he fails to see him.

“he’s not here, luke,” she says, taking a step towards him. luke’s eyes are back on her, as he watches her warily. what was she up to? torturing him until the last minute?

“he left for new york an hour ago.”

just hearing the name of the city that had become julie’s new home reminds luke why he had tried so hard to guard his heart.

he nods brusquely at julie, walking past her as he shouts over his shoulder.

“you should hurry and catch up to him — wouldn’t want to miss your wedding night.” he grimaces as the words leave his mouth, instantly regretting it.

he sounded petty. and he also definitely didn’t want to picture julie on her wedding night with someone…..that wasn’t him.

luke stops to pick up his equipment off the ground, shaking his head as he digs around in the sand to make sure he doesn’t leave anything behind.

“i’m not joining him.”

luke stops moving, his fingers freezing mid-search as her words slowly sink in.

she couldn’t-

she didn’t-

“we didn’t get married, luke.”

her words hit him like a bag of bricks, dropping everything he had picked up as he slowly straightens up, his back still to her.

he takes in a deep breath- and another, eyes closed and fists clenched as he tries to squash down the hope that stubbornly started rising up in his chest.

“why not?”

“apparently,” she starts, her voice slowly getting closer. “…we’re still married.”

luke’s eyes snap open at her statement, swirling around to find her standing only a few feet away.

“still married? but i signed the papers, just like you asked me to.”

“yeah well turns out…i kinda forgot to.” she shrugs, shoulders moving up and down as a small smile makes its way on her face.

“forgot?” he asks incredulously. “forgot?”

luke groans as he rakes his fingers through his hair, letting out a humourless laugh.

“julie,” he says, eyes on hers. “what do you want?”

“you,” she answers simply. “you were my first kiss,” she continues, taking a step closer. “and i want you to be the last.”

that throws him off for a second, recalling a time when they were kids and julie had told him the exact same thing.

they were older now- things were different…right?

luke just shakes his head to clear it, and asks again.

“no i mean- what do you want to be married to me for anyway? wasn’t nick what you were always looking for?”

julie shakes her head as her smile turns blinding, taking a step towards him, and then another, until she was crowding him, standing in his space.

“so i can kiss you whenever i want.”

she grabs his drench collar, and pulls, until he was only inches away.

“and no luke, it was always you.”

[original-punks]

.

[tanjir0se]

Seeing that goddamn silhouette when the hacker guy got counter-hacked and realizing exactly what story arc is about to come roaring back with a vengeance

[mostlikelytofangirl]

I've read fic where JGY was abusive and found it in character. I don't think 'abusive' and 'not abusive' are two separate categories of people. Under the right circumstances, any person or character can exhibit abusive behaviors and, with a long enough time frame and no interventions, their relationship could certainly become abusive.

If the word 'abuse' seems so incompatible with our beloved villains, can we really say we love them as villains if we can't love and acknowledge their capacity for harm?

-Regular Anon

Oh hi there, anon! Nice to see you again :D. Sorry this took so long in getting answered, I've been having a case of Real Life(tm) recently orz.

Anyways, I'm guessing this is maybe apropos of this other ask? In any case, let me just go part by part starting with the last statement bc I actually agree there with you.

If we claim to like a character, there's really no point in ignoring key elements of their personality, right? If we like villains, we like them bc of the fucked up shit they do and how very sexy of them it was, not in spite of. That's why even when I can indulge myself in the occasional fic with a softer canon WRH (bc food be scarce and every treat is appreciated :'))), I don't fully subscribe to that bc that's just not how he is. Even in AUs there just has to be some of his og assholery or at least make the changes make sense.

But here's where my first caveat comes, and it's something I mentioned in my other reply too. The characters' circumstances.

Now, idk what kind of fic you read, and at the end of the day, if it works for you, that's totally cool! I just would have to assume that JGY's life still had some level of shittery to it, or he was going through someting bc really, this is the character that saved a perfect stranger in the middle of the war without any ulterior motive, nothing to offer, and risking his own safety just bc it was the right thing to do.

The entire point of MY/JGY is that he was "corrupted" by a society that left him with only two options: accept your fate as a bottom feeder, or cheat the system in whatever way you can bc you are always going to be inherently disadvantaged. And here's my second caveat:

JGY doesn't read like a villain to me. An antagonist, maybe, but an actual force of evil in complete oposition to the core values of the heroes and actively trying to hurt/stop them? Not really.

So it's not only that, but also the fact that he's a nurturing person at his core that lead me to disagree with the notion that he would be purposedly abusive towards another person unless there's very pressing circumstances that would make it so that his own well-being actually depends on somehow damaging this other individual.

Sorry, but I just don't see it working in any other way.

That being said, yes, you are right, interpersonal relationships are much more complicated than just abusers and victims (despite what some corners of tiktok and twt might say lol). As I also said in that other ask, at some point in our lives, we are all going to be the assholes and even the villains in someone else's story; we are going to hurt those close to use and we are going to make mistakes bc we are humans. But there's a difference between toxic behavior and being a toxic person. So while being a dick bc you had a bad day or bc there's no good communication going on can totally happen to everyone, that's not the same as intentionally hurting and manipulating someone in a systemic fashion fully designed to keep them trapped with you.

THAT is something ingrained in the person at hand, and while there's an entire conversation to be had about nature vs nurture, in JGY's particular case there has been no examples whatsoever in canon to even suggest that that's the direction his character skews towards. On the contrary, he has sacrificed his own desires and needs for those he cares about: being a model husband to QS and never taking a concubine, helping rebuilt Cloud Recesses and creating the watchtowers even if it was unpopular, going to NHS' aid whenever he called despite it being more work for him, never hurting Madam Jin in spite of how she did hurt him, etc. By the end even, pushing LXC away when the man had clearly accepted death with him.

Again, idk the details of the fic you are refering to, for all I know, it's an entire exploration of JGY spiralling down an even darker and more desperate place than in canon, and him becoming abusive towards someone bc, idk, that's the only way in which he can feel in power when his entire life depends on others is the whole point of the thing. And that's perfectly valid too!! What's fiction for if not to explore and go beyond??

I just felt like I should clarify that, while I agree on principle with the villain statement, I don't think it applies to JGY unless there are specific factors playing along, and if those are not met, I personally wouldn't find an abusive!JGY portrayal accurate or in-character.

But once again, that's just my position and I have my preferences and my biases like any other person.

[mbat]

dude, i dont think im gonna ever be over how last year i knew someone who pissed me off pretty much anytime they spoke (they were a friend of my friend so it wasnt my choice that they were there), and one of the other people in the server decided to jokingly as them a question

and, the context here is that this question isnt that far off from the humor i have with my friends and it wasnt meant to be bad or serious, like we just have a lightly edgy humor sometimes in there. but the first person i dont think was in on the joke

but this other person asked the first person "do you hate jews"

and the first person replied with. "i hate lsrael but i dont hate jews"

and i...

no one. no one asked about lsrael. literally no one brought that up. the question was about jews.

and when i later was trying to convey this to that person, they just didnt get it. and all of my other friends (and obviously both the people mentioned in this post) are goyish so it didnt really bother them as much, but i just still think about it every once in a while

whenever i mention this, no one else seems bothered but im just.

there are millions of jews worldwide of all different kinds and backgrounds and personalities and hobbies and things they love and hate, and most have nothing to do with this whole thing going on (me included), but the first thing that a lot of people think of when they hear jew is this horrible thing going on. like, am i seriously the only one whos bothered by that??

like if i told someone im jewish and their first thought was to ask me about that situation id be like ?? why are you asking me im fucking 21 years old and ive lived in missouri usa my whole life ??

luckily i havent talked to this person since november last year anyway, they were seriously so infuriating for like... every reason imaginable

[howldean]

i’m so fucking pissed rn

[leotanaka]

i really love that moment in la belle et la bete (1946) when belle's sisters are like: "if you leave, we'll die" and belle just closes her eyes and goes: "don't temp me." 🤣🤣🤣

[freebooter4ever]

.

[jmdbjk]

What happens in Vegas...

It's been a year since ...

A lot has happened in the past year.

Those glorious weeks in April 2022 in Las Vegas and the PTD concerts... hindsight... I should have tried to go. I didn’t know. We didn’t know what was coming. 

But I am going to see Yoongi soon! I thought my chance to be a part of the purple ocean had passed so I am very excited! I will talk more about that another time.

This past year, with the member's solo work so far, the world has started to really pay attention to BTS not just as a frivolous Kpop boy band but as serious music artists.

And even beyond, really embracing them at this point, not just as performers but as individual people doing what they can as South Koreans in a global community. It didn’t happen overnight. But the world is definitely watching now.

I watched Hobi's good-bye to Army welive this morning. I cried, I smiled, I cried along with him. I am going to miss him so much I can hardly keep it together right now as I type these words.

A year ago in Las Vegas:

I hope at some point in the far future the members will look back on this time and see that they had to grow up in front of the world's eyes and I’m sure they will do a hard cringe at a lot of it, but I hope they’ll see how much they were loved during this time. They will come to know that everything they did and our responses to those things are what will make them the men they will become.

As hard as it is knowing they won't be back together as a group for a while, I am savoring this solo era because I have learned SO MUCH about each of them as they roll out their projects.

This is my acknowledgement of the joke that is the BBHot100. It's dead to me at this point. I won't be discussing it further.

Other than that, what do you guys want me to talk about? Jikook? Jimin? Jungkook? Those are the choices lol. Should I do a poll?

[gh-0-stcup]

Trying to think of more ways Darla living and making it to the end of the show could work. Mainly something that's not just a complete rehash of Angel or Spike's plots.

What if Connor continued functioning as Darla's soul? Not in a mystical, motherhood inherently makes you a completely better person sort of way. In a parenthood forces you to grow up and reevaluate the impact your actions have on other people way.

Darla survives the birth and it turns out the love she felt for Connor came entirely from her. She gives up her murder girlboss lifestyle so she can be part of his life. Connor's only going to live for like 82 years - what's that to someone who's been around since the 1600s?

So that's what kicks off her arc, trying to be a decent mom and not traumatize or endanger her child. From there, she starts to relearn how to interact with humans and live in their society. She'll have to play nice if she's going to be organizing playdates and going to doctor's appointments, PTA meetings, etc.

You could have a comedic episode where the B plot involves Darla getting a group of mommy friends who she despises but puts up with because it's "normal". And also they know a lot more about caring for human babies in the 21st century. They're all catty upper middle class winemoms, ofc.

Darla gets a job, because she wants Connor to live a cushy, spoiled life where bills are never a concern. She could have a little sugar daddy arc that ends when he expresses dislike about her son. Maybe she becomes an interior designer/stylist to the stars. She could also end up working for Wolfram & Hart, in PR or Marketing, which helps set up the s5 arc.

As the show continues, Darla slowly begins developing some empathy. She starts to see herself in mothers, Connor in children. She could be involved in a couple episodes featuring cases of kids or mothers, showing progress from disdain/boredom to offense or (repressed) sadness.

Season 4 or 5 could have a second episode featuring Darla's mommy friends. Usually just a recurring gag, this one could humanize them a bit. One of them has some sort of heartbreak - maybe it turns out her husband is a cheater and he makes her feel responsible for it (not pretty enough, bad at sex, etc). Darla helps the friend leave him and they enact some sort of petty, human revenge. Maxing out his credit cards, trashing the house, getting him fired, etc. It ends with the girls chatting and laughing about it, a new sense of camaraderie between them all.

Basically just helping show Darla's evolution, becoming protective over some women she was initially just using, feeling anger on behalf of another person. "Linda's botched tit job does make her sexually repulsive - but I'M the only one who's supposed to say that! And definitely NOT her HUSBAND who is middle aged, balding, and smells like cheap cheese!" kinda vibes.

Towards the end of season 5, she can start expressing a tiny bit of regret for some of the more heinous things she did to kids/mothers in the past. Her and Angel could have a chat where she concedes she may have gone a little overboard with the babynapping in China.

She could have a scene where she realizes Connor will probably have kids, who will themselves have kids. She's no longer so certain she can go back to her old lifestyle when Connor dies.

Darla doesn't end the series as a good person, exactly. And she'll never be a hero like Angel or even Spike. But she's a little more responsible, a little less selfish, and a very good mother.

Besides just being a way to keep Darla around, this idea helps tie her into the "faces the struggles of adulthood" theme ATS has going on.

Becoming a parent as a person with a complicated past or unhealthy lifestyle means you need to make adjustments if you want to be in that child's life. Loving and caring for a child changes you and the way you see the world. It's not a quick fix to all your problems, but it can motivate a lot of positive change if you let it.

Utilizing soulless!Darla to explore this opens up opportunities for representing real life struggles like:

How can I be a good parent when I have the history I do?

How do I not allow my problems to negatively impact my child?

Learning to interact with people normally after spending so much time basing your life around manipulation and selfishness.

Overcoming your addiction for the sake of your child.

While Angel could be used for these in an AU where Connor wasn't aged up, Darla is the better character for it having a stronger impact. She doesn't have 100 years of abstinence under her belt or an internal compass to guide and motivate her. All she starts with is love for her son, from there she must pull herself away from her impulses and change her life through sheer force of will.

It mirrors pieces of both Angel and Spike's arcs, thematically connecting Darla to her vampire family, while still being a story unique to her.

[gobbluthbutagirl]

before you leave: how are you how is sc

i’m normal and sc is a flyover state between hell and purgatory