When we got the EPISODE from last years AMAs earlier today, one thing I certainly did not expect us to get was a post from Tae proclaiming his love for his family (aka the members) and a vmin selca. And yet here we are and we got just that. Absolutely love that for us. Even more so since just yesterday Admin 2 and I were joking about how it would be nice if weād got one (though we were both sure that wouldnāt happen, ha, jokes on us).
You know all those meme jokes about how everyone looks awful when opening their front camera on accident? Well, Tae and Jimin certainly are the antithesis to that because even at such a usually unflattering angle they still look stunning. Just vmin/Bangtan things.
Something to note is certainly how, if heād really wanted, Iām convinced he wouldāve had many OT7 selcas/pictures to choose from, and yet heās done what heās done so many times before, as in singled out Jimin and their bond. Thus giving the post and pictures another layer of meanings, as in my family and my Jiminie. Weāve seen it with the hotteok pictures back in 2020 and his captionĀ āgood, perfect until the endā for Jiminās pic which was also posted separately from the other members, as example.
Starting of the month of February both with OT7 love and Jimin appreciation, the latter being even more meaningful considering Jimin is recovering alone at the hospital from surgery as well as COVID.
Other than that, the AMAs EPISODE was really fun and interesting to watch with their rehearsals for My Universe with Coldplay and Butter on their own, how they planned things, discussed them and tried different things so that their performances could be the best they could be. It was cute to see the clip that was clearly taken by their bodyguard/manager which sat next to JK throughout the ceremony, as well as one of their camera staff literally filming a TV when they announced BTS as winners of Artist of the Year.
Speaking of which, we got another angle for the vmin hug which is always greatly appreciated.
And we also got another vmin hand holding/handshake moment with Jimin looking at Tae until he noticed and then reached out for him. Despite Namjoon and Hobi standing between them. What a very vmin thing to do.
Lastly it was cute to see Tae complain about how he couldnāt do the speech he wanted so instead he did the speech backstage for the camera there. And also JK joking about how ARMY will laugh at him or make jokes about him and his speech. Canāt say he was wrong about that.Ā
Oh, and we also briefly saw namjin as their usual hallway buddies again with Namjoon telling Seokjin something that made him laugh big and cute.
day nine ā favorite dynamic, jimin + taehyung
(cr. namuspromised, dwellingsouls)
ājimin-ah, hi.
writing you this sincere letter is making me cringe, but iām trying to go on. please understand. since our trainee days, we came to seoul without a clue. we woke up, put on uniforms, and attended the same school. we ate together, went to practice and got back to the dorm. then weād talk all night. after such six years, youāre now my dearest friend. before our debut, you once got anxious about it. at that time, i had a company meeting. they asked me what iād think if jiminie was on the team. i thought it over, and said youāre there when iām up or down, the only one who laughed and cried with me. i said that iād like such a good friend to debut with me as a team. and iām glad i was able to debut with you. all our good memories made me happy. and iām sorry since iām always on the receiving end. when iām in the bathroom crying, you still cry with me. and you come see me at dawn to laugh alongside me. you care about me and have me in your thoughts. you work hard for me and you understand. you listen to my concerns and like me, though iām lacking.
letās walk a road of happiness. love you, jiminie.ā
ā taehyung, bon voyage
Reaction to NJās āwe appreciate your apologyā to Cordenās non-apology? For me personally I thought it was very confident, smooth, and subtle āhey. You were meant to apologize here. But weāll take it from here since you didnāt get the memoā and i love him for it. Like, itās something Iād do in my personal life if I want to be passive aggressive? First off, NJ bringing up the hot waters Corden was in (not scripted Iām assuming, since Corden kept floundering and stammering), Corden addressing the issue but not even apologizing (turning the focus on making him a victim (which tbh is extreme and toxic of a fan to do), saying āIām the biggest BTS fan), NJ just cutting him off with āHey, whatever.ā ā I have a lot of feelings about this personally i guess, and I didnāt even see the whole segment ā just the clip š
Thoughts on BTS on james Corden 211123
Guys š Please don't tell me you didn't see the full segment! Go see it!
The extended version is officially on YouTube and is 10 minutes long. As a carrot, if you watch the whole thing, you get to see Tae's Tata Mic face, Jimin's thighs version, in all its glory at the very end.
As I alway say, I'm not the purveyor of truth - I mean, obviously I like to talk and feel my opinion matters or I wouldn't keep this blog, but I'd rather my opinion supplements your fully-informed own, if that makes sense.
Keep reading after you see it!!
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Okay, thoughts!
1. In fact, I am sure the segment was scripted - that is, prompted/staged, in the same way Run segments are. So I think we can tone down the whole "Ooooh Namjoon saucy," there was obviously consent on both sides.
But not scripted in the sense of every word or line is written like in a TV drama, again in the same way as Run segments aren't. So yes, Corden absolutely blubbered, and yes, the boys especially Namjoon, didn't let him off easy. So we can definitely laugh about that.
Let me explain.
Talk shows segments are always planned. They have to be, they're essentially filmed interviews, just live + some variety show stuff. Production & talent agree to basically an outline, something like "10 min interview: list of questions/topics to discuss; 5 min stage game; 5 min commercial." That sort of thing.
Also, honestly, you can tell Namjoon was always suppose to open with the topic and Corden was expecting it, because Namjoon was hella awkward (he's not a very good actor š) and Corden knew immediately what he was referring to without missing a beat.
But then what they say during the segment is totally up to them.
2. You can take away from the fact that this segment happened that both sides want to bury the hatchet. So I'm going to take my cue from BTS, as I always do - look pass this too.
We don't know whether the Corden team approached BTS team with the idea to do damage control, or BTS team had the idea and approached Corden (or even demanded it as a condition of their appearance, possible as that's pretty common in showbiz, like, "I'll only come if we talk about XYZ") to smooth the tension and acknowledge their fans.
But it was consensual. Between Corden aggressively trying to make friendly with Jimin ("Am I still Papa Mochi?"), to Hobi hugging Corden at the beginning and Jimin hugging Corden at end, it's clear both sides do not want to burn this bridge. Obviously, BTS doesn't want to lose this platform - after all, they are on his show again (and I don't blame them, Carpool Karaoke did phenomenal numbers and absolutely changed the game in terms of their treatment on American talkshows. And he's leagues better than Ellen, which you may note they have never returned to).
3. That said, Corden was at fault for the stupid things he said. And BTS knows it. With the way that the segment rolled out, what we can conclude:
-BTS probably was offended, both on our behalf and their own (I mean, we kinda knew that, I vaguely remember hearing news BTS unfollowed him). People forget, but the other half of his joke was questioning BTS being at the UN, decrying it as "weird" (and if ya'll remember from the post-SDG meeting vlive, Yoongi explicitly talked about how others sneered about them as singers being there, but they knew and were proud of their role as being there to raise awareness for the SDGs. What is Corden but an exemplar of those people Yoongi called out?).
-They wanted an admission of fault from James and believed he owed one to them & us. That speaks tons. They're on our side. Amd they let him flounder for ages before Joon finally stepped in. Their reactions made me laugh so hard.
But you know what? I just checked and apparently they're following him again.
You call people out to get accountability, we got accountability - and I doubt Corden will repeat this mistake again (if he does then we'll talk). So let's just call it done. He jumped through the hoop and BTS says we should move on, so I will.
4. That does not mean we let him off the hook.
Yes, his apology sucked. Here's what a good apology should have. His lacked every element. It reeked of white man unused to making apologies. He wasn't able to set aside his ego - his explanation (minus the "I'm one of your biggest fan!", which is a lie since we know he didn't listen to BE before interviewing them, lol) when it got specific about ARMY's charity and BTS's influence, shows you he does respect both ARMY and BTS, but he still kept justifying himself, because it's hard for a white man to own up to being totally wrong and punching down for a cheap laugh.
Also, guys: don't call him Papa Mochi, don't refold him into the fandom - it was a cute joke, but it's obvious the boys are no fools and know the game, so that's all it is. Don't idolize any random celeb who treats BTS well or say nice things about them, I thought this even before Corden put his foot in his mouth. This is the entertainment industry. It pays to remember that and be cynical. Especially now that being near them conveys such status. Set the bar higher (like, make sure someone's at Halsey's or Steve Aoki's level - a real friend - , and a nice person, before you do).
And for Corden, specifically, while I do genuinely think he respects BTS, please also remember he's known as a real, true douchebag backstage. It's well known like with Ellen, and I also have personal confirmation from folks who I know work in entertainment. So yeah. Don't take BTS's agreement to bury the hatchet too far either.
[As I write this, I'm vaguely sad for BTS. I'm so happy they have real support, like their long-time staff, like their real friends, like each other. Otherwise, imagine how lonely you'd be, how jaded].
5. I thought at the time ARMY was overreacting. And I still believe that. I don't mean the death threats, that's always unacceptable, I mean that I don't think we need to mobilize after every slight. Corden was obviously wrong. But it's not 2017 anymore, BTS is kind of too big for me to care what dumb thing minor celeb says - it's like T Swift caring about some rando saying she writes only teenage girl breakup music post-Folklore, you know? And frankly some ARMY anger feels like performative outrage or malicious trolling.
Our attention and engagement is a commodity, I'd rather focus my space on joy or constructive things. Disinterest is worst than anger. I think we're getting closer to this understanding post-SZA or the Grammys, I saw many people noting to just ignore them, so hopefully this will be the last of moments like this. Both because ARMY gets more disciplined, and others public figures learn better.
5. Speaking of: There is a clear silver lining: the way ARMY is perceived / understood has --- post-Corden, post-Joon's passionate defense of us time after time, post-sellout stadiums and top hits again and again --- noticeably shifted. Look at this Time article that just ran. Our diversity is being acknowledged. Could you imagine this being published even in 2020?
So let's just take that away from things. And while I'm salty we had half a segment dedicated to all this, I'm glad we'll have many more, better segments in our future.
What an incredible night it was, a night that brought two major firstsāthe first time Bangtan saw and heard ARMY again in two years, and the first time an Asian act won Artist of the Year in AMA history. Both emotional and meaningful in their own right, the latter an achievement that has only cemented them so much more as the true living legends that they are, history makers and record breakers.
(Side note - maybe thatās just me but doesnāt it look a bit like Namjoon is holding JKs hand?)
From the moment they arrived on the red carpet until the cameras were turned off and the show was over, they were the moment, the act, the outstanding group of so very talented men everyone was looking at and being curious about. Iām truly so, so proud of them, and Iām also so happy for them that they could finally be among their peers again, see artists on stage, hear the screams and chants from fans when they went on stage to pick up their three awards but also while they performed.
Bangtan getting theĀ āplease wrap it upā warning during their speech, and Seokjin pulling JK away from the mic when he was almost ready with what he wanted to say so that Tae also could say something, and Yoongi delivering his speech in Korean? Definitely one of the major highlights of the night and also very Bangtan.
What a night for Bangtan, but also what a night for vminnies and namjinists.Ā
The maknaes (along with Hobi) having a little moment (can we talk about Jiminās fond smile toward the end at Tae?) while Seokjin watches Namjoon, and also peaks at whatās going on in the back. Oh, and Yoongi smiling at Namjoonās speech, adorable.
(edit cr. namujjinie on twt)
Yoongi, Hobi and JK dancing andĀ imitating theĀ choreography being performed on stage whileĀ vibingĀ together was one of my favorite things, especially since the other members were so into it as well, just having a good time.
Generally one of my favorite things to see while the show was going on and different artists were performing were the Tannies reactions, how they really got into some of the performances and music. Also Giveon noticing Tae singing and dancing along in his seat and stepping āoff stageā to shake his hand, lightly bow and thank him? Truly amazing, and Tae was so, so happy afterward. Or Tae using the chance and saying hi to Conan Gray after accepting one of their awards. Tae seemed to have the time of his life last night.
And letās also not forget Becky G who came over to Hobi and Yoongi to say hello and talk to them for a moment, giving them a hug and looking so happy. Later, after the show was over, they also had a picture all together. Honestly with how messy the US celebrity world is, Iām so glad they have at least a few genuine friends.
Can we also take a moment to talk about Namjoon and Yoongi immediately getting up to hug each other when they announced that BTS won Artist of the Year which immediately reminded me of their hug back when they won their first Daesang in 2017. What a journey it has been for these two, 11 years and counting.
To close out this post, have this pic that became a major meme last night. Priceless.
Last night, I didnāt sleep one bit and I had to wake up early for my class but I donāt regret it.at.all. Not only the AMAās became the Bangtan show, but Vmin seriously had me in my feelings. Harry Styles concert and the AMAsā¦ this is a lot to take in and there is no coming back from that.
Awards shows are really date night for Vmin and I was here for all of it! So letās go through my favourite moments from last night right below.
Personal space no longer exists in Vminās vocabulary and she is ok with that.
We also had a remake of BBMAs 2019 red carpet with a bit more intensity. Iām just posting the whole sequence so we can properly appreciate how Jimin clings to Taehyung for dear life š„²
My favourite moment when Jimin got all shy after speaking and leaned on Tae to hide. Look at Taehyungās big bright fond smile!! My heart š„ŗ
Them having their little moment after winning Artist of the year before joining the group hug. Remember their hug during MAMA 2019? Yes, same energy.
Vmin being all over each other has been a constant since the beginning of their relationship and itās there for us to witness that they are their happiest when they are together.
Our Soulmates really made all vminiesā heart full with warmth last night. They cannot help gravitate towards each other and they just look so happy. There are many more videos and pictures of them dancing together, having affectionate gestures but I exceeded the pics limit for this post so Iāll leave it for another time.
Permission to Dance Online Concert [210824] - Vmin Cut
I wrote up the OT7 cut, so here's the Vmin cut!
There were a lot of wonderful moments, both planned and spontaneous. We don't see just Vmin subunits a whole lot (sharp-eyed fans might notice their staff clearly aim for 3-4 maknae + hyung units, which is natural, who can blame them), but they gave us lots of crumbs in the last VCR and general staging. And of course a lot of organic moments, because Vmin are they, haha:
VCR Vmin
Fake Love Vmin
Vmin in the wild
Vmin being caring and sweet
[Vminnies seem universally ecstatic today, but in case anyone is not, please do go ahead and save yourself the trouble of sending in any asks]
I'm refusing to let anyone ruin my joy this week, I'm too busy, haha.
In no particular order:
1. Besties Vmin
Why are they so cute ;_; Do you think this is what BTS sees everyday.
2. Fake Love aka how to make Drift emotional
I'm not entirely sure whether the Fake Love ending was planned or spontaneous (that is, whether Tae was always meant to stand up to join Jimin for the close, or Jimin was meant to forlornly walk across by himself and Tae decided in the moment to do their classic choreo), but it was incredibly emotional and effective.
You can see on another view that Jimin really seems to up to Tae for a hug, rather than their usual hand-pull separation. I also love, love this gif because you can see so clearly the way Jimin's hand pulls down to lingeringly hold Tae across the chest. It's hot, yes, but also just... so so sweet. Literally melting.
It could've only been improved if Jimin & Tae held hands at the end. It sure seems like Tae tried to, his hand was right where Jimin's hand usually lands (on his lower back).... except this time Jimin over-shot (?) and landed on the š instead? Which made me just about die, haha.
But... they somehow managed to touch fingers anyway? (Thanks, Vminnies with 4K). Which makes it even more devastating because that finger positioning looks so deliberate. It's pretty unnatural to hold your hand there in the first place, since you have to turn your torso. But Tae even kept his fingers uncurled, so that Jimin's one finger stretched out to overlap with his.
Why are they constantly testing me like this, ugh.
3. Vminnies getting robbed with Blue & Grey
But actually, my favorite amongst this genre of stage moments... is a moment that didn't even happen. I was watching by myself in my apartment, and literally shouted "THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO REACH OUT TO EACH OTHER WHY WERE WE ROBBED?" at my screen when Tae & Jimin did their iconic harmony:
Don't say you're alone
Cause you're not
Please don't leave me alone, it hurts too much
I think it's pretty clear that this was supposed to happen, rather than being just speculation. Jin & Jungkook just had their moment as well during their harmony. You can also clearly see Jimin's mirror self is reaching out to the side that Tae's mirror was supposed to be at (left empty on the day because of his injure), and the camera cuts to Tae looking at Jimin from across the stage.
I'm on the record as loving these particular lines from Blue & Grey, so to say I was delighted and devastated is an understatement, lol. Cold comfort but 1) it's clear the stage designers also love that harmony since they built a moment round it; and 2) that Vmin were divided and staring at each other from across the stage very much accentuates the lyrics ;_;
They're probably going to switch up a lot of things for the PTD LA concert but if they could just keep this part so we can see it as it was intended to be, I'd really appreciate it.
4. Just a lot of really, really cute unplanned moments.
Vmin just standing next to each other and mirroring each other, vibing, smiling fondly at each other, doing stupid things and laughing at each other doing stupid things, and doing some adorable hand-touch thing:
... But let's talk about my favorite spontaneous moment, which was captured on a side-cam (Cam 4? Cam 5? Multi-view is worth its weight in gold, I tell you).
5. Jimin checking in on Taehyung
Before we go on, I do want to dedicate some space to Taehyung's injury. He himself talked about how frustrated he was it happened so last minute, after how hard he had worked, both during the concert and after it.
Nonetheless, while I was relieved to see him in generally good spirits at soundcheck, you could tell that especially at the beginning of the concert when he had more limited mobility (perhaps because they were feeling out more of what might work, and there was a lot of choreo then), he was more upset. But as the concert wore on, and he was able to get more involved (thank you boys for working hard to include and interact with him), his spirits visibly lifted.
Personally, I am 1) very glad he sat out, you could tell at moments he was hurting; and 2) thought he really killed it anyway. It speaks a lot to his natural charisma that he so commanded our attention, removed from the action and in a chair.
Anyway, as Jimin says, "Don't get sick, Taehyung-ah!!".
And with that preamble: can we talk about Jimin making sure to check up on Taehyung twice?
As I caught it (not that they weren't interacting throughout the whole damn concert), they did this once during BWL (during the part where they typically face each other?) and again during Dynamite?
Let's zoom in on the Dynamite moment though:
This is my favorite genre of Vmin moment. It is neither clearly platonic or romantic (repeat after me, that Doesn't. Matter.āand if I get one more ask that continuously debates with itself over that question I will screamā), but it is truly so tender.
Of course Jimin, as the kind-hearted person he is, was always going to check in with an injured member at some point, we've seen it time and again. And let's not ignore Namjoon (cutie, lol) also being there, seems he was keeping Tae company right before Jimin.
But nonetheless, how low-key this moment is still stands out to me.
Most everyone else is near the main stage. This a bit of a breather moment at Dynamite's beginning (perhaps uncoincidentally when Vmin often interact). Tae doesn't seem to be in any particular distress (he was not, for example, crying)... and yet, Jimin took the time to come over and keep him company anyway? That light thigh knee tap, after they harmonize and exchange glances, I just. It's clearly just a check-in moment just for them, not the cameras.
There's so much care in their bond, I really don't understand how anyone could look at them and not say to themselves, "Those two really love each other, huh."
In some ways, I'm glad we're too far away to see their expressions clearly here.
... And that's it for me this time, haha.
[And allll credits to vmins_ for the gorgeous gifs]
Before I go, shout-out to the Vminnies who work so hard to put clips up in the blink of an eye. I will proudly say I noticed the B&G missed chance and the knee tap all by myself in real-time. But even as I saw them, I was despairing about ever finding the clips to share with you all (I don't have the tech savviness to record the concert in real time)...
... But of course eagle-eyed Vminnies had my back š
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