#link to the article will be in the replies btw

[pigeonxp]

gay eddie is COMING HOME TO US ACTUALLY AND GENUINELY AND REAL AND TRULY

[centrally-unplanned]

The trick on the whole "Israel banning UNRWA" thing is that most militaries - like say the US in Afghanistan for example - directly provision aid. American soldiers would often be handing out food packages themselves, and even if they weren't the aid organizations would be directly contracting with the US government and the Department of Defense. You have a group in the military and the government that is like, okay, how do we feed people, let's hit those targets.

So if Congress decided to ban the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan in 2006 from operating in the country or whatever, that bill would say like "we hand over its mission to USAID, which has been allocated $2.1 billion dollars in FY-2005 to do X Y Z". It would probably be a dumb move that would create unnecessary friction and cost lives for political bullshit, but that is also life, people dying for political bullshit is a universal constant. It would probably be pretty small bore in the scale of things, like switching over contractors.

That isn't how Israel does things. I might be wrong about this, Israel is deliberately opaque about these things and I just gave this the ol' half hour of googling, I am open to being contradicted here. But my current understanding of net spending by the government of Israel itself on aid to Gaza is...$0. They do not provide aid. They permit aid from other organizations, funded by other countries, to be provided! But they don't take responsibility for the provision; meeting targets, outcomes, etc, none of that is their job. (I am sure it isn't literally zero btw, but I think you get my point)

It is really telling that when you look up pro-Israel statements by say AIPAC on aid, their headlines are:

Israel Facilitates Humanitarian Aid to Gaza as Hamas Continues to Attack

And they criticize the UN because the UN trucks aren't being delivered:

The United Nations and other international agencies are largely responsible for the existing delays in aid deliveries into Gaza. The U.N. has not been able to distribute aid at the rate that Israel is processing it, causing back-ups at the border crossings after Israeli inspections are completed. On March 3, the U.N. received 234 trucks in Gaza but only distributed 131 trucks of aid to civilians in the enclave.

If this was the US military, and the UN was getting aid trucks and failing to send them, we would send more of our own trucks? That we have? Because aid is part of the military operation. But Israel doesn't do that - because it doesn't have any trucks. Because aid isn't part of the military operation.

Which is why the bill banning UNRWA that is being passed does not mention aid provision to Gaza:

The international community has raised alarm over the legislation, which was passed without a plan in place for a humanitarian agency to replace UNRWA.

Again going off news sources here, link for the actual bill is currently down, if I am wrong will correct here, but I think it all tracks. So in the article above, you get statements from the government when people ask about aid, they reply, oh yeah these other aid organizations will fill the gap.

Then you ask the aid organizations themselves and they go, no, we won't fill the gap! We don't have the resources to do that! Which is logical when you realize Israel isn't funding those orgs. They don't know or care about their funding status. Hopefully someone else will figure that out - aid is someone else's problem. Those government remarks are just off the cuff, they aren't a plan.

Which I want to loop back around to the casus belli for the ban - UNRWA having ties to Hamas. That, to me, is one of those "uh duh, and?" things - Hamas is the government of Gaza. UNRWA runs schools there? And medical clinics? You think they do that...without contact with the government? This is just silly, the UN Mission in Afghanistan obviously had connections to the US Government! Government officials, working in both, par for the course.

But, and this is far more important, it is irrelevant. I completely agree that UNRWA has many people who are sympathetic to Hamas in it, because obviously they do. You want to ban it, dumb but okay. You propose a bill outlining the $2 billion dollars and the 5 partnered aid organizations and the 400 IDF trucks that will deliver aid to replace their work, sure. Whatever man, do your small bore politics bullshit.

That is not what they are doing.

Now, Israel has in fact allowed a bunch of aid in Gaza, I don't doubt that like USAID and the non-profit community and the governments of the UK and Japan and so on are gonna pivot funding to a bunch of organizations that will do herculean work stepping up operations and interfacing with the IDF checkpoint system and get aid in. Maybe they will do such a bang-up job that the cost in suffering won't be that high. Israel did give 3 months after all, they aren't the literal worst they could be.

But I do think at a certain point, the line between indifference and malice just ceases to matter. The UNRWA bill isn't some breaking point or big policy shift - it is just a highly revealing moment in the Israeli approach, why the war there has gone the way that it has. And it is, as the kids say, not a good look.

(h/t @loving-n0t-heyting as this was initially a reblog of their post, but they mentioned getting drama in the notes so I split it off; sorry to deny you the precious +1 internet point)

[rainbow-nerdss]

7x04 coda

Buck watches Tommy walk away and he feels… he’s not sure, honestly.

Happy? Relieved?

His lips still tingle with the memory of it, the pressure left by Tommy’s kiss. He’s frozen on the spot, right where Tommy left him. He laughs, the quiet sound echoing through his empty apartment. He knows Tommy had to go, had to work, but Buck stands there, watching the spot where he’d just walked out, and he wishes he’d reached for him. Pulled him back in for another kiss, more than just a faint brush of lips. 

He wants to wrap his arms around Tommy’s shoulders, pull him close, lick into his mouth.

Shit, the things he wants to do.

And it’s all new, it’s strange and different and wonderful, because when Tommy kissed him, he felt stubble scratch against his own, and Tommy’s fingers tilted his face up, not down, and even though Buck hadn’t quite managed to set his hand down, hovering it over Tommy’s shoulder in his surprise, he knew what he’d find there—broad shoulders, muscled back, so unlike anything Buck’s known before.

But he wanted it.

He wants it.

And Tommy may be gone, may be halfway across the city, or hell, maybe even in the air by now—Buck’s lost track of the time since he left—but there’s still time. They’re going out on Saturday, on a date. 

He’s going on a date with Tommy. 

Buck finally drags himself away from the kitchen island when his stomach rumbles. He stares into the fridge.

He grabs some leftovers, too much happening inside his brain to cook right now. The microwave turns, and the humming is the only sound in the apartment. 

What does he do now? He can’t just sit back down and get back to work on the bills he was working on before. He can’t just… sit and watch TV. 

He takes out his phone, scrolls for a while, then navigates to google. His thumb hovers over the search bar.

Buck’s never lived a sheltered life. Sure, football locker rooms, navy SEALs, and the fire academy weren’t the most openly queer spaces, but he’s worked in all kinds of bars, alongside all kinds of people. He’s had friends, co-workers, acquaintances from all walks of life.

And he’d never questioned himself. He always supported the people in his life, stood up for them when it was needed. How had he never even wondered whether he might have more in common with them than friendship? 

That he’s… what? Gay? No… Bisexual?

That one feels better. He takes a breath, and the microwave beeps.

He ignores it, tapping his phone to stop the screen from going blank, then types in the search bar.

Bisexual

He clicks on the first link, and then the second, and he keeps scrolling, keeps reading until his eyes burn and his stomach is growling with hunger.

He takes out the now-lukewarm leftovers and shovels them down without really tasting any of it. Bisexual.

His phone pings. A text from Tommy.

Tommy: Busy shift, spending more time in the air than on the ground! Just checking in—still good for Saturday?

Buck bites back a smile as he replies. 

Buck: At least it’s not Q! Definitely still good. 

He hesitates for a moment before adding a heart emoji to his last message and hitting send. Is that too much? Too soon?

Tommy sends back a grin and thumbs up, and Buck lets himself giggle—just a little one, shut up— as he pictures Tommy’s grin, the way his whole face lights up with it. God, he’s cute.

Tommy: You better not use that Q word btw! Whole lapd knows about what happened last time someone on ur shift said that

Buck: Unfair! Was NOT my fault

Tommy: I’m sure… Gtg. call coming in

Buck: Be safe!

How is this the first time Buck’s noticed a guy like that? How has he never seen it before? Most of the articles he’s read are about people who always knew who they were, or figured it out once they understood what bisexuality was. 

For lack of anything else to do, or another message from Tommy to reply to, Buck heads upstairs and changes for bed, not really sure what else to do, just going through the motions. When he lies down, he stares up at the ceiling.

Is this the first time he’s felt something like this for a guy? He forces himself to think back, looking at his life in a whole new light, his friendships, the times he’s felt that same tightness, the need to be seen by someone who wasn’t a family member or a woman.

He thinks of Carter, a kid he played football with, the star of the team, how Buck used to showboat every time they were on the field together, used to play that little bit dirtier against, used to maybe glance at a little more than usual in the changing rooms.

He thinks of Leo, one of the guys he met working at the dude ranch, the one who just seemed to have a way with the horses, who took Buck under his wing on his first day, helped his clueless ass not pull too hard on the reins. Buck thinks about Leo’s hand guiding his, or resting on his thigh, showing him how to balance in the saddle. Buck wanted to do well at the job, wanted more than anything for Leo to look at him, a spark in his eye, and say “Hey, good job, Buckley!”

He thinks of that firefighter in Texas, TK, who Buck had clicked with just about right away. Buck wanted to be friends with him, wanted to keep him around, but he’d shut down Buck’s offer to take him for a drink if he was ever in LA by letting him know he already has a serious boyfriend.

Huh. 

Maybe Buck had been asking him on a date. Maybe this has always been there, under the surface, just waiting to be prodded open. 

And, hell, he realizes with a start. He might actually have a type. Strong, cool under pressure, unnervingly good at their job, able to get under his skin without really trying. 

No wonder Tommy worked his way under Buck’s skin so quickly like that. 

Buck finally remembers Tommy’s parting words as he walked out the door. “For god’s sake, please call Eddie. Now would be a great time—he’s on pain pills.”

He needs to call Eddie. Needs to apologize—Tommy aside, he’s been a dick this week. He hurt Eddie, actually hurt him, all because he let his… jealousy? Crush? Get in the way of his friendship. 

That’s not the way they do things.

It’s late, past eleven. If he knows Eddie, he knows he’ll be awake. Pain meds, plus worry about what’s going on.

He sits back up in bed and dials Eddie’s number. While it rings, he thinks about what to say. “Sorry” is obvious. But when Eddie asks him why? When he leaves a silence, full of understanding and concern, Buck knows he’s never been able to withstand one of those silences. 

“Buck?” Eddie picks up the phone, and Buck’s suddenly choked up, at a loss for words. 

“Hey, Eddie,” he manages. 

Eddie says nothing. 

“I’m sorry,” Buck adds. “For not calling sooner. And for—for hurting you.”

“Buck. You didn’t mean to.”

“I—Eddie, I don’t know.”

“What?”

“I just… I didn’t think, I just… went for it, and I think a part of me knew as I was doing it that I was wrong, but I couldn’t stop myself.”

“So you… meant for this to happen?”

Buck shuts his eyes, shuffles so he can sit against his headboard. “I… Eddie, I never wanted you to… I didn’t want to injure you, I just wanted… Something.”

It’s not an explanation, not even close to it, but it’s all he can give right now. Sure, he could tell him everything. I’m bisexual and I wanted Tommy to pay attention to me, not you, but you didn’t deserve to be caught in the crossfire like that. 

He wants to tell Eddie the whole truth, but not now, not like this, not as some sort of excuse and definitely not over the phone.

Eddie laughs over the phone, and it doesn’t feel mean, but it’s not comforting, either. “You wanted attention,” he fills in.

Buck exhales. “Yeah. Don’t worry, Maddie’s already called me out for acting like a teenage girl.”

Eddie laughs again, but it feels more genuine this time. “Remind me to thank her,” he says. “So, you’re back to normal now? Honestly, I was starting to have flashbacks to my first day.”

Buck… does not think about that day. He doesn’t acknowledge any similarities in his behavior that day and how he’s acted for the past week, because that… that’s not something he needs, right now.

Instead, he just sighs, and says he’s sorry again, and asks if he can make up for it. “Well,” Eddie says, and Buck hears him grunt, like he’s shifting positions. “If you’re free Saturday, I’m taking Marisol out to apologize for spending so much time with Tommy this week, if you could watch Chris? Say, around eight?”

And Buck’s about to say yes, but he stops himself. “I’m so sorry, I have… plans, on Saturday. Raincheck?”

Eddie sighs. “Damn, okay. Guess I’m groveling to Pepa again. You should come over, though. Earlier in the day, I mean. If, uh… you can. Chris misses you.”

Buck’s heart breaks a little. It’s what Tommy was saying, after all, and he can’t believe he’s been dumb enough to let anything get in the way of what he has with Chris, and with Eddie. 

“Sounds great, Eddie. I can come by in the morning, maybe we could go to the aquarium, or something?”

Relief washes over him when Eddie agrees. He’s got this. He’s going to be okay.

When he hangs up, he only feels a slight pang of guilt for lying by omission and not telling Eddie about his actual plans for Saturday night.

He doesn’t feel guilty enough to not send a text to Tommy, though.

Buck: Talked to eddie btw Cleared the air

He’s just about to drift off when he gets a reply

Tommy: Great! Glad you worked things out

Buck doesn’t reply, just smiles into his pillow and lets sleep take him.

[miwiromantics]

Idk if ur into mbti.. but i looked up mike and wills and apparently, they are a "match made in heaven." Its crazy too because i read the whole article on why they are compatible and its literally a perfect description of them. (https://www.truity.com/blog/enfjs-and-infps-quite-often-match-made-heaven) this is the link idk if you can click it

aaawwwwwwww they're literally perfect for each other!!!!!! sorry for the late reply btw.

"When ENFJs and INFPs get together, they frequently create relationships that are both harmonious and long-lasting" literally the first line and its absolutely perfect for them!!!

[not-safe-for-breakfast]

hoping someone can help me out on this, i'm a bit confused

so i've been reading up on Section 230 (the internet law), and from what I understand, it's basically a blanket statement protecting platforms + the companies that own them from the user base (ie. they don't have to worry about being held liable for what people say on the platforms), but it also gives them freedom to moderate/censor content as they see fit. but then why is Section 230 itself what gets deemed as controversial? i feel like problems lie in the interpretation of what it says, not the words themselves.

btw, these are the words:

“No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider.” (as per the Vox article linked)

plus that regulation of content is allowed. so i don't personally think there's any issue with the legislation itself, just with certain judges expanding or narrowing the scope too much, which can happen with any law, and the end result is the same as officially amending the definition: the way the law is regarded in the future changes, and becomes more broad or narrow because of what said judges did. i don't think i'd change it if i could—i think we just have to accept that some people in power will use it to crack down on content they don't like, while others will let moderation fall by the wayside because they think that's what free speech means. it sucks. it's legislation. what else is new.

i'm 1000% open to changing my viewpoint, if anyone wants to chat in the replies (please! talk to me! i don't bite, unless i see the human deity that is Jeff Goldblum...in which case i am BITING BITING BITING)

I MEAN. LOOK AT THIS MAN

[stormblessed95]

Hi!

As I'm currently working on a follow up ask, I have tumblr open on another tab to reference your response and the other posts you linked (I'm very sorry for the essay response that I'll be sending 😭), and I keep seeing all the rude ass anons you're getting.

I'm sorry, Storm 💜

While there are parts in the new article that I do want to discuss, as well as how some of your points I have slight disagreements with or at least maybe don't fully understand yet, I'll never understand why people need to be so mean because they disagree with something.

Hopefully I finish this reply before 'Are You Sure?!' is out as I'm sure there will MUCH MORE to discuss 😅

Hope you're doing well 🫶

I'm this anon btw!

https://www.tumblr.com/stormblessed95/758125248296124416/hi-ok-so-i-just-rewrote-everything-i-wanted-to?

Darling, if you want to DM me to discuss things in more detail and in a more back and forth manner, I'm more than willing to talk with you! Even through when AYS airs. 💜 Even if we never come to agreement, I have a feeling I will greatly enjoy the conversation anyway.

[happysprings]

Chapter 3

Link to chapter 2

You reached Seoul with Mark. However you cannot expose to your choreographer that you two are not real. As suggested by the PR team the choreographer was with you. With every post and story fans somehow made a link between you and Mark now. At the airport you guys were spotted together. The moment you left the airport everyone's phone started buzzing. It was the articles and pictures of you and Mark together at the airport. The headlines were like "Is got7 Mark actually dating Y/n? , Mark and y/n spotted together at the airport, y/n has a Korean boyfriend ?? etc." the PR teams of both of you were happy that the news is on air. The attention that both the parties were getting was immense, there were fans who were happy, there fans who were racist and throwing negative comments, some even threatened both of you.

You were in the studio where you were rehearsing for your music video. Soon mark entered you gave him a nodd to sit somewhere, it will take a few more minutes. He sat and you danced he was looking at you throughout. It was a little weird but he felt jealous every time the choreographer held you close or touched you. He might not say anything but his face was proof that how much he hated it. You noticed that and smiled. As the last rehearsal was done. He walked up to you and gave you the bottle of water and wiped your sweat with the towel you smiled. Your choreographer said "Mark you are so lucky to have her.... No wonder she never responded to any of the times I asked her out." Hearing this he gripped your waist and pulled you close and replied "I set the bar high. Right baby??" He looked at you and smiled again your choreographer said "but if ever you break up with him. You know I have always been your admirer " and winked before you could speak he said "not gonna happen...btw if the practice is done we need to get going. She is tired and we also have plans together" not giving much time to respond he dragged you away. "Cheap" he whispered, you smiled at his comment. You both sat on his G-wagon and reached his apartment. "We are staying together?" You asked he replied " yes. Managers told us to stay together, tomorrow we have the photoshoot and interview and in a few days we will announce our relationship with the photoshoot and the interview. You nodded "why were you so rude with him?" You asked him. He didn't respond instead he asked you "what do you wanna eat?" "Anything!" You answered. You guys got take outs and reached his home. "You can take the guest room over there. If you need anything let me know, " he said walking towards his room "Mark, do you have spare clothes?? My bag is still not here." He nodded and handed you his oversized hoodie and a sweat pant. You took it and went to your room. You came out of the bathroom wearing only his hoodie. Suddenly Mark walked in "let's have food......" He stopped and his eyes were on your legs, the hoodie barely covered your ass. You covered your legs with a towel " I am coming " hearing this he looked at the other side and went out. Once he came out of the room he mentally slapped him thinking what you're gonna think of him. He is not a pervert but you do have some effect on him he thought. He brushed off all those thoughts and sat down and ate in silence soon you joined and ate.

Next day you got ready for the shoot. "First let's do a cute couple. Y/n sit and Mark put your head on her lap and look at her, y/n look at the cam." Told you the camera man. You both got in your positions "y/n touch his hair and Mark look at y/n lovingly and y/n look at the cam ." The cameraman told you. You both did what you were instructed. "Mark y/n sit together and y/n put your head his shoulder hold his arm and Mark look the cam and continue to do that" the moment you held his arm , he shift nervously you smiled and whispered "What Happen Markipoooo?? Are you shy?" Hearing this he smirked and soon you put your chin on his shoulder and he looked at you, he was caught off guard with the proximity "Mark smile, you look stiff" shouted the cameraman. Hearing this you held his face with you other hand. He looked at you and said "Soon you'll be shy." you dint understand what he was saying. Soon he swooped you on his lap. His hand snaked on your waist his face dangerously close to yours. You looked at him as the cameraman shouted "hold that position.....and done.....Mark kiss her cheek" hearing this your eyes widen. But he was too fast at that. you could feel his lips on your cheek. "very good, will take a break and then will continue. " said the photographer. you detached yourself looked at him. He smiled and walked near you and whispered "so where is that smile babygirl?" before you could say anything the photographers assistant came to you and said "HI Mark and Y/N next segment is about close up pictures and few kissing pictures as well since you both of you doing this to announce it you guys will be in close proximity." he said you nodded and Mark held you slightly by your shoulder and said "its fine, obviously its weird to do it infront of the cam but its fine." you smiled at the photographer.

After the break the photographer shouted "near the wall you guy Mark you need to trap her between the wall and do some poses" Soon you both were there and Mark said "I'll hold you by your waist and you can hold me or do something.? Okay?" hearing this you nodded. As the photographer shouted ready he held you by your waist and you held his face close and smiled at him.

the photographer shouted after few clicks "y/n look here and mark look her." as instructed you looked at cam while mark looked at you, soon the photographer instructed to smile at the camera, as instructed you smiled while Mark's nose touched your face. "now guys kiss each other." hearing this you turned at him he held your face and tilted your head and kissed you softly. It was just a peck but the photographer shouted "guys not like this it should look you guys are passionate couple so kiss properly, actually wait just kiss freely as if no one is in the room , let me click some pictures. " you both nodded. Again Mark positioned you and kissed you this time he sucked your lips you could feel his tongue was poking for entrance. Soon he held your waist and pulled you closed as you snacked your arms around his neck and gave him access his tongue was exploring your mouth, both of you were breathing heavily soon the photographer shouted "excellent guys love it" you both broke the kiss and looked at each other both of you were breathing heavily. You excused yourself and went to your room to change. .

Same day you had an interview for Vogue. You both sath together and the interviewer started asking questions

I- hi y/n and mark thank you so for this interview first and you both look great. Btw congratulations y/n on your movie, I watched it and loved it...and mark loved your album my favourite is your world.

Hearing this you both thanked her.

I- So tell us about how you two met?

You both smiled and

Mark- We never met honestly, she was friends with my friend through him I got to know that she is very sweet and nice, then we talked.

I- just that??? What about you y/n did you know him??

Hearing this you said

You- Not exactly so once I did a show called idol producer with Jackson, we became good friends and usually we used to hang out a lot during those times so he introduced me to got7 so kind of he made a perfect image of got7, basically for each member

I- how it started ??

Hearing this you looked at Mark checking if he remembered the script

Mark- well it was a funny story!!

Y/n - Funny for him,

I - I am eager now...shoot it please

Mark- I knew jackson has a lot of friends, I was meeting him, and she was there with him, for once I thought jackson got a girlfriend. I went to him and asked him to which he said noooo, and then I asked him what she does!!!

Y/n- you see !! That's why I am pissed at him

I- Oh my godd....but it's fine kpop idols are not into others, right!!

Y/n - but I knew him!!

Hearing this he held your hand and kissed it.

Mark- thats because Jackson told you about us...

Seeing this the lady said

I- aww you guys are so sweet.... Okay so Mark what did you like about her?

Mark-ummmm...there are a lot of things, first she is very patient, very kind and gentle but at the same time she knows when not to keep quiet. She doesn't take shit from people unnecessarily.

I- sweet...what about you y/n? Why were you attracted to him?

Y/n- he is handsome... kidding. Honestly he caring and understanding he knows what and when I need or want things and he does it that way and most importantly he supports me a lot.

Mark- I am her number one fan now, you ask me anything about her movies and songs I know it all

I- since both of you are in the entertainment industry have you ever been jealous of your partner's proximity with others?

Y/n- A bit, but I know he is coming home to me!

You said and smiled

Mark- true, eventually we both are coming back to each other and both of us are professional so yeah we get jealous but we know it's just us in the end.

The interviewer asked a few more questions and ended the interview.

You both were on the way to his home and suddenly you asked "you didn't follow the script !" To which he replied "I want it to be genuine" you reached his apartment. You both didn't speak. You both went to your room. You just tossed and turned you weren't able to sleep thinking exactly what he means when he said it wanted it to be genuine. So you finally woke up and went out of the room you were wearing a tank top and shorts. You scanned the hall, you saw Mark shirtless as he was standing near the balcony. Hearing your footsteps he turns around "hi " you whispered "can't sleep?" He asks you, you shook your head. "Shall we eat something " you asked he smiled and nodded. You walked in his kitchen and asked "where is ramyeon ??" He pointed his finger at the top cabinet you walked there, it was way too away still you stood on your heels and tried to grab it but it was of no use. Suddenly you felt Mark's chest pressed behind you and he grabbed two packs of Ramyeon and handed you and slightly whispered in your ear "shortly!". It gave you goosebumps, since you were wearing a tank top it was so visible that he started laughing. You gave him an annoyed look "you should wear a tshirt.." you told him hearing this he turned around and walked near you he trapped you between the kitchen slab and his body his face was dangerously close. "I don't want to " he whispered. You turned around and you saw the water boiling and you added ramyeon and the taste maker. While he stood behind you. He bent down near your nape "what is it y/n are you nervous?" He whispered " just go Mark." Said and tried to push him away. But he turned you around "tell me why are you awake??" He asked "I dunno I just couldn't sleep" hearing this he held your nape and his eyes keep drifting on your lips as he was asking for permission. Instead of answering you pecked his lips slowly and then looked at his eyes. He pulled you close and kissed you. The kiss was hungry and needy. You opened your mouth and licked his lips and slowly entered you tongue inside and you started to explore his mouth meanwhile his hand moved down to grip your waist and pulled you close till you felt his body's warmth. Just like your bodies were in sync your arms travelled up and you pulled him closed by his neck and the kisses started to turn open mouthed between the kiss you whispered "mark the stove.." he switched it off and whispered in his deep voice "it can wait ..." Saying this he attached his lips to yours and held your head to keep it in position you both were panting heavily suddenly the door bell rang. You put a hand on his chest suggesting you to check the door. "Not now y/n" he said between the kisses which made you smile. But the door bell didn't stop. You finally tap him " go check " you told him, he fixed himself and you went to your room to get the shrug. He checked through the monitor only to see Bambam, youngjae Gia, Nabi and Yugyeom.

Next chapter

[saintmeghanmarkle]

Are people sick of Omid Scobie's hypocrisy? by u/Mistressbrindello

Are people sick of Omid Scobie's hypocrisy? In the Daily Mail articles on Scobie's forthcoming Endgame (there's already a post below on this BTW) I was interested to see they reported on how Scobie's latest dig at the RF had backfired on him. His tweet about the bad optics of KCIII walking on a red carpet has been roundly critiqued for his sneering assumptions of what other countries "should" do including by Kenyan journalist Joseph Wakhungu, who replied 'I can tell you that's just how all visiting heads of state and government are treated when they land in Kenya.' https://ift.tt/n1HNUzE course when Harry & Meghan were all over red carpets he didn't see a problem with that. I'm surprised at how fed up everyone is getting of him picking on the RF - the comments on the DM article are golden - and at how few sugars there are now on Twitter/X supporting him after the bot clean up. Everyone knows he had no sources close to the RF for Endgame, he wasn't part of the Royal Rota and it's just more nasty digs inspired and fed by Meghan.The article: https://ift.tt/zYQW2Se post on Twitter/X (https://twitter.com/scobie/status/1720410214229516787) post link: https://ift.tt/fOPq5oJ author: Mistressbrindello submitted: November 04, 2023 at 10:48PM via SaintMeghanMarkle on Reddit

[fruitgummies01]

https://www.tumblr.com/fruitgummies01 /759530391730323456/are-you-sure -episode-4-reaction?source=share

Oh yes from the little we have heard jk's mom I'm pretty sure she LOVES jimin. Thing is jimin in general is a sweet lovely boy you know? He feels like the boy every mom would want their son to be like. Although jungkook talks About his mom often like how all members talk about their Families, share the Stories they have with their family members the first time we have heard jk's mom was in a run BTS episode in 2021 so where jk called his mom to get an answer for a question nd we heard her speak for the first time and when they (jm and jk. they both were a team in this ep) got answer nd jk had his phone call on speaker he's telling her thanks (to which she replies that his dad is the one who answered the question) and then jm speaks to her while the phone is still in jk's hand nd jm goes "Mother, it's jimin" and her immediate response to knowing it's jimin is "Oh jimin i love you" like she didn't even say hii or hello to him, nor said "how are you" or "what's going" this that she just heard jimin's voice saying "it's me jimin" and she went "I love you" like imagine how much she must adore this guy. I'll link the clip here.

https://x.com/jmfolder/status/1381945944002990085?t=Ui2J9Up9gcynf3RH8ePQZg&s=19

Then in 2022 BTS had concert in busan around jimin's b'day so jm and jk were Able to go meet their parents after concert practice or before concert practice as well. both of them are from Busan btw so when BTS went to Busan for concert both of these boys went to their home to meet their families and it was jimin's b'day when they went to their respective families So after the concert when they were live jm told us that he went to meet his family nd had "Seaweed" soup. it's a soup that many of them have on their b'days it's like a traditional thing (Google says it's to honour their mothers for giving them birth) to have seaweed soup on b'days. Then jk said he also had Seaweed soup when he went to meet his family nd jm asks why did he had (cause it was jm's b'day so he had it so he was asking what was the reason for jk) nd jungkook said since it was jimin's b'day jk's mom made seaweed soup for jk as well. again imagine how you adore this guy that even in his absence you gonna make the traditional b'day food for ur own son cause his bestie's b'day it is. link is below. There's also another video attached to it of jungkook praising jimin's mom's kimchi.

https://x.com/5813Couple/status/1687473563077574656?t=fD2t9Ap27atw7t7j6Q80kQ&s=19

here's also a translation from ot7 account for the b'day soup video.

https://x.com/miiniyoongs/status/1581272224019124225?t=uOO7hESHyaU4ENnSMBQ-YQ&s=19

Also this BTS Busan concert was also related to something political so the government of Busan first went to jm's dad to you know request/convince them for the concert then from jm's dad it was passed to jk's dad and somehow they convinced this whole thing. it was part of Busan's world expo 2030 so there must be other things involved here but yeah that's what the articles said that they went to jm's dad first nd through him to jk's dad. so you get their families are close to eachother as well. Then there's another time when jm's dad sent him flowers on his b'day (his dad is same as him just the sweetest and affection kind guy) as he sends them to jm every year on his b'day as jm is in Seoul nd was having performance with BTS so they flowers were with jungkook and it was through jungkook the flowers were delivered to jimin.

You have already seen the AYS part. i guess the AYS part of his mom talking on phone was pretty much second time we heard her speak and interestingly both times she's talked about/to jm. so yeah atleast from this i can say jungkook's mom adores jimin and their families are close.

Ooooooh wow, so their families really are tight. Interesting, but that makes sense. That's so sweet though, and I'm sure it was a great sense of comfort to know that they were enlisting together too. 🥹

[mori-lazuli]

hello ! So iam was really curious about your the two mystic monkeys _ their designs are pretty cool btw !, like can you tell more about them, do they have a back storyor name ?

Hello!! Yes!! Thank you @kresworld for showing interest in the two mystic monkeys!! I’m glad you like them!! Sorry for not replying sooner, since I’m on break I can finally get around to answer your question.

For starters, the two mystic monkeys are based off the two other celestial primates mentioned by Buddha during the six eared macaque chapter in jttw.

Other than Sun Wukong and the Sixed Eared Macaque, there’s two other monkeys that don’t fit in any of the categories of creatures from heaven or earth. Their names are the Red Buttocked Horse Monkey and the Long Armed Gibbon.

@journeytothewestresearch has an amazing article dedicated to the other two celestial primates. There a lot more information about them in the article so I suggest to check it out. I’ll link it here.

As for backstory, the only information we have of them is their name and their abilities. We never see Sun Wukong or the Six Eared Macaque interact with them in the book. Which is a shame because it would be pretty cool to have Wukong interact with other primates that are just like him.

This blog is more dedicated to answer the question of what if Wukong met the other two celestial primates. Once I get back on the grind I’ll be able to post more interaction between Wukong and the other two mystic monkeys.

Thank you again for showing interest!! Definitely check out the article from @journeytothewestresearch

[alarrytale]

Hi! I sent the anon about X Factor contracts and that Harry possibly planned on CO as bisexual with Medicine. Thanks for replying. I just wanted to clarify that I don't think Harry is bisexual. At the time there were syndicated articles about it and I thought it was going to be a 'stepping stone'. So he could be out as queer but still have PR relationships with women. But the articles were buried a short time after so I'm not sure what happened. They were syndicated which usually means it is his team's doing. I do think the reason why he hasn't CO as bisexual is because it's not true to himself. He would still have to fake attraction to women, still do PR relationships with women and still write songs about women. So he wouldn't be in much of a better place. God I hope Harry doesn't have to get fake engaged, even if it's to release a gay album. That would be a train wreck. Where would it go from there? Getting married to a woman? Having kids with a woman? In that case I'd prefer that he waits until he can CO. Because that would ruin him. He already gets backlash for playing all sides and it's going to keep increasing. People are going to tire from him. Even fans are tiring from the back and forth. More celebrities will call him out. Imagine him being engaged to a woman and still expressing himself as a gay man. It would ruin him lol. I really don't understand why Sony are so afraid of him CO? They can use his sexuality to market him. They'll still make money off him. It'll set him apart from other artists. There's no one on his same level who is an out gay man. It'll work well for his legacy, with him going down in history. Which will make them more money. I think they're missing out on a chance to maximize his potential. That they're losing out by keeping him closeted. If they're worried about losing fans then they need to stop marketing him for his relationships and market him for his artistry. His fanbase would soon change. Fans he loses will be replaced by others. By those who are turned off by his public image.

Hi again!

I don't think he'd do a stepping stone approach by coming out as bi first. It wouldn't change much, he'd still not be truthful about his sexuality, still be linked to women and still have his womaniser image. I get that it would have made sense if Harry was single and wanted to date men, but he's not. Harry being linked to men, when he's with Louis would be hard on Louis. So what would coming out as bi accomplish? Getting to be a bit more gay on stage maybe, and openly writing songs about men, but all in all would it be worth it? I think not.

And i agree with your second part. I think the fandom and our society are ready for an out gay male artist at his level. I hope Sony is soon there too. More and more gay artist make it big, and don't lose fans when they come out. Look at Lil Nas X (he's on Columbia with H btw). Even gay country music is going viral. K-pop stars are coming out. Heartstopper and RWRB are successes and not just made for the gays anymore. People are loving it, even the gp. Being out makes you stand out from the crowd, and you have a whole community at the ready to support you, and the gp is following. I hope they have a bit faith in his fans and the gp. But i fear the labels are traditionalists, formulaic, and take a conservative approach. They might be slow to follow and fail to see this opportunity for what it is.

[vincentspork]

Btw that "tetris helps with trauma" thread is apparently misinformation :( In the replies of the post there's lots of people posting a link to an article disproving it

Ah, ty!

[adventuresinclientservice]

English as a second language.

I’ve met Rick English just once, nearly six years ago, when I traveled to Buffalo, New York on a surprisingly temperate day (by Buffalo standards anyway) to lead a couple of workshops for Rick’s forward-thinking friend Ted Johnson.  Johnson is President of the Hadley, a firm masquerading as an “exhibit design, fabrication, and installation” enterprise, but as I’ve written before, is more aptly and accurately described as a solutions company. 

English is an account person of longstanding who taught client service at Canisius, who now is a sometime blogger at Small Market Suit.  Rick first connected with me by email nearly eight years ago, when he wrote, “I read your blog often, actually regularly… Thanks for keeping your blog going.”

Ever since, we have been exchanging emails on a host of topics, some of which sufficiently noteworthy for me to cite in Adventures, as in here and here.  A couple of weeks ago I heard from Rick, who had this to say about a recent post:

“Liked your latest post ...   How do you find the energy, motivation, or maybe it’s the spark, to write a post so often?  The fact that you do is impressive.”

I wrote back to reply:

“To the matter of “How do you find the energy,” what I can say is, when I sat down to write Brain Surgery for Suits 25 years ago, I had no illusions about how challenging it would be to write a book-length manuscript, so I gave myself a simple goal:  write 500 words a day.  Writing 500 words or thereabouts a week for Adventures seems relatively easy by comparison. “In the scheme of things, finding the motivation is easy.  I’ve often said I like a person on a mission from god, hellbent to do whatever I can to help readers get better at client service.  In all the years I’ve been posting, I’ve never lost sight of that goal.  There have been moments when I feel like I’m speaking to the void, given so few people write to tell me they find value in what I’m doing, but then I remind myself of why I do this, perhaps best expressed in this post (I refer to you in it, BTW). “The biggest challenge is your third, ‘the spark,’ which for me is about where I find the ideas to write.  I say as much in ‘The sanctity of deadlines:’ ‘I struggle to formulate a story line engaging to me and ideally helpful to at least some of you, which is why I often turn to other sources for a starting point:  something I see on television, an opinion piece I see in The New York Times, or an article I read in The New Yorker.’ “In this confession is an answer of sorts:  I look to others for inspiration, sometimes finding it in the most unlikeliest of places.  In fact, the piece I’m drafting even as I write you now isn’t about anything anyone would expect; it’s about rock-and-roll.  “On occasion I find inspiration in something that happened to me; for example, a piece from two weeks ago, drawn from an experience largely unfamiliar to me, where I could reinforce principles I think are price-of-entry for clients, for which many if not most clients have disdain.  Does anyone care?  I don’t know, but if one person gets something out of it, I have done my job. “I do draw inspiration from an exchange like the one we’re having, which no doubt will prompt me to email you again, ‘Rick, would it be okay if I converted our recent exchange of email into a blog post?’ “I appreciate you’re saying, ‘The fact that you do is impressive,’ but truth be told, context is everything.  Bloggers in our space like the Georges -- Tannenbaum and Parker -- have posted thousands of times.  Me?  I’ve posted hundreds. “The process of writing helps.  I don’t draft these things on the Adventures website; I’ve learned platforms like Tumblr are too unstable to be trusted.  Instead, I draft them in Word, store them on my computer’s c-drive – which has the benefit of allowing me to keyword search my files whenever I’m looking to link to a piece I wrote ten years ago – then back them up to the cloud.  When it’s time to post – Wednesday’s mostly – I cut-and-paste these into Adventures.  For royalty-free photos I mostly rely on Unsplash. “I’ll know when the day comes to quit.  Until then, it’s email like yours that keeps me going, so thank you for this.”

I’ve been exchanging emails like this with Rick for so many years it has become a second language for me.  On that subject, I always strive to improve my fluency.  And in case you’re wondering, I’d welcome the opportunity to become tri-lingual.

[99liners]

what a bunch of bs ab the caa thing being smth against religion pls illegal immigrants being asked to show their proof of belonging to india is against religion? like india is fucking populated as it is n the citizens don’t get any privileges anyway

firstly, i am not sure what exactly are you trying to say. if you don't know, the CAA is being implemented ALONG with NRC which has already wrecked havoc in Assam because a lot of people (even Hindus) couldn't show their grandparents documents and were sent to detention camps because suddenly they were not considered Indians as they did not have the birth certificates of their grandparents and great grandparents to prove that their lineage belongs in India itself. also, this only happened with the religious minorities, and among the Hindus it affected the lower caste people as the literacy rate is lower and they did not preserve the older generations documents. hun, your caste privilege is showing a bit too much cause you clearly do not see the bigger problem here.

CAA has been advertised as this law which will help Hindus from other countries to seek asylum in India as other religions have other countries but Hindus only have India — 100% fine with that but what they are not showing is how they are actually using it in a completely different way to harass the religious and caste minorities. through NRC, first they take your citizenship and then through CAA they claim "oh wait a minute! you are not a Hindu, sorry no citizenship for that." and this isn't conjecture, this has already happened to over 2lacs people in Assam. furthermore, i am yet to see an immigrant getting citizenship under CAA. you want to give citizenship to immigrant Hindus from other countries? amazing but stop using it in a backhanded way to completely do something else.

during the recent Afghanistan crises, a lot of Indians (especially that ignorant IG page "Tatva") were so happy that CAA has been implemented because now the Hindus immigrating from Afghanistan would be able to get the citizenship in India — surprise surprise, CAA doesn't even apply to them! it only applies to immigrants who have arrived to India before December, 2014. so again, i am yet to see the fruits of the Act. much like everyone else, i want the good of this country and even though our population is high, i would still be (wholeheartedly) with the government if it is for a noble cause and actually amounts to something.

that's why people protested, that's why people took to the streets. and it wasn't just the minorities but everyone who saw the truth for what it is, took to the streets to protest against it. JNU is the top university of the country and even they took to the streets. JNU, JMI, AMU, BHU, DU, IITs everyone took to the streets. do you think we are a bunch of idiots who passed some of the most difficult entrances in the country just to blindly become a part of any crowd? if so many people had physically gathered to the streets and had continued on protesting for almost a year, don't you think it was for a solid reason? people protest against something or the other everyday however, the women of shaheen bagh and even now the farmers of India have not lifted their protest because they have a legitimate reason for it.

and don't even get me started on the brutality against protesters. i was there in my university that night when police had broken through our gates. you have NO idea how that feels. to watch students, hardly aged between 17-25, getting shot by gun pellets and lathicharged. i still remember the voices of those scared students who were calling and calling for help and us trying to help them but failing because who exactly do you turn to when the authorities who are supposed to protect you are the ones who are beating you black and blue to the point that some lost their limbs? who do you call then? i still remember that the apparent police authorities who had broken through our gates were not even police but many were civilians in fake uniforms. they had deep hatred in their hearts against literal !! students !! because we chose to protest against a law that was doing more harm than good. i remember. we remember.

the sheer violence against the JMI students — why did the action by the authorities not seem like a bunch of bullshit to you? every day dalits are murdered in UP (in broad daylight, if i might add) like they are a bunch of flies, they literally get stomped upon. they get raped, mutilated, humiliated and then even get their rights to perform the last rites taken away. dalits and shudras are also Hindus. if you do not have sympathy for a different religion, that's alright but why are you not calling the actions of upper caste Hindus against the lower caste a bunch of bullshit?

our legitimate concern is not bullshit. we did not just wake up one day and go "it's been so boring lately, let's create some drama!"

[queermarzipan]

SOURCES btw bc I just found this post again and remembered there had been a reply like this (might've actually been this one) & that I hadn't looked into it:

Here is an FAQ page from the company that owns Vantablack-the-process that was deleted from their website but persists on the Wayback Machine. In case you can't find the right Q/A combo (though there are only, like, ten lol), here is a screenshot:

So, the manufacturers of Vantablack are "exploring its use in works of art" by giving exclusive rights to one particular artist. Kind of completely different from Anish Kapoor "hoarding" access to a pigment because he's just oh so elitist. As a bonus, here's a Guardian article about how the collaboration came about — Kapoor saw an article about the discovery of Vantablack and called Surrey NanoSystems to ask them to allow its use in artwork - something it was NOT originally being developed for - and paid for the privelege to be the one they worked with for this experimental use of the product.

As a bonus, I also checked out every one of the links Stuart Semple presented in his invitation to kiss the Bean for Kapoor's birthday.

This seems like a genuinely dickish move on Kapoor's part, but maybe that's just my anti-copyright brain: https://www.google.com/amp/s/news.artnet.com/art-world/anish-kapoor-sues-china-bean-sculpture-324704%3famp=1

THIS seems like it's nothing?? to do with him actually???? The park management just seems to have massively overreached, of their own volition, in order to make money off the Bean? https://boingboing.net/2005/05/27/chicagos-bean-sculpt.html

Again, this seems to be a genuine grievance felt by real people in London over the blocking of their view: https://www.change.org/p/kieron-williams-stop-anish-kapoor-taking-away-our-light-and-colour

The claim associated with this link is just... unreal. Anish Kapoor, as stated above, is the sole person who can use Vantablack artistically for maybe-controversial but very understandable reasons, and this is just literally. the result of him collabing with another company to make a watch using vantablack: https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/mct-vantablack-hands-on

Aaaand this is literally just a description of what has already been said about this — Vantablack is useable only by Anish Kapoor, the art world is upset by his "hoarding" even though its use in art at all was his idea that he brought to the company and he has to, presumably, have access to a fucking factory setting to even use it - something that, again, it is understandable the company would not want to give to multiple people - and Stuart Semple is "fighting back" with his own pigments. 👏👏👏👏👏: https://www.wmagazine.com/story/anish-kapoor-stuart-semple-blackest-black

I also found these links while I was looking for those and think they're valuable in their own right:

Anish Kapoor sued the National Rifle Association in America for using the Bean in an anti-gun control propaganda video: https://news.artnet.com/art-world/anish-kapoor-nra-settlement-1412923

Aaaaand another Tumblr post SOLEY about Anish Kapoor's "side" in this that is a bit long due to responses missing the point and repeated explanations but absolutely worth the read (the WHOLE read) nonetheless: https://tikkunolamorgtfo.tumblr.com/post/187879717596/okay-im-really-curious-because-im-not-in-the#notes

if you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to live in the midwest, this is it. 

[show-us-kaidenshenandoah]

a loved one of mine sent me this post back in June, but i was immediately afraid of being a party-pooper so i didnt post my reply publicly but, now, ive had more than enough emotional distance from the knee-jerk anxiety of "oh no what if i correct people and everyone sends me hate and doxxes me" that im like "oh yeah i should post that" lmao (if i already did this: sorry, chronic memory loss stinks. i dont remember having done this before lmao)

if you dont like reading a long thing of text to get information btw, totally get it, here is a video link to Jessica Vill's video about the topic which will walk you through identical information if that is your preferred way to process/learn

also: you can easily google and wiki my sources, these arent hard things to verify once you know to look them up to begin with. but i did include screenshots below as my various sources; as well as evidence of "yeah, it would be super easy to fact-check me about this if you feel so inclined" [transcripts of images will be my reblog of this post under a read more, bc tumblr kept throwing a fit otherwise if i did it here] nonetheless, never blame people for not knowing what they didnt know. the misconception is absolutely the fault of PBS (for not fact-checking the author of that article pre-publication if nothing else) for publishing an article preying on the Black community's pre-existing attachment to Betty Boop for clicks. i wont be going into that article itself that had so terribly misreported, esp since PBS already apologized, im just reporting the information i know

i will add the following corrections to what i said in that DM:

i do not "blame" anyone above for the misinformation. if i "blame" anyone, it is PBS for claiming Fleischer consciously based Betty Boop's personality and design on Esther Jones, which you can see in the screenshot above; where BlackHistory.com cites and quotes that said misreported article. thats who i was groaning about in my DM, the PBS article; i was not nor was i ever attributing misinformation to come from @rikareena or @lveshae, but especially not @rikareena who fact-checked and was lied to by (a) said misinformation and (b) there not being an editorial within the snippet SAYING "oh btw sorry, our source we mentioned was bad actually. PBS apologized for the misinformation and not fact-checking it and we should too for spreading it without fact-checking our source ourselves". you should always google your facts and that is exactly what @rikareena did. it was not anybody in this post's fault that these sources were based on misinformation. do NOT blame or send negative attention to any tumblr-user/individual person within this post or outside of this post, istg, demand better of these website-sources instead (esp to have fact-checking teams themselves) and not individual people omfg

we do have few photos of Little Esther (you can see all of them in Jessica Vill's video), not just one. but they all are of her as a child. we have NO confirmed photos of her as an adult. also, to clarify, Little Esther was who i was talking about in regards to lost media, we have VERY little records of her performances (to which im glad people HAVE been looking into her and finding more about her that we can confirm is definitely her through this misreport. i love that she is re-gaining fans and her story is being shared, very big silver lining of this whole thing. if you're into uncovering lost media, please do look into her and help find more about her) also, she goes by "Baby Esther" and "Little Esther" as well as her name of Esther Jones/Esther Lee Jones

the photo i said was maybe her as an adult was incorrect. you'll see it below, it's the "Do Tell by James Van Der Zee, circa 1930" portrait that has oft been misattributed to Esther Jones. we do not know who this woman modeling for him had been

the cosplayer in question i mentioned was specifically Olya Gussy. she dressed up as Betty Boop and was photographed in 2008 by Retro Atelier. she is often misattributed as being an adult Esther Jones, which she is not

part of why i can never remember Betty Boop's primary "original" voice-actress is because Betty Boop has had SO MANY, even in just "classic Betty years". but i was specifically thinking of Mae Questel. the main three classic 1930s Betty Boop voices were Mae Questel, Mary Hines, and Bonnie Poe, but there were also several others in the 30s alone. but, yeah, when i was trying to talk about Betty Boop's voice-actress, it was Questel specifically who was in my head

i got my information wrong about the Betty Boop musical "Boop!". i got confused; i blame my chronic memory loss, but still my bad. anyway. it has so far ONLY been OFF-Broadway and is DUE to be ON Broadway in 2025 (get hyped!!! im so excited!!). off of Broadway, it has so far only been in Chicago according to the Wikipedia. and though it only had a had a short run in Chicago overall, the entire time it WAS in Chicago, Betty Boop was played by a Black musical actress: Jasmine Amy Rogers. love her, go support her!!

here are various screenshots with more information. feel free to look into them and/or the court-case on your own time. this is just "yep, shallow 2+2=4 levels of using google/wiki to fact-fact" on myself (which, to reiterate: is NOT a diss on anyone who didnt know what they didnt know, outside of this post or within it, idgaf, i do not tolerate trolls and dickheads being mean and utalizing me/my posts as a weapon to do that with) and show my sources in a more visual way

so yeah!! Betty Boop absolutely should be claimed by Black people since she has so many connections to Black American art within her performance, and Betty should 100% be drawn as a Black woman by any and everybody who wants to depict her that way

but also dont give Fleischer Studios credit for things they didnt do. they did not utalize Ether Jones in their initial conception of Betty in any purposeful or concious way; they did not design a Black animated female character in the 1930s. do not give them that credit that they have not earned. Fleischer Studios only utalized Esther Jones to get out of a court-case they had with Helen Kane. them accidentally creating a character whose performance is heavily in connection with Black American artists, like Esther Jones, is VERY DIFFERENT than them basing a character off of Esther Jones or being inspired by her in of by itself. do not give them flowers for making a Black female character star in her own shorts (and then rescind said flowers-that-they-didnt-earn for how she then "became white-washed" like that PBS article misreported) when they just?? didnt do any of that?

(also this is mostly unrelated but bc it is tangentially related to "dont give Fleischer Studios credit for things they didnt do" thing: if you know me, youll see me specifically crack jokes about Betty Boop being wlw and/or about her "he/him butch girlfriend, Freddie". im talking about her canon boyfriend, Fred or Fearless Fred, who is a human (unlike her also once-canon boyfriend of Bimbo, the anthropomorphic dog). do not take me making jokes about headcanons and how "Fred's design is too sapphic to be a cis man" as legitimate fact. youll see the internet jokes of a similar vein sometimes, im definitely not the originator of that joke)

Betty Boop is for everybody in the same way as youve likely seen that Hatsune Miku trend where everyone is making a cultural Miku re-design to their specific ethnicity or way of life; we've seen Betty Boop be flexibly "for everyone" tons of times, even outside of her being a nostalgic tribute to the flapper girl era (a cultural niche in which women of ALL backgrounds took part). in classic Betty Boop cartoons alone, we've seen:

Betty Boop as white/white-passing (especially any time they copied Helen Kane which Fleischer Studios did OFTEN and didn't even HIDE until it became a legal issue; but also Helen Kane wasn't even being that original. baby voices like Betty Boop's was a common gimmick of actresses then and Helen Kane's catch-phrase wasn't even her own. i still personally think Fleischer was copying Kane, but also it makes 100% sense why she lost that lawsuit),

we have had Betty Boop be Jewish (the most obvious being parents in some shorts speaking with thick Yiddish accents, implying she is the daughter of immigrant parents, most famously in the "Minnie the Moocher" short as part of the set-up before any music even began to play),

we've had her be rotoscoped dancing using Indigenous Hawaiian dancers, in their regalia, and given a tan (multiple times but my favorite is "Bamboo Isle" for sure),

we've had her collab with Cab Calloway (a famous Black jazz musician for anyone who doesn' recognize the name) along with others and had Betty Boop's catchphrase ultimately come from Baby Esther's scatting, along with other instances of Betty Boop's performances having connection to Black American performance-art

and, hell, you could even make arguments about Betty Boop as a cowgirl in her "Nan McGrew" parodies. cowgirls and cowboys were a largely queer and/or POC group, paid very little but allowed a lot of freedom of expression and welcomed isolation, until America cinema and the like white-washed cowboys to hell and back. you could see Betty Boop as anyone of any identity, really, but especially as being of the marginalized in that vein

Fleischer Studios did definitely (accidentally popularize infantalization in animated women woah who said that, who brought up my special-interest) only announce that they used an alagamation of flapper women in their design to better shoot down Helen Kane, but that doesn't mean it wasn't true. Betty Boop IS the 1930s tribute to the flapper era of the 20s and all the women from there, of all skin-colors and ways of life. anybody can cosplay or draw Betty Boop. but Black people especially do have a special connection to Betty Boop that cannot be denied and is v beautiful

(i could talk for a few hours about Betty Boop, and i will be the first to admit this isn't even her first "well, originally..." debate concerning her as a character, much less the breadth of her impact OR all aspects of her history. there's all the ways she did steal/borrow from Helen Kane, at least in my opinion; her impact of infantalization in animated women's designs; her hyper-sexualization and how theater at the time functioned (in a sexual way*) and her specific "gags in the margins"(*×2) animators would make; her almost movie about her and her father that a lot of Betty Boop fans have dug up and shared the conceptual work of around; and even the debate of her age as that is constantly in flux depending on where you look and at what time of history (*×3). all of which i mention in an "if you liked learning about Betty, there is a lot more to look into learning about her" way rather than an "ask me, ask me, ask me" way)

(said * clarifactions will be with the aforementioned reblog to not make this post even LONGER than it already is lmao)

anyway. again: A++ art though, absolutely love it ♡

boop-boop-a-doop