Fun fact 1: Dutch people can't pronounce the th sounds in English

Fun fact 2: English speakers refer to the country where most dutch speakers live as 'the Netherlands'

Fun fact 3: English speakers can't pronounce the Dutch ij, a and g sounds

Fun fact 4: Dutch speakers refer to the US as 'de Verenigde Staten' and to the UK as 'het verenigd koninkrijk'

The skateboarding scene in Palestine is one of our most unique yet powerful forms of protest and resistance against the illegal Israeli occupation. Skateboarding in Palestine is far more than a sport or hobby; it is a form of resistance and empowerment. Riding a skateboard might seem like a simple act - but to Palestinians, it is a way to express their identity, defy oppressive forces, and reclaim agency over their bodies, land, and rights to movement.

Skateboarding in Palestine first gained popularity in the early 2000s in the West Bank. Palestinian skaters took matters into their own hands, constructing makeshift skate parks in abandoned buildings and empty lots. These spaces became more than recreational areas; they became symbols of empowerment and resistance for Palestinian youth. This act was a unique form of protest by allowing Palestinians to reclaim public spaces that were often damaged due to the occupation forces. In a land where movement is restricted and access to certain areas is limited, Palestinian skaters transformed overlooked spaces into vibrant skate parks. The act of reclaiming these spaces was a way to peacefully assert their right to challenge the limitations imposed upon them when it came to the use of public areas. Palestinians will not be confined or silenced by the occupation, and skateboarding is one of the many ways this sentiment is showcased.

Organizations and initiatives, such as SkatePal, have played a crucial role in supporting and developing the skateboarding scene in Palestine by building skateparks, providing equipment, and offering lessons. Initiatives like this create a safe space for young Palestinians who are often forced to give up a lot of their childhood joy to the occupation. Skateboarding fosters a much needed sense of community that Israel has tried to stifle for decades. Palestinian skaters also participate in global competitions and events to showcase their skills on an international stage!! This raises awareness about their ongoing struggles and, more importantly, their unwavering resilience.

Skateboarding serves as a means for Palestinians to express their identity and existence. In a genocidal, oppressive state, where freedom, creativity, and individuality are often suppressed, the act of skateboarding itself becomes a powerful statement of resistance against the occupation. It visually represents qualities that are intrinsic to the Palestinian spirit. Skateboarding empowers Palestinian youth by providing them control over their bodies and movement in their land.

In Palestine, skateboarding is not just a sport - it is a culture of reclaiming ownership, fostering confidence, independence, and resilience.

(None of these photos belong to me)

SOLLUX: why do people alway2 only expect you two have one thiing. one dii2order one pet one gender one pronoun2 one name one favoriite moviie one cru2h one be2t friiend. liike why do ii have an iinventory liimiit

right now my psych lab is doing research on differences in narrative perceptions of fictional characters versus real people and our funniest finding was that when we measured depth, participants thought of fictional characters as significantly more complex than real people. and that includes people they knew personally like their friends and family

intrepid heroes PLEASE watch the seven i am BEGGING YOU

BBS is a tragedy in many ways, but one of the things that gets me is that the catalyst, the one big thing that caused this mess to begin with, is so avoidable.

Like, the story starts primarily because Terra starts to fear himself (because of the darkness he has unwittingly 'used') and this causes a spiral of doubt and obsession. A spiral which he could've escaped from or maybe not even started if he just 1) had been taught the balance between light and dark properly (that darkness is more than just unquestionable evil, that light is more than unquestionable good, that they can and should co-exist in balance), and 2) had consistent socialization from more than the same 3 people.

Like. BBS is a cautionary tale about what happens when people aren't exposed to a wide enough variety of people and, therefore, end up naive and overly trusting because they never learned that people have ulterior motives. Terra is consistently manipulated and used by people literally everywhere he goes, because he can't see that they might not have the best intentions! He can't see the red flags because he doesn't know there are red flags to look for!

Xehanort knows this. It's why he targeted Terra to begin with: because he would be susceptable to his words. The main reason he couldn't use Aqua is because she was too confident in her own values, she didn't have the seed of doubt that Terra had. It's the only thing that prevents her from being used the same way he is, even though she is just as naive and trusting as he is.

Ven probably has it the worst socialization wise. Unlike Terra and Aqua who, presumably, has/had a family and life outside of the Land of Departure prior to beginning training there, Ven doesn't remember anything before then (not that he had much he'd be happy to remember anyway). And since he's the youngest and most 'fragile' one (due to being in recovery for most of his time here), he gets somewhat coddled and shielded by everyone else. Not to mention the way Eraqus completely forbid him from leaving and never intented for him to ever see worlds outside the Land of Departure. Sure, Terra and Aqua aren't typically supposed to leave either, but at least they'd be allowed in certain situations. Ven wouldn't.

Ven isn't allowed to interact with anyone outside of home. He's not allowed anything that involves the outer worlds. (He and Naminé are a bit alike in that sense. Though at least the people he's stuck with are nice to Ven and do genuinely care for him, unlike Naminé...)

BBS happens largely because Eraqus failed as both a teacher and a parental figure to all of them, but Terra most of all.

Fire and Hemlock!! Aka the one with like a gazillion recommendations for other books 😂

This new official yi city art from the Japanese audio drama reminds me so much of the essence of your creachers .. personally I think they're taking inspiration from your wonderful fellas

https://twitter.com/mimifm11/status/1679083183613300736?t=IslUVs4um6QsmoIG1iEYYg&s=19

They're in the recording booth!!!!

btw the reason you shouldn't guilt trip, be overly vague ("are you normal about [blank]"), or speak in hypotheticals (if X happened/if you met X kind of person/etc/how would you react) in your social justice/general activism related posts isn't to cater to privileged bigots with fragile egos, it's to be inclusive of people with OCD for who this can sort of talk can trigger intrusive thoughts and self hatred. and i don't know how to tell you this but you should want to do that

tfw when you write an entire novel with two protagonists that spent the entire plot getting closer to each other, becoming best friends and eventually both of them deciding they would rather die than allow the other to not live a long, fulfilling life, their friendship carrying most of the emotional weight of the entire plot and the emotional climax being one of them sacrificing his life so the other can live and then the other crossing literal universes to find him, a tearful smile in his face as he confesses how much he missed him. which is the scene you wanted to write and show the most because, again, this is the pay off to the slowburn you've been writing in the entire novel and what everything has been building up to since the very first chapter. and then you end the novel by having them share a smile, finally confident they'll be able to have a happy future.

but you also just gotta have one of them marry offscreen because everyone knows you can't be happy if you're not in a het marriage with kids lmao it's whatever it's okay i'm fiNE-

here's a hot take for today

the narrative function of sex is the same as the narrative function of fight scenes is the same as the narrative function of songs in a musical

no i will not explain

Stop making me pick my gender!! I'm not a woman I'm not a man I'm not nonbinary!!! I'm not anything!!!!

I wish I could be excited about RvB: Restoration, but at this point, I'm just glad it's finally ending.

Very soon, there will no longer be a dead horse to beat. Or a Rooster Teeth to beat it (thank GOD)

I am genuinely asking, what is the viable alternative to voting here? I'm well aware that the Democrats are centrist at best and incredibly self-serving, and that Biden is not well-known for keeping his promises, but Trump and co. WILL keep their promises (e.g. Project 2025). I wish there were a third option (like if third parties weren't already at a systemic disadvantage), I wish my state would at least let us have primaries, but I don't see what abstaining would do to help anything.

At the risk of sounding like a Radical Leftist