#for all the current problems in MENA

[edenfenixblogs]

I refuse to label myself Zionist or anti-Zionist for the comfort of people from Christo-centric cultures. My identity doesn’t have to fit into a category that you understand.

[matan4il]

Im currently doing a simple poll on my other account what Tumblr thinks of a Free Palestine and I say the results so far are a little concerning

And then two comments so far:

ardwolff: That's like saying we give a small chunk of land back to the indigenous American people and keep the rest for ourselves while we "live in peace" -- y'all do realize a Palestine historically was home to Jewish people and can be again if we abolish the Israel - backed apartheid ethnostate. No theocratic ethnostates should exist. They are inherently unjust

beigale-shtuchim: hey buddy what happened to the jewish population in MENA states?

Hi! First off, sorry that it took me so long to reply, I am getting so many asks, and I do not have as much time to reply as I would like, despite doing my best to find it... But I hope you know that I appreciate everything you do!

Thank you so much for doing this poll, and for sharing the temporary results. Do you have the final ones? If so, I hope you consider adding a link to them here.

There are different strategies researched in psychology about how to persuade people to come around to your position. It actually started out with marketing, but can be applied to any campaign aimed to get the public to subscribe to a specific position. One of them is the "foot in the door" strategy, a term that comes from those salespeople who show up on your doorstep, trying to sell you stuff you weren't even looking to buy. Their first challenge is how to keep you from slamming the door in their faces. If they right away offer you to buy something big and expensive, which you don't even need, you're likely to do exactly what they don't want. But if they get you to agree to something small, then they "got their foot in the door," you won't slam it in their faces 'coz you agreed to something small, and now they have you engaged. And the more engaged you are, the more invested you become. If you've already said yes to the small thing, you're now invested, and they can start talking you into why, if you're gonna buy this thing anyway, a bigger and more expensive version makes more sense.

The way it is defined here: "The foot-in-the-door technique (or FITD) is a strategy used to persuade people to agree to a particular action, based on the idea that if a respondent will comply with a small initial request then they will be more likely to agree to a later, more significant, request, which they would not have agreed to had they been asked it outright."

That's what the anti-Israel movement basically did. They started out with a smaller, more reasonable request, for people to care about the "Palestinian problem" (which means they were getting more and more people invested in it), and agree to a Palestinian state alongside a Jewish one. That wouldn't be as hard for people to agree to, especially since Jews themselves had agreed to that notion back in 1947, when they accepted the UN partition plan. Then, once people are invested in caring about the Palestinian problem, the discourse switched to how Israel has no right to exist as a Jewish state, and the only solution is to destroy it. Now all of a sudden, if you really care about Palestinians, then it's not enough to support a two state solution, you have to be against Israel, you have to be against Zionists, you have to be against the Jewish right to self-determination, anything less than that, and you are failing the Palestinians (who by now are depicted as the world's greatest victim, even though there is plenty of comparison data to refute that notion). And you do care about the Palestinians, right? So you gotta be against the Jews. Sorry, Zionists.

Also, I would love to hear what chunk of the land @ardwolff lives on they gave away to native people, while they're so willing to distort the history of Israel and erase the native rights of Jews here, making us the only native nation to have returned to its ancestral land, only to discover the world wants to displace it again. First it was done by the Romans 2,000 years ago through colonialism, now it's "in the name of" anti-colonialism (as its been packaged by your friendly FITD seller), but by punishing a native population, it's playing right into the hands of colonialists still...

I hope you're doing well! xoxox

(for all of my updates and ask replies regarding Israel, click here)

[olderthannetfic]

https://olderthannetfic.tumblr.com/post/749680765765337088/a-food-but-in-this-context-it-doesnt-really#notes

Ohhh, it's good to have a term for this. Out of curiosity, what would you say is the line between like.... not whitewashing a character, reflecting their culture, not just Writing Them Like a White Person.... vs. giving into these kinds of stereotypes?

I'm in a fandom with a prominent MENA character who is one of the more popular characters in fanfic, and this character largely isn't defined around "his culture" in the canon. A lot of people see this as a problem to correct. I think sometimes that they could do some thinking for why a non-white character needs to be "close to their culture" and they don't similarly do this for white characters who come from specific countries, but I get that some of this is coming from people from that background who want to see themselves represented better in media and are tired of their culture being erased. To me the difference between what I've seen in fic from those people reflecting their real-world experiences (or also, non-MENA people who are more informed) is that there's an awareness of how modern culture is not the same as traditional culture, and how most real people do some picking and choosing of what practices they embrace and which they are could do without. The stuff where you can tell it's an ignorant person trying to be "progressive" but just being Orientalist is when they feel like they have to check off every single box for what it is to be "Middle Eastern" to them, and all those boxes just so happen to coincide with media stereotypes. I was wondering if you thought that was the line too or if you also had some other ideas about how to avoid the "space tamales" thing.

--

The biggest help is just to write a three-dimensional character with internal motivations that make sense. A decent amount of stereotypical tripe is the result of weak writing skills. But yes, thinking there's one specific standard for a group and needing them to be very different and marked is a lot of the issue.

The space!tamales problem shows up heavily when people do things like conflate completely different cultures (Latin America has more than just Mexico in it) and when they completely ignore canon to graft on what they think of as "authentic" (many canons set in space are not actually set in the future of our earth, and the ones that are are often set many centuries in the future when cultures will have changed).

The equivalent would be the Old Guard fandom thinking that people from the Crusades era are going to strongly identify with the modern cultures from their places of origin. I mean, they might... if they've been living there lately... But that's certainly not the only possible interpretation, and they're absolutely not going to be equivalent to a current 30-something from there.

[2lemon4lyfe]

💢 PLEASE DON'T SKIP 💢

Hi , I am Nesma From Gaza ,I apologize for what I am going to ask. I am with a heavy heart and  exhausted. I want you to help me spread our story and the link to our campaign. I have tried a lot, but I am not  getting support, and unfortunately the situation has become difficult after my father and brother were injured, and my father’s health condition has become devastated. I want you to help me spread our story.

Please, my father needs treatment. He is slowly dying before our eyes

https://gofund.me/5ab6d135

You are my only hope of survival

My campaign has been previously verified

@\sayruq @\nabulsi @\el-shab-hussein

I do not know whether I will survive or die in this war, but know that your help for me will contribute to saving my family from death.

Nesma, thank you so much for reaching out!

Everyone, Nesma was on the verge of graduating from university while living with her 12 members family in Gaza City when the bombardment and occupation began. They once lived in a spacious house in a nice neighborhood peacefully with their cat and bird, but now are now a family of mostly children sheltering in a tent in Rafah with no water, food, electricity or healthcare. They had to flee their on foot while being hunted by Israeli soldiers while her brother and father were severly injured. Her father suffers from diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart problems (all of which require regular intense treatment) and her brother has been disabled from walking. If that is not enough, her father was arrested in Khan Yunis where he was tortured, starvedm and abused to the point that he can no longer move. She has also lost one of her brothers, and desperately wants to save the lives of her other siblings and parents. They have nothing and live in abject misery, and as /@buttercuparry mentioned in a post, they are threatened not just by famine, a lack of healthcare and medicine, bombings, shellings, israeli soldiers and the ever incrasing heat, but also poisonous SNAKES. Their fundraiser is stalling at $65,273 of $80,000 goal, so please donate, follow her tumblr, click on the links below to learn more and share to everyone you can! They ask only for your most basic humanity in these apocalyptic conditions so they may restart their lives together without more loss in their family.

Follow her at @nesmamomen, donate, and boost her posts!!!!

Video of their house being shelled from Al-Jazeera

[craftykittyscientist]

hello, i’ve been asked by @nesmamomen to share the story of them and their family living in gaza :)

the people in nesma’s family are: moenn (55), hanaa (45), dina (25), nour (ONLY 6), omar (ONLY 5), nesma (23), shahad (19), farah (17), muhammad (15), ahmed (15), abdullah (13), taleen (11), and lastly they have a cat and a bird.

nesma is a distinguished student in her final year at the faculty of information technology at the islamic university of gaza. now, imagine yourself, you’re in your final year of university. you’re excited about graduating, thinking about your future and planning to get your dream job. but then, your dreams get shattered because there is a mass bombing in your area. all the houses are destroyed, you have to live in a tent with diseases spreading and bugs lying around. no clean drinking water, or food, or anything.

horrible, right? well, that is the life that nesma and her family is dealing with. and plus, her sister, shahad, was celebrating her accomplishment of getting a great grade in her first year at the faculty of pharmacy at al-azhar university. shahad was going to work in the medical field, she could’ve done something great in her future. but now, because of israel’s genocide on the palestinian peoples, their dreams are now crushed. and also, farah was going to go to medical school. But now she can’t, because the schools are bombed by israel.

nesma’s father, moenn, suffers from chronic diseases such as: diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart problems. these are problems that need to be handled immediately, but again, because of the genocide and mass bombing. there is no more medicine to help moenn. and nesma’s younger brother can’t walk from a disabling injury.

moenn was injured in the bombing and was arrested in khan yunis. which subjected to torture, abuse, and starvation. which lead to his health deteriorating and a complete collapse where he had the inability to move. the medicine has ran out for him, he needs medicine to survive. and they’re expensive too, which nesma’s family has a lack of money and can’t get it.

but, there is still hope, even with everything i’ve described. there is a gofundme for nesma’s family, they have raised $107,082 USD and their goal is $150,000. PLEASE DONATE AND SHARE THIS AND NESMA’S POSTS!! her account is mentioned in the first sentence of this post! <3

[beardedmrbean]

hey quick question look up jewish expulsions and massacres in all the countries immediately bordering Israel. Look up how many Jew live in Yemen. I support Palestinian freedom, safety, and their right to live - I currently support a two state solution because none of the people advocating for a one-state solution have convinced me that it would be best for any of the people involved. But I think pretty much everyone in the Knesset rn should be hanged for crimes against humanity. But you CANNOT pretend that if someone waved a magic wand and the IDF vanished along with other tools of oppression, that there isn't a problem with Hamas and their "kill all jews" charter (which they changed to look prettier only recently) along with other factions who would want to kill Jews either for revenge or for more power or just because of antisemitism.

I'm going to specify - I don't think there is any inherent Palestinian bloodlust or whatever crock of shit a lot of Zionists peddle. I think that Israeli control of the region clearly models what happens when you have one ethnic group in power over another - I think the human evil we see from Israelis committing atrocities against Palestinians is exactly what we would see if the situation reversed. I don't buy that Palestinians are uniquely savage OR uniquely peaceful. "They just want a land in which to live in peace, and they're willing to fight for it but once they have it there would be no reason for violence" perfectly describes Jews fleeing the Holocaust to try to settle Palestine, and we can see where that logic ends. The myth of a perfectly peaceful pre-Israel Palestine is also not actually the prettiest picture.

I will also clarify that I don't think that 2 ethnic groups can't coexist in one nation as a general rule. I just think that in a region shaped by violence for so long, and such extreme violence right up to now, it is much harder to do so. I think its human nature that when things are so violent, most people aren't going to spend energy making sure they're not being prejudicial, both because energy can be better spent either on survival or joy with your own community, and also because it often feels like your prejudice is keeping you safe, or is proven every time One Of Them attacks One Of You. There are plenty of ways they can try to bridge the gaps, but I don't think that "dissolve Israel immediately and completely" accomplishes any of that

Ya, they're gone from pretty much every MENA nation there is or at least at a handful of their previous population, forced expulsions will do that to your population.

As for the palestenian population, to some degree I think they were ok to stay in Israel as it formed they'd just need to accept Israeli citizenship, there's some issues like the Sheikh Jarrah thing from a few years back that kicked off a short war, Muslim family got evicted from a home they'd been squatting in since before the formation of the country of Israel, people that owned the property had the receipt and deed from when the Ottomans still existed.

Folks still called that stealing their home. I imagine a whole bunch of that happened early on, someone's family had purchased a home of some sort with plans to move there but politics and eventually a war got in the way of that and such.

I would love to see the palestenian types free from the various terror groups that keep starting wars and stealing all the resources meant to aid the standard every day person.

As for the multicultural thing, there's 2 million arabs living in Israel who owing to the fact that they're arabs never need to sign up for military service, where as most every single Jewish citizen does and generally speaking they get along well enough and are even friends.

And to address the ethnic issue

These guys mostly just have 'being Jewish' in common with each other, if they can go and fit in there should be easy enough for anyone that isn't of a mind to start trouble.

If the arabs that identify as palestenian want to stay balkanized that's fine, just stop trying to kill the people that want to live in peace.

(still love the story of the Kaifeng Jews, wild stuff and makes for a good read)

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

What do you think it will take for the gendie/trans movement to die?

Lawsuits.

And losses.

Some organizations are not really on board with this ideology, but are playing along either because there's a loud minority of moralizing activist ideologues - mostly woke, straight white churchladies who style themselves as "queer" or "nonbinary", or at least, "allies" - within them who are sucking up all the oxygen, or because they feel they're obliged to by the market. And particularly, they don't want to be conspicuously non-compliant. They just want the beast to eat someone else. For reference, see the Twitter accounts which post Pride banners and icons in western countries, but not in Middle East/North Africa (MENA) countries. They just need sufficient reason - legal or financial - to start ignoring the ideologues and get back on-mission.

Others are fully on board, from the top down. And unfortunately, this category tends to include medical institutions. These organizations need a good legal or financial bat taken to them. Which will hopefully then trigger a spill of their management layer. And with more and more whistleblowers, and more and more lawsuits, such as those by Chloe Cole, Layla Jane and others coming down the pipeline, and increased scrutiny due to the widening gap between European and North American approaches, something will eventually give. Insurers, risk assessors, shareholders, regulators and others with a vested interest in the longevity and viability of the organization will be forced to intercede. Especially as it becomes undeniable that the Europeans are deferring to evidence, while the North Americans have succumbed to ideology. At some point, the US in particular, will need to undergo the same process as the UK, Finland and other countries in conducting an inquiry and review into what's going on and the scientific evidence that supports it... or not.

The really big problem is that these ideologues are notorious liars. Consider what happened when the Tavistock was announced to close, with the interim Cass report describing the GIDS service as "not safe or viable as a long-term option for the care of young people with gender related distress." The ideologues spun this into "they're closing it down so they can open many more! Nothing wrong with it except capacity!" Countries like Finland and Sweden have stopped prescription of puberty blockers and hormones, which was spun into "they didn't ban affirmation" (i.e. blockers and hormones). They conveniently leave out the part where they can only be used in strictly controlled clinical trials, because the current evidence is astonishingly weak. It's like saying "ebola is safe" because certain high-security labs have access to it for research and testing. It's the same kind of pathological dishonesty you get from Xians trying to make their demon god into the "good" guy because free will, salvation, you send yourself to hell, etc, etc.

There are also people so over-invested that actually acknowledging the boiling pot they found themselves in would be too psychologically damaging. Imagine being a Jack Turban, who has made his name lying for virtue, being confronted with the people whose lives were directly impacted by the misrepresentations he'd spun. Or being Michelle Forcier and figuring out you'd spent your life sterilizing children for no reason. How do you ever come back from something like that? The psychological architecture of religiosity tends to have mechanisms to protect the believer from the psychological damage of this kind of atrocity: denial, rationalization, etc. We see that in the traditionally religious. It's not even possible to get a Xian to acknowledge the logical and moral problems with religious concepts such as hell, sin or salvation. They're psychologically incapable. Even if Ray Comfort realized he'd made a mistake about evolution, he'd never be able to publicly admit it, and would still go on with his schtick. Because backing out of such a major commitment would be inconceivable.

I wish I could say that people will have a "come to Jesus" moment (so to speak), an epiphany and come to their senses. But that won't happen. It won't be a moral or scientific revelation, it will ultimately be the pragmatism of the bottom line.

People can believe that they have a mismatched gender thetan living in their body, or that they are "cakegender" or whatever. But they don't get to force the entirety of society to play along, any more than a Xian gets to force everyone else to pray, or a Muslim gets to force everyone to observe Ramadan. We need to start reassembling the secular walls the genderists have been breaching.

[sixty-silver-wishes]

you don't need to publish this, but having seen your recent reblog, consider: arguments belittling and trivializing the fears of expulsion that jews have? not great. history has shown over and over that this is the goal of most of the world. it is not a scare tactic like white supremacists use that is not based in reality. it is in fact based in reality, which is also lived and in VERY recent memory, particularly for MENA jews who were ethnically cleansed most recently and had nowhere else to go. to treat it as an irrational fear is to erase the countless ethnic cleansings jews have endured over the last 2000 years. jewish israelis are not afraid of being treated like white south africans. they are afraid of being treated like jews.

I’m only responding to this because I feel that with an issue like this, I need to make my position as clear as possible.

When it comes to Israel, I try my best to see the nuance in the situation because I understand, at least to the extent that I can as a non-Jewish person, where the need for a safe place for Jewish people comes from. You’re right in that the fear of violence and anti-Semitism is very much justified, which is part of the reason why the situation of Israel/Palestine is so complicated.

However, I do not believe that oppressing another group of people is the right way to end one’s own oppression, and that is why I do not support the Israeli government. I once read an article interviewing American Jews who both supported and opposed Israel, and one of the people who supported them said that she saw it as a “safety net.” With the rise in anti-Semitism in the US and elsewhere, her need for such a “safety net” was understandable, but I don’t think any “safety net” should come at the expense of taking away someone else’s, because then you just solve a problem by creating another problem.

Allow me to be clear when I say I do not support the displacement or killing of Israelis. I believe they have the same right to security and prosperity as Palestinians, and all humans, do. I see many pro-Palestinian self-proclaimed leftists advocating for Israeli displacement or even genocide, and I cannot agree with them because you cannot have peace or equality by displacing people or committing genocide. Instead, I support an equal society where Israelis and Palestinians have the same rights and privileges.

How would such a society be created? I don’t know. I’m not an expert; I’m just a young person who tries to stay up to date on current events and knowledgeable about history. There are people much more experienced and credible than me who would be better equipped to answer that question.

[mchiti]

just out of curiosity is there any muslim player in serie a who posted about palestine? what's the reaction in italy?

Hi, Cheddira did and so far absolutely no issue either with his current club (frosinone) and napoli (who he is on loan from). Despite all issues in italy with the pro-isra*l government (but who isn’t, right) I think football clubs don’t really care about being as hypocritical as france or germany, but of course I’ll be the first to speak up it they ever do something like this because reality always hits differently. Also I just want to specify that I don’t care about pitting leagues against each other as this is a collective problem all western football is involved in. Plus, I’d love to mention that while players in muslim countries’ leagues are not facing any consequences, support to isr*el sadly come from some mena countries as well, so this is all much more complicated.

[bellaellathemillionth]

EPISODE 1 OF ME FLIPPING OUT OVER HOW EVERY SINGLE GODDAMN PJO/HOO SHIP W O R K S

LIKKKKKKKKE COME ON. EVERY SINGLE FUCKING ONE WORKS ITS SO UNFAIR WHY CANT REAL LIFE DATIING BE LIKE THAT LIKE SERIOUSLY EVERY SINGLE FUCKING ONE WORKS AND LIKE AT THSI POINT I HAVE JUST GIVEN UP ON CHOOSING BETWEEN SHIPS AND EVERYTHING LIKE FORGET IT I SHIP AND LOVE AND LOVE I MENA LOOOOVE EACH AND EVERY SINGLE ONE LIKE ALL OF THEM ARE SO CUTE AND THE VERY VERY VAST MAJORITY OF SHIPS MAKE SO MUCH SENSE LIKE ALL OF THEM JUST LIKE WORK ITS LIKE THAT TIME IN GREYS WHERE SOMEONE SAID THAT THEY WERE ALL RELATED BY SEX AND LIKE UM HELLO TRUE THAT HERE TOO LMFAO EVEN WHEN YOU DONT CONSIDER THE WHOLE GREEK INCEST. ANYWAYS

N E WAYZ CONTINUING ON TO THE POINT

MY CURRENT PREDICKIACNMENT IS CHOOSING A MAIN LOVESQUARE AND YES YES IM SURE THERES A THOUSAND MORE LOVESQUAEWA IN THIS UNIVERSE THAT ARE EQUALLY AS GOOD BUT IM TOO LAZY TO RESEARCH SO SHUT YOUR TRAP (AAAAIISIIGGGNT! LIE DETECTED! I AM TOO LAZY TO CARE LMFAO ANYWAYS BYE) SO RIGHT NOW IM STUCK BETWEEN PIPER ANNABETH PERCY AND JASON AND PIPER REYNA JASON (SIDENOTE; KEEP IN MIND I SHIP ALL OF THE SHIPS LMFAO) BECAUSE ON ONE HAND THE FIRST SQUARE HAS TWO COUPLE WHO LMFAO ALL DO A FUCKIN YK SWITCHAROO WHICH I FIND AMAZING CUTE AND INSANELY HILARIOUS (cant tell if its hilarious or if im delirious lol) BUT THEN ON THE EQUALY AMAZING OTHER HAND THERES LEO JASON PIPER REYNA WHICH I AM WAY TOO TIRED TO EXPLAIN RIGHT NOW ALSO IM BORED SO YEAH WOW SUCH HARD PROBLEMS WOO! (im going insane guyz lol) HA SIKE I JSUT WROTE THE TAGS BUT NOW I WANNA CONTINE ON SO LIKE LEO JASON PIPER REYNA IS BASICALLY FUCKING JASONS EX BEING IN LOVE WITH HIS GF AND HIM BEING IN LOVE WITH HIS GFS BEST FRIEND AND THEN PIPER BEING IN LOVE W HIS EX AND HIS BEST FRIEND LMFAOSO I LOVE THIS OK bye

LOVE YOU

OH ON SECOND THOUGHT, WHY NOT JUST HAVE A LOVE OCTOGON?

[lowkeyclueless5137]

Intermission 2-3

:D

Intermission! The time where we cannonically wreck mementos, have some shenanigans and try to live the normal student life.

So let's see what we will have on the list today, since Intermissions always lead to new palaces in the end. :3

What we will cover:

-Public reaction

-Some childhood friends bonding

-Babysitting Cheeka

-Widening our group of aquitances

-messing around with Mementos

-The fantastic adventures of Cheeka the detective!

Simple points :3

Now onto the well deserved break :3

Of course, the public didn't take well the whole confession thing. While this was took in as the first official sign of the Phanthom thieves returning from the public, at least it was now known that the changes of hearts were back on track.

But it was such an old time that most tried to be reasonable. Like that was a 1 time thing. It was forgotten for the most part. The police doesn't even have the files anymore. It was useless to evoke the past so the public took it with a grain of salt.

After all... Weren't the og Phanthom thieves now older? No matter how you put it, it would be very hard in any instance.

That was the public's take on things. Now about our group.

Rook was the first one who came with the news about the school board holding a few meetings regarding the problem of a new principal. So for now, Kosei high was free of the school terror, much like Shujin was free of the bullying problem.

But all the news about the change of heart were immediately brushed off in just a few days. If you asked about it, most people would just say they don't remember or even hear about it. Why?

There was a more interesting news report, regarding a very important party in between some wealthy heads of economical tycoons. It was by no surprise that Haru had to attend with Akira. It was said that today, on the

But they had no school from 3rd to 5th of May, but the 6th was a Sunday, so 4 days of what Ace declared as 'freedom'. But also with the 3rd being occupied by the party and the 4th overtaking with the news about the Extravagant party and apparently the arrival of the Asim bilionare and her heir.

So what to do on the 5th and 6th? Riddle and Ortho were still on babysitting duty, so their options were pretty limited. Thankfully, everyone was pretty much sorting their things out.

Floyd was spending more time with Mikan. He didn't say too much, but apparently Mikan's parents wanted her to move schools, but to do that, they also moved cities. It was drastic, but no one decided to question it. Currently Floyd tries to help his friend with the whole moving process, while also contemplating how to maintain a friendship at distance.

Vil took his loss of persona summoning as a way to contemplate a bit about himself. He did get a few acting offers, but he wasn't that sure if he should pursue it so early, when he is still unsure.

Rook wants to hunt for beauty, so he goes after his gut. Riddle isn't really sure about what exactly is Rook looking for, but he just leaves the man to be. He gives them the most Intel about any rumor or news even before they start to spread around.

Deuce was the unfortunate soul who had Makoto put him to study, as he was not keeping well the pace with math. Yeah, his mom can accept not perfect grades, but she cannot let her son be left behind with the study material.

Ace tho, was trying to get some money. He did play it off as him just wanting to buy some things for himself, but Riddle knew better. He didn't disclose anything, playing it off as just Ace being Ace.

And Jade was just roaming around. He did drop by Leblanc, especially since Futaba did say that on the 5th of June, since it was sure as hell Haru and Akira couldn't take the twins to a party solely meant for business and the riches being richy mfs, they had to be babysitted by 'auntie Futaba'.

And Idia was absolutely not ok with it. While Ortho doesn't really remember about it since he was just a small child then, Idia was older, so he remembered the menaces that those 2 were. :3c

But Futaba told him that 'unless you have plans for the night, you can't escape it. Idia does ask if Riddle would be down for sharing the attic, but the redhead is absolutely not sharing it.

The reason: Idia might find their money shoe box. Ortho said that Idia can't find out until May is over.

Idia does wail about it. And sure his attempts at getting out of it were tracked down when Vil messaged the gc on why was Idia saying that he needs to sleep at him on the 5th june to avoid a 'disastrous wold ending event'.

But on the 6th, Idia busted in happily at Leblanc in the morning. Leona was also there with Cheeka for babysitting duty, but surprisingly Idia didn't care as he had to slam the news to his mom.

He got a sleepover on the 5th june!

At that Ortho spit his water out in surprise and Futaba had to arrange her glasses properly bc she sure didn't believe that. Riddle was unfazed as Cheeka was asking him about the crossword he was doing in the newspaper.

Only when Idia leaves, saying that apparently he will meet up with Vil, Cheeka asks if by chance, Idia is going to see his girlfriend. Ortho swats it off, saying that Vil is just Idia's friend.

But Vil comes a few minutes after Idia leaves, saying that he was in the aera and dropped by for a coffee. Leona already leaved so it was time for cheeka to be hyper, saying that it's a mistery of where Idia went, since it was clear that he lied about it.

Futaba sure was growing suspicious about what Idia might be up to. Ortho also voiced his worry that Idia always managed somehow to get in trouble.

Cheeka tho, seemed to be very excited about it, insisting to investigate and play detective.

Riddle was the one who stepped down his foot and says that they can't go and spy on Idia, but Ortho already was egging on Cheeka, Futaba wanted to see where this went and Vil also wanted to see for how long did Idia use him as an excuse to cover up something else.

So cue the investigation team! With newspaper that they cut some holes through! Riddle still doesn't appreciate that they didn't spare the crosswords. :'3

They get immediately busted by Trey, but he is chill with it, leaving them to be, although he would say that it was very funny to see them hide behind buildings as if they were running from police or smth. Even Futaba was doing it.

But where was Idia going? Well, at first he was dropping by a flower shop, looking at the flowers and texting smth on his phone, before apparently he pointed at a few flowers, asking about them. It was a bit wierd to see Idia making an effort to maintain the discussion, but in the end, he seemed to have gotten what he wanted as the seller gave him a few packs and off he was.

Idia's next stop was, wierdly, the park. And at this point, Trey also followed and was curious what was going on.

~~~~~~~~

Hiding behind a tree, Riddle felt awkward. This was by no means mementos or even a palace. There were big chances people will spot him and consider him wierd, but with cheeka clearly hyped about being a detective and the others encouraging this endeavors, Riddle might as well just use his first opening to vanish from there and go at Leblanc.

Idia tho, leaned over the railing to the lake, waiting as he looked around, eyes lazily darting around as chirps of birds were heard around. After a few minutes, he exhaled and grabbed his phone, pressing on it a bit before putting it to his ear with a smile.

Ortho yelped as his phone vibrated in his pocket. Picking it up, the younger Kitagawa gulped as he saw who the caller was. "You are in trouble... I can't help you out, kiddo..." Futaba whispered. With a trembling hand, Ortho answered the call. "hello, big brother..." He awkwardly said at the phone. "Hello, Ortho! I just called you to see how you are doing with that very important favour I asked of you... You remember it, right?" Idia said with a wierdly calm tone. "Favor? Yeah! Yeah... I didn't forget! Why do you ask?" Ortho awkwardly responded, although he was clearly lying.

"Because I never asked anything out of you~"

Beep!

Freezing in place, the group looked slowly behind them at the unamused Idia. "You really thought you can trick me?" He asked with a cocky smile, puffing. "Very funny... Really... But you'll need more than that to get me..." He mused, before his smile wiped off.

"Mom... You still need to tend to the counter... Now I... Will go to the real destination I wanted to go... Bye..." The boy turned onto his heel and dissappeared among the crowds.

"He's good..." Cheeka whined. "Alright... Enough detective investigation... It's lunch time..." Trey nudged the group. "Oh yeah... Hey... Since you are Riddle's buddy... Why don't you come to LeBlanc with us? We have curry..." Futaba offered.

~~~~~~~~

Trey was polite, trying not to be a bother, but already it was made the decision. On their way in, they also saw Che'nya, who automatically was added to the lunch group.

As they were chatting, Trey did note that Leblanc had a great coffee. He apparently was a big fan of coffee. Futaba points out that out of the whole family, Ortho is the only one who can't stand coffee. Idia is a coffee addict, much like his mother. Ortho points out that his dad will literally drink anything without complain, including paint water.

Che'nya was alright with coffee, but Riddle was another one who couldn't really stand it, so he drank tea with Cheeka and Ortho.

But the topic shifted over to school. Trey said that he studies at a school outside Shibuya, so that's why his parent's bakery was so close to the Shibuya's border. He was also classmates with Che'nya. Riddle said that he was studying at Shujin, with Ortho.

And that's when the door opened and at Leblanc, a tall boy entered. He didn't look from around, due to his darker skin complexity, but he politely asked for a cup of coffee, even saluting Trey.

Trey mentioned that this is his kouhai, Jack. He is a track and field star at their school, but he is also wanted by other sports clubs due to his athletic abilities. Jack was a bit awkward, but nonetheless he was a nice guy.

Ortho tho, does check on the gc about their next target. So far, they would go to mementos at evening, when no one would question some teens meeting up, also when Cheeka would be taken home by Leona. And their mementos adventures were successful as they would get rotten desires a few per day. Rook and Vil took the positions of main informants, as they would keep tabs on the Phan site and also hear the rumors going around.

A tad bit later, Leona also comes to pick Cheeka up, asking if by chance, on the 5th of June they could babysit cheeka the whole night. Riddle wanted to protest, but at the sound of double the payment, Ortho immediately accepted.

Once everyone had to leave and the closing time came, Ortho and Riddle were desemned along Yusuke to clean around. Riddle did ask why Ortho accepted, even if by the end of the month, they would win the bet anyway. Ortho pointed out that it doesn't hurt to have some extra money in case of anything.

Yusuke does find it amusing how the 2 got in the babysitting gig just for a bet. Riddle does point out that Idia will never find about their secret piggy bank with the money for the bet. Yusuke did praise that they had patience to put aside money, even for petty reasons.

Riddle does ask how Yusuke is doing, as they didn't hear much from him. Yusuke responds by saying that one of his pupils participated in a painting contest and he wanted to give his imput and guidance in such a moment. Sure, the pupil didn't win first place, only just a mention, but Yusuke said that if they were content with their work, then it's the equivalent of first place anyway.

Unfortunately, Ortho didn't really have the call for painting, nor did Idia. Idia was more like Futaba, but Ortho did inherit the artistic side... Just on the music side of the art. Riddle wanted to say Ortho also inherited being a drama queen, but he decided against it.

Yusuke did mention how currently he was searching for some inspiration for his next work, but until that comes, he will assist more than usual his pupils and look around the city and maybe the metaverse as well. Ortho told Riddle that once, he caught his father hanging upside down, looking at chonky's back. The birb really didn't give a damn about it, but Yusuke got his inspiration for a beautiful painting, so Ortho never questioned this inspiration thing.

Riddle admitted that he didn't really try to draw more than what it was required of him. Maybe mathematical drawings, but not artistic ones. He does know how to play the cello tho as his grandmother on his father's side knew how to play it. But she was living in Kyoto, so visiting her would most likely be during the holidays.

The next day, back to school, baby!

Words spread fast around the Kosei high incident, Shujin students being on edge as this sounds like what happened to Neige.

At lunch, our usual group did decide to eat together, since it was their new usual, talking about different mundane things. Ace and Deuce bickered over some trivial thing, Ortho shared some gossip he heard around the first years and Jade just enjoyed his time eating whatever mushroom dish he had.

But Vil also brought up the very important party on the 5th. As his father is a quite important figure in the acting industry, Vil got a hold of a scoop regarding the guests of the party.

Apparently, the fearsome Draconia clan will attend.

Ace jokingly asked if they were some sort of yakuza, but Ortho filled in the blank: the Draconias were a long line of royalty from Europe, having a small, yet thriving, country. It is said that currently they have both wealth, influence and power. It is very little known about the heir to thee throne, but the only available thing was that it was just a sole heir, the current queen's grandson.

Riddle did say that his queen had a meeting with queen Draconia for diplomatic matters. At this, Deuce dumbly asks if Riddle wasn't from Japan.

Big palmface moment. :/

Riddle bring up the fact his father is Japanese... He actually lived all of his life in England. Ortho did bring up that he didn't sound like a foreigner at all. Riddle just changes the topic back to the list of guests.

Vil initially brought it up because it was said that the heir to the throne will be present as well and that every guest had a +1 with them. Ace bluntly said that they shouldn't mingle in some foreign fancy ass's love life. Jade did note that initially, only his mom was invited, but her +1 was  Ren, who clearly was more than prepared to see if his charm was still maxed out.

But for their near future plans, Riddle had in mind a proper hangout with Trey and Che'nya. Ortho did whine that how come he is ditching on him their babysitting business. Riddle returns it by saying that Ortho ditched it on him on the 2nd just to go out with some classmates.

And again, some time passed. It came to the 10th of May when Riddle had to do an errand for Futaba. Ortho was left with Cheeka to babysit or more like watch TV in the attic.

Riddle had a small list of things to buy. Futaba gave him the money plus a bonus to treat himself with something. Ortho always said that this was the thing that usually would motivate them to actually do the errands. Those extra yen meant to be used how they wanted.

So Riddle had to go through the list. One thing was left: an extra pack of gummy worms. And just his luck: on the shelf from the shop, only one pack was left.

But once he grabbed it, Riddle realised that someone else also grabbed it. It was a short lavender haired boy with big blue eyes. Riddle did tug a bit on the bag, saying that he needs it, but the boy responded in some broken ass Japanese that he didn't understand and please use English.

And so, Riddle repeated himself, in English, the other saying that he has some fancy ass accent. It was clear that the boy had a very southern accent and boy Riddle wasn't ready for this headache. Still he insisted to get the bag of gummies, to which the other also wanted the bag, since it was on his list as well.

Their fight gets broken by Azul, who steps in and nags the boy(also in English), named Epel, that he should let the other have the pack. Riddle does reassure that it's no problem, before he recognised Azul and points out that he is Floyd and Jade's buddy.

Azul just swats it off and apologises for Epel, saying that currently he came from America and has a hard time getting used to things around, including the language.

And even if Riddle won in the end, he also picked up Epel addressing to Azul as 'brother' as the 2 left and the shorter was whining about something. And that made Riddle to raise a brow, since the twins clearly didn't mention anything about Azul having a brother.

Later that same day. The group meet up to deal with some mementos requests. Floyd ofc had Morgana with him since they needed the Monabus. :3

But once they did enter the metaverse, they heard a confused Humm and a mention about how the underground station didn't do this before.

Turning around, the group meet a tall guy with Raven hair that looked very confused around. He was surprisingly calm as he asked when will the train he wanted to get in will come or if by chance, they saw a loud guy with mint green hair. Dude wasn't even fazed at the group of people in wierd costumes and the cat-creature.

Siren said that they needed to move, but then again, they couldn't have this guy know their identities. Who knew where he could rat them or blackmail.

So abducting the guy it is!

More like just asking for him to get in the van... And he immediately agreed. Like dude?! Pls? How did you survive the city?!

But nonetheless, they kept the guy with Mona while dealing with shadows. There were the roaming ones on the road, then some of their targets, which were weaker. The whole operation was going smoothly, even with the wierd guy who was more bothered about the architecture of the place.

But then, Siren picked up a huge distortion signal. Like it was almost becoming a palace. And even if they had the list cleared out, it would be better to prevent the palace from forming and having to deal with it later.

So they reached a quite smartly dressed man. One who seemed to look down on them since he saw them. And their wierd guest seemed to recognise him, more than that, he seemed enraged with the mere presence of the man.

Unfortunately, this shadow was tougher than the others. It was after all, very close to developing a palace on its own. Ofc it would be stronger. :v

And the misterious boy looked like he had enough of it.

~~~~(Tw for blood)~~~~

Taking a deep breath, the boy was composing himself. He couldn't allow to slip, to leave that pristine appearance. The man before him did wrongs, so many wrongs, but nonetheless he should be judged with a calm mind.

Are you going to ignore the blood that spilled onto his hands?

Like a bullet, the boy felt an immense headache. Gasping for air, he felt like he was suffocating. Mona saw that, backing away slowly as the creature knew what was going to happen.

It is unfair... How this man wasn't punished for his deeds. He killed any chance of your dear 'father' ever seeing the light of justice... Are you simply going to watch how everything that was built by you, be destroyed just for some greedy man's desires?

"He will pay..." The boy breathed, feeling something over his face. It was light, but it was glued over his face, the need to get it off taking over his rational mind.

The shadow in question noticed him. "And there you were... The little prick that insisted I didn't do my case right... What? You thought that just because I didn't say the entire truth, your dear 'father' wouldn't be where he is now? Grow some sense, kid! This isn't a fairytale... This is the real world... And the real world is ruled by money..." The man boasted.

I am thou... Thou art I... Silence will never be the answer to those who seek to hurt for their gain... Embrace me... Embrace the blade of justice... And never let go of it...

"Indeed... This isn't a fairytale..." The boy laughed like a maniac as with one hand he ripped off the mask off his face, blood spilling over his face as the golden eyes returned to their piercing green. "BECAUSE-" He yelled as the blue fire exploded under his feet, crackling as it rose up and swirled, throwing the shadow to the ground.

"I, Malleus Draconia, will never forgive those who have wronged me or my close ones..." he declared, pointing his long sword toward the shadow as behind him, a dragon like creature made out of vines and thorns roared, spitting an abundence of green flames in the air, illuminating the whole place with a wicked light.

"kneel before me and beg for forgiveness... Or taste my blade of justice..."

~~~~~~~~

Well... Talk about dramatic... :')

Yeah... Malleus wasn't having it. Like at all. Man was ready to murder right then and there. Thankfully his low stamina kicked in right before he could kill the shadow for good and cause a mental shutdown irl.

So with that shadow handled, they could only jump in the Monabus and go back to the real world. :3

Malleus was silent the whole ride. He made it clear that he wanted to be addressed as just Malleus for now. The others gave him a short rundown of everything and why he was in this wierd attire with a wierd mask along with what was that thing he just fought. For the rest of the ride, Malleus only listened and let everything to sink in.

Once back in the real world tho, Malleus simply said that he needs to process things. He promised he will not disclose anything to anyone for now and with that, he left once the loud boy he was looking for was heard around.

Now all of the thieves group had a big dread. Riddle, for instance, could bearly catch any sleep. He was simply too worried about what Malleus might do.

But that's when he gets a notification on his phone. Since he didn't have sleep, he went to check on it.

And it was from his father!

Sure, unlike his mom who demanded a long report phonecall every day, his father said that he was very occupied at the hospital, but still he did message Riddle from time to time. It was either to ask how he was doing or to show him what shenanigans happened during his shift. It was appreciated that he opted for messages as it was understandable he was very busy.

And this time, his father first apologized for the late hour he sent the message, before sending another message, saying that he got a free day on the day of the fireworks festival. Riddle ofc responded saying that it was great. His dad didn't even bring up the late hour of the response, him immediately asking if he had any plans for that day, Riddle replying that he didn't.

For the end of the convo, his dad sent a photo of his hedgehog, saying that he says goodnight to Riddle as well.

Sunday tho, Malleus comes at Leblanc! And thankfully alone. He introduced himself to Futaba as Marcus and that he had some matters to discuss with his 'friend', Riddle.

Behind the counter, Ortho and Riddle exchanged very worried glances, but nonetheless, Riddle had to step out like and deal with it like a man. Since Malleus requested for some privacy, the 2 had to take it to the attic. Ortho had to keep on Cheeka tho.

In the attic, Malleus apologised for his rash acting in mementos. He didn't really have any excuse for his rage. He explained that the man was a prosecutor, one who framed his father figure, which was just a university teacher at that time. He got fired because of it and demoted to a high school teacher. He did say that he was homeschooled, so he had no idea when Riddle would finish his studies. This is why he opted to talk on the first Sunday.

Riddle did ask why he wanted to talk. Malleus responds that mementos wasn't his first time in the metaverse. A few months ago, he happened to stumble upon a very wierd place. He currently suspects that it is a palace. And he wants to investigate it as there was something concerning him in there.

Riddle responded that he needs to consult with his team members. It was a group decision.

In reality, Riddle really didn't know what to respond to it.

So the team gathers up in the afternoon, after Cheeka leaves with Leona. Malleus was also there and re-explained his request: help him uncover the truth behind the palace he srumbled upon months ago. He did answer Vil's question about why was he using another name in public: his grandmother wanted to protect his identity and safety as the sole heir to the throne of his country. His grandma was good friends with the prime minister and so he had another ID under a fake name.

And the team agrees to help the prince.

So on Monday, after classes, all of them gather up at the location Malleus gave them: in front of the court house from this district. Before entering, they had to choose a codename for Malleus. Deuce brought up the fact that his mask resembled a dragon with horns, just like in European children stories. For that, Malleus suggests Draco and the others just roll with it. Using his own phone, Malleus accessed the metaverse and to his history, there was 1 palace in question.

And so, they found themselves back in the metaverse, in a lavish flower garden. The flowers were all colorful and their smell was calming, alluring even. But it wasn't about the garden now.

Draco presented to them a gigantic cathedral made out of dark grey stone with golden roofs and tall towers. The architecture could be compared to the infamous Notre Dame judging from the arcades and the intricate stained glass windows, the front one which depicted an angel that was spreading greenish petals as a blessing for the people. The tallest of the towers having a far more intricate decoration, with stained glass windows at the top, very opace to hide the insides of the tower.

Now without further ado, they had to step inside and see what this 'holy' place had in store for them.

And this is how we start the arc of the 3rd Palace!

And Malleus is now in the party! He's a bit confused, but he got the spirit! :D

Now we will explore this absolute train wreck. :3c

What do you think will happen? Since our rooster is:

Rose

Flame

Heart

Spade

Siren

Knight

Draco

Mona

Fox

Noir

Joker

It's a bit funny to me that the persona users for the 1st palace(13) was actually a bigger number than the current available party members(11). :3c

And if you know me... You know how I work with these numbers. >:3c

Until next time! Buh bye! :D

[waru-chan8]

Roberto: ...(the problems the jury will have). Let’s go with Jorge Lorenzo because we saw him riding a bike, we always say the same, but it’s the truth, he had an incredibly steady hand. His hands never shake, today he needs them not to shake because he needs to hold/shoot a gun.

Coach: Hold it, so I polish your posture a bit. Very good (impressed). You have shoot before, no?

Jorge: (negative sound)

Coach: NO?!

Jorge: I am precise with the bike This is new, it’s the first time I do this ... but I don’t know if I have marksmanship. I’ll inspire in James Bond to be always in control and not lose my temper I’s such a  peaceable and... (Waru’s comment: the expression he uses it is meant to be I’m oposite to shooting because I recall him as one of the most confrontational riders on the grid) Strong arms, strong abs, dorsal (I might have heard a bad, but I’m not sure). Where is it?

Coach: okay, you are aiming high (in the sense of his shoot being up from the desired point)

Jorge: oh, sure First shot, first fail

Coach: you are too rigid. Move a bit forward

Jorge: well, let’s keep going

Coach: listen too me. Relax. The more tense you are, the worse your marksmanship

Jorge: Finally a challenge I can enjoy as a kid (Waru’s comment: probably there’s a better expression in English because it’s a fix expression in Spanish. It just really menas he is completely enjoying himself wile doing this

Coach: right now, you are at 5% of your true from what you are expected 

Jorge: I’m Tony Montana (from the film Scarface (I had no idea)). Now what? Now who is gonna bully me/pick on me/tease me?

You told me later (I’m not quise sure as it’s supposed to be out of camera)

Roberto: Jorge Lorenzo, focussed. Roberto (coach) good night. How are you, dude?

Coach: How are you doing? Good night

Roberto: His (Jorge’s) coach. Erm, we said it before the start, he... With the bikes he had steady hands, with the gun, and in this case a short gun.

Coach: yes

Roberto: It’s different, of course. He doesn’t have any foothold, hold/clamping or gasket (Waru’s comment: I apology because those a re weapon terms I have no knowledge in Spanish, therefore, I don’t know if those are correctly translated. What they meant, is that Basically it’s all in Jorge, his grip and how he aims)

Coach: it’s a challenge very complicated because you don’t have any foothold. We are shooting with open scope (Waru’s comment: again, I have no idea, so I’m sorry). There’s no optic element, apart from the most basic one... And precision, calm and tranquillity and stay focus

Jorge: we tried

Coach: good. You know how to do it

Jorge: difficult. I’m not in control because I’m, let’s say a machine when I understand things. When I understand them, I can repeat them a lot of times

Roberto: of course

Jorge: very constant. But when I don’t understand them, I’m not in control, I’m not very good, to be honest. And in here, I haven’t understand it very well, but it is what it is.

Roberto: You put a lot of effort into it, a lot

Jorge: No

Roberto: Not a lot?

Jorge: I’d loved to

Boris: but you are a machine/you are terrific

Jorge: I’d love to spend a month training

Roberto: of course

Jorge: to understand it perfectly

Roberto:he is a world championship. He’d love to spend a while month training, but not

Flo: Rest assure,  Jorge

Roberto: but it’s not allowed

Rosa: it’s clear

Roberto: important

Flo: you can also get the 1s

Ana: aim there

Rosa: a range of sacrifice

Jorge: I don’t pretend like you, Flo. I don’t pretend like you

Roberto: Jorge, is currently in 3rd spot in the ranking, he is 3rd. So today he is putting all in again. Let’s explain what the challenge is all about. As always, when we talk about marksmanship, there are 2 phases, 2 parts. The first one, from about 6 meters of distance, he will shoot with this gun, let′s show it. I’m gonna ask Javi (camera crew) to come close. We have it here. As we where talking a short gun with small bullet/shot made out of iron in this case. I drop the weapon. He will need to shot from here and hit this balloon that is in this spinning platform  that won’t stop spinning. 3 opportunities okay to blow that balloon. The next challenge will be explained in a moment after we finish this one, but first, I’m gonna ask, for safety reason, as you where saying on the training Roberto, we need protective gear. We need to put on some protective glasses, specially you, the jury due to the bullet being metal, it can bounce and we could potentially have an accident. Come closer Javi if you want and let’s grab the first glasses. Thank you Ramón , also and this one too. Put it yourself, Jorge,

Coach: I wear this

Roberto: oh you wear those and are enough. Antireflective cristal and against impact, correct?

Coach: against impact. Yes

Roberto: come on. The jury has them on. That’s it. Here are all the glasses

Rosa: oh look

Ana: thanks Roberto (presenter)

Boris: those glasses are going to kill our looks, of course

Roberto: here

Mariló: thanks

Roberto: there

Coach: breath, okay?

Boris: thank you

Roberto: Jorge, total focus. I’m going to be marking you the shoots timing, okay

Jorge: okay

Roberto: I know you are very impulsive. And we have to mark an order

Jorge: I’m focused, and I don’t see anything else 

Roberto: you also asked us so he can concentrate

Coach: shot, shot, shot

Roberto: shot, breath... come one

Coach: Calm. I don’t want velocity, I want accuracy

Roberto: then

Jorge: it’s loaded?

Coach: no. Let’s fill it. It’s ready

Roberto: good luck, Jorge

Jorge: ready

Coach: okay

Roberto: let’s get into it. Let’s start the challenge. First shot.

There’s a good and a whoa. I think one of from Jorge and the other rom Roberto, but not completely sure

Coach: well done

Get it and well done and other appreciation and euphoric coments are said.

Boris: well done Jorge (Waru’s comment: it’s me or Boris wants Jorge’s attention (or in general any athlete/fit coach))

Roberto: well

Coach: incredibly

Jorge: I got it/ I hit it (I can’t hear it very well)

Roberto: dropi it in here, drop it in here.

Jorge: do I dropi it in here (the weapon)?

Roberto: due to the hand gestures. Let’s see that moment with the Slow motion. Jorge, you have it in here. that moment with the the slow cam from the first shot, first hit. The impact to that spinning balloon

Jorge: wu

Roberto: we see it in there.... and there it is. At first try. Let’s go with the second challenge

Coach: let’s do it

Roberto: this one needs or requires from a bit more of preparation. Not only from the crew team, come here Javi. Also from Jorge’s part and Roberto (coach). They need to concentrate because it’s more difficult. In here we are going to take advantage of the inertia of that iron bullet. If it was made out of lead, Roberto told me during the practice that this wouldn’t have worked out because this projectile will be shot from the same spot, but impact in this metal sheet, bounce directly into the second one and come over there and we will show.And impact in this balloon. Bounce in the first, bounce in the second be throw to the objective, that in this case it’s a heart that we will break tonight (03.02.2023), in here. Jorge Lorenzo, also 3 shots. Well then the glasses... our contestants have them, the jury too. I’ll put them on myself. Jorge, I’m gonna ask for you to put the glasses too. And let’s go with that first shot of the second part of Jorge’s Challenge.

Roberto: Shot

Coach: go lower. Lower, lower. Good, good, good. You rub it. Very close, very close, very close.

Jorge: I failed

Roberto: second shot Jorge. Whenever yo want it. Goood

Coach: yeeees. Yeeeeees, yeeeeeeeeees

Jorge: I managed this time

the coach and Jorge had a mini conversation I can’t make decipher

Roberto: congratulations. Motger of cow. Jorge Lorenzo. Come over here with me. But lets see first that moment on the slow motion. There, how the projectile impacts against that sheet, bounce in the second and lastly brakes the balloon. Challenge well-done/obtained/archived

[crionic-dubs]

A frequently recurring theme when discussing the history of Palestine, is the question of “who was there first?”. The implication being, whoever was there first deserves ownership of the land. I have lost count of how many times I have encountered the argument that “The Jewish people have been in Palestine before the Muslims/Arabs,” or a variation thereof. This has always struck me as an interesting example of how people learn just enough history to support their world view, separating it completely from any historical context or the larger picture of the region.

[...]

The argument is simple to follow: Palestinians today are mostly Arabs. The Arabs came to the Levant with the Muslim conquest of the region. Therefore, Arabs -and as an extension Palestinians- have only been in Palestine and the Levant since the seventh century AD.

[...]

The second problem with this is that there is a misunderstanding of the process that is the Arabization of the Middle East and North Africa. Once again, we must view the Islamization of newly conquered lands and their Arabization as two distinct phenomena. The Islamization process began instantly, albeit slowly. Persia, for example took over 2 centuries to become a majority Muslim province. The Levant, much longer. The Arabization of conquered provinces though, began later than their Islamization. The beginning of this process can be traced back to the Marwanid dynasty of the Ummayad Caliphate. Until that point, each province was ruled mostly with its own language, laws and currency. The process of the Arabization of the state united all these under Arabic speaking officials, and made it law that the language of state and of commerce would become Arabic. Thus, it became advantageous to assimilate into this identity, as many government positions and trade deals were offered only to Muslim Arabs.

So although the vast majority of the population of these lands were not ethnically Arab, they came to identify as such over a millennium. Arab stopped being a purely ethnic identity, and morphed into a mainly cultural and linguistic one. In contrast to European colonialism of the new world, where the native population was mostly eradicated to make place for the invaders, the process in MENA is one of the conquered peoples mixing with and coming to identify as their conquerors without being physically removed, if not as Arabs, then as Muslims. Following from this, the Palestinian Arabs of today did not suddenly appear from the Arabian Peninsula in the 7th century to settle in Palestine, but are the same indigenous peoples living there who changed how they identified over time. This includes the descendants of every group that has ever called Palestine their home.

[...]

We must separate the political nationalist identity of people from their personhood as human beings, as nationalism is a relatively modern concept, especially in the Middle East. Naturally, no region is a closed container. Trade, immigration, invasion and intermarriage all played a role in creating the current buildup of Palestinian society. There were many additions to the people of the land over the millennia. However, the fact remains that there was never a process where Arab or Muslim conquerors completely replaced the native population living there, only added to them.

[...]

So, what does this all mean for Palestine? Absolutely nothing. Although the argument has many ahistorical assumptions and claims, it is not these which form its greatest weakness. The whole argument is a trap. The basic implication of this line of argumentation is as follows: If the Jewish people were in Palestine before the Arabs, then the land belongs to them. Therefore, the creation of Israel would be justified.

From my experience, whenever this argument is used, the automatic response of Palestinians is to say that their ancestors were there first. These ancestors being the Canaanites. The idea that Palestinians are the descendants of only one particular group in a region with mass migrations and dozens of different empires and peoples is not only ahistorical, but this line of thought indirectly legitimizes the original argument they are fighting against. This is because it implies that the only reason Israel’s creation is unjustified is because their Palestinian ancestors were there first. It implies that the problem with the argument lies in the details, not that the argument as a whole is absolute nonsense and shouldn’t even be entertained.

The ethnic cleansing, massacres and colonialism needed to establish Israel can never be justified, regardless of who was there first. It’s a moot point. Even if we follow the argument that Palestinians have only been there for 1300 years, does this suddenly legitimize the expulsion of hundreds of thousands? Of course not. There is no possible scenario where it is excusable to ethnically cleanse a people and colonize their lands. Human rights apply to people universally, regardless of whether they have lived in an area for a year or ten thousand years.

If we reject the “we were there first” argument, and not treat it as a legitimizing factor for Israel’s creation, then we can focus on the real history, without any ideological agendas. We could trace how our pasts intersected throughout the centuries. After all, there is indeed Jewish history in Palestine. This history forms a part of the Palestinian past and heritage, just like every other group, kingdom or empire that settled there does. We must stop viewing Palestinian and Jewish histories as competing, mutually exclusive entities, because for most of history they have not been.

These positions can be maintained while simultaneously rejecting Zionism and its colonialism. After all, this ideologically driven impulse to imagine our ancestors as some closed, well defined, unchanging homogenous group having exclusive ownership over lands corresponding to modern day borders has nothing to do with the actual history of the area, and everything to do with modern notions of ethnic nationalism and colonialism.

I do think it's interesting how when we're talking about Jewish indigneity, we're completely excluding the fact that Palestinians have always been indigenous to the region and share common ancestry with Jewish people, especially Sephardic Jews. After all, many Christian and Jewish people did convert to either Christianity or Islam, and we have plenty of historical records attesting to the fact that all of these communities have intermingled with each other. In fact, Palestinian Christians are one of the oldest Christian communities, dating back to the first century, whereas the Palestinian Samaritans had a consistent presence in Palestine since 500 B.C.

[lavenite]

okay the characters i really really want dolls of would be from ‘time and again’ cause thats what im mostly focusing on PLUS its modern so i wont have to make too many clothes except for like karina but shes a dirty little crustie so ill have fun with that ANYWAY MAIN PROBELM ! actually under the cut let me rant

okay so the main characters ARE :

KARINA ROMERO : white / scary bright blue eyes / long black hair but Might be dyed…shes an ooglepunk so her fashion sense is easy BUT i could also go like rabbittail abigail type of way…

MATTHIAS O’RILEY : basically adam from priscilla queen of the desert / twink but def muscular < hes a stripper lol that shits hard WORK / keeps hair super short but not quite buzzed / kinda blends into the crowd a bit

MIMI : YAYYAYYAY MIMI !!!!!!! sorry i love her a lot shes so fun. / shortest of the group / fat / black / also a stripper ! probably the most fun fashion wise and loves constantly changing her hair and doing braids and adding beads and just its great / is def one to go with the trends tho

JACK ALVEREZ : im so sorry jack i dont have a clearly defined um idea ? hes mexican. his weight fluxuates a lot as he gets older and through diff periods of his life. has a mullet at some point. maybe he dresses like a nondescript 90s white rock musician SORRY hes kind of boring but we support him ❤️

anyway thats not even getting into lulu or julia or isiah or god forbid any of their parents or fucking matthias’ FOUR BROTHERS ! tho alan is really the only important one currently OR IRENE ! OR KARINAS LITTLE UNNAMED CRUSTIE HOOKUP / TRAVELLING PARTNER …. or lulus son. and im sure theres more characters im not thinking of or havent added yet basically massive cast and i like to say its pretty diverse which pretty much only like. barbie at this current point fits what im looking for but also for older characters like lulu or isiah or i mena fuck like the whole cast is mid twenties but they also timetravel to their teen selves so ummmm yea idk

anyway i have to find dolls for them but ANNOTHER PROBLEM !!!!!! i hate hate hate male barbie dolls. ken i am killing you with my mind. i have to reconcile with the fact that matthias is very obviously a ken stereotype and he himself would put himself as ken to oh god would karina be barbie? thats horrific i mean hes gay and karinas a dyke but yhey kind of have this weird love triangle thing with mimi (who hates karina with all her heart (they literally never interact shes just like that)) also they arwnt even friends. matthias doesnt really like karina….um anyway lost the plot TRAIN BACK TO THE STATION !!!

i need dolls for them but theyre so specific. i might have to order specific barbies online that i think would look like them….anyway ill stop ranting nowwwww i just love my characters ❤️

[spadesurvey]

List of Best Market Research Companies in Singapore

Table of Content: 1.Market Research in Singapore 2.Why should you do Market Research? 3. Top 5 Market Research Companies in Singapore 4.How Spade Survey Help 5.Conclusion

Market research should be the primary objective whether you’re seeking to improve your current firm or launch a new executioner product or service. Your business strategy may fail if you do not conduct market research. If you want to make wise judgments, you’ll need intelligent information that can lead to actual, actionable results. Market research informs you about external aspects (market, customers, rules and regulations, competitors, trends, etc.) so that you may incorporate them into your internal decisions. Not all market research companies are the same. In this blog post, we’ll look at Best Market Research Companies in Singapore and what sets them apart from the competition.

Market Research in Singapore

Singapore is a global centre for commerce, banking, and transportation. It is the most “technology-ready” nation (WEF), the top International-meetings city (UIA), the city with the “best investment potential” (BERI), the third-most competitive country, the third-largest foreign exchange market, the third-largest financial centre, the third-largest oil refining and trading centre, and the second-busiest container port.

Spade Survey is one of Singapore’s leading market research firms  We are a quantitative and qualitative market research Fieldwork Company that is committed to providing high-quality data collection and market research services.

We collaborate with clients on full-service market research projects, assisting them in getting closer to customers in these countries and developing goods, services, and marketing strategies that work. We can also collaborate with organisations as a fieldwork partner, offering respondents from all throughout Asia.

Why should you do Market Research?

The most crucial aspect of beginning a new business is dedicating some time to getting to know and understand your clients.  To be able to:

Solve your clients’ concerns; you must first understand your target market.

Determine which marketing messages to offer to them;

Determine how to best advertise to them; and

Determine whether your customers are willing to spend money on your products or services.

List of Best Market Research Companies in Singapore

Market Research Company #1: Black box Research Pte Ltd

Black box Research Pte Ltd is a Singapore grounded company offering Asia a wide expertise in market research. Black box provides clients with decision making solutions, offering consumer, business, and community-wide perspectives on contemporary problems and challenges.

Services: Advertising , Public Relations, Brand Research, Consumer Research, New Product Research ,Product / Sensory Testing, Analytical Services, Data Mining and Analysis, Statistical Analysis

Foundation Year: 2001

Company Size: 11-50

Address: 29 Media Circle, Alice@Mediapolis, #08-05 138565 Singapore                                

Website: www.blackbox.com.sg

Market Research Company #2. Spade Survey

Spade Survey is a division of Spade Research, which was founded in 2011. Since then, we have helped large and small businesses make informed decisions through market research.We specialize in collecting primary and secondary research data. Our commitment and experience in the US, Europe, Asia, and MENA markets enable us to provide comprehensive solutions for qualitative and quantitative data-collecting requirements. Services: Online Research, Sample, Survey, Research Support, Quantitative Research Services, Qualitative Research Services, Social Research, Survey Programming, Online Research, Focus Groups, B2BResearch Services, Consumer Research Services (B2C) in India

Foundation Year: 2011

Company size: 11-50 employees

Address: #1108, Tower J, Ace City Noida Extension, Sector 1, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201306

Website: www.spadesurvey.com

Market Research Company #3: Insight Asia Research Group Pte. Ltd.Singapore

The Insight Asia is a Asia Market Research Specialist .Their aim is to be of maximum value to clients’ businesses and provide optimum all-encompassing research solutions. Since 2007, they have expanded our footprint to include offices in Vietnam and the Philippines .Now headquartered in Singapore, and enjoying over 21 years of successful business

Services: qualitative and quantitative research. These include ethnography, product placement, sensory analytics, social listening, advanced analytics, observation, mystery shopping, usability testing, eye tracking, online forums, digital diaries and video blogging.

Foundation Year: 2004

Company size: 20 employees

Address: 60 Paya Lebar Road, #11-28 Paya Lebar Square, Singapore 409051

Website: www.insightasia.com

Market Research Company # 4: Joshua Research Consultants Pte. Ltd, Singapore

Joshua Research Consultants is an award-winning and rapidly expanding organization that provides market research services and data collecting in Asia Pacific, the world’s fastest-growing area.Their quality market research and excellent service record are widely recognized by leading market research companies in the region. They are honored to be the “Preferred Agency” by many MNCs and local companies.

Services: Data collection services, Methodology, Market coverage, Quality management, Research affiliates

Foundation Year: 2004

Company Size:11-50 employees

Address: Joshua Research Consultants Pte Ltd, Singapore , 1 Commonwealth Lane #08-30 One Commonwealth , Singapore 149544

Website:www.joshuaresearch.com

Market Research Company #5. TNB Global Survey Pte Ltd, Singapore

TNB globally provide cost effective Online & Offline market research data collection services. They provide one-stop-shop offering to global clients through Panel/Online & F2F-CAPI/CAWI data collection service. Their vast international set up has helped companies to gain global presence & their footprints across continents.

Services: Qualitative and Quantitative Research, Audience  Measurement, Panel Management, Projects Management, Tracking and Analysis, Mystery Shopping, Statistical Analysis Information Technology, Banking & Finance, Healthcare &  Pharmaceuticals, Real Estate, Transportation & Logistics, Utilities, FMC, Manufacturing &  Retail, Travel, Tourism & Hospitality, Public Services, Solutions

Foundation Year: 2018

Company Size:11-50 Employees

Address: 11 Collyer Quay, #06-03 The Arcade, Singapore 049317

Website: www. tnbsurvey.com                           

Market Research Company #6. TGM Research, Singapore

TGM Research specializes in mobile market research and online panels. They help globally for making quality decisions. TGM Research, specialize in multi-country online research with their experience and big network of panels support them to deliver high-quality surveys almost anywhere. As one of a big market research company they provide reliable data collection solutions and various services.

Their teams are placed in 17 countries which help them to take and efficiently manage multinational online market research projects and deliver the best results. They give a global consumer experience. Services: survey creation, online data collection, data processing, automated qualitative sentiment coding, scripting and data quality standards.

Foundation Year: 2017

Company Size:50-100 employees

Address: A68 Circular Road #02-01, 049422, Singapore

Website: www. tgmresearch.com

How Spade Survey Help: Best Market Research Companies in Singapore

Spade Survey is a well-known and well-established Market Research Organisation in Singapore that is continually updating itself with the latest trends and methodologies in the market. Our staffs consist of professional and efficient experts who are well-versed in market research in Singapore.

In the market, we have a competitive price plan with higher service quality. These variables serve as our Unique Differentiating Factor among Singapore research firms. Our team has worked on over 50 business-to-business research studies, covering every research genre, business difficulty, and industry vertical.

We provide our clients with market research, feasibility studies, consumer behavior analytics, business plan development, business expansion, and business consulting. Our team provides actionable market insights that aid in the implementation of profitable business strategies.

Conclusion:

Choosing the right market research firm in Singapore for your needs is critical because each agency has different experiences — whether in terms of service offerings or specialties.

Market research can provide several benefits to businesses like yours. Working with the correct firm is essential, as each agency has distinct strengths. A consulting firm can provide significant local insights, whether in terms of offers or areas of expertise.

While choosing the cheapest or most comprehensive and accessible agency may appear enticing, they may not be able to provide the same depth of insights or research services as a professional market research organization.

If you require precise market and business intelligence reports suited to your specific requirements, contact Spade Survey. To assist our customers in making informed decisions, we focus on offering high-quality market research, statistical data analysis, feasibility studies, business plans and expansion, and business consulting services.

Looking for a market research company in Singapore? Please feel free to reach out to us at +1-(929)-237-1145 or Request a quote by email at marketing@spadesurvey.com

[zorilleerrant]

Discussions of race and racism are difficult because the systemic pressure is against talking about it. Because of this, words can be taken out of context or used in confusing ways.

The word antiblack means racist against black people, and can be used to refer to a specific incident of racism against an individual black person (whether targeted or not), or any act that specifically targets black people. That's not all it means, and even when it does mean that it doesn't imply that other people don't experience the same type of racism, just that, in that particular instance, either the target or the victim was black.

It also refers to two interrelated phenomena that obviously include black people, but importantly are not limited to black people. The first is examples of racism that usually or disproportionately target or impact black people, even when they often target or impact other people of color. When other people are targeted or impacted by racism like that, it's still antiblack in the systemic sense, although it may make more or less sense to use it while referring to the specific instance that involves no black people. The use of the word to describe the system is not intended to erase or diminish the way this impacts nonblack people.

The second is that racism specifically targeted against black people is a driving force of historical racism within the USA, and therefore many structures are built with the historical assumption they should primarily target black people, and with continuing disproportionate impacts on black people. (This is true to different degrees in different places, but Triangle Trade Slavery is a major part of the development of US racism.) This does not mean other people do not experience racism, or make any claims as to the type, duration, or harmful impacts of the racism other people experience. It also does not specify that nonblack people don't experience antiblackness, but rather that most racism or the most common racism that everyone in the US experiences is driven by historical antiblackness.

In the same way that orientalism can target and impact nonasians, and islamophobia can target and impact people who are neither Muslim nor MENA, etc. the word antiblackness should be taken in conjunction with understandings of the systemic structures rather that specific reference to a demographic. Yes, the word can be used in ways that implicitly or explicitly exclude other nonwhite people, or in ways that erase marginalizations that aren't based on race, but it's still an important academic and informational term generally. It shouldn't be taken to mean anything exclusionary just by its usage, and even cases where it may not fit as well as other terms it shouldn't be assumed to be malicious.

Race as a marginalized identity works differently than other marginalized identities do, and white people, no matter how marginalized, still access white privilege and benefit from systems that center and uplift whiteness and white people. So it's important to have terms that specifically talk about racism and the systems that surround it, instead of trying to use 'bigotry' as a catchall term, which only works some of the time, and is often not nuanced enough to describe the actual problem in question. Speaking about racism or centering racism in discussions of bigotry is not harmful to other marginalized people and should not be taken as an accusation or as disbelief about their experiences. While there is overlap, it's not always the most beneficial to talk about the overlap.

The types of racism that target or impact people based on racial categories are not only different, but are frequently legally encoded or otherwise socially enforced explicitly, rather than just through tradition. Even when the outcomes are the same, talking about the history and development of racist structures is often important to understanding the current situation, or understanding how to ameliorate current problems. In other cases, the history may be the same, but later social factors may mean different groups are disproportionately targeted or harmed. The ways in which individuals express racism also differs from group to group. Therefore, it's important to have words that refer to different strains of racism, instead of relying on the single word racism to capture all of that nuance by itself. It's not always the most productive to talk about racism as a whole, and that doesn't automatically mean that races that aren't being centered or discussed are immune to the issues in question. Most people are not using the specific words that way. People are using specific terms to discuss things that need to be specific. They also use it to specify their personal experiences.

So when people talk about a specific kind of racism - whether it's about black people, asians, natives, or any specific race - instead of questioning whether or how it impacts people of other races, try to think about it within the context of what the speakers are talking about. They may be speaking only about their own experiences, in which case examples from people of other races may add to the conversation. They may be speaking about systemic structures, in which case either the causes or the symptoms are specific, and it's important to address those instead. They may be speaking within the context of history, and it's important to understand that history. It's important to talk about racism, and it's important to be able to discuss the nuances of racism.