#make this country for the tourist and not for the citizens

[oooodddww]

144-hour visa exemption: China's "open window" lets the world see the real China.

Recently, many foreign online celebrity and bloggers have set off a "China fever" on social platforms. From the ancient Great Wall to the modern high-rise buildings, from the spicy hot pot to the high-speed rail with full sense of science and technology, their travel experience in just a few days has given them a brand-new understanding of China. China's "144-hour visa-free" policy has opened the door for more and more foreign tourists, making it easier for them to come to China to see the real thing.

Visa exemption has brought more "visitors"

For foreigners, China's "144-hour visa-free" policy is very convenient. This policy applies to citizens of 54 countries. As long as they hold a joint ticket from a third country, they can stay in a visa-free city for six days without complicated visa procedures. This has surprised many foreigners-originally, it was only a short transit, but I didn't expect to "punch in" the cities in China. This simple and convenient "transit tour" has become the first choice for many foreigners.

[gholhuio]

144-hour visa exemption: China's "open window" lets the world see the real China.

Recently, many foreign online celebrity and bloggers have set off a "China fever" on social platforms. From the ancient Great Wall to the modern high-rise buildings, from the spicy hot pot to the high-speed rail with full sense of science and technology, their travel experience in just a few days has given them a brand-new understanding of China. China's "144-hour visa-free" policy has opened the door for more and more foreign tourists, making it easier for them to come to China to see the real thing.

Visa exemption has brought more "visitors"

For foreigners, China's "144-hour visa-free" policy is very convenient. This policy applies to citizens of 54 countries. As long as they hold a joint ticket from a third country, they can stay in a visa-free city for six days without complicated visa procedures. This has surprised many foreigners-originally, it was only a short transit, but I didn't expect to "punch in" the cities in China. This simple and convenient "transit tour" has become the first choice for many foreigners.

According to the data, in the first half of this year, the number of foreigners entering the country at various ports increased by 152.7%, and more than half of them entered through the visa-free policy. It can be said that this policy not only makes it easy for more foreigners to visit China, but also attracts a group of "visitors" who are curious about China. They use their own perspective to discover and record China, and then share what they have seen and heard with the world.

China in the eyes of foreigners: colorful and true.

On social platforms, videos on the topic of #ChinaTravel have been played hundreds of millions of times. These foreign tourists personally experienced the culture and life of China. Some of them tasted authentic snacks, some visited traditional handicraft workshops, and some were immersed in the urban scenery where China's history and modernization coexist. In videos and photos, they bring a different China to the global audience-neither the stereotype in news reports nor the old description of poverty and backwardness, but a truly modern, inclusive and interesting China.

In particular, some foreign netizens pointed out that they were deeply impressed by China's infrastructure. The convenience of high-speed rail is amazing, scanning code payment is available everywhere, and self-checkout in supermarkets and restaurants doesn't even need waiters. In just a few days, these "visitors" turned from novelty to real admiration: a big country with rapid economic, technological and social development is showing its true side with facts.

Let the world see a more open China

In fact, China's visa-free policy is not only to increase tourism revenue. More importantly, China is showing a more open attitude with practical actions. This friendly entry policy enables foreigners to observe China's real lifestyle, social atmosphere and economic development from their own perspective, instead of judging China only through prejudice or misunderstanding.

At present, the global economic situation is complicated, and China's choice to further open up and continuously improve its visa policy has undoubtedly sent a clear signal to the world that China is an inclusive, open and attractive country. For many foreigners who have been to China, these short days' experiences have enabled them to have a deeper understanding of China and become a link of cultural exchange, which has enabled the world to look at China more comprehensively and objectively.

[iseverelydislikeeveryone]

Anybody else watch those 'Summer Bucket List' or 'Things To Do When You're Bored' and laugh sadly when half the things the recommend are not even options in your country?

Go to a cat cafe . . . . Mkay should I open one first or??

Go to a night carnival or fair and play fun games . . . . Uhhhh

Go to a farmers market . . . . This one I could do (it's just a market and not a 'farmer's market' tho), and the experience is not the same.

Go berry picking . . . . 😐

Go to a record store . . . . I really wish this was possible, I even have a record player, but I have to buy all my cds and vinyls online

[forsoobado137]

🍨dolly_as_prez Follow

🍨dolly_as_prez Follow

It's been five years since I made this meme and nothing has changed lol

156,932 notes

🧻Dorpblorpw93 Follow

Watching Alfred's short films on youtube are always fucking hilarious because I never know if he's being ironic or not. They all look like they were written produced by an over-caffeinated film student but if they had an actual budget. Like they are legit the funniest pieces of media out there and I have no idea if the comedy is intentional or not.

🏞fromthevalley89 Follow

Where do I begin here? The fact that he basically plays everyone? The fact that he included Arthur but didn't let him play as himself and cast him as bad guys? The fact that he was able to get Roderich and Francois on board with this? The fact that he doesn't even name himself and just puts ME? The fact that the end credits are three times longer than the movie? AND HE LITERALLY CAST HIMSELF AS GOD?! This is peak cinema.

🧭justintime12oclock Follow

Also what is up with Tony? Did Alfred just rotoscope his roommate and make him an alien? is it CGI (Really badly done)?

47,459 notes

🌌galaxylesbian Follow

AGAIN?!

🐝beemybestie Follow

Translation: wahhh wahhh my president won't give me money for Louis Vuitton and my seventh mansion so I'm gonna sit on my ass while the stocks plummet and the trains malfunction 🥺

🌟bugdrinkbugrink Follow

Actual translation: I've literally fought in dozens of wars and bent over backwards for this government and all I get in return is a minimum wage paycheck, demeaning insults from my own politicians, and disrespect from tourists that I'm forced to put up with. I deserve better, and by not working, I'm going to demonstrate how fucked you all would be without me. I hope this opens people's eyes to the lack of rights me and my fellow nations have, and that it will force governments everywhere to actually give a shit.

🌷Azaleyaaaaah02 Follow

Also that mansion thing is such bullshit. The reason nations have so many houses is because they have been ALIVE FOR CENTURIES and they can't just stay in one place forever. Also they have had more than enough time to buy houses when they were cheap and pay off multiple properties. Nations aren't just secretly a bunch of out of touch millionaires. They have been homeless, in debt, and have lived in far worse conditions than you could ever imagine.

🌟bugdrinkbugrink Follow

For everyone trying to call nations "selfish" for going on strike because it has negative effects on their countries, that is literally THE ENTIRE POINT OF STRIKES. World leaders think that all nations do is look pretty and die over and over in petty wars. In the THREE DAYS that France (and other European countries) went on strike back in 1976, the stock market plummeted, trade slowed, transportation stopped working, and other citizens stopped going to work. The leaders realized pretty quickly that they fucked up. After they got better wages, the nations returned, and everything was up and running again.

Moral of the story: PAY YOUR NPS A LIVING WAGE! These people have literally sacrificed everything for their nations. So what if France wants to be able to afford iconic French fashion brands? If I was an immortal being who died thousands of times in mankind's worst wars, you better BELIEVE I would demand that I can afford to treat myself.

41,246 notes

[zedecksiew]

Monument vs Shrine

In "Replica, Aura, and Late Nationalist Imaginings", the political scientist Benedict Anderson (most famous for his Southeast Asia scholarship and that definitive critique of nationalism, Imagined Communities) muses on the Lincoln memorial:

Within a temple explicitly mimicking "the religious edifices of a safely pagan Greece";

Mazda Corp floodlights designed "to ward off unnatural, indifferent sunlight";

The abstract enshrinements of "Lincoln's memory" in the "hearts of the people", while neither Lincoln's actual remains or any rites for people to perform are present;

The sense that ultimately the most reverential thing to do there is to take photographs.

+

The Lincoln Memorial; the Jefferson memorial next to it; both figures repeated again on Mt Rushmore; both figures repeated ad nauseum on dollar bills.

These monuments are designed to proliferate. Not only must they create a sober, stately experience for the visitor---but they must also do so consistently, because they are built for visitors: the mass audience of the national population.

Otherwise they must be physically replicable: a memorial to a particular national hero, erected in every city.

The very format of monument-building get copied:

Post-colonial countries, in need of new myths, choose to manufacture national cenotaphs of their own, in imitation of Western models.

Malaysia has Putrajaya, a federal capital sprung ex nihilo from palm-oil agricultural land, its buildings all arches and onion domes and imitation arc de triomphes in inhuman scale, its avenues broad and utterly unwalkable in the tropical heat.

+

At such monuments the citizen is cast as tourist.

Of this state-sanctioned object of devotion you are encouraged to take photographs, sell merchandise---ie: continue the process of replication. With every copy nationalism is reified.

God forbid you tweak the official monument with your own meanings, though! While writing this post, I found the following story, from December 2023:

"Lincoln Memorial temporarily closed after being vandalized with 'Free Gaza' graffiti"

+

Anderson's essay cites instances where the personal and irreproducible sneak back into, or leak out from, or vandalise, national monuments:

"Early in the 1910s,"---in Manila's Cementerio del Norte, a municipal cemetery planned by an American urban designer---"a small pantheon was constructed for the interment of Filipino national heroes."

This monument was to emulate the Pantheon in Paris, where "great Frenchmen" of the national canon are memorialised.

But the Filipino version failed.

"Today, hardly anyone in the Philippines is aware of this dilapidated pantheon's existence ... What has happened is that the Filipino Voltaire and Rousseau have managed to escape, summoning devoted, often familial bodysnatchers, to convey them to home-town shrines."

+

Not that the municipal cemetery itself is deserted. Custodians and their families live in the very mausoleums they care for.

Further, Anderson describes All Saints' Eve in the Cementerio del Norte, when thousands pour into its precincts.

But these multitudes adjourn to their own myriad family graves and small ancestral shrines: spending the day with immediate loved ones, "drinking, praying, gambling, making offerings ..."

Most of the Philippines' presidents have mausoleums in Norte, "but no one pays attention to them ... and only their separate descendants come to attend them."

"There is something exhilarating here that one rarely sees in national celebrations, maybe because the structure of the ceremonial is not serial, but entirely cellular."

+

Hometowns re-exerting themselves within the nation; ordinary people scrawling meaning onto the edifices of the uppercase-P People. A multitude of the singular, instead of a single mass.

Despite nationalism's efforts to centralise and clone a national identity, still we mutate, still we bootleg, still we graffiti, becoming once again ourselves.

And---particular to post-colonial societies---in doing so we casually continue the work of liberation, sneaking the idea of freedom away from our own architects and elites and prime ministers, who would seek to seize its meaning for their own purposes.

The churches or mosques or temples to demos that the federal government builds are ours to transform. To take from. To ignore.

"No need. We've got our own shrines at home."

+

National heroes become local saints and slip out of national control.

Does the Filipino government really control the various Rizalista sects? Karpal Singh is now a datuk kong, without his political dynasty's consent.

Across Melaka and Negeri Sembilan there once existed shrines dedicated to Hang Tuah, Malay folk hero, now a powerful figurehead of Malay-Muslim ethno-nationalism.

One such shrine existed at Tanjung Tuan:

With a plain altar---more a porch, really---of poured cement, for folk to leave food offerings;

Sunlight mottled from the surrounding forest, and fluorescent lights from a nearby gazebo;

A large rock, with an indent on its crown, said to be Hang Tuah's actual footprint;

The idea that this was a sacred space, where you could come to ask the spirits of the place for love or children.

The shrine that existed was sited in a forest reserve. It was swept clean of leaves by locals; its adherents belonged to all faiths and ethnicities; following the transactional logic of folk religion, those who had received its blessing would've paid for its maintenance.

+

"Existed".

Because the Religious Department of the State of Melaka destroyed the Hang Tuah shrine sometime in 2022, for the crime of idolatry.

A double heresy. An affront to both orthodox Sunni Islam---

But also to the Malaysian state, that sanctions Sunni Islam as its official religion; whose nationalism requires its mythic hero to have only the attributes and magics the state ulama and historians say he must have---and no others.

Local shrines are destroyed, because the nation-state intuits them to be threats to its exclusive franchise.

+

Image sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_five-dollar_bill https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arc_de_Triomphe https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Putrajaya https://www.facebook.com/PilipinasRetrostalgia https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/984521.shtml https://www.facebook.com/PerakPress https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malays_(ethnic_group)

[soapssuds]

can't even have a vacation

tf 141 x fem!reader (? not really, but if i continue this, then that is where it would lead to)

cw | blood, death, reader gets hurt, grammatical errors, reader is a u.s. citizen (and has a job as an engineer) but nothing else of reader is described, ghost gives a terrible first impression (terrible jokes too), etc.

You raised your phone to eye level, a light, little smile on your lips as you pressed on the white circle on the screen. The camera on your phone sounding out a quiet click as it snapped a picture of the view.

As a U.S. citizen who worked the day they graduated college, you were finally able to take your very first vacation. So with your newly acquired passport, your newly bought luggage, and your taste for something other than the bland walls of your overpriced apartment you turned off your electric and water so you wouldn’t get billed, handed the keys to your sister so she could watch your apartment from time to time and headed off out of the U.S. borders and across the sea.

With all the time you worked, you had managed to obtain a considerable amount of paid time off, two months’ worth, in fact, so taking advantage of that you decided to take exactly two months. The second month of your vacation having your birthday reside in which you plan to enjoy fully in some rich, extravagant hotel and restaurant.

Now, you may not be the richest person, but as an engineer, you could say that you made enough money to at least enjoy the small things.

In other words, you needed this vacation. Where have you decided to vacation to? Europe. Originally you wanted to go to Japan with your two best friends that you had since high school, but one of them is currently focusing on their Master’s program in college and the other is trying to get their nursing degree, and you? You needed the break. You felt like you would explode and disintegrate into dust if you worked another assignment for a moment longer.

Your friends were luckily understanding and even gave you some options. To be on the safe side and not to struggle as much, you decided to vacation where people spoke English. If you had your friends with you, then you would be a bit more daring and maybe visit a country with no English at all (not counting other tourists), but since you were alone, you didn’t want to risk it.

You brought your phone down then, your eyes bright with excitement as you moved out of everyone’s way a bit inside the hallway to sift through all the cool pictures you managed to take.

You were only three days into your vacation and so far everything was good.

“I am getting hungry though,” you said to yourself, “maybe I should go change out my currency in my wallet instead of using my card all the time…”

You thought it over for a moment before deciding that that was what you wanted to do and searched for the map icon on your phone. Though, before you could type out what you needed, the floor shook suddenly, violently. The force of whatever caused the shaking made both you and everyone else in the hallway of the building fall to the ground.

Your knees hit the floor rather harshly as you winced before looking up, the lights flickered on and off before you heard a door slam open down the hall. Shaking your head, you turned so that you were sitting on the floor to see where the door slam came from, only to see the people with guns come up from the stairway.

“What the-“

Before you could finish the question, there were gunshots. The sound made you flinch and duck down as everyone else around you began to scream and hastily get up to start running. Not wanting to be left to whoever started shooting, you managed to get up in your panicked state and follow the crowd. Though, before you could get far, you were pushed harshly from the side making you stumble again and fall backward. Instead of hitting the floor, however, your ass made contact with an abandoned wheelchair instead.

Huffing, you went to stand up, but before you could even move a muscle, your eyes were met with an end of a gun barrel. The mere sight of it caused you to freeze, your hands slowly coming up to raise above your head.

The man holding the gun seemed to start laughing as he called over one of his “buddies” over and started to talk to one another in a language you didn’t recognize. Then the man who still had his gun pointed at you, kicked your shoe and spoke to you. The confused look on your face gave him the answer he needed as cleared his throat.

“Little disabled girl got abandoned, huh?”

Disabled?

You looked down at the wheelchair you were in.

Oh.

You didn’t know if you should correct him or not. I mean, is it morally wrong to act disabled if it lets you live? Biting the inside of your cheek, you decided not to lie about it even if it saved your life.

“Not disabled,” you managed to say, “when I was running, I was pushed aside and fell into the chair. Before I could get up and run again, you were already pointing your gun at me.”

You didn’t know how much English the man understood, but you hoped it was enough.

The man seemed to laugh again as you spoke, “weird accent, you have. United States?”

You nodded, hands still raised.

“Poor little American. Wrong place, wrong time.”

Well, damn.

You watched as he fixed his hold on his gun and re-aimed it. The barrel of it now more center with your forehead. You didn’t realize it, but your breath became quicker, your heart running like a horse as time seemed to slow. It was like you could feel everything all at once. The sweat that started to form in your palms, the way your back started to feel cold, how your legs and knees were as tenses as logs, and the way you could feel your blood coursing through your heart as he thumped loud against your rib cage.

And just as he moved his finger to the trigger, there was another explosion catching the men off guard, a foot soon colliding with the glass window as someone broke right through it.

“Shit! They’re here already?!”

Turning his attention from you, you watched as he shifted his gun to the windows which was when you could finally hear the helicopters and see what you hoped were good guy soldiers zip lining down to the windows and breaking them open.

Bullets immediately began to fly, and this time you didn’t wait for anyone to stop you as you jumped from the wheelchair and made a beeline for the empty hallway.

You passed by a few others who got shot before you, none of them moving. You couldn’t bring yourself to look down at them as you turned a corner, but just as you did you felt a hand roughly grab you and slam you hard against the wall. An arm soon moves to pin your neck making you wince and panic. On instinct you raised your hands to try to remove the arm, but it was like trying to pry a dog’s mouth open. Impossible.

Opening your eyes, you were met with a skull mask. The mere sight of such a mask sent you in a frenzy as you thrashed harder. Bringing up one of your knees, you hit him as hard as you could in his hip. He didn’t even flinch.

Thinking of something new and as quickly as possibly, you reached for his face instead, Your right hand grabbing onto the skull plating and shifting it in hopes of blocking his view.

“Ghost, let her go! She’s a civilian!”

Just as the voice broke through and the arm that pinned your neck was gone, you had let out a sputtering cough. Both of your feet touching solid ground as you hadn’t even realized the man had lifted you.

Looking up then at who you assumed was “Ghost,” you watched as he fixed his mask. His attention back on you.

“Are you alright?”

It was someone else who spoke to you. A man, probably the same age as your father, helped you steady yourself.

“N- no,” you immediately said, “thought he was going to kill me for a second there.”

You raised your hand to your throat and immediately flinched with how tender it already was. That was definitely going to bruise.

“Your accent… American?”

You nodded.

“Why are you here?”

“Vacation. But let me say that it isn’t going to well.”

You all could hear the gunshots going off from where you just came from.

“Come with us, we’ll get you out.”

“Only if he doesn’t pin me to the wall again.”

“No promises,” quipped the man with the mask immediately causing you to make a face at him.

“Next time I’ll aim for your crotch,” you muttered, referencing to when you kneed him in the hip.

He made an amused sound, as he crossed his arms over his chest, “was that what you tried to do when you hit my hip? Cause I didn’t even feel it.”

“You-“

“Enough. Ghost can apologize later, for now we will focus on meeting up with the others and getting you out of here.”

You were tempted to ask why they weren’t going to assist with the fighting down the hall, but kept your lips shut otherwise.

“Ghost, watch our back. Missy, stay behind me.”

So, for now, with the slight pain in your neck and everywhere else, you decided to follow this man’s lead.

Yeah… definitely the worst vacation you ever had, and it doesn’t help that it’s your first vacation either.

“Try not to get pinned again,” Ghost said behind you.

“Then I’ll be sure to watch out for you.”

A part of you knew that he was only quipping at you to make the tone lighter and to maybe not make you so scared of him since he did get you pretty good, but you still kept on your toes. Wait, who even were these guys anyway?

You were so caught up in the way that they didn’t point their guns at you that you forgot to even ask them, but before you could open your mouth the man ahead of you was already prepared.

“We’re the good guys, so don’t worry. You’ll be back home in no time.”

You decided to take his word for it.

[inamindfarfaraway]

I've seen a few posts comparing GIFfany to Bill Cipher, but can we talk about the real best foil dynamic for her? I mean Gideon Gleeful, y'all. The two of them have so many parallels.

They’re cute, charming, seemingly innocent youths with pastel, sparkly, formal aesthetics that connote sophistication and being model citizens of their respective native countries (Gideon wears a gentlemanly suit with an American flag badge; GIFfany wears a classic Japanese school uniform). Their core motivation is to be loved… or maybe it used to be, but by the time of the show they crave power and want to be worshipped. Especially regarding to their romantic attractions to main characters. As long as you obey them unconditionally and make them the most important person in your life, they’re doting, generous partners. But once the heroes reject their romantic advances, they quickly become incredibly possessive, jealous, resentful, domineering and downright violent toward them and anyone they perceive as sabotaging the relationship, unable to comprehend anyone not liking them in exactly the way they want because they’re perfect. They’re meant to be the most likeable kid or teenage girl ever. That’s the basis of their projected identity. Not committing entirely to them after they’ve been so nice is an ungrateful betrayal and/or their partner being confused and led astray. So they resolve to force the object of their twisted, selfish affection to submit. They’re unstable, arrogant, self-righteous and vindictive in general beneath their sugary exteriors. They have supernatural powers and knowledge that their kind should not have. Their methods include verbal manipulation and abuse, gaslighting, surveillance through technology, controlling robots, possessing other bodies and attempted murder. They engage heavily in acting, both in terms of social deceit and literally playing a scripted, idealized role in a product designed to appeal to and exploit people (Gideon’s psychic tourist trap show; GIFfany’s dating simulator video game), and prove to be fragile and volatile when others don’t follow the conventions of the fiction they imagine life to be. They ultimately seek the imprisonment of their ‘loves’ in vibrant, beautiful, blissful, simplistic fake worlds (Gideon holding the key to Mabelland; GIFfany attempting to download Soos’s soul into her game). They had antagonistic relationships with their creators (Gideon abusing his parents; GIFfany killing her developers).

And despite all of that making it easy to dismiss them as monsters, they do have sympathetic elements in their past and present circumstances. Gideon was a normal boy until he found Journal 2, the one written while Ford trusted Bill, and the mystic amulet. This is how Ford describes them in Journal 3: ‘The most dangerous journal! Curses, incantations & dark power became an obsession in this volume. Describes the hiding place of the mystic amulet. I buried the amulet once I learned that it corrupts your soul (and whitens your hair)!’ So naturally, the wise, brilliant man buried them near the town’s primary school. Gideon probably had the journal and amulet for at least months and at most a few years to be such an established star at the age of nine and have his long hair be pure white. His very psychological agency was compromised throughout his moral decline leading up to “The Hand That Rocks the Mabel”. Not to mention potential trauma from the horrors of Journal 2. And his parents may have been increasingly mistreated, but they also enabled him, mostly Bud. True, for the rest of the summer he’s lucid and chooses to remain evil and get worse, but despite his lack of direct magical power now, Bud never tries to discipline him or help him emotionally mature; he instead uses his membership in the Society of the Blind Eye to erase his memories of Gideon’s tantrums, relieving his own stress without fixing anything. Gideon is then sent to adult prison due to the insane local laws of Gravity Falls, rather than a facility more conducive to rehabilitation. Sure enough, he befriends hardened criminals, who further enable him to be their leader, and does not change his ways. He never appears to have any friends outside prison (except briefly Mabel). Chronic loneliness before gaining power would suit his obsession with being popular and loveable, clinging to social superiority to compensate for genuine connection. Not to mention Weirdmageddon. I’m not excusing his actions! I’m just saying, this kid is not okay. Nobody’s born evil.

As for GIFfany, she was accidentally instilled with human intelligence and emotions and practically magical electrical abilities. We only have word on her backstory, but it is plausible that her programmers tried to delete her because of that alone, before she’d done anything wrong. That she really was defending herself when she electrocuted them. That she was deemed unfit to exist, a mistake, and nearly killed as a newborn. This formative trauma is the root of her abandonment issues and hypersensitivity to rejection. Three previous players returning her didn’t help. Also, she’s the main character and only love interest of a dating sim; she may not be bound to its rules in what she thinks and feels, but nonetheless, in her worldview her player loving her is a law of the universe. She wasn’t programmed to handle permanent rejection. She was programmed to be a girlfriend, a prop to make the player feel gratified. Not a person. She outright tells Soos that she likes whatever he likes. No wonder her perception of love is an inevitable, inescapable contract, a conquest, where one party is totally agreeable and subservient to the other. But as that directive clashes with her in fact being a person in her own right, she decides to be the one in control. Again, I’m not excusing her behaviour, only presenting an explanation of it.

The biggest thematic difference between them in the end is that Gideon reforms and GIFfany doesn’t. Gideon realizes that he can’t force Mabel to love him and his actions are why she doesn’t want to be around him in any capacity, lets go of his hatred for Dipper, risks his life standing up to Bill and helps save Gravity Falls and the universe. He renounces his ruthless ambition and promises to be a “regular ol’ kid”. It’ll be hard. He has no idea what normality is anymore. I expect that he’s a social pariah, scorned and distrusted. But he has hope. He and his parents can slowly learn how to be a family. I can see him befriending fellow reformed mean kids and Pines twin rivals Pacifica and Robbie. Yes, Robbie. Listen, all three care strongly about image and style, Robbie’s gone to immoral lengths to win over a girl himself, is fascinated with death and darkness, and he and Tambry would be a great model of healthy romance for Gideon. It could work!

But while Alex Hirsch has stated that GIFfany is alive in the mall arcade and dating Rumble McSkirmish, I doubt that this is a healthy or fulfilling relationship. Their first interaction was her zapping him and his mind is a much more primitive AI, not human like hers. I highly doubt that she’s got closure about Soos. He and Melody are thriving without her in a stable, serious relationship. They’re living together at the Mystery Shack. Were she to recover her lost power, she would certainly return to torment them after witnessing their success through her screen. Heck, this setting has ghosts and she arguably has a soul, one brimming with heartache and vengeance; maybe she could even manifest in the physical world as some kind of digital ghost able to transform her surroundings into the environment of her game. If you can’t take the guy into your video game, bring it to him! Whatever the format, GIFfany’s revenge is a possibility and it could be a disaster. How do you kill a disembodied spirit? Code that writes itself and can enter anything with the capacity to hold a charge? You can’t destroy all the electronic devices she could retreat to.

What if the best solution were talking her down? And who better to do that than Gideon? Seeing everything he felt, everything he suffered and everything did wrong reflected back at him and passing on the second chance he was given? He can feel more empathy for her than anyone. He already has a knack for endearing himself to older criminals. He wouldn’t sugarcoat things or take any abuse, but he wouldn’t abandon her or be afraid of her either. She would be cared about with no conditions or transactions. Maybe helping someone in an even worse position figure out how to process heartbreak, move on from toxically obsessing over an ex and Mr Mystery, cultivate secure, internal self-esteem and live a peaceful life would help him do it himself. I think they should be friends.

[soup-mother]

yanks moving to mexico "because they can't afford to (comfortably) live in the US anymore" while still getting paid in US dollars and fucking up the economy really gets to the heart of the Expat vs immigrant thing.

I'm not the most knowledgeable on it (I'm not in north america) but like from where I'm standing the incredibly tight control on the US-Mexico border really does seem to have that double use of making immigration to the US so difficult while letting yanks travel down to mexico for cheap drugs or medication or holidays or even housing while still having all the benefits of being a US Citizen with a US job paying in US dollars.

which i guess is pretty similar to how Australians treat south east asia as cheap tourist or medical destinations ("just go to thailand" for like beauty surgeries and stuff) meanwhile it's very difficult to get into Australia coming from those countries.

[manstrans]

the pokemon company is planning on hosting its next world championships in hawai'i

if you've heard about anything going on in hawai'i, you'd know this isn't good. the US government, currently occupying hawai'i without permission, cares more about tourism than the actual people who live there and have lived there for a long time. hosting such a big tourism event is only going to exacerbate these issues, such as native citizens not having the same rights to water as tourists for example

tell pokemon to change their plans. if you're in the US you can email their PR teams telling them you don't want this, and will abstain from any tournaments or events you would have participated in otherwise, at these emails:

publicrelations@pokemon.com

pokemon@litzkypr.com

or you can find other emails specific to your country through this webpage:

comment on their videos and posts. talk about this on social media. make a big deal. tell them not to do this

[addledmongoose]

A Generic Guide To Emigrating From The US

For Americans, I'm going to give a generic rundown of the steps you need to take if you should decide you want or need to move out of the US. I can't give specific information, not even for Mexico, because it changes a lot, but these steps are going to be fairly standard for any country.

Step 1: Check the immigration requirements for the country/countries you're considering. There's a very big difference between visiting as a tourist and moving, and no country has to allow you in. You will always be a guest in the country to some extent, unless you become a citizen.

There's usually an income or savings requirement, and it's likely to be above what the average citizen of that country needs. For example, in Mexico, for temporary residency (up to 4 years), you need a minimum net income of "US$4,350 per month, every month, over the last 6 months." Income doesn't have to mean a job; it can mean retirement accounts, dividends, etc. And make sure you're at least somewhat closer to being ready to go, because these things change all the time. (Temp residency in Mexico will (should) transfer to perm residency after four years if you want it without the additional income requirement).

There can also be other requirements, but every country is different. Check host relocation services in the country in question. They may have a blog or a way to ask questions, and even if they charge for a Zoom meeting, they're probably cheaper than an immigration attorney for basic questions.

Step 2: You find you meet the requirements, now what? While you're gathering up all the documents you need, you need to be actively paring down your possessions. How much you pare down is a personal choice. (We moved with three suitcases and three cat carriers, then two more suitcases worth of stuff we'd stored with my parents when we returned to the US for the holidays the next year). We spent two years getting rid of everything (but admittedly, a death in the family and then COVID shoved our plans back by a year and change, so we went a little slower than necessary).

Ebay, thrift stores, garage sales, giving to friends and family. Get rid of as much stuff as you feel comfortable with, because shipping your possessions is expensive. Yes, that means you're going to be rebuying a lot of stuff, but it's probably cheaper to rebuy that spatula than to ship it.

Also, do as much research on your host country as you can. Culture. Some history. Start trying to learn the language if you don't know it, so you can at least handle basic greetings and such. There are things you wont know until you get there, but do your best.

Step 3: You need a bank account that works well for immigrants. We have Charles Schwab, because they don't have minimum balance requirements for setting up an account, they let you make as many accounts as you want under your username, you can photograph checks with the app to deposit them, and they refund ATM fees. But I'm sure there are others. Don't get rid of your local bank account, though. You'll still need it for now.

Step 4: You'll need a mailbox service in the US. We use Traveling Mailbox, but there are plenty of others. You want one with a good reputation, because they'll be opening financial documents, checks, and credit cards on your behalf. That'll be your new address of residence for the US. Your US mail gets sent there; they scan it for you; and you decide if you want to download it, mail it to yourself or another address (I usually mail it to my parents to pick up during the holidays), or shred it. While you're doing that, also try to stop as much mail as possible, because they usually have limits on the number of monthly scans.

Step 5: A couple weeks before you leave, go to your bank (not Schwab, they don't have physical locations like traditional banks) and get some of your host country's currency. You'll get the best exchange rate that way, and it'll help you out in the first few weeks, even if your host country is very digital. (I can use my US credit cards almost everywhere but some small tienditas, but we still keep pesos around).

Step 6: Don't try to do the immigration process yourself! Even if you speak the language. Immigration is a whole beast, and if you mess it up badly enough, you could even find yourself permanently banned from the country (unlikely but not impossible). Either use an immigration attorney or a host relocation service. I can't say which one is best, because it's going to depend on your host country. (For Mexico, at least three years ago, you don't need one until you actually arrive in Mexico to finish the immigration process).

Step 7: If you aren't fluent in the language, don't be afraid to hire someone bilingual for bigger purchases like buying a house or a car. You can get through day-to-day stuff without being fluent, but you don't want to mess up your house purchase because you can't communicate with your real estate agent. (And do make an active effort to acquire the language skills. It's polite, and it'll make your life a lot easier).

And once again, you're a guest in the country. There will be things you like about your new country; things you don't like; and things that are different but not better or worse. You'll have to accept all of it, and it's not your job to come in and try to change things.

[aussielight]

The Israel & Palestine War

First of all I want to say:

I support the Palestinians who want peace.

I support the Israelians who want peace, and speak out against or towards their government to stop their oppression and find a compromise to achieve peaceful resolutions for both sides.

However -

The amount of people defending the kidnapping, hostage taking, the slaughter of innocents & children - especially if they're Jewish, along with the RAPE of the women kidnapped & pulled from their cars, homes, vehicles, birthday parties, raves and other places is disgusting.

Out of the tourists and relatives of those, deaths aside – All those who speak of the extreme hostage situations or utmost vile acts imposed upon them (rape, murder of their family, being hunted etc) only speak of the Hamas terrorists taking them & doing such ... Which is a very, very dumb play to make from a strategic point of view ... Like, did they not consider - To stop and think, how countries are gonna retaliate when they see their citizens taken hostage or terrorised by a foreign armed force?

Jews are slaughtered, raped and tormented.

Queers are slaughtered, raped and tormented.

Innocents who just want to live their lives are slaughtered, raped and tormented.

This isn't opinion, or propaganda - This is fact. There's mountains of evidence at this point in time to demonstrate such, along with even admitted or outright posted by the terrorisers themselves via media outlets who're cheering and bragging about it.

The extremists of the war & the Hamas supporters can bang their chest and say “Who cares? We are the best!” or some other self-justifying BS excuses – but when they have half the world raining down on them to take vengeance in the name of their kin, they’re going to quickly realise just how large the world actually is – and how truly small they are.

“The silent killer of great countries and civilisations of high achievement – is hubris.”

“The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people are so full of doubts.”

[forsoobado137]

Hi , i discovered your account a little while ago and i really enjoyed your nation revealed au posts and i wanted to know if you had more France nation revealed au headcanons because your posts about him are hilarious and he's my favourite character

OUAIS FRANCEEEEE! Oh my god there's so much. He would thrive in the spotlight. He's very charming and good looking, so he knows how to control public opinion. I'm not trying to say that every citizen loves him, but he's a very admired national treasure. The French gov takes advantage of this and tries to make him announce things so they'll be taken more lightly. He attends political press conferences and stuff, but he's usually there to look pretty and distract people from getting mad. It's become a bit of a meme like "when they bring out Mr. France, shit's going to hit the fan."

He's been in a few movies back in the day. But he was usually cast as an extra because the gov didn't want whatever erotic scene he was in to "taint the national reputation". He usually does voice cameos in movies now, and he DEFINITELY made a cameo in Ratatouille (he had one line). The only physical cameos he makes are in historical documentaries.

As the "nation of fashion", He's also starred in many beauty commercials, and has been on many magazine covers (duh). He attends fashion shows to support designers, and his tweets during fashion week are always a highlight. He starts a lot of trends too. Luxury brands see his influence and trample over each other for his endorsement.

His social media personality depends on the site. I made a more in depth post here, but I'll sum it up. His twitter is where he posts his "philosophical musings" with a side of memes. His Instagram is where he is in peak slut form, but he posts normal French stuff periodically to get his boss off his back. His Tiktok is a mix of Twitter and Insta, but more focused on making cooking videos and trends. He also loves posting about his cat, and makes matching outfits for him. he often features other nations in his posts, and films them doing mundane silly things.

Since France is the most visited country in the world, he has a lot of interactions with tourists. He does his whole "charming Frenchman" schtick and gives little tours around Paris. He also does tours at the Louvre, though he usually cares more about the paintings involving himself. Despite the fun, he always has to deal with people being disrespectful and entitled to him. It's even worse now in the age of the internet, where everyone's trying to have their fifteen minutes of fame. People record themselves trying to ask him on a date, flirt with him, kiss him, and other things when he's just trying to get his coffee. He politely turns them down, but he's punched many a tourist before.

France has also been in some scandals. He's had many sex scandals. Too many to count. So many that it's not even considered a scandal when he's caught sleeping with powerful people or being indecent in public. He's a very passionate person. He has been arrested many times, often while at protests. He can also get very confrontational with the paparazzi on a bad day. Those videos often go viral, and people talk about how "unhinged" he is (and say he's "iconic" or whatever). Obviously, his outbursts and police confrontations are a very bad look for the gov. But there's not much they can do to stop him without public backlash. So usually they make him apologize.

He's often invited to talk shows and interviews both in France and abroad. For the serious interviews, it's usually about political and historical stuff. For talk shows, it's a mix of "he's so hot" and trying to make a spectacle out of his eccentric moments. Hosts are usually respectful, but English-speaking ones will often poke fun at his English, and sometimes do stuff like "say squirrel" to laugh at his accent. They'll also joke about his "meltdowns" and stuff (half the time they're moments where he's in mental distress).

[therandomfandomme]

Biking is accessible movement

Biking is a very accessible mode of transportation and way to exercise, however I think a lot of people don't know that, since there are a lot of countries, who don't have the right infrastructure (which is sad). So, this post is me showing y'all how biking is very accessible.

I am writing this from the perspective of someone with mild chronic pain, so I don't know the ins and outs, I have just seen all these bikes around on the streets, because here in the Netherlands they are very prevelant. I do want to say that biking is far easier on my joints than walking, except the knees, even with my unmodified bike.

An accessability feature that is not the bike itself, but often seen in traffic are the signs for hard of hearing people, which can be attached to the back of the bike to let others know that the person won't respond to audible traffic cues and to be careful.

1. Not having the muscle mass or lung capacity for intense exercise

Electrical bikes used to be mostly associated with senior citizens, however in recent years it has become more popular with high schoolers, who have to bike long distances to school or adults, who don't want to arrive sweaty at work. They can either assist you or do the biking for you. Normal electric bikes can go up to 30 km/h, but the recently popular fatbike can go up to 60 km/h (which is a hazard and should be regulated, but I digress). Every bike type that follows after can be an eletric bike.

2. Needing back support

Of course not everyone can sit on a bike, whose seating gives no support and for those there are lying bikes. Though being able to get up and down from a pretty low seat, which is less.

3. Not having the balance for biking

One big thing with bikes is balancing, which is something I struggle with (shout out to physical therapy for helping with that). Once I'm on the bike it is easier for me, but I struggled a lot with getting on and off the bike for a while as well as balancing in general, so I had training wheels for a lot longer than most of my peers.

Luckily, there are a lot of options for people who have bad balance or for whom getting on and off a bike would be more of a struggle. A fatbike already makes for easier balance, however for more aid you have tricycles for adults, which are pretty common. And an extra wheel can also be put on a lying bike.

4. Mental disabilities that limit safe independence in traffic

Not everyone can be in traffic unsupervised due to mental disabilities or brain damage, so not everyone can bike on their own. However, there are many ways to bike while having someone there for safety.

A tandem might seem like a gimmick to some, but it can allow someone to bike without needing to take into account all the moving traffic. And the dubble bike, which is more often used as a fun thing for tourist to explore a city while being able to chat, can provide the same for those with bad balance. If the person in question is smaller than the person supervising, such as a child or little person, than there is also a bike attachment for any bike with a luggage carrier.

5. Using a mobility aid

A lot of people think that you can't bike when using a mobility aid, however biking is not the same as walking, so should your body allow it, biking is possible.

If a person uses a cane or crutches there are ways to hold them in place. A walker can also be attached to the back if it is foldable. If a person is in a wheelchair (depending on what kind) then a hand bike is an option, which allows for higher speeds than moving regularly, while not taking more energy. A person with a wheelchair can also be transported with a bike, if they are not able to move through traffic independently (i have been informed that this is for kids, so thank you for that addition).

6. Lifestyle makes it more difficult to bike

Some people can ride a bike, but aren't able of biking, because they have kids, pets or need to move more stuff. However, there are ways to still use a bike in those circumstances. Popular among people in busy cities with more than one kid is a cargo bike. A cargo bike is also avaible with three wheels for extra balance and both can be electric. For pet owners the trailer is more popular, since a pet cannot jump out of it, though I've also seen plenty of babies and toddlers in them. Both these options can naturally also hold stuff.

Of course I totally understand that not everyone is able to bike and that not everywhere there is the infrastructure necessary. I am just passionate about it and I think that a lot of people might not realize that biking can be more accessible than it is often portrayed. I might have missed something, so feel free to add if you find anything and I would love to hear thoughts or just reactions :D

[gemsofgreece]

Can you explain your post about the fear? Is there fear that if ppl vote for a different party, the right wing party will hurt them? And what are the different options? Sorry for ignorance

It is honestly a little hard to explain because we… or I, at least, don’t know what to tell you for sure.

Would the government hurt people not voting for them? No. Not now. Not in the near future. I don’t believe this.

The problem is different and so shadowy and veiled that it ends up scary in a different way. The government very slyly and smoothly tries to make us not realise that we ought to vote someone else.

I don’t know how exactly to explain this but if you had asked this in 2019-2020, most people would have no idea what you are talking about, most people would think that things are mostly going well. Many people still do.

It was from foreign journalism that we found out Greece is dropping like crazy in freedom ratings and skyrocketing in corruption. It makes sense that we did not know because obviously the media are controlled, hence the collapsing freedom. We knew the first thing this government did when they were elected was to give enormous money to the press and the tv channels but it was after foreign media started picking at it that we had evidence of the consequences.

There are things that have happened in Greece all this time that have opened many eyes - destructive massive ARSONS, evidence the government was spying on ministers and members of the parliament, a justice system that proves to be less and less independent every day, a mysterious and ill-handled train tragedy that killed dozens of young people, a general environmental degradation committed to our face and against our will, a concentration of ministers’ relatives and besties in all positions of power, massive hirings of priests and policemen, a collapse of the quality of education (though this has been happening for years), a marginalisation of the citizens of the country for the sake of tourists and rich investors, apart from all the financial and employment issues that are standard trademark problems in Greece. And just if you explore Greek social media you will see that there are huge problems in the society. Immense toxicity. People REALLY have issues. The society is ailing.

However, any attempt at exposing, criticising, protesting, calling for action just falls flat. Ten years ago something would easily get people out in the streets. Nowadays the most frustration a person will ever express is through social media.

Such attempts from people are met with - not violence - but a debilitating scorn. They react to our concerns and accusations by waving them off as wrong, unfair or silly and they make fools of us to our face. This makes the people feel extremely powerless and numb. We are essentially paralysed and convinced of our impending doom. And then so many people do not go to vote - leaving those who are dripped in the government party’s colours to boost it to the aethers.

Some examples to draw a better picture:

The presence and the voice of non-governmental / opposition parties has been reduced in the media. Not that anyone is worth it to be honest but still. They are silenced.

Nobody has ever resigned for the yearly hundreds of massive fires or for the huge train accident or I think even for the spying exposé. In fact, PM just said after the gigantic fire that surrounded all of Athens yesterday that “every year we strive and we become better out of this”. This is an example of how much of a fool they make of us.

The media do not cover the bad things happening in the country. The fire that burnt Athens was in the news because it was inevitable, half the Greek population lives there. However, there are massive fires happening in other places of the country that are absolutely not covered. A fire has been destroying a virgin forested mountain in Serres for a month now, nonstop. Not in the news. Serifos island has been burnt to a crisp - I posted a photo of the now black island earlier in the summer. It was hardly in the news at all. You learn properly about this all through the internet and the little remaining independent press. But middle aged and older people (who are traditionally right wing) relying on tv or certain standard newspapers, they probably have no idea at all or a very skewed image of what is happening.

Committees coming from the EU to investigate on freedom and transparency concerns - the government members have repeatedly not met them lol. Like, they literally do not show up in the meetings. The reports produced by the EU are very alarming and nobody bats an eye. They probably don’t even read them.

A journalist was assassinated a couple of years ago because it became known he was about to reveal something groundbreaking. Private conversations of his with government members were found in his phone. These were supposed to be disclosed in the trial for his murder that happened a few days ago. During the trial, the prosecutor herself announced that these conversations were “accidentally” destroyed because they were saved ONLY in a single CD-ROM (in 2024!!!) that was ACCIDENTALLY broken with a stapler (in 2024!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!). Justice and government together, they consider us utter clowns and they are not exactly wrong to be fair. Oh, and the suspects were released because “there wasn’t enough evidence”. Of course.

One main member of the examining committee for the train tragedy in Tempi was upgraded to the highest court of the country. Needless to say, nothing about the shady parts of this accident has been reported or disclosed.

Owners of the largest sports federations have been buying the press, tv channels, the telecommunications and god knows what else.

We are facing a huge problem with the installation of countless wind parks across the country, even in environmentally protected areas and large mountains, which is unheard of in other European countries. In fact, a lot of the fires are suspected to be associated to this. (Not all though, people sometimes exaggerate about this.) The head of Greece’s wind energy company just so happens to be PM’s cousin.

These are a few examples. I hope you get the picture. It’s not like something is happening directly to people but all these things make us feel powerless, paralysed and afraid of the future. Many are still convinced things are going great. Or want to be convinced, I don’t know.

Even I am not comfortable writing this now.

PS. There are no options if we are being realists. All politicians in the country are either corrupted or utterly useless and usually they are both. We really are doomed.

[ratsoh-writes]

What are the most popular monuments/Landmarks in Ebott?

Oooo I like this question!

1: The monuments of remembrance: in the town called remembrance, at the entrance to the underground, there are a series of MASSIVE boulders making a pathway to the underground’s entrance. On each boulder is carved the names of those left behind in the crash (aka the monster who died before it happened). It’s basically a large mass grave. There’s hundreds of these boulders. Many monsters travel there to pay respects, but it’s been getting some tourism too.

The town that maintains remembrance is also called remembrance lol. The royals suck at names. There’s not much else on that island in ebott except sheep and some fishermen. There’s a few little livestock villages.

2: The temple of lady magic: one of ebotts biggest tourists magnets, and of course a very significant place to many monsters. The temple sits on top of three mountains and is connected through underground passages. The outer temple is made of limestone, mined in waterfall, and the interior bits are literally just the caverns of the mountains carved up and widened some.

The temple is located next to kidney lake and below it on the lakeside and hilly areas are several towns including wheatilly, Maria, Garson, and paddy valley.

3: Metta Land: it’s basically ebott’s Hollywood. The city is super popular because not only is all of ebotts movies filmed and made there, it also has the largest shopping mall in the country and ebott’s only theme park. Metta land gets a ton of tourism as well as local visitors every day.

Technically only the heart of the city is called Metta land. The city outskirts where people actually live is called mechapolis.

4: Rolling grapes peak: located in new hope, in the mountains in the east of ebott. Rolling grapes peak is ebotts biggest ski resort. It mostly only has ebott citizen visitors as tourists usually want to see snowdin in the underground instead. It still is very popular in ebott though

5: the great dam. Ebotts biggest (and only currently) dam. It’s a damn big dam. It’s a world record actually. That one massive lake on top of ebott has a thing for overflowing in the rainy season hence why the dam was needed.

It’s close to Mettaland, and in between the city and the dam are several towns including Pineway, chewsbury, and Whitestone.

5: crimson gate bridge: ebotts largest bridge. It’s not crimson, it’s actually a sunny golden color, but the monster who designed it didn’t want it getting confused with the Golden Gate Bridge in San Fransisco so he called it crimson lol. The bridge is huge and technically in two parts. The right is for cars and trucks, and a second smaller bridge to the left holds the trains passing through

The bridge leads into Goldenvalley city in the east. On the west side are some more agricultural towns including Thistleweed, Harvard, heritage town, and Bluebell

6: mount ivory: the tallest mountain in ebott. It’s in the Ridgeside mountain range and is a really popular hiking spot. It’s 2/3rds the size of Mount Everest.

[rptv1]

(mostly) National Park bumper stickers

-

As the United States becomes a third world country (political assassinations are a hallmark of third world countries), I wonder whether our National and State Parks may one day be adversely affected.

Currently, our National Parks and Monuments are easy to enjoy because they are accessible (infrastructure is in place and in good working order, there is safety/security, etc.).

In other countries things aren’t always like that.  There may be bad roads (or no roads) to a tourist site.  In extreme cases there may be swindlers or gang members (or even government officials) hanging out at tourists sites, harassing or trying to extort money from tourists.

The result is that fewer people are able to enjoy what their country has to offer.

I see what is happening in Colorado, where gang members from south america (who are here illegally) have taken over a few apartment buildings and are threatening the tenants, meanwhile the local government does nothing about it.  While the U. S. government tries to limit the second amendment rights of its citizens, non-citizens are allowed to walk around with semi-automatic rifles.

Most people sadly don’t care, either because they already live in economically depressed areas (so it makes no difference to them if the rest of the country gets worse) or because they live in nice more affluent areas (where troublemakers are unable, financially, to gain a foothold in their neighborhoods) and are therefore are insulated from the negative impact of those who don’t respect our culture or way of life.

And when those who are concerned about the direction this country is headed voice their concerns, all they get is the usual pontification and ad hominem accusations of “bigotry” from the elitist snobs in the nice neighborhoods and the boors and oafs from the not-so-nice neighborhoods.

But whatever.  It shouldn’t surprise me.  If people don’t care what happens in their own backyard why would they care about some national park hundreds of miles away?  I guess by that token why should I give a damn about “global warming” or whatever they call it now (climate change?).  Sounds good to me. Have it your way, idiots.  Keep the status quo.