diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
index b370093..29a2d5d 100644
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ apps/web   React Router 8 (framework mode, ssr: true) · React 19 · Vite 8 · T
            Route ids: root · locale · home · about · whatWeDo · activities · events ·
                       applications · news · contact · resources · knowledgeHub (+ *Detail)
 
-apps/cms   Strapi 5.53 (TypeScript) · PostgreSQL 16 · i18n (en default, ar) · draft & publish
+apps/cms   Strapi 5.53 (TypeScript) · PostgreSQL 16 · i18n (ar default, en) · draft & publish
            src/api/**        content types (schema.json is the contract, commit it)
            src/bootstrap/**  runs on every boot: creates locales, grants Public permissions
                              (find/findOne on content; create-only on submission types)
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 4093664..7be48df 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -258,7 +258,7 @@ The first `pnpm dev:cms` takes a minute: Strapi creates its tables, then the boo
 reconciliation in `apps/cms/src/bootstrap/` runs. That step is idempotent and executes on
 every boot; it
 
-- creates the `en` (default) and `ar` locales if they are missing, and
+- creates the `ar` (default) and `en` locales if they are missing, and
 - grants the **Public** role `find` / `findOne` on the content types the site reads, and
   `create` — and only `create` — on the three submission types (event registrations,
   applications, contact messages), so nobody can read other people's personal data back out.
diff --git a/apps/cms/config/plugins.ts b/apps/cms/config/plugins.ts
index 53bdf1a..8511809 100644
--- a/apps/cms/config/plugins.ts
+++ b/apps/cms/config/plugins.ts
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ const deniedTypes = [
 /**
  * The locales the site ships with.
  *
- * `en` is the default (LTR) and `ar` is the right-to-left translation. The web
+ * `ar` is the default (RTL) and `en` is the left-to-right translation. The web
  * app mirrors these codes in its URL prefixes (`/en/...`, `/ar/...`), so the
  * codes here are part of the public contract - do not rename them.
  *
@@ -47,8 +47,8 @@ const deniedTypes = [
  * here plus a restart.
  */
 const locales = [
-  { code: 'en', name: 'English (en)', isDefault: true },
-  { code: 'ar', name: 'Arabic (ar)' },
+  { code: 'ar', name: 'Arabic (ar)', isDefault: true },
+  { code: 'en', name: 'English (en)' },
 ];
 
 const config = ({ env }: Core.Config.Shared.ConfigParams): Core.Config.Plugin => ({
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ const config = ({ env }: Core.Config.Shared.ConfigParams): Core.Config.Plugin =>
   i18n: {
     enabled: true,
     config: {
-      defaultLocale: 'en',
+      defaultLocale: 'ar',
       locales,
     },
   },
diff --git a/apps/cms/src/bootstrap/constants.ts b/apps/cms/src/bootstrap/constants.ts
index db01ed7..03841d4 100644
--- a/apps/cms/src/bootstrap/constants.ts
+++ b/apps/cms/src/bootstrap/constants.ts
@@ -22,8 +22,8 @@ export type LocaleDefinition = {
  * is that config file.
  */
 export const FALLBACK_LOCALES: LocaleDefinition[] = [
-  { code: 'en', name: 'English (en)', isDefault: true },
-  { code: 'ar', name: 'Arabic (ar)' },
+  { code: 'ar', name: 'Arabic (ar)', isDefault: true },
+  { code: 'en', name: 'English (en)' },
 ];
 
 /** `type` of the users-permissions role that unauthenticated requests use. */
diff --git a/apps/cms/src/seed/index.ts b/apps/cms/src/seed/index.ts
index 17b93e3..46c1918 100644
--- a/apps/cms/src/seed/index.ts
+++ b/apps/cms/src/seed/index.ts
@@ -247,7 +247,7 @@ async function seedDemo(
   log(strapi, `${DEMO_PARTNERS.length} demo network partners`);
 
   for (const item of DEMO_FAQS) {
-    await upsert(strapi, UID.faq, item, { question: { $eq: item.en.question } });
+    await upsert(strapi, UID.faq, item, { question: { $eq: item.ar.question } });
   }
   log(strapi, `${DEMO_FAQS.length} demo FAQs`);
 
diff --git a/apps/cms/src/seed/upsert.ts b/apps/cms/src/seed/upsert.ts
index d0b7f4e..daa9d7f 100644
--- a/apps/cms/src/seed/upsert.ts
+++ b/apps/cms/src/seed/upsert.ts
@@ -7,12 +7,13 @@
    explicit `--demo --clean`.
 
    THE SHAPE OF A WRITE
-     A seed entry is always a pair - the English document and its Arabic
+     A seed entry is always a pair - the Arabic document and its English
      translation - because every localised content type on this site ships in
-     both languages (CLAUDE.md rule 7). `upsert` writes the English document
-     first, because that is the one carrying the identity (the slug), then
-     writes the Arabic locale onto the SAME document, which is how Strapi 5
-     models a translation: one `documentId`, one row per locale.
+     both languages (CLAUDE.md rule 7) and Arabic is the CMS's default locale.
+     `upsert` writes the Arabic document first, because that is the one
+     carrying the identity (the slug), then writes the English locale onto the
+     SAME document, which is how Strapi 5 models a translation: one
+     `documentId`, one row per locale.
 
    DRAFT AND PUBLISH
      Content is written as a draft and then published explicitly. Publishing
@@ -108,7 +109,7 @@ export async function upsert(
      seed ends up with duplicates. */
   const existing = await service.findFirst({
     ...(find ? { filters: find } : {}),
-    locale: 'en',
+    locale: 'ar',
     ...draftFilter(strapi, uid),
   });
 
@@ -117,16 +118,16 @@ export async function upsert(
 
   if (existing) {
     documentId = existing.documentId;
-    await service.update({ documentId, locale: 'en', data: data.en });
+    await service.update({ documentId, locale: 'ar', data: data.ar });
   } else {
-    const document = await service.create({ locale: 'en', data: data.en });
+    const document = await service.create({ locale: 'ar', data: data.ar });
     documentId = document.documentId;
     created = true;
   }
 
   /* An update against a locale the document does not have yet creates that
      translation - there is no separate "add a locale" call. */
-  await service.update({ documentId, locale: 'ar', data: data.ar });
+  await service.update({ documentId, locale: 'en', data: data.en });
 
   if (usesDraft(strapi, uid)) {
     await service.publish({ documentId, locale: '*' });
@@ -144,7 +145,7 @@ export async function upsert(
  *   1. `delete({ documentId })` with no locale removes the DEFAULT locale
  *      only, not the document. It takes `locale: '*'` to remove the lot.
  *   2. `findMany({ locale })` answers for one locale, so a document whose
- *      English half has already gone is invisible to a search in English.
+ *      base half has already gone is invisible to a search in that locale.
  *      Both locales are searched and the documentIds pooled, which also
  *      sweeps up orphans an earlier, less careful run left.
  */
@@ -221,7 +222,7 @@ export async function readExisting(
 ): Promise<SeedDocument | null> {
   return documents(strapi, uid).findFirst({
     ...(find ? { filters: find } : {}),
-    locale: 'en',
+    locale: 'ar',
     ...draftFilter(strapi, uid),
     populate,
   });
diff --git a/apps/web/app/components/ui/LanguageSwitcher/locale-path.ts b/apps/web/app/components/ui/LanguageSwitcher/locale-path.ts
index 8ee0ce4..765499a 100644
--- a/apps/web/app/components/ui/LanguageSwitcher/locale-path.ts
+++ b/apps/web/app/components/ui/LanguageSwitcher/locale-path.ts
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ export type Locale = (typeof LOCALES)[number];
 
 export type Direction = "ltr" | "rtl";
 
-export const DEFAULT_LOCALE: Locale = "en";
+export const DEFAULT_LOCALE: Locale = "ar";
 
 /** Locale -> the value that belongs in <html dir>. */
 const DIRECTION_BY_LOCALE: Record<Locale, Direction> = {
diff --git a/apps/web/app/i18n/t.ts b/apps/web/app/i18n/t.ts
index 00fbc39..0c8df48 100644
--- a/apps/web/app/i18n/t.ts
+++ b/apps/web/app/i18n/t.ts
@@ -5,8 +5,8 @@
    plus {placeholder} interpolation. No i18next, no ICU MessageFormat - the
    catalogues hold UI chrome only, page prose comes from Strapi.
 
-   English is the reference catalogue: `Messages` is derived from en.json, and
-   ar.json is typechecked against it, so a key added on one side and forgotten
+   Arabic is the reference catalogue: `Messages` is derived from ar.json, and
+   en.json is typechecked against it, so a key added on one side and forgotten
    on the other is a compile error rather than a blank label in production.
    ========================================================================= */
 
@@ -15,8 +15,8 @@ import ar from "./messages/ar.json";
 
 import { DEFAULT_LOCALE, type Locale } from "./config";
 
-/** The shape of every catalogue. Derived from the English source of truth. */
-export type Messages = typeof en;
+/** The shape of every catalogue. Derived from the Arabic source of truth. */
+export type Messages = typeof ar;
 
 /** Anything that may be interpolated into a message. */
 export type TranslationParams = Readonly<
@@ -44,13 +44,13 @@ export type Translator = (
   params?: TranslationParams,
 ) => string;
 
-/* The `Messages` annotation is the parity check: ar.json must supply every
-   key en.json declares, with a string in every leaf position. */
-const arabicMessages: Messages = ar;
+/* The `Messages` annotation is the parity check: en.json must supply every
+   key ar.json declares, with a string in every leaf position. */
+const englishMessages: Messages = en;
 
 const CATALOGUES: Readonly<Record<Locale, Messages>> = {
-  en,
-  ar: arabicMessages,
+  en: englishMessages,
+  ar,
 };
 
 /** The whole catalogue for a locale - handy for spreading into a component. */
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ export function interpolate(
 }
 
 /**
- * Translate one key. Falls back to the English string when a locale is
+ * Translate one key. Falls back to the default-locale string when a locale is
  * missing it, and finally to the key itself so a page never renders "".
  */
 export function translate(
diff --git a/apps/web/app/lib/seo.ts b/apps/web/app/lib/seo.ts
index 285690e..127da16 100644
--- a/apps/web/app/lib/seo.ts
+++ b/apps/web/app/lib/seo.ts
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 import type { MetaDescriptor } from "react-router";
 
 import {
+  DEFAULT_LOCALE,
   INTL_LOCALE,
   OG_LOCALE,
   SUPPORTED_LOCALES,
@@ -103,8 +104,8 @@ export interface LocaleAlternate {
 
 /**
  * The hreflang set for a page: one entry per locale plus `x-default`, which
- * points at the English URL because English is the default locale that bare
- * "/" negotiates towards.
+ * points at the default-locale URL because that is what a bare "/" resolves
+ * to when no locale can be negotiated.
  */
 export function alternateUrls(
   siteUrl: string,
@@ -121,9 +122,9 @@ export function alternateUrls(
   return [
     ...alternates,
     {
-      locale: "en",
+      locale: DEFAULT_LOCALE,
       hrefLang: "x-default",
-      href: canonicalUrl(siteUrl, localizedPath(unprefixed, "en")),
+      href: canonicalUrl(siteUrl, localizedPath(unprefixed, DEFAULT_LOCALE)),
     },
   ];
 }
diff --git a/apps/web/app/routes/_page-kit/accordion.tsx b/apps/web/app/routes/_page-kit/accordion.tsx
index 32fa00e..13e9006 100644
--- a/apps/web/app/routes/_page-kit/accordion.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/app/routes/_page-kit/accordion.tsx
@@ -40,6 +40,8 @@ export interface AccordionProps {
    */
   defaultOpenIndex?: number | null;
   className?: string;
+  /** Extra classes for each question row, e.g. a scroll-driven reveal. */
+  itemClassName?: string;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -75,7 +77,12 @@ function ToggleMark({ open }: { open: boolean }) {
   );
 }
 
-export function Accordion({ items, defaultOpenIndex = 0, className }: AccordionProps) {
+export function Accordion({
+  items,
+  defaultOpenIndex = 0,
+  className,
+  itemClassName,
+}: AccordionProps) {
   const baseId = useId();
   const initial =
     defaultOpenIndex === null ? null : (items[defaultOpenIndex]?.id ?? null);
@@ -97,6 +104,7 @@ export function Accordion({ items, defaultOpenIndex = 0, className }: AccordionP
               "border-b border-[var(--border-default)]",
               "transition-colors duration-[var(--motion-duration-base)]",
               "hover:bg-[var(--surface-muted)]",
+              itemClassName,
             )}
           >
             <button
diff --git a/apps/web/app/routes/_page-kit/motion.css b/apps/web/app/routes/_page-kit/motion.css
index bc516a0..75a745e 100644
--- a/apps/web/app/routes/_page-kit/motion.css
+++ b/apps/web/app/routes/_page-kit/motion.css
@@ -268,6 +268,39 @@
         animation-range: entry 0% entry 80%;
       }
 
+      /* The edge tiles of a row land in from their own side of the line - the
+         reading start and the reading end - instead of rising, so a row drags
+         into place edge-first while its middle rises. `translateX` has no
+         logical keyword, so the RTL block swaps the two names: the drift always
+         comes off the start edge, whichever script is on screen. */
+      .sh-reveal--from-start {
+        animation-name: sh-rise-from-start;
+      }
+
+      .sh-reveal--from-end {
+        animation-name: sh-rise-from-end;
+      }
+
+      [dir="rtl"] .sh-reveal--from-start {
+        animation-name: sh-rise-from-end;
+      }
+
+      [dir="rtl"] .sh-reveal--from-end {
+        animation-name: sh-rise-from-start;
+      }
+
+      /* A beat between the tiles of a row: each item after the first holds at
+         its hidden state until it is a little deeper in the viewport, so a row
+         cascades start-to-end instead of landing as one. Only the start of the
+         range shifts; `.sh-reveal--in` and the edge slides keep their ends. */
+      .sh-reveal--step-1 {
+        animation-range-start: entry 12%;
+      }
+
+      .sh-reveal--step-2 {
+        animation-range-start: entry 24%;
+      }
+
       /* The hero picture drifting as the page scrolls past it. It is scaled up
          before it travels, so the drift can never uncover an edge of the
          frame. Chromium-only, like every timeline here: elsewhere the picture
@@ -306,6 +339,49 @@
         transform-origin: right center;
       }
     }
+
+/* THE SAME REVEAL, WITHOUT A TIMELINE. `_page-kit/reveal.ts` tags a
+        `.sh-reveal` element `.sh-reveal-js` (hidden) in browsers that lack
+        scroll timelines, then `.sh-reveal-js--in` plays `sh-rise` once it
+        scrolls into view. Both classes are inert without the helper, so
+        content is always readable. */
+    .sh-reveal-js {
+      opacity: 0;
+    }
+
+    .sh-reveal-js--in {
+      animation: sh-rise var(--motion-duration-reveal)
+        var(--motion-ease-entrance) both;
+    }
+
+    /* The edge tiles keep their drift here too: the reader who never sees a
+         scroll timeline still gets the same from-start / from-end arrival. The
+         RTL mirrors swap the names, as the Chromium block above does. */
+    .sh-reveal--from-start.sh-reveal-js--in {
+      animation-name: sh-rise-from-start;
+    }
+
+    .sh-reveal--from-end.sh-reveal-js--in {
+      animation-name: sh-rise-from-end;
+    }
+
+    [dir="rtl"] .sh-reveal--from-start.sh-reveal-js--in {
+      animation-name: sh-rise-from-end;
+    }
+
+    [dir="rtl"] .sh-reveal--from-end.sh-reveal-js--in {
+      animation-name: sh-rise-from-start;
+    }
+
+    /* The same beat, expressed in time where there is no timeline. `both`
+       already answers for the hidden hold during the delay. */
+    .sh-reveal--step-1.sh-reveal-js--in {
+      animation-delay: var(--motion-duration-fast);
+    }
+
+    .sh-reveal--step-2.sh-reveal-js--in {
+      animation-delay: calc(var(--motion-duration-fast) * 2);
+    }
   }
 }
 
@@ -333,6 +409,33 @@
   }
 }
 
+/* The same reveal turned sideways. `--from-start` is picked up by the RTL
+   block as the mirror of `--from-end`, so both names exist and the swap is
+   legible there instead of shipping one keyframe and praying. */
+@keyframes sh-rise-from-start {
+  from {
+    opacity: 0;
+    transform: translateX(-20px) scale(0.985);
+  }
+
+  to {
+    opacity: 1;
+    transform: none;
+  }
+}
+
+@keyframes sh-rise-from-end {
+  from {
+    opacity: 0;
+    transform: translateX(20px) scale(0.985);
+  }
+
+  to {
+    opacity: 1;
+    transform: none;
+  }
+}
+
 @keyframes sh-bar-grow {
   from {
     transform: scaleX(0);
diff --git a/apps/web/app/routes/_page-kit/reveal.ts b/apps/web/app/routes/_page-kit/reveal.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ba86a2e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/web/app/routes/_page-kit/reveal.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+/* Reveal-on-scroll for browsers without scroll-driven timelines.
+   ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+   motion.css handles `.sh-reveal` with `animation-timeline: view()`, which is
+   Chromium-only; elsewhere every band sits at rest, fully visible. This helper
+   gives those browsers the same `.sh-rise` reveal: it tags each `.sh-reveal`
+   element `.sh-reveal-js` (hidden), then flips it to `.sh-reveal-js--in` (the
+   animation runs) once it scrolls into view.
+
+   It is a progressive enhancement and is strictly opt-in per page:
+     - Chromium already animates via CSS, so this returns early and never
+       fights the scroll-driven version.
+     - Reduced-motion visitors are left alone (the CSS never hides them).
+     - With JS off, no classes are ever added, so content stays visible.
+
+   Renders nothing on the server; call from a `useEffect` in the page. */
+
+const SELECTOR = ".sh-reveal";
+
+export function enableReveals(): void {
+  if (typeof window === "undefined") return;
+  if (!("IntersectionObserver" in window)) return;
+  if ("CSS" in window && CSS.supports("animation-timeline: view()")) {
+    /* Chromium already plays the reveal; nothing to add. */
+    return;
+  }
+  if (window.matchMedia("(prefers-reduced-motion: reduce)").matches) return;
+
+  const observer = new IntersectionObserver(
+    (entries) => {
+      for (const entry of entries) {
+        if (!entry.isIntersecting) continue;
+        const element = entry.target;
+        element.classList.add("sh-reveal-js--in");
+        element.classList.remove("sh-reveal-js");
+        observer.unobserve(element);
+      }
+    },
+    { rootMargin: "0px 0px -8% 0px", threshold: 0.05 },
+  );
+
+  for (const element of document.querySelectorAll<HTMLElement>(SELECTOR)) {
+    element.classList.add("sh-reveal-js");
+    observer.observe(element);
+  }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/apps/web/app/routes/_shared/alternates.ts b/apps/web/app/routes/_shared/alternates.ts
index 5a077f6..d660da9 100644
--- a/apps/web/app/routes/_shared/alternates.ts
+++ b/apps/web/app/routes/_shared/alternates.ts
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
    2. The route's `meta` appends `detailAlternateDescriptors(...)` to whatever
       `buildMeta` produced, which emits <link rel="canonical"> plus one
       <link rel="alternate" hreflang> per locale that actually has a slug, and
-      x-default pointing at English when English exists.
+      x-default pointing at the default locale when it exists.
    3. The route declares `export const handle = SELF_ALTERNATES_HANDLE`, which
       tells the app shell that this page emits its own pair and that the
       shell's prefix-swapped set must be suppressed for it. The shell reads it
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@
 
 import type { MetaDescriptor } from "react-router";
 
-import { SUPPORTED_LOCALES, type Locale } from "~/i18n/config";
+import { DEFAULT_LOCALE, SUPPORTED_LOCALES, type Locale } from "~/i18n/config";
 import { sectionPath, type RouteSlugKey } from "~/i18n/paths";
 import { canonicalUrl } from "~/lib/seo";
 
@@ -160,8 +160,11 @@ export function detailAlternateDescriptors({
     });
   }
 
-  // x-default is the English URL, because bare "/" negotiates towards English.
-  const fallback = paths.find((entry) => entry.locale === "en");
+  // x-default is the default-locale URL, because bare "/" negotiates towards
+  // the default locale. It must point at an existing page, so a detail page
+  // with no translation yet falls back to whichever locale does exist.
+  const fallback =
+    paths.find((entry) => entry.locale === DEFAULT_LOCALE) ?? paths[0];
   if (fallback) {
     descriptors.push({
       tagName: "link",
diff --git a/apps/web/app/routes/home.tsx b/apps/web/app/routes/home.tsx
index d9939ed..9a5743d 100644
--- a/apps/web/app/routes/home.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/app/routes/home.tsx
@@ -36,13 +36,16 @@
 
    MOTION: every animation in the draft is here, as classes from
    _page-kit/motion.css - the headline wipe, the hero picture's scroll-driven
-   drift, the gallery and card hovers, the logo marquee. The one effect
-   deliberately dropped is the coloured glow behind a hovered button or card.
+   drift, each item tasting in as it scrolls into view (the edge tiles of a row
+   sliding in from their own side, the middles and stacked lists rising), the
+   gallery and card hovers, the logo marquee. The one effect deliberately
+   dropped is the coloured glow behind a hovered button or card.
 
    There is no Arabic frame, so /ar is this same DOM under `dir="rtl"`, which
    is why every inline edge below is logical (ps-/pe-/start-/end-).
    ========================================================================= */
 
+import { useEffect } from "react";
 import { Link, useRouteLoaderData } from "react-router";
 
 import { ArrowIcon, Button } from "~/components/ui/Button";
@@ -65,6 +68,7 @@ import { DEFAULT_THEME, type AppTheme } from "~/lib/theme";
 
 import type { Route } from "./+types/home";
 import { Accordion } from "./_page-kit/accordion";
+import { enableReveals } from "./_page-kit/reveal";
 import {
   isImageGalleryBlock,
   type CmsFaq,
@@ -365,6 +369,25 @@ function StatusPill({ label }: { label: string }) {
  * vertically centred on the middle. One or two pictures fall back to the
  * uniform grid, where the mosaic's "faded flank" reading has no partner.
  */
+/* The edge items of a row land in from their own side of the line - the start
+   or the end - while the middle ones rise, so a row reads as arriving edge-first
+   instead of lifting as one. A lone item simply rises. */
+function revealEdge(index: number, count: number): string {
+  if (count < 2) return "";
+  if (index === 0) return "sh-reveal--from-start";
+  if (index === count - 1) return "sh-reveal--from-end";
+  return "";
+}
+
+/* A beat between the tiles of a row: each item after the first holds at its
+   hidden state a moment longer, so a row cascades start-to-end. Rows here cap
+   at three tiles, so two steps are enough. */
+function revealStep(index: number): string {
+  if (index === 1) return "sh-reveal--step-1";
+  if (index >= 2) return "sh-reveal--step-2";
+  return "";
+}
+
 function GalleryShots({ images }: { images: readonly ResolvedImage[] }) {
   if (images.length === 0) return null;
 
@@ -380,7 +403,10 @@ function GalleryShots({ images }: { images: readonly ResolvedImage[] }) {
          the draft's 60px. */
       <ul className="grid list-none grid-cols-1 gap-3xl lg:grid-cols-[427fr_605fr_426fr] lg:items-center">
         {images.map((image, index) => (
-          <li key={image.src} className="sh-reveal">
+          <li
+            key={image.src}
+            className={cx("sh-reveal", revealEdge(index, images.length), revealStep(index))}
+          >
             <figure className="flex flex-col gap-xs">
               <div
                 className={cx(
@@ -409,8 +435,11 @@ function GalleryShots({ images }: { images: readonly ResolvedImage[] }) {
 
   return (
     <ul className="grid list-none grid-cols-1 gap-lg sm:grid-cols-2 lg:grid-cols-3">
-      {images.map((image) => (
-        <li key={image.src} className="sh-reveal">
+      {images.map((image, index) => (
+        <li
+          key={image.src}
+          className={cx("sh-reveal", revealEdge(index, images.length), revealStep(index))}
+        >
           <figure className="flex flex-col gap-xs">
             <div className="sh-lift sh-lift--grow rounded-control border border-[var(--border-subtle)] hover:border-[var(--border-accent)]">
               <img
@@ -521,12 +550,20 @@ export default function Home({ loaderData }: Route.ComponentProps) {
      exactly as the footer's badge does: same root cookie, same emblem. */
   const root = useRouteLoaderData<{ theme?: AppTheme }>("root");
   const theme: AppTheme = root?.theme ?? DEFAULT_THEME;
+  /* Chromium plays every item reveal natively via scroll-driven timelines
+     (motion.css). For non-Chromium browsers `_page-kit/reveal.ts` flips each
+     `.sh-reveal` item to `.sh-reveal-js--in` as it enters the viewport, so the
+     fade-and-drift lands everywhere - while reduced-motion visitors and users
+     without JS keep every item fully visible. */
+  useEffect(() => {
+    enableReveals();
+  }, []);
   /* The three pillars are the About page's approved copy - one source, so the
      two pages can never drift apart. */
   const pillars = pageCopy(locale).about.pillars;
 
   const headline = hero.headline ?? copy.heroHeadline;
-  const lead = hero.subheading ?? copy.heroLead;
+  // const lead = hero.subheading ?? copy.heroLead;
   const consortiumHeading = loaderData.partnersHeadline ?? copy.consortiumHeading;
 
   /* The frame draws one accent CTA and one white one. Editor-supplied CTAs go
@@ -564,7 +601,7 @@ export default function Home({ loaderData }: Route.ComponentProps) {
       <PageHero
         className="bg-[var(--surface-sunken)] [--layout-hero-top:clamp(2.5rem,6vw,4.5rem)]"
         title={headline}
-        lead={lead}
+        lead={""}
         leadWithActions
         {...(hero.eyebrow ? { statusPill: <StatusPill label={hero.eyebrow} /> } : {})}
         ambient={[
@@ -651,12 +688,18 @@ reveal
           </div>
 
           <ul className="grid list-none grid-cols-1 gap-lg md:grid-cols-3">
-            {pillars.map((pillar) => (
+            {pillars.map((pillar, index) => (
               <li
                 key={pillar.title}
-                /* `sh-rule-top` draws the draft's accent rule across the top
-                   of the tile as the pointer arrives. */
-                className="sh-lift sh-reveal sh-reveal--in sh-rule-top flex h-full flex-col gap-sm rounded-card border border-[var(--border-subtle)] bg-[var(--surface-card)] p-xl hover:border-[var(--border-accent)]"
+                /* `sh-reveal--in` adds the draft's rise-and-scale; the edge
+                   tiles of the row slide in from their own side instead.
+                   `sh-rule-top` draws the accent rule across the top of the
+                   tile as the pointer arrives. */
+                className={cx(
+                  "sh-lift sh-reveal sh-reveal--in sh-rule-top flex h-full flex-col gap-sm rounded-card border border-[var(--border-subtle)] bg-[var(--surface-card)] p-xl hover:border-[var(--border-accent)]",
+                  revealEdge(index, pillars.length),
+                  revealStep(index),
+                )}
               >
                 <h3 className="heading-h3 text-[var(--text-primary)]">{pillar.title}</h3>
                 <p className="body-md text-[var(--text-secondary)]">
@@ -687,11 +730,15 @@ reveal
 
           {news.length > 0 ? (
             <ul className="grid list-none grid-cols-1 gap-lg sm:grid-cols-2 lg:grid-cols-3">
-              {news.map((item) => (
+              {news.map((item, index) => (
                 <Card.Content
                   key={item.id}
                   as="li"
-                  className="sh-reveal sh-reveal--in"
+                  className={cx(
+                    "sh-reveal sh-reveal--in",
+                    revealEdge(index, news.length),
+                    revealStep(index),
+                  )}
                   href={item.href}
                   title={item.title}
                   actionLabel={t("actions.readMore")}
@@ -744,7 +791,7 @@ reveal
           </div>
 
           {faqs.length > 0 ? (
-            <Accordion items={faqs} className="sh-reveal" />
+            <Accordion items={faqs} itemClassName="sh-reveal" />
           ) : (
             <EmptyState message={copy.faqEmpty} />
           )}
@@ -770,10 +817,14 @@ reveal
           </div>
 
           <ul className="grid list-none grid-cols-1 gap-lg md:grid-cols-3">
-            {copy.consortium.map((member) => (
+            {copy.consortium.map((member, index) => (
               <li
                 key={member.name}
-                className="sh-lift sh-reveal sh-reveal--in flex h-full flex-col items-start gap-sm rounded-card border border-[var(--border-subtle)] bg-[var(--surface-card)] p-xl hover:border-[var(--border-accent)]"
+                className={cx(
+                  "sh-lift sh-reveal sh-reveal--in flex h-full flex-col items-start gap-sm rounded-card border border-[var(--border-subtle)] bg-[var(--surface-card)] p-xl hover:border-[var(--border-accent)]",
+                  revealEdge(index, copy.consortium.length),
+                  revealStep(index),
+                )}
               >
                 <span className="rounded-chip bg-[var(--surface-accent-subtle)] px-xs py-2xs label-md uppercase text-[var(--text-accent)]">
                   {member.role}