#FAMILY PLAN 2023

[favroitecrime]

Palestinian freedom fighters breaking out of Gaza and reclaiming their occupied territories. They’ve taken over israeli tanks and have chased out the settlers that were on that land. They’ve launched rockets everywhere and the iron dome has failed to intercept. This is about to mark a momentous event in history.

From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.

[starleska]

now i know i say something similar every other week. but i am reaching critical levels of down-badness and feel like if i see one more picture of this music-devouring entity my heart will give out 😳💖🎶

[dontpunchdogs]

happy holidays + a snooper christmas to those who celebrate!!

[mishkakagehishka]

I love having one (1) tumblr blog for everything bc it's like "i don't think my dad actually even likes me. Anyway come look at my blorbos. Also i'm thinking about writing a satirical novel"

[stardust948]

Urzai adopts the Gaang AU - The Headband

@urzaiweekblog

Day 3: Unplanned

Day 6: Dance

Day 7: Tradition

Ozai couldn’t believe he let the children talk him and Ursa into this. Aang attending a Fire Nation school was a bad enough idea. Now this?! Ozai swore he was going to go grey early with as many stressed grey hairs the young Avatar has given him.

“This is such a terrible idea.”

“Agreed. But you know they were going to go behind our back and do it anyway.” Ursa said. “At least this way we can keep an eye on them.”

Ozai grunted. He already caught Azula and Toph trying to spike the punch with cactus juice they got from Agni knows where. But judging from the slightly dazed looks and wobbly swaying, they managed to sneak some in after all.

“Besides,” Ursa continued. “Look at how much fun they’re having.”

Ozai hummed. Aang was showing off some “traditional” Fire Nation dance moves to the students as Toph and Azula laughed from the side while passing back and forth a cup. Katara even managed to cox Zuko onto the dancefloor. Ozai smiled to himself. It has been a while since he’d seen them this happy especially after Ba Sing Se fell.

Ursa grinned. “Careful Ozai. I have you know dancing is illegal in the Fire Nation.”

Ozai stilled. “The music is livelier than I expected.”

“Of course. Wouldn’t want to ruin your pristine reputation.”

Ozai smirked and held out his hand. “Considered it ruined, my dear.”

Ursa accepted with an amused expression. “You know how to dance?”

Ozai led her to the dancefloor. “Can’t be much different from sparing.”

“Well then.” Ursa pulled him close. “I’ll lead.”

They circle each other in slow careful steps like the beginning of a duel before dissolving into sharp twists and turns; the natural synergy was similar to covering each other in battle. Aang led the others into some sort of circle dance around them, whooping and cheering.

The feeling was incredible. Exciting. Fun.

It was actually… fun.

“WHAT’S GOING ON HERE?!”

The music stopped abruptly. At the entrance of the cave was the headmaster and a couple of Fire Nation soldiers.

“Where is the student with the headband? Bring him to me now!”

“Ash.” Ozai and Ursa both swore under their breaths.  

It was fine though. They’ve planned for this. While the students distracted the headmaster and soldiers with their own headbands, the rest of Team Avatar slipped through the escaped tunnels. They had to be quick. The soldiers won’t hesitate to arrest everyone here by force if needed. Ozai glanced around to make sure everyone got out. He suddenly had formed a deep pit in his stomach.

“Wait.” Ursa whispered alarmed, echoing Ozai’s thoughts. “Where’s-“

“What’s all this now?” A stern looking man with a bushy beard demanded.

The soldiers straighten up immediately. “Captain Wang Fire! We-“

“I don’t want to hear it! You two are needed at the Eastern Gate now. There are some unauthorized benders lurking by there.” He looked directly at them. “You all should leave. Now!”

“That’s where he’s been this whole-“

Ursa shushed him as she led him out. Ozai sighed.

They were all so grounded.

[aoitakumi8148]

...𝓘𝓽 𝓕𝓮𝓮𝓵𝓼 𝓛𝓲𝓴𝓮 𝓢𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓘𝓷𝓼𝓲𝓭𝓮 𝓜𝓮 𝓗𝓪𝓼 𝓓𝓲𝓮𝓭 𝓐𝓼 𝓦𝓮𝓵𝓵...

[chromiollies]

Artfight attacks for this year!!! Character owners are in the image desc!

[jerichopalms]

#96: The Family Plan (2023, dir. by Simon Cellan Jones)

[al-mayriti]

yesterday i was thinking that if i don't get into any phd program by the end of the year and i switch to focusing on studying oposiciones to work at a museum i will try and learn some catalan to get the c1.

[lady-protector]

30. amity

As Aymeric stared up at the enormous, one-eyed form of Vrtra, satrap of Radz-at-Han and youngest of the First Brood, he found himself momentarily speechless at the very concept. Only a few short years ago, Ishgard’s borders had been closed, and he would have been dead at the bottom of Witchdrop for even considering the possibility of international amity with a nation ruled by a Fury-forsaken dragon.

But Vrtra had ruled Thavnair fairly and well for centuries, had personally given the scales that had shielded his men from tempering in Garlemald and elsewhere – the large swath of exposed flesh on his side was reminder enough of that. And then for him to invite the leader of a city known for its skills in the slaughter of Vrtra’s kind while thus weakened – it went against every single tenet by which he had been raised and lived most of his adult life.

However, he had become accustomed to rapid change, oft heralded by the two women who sat at the nearby table, chatting quietly. Recovering his wits, Aymeric bent in a bow. “Thank you for the invitation, satrap Vrtra. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

A deep, rumbling voice issued forth from the wyrm, but in the common tongue rather than the dragonspeak his elder brothers had favored, “You are welcome on Thavnair’s shores, Lord Speaker. Sit, and take your ease.”

“If we have to start standing on ceremony, I’m going to go eat in my room. Leave the damned politics in Ishgard,” Estinien grumbled, off to his left.

Aymeric tipped his head at the former preminent dragonslayer of Etheirys as he took the seat next to him, smiling faintly. “You say that, but the longer you stay here, the longer I’m tempted to make you an official ambassador between Ishgard and Radz-at-Han. You are rather uniquely suited for it, after all.”

Grey eyes narrowed and pinned him with a glare. “Don’t. I haven’t your talent for speeches, nor your taste for rubbing elbows with important people.”

[helmstone]

Apple TV+ set new records in 2023

Apple TV+ set new records in 2023

According to a report from Deadline (I can’t find the source data), 2023 was an excellent year for Apple TV+ with a number of shows setting new benchmarks for the streamer. Apple TV+’s viewership went up by 42% year over year in 2023, in over 100 countries. The service doubled the total hours consumed, in year over year comparison. The article sites several contributing shows, including my…

[justyourtypicalwriter]

Have I…posted anything for this au?

[spikeisawesome456]

I graduated from grad school with my masters in educational counseling and my credential to (hopefully) become a counselor in a K-12 school. I also went to Japan with my older brother to celebrate said graduation. :-)

hey honest question, did anybody have GOOD stuff happen to them in 2024? cause it was really bad for me and for most people i know, so it would be nice to hear about anything that's been going WELL for any of you. even if it's small stuff. just to know there's light out there.

[gallusrostromegalus]

So it's national Recreational Explosives, Hand Loss and Wildfire day, and unlike 2023, there is nary a drop of rain in sight.

Despite being slapped upside the head by God, my put technically inclined neighbor has acquired TWO pallets of fireworks this year.

The state is of no help: my city police department has made it pretty clear they don't intend to respond to any fireworks calls this weekend. I've sent the pictures I took to the county tipline and received and automated email reply saying that it will take several weeks to process my case. Perhaps he will get jail time later, but this does not actually you know. Stop him from setting the neighborhood ablaze. Going up to his door the week prior and very politely asking him to move- not cancel, just relocate - his celebrations was met with calling me a "nosy bitch" and "I'll set one off in your ass!".

Sometimes God needs us to make our own miracles.

My miracle comes with several layers, and plenty of opportunities to back down without losing face. We'll see how many are needed.

The first wave has already been deployed: a psyop directed at the Visiting Mother In Law of the miscreant.

I got up at 8:30 AM this morning to make sure I'd be in the front yard of my house, casually doing yardwork with Herschel. His participation was essential.

For those of you who are new here, Herschel is the world's most charming Cardigan Welsh Crime Tube, who thinks everyone in the world is his best friend and that people come to the house to see him specifically. So at 9:04 AM when the visiting mother-in-law appeared around the corner on her daily power-walk around the block, Herschel employed his natural Corgi instinct to make friends with everyone and cheerfully tossed himself on the sidewalk in front of her, belly up for expected tummy rubs.

"OH AREN'T YOU DARLING!!" My target coos, kneeling down to pat him while he makes him like snuffling noises of glee. She is at least 70. I think her bright pink leg warmers and terrycloth headband might be original from her jazzercise days.

"I'm so sorry! Herschel you're going to trip people doing that!" I apologize, going up to greet the woman. "I'm [REDACTED], I don't think we've met..?"

"No, I'm just visiting my daughter and her family- my name is Barbara. And who is this?" She asks Herschel, whose whole back end is waggling with glee.

"This is my service dog Herschel." I explain while he rolls around on the pavement. "I just wanted him to get some time outside before the pyrotechnics start."

"Oh. Yes." Barbra grumbles and I know I've got her. "My son-in-law is planning something extravagant." She says with such disdain it practically comes out of her nose. This is a woman who loves her daughter and dearly wishes she married someone, anyone else.

"Yeah, he got rained out and sick the last two years, so I think he's compensating." I agree.

"Oh he's definitely overcompensating!" Barbra spits, then shakes her whole body like a dog. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't complain. You said he's a service dog?"

I go for it.

"Yeah! I have... Neurological problems." I say and that is technically true. "I've um. Lost a lot of things, like a sense of time, or appetite, and his job is to remind me to eat or take my meds or alerts that I'm having an episode. My personal dog-tor!" I say, patting his adorable little head, and he leans on me, equally adoring.

"Oh, is that why-?" Barbra starts to ask, gesturing at the top of her head, but stops herself.

I hadn't planned this, but yesterday I'd shaved my head to deal with the heat and now only have a quarter inch of hair, which doesn't really hide the scars from when I got run over by a minivan. They're bright red with the heat and exertion of yard work.

I decide I'm okay with lying to a stranger to prevent my house from being set ablaze.

I sort of... Crumple to the ground and drop the rake I was holding, and Herschel immediately climbs into my lap to comfort me as I start to cry.

"Oh my God." Says Barbra.

"I'm sorry!" I gasp, tears streaming down my face. I've been stressed and this is honestly very cathartic. "I'm sorry to dump on you, I'm just so scared-!"

"Oh my God. It's bad." Barbra realizes.

"D- do you know what-" a pause as Herschel tries to manually clear my nostrils like a good service dog. "-oh, Herschel... It's - do you know what an astrocytoma* is?"

*An astrocytoma is a type of brain tumor.

Barbra turns white and sits down next to me. "I'm so sorry... I- one of my friends from church had one, it was agony but she's alright now!" She tries to reassure me.

"It hurts! Everything hurts all the time!" I sob. "And- and I'm scared, so he's scared and I feel bad for hi which just makes it worse and then there's the-" I gesture at the sky. "I have surgery in a month to remove as much of it as they can and do biopsies to see if I need radiation too but..."

"-but all that noise must be Hell on you and your doggy." Barbra nods.

"It'd be fine if he went down to the lake of something but, that house's driveway is like, a hundred feet from my bedroom, I can't sleep and it TERRIFIES Herschel..." I whimper pathetically.

"Well. I may be able to do something about that." Barbra decides.

"Oh no, I don't want to intrude!" I mock-protest.

"No, we're the ones intruding dear. I'll have words with him." She growls. I get the impression she's been waiting for an excuse To Have Words With Him.

"Th-thank you. Um. It's getting hot and I'm a mess, we should probably go inside..." I mutter and Barbra very kindly helps me and Herschel to the front door and tells me she'll be by later with watermelon as we wave goodbye.

From the porch, I watch her furiously power-walk back to her daughter's house, wrench open the front door, and issue a battle cry of "HEN-RY!!!" before it slams behind her.

Now I realize that this may not have been the most honest or ethical thing to do, but I figured it's more polite and ethical than the next step, which is chemical warfare, courtesy of Bath & Body Works :)

[reasonsforhope]

"In Sacramento, California, an estimated 6,615 people are experiencing homelessness, a number that — while still heartbreakingly high — has declined 29% since 2023, according to the latest Point In Time counts. 

But a new project, which has been in the works since 2022, might bring that number down even lower.

A new 13-acre property purchased by Sacramento County will soon be home to the Watt Service Center and Safe Stay. 

The county broke ground on the mixed-use service center this week, which will provide shelter, emergency respite, safe parking, health services, and more to community members who are unsheltered — meaning they don’t have a place to safely sleep at night.

“We wanted to do something that is not only larger, but a large-scale campus to provide more than just the shelter,” Janna Haynes, of the county’s Department of Homeless Services and Housing, told KCRA3 News.

The Watt Service Center will have amenities to help meet the needs of anyone staying there, including bathrooms, showers, laundry, and food, as well as mental health, treatment, and employment services.

“You can also meet with your case manager, get behavior health services, look for a job, get rehousing services, a place for your dog,” Jaynes added. “It’s really everything you need, not only for your day-to-day life, but to hopefully end your homelessness.”

While the center is a costly offering, the city explained that it is ultimately less expensive than allowing the homelessness crisis to go unmitigated.

The land was purchased for $22 million and will cost an estimated $42 million to construct the center. According to ABC10 News it will be mostly funded by the American Rescue Plan Act.

While the center will have the capacity to host 225 beds in Safe Stay cabins, 50-person capacity in Safe Parking, and 75-person capacity for emergency/weather respite beds, it will serve countless others outside of the 350 total people it can house at any given time.

According to a press release from the county, “conservative estimates” have found that over the course of 15 years, the center will serve 18,000 people.

In 2017, the city found that the average cost for an “unsheltered individual” was about $45,000 a year, considering public systems like county jail, shelters, behavioral health, and more.

With the projected impact of the shelter, that cost lowers to less than $3,600 per person.

“If you break down the funding, it’s actually not that expensive,” Rich Desmond, county supervisor for District 3, told ABC10.

“It’s a heck of a lot cheaper than letting someone stay out in the community, unsheltered where they are extremely expensive in terms of the emergency response from fire, our emergency rooms, our law enforcement response.”

Providing what the county calls “wraparound services” not only brings down costs but truly helps people meet their basic needs.

“The really great thing about this site in particular, that we don't have at any other shelters, is the sheer size and the ability to really wrap everything people need,” Emily Halcon, director of the Department of Homeless Services and Housing with Sacramento County, told ABC10. 

One notable feature is the center’s Safe Parking spaces, which are the first of their kind in the city. People living in their cars will now have a safe place to park, monitored by security.

“We know a lot of people who are unsheltered actually are living out of their cars,” Desmond said, “maybe a family that’s barely hanging on but they still need that vital transportation to get their kids to school or get to work.”

This support is especially helpful for those who are newly homeless, Halcon added, building on the amenities provided in the county’s two other “safe stay” facilities. 

While Sacramento County just broke ground on the Watt Service Center, officials say they hope to begin moving people into the facility in January 2026.

“Our staff is putting in extra time and attention to this campus, ensuring that it houses everything we need to end homelessness for people,” Desmond said in a statement.

Once it’s up and running, Jaynes told KCRA3, they plan to onboard formerly unhoused community members as part of the staff at the facility.

“When you have a conversation with someone who understands where you’ve been, and you see the success they’re having now,” Jaynes said, “it really does give you hope something could be different.”

-via GoodGoodGood, January 24, 2025

[enfinizatics]

dear americans,

as a polish queer woman and human rights activist, i know exactly how you're feeling right now and what to expect from these elections. i lived through the 2015-2023 regime of pis, a right-wing populist party that divided families in the same way trump did. i’ve experienced the rise of fascism in poland, the influence of far-right parties like konfederacja, and their “santa’s little helpers”—ordo iuris, an ultra-conservative catholic organization (banned in many countries, mind you) that helped enforce a near-total abortion ban and runs anti-queer campaigns in public spaces. i supported the black protests in 2016 as a middle schooler when they first tried to ban abortion. as an adult, i actively participated in the 2020 women’s strike, running from police tear gas daily after they finally passed the ban. i supported friends who faced charges.

i’ve lived through intense homophobia in poland as a queer teen and adult. i survived the first pride march in my hometown, where far-right extremists threw stones and glass at us. i endured the anti-queer propaganda spread by the ruling party in state-owned media. i survived the “rainbow night,” poland’s own stonewall moment in summer 2020, when police arrested around 50 queer activists following the arrest of margo, a nonbinary activist. i survived the "lgbt-free zones," the targeted violence, the slurs from strangers on the street, and the protests i held against queerphobia. it was hard as fuck, but i survived.

but just because i survived, it doesn’t mean others did. many women died because of the abortion ban—marta, justyna, izabela, dorota, joanna, maria, and many others who didn’t survive pis’s draconian anti-abortion laws. milo, kacper, michał, zuzia (she was 12), wiktor, and other queer and trans kids and young adults took their own lives because of the relentless queerphobia.

despite all of this, our experience in poland can serve as a guide now. here are some tips for staying safe and how we, polish queers and women, organized under the regime:

safety first, always. if you know someone who’s had an abortion, no you don’t. if you know someone is trans, no you don’t. if you know people who help with safe abortions, no you don’t—at least not until you know it’s 100% safe to share. if you are queer or have had an abortion, only share this with people you trust fully. most importantly, not everyone has to be an activist just because they’re part of a minority. if it feels unsafe to share that you're queer, trans, etc., then don’t. it doesn’t make you any less queer.

use secure, encrypted messaging like signal for conversations on potentially risky topics, such as queerness, abortion, organizing counter-actions, protests—anything that might be used against you.

stay anonymous online. if you want to research or report something without surveillance, do not use regular internet. get a vpn (mullvad is affordable and reliable), download the tor browser (for both onion and standard links), and if you plan to whistleblow, consider using a riseup email account.

organize and build networks. community is everything now. support each other, foster independence, because your government won’t have your back. set up collectives, grassroots movements. create lists of trusted professionals—lawyers, doctors, etc.—who can offer support.

to lawyers and doctors: please consider pro-bono work. this is what got us through poland’s hardest times. your work will be needed now more than ever.

for protests or risky actions: always write a pro-bono lawyer’s number on your arm with a permanent marker.

get to know the anarchist black cross federation and other resources on safety culture: "Starting an anarchist black cross group: A guide"; Still We Rise - A resource pack for transgender and non-gender conforming people in prison; Safe OUTside the system by the Audre Lorde Project;

for safe abortion info or involvement: get familiar with womenhelpwomen.

stay radical, stay strong, stay informed: The Anarchist Library

if i forgot to (or didn't) include something, don't hesitate to reblog this post with other resources.