Where there's a WIP, there's a way

Gold inlaid jade sword hilt, Mughal Empire, circa 1680-1700

(source)

They tried to kill us, but they did not succeed. And we owe so much thanks to the other oppressed peoples, in particular the Choctaw Nation and the Masai, who sent money and grain to us.

Let me repeat that. The Choctaw Nation who had just gone through the Trail of Tears sent us money to try save Irish lives. It’s led to an understanding between Irish people and Native American tribes, most recently when we donated to the Navajo and Hopi fundraisers for COVID-19 relief, because while it may be a different tribe, Irish people will never forget those who helped us and we’ll help back.

The entire population of the island is less than seven million people. We’re still a million less on this island than pre famine. And it’s not that long ago. My grandmother’s grandparents lived through it. We’ve told the stories, it literally changed the DNA of the country. We have a national fear of renting, because so many people were evicted. People joke about Irish people always offering loads of food, but it’s because there’s that cultural memory of not being able to.

By the start of the blight tenant and free farmers personal plots had become so small potatoes were the only crop that produced enough calorie-per-acre to feed them.

Ireland experienced a famine because its agricultural system had been so utterly broken in the name of feeding the English and making the landlords and grain merchants wealthy, and then any efforts to combat the famine such as importing grain from the USA were halted because they feared it might harm the merchants profit margins.

Fandom: Soul Calibur Ship: Cassandra/Hilde Hug prompt: 20 (Cuddling) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The mountains near Athens could get quite cold, especially near the top, and especially at that shrine where Sophitia spent so much time praying, but back home was still at the coast of the Mediterranean. Even winters were relatively mild, and spring and summer were delightfully warm.

Cassandra had absolutely no idea how the people of Wolfkrone didn't all freeze to death every damn winter.

Tightening the thick wool cloak she traveled with around her shoulders while sitting in near a campfire, Cassandra gave a shiver at the bitter cold of the frosty air in the Black Forest. Princess Hilde had taken her, Gerhilde, and a small retinue of her closer fellow soldiers on a boar hunting trip, both for food and sport. Hilde had, apparently, been on several trips before, and had displayed remarkable strength and courage; when Cassandra had made a fool of herself by questioning why everyone was so impressed with the princess having fought a pig and taking it down entirely on her own, Hilde invited her to come along and see what the fuss was about, at least once everyone else had finished laughing at her.

Sure, there was the legend of the Calydonian Boar Hunt in her homeland's ancient folklore, but that was a divine beast sent by Artemis, not just a regular wild boar. Where could some hog in the woods compare to the fury of the goddess of the moon and the hunt?

Rather than her usual sword and shield, Cassandra had taken a pair of odd spears with her at Hilde's behest. They had long, sharp heads with what looked almost like the crossguard of a sword near the part where the head met the shaft. "The crossbar," Hilde had explained, "combined with the lengthy and broad leaf shape of the head is so that you can inflict mortal wounds without the boar getting too close."

Cassandra hummed curiously. "How would the boar keep coming towards you with a spear in its guts?" she asked, and Hilde giggled softly. "Cassandra, mein Schatz, wild boars are extremely fierce. When in danger, they simply do not care that they have been impaled, and will run up the shaft of the spear to gore you with their tusks anyway, and both of you will die. And even then, the strongest boars can still break the thick shaft if you do not control them properly, and then they will kill you anyway. We have entire parties of hunters take on a single hog for a reason."

"Didn't they say you killed one by yourself though? How hard was that?"

Hilde raised an eyebrow. "That was considered a truly exceptional feat," she replied. "Even my father, who is far bigger and even stronger than I am, almost died when his entire hunting party had been chased off. The boar was already wounded, and the only reason I still have a father is because he managed to get it in the eye and pierce its brain." She grinned with no small amount of pride and smugness. "When he found out that I had taken my own boar down by myself without injury, he was so beside himself with relief that he could not sleep for two days."

Scooting closer to Hilde on the log upon which the both of them sat, Cassandra leaned on the princess' shoulder. "If hunting a boar is so dangerous, couldn't you wear armor to stay safe?"

With a shake of her head, Hilde answered, "Armor is for battle, not for hunting. If you were to wear enough of it to make a difference, you would be too loud, and scare your quarry away. As well, heavy enough armor to fend off a boar restricts movement, and if the weather is too cold, the metal robs your body of warmth. You would freeze to death before ever finding the beast you hunt."

Hilde's own clothes for the hunt included padded cloth, thick leather gloves and boots, a scarf made of badger pelts, and a cloak made from the cured hide of a black bear. "Speaking of warmth," she noted, "it looks like you could use some yourself." She picked up Cassandra and set the squeaking Greek lady in her lap, then wrapped her arms around Cassandra's shoulders and middle, hugging her from behind and resting her chin in the crook of Cassandra's neck. "Here, have some of mine.

the past few days my mind has been consumed by an ongoing story about Bricks and Minifigs, a second hand LEGO store, stealing $200,000 worth of vintage Star Wars LEGO sets from an old man, and using several police departments to illegally obstruct any investigation into it. Police harassment escalated so badly Reckless Ben, the youtuber investigating, was jailed a few times and is now in Mexico. (wikipedia page if you don't want to watch a video)

this story has police corruption across states. healthcare costs. mormons. it feels like a modern day tintin adventure lampooning america. or an episode of south park

Scenario: you see someone in a wheelchair fall out of their chair, and you have the ability to help.

1. Approach and ask "are you okay?"*

2. Next question if they say no, are vague, or open to continuing conversation** is, "is there anything I can do to help?" Or "what can I do?"

If they say no to help, then that's the end, just leave and go do whatever you were doing!

If they ask for help or say they are mildly injured, ask "what would you like me to do?" And wait for an answer before doing anything! If they seem dazed or confused, they might have hit their head or had another medical event*, or they might just be like that due to regular disability. Be patient.

Do not touch the person unless they say to, or they are like, unconcious in the middle of the road, ya know?? Wheelchair users usually have conditions that mean being handled improperly can severely injure us, you could cause much more damage than the fall.

Some things they might need you to do:

Bring their wheelchair closer (mine went about 5 feet away after it dumped me)

engage the brakes of the wheelchair

hold wheelchair steady if it's an unsteady surface (mud, hill, ramp, wet, etc)

offer an arm for them to hold onto to get up (them grabbing you, not you grabbing them) or move another solid item closer for them to use (i.e. a chair) [only do this if you physically have the ability to!]

If the terrain is rough (i.e. a parking lot), they *might* ask you to push their chair to a more stable area once they are back in their chair

nothing

Something else

Do what they ask, NOT what you think would be helpful. If for some reason you have to do something (i.e. you can't stop oncoming traffic and need to get them out) ASAP, tell them what you plan to do

Keep in mind they might also be D/deaf, have a communication disability, be stunned after the fall, have a head injury, not trust other people, etc. Be patient and treat them as a person with autonomy and agency! They might need to just sit on the ground for a few minutes to recover before trying to get back in their chair. They might want everyone to leave them alone. They might ask you to call someone specific. Their chair might have broken and that can be extremely distressing. All of this is like if your legs spontaneously stop working when you're out and about!

A lot of wheelchair users (NOT ALL) have ways to get into their chair on their own once the chair is close enough and brakes engaged (but it's hard from the ground!). Here's what brakes look like on a lot of manual wheelchairs, in case they ask you to lock the brakes. They're levers on each side and pushing the lever pushes a bar against the wheel to hold it still.

ID: A manual wheelchair with the brake levels circled in red and labeled "user brake levers"

*There is also the possibility of course that a person fell out of their chair due to a seizure or other medical event, so that is why it is important to ask if they are okay. If you saw them hit their head, tell them so. If they had a medical event, follow protocol for that, I'm not gonna get into it here (thought I could).

**sometimes a person will be clear after the first question i.e. "I'm all good thanks" clearly means they do not need you to ask another question, you can just leave them alone. Keep walking and don't stare. A lot of the time people will be a bit banged up but be totally fine and able to manage on their own.