I love stuff like this. Didnβt a tribe in Africa send America some cows after 9/11? Like this is holy and the most valuable thing we have. We hear your suffering and want to do anything in our power to help
It was not a potato famine. The famine didnβt happen because of the potato yeald failing. Ireland was actually producing more than enough food. However it was almost all land owned by Brittish landowners, who took all of the food out of the country to sell in UK. Potato was what the Irish farmers ate, because it was cheep and could be produced in worst parts of the land, where more profitable food couldnβt be grown. When there were no longer potatos, the decision for the farmers was to either starve and sent the food as rent to the landlords or loose their homes and then starve.
The Brittish goverment was unwilling to do anything for two reasons. First was the laissez-faire capitalistic ideology, that put the rights of property owners to make profits above human lives. Rent freeze was unthinkable and they even were unwilling to do proper relief efforts as free food would lower the cost of food. The second reason was distain for the Irish, and the thought that they were βbreeding too muchβ and the famine was a natural way to trim down the population, aka genocidal reasoning.
This is why itβs important to stress it was not a potato famine. The potato blinght was all over Europe but only in Ireland there was a famine. The reasons behind it had nothing to do with potatos and everything to do with the Brittish.
Apparently what made Choctaw want to offer relief to Irish was the news about the Doolough Tragedy. Hundreds of starving people were gathered for inspection to verify they were entitled to recieve relief. The officials would for *some reason* not do that and instead left to a hunting lodge 19 kilometers away to spend the night and said to the starvqing people they would have to walk there by morning to be inspected. The weather conditions were terrible and many of them died completely needlessly during the walk thoroung day and night.
This apparently reminded the Choctaw of their own very recent (and much more explicit and bigger scale) experiences of ethnic clensing, where they were forcibly relocated. It was basically a death march and thousands of Choctaw died from the terrible conditions also completely needlessly.
In 2015 a memorial named Kindred Spirits was installed in Southern Ireland to commemorate the Chactow donation.
Iβm holding on to hope, one day at a timeβand today, Iβm asking for your support. My family is living through a reality no one should have to face, and Iβm doing my best to keep our voices heard.
π Please take a second to check out my pinned post.
π Sharing it can help it reach someone who might be able to help.
π€ If youβre able to give even a little, your generosity could ease a heavy burden.
Your support, your time, your careβit all matters more than you know.
I hope you're doing well. Today, Iβm reaching out with a heartfelt request. My family is going through an incredibly difficult time, and I need your help to make our story heard.
π A simple reblog of my pinned post can spread awareness.
π A small $5 donation could bring hope where itβs desperately needed.
@nasr-daher
Even the smallest act of kindness can create ripples of change. Your support means the worldβthank you for standing with us! πβ¨
Come to think of it, it really is insane that my entire country is burning alive and literally no one in the rest of the world cares. Thousands of Indians are dying every day from the heat, it's 45+ degrees in multiple areas, the government couldn't give two fucks, we're getting severe warnings and red alerts, and not a soul outside of South Asia is speaking about it because why would you ever care about brown people
USA folks, that is a consistent temperature range hitting 113Β°. Death Valley temperatures. In Banda, it hovered between 116Β°-118Β° (47Β°-48Β° C) for a week straight.
This has been happening all month with little to no international media attention. Here are a few organizations you can check out for resources or to support:
alright I've got to do some quick math to explain attitudes towards AI to my boss.
we're looking to create an AI policy, and when we were talking about this, my boss (older millennial) was genuinely shocked to hear that younger people do not (seem) to view AI positively (a la the recent commencement speakers being booed)
please rb for larger sample size!
Question 1/3
What is your age, and do you feel AI is a net positive or net negative in our lives today?
κ±α΄α΄α΄α΄ΚΚ/α΄κ±α΄: Hello! I would like to request a Hugo Stiglitz x Male Reader with the Dialogue prompt "Sit down, I don't bite". I just feel like that fits Hugo pretty well and I know whatever you write will be amazing! Have a great day! π«Ά
α΄‘α΄ΚΙ΄ΙͺΙ΄Ι’κ±: swearing, smoking, war & violence
The night was quiet, a little too much, but you chalked that down mostly to the fact that you had grown accustomed to bombings becoming lullabies, gunfire becoming old rhymes and songs in a language that could no longer be sung; you were used to the violence, and without it ringing in your ears, you were uneasy, and on edge.
Next to you, Donny snored loudly enough that he might as well have been a group of British bombers, and it made you roll your eyes as you dragged yourself up, and over to where Hugo was staring out into the dark.
He took guard duty the most seriously, but then again, he was usually on his own; whenever it was your turn, you were often paired with someone else.
Hugo was enough force on his own. More than, actually.
But even still, you slowly settled a little while away from him, and nodded curtly in quiet thanks when he handed you a cigarette and refused to ask; he knew what it was like to be restless when there wasn't bloodshed, he knew the look in your eyes.
He knew the fidgeting, and he knew the itching to put your hands on a trigger.
So he sighed, and hung his head, wishing that things could have been different for you; for a while, he had been burdened with a certain sensation, like he needed you nearby the way that he needed a cigarette after a couple of hours, often irritable and snappy when you weren't around.
He hated it when you ran off to meet your SOE colleagues for updates. He hated it more thinking that you would come back; if he could have, Hugo would have spared you from the war. He would have ensured that a man like you would never be touched by something so awful and evil.
But he had been too late.
You enlisted in thirty-nine, he had no way of going back and getting a boat to Britain and changing that. You were recruited by the Basterds upon their conception, a special liaison from the SOE. There was no way that Hugo could have ever stopped you from joining, no way he could have ever been able to spare you from becoming the same kind of monster that he was.
You called him a hero, he didn't see it that way, he couldn't.
You got up, ready to move away, when Hugo cleared his throat, and glanced at you for just a split second; his voice was hoarse and low, not particularly used to the kind of softness that he wanted to give to you. Knowing that he couldn't.
"Sit down, I don't bite."
You nodded curtly again, lowering yourself down uneasily and awkwardly sitting next to him, twiddling your fingers as you held the cigarette between your lips and watched the shadows keenly for a moment. "Thank you."
He glanced at you again, and you felt your nerves jolt suddenly awake as you smiled, your face feeling rather hot despite the cold night air.
"So, erm," you looked around, nothing but shadows. "It's quiet..."
Slowly, he nodded. "You are not doing well with it, Lieutenant?"
You shook your head, chewing at the inside of your lip and your cheek between drags, enough that the areas were raw and jagged. "Just feels wrong, y'know? Ain't natural, even though it shouldn't be natural anyway."
He nodded again, and extended his hand, surprised when you gave yours up; it was the only thing he could think of doing, but the moment that your skin touched his, his nerves suddenly jolted and shocked his entire system. He clenched his jaw.
"You're a good man."
"I'm something," you scoffed, grinning at him for a moment before turning your attention back to the shadows and their vague intricacies. "Besides, compared to you? I'm not shit. I mean, you're the famous Nazi killer. You're a fucking superhero, Hugo."
He nodded slowly, not feeling like arguing. A superhero would have been quick about it, and not taken so much joy in putting those bigoted, vile, evil cunts in the ground where they fucking belonged.
Somewhere between hero and villain, he had the right reasons and he really was doing the right thing, but he was very proud of it, and thought it was as fun as a game. Maybe even more so.
You hummed, daring to be brave and putting your head on his shoulder after flicking the cigarette away; he flinched, but quickly relaxed with a huff and a quiet growl. You smiled, your eyes getting heavy as you tried not to yawn, watching the shadows with fading interest.
Hugo didn't dare move, quietly promising himself that if someone tried to get your attention for any reason, he would kill them.
"It's a shame we're not in a different time," you muttered. "I quite like the thought of asking if I can... what's it the posh cunts call it? Courting?"
He nodded once. "Mmhm."
"Quite like the idea of asking if I were allowed to court you," you yawned loudly, then your voice suddenly dropped back into a muttering murmur again. "Shame, innit?"
As much as he didn't want to admit it, he liked the thought of it; so he stayed there quietly, letting you drift off against his shoulder, glad that you were at last getting some sleep. At last dozing off. He could live with knowing that you had slept, even just a little bit.
He waited until you were completely gone before he smiled to himself, and stole a glance at you from the corner of his eye. A man like you deserved so much better than him, you could have had anyone, you didn't want some broken, bruised, bloodied, Basterd.
κ±α΄α΄α΄α΄ΚΚ/α΄κ±α΄: "Friends to lovers" - "You're shivering, come here" - "Snowed in"
With Kuai Liang mk1 x m!reader
I hc him to run way hotter than the average human obviously. The reader is from another like royal house and they kind of grew up togheter or something similar to that. I have no real idea why they are friends but I wanted them to be equal? Not like reader is a servant but the still are friends
α΄‘α΄ΚΙ΄ΙͺΙ΄Ι’κ±: swearing, mentions of death
The Lin Kuei had always been on good terms with one of Earthrealm's many guilds of thieves; Kuai Liang's father, in fact, had always been good friends with your family, and the friendship had evidently been passed down as you and Kuai Liang had always been inseparable since the day that you had met as babies under his father's roof. You grew up together, fought together, trained together, argued together, did everything together; his father was proud, and often remarked that you were honourary Lin Kuei because of it, whilst your family often reciprocated the feeling - Kuai Liang was an honourary thief within your ranks.
You were the best of friends, and the sentiment did not go away in adulthood, it only grew stronger; he acted as your advisor, and you acted as his in return. Often helping each other with things as big as disputes between other clans, and as little as what to wear on a particular day. You were on equal ground with everything, and you could never imagine your life without him, much to Bi-Han's chagrin.
Bi-Han had never liked you, and it was not rare for Kuai Liang to need to defend your honour to him, just as it was not rare for you to need to defend Kuai Liang to his own brother either. But you got along well enough with Tomas, and the two of you often went to things like the cinema together to catch the latest Johnny Cage flick that they were showing; you were on good terms with one another, although nothing compared to your relationship with Kuai Liang.
When their father died, though, you were there even more for him, and gave up your role in the guild for the time being to be there; you did everything you could to help him through the grief, and everything you could to try and quench his paranoia that Bi-Han was somehow behind it more than what he was letting on.
Joined at the hip, it was no surprise to anyone when he agreed to go with you to a remote part of the country for a little bit of a holiday; a break from everything, from the grief and the paranoia and the suspicion and the overwhelming anger. But it was nice, having Kuai Liang all to yourself, as selfish as it sounded.
You liked the sound of his voice, especially when it growled from the back of his throat in the morning, and you adored the scent of his sweat when it coated your pyjamas overnight. But his smile and his laughter were your favourite, after not seeing or hearing it for such a long time, you couldn't deny that it was your favourite thing in the world, and you would have done anything to ensure its permanent state.
It was a cold and frosty morning when you woke up, though, Kuai Liang wrapped around your body just enough to keep you from shivering too much; he always ran hot to the touch, and although you wanted to snuggle back down and to get comfortable again, you couldn't quite bring yourself to fully relax.
Up to the middle of the window, snow had piled up with a thick white duvet; and the moment that you pulled away from him, you started to shiver with the cold air filtering through.
He stirred, not used to waking up with you right there, and yawned quietly as he frowned. "Is everything alright?"
You nodded, keeping your arms folded against your chest as you felt the cold seep into your veins. "Yeah, I just woke up early is all... think the snow got me up..."
Slowly, he moved over to you, and furrowed his brows. "You're shivering, come here. Come on, get over here, let me warm you up."
You nodded, trying not to think about how perfectly you managed to fit into his embrace the way that puzzle pieces so easily locked together; he was warm, his presence comforting and gentle the way that it always was, and without thinking about it, something slipped from your mouth that you had never thought about before.
"Sometimes I wish we were more than friends."
Kuai Liang tensed up slightly, fumbling over his own breath as he kept a hold of you, not wanting to see you shiver like that again; he had always had the thought in the back of his mind, but had always pushed it aside, thinking that maybe you never saw him like that. Maybe you were going to court Tomas.
"Do you mean that?"
You hesitated, embarrassed and flustered, then nodded. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't-"
"Stay," he murmured when you tried to pull away. "Please... stay."
The word meant more to you than what you could say, easily allowing yourself to melt and fall into his arms as you snuggled into him, grumbling under your breath. "Don't let me go cold."
"I won't," Kuai Liang whispered so softly that it was the same sound as a crackling fire. "I won't... come back to bed."
You were eager to follow, cuddling into him and fidgeting around to get comfortable; he thought it was charming, you worried that it annoyed him. But even still, you settled down with your head on his chest and his warm hands working their way up and down your back and your arms.
"I thought I would never have time for romance," he admitted. "Or that if I did, I would never find someone who understood the Lin Kuei's ways... I am glad I found you."
How to be a potato and be able to regrow even when you're tired, forgotten and old, to renew yourself and become something stronger and fresh like a new start
Back at the hospital again and really I'm grateful for being able to get medical care and all but it's so emotionally exhausting to go and just hope getting better. Just trust the process I guess
You settled against Kuai Liang's side without much of a second thought, more than happy to be snuggled up to him as you felt the weight of drowsiness and sleep begin to fog your mind.
His hand was resting on your stomach as he kept his chest pressed against your back, his bearded face nuzzled into the back of your neck as he breathed slowly, steadily, and softly.
His breath and his skin was cool and cold, a gentle juxtaposition to the thick and heavy and warm duvet that rested on your shoulders; the contrast was enough to make you want to fall asleep right away, and you were slowly getting there.
Nodding off every few seconds just to be woken up by your own yawning.
You could have sworn that you had actually fallen asleep when you heard Kuai Liang mumbling and muttering under his breath; he has never talked in his sleep before, or at least, you had never been awake enough to have heard it. Or maybe there was just something or other playing on his mind that he could only allow to slip once he lost control of his voice.
"My sweet everything," he purred so quietly, hardly audible had it not been for the complete silence of the room. "My love."
You smiled, waking up just and just enough to turn over; he didn't move, his hand at the small of your back and his face pressed to the front of your neck. You yawned, snuggling into him as much as humanly possible. He felt so cold in your arms, sending a welcome shiver down your spine that left you going limp.
Your breath grew shallow and soft and sweet, your heart ceasing to race and your eyes getting heavier and heavier.
You knew that it wouldn't be long, you knew that the sweet kiss of the sandman was on its way.
Your skin prickled from the icy ghosting of his fingertips, and you hummed softly. All but groaning quietly.
"Love you," you muttered. "Snowman."
You didn't see the gentle and small smile that came to his lips, nor did you hear the hum from the back of his throat, but Kuai Liang had heard anyway; he tried to pull you closer, as if he was hugging desperately onto his favourite warm teddy bear, but he couldn't. It was no use as much as he did try.
You wriggled around again, not in control of your body's actions, and got on top of him after he had rolled onto his back; he usually complained if you did such a thing, he usually complained if you didn't sit still or moved around too much, but he was too far gone.
Dreaming so sweetly of the evening that he had spent with you earlier.
He had cooked for you, the way that he knew you liked, and he had ensured that it was your favourite; he had given you flowers, knowing without being told which ones were your favourite.
He had washed your hair and scrubbed your hands when you complained about not wanting to do it yourself; when you said that you were cold whilst watching a film together, he had gotten your thickest one and cuddled up next to you.
It had been a lovely evening, and he had enjoyed every second of every precious moment that he had been allowed with you.
He thought about how you had looked earlier, features ghosted so gently by the candle light that he had not been able to take his eyes off of you; he thought about how you smiled at him, and how you had so gently told him that you loved him.
It had meant everything. It would always mean everything to the man who once thought that he had no time for romance, no time to bring someone into his life.
But there you were. It didn't matter if you had gone a month or a day without being together, you never asked for what he could not give when it came to his time and his role as grandmaster.
You never asked for more, only what he could give and could spare. He appreciated it more than he could ever say, and he knew that you knew that.
But for just one night, although he was sound asleep, Kuai Liang could tell you everything.
β³ β Hi! Can I request room full of people but they only have eyes for each other and "I, erm, I wasn't sure if you were gonna show up" with kuai Liang please? β
: ΜΜβ You invite Kuai Liang to a night out with some friends, but thanks to Johnny Cage's big mouth, things may just change between you and the Grandmaster.
You were anxious, huffing on a cigarette and tapping your foot as you looked around; you tried not to seem so panicked, but you weren't sure that you were doing the best of jobs given the shake of your hands, the way your teeth clamped down on your lower lip, and the way that your brows had furrowed.
You checked your phone every five minutes, and still nothing had come through. The last message that you had received had told you that he was on the way, but that had been over an hour ago.
You looked over at Johnny, Kenshi, Kung Lao and Raiden, and frowned; they were laughing and joking and singing. They weren't waiting for anybody, and although they had tried to include you, you had told them that you would wait; despite the wind and the rain that crashed against you as you tugged your jacket that little bit closer.
It was almost frantic, the way that you ashed your cigarette and pressed your fingers to your lips in order to try and hide the way that they shook and the way that your teeth itched to chew at the soft, peeling, flesh. You were about to give up, and call it a night.
It wasn't like you and Kuai Liang were anything special, anyway; just friends who had mutual friends and happened to spend a lot of time together... a lot of time.
Between late night and early morning and mid afternoon calls if you couldn't physically be near, to sharing a bed and feeling like you were finally home when you caught a whiff of his bedsheets. Between the long nights spent talking when you couldn't sleep, and the short but comfortable greetings in the mornings.
You were just friends, and you should have gone and sat with the others.
You dumped your cigarette on the ground, and headed towards the door, but just as you were about to grab the handle and tug it open, a familiar hand grasped it, and gently pulled it open for you.
"I hope I'm not too late," Kuai Liang said as softly as his grumbling voice would allow. "I'm really sorry, I was going to call, but this phone-"
You smiled, and immediately hugged him tightly. "It's fine, it's fine, I promise... I just, I, erm, I wasn't sure if you were gonna show up, and I thought-"
He shook his head, awkwardly and coldly returning the embrace for fear that if he was warm with you, you would push him away. "You asked me to come. I came."
You pulled away, your eyes unable to leave his for a moment too long; beneath the shitty yellow outdoor lamps, they looked so dark. They had the type of darkness that reminded you of the kitchen on a stormy night; cold, but with all the comfort that you could ever ask for. Home.
"You, erm, you didn't need to," you said quietly. "I mean, I know that being... being social isn't really your thing, and I don't wanna, I dunno, I don't wanna push you and make you feel like you have to do things."
"It's fine," Kuai Liang told you, once again grabbing the door and gesturing for you to go. "I'll follow, don't worry."
-
As you sat in the booth with the others, it wasn't long until you wanted another cigarette just to escape the crowd that had begun to swarm around, and the heat that came with it; Johnny went out with you, using his shirt to attempt to fan himself off as he stayed close.
He watched as you lit the cigarette, and then looked through the window to see that Kuai Liang was still holding your gaze. An entire crowd, and yet, the two of you were having one of those silent conversations that he never understood.
"Is it, like, a Sixth Sense thing?" He asked, wanting to see if your gaze would turn to focus on him. It didn't.
You shook your head. "No, Johnny. It's not."
"It seems like it is," he hummed. "I mean, how the fuck are you two so fucking close that you can keep looking at each other through a whole crowd?"
"It's called being good friends," you hummed, as much as the word caused a sharp pain in your chest that made you wince and tense. "Nothing more, nothing less."
Johnny huffed, and slung his arm around you as he grinned and patted your chest with a cocky laugh. "Oh, c'mon, it's more than that. Do you have feelings for Mister Freeze?"
You rolled your eyes, and shook your head. "No, I don't. I told you, me and Kuai Liang are just friends. Just friends, Johnny, not everything is a fucking film."
He hummed, and tilted his head. "I dunno, I don't think friends go this long keeping eye contact and having telepathic talks."
You sighed, and took a long drag from your cigarette. "There's nothing telepathic about it, so would you please shut the fuck up?"
Johnny smiled, and backed off, deliberately standing in your way as he held up the palms of his hands so that they were either side of his face. "Alright, alright, shutting the fuck up... but, y'know, Raiden told me that maybe old Frosty in there isn't exactly thinking about you as just a friend, either."
You narrowed your gaze at him, and clenched your jaw. "What the fuck are you saying?"
"I'm saying, maybe..." he tilted his head, and grinned. "You don't need to act all strange and shit, and you can ask him out... he has feelings for you, and I am a genius matchmaker and I can see that you have feelings for him."
"You don't know what you're talking about," you huffed, shaking your head as you stubbed your cigarette out and threw it into the ashtray. You grabbed the door, and took one more look at him. "Just shut the fuck up, Johnny, please."
-
Raiden and Kung Lao were the first to leave, as they had training in the morning and couldn't afford to stay up late; then, it was Johnny and Kenshi, who decided that they had had enough when things began to get even more crowded and it was impossible to hear themselves think.
Then, it was you and Kuai Liang, and he had insisted that he walk you home, as it was getting late, and the rain and the wind had gotten much, much worse; he didn't want you getting sick, or getting into an accident.
He thought about it a lot, when he walked in step with you; how your eyes could find and hold his gaze even through an entire crowd, and how you seemed to be able to talk to one another without ever using a single word.
How the smell of you clung to him and made him relax the moment that you started to hold onto his arm; how you seemed to so effortlessly take his breath away and make his heart burn harshly.
"Johnny was acting weird," you said eventually, shaking your head as you sighed. "Don't you think?"
Kuai Liang nodded in agreement, and scratched at his shortly trimmed beard. He had kept it that way ever since you had said that it looked good on him, even if he did prefer to have it longer. "Did he make you uncomfortable?"
You shook your head. "Not like that. Weird, like, he wouldn't stop trying to play matchmaker. Again."
He nodded, a little bit reassured as he allowed a gentle sigh to filter from between his lips. "And who did he have in mind?"
"Well, me and you," you admitted quietly, shaking your head. "I know, I know, it's, erm, it's daft, right? I mean, it's not, it's not like- Kuai Liang?"
You paused when he did, noticing his intense and saddened stare as you furrowed your brows.
"Me and you?" He whispered, and when you nodded, he allowed you to take his hand. "I couldn't do that to you... I don't have time for romance, and it's... surely, you would want someone else."
You hesitated, but unable to lie to him, you shook your head. "I mean... not really... look, if there, if there was anyone on this planet... then, erm, y'know, it, it, it would be... you."
He frowned, and shook his head. "And you mean that?"
You nodded slowly. "Only reason I... only, ruh-reason I came out tonight... it was you... you're, you're my..."
Kuai Liang dared to take a step forward, and gently held your face in his cold, cold hands. "Do not say it."
You swallowed thickly, and leaned into the touch as you frowned and put your hands on his ever so softly. "You're my home... and I don't, I don't wanna rush you or, or make you feel like you have to, I just... my home, my home is you."
He closed his eyes for a moment, then sighed heavily; he did not want to hurt you, and did not want to be the shitty boyfriend who rarely had any time for you and made you feel like shit, but... but would things be so different?
He licked his lips, and swallowed hard. "Promise me, if I fail and I'm not what you want, you will walk away."
