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no-passaran · 2 months

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Genocide experts warn that India is about to genocide the Shompen people

Who are the Shompen?

The Shompen are an indigenous culture that lives in the Great Nicobar Island, which is nowadays owned by India. The Shompen and their ancestors are believed to have been living in this island for around 10,000 years. Like other tribes in the nearby islands, the Shompen are isolated from the rest of the world, as they chose to be left alone, with the exception of a few members who occasionally take part in exchanges with foreigners and go on quarantine before returning to their tribe. There are between 100 and 400 Shompen people, who are hunter-gatherers and nomadic agricultors and rely on their island's rainforest for survival.

Why is there risk of genocide?

India has announced a huge construction mega-project that will completely change the Great Nicobar Island to turn it into "the Hong Kong of India".

Nowadays, the island has 8,500 inhabitants, and over 95% of its surface is made up of national parks, protected forests and tribal reserve areas. Much of the island is covered by the Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve, described by UNESCO as covering “unique and threatened tropical evergreen forest ecosystems. It is home to very rich ecosystems, including 650 species of angiosperms, ferns, gymnosperms, and bryophytes, among others. In terms of fauna, there are over 1800 species, some of which are endemic to this area. It has one of the best-preserved tropical rain forests in the world.”

The Indian project aims to destroy this natural environment to create an international shipping terminal with the capacity to handle 14.2 million TEUs (unit of cargo capacity), an international airport that will handle a peak hour traffic of 4,000 passengers and that will be used as a joint civilian-military airport under the control of the Indian Navy, a gas and solar power plant, a military base, an industrial park, and townships aimed at bringing in tourism, including commercial, industrial and residential zones as well as other tourism-related activities.

This project means the destruction of the island's pristine rainforests, as it involves cutting down over 852,000 trees and endangers the local fauna such as leatherback turtles, saltwater crocodiles, Nicobar crab-eating macaque and migratory birds. The erosion resulting from deforestation will be huge in this highly-seismic area. Experts also warn about the effects that this project will have on local flora and fauna as a result of pollution from the terminal project, coastal surface runoff, ballasts from ships, physical collisions with ships, coastal construction, oil spills, etc.

The indigenous people are not only affected because their environment and food source will be destroyed. On top of this, the demographic change will be a catastrophe for them. After the creation of this project, the Great Nicobar Island -which now has 8,500 inhabitants- will receive a population of 650,000 settlers. Remember that the Shompen and Nicobarese people who live on this island are isolated, which means they do not have an immune system that can resist outsider illnesses. Academics believe they could die of disease if they come in contact with outsiders (think of the arrival of Europeans to the Americas after Christopher Columbus and the way that common European illnesses were lethal for indigenous Americans with no immunization against them).

And on top of all of this, the project might destroy the environment and the indigenous people just to turn out to be useless and sooner or later be abandoned. The naturalist Uday Mondal explains that “after all the destruction, the financial viability of the project remains questionable as all the construction material will have to be shipped to this remote island and it will have to compete with already well-established ports.” However, this project is important to India because they want to use the island as a military and commercial post to stop China's expansion in the region, since the Nicobar islands are located on one of the world's busiest sea routes.

Last year, 70 former government officials and ambassadors wrote to the Indian president saying the project would “virtually destroy the unique ecology of this island and the habitat of vulnerable tribal groups”. India's response has been to say that the indigenous tribes will be relocated "if needed", but that doesn't solve the problem. As a spokesperson for human rights group Survival International said: “The Shompen are nomadic and have clearly defined territories. Four of their semi-permanent settlements are set to be directly devastated by the project, along with their southern hunting and foraging territories. The Shompen will undoubtedly try to move away from the area destroyed, but there will be little space for them to go. To avoid a genocide, this deadly mega-project must be scrapped.”

On 7 February 2024, 39 scholars from 13 countries published an open letter to the Indian president warning that “If the project goes ahead, even in a limited form, we believe it will be a death sentence for the Shompen, tantamount to the international crime of genocide.”

How to help

The NGO Survival International has launched this campaign:

From this site, you just need to add your name and email and you will send an email to India's Tribal Affairs Minister and to the companies currently vying to build the first stage of the project.

Share it with your friends and acquittances and on social media.

Sources:

India’s plan for untouched Nicobar isles will be ‘death sentence’ for isolated tribe, 7 Feb 2024. The Guardian.

‘It will destroy them’: Indian mega-development could cause ‘genocide’ and ‘ecocide’, says charity, 8 Feb 2024. Geographical.

Genocide experts call on India's government to scrap the Great Nicobar mega-project, Feb 2024. Survival International.

The container terminal that could sink the Great Nicobar Island, 20 July 2022. Mongabay.

[Maps] Environmental path cleared for Great Nicobar mega project, 10 Oct 2022. Mongabay.

#shompen #genocide #stop genocide #india #indigenous #indigenous peoples #indigenous rights #human rights #anthropology #stateless nations #end occupation #andaman and nicobar islands #nicobar islands #great nicobar #💬#asia #geopolitics #ecocide #sustainability

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oakiyo · 1 year

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Evergreen Collection:

Initially inspired by the TikTok ‘clean girl’ aesthetic, I present 8 new pieces of custom content! Drawing inspiration from the iconic ZARA jacket, to parachute cargos, and the sleek bun seen countless of times on social media, I intended on making some essentials for your sims game, whilst also branching out and experimenting with different styles. I hope you enjoy this collection!🧥🌲

Information about each item is underneath the cut.

Download Here | Patreon | Twitter

Item Information (left to right):

1. Tiffany Hair:

Base game compatible, 24 EA swatches, all maps, all LOD’s, hat compatible.

2. Alex Beanie:

Base game compatible, 20 swatches, all maps, all LOD’s.

20 swatches in a custom palette.

3. Serenity Sweater:

Base game compatible, 20 swatches, all maps, all LOD’s.

20 swatches in a custom palette.

4. Regina Jeans:

Base game compatible, 21 swatches, all maps, all LOD’s.

21 swatches in @caelhinn Cotton Jar palette.

5. Liv Parachute Cargos:

Base game compatible, 20 swatches, all maps, all LOD’s.

20 swatches in a custom palette.

6. Brie Jacket:

Base game compatible, 10 leather swatches, all maps, all LOD’s.

Sweater accessory found in gloves category with 20 swatches in a custom palette.

7. Belle Earrings:

Base game compatible, 6 metal swatches, all maps, all LOD’s.

8. Layla Hair:

Base game compatible, 24 EA swatches, all maps, all LOD’s, hat compatible.

Bandanna accessory file found in hats category to recolour in 20 swatches in a custom palette.

Credits and End Bits:

Please report any issues you have with this collection (or any custom content of mine) via a Tumblr direct message, including photos of your issue.

A massive thank you to @qicc for the continued help and support with my custom content endeavours, it is greatly appreciated!

Thank you to @greenllamas for helping (and teaching me) with the texturing.

Thank you guys very much for the continued support you have shown me, it’s truly unbelievable! I hope you enjoy this collection as much as I do. It was a real labour of love making this and I am so happy with the end results!

If you use any of my custom content, please tag me or use “#oakiyo”, I’d love to see your sims wearing my stuff!

#r #mycc #ts4 #ts4cc #ts4mm #ts4ccmm #ts4mmcc #s4 #s4cc #s4mm #s4ccmm #s4mmcc #maxismatch #customcontent #sims4 #oakiyo

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siilvan · 6 months

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OC File: Mylène "Petra" Scholten de Ridder

gorgeous renders by the amazing wonderful phenomenal lovely @gamergirlbonestaskforce141riot <33

finally posting my oc to cope with mw3... i've had her since november '22, didn't even mention her name to anyone until august lol. i've never had the confidence (or skill) to do this, so i'm thanking all of my mutuals with their wonderful ocs for giving me the strength to do it, even if they don't know it <3

note: despite petra being reader's callsign in bloodsport, it is not intended to be my oc. so far, the only fics that petra properly appears in are desideria and fortuna redux. i know it's confusing and i'm sorry 😭 more of her (and others) in the future!

very long post BTC...

edit: completely forgot to include this— credit to cptnprice for the file!!

GENERAL

Name: Mylène "Petra" Scholten de Ridder

Nicknames/Aliases: Petra, Doc, Bravo 0-5, MEDINT 5, Leni (by friends/family)

Rank: Lieutenant (since 2015)

Gender: Female

Birth Date: June 29, 1990

Nationality: Dutch

Affiliations: Royal Netherlands Army, Korps Commandotroepen, Task Force 141, Coalition (Warcom), SpecGru

Birthplace: Rotterdam, Netherlands

Current Residence: The Hague, Netherlands

APPEARANCE

Hair Color: Golden Brown

Eye Color: Blue (right), Green (left)

Height: 5'7" (1.70 m)

Weight: 160 lbs (72 kg)

Build: Athletic, hourglass (hips. That's all.)

Blood Type: O-

Marks: Various tattoos (pictured below), scar on cheek

Faceclaim: Rianne Haspels (Carlotta Champagne for body)

DETAILS

Sexuality: Unlabeled (prefers men)

Languages: Dutch (native), English (C2), Spanish (A2), French (B2), German (C1), Danish (C1), Russian (B2), Arabic (B1)

Education: Biochemistry BS from the University of Amsterdam, Biochemistry MSc from the University of Copenhagen

Preferred Hairstyles: Low bun or Dutch braid for missions, 3-strand braid or loose for everyday

Preferred Mission Attire: Anything from jeans and a turtleneck, to slim cargos and a tank top, to proper combat fatigues. Dresses for the weather, but hates anything baggy. Prefers to wear black and green, occasionally wears white, tan, or blue. Very athletic style.

Preferred Civilian Attire: Usually dresses fairly casual. Jeans, cargos, leather pants, leggings. Plain t-shirts, henleys, turtlenecks, off-shoulder tops. Wears bomber jackets or hoodies. Mostly wears black, green, or white. Likes feeling comfortable but cute when she's off the clock.

Favorite Color: Evergreen

Favorite Flower: Magnolia

PERSONALITY

Myers-Briggs Type: ENFJ-T. Extraverted, intuitive, feeling, judging, and turbulent. Petra prioritizes the better of the group over personal benefit and strives to have a positive impact on the world and the people around her. Happy to lead or follow, but preferring to guide others, she is a self-identified humanitarian with a pipe dream of world peace. Reliability, tolerance, passion, and altruism ultimately conflict with overthinking, stubbornness, perfectionism, and indecisiveness – Petra is both helped and hindered by the idea of what things can be or could have been.

FAMILY

Father: Colonel Hendrik "Chimera" Scholten de Ridder. Former KCT commander and military legend-turned terrorist. (deceased)

Mother: Johanna Scholten de Ridder (née van den Bos). Former MEDINT analyst for the BVD and MID. (deceased)

Brother: Sergeant Emiel "Nightfall" Scholten de Ridder. KCT operative and specialist in anything covert; never misses a shot. Ally of TF141, rarely stays in any one place for long due to the nature of his assignments.

Uncle: Unnamed paternal uncle. Father's younger brother, civilian military engineer. Lost his life in a terrorist attack in the mid-1990s. (deceased)

Aunt: Special Agent Merel "Songbird" van den Bos. Mother's older sister, former agent for the BVD and MID. Specialist in foreign relations and espionage. May or may not be living in the USA and married to Frank Woods (spoiler: she is).

Grandfather: General Emiel Scholten de Ridder. Paternal grandfather, former commander of the Royal Netherlands Army. Yes, her brother is named after him. (deceased)

SKILLS

Fighting Style: Adaptable, but prefers to keep her distance. Studied kickboxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and Krav Maga in her youth – CQC is influenced by these.

Weapons: Can use whatever is available. Is oddly talented with a quarterstaff despite none of her training involving it.

Preferred Weapons: M4 (Hightower 20" Barrel, Schlager PEQ Box IV laser, Cronen Mini Pro optic, Corio Precio Factory stock), X12, Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knife, karambit, throwing knives

Special Skills: Specializes in MEDINT analysis, trauma/medical care, chemical warfare, hostage rescue, asset protection, and foreign military assistance. Can act as a translator. Has received training in sniping, espionage, and stealth combat from allies. Is notorious for her strong fortitude. Very versatile.

Hobbies: Art, cooking, baking, reading, sports (baseball, climbing, kickboxing, swimming, ice skating), music (drums), studying languages

Former Hobbies: Did ballet and gymnastics in her youth. Still enjoys both, doesn't have the time to practice either. Has decent equilibrium thanks to them.

TRIVIA

The name Mylène can mean "merciful", Scholten refers to a schout (government official that handled administration of justice), and de Ridder means "the knight".

Her callsign Petra means "rock, stone" and is not implying that she's a stony person! She earned her callsign due to her high tolerance and endurance; she's also uniquely durable, often recovering from or withstanding injuries that would leave others in worse condition. It's a bit supernatural, don't worry about it.

Was introduced to drumming by her Uncle Frank when she was little. It's canon to me.

Mylène looks like a carbon copy of her aunt, sans some details like hair and eye color. She's also more well-built than her aunt thanks to being in the military.

Has a bunch of small rituals, habits, and very specific ways of doing things thanks to her OCD – nothing too crazy (she has no choice but to manage these thanks to her career), but you'll start to notice them if you're around her enough.

Has polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). She's learned ways to lessen the symptoms and has an IUD that helps immensely, but it's why she still has a decent amount of fat on her body despite working out religiously. (Not projecting my issues shh)

Doesn't date often due to her career and personal reservations. Prefers someone older, though. (I'm not projecting shh x2)

Keeps a journal on her at almost all times. Inside of it is anything from basic medical info for her allies, random drawings, important notes, etc. Likes to pretend it's organized, but it's not. At all.

Skipped a year in primary school, hence why she graduated at 17 instead of 18 despite attending a VWO school.

It was painfully obvious that she learned her Russian in school before she met Nikolai. After he laughed at her, he taught her how to sound more "natural" – AKA, he taught her almost exclusively profanity.

Bouncing off that, she's Mrs. Worldwide. Petra's unintentionally picked up so much slang from her coworkers.

Her favorite genres of literature are romance and philosophy. She can read outrageous smut with a straight face, but blushes and grins over fluffy stuff. Tries to read books in other languages to practice, too!

Will not touch any drug with a 10-foot pole. Same goes for tobacco, she's the type to dramatically cough if the team smokes around her. She's very health-conscious!!

TATTOOS

source 1 source 2

Tattoo One (Hands) I'm not going to lie... originally gave Petra the tattoo (two, actually – she has it on both hands) because I loved Freya's tattoos in GOW and the design is inspired by those. From an in-universe standpoint, it was her first tattoo (age 17) and she just wanted something simple that could be hidden under her gloves to prevent fading. Has to get them touched up every now and then.

Tattoo Two (Right Arm) Full sleeve of willow branches, florals, and butterflies. There's a lot of symbolism in this one. The butterflies represent transformation, hope, and rebirth; the willow branches symbolize a new life, protection, flexibility, and adaptability; the flowers embody anything from growth, joy, transience, hope, love, and death.

source 3 source 4

Tattoo Three (Left Bicep) Two-headed snake with flowers! I don't think I need to rhapsodize about the florals again, so I'll skip to the snake. Depending on the culture, a two-headed serpent can represent wildly different things. It's a symbol of rebirth and resurrection, with each head representing earth and the underworld. It can symbolize indecision and conflicting ideas. Duality, balance, power, healing, insight, and deeper awareness; snakes were often seen as a spiritual messenger, and the dual nature of a two-headed serpent represents learning from both positive and negative experiences. (if I see any "heehoo konni" comments, I will blow up the sun, this ain't about him babygirls 😔)

Tattoo Four (Left Inner Forearm) Compass with an arrow! The symbolism is pretty obvious, I think... Direction, guidance, and navigation; the compass arrow combines the arrow's representation of direction and forward movement and the compass' symbolism of finding your way and staying on course. Together, it represents the idea that, no matter how far away you are, your arrow will always hit its target – even when losing your way, you'll always be able to overcome adversity and find your way back.

BACKGROUND

⋆ CW: themes of child abuse, violence, SA (marked with ***) and overall mary sue levels of tragedy

Born on June 29, 1990 in the city of Rotterdam, Netherlands, to Hendrik Scholten de Ridder and Johanna Scholten de Ridder, Mylène had a normal – if not privileged, thanks to her family's prominent histories – early childhood. At the age of 3, her brother, Emiel, was born. Known to be a clever, compassionate girl, Mylène took to the "big sister" role with ease.

Her father was a captain from a distinguished military family with the callsign "Chimera", who ascended to the rank of colonel and commanded the Royal Netherlands Army’s special forces unit, the Korps Commandotroepen. Her mother was a medical intelligence analyst for the AIVD and MIVD (then-known as the BVD and MID) with a family history in government and politics.

In the late fall of 1999, when Mylène was only 9 years old, she came home from school and discovered her mother's corpse, having been killed by enemies of her father originally seeking to hold the family for ransom. This event, paired with the traumas he sustained over his years in the military, drove her father to "near insanity" as he became consumed with paranoia and grief. The rest of her and her brother's adolescence was defined by the trauma of her father's abuse; he subjected the siblings to rigorous physical and psychological training in order to mold them into "perfect soldiers" and prevent any further loss.

Despite this, her father was publicly viewed as a war hero. He would often leave the two alone when he was on deployment, forcing Mylène to care for herself and her brother with nothing more than a roof over their heads and grocery money provided. The siblings developed an unbreakable bond during this time that would extend into their adulthoods, rendering them a synergic duo both at home and in the field.

After finishing secondary school at 17, Mylène enlisted in the Royal Netherlands Army. She also studied at the University of Amsterdam – taking online classes – and eventually graduated with a BS in Biochemistry. She spent 3 years serving in various military hospitals, clinics, and field units under the 400 Medical Battalion, until she joined selection for the KCT in 2011. She was swiftly recognized for her high tolerance, natural interpersonal skills, and advanced aptitude for MEDINT analysis; she passed selection with top marks, setting several records during the infamous "hell week" exercise.

Mylène operated as a combat medic until August 2013, when she worked with the British SAS's Unit Bravo under the command of Captain John Price. Despite the joint team being greatly reduced in number and separated after a series of heavy artillery attacks from enemy forces, Mylène managed to provide emergency medical care and calm leadership as her party made its way to the rendezvous point that Price's group was defending.

After the joint operation concluded, Price took an interest in her, deciding to train her as a sniper and teach her how to better use her skills in combat. The two quickly developed a close relationship built upon mutual trust and a desire to fight for what's right, regardless of rules or orders. At some point after this, her unflappable nature and composure when faced with challenging conditions earned her the callsign "Petra".

*** By 2014, Mylène was in a several year-long relationship with a National Reserve Corps (NATRES) NCO named Florian Van Aller. On February 14 of that year, he suddenly came to her with an idea that left her speechless: "sharing" her with his unit. Despite his insistence and attempt to pressure her into it, Mylène refused, ending the relationship. They met on base the next day after Florian messaged her claiming to want to apologize – when she came face-to-face with him and his mentor, Captain Jozef Daalmans, she realized what she had been told was a lie.

*** Although the captain's only involvement was restraining her and watching, Mylène felt violated by both men. She was left at the scene, battered and ashamed, until the last person she expected to help found her – Colonel Hendrik Scholten de Ridder. In a rare act that she now describes as "the last time she ever saw her real father," he comforted her and took her to the hospital, where Mylène received treatment for the injuries she sustained in the assault. She never spoke of the incident afterwards, leaving herself, her father, and her attackers as the only people privy to it.

In early 2015, an assault team led by Chimera and Petra on an enemy submarine revealed that there was a traitor within the unit. The entire team, save for Chimera and Petra themselves, was killed onboard the vessel. The traitor was eventually discovered to be Chimera himself, with Petra as the only witness to his admission and subsequent attempt to bury her, and any incriminating evidence, at sea. With her father in the wind and knowing that her word alone wouldn't be enough to implicate him for his crimes, Petra contacted Captain Price, telling him: "You're the only person I can trust."

An unsanctioned operation to capture or kill Chimera was planned by the two, with the help of her brother – now a KCT operative nicknamed "Nightfall" – and Nikolai, a trusted contact of Price's. The small team managed to track the Colonel and his supporters to a base deep in the Alps, where they successfully wiped out the entire group and killed Chimera. After this mission, Petra felt indebted to Price and Nikolai, considering them two of the few people she could trust implicitly.

From then on, Petra lent her services to various humanitarian groups in an effort to provide protection and medical care on missions around the globe. With expertise in frontline trauma and medical care, hostage rescue, asset protection, medical intelligence analysis, chemical warfare, and the training and advising of foreign military units, Petra proved to be an elite operative capable of remaining calm in even the most dire scenarios. She’s been awarded the Military William Order, the Bronze Lion, the Bronze Cross, and the Cross of Merit for both covert and overt operations, establishing herself as a minor legend within the elite commando corps.

However, a little over a year after the unsanctioned operation in the Alps, Petra was captured and imprisoned by Ultranationalist forces. She was regularly tortured during her captivity, often by Vladimir Makarov, whom she now sarcastically describes as "a lovely man."

Sometime in mid-2017, Petra was yet-again assigned to a unit led by Price, tasked with infiltrating and securing an Al-Qatala base located in Kastovia. Another member of the unit was Nightfall, serving as the team's scout sniper. During the mission, while providing overwatch, Nightfall's radio was suddenly cut off. When the rest of the team finally reached his location to investigate, several IEDs planted in the area went off and forced the group to retreat. Petra attempted a rescue, but was prevented from doing so by Price, as it was too dangerous. Demolition teams cleared the area the following day. Once it was safe to extract Nightfall, however, the recovery team found nothing.

With her brother declared dead in absentia, Petra chose to abandon the special forces. She went back to school and earned an MSc in Biochemistry at the University of Copenhagen, refusing to contact any of her former allies so as to avoid being dragged back into the military.

In April 2019, Petra was tracked down in Denmark by Price, who informed her of Vladimir Makarov's plans in Verdansk and urged her to join the SAS team being sent to stop him. After thorough convincing, she agreed to come back for one more mission, seeking revenge against the man that tortured her years ago.

Petra was later handpicked for the task force Price established alongside CIA Station Chief Kate Laswell following the death of General Roman Barkov in November 2019. She was once again sought out by Price – and Nikolai, who was the "final nail in the coffin," according to Price – and convinced to join the team as a commanding officer.

About a month later, Laswell pinpointed the location of a prison in Georgia believed to be used by Al-Qatala to hold POWs. Reconnaissance of the prison confirmed this and the identity of several of the prisoners; Nightfall was identified as one of the POWs. Petra, leading an elite KCT unit, raided the location shortly thereafter, securing the captives, Nightfall, and intel about Al-Qatala's plans.

Between the invasion of Verdansk, Las Almas, and a burgeoning war with Konni group... Petra has fully committed herself to Task Force 141, willing to save the world or die trying.

#call of duty #cod #cod mw2 #mw2 #cod original character #call of duty oc #cod oc #cod ocs #mw2 oc #mw3 oc #mylène “petra” scholten de ridder #sylph.writes

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carsonjonesfiance · 30 days

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The conspiracies about the bridge being hit and blaming it on Ukraine or whatever is just so goddamn stupid.

It’s a FREAK ACCIDENT. The kind you’d see a documentary made about on Seconds From Disaster. A combination of bad things happening at the wrong time that most likely wouldn’t happen otherwise! There is no fucking conspiracy!

My god, people’s brains have become so fucking scrambled ever since I/P occurred.

I wouldn’t call it a “freak accident” per se. In my mind the most apt comparison is the Evergreen disaster where a cargo ship that was too big for the channel it was in went through anyway because the shipping industry loves to trend ever towards increasing cargo space because the more cargo one ship can carry the less ships you have to own and maintain overall while getting the maximum amount of cargo from point A to point B.

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myhauntedsalem · 4 months

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Christmas Tree Ghost Ship

From 1898 to 1912 Herman Schuenemann was the Captain of the wooden schooner Rouse Simmons.

Captain Schuenemann was considered as much a part of Chicago’s Christmas as Santa Claus because his ship was better known as the “Christmas Tree Ship.”

Every November he would set sail on Lake Michigan from Thompson with a full cargo of spruces, pines and balsams piled high.

As Schuenemann reached his destination– he would steer the Rouse Simmons down the Chicago River and up to the Clark Street Bridge were thousands of waving Chicagoans would wait in anticipation.

Once the ship had docked, people swarmed onboard to choose a Christmas tree. They cost 50 cents to a dollar.

“Chicago’s Yuletide season began when the Christmas Tree Ship arrived with evergreens lashed to her masts and rigging… Her skipper would welcome throngs of Chicagoans aboard as soon as the ship’s moorings were secure. Whole families would hurry to the dock to get the pick of the crop. Many wandered on deck to watch the Captain’s daughter, Elsie, weave pine branches into wreaths, which were also for sale.”

–Reminiscences of Phil Sanders when he was a boy.

Herman Scheuenemann and his brother August before him– from 1876-to 1898– always made sure no one left without a tree. Both brothers gave away hundreds of trees to needy families, churches and orphanages.

August was carrying a load of trees to Chicago when his ship went down in 1898 in one of Lake Michigan’s fierce November gales. His brother, Herman made another trip just two weeks later determined Chicago would have its Christmas trees that year.

Unfortunately, fourteen years later Herman would suffer the same fate.

Lake sailors as well as ocean sailors are a superstitious lot–they have to be. Generations of “old salts” pass down what a sailor needs to be aware of–this includes everything that happens on and around their ships.

Captain Schuenemann was a competent and cautious sailor but for some reason he ignored a significant number of ominous warnings in November of 1912.

He was planning to sail from Thompson, Michigan on a Friday with a large cargo of trees despite severe storm warnings. His crew was nervous for there was an obvious storm brewing and the captain wanted to start their journey on a Friday.

Sailors considered it extremely unlucky to begin a voyage on a Friday. In the 1800s the British Navy was so annoyed by this superstition they purposefully launched a new ship called HMS Friday on a Friday.

Needless to say this ship and its crew were never seen again.

Captain Charles Nelson, Herman’s partner who had been a lake captain for 50 years tried to persuade Herman to delay but he could not convince him. Herman didn’t want to take the risk of being iced into the harbor and having his ship dashed against the docks by gale-force winds.

Schuenemann then ignored several more bad omens. Just before the schooner left the harbor several sailors watched in horror as droves of rats fled the ship. This is believed to be a sign a ship is in imminent danger.

Three crew members afraid now left the Rouse Simmons forfeiting their pay. This left just 13 crewmembers on the ship. Sailing with thirteen crewmembers was considered to be as dangerous as starting a voyage on a Friday.

Ships at the time nailed a horseshoe to the side of their vessels for good luck. Just as on land it is considered bad luck if these horseshoes are hung upside down–all the luck will run out.

As the Rouse Simmons set sail, the horseshoe that was hung on its side was loosened by strong winds. It was now hanging upside down on a single nail.

Captain Schuenemann left the harbor on November 22nd and sailed right into the now infamous Big Storm of 1912.

The temperature immediately dropped from 40 degrees to below freezing. Rain turned to snow and ice, which coated the ships’ rigging, sails and spars–and the Christmas trees that were on deck.

The next day witnesses in Kewaunee, Wisconsin saw the Rouse Simmons pass by flying her distress signals. They wondered why the ship with its tattered sails did not just stop but instead sailed into a blinding snowstorm.

“The Two Rivers Life Saving Crew was informed of the ships’ distress signals and set out in search of the schooner but it was never found.”

–From an article in the Chronicle of Two Rivers

This mystery was not solved until 1971 when the wreck of the Rouse Simmons was found at the bottom of Lake Michigan.

Its wheel was missing so the experts concluded that the ships enormous cargo of Christmas trees had basically turned into ice blocks on deck, which then slid into the wheel leaving the captain unable to control the ships’ course.

One popular sailor superstition is that when a ship’s bells are heard ringing of their own accord, as in a storm, this foretells death.

In the days after the Rouse Simmons was lost several people near Two Rivers, Wisconsin reported hearing phantom bells and phantom cries in the wind.

A ghost ship has also been seen through the years. It is often spotted on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day gliding in the waters near Two Rivers. People have watched as it just vanishes into a mist.

#Christmas Tree Ghost Ship #ghost and hauntings #paranormal #ghost and spirits #haunted locations #haunted salem #myhauntedsalem #ghost ship

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hamsterbellbelle · 9 months

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Sorry...I did said that I would release this as soon as possible...

but then I came across this Pinterest board, and there're a few items that I really want for this build...so I'm afraid this build will have to come a little bit later _(:з」∠)_

At the meantime, I'm uploading the shell+surface only version of this build. Please read the details in the "PLEASE READ" text document as to which CCs are included, and which have to be downloaded directly from the creators' website 🐹🧡👍

[DOWNLOAD]

⚠️indoor furniture not included (e.g. holos, amplifiers)

🏠This is a 40x30 residential lot originally located in the Port Promise district of Evergreen Harbor.

✅Packs used: Growing Together (cargo crane), Eco lifestyle, Get Famous, City Living, Get Together, Get to work, Star Wars, Werewolves, Spa Day, Dine Out

More pics below cut⬇️⬇️

#sims4 #ts4 #pics #journal #builds

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therealtruthalways · 29 days

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Who owns the ship that struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore?

The Dali, the 948-foot vessel that hit the bridge is managed by Synergy Marine Group, a Singapore-based company with over 660 ships under management around the world.

The Dali is owned by Grace Ocean Private, a Singapore-based company that provides water transportation services.

It was not immediately clear what kind of cargo the ship was carrying.

Synergy also manages Evergreen’s 20,000+TEU Duo.

Attached picture is of an Evergreen ship fom Synergy Marine Group's website.

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masterqwertster · 3 months

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🏴‍☠️ and/or 🫂 for the au tidbits

Evergreen AU Prompt

🏴‍☠️ Orym keeps a sharp eye on Liliana. Mother of his captain she may be, but he doesn't trust her.

It's not that she hired them for a smuggling job. Mostly. Orym's learned in his time on The Hellion that some things need to be smuggled for the good of others. He's also pretty sure Liliana's cargo is not that kind of job. Not with the imperious way she treats anyone not Imogen (and even Imogen is talked down to, though in the manner of a child rather than an inferior person not worth the time). The good kind of smuggling tends to come from worn-down but well-meaning and kindly folk.

No, the main reason Orym doesn't trust her is the way Liliana is trying to force herself into the role of a mother to Imogen without acknowledging her nearly lifelong absence in Imogen's life, or even seeming to notice that Imogen is her own grown woman, not a helpless child.

So when Orym notices Liliana's brow furrow in that same way Imogen's does when she's actively listening to thoughts, as the interloper stands on the deck over the Green Cabin, he heads on over to put an end to that mess in the making.

"She won't appreciate that," Orym says as he draws close, placing himself between her and Dorian at the helm, and crossing his arms over his chest.

"She ain't gonna find out, now, is she?" Liliana retorts with a threatening look in her eye.

Orym can't help but think it's the kind of look befitting of a cutthroat. Dangerous, if you aren't a dangerous fighter yourself. It's not nearly so terrifying, so cowing, as a sharp look from one of his mothers. More proof, really, that Liliana may have birthed Imogen, but she's not much of an actual mother.

"Maybe Imogen isn't as good at this telepath-psychic stuff as you, but I'm pretty sure she can tell when someone's poking at her brain all on her own," Orym evenly replies.

He doesn't mention that Imogen also wears an enchanted circlet under her captain's hat that prevents mental intrusion, so what Liliana's trying won't work anyways. Nor does he mention that the other mind Liliana will find in the cabin could potentially eat her alive. The galaxy depths of Ashton's mind have already nearly taken Imogen and FCG and Prism, and Ashton likes them.

"I'm just tryin' to get to know my daughter," Liliana wheedles.

"Then talk to her," like a normal person, he doesn't say.

And maybe that's just a Thing with psychic telepaths: they'd much rather take unfiltered information straight out of your head than attempt to articulate anything in words or let you consider your answer. Because honestly? Imogen pulls this shit too. If people don't answer her questions, if they're not fast enough to reply, if she feels their answer is lacking details, she dives right in to search for what she wants to know.

"I don't know if you've noticed, but she won't talk to me," Liliana scathingly says.

Right. Because the other problem is that–

"You don't listen to what she's saying. So is it really any surprise she doesn't want to talk to you when you just ignore what she tells you anyways?" Orym pointedly replies.

He watches the woman flinch back, thinks he feels the flutter of another mind brushing his own.

"I do listen," she insists. "Imogen just don't listen to me."

Orym huffs a sigh. Stubborn as her daughter, this one. It's going to take someone better at people than him to straighten this mess out.

🫂 "I can't believe you were living with an earth genasi," Cyrus says as they sit tucked away on Eshteross's airship.

"It's not like I ended up there on purpose," Dorian defends himself. "Ashton helped me out of a tight spot early on, took me in."

"And you didn't leave," Cyrus points out the obvious, brows furrowed.

"Well, I..."

Dorian trails off. It's difficult to describe the deeply buried elemental instincts that sticking around Ashton stirs. Yes, there's that disconnect of Earth and Air that makes his previous living situation so unbelievable to his brother. But there was also a sense of safety in the immensity of the power sleeping in Ashton's veins. Great wings to shelter under from the storm outside, if he's being poetic. A sense of belonging when Ashton checked-in with Dorian, asked him to help them.

"Well, what?" Cyrus impatiently asks as Dorian's silence stretches.

"Well, I– You know how we were taught as kids to sense the strength of another's elemental bloodline?" Dorian asks, completely changing tracks.

"...Yeah?" Cyrus warily answers.

"I don't think I've ever sensed anyone with a bloodline as strong as Ashton's. It's... I don't even really know how to quantify it besides immense. And it's scary. I won't deny that. A bit off-putting too because he's Earth and I'm Air. But also incredibly comforting when you know they're on your side," Dorian explains.

Cyrus gives him a blank look.

"I– It's– Look, I know it was unconventional. I went in thinking I'd take their hospitality for a few days, maybe a week, and be on my way. But it felt like a slightly off-kilter sort of right to be in Ashton's care. Like– like the stories mom would tell, about how the greater Elementals, the greater bloodlines and families of the genasi, are supposed to care for and protect those under them. That's how strong Ashton's bloodline is, strong enough to overcome the divide of elements," Dorian desperately tries to explain.

Cyrus gives his little brother a searching look.

"...Okay. I believe you," he softly says. "But I also think that's kind of terrifying, and it makes me worried for you."

"I'm alright. I promise," Dorian gently murmurs, pulling Cyrus in to press their foreheads together. "Ashton's rough around the edges, but good. I'm just going to miss them."

Cyrus doesn't say that that's what worries him. All genies, all greater Elementals, are collectors. And he's terrified by what may have collected his little brother.

#MQ&A #MQ AU machine #MQfic #high seas hells au #orym of the air ashari #liliana temult #partner swap au #dorian storm #cyrus wyvernwind #ashton greymoore

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fatehbaz · 2 years

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They’ve built a “Great Wheel” on the Seattle waterfront, directly between the part of the city that Paul Allen owns and the part of the city that is, literally, sinking into the Earth so that his property values might rise. It’s fitting, I guess. Amazon is building biodomes, the city’s economy is curving upward. According to these people, it’s all about circles. Feedback loops, wheels of fate, karmic spirals. [...]

Seattle would see new sequences of boom, bust, and reinvention. [...] Today the city -- again rebuilt [...] -- is seen as one of the primary beneficiaries of the “Fifth” Industrial Revolution in information technology, outshone only by California’s Silicon Valley. [...] [T]he Internet was imbued in the popular imagination with the same mystical power that had previously surrounded the steam engine, the electric grid, or the nuclear reactor. The digital was increasingly thought of as somehow “immaterial,” sustained by intellectual labor more than physical toil and fixed capital. [...]

Perched alongside a downtown business corridor full of cloud computing start-ups and new hyper-sustainable apartment complexes, Seattle’s Great Wheel seems to peer out over Rifkin’s prophesied “cooperative commons,” an infotech metropolis abutting the beauty of an evergreen arcadia. But travel below Seattle’s cluster of infotech industries and the image appears much the same as that of a hundred years prior -- a trade gateway, squeezing value from supply chains by selling transport and logistical support. The southern stretch of the metropolis bears little resemblance to the revitalized urban core of the city proper. Instead of the “cognitive labor” of Microsoft, it is defined instead by the cold calculation of companies like UPS, founded in Seattle when the city was one link in a colonial supply chain built first for timber, then Alaskan gold, then World War. The company is now headquartered elsewhere, but its logistical lineage has remained.

In south Seattle, this logistics empire takes the form of faceless warehouses, food processing facilities, container trucks, rail yards, and industrial parks concentrated between two seaports, an international airport, three major interstates, and railroads traveling in all directions. Meanwhile, the poor have been priced out of the old inner city, moving southward into these same post-war suburbs, all of which have simultaneously become gateways for new immigrant settlement. Many work in the lower-rungs of the “dual economy” in Seattle proper, performing the low-wage service work necessary for high-end producer services to function. But they can also be found staffing the airport and the rail yards, hauling cargo in and out of two the major seaports, loading boxes in warehouses, or manning industrial machinery in the region’s comparatively large manufacturing sector.

And, beyond them, the shadow stretches out to Washington’s rural hinterlands where migrant laborers staff a new boom in agriculture and raw materials exports to Asia -- and further still into America’s long-depressed interior, where the Great Wheel meets its opposite: Memphis, the FedEx logistics city, watched over by a great black pyramid.

Because this is the truth of the matter: there is no wheel of fate dragging us upward and casting those at the top down. From where we’re standing, we can look up and see others above us, look down and see some below. We can see those in the middle rungs jostling for position, attempting to climb, sometimes slipping. [...]

Within the Great Wheel hides the pyramid.

Every Seattle is capable of creating an eco-friendly, “cooperative commonwealth” tended by apps and algorithms only insofar as there is a Memphis that can provide human workers to sort the packages, a Shanghai to build the containers that carry them, and a Shenzhen to solder together the circuits of the machines that govern it all. The rise of infotech, decentralization, and networked production has not brought liberation from capitalism, but has instead created a world where most people’s lives are governed by the cold, machine logic of capital. Schedules at Starbucks are created by an algorithm designed to maximize labor-power, workers run back and forth across expansive warehouses in Memphis or SeaTac, their motions commanded by computer headsets, others shed wires for 14 hours in the industrial suburbs of Shenzhen, their every move watched over by managers related to the boss. Today we are all little more than cogs in an inscrutable sorting machine.

The most basic error [...] is the presumption that the end of capitalism is primarily a technological problem. [...] [B]ecause technology, under capitalism, is always used to solve the problems of capital, not humanity. [...]

Steam engines didn’t save us. Electricity didn’t save us. The atom didn’t save us. The Internet didn’t save us. [...] It’s easy to imagine, because the pieces are already there: a TED talk where some smug new oligarch whispers about “population optimization” [...] into his tiny headset as hi-def Prezi slides hiss behind him, adorned with pictures of 3-D printed, solar-powered concentration camps.

-------

Text by: Phil Neel. “The Great Wheel.” Brooklyn Rail. April 2015.

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ferinehuntress · 4 months

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˚ * ˙ ⭒ ⊱ @shimmerbeasts　 ⋯ 　Unprompted Ask . 　　⸻　Piltover was not an easy hunting ground. While the high houses had plenty of children, most of these merchants only focused on giving birth to one precautionary heir to their family and nothing more. It was far more likely to find families with more than one child in the upper crust of Piltover as they needed to fill the position of intelligencer, sword and shield. Ahri remembered the days when the position of the house, outside of the head, was only divided into two: The head and the chevalier. However, that tradition seemed to have fallen out of fashion. Ahri was wandering through the wide open streets, keeping to one side so that she was out of the way of the expensive cards, which carried their precious cargo from one important meeting to the next. Her black ears swivelled around as she harked for any possible stimuli. Any child left unattended. Hopefully with a brother or a sister or some other peer their age. Their bonds were always so intriguing and created strong flavours, which only children just couldn't match. Polite stifled, yet high-pitched laughter caught her attention. Ahri froze, tails curling upwards before she swiftly looped them together into one thick, bushy appendix. Her ears shifted around and she diverted her path. Wandering over towards a beautiful mansion with high walls and thick, towering, evergreen bushes, concealing vast grounds, Ahri peered through a hole in the fence and thicket. There was a small gathering of people on a blanket, upon which someone had placed a basket with warm crusted sandwiches, cupcakes, ripe peaches and small cups of tea. The quartet of people was led by an imposing, stern, yet charismatic-looking woman with sleek, black hair. Her robe of black satin, the white blouse and her satin gloves easily marked her out as the owner of the house. Next to her sat a little girl, maybe ten years of age, who had to be the matriarch's daughter. She shared the same dark hair colour, though hers had a hint of blue. She was dressed in a white blouse of her own, with puffy sleeves and a blue skirt. The girl was sitting there and made earnest attempts to make conversation, however, she seemed to be in the process of shrinking in on herself. The reason was what had caught Ahri's sense. Three children a few years older were half-heartedly engaging in the conversation. They seemed almost like they were on a timer of some sort. Not sure how to really communicate with the girl in front of them. The energy in the room was a bit bitter for Ahri's taste, however, she could tell this was worth investigating. Morphing into a sleek, snow-white fox with amber eyes, Ahri squeezed through the hole in the fence and hopped into the yard. Gliding underneath the twigs and branches, the fox kept her target in view and decided to make her move. Locating a few branches, Ahri wound them tightly around her paw and gave the bush a few shakes. She let out a heart-breaking whimper, drawing the tea party's attention.

　　⸻　𝐓 𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐥𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐝, 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧'𝐭 　talk to her the entire afternoon tea time event. Her eyes rolled when she heard the clearing of her mother's throat and glanced over at her. Sharp blue eyes stared at her daughter and then a tender smile. It didn't help, Caitlyn looked away from her mother and crossed her arms. Did she truly think she was that blind? She might be a child, but her eyes were sharper than most.

　　T he girls passed around the sweet pastries, gossiping about the next line of outfits, or of their accomplishments before them. Caitlyn couldn't care less, it was always about the next fashion statement or the next ball. Did they even notice how silent she sat, not saying a word while the trio gossiped over these frivolous materialistic specialties. Her eyes cast downward, looking at the pads on her hands. Silence filled the area as she glanced back up and saw one of the girls staring at her hand. Almost immediately, Caitlyn grabbed one of her gloves and pulled it over her hand, trying to hide her claws and pads as if something to be ashamed of. The white covered it, but the imprint against the cloth could still be seen.

　　H owever, something caught Caitlyn's ear as she turned her head almost in the same movement as her mother while the other three girls didn't seem to notice at first. It wasn't until the little whimper caused them all to look over and Caitlyn frowned. Quickly she stood up while the other three girls didn't even care to make a move. ❝ You poor thing, ❞ Caitlyn whispered as she lowered down to her knees, dirtying the edge of her skirt as she lifted her hands. ❝ It's okay, I can help, ❞ Caitlyn smiled, as she reached over to pull off her glove. She flexed her fingers, and sharpened claws for nails as she carefully reached down toward Ahri.

　　❝ Easy there, easy, ❞ Caitlyn spoke and then cut at the branches and brush that had tangled around the little fox's paw. ❝ There, all better. You must be so scared, getting tangled up, ❞ Caitlyn turned her head, hearing the girls gossiping and chatting up a storm again despite her being nowhere near them. A growl lingered in her throat, clearly knowing the truth. Those girls weren't here for her, they only cared about what was in it for them. ❝ You are a far better company than them, ❞ 　Caitlyn whispered as she looked back to the fox.

　　❝ Can I... pick you up? ❞ Caitlyn questioned opening her hands but not reaching to grab the fox. If the fox decided to run, she would accept it. It was a naturally wild animal after all, but she tried to show she meant no harm, that she was a safe space to be around.

#shimmerbeasts #[ caitlyn answers ] — my name is caitlyn .#[ caitlyn interactions ] — the answer is here ; staring me in the face .#[ caitlyn pre canon verse ] — a wild young spirit .#thread: secrets behind fur

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snnbnny · 2 years

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⇢ ˗ˏˋthe summer sun's reflection off of the rusted train tracks, for @antihajime 's 1k summer event.࿐ྂ

➵c/w: sfw, slight angst, break ups, single parenthood, transmasc reader, mentions of struggles of life, found family. ➵word count: 2.4K ➵pairings: S.Hinata x reader. T. Yamaguchi x Kei Tsukishima, Keishen x Unnamed male character. ➵SYNOPSIS: A reflective piece about your early life till now centering the field near the tracks. Between you're daughters other parent and how you have handled being a single father while transitioning.

There was a field beside the local train tracts where you liked to spend your free days, the area was green but not overgrown and the sun always showed into the grotto at the most perfect angles. it was secluded and unknown enough that you felt unthreatened by the possibility of strangers finding their way to the oasis but also close enough to the outside world that you knew if you need assistance it wasn't too far to reach. You've been coming to this field since you were young, it was a secret you and your high school friends kept between each other.

Now you and your small family were the only ones to return to it. Just like today.

It was a sunny June afternoon, it was the perfect conditions for a day in your little slice of heaven. It wasn't too hot nor was the sun beating down on you, the slow breeze kept you cool and brought the fresh smell of nearby flowers to your senses. You sat happily on a plaid picnic blanket with your shoes kicked off, your gaze was trained on the little ginger-haired girl playing with two blonde boys and a meeker freckled girl. They were playing tag, running around the open area, and did not care about anything except avoiding each other.

You glance over to your boss and previous club director, Keishen Ukai, and his husband to see them giggling at each other while attempting to feed each other, unsuccessfully you might add. You shook your head with a smirk, they were always adorable together but sometimes you couldn't help the pang in your chest. Jealousy? You couldn’t be certain. But that feeling could never overwhelm the adoration you had for Keishen and his lover, two of the people who lifted you up when you most needed it.

"Kei would have enjoyed this," the green-haired man beside you said out loud to no one in particular. He was wearing baggy cargo pants and a tight evergreen-colored cropped top with white stitching visible on the seams and some white symbol on the center of the chest, a tan bandana held back half of his head like a veil- showing off his dangly skull earrings. He radiated nothing but joy and warmth from wear he was propped on his elbows.

"Yeah," you sighed, looking over to your close friend Tadashi, giving him a soft smile and gentle nudge with your body, "Thought he was supposed to come back home for a while- the Sendai frogs never seem to spare him lately."

The freckled man chuckled and nodded in agreement, "True but, it's his own fault this time around. His dumbass missed the train or something. His text was kind of cryptic, I think he was ashamed or something."

You belly laughed at that, shocked at the very notion of the man beside you’s husband being late, "You're telling me the punctual Kei Tsukishima missed something? I don't know if I should be proud or disappointed!"

"Right?! Thank you, that's what I thought!" Tadashi took a sip of his drink, berry hard seltzer you think it is. You could hear the heavy rings on his fingers clank against the tin of the tall skinny can. A more serious tone took over his usual features like a disheartening thought had possessed his mind. He took the moment of silence to ask, "How are you doing? Coping alright? Today’s the sixth year-”

"I'm fine, I think," You responded automatically, as you did whenever someone even hinted towards what Tadashi was hinting upon. You twisted your body away from him, faking like you were looking for something when in reality you were cringing at the thought of Him and trying not to cry. Once you knew you were calm you checked on the tanned ginger girl whose eyes were replicas of yours, she was laughing and chasing the gangly older girl belonging to the man beside you. The sight pulled a repressed memory back to your thoughts…

The sky was turning orange but you had still agreed to meet him here, at your spot beside the train tracks. To much of your surprise, the ginger man was already there waiting for you, pacing a path on the base of the small hill. As you inched closer, he stilled- you could see the uncertainty and sadness in his dark brown eyes.

You didn't even get a chance to say hello to your long-time boyfriend before he spilled out what was haunting him, "I'm going to Brazil."

At first, you were dumbstruck by his confession. Never before had he even hinted at such drastic action, sure you knew he wished to continue on with volleyball but by your previous conversations about your future you had thought that meant he was going to college with you and playing there before going into the big leagues or something of that sort. Definitely not moving to a far away country.

"Wh-what-" You whispered grabbing out to him, dropping your hand as you watched him step away.

"I am moving to Brazil," he reiterated, fingers tapping on his other arm from how he crossed his arms. Your jaw literally dropped at his statement, just a little but enough so your mouth was open but no sounds escaped. "it's kind of a,, a last-minute decision. My best chance to be the best volleyball player I can be is to go to Brazil and train as a beach volleyball player and-"

He would keep talking if you didn't interrupt him, something you had learned over the almost 3 years you have dated and the entirety of your lives being close friends, "Ok, Shou. It's ok, if it is something you want to do then do it-"

"-I'm sorry. I'm sorry I lied about going to college to improve my game, at one point I thought I could but in all honesty, I never thought it would really help me-"

"Shoyo! It's alright, you don't have to explain to me. I love you and that's why I support you in whatever you need to do. We can make long-distance work, people do it all the time-"

"(y/n), I love you to-and that's why I know we shouldn't, We shouldn't stay together. Not while I'm so far away, we're so far away from each other. I'll just hold you back baby, I'll be so busy with volleyball, and you-"

"Oh," who knew two simple letters could sound so shattered, could provoke such a mixed reaction from the normally bubbly man standing all too far from you for such a tender conversation.

He had caved more into himself, wide eyes shimmering with tears as he took a step closer only for you to step back, "Angel, I didn't mean it like that-"

"No, No! Hinata I get it, I'm not going to be the one to hold you back- Volleyball has always been your number one priority and I promised myself I'd never stand in the way of you and what you love, and that is taking you to Brazil where you need to focus on the sport," Your arms wrapped around yourself and his lowered to his side. There was a moment where everything seemed to be frozen except for your aching heart which pounded in your flushed ears.

“This should have gone different,” He whispered. “I didn’t want this to hurt this much, for either of us.”

“It’s ok Sho,” You sigh, it wasn’t ok and deep down he knew that but you didn’t wish to say what you really thought and felt. If you did you would say ‘How dare you Shoyo Hinata, how dare you hurt me this bad. I feel like I barely can function right now. How dare you not actually come and talk to me, not make this a discussion, and instead you made a decision for the both of us. You forced me into a corner of pain and suffering.’

Instead of spewing all that you simply said, “Goodbye Shoyo Hinata, I wish you nothing but success and happiness. I love you now and always and that’s why I’m not going to fight you on this choice you’ve made for us, but that’s also why I never want to see you again. Goodbye.” You spun on your heel and speed-walked into the woods back towards where you came, tears surging from your eyes to the forest floor. You couldn't focus enough to know if your now ex-boyfriend had called out to you or tried to follow you- what you do know is that is the last time you had seen or heard from the man.

Your sweet little girl had run up to you while you reminisced internally and sat on your lap with a poof of force, "dadas, cans I haves a juicy?"

"Of course, anything for my Hotaru." You responded, Tadashi getting a juice box out of the cooler which was hidden behind him before your consent. He handed it to his god daughter with a smile and wink after he stabbed the straw in, earning a giggle from the fiery little girl.

"Dank you dadas, dank you unki Tada!" Like that, she sipped from the drink almost rushing to finish in order to go back to playing. She has always been eager and active, despite not knowing her other father she’s been becoming more and more like him by the day. She’s a bright sun, but sometimes you couldn’t help the melancholy feeling you got when you looked at her- not that you ever let her see that feeling as it wasn’t her fault he was gone, but you still hate yourself for feeling like that.

You grinned a comically large smile and kissed her temple with theatrics, "Such a good girl." The ginger wiggled her head in joy and squinted, slurping the rest of the juice mix and running off with a curt, “Luv yous!!”

"Hotaru is so well behaved, you've done so well with her," Tada praised as he bumped his shoulder with yours. A look in his wide amber eyes was all-knowing, he knew you well enough to know the thoughts seeing your daughter sometimes brought up.

"I've had some good help so far," You grinned back at him. It’s true, without the small clique that was gathered in the woods with you this day you could not have done it. Between becoming a single parent with no real ties to your family or the other parent, and struggling to come to terms with your identity as a transmasc person- all while being fresh out of high school with no job prospects nor the ability to further your education like you had planned.

You definitely can consider yourself lucky that the Ukai’s took you under their wing, giving you a job and helping you find a good apartment that they made sure you could afford. Also Tadashi and Kei, who were going through a similar thing- becoming teen dads of their sweet daughter Nana. While Tadashi never told anyone in school, he had transitioned to male young with the support of his loving family and at the time loyal friend Kei Tsukishima. The green-haired man became a very helpful crutch alongside his now-husband, the three of you learned to be new parents together with the aid of the Ukais and the men's supportive families. Tadashi helped you navigate the turbulent waters of your transition; between the medical side of things, treading the social waves, and the storm of your emotions- he was the biggest support you could ask for.

As the day went on, there was nothing but giggles and joy in the air both from the enthusiastic children running around playing various games and also the four adults spread about on blankets enjoying the peace and comfort days like this brings. It’s not often that all of you get calm moments in your days, between the day-to-day of your jobs and being parents to swiftly aging parents all of you were nothing far from stressed normally. But days like this reminded all of you that life was so much fun and didn’t always have to be high maintenance. Even as it wownd down and the sun was leaving the sky, signaling it was time to pack up. Everyone was filled with joy and serenity. As the pick-up began, everyone collectively agreed to go get McDonald's together and then head home (the kids stopped groaning at the mention of fast food). It was the perfect conclusion to an overall peaceful day… That was until you saw from across the field a tall blonde you knew to be Kei Tsukishima tailed by your ex-boyfriend you hadn’t seen or spoken to in 6 years Shoyo Hinata. Sure, you would be overjoyed if it was only the beanpole of a history scholar you now call a neighbor when he was able to be in town- but it wasn’t just him. Shoyo looked so much older and matured in the best way possible, his skin was sunkissed and you knew if you got closer you would see freckles and beauty marks scattered across his once unblemished skin, he was much buffer looking now but also taller which you knew he must be secretly happy about. Everything about seeing his handsome face from afar made you want to scream, cry, and just shut down. You never wanted to see him again, and that had kept you going. Of course, a little bit of you was still happy about seeing him, what it could mean- but it was all too much to process so you simply shut down. That is until you watch Hotaru see her uncle from where she stood atop a cooler near Keishen’s blanket, she yelled out and dragged her best friend behind her towards her father. Hinata’s eyes went wide at the sight, and Tsuki gave him a knowing look before opening his arms wide to catch the girls.

You wanted nothing more than to run and hide your daughter, how could you explain to her that she had a father that didn’t even know she existed. Who left her dad to go play volleyball across the world and couldn’t deal with a long-distance relationship, who didn’t love her mom enough to make it work or even give them a chance to have a conversation about it. Most of all how do you tell Shoyo you weren’t the same girl you were six years ago, hell you weren’t a girl anymore- you’re a whole new man.

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