#road freight tracking

[catenary-chad]

I think Dinah/Electra is my unship. Not a NOTP I hate, just a dynamic where it’s fascinating to explore just how they DON’T fit. They’re just kind of incompatible in canon but it goes a lot deeper when you consider irl train context. I tend to picture Dinah as an older steam-heated dining car geared towards looong multi-day cross-country luxury trains, which goes hand in hand with a 30s-50s era diesel streamliner like Greaseball…. but is basically mutually exclusive with a semi-modern (70s-80s era) electric engine who barely had any overnight routes in their territory. There’s the likes of the Night Owl and that’s about it for the electrified northeast, and those trains usually had cafe/buffet type cars. Plus Electra would almost certainly have Head-End Power and be literally unable to keep Dinah warm at night, which is how I like to spin her being so fixated on whistling lol (Greaseball is old enough to definitely have a heating boiler for that use).

Electra is more oriented towards fast intercity service vs old-school land cruises and she’d get so aggravated by them starting/stopping so frequently and rapidly, rushing her on things that take time, and not appreciating the plusher finer touches of things. Meanwhile Electra would just go “plz no more” halfway through a five course meal, get annoyed when expected to be calm and pleasant and dutiful vs quick and efficient, and go ballistic at the idea of plodding along the rails that long and fussing with a so many formalities.

I think they’d have similar incompatibilities with most sleeping cars since a lot of them are either rooted in or directly from that era and philosophy. One of the reasons night trains became rare in Europe was faster daytime intercity trains taking their place. Buffy would be a solid partner though, canonically I think they both know exactly what they’re getting into (hot and cheap and quick), and some kind of snack/cafe/buffet car is bog standard on intercity trains.

[zipaworld1]

Inland transport plays a vital role in the supply chain by moving goods from ports and production facilities to their final destinations. It utilizes multiple modes, including trucks, trains, and barges, to provide flexibility and efficiency. Effective inland transport minimizes delays, cuts costs, and improves the overall reliability of deliveries. By integrating with maritime and air transport, it ensures a smooth and cohesive logistics process, crucial for meeting market demands and maintaining customer satisfaction.

[the-life-of-stella]

The Tempi Train Tragedy and the Ongoing Cover-Up

"I have no oxygen."

On February 28, 2023, Greece experienced the tragic train accident in Tempi, which left 57 dead and dozens injured, causing deep sorrow and outrage in Greek society. Two trains—one passenger train carrying citizens and one freight train carrying goods—ended up traveling on the same railway track in opposite directions. After the violent collision, a massive explosion followed, raising numerous questions. Immediately after the accident, hasty actions were observed that altered the crime scene. Specifically, excavation and backfilling of the collision site were carried out before all necessary evidence had been collected.

According to experts, these actions significantly hindered the judicial investigation in uncovering the truth. In a country that lacks funds for photocopy paper in schools and where it takes years to fix a pothole in a road, on the night of the accident, 700,000 euros were found and orders were given for the immediate planning and execution of the site’s cleanup and backfilling.

The very next morning, the entire political leadership of Greece, accompanied by the President of the Republic, rushed to the accident site. Suspicion arose from the Prime Minister's statement just a few hours after the tragedy, attributing the accident to "human error." The victims' families have spoken about the presence of flammable materials on the freight train, which caused the deadly explosion. These materials were not listed in the official cargo records of the train.

Three weeks after the incident, the Prime Minister dismissed the allegations as "conspiracy theories," insisting that the explosion was caused by the train's brake oil. Key witnesses to the incident were killed in car accidents just days after the crash. Additionally, video footage of the freight train's loading process mysteriously disappeared, with no logical explanation provided. From the very first day, audio recordings of conversations between stationmasters were made public; however, it was later revealed that they had been edited, with the apparent goal of misleading public opinion and reinforcing the narrative that human error was the primary cause of the collision. Subsequent revelations have brought to light strong indications of attempts to cover up the real causes of the explosion, those truly responsible for the tragedy, and the deep-rooted corruption within Greece.

A recent report by an expert that surfaced in the media suggests that the explosion was caused by the presence of flammable substances, excluding brake oil as the cause, since it would not have been capable of producing such a massive blast. The explosion is believed to have been triggered by chemical fuel adulterants. Recorded emergency calls made by victims to 112—activated by the automatic collision mechanism—reveal that survivors of the crash were crying out that they could not breathe. The recorded distress calls confirm the presence of oxygen depletion due to the fire. The victims survived the collision but were burned alive.

According to the victims' families, political mechanisms are deliberately delaying legal proceedings, keeping case files buried in bureaucratic drawers and obstructing their fight for justice. As if all this were not enough, the son of the prosecutor handling the Tempi case has been missing for three weeks. Recent reports suggest that the prosecutor has stepped down from the case. Public outrage continues to grow, fueled by the widespread belief that a deliberate cover-up is taking place.

The families of the victims, railway workers, and society at large demand transparency. The victims' families, through their association, are calling for an independent judicial process in Greece. Today, across Greece, without political banners or affiliations, people are gathering under one slogan—the last words of those who burned alive:

"I have no oxygen."

#tempi #tempi_crime

[bettystonewell]

COUPLE THINGS #1

Putting You x Dean Winchester through everyday relationship stuff - 700 words

“What’s for dinner?”

Dean throws Baby’s keys on the table in the corner with a jingle and lumps his bag along with them. It’s been a long day, an even longer drive if you count the distance between the bunker and your current location, however many states away.

Honestly, you lost count, and are just grateful to lie in a bed, even if you are slumming it compared to Dean’s memory foam.

You fall back onto the squeaky queen; the blankets scratch at your exposed skin while he slumps into the chair across from you, next to his bag and the discarded keys.

He toes off his boots, revealing a hole in his right sock that, come to think of it, wasn’t there this morning. He wiggles it. He frowns.

“You need a new pair,” you say, and Dean huffs.

“I need food.”

“Well, what do you wanna eat?” You roll your eyes. You’ve had this conversation twice, and you know the answer is going to be the same.

“I dunno,” you mouth, just as he says it out loud with his deeper grumble. The guy is cranky, hangry, refutable, and it’s only going to get worse with each passing of the minute hand on the clock. He needs food stat, and not even a double bacon cheeseburger is going to cut it.

He leans forward and pulls his gun out. Places it on the table and reaches for the same bag he dumped seconds ago, now slugging it off the table.

What was the point?

“There was Chinese down the road? I could—”

“You ain’t driving.”

You puff the air out your nose. “Pizza? We can get it delivered.”

“Had it last night.”

Well, yeah, but he’s not giving you much to go on, and you lay your arm across your brow and stare into the light overhead. You were getting a headache. What’s more of one?

“Isn’t the job of being difficult supposed to fall on me?” you pout, and you hear the chair creak.

A, “What?” comes next.

“In the movies, it’s always the chick who makes things harder. Now you’re being the—”

“Son of a bitch!”

You were going to say a whiny one, but, “What?” you repeat and sit up to face him.

Dean is standing. A new frown covers the old one. It spreads the stubble of his cheeks closer to his ears and shoots a prominent line through the middle of his nose as his brows knit together. “I left the—”

But you don’t hear the rest. His back turns and he’s heading for the door.

“Where are you going?” you say, except you don’t care. You slump your aches and pangs of a day’s drive back into the scratchiness, leaving the man to his grumbles. Maybe if you get undressed before he comes back, you can distract him with the magic fingers, and a taste of you?

Who’re you kidding? You’re too sleepy for sex and he’s too far gone to play fair.

Maybe there’s booze in the mini bar? That’ll have to do. Only you’re now too comfortable to move, and when he returns, he’s falling down next to you. Makes the whole ensemble shake.

Your elbow collides with his ribs, just a quick jab, nothing more. It won’t hurt a strong and burly hunter like him. Of course, he didn’t get the memo.

His denim clad leg drops over yours, like a freight train derailing off its tracks. An arm scoops round your waist.

“Where’d you go?” you say, and that frown turns upside down. Replaced by a grin, tugging at his face.

“I left the lights on.”

“On the car?”

“Mm-hmm.” He hums into your shoulder, and though his chin now scratches your skin worse, warmth spreads to your stomach and between your legs. To your cheeks, to your fingertips, to your toes.

So you roll. His cheek hits the pillow, and your palm and knuckles hit yours. Your eyes find his green ones, twinkling under the light. “Thought you were hungry?” you say as your fingers trail his shirt. They pull and twist at the fabric, feeling for the edge of his buckle.

“Still am. Just like the way you think.”

A/N: I thought it would be fun to just write reader and Dean doing some everyday mundane stuff. It was exactly 500 words and then I needed to add a little more to end it and my goal became also trying to keep it neat.

I plan to do more, so if you have a scenario you’d like to see (Sam or Dean), please reach out - Beth ❤️

@globetrotter28 @ambiguous-avery @arcannaa @jollyhunter @zepskies

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@kazchester-fanfiction @maddie0101 @ladykitana90 @luvr4miya @amyjam78

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If you’d like to be added, you can add yourself HERE, or if you’d like to be removed, please let me know ☺️

[wendichester]

˚ · .˚ ༘ void,

summary. seeing you after so many years is harder than dean had ever expected.

pairing. dean winchester x reader ; angst

wordcount. 792

The Impala rumbles softly, the low growl of the engine almost soothing against the tense silence inside. Dean grips the wheel tightly, his knuckles white against the leather, his jaw clenched. Sam sits in the passenger seat, flipping through the case file with a furrowed brow, oblivious to his brother’s quiet turmoil.

The brothers are heading into a small, sleepy town, the kind Dean swears is the perfect breeding ground for monsters. The sheriff called in a favor, and they agreed to take the hunt. It was supposed to be straightforward—check out the bodies, track the thing, kill it. Dean didn’t expect ghosts from his past to come creeping in.

But that’s exactly what happens when you stop by the local diner.

Dean’s the first to spot you, sitting by the window. At first, he thinks his mind’s playing tricks on him. But then you laugh, and it hits him like a freight train. You look older, sure, but you’re still you—your smile just as bright, your eyes just as full of life.

And you’re not alone.

There’s a man across from you, his hand resting on yours as you talk. A little girl, no older than six or seven, sits between you, giggling as she tugs on your sleeve to get your attention. You lean down to kiss her forehead, your hand brushing a strand of hair from her face.

Dean’s heart twists painfully in his chest.

“Dean?” Sam’s voice snaps him out of his daze. “You okay?”

Dean doesn’t answer right away. His eyes are glued to the scene in the diner, the way you look so… settled. So happy.

“Yeah,” he says finally, his voice rough. “Just thought I saw someone I knew.”

Sam follows his gaze and frowns, glancing back at Dean. “Do you want to—”

“No,” Dean cuts him off, shaking his head. “Let’s just… let’s just get to work.”

But it’s too late. You’ve spotted him, and your eyes widen in recognition. You excuse yourself from the table, walking toward the door, and before Dean can think of an escape plan, you’re standing in front of him.

“Dean Winchester,” you say, your voice warm and familiar. “Of all the places…”

He forces a smile, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Hey, sweetheart. Long time, no see.”

You laugh softly, the sound tugging at something deep inside him. “It’s been, what, ten years?”

“Something like that,” he replies, his voice steady despite the storm raging inside him.

Your eyes soften as you study him, like you’re trying to piece together the years that have passed. “You look good, Dean.”

“You too,” he says, and he means it. You look more than good—you look radiant. But he doesn’t say that.

You glance back at the table, where your husband is watching curiously. “I should get back. But… it’s good to see you. Really.”

Dean nods, his throat tight. “Yeah. You too.”

As you walk away, he feels like the air’s been knocked out of him. Sam doesn’t say anything, but Dean can feel his brother’s eyes on him.

“She looks happy,” Sam says quietly once you’re out of earshot.

Dean swallows hard, his jaw tightening. “Yeah. She does.”

He doesn’t add that it hurts like hell, that seeing you with a family—a life he’ll never have—feels like a knife twisting in his chest.

Later, after the case is done and you’re just a memory in the rearview mirror, Dean pulls over on the side of the road, claiming he needs a minute. Sam doesn’t argue; he just waits in the car while Dean steps out into the cool night air.

Dean leans against the Impala, staring up at the stars. His hands are trembling, and he clenches them into fists, trying to steady himself.

For years, he’s carried the weight of what could’ve been. With Lisa, with you, with anyone who might’ve made him feel like he wasn’t just a soldier in this endless war. But it never works out. It’s always the job, always the life, always the damn apocalypse getting in the way.

And now, seeing you happy—truly happy—makes him wonder if he ever had a chance at that kind of peace.

When Sam joins him, neither of them speaks for a while. The silence stretches between them, heavy but comfortable, until Sam finally says, “You okay?”

Dean doesn’t look at him. “I’m fine, Sammy.”

Sam doesn’t push, because they both know it’s a lie.

As they get back in the car and drive off into the night, Dean can’t help but glance at the passenger seat, where you used to sit so many years ago, laughing and teasing him about his music choices.

It’s just a memory now, but it still lingers, bittersweet and aching.

want be part of the taglist.ᐣ ⋆.˚ ★— @iloveeveryoneyoureamazing ⋆ @deans-daydream ⋆ @ariasong11 ⋆ @ambiguous-avery ⋆ @krabog ⋆ @itsdearapril ⋆ @nymphet-quenn ⋆ @bluemerakis ⋆ @titsout4jackles ⋆ @lyarr24 ⋆ @hauntedrose555 ⋆ @chevroletdean ⋆ @dulcescorderitas ⋆ @blackmarketfruitrollups ⋆ @impala67rollingthroughtown ⋆ @rulesareshadesofgrey ⋆ @nervoussystemss ⋆ @daryls-luvrr ⋆ @defnot-svnshine ⋆ @sunnyteume ⋆ @drakelover78 ⋆ @angelblqde ⋆ @mostlymarvelgirl ⋆ @whisperingdaze ⋆ @bossyblondie ⋆ @lieutenantchaos

[sturns-mermaid]

GUARDED HEARTS

more of this au here | proofread by me <3 | pt. 2

no warnings - enemies to lovers trope

🌷 wc: 1.5k

The rose garden festival was in full swing. The whole kingdom was preparing for the day ahead, gathering everything needed for the festivities. It was your favorite time of the year, the season where the flowers bloomed and everyone from surrounding kingdoms visited to celebrate the spring ahead. You have always loved this day. It was filled with colorful flowers and a sense of happiness that spread around the kingdom.

While your mother and father were at the castle directing the vendors and such for the food and venue setup, you were stuck in a horse-drawn carriage with one of your father’s guards. You insisted on riding along because you wanted some fresh air away from the crowded castle, and Chris had to retrieve and deliver the flowers for the event. You two would’ve been home already if he didn’t decide to take a last-minute shortcut after picking up the daffodils. “My father is probably wondering why I am,” you mutter under your breath, crossing your arms over your chest.

Chris kept his eyes on the path ahead, the soft gallop of the horse’s hoofs being the only thing you could hear as the carriage dragged along the dirt road. “You have no idea where we are, do you?” You roll your eyes, your voice laced with annoyance. Chris finally turns his head to look at you before averting his gaze back to the road. “Calm down, princess,” he said calmly, pulling the map from his small pouch attached to his armor. “Read this map. It should say where there’s a main road,” he said, throwing the map into your lap. You look down, eyebrows furrowed as you scoff, directing the carriage was supposed to be his job. You were simply along for the ride.

“This makes little sense!,” you exclaim, groaning as you hold the map, utter confusion plastered on your face. Letting out a soft chuckle, he grabs the map and turns it over, a smirk tugging on his lips. Being in the castle most of the time left you not knowing much about the outside grounds of the kingdom. Sure, you knew the surrounding area well, but you were now in uncharted territory. You spent most days in the castle reading your romance fairytale books, or trying on new dresses.

The whole kingdom cherished you as you were the only princess within your community, which also brought a lot of expectations. “Did you find a good path yet?” Chris’s voice broke through your thoughts as you looked up, noticing he had stopped dead in his tracks in the middle of the forest. “So you admit we’re lost.” You glare at him, handing him the map as he lays it out on his lap, tracing his finger along the small drawn lines. “Why are you scared?,” he teased, glancing up at you with the same smirk still on his face.

Shifting in your seat, you hear a rustling noise from deep in the forest. Chris was immediately alert, putting his hand on his dagger, he was always prepared for anything. His eyes peer, looking around, trying not to make a sound as he tries to find the source of the noise. “What was that?,” you whisper all of a sudden, feeling freighted as you knew these woods weren’t the safe place to be.

“Stay here,” he whispers back, getting off of the carriage and slowly making his way in the direction of the noise, his steps quiet and careful. You on the other hand were stepping on anything and everything that made noise, leaves crunching under your flats and twigs snapping with each step as you followed him. He turns around abruptly, his face turned in a scowl, brunette curls framing his features.

“Do you ever listen?,” he rolls his eyes, continuing to walk further into the woods. “I told you to stay in the carriage,” your footsteps were still loud, if there was any invader, he would know exactly where the two of you were by now. “Since when did I take orders from you,” you snap back, lifting your foot to step over another twig, the hem of your gown getting snagged.

A loud rip echoing through the forest, your jaw dropped as you stumbled forward, certain you would fall face first in the dark soil of the earth. Your limbs dangling from under you as you trip forward, eyes squeezing shut to prepare for the impact. Chris’ hands wrap around your waist, catching you before you fall, your eyes slowly flutter open, seeing his flushed face, his gaze meeting yours. “Told you to stay in the carriage,” he remarks smirking, breaking the silence passing through you both.

Your heart started to flutter suddenly, feeling this pit in your chest you’ve never felt before at his words, you quickly got back up on your feet, brushing off your dress. “We wouldn’t be in this mess, if you didn’t insist on taking this dumb shortcut,” he was quick to let out a soft chuckle, shaking his head in dismay as he turned to make his way back to the carriage.

“I thought we were seeing what that noise was?” you question, holding the hem of your dress to prevent further damage. “You’re so loud, if it was a creature of some sort it’s been scared off already. And if it was a person we would’ve been captured by now,” he says, getting back into the carriage, leaving you standing there holding the fabric of your lace pink dress. “Whatever, let’s get back before you get us both killed,” you mutter stepping back onto the carriage. 

“1000 tulips, 1400 sunflowers, 2000 roses,...” The man trails off, crossing each flower off of his paper as Chris stacks the wooden crates in the back of the horse carriage while you stand nearby picking at your nail beds.

“I can’t believe you ripped my dress…” You mutter glancing up at him as he continues his task. “You ripped your dress by yourself,” he replied, dusting his hands off and closing the hatch at the back of the carriage. You groan, glaring at him, watching as he takes the paper from the man and looks over it once more before putting it into his pouch.

“The short cut was your idea, and that’s how my dress ripped. Therefore, it is your fault,” you say matter-of-factly sitting back down in the carriage, watching his jaw clench in annoyance. “I can’t wait to get back and get away from you,” he mumbles under his breath, snapping the reins to get the horses to pull the heavy load back to the kingdom. “You’re saying you didn’t enjoy my company?” you tease a grin plastered on your face.

He stays quiet the rest of the ride back to the castle, you stare ahead, trying not to bore yourself. You and Chris always had a strange sort of relationship, you weren’t friends in fact, you could hardly tolerate each other, always bickering. It all started when your father had hired him, he was a new knight in training, but your father swore he saw something in him. God knows what that was, maybe a headache? That’s all you could think of and that’s all Chris gave you, was a headache.

Of course you two didn’t talk much but when you did, it was always filled with his backhanded comments or teasing words. He had been your father’s guard for a while now, whenever your parents went to another kingdom or to visit some place, he always told Chris to keep an eye on you. As if you weren’t old enough to not have a babysitter, your father had other guards, but he didn’t like them as much as he liked and trusted Chris.

He was one of your father’s younger guards, but he was always on top of his duties, he’s the only one you ever talked to, not like you wanted to talk to him anyways. 

“Thank you, Chris, I knew I could count on you.” Your father chuckled as he looked over the flower order once more while Chris worked on taking the crates out of the carriage. You were standing nearby watching as Chris carried every crate to the entrance of the castle. “You know, you could come to the festival, Chris. If you’d like, the king chuckled as he leaned over and ruffled your hair. “I’m sure Chris has other plans,” you mutter, crossing your arms over your chest, you couldn’t fathom having him at the festival.

He would probably ruin your night by pestering you to no escape. You watched as he staked the last of the crates and dusted his hands before making his way to put away the carriage. “I think I’ll pass, you’ll be needing security tonight, right?” he asks your father, petting the horse’s mane.

The king waved his hand dismissively, he had enough hands on deck, and truly he was sure there would be no need for extreme measures. You open your mouth to say something but your mother’s footsteps stop you, closing your mouth as you give her a small smile.

“It’ll be a pleasure to have you, Chris,” she says, wrapping her arm around your shoulders and hugging you tightly. Holding back an eye roll, you gave him a tight-lipped smile, watching as his smirk crept back up on his face, he started getting back onto the carriage. But not before turning his head to face you and mouthing a quick “See you later princess.”

note: finally i made an intro piece from now on it will be slow updates :)

tags: @itsmaddielouis @oliviasthatgirl @brianna-grace12 @scorpio1205 @submattenthusiast @courta13 @mattsplaything @conspiracy-ash @anyaa2s @hazedsturns @eclipsturns @sofia-is-a-sturniolo-triplet-fan @immaqulate @t0riiiis @heartsonlyforchris @blushsturns @hearts4werka @mattsbows @sweetshuga @leoslaboratory @pair-of-pantaloons @riasturns @lezleeferguson-120

🌷: @angelic-sturniolos111 , @ribbonlovergirl

divider: @saradika-graphics

[oshawottarchive]

[Pt 1] [Pt 2] [Pt 3] [Pt 4] [Pt 5] [Pt 6] [Pt 7]

I’m angry so you guys get a bunch of incorrect quotes now <3 might draw some of them later

————

Etho: What is it called when you kill a friend?

Bdubs: Homicide

Tango: Murder

Skizz: Homie-cide

————

————

Tango: I just want someone to take me out

Skizz: On a date?

Bdubs: With a sniper gun?

Etho: Both if you’re not a coward

————

————

Bdubs: A pessimist sees a dark tunnel

Skizz: An optimist sees a light at the end of the tunnel

Tango: A realist sees a freight train

Etho: The train driver sees three idiots standing on the tracks

————

————

Grian: You know, Joel gives Etho flowers every day, I wish you’d do that too

Scar: Okay

*later*

Scar: *gives Etho flowers*

Etho: ???

Scar: I don’t know, I’m confused too

————

————

Joel: I love you

Etho: *not paying attention* What was that?

Joel: I said I’m selling you to the ZOO

————

————

Scar and Grian: McDonald’s! McDonald’s! McDonald’s!

Skizz: We have food at home

Impulse: *pulls into the McDonald’s drive through*

Scar and Grian: YAYYY

Impulse: *orders one black coffee and leaves*

————

————

Skizz: *teaching Grian how to drive* Okay, you’re driving and Impulse and Scar walk into the road. What do you hit?

Grian: Oh, definitely Scar, I could never hurt Impulse

Skizz: The breaks, Grian. You hit the breaks

————

————

Cleo: All in all, a 100% successful trip

Joe: But we lost Jevin

Cleo: Exactly

————

————

Jevin: Will Joe be okay?

Cleo: He won’t be once I find him

————

————

Mumbo: *setting down a card* Ace of spades

Cleo: *pulling out an Uno card* +4

Hypno: *pulling out a Pokémon card* Jolteon, I choose you!

Xisuma: *trembling* What are we playing??

————

————

Tango: *laying in bed* Get out of my room

Zedaph: *standing just inside the doorframe* I’m not in your room

————

————

Pearl: That’s it, you’re all grounded!

Pearl: Mumbo, no adventuring for you! Bdubs, no fighting for you! Scar, no stealing for you!

Pearl: And Joel. . . Is there anything you love?

Joel: Revenge

Pearl: No vengeance for you

Joel: I was gonna say “I’ll get you for this”, but I guess that’s off the table

————

————

Tango and Skizz: *accidentally set the kitchen on fire*

Tango: We need an adult!

Skizz: Tango, WE’RE adults!

Tango: We need an adultier adult, get Impulse!

————

————

Skizz: Dipple-Dop? I mixed redbull with coffee and now I can see sounds

Impulse: Skizz, I swear to god—

————

————

Scott: *sighs*

Martyn: Are you bored?

Scott: Yeah

Martyn: Wanna start drama for no reason?

Scott: I thought you’d never ask

————

————

Etho: *looking at a map* It’s a barren, featureless wasteland out there, isn’t it…

Impulse: Other side, Etho

————

————

Joel: Pros and cons of dating me

Joel: Pros, you’ll be the cute one

Joel: Cons, holy shit where do I begin—

————

————

Scott: Being gay isn’t a choice. It’s a game and I’m winning

————

————

Joel: I think we should have glowstick juice injected into our bones when we’re born, so if we break our bones, we get a fun little surprise

Jevin: What’s the surprise?

False: Blood poisoning

————

————

Pearl: I’m going to get myself some soup

Gem: Be careful not to burn yourself, it’s hot

Pearl: Pfft, I won’t burn myself

*30 seconds later*

Pearl: Gem I burned myself

————

Expect more… sometime idk

[railwayhistorical]

Bozeman, Montana

I was shocked today to see an image of the Bozeman passenger station falling into disrepair. I have two images of the station in better times—when Amtrak's North Coast Hiawatha still ran.

In my shots here we first see an eastbound Burlington Norther freight on the former Northern Pacific line, and then the Amtrak passenger trains arrives. I would ride the NCH between Bozeman and Milwaukee.

[Being a locomotive geek, I see that the BN GP9 on point is a former Northern Pacific engine, running on home rails, built in 1957. The power for the passenger train is a relatively new F40PH built in October of 1977, just shy of two years old.] It should be said that this Amtrak train was named in honor of earlier passenger trains on both the Milwaukee Road and the Northern Pacific—as its long journey would use the tracks of those two railroads. The train operated for Amtrak between 1971 and 1979. Again, sorry to see the station falling into disrepair. I hope it is saved and that passenger trains return to the line. Two images by Richard Koenig—made in August of 1979.

[undercoverstexwriter]

4/8/25

My very first Drabble!

Character(s): Pearl, Rusty

Relationship(s): Pearl/Rusty

Triggers: mentions of death/dying, chronic illness

Quick summary: pearl and rusty talk about the inevitable, aka Rusty’s rust is slowly killing him

Word count: 1104

Along the skewed stars, and crying constellations that littered the sky rested a rail road. Two extended tracks running parallel to each other. On the south side of the tracks was a gated yard with a tall fence with twisting metal links, some rusted, others bent and twisted under the weight of feet. A frigid shadow casting along neat rows of sheds all of them grey and still, not a single sound was cast from them. Beyond the yard a flower filled field, the dandelions bobbed from the winds. A young boy, dirt caked beneath his nails and painting his face, beside him a young girl framed in chrome and glass. They laid there.

“It’s so quiet in your yard” the woman spoke, her voice cutting through the skew songs of nightingales.

“Yeah,” the man responded. What more was there to say.

The man sat up to face the sky, the moon, and what little of the sun was starting to peek over the horizon to greet them. The earth coating his hand in dew, dripping from the tips of his finger back down to the ground.

“Morning dew? Already? That means the flowers might start to bloom” she laughed.

“Morning glories?, poppa used to keep some around the yard” he said, his gaze never leaving his hand.

“love, purity, and spiritual enlightenment, they represent all of that, is that why he kept them?”

He laughed “no, poppa wasnt one to focus too much on meaning”

“Then why? Flowers in a freight yard, doesn't seem like the best growing environment.”

“She liked them”

“Oh”

“The stars look beautiful tonight, i like stars” she said her hand pushing against the ground as she met his gaze

“I think they are mighty cool.” he spoke, his eyes turning up to a light grey scape of ever disappearing stars.

“Do you think there's anything out there?”

“Like aliens?”

“Yeah… like do you think maybe there's a planet just like ours?”

“Maybe… I hope the version of me on that planet is as lucky to know you as I am”

“Why would there be two of you? Would there be two of everyone?”

“...well. I. I was trying to be cute”

“Oh. I’m sorry” she said, turning to gaze on the soft features of his face highlighted by the forever glowing sun. “I hope, that version of me isn't quite as dense” her words hung heavy, eyes back at the pink skies above.

“I think you are perfect”

“I was made that way, every feature is designed that way, dull and white. I like your rust.. The gap between your teeth, the hiss off steam. Perfection is boring”

A stifled breeze passed between them lapping at them. Two of a feather, two eyes gleaming up at the sun.

“I can’t be bored of you…. You must not be perfect then.” His words were spoken through a smile.

“I'm sick of the same song and dance, i don't want to come out to the field every single time.”

“I know.. I know”

“I love you” she hissed

“I know that”

“I would follow you if you decided to go”

“You know I have to go, why not just stay.”

“After tonight? that not fair, rusty that's not fair. I want to be with you! I want to grab you and not have to worry about you falling apart”

“I don't want to fall apart. But hey I've been playing with my delt hand for years now. It's too much. I'm ready.”

“But why now. Why lay with me? Then leave? You've given me a taste of what the world could be”

“Pearl”

“No! Let me speak. Let me.. God” a shrill yell

“Take a deep breath, Pearl. Ain't no need to get all worked up like this."Stay here, be happy, live your life. Don't let me hold you back any more. Let me go, so you can keep bloom-in' in this here yard” his hand reached up to grab her face, his thumb gently across her cheek

Don't you dare say that! I won't let you give up, not now, not ever!" Pearl cried, gripping Rusty's shoulders tightly, her chrome fingers digging into his metal skin. "You think I can just go on living my perfect, boring life when I've felt what it's like to be loved by you? To feel alive with you?"

"I'm not letting you fall apart” She straddled his lap, pinning him down with her weight and desperation.

“Pearl”

"I know you're scared, and I know you think you're doing the right thing. But you're forgetting that you're not the only one who gets to make choices about our future” One of her hands slid up to cup his stubbly cheek, while the other pressed against his chest, right over his pounding boiler.

"And another thing - you're not going to die on me. I won't allow it. We'll find a way to fix you up, to keep you runnin' strong and whole, just like I know you want to be for me."

Rusty laid back, his chest heaving, he gazed up at the pinkening sky. He could feel Pearl's warmth, her hand still gripping his arm. morning dew, long since evaporated, leaving behind a gentle warmth that seeped into metal skin. He looked at her, taking in the delicate features of her face, the way her eyes glistened with unshed tears.

"Pearl, my sweet little wildflower... I know this ain't fair to you."

“So you're just going to let yourself die? Fight god damn it fight!”

"I... I ain't doing this to die, Pearl! Fuck, don't you think I'm scared shitless? Don't you think I'm terrified of what might happen out there?” He surged to his feet "But goddammit, I'm tired of being scared! Tired of waking up every goddamn day, hurting and aching and wondering when my body's gonna give out on me!"

“I don't want you to go”

“Pearl... don't make this harder than it already is.”

Along the colors, and mourning doves that littered the trees rested a rail road. Two extended tracks running parallel to each other. On the south side of the tracks was a gated yard with a tall fence with twisting metal links, most rusted, others bent and twisted under the weight of feet. neat rows of sheds all of them grey, the sounds of chimes and hushed whispers. Beyond the yard a flower filled field, the dandelions bobbed from the winds. A young boy, dirt caked beneath his nails and painting his face, beside him a young girl framed in chrome and glass. They laid there.

[20th-century-railroading]

Duplainville crossing

On the afternoon of July 29, 1997, a southbound Wisconsin & Southern freight, led by former Southern Pacific EMD GP20 No. 4118, is about to thunder over the diamond at Duplainville, Wisconsin. In the background on the Soo Line’s former Milwaukee Road double-track main line is Wisconsin Central train 47, waiting at the connection track signal to head north on the WC main after the WSOR train clears the plant.

[a-bowl-of-grapes]

Rolling stock research #1: coil cars

**Every conversion is an approximation!! (It was getting tiring writing ‘approx.’ each time lol)**

Type: Freight

Purpose: Transporting coils (rolls of thin sheets of metal, generally made of steel. Coils are used in vehicles i.e. planes and cars, major appliances, electrical components and roofs, amongst other things)

->Can also be used within coil factories. Can run on railroad tracks or smooth floor depending on which is necessary

History: Coils used to be carried vertically or in cradles (structures used to stabilise cylindrical objects) of open / covered gondolas*. However, this often lead to the load moving in transit, damage and awkward loading and unloading of the coils

Coil cars appeared in the 1960s as a way to prevent these problems. They were specifically designed to transport coils, making them more optimal than the previously used gondolas

Early examples are the Pennsylvania Railroad G40 & G41 class cars from 1964-65. The G41 has a capacity of 200,000lbs (90,700kg) and a tare weight of 59,200lbs (27,000kg)

*Gondolas are open top rail road cars used in carrying bulk materials

Structure:

-Body consists of troughs. These can be lengthwise (parallel to the length of the car) or transverse (perpendicular or side-to-side along the car)

->Troughs are made of steel, and are lined with wood or other materials to cushion the load

->Stops can be applied along the trough to prevent the coils moving

-Coil cars can be open top or covered with hoods (rigid covers developed from tarpaulin, which weren’t appropriate for damp climates)

->Can have single or pair of hoods

->Hoods are interchangeable, so it’s common to have mismatched hoods

Security features:

-Troughs designed to stop coils rolling (coils fit snugly)

-Side brackets so loads can be secured without cables

-End-of-car has cushioning to absorb shocks and vibrations, reducing shifting of coils

-Water-tight covers to prevent damage from weather

Stats:

-Can carry up to 240,00lbs (109,000kg)

-Hoods are 26ft (8m) long and 2400lbs (1089kg) each

-Transverse (open and covered)

->Length: 49-57ft (15-17m) Width: 9.2ft (3m) Height: 2-9ft (0.6-3m)

->Up to 12 troughs per car, carrying 1-2 coils each. Coils are 30-72 inch (76-183cm) in diameter

-Open coil

->Length: 40-53ft (12-16m) Width: - Height: 7-8ft (2.1-2.4m)

-Covered coil

->Length: 34-56ft (10-17m) Width: 2-9ft (0.6-3m) Height: 6-9ft (2-3m)

Fun facts:

-They are loaded using cranes or forklifts, and can have low side profiles to make this easier

-Despite bearing little resemblance, coil cars are a subtype of gondolas!

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, images from Google

GUYS this was so much fun :D

But please give me feedback on everything about this!! Like should i bother hyperlinking sources?? Do i need to do ‘read more’ earlier in the post?? I feel like i may need to work on the format / layout as well, so feel free to give me general suggestions or pointers! (Cause at the moment it’s just a wall of text)

If there is a type of rolling stock you would like me to research, then please send requests! Otherwise i’ll just being doing random ones that catch my interest :P (At the moment i plan on doing one of these a week unless i somehow find the motivation to do more)

Anyways thanks for reading and lmk what you think :3

[catenary-chad]

I’ve made blanket statements about “rail freight is a profitable business and passenger service is usually a money pit” but there’s some pretty interesting nuance relevant to Stex that becomes more significant in Europe.  

Longer distance bulk freight is a profitable business.  It made up 80% of BR’s freight revenue and was its only profitable freight segment.  This is “trainload freight” that’s a long line of all the same thing (grain, oil, stone, etc).  A lot of longer distance bulk loads in continental Europe are handled by barge vs train.  

Car/Wagonload freight is unprofitable in Europe and low-profit in the US, and economically undesirable to large rail companies because of that.  The Freight (and Components!)  in Stex fit this since they’re a mixed group, though I think that was done because a line of identical characters would be boring.  

It has a much harder time competing with road transport because logistics of getting things in and out of rail yards and general clunkiness of rail freight makes it much more time-consuming over short distances.  Roads are also uncritically fully government funded and trucking companies pay low access fees to use them vs higher access fees on rails. In Europe it’s even more slanted towards roads with cheap trucking labor and antiquated buffer and chain couplings adding a ton of time/labor to adding/removing cars, these are finally planned to be phased out by 2030 to make rail freight more competitive.  

Passenger-freight prioritization is an issue pretty much worldwide, to different degrees and in different ways.  Yes, passenger trains do dominate the rails in most of Europe, yes they’re higher priority and cleaner/better maintained…. because they have live cargo with higher standards and even perishable goods don’t mind being an hour late, humans do!  There’s just a greater need to move large quantities of people (who handle the clunky transfer and last-mile moves themselves) and more benefit to getting a ton of small individual passenger vehicles off the roads vs a smaller number of trucks.  

It’s apples to oranges to compare coaches more in line with intercity/long distance luxury to carload/wagonload freight.  Intercity passenger trains can be profitable in a system where infrastructure maintenance costs aren’t considered.  But they’re better compared to longer-distance trainload freight in terms of being a faster direct train with fewer stops, which is financially sustainable even in fully private systems.  Regional and local passenger trains are a fairer comparison and those are far less profitable. The old US long distance luxury trains the coaches are visually based on were absolute money pits mainly run for PR reasons.  Belmond’s trains are probably their closest modern equivalents, and seem to be far more stable but ultimately they’re a niche luxury market vs essential service.   

Modernization is also the furthest thing from a threat to rail freight and if anything, notorious choo choo killers Dr. Richard Beeching and Al Perlman often have their major freight improvements looked over.  See also the buffer and chain coupler situation (I take psychic damage remembering that fact as an American).  It’s arguably more of an issue in Europe with the far smaller advantages of rail freight, any reduction in labor cost and turnaround time is VERY valuable.  Small freight lines in the US get away with some ridiculously antiquated equipment (Iowa Traction lol) but that’s an even weirder separate rabbit hole.  Electrification is an incredibly positive thing for rail freight since it allows a major increase in speeds, increasing capacity in congested non-electrified areas.  That’s mostly a factor in the UK though, since continental Europe is much more electrified and just struggles with lack of physical tracks (though this is also a UK problem and a main reason for HS2).  Battery and hydrogen power just aren’t energy dense enough to viable for freight usage and English-language media constantly undersells how absurdly OP electric trains are.  It’s not like electric cars, they are so much lighter and more powerful than combustion alternatives that they were desired for capacity/power reasons before global warming was even a thought.  

In short: passenger/freight just doesn’t make sense as a class thing and the comparison canon makes isn’t even a fair one.  It obscures the actual issues facing rail freight (lack of capacity and struggle to modernize).  I don’t even think the intercity vs carload combo was even picked for that deep of reasons, unit trains and lower-end passenger trains are just less fun and popular as toys and onstage characters. Mine trains and subways are an extreme example, they’re almost nonexistent as models despite being otherwise well-preserved and publicly recognized. 

Trucker Caboose is a timeless and international villain (and cabooses are very much still used on occasion, though I can’t speak for how recognizable they are internationally).  Weirdly enough this is a situation where steam engines would be a solid villain too, representing refusal to improve practices and infrastructure (one was used to protest this in Germany recently lol).  

Ironically, Greaseball is a far less effective villain in the context of European freight, American freight diesel locomotives like the EMD Class 66 were very positively received in Europe.  On the business end that is, they were physically unpleasant for actual employees. He’s almost a kind of crappy superhero- while relatively dirty, inefficient and “stupid” vs other diesel manufacturers, EMD engines are notoriously reliable and maintainable and even smaller models like the SD40 are very powerful by European standards.  Making him the “biggest and the strongest” makes more sense with him as something like a Class 66, though he would not be competitive speed wise (compared to a 50s-era EMD E9 that’s relatively weak but would be competitive on rugged, curvy tracks the Nationals couldn’t use their full speed on).   I think I get why Europeans seem to skew towards him being a less malicious himbo, that’s the actual role an American diesel engine would have there vs symbol of hegemony (see my Greaseball post on how he gets even worse than the workshop when played true to US reality)

[hbosscreations]

Fixing Hellblazer: Dead in America

Apparently I'm not doing being negative today, so I'm going to channel my bullshit into fixing things.

Let me tell you a bit about me. I love bad horror movies. I LOVE horror movies that aren't great, but you can see how they COULD be great under different circumstances. My favorite thing to do for years was take a movie that wasn't good and think about what needed to be done to fix it.

Dead in America actually has a pretty simple fix that would help with the rewrite. You'd have to rewrite the whole thing, this draft isn't salvagable, but if you really want to tell the story about American Racism, it's such an easy fix, I don't know why they didn't do it in the first place.

Make Noah Ikumelo the main character.

Seriously. That's the big change.

Maybe he's not the focal character for the entire 11 issue run, but have him be the perspective of at least one issue instead of the random racists that keep getting their stories told like we're supposed to care about them.

Issue 1: Flee

Tommy is dead, K-Mag is dead, they're on the run, and John says 'well, I've got friends in America who could help us out'.

Noah's scared, Nat's scared, John seems to have a plan. So, they're off to America with no money, no papers, nothing but the clothes on their backs.

It's okay at first, John's magic lets him manipulate people a bit, gets them through security checks and keeps them fed, but it's definitely not enough to keep them safe forever.

Noah has a bunch of exposition he gives about being black in the UK, about being disabled, about his feelings about his mother (being a cop, being in a coma, being weird about magic).

How he has always felt unheard until John came into the picture and saw him.

They're traveling, the fear starts to wear off, Noah realizes they've fled the country and his mother is alone.

Where's his gran? This is a point to show flashbacks. Maybe she's not mentally all there? Maybe Noah has been sleeping on John's couch. Maybe he's been learning magic during the months we don't see in the original run. Not a lot, John tells him that he likes that Noah's not really involved in this shit.

Until the murder dreams, when Noah starts getting a crash course in magic and hasn't had a chance to think about anything except John and his stupid plans.

The issue ends with them on the freight ship they stowed away on approaching the docks. They've arrived in port, and it's time to leave. John puts his hand on the double decker bus and reassures them both that he's got this. He's got a plan, and things are going to be okay.

He looks fondly at Noah, and Noah wonders if he can trust that face. Can he believe John?

He doesn't really have a choice, does he?

Issue 2: Where is everyone?

This issue is mostly from John's perspective and his narrating voice takes control again.

John reaches out to old contacts. They're gone. Dead or never existed in the first place. No capes and cowls in this universe. Just magic, divinity, and damnation.

They're fucked.

Meanwhile, Noah and Nat both realize that they're being treated differently than John is. Both have experienced different types of prejudice based on race, gender, disability, and now there's an extra layer of it. The American layer that the story really wants to talk about.

John gets a little, but it's pretty clear that people are generally cooler with a blond haired, blue eyed, white man with an accent than they are with Noah's lack of speaking and Nat's heavy Glaswegian accent.

There's a level of cruelty that makes being trapped in another country, unable to call anyone and tell them that you're alive, unable to know if your family is safe, unable to know if you were even a suspect in the crimes committed, extra fucky.

John's contacts he'd normally call are all of touch the easy way.

So, fine. If he can't call them, he'll go to their usual haunts and track them that way.

Hence, road trip.

This leads into the actual comic scene where John is in St. Augustine, Florida and talking to the statue.

You can still have the Girl Scout come and be cryptic and cruel, have John losing his shit over the fact that he's damned Noah to hell.

(Or we can include my favorite headcanon that Noah was supposed to be a tulpa designed to distract John. I don't know if it would work here, but a story about a kid literally designed to be a sponge for prejudice and cruelty might be a mirror this story about racism could play with. It would need a MUCH more competent writer than me and at least two sensitivity readers.)

Noah wants to pull over for a hitchhiker, they've got the space and he's kind, but John cautions him that America is VERY different from London. We learn that Noah has not traveled much outside of his home city if at all because of his mother's profession and then her coma, leaving him in the care of his gran, who lived on the estate and therefore didn't really have much in the ability or desire to go far.

The dream with Dream still happens, which gives us a nice connection to the previous story as well as John's whole...being dead thing. They're looking for the sand, they're looking for friendly faces, they're looking for magic in a world that John quickly realizes is GASPING and DYING.

Because the multiverse still got punched in the dick by Tim Hunter, and while this world hasn't been hit by him specifically, it's feeling some of the multiversal repercussions of an apocalypse that massive.

And John doesn't have the power to get them out of this while he's a corpse. The longer he rots, the weaker he gets.

Dream gives his orders. John agrees.

They wake up, Noah is being threatened by the cop because he's black and driving a bus. We don't make it about the cop being too stupid to know what a bus is this time, instead, we make it because the bus looks strange and 'why is a black boy driving a bus unless he stole it? obviously he's a thief and he's refusing to speak out of disrespect'.

That fucking sucks, but it also works more to the actual threat of racism in the US. The OTHERING. They're dangerous because they're OTHER. They're lesser because they're OTHER.

Nat keeps the cop's gun after he's frozen. She's freaked. Noah's freaked.

John calmly tells them the spell won't last forever and they need to drive. Nat goes to the wheel and we watch Noah sneak up to the upper level and cry.

John watches from the stairs until he's sure Noah is asleep. He doesn't know how to offer this particular kid comfort, how to offer to hold him without revealing his death or just being too attached.

We see him put his coat over the boy as a symbol of protection. He brushes a hand over Noah's head and asks Dream to look out for the kid.

"I know you're pissed at me and I don't really have the right to ask, but hasn't he had enough nightmares for now?"

Noah's dream about all the horrible things he's processing from the previous issue, the previous run, and that night melt into something more pleasant. Maybe the groundwork for him learning John is his father.

John is back with Nat as she's driving. She's angry. The conversation from the original issue can stay and be expanded on. John tries to comfort her, tries to ease the tension, and it eventually works.

She gets what he's doing, even if he's not doing a good job.

This is a Classic John Constantine who cares about other people but isn't necessarily good at showing it.

The sun starts to rise.

"Where the fuck are we going now? We're a target in this thing, John, and that cop's gonna call us in."

John reassures that they're fine and he's got a new plan.

Most of the hero types don't exist now, but that's fine. He's started to tap into the multiversal memories that he'd repressed in the 2019 issue, and he's pretty sure that he's got a friend who will exist in this universe, even if people like Zatanna and Superman don't.

After all, the Green is a multiversal constant.

This leads into the ending of the original issue 1, with the swamp being filled in and turned into a golf course.

And that ends issue 2.

I don't know if I want to invest energy into re-imagining the entire run, and I suspect that would require the run to be finished before I can properly fix anything except the opening. If you actually read this...sorry about the way it's written, this was all just thought to typing, so it has 0 polish.

I think this is a series that could have worked under different circumstances. I think there are elements here that are good, but this was clearly not written with any real oversight or a coherent story beforehand.

I would have loved for them to learn magic on the bus. Scenes of Nat and Noah picking up spells, Nat teaching Noah the proper way to throw a punch that won't fuck up his hands. Noah being REALLY good at making sure they all manage to eat properly (I am deeply invested in this child shoving oranges into people's hands because 'do you want scurvy?').

A scene of John teaching Nat sign language while Noah slept because he's already so isolated and they all need to take care of each other. Nat forcing John to drive, only for him to hit a car and immediately switch back to her driving. Nat reading a novel aloud to keep Noah awake while they drive at night.

Basically, we need to make them seem like they're actual people who actually spend all of their time trapped together.

Also, does John eat? How have they noticed that he doesn't eat? Does he sweat? If he showers, does that damage his skin and hair, since he's apparently molding at the start of the series?

[the-life-of-stella]

The Tempi Train Tragedy in Greece and the Ongoing Cover-Up

"I have no oxygen."

On February 28, 2023, Greece experienced the tragic train accident in Tempi, which left 57 dead and dozens injured, causing deep sorrow and outrage in Greek society. Two trains—one passenger train carrying citizens and one freight train carrying goods—ended up traveling on the same railway track in opposite directions. After the violent collision, a massive explosion followed, raising numerous questions. Immediately after the accident, hasty actions were observed that altered the crime scene. Specifically, excavation and backfilling of the collision site were carried out before all necessary evidence had been collected.

According to experts, these actions significantly hindered the judicial investigation in uncovering the truth. In a country that lacks funds for photocopy paper in schools and where it takes years to fix a pothole in a road, on the night of the accident, 700,000 euros were found and orders were given for the immediate planning and execution of the site’s cleanup and backfilling.

The very next morning, the entire political leadership of Greece, accompanied by the President of the Republic, rushed to the accident site. Suspicion arose from the Prime Minister's statement just a few hours after the tragedy, attributing the accident to "human error." The victims' families have spoken about the presence of flammable materials on the freight train, which caused the deadly explosion. These materials were not listed in the official cargo records of the train.

Three weeks after the incident, the Prime Minister dismissed the allegations as "conspiracy theories," insisting that the explosion was caused by the train's brake oil. Key witnesses to the incident were killed in car accidents just days after the crash. Additionally, video footage of the freight train's loading process mysteriously disappeared, with no logical explanation provided. From the very first day, audio recordings of conversations between stationmasters were made public; however, it was later revealed that they had been edited, with the apparent goal of misleading public opinion and reinforcing the narrative that human error was the primary cause of the collision. Subsequent revelations have brought to light strong indications of attempts to cover up the real causes of the explosion, those truly responsible for the tragedy, and the deep-rooted corruption within Greece.

A recent report by an expert that surfaced in the media suggests that the explosion was caused by the presence of flammable substances, excluding brake oil as the cause, since it would not have been capable of producing such a massive blast. The explosion is believed to have been triggered by chemical fuel adulterants. Recorded emergency calls made by victims to 112—activated by the automatic collision mechanism—reveal that survivors of the crash were crying out that they could not breathe. The recorded distress calls confirm the presence of oxygen depletion due to the fire. The victims survived the collision but were burned alive.

According to the victims' families, political mechanisms are deliberately delaying legal proceedings, keeping case files buried in bureaucratic drawers and obstructing their fight for justice. As if all this were not enough, the son of the prosecutor handling the Tempi case has been missing for three weeks. Recent reports suggest that the prosecutor has stepped down from the case. Public outrage continues to grow, fueled by the widespread belief that a deliberate cover-up is taking place.

The families of the victims, railway workers, and society at large demand transparency. The victims' families, through their association, are calling for an independent judicial process in Greece. Today, across Greece, without political banners or affiliations, people are gathering under one slogan—the last words of those who burned alive:

"I have no oxygen."

#tempi #tempi_crime

The video is not mine.

[louisupdates]

The Habit He Can’t Break 4/4

IQ 123 | Gordon Masson | 9.11.2023

If I Could Fly

With the production traveling to Australia, in early 2024, before shifting to Latin America, Andy Lovell at Freight Minds is gearing up to become involved with Tomlinson once again.

“We did the Central and South America dates on the tour last year, and onto Mexico,” says Lovell. “It was very challenging back then as we were still coming back from Covid, and various systems and infrastructure were in pieces. But it all went well in the end, as we kept an eye on things and worked on it every day to make sure we had solutions to everything that was thrown our way.”

Lovell continues, “Things on this tour kick in early next year for us. Historically, Australian services were quite reliable, as we could use any number of airlines. But post-pandemic, the number of long-haul flights still aren’t as frequent as they were. As a result, the production is being reverse engineered with the budget being worked out before we can see what we can afford to take as freight, and then we try to plan accordingly.”

“Similarly, in Central and South America there are still just a fraction of the flights operating, compared to pre-Covid, so that makes it very challenging. If there aren’t the flights to handle the gear, then you have to start looking at chartering aircraft, or alter your schedule, and that can become very expensive, very fast.”

With everyone working on the artist’s behalf to make sure the tour remains on track, being able to call on such experienced production experts is paying off on a daily basis.

Sherwood notes, “There are a few back-to-back shows over long distances that occasionally mean we don’t arrive at the next venue until 11 AM, rather than 6 AM. But we’ve never failed anywhere to open the doors on time, so we know we’re capable of getting things done, even if we have a late start at mid-day.”

Such dilemmas are not lost on agent Rowland. “It’s not so much the routing, it’s more like the timings, because Louis does have two support acts, so the shows start at 7 o’clock, and then when we’re done, we need to load out to get to the next show in good time for loading in the next morning and soundchecks, etc.”

Nevertheless, Sherwood admits that he loves the trickier venues and schedules. “Because I’m a dinosaur, I relish anything that makes things difficult or awkward for us on the production side of things,” he says. “I think everyone on the crew looks forward to challenges in finding the solutions to problems.”

Common People

Having amassed millions of fans through his association with One Direction, Tomlinson very much has a ‘pay it forward’ attitude to music and is building a reputation as a champion for emerging talent, wherever he performs.

“He’s a great advocate for alternative music,” says manager Vines. “Louis realizes he’s in an incredibly privileged position in terms of what he can create in terms of awareness. He loves alternative music and indie music, and he understands how hard it is for that music to be heard. But we have this amazing platform where we can put these bands in front of these audiences as a showcase that allows them to build these authentic new audiences. It’s a huge part of his love of music, wanting to help younger bands.”

Rowland agrees. “He took an act called Andrew Cushin - a very new artist – on the road in America with him as a support, and he’s doing the same for Europe. Louis is a fan and is championing his career.”

Indeed, Tomlinson’s A&R skills have knock-on effects for his agent, too. “He asked me to confirm the Australian band Pacific Avenue as support for his Australian tour last year. The music was great, and they didn’t have an agent, so now I’m representing them,” says Rowland.

Perfect Now

As the European tour speeds towards its conclusion, agent Rowland is enjoying every minute of it.

“It’s incredible – they’ve really stepped things up,” she says, fresh from seeing the show in Athens and Paris. “They’ve got six hanging LED screens on the stage, and the whole production just looks polished and professional.”

And Rowland is especially excited about next year’s Latin America dates, which will deliver her first stadium shows as an agent. 

“The return to Latin America is going to be huge – Louis is playing arenas and stadiums in South America and Mexico 15 shows across 11 countries,” she says. 

Vines is similarly enthused. Harking back to the Covid situation, when the show would go on sale, sell out, be postponed, and then re-scheduled in a bigger venue, Vines says, “For example, in Chile, originally the show was scheduled at a 5,000-cap, half-capacity arena in Santiago. And what we ended up doing with three nights at 10,000-cap in that same venue.”

Vines contends that Tomlinson’s work ethic is outstanding. “He loves his fans, and he loves performing for them, it’s as simple as that,” he says. “He just loves being on the road and seeing how the songs connect live. In fact, the second album was very much written with the tour and live shows in mind – ‘This song could work live,’ ‘This one will open the set,’ ‘This is the one we can do for the encore.’”

Fearless

Another element to Tomlinson’s psyche has been his decision to visit places off the usual tour circuit.

“Louis has a real desire to perform to fans in markets that are often overlooked,” says Rowland.

Manager Vines explains that while the Covid-delayed first tour allowed them to upgrade venues pretty much everywhere, “On this tour, we are a bit more competent on venue sizes, but we still speculate a little bit in different territories. In Europe, for example, we’ve gone into the Baltics in a number of different places to test the markets there, while in America, we’re looking at A and B markets, but also tertiary market as well – we go to places where people just don’t tour in America, just to see what the reaction is. That was something that very much interested Louis - to play in front of people who don’t normally have gigs in their town. So there’s been a lot of experimentation on the tour in terms of where we go and what room to play.”

That concept is something that Vines has employed before. “I manage a band called Hurts, who were pretty much overlooked by the British radio system, and we have spent 15 years building a business outside of the UK. And that was built on going to play at those places where people didn’t normally go. They built to multiple arena level in Russia, for instance.”

“If you can build fanbases in lots of different places, you have festivals that you can play every summer, as well as touring those places. It allows you to have more consistency over a number of years, by having more opportunities.”

Such a strategy found a convert in Tomlinson. Vines tells IQ, “Louis also is extremely fan-focused in everything that he does. He comes at it from a perspective of ‘I want to take the show to them,’ meaning he’s always more willing to take the risky option to try something out.”

And the result? “It’s a combination,” concludes Vines. “There have been a couple of places where we now understand why tours don’t go there. But there are more places where it’s worked incredibly well. For example, we enjoyed incredibly good sales in Budapest. And overall, it’s allowing us to get a clearer idea, globally, of where the demand is, which will help us when we go into the next tour cycle.”

1/4, 2/4, 3/4

[ripchaos69]

SCP incorrect quotes time

SCP-1879: A pessimist sees a dark tunnel.  SCP-1471: An optimist sees light at the end of the tunnel.  SCP-5045: A realist sees a freight train.  SCP-2030: The train driver sees three idiots standing on the tracks. 

SCP-2030: SCP-1879, you risked your life to save me!  SCP-1879: And I’d do it again! And perhaps a third time! But that would be it. 

SCP-5094: Who's in charge here?  SCP-5045, shrugging: Usually whoever yells the loudest. 

SCP-5094: I think I need a hug...  SCP-2030: Good thing I'm hug shaped!  *45 minutes later*  SCP-5094: You... you can let go now.  SCP-2030: No, I absolutely cannot. 

SCP-1879: Hey, SCP-5054. Why did the chicken cross the road?  SCP-5045: To get to the other side?  SCP-1879: You were supposed to say “I dunno, why?“  SCP-5045: Uh... fine. I don’t know. Why did it cross the road?  SCP-1879: To get to the idiot’s house.  SCP-5045: ...Ok?  SCP-4166: Hey, SCP-5054. Knock knock.  SCP-5045: No.  SCP-4166: You were supposed to say “who’s there?”  SCP-5045: Fine... let’s get this over with. Who’s there?  SCP-4166: The chicken.  SCP-5045: SCP-1879: SCP-4166: SCP-5045: Listen here you little shits-

SCP-5094: I have a problem.  SCP-1471: Kill it.  SCP-5094: Can you chill for like, two seconds? 

SCP-5094: You three, explain right now!  SCP-2030: It was SCP-1471.  SCP-4166: It was SCP-1471.  SCP-1879: It was SCP-1471.  SCP-1471: SCP-1471: …fuck. 

SCP-1471: What happened to your nose?  SCP-1879: I used it to break some guy's fist. 

SCP-2030: *Game show voice* Time for your favorite game, guess what problems I have today! Is it insomnia? Is it depression? Anxiety? The urge to murder? Lack of appetite?  SCP-5049: I’m going to go with… Anxiety, maybe with a little bit of feeling like shit?  SCP-2030: Congratulations SCP-5049, you win a million dollars and a will to live that I never had!

SCP-1879: I thought I told you to stop reading my emails.  SCP-1471: Well, I thought I told you to stop keeping secrets!

SCP-2030: Sometimes I like to place my hands on someone’s cheeks, look into their eyes...  SCP-2030: ...And violently jerk their head until it snaps.  SCP-4166: ...That took an unexpected turn.  SCP-1471: So did their neck.