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dontmeantobepoliticalbut · 1 year

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As a train derailment and fire forced evacuations in Minnesota on Thursday, a trio of Democratic U.S. Senators introduced another piece of legislation inspired by the ongoing public health and environmental disaster in and around East Palestine, Ohio.

The Railway Accountability Act—led by Sens. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio)—would build on the bipartisan Railway Safety Act introduced at the beginning of March by Brown and Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) after a Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous materials including vinyl chloride derailed in the small Ohio community on February 3.

While welcoming "greater federal oversight and a crackdown on railroads that seem all too willing to trade safety for higher profits," Eddie Hall, national president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET), also warned just after the earlier bill was unveiled that "you can run a freight train through the loopholes."

The new bill is backed by unions including the Transport Workers of America (TWU), the National Conference of Firemen & Oilers (NCFO), and the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers-Mechanical Division (SMART-MD).

"It is an honor and a privilege to introduce my first piece of legislation, the Railway Accountability Act, following the derailment affecting East Palestine, Ohio, and Darlington Township, Pennsylvania," Fetterman said in a statement. "This bill will implement commonsense safety reforms, hold the big railway companies accountable, protect the workers who make these trains run, and help prevent future catastrophes that endanger communities near railway infrastructure."

Fetterman, who is expected to return to the Senate in mid-April after checking himself into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center last month to be treated for clinical depression, asserted that "working Pennsylvanians have more than enough to think about already—they should never have been put in this horrible situation."

"Communities like Darlington Township and East Palestine are too often forgotten and overlooked by leaders in Washington and executives at big companies like Norfolk Southern who only care about making their millions," he added. "That's why I'm proud to be working with my colleagues to stand up for these communities and make clear that we're doing everything we can to prevent a disaster like this from happening again."

As Fetterman's office summarized, the Railway Accountability Act would:

• Direct the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to examine the causes of and potential mitigation strategies for wheel-related derailments and mechanical defects, and publish potential regulations that would improve avoidance of these defects;

• Ensure that employees can safely inspect trains by prohibiting trains from being moved during brake inspections;

• Require that the mechanic that actually inspects a locomotive or rail car attests to its safety;

• Direct the FRA to review regulations relating to the operation of trains in switchyards, and direct railroads to update their plans submitted under the FRA's existing Risk Reduction Program (RRP) to incorporate considerations regarding switchyard practices;

• Require the FRA to make Class 1 railroad safety waivers public in one online location;

• Require railroads to ensure that communication checks between the front and end of a train do not fail, and that emergency brake signals reach the end of a train;

• Ensure Class 1 railroad participation in the confidential Close Call Reporting System by requiring all railroads that have paid the maximum civil penalty for a safety violation to join; and

• Ensure that railroads provide warning equipment (such as white disks, red flags, or whistles) to railroad watchmen and lookouts.

A preliminary report released in late February by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) suggests an overheated wheel bearing may have caused the disastrous derailment in Ohio. The initial findings added fuel to demands that federal lawmakers enact new rules for the rail industry.

"Rail lobbyists have fought for years to protect their profits at the expense of communities like East Palestine," Brown noted Thursday.

Casey stressed that "along with the Railway Safety Act, this bill will make freight rail safer and protect communities from preventable tragedies."

In addition to pushing those two bills, Brown, Casey, and Fetterman have responded to the East Palestine disaster by introducing the Assistance for Local Heroes During Train Crises Act and—along with other colleagues—writing to Norfolk Southern president and CEO Alan Shaw, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy, and U.S. Environmental Protection Administrator Michael Regan with various concerns and demands.

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leicamoments · 3 months

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Railway Escape The Brig With Their Heads Held High

Saturday saw Railway entertain Brigg Town at Station View in Spring-like conditions that made playing and watching football a real pleasure.

The two teams found themselves within touching distance in the NCEL Division One table at the start of the day, with Brigg having the slight advantage, sitting four points above The Rail but also having played four games more.

So it was important for the home team to earn a result to keep pace.

Railway have over the course of the past few seasons, regained their reputation for being a tough place to visit and leave with points. If anyone thought that with Mick O'Connell leaving for Tadcaster Albion at the end of the last league campaign meant that would change - they are being proved wrong.

In fact, the team that Rob Youhill, Frazer Lancaster and Lee Parker have put together, are proving as difficult to beat as their predecessors were.

Certainly over the course of the early part of the 2023/24 season, they have been working hard and grinding out some notable results to put them comfortably placed in the table, still with a shot of climbing into the play-off spots by the end of the campaign.

It was surprising that from kick-off, the men from Station View struggled to get to grips with the way in which the visitors were playing; and it only took eight minutes for Town to take the lead.

A cross in by Scott Hutchinson was met perfectly by Dean McCarthy who rifled the ball home to make it 0-1.

Railway tried to respond, but the visitors continued to press forward and it took only another nine minutes for Brigg to get their second through Jack Boswell after a fine team move cutting through Harrogate's half, 0-2.

It wasn't looking good for The Rail, if they continued to be cut through like this, it would have been a question of how many Brigg would get before the end of the game.

You could hear and feel the unease of the home supporters, desperate for something to cheer about.

Railway dug deep and slowly but surely got a toe-hold in the game, creating a few half-chances and some hope that they could get something. It was just a glimmer of hope, but hope nevertheless.

Halftime and the teams went in, with Rob, Frazer and Lee having quite a bit of work to do.

The second half kicked off and as with any game poised at 2-0...the next goal was critical. A goal for Brigg would spell certain doom for Railway, but a goal for the home side would raise the atmosphere inside the ground...and well who knows what could happen after that!

What happened next was remarkable.

Four minutes in and Railway got the foothold that they needed...Finn Darvill getting his head to a ball in a crowded penalty area, glancing it down and across the goal, seeing it sneak inside the far post despite the despairing lunge with an outstreatched leg by the Brigg defender, 1-2.

The Railway players raced back to the halfway line, wanting to keep the momentum up.

Less than a minute later, in the very next attack, a foul by Jordan Spencer saw the referee blow his whistle to give a free kick; however, before the players involved could get to their feet, there was a scuffle on the floor and the two sets of players came together, the situation threatening to boil over.

The referee consulted his assistant and produced a straight red for Dan Hickey. Whether it was a red is questionable, but if you get involved like this, then the referee has to make a decision. Railway found themselves down to ten.

This could have meant the end of Railway's comeback...but they weren't about to fold easily. The free kick was played into the penalty box, but was safely collected by Brigg's keeper, Lewis Hill.

Railway weren't allowing the man advantage to work against them, pressing forward time after time to try and find the equaliser.

The bright winter sun had now disappeared and as the minutes ticked by, the long shadow of defeat seemed to be looming over Station View.

Railway had been pushing hard, but each attack seemed to end in a shot off target, a clearance by one of the Town defenders, or the ball finding its way through to the Brigg stopper.

A reckless challenge in the 85th minute by Brigg Town's Prince Haywood on Railway's captain, Prince Attakorah, saw the latter go down in a heap and the referee again went to his assistant to consult about his next action.

Once again, if you make such challenges, then you risk the referee making a decision that you don't like. To be fair, this decision was an easy one.

Brigg found themselves down to ten and the momentum was definitely in Railway's favour. It was now a question of how many minutes the referee would add on, giving the home side a chance to snatch the equaliser. To be honest, there had been some long stoppages and it wasn't a surprise when he added around ten minutes.

Railway pressed, creating chance after chance...but as full-time approached, it appeared that Brigg would hold out.

The referee had checked the watch and he was preparing to blow his whistle, with Railway on the attack the ball was sent into the box one last time with Mike Morris timing his run to perfection to get between the two Town defenders, making contact with his right boot and sending it goal-wards.

A moment of uncertainty...all eyes on the trajectory of the ball...and then shouts of joy and relief as the fans saw the net ruffle; Railway had, what seemed at one point during the afternoon, an improbable equaliser, 2-2.

The goal was the final act and the last kick of the game. If Carlsberg did football games...they couldn't have come up with anything better...

What a rollercoaster of a game, one that in reality Railway snatched a result from deep out of the jaws of defeat.

By 5pm both teams were as finely matched on the pitch as they are in the table, with both sets of managers able to look back on what was an eventful game of football and a great advert for non league.

#photography #canon #sports #sport #harrogate #yorkshire #football #business #NCEL #Division One #Non League #nonleague #Brigg Town #Brigg #Harrogate Railway Athletic #The Rail #Railway

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pummelingbat · 8 months

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i started relistening to The Magnus Archives yesterday (in honor of fall approaching.) i cannot be held responsible for my actions when Peter Lukas shows up and i hear his voice again.

#txt #i realize the intent of this statement is vague given Peter's divisive status.#what i mean is: i want that old man to get railed into another fucking dimension. pathetic ass.#old flame.... 2019 memories..........

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narmadanchal · 8 months

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हमसफर एक्सप्रेस तथा जबलपुर-पुणे एक्सप्रेस स्पेशल एक-एक ट्रिप निरस्त

इटारसी। मध्य रेल (Central Railway), सोलापुर मंडल (Solapur Division) में रेल लाइन दोहरीकरण (Rail Line Doubling) के तहत अकोलनेर-सारोला ब्लॉक सेक्शन (Akolner-Sarola Block Section) में प्री-नॉन/नॉन इंटरलॉकिंग (Pre-Non/Non Interlocking) कार्य के चलते गाड़ी संख्या 22172-/22171 रानी कमलापति-पुणे-रानी कमलापति हमसफर एक्सप्रेस (Rani Kamlapati-Pune-Rani Kamlapati Humsafar Express) तथा गाड़ी संख्या…

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#Akolner-Sarola Block Section #Central Railway #Jabalpur-Pune-Jabalpur Express Special #Pre-Non/Non Interlocking #Rail Line Doubling #Rani Kamlapati-Pune-Rani Kamlapati Humsafar Express #Solapur Division

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vocaltv · 1 year

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ज़रूरी सूचना, 2 दिन पटरी पर नहीं दौड़ेगी 3 ट्रेनें, रद्द की गई

बिलासपुर। दक्षिण पूर्व मध्य रेलवे के बिलासपुर मंडल ने कटनी लाइन में चलने वाली तीन ट्रेनों को रद्द कर दिया है. 4 और 11 जून को इन ट्रेनों को रद्द किया जा रहा है. जिन ट्रेनों को रद्द किया गया है वह गरीबों की ट्रेन कही जाती है. इसमें छोटे छोटे स्टेशनों के मुसाफिर यात्रा कर अपने रोजगार के साथ ही अन्य जरूरी काम करते हैं. 4 और 11 जून को शहडोल बधवाबारा, लोरहा चंदिया रोड स्टेशन के बीच समपार फाटक को…

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#bilaspur #BILASPUR BIG NEWS #BILASPUR DIVISION #BILASPUR NEWS #BILASPUR RAIL DIVISION #Breaking Hindi News #indian railways #Latest News in Hindi #SOUTH EAST CENTRAL RAILWAY #Train cancelled list #videos #दक्षिण पूर्व मध्य रेलवे #बिलासपुर #बिलासपुर न्यूज़ #बिलासपुर बिग न्यूज़ #बिलासपुर मंडल #बिलासपुर रेल मंडल

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techmarts · 1 year

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Indian Railways canceled 21 trains passing through Bokaro station; details inside

Indian Railways has temporarily canceled several trains running through Bokaro Steel City Railway Station. The decision was taken due to non-interlocking work done at Andal railway station of Asansol railway division. Chief Public Relations Officer of Asansol Railway Division Amitabh Chatterjee announced that 21 trains have been canceled due to non-interlocking work at Andal railway station. He…

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#Asansol Railway Division #Bokaro #Bokaro Station #Bokaro Steel City Railway Station #canceled #details #Eastern Railway #Indian #Indian Rail #passing #railway news #Railways #station #trains

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freejobalert1 · 1 year

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Rail Kaushal Vikash Yojana 2022

Rail Kaushal Vikash Yojana 2022 : रेल कौसल विकास योजना के लिए ऑनलाइन आवेदन की अंतिम तिथि 20 नवम्बर 2022 तक ही है जल्द ही आवेदन करे l प्रधानमंत्री कोसल विकास योजना के तहत रेल कोसल विकास योजना 2022 की शुरुआत की गई है | इसका उदेस्य भारतीय रेलवे के प्रशिक्षण देकर युवाओ को बनाना है | इसमें भारत के होनहार युवाओ को पोसन प्रशिक्षण दिया जायेगा | जिसके बेरोजकर अभ्यर्थी नए ओधोगिक क्षेत्रों में रोजगार…

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#All Railway Division Vikash Yojana 2022 #Indian Railway Training 2022 #Rail Kaushal Vikash 2022 #Rail Kaushal Vikash Yojana 2022 #Rail Kaushal Vikash Yojana Education Qualification 2022 #रेल कौसल विकास योजना 2022

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grandline-fics · 15 days

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Terms of Endearment

DESCRIPTION: You call them by a term of endearment without realising

WARNINGS: just fluff, mentions of alcohol in Luffy's

CHARACTERS: Ace, Sabo, Luffy | Law, Kid, Shanks, Marco, Zoro

WORDS: 1,933

A/N: The next part in this in honour of reaching 500 followers. Hope you all enjoy

*REQUESTS ARE OPEN*

MASTERLIST | PROMPT LIST

———————

ACE

You knew nothing would ever happen between you and the Division Commander. You knew he was just a likeable guy who was friendly and warm with everyone. Countless times you told yourself that he was just nice with everyone and yet still you couldn’t help but feel your heart beat just a little faster when he smiled at you and you couldn’t stop yourself from liking him a little more each time he spoke with you and spent time with you outside of chores and tasks being done onboard the ship. It didn’t matter though, even with the knowledge nothing romantic would happen you were happy to be considered a close friend of Ace’s.

One morning you were perched on the edge of the ship’s railing and keeping a critical eye on the thick wall of cloud draped over the entirety of the sky above the next island you were approaching. It made a stark difference to the clear blue you and the rest of the crew were currently under. You were no stranger to the absurdity of the ever changing weather and separate climates certain islands had but seeing what you were going to be greeted with was starting to sour your mood. It wasn’t as fun stopping at an island if there was a storm to endure.

“Glaring at the clouds won’t make them change you know.” You looked over your shoulder to see Ace hop up onto the railing and sit down beside you. Glancing out of the corner of your eye you were jealous of how relaxed he was and let out a long sigh as you returned your stare to the clouds you could now see were darker than you had originally thought.

“Who knows, stranger things have happened on these seas.” You mused, scowling harder now that the idea was in your head. “Maybe I have the ability to control weather and neither of us knew it? Don’t know unless I try.”

From beside you Ace laughed, reclining back to support his body on his elbows and grinned up at you.

“If that were possible, that’d be a pretty dumb gift. Glaring at clouds to make them obey you? You’d get a headache all day.” You rolled your eyes and laughed, getting more comfortable too, lying down and tucking your arms behind your head.

“Look we can’t all be super amazing and control fire like some people, Ace.” You teased, a small yawn breaking from your lips as your eyes closed. You were still a ways away from the stormy island so you may as well make the most of the sunshine and warmth until then. “Some of us are just boring.”

“I definitely wouldn’t call you boring.” Ace told you. Safely in the knowledge that you couldn’t see him, he could observe you carefully with softened gaze. “You’re one of my favourite people to hang out with.”

“Aw thank you love, you always know just what to say.” Your relaxed smile brightened considerably but you were too drowsy to open your eyes again to look at the man beside you. It was also why you hadn’t realised your slip of the tongue. Ace however tensed and sat up a little straighter from his once relaxed position. His eyes were widened and a soft pink was dusting his freckled skin. All this time he’d thought his feelings were one-sided and now he was hit with the reality that it might not be the case. Overcome with a burst of excitement and hope he quickly lay back down and used his hat to hide his giddy expression and began to think about how to subtly broach the subject when you were awake.

SABO

“You’re not going to improve if you don’t keep your focus.” Hack lectured, swiftly knocking Sabo back with ease. Sabo managed to recover from the attack and retaliated with one of his own that was completely dodged to the point it made the attack look so pitiful. Hack paused in the sparring match to frown at the younger Revolutionary. “Seriously, what’s with you today? Do you need to take a break?” Quickly Sabo shook his head and forced himself to keep his attention on Hack but even then he couldn’t help but feel your presence silently calling to him.

You were oblivious to the power you had over the Chief of Staff, even from the very first day you joined the Revolutionary Army you’d somehow managed to make Sabo immediately endeared to you. Given Sabo’s personality he was able to pass off his momentary slips and lack of concentration when you were around and for the most part others hadn’t made the connection. Most being the word. People like Hack, Koala, and Dragon however knew. Normally Hack wouldn’t mind and ignore it but this was the third time in the short amount of time of the sparring match that he’d seen Sabo zone out and look your way as you were speaking with Dragon about a recent mission you’d been on. Enough was enough. After knocking Sabo onto his back, Hack turned and called you over. You finished your conversation with Dragon and approached the sparring pair with a soft, expectant smile while Sabo got to his feet. “I want you to spar Sabo with me. Perhaps having two opponents will help sharpen his dulled senses.”

You became concerned to hear Hack’s less than complimentary tone at the blond and you looked to Sabo with a light frown, scrutinising his features carefully. Could it be he was sick? Was something else be bothering him? It wasn't like the Chief of Staff to be so distracted especially when it came to his training. At the suggestion of you fighting along with Hack, Sabo’s expression became a mix of uncertainty and irritation. He didn’t want to spar against you but he couldn’t outright deny Hack requesting you join them given he had no real reason to oppose it. Sabo could only take a breath and adjust his stance while praying he didn’t make an embarrassment of himself.

At first having you as part of the fight helped Sabo when it came to focusing on the fight, by having two skilled fighters attacking he didn’t have the ability to pay attention to his personal feelings. However when he kept his sight on Hack as the priority he’d slipped up and forgotten you. You took the window of opportunity and ducked under Sabo’s arm, your face less than inch from his. Quickly you hooked her arm around his and tucked your foot around his ankle, twisting and knocking him to the ground. You kept a firm hold on Sabo’s wrist and pressed your knee into his back. “Give up sweetie?” you asked innocently, unable to see Sabo’s eyes widen. Before he could respond you were abruptly called for by another Revolutionary to go out on a mission. Pouting you released Sabo and left him and Hack.

“Please tell me I didn’t imagine that…” Sabo uttered, almost begging Hack. He looked up to see the Fishman grin at him and help him to his feet.

“No I heard it too. Funny thing is I don’t think they noticed they did it.” Sabo watched your retreating form and brightly smiled.

“Interesting.”

LUFFY

For the most part Luffy can be considered fairly clueless about a lot of things if they don’t involve his ambition to be King of the Pirates and obtaining the One Piece, doing whatever he wanted and eating all he wished. That included his own deeper feelings at times. However no matter how complex Luffy’s emotions were about certain things he found it easier to break them down into more simplistic views and gain a better understanding about them. He found he had to do that with you and the longer you were part of his crew the more he had to take an inward look at his feelings. So far he was able to discern that he liked you, he liked being around you and it was mutual because you’d been all too eager to join his crew. For the longest time it was simple as that.

Things however became complicated one night after he and the rest of the crew helped free another town from a corrupt ruler. As always the celebration was a large affair with plenty of food, music and drink. While Luffy wasn’t a drinker and happily indulged in all the food he could get his hands on, you were pulled into a drinking contest with some of the locals along with Nami, Zoro, Franky, and Usopp. You’d managed to hold your own for a respectable amount but when you felt the world being to tilt and your mind grow hazy you knew you wouldn’t be able to handle anymore.

Staggering from the table you somehow managed to wander to the only spot you knew you’d feel completely safe and content with. You didn’t know how you managed it, call it instinct or sheer will but you stopped beside your Captain and slid down to sit on the soft grass beside him, leaning against his back for support. Luffy looked over his shoulder to grin at you before continuing to eat. “You lost huh?” he laughed before taking a large bite of a meat skewer.

“It’s cheating when Zoro plays.” You grumbled, shifting to get more comfortable against your Captain. “He’s so smug too. Didn’t even wanna win anyway.” You fell into soft laughter with Luffy and then drifted into content silence. Subconsciously Luffy moved while he ate, seamlessly turning so you were leaning against his side and neither of you seemed to even notice the new position.

When morning came and you woke with a hangover and lack of memory you let out a worried groan, hoping that whatever you’d done wasn’t too embarrassing or at the very least you hoped that everyone else was also too drunk to remember too. Wincing you pushed yourself up to see that you were in your own bed. Hazily you tried to force your brain to work and managed to pull out the image of Luffy which made sense, he was your go-to for anything. Knowing he didn’t drink, you knew you could also rely on him for the truth on what you failed to remember. You found Luffy sitting on Sunny’s head just as you knew he’d be but you became worried to see him frowning, deep in thought. “Everything okay Luffy?” you asked, flinching when Luffy’s head swiftly snapped around to look at you intently.

“No! You’re not allowed to call me that.” Immediately worry and guilt took hold. What had you done? Would he ever forgive you? Oh no, what if it was so bad he’d kick you off of the ship for good.

“Wh-what do you mean?“ You asked panicked and feeling sick which was not from the hangover. “Whatever I’ve done I’m sorry but I don’t remember. Please tell me what I did wrong. I can fix it.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong.” Luffy’s expression became confused. “I’ve just decided that you can’t call me Luffy anymore I like what you called me last night after I helped you to bed better.”

“Oh…” you couldn’t tell what you were feeling in that moment exactly. Desperately you tried to think what you called him, silently thankful that whatever it was hadn’t offended him. “Well if you want me to call you that instead you have to remind me.”

“You called me dear.” Luffy grinned while your face reddened.

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thirteenmyspacegirl · 2 years

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OKAY LAST ONE PROMISE- i don't have actually that many pictures from this weekend it was so stressful i just. forgot.

first round of sunday! aside from him not liking that gate-even tho he saw it yesterday djfwmdkro-it was a clear round and he was an angel!!!!!!!!

#my best boiiiiii 😭🫶#seriously so proud of my bean<33333 #our team also won second overall in our horse management division!!!!#our expectations were in the fuckin ground but damn we did it!!!#no riding awards-nothing close to any #but we got through without pulling any rails so thats a win in itself l #max talks horses #hit the jackpot 'jack'

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seat-safety-switch · 3 months

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Ever think your job is futile, about to be replaced by high technology? I'm Ted Dialtone, master salesman for the Brother fax machine division. That's right. Fax machines. I bet you thought you were done with those suckers, and that's just what we wanted our competition to think. They ran away and made some dumb shit like "computers" that nobody actually wants. We sell sixty million of them a quarter.

You might ask yourself, surely this guy is a little biased towards the product he sells? Padding his numbers just a bit? Let me explain it this way: my wife and kids, in whatever state I left them before I started crossing the world endlessly in my quest to become the ultimate salesman, are eating very well because I am such a strong believer in the humble facsimile. Don't worry, they see me at Christmas. I bring them the greatest gift a father can offer: the newest Brother fax machines.

Folks think that it's easy to sell fax machines. You just go to the nearest government office and get drunk with the boss. Then, when their judgment is incapacitated, you make them sign a contract to buy a whole wad of colour multitransmits. Maybe take a few pictures for blackmail if they decide to go back on the deal. That might be how they do things over at Canon, sure, but we're beyond that kind of petty, cheap-assed, penny-ante trickery. We give the boss a rail of cocaine.

Why am I telling you all this? I'm looking for a new assistant. I can't do this job forever. No, it's not because the field is becoming obsolete. Folks will buy these machines until the sun explodes, I swear to your mother. My liver is starting to make concerning noises every time I down four travel margs in fifteen minutes at the airport Chili's. How do you get in touch, start your life on this new, exciting adventure? Email me your resume.

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arealphrooblem · 1 year

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Mutually Assured Destruction

Snyopsis: Villain x Civilian. Civilian can sense other people's powers through auras but hides this ability. They are terrified of the most boring person at their office job, who hides the most powerful aura Civilian has ever felt.

Being the first person out the door undoubtedly did Civilian no favors to their work reputation.

Anytime someone joked about it, often with an edge, Civilian would make excuses: their dog needed let out (they didn’t have a dog), they had to get to the bank before it closed (they use their banking app 90 percent of the time), they liked having a work/life balance (that one’s true).

The real reason, of course, was to avoid any encounters with them. Their newest colleague -- Jonathan Anderson. A bland, forgetful name for a bland, forgetful person. He arrived two months ago in her data entry division, dressed everyday in the same unremarkable navy suit with a grey tie, gave generic responses to small talk at lunch.

And he scared the shit out of them.

Luckily for Civilian, their paths didn’t cross that often and when they would, Civilian had found ways to neatly side step them -- emails instead of face to face conversations, calling in favors, and once, even taking a sick day to avoid a meeting.

It worked great -- until it didn’t.

The elevator descended at an agonizing snail’s pace. Civilian stood in the back, gripping the railing behind them with a sweaty hand and tried to breathe slowly and evenly.

The only other person in the elevator with them -- and the only other person in the building -- was Jonathan Anderson. Because of course he would be working late the one time Civilian had a deadline change and a mad scramble to get everything read by tomorrow.

He stood in front of the buttons, his back to them, plain brown leather briefcase dangling from his hand. To everyone else, he looked harmless. But the sheer power of his aura radiated like the sun. It made Civilian light-headed being in such close contact with it.

Thirty more seconds, they thought to themselves. That’s all this elevator ride would last. After that Civilian could scurry off to the parking garage and screech out of here.

29 . . . 28 . . . 27 . . .26 . . .

The elevator came to a sudden, sickening halt and Civilian’s heart with it. They waited for the emergency alarm to blare, but the elevator stayed eerily silent.

“Is there . . is there something wrong?” Their voice came out shaky and hoarse. They cleared their throat.

For a moment Jonathan didn’t respond. Instead he turned around to lean casually against the wall and survey them, his face as bland and unreadable as always.

“That’s a question I think I should be asking,” he said, adjusting his glasses.

Instantly their hackles rose. It took considerable effort to keep the panic from their face, to force their shoulders to relax, to look confused and concerned.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re afraid of me.”

The truth struck true, lodging itself between their ribs. Civilian swallowed, suddenly dry mouthed, and tried to find the air again.

“You’ve trapped me in an elevator and you’re bigger than me,” they pointed out.

“That is rather nerve-wracking, I’ll admit. It’s almost believable. But this started a long time ago, didn’t it?”

He straightened and took a step towards them. And another. All while speaking in that affable, level tone, as if commenting on the weather.

“Since my first day here. Don’t think I’ve forgotten how you never shook my hand that day. Or that I don’t notice all the little tricks you pull to avoid me. Yet we’ve never had a negative encounter. You’ve never given me the opportunity to create a bad impression. It’s rather baffling, don’t you think?”

He stopped a safe distance away but close enough to prevent any attempt to escape. Despite being only a couple inches taller than Civilian, they loomed in the small space.

“So tell me -- how do you know?”

“Know what?”

It was their only defense, this wide eyed denial. To pretend they were discomfited by a bizarre encounter with their coworker, rather than straddling the edge of a panic attack while stuck in an elevator with a man who could kill them with a snap of his fingers probably.

He snorted. “You gave up the ability to be coy when you stepped into this elevator. Please don’t make me ask you again.”

Though he made no threatening movements, the swell of his power spoke for him, the pressure of it nearly suffocating.

“I can feel it,” Civilian whispers shakily. “Your power. Anyone’s power. They have an -- an aura about them and I can feel how strong it is.”

“So you can tell, instantly, who is and isn’t a powered individual?” he clarified, his focus sharpening like the sun through a magnifying glass.

They only managed a nod, their throat tight.

“Fascinating.”

The hint of awe in his voice would have been flattering if Civilian hadn’t spent so much effort to avoid this kind of attention.

“And which organization is benefiting from this power? Who is keeping tabs on me?”

“No one,” Civilian said hurriedly. “I haven’t told anyone.”

A wicked smirk spread like slow poison across his face, transforming a visage that no one looked twice at into something terrifying.

“Do you think I’m as stupid as I pretend to be for work? There is no possibility that any organization would allow someone like you to walk untethered. Now, answer the question before I show you exactly why my aura frightens you so much.”

His hand hovered just over their heart, the beat of which a cacophony in their ears. Nothing happened -- yet. But the anticipation of it, coupled with the fact that Civilian still had no idea what such power was, made their whole body start to tremble.

“They don’t know about me,” they said, throat tight. “No one knows about me. I’ve kept it a secret my whole life.”

Jonathan still surveyed them with suspicion. “Why? I imagine you would be an extremely valuable asset to them. And those tend to be very well compensated. You expect me to believe you’d rather be a data clerk for a bank?”

A flash of rage breaks through the fog of terror. “My father was an extremely valuable asset. It didn’t stop him from dying an excruciating and unnecessary death. I’m not following in his footsteps.”

For a moment he looked taken aback at this confession before his eyes narrowed in what almost seemed like approval. It emboldened Civilian.

“Look, I don’t know what you’re doing here and I don’t want to know. If I tell anyone about you, it will blow my secret too. So just . . . let me stay out of your way?” They swallowed, tongue darting out to moisten cracked lips. “Please?”

For several agonizing seconds he just looked at them, his face blank as printer paper. Civilian tried to meet his eyes, to look trustworthy, but the weight of his flat, calculating stare was too much. Instead, their gaze fell onto his hand, still hovering over their heart, ready to crush them or incinerate them or dissolve them or whatever ungodly thing he could do.

And then his hand slowly slipped down further between them and flipped up, palm open.

“What take out do you enjoy?” he asked.

“ . . .what?”

“It’s a bit late for a restaurant, but I know several takeout places still open this time of night. Do you have a preference?”

It was Civilian’s turn to stare at Jonathan with their brow furrowed.

“You -- you don’t need to buy me dinner,” they stammered.

“Of course I do. It’s customary for a date, yes?”

“For a what?” Civilian choked.

That wicked smirk appeared again, giving life to the void of his neutral expression.

“You know what they say. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.”

“I -- I’m not your enemy!”

“And you will never have the opportunity to be one. I’m ensuring it. And since you refuse to acknowledge my presence here at work, there is only one other recourse. Now choose or I shall choose for you.”

A date. Dinner. With him. Someone with the strongest aura Civilian had ever encountered. Someone who was definitely planning something illegal.

“I like tacos,” they said faintly.

With a wave of his hand, the elevator shuddered back to life and continued it’s gentle decent to the ground floor.

“Then we shall get tacos,” said Jonathan, taking their hand.

Part Two

#my writing #not a prompt #enemies to lovers #villain x civilian #civilian x villain #hero x villain #heroxvillain

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leicamoments · 5 months

Text

Penguins and Whales

Harrogate Railway Reserves 5-2 Lower Hopton Devs

This last month has really summed up 2023 – weatherwise. It has really been awful, with grassroots sport being disrupted by either frozen pitches or waterlogged ones. It seems that if it isn’t penguin-friendly weather, then the whales are happy.

For a second weekend running, the non-league men and women’s fixtures have been completely decimated, with only a handful of games being able to go ahead.

Railway’s first team fixture fell victim to the rain, but with the reserves playing on the all-weather pitch at King James School in Knaresborough, it would take the four horsemen of the apocalypse to unseat this game – apologies to the penguins and whales!

It didn’t mean that the WRCWFL Third Division game wouldn’t be subject to the elements – we had the occasional gust of strong wind, various forms of rain…from misty in the cloud type stuff, through drizzle, all the way to a good soaking.

The other problem was the light…it started dark because of the heavy overcast clouds and got darker. At half time, there were nervous glances up at the floodlights, wondering if they could be put on [spoiler alert – they weren’t] and to be honest, by the end of the 90 minutes, the clouds were parting and the last of the day’s sun shone briefly before setting behind the hill and clouds clinging to the horizon.

The game itself was a rollercoaster that matched the conditions. Railway started strong in the first five minutes before a good and determined Lower Hopton imposed themselves on the game and took a well-deserved two goal lead by the end of the first half.

To be frank, it looked like a lost cause for the home team, as the visitors had been clinical in front of goal to score two well taken shots. The only downside for the Lower Hopton squad was the unfortunate injury to one of their defenders that saw her have to go off and play no further part in the game.

[We wish her all the best and hope that the injury isn’t too bad – given that Christmas is just around the corner.]

Railway had had chances in the first half…but they weren’t clearcut and they hadn’t made the keeper work hard enough.

The second 45 kicked off and to be honest, the Devs picked up where they had left off and no matter what Railway tried, it just didn’t seem to be happening for them. It wasn’t that they weren’t playing well…it was just one of those days that attacks seemed to fall apart in the final third of the pitch.

When I say one of those days…well, it was really one of those hours…because with 30 minutes to go and the points seemingly heading home with the visitors…the Harrogate team did something special.

In a mad two-minute spell, first Georgia France and then Fiona Salter fired Railway back on terms, leaving the visitors shellshocked.

Lower Hopton tried to rally, rid themselves of the sense of panic and get their game going once more; but Harrogate Railway had the bit between their teeth and weren’t going to let them off the hook. [I know...mixed metaphors there...but let's roll with it]

This was an enthralling fixture now, both teams capable of scoring with each attack, but wary when having to defend. The next goal would be crucial…and it was Fiona who got her second and The Rail’s third to edge the home team in front for the first time in the game.

A shot by Railway’s Tracey Flemming saw the visiting keeper desperately grabbing for the ball as it was going over the goal line. There were claims for a goal, but VAR confirmed the Ref’s view that the whole of the ball hadn’t actually gone over the line – and it was a great save in the end.

April Kennedy had been lively all afternoon, tormenting the visiting defenders, and it was April who got Harrogate Railway’s fourth with minutes left on the clock to make the result safe at 4-2.

Any thoughts that the reserves were finished for the afternoon were soon dispelled as Jade Webster joined the others on the scoresheet to make it 5-2 and deservedly crown a great performance by her.

The final whistle blew, and Harrogate Railway Reserves had scored five, earned three points and moved themselves up to third in the table, level on points with second-placed Skipton Town Devs and only three points behind Lower Hopton.

Last year, the reserves got started after Christmas with the first half of the season being rather difficult as they tried to settle into the league [being a newly formed team] – this year they have hit the ground running and will surely challenge for one of the two automatic promotion spots.

Well played both teams!

#Lower Hopton #Harrogate Railway Ladies Reserves #Harrogate #Railway #Football #Women's Football #WRCWFL #West Riding County Women's Football League #Division Three #League #soccer #The Rail

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robertreich · 10 months

Video

youtube

How to Fix a Broken Supreme Court

The Supreme Court is off the rails — and it’s only going to get worse unless we fight to reform it.

Trust levels and job approval ratings for the Court have hit historic lows due in large part to a growing number of ethics scandals.

Here are THREE key reforms Congress should enact to restore legitimacy to our nation’s highest court:

1) Establish a code of ethics

Every other federal judge has to sign on to a code of ethics — except for Supreme Court justices.

This makes no sense. Judges on the highest Court should be held to the highest ethical standards.

Congress should impose a code of ethics on Supreme Court justices. At the very least, any ethical code should ban justices from receiving personal gifts from political donors and anyone with business before the Court, clarify when justices with conflicts of interest should remove themselves from cases, prohibit justices from trading individual stocks, and establish a formal process for investigating misconduct.

2) Enact term limits

Article III of the Constitution says judges may “hold their office during good behavior,” but it does not explicitly give Supreme Court Justices lifetime tenure on the highest court — even though that’s become the norm.

Term limits would prevent unelected justices from accumulating too much power over the course of their tenure — and would help defuse what has become an increasingly divisive confirmation process.

Congress should limit Supreme Court terms to 18-years, after which justices move to lower courts.

3) Expand the Court

The Constitution does not limit the Supreme Court to nine justices. In fact, Congress has changed the size of the Court seven times. It should do so again in order to remedy the extreme imbalance of today’s Supreme Court.

Now some may decry this as “radical court packing.” That’s pure rubbish. The real court-packing occurred when Senate Republicans refused to even consider a Democratic nominee to the Supreme Court on the fake pretext that it was too close to the 2016 election, but then confirmed a Republican nominee just days before the 2020 election.

Rather than allow Republicans to continue exploiting the system, expanding the Supreme Court would actually UN-pack the court. This isn’t radical. It’s essential.

Now, I won’t sugar-coat this. Making these reforms happen won’t be easy. We’re up against big monied interests who will fight to keep their control of our nation’s most important Court.

But these key reforms have significant support from the American people, who have lost trust in the court.

The Supreme Court derives its strength not from the use of force or political power, but from the trust of the people. With neither the sword nor the purse, trust is all it has.

#youtube #politics #video #videos #Supreme Court #Donald Trump #SCOTUS #corruption

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atlabeth · 5 months

Text

i'm with you | nikolai lantsov

summary: everything is falling apart around you, but the world is quiet for a moment as you and nikolai share a sunrise together.

a/n: this is a lil sequel to bad luck! it takes place 3 years after at the beginning of siege and storm, after rusalye is killed and the darkling is mutinied off the volkvolny lol. idk where this came from but i really wanted to write something for nikolai because im done with finals and kept my 4.0 and he makes me happy! so i hope you enjoy this short lil thing

wc: 1.5k

warning(s): fem!reader, slight bit of angst, mentions of death and fighting, but this is very light hurt/comfort so nothing really bad goes on

“I should have known this is where I’d find you.”

Nikolai’s voice rang out from behind you, clear and strong in the silence of an early morning. Nothing but you, him, and the sea, the way it had been for nearly three years now.

You weren’t ready to lose it.

“I needed some time,” you said, gaze remaining on the horizon, sunrise on the brink. “A lot has been going on.”

“An understatement,” Nikolai said wryly. His footsteps could hardly be heard against the wood as he walked over to you, choosing to lean his back against the railing in opposition to you supporting yourself with your forearms. He didn’t look at you, but his presence was more than enough. “How have you been holding up?”

“Better than most can say,” you said. “Certainly better than our guests.”

He chuckled. “I believe the Sun Summoner has wished death on me more than once.”

“Have you seen the way her tracker looks at you?” you asked. “That man wants you dead.”

You could see his grin out of the corner of your eye. “A spirited pair, to be sure. I’m lucky they haven’t actually made an attempt.”

“As if I would let them get close,” you said wryly. “I take my duties as your second-in-command very seriously.”

This time, you felt his eyes on you. “A misfortune you’ve been only my second for these past few weeks.”

You sighed. The vast expanse of the sea, just beginning to glow with the light of the sunrise, seemed much lonelier.

The past month had been… difficult, to say the least. And certainly lonely.

The Darkling—General of the Second Army, Grisha of the greatest renown, and one side of the Ravkan civil war—had hired Nikolai’s crew to take him and his Grisha through the Bone Road in search of the mythical sea whip Rusalye. Nikolai decided to go along with it, but the plan he’d cooked up with you and the crew was something truly idiotic. If you all could pull it off, though, it would be the start of Ravka’s saving grace.

The general was not a generous man beyond the coin he put up. He practically took over the ship, ruminating with an imposing power everywhere he went. You supposed it wasn’t difficult to lead an army when you could intimidate your way through everything in your path.

And he recognized you. Looked you over in a way that made your skin crawl, greeted you by name, asked if your parents knew where you were. You resisted the urge to spit in his face—years of etiquette lessons worn into your bones were the only thing that kept a practiced smile on your lips.

He just wanted to get under your skin, try to unsettle you, maybe hoped he could reveal your truth to anyone who still might not have known to sow division in the crew. You lied to his face and all he did was chuckle and move on.

The Darkling left you alone from then on, but Nikolai refused to take any chances. He made the decision to hide your relationship, to hide any form of closeness beyond your being his second—”the last thing I need is you being targeted for any mistakes I make,” he’d said, and you had no objections.

The Darkling had unnerved you since the first time you’d met him as a teenager. The insanity that flickered in his eyes any time his hunt for the Sun Summoner was brought up—the insanity fully displayed when he finally had her in his grasp—was enough to make you keep your head down wherever and whenever possible.

That was not to say it wasn’t difficult, though. The first night you spent alone rather than in his cabin was difficult, and you’d wondered if the ship had truly always been this cold. Your finger felt bare without its ring, and you always worried the necklace would somehow slip into view. Your hands itched for your dagger each time the Darkling threatened Nikolai, and you were sure his calming words afterwards were the only thing keeping you from doing something truly foolish.

And now he was fully your enemy, Rusalye had been turned to fetters, and the Sun Summoner and her mystical tracker were below deck in a very shaky alliance.

Things were certainly never boring with Nikolai, at least.

You were snapped out of your thoughts when he said your name, and you finally looked over at him.

“Are you sure you’re alright, milaya?” he asked softly. “Tolya did patch up all your wounds, didn’t he?”

“Perfectly,” you confirmed with a nod. “It’s just…”

“Talk to me, my love.” Nikolai reached out and took your hand, the callouses from years spent as a privateer a comfort by now. “You know I’m here for you, more now than ever.”

Your gaze dropped down to your joined hands, and you let out a loose sigh. “We’re going back to Ravka,” you finally managed to say. “Back to the noble world.”

“It does feel strange,” he murmured. “After years on the sea, free from any expectations. Free from being a Lantsov.”

“Years away from my parents,” you said quietly. “They probably think I’m dead.” Your gaze flitted back up to meet his eyes, and you were struck by the warmth in them. “And I would have been, had it not been for you. Dead or much, much worse.”

“You can’t think like that,” he urged, pulling you closer. “You made your choice—we both have. And they brought us back together. That means they couldn’t have been wrong.”

“I left them, Nikolai.” Your chest tightened and you looked back out to the boundless waters. “Without a single word.”

“I did the same,” he said wryly. “You somehow managed to forgive me.”

You huffed a laugh and shook your head. “I’m just not the same girl I was when I left. I don’t want to be that girl—that duke’s daughter that smiles and curtsies her way through everything. I’m worried that they’ll try and push me right back into that box.”

Nikolai scoffed. “As if they could even try.”

In your silence, he gently tipped your chin so you could meet his eyes.

“You’re my second in command,” he said. “You’ve taken quicker to all of this than any member of any crew I’ve seen. And when you’re focused on something, you’re a sure sight to see. You’re not the girl that they raised—you’ve forged yourself into your own woman. If they have any sense at all, they’ll be the proudest parents in all of Ravka.”

“I hope so,” you admitted, “more than anything. All of this— learning to sail and command and fighting by your side— it’s made me feel more alive in a few years than a whole childhood in Ravka’s court.”

“And I consider myself immensely lucky that you somehow find enjoyment in all of this the same as I do,” Nikolai said with a slight laugh, taking his hand away from your chin. “Truly, I don’t know how I was fortunate enough to find you again after messing everything up once.”

Your lips quirked in a slight smile. “And I consider myself immensely lucky that you stayed in love with me after all that time.”

“The only thing easier than falling in love with you is staying in love with you,” Nikolai mused, tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear. “I could sail the Bone Road for a thousand years and that would never change.”

“That’s another reason I don’t want to go back to court,” you said, heat blooming in your cheeks. “You’ll charm every person you come across with those honeyed words.”

Nikolai smiled. “And yet I could only ever mean them for you.”

“I just don’t get how you’re still so confident,” you said. “We’re going back to Ravka in the midst of a civil war. The Darkling’s on our tail, and he won’t stop until he’s gotten his very bloody revenge.”

“But we’re going back together,” Nikolai clarified. “As far as I’m concerned, anything is possible so long as we’re together.”

“How are you always so sure of yourself?” you marveled.

He shrugged. “It’s very difficult not to believe in myself when I’ve got you by my side.”

“Saints,” you murmured, your smile growing, “I’ve missed you more than you know.”

Nikolai pulled you into a kiss and your eyes fluttered shut as his lips met yours, your hands falling into familiar places on his body as you all but fell into him. It had only been a few days since your successful mutiny against the Darkling, and open affection still felt slightly strange. Any remaining qualms were fully kissed out of you, though, and when you pulled away, out of breath but glowing from the inside out, you could hardly contain your smile.

“Trust me,” Nikolai breathed, “I know.”

You grinned as you leaned against his side, and he pulled you in close with an arm around you. You rested your head on his shoulder, and for a moment, the countless voices of doubt inside of you fell silent as you watched the sunrise together.

“We’ll figure it all out. I promise.” His voice was little more than a whisper in your ear, and yet it warmed your body just as much as his touch. “I’m with you until the end, milaya. No matter what.”

And you believed him.

#nikolai lantsov x reader #nikolai lantsov x you #nikolai lantsov #nikolai lantsov fic #nikolai lantsov fluff #nikolai lantsov angst #shadow and bone x reader #shadow and bone fic #grishaverse x reader #sadie writes

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