#east end gangster

[elisabethloxx]

Reggie Kray, his girlfriend Frances Shea and friends in Jersey, May 1960.

“Incredibly, he also took sixteen-year-old Frances on a trip to Jersey in May 1960 in their early days of courtship. They flew there. Of course there’d be sepearate rooms, Reggie assured Frank Senior beforehand, and this was no lie. Frances had no intention of loosing her virginity and her glamorous, free spending older boyfriend was nothing but respectful of this.”

[erideights]

Little pieces here and there (1)

Pairing: Buggy x Fem!Reader (One Piece Live Action)

Chapters: two, three, four, five

Word Count: 2,6K (i was inspired by god itself)

Warnings: none, lot of context (i promise the next chapter will have way less filling), light flirting

A/N: I HAVE ALREADY THOUGHT ABOUT AT LEAST 5 CHAPTERS MORE, I HOPE SOMEONE LIKES THIS FIRST ONE BECAUSE I'M ON MY KNEES FOR THIS DAMN CLOWN. Let me know if you wanna be tagged in other parts! (Side note: i'm spanish, so if there's some mistakes, i'm trully sorry, i don't have beta readers).

It's not enough to suddenly find herself locked in a box with 3 idiots she met a matter of hours ago, no; To make it worse, as it could not be otherwise, it turns out that she is in a bloody circus, ''kidnapped'' by a band of pirates that she recognizes as soon as she sees the red and white tent over their heads, the distressed faces of the poor people that make up the audience, and the costumes of the band around them.

She sighs, and wonders what the hell she's doing there despite knowing perfectly well what kind of decisions have led her to that damned place. Wanna know what happened? Let's recap, shall we?

(Y/N) (S/N). That name doesn't sound familiar, right? Very few know it but the reputation that accompanies the person who responds to it is very famous throughout the 4 seas. She is not a bounty hunter, nor a marine, neither a pirate or a pirate hunter, like the green-haired hottie with whom she finds herself in such trouble, or a thief, like the ginger who she bet, will escape running without looking back at the slightest opportunity she finds.

No, she's a mercenary. She doesn't work solely for money, otherwise she would go against the most bloodthirsty and ruthless of each sea, and that doesn'tt interest her, because she would put herself on the radar of both the pirates and the marines.

No, she is contacted through different channels, none of them direct, and if the job interests her, amuses her, or even piques her curiosity, she accept it. She goes after all kinds of people, whether they are pirates or marines, gangsters at the top of the terror scale or criminals who, like her, tried to keep a low profile.

However, and as we were saying, despite trying to remain anonymous, she is good at her job, a born strategist with an incredible facility to adapt and blend in with her surroundings to sneak into the most remote places, so her existence inevitably began to be noticed along the seas, rumors about this young mercenary with an angelic face, who only responded to her own morals and of whom few escaped to tell the tale.

And this is how she met that group of weirdos who found each others through the power of the plot's convenience; her last assignment was to steal the map from the Grand Line. There are not many, these kept safe and protected in large fortresses throughout the globe, and among all those that she could have tried to steal, she made the horrible decision of going for the one that was closest to her, encountering those three idiots in the crossfire of the disaster that unfolded in Shells Town.

How did she end up giving up the assignment and at that precise moment there, with them?  Simple: Luffy piqued her curiosity. And there are few things stronger than (Y/N)'s curiosity.

"Hey, I know you. I saw your wanted poster in Shells Town, you're the clown guy. Umm, uh… Binky, right?" Luffy exclaimed, as confident of himself as usual.

Buggy, she mentally corrected, arms crossed over her chest, rolling her eyes at the same time the clown corrected loudly and dramatically listed his many nicknames. Which she was sure, only he called himself.

''Wow, you have a lot of names. I bet everyone in the East Blue knows who you are.” The audience gasp. There's confusion in the boy's face, and an almost psychopatic tic in the clown's one. ''What did you just say?'' Buggy asks lowly. ''Just that everyone knows who you are.'' Luffy repeats.

''Nose!? Are you making fun of my nose!?’’

Then came the slap, like the one someone usually gives when a friend is trying to steal their food or touch something they definitely shouldn't. Buggy is killing the straw hat boy with his eyes but the gesture is so… innocent.  She expected threats with knives, to be honest.

And because of the unexpected, she almost let a laugh escape in the form of a cough but she controlled herself fast enough to not grab unnecessary attention to her.

''What's real is...'' Buggy resumes the conversation, getting some distance with Luffy to walk around the rest too.  ’’I’ve been scheming for months to steal that map from old Axe-Hand moron…’’ (Y/N) sees how he approaches her, but she didn't expect him to close the distance between each other so much, his nose almost touching her own, sharp blue eyes fixed on her from a slightly lower perspective. The truth is... that she also doesn't know how to tell if that nose is real or not, but now she really wants to touch it to find out. Dear God, what a realistic texture. It’s incredible.

Pressing her lips together in a contained expression as she shakes her head, she raises an eyebrow, letting him know that the joke wasn't as funny as he hoped, and he clucks, accepting defeat in such good humor that no one would say, that is a kidnapping and someone would end up dead by the end of the day.

She heard of him. His reward was not one of the highest but neither one of those that go unnoticed in the East Blue. He was also an eccentric, of course people talked about the blue-haired, red-nosed clown who terrified his victims in a macabre way. Those who survived ended up traumatized.

He is, or at least looks, younger than she imagined, and he fit right in with the urban legends of evil clowns kidnapping children and then dismembering them. She wonders, silently, thoughtful eyes scanning his face and body language from a distance, if this is some softie on the inside with high aspirations in life who was unfortunate enough to bump into someone who traumatized him and hence all this show and facade of the cruel and heartless clown -to protect himself as the good cliché he seems- or if, on the contrary, he is, simply and plainly, a yandere who craves attention no matter how he has to obtain it.

If she remembers correctly, there was also a rumor that he ate a devil fruit. Just like Luffy, which it doesn't take long for the clown to discover after Zoro tries to save the situation by showing off his reputation -obviously it doesn't work- and Nami does exactly what (Y/N) predicted. Not her fault, either, she doesn't owe any of them anything at all.

''Okay. Here ends the theatrics.’’ The lights go out and it’s then that everyone can small the disaster in the air. A chill runs down the back of (Y/N), who tends to infiltrate without being seen and avoids, whenever possible, a direct encounter; hand-to-hand combat is not exactly his specialty. And given the circumstances is impossible for her to know if the daggers she usually hides in the side of his combat boots -for emergencies like this one- are still there. ''I know one of you has my map, and I'm gonna get it back. What was it you said, Rubber Boy? That it was in a safe place?”

How long were they unconscious before? Enough to hijack the ship, get to land, and move 4 dead weight bodies to that circus, locking them in a box. By that point she would bet some member of the gang would have thoroughly searched the ship, and them too. Disgusting.

Buggy takes a last, attentive look at both Zoro and Nami, ruling out that one of the two has the map because when the girl tried to flee, Luffy was not shocked thinking that perhaps she would steal it from him. Which leaves the two of them, Luffy and her, alone with him.

''So, please'' the clown gestures to his subordinates with his head. ''make these two guests uncomfortable in the green room. I’m gonna have a chat with my stretchy new pal and…’’ His eyes jump to her, tilting his head to the side with genuine curiosity. ''this beauty that was incapable of taking her eyes off me.''

Fuck. Was it that obvious?

''Doll, you are the only one who hasn't opened your mouth yet and I don't think it's because you’re a shy little flower.'' He begins, circling around her like an animal hunting its prey, analyzing it, hoping to see a chink of weakness to attack. ''Are you bored?'' He asks almost in a whisper near her ear. ''Is that it? Are you so, so bored that you don't think it's worth enough interacting with the rest of us?'' Breaking away from her when he realizes she doesn't falter, he smiles a huge, threatening smile, looking her up and down in such a way that it almost makes her feel dirty. "Or maybe you're the one who has my map, and you're quiet to try not to attract /my/ attention."

She? The map? Wearing such tight pants and top? Yeah, maybe up her ass, but she's not the one who is going to tell him otherwise because if he, or one of his subordinates, comes to search her, she could take advantage of the opportunity to steal some sort of weapon from them.

In particular from Buggy; (Y/N) saw the knives he keeps in his coat and… she wouldn't mind taking a closer look at that interesting nose.

"Busted." She finally admits with a lopsided smile, raising both eyebrows when she sees the surprise on the clown's face. He didn't expect such a cocky response, did he? "I'm not the type of person who likes to attract attention, the spotlight is for others who are more... flashy." She pronounces it honeyedly, repeating the same nickname he used before, pointing at him with a gesture of her chin. "However, I'm not going to tell you where the map is. If you want to find it, come and search for it yourself."

Shrugging her shoulders, she stretches out both arms in a gesture that invites him to come closer. Bold, he thinks, more than pleased with this unexpected turn of events, taking some steps in her direction. She adds once more: "although I would be surprised if you hadn't already done it during the time we have been unconscious"

"Me?" He points at himself, stopping right in front of her. "Take advantage of a defenseless young lady?" He almost sounded offended if it wasn't for the shit eating grin and the eager way he was scanning her body now. "What kind of degenerate do you take me for?"

She scoffs, and Buggy, unsure, seems to consider -for some long seconds- whether or not to do the job himself, (Y/N) being too calm for how helpless she seems. But surely, he knows, she doesn't have any weapons on her; his subordinates were in charge, as she said, of searching all of them as soon as they were brought to the circus.

In the end he gives up, because he would be damned if he dared to refuse to thoroughly touch this mysterious woman who may, just may, have his map hidden somewhere. He strongly doubts it, tho.

Soon enough, he moves again, standing then behind her, and without asking permission, he doesn’t need it either, his hands start roaming her shoulders and sides slowly, making sure to feel anything weird between her clothes and the skin underneath. Like the fucking map, folded until it is nothing more than a small piece of paper easy to hide. 

Because that is the whole point of that scene, right?

"Go on, be my guest." she says sarcastically, trying to stay calm and breathe slowly, because (Y/N) likes to pretend to be made of stone, but not /that much/. The pressure of those gloves against her already tight clothes and the hungry way she knows those -green? blue? difficult to say with those circus lights- eyes are watching her every move make her heart beat a bit faster in something she’d call /the average amount of nervousness when a known, wanted pirate search for something we wants while threatening to kill you if he doesn’t find it/.

Buggy, on the other hand, is so engrossed in his task that his usual cocky smile has disappeared a few seconds ago; he is waiting to feel a change in the girl's body language to be able to guess if she has it or if, on the contrary, this search will be saved in his memory as no more than a small pleasurable pause after all the stress that the goddamn map is putting him through. Because he can't deny it, she's actually a beauty, and in other circumstances he wouldn't mind getting to know her in a funnier way. At all.

Inhaling deeply, wetting his red lips with his tongue, he lets the air out slowly, tilting his head to the side to see her better. He should hurry up and stop making that scene as intimate as it's becoming, audience and all, but he's a thorough man. Or that’s the excuse -explanation- he will give to whoever dares to ask.

"Where the hell did you hide my map?" He asks melodiously as he finishes searching her torso, his right hand starting to go a little lower, getting dangerously close to her hipbone when (Y/N)'s right hand flies up and catches his wrist between her fingers, stopping him dead in his tracks. She couldn't help it, she acted on autopilot, she is not ready to be the main character of a porn movie with audience included letting him roaming all around as he pleases. "Not between my legs, so keep lowering your hands and I'll cut them off." she threatens, turning her face to look at him standing behind her.

Right back, as if those words were magical or something, the huge, shit eating smile of his returns to the lips of the unstable clown, and without letting go, he makes her spin, facing her with both hands on her waist, strongly keeping her in place, sharp eyes fixed on her, and without realizing it, she stops breathing for a second. "You promise?" He whispers, pleads almost, in an amused, delighted tone of voice after such a threat. She was way interesting than he expected, not as shy or scared as an unarmed girl like her should be. He likes that. A lot.

However, he has -sadly- things to do and he did in fact, already lost time with her. His eyes betraying him the moment they land on the girl's lips, Buggy winks at her with a cocky expression and pulls away suddenly, raising both arms "Another disappointment, how many more can our audience endure? You’re the only one left, Rubber Boy, don't let me down." He points him, moving closer, while (Y/N) just stays there where he left her, wondering what the fuck just happened and why does her heart run so fast now.

Adrenaline, probably.

"Take her with the others" he ends up saying to a couple of members of his gang, to which she responds by moving on her own in the direction of where they have taken Zoro and Nami before, preventing them from guiding her by force and discovering the knife she stole from Buggy when he got so damn close to her, and which she secretly hid between the waistband of her pants and her shirt.

Risky, she could cut herself with the smallest movement at the least expected moment, but it was way worse to see herself unarmed.

Buggy, infatuated, takes one last look at her and, raising one hand, waves his fingers in the air with a huge smile on his face as he says goodbye to her.

"See you later, love."

[bengiyo]

Blue Canvas of Youthful Days: BL is So Good When The Characterization Holds

I've been enamored with this show as each week builds on the actions and information we previously received. I am white knuckling through the end of this show, because we have caught up with the prologue just past the midpoint (@benkaben). I've been thinking a lot about this show, so I want to get some of my thoughts down before any unwelcome turns happen.

Qi Lu Feels Recognizably Gay

I've been thinking a lot about Qi Lu since we had the attempted first kiss with East Palace, West Palace (1996) playing in the background (@twig-tea). The fact that he has this film implies that he's known about himself for a while and has been looking for resources online to feed this part of himself. He pushed for that moment, and he recognized the attraction in Qin Xiao.

Later, he doesn't allow Qin Xiao to play coy about what's going on with them. He also doesn't fold in on himself and collapse because he faced a rejection. He's one of the rare characters who Knows himself that has the response that feels more real to me when they get rejected by a boy they know likes them: they get mad.

I loved that Qi Lu got defiant and demanding about Qin Xiao. He's totally wrong (@lurkingshan), but it was so correct for the position he's in. He's stifled by his dad, and beaten for showing any defiance. He's clearly lacking in other friendships. I completely get Qi Lu becoming possessive of Qin Xiao, and getting frustrated that Qin Xiao wouldn't return his feelings.

I'm also enamored with the way he seems to see past Qin Xiao's threats of violence. There's something so specific about a gay man who regularly suffers beatings from his father recognizing the false bravado behind Qin Xiao's own threats, and choosing to respond with gentleness to it every time. I'm still thinking about him kissing that man's fist in episode 8.

Like any young person caught up in their first romance, they're enjoying the honeymoon phase and promising things that will surely cause us immense pain. Still, Qi Lu is one of my favorite gay boys of the year, because he didn't get smaller when he faced rejection. He got bigger and stubborn. I love him.

Qin Xiao is a Great Romantic Lead

Zhang Xuan Yu is killing it as Qin Xiao. He is perfectly calibrated to be the kind of man any young gay would fall for.

He's a talented artist that has a strong moral center. He is willing to learn new ways to communicate to take care of the people that matter to him. He is caring for a sick grandparent. He's also so beautiful.

Even his rejection of Qi Lu is attractive. He's obviously drawn to Qi Lu, but this was not what he had in mind for his life. He's also leery of the big economic and social lines between them. He's got gangsters showing up at his place of work to threaten him.

But how can he stay away? As soon as he got a little bit jealous, he broke at the persistent kindness of Qi Lu. They let themselves feel what's happening between them and it looks so comfortable. I'm so ready for all of the drama to come, and I am crossing my fingers that we don't get a traumatizing ending to justify this getting past the censors.

Teacher Liu is a Mess and I Love Him

This man needs to get his shit together, but goddamn am I invested. He started helping a guy who reminded him of the brother whose death he feels responsible for, only to fall for that young man. Now his sensibilities as a teacher are clouding the issue for him, and he's lying to that boy. What a disaster of a man. I love him.

I was a teacher, and I have been in the position this man was in when he faced down Qi Lu's father. I've had to say the correct things to a parent to diffuse a situation where I was worried for my student's safety. I've also been in the position of having to tell gay kids between the lines to focus on their responsibilities over their relationship issues without saying anything that could be seen as me not meeting the responsibility of a teacher to report behavior. You have to maintain a level of plausible deniability that I find myself connecting to with Teacher Liu.

That being said, he's doing wrong by Tan Yin, and I'm glad Tan Yin is assertive about what's happening with them. I don't think this would work as a drama if the show didn't show us constantly that it knows Liu is a fuck up here.

We're Really In it Now

As we enter the final two weeks of this show, I remain cautious about how we'll finish. However, regardless of how this show ends, we've had eight incredibly strong episodes that show us that the people behind this know what story they're telling. If their ending feels contrived and doesn't make sense, I hope that it feels like something that was forced on them. In either case, I wanted to write about how strongly I've responded to the first eight episodes, because this is one of the most satisyfing experiences I've had as a viewer this year. I am amazed that we got this, Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo, and Love in the Big City all at the same time.

I clearly just need to hold out for fall every year.

[fossore]

[Video Description/transcript: Over a blurred background is a cutout image of Joe Thornton holding a sign reading "Describe Jumbo." The image disappears and the background unblurs to reveal the Chelsea Piers East Rink as members of the Sharks organization walk past and others practice on the ice. As they walk past, people look down then speak to the videographer, implying there's a sign with a prompt.

Nico Sturm: He's got a nice beard. Fabian Zetterlund: Goat. Beard. Legend. Jeff Ulmer: Beard. Ty Dellandrea, following after Ulmer: Sniper. Loud. Macklin Celebrini: Life of the Party. Mikael Granlund: Really good hockey player. Jack Thompson, following Granlund: Exciting. Fun. Thomas Speer, with someone saying "Say beauty" in the background: Beauty. Henry Thrun: Funny. Ryan Warsofsky: Comedian. Vitek Vanecek, getting close up to the camera: Best guy. Mario Ferraro: Makes a high pitched "aaah" sound as he walks by Alex Wennberg, smiling: Oh, beauty. That's a great one. Jan Rutta: Very nice and funny human being. Tyler Toffoli: Animal. Jake Walman: Awesome guy. Barclay Goodrow: Bearded legend. Timothy Liljegren: Jumbo's the most positive guy I've ever met. Never have a bad day. Mackenzie Blackwood (next to Kunin with the camera focused on Luke Kunin then moving to him): Big beard. He's a fun guy. Luke Kunin (at first copying Blackwood then adding on): He's a fun guy, oh! Legend. Mario Ferraro, again: Repeats the same high pitched sound as previous. Cody Ceci: Unbelievable career. Great player. Givani Smith: Oh, just a great person. Brian Wiseman: Huge personality, infectious energy, and a legend. William Eklund: The. Goat. That's two words. Klim Kostin: Real gangster. Will Smith: Um. Fun and energetic. Dan Rusanowsky: Joe Thornton is one of the greatest people I've ever met in the game of hockey. A kind man, a real team player, and one of the greatest championship type personalities I've ever known. Carl Grundstrom: Great.

The starting image of Joe Thornton reappears, this time filling the entire screen, and the video ends.]

[artistmarchalius]

British Terms of Endearment ❤️🤍💙

Here’s another one for all the Spider-Verse and Hobie fanfic writers!

Terms of endearment are handed out fairly liberally in the UK and aren’t restricted to people you actually love. You can hear them from all sorts of people, from your very best friend to the person delivering the post. There’s a lot of words to use to be friendly or show someone you care for them.

So here’s an assortment of British terms of endearment! Let’s get started:

Terms of endearment:

Love/Luv - It’s fairly common to use this term of endearment with strangers, it’s not strictly reserved for loved ones. An employee at the garage might ask you “What tires do you need, luv?” or the person working the checkout might say “That’ll be £23.95, love.”

Because of how common it is in everyday conversation, it’s easy to keep using it with the people you do love.

E.g. “Anything for you, love.” Or “Hey there, luv. How was your day?”

Lovely - Used similarly to “Love/Luv”. It’s very common to put “my” in front of it.

E.g. “You alright, my lovely?”

Duck/Ducky - this term is used more commonly around the Midlands of England. I’m adding this to the list because I love it. It’s common to put “me” in front of “duck”.

E.g. “Ducky, come look at this!” Or “Alright there, me duck?” Or “I’ll get that for you, duck.”

Pet - this term is more common around the North East of England. Using this term doesn’t mean you think of the recipient as a pet, it’s just cutesy.

E.g. “That’s okay, pet.”

Sunshine - although it is an affectionate word, I’ve personally seen it used more sarcastically or threateningly. Imagine, you’re watching TV and an East End gangster has come to intimidate someone who grassed them up. It’s dark, they walk menacingly through the door and greet them in a low, gravelly voice: “Hello sunshine.”

It is still used affectionately though. E.g. “Nice to see you, sunshine!”

Treacle - from the Cockney rhyming slang “treacle tart” meaning sweetheart.

E.g. “You alright there, treacle?”

Sweetheart - for those that don’t want to use/don’t know about “treacle”.

E.g. “Thank you, sweetheart.”

Princess/beautiful/treasure - these are some East End/Cockeny terms of endearment used typically by the working class and usually towards women. It can feel a bit condescending to be called this, but it’s meant in an inoffensive, friendly way.

E.g. “Thanks for the help, princess!” Or “Nice chatting with you, treasure!”

Dear - Used more by older people. This is another term you might hear from a stranger, especially an older one. Younger people tend to use it more when they want to sound a bit more old timey or posh, often in a comical way. E.g. “Yes, dear.”

It’s more common to hear it used in regards to saying that someone “is a dear”, either in response to being kind or asking them to do something kind. E.g. “You’re such a dear!” Or “Would you be a dear and fetch me my slippers?”

Darling - This is more of an upper class term of endearment, however it can also be abbreviated to “darlin’”, which you might hear more often, especially if you’ve ever been in a London taxi. Like “lovely”, it’s common to put a “my” in front of it.

E.g. “Darling, I read the most ghastly thing in the newspaper this morning.” Or “Alright then, my darlin’, where are we off to?”

Baby/Babe - these are used commonly around the world and we use them here too! In Essex (just east of London) you’ll more commonly hear the other alternative “Babes”. This would be in reference to one person rather than being a pluralisation of “Babe”.

E.g. “Love ya, babes!”

Poppet - often used in reference to a young child or a girl. Can also be in reference to someone sweet.

E.g. “Here you go, poppet.” Or “Don’t fret, poppet, it’ll be alright.”

Mate - interchangeable with “friend”. You can use the term with strangers and friends alike.

E.g. “You doin’ okay, mate?” Or “Shove off, mate!”

Insults: as it most likely is in many parts of the world, it is quite common to jokingly use insults as terms of endearment. I’m talking swear words, creative insults and normal/silly words used in the tone of rude words (an example for the last one: “Stop throwing socks at me, you gammy sausage!” Or “Leave it out, you splunky wimble!” used affectionately. Although you can preface with a swear to make it more spicy). This is probably really obvious but I still wanted to point it out since a lot of the other items on this list can be used with strangers, but this is only done with people you’re close with. I shan’t write any of the rude words here, I aim to be family friendly, but if anyone wants to double check if an insult can be used affectionately or if you want to create a British sounding non-rude/normal word/silly word insult but you don’t know how, don’t be shy, you can send me an ask or a message! I’m happy to proofread!

Words relating to love/romance/feeling amorous:

Fancy - to have a crush or to like someone.

E.g. “I fancy him!” Or “She fancies Justine’s older sister.”

Chat up - to flirt.

E.g. “He was chatting up some girl at the bar.”

Fit - attractive.

E.g. “She’s well fit!”

Peng - attractive/appealing. It’s more frequently applied to people but things like food or clothes can be peng too.

E.g. “He’s well peng!” Or “Those shoes are peng!”

Lush - attractive.

E.g. “He’s so lush!”

Bang tidy - someone who is extremely attractive/sexy. It can also be used to describe something that is of very good quality or beauty.

E.g. “She’s bang tidy!”

So there we go, an assortment of terms of endearment used in Britain! I’ve primarily stuck with terms used in and around London, the South and the South East of England since that’s the area that Hobie would probably be most familiar with. A lot of these terms are also used in America and other parts of the world, so if you’ve seen something here that you already use (and aren’t a member of the UK) then just use this as confirmation that we use the word here too. I’m not trying to say that these words are UK exclusives.

I also want to point out that when you or someone you don’t know uses overly familiar language, it can sometimes feel condescending or uncomfortable. Just because it’s common here, doesn’t always mean it’s appreciated. I don’t want to give the impression that every Brit says they love each other and every other Brit is happy to hear about it. Everyone has their own preferences.

I hope you have found this helpful or at the very least somewhat entertaining. Once again, I’m not an expert, I just want to share the information I have in the hopes that it will help or entertain someone. If you want more British slang info, check out my Cockney rhyming slang post here and my British police slang post here! Let me know if there are other areas of British slang you’d like to hear about!

[girlactionfigure]

1/ 8 Jewish Characters You Won’t Believe Are Real - #6 is straight out of a movie! Jewish history is wild—pirates, gangsters, boxers, explorers, and weirdos. Here are 8 larger-than-life Jewish characters you probably didn’t know about.👇Let’s dive in! A short thread 🧵

2/ #1 on our list is the Jewish pirate who masterminded history's greatest heist. Moses Cohen Henriques was no ordinary pirate—he was a Sephardic Jew with a thirst for revenge against those who had expelled his family and community. Born in Portugal, Henriques fled to the Netherlands to escape the Inquisition. But escaping with his life wasn’t enough - he struck back at his oppressors in the most audacious way imaginable. In 1628, Henriques raided the Spanish Silver Fleet on the high seas, taking 11 million guilders’ worth of silver—enough to fund the Dutch war against Spain for years. And he didn’t stop there. Henriques turned Jamaica into a pirate haven and continued to lead daring raids on Spanish ships and settlements. Unlike most pirates, Henriques wasn’t just in it for the loot—it was sweet revenge against Spain’s brutal persecution of the Jews. 🏴‍☠️✨

3/ #2 is the feisty “bodyguard” who also did magic tricks - and changed history! Morris "Two-Gun" Cohen was born in London and raised in Canada. Armed with street smarts and plucky ambition, he became the personal bodyguard to Sun Yat-sen, father of modern China. Cohen was known for always carrying two pistols (that’s how he got his nickname), but guns weren’t his only trick. He entertained soldiers and diplomats with sleight-of-hand magic tricks and a larger-than-life personality. Fluent in Yiddish, English, and Chinese, Cohen navigated war zones and death-defying encounters. From the mean streets of London’s East End to the revolutionary hangouts of China, Two-Gun Cohen’s story feels straight out of a Hollywood movie—except it’s all true. 🔫🎩🔫

4/ #3 was the Jewish kingpin of London’s underworld. His name was Jacob Colmore, but he was better known as "Jack Spot" – he wasn’t just a lone gangster, he ran London’s criminal underworld in the 1940s and 50s. Renowned for his charm, charisma, and ruthless tactics, Jack built a crime empire that dominated the UK capital. He masterminded daring robberies that made national headlines, including some famous jewel heists. But his reign wasn’t without drama—Jack’s rise to power was marked by infamous clashes with rivals, most notably a brutal knife fight on the streets of Soho that cemented his reputation as a fearsome toughie. 🗡️💎

5/ #4 is a strange one - the woman who became a Hasidic rebbe! Meet Hannah Rachel Verbermacher, remembered by history as The Maid of Ludmir.Born in 19th-century Ukraine, she is the only known female Hasidic “rebbe” in Jewish history. After experiencing a mystical moment near her father’s grave, she began teaching Torah and offering guidance to followers. Her fame soon spread, and she drew crowds of devoted Hasidim who saw her as a spiritual leader and miracle worker. Her success shocked the male Hasidic establishment. She was pressured to marry and abandon her leadership, and her influence soon declined. But The Maid of Ludmir remains a powerful, surprising, and diverting symbol of defiance, who broke boundaries in a rigid world. 🕯️✨

6/ #5 - the Jewish boxing champ who redefined the sport. Daniel Mendoza wasn’t just a boxer—he was a trailblazer who revolutionized boxing in the 1790s. Even today, he’s known as the “father of modern boxing.” He introduced defensive techniques and strategy, transforming the brawling style of his era into a carefully calibrated science. Beyond the ring, Mendoza was a celebrated writer, and he wrote one of the first boxing manuals: The Art of Boxing. Mendoza’s influence also extended beyond sport—he used his fame to challenge antisemitism in England, proving that a Jewish man could embody physical strength, literary success, and successful social activism. From pugilist to pioneer, Mendoza’s legacy lives on. 🥊📖

7/ #6 is a real strange one. David Reubeni appeared in Italy in 1524, claiming to be a prince from a lost Jewish kingdom. According to him, his brother Joseph ruled over the “lost tribes” of Gad, Reuben, and half of Manasseh, in a desert kingdom near Arabia. Reubeni claimed to be commander of their army. The crazy thing is – lots of people believed him! He told everyone he could get an audience with that he wanted to forge an alliance between his kingdom and European powers, and lead a Jewish army to reclaim the Holy Land. Reubeni’s exotic charisma won over popes, kings, and emperors, including Portugal’s King João III. But his schemes eventually unraveled when his ambitious partner, the self-proclaimed messiah Solomon Molcho, was executed. Reubeni was also arrested and he later died in prison. To this day, his true identity and motives remain shrouded in mystery. 🤔🕍

8/ #7 is a fantastic story - the first person to explore the entire Amazon! Pedro Teixeira was a Marrano (secret Jew) from Lisbon who loved adventure and blazed trails across the globe in the 17th century. He is believed to be the first Jew to circumnavigate the globe. But his most remarkable achievement was becoming the first person to make a continuous journey up the Amazon River, charting uncharted territories and paving the way for future exploration. Teixeira’s expedition provided invaluable knowledge about the Amazon’s geography, wildlife, and indigenous cultures. Despite the risks of being a secret Jew under constant threat of the Inquisition, Teixeira’s daring ventures left a legacy that cemented his place in exploration history. 🌍

9/ And finally, #8 - the Jewish strongman Siegmund "Zishe" Breitbart. Known as the “Iron King,” Breitbart was a Jewish circus strongman who dazzled audiences across Europe and America in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century. He could bend iron bars, pull wagons with his teeth, and lift horses on his shoulders. A blacksmith by trade, Breitbart turned his physical strength into a legendary act. His fame grew even more when he combined his incredible strength with Jewish pride, often performing in front of shocked crowds while draped in a tallit! Breitbart became a symbol of Jewish resilience at a time of rising antisemitism, proving that Jews weren’t just Talmud scholars and businessmen—they could also be superheroes! 🏋️‍♂️✨

10/ Know any other wild and wonderful Jewish characters—pirates, gangsters, explorers, or weirdos—that should be on this list? Drop them below! 

@pinidunner

[still-searching-for-something]

HTS may be Islamists, and could introduce a host of different issues to Syria, but one thing is certain and undeniable: the fall of Assad is a very good thing that has left the world a better, safer place. The dismantling of his regime and its worst excesses, such as the end of Sednaya and their Shabiha death squads, for example. But Syria Ba'athist regime had another, lesser known role that has thankfully come to an end: it was the biggest drug dealer in the Middle East.

Maher Al-Assad, Bashar's brother and infamous for his cruelty and thuggishness, ran the largest narco state in the world, producing and trafficking the drug Captagon. Captagon is a highly addictive, hallucinogenic drug popular in the Middle East. It's also known as fenethylline, and it's noted for being used by ISIS and Hamas during terror attacks for the sense of calm and invulnerability it causes--including October 7th, the concert attack in Russia, and ISIS's 2015 Paris attacks.

This industry was worth tens of billions of dollars, and at its peak produced 80% of the world's captagon, which ruined lives in Saudi Arabia, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Oman, Iraq, and Palestine. The majority of Captagon users were aged 12-22. Minors were being addicted to the stuff, and captagon production, export, and trafficking served as one of the main sources of income for the Assadist regime during the civil war, and one of the main ways it propped up its economy. In fact, the export of illegal drugs constituted 90% of the revenue of Assad's regime in the early 2020s.

A lot of people seem to implicitly believe that criminality, including the drug industry, assassinations, armed robbery, and so on are all inherently apolitical acts. But this is just not true--a lot of the world's most infamous dictators like Josef Stalin, Nicolae Ceaușescu, Jean-Claude Duvalier, and indeed, Bashar Al-Assad were simultaneously prolific gangsters, thieves, murderers, and embezzlers. Syria manufactured and exported drugs to fund the continued repression and murder of its people and sustain Assad's political power. What is authoritarianism, if not rule by gangsters and criminals?

All this is to point out that HTS has, at least for now, ordered a cessation of the production and export of captagon, and that the flow of Syria's captagon out of the country has fallen by 90%.

So, when tankies try to defend Assad as having 'fought against Western imperialism' or 'stood for Palestinians,' remember that Assad was a butcher who murdered over 600,000 of his own people, and ruined the lives of millions of people outside of Syria, including children, including Palestinians and Saudis and Iraqis and Jordanians and so on, by addicting them to a dangerous drug used by Jihadist terrorists.

The world is unambiguously a better, safer place without Assad in power, and as time goes on, I suspect more of Bashar al-Assad's heinous crimes against humanity will come to light. But at least this one, which was still going strong just a few months ago, is done.

[stabbyfoxandrew]

Mer Roadtrip please!!!

My goal is to request it enough that my phone stops correcting Mer to met. It’s so so good!

WIP Wednesday (7/31) | Mer Roadtrip AU (Part 49)

“Nothing—”

“Lying already? We're not off to a good start,” Andrew says, making Abram bristle. He lets out a breath and runs his fingers through his hair, waiting for Andrew to end this staring contest. But he doesn’t. Abram supposes he’s got a point. If they can’t trust each other, what’s the point of this? Besides, Andrew already told his story.

“I will only explain once, so pay attention.” Abram finally says, glancing over to find Andrew still staring at him intently. “My father is a big time gangster. I’m not telling you his name. Just think Al Capone meets Jack the Ripper.”

“Sounds like a bad movie.” Andrew drawls. 

“Sure does. Imagine living with him.” Abram mutters, thinking of all the terrible things he’s seen and done. The terrible things that have been done to him.

“I’d rather not.” Andrew says, waving his hand. “Get on with it. Your dad’s a big bad scary man. That doesn’t explain the money.”

“Yes, it does.” Abram snaps, making Andrew clam up. “When I was ten years old, my mom grabbed me and a bunch of his money and we left. He’s chased us, chased me, ever since. And I never knew why until this morning. Turns out he wanted to sell me off as a pet to some freak who keeps captive mers.”

Andrew makes a strange sound then clears his throat. “Seems we might’ve ended up roommates even if neither of us got away.”

“I doubt it. My father’s business is on the east coast. It would’ve been someone on that side of the country most likely. No idea who, but... No one good.”

“And what about Mother Dearest? Where is she?”

Abram’s heart seizes in his chest at the question and he decides he can’t bear the full truth. “She died a few weeks ago.”

[tryingtimi]

Books of 2024 (in no particular order)

Hi, hello dears! Since I’m out here trying to bring back things, I’ll give a shot to this one too from last year. The “rules” were to list 9 books you’ve read and loved this year, and boy I’ve got recs to gush about. (somehow I could read 40+ books which is just insane)

No pressure tagging: @bloodlessheiratnight, @the-void-writes, @barbex, @indigowriting, @aalinaaaaaa, @approximately20blorbos, @wildswrites, @dyrewrites, @odysseywritings, @jadefyre, @goldfinchwrites, @sodaliteskull, @astarlightmonbebe, @tc-doherty, @forthesanityofstorytellers and anyone who’d like to join!

So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole. ya fantasy, Jamaican-inspired, dragon riders, M/F and F/F focus

God I wanted to yap about this one for so long. This book literally got me back to reading, so naturally it became an instant fav and a life-changing book. And, honestly, gave me hope for some YA since I’m not the audience for those usually. The setting is as breathtaking as fresh within the genre, and the story is a very exciting one with all the dragon riding, the academy and the gods that would loan their power. Not to mention the characters which I surprisingly grown to love very much. (And man the romance part made me kick my feet and squel in excitement at some point). So yeah, give it a try please all. Like, now.

Why We Swim by Bonnie Tsui. non-fic, great audiobook, title says all

The read that rekindled my love for swimming and being in the water. A very interesting little book about incredible lives that were saved by or moved by swimming and the waters, while it also shows light on some beneficial aspects that not everyone might know. It’s a half memoir/biography too, but that part wasn’t as impactful I’d say. However the rest did make a strong impression on me so I’d recommend this to everyone who wants to know whats the swimming and water crazed people’s deal.

Jade City by Fonda Lee epic&urban fantasy, east-asian martial art movies and the godfather vibes, grimdark

And here we come with the big guns. I didn’t know this story is gonna be the second all time fav fantasy series on my list, nor that Fonda’s gonna become the tradpub female writer idol for me, but life’s just that unpredictable. Seriously, this book has me by the throat and I don’t want the grip to soften. All that you can imagine from the bleak, smoke filled gangster life to the flying-jumping double kicks of Michelle Yeoh, it’s in it. The story also very heavily leans onto the political intrigue, and lore aspect so keep that in mind. Oh and the best ever erotica (for my taste personally) is sprinkled around there casually too, so there’s that.

Penance by Eliza Clark litfic, fake-true crime, thriller

I was never a true crime girlie, but I was a litfic one. This book is kind of a satire about how true crime impacts people, especially teenage girls, and what's up with the obsession over it. It also explores where reality and fiction blurrs, and how that can impact lives. A brutal read, in my opinion, and I ate it up in two days smh. Also, I'm going to be real honest with y'all here; I was very confused at the beginning because I never read a fake investigated interview/essay before, so I completely believed it to be true (even tho I found it in the fiction genre). So yes, Eliza Clark is brilliant in that sense, will definitely check out her other books, and will never forget the true tragedy she based the crime in the book. Oh and when she brought up tumblr and tumblrinas in the book... ugh.

Cultish by Amanda Montell. non-fic, great audiobook, title says it all

2024 was the year of litfic and non-fic on my end, or at least I tried and am still trying to get back to them. This one was a very interesting book about cults and how cult leaders use language as a tool to create their communities. Or, well, not just them but everyone. I love learning about how and why we use language as we do, and I also love learning about anything cult related even tho they make my skin crawl. This book luckily did justice on both ends.

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid. litfic, fake-rockumentary, fleetwood mac/stevie nicks-inspired

Continuing my march on the "reading the books my favourite series and movies are based upon" journey. Daisy Jones is something that was great in book, but excellent on tv. The whole fiasco and the documentary part works better on screen I think, especially after they literally wrote, produced, sang and perfomed songs. Like what the hell. Still listening to the songs cuz some of them are peak 70s. However, the book and the series has the same vibe, so that's why I could enjoy both. (not to mention it inspired me too) What I would really highlight tho, it’s Simon’s story in the series because my god I love her so much. Sometimes even wish it would have been about her than Daisy, lol.

The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang. (ya) historical fantasy, very heavy war stuff, chinese mythology

It's not ya, okay? There are elements that match that, but overall, it's just not. What the book (and the whole series) actually is tho, is a raw portrayal and an essay about the horrors of the Second Sino-Japanese War, and what went down there, coated with a touch fantastical world and some magical/mythical elements. Loved the first book to pieces. This one might be the closest to ya, with all the academy time, the hint of enemies to whatevers, but only up until the half of the book. After that it blurrs and morphs. Still, the whole series is the most educational fantasy I've ever read, and will always keep the first book as a favourite. It's something everyone should read at least once, I think. But never ask me about the last installment.

The Red Palace by June Hur. ya historical fantasy, mystery, romance

Imagine a book that literally reads like a korean period drama. I mean, literally. Funny enough, I needed a second try to get to this book, but after that, oh man it checked all the boxes. It's easy to read, a fun little murder mystery in the palace, and a great experience if you're a kdrama junkie like me. I still think about this book from time to time, and will read all the other works from the author for sure. (fun fact: the royal family stuff are usually historically accurate because that's June Hur's whole sthick, which i love that for her)

We Will Devour The Night by Camilla Andrew. gaslamp fantasy, court intrigue, light vs dark, some impeccable erotica

We all know and love Cammie. And trust to bring an amazing next installement to the The Essence of the Equinox. I loved the book to pieces, because it contained everything I'd crave in a continuation. An interesting and gorgeous expanded world, escalating political intrigue and a ton of great character interactions. While, of course we still got to spend time with our best girl Laila, and best dick Darius.

[phierie]

Been thinking about bullet train and it's costume design (and why it's so good) for a while now so some thoughts about lemon + tangerine and their clothes I guess. this got a bit long so i'll put it under a cut

so I think the reason Tangerine's outfit works so well is it tells us so much not only about who he is but who he WANTS to be, it instantly evokes that kinda 80s gangster east end vibe, but the little details like the banker collar show that it's more the image he's trying maintain than it is who he actually is. I've thought a lot about that quote from the costume designer Sarah Evelyn about how the suit is to "contain the beast", and how he loses that veneer as the film goes on and his outfit gets more ruffled and, literally starts coming apart as the job goes wrong (even starting as early on as his top button being undone after he & lemon realise they've lost the case), his outward appearance starting to match his actual personality

in comparison, at first glance I didn't think Lemon's outfit was telling us as much about his characterisation, or his relationship to his image + clothes (like, he's not in a suit like tangerine is, so does he just not care as much about what he wears like tangerine does?)

but I've been thinking about it a lot while picking outfits for him (for a Lemon & Tangerine fashion zine project I'm working on, as it goes) and I don't think that's the case - his outfit is neat and well put together too! he literally wants people to see the tie he picked out for his outfit even if it comes across dodgy as hell with the blood on his shirt!! he has a fairly eclectic/unconventional style, what with the double denim and the suspenders, his accessories are practical instead of showy (the smartwatch he wears vs tangerine's rolex), and I think what that shows is that he's completely comfortable with his look, and has a kind of confidence in himself that tangerine Does Not possess. He has no desire to present himself as a Mr Big type character like tangerine, he has nothing to prove to anyone (or himself) like tangerine does

and then I think that confidence is even more interesting when you consider the context, in particular of Lemon as a black man (in this instance in Japan), and growing up in the UK alongside tangerine - does that confidence stem from his personality? or was it something learned? (or, maybe most likely, a bit of both?) and what does it say about tangerine and how he relates to the culture they were raised in that his look is based off the prototypical businessman (of the kind he probably didnt have as a role model in his immediate family/life)? I don't necessarily have the answers nor am I actually smart enough to say anything meaningful about it I just think it's super interesting thinking about these two within the context of the UK esp wrt class issues lol

ANYWAY this got a bit rambly I just love the costume design in bullet train so much!!!! I think it's even more pronounced with how the movie takes place over such a short space + time and everyone only really has one main design, it's almost cartoony/anime-esque (in a good way). everyone has a unique style and the characterisations and designs are so well entwined it makes everyone so memorable in a way i think few action films do. And I love the tiny details you probably won't even notice on a first watch, it just shows how much thought and care went into everything, I admire the costume + hair + makeup departments and what the cast all brought to it so! much!! love the fast train movie so much man

[hit-song-showdown]

Year-End Poll #44: 1993

[Image description: a collage of photos of the 10 musicians and musical groups featured in this poll. In order from left to right, top to bottom: Whitney Houston, Tag Team, UB40, Janet Jackson, Silk, SWV, Shai, Mariah Carey, Wreckx-n-Effect, Snow. End description]

More information about this blog here

Another big year for R&B, especially R&B with a new jack swing influence. Whitney Houston's cover of I Will Always Love You for The Bodyguard soundtrack is not the first example of a soundtrack ballad reaching these polls, but it's certainly one of the biggest. The song beat all of Whitney Houston's previously-held longevity records and as of this writing it's still number 60 on Billboard's All-Time Top 100 chart.

Barely missing the eligibility for this poll is the solo debut album of Dr. Dre. The Chronic was released in 1992, helping to cement the sound of west coast rap, specifically G-funk. As the name would suggest, G-funk is largely influenced by funk music (with several tracks off The Chronic sampling Parliament-Funkadelic and George Clinton). West Coast rap also had a larger influence from car culture than the East Coast. Not just in subject matter, but in how the production would sound coming out of a car speaker. Reality rap (or gangster rap, as it would later be more widely called) was already controversial in the 1980's, especially the tracks criticizing the militant police presence in Los Angeles. This controversy would only grow in the early 90's, but so too would the mainstream popularity of the sound. With the East Coast and the West Coast having their own distinct styles and champions under their belts (especially after the formation of Bad Boy Records and Death Row Records), the rivalry between the two scenes was starting to get intense. How much of this rivalry could be boiled down to kayfabe differed depending on who you asked at the time. There is a lot that has been said about this era from a vast number of different standpoints. And as we move through the years, we'll see even more distinct scenes and styles start to enter the conversation.

[turtle--soup]

Watching TMNT Next Mutation Episode 7 (when I really shouldn't be but... eh.) 😅

Ramblings under the cut.

Sewer rays? OK.

Dude's riding a motorbike through the sewer. Raph just makes it look so cool he stated a trend huh?

"Do I wanna meet the NYPD? Hmm... naaahh, absolutely not!" Same Mikey, same...

Big monkey. Who is his voice actor? He sounds familiar...*

"I can't believe this! I've been dissed by a gangster ape!" Mikey bro this is like a regular Monday for you surely?

"Certified turtlefied!" Adding that to the List of Things I Can't Believe They Say

"Cops in the sewers? They don't sell donuts down here!" Raph providing the obligatory donut jokes 👍

"I dunno what you been eatin'. But I want some." Why don't they believe Mikey about the monkey dude? Like literally they are talking turtles. If anything a talking ape is less weird

These gangsters are all dressed like they're cosplaying alt- design Joker Funko Pops. Or they got lost on the way to audition to be in the 60s Batman TV show.

"We're ninja - not the Power Rangers!" Yesssssss they're crossing the streeeeeaaaamms!

Raph 'n' roll honestlyyyyyyy that's a catchphrase?? Raph buddy...

"That's team leader" 😤 Aw Don Don, you don't deserve this disrespect

"EY BAWS" hoooooo my god

"The schnooks" OK Venus.

"Battlin' crime is FUN! Heh heh I feel like Batman!" Yeah that'll be the knockoff Joker suits.

Also like... the guys are acting like they don't fight crime? But like... they fought the Foot before? And I know that was bc they were an evil ninja clan specifically but you can't tell me they weren't Doing A Crime every now and then? And that was probably why the turtles fight them, at least sometimes??

The TA DAAAAA sound effect again 👌

All the money flying out of the back of the van this is genuinely the cheesiest live action cartoon

God I love how completely done Donnie is today

Mikey that was so fruity (affectionate)

Oh that's convenient. They moved most of the gold in Fort Knox to NYC for a bit. Of course.

The turtles just so happen to be living directly under half the gold in America right now. Of course.

"Translation for the thick of skull" oof Donnie he's your brother! Or not. So you all have a free pass to hit on your sister Venus.

"I suggest big caution" Leo providing much needed representation for people who can't words good (me).

NUCULAR?? DON WTF YOU ARE NOT HOMER SIMPSON

Isn't there a super villain who's a big monkey dude? I can't remember rn and its winding me up**

Honestly these accents... I could've been a VA on this show. I can butcher an East Coast accent with the best of them

Was I supposed to be able to see that wire??

Oh no they've trapped Venus in a classic Thunderbirds episode!

No genuinely though this could be pretty exciting if it wasn't like 3 minutes from the end of the episode...

Raph is very worried. "Whadda we doo just stand around and PANIC??" He's so relatable

Aw Don...

Aw they're crying 😭 bless them

It's a good job Donnie and Venus didn't die, the other three have to share one brain cell and I'm not sure Splinter could handle that alone

The code was Donnie's birthday asdghghfgdgk

"You mess with the monkey and it gets funky" this dude is legit a Power Rangers villain

--

*IT WAS GARY CHALK! I knew I knew that voice! How's a guy get typecast as a talking gorilla, anyway? I really hope that whoever cast him did that intentionally, and if they did I hope they also know that they're a legend.

**I think I might be thinking of Gorilla Grodd??

[carrymelikeimcute]

Con O'Neill in 'Postcode' a 2011 short

Comments on watching:

Literally the first scene Con's in and he's getting head from a lady under a pub table. A table which hides NOTHING. Classy.

Lol 'Clive Viper' is not the name your mother gave you sir.

Oh no! He's ill. Heart problems? Unsure. Good ASMR noises tho...

It's not looking good for Henry

Ah the old smooch and stab. What a way to go.

Awww, he's got a wife/gf and kid. Wife is NOT pub table lady (Marsha) and I hope he washed his face between the post-blowjob kiss and meeting the missus because that just seems like a good idea.

Uh-oh, Marsha's been cornered by some horrible men (tm). Apparently she been stealing - which is what dead Henry was doing :S

There's a guy called 'iggy' give me strength oh lord.

BTW black suit, white shirt (open collar, no tie)? - Literally lingerie for men. Perfection. No notes.

Con lunging at the face of a man fully a foot taller than him like 'wuff' is so funny to me. Probably scary irl if you're a gangster tho.

Iggy owes a lot of money, now he's chatting up the local youths to smash up a newsagents. Very big job obviously. Might steal a curlywhurly.

OMG the kids wanted a GUN as protection for smashing up a corner shop. Pussies.

Aaaaaaaaand they fucked it up.

That gun was a lending gun apparently. There's gonna be a fine for not bringing it back.

DEMONIC Con throat noise at around 13mins.

FUCK!!!! - *breadstick knuckle noises* Yowch

Oh and the kid shot his Dad with the gun. Perfect ending.

This was like...100X better than that GBH movie I watched earlier.

[pulpman2]

Jack’s Choice

Jack Bennett felt his eyes rise to the top of his head under his closed lids and colours began to explode in the darkness enveloping him. He was choking, that much he knew as the cord around his neck was pulled ever tighter. If he lost consciousness he might never come back… His left hand scrabbled towards his neck in a desperate attempt to prevent the thin rope from strangulating him still further. It was no use - the dark curtains were closing on his mind.

Then a breathless female voice insinuated its way into his foggy brain. He knew those dulcet tones anywhere! Kathy Kyle, private investigator, bounty hunter, part time cop, professional blonde and all round pain in the ass. “It’s your choice, Jack!” the woman standing behind his flailing form gasped, grunting from the effort of garrotting him. “I can use this cord to end your useless existence on this planet or, if you surrender to me, it will just be used to tie your hands behind your back! What’s it to be?” Jack knew it was no choice at all. He would take being tied up - even by a loud-mouthed, uppity, pantyhosed broad like Kathy - over leaving this veil of tears before he had even moved out the Lower East Side. “No contest, babe!” is what the minor league gangster intended to say before he slumped unceremoniously to the floor. What Kathy heard was “Nucb!” but she figured out the asshole’s meaning. She rolled the barely conscious Jack onto his front, looped the cord away from his neck and pulled his arms together behind his back. As the man choked back into life she began to tie his wrists together.

“I do this to you so often I’m beginning to think you enjoy it, Jack!” the sassy PI laughed. Jack coughed loudly. “I enjoy it a whole lot better than being strangled to death, ma’am!” he replied, a relieved tone in his voice.

My interpretation of the story behind the cover to Guilty Detective Story Magazine featuring Russian Roulette by Dan Malcolm (July 1958)

[gcldenhecrts]

(KOFI SIRIBOE, CIS MALE, HE / HIM) Oh, is that ANTONIO ‘TONI’ ROSSI? I heard the 34 year old is ASSERTIVE. But don’t let that pretty face fool you, they are also CRUDE.Makes sense seeing how they have a HEAD ASSASSIN in the CRIMSON gang. (charlotte, 26, she / her, gmt )

TW: violence

Antonio Rossi was the first-born child of Martina and Antonio Rossi Sr. He was born in Vienna but moved to the UK at three months old. The first and only home he ever knew was based in HACKNEY, East London, where his father was known as a high-profile gangster. Three siblings followed in quick succession: Maria, Lorenzo and Sienna.

The Rossi’s owned a popular family pub that was never quiet, and Toni and his siblings spent many afternoons entertaining guests and drinking coca cola on tap, however, their childhoods were hardly full of sunshine and rainbows. The London gangster scene was filled with VIOLENCE, INTIMIDATION, MURDER AND BLACKMAIL, and Antonio Sr was involved in it all. Toni grew up attending meetings in darkened rooms way past bedtime, he was accustomed to the sound of GUNSHOTS over lullabies, he watched football on his dad's smartphone to drown out the sounds of SCREAMING next door. Toni Jr was raised with the knowledge that one day, as the eldest, he would head the family business. 

Outside of his job, Antonio St was incredibly soft-hearted. He was devout to his family, passing the message to his children that Family comes before anything else. 

For a household that held such violence, Antonio and Martina were dedicated Catholics. All four children were baptised into the roman catholic church, they never missed Sunday mass and prayers were shared every day without fail. summer holidays were spent in their villa in Italy, and they always managed to get on a day trip to Vatican City. One of Toni’s earliest memories involves making a joke about doing a piss in one of the fountains of St peters square and getting a sharp smack round the back of his head by his mother. 

When Toni was fourteen, his life changed drastically with the murder of his fathers. The media had a field day ' NOTORIOUS LONDON GANGSTERS REIGN COMES TO A BLOOD END '. His mother, grief-stricken and angry, sold the pub and took the life insurance and her children to America. Her own family lived in New York, and so she decided to go home.

While Toni was gutted over the loss of his father, he also understood that he was now the man of the house. He had been prepared for this, his father had ensured that. He stepped into the role with ease, a natural paternalistic nature led him with grace.

Toni did well in school. He was a bit of a goof, yes, but he was also smart. He didn’t excel in any one subject, but he was steady and determined. He has always been that way.

Upon graduation, he decided to take a gap year. He wanted to see the world, but he started in his birthplace of Vienna and that was where he met Violetta. He was instantly captivated by her. She was fierce and independent. She could challenge him in ways nobody else had. He didn’t end up seeing the world. Not when the world had become Violetta.

It turned out the pair had a lot in common. Violett’s parents were big in the criminal world. They married within a year and a half and stayed in Italy until they were 23.

Back in New York, the pair paid for a small home outright with cash. They opened up a family restaurant. The picture-perfect family until you looked deeper into it and learnt they had both joined the Crimsons before their plane even touched the tarmac. They were good, unstoppable even.

At the age of 30, the pair decided to start a family. First came Matteo, and 18 months later Sofia was born. Violetta stepped back from the Crimsons, but she always kept one foot in the game. Parenting came naturally for Toni, his children quickly becoming his world. He didn’t know it was possible to walk around with his heart outside of his body. While his wife stepped back, Toni worked harder than ever to ensure his children always had the best. And they did.

As Matteo got older, however, questions started being asked. Toni was unphased by this - he has been the same as a child. It upset Violetta greatly though, and she has been begging him to step back. For the first time in over ten years, cracks are starting to appear in the foundations of their relationship. They are desperately trying to fill them in. Sunday mass, washing the blood from his hands in holy water. It is better to ask for forgiveness than permission.

[new-berry]

Lampardverse!

I remember the matching shirt and tie being the trend at the time but I can’t help but feel it was Frank Snr returning to east end days. Like gangster shit.

Anyway I feel this is greatest hits. Uncertain who is in control. Fucked up consent. Unreliable narrator.

Fic Lampard likes the word “tart” just saying.