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dezz111 · 1 year

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It’s Murder Before Birth, Everything After is Statistic

“All day, every day, therapist, mother, maid, nymph, then a virgin, nurse, then a servant. Just an appendage, live to attend him so that he never lifts a finger. Twenty-four-seven baby machine, so he can live out his picket fence dreams. It's not an act of love if you make her. You make me do too much labour…

(Paloma)

”

On March 23rd, Paris Paloma released a song that had taken the women of TikTok by storm. It was everything we as women wanted to say to the patriarchy. We, the women (or anyone in possession of a uterus) have the oh-so-wonderful “duty” of bearing the next generation. Whether by choice or by force. With the overturning of Roe V Wade last year, our rights seem to be doing a moonwalk into medieval times. The Supreme Court claimed to be Pro-Life and was backed by thousands of self-righteous people who most definitely don't want to adopt your baby like the hypotheticals profess. All they really cared to do was “protect their houses, protect their friends, protect their wallets. But women is where it ends…(Romeo).” Because they're not the ones losing nine months of their autonomy with a minimum sentence of 18 years if they decide to keep little Timmy out of some guilt-ridden form of responsibility. The decision to actually ban abortions was left up to each individual state, because God forbid they take full responsibility for their actions. Which has been anything but fine and dandy, especially if you live in Texas. Or the South in general, really. But lo and behold, a white man did what white men do best and swung his proverbial dick named Audacity. And of course, he's from Texas.

(Sorry Sandy, no defending Texas now.)

Enter Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk, the cherry-picked pick-me of the Texan government. Cocksmark issued a preliminary ruling invalidating the Food and Drug Administration’s 23-year-old approval of the abortion pill mifepristone. Mifepristone is a drug best known for being the safest option for abortions, something lawmakers have an issue with unless the hot secretary needs one. It also has been studied alongside cancers, the drug has proven effective in blocking progesterone, a hormone that helps some cancers grow (Koide). But that’s just cancer, something that kills living children and their parents. No, what Cocksmark is worried about happens before the brain has even developed. Or hasn’t developed. Or is even viable? It really just comes down to if the egg was ever fertilized. It doesn't matter if it's an ectopic pregnancy, your womb goes septic or your baby is born without a skull. Not even the permanent loss of function for your fallopian tube (which you kinda need to make a baby) isn’t enough (Zernike).

Now this drug has been around for as long as I’ve been alive and if it ain't broke, why change it? Because. That's simply it. Because. There’s no rhyme or reason to it. They change it because they can. For men who are quickly finding their privilege coming into question and their egos in check, there's a level of control they feel they must impose as their testosterone levels drop and the blue pill waits for them in the back. There’s an archaic part of their brain that never made it out of the sixties that desires to see the world below their feet and pesky things like reproductive rights make it hard to keep Barbara at home pregnant with the kids. There’s a status quo they wish to maintain built upon a weaponized belief system.

But that’s just speculation.

What’s not speculation is that while they say we can’t “kill our innocent kids”, someone else definitely will. Because I’m writing this on April 16, 2023, and just yesterday there were 9 mass shootings in the United States of America. On April 10th, there was a mass shooting in Louisville, Kentucky that killed five people and left four injured. Out of all the mass shootings I could have chosen, this one, in particular, is special. Because this shooting marked the 146th mass shooting in 100 days. Now, I’m really bad at math. But I'm pretty sure that means that there were more mass shootings than days in the year. Six days later and we are at 163 mass shootings. That means in less than a week, we’ve had 17 mass shootings (Gun Violence Archive).

Since this whole gun control thing seems to be a joke, let's tally up the score:

Mass Shootings: 163

Mass Murders: 15

Children (Ages 0-11)

Killed: 75

Injured: 172

Teens (ages 12-17)

Killed: 434

Injured: 1,503

Defensive Uses: 306

Suicide: 6,996

Total Injuries: 9,506

Total Deaths: 12,246

There has been a grand total of 12,246 deaths due to gun violence this year. And what do we win?! A Gucci belt to go with our third-world title! (Cue thunderous applause.) Because we have to be winning at something if there’s no change.

Gasp!

I finally get it. With this younger generation not wanting to bring children into a world that gives them nothing but trauma, the government will just force them to do it. Because who will buy more guns for us to shoot each other with if no one replaces the kids we kill? It's the Circle of Life! Hakuna Matta, your life is worth less than a wartime law unless you're still in the womb.

Or you're a dog. Then, you can have an abortion.

Works Cited

Gay, R. (2023, April 11). The Audacious Roundup. The Audacious Roundup - by Roxane

Gay.RetrievedApril13,2023,from https://audacity.substack.com/p/the-audacious

-roundup-806?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=237330&post_id=112139115&isFreemail=true&utm_medium=email

Gun violence archive. Gun Violence Archive. (n.d.). Retrieved April 16, 2023, from

https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/reports/mass-shooting

Koide, S. S. (n.d.). Mifepristone. auxiliary therapeutic use in cancer and related disorders.

The Journal of reproductive medicine. Retrieved April 13, 2023, from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9693404/

Paloma, P. (2023, March 23). Labour. YouTube. Retrieved April 13, 2023, from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvU4xWsN7-A&ab_channel=ParisPaloma

Romeo, R. (2022, July 6). Fuck the Supreme Court (rant song). YouTube. Retrieved April

13,2023,fromhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z55f_B7QbqE&ab_channel=rioromeo

Williams, K., Holpuch, A., & Robertson, C. (2023, April 10). Gunman kills 5 co-workers at

Louisville Bank on Livestream, police say. The New York Times. Retrieved April 14,2023,from https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/10/us/louisville-kentucky-shooting

.html?smtyp=cur&smid=tw-nytimes

Zernike, K. (2023, March 7). Five Women Sue Texas Over the State’s Abortion Ban. The

NewYorkTimes.RetrievedApril14,2023,from https://www.nytimes.com

/2023/03/06/us/texas-abortion-ban-suit.html

#roe versus wade #gun control #gun violence #abortion

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headinthestaticsky · 3 years

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Frozen Within the Night Wind: Jasper Hale x Fleur Swan, Chapter 11.

None of the characters in Twilight belong to me, all rights go to Stephenie Meyer.

Authors note:I was reading up on the Newborn Battle and saw that it took place in June... I get that snow storms can happen on mountains but why is everyone else wearing jackets in the battle haha.

"When the mako flies Up from the bottom in your eyes Then I know the twilight skies Are not so broken hearted."

Stylo by, Gorillaz

Today was the day, they would finally arrive ending the constant tension of the inevitable battle. We all stood tense in the field, the wolves were hiding so they weren't immediately sought after.

"Fleur, do you think you could track Riley? We need to know how close he is." Esme asked.

"On it... They aren't to far from here, it'll take them about... 2 minutes before they find us. They're falling for Bella's blood trap quite easily."

"That's good, we don't need them finding her." Carlisle said.

I felt someone grab my hand I turned and looked at them, Jasper was staring back at me.

"We're gonna be fine." He said. I turned my head due to the sound of rustling coming from the far side of the field. I looked back at him and smiled.

"I know we are."

I then saw the crowd coming toward us, they all were yelling. We then began to run toward them as soon as the got close enough both Jasper and I punched two of the vampires heads off. The rest of us had separated at that point as the new born vampires spread out. Two vampires came toward me both of them trying to take out my head. I dunk under them both easily and took out there legs, leaving them defenseless. I then took off both of there heads, another vampire snuck up behind my and grabbed me by the back of my neck, I grabbed both of there hands and flipped them over, crushing there head into the ground and shattering it.

I looked around me and saw Paul with two vampires on his back, I quickly made it toward him. Kicking two other vampires in the process and flipping over another one that was being chased by a wolf before making it to him. I ripped the first one off his body taking it's head clean off with it. Paul had gotten the other one off of him and looked at me quickly before running off again. I ran toward a tree and rock, suspecting someone to be hiding there. My theory proved to be correct, I saw a girl coming out of the little nook.

She looked about 15 years old and scared out of her mind. I stopped myself from attacking her and saw Carlisle and Esme next to me, we were unsure about her.

"Let's leave her here...I really don't think she'll try anything. She looks absolutely terrified." I said Esme and Carlisle nodded. I then ran back toward the fight. I was in the midst of a power struggle with one vampire, my arms, shoulders, sides of my neck, and cheeks began to crack from the pressure. It was unbearable, it was as if a thousand needles were stabbing each individual nerve rendering it useless. Suddenly the pressure was gone and angry amber eyes looked down at the vampire's dismembered body. I healed quickly thankfully and Jasper and I ran off together to defeat the remaining vampires left. They had all been taken out with ease with the exception of a few. Before we both could react a vampire bite Jasper right on the neck, trying to tear apart his skin. Jasper had let out a yell due to the pain and I quickly pushed him off of Jasper, stomping his head in. Emmett and Paul took out the last vampire. When we all dragged them to the middle of the field to burn them I noticed I never saw Riley.

"Hey... did any of you guys run into Riley?"

I saw uncertain faces on the Cullens, which gave me the answer.

I decided to track him, to see if he was still around. I saw him stalking up a mountain, Bella and Edward suddenly came into view.

"Riley... listen to me. Victoria is just using you to distract me. She knows I’ll kill you. In fact, she’ll be glad she didn’t have to deal with you anymore." Edward stated.

Bella looked terrified behind him. I saw Victoria come down a tree landing on a rock covered in snow.

"Don’t listen, Riley. I told you about their mind tricks." Victoria persuaded.

"I can read her mind. So I know what she thinks of you." Edward interjected.

"He's lying."

"She only created you and this army to avenge her true mate, James. That’s the only thing she cares about. Not you."

Riley turned his head to her, and an unsure look was on his pale, deadly face.

Victoria froze, her eyes slightly widened.

"There's only you, you know that!" She said.

Riley then began to walk toward Edward again, Both he and Bella backed up.

"Think about it. You’re from Forks, you know the area. That’s the only reason she chose you. She doesn’t love you."

"Riley, don’t let him do this to us. You know I love you."

Riley turned his head back to Edward a smirk was on his face.

"You're...dead."

I broke out of trance before a fight could break out.

"Guys...They're both with Edward and Bella..."

All of the Cullens's eyes widened with shock.

"Look I got a plan, Dean, you're the second-fastest in the family so you need to get that girl out of here take her back to the house... I have a feeling the Volturi are going to show up and I don't think they'll spare her. I am going to get as close to the fight as I can from the mountains and try to get Victoria to hallucinate again. We don't have any time to waste, MOVE IT!" I demanded before running toward the fight. I could hear Jasper in the distance as I kept running.

"That's my girl..."

As I ran it felt like I was having deja-vu, it reminded me of the ballet studio situation 2 years ago. That same mantra was going through my head. "Please...let me get there in time." No matter how cruel and unkind Bella could be...I couldn't stand the thought of her getting killed by the cold hands of revenge.

Flashback: 4 years ago.

"THAT'S IT... I CAN'T STAND TO BE AROUND YOU TWO ANYMORE!" I yelled at Bella and Renee.

"OH GET OVER YOURSELF, YOU'RE THE ONE ALWAYS CAUSING TROUBLE AROUND HERE!" Renee yelled back.

"Causing trouble....CAUSING TROUBLE? WHAT THE FUCK DID I DO THIS TIME?"

"YOU WATCH YOUR MOUTH YOUNG LADY! I HAVE RAISED YOU FOR 15 YEARS!"

"THAT DOESN'T MAKE YOU A GOOD MOTHER!"

"How dare you..."

"What did I do.... what do I always do? Want love? Reassurance? Someone I can trust? That's not "causing problems"... that's something a parent should give to their child. Oh sorry... both of their children!"

"Well...it's hard to give that to a child you just can't stand. You act just like your father..."

"You say that like it's an insult... my father is an intelligent, compassionate man, I'm glad you left him... I didn't want to see him get abused like me."

Bella just sat back and smirked, enjoying the chaos that was in front of her.

"If you love him so much why don't you go live with him."

"Fine... I will just buy the damn plane ticket and I swear I will never come back here again!"

"I will... Bella will finally be able to get away from your poisonous mind."

I scoffed and rolled my eyes before speaking again.

"Goodbye Renee, I'll see you at my wedding. I know you won't be able to resist showing up, you'll have so much fun at the open bar being the boozer you were meant to be. Your speech will probably be you upchucking on the stage. It'll be a hit with the guest."

Renee and Bella's eyes widened with shock. Renee decided to speak up.

"Like you'll ever get married... no sane person would want to be with a disgraceful woman such as you."

I ignored her, I stopped at Bella and looked at her.

"Isabella... get away from her, you'll end up just as toxic and abusive as she is." I then ran upstairs and started packing my bags... eager to leave.

Flashback: OVER

I ran up the mountain and saw a glimpse of the fight, Victoria and Riley held Edward by the arms and neck. Bella stood there paralyzed in fear. I prayed that this plan would work, I tried creating that image of James again but instead... my body changed turning into him. I stood there for a second shocked before making my way up to them. Victoria froze in fear, Riley looked at her in confusion, and Bella and Edward didn't know what to think.

"J-james... how... how are you here? She isn't here is she?" Victoria asked.

I prayed my voice would've changed along with my appearance before I spoke.

"Who? Fleur... no no no, she's too busy dealing with the army you created with... this pipsqueak. I said, my voice was not of my own.

She dropped Edward, which in return made Edward throw off Riley who was then dragged away by a wolf... it seemed to be Seth.

"VICTORIA!" "VICTORIA HELP!"

Seth pulled him down the slope, I could still hear him scream on the way down. Edward just observed us, pulling Bella behind him again.

"James... you have to understand I did this for us, I thought you were dead. Why didn't you come and find me?"

"I did find you...but then I saw what you were doing, whoring yourself out there after you came back from Texas... persuading that man by kissing him the same way you kissed me. You're disgusting!"

"James no... please don't do this."

"You should know...we began this by me hunting you... you've always been my prey. And now..."

My voice switched back to my own.

"I will take you out the same way I intended to from the beginning."

Her eyes widened but before she could escape I snapped her neck, ripping her head off a few seconds later.

"Whoa..." I heard Bella say meekly.

Edward handed me a lighter he was carrying, I lit it and threw it on her body, it busted into flames. I saw Seth carrying Riley back up, he too was dead. I threw him in the fire too, making sure both of them were taken out.

"Fleur... Carlisle said you could make hallucinations... but you completely morphed into James." Edward said in shock.

"T-that's the first time I have ever done that..."

Before either of us could say anything Edward gasped.

"What is it?" Bella asked.

"Alice needs us to go...NOW!"

#jasper whitlock x oc #jasper whitlock #jasper hale x reader #jasper cullen #jasper hale #jasper hale x oc #carlisle cullen #emmett cullen #esme cullen #alice cullen #edward cullen #twilight saga #bella swan #twilight

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cherryblossomflowers · 4 years

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An Old Life Meets A New (Pt21)

Pairing: Jensen x Daughter, Danneel x Stepdaughter, Jared x Niece

Warnings: Slight Cussing, Angst, Fluff, Death Mentioned, Car Accident Mentioned, Anxiety/Depression, Arguing, Panic Attacks, Yelling, Fighting, Sex Mentioned

Summary: After the recent death of her mother, Harper must adjust to her new life in the Ackles home, this includes a new stepmother, half-siblings, and reconnecting with her father.

A/N: This is only the first part of the truth, Chapter 22 has the second half. The woman, Lizzy, is Harper’s mother’s name in case there is any confusion. No hate on Danneel or Jensen please. Feedback is greatly appreciated!

***ASK OPEN***

*LET ME KNOW IF YOU’D LIKE TO BE TAGGED*

*NEW CHAPTER EVERYDAY AT 3PM CST*

An Old Life Meets A New Masterlist

Chapter 21

Jensen and Harper were sitting on her bed, neither of them looking at the other. The only sounds were Harper's labored breathing from her sobbing.

Jensen glanced up at the half completed mural, "Your painting is really good. I didn't know you could draw."

Harper mumbled a reply, "You never asked."

Jensen sighed and stood from her bed, walking a few steps forward, "Harper, look. I know I really have messed up your life, but I'm trying to fix it. You just need to help me."

"I don't know how to help you, Dad."

Jensen's heart broke at his daughter's words, "I know of one way. But you're really not going to like it."

Harper turned to him, "And what's that?"

Jensen instantly had tears in his eyes, "Harper, what I'm about to tell you...just know that...I didn't have a choice in the matter."

Harper's chest tightened, "A choice in what exactly?"

Jensen stood there with his back to Harper, so scared of her reaction. Harper stood from her spot on the bed and made her way over to him.

"Dad, tell me what's going on. You're scaring me," she said in a small voice.

Jensen walked past her and back to her bed, sitting down with a sigh. Harper joined him, her eyes not leaving his face.

Jensen took a deep breath and began, "It was when you were just starting the 2nd grade..."

*FLASHBACK*

The school year had begun on a hot and muggy mid-morning August. An 8-year-old Harper sat in the backseat of her mom's car. Jensen was in the driver's seat, taking his little girl to school.

Jensen looked in the rear view mirror, "Are you excited, babygirl?"

Harper nodded enthusiastically, "I'm super excited! Mommy got me new school supplies and guess what!"

Jensen smiled, "What?"

Harper jumped in her seat, "It's all blue! It's my favorite color!"

Jensen chuckled, "I know it's your favorite, babygirl," he said as he pulled up to the school, "But what she didn't get you was a new lunch bag."

Harper gasped, "Daddy? Did you get me a surprise?"

Jensen turned around, "I may have."

He reached in the floorboard of the car and lifted up a bright blue lunch bag. It had a picture of Times Square on one side and the Texas Capitol on the other.

"I had it made for you before I came out here. Both sides represent who you are, a city girl and a country girl," said Jensen, handing it to Harper

Harper took her lunch and smiled, "Thanks Daddy!"

Jensen got out of the car and made his way over to the backseat door to help Harper. He unbuckled her and helped her out of the car.

"And don't worry, I made your lunch just the way you like it. PB&J with no crust, carrot sticks, an apple juice, and I may have added a cupcake in there for dessert," Jensen said with a wink.

Jensen bent down and hugged Harper, "I love you, babygirl. Have a good day okay? And remember, Mom is picking you up okay?"

Harper gave a huff, "Can't you stay a little longer?"

Jensen shook his head, "I'm sorry baby. I need to get home to Texas. But I'll be back soon, I promise."

Harper hugged Jensen again, "Okay, Daddy," she kissed his cheek, "I love you."

Then Harper caught the eye of a friend and ran off towards her school. Jensen watched his little girl run to talk to her friends, a smile formed on his face.

He hopped back into the car and sat in silence for a moment. That is until his phone began to ring. He looked down and saw Danneel's photo.

He answered quickly, "Hi honey."

"Jensen, I need to tell you something, but I really don't think it can wait until you get here," Danneel said, a slight panic in her voice.

Jensen's heart skipped, "Danneel, what's going on? Is everything alright?"

"Jensen, honey," said Danneel, on the verge of tears, "I'm pregnant!"

The smile grew on Jensen's face was from pure shock and happiness, "You're pregnant? Dee that's amazing news!"

Danneel chuckled, "I'm so glad you're happy, Jay. We can celebrate when you get home, okay?"

"Yes, ma'am. I should be home this evening. I love you."

"I love you more. Bye."

Jensen hung up and sat back in his seat, Danneel's pregnant. Oh man, I'm going to be a...

He turned his head towards the elementary school, his eye immediately falling on Harper. The smile faded at his realization.

What am I going to tell Harper? What am I going to tell her mom?

Jensen silently drove back to Harper's house. His mind was going a mile a minute. He felt panicked. Things were going so well with Harper and her mother, even if he got married to another woman. But now adding a baby into the mix?

He pulled into the driveway, turned off the car, and leaned his head back. If I don't tell her now, she'll find out somehow. And that's much worse than me just telling her.

Jensen got out of the car, walked up the sidewalk, and to the front door. He knocked and stood there for a moment before someone opened the door.

"Hey, Lizzy, can we talk?"

Harper's mom, Lizzy, rolled her eyes and opened the door further, "What is it this time, Ackles?"

Jensen walked inside the house and Lizzy shut the door behind them. She walked up to him and crossed her arms.

Jensen sighed, "I just got a call from Danneel. She's...pregnant."

Lizzy laughed, "Okay?"

Jensen was shocked, "You're not upset? Or angry?"

Lizzy shook her head, "Not at all. These next 9 months should be interesting."

"How do you mean?"

"Well, once that baby is born, I don't expect you to be around as much. Which means Harper will have you in her life less, she'll resent you, she'll want nothing to do with you, and we'll never hear from you again," Lizzy said.

Jensen was taken aback, "Wait what? You think once Danneel has our baby I'll just forget about Harper?"

Lizzy nodded her head, "Exactly."

"Lizzy, believe me when I say this. Nothing could be further from my thoughts. I want Harper in my life, she's my daughter," Jensen said, pleading with his ex.

"That's funny coming from a man who freaked out when he found out I was pregnant with his child," Lizzy said walking away.

Jensen chased after her, "I didn't freak out. I wasn't ready to be a father then. You and I both know that."

"Then maybe we shouldn't have had sex Jensen! That's what happens! Baby's happen when you have sex, genius!" Lizzy screamed at him.

"I know that, Lizzy, but-"

"If we could've just stayed together, this conversation wouldn't even be happening," she mumbled, interrupted him.

"Lizzy, listen-"

"But that didn't happen. Because you didn't love me. You loved someone else," Lizzy angrily said.

"Elizabeth, I did love you. It's not that I stopped loving you. You and I wanted different things. We were very young, and just learning about our lives. And I know that you know the main reason you and I are even still in contact is because of our daughter," replied Jensen.

Lizzy walked towards the front door, "Jensen, I think you should leave."

Jensen was shocked, "Lizzy, this conversation isn't done."

"I know. You should leave," Lizzy refused to look at him.

"Please, Elizabeth," Jensen begged.

"Call a cab to the airport. We'll talk later," Lizzy opened the door.

*FLASHBACK END*

"Your mom wouldn't tell me then what she was thinking, but I had a pretty good idea," said Jensen.

Harper was confused, "What does this have to do with anything? You and mom had a conversation about Danneel being pregnant?"

Jensen sighed, "When I got home, I got a call from your mother..."

*FLASHBACK*

Jensen's phone vibrated on his nightstand. He looked down and saw Lizzy's face on the screen. Danneel was fast asleep next to him, so he decided to take the phone call in another room.

He grabbed his phone and walked out of their bedroom. He kept walking until he got to the couch of the living room. He sat down and answered the phone.

Lizzy spoke, "Jensen Ackles."

Jensen sighed, "Yes, Lizzy?"

"You have 9 months left with our child. I hope you spend them wisely," she said flatly.

Jensen felt his heart stop. His breath felt like it was pulled from his lungs. Tears flooded his vision. He felt like he couldn't speak.

"W-what? Lizzy you can't do that to me! That's my daughter!" Jensen yelled into the phone.

"I don't care, Jensen. I'm saving Harper from heartbreak. I want her life to be happy and joyful. So the day your baby is born, you can forget about us okay? It'll make things easier for you and for us," Lizzy said coldly before hanging up the phone.

Jensen let the phone fall into his lap as he slumped forward. Tear were pouring down his face as he sobbed.

9 months...that's all I have left of Harper's life?

*FLASHBACK END*

Harper had tears streaming down her face, as did Jensen. Harper was in disbelief her of her mother. She had no idea about any of this. Mom was the reason...

The two sat in silence for a bit, neither knowing what to do or say.

Jensen spoke up, but his voice was barely a whisper, "But that's not all."

"Dad, I don't think I need to hear anymore. I honestly don't know how much more I can-"

"I need to tell you," Jensen interrupted, "...about the last day I got to see you."

-------------------------------------------------------

Masterlist

My Cherry Blossoms

@mlovesstories @chessurkait @adorable-minibot @desiredposion @idksupernatural @thevelvetseries @spnfamily-j2 @let-me-luve-you @obsessedwithfandomsx @wecantgiggleitsafandom

@mangueweaschester @unicornmadness2444 @emery--nicole--morrison @starchildwild

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younghoax · 3 years

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Sunday 20th June • Somewhere in Midtown

He’s only going for a piss. Ain’t gonna let a bunch of bozos put him off going to the bathroom in his own damn apartment, but he ain’t about to humour them, either. The bathroom door is right outside his bedroom. Just a short turn to the right and there it is. Easy fuckin’ peasy.

In theory.

“J!” Marco calls just as he reaches the handle. Spies him from the couch and waves him over. “Come light up kid. ‘Ey-- Benny’ll roll you one.”

The doorknob is already under his hand and Jordan twists it. Ignores the half-strangers that try to lure him across the room. Around half a dozen of them smoking in his living room with some kinda rap music playing from what he’s pretty sure is just a cellphone. Fuck that. He could go his whole life without facing these dickheads again and it’d still be too damn soon.

Dissatisfied with being ignored, Marco stands from the couch, steps over a couple legs and shoves the rest aside to get through until he reaches Jordan by the bathroom door. “Vieni qui piccolo,” Marco drawls through a grin, the guys sat around him on the couch repeating, “sì vieni qui piccolo,” laughing around joints and Jordan just stands there, arms crossed over his bare chest as he squints. Marco snides, “we got space. Sit on Benny’s lap if you gotta.”

With nothing else on Jordan’s body to grab, Marco tugs at the waistband of his shorts, the other hand reaching for the side of his neck. J squirms out from under his hands though, palms shoving the man’s chest. He hadn’t picked up on it until now, but his roommate must be on something.

Piccolo. He ain’t Marco’s fuckin’ baby. “Fuck outa here,” he grunts, letting them whoop and cackle like he just gave ‘em something to crack up about as he turns to continue his short trip to the bathroom. Not fuckin’ short enough.

“Come smoke with us, J,” his roommate tries again. “So tense all the fuckin’ time these days.”

“Yeah, well, got shit to worry about. A job and shit, y’know?” Nah, he wouldn’t know. “You ever heard o’one?”

Another audible reaction from their audience and Marco’s raising his voice slightly over the other voices. “What, like sellin’ those pills? Yeah, real good fuckin’ job you did of that, J. Complimenti!” The man cheers and his clowns cheer along. Probably aren’t even listening to what’s being said, just following their divine leader.

Sure, it took him a minute, but he wasn’t gonna sell to just anybody like Marco’s boys do. He gives a shit about the people that take it off his hands. Besides, they’re gone now. So what? “Stop fuckin’ speaking Italian, you were born in Staten Island from a schmuck from Texas, y’fuckin’ clown.”

“Fuckin’ talk about my old man, J.”

It’s Fathers’ day which is a laugh. Or, it would be if Marco weren’t so high that the irony’s lost on him. Got no fucking idea what day of the week it even is.

“A’right. Where’d you want me to start?”

There’s a single, “oh, shit,” that Jordan guesses the rest of the gang decide against humouring, Marco’s face going cold in a second. He doesn’t even get within six feet of Jordan when he says, “shut your fuckin’ mouth.”

“Nah, he was an alright father,” J tells him with a shrug, hands slipping into the pockets of his basketball shorts as his head lulls to one side. “Kept you fed, ‘ight? Soda and cigs by age fourteen. A nice, rounded fuckin’ diet.”

Looks like Marco thinks that’s the end of it because he gifts him with a short laugh, head shaking as he turns and swats one of his boys off the nearest armchair. Leaves him to find a new place to sit as he claims the space for himself. “Y’funny.”

J ain’t finished, though.

“Kept you safe too, eh? Got you a nice group of friends. Doubled as your babysitters. Oh neat!” He cheers. Nobody cheers along. “What was your favourite activity? Mine was a tie… Either counting cash and weighing coke with the boys or going to the park to play collect the syringes on the playground whilst daddy’s friends did their deals.”

“This meant to be hurting my feelings, J? Cause last I checked, you never had a dad.”

“How about the part where he beat you before bedtime? Bet that knocked you out like a light, eh? Get your eight hours, Marco? Yeah, he was the man.” A pause. “Y’just like him.”

Marco’s not moved. His friends ain’t said a word. Except one, who asks, “you takin’ that, Coney?” but he’s ignored by all parties. Marco scoffs, arms folded over his chest now, slouched back in his seat. “You wanna pretend like you hate me? It make y'feel better?”

“I do. I do fuckin’ hate you. You had me fooled back then Marco, but I see you now, doll. You ain’t shit. You’re suffocating me. Y’spoilt yourself. I realised how much of a fuck-up you are, and you ran outa people who gave a shit about you. Think these guys’d be here if not for your old man?” A roll of his eyes and J’s turning yet again to enter the bathroom, his words muttered. “Is that why you used to keep me at such a distance back then? In case I saw the light and stopped fucking worshipping you? Well, I see you in all your glory now, Marco, and it’s fucking ugly.”

Marco just scoffs behind him. “You still worship me.”

Jordan shakes his head, turning back again crossing the room to where the man is slouched in his chair, this dopey fucking smile on his face like he’s got him with that one. Like he didn’t spend years pushing J away, scared he’d see all the wrong sides of him. Spend years pining when Jordan moved states. Spent years in Jordan’s pocket when he got back, scared to be left alone with the big, bad wolves of the city again. As if he ain’t one of them. Worse, because at least those guys know what the fuck they are.

Jordan pauses in front of him. Spits. Tells him, “rot.”

That's all it takes to get a rise. Not a jab at his late father or his pathetic friends. Just the reality that Marco, himself, ain’t shit. To Jordan or to anybody. Marco’s out of his seat, arms around Jordan for long enough to get the leverage he needs to slam him to the ground, then it’s a rush of fists and nails. J grabs at the back of his shirt, trying to tug him off himself but has more luck shoving his elbows between them as a fist makes the first real impact to his side.

He can’t hear what’s happening around them, just hears his own breath punch out before Marco grunts and does the same again. J’s off to a shitty start with two punches to none and he’s still shoving to no avail at Marco’s torso until he finally gets a decent jab in and has his roommate doubling over. One quick manoeuvre and they’re flipped. J doesn’t hesitate, gets a good hit to Marco’s jaw and soon the guy’s reaching around, punching at his back and sides.

“I’ll fuckin’ kill you,” he spits, doesn’t know what exactly it is that he’s seething about, but it’s months -years- or built-up anger exploding out of him as his hands land around Marco’s throat and the guy keeps punching, but J tenses his body. Tenses his hands, squeezes, and feels Marco abandon his punches in exchange for shoves much like Jordan’s own; all elbows. He feels the man try to shift – try to turn his head, wondering where the fuck his so-called friends are whilst his roommate grits his teeth above him, squeezes harder like he’s trying to break his neck. And maybe Jordan is, he’s not sure, but—

There are half a dozen hands-on him outa nowhere and Jordan’s torn away from Marco with such strength that he lands halfway into the bathroom, bare back skidding against the floor, bruised skin burning from the friction as he stops in the room he’d been trying to get to all along. Only this time there are three pairs of fists punching as he curls up on himself.

There’s a kick and, somewhere in the back of his mind, Jordan thinks that’s a low fucking blow, three against one and now somebody’s kicking. But then there’s a couple more, simultaneously and, with his arms wrapped over his head, shoes pummelling into his sides and his arms and his legs, Jordan can’t tell how many of them are standing over him. Doesn’t know how the fuck they all piled into the tiny bathroom. He hears himself grunt, hears his own heavy, wretched breathing, hears his pulse and hears Marco choke, “stop. Get off him. Get the fuck off him!”

And just like that, they stop.

---

Everybody’s gone. It’s just the two of them sat beside each other on the couch, the kitchen light on and just barely illuminating the room from where it stretches to their side of it. Silent, watching the screen like it’s on. Like it’s not just black.

They haven’t been alone for long. Someone shot out an offer to take care of J. Something about getting him outa Marco’s hair for good. Marco lost his shit. J didn’t really have it in him to listen. Just paid attention for long enough to confirm that his roommate wasn’t about to confirm a kill order on him. He just lay there, the side of his face pressed against the bathroom floor, arms around his waist and knees drawn up and Marco cleared the room out. Then he’d knelt beside Jordan, hooked an arm under each of his, and pulled him up and towards the couch.

Honestly, considering there was a handful of them and they’re meant to be the big, bad wolves of Manhattan, J ain’t really hurting half as bad as he’d expected. All fuckin’ talk. Don’t mean he ain’t hurting, though. He’s pretty sure nothing’s broken.

“I crossed a line,” Jordan mutters now, a bag of frozen corn pressed to his side as he tries to breathe short and hollow. Tries not to move more than he has to. “I’m sorry.”

The freezer’s otherwise empty, so Marco decided to be courteous. Let J take the bag of frozen food whilst he suffered. “They won’t touch you again,” the man replies, his voice hoarse. His own version of an apology, Jordan’s pretty sure. “I’ll kill ‘em before they do.”

“What about you?” Jordan asks, and the man looks confused. “You gonna put hands on me again?”

“You started it.”

“S’just a question.”

A small laugh leaves his roommate's lips then; jaw slightly swollen and growing darker, and he shows his teeth for just a second before he closes his lips around a smile. “Probably. Can’t stand you.”

“Yeah?” Hard not to smile. J wishes he could explain why. He elbows him lightly and they both hiss in discomfort. “Back at you.”

Marco’s face ain’t so bad other than the welt on his jaw, but his throat is starting to bruise, and he hasn’t spoken above a mumble or a whisper since he called off his army. He’s a little hunched too, probably isn’t aching even half as much as Jordan is, but enough that, when they both fall into a soft bout of laughter, mostly huffing out breaths, they’re also both sucking air back in between their teeth again in pain. The synchronicity only pulls another chuckle from both, until they’re shaking their heads in unison and pulling their eyes from each other, looking back at the blank screen.

“I know,” Marco mutters before he slowly, carefully leans back into the couch. “I know you don’t fuckin… Worship me anymore.” Well, no shit. “We’re barely even friends.” Barely? That’s generous. “But I do regret what I did. Back on the Upper West Side. I think about it all the time.”

Jordan just nods. They’ve never talked about it. Somehow, it’s just never been brought up since. Both men as embarrassed as the other.

“Why’d you do it? Why’d you blame me?”

Lower lip between his teeth, Marco’s eyes are scanning the walls when Jordan looks over to him again. He looks a lot like he did that afternoon, nodding and repeating ‘yes, sir. Yes, sir. No, sir. I’m sorry, sir,’ as his dad spoke in that tone like he wasn’t gonna hit you but he might just kill you.

He looks guilty as sin. And his voice cracks when he speaks.

“I knew you’d run,” he tells him simply. “I was too scared. Saved up all that money to get outa there and never fuckin’ did it, but I knew you would.”

“Bullshit. You took a swing and then you passed the bat. You left me for dead. Y’thought I was gonna die just as much as I did.”

“I didn’t know what to do! What was I meant to do? His boys were downstairs, he was so fucking angry. I was scared, J.”

“Yeah, well so was I.” Jordan scoffs. “While you locked yourself in your bedroom to fuckin cry about it, your dad was beating the shit out of me upstairs for your fuckin’ lie. I didn’t know you stole those drugs, Marco. Fuckin’ asshole. I mean—what were you doing, eh? When I was up there. Counting another wad of stolen bills you had laying around?”

“I called Danny,” Marco snaps. “Put my fuckin’ neck on the line for you, calling him.”

That’s fucking rich. Jordan’s fucking hero picked up a phone and whispered an S.O.S down the line. “Well, then. I guess everything’s fine, then. Ain’t it?” Another scoff and he has to tear his eyes away from the man. Can’t fucking look at him, the way his brows bow like he’s got something to feel sorry about. “You only cared about yourself.”

“I was in love with you!”

“You’re pathetic.”

The light in the kitchen has something loose. A filament that rattles and makes the faintest tingling sound. It took a couple months of convincing himself that he’d accumulated tinnitus before Jordan figured it out. One of the many annoying fucking sounds in this apartment, right after the ticking boiler and the sound of Marco’s voice. There’s a long silence that he welcomes though. Is glad to hear the sound of the damn light if it means not listening to--

“You loved me,” the man decides, his voice level. Factual. “You were obsessed with me-- Don’t look at me like it ain’t true, Jordan. Fuck you. You loved me and you were fucking scared, too.”

Their first kiss was in a fucking storage container, full of cocaine and lit by a solar lamp. They fucked on the ground, lasted no more than five fucking minutes. And they’d talk back then, sure. Jordan’s mom would be off somewhere, and Marco’s dad would be making his next big deal, and they’d find themselves alone, watching TV or tryna cook their own food or navigate the ferry when they were a little too high. Back then Jordan would pretend they were a couple. In his head, they were cooking after a long day of work. Sitting down and watching TV. Putting their feet up after a long day. Making out when it was late and nobody else was around. Finally a moment alone.

And yet.

“You’re right, I was obsessed with you,” Jordan admits. “Everything you did was like… Fuckin’ genius. I wanted to be you. With you. Whatever.” Marco’s eyes light up, still needing to hear Jordan say it, after all these years. Still needing someone to tell him he ain’t nothing. “But I can honestly say, hand on fuckin’ heart, that I wasn’t in love with you. Not even for a second. Not even a little fuckin’ bit. I was fifteen and I was horny and I was bored of being scared all the damn time. So I picked the first asshole that kissed me and I latched onto it.”

“You’re full o’shit. You don’t even know what love—”

“I fucking know, Marco.” He doesn’t realise that he has it in him to stand until he’s on his feet, wincing as he forces himself to straighten up. “Y’really got yourself convinced that my life stayed miserable when I got outa here, huh?” Jordan accuses, bare arms crossed over a bare chest, soggy, defrosting bagged corn soaking into the couch. He could tell him about how he fell in love and it wasn’t even close to the shit Marco put him through. Could tell him that what happened in Massachusetts hurt more than what happened in Marc’s attic. Could tell him that he just fucking wants to go home but his home died in a prison cell with a needle in his arm.

Thing is, he ain’t sure Marco deserves to hear it.

“I didn’t fucking love you,” he tells him. “And I’m moving out.”

#• life •#m.#drug tw #overdose tw #violence tw #self para

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alwaysmarilynmonroe · 4 years

Text

Firstly, I want to apologize in advance for any insensitivity or inaccuracies in this post. I cannot pretend I am as educated as I would like to be, but I am extremely passionate in learning about others and using my privilege for good.

Since the horrific murder of African American, George Floyd on May 25th 2020, rightful outrage has broken out worldwide over the injustice and disgraceful blatant racism that is still going on in 2020. Fifty seven years since Martin Luther King Jr. spoke his, “I Have A Dream” speech during the March On Washington For Jobs And Freedom on August 28th 1963. Fifty one years since Marsha P. Johnson, a Black Trans Woman, Sylvia Rivera, a Latina American Transgender Activist, Raymond Castro, a Latino gay man, Miss Major Griffin – Gracy, a Black Trans woman and Storm Delaverie, a Mixed Raced lesbian, fought during the Stonewall Riots on June 28th 1969. Which begs the question, why is it half a century later so many Black Lives are being taken mercilessly each day?

With June being the month of PRIDE and as I am hugely passionate about LGBTQ+ Rights, I feel it is important to note that the first riot protesting was led by Black Trans Women and Gay Men. I must mention that Black Trans Women have an average life span of 35 YEARS – just let that sink in for a moment.

We are all the same, we are all human, nobody is born racist. It is so wonderful to have so many colours and cultures within our world and yet a huge number of people are hurting this. Without variety we would not be able to educate one another and learn about each others history.

For the people that are posting about how, “All Lives Matter” I can’t emphasize enough how frustrating this is. No one is saying that white people don’t matter, the injustice is not harming white people, there is no racial prejudice and harm coming to myself because of the colour of my skin. Yes, every single person in the world suffers and has hard times, but BAME are the only ones being persecuted because of their skin. The “Black Lives Matter” movement is bringing awareness to the dangers so many people suffer every single day, living in fear doing the most mundane things that we so often take for granted. It is worth noting that white people will never understand this pain and fear, but we can understand the suffering so many people of colour go through and try and prevent it from continuing. I have started a thread on my Twitter, to share each petition I have signed, hoping that others will take a few minutes to do the same – it is the least we can do.

I’m also going to share each of the petitions in this post, with information about the victims who have suffered such pain. People may have seen the murder of George Floyd and think this is the first of it’s kind and tragically, it is not. Police brutality is extremely real and not only is it happening in the USA, it is happening in the UK too. Inquest, have stated there have been 1741 DEATHS in police custody or otherwise following contact with the police in England and Wales since 1990, with 14% and 183 of them being of BAME . In 2019, mappingpolicebrutality states there were only 27 DAYS IN 2019 where police did not kill someone, 24% of the victims were black, despite being 13% of the population and in 99% of the killings NO ONE HAS BEEN CHARGED.

I simply must take the time to thank the amazing Nico, who runs blacklivesmatters, because of you I have been able to educate myself and sign petitions on incredible people, that I admittedly had no idea existed. Thanks to thehindu website, I have learnt that between 2013 – 2019, 42 PER MILLION populations of African Americans were killed in police shootings – the highest among races, with statistics showing they are THREE TIMES more likely to be murdered than white people. Furthermore, over 17% of African American victims were UNARMED.

Here are a few of the many lives which have been lost and families which have been destroyed. It is important to remember these victims and share their stories. I’m ashamed to say that I had only heard about one of the stories that I am posting, which goes to show how many are ignored, and never spoken about. This is not acceptable, no one deserves such inhumanity and suffering. I am aware that these facts are hard to read and may be triggering to some, which I do apologize for, not because they have to be read, but because they ever happened in the first place. It is our responsibility to educate ourselves and not turn a blind eye to the injustices and tragedies which is happening daily in our world.

Marsha P. Johnson (left) and Sylvia Rivera (right) at the Christopher Street Liberation Day Gay Pride Parade photographed by Leonard Fink on June 24th 1973.

Black Trans American Gay Rights Activist, Marsha P. Johsnon.

Derek Charles Livingston walks in the Million Man March in Washington DC by Roderick Terry on October 16th 1995.

Black Lives Matter Artwork by @Beccallen_design

I can’t find any information on the people, protest or photographer, if anyone knows please contact me!

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SAY THEIR NAMES.

TRAYVON MARTIN:

A 17 year old African American teenager, who was fatally shot in Sanford, Florida by George Zimmerman, on February 26th 2012. Trayvon was walking alone to his father’s fiancée’s house from a store and Zimmerman, a member of the community watch, saw Trayvon and reported him to the Sanford Police as suspicious. Several minutes later, there was an altercation and Zimmerman fatally shot Trayvon in the chest. Zimmerman was NOT charged at the time and when he eventually was tried, he was ACQUITTED of second-degree murder and manslaughter.

SANDRA BLAND:

A 28 year old African American woman, who was found hanged in her jail cell in Waller County, Texas, on July 13th 2015. Sandra had been pulled over for a minor traffic violation, three days earlier by State Trooper Brian Encinia, who ended up arresting her with the charge of assaulting a police officer. Part of the exchange was recorded and after authorities reviewed the footage, Encinia was placed on administrative leave for failing to follow proper traffic stop procedures. However, in December 2015, a grand jury decided AGAINST indicting the country sheriff and jail staff for any misdemeanors regarding Sandra’s tragic death. Encinia was eventually indicted for making false statements about Sandra’s arrest and was fired. However, in June 2017 the perjury charges against him were DROPPED, with the confirmation he would end his law enforcement career.

KATHRYN JOHNSTON:

A 92 year old African American woman, who was killed by undercover police in her home on Neal Street in northwest Atlanta on November 21st 2006. They broke down her door and fired 39 SHOTS at her, with five or six hitting – she fired one, which didn’t harm anyone. The officers were found to have falsified evidence, stating drugs were present in her home, which was the original cause for the raid. Jason R. Smith, Gregg Junnier, and Arthur Tesler were tried for MANSLAUGHTER and sentenced to only 10, 6 and 5 YEARS.

SEAN BELL:

A 23 year old African American man, who was killed the morning before his Wedding, on November 25th 2006. Detective Paul Headley fired one shot, officer Michael Carey fired three times, officer Marc Cooper shot FOUR TIMES, and officer Gescard Isnora shot ELEVEN TIMES and officer Michael Oliver shot 31 TIMES, reloading his gun AT LEAST once. Two of Sean’s friends, JOSEPH GUZMAN and TRENT BENEFIELD were severely wounded but thankfully survived. Isnora and Oliver were charged with first and second degree MANSLAUGHTER, whilst Cooper was charged with RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT. All three were ACQUITTED, only being fired or forced to resign from the force.

ERIC GARNER:

A 43 year old African American man, who was killed by New York police officer Daniel Pantaleo, after he was placed in a chokehold whilst being arrested on July 17th 2004. The medical examiners actually RULED HIS DEATH AS A HOMICIDE however, Pantaleo was NOT charged with murder and was only fired on August 19th 2019, MORE THAN FIVE YEARS after Eric’s death.

REKIA BOYD:

A 22 year old African American woman, who was killed by an off-duty Chicago police detective, Dante Servin, on March 21st 2012. Rekia’s friend, ANTONIA CROSS was also shot in the hand. Over a year later, in November 2013, Servin was charged with INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER, but was CLEARED OF ALL CHARGES, by Judge Dennis J. Porter on April 20th 2015. Servin resigned two days before his departmental hearing on May 17th 2016, FOUR YEARS after Rekia’s murder.

AMADOU DIALLO:

A 23 year old Guinean immigrant, who was murdered by four New York City plain clothed police officers, Sean Carroll, Richard Murphy, Edward McMellon, and Kenneth Boss, on February 4th 1999. They fired 41 SHOTS, of which 19 HIT AMADOU and were charged only with SECOND DEGREE MURDER – all ended up being ACQUITTED. In 2015, Boss was PROMOTED to sergeant – he had already murdered PATRICK BAILEY, a 22 year old Jamaican born American Citizen on October 31st 1997.

MICHAEL BROWN JR.:

A 18 year old African American man, who was murdered by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson, on August 9th 2014. Michael was UNARMED with his friend, DORIAN JOHNSON and his body was left in the street for FOUR HOURS before he was removed. On August 11th, a Civil Rights Investigation was opened, but on March 4th 2015, CLEARED Wilson of any civil rights violations. He was NOT charged. On November 29th, Wilson resigned from the force, citing security concerns.

KIMANI “KIKI” GRAY:

A 16 year old African American boy, who was murdered by two plain clothed New York City police officers, Mourad Mourad and Jovaniel Cordova, on March 9th 2013. He was shot at ELEVEN TIMES, and was hit by SEVEN of them. Mourad was nominated for, “Cop Of The Year” in 2014, despite being named in THREE FEDERAL LAWSUITS FOR VIOLATING CIVIL RIGHTS along with another shooting in 2011. Both have NOT been charged.

KENNETH CHAMBERLAIN SR.:

A 68 year old African American man, who was murdered by police officer, Anthony Carelli after inadvertently triggering his LifeAid medical alert necklace. The officers broke down his door, even after Kenneth stated he did not need assistance and had asked them to leave. They stayed for one hour trying to force the door open and an officer called Stephen Hart, swore at him and called him horrific racist words. Kenneth was UNARMED, which DNA evidence has proven and was TASERED and shot at TWICE. In 2012 the case was reviewed by a grand jury and the officers were NOT charged.

TRAVARES MCGILL:

A 16 year old African American boy, who was murdered by security guards, William Patrick Swofford and Bryan Ansley, in a parking lot on July 16th 2005. Originally, the two men were NOT charged, it wasn’t until FOUR MONTHS later in November, that Swofford was charged with MANSLAUGHTER and both with SHOOTING INTO AN OCCUPIED VEHICLE. The charges later ended up being DISMISSED.

TAMIR RICE:

A 12 year old African American boy, who was SHOT TWICE in Cleveland, Ohio by police officer Timothy Loehmann, on November 22nd 2014. He was simply playing with a TOY GUN and ended up dying in hospital the next day. Loehmann was NOT CHARGED and was only fired THREE YEARS LATER in 2017, after it was revealed that he had been labelled an EMOTIONALLY UNSTABLE RECRUIT and UNFIT FOR DUTY in his previous job.

AIYANA STANLEY-JONES:

A 7 year old African American girl, who was murdered by police officer, Joseph Weekley, during a house raid, on May 16th 2010. In October 2011, Weekley was charged INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER and RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT WITH A GUN. Weekley ended up having two mistrials and the judge actually DISMISSED the involuntary manslaughter charge in the second one. Five years later, on January 28th 2015, Weekley was CLEARED of his reckless endangerment with a gun charge, meaning the third retrial would not happen.

FREDDIE GRAY:

A 25 year old African American man, who was arrested on April 12th 2015 by lieutenant Brian W. Rice, officer Edward Nero, and officer Garrett E. Miller, after running away from them, whilst they were patrolling. Freddie was subsequently charged with having a knife in his possession, although no harm was caused and the knife was not used. Freddie was then placed in a transport van within 11 minutes of his arrest and half an hour later he was IN A COMA. He died on April 19th, a week after his arrest, with his cause of death being stated as injuries to his spinal cord. The medical examiners ruled his death a HOMICIDE, saying that his injuries had been sustained whilst being transported and that the officers FAILED TO FOLLOW SAFETY PROCEDURES. Six officers were filed with various criminal charges, including MANSLAUGHTER, ILLEGAL ARREST, RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT and SECOND DEGREE “DEPRAVED-HEART” MURDER for officer Caesar R. Goodson Jr., who was driving the van. Each officer was granted a separate trial, Porters resulted in a MISTRIAL, whilst Nero, Rice and Goodson were all ACQUITTED. Any of the various other charges were subsequently DROPPED.

SEAN RIGG

A 40 year old black man, who died following a cardiac arrest whilst in police custody, in South London, England on August 28th 2008. Sean suffered with paranoid schizophrenia and was in a vulnerable mental state, resulting in the hostel staff he lived with calling 999 FIVE TIMES over a period of THREE HOURS. They were informed by operator, Maurice Glove that Sean was NOT A POLICE PRIORITY. Response was eventually made after members of the public had observed Sean acting strangely in the street. Four police officers chased him and he was handcuffed and restrained in a face down position, being LENT ON FOR 8 MINUTES. FOUR YEARS LATER in 2012, Southwalk Coroner’s Court concluded police had used, “UNSUITABLE AND UNNECESSARY FORCE” and their failings, “MORE THAN MINIMALLY” contributed to his death. In March 2013, sergeant Paul White and officer Mark Harratt were arrested on perverting the court of justice, regarding the evidence presented at Sean’s inquest. However, in October 2014, the CPS decided NOT to charge them. Sean’s family did request a Right To Review policy and White was charged with PERJURY – ultimately, he was ACQUITTED in November 2016.

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PETITIONS TO SIGN:

Here are some of the petitions I have came across to support, it simply takes a few seconds of your time and every signature helps. Please also take the time to read the victims stories and share, together our voices have power and can hopefully help in moving towards a happier and healthier society.

• MINNEAPOLIS DISTRICT ATTORNEY: RAISE THE DEGREE • JUSTICE FOR GEORGE FLOYD (1) • CHARGE MINNEAPOLIS POLICE OFFICERS FOR MURDER OF GEORGE FLOYD (2) • JUSTICE FOR GEORGE FLOYD (3) • GET THE OFFICERS CHARGED: JUSTICE FOR GEORGE FLOYD (4) • SENATOR BLUMENTHAL: GEORGE FLOYD: WE NEED NATIONWIDE POLICE DE-ESCALATION (5) • JUSTICE FOR BREONNA TAYLOR (1) • JUSTICE FOR BREONNA TAYLOR (2) • JUSTICE FOR BREONNA TAYLOR (3) • JUSTICE FOR BREONNA TAYLOR (4) • JUSTICE FOR BREONNA TAYLOR (5) • DISBARMENT OF GEORGE E. BARNHILL • JUSTICE FOR AHMUAD ARBERY (1) • DISTRICT ATTORNEY TOM DURDEN: JUSTICE FOR AHMAUD ARBERY (2) • GOVERNOR BRIAN KEMP: JUSTICE FOR AHMAUD ARBERY (3) • DEFUND MPD • MANDATORY LIFE SENTENCE FOR POLICE BRUTALITY • JUSTICE FOR REGIS KORCHINSKI-PAQUET • JUSTICE FOR TONY MCDADE (1) • JUSTICE FOR TONY MCDADE (2) • JUSTICE FOR TONY MCDADE (3) • JUSTICE FOR JOAO PEDRO • SAVE INNOCENT JULIUS JONES FROM DEATH ROW • JUSTICE FOR BELLY MUJINGA • GOVERNOR KAY IVEY: FREE WILLIE SIMMONS • HANDS UP ACT • NATIONAL ACTION AGAINST POLICE BRUTALITY AND MURDER • ILLINOIS GOVERNOR: CORRECT WRONGFUL CONVICTION OF KYJUANZI HARRIS • JUSTICE FOR ALEJANDRO VARGAS MARTINEZ • CENSORSHIP OF POLICE BRUTALITY IN FRANCE • JUSTICE FOR SEAN REED • MAYOR JOE HOGSETT: JUSTICE FOR SEAN REED • JUSTICE FOR KENDRICK JOHNSON • JUSTICE FOR TAMIR RICE (1) • JUSTICE FOR TAMIR RICE (2) • FIRE RACIST CRIMINAL FROM THE NYPD • JUSTICE FOR JAMEE JOHNSON • JUSTICE FOR DARIUS STEWART (1) • JUSTICE FOR DARIUS STEWART (2) • ABOLISH PRISON LABOR • FREE SIYANDA MNGAZA • JUSTICE FOR CHRYSTUL KIZER (1) • JUSTICE FOR CHRYSTUL KIZER (2) • JUSTICE FOR ANDILE “BOBO” MCHUNU • FREE ERIC RIDDICK • JUSTICE FOR AMIYA BRAXTON • JUSTICE FOR EMERALD BLACK • JUSTICE FOR ELIJAH NICHOLS • JUSTICE FOR ZINEDINE KARABO GIOIA • RETRIAL FOR WRONGFUL CONVICTION OF ANGEL BUMPASS • SCOTLAND POLICE: INVESTIGATE THE DEATH OF SHEKU BAYOH IN POLICE CUSTODY • JUSTICE FOR JENNIFER JEFFLEY • FREE ALBERT WILSON • MADISON SOUTHERN HIGH SCHOOL: JUSTICE FOR MACIE • JUSTICE FOR AMARI BOONE • JUSTICE FOR CRYSTAL MASON • JUSTICE FOR RASHAD CUNNINGHAM • GOODWOOD MAGISTRATE COURT: JUSTICE FOR TAZNE VAN WYK • PORTLAND POLICE: JUSTICE FOR TETE GULLEY • DROP CHARGES ON MARSHAE JONES & CHARGE THE SHOOTER OF HER & HER UNBORN BABY • TEMPLE POLICE DEPARTMENT: JUSTICE FOR MICHAEL DEAN • STAND WITH #BLM • MOVEMENT4BLACKLIVES • PHOENIX POLICE DEPARTMENT: JUSTICE FOR DION JOHNSON • FIRE RON FREEMAN • MANCHESTER POLICE: JUSTICE FOR SHUKRI ABDI • DISTRICT ATTORNEY JIM WARD: JAIL TIME FOR DYLAN MOTA AND JACOB ROBLES • NSW POLICE: MANDATE THE POLICE FORCE ACADEMIES TO TAKE RACIAL BIAS TEST • JUNK THE ANTI-TERRORISM BILL AND UPHOLD HUMAN RIGHTS • NIGERIA POLICE FORCE: JUSTICE FOR YOUNG UWA • SCHOOLS MUST SPEAK UP NOW • SEATTLE POLICE: ARREST JARED CAMPBELL (1) • TERMINATE JARED CAMPBELL (2) • POLICE DE-ESCALATION TRAINING • PARDON CRYSTAL MASON IMPRISONED FOR VOTING. • JUSTICE FOR CAMERON GREEN • UNITED NATIONS: BAN THE USE OF INHUMANE RUBBER BULLETS (1) • UN AND US GOVERNMENT: BAN THE USE OF RUBBER BULLETS (2) • STOP USING ICE TO POISON IMMIGRANTS • THE TRAYVON MARTIN LAW – STOP THIS FROM HAPPENING AGAIN • COOKS COUNTY ILLINOIS POLICE: FREE CHAFFIN DARNEL Y • SUPPORT FORMER BUFFALOE POLICE OFFICER CARIOL HORNE TO RECEIVE HER PENSION • IMPROVE WORKING CONDITIONS FOR BLACK PEOPLE IN ITALY • DEFUND DALLAS POLICE DEPARTMENT AND INVEST IN THE LARGER DALLAS COMMUNITY • JUSTICE FOR BRITTANY CHRISHAWN WILLIAMS • RICHMOND CITY COUNCIL & MAYOR STONEY: MARCUS ALERT & CIVILIAN OVERSIGHT OF RPD • JUSTICE FOR QUENTIN SUTTLES • SAVE INNOCENT KENNETH REAMS FROM DEATH ROW • KING COUNTY POLICE OFFICERS GUILD: REQUIRE DASH AND BODY CAMERAS • DEFUND THE POLICE • JUSTICE FOR JAMES SCURLOCK (1) • JUSTICE FOR JAMES SCURLOCK (2) • CLASSIFY WHITE SUPREMACISTS AS TERRORISTS • JUSTICE FOR DAVID MCATEE • NO POLICE PRESENCE AT TACOMA BLM PROTEST • DEFUND SDPD • FIRE LAPD CHIEF MICHAEL MOORE • MAKE WASHINGTON STATE POLICE ACCOUNTABLE FOR POLICE BRUTALITY • FIRE OFFICER CAMILLE STEPHENSON • STOP ILLEGAL EXPORT OF RIOTING EQUIPMENT • JUSTICE FOR SHELLEY FREY • JUSTICE FOR ASHTON DICKSON • BAN/RESTRICT TEARGAS • KNOCK DOWN SLAVE MARKET CENTER • FREE ANTHONY WITT • JUSTICE FOR SANDRA BLAND • PROTECT UK BLACK TRANS WOMEN • REJECT TRUMP’S VIOLENCE TOWARDS PROTESTORS • MAKE POLICE BRUTALITY ILLEGAL • FIRE AUSTIN CHIEF POLICE • JUSTICE FOR BRAD LEVI • JUSTICE FOR JONAS JOSEPH • JUSTICE FOR DOMINIQUE CLAYTON • JUSTICE FOR ANDERSON ARBOLEDA • FREE CURTIS PRICE ______________________________________________________________________________

DONATIONS:

From reading various sources of information, it is advised to not donate to change.org, as it is a private corporation and none of the funds go towards the organizations or people that have put the petitions together. Of course, continue to sign the petitions, but please take the time to read their FAQ regarding donations.

Here is a list of recommended websites via blacklivesmatters: ______________________________________________________________________________

VICTIMS:

• GEORGE FLOYD MEMORIAL FUND • GEORGE FLOYD’S SISTERS FUND • GEORGE FLOYD’S DAUGHTERS FUND • BREONNA TAYLOR FUND • AHMAUD ARBERY FUND • REGIS KORCHINSKI FUND • JAMEE JOHNSON FUND • DESTINY HARRISON FUNERAL FUND • ERIC ROSALIA FUND • BELLY MUJINGA FUND • DION JOHNSON FUND • AARON JAMES FUND • TONY MCDADE FUND • HEALING FOR DARNELLA • DESTINY’S DREAM SCHOLARSHIP • JAMES SCURLOCK FUND • SUPPORT FOR LESLIE FUND • TREVER BELLE FUND • TAMPA BAY COMMUNITY SUPPORT • BRAD LEVI AYALA FUND • ALAJUNAYE DAVIS FUND • SAID JOQUIN FUND • DAVID MCATEE FUND • ITALIA KELLEY FUND ______________________________________________________________________________

* PROTESTORS *

• BALI FUNDS BY STATE • TAMPA BAY COMMUNITY SUPPORT • SPLIT DONATION TO 37 BAIL FUNDS • NATIONAL BAIL FUND NETWORK • BAIL FUND GOOGLE DOC • BAIL FUND TWITTER THREAD • GAS MASK FUND • UNICORN RIOT FUND • MESSIAH YOUNG AND TANIYA PILGRIM • EZEQUIEL VALDERAS BAIL FUND • BLM FRONTLINE FUND • FUND PROTESTORS IN THE UK • SUPPLIES FOR DC PROTESTORS • VENMO: FEMME EMPOWERMENT PROJECT ______________________________________________________________________________

* BLACK OWNED BUSINESSES *

• BLACK OWNED BUSINESSES THREAD • BLACK OWNED BUSINESSES ATLANTA • BURGERIM DALLAS TEXAS • EMW WOMEN’S

* EMW is the ONLY abortion clinic in Kentucky and is 1 OF THE 6 black owned clinics in the country.

• REBUILD SCORES SPORTS BAR FUND • REBUILD SACDELUX CONSIGNMENT STORE FUND • HELP TRIO THRIVE • ATLANTA BLACK OWNED BUSINESS RELIEF • REBUILD GUNS & ROSES BOUTIQUE FUND • SOMALI OWNED BUSINESSES • REBUILD SHOE MOUNTAIN FUND • REBUILD THE BLOCK FUND • MINNEAPOLIS BLACK OWNED BUSINESSES • LONG BEACH BLACK OWNED BUSINESSES ______________________________________________________________________________

* ORGANIZATIONS *

• Reclaim The Block • North Star Health Collective • NAACP Legal Defense Fund • Black Visions Collective • Black Disability Coalition • The Marshall Project • ACLU • Campaign Zero • Advancement Project ______________________________________________________________________________ * OTHER IMPORTANT PLACES *

• SUPPORT SYBRINA FULTON, TRAYVON MARTIN’S MOTHER WHO IS RUNNING FOR OFFICE IN FLORIDA • SUPPORT LUCY MCBETH FOR RE-ELECTION HER SON JORDAN DAVIS WAS MURDERED AT 17 BY A RACIST • BLM FUND • BLM LA FUND • SMALL BUSINESSES REBUILD • BAY AREA BLACK BUSINESSES FUND • LOVELAND THERAPY FUND • BLACK TRANS WOMEN FUND • NATIONAL POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY PROJECT • CHANGE THE NYPD • LAKE STREET CLEANUP • UNTIL FREEDOM • REBUILD NATIVE AMERICAN YOUTH CENTER • REBUILD VIETNAMESE RESTAURANT FUND • CAMBODIA TOWN RELIEF FUND • REBUILD JOY’S BEAUTY SALON FUND • LOCAL RICHMOND BUSINESSES (VA) • FORDHAM CLEANUP FUND • REDISTRIBUTION TO BLACK CENTERED GROUPS • DONATE TO END PERIOD POVERTY ______________________________________________________________________________ * USEFUL RESOURCES * • BLACK LIVES MATTER • BLACK MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES (1) • BLACK MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES (2) • CAPTAINS FOR DEAF OR HOH ______________________________________________________________________________

“PLEASE, I CAN’T BREATHE. MY STOMACH HURTS. MY NECK HURTS. EVERYTHING HURTS. THEY’RE GOING TO KILL ME.”

– George Floyds last words.

BLACK LIVES MATTER. Firstly, I want to apologize in advance for any insensitivity or inaccuracies in this post. I cannot pretend I am as educated as I would like to be, but I am extremely passionate in learning about others and using my privilege for good.

#black lives matter #black trans lives matter #black trans women #blackout tuesday #BLM #equality for all #i stand with you #lgbt #LGBT rights #LGBTQ #say their name #say their names

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tlerneymadlsons · 5 years

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is that [DEMI LOVATO]? no, that’s just [TIERNEY SUAREZ]. [SHE/HER] is [TWENTY SIX] years old and are an [OWNER OF DON’T FRET]. they’ve been in town for [ONE YEAR]. on a good day, they’re [CONFIDENT & INDEPENDENT]. but watch out! they can also be [TIMID & WITHDRAWN]. [RAINBOW BY KESHA] plays in my head whenever i think of them. can’t wait to see them around Springhill!

( tw: drug addiction, alcoholism and abuse )

( hi cuties ! it’s admin j, with one of her two sweet daughters ! )

BASIC FACTS:

tierney madison suarez is teagan’s identical twin sister ( obvs ) !

she was born and raised in dallas, texas !

she’s the daughter of a single mother — never knowing who her father was !

she’s technically a middle child — having three older siblings, teagan, and one younger brother, carlos !

teagan has always been and always will be tierney’s favorite sibling and absolute best friend !

although the two are polar opposites personality wise, the fact that they’re twins has given them a bond stronger than anyone who’s not a twin could ever know !

tierney had a pretty shitty childhood, to say the least !

her mother was a severe alcoholic and drug addict and often brought home a number of incredibly shitty boyfriends !

both tierney and teagan were the victims of various forms of abuse — both by their mother and her shitty ass boyfriends !

being abused left tierney a very scarred and disturbed little girl, causing her to close herself off from the world !

while teagan resorted to rebellious ways to mask her pain, tierney resorted to sheltering herself from the world !

she even closed out her siblings — all except teagan, of course !

fear and trauma caused tierney to be a timid child, and subsequently, a timid teeanager !

she was quiet, well behaved, and obedient — that is, until teagan began to corrupt her !

once teagan got ahold of her, tierney began to rebel !

she went to parties, she drank before she was 21, she did a variety of drugs — she basically became teagan 2.0, but slightly less intense !

tierney and teagan often enjoy pretending to be each other to confuse the hell out of people and get a good laugh !

after graduation, tierney decided not to follow her twin sister to california, and instead making her way to colorado in an attempt to get a fresh start ( and live her own life, not the life of an identical twin ) !

while in colorado, tierney attended the university of colorado denver; majoring in business and minoring in music appreciation !

when she was a little kid, her teachers always told her that she would run her own company some day, which is what lead her to choosing a business major !

the music appreciation minor came from her life growing up with teagan however, because the duo were always quite the musical pair – be it with radios blasting their favorite songs, or singing at the top of their lungs themselves !

tierney spent her entire college life in colorado, honest just doing her best to live her best life considering she didn’t get that opportunity growing up !

eventually, tierney had enough of denver and decided to move to a much smaller town, where she could try to be herself and live a normal ( ha ! ) life !

shortly after she and teagan moved to springhill, the twins had the idea to open up don’t fret – teagan is the creative part of the team, while tierney handles all of the legal aspects of running a company.

oh, i almost forgot – tierney is as gay as they come, and she’s incredibly proud of it !

POSSIBLE CONNECTIONS:

SIBLINGS - as stated above, she has one younger and three older siblings, so honestly to have ANY of those would be amazing !

TWIN SISTER - this girl is the other half of tierney’s soul. she means the absolute world to her and she would quite literally die for her if it came down to it. she’s her absolute best friend and they are literally inseparable !

SOMEONE FROM DALLAS - it’s always nice to know people from back home when you move to a new place, so that’s exactly what this person would be !

SOMEONE FROM COLORADO / UNIVERSITY - this would be someone that tierney met after she moved from texas to colorado. most likely someone from university, but could have just been someone she met around town !

A DON’T FRET REGULAR - this is someone that comes into tierney and teagan’s music store quite often. they probably have a lot of conversations, mostly about music !

TEAGAN’S FRIENDS - obviously if they’re friends with teagan, they’re friends with tierney, or at least they know each other since teagan and tierney are inseparable !

CRUSH - this one’s kinda self explanatory. it would be someone that tierney has a crush on. maybe they have a crush on her in return, maybe they don’t?

EX(ES) - this is obv self explanatory. they could either have ended on good terms or bad terms, doesn’t matter to me !

THE LOVE OF HER LIFE - also self explanatory. she could either have previously been with this person and fallen madly in love with them, or they could be strangers at the moment who are destined to fall madly in love with each other, either works !

QUITE LITERALLY ANYTHING ELSE - like i say all the time, i’m trash for plots, so throw your ideas at me !

( i will update this as i come up with more headcanons / facts about tierney, but in the meantime - like this or message me if you want to plot with my sweet child ! )

#( intro. )#springhillintro

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avaliveradio · 4 years

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Ghost u like it i love it Drops Some Truth with New Hip Hop Single 'What's Love'

Artist: Ghost u like it i love it

New Release: What's Love

Genre: HipHop, R&B

Sounds like: : Childish gambino , Chance The Rapper , j cole

Located in: : Seattle Washington , USA

The Ghost u like it I love it brand has always been about dropping real lyrics, facts, and truth.

This song is significant because it ties the new album coming out.

I think if you have been in a situation with someone who can't see the value in what yall have, those hidden feelings that never show or the person who can't see the truth will have a great connection to you and many others.

This song very important to this album or I would say this book I've been writing and sharing with everyone.

My influences have always been real artists and music so its a broad list of them. The message would never be afraid to express or show who you are.

Right now...

I'm excited with all the moves I and the team are making. It’s been a long journey and through all the crazy I can still say it was worth it. Hopefully, before the end of this year, I will be making a video for this song. I can't wait for the world to hear my new album.

About the Artist...

Ghost u like it I love it is an upcoming, well diverse artist. Well diverse, not only in his mastering of many music genres, but also in a specialized skill such as- music and video production, choreography dancing, and performing.

To add to the things he has done. Instead of waiting for a new label, he has been signed to 2 other labels in the past. He took over the last record label Adverse Effects in Canada in 2014 and he opened his label. After getting that he has released, produced, wrote, rapped, and sang on 169 tracks. As a business owner, Artist, Producer he is what you would call a triple threat. In 2020 Ghost u like it I love it has won 5 awards from the music he has done and Ghost’s music is unique.

If you listen to one of his 9 albums (her, her 2, her 3, Living in the moment, Music is my mistress, Transformation, Mr. U Like It I Love It, In The Company Of Two, Cicada) you will understand just what I mean. With lyrics that never bore, with true south Flava (which comes from being Texas born and raised), such a creative blending of music genres; he is the perfect fit to push the music and entertainment business into transformation.

My inspirations in this music are a lot of artists but if I could put them in one category it would be Motown classics.

LINKS: https://open.spotify.com/album/3DTzrAXrBb3AOrZdjg6im9 https://twitter.com/GhostULIILI https://www.facebook.com/Ghostuliili https://www.instagram.com/ghostulikeitiloveit https://www.reverbnation.com/ghostulikeitiloveit https://ghostulikeitiloveit.com https://3301musicgroup.com

#Ghost u like it i love it #Hip Hop music #Seattle #Washington

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chiseler · 5 years

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Rip Torn: A Retrospective

Rip Torn died on July 9th at age 88. That he lived that long is nothing short of miraculous.

In the summer of 1969, Rip Torn was drunkenly screaming through New York’s West Village on his motorcycle when he slammed it into a police cruiser. Torn broke his leg in the accident, but didn’t notice. The next morning he got up, got on a plane, and flew to Paris where he was set to star in Joseph Strick’s film version of Henry Miller’s Tropic of Cancer. He shot the entire film all hopped up on painkillers on an untreated busted leg,. And you know what? He still gives a remarkable performance. It wasn’t the only time he worked with broken bones, either.

For over 60 years, Torn carried on in the proud tradition of John Barrymore, Errol Flynn, Robert Mitchum, Frank Sinatra, and Lawrence Tierney as the last of the great Hollywood hellions. In between insane drunken escapades, he was nominated for Emmys and Tonys and Oscars, he established himself as one of America’s most respected character actors, a man with a knack for making even a small role a pivotal one, and he was in Every Movie and TV Show Ever Made. Next time you watch something take a close look at the credits and you’ll see.

Torn’s given name was Elmore Rual Torn, Jr., but was nicknamed Rip as a boy, as was tradition among all the Torn men. He was born and raised and educated in Texas, studying animal husbandry in college before turning to acting.

The motivation behind the decision was different than most. He hitchhiked to California to break into the movies not because he wanted to be a big star, but because he thought it would be an easy way to raise enough money to buy himself a ranch. Things didn’t work out quite so zip bang as he’d planned, though he did earn small roles on TV and made his feature debut in an uncredited role as a dentist in Elia Kazan’s great and scandalous 1956 film Baby Doll. Kazan hired him again the following year to play another uncredited but extremely important role in the equally great Face in the Crowd.

Although he wasn’t making the kind of money he needed to buy that ranch, he was getting enough acting jobs along the way to start taking the whole enterprise a bit more seriously. He moved to New York to study at the Actor’s studio, worked in theater both on and off Broadway, and from the mid-’50s to the mid-60s established himself on TV in everything from Playhouse 90 to Thriller to Route 66 to The Untouchables. After that things took off. There was just something sinister about Torn, those wicked eyes of his, that crooked-toothed leer, the whole rat-like demeanor, that suited him for villainous roles of all kinds. Plus he was a chameleon who could shift his whole look and stature with the simplest change of accent. He would go on to play Judas in King of Kings, countless presidents, doctors, senators, military officers and judges. He played rednecks and gangsters, cowboys and spies and executives. He played Walt Whitman twice, was in a whole bunch of Tennessee William’s plays (on Broadway, TV and film). Yeah, like I said, between the mid-’50s and the present, he was in every damn thing ever made. Trying to summarize his career is pretty much impossible, but there was a stretch there from the mid-60s to the late 70s when he was top billed when he was turning small supporting roles into leads, when he was moving easily between TV, experimental films, and big budget Hollywood jobs, and when he was starting to earn himself a reputation as a wild man.

Looking back on it now, it’s hard to imagine the kind of talent, both in front of and behind the camera, that came together on the 1965 period gambling picture The Cincinnati Kid. It was originally a Sam Peckinpah film with a script by Ring Lardner. Then Peckinpah was fired (surprise!) and Norman Jewison was brought in to direct. He thought the script was too self important and talky, so he brought in Terry Southern. He also gave Hal Ashby his first big break, bringing him in as editor and assistant director. Steve McQueen stars as a hotshot young poker player in ‘30s-era New Orleans. Karl Malden is a former hotshot on the skids. Jack weston is the loud whiny guy. Ann-Margaret is the bad girl, Tuesday Weld is the good girl, and Edward G. Robinson is the old man, the undisputed champ, the stud poker king feared by everyone.

Ah, then there’s Rip Torn. His name’s deep in the credits but the whole film turns around him. He plays the slick and sleazy Southern Gentleman who will stop at nothing to see the Robinson character toppled. See, Robinson beat him at poker once, and for a Southern Gentleman of his stature there’s nothing in the world worse than losing. There’s one scene in particular, Torn’s showpiece here, in which he tries to blackmail the dealer (Malden) into cheating, and though it doesn’t sound like much nobody can muster up the cool menace like Torn. Oooohhh, he’s such a rotten son of a bitch.

Four years later he starred in Moses Ginsberg’s first film, Coming Apart, an experimental number that’s been called “More a Happening than an actual movie,.” Filmed with a single static camera to recreate the feel of a documentary, Torn stars as an unbalanced psychiatrist who torments and confuses his female patients, eventually going completely batty himself. It all takes place in one small room shot by that one unmoving camera. It’s at turns compelling and unbelievably tedious, and if it weren’t for Torn (thank god for that Actor’s Studio improv training) it would be unwatchable.

Around this same time Dennis Hopper cast Torn to be in Easy Rider. Then at what was either a production meeting or a cocktail party in New York (depending on who’s telling the story), Hopper and Torn got into a bit of a ruckus over whether or not all Texans were rednecks out to kill hippies. A knife was pulled (though Peter Fonda would later claim it was a butter knife, or maybe a fork, or maybe both). Next thing you know, Torn was thrown off the picture, and Hopper cast Jack Nicholson in his place.

About a year later Torn joined the cast of Norman Mailer’s improvisational experiment, Maidstone. Essentially it was a raucous, drunken three-day party out at Grove Press founder Barney Rossett’s Long Island estate around which Mailer tried to film himself as a director trying to shoot a movie. As the story goes, before shooting started each actor was given a card briefly describing his or her character, and that was as close as anyone got to a script. One character, however, was given a card at random informing the holder that his character was in fact a CIA assassin whose job it was to kill Mailer. The card’s recipient was supposed to be kept a secret from everyone in the cast, including Mailer.

Well, according to Rossett there was a little confusion there. Maybe it was the booze, or maybe the card simply wasn’t worded clearly. In any case Torn (naturally) got the card, but instead of thinking his character was supposed to kill Mailer, he somehow got the idea that HE was supposed to kill Mailer. Lucky for Mailer, too, as the confusion resulted in the only scene in the film anyone remembers.

After the shoot was over and most everyone had gone home, Mailer and his family are walking back toward the house when they’re stopped by a grinning and quite mad Torn, who is also clutching a small hatchet. The cameras are rolling and you can tell this was something Mailer was not prepared for. Nor was he prepared when Torn goes after his skull with the hatchet. The two wrestle each other to the ground, Mailer bites Torn’s ear, Torn leaves a deep gash in Mailer’s scalp, and Mailer’s wife and children scream in horror until a couple crew members pull Torn off him.

And that, my friends, is entertainment!

(The next morning Rossett found a drunken midget floating in his swimming pool, but that’s another story.)

Then came the motorcycle accident and shooting Tropic of Cancer on a broken leg. As it happens there were two films based on Henry Miller novels filming simultaneously two blocks apart in Paris. Jens Jorgen Thorsen’s Quiet Days in Clichy starred Paul Valjean, an American dancer who looked an awful lot like Miller, but neither sounded nor acted like him. Torn, meanwhile, looked absolutely nothing like Miller, but somehow by adopting just the slightest hint of a Brooklyn accent (and on all those painkillers) was somehow able to embody him completely. It’s a gritty, funny, poetic film and Torn is great, though to be fair it should be noted that Clichy was dirtier.

Also in 1970, Torn spoke out against the war in Vietnam on a TV show, and a few nights later someone fired a bullet through his window. It was a hell of a year for him.

In ‘73s Darryl Duke film, Payday, Torn gives what he himself would later refer to as his best performance. Or maybe his favorite. In any case he’s really something as Maury Dann, a womanizing, hard-drinking, bastard son of a bitch of a second-rate country singer. Dann and his band are on tour through the South as Dann screws and screws over everyone around him, from band members to family, to pretty much every woman he meets. He never quite hit the top, but insists on acting and being treated like he has. Toward the end he even talks his chauffer into taking a murder rap for him, since he has to get to a show. It’s an extremely dark, cynical, and painfully accurate portrait of the country music business of the early ‘70s, and Torn does all his own singing. It makes for a nice counterpoint to Robert Duvall’s quiet, soft-spoken, and sensitive country singer in Tender Mercies from a decade later.

Although again his name is buried deep in the credits of Larry Cohen’s 1977 biopic The Secret Files of J. Edgar Hoover the entire film revolves around him. He narrates, after all, and gives another memorable performance as a young man who decides to join the Bureau after his father (another agent) is gunned down by a two-bit hood on the street. After seeing what’s going on in the FBI, though, and after being punished himself for a minor indiscretion, he tries to bring Hoover down a notch or two. In what could have been a hamfisted cartoon, both Cohen and Torn (and star Broderick Crawford near the end of his career) manage a shockingly human portrait.

As a flipside to Torn’s tendency to turn minor supporting roles into leads, there was 1978’s Coma, the medical conspiracy thriller directed by Michael Chrichton based on the Robin Cook novel. Torn was fourth-billed behind Genevieve Bujold, MIchael Douglas, and Richard Widmark. And sure, Torn’s character, Dr. George, is the film’s central villain, the man behind a Boston hospital’s fiendish conspiracy to harvest human organs and sell them on the black market, but he only appears in one scene, and speaks roughly four lines. It’s unclear whether this was the plan from the start, an attempt to turn his character into another Harry Lime or Mabuse, or if maybe all his other scenes were cut after Torn went after Crichton with a hatchet (we can only hope). In any case he was missed. He might have livened up what was otherwise a pretty godawful picture.

As Torn grew older and a little larger and his hair started getting thinner, two things happened. He began playing more authority figures, which only makes sense I guess. He had that look and sound about him. He also started doing more comedies and genre films. Sometimes he even combined the two, playing Ronald Reagan in ‘82s Airplane II: The Sequel.

In ‘91 he was Bob Diamond, the charming, sleazy, and utterly ineffective lawyer trying to give Albert Brooks a boost out of Purgatory in Defending Your Life. He was the sinister CEO in the otherwise dreadful Robocop 3. He even began lending his voice to animated features and video games (usually playing a god of some kind).

Then in 1999 Dennis Hopper was a guest on Leno and told a few old Easy Rider stories, including the one about how Torn had pulled a knife on him at a party. Well, Torn, remembering things a bit differently, sued him for defamation.

It’s pretty hilarious if you think about it; these two guys who were both completely out of their heads in the late ‘60s going to court to determine which one of them was behaving badly. I mean, they both had reputations to maintain.

Well, most of the witnesses agreed with Torn that it was Hopper who pulled the knife (except for Peter Fonda, who remembered all kinds of different utensils), and the court ordered Hopper to pay Torn nearly half a million in damages. It was all kind of silly. I mean, it’s not like the story cost him any work. Hell, trying to literally kill Norman Mailer on camera didn’t even cost him any work. But I guess pride’s a funny thing.

After that he continued to work regularly, as Agent Zed in the Men in Black films, in sit-coms, in made-for-TV films, christ, anything that came along. Every director I’ve ever heard talk about Torn can’t praise him highly enough for his talent and professionalism (except maybe Mailer), though given his admitted temper, it’s also possible they’re just scared of him. He was nominated for six Emmys for his role on the Larry Sanders Show, and came to be recognized by a whole new generation as the executive Alec Baldwin worships but wants to replace on 30 Rock.

Along the way he set himself the task of repairing any damage his reputation as a hellraiser might have suffered as a result of that Hopper lawsuit. The DUIs started adding up. Or at least getting noticed, in part thanks to the actor’s tendency to swing on the arresting officers. Along with being the president of the Extreme Dodgeball League (who knew it even existed?) it seems he was also an extreme regular at a bar near his Connecticut home. Every once in awhile the bartender himself would tip off the cops after Torn headed for his car. I’m not sure if that bartender’s still there, but even after being fingered like that Torn remained a regular, though he didn’t always drive. And that in itself might have caused some problems.

After returning home from the bar one night in 2010, Torn found his keys didn’t work in the lock. Seeing no alternative, the 79-year-old was forced to break into his own house. He was probably surprised a few minutes later, just as he got his shoes off and was making himself comfortable, when the cops arrived and informed him that he wasn’t in his house at all, but had broken into a nearby bank. And the cops were probably surprised to find Torn was carrying a loaded handgun. Yeah, he’s not the only one who’s been there, as I think many of us can attest.

Once it was clarified that it was not Torn’s intention to rob the bank, he was given a two and a half year suspended sentence and three years probation.

The arrest prompted the tightassed, no fun creators of Thirty Rock to kill off his character, but he remained as busy as ever, including an uncredited role as an alien in Men in Black Three.

He once proudly noted that he’s never missed a performance. He’s worked with broken legs, broken arms and ankles, and once while doing a play he passed a kidney stone on opening night. He was a rare, tough old bird, a vanishing breed, and one of my heroes. We won’t see his like again.

by Jim Knipfel

#Jim Kinipfel #The Chiseler #Rip Torn

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polygamyff · 5 years

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24.

Looking around the bedroom, and Robyn said she would clean this. It’s a mess, blood staines on the carpet too, I mean it’s memories because my daughter was born right here. There is still a stain on the bed, it’s a mess let’s just say. Robyn is with Reign so I thought I would come here and sort a few things out, I should be actually at the hospital because they are showing Robyn how to swaddle her, bathe her and things like that but then I don’t want Robyn coming home to this at all “Maurice, Al is here” turning around “I didn’t think we would meet so soon” Shaking his hand laughing “neither did I but things happen, my daughter is born and also I wanted to say thank you so much. The bedroom is how I imagined it” hes a good guy I like him “I wanted to also hire you for contracting for my apartments that are being made, to design the rooms” he gasped “really?” Nodding my head “yes but for now, this needs to be done today. She will be out, so it can be done right?” Al eyes widened “Jesus, Maurice. I work wonders but not this quick” I chuckled turning around “so as you can see, carpet needs to go, bed just get a new one. I know you got people. You can do it, man of many skills” Al sighed out “I can, fine. You want anything changing” shaking my head “just the baby crib that is in storage downstairs, needs to come here, but other than that. Fine” patting his shoulder as I walked off “thank you for always choosing me though” I trust him, I want to start building my own network where I can trust these people.

Jogging down the steps “what next Malik?” I am treating Malik like my assistant because I don’t have one or the time to look “bodyguards, the company that I have found are here” gesturing Malik to walk ahead “they are a legit company? Nothing to do with dad right?” Malik nodded “nothing at all, I told him the situation and he bought along one of his finest, not in a sexy way” Malik is stupid “ok good, where is Shawn?” He’s not here “he’s getting some things, to welcome the baby home. A little gathering, he’s going tomorrow” he’s been here for a while now “ok, how far along are they with the garage? Also there is a delivery coming today, take it” I’ve not been home in a while “they have made the space, now they are securing the building around it, we don’t want it collapsing” that is right we don’t “Matt, this is Maurice. Maurice this is Matt, he owns the security company” holding my hand out as I walked towards him “I’ve seen your face around, nice to finally meet you” shaking his hand “busy man, but it’s good to meet the man behind the company. So my brother told you the situation? Sit down” I gestured as I sat down on the couch, he’s bought along a very big in muscle black guy, he looks kind in the face “yes he is, privacy is one of them. He explained you want someone that would fit into the family, I bought along Jay. He’s one of the finest, he’s been doing this for ten years. He can have a gun if you wish, he is licensed to do so, with arrangements. When your other half needs him, she calls him directly, now because it can be at any time, Jay can potentially not be well that day but they will always be a back up plan, so it could be Jay or another one of ours, but there will be always someone. But Jay, he’s yours” Nodding my head “are you quiet?” I asked “no, just the boss told me to sit and listen” Nodding my head understanding “so mainly it will be just for my partner and my daughter, if we go out you will be there” that is all I want “what’s about yourself Mr Davenport? Are you not important enough because you really are” waving him off “it’s just me Matt, I want to protect the people important to me” forget about me.

Matt left Jay with us “you’re huge, well not in a bad way but you’re big” Malik is funny “I am not as big as some of the others, when the boss told me. I am going to have permanent base. I was happy, I always wanted to deal with a family. As I am a father just recently, celebrities are too damanding and annoying, also you don’t live far. It’s like ten minutes, so I am happy to be on this journey with your family” he seems like a very nice man “I like you already, so you just need to familiarise yourself with things Jay. So you know Malik, then you have my sister. Show him pictures Malik. They are fine. Shawn, you will see him soon. Then you’re going to have Robyn’ parents, fine. You just need to protect my partner from bullshit things, like my dad. Anyone else, you don’t know just push them. With you having a gun, for now, no. Robyn is pretty much not feeling this bodyguard business and then if she sees a gun, she may flip on me, I don’t want that. A little background on me, I am married still but she is in Texas. The marriage was not what I wanted, so I’m with a woman I want. Shit is complicated Jay, I have a lot of people hating me and they will love to get to Robyn to hurt me. It may come out that my daughter is the future heir of the company and that is when all the shit will fall. They don’t believe, when I say they I mean the family member involved in this company they don’t believe a girl should take over but me, as a father I do and it’s done. So I just need you to hopefully fit in well, which I see you will and just protect them” Jay nodded his head dapping me “I can see this being fun, I already like you. I have two kids, one boy and a girl that was born two weeks ago and I would give her the world. I know how you feel” I know I will be getting along with this guy.

Robyn should be, fingers crossed be ready for us to leave, I am ready to take my daughter home now. I will need to waste some time because Al is fixing the home for me, he better do it right “nice hospital this is, it’s safe” little does he know, my dad still got in “could say” I mumbled, walking down the lobby “I just need to check if Robyn is ok for us to go in, just wait here” opening the door “is this clear?” I asked but seeing Thomas in here it will be “what?” Robyn asked but I just waved Jay in “come in” walking into the room “hello everyone, family” Robyn’ grandparents are here “who is this man?” Robyn pointed behind me “this is Jay, Jay this is Robyn. My daughter, that is half dressed and her parents. This is your bodyguard from now on” Robyn’ face dropped seeing this guy “wow, ok” is the only thing she said “wait, why has my daughter got a bodyguard? What is the reason for this?” Thomas walked into my eye view “why?” He asked again “are you trying to say my daughter is in danger? What is it?” Clearing my throat “nobody is in danger, I just want to know they are ok when I am busy, that is it. He’s going to be around for her, I just want Robyn to be accustomed to him, please. Nobody is in danger” Thomas is not happy “I hope you are right Maurice, that is my baby. I told you she has to be safe” swallowing hard “and she is, this is why he is here, I understand” Thomas waked off from me, I wouldn’t danger Robyn like that so he needs to trust me.

Robyn sent her family to get the car seat from my car, all of them but that usually means she wants to talk to me “it’s weird ain’t it? Holding your daughter for the first time” Jay said “she is so cute boss, hell of a lot of hair. My daughter bald headed” I laughed loudly which made Reign flinch in my arms “you funny for that, bald headed” I chuckled still, he called his daughter bald headed and I find it hilarious “what is she called?” Jay asked “Reign-Texas Davenport. I still feel scared to hold her, she is just so tiny, I don’t want to ever hurt her you see. She is the best thing to happen to me, Robyn too of course” Robyn is looking so well, out of bed and walking “better be, so you’re Jay?” I just so happen to look over at Jay and he did check Robyn out, I don’t know if to feel a type of way with that or just shrug it off, I mean which man doesn’t look “yes I am, I am hoping to just integrate with the family. I understand it’s something different but my only job is to keep you safe” clearing my throat “you think she is pretty?” I had to say it, his cheeks turned ever so red “erm, I mean yeah but it’s not like that” licking my lips squinting my eyes at him “good, I’m glad you think she is pretty now watch where you look, got it? I will kill for her” I ain’t playing “Maurice, stop it” Robyn laughed, but I’m not joking “I get it” Jay said “see he gets it, but remember those words” Robyn shook her head at me “my dad is not impressed by this, you do know this right? He thinks someone is out here trying to kill me now, just be nice to him about this, he is worrying now. I just need to get used to this myself, it’s all new to me too” I guess so, I knew Thomas was thinking what the fuck.

I will be around for Robyn with Jay around until Robyn can get used to it, I just want Robyn fine before I go “what we waiting for now?” I am sick of this hospital “you want me to check boss?” Jay said “yes, go and tell them to hurry up” waving him off “we’re just waiting to be released that is it, they need to just check before we can go” Robyn spoke up finally, she has been so engrossed with her phone “it’s ok, Jay will find out” shifting in my seat “Terry, Thomas. Grandparents, I don’t want you all worrying, thinking that something is wrong. Bodyguard is something even my dad has, the only difference is that I seem to be in the public more than he was, I personally just want Robyn to be ok, after what happened at the party. Not many people are happy for us but there is no shit going on, I promise y’all. She is safe” my phone started ringing in my hand, it’s Malik “go on” answering the phone “dad told me to tell you, you have a meeting in New York, you go. He is not well, it’s in two weeks” see, he is not talking to me “he’s not speaking to me huh?” kissing my teeth “you know what, fine. Did he tell you what it was? What the hell is Nalah doing? Painting her damn nails?” she is supposed to be helping me here “nigga I don’t know, he said it’s a meeting. Preparation for your hotel opening, he just doesn’t want to do anything, do it yourself. It’s yours but told me” I groaned out “right, right. Ok, you need to go to New York Malik, I am sorry I can’t go there and not know what it is, you need to be my assistant until I get one” I know he hates “please don’t-” hearing the beeping on my phone, it’s Nalah “I’ll call you back, It’s Nalah” they all call at one time.

Answering Nalah’ call “took your time, what are you doing?” I would like updates “they coming” Jay said, nodding my head turning away from him “I am just with mother, oh god Maurice. She is so heartbroken, dad. Hear this out, there is a picture of you, Beyonce, Robyn and Leon. It’s online and dad pointed at it and said that is her, mom just said he didn’t tell me. Her and dad are arguing, she blames him that they won’t see the girl, I said I have seen her and now they both ain’t talking to me, so it’s going great Maurice” I am glad I am not there “well I don’t know what to do with her Nalah, I don’t” I am at a loss with my mom “oh and dad still wants to see you in Texas every week, another message for you. He said business as normal, did Malik tell you about New York? You have to go, it’s about Dubai. It’s the first hotel there Maurice, you need to make sure that is promo’d the fuck out of. Tallest hotel building, it needs to be done. Speak to the promo team” I think I need to change this “Nalah, you need to be in New York next week, forget Malik. He is slow on things, you know how to work the business. Please Nalah” I know she deep down loves it “I will do it because you’re my brother but fine, the family is going to be there. Grand opening, millions of dollars on this, investors. Get working, but also love Reign” she is saying that when I just see shit after shit to be done “I know, just call me. Tomorrow, we need to go in detail with things. And tell mom, I am sorry and to call me when she is over this tantrum” disconnecting the call, that call was the longest thing on earth and then everyone was listening, I felt so awkward and now everyone can see I am stressed.

Walking out of the hospital, finally. We can leave with my daughter, holding the car seat ever so proud. I am just the proudest father, Jay had to make two trips with Thomas to bring the baby gifts, half went in Thomas’ car “I ain’t going to lie, I am nervous” I openly admitted on the elevator “why?” Robyn asked grinning at me “this is it now, my daughter been in there protected now she is in the big wide world. Surreal moment for me, to walk out with a baby” Terry smiled at me in such a loving way, she seems happy, or should I say proud “I want a picture, like this of you all. We will do that off this elevator” I chuckled “no way, I look a mess. Bye” Robyn denied the picture offer, stepping off of the elevator “no, please just stand there” Terry said, she really want this “it’s a memory for us all” Robyn didn’t look impressed but she did it, placing my arm around Robyn “hide my face more” she pulled down my snapback she stole from me “you done?” Terry said before the phone flash went off “my future son in law, my daughter and granddaughter. I love it” Terry is so proud and I love to hear and see it.

I couldn’t even get Reign’ car seat in my car, Thomas did it for me “It’s a nice car, it’s crazy. She is going home in a Rolls Royce” Thomas moved back from the door “she is still asleep too” pressing the remote to close the door “amazing car” Thomas gushed “y’all coming to my place yes?” I asked, I want them to “yes, we will meet there. You drive ahead because I want to drop off the parents” walking off slowly “ok, good. Meet you there” watching Jay get into the back of the car “no, I want to sit in the back, please!” Robyn shouted before grabbing my arm “yes babe?” I said “is everything ok? This is meant to be a happy moment for us and I don’t want you to be all stressed, from the phone call I can hear that you have to go away?” she kind of gathered then “yes, I will have to work something out. I don’t want to be away from you both, I am trying Robyn. Honestly, but I will work something out ok?” Robyn looked at me in sadness “no, I don’t want you stressing, you go. I know I said what I said with you being home but we didn’t expect your family to know, for now it’s fine. I am home for her but when I go back to work it will be stressful “look, you come first. We will see how it goes, I am happy. We good, just rest when we get home. Leave that to me ok?” I will probably die stressing “we will talk after” walking around the car, I don’t want Robyn to even think on things like that.

#chrianna #chrianna ff #fanfic #fanfiction

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baromtm-blog · 5 years

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⋆ ╰ another year at hollingsworth , another year of the big six rivalry . i hear that BAROM BANG is ensuring PHI GAMMA IOTA gets a solid pledge class and stays at the top of the ranks . oh , you’re not familiar with HIM ? ROMY is the KIM YUGYEOM look alike from CHARLESTON , SOUTH CAROLINA . apart of PC ‘16 , he is majoring in FINE / STUDIO ARTS and has plans to DEBUT HIS ARTWORK AT A RENOWNED MUSEUM after undergrad . it makes sense they pledged their house , their SAGACIOUS & CHIVALROUS attributes make them perfect matches . however , their PUERILE & CONCUPISCENT attributes keep their name alive on greek rank . if you don’t catch them dancing to PLAYING GAMES - SUMMER WALKER at a fraternity band party this year , you’ll be sure to catch them nursing their morning hangover at THE LOFT APARTMENTS . cheers to another wild semester !

hi babies , it’s ares again with another muse ! he is a slight mash of the chara i was originally gonna bring to the group , but decided that i like this version much better ! i won’t talk your ears off about myself or anything since i know this intro is about to be ... how do i say ... lengthy as it’s very background / family history heavy . but as always , i can’t wait to write with everyone ( again ! ) and i’m not ashamed to admit that j*stin b*eber’s ‘ journals ’ helped a lot with muse lmao . i’m also a complete IDIOT who reblogged the same gifset twice but i refuse to delete it because yugyeom is beautiful , don’t fight me on that .

trigger warnings : detailed talk of religion , minor mentions of death , poor writing , and sugaring .

korean name : bang ba-rom .

preferred spelling / arrangement : barom bang .

nicknames : romy / romey and romeo ( by his older sister only ) .

birthday / age : february 14th , 1998 / 21 .

zodiac : aquarius .

pronouns : he / him or they / them .

gender : genderfluid .

sexual orientation : bisexual .

romantic orientation : biromantic .

height : 6′0″ ( six foot , zero inches ) .

hometown : charleston , south carolina . ( click ! )

current location : savannah , georgia .

nationality : korean - american .

ethnicity : korean .

languages spoken : english , korean , japanese , elementary latin , and conversational mandarin .

bang family inspo : the greenleafs ( greenleaf ) , the gemstones ( the righteous gemstones ) , and the osteens .

𝖎𝖙 𝖜𝖆𝖘 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖘𝖚𝖒𝖒𝖊𝖗 of 1958 when 𝑘𝑖𝑚 𝑗𝑖-𝑚𝑖𝑛 was born in sydney , australia to dong-wook and sook-ja , immigrants from seoul , south korea . the family was small , but loving as it was fueled with love , patience , and the parents’ love for the lord . ji-min grew up in a home that was religious , but not to the extreme , as she was expected to go to bible study on wednesdays and attend service on sundays . dong-wook and sook-ja were pillars of their community -- they hosted potlucks after service , always had small cookouts whenever they felt the need to , and they’d give the clothes off of their backs if someone needed clothes . overall , the kims were the neighbors that everyone wanted , so everyone around them was crushed when the kims decided to leave behind australia for the states -- specifically , south carolina .

𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖋𝖆𝖒𝖎𝖑𝖞 𝖔𝖋 𝖙𝖍𝖗𝖊𝖊 settled in the city of charleston , south carolina and during this time , dong-wook and sook-ja came up with the idea to open their own church . so , in the late 1960s , songbird church was born . of course , the congregation was small ( as was the church building itself ) and the kims paid their way through divinity school in order to become pastor and first lady respectively . through the years , the congregation at songbird began to grow to the point where they were able to purchase a bigger building , and the kims were once again pillars of their community . during this time , ji-min met a member of the congregation named 𝑏𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝑗𝑜𝑛𝑔-𝘩𝑦𝑢𝑛 who was only a year older than the then fourteen year old . the couple dated for four years before getting married in 1982 , about four months after ji-min turned eighteen .

𝖜𝖎𝖙𝖍 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖉𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖑𝖔𝖕𝖒𝖊𝖓𝖙 𝖔𝖋 technology , it was the start of 1986 when songbird was first televised and thus changed from songbird church to songbird ministries . dong-wook and sook-ja drew in a large amount of viewers through their channel , and it was soon that they were moving their church once again to a bigger building . ji-min and jong-hyun decided to head off to harvard’s divinity school to help run the church as co-pastors . soon, the televised services were being given in english , spanish , and korean , one of the first churches to do so . three years later , ji-min and jong-hyun welcomed their first child , 𝒏𝒂-𝒚𝒆𝒐𝒏 , in the winter of 1989 . after the birth of na-yeon , the bangs were soon having the second child , a son named 𝒋𝒊-𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒐𝒍 , in 1993 .

( death tw ) 𝖘𝖔𝖓𝖌𝖇𝖎𝖗𝖉 𝖒𝖎𝖓𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖗𝖎𝖊𝖘 𝖍𝖆𝖉 𝖎𝖙𝖘 first tragedy when dong-wook passed unexpectedly from a heart attack in 1995 . considering that dong-wook and sook-ja never had any other children , the position of lead pastor was given to ji-min and jong-hyun was considered to be the ‘ first husband ’ of the church . sook-ja took on the role of co-pastor as she was getting older , and would often lead women’s retreats and things of the sort . three years after dong-wook’s unexpected death , jong-hyun and ji-min welcomed their third baby , another son named 𝒃𝒂-𝒓𝒐𝒎 . it was a year later when sook-ja decided to formally retire from songbird , leaving the church in the hands of jong-hyun and sook-ja . the two of them brought new ideas to the table and soon , the church grew even more than it had in its near 30 years that it had been open .

𝖎𝖓 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖘𝖕𝖗𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖔𝖋 2000 , the final bang baby was born , a healthy baby girl named yuna . the family continued to hold high positions within their community , and everyone knew their names wherever they went , and in the fall of 2008 the family opened the doors of the songbird ministries campus , where they were able to seat 16.9k congregates . by this time , na-yeon was attending duke’s divinity school with aspirations of becoming a co-pastor at songbird while ji-cheol was a youth pastor . so , where did that leave little ba-rom ?

𝖋𝖗𝖔𝖒 𝖆 𝖞𝖔𝖚𝖓𝖌 𝖆𝖌𝖊 , barom knew that he didn’t want to be a part of songbird . while he did love the church and everything , he knew that being a pastor wasn’t in the cards for him . much like many middle children , barom felt like he was often overlooked or ignored , so his parents didn’t really pay much attention as he did what he wanted to . it didn’t help that na-yeon would often cover for him . barom was the child who only embraced his church boy image when it was necessary for him , and when he reached high school and would often find himself sitting across from the principal , his favorite phrase was ‘ don’t you know who my parents are ? ’ barom , even though he was often overlooked , was ridiculously spoiled by his parents . during his summers away from charleston , he was often spending time at the family’s summer house in the hamptons or when winter break rolled around he was jetting off to the aspen mountains for some snowboarding .

𝖉𝖚𝖗𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖍𝖎𝖘 𝖞𝖔𝖚𝖙𝖍 , 𝖇𝖆𝖗𝖔𝖒 had an affinity for the arts , particularly fine arts . he liked going to museums , he enjoyed getting new art supplies for christmas or his birthday , and he often took home first place whenever he entered into his school’s art competitions . this explains why after he graduated from high school , he began to look into art programs at various schools . the summer before attending college ( ultimately at hollingsworth u. ) barom goes off to italy to take a summer long art course . he was staying in venice and spent most of his days sketching , painting , and making memories until he encountered a man a few years older than him . at only twenty six , the man was wealthy and liked to flaunt it , especially with a wide - eyed barom . they spent time on the man’s yacht , partying with other wealthy italian locals . funnily enough , at that time , barom only wanted one thing from the man -- his money .

𝖔𝖋 𝖈𝖔𝖚𝖗𝖘𝖊 , 𝖇𝖆𝖗𝖔𝖒 𝖈𝖔𝖚𝖑𝖉 pay his own way and do whatever he wanted , but there was something about being able to bat his eyelashes and make someone weak in the knees that made him feel powerful . in essence , barom had become a sugar baby , and he was perfectly content with that . no one could tell him no , and boy was he bratty if they even attempted to . the summer comes to a close and he’s back stateside to attend his first year of college , and all goes well . during this time , barom decides to pledge phi gamma iota , the epitome of nice boy frats , but barom was nothing close to a nice boy . during his second semester , barom became involved with his second sugar daddy , a rolling in dough man in his forties who was bound to take over his father’s oil company in texas . the man was on vacation in savannah , ga ( with his wife , no less ) when he encountered barom at a lively nightclub in town . he may have only been eighteen , but barom soon had the man tipsy and wrapped around his finger , whispering sweet nothings into his ear while getting what he wanted .

𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖗𝖊𝖑𝖆𝖙𝖔𝖓𝖘𝖍𝖎𝖕 𝖈𝖔𝖓𝖙𝖎𝖓𝖚𝖊𝖉 𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖓 after the man returned to texas , but that didn’t stop barom from going to live his best life in new york over the summer . once again he spent time focusing on his art in a new city , but he also found himself playing the same tricks on a man in his thirties , who became trapped under barom’s thumb with only a few kisses on his neck and his skilled usage of his ‘ fuck me ’ eyes . out of the sugar daddies that he’s had , the one from new york was the only one that he had ever been intimate with . to barom , this one was a bit different for whatever reason and the two decided one night to go out to an upscale club in manhattan . the two sipped alcohol until the early morning hours , soon leaving the venue so wrapped up in one another that they missed the paparazzi lingering outside ( did i forget to mention that his man was ahem ... ~famous ? ) . so anyways , some risque photos of the couple get taken due in part of these fools not letting up the window to their car ( nothing bad , but let’s just say that barom looked as though he was thoroughly enjoying himself ) .

𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖌𝖚𝖞 𝖊𝖓𝖉𝖘 𝖚𝖕 ending their relationship when he gets blackmailed for them , and maneater barom had his heart broken for the very first time . thus , when he returns to #hworth for his junior year , barom avoided getting another sugar daddy for an entire year . he focuses on his fraternity , schoolwork , and really buckles down on his art . his junior year goes well , but an old dog won’t learn new tricks , so the summer before his senior year , barom picks up his fourth ( and most current ) sugar daddy , a guy who lives in buckhead , atlanta and honestly don’t ask me why , but i picture him as a young matthew mcconaughey . again , DON’T ask me why .

𝖆𝖘 𝖋𝖔𝖗 𝖍𝖎𝖘 𝖕𝖊𝖗𝖘𝖔𝖓𝖆𝖑𝖎𝖙𝖞 , barom is quite wise for his age , and he partly blames that on the fact that he grew up in the church . if you’re in need of some sound advice , he’s your man , but he’s gonna beg you not to ask as well . despite his sugaring ways , he is also very independent and likes to do things on his own . his family may have provided him with the best of things ranging from maids , butlers , and a slew of foreign cars , but he liked to do things on his own . he found doing his laundry or washing his dishes after dinner as quite therapeutic , and he’s still the same way to this day . negatively speaking , barom can be very childish , but i would say leaning more on the bratty side . as a man who’s used to getting his way , being told no will turn him into a pouty baby in no time and he’s the worst because i swear he’ll sit in the middle of the floor and pout until someone says yes . he can also be lewd in his speech and it mostly stems from the fact that he is extremely confident with his sexuality . it’s even worse when he’s had alcohol -- this is when he gets more relaxed and he’s more likely to start turning those sweet nothings to tender touches and soft kisses . also , you should know that he’s the biggest blackpink stan so if you hear him blasting their music , chances are , he’s wearing a face mask with his hair pulled back by a pikachu hair band and living his best life .

as for most wanted connections :

i would really love the drama of someone figuring out that he’s a sugar baby and holds it over his head all the time ? and barom always is whisper yelling at them to not tell anyone or his life would literally be ruined .

hmm , i think it would be interesting for him to have a crush because he wouldn’t know what to do with himself . he’d be a little awkward baby around them with blushed cheeks and probably stuttering all the time .... i need it !

i’m literally so desperate for an angsty friends with benefits or ex friends with benefits because i’m such trash for plots like these it’s not even funny .

um , i’m also down to brainstorm or work based on chemistry but i’m really excited to plot and interact with everyone again !

#rank:intro #can ya'll tell i gave up formatting the words w the fancy font #FNADKAFHDA #i'm late as always but what's new !!#can't wait to plot w everyone again !!

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bobbystompy · 5 years

Text

68 Quotes I Enjoyed From 2019

Below are my favorite quotes from 2019. Though most occurred throughout the year, some took place before but were encountered during.

1) “I don’t bitch about Millenials.

John Entwistle once complained that he didn’t understand rap. Pete Townsend said, ‘It’s not our job to understand it. It’s our job to get the fuck out of the way.’

New generations come of age. The older generation’s job is to shut up and adapt.” - @danagould

2) “I can’t do drugs with you until we kiss.”

3) “If you pay me $50 I'll show up to your funeral but stand really far away, holding a black umbrella regardless of the weather, so that people think you died with a dark and interesting secret.” - @DanaSchwartzzz

4) “A human being is a dangerous thing to let loose in a room with itself, when it cannot think.” - Roger Ebert

5) “There are no bad bourbons, only better bourbons.” - Dave Hernandez

6) “You can’t put a dollar in a kimono.”

7) “This is how it was.” - rampant takeaway from watching ‘Superbad’ several years after its release

8) “What if I had been born fifty years before you in a house on the street where you lived / Maybe I’d be outside as you passed on your bike / Would I know? / And in a wide sea of eyes, I see one pair that I recognize” - Ben Folds, ‘The Luckiest’

9) “Learn the rules so you can break them.”

10) “Nobody makes chili for two.” - Stacy Massey

11) “‘Best city in the world,’ I mutter to myself, as i adjust my ‘driving blanket’.” - Chicago resident Deanna Belos, during the 2019 Polar Vortex

12) “Dude, no one’s ever got arrested for listening to Counting Crows.” - Ricky O’Donnell, justifying late night music volume at his party

13) Bill Belichick: We’re going to have fun tonight. Rob Gronkowski: Yes we are. We deserve it. Belichick: You’re damn right. Gronk: I haven’t stepped out in like eight months. I gotta step out tonight. Belichick: I’m with you, man. I’m even going to step out. Gronk: Oh, I like it!

A Super Bowl winning exchange.

14) Center David Andrews thanked Bill Belichick for giving him "a shot".

Belichick disagreed with it.

Andrews: Thank you for giving me a shot. Belichick: A shot? I didn't give you shit. You earned it! I don't give anything.

Another Super Bowl winning exchange.

15) “We elected one of the very worst living human beings to be President, and it's exhausting. Each and every day, it's an exhausting slog, just to exist in a world where that's true.” - Michael Schur

16) “Some of y’all always picked Odd Job when you played Goldeneye and it shows” - @thedad

17) “Any app is a dating app if you try hard enough.” - Z.W. Martin (though he says it’s lifted)

18) "Once you're as woke as I am, you learn to feel bad all the time.”

19) “Everything’s a balance beam when you’re 90.” - John Dingell

20) [I wake up in a world where The Beatles never existed]

Me: Check out this song I just wrote

[I begin playing “Ob La Di Ob La Da” without having first built up years of goodwill]

Crowd of people: Wow, this sucks ass

-- @seanoneal

21) “People change people.” - Corey Matthews, Girl Meets World

22) “The easiest thing to do on earth is not write.” - William Goldman

23) “Dan could be like a difficult uncle. I didn’t love his fire-breathing conservative politics. I didn’t love the transformation that came over his novels. In Semi-Tough, he created two benighted Texas jocks and laid their prejudices bare. He was declaring himself a member of the Mark Twain coaching tree. In later books, Dan seemed to be trying to prove he could still tell a racist joke. He insisted that his memoir—the last truly immaculate piece of writing he delivered—include a tirade against political correctness. When his editor said people might be offended, Dan said, ‘Fuck people.’

There are certain writers whose style you pilfer. Certain writers whose moral fiber you try to inherit. For me, Dan represented a third category: a writer whose aura you replicate—or, failing that, try to stand in for a while.” - Bryan Curtis, on Dan Jenkins

24) “Never marry anything. Never choose. Even in love, it's better to be chosen.” - La Dolce Vita

25) “An uncluttered, uncomplicated happy ending might sound wonderful, but it’s hardly ever satisfying. Because the value of great stories lies in the tension between desire and need, between the yearning for the ideal, and the unshakable conviction that ideals don’t really exist, at least not the way we want them to. A great story should hurt a little when it leaves us. There should be some hope, but that hope should remain somewhere just an inch beyond our fingers, because that’s the truth. Even if you had all the perfect moments in the world, you’d still be reaching.” - Zach Handlen, on the Futurama series finale

26) “You can’t see him because he has sunglasses on.” - Alissa Levy

27) “The cinema is the greatest art form ever conceived for generating emotions in its audience. That's what it does best. (If you argue instead for dance or music, drama or painting, I will reply that the cinema incorporates all of these arts).” - Roger Ebert

28) “‘Are you gonna let politics ruin a friendship?’

Yes tf I am

People talk about politics as if it’s this isolated, abstract concept that only matters at election time. Somebody’s politics is their world view. It’s whether they think certain human beings deserve rights. It’s how they think the world should be. And if somebody thinks that the world should be colder, meaner, less accepting and downright hostile to people that are different to them, then sure as fuck is the friendship over.”

29) “Can the Supreme Court get me mushrooms?” - J-Papp

30) “Any song under two minutes already has a head start on its way into my heart. Just scream at me and then leave me.” - Drew Magary

31) “Long neck cold beers never broke my heart.” - Clemson Tom

32) “I’d just like to point out that the last spoken words of Game of Thrones were:

‘I once brought a jackass and a honeycomb into a brothel.’”

- @Authoroux

33) “Just once before I die, I want to toss my keys to someone and tell them ‘Bring the car around’.” - Mike Skully

34) “For all the weight they're given, last words are usually as significant as first words.” - Grand Maester Pycelle, Game of Thrones

35) “The best remedy for unrequited love is a trip around the world.” - Cheers

36) [on switching from a hotel to a motel]

Manny: I don't like the sound of that. A lot of amenities disappear when an H turns into an M. Jay: Hey when I met you, you were eating cereal out of a bucket.

-- Modern Family

37) “You and Lindsey don’t want to be ‘estranged’. Estranged is the relationship we want to have with our mothers.” - MegFil

38) “Cigarettes are undefeated.”

39) “My toes are like my fingers on my feet. I can pick stuff up with them.” - Tracy Cunningham

40) “Republicans govern without shame, Democrats shame without governing.” - Bill Maher

41) Sam: I don’t understand the vagaries of the Internet Josiah: Post often, without thought, and you’ll either get cancelled or cancel someone else.

-- Blink-155

42) “Hang a lantern on your problems.”

43) “What a weird web we weave.” - The Situation, The Jersey Shore: Family Vacation

44) “Let the ocean worry about being blue.” - Alabama Shakes, ‘Hang Loose’

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45) “Honesty without tact is cruelty.” - Shelley Rokos

46) “My whole life is the wrong porn link.”

47) “One parent can take care of 10 kids, but 10 kids cannot take care of one parent.” - Joe Gestetner, via “an old Yiddish saying”

48) “There are no heroes in the room.” - Classics of Love, ‘Gun Show’

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49) “If I am a little dismissive, it's only because of my harrowing backstory.” - Mitchell, Modern Family (on why he doesn't like sports)

50) “Every time I’m wearing black, I meet a dog.” - Tracy Cunningham

51) “Shower sex? Why would I fuck in my crying chamber” - @chridollarsign

52) “My theory about quarterbacks, having written about some of them, is you either have to believe in god or think you are a god.” - Mina Kimes

53) “The contradictions of capitalism always manifest in our lyrics if you look deeply.” - Blake Schwarzenbach of Jawbreaker, Riot Fest 2019

54) “Got a ‘hang loose’ from the weakside bartender.”

55) “It’s Jennifer’s birthday always.” - Eric Hutchinson

56) “I can’t think of a less relevant artist in 2019 than Kanye West. A Jesus freak in a MAGA hat. Yeah, congrats dude -- you’re every grandma who watches ‘Young Sheldon’ and mails checks to Joel Osteen now.” - Dan Ozzi

57) “The past and future are in the mind. I’m in the now.” - Tom Brady, via someone else

58) “Sometimes you walk around boring places and you feel like the most exciting thing in it.” - Drew Magary

59) “Sitting is the new smoking.” - Modern Family

60) “I'll straight up fight folks at a book club and discuss books at a fight club I really don't give a shit anymore.” - George Wallace

61) “Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.” - Rose Garvey via wine country

62) “It’s all ‘ok boomer’ until you need someone who can drive stick shift.” - @OrdinaryAlso

63) “He likes the result of the math.” - Dad, talking about my worst subject frustrating during the process but satisfying in the end

64) Stepmom: Do you want a Bears urn or Alabama urn? Dad: Ask me after they play Auburn.

65) “A cold body carries a warm heart.” - Stefanos Tsitsipas’ Instagram, after his Iceland sabbatical

66) [preparing a dish called the Sandwich of Justice with his friend’s recipe]

"The fun thing about it is when you give it to someone, you can say 'Justice is served.’ That's, uh, Ryan's line. I built my whole life on the backs of my friends." - You Suck At Cooking

67) “Usually three people can keep a secret only when two of them are dead.” - The Irishman

68) “An artist can't control who consumes their content any more than a chemist can control how their chemicals are used once they're created.” - Brian Crooks

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spooky-scary-imagines · 6 years

Note

Just poppin in to say that Chop Top story was 👌 and I’d love to hear a continuation. He’s gotten himself and the reader into quite a mess considering how Drayton reacted to Bubba and Stretch, and now you’ve got me all curious about how they’re gonna get out of it.

((You are very correct. Meeting the family on the first date? Lord knows what he was thinking. AND GUESS WHAT! I saved this bad boy so it’s my 69th post. *smacks lips and looks at the camera* Noice. It’s what Chop would have wanted. Also, I am trying my best to stick to the canon story-line like I did in the first part but like…the canon story-line as is does not allow much wiggle room. I’ve cranked the forced 70’s slang up to 11 so I hope the context clues work. ;P Also, it’s pretty much canon that Chop only listens to shitty “experimental” prog-rock. In any-case, thanks so much to all of y’all who’ve encouraged me to write the sequel as well as write in general. Your support means a lot to me. TW For Drayton being…the way that he is. Most of his dialogue is straight from the script but if that’s upsetting feel free to skip this one. Tagging: @i-cant-get-with-it

From outside, the abandoned theme park was just an empty husk of long-forgotten family trips and worn plastic over a warped metal skeleton. Inside however, the old Texas Battle Land had found a second life as home to some of the most wanted people in Texas. When the youngest members of the Sawyer clan arrived home, it was just as they had left it. Fluorescent lights casting a dull glow over the filthy environment, made even more unpleasant by the ever-present smell of decayed flesh and dried blood.

As they carried the bodies they’d gotten earlier inside, the older of the two stopped his brother before they entered the threshold. “H-Hey Bubba, I, uh, I’m just gonna take this one alright?” he asked, gesturing to the body whose head wasn’t a gross mess of blood and pulp. The younger, Bubba, looked at his brother curiously, and while it was impossible to tell from beneath the mask, his eyes conveyed that he definitely was raising an eyebrow at this behavior. Chop-Top fidgeted under his gaze, “I-I g-got a, er, project I wanna do with it.” Bubba just shook his head and shrugged the limp body off his shoulders, into his brothers arms. He grinned up at Bubba and turned to walk away before quickly whipping back. “W-Wait!” he held onto Bubba’s arm, “Don’t-Don’t tell Drayton about this one, ya dig? He’s joanin’ on us enough already.” Bubba nodded solemnly and he and Chop parted ways down into the labyrinthine tunnels.

…

When you finally woke up, you had no clue where you were. Your first instinct was t scream but you held it back as you tried to analyze your situation. The room was dark and looked like the inside of the Devil’s Shaggin’ Wagon. The walls were lined in colorful, yet dingy carpets and miscellaneous oddities, ranging from bones, to old and blurry Polaroids, to worn and torn band posters, and age-bleached centerfolds of woman and men, naked as they day they were born. After quickly taking in your surroundings, you groggily moved to stand up, but were cut short as you finally took notice of the rope tying you arms and legs to the chair you sat in. You instantly wanted to panic, memories of what happened suddenly flooding back. But you knew that, whoever these people were, you were at their mercy, and it was in your own best interest to just try and play along. Just thinking like that was frying you, but you had to keep it together, or you didn’t have a chance

.After what felt like ages of waiting for a bomb to go off, the door directly across from you opened up to reveal the pale face of the man from the radio station. His glasses and wig were gone revealing an exposed metal plate embedded into his skull, the edges where it met skin were raw and torn, indicating they had not been allowed to heal. He turned to you, and when his eyes met yours his face lit up. “Y-You’re awake! I-uh, well, groovy!” he said, scrambling over to you. He sat beside you, and started messing with your still-trapped hand, picking at the skin and bringing it to his face. If you remembered right, this man mostly responded nicely to you, so he was probably your best option.

“Um, hey man, not-not that I can’t dig it but-either I’m tripping or you’ve got some ‘splaining to do Lucy.”

The man laughed at that and moved away, crossing the room to a shoddy looking record player. “You-You like At-t-tomic Rooster?” the man asked, though the record was in place before you could answer. Distorted keyboarding and some bitchin’ guitar riffs blared through the tinny speakers as the man bared his teeth in a manic grin. “Th-this one’s called Ger-Gershazer,” at that word, he started giggling to himself. Disappointed, you tried again.

“So is this your pad?”

“Damn straight!” the man yelled before more quietly adding, “Well, I-I don’t live alone…But-But I paid for this place!” He pointed at the metal plate, “What I got for this chrome-dome ‘Nam gave me?”“You…you were in Vietnam?”

The man’s eyes got a weird glint to them and his head whipped back in a loud cackle, “NAAAPALM! FIRE IN THE HOLE! The ole’ AGENT O!” He gripped your shoulders tightly, “It’s the dream baby, Nam Land!” You just stared at him in a mix of shock and horror. Before you could respond, from somewhere outside the door, you could make out the sound of a someone yelling. The man’s eyes narrowed and whipped towards the door. “Just-Just w-wait here. Don’t bug out on me now,” he said before bolting out the door. You didn’t bother to mention that you couldn’t even if you wanted to, well, of course you wanted to, it’s just…it doesn’t matter. There’s certainly nothing you can do right now. Worry about your apparent susceptibility to Stockholm Syndrome later.

When the trippy hippie finally returned, he wasn’t alone. “Hey sunshine, he crooned, seemingly having gotten over whatever caused him to freak-out last time, “I got someone I want you to meet…” He gestured to the other person revealing a gnarled old corpse wearing a camo army jacket, and you bit back a scream. The thing was on the rough side of decomposition and looked like a prop from the guy who did Dead of Night. The man broke into a near falsetto and reached the corpses hand out as if it were a puppet, “H-Hi my name’s Nubbins! You’re-You’re a r-r-real f-fox.” Despite the horror of the whole situation, you couldn’t help but let out a chuckle. The man swatted at the corpse and turned to you, with a noticeable pink to his cheeks that wasn’t there before, “J-Just ignore m-my brother. He’s a j-jelly brain.

You decided not to address the obvious taxidermied elephant in the room, “So you two are brothers?”

“Yeah. We’re twins! But I got the good looks.” the man argued. Given the state of the other one, you’d have to agree. “Ya see those pictures on the wall?” You nodded. “Nubbins is the one who took them. He always liked artsy stuff…” he drifted off, lost in thought or perhaps memories, of a happier time you couldn’t picture. You were about to offer some comfort when the door slammed open, revealing the giant from before. “DON’T YOU EVER KNOCK!” the smaller man shrieked, leaping up to try and block the other from you. You heard the masked man mumble indignantly. “SO WHAT IF I DON’T USUALLY CARE!” Despite the hippie’s best efforts the large man pushed past him and was struck dumb when he saw you. He turned to the other and yanked him off to a somewhat separate part of the room. While you couldn’t tell what all they were saying, you could tell it was a heated argument. Before they could return to you, the yelling voice from earlier called for them both and you were left alone again.

…

Drayton was on one again, this time, he was convinced that there was some intruder in the house and had been yelling at the two of them to FIND THEM DAMN IT. Finally Chop-Top and Drayton caught up to where Bubba had some girl cornered at the end of a tunnel. It wasn’t surprising to find a cave-in or a dead-end and end up lost for hours. “What the hell’s going on here?” Drayton looked from Bubba to the young woman, confused and angry, “Bubba, you nap-haired idiot. Get out of here. Who’s this? I get it. Are you the saboteur that’s fucking up our house? Tryin’ to put me out of business? Thousands of dollars lost. You got that kind of money?” “No!” the woman finally responded, and Chop-Top finally recognized that voice.

“It’s the DJ. My faaaaave.”

“That dirty thing?” Drayton sneered, “Told me you boys got her!”

“Well, yeah,” Chop butted in, “Leatherface killed her once already tonight. But look, she’s red-faced. Bubba’s been playing with her. Bubba likes her!” With a exaggerated gasp, he broke into an obnoxious chant, “Bubba’s got a girlfriend. Bubba’s got a girlfriend! Bubba’s got a girlfriend! Bubba’s got a girlfriend!Bubba’s got a girlfriend! Bubba’s got a girl-BLEAH” he jumped and erupted into cackles again.

“Is that what this is, Bubba?” Drayton asked, “The old cock-and-cunt swindle, huh? S-C-E-X. Sex. And you had to find out about it, didn’t you? You just couldn’t leave it alone. If you wanted to know about it so bad, why didn’t you ask me? You wanna know about it? Ask me. Ask me! It’s a swindle, that’s all. So don’t get mixed up in it…”

Bubba grunted angrily and pointed to Chop-Top, who had lost his playful expression. “What are you going on about?” Bubba communicated in his own way what he had seen in Chop and Nubbin’s room. “Cheese-eating fink…” Chop-Top mumbled under his breath. Drayton threw his arms in the air, “Are both of you falling for it! What would Grandpa say!” Bubba hung his head sadly and Chop just rolled his eyes. Drayton sighed, “Alright, Chop-Top, take this one away,” he thumbed towards the DJ and glared at the his second-youngest brother, “Then we’re going to see this little cock-monger of yours!”

…

After a more than awkward first meeting with the eldest of the Sawyer clan in which he called you every name under the sun, you were brought to a large dining table and were sat across from Vanita. She briefly stopped screaming when she saw you and sobbed, realizing the fate she had doomed you and L.G. to. You tried to comfort her but there was only so much you could say over Drayton raggin’ and monologuing his totally square life story. “There’s Grandpa now!” he crowed as the two other Sawyers brought in what appeared to be a decrepit corpse in on a throne like dining chair. As Drayton began rambling again about the man “Grandpa” used to be, you noticed that the thing in the chair wasn’t a corpse at all! “Refracto…” you muttered as you watched the ancient man move, albeit slowly. The man who had captured you, “Chop-Top” you had heard the others call him, kept scrambling around, alternating between taunting Stretch and nuzzling against you. “Get the hammer!” the cook squawked and the hippie scampered off. Drayton ordered them around, yelling to “Just get on with it!” and soon they had a small tub set down in front of the old man.

“Wait, uh,” Chop spoke up, “Maybe we ain’t g-gotta kill ‘em.” He looked nervously back to you, “I mean, at least n-not both of ‘em. Mine ain’t gonna be an-any trouble. A-And I’m the one bankrollin’ this place! I should decide!”Drayton sneered, “I can’t believe both you shit-heads are gonna pussy-out on me at the last minute. You know the country’s in the shitter when a man can’t even rely on his own family! The plight of the American businessman! Quick fucking around and bring them down!” The two younger brothers looked at each other, neither moving. Slowly, the larger one, Bubba, hung his head and starting walking towards Stretch who started screaming again, pleading for him to let her go. You were too scared to scream and could only watch as Vanita was dragged from her chair and made to bear her head over the bucket at Grandpa’s feet. Chop muttered something into your ear about “Not tripping” and “Just letting him handle it.” But something told you it was gonna take a miracle to get you out of here alive.

That miracle came in the form of a disembodied voice singing “Bringing in the Sheaves.” From your position at the table you couldn’t really make out what was happening, but you could hear Drayton talking to someone, apparently some competition in the catering biz? You heard Stretch pitifully say “Lefty…” Wait, wasn’t Lefty the name of the guy you two were waiting at the station for? Before you could even call out to him, everything exploded into chaos. All you could hear was chainsaws revving and the screams and yelling from the whole family. You saw Stretch run past you into the tunnels, Chop-Top hot on her heels. Bubba was chainsaw-dueling with a guy who looked like a love-child of Sheriff Buford T. Justice and Major Kong. Drayton was nowhere to be seen.

In all the excitement, they seemed to have forgotten about you. You seized your chance to escape, wiggling out of the ropes Chop-Top seemed to have purposely tied a little loose.

You made your way through the seemingly endless tunnels, finally making your way outside. As you finally reached the surface, you realized night had turned to day. Exhausted on all levels, you collapsed inside the metal tunnels leading to the main body of the park. You heard the sound of explosions, chainsaws and screaming in the distance, but they barely seemed to break through the daze you were in. You had no idea how long you sat there, but you were suddenly broken out of your stupor by a gangling shadow looming over you.

You looked up, only to see the grinning mug of that crazy Head you just couldn’t seem to lose. He looked more than worse for wear, blood dripping from his neck and a gaping hole in his abdomen. Despite everything he had put you through, you found yourself still feeling pity for him. “Hey, rock b-bunny,” he crowed weakly, “Figured you’d blown this p-pop-stand.” You couldn’t bring yourself to respond, instead leaning in to look over his wound. He brushed you off, “Don’tcha’ know?” He grinned, “Sawyers are like cockroaches, it’ll take more than a lil’ rough stuff and and a wayward Smokey to take us down. Now c’mon.” He held out a hand to help you up, then started off back towards the park, “Let’s go round up the rest of ‘em.” You took one last glance behind you towards the horizon, your freedom, the rest of the life you had always believed you wanted…then turned back and followed your new life into the caverns. Into his, and now your, hell, or perhaps…heaven.

#chop top sawyer #bubba sawyer #leatherface #texas chainsaw massacre #slasher imagines #slasher

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random2908 · 6 years

Text

Seen on Twitter, https://twitter.com/alexandraerin/status/1035196520918863873?s=21

a transcript of the tweet thread (tweets quoted within are italicized including links) since I could only otherwise find difficult-to-read screenshots:

A while back, I tweeted that in case anyone isn't clear, we are well past the "first they came for" point.

This is a big story and I'm not sure it's possible for it to get enough attention.

In some cases, passport applicants with official U.S. birth certificates are being jailed in immigration detention centers and entered into deportation proceedings.” Article: http://wapo.st/2PNIf68

I'm sure the "no need to panic" brigade would want us to point out that this affecting "only" hundreds or thousands of Latinx Americans living in a narrow region along the border.

But.

First of all, that's too many people.

Because...

Because here is the thing about due process.

Everybody gets it, or no one really has it.

And from the moment the Trump regime decided it just doesn't apply to "illegal" immigrants, we were always heading here.

Some (white) people replied to suspension of due process for non-citizens by saying "Well, I could prove my citizenship easily." But how do you do that when you're not entitled to any process to prove anything?

If we passed an amendment to the Constitution saying that Constitutional protections don't apply to waterbed repair technicians named Sleven Trusbucket, all the government would have to do is say that's you and you would be out of options for proving them wrong.

And to the sort of person who is sure that life operates on formal logic and strict proof, the sort of person who is sure if they can present the right argument just the right way they can convince anyone of the truth of anything, it feels like there must be some way around that.

But that's part of the horror of a situation like this, part of why Kafka's The Trial is so viscerally uncomfortable to read. The proof does not matter if no one is bound to accept the proof. It feels like it should. It always feels like truth should matter, proof should matter.

Now I said long ago, and again at the head of this thread, that we're past the point of "first they came for". For most of the people reading this, they're still not up to "they came for me", and probably won't be for a while. They're working to expand the ranks of "non-American"

They redefined huge swathes of undocumented immigrants -- including ones working with the system to fix their status -- as "criminals" and "gangmembers" and "animals". They slammed the door in the face of immigrants with papers, finding pretexts to call them "illegal".

They started revoking the citizenship of naturalized citizens for whatever excuse they could find, and the next step is to strip citizenship of natural born citizens who don't fit their profile of a Real American.

Right now their excuse for doing so is restricting them to people born in a border region but the excuse will widen and so will the scope of the action.

And they aren't just moving in one direction here. They've been revoking the passports of trans people while all this is happening.

Now, the flipside of revoking citizenship and "deporting" someone is: the United States cannot bestow citizenship for another country. Just because the man in the low castle thinks someone looks "Mexican" doesn't mean they default to that when they lose US citizenship.

There's been a lot of talk on Twitter about the dangers of statelessness, in regard to Canada and ending birthright citizenship (something the Trumpers would love to do if they can swing it.)

People who lose their citizenship are thrown into a legal limbo, effectively becoming unpersoned for many purposes.”

Tweet/ https://twitter.com/bashirmoham…/status/1033585831544410112… “I am shocked and disturbed that the Conservative Party of Canada voted to end birth right citizenship in Canada.

I say this as someone who was born stateless - legally without a country. I'll tell you my story and why this is move is so reckless and dangerous.”

And while nationalists whip up fear of the foreign, they hate and despise the stateless even more. They're deliberately making the "immigration crisis" worse.

Nazi apologists will be happy to tell you that the great humanitarian Hitler tried so hard to get Jewish Germans settled happily and healthily elsewhere but that no one would take them in, thus leaving him with a problem in need of a final solution.

So what's going to happen when Trump has stripped citizenship from everyone who doesn't "look American", doesn't "look like they should be voting", but there's nowhere to deport all these people, no home country for them to return to?

And maybe you're thinking that we don't have the resources to actually disenfranchise and denaturalize *everybody* who doesn't "look American" buuuut the magic of not giving due process is they don't have to.

If you knew that people whose last names are in the same language as yours are getting rounded up, stripped of rights, and arrested when they go to apply for or renew a passport... how dire would it have to be, before you'd dare try?

And then what if it expands to, say, people showing up at polling places? DMVs? Hospitals?

What if it goes on to the point where "everyone knows" that people with certain names and/or skin tones aren't really citizens and don't have to be afforded any particular rights?

Before the SCOTUS struck down sodomy laws, in a lot of states being seen as gay could be used to justify just about any level of discrimination. Gay couple needs an apartment? "We can't make landlords rent to a criminal if they don't want to." Were the couple ever convicted? No.

But ~*everybody knew*~ what gay people got up into their bedrooms was illegal, doing illegal things made you a criminal, and being a criminal was grounds for termination, eviction, expulsion, exclusion.

Or if you want to see what the future of law enforcement looks like in a fascist state, look at the standards used to arrest and prosecute sex workers.

For years now, in the land of Innocent Until Proven Guilty, you could be arrested for "suspicion" of a victimless crime because of entirely legal materials in your purse and entirely legal conduct within a place you had every legal right to be.

The actual ideal is that the cops could know you're a sex worker, could know for a certain fact that you're engaged in sex work, but if they couldn't prove it then you are an innocent in the eyes of the law. That's how it's supposed to work and how it works for some crimes.

Everyone in town can know that J. Doe up on the hill beats his wife and kids but if the cops can't prove it they will tell you nothing can be done, and proof has to be more than the fear in their eyes or bruises on their arms. Or even him "allegedly" bragging about it.

Meanwhile they'll pick people up off the street for ~*suspicion*~ of sex work and "prove" it through entirely circumstantial means, none of which points to actual lawbreaking.

Now here's the crux of that: being able to claim that any woman carrying condoms (for instance) is a sex worker doesn't mean they detain everyone and make them turn out their pockets.

It just gives them a tool, a weapon, to use when they feel like it.

And that's the future of policing. Increasingly broad rules that could apply to increasingly wide swaths of the population, that can be deployed by the authorities when someone "looks" like they might be trouble, much less starts to actually make any.

They practice these techniques on populations they think they can get away with practicing them on, and when they do get away with it, they start looking to expand.

Cf. stop and frisk in New York City, where white kids were more likely to have marijuana but less likely to be stopped and ordered to turn out their pockets. It was a tool of control.

Obviously I'm talking about practices that go back years before when Trump came to power. He's part of a progression, not the source.

And if you want to know where the progression is heading, just look at how the law has treated people on the margins since the year seventeen seventy forever.

That's where we're heading.

And I don't think enough people are alarmed enough by this.

I saw somebody QTing the Washington Post story at the head of this thread with "And Democrats want to tell us to vote every two years like that's enough."

It's not enough. But we haven't been voting every two years, and that's part of how we got here. Just part. A crucial part.

I think we should add this (specifically: stripping people near the border of citizenship) to the things we call our representatives about, especially but not only if you're in Texas. And if we can vote in a Democratic majority we'll have more tractable reps to yell at about it.

Tweet/ https://twitter.com/herhandsmyh…/status/1035206932938801152… “Plus: we have to start somewhere. Voting every single time is an essential step.”

Essential. Necessary. Not sufficient, but necessary.

A scary thing in all of this: the wave of revocation of trans passports I alluded to upthread doesn't appear to have *originated* anywhere. Select federal employees just decided it's time to start doing it.

I can't tell you from the outside which escalations of "enforcement" (to abuse the term) against immigrants and what I guess are "accused immigrants" among citizens were also spontaneous decisions made at the level at which they occur but I'm sure some of them were.

What I'm saying is, there have always been people within the federal enforcement apparatus and bureaucracy who were waiting for favorable winds to launch their warships.

Tweet/ https://twitter.com/queer_i_am/status/1035207525363200001… “Anti-homeless laws are also a really good example, especially because they target actions _everyone_ does. Pull over after working a night shift to nap and avoid an accident? Illegal.

I stopped to watch a cop once and he got in my space and threatened to take me in on loitering.”

See also: anti-loitering laws. A law against existing in space. Used to run off white kids who aren't driving business, run in anyone the cops feel like making a criminal. Not enforced against anyone ~*respectable*~, who "belongs".

With so much of this enforcement being subjective and self-directed, it is also decentralized. Which makes it harder to block or even attack.

Bank involvement in forfeiture/seizure of assets. (h/t @herhandsmyhands) This should scare you.

Tweet/https://twitter.com/sacbee_news/status/1035172325463736320… “Bank of America freezing accounts of customers suspected of not being US citizens : https://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article217567300.html

I know people are waiting for a point where it feels real, where it really feels like Nazi Germany. That point is going to be too far along to have any practical chance of stopping it.

Instead it's going to keep happening piecmeal and every time it happens, those who sound the alarm will be met with "You're overreacting, this isn't like a law against Jewish business ownership, this is only affecting a specific group of people in specific circumstances."

Relax: The monster's not eating your whole body, it's just eating one bite at a time.

The piecemeal, self-directed, subjective nature of these actions makes them harder to fight. Bank of America, the State Department, and DHS are all saying the same thing when questioned on this: "This is the same policy we've always followed." It's just being applied differently.

"We've always exercised discretion..." but now it's being exercised in different directions, towards different ends.

Someone asked what to do, besides be scared:

Make a lot of noise. If we are silent, we are complicit. If the only voices heard are those who support what's happening, they can claim universal assent.

If you work in a workplace, try telling your coworkers, "You know, they're taking citizenship away from people who live near the borders. If they can do that to anyone, they could do that to us. I don't think it's right." You don't have to make it partisan or anti-Trump.

Yell at your elected representatives. Democratic politicians should be aware that the GOP is reshaping the electorate in their favor. It's cynical, but they have to care about that.

Tweet about it, share it on social media. These things are not sufficient but they are necessary.

Vote in November. Same.

I know it feels like making noise isn't doing anything except complaining and we're taught that talk is the opposite of action but I promise you: talk is an action. When there is enough of an outcry they back down. Not all the way always. But slowing and mitigating damage helps.

#fascism #revoking citizenship #revoking passports

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blackkudos · 6 years

Text

Hazel Scott

Hazel Dorothy Scott (June 11, 1920 – October 2, 1981) was a Trinidadian-born jazz and classical pianist and singer; she also performed as herself in several films.

Born in Port of Spain, Hazel was taken at the age of four by her mother to New York. Recognized early as a musical prodigy, Scott was given scholarships from the age of eight to study at the Juilliard School. She began performing in a jazz band in her teens and was performing on radio at age 16.

She was prominent as a jazz singer throughout the 1930s and 1940s. In 1950, she became the first woman of color to have her own TV show, The Hazel Scott Show,featuring a variety of entertainment. Her career in America faltered after a scandalous affair with the married preacher and politician Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., and after she testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee during the McCarthy era. Scott subsequently moved to Paris in the late 1950s and performed in France, not returning to the United States until 1967.

Early years and education

Born in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago on June 11, 1920, Hazel Dorothy Scott was the only child of R. Thomas Scott, a West African scholar from Liverpool, England and Alma Long Scott, a classically trained pianist and music teacher. The family moved to New York City when Hazel was four. Recognized as a child musical prodigy, the young Scott was awarded scholarships to study classical piano at the Juilliard School from the age of eight. As a teenager, she performed piano and trumpet with her mother's "Alma Long Scott" all-girl jazz band, which sometimes featured Lil Hardin Armstrong.

Music career

By the age of 16, Hazel Scott regularly performed for radio programs for the Mutual Broadcasting System, gaining a reputation as the "hot classicist". In the mid-1930s, she also performed at the Roseland Dance Hall with the Count Basie Orchestra. Her early musical theatre appearances in New York included the Cotton Club Revue of 1938, Sing Out the News and The Priorities of 1942.

Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, Scott performed jazz, blues, ballads, popular (Broadway songs and boogie-woogie) and classical music in various nightclubs. From 1939 to 1943 she was a leading attraction at both the downtown and uptown branches of Café Society. Her performances created national prestige for the practice of "swinging the classics". By 1945, Scott was earning $75,000 ($985,813 today) a year.

In addition to Lena Horne, Scott was one of the first Afro-Caribbean women to garner respectable roles in major Hollywood pictures. She performed as herself in several features, notably I Dood It (MGM 1943), Broadway Rhythm (MGM 1944), with Lena Horne and in the otherwise all-white cast The Heat's On (Columbia 1943), Something to Shout About (Columbia 1943), and Rhapsody in Blue(Warner Bros 1945). In the 1940s, in addition to her film appearances, Scott was featured in Café Society's From Bach to Boogie-Woogie concerts in 1941 and 1943 at Carnegie Hall.

She was the first Afro-Caribbean to have her own television show, The Hazel Scott Show, which premiered on the DuMont Television Network on July 3, 1950. Variety reported that "Hazel Scott has a neat little show in this modest package", its "most engaging element" being Scott herself.

Blacklisting

Scott had long been committed to civil rights, particularly in Hollywood. She refused to take roles in Hollywood that cast her as a "singing maid". When she began performing in Hollywood films, she insisted on having final-cut privileges when it came to her appearance. In addition, she required control over her own wardrobe so that she could wear her own clothing if she felt that the studio's choices were unacceptable. Her final break with Columbia Pictures' Harry Cohn involved "a costume which she felt stereotyped blacks". Scott also refused to perform in segregated venues when she was on tour. She was once escorted from the city of Austin, Texas by Texas Rangers because she refused to perform when she discovered that black and white patrons were seated in separate areas. "Why would anyone come to hear me, a Negro," she told Time Magazine, "and refuse to sit beside someone just like me?"

In 1949, Scott brought a suit against the owners of a Pasco, Washington restaurant when a waitress refused to serve Scott and her traveling companion, Mrs. Eunice Wolfe, because "they were Negroes." Scott's victory helped African Americans challenge racial discrimination in Spokane, as well as inspiring civil rights organizations "to pressure the Washington state legislature to enact the Public Accommodations Act" in 1953.

With the advent of the Red Scare in the television industry, Scott's name appeared in Red Channels: A Report on Communist Influence in Radio and Television in June 1950. Scott voluntarily appeared before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). Scott insisted on reading a prepared statement before HUAC. She denied that she was "ever knowingly connected with the Communist Party or any of its front organizations, but said that she had supported Communist Party member Benjamin J. Davis' run for City Council, arguing that Davis was supported by socialists, a group that "has hated Communists longer and more fiercely than any other."

Her television variety program, The Hazel Scott Show, was cancelled a week after Scott appeared before HUAC, on September 29, 1950. Scott continued to perform in the United States and Europe, even getting sporadic bookings on television variety shows likeCavalcade of Stars and guest starring in an episode of CBS Television's Faye Emerson's Wonderful Town musical series. Scott's short-lived television show "provided a glimmer of hope for African American viewers" during a time of continued racial bias in the broadcasting industry and economic hardships for jazz musicians in general. Scott remained publicly opposed to McCarthyism and racial segregation throughout her career.

To evade political fallout in the United States, Scott moved to Paris in the late 1950s. She appeared in the French film Le Désordre et la Nuit (1958). She maintained a steady but difficult career in France and touring throughout Europe. She did not return to the US until 1967. By this time the Civil Rights Movement had led to federal legislation ending racial segregation and enforcing the protection of voting rights of all citizens in addition to other social advances.

Scott continued to play occasionally in nightclubs, while also appearing in daytime television until the year of her death. She made her television acting debut in 1973, on the ABC daytime soap opera One Life to Live, performing a wedding song at the nuptials of her "onscreen cousin", Carla Gray Hall, portrayed by Ellen Holly.

Marriage

In 1945, Scott, who was a Catholic, married Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., a Baptist minister and U.S. Congressman, in Connecticut. They had one child, Adam Clayton Powell III, but divorced in 1960 after a separation. Their relationship provoked controversy, as Powell was married when their affair began.

On January 19, 1961, she married Ezio Bedin, a Swiss-born comedian.

Death

On October 2, 1981, Hazel Scott died of cancer at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan. She was 61 years old, and survived by her son Adam Clayton Powell III. She was buried at Flushing Cemetery in Queens, New York, near other musicians such as Louis Armstrong, Johnny Hodges, and Dizzy Gillespie (who died in 1993).

Legacy

Scott was best-known internationally as a performer of jazz. She was also accomplished in politics, leading the way for African Americans in entertainment and film; and was successful in dramatic acting and classical music. Scott recorded as the leader of various groups for Decca, Columbia and Signature, among them, a trio that consisted of Bill English and the double bass player Martin Rivera, and another featuring Charles Mingus on bass and Rudie Nichols on drums. Her album Relaxed Piano Moods on the Debut Record label, with Mingus and Max Roach, is generally her work most highly regarded by critics today. She was noted for her swinging style, performing at the Milford Plaza Hotel in her last months.

Wikipedia

#Hazel #06-11 #10-02

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