#counterfeit money paper

[kc22invesmentsblog]

Unveiling the Origins of Paper Money: China's Innovation Over 1,000 Years Ago

Written by Delvin Did you know that the concept of paper money dates back over 1,000 years? The world’s first paper currency was created in ancient China, originating from an ingenious idea that revolutionized trade and commerce. In this blog post, we will explore the fascinating story behind the world’s first paper money and its unique material—bark from mulberry trees. 1. The Birth of Paper…

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#dailyprompt #Financial #Financial Literacy #Government Control and Counterfeit Prevention #Influence of Global Currency Systems #knowledge #money #Money Fun Facts #Paper Money #Personal Finance #Tang Dynasty&039;s Jiaozi #The Advantages of Paper Money #The Birth of Paper Money #The Intricate Process #The Mulberry Bark Connection #the Origins of Paper #Unveiling

[dilucs-princess]

Of Bliss

Beast au

Pairing: sub!Dazai x Switch!reader x dom!Chūya

Words: 2,542

Warnings: fem!reader (she/her pronouns used, female anatomy), messy writing, slight degradation (given), hair pulling, reader is Dazai's subordinate, vibrator, subspace (on Dazai's part), aftercare is hinted at but not written!

Reblogs > likes!

Note: Some of the beginning/middle doesnt make sense as I started to write this beginning of November, but I have forgotten what I was writing im so sorry. Just pay attention to the smut ya'll

Just a normal day in the mafia. The only thing being, you were the boss’s personal assistant, though saying this, he rarely made you do any work. He usually sent his bodyguard to do that, considering Nakahara got aggressive when someone treated the boss with ‘disrespect’. Your job was to sit there and look pretty, and no matter how many times the boss said that, it filled you with fury every time. Today was your lucky day, or so it seemed. It was nearing time for you to go home when you heard a knock at your office door. A lazy “Come in” fell from your lips as you continued to sort through today’s pricings of the jewels smuggled in, the counterfeit money hadn’t been printed, cut or even prepared and Nakahara was going to have your head if it wasn’t sorted by tomorrow.

You looked up as Atsushi opened your office door, and you couldn’t help the smile that appeared on your face upon seeing the kid. “Hey, Nakajima. How is everything?” You spoke softly, knowing that despite the kid’s violent nature, he was still a bit shaky and shy. He smiled nervously, wringing his hands, knowing he was about to feel your full wrath. “Uhm.. Nakahara-san sent me to get you.. He said that the boss needs you in his office..” He replied, keeping steady eye contact despite everything. Your eyes glinted. Of fucking course, just as you thought you would be let off the hook, Dazai needed you. You groaned loudly, slamming a piece of paper down on your desk, pretending not to notice Atsushi’s flinch. “Why didn't he call me or press the buzzer?!.. Okay. Nakajima, you’re free to retire for the day with Kyouka. Thank you for informing me.” Atsushi nodded, bowed and left.

Maybe you deliberately stood up and prepared your things slowly. After all, the boss could wait, it’s his fault for needing you when you were so close to finishing for the day. You sighed deeply, finally pulling your bag onto your shoulder. As soon as you’d finished talking, you were leaving. Why stay any longer than you had to? You opened your door, took a deep breath, closed and locked it soon after. Looking at the clock on the wall, you couldn't help the slight twinge of annoyance you felt. You grumbled to yourself, about how this wasn’t  fair and why don't you just quit? Dazai would suffer from it more than you, no one knew you were in the mafia, so you could easily get another job, maybe the agency to spite him? That thought alone brought a smile to your face and a small chuckle graced the air.

You straightened down your skirt before sighing and turning the corner, starting on the long corridor, which seemed to go on forever now, towards the boss’ office.with a small hum, clutching onto your bag tightly where it was resting on your shoulder. A few strides and you were in front of the office. A deep breath and you knocked. A few seconds and it was opened.

Nakahara opened it, and he must’ve seen the confused look in your eyes when you saw the smirk he was desperately trying to hide. He rolled his eyes and stepped to the side to let you in. “Do come in (y/n)-san,” he spoke politely and you nodded, walking into the room. You jumped when you heard Nakahara allow the door to slam shut behind you, his chuckle infuriated you but you pushed that to the back of your mind as you turned your attention back to the boss, trying to hide your anger. “What is it you needed from me?” You asked and even Dazai could hear your annoyance. 

He swallowed, looking up at Chuuya, causing the latter to smirk, leaning against the wall behind the desk. “Go on, boss. You were the one so desperate to speak to her,” he mumbled. You looked at Nakahara, confusion clouding your mind when you saw him on his phone. He always respected the boss and you swore you could hear a bomb go off in his mind when someone said ‘Dazai’ instead of boss. You sighed, tearing your gaze from the ever confusing man and directed your focus back to the boss, though he seemed to shrink under your stare. He folded his hands in his lap, trying to keep face and act completely normal in front of his subordinate.

Chuuya’s smirk went unnoticed by you but Dazai could feel it almost burning into his soul. He squirmed and he finally went to answer your question. “A-ah, I wanted to ask how the most recent miss-missions are going? What has Nakajima said to you recently?” You sighed, shaking your head. That was it? Couldn’t he have asked or told Nakahara to send an email? You shook your head nonetheless, reaching into your bag to grab some paperwork and walked closer to the desk.

“Here you are, sir. Everything has been going well, a new load of smuggled jewels came in today, unfortunately we are behind on the counterfeit money. However, Atsushi has assured me this morning that he will make sure it is done by tomorrow morning so some workers are doing overtime tonight…”You continued talking, explaining the work that will be done tonight and then beginning of tomorrow, even explaining to him Kyouka’s work for the day.

Dazai, on the other hand, was squirming in his chair, his chin originally resting on his hand before he moved it to cover his mouth, your words almost sounding foreign to him, eyes wide. He tried to focus and was glad you continued to stare down at the paperwork rather than at him. His other hand was gripping his thigh, the material bunched up slightly in his hand. He couldn’t even ask you to go, because as far as you knew, he had asked you to come to the office.

His blood ran cold as a soft, almost needy whine left his lips, just after you had stopped speaking. Your eyes locked into his and he could’ve swore his heart stopped in that moment. “You fucking whore,” you seethed, eyes wide and angry. You didn’t know the full story but you could put two and two together.

Chuuya laughed, putting his phone back in his pocket, humming lightly as he walked over. A hand went in front of Dazai, resting on his neck and squeezing gently, causing him to gasp. “You’re right. He is a whore, poor thing just couldn’t wait till he got home. Why don’t you tell her how beautiful you looked across your desk as I fucked you five minutes before she walked in. Oh!” He seemed considerate, pulling Dazai’s head back by his hair, “Or maybe I should show her?” he teased, though Dazai’s eyes widened again, a soft whine leaving his lips. 

You weren’t going to stand being ignored, especially after being called here, this time you supposed that Chuuya was actually the one who called you, to see your boss acting like a whore or maybe to get some sort of satisfaction of fucking you, you wasn’t sure yet. But you sighed, walking to the side of the desk those two were on and sat on it, a high heel resting on Dazai’s thigh, causing him to shiver. You could see his hand clench as though he wanted to touch you. Not yet.

“This is what’s going to happen, bitch,” it was nice to have some sort of authority over him. “You’re going to get me off and if you’re good enough, i’ll fuck you. If not or if you tease, are too slow or act like a brat, i’ll spank you so hard, you’ll see stars. Are we understood?” Dazai nodded eagerly and you had to stifle a laugh. Poor man.

Chuuya hummed lightly, watching the both of you. “Right, you pull up your dress and then rest your legs on Dazai’s shoulders, He’ll kneel down, alright?” You looked up as he spoke and nodded, hoping down from the desk to hike your dress up to your hips and take your underwear off, leaving it on the floor so you could be embarrassed about that later. If you knew this would happen, you would’ve at least worn something sexy. You watched as Chuuya forced Dazai onto his knees, looking up at you so needily, whining and whimpering and you would’ve been lying if you said it wasn’t the slightest bit hot. You pushed yourself back onto the desk, legs on his shoulders and ankles crossing behind his head. “Come on then, pretty boy. Show me what you’ve got,” you hummed and he wasted no second in getting to work.

His tongue was immediately pressed flat against your pussy, eyes closed as he held onto your thighs. He licked from your hole to your clit, swiping and then pressing a kiss to it before looking up at you. You whined, surprised at how quickly he acted. Your hands shot to his hair, almost pressing his face to your pussy. He encased your clit into his mouth, suckling before resting his tongue against it. You were moaning and tugging at his hair, your head tilting backwards, broken praises beginning to fall from your lips. You felt him moan against your cunt and your hips jolted, trying to keep his face in place, tugging at his hair, only eliciting more moans and whimpers from Dazai.

“You’re so fucking pathetic, Osamu,” Chuuya mused, watching from his spot in the background, watching the entire scene without any sort of interest and even you felt a twinge to try and impress him. He pushed himself away from the wall, walking over to you, tilting your head up with a smirk. “God, even you melt into my hands. What the fuck am I going to do with you two, hm?” He chuckled, quickly taking your lips and claiming you as his. You mewled into his mouth, hands gripping onto his blazer instead and Dazai felt disappointment when the pressure left his head but continued to lap at your pussy, almost as though he could feel it. 

You parted from Chuuya, panting heavily as a string of salvia kept you together. “You close, pretty girl?” Chuuya murmured, a hand on the back of your neck as he kept your foreheads together. Your face was contorted into pleasure and nodded, eyes squeezing shut but they soon opened again as you gasped, Dazai slipping two fingers into your pussy, you immediately clenching around them. “Fuck!” You yelled, back arching and one hand continued to hold onto Chuuya, the other digging into the desk and your ankles pressing down on Dazai’s back, trying to encourage him to continue. Chuuya had to laugh, you were both truly pathetic.

“I’m close, Osamu,” you managed to gasp out, hips rocking now, Dazai whining and just wrapping his arm around your waist, scissoring his fingers inside you and continued to suck on your cunt. Wet and messy noises filled the room as Chuuya began to stroke your hair, humming softly and desperately wishing he could take a photo. “Fuck! Osamu-!” Was the only warning Dazai got as your body shook, back arching away from Chuuya’s hold and pressing Dazai’s head down as you came, eyes wide, loud moans leaving your lips.

Dazai continued to give you gentle licks through your orgasm but allowed you to push him away when the pain began to set in. He pulled away and pulled his fingers out, eyes practically glimmering at the sight of your hole fluttering and clenching around nothing. He made no effort to get up, still kneeling on the floor, looking up at you with a smile of an angel. Chuuya, however, didn’t even give you a moment to get your thoughts straight. “So? Was he a good boy?” You blinked before nodding, smiling gently.

“Come on, baby, let me return the favour,” you replied, allowing Dazai to sit back on the chair as you removed your legs from his shoulders. Chuuya pushed the chair over to you so you didn’t have to attempt to stand on shaky legs, which you were immensely grateful for. You reached down, returning your feet to rest on the chair again as your hands quickly undid his fly, freeing his cock from his underwear, not even properly undressing him. You laughed and Dazai turned his head away in shame.

It all made sense now; the small noises while you were talking, Chuuya on his phone as you saw the little vibrator taped to his dick. “Oh, you really are a little slut, Osamu, fuckin’ hell,” you murmured, thanking Chuuya for the lube he handed you. Dazai just blushed more intensely at the degradation, but he couldn’t really deny it. You hummed to get his attention and smiled kindly when he looked at you almost instantly. “Eyes on me, baby,” you spoke in a commanding tone, leaving no room for interpretation. You wrapped your hand around his dick, relishing in the way he jumped and shivered.

He was very responsive to all of your actions, little moans and whimpers and pleas falling from his lips, not a single coherent sentence left him, he had given himself over to you completely. His mind was incredibly fuzzy as you took the tip between your two hands, his back moving away from the chair as he moaned in surprise, eyes closing as he took in the pleasure, allowing himself to fully enjoy it, responsibilities didn’t matter at the minute; he was your’s to use as you liked.

Chuuya moved once again, this time to kiss Dazai and you smile, he seemed a lot more gentler while kissing him than he did you, then again, even you were treating Dazai as though he was something precious, something that deserved to be treated and held, to be looked after and admired. The noises that left him, you were tempted to keep him to yourself. His hips began to buck upwards and you laughed, close already? Chuuya did mention he was fucked before you entered  and been teased the entire time, the poor thing must be so deseperate! 

There were tears in those beautiful eyes as Nakahara pulled away, moving his head to face you again. “Cum when you want,” you whispered reassuringly. He almost sobbed as you said those words, nodding and holding onto the arm rests of the chair tightly. It didn’t take long for the poor thing after that,thighs shaking, head thrown back, hair sticking to his forehead, cumming with a cry of your name. You cooed and spoke to him gently, continuing to stroke him through it only removing your hand when his body began to shake from the overstimulation.

“You still with us, sweet thing?” Chuuya asked gently, running a hand through Dazai’s hair. He nodded, whining as he reached up to chase Chuuya’s lips. He laughed, pressing a quick kiss there before pulling away and looking at you. “You keep an eye on him. I’ll go grab a cloth and water.” You nodded obediently, watching as Chuuya left before hopping down from the desk and taking Dazai into your arms.

#bsd #bsd smut #bungo stray dogs #sub bungou stray dogs #sub bsd #bryn writes ~ ♡ ! #mine ~ ♡ !

[nethhiri]

Marooned: Chapter 25

Kid x Fem Reader x Killer

Warnings: violence lite, kissing girls and liking it

Fuck Around...

The Victoria Punk pulled into port in the early afternoon. This island was clearly not affiliated with any kind of marine presence. It appeared disorganized and haphazard from your bird's eye view. There were a lot of buildings, most of them looked like shops rather than houses. Stopover islands often had tons of resources available to purchase, but permanent residents were few. That was doubly true of stopover islands without marines. The type of people that wanted to settle in one place didn't feel safe without them around, and business practices were shady at best, downright criminal at worst.

While you would have been nervous to step foot on an island like this in your past life, you had been on many such like this in your career as the Sea Snake. Places like this, with no laws, and disenfranchised folks, were ideal for promising better lives, and instead kidnapping people to sell. By way of this, they were also great places to ambush traffickers, and it wasn't difficult to recognize which were affiliated with corrupted marines. They had money and they tended to go after people that were younger and attractive. And if you happened to catch others in the cross-fire, oh well. You had tunnel vision and it was dead set on revenge.

The girls had already scrambled off while you had to hang back and wash dishes after breakfast. Kid and Killer left together not long ago. You debated on whether or not to bring Mini, although she had been crammed on this ship and would also make a great pack-mule, so you decided she could come. You had a list of stuff you wanted, but remembered Killer had taken your savings. It would be really embarrassing to ask for a little back. Though, you had wanted to try your hand at counterfeiting. 

While you were thinking about the logistics of shopping, a familiar face walked up beside you. "Want some company?" 

You greeted Heat with a smile. "Only if you don't mind going clothes shopping first. Do you have any paper I could borrow?" 

Heat gave you a curious glance. 

"So I can make Berry." You wiggled your fingers, devil fruit powers ready.

Heat snorted. "Look at the little marine now."

You shot Heat a glare. "Watch it or I won't share my fake money with you."

The two of you, plus Mini, headed off the ship as soon as you had converted enough regular paper into something indistinguishable from Berry. As you said, the first order of business was clothes shopping. Heat had good taste, so you were glad that he wanted to go with you. Heat picked out a few things for himself, leather things that matched his aesthetic. He had also picked some things for you, of a similar style. You couldn't remember ever owning anything leather. 

You held up some of the stuff he had picked. "Heat, this is too much."

"No, no it'll match your jacket. It'll look cool." 

You narrowed your eyes at him. "Did your captain put you up to this?"

"No!" Heat crossed his heart. "But..." He was a little sheepish, "I do know what he likes." He gestured to the pile of things you had to try on. "I kinda figured you wanted to catch his eye."

"First of all, maybe. Second of all, I could catch anyone's eye that I wanted." You grabbed the pile and went into a dressing room. 

Heat rolled his eyes. "I have no doubts." He continued to browse for himself. "Show me when you have something on." 

There were some black leather shorts with straps on the legs. Pants were more your thing, though these shorts looked really good on you and you would need more clothes for hotter weather, granted leather was not the most comfortable fabric in heat. A few simple tops, some tank tops since you generally liked your arms exposed, some other varieties so you had options, including a deep red corseted top that you couldn't resist. There were pants that were more your vibe, baggy, many pockets, and hanging from the hips, with some decorative straps. And then there was what Heat had picked out: white leather low-rise pants that laced all the way up the legs on the sides paired with a top to match. You had to admit it would look cool with your jacket, and you did look eye-catching. Maybe Heat knew a thing or two. 

Heat gave you a thumbs up when you walked out. "See?"

"You were right." You considered yourself in the mirror. "Pick out some more things for me." 

After trying a few more things, you both settled on your final options. You had also left Heat to his own devices while you grabbed some more intimate things, simple things, not anything wild. There was nothing worse than being short on bras and panties. You hung your bags on Mini's tusks, much to her displeasure. They only got heavier as you and Heat made your way through the various shops. Heat wanted to get some mapping things for Wire and journaling things for himself. You decided to pick up a small sketchbook. There were some things you wanted to start working on and needed to draw plans for. Speaking of which, you needed to visit a few more places. 

"I'm gonna head back to the ship. Want me to bring the bags?" Heat asked.

You cocked your head at him. "That's kind of you to offer. That would be great."

He took them from Mini and she gave him a grateful lick on the cheek. "You gonna come out with us later?" He patted her on the head in return.

You were staring at his arms. Is it a crew requirement to have beefy arms? You knew those bags weren't light. "I'll think about it."  You winked at him. "Which bar?"

Heat shrugged. "All of them." You both laughed. "Don't go by yourself though," Heat added. "This is a rough place at night."  

Shooting him an incredulous look, "You're so cute, Heat." It was endearing, however unwarranted. You had literally skinned a guy's face a few days ago. 

He rolled his eyes again, but his cheeks were tinted. "I'll put your bags on your bunk."

"Thank you." You couldn't help adding, "Don't go looking through my panties now." 

Heat walked off and gave you the finger as you cackled.

Hopping on Mini's back, now that she was unencumbered with bags, you got on to your other errands: finding an armory and some place that sold scrap metal, because you would be damned if you asked Kid to borrow some. It was dusk when you got back to the Punk and Mini was loaded down with various pieces of metal. You had gotten a few other items as well. You didn't really want to put all of it by your bunk, not that there was room anyway, so you brought everything to the infirmary for storage until you could get to it. 

The last time you had cleaned up nicely was for Killer's party and that was with help. The boat was pretty vacant. Everyone was out for the most part except for some stragglers and some rookies who were assigned watch duty. You treated yourself to a quick shower, probably the only time you had gotten the women's showers to yourself. There wasn't time for your hair to dry so you left it alone. You mainly wanted to wash the day's grime from your skin so you didn't stink. Nothing worse than someone with B.O. grinding on you, not that you would be doing that. 

With maroon lips, a little bit of mascara, and the outfit that Heat had put together, you looked better than you had the last time. Maybe you thought that because it was more your style than a dress. The last touch was using your power to change the color of your heeled boots from black to white. No better way to ruin an outfit than to wear clashing shoes. One of the items you had acquired earlier in the day was a little switchblade, which you tucked into your shoe. Never knew when it could come in handy. You threw your holster and coat on, then decided your coat hid too much skin. Normally, you didn't care and you would want to advertise who you were, but you hadn't been to a bar in a long time and wanted to be a little unrestrained. 

When you had a big, beautiful beast like Minerva, whose best attribute was sense of smell, though she would argue it was her tusks if she could speak, it was easy to find the bar that the majority of the Kid Pirates were patronizing. No one had bothered you on the way there. Something about a huge animal mounted by a person with an aggressive demeanor really limited the amount of people in your way. Minerva unfortunately was too large to comfortably fit in the establishment so she was content to sit outside, occasionally snorting at people to spook them, for her own entertainment. 

The bar was noisy and dim, as expected, and packed with a grungy variety of pirates, thieves, bounty hunters, and other criminally minded folks. The white of your outfit and the fact you were coming in alone drew the attention of many gazes. Most people wore dark clothes, so you stood out. Not to mention, you were gifted with a body so perfect, you could lay someone down on hot coals to use them as a bridge to walk across and they would thank you. At least, that's what someone had told you once. For a moment, the bar had quieted to a low murmur, save for a boisterous laugh that you recognized as belonging to the Red Menace. Purposefully, you ignored that area and went straight to an open stool at the bar. 

Of course Kid noticed as you walked in. His eyes devoured your figure in that tight leather outfit. If you had asked him if he was waiting to see you walk in, he would deny it, but he was pleased that you did. He was not pleased, however, when you ignored him and went to the bar. And he was especially not pleased when you started giggling and flirting with some loser who bought you a drink. He didn't even have a bounty for fuck sake. Kid grumbled to himself and downed the rest of his beer, slamming the stein on the table and demanding another from the waitress. 

"What's wrong, pirate?" The pretty ginger shifted in his lap. 

"Shut up." Kid continued groping the petite little whore that had wound herself around him. It fed his ego that women, and some men, threw themselves at him. He liked that they decorated his side at whatever bar they decide to visit. But now, for some reason, he was just annoyed. The girl in his lap squeaked. He had been squeezing her a little too tightly. "Why don't ya fuck off?" He all but tossed the woman away from him, returning to his refilled mug trying to burn through that guy's head with his glare.

You could feel Kid's attention on you. You smirked knowing that meant you were probably bothering him in some way. The guy you were pretending to be interested in was telling you about all his adventures, obviously trying to impress you. You finished your drink, leaving the bar while he was still talking to you. His voice faltered and he turned around to mope over his glass. A hand grabbed at you while you were walking to a corner where they were playing darts. You took the hand by the wrist and held it like it was a dirty sock. 

"I wouldn't do that, if I were you." This was one of your favorite games to play. A game where you let them think you were simply a pretty thing to look at, let them get themselves into trouble, and then you got to punish them for it. 

"Why not, sweet cheeks? You're dressed like you want some attention."

You dropped his hand, ignoring him, and started to walk away, when he grabbed you again. This time you turned his arm around behind his back and forced his head down on the table. Then you rested your knee on his back to free up your hand, taking his drink and finishing it off. "Least you could do is buy me a drink first." You let him go and continued on. He was lucky you didn't smash his glass over his head. 

Killer had watched the interaction. He, like Kid, had also noticed when you came in. For a while, when you hadn't shown up, he thought you may have left completely, but Heat had mentioned you had been with him all afternoon and planned on meeting up with them. Killer thought your hair was cute down instead of in its usual ponytail. And of course you were hot in leather, even so Killer thought you would probably look hot in just about anything. He saw when that man had grabbed you, noticing that his hand tightened around his glass. When the guy grabbed you a second time, he heard the mug in Kid's hand shatter, causing him to relax his own grip before he did the same. Prior to either of them getting up to handle it, they watched you push the guy down into the table. Killer swore Kid had a smug hint of a smile on his face. Honestly, Killer should have known you would put him his place yourself. 

Darts was a lot harder to play with one eye. If you had won, you would have gotten some money. If you lost, you owed your competition a kiss. Your competition happened to be the short, ginger girl that had been sitting with Kid earlier, though you hadn't noticed her at that time, and you had lost badly. The girl, whose name was Ruby, was cute, freckles spattered across her cheeks, and her ginger hair, short and wild about her face. She was like a pixie. 

"You talk a big game for someone so tiny," you quipped. You weren't used to being the taller one in a pair. Like many other things, it had been some time since you had kissed a girl, though the last time was probably also at a bar. She grabbed your hand and led you into a corner booth. "I think the deal was a kiss, not a date."

"Yeah, well, have one drink with me. That guy on the other side of the bar pissed me off and you seem like a fun time. I saw you smash that dude's face." She laughed and motioned for a waiter to bring you drinks. 

"Do you want me to smash your guy's face, too? Who was it?" You smirked. Maybe coming out tonight would be more fun than you thought. A waiter came over and put two glasses in front of you both, filled with a small amount of greenish liquid. "Absinthe?" You raised an eyebrow. So I'll be getting shitfaced tonight. You took a sip and scrunched your face at the strong taste. 

"Yeah it's kind of my drink of choice." Ruby pointed to the table that Kid was sitting at. "That red-head over there. But I don't think you want to fight him. It's Eustass Kid, of the Kid Pirates." 

You almost spit out your drink. "Is that so?" This girl had questionable taste, like yourself. "He pisses me off, too." You pondered something for a minute. "Do you want to really piss him off and get your kiss?" A sinister thought poisoned your mind. 

"See? I knew you would be fun."

You downed both drinks and grabbed her by the hand this time, leading her outside. Earlier, you saw that the booth that Kid was in happened to be by a window. You pulled Ruby to the side of the bar, not in front of the window, but next to it, close enough where you knew they could hear you, yet couldn't see you. You were both giggling as you pushed Ruby so her back was to the wall. She wrapped her arms around your neck and jumped up to wrap her legs around you, you supporting her with one hand, while the other played with her hair. "Maybe I have a thing for redheads," you wondered out loud. You didn't even know if Kid had noticed the two of you slip out. Even if he didn't, you still got to make out with one cute ginger tonight. The alcohol was starting to make the edges of your mind fuzzy. 

Kid couldn't rip his orange leer from your back. What were you doing, talking to that pint-sized whore from earlier? He barely even participated in the conversation with his own officers. His eyeballs almost fell out of his head when he watched you two go outside. There were only a handful of things people went outside to do. I am NOT jealous. Those two whores can fuck around outside all they want. So why couldn't he relax and enjoy his drink? He growled and turned to Killer to bitch, when they both heard giggling and felt a thump outside the wall. This was not a well-constructed establishment. That could be anyone. They went back to their conversation, though Kid slowly tapered off when he heard sounds that were definitely from your mouth.

The little ginger demon was not shy, slipping her tongue in your mouth and snaking her hands into your hair. You took turns leaving marks on each other's necks. "How do you know him?" She asked you. 

You pulled away from biting at her collarbone to answer, "Fucked. Tried to kill each other. Fucked again."

"So you're dating?" She bit the top of your breast, making you gasp.

That evolved into a laugh. "Not a chance in hell." 

"You like poking the bear then?" She tugged at the laces on your top. 

"Something like that," You grinned. At once, her hand stilled and she tensed. You stopped and looked at her face, which had paled.

She whispered to you, "Good because the bear is right behind you." She unraveled herself from you and put her feet back down on the ground, slipping out from under you and scurrying back into the bar.

You turned around to see Kid, as red as you thought he would be. "You scared my date away." 

"What do ya think yer doing?"

"I lost a bet." You put your hands out in defeat, as if you had no choice but to comply and this was not at all your idea. He wasn't yelling at you, which was strange. The rest of the Kid Pirates were behind him. You guessed that was why.

"We're going somewhere else." He grabbed you and pushed you in the direction of the others. "Don't get left behind." He stalked off to walk by Killer.

Heat found you in the back of the group, Mini trotting beside you. "She was cute. Do you have a thing for redheads?"

"You know I was wondering that myself." 

Heat stopped you for a second to retie your top and wipe some smeared lipstick from around your mouth. "Have you eaten today?"

"Not really." You lowered your voice so only Heat could hear, "Did I get him mad?" 

"I can tell. You're not gonna last the night if you don't eat. That was only the first bar." Heat fake-punched you in the arm. "Yeah, he made us leave early. Thanks a lot." 

"Sorry. I didn't think he would do that."

"What did you think he was gonna do?" Heat realized his mistake. "No, don't answer that." 

It was too late. You were already explaining an elaborate plot fitting for an X-rated film. Very loudly, in fact, since you were sort of drunk. The half of the crew that heard it was pink from head to toe, including Killer. All the girls were giggling and making gagging noises. Kid was grinning ear to ear, chest puffed out, a 180 degree turn from the moping, pouty captain that he had been minutes before. 

If that's what she wanted, all she had to do was ask. But now I think I'll make her beg. Kid's ego had been bruising this entire time, when it really should have been inflated. 

#spoiler alert: next chapter reader Finds Out #next chappie will be spicy! #idk how many times I gotta say I want Heat to be my bff #marooned #eustass kid #massacre soldier killer #kid x reader x killer #killer x reader #eustass kid x reader #one piece #x reader

[quill-of-thoth]

Letters from Watson, the Engineer's Thumb

Crimes in Context: Counterfeiting, circa 1889

What coins were the Stark-Becher gang trying to make, anyway? And did they actually need a person squishing hydraulic press to do it?

Most of the cash in circulation in Victorian England would have been coins, so it's time to refresh our memories on what they all are, since I last addressed currency smaller than a pound in The Man with the Twisted Lip. We will be restricting ourselves to denominations that the Stark-Becher gang may have been minting, based on the comment that the hydraulic press was necessary to make coins that were previously minted in silver.

Imperial Currency Definitions

Pound/Quid/Sovereign: Not applicable, the Sovereign coin is gold, but it's the base unit of the currency we're dealing with. It also would have been hard to pass as genuine just because it's a large denomination - the era's equivalent of a hundred dollar bill. Indeed, our Bank of England inflation calculator returns a modern value of £107.

Crown: Five shillings / a quarter pound. Represented by a silver coin. Probably the largest coin you'd make change for without being annoyed by it.

Shilling: 1/20th of a pound. A silver coin. Crowns and Shillings are our most likely candidates, as they're in common use in 1889 and is the kind of cash an average man might have on hand. I personally think shillings are the most likely coin to counterfeit, as a lot of accounting of people's wages, expenses, etc. in this time period is written as pounds / shillings / pennies (L/s/d) and silver pennies (And their horrible spawn of sixpence, twopence, etc) are probably not worth the effort. Also, while there were silver pennies in circulation, the fact that things like silver twopence were minted for maundy money makes the timeline and consistency of their minting beyond my pay grade as a blogger. And probably confusing for a coiner to get exactly right, given the payoff. Hydraulic press:

Modern (paper*) money is printed with several aspects that make it harder to reproduce: the exact fiber content of the paper, the multi layered and detailed design (with parts that can only be seen under UV light, parts that can only be seen with a magnifying glass, etc.), the embossed parts of the print design, and the exact chemical components of the ink can be analyzed to see if a note is authentic. The ink in US dollars also contains a smattering of heavy metals that aren't great for human health, so I don't recommend consuming money in any way - don't lick it, don't snort things off it, don't put it in your blender for a science fair project. It would be chemically somewhat dangerous to counterfeit modern currency at home, assuming you got anywhere close to the right ink.

*Some countries use polymer, but same difference. It will kill your blender, though.

The Victorians did... none of that, really. The idea of designing money to be harder to fake was already around, but metal coins can only be produced to a certain degree of precision with the tools that were available in the 1800's: you essentially heat a disk of the correct metal (a blank) and press it with a stamp. The hydraulic press would, of course, squash blanks between two plates of stamps precisely, and with great force.

Both silver and gold have relatively low melting points (under 2,000 degrees F / close to 1,000 C) and are malleable at lower temperatures than the iron or steel of a hydraulic press. Silver amalgam (a silver/mercury alloy) has an even lower melting point, so it would be even easier to fit to a mold.

Essentially, anybody who knew much about molding metal and could get a precise-ish model of the coin in question would make pretty convincing money. A hydraulic press large enough to fit three grown men between the plates of may have been overkill.

#Sherlock Holmes #Letters from Watson #crimes and context

[omgkatherine01]

Creatures of the Night: Chapter 6 - DeKappel

Series Masterlist

Chapter 5, Chapter 7

Pairing: Kaz Brekker x female reader

Please comment, like and share ❤

The next day, at the evening, Jesper and you were playing at the card table where he was teaching you to play with the other men.

"I don't think Kaz would be happy to see you here," you told him when you leaned closer to his ear.

Jesper smirked at you, "You gonna tell on me?"

"Maybe," you said, smirking at him back, "What is it for me if I won't?"

"What would you want?" he asked in a flirting voice, making you chuckle and shake your head. You've grown used to his flirting looks and words, and unlike with the rest of the men, you didn't punch him or gave him dirty looks.

"There's the pretty girl!" You looked over to see a fat older man walked over, laughing and drinking, looking at you with a smile, "My lucky charm!"

You gave a small smile and turned back to the table as he walked closer. He looked at the dealer, "Hey, you take Zemeni coin, yes?"

He threw the pouch to the dealer which he caught and started to open it. Jesper raised an eyebrow, "Let me see that."

The dealer immediately handed a coin to him. Jesper looked at you, "Watch and learn," he muttered before quickly looking at the man as he narrowed his eyes, "The Lucky Nine casino up the block has had trouble with counterfeit coin lately. Heavy, but brittle."

"Oh, come on, now," the man said, "I've been here for hours. My money is good, no?"

"Zemeni coin can take a bullet," Jesper said, "But the knockoff..." He flipped the coin in the air and shot it. As it landed on the table, you all saw the hole in the middle of it. "Busted," he said, swinging his gun back into its holster with a self-satisfied grin.

"What does that prove?" the man asked angrily. You raised an eyebrow and watched as two men walked closer and grabbed him, dragging him away.

You smiled a little, amused as Jesper nudged your arm before quickly reaching forward on the table for the money, until a cane smacked down right in front of his hand.

Everyone were silent at Kaz's appearance. Kaz stared down at Jesper, giving him a warning look, "No loud noises at the table, Jesper. You'll scare off the pigeons."

Jesper nodded slowly, clearing his throat, "Wouldn't want that, boss."

"Shouldn't you be on the door?"

"Yeah, right away, boss."

Kaz shook his head slowly as he gave him one last look before his eyes darted to you. He moved his cane away from the table and he started to walk away.

You stood and followed him, amused while everyone went back to their business. "Early for action, innit, Kaz?" you glanced over your shoulder to see a man she met a few times, Rotty, walked up to them. "Hello there, y/n, looking beautiful as ever."

You smiled softly at him, "Thank you."

"What do you want, Rotty?" Kaz asked.

"Someone stole a DeKappel from a merch's private residence last night," Rotty said and you frowned.

Kaz glanced at you and then away as you walked to the stair case, "Is that so?"

"It's a painting," Rotty said, "A landscape of Ravka. The Fold. Oil on parchment."

You stopped and turned to the two men, tilting your head. "Really?" you asked as you glanced at Kaz with suspicion.

Kaz rolled his eyes, turning to Rotty, "I know who DeKappel is."

"Well, he don't do nudes, so I never heard of him," Rotty said, and made a face

"Get to it, Rotty," Kaz said.

Rotty reached into his coat pocket and swiped up a piece of paper and unfolded its crumpled edges, showing it to you and Kaz. You raised an eyebrow as you recognized it.

There was a rolling field of lime green grass, hints of white at the tips where the sun hit the blades and bounced from dew-drops. A gravel path tore through and trailed up a hill where a tall birch tree stood. The sun was slipping and the sky had a golden hue to it.

That was the same as the painting on your wall.

You looked at Kaz and raised an eyebrow, fighting an amused smile as you noticed he kept staring at the picture instead glancing at you, and you knew he could feel your gaze at him.

"Worth something like 10,000 kruge," Rotty said. "The thief had to get past four roving guards, high fences, padlocked doors, and a security system designed by one of them Grisha witches."

"Fabrikator," Kaz said, noticing your tensed shoulders.

"Whatever," Rotty said, "The point is, either it was a group effort or a ghost."

Kaz's eyes moved to him and he raised an eyebrow, "Why does this concern me?"

"I've got a buyer lined up," Rotty said, "Legit money. So, uh if you hear a whisper..." He clicked his tongue and winked at you.

You frowned, blinking. Did he really just winked at me? you thought.

Kaz took one step toward him, and asked quietly, "Who can hear a whisper here?" He raised an eyebrow before leaning back. He turned around, and walked past you, "Let's go."

You gave Rotty a small smile before turning and following Kaz to the stair case. You walked up the stairs and went into the door to the second floor living room.

"You know, it's funny, that painting Rotty was talking about..." you started, smiling with amusement as Kaz stiffed and turned to you with a look. "That looks a lot like the one you gave me last night."

"I didn't give you anything," he denied.

You nodded, "Oh, so it must have been Jesper," you said as you stared at his face. "Or maybe Inej."

He clenched his jaw, "Must be," he muttered as he turned and walked to the office.

You followed him inside and noticed the darker walls around the room. "You seem to be getting better at it." Your eyes moved to Kaz as he sat down behind his desk. "Controlling the shadows."

You smiled softly, "I guess so," you muttered as Kaz moved to next door where his room was. You moved into the room and were surprised when he started to take off his coat.

You blinked as you didn't knew what to do as he started to take off his gloves. Should I leave or stay? you thought, Does he want me to stay or was he expecting me to leave already?

You felt the chilling cold from outside and looked to the side to see that the window was opened. You glanced to the walls at the darkness and smiled softly.

Inej was back.

"Hello, Inej," Kaz spoke without turning.

Inej stepped out from the shadows and greeted you with a soft smile as she removed her cloth from her mouth. "What information do you have for me tonight?" Kaz asked.

Inej looked at him, "A lead on a job. A big one. Enough money to change lives."

Kaz shook his head lightly, "It doesn't take much to change someone's life in the Barrel."

"A million kruge?"

Kaz paused for a moment, "What's the name?"

"Dreesen," Inej answered. "A wealthy merchant."

Kaz nodded slightly, "Dreesen. I've heard of him. He could afford it. The question is, what's worth a million kruge to him?"

"He's looking for a crew willing to cross the Fold into East Ravka and bring back something," Inej said.

Kaz turned to her, "The Fold? Well, of course, certain death pays a million. He didn't say what he wants nicked?"

"No," Inej answered. "But he's taking meetings tonight, starting at midnight."

"Tell me you followed him," Kaz said.

You had to scoff on that, and smirked softly when you caught their attention, "Of course she did, she's Inej."

Inej smirked at the compliment and nodded lightly before she looked at Kaz, "He brought someone in from a ship. Took a way back to his house in the Garden District to avoid attention. I would have followed him inside, but Dreesen's hired some private security. I would have had to use my knives to get closer."

Kaz nodded as he thought, "Private security... Anyone we know?"

"A Zemeni man," Inej said, "I think his name is Tendo. You know him?"

"Yeah," he answered, "He gambles at one of Pekka's clubs. So I won't have leverage on him. But Pekka will." He grabbed his cane and walked past you and Inej to the office.

You both turned to him when he walked around his desk. "Kaz, I got this lead from one of the girls at the Menagerie," Inej said and you frowned.

"What's that?" you couldn't help but ask.

"It's where--" Inej started but Kaz cut her off, "Nothing."

"That doesn't seem like nothing," you said as you noticed how they exchanged a look.

"It's a place you need to stay clear from," Inej finally said, "Trust me." She looked back at Kaz, "The girls there, they tell me things in case you'd buy them out, like you did with me."

Oh, you thought sadly, Now, you know what it mean. It's a whore house...

"I didn't buy you, I'm paying off your indenture," Kaz said.

"You know what I mean," Inej said, "This one girl, Kesh, she has skill. She's like me."

"I only invest in the one of a kind," he said, "She isn't like you. No one is."

Inej looked frustrated and you placed a hand gently on her arm, to keep her calm. Luckily it did. She took a deep breath before speaking again, "So? What's our move now?"

"You're the one of us who believes in a higher power," Kaz said, "If we're going to survive a round trip through the Fold, we'll need a miracle or two."

Inej rolled her eyes as she turned away and you frowned, hearing his mocking tone in his voice. Kaz looked at her, "Get Jesper, the four of us will be heading out soon."

"The four of us?" you repeated.

"You're coming with us."

-

Taglist:

@lyria-skyfall, @myheartfollower, @cleverzonkwombatsludge, @mjlock, @clairewinchester14, @losteroops, @venomsvl, @yvxcy, @wickedlovely121, @supergaybish101, @woowwwee, @zeeader, @twlegit

#shadow and bone #netflix series #the crows #the crows x reader #kaz brekker icons #kaz brekker imagine #kaz brekker #kaz brekker x reader #kaz x you #kaz x reader #kaz brekker x you #kaz x y/n #jesper fahey imagine #inej ghafa #the darkling imagine #mal oretsev imagine #alina starvok #mal x alina #the darkling x alina

[dove-da-birb]

Meet William Chaloner

Picrew | Picrew does not belong to me | I decided to give Chaloner a glow-up since I accidentally deleted the OG photos ; - ;

"Issac Newton's nemesis. Mischievous, outgoing, and has a knack of getting into and out of trouble. Throws apples at Newton /j If you know the thing about the Mint, then you know how petty these two are." - My OG description of him.

A conman at heart, Chaloner is willing to do just about anything to make some money all while pertaining a mask of innocence. He can read people fairly well, and use that to his advantage. Despite his cunning ways, he does let his pride get the better of him, especially when it pertains with that Warden of the Royal Mint, Issac Newton.

He doesn’t live with the other vampires and bites his thumb at Issac whenever he sees him out and about. Even after all these centuries, those two hate each other and they still fight in public.

Voice Claim; Atsushi Tamaru [yes, they will all be TWST VAs, sue me]

Birthday; November 27

Height; 183 cm

Past Occupations; Counterfeiter, coin clipper, confidence trickster, quack doctor

Current Occupation; High end clothing boutique owner

Hobbies; Counterfeiting coins and mocking Newton 

Dislikes; the authorities, Issac Newton

Specialty; Getting away with schemes

Weakness; His own pride

Favourite food; Figgy pudding

Hated food; Herring

Vampire type; Lesser vampire

Animal Companion; a rough collie named Thatcher

Some History [all Wikipedia babey, I did my time writing academic papers and this is for fun]

William Chaloner was many a thing during his most active years. A nailing apprentice. A bawdy pocket watch seller [among other things]. A quack doctor selling faux cures to plague victims. And a ‘fortune teller’ who would tell patrons where their stolen belongings were, for a price of course. And a used clothing seller.Tried conning the Bank of England as well. But what he’s best known for is his rap sheet with the Royal Mint and its warden, Sir Issac Newton.

Within his first year of producing counterfeit coins, he had already amassed a fortune and bought himself a house, a carriage to ride in, and clothing befitting a gentleman. He was briefly married for a short stint, but had to flee town due to being a person of interest in a robbery.

He repeatedly tried conning the Royal Mint. His first ploy was to pretend to be just a concerned citizen and bringing up questions about the Mint’s reputation with the amount of counterfeiting. But in January of 1696 he was taken in for questioning and he pointed the finger at the Mint for producing counterfeit coins, questioning the integrity of the people working there. “I never made a guinea in my life,” but he had, and had gotten rich because of this. He also tried to persuade the Mint to hire him, but never was accepted. 

Issac got tired of Chaloner escaping justice and eventually had a watertight investigation done on him. He even made sure a ‘hanging judge’ was the one overseeing the trial to ensure that Chaloner didn’t get away from him again. While in court Chaloner accused everyone of perjury, and thus put the blame on him in order to save their own necks. He also pretended to go mad while locked up, but that didn’t fool Newton. In the end, William Chaloner was found guilty of treason, for the act of counterfeiting coins.

"Present" [aka when MC gets teleported to the mansion]

He mainly makes an honest living nowadays, but he still has that mischievous streak in him. Once he sees Issac out in the street he goes back into counterfeiting currency, and it's an entire benny hill scene, and you're caught up in the middle of this mess. Chaloner hates Newton because 'the bloke' tried to get him executed, whereas Newton hates Chaloner because the man tried to make a fool out of him. He throws apples at Newton, and Issac throws rope at Chaloner; it's a mutual relationship.

Tagging; @azulashengrottospiano [and also jackdaw anon I hope you see this too ^v^]

#ikevamp oc #ikemen vampire oc #william chaloner #i did say earlier that he was the azul ashengrotto of his day and the voice fits him so yeah i gave him azul's va

[all-hallows-street]

Guess whose financial mistake arrived early...

I will give more in depth looks later (I have to work to afford such questionable purchases), but a quick individual review of what I got:

Neil Demon Plushy

Not a plush toys collector at all; my closest reference is the IKEA shark. He is heavier than he looks, very sturdy (?) if that makes sense. Doesn't seem like he will deform any time soon. The details are adorable and I don't see any glaring defects.

All Saints Street Hoodie

Surprisingly large for me. I was worried they only had one size made for the Chinese market. I'm 1.7m (5 foot 7) tall for reference and this is still a bit too big for me. Will likely get too small for anyone over 6 feet tall. The quality is good! Very soft. Velvet interior. I don't know much about shirt stamping, but since it's not in the fabric I'm guessing the stamp might start to crack after multiple washes.

All Saints Street Vol. 1-3 Collection

Now this is something I can talk about more. The sleeve was unfortunately damaged in shipping and the books have very minor damage in the spine and vol 2 has a minor case of dog ears. The quality of the paper is great! It is color paper, not glossy one you see in comic book issues, but it's thicker than the black and white you see in manga. Would still make sure to have a dehumidifier if your storing place is not dry. I've already experienced book wrapping and it's painful.

Each volume contains around 80 chapters with one extra chapter not on bilibili. They also contain a message from Lingzi and WSJ's editor, plus all character bios even for ones we never got one (Enrique, Eduardo ans Anthony). And if a Weibo post is correct some might have been updated from the ones online (Axel grew 1 cm in the book bio).

Of course later I'll look over everything to see if there are any significan changes to make a note of. Also it came with this lol.

I have the Alice in Wonderland art somewhere, I'll post it later as well.

All Saints Street Anniversary Playing Cards

The playing card decks from the 6th and the 7th anniversary. As you can see I haven't opened the 7th, but I got the 6th a while ago on AliExpress so I expect them to be similar.

This is something else I can review more in depth, coming from a family that loves playing poker. The quality of the prints is beautiful, however I keep them in the box all the time because the quality of the cards itself is not good!

The cards feel like store bought cardboard; good playing cards are made out of cardboard, but this deck doesn't have the same treatment. They are so fragile, even by just handling them to get the face cards I've already made slight damage to the edges. I wouldn't play any game with them, much less shuffle them. I don't even want to imagine how much they will bend. Also the Crystal card came with damage (the small white spot on the edge) from the store. Pain.

Anyways. I'll frame the face cards because they are so pretty and I want to keep them in the best condition... I don't know what I will do with the rest of the 36 cards. Maybe practice magic tricks? Lol. Before all this I've been working on how to scan all the face cards and post them, but it's been more difficult than expected. If you have ever tried to digitize prints you will know. Once I have them, I'll post them alongside high quality scans.

When it comes to my review of PandaBuy... On one hand it was an excellent service and experience. On the other... I don't even want to reveal how much the shipping was. I wouldn't recommend anyone else do it unless you are stupid with your money (like me), even then

I would advice to do your own research. PandaBuy and all agents to buy from China are definitely better when you buy in bulk. My package was 'only' 2kg. Many people buy over 10kg to make it worth it. I'm already committed so if new volumes come out I will buy them, and maybe also get counterfeit Gucci shoes or something since that's what most people use this agents for...

That's all for now. Feel free to reply or send any questions you have.

#all saints street #wan sheng jie #1031 万圣街 #merch #personal #manhua

[stephensmithuk]

The Man with the Watches

Originally written in 1898 as part of a series of short stories called Round the Fire. Doyle needed money to complete a house he was building in Surrey. Insert your own jokes about actors, bad movies and extensions here.

Rugby is a town in Warwickshire, 83 miles north of London. Yes, it is where the sport of rugby is named after - more specifically Rugby School, a famous private school.

Smoking areas in British trains were gradually abolished from the 1980s, the final ones going in 2005 (GNER and Caledonian Sleeper). I have a 2000 GB-wide timetable showing where smoking was still permitted. In some cases, the trigger for the ban was the move to air-conditioned stock that would result in the smoke circulating in the rest of the train.

A Gladstone bag was a rigid-framed small suitcase that could be opened into two equal halves, named as such due to its used by William Gladstone, four-time British Prime Minister, who would start his final ministry later in 1892.

The guard's van on passenger trains was generally a specific section of a carriage that also had a caged area for carrying luggage, parcels and caged small animals.

Willesden Junction is located in Harlesden, NW London. It no longer has any platforms on the West Coast Main Line, with Avanti and London Northwestern Railway trains going straight past it. Its passenger service today is made up of London Overground Lioness line services from Euston to Watford Junction, Overground Mildmay line services from Stratford to Richmond or Clapham Junction and the Underground's Bakerloo Line from Harrow and Wealdstone to Elephant & Castle. The first and third share the same tracks, while the second operates, on lines shared with freight trains, on separate "High Level" platforms. There is a depot for Overground trains nearby.

Non-gangwayed stock i.e. carriages with no connection between them even for emergency use, continued to be built into the British Railways, with quite a few of the "first generation" of diesel and electric multiple units being built this way. Most got gangways in later refurbishments, but the Class 205 DEMU, bar one example (205205) altered in a refurbishment trial, would carry on without them until final withdrawal in 2004. Most of the survivors then promptly ended up in the hands of heritage railways.

The Bible Society of London was founded in 1804 with the aim of providing affordable Bibles in people's own languages, after the 1800 case of a woman called Mary Jones, who saved up for six years then walked 26 miles to buy a Bible in Welsh. It is still active today.

The London to Rugby line had been widened to four tracks in the 1870s. From west to east, the tracks go: Down (Northbound) Fast - Up (Southbound) Fast - Down Slow - Up Slow. Ergo, you cannot move between two Down trains without a big leap. (https://www.opentraintimes.com/maps/signalling/lec2#LINK_1)

A bunco-steerer is a swindler.

Green goodsmen operated a scam in which people were offered purportedly counterfeit notes printed using stolen plates (so appearing genuine) at a cheap price, being shown actually genuine notes in a bag. During negotiation, the bag was switched for one containing worthless goods, like sawdust or green paper. Having been duped out of real money, the victims were reluctant to report this to police as attempting to purchase fake money was illegal.

Card-sharping is cheating at cards using various means, including cutting bits of cards to mark the ones you would want. Vegas casinos frequently deliberately cut corners off used cards being sold to tourists to prevent them being snuck into their games.

Tammany refers to Tammany Hall, the corrupt political machine that had ran New York City, for much of the 19th century, leveraging support from Irish immigrants by providing them with jobs for example. It had been temporarily ousted from power after the Lexow Commission of 1894-95 into police corruption; to wit, promotions were being sold for large sums of money and officers got that through extracting protection money from brothels etc. However, it would come back in the 1898 elections and retain control with occasional breaks until 1961, when Carmine DeSapio was ousted as its leader. It then lost power and had gone by 1967.

Travelling salespeople would carry samples or models of their products on their trips, sometimes in branded containers. This has largely become a thing of the past, but is still around.

Northumberland Avenue used to have a lot of high-class hotels, but these have mostly gone. Some were taken over for government use for a while, including by the War Office.

"Mary Jane" appears to have been a slang term for a male prostitute; Mary Jane Kelly was the final victim of Jack the Ripper.

#letters from watson #the man with the watches #arthur conan doyle #not sherlock holmes #allegedlyhist #history #factoids

[baileypie-writes]

Can you please do head cannons on how Lupin III gang characters (including Zenigata) met female thief reader and how they fell in love?

A/N ~ Sure! I don’t write for Zenigata, and I don’t write female Readers paired with Jigen, but I can do the other two! Hope you enjoy!

~Lupin and Goemon Falling for a Female Theif~

Fandom: Lupin the Third: the First

Fanfic Type: Headcanons

Reader: Female

Relationship: Romantic

Characters Included: Arsène Lupin III, Goemon Ishikawa XIII

Genre: Fluff

Rating: PG

Warnings: Stealing(obviously)

Disclaimer: I have only seen the 2019 film, and Castle of Cagliostro. I have not yet seen the series. So if anything is inaccurate, I apologize.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~Arsène Lupin III~

~ Lupin already has his experience with female thieves. Him and Fujiko have known each other for forever. So he knows what to expect when it comes to them.

~ You met when you were attempting to steal his wallet. And you thought you’ve succeeded, only to open it and see it mostly empty. The only thing in it was a paper with a doodle of a face, with the words “Nice try!” written on it. Cue Lupin saying “Looking for this?” and showing you all his cash, in his hands.

~ He wouldn’t be upset. Instead, he’d give you tips on how to be better(which was annoying, considering that you were a pretty well known thief). And of course, he’d be flirting too. Before leaving, he’d say “I’ll be waiting for your next attempt.” then disappear.

~ Over the next few months, you’d follow him. You’ve made countless attempts at stealing from him, and each time, you’d fail. It was frustrating, because he was the only person you hadn’t successfully stolen from. Everyone else was a breeze. But you didn’t hate Lupin for it. In fact, you enjoyed talking with him. The two of you would share a nice conversation afterwards, before he would leave again.

~ During those periods of time where you weren’t around, Lupin would find himself thinking about you. He would laugh at all your failed tries, almost feeling bad for you. He even thought about making it easier for you to steal from him, but it was just too fun. And Lupin loves to be entertained. So it wasn’t long before his feelings for you were more than just the typical ones he felt for women in general. He was actually in love.

~ Eventually, you didn’t even care about cash. You just wanted to see him. And of course, Lupin knew this. It wasn’t until you finally successfully stole his wallet that you realized this for yourself. You opened it, and was surprised by the money inside. You checked and double checked to see if it was counterfeit, but it was the real deal. You expected to be more happy, but you were just disappointed that the chase was over.

~ You suddenly heard a voice behind you say “Guess you finally succeeded. Great job.”. You turned around to see Lupin. He wore his typical, mischievous grin. He told you to take the money as a reward for your improvement. But he knew you didn’t want to. So instead, he offered for you to join him and his gang. You accepted, and the two of you were inseparable ever since.

~~~🎩~~~🎩~~~🎩~~~

(He’s so pretty I can’t)

~Goemon Ishikawa XIII~

~ You first saw Goemon in an isolated park. It was late at night, and you were looking for someone to rob. He was meditating, and you thought it would be a good idea to try to steal from him. Little did you know, you were about to attempt to sneak up on the world’s greatest samurai.

~ You hid behind a nearby tree, and thought he wouldn’t notice you. But then, a branch suddenly fell right on your head. You looked down at it once it hit the ground. It looked like it was perfectly cut. You then felt a presence behind you, and saw Goemon. He actually recognized you from the news, and made a jab at you for trying to rob a stranger instead of something bigger. You started laughing, but he didn’t. His face was completely serious, and you could tell he was pissed. So you just apologized, and left.

~ It wasn’t until Lupin and the gang were on a heist that you met again. You didn’t know they were there until they met you at the safe. You and Jigen argued about who gets the money, and Goemon said you could share if you both did work. And that’s just what you did. Even when Lupin and Jigen tried to take it all for themselves, Goemon made them be fair. You were very grateful for that. You had no idea why he was so kind, considering your last encounter with him.

~ You “randomly” kept running into each other. But you were kind of seeking for him; hoping to meet you again. Goemon noticed this, but kept quiet. It wasn’t until you helped them out yet again, and you were celebrating your victory with the gang, that he said something.

~ You were embarrassed. And now that he knew, you decided to stop helping them. And you thought that was that.

~ A while later, you were robbing a museum by yourself, and you were having quite a bit of trouble. A squad of police was heading your way, and with the giant sack of artifacts on your back, you weren’t in a good place to fight. You prepared for the worst, when they all suddenly dropped to the floor. And there, standing with his sword in hand, was Goemon.

~ He asked you why he hasn’t seen you in a while, and you told him. His face was mostly neutral, besides a small bit of red on his cheeks. He told you that he enjoyed your company, and that he’d like if you came by more often. Then he left.

~ It’s safe to say that you did start stopping by again. In fact, you helped the gang with so many heists, that you became a part of their team. And you and Goemon became even closer.

~~~🗡️~~~🗡️~~~🗡️~~~

~~baileypie-writes

#baileypie-writes #lupin the third #lupin the third x reader #lupin the third: the first #lupin the third: the first x reader #jigen daisuke #jigen daisuke x reader #goemon ishikawa #goemon ishikawa x reader #goemon ishikawa xiii #goemon ishikawa xiii x reader #arsene lupin iii x reader

[incorrectpnatquotes]

Stephen's Mom: Uh... what're you doing? Stephen: Reading a letter. Stephen's Mom: That letter's not addressed to you. Stephen: Oh, is that a crime? Stephen's Mom: Yes! *grabs letter* This is your mail. Stephen: Look. *hands her a $20 bill* Here's a twenty spot if you give me back the letter. Stephen's Mom: Bribing a government official is also a crime. [She looks down and realizes the "$20 bill" is drawn in crayons on white paper.] Stephen's Mom: And is this counterfeit money?! Stephen: What?! You're gonna tell me THAT'S a crime, too?!

#original: the looney tunes show #pnat #paranatural #stephen #stephen's mom #I'm too lazy to go back and change her tag to Captain Henchman or something sorry

[docgold13]

Batman: The Animated Series - Paper Cut-Out Portraits and Profiles

King Barlowe

Edward ‘King’ Barlowe had been a prominent and powerful mobster in Gotham who amassed a great fortune through racketeering and forgery.  At the time of his death it was believed that his wealth had exceeded over two-hundred and fifty million dollars.  

Barlowe hated The Joker and he and the clown prince of crime had a longstanding rivalry.  Which is why it was a great surprise to everyone that Barlowe willed the entirety of his fortune to The Joker upon his death.  

Suddenly The Joker was fabulously wealthy and he went on a huge spending spree, buying off judges, lawyers and psychologists so to expunge his criminal record and purchasing all manner frivolous expenditures.  

After The Joker had spent huge sums of this money, an agent of the Internal Revenue Service appeared to collect a hefty inheritance tax.  And it was it this point that The Joker realized that most of the money Barlowe had left him were actually crudely manufactured counterfeit bills.  The Joker also discovered a video tape that Barlowe had previously recorded.  On the tape, the mobster explained that it had all been a joke; he knew The Joker would blow all of the real money right away and would have nothing left to pay off the IRS.  He would have to explain to the government that he had been conned so to avoid charges of tax evasion.  And everyone would know that Barlowe had made a fool of The Joker.

An irate Joker desperately pulled together a caper to steal the funds necessary to pay of the IRS so that no one would know that Barlowe had gotten one over on him.  Yet he was caught in the act by Batman and Batgirl and his plans were ruined.  The Joker was a criminal again and sent back to Arkham... and now everyone knew that ol’ King Barlowe had gotten the last laugh on his rival.  

Actor Allan Rich provided the voice for Barlowe with the late mobster appearing in the seventh episode of the first season of the New Batman Adventures, ‘Joker’s Millions.’  

#batman the animated series #Batman #Joker #Joker's Millions #Allan Rich #cut-out #paper art #DCAU

[foundtherightwords]

The Road Forgotten - Epilogue

Pairing: Arthur Havisham (Dickensian) x OFC

Summary: A few years after his plan to swindle his sister ended in tragedy, Arthur Havisham is a shadow of a man, living in guilt and fear. When Elsie Bradford, a young woman also wronged by Compeyson, enlists Arthur's help to hunt down his former partner-in-crime, Arthur must face his demons and other strange, new feelings, to redeem himself.

Warnings: slow burn, angst, guilt, revenge, psychological trauma, mention of prostitution, mention of suicide/suicide ideations, some violence, a bit of smut

Chapter word count: 864

Chapter 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13

Epilogue

Six months later

Elsie stepped off the wagon and looked at the cottage in front of her. Under the steel-gray sky, it didn't appear very promising. The whitewashed wall needed a new coat, the roof was sagging, and the garden was choked with weeds. But the rambling roses and wisteria around the front door would bloom, the apple tree in the back would bear fruits, and all around, as far as her eyes could see, was the beauty of the Surrey Hills, breathtaking even on that cold winter day, and her heart swelled at the sight of it.

"Well, it's not Mr. Wemmick's castle," she said. "But it would do, don't you think?"

"Yes," Arthur replied, tucking the scarf she had finally finished into his coat before wrapping his arms around her, as they both took in their new home. "It would do nicely."

Arthur had survived his wound, though it took six long months, and his health, which hadn't been very robust in the first place, never quite recovered after that. Officially, Elsie was the one that perished in the house in Brentford. Once the doctor had dug the bullet out of Arthur's shoulder and Elsie had regained her wits, she had convinced the others to carry her out on a stretcher, covered in a blood-stained blanket, accompanied by Arthur, who was able to stand at that point, though only just. She knew Cyclops and the Chimney wouldn't dare enter the house when there were so many people around, but they had heard the gunshot and the screams. She had no doubt that the moment they saw the stretcher leave in an undertaker's carriage, they would report back to Mrs. Hill, and that good lady would mark it as another loss in her book and move on. 

Compeyson was arrested when he was trying to get on a ship to France. As no witness to the shooting could be found, he was put on trial only for forging and counterfeiting. Magwitch was also arrested soon after. Despite Jaggers's best attempt to defend him, Magwitch was no match for Compeyson's charms in front of the jury, and he was sentenced to fourteen years, while Compeyson only received half that.

All this Elsie and Arthur learned from Jaggers. They were sorry for Magwitch, who had tried to do the right thing, but in the end, they decided to stay away from it all. They had found out the hard way that seeking revenge could harm as much as it promised to heal, and now they only wanted to heal.

While Arthur was convalescing, Elsie had found this cottage for sale within walking distance from Marianne's asylum. That, and the fact that it was cheap, had made it quite appealing in her eyes, and she had bought it on impulse. When she'd asked Arthur how he would like to live in the countryside, he had replied, "I'd live anywhere as long as you're with me."

They didn't marry - Elsie couldn't anyway, since she was supposed to be dead - but both agreed that they didn't need a ceremony or a piece of paper to prove their devotion to each other. They moved into the cottage and repaired it as best as they could. With the little money she had left, and with advice from Jaggers, Elsie invested in Havisham Brewery. It only earned a modest interest, but along with Arthur's allowance, it was enough for them to live on and to keep Marianne in relative comfort. Now that Marianne was so close, they could visit her almost every week, though Elsie would only watch from afar while Arthur gave Marianne the little gifts she had prepared, never revealing who they were from. For Elsie, the simple joy of seeing Marianne's face light up was enough.

They never went back to Satis House, though Jaggers occasionally sent them news about Amelia. Last they heard, Jaggers had arranged for her to adopt Magwitch's little daughter, whom she named Estella.

"Do you think she can learn to love again, your sister?" Elsie asked Arthur as she put down the letter from Jaggers. They were in the garden, sprawled on a blanket under the apple tree, Elsie's head resting on Arthur's shoulder, her hair spread on his chest, jet black now without any hint of blonde. Soft pink and white petals drifted down over them like warm, fragrant snow. April mornings were still too cold and too thick with mist for Arthur to go outside, but in the afternoon, when the sun was warm, they would stay as long as they could in the garden, working together, tending to the herbs and the vegetables and the flowers, or just sat, soaking in the sunlight and the fresh air that had been missing from their life for so long. It was their favorite time of day.

Arthur was thoughtful. "I don't know," eventually he answered. He took Elsie's hand and laced his fingers through hers, a gesture he'd always found to be more eloquent than a thousand kisses. "But I did. Learn to love, that is. And if I could, then perhaps she could as well."

THE END

A/N: My apologies to everyone who wants Compeyson dead. I want him dead too, but I also want this to align with "Great Expectations" (think of it as the bridge between the end of "Dickensian" and the beginning of "Great Expectations"), and Compeyson has to be alive for that. Don't worry, he's in jail, and Magwich is going to get him. And Arthur and Elsie are happy together, and that's all that matters, right?

Anyway, thank you for reading!

#arthur havisham #dickensian #arthur havisham fic #arthur havisham x ofc #joseph quinn fic #joseph quinn

[enchantedchocolatebars]

Yes to the fic idea! It would be so cool to see it written out.

The Fang brothers throwing Pip in a sack, Caleb getting Evelyn's help, and them rescuing Pip! I would love to see it all.

Agree, and enjoy! <3

Thanking @queenspinoodle for their help! 💕

Faecontree

"Let me go, let me go, let me go!" Pip shouts at the top of his lungs.

Blue Fang was currently carrying the small boy in a large brown sack.

In exchange for a significant reward for his capture, he and his brothers were on their way to turn him in.

After all, he was the “Bonesborough Brat”, the most wanted felon on the Isles.

"When Caleb comes back, you'll be sorry!"

"The other human?" Blue Fang laughed, before speaking in a faux frightened voice, purposely provoking Philip. "Oh no, we're sooo scared."

He and his brothers share a loud laugh together.

"You three are all dumb doo-doo heads! You're nothing but a bunch of butt-faces!"

" 'Doo-doo heads?!' "

" 'Butt-faces?!' "

Both Red and Blue Fang are angered by the childish insults as they glare daggers at Philip.

Blue Fang lifts up the bag, pointing his finger at the brunette boy. "That's it!" He growls. "I've had it with you and your sassy mouth!"

As he examines his finger, Philip opens his mouth wide and bites down hard on it.

He attempted to rip it off his hand to teach that meanie a lesson.😤

"Ow!" Blue Fang screams, swiftly pulling his finger away.

He forms his free hand into a fist and raises it up, ready to strike Philip with a powerful punch. "Why I oughta--"

"Stop!" A worried male voice cries out in the distance.

As the brothers turn around, they see Caleb rushing towards them with Evelyn by his side.

A small brown sack containing something was being held by the blonde.

"Well, well, well, look who's returned." Red Fang crosses his arm.

"And he's brought a friend," Green Fang comments.

Caleb offers the bag to them, hoping they'll take it. "Here's your reward. Now, please, give my little brother back."

As Green Fang prepares to take the sack, Red Fang extends his arm, halting his brother. "Wait!" His eyes narrowed with suspicion at Caleb and Evelyn. "This could be a trick."

"Yeah," Green Fang agreed, narrowing his eyes as well. "How can we be certain that sack is filled with snails? What if you filled it with something else, like rocks?"

Evelyn gave them a smile to clear their doubts. "Oh, don't worry, the bag has currency."

Taking the sack from Caleb, she opened it for the brothers to inspect inside. "Have a look for yourselves."

"Hmm..." Red Fang remained suspicious of them, but he made the decision to go down into the bag and pulled out a dollar-sized piece of paper with a crudely drawn illustration of a cardinal from it.

Above the bird are three dollar signs and below it are the words, "EVELYN BUCKS".

Next, Green Fang reached in and retrieved a wooden coin.

The teens were given an irritated look by both brothers.

"Hey, these aren't snails!" Red Fang yells.

"Yeah, this looks counterfeit! What exactly are you trying to pull?" Green Fang asked.

Evelyn gives an "honest" reply.

"Nothing." She begins to grin like a cheshire cat. "The money is genuine, you guys. It's just from a country."

All three brothers are puzzled by her statement.

"What the heck's a country?" Blue Fang inquires while scratching his head with his free hand.

"It's a place," The witch informs them. "This country in particular is called Faecontree and it's just across the Boiling Seas."

"I see..." A smug smile starts to tug on Blue Fang's lips as he snatches the sack of "money" from Evelyn and tosses Philip back to Caleb.

"We'll just go there then. We'll be rich!"

In arrogance, he and his brothers proceed to walk off with their new "wealth".

After they're gone, Evelyn sighs in relief.

"Looks like they bought it. Now, let's go before they come back."

Caleb smiles as he nods and the two take off.

...

"I can't seem to find this Faecontree place on the map," Green Fang states, holding a map in his hand.

The trio were headed to the Bonesborough Dock.

"Wait." Red Fang stops, resulting in the pause of both of his brothers.

"What is it?" Green Fang asked.

"Say that again."

"Faecontree?"

"Faecontree..." Blue Fang repeats as well.

As they begin to think about the word, a sudden realization occurs as they gasp.

"Fake country!" They shout in sync as they groan in frustration, face palming.

How could they of all demons fall for such a silly trick.

#the owl house #owl house #toh #emperor belos #belos #philip wittebane #caleb wittebane #evelyn clawthorne #wittewife #ask #asks #anon #anonymous #writing #my writing

[forensicated]

Smiffina Episodes: Funny Money

Roger and Tony are first on scene to a shopkeeper who has been assaulted by 2 teen shoplifters. Tony chases the suspects but loses them. At the hospital he tells them that it's the 2nd time that month and he didn't report it last time because he's disillusioned with the police who he claims did nothing when he was burgled in December.

Gina and Ben are watching the CCTV as Tony and Roger return. "You can see it now, "Police Fail To Catch Vicious Yobo." Gina arranges a higher police presence for the area as "we need to reassure the Great British Public that we care about low level crime." She sends Rachel, and Callum on the North side of the High Street and she and Smithy will take the South side and that they want positive PR from it so other officers will help out when and where needed. "Big smiles all round." Leon mutters under his breath. "Absolutely, PC Taylor!"

Callum speaks to two boys who are in their school uniforms. "Didn't know we were on holidays...?" The 2nd taps his brother on the shoulder and tells him to run because their mother will kill them if they're returned in a police car. "Must be your irresistible charm." Rachel smirks, admitting that she and her friend would bunk off PE every Friday and go to the local comprehensive to flirt with the boys.

Tony and Leon are helping Smithy and Gina try and locate the teenage shoplifters and they manage to catch them thanks to the amount of people around. Charlie tells them they couldn't find their way out of a paper bag and claims he was on his own that morning. Until they all show him their copy of a CCTV picture...

The rest of the uniform presence pick up Jenny a few moments later but Charlie insists it was just him and she had nothing to do with it. Charlie is filthy and has clearly not had a bath for a while. He's very protective of Jenny however and tells Rachel to back off when she's searching her back pockets. Jenny asks for her gran to be informed and Charlie asks for his Auntie Elaine. He's a cheeky little bugger but it's more of a defence mechanism. He's clearly neglected and vulnerable and there's something rather likeable in it too.

He's has a few realistic fake £50's that he "found" but doesn't remember where. Gina lightly touches his back as she guides him to a room to wait in for his aunt. Charlie winces and asks her not to touch him. Gina stops him and carefully lifts up his jacket to see his back covered in bruising.

Smithy tells Gina that the FME thinks it likely happened within the last couple of days. It was a prolonged assault with an object, most likely a shoe. There's no broken bones and he's okay for interview. Gina tells him to contact Social Services to see if he has any history with them. Jenny's gran has arrived but Charlie's aunt is still nowhere to be seen. There's a man called Tom Nelson who is registered at Charlie's address. He's his dad and he's got form for burglary, counterfeit note possession, car theft and one charge of domestic violence but the charge was dropped the next day. Coincidence that Charlie was found with fake notes?

Gina takes Charlie's aunt for an interview when she finally arrives and tells him she's had to arrest him. Elaine tells her he's a good kid who's never really stood a chance given what he's grown up with. His mum is in prison on a drugs charge with 15 months left to run on her sentence. Gina then tells her that he's got bruising on his back and Elaine insinuates it's his dad and she blames herself for being so caught up in everything else going on.

Jenny tells Smithy that Charlie must have hurt himself going over the roof. Smithy tells her that's not true and that sometime over the 2 days Charlie has had a beating. He asks her if she was with him yesterday and her gran says that she saw them together at school. Jenny says no, that was Tuesday and she doesn't know anything about it. He asks her if she wants to help Charlie and she says that she does, but she wants to talk to Charlie first because Smithy won't tell her what he said caused them.

Charlie asks how the man from the shop is and that he was just trying to get his leg that the man had hold of free and he didn't mean to kick him. He clams up when asks who hurt him or where it happened. Elaine tells him it's ok to answer so he tells Gina that it was at school, then changes to 'no, they were 4 boys from school.' She asks who they were and he tells her he'd never seen them before and she gently asks if that's right, how did he know they were from school? She tells him that she can make it stop if he tells her who did it. Charlie is quiet and sort of looks to the side at his aunt and then looks forward quickly. Gina gently asks if it was his dad who did it and Charlie looks really surprised and then tells her his dad isn't at home and he doesn't know where he works so he can't help her talk to him but it was kids from school.

Ben knocks on the door of Charlie's house and no one answers so Millie suggests trying Charlie's key. They have permission under section 13 to search Charlie's room and the bedroom even with no one present. "As far as I'm concerned Charlie lives in the entire house!" Ben answers, looking round to find takeaway papers and mess everywhere. It seems Charlie lives mostly out of boxes and bags before Millie lifts the clothes from the boxes to reveal lots of computer games. Ben comes to the assumption that he must be stealing to order for his dad to sell on. Callum tells Ben to look for anything that might tell them the whereabouts of his father. Millie looks out the window to see a net curtain quickly move back across the way as they'd been being watched.

Callum shows Stevie and Stuart the £50's and asks them to look into it before going to speak to Gina to update her that Charlie's father is not at the house. Smithy tells Gina Jenny has been reprimanded and released to her gran's care and he asks what she wants to do with Charlie. Gina has taken him into police protection and she tasks Leon with babysitting whilst they wait for Social Services. "Babysitting Ma'am?" "I wouldn't call it that... it's a very important job."

Charlie asks if Leon's new. He says no and Charlie asks if that's why he's got no mates. Then he asks if he's done something wrong and Leon says he hasn't. "So why have you been stuck with babysitting?"

For a house that is supposed to be a man and his son there's a lot of women's clothing. Millie suggests that Tom could have a girlfriend. There's no adult male clothing found in the house. Callum and Rachel approach Tom Nelson and speak to him about his son being arrested for theft. He claims it's nothing to do with him and that it wasn't his house that they searched and found large quantities of computer games at. He tells them that his wife had been off her head on drugs and accused him of attacking her when it was her who attacked him. She took the allegation back when she came down the next day. He admits he used to live there but Charlie and his mum still live there. He hasn't seen Charlie for three years. He admits he couldn't cope with his wife or a child and left and didn't know his ex was in prison.

The fifties that were found on Charlie are almost perfect, even the foil strip has been forced into them like real ones rather than laid on the top and that it would take an expert to do that. Gina tells Stevie and Stuart that Charlie's father, Tom, is a designer at a printers.

😂 The face of a man who is DONE. WITH. THIS. SHIT.

"Aren't you having anything? Not even a coffee? I thought policemen lived on coffee...I knew you weren't a real policeman." "Alright, I'll have a coffee!" Leon gives in as Charlie piles up a large tray of food and then tells the lady that "me dad will pay", nodding to Leon. Leon rolls his eyes and pays for it. A can, a coffee, sausage, chips, beans, a pudding WITH custard and a biscuit a twix and bread and butter - £4.25. Those were the days! [Imagine how much it'd be if not subsidised with London prices!]

Stuart asks Charlie if he can ask him some questions. "You can ask..." he says before looking to Leon. "Do I have to answer them?" "It's probably a good idea, mate." Charlie tells them that his dad ran out on him and his mum and wouldn't give them anything and that he doesn't care. He goes quiet when asked who looks after him.

Ben speaks to the neighbour who had been watching them. She sees all and knows all and tells them that Charlie lives with his aunt at the address and no man is present. Callum tells Gina that Tom's employer confirmed he doesn't live at the address Charlie does and Smithy passes on Ben's information about Elaine looking after Charlie. Gina is horrified and tells them to run as much background as they can. "I want to know if she's had as much as a parking ticket!"

Gina goes to the canteen to talk to Charlie and he tells her he doesn't know if Social Services know about Elaine looking after him but that someone in a suit told him she was going to live there. He goes quiet and refuses to go on the record about Elaine. Leon tells him that's ok and they'll keep what he says between the three of them. Charlie has bonded with both officers and is more open. He asks Leon if he's ever had a beating. Leon swallows and nods, saying he has. He struggles to say the words 'dad' before spitting it out and saying that his dad hit him with a belt. Charlie tells them that Elaine hits him with a shoe. Leon nods and says his dad hit him because he said he kept getting under his feet and asks Charlie why Elaine hits him. This time it was because he'd sold some games because she was away and he hadn't eaten. If he doesn't steal the games for her, Elaine stops him visiting his mum. He asks Leon how he got his dad to stop and Leon says he told him if he ever did it again - even once - he'd never see him again. Charlie looks thoughtful. "And he stopped?" Leon is very quiet and doesn't answer that, choosing to say "... You don't have to stay with her, Charlie." "Who else is going to look after me?"

Gina is furious and Smithy tells her she could never have known what was really going on. Elaine has no convictions but there's some intel about a stall she runs on the market as it is suspected of selling stolen DVD's and computer games. Callum and Rachel arrest her with Smithy and Gina. As soon as she spots Gina she asks her who's going to look after Charlie if she's arrested? Gina growls at her not to mention Charlie's name and tells them to get her out of her sight.

Smithy finds that Elaine is heavily in debt. "That explains why she moved into her sisters, it's free. Shame about the 12 year old boy also living there!" Elaine insists she bought the games and DVD's at a trade fair a few weeks ago and paid cash. She also insists if Charlie and Jenny are stealing then it's down to them and denies she beats Charlie. "And Charlie's willing to stand up in court and say all this...?"

Elaine's stall float is largely fivers. The cash looks convincing and Max admits he can't be sure without asking a bank but the amount of fivers make him suspicious. They're not a common note because it's not one often given out by cash machines and those that do are few and far between. Max holds up one from his wallet which is tatty and wrinkled. Those from the stall look brand new. A stall is a perfect place to subtly hand them over as change too and they could clear a few hundred in a good day. The forgeries are very good and could pass as real, it even feels like the same paper.

Charlie's dad insists he hasn't seen Elaine in years and that he knows nothing about it. He asks to see one of the notes and says he might be able to help. He tells them the ink is spot on, the watermark is almost perfect and that it's the serial number that is the hardest part to forge as they haven't got the typeface right. He names Mike Reavie but he can't tell him where he is as he's completely out of the game since he was prosecuted. Elaine was always in and out the house and Mike was often there at the same time so they'd know each other. He's horrified that Elaine is looking after Charlie and asks outright if she's beating him and Stevie confirms he is. Millie comes to speak to Gina and notices that a Mike Reavie is on the screen. She tells Gina that when they were searching Charlie's house a Mike rang and changed the time he was meant to meet Elaine to 6pm.

Stuart suggests bailing Elaine and letting her take her car and follow her to see if she takes them to the counterfeiting place. Gina tells him to wait - she has 2 vulnerable kids, one of whom has already had a beating and Elaine should have the book thrown at her. Heaton tells her that this is worth looking into. Elaine can't believe her luck when she's given bail and gets in her car, driving straight out the yard. Stuart and Stevie are close behind, following her out with Max bringing up the rear. Stevie has to let the window down to give her a bit of fresh air from Stuart's aftershave as they wait. He tells her it cost him £50 and she suggests he maybe over did it a bit...?

Charlie builds a tower of salt whilst waiting with a substitute!Leon whilst Leon brings his dad through. It's awkward. Leon explains his dad wanted to see him but he doesn't have to see him if he doesn't want to. His dad turns to leave the room and Charlie scoffs. "That's right, walk out..." He leaves the room and Leon follows him, thinking he's in the toilet but he isn't - he's left the station.

Gina and Smithy spot Charlie leaving on CCTV and ask the CAD operator to circulate his description. Leon suggests he's gone to Jenny's house and they go to speak to her. Jenny's gran tells them that she's at breakfast club and Gina tells her it's half 4, it's clear the woman is struggling and forgetful. Gina goes in to see if she's in her room and searches the house. Jenny jumps out the window with a suitcase and Smithy brings her back. They get it out of her that she was running away to live with Charlie. Gina tells her it's not safe for Charlie to be out on his own. Jenny tells her that he's gone to where they get the money from and that because he knows Charlie's dad the man said that he could get them a bit extra for free.

Gina asks Tom why Mike would give Charlie money for free and he admits he wouldn't, infact Tom ripped him off to the tune of thousands and he's probably planning to take revenge using the boy. Gina orders Smithy to change into civvies and get an unmarked car and warn Stuart. They drive over to where Stuart and Stevie are and join them outside. Gina tells them she doesn't have time to sit and wait for another hour. Jack agrees with Stuart - they need to sit and wait. Gina shakes her head and tells Smithy they need to do something urgently. Smithy drives to their prearranged viewpoint and wait. Gina is short on patience and sends Smithy to check on Elaine's car. When he returns she tells him that she saw a gun. Smithy clearly doesn't believe her 100% and asks again if she really did see a gun. Gina says it was a handgun and that she's positive she saw it. Smithy hands her the radio and tells her to call CO19 if she definitely saw a handgun. "I'm positive!" she repeats, calling for backup. Smithy clearly does not believe it and knows that Gina is keen to get things moving so she can find Charlie.

Gina asks if Max know who the officer is who will be leading the armed response. He does and she tells him to ask him to frighten the living daylights out of Elaine. He asks if anyone else saw the gun and Gina tells him no, Smithy was already out the car.

CO19 burst in and order her onto the ground. Elaine is terrified cowering on the ground and insisting she doesn't have a weapon. Gina asks where the counterfeit operation is and Elaine tearfully tells her. Smithy looks disapprovingly at Gina for her methods and hands her the radio to call it in as all speed to the location.

Sun Hill burst in and catch the printers before they can run. In a back room Mike Reavy is beating Charlie. Smithy gets the door open and charges after him whilst Gina comforts Charlie.

Gina goes in to speak to Elaine and tells her that putting her away has given her so much pleasure and warns her not to justify what she did.

Gina takes Charlie through to see his dad who promises him that he'll make it work. Gina then introduces them to a new social worker and reassures him that Jenny will be getting help with her grandma too.

Gina tells Heaton she was about 30 meters from the window and that she was the only one who had eyeball of the living room. She insists she saw a handgun and won't be drawn on type. He asks her why she's being so defensive and she tells him she is fed up of all the protocol and that it feels like they can't do their jobs anymore. He says he wouldn't blame her if she was struggling after Emma's death. Gina insists if he's lost faith and wants her to go she'll go and leaves his office. Smithy is waiting for her outside and asks her outright. "You didn't see a handgun, did you? What would have happened if Elaine had been killed?" "She wasn't though was she? Let's leave it there." she says, walking off.

#the bill #alex walkinshaw #dale smith #smithy #roberta taylor #gina gold #smiffina #smiffinalong #funny money #max carter #christopher fox #sam callis #callum stone #stevie moss #lucy speed #millie brown #clare foster #ben gayle #micah balfour #daniel flynn #john heaton #stuart turner #doug rao

[almanacrat]

Pumpkin Pie

WEdward Nashton x gn Reader

Warnings: None

The electric lights buzzed above Y/n’s head, flickering lazily. The streets of Gotham city were littered with people, some here and some there. Y/n wondered what each person was doing and where they were going to. Were they going home to two children and a spouse? No, perhaps they were going home to an empty apartment with a pet, or maybe they were going to work a night shift somewhere.

 Y/n worked the night shift five days out of the week. They had never been a fan of the night shift, especially now that Gotham was getting more dangerous, but a paycheck is a paycheck, and Y/n had bills to pay. 

Y/n made their rounds around the diner intermittently, making sure the customers didn't need anything. The late-night customers were typically pretty relaxed, not needing much assistance from Y/n except the occasional refill. Y/n stood behind the counter, looking at the crossword puzzle in front of them. They enjoyed solving little puzzles in the newspapers or wherever they happened upon one, and had gotten pretty good at solving them; however, there was one particular riddle stumping Y/n tonight. 

The chiming of the bell on the door caught Y/n’s attention. They snapped their head up to find one of the regulars. They never caught his name, but recognized his face and the thump of his military-style boots on the linoleum floor. 

“Hey.” Y/n greeted. They didn't bother to pull out their notepad, knowing he would just order the same thing he always did.

“Hi.” He replied.

“Pumpkin pie and a latte, I assume?” Y/n smiled at him.

“Yes, please.” The man avoided their eyes, choosing to fiddle with a coffee stirrer instead. 

Y/n briskly served him his coffee and slice of pie, observing him from the side of  their eye. He looked down at a newspaper, circling certain things with a green pen, then glancing around himself briefly. Y/n went back to hovering over their crossword puzzle. They let out a frustrated sigh when they had solved all but the one. 

“Still working on that crossword?” Y/n’s coworker asked, leaning against the counter.

“Yep. I figured all of them out except this one.” Y/n stated.

“You’ll get it eventually.”

“I've been thinking about it for twenty minutes, and I still can't think of anything plausible to go there. It sucks.” Y/n complained, running their hands through their hair. 

“Well, what’s the prompt? I might be able to help you figure it out.” Their coworker snatched the paper from Y/n, looking at it in confusion.

“A price for your thoughts. It seems so obvious but I’m just going blank.” 

“A penny.” The man spoke, catching Y/n’s attention. 

“What?” Y/n asked, having not heard him clearly. 

“The answer is a penny. A penny for your thoughts.” He spoke after clearing his throat. 

“You’re right! How did I not see that?” Y/n lamented.

“You were probably just preoccupied with work.” The man found himself saying. 

“Hopefully that's it. Do you do a lot of puzzles?” 

“Yeah, I like puzzles.” He answered.

“What kind are your favorite?” 

“Riddles. I like all puzzles, but riddles are my favorite.” 

“That’s really interesting. Do you have any interesting riddles for me to solve?”

“Right now?” The man finally made eye contact with Y/n, looking up through his clear-rimmed glasses.

“Sure.” They smiled at him.

“Uh- okay. Whoever makes it, tells it not. Whoever takes it, knows it not. Whoever knows it, wants it not. What is it?”

Y/n remained quiet in thought before finally speaking. 

“Oh, I've got it! Counterfeit money?” Y/n chirped.

“Yes. You’re quite good at riddles.” He commented. “I bet you’re even better. What’s your name, anyway?” Y/n asked, looking into his deep eyes which were shaded by his gentle brown hair. 

“Edward.” 

“Edward. I like that name. I’m Y/n.” 

Edward resisted the urge to tell them that he knew their name already. In fact, he knew most things about them, but only by coincidence. Edward had seen them walking up to the apartment on occasion, and heard them talking to their coworkers about the details of their life. 

“Goodnight, Eddie.” Y/n called as he walked out of the diner. 

If anyone else had called him Eddie, he would have done unspeakable things to them, but not Y/n. He now felt that he should pay special attention to Y/n. Before tonight, they were just the person who worked at the diner. Now, they were the person who liked puzzles and had a wonderful smile. They were a creature too pure and kind for this world. They were someone to keep safe and watch over. Someone to protect from the cruel streets of Gotham City. 

Edward knew one thing when he left that diner; he had to have them. 

#paul dano x reader #paul dano imagine #paul dano x y/n #paul dano fanfic #paul dano #riddler #riddler fanfic #riddler x reader #the riddler #the batman #edward nashton #edward nashton x reader #edward nashton x you #edward nashton imagine #batman #Dwayne Hoover x reader

[mamamittens]

So... About One Piece Money

TLDR: I'm a wordy, nerdy bitch about the logistics of literal money in a fictional world.

Now, as a preface, I want to say that I'm not an expert. While I have almost 5 years experience handling precious metals and currency in a professional capacity (as opposed to just participating in passive capitalism), this is in no way the equivalent of a full education on the matter. I am also aware that Berri (Belly, Beri, or whatever else it can be called) is fictional and mostly assumed to be the equivalent to the Japanese currency, Yen. Of which I have very little experience with as a whole.

I'm mostly just talking about background world building nonsense because I'm a nerd that can't be stopped.

So! With that out of the way, let's start with the basics!

Where exactly do they even make their currency? I mean, it's probably super top secret given the fact that its... you know, the foundation of their financial system, but given how widespread it is, I have to assume each major area has a mint somewhere inside it. This is simply because it's shown to be a pretty big deal to cross over into a different 'Blue'. Now, you could say that the natural flow of merchant/marine/civilian traffic circulates the currency but there's simply no way that's how it's done.

I mean, sure, we could do that in the modern age, but we also don't rely on wooden ships and have to deal with a massive, fuck off amounts of pirates eager to get rich quick. And a Navy guard to help circulate the cash is just begging for a strong attack. So no, there has to be a mint in each blue to ensure that they all fall under the World Government's financial system. That and most of it is going to those bubble head bastards and you know they just use half of it for toilet paper--no way in hell that's getting cycled back into the economy well enough to prevent the need for more printing/minting of money.

Which brings up the next point about what they could be made of. Now, contrary to what you might think, using pure precious metals for currency is wildly ill advised. Partly because there aren't a lot of easy to access metals that don't age like milk in circulation and also to prevent counterfeiting (more on that later). You could do that with gold (gold is famously nonreactive to the point that it doesn't conduct electricity) but it's also 'soft' for metal. Not ideal for your chump change. And the world of One Piece has to worry about water exposure constantly. So pure silver is out, as is iron. My best guess is, for the most part, a composite material, a lot like what the US has for their change (baring pennies). The exact mixture is hard to say. But! whatever it is, is relatively light and not prone to toning or water damage.

Also, I know they have a mint making these because there is no way in hell they employee the multiple countries worth of folks to individually carve these out. Their designs are distinct and very modern, which indicates a need for precise temperature control, consistent quality, and one hell of a press. Given that there isn't a year or rotating faces on the coins/currency, we can assume they don't need new designs regularly baring special anniversaries or events they may choose to commemorate with limited run coins/currency. I'm not sure what they could do that for, but plenty of modern countries so I'm not ruling it out.

Okay, onto currency and counterfeiting!

See, a trademark detail of currency (coins or paper money) is that they are usually given distinct... details. This makes it harder for your average joe to just whip up some Monopoly money in his basement and buying up all the local Tesla shops. Modern money differs depending on the country, but I'm assuming that they at least have watermarks, serial numbers, and possibly embossed sections. The more fine detail you can give your real currency, the harder it gets for people to fake it without the actual tools of the trade. (Paper money is usually made more with cotton and fibers than actual paper these days by they way, and depending on the country they integrate other special materials, sometimes in bands to make it even harder to DIY). It's probably also chemically treated to resist wear, tear, or other defacements--as well as being able to use special ink to test for fakes. It's all incredibly precise because if you can't even secure your physical currency, your actual economy is going to collapse in on itself due to artificial inflation.

On the topic of counterfeiting, I can only assume there are small, minute details that help determine where exactly specific money came from. For US currency (as well as other countries), we have 'mint marks' which are exactly what they sound like. Marks unique to the mint, usually just the first initial of the mint that made them, added to the coin's design in a discreet but easy to see spot.

And before anyone says that this can't be a possibility, ancient coins also have these marks for much the same purpose.

(Also, the One Piece mints have to be modern because unlike these coins, you never see Berri with uneven or awkward alignment on the planchet--metal disk that the design is pressed onto--which indicate these were done a lot more by 'hand' than by today's standard).

Now, where am I going with all this? Oh, nowhere special just passively thinking about the hidden aspects of world design and how Oda--unintentionally I imagine--accidentally gave One Piece a very advanced and well connected financial society despite most people living what's basically provincial lives without the industrial age inventions we know and love. Additionally, without heavy spoilers, it's clear that science is more advanced than it first appears because there's easy access to wine, beer, sake, and juice. Nearly all of which have to be carefully crafted to either last the voyage until it's sold or made in house. And if your chemistry isn't able to manage a good shelf life, it probably tastes pretty ass anyway. And Makino, angel that she is, definitely isn't making all her beer by herself.

That's it, thanks for coming to my Ted-Talk.

#one piece #mittens rambles #it's wild how this one detail tells me how carefully controlled the gov has to be #to have wild ass pirates everywhere but immaculately pressed currency #that shit is rare before industrialization btw #we have 'dolphin' coins from like Athens or wtv and they're ridiculous