#the only time we’ve heard rio talk about his family was during a heart to heart with dice!!!!!!

[akkivee]

we’ve had a few instances in canon where we hear that jyushi in his vkei king mode calls kuukou his master but like???? have we ever heard jyushi refer to hitoya as his god in canon yet???? that can’t still be arb exclusive right???? *crying* right?????

[thebadboyfanclub]

She Will Learn (Rio x Reader)

Look I will let y’all in on a little secret, the way this account is going to work is by me seeing your requests, making a mental note to finish them and then getting an idea for another imagine that wasn’t requested but can’t move on until I write it so.... Enjoy!

P.S I chose Greece cause I am from there and I never see us anywhere

(Y/n) had met Rio when she was about to graduate college, a business major that was striving for being the first millionaire in her family. She came from a lower middle class first generation immigrant from Greece, her parents were troopers for successfully raising her and her siblings, they never had things to spare yet they had enough to be respectful.

He saw her at a restaurant, completely overdressed and accessorized like she was dining in France, however she somehow made it look like she didn’t think about what she was going to wear, like this was her natural way of dressing, her nails were done and he noticed how... soft her hands looked. 

What intrigued him was that she was extremely kind to everyone, she smiled brightly at the waiters and she would often reach over to her friends for a touch of encouragement of just a simple caress, she exuded confidence that made you feel like you would never dare to touch her, still she carried herself with elegance and in a graceful manner.

“Excuse me, can you tell me who are the girls at the table over there?”

“Oh they haven’t been here before but I can tell you they are here to celebrate for the girl in the red dress, it’s her birthday”

“Oh is it? Send them a bottle of champagne please”

“Right away Sir”

He was never the flashy type of guy, he never cared for stuff that showed his status or economic achievements, people that had money knew to never flaunt it carelessly. When it came to her, he felt the need to show off, to woo her and catch her eye, she had this sense of luxury, she looked like she took care of herself way too much to let men not treat her anything less than that.

He watched her face switch into surprise when the waiter came with the bottle of champagne, a few seconds after that her gaze went to him, as the waiter pointed towards him and then proceeded to open the bottle of bubbly. 

She had noticed him when she entered for a few moments, although she decided that since it was her big night she wouldn’t waste time gawking at good looking men, she had saved money for months to be able to afford the finest for her big day, every year she wanted her birthday to be like the life she wanted. She send him a smile as her hand went to her heart to show gratitude for the gift. 

Except that didn’t feel like enough, she felt like she could push it a bit more, try her luck just a bit, she looked too good to worry about a man turning her down, he would have to be mad or blind to do so.

She walked to him with the glass of champagne in her hand, giving him the chance to take her in. Her legs were exposed as the dress went to the middle of her thigs, they shined and looked so smooth making him wonder how good would it feel to touch them. She had a figure of a dream, as her hips swayed with every step, her posture was proud and she walked like a supermodel, if he didn’t know the owner he would have thought she was the one that had not just the restaurant, the entire block.

“I don’t think we’ve met, I’m (y/n), I wanted to thank you for the champagne, you really didn’t have to”

“I wanted to darling, I’m Christopher but people call me Rio, how wonderful to meet you”

He said, taking her delicate hand in his and pressing a light kiss on soft skin. He could smell the lotion of vanilla she had chosen to moisturize her skin, settle yet unforgettable. His raspy voice made her flustered, trying to mask it with a smirk and confidence, he was intriguing to her, the cool, calm and collected exterior that suited him so much. 

“I wish I could stay and talk but I don’t like leaving my friends by themselves”

“I understand darling, we’ll be in touch”

-

It had been years since then, he had managed to not only stay in touch with you but make her the queen of his life. She was an asset that he so desperately needed, he trusted her with his life and knew she had the best intentions for him, her loyalty was iron made, her degree came in handy when he needed to handle business in a discreet manner, she was the master mind behind a lot of his negotiations, her brilliance on playing the trophy wife that didn’t know anything in front of others was the secret behind his success. 

She is his secret weapon, so secret that no one knew she even existed, the few that did didn’t even know her name and the people that knew were the most trusted ones that worked with Rio for years, she liked to be under wraps, walking in and out of the building with the men Rio had hire to protect her and the rookies wondered who was she, he only called her with pet names when others were around but they could only address her as “Miss”, she was the miss of the mister and his most trusted soldier. 

Despite that, (y/n) was no fool. She had broken up with Rio and called of the engagement several times, making Rio go wild every time. She wasn’t unreasonable, Rio was out of line a lot of the times, especially when Beth came in the picture, his men feared her just as much as him, maybe even more, so when she found out they had done such major damage multiple times but still took them back in, she would pack her stuff and leave without warning, leaving her ring and a note that wrote “goodbye” behind. That’s when he would hook up with Beth, make up for the loss of his queen, yet when he had manage to convince her to come back and buy her a new ring every time, he felt like he was on top of the world.

“Be honest with me Mick, who did this to him?”

“Everything points in one target, Beth”

“Of course. Thank you Mick, I got him”

She stood by him throughout his healing process, waited patiently until he was back on her feet, took care of his bullet wounds and had many sleepless nights to make sure he was alright. She was his wife to be after all, even kept in contact with Rhea and Marcus, made sure they were alright and taken care of in any way, shape or form.

“Are you ready mama?”

“Almost, can you help me with the necklace”

They were there when Rhea got the call from Beth, acting like there friends even though she caused Rios life and invited her for drinks. Rio knew (y/n) was boiling, wanted to take revenge for what Beth had caused and this time he understood, so they got dressed up to meet her instead of Rhea. 

As Rio approached and took the necklace in his hands he saw it was the necklace he bought her for their one year anniversary, her birth stone surrounded with diamonds. When (y/n) let her hair down he got a whiff of her scent, still making him feel weak in the knees, he got closer to her and wrapped his one arm around her, his lips found the nape of her neck and left light kisses. She closed her eyes for a second to enjoy the feeling of warmth and lust he brought her.

“You look beautiful princess”

“It’s my first time meeting her isn’t it?”

“What have you planned gorgeous?”

“That’s for me to know and for her to find out, let’s go daddy”

She knew exactly who she was. Seeing the back of her head made her want to pull out her gun and blast her right then and there, that wouldn’t be classy now wouldn’t it? She approached the clueless woman and sat on her left side, leaving the right seat empty for Rio to join later. 

“Can I get dirty martini please? Thank you dear”

She instructed the bartender before taking off the faux black fur coat to reveal a   Split Floor-Length Sleeveless Spaghetti Strap Pullover black dress. The first thing Beth noticed about the young woman that sat next to her was the big diamond ring that she wore on her ring finger, mentally thinking of what that girl had done to earn it

‘she probably hasn’t worked a day in her life’ she thought, making herself feel a little bit better, she had to admit that she looked really pretty, the jewelry she had on complimented her skin tone and the dress looked like it was custom made. (Y/n) waited for her drink to arrive before she looked at Beth and got ready to reveal her identity.

“You must be Beth, I don’t believe we’ve officially met. I’m (y/n)”

Beth looked at her puzzled. How did the young woman that looked like she was some old mans pretty young thing to show off knew her. (Y/n) was smiling as she took a sip of her cocktail, knowing damn well that Beth had already made up her mind about what type of woman (y/n) was and completely missing the purpose of this meeting.

“How do you know my name”

“Oh I know everything about you, where you live, the names of your children, your sister Annie and your friend Ruby. Rio has told me all about you”

“Rio? How-”

“I know he doesn’t talk about it, I like to be invisible to the public eye... his secret weapon as some would say. I also know you are waiting for Rhea”

“She ain’t comin”

Beth heard Rio’s voice and her eyes went wide with fear. (Y/n) let out a soft giggle and took one more sip of her drink as Beth turned to look at him like she had seen a ghost, judging by how pale she had gotten she was more of that vibe than he was. 

“Excuse me, can we get a glass of neat whiskey for the gentleman? Thank you so much”

(Y/n) ordered once more before hoping off her chair and joining Rio. He snaked his arm around her and brought her as close to him as he could before placing a kiss on her cheek.

“How you feeling mama?”

“Oh I was just having a chat with Beth”

“A-are y-you”

“His fiancé? Yes, we are planning on getting married on my homeland during the summer, aren’t we daddy?”

(Y/n) started rubbing Rios back as she smiled at him, she was super excited for her wedding, he had given her complete control to do whatever she wanted, it was her big day and he knew better than to object to anything.

“Oh we have to show her something”

Rio reached for his pocket and (Y/n) looked over at Beth who was in the verge of a mental breakdown. Rio pulled out his three bullets that the doctor had pulled out from his body, (y/n) wanted to throw them away but he insisted in keeping them, reminding him how he cheated death. 

“Lung, spline, shoulder”

He put each one down in front of her. Beth had terrible aim and for once (y/n) was thankful that one of their rookies missed the shots. Beth stayed silent, taking in all the information, not only was he alive he also had a woman he was planning to marry, calling him “daddy” right in her face, she looked like she was straight out of a magazine and even thought she was kind to her that terrified her more, her entire life was crumbling in front of her. 

“Now I think you understand that you are in a bit of a jam, Christopher has agreed that I should decide your punishment since he wanted to kill you-”

“Don’t, do that. I’m sorry babydoll, she will learn”

Beth had tried to leave in the middle of (y/n)’s sentence, making Rio grab Beth by the arm and restrain her from doing so. (Y/n) stayed stoic and just watched the scene unravel, she knew Rio would never allow anyone to disrespect her. As Beth sat back down Rio smiled (y/n) before taking her hand once more and placing a kiss on her knuckles. (Y/n) reached for his face and caressed his cheek with her free hand making Beth sick to her stomach, he had never looked at her like that, with such admiration and love.

“It’s alright, I will let it pass this one time”

“Go on mama”

“I feel like it would be too easy to kill you, such an easy way out. So now you will work for me”

“What?”

Beth felt her stomach twist at the statement. Working with (y/n), having to do daily tasks for her, a woman she had no idea even existed an hour ago, now she had work under her and take orders from her directly, for a second she thought that death would be better. (Y/n) left Rio’s side for a second and took Beth by the shoulders, standing right behind her, Beth’s eyes fell on her shinny ring, that only felt like someone was rubbing salt over her wound, he had probably spend a fortune for it. (Y/n) leaned closer to Beth getting next to her ear and causing goosebumps on Beth’s body. 

“Think of it as an assistant or maybe help Rio with anything he needs but mostly you will be on call for anything I need. Since you wanted to outsmart Rio and spit where you eat, I need some help to plan the wedding and also take care of our business. What do you think darling?”

“I think it’s an excellent idea”

Rio was pleasantly surprised. (Y/n) was one of the most intelligent people he knew, bring Beth so close to her and making her work for their wedding even though she knew she had slept with him was a very cruel and mentally humiliating way to punish her. 

She truly was one of the greatest choices he had ever done, no one could compete with her, she held such power that made Rio feel like he could not only trust her but also submit to her, let her take the wheel and not having to worry about anything going wrong. As he watched her look over at Beth there was no comparison, (y/n) had such way of carrying herself, that je ne sais quoi as some would say, she was the embodiment of female divine energy. 

Rio knew that her leaving him all these times was a game of push and pull, making him work for her and a mental slap in the face, yet every time he ran to her like an obedient dog and begged for her to come back and take her spot as his queen in the palace, promised her and gave her everything she wished for, every ring was bigger and better than the one before. It wasn’t like he did it because she wanted it, he was the one that wanted to spoil her, give her everything under the sun, she deserved everything and he was for sure not going to hold back for his sweet little princess.

“And then when all of that is done... Rio can take care of you, I feel like it would bring bad luck to our household if we killed someone before the wedding”

[chuuoku-imagine]

Wedding headcannons with Nemu! Please and thank you 😔🙏💕 btw how's your day!:))

It's going well! Even though I'm swamped with work~ Thank you honey🥰

OMG NEMU WEDDING!!!!!!! Sapphics win. Btw same-sex marriage better be legal under Chuuoku's government or I'll throw hands with Mrs. Otome 🏳️‍🌈

Nemu | Your Wedding

It takes you a while before finding the courage to to propose to Nemu. Not only because her big brother Samatoki is kind of scary, but because you keep having doubts about whether you're a suitable partner for her.

It's when the two of you are on a date that you start to think about a future with her.

Seeing your hands so perfectly interlocked and her sweet smile make you realize that you wouldn't mind seeing her smile for the rest of your life, even growing old and grey together.

You propose to her on a Sunday morning during breakfast, extremely anxious and worried about her answer. The two of you have the day-off, so you can relax and take it easy.

"Nemu... I have something I want to ask."

"What is it, Y/N?"

She smiles at you, chewing happily on a piece of buttered bread. She is wearing her favourite black turtleneck that accentuates her slender frame, and her hair is up in a messy ponytail.

"...... Well, huh..."

You stammer on your words as you stare at your plate, so Nemu can't hear you well.

"Y/N, are you okay...? I couldn't hear you well..."

You feel her fresh hand land on your burning cheek, and worried eyes peer into yours.

"Do you feel sick or something?"

"N-No, I am fine..."

You mumble as you close your eyes, enjoying the cool feeling of her fingers.

Your hearts beats widly in your throat, and you want to run away from the house so, so bad.

"W-Would you... Oh my god, I can't do this."

You suddenly stand up in a wave of panic, and run away in the bedroom the two of you share, leaving a confused Nemu behind. You know it's a childish reaction, but you're unable to control the anxiety rushing over you. What if she says no? What if she's not ready? What if it's too soon, what if you come off as creepy?

"Y/N..."

Nemu joins you in the bedroom as you stand there, shaking and overthinking about ridiculous stuff.

"Babe, talk to me?" she whispers as she hugs you, burrying her head in your neck.

You exhale and sweetly grab her hand, kissing her palm and making her blush. Her reaction melts your anxiety and helps you relax, and you hug her back as you kiss her ear.

"Sorry for worrying you, Nemu. ... I'm ridiculous, panicking over a simple marriage propos— Wait..."

You didn't mean to say this sentence out loud, so you clasp a hand over your mouth as a loud swear escapes you. Shit. Holy crap, now you've done it.

As you make the wish to disappear into a hole in the ground, Nemu steps back and stares at you in awe.

"Y/N, say that again? You want to what??"

"N-No!! I'm sorry! I didn't intend to ask you this way... I wanted to ask in a more classy way, and sweep you off your feet..."

Nemu grins wide and cuts you off with a passionate kiss. She peers into your eyes, her eyes so close to yours that it feels way more intimate than the previous kiss.

"Oh my god, Y/N, of course I'll marry you..." she coos with a smile. "Do you think I haven't noticed the longing way you stare at me?"

You blush heavily under her gaze, and she suddenly grabs your hand as she leads you out of the bedroom.

"Let's finish our breakfast, and then we'll go buy engagement rings!"

You get married a few months later in a small venue, with your closest friends and family. You had agreed on a small and intimate celebration, and it had been quite fun to plan out together.

You stand at the altar in a bundle of nerves when you notice Jyuto and Rio, Samatoki's crew members, approach you. You greet them with a nervous smile as you realize the ceremony is about to start soon.

"Congratulations, Y/N. We've heard a lot of good things about you", Rio says in a deep voice, his words sparse but sincere.

Jyuto nods appreciatively at your wedding outfit, and it looks like he's about to speak when the doors of the room open, revealing the Aohitsugi siblings.

Your words catch in your throat as you discover Nemu in her wedding attire, not noticing Jyuto and Rio slipping back to their seats.

Since the Aohitsugi parents are gone, it's Samatoki who leads her down the aisle, looking quite regal in a white suit, but he pales next to her sister —your bride-to-be.

A veil covers her face, but you notice her shining eyes and glossy lips as she stares right in front of her, her body straight. She is wearing a vapory wedding dress that flows behind her, and her gaze is focused on the altar in front of you.

As she arrives next to you, you take notice of Samatoki staring at you, before offering you a small smile and squeezing your shoulder.

"Treat her well, Y/N."

Samatoki and you have grown into quite close friends these past few months, despite a rocky start when he learned that Nemu and you were getting married. But you had learn to trust each other over time, and he now trusted you enough to let his little sister marry you.

You stare at him pensively as he joins Jyuto and Rio on the front benches, and you feel Nemu's small hand sweetly squeezing your own.

You squeeze her hand back... And as you stare at her beyond the veil, you make a promise to yourself to protect her from any harm.

"Are you ready, Y/N?"

"Ready as I'll ever be."

[danetobelieve]

I Spy With My Little Eye || Darwin, Rio and Winston

Usually, when people invited Darwin it was always about some demon that needed to be banished, or the occasional booty call. In this case it wasn’t a demon, but something definitely suspicious anyway: Winston had asked his expert opinion on a knife and... An eye? Pictures had been sent, but the messages had been vague, the sort of short responses you only give when your current project is eating most of your time away, or when it’s troubling you enough that you don’t feel like sharing much over the internet. Whatever Winston had gotten themselves into, it must be something big. Something dangerous, judging by the carvings on the knife. Darwin liked to think of himself as a demonic expert, but even he had some trouble identifying the symbols on the weapon. Which is why he’d asked Winston to see it in person: books were fine, Darwin had even brought a few with him in his bag, but in his experience a hands-on approach was always the best way to get answers. Which is why he now stood there, bag filled with tomes and various supplies, lips slightly twisted in an excited smile. Dangerous, sure, but interesting nonetheless. Too bad Bertrand would have to miss this: Winston had mentioned a roommate, and Darwin couldn’t be sure they’d be as welcoming about fashionable yokai as Winston had been. After a moment to fix his clothes, he knocked. “It’s Darwin. I brought something.”

Winston had been working with Rio for a bit now. Ricky was off working out, training or something else that would make Winston sweat and wheeze. But they were making progress, at least, they hoped by it. The carvings on the knife were beyond Winston and every search of the internet that they had done on the images carved into the knife hadn’t been all that helpful. There were just too many resources to be able to reliably cut down and some of the answers that they were getting were conflicting or just downright contradictory. “Hey Darwin,” Winston said with a yawn as they opened the front door a mug of coffee already on the way up to their lips, “we’re in the workshop I’ll show you the way.” Winston turned and led them through the house to where the old garage had been converted. They were in the corner that was Winston’s, a mess of notes and old leather bound tomes were scattered across the parts of the desktop not covered by wires, the keyboard or the mouse. A bank of screens on the wall were each running their own individual search. Some cross referencing, some image searching and some running through key phrases. “Darwin, this is my friend Rio, Rio this is Darwin, he’s … an expert.” 

Winston has mentioned that somebody would be dropping by that would hopefully be able to help with the research. Orion hoped that he could, because the two desperately needed it. They had cleared a small space in the workshop for Rio to set up an area, and Rio had taken full advantage of the given space. He had pulled whatever books he could fine at the Scribe building on demons and stuffed them in his book bag to bring back home. Now they laid spread across his desk space, sharing it with various cans of energy drinks. Rio had been going on about twenty seven hours without sleep now. His eyes were bloodshot and his pink hair was a tangled mess, but he kept it hidden beneath a baseball cap. He was also incredibly jittery, the sugar rush of the energy drinks being the only thing keeping him going at the moment. Rio heard Winston and Darwin coming before the door opened. He leapt up to hop over and extend his hand out to the man here to help. “Hey there! So happy to have you here! We need an expert. How are you?”

“I don't know if I'd call myself an expert after having seen your setup here...” Darwin looked around the room with a low, impressed whistle. “You've been busy, I see.” Most of the screens and wires were as alien to Darwin as runes and rituals were to the common folk, but there was no denying the two had been poured their heart and soul into whatever they were researching. He turned to Rio and shook his hand. “Darwin Asrani, at your service.” For a moment he hesitated, wondering if the young man would recognize the last name, and if so what he'd make of it. Being an Asrani came with a certain reputation, one that would give Darwin credibility in his 'expert' role, but could also cause some tension. Then again, the two seemed way too exhausted to care about his family, for which Darwin was grateful. “I'd say I'm more well rested than both of you. Is... Is that a first edition?” The sight of tomes like those laying so close to coffee and drinks made him shudder a little: his book store may only be a cover, but he still cared about knowledge. “Well, the sooner we begin, the sooner you two can get some sleep. I've brought some books as well, I think I recognized some of the symbols on the pictures you sent me.” Darwin took out a couple of tomes and gently added them to the pile on the desk. Like most of the books in his private collection, they were old and written in a language long forgotten. “I'm afraid I couldn't understand most of what was written in there. I got this as payment for a... Favor I did for a friend. But maybe if we cross-reference them with whatever you have here we could...” He let the sentence hang, twirling his moustache for a few moments. “Anyway, what are we looking for, here, exactly?”

“Sleep is for the weak, finals season is worse then this.” Squinting at the book for a moment, Winston grabbed the mug of coffee and poured it into the one they already had in their hand before placing the coffee mug next to the book. Placing it in the microwave in the corner, Winston shrugged. “It might be? I don’t know about first editions but it has some very fascinating information in it that helped us to … well more questions.” Winston forgot about their coffee as Darwin kept talking and began to explain their point of view. “Okay, so the situation is that we’re pretty sure there is a demon in the lake, big squid demon. It’s been cordoned off by the police but a few of us managed to get close to the lake hoping we could do some recon and get a real look. Instead, we actually ran into a cult, well, we say cult, we don’t actually know. They were wearing robes, chanting in a long dead demon language, had their eyes sewn shut and their eyes in their hands somehow? Anyway, we beat feet and got out of there but we’ve got some samples.” Winston pointed at some of the photos they had taken, both of the cultists by the lake and of the eyes which they were keeping on ice in the back of their freezer (the tupperware was brightly labelled and Winston didn’t know what Ricky’s problem was). “Rio over here has been working on the language and I’ve been trying to analyse the eyes as well as run searches through the database of information we’re collating. It had made sense to give them home access to all of the digitised information that Rio had accrued. “So, I guess we’re trying to work out what the dagger says and find out anymore information on this stuff that we can?”

Admittedly, Orion didn’t even feel that tired. Most likely they had reached some sort of numbness, long passing the point of exhaustion and entering some state of sleep deprived and caffeine fueled hysterics. “It is first edition. The Scribe who owned it was a friend of the original author.” Rio answered nonchalantly, remembering the signature on the inside of the first page. Sometimes he felt like he hadn’t even made a dent in the Scribe library, which in a lot of ways he hadn’t. But other times like these he finally thought he was making some progress. “The creepy cult people kept making mentions of the water and ‘joining the bodies’. It makes sense to assume that they mean the lake when they say water just because that’s where the cultists were, but I haven’t really found anything to prove that yet. I was able to hunt down the translation for water in the language. It’s written on the white board over there.” Rio babbled, pointing haphazardly towards the board while he focused instead on type books Darwin had brought along. “Woah. These looks old.” He ran his finger along the spine and stared at it in wonder, “Can I start looking through them? If I can find a match somewhere in these books with the what we know about water and bodies and joining then I bet we can pinpoint the language.”

Darwin blinked. “You... Suspected there's a giant demon in the lake and you decided to take a look? No wonder Hellhounds leave you unimpressed.” Darwin tried to make sense of everything Winston and Rio told him. Squid demon was too vague a clue: most demons adapted their form to fit humans' expectations of a monster, and the imagery of tentacles had been present enough throughout history to become sort of a staple. Eyes and hands were also pretty common in demonology: windows to the soul, the tools with which someone shapes the environment around them... Off the top of his head Darwin could think of four Greater demons who would appreciate something like that, but two were supposed to be just a legend, one had been banished and the other was always depicted as a spider, not a squid. And none of them had a particular interest in water, or joining bodies. “They were chanting, you said. A ritual, maybe a prayer of some sort? What day was it? Lunar phase? The moon often matters when water is involved, something about the tide. And I'm assuming you crashed the party and interrupted them, right? If so, they might try again. If I were you I'd try to keep an eye, pun intended, on the lake during the next few days. Demons don't appreciate their cultists missing Sunday's mass.” Darwin was about to ask even more questions, but he figured the two already had enough on their plate, so instead he nodded at Rio's request. “Knock yourself out.” He walked to the pictures, picking them up one by one and studying each of them for a few moments, focusing more on the ones depicting the knife. After a couple of seconds, he pointed at one of the symbols on the blade. “This one here, I think it has something to do with energy. Or spirits, maybe, not sure. I saw the same symbol in the black leather-bound book on top, you might find something in there. Oh, and... That's a first edition, too.” A weird flex, but one Darwin couldn't help: he might not have only three degrees of separation between himself and the author, but his collection had always been his pride and joy.

Shrugging, Winston gave Darwin a smile. “Yeah, well, I’ve found that if I don’t actively try and solve these potentially town ending problems then it has less then enjoyable consequences. Especially after the mimes.” Winston began googling so that they could answer Darwin’s questions. “That is a good point, it was like four days ago and on a day after the full moon which means that it was a waning gibous, I can’t believe that we didn’t consider lunar phases affecting tidal currents within the lake. I mean, or something like that.” Winston remembered Kaden opening fire without warning with a wince. “Yeah, well crashing the party wasn’t exactly something that we volunteered for, but yeah, I think they would probably go back. The place is meant to be being watched by the cops, but I’ll see if I can set up some cameras in the area so that we can at least get an idea about it. I might even be able to get it on the police budget…” they scratched their head thoughtfully and made a few quick notes on a sticky note. Raising an eyebrow at Darwin’s comment. Winston had to admit that they didn’t understand the whole first edition being a boast thing. Sure the book was older and therefore more valuable, but edition 1 was usually the one with the most problems that were slowly fixed and made worse in edition 2,3,4 and so on. “Energy and spirits, I can run a search on other symbols that are used for that,” Winston tapped a few buttons and symbols began to arrange themselves into a grid on the screen in front of them as their search results loaded in, “I don’t know if that helps though….”

It only took Darwin’s approval to dive into the book, skimming through the pages as Orion listened to Darwin and Winston continue the conversation. Rio had to admit that he wasn’t exactly well versed in the lunar cycles, but maybe it was something he should start learning. It wouldn’t be too hard to incorporate the lunar calendar into his own and memorize the patterns. But that wasn’t important right now. “You can keep a hold of the knife if you’re looking at that. I have the pictures that Kaden sent me.” Glancing through the book Darwin suggested, he came across a symbol that he recognized from some of the Scribe books he had read on a similar subject. He rushed over to the white board, sketching some of the symbols that he had found that he thought looked similar to the symbols on the knife. Then he brought the picture on his phone up and propped it against the board, zooming in on various spots of the picture and trying to mention it. “These symbols look pretty similar to this sketch on the knife. Something about a shelter or home. There’s something else on the knife that matches with the symbol. Another part of the word or something. I’ll keep looking.” Rio exclaimed, excited that he was working with another first edition. To think that the author of this book had personally put this together, that it was his own words on the page was fascinating. “The squid itself is an interesting choice for a demon. They’ve been seen as a sort of monstrous creature for a long time. The Kraken dates all the way back to the 13th century.” He spoke, mostly to himself as he worked. Something about the familiarity of the subject made the unknown of the thing they’re studying a bit calming. “I don’t know that being a squid is necessarily related to the demon. But considering the connection to water my guess is that choosing some kind of aquatic creature was specific.” 

“Cameras are a good idea. If I wanted to hold a ritual nearby a place full of cops I'd try a sleeping spell first. Or illusions. Memory spells would work too... It's easy to deceive the human mind, but cameras? I for one would not have thought of that. I'm too old-fashioned, I suppose.” Darwin shrugged before clearing his throat. “I should note that I do not make a habit of holding dark rituals in the moonlight, cops or no cops. I have better things to do with my spare time.” People were quick to assume the worst of a demonic expert, sarcasm and deflection had become second nature to him. Putting the pictures down, he moved behind Rio, watching carefully as he added notes and compared symbols, going too quick for Darwin to really follow. “Water definitely seems to be a recurring theme, yes. Perhaps what we're looking for is something involving both shelter and water. And over there, zoom on that picture, please...” Again, he nodded. “That little hook at the end of that rune is often used to represent a sign, a warning. Winston, can your fancy computer see if there's anything that would involve all of these things? A shelter, water and a warning? Maybe a place where the... Joining of bodies, was it?... can take place. Or maybe...” Darwin's musings were cut short by one of the screens beeping, and he turned to look, hopeful. “I want one of those. Wouldn't know how to run anything on it except Minefield, but I want it. Has it found a match for the spirit bit?”

“I mean, we don’t know that they have magic necessarily,” Winston replied with a shrug, “but yeah, cameras sound like a good idea, hopefully they won’t think of it.” Pausing for a moment, Winston laughed a little at Darwin’s joke, maybe it wasn’t a joke. Winston wasn’t sure that Darwin struck them as the type to have moonlit rituals. At least this was good natured fun research, for once they weren’t nearly dying. At least not yet. Winston grabbed their coffee and swallowed a mouthful that was now piping hot. Winston followed Darwin’s instructions carefully and listened carefully to their conversation. Honestly, this was a little out of their league but it was all so fascinating. “Cross referencing everything is something I can definitely do,” Winston set to work, setting up the specific search parameters before setting the search going. The screen beeped with results far faster then Winston had expected, but at least they weren’t going to be sitting around waiting for ages. “It looks like this is something to do with a lighthouse y’know, like the old timey beacon thing, look over here, you’ve got multiple symbols for lighthouses, both in terms of a nautical capacity and as a geographic location. I guess it makes sense right?” There were a few old newspaper articles, various other search results were flashing up in the background too.

Some time had passed since they had first started diving into the research. When Orion found that he had started dozing off while looking for something relevant he reached beneath his desk and cracked open another energy drink. “A lighthouse?” Rio questioned, perking up at the discovery and glancing over at the screen to see what Winston had found. “That fits the theme of water!” They were getting somewhere, they had to be! “Obviously lighthouses have a functional purpose, but beyond that they’re used as a religious symbol. It’s seen as some sort of spiritual guide. Not sure if it that has any connection to the spirit symbol on the knife or not.” He sighed. Maybe he was trying to find a connection where there wasn’t one. He studied the blade of the knife again. Noticing some slight differences between symbols that he had originally thought to be similar. “Hm. The first time I looked at these I thought these were the same.” He pointed at the knife, “something to do with joining or coming together.” He flipped through the book again, spotting down a symbol he had glanced over the last time. “But I think right here looks more like some kind of transformation.” He made a correction on the white board, looking over the change that had been made. “So joining the bodies like Nell said, and then transformation of spirit and something about a lighthouse.”

Darwin listened carefully, his eyes darting quickly between Rio and Winston, and suddenly he found himself wishing he had some coffee as well. “Lighthouse. An odd thing to put on a ritual knife, but you're right, lighthouses have been a recurring religious symbol in the past, which would definitely fit with a crazy cult. Perhaps their purpose was to... Summon a lighthouse? Or rather, a beacon. To guide something... To the place of the ritual?” Darwin shook his head, unsure. Pacing back and forth, he went on. “Lighthouse beacon, joining of bodies, transformation of spirit...” He repeated those words over and over, their only clues. Could it mean the ritual was meant to guide a spirit to join with its original body, transforming its form from incorporeal to very much corporeal? Wild speculation at best, they didn't have enough information to be sure of anything. Darwin pinched his nose and sighed. If only he'd been there to witness the ritual, maybe he could be of more help. And then a crazy idea started to take root in his mind, and he moved to his bag. “So, most people would find what I'm about to suggest... Shady, at best. But I've done something similar in the past, and I can promise, it yields results. You said you have samples, and I've seen pictures of an eye. Do you, by any chance... Have said eye?” Instead of bracing himself for their reactions, Darwin simply left them no time to react and continued. “During big rituals there's always some sort of... magical residue, and the eye was at the center of it all. It might be possible to channel that residue and let us... See what the eye saw. Its memories, so to speak.” Mental magic, the other Asrani specialty. Granted, Darwin had never used it on an eye, it shouldn't even be possible: dead things have no mind, no memories to share. But then again, magic was life, and the eye probably had been bathed in it multiple times. Chances were, it was less of an eye now and more of a focus, and as such he could use it.

“Lighthouses could also mean somewhere to avoid maybe?” Winston thought that it seemed like a long shot but whilst everyone was riffing and spitballing they might as well throw something against the wall and see if anything stuck. “Lighthouses are there to show where rocks are right, so maybe it’s something like that?” Winston wasn’t convinced. Listening carefully to Darwin’s suggestion, they thought for a moment before nodding carefully. “gimme a sec and I’ll get the eye, does anyone want anything from the kitchen while I’m there? I might get some snacks, I don’t remember when I last ate.” Dashing to the kitchen, Winston returned with arms laden with various treats and a carefully wrapped eye that had been retrieved from the lake and carefully stored in their fridge-freezer. “So, what exactly do you need us to do?” Winston was aware that this was something that could potentially be viewed as somewhat shady by other members of the magic community. But Winston had deliberately refused to join a coven to avoid any conflicts of interest like this and as long as everyone was volunteering and no one got hurt Winston wasn’t exactly sure what the problems were. The ethical implications seemed fairly clear cut for once.

“It’s true, in the literal sense that serves the dual purpose as both a warning, not to get too close and a signal that land is near. If I was more fluent in the language I may be able to tell some sort of difference. Just like English has its nuances to the language. Context clues provide a lot more detail when you’re trying to paint an entire picture. Unfortunately we’re going in sorta blind.” It wasn’t the most optimistic of views, but Orion was mostly pointing out that he was disappointed he hadn’t had more time to learn the language. Not that learning some creepy ancient demon language was particularly high on his priority list. The last thing he needed was to accidentally summon something, which would have been his luck. “You kinda ruined the appetite asking if we wanted food in the same sentence as saying you’ll grab the eyeball.” Rio shrugged. He had tried to wipe the memory of the eye from his memory anyways, so the idea of doing some creepy ritual using the thing was… well it wasn’t something Rio was about to jump for joy at. But it was the best shot they had at trying to piece some of the loose bits of information that they had together. Plus, Rio knew he was just going to go along with whatever Winston did anyways. Wasn’t that what he had been doing for weeks now? They were some kind of kryptonite. “This sounds terrifying but uh- I guess I don't have any other ideas. So let’s get started.”

“Context clues, that's exactly what I'm hoping to get from this little... Let's call it a seance, it's less unnerving than 'foreboding dark ritual'.” Darwin commented with another shrug, perhaps a bit too comfortable with the idea of digging through the memories of an eye that was most definitely part of some twisted cult. Most of what Darwin studied and did was considered questionable by the majority of other magic users, but as far as Darwin was concerned results were what mattered, and he got results. “I'm also going to need a bowl, one that you don't mind throwing away. And maybe some orange juice? I love me some orange juice.” While Winston was away, Darwin dug through his bag, taking out a carefully wrapped dagger, not unlike the one they've been studying for what felt like hours. The runes on his were of channeling and protection, of course, but to the uninitiated Darwin was sure it would've looked ominous; that's why he'd asked the juice: he figured the explanation of what they were about to do would be more comforting if given with such an unassuming drink in hand. “Mental magic is... Deceptively simple, even a beginner can pull off a trick or two. But here we're dealing with a dead thing, one that we don't know.” For a moment Darwin doubted himself, wondered if they were biting off more than they could chew. Then again, the alternative of not knowing was worse. “We need to bring life to it. Not necromancy, but... Still unpleasant. Blood is life, you see? By sharing our blood with the eye, we might restore some of its energy. And since the blood will be ours, we'll create a... A connection. And that is what will let us see through it. Hopefully. So... When you're ready just put the bowl between us and place the eye inside. I'll get us started.”

“You could just call it a plan, because seance isn’t at all better then dark foreboding ritual,” Winston reached up and adjusted their glasses again, pushing them further up their nose. Winston passed the orange juice and the bowl over to Darwin. “If we could avoid getting anything caught on fire that would be great, otherwise if we bin the bowl I can deal.” Winston watched curiously as Darwin pulled a dagger that look ritualistic from their bag and couldn’t help but admit that they felt a little jealous. They wished they had a ritual knife. Either way, Winston carefully unwrapped the eye and placed it in the center of the bowl so that the iris was facing the ceiling. The white of the eye looked a little less pure in that moment and Winston found the dark hazel iris really unnerving. “Shit, okay, I’ve never done blood magic, this is really cool,” Winston knew that they probably shouldn’t be excited about this but they loved trying new things and blood magic had been fascinating to read about, “oh god sorry this is just really fucking cool.” Unbuttoning the cuffs of their shirt, Winston rolled their sleeves up in anticipation, taking a deep shaky breath. “I’m ready when you are Rio.”

Nothing about a ritual or a seance sounded good to Rio. It sounded terrifying and pretty much every sense of the term. “Nothing’s gonna catch on fire! That would be crazy!” Rio was laughing now, convinced that Winston had meant it as a joke. But he quickly sombered up when he realized that he didn’t know much about the world that he was currently diving into. “Wait… like seriously? Woah.” Now he definitely didn’t want any part of this. But it was too late now. “Cool is definitely one word for it.” Rio mumbled in reply to Winston. Maybe Rio was a little excited, but only because he had never seen anything like this before. He would have much rather read about it afterwards or watched it from afar rather than experience it himself. Winston was unrolling their sleeves to get ready. In the movies, didn’t they always use the palm of their hands for some reason? Rio wasn’t thrilled at the idea of rolling up his own sleeves. Now wasn’t the time to have to explain the scars that laid beneath his hoodie, but he would if he had to. For now, he just held his hand out towards Darwin, shutting his eyes and bracing himself for the pain. “Let’s get started.”

Darwin smiled again, doing his best to be reassuring when he noticed Rio's reluctance. “This is more within the realm of mental magic, to be fair. Blood is an ingredient, but the focus of the ritual will be to connect our minds to the eye. Blood magic is... Not my specialty. But like all the Arts, magic often draws its power from multiple sources.” It felt good to share his knowledge with these two. Darwin was used to working alone, and before that he was used to being the apprentice, never the mentor. He wasn't a fan of the responsibility that came with the role, but the admiration? He ate that up. “I should also warn you... Mental magic is subtler than other branches. There won't be any fireworks in this particular spell, so no fire hazard. But that doesn't make it any less powerful, and there's a good chance we won't be seeing rainbows and unicorns, so be prepared for anything. Am I making myself clear?” He waited, letting his silence weigh heavily on the other two as he moved the small flame from his lighter across the blade. “Here we go.”

Before Rio could have any second thoughts, Darwin grabbed his wrist, gently yet firmly. The scars were noticed, but Darwin spared them no thought, too focused on his task. A small cut on Rio's palm was all it took, and Darwin tried to make it as quick and painless as possible, offering Rio an apologetic smile. Then it was Winston's turn to go through the same process. “Let the blood drip in the bowl and look at the eye. Look through the eye, let it show you what we seek.” Darwin winced as he sliced his own palm, a shallow wound that quickly drew a thin red line on his hand. He closed his fist above the bowl and let the blood flow, drop by drop. Words of power followed in a low whisper. Those well versed with languages might recognize words such as 'connection' and 'sight', and what sounded like a request. In his rituals Darwin never demanded, only suggested: he wouldn't taint his magic with slavery, he was better than that. The other two followed his example, letting their own blood mix with his in the bowl. The air around them grew cold, and then impossibly hot, and the red liquid started to react to Darwin's energy. Small ripples at first, and then bubbles as the blood started to boil. And then something unexpected happened. Darwin felt a surge in power, one he hadn't anticipated, strong enough that he was sure the other two must have sensed it too. Darwin looked at them with what could only be described as panic on his face as he realized he was unable to stop the ritual: another force, one Darwin didn't recognize, was pulling from the other side, keeping him from severing the connection. The eye started rotating in the bowl, spinning faster and faster, focusing its dead pupil on each of the three. They'd wanted a connection, alright, but this ran deeper than Darwin expected. Smoke rose from the bowl as the level of the boiling blood kept rising. Darwin felt his own eyes moving in sync with the dead eyeball, and then he stared in horror as the dead thing stopped moving and started to melt like candle wax. The last thing he saw were three red tendrils slide up, towards their closed fists still dripping blood in the bowl. He felt his hand being opened by force and something slide inside the small cut he'd make. And then, he saw.

Third eyes were really not what Winston had expected from this. Not at all. But as the blood spiralled from the bowl and funnelled into their hand, Winston could really see. For the first time ever. It was different from normal sight. They could still see everything in front of them, but somehow they could also see everything else that the eye was showing them. Winston looked down and saw the eye that had been in the bowl was somehow set into their palm and for a second they could see their own face looking down at the eye and then there was darkness. A thick fog enveloped their vision and when it began to clear Winston could feel sweat pouring down their back, their legs shook but the vision kept going. The fog was getting less thick now and Winston spotted a light in the distance, and then another one, and then another, the lights slowly blinking open. Wait, no, they weren’t lights, rather giant eyes that rolled and spun to fixate on Winston. Bloodshot veins ran through the eyes in jagged lightning bolts of crimson and scarlet, cutting across the pale white backdrop of the eye. The irises seemed to spiral and blur, running into one another in a constant never ending whirlpool that was somehow spiralling and still all at once. The eyes didn’t seem to have a body to them, and yet they sat their, hanging in the darkness and blinking. There was a creature, Winston couldn’t see it’s body. Just it’s mouth. A long, purple, leathery skin covered a jaw that protruded from the darkness. Long, jagged and uneven teeth stick from the bottom lip. The teeth are cracked, scarred and chipped, they’re clearly used to tear and grind. To mash and chew. To rip and maim. Yet they’re a perfect, snow white. The colour of which Winston has never seen. The colour so bright that you can see it in the darkness before you notice the rest of the mouth. 

At first, Orion had no idea what was going on. Whatever magic Darwin was using, it seemed to be working. He was mumbling about seeing, a rather pointed line considering they were pouring their blood over a frozen eyeball. But then the eyeball leapt. Or moved or did something and suddenly it was attached to Winston. “What the heck is it doing to him?” Rio yelled out, beginning to move but suddenly being unable to. Oh god, this must be part of the spell or maybe it was something the eye was doing to them. Rio had no idea what was going on. But he had a sense of dread that had washed over him as he suddenly felt like he was being watched. He didn’t know the full scope of it until the eye hopped from Winston’s eye and began sliding across his arm, the tendons trailing behind the eye as it scurried to its new victim. Finally, it hopped over to Rio, still unable to move or jerk away from it. Goosebumps shot up his arms when the eye touched him and it easily slid into the cut that Darwin had made.As soon as the eye latched on, that’s when Rio figured out the true scope of why he had felt being watched. He could see them. Thousands of eyes. Some attached to the walls and some their own lone creatures, chained down and jerking around, ooze and blood dripping from them as they fought to be freed. What was this? Rio could only hear the room they were in, but whatever he was seeing seemed so real, so disgustingly vivid that he felt like he could hear the chains rattling and the sound of blood dripping onto the floor. Worse, it was like the monsters were staring right at him. The veins that ran through the eyes were dark red and blood escaped from them, coating the eyes with streaks of blood mixing together with all the others, creating a sea of blood between the monsters. It wasn’t like anything that Rio had ever seen before. He had never felt so dark or scared in his entire life. He could feel the tears escaping his own eyes. He needed these visions to stop. Jesus, he would do anything to make it all stop.

The notes and screens in the room blended together with visions of bones and raw muscles pulsing to a macabre beat, and Darwin couldn't make out what was real and what was just a cruel trick of the eye. There was something malicious in it, something ancient and powerful that he could not hope to push back. He stood there, cold sweat sticking to his neck as he was helpless to stop what was happening. Darwin witnessed Winston and Rio being assaulted by that dark, foreboding energy that had been awakened by the spell, he watched as the eye moved from one to the other. And then he knew, it was his turn next. Unable to react, Darwin swallowed back an anguished scream as the eyeball disappeared from Rio's hand, but when the evil sphere latched onto his own hand and made its way inside the pocket he'd unknowingly carved for it he was unable to hold back a whimper, equal parts fear and pain, and he turned around in a futile attempt to escape. His vision blurred, and the room was replaced with a terrible sight. Barren lands, grey hills covered with dark mist and darker thorns, haunted by creatures that he'd only read about, and some he never even imagined. Black leathery wings surrounded him, a swarm of bats with luminescent claws. He raised his hand to protect his face, the eye still blinking ominously on his palm, and when Darwin lowered the arm he was met with another sight, a mass of monsters. Hounds, and grotesque hybrids that vaguely looked humanoid, some of them dripping what looked like acid. Fangs and screeches surrounded him and Darwin grabbed his head and knelt down, crawling back. “No, no, stop!” That last word was an anguished scream, covered by the sound of the bowl falling to the floor. His back was against the small table, his breath heavy. He looked around, and everything looked just like it had before they'd begun the ritual: sticky notes covered the walls, empty cans of energy drinks were scattered all over, books were exactly like they'd left them. Finally he stood up and turned to face the other two, voice trembling. “Are... Are you alright? Did you see?” With a sudden realization, Darwin lowered his eyes to his hand. Instead of the cut he saw what could only be described as a closed eyelid, but of the eye no trace. “The... The eye. Where is it?”

Drenched in sweat, Winston could feel their clothes sticking to their skin. Their exhaustion was beyond palpable. Their chest rose and fell in laboured attempts to drag oxygen to their brain as a bead of perspiration rolled down the end of their nose and dripped onto the floor with a plop that was so quiet it deafened Winston. Looking down at their hand, the eye had returned to their palm and was looking back up at them, but the visions of the monsters had stopped. “It’s in my hand,” Winston said with a wince as they flashed them their right palm and showed them the beady eye sat in the center of their limb. “Fuck, that, was weird as shit. Do you think- do you think that is what the cult is trying to do?” They had seen terrible terrible things. monsters that they hadn’t ever been able to comprehend previously. Ghoulish creatures with bones that jutted through skin at odd angles, razor sharp teeth and talons, rough skin, scales, fur and eyes. So many eyes. They bored into Winston’s brain as they did everything that they could to forget the terrible things that they had seen. A tear rolled down the side of Winston’s face as they sat there, exhausted. “Oh fuck, that was pretty fucking bad wasn’t it?” 

[rorynne]

Full Circle Chapter 1/8

Pairing: Clint/reader

Rating: T

Summary:You've been friends with Clint Barton for years, and have harbored a crush on him for probably just as long. But will your friendship, or more importantly, your heart be able to survive an undercover mission with the pair of you posing as newlyweds to gain information on an illegal weapons auction?

Square: Fake Marriage @clintbartonbingo

Warnings: Awkwardness

Word count: 1.7k

Masterlist

Twisting in your chair you sighed, bored out of your mind as you waited for Fury to arrive. He would never admit it, but that man loved his dramatic entrances. Granted, the wait wouldn’t have been all that bad if you had any idea what he wanted to see you for. Instead, you were left clueless and feeling very much like a kid waiting for the principal.

You tensed when your vision went dark. “Whatever Fury says,” A familiar voice whispered in your ear, “I’m deaf and you don’t speak English.” You eased at Clint’s voice, your lips curling into a smile as he pulled his hands from your eyes.

“Don’t sneak up on me you ass.” You giggled as he sat down next to you. “What are you even doing here? Don’t you have Avengers to take care of?” It was rare for you to see your friend during work ever since he had joined the Avengers. “I was starting to think you forgot all about us lowly SHIELD agents.”

Clint’s jaw dropped in mock shock, “Forget about my girl? Never!” You tried to ignore the was his comment made your face warm. You had long since given up on your crush on him. Really, what chance did you have with an Avenger? “Fury called me down here, probably for a mission or something.” He shrugged lazily, leaning back in his seat seemingly completely unaware of your reaction.

“Either that, or he’s finally decided to fire you after all these years.” You said, poking his side and making him flinch. “You can only ignore orders so many times you know. And you’re famous for it, Mister ‘I made a different call’.”

He seemed to consider this for a moment before nodding, “I’ve been needing a vacation.” He grinned, looking at you, “You should come with me since you seem to be in the same boat and all.” He winked making your heart flutter.

“I would appreciate it if the two of you stopped flirting and paid attention.” Fury interrupted throwing two folders down on the table in front of you.

“I take it we aren’t getting fired then?” Clint quipped as he grabbed one of the folders.

“Barton, if I had any intention of firing you I would have done it already.” Fury said cooly. You picked up the other file and looked it over briefly as he continued. “We’ve received word of a massive auction of alien weapons and technology set to take place within the week in Rio de Janeiro. Currently, we only know of one person planning to attend, Francesco Romano, who is currently enjoying the Rio sun with his wife Alice.” Pictures of the pair popped onto the display in the front of the conference room revealing Francesco to be a middle-aged man that you recognized as the head of the Italian Mafia. “Your jobs are going to be to earn Mr. Romano’s trust and either get him to invite you to the auction or follow him there. I don’t care which. Your covers for the mission will be in your files.”

You flipped through the folder until you found the page with your cover story and froze at what you saw. Y/N Barton. Your heart felt like it was going to explode as your brain hunted for some semblance of a thought to say. “So we aren’t changing our names this time?” Clint questioned as he read over his own cover.

“You aren’t.” You managed to squeak out, eyes still locked on the name.

Clint peeked over your shoulder, his eyes widening upon reading the name, but before he could say anything, Fury spoke up. “Congratulations on your marriage.” He said, the glint in his eye betraying his amusement at the situation. “Your honeymoon starts tomorrow. Your bags have already been packed, and are waiting for you on the Quinjet. You fly out first thing tomorrow.”

Anxiety washed over you at the idea of it all, you two were best friends, and yes, you did have feelings for him but you had worked hard to keep that under wraps. You had no idea how you were going to be able to continue hiding it if the two of you had to act like a couple. You couldn’t help but feel like Fury had somehow organized this whole stressful ordeal.

“Wait a fucking minute.” Clint protested, drawing you out of your head. “Why am I being sent on something like this with Y/N? What about Tasha?” You weren’t surprised at his reaction, but that didn’t make it hurt any less. Was playing the part of your husband that horrible of an idea to him?

“You are the exchangeable party on this mission Barton. Agent L/N’s familial ties to the criminal underground are too valuable for building trust to bench her.” Fury said making it perfectly clear he was not going to budge. “If you would rather another agent take your place, that can be arranged.”

“No!” Clint said quickly with a shake of his head. He cleared his throat before continuing, “No. It’s fine. That’s not needed. I’m good for this mission, just, used to Tasha is all.” He half mumbled the end of his sentence, rubbing the back of his head. You sword you heard him mutter something about ‘fucking things up’ and your heart clenched. Did he mean you?

You took a deep breath and tried to brush off the statement, putting on a brave face as you tried to make the best of the situation. “Scared you’ll fall madly in love with me Clint?” You tried to joke like how you normally would, hoping he wouldn’t hear how hurt you were.

“What?” Clint blinked dumbly before bolting straight up. “No! No, of course not.” He smiled at you as he shifted in his chair uncomfortably. “I’m not worried about a thing girly girl.”

Fury, however, didn’t have the patience for either of your discomfort. “Agent Romanoff and Captain Rogers will be acting as your support team for this mission. If at any point you are in trouble, they will be the first responders. They’ve already been briefed and are currently helping prepare for your departure.” He explained further. “You leave at 0500 hours. And don’t forget the rings.” He pulled a ring box from his pocket and tossed it onto the table. “Meeting adjourned.” He finished, leaving the conference room without another word.

The two of you looked at the box in silence for a moment before Clint reached over and grabbed it. He popped it open without a second thought revealing two gold wedding bands and a simple amethyst ring. “Aren’t engagement rings usually diamond?” You questioned. You didn’t mind the oddity of it, if anything it felt like it fit Clint far more than a diamond ring, but you couldn’t help but wonder why it was chosen.

“I would put money on it being Nat’s idea.” He half chuckled before taking a deep breath. “Well, Mrs. Barton, I think these two are yours.” He plucked the finer gold band and engagement ring from the box and grabbed your left hand, slipping the rings onto it with ease. His hands lingered on yours for only a beat, but it felt closer to an eternity. Your heart felt like it was going to explode by the time he pulled away. “Guess we’re getting that vacation after all.” He joked as he slipped his own ring onto his finger.

“Who knew getting hitched was all we needed to do.” You smiled back awkwardly as you twisted the ring around your finger. The two of you used to joke like this all the time, but now it only felt tense.

“As someone who has been on a honeymoon or two, it’s not always your first thought.” He said standing up with a stretch. “But there are worse ways to end up in Rio.” He paused for a moment before grabbing your shoulder and squeezing it. “I’m gonna go give Tasha hell for the ring. I’ll see you tomorrow, bright and early.” He said before finally leaving.

The ring weight heavy on your finger as you continued about your day preparing hor your mission. You fiddled with the ring mindlessly as you read over the file again, knowing full well Clint likely wouldn’t. Clint’s reaction played on repeat in your head as you read. Was the idea of this mission really so bad to him that he would request Natasha take your place? But then, he didn’t exactly seem happy with the thought of someone else taking his place instead.

“Awfully long face for someone who just got married to the love of their life.” You looked up at the teasing voice to see Natasha leaning against your desk wearing a sly smirk.

“God I wish I never told you that.” You groaned, leaning back into your seat.

“I knew way before you told me.” She retorted, “Thought you’d be excited to play the role of Mrs. Barton.” She teased again, clearly amused.

You groaned again, “That’s not… I don’t… It’s hard to be excited when Clint made it damn clear he wasn’t happy with the assignment.” You finally managed to say.

Natasha’s smirk fell and her eyebrows furrowed. “What are you talking about?”

“The first thing Clint did was ask for you to go on the mission instead of me. I thought he had already gone to you to complain about it.” You assumed that’s what he was going to do at least, when he said he was going to give her hell.

“First time I’m hearing about this.” She said coolly, crossing her arms. “Of all the things for that idiot to say. He probably didn’t even realize how he sounded. I’ll go kick some sense into his ass.”

“Nat, don’t.” You begged, the last thing you wanted was for this to be made even more awkward, “It’s just a mission, it’s not like any of this is real. We’re friends. Just like always. It isn’t exactly no information to me that he isn’t interested. I just… didn’t think he would hate the idea that much.”

Natasha rubbed her face, shaking her head. “You are about as blind as Barton is deaf. I’m talking to him. At the very least you deserve an apology. The damn idiot wouldn’t know an opportunity if it punched him in the face.” She grumbled before storming off, ignoring your protests for her to stop.

You sighed, and slid down in your seat, your eyes catching the glint of your ring once again. You looked at it and twisted it around your finger, “This is shaping up to be an extremely long mission.”

[ticklikeabomb]

Rio pra não chorar - Part 3

Pairing : (Chris Evans ; Chris Pratt ; Sebastian Stan ; Tom Holland ; Tom Hiddleston) ??? x Plus Size Reader

Warnings : Language ; grammar/spelling mistakes

Word Count : 1.3k

You woke up early to get to the local coffee shop across the set and entered. It was your turn and you ordered a hot chocolate. « Can I get your name? », asked the waitress. « Y/N », you responded. « Will that be all? ». You hummed and decided to bring your fellow cast mates their usual beverage. « Ehm no I think I’m gonna take some other things », you smiled and looking behind you, you saw you were the only one, which was good because you were about to order a lot. You turned towards her and asked « You have some time? Because there will be a lot », you laughed. « Yes no problem. I’m at your service Miss. » You began telling her the order and she scrubbed it on the cups. As names, you gave her nicknames, which some of them she laughed at. « I’m sorry but do you work on the set by any chance? You know since it’s so many drinks and all. » You smiled and leaned a little further. « Can you keep a secret? » She nodded excited and you said « I may or may not be one kicking those so-called Avenger’s asses », and laughed seeing her shocked expression. You winked at her and put a finger in front of your mouth, to tell her ‘shh it’s a secret’. She nodded and smiled brightly.

Taking everyone’s coffee was one thing, bringing all the hot cups was another. You looked around and said « Well I forgot about that little detail. …Hmmm do you mind to give me hand? » « Me? Like you want me to help you to the set? », she replied shocked. You smiled and nodded, to which she immediately agreed happily. She followed you and you told the security guard she was helping you and if it was ok that she follows you inside. He looked at her and finally agreed. You arrived and saw some of the actors outside. You heard the girl behind you gasp and you smiled at her. You both dropped the drinks on a table and she was about to leave when you called after her, « Wait. Thank you for helping me. Let me at least introduce you to them. » She widened her eyes and followed you silently. « People, meet… », you began and looked at her. « Ehm Sonia », she replied nervously. « Meet Sonia who kindly helped me get your coffees. » They said hello and talked a little bit with her. » She blushed seeing her favorite actors and before she left she asked if it wasn’t to much to ask for a group picture. Everyone agreed and she smiled brightly. Before leaving she hugged you, which surprised you and thanked you for being able to introduce her favorite actors. You smiled and told her it was your pleasure. She left and you turned back to your cast-mates. « That was very nice of you », exclaimed Evans. « The coffee or the introduction? », you teased. He smiled and said « Both. » You just shrugged your shoulders and said it wasn’t much.

You were walking in your suit to the set who was on the other side of the whole thing, when you saw a woman with a boy look around. When you approached her, you immediately recognized her. « Hello can I help you? », you said smiling. « Oh hey, yes sorry this place is huge », she said. You nodded « Yeah tell me about it. I get always lost too. I’m Y/N », and presented her your hand. Her demeanor changed and she looked at you up and down and before she took your hand you heard a male voice scream. « Heyyy », said Chris Pratt. He reached us and greeted his son. « What are you doing here? », he asked her. You sensed the tension rising and excused yourself. « I’m gonna go. It was a pleasure to meet you Anna, you’re an amazing actress and so funny. I love your work », you told her and saw her widen a little her eyes. You left them and headed out to your location.

« So it’s her? », she asked. Chris gave her a known look and whispered « Not here Anna. This is not the place. » She shifted from one leg to the other, « Does she know you have feelings for her? » He cleared his throat and answered that he didn’t. « Come on, don’t lie to me. We’ve been together for years, I recognize that look. I’m not blaming you, she’s cute », she finally revealed. He sighed and scratched his neck « She has no clue. I mean damn, apparently I’m not the only one attracted to her and she has absolutely no clue », he chuckled. Anna was a little taken aback, « Really? What does she have? A pussy forged in gold or something? » Chris gave her a stern look and said « No, she’s just unique. Like full of life, always smiling, always there for everyone, kind, funny, a big heart and just freely in everything she does. I guess that’s what we like about her. At least I do. » She nodded and told him that their son missed him and since it was his day off, it would be great to spend time in family, all together for their son. Chris agreed and went back take his jacket. Little did they know that hidden, Evans and Sebastian caught not on purpose their conversation. They gave each other a look and headed back unnoticed.

« Alright wait a second? We’re three now? », mumbled Evans and looked at Sebastian. « What do you mean? », replied Sebastian defensively. Evans looked at him with a knowing look and continued « Well don’t deny, I know you like her too, so do I but now we have the confirmation that Pratt does too. » Sebastian sighed and revealed « No dude, we’re 5, don’t forget about the Tom’s. » Evans gave him a confused look and Seb continued « Haven’t you noticed how they look at her? They drool the second she steps foot somewhere. Just like we do.» The two friends sat down and thought about the whole situation. « This is crazy. 5 grown ass men falling for the same chick », the Bostonian replied. « Yep, crazy », commented Seb. « What do you think will happen? », the Captain said. Sebastian just shook his head and mumbled that he didn’t know but whatever happens or whoever she chose at the end, it shouldn’t take their friendship appart. They both agreed on that.

You finally arrived at the location and began the shooting. You felt the gaze of someone and turned around. You didn’t know how that person managed to make your heart beat faster every second and how the person managed to make you blush instantly. You turned around avoiding the gaze and tried to focus on your job. After hours and several scenes later, you were done for the day. Other actors had joined you during the day and you all headed back together. You were talking with Scarlet and Elizabeth when one of the security guards joined you. « Y/N? », he said out of breath. You frowned and said « Yes. » He calmed down and told you « Your mother is here, she asked if she could see you. » You were taken aback, confused why your mother would do the long way to the set. « My mother? » He nodded and you followed him. Your friends followed you too because it was on their way to their trailers. « That’s odd », they heard you mumble to yourself. When you arrived in front of the woman, you frowned even more. You looked at the security guard and he looked back confused at you. « It must be a mistake. I don’t know this woman », you told him. He was about to take the woman away, when she spoke, « Hello Y/N. I’m your mother. » you chuckled dryly. « This must be a joke. » You turned around your cast-mates and said « Pranking again guys? » They shook their heads and you heard her speak again, « I’m your biological mother. »

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

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[lamarbuyshouses]

Beto Bets on the Border

Miguel Roberts/The Brownsville Herald via AP

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Beto Bets on the Border

Will showing up with a high-minded call for border solidarity translate to the historic levels of Latino turnout that O'Rourke needs?

–

by Justin Miller August 24, 2018

After winning the Democratic primary for Beto O'Rourke's congressional seat, his friend and political ally Veronica Escobar, an exuberant former El Paso County judge, began planning a four-day “Border Surge” bus tour to spread the gospel of Beto in the Texas borderlands, where he struggled in the primary.

The goal of the tour, which wrapped up this week, was to knock on thousands of doors and kick off a fevered get-out-the-vote push that will increase Democratic voter turnout in the 32 border counties by 15 percent. That lofty feat would bring in 170,000 new votes and, Escobar hopes, help put O'Rourke over the top in November.

In order to come even close to winning, O'Rourke needs to do a hundred different things that Democrats have failed to do in the past. That includes achieving record levels of turnout in the Rio Grande Valley, one of the largest- and fastest-growing pockets of Latino voters in the nation - and an area notorious for low voter participation.

After years of Republicans (and some Democrats) using the U.S.-Mexico border as a punching bag for their war on immigration, O'Rourke and his allies are hoping that a high-minded call for border community solidarity from El Paso to Brownsville - 825 miles to the southeast - will resonate with voters.

Veronica Escobar, who will likely become the first Latina elected to Congress from Texas, has made increasing turnout for O'Rourke along the border her personal mission.  Justin Miller

With less than two months until early voting begins, O'Rourke's most recent campaign swing came with a sense of urgency.

The Observer tagged along with Escobar's “Border Surge” bus tour, which included rallies and blockwalking in Laredo, McAllen and Brownsville, to see what O'Rourke and his allies are doing to reach out to Latino voters and jumpstart turnout in one of the most crucial regions for statewide campaigns.

'He's the male Ann Richards'

Just weeks after launching his presidential bid by calling Mexicans “rapists,” Donald Trump flew to Laredo to preach about the dangers of illegal immigration and promote his border wall plan. Surrounded by a security detail, Trump claimed that he came to the Texas border city at great risk to his personal safety.

Three years later, Escobar and a busful of about 30 volunteers - mostly older women, all without a single bodyguard  - survived the harrowing 10-hour journey from El Paso to Laredo for the first stop in her “Border Surge” tour.

With the 100-degree heat lingering into the evening, hundreds of Laredoans flock into the Casablanca Ballroom to hear from O'Rourke as he makes his eighth trip through the city. “He's the male Ann Richards as far as charisma goes. And the South Texans loved Ann Richards,” former Webb County Judge Mercurio Martinez tells me. “He wins over every person he talks to.”

The statewide Democratic ticket has tagged along for O'Rourke's swing through Laredo, McAllen and Brownsville. They deliver a series of long-winded stump speeches like an amateur warm-up act killing time before the headliner, who's speeding down I-35 from an afternoon event in San Antonio.

You can feel the crowd turn electric when O'Rourke and his entourage enter the hall. He hangs off to the side, greeting supporters and taking photos as Cristela Alonzo, a comedian and TV star from Hidalgo County and Beto's travel companion through the Valley, warms up the crowd.

Then he jumps on stage and delivers a speech in his hallmark style - stream-of-consciousness, but remarkably coherent. He touches on everything from family separations, Dreamers and health care to veterans and ending ongoing wars to Trump's “collusion in action in Helsinki with Vladimir Putin.” He's often at his most candid when talking about growing up in El Paso and about the tragedy of family separations.

As a native El Pasoan and close friend of O'Rourke's for about 20 years, this campaign is personal for Escobar. “I feel that we are giving [the state] our best. He is a son of the border,” she says. But she worries about the prospect of O'Rourke losing because of dismal border turnout. Political analysts point to early indications that, even in the Trump era, Latino turnout is likely to dramatically fall off like it has in previous midterm cycles. And in a cycle that's focused on flipping suburbs, many Democratic groups have, once again, failed to prioritize Latino outreach. “Shame on us if that were to happen,” she says. “That would send a really terrible message to the White House, to state leaders, to Republicans, to all those who demonize us that we're OK with it and that it doesn't bother us.”

'This election could be decided by the person whose door you knock on'

On a steamy Saturday morning, O'Rourke climbs onto a stone ledge at a park in north Laredo to present to a crowd of about 60 volunteers his romantic belief in the power of blockwalking. “They may not see the TV ads that we've got running now, they may not hear the radio spot that might play on their way home from work. They will remember that you took the time this morning … to listen to them.”

Even as his campaign starts to ramp up more traditional modes of outreach, he has no intention of de-emphasizing this cornerstone of his DIY campaign. “In the closest Texas Senate election in decades … this election could be decided by the person whose door you knock on.”

O'Rourke's crowd sizes keep getting bigger with each pass through a town.  Justin Miller

Using Polis, the campaign's voter database app, which provides a real-time map of low-frequency Democratic voters, Escobar goes from house to house in Laredo's middle-class Hillside neighborhood. It takes a minute to get her bearings, briefly walking the wrong way as she tried to find a street. “This is the problem with door-knocking in a city you don't know,” she says. Another problem: It's hard to convince unlikely voters to vote when they don't answer the door. For the 45 minutes I tagged along, she knocked on about a dozen doors and got answers at only one or two. She'd leave a handwritten note, hoping that might help.

Tagging along with Escobar is Sergio Mora, a former Webb County Democratic Party chair. The enthusiastic crowd at last night's event makes him think change just might be afoot in Laredo. But is there any other evidence that voters are unusually fired up. He shrugs. “That's the big experiment this cycle.”

One El Paso volunteer tells me that most people who answered their doors in Laredo had never heard of O'Rourke and many had no intention of voting.  

'This is a powerfully sacred place to me'

The 150-mile stretch of remote highway between Laredo and McAllen has lots of big ranches, wind turbines and Border Patrol agents, but not much in the way of voters. The “Border Surge” bus skips past Zapata, Jim Hogg and Starr Counties, roaring on to Brownsville. Meanwhile, O'Rourke stops off for his sixth visit to McAllen, the seat of Hidalgo County. It's the epicenter of the Valley, where the number of registered voters has more than doubled since 2000 to about 330,000.

Several hundred supporters packed Cine El Rey, a downtown theater, to capacity with even more folks filing into the restaurant next door to watch him via livestream. O'Rourke tells reporters before his speech that the Valley often feels like the center of the universe to him. “This is a powerfully sacred place to me.”

While he's cast himself as an unsullied ally of the border, O'Rourke's voting record includes a wrinkle or two. Pressed by a local reporter on whether his controversial vote for an appropriations bill that put at risk the future of the local Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park, he performed an uncharacteristic punt. He says he's “working with colleagues on both sides of the aisle. We're doing everything we can to stop that [from being constructed].”

With that, O'Rourke was whisked away by his aides.

'People always call Brownsville and the Valley 'the sleeping giant”

The hour-long drive through the suburban sprawl of chain restaurants and shopping centers between McAllen and Brownsville is a reminder of the Valley's rapid growth - even as climate change and urbanization put the Rio Grande at risk.

On the border by the Gulf, Brownsville is the heart of Cameron County. O'Rourke very nearly lost here to Sema Hernandez, an unknown Houston activist, and now needs the area to turn out for him in huge numbers. This is his sixth visit to Brownsville.

At his third and final event during his Valley swing, hundreds pile into the sweaty Tex-Mex Nightclub on a frontage road off Interstate 69 to hear O'Rourke deliver another barn-burner. Afterwards, as he wends his way through the crowd to get outside, greeting well-wishers and selfie-seekers, he emphasizes the importance of the RGV to his statewide strategy. “It's everything. It's everything,” ticking off how many times he's been to Laredo, McAllen, Brownsville and other Valley towns.

O'Rourke's rallies often feel like an alternate universe. People are filled with hope, their Texas cynicism washed away. It's a place where anything - a post-partisan reckoning, a surge in Valley turnout and yes, even a Democrat winning statewide - seems possible. Life is sweet at a Beto rally. But outside that bubble, the feeling can get quickly wiped away.

The Valley's elections are driven by an internecine political machine with a long history of corruption. Candidates lean heavily on politiqueras, who charge campaigns to turn out voters. His campaign has prided itself on doing things differently, and in the primary O'Rourke apparently declined to use them.

I asked whether he has any plans to use politiqueras for the general election. “We're getting behind those who are volunteering their time to knock on doors. There are some neighborhoods where the residents there don't have the luxury to knock on doors on a Saturday. They're working their second job or their third job,” he says. “If we can find paid staff in those neighborhoods who are gonna be able to knock on doors, who know their neighbors, we'll do that as well.”

O'Rourke hangs off to the side with volunteers from El Paso before his speech in Laredo.  Justin Miller

Vicente Martinez, a local activist and recent graduate of the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley, is skeptical of a voting surge around here. “People always call Brownsville and the Valley 'the sleeping giant'” and wonder if now is when it will wake up, he says. “I heard that in elementary school and I heard that after Trump was elected.”

Is Beto doing enough to reach young people? Martinez smiles and points to the venue where the band is still playing. “Tex-Mex conjunto. That's not a millennial thing. … It's a little stereotypical.”

'The greatest candidate of our generation'

A powerful Gulf breeze sweeps through Tony Gonzalez Park, cutting the early morning's humid heat and rustling the palm trees that dot the park. Volunteers sip on coffee and munch on pan dulce as they get ready to hit the streets of Brownsville. Escobar grabs a bullhorn and introduces O'Rourke as “the greatest candidate of our generation.”

This is Day 22 of his relentless 34-day sprint around the state. Dressed in his black skinny jeans and white dress shirt, which he'll wash during a live-streamed laundromat trip a few hours later, O'Rourke delivers an energetic call to action. But the fatigue is evident in the bags forming under his eyes.

After his speech, he heads out to block walk in the surrounding Southmost neighborhood with State Representative Eddie Lucio III, a 39-year-old attorney whose father, Eddie Lucio Jr., serves in the Texas Senate. From there, he stops for a roundtable in Harlingen, eats a Tex-Mex lunch, does his laundry and drives the two hours north to Alice for a town hall.

O'Rourke hopes that an army of volunteers knocking doors will lead him to victory.  Justin Miller

Tony Martinez, the Brownsville mayor, says O'Rourke just might have the winning political formula, but admitted that “he's probably not as known [in Brownsville] as I'd like him to be.” To increase turnout by 15 percent in this county, O'Rourke needs to drive out 25,000 more voters than Democrats did in 2014.

Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño Jr. is one of the few not wearing a Beto T-shirt - he's facing an election fight in November and sports his own black-and-orange campaign shirt. He says that O'Rourke has injected a sense of urgency into the local politics and is doing the work that Democrats in the area have long neglected to do.

O'Rourke's multiple trips through the Valley seem to be moving the needle, Treviño says, at least a little bit. “I think we're going to surprise a lot of people. I like that we're just creeping up now and not gonna peak too early,” Treviño says.

Blockwalking as a duo in Los Fresnos, a small exurban town 30 minutes north of Brownsville, Treviño and Cameron County Clerk Sylvia Garza-Perez emphasize to residents that Beto is a Democrat and a fronteriza who is against family separations.

Luis Gonzalez, who voted for O'Rourke in the primary, was one of the few people who had heard of the El Paso congressman.  Justin Miller

Of those who answer their door, almost no one knows who O'Rourke is, but they politely listen, nod along and promise to vote.

Hanging out in his yard with his boxer, Luis Gonzalez was the only person who knew of O'Rourke, having voted for him in the primary. He's not so sure about any sort of surge and lamented the fact that O'Rourke seemed to focus on the bigger Valley hubs like Brownsville and McAllen. “What about the farm towns? Why isn't Beto coming here?” he asks.

'I don't believe it will happen organically'

At their last blockwalking event on a Monday morning, Escobar and her El Paso volunteers gathered at a park in a nice suburban neighborhood on the northside of McAllen, waiting for local volunteers to show up. Luciano Chano Garza, a local party activist, begins calling up more people to see if they could come out. Celia Hilber, an older woman who recently moved back to the Rio Grande Valley from Alabama, was one of the only other local volunteers there. “I may not be able to give much money, but I can give my time and effort,” she says after taking a team of El Pasoans to blockwalk.

With the help of people like Garza-Perez and Treviño, O'Rourke needs record levels of turnout in Cameron County.  Justin Miller

Danny Diaz started Cambio Texas with the sole purpose of increasing turnout in the lower Valley. The group hopes to target about 25 precincts in Hidalgo County -  where about a third of the population lives in unincorporated colonias - with especially bad turnout in 2014. But the group is still fledgling and doesn't have much in the way of money to fund a large-scale operation. He's talked to the state Democratic Party, but says they haven't committed any sort of funding.

That leaves O'Rourke's campaign trying to fill in the gaps. He's been running radio ads in the area for a while, opened up two campaign headquarters in the Valley and hired a cadre of local field organizers. But the campaign is still largely relying on volunteers to help with phone-banking and door-knocking.

“I don't believe it's a guarantee that [a border turnout surge] will happen. I don't believe it will happen organically. I don't believe that anger alone will fuel it. But we have one of the two components: an inspiring candidate,” Escobar says. “We need an army of field volunteers knocking on doors and spending the time with those voters who [would otherwise] stay home.”

Infographic sources: 2014 figures from the Texas Secretary of State, 2018 figures courtesy the Texas Tribune.

The post Beto Bets on the Border appeared first on The Texas Observer.

[roidespd-blog]

Chapter Twelve : ORLANDO NIGHTCLUB SHOOTING

June 11, 2016. Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, was hosting its weekly Saturday event “Latin Night”. Around 2:00am on June 12, last call for drinks were announced to about 320 people inside the club. At the same time, a mad man, who-shall-not-be-named as he doesn’t deserve to be talked about as a person ever again, arrived by van armed with a SIG Sauer MCX semi-automatic rifle and a 9mm Glock 17 semi-automatic pistol. At 2:02am, he bypassed an off-duty Orlando police officer called Adam Gruler who tried to engage and stop him. He went into the building and began shooting patrons. Dozens were killed in the 2 minutes between 2:02am and 2:04am when Gruler, after calling for assistance, received additional aid from officers arriving at the club. The shooter retreated farther into the nightclub and kept on killing. At first, some patrons thought the gunshots were firecrackers or part of the music. Some of the survivors described afterwards a scene of panic and confusion caused by the loud music and darkness of the nightclub scene. Most people took refuge in bathrooms, waiting for death. One of them shielded herself with bodies. Some escaped by crawling out the patio exit near the bar. A bartender took cover beneath the glass bar. A recently discharged marine veteran working one of the nightclub bouncer immediately recognized the sounds of gunfire, jumped over a locked door behind which dozens of people were already hidden and paralyzed by fear. He then opened a latched door behind them, allowing approximately 70 people to escape. As the gunman started shooting in the main room, police officers entered the facility and a shootout was engaged. The police reported that many people escaped or were rescued during this early exchange of gunfire, as a few police officers were running in and out of the building pulling out victims. According to a man trapped inside a bathroom with fifteen other people, the shooter shot multiple times into the closed bathroom door, killing at least two and wounding several others. One of the people trapped in the bathroom with the shooter afterwards said that he burst into the bathroom, went to the stall next to the one he and a friend were hiding in and shot the people inside.

After the shootout, the gunman retreated to the women’s bathroom where he held hostages. Meanwhile, some of the people trapped sought to send text messages to friends and relatives, either to inform of the situation or to say good-bye.

Rescues of people trapped inside the nightclub commenced and continued throughout the hostage crisis. Because so many people were lying on the dance floor, one rescuing officer asked “if you’re alive, raise your hand”. People were pretending to be dead with bodies surrounding them in order to not get killed themselves. One of the survivors later said he felt something poking him while on the floor. He thinks it could have been the shooter checking to see if he was dead. By the beginning of the phone calls from the shooter to multiple sources, nearly all of the injured patrons from the club had been extracted from the building, except for those held hostages in the bathroom and a few in dressing rooms.

No shots were heard between the exchanging gunfire with the first responders and three hours later.

At 2:35 am while in the bathroom, the gunman placed a 911 call in which he pledged his allegiance to the Extremist Islamic State. At 2:48am, he talked to a crisis negotiation team for 9 minutes. He ordered the end of the bombing in Syria and Iraq and claimed to have explosives on him. During this time, more people escaped. Four people hidden in a dressing room took the exist from the north side of the building while the police helped eight people escape through an air-conditioner vent. At 4:29am, some survivors who escaped informed of the gunman’s plan to put explosive devices on four hostages in each corner of the club. An information that turned that to be a lie on the past of the gunman as no vests or devices were found afterwards. It prompted officials to mount a rescue operation. At 5:02am, the police blew a hole in the outer wall of the restroom, but missed the mark and ended up with a partially destructed wall in the hallway between the two bathroom. On that occasion, the rest of the survivors escaped through the hole. At 5:14 am, the gunman entered the hallway and engaged in a shootout with the police. At 5:15am, officers reported that the gunman was down. He was shot eight times and killed in a face out that involved 11 officers who fired a total of about 150 bullets. More than three hours after the first attack.

49 innocent people died that night. 53 were wounded during the attack, some critically. 38 were pronounced dead at the scene, and 11 more at local hospitals. Of the 38 victims to die at Pulse, 20 died on the stage area and dance floor, 9 in the nightclub’s northern bathroom, 4 in the southern bathroom, three on the stage, one at the front lobby and one out on a patio. At least 5 of those were killed during the hostage situation in the bathroom. As for the wounded, a least 76 surgeries were performed on the patients, with some discharged as far as September 6, nearly 3 months after the shooting occurred.

The attack became the deadliest mass shooting by a single shooter in United States History, bested a little over a year later by the Last Vegas shooting of 2017. It is still the deadliest attack on LGBT people in History in the U.S, surpassing the 1973 UpStairs Lounge Arson Attack (see the June 10th article Chapter Ten : Queer Community vs Violence).

Here is the complete list of the fallen brothers and sisters we’ve lost that night :

Stanley Almodovar III, 23

Amanda Alvear, 25

Oscar A. Aracena-Montero, 26

Rodolfo Ayala-Ayala, 33

Alejandro Barrios Martinez, 21

Martin Benitez Torres, 33

Antonio D. Brown, 30

Darryl R. Burt II, 29

Jonathan A. Camuy Vega, 24

Angel L. Candelario-Padro, 28

Simon A. Carrillo Fernandez, 31

Juan Chevez-Martinez, 25

Luis D. Conde, 39

Cory J. Connell, 21

Tevin E. Crosby, 25

Franky J. Dejesus Velazquez, 50

Deonka D. Drayton, 32

Mercedez M. Flores, 26

Peter O. Gonzalez-Cruz, 22

Juan R. Guerrero, 22

Paul T. Henry, 41

Frank Hernandez, 27

Miguel A. Honorato, 30

Javier Jorge-Reyes, 40

Jason B. Josaphat, 19

Eddie J. Justice, 30

Anthony L. Laureano Disla, 25

Christopher A. Leinonen, 32

Brenda L. Marquez McCool, 49

Jean C. Mendez Perez, 35

Akyra Monet Murray, 18

Kimberly Morris, 37

Jean C. Nieves Rodriguez, 27

Luis O. Ocasio-Capo, 20

Geraldo A. Ortiz-Jimenez, 25

Eric Ivan Ortiz-Rivera, 36

Joel Rayon Paniagua, 32

Enrique L. Rios Jr., 25

Juan P. Rivera Velazquez, 37

Yilmary Rodriguez Solivan, 24

Christopher J. Sanfeliz, 24

Xavier Emmanuel Serrano Rosado, 35

Gilberto Ramon Silva Menendez, 25

Edward Sotomayor Jr., 34

Shane E. Tomlinson, 33

Leroy Valentin Fernandez, 25

Luis S. Vielma, 22

Luis Daniel Wilson-Leon, 37

Jerald A. Wright, 31

Criticism was expressed over the decision the delay the breaching of the nightclub through the bathroom wall by over 3 hours, citing the lesson learned form other mass shooting that officers can minimize casualties only by entering a shooting location expeditiously, even if it means putting themselves at great risk. To that, the Police Department answered that the situation had changed from an active shooter in the club to an hostage situation and could not be handled the same way. Immediately after the shooting took take, many people went to donate blood at locate blood donation centers and bloodmobile. Although ironically, a controversial federal policy in the United States forbids men who had sex with men from donating blood, urging straight people to go instead. A victim’s assistance center was opened on June 15 to provide help to what turned out to be almost a thousand people. Furthermore, the two main hospitals that treated the victims, Orlando Regional Medical Center and Florida Hospital, announced that they will not be billing the survivors or pursuing reimbursement. Multiple fundraisers raised close to 32 million dollars to help victims and families in the months that followed.

The Pulse never opened its doors again. There were plans to sell the property to the City of Orlando and turn it into a memorial for the victims and survivors, though the city backed out after the price tag of 2,25 million dollars was asked. The owner then created the OnePulse Foundation and plans for a memorial site and museum are on the way, with an opening slated for 2020.

Without going into any specifics about the gunman’s personal life and motivations, it is imperative to point out that before his attack on Pulse, he was interrogated three times by the FBI due to relations with terrorist-affiliated individuals and organizations. He was twice under investigation (but no convincing evidence were found). He was on a no-fly list, meaning he wasn’t allowed on any airplanes. Nevertheless, the shooter was able to go into a gun store and LEGALLY buy a semi-automatic weapon. He went through a three-day background check and still went through the cracks. Then Las Vegas happened and they did nothing. Then Parkland happened and they did nothing.

As of June 11th, 2019, there’s been 149 mass shootings in the United States since January 1. For fuck’s sake! There’s been a mass shooting TODAY (Aurora, Colorado) with 4 people injured.

People were quick to point out that this was a terrorist attack trying to destroy the American way of life. Sure, it was. But let’s remember that first and foremost, this was a hate crime. This was an attack perpetuated on a minority group, on the basis of exterminated them, a few rounds of bullets at a time.

On a personal note, it broke my heart when I heard what happened in Orlando three years ago. I saw the news coverage and I broke down. One of the victims had the same name as me. I was a 25 year-old french boy living in Paris and I felt like I was about to die with the rest of my community. When you kill one of us because of who we are, we all bleed. Those 49 deaths, 53 wounded victims and almost 200 survivors were our brothers and sisters and mothers and fathers and friends. And I’m not just talking about the LGBTQI+ community. There were the brothers and sisters and mothers and fathers to US ALL.

Where are we, three years later ? Is that just another massacre ready to resurface each date of the tragedy’s anniversary and then forgotten for another year ? I’m no one. I can’t influence anything on anyone. BUT they’ve been living in me for the past three years, one way or another. The faces have been on my wall for three years. The names have been on my wall for the past three years. Their memories have not been forgotten by me for the past three years. The Time magazine cover asked the question : WHY DID THEY DIE ? They shouldn’t but they are. Let’s celebrate them by protecting each other more.

[cherryaire]

From Dan’s Rush AMA

He’d like to possibly cover Closer to the Heart by Rush in the future

His favorite concert of Rush’s he’s seen (out of 11) is the R30 tour in 2004

His favorite thing he’s seen them play live is Xanadu

He doesn’t plan on trying to start playing an instrument (aside from the bass which he has said he’s mediocre at) because the band he’s got now has such awesome musicians that he wants to focus on being the best vocalist he can be

His favorite Skyhill song is Run with the Hunted, and his least favorite is Only One

His favorite Rush song to play on the bass is Fountain of Lameneth (but it’s hard)

It’s pretty likely that there will eventually be a new Skyhill song or album

He first saw Rush in 1994 in NJ at the Brendan Byrne Arena. He’s seen them on every tour since.

He’s hoping that next year they’ll be able to tour in the UK, and he’d like to be able to tour in Australia too at some point

What influenced him most from Rush is their chord choices, their worth ethic, and their integrity.

If he could perform vocals on one song with Rush, it would probably be Time Stand Still

His best Rush-related experience was zoning out by himself as a kid and letting their music take his imagination places

His favorite Rush albums are A Farewell to Kings, Hemispheres, Caress of Steel, and 2112. His least favorite (though he still loves them!) are Hold your Fire, Counterparts, and Snakes and Arrows

The most direct way that Rush has affected him is that they helped inspire him to commit his life to music.

His top 3 songs are Xanadu, Hemispheres, and Fountain of Lameneth

He started listening to Rush at 13 and he became obsessed with them. He sang their music to himself all day during school.

When asked how many Rush shirts he has, his answer was “Too many!!”

A Farewell to Kings is his alltime favorite Rush album

What initially caused him to enjoy Rush was that it was an awesome sound that he’d never really heard before and lyrics that appealed to his nerdy Lord of the Rings loving self.

His favorite >10 minute Rush track is (possibly) Circumstances

“ I'm more Jewish by culture than by religion. I certainly believe that there's a lot to life and the universe that we don't understand, and I respect anyone who finds their answers in religion, but it's never been a big part of my life personally.”

 His favorite Rush show to watch is one from Rio

The song he’s most proud of is 6969 because it’s a comedy prog song, which is something he’s always wanted to do.

His favorite part of 2112 is the overture

Hemispheres will always remind him of his freshman year of high school. He listened to it constantly.

Both him and Arin write the lyrics to Starbomb songs

He feels an immediate kinship with other Rush fans. “We’re like a world-wide secret club!”

The rush album he feels is most underrated is Presto

The first Rush song he listened to was Roll the Bones

He would be interested in giving talks about music/comedy/career stuff at colleges or high schools if there was an audience for it.

He got into Rush at age 12 because the guy that worked at his local comic book shop (named Keith) introduced him to them. “God bless that man.” Before he discovered them he listened to a lot of Def Leppard and Nirvana

Q:  if you were to start your career again today, where would you start? Youtube / twitch / podcasts? A:  I don't think I'd do anything differently because even the years of "failure" taught me a lot and allowed me time to improve. Once that spotlight is on you, you'd better be ready for it. I'd say start in the medium that inspires you individually the most and work as hard as you can on it from there.

Q:  how do you think the future of NSP has changed now that you guys have topped the motherfucking charts with Under the Covers?? You guys fucking rule and I'm so happy for you and your multitudes of success! A:  Thank you! We were psyched that our recent albums have charted so well, but I don't think we'll do anything differently. We'll just keep doing what feels right to the best of our ability!

6969 came together quickly when writing it. The video only took so long because it was such a huge jump in ambition and it has a learning curve. “If we do something like that again, things should go a lot more smoothly!”

The Pass has helped him through some tough times.

(I believe) that the lyrics he’d get as a tattoo are “ All of us get lost in the darkness Dreamers learn to steer by the stars All of us do time in the gutter Dreamers learn to look at the cars!”

Q: What would you say is the best dish at Olive Garden? A: The dish where you get up, walk across the street, and eat at Outback Steakhouse

He meditates in silence before a show because he’d get overhyped if he listened to music.

Doesn’t have a favorite member of Rush, “it’s an equilateral triangle”

Says Moving Pictures is usually a safe bet to start off with introducing someone to Rush

He picked Madrigal and Subdivisions for the first UTC because he loves them and they’re easy to sing. “I don’t know if I could hit some of those crazy high notes Geddy rocked in the 70s”

He thinks Witch Hunt would be a very good song to cover.  Such a great song and so relevant right now! "Quick to judge, quick to anger, slow to understand"

His favorite song to try and fail at on bass is YYZ

“ I don't think there's any conscious decision to have Rush influence my music, but I've spent so many thousands of hours listening to them, it's inevitable that it just comes out naturally”

 His favorite album to work on in his career is what he’s doing now (UTC2 and Cool Patrol) because “we’ve grown so much and finally have a full band!”

He doesn’t mind when fans are super nervous to meet him. He was nervous when he met Rush, too, “so it’s just the circle of life!”

He chose bass because it was different and fun to find submelodies.

Q:  Hey Dan! I'm looking forward to Under the Covers 2. I started writing comedy music and NSP is one of my main inspirations. What do you wish you knew about writing comedy music earlier on in your career? A:  Nothing in particular really. You learn and you go and there's no substitute for just doing something over a long period of time. Of course there are things I would change about our early work, but it was the best we could do at the time so I have to be cool with it.

“I listened to so much of them [Rush] growing up that it’s in my blood and unconsciously shapes the way I approach music”

His second favorite album flops between Hemispheres, Caress of Steel, and 2112 on any given day

His favorite story/message told in a Rush song→ Story is Fountain of Lameneth because it’s a beautiful summary of life. Message is Spirit of Radio where they talk about the importance of integrity in art.

His biggest influences are Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Genesis, Nirvana, Spacehog, and Gentle Giant (to name a few)

He does his best on his Rickenbacker bass but it’s just for fun. “My band already has a bass player that’s better than I’ll ever be!”

“Thanks everyone! I have to go see my family now otherwise I'd stay longer. Sorry I couldn't get to everyone's questions but I had a lot of fun. I'd be happy to do this again in the future! You being fans of mine means the world to me and I promise to keep making comedy and music for a long time! Thanks to you, the moderators who set this up, and of course Rush for being an awesome and inspirational force!”

[sentrava]

What’s On in Stockholm: February 2019

Thanks to Valentine’s Day, February is the month of love. It doesn’t have to be romantic; there are plenty of events to remind us to love our Earth, to inspire us with the love of art and music, and even to help us love ourselves with a little shimmy and shaking yoga! We have the chance to expand our hearts with powerful, poignant events, like a showing of the documentary Seed – The Untold Story and an exhibit featuring the stories of Holocaust survivors. Love is all around us this February, so be sure to take part this month.

Here are the best events in Stockholm this February:

Friday 1st February – Tuesday 5th February

Streetstar Festival at Borgarfjordsgatan 12

Do you love Urban Dance? This festival includes battles and workshops, so you can watch the pros and work on your own moves! Be sure to register for the workshops ahead of time. There are a variety of ticket options to purchase online; at the door, you will only be able to purchase one-day tickets.

    Friday 1st and Saturday 2nd February

How to Fall in Love – A Completely Improvised Romantic Comedy at Pygméteatern

Based on suggestions from the audience, the cast will perform three unique romantic comedies. The shows are all performed in English. Tickets are 100 SEK. What’s your ideal RomCom?

    Friday 1st February

With Respect at Världskultur Museerna

This opening of Woo-Bock Lee’s exhibit With Respect will have an introduction talk and a dance performance. The exhibit will be on display until the end of April. Lee uses pages from 200-year-old Korean schoolbooks and bark from mulberry trees to collage her work that bridges the past and the present.

    Seed – The Untold Story at Bio Rio

This documentary tells the story of seeds in a beautiful way. It was Emmy nominated for Outstanding Nature Documentary. After the screening, there will be a discussion with the opportunity to ask questions. The film is in English, as will be the discussion.

    Saturday 2nd February

Matt Corby at Annexet

Corby, an Australian singer-songwriter, is on tour with his newest album, Rainbow Valley. Tickets are 350 SEK.

    Tuesday 5th – Saturday 9th February

Chinese New Year at TAKO

The restaurant TAKO will be celebrating the Year of the Pig with food, drink and music. Reserve a table, and join the celebration!

    Tuesday 5th – Sunday 17th February

SALVADOR DALÍ’S BRONZE SCULPTURES

In collaboration with the Antiques Fair, three of Dalí’s larger sculptures will be on display in Stockholm. At no charge, Persistence of Memory can be viewed in Brunkebergstorg, The Nobility of Time in Kungsträdgården, and Woman Aflame in Norrmalmstorg. In addition, about forty smaller sculptures will be for sale at the Antiques Fair. Admission for an adult to the Antiques Fair costs 190 SEK.

    Thursday 7th – Sunday 10th February

Beijer Hockey Games at Hovet

This tournament is important to the World Championship that will occur in the spring. In this tournament, Sweden will play against Finland, Russia and the Czech Republic. Tickets range from 105 to 325 SEK for each game.

    Friday 8th – Sunday 10th February

Arts in Still / Stills in Art at StudioBee

Kamil “CamKam” Janowski and Arantxa Hurtado work together to produce this exhibit. They have different styles, one focusing on monochromatic faces, the other on vibrant bodies, but they both explore the idea of the subconscious.

    Friday 8th February

Harold Pinter’s “Ashes to Ashes” Premiere at Polar Eclipse Theatre

Polar Eclipse Theatre, a professional English speaking theatre, will feature the show “Ashes to Ashes” for ten dates, on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays (8th, 9th, 15th, 16th, 22nd, 23rd, and 24 of February, 8th, 9th and 10th of March). The play is by Nobel Prize laureate Harold Pinter. A man, Devlin, forces Rebecca to delve into her past, bringing the audience on Rebecca’s journey to a place of psychological and physical cruelty. Tickets start at 95 SEK.

    Saturday 9th February

Bomb, A Love Story at Skandisbiografen

This film takes place in Tehran in 1988, during the Iran-Iraq war. Despite the violence, love and hope prevail in this film. There are English subtitles. Tickets are 135 SEK online, and 150 SEK at the door.

    Monday 11th February

Death Cab For Cutie at Cirkus

This band is may be best known for the wonderfully wistful voice of their singer, Ben Gibbard, and the their song “I Will Follow You Into The Dark.” Tickets for the concert are 485 SEK.

    Wednesday 13th and Wednesday 27th February

The Fountain

Check out The Fountain, the new live music club inspired by similar clubs in locations like New York, LA, Berlin, and London. This venue had its premiere in January, and is open every other Wednesday. There will be a secret guest each night. Tickets are 120 SEK.

    Thursday 14th February

Hayley Kiyoko at Fryshuset

Hayley Kiyoko, singer and actress, first gained fame when her song and music video “Girls Like Girls” came out in 2015. Concert tickets are 290 SEK.

    Friday 15th February

Billie Eilish at Fryshuset

Billie Eilish returns to Stockholm on her second world tour as the headliner. This concert initially sold out so quickly that it has been moved to a larger venue, so get your tickets quickly!

    Friday 15th February

Nick Brandt Artist Talk at Fotografiska

On Tuesday 5th February, photographer Nick Brandt is releasing his book “This Empty World,” the topic of the Artist Talk. The book usually costs 525 SEK, but will be sold for 395 SEK at the event, with a signature from Brandt. The usual entrance fee applies, 165 SEK for adults.

    Saturday 16th – Sunday 17th February

Sigtunarännet Ice Skating Event

There are four different races that start and finish on Lake Mälaren in the cozy town of Sigtuna. The longest is the Full Distance (50 km), followed by Half Distance (25 km), Ice Cross Challenge (4 km) and the Treasure Hunt (2 km). The latter two races are youth events. Whether you’re looking to get a little competition in, or looking for a family activity, this event will have you enjoying the outdoors. Registration fee varies based on the race you choose.

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    Saturday 16th February

MovEat Stockholm starting at Meno Male

We’ve heard of art walks, but have you heard of a food walk? We love this idea! For 399 SEK, you get a ticket to visit 10 restaurants and delicatessens in any order you wish for 4-5 hours. Drinks and vegan options will be available at the restaurants as well. It will not be possible to accommodate allergies.

    Sunday 17th February

Blue Planet II at Ericsson Globe

BBC Studios’ series will be shown on a giant LED wall while accompanied by the live music from The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. Ticket prices range from 435 to 855 SEK.

    Wednesday 20th February

Shimmie Shaking with Sophia Tillman at Pranama

Rewire and move with Sophia! This class will combine aspects of yoga and dance, getting you to shake as a source of relaxation and regeneration. The drop-in price is 180 SEK.

    Saturday 23rd February

The Sisters Jobs at Thielska Galleriet

On Saturday, this exhibit of ceramics and textiles with a floral motif opens. Sisters Lisbet Jobs and Gocken Jobs used their art to bring fresh life into Swedish homes during the post-war era. Admission is 130 SEK. This exhibit will be open until June.

    Thursday 28th February – Sunday 3rd March

Stockholm Feminist Film Festival

This film festival will highlight works by women about women. The films will be shown at various locations in Stockholm, and all films will have English subtitles unless otherwise specified. Keep an eye on the website for the program and the tickets, which will be released in early February.

      Ongoing in February

Stockholm Fika Tour

This tour lasts about 2 hours and includes 3-4 stops. Each provides a chance to experience a version of fika, perhaps the most wonderful of Swedish traditions. The tour is 600 SEK per person.

    Young Swedish Design 2019 at ArkDes

Beginning Tuesday 5th February, ArkDes will be opening their exhibit, showcasing young designers of this year. The exhibit is free.

    Food of the Future at Spirit Museum

This exhibit looks a health trends, how the climate will affect the future with regard to food, and the sci-fi food predictions of the 1950s. There will be a special future menu served at the museum’s restaurant. Admission is 160 SEK.

    Speaking Memories – The Last Witnesses of the Holocaust at Historiska

This exhibit presents portraits and testimonies of survivors of the Holocaust who rebuilt their lives in Sweden. Part of the exhibit presents personal stories and artifacts from the camp Lovö, where survivors were placed upon their arrival to Sweden. Admission to this powerful exhibit is free.

  If you’re a business or organisation that would like us to add your event to next month’s calendar, please contact us at hello [@] scandinaviastandard [dot] com. Thank you!

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  What’s On in Stockholm: February 2019 published first on https://medium.com/@OCEANDREAMCHARTERS