#ALSO i think it was cos. i think he operated on [redacted] someone we knew

[toytulini]

Why did you have to read Ben Carson's book to get access to the twilight books? What was stopping you from just getting the twilight books? I'm confused and curious

BKGDJWVIVE oh my god i just saw this sorry. my mom made me read the ben carson book before she was willing to buy me the last 2 books while i was in middle school. it was dumb but in retrospect its so ridiculous its funny.

[darylandbethfanforever9]

Devil’s Backbone

Devil’s Backbone

Chapter 1

Story Rating: Explicit, 18+ 

Warnings: Smut, violence, flashbacks of past sexual assault, descriptions of torture and racial slurs

This story will contain spoilers for FATWS, and a few spoilers about Black Widow. This is not a Tony Stark friendly story.

I hope everyone enjoys the story :)

Pairings: Bucky/OC, Steve/Natasha, Billy/Wanda/Grant, Clint/Laura, and Sam/Sharon. Tony/Pepper, (mentioned only).

Summary: In the aftermath of the Blip, Bucky struggled to find his place among the world and the Avengers. However, when he is sent on a mission to Madripoor to investigate a mystery woman, he starts to realize maybe his past isn't too far behind him. Co-Written with WalkingPotterGirl14

The Novosibirsk HYDRA base had been abandoned for at least a few years, but it had been in use recently. The rooms were vacant of any dust, something that James Buchanan Barnes noticed as he surveyed the building that had once been his former home as the Winter Soldier. He couldn't help but feel a sense of closure. He had insisted that the bodies of the five Winter Soldiers be given a burial. Plenty of the Avengers had backed him up when Tony had refused to do so. Anything that was of use had been taken away as evidence against HYDRA, seeing as they had been rebuilding their empire. Bucky couldn't help but remember Zola's words. "Cut off one head, two more shall take its place," the recording of Zola had said gleefully. Bucky had shot the machine to pieces in case the AI had planned on blowing them up. He was just about to leave when he found a file disregarded in one of the rooms that were used for medical use. It was mostly written in a mixture of Russian, Belarusian and Ukrainian. Before he could really take a look at it, though, a voice called out. "Bucky, you ready to go?" Sam asked quietly. He nodded and put the file in his backpack, before leaving the room. They joined the others, who were also ready to leave, and made their way to the quinjet.

The young woman's dark hazel eyes snapped open as she was awakened from her sleep. She looked around the room wearily, wondering where her handlers were and if they had fled? It had been so long… She couldn't remember for how long she had been, however…but the last thing she recalled was being taken away to have her mind wiped. If that was the case, then it had been 2016. What had happened since then? Suddenly, she heard a quinjet starting up above the base. She needed to board that plane, before HYDRA returned. That was her way out. That had to be. Quickly, she started running up the stairs, shielding her eyes from the blizzard, and shivered slightly. However, not even the cold could stop her from climbing onto this machine somehow. She found a back door hatchet in the quinjet, before climbing inside and locking the hatch. She made her way to the lower deck, before seeing a flash of red hair. Her eyes narrowed as she hid, but flashes of her mind came back to her. She knew that hair colour, but she couldn't remember who had it. Damn it. She sighed, before settling down, and prepared to get to her next destination.

Bucky sighed in relief when they landed at the Avengers Facility, but grimaced at the weather forecast. The news reporter said that it would be the coldest March on record and advised people to stay at home until the storm passed. He intended on going to his apartment, have a much needed warm shower and then watch the baseball game with Steve, Sam and Clint tonight. He was going to spoil Alpine. He loved the white fluffy cat that he'd rescued from the streets. He went downstairs to get his backpack when he noticed that it hadn't been where he had put it. He frowned, looking around and shrugged. It wasn't like there was anything important in there from before, but maybe he had left it at the base? No, that didn't make any sense. He lets out a soft sigh and glances away, turning back towards the facility. "Hey," he hears from before, feeling himself smile as Steve emerged, his brow raised. "What's going on? We got a whole pizza in here for you." Bucky snorts. "I don't need that much food." "Debatable," Steve states, chuckling lightly. "But you, okay? You look like you've seen a ghost?" "Eh…think I'm just seeing things." Bucky nods towards the base. "Come on. I'll take a slice and then we head back. We gotta get shelter before this storm hits." Steve nods, pushing him forward gently. "Now that sounds like a plan."

The young woman waits until everyone was gone and the voices had stopped, and only then did she allow herself to emerge from the cargo section of the quinjet, moving as quickly as possible. Jesus Christ, it was cold here too. Why couldn't they have flown to somewhere warm. She glances up at the giant "A" that sat atop this building, and with a start, she realizes that it was an Avengers base. Out of every damn place she could have flown to… You know what? It didn't matter. All that mattered was getting some form of clothing and getting clean. She quickly heads in, taking quick glances around to make sure no one was there. Strangely, there was no one around. But she had a feeling it was most likely because they were in a meeting of some sorts. Great. That gave her the perfect timing. The young woman moves as fast as she could through the halls, looking around, trying to pinpoint out the one spot that she so desperately wanted. And there, near the end, it was. A door with the label 'shower rooms.' She practically groans in pleasure before racing inside, locking the door behind her so she could be alone. While she would like to enjoy this shower as long as possible, she knew her time was limited. So today, it would only be for the basics. As soon as the water had turned warm, she stripped herself of her clothes and stepped in. She always had a regimen, even something she could remember with her fuddled head. Hair, face, body. Those three steps to get it done as soon as possible. And that was exactly what she did, watching as the dirt and grime began to roll of her body in waves. By the end of the shower, the drain was clogged. But hey, it wasn't her problem. And now she smelt of lilacs, so it was even better. She steps out and grabs a towel, unlocking the door and glancing out. There had to be rooms or something here with clothes of some sort. Maybe something she could change into. She had stolen a backpack from someone – maybe that could work. Quickly now, she runs across the hallways to what seemed to be bedrooms, cursing the ones that were locked and then finally finding a few that were open. As she steps inside, she pillages the drawers, finding some jeans, shirts, pajamas, underwear – the whole nine yards. Yes, this was a goldmine. The next couple of rooms seem to have the same amount of clothing, which she steals from as well. Usually, she was never one to just take people's belongings. That was always her caretaker’s orders. If she put one toe out of line, well…that was that. It was the end. But now, her caretakers weren't here. She could do whatever she wanted. And that meant this. As soon as she had changed into some clothes and stuffed several other pieces in the backpack she took, she grabbed some shoes and put them on, heading towards the hallway once more and then racing out. Thank God that this meeting was going on long enough. When she exited the building, she did see plenty of vehicles, waiting to be used. Maybe she could hot-wire a car of some sorts? But as she walked up to a motorcycle, she feels herself smile. Whoever had driven this left the keys in it. "Dumb fuck," she mutters, before getting on and straddling it as quickly as possible. She gives a mock salute to the base before taking off, leaving this area behind.

"What exactly did you find at the base?" Fury asks, his brow furrowed. "All I see here are some old techs that don't quite work anymore. You said this meeting was for something important." "It is, sir," Sam says. "Bucky found this." He brings over the folder that Bucky had found. "He didn't have the time to read it while in the quinjet, but I did, and what's in there is…real fucked up. I don't know if this is going on anymore but…. just read it." Fury takes the file with interest, putting it under a projector so they all could see what was inside.

The file detailed a program called the Black Widow Ops Program that began in the 1950's. It took orphaned young girls as young as five years old to be trained at the Red Room Academy, which was located in the Maryina Horka Forest in Belarus. "The Red Room has ties to an agency called Leviathan. Leviathan is a Soviet deep science and espionage agency. S.H.I.E.L.D had a run in with one of their operatives - a woman called Dottie Underwood. The Leviathan program was shut down in 1963 but the Red Room was already functioning," Steve explained quietly, his voice grim. Fury flipped through the file, his face turning grave at every turn of the file. Everyone at the table was given a copy. Most of the names were crossed out, having died during missions or from training. Bucky glanced at the names, recognizing a few of them. Polina, Irina, Viktoriya, Zorya, Natasha and Yelena. There was another name, but it had been redacted. "All of the people on this list are dead aside from me, Melina, Yelena and Alexei. We shut down the Red Room once and for all after Taskmaster, along with Lukin, restarted the program in 2016. We destroyed the building, and all the girls were killed or had died," Natasha said firmly, her face giving away nothing. He knew better though. She and Yelena were hiding something. "How can you be so sure, Romanoff?" Tony asked snidely, glaring over at her from where he sat next to Bruce and Rhodey. He had been acting like an ass since the Decimation had been reversed. "Because we killed all of them, Stark. They were too dangerous to be allowed to live. Something that the Soldat would know," Yelena answered coldly, her brown eyes flicking briefly towards Bucky. "Don't you dare bring her up, Yelena! You don't have the right to mention her and neither do you Natalia!" Bucky said dangerously. He grabbed his jacket and stormed out of the room. Steve gave Yelena a look of disappointment while Sam ignored her, and both went to check on Bucky. Wanda followed shortly after, with Billy Russo and Grant Ward leaving as well. "We'll continue this meeting in the morning, everyone. Next time, Yelena, I suggest keeping your mouth shut," Fury said warningly, before leaving with his leather coat billowing behind him as he walked out the door. Bruce, Clint, Natasha, Tony, Kate and Yelena were the only ones left in the conference room. An uncomfortable silence hung over them. Clint was the first to say what Bruce and Kate were thinking. "Did you really have to bring up Bucky's past, Yelena? For Christ's sake, he's been through enough. I get that you're mad at him for beating Alexei, but it's not his fault that Alexei got sent to prison!" Clint said angrily, before leaving. Kate left with him. Bruce shook his head. He liked Bucky and didn't understand why Natasha and Yelena harbored so much distrust towards him. Tony hated the man and refused to let him stay at the facility.

Bucky had gone to the garage to get his bike. He just wanted to get away from this place. He knew he wasn't welcome at the compound, but neither was Steve, Sam, Clint, or Wanda for still agreeing with Steve on the accords to an extent. No matter how hard he tried, people were still afraid of him. Some even said on Twitter that Tony should have killed him in Siberia when his arm had been blown off. He sighed heavily, before starting up the engine and drove out of the garage, making his way home. It doesn't take long, thankfully, since they were so close to the city. He parked outside his apartment, heading up the stairs before opening the door and being greeted by Alpine. The fluffy white cat purred at seeing him. He crouched down to stroke him tenderly behind the ear. The cat purred loudly before he locked the door and went to wash his bowl. After finishing that, he gave Alpine fresh water and fresh food and biscuits. He smiled as he watched Alpine eat happily, before turning on the TV and started cooking dinner. "You don't deserve to be an Avenger, you murderer!" Tony had snarled at him when Fury announced Bucky was being added to the team. All he could did now was prove all of them that he did deserve to be an Avenger. It was all he could do. He made sure to text Sam and Stave that he was alright. He didn't want to burden Steve and Sam, or Clint and Wanda. They were good to him, along with Yori and Leah, even though Yori knew it was him that had killed his son.

Anastasia had dumped the bike at the nearest garage before going to a long-abandoned HYDRA safe house in the Upper West Side. She checked to see if anyone had been there lately, but luckily, no one had ever checked the place out. She took off the black leather jacket before checking the office and logged into the computer. She typed in the password, relieved when it was correct and was greeted with a very large amount of money. "You were a bastard, Pierce. I fucking hated you, but at least you didn't lose the money after all this time," she remarked coldly, before deciding to make her way to Madripoor, converting the money to cash just as quickly through the machine. It was probably the safest place for her, considering that the Avengers would soon find out that the HYDRA safe house had been slept in and the money was gone. She counted the notes carefully, stunned that she had over 4.29 million dollars in cash. She intended on donating some of the money though to a few charities that she genuinely liked. The Red Room and HYDRA had always hated how she was still soft despite the brutal training they put her through. Not to mention the days of starvation and having broken bones from sparring sessions.

Natasha had gone to her room to have a shower and get changed into more comfortable clothing, only to realize that some of her clothes were missing. Namely one of her black leather jackets was missing along with a pair of her size seven black combat boots. Did Yelena or Wanda take her clothes? Her brow furrows before she moves outside. "Wanda?" She calls out as she sees the Avenger pass her. She looks up as she does. "Did you take any of my clothes?" Wanda's brow furrows before she shakes her head. "No, not at all. Is your stuff missing?" "Stuff from me is missing too," Yelena says, emerging from her room. "Couple of my shirts." "Huh," Natasha mutters before turning to Wanda. "Sorry for bothering you. Think we might have just misplaced stuff." Wanda smiles a bit. "We all do that sometimes." She waves bye to her as she heads back towards her room, but as soon as she had moved around the other side of the hallway, Natasha pulls Yelena into her room, before closing the door behind her. Instantly, Yelena's eyes turn to her. "What's going on?" "You and I both know what I'm thinking," she says lowly. "Why do we think that our clothes are missing?" "Could just be some kid who broke in." "Come on, some kid can't break into an Avenger's base," Natasha chastises. "Barely anyone knows where this place is unless told…it had to be someone who had tailed us back all the way from…you know where." Yelena's eyes widen a bit. "You don't think-" "We didn't see anyone there but…but what if? There might have been someone who has escaped the HYDRA base when we left and is now just…roaming around New York City. How else would our clothes be missing? They must have stolen them to get clean and then taken off." Yelena bites her lip and then nods her head slowly. "It does make sense." "Fury," she says quietly, bringing Yelena's attention back to her. "There are hidden cameras in the hallways. We could ask him for security access to see who it was." "Fury isn't really in my good graces right now," Yelena mutters.

"It doesn't matter. If the safety of our organization is at stake, he will let you go through his cameras. He'll go down for SHIELD, you know this." She glances towards the door. "We need to try and take care of this. As soon as possible." Yelena nods, sighing. "I know…I know."

She had to admit that New York City was nice. It had been years since she had been to this place, only with the intention of missions, and even then, she could hardly remember what it was like. But with the money she did have now, she might as well buy a few things before she was on her way to Madripoor. As she walks into a tiny coffee shop that seemed to be below an apartment building, she asks quietly for a cup of coffee black and two cookies – might as well get some good stuff in her prior to a long flight. "What's the name?" The barista asks politely. For a moment, she froze. Her name brought back so many painful memories. So many that she wanted to forget. She hated even thinking of her time in that spiteful, horrible prison. So, she makes a change, right here and now. "Ana," she says softly. "It's Ana." The barista nods, writing her name down on a cup. There, a refreshing new start. She was no longer Anastasia. She was Ana. Fair and square, no ifs ands or buts. She wasn't going to be HYDRA's puppet anymore…even if her memory wasn't the same. She moves to take a seat over in the corner, waiting patiently for her food and drink to be done. In the meantime, she saw someone else come in, a man that looked to be slightly older than her but not by much. He had a jacket and gloves covering his hands. She had to admit he was quite handsome, but the last thing on her mind was to get infatuated with a random stranger. Quietly, she listens to his order, what seemed to be a sweeter coffee with a cookie as well, but then he reaches into his wallet and is unable to produce the money for the second item. He sighs and only pays for the coffee, going to sit down. She glances over at him as she hears her name called. "Ana!" Quickly she gets up, grabbing her hot coffee before looking over at the man, quietly glancing down at his phone. If she wanted to start new, she'd start new. She heads over to where he sits, and he looks up at her in surprise. "I…know you don't know me, but I overheard you and-I'm not good with this, just here." Ana gently lowers the cookie onto the table, and a kind smile comes over his lips before he looks up at her. "You didn't have to do that." Ana shrugs lightly. "I heard about the storm that's going to be happening soon…we all gotta look out for each other, right?" She asks. He chuckles a bit and nods. "Indeed, we do…wish others saw it that way." He looks back up at her, his brow furrowed. She tilts her head. "I'm sorry, you…you just look familiar." "Strange…quite sure I've never met you," she chuckles a bit, rubbing the back of her head. "I must sound so weird," he states, shaking his head. "It's okay," she responds lightly, but she had to admit inwardly the stranger did have a nice smile. A part of her wanted to sit down and talk with him more but she knew she had a flight to catch. "But enjoy the cookie, stranger. I have to get out of here. Stay warm." He offers another smile to her. "You too." Ana smiles at him before heading out the door, holding onto her bag tightly and her coffee in the other hand. For a second, she pauses, glancing back at the coffee shop. Strange…he felt familiar too. But that was impossible. The only person she ever knew was long gone…or at least she thought he was. Maybe she was just crazy. Yeah, she was crazy. Ana shakes her head and quickly heads back towards the street, whistling out for a cab. It was time she got out of this town.

"It's nine at night," Wanda mutters, angrily coming into the briefing room with the other Avengers. "What is it that you all could need at this hour? We're supposed to be resting for the upcoming mission." Fury sighs as everyone takes a seat. "We got a big problem – wait, where's Barnes?" "Who cares?" Tony mutters. Steve glares at him before sighing at Fury. "Bucky went home after the incident this afternoon." "Goddammit – get his ass back here. We can start then. And Yelena – keep your mouth shut!" Yelena rolls her eyes but nods, crossing her arms against her chest. Steve grabs his phone, quickly making the call to Bucky. And hopefully, he wouldn't face the wrath of the Winter Soldier when he returned back here. Thankfully, the snow hadn't started yet but soon enough they'd be snowed in.

"Really?" Bucky asks as he comes in, his brow furrowed. "I literally just settled down to relax." "Sit your whiny ass down," Fury states, gesturing to the spot next to Steve, which he does. "Now that everyone is here, I didn't want to wake you all up or bring you in for nothing. We've had an issue here at the compound. Something that all of you need to be aware of." At that moment, he pulls up what seems to be security came footage, and there in the hallways was a girl.

tag list: @jtargaryen18 @saiyanprincessswanie @sapphirescrolls , @americasass81​ @marvelfansworld , @connie326 , @joannaliceevans-fanficblog , @queenoftheunderdark @navybrat817 and @threeminutesoflife , @lex-the-flex, @world-of-aus, @avintagekiss24 and @the-soulofdevil, @gogolucky13 and @kenzieam and @darkficsyouneveraskedfor​

[theliberaltony]

via Politics – FiveThirtyEight

We don’t know how or when special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election will end. It could wrap up in a few weeks or many months and could play out in several ways.

There might be a political bombshell, like a revelation that President Trump’s 2016 campaign was involved with election interference. Or it could fizzle out, with no additional major revelations and no evidence of wrongdoing by Trump. With the help of legal experts, I’ve spun out five plausible scenarios for how the special counsel’s investigation might conclude. Each carries different amounts of legal and political risk for Trump. Let’s start with the scenario that would be most harmful to Trump.

Scenario 1: Trump is implicated in some form of coordination with Russia to interfere with the 2016 election

So far, Mueller’s legal filings have made one thing abundantly clear: The special counsel has evidence that Russian operatives engaged in a sustained effort to boost Trump’s candidacy and undermine Hillary Clinton’s. What we don’t know is whether the Trump campaign — or Trump himself — knew about these efforts, encouraged them or actively helped promote them. For Trump, one of the worst possible outcomes of the Mueller investigation would be for the special counsel to present evidence that Trump deliberately cooperated with Russian efforts to undermine the election. It would likely lead to calls among House Democrats for Trump to be impeached.

If Mueller has this evidence and an appetite for a legal battle that will probably end up at the Supreme Court, he could try to test a longtime constitutional hypothetical and charge Trump with a federal crime. But most experts I spoke with think he’ll abide by Justice Department guidelines that say indicting a sitting president is unconstitutional. A likelier outcome in this situation is that Trump’s involvement could be spelled out in charges against other people (similar to the way Trump was implicated in campaign finance violations by his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, but not explicitly named). Trump could also be named as an unindicted co-conspirator, as the grand jury in the Watergate investigation did with Richard Nixon, although that is also discouraged by the Justice Department. Even if he didn’t face any immediate legal liability, both of those outcomes could be very politically damaging to Trump, because his alleged wrongdoing would still be out in the open.

Alternatively, Mueller could include in his final report any information he finds about presidential misconduct, which could be just as damning if the relevant parts of the report are released to Congress or the public. When he concludes his work, Mueller is required to submit a confidential accounting of his indictment decisions. And that information could be presented in a myriad of ways. “He could use that report to describe a lot of things his team has uncovered that didn’t make their way into criminal charges,” said Joshua Geltzer, executive director of Georgetown’s Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection. “Or it could be a very sparse report that essentially recaps what we’ve already seen through Mueller’s legal filings — or anything in between.”

Another way Trump’s wrongdoing could be communicated would be for Mueller to work with his grand jury to create a document to submit to Congress. This is one of the actions that Leon Jaworski, a special prosecutor in the Watergate investigation, took in 1974, when his grand jurors submitted what’s known as the Watergate “road map” to the House of Representatives. “It was essentially a guide for the House, which was considering articles of impeachment, to help clarify what criminal offenses the president had actually been implicated in,” said Andrew Coan, a professor of law at the University of Arizona and the author of a new book about the history of special counsel investigations. This would be a surprising move, though, Coan said, because it would bypass the courts and the final report to the attorney general, which are the two primary methods that a special counsel has to communicate the results of an investigation.

Scenario 2: Trump is implicated in obstruction of justice

Another possibility is that Trump isn’t implicated in Russian attempts to influence the 2016 election but there is evidence that he illegally or inappropriately tried to stymie Mueller’s investigation. Mueller has reportedly been looking into whether Trump obstructed justice or tampered with witnesses, but how big a deal would it be if those inquiries bear fruit?

The legal risks to Trump are lower here, because an obstruction of justice case could be hard to make. If Mueller believes Trump committed a crime of obstruction — and has evidence to support it — he could relay that information in the ways I described above, through charging documents, his final report or a grand jury submission to Congress. But the legal bar for obstruction of justice is high, according to Laurie Levenson, a professor at Loyola Law School, Los Angeles. And, she said, it’s possible that even if Mueller finds it troubling or inappropriate, Trump’s behavior may not clear that threshold. A description of potentially obstructive behavior could, therefore, end up in a section of Mueller’s final report in which he explains why he chose not to issue charges against certain people.

But even if Mueller doesn’t charge Trump with obstruction of justice, a description of potentially obstructive behavior could still have significant political fallout, depending on what Mueller says and what is made public. In that situation, the real question will be how politicians respond. “You could see a scenario where Mueller explains why this was a close call and why he landed where he did,” Levenson said. “But it’s very unlikely that Mueller will tell Congress if he thinks something is impeachable but not criminal. He’ll outline the facts and let them take it from there.”

The amount of political pressure that results, though, could depend on whether there are new revelations — or if Mueller simply outlines information that is already publicly known. If it’s the latter, Republican support for impeaching Trump and removing him from office could be more difficult to marshal. According to Lisa Kern Griffin, a professor of law at Duke University and a former federal prosecutor, Trump may have insulated himself from some backlash because he didn’t try to conceal his potentially obstructive behaviors — in the process, “numbing” observers to its significance.

Scenario 3: Trump isn’t accused of wrongdoing, but someone close to him is

What happens if someone close to Trump — for example, Donald Trump Jr., who has reportedly said that he expects to be indicted by Mueller — is charged in the Russia probe, but Trump himself isn’t accused of wrongdoing? That would be relatively good news for Trump; Katy Harriger, who is a political science professor at Wake Forest University and studies special prosecutor investigations, said he might be able to weather the scandal — much as Ronald Reagan did during the Iran-Contra investigation, which ended up implicating Reagan’s defense secretary. But he wouldn’t be out of the woods for a few reasons.

First, Trump might be tempted to issue a pardon. It wouldn’t be unprecedented for a president to pardon someone who got into legal trouble because of a special counsel investigation, as I wrote last year, but the timing matters a lot. If a pardon interferes with an ongoing investigation, it could open Trump up to obstruction of justice charges.

Another possible consequence of the indictment of a close business associate of Trump’s is that it could add fuel to the political fire around the president. The charges could give Democrats in Congress more justification for pursuing their own investigations, possibly into Trump’s family businesses. Harriger noted that unlike Reagan, Trump is only in his first term, so the Democrats’ probes could end up eroding his popularity and potentially hurt his chances in 2020.

Scenario 4: Mueller’s findings aren’t made public, so we don’t know whether Trump is implicated in wrongdoing

All three of the previous scenarios are based on the assumption that the key findings of Mueller’s investigation will become publicly available. But it’s possible that Mueller will conclude his investigation, submit his report and trigger a battle between Congress and the executive branch about whether his conclusions should be made public. That’s because once Mueller submits his report, it’s largely up to the attorney general to decide what to do with it.

This scenario is why Senate Democrats spent much of the confirmation hearings for William Barr, Trump’s pick to be the next attorney general, grilling him about how he would handle Mueller’s report. Barr promised transparency but also wouldn’t make any commitments about how much of the report he would release publicly. If the report, or parts of it, aren’t made public, then we might not know if Trump is implicated in wrongdoing that didn’t make its way into an indictment.

Even if much of Mueller’s report is made public, several experts told me that redactions seem likely to protect information that relates to other Justice Department investigations. And the Trump administration could try to suppress parts of the report by citing executive privilege, which means that some evidence of wrongdoing by the president could be held back.

House Democrats do have some tools at their disposal to respond if the attorney general declines to release the entire report or significant portions of it. They could subpoena the report or call Mueller to testify about his findings. Either way, there would likely be a dramatic separation-of-powers showdown. But it wouldn’t be resolved quickly.

Scenario 5: The findings are made public, and neither the president nor any of his close associates are implicated in further wrongdoing

In December, my colleague Perry Bacon Jr. and I speculated that Mueller might be writing his “report” in real time, through his detailed court filings. If this turns out to be true, the ending of the investigation may be somewhat anticlimactic, because all of the relevant information will already be known. And unless there are bombshells between now and when Mueller wraps up his probe, the investigation might not end up touching Trump or his close associates at all. If that happens, Trump will likely claim that he has been exonerated.

But even if the Mueller investigation ends without big, bad news for the president, Trump’s legal troubles are likely to continue — indeed, more hazards are already on the horizon. Federal prosecutors in New York — who already secured a guilty plea from Cohen, for a campaign finance violation that implicated Trump — are reportedly looking into spending around Trump’s inauguration and Trump Organization executives’ connections to illegal campaign payments.

And whereas the mandate for Mueller’s investigation was relatively narrow, other federal and state prosecutors have broad latitude to investigate potential corporate fraud, tax violations and other offenses that were out of Mueller’s purview. “In my view, the more obvious threat to Trump is coming from federal and state prosecutors in New York — maybe having less to do with the Russia component but involving campaign finance violations, potentially money laundering, misconduct in the context of the Trump Organization,” Griffin said.

And this, perhaps, is the most important lesson from all of these scenarios: that whenever the Mueller investigation does finally end, it’s likely to trigger another high-profile process — whether it’s a fight over the final report, further investigations by House Democrats and other prosecutors, or even impeachment proceedings. So whatever happens, don’t expect the drama to end when Mueller packs up his office and turns off the lights.

[thisweekingundamwing]

Weekly Recap June 24 - July 1

It’s everyone’s favorite day of the week! The day of the week where you get all kinds of Gundam Wing content linked in one place!

Remember to show these amazing creators some love.

Also, I listed the links next to the title as well since some people were having trouble accessing them embedded links. 

Fanfiction:

Just as a quick side note, if there aren’t warnings listed below be sure to read the warnings listed on AO3 before reading!

@amberlyinviolet​

Knife in Hand  - https://archiveofourown.org/works/6068848 

When Duo learns there's a hit out on him, he turns to the only person in Chicago he believes capable of helping him. But will the cost of the Broker's help be too high? Pairing: 2x3. Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage, Implied Childhood Sexual Abuse, Consent Issues, Organized Crime, Assassination, child trafficking, Past Abuse, Federal Agents, Abuse of Power, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Gender Issues

@anaranesindanarie and @rhysgalentalcernunnos​ 

The Maxwell Twins: Shi and Duo - http://archiveofourown.org/works/11026149/chapters/25320114

They didn’t know anything about their parents or if they were even related, but they couldn’t deny the fact that they looked alike. Or the fact that they only had each other. Warning: NSFW, twincest, 2x2

@the-notorious-bhg and @morbidbirdy

Something About Us - https://archiveofourown.org/works/11333262

Five Years after Operation Meteor the fragile peace between Earth and the colonies is once again threatened when a beloved prominent political figure is assassinated. The former Gundam pilots come together again for a new mission, which forces unexplored feelings to arise between Heero and Trowa. 3x1. Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Slash, Post-Endless Waltz, Post-Canon, Action & Romance, Missions, Mobile Suits, Preventers (Gundam Wing)

Cedechan

Within the Nexus - https://archiveofourown.org/works/11362980

By the end of AC 197, Zechs has returned from Mars broken and alone. His world as he knew it has been destroyed and in his attempt to move on, he dives back into the world from which he though he'd escaped.Unexpectedly, he finds himself partnered with Wufei Chang and one of Doctor J's former wards and life starts to become normal again, despite the battle with his inner demons. But when tragedy strikes again, he must rely on their help to find the assassin, because he can't do it on his own. Warnings: Major Character Death, Zechs Merquise, Chang Wufei, Original Character, Angst, Action, Murder, Justice, Friendship.

@chronicwhimsy

Saudade (Chapter 1) - http://archiveofourown.org/works/11352189/chapters/25407183

Duo and Trowa travel through Europe with the circus during the summer after the Barton uprising. Mentions of underage sex and drinking, unhealthy coping mechanisms. Pairings:  3x4, 2+3 bromance.

Co-Star

Desire told in colors - https://archiveofourown.org/works/11227302 

"There were kisses printed all over his shirt, some playfully smeared, some carefully stamped, some surpassing touching his collarbone, too many for not being remembered. With a swift movement, he pulled off the shirt and found a message written on the back, the lipstick so red it made him think of blood: 'Call me.'" A 2017 Summer of Zechs submission. Color prompts. Warnings and Pairings: Zechs Merquise/Lucrezia, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Navy, From Sex to Love, Smut, Canon Het Relationship, Heterosexual Sex

DarkBluePhoenix

Neon Genesis Evangelion: Legacy – Gundam Invasion - http://archiveofourown.org/works/10464375  

A Mobile Suit Gundam Wing and Mobile Fighter G Gundam CrossoverIt’s a Gundam! *RANDOM EXPLOSION!* The cast of Gundam Wing meet our young heroes and befriend them in this tale of how those who understand, those who fight, those who doubt, and those who pass by, can claim victory against the forces of evil reborn. Mission Accepted. All systems go! Gundams… Evangelions… Launching!

@kangofu-cb 

Mission: Redacted chapter 9 - http://archiveofourown.org/works/10872516/chapters/25325301

2x5, 3x4 - they are getting the band back together!

Just Lucky I Guess -  http://archiveofourown.org/works/11298693

Final installment of the ‘Just’ 'verse. Wufei and Duo are getting married! There’s a little bit of drama, some smut, and overall a good time is had by all. 2x5 wedding fluff, with some post-wedding smut!

luvsanime02, 

Standby - http://archiveofourown.org/works/10852965/chapters/24098613

Heero goes in front of the Board of Professional Review, and now she has an important decision to make. This is the fifth story in Navigation, a fem!Heero series.

@noelleian,  

Put Up Your [Daisy] Dukes - https://archiveofourown.org/works/11338821

Quatre is a small-town, southern boy with aspirations that don't include spending the rest of his life as trailer trash, but for now, he's forced to wait tables at a dive in rural Georgia until he can save enough money for college. Though with a hot new bouncer on the payroll, maybe things are finally looking up. 3x4

ShenLong

High Rolling - https://archiveofourown.org/works/6614992 

Duo is a multi millionaire having made his money in computer games and is working himself into the ground. Hilde, his secretary and best friend convinces him to take a vacation – to Las Vegas. Parings: 1x2 and 3x4. Warnings: Fluff, Yaoi, Lemons, Limes, Angst, sap, ooc, AU, Gambling

The Manwell

May Demons Rest: Shinigami Sleeps 2017 - https://archiveofourown.org/works/10944786

A re-write of my 2004 fanfic "Shinigami Sleeps"To find and free Duo from his demons, Trowa leaves his uneventful life at the circus for the mean streets of an obscure colony in L2. 2x3. Warnings: Trowa POV, Duo POV, POV Alternating, POV First Person, First Time, Male Slash, Male Friendship, street gangs, acrobats, Clowns, Circus animals, Family, Canon-Compliant, EW-compliant, Post-Endless Waltz, Dreams and Nightmares

Twilight_Angel, 

[Podfic] Lollipop -  https://archiveofourown.org/works/11294784

Coffee was what got him going in the morning. What kept him going through the rest of the day was the boy that got on the train at Twelfth and Highland. Pairing: 1x2

@weiclown, 

Dead End?  - http://archiveofourown.org/works/11312295

Trowa and Quatre are sent in on a simple ‘infiltrate, get the data, and get out’ type of mission. Someone at Preventers was grossly misinformed, and things go FUBAR pretty quick. Will they be able to get out together, and in one piece? Warnings: Post-Endless Waltz, Attempted Rape/Non-ConBrief mention of attempted rape, Violence, Murder, Major Character Injury, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Preventers (Gundam Wing), Dark, Wilderness Survival, Forests, Blood and Violence, Trowa Barton, Quatre Winner - No pairings  

Cosplay:   

 @shinigami-of-excellence

Treize Khushrenada  - http://outofworkshinigami.tumblr.com/post/162402987842/more-photos-of-treize

Calender Events:

@chronicwhimsy​ - Gundam Wing End of Summer Block Party!

https://gwblockparty.tumblr.com/

WHAT? A fanworks celebration of all things tropey and cliche in the Gundam Wing fandom. Friends to Lovers? Sign me up! Coffee Shop AU? I’ll take a large to go. Sex Pollen? Bless you, and thank you. Nothing is too overdone - indulge yourself!

WHO? Everyone! All content for all ships is welcome! From canon to crack, from OTPs to Giant Pilot Polycules! Come one, come all, come everyone (if you’re doing it right - wink wink). By the end of this event, the master list should look like my high school algebra homework - only this time, there’s no such thing as a wrong answer.

WHEN? To celebrate the end of the season (depending on Hemisphere!) the suggested posting dates are 1st - 4th September! Let’s see Summer off with a bang! Or see Spring in with several bangs, depending on your preferences.

WHERE? If you share on tumblr, tag this blog or message us the link and we will reblog it! We will also create a collection on AO3, and a Tumblr master post at the end of the event.

HAVE FUN! BE SHAMELESS!

Thank you all for a wonderful week!! =D