#oops I un-retired

[forasecondtherewedwon]

Amputated Nights

Fandom: The Artful Dodger Pairing: Hetty/Jack Rating: E Word Count: 776

Scissors, scalpel, needle, saw—Hetty is always passing Jack his instruments in surgery, and then they pass the night together. He is there in the semi-privacy of her room, up away from all of the noise and most of the smell of the hospital.

Saw: the blunted rub that bites when it catches, her hips tilting against his with a gasp from her mouth.

Needle: working flesh together, in and out, his close thrusts like tight stitches.

Scalpel: the pinch of her fingernails into his back.

Scissors: a severance, Jack out the door.

Doctor and nurse, impoverished and practical. This isn’t romantic, but it is real, away from the necessary showmanship of Jack in the theatre, Hetty urging speed or caution with her looks because she can’t with her voice. She hovers at the ready. She passes what he needs. She commiserates with a glance as Jack stands behind glass, hands on his hips in frustration while Sneed does the surgery instead, barely mediocre, or the Professor blinks slowly over a wound that’s bleeding out. Another dead body. Jack huffing hot breath into her hair hours later, a little blood still trapped in the lines of his knuckles when she hugs his hips between her thighs and his quick fingers catch the back of her knee.

Success, tragedy, or plain endurance. Any sort of day can precede the twilight tap of Jack’s boots on the stairs, the unadorned look on his face when Hetty opens her door to him. There is no grin of delight; neither is there the coldness of a lover turned indifferent, the suspicion of a jealous husband. What they have is suitable for where and who they are. So she’s surprised at herself the night she asks him to stay.

���Will you ever spend the whole night with me?”

His pale shape moving in the dark, away from her.

“Go back to sleep.”

You do not tell me what to do here, Hetty would like to remind him. But she isn’t bold enough to say it out loud, in the moment she feels it, body soft in the sheets Jack’s left warm. He didn’t answer her question. The words were wrong anyway, misleading symptoms of her feverish thoughts. She does not mean—does not want—to speculate on what he will do. She means—she wants—to tell him to lay himself back down and remain until the fuzzy charcoal-coloured almost-morning comes and, rising from cool cotton, they feel the air hang hot on their naked shoulders. It isn’t sensible; the bed is narrow, his occasional nightmares disturb her precious unconsciousness. Yet Jack sleeps small, curled in as if from the cold, and Hetty does him the service of pretending to sleep through his more violent awakenings, his soft cries in his sleep. He could stay. She would permit it; the one place in this building where she has some say.

She hopes he will remember her question as a drowsy critique of his solitary habits, or forget it altogether.

Hetty will rise alone and make up with fresh sheets the beds of the patients who died in the night, and she and Jack will not be married. He will not help her, he will not protect her, and her life will continue to take the shape she decides for it. She will be good in her role, trying to keep infection out, concealing her panic over the thing she’s let into the hospital: the governor’s daughter. Hetty will Ma’am and watch and protest when and where and how she can, leaning into the thorny embrace of society to discourage Jack from working with Lady Fox because there are rules that forbid it. The rules prick Hetty too as she unfurls arguments against women in the hospital, women employed, women with hands slick and stained with blood. The fleeting look Jack gives her before turning back to the patient, the purpose, the titled, hoop-skirted protégé is bewildered. Why should Hetty not join them in flouting the regulations? Why shouldn’t she want another pair of hands helping them preserve life? Why, why, why, when Jack still climbs the stairs? When he pulls the shirt over his head and occupies the narrow bed? When, afterwards, he massages the nape of Hetty’s neck between firm fingers and thumb, knowing her little pains and relieving them?

The hospital is cleaner, the amputations are fewer. When Jack stops climbing the stairs, the nights are longer, her rest is deeper. Hetty is alert and precise in the performance of her duties. Scissors, scalpel, needle, saw. She presses them into Jack’s waiting palm, out of the heat of hers.

[boobo13cambridge]

Send That Picture Promise I'm A Keep It | Kylian Mbappé

Pairing: Kylian Mbappé x f.Reader

Warnings: Fluff, sexting, masturbation (m.)

Summary: What’s it like texting when your husband is a really busy athlete? 

A/N: Hello, everyone! I’ve been trying to finish up all my old requests before I get to the new ones. I was actually supposed to post this May 5th, and its now June, oops. I’ve seen all your prompts for the new Kylian smut, and I love all your ideas. I’ll try my best to get them done because for once I have nothing to this summer except find a job, lmao. I swear having a job ready for when you graduate is not easy at all. Uni should’ve prepared us better for the post-grad life. Anyways, as always don’t forget to like, comment, and repost! Enjoy, lovelies ❣️

Kylian: bébé 

Kylian: bébééé

Kylian: bééébééé

Kylian: béééébéééééééééé

Kylian: Arrête de m’ignorer 😢 (stop ignoring me)

Kylian: jte veux  (i want you)

Kylian: j besoins de toi (i need you)

Kylian: envoie t seins (send your tits)

The incessant buzzing of your phone that was conveniently located in your back pocket was proving to bea major distraction as you were trying your best to follow what your boss was trying to say. You knew who it was without even having to look, the culprit - a certain brown-eyed professional athlete who was called away on international duty. 

While you wished you could be there to cheer him on as France played against Gibraltar in Faro, you were unfortunately tied up at work as you had to deal with an important client. As a divorce lawyer, you were constantly surprised to learn just how selfish and idiotic some people could be. You’d think a firefighter would be too busy trying to save people to have two mistress with three children each. Alas, humanity never failed to disappoint. To add fuel to the fire, this particular client absolutely refused to comprise on anything and insisted that he still loved his wife despite being a piece of shit.

Seeing all these cases, you were grateful that Kylian wasn't like that. To be honest, in the beginning of your relationship, you were very self-conscious as footballers were known to be cheaters. A few people (who were no longer in your life) warned you that your husband would inevitably turn out like most people in his profession and leave you for a model. Kylian, on the other hand,  turned out to be nothing like that. He was consistently loving, truthful, and patient with you. The media's attempts to tear your relationship apart still pained you deeply, especially the heartbroken look in Kylian's eyes as you shouted at him, accusing him without even giving him a chance to explain.

But returning to the present, your boss finally released you from the conversation as her secretary reminded her that her husband was waiting on the line. Your boss, an intimidating woman whom you respected greatly, was the only one who hired you straight after graduation, despite most law firms turning you away. You suspected they viewed you as nothing more than a trophy wife destined to retire after having a few kids. Céleste Beauregard was the only one who gave you a chance, and for that you would be eternally grateful.

Walking back to your desk, you pull out your phone and look at the messages Kylian send you. Letting out a snort at his antics, you reply.

You: t’a pas un match à jouer toi?  (don’t you have a match to play?)

Kylian: c koi le rapport bb??    (what’s the correlation baby??)

You: tu c ke chui au travail kyky  (you know I’m at work kyky)

Kylian: allez bb juste une photo 🥺 (cmon baby its just one picture)

You: ds t rêve (in your dreams)

Kylian: fais pas ca (don’t do this)

Kylian: arrête de faire ta difficile (stop being so difficult)

You: t un gros pervert Mbappé 🤢 (you’re a big pervert Mbappé)

You: j d’autres choses à faire ds la vie ke de t’envoyer d pics de mes seins              franchement  (I have better things to do than send you pics of my tits seriously)

You: t’a pas déjà d pics? (don’t you already have some?)

Kylian: j’en veux d fresh svp (I need new ones pls)

You: tu m’énerve (you’re annoying)

In moments like these, you couldn't help but appreciate having a private office with tinted glass. Glancing around cautiously to ensure no one was present, you carefully unbuttoned your dress shirt, unveiling a seductive, lacy red push-up bra. With one hand, you delicately squeezed your breasts together, your cheeks flushed crimson as you quickly snap a picture and send it to him. 

Buttoning your shirt, you feel a mixture of excitement and anticipation, as you nervously bit your lip, holding your breath as you observed the three blinking dots in your message thread. You couldn't help but giggle at doing something so risky at your workplace.

Kylian: putain bb chui bandé 🤤 (fuck bb i’m hard) 

Kylian: si tt là ça serait parti en branlette espagnole 😏 (if you were here I would’ve fucked your tits)

You: t dégeulasse 🙄 (youre disgusting)

Kylian: tu m’aimes pareille ❤️ (you love me tho)

You: vrm pas  (not really)

You: envoie moi t seins toi (you send me your tits)

Kylian: jpeux tenvoyer qq chose de mieux 😘 (i’ll send you something better)

Your heart raced with anticipation, a symphony of palpitations echoing in your chest, as you waited impatiently for your husband to send you a picture of himself.

As the picture popped up, you felt liquid heat pool in your panties as your breathing deepened looking at the nude Kylian had sent you. 

The dim lights showed his hand wrapped firmly around his throbbing cock. Your gaze was fixated on the engorged head of his member, a vibrant hue of crimson, as a drop of precum bubbled on top. You could feel yourself throbbing as you feasted on the photo. Waves of pleasure surged through your core, causing your body to pulse with an insatiable hunger.

You: merde kyky ta pas le droit de m’envoyer sa quand tu c ke jpeux rien   faire (shit kyky you can’t just send me this when you know i cant do anything about it)

Kylian: enjoy bb 😘

You: ??

You looked at his message confused, not really sure what he meant. A few minutes later, he sends you a video that ignited a blush so intense it flushed the very roots of your hair.

In the video, he moved with tantalizing slowness, his strong, veiny arms caressing his length with deliberate, seductive strokes. Each movement of his arm drove your senses ablaze. The air around you thickened with the sound of his sinful moans, weaving a symphony of pleasure that sent shivers down your spine.

Your eyes were fixated on the mesmerizing sight, unable to tear themselves away from the erotic scene playing on your small screen. Your breath hitched as he swiped a bead of precum, his fingers glistening with the essence of his desire. 

It was when a primal groan escaped his soft, pink lips with the sound of your name on the tip of his tongue that sent a blast of ecstasy through your body, electrifying every nerve ending with longing.

Unable to contain the building heat within you, you instinctively pressed your thighs together, seeking relief from the persistent throbbing that radiated from your slick core. 

The video was two minutes long, and you were burning up so fast. As you continued to watch the captivating video, your senses became heightened, every nuance and detail etching itself into your memory. The sheer eroticism of the scene, the raw sensuality exuding from his every movement, unleashed a whirlwind of desire within you.

With every gasp and moan that escaped his lips, you felt the reverberations deep within your core. His sinful utterance of your name was like a symphony of passion, intertwining with the symphony of your racing heart. 

As his fingers swept across his velvety skin, spreading the intoxicating precum, the ache between your thighs intensified. The throbbing in your core demanded attention, aching for release. The tension built, and with every second, you grew closer to the precipice of ecstasy.

It was almost a bittersweet torment, because as much as the video set aflame your desire for him, it also intensified the ache of longing for his physical presence. With a final, lingering stroke, the video came to an end, leaving you breathless and craving more. 

You: t vrm cruel kyky (you’re so cruel kyky)

Kylian: 😘😘 mmmhhh jte vois samedi? (mmmhhh see you saturday?)

You: non, viens mtn 🥺  (no, come now)

You: jte veux trop (i need you too much)

Kylian: hahah, tu c ke jpp princesse (hahah you know i can't princess)

Kylian: mais jvai marquer un but pour toi bb (but i’ll score a goal for you bb)

You: t mieux ❤️ 🙄 (you better)

You: jtm booboo ❤️ (ily booboo)

Kylian: jtm fort mon coeur ❤️ (ily so much my heart)

You: tu veux que je t’amène qq chose bb? Je c ke tu vas rester à l'hôtel avant le match au stade (do you want me to bring you something bb? I know you’re staying at a hotel before game at the stadium?)

Kylian: ouii, t seins 🤤 (yess, your boobs)

You: ugh bye 🙄

Your playful exasperation was evident as you bid farewell to the teasing suggestion. The exchange left a lingering sense of anticipation and passion in the air, as you both were eagerly waiting to see each other again. The thought of being in his arms, of holding him and kissing him, made you long for him so bad. Looking at the time, you quickly packed your stuff and rushed home, excited to be with him.

[belenhongosyestrellas]

Welcome Back!

Annie y Wendy

¡Uy! Bueno, parece que abandone un poco esto, jejeje. A veces resulta difícil continuar, pero hay que seguir.

Para no dejar abandonado este AU decidí hacer este dibujo tonto, de un posible ship, tal vez si tal vez no, aún estoy trabajando un poco en el argumento, pero por ahora solo dejaré esto, byes ✌��❤.

Ah!, e intentaré mejorar los diseños tal vez y traer otros personajes, ahora si me retiro. 

...

Oops! Well, it seems that I abandoned this a bit, hehehe. Sometimes it is difficult to continue, but you have to continue. In order not to abandon this AU, I decided to make this silly drawing, of a possible ship, maybe yes, maybe not, I'm still working a little on the plot, but for now I'll just leave this, byes ✌🏻❤.

Oh, and I'll try to improve the designs perhaps and bring in other characters, now I'll retire.

Créditos/Credits: @partycoffin

[allmights-right-boob]

Not fic: Cursed Twilight addition

So I’m about to have my BNHA rights revoked but I just finished Midnight Sun (at the time when I started writing this) and started thinking about the characters and that Rosalie and Bakugo are weirdly similar so now here I am outlining a Twilight Au that no one asked for (except me but I’m garbage) that I will never write because I can’t focus long enough to write an actual story (fun fact this outline is taking months to complete). To be honest though this is more of a background on all the characters as opposed to an outline of the Twilight story (oops) which may or may not come later. Author’s notes are in parenthesis if you haven’t figured that out.

Basically I’m replacing Twilight characters with BNHA characters, not everyone will have the same back story, it’ll be blended(future me: um so that was a lie). Everyone’s quirks are still mostly the same but as their vampire gift with some variation to fit the word. It still takes place in the Pacific north-west because I’m not super sure if there’s a place as cloudy as there in Japan besides the mountains like Mt.Fuji (but that’s more misty I think) but there’s too many people around places like that I feel. But then again I’m not actually writing this whole fic so you’re welcome to imagine them still in Japan. If I did write this as a fic I would actually do proper research to decide where to put them but meh, this is a not-fic. As it is I’m calling the town it would take place in Forks/Crossroads cause that would be a cool alternative name. The backgrounds take place all over the word but I never actually say where. My bad.

Also if you do read this I love you very much and I am so sorry, this is ramble-y and has way too many run-on sentences and is written as if I were speaking to you as opposed to an actual written story. It’s also taken so long to complete things I wasn’t sure about in the beginning become solidified later but it’s also written out of order so probably reads really bad. Again my apologies.

So the characters are as follows:

The Olympic Coven/Cullens - The Might Coven/Aizawa-Yagis

Carlisle Cullen- Toshinori Yagi

So obviously I made Toshi Carlisle because suave blond everyone loves is both of their MO. Toshi is probably around 500 years old and like Carlisle was turned while hunting vampires. I still want him to have two forms but I’m not entirely sure how to do that within the confines of the Twilight universe. Maybe he was injured in a battle where he literally lost parts of himself and can’t fully heal so he’s become weak but still can’t die? He’s a doctor but might be semi-retired because of his injury, the cover story is an undisclosed chronic illness. He’s also a part time stay at home dad. He definitely used his vampirism to help and protect humans in the past.

Probably had a coven when he was younger with Nana and Torino but Nana was killed and Torino sent Toshi away for his own safety. He may or may not have started out as vegetarian, I can see Nana as veg or only eats bad people, Torino is an eats bad guys type but will eat anyone when pressed. Toshi either started out as a vegetarian before meeting Nana or if she found him immediately and took him in he would go animal based pretty quickly, She always respected his lifestyle. Grand Torino respects it to an extent but now that Toshi is hurt wants him to drink from humans because he thinks it’ll help Toshinori heal or at least be better for his body. He was in his 40s when turned.

Esme Cullen- Shouta Aizawa

It should surprise literally no one that I’m making this Erasermight because I am soft for my boys and anything is an excuse to ship them. Shouta is honestly the person who has taken the longest to work out along with Shinsou. Like so, so, long. These two are also related, they’re cousins or uncle/nephew or something. They’re also the most different from their counterparts, probably because it’s taken so long for me to work their stories out I’ve just completely changed them from original Twilight.

So the time period is really vague with him, it’s either the late 1800s or WWI. Hitoshi was an orphan around the age of 12 and Shouta his guardian is 30-31. Either way there was a war (and I looked at the wars in the second half of the 1800s, it’s just so many wars. What is wrong with this world?) and it could have easily been the civil war (and if so they were Unionist, obviously.) But wherever he and Hitoshi lived there was a war happening and he was probably not in the army at the time, just protecting his home and neighbors. At the same time Toshinori and Izuku were in the area trying to help civilians because wars suck and they’re basically un-killable so they can help and with the chaos of everything if someone started to suspect something of them they could fake their deaths and leave. And they probably did. But while traveling through they stop in a town/village and meet Shouta and Hitoshi.

Shouta is his gruff no nonsense self and Hitoshi is a little in awe of Yagi because this is still pre-injury so he’s this huge imposing man who’s gentle and knowledgeable about medicine. Eventually even Shouta comes around to liking Yagi, who has the nickname All Might because of his strength, even though he thinks his over the top enthusiasm in front of others is exhausting. In private Toshi ends up letting his guard and persona down with Aizawa because he realizes he doesn’t have to keep it up, he doesn’t need to make Aizawa like and trust him the way he does with the others, it’s just natural the way they click. Toshi probably fell in love first, vampires fall in love fast and long and all encompassing in a way that if they were human would be rather unhealthy (and probably is anyway because this is fiction but I don’t really care because this is fiction and I relate to unhealthy love way too much). Shouta was more reserved because he is a cautious man by nature and probably loves in a similar but more healthy way to vampires, long and devoted, but he must be careful to whom he gives his heart. I still don’t think he meant to fall for Toshinori, loving a man in the time that they lived was dangerous and inadvisable if one could avoid it. But Toshinori Yagi is the kind of man one cannot help but loving.

They didn’t tell each other how they felt though. A few months after Izuku and Toshinori’s arrival there was an attack on the town, Hitoshi they found safe but Toshinori caught wind of Shouta’s scent and followed, finding him mortally wounded. Desperate to keep him Toshi turned him and split off from Izuku and Hitoshi while Shouta adjusted to vampire life. They quickly became lovers, though Shouta had a brief stint as a human blood drinker as revenge for the destruction of his village. But it started to test their relationship and in the end Toshi and his own morals were more important to him than human blood. The four of them reunite a year later and they try to keep their relationship a secret but both of the boys figure it out pretty quickly. Izuku accepts it immediately because his dad is finally with someone and is happy while it takes Hitoshi a bit of time because period typical homophobia and it’s going to take a while for Yagi to earn his trust back after turning Aizawa in front of him.

Aizawa has an erasure power same as in canon. Since he doesn’t need to blink he’s a bit op but opponents who are faster than his eyes can track and multiple opponents are his weaknesses. He’s a history teacher at Forks/Crossroads high but purposefully does not have his own kids as students. He’s a mystery to most of his colleagues who probably haven’t even figured out he’s got five kids in the school.

Rosalie Hale- Katsuki Bakugo

Bakugo has a pretty similar start to Rosalie but because what happened to her is so awful and  I have problems doing that even to fictional characters that part is different. He’s still a rich kid from the early 20th century, probably turned in the 1920s, but he and his explosive temperament pissed off the wrong people who jumped him in an alley and beat him almost to death, like actually thought he was dead so they left him there (I know this isn’t that much better than what happened to Rose but man she had a horrific end to her human life). He was around 17-18 when he was turned.

While human he had met Dr. Yagi, who was probably treating one of his parents for a chronic ailment, along with his son Izuku and his ‘companion’ Aizawa and Aizawa’s ward Hitoshi. All of the others gave him the creeps but Izuku was a relatively normal boy, a bit younger than himself and accompanied his father when visiting the Bakugos. Their relationship is pretty much the same as canon where Izuku likes Bakugo a lot and Bakugo is nothing but awful to him. They end up with a sort of ‘I hate you but you’re my best friend’ relationship except neither actually hates the other. When Yagi finds Bakugo half dead in an alley he turns him because he was weirdly fond of the angry young man and more so because he thought that the relationship between the two boys was growing into something more, he and Izuku hadn’t talked about it, as he was waiting for his son to come to him, and he didn’t have time to ask. He realizes later that no, Katsuki and Izuku are not star crossed lovers like he and Shouta but he can’t say he regrets turning Bakugo other than Bakugo’s own hatred of being a vampire. He loves his angry son okay.

Bakugo had a life goal which was probably taking over the family business though based off canon that would be fashion and I can’t see him interested in that. Whatever it was he was pursuing it with the same single mindedness that he possesses for heroism and since he can no longer achieve his goals as a vampire he resents it along with the fact that the decision to become a vampire or die a human was taken away from him. He does have a good relationship with Toshinori and Shouta even though he still acts like a brat. His cover story is that he’s Toshinori’s cousin’s son and is an orphan who they took in. He kept his family’s name.

Like a number of vampires Bakugo has a talent or gift. His is his incredibly powerful and dangerous explosion ability. He can cause explosions from his palms. So far the League has not discovered him but everyone worries that one day they will and the Might Coven will be hunted and slaughtered for Bakugo’s power.

Emmett Cullen- Eijirou Kirishima

Sometime around the 1930s  Bakugo was hunting and found a bleeding almost dead Kirishima. It was either an animal attack like canon or an accident where he fell off a cliff (that feels like something he would do). I don’t think he decided to turn Kirishima, he just smelled blood and lost control. He’s still ashamed about how he reacted to this day as he’s typically better than that around humans. Luckily the others were hunting with him and were able to pull Bakugo off. He’s never held what Bakugo did against him and his enthusiasm and friendship actually endeared him to Katsuki despite his guilt. Eijirou was turned at 19 and has never had issues with being a vampire, it sucks that he had to leave his human family behind but he loves his vampire one just as much and he got the love of his life out of it. It took awhile but Katsuki and Eijirou eventually admit their feelings and they start dating. They’ve been married a few times now because Bakugo is extra and Eijirou loves confessing his love.

With Kirishima’s gift it doesn’t work the same as in cannon where you can tell it’s activated. In fact they still might not know Kiri has a gift or if they do it’s only a suspicion. He’s just harder than the other marble like vampires. Where the others have almost certainly had mild injuries (mostly from Bakugo’s explosions) like cracks that heal immediately, Eijirou has never been injured as a vampire. At all. He’s also immensely strong, because he was as a human, and that has been enhanced but he’s nowhere near as strong as Toshi was pre-injury. His cover story is he’s a foster kid they took in and he keeps the last name Kirishima.

Alice Cullen- Denki Kaminari

Like Alice Denki spent the end of his human life in an insane asylum (I refer to it as such because these were not hospitals and more like institutions of torture). I honestly can’t figure out if mental health care was so bad in the early/mid 20th century that a 15-16 year old boy with ADHD being sent to one is unrealistic or not. I’m pretty sure it was similar to Alice where he saw something he shouldn’t and was put in it to silence him.( I should probably figure out what that was sometime) Either way that’s where he ended up and of course he had to deal with electroshock ‘therapy’ which both severely messed with his memory and sorta brought out a natural resistance and even control over electricity, so he had to receive stronger and stronger sessions. This manifested in Denki’s electric power when he was turned into a vampire.

While hunting in the woods surrounding the institution, Hitoshi spotted Denki in the window and was instantly taken by the boy with eyes as golden as his inhuman family’s. He would make trips by the asylum just to get a glimpse and eventually took a night job there to meet him against his family’s advice. When they met Denki recognized him despite how careful, and honestly far away, Hitsohi had been and instead of being creeped out he was happy just to make a new friend. They would talk as long as they could and Hitoshi would bring Denki little bits of the outside world like flowers or decent snacks. And he would take care of Kaminari when his ‘therapies’ would leave him incapacitated and the nursing staff would neglect him.

Even after his family moved away to a location where the weather suited them better Hitoshi stayed working at the asylum not willing to leave Denki to his fate there (And to note this is around the time the others realized how serious Hitoshi’s feelings are and start planning how to help Kaminari or bring him into the family. Before this they were starting to suspect but kinda thought he was being weird about a guy he saw in a window. To be fair though he was being weird about a guy he saw in a window.) One night after an ice bath ‘treatment’ Denki developed a fever and over the course of a few days had full blown pneumonia. In his delirium he confessed his feelings to Shinsou who reciprocated and decided he would steal Denki away when he knew the trip back to his family wouldn’t kill the sick boy. Of course being a poorly run and over populated institution his condition was overlooked and ignored especially since a ‘specialist’ was coming to perform procedures on several patients, aka some guy with no degree was going to lobotomize as many people as he could fit into one day. Shinsou didn't find out until he came in that night and found out Kaminari was already in the procedure room. He flipped out and killed most of the staff there and took a severely injured Denki home to Toshinori in the hopes of saving him.

The change seemed to take longer than it had for the others but does end up working, though when he finally comes to Denki is much more quiet and subdued and remembers almost nothing about his past. All he knows is his name, Hitoshi’s name, and that he loves him. He also has weird headaches periodically for decades later and slowly becomes more like himself before the lobotomy. He never fully recovers his memories, a bit here and a piece there, all moments shared with Hitoshi. He decides he doesn’t need the rest, everything he needs is here and in his future with his family.

His cover story is typically as a foster kid so he keeps his last name Kaminari. Sometimes he decides to change things up and goes as a Yagi or even Bakugo’s brother when Katsuki is feeling generous.

Jasper Hale- Hitoshi Shinsou

Hitoshi’s early years were spent in his small town or village (I think the difference is size but I’m american and I don’t think we have villages no matter how small a place is so...) Everything was uneventful up until the war, I don’t know which war, civil war in US or WWI in Europe, but around the age of 12 his village was destroyed, his guardian was turned into a vampire and he had to go live with Izuku while Aizawa learned to manage his bloodlust. During that time he and Izuku grew really close and even now they have the most brotherly relationship out of all the siblings.

So after a year the four reunite with a vampire Shouta and an overly protective Izuku and a very weary Hitoshi. Everything goes on as it did for Toshinori and Izuku before they split but now with their two new additions. Yagi gives Hitoshi the best education he can without sending him to boarding school although they had discussed it. They were in a precarious position with a human boy knowing their vampire secret and they couldn’t run the risk of news getting back to the League, the governing body of vampires run by a mysterious head known only as All for One.

Years pass but unfortunately news of the Might Coven’s human pet gets back to the League and due to past history involving Nana and Toshi, AfO comes himself to deal with the situation and brings his two most powerful underlings, his adopted son and second in command Tomura Shigaraki and . A fight between Yagi and All for One happens and AfO rips out a piece of Toshi’s side and Toshi ends up crushing AfO’s head, killing him (maybe but probably not). Tomura, who had been fighting against Shouta and Toga who battled Izuku, realize they can’t win.

Now the vampire known as All Might is pretty popular amongst his kind but the Might Coven was at the time nowhere near strong enough or influential enough to fill the void that would be left by the dissolution of the League, which would happen if they killed all three of the vampires there. So they took a gamble and spared Shigaraki and Toga thinking their loyalty to AfO was limited, since most vampires don’t form bonds the way ‘vegetarians’ seem to, and that they would be happy with their promotion. They also agreed at Hitoshi’s insistence that he would be turned so they would no longer have a human knowing the secret about vampires. So Yagi turns Hitoshi and they let Toga and Shigaraki go and continue about their lives as much as they can with Toshinori’s injury.

Just like the rest of his family, Shinsou's quirk is the same as canon. If someone answers his question he can control their minds. It’s probably a little stronger than in canon too, at least against humans. Vampires have better resistance. His cover story is the most truthful, he’s Shouta’s orphan relative. He sometimes takes on Aizawa’s last name though in this school he decided to use his original.

Edward Cullen- Izuku Midoriya

The more I plot this out the more I’m taking Twilight, stripping it down to the bare outline, and making it into something totally different. Like the only similarities are Izuku and Shoto’s relationship follows Bella and Edwards, somewhat. Izuku is the tanned skinned, freckled, green eyed boy in a family of pale golden eyed outsiders. He seems completely human even to other vampires, til you get him in the sunlight where he literally shines.

I’m not sure when Izuku was born, maybe the 1700s, but he was still the first of the Might Coven besides Toshinori. Sometime after Nana’s death Toshi finds an ailing pregnant woman named Inko Midoriya who’s bizarre husband still hasn’t come home from his business trip to a foreign country. She’s convinced she is going to die before he returns and her pregnancy is so hard and so seemingly fast but her baby feels strong enough to survive so she begs Toshinori to please take care of her son till his father returns. Inko dies before she can give birth to her baby so Toshinori takes the baby out himself as a last ditch effort but there’s something not right, not with the baby or the amniotic sac that’s almost as hard as Toshinori himself. And when the sun shines through the window Toshinori’s arm glimmers and so does the new born baby. Dread at the thought that he’s holding an immortal child wells in him but he’s never heard of an immortal child being born and he’s especially never heard of a vampire with a heart beat. So against his better judgement he takes the child and runs, he can’t wait for Inko’s husband, and he can’t risk someone seeing the child and reporting back to the League. So he and Izuku, a name Inko had picked out before her death, stay on the run for years as the boy grew until he was at an appropriate age to be around at least vampire kind. Conveniently the half vampire boy doesn’t need blood to survive and seems to have very little if any bloodlust at all. Or so it seemed.

Now some differences I’m making will be Izuku’s aging. I know Rennesme ages fast and stops when she looks 21-25 but I’m thinking Izuku either ages very slowly or stopped when he looks closer to 15-18? Probably the first one. Also I think male half-vamps have red/gold eyes but Izuku has green because I said so.

His cover story is that he's Toshinori’s son from a previous relationship. They tried to call him a foster child in the past but they’re too close and Izuku uses Toshinori’s given name and dad interchangeably. He likes to use his mom’s last name as a way to honor her. Not every school but it is a pretty common thing for him to do and he’s using it in Forks/Crossroads this year. He doesn’t seem to have a gift but he’s a half vampire, his presence is a gift.

Humans

Bella Swan- Shoto Todoroki

Time for ‘technically main character number two but I preferred everyone else in Twilight over Edward and Bella so he and Izuku get put down lower on the list’. So Todoroki and Bella’s similarities are: new kid comes to live with other parent after the parent they lived with got married. I really don’t think there’s a lot else similar? But Bella doesn’t have that much back story to begin with.

So Shoto’s parents grew up in Forks/Crossroads but moved somewhere sunnier before he was born. He grew up in a city, maybe Phoenix (almost certainly Phoenix for the name alone). His parents had an unhappy marriage but I honestly don’t think it was full on abuse, I feel like Enji still neglected them but never physically or verbally hurt anyone. And since Shoto moves back in with Rei I don’t think she gave him his scar either, I think it was an accident where young Shoto pulled maybe a hot kettle onto himself? It probably was the catalyst for his parents divorce but ultimately that was happening either way. Both parents blamed the other for his accident but I think the courts realized it was just that, an accident, maybe some negligence (I don’t really know how custody courts work and what happens when a kid gets hurt and this isn’t a real fic so I’m not researching) but either way Enji gets Shoto (maybe all the kids but Rei gets visitation, comes down for the summer like Charlie? Kids go up there for vacation and holiday? Or split the kids 50/50? No idea this is still more backstory than Bella got) Enji is still a workaholic and Toya ends up running away/leaving probably shortly after the divorce anyway and Fuyumi and Natsuo eventually leave for college and are still closer to Rei even if they lived with their dad.

So when Enji gets remarried Shoto asks to move in with his mom since she’s all alone and Enji wouldn’t be and ‘wouldn’t it be nice to just be two newly weds with the house to themselves’. He makes a very convincing case and Enji is trying to let his youngest make his own choices so he agrees. Shoto moves north and it isn’t the worst, he likes both the heat and the cold unlike his parents, Rei hates the heat and Enji hates the cold. School is weird because people actually want to be his friend; there’s a group of stoic, pale, intimidating students he’s 90% sure are vampires; and there’s a  beautiful boy who hangs out with them who looks partially horrified and disgusted by him, or like he wants to eat him alive, literally.

Renee Dwyer- Enji Todoroki (Technically)

So I ended up making Enji considerably less awful.

After the divorce Enji figures out his sexuality and eventually starts dating a much younger model who goes by Hawks after he saves him from a burning building (Enji is a firefighter). Shoto offers to move in with Rei after Hawks and Enji get married, he has nothing against Hawks and they get along as well as can be expected but they are newly weds and Enji might be going into semi retirement to travel with Hawks for his career. And the thought of being around his dad so much, who can get a little overbearing when not working, is just not something Shoto wants to deal with. Though it is weird his dad is married to someone so much younger, Shoto knows several other people in his class in Phoenix whose dads did similar and they cheated on their wives and didn’t even have a sexuality crisis in their forties so he’s letting his dad slide on this. Shoto definitely has a better relationship with Enji in this than canon Shoto but they don’t have Enji’s shity eugenics baggage here either. Overall Enji in this is just a neglectful workaholic who’s learning to work on himself with the guidance of the love of his life and is letting Shoto make his own decisions like living with his mom and this is all growth.

Charlie Swan- Rei Todoroki (Technically)

So Rei after the divorce moves back home because she hates Phoenix and hot weather. Maybe she gets custody in the summer or has Fuyumi and Natsuo since Toya took off and they split the kids? (I still haven’t decided how the custody went with those two but they don’t live in Forks/Crossroads or Phoenix so it doesn’t matter.)

After returning home she either started working at or opened up a yarn shop, I see her enjoying needle craft and she’s definitely not a sheriff type. She’s just a quiet, keeps to herself woman with a few close friends; children mostly grown and just happy to spend more time with her youngest.

Phil Dwyer- Keigo Takami

He’s a model who gets saved by Enji when his apartment burns down. He offers to take Enji to dinner and keeps offering to reward him until at Moe’s insistence Enji agrees. They hit it off and the rest is history.

Things I would have said in the tags but there’s a limit so I put the actual important stuff there and ramblings here:

It took me three weeks to finish this (midnight sun) audiobook. I literally drive for a living and couldn’t finish it in less than the entirety of my library rental time. Jake Able deserves more money.

I have read twilight three times now and it never gets easier. Yes I do have terrible taste.

I hope someone reads this. It took like three months to finish this post. I still have so much in my head. I haven’t even started talking about the League. Please ask questions, I want to actually write this but my brain won’t let me write full fics so this is what we get.

[hiro-gari]

Not a headcanon but just an AU concept:

Any idea about "The Godfather" AU?? 👀👀✨

I think Bang could be like a powerful mafia family leader who wanted to hand over his reign to his successor and his only son, Garou, because he was getting too old to lead his family. Coincidentally similar like in OPM canon, right?

Although Garou has already trained as a martial artist fighter by Bang, he still haven't convinced himself if he could lead a whole organization just like his father was. He thought he could live his life free as professional martial artist trainer. But it seems Garou didn't have much choice, knowing Bang didn't trust anyone else to take his position unless it's Garou. Especially that there's the possibility of family's traitors targeted them both.

So I was imagining Garou reluctantly taking over Bang's leadership (but don't worry in this AU Bang didn't die, just retired and supervising Garou from behind). Surprisingly Garou could handle the position as the next fearsome mafia leader and he gets really good reputation in short time, makes Bang really proud of him.

On the other hand, I'm still unsure about Badd's role in this AU. Of course Badd is Garou's beloved lover who becomes his husband after they married. Then once Garou replacing Bang as a new mafia leader, Badd following his husband in mafia world as Garou's trusted right hand man. Or maybe co-leader, because Garou wants them to have equal position?

Because I like the idea of Badd's vigilantism or him turning into a villain: it would be more interesting if Badd's former occupation was some pro-goverment job, but after he married Garou he becomes a criminal just like his husband. And since Garou is a Mafia boss, the criminal organization leader, of course Badd gets the high-class criminal status, too.

Same as Garou, Badd is also an incredible fighter from his previous job, just like what he is in canon. Now he uses his abilities to protect the family together with Garou, maybe also acquired new skill as assassin, too? I still haven't decided about it yet. But imagine Garou and Badd being badass mf on fighting side-by-side in some battle against enemy's syndicates.

No thought head empty, only Mafia Batarou with Bang as The Godfather.. 😎✨

So, how was it? If there's any other opinion about this AU concept, please tell me. It's okay I love to listen to people's thoughts.. 👀💕😳👉👈 @hiro-gari @kaincuro @the-goddessfighter @garous-nipple @jusqu-une-etudiante

Thank you so much for reading this super random writing of mine, I always grateful for you all! Have a nice day, everyone~ 😘💓💕💞💖💝🌸🌼🌻💐

-Little1993lamb-

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

~Lilia:

Ok I’ll be honest it’s been YEARS since I saw this movie but I love this!! Godfather Bang oml, that’s a terrifying thought 😳

I imagine that Garou sort of creates his own set of rules, probably differing from the way things have always been run, just based on the “against the status quo” mentality he’s got. Hopefully a bit less violent I honestly think Garou hates violence he sees as unnecessary, and maybe that would lead to a sort of understanding between him and Badd, who can help him set things on a better path.

Also, I don’t know if this has been brought up before but hear me out,,, rival families,,

Here’s a silly lil scenario... Badd and Zenko are captured by Garou's people, and are the last remaining members from a family that has been their rival for generations. Garou, having just ascended to his new role as leader, ends up tasked with making the decision of what to do with them. End their family name and declare vengeance for the bloodshed of generations past? Certainly that’s what his closest advisers will suggest i think... like I barely remember this movie ok lmfao

But now after being surrounded by crusty old people who drone on and on about bloodlines and past wrongdoings every day, he’s finally interacting with someone his age. Not to mention there's Zenko, and we know Garou has a soft spot for kids and would never hurt a child in any universe 😔 So, oops, instead of getting revenge he’s getting two new friends 🤷🏻‍♀️ And nobody can say shit cause he’s Godfather Garou ahdjksks~

sORRY abt that, thank you as always for the daily Batarou contents 😌💗 ilysm!!

[just-dreaming-marvel]

FORTY THREE - THE ACCORDS

LEGACY: A Tony Stark Daughter Story

MASTERLIST

< previous

Word Count: 2,250ish

Summary: The Team learns about the Accords.

 “Five years ago, I had a heart attack. I dropped right in the middle of my backswing. Turned out it was the best round of my life, because after 13 hours of surgery and a triple bypass… I found something 40 years in the Army had never taught me: Perspective. The world owes the Avengers an unpayable debt. You have fought for us, protected us, risked your lives… but while a great many people see you as heroes, there are some… who would prefer the word ‘vigilantes’.” Secretary Ross stated.

“And what word would you use, Mr. Secretary?” Natasha cut in, snarkily.

“How about ‘dangerous'? What would you call a group of US-based, enhanced individuals who routinely ignore sovereign borders and inflict their will wherever they choose and who, frankly, seem unconcerned about what they leave behind?” Secretary Ross said, activating the screen behind him. It started playing news reels from past Avengers and SHIELD matters. “New York.”  The Chitauri invasion. “Washington DC.” When SHIELD fell. 

“Sokovia.” Ultron, I shuddered. “Lagos.” Their most recent mission. I could tell Wanda wasn’t taking all this well.

“Okay,” Steve said, obviously noticing Wanda reaction as well. “That’s enough.” Ross turned off the screen. 

“For the past four years, you've operated with unlimited power and no supervision. That's an arrangement the governments of the world can no longer tolerate. But I think we have a solution.” Ross said and he threw a thick book on the table. “The Sokovia Accords. Approved by 117 countries… it states that the Avengers shall no longer be a private organization. Instead, they'll operate under the supervision of a United Nations panel, only when and if that panel deems it necessary. The Accords will also require anyone who is enhanced to be put on a registry.” Ross stated.

“Like me?” Wanda wondered, “Like Bailey?” She glanced at Tony, who refused to look at her. “We’d be put on a list so that you can watch our every move? Maybe even experiment on us?”

“No it’s not like that. It’s—“ Ross paused. “Wait a minute. Who the hell is Bailey?” Ross quickly glared at Tony. “Are you hiding enhanced people here?” Tony sat there, staring at the ground, not saying a word. I waited for him to defend me or something. But nothing happened. So Steve quickly chimed in. 

“No. Bailey is someone we were thinking about recruiting. She’s not unofficial member of the team and she’s not enhanced.” Phew, at least Steve has my back. I felt bad that he had to lie though, and I immediately felt that Ross hadn’t fully believed him. He changed the subject quickly. “The Avengers were formed to make the world a safer place. I feel we’ve done that.”

“Tell me, Captain, do you know where Thor and Banner are right now?” Steve merely looked at Ross, unable to answer the question. Thor was probably on Asgard and no one had seen or heard from Bruce since Sokovia, a year ago. “If I misplaced a couple of 30 megaton nukes, you can bet there’d be consequences. Compromise. Reassurance. That’s how the world works. Believe me, this is the middle ground.”

“So, there are contingencies,” Rhodey spoke up. 

“Three days from now, the UN meets in Vienna to ratify the Accords.” I noticed Steve and Tony briefly make eye contact and Tony quickly look back down. That floor must be really interesting, interesting enough for a man who never shuts up to stop talking. 

 “Talk it over,” Ross continued.

“And if we come to a decision you don’t like?” Nat asked.

“Then you retire.” Ross answered. Everyone kinda glanced at each other. “Let me know what you guys decide.” And with that, Ross left. 

I sat in the security room watching, waiting for Tony to speak up. But nothing. He just got up and walked out. I switched the cameras so that I could see where he was going. He went to the main gathering area, took off his jacket and tie and then laid down on the couch. Everyone else slowly followed. Sam and Rhodey were bickering back and forth about the Accords while Steve had grabbed the Accords themselves and was looking through them. They listened to Sam and Rhodey go at it for a while until Vision spoke up.

“I have an equation,” Vision stated.

“Oh, this will clear it up.” Sam grumbled sarcastically. 

“In the six years since Mr. Stark announced himself as Iron Man,” Vision started, “the number of known enhanced persons has grown exponentially. And during the same period, the number of potentially world-ending events has risen at a commensurate rate.”

“Are you saying it’s our fault?” Steve questioned, as he looked up from the Accords.

“I’m saying there may be a causality,” Vision answered. “Our very strength invites challenge. Challenge incites conflict. And conflict… breeds catastrophe. Oversight… Oversight is not an idea that can be dismissed out of hand.”

“Boom,” Rhodey said.

“Tony…” Nat said. “You’re uncharacteristically non-hyperverbal.” Tony moved his hand off from over his face and looked at Nat. She was right. He’s always very open about his opinion. Something was definitely off if he was keeping his mouth shut.

“It’s because he’s already made up his mind.” Steve stated.

“Boy, you know me so well,” Tony said sarcastically. Tony stood up and walked into the kitchen, he rubbed the back of his head as he went. “Actually, I’m nursing an electromagnetic headache.” He opened a cabinet and grabbed a mug. “That’s what’s going on, Cap. It’s just pain. It’s discomfort.” Tony looked into the sink. “Who’s putting coffee grounds in the disposal? Am I running a bed-and-breakfast for a biker gang?” 

Oops, that was me. I quickly mad a mental note that I needed to stop doing that. He tried to causally pull up a holographic image on his phone. 

“Oh, that’s Charles Spencer by the way,” Tony continued. “He’s a great kid. Computer engineering degree. 3.6 GPA. Had a floor-level gig at Intel planned for the fall. But first, he wanted to put a few miles on his soul, before he parked it behind a desk. See the world, maybe be of service. Charlie didn’t want to go to Vegas or Fort Lauderdale, which is what I would do. He didn’t go to Paris or Amsterdam, which sounds fun. He decided to spend his summer, building sustainable housing for the poor. Guess where, Sokovia.” I could feel the emotional shift in the room from where I was. “He wanted to make a difference, I suppose. I mean, we won’t know because we dropped a building on him while we were kicking ass.” Tony threw some pills in his mouth and took a drink before continuing. “There’s no decision-making process here. We need to be put in check! Whatever form that takes, I’m game. If we can’t accept limitations, we’re boundary less, we’re no better than the bad guys.” 

“Tony, someone dies on your watch, you don’t give up,” Steve stated.

“Who said we’re giving up?” Tony questioned. 

“We are, if we’re not taking responsibility for our actions. This document just shifts the blame.”

“Sorry,” Rhodey interrupted, “Steve, that, that is dangerously arrogant. This is the United Nations we’re talking about. It’s not the World Security Council, it’s not SHIELD, it’s not HYDRA.” 

“No, but it’s run by people with agendas and agents change,” Steve stated.

“That’s good. That’s why I’m here. When I realized what my weapons were capable of in the wrong hands, I shut it down and stopped manufacturing them,” Tony said back. 

“Tony. You chose to do that. If we sign these, we surrender our right to choose. What if this panel sends us somewhere we don’t think we should go? What if there’s somewhere we need to go, and they don’t let us? We may not be perfect, but the safest hands are still our own.” 

“If we don’t do this now, it’s gonna be done to us later. That’s a fact. That won’t be pretty.”

“You’re saying they’ll come for me… for Bailey.” Wanda whispered.

“We’ll protect you,” Vision promised, looking at Wanda. I sensed him caring, but in a different way than I had ever felt from the android. A way that shouldn’t have been possible. It was almost… human. “Both of you."

“Do want them to be taken away, Tony?” Steve stood up to face Tony. “Do you want Bailey to be taken away?” I could feel Steve’s emotions acutely as he asked those questions. He was terrified that the government really would take me away and worried that Tony was willing to take that chance. 

“Don’t bring her into this!” Tony slapped the counter top. “She’s different, she’s not a part of this. She’s not an official member of the team and they don’t even know about her.”

“She is apart of this, Tony! She’s trained, gone on missions. She’s enhanced! Do you want them to know what powers she has? If they find out that she has healing abilities, they would run tests on her to create some sort of super drug! And then there’s her super strength and what about her—”

“You don’t think I know that?! I have thought about every possibility! I have…” Tony looked up at Steve, the glimmer of tears in his eyes was obvious. “She is all I think about. She is the reason I am doing this. Bailey is the reason I do anything. She is my kid! And no one here has a say about what happens to her except me!”

I burst into tears as I sat there listening to everything that was being said. I shook my head and ran out of the security room, down the stairs, and out the back doors. I went straight to the facility fence line, collapsing against it as I continued to cry. When Tony first found me, I was being tested on. When my parents and others found out about my abilities, I was sought out for. My parents were paid a lot of money to sell me to, what we now know was, HYDRA. I was 4 years old when I was sold, just 4 years old. Kept in a cage, poked and cut open, blood drawn. Then I was kidnapped. Now, the government could put me on a list and could possibly do the same things that HYDRA had done to me. I agree that the Avengers need to be put in check, but not at the risk of those who are enhanced. 

While I was crying across the compound grounds, things were still heated inside.

“I signed the Accords to protect her,” Tony continued. “To protect all of us.”

“Steve, maybe Tony’s right,” Nat suggested. “If we have one hand on the wheel we can still steer.”

“Aren’t you the same woman who told the government to kiss her ass a few years ago?” Sam asked. 

“I’m just raiding the terrain,” Natasha answered. “We’ve made some very public mistakes, we need to win their trust back.”

“I’m sorry,” Tony interrupted, the hint of surprise in his voice, “Did I just miss hear you or did you just say that you agree with me?” 

“Oh, I want to take it back—“ Nat quickly shook her head. 

“No no no,” Tony said, as he shook his finger. “You can’t retracted it.” 

Natasha looked at everyone around the room. They were all tense. She knew that continuing this conversation would get them no where. Especially with Tony and Steve going at each other about me. It frustrated her that Tony didn’t know what was going on between Steve and I. But she understood that it needed to be kept a secret from Tony for now.

“I think we need to take a break and rethink things. We can talk about this once we all have cool heads,” Nat suggested.

Tony marched out, immediately in search of me since he hadn’t seen me in weeks. Steve sat down and put his face in his hands. Nat went over and put her hand on his back. She glanced at everyone else in the room. They all got the hint and then left. 

“You can’t be serious about this Nat,” Steve said, once everyone else was gone. 

 “They’re going to put them on a list. They’re going to put her on a list. I can’t—“ He took in a harsh breath. “I can’t let that happen. She’s already been through so much, too much. I have to do what I can to prevent more from happening to her.”

“I know you love her Steve, but you have no say in the matter. Tony’s her father and you’re her secret boyfriend. Until it’s out in the open, you’re just going to have to deal with having no say.”

“I know,” he sighed.

“He’s just trying his best.”

“I know.”

“We need to ride this out, see what happens. But you should go talk to her. We both know she heard the whole thing.”

“I can’t be the one to talk to her first. Tony needs to… I’ll just have to pick up the pieces of that conversation.”

next >

[doomedandstoned]

Conan Bring Cold Blackened Violence to France

~By Clem Helvete~

For the penultimate show of a European tour that lasted over a month, CONAN played the Westill Festival in Vallet, France. For the occasion, I reached out to Jon and asked him if him and Dave (who was playing bass on this tour) would have a minute to answer a few questions. Although they were both quite tired from a month of hopping from one city to the other, they still managed to make time to talk about the tour, Blackskull Services, guitars, pedals, and amps. We nerded out about gear for a bit, right before Conan went on stage and literally blew up the PA. And I literally mean literally...

So, how did the tour go?

Jon: We’re two shows from the end now, and I could probably still go on a few more shows. I’m a bit tired but we’ve been out a whole month. We’ve been to fifteen countries or more all across Europe. So, it’s been good.

Dave: The tour was great. I haven't done anything like this for 25 years when Fudge Tunnel was touring. The whole thing was fine though, well organised and we had Un and Sixes from the USA along on all but the last two shows so we all made a lot of friends.

Dave, how did you end up playing bass in Conan to occasionally replace Chris?

Dave: I got to know Jon a little via Facebook, as he's a big fan of my old band Fudge Tunnel. Last year he asked me if I fancied filling in on bass for a couple of shows while Chris got married. That went OK, and he asked me to do a few more shows that Chris couldn't make due to his producing commitments. Then earlier this year he asked if I could do a whole four week european tour. Chris and his wife just had a baby, so I'm like "maternity cover" this time out.

Does it bring a different vibe to Conan to have Dave on bass?

Jon: It is a tiny bit different and it’s interesting. Dave and his band have alway been idols to me, so being on stage with him is really great. We’re very comfortable playing and working together, and we get along great. So, it’s brilliant.

You toured with Un and Sixes, which are two bands who have releases on Jon’s label, Black Bow Records. In addition, the whole thing was booked through Blackskull, right?

Jon: I released the first Un album on CD and digital and I think Translation Loss has picked them up for the subsequent release. I distributed Sixes’ more recent album in Europe.

Between Black Bow records, Blackskull Services and Conan, which is a very active band, how do you manage all of this?

Jon: With some difficulty, but it’s fun. I enjoy it, so I keep busy with it. I don’t do everything on my own. Blackskull is myself and my other half, Sarah. There are other people who work within Blackskull, who do the booking. On this particular tour Marie, who does some of the booking with Blackskull, handled all of that. So I can’t take any credit for that really. The tour is going really well and that’s because of Marie, really. She’s been really good at booking everything.

You basically started the booking agency and the name Conan has gotten some momentum, to say the least, over the last few years. It feels like you’re giving back by helping smaller bands.

Jon: I always get asked for advice, and I’m not an expert on everything by any means, but there are a lot of ways that you can help bands get over some of the hurdles, particularly in the early stages. That’s really why it was set up, just to help bands move forward. Obviously there are more serious aspects of what we do, such as negotiating with labels, booking tours, all the transactional things that we do. But on the other hand, we’re here for advice and guidance. I wish I had someone like this when Conan was starting out. There are certain things that we probably wouldn’t have done if we had the correct advice. So you can pass on your experience to other bands and we decided to make a business out of it.

Can you tell us about the bass and guitar you're using in Conan?

Dave: Up until this tour I had been borrowing Chris's Dunable Thunderclapper, which is a beautiful instrument. Conan plays in drop-F and his bass was custom made with that in mind, longer scale etc. As we were going away for a lot longer this time I put something off my own together. It's a P-bass body which I stripped down and re-finished. I put in a DiMarzio DP122 pickup and upgraded the wiring. it has a Gotoh bridge which I set back an extra inch to lengthen the scale. The neck is a fairly cheap jazz style thing which I got on eBay. To make a bass that plays in drop-F you need to use extra thick strings, Rotosound Dropzone+. The thickest string is a 175 and it still flops about and slaps on the fretboard.

I believe Jon started out playing Gibsons and then moved on to EGCs for a while, is that correct?

Jon: The first guitar I started using in Conan was by a British company called Gordon Smith. I had an SG and I recorded the first two albums on that. Over time I’ve used different guitars, I used to have an early ‘80s silverburst Les Paul custom. It’s a beautiful guitar but I didn’t really like the way the strap is bent at a sharp angle the way I wear it. There was once or twice where it actually popped-out of the strap pin. Not cool on a guitar that’s worth about £2,000. Around that time I had an Electrical Guitar Company all aluminium, which is a bit trendy I guess. They are great instruments, but I didn’t want to have two guitars that are worth so much money on the road. I sold that and I ended up noticing Dunable Guitars from Los Angeles, so I bought a couple from him. I have a Dunable R2, I have a Flying V, and I have another guitar that’s being made for me at the moment. It’s like a reverse body clone of a Guild S200. I’ve always loved the shape of this guitar, but not necessary all the switches that are on it. So I wanted that shape but with something more traditional in terms of options, just two pickups, tone and volume.

What about the scale?

Jon: These are not baritones, they are Fender scale [ed. 25.5”]. I’ve always had the Fender scale. The Gibson Les Paul obviously isn't a Fender scale, and the Gordon Smith was also a Gibson scale [ed. 24.75”].

Do you find the Dunables more comfortable to play due to the scale or is it more of an overall thing?

Jon: I find the overall comfortable enough and they hold the tune a little bit better.

Which is important since you guys are way down-tuned.

Jon: Yes, we’re dropped tuned to F. So it’s important that the strings are tight enough so they sound clear enough when you’re playing. So, that little bit of extra length on the neck definitely helps.

What string gauge do you use?

Jon: The bottom one is a .8 and then I go through to 14 I think. Right now I’m using Ernie Ball heavy gauge strings. They do an 8 strings set, which goes from 80 to 11. I use the first four wound strings and then I don’t remember what the 2 thinnest strings are. I don’t really worry about changing them because I don’t really use them when I’m playing. The other day, I replaced all my strings and just did the first four because they’re the only ones I use, like a poor man’s Max Cavalera.

Dave, I assume your rig is a bit different from what you were using in Fudge Tunnel. Are you trying to get close to Chris's sound or are you really just going for your own thing?

Dave: In Fudge Tunnel I used a very different sound. Much more top end, and standard tuning. So I mostly used Marshall solid states or Ampeg SVTs with Fender Jazz, Musician or Rickenbacker. When I play in Conan, I try to make it sound good to my ears. Chris is a producer and has much better ears than me, so it probably doesn't sound the same. He also has a much better beard.

I believe you are using an Orange OB1-300 and QSC RMX 850a (I could be wrong on this one) both rack mounted. Can you tell us a bit about this pairing and how it came to be ?

Dave: My Orange amp is an OB-500, which I really like. It's ridiculously loud and a bit more reliable than a full-on tube amp. The power amp is there just to run the Peavey cab, which is a 1x18. It's Conan's cab, and it's just there for the low end (there's a lot of low end). As far as I know all the speakers are stock. The 8x10 is one that we bought on the road, towards the start of the tour in Copenhagen. The one we brought over was a little worn out, and I managed to blow three of the speakers (oops!), so we upgraded. All three bands were using the 8x10 every night so it had to be done.

I saw that the guitar rig you’re using on this tour is different from the one that you’ve been using for a while now. Can you tell us about your current touring rig?

Jon: Very early on in this tour there was a signal problem with it. I haven’t tried it since so maybe it was my cables. But because of that I’ve switched it to two old Peaveys amps. I’ve had these Peaveys in the studio for years now and I’ve never really used them, but I had to bring them out of retirement for this tour. I actually had them fully overhauled and serviced just before we started the tour. I must have had some sort of premonition or something, like I knew this was going to happen. I started using them in Hamburg, which was only the 4th or 5th show on this tour and I’ve got two shows left and so far it’s been good.

I have the Hilbish rig at home and I’ve got the Peaveys now that all of a sudden have caught my attention, but I’ve just taken delivery of a valve rig made of a separate preamp and a power amp.

Are you going back to tube amps?

Jon: I’m just going to try it and see. I’ve got another band, Ungraven, in which I want to run two full stacks with two 8x10s. For that set up, I’m going to run two full stacks with this new rigs if it sound good. It’s a Mesa Boogie Studio preamp, the same one that Kurt Cobain used, and that is going to be run into a Mesa Boogie 295 power amplifier. This is a stereo power amplifier and each channel is 95 watts. That’s all tube. I’m interested to see how that sounds, I think it’ll sound cool. Then I’ll use the Hilbish or the Peaveys through 8x10s. I’d rather use the Hilbish if I figure out what’s wrong with it. That rig could run two 8x10s very easily so that’s what I’d rather use.

What made you decide that you would switch from tube to solid state? This is not a very popular move within the doom scene.

Jon: On our last album I used the Hilbish rig in which I ran a Boss HM-2 clone. I’m not using that pedal live right now, but I’ve been using it quite a lot. I don’t really know why people would have an issue with solid-state. Some of the coolest albums were recorded and played live with solid-state amps. In Crowbar Kirk uses the Orange solid-state 100 watts head, Jimmy Bower from Eyehategod uses a Randall solid-state. Buzz from the Melvins uses the exact same Hilbish rig I have, it was through him that I’ve heard of this amplifier. I like the versatility of it, I love solid-state.

Speaking of amplification, do you have any issues with volume restrictions? France and Belgium are known for having fairly low limitations.

Jon: It has been an issue in some places. Yesterday in France we were a bit louder than they would have liked. It was around 109 decibels and their limit was 102 or 103dB. Some of the shows it’s a little bit of a restriction but nothing too crazy. We played at this place called Fundbureau in Hamburg, which is actually a techno club, and the PA in there is for techno. It was the most powerful PA we’ve ever played through. Our sound guy is good at making us sound good while respecting the dB restrictions, but when he’s let loose on a loud PA it’s awesome. The sound in this venu was crazy. When we were playing the floor and the stage were vibrating all the time. After the set my feet were tingling. I’m not sure if I enjoyed how it felt but it sounded amazing.

Gear is an important component of your sound, so how do you make sure you have the gear you want when touring the US or Asia for example?

Jon: In America we’ve got our own cabs and I’ve got two Hilbish rigs out there. Friends of ours in a band called Serial Hawk in Seattle keep all of our gear in a storage room. We have a bass rig and two guitar rigs out there. We have three 4x12s and an 8x10. So when we go in America on tour it’s all there for us. It costs us less than we spent renting gear on the first two tours. So it makes sense. Rather than spending a fortune renting it I’d rather have some consistency. A lot of bands use Orange amps, and they’re great amplifiers. If I ever have to rent it, I’d rent Orange for sure. I like owning what I use. I can maintain it myself and I know that nobody abused it a week before. Touring through Asia, we played Japan one time and I just used two Marshall JCM 900 full stacks and on bass we used an Ampeg and an 8x10. Australia and New Zealand we just rent whatever’s there. Last time we went over it was Marshall. But if we can specify what we use, we just go for a cleanish sound and two full stacks. So Marshall can do, Orange would do.

Basically a loud pedal platform.

Jon: Yes, my pedalboard comes with me no matter where we play, so I know that’s always consistent. For distortion I’m using a Fuzzthrone, which is a really high gain Big Muff. It works really well for Metal, it works really well for slow, drony parts. I’ve got it dialed in quite well. Although, when I change my strings it sounds a little bit brighter than normal, so the last couple of shows was a struggle to get the feedback swell the way I like it. As long as it’s a clean sounding, loud amplifier I can probably sound quite consistent through them.

So let’s talk about your pedalboard. You’ve worked with Dunwich Amplification for the Fuzzthrone, how was that?

Jon: It’s a Fuzzface stacked up on a Big Muff tone, but I just told him what my favorite sound was and he made it, but louder and with more power to push the amplifier a little bit more.

You tried out prototypes?

Jon: Yes, he sent me a prototype, then I used that and he sent me the real thing. Since then I’ve had three or four different ones and they all sounded the same. He’s a great pedal builder. Right now I’ve got a Fuzzthrone and I’ve got a Nihilist, which is an HM-2 clone. It’s the same pedal I use on the album. The one I use right now has a clean blend, I think it would make for an amazing bass distortion pedal. I don’t use the clean blend for guitar, though.

I’m guessing your pedalboard hasn’t really changed since what you showed in the video you made a few years back.

Jon: Yes, it’s the same thing.

c/o The Doom Doc (2017)

What about bass effects?

Dave: My pedalboard is pretty simple. I use a T-Rex power supply, MXR bass compressor, Boss tuner and a SansAmp bass driver. There's also a Boss Bass Overdrive just in case the SansAmp dies.

I saw on social media that you picked up Ground FX pedals. Are you using them on this tour?

Jon: No, when we played in Hamburg we went to my friend’s music store and we stayed just above it. This music shop is like a treasure trove. He has amazing instruments in there. I got to play on a late 60s Fender Jaguar and he’s got loads of cool Hiwatt, Orange, and Roost amplifiers. My friend Christian, who runs a festival called Droneburg, told me a friend of his made a couple different pedals and wanted me to try them. So I got one which is a bass distortion and one that is like a Sunn Model T preamp. I tried them out there and it sounded cool, but I wasn’t using my gear. So I’m going to try them once I go back in the UK and see if I can maybe use them on a record.

What piece of gear would you say is at the heart of your sound?

Dave: The modified bass is essential, along with unusual amounts of volume and drive. I wouldn't want to go "unplugged" in Conan.

Jon: Without a doubt the Fuzzthrone. I’ve been using that since Blood Eagle. I love how it sounds and it makes me play a certain way. It’s taken a new lease of life with these Peaveys that I’m using now, which I didn’t really expect. I love how it sounds. It’s a simple pedal and I have my sound dialed in so it stays pretty consistent no matter what amp I use it with.

You don’t play around much with pedals in studio then? Aside from the HM-2 clone on your last album, would you say that you don’t really stray from your sound?

Jon: I used the HM-2 clone mixed with a fuzz pedal. I didn’t use the Fuzzthrone on the last album at all, I used a Meathead [ed. by D*A*M]. I like mixing things up, maybe on this new album I’ll use the Fuzzthrone because it sounds pretty cool at the moment.

Is the new album ready to go?

Jon: Yes, I got some songs written. We just need to rehearse them a little bit and get them ready for the studio.

It’s impressive how active you guys are. It is something a lot of musicians can look up to.

Jon: It’s something I’ve always been interested in since my mid teens. Writing music has always been a goal of mine. Performing kind of took over and became a thing all of its own. I’ve never had any idea of what it would be like to go on tour, I’d never thought for a minute that we’d do that. We tour quite a lot, we’re very lucky. I don’t have a day job holding me back, neither does Chris. He runs his own studio so he’s flexible. Johnny is also very flexible with his work, so the three of us are lucky. It’s like the stars have aligned most of the time. When Chris isn’t available we can call Dave, which is great.

Thanks again to Jon and Dave for their time and for being so friendly and accessible after driving around Europe for a month. It goes without saying, but Conan played loud and hard and I’m very much looking forward to their next show in our neck of the woods.

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[dolly-browne]

“I think he’s just nice.” || “Stop taking all the ice cream !” || “Are you sure you’re not pregnant ?”

“I think he’s just nice.”

Dolly fronce ses sourcils en entendant Isaak, l’air suspicieux, et se penche ensuite pour tenter d’observer par-dessus l’épaule du Shermann. “Tu te moques de moi?” Elle demande quand même en tirant son milkshake à elle et vient en prendre une gorgée tout en reportant son regard vers lui, laissant tomber le mec assit plus loin dont Isaak vient de faire la mention. “Non je-” “Tu essaies de me coller avec le premier venu ?” “Non, je le connais Dolly, il est vraiment… sympa.” Le dernier mot est murmuré, presque à contre coeur, alors qu’il l’observe prendre une énième gorgée de son milkshake mais sans la voir y prendre un quelconque plaisir. S’il fait ça, c’est surtout pour elle, pour qu’elle arrête de se traîner avec ce regard de chien battu, même lui n’est pas resté insensible. “Tu sais, je vais bien, Isaak, et j’ai pas besoin de quelqu’un de sympa pour aller mieux, ne t’en fais pas.” “Non, juste de quelqu’un qui te brise le coeur, apparemment.” La blonde s’arrête dans son geste et se mord la lèvre en l’entendant alors qu’Isaak fronce ses sourcils. “C’est pas ce que je voulais dire.” Il commence mais elle secoue sa tête, comme pour lui dire qu c’est rien, et elle reprend une gorgée de son milkshake. “Mais c’est mignon quand tu t’inquiètes et ça me fait des milkshakes gratuits, je vais pas dire non.”

“Stop taking all the ice cream !”

Dolly affiche un grand sourire dans la direction d’Isaak en l’entendant et hausse légèrement des épaules, gardant un air angélique alors que ses doigts se referment sur le dernier cône de glace. “Oops.” La blonde lance en refermant le congélateur alors que le Shermann se rapproche d’elle en pointant un doigt qui se veut menaçant dans sa direction. “Je te préviens Brown, ne fait pas ça.” “Je ne te savais pas si accro aux glaces.” Isaak ne répond rien et affiche un léger sourire en coin, amusé, alors que Dolly prend un pas de plus vers le danger en retirant l’emballage. “Dolly !” “Isaak !” Elle lance en retour, prenant un faux air choqué, et se retient de rire en voyant celui bien plus naturel de celui du brun face à elle, visiblement choqué qu’elle puisse faire preuve d’une telle cruauté. La seconde d’après, la glace est à sa bouche et elle s’empresse d’y goûter alors que Isaak pousse un bruit d’indignation. “Mais non !” Dolly hausse des épaules en se retenant de rire avant de lécher un peu la glace, un sourire en coin. “On peut partager, si tu veux, tu sais ?” Elle propose et tend la glace dans la direction d’Isaak, visiblement ce dernier semble hésiter longuement, tenté, mais fini par secouer la tête. “Non. Tu es diabolique.” “Ou peut-être bien que j’ai racheté un paquet avant et qu’il y en a plein à nouveau.” Dolly murmure derrière sa glace et se met à sourire lorsque Isaak semble comprendre qu’elle s’est moqué de lui.

“Are you sure you’re not pregnant ?”

Dolly hausse un sourcil alors que Connor pouffe un peu de rire mais baisse rapidement le regard lorsque celui de sa meilleure amie se pose sur lui pour le fusiller, juste avant de reporter calmement son regard vers Isaak et se racler la gorge. “Et bien en fait, si, Isaak, je suis enceinte.” La louve commence et se retient de sourire en voyant l’air surpris du Shermann, se délectant mentalement de ce qu’elle voit, elle ment tellement bien qu’elle peut même sentir le regard de Connor sur elle. Maîtrise parfaite des battements de son coeur. “Tu me fais marcher-” “Elle est sérieuse.” Connor souffle avec une arrière intonation choquée dans le fond de sa voix, certainement une pointe de trahison aussi de ne pas avoir été au courant, et Dolly se tourne vers lui en haussant des épaules. “Je comptais te le dire.” Elle affirme d’un air désintéressé et hoche de la tête en se tournant vers Isaak ensuite. “Je ne… Je, c’était juste… T’as commandé beaucoup..” Dolly regarde le menu hamburger frites qu’elle a pris, ainsi que le petit tacos, la grande boisson, la portion de frites supplémentaire et les nachos, sans compter la glace qui l’attend au frais. C’est un estomac de loup ça. “Oui.” Elle commence en relevant son regard vers lui. “Ce sont des triplets, ils ont besoin de manger beaucoup, et puis Graham est évidemment le père.” “Dolly !” Connor lance une fois que le visage de sa meilleure amie se soit fendue d’un sourire et son air choqué ne fait qu’attiser un rire de sa part alors qu’Isaak, stoppé dans son élan, fini par rouler des yeux et poser sa canette sur la table. 

[artcalledtattoo]

FUCK TRUMP & NRA Those likes loves this stuff Gun sales will go up They kept enforcement To encroach for the innocents To be killed Brought to ya by Trumpism hatism Putinism Devastation Atrocities In the Atro American City Been there Been to the Gun shows Ghost gun enablers All for sales Who what makes the moneys Who sold the ammo You helped the slaying along Don’t nay, say that, it’s not what I intended I was just looking for retirement future Mega bucks in military hardware I will work for unvested stocks I’m a killer In all this too I’ve taken from the backs I’ve taking away thee hours I’ve given no rewards I look out for my bonus I just work here also Don’t look towards me for help My purpose is to see you here or not here And I get paid I’m a leader gaining in all the ways Phat in bank, living big time, like the Prunts at the tops, leave me alone, I need tassels riding motor sickles, or truck and car you purchase it for me, peasant peon dot a name of clocked in, let begin smiling giving you pennies while I banking dollars same bull shit different even while standing heads in you aisle showing of our 3 of 18 legs of power in un-camered 37 We even made you side step to different aisle for you to accomplish your mission And my bitch! Did say the leader He walked in adjacent aisles rather than direct placement of products but later would figure out he was just moving a couple of boxes at a time in front of us and continued to do the same, the fucker figured us 3 and was just using abusing wasting time while walking around us leaders...fucker always is Doing better a job then we could or ever did and the guck still knocked out his over weighted department I feel like a total! What’s his word ? ~PRUNT~ MY TURN d u m b s h I t • Plumb devil, snake pit, strive #2 Ohh yea just like that You witnessed, I told my manager Why 37? when products belong on 30!!! He said nothing to you all three Right standing so funny As I walked on through Til’ I didn’t want too!!!!!!!!! I’m hearing Billy Squire Everybody wants too Anyways chumps Psych Prunts I worked with no help through my end Oops I’m not a schoolyard student Just gaining education but we never talk about killer affiliations to political parties even going back to Lennon Of clock out times Had a help of 5-6 boxes Prunt my .|. to that working man Your use was worthless You left before me But like a Republican you can say You did something Like if I make myself A Democrat always correcting and picking up after likes of you big cardboard man But a special in team 1, just a garden hider from a den or pit, please reply correct me, I saw several hiding throughout the garden Fine, it’s not expected ever 3.5 years of bullshit weekends Vehicle wasn’t dead Knocked out my consumerism Anyways Whatever, Jesus said at his time? “LOVE THE SWORD” a now a gun Prunts and you tried to smell me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love Another most famous but perhaps I missed thy love a spear quote

[codeword-cheesecake]

I’ll Be Your Girl

A/N: Perhaps it would be best if I just stick to (rather long, probably a bit windy) one-shots. I started writing this when I saw Black Panther the night it came out state-side. Slow and steady wins the race? No?

Summary: Sometimes it takes a while to get where you're meant to be. Post-BP. Pre-Infinity War.

Pairing: Bucky x Reader

Word Count: 4,182 (seriously, oops.)

The lab was so silent. He'd never truly appreciated how much the vibranium in the glass deadened the sounds of the trains and mining. Without the ever-present music his sister apparently needed to work, the lab was as quiet as the grave.

He quickly shook that particular thought away. The last year of T'Challa's life had brought him enough death. The future sadly promised more yet.

But today was not a day for sadness. And while he could not delay the inevitable, he could focus on the present for the time being. He turned then to his friend.

Steve Rogers stood as still as a board, back ramrod straight though energy practically vibrated from him. T'Challa couldn't help the small smile that found his lips at his friends nervous energy.

"Steve, please, all your tension has me feeling nervous." Steve forced a grin at that and ran a hand through his hair.

"I'm just… are you sure Shuri managed it?" T'Challa raised an eyebrow but the other man cut off any remark. "You're right. I'm sorry. Of course she did. If she said she did, she did. I know. I'm just…" he trailed off with a sigh, glancing up towards the ceiling.

"You best not let Shuri hear your doubting her. But I understand your concern. I promise it will be alright.  Shuri is the best at what she does. James has been out of cryo-stasis for months now, and his time with the River Tribe has more than proven his and Shuri's triumph over Hydra's machinations. Steve, your friend is back."

There's a warm, yellow-tinted light that makes everything in the small restaurant feel like stepping back in time. It doesn't help that the TV mounted to the corner is probably older than most of the people present. The images come through in black and white and every once in a while the picture warps and jumps when the signal gives way for a moment. There are only a handful of tables and at any given time, only one or two other diners. The service is slow with only the owner working nights. But the food is decent and the coffee isn't sludge. And the man hasn't questioned your presence there at 7pm every night like clockwork. The first few nights, you'd request that the channel be switched from sitcom reruns to the news. Now when you walk in, the news station is already on. It's almost like giving into a sense of normalcy, which scares you more than anything. This is not the life you'd built for yourself… but it's easy, easy and fast to give in to routine and anything can feel normal after enough time.

Which makes you believe it's approaching the point in time that you should move on. There are other places to hide out, other people who need the sort of help you can provide. And there are ways to drop completely off the grid.

But that would mean giving up the 7 o'clock news and you can't manage to do that.

So instead you retire from your work around 6 in the evening, shower to cool off from the unrelenting sunshine. In the past months, this is the first time you've settled in a place long enough to establish any semblance of a routine.

The small apartment you currently dwell in faces a busy street, an outdoor market occupies most of the land you can see from the small windows. You would be concerned about the noise but the schedule you've set for yourself has you up with the first vendors' arrival anyway. The apartment itself is sufficient. Threadbare carpet lines the single room that makes up the bedroom-kitchen-workspace, though the kitchen has a stunning mix of linoleum in shades of lime green and mustard yellow. Not that you're ever inclined to cook for yourself anymore.

After the quick cleanse, you slip into a pair light pants and a light, long sleeved shirt. You pull your hair up, slide your knife into its holster, and set to work on the disguise. Natasha taught you how to use the mesh-hologram mask years back and it had recently become a staple of your wardrobe. Gingerly you place it over your features and press the small button to activate it, obfuscating your features You shudder at the thought that you've spent more time lately with this fake face than your own. The woman in the mirror is some amalgamation of features that make you seem...well, bland. The eyes of others just sort of slide away after a quick glance. Perfect for avoiding detection.

See, escaping from the Raft left you very few options. When Steve had come to spring you and the others who'd opted to stay at Leipzig Halle to buy him and Bucky time, the authorities had acted quickly. And you went without protest, same as everyone else. Because Cap and Bucky needed it, and you were willing to pay for their (supposed) crimes. Same as everyone else.

"About damn time." It's been so long since you'd heard anything other than the loud thoughts in your head that for a moment, it feels as though Sam's voice has sprung from the ether. You scramble off your cot and stand at the door to your cell and peer into the darkness. After a moment, you really can't help the smile that cracks your dried lips. No one could mistake that figure.

The escape is quick and honestly, kind of painful. The biting wind and sea spray only work to lower the temperature further and without your normal gear, the prison uniform leaves a lot to be desired in terms of protection from the elements.

As the copter lands, it kicks up more water and you really would have laughed if not genuinely fearful for hypothermia. "When it rains, it pours." You shoot Clint a sidelong glance and he just grins at you.

The door slides open and you can feel your heart slip into your stomach. Bucky is there and your eyes meet.

But Steve is calling for you to help Wanda into the vehicle and so -as gracefully as possible when everything is half frozen and covered in water - you climb in and extend a hand to her. You jokingly offer one to Sam who smiles and then outright laughs as Scott actually accepts it. The last to board are Clint and Steve and it's close quarters for the flight to….wherever Steve is taking you. There's a moment of quietness before Clint, leaning against you, finally breaks it.

"I'm officially retired. For real this time." you playfully hit his arm and everyone seems just a breath less miserable. With that, it's decided -  you'll drop Clint on the farm and take some time to recoup there. He's quick to assure everyone that Laura doesn't mind, and really no one has met Nathaniel yet.

Everyone sort of breaks off then, hardship lending itself to affection as people huddle together. You're left awkwardly trapped between wanting to rush to Bucky and wanting to give him space with Steve. After a moment, and a gentle shove from Wanda, you approach Bucky.

The temptation to pull him into a hug and comfort him is so strong but instead you gently grab his hand. He glances at you, smiling softly though his eyes are dark and troubled.

"Buck. I'm glad you're okay." He squeezes your hand and nods, but you can tell he's miles away.

You've given up trying to order anything other than the coffee. The owner will bring whatever has inspired him that day and - so far - nothing has been disappointing. Today it appears to be some sort of soup, fresh vegetables floating in a creamy base. As you tuck in, it's then that the news flashes from local fluff to the far more reverent nightly news. The broadcast is normally done in the local language, but without your even mentioning, the owner has enabled closed captioning in English. It's not strictly necessary between a decent understanding of the local language and context, but the gesture is kind.

Tonight is the night you've been looking forward to. You're surprised the jury has come to a decision within a few days. While all signs pointed to guilty, there was so much evidence presented. Not to mention the weight that the Accords brought to the matter. Which was substantially less that the entirety of the events in Sokovia.

Helmut Zemo's trial had been going on for months at this point. The UN security council had multiple countries that wanted a piece of the man: the US, Wakanda, Sokovia, Austria…  the list went on.

His defense had sought not to prove his innocence, but instead to get some sort of bargain that counted the man insane by his grief. Like the entire plot was some long-game crime of passion. You knew all too well that while grief may have been a part of it, vengeance had consumed the man that would tear your family apart. And the deliberate thought-out nature of his crimes was irrefutable.

Which is why it wasn't too surprising when the stern looking woman from the UN on the TV announces Zemo's guilt. And his life sentence to the high security prison that you'd had the misfortune of a stay in wasn't all that surprising either.

It is surprising, however, to realize that you'd begun to cry. You wipe delicately at the tears, careful of the mask in place. Crying was bound to upset the technology so you only had a short time to pay the bill and get back to the safety of your room.

Dropping your money on the table, you rush out the door, brushing past the other patrons. The owner moves to stop you and calls after you, asking if you're okay.  Your voice wavers as you answer back.

Spending time on the Bartons' farm, seeing little Nathaniel, is enough to forget the events of the last week. Enough to feel like your version of normal. After a big breakfast with everyone, you're resting in a guest bedroom. It's early afternoon and the light filters through the lace curtains and creates a warm, sleepy feeling in the room. Just laying there, you practice relaxing each part of your body. It's a technique you picked up from sleepless nights on long missions. You're almost good enough to trick yourself into sleep at this point.

Just on the precipice between the waking world and sleep, someone lightly raps at the door. You're tempted to ignore it and just continue trying to find sleep but whoever it is knocks again and you groan and stand.  The last few days have been hell on your body and though you'd never admit it to anyone, you're sore. And tired in a way you've never been before.

You answer the door, ready to chew out the person interrupting your rest but Bucky is standing there and he looks anguished. Without a word, you gesture him in and sit down on the bed, patting the spot next to you.  Bucky sits heavily and sighs but says nothing. So neither do you, opting instead to watch the dust motes float in the sun. It's a few moments before Bucky finds his voice.

"I just wanted to...thank you, for staying behind. Hell, for even coming to help at all." His hand finds yours resting in the bed and he holds it gently.

"Bucky, come on. It was nothing." You shrug as he levels you with a hard look. "Fine, it wasn't nothing. But I've done a lot worse for things I didn't believe in half as much." Your heart clenches as you remember seeing Rhodey hit the ground. The sound has haunted your nightmares since the moment you'd heard it. "And I'd do it again in a heartbeat. It was, this is, the right thing to do." Bucky nods solemnly but remains quiet. You run your free hand through your hair. There is a lot more left unsaid. But you expect that the coming days, weeks, months won't lend themselves to soft declarations of… whatever it is that's tumbling around in your useless heart. So instead you let go of his hand and stand, stretching your aching shoulders.

Bucky looks up at you through the hair that hangs in his face.

"I was going to take a nap. Do you - would you want to join me?" His brows draw in and he opens his mouth- "Just sleep! I realize now… god, sorry." He actually smiles and starts to laugh and that has the small thing in your heart fluttering as laughter comes bubbling out. When the laughter subsides, he looks at you, smiling.

"Sure thing, doll."

In the rush back to your apartment, you remain as diligent as possible while trying to hold back tears. It's crushing though and your hand shakes as you unlock the front door and race up the stairs. You're fumbling worse at the door to your apartment. You manage the lock and fling the door open. Slamming it quickly, you practically dive into your bed as you deactivate the mask and toss it on your makeshift nightstand. It's been so long since you let yourself feel anything or even think about feeling anything. You'd put all of that on hold when Steve asked you to accompany him and Sam and Sharon on the mission to find Bucky. It had been years of just pushing things aside to focus focus focus on the objective. Finally, alone so far from home, that chapter of your life closes with a simple televised press conference.

Replaying the events at the airport, your fight with Tony for picking sides, Rhodey falling again and again and again in some masochistic attempt to finally make sense of it all. You lie in bed like that for hours, slowly working through your memories and feelings. It's miserable, remembering everything that you tabled for another day. And it's miserable work trying to start to work through the emotion of it all. It'd be easier to figure out a way to turn off emotionally. But if you want to continue with your aide work, you fear turning into a weeping mess out of the blue.  

So you count the good things, the things you know are mending already. A little bit of spying early on in your departure had yielded some positivity: Rhodey and Tony were working to get him mobile again. Peter, the boy spider, was back in school (and you had some choice words for Tony for involving a child in this whole ordeal). Wanda and Steve were doing peacekeeping missions. They'd told you as much before the departure from the Barton farm. They'd even invited you, but you'd started off on your career alone and found, after all your time with the Avengers, that maybe that's how you were better off. So far removed from everyone, it's easy to forget what any level of comradery does for overall well-being.

It's full dark by the time you're feeling well enough to get out of bed. There are still things that need doing before you let yourself rest. First and foremost is a shower to wash away that just-having-cried feeling. You're tempted to just stand under the spray for the rest of the night but the water is quickly shifting to ice and so you hop out, dress, and set to work on righting the mask. It was an older model that needed some maintenance after prolonged use. And getting it wet didn't help. Setting up your small worktop across the foot of the bed, you begin to tamper with the tech. Part way through your repairs, there's a knock at the door. You glance at the exposed circuitry and then to your digital alarm clock. It's only 2 in the morning and your heart drops to your stomach. Your first thought is to just say nothing - pretend not to be home - but you know the light shines under the door and the people who would come this late at night are not the sort to leave easily.

They're also not the sort to knock. With your curiosity piqued, you drop your work and tiptoe over to the door. There's no peephole, but you press your ear to it. In the near silence, you can hear what seems to be one person breathing. At least you like those odds.

The line of work you'd found yourself in meant always being armed, so you pull the short blade from your hip and wait.

They knock again.

"Y/N?" There's a pause and you can distinctly hear someone shuffling closer to the door. They're listening to you as intently as you are them. There's a soft sigh and then:

"Y/N". It's Steve. He's… Bucky's back."

In the sun-warmed liminal space between reality and dreams, you lay suspended. The person next you had been the same until a moment ago. They shift and you could be awake, but you cling to this empty place. Softly, almost under his breath, Bucky begins to speak.

"Steve says T'Challa might be able to help, to fix the mess Hydra left in my head. And maybe he can. But I don't want to wait around to find out….Hydra...they're everywhere and I can't fight Steve again. I won't. And I can't see you hurt again, much less because I… lose control." His flesh hand dances lightly over a bruise on your cheek. It's turning yellow at the edges, but both Bucky and you know that hit had been the Winter Soldier's. And you don't blame him. You blame Zemo. You blame the fucking morons in the government. But not Bucky, never him. If there was a poster child for victim of circumstance, it'd be him.

In the hanger, with his arm secured in that press, you'd tried to joke that Natasha had done a lot worse to you in training… but the horrified look never left his eyes.

"So. I'm going back into cryo." Your breath hitches and you know he's known the entire time you've been awake, listening. "And you're the last person I wanted to tell. I almost don't want to because-" He pauses, his hand brushing down your arm to entwine your fingers and his. "Because being near you feels like the me, from before. Just a part of that and God, I don't want to lose it." That feeling of wanting to say something, to relay that warm fluttering thing your heart. But your own fear, and your concern over his well-being, keeps your lips sealed. Instead you squeeze his hand gently and sit in heavy silence.

The next morning Steve and Bucky take off. Wanda will be off this afternoon to follow them but everyone knows that whatever T'Challa is doing to help Bucky, that's between him and Steve.

Last night, Steve had offered you and Wanda both a way to help. With the Accords still in place, they would be operating under the radar but there were so many places they could do good. Wanda had agreed without any hesitancy. You had declined, joking about your selfish nature. Steve had given you his best sales pitch but you'd stopped believing in the ability to be on a team the moment you'd faced off against Tony. Steve had been the first person to give you a chance to redeem yourself, that collector of broken people. And you'd proved you were willing to do anything for him. But the time had come for the turning over of a new leaf. So in the dead of night, you'd packed away some of your meager possessions - mostly things you knew you'd need in the coming months.

Just before first light, you'd slipped from the Barton's front door and headed into the woods. You waited, hidden just beyond the treeline to watch Steve and Bucky leave. Watched as the light in your room had turned on, as Bucky had stepped into your empty guest room. The small thing in your chest ached as you played voyeur to this equally small moment. You leave before you can give yourself a reason not to.

In what feels like a matter of moments, you're in some next-level quinjet. Steve explains its on loan from T'Challa which you take to mean please don't play with anything. The flight is surprisingly brief and Steve is quick to warn you that Wakanda is not what you imagine. And he's right, when you pass whatever shield surrounds the city, your jaw drops. Having spent so much time off the grid, Wakanda is practically a technology overload. Steve laughs a rich belly laugh at your shocked face.

You're jittering with nervous energy as you touch down. The entire trip, you dedicated your time to both worrying about seeing T'Challa again and worrying about seeing Bucky. Steve had tried to reassure you - Yes, Bucky asked for you by name. - Yes, T'Challa had forgiven whatever had transpired between them. - Yes, he was sure.

It did not really prepare you for the initial shock of leaving the jet's bay door. T'Challa stands there, the portrait of regal composure. Behind him stands the statuesque Dora Milaje that Natasha almost fought with at the UN Council meeting. Next to him, a young woman who is most definitely whispering to him as he swats her away gently. Siblings, you think to yourself.  Before anyone can get a word in, the young woman interrupts.

"This is Barnes' woman?" She turns to her brother. "And she's the one that kicked your ass, brother?" You're caught between mortification and giving in to the temptation to laugh. She turns back to you and smiles, extending a hand. "I've been looking forward to meeting you!" Her enthusiasm is infectious and you're suddenly smiling as you shake hands.

"Likewise…?"

"Shuri. You should try and hit him again next time he's suited up. Actually - twice, hit him twice." Her grin has taken on an excited, if a bit scary, note and you shake your head.

"I'm not sure I'll find the opportunity. I think our differences have been settled." T'Challa smiles and nods.

"Shuri, perhaps save harassing our guests until they've been here for longer than a few seconds." He gestures to lead your entire group away from where you've landed and into their home. You follow behind Steve and T'Challa, listening to them banter a bit. Shuri has fallen into step with you.

"Since you won't go toe to toe again, you can at least watch this." She taps her bracelet precisely and something akin to a video pops up. In it she's baiting the king into hitting a dummy and when he lands the hit, he's propelled backwards. You laugh genuinely at his expression and Shuri laughs along with you.

"And you would have subjected me to that? We just met!" You feign indignation.

"I tried it on the Captain and he said the same thing when I showed him the video. He also tried not to laugh." You grin at her.

"Steve said it was all your handiwork helping Bucky." Shuri smiles proudly, knowingly.

"Of course." You conversation ends abruptly as you enter a stunning, technical marvel of a lab. As you round the pillar that sits in the center of the room, your heart jumps into your throat. Bucky's standing there, fiddling with what appears to be his new arm. It's a moment before he recognizes that he's no longer alone.

Bucky glances up at his new visitors. The new arm has been working perfectly, though it hasn't been on long. The dull ache that had always accompanied the arm installed by Hydra has disappeared with this new tech. He suspects Shuri's done something mind-boggling to accomplish this but he knows better than to ask. She'd either explain in painful, incomprehensible detail or laugh at him and share nothing. He sees her behind her brother, smiling widely. For a moment, he's worried something is coming. That smile has come to represent mischief afoot to him.

Instead, he finally sees why everyone is staring at him expectantly. Y/N is standing there, her face a mix of awe and adoration. In two strides, he's across the room. Steve moves out of the way, and Bucky can't help himself - he wraps her in a tight hug. It's been almost three years since he's last seen Y/N, since she set in him a spark that maybe, just maybe he could return to something like his life before the Winter Soldier. He pulls back to look at her more closely. She's smiling, tears in the corners of her eyes and Bucky is sure this is the moment he's been waiting for. He feels almost weightless as he leans down to press his lips to her. Shuri's sudden wolf whistle has Y/N laughing as she pulls away, smiling even wider now. She looks up at him through her lashes, grinning stupidly as she jokes:

"Hey - long time, no see."

[imperialmilf]

a recap of irene’s adventures in and around falkreath:

clear bleak falls barrow, attempt to return to riverwood, end up in falkreath instead (oops)

find a couple in the cemetery mourning their daughter. learn that she was killed by a man who has since been arrested

go visit murder man in jail. he tells me he killed her bc of this cursed ring that makes him randomly turn into a werewolf

he gives me the ring and asks me to go kill a deer, which will summon the dude who cursed it (who happens to be the god of the hunt or whatever), who will un-curse the ring bc i’m such a cool hunter

go kill deer, summon god, ask him to un-curse ring

“haha yeah sure man, just go kill that werewolf dude first” umm you mean the dude i’m DOING THIS QUEST FOR??? no way dude. spirit guy leaves

ok that was crazy, let’s do something easier. old old man in falkreath asked me to go find his diary in a cave or whatever, if this old old man could get to this cave then it’s probably super easy

enter cave to find scary magic beacon altar with corpses scattered around

proceed further into cave. there is ghosts. ghosts try to kill me. still no sign of old old man’s diary

get to final chamber and BIG SCARY EVIL GHOST MAN(????) tries to kill me or eat my soul or whatever. kill big scary evil ghost man. loot

find old old man’s diary in a chest in final chamber. i am so so afraid

return to falkreath asap, give old old man his diary, FLEE

go back to riverwood, give golden claw to guy who asked me to find it, sell him all my gear

dismiss faendal as follower and retire to work at lumber mill (supplement by helping alvor with blacksmith stuff)

[cornerstonc]

Mun vs. Muse (repost, not reblog)

Name:

Mun: masha

Muse: natori

Age:

Mun: 31

Muse: OOOOOLD

Gender:

Mun:  cis female-ish

Muse:  cis male but also keep in mind he’s a cat and doesn’t really Care

Occupation/Student:

Mun: un... employed atm lies down previous medical office worker, which i miss dearly orz will hopefully be a student starting in january tho

Muse:  depends on the verse, but either royal advisor or retired

Height:

Mun: 5′4

Muse: like 2′7 l MAo

Best Friend?

Mun:  i. uh. have no friends

Muse:  also doesn’t really have any legit friends outside of the king and natoru oop

Boyfriend/Girlfriend?

Mun: uninterested

Muse: very attached to the king but nothing Definite :v

Relationship with Family?

Mun: strained in a very ‘we don’t talk about it’ kind of way orz

Muse: as close to his sisters and their kids + one in-law as one might expect from working adults. their relationships are all generally untroubled, tho

[victuuriporkbowl]

Victuuri Recs #7

One Step Sideways by airgeer (PG-13, 28k) Summary: "Waking up in a world where the best possible turn of events was a literal doppelgänger was not exactly what Victor considered a great morning. The other Victor apparently begged to differ. “Amazing!” he said, poking Victor in the shoulder." Just as Victor and Yuuri are about to start the final dash of preparing for the Grand Prix Final, Victor finds himself in a different reality- one where he, rather than coaching Yuuri, is in the middle of skating his retirement season. They don't know how it happened, or how to fix it, but neither Victor has ever let details like that stop him. [Parallel Universe, *FAVORITE] You Can't Plan for Everything by RivDeV (NC-17, 113k, WIP) Summary: Yuuri forgets that he has a scheduled heat coming up until it's just a couple weeks away. He scrambles to get everything ready in time, including deciding whether he'll spend it alone or with someone. Victor only wants to help. [Omegaverse, *FAVORITE] turn it, leave it, stop, format it by ebenroot (NC-17, 19.6k) Summary: “If you want, I can recommend you some security programs that you can download for free and protect your computer. That way, you won’t be at risk of losing these cute photos of your dog even when you browse websites like ‘Luscious Lonely Wives’.” Victor gives one long ‘haa’. “I don’t browse those websites,” he says through his straining smile. -- the 'i will break any and all electronic devices that get into my hands if it means I get to talk to the cute tech support guy' fic [Tech Support!Yuuri, Dog Groomer!Victor] so this guy walks into a bar... by silvercistern (NC-17, 16k) Okay, okay, okay so you know that trope where a couple pretends to be strangers so that they can seduce each other? Yeah I’m sure you do. It’s been done before. But hear me out: What if they were embarrassingly bad at it? Instead of talking over their future, two grown-ass, married adults pretend to be strangers in a club. Those Three Words by azriona (R, 31k) Summary: Their one night of passion in Sochi left Victor Nikiforov with a bit more of a souvenir than either he or Yuuri Katsuki bargained for. Oops? [Omegaverse] i feel like i win when i lose by renaissance (NC-17, 7.9k) Summary: Yuuri’s life is a mess. He came a spectacular last in the Grand Prix Finals, drank too much at the banquet, initiated no fewer than three dance-offs, took his shirt off, wore his tie like a headband, pole-danced in his underpants, made a fool of himself in front of ISU officials—and now, somehow, he’s Viktor Nikiforov’s booty call. [Canon Divergence] My Name On Your Lips by feelslikefire (NC-17, 31k, WIP) Summary: Yuuri Katsuki has been betrothed to the High King's son, Victor, since he was just a child; furthermore, as an omega, he's forbidden from practicing magic in combat. For years, he's been able to put off the former because the Prince was traveling abroad, and gotten around the latter by practicing with his mentor in secret. Now Victor Nikiforov has finally returned home, and Yuuri is being summoned to the capital for their wedding. He needs a plan to put off marriage long enough to find a way to break the betrothal, while keeping his practicing from being discovered. If only the Prince didn't have other ideas. (Or, the swords-and-sorcery arranged marriage AU. Updates weekly.)[Omegaverse, WIP] Until My Feet Bleed and My Heart Aches by Reiya (NC-17, 147.5k, WIP) Summary: ‘…Of all the rivalries in the world of sports over the years, perhaps none has become so legendary as that of Russian figure skater Viktor Nikiforov and his rival, Japanese Yuuri Katsuki…’ A single event changes the course of Yuuri’s life, throwing him into a bitter rivalry with Viktor Nikiforov that spans across his entire skating career. But as the years go on, rivalry and hatred begin to develop into something very different and Yuuri doesn’t seem to be able to stay away, no matter how hard he tries. Hatred and love are two sides of the same coin and even though everything changes, some things are still meant to be. [Rivals!AU, WIP] He's Going the Distance by Phayte (NC-17, 2.6k) Summary: So... Day Two Prompt for Victuuriweek - LONG DISTANCE was the Prompt with Yuuri... so um... Yuuri, Victor, Phichit and Chris have a 'long distance' contest to see who wins... at your service by anirondack (NC-17, 5.2k) Summary: “That felt really good,” Yuuri says as he shuts the television off on the second try. “Can you do the rest of me?” A Victor standing up, a Victor sitting on the couch next to Yuuri with a glass of wine in his hand or a dog in his lap, would have made a suggestive joke about that. But the Victor on his knees just nods, happy to have direction on how to best please Yuuri, and says, “Of course.” Five thousand words of service sub Victor, plus some sex. [D/s] lie to make me like you by cityboys (R, 80k) Summary: It’s become a game, of sorts, to anyone privy to the fact that the pattern exists in the first place: ask Victor out at the beginning of the month, date for however many days, and wait for the end to come and for Victor to say, always: I couldn’t fall in love with you. Let’s break up. Or, Victor is a retired actor looking for love, and Yuuri happens to be the (un)fortunate soul to unwittingly ask him out at the beginning of the month. Except relationships don't come with a script, and it's much harder understanding love than roles. [Actor!Victor, Ballet!Yuuri Entertainment Industry AU]

[junker-town]

Larry Nance Jr. winning the Slam Dunk Contest would make father-son history

Nance Sr. won the first Dunk Contest in 1984.

The last two weeks have been major stepping stones for Larry Nance Jr. to pick up where his father left off in the NBA.

On Feb. 8, Nance Jr. was traded from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Cleveland Cavaliers, where his father played for seven seasons and had his jersey retired. Nance Sr. even wants the jersey un-retired for his son to wear next year.

On Saturday, Nance Jr. will compete in the Dunk Contest (TNT, around 10 pm ET), which his father won the very first time it came to All-Star Weekend in 1984. A win would be the ultimate statement that the Nance’s are the greatest dunking family ever.

They are, at the least, the first father-son combo to ever participate in the Dunk Contest. Maybe Nance Jr. will find a way to highlight that with his dunks.

Was Nance Sr. a good NBA player? What was he like?

Nance Sr. and Nance Jr. have extremely similar builds, with the elder of the two standing an inch taller and 25 pounds lighter. Just as we know Nance Jr. now, his father was a high-flyer, and the ultimate alley-oop option.

For his career, Nance Sr. averaged 17 points per game on 55 percent shooting, eight rebounds and 2.6 assists and two blocks for the Cavs and Phoenix Suns, who drafted him. He rarely ever took a three-point attempt, living in the paint, and he had a strong career doing it.

The No. 20 overall pick from Clemson totaled three NBA All-Star appearances, an All-Defensive First Team Selection, and two Second Team Selections. He was best known as the third core player for those Cavaliers teams that never quite got by the Bulls, flanking Mark Price and Brad Daugherty.

How did Nance Sr. win the Dunk Contest?

Nance Sr. won the first-ever modern NBA Dunk Contest over Dominique Wilkins, who finished in third, and Julius Irving, who lost in the Finals.

He cradled a slam, dunked two balls at a time, and threw the ball off one side of the backboard and dunked on the other. He scored 134 points out of a possible 150 in the Finals, outlasting Irving’s perfect 50-point dunk.

Will Nance Jr. use his father as a prop?

He hasn’t said anything about his father yet, except that he was glad to have a former champ for guidance, according to he Akron Beacon Journal.

Nance Jr. did wear a shirt with an illustration of his father winning the Dunk Contest to a game earlier in the month, so maaaybe that’s a hint?

This is great! 2018 NBA Dunk Contest contestant Larry Nance Jr wearing a shirt with an illustration of his Dad, 1984 NBA Dunk Contest champion Larry Nance! pic.twitter.com/TX3CRiiPtD

— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) February 2, 2018

According to he Akron Beacon Journal, Nance’s strategy is to wait on his opponents. “If two guys go out and miss dunks,” he told the Journal, “I just want to make it to get to the next round. Do something real safe. If everybody brings it, I have to bring it, too.”

His dad’s advice was just not to be the guy missing a ton of dunks. From the looks of what he’s done on the court this season, that shouldn’t be a problem.

Nance Jr. will go against Donovan Mitchell, Victor Oladipo and rookie Dennis Smith Jr. on Saturday night. The All-Star events begin at 8 p.m. ET, with the Dunk Contest following the Skills Challenge and Three-Point Shootout.

The worst NBA Dunk Contest ever

[jamieclawhorn]

You know nothing! But that’s fine…

Investing through the rearview mirror is easy.

When you look at even the past ten tumultuous years – from complacency before the financial crisis, to fears that the ATMs might stop working, to the bull market that followed the crash, and to the low rates that helped it along – each stage seems inevitable.   Of course, it was “obvious” this or that would happen, Internet pundits and the bloke in the pub will tell you.   Yet strangely – even for these wise sages – what happens next is always a mystery.

Hindsight heroes

Truth is it’s never obvious. Not unless you’re reading a stock market history book and you already know how it ends.

It wasn’t obvious governments would step in to save most of the banks in 2009, or that their intervention would work, or that many of those banks would be reporting huge profits in 2017.

It wasn’t obvious that interest rates would fall to near zero and stay there for nearly a decade.

For that matter it wasn’t obvious rates would start falling from double-digit levels in the 1990s and continue to drop for 30 years – a marathon bull run that makes the current advance for equities look like a short sprint.

It wasn’t obvious Steve Jobs returning to Apple would save the struggling firm, or that it would successfully launch the iPhone, or that Apple would sell over a billion smartphones and become the world’s most valuable public company.

It wasn’t obvious Warren Buffett’s purchasing quality brands like Coca-Cola would deliver strong returns, or that he wasn’t a has-been when he spurned the Internet bubble in the late 1990s (and avoided the subsequent bust).

It wasn’t obvious 50 years ago that cigarette makers would go on to deliver the best long-term returns of any sector of the market – when we knew their products killed their customers, and some of them had already begun to sue.

The list goes on.

Pick your winners

Of course we can only invest for profits in the future, not the past.   You might wonder then why I’m raising all this ancient history – let alone pointing out how unclear the outcome was.   I think it’s important to know that those who invested before us were just as clueless about precisely where things were headed as we are now   The times were never simpler. They only look that way in retrospect.   This should give you heart when facing some of the thorniest debates today. For instance, here are three current investing battlegrounds:

The future of oil and the oil price   Most Fools will know the price of a barrel of oil crashed from over $100 in 2014 to below $30 by early 2016. Even today it sits below $50. This slump has caused huge ructions in the sector, and disrupted a trillion dollars of investment. That could mean a future oil shortage is guaranteed.   Or does it? Could US shale oil plug the gap? Will electric cars crush the demand for petrol anyway? Even Royal Dutch Shell’s own CEO says his next car will be electric. Energy is a critical sector where huge companies keep the modern world turning – yet some serious investors think these issues mean those companies are already un-investable for the long-term.

Low interest rates and high stock market valuations   Since the start of this bull market back in 2009, pessimists have decried it as the side effect of easy money from central banks. At first they expected it to pop at any moment, but as the years passed and their credibility waned, they looked to the prospect of rising interest rates as the trigger for a collapse.   Well, the US has been – slowly, tentatively – raising rates for a couple of years, and its indices are at all-time highs. Oops! There’s no doubt that shares on a pricey P/E of 30 make much more sense when cash pays you nothing and bonds a pittance. So who will win this tussle?

Domestic companies and Brexit   It’s no secret the UK’s decision to leave the EU has been politically divisive. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it’s also split opinion in terms of the investment ramifications.   While most of the largest FTSE 100 firms have substantial overseas sales to cushion any difficulties, many mid- to small-cap companies are directly exposed to the UK economy. If Brexit is a triumph, they could prosper. If it triggers a recession followed by years of stagnation, UK small caps could be dire investments.

Predictably unpredictable

How these questions (and others) are resolved in the months and years ahead could be the difference between beating or lagging the market.   More importantly, it might make a material difference to your bottom line – or even how well you live in retirement.   Yet right now, I’d say that after balancing up all the evidence for any one of them, you might as well flip a coin to decide the outcome. To me, they could all go either way.   This is not a reason to avoid investing – because, as I’ve said, such uncertainty is always with us, at least outside of a history class.   But it is a reason to be hungry for knowledge, to be humble about our ability to predict the future, to aim to be nimble and flexible in our thinking, to be hopeful…   …In other words to stay Foolish!

Buy-and-hold investing

In fact, our top analysts have highlighted five shares in the FTSE 100 that you can 'buy and forget' in our special free report "5 Shares To Retire On". To find out the names of the shares and the reasons behind their inclusion, simply click here to view it immediately with no obligations whatsoever!

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