#top tier show if you ignore how badly its aged

[richielikesballs]

*Father Ted voice* Dougal. Where's the platinum chip.

...The one we were supposed to bring to Mr. House, Dougal.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU WERE SHOT IN THE HEAD FOR IT?!

[ilcaeryx]

Tenacity: Chapter 8 - Relinquish [Todoroki Enji | Endeavor/Reader]

SUMMARY: The Todoroki family members' absence are like phantom-limbs for Todoroki Enji and your company will never restore that empty space.

TAGS: Todoroki Enji | Endeavor/Reader, hurt, estrangement

COMMENT: This is how Endeavor should end up, imo.

Inside the private hospital room, a designated haven strictly for severely wounded heroes, you single-handedly created a distressing atmosphere for yourself. Reading a fictional novel about a star-struck couple’s journey hadn’t made your evening better. When you encountered it at the library, the title had enticed you and while thumbing the cover, a decisive impression of familiarity doused you. The synopsis reinforced this notion: a couple continuously being torn asunder and reconciled by external forces. That storyline was dime-a-dozen, yet these shallow factors made you bring the book with you.

Whatever familiarity the hardcover had elicited within you, it had been false advertisement. Perhaps your trip to the library had regressed you twenty years, because everything these lovers were was exactly the opposite of you and Enji – young, uncompromising and without commitments. While it in theory would have been amazing to be a couple from your early twenties onward, you knew your younger self required tempering before being able to handle Enji. A lot actually laid in your expectations. Your twenties pummelled your dreamy lens of life into smithereens but as you assembled your life together in your thirties, you would sometimes be surprised to find that certain romantic notions had been correct all along.

Unfortunately, the youthful notion that you were invincible was not one of them.

With your shoulders heavy, you let the book down softly on your lap with an index-finger separating the pages.

Todoroki Enji did not require your constant overwatch. You simply weren’t necessary here; the sleeping man beside you would receive top-notch treatment, with or without your presence. At most, you would adjust his covers whenever he stirred or read him a particularly striking paragraph from your book. According to his supervising doctor, Enji would need extensive rest and rehabilitation after this. At the moment he was in a stable condition and irregularly awoke from sleep, although the windows between the occurrences continuously shrank. Each time he regained consciousness, you felt more relieved. 

He wasn’t a top tier hero anymore. His age had finally caught up to this stubborn mule.

You relaxed for half a second while looking at his stern face and the book slipped between your knees onto the floor. Its hollow thud must have been an unexpected sound for the unconscious Enji, you figured as you retrieved it up with a groan. In here, the monotonous buzzing from the machines and dry sound of you turning pages must have been the only sounds he had been exposed to.

Thinking about it, the only human voices he had passively heard inside this room had been yours, the doctor’s and the nurses’. That you knew of, anyway, but from your fragmented knowledge of the Todoroki family matters you had an educated guess as to why his children probably would not visit him. While he extremely rarely brought up prior events, he shed his intimidating persona when he did speak of the times he treated his youngest badly. Terribly, even. Never did he speak about that without remorse leaving his every breath. You had met Shouto exactly _once _and you witnessed the dire consequences of Enji’s actions on his face, the swollen and reddened area around his eye. It had disturbed you for two reasons: one, it reinforced Enji’s brutal past; and two, it instilled you a fear that this could happen again, perhaps to you. You had yet to encounter a the fairy-tale concept of a complete personality overhaul.

After many, many weeks of late-night pillow talks, promises and heated discussions, you chose to remain by his side, regardless of what his prior actions. As a woman, you felt deeply sorrowful at Rei’s suffering because that could have been you. As an older person in society, you couldn’t explain his children’s despair and wrath away. At most, you could offer your support - but Enji’s family, with the exception of the daughter, had never desired contact with either of you.

For Enji, you were certain that this had not always been the worst outcome but for the _current _Enji, it was. However, he never expressed any bewilderment about it.

Whenever his youngest son appeared on TV, he would quietly observe from the adjacent room. He could be silent all he wanted about it, but his giant body wasn’t made for stealth and the floorboards would creak in complaint as he walked away from whatever he was doing. 

His children never needed a restraining order, because their father eventually understood what being ignored meant. Out of respect for this, he had not contacted them. You hoped that his respect stemmed from them being humans rather than his children growing into respectable individuals.

Long story short, the chance that the Todoroki family members showed up was minimal.

You left your book on your seat and went for a bathroom break. Upon returning, you slinked into the room. The plastic thud of the door shutting behind you must have alerted Enji, because he slowly rotated his head in your direction. The skin surrounding his eyes was creased in pain.

“How long have you been awake?” you asked, ready to fetch a nurse in case his pain flared up further.

Enji didn’t seem very clear-headed, though he answered with a thunderous voice: “Long enough to remember what happened.” 

Yeah, he did not seem satisfied at his condition. Although the villains were defeated, he had collapsed shortly after. Considering his age and previous injuries, he did recover rather quickly though. 

“Honestly, we are all in awe over your recovery rate. Are you in pain?”

He sighed and shook his head, as if your proposition was silly. “Don’t bring the entire hospital here - I cannot be arsed with their fiddling. Let me have a moment of peace.”

“You’re in the hospital for a reason...” You padded over to his side, removed the book from your seat and sat down. “I’ve been fiddling over you these last few days and you haven’t minded.”

Okay, you had done less than the nurses but it was the thought that counted.

“You can tell me that _after _you’re a regular here.”

He was serious but you chuckled anyway. Once again, the relief washed you pure and you couldn’t recall why you had been distressed earlier. It was supremely easy to be courageous when things went your way.

Rain had started to smatter against the window, the gray expanse of the sky only a tad shade darker than the room’s interior. Another sound that Enji hadn’t heard in a while. It would be refreshing to breathe in the petrichor after this season’s dry heat, but only once you both could return home together.

“Have you heard anything from Fuyumi?” he said, his voice dropping in volume. He must have noticed your reluctant expression, for he turned away his face towards the droplet-streaked window. From his profile, his stubble made his jawline and lips more prominent, even more so with this dire expression.

You imagined that Rei would be unhappy at the prospect of visiting her ex-husband in a hospital, considering that he once upon a time put her there. It was the same regarding Natsuo, Toya and Shouto. Fuyumi was the sole Todoroki family member that occasionally called her father, though you heard that her brothers were very hesitant about letting her spend time alone with Enji.

As much as you desired tell a white lie and answer that she visited while he was unconscious, it would be found out sooner or later. In your desperation, you could almost will yourself to create a false memory of her entering the room. It was not your role to play as the diplomatic messenger between them.

“Not while I’ve been here,” you admitted, snaking your hand into Enji’s rough palm. Very gently, he engulfed your hand within his. For once, his hands were rather cold to the touch and you did not attribute this to the absence of his Hellfire.

“I see.”

You guessed that while everyone had their own romantic beliefs of what was realistic when living in this world due to differing experiences, Enji’s truth would be that children who live in terror of their father’s shadow weren’t required to crave after their father’s approval and attention, even after attempted reconciliation.

“I don’t blame them,” he said, his voice slightly muffled by the pillow. “At this point, I should be content with pictures and videos.”

“I can understand your feeli-”

His neck cracked audibly with the speed he turned his head towards you, a mixture of disheartenment and challenging ire folded into his worried wrinkles. “Can you?”

You smacked yourself mentally for your poor word choice.

“I have already told you about my own mess… There are people I will never get to talk to again,” you said, halting his incoming retort with a hand on his chest, “regardless if I beg for their forgiveness or not. Somewhere, someone is walking around with insecurities I carved into them. To be perfectly honest, I don’t think I have the sincerity to apologize for it. This is not true for you. You have already done more than they expected, I would say.”

He very slightly retracted from you after the last sentence left your lips, though his hand still held yours firmly.  While his mouth opened and closed for an answer in his despair, you knew he would appreciate your brute honesty later on. It was only when he fell into complete silence that you kicked yourself. Now that you spent more than half a second thinking about it, it was a rather severe thing to say to someone who only just awoke. 

When you could finally leave this hospital together, you knew this subject would be brought up again. And after that, again and again. This would not be something that Enji could overcome without help. Perhaps the romanticized adage ‘time heals all wounds’ would be true for him.

You leaned a bit closer to him, your hair reaching his shoulder. “Once you get out, we can talk more about this. It won’t do you well to ruminate here. We’ll spend some more time together since you won’t be able to work for months with those injuries.”

“It’s not the same without them.”

It never would be, it pained you to agree.

“I know. This is all I am, though.”

Someone interrupted by knocking on the door. It swung open and the supervising doctor greeted you both dispassionately, his presence barely perceivable. He looked like he experienced a tough shift.

Even with his worn-out appearance, doc legitimately tore into Enji about his injuries and recovery. You didn’t want to disturb, so you slipped away into the corridor. The doctor continued his sermon and you couldn’t imagine that Enji was terribly attentive to it. 

You could already tell that he had realized that his dusk was approaching with an abundance of consequences. Not one single fuck-up or mistake went by unpunished. What a cruel existence. Whatever would be required to survive those coming years without inundating yourself in misery, you hope you already had it. Same went for him, though you understood what he needed even less. How would you even begin with helping a person with a problem like this?

Although Enji was full-time yours in the absence of the Todoroki family members, there were crevices and canyons in his life you would never get to understand, much less explore.

If you liked this, give it a reblog or like. I'm currently completing a Dabi one-shot and All Might one-shot.

[flauntpage]

NBA Trade Value Rankings!

If the Houston Rockets suddenly let it be known that James Harden was available for a trade, how much could they get for him? More or less than the Milwaukee Bucks could get for Giannis Antetokounmpo? What about a theoretical proposition to trade the two superstars for each other: Would the Bucks or Rockets hang up first?

This sort of hypothetical thought exercise is forever the most enjoyable and contentious way to draw someone into an entertaining conversation about the NBA. It's responsible for a string of some of the more digestible and refreshing NBA columns you'll read, and in a league that’s increasingly influenced by the collective bargaining agreement, it doubles as a useful way to look at where the sport is along with where it may be going.

Present-day skill and net impact are key components when ranking players based on their trade value, along with contract length/worth, age, injury history, and potential. (Kawhi Leonard and Jimmy Butler are top-12 players who’re easily better than several names listed below, but neither cracked the list because trading for just about anyone on the final year of his contract is too risky.)

In today’s NBA, one of the most valuable and increasingly rare commodities is certainty. Having someone under your control who you know is good can matter more than a superior talent who can either bolt or subsequently demand a massive contract sooner than later. Risk also applies to players who have health-related question marks or are teetering near the edge of a statistical fall off.

I’m sure everyone who reads this will 100-percent agree with everything that I write because that’s how the internet usually works, but before you do I should note the obvious: there’s no scientific way to parse out which factors are more valuable than others. Think of it more as a subjective attempt to rank these players outside their current team-specific roles and responsibilities, while also projecting how much they outperform their contract. In some cases, what matters is the unknown—i.e. growth potential, development, and looming decline. It allows two people who know what they’re talking about to conduct a healthy debate about whether a decorated veteran at his peak is worth more than an up-and-comer who has no ceiling.

Without further ado, let's dive into my top 15.

(Apologies to: Paul George, Devin Booker, Russell Westbrook, Damian Lillard, Jamal Murray, Bradley Beal, Gordon Hayward, Kristaps Porzingis, Draymond Green, Rudy Gobert, Clint Capela, every incoming rookie, and half a dozen more who I definitely forgot.)

15. Kevin Durant

Let’s say you’re happily married to someone you love. They’re awesome. You’re more than ready to settle down, start a family, and set forth on a new, rewarding, priceless chapter with them by your side every step of the way. Joy! Then, one day, like an irresistible wrecking ball, Rihanna slips into your DMs and asks for your number. Do you pursue, step face first into an uncertain future, knowing there are strong odds you’ll be single in a few weeks? Or do you spurn the once-in-a-million-lifetimes chance some men would literally go to prison for, even knowing you’ll forever wonder what could’ve been had you answered her question? Decisions, decisions.

Durant is about to turn 30 as an expiring free agent who’s particularly unpredictable, but sometimes a player is too damn good for anything else to matter. He is not the mysteriously hampered Kawhi Leonard or emotionally enigmatic Jimmy Butler. This is a two-time Finals MVP who eviscerates opponents for fun—potentially one of the 15 greatest players who ever lived when it’s all said and done. Durant transcends rationale, and putting him in the top ten isn’t close to crazy. If an opportunity to harness that inconceivable, league-quaking talent presents itself, then throwing it all away just for a few months of pleasure may, in some cases, be totally worth it. Life is short. Shoot your shot. Dance like nobody's watching.

14. Jaylen Brown

13. Brandon Ingram

It's hard to separate these two wings as long-term projects, even though both have discernibly different playing styles. The rookie-to-sophomore season improvement made by Ingram was breathtaking. As he focused less on scoring from beyond the arc (not the most hopeful trend, but the guy turned 21 earlier this month so we’ll cut him some slack), Ingram upped his playmaking chops and his overall efficiency despite carrying a higher offensive burden. While his frail frame seemingly obfuscates how aggressive he’s willing to be, Ingram was elite at drawing fouls last year. He’ll be one of the league’s premier bucket-getters before too soon; having him on a rookie-scale deal for the next two years before he becomes a restricted free agent makes him a lock somewhere on this list.

Players like Brown, a 21-year-old two-way wing with limitless athleticism who shot 40.2 percent from beyond the arc and successfully squeezed his game into a title contender’s infrastructure, do not grow on trees. Instead of viewing him as a role player, it may be more intuitive to highlight the glimpses of All-Star potential Brown showed last year, during an impressive season in which Boston was miles better with him on the floor.

The ability to make teammates better has yet to be seen, but opportunities to showcase that side of his game have been few and far between; any attempt would be, thus far, accurately seen as an unwanted step outside his lane. In the long-term, do not doubt Brown’s capacity to learn and execute on the fly. There’s an attractive rawness to his game, one that hints at an inevitable rise to a higher tier. At his disposal is every physical instrument needed to shine in a league that values versatility, strength, speed, and relentless dynamism.

12. Victor Oladipo

Oladipo’s ascension at the age of 25, in the first season of a reasonably-priced $21 million-per-year contract, makes him that dude. The context can’t be ignored—he was traded to an organization that crafted its entire personality around his gifts—but a vast majority of what Oladipo accomplished last year can be attributed to his own drive. He was a first-time All-Star who made third-team All-NBA, won Most Improved Player, and cracked an All-Defensive team. (Oladipo nearly doubled his steals per 36 minutes.)

He’s a franchise player, and a testament to how fast status can shift in the NBA. Two years ago, Oladipo was Westbrook’s flailing sidekick. Last year, he was part of a trade that was widely viewed as lopsided in favor of the team that sent him away. Today, the Pacers wouldn’t even think about moving Oladipo for George or Westbrook. (Not that it means all that much, but neither player is on this list.)

11. Nikola Jokic

10. Joel Embiid

9. Karl-Anthony Towns

It is impossible to rank these three without feeling like you messed up. Each stands at least seven feet tall with preternatural gifts. Each has yet to celebrate his 25th birthday. Each has recently signed a five-year contract worth between $146-190 million.

Embiid is sandwiched between two players who’re held back by defensive deficiencies, while his own proven dominance on both ends makes a first-overall finish on next year’s list conceivable. It’s exhausting to bring up his various injuries, and how badly they marred the start of his career, but it’s understandable to want more than one season of top-shelf production before vaulting him any higher. Meanwhile, Towns has yet to miss a game and possesses a near-flawless offensive repertoire. His touch is 50/40/90 accurate, which is completely unfair inside his Adonis body.

Jokic is not cut like Towns, but pairs similar shooting numbers with fantastic rebounding acumen and some of the most comically avant-garde passes you will ever see. When compared to the other two, Towns nudges past by a hair because his contract lasts one season longer and there are no options. He’s two years younger than Embiid and one year younger than Jokic, with zero health concerns and, well, if he can figure out how to rotate from the weakside, the league won't have a more dominant player.

8. Donovan Mitchell

7. Ben Simmons

6. Jayson Tatum

It’s tempting to compare Tatum with Simmons. Both will eventually (if not already) be expected to escort a historic NBA franchise to the promise land for the foreseeable future. And it's reasonable to assume their biggest obstacle will be each other.

Tatum ranks one spot ahead for a few reasons: He’s almost two years younger, has one more year on his rookie-scale contract, outplayed Simmons in last year’s playoffs (including a series in which they were matched up head-to-head for several pivotal possessions), and only one of them dunked on LeBron.

Beyond a silly and fruitless head-to-head comparison, Tatum is shaping up to be a splendid bridge between the league’s old and new school, with the toolbox of a traditional scoring champion crossed with a threatening wingspan, insatiable work ethic, and effortless three-point shot. Tatum is fearless, hungry, and already comfortable with or without the ball in his hands, in the biggest moments on the most consequential stage.

Guarding him one-on-one is already not possible. He can create space from just about any spot on the court yet also understands the need to be selfless. The fact that he’s only 20 years old, still three years away from max-contract eligibility (upon which he’ll earn as a restricted free agent), means there’s only a tiny handful of players the Celtics would move him for; all are already established as perennial top-five guys.

None of this is to take away from Simmons, who has "best player in the universe" qualities and within a few years may be the best passer on Earth. Most teams don't have anyone who can even think about guarding him. He's a 6'10" lightning bolt. But even though his coach says he won't be defined by his jump shot, Simmons will be defined by his jump shot. It's a critical glitch in an otherwise perfect game. Tatum has no such flaw.

Mitchell ranks below Tatum because of his age (22) and below both because of his size. He’s already shown an ability to thrive as the lead ball-handler on a very good playoff team—and should see his efficiency bolstered by healthy Ricky Rubio and Dante Exum sharing more responsibilities next season—with vision and flair that can best be described with the word absurd. But he doesn’t have the defensive upside Simmons or Tatum share, two huge wings who will be able to defend four or five positions by the time they reach their prime.

That said, building an elite offense around Mitchell shouldn't be too hard. He's an ideal building block, with Dunk-Contest-winning athleticism and the same contract situation as Tatum. Scary.

5. Steph Curry

This is a little self-explanatory. Curry is still a mirage. He turns 31 this year, but has revolutionary ability that may pummel Father Time in ways we haven’t seen before. So much of his game is about finesse and expertise, panic-inducing movement that can’t really be game-planned to stop.

Curry is the NBA’s highest-paid player—deservedly so, being that this era will ultimately be defined by his three-point shot—but the value of having him under contract for the next four years, without a player option, may outweigh the $166.4 million he’s still due (especially under a salary cap that’s expected to reach $118 million by 2021).

Age combined with frequent health issues knock Curry down to five, even though, sentimental weight aside, it’s hard to imagine Golden State exchanging him for anybody in the world.

4. Anthony Davis

It’s reasonable to believe that Davis can be the world’s best player before he turns 26, and then hold onto that spot for (at least) half a decade. His peak is a hazy dunk-everything/block-everything-else nightmare that, when mixed with a legitimate three-point shot, perimeter skills, and consistent Defensive Player of the Year intangibles, may permanently position him above everyone else.

Why he’s not number one? Only two more seasons remain before the most anticipated free agency decision since Durant supplemented a dynasty in Northern California. (Semi-related: On his current contract, Davis will earn less money than Otto Porter.) He recently hired Rich Paul as his agent, too. That may not be a great sign for 29 teams.

3. Giannis Antetokounmpo

Giannis has stopped growing, but would you even blink if someone told you he still is? There are priceless advantages in his game, with a body that was designed to dominate. He’s almost exactly ten years younger than LeBron (23 freaking years old!) and under contract for the next three seasons, scheduled to make the same amount of money as Steven Adams.

I don’t think Giannis will be one of the three best players in the league next season, but a(nother) breakout is possible, if not likely. And even though he’ll be an unrestricted free agent in 2021, having Bird Rights for a player who’s still improving and will be worth every penny on his next deal assuages some worry from the situation. Unlike the two players ranked ahead of him, age-related decay is out of the question. He ranks below them because his jump shot is technically still a legitimate question mark, and it’s impossible to crown someone who’s yet to win a playoff series.

Then again, do the Bucks move him for anybody in the league? Probably not.

2. James Harden

In the first draft of this article I had Harden at number one. Coming off his first MVP season, he just turned 29 and is under contract for the next four seasons (with a $46.8 million player option in 2023). He’s one of the NBA’s best scorers, passers, and ball-handlers, with timeless strength and a skill-set that succinctly meshes with the league’s modern aesthetic.

His attack leans on traits that should age well through his current deal, and meaningful decline may not be visible for another few years. The dollars are massive, but, even with logic that applies to just about any team that has an MVP candidate in his prime, it’s so hard to imagine a scenario where the Rockets trade Harden before his pact expires. He doesn't have the defensive impact like Davis or Giannis, but his overall impact is powerful enough to lift a team to championship contention, so long as certain pieces are around to help out.

Will Harden be better than Giannis three years from now? Probably not. But it may not be so clear, and I'd like to think that not having to worry about Harden's free agency for an additional year matters, though it's clearly fluid at the top.

1. LeBron James

There’s only one LeBron. Even though he turns 34 in December, him finally locking into a contract that’s longer than one season makes him the most important and reliable foundational piece in basketball. Still!

His invincible armor will eventually chip away, but nobody knows when exactly that day will happen. If it’s four years from now instead of three, having the best player alive on your team until then virtually guarantees success, relevancy, and unparalleled attention. And even when James isn’t unanimously viewed as the best of the best, watching him navigate life as a second fiddle in search of more championship rings will be fascinating, especially if he's at a point in his career where he's willing to take a pay cut.

What he did during last year’s postseason was poised virtuosity, with the second-highest usage rate of his career, averaging an insane 34 points per game and competing one-on-five in a Finals that could’ve been more competitive had his epic 51-point, 8-rebound, 8-assist Game 1 ended with a questionable call going the other way, or George Hill making a free throw, or J.R. Smith knowing where he was. This man is rewriting the rules as he goes along, physics, history, and logic be damned.

There’s still no player in the league any team would keep off the table if the Lakers called with an offer. Which they would never do. Because we’re talking about LeBron.

NBA Trade Value Rankings! published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/