#detective mahoney

[peterman-spideyparker]

Uneasy (Matt Murdock x Reader)

Author’s Note: I had this idea and have been going back and forth on if I should post it. I hate doing angst with Matt just because he’s gone through so much, but at the same time, I don’t want this sadness just sitting in my fic folder. Sorry in advance.

Summary: Matt could tell something was off, but he wasn’t prepared for the answer to his suspicion.

Warnings: Angst, death

Other Characters: Foggy Nelson, Karen Page, Brett Mahoney

Word Count: 410

Gif credits to @jessicajones616 —thank you for giving me permission to use the gif, dear!

Matt could tell there was something off from when he was walking through the city to work in the morning. Something in the sounds of the city was off. If he hadn’t been so used to the regularity—or rather the irregularity of it all, he wouldn’t have picked up on it. He did his best to focus while at work, but the unsettling—and frankly, awful—feeling he had since he woke up continued to grow. 

Foggy and him are pouring over case files in the conference room when Karen knocks on the doorframe. 

“Matt,” she says. “It’s Brett. He wants to talk to you in your office.” The slight waver in her voice and quickened pace of her heart tells him something is wrong. All Matt can tell is that Karen has this feeling, too, but is in the dark about the information. 

“Yeah,” Matt nods, grabbing his cane, greeting Brett with a handshake before they make their way over to where Matt hangs his diploma, closing the door behind them. “What can I do for you, Detective?”

“I’m afraid I have some bad news, Matt,” he says swallowing hard. “There’s, uh, no easy way to tell you this. (Y/N) was involved in an accident early this morning. A car ran a red light and almost hit a child that ran off from their parents. She rushed out and saved the child but, she got hit in return. She sustained a lot of internal bleeding, and the doctors worked on her all day, but . . . she died fifteen minutes ago in the OR.”

Matt feels as if all his senses went numb. It can’t be true. It simply can’t be true.

But he can hear the beat of Brett’s heart. He’s not lying.

You’re dead.

The blood is pounding so hard in Matt’s ears he barely hears Brett utter his condolences before he leaves, closing the door as he does so.

Hot tears sting at Matt’s eyes as rage and grief boils his blood and he pushes everything off of his desk in a fury. Tears begin to rush down his face as he falls to his knees and cries.

He should have asked you to stay last night. 

He should have visited you this morning.

He should have called you as he walked to the office.

Now, the ring in his breast pocket meant for that special finger on your left hand lies like lead against his chest.

Permanent Taglist: @majesticavenger​​​​​​​​​ @steampowerednightvaler​​​​​​​​​​ @themusingsofmany​​​​​​​​​​ @just-the-hiddles​​​​​​​​​​ @toozmanykids​​​​​​​ @dangertoozmanykids101​​​​​​ @clints-worldavengers

#matt murdock #matt murdock angst #matt murdock x you #matt murdock x reader #matt murdock x reader angst #matt murdock fanfic #matt murdock fanfiction #marvel #daredevil #daredevil angst #daredevil fanfic #daredevil fanfiction #tw: death #tw: car accident

[hypnoticvamp]

Jamie Rose as Detective Katy Mahoney

Lady Blue (1985)

#aesthetic #80s #1985 #lady blue #jamie rose #katy mahoney #chicago

[a-bang-for-your-bucky]

The Devil Between Us

Chapter 5: Where Were You?

read GHOST here.

Warnings: ANGST, so much angst, miscarriage, medical tests, mentions of D&C, explicit language, emotional distress.

A/N: This chapter was hard to write, but I'm so glad I did. It was so cathartic for me, and I'm sorry if it wasn't where you guys wanted this to go. I also apologize about Matt. I'm a firm believer that Matt Murdock would be ecstatic about having a kid, but this is season 2 Matt, when all he cared about was being Daredevil. With that being said, I hope you don't hate me after this. <3 Thank you @acrossthesestars for beta-ing. You are the best!

You were sitting in the aftermath of the shootout in Senator Ori’s hotel room. Detective Sergeant Brett Mahoney was going through your statement, combing through each and every word of what you remembered. He knew you helped Castle escape, but couldn’t do anything about it, not while New York was painting Frank as a terrorist, saying that he was working with Lewis Wilson. 

“It’s funny how you and Castle keep crossing paths. What was he even doing here?” Brett asked. 

You shook your head, “I think he was looking out for me. Sergeant, you and I both know Frank Castle isn’t a terrorist.” You were absolutely sure about that. You listened as Brett tried, and failed, to put together a picture of what happened. A cramp had your face scrunching up in pain, your breath a sharp exhale as you breathed through the sudden pain. I shouldn’t be cramping, you thought. You knew immediately that something was wrong, your hand flying to your belly. “Brett-” you gasped as another spasm had you doubling over. “I think I need a doctor.” The officer rushed over to you. Looking down, you saw blood seep through the seam of your pants. “Brett, I’m serious. I think– I think I’m losing my baby.” 

“You’re pregnant?!” He shouted the question, calling for a medic over his radio and reaching for your hand. He tried to comfort you as uncontrollable sobs clawed their way up your throat. What were you doing? You had put the life of your child at risk to follow up on a story. 

“I– I– I wasn’t– I didn’t– I didn’t expect to be held hostage.” You stuttered as you wept, holding your stomach as if your touch would magically stop this from happening, as if your own two hands could keep your world from falling apart. A medic entered the room with a gurney and helped you onto the stretcher, strapping you in. Brett wished you well as they rolled you out of the room, but he didn't follow.

The emt's asked you a million questions. How far along? What happened while you were in the hotel? Has this ever happened before? Is there anyone you can call to be there for you? You only had so many answers. The hospital ran test after test. Urine, blood work, ultrasounds. Every single one pointed to one thing. You were losing your baby - Matt’s baby. 

You called Matt over and over. Each call went straight to voicemail. Eventually you gave up and called Karen who showed up at the hospital almost immediately. Foggy wasn’t far behind her. It was nice having them there, but it didn't help to ease the bone deep ache of loneliness that had settled over you. The one person you needed, the only person you wanted, was nowhere to be found. Karen and Foggy both tried calling him, but still no answer. 

The doctor came in to speak with you. Karen pulled a protective Foggy out of the room to give you your privacy. Your levels of hcG were slowly depleting, he said stiffly, and they were just waiting to see if you would need a D&C. It was all so clinical, so matter of fact. You barely had time to grasp the fact that you lost your child and that Matt was AWOL. You tried calling him one more time before they wheeled you to your overnight room. 

“Hi, you’ve reached Matt Murdock. Please leave a message.” Beep. 

“It’s me. Again. I don’t know where you are or if you’re even alive.” You sniffled, “But I could really use you right now. Um, something happened today. I was– Fuck, I was doing an onsite interview. There was a bomb.” You let out a choked sob, “I was taken hostage, Matt. I don’t want to leave this on your voicemail. Answer your phone, asshole.” You hung up the phone, tossing it at the foot of your bed with a frustrated scream. 

A nurse came in with some paperwork for you to sign before they could move you. She took the papers after you scribbled your signature, telling you it wouldn’t be too much longer. Her face was kind and her eyes were sad and it took everything you had not to scream at her, at the injustice of it all. You just laid on the hard hospital bed, staring at the white walls. One more time. You told yourself as you reached for your cell. One more time. If he doesn’t answer, I leave it on a voicemail.

One ring. Two rings. Three. 

“Hi, you’ve reached Matt Murdock. Please leave a message.”

The air decompressed, and the hospital doors opened with a hiss. Hurriedly, Matt, still bruised from his fight the night before, used his cane to make his way to the front desk. The nurse looked up at Matt, seeing the contusion on his face. "Do you need help sir?" 

Matt shook his head fervently. "No. No. My girl– my girlfriend. She came in for a possible– shit. Sorry. A miscarriage." Matt stammered over his words. He gave them your name and then his. 

"I'm sorry, Mr. Murdock. You aren't listed on her paperwork. I can't tell you anything." Matt ran a hand down his face, before thanking the nurse. 

He whipped out his phone as he walked away from the desk. He called Karen, knowing she would know where you were. She picked up after the first ring. "Where the hell are you, Matt? We've been calling–"

"Where is she? I'm at the hospital but they won't tell me anything. Where is she, Karen?" Matt cut her off, begging for answers. 

Karen scoffed on the other end. "She doesn't want to see you. She needed you, and you were off God knows where, doing God knows what." Karen didn't get angry often, she was the more understanding one of the bunch. "I held her hand though, Matt. So at least she wasn't alone." Click. 

He cursed under his breath. "Excuse me," he turned and said to the nurse. "Can you at least tell me if she's here? I'm the– I was the father." A sad smile crossed the nurse's face. 

"She was discharged a few hours ago." The nurse whispered. Matt's lip quivered as he thanked her. He exited the hospital slowly, before tossing his cane haphazardly. Taking off at a sprint, Matt made his way to your apartment. 

You were curled up on your couch, drowning in the silence. The doctor told you the pain would subside over the next few days. What they didn't tell you was how you'd feel so empty, so broken, so lost. Ellison made sure you took substantial time off work, ensuring you'd have a job when you felt ready to return. 

There was a knock at your door. You ignored it, like you had many others before. Then you heard him, "It's me. Please, let me in." Matt's voice filtered through the thick wood of your door. You rolled over on the couch. "I know you're there. I can hear your heartbeat. Please." His soft begging pulled at you, sinking claws into your chest, urging you to open the door. 

Slowly you rose, your legs feeling like concrete. Undoing every lock on your door, you opened it. A very distraught Matt rushed in, pulling you into his arms. 

"Get off me" You mumbled, pushing him away. He released you instantly, stepping back. "What are you doing here?" You said, more hateful than you intended.

Matt listened as you shuffled around, placing yourself back on your couch. "I went to the hospital–"

"I was discharged this afternoon. They kept me overnight." You snapped at him. He came to sit next to you. 

"I should have been there. I should have– Fuck, I am so sorry." The pain on his face told you he was sincere. "What were you doing in that hotel?" He asked, worry thickly laced in his voice. 

There it was; the inevitability of blaming you, the accusation that this was your fault. It was your job to provide a safe place for your baby to grow, and you failed. "I was working, Matt. It was an onsite interview. I didn't expect to be held hostage and almost blown up." You were despondent, cold. “I would be dead, too, if it weren’t for Frank. As if you even care.” 

“Castle? The Punisher?” You could hear the disbelief in his voice. “Only you would get caught in the middle of his bullshit.” Matt huffed, annoyed. 

You scoffed at his words. “At least he was there for me.” A low blow. One you felt Matt deserved. “Where were you, huh? Where were you when I called? When Karen or Foggy called? When I was–” You gasped for a breath, “Where the fuck were you, Matt? When I was losing our baby?!” You exploded, tossing one of your couch pillows across the room, knocking a picture off the wall. 

Matt flinched as the glass shattered, hearing the anger, the hurt, the disappointment. He reached for you, wanting to console you, wanting to grieve with you. You slapped his arm away. “Where. Were. You.” You asked again, pausing between each word. 

Matt sighed deeply. “I was fighting. I was with Elektra. We were–”

“Get out.” You cut him off, not wanting to hear anything else he had to say. It wouldn’t change anything. At the end of the day, you still lost your baby. You still lost Matt. 

He ran a hand down his face, wiping away tears. “Please, just let me explain.” 

You stood, pointing toward your door. “Get out. I have my answers, Matt. I was having a miscarriage and you were off fucking your ex. Now leave.” You said through gritted teeth, trying to hide the hurt in your voice.

Matt stood, walking slowly toward your door. He could hear the teardrops falling off your lashes, catching in the fabric of your shirt and hitting the floor. How did it come to this? All he wanted was to make Hell's Kitchen a safer place. He never wanted to hurt you. He never wanted to make you cry. He loved you. He loved you more than anything. Except he didn't, did he? He chose to be Daredevil. He chose to chip away at Matt Murdock until the only thing left was the man in the mask. He closed your door behind him. He heard you get up and flip the locks into place. Then he heard the sobs.

He slid down your door until his ass hit the floor. He listened to your cries, your struggle to  breathe in-between. His heart shattered when he heard you whisper "I'm sorry" over and over, like this was your fault. That's how he made you feel. He did this to you. With a heave, Matt willed himself away from your door and away from you before he caused you any more pain.

A/N: I'm so sorry.

tags:

@mylifeisactuallyamess

@shakespeareanwannabe

@writeroutoftime

@aleksisok

@afuckingshituniverse

@sofphe

@hellskitchens-whore

@accountdeletedpleasedisregard

@two-unbeatable-beaters

@starry-night-20

@toomanystoriessolittletime

@inpraizeof

@myownwutheringheights

@bugwritesstuff

@morganflo

@v0idl1nq

@marrigold-2002

@mrbillymontgomery

#matt murdock x fem!reader #matt murdock x reader #matt murdock x you #daredevil x female reader #daredevil x reader #matt murdock angst #matt murdock smut #daredevil smut #daredevil angst #kat writes

[waywardxrhea]

Chapter 7 - Walls

What happens when you lie to the Devil? How long can one woman keep a lifetime of secrets from the Devil of Hell's Kitchen? The answer may surprise you...

installment list

pairing: Matt Murdock x enhanced!fem!OC

series content: coffee shop AU, fluff, humor, friends to lovers, pining, language, canon typical violence, angst, drinking, implied smut, medical emergencies, mental health disorders (PTSD, panic disorder), implied smut.

"i'm gonna break down these walls i built around myself. i wanna fall so in love with you and no one else could ever mean half as much to me as you do now. together we'll move on, just don't turn around. let the walls break down." - walls, all time low

word count: 4.7k

Some walls between Crystal and Matt come crashing down.

The next night couldn’t have been more different from karaoke at Stardust. That’s because that evening, Crystal found herself with Daredevil crouched in what remained of the same tunnel system that collapsed weeks before. “So you think that he’s actually here? The man in charge?” she whispered as Daredevil listened into what was happening up above them in the building that seemed to be where all of the tunnels originated from.��

“Yes, I know it,” he told her. “I’ve heard three men address him by name. So unless my intel is wrong about who he is, then I’m sure.”

“So then what’s the plan? Surely they’re armed to the teeth in there, you can’t just go in and get their boss without taking some fire, and no offense, but that shirt isn’t exactly bulletproof…” Crystal told him.

Daredevil scoffed humorously before saying, “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were concerned about me.”

“And if I am?” she asked. “I will admit that I’ve…enjoyed these last few weeks working together.” 

“Surprisingly I have too,” he admitted. His tone turned serious again as he said, “The plan is to have you put up stone walls between Ranklin and his men. Then you’ll open up a spot where I can get in to take him out. From there we’ll use the tunnels to get him out of here and to the precinct. Detective Mahoney knows the plan and will be waiting for me.”

“He knows-?” Crystal started to ask, her heart rate and fear spiking at the words. 

“Not about you, about me bringing him in,” Daredevil clarified quickly. 

His ear turned upward toward the building and he whispered, “It’s time. He’s in the hall directly above us.” He listened for a few more seconds before telling her, “He’s got men on either side of him. Put up a wall here and…here, that should separate them.”

“Got it,” she told him, creating steps on the stone so she could reach her arms to either place at the same time. 

“Now!” 

On queue, Crystal slammed her fists up into the stone causing walls to build up into the hallway above and chaos to ensue as the man in charge was boxed in. Working quickly, she also created a hole in the space that Daredevil pulled Ranklin down through before dealing a blow to his temple. The man crumbled to the ground and Crystal resealed the hole above them. 

“I’m impressed,” she told him with a brief slow clap at how efficiently he got the job done. “You should get moving though before his men figure out what’s going on. I’ll meet you after you take him in.”

“You sure you still don’t want to be involved in this? It may be better to get ahead of the press before they run a story you don’t want them telling,” Daredevil told her as he hiked the man onto his shoulders. 

“I’m sure,” she told him before creating an opening for him down the way and going in the opposite direction to throw off any reporters that may have been lurking in the area.

Crystal waited for a few minutes after Daredevil turned over custody of the man to Mahoney before using her powers to scale up to the top of the building she saw him on top of. As she landed a little roughly on her feet, she staggered when her heart gave an irregular stutter before going into overdrive once again. 

She tried to get to her feet, but when she did, she got light-headed and began falling backwards toward the edge of the building. Before she could tumble off though, Daredevil was quickly by her side, pulling her into his strong arms before helping her to a nearby AC unit to lean against.

“Your heart…” he mumbled, placing his fingers on her carotid to assess her pulse. Crystal tried to control her breathing in order to slow down her heart, but was unsuccessful and she began to lose focus of her surroundings. “I need to get you to a hospital…” he mumbled, lifting her into his arms carefully. 

With black threatening to engulf her vision any second and panic beginning to set in at the severity of the episode, Crystal dropped her American accent without thinking and told him in her usual one, “No, no hospital, please…” After she said this, Crystal could have sworn she saw Daredevil’s lips part open in shock and heard him whisper her name under his breath, but wasn’t sure as black engulfed her vision and she lost consciousness. 

For what felt like mere moments, Crystal blacked out, only to come to in a living space she had never seen before. As her eyes fluttered open she was met with the bright light of a billboard shining through the large windows of the living space. “Where the-?” she whispered to herself, her heart kicking up in anxiety once more. As she whispered that she also realized that she was no longer wearing her balaclava or hat and began frantically reaching around the couch she found herself on to find them. 

“You’re safe,” came the voice of Daredevil from behind her, interrupting her search for the two pieces of clothing that hid her identity. What gave her a bigger shock than waking up in a stranger’s flat though was when she turned to look at Daredevil and saw him pull off his mask before saying again, “You’re safe Crystal.” It was Matt. 

“You, you’re, I-” Crystal stuttered out as shock continued to fill her body at the revelation. Matt Murdock was Daredevil? 

“Hey, hey, hey, it’s okay, breathe,” he whispered as he skillfully navigated his way to sit beside her on the leather couch, running a hand up and down her back to try and calm her down. Once her breathing and heart rate were back to normal, Matt asked, “Are you okay?”

Crystal scoffed before saying, “I mean okay is a relative term… I’d say shock is the best way to describe what I’m feeling right now.”

“And that’s completely understandable,” he told her. “Can I grab you some water? Let you think for a minute before we…address everything?”

“Oh, sure…” she whispered, feeling like she was having an out of body experience. After he returned and she drank nearly half the cup of water, she finally found her words, asking, “Okay, I mean absolutely no offense by this, but how…?” She trailed off at the end, unsure of how to finish her thought.

“How can I do what I do as Daredevil if I’m blind?” Matt asked with a quiet laugh. 

“Yeah, that…” Crystal mumbled. She hesitated for a moment before asking quietly, “Are…are you actually…?”

“Blind? Yeah,” Matt replied, a huff of air leaving his nose. He leaned back onto the couch as he told her, “When I was nine I was involved in an accident that resulted in losing my sight. From that moment on though, all my other senses were heightened. I was trained how to use them to my advantage and now…”

“Now you’re essentially a crime fighting ninja…” Crystal said with a quiet laugh. 

“If that’s how you see what I do, then yes,” Matt replied, a smile tugging on his lips at the joke. “When it first happened I was like you in thinking that because I was given such a gift, God chose to punish me by taking away my sense of sight.”

Crystal nodded and was quiet for a moment before saying, “Right before I…I passed out, I heard you say my name. How did you know it was me?”

“I suspected for a while, but when your heart started acting up that’s when I knew,” he admitted. “The accent always threw me off when I started thinking about it too much though,” he added with a shrug. 

She laughed before admitting, “The accent was something I did in an absolute panic when you cornered me for the first time.” 

Matt laughed and told her, “See, I thought I could tell that when you spoke it wasn’t your normal, but I just thought maybe you were pitching up or down, not using a whole different accent…”

Crystal shrugged a bit before asking, “So when we first worked together, you said you could hear the police officers’ hearts and that’s how you knew they were there. So when I have an episode…?”

“I can hear it, yeah. And it’s terrifying to me. I can't imagine how it is for you…” he said. “When it happened at Stardust I had to pretend that I couldn’t hear the decreasing amount of blood getting to your brain and the rest of your heart and I… I just froze because I was terrified of what could have happened if it didn’t get under control.”

“I’m sorry for putting you through that, I-” she tried to say but was stopped by Matt putting his hand up to stop her. 

“Don’t apologize for something that’s completely out of your control,” he told her, taking her hand in his and rubbing circles over the back of it. “Why don’t you get it fixed? Once you told me what it was I… I kinda looked into it and it’s treatable, so why don’t you?”

“Oh, uh… I mean health insurance at Stardust isn’t the best and all…” she mumbled quietly. 

Matt’s gaze landed on her heart for a few moments before saying, “That isn’t the whole truth.”

“H-how…?” 

“I’m a really good lawyer,” Matt said, a wide smile making its way onto his face at his own joke. “But really, I can tell when people lie by listening to their heart. Well…most of the time. You seem to be the one person I have a hard time reading sometimes.”

“Because of the stutters in my heart,” Crystal said, nodding her head in realization. 

“Exactly. It’s like a puzzle trying to solve you some days and I have to admit it’s my favorite pastime,” Matt said, subtly moving closer to her on the leather couch. 

Crystal’s heart began to pound inside her chest as Matt’s fingers ghosted their way from her jaw to right above her heart. She finally dared to glance up at Matt's face, framed by his tousled hair and then at his hazel eyes that she had never seen without his red lenses. He was a sight to be seen, that's for sure... She glanced down to where Matt’s hand rested then looked up to admire his handsome face again, before whispering, “Is it now?” breathlessly, the words barely audible to her own ears as she said them. She felt as though her breath was coming in even shallower now the closer he got to her. 

Matt nodded and told her, “The sounds your body makes are…unique. Your heartbeat is one of the most distinct ones I’ve ever heard. And your accent, God your accent is so beautiful.” His fingers began making their way back up to her jaw, then stopped right beside her lips and he added, “And that damn lip gloss you wear. You always match it to your perfume and some days it’s so intoxicating that I just want to…” His words trailed off as he moved to rest his forehead on hers, asking, “Can I kiss you?”

“Please,” she whispered, the word almost sounding desperate as she said it. 

And just like that, Matt gently pressed his lips to Crystal's, his hand drifting to the back of her neck to hold her in place, seemingly not wanting the kiss to end. After only a few moments though Crystal pulled away gently yet abruptly. This swift motion seemed to shock Matt, the emotion audible in his voice as he said, “I-I’m sorry, did I do something wrong?” 

Crystal sighed quietly, digging her nails into her thighs as she whispered, "No, I just...” She let out a rough breath before finishing, “Bad things tend to happen to people I care about. I… I don't want something to happen to you."

In response, Matt coaxed her hand into his and squeezed gently before telling her, "I've had the same outlook for years, but... You can't give into the fear. If you do then you'll always regret what could have been."

After thinking over his words for a few moments, Crystal nodded and said, “I’m tired of being afraid…” before leaning back in for a proper kiss. 

With her panicked thoughts pushed aside now, Crystal sank into the kiss, a feeling of complete bliss filling her body as her lips danced with his, never wanting the moment to end. The kiss ended all too quickly though as Matt pulled away a few moments later, resting his forehead against hers once again as he let out a satisfied sigh, whispering, “I’ve wanted to do that for so long…”

“Me too…” she said with a quiet laugh, leaning in once more for a quick kiss. “God, I could kiss you all night…”

“How about Friday night after I take you on a date?” Matt asked, placing a kiss to her cheek this time. 

“That was smooth, Murdock,” Crystal told him with a laugh. “But yes, I think I would quite enjoy that.”

“Then a date it is. Friday evening at the Thai place down the road from Stardust?” Matt asked. 

An excited gasp left Crystal’s lips as she gushed, “That’s my favorite restaurant! How did you-?” She stopped in the middle of her sentence, a realization dawning on her as she asked, “Wait you knew didn’t you? You’ve heard me talk about it before haven’t you?”

“Guilty as charged,” he confessed, scratching the back of his neck. 

“Wait…so if you’ve heard me talking about that with Raeyes then…” She groaned as she put her face in her hands, heat rising into her cheeks at the many thoughts racing around her head. 

“You’re blushing,” Matt said, the smirk evident in his voice. 

“And you know that too… God how many embarrassing things have you heard me say or do?” She gasped as she said, “You totally knew when I was blushing when you flirted with me!”

“Yes, and I think it’s adorable,” he told her, that charming smile once again gracing his lips. 

“Embarrassing more like…” she mumbled into her hands as she shook her head. 

“I think the way your body reacts to me is very attractive. Don’t let that mind of yours think otherwise,” he told her.

Crystal laughed before saying, “This is going to take some getting used to…”

Friday night rolled around and Crystal was just finishing up getting ready for her date with Matt with Raeyes’s help. As Raeyes curled Crystal’s hair, she said excitedly, “I can’t believe you’re finally going on this date! How excited are you? Because I know that I’m excited for you!”

Crystal laughed nervously before replying, “I’m actually quite nervous…”

“No, no, no, no nerves, turn that energy into excitement! It’s your first first date in like…four years! These are exciting times!” Raeyes told her as she fluffed out the curls in Crystal’s hair. Raeyes rested her hands on Crystal’s shoulders and said with a devious smile, “Et voila! Your hair is perfect, but by the end of the night I expect it to be absolutely ruined!”

“Rae!” Crystal gasped in shock at the lewd comment. 

“I’m just saying! A man that fine has got to be great in bed and I expect that my work of art is going to be destroyed!” Raeyes teased once again as Crystal stood up from the dining chair to lightly punch her roommate in the shoulder. 

Heat instantly flooded Crystal’s face as she heard a knock at the door to their flat indicating that Matt was in the hall, presumably listening to the entire exchange. Raeyes let out a squeal of excitement and shoved Crystal’s purse into her hands before hugging her and saying, “Have a good night, make good choices, I don’t want to see you again ‘til tomorrow!”

Crystal couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her lips at the words before she took a deep breath and headed toward the door to greet Matt. When she opened it, Crystal was immediately met with Matt’s charming smile as he greeted her, taking her hand and placing a kiss atop it. 

“So she doesn’t want to see you til tomorrow huh?” Matt asked in a sly tone as they walked together toward the lift, his hand wrapped around her bicep rather than using his cane, even though at this point Crystal now guessed that it was just for show anyway.

“How much of that did you hear?” Crystal asked, her eyes scrunching closed in embarrassment at the question. 

“For transparency’s sake, the whole thing,” he replied with a laugh as they stepped into the lift. 

“I am so sorry about her, she’s just…excited for me,” Crystal said with a playful roll of her eyes.

“And what about you? I can’t help but pick up on some nerves and making you uncomfortable is the last thing I want to do right now.” He ran his hand over the soft fabric of her dress as it made its way to her hip before telling her, “I may have bought some of that rosé you like so much with the intent of bringing you back to my place tonight so…”

“It shouldn’t be legal to be this suave…” Crystal told him, a smile breaking out onto her face at the prospect. 

“There is in fact no law against it,” Matt said as the lift door opened and they exited. 

“Oh right, Mr. Top Honors in law school,” Crystal joked. 

Her tone turned serious though as she took a deep breath and said, “Well if we’re being transparent here, then we might as well get the awkward part out of the way yeah?”

“If you’re okay with sharing,” Matt told her. 

“Well, better to say it now while we’re still in the building in case you…change your mind about this date…” Crystal said, slowing down their pace as they approached the doors. Deciding it would be best to just rip the band-aid off, she found herself rambling, telling Matt, “Well considering that you said you heard everything Raeyes said in the flat, you heard that it’s been a long time since I’ve been on a first date and I certainly haven’t even thought about it since I moved here. That’s because my…my last partner passed away and until now I haven’t been able to convince myself that I’m ready to date again… I mean don’t get me wrong, I am absolutely enamored with you and I want to be here, I just wanted you to know in case that’s kinda, I dunno… a-”

“Crystal, Crystal,” Matt said, running his hand down her arm and grabbing her hand, signalling her to stop. 

“Sorry, I, uh… God I keep mucking this up, don’t I?” she asked, pinching the bridge of her nose as she sighed in defeat. When she opened her eyes she saw a broad smile on Matt’s face, something he tended to do when she used a particularly British term around him. She laughed incredulously before asking, “This isn’t completely awkward and a turn off for you?”

“No, it’s not. Your rambling is actually endearing and you’re sharing things that need to be known going forward. I appreciate that,” he told her, taking her hands in his. “Now, I would still love for this date to happen, but if you’re not ready we don’t have to. Having someone you love die is one of the worst feelings and I understand if you aren’t ready.”

“How do you always know the bloody right thing to say Murdock?” Crystal asked, her gaze finally returning to his face which was filled with sincerity. 

“I do persuade people to do the right thing for a living,” Matt said with a shrug. “So, would you like to try again another time or would you like to continue?”

“I would love to see where this goes…” she told him, feeling a light blush on her cheeks as she smiled at him.

“Me too,” he said as they turned and continued making their way to the Thai restaurant. 

Once they made it to the restaurant and began chatting, Crystal began to feel her nerves drifting away the more Matt made her laugh and the more he continued to flirt with her. 

When they got their food, Crystal asked, “So do you have any family here in Hell’s Kitchen?”

Matt briefly raised his eyebrows and let out a quiet laugh before saying, “Believe it or not, I just found out who my mother is last year.”

“Oh?” Crystal asked curiously.

“Yeah. My dad was a boxer and he raised me by himself until he got killed because he won a match he wasn’t supposed to. After that I went to St. Agnes, the orphanage run by Clinton Church, and was raised by the nuns there. Turns out one of those nuns is my mother. Found that out rather unceremoniously, but…we’ve been working on our relationship.”

“Oh wow, that’s… I’m sorry about your dad, Matt…” Crystal whispered, a hand covering her mouth in slight shock. 

“Thank you. It’s been a lifetime of trying, but I’m trying to accept that maybe everything does happen for a reason,” he told her with a small smile on his lips. After a bite of food, he asked, “What about you? Any family back in London?”

“Blood relatives, yes. Would I consider us family, no,” she told him with a shrug. “Mum died just a couple months before I left and I’m dead to my father and brother.”

“I’m so sorry to hear about your mom,” he said with a nod, taking her hand across the table and squeezing it comfortingly. Using a brighter tone, he asked, “You have a brother? I don’t think you’ve ever mentioned him.”

“Twin brother actually, he uh…he sorta hates me. I mean, I get it, when you have a twin sister who can do what I do and you can’t you tend to get jealous.” She scoffed and added, “Mum was really the only person who kept us from killing each other, and once she was gone he and father turned hateful. That’s one of the reasons I’m here.”

“Well whatever the circumstances, I’m glad you’re here,” Matt told her. “For me, Foggy’s the closest thing I have to a brother. Since we met at Columbia his family’s treated me like their own. We only tend to nearly kill each other occasionally.”

“With you, I have no doubt you mean that literally,” Crystal said with a laugh. 

“Guilty as charged,” he said. 

When there was a lull in the conversation a few minutes later, Crystal asked, “What’s your favorite candy?”

After a few moments of silence, Matt finally replied, “Well, because of…certain aspects of my senses, I tend to like organic dark chocolates. The less processing something has the better. What about you?”

“Well this is something that has changed since I came here, but… I’ve got the biggest sweet tooth for strawberry mentos. Raeyes says I have an obsession, which I think is an overstatement, but…”

“But you also had several when you were getting ready for tonight,” Matt said, a playful smirk on his lips. 

“How did you-” she started to say but then laughed, saying, “Right. Nevermind. Still gotta get used to that.”

“It took Foggy and Karen a while to get used to it as well.”

Crystal raised an eyebrow before asking, “Oh so Foggy and Karen know about…?”

He nodded, saying, “Foggy found out himself and I ended up telling Karen.” 

“Does Marci?” 

“No. And we intend on keeping it that way. The more people who know, the harder it is to keep them and myself safe,” he said. He took a sip from his drink before asking, “Does Raeyes know about you?”

Crystal nodded, telling him, “I told her that first night we worked together.” She laughed before admitting, “At first she thought I was going out to hook up with you actually. I thought about telling her I was but then I felt like she would start prying when you visited the shop. Turns out I was with you just…not in that way.”

“So you have thought about shagging me?” he asked, a shit-eating grin on his face as a furious blush made its way onto Crystal’s cheeks. 

Crystal fumbled over her words for a few seconds before finally settling on, “I plead the fifth."

“Fair enough,” Matt said, seemingly unable to stop grinning at her reaction to his comment. 

Before he could offer anything more up in the conversation, the server came over to their table and asked, “Anything else I can get for you two tonight? Dessert maybe?”

“Just the check, thank you,” Matt told her with a warm smile. As she walked away, he told Crystal, “I forgot to mention I bought ingredients to make brownies to go with the wine when we get back to my place.”

“You really know the way to a girl’s heart, don’t you?” Crystal asked, feeling a warmth rise in her chest at all of the gestures Matt had made throughout the night already. 

“I’m honestly grasping for straws here,” he told her with a laugh. 

“Well you’re doing a bang up job,” she replied. 

“And I intend on continuing that back at my place,” he said, sending her a wink behind his red lenses. 

The next morning, Crystal’s eyes fluttered open as light began filtering through the curtains in Matt’s bedroom. “Good morning, beautiful,” Matt’s groggy voice said as he tightened his hold around her. 

“Good morning, handsome,” she mumbled back, lazily running her fingers over his toned abdominal muscles. As she snuggled her body closer to Matt, she asked, “Want me to make breakfast? I’ve got a brilliant quiche recipe.”

“You know, most women I’ve ever had over don’t offer to cook the next morning,” Matt told her with a chuckle, running his hand over her bare skin, a chill following in its wake. 

“Yes, well, I thought we established that I’m not like most other women you’ve dated,” she told him with a quiet laugh. She turned her face toward his, kissing his jaw before telling him, “Now I’m going to go make breakfast before we get distracted with part two of last night.”

“I wouldn’t mind skipping breakfast for that,” Matt told her before kissing the top of her head and pulling her body on top of his. 

“You’re making this really hard, Murdock,” Crystal said with a giggle. “But you thoroughly wore me out last night and now I’m starving, so food is a must.”

“I’ll just wear you out again after,” Matt told her playfully as he let her get up from the bed, offering her a shirt from his dresser. Crystal pulled on the shirt and her knickers before quietly padding into the kitchen to begin cooking breakfast. 

As they ate breakfast together soon after, Matt placed his fork on the table before saying, “Okay, I can’t try to ignore it anymore. Is everything okay? You’ve been acting almost…cautious this morning and you didn’t sing while you cooked like you usually do. Did…did I do something wrong? Was I too-?”

“No, no, no, you were perfect! It’s nothing you did, I promise,” Crystal blurted out, stopping him before he could try and blame himself for her behavior. She scratched the back of her neck before admitting, “I just started overthinking is all… It’s just…knowing how your senses work I got to thinking and I just feel incredibly annoying. I feel like every noise I make is too loud and I-”

“You didn’t seem to be worried about that last night,” he said with a cocky smirk. Crystal opened and closed her mouth as she tried to come up with a witty response, but couldn’t, so Matt teased, “You’re blushing.”

“Sorry…” she said bashfully as she took a sip of her juice. 

“Don’t be, like I told you last night, the way your body reacts to me is incredibly attractive,” he told her warmly. “And don’t worry about being cautious or quiet around me. I know how to tune out what I don’t want to listen to, and you…you’re something I will never get tired of listening to.”

“I’ll try not to think about it too much,” she agreed. 

“Good. Now how about we head back to my room and you make good on your promise? You got me thinking about last night, and well…” he said, pulling her close and into a passionate kiss. 

“I think we can make that happen…” she said between kisses as she jumped into his strong arms before he carried her off to the bedroom once more.

next chapter

#daredevil #daredevil x oc #matt murdock #matt murdock x oc #fanfic #marvel #romance #friends to lovers #short fanfic #coffee shop au

[duhragonball]

Neon Genesis Evangelion 18

"Hey, everybody, I'm Eva Unit 03! I just flew in from America, and boy are my arms tired! Heh. I'm just kidding, of course, we Evas can't fly. Anyway, I know I'm a little late to this show, but I'm looking forward to working with all of you, and I just know we'll all be the best of friends. Right? What's the matter, why is everyone looking away from me? Did I do something wrong?"

This one starts out pretty slow, mostly recapping things we already know. Toji Suzuhara's the new Eva pilot, Asuka doesn't like that one bit, Big Rigg Mahoney begs Misato to make him the next pilot, unaware that the job's already been filled. Shinji also doesn't know, because Misato never got around to telling him. Also, that girl with the pigtails is kind of into Suzuhara and started bringing him leftovers from the lunches she cooks for her sisters.

The one new bit here is when Rei goes to see Suzuhara brooding on the roof at school. He's surprised to see her showing concern for someone else besides Shinji, and she's a little surprised to hear him say that she cares about Shinji.

Whats-her-face sees the two of them on the roof and wonders if they might be an item, so she talks to Asuka about it, who assures her that Rei is too thick to relate to anyone, so there's no chance of this. Asuka is astonished that anyone would be in love with Suzuhara, though, but Pigtails says she admires his compassion.

Misato's out at the test site to get Unit 03 up and running, so Kaji stays over with the kids. That night, Shinji asks Kaji about his dad, and... have Gendo and Kaji even been on screen together at the same time? Wait, yeah, he dropped off that big suitcase with the fetus in it. The point is Kaji probably doesn't have a lot of insight into Shinji's dad, so he shifts the conversation to women. Kaji sucks.

The next day, Suzuhara's not at school, so Pigtails gives her extra lunch to Asuka. Asuka knows why he's not here, but she doesn't want to say.

You know, I'm not sure why nobody wants to talk about this. I mean, they each have their reasons. Asuka's ego is bruised by it, Rei's not very forthcoming in general, and Suzuhara himself is very pensive about the whole thing, and he's in no mood to brag about it. Even so, they seem to be going out of their way to not explain what's going on. At one point Shinji asks Asuka directly if she knows who the new pilot is, and the shuts him down.

I think part of it is that nobody wants to be the one who says it. But it's very ominous, like they all expect something terrible will happen to Suzuhara and they just don't want to speak it into existence. Which is a fantastic tone to set for the episode, don't get me wrong, but it feels like Suzuhara died last night and no one wants to say it.

Now, about here, it occurred to me that maybe Suzuhara doesn't even live long enough to die in a battle. Maybe he dies in this episode, during the test stages, and his pilot career ends before it can even begin. It's a new Eva, after all, and it could be defective. I could see this show doing an episode where Suzuhara dies on the launch pad, and everyone is haunted by the tragedy of random chance. But no... ha ha! No...

It's not what I thought. It's much much worse! As Unit 03 comes on line, they detect another energy reading inside it, and it turns out to be the 13th Angel. Whoops!

The entire testing ground is destroyed, and Misato and Ritsuko are lost, perhaps dead.

The other three Evas are deployed, and while Shinji is worried about Misato, Rei assures him that Gendo Ikari will assume command of their operation. Gendo orders the pilot to be ejected from Unit 03, but it doesn't work. They have no control over Unit 03 whatsoever. Gendo orders it to be abandoned "at this time", and for the unit to be relisted on the tactical readouts as the 13th Angel. He orders the Evas to go in and destroy it.

This does not go over well with the remaining pilots. Asuka wonders how an Angel could have possessed and Eva, perhaps worrying that her Unit might suffer the same fate. Somehow, the 13th Angel gets the drop on her and takes her out off-screen.

Shinji, meanwhile, is more worried about the pilot. He never did learn who was inside the thing, but he knows it must be a child his age, and that bothers him a lot.

Gendo orders Rei to try to sneak up behind it and attack from a distance, but it's no good. She gets a clean shot at it, but she hesitates, and that's enough for the 13th Angel to do a sick backflip and overwhelm her.

The Angel then secretes some sort of goop on to Unit 00's left arm, which damages it and hurts Rei's arm, since they're still connected. I think the Angel may have been attempting to take over Rei's Eva, just as it already took control of Unit 03, but I can't be sure.

What I do know is that Gendo is worried enough about this that he orders Unit 00's left arm to be severed completely. I guess they can just do that in the control room, just send a signal to pop off one of the Eva's arms. The people at the controls object that they have to disconnect the pilot first, but Gendo insists that there's no time. So they do amputate Unit 00's arm, and Rei feels like her arm just got lopped off at the same time. She's completely out of this fight.

So that just leaves Shinji in Unit 01. The only problem is that he still doesn't want to fight this thing, since there's an innocent child inside. So the Angel attacks him, and it's more than just an Eva now. For example, it has stretchy-arm powers, and it starts choking Unit 01, and by extension, Shinji.

Gendo demands to know why Shinji won't fight back, and Shinji reminds him that there's somebody in there. Gendo warns that if he doesn't defend himself, the Angel will kill him, and Shinji says he'd rather die. So Gendo resolves the dilemma neatly.

He orders Shinji to be disconnected from Unit 01 so they can switch to the Dummy Plug instead. Everyone's like "What the fuck? Ritsuko said that's not even ready for use." And he's like "It's better than the pilot, do it."

If you're just joining us, the Dummy Plug was introduced last episode as a way to operate an Eva without a human pilot. It contains a computer simulation of a pilot's brainwaves-- Rei's brain, to be specific-- and in theory it should at least trick an Eva into thinking there's a live pilot at the wheel. If it works, I guess it's the best of both worlds for NERV, as they can just order the Eva around remotely without having to worry about unruly children. If it works. Ritusko recommended against using it, which is why they recruited Suzuhara to pilot Unit 03 in the first place.

From inside Unit 01, Shinji can only watch helplessly. He's spared the choking sensation from the Angel, but he's powerless to do anything as the Dummy Plug takes over. He quickly realizes that his father is going to use the Eva to do what Shinji would not.

So forget Shinji, this is Dummy Plug's time to shine. First thing it does is choke out the Angel the same way it was choking Unit 01. Is this what Rei would be doing in this situation? Hard to say.

I don't even remember taking this scrreenshot. I think that's Unit 01 smashing Unit 03's head. Well okay.

I'm not quite sure what happens next. Unit 01 mounts the Angel-Eva and starts either pounding on it with its fists, or Unit 01 starts ripping the thing apart, piece by bloody piece. Even the goons in the command center are horrified to witnes this.

This one can't even bear to watch.

Is this Angel blood or Unit 03's blood? Well, I doubt either of them had literal blood, but you get the idea. This is fuckin' sick.

The whole time, Shinji keeps screaming into the comm line, begging his father to stop this. And Gendo just sits there watching his monitors with satisfaction. That's what makes this shot of the bloody traffic light so amazing. At first I just assumed it was on a red light to suit the colors of this shot, but then I realized it's begging Gendo to stop, just like Shinji is.

And to think I was bored with this show last week! I mean, the early episodes were pretty dull, but look where we are now!

Shinji tries to use the controls, but that's just an exercise in futility. At last, the Entry Plug from Unit 03 is exposed, and Unit 01 picks it up, but there's no human at the controls, so there's no one to tell it that this piece isn't a threat.

And yeah, that's about what I expected at this point. Nice knowing you, Suzuhara.

Oh this was just awful to watch. The screencaps don't do it justice. This went on for an uncomfortably long time, and I'm pretty sure the Angel didn't even live that long into the beating. I'm blown away. Really.

But this show isn't done. Oh no, we now cut to that girl who was going to make lunch for Suzuhara, and she's planning her next meal. "I sure hope he's going to eat tomorrow." Just twisting the hell out of that knife.

Meanwhile, Misato wakes up. She was hurt in the attack, but she's going to be okay. Ritsuko survived too, apparently. She gets the news, then contacts Shinji to apologize for not telling him who the pilot was.

But Shinji's not exactly in a good place right now. I mean, what can I say? Obviously whatever relationship he's been rebuilding with his father is ruined forever now, right? And he still doesn't know who was in Unit 03, so that's another shock he'll have to deal with... wait...

He's alive?! How the fuck did he survive all of that? And this is how Shinji finds out who the pilot was. That's gonna be really interesting, but we'll have to wait until next time to see how this plays out...

#neon genesis evangelion #2024ngeliveblog #shinji ikari #rei ayanami #asuka langley soryu #toji suzuhara #gendo ikari #misato katsuragi #clownshoes #big rigg mahoney #kaji ryoji

[twistedtummies2]

Gathering of the Greatest Gumshoes - Number 10

Welcome to A Gathering of the Greatest Gumshoes! During this month-long event, I’ll be counting my Top 31 Favorite Fictional Detectives, from movies, television, literature, video games, and more!

Today, the countdown enters the Top 10!

SLEUTH-OF-THE-DAY’S QUOTE: “The enemy of my enemy is my enemy.”

Number 10 is…Dick Tracy.

Created for a series of newspaper adventure strips by Chester Gould, Dick Tracy has been considered the forerunner to a lot of popular superheroes. However, the actual character isn’t really a superhero so much as a classic detective character. In the comics, Tracy starts off as a member of the Navy, who falls in love with a beautiful woman named Tess Trueheart, and becomes close with her father, Emil. Things take a sour turn when the notorious gangster called Big Boy kidnaps Tess and has Emil murdered. Outraged at the loss, Dick vows revenge, and joins a plainclothes police force. He thus takes down the mobsters, and ultimately saves Tess. Thus begins Dick Tracy's long and dauntless crusade to stamp out crime with uncompromising fortitude: over time, Dick Tracy rises in the ranks. He eventually becomes the head of the homicide squad, before opening his own private detective agency (briefly), and then eventually returning to the force. The comics have sort of been made off-and-on over the years, both in papers and in comic book format, and are still around even to this day.

Tracy himself is essentially an avatar for law and order, as a concept. He is almost obsessively “straight”: he scoffs at bribes, and shows no mercy to most criminals when on the case. And considering he’s facing dangerous thieves, bootleggers, enemy spies, and more murderers than you can shake a skull at, I don’t think you can blame him for being a bit hard-edged. Tracy’s viewpoint of the world is very simple: “all criminals are rats, and should be treated as such.” While at times this is a fatal flaw in his character, normally you can’t really fault Tracy, because the villains he takes down ARE rats. When he’s not on the case, however, Dick is a much warmer sort of person: he’s a devoted (if often distracted) family man, has many good friends he trusts and cares for, and even shows what I can only describe as a jolly side to his character, as upbeat as he is firm and strong. Indeed, despite his own philosophy, Tracy has - on the rarest of occasions - helped some villains reform and redeem themselves, and some of them have become not only allies but close friends. It's probably best to say that Tracy CAN recognize when there's good in a person...but he also recognizes that most of the people he deals with are either too far gone, or there just isn't time to worry about that when lives are at stake.

On that note…if there’s one place where you can definitely see the influence on superhero fiction with Tracy, it’s his villains. The bad guys from Dick Tracy were among the first “supervillains,” as we recognize them today: grotesque and eccentric antagonists with various unique gimmicks, as well as bizarre costumes and/or physical features that make them as eye-catching as they are blood-curdling. The villains of Dick Tracy are a big part of what made and still makes the series popular: from the ever-pestering Flattop Family, to femme fatale Breathless Mahoney, to the soft-spoken but thoroughly psychopathic Mumbles, and so on and so forth. Honestly, a lot of these villains are best experienced through the comics themselves, since while a lot of other media portrayals do Dick Tracy himself decent justice, the iconic villains usually either lack the right amount of grotesque appearance, or the depths of personality and modes of operation that their original sources have.

On that note, most people recognize Tracy for his portrayal in the 1990 film, appropriately titled “Dick Tracy.” This version starred Warren Beatty as the detective, with supporting roles played by Al Pacino, Mandy Patinkin, and even Madonna, of all people! While I do enjoy that film, and Beatty’s somewhat darker take on Tracy, I think my favorite portrayer of the character is a much older actor: Ralph Byrd. He played Tracy first in a series of four old movie serials, which, despite changing a lot of the lore around the character, still captured the spirit of the comics and Tracy himself. Byrd would later reprise the role in more source-accurate interpretations, first in two of four films by RKO (including one where he faces off against Boris Karloff, in the role of “Gruesome”), and then later in a largely-lost 1950s television series, which adapted various storylines from the comics into TV format. While the actual quality of all these outings fluctuated, to say the least, Byrd, himself, was the definitive screen Tracy: he looked, sounded, and felt the part better than anyone else.

Other actors have played Tracy over the years, of course, from radio to films and even to TV. Some noteworthy names worth looking at include Bing Crosby, Morgan Conway, and Everett Sloane. However, the comics are really the only way to enjoy Tracy and his villains to their fullest potential. They’re somewhat hard to track down at times, but if you can find a few good storylines, they’re well worth checking out.

Tomorrow, the countdown continues with Number 9!

CLUE: “How do you think this all works? By being big and being bad.”

#list #countdown #best #favorites #top 31 fictional detectives #gathering of the greatest gumshoes #number 10 #dick tracy #comics #movies #film #tv #serials #radio #mystery #crime fiction #noir

[seph7]

For any J.T. Walsh fans out there, I have been working on a fanfic based on his character from Why Me? - Chief Mahoney, as posted in the link. Just two chapters so far, but feel free to take a look!

I'm also working on one for his role as Charles Drucker in Crazy People, as well as working on updates for my other fics; Fire Dancer, Time Heals, Dark Moon, and Of Bright Delights.

#a discovery of witches #j.t. walsh #jt walsh #adow #fanfiction #kandomere #bright #underrated actors #baldwin montclair #charles f. drucker #chief inspector francis mahoney #crazy people #why me? #twilight #hellboy

[zushigirl]

Continuing this fun tag game! Already found break. Now looking for dark, fall, and regret in my WIPs. Here’s the second installment…

Dark

There’s no moon tonight.

The sky is clouded like thick blue ink save a pocket of stars to Frank’s east. He’s definitely not in New York – where the light from sleek high rises and Time Square billboards overtakes his senses. No, this place – with its towering mountains and dense, thick, trees – reminds his of Afghanistan in a way. Maybe it’s the stillness that hovers in the air.

He inhales quietly, breathing in the crisp, cold.

Frank wouldn’t have taken Karen for the woodsy type. Especially not as woodsy as the Olympic National Forest. Then again, it makes sense if you examine the little details. She grew up in Vermont after all.

(A detail he was unaware of until the Counselor told him. A detail he should have asked Karen directly; instead, Frank wound up cross examining her best friend as they nursed mugs of coffee in a corner booth at The Big Spoon. He still can’t believe Nelson dumped three packets of Splenda in his cup. As if the lawyer only ordered black coffee instead of a latte to appease the big, bad Punisher.)

Frank exhales, studying the path before him.

Thank God for Brett Mahoney. For looking the other way when Frank showed up at Karen’s apartment building. The detective distracted NYPD forensics long enough for Frank to slide under the caution tape and survey the scene. While Mahoney’s team searched the stairwell for fingerprints, Frank was able to find the gun safe Karen kept at the back of her bookshelf. Find it and realize it was open. She’d heard about the bounty on her head and acted.

Atta girl.

Karen’s gun was missing from the apartment – and it was the only thing missing. Forensics hadn’t scooped it up when they seized the long arm and silencer Fisk’s thug was carrying. Karen was – is – alive. Fisk’s hired hands didn’t get to her.

He marches forward. Makes sure to leave no footprints on the dirt path. The old man at the convenience store at the end of the highway said the cabin was a few miles in the forest. Said someone was renting it from him.

“Beautiful woman. Probably a writer. Always has a notebook with her. Sits alone drinking her coffee at the bench over there.”

Frank is grateful for the man’s intel but worries he may have shared that information with others. He walks on with a sense of urgency.

Come on Karen. Please be here. Please –

He stops, eyes falling on the cabin at the end of the clearing. There in the window – like a beacon in the dark – is a vase of white roses.

She’s here.

#kastle #frank x karen #kastle ff #kastlenetwork #karen page #frank castle #tag game #my wips

[bossymarmalade]

Thoughts on the women of Homicide?

Amazing. As per usual for this show, they were varied and complex and not always likeable. In fact there were a few I distinctly DIDN'T like.

But let's start with Kay Howard. Remember when they stopped putting makeup on Melissa Leo and just let her hair do what it wanted, to match her perfect clearance rate? Remember how she wore sports jackets and pleated trousers and looked like somebody's small female uncle? I mention her appearance bc it was important in conjunction with how Kay took no prisoners but at the same time she showed interests in keepsakes, and family, and getting laid. She sometimes went out of her way to support other women and sometimes didn't seem to care. She liked talking about sex with her fellow detectives and somehow managed to hit a sweet spot where it was like they were talking man-to-man except she wasn't a man. It was great.

Megan Russert - UGGGGHHH. I think one of the show runners said they wanted a "fuckable" woman on the show? Anyhow Meghan was a pick me with her satin blouses and her coiffed hair and the way she said nonsense like how she wanted to be "the best detective not the best WOMAN detective" and thought it was idk 'tokenistic' or something to support other women in the department. She sucked. Her kid sucked. Her affair with Beau sucked.

Special mention: Barbara Shivers. I love u girl <3

Even MORE special mention: Emma Zoole. A Chinese-American woman with an obsession for death art who slept in a coffin and fucked Bayliss in said coffin!?? I loved Emma Zoole beyond all reason and only partially because she was played by the marvellous Lauren Tom.

Julianna Cox was so good. Aloof standoffish M.E. with wounds a mile wide, who decides to gravitate towards the OTHER walking wound on the squad and then we got to watch her and Mikey eviscerate each other without even realizing it? Fantastic. She was no ordinary shiksa. Blew into town in her hot rod and left the same way. Iconic.

Terri Stivers - loved her. I liked her energy with Kellerman and the ever-mysterious referring to him as "Sir Michael"; I liked that she entered the Luther Mahoney mess from an 'outsider' perspective and Meldrick was fascinated AND put off by her. I love that she got embroiled in it and did a complete 180 on Kellerman that I didn't understand the full importance of then but I sure as fuck do now.

Georgia Rae Mahoney was a classic sort of antagonist and completely out of stereotype. Possibly a lesbian? I could never quite figure her out and I loved that.

Laura Ballard ... look I wanted to like Ballard. I like Callie Thorne and she was kinda fun but she suffered from New Character Shows Up Your Beloved Existing Characters syndrome. It was especially irksome that it was in a ham-fisted storyline where Pembleton was lax in investigating a prestigious black family just because they were a prestigious black family to the point of ignoring evidence. And then they gave Ballard that juvenile office romance with Falsone. It was just tedious. But not as much as --

Rene Sheppard! I can't be fair to her because I didn't think the actor was very good so I tuned out or fast forwarded most of Sheppard. She got beat down gun took. Her ponytails looked punishingly tight.

Billie Lou -- god please why

Mary Pembleton made the greatest potato salad in the entire world full stop.

#chromatic geeky #homicide life on the street

[samhlaiocht]

~ @devilsxjustice​ || Liked for a starter || From Chloe ~

“Mr Murdock?” Chloe’s hand reached up, giving a short knock on the doorframe of his office. “I’m Detective Chloe Decker, I’m currently consulting with the NYPD, on loan from the LAPD.” Something which she still wasn’t entirely happy about. In the beginning it’d been an opportunity, a chance to work with new people and experience life on the east coast. However, the reality was that she missed her daughter and that she’d been rained on a lot more. She also had theories about corruption in the department which was making working there increasingly difficult. It felt difficult to know who to trust. Drawing herself back from her thoughts she moved into his office, standing in front of his desk. “I apologise for dropping in unannounced but I was hoping you’d have a minute to talk? Detective Sergeant Mahoney suggested that I meet you. He said you’d be a good person to know - Which I could definitely use right now.” It hadn’t been easy trying to fit in in New York. It was the definition of a boys club and they were all suspicious of her.

#devilsxjustice #;chloe starter #I hope this is alright!

[yamahamusicians]

The Sad Demise Of Joan Allen Electronics

It is always a sad day when any metal detecting business goes down but especially so when it is one of the oldest names in the industry. We had heard rumours that, Joan Allen Electronics was about to go into administration. But nothing was confirmed until today.  Statement by Luke Mahoney, former director of Joan Allen Electronics: It with great sadness that the amazing institution that was joan…

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#JoanAllenElectronics #JoanAllenMetalDetectors

[mellowmarshmellowcello]

Thoughts on Nick Lassard in Police Academy 6

I actually like they made Nick Lassard less of a stand-in for Mahoney. He seems less streetsmart and doesn’t just wing it as he goes along. Nick seems more likely to respect authorities (like when the fake Hurst tells them to leave) and to be more capable of doing detective work (like when he speculates to why the crimes occours on the same route).

Which makes sense since Mahoney didn’t want to be a cop and Nick probably looked up to his uncle and wanted to follow in his footsteps.

And I really like they didn’t gave him a love interest. This franchise already have soooo many characters and they kept introducing new ones instead of fleshing out the once they already had 😅

#police academy #police academy 6 #nick lassard #mahoney #carey mahoney #police academy thoughts #80s movies #80s comedy

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

"Term Given Abortionist," Windsor Star. January 12, 1943. Page 10. --- Mrs. Cambridge Is Third Sent to Reformatory in Month --- For the third time within a month, Windsor court handed down a sentence of two years less a day against a person guilty of procuring an abortion, when Mrs. Jessie "Jerry" Cambridge, of Chilver road, was sentenced yesterday afternoon in Windsor police court.

Mrs. Cambridge elected summary trial by Magistrate D. M. Brodie and pleaded guilty. She will serve her sentence in the Ontario Mercer reformatory.

ARRESTED AUGUST 27 Mrs. Cambridge was arrested on August 27 after months of investigation by Detectives J. Mahoney and S. Royan. The offence for which she was tried was said to have occurred an May 9, 1942.

Until yesterday, Mrs. Cambridge had not been asked to make either an election as to how she would be tried er a pies. Although no court was scheduled for yesterday afternoon, she informed her counsel of her decision and was brought to court. She had been free on $7,500 bail.

Evidence was taken in yesterday's court in spite of Mrs. Cambridge's plea of guilty. This was just as a precaution in case she should decide to appeal the case, providing she thought the sentence she received in the lower court was too severe.

STATEMENT READ Crown Attorney James 8. Allan, K.C., read into the record a statement signed by the complainant who testified yesterday that it was true.

The statement told of not one abortion but two, one in 1941 and another in 1942. After becoming sick following a miscarriage, the complainant said she was advised by Mrs. Cambridge to see a doctor. She testified that she had paid Mrs. Cambridge $35 for the illegal operation.

Crown Attorney Allan pointed out to the court that Cecil Hallett and Fred Schelka, both of whom had been found guilty of the similar charges in Windsor courts in recent weeks, were given sentences of two years leas one day in the reformatory. Magistrate Brodie then passed the same sentence en Mrs. Cambridge.

#windsor #illegal operation #abortion #birth control #history of birth control #reproductive rights #history of reproductive rights #illegal abortion #severe sentencing #woman in the toils #women prisoners #sentenced to prison #mercer reformatory #history of crime and punishment in canada #crime and punishment in canada #canada during world war 2

[irondad-tonystark]

Marvel Fic Rec (General)

Baby Driver by prufrock

Summary: Cars seem to show up at key moments in Tony Stark's life. So does Rhodey Rhodes. (Tony/Rhodey)

This fic is absolutely beautiful and heart wrenching in one. It deals with addiction, grief and mourning, some very bad decisions—but Rhodey is there (off and on and off and on again) through it all.

A New-York Cop by dimircharmer

Summary (shortened): Newly minted detective Brett Mahoney is noticing some fairly disquieting things about Matt Murdock. Namely, he's legally bound to one of his old friends, heavily in debt, and sporting different poorly-concealed injuries every other time Brett sees him. (Matt/Foggy implied, outsider’s POV).

Another fic with beautiful writing and characterization. I only wish the end scene were longer. Love the dynamics of friendship, concern, and as cheesy as it sounds, doing the right thing (even when it [might] go against decades of friendship.)

What's in a Name by OliOcelot

Summary: 5 times Michelle Jones met Peter Parker at MIT (and 1 time she met Spider-Man)

I’m not usually a huge fan of coffee shop AU’s bc they tend to take the characters and leave the plots/worldbuilding—but Peter is still Spider-Man and he still has citizens to save. A great read!

That Which Is Called Ego Death by WinterSky101

Summary: There was a time when a Titan snapped the neck of a god, but it wasn’t the end of the story, it was the beginning.

I’m kind of a sucker for any good guy Loki stories. I’m also a sucker for any Genderfluid Loki. I’m a sucker for this fic.

Blips on the Record by ambivalentangst

Summary: Flash, let it be known, doesn’t like Peter. He’s too good at everything—infuriatingly so—and nobody ever calls him on his bullshit, like with AcaDec nationals. Flash has to put his all into everything he does for a fraction of the attention Peter gets for his bare minimum, and it pisses him off, to say the least, so sue him for looking for chances here and there to knock him down a peg. However, when he notices, he shuts his entire operation down. Maybe Peter has a decade on his age when he was in the thick of it, but Flash remembers what it was like. He gets having school be a safe place, and nobody, not even himself, is going to jeopardize that for Peter.

I already mentioned this fic in a different rec post, but this time I included the longer summary. Flash Thompson redemption (my fav!) and great characterization/character study. Plus a tiny bit of irondad from an outsider’s perspective.

Bunch of Jackasses, Standing in a Circle by FoundlingMother

Summary: Loki doesn't die on Svartalfheim. A pity. He deserves death, and his cell no longer offers safety. Asgard clearly does not possess the strength to ward against Thanos.

See description for previous Loki fic above—it’s all of that, PLUS Loki joining the Guardians of the Galaxy. (Note: this fic is locked unless you have an account.)

Uncharted Territory by ChloeNyme

Summary: Peter had a secret. No, not that one. A different one. One that felt…worse. Or, MJ tries to navigate a relationship with Peter Parker.

Trigger warnings: Mentions of childhood sexual assault (not explicit); explicit consensual sexual content between teenagers.

I was hesitant to add this fic, if I’m being honest. It’s a tough read, but in the end it feels absolutely worth it. I don’t usually like to read explicit sexual content, and much less that of teenage characters, but somehow this fic manages to feel more like learning and adapting than it does dirty (which is to say, I did not feel slimy reading it). That being said, I have not read the next in the series. Read with caution, but if you do, enjoy.

#fic rec #marvel #mcu #tony stark #iron man #peter parker #spider man #james rhodes #rhodey #matt murdock #brett mahoney #loki

[dollycas]

Special Guest Penelope Greenleigh from Dame Alice Hits Hollywood (Dame Alice Mysteries) by Allie Mahoney #CharacterGuestPost / #Review / #Giveaway

Dame Alice Hits Hollywood: A Cozy 1930s Mystery Featuring Author-Turned-Sleuth Dame Alice Cartwright (Dame Alice Mysteries) by Allie Mahoney

It is my pleasure to welcome Penelope Greenleigh to Escape With Dollycas today! Character Guest Post Post by Penelope Greenleigh from Dame Alice Hits Hollywood By Allie Mahoney

I can’t believe I’m in Hollywood! It’s 1937, and the land of palm trees, stars, and sunshine is as far away as you can get from my hometown of Cape May, New Jersey. The whole town feels like one big film set, with Benny Goodman’s Stompin’ at the Savoy and Fred Astaire’s A Fine Romance pouring out of radios and handsome couples sipping daquiris in stylish nightclubs. I, Penelope Greenleigh, lowly assistant at a New York City publishing house, feel like I’ve landed in Top Hat as I look around swanky Chasen’s restaurant. Incidentally, I’m here in disguise as Dame Alice Cartwright, who’s 47 and hails from England. The Dame is the world’s bestselling author of mysteries set in English manor houses, and she’s refused to leave the Cotswolds and come to Hollywood, where she’s needed for script revisions on Lady Irwin’s Diamonds. That’s how I came to be here, dressed as the Dame, instead of my usual job typing manuscripts at her American publishing house. I’m also two decades younger than the Dame, but since I’m wearing a brown wool sweater and loafers, few people have looked closely at me. The only folks in town who seem to be onto the fact that I’m not the British author of Murder on the Village Green are gimlet-eyed gossip columnist Hattie Holiday and a handsome detective by the name of Jake Chu.

https://cinemapretoebranco.wordpress.com/2017/07/22/hollywood/ But even in a wig and tweeds, my week in L.A. is a total thrill! Take last night, when I stepped off the train from New York and an hour later was at Chasen’s to meet with the director of Lady Irwin’s Diamonds. The film is based on the Dame’s latest book, but production hasn’t been going well. And now, just as dinner has arrived at Booth 7, a priceless necklace has disappeared, and so has Lady Irwin star Zsa Zsa Le Coque. Unfortunately, I’ve just witnessed Zsa Zsa in flagrante with a dashing young Argentinian aristocrat—a man who’s definitely not her mobster husband. Did one of the two men take off with Zsa Zsa and the diamonds? Why does movie director Skipper Farley seem so eager to cancel production on Dame Alice’s movie? And why is this skirt so itchy? Still, things aren’t all bad. I’m staying with my childhood pal Molly in her adorable rented cottage at the Beverly Hills estate of an oil heiress, who’s invited us to lunches and parties all over town. On the downside, Zsa Zsa’s husband seems determined to kill his wayward wife and her assorted boyfriends; Lady Irwin’s director owes a lot of cash to a gangster; and if production is cancelled on the movie, Dame Alice is out $25,000 and I’m sure to be fired. But I’ve always been the optimistic type, so here’s hoping I can solve the crimes, stay employed, and maybe even dance the rumba with that handsome detective before I head back home! Thank you Penelope for visiting today. Keep reading for my thoughts about Dame Alice Hits Hollywood!

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#AllieMahoney #California #cozymystery #historicalcozymystery

[dudecusmaximus]

SUPERHUMAN GMO: BREATHLESS

(c) 2022

(1)

Imagine a boardroom in any generic office skyscraper in any generic metropolis The Boardroom is on the top floor in a penthouse type suite. There's an elevator door across the from a large picturesk tempered glass window looking out on the city that's a sea of neon lights and skyscrapers. Two beefy thugs stand in front of the elevator doors looking down the length of a long table. Standing behind the chair at the head of the table a one Leon Marcus leaning over and supporting himself with the back of the chair. Sitting on each side of the table are three middle aged men that look like they just came from a 1920's cosplay conversation dressed as gangsters.

"Any objections to my proposal?" asked Marcus. Suddenly the window behind him exploded.

The head of the man immediately to his right bursted apart followed by the man in his left, spraying blood everywhere including Marcus' new suit, and his face. One by one in a split second body parts of every one on down the table went in all directions, but the assailant remained unseen. Then the guards at the elevator pulled there semiautomatic pistols and aimed them aimlessly.

"It's invisible," shouted Marcus.

The two thugs' pistols were pull from their hands by the invisible force, and took their finger with them. Then the guns where immediately thrown through the thugs' heads, causing their skulls and brains to splatter on the elevator doors in a bloody mess.

Foot falls slowly splashed in the blood on the table. Marcus pulled out a semiautomatic pistol and emptied it in the direction of where he thought the assailant's body was.

Sparkles surrounded a forming shape of a woman. Shannon Mahoney looked at a wound on her hand where a bullet went straight through. She examined the wound with dead eyes as it closed while she looked through it at Marcus.

"You are one of our army of undead supersoldiers," gasped Marcus, "You aren't supposed to be able to attack your creators."

"I am... just one of your toys?" Puzzled Shannon. Her voice only being heard in side Marcus' mind, because Shannon could not breath at all in her undead condition. "You think you can use me for your experiments, because I shouldn't exist anyway. Then you just throw us away to be ground up into dog food, when things don't go the way you want?" Shannon was dressed in black spandex and had a mask clutched in her not wounded hand that covered her whole head when she had it on. She carried no visible weapons, which could mean she did all the damage with her hands. Shannon walked up the table to Marcus. He fell into his chair, frightened and pissing himself. Then Shannon kneeled down on one knee, and gave Marcus a kiss on the lips. Her lips were cold and dead but it still calmed Marcus a bit, but only until she reach into his chest and ripped his heart out and threw it across the room. Marcus slumped in his chair and bled out. Then he was soon dead and very calm.

Shannon put on her mask then leapt through the broken window as it began to rain. Sparks surrounded her and she disappeared except for where the rain was beading up on her form, revealing a faint silhouette that fell to the ground head first.

Detective Lenard Tracy opened his eyes to the bloody mess of the crime scene in front of him. He had just got through visualizing and relating the events from earlier as he physically saw them in his mind. One of his many incompletely defined powers. Even he didn't know all he could do until he did it with his genetic engineering enhancements.

Leroy Holmes, Lenard's partner took notes. "So she jumped to her death?" Speculated Leroy.

"No," replied Lenard. "When she regenerated she limped off into the night. There her trail has gone cold. But with a little rest I could probably find her."

"Should I report a female death pool type to The Chief?" Asked Leroy.

"No," replied Lenard. "Death pool doesn't use nanotech to regenerate and he needs to breath. Ironically Shannon Mahoney is Breathless."

"Oh like that character from Dick Tracy," said Leroy. "Ironically speaking I mean."

#sci-fi #body horor #sci fi horror #sci fi romance #sci fi aesthetic