#elena cardenas

[thingsasbarcodes]

Daredevil 1x06 - Condemned

[gracheeee]

After finishing the map of Europe, decided to play safe and make the South American map, this continent is my most developed one, I also have some kind of love to them since this continent is the one that started all my madness, and also because I am from Peru, Peruvian, living in Peru (all her life) and the chaotic scenario this continent makes is really fun sometimes, It's good to laugh of tragedies, could be considered the best medicine for pain, for me, they are like a big chaotic family, so.... NAMES!!!! Argentina- Oscar Ortiz Romero Bolivia- Marco Antonio Mamani Gutiérrez Brazil- Leandro da Silva Teixeira Chile- Vicente Muñoz Rojas Colombia- Andres Cardenas Morales Ecuador- Arturo Zambrano Cedeño French Guiana- Nathalie Jean Guyana- Bibi Persaud Paraguay- Teresa Benitez Villalba South Peru - Marisol Quispe Rodriguez North Peru- María Elena Quispe Rodriguez Suriname- Kenneth Kalloe Uruguay- Monica Pérez Vera Venezuela- Nancy Castillo Rivero

[thesalemwitchtries]

Dreaming Of a Grave: Chapter 4

Word Count: 2,600-ish

Pairing: Matt Murdock x Named! Fem! Enhanced! Reader

Warnings: distrust of police/government, overuse of the series comma, general angst in the form of feelings of guilt and failure, I did not proofread this very well, so probably spelling and grammar mistakes

Taglist: @reblog-reblog666 (you're an angel, thank you for your patience, this chapter isn't very good, but I'm still dedicating it to you 🫶)

Masterlist

Sorry for the long wait, this chapter is short and not my favorite, but I needed to get it out so that I could finally move on with the parts of the story that I want to tell, that haven't been giving me awful writer's block. Thank you so much for reading! Any comments or feedback are much appreciated!

Elena’s apartment building had been worse than Karen or Foggy could have anticipated. Flickering lights, lingering draft, and battered walls built an ominous atmosphere, one that contradicted the sunny Tuesday morning that they had left outside.

Foggy wished that they could go back, but he and Karen had made a promise to do what they could to help Elena. This promise was only fortified by his first hand observation of the building; these weren’t living conditions that could wait for a court settlement. 

He only felt more dread as Elena and Karen chatted about her neighbor while they climbed the stairs. It really seemed like Ms. Tanner didn’t want their help, especially if she’d been able to turn down his very persuasive partner. He hoped she wouldn't be too angry that they dropped by. Being yelled at would only ruin his day, and it was shaping up to be a long one.

Stopping in front of a green door —number 15 with the 5 upside down due to a missing screw— Foggy looked at the two women beside him, gauging their expressions to see if he was the only one that felt like he was staring at the gallows. Just him, as usual.

They stood there for a few moments, him and Karen silently arguing over who would knock on the door before Sra. Cardenas did the honors. Foggy plastered a smile on his face, one that he hoped said: “Hey, I’m trustworthy and positive, but still sympathetic to your pain and situation, you don’t have to let us help you, but please please do.” 

Maybe it was a lot to have riding on a smile, but an assault charge would do wonders to move the civil case forwards in their favor. And of course there was the ‘justice for the innocent’ part of things too.

The door opened slowly, a woman about Karen’s age poking her head out, and then bracing herself between the door and the frame. Her eyes flickered over the strange collection of smiles, Karen and Foggy trying to project trustworthiness, Sra. Cardenas looking almost sheepish.

“Señora Elena, buenas días…” Ms. Tanner said glancing over the group with open curiosity.

To Foggy’s chagrin, Ms. Tanner was absolutely stunning. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that Matt somehow knew, with his weird ability to pick out hot women and any secrets that Foggy didn’t want him to know. In fact, he had a sneaking suspicion that Matt had feigned surprise at every gift he’d been given through their entire friendship. This year he was thinking of giving him a Roomba, but he kept going back and forth over whether Matt might trip on it. 

It was left to Sra. Cardenas to break the silence and introduce the less-than-welcome houseguests; “Charlotte, this is Señor Foggy, es mi abogado, él quiere ayudarte.”

Somehow Ms. Tanner managed to keep her expression respectful while still doing something that was very reminiscent of a petulant stomp. Her head rolled back on her shoulders, before popping back up with a fond shake.

“Elena…”

“Oye, estás herida, necesitamos hacer algo.” Elena insisted, her fist thumping down into the palm of her opposite hand, like her own imaginary hammer of justice.

She motioned insistently towards Foggy, who only caught her meaning when Karen nudged him with her elbow. Say something. Yeah, he could totally do that, just as soon as he was done nervously clearing his throat.

“Ms. Tanner, we can help you. I promise.” he said, the words falling flat after the long moments that it took him to gather his thoughts and begin. He could practically feel Karen rolling her eyes beside him as he was forced to watch Ms. Tanner’s polite expression harden into something that taunted his ineloquence. Every trophy that he’d ever won for speech and debate melted in the fire of her disdainful eyes.

Elena rushed to his defense, wrapping a hand around Foggy’s arm and reaching out towards her neighbor, “No lie, Charlotte. Foggy is a good boy, he means what he says.”

Foggy awkwardly shifted in place, trying to push back his shoulders and exude the confidence that Sra. Cardenas spoke of him with.

The posturing did nothing to change Ms. Tanner's stony look, like he’d kicked her puppy in front of her, and had just threatened to do it again. It was rage wrapped in caution, and he was sure that it was but the grace of God —by which he meant Elena Cardenas’ kind smile and determined stare— that allowed he and Karen to stand in her doorway this long. 

After taking her time with her appraisal, ensuring that it went without saying exactly how unconvinced she was by their appeals, she turned to her well-meaning neighbor. Her movements were stiff, but the harsh light in her eyes softened into something earnest as she leaned in to speak.

“Señora, ellos son abogados, no son héroes.”

Sra. Cardenas’ shoulders slumped in defeat for a mere second before the woman had gathered her argument again; “Charlotte, please.”

“Estoy agradecida por eso,” Ms. Tanner said, giving a firm shake of her head and taking a step back into her apartment, “Pero no necesito ayuda, Señora.” 

“Ms. Tanner, if I may,” Karen cut in, seeing the door about to close both literally and figuratively. “I’m not a lawyer, but I have a story that I’d like to tell you, if you’d just listen. I think that you might be able to help me.”

The door creaked back open from where Ms. Tanner had gotten it halfway closed, and Karen got goosebumps from the sharp, probing look that she received, cutting straight through to bone.

“If you’re not a lawyer, then who are you?”

“My name is Karen Page, I’ve been the secretary at Nelson and Murdock for a few weeks now.”

“So what, you want to ask about improving file management operations?” she asked, arms crossing over her chest and leaning against the doorframe.

While her tone was sharp, there was a distinct twitch in her lips that made Karen dip her head with her own smile. With a tut of her tongue and shake of her head, Karen celebrated her victory over Matt’s charm and Foggy’s experience. Take that, Columbia Law.

“No, not really,” Karen chuckled, “But I’m always open to suggestions, if you have a few.”

Ms. Tanner was unable to hide the wariness in her posture, but it only took her a moment and a silent exchange with Sra. Cardenas before she stood and opened the door all the way.

“A few? I practically live for data management, Ms. Page.”

Karen had chuckled as she waved Foggy down the hall, his expression of relief all too clear and amusing to resist, as he escorted Elena back to her apartment with a well-mannered offer of his elbow.

Now though it was difficult not to feel like she had been shut in the den of the beast as the door was closed and locked behind her. She was spending too much time with Foggy, his dramatics wearing off on her already.

She would remain optimistic, she and Ms. Tanner could help each other, and Karen had to have faith in that.

Ushering her ahead, Ms. Tanner stopped in the hall to try and straighten a framed painting, a piece that looked to Karen like it had been left out on the sidewalk, maybe for good reason. As it shifted, she caught sight of the hole in the wall that was being hidden behind it, and couldn’t hide her frown.

The apartment was much more cheerful than one might expect from the state of the hallway. In fact, ignoring the broken furniture and holes in the plaster, Karen thought that she might have even been a bit jealous. It was as small and battered as every other cheap apartment in New York, but didn’t feel cramped or rundown. Someone loved this place, in the way Karen remembered loving her childhood bedroom or her grandmother’s parlor.

She took a seat where she was directed to, in the least worn armchair in the living space, and when she shivered, Ms. Tanner began to brew her a cup of tea. 

Sun drifted in from the windows, drawing her attention to the source of the chill: one pane broken and hastily sealed with a garbage bag and duct tape. Plants sat on the sill, ferns with broken stems and pots patched with more duct tape. There were succulents that Karen was pretty sure would be gurgling if they could, but she couldn’t attribute that to Tully’s men, more like systemic overwatering.

Rainbows played across the hardwood and her lap, and she smiled, tracing them back to the sun-catchers hanging before the glass.

The late morning faded into early afternoon as the two women danced around each other, exchanging pleasantries and stiff smiles, pretending not to be observing one another as closely as they were.

An olive branch was finally extended in the form of re-introduction, ‘Please, call me Charlie,’ and ‘Only if you call me Karen’ serving to thaw some of the formal air between them. 

Still, the tea had long been finished and the sun began to heat up the day before Karen worked up the nerve to tell Char the story that she’d promised. Not that Char really minded, she was more than content to pretend that Karen was there because they were friends, not because she was operating on the behalf of lawyers whose help she could never accept.

“I used to work as a secretary at Union Allied Construction.” Karen began, weaving a story that shattered Char’s naive game of pretend, “A few months ago I opened a file labeled ‘Pension_Master’ and now four people are dead because of what I found inside.”

Throughout her story, Karen remained oblivious to the way that her hostess twitched in her seat, the way her overfed cat twined itself nervously around her feet, and most of all to the way that was most definitely not normal.

Glancing at her hands for each of her most shocking reveals, Karen always just missed the way that the woman across from her would seem to glitch. Her image flickering from side to side and up and down in random, quick bursts: like an infected computer trying to close a window.

The familiar email attachment had thrown Char off-guard, and things just continued to get worse from there. 

Not only had she failed in bringing the Shadow to justice, she’d almost gotten the innocent woman that she sent the evidence to murdered, had gotten an innocent father killed, and 3 others were now dead as well. Char had hoped with each passing minute that her guest was done, that Karen would leave and allow her to wallow in guilt and regret. Both for sending that email and for opening the door at all that morning.

Still, the blonde persisted.

She thought that what had happened to her was connected to what had happened with Tully’s men, that if Char could just talk to her, tell her more, then she could help. Theories and hunches spiraled from her lips as Char's horror grew.

Karen could uncover the truth of what was going on in their city, because there was something more, something deeper at play, and she just needed Char’s help to get more of the picture.

All said, it was a rousing and passionate speech, delivered with all the force of Karen’s confidence in herself and faith in the power of the truth. Char just didn’t know what to say, usually in these situations she’d go with something as close to the truth as she could manage, but with everything that she couldn’t say, what was left just didn’t seem like it would cut it.

Hey yeah, uh remember how you were fairly satisfied with your life a few months ago, well I’m the one who ruined that with my good intentions. You know, that thing they say the road to Hell is paved in. I never got that expression until now, considering my idea of helping apparently comes with a body count.

She leaned forward into her fists, elbows on resting on her knees, subconsciously trying to defend herself from the blame of Karen’s testimony, of her earnest gaze. The only response that Char was able to muster in the end was weak and defeated, “I don’t know what you want me to say.” 

Open and imploring, Karen leaned forward as well, “Please, just tell me what really happened to you that day, what Tully's men did to you.”

Her pale hand stretched out into the space between them, dropping before it could brush against Char’s forearm.

“I don’t want to press charges.”

“I know, and you don’t have to, just tell me the truth.” Karen insisted, nodding her head with only slightest restraint from her eager curiosity.

“Your bosses aren’t going to make me? They’ll keep my name out of whatever it is that they’re doing?”

“If I tell them not to, then they won’t. Matt and Foggy are my friends, and they just want to help, they’re not going to do anything that you’re not comfortable with, Charlie, I promise.”

The earnest expression on Karen’s face joined forces with the guilt of the ruin that Char had unknowingly brought to her life and one could only hold out for so long.

Soon she was spilling what she could to Karen, about how the two men had come in under the ruse of being handymen, how they’d begun smashing things. Ashamed, Char spoke of how they hit her when she tried to stop them from destroying her workbench, where she kept all of her research.

She dutifully provided details about the damages to her apartment, but remained vague over what exactly she had been working on that was so important that she had intervened for it. 

Although Karen was pleased at what she heard, Char had to swallow the bitterness of what she really wanted to say. Holding another piece of Karen’s puzzle in her hands, and seeing the misplaced gratitude in her eyes, Char felt hollow and dirty, helpless and complicit in the web of darkness that her houseguest was trying to uncover.

Her story divulged the secrets that Karen wanted, but it wasn’t the confession of truths that Char needed her to hear:

"I’m worried that even if I knew where to start helping, that I wouldn’t. Too scared of losing things that I've suffered so long without, to do what I know is right. I’m scared that if I do try to help, that I’ll only make things worse. I’m sorry that I hurt you, and I’m sorry that I can’t say any of this aloud, that I can’t make amends.”

The silent apology felt like sand in her mouth as she led Karen back to the door, asking for time to decide what to do, Karen promising to keep in touch with any more information.

Char watched through the peephole as Karen made her way down to join Foggy in Sra. Cardenas’ apartment. There she stayed until it became clear that no one else would be passing through the hallway, and instead pressed her forehead into the peeling paint. 

She felt somehow more crowded in her empty home than she ever had before, failures and memories puffing up to fill every available surface. So real to her that she expected they’d leave crumbs and used napkins behind as proof of their presence. A pity party tangible enough that she’d have to spend the next morning cleaning it up.

Turning to face the room behind her, Char’s eyes landed on her workbench. Tonight would be another long night of repairing the things that she could, just to try and lose the weight of all the things she couldn’t.

[1rsoldiersince2012]

Bound by Law (Matt Murdock x Reader)

Words: 5525 (chapter 31)

Summary:

You and Matt met in the courtroom. Now, you may think that Matt was a knight in shining armour and defended you in the name of all United States laws, but that was not the case. Matt was totally destroying your client, and you wanted to tear him into pieces right then and right there, because with Murdock as your rival, your head is on the firm's plate with each case. Did Matt care? No, he only cared about bringing justice, he was a human-machine, driven by the need to bring righteousness no matter the cost. Or was he just that? What happens when you get involved in Fisk's business and Daredevil's lies against your will?

UPDATES: kind of back in my way, so... next week?

31. Grasping the Straws

8:28 in the morning, Matt was already standing outside his apartment building, his phone and wallet resting in the pocket of his jacket, his glasses in the pocket of his coat, and a heavy feeling in his chest; he was crouched on his walking stick and waited for you to come, yet his mind was somewhere else entirely. He was burning inside and wanted to find Fisk's accountant as soon as possible and question the hell out of him, but he still had to locate him, and do it tonight, as the devil. Lost in his thoughts, Matt snapped out of the trance when you slammed your car doors.

"Well, if this isn't Matt Murdock in the flesh." You come around and stand almost in front of Matt, but then decide to lean on the front of your car, crossing your legs.

"After last night's message, I wouldn't dare being somewhere else." Matt tries to joke, but you remain standing with a stone-cold face. "I'm sorry that I didn't answer the phone." He says, sensing your coldness.

"Where were you?" You ask him straight, without boring both of you with pointless questions that may or may not lead to this question.

"I..." Matt begins, trying to think of a believable lie, although now he admits that answering your call might have been a mistake.

"Don't lie. Please." You sigh, still feeling worn out after yesterday's events.

"I was at the gym." Matt steps closer to the car and rests his arms on the roof. 

"You left earlier just to go to the gym? What kind of gym works this late and especially when half of the city is burning?" You scoff slightly.

"The owner lets me in after the work hours."

"And the phone? We called you like a hundred times. Each."

"I left it at home. Sorry."

"Matt, we've been worried about you." You turn to look at him, noticing that he hasn't shaved in 4 days at least, which made him look more worn out than he probably was. "I drove Elena Cardenas to the hospital."

"What?" He finally turns to your direction, eyebrows knitted. "What happened?"

"The explosions... They hit her apartment. And the one next to her... They said that everyone died there." You take a moment to calm yourself again, "I drove her and Foggy...And Karen to the hospital. She's feeling better today, I think they will send her home soon." You drove here from the hospital, where you took your car and ran by reception to ask about Mrs Cardenas's well-being.

"Foggy?"

"He was hurt a bit but he's alright. They were at Elena's apartment when the explosions happened." You light up a cigarette and blow the first cloud of smoke. "Matt, why didn't you answer me yesterday? I was knocking at your door for at least half an hour."

"I wasn't home yet."

"But then I called you and you answered?"

"I returned."

"Matt, I was outside on this street when I called you." You say in disbelief.

Matt feels his cheeks getting hot when you catch him in his lies, yet he quickly has to think of another. "Maybe we passed each other. And actually I was in the bathroom downstairs. You probably called me when I returned to my flat."

"I don't believe you, you know. I just... Want to find the person that Tully is covering for." You stand up and get in your seat, cigarette rolling between your cherry-colored lips. "Are you coming?"

"Yeah, yeah." Matt gets in the car and silently puts a seatbelt on. "You're gonna smoke in the car?"

"Is that a problem?"

"No." Matt thinks for a moment. "Give it to me." 

You hand him the cigarette and turn on the ignition, curiously watching Matt inhale the smoke and rest his head against the window. No visible scratches or wounds, maybe he wasn't lying about being in the gym... "I'm visiting Tully before lunch. Do you want to go with me?" You didn't need Matt to go with you, but somehow felt that he would want to find the person who is responsible for all these deaths and explosions as well. 

He exhales slowly, feeling the nicotine cloud his mind and give his body a brief feeling of relief. "You think that he will tell anything?" Matt turns to the driver's side and inhales your perfume...Mixed with Wesley's. Jealously shoots up and he takes another puff. 

"Probably not. He wasn't very talkative with cops, so he probably won't say much to me either, yet the explosions... Someone will have to confront him about that. And he will have to answer." You start driving slowly, looking around the same street that you were freezing your ass in yesterday. 

"We could get him into the corner, but you know what they say about cornered animals..." Matt finally gives you the remaining half of the cigarette and you find yourself looking at the smoke between your fingers.

"They get the most aggressive." You finish his thought, mentally sighing. This could blow up in your face, especially if you won't find any proof. "Where's that gym of yours?" You suddenly ask, trying to keep the conversation going on a lighter note. You went to bed fuming with anger and worry, but sleep did its job - you were half as angry at Matt than you were yesterday. 

"Uh, couple of blocks away from me."

"So...what do you usually do there?"

Matt breaks into a smile. "I exercise."

"Really? For what?" You ask, turning to look at his stupid grin a couple of times. 

"Just... Overall." He shrugs, soft material of his coat rubs against the leather seat. "Keeping myself in shape, and healthy." 

Now his huge arms made perfect sense. "Let me guess. You do boxing mostly?" 

"Yeah, this included. How'd you know?" 

"Lucky guess." You chuckle, finally pulling in front of the office and turn off the ignition. The car fills with silence and you finish what was left of the cigarette. Matt says nothing, only gets out of the car when you do it, feeling the warm but tight grip of yours on his elbow and takes a moment to slyly slide his fingers on yours when he pulls his glasses out of his pocket. One of the perks of being blind with heightened senses was that he heard you smile after you felt his touch. 

As much as you both secretly wanted to keep walking together like this for the rest of your lives, you finally reached the office door and luckily, it was still empty. "I guess we're a little early." You say, unlocking doors and waiting for Matt to walk, but he waits for you to go in first. "Really?"

"Just go in." He smiles, and steals a chance to put his hand on your back.

"Shit," you look at Karen's desk and remember how yesterday you messed up all the papers, including the ones on your desk. "I'll have to tidy up before Karen comes in."

"What is it?"

"Oh, nothing, just... Made a little mess yesterday."

"I'm sure it's nothing." Matt hangs his coat and makes his way towards the shared office.

"Wait." You stop him in his tracks, confused, "Just let me in, I'll sort my documents."

"Y/n, it's okay." He boldly steps inside, followed by your loud steps, "I can't see it anyway."

"I want to -" you don't finish your sentence when chatter fills the place upon Foggy and Karen's arrival.

"Good morning to whoever made this mess!" Foggy shouts, shuffling for a moment so loud that you don't hear Karen's muttering.

"Look who I finally found." You say when Foggy peeks inside the office, and then watch the men hug.

"Matty, I'm glad you're okay." Foggy lets Matt out of his steel grip, but then looks at him as if he was placed on a display, "are you okay?"

"I'm good, thanks. How are you? I heard you took a blow." Matt asks with concern, genuinely worried about his friend, but he also hears you pulling away into the farthest corner of the office when Karen steps inside and goes right away to hug him. A little too much for your liking. And a little too much for his liking as well...

"You know me, I can take a blow and walk it off." Foggy brags, but you notice him grimacing when he turns his body to the side.

"Matt, me and Foggy, we've been calling you all evening, where the hell where you?" Karen starts questioning Matt, still keeping her hand on his shoulder.

"I left my phone at home and went to the gym near my place, really, there's nothing you should worry about."

"Don't ever do that again, you scared the crap out of us. I don't even remember seeing y/n so stressed. Like ever." Foggy curiously watches your neck turn pinkish color, only because you had put on makeup on today, the blush wasn't visible on your face.

"Oh, really?" Matt smirks now, almost teasingly and you roll your eyes.

"We really need to get going somewhere, just let me tidy up the place." You emerge from the corner you were hiding in and walk past the group into the lobby. "Oh, and Karen, next time don't forget to write the addresses of our clients, in case we need to... Pay them a visit." You shout and quickly start sorting the papers. Foggy keeps his observation to himself, while Matt tries to stop himself from smirking in front of these two chatterboxes before they start suspecting anything.

***  "Good morning, Mr Tully." You fake smile at the middle aged chubby man with huge bags under his eyes when he slightly opens the door of his office.

"Do I know you?" He squints and looks at you, then at the neckline of your white shirt and only then at Matt.

"Oh, sorry, no, me and my..." You look at Matt and smile brightly again, "boyfriend, we would like to rent a place from you in Hell's Kitchen." Matt slightly squeezes your forearm in agreement and nods a couple of times.

"I'm not renting now, sorry folks." Tully goes in for closing the doors but you gently stop them with your hand.

"Oh, please, we just returned from our little trip and we saved some money. Of course, not enough to buy a place, but rent it for perhaps a good year." You continue to lie through your teeth, hoping to fool the idiot in front of you.

For a second you notice how his eyes glinted with greed, and now more relaxed, he leans with one hand on the threshold. "Where you folks were traveling?"

"Oh, just worked in Washington for a couple of months, for some important people," you whisper the last part as if it was a secret and then continue in a normal voice, "but now we are here and we're looking forward to starting a new life in this beautiful city."

Tully almost scoffs upon the last words but then widely opens the doors of his office. "Come in, I believe that I can offer you some good things. Come on, sit down, feel free to go pour some coffee, Miss...?"

"Grace." You answer and sit down on one of the chairs in front of Tully's dark oak table. Matt takes a seat and offers Tully a hand to shake.

"White." Matt also lies about his last name and gets comfortable.

"Ah, young couple looking for their nest. I wish I could go back to the times when me and my Mrs bought a place with our own money." Tully starts daydreaming and you clear your throat.

"Mr Tully, we wanna know what are your cheapest options? We're thinking about a wedding and possibly a baby soon.." You interlock your fingers with Matt's theatrically and he smiles as bright as you, "so we don't want to spend too much money on rent now."

"I understand, of course." He shuffles through a pile of papers, glancing at you from time to time, and then finally acknowledging Matt. "What are the glasses for, lad?"

"Oh, just, style. She told me they looked good on me." Matt turns to look at you and smiles.

"Woman clearly has a good taste if you came here. Okay, folks, right now I have some renovation things going on, so new apartments will probably be ready in couple of years, but don't worry, I have just a perfect place for you, lovebirds." He pushes the pictures of the flat and you notice the address written underneath it - one near Mrs Cardenas's apartment. "All the shops are close, place is... Quiet, of course, now the view might not be the best, but trust the process." He leans back in his chair and it creaks painfully.

"That is such a good place, what do you think, Matt?" You ask, already sure that the man in front of you is not aware of anything around him. "This is right next to Elena Cardenas's apartment, yeah. We could visit her when she returns from the hospital. But wait..." You look at Matt, almost shocked, "her place is wrecked, how can she return, right Mr Tully?" You look at Tully, visibly stressing and staring at the two of you.

"Sorry, I seem to not understand you." He squeezes out, with great struggle.

You blink slowly, taking your time. "Mr Tully, who will build new apartments in that record time?"

"What?"

"Who told you to kick those poor old people out? Have you even visited any of them?" 

"Mr Tully, how can you so easily rent out places when we both know that they're left in ruins?" Matt adds, intimidatingly leaning forward.

"Who are you?"

"We're Mrs Cardenas's lawyers." Matt says with a serious expression, already missing the feeling of your fingers resting between his. "Did you visit her? Did you apologize? Did you beg her not to file a lawsuit against you and whoever's ass you're kissing right now?"

"Matt, that's a little harsh. He's just a victim here. Who will get a nice sum from the dead people of Hell's Kitchen. How much are they paying for your services of the grim reaper?" You continue, slowly stroking your chin in thought. 

Tully finally starts understanding what was really happening and his eyes become wider with every second. "You're her lawyers?"

"Nelson and Murdock, Mr Tully." You extend your hand on purpose, watching his reaction, when he says nothing, you continue, "y/n y/l/n, associate in Mrs Cardenas's case against you."

He looks at you with visible disgust but doesn't touch your hand. "A case already? First, I can't get rid of those goddamn cops lurking around and questioning me on every chance they get and now you vampires?" He scoffs to himself now, "you're those lawyers that poor Cardenas ran to, right? What did you prove here?" He motions to the documents of the flat lying in front of you.

"That you're a liar. We can sue you for providing false information of the real estate that you control to your clients. I mean, one day after those explosions, which I would call, intentional, and you're already renting out places like it's a Monopoly game?"

"Intentional? You're accusing me now, Miss whatever even your name was?" He stands up abruptly and slams his hands on the table, and you slightly jump in your seat. Matt gets alarmed immediately but keeps calm just as he promised.

"It's y/l/n, and you better remember it because you're gonna hear it a lot in the courtroom." You rise from your seat too, not afraid to look him in the eyes.

"You have no proof, I do everything by rules, you can't do anything about our business!"

"Oh, Mr Tully, our proof is a living person, fallen under your greedy fist."

"You know nothing, you bloodsuckers." He turns to look at you, sweat already running down his forehead, "you think you can come here to my office and fool me? You think you know how business is done? You shouldn't even be here. Women belong in kitchens, not the fucking courtrooms where they continue talking the same shit that they talk at home!" Tully shouts so loud that a vein on his neck pops out visibly.

Anger rises in your veins and you feel your lips twitching between a menacing grin and an angered grimace. Matt stands up as well, ready to defend you at any moment, but keeping his promise. "If men like you and whoever you..r owner is ruled the world, it would already be destroyed. Get ready to pay for Mrs Cardenas and all the others who are in hospital. See you in court, Mr Tully." You stand up and calmly walk out of the office, holding Matt's elbow in a steel grip. Just as you close the doors, you hear crashing. "He smashed that white vase from his table." You state to Matt, who stops you at the end of the staircase.

"That was so crazy. Stupid."

"But it worked." You smile triumphantly, "'our business'? He's clearly just a puppet." 

"Yeah, but was that," Matt slighly shakes his hands in the air, "really necesary?" 

"If I came here as a lawyer, I wouldn't have made it past the front door." You chuckle, but there still lies uneasiness on your heart. 

"See you in court? Elena hasn't made up her mind about the lawsuit." 

"Well, I just love saying that, okay? Let me enjoy the moment before I get kicked back into the kitchen." You turn that to a joke, yet Matt knows that there's something lying underneath it.

"Hey, that was so unnecessay. I would've loved kicking his ass." Matt still argues, not letting your elbow out of his grip for one second, before you cross the street and get in your car again.

"I can already do this by myself, but thanks for the heads up, Murdock." You close the doors and grab the lighter from the dashboard.

"What do you mean by 'already'?" Matt gets comfortable in the seat and turns his whole body towards you.

"I mean that as a woman, you can either be controlled by men your whole life and be dependent from them and their mercy or you can finally stand up for yourself and get out of that stereotypical kitchen that they want to keep us in and kick their asses." You light up the cigarette and exhale loudly, resting your head on the headrest, facing Matt. "I doubt that you'd understand exactly what I mean but.. Yeah."

"Has this happened before?" Matt asks, sour expression on his face.

"More than you could imagine. Of course this became a rare occasion when I got my law degree, but..." You fall silent, not ready to talk about your life before college.

"But what?"

"Nothing. Just forget about it."

"y/n..."

"No, really. We have to focus on Elena now. You ready to visit her? My Spanish knowledge is very limited."

Matt nods and turns away from you, while you drive to the hospital, saving half of your cigarette for later.

*** 

"What did she tell you when I was out to get coffee?" You ask Matt while you two stand in front of the elevator, waiting with two other doctors for it to arrive. 

He smiles before answering, "oh, I don't really remember."

"Don't think I'm an idiot, you were smirking exactly like this before."

"Okay, okay, she said that you're a very beautiful young woman." He falls silent for a moment, then continues, "and that I'm a very handsome man and..."

"And what?" You get into the elevator and stand with Matt in the farthest corner, now whispering.

"And that we look like we suit each other." He finishes, face almost red because he knows that all the doctors inside the elevator heard it. He didn't plan on telling you any of this, but knew that eventually you'd ask Elena yourself which would make this even more awkward.

"Oh." You manage to say and get embarassed as well.

Ride back to the office is silent and you turn on the radio, which plays the last decade hits and try not to think too much of Mrs Cardenas's words. You find Foggy and Karen sitting in the lobby, sipping on coffee and you notice the newspaper's headline - "The Devil of Hell's Kitchen".

"Hey, where'd you get that?" You ask, hanging your coat and taking your briefcase towards Karen's desk.

"This? Karen found one somewhere."

"I stopped by the stands on our way back but they were all sold out. Anything good?"

Foggy briefly shows you the first pate with a blurry photo of the devil of Hell's Kitchen and chuckles, "Devil, my shapely Irish ass. Guy's a coward. What I wouldn't give for the chance to rip that corny mask off and..."

"And what?" Karen puts her cup down and steals a glance at Matt still stuck by the hanger.

"Punch him in the face with my fisticuffs." Foggy imitates a boxer and almost drops the newspaper on the ground.

"I don't know, he seems, uh pretty fisticuffy." Karen sighs and you slightly squint at her.

"Please tell me I don't detect a hint of admiration for that terrorist."

"This is just all speculation. Nobody knows if he's a terrorist or what." Karen tries to fight Foggy's words but the pink cheeks give her away easily.

"You're absolutely right. Terrorists have causes. They claim responsibility. Al-Qaeda wanted the world to know exactly what kind of assholes they were. This guy? Not a peep. All terror without the "-ist. " You know what they call that? Nut job."

You chuckle a bit and slump in the chair, curiously watching Matt get behind Karen near the window.

"Hmm, maybe." Karen hums and Foggy groans loudly, then winces, "How's your side?"

"Downgraded to agony." Foggy drops the paper on the table and closes his eyes for a second.

"All right, what do you think, Matt? Y/n?" Karen looks for help but the look on your face tells her more than enough.

"I think Foggy'll be pitching for the Mets by mid-season." Matt jokes, trying to lift up the spirits in the office.

"I'm being serious." Karen turns to face him, blonde hair falling on her shoulders and you don't see the expression on her face.

Matt chuckles, setting his tie loose. "So am I. Have you seen their bullpen?"

"Come on, you telling me this dickhead blowing up our backyard doesn't piss you off?" Foggy returns to the debate, already feeling better than he was before.

"What happened to Hell's Kitchen, to you and to Elena, and to all the people that were hurt yeah, it pisses me off. But this man, whoever he is, whatever his motive, he shouldn't be tried and convicted in the press. We're lawyers, we know that's not how it's supposed to work." Matt says and you look at him almost stunned.

"I'm sorry," you finally get into the talk, crossing your legs on the chair, "this guy breaks into a law firm and then gets into a fight with Benowitz, only for me to almost get killed and you're saying that press is wrong for portraying him as a vigilante that he is?"

Matt bites his tongue. "Well, was he there to kill you?"

"I don't know, didn't really have time to ask a guy in a mask what he was doing in a law firm after work hours." You scoff loudly, shooting lightnings with your eyes at Matt.

Karen waits for Matt to say something back but as he continues to be silent, she asks her questions, "So, uh, hypothetically, if this guy got caught needed counsel, Nelson and Murdock would offer to defend him?"

"Hell no." Foggy is the first one to express his opinion.

"I'd rather see him rot in a jail cell." You say at the same time as Matt says, "It would be his right."

Foggy continues to side with you, "What about my right to punch him in the melon? They pulled a piece of glass out of my side. Elena needed 12 stitches and she's still recovering in the hospital. And you want to Perry Mason the guy responsible?"

Matt puts his hands on his sides, "I wanna make sure the right person pays for what happened."

"The whole thing's moot. After shooting those cops, police are probably looking to settle things the old-fashioned way if they catch up to him." Foggy states.

"Yeah, it's more than likely." Matt sighs under his breath and you close your eyes as they begin to sting from the dryness.

"Just a thought, but we may wanna go a bit peppier at the end of the day." Karen chuckles, "Leave on a note slightly higher than deeply depressing."

"She's right. You're bringing us down, Murdock." You bite, watching Matt's expression change to a happier one.

"Me?" He laughs lightly, eyebrows raised above the glasses. 

Foggy returns with a baseball bat and starts swinging at the imaginary ball. "High note! Softball!"

"I'm not even gonna ask why you have this in your office." You chuckle lowly.

"When are we getting a company team together?"

"We have four employees." Karen states the obvious and you all break into smiles.

"At least three of them aren't blind." Matt laughs, "If Miss y/l/n wouldn't mind, we could go 2v2."

"Oh, you mean, I would be carrying the whole team on my shoulders?" You roll your eyes playfully and Foggy nudges Karen.

"Karen, come on. Batting practice, you and me, Chelsea Piers. What do you say? We can beat them."

"Um, I..." Karen stumbles with words, something totally different on her mind.

"Or not. Totally cool." Foggy assures her and swings the bat one more time.

"No, no, I would, I would. It's just that I, um I have this, uh, thing." Karen smiles awkwardly, looking between you and Foggy.

"Go, do that thing. Not a problem." Foggy urges her and you put your head on your arm for extra support and secretly watch Matt with half closed eyes.

"Okay, so, um see you tomorrow." Karen quickly grabs her purse and hurries out, coat in her hands.

"We'll be here, ready to high note and stuff." Foggy shouts after her, but no one responds.

"Smooth." Matt comments on Foggy's swing and imitating sound of a flying ball.

"Admittedly, I'm a work in progress. Did you know she has mace on her keychain?" Foggy comments, then turns to look at you, "Do you have one?" 

"No, I have my fisticuffs ready at all times." You pull your hands into fists and imitate punching someone in the stomach. Matt breaks into a laughter and Foggy looks quite disappointed about the teamup against him.

"Is that a bad thing? Should we buy one for y/n too?" 

"You ever worry about her? Worry, like, something she's not telling us?" Foggy starts throwing the ball at a wall in front of you, catching it mid-air.

"Everyone has secrets, Foggy." Matt clears his throat and takes a seat that was previously occupied by Karen. "Y/n?"

"What?" You open your eyes and then remember Matt's question, "No, I don't need a mace. Worst case scenario, I can pull out a lug wrench from my car." You answer almost sleepily.

"Right, I forgot that you father was a cop, you'd get out of any situation easily." Foggy says, then turns to Matt, "I don't have secrets. I'd like some. Your kind like with Hottie McBurner-Phone. I mean, I assume she's hot. Is she hot?"

"Oh... How would I know?" Matt groans, and you feel more awake than you were this whole day. A burner phone? What is he hiding?

"This again. You always know. I mean, you guys getting serious? Should I dust off the tux I'll need to rent?"

Matt laughs, feeling your eyes burn holes in his head,  "No, uh it didn't work out."

"Oh. I'm... I'm sorry, man." Foggy catches the ball one last time and turns back to look at Matt.

"Yeah, me too." Matt mutters with zero regret in his voice, "Hey, look, I'm gonna order in tonight, get a jump on this tenement case."

"You want me to stay?" Foggy asks, disappearing in his office again.

"No, I'll be all right. Thanks, buddy." Matt says loudly.

"It's okay. I can stay a bit longer." You suggest.

"Okay. See you in the morning, guys. Hey, Matt... her loss, man. Seriously." Foggy also grabs his coat and closes the door.

Matt sighs loudly, still feeling your eyes on him. "You should go home too."

"Who's gonna drive you home then?" You ask, watching how Matt goes around the table and stops in front of the shared office, right next to where you were sitting.

"I'll call a cab. Just wanted to look over something in Elena's case." 

"She's still deciding about the lawsuit, Matt, there's nothing we can look into right now." You look at him standing tall on your left, and he gently puts a hand on your shoulder, squeezing it affectionately. The warmth from his heavy hand makes you shiver and you silently inhale deeply.

"I just want to be prepared in case she will file the lawsuit. Seriously, go home." Matt smiles, feeling the goosebumps under the material of your blouse.

"Just don't stay up too late, we need fresh minds for tomorrow." You stand up and Matt's hand falls from your shoulder, accidentally brushing on your bra. You say nothing, but this little incident will surely stay on your mind this whole evening.

"Goodnight, y/n." Matt says as you go past him to put on your coat.

"Yeah, night, Matt." You say and clear your throat along the way, before disappearing into the dark corridor of the building. 

Matt smiles to himself and goes to sit in his chair, taking a sheet printed with Braille, skillfully brushing his fingers on it - Owlsley, Leland: Financial Advisor at the prestigious firm of Silver & Brent.

*** 

You spend the evening with Wesley, watching the crappy game shows on TV on your sofa. Both of you were focused on the screen, these kind of shows knew how to keep your eyes fixated on them. James has been slowly but rhythmically rubbing your shoulders, yet his touch couldn't compare to Matt's. Just as you started to drift away into the slumber, Wesley's phone rang beside him.

"Yes?" He says in a hushed tone, glancing at you, still asleep, or so he thought. "What? When?" You wish you could her what was being say on the other side of the phone, but the next words make your heart drop. "The mask? Fucking idiot." Wesley ends the call abruptly but doesn't leave - just bents down to place a kiss on your temple and continues to rub your bare shoulders.

***

Leland Owsley gets inside his expensive car, arguing with someone on the phone. "The funds have been reallocated as requested. All the arrangements made per your agreement with the guy we're not supposed to blah blah blah. Business may continue?"

Matt lurks in the shadows and between the pillars of the parking lot, getting closer and closer to Owsley's car.

"The numbers are like tea leaves. Nobody reads them like I can. You're laying out major reserves to clear the docks to make sure the police don't come within 10 blocks." Owsley listens to the man on the phone, then clears his throat, "Yeah. What happened to the Russians We need to be careful, all of us. I look out for you, you look out for me. All I'm saying. Each man must stand for himself or fall with the unworthy." He argues more then puts down his phone. "Prick."

Suddenly, car door rips open with strength and Owsley almost lets out a shriek, seeing the man in the mask, "Oh, God! What do you want? My wallet?"

"You know what I want. Tell me about the man you work for." Matt pulls Owsley out of his car with little force.

The man exhales as if he was running, "I work for Silver & Brent."

"I'm gonna ask you again.Think about your answer. Who do you work for?" Matt's rough voice slightly disturbs Leland.

"I told you, I work for Silver and..."

"You work for Wilson Fisk moving his money around. Which means you have records, proof of who..." Matt doesn't finish his sentence as he gets distracted by the distant tapping of the cane and Owsley sees a chance to tase Matt right into the chest and he falls flat on the ground.

"Asshole." Owsley scoffs and quickly drives away, leaving Matt rolling on the ground like a dying worm.

The cane tapping gets closer and closer, before it slightly hits Matt in the leg, "You just gonna lie there all night?"

Matt groans through gritted teeth and mutters, "Stick."

[viktere]

⸤ 🩸 ⸣ ⸻ 𝒗𝒊𝒌𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒔, an independent and private multimuse. ft canon and original characters from different medias, with a focus on original characters. dark themes will appear, proceed with caution. by kiki, she + her, twenty8+. activity is permanently sporadic to low.

carrd, atlas, prompts, board. blogroll, @klaeus, @elenaes, @raqeful. sideblogs, @sunaed. muse spotlight, river, eris, nimue, cassie, varina.

before interacting.

i am mutuals only, please respect that. do not interact if you're under 18, 21+ preferred.

basic etiquette and human decency please: no weird or gross behaviors, and be respectful.

while triggering topics will appear and be tagged, keep taboo subjects away from me. (r.ape/non-con, p.edophilia, i.ncest, etc.)

banned: i.an somerhalder and a recast klaus. exceptions can be made for multis that have a tag for them i can block.

mutuals are welcome to tag me in anything ever, send in countless memes whenever, message me at any time and request my d.iscord. basically if we're mutuals, "bug" me whenever and however you want 🤍

my formatting is simple, and i'm fine with icons, iconless, gif icons or gifs. answered asks can always be treated as a starter, feel free to rb them or start a new post to create a thread!

accessibility: lmk at any time if you need me to adjust anything for your comfort, it won't bother me at all. on my end, it would be super helpful if you don't use tiny icons or courier new font with me.

shipping and dynamics of all kinds are my lifeblood, so lmk at any time if you're interested in shipping with me.

there will be a heavy focus on my original characters, with canons taking a backseat by default. please do not try to interact with only my male muses.

originals.

amarande floresca, pureblood vampire, gemma arterton, primary.

aspasia, the dark urge / seldarine drow druid, tbd, primary.

aspyn verona, hunter, denise richards, secondary.

aurora provenza, black market doctor, danielle rose russell, moved to @shemad.

booker darcy, hunter / half demon, chris evans, primary.

briar kesta, reincarnation of aphrodite, danielle campbell, primary.

callan wisteria, private investigator, dylan o'brien, primary.

cassiopeia claremont, reincarnation of the goddess of the stars, claire holt, primary.

christian byrne, hunter, ethan peck, primary.

eris floresca, pureblood vampire, crystal reed, primary.

fern roque, serial killer of abusive men, bruna marquezine, secondary.

julieta cardenas, ghost hunter / streamer, lizeth selene, secondary.

luminita, gifted vampire, demet özdemir, secondary.

magdalena primrose, mortician / exorcist, alexandra daddario, primary.

mi-cha yeong, storm chaser, kim ji-won, test / wip.

mikhail floresca, pureblood vampire, douglas booth, primary.

naizak, archangel oc, kim jae-wook, tertiary.

nimue, ancient forest witch / shapeshifter, megan fox, primary.

opal undergrove, witch, yaya dacosta, secondary.

rhysand eoin ó cuilinn, vampire, chace crawford, primary.

river mihal, werewolf, alina kovalenko, secondary.

severina, white eyed demon oc, adria arjona, secondary.

sila prakenskii, mobster, tor thanapob, moved to @raqeful.

varina leucothea, siren princess, dakota johnson, primary.

canons.

caius, twilight, regé-jean page, secondary.

connor, dbh, bryan dechart, test.

damon salvatore, tvdu, giancarlo commare, secondary.

edward cullen, twilight, robert pattinson, secondary.

emmett cullen, twilight, michael evans behling, primary.

esme cullen, twilight, carla gugino, secondary.

isabella swan, twilight, antonia gentry, primary.

jack ryan, bioshock, jensen ackles, test.

lara croft, tomb raider, yaya sperbund, primary.

sam winchester, supernatural, jared padalecki, primary.

stefan salvatore, tvdu, paul wesley, secondary.

subject delta, bioshock 2, mads mikkelsen, test.

[lonestarss]

updated oc story masterlist

(my favorite characters and ships are marked in bold. dividers are made by @/cafekitsune.)

CHILDREN OF THE FIVE — after their queen, yasmin, dies under mysterious circumstances, the four ministers of lumain and their associates conduct an investigation on the people who led her astray, as well as the demon that they believe ended her life. high fantasy/mystery with horror elements.

CHARACTERS — yasmin (she/her), alsu makaira (she/her), primavera sandoval (he/him), annog macalastair (they/them), leonid bancroft (he/him), nikita bychkova (she/her), checha florentino (he/him), ermir o'brian (they/them), tsumugi makaira (she/her), akane hikaru (any pronouns), hussein al-saleh (he/him), leila morningstar (she/her), catarina sandoval (she/her), adareii (they/she) SHIPS — yasmin/leila/catarina, nikita/akane, checha/hussein

SOLA FIDE — in a fit of desperation, nermina signs a contract with a demon in exchange for safety and security. when her coworkers and roommate discover the deal, they slowly become entangled with the undead as they unravel the icy web of terror nermina has found herself in. urban fantasy/horror/drama.

CHARACTERS — nermina crown (she/her), aditi agarwal (she/any), takeem abdelsamad (he/any), celeste/sienna miller (she/they), lorenzo grant (he/they), hilal (he/him), fusae kamiyama (she/her), miguel briones (he/him), tam lin (he/him) SHIPS — nermina/aditi, takeem/celeste (semi-canon), miguel/tam lin

A ROULETTE OF REPROBATES — in a republic ruled by the god of bureaucracy, reina is sent to their begrimed undercity for protesting the supreme court's decision to execute her brother. despite her lack of experience, she must gamble her way out of this hole before his death sentence is fulfilled. high fantasy/drama with mystery elements.

CHARACTERS — reina dominique (she/her), laurens dominique (he/him), bernadette paige (she/her), rashad mahmoud (he/him), yong jin (he/him), angel mahmoud-jin (they/them), rosalyn (she/her), darren (he/him), nathalie (she/they), gordon (he/him), felix venien (he/him), donna valencia monet (she/her), alexandre godfrey (he/him), evelyn cousineau (she/her), lodupa (They/Them) SHIPS — rashad/yong, rosalyn/bernadette, gordon/darren, felix/alexandre

ACCESS ALL AREAS — determined to fulfill their dream of being a famous musician, moonstone forms a scrappy pop group just in time to compete in a music festival's fresh meat tournament. hijinks and several rude awakenings ensue as they get a taste of what it really means to live in the limelight. sci-fi/drama.

CHARACTERS — moonstone (they/them), sunstone (she/her), marisa singh (she/her), aoi takahashi (she/it), ELENA (he/him), feliz (he/him), catelyn (she/her), malik (he/him) SHIPS — moonstone/sunstone, marisa/aoi, ELENA/feliz

DUNGEON OF VIPERS — after being saved from a dragon by him, darcy and her girlfriend butt their way into the adventuring party of grizzly loner misha, following the group on their journey into their city's dark catacombs. semi-episodic urban fantasy with horror elements.

CHARACTERS — darcy vespertine (they/she), bellatrix truefire (she/her), misha viktorov (he/him), haidar zaman (he/him), sadako shirashi (she/her), morgana osbourne (she/her), jade (she/her), charlotte/angelite (she/her), mariana/serpentine (she/they), asmo/malachite (he/they), majeed/sapphire (he/him), quinn/howlite (they/them), qi yang (she/her), yue yang (he/him) SHIPS — darcy/bellatrix, misha/haidar, jade/charlotte, yue/majeed

GENSHIN IMPACT

CHARACTERS — estel de reves (they/any, electro bow), sylvie clairmont-atkin (she/they, cryo catalyst), emiliano urias (she/her, hydro sword), dakarai urias (he/him, geo bow), neesha banerjee (she/her, dendro claymore), hafsah al-yasiri (he/him, anemo catalyst), xiuying (she/her, pyro sword), robin (they/xe, alternating visions and weapons) SHIPS — estel/robin, estel/wriothesley, neesha/collei, hafsah/alhaitham, xiuying/xinyan

HONKAI STAR RAIL

CHARACTERS — melanie cardenas (she/her, imaginary/erudition), laverne somel (they/them, wind/harmony), vilho (he/they, physical/abundance), zhihao ling (any pronouns, lightning/the hunt), jess/black cat (she/they/it, fire/nihility), zan (he/they, quantum/destruction), warden somel (he/him, ice/preservation) SHIPS — melanie/ruan mei (one-sided), melanie/boothill, jess/silver wolf

[ceterisparibus116]

I was wondering, what are the rules about different types of cases lawyers can take, and what types can Matt do? I know he’s a defense attorney officially, but can/does he take on different cases? Could he work as a prosecuting attorney, or in another area (like custody law or criminal prosecution)? What even are the different areas lawyers work in (past just civil/criminal)?

Also, for criminal trials I was wondering if the victim pays anything. Like if a victim is robbed and presses charges, do they have to get a lawyer to prosecute or does the state appoint one? And do they have to pay for this lawyer or does the state pay? (I think for civil everyone pays but criminal is different)

Thank you in advance ☺️

These are great questions!

So lawyers can take on different cases as long as they remain ethical - and as long as they can get hired. ;) The main ethical rules that would apply (as far as I know...my knowledge of the ethical rules is more limited to criminal law nowadays) are the rules that relate to: 1) a conflict of interest; and 2) competence.

The conflict of interest rules mean that a lawyer can't take on a case that is in conflict with a case they already have. So say Matt is functioning as a criminal defense attorney for Client A; he can't simultaneously represent Client A's co-defendant, Client B unless both Client A and Client B waive the conflict of interest because you never know when Client A's defense might clash with Client B's defense.

(A common example is drug possession cases, where A and B are both found in a vehicle with drugs. A might say "The drugs belong to B!" and B might say "The drugs belong to A!" and the same defense attorney can't argue both positions.)

Or say Client A is a criminal defendant charged with battery against Client B, and Client B is suing Client A in civil court over the same incident. Matt could represent Client A in both criminal and civil court, but he couldn't represent Client A in criminal court and then turn around and represent Client B against Client A in civil court.

The other ethical rules at play are those relating to competence. It is unethical for an attorney to take a case that they aren't competent (or couldn't reasonably become competent) to handle. If Matt knew absolutely nothing about, say, wills and trusts, it would be unethical for him to agree to draft someone's will or trust. This also goes to just...time management. If Nelson & Murdock have too many cases, there hits a point where they can't ethically take more cases because they wouldn't have the time to competently handle them.

Not even gonna comment on how this relates to the Frank Castle trial because I'm pretending that trial never happened.

And Matt could never be a prosecutor while working as a criminal defense attorney. He could stop practicing criminal defense and switch over to prosecution, but he can't do both simultaneously. The conflict of interest is just unavoidable, and besides, no prosecutor's office would hire him if he were still doing criminal defense work.

That said, in canon, we see Matt take on many cases, both criminal and civil, simultaneously. Aside from his criminal cases, we also see him handle the following types of civil cases:

Property (as when he represents Elena Cardenas against her landlord);

Employment (and possibly immigration?) (as with Ms. Jacinto in S2E1);

Standard negligence (I think? I think Mr. Marino is being sued for negligently handling his dog by allowing his dog to "defile" the statue in S2E1?); and

Products liability (as with the Aaron James case).

Other areas of law that I imagine he could handle would be family law (divorce, custody, child support, etc.), other negligence claims (like a company that negligently leaves their floors slippery, and someone gets hurt, commonly called a "slip-and-fall" case) (there are literally so many types of negligence claims oh my gosh), and intentional torts (which often have criminal analogs, like assault and battery).

He can do all of these while still handling criminal defense cases, as long as there's no conflict of interest, and as long as he's competent.

As for victims: you're right that it's different between civil and criminal law; in civil law, the (alleged) victim has to pay for their attorney unless the attorney takes the case pro bono.

But in criminal law, it's very important to note that victims don't have attorneys. This is because, although the victim is one victim of the crime (obviously), the other victim of the crime is actually the state.

So for example, if Frank were prosecuted for shooting Grotto...then yeah, Grotto is the victim of Frank's violence, but so is the entire State of New York. That's why criminal cases are labeled "State vs [Defendant]."

Therefore, prosecutors represent the State - they do NOT represent the individual victim. The reason this is so important is because the victim and the State may actually have different interests...or, at least, think they have different interests.

The clearest example of this is domestic violence. Say you have a guy who's been abusing his wife for years, but she, for myriad reasons, doesn't want to leave him. Nor does she want him to be prosecuted. Maybe this is because she loves him, or thinks she loves him. Maybe this is because she's afraid of what will happen to their kids if he's incarcerated. Maybe she relies on him for money, and she needs him to stay out of prison so he can keep providing. There can be so, so many reasons.

However, the State does want this guy prosecuted. The State wants this guy to, at minimum, be put on probation which would require him to get a domestic violence evaluation (which would assess mental health concerns and factors that might exacerbate his behavior) and, based on the evaluation, court-ordered domestic violence counseling. The State may or may not also want a No-Contact order between the guy and his wife, and possibly between the guy and his kids, unless and until he gets better at controlling his violence and/or addressing whatever underlying issues he may have.

A good prosecutor will listen to the victim and hear them out, but the prosecutor does not represent the victim, and the victim does not decide what happens in the criminal case. And so, at the end of the day, the prosecutor is not required to dismiss a case even if that's what the victim wants.

And yes, that is one of the hardest and heartbreaking parts of being a prosecutor.

That said, a victim in a criminal case can also bring a civil case against the defendant. This is important because although a criminal conviction can impose certain penalties (like probation, jail time, and court orders like the aforementioned counseling), criminal convictions can't give the victim any money except for basic restitution.

So for example, if a defendant beats someone up, they'll have to pay for medical bills and things like that. But the defendant won't have to pay for additional damages (like for the pain and suffering experienced by the victim, or for counseling the victim might need to cope with the experience) unless the victim brings a civil case against the defendant. And as I said before, the victim would generally have to pay for that.

Okay I feel like this was kind of a rambly answer...does this make sense?

[mizusenshisongs]

This isn't a Sailor Moon-related song, but this is my favorite song from Elena of Avalor, and I've been wanting to do a cover of it for a while. Since it's about Día de los Muertos, it made sense to me to post it around that time, but I never got to it till now.

Also I am not fluent in Spanish (or Hispanic), so I apologize if any pronunciation is off.

I also didn't use a clip for this, because I was pretty positive Disney would block it. (I did get a copyright claim for the music, but that's to be expected).

Music from: My CD (Elena of Avalor EP) Karaoke made by: Me Vocals: Me Background image from: Amazon Lyrics & cover image background from: Disney Fandom Wiki

I DO NOT OWN ELENA OF AVALOR OR THIS SONG. THE SONG IS OWNED BY WALT DISNEY RECORDS, JOHN KAVANAUGH, SILVIA CARDENAS OLIVAS, CRAIG GERBER, AIMEE CARRERO, EMILIANO DIAZ, LAURA DICKINSON, RUDY CARDENAS, BARAKA MAY, AND GREG WHIPPLE. ELENA OF AVALOR IS OWNED BY DISNEY ANIMATION, TeamTO, CRAIG GERBER, JAMIE MITCHELL, ELLIOT M. BOUR, NATHAN CHEW, DISNEY CHANNEL, AND DISNEY JR.

[maplecreekhq]

Brooke! 🍁 Welcome to Maple Creek! We are excited to welcome REILLY WILSON (Theo James FC), ENZO MORALES (Clayton Cardenas FC), ELENA PETROVA (Greta Onieogou FC) to our little island. Please make sure you check out our member’s checklist. 🍁

🍁 You will have 24 hours to send us your accounts, your 24 hours to post will begin once you send us your account. 🍁

Spotted on the ferry is REILLY WILSON, they were mistaken for THEO JAMES. REILLY is THIRTY-EIGHT years old, they identify as CIS MALE (HE & HIM). They are currently spending their time as A PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR in Maple Creek and are residing in CREEKWALK. On the island, people say they are LOYAL but COCKY. (BROOKE, 28, EST, SHE & HER).

Spotted on the ferry is ENZO MORALES, they were mistaken for CLAYTON CARDENAS. ENZO is THIRTY-FIVE years old, they identify as CIS MALE (HE & HIM). They are currently spending their time as MECHANIC in Maple Creek and are residing in ALDER TRAILER PARK. On the island, people say they are KINDHEARTED but ALOOF. (BROOKE, 28, EST, SHE & HER).

Spotted on the ferry is ELENA PETROVA, they were mistaken for GRETA ONIEOGOU . ELENA is THIRTY-THREE years old, they identify as CIS FEMALE (SHE & HER). They are currently spending their time as EVENT PLANNER in Maple Creek and are residing in FIREWOOD APARTMENTS. On the island, people say they are ORGANIZED but BOSSY. (BROOKE, 28, EST, SHE & HER). (@brooklynswriting )

[wtrmelonsuga]

#𝐰𝐭𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐠𝐚 ..... 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐬,

⚘. birdie johnson : socialite, they/she, 36, megan fox. ⚘. elena sloane : legal secretary, she/her, 27, madison beer. ⚘. gwendolyn "winnie" king : vet school student, she/her, 25, lola tung. ⚘. ivy greene : soloist (ballet), she/her, 30, madelaine petsch. ⚘. jenny fletcher : nhl assistant athletic trainer, she/her, 30, lucy hale. ⚘. margherita "maggie" herrera : fashion designer, she/her, 29, cierra ramirez. ⚘. olivia devereux : coffee shop owner, she/her, 39, anne hathaway. ⚘. sasha danjuma : dental hygienist / grad student, she/her, 29, greta onieogou. ⚘. stella xue : influencer/youtuber, she/her, 27, amberly yang. ⚘. yasemin kaya : trophy wife, she/her, 33, ayça ayşin turan. ⚘. zoella jackson : socialite, she/her, 28, ryan destiny. ⚘. chase klein : law student, he/him, 26, damian hardung. ⚘. d'angelo "dj" jackson : nfl quarterback, he/him, 25, daniel ezra. ⚘. daniel corinthos : mechanic / bar owner, he/him, 38, clayton cardenas. ⚘. ethan brighton : bartender, he/him, 29, keith powers. ⚘. houston quinn : rapper/singer, he/him, 30, justin bieber. ⚘. jesse hayes : corporate attorney, he/him, 38, theo james. ⚘. jude carmichael : investor, he/him, 33, logan lerman. ⚘. kaden lavalette : 3rd grade teacher, he/him, 28, michael evans behling. ⚘. kane anderson : mechanic, he/him, 33, casey deidrick. ⚘. keegan bishop : actor, he/him, 40, chris evans. ⚘. nathan coleman : musician, he/they, 27, shawn mendes. ⚘. xavier siddiqui : nfl coach, he/him, 39, yahya abdul-mateen.

more coming v soon!

[thingsasbarcodes]

Daredevil 1x05 - World on Fire

[survivorofhellskitchen]

@wardogsong continued from x

It should be a sight she should be used to by now. Hell, was it really Frank Castle if his body wasn't littered with open wounds, cuts, or black and blue bruises? Yet, it's a sight that still made her skin crawl and her stomach tighten with worry.

He doesn't need her help with this- probably doesn't even want it, but that never stops her from trying, to the best of her ability, help patch him up...or at the very least try and be some sort of comfort.

And maybe she would be...but this is Frank Castle.

Her brows furrow at his scoff and without missing a beat, Karen releases the slight hold she had on the side of his face when she'd initially come over to check out his wounds.

His next words feel as if what had been inflicted on him was just done to her. Her rodeo skills. It's just a stark reminder that her hands aren't clean. It's another reminder that at the end of the day she's no better than he is.

Kevin, James Wesley, even Lewis Wilson.

Images of Kevin and Wesley's bodies flicker in her mind and quickly she takes a step back from Frank. She can't even respond before he's onto his next piece- an ultimatum. And once again Karen knows if she agrees to those terms...blood will once again be on her hands. In a different form, but blood nonetheless.

Elena Cardenas, Ben Urich, Grotto, Ray Nadeem, Father Lantom, Ray Schoonover- how many more?

Her jaw clenches and it's her turn to scoff- though in this regard it's the only thing she can do to keep from crying instead, and she was NOT going to do that. Not in front of him.

"I'm just trying to help, because that's what you want from me? Isn't that what everyone wants from me? And don't try to cut me off with some bullshit that you can do this on your own and you never asked me for anything- bullshit. That's fucking bullshit. You came here. Time after time again you came here. You've needed information. You've needed names before and I gave them to you and what did you do? Huh? Lieberman is the only one that you haven't put down, but God knows what you did before you found out he was useful to you. Just like I am. And that's what I was trying to be right here, right now, so fuck you and all of your sadistic eye for an eye bullshit. I've got enough blood on my hands- I'm not adding anymore- not for you. I'm not doing it." His poor excuse for a first aid kit is shoved back in his hands before taking one last step backward. "I'm not doing this."

[thesalemwitchtries]

Dreaming Of a Grave: Chapter Two

Word Count: 3,190

Pairing: Matt Murdock x Named! Fem! Enhanced! Reader

Warnings: Descriptions of injuries sustained through physical assault (no implication of sexual assault at all, so maybe goons beat reader up in her apartment, but they weren't total pricks about it?), There is mention of a man being a creep towards young girls and physical violence against him because of it, the girls are fine, mention of distrust of police/government, Also I didn't change Mrs. Cardenas' existing dialogue, but for everything I created it's in Spanish, because the broken English being spoken when two other speakers are present and when she understands English just fine and then also being killed off for white male plot reasons... none of that sits right with me, so she speaks Spanish and Foggy is accommodated by Matt and Karen, as is perfectly common in an American setting I feel. I know that it was for an English speaking audience but still, subtitles or something. Also when they address her in Spanish they call her Sra, just because I've never spoke to someone in their native language and used an English title, it just was too weird for me to write it that way idk.

Masterlist

Thank you so much for reading! Any comments or feedback are much appreciated!

Also I am not a native Spanish speaker, I've been studying it for a long time, but I've been practicing French and Arabic more lately, which sometimes are all jumbled together in the Non-English half of my brain, so if you see something wrong or funky, please let me know, I would rather be corrected than go around not knowing, especially since it's my favorite language.

Another person might have struggled to focus when faced with the amount of turmoil that Matt Murdock was currently against. Luckily, or perhaps unluckily for those who cared about him, Matt had been capable of excellent focus ever since he was young. Beyond being able to tune out any extra input or hone in on the important bits, when Matt cared about something, he could drive out everything except for his goal. 

His problems with Fisk, the Russians, keeping Claire safe, that could all wait until after work. For now, his attention was locked in on the nervous woman who’d walked into their offices, claiming to have been directed there by Brett’s mother. 

Karen helped to translate as Mrs. Cardenas spoke, given her soft voice and more gentle demeanor, Matt felt content to let her do the questioning while he listened in. According to Elena, two weeks ago men came to her apartment building and tore into the walls with sledgehammers, leaving many people without power or water. Their landlord refused to answer them or help, and when they went to the police, they were told that there was nothing to be done, it was an issue for the city to solve. 

A whole building of people and families, left completely on their own. They deserved to have hope that justice would be served on their behalf. Nelson and Murdock could give them that, though it may take a few months in the courts.

The case that Mrs. Cardenas had brought them was daunting, to say the very least. 

Armand Tully had a reputation as a predatory landlord. His properties were rent-controlled by the city, which was the only protection that tenants had against his greed. Buildings crumbled under his purview. Leaky pipes, faulty wires, and poor security all combined to leave only the most desperate candidates willing to build their lives in his apartments. 

Tully presided over another twist in the cycle of poverty, ensuring his tenants had to spend their own money on these repairs and legal fees, money that could’ve been saved to afford a better landlord.

Worse still, no one could fight Tully. He kept barely within municipal code, and allowed other suits to be tied up in civil courts for as long as possible before doing the right thing. Matt and Foggy had detested running into his cases when they were interning, it felt like a betrayal of their roots.

To Matt, Wilson Fisk was like a blackout rolling through Hell’s Kitchen. Even when Fisk wasn't the direct cause, the increasing spread of darkness through the city was emboldened by his mere presence. The worst sides of everyone around him were encouraged, their greed and cruelty nurtured to monstrous levels.

People feared the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen for the pain left in his wake, but he wasn’t the one inspiring lowlifes like Tully to start smashing in the walls of family homes. All for a quick buck and an investment opportunity. 

Elena’s voice wavered as she explained that the tenants had exhausted all of the options that they could. They were desperate, and it was a relief for Matt to know that at least he was still capable of making one right decision, it could even be easy.

Talking with Claire had him questioning if he really was doing more harm as the Devil than good, it certainly hadn’t been good enough to help protect her last night. However, if Matt hadn’t decided to leave Landman & Zack, he would be defending an asshole like Tully against a vulnerable woman like Mrs. Cardenas right about now. 

Maybe he wasn’t doing the right thing as the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen, in fact he was pretty sure that he wasn’t, but he couldn’t stop. The work had to be done, and if the city was going to paint people with sin, Matt would prefer it to paint him. If it did, then the people who deserved better could finally have better. Matt Murdock would be there in the daylight, always ready to listen out for the weak, to help them the way that God and his father wanted him to.

Karen walked around the table to offer Mrs. Cardenas a box of tissues. Meanwhile, Foggy was already moving on to next steps, thinking aloud about strategy; “This says Tully offered them 10,000 dollars to give up their rent control and vacate the premises. Maybe we can pressure him into giving a better payout.”

While that’d be the easiest solution, Matt knew before she spoke that Mrs. Cardenas wouldn’t go for it. He could hear her head and gold earrings shake in unison, and a whiff of aerosol hairspray accompanied the resolute motion.

“No, Señor Foggy. We do no want money. We want to stay in our homes,” she pleaded, barely holding back her tears while trying to get them to understand her position. Matt already understood, he wouldn’t want to leave his home either. 

Matt remembers when aliens tore a hole in the sky and started smashing Hell’s Kitchen apart— as if anyone could forget something like that. He’d been sheltered with Foggy in their broom closet of an office at Landman & Zack, desperately trying to understand what was happening, worrying about the Nelson’s, and dreading the possibility that he may die before passing the bar. Below the more urgent panic, as the trembling ground and ear-splitting attacks slowed into one of the worst headaches of his life, Matt worried about Hell’s Kitchen, his apartment, if there would be even a scrap of home left to return to. 

He had prayed for a long time that day. Just as he was about to reassure her, Mrs. Cardenas took a shaky breath and continued speaking. 

“Hay algo más. Los obreros, son solamente un ‘city issue’. Pero, uno de mis vecinos, Ms. Charlotte, ella fue… atacada por ellos.”

“They attacked her?” Karen gasped, pen almost falling from her grip. She and Foggy exchanged a frantic look, and Matt’s back straightened, posture growing as stiff as the curl of his frown.

“Pienso que si, pero no me digas lo que sucedió—”

“She thinks so, but her neighbor won’t tell her what happened,” Karen translated, stumbling over the words a little in her shock.

Mrs. Cardenas grabbed another tissue from the box that Karen had provided for her as she spoke, explaining that she thought that her neighbor had been hurt while standing up to the workers.

With Karen intermittently translating for Foggy, Elena explained that once, an older man had been following some of the building’s young girls home from school. Rumor has it that when Charlotte found out, she began walking home with them to keep them safe. One day the creep dared to say something inappropriate, and Charlotte maced him. She then allegedly stomped so hard on one of his hands that the story says she broke every finger. Allegedly.

He never returned, and she leads a pigtailed parade into the building almost every afternoon.

Elena figured maybe Charlotte had tried to stop the damages, having been one of the only younger adults there that day, working from home. Many of the working tenants were out, leaving only children, older residents, and few others. People had been scared, many of the children down Elena’s hall had gone to hide in her own apartment. Mrs. Cardenas also swore that she’d seen Charlotte injury-free just that morning before the workers arrived.

“La próxima día, la ví en el vestíbulo. Charlotte tuvo moretones en la garganta y las muñecas, y en el pómulo— la piel está rota.” Mrs. Cardenas spat out the list of injuries as if they stung, jerkily motioning to her own body as she spoke. Karen turned her mouth into the palm of her hand and closed her eyes, Foggy looking between her and the stone-faced Matt.

“What does that mean? Guys, what happened?” 

Foggy’s question was absorbed into the tense silence of the conference room. 

Matt pulled his hands from the table and tightly knotted them in his lap. It was good that his glasses shielded the old woman acrost him from the full force of his glare, Mrs. Cardenas wasn’t the intended recipient of his rage. No, it was someone else entirely that he’d be searching for that night. The Devil had heard its name being called, and wanted nothing more than to punish the kind of worm that would beat a young woman in her own space. His fingers twitched, knuckles turning even whiter from the force of his restraint.

“Seriously, what did she say?”

Sensing the lump in Karen’s throat, Matt took it upon himself to answer Foggy’s question as best he could through the gritted frown on his face. He translated what Charlotte looked like when Mrs. Cardenas saw her in the building lobby the next day, from the bruises on her neck and wrists, to the one on her cheekbone that came from a hit so hard that the skin had split open.

“Jesus, and they still claim that these were contractors? Maybe brutes for hire, but certainly not plumbers.” Foggy scoffed, shaking his discomfort off in the only way that he knew how. Unknowingly, he’d set the Devil to work inside of Matt’s head, achingly familiar with the work of hired goons. Maybe there was more at play here. Or, you could be obsessed and paranoid.

“Did she say anything about what happened? Give some story or excuse?” Foggy asked, leaning in across the table. Karen picked her pen up again, turned to a fresh page of the notepad and copied down the injuries that Elena had described. The gentle scratching filled Matt’s ears as he thought. He arranged a tentative plan of action, the rest of the day could be spent on gathering information, and once the sun had fully set, he’d let the Devil pick his favorite of all the violent thoughts running through his head.

 “Excuse? No, no. Ella no hablará con nadie sobre eso. Intenté muchas veces, y nada. Brett, el hijo de Bess, lo vistió, sin uniforme, sin placa. Pero ella, no… no budge.”

Shifting in her seat, Karen turned toward Foggy and Matt, head bowed towards the table as she spoke; “She won’t talk to anyone about it, Brett Mahoney visited without his badge and uniform, but she still wouldn’t explain.”

“Sra. Cardenas, por qué Charlotte no se ha ido a hacer una denuncia? No es ‘city issue’, eso es criminal, asalto con agresión.” Matt asked, wanting to know why an assault charge hadn’t been filed. Were there more cops on Fisk’s payroll then he’d thought? Maybe they’d dismissed the charges to cover up what had been done.

“Si, yo sé, y le dije. Nada.” Mrs. Cardenas spread her hands in defeat as she explained that even though she’d explained this to Charlotte, it had done nothing.

“Mrs. Cardenas, if those men hurt her, why won’t she file a report?” Foggy asked, brow furrowed as he tried to understand this neighbor. There were many reasons why victims of various crimes didn’t come forward, maybe if they could help to ease her fears, then they could move forward with charges. 

It would certainly make the civil case more valid if they were also filing criminal charges against the workers. 

“Pienso que está herida y tiene mucho miedo. Más por los funcionarios que los obreros. Ella fue tajante, no quiere hacer una denuncia, no quiere hacer nada sobre eso.”

This wasn’t good news for the civil case. Injured and scared, Charlotte wasn’t willing to file a report because she was more afraid of the officials than of the workers returning. She was firm about not doing anything. Matt wondered if someone had already convinced her not to step forward. Like that one scumbag had said, there’s gonna be another light in another window.

“Sra. Cardenas, vamos hacer todo que podamos. Foggy hablará con su abogado de la gentador esta tarde, y hablaré con tu vecina sobre sus opciones para ayuda. Estarámos en contacto.”

It was such a relief to hear that something would be done, to have a plan, and Elena sighed, reaching across to squeeze Matt’s hands, “Gracias, Senor Murdock. Muchas gracias.”

Karen led Mrs. Cardenas out of the office, and Matt explained to Foggy that he was going to be spending his afternoon speaking with Tully’s lawyers on behalf of the tenants.

“Tully’s lawyer?” Foggy asked, exiting the conference room hot on Matt’s heels, “Do you know who reps him?”

Matt grabbed his cane from the corner, not even attempting to hide his laugh before he turned back around, “Yeah, I know.”

“Landman and Zack!” Foggy insisted, arms gesturing at his sides in a way that agitated the air, the smell of anxiety wafting towards Matt. Apparently deciding that Matt didn’t quite get it, Foggy leaned forward, voice straining with hushed emphasis, “Landman and mother-freakin' Zack, man!”

Karen and her soft perfume breezed through the door behind him, having guided Mrs. Cardenas to the taxi waiting for her on the street below. 

“Ooh, sounds impressive.” She made her way to her desk with the notes and information from their meeting, “Are they looking to hire?”

“Oh, you wouldn't be happy.” Matt said, gesturing to Foggy with his cane, “We used to intern there.”

“Oh, right.” Karen bobbed forward over the desk, how could she have forgotten about the first thing that Foggy brought up whenever the cooling fall air came in through cracks in the windows, or when the lights flickered, or if Matt breathed too loudly. Karen had made the mistake one of her first mornings on the job of thinking out loud about how nice a bagel would be for breakfast. Matt had groaned from his open office, and before she could ask, Foggy was suddenly opining in the reception space about a place where there were all the free bagels that you could eat, every. single. morning.

Foggy flicked his hands around in annoyance, defeat and coating his dry words, “And they offered us a job, a great job. Which we turned down to go off and save the world. Now they hate us.”

Karen and Foggy shared a smile as he finished his speech, all of them knowing that he wouldn’t change a thing, even for free bagels. As much as he complained about their circumstances, Matt knew that he loved what they were doing, that Foggy wouldn’t have survived long in a place like Landman and Zack. 

Letting Foggy in was easy, it was impossible not to really, and staying friends with him was even easier because Matt saw that Foggy was one of those people that was effortlessly good. Unlike him with his devilish shadow, Foggy didn’t have to struggle to make the right choice. Greed and desire could tempt as much as they wanted, he wouldn’t cave, even if he pretended differently. When he knew something was wrong, Foggy Nelson would not do or endorse, and having him by his side always made Matt feel more at ease.

Already, he was moving away from sarcastic complaints, turning back to Matt so they could start working on a plan for how to approach this case. “We'll need to load for bear if we're gonna take them on.” 

“I'll hit the precinct to check for complaints against Tully.”

Foggy’s panicked objection was cut off by Karen calling out, “Is that before, or after you go talk to Elena’s neighbor like you said you would?”

He released the hand that he’d had on the doorknob, he’d been so close to leaving. Unfortunately Karen seemed to have her own radar for picking things up, and she wasn’t always keen on offering slack. Matt could sense, but was in no way fooled by the innocent tilt of her head. Beside him, Foggy’s eyes narrowed. Just one step and he’d have been out the door, no such luck.

“After,” Matt nodded, having to accept defeat, “Thanks, Karen.”

“No problem,” she chirped back, mirroring the sarcastic smile that he’d given her. Hands spread between the two, Foggy abandoned his professionalism in favor of once again being annoyed at Matt Murdock.

“Wait, wait, hold on. How is it that I’m going to Landman and Zack, while you go and talk with the damsel in distress?”

It’s not as if Matt could say that he was going to speak with the neighbor not just for the case, but also for an illegal extracurricular activity where he would be using his super senses to try and identify the assailants. Matt sighed, shifting on his feet. Half-truth it is.

“Well, from what Mrs. Cardenas described, it seems like the only way that Ms. Tanner would answer the door for a man in a suit is if he looked like he needed help. What was it that you call it again?”

Foggy threw his head back, groaning for a long moment before facing Matt again. Though his face spelled his disapproval, his eyes shone with the reminder of their first meeting and love for his friend.

“The ‘wounded duck’, you’re gonna wounded duck yourself.” Foggy said, one hand on his hip and head bobbing. His free hand leveled an accusatory finger at Matt. “I swear she better not be hot, because this is becoming cosmically unfair. You need a new phone for all of your girls, and now I’m going to play chum while you’re off being a hero.”

“Chum?” Matt laughed, hearing Karen tilt her head in confusion, before her hair rustled with a shake and she focused back on organizing the new files. There were maybe three whole files in the whole cabinet, but Matt could hear her moving them around repeatedly on slow days. So, almost every day.

“Yeah, chum!” Foggy burst out, leaning forward to hiss out a plea to Matt, “I can't go to L and Z alone. They're gonna shark attack me, Matt. Look at me, I'm delicious.”

“Well, take Karen.” Matt said through his chuckling, pointing over at the woman who had been trying to mind her own business.

“I-I mean, yeah, if she wants to.” Foggy stumbled and shrugged, taken completely unaware by Matt’s suggestion. His heart raced despite the way that he was trying to play it cool, and Matt fought off a smirk.

“Oh,” Karen straightened with her own surprise at the action, before tossing her hands up. “Sure. Never seen sharks feed up close before.”

Matt chuckled as they all prepared to leave the office, “Try not to splash too much. It attracts 'em.”

“You both are so funny.” Foggy huffed in mock despair as he turned to grab a coat. The two just laughed louder. “That piece of notebook paper on the door has my name on it first, you know. Which means that only one of you is allowed to mock me at a time.”

Already out in the hall, Matt called over his shoulder, “Of course, that’s why we were taking turns.”

“Oh wounded duck off, Matt!” Foggy cried, and the laughter of his friends followed Matt all the way down the stairs and out onto the street.

[chvoswxtch]

rewatching s1 of daredevil and I can’t believe I forgot the adorable mrs.cardenas who always called foggy señor foggy and called their firm señor foggy law and now I can’t stop calling him señor foggy

and lmao the shade to matt when she said oh yeah your handsome lawyer friend and karen was like oh yeah matt ☺️ and mrs.cardenas was like ?? nah girl señor foggy 😏

[breckstonevailskier]

@therese-lokidottir @valkyrieandstrangeridingaragorn Honestly, it says a lot that the Netflix Marvel shows had more of these morally gray characters that the Marvel Studios projects seem hesitant to provide. The heroes in those shows were definitely more morally gray.

Daredevil: Matt Murdock is doubtlessly a hero, but let me point out that in the second episode of season 1, he tortured that Russian henchman on Claire's rooftop and then threw him off the roof. In the ninth episode, he wanted to kill Wilson Fisk after Fisk had Elena Cardenas murdered (and Fisk exploited this to lure Matt into an ambush). Similarly, in season 2, when Matt is rescuing Frank Castle from the Kitchen Irish, many of the goons that he knocks out, after a significant amount of time has passed, aren't shown getting back up. He also threw Nobu off a rooftop in the season 2 finale after Nobu killed Elektra. And in season 3, a big reason why Fisk putting Dex in a Daredevil suit to paint Daredevil as a murderer was so effective was because Matt's own actions mean it's not too far-fetched to believe Daredevil could graduate to cold-blooded murder.

Also from Daredevil, we see Karen Page shows a similar willingness to Matt to sometimes do shady things. Like lying to Ben Urich to trick him into talking to Fisk's mother. Or breaking into Frank Castle's house.

Jessica Jones: Jessica's willing to do some sketchy things at times as part of her job as a private investigator. Same goes for Trish.

Luke Cage: Luke falls into the same category as Matt for the same reasons.

You've pointed out repeatedly how HYDRA nearly succeeded in carrying out Project Insight because of the non-HYDRA people who agreed with their methods (like Fury). I think you've neglected to mention that those non-HYDRA people who agreed with HYDRA's methods were certainly there by design. Because if Zola could design an algorithm for Project Insight, he probably also had an algorithm for determining who was likeliest to agree with HYDRA's methods.

I wholeheartedly agree with you. At the end of the day it's not such a weird concept even in real life, and Zola was clear that whenever history didn't agree with them, history was changed.

Most of the time we interpret that as Hydra eliminating those who were uncomfortable for them, but it also works the other way around as you say: those who agreed with their methods were kept in positions of power and they had been initially chosen out of a strict selection of people who were more likely to agree with them (it's basically what Sitwell says to Steve and Nat in the roof).

If anything, Secret Invasion confirmed that Fury had been the Director for so long because Hydra's methods weren't so far from his own. Of course, the end goal was completely different and I'm not saying in any way, shape or form that Nick was Hydra or he knew about them (he didn't, TWS is proof of that), but that's the best thing about it: even good people can be pretty messed up and do terrible things (like The Harvest).

You can be against the helicarriers killing good people, but if you were okay with the helicarriers going in the air in the first place that means at least you agreed with Hydra's MO (just look at Steve. One single look at them and he was completely against it). And you need a very specific kind of person to agree to something like that.

There were good agents at Shield, sure, and we saw them in TWS. But why didn't we see the bad ones? "They were just Hydra". Uh, way to simplify it! Some might have been, but a lot of those didn't know about Hydra yet they agreed with their methods and they had been specifically chosen and recruited because of that. Where's the accountability for that? Ah no, silly me, the only ones who must be held accountable are the heroes and it's all Bucky's fault, huh? 🤦‍♀️

If the MCU wanted to actually tell a good story about this (and they weren't held back by Disney and their love for the status quo), they would have award-winning series and movies in their roster. They could give us characters like Fury being inherently good but choosing to achieve their ends through immoral means, or Agent Brexit would have been framed correctly not as a hero but as a morally grey character, and we would have seen Shield (and the government) taking responsibility for allowing Hydra to survive for decades instead of watching a series where they'd rather blame Bucky.

[daresplaining]

I felt kinda gross about how Elena was just a device, though - especially how she was set up as a kind of stereotypical 'feisty but maternal' woman with bad English, and how Foggy (kind of OOC?) was talking nonsense Spanglish to her? I think Ben's death was still a black guy dying as a catalyst for the white protagonists, but better done than Ms Cardeñas, who didn't even get the great characterisation that Ben did.

   Definitely. There were several characters in Season 1 (Marci Stahl and Nobu being other examples) who were too flat and stereotypical for our liking, and we agree with your discomfort regarding Elena in particular. She was very clearly intended to be a plot device and not much more: a one-note stock character designed to be sympathetic, but with no potential for longevity. And yes– we were (and still are) extremely upset about Ben. While we’re interested in the ways Karen’s arc mirrors the standard superhero origin story, with Ben’s death as a representation of her first major heroic failure, we wish it didn’t have to come at the cost of his entire future. The more time goes on, the more we feel Ben’s absence, and we can’t imagine why they thought killing him was a good move.