#here have some unnecessary daredevil angst

[cogentranting]

Time to cycle back around to the ‘which Daredevil characters got blipped” conversations now that Daredevil is reconfirmed as canon. 

I think they’ll probably establish that Matt got snapped because that means less gaps to fill (and more of an opening for Fisk to have gotten loose and started chicanery and mischief). Matt being snapped means 2-4 years of Daredevil activities between season 3 and his next appearance, instead of 7-9 years. 

But what about Karen and Foggy. Blipping them both is cleaner, simpler (and the way a lot of the movies have gone. No Way Home went with everyone, Shang-Chi had none). But if one or both of them stayed? Having to live for five years without Matt? Or without both of the other two? 

So a few scenarios. 

1. Matt is snapped. Karen and Foggy are not. After believing Matt died at Midland Circle, after finally getting him back and rebuilding their friendship, after just starting/restarting Nelson, Murdock and Page, they end up only having a few months together and then Matt dies. For real this time. And with the Blip, New York is plunged into chaos and now there’s no Daredevil (or Spiderman but that’s neither here nor there) to help keep order. And Karen and Foggy are haunted by this taste they had of the best version of their trio-- all of them knowing Matt’s secret, all of them on the same page. Working together. Healing.-- only to have it taken away.

2. Matt and Karen are snapped. Foggy is alone. And Foggy is the functional one. So he’s still going. He keeps working with Nelson, Murdock and Page as his firm (is it confusing that he calls it a ‘firm’ and it has three names for just one person? Yeah.  But that’s not stopping him.) It’s the Blip and there’s chaos so he has plenty of business and he’s doing what they all agreed on. He’s helping people. He even marries Marcy (and tries not to let on to Theo how much it hurts that Theo is his best man when it should be Matt).  But the nightmares he had when he thought Matt had died at Midland Circle are back, but this time with Karen added to them. 

3. Matt and Foggy are snapped. Karen is alone. And she is alone. She doesn’t have a Marcy. Her father won’t welcome her home. She can’t even carry on Nelson, Murdock and Page the way the other two could. She just can’t shake that old feeling that death follows her. That somehow it’s her fault that the odds were against Matt and Foggy. But she’s Karen Page. She’ll add it to all the pain and grief and anger and fear that’s followed her for so long, and if the load is a little heavier, she’ll just work a little harder. Bury herself in another story. Find someone else who needs to be fought for. This time she’ll do it alone (she won’t have another life on her conscious. Can’t handle another loss.) So this time she makes sure her walls are up so that no one gets beyond the surface. But she keeps going, and at least she’s reconciled with Ellison so there’s someone holding on to her, keeping her from being totally adrift. 

[m4tthewmurd0ck]

Girrrlll, congratulation’s on your followers!! Can I request ‘  you’re  wonderful ,  i  love  you  so  much  and  i’m  going  to  love  you  forever  and  for  whatever’s  after  forever  and  even  after  that’ with Matty boy? ✨✨

Ps: have a heart

thank you so much my love!!! this was so much fun to write, i hope you love it! :) some hearts right back at uuuu ❤💛💘💖💚🧡💟

the prompt is from *THIS* list by @rpmemesource

𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑’𝐒 𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎��𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 ~ 𝙼𝚊𝚝𝚝 𝙼𝚞𝚛𝚍𝚘𝚌𝚔 𝚡 (𝙵𝚎𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚎) 𝙰𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚛! 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛

word count: 3.6k

a/n: more angst than i intended but don’t worry i made it longer to make up for it ahsdfkajfh

You knew exactly what Matt was doing when he started this argument with you. You knew, because he confessed one drunken night how scared he was. Not of getting hurt and possibly dying, not of the world finding out he was Daredevil, but of losing you.

Here you were, this light that had come into his life just when he needed it, and he had previously only known darkness. You showed him kindness, and you were so caring, and you showed him more love than he never thought he would get. When he told you he was Daredevil, he was so sure you’d leave him. But you didn’t. He asked if you were sure you’d still want to be with him, knowing that the world considered Daredevil a vigilante. You reminded him that you refused to sign the Sokovia Accords, and for awhile, you were considered one too. You even pointed out that for a while, you were on the run with Nat when things got really bad, so you definitely weren’t better than him.

For a while, things were perfect. Yes, you’d often go away on missions, and Matt would be caught up in court, but you made it work. If you were both free, 95% of the time you were with each other. It wasn’t even that long before Matt asked you to move in with him. He knew you didn’t live at the compound with most of the team anyway, and he admitted that the few times he’d been lucky enough to come home with you there waiting for him, it made him the happiest man in the world. So you said yes, and a week later you were all moved out of your apartment.

The 2 of you rarely argued. But when you did, it was usually about the same thing. Lately it seemed like he was getting more and more reckless. Taking unnecessary risks, putting himself in harms way when there was another solution.

You’d started offering to come with him at night, and that was when he realized he was getting bad. But he always said no, usually pulling you into his arms and trying to distract you with a kiss. He’d say he didn’t want to risk your job, that the public might not like that an Avenger was helping out the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen.

But tonight was worse than any other night. He stumbled in at nearly 3am, and you woke up the moment that you heard the door open. Whenever you had rare time off and he went out, you took to sleeping on the couch. Learning the hard way that if you didn’t, and Matt was injured, he’d just quietly tiptoe to the bathroom and tend to his wounds as best he could. He didn’t ever want to wake you. You knew you’d hear him come in anyway what with your enhanced hearing and all, but sleeping on the couch made you feel better.

Tonight, all you did was glance at him for a few seconds and you knew it was bad. You stood up and walked over to him, immediately putting your hands on either side of his face, gently moving him to check for injuries.

“Oh Matty, what happened?” That one sentence had him ready to cry. He didn’t deserve you.

Without another word, you gently took one of his hands in yours and led him to the bathroom. You helped him remove his shirt because his ribs and shoulder were bruised, so much so that he could barely lift his arms over his head. After careful inspection, you determined that the cuts all seemed to be superficial but most of the damage was internal. You told him you still wanted to call Claire, but he insisted that he’d be back to normal within a day or 2. Reluctantly, you gave in. You told him to shower and then come to bed, because you and he needed to talk.

While he was in the shower, you grabbed underwear, sweatpants, and a plain shirt, placing them on the bathroom counter so that he could change when he was finished.

Normally his showers were quick. So when tonight’s (really this morning’s) was nearly 20 minutes, you knew he was nervous about whatever you were going to say. He took his time, spending another 10 minutes in the bathroom after you’d heard the water shut off. When he finally did join you in the room, the first thing you noticed was that he left his shirt off. You knew it was on purpose, no doubt so that you’d see his cuts and bruises and maybe go a little easy on him. But you couldn’t keep living like this.

“When are you going to get it through your head that you’re not invincible Matthew?”

And now he really knew he was in trouble. He genuinely couldn’t remember the last time you had called him by his full first name.

“Sweetheart, I—”

“No,” you stood up, willing yourself to not walk over and just let him pull you in to his embrace. “This always happens. You come home all fucked up, you refuse medical help, and you think it’s okay to just laugh it off like nothing happened! You could’ve died tonight, and based on how much you keep flinching and putting your hand on your stomach, there’s definitely more internal damage.”

“What do you want me to do??”

“I just—”

“And don’t you think it’s a little hypocritical, you of all people telling me this? I go out at night around the city, you go to other countries and planets to take care of much bigger villains!”

Alright, so this was where he wanted to take things tonight.

“Yes. Yes I fucking do. And do you want to know why? I work with a team. I’m also ENHANCED! It’s the serum, which means that when I get hurt, I heal. A lot faster than the average person. It also means that I have powers and I’m able to attack and defend myself with more than just my fists. Oh, and you know what else? I LET PEOPLE HELP ME!” You didn’t even care that you were yelling, since he was starting to raise his voice too. “I’m not stubborn, I know when I need help. After every single mission Dr. Cho gives a thorough examination because I know it’s what needs to happen for my health and safety! So don’t you dare call me a hypocrite.”

You hated where things were going, and you knew that continuing to yell talk when you were both this heated, it would only make things worse. But you didn’t know what more you could say, without saying something you knew you’d regret. Finally, after a few moments of silence, you spoke up. “I don’t know what it’s going to take for you to realize that I’m not trying to be the bad guy here. You’re being reckless, and since you don’t accept help, one day that’s gonna get you killed. You are always going to put Daredevil before Matt Murdock, and that’s the problem.”

None of your other arguments had ever gotten this bad. Now, you couldn’t even remember how it started.

“This is who I am!” Matt yelled suddenly, causing you to jump and forcing you from your thoughts.

“No, it’s not. It’s what you do. It doesn’t have to be who you are.”

“I’m Daredevil. Not even God can stop that now. If you can’t accept that, then…” Even as he said those last words, he regretted them. But he couldn’t take them back, it was too late.

“Well if he can’t even stop you, then I guess I should just leave you to it,” you quickly wiped away the few tears that had fallen. “You think you work so much better alone, then maybe you should be. Alone. One day you’ll realize I wasn’t asking you to stop, I was just asking you to put yourself first. But I won’t wait around for that. I can’t sit around and watch the man that I’m in love with, get himself killed.” Genuinely not knowing what else you could possibly say, you got up and walked into the closet, grabbing the bag that contained your suit. After stuffing a few more articles of clothing inside, you walked out of the closet, ignoring Matt as he called after you and followed you out to the living room.

Inside, Matt was freaking out. Neither of you had ever walked out in the middle of an argument before. “Wh-where are you going?”

“We can’t have this conversation right now. You do realize what you just said, right? You’re choosing Daredevil. Not just over us, but over yourself. Like I just said, you won’t accept help, I can’t wait around for the night that you inevitably don’t come home. Because if you keep this up, that’s what’s going to happen.” Before he could say anything else, you opened the door and walked outside, quietly shutting it behind you.

He had to do something. You were everything to him. “Sweetheart, please just come back inside and we can talk about this more.” He ran after you, on the verge of tears. “I can’t stop, you have to understand that. But—”

You took his hand in yours, slipping something into the palm of his hand and gently closing his fingers around it. “I hope this is all worth it to you.” After giving him a kiss on the cheek, you turned and forced yourself to walk away, ignoring the tears that fell.

Being part of a team in this particular situation was both a blessing, and a curse. A curse because you knew that come tomorrow morning, everyone would have questions, and some Sam would ask them not-so-subtlety. A blessing, because you didn’t have to think about where you were going to go. You knew it was late, but took the risk and made a call anyway.

20 minutes later, a motorcycle pulled up in front of Matt’s apartment building. Besides quickly getting up from the bike to give you a hug, nothing was said, and for that you were grateful. But when you stood there with your arms crossed, Bucky sighed, knowing exactly why.

“Really? Aren’t I rescuing you right now?”

“Yes, and if you don’t put it on, an ambulance will be rescuing you when we crash.”

Very reluctantly, he reached into the compartment on the back of the bike, and pulled out 2 helmets. Once it was on, he made a big show of turning around and throwing his arms up.

Once back at the compound, you were finally asked the dreaded question. “Are you alright?”

“I—” you shrugged, “I don’t know. I will be, I’m just… it was a long day, and I’m really tired.”

“Okay shoo, you can go now,” Yelena linked her arm through yours and began leading you away.

“Thank you!” You turned around and yelled. In return, Bucky smiled and gave you a thumbs up, just happy to hear you sound like your usual self.

Just 10 minutes later, you and Yelena were laying on the ground, heads right next to each other. Face masks were on, and you had changed into comfy pajamas that she insisted you steal borrow from Nat since she was away on a mission.

Having spent so much time together when you and Nat went on the run, you and Yelena quickly came to view each other as sisters. She was the one person you confided to about everything. And that meant literally everything, due to the fact that not long after you started dating Matt, you accidentally let it slip that Matt had a lot of late nights. So being the protective person that she was, she snuck out of the compound one night and ended up discovering his secret. Not even Matt’s freakishly good hearing was good enough to evade the former Black Widow.

“— but he really said ‘if you can’t accept that, then…’, and he didn’t say anything afterwards?”

“Yeah. I mean at that point I was already crying and I knew I’d say something that I’d regret, so I left. I didn’t want it to turn into this huge fight where we both really blew up at each other.”

“Should I kill him?”

“Yelena!”

She chuckled, getting up to head to the bathroom and wash off the face mask. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding.”

You followed behind her, and after you both rinsed your faces, you made eye contact through the mirror. Raising an eyebrow, you waited for her to say something.

“I promise that I will not kill him. However if I should just so happen to run into him, say, outside of his apartment building, then maybe we have a discussion and—”

You shook your head, already trying to force the image out of your mind. “I love you, and I appreciate the offer, but no. I’m pretty sure he’s still traumatized from the last time someone on the team talked to him one-on-one.”

“Oh come on Barnes wasn’t that bad!”

“You’re all collectively the worst,” having said that, you couldn’t help but laugh, “but I love all of you for it. Now come on let’s go raid the kitchen on Pietro’s floor, he has way better snacks!”

Yelena and Pietro did their best to cheer you up, and at one point you were joined with pretty much the rest of the team. Less than an hour after you arrived, you, Yelena, Pietro, Wanda, Bucky, Vision, Steve, and Tony were all gathered on Tony’s floor for a very intense game of laser tag.

“он прячется за диваном.” (((“he’s hiding behind the sofa.”)))

“он весь твой. Тони мой.” (((“he’s all yours. tony’s mine.”)))

10 minutes later after you and Bucky have won yet another round, everyone else accepts defeat.

“Next time I’m partnering with you!” Sam points a finger at you, shaking his head. “You guys only won because you spoke in your secret language.”

“… you mean Russian?” Bucky laughs, patronizingly patting Sam’s head. “It’s alright, just accept defeat.”

“You two are the most competitive people on this team,” Steve sighs, also secretly wishing you or Bucky had been his partner.

It was true though, no one on the team was more competitive than the 2 of you. And since ‘winners recognize winners’ as you both said, you always teamed up for games.

Once everyone cleaned up all the tables, chairs, and couches that had been flipped over, you, Yelena, and Wanda returned to Yelena and Nat’s floor.

Despite being cheered up for a little while, your thoughts quickly returned to Matt. How dare he imply that you were trying to stop him from being Daredevil? With a sigh, you stood up. There was only one place you wanted to be right now, and as much as you loved everyone, it wasn’t the compound.

You changed out of Nat’s pajamas and gave Yelena and Wanda a hug goodbye, both of them smiling knowingly as you pull out your phone to call an Uber.

“Going home?”

You turn around, fully prepared to punch whoever snuck up on you. When you see it’s only Bucky, you still softly punch his right arm. “How did you even know I was leaving?”

“You stopped on my floor to grab from my secret stash of snacks.”

“Well maybe if you hid them better, they’d still be secret,” you shrugged.

“Anyway, come on I’ll give you a ride.”

You look at the time on your phone, “it’s fine Buck it’s late I can just call a—”

“Nope, come on. I’ll even wear my helmet for you.”

Once you’re back in front of Matt’s building, you thank Bucky one more time. “Seriously though, thank you.”

He waves you off, tries not to let it show how much he likes doing even little favors because he likes feeling needed. “But tell him if he hurts you again, I’m not gonna hesitate to—”

“Goodnight James!”

You hadn’t even put your key into the lock when the door swung open and Matt pulled you inside, crushing you in a hug as the door swung shut.

“I’ll stop,” he whispered, still holding you in his arms a few minutes later. The truth was, he didn’t even know if it was a promise he could keep. But if it meant that you wouldn’t leave him, he was willing to say whatever he had to, and do whatever he had to do.

“Matty, come on,” you took his hand, leading him to the bedroom. He sat on the bed, looking at the ground as you changed into one of his shirts. “What are you talking about, stop what?”

He reached down off his side of the bed, pulling up a duffel bag. You slowly unzipped it, revealing the red suit and mask.

“This. Daredevil. I won’t go out as him again, please just don’t leave me.” The slight tremor in his voice was enough to make you break. You moved closer to him, and Matt didn’t hesitate before pulling you towards him so that your head was resting on his chest. “I won’t go out at night anymore, I won’t put myself in danger. I can just focus on Nelson and Murdock. I’m so sorry that I didn’t listen, and that I lashed out at you. I swear that you are the best part of my life. You’re the only part that matters, and I know you’re only worried because you care. I’ll get rid of the suit somehow and I just… I can’t do this, any of it, without you—”

“Hey,” you reached up, putting a hand on one side of his face, “I’m sorry I left, but I knew if I stayed all we’d do was continue to yell at each other. I’m not leaving you. And I’m not asking you to stop.”

Matt put his hand over yours as it still rested on his cheek, and he leaned in to your touch. “But—”

“I was never asking you to stop completely. I know that if you did, it’d probably kill a big part of you. I’m just asking you to be more careful. I don’t know what I’d do if you went out one night and then never came home. You are the best part of my life too, and the best days are the ones I get to spend with you. All I want is for you to be a little safer. And maybe let people help you once in a while.”

“A— are you sure?”

You laid down with your head on his chest again, and nodded. “I want to go out at night with you every once in a while. I can wear a different suit and people won’t recognize me as an Avenger. I’m not saying every night, but I want to be there occasionally. And I want to make you a new suit. Like mine, a lot more difficult for bullets to get through, and vibration absorbent so you can withstand harder attacks. I love you too much to let anything happen to you.”

“I love you more,” Matt whispers, as he wonders how the hell he got so lucky. He had spent the entire time you were gone, mentally preparing himself for you coming back and saying okay when he’d tell you he would give up being Daredevil. But he meant every word. It was a big part of him, but you were his whole heart, his life. He was prepared to do whatever it took for you to come home to him, and stay. “I’m sorry my behavior has been so shitty lately. You deserve better, and I promise you that I’m going to work on that.”

“Oh Matty, I don’t want you to feel like you have to change who you are. I really am sorry I walked out.”

He shook his head, “I’m not exactly happy you did, but I think we needed that little bit of time apart. If you didn’t walk out, I think you’re right and we would’ve just kept yelling at each other. The severity of my actions didn’t set in until you walked out and it terrified me that I might’ve lost you. I wouldn’t have blamed you one bit either, I know it would be my fault. I love you, for saying I don’t need to change, but there is a lot I want to work on. Will… will you help me?”

“Whatever you need,” you grabbed his hand, placing a soft kiss on his knuckles.

“Can you say that other thing again?”

You lift your head up to look at him, “that I don’t want you to feel like you have to—”

“No, before that.”

“About the new suit? I can talk to T—”

“No, after that.”

A smile appeared on your face as you realized what he was referring to.

“Oh, that I love you?”

He began playing with your hair, “yeah, that part”.

“I love you, Matthew Murdock. I have since the moment we met, even if I didn’t quite know it was love back then. I love you because you’re kind, and caring, and loving, and I love that you want to protect the city. You make me feel safe, more than anyone else ever has. I know you doubt yourself, but I wish you could fully understand how I feel about you. No matter what, even if we’re arguing, or whatever else might happen, it doesn’t mean I’ve stopped loving you. I promise, you’re wonderful, I love you so much, and I’m going to love you forever and for whatever’s after forever, and even after that.”

“That’s a long time,” Matt leans down to kiss the top of your head. “I love you more sweetheart.”

matt tags: @hatred-love, @glowstick-lesbian, @moonlarking

if you’d like to be added to the tag list for matt or any of my other characters, let me know via my ask!

[anika-ann]

Hands Too Cold, but Heart of Gold - Pt.6

The Closure

Pairing: Steve Rogers x reader, Matt Murdock x reader (no SR x MM x r)

Word count: 2750

Summary: Avenger!reader AU, love triangle. Two weeks after the mission, things are getting back to normal. Except they aren’t, not really.

Warnings: swearing, mentions of violence and injury, tooth-rotting fluff and light angst

Story Mastelist

────── ·❆· ──────

Steve Rogers was a lucky man.

You knew that wasn’t entirely true, but momentarily, you envied him enormously. The serum kicked in and within two days, he was perfectly fine, if not a little out of shape. You, on the other hand, were still healing like the regular human being you were, being lucky enough to have your stitches removed after only six days. Of course, something hurt all the time.

Yet, there was a bright side; when Steve had visited your hospital room the day of his release and heard you whining about lying in a hospital alone, he had convinced everyone you had been good to go, he would take care of you and he would make sure you would rest. He hadn’t been lying (because he was always honest); the workout he had started with when returning to the tower had been body-lifting. Your body-lifting to be precise. You had laughed so hard as he had carried you to your room that you had almost pulled some of your stitches. He was the sweetest guy to ever walk the Earth. And a very handsome nurse.

You believed that being in the company of your friends slash family helped you heal faster too. A little over a week after your release, you were heading to the gym for the first time, Steve by your side. He seemed tired, which meant something, coming from you.

“You sure you should be getting back into your full training mode, Steve? I mean-“ you started, only to be cut off by his slightly amused smile.

“Sounds rich coming from you.”

“Touché. But seriously, I’m just starting and you-“ He stopped in his tracks, his hand covering your bare arm, his thumb caressing the skin.

“Snowflake, stop worrying about me,” he demanded, his voice too soft for you to take it as an order. You didn’t quite believe him anyway – you suspected he liked when you were worried about him, proving that you cared, just like you liked when he did.

“I demand an easier task, Captain.”

The corner of his lips twitched. “Request denied, soldier.”

“Go to hell, Rogers.”

“Language.”

It made you burst out laughing – the note with his eyebrows raised suggestively, knowing exactly what he would cause. “Oh, you’re definitely better, okay. Let’s go punch something.”

────── ·❆· ──────  

To your surprise, punching sent your thoughts to places you not only hadn’t seen coming, but also hated. Your body remembered the last time you were hitting something – or someone. Your mind wandered to the mission and the outcome, and given the fact Steve was living and kicking just few feet from you, your mind got occupied with another man who had been present. The man in the Devil suit.

You hadn’t talk to Matt ever since you had… practically kicked him out of your hospital room, where he had apparently spent about four days straight, waiting for you to wake up. He hadn’t visited again and it made your insides twist in guilt. Because he had been nice and supportive and while he might have made a decision for you, it had been a perfectly valid one. He had been just trying to protect you from sabotaging your own body and your only response to that had been being an utter bitch.

“You should talk to him, you know,” Steve hummed after you placed particularly powerful hook to the punching bag. You were definitely pushing yourself. You didn’t care. The lying around and doing nothing thing had become old very quickly. Even with Steve carrying you.

“To whom?” you played dumb, placing another blow, mindful of not going with your full strength.

“Frosty.”

“Steve.”

“You know, they told me what he did. I’m gonna talk to him for sure. He played a big part in saving my life by keeping you calm and focused. ”

You punched the bag with unnecessary force again. You knew that. You also knew you had been an ass and the man had been just trying to save your life and you had been dramatic. You also knew you would feel very differently if the outcome would be worse for Steve, but it wasn’t and now you were truly embarrassed about walking out on Matt and barely looking back.

“And he kept you alive. That’s not something I take lightly.”

You met Steve’s genuine eyes, disturbed and caring gaze watching your face closely. You would drown in the sea of blue; and for some reason, you were slowly realizing that you wanted to find out if maybe you could drown in brown pools with golden edges too. Which was making things even worse.

You hit the bag again. “It wasn’t his call. He didn’t have the right-“

“He’s a vigilante, Frosty. He was trying to save your life. He’s a hero. How could you expect anything less from him?”

“Wasn’t. His. Call,” you repeated like a broken record, hiding the tears of shame. Steve caught your wrists, reading you like an open book.

You looked up, pressing your lips together to bury the flood of emotions. Embarrassment. Anger. Sympathy. Gratitude. Fear. God, still so much fear of what could have happened.

You gave in as Steve’s strong arms pulled you against his warm chest, wrapping you in a comforting embrace. You didn’t care you were sweaty, just hoping he didn’t mind either and you buried your face into his t-shirt. He cradled your tangled bodies lightly, pressing a soft kiss to your hair.

“Hey, hey, I got you…. You did it, you saved me, shh… we’re okay.”

Of course he knew exactly where your had thoughts gone. You sobbed like a freaking child, only to be rewarded by him squeezing you tighter, his big hand caressing your back in soothing motions.

“I’m sorry,” you mumbled, your embarrassment reaching a new level.

It wasn’t the first time you were crying in front of Steve – god no, this was the guy who had found you freaked out by your powers more than once as well as the good friend who handed you a handkerchief when you got ridiculously emotional about a movie –, but in the past few days, you were being just pathetic.

His body shook with shushed gentle laughter. “Nothing to be sorry about, Snowflake. That’s why I’m here.”

“To be my shoulder to cry on? Wow, you really got the worst job ever.”

He retreated a little and you barely supressed a whine when he did so. You received a kiss to your forehead instead though, your eyes falling shut at the tender gesture, tears escaping from under your eyelids.

“I can be your shoulder to cry on if that’s what you need at the moment. I’m here for you, okay?”

Your heart fluttered at that, melting in a way you almost forgot was possible. You wrapped your arms around him properly, hugging him as tightly as you managed, wishing to just merge with him. He let out a surprised huff, but his hand rubbed your back again.

“Thank you, Steve.”

“Of course.”

You stood in the embrace for what could be seconds or minutes as well as hours. You weren’t in a rush to end it or break the silence, but in the end, it was you.

“I don’t want to talk to him. I’m— I’m ashamed,” you admitted tentatively, loosening the hug and finally letting Steve breathe in.

“I know, Snowflake. But you can’t avoid him forever.”

“Watch me.”

He chuckled, his chest shaking with the quiet sound. “You want me to escort you?”

“God, no. That would make me not only a bitch, but also a coward.”

“Language.”

“Oh, shut up, Steve,” you let go of him completely in favour to smack his arm.

“He stayed in the hospital to be sure you would make it. You should pay him a visit.”

“I know. Can we drop it now, please? I promise I’ll go see him.”

Someday, you added mentally.

────── ·❆· ──────

You went at night. It only made sense, because you didn’t want to stalk Matt via Tony’s database to find him and confront him in his home or God forbid, his work place, wherever that was. You were nervous like a student getting called into the director’s office, trying to convince yourself that the sooner you would be over with it the better.

Daredevil was relatively easy to find – Hell’s Kitchen wasn’t really that big. Plus, he was hanging around rather shady places.

“Thought you didn’t want to see me,” he greeted you flatly and you honestly wanted to spin on your heels and run.

You felt like your heart was in your throat instead of your chest. It was really hard to talk.

“You’re right, I probably don’t, good talk,” you exclaimed, spinning on your heels to complete your plan of escape. Stupid, stupid, why were you even here-

“Wait! Wait, I’m sorry, that was mean-“

You tilted your head back, facing the sky and whimpered. That was even worse than him being hostile. You turned to him once again, coming a little closer. A small curious smile played on his lips.

“You have nothing to be sorry about, Matt. I really hope you know that, because if I actually did make you feel guilty for doing what you did, I’m officially Queen B.”

He opened his mouth and closed it again. He titled his head to side, looking a bit confused. “Queen B?”

“Queen Bitch. Crowned Bitch. The Original Mean Girl. Take your pick,” you supplied helpfully and this time it was him who shortened the distance, now standing only two steps from you.

“You’re not… that.”

“I really am, Matt. I’m sorry. I was being incredibly mean to you and all you did was being helpful, having my back, making sure I wouldn’t die and then you apparently guarded my bedside for days. It’s… thank you for that. And I’m really sorry. I know I don’t deserve you to even accept the apology, but-“

“I forgive you,” he pronounced with a soft smile and you stopped in the middle of your speech, too shocked to continue or even remember what you were saying.

“What?”

His smile grew wider. “I forgive you. I understand. You were worried, you were in pain and I know I crossed a line I probably didn’t have the right to cross. It was just… I couldn’t let you die – and if I’m being honest, I should have stopped you sooner, but you seemed so desperate to help him…”

You licked your lips, suddenly feeling even worse. Great. Now he also blamed himself for letting things go so far. As if it was his fault. Jesus.

“Wow, I really need to stop hanging out around people who carry the weight of the world on their shoulders.”

Daredevil chuckled, hesitantly taking your wrist. “That would be a shame.”

You almost had a heart attack, remembering how tactile he had been during the mission – especially during Steve’s stabilization. Had it been for your sake or his own?

“Are you always this tactile?”

The question left you mouth without consulting with your brain. You instantly wanted to take it back, especially when he retreated his hand – you caught it with your own. The action baffled him.

“I… I’m just curious. Sorry. I was wondering if it was a thing, because… because… I’m sorry, there’s really no subtle way to say it, because of your blindness? ‘Cause I was wondering a lot, okay? I had plenty of time to process the fact Daredevil was blind and I can’t really say I wrapped my head around it,” you admitted and his fingers caressed your wrist again.

“There’s really not much to wonder about. It is what it is. And you don’t need to… try to figure out a way of watching your tongue around me. I’m not sensitive about the matter – I had enough time to adjust and I’m actually not too happy with people who are treating me like glass.”

“Well… I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just… yeah. How does that work?”

He shrugged as if it was nothing, as if it was perfectly normal for a blind person to be a freaking ninja vigilante. “Everything else is so amplified that I have a mental picture precise enough to do what I do. I still need a braille reader for work, because reading regular prints is too hard and few more things, but… I go by.”

You stared at him, amazed. “That’s incredible. What… what do you for living?”

He smirked. “Lawyer.”

You burst out laughing. “No. No way! You’re pulling my leg! You are a lawyer and a vigilante? Isn’t that-“

“Ironic? Not really. What the law can’t do, the vigilante can.”

“…that’s a fair point actually. I can see why you are a lawyer.”

The smile that had appeared a while ago hadn’t disappeared since. You felt its warmth washing over you. Your breath hitched when his free hand followed his right one, both of them enclosing yours.

“As for one of your previous questions… no. Not really. I’m very sensitive to touch and trust me, taking a subway in the morning can be much worse than you already think it is. But… with Foggy and Karen – those are my closest friends – it’s okay. I am pretty tactile with people I like,” he lowered his voice and your heart started pounding at that.

Did he just… did he-?

“Oh.”

“That okay?” he asked almost shyly and you found yourself wishing to take off that stupid helmet of his and examine his expression.

Was it okay?

“Yeah. Yeah, I would say it’s pretty okay, Matt.”

He squeezed your hand a little tighter.

“Okay enough for me to ask you to dinner?”

Your mouth fell open. You were sure you looked like an idiot, but that was a piece of information stuffed in the darkest corner of your mind now.

Matt just asked you out. Matt, Daredevil, the very same man you had been an actual Queen B around, liked you and asked you out.

“I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable. It’s okay to say no.”

You shook you head, snapping from your shock.

“No! I mean— yes. I-“ you let out an incredulous laugh, covering one of his hands with your free one. “Yes. It’s just… did you hit your head? Did I hit your head when on the jet? Because… I was… really awful to you, Matt-“

“You weren’t at your best, I’m not gonna lie-“

You laughed again, taken aback by the blunt note, but not actually offended, because it was the truth. “Is that so? Wow, Matt, smooth, you know how to get the girl fall for you…”

He pressed his lips together, the corners of his mouth twitching.

“Is it working?” he teased you and you just giggled at the ridiculous situation you were taking part in. “What I mean is that you weren’t at your best and I still kinda liked you. I would be really happy to know the girl behind Frostbite’s mask better, hopefully when she’s not stressed enough to get a heart attack any second.”

And just like that, the laughter in your throat softened and you melted. Yeah, okay. That actually was pretty smooth. When he held out an old phone in your direction, you entered your number without hesitation.

“You’re free on Friday night?”

“Yep. I should be,” you agreed, returning the phone. He slipped it back into his pocket with silent thanks.

“Great. I’ll text you the details.”

“Good. Looking forward to it…. You should probably come back to patrolling your streets, huh? Sorry to keep you.”

“Are you joking? This was the best patrol night I had in a very long time,” he said warmly, but took several steps back. “Wanna join me?”

You chuckled, shaking your head as you started walking backwards too. “Nope. I’m still not in a top shape – I just wanted to talk to you.”

“Really? Am I that special?”

“Hey, don’t get too full of yourself! I can still change my mind about Friday!”

He raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, but he was still grinning. “Please don’t.”

“I’ll see,” you called after him and began to create your path home. You waved at him the last time, hoping he could perceive it with his senses and then your ways separated.

You were leaving with one single thought.

Shit. I have a date.

────── ·❆· ──────

Part 7

────── ·❆· ──────

Tags:  @mermaidxatxheart​, @murdermornings​, @elisaa-shelby​ @ask-hellbent-tweek

You want in, send me an ask/a message, you want out, do the same, yada, yada.... I’ll be happy to hear from you :-*

[fictionalarsonist]

inconspicuous bad apples - ch.01 (revamped)

pairing ›_ taekwoon ⨯ reader ⨯ hakyeon feat. ›_ vixx wonshik ; got7 jinyoung ; cha minjoo (child oc) content ›_ angst ; murder ; police au ; serial killer au ; mature language ; smoking ; drinking ; violence ; blood ; age gap relationship ; divorce rating ›_ pg-13 word count ›_ 3k  

a/n  ›_ i decided to review this. is not quite all different, but i took off some unnecessary things from it.

「 ao3 | mobile m.list | inconspicuous bad apples m.list」

[ ch.01 | ch.02 | ch.03 | ch.04 | work in progress ]

The parking lot is mostly empty, only a few cars here and there. Different from the day you came to look at the apartment you’d be living from now on with your daughter. It could be that most of the families are out and you looked carefully at everything around the place and you know for a fact that’s a safe place to be, mostly families lives in the building. Most of them leave in the morning for work like you’d if you didn’t have the day off to moving in.Starting a new life. You take the boxes out of the truck before unbuckling your daughter from her seat.

“I can get out alone, mom”, she protests, struggling against your hold.

“Minjoo, don’t be stubborn”, she pouts, but lets you help her get off the car, “Good girl!”

You smile, but she’s still pouting and you know she’ll be up to something anytime. You’ll deal with that when it happens, for now, you focus on locking the car safely and balancing the heavy boxes. While still keeping a hold on the little mischievous girl beside you.

“Minjoo, can you help mom?” She glances up at you interested in doing something by herself.

“What, mom?”

“Can you hold this for me? And Dodo too.”

She smiles widely as you give her a plastic bag with a half empty bottle of water and some snacks you bought earlier. You give her Dodo too, her favorite toy as well and that’s enough to make her happy, gladly holding everything as if it’s of ultimate importance..

You try your best to balance the heavy boxes while guiding Minjoo the rows of cars in the underground garage until the two of you stop in front of the elevator’s door and she tiptoes to press the button, offering you a wide, proud smile afterwards. You smile back at her and pat her head.

“Thank you!”

As soon as the doors open you urge her to go in first before you step in and presses the button to the floor you’re heading to and the doors close.

“Are you hungry?” She nods, “How’d you like a pizza for dinner today?”

“Really?” She asks excitedly, jumping in place, not minding for being inside an elevator. You try your best to hold her still when she starts jumping, “Is daddy coming here too? Can I call him now?”

“Honey.” You start carefully, “Dad is not coming today.”

“When is dad coming?” She asks, looking uo at you with her head tilted to the side. With her wondering eyes that makes your heart ache, “Dad likes pizza too, mommy.”

“I know, baby” You say complacently and forces a smile, “You can have pizza when you see him, then”

“When?”

“He’ll come to see you soon”

“No!” She stomps her foot, “I want to go home and eat pizza with daddy!”

You can feel the frustration building up, you can see Minjoo’s about to cry. But before anything could start the elevator doors open and you have to hold her back in case she decided to get off since this is not where you’re going.

“Good morning.” The guy walking in greets you politely.

“Good morning.” You greet him back.

He seems to be in his college years, wearing a simple black-and-write striped long-sleeved shirt and a pair of dark over worn jeans pants. He reaches for the panel to press a floor’s button, but stops midway, pressing the button to close the door instead before standing quietly in his place. He shrugs his backpack on his shoulder.

You discreetly observe him, recognize him as Kwon Taekwoon, he’s your neighbor. You looked him up at work, he has a clean record. His clothes are clearly messy, loose ends hanging here and there from his black long-sleeved shirt and beaten-up denim. His dyed brown hair, parted sideways and rather messingly falling on his face.

“Would you like some help?” He asks, pointing at the boxes you’re carrying.

“Ah, yes, thank you. The one on the top, please”

“I’ll take this one too”, he offers. Take two of the boxes, you like the fact that you can see everything much better now.

Problem is, as soon as the doors open again, Minjoo steps out and thankfully this is where your new apartment are. Taekwoon follows shortly after.

“Cha Minjoo, don’t run!” She stops immediately and you can see Taekwoon chuckling at the little girl’s attics.

You know anyone would be amused by your daughter’s doings. The little daredevil is always looking for trouble, more than a little girl like her normally would. There’s no denying got that from you. Hakyeon is much more cautious. Distracted by her attempt to walk fast without running she lets her beloved Dodo fall from the bag she was keeping him in just before rushing past the apartment’s door. Taekwoon stops to get it for her ans you sigh.

“Minjoo, be careful.” You call, “Come back!”

She looks back and starts running back to Taekwoon who’s holding her Dodo.

“How do you say it?”

“Thank you”, she says, taking the plushie from Taekwoon’s hand.

Taekwoon shakes his head holding a simple smile that fits him a little too perfectly, he reaches to pat her head affectionately.

“You’re welcome”, he replies softly, making her giggle.

“Thank you, sorry for the trouble.”

“No problem, really. I know kids tend to be excited during big changes and moving happens to be one of them”, he says as you open the door to your apartment.

The sound of the door is a little rather loud compared to your old home. You don’t know want to start comparing, everything here is much lesser than the luxury of Hakyeon’s place. You’re payroll is significantly lower than his. One of the many things Minjoo would need to get used to.

You watch her rush inside with her Dodo, leaving the bag with groceries on the way. You place the boxes down. The place is a complete mess, unorganized mobilia here and there, boxes everywhere.

“Minjoo, be careful”, you warn her before turning to Taekwoon still carrying the boxes inside, “Sorry for the mess”, you say as Taekwoon walks in

“Where should I put this?”

“Just anywhere, nothing is organized yet”

Minjoo rushes back with another toy she found somewhere.

“Mom will buy pizza! Do you want pizza too?”

“I don’t think-”

“It’ll be my way to thank you”, you add before he could refuse

“Alright, then”

“I don’t have a table yet, so, I hope you don’t mind the kitchen counter instead”

“It’s usually where I eat in my apartment as well”, he replies as you reach for your phone.

Minjoo seems to have forgotten had her moody behavior around Taekwoon and different from most kids his age, he knew how to deal with her. You normally wouldn’t let your daughter close to a stranger, you job has a side effect - being suspicious of almost everyone you don’t know. But, Taekwoon doesn’t make you be on your defensive mode.

When the pizza arrives Taekwoon helps her on her seat.

“What’d you like to drink?” You ask him after putting the pizza box on the counter, away from Minjoo just so she won’t reach for it just yet.

“Just– whatever you’re having…”

“Orange juice?”

“It’s good for me”, he replies.

“I want orange juice too, mommy!”

“Yes”, you reply with a smile, filling her cup before Taekwoon’s and yours.

It’s somewhere late into the afternoon when you bid him goodbye, time just seem to pass so fast with Taekwoon around, he made it easy to handle Minjoo too, although he does spoil her a bit.

“I’m sorry for taking so much of your time today”

“Don’t mention it”, he waves his hand dismissively, “Actually, I should be saying sorry for sticking around for too long”, he faces distorts a little in a shameful smile

“You helped a lot”, you smile back at him reassuringly, “Specially with Minjoo”, he hums

“My brother has a boy around her age. I tend to babysit a lot”, he explains with a shrug

“Will you come back and play again?” Your daughter asks stepping between the two of you

“Sure!”

Taekwoon walks back to his apartment after giving the little Minjoo a high-five and smoothing out her tousled hair. Problem is, after Taekwoon is gone and Minjoo is sleeping, you’re left alone with your toxic thoughts and memories. Your phone screen lights up on the sofa while you have your sleeves rolled up, opening some of the boxes. You push yourself up and see the lit up screen with your Captain’s ID showing. You frown, today should be your day off.

“Lieutenant Song”, you answer sarcastically

“How’re you doing?” You place your hand on your hip, noticing his beating-around-the-bush tone. You hear loud voice and a huge mess going on in the background.

“Fine”, you say without meaning,”What’s wrong?” You sit down, letting yourself rest against the sofa, reaching up one of your hands to push your hair off your neck in a loose bun.

“The Commander wants you here”, you frown, leaning forwards, with your elbows in your thighs.

“The Commander?”, you ask confused, knowing how that man dislikes you, “Why me?”

“How the fuck am I supposed to know?” You hear as a reply, more comfortable with your Captain’s impatient tone, “I don’t like this either, but-” You know he wouldn’t finish that sentece, “Have you see the news?”

“No, what happened?” You look for the controller, forgetting the TV is not on yet. You don’t even know where the remote is,“Alright, I’m on my way. I just have to find someone to keep an eye on Minjoo.” You say shooting up from the sofa.

“Y/n?”

“Yes.” You can hear he’s walking away as the loud noises coming from the other end of the line dies down

He sighs. “Nothing.”

You’d know what he’d say, and you know he can’t see, but you nod to yourself either way.

“Okay.” You reply, “I know, Captain. I’ll be right there.”

He hangs up and you look at Minjoo, playing by herself with some of her toys. You still not sure how you’re gonna make this work. You phone buzzes and you see a text message from himwith the address of the place you should go.

The first person you think of is Hakyeon, you know he’s at home. You left him there, you had to go through something you don’t want to touch so soon in a few minutes ago. You look down at your phone, scrolling through the contacts and hesitates to pass by his name. You don’t feel emotionally ready for whatever’s waiting for you if you make this call.

You’re not even settled in your new home, you don’t want to feel more alienated to it like you are right now. You look at Minjoo again, playing quietly by herself, something that is not like her. You know how she feels, it’s… Not yet home, but you know it’s just a matter of time and effort. That’s all.

“Minjoo, do you want anything?”

“No”, she replies quietly while still playing

You reach for the pack of cigarettes you brought earlier along with Minjoo’s snack and walk to the balcony, leaving the curtains drawn open just so you can see her from there. You had stopped. It was bad for you, but you can’t resist it now. You lean on the balcony’s railing as you take a long drag, thinking about how the view is nothing compared to what you had before.

.

***

You put on the siren on the top of your car and drives as fast as you can knowing Minjoo is tightly wrapped in her chair on the backseat to reach your brother’s place that is not so close from yours. He doesn’t ask questions - you’d hear an earful from your mom if you went there instead -, you’re lucky he’s home and Minjoo is always happy to stay with her uncle. Your brother watches you drive off even faster now.

The site is has people everywhere, you have to push through many curious people and the media that gathered around the place and surprisingly to reach the restricted area. You see the youngest detective in your department there and half smiles, surprised by seeing him there. He meets you as soon as you step in the perimeter and salutes you unnecessarily, like the other officer guarding the area do. You can’t avoid noticing the cold sweat streaming down his temple.

“Wonshik!”

You place your arm around his shoulders mindlessly, turning you both away from the cameras and walking into the perimeter while some officer takes his place.

“Kid, if you stand there all pale and traumatized, how do you think they’ll understand things? Huh?”

He tilts his head up to look at you surprised and shocked.

“I didn’t mean to–”, he stutters, “I didn’t think I look like that, Lieutenant Song. I swear I–”, you give him a half smile and pats his shoulder

“Don’t sweat it. But, you have to get used to it, y’know”

“Yes, sir”, you nod and walk away.

“Why’re you not helping your partner?”You look around, pulling your arm back just in time to see said person rushing to meet you, not hiding his surprise.

“Lieutenant Song?” Jinyoung approaches, confused, “What are you doing here?”, he meets you halfway and the two of you walk side by side

“Sorry to disappoint”, you say nonchalantly as the three of you walk towards the direction he just came

“Don’t get me wrong, but shouldn’t you be getting settled in the new place?”

“I can’t afford unpaid vacations”, you say mockingly, not too amused by the thought itself and he chuckles at the thought

Someone arrives and the media goes loud once again, you turn around to look at the mess when one of the officers pushes his way past the mass of people trying to corner him for answer.

“No wonder the Captain’s in hurry”, you mutter before looking back at Jinyoung, “They seem excited”

Jinyoung scoffs. “I see the Captain haven’t told you a word about it”

“About what?”

Jinyoung’s crooked smile makes you frown, you know he has a rather wicked sense of humor. You follow him to where the body still lays, but you can see the coroner approaching already in the opposite distance.

“You okay?”

You look back to see Wonshik already feeling sick while forcing himself to look at the gruesome image in front of him. He shrugs attempting to seem casual, but failing miserably.

“Seriously, you have to get used to it”, you advise, “Or I can get you behind a desk”

“No”, he replies politely, trying to get a hold of yourself, “I’m alright”, he tries an reassuring tone

“You better be, kid”, you warn him and you can see him trying to look at the dead body in front of him.

It’s not like you can’t understand him, but being in a department that works with dozens of gruesome cases worse than the one in front of you, he has to toughen up or leave. Unfortunately he seems like will pass out anytime.

“Get us some coffee”

Jinyoung spoke up after a short pause, adding a push on the boy’s arm on the way back where you all just came from. Reluctantly Wonshik agreed and walked away.

“Sorry, I’ll get him to toughen up”, he speaks in apologetic tone when Wonshik is far enough and you wave in a dismissing manner.

“Just teach him your ways”, you joke, reminiscing JInyoung’s rookie days at the department.

The two of you were partners for a while after your Captain was transferred from narcotics and you tagged along. Old times, but dead memories and burn out stories aside, who sees this cocky and confident person Jinyoung became can’t really tell how he was at the beginning. You walk closer to the body and he follows after you with a contradicted expression.

“I wasn’t that bad back then”, he protest and you  look back and find him wearing an expression that distantly remembers a pout.

“Sure, keep telling yourself that,'' you scoff, “But I still remember that time when you threw up in an evidence bag after seeing guy’s guts spilled on the white tiles”, you grin, glancing back to see his disgusted expression

“Can you we not talk about that? I spent a whole months without eating noodles or grilled pork skin”, you can’t help but let out a snicker before stopping near the dead body Wonshik just ran from, “Now, now… WHat do we have here? Another druggie?”

The causality in your voice tilts into skepticism as you pay closer attention to what’s before you. It’s definitely not a pretty sight, but it doesn’t give you any pride to say that’s not the worst you’ve seen. Most people would rather look away, just like Wonshik, instead of sighing tiredly as your eyes scan the body for injuries, their differences, their meaning.

The ghost of a beautiful woman in her in her early-twenties is something you can see in this trashed, dirty corpse covered in nasty injuries. However, as the Lieutenant of the Department of Violent Crimes you’re more interested in the ugliness painted on the beauty, knowing fairly well that’s what is going to give you what you need to solve the case.

***

It’s really late that night when you bringing your sleeping daughter back home, you place her in her bed and take some time to watch her sleep peacefully surrounded by her favorite toys. You caresses her hair, watching her breathing evenly, taking your time to admire and enjoy this moment as much as you can after seeing gruesome scenarios the whole day.

When you leave Minjoo’s room, you’re still wide awake, so you reach for another cigarette in your backpack, you didn’t take it to the station today as you normally do. You still don’t know what you gonna do when you have to stay there overnight, your brother has his own life. Luckily you already found a daycare. When you reach the balcony, you look at the clear sky dotted with stars here and there around the bright moon until you look down tries to abstract yourself from your phone buzzing on the balcony’s table. You glance down at your watch, it reads ten past eight in the evening. He’s dressed in different clothes, but shows a favoritism for the same fashion you saw him wearing earlier.

Your phone stops ringing and you look at it, holding your cigarette between your first and middle finger, letting the ashes being burned and blown away.

chapter 02 ⇾

[wingheadshellhead]

Hey, I've been skimming a lot of Iron Man and Avengers comics. I can't believe the amount of maiming and physical hurt Tony endures through most of them. I might be incredibly naive but are there any cute comics with Tony like "Thor: The Mighty Avenger"? Or non-IM comics where it's just adventures, Tony being a Science-Dad or something, where he doesn't get the daylights kicked out of him on the reg? Are the older comics from the 60s or 70s any kinder? Thank you!

he is……. really marvel’s favorite punching bag and whipping boy. like, there is your Standard comic book character SufferingTM that they all go through, and then there is the Tony Stark equation which goes something like:  Blame for every single thing under the sun that is related to the current universe-wide event but also multiple past (and future!) events  +  Tasteless, unwarranted jokes about his mental illness and stability that are treated as perfectly normal observations by both characters (and writers)  +  Canon narratives and dialogue explicitly seeming to support characters (and writers) who have extremely selective memories about what… actually happened… in canon  =  An average year for comic Tony Stark.

as the official professional tony stark authority on this website (the universe), nat @knightinironarmor has an extremely fantastic and comprehensive list here.  with more great additions from @blossomsinthemist here.

the 60s and 70s comics are equally heavy but i’d say they’re fairly well-balanced with feel-good tony moments? there’s definitely a lot more up + down of highs and lows rather than just a never-ending plummet to rock bottom. but again, tony is one of those characters whose stories lend best to tragedy and the maiming and physical hurt is just a regular occurence due to his physical condition (shrapnel-induced issues as well as canonical issues with heart problems + not superhuman squishy human in only a metal suit + terrible at self-care and… going to hospitals and seeking proper medical care + high susceptibility to mind control and mental manipulation in part – and this is my own personal headcanon but i think it’s pretty accurate – due to his struggles with mental illness/es). aside from being marvel’s go-to scapegoat, tony is, and will always be, your Classic Tragic Hero, in every sense of the word and archetype.

fun avengers/team-centric appearances: 

tony’s appearances in guardians of the galaxy vol. 3 are some of my favorite panels ever. 

avengers assemble vol. 2 !!!!!  not the one based on the show but the original 2012 run by deconnick, specifically #1-5, #11, #24, #25 and the annual. 

the entire marvel adventures: avengers run is also a lot of fun, super light-hearted and 0% pain or unnecessary suffering. 

gotta rep avengers: prime for the rainbows and naked horseback riding.

new avengers vol. 1 is specifically the run i am never going to shut up about every but it’s one of my favourite team-ups (iron man, captain america, spider-man, spider-woman, power man, wolverine) and it’s a Lot of fun. 

avengers vol. 3 is relatively light on the angst and it’s another great team-up

avengers vol. 4 deals with the aftermath of civil war so things are still a little tense but it’s got some great tony moments and the team being an actual team. 

specifically, if you’re looking for science dad moments:

tony’s appearances in invincible iron man vol. 3, riri’s run, have been amazing and all kinds of wonderful

all-new all-different avengers has all the dad!tony and smolvengers stuff, including tony taking the trio of kids on a ‘field trip’ to space. in all-new marvel he’s also shown up in ms. marvel #4 and #6, spider-man #6 and nova #3

one of tony’s earliest dad!tony moments was with one anya corazon in avengers assemble #24. 

i Loathe everything abt this run incl. tony’s and peter’s characterisations in it but amazing spider-man vol. 4 #15 features some nice (although ooc lol) tony and peter interactions but More Importantly mj in the iron spider suit teaming up w/ tony to kick ass.

one-off appearances in other characters’ runs: 

daredevil vol. 3 #29, aka…. the most beautiful and iconic thing sb has ever had tony stark do and it wasn’t even in his own comic oh my god. 

captain marvel vol. 1 #2 and captain marvel vol. 2 #1 bc tony and carol’s friendship is incredible ignore everything you’ve heard about them from 2017. 

she-hulk vol. 3 #1, bc like tony himself i am in Awe of jenn walters and love their dynamic to death. 

thor vol. 2 #80 and #81 where tony actually shows up in the ragnarok event! it’s cute! and there is a little tony with kids moment!

black widow vol. 4 #1 and black widow vol. 5 #12, natasha and tony’s relationship in the comics is so so so underrated and overlooked and i demand Justice bc their history goes back to literally tony’s first appearances in tales of suspense and as a result, their modern day friendship is super cute and Deep and it’s just nice when writers actually remember it exists.

[adventures-in-a-world-of-fiction]

What if The Mummy 3 had been a good film?

I recently rewatched The Mummy 3 and remembered all the things that were bad about it, but what annoys me is that they had a lot of the pieces for a good movie. In my annoyance, I have ended up thinking about how it could have gone. So here is my version of The Mummy 3, if it had been good.

Most of the backstory can stay the same but let's skip the Great Wall stuff because that doesn’t work geographically. Evil emperor, big army, wants to become immortal. He conquers loads of lands and then starts building a special site near Xian to research immortality. Loads of workers die but the emperor doesn't care and they end up buried in the foundations. As part of the research, the emperor hears about a mystic gem that's supposed to lead to the Fountain of Eternal Life, but he can't figure out how to make it work. He hears about a witch and sends his general out to find her. The rest is basically the same - love affair, murder, curse. The emperor and his armies are turned into terracotta. The emperor is sealed in his secret chamber but the rest of the soldiers are lined up outside it. The local people don't want the soldiers waking up, so they smash the warriors to bits and bury them, but they don't find the secret room with all the magic stuff.

Centuries later, a local farmer finds bits of broken warrior and Chinese archaeologists investigate (because why not give the Chinese credit for their own discoveries?) but they don't find the secret room. They think they've found the first emperor’s tomb and start reassembling the broken warriors, not knowing the danger they're in.

Backstory over, enter Alex, who's joined the dig and thinks he's found some information that will lead to the secret room. He finds it, there are some traps, and he finds the gem, the oracle bones, and what he thinks is a statue of the emperor. Lin comes in to try and kill him because she's afraid he'd going to raise the emperor. There's a fight, but he makes it out with the bones and the gem, while the Chinese military, led by General Yang, drive Lin out, saving Alex's life. The film is set in 1946, which is when the Chinese Civil War restarted (funny that the film never mentioned this) leading to the rise of communism, so you could have Yang talking about the unrest and thinking that Lin must be part of the rebellion. The army start to take the statues to Xian but Alex keeps the bones and gem with him.

Meanwhile, back in England, Rick attempts to learn to fish and fails spectacularly. He returns home and gets a phone call from New York. It's Evie. She's off putting together an exhibit (if they couldn't get the same actress, it would be better to not have Evie in the film at all) but Rick stayed behind because he got injured on their last dig and he's supposed to be resting and relaxing so he can recover. Instead of lying to each other and pretending to be happy when they're clearly not (because that retirement plotline made no sense for either character), Rick admits that he's finding this whole relaxation thing a challenge. He tells her what happened with the fish.

"Evie, it's not that funny. Stop laughing. Evie, I swear to god, stop laughing at me or I will end this call. Evie!"

Rick speculates about going over to join Evie because his injury is healed now, but she's nearly finished her work there and then Rick gets a letter from Alex, the son he loves and is really proud of and has a great relationship with (because all the family "drama" during the first half of the film was entirely unnecessary). Rick decides to go and join Alex instead, and that Evie can come to them when she finishes up in New York.

Jump to Jonathan's night club in Xian. Alex comes in, has a little exchange with Jonathan, bumps into someone spilling his drink and it looks like he's about to start a fight - only it turns out to be Izzy from the second film (because how many daredevil pilots is Rick friends with?). They have a drink and a chat. Alex asks what Izzy's up to these days and Izzy says he's still flying, mostly taking crazy tourists up through the mountains, but how even the most dangerous of flights is nothing like as dangerous as what he used to have to deal with when he was with the O'Connells.

"I swear, every time your dad shows up, someone tries to kill me."

*Rick appears.* "Hi, Izzy." *Three seconds later, Lin shows up and tries to steal back the gem and bones from Alex, leading to a big fight.*

Izzy: "Every time, O'Connell! Every time!"

Rick: "At least no one's shooting at you."

They all head to the statue to try and figure out what's going on. Alex deciphers some text and works out that the bones could be used to wake the emperor.

Rick: "Let's not do that."

Alex: "Yeah, Mum will be mad if we summon an ancient evil with magical powers while she's not here."

Rick: "And, you know, the whole 'ancient evil with magical powers' thing."

Alex: "Right. Yes."

But then Yang arrives because he was just waiting for Alex to decipher the ritual. There's a hostage situation, he forces Alex to do the spell to save his dad. Lin shows up to try and stop it but she's too late and the emperor's statue comes to life. All the other, broken statues in the area come to life too and start reassembling themselves. Insert humorous moment where two half-reconstructed statues get into a scuffle about which of them an arm belongs to. Lin stops trying to kill the O'Connells and they all start working together to try and take down the emperor.

Cue chase scene through the city, including a chase on the city walls (which are huge and awesome). Jonathan gets caught up in the chase scene.

Jonathan: "I hate mummies!"

Alex: "They're not actually mummies. They're soldiers who were cursed to become terracotta and now..."

Jonathan: "They're trying to kill us! Do you think I care about semantics?!" *Panic. Flail. Scream.*

This then becomes a running joke. Jonathan, Izzy, Rick, or someone else will refer to the emperor or his warriors as mummies, Alex will try to correct them, whoever it is will tell him it's not the time or they don't care.

The emperor and Yang get the gem and head off to find the fountain. The heroes set off after them with Izzy ("I'd better get another huge diamond out of this, O'Connell.") and Lin. Rick wonders if Ardeth Bay would have any ideas how to fight these mummies ("They're not actually..." "Not now, Alex."). No romance arc. No stupid yak jokes. Just a flight, a dodgy landing, a fight at the monastery, some yetis, the emperor puts the gem on the tower and sees the way, leaves everyone else buried in the avalanche.

Instead of Rick getting shot for family angst, having Izzy getting shot leading to mild angst and then later jokes.

Izzy, bleeding to death: "I should have known this would happen if I signed up with you again." *passes out*

Rick is guilty and grieving because he dragged Izzy into this. Lin leads the heroes into Shangri La to the fountain and they save Izzy. Played for jokes for the rest of the film ("I got shot" "You got better").

The emperor gets to the fountain, steals the oracle bones from them, gets his magical transformation powers, becomes a dragon that looks more like Chinese renderings of dragons instead of European pictures of dragons. He grabs Lin and flies off with her. Izzy flies the rest of them down and then goes off with Jonathan to fetch reinforcements.

Alex goes to rescue Lin, but she's halfway through her own escape attempt (because, seriously, why was she just sitting around waiting to be rescued in the film?). She's stolen back the oracle bones and needs to get them to her mum to raise all the dead people who were worked to death by the emperor. Lin's plan works. The emperor resurrects his army, but Lin's mum raises hers and there's a big fight. Lots of shooting. Stuff blows up. It looks like all hope is lost... and then Jonathan and Izzy show up with the promised reinforcements. They've brought Ardeth Bay and a bunch of his people and they fight the terracotta warriors.

Ardeth Bay: "I thought you said you were fighting mummies. These aren't mummies."

Alex: "Thank you! Finally!""

The emperor dies, the old general and the immortal witch are reunited, Izzy and Jonathan argue about which of them deserves to keep the giant diamond, Ardeth Bay and Lin bond over having to keep ancient evil people safe from these irresponsible English people who go around bringing them back to life, and Alex and Rick argue about which of them has to explain to Evie that they nearly destroyed the world again.

We skip cliched and painful romance arcs, we skip bad characterisation and unnecessary family drama, we don’t have the wrong actress playing a character without any of the chemistry of the original films, and the constant referring to creatures that aren’t mummies as mummies becomes a deliberate joke and not a plot hole.

[netunleashed-blog]

The Netflix Originals World Cup: which is the greatest show of them all?

http://www.internetunleashed.co.uk/?p=6539 The Netflix Originals World Cup: which is the greatest show of them all? - http://www.internetunleashed.co.uk/?p=6539 Choosing your favorite Netflix show is like choosing your favorite child - it's almost impossible. Well, that's what you tell Little Tommy anyway, while cuddling up to his sister Emily. But choose we must, as this is the season of the World Cup and what better way to celebrate a tournament about football than using Netflix Originals as a substitute for football teams? Okay, the link is a touch tenuous but we are sticking with it. Below is a list of the best Netflix Original shows and, according to our simulation (scribbled notes on the back of a e-cigarette packet), how they would fare in a World Cup tournament that consists of 32 teams (shows) where there can be only one winner. Before you shout that your number one show isn't even on the list, then just remember that below are shows in the World Cup finals, there was many a qualification game to get here and series such as Making a Murderer and Gypsy made a short, sharp exit. These are the best shows on Netflix, Original or otherwise.  Group A WINNER: Master of None RUNNER-UP: Sense8 House of Cards Dear White PeopleWith House of Cards getting an instant red card early on in its first match, it was really only Dear White People left to try and usurp the might of Master of None and Sense8. Master of None outwitted everyone, however, with its, er, quick wit. While Sense8 made a sensational comeback which was unexpected but definitely what the fans wanted.  Group B WINNER: The End of the F***ing World RUNNER-UP: Marvel's The Punisher 13 Reasons Why LoveWith its 'don't give a f*** style of play, The End of the F***ing World topped its group with ease. The Punisher qualified a close second thanks to a brutal approach to its ball handling, leaving 13 Reasons Why in a perpetual state of teenage angst. Love, on the other hand, was too hipster to care about winning. Group C WINNER: Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt RUNNER-UP: Narcos The OA Big MouthIf drug tests were a thing at this World Cup then Narcos would have been swiftly disqualified. Instead it managed a respectable second in its group. It was Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt that ultimately topped the group, though, thanks to sheer lovely optimism. The OA and Big Mouth never stood a chance – the latter was just plain embarrassing.  Group D WINNER: Mindhunter RUNNER-UP: Santa Clarita Diet Bloodline EasyIt was eery to watch how well Mindhunter got into the minds and under the skin of its opposition in this group. Santa Clarita Diet took a different approach, deciding to go for the jugular more times than we'd care to mention. Bloodline unfortunately didn't gel as a family unit and Easy was, er, too easy.  Group E WINNER: Jessica Jones RUNNER-UP: Daredevil Wet Hot American Summer She's Gotta Have ItJessica Jones was a deserved winner here, showing super strength on the pitch. Daredevil managed to sneak a couple of shots in, despite shooting blind for the most part. We have no idea what happened to Wet Hot American Summer - they were easily the youngest team on the pitch, but looked like a bunch of wheezing 40 year olds out there. Group F WINNER: Stranger Things RUNNER-UP: BoJack Horseman The Get Down A Series of Unfortunate EventsStranger Things turned their opposition upside down, using techniques rarely seen outside the 80s, while Bojack Horseman stayed stable right up into the final furlong. The Get Down disappointed in the second half of their matches and nothing seemed to go right for A Series of Unfortunate Events.  Group G WINNER: GLOW RUNNER-UP: Orange Is The New Black Altered Carbon DarkGLOW deserved to win for its kit alone but also managed to wrestle the opposition to the ground. Orange Is The New Black had to use a few 'get out of jail free' cards but took a respectable second place. Altered Carbon was style over substance but the biggest disappointment was Dark - it's a quality show and should have done better.  Group H WINNER: The Crown RUNNER-UP: Luke Cage Ozark Marco PoloThe Crown had a right royal rumble in its games, putting on a performance fit for a queen. Luke Cage's ability to smash through the defence proved fruitful but Ozark and Marco Polo promised much by dazzling at the beginning but then ultimately offered nothing that we hadn't seen before.  Last 16 Master of None v Marvel's The Punisher Quick-fire one liners and a smattering of romance on the pitch couldn't match The Punisher for sheer brutality. This was always going to be a one-sided match, but the pummelling Master of None got was a bit too much to bear sometimes. Frank Castle is one striker everyone wants on their team. WINNER: Marvel's The PunisherSense8 v The End of the F***ing World Sense8's wonderful comeback wasn't enough to usurp The End of the F***ing World. The show just has too much grit and cynicism to not care about anything but winning. Although it did narrowly avoid a red card for some unnecessary existential angst near the beginning of the game. WINNER: The End of the F***ing WorldUnbreakable Kimmy Schmidt v Santa Clarita Diet Brains beats unflagging optimism in what was one of the closest run battles so far on the pitch. Kimmy Schmidt looked like a surefire bet in the first half, with some fantastically flamboyant moves from Titus Andromedon but Sheila Hammond fought (and ate) tooth and nail to win the game in extra time. WINNER: Santa Clarita DietNarcos v Mindhunter The drugs wore off for Narcos in the end, with a 3-0 loss to the might of Mindhunter. We don't know quite how they do it, but they seem to lure the opposition into a false sense of security, get them to bear their souls then stick the knife in for victory. Narcos started off strong, though, with a false sense of self belief but whatever powers they had soon wore off and they were left a sniffly mess. WINNER: MindhunterJessica Jones vs BoJack Horseman We don't know how this happened. Jessica Jones was sure of a place in the quarter finals, then in the last minute she completely bottled it and gave away a penalty. This gave Bojack the power to trot up to the spot and hoof one in. There was no cheering from Bojack and co, though, just a stare that seemed to last a thousand yards. WINNER: BoJack HorsemanDaredevil vs Stranger Things Who you gonna call when a game gets tight? Yep, you've guessed it Stranger Things. This one went into extra time but where Daredevil flagged in its second half, seemingly running out of ideas that didn't consist of magic and ninjas, Stranger Things admirably kept the quality levels high through both halves - and even managed to win despite getting a red card for that awful episode where they introduced the new kids. WINNER: Stranger Things GLOW vs Luke Cage It turns out that despite a great hip-hop soundtrack blasting throughout the game and some impressive bullet-stopping play, Luke Cage sagged after half time, not quite sure what style it wants to play and the end result is a KO from the gorgeous ladies of wrestling. If only Cage had his super sub alias Jessica Jones to help him through, but alas he was on his own for this one. WINNER: GLOW Orange Is The New Black vs The Crown One of the original Originals, Orange Is The New Black stood its ground for the majority of this game, proving to the world that age isn't an issue when it comes to taking on the new Netflix overlords. But, this is the monarchy and they like to get their way - even if their final goal should have been ruled offside. But who really has the guts to tell the queen that they made the wrong decision? No one, it seems. WINNER: The Crown Quarter finals Marvel's The Punisher vs Santa Clarita Diet This was a marvel to watch. The Punisher gave his all, relentlessly pursuing the ball like it was the men who killed his family. But it wasn't enough. Even the strongest hearts are covered by weak flesh and that's exactly what Santa Clarita Diet went for, chomping through bone until there were only their feet left to kick the ball into the goal and the final whistle was called. WINNER: Santa Clarita DietThe End of the F***ing World vs Mindhunter The mind games simply didn't work this time around for Mindhunter, which makes sense when the minds you are trying to break are that of two borderline psychotic characters. In the end, The End of the F***ing World was just too emotionless for Mindhunter to get past and all it took was one corner kick to knock those hunters of minds out. WINNER: The End of the F***ing WorldBoJack Horseman vs GLOW Poor ol' Bojack, he has his ups and very much his downs. His heart wasn't in this one - two goals down after 30 minutes, he had checked out and checked into rehab, mumbling something about blaming Todd. This left GLOW to antagonise the crowd and woo them back again with their wrestling prowess. WINNER: GLOW Stranger Things Vs The Crown All things must pass and monarchies must end but this was one of the more unusual ways. We haven't read all of the rulebook but subbing on a Demogorgon at the 70th minute certainly won Stranger Things the game - because there were so few people standing by the end. The queen held strong but was stretchered off after 80 minutes. Prince Philip was handed a red for foul and abusive language and we're certain he'll be fined for the words that came out of his mouth. WINNER: Stranger Things Semi Finals Santa Clarita Diet vs GLOW The gorgeous ladies of wrestling just couldn't do anything right in the semi finals, until the 80th minute. Things started fall apart when one was given a foul for a rather nasty suplex. This was much to the annoyance of their manager who had spent most of the match powdering his nose in the changing rooms. But then a lucky punt from the halfway line duped the keeper and the ball went in. After that, Santa Clarita Diet had finally lost hunger for the game. WINNER: GLOW The End of the F***ing World vs Stranger Things Stranger Things won before the game even started. The police had finally caught up with The End of the F***ing World's star-crossed lovers so the match was abandoned and Stranger Things given the win by default. While this was a brilliant result for them, surely they couldn't go on to win the the thing? WINNER: Stranger Things The Final GLOW vs Stranger Things Football, bloody hell. Nothing happenes in this game for an hour, then Ruth Wilder goes all Zoya The Destroyer and angers the opposition. This was followed by a sending off for the She Wolf, after she bit Dustin. This sent Eleven into a frenzy and she managed to score three goals with her mind 10 minutes from the end. GLOW tried to recover but they were soon out for the count. Stranger Things has won the Netflix Originals World Cup!WINNER: Stranger Things TechRadar's World Cup coverage is brought to you in association with Honor. Source link