#kastle: shining star

[annabelle1901]

Lost Frank Castle x Karen Page fic

Hi! So I don't really interact with anyone on Tumblr but I don't really know what else to do, so here we go. I'm back on my Kastle bullshit <3 and I've been trying to find this old fan fiction on AO3 that I started reading years ago. Stopped reading after a certain point but had the tab open on my phone and I thought I'd continue reading eventually.. And then my phone got stolen, and I forgot the title & author name. Not great. I've dedicated the past few days to looking for it and so far I got nothing.

So what I'm gonna do is write down everything I remember like a mad woman in the hope that this jogs someones memory. Please help me this fic haunts me. ANY sort of reference or whatever could potentially help (Tumblr posts, links, screenshots, Google history, etc)

Fandom: Daredevil/ the Punisher obv

Pairing: Frank Castle/ Karen Page

Rating: probably explicit (canon typical violence and eventual smut)

Published: 2016-2017 (started post s2 Daredevil but pre The Punisher s1 because I don't remember any of the plot or characters from that show showing up) might have been deleted in 2020ish

Length: has to be +10 chapters (long chapters as well, don't know if it was finished)

Characters: Matt Murdock/ Daredevil, Foggy Nelson, Claire Temple, Elektra Natchios (I vividly remember them making some sort of appearance)

now let's get really unhinged...

Plot:

Pretty sure the story starts on Karen's birthday but her mood is meh.. She's on her way home or something, gets in her car and Shining Star starts playing which let's her know that Frank was recently there. Something else must have alarmed her because she goes looking for him and finds him in like an alley around her building. He's in really bad shape, bloody practically dying. She carries him to her apartment and either helps him herself or calls Claire Temple.*

*Don't think it was in this part of the story but she helps Frank and makes a joke about him not being healthy enough to be sleeping with Karen anytime soon which makes them blush. Don't think they were intimate yet but tensions were rising.

For the next couple of chapters I remember it was mainly beautifully written angst between them in this contained space while he's healing. Karen doesn't want Frank to get killed while being the Punisher, he resists her care and tries to hurt her by saying "You aren't Maria and could never be" or something.

I also vividly remember a scene where he's grieving and keeps like tugging on this necklace Karen has on while he cries in her arms. She leaves her necklace at his family's graves and the groundskeeper or something tells her not to do that because it'll get stolen but she knows that but does it anyway as a sign of respect.

They sort admit their feelings eventually but don't sleep together yet because they know they can't go back after that. For some reason Frank needs to leave the city for a little while to re-home a dog I believe he found while on a "mission" and the idea is that the time apart will help them decide whether or not they want to be together. They reunite on a sunny, lovely day in the city and go back to her apartment and lots of smut ensues. Daredevil shows up at midnight/ morning to get Frank. Something's going down he needs his help. It doesn't end well somehow Karen gets involved and they both go to the same hospital. Frank is in a coma and Karen visits him when she's allowed and urges him to live sort of mirroring when he first got shot in the head at the carousel. He wakes up but needs to go back to prison. Everything is really bad. The press somehow knows about their relationship as well. Last scene I remember is Karen and Foggy talking about all this and a newspaper printing a picture of Karen's legs with the caption Keys to the Castle? or something. Gross everything sucks and that's where I stopped reading.

So that's about all I can remember, feels like a fever dream. If anyone could help me out I'd really appreciate it. Thx!!

[strawberriesandhotmen]

yall genuinely do not understand how fucking excited i am for ddba but i have no one to talk to about it because no one watches the damn shows so yall get to hear all about it

first of all lets have a moment for bearded frank. like where the hell have you been baby welcome back (and also his damn hand on that hatchet? actually, it's around my throat) ahem anyways so

second of all matt's sexy ass daddy beard like hello? he is hopping in the dilf train and he is eating them all the fuck up i fear. that fucking shower scene is going to take me out and i'm afraid it has become my roman empire in the recent weeks. they were really serving us everything with that trailer and clearly they know what the people want

and karen? hot take im not a fan of her and never was but im sensing this show is gonna change my mind. she's looking like an icon and im predicting some major character development, maybe even a KASTLE moment dare i say? wouldn't hate it

let's all take a moment for foggy cause that damn boy grew the fuck up he is following frank and matt's lead with the beard and it's the best decision he ever made

genuinely, im really excited to see more of dex because he was a shining star in Daredevil and that character development is really intriguing for me

lastly fisk? i thought they kinda ended that on a good note but im excited to see where they go with it cause i know they'll do the most

[hencethebravery]

This is my first time writing any of these characters, so please bear with me. Batten down the hatches, etc. etc. This takes place after The Defenders but before the new Punisher series. Basically a Karen Page character study with some Kastle because I love their dumb butts. Warning for swears and canon-typical violence.

+ There's something about women and vengeance. Some unknown, yet to be written variable that will never see the light of day. Maybe there’s even a list of women on a document somewhere; each one followed by another name with no substance in between. She’s not sure she’ll ever publish it—it’d have to be an op-ed or something. It’s not really newsworthy, but it does feel relevant somehow.

“How is it that you require a dick to acceptably lose your damn mind?”

Josie’s is always packed when it rains, full of patrons in untenable living situations not made for those weeks in fall when it never fucking ends. It’s been uncomfortably damp for about 3 straight days and she’s already ruined some of her nicer shoes.

“Unfortunately,” Trish answers sagely, gulping down a substantial amount of bourbon, “a dick is required for most things.”

There’s a vengeance narrative running through this city that Karen can’t quite get a line on. These men running around in armor waging war for all of these “legitimate” reasons and she’s just sitting here with this fire burning a goddamn hole in her chest.

Jessica drops a pitcher in the middle of the table and grins. “Hey now, I’ve lost it plenty.”

“And it’s not the ‘dicks’ so much as it is the patriarchal bullshit.”

“That’s right,” Jessica answers with a nod to Claire, “no two dicks are alike.”

Karen mumbles against the lip of her shot glass, the smell of the tequila tickling the fine hairs of her nose. Can already taste it at the back of her throat. There’s lots of laughter and jokes about cocks and how nice Rogers’ butt looks in those pants and somewhere around 3 AM she turns in for the night. Or out. Roaming the dark, wet streets of Hell’s Kitchen trying to put the fire out. 

He quells and kindles the flame in her belly in a really unsettling way. It’s hard to explain to anybody, so she doesn’t really try to—just stares at her laptop and all those names and thinks about vengeance.

And who is she trying to fool anyway?

“It’s not like I’m even gonna write the damn thing.”

He’s half-asleep, the tip of his nose so close to the surface of his coffee she’s afraid he might burn himself.

“Hey,” she says again, tugging lightly at his shoulder, “you planning on drinking that?”

He grunts and sips at it, the captivating spectrum of blues and purples shuffling around on the planes of his face. It’s like he can’t help but look like spilled gasoline all over blacktop. There’s also this vague left behind-ness of sweat and pus and in the end it just looks like oil swirling around in dirty rain water.

She goes for an ice pack in the freezer; started to buy those soft, fabric-covered packs because she kept noticing that small flinch underneath his eye whenever she had used the hard ones against his warm, swollen face.

“Well?” she asks again, hoping he’s perked up a bit in the last 30 seconds, “No comment?”

“You wanna write about justice.”

“Vengeance.”

“Same thing, ain’t it?”

She’s not quite sure it’s the same thing, but she’s been struggling to articulate why. Frank Castle would absolutely say that vengeance and justice are one in the same, and maybe they are a little bit, but there’s something a little more satisfying in executing vengeance isn’t there? And it’s not just the way the word sounds in your mouth as the “v” passes between your teeth and over your lips.

“I don’t know,” she says slowly, considering the answer. “I used to think so.”

“But you don’t anymore.”

“I don’t think so,” sick to death of not actually knowing anything, and just thinking that she does, “no.” Nodding, a charming definitiveness to the bounce of her hair. “No, not anymore.”

Sometimes she imagines James Wesley in handcuffs and it’s not nearly as satisfying as the memory of his chest riddled with bullet holes. She never told Matt, and Foggy has no idea. Trish doesn’t know, or Jessica, or Claire. But he knows. The Punisher knows.

“I guess I’d just like to know if I make the cut,” she inquires one evening over cheap as hell vodka straight from a plastic jug.

“You’re fucked up, Page,” he answers on a grin, casually sliding a glass of water across the table. “Also no, your ass never gonna make it.”

“I wish you’d be a bit more consistent sometimes.”

“Yeah, well,” sniffing, grunting, “wishes are a funny thing.”

She wants to ask a question but she’s afraid of the answer. Wants to know what would happen if she were to admit it—that there was an absolute righteousness to it. A vengeful quality to the way her finger wrapped around the trigger, absolutely certain of her decision to squeeze. Would he be so forgiving then?

“I got no answer for you, ma’am. If only this shit were simpler, right?”

Apparently too drunk to know she’s asked a question instead of simply thinking it, slightly mortified but also frustrated at this vague, lacking answer that won’t cure her writer’s block or make her feel any better about this unnerving heat in her bloodstream.

At some point he must’ve walked her to bed, tucked her in. She wakes up early the next morning still wearing her tights and skirt, top slightly askew but that’s only because she sleeps like she’s been in a fight. When she looks to her right there’s some water and aspirin on the nightstand. If only this shit were simpler.

There’s a story in the wind about sexual assault statistics in city prisons and she gets blown into a bit of hot water over it. She says “a bit,” when really it’s kind of monsoon levels of hot water and she’s been dreaming of buying a boat or something. Like middle aged men who fantasize about divorcing their wives but they up and buy a freaking boat instead.

She’s managed to cut herself loose this time, all on her own. No Matt or Frank waiting in the wings to set her free. It’s a lucky thing, she could easily slip through the door into that side alley. Run up the street, find a cop. But ya know what else is easy? Slamming a crowbar against the back of this asshole’s head. Which is where the whole vengeance v. justice conundrum comes into play.

Pictures him in handcuffs—sees him in a courtroom, in a jumpsuit, rotting away in a jail cell. Feels the weight of the crowbar in her hands, the way the scrapes against her palms start to stretch and bleed all over it and it’s way more satisfying than the handcuffs and the television reporters. Because he’s run his slimy hands over her chest and through her hair; because he’s admitted to her the heinous shit he’s done to all those women and he doesn’t deserve justice. She wonders if maybe justice is a privilege before she brings it down in a shot against his knees.

She doesn’t kill him, so that rends the entire vengeance and women piece moot.

“Why?” he asks politely, or about as politely as Frank can, taking cartons of Chinese food out of a plastic bag. “What’s changed?”

“Did you bring me Chinese food?” Ignoring the question in favor of admiring The Punisher in all his delivery boy glory, taking down plates and cups and silverware with a disturbingly intimate knowledge of her kitchen cabinets.

“If you don’t take those meds with food, shit won’t end well for you,” he grunts, placing a steaming plate of noodles in front of her. “Eat.”

“Wouldn’t you have preferred I killed him?”

“Maiming works too.”

She snorts, manages to curl a few noodles around her chopsticks. What does the violence got to do with it? This vengeance narrative she’s writing in her head. How does an angry woman define herself in the company of such fine, fine violence?

“Nah, I don’t think it’s about that.”

“Oh, all of a sudden you have an opinion?”

There’s a lot of people out there, a general consensus, even, that Frank Castle isn’t the cleverest of the vigilante set. That he’s all muscle and hardware; that he’s effective, but he isn’t particularly bright. Watching him move his rice and veggies across his plate, the gears in his head turning—the way his voice lowers an octave or two whenever he’s in the same room as her. Doesn’t matter what anyone thinks; there’s a carefulness to the guy, a deliberateness of movement and thought that anyone with half a brain could perceive as intelligence. Hell, he’s out smarted the cops more than enough times.

“Doesn’t need to be about the killin’,” he starts slowly, dropping his chopsticks against his plate, “not for you anyway.”

“He’ll be back, won’t he? Guys like him.”

“Probably,” he answers shortly, “there’s always gonna be guys like him.”

The mere thought of it is exhausting, knowing that no matter what she does, no matter how many knees she shatters or triggers she pulls, there’s always gonna be guys like that.

“Guys like me.”

“Frank—”

“No,” he interrupts, an ironic, painful smirk on his face. “Ain’t nothing to admitting the truth in things.”

It’s about power.

Turns out, it doesn’t really matter whether you’re the one who’s decided that the clock’s run out. It’s the adoption of the thing; the very fact of her decision that pulls the thread through the eye of the vengeance needle. She doesn’t write the article—convinced the whole thing still needs tweaking and she’s not there just yet.

“You planning on getting kidnapped a few more times first?”

“Fucking, ha.”

Figuring out your place in this city is a tricky thing. Surrounded on all sides by people far more powerful than you’ll ever be. It’s hard to really know your strength in a contest like that, everyday being perceived as the weaker thing in that equation. Bat to the knees or bat to the head, there’s still a bat. Her thin, delicate fingers wrapped around the end.

“Just make sure you’re the one who’s holdin’ it.”

[thevampirecat]

“It’s your skin, your face, your scent, your taste, Your heart, it moves in my embrace”  ~ Follow you down, Matthew Mayfield

[franksmixtape-blog]

A classic for we near closer! 

[edourado]

Listen it's not voluntary. My heart just clenches every time I watch Karen starting her car and Shining Star coming on because Frank wanted to tell her he was there. I'm sorry, it just does

[krainsworld]

heres the next Duel Team Team Galaxy Defenders

Member 1: Yuma Tsukomo

Bio: Team Captain who used to be an amateur duelist who used to lose left and right but then it soon changed when he unlocked a door which not only send 100 monsters but an alien from his world to Earth named Astral thanks to Astral's guidance Yuma begin winning duels left and right and also gathering the 100 monsters which are pieces of Astral's memories his dream of becoming a world duel champion came true when he became the world duel carnival champion his deck used to belong his father and consults of strategies his aces ever since his final duel against Astral he can create his own monsters which are Number 0 Utopic Future,Chaos Number 0 Utopic Future Slash,Future Number 0 Utopic Future Dragon,Shining Number 0 Utopic Zexal and Number Infinity Utopic Dark Infinity.

Member 2: Reginald Kastle

Bio: aka Nash who is one of the seven Barian Emperors who at first suffered an identity crisis but thanks to Dumon Reginald and Rio rediscover their identities as the Barians Nash and Marin his deck consults of water attribute monsters and Barian monsters his aces are Number 101 Silent Honor Ark,Chaos Number 101 Silent Honor Dark,Number 102 Star Seraph Sentry,Chaos Number 102 Archfiend Seraph,Number 103 Ragnazero,Chaos Number 103 Ragnainfinity,Number 104 Masquerade,Chaos Number 104 Umbral Horror Masquerade,Number 105 Battlin Boxer Star Cestus,Chaos Number 105 Battlin Boxer Comet Cestus,Number 106 Giant Hand,Chaos Number 106 Giant Red Hand,Number 107 Galaxy Eyes Tachyon Dragon,Chaos Number 107 Neo Galaxy Eyes Tachyon Dragon,Number 1000 Numeronius,Chaos Number 1000 Numeronius Numeronia and CXYZ Barian Hope.

Member 3: Kite Tenjo

Bio: a number hunter who used to hunt down number cards to save his brother Hart from dying after he was infused with Barian power by Dr. Faker who made a deal with Vector after Kite discover that he,Yuma and Nash duel Dr. Faker to save Astral,the numbers and Hart his deck consults of galaxy monsters his aces are Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon,Neo Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon,Galaxy Eyes Cipher Dragon,Neo Galaxy Eyes Cipher Dragon and Galaxy Eyes Full Armor Photon Dragon.

Member 4: Astral

Bio: envoy of Astral World who was Yuma's mentor back then Yuma was the only one who can see him but after the Barian crisis everyone can now see Astral now after gaining all 100 numbers his memory was restored his deck consults of the numbers his aces are Number 39 Utopia,Chaos Number 39 Utopia Ray,Chaos Number 39 Utopia Ray V,Chaos Number 39 Utopia Ray Victory,Alternative Number 39 Utopia Double,Shining Number 39 Utopia Prime,Shining Number 39 Utopia The Lightning,Rank Down Number 39 Utopia Roots,Rank Up Number 39 Utopia Beyond,Number 93 Utopia Kaiser and Number 99 Utopic Dragon. 

(This is an amaaaazing idea and honestly this is super super cool!

[qqueenofhades]

Loving the Kastle stories. Would love more Kastle smut!!

Look I should go to bed, but I reblogged this gifset earlier and now do I want a Kastle DDS2 secret shameful hookup sort of thing? Yes. Yes I do.

Obligatory disclaimer here that staff can eat my farts.

Set somewhere after the diner scene in 2x11/she’s just found out he’s alive after the ship explosion/before she goes to Schoonover’s house in 2x12.

Karen Page doesn’t know what she’s doing, except that it’s a really terrible idea. She broke up with Matt barely two weeks ago, this is the worst choice for a rebound for any number of reasons (not least that he shanked something like seven hardened convicts in a maximum-security prison, walked free, saved her from machine gun fire in her own apartment, and then murdered two more guys in a diner before exploding a ship – honestly, she could keep going), and yet, she can’t make herself stop. Frank Castle’s eyes are closed, she’s fairly sure it isn’t her he’s imagining when he kisses her like a starving man, and there’s just enough roughness on both their parts that there might be fresh bruises tomorrow. At least in Karen’s case. At this point, Frank probably wouldn’t goddamn notice.

“You’re a bastard,” Karen breathes, in between – well, you can’t really call them kisses, perhaps, not with the contained and corresponding ferocity shared between them like an electrical circuit. He knew she was a hurricane when she shouted at a mass murderer to his face that he could rot in jail, and she trusted him long before he stole her own car and sat there waiting for her, playing “Shining Star” like they were about to go on the world’s worst date. Then she thought he was dead, it broke her heart in some impossible way, she stayed there all night at the pier waiting to know he was dead, couldn’t stand the thought, and now –

Frank lifts her up onto the concrete ledge behind them, hand under her thigh, and Karen wraps both arms around his neck. It’s not exactly warm, it’s the middle of the fucking night, they’re out in some deserted industrial dockland, and this, this, is not what Karen was planning on. She offered for Matt to come up after a dreamy romantic date, even if one that didn’t go as planned, and he said he wanted it to remain perfect. This is the farthest thing from that. A rugged, dangerous, wild man who, it has to be admitted, it’s still a terrible idea to trust as intimately and as inexplicably as Karen does. This isn’t her he wants, not really. This is far from sweet or gentle or kind. Maybe it was brewing, but it shouldn’t have spilled over. This could leave scars.

Frank shifts himself with his other hand, undoing his belt and shucking his trousers down over his hips, even as there is a clear awareness that he’s not going to go further without explicitly obtaining her permission. His eyes crack open, he meets her gaze, and just then, Karen is sick of the smart thing, of lies and lies, of all Matt’s dishonesty and evasion. Frank might be crazy, she’s not denying that. He’s definitely a killer, and he probably belongs in jail. But a woman does not wait all night, heartbroken, for no reason, and right now, knowing that he knows her, word unspoken, Karen is not in the mood for sense.

She grabs at him, letting that be her answer, and pulls him close again. They rip aside just enough clothing – the clink of his belt buckle, a run in her pantyhose, a rip as the zipper of her skirt tears – to accomplish the deed, as he thrusts into her hard and unforgivingly and she gulps and bites a gasp and rakes the back of his neck with her fingernails. He brands his mouth to her neck, too raw and ragged and unformed to be a kiss, eyes screwed closed, tears running silently from beneath his eyelashes. He grunts a name. She can’t tell which one. Honestly, she doesn’t want to ask.

Frank takes her with a few short shoves, then deeper, as Karen’s hips bang against the brick behind them and her body leaps and jerks with the force of their union, their stars going supernova at once. She lifts her mouth to his, and he bites at her lower lip, hand moving up to encircle her neck, thumb pressed to her pulse point, as he reaches the brink with another quick, ragged set of thrusts. It might feel like betraying his wife, Karen doesn’t know. Maria Castle is dead, technically speaking, and yet, she knew the truth. Not something that happened to Frank. Something that is happening.

She feels the hot spill of his release a moment later, doesn’t know if she’s quite climaxed or if she’s just lost her mind, clutching him, shaking. Their foreheads and their noses press together, his hand almost gentle in the matted blonde hair at the nape of her neck. Then he pulls back, out of her, and hauls his jeans back up, all at once. Turns away, wiping a hand over his mouth. She can’t tell if he’s suddenly come to himself, if he wished he never did it, or anything else.

“Frank.” Her voice is small, yet it makes him flinch. “Don’t – don’t do it.”

She doesn’t know what she means. Neither, she would wager, does he. But a faint shudder goes through him, nonetheless.

“Goodbye, Karen,” he says, low and rough. Almost tender, if you squint, or maybe that’s just halfway to heartbreak. “I gotta go.” 

[idomyballethere]

How Mattelektra and Kastle sank K*redevil

IMHO it’s clear that when Marvel was making DD2, K*redevil was intended as the epic romantic relationship of the show. To put Matt and Karen together only to break them apart with Elektra and Frank and then reunite them at the end of the season is classic rooting couple and interloper structure. However, the writers unintentionally made a few fatal mistakes:

1. The interloper couples of Mattelektra and Kastle had better chemistry than the endgame couple of K*redevil. No matter which couple one likes better (Mattelektra for me), both Mattelektra and Kastle sparked and sizzled on screen all DD2. In contrast, Matt and Karen had no chemistry and lacked tension, leading to awkward and stiff scenes together where Karen annoyingly pleads with Matt and Matt gets increasingly irritated with her.

2. In order to advance the A plot and B plot, Matt favors Elektra and Karen favors Frank, not each other. To have the audience buy into the new characters of Elektra and Frank, the writers used the existing characters of Matt and Karen to prop them, and they did this too well as they failed to see what this would do to both Matt’s and Karen’s characterization. Matt picks Elektra over Karen every single time. He listens to her heartbeat while she’s sleeping, says she makes him feel alive, wants to run away with her, prays over her, and has a pet name for her “Sweetheart” and a diminutive “Sweetie”. From the moment they meet, Karen won’t stop defending Frank and investigating on his behalf, and given the opportunity to confront Matt when she sees Stick and Elektra, she goes after Frank instead. They have a song together “Shining Star”. The ending of DD2 is supposed to be this big triumphant moment for K*redevil where Matt tells Karen he’s Daredevil, but instead it was laughable as Matt was clearly settling for Karen due to Elektra’s death, and she wasn’t that into Matt anyway with Frank around.

3. They wrote Mattelektra and Kastle as interesting and K*redevil as boring. To keep things sweet, light, and wholesome for the endgame couple, K*redevil accidentally ended up as a rushed and generic romance. There’s nothing terribly compelling about pool and a kiss in the rain. Moreover, it looks even worse in comparison to Mattelektra and Kastle who have fun adventures. Karen and Matt talk about lightbulbs while Matt and Elektra go to classy parties and fight ninjas while Frank and Karen get out of the city and take down drug lords. Elektra can fight alongside Matt while Frank and Karen both use guns, but Matt and Karen can’t really do anything together as a couple we the audience is going to want to watch.

Now clearly someone on the writing staff noticed this massive disconnect after DD2 and changed direction as TD and TP rectified this situation and ran with Mattelektra and Kastle, respectively. But to the naysayers dismissing how can Mattelektra and Kastle be possibly be endgames when DD2 showed Mattelektra as an abusive relationship and Kastle as mere infatuation, well, yes, originally we the audience were supposed to see it that way. Elektra was supposed to be the crazy ex-girlfriend, Frank was supposed to be the evil monster, and Matt and Karen were the heroic good sweet couple of light who overcame these two obstacles. It’s why Elektra tells Matt he deserves better and why Frank asks Karen about Matt and compares the true love he shared with his wife to K*redevil.

But as Kingpin would say, plans change. Mattelektra and Kastle are the better chemistry-laden romances, and Marvel adjusted accordingly after DD2. The narrative of DD2 doesn’t fit perfectly with TD and TP, but that’s what happens when the roadmap has to be completely flipped around. Yes, Mattelektra is abnormal because Matt and Elektra are both so emotionally damaged, but ultimately it’s good for them because Matt’s unwavering belief in Elektra’s goodness stabilizes her, and Elektra’s unconditional love of Matt breaks through Matt’s guilt complex. They are so attached to each other because their specific emotional needs are being met within the relationship. Kastle has its own unique dynamic as well where Frank respects Karen as an equal, and Karen truly understands Frank like no one else. Yes, Frank still misses his late wife, and Karen will need to open up to him about her past, but there’s no doubt they will be able to meet these challenges together as a couple.

So thank you, Marvel, for recognizing Mattelektra and Kastle were the endgames we all deserved. Now just give us a double date where Frank defends Karen shooting Wesley to Matt, and Matt has to hold back Elektra when she learns Frank shot Matt in the head, and we’re good to go.

[kastlenetwork]

I feel like people may be skimming over the fact that Matt *maybe* just lost Electra, the love of his life. I feel like odds are stacked against Kastle, but in DDS3 it would be a tough feat for matt to get over electra and karen forgive matt in the same season. Granted it might be harder for Frank to actually be able to love again, and see Karen as that love. Just thinking about how often Frank starred at Karen's lips in the elevator scene and trying to make sense of it, shew. #Imdyinghere

I think Daredevil really thought that her and Matt were going to be this epic sort of thing and their bringing in Elektra threw a big wrench in that. I really agree that the loss of Elektra, but Elektra in general, is really where the strength of his romantic storylines shine. It’s hard to imagine him hobbling back into the story and just making a beeline back to Karen. It’s hard to picture him choosing her [because he’s already spent a lot of screen time doing the opposite] and feeling for her anything even close to what he clearly feels for Elektra. 

I don’t think it’d be impossible to find a way to get them back into a relationship – television shows always manage to keep up relationships that aren’t considered the general favorites [although there are obviously people who really like them – I really liked them once upon a time]. I think it’ll be hard to get it to come across strongly, just based on the fact that they’ve shown [what I believe to be] stronger chemistry with other people, though. But, the return of Matt would probably smooth the transition for Karen from “You spend a lot of time lying to me and I can’t trust you” to “You spend a lot of time lying to me and I can’t trust you but oh my god you’re alive and I’m so happy.” His sudden life still living I think could potentially give her that push closer into reviving something of a lost friendship. 

She’s hurt without him being a friend. His death has seemingly effected her friendship with Foggy [along with his work]. But, if there’s an opportunity to repair things she will want to repair them, I reckon, even if she doesn’t feel like she can be herself around him. So, if they want to do it, I’m sure they can find a way to squish it all together and get them back together again. But, based on how her relationships with both men have been presented, I actually think Frank falling for Karen feels less difficult than Matt loving Karen as much as he loves Elektra. Like, Frank’s out here kissing her cheeks, seemingly suggesting she’s the ‘something’ blah blah [I can’t remember the exact dialogue of the conversation with Sarah lol], looking at her lips, taking bullets for her, an ect. ect. And Matt’s out here wanting to run away with this woman who just got crushed by a building with him.

I really feel like Karen and Frank’s biggest obstacle is literally just that they have two different flag ship shows. Which is. A. Big. Obstacle. That’s the odd stacked against them. If Karen was moved to be a main on Punisher, it would literally just be inevitable that they’d at least hook up at some point, honestly. He’s not celibate in the comics. If she was officially on his show, she’d be the first pick let’s be real. Even on the love scale. Much like Elektra with Matt, I don’t think Frank will ever love anyone again like he loved his wife. That’s a given. But, I do think that there’s already love there for Karen. He’s hunting people down who threaten her and calling her family and bringing her flowers. Despite the fact that his wife was his great love I don’t think it’s impossible that where he is with Karen could be pushed to more. 

Which I suppose means that they’re in a similar place to where Matt and Karen are, apart from the fact that he wasn’t married to Elektra. Previous Loves that mean everything to them, with Karen there as the new potential. It mostly just comes down to how each of them feel around the other at this point in time and the structure of their story lines. 

[allthereclists]

Kastle Fics

Daredevil

oh what a marvellous sight by mind_boggling 455

a small excerpt based on that moment from the new trailer.

My Moment of Clarity by spellitwithyourpeas 902 

She didn't believe it was the end. God, she hoped it wasn't...that somehow they could come back from this.

weak knees by samssalvation 968 

karen tripping and falling into frank's arms

Dream A Little Dream of Me by helpme_iminlove 1,074 

She gave the small crowd a smile, her red lips parting to dazzle him with her teeth, and then the band had picked up a tune. Frank would be lying if he said he hadn’t held his breath waiting for her to start singing.

Two Cups of Coffee by yoncepadthai 1,676 

Months since the last time she and Frank drank coffee together, Karen debates returning to the diner.

lost and fought by SafelyCapricious 3,179 

Karen hasn't slept in far too long, trying to chase leads about this gang-cult, when her dead mentor appears in her apartment and chaos descends. She doesn't think it's due to sleep deprivation.

I Know What it Takes to Fool this Town byspellitwithyourpeas 3,726

James Wesley may be dead, but the weight of that night still is heavy. She feels the pressure build and the panic set in. She wants to move on and maybe with some help she could. If anybody can understand her actions, it'd be Frank Castle.

bloodsport by PurpleLex 5,041

[ two-part tumblr prompt: "A baddie is threatening/hurting Karen in front of a tied up Frank. And he's raging?" ]

is it too late to come on home? by volchitza 9,347

Karen worries her thumb with her index fingernail, absentmindedly picking at her skin. The azure glow of her laptop screen reflects on her face in the dark of her silent office; it's too late for anybody else at the Bulletin, but Karen doesn't feel at home anywhere much these days. The Word document she has open on the screen is blinking regularly at her, as if expecting to be filled, but she has no words to describe the emptiness eating away at her from the inside, scratching at her, digging a hollow in her middle, little by little, with every aimless step she takes, every time she sits at her desk and feels further and further from the person she was before. She doesn't know how to inhabit this new paradigm of her life: a new job, a new house, without her old friends and their evenings at Josie's. A new Karen, changed, in ways she hasn't yet explored.

Try and Try Again by silbecoo 18,544 

The night after the Punisher's funeral Karen is approached by a strange woman and given the opportunity to change the past and give Frank Castle back his future.

Losing Sleep Tonight by PunkyNemo (TheVampireCat) 42,501 wip

She's standing on his doorstep and she's asking for redemption.

He doesn't know if he has any to give.

The Punisher

Sunny Days on Sunday by Study_in_Scarlett 534

Frank and Karen grocery shopping! Or something else painfully domestic

next time by rcmsw 856

“Hey,” he hears in that voice he knows well now, that voice that is, well, something.

Frank turns to see Karen there in the doorway, standing out against the dingy walls and muted colors.

“Hey,” he responds, and feels the smile tug at his lips. He can’t help it. He’s not surprised she managed to find him here, she’s a damn good journalist after all.

Keep the Goddess on my side by Study_in_Scarlett 951

frank distracting karen from writing her article!

elevator by thefudge 959 

The elevator scene, but with a much needed addition.

Explosions have a way of revealing one's priorities byAlison_Ocean 755

"Where does that end?", she’d asked. Where the hell did she think?

Bottom of the Ocean by silbecoo 1,235

Frank has no one left to punish but himself.

Perihelion by evil bunny wolf (evil_bunny_king) 1,567 

“I’ve had, I’ve had a hell of a week, but that, I think, might’ve been part of the worst of it.”

She clears her throat, and then again, drawing her knees in. Her eyes shine a little in the lamplight. “Yeah. I was scared too. For you.”

Three to Five by homesickblues, StellarRequiem 2,064 

Karen and Frank's moment in the elevator as how it felt, not just how it looked, and the silent conversations they had there.

A Perfectly Good Opportunity by A Crimson Phoenix (cw151) 3,960

“Sorry to disappoint but Karen and I are just friends, sweetheart,” he said. “What? Why?” Leo looked at him dumbstruck. “’cos we are,” Frank shot back. “And that’s that. You’re too young to be askin’ me questions like that.” “Not too young to see a perfectly good opportunity when there is one,” Leo murmured back.

Leo is determined to make Karen and Frank happen. A power couple, just like Beyoncé and Jay-Z.

Finding Home by LaMorenaReina 11,733

“Growing up sucks, Leo. I wouldn’t recommend it.”

Or: Karen faces the truth of after while trying to live her life. Leo and Karen become friends. Karen and Frank figure some things out.

Best Revenge Is Your Paper by laiqualaurelote 15,581

"Karen." It's Bob, the night copy-editor. "Why haven't you been answering my calls?" "Someone tried to kill me. Now I'm half-dead in a ditch." "Right," says Bob, unimpressed. "You've got queries in your story. Plug them, please." "Want me to shoot him?" inquires Frank. "Jesus!" shouts Karen. "Do not shoot the copy-editors for doing their jobs, Frank!"

In which Karen Page gets a bunch of bylines, pisses off a lot of people, tries not to fall in love with her newsmaker and fails. Spans post-Daredevil Season 2 through The Defenders to post-Punisher Season 1.

The Winter King by Yggdra 26,063

Karen Page is tired of being hurt and threatened. When Wilson Fisk threatens to claw his way back into civilisation, Frank Castle steps in to offer her a safe escape.

Breaking Free (I Feel Violent) by Will_Write_4_Coffee 29,557 

After getting blown up (twice), shot at, held hostage, and saying goodbye to the one person she felt most connected to, Karen Page needed a break... Or so Ellison told her. With Christmas right around the corner, it was shaping up to be a bleak and lonely holiday, until a familiar face shows up...

Loss like the sharp edges of a knife by fandammit 33,605

“Is she a friend?”

He shrugs, though it’s a stiff movement. He knows he should just say yes, because it’s not untrue, because it’s the easiest way to explain what Karen is to him. But it also feels wrong, because friend seems like such an easy word to hold the complicated swirl of emotion he feels when he thinks about Karen. It’s both too much and too little to describe what she is to him -- a person who has been ally and advocate and antagonist all rolled into one, whose name has been both an invocation and affliction, whose memory sets off a warning light behind his eyes and a low, steady burn of longing across his veins.

Frank Castle, after.

Now we're young enough to try to build a better life bytuntekorpp 38,963 wip

Karen said she wanted an after for Frank. Maybe she needs an after for herself too.

AU

Ink & Petals by onebatch2batch 11,261

When Karen Page's grandmother suddenly passes away and leaves her a business to run in an unfamiliar city, she realizes how lonely a place can be. That is, until she develops a crush on the handsome guy that comes into her shop fairly regularly. AU. Rated M for future chapters.

Ordinary People by edourado 13,393 

Best friends who are the Old Married Couple but fail to notice they're falling in love until is too late.

--

wips

your bruises spell my name by samssalvation

after nearly two months apart, karen is certain she will never see frank again. of course, that all changes when her article crosses paths with his war.

The Shadow of Him by Bitumz

He mirrored her darkness and she reflected his past. Where Karen Page chose to go, Frank Castle would have to follow.

When I Look In The Mirror (I See Only You) byPrimarybufferpanel (ArwenLune)

The AU where Frank Castle is the cop who finds Karen moments after she has shot James Wesley, and ends up in a complicated tangle of feels, cats, and aiding and abetting a fugitive despite his best attempts to be a clean, law abiding cop

The Fall by ghoulsngunz

"I need a favor.”

A favor? Karen crossed her arms over her chest. She had to be dreaming. There was no way that after three months of silence the Punisher would be standing in her kitchen asking for a favor. “What kind of favor?”

Frank rubbed his temples. “I need you to help me find my dog.”

Collections

One Batch Per Dozen by silbecoo 

Better Natures by etirabys 

you're a shining star by Dresupi

http://devilbunnyking.tumblr.com/post/168333652819/places-we-dont-know

http://lightofpage.tumblr.com/tagged/kastle+ff/page/19

http://lightofpage.tumblr.com/ficrecs

https://gunpowder-andcoffee.tumblr.com/post/158115244560/hi-there-can-you-maybe-recommend-good-kastle

http://allmyfuckingobsessions.tumblr.com/post/160352343494/any-good-kastle-fic-recs

[silentbutsweet77]

It’s funny how I keep seeing antis complain about Frank using Karen as a bait. According to them that’s the whole rationale on why Matt will always be better boyfriend material *sigh*

I mean I don’t even know where to start with this. They use this but ignore context and the fact that Frank saves Karen, not once but twice. Frank brought himself and Karen into the open purposely because he wanted to kill them. I suspect Frank knew he was the best protection for Karen. After finding out the DA was dirty, I doubt he had much faith in the local police. Frank also knew Karen was in danger that’s the whole point to him showing up at Karen’s apartment. He went there to protect her and to make sure she knew he wasn’t responsible for the murders.

Leaving Karen in the car after Frank hits it. Also seems to be a rallying point for antis on how Frank doesn’t care about Karen. Which again.... *sigh*

This ignores that Frank was actually following Karen and watching her moves very closely. It’s how he knew Karen went to visit Schoonover. We actually get an “I’ll come for you” moment when he puts in the shining star tape. Now in the aftermath we see Karen shaken up but not seriously injured. Now we can’t know for sure but I think the most logical thing is that Frank immediately exits the truck and sees she’s breathing and then his focus turns to Schoonover. This is pre punisher series Frank and we don’t get to see quite as much of his soft side. One because Kastle was just blossoming and two because he was the guest character not the main. Character development has to mean something when continuing on. That’s why they had to lay very subtle hints and stay firmly in the middle with his character.

[thevampirecat]

Chapter 33: At the end of the darkest night comes the light of the sun Fandom: The Punisher, Daredevil Pairings: Frank Castle/Karen Page Rated: E Ballads for a dead man series, part three

He glances around, almost confused, and then his gaze settles on her, his smile so wide it almost splits his face in half.

God, she loves him so much it’s like she’s being stabbed in the heart.

"What did you do, Karen Page?" he says, shaking his head as he walks towards her. "What the hell did you do, my girl?"

So much. She did so much. She promised things she could never promise, she wheeled and dealed in ways she never thought she could. She fought long and hard and she'll somehow have to pay for that.

But not now.

Later. It can wait.

It has to wait.

"It doesn't matter," she whispers as his arms slide around her waist and he rests his forehead on hers. “It doesn’t.”

It might be the first lie she’s ever told him but she can’t bring herself to care.

[hopelikethemoon]

Since you're wanting to write more smut, (freaking yes!!), I was wondering... you've written Kastle bathroom smut for DD (freaking love shining star.... have read it a few times already), could you somehow incorporate bathroom sex for them into the TP time line... maybe to blow of steam again. ;) Thank you in advance for whatever amazing thing you write!

Thank you so much for your kind words! I absolutely loved writing shining star! So I ended up merging this prompt with this [anon: Omg could you do a "I'm extremely turned on by you but it's not an appropriate setting but i'll still see how much i can tease you" for Frank and Karen please!] prompt and created the following story! I really hope you enjoy it, I was really worried that it wasn't that great. SO I AM HOPING IT'S GOOD.

title: christmas party rating: Mlength: 2.2Klink: AO3

[geraltcirilla]

What if "Shining Star" by Earth Wind and Fire became Kastle's song? Like any time Frank wanted to let Karen know he was there, or alive, or thinking of her, he'd set it up so the song played for her?

[itsybitsylemonsqueezy]

Because I'm real excited for August, have a Kastle crossover fic

The Punisher + Pilgrimage

Storms and pregnant cattle were never a good mix. Karen could hear the agitated lowing from her house, she better go out and settle her before night truly fell. Taking the biggest stick from the wood pile to guide her way, Karen hiked up the rocky path to her family’s little barn. It was almost too dim to see by the time she got there, she should have taken a candle. But, well… it wasn’t like candles just grew on trees.

Once inside, she found her little brown cow turning round and around her stall, kicking up hay. “Shhh, shh, it’s just a storm,” Karen murmured, reaching for the cow’s wet, curious nose and laying her stick to one side. Her cow turned to her, but its eyes rolled away, caught on some movement… did that shadow just change? Karen grabbed her stick, raising it to eye level like a weapon. The last thing she needed in here would be visitors, whether pests, predators, or worse.

Karen made to step forward carefully, eyes as wide as she could make them to catch anything solid in the darkness. But before her foot fell, the shadows moved again, reared actually, revealing an enormous, hulking mass. Karen stumbled back, prayers flying through her head, but she uttered not a sound. Instead she gripped her stick fiercely in front of her, prepared to fight the approaching figure.

The figure did not come quickly, unsure of their relative position in the dark. Not a wolf then, wolves saw perfectly well in the dark, and, besides which, had glowing eyes. This mass slid against the stall, she could hear it, and she moved to block their way to the door. The figure slowed even more in response to her defensive movements. If this was a raider, Karen wondered why he did not just kill her and be done with it. There was no reason to make a fair fight of it. She kept her stick up, tightly gripped; she wasn’t taking any chances on doubt. Perhaps he was merely wounded and waiting until she was within arm’s reach to strike.

Karen dared wonder if she opened the door to hope for enough light to make out her opponent, or run back to her house for the axe. That was assuming this figure did not run after her. Just as she was readying herself for the decision though, the storm broke, a bolt from the sky lingered long enough that light passed through the slats of the barn, revealing her adversary. It was a man, albeit a huge man, with a face like a bear, all covered in black fur. Yet, his eyes were almost as wide and scared as hers were. And his hands were held out in front of him, weaponless, spread, as if to beg her to spare him. Karen felt like screaming anyway.

The light faded and once again they were in darkness, no ground gained or lost, her cow still shuffling in its stall, uncertain.

“Cé tusa?” Karen croaked, jerking her stick at him, perhaps the movement was visible.

There was no response, not even a whisper of movement.

She swallowed and tried again in English, “Who are you?”

Still nothing, although now there was a slight movement, a soft step forward. Was she to take this to mean he understood English better than Irish? This was hopeless. She needed light. She needed sound. Anything. She would have no idea what she was up against until then. Dare she trust the will of a silent stranger and risk some vulnerability? To his credit, he had not tried to harm her, or her cow it seemed.

Left without options, she backed against the door and opened it, a faint shine of light seeping in from the yellow sky and drizzling rain. She could just make out the toes of his boots. “If you want to stay here to wait out the storm, you can,” she ventured.

The man shuffled into the light and nodded to her. So he did understand English.

“Don’t upset my cow anymore or I’ll be back, this time with an axe,” she warned.

The man’s eyes widened and he shook his head. Karen took this to mean he had no intentions of upsetting her cow.

“Good,” she replied. Well. That was all they need interact. Hopefully he was just some strange, mute wanderer, someone who got lost and needed shelter. He’d be gone by morning and she’d think no more about it. Count her lucky stars that neither she nor her cow had been harmed. She turned away from him, halfway out the door, before muttering, “Good night,” to him and closing the door firmly behind her. It had just… been a long time since she’d said good night to anyone.

She walked back down the rocky path, getting soaked along the way, and resolved to think no more about the sudden stranger in her barn. He’d be gone by morning. When she checked, she was sure she wouldn’t find him. And checking was an entirely reasonable reaction to this situation. Had to be sure he was gone, hadn’t taken anything, after all. And then she wouldn’t wonder about him again.

(What do you guys think? You want more? Should I post on AO3?)