#paul toombs

[twistedtummies2]

The Price May Be Right - Number 17

Welcome to “The Price May Be Right!” I’m counting down My Top 31 Favorite Vincent Price Performances & Appearances! The countdown will cover movies, TV productions, and many more forms of media. Today we focus on Number 17: Paul Toombs, from Madhouse.

“Madhouse” is probably one of Vincent Price’s more underrated pictures. It’s not a film I hear a lot of people talk about, which is a shame because it really is one of Price’s more interesting cinematic endeavors. This is yet another case where Price basically plays a fictionalized version of himself. The difference, however, is that rather than being a sort of self-parody, or even a parody of his career, the film plays things more earnestly. The plot focuses on Paul Toombs, a movie star who got his name in horror movies. Most notably, he was the titular character in a series of movies that – based on their description – must have been the precursors to the SAW franchise. The series was simply (and unoriginally) called “Doctor Death,” about a deranged criminal mastermind who enjoyed torturing and killing his victims in various brutal and sadistic ways. Paul is beloved and applauded by audiences, if not the critics, for his many successes and performances…especially as Dr. Death. One night, after announcing his engagement to a beautiful young lady, however, things take a sudden turn for the horrible for poor Paul Toombs. He blacks out at a party, and when he regains consciousness, he finds that his fiancé has been murdered! Not only that, but the murder resembles a scene out of one of his Dr. Death pictures. Paul is suspected of the murder, but the case is never proven; believing he might be going mad, he checks himself into an mental hospital, and remains there for years… …But that’s not where the story ends. You see, eventually, Paul leaves the hospital and returns to the world of the movies. His old partner in filmmaking and best friend – writer Herbert Flay, played by Peter Cushing – reveals that he is working on ways to bring Dr. Death back to life. Against his better judgment, Toombs agrees to reprise his greatest role…and as soon as he does, murders and horrible accidents occur. Each time, Paul blacks out before the hideous events happen. As the film goes on, Paul finds his grip on sanity ebbing away, as he is unsure if he is the killer, or if something larger is afoot. This movie isn’t perfect. The ending is a bit…weird, to say the least, and there are some plot contrivances that cannot be overlooked. However, what makes the film work, at the end of the day, is simply its sense of self-referential style. This is basically one giant love letter to Vincent Price’s whole career, up to that point. Not only is he basically playing himself, but whenever scenes from Paul Toombs’ movies are shown, they are actually taken from stock footage from various older Vincent Price pictures. The fact that Peter Cushing – one of Price’s best friends and colleagues in real life – plays Price’s friend in this film is likely no accident. There’s a wonderful scene where Toombs is on a TV interview, and talks about why he thinks people like villains and scary movies. With the way it plays out, its hard to tell if Price is really playing Paul, or if he’s simply speaking as himself. The closeness to real life makes this one of the most sincere performances Vincent ever gave; I’m sure a lot of Paul’s frustrations – disregarding the matter of serial murders – were frustrations Vincent had in real life, as well, with the people he knew and the situations he often found himself in. The joys he felt were likely also the same. As a result, it becomes difficult to tell where the fantasy ends and reality begins, as well as vice-versa. It’s one of the grandest self-tributes the actor ever appeared in, and if you’re a Vincent Price fan even in the remotest sense, you owe it to yourself to give this one a watch. We’re about to hit the halfway point for this series. Tomorrow, the countdown continues with Number 16!

[therevengeoffrankenstein]

i think i'm gonna be insane forever. statement of a fact.

[lonelyzarquon]

Vincent Price as Paul Toombes MADHOUSE (1974) dir. Jim Clark

[horror-aesthete]

Madhouse, 1974, dir. Jim Clark

Vincent Price as Paul Toombes

[wrestlinghistorywithkay]

Hot Rod: Remembering ‘ Rowdy ’ Roddy Piper

Today is the nine year anniversary of the death of WWE Hall of Famer and Wrestling Legend , ‘ Rowdy ’ Roddy Piper. I have mentioned Piper in my article about Scottish wrestlers that I did in June, if you haven’t , please go check that out . I’m doing this article as a tribute to Hot Rod by celebrating his life and career as a wrestler and an actor.

Roddy Piper was born Roderick George Toombs on April 17, 1954 in Saskatoon , Canada . He was of Scottish descent due to his mother, Eileen , being of Scottish- Canadian descent. His father , Stanley , was of Anglo-Canadian descent. He spent his childhood being raised in the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba, where he attended school. He was expelled from school due to having a switchblade knife when he was in middle school. He also left home after having a dispute with his father and decided to stay in a local hostel. For income during this time , Toombs was hired by local professional wrestlers to run errands all while he worked at a few gyms. He also learned to play the bagpipes , however , he has claimed that he didn’t know where he started with them. Thus , he also had a lifelong best friend , Cam Connor , a retired National Hockey League Player ( NHL ).

Toombs was a black belt in the sport of Judo and an amateur wrestler before deciding to train for professional wrestling. He was trained by Gene LeBell , a former Judo instructor, professional wrestler, and stuntman. Therefore , under the guidance of wrestling promoter , Al Tomko , he had his first match in front of an audience with ‘ Midget Wrestlers ’. Therefore , he was earning money to survive by wrestling all while going back to school.

Toombs’ first match in a well known wrestling promotion was against Larry Henning , the father of ‘ Mr. Perfect ’ Curt Henning , and the grandfather of former WWE Superstar, Curtis Axel. The match took place in the American Wrestling Association ( AWA). For his entrance, he had friends play bagpipes for him as he handed out Dandelions to the AWA audience. The announcer of the promotion only knew that his name was Roddy, thus , he came up with the name ‘ Roddy Piper ’. Therefore, Toombs would be known as Roddy Piper. He was an enhancement talent in the same promotion from 1973-1975. This meant that he was paid to wrestle and lose matches against the top wrestlers in the AWA. He did the same for the NWA Central States territory. This territory consisted of Missouri , Iowa, and Nebraska. He also was an enhancement talent in the Maritimes for the Eastern Sports Association. He also was booked in the NWA Houston Wrestling Promotion under Paul Boesch and Big Time Rasslin under Fritz Von Erich. Both promotions were located in Texas.

In late 1975 and going into 1976 , Piper was the top Heel for the NWA Hollywood Wrestling Promotion, which was owned by Gene and Mike LeBell. A Heel is a wrestler who is considered the ‘ villain ’ and hated by wrestling fans. Piper was also booked to work at NWA San Francisco, which was owned by Roy Shire , in 1977 and 1978. He was feuding with Gory Guerrero and Chaco Guerrero Sr, the father and brother of Eddie Guerrero. Their feud included Piper losing his hair in a match and a few loser leaves town matches . This meant that whoever lost , had to leave the wrestling territory. Piper also appeared as The Mask Canadian in the territory as well. He was soon unmasked by Hector Guerrero. Piper also worked in the Pacific Northwest , Georgia, and Mid-Atlantic territories. He made his return to Jim Crockett Promotions in 1983 after wrestling in Puerto Rico. When he returned to Georgia , he became a fan favorite and feuded with top stars such as Ric Flair, Sgt Slaughter , and Greg ‘ The Hammer ’ Valentine.

In 1983, at the first Starrcade show , Piper and Valentine had a Dog Collar match. This type of match is when two wrestlers are strapped together by two dog collars and chains. During the match , Piper suffered from a broken eardrum in his left ear due to Valentine hitting him with the collar of the chain. He lost 50%-75% of his ability to hear due to this . He also made a few early appearances in the WWF in 1979 under Vince McMahon Sr. His first match in the promotion was against an Enhancement Talent named Frankie Williams. Thus, wrestling manager , ‘ Classy ’ Freddie Blassie , decided to place toilet paper in Piper’s bagpipes , therefore , the crowd wouldn’t be able to hear them as he made his way to the ring.

Piper returned to the WWF in 1984 under Vince McMahon Jr., after being advised to finish out his contract with Jim Crockett promotions in 1983. He was in a managerial role when he returned when he was partnered with ‘ Mr. Wonderful ’ Paul Orndorff, and ‘ Dr. D ’ David Schultz. This role ended and he soon became an in ring competitor full time . Nevertheless, with his strong microphone skills, he was given his own little segment called , ‘ Piper’s Pit ’ . The segment took place for three years , ending in 1987. He insulted talent such as Bruno Sammartino, which their storyline ended with Piper losing in a Steel Cage match in 1986. He also insulted Jimmy ‘ Superfly ’ Snuka, which left him being hit in the head with a coconut. His most well known storyline is with Hulk Hogan , Mr. T, and Pop Star , Cyndi Lauper. Hogan and Piper faced off for the WWF on an episode of MTV’s ‘ The War To Settle The Score ’ in 1985. Nevertheless, this storyline and event went on to help set up the first Wrestlemania.

Piper returned as a Babyface in 1986 on ‘ Championship Wrestling ’ for a match against AJ Petrucci. A Babyface is a wrestler who is the hero and is loved by the fans. During the storyline , Piper became upset after finding the ‘ Piper’s Pit ’ segment was now ‘ The Flower Shop ’ , an interview segmented hosted by fellow talent, Adrian Adonis. Adonis also decided to hire ‘ Cowboy ’ Bob Orton , the father of WWE Superstar, Randy Orton , and former bodyguard of Piper, as his own bodyguard. Piper soon destroyed the set with a baseball bat, leaving the two to have a match at Wrestlemania lll, before he retired from wrestling to start an acting career. He returned in 1989 and interviewed Brother Love ( Bruce Pritchard ). He also became a co-host alongside Gorilla Monsoon for the show , ‘ Prime Time Wrestling ’ the same year. He had feuds with major stars such as Bobby Heenan and Rick Rude. Piper would return to the show in 1991.

Piper went on to star in the iconic 1988 sci-fi film , ‘ They Live ’ , which was directed by John Carpenter. Piper’s signature line from the movie was , “ I have come here to chew bubble gum and kick ass. And I’m all out of bubble gum. ” . This movie made him a ‘ Cult Icon ’ according to Entertainment Weekly magazine.

In 1994, he returned to the WWF again as the guest referee for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship match with Bret hart and Yokozuna at Wrestlemania 10. He soon started a feud with Jerry ‘ The King ’ Lawler. He also began hosting a segment called ‘ The Bottom Line ’ on ‘ All American Wrestling’ . He took a break in 1995 before coming back in 1996 , taking on the role of Interim WWF President. He reinstated The Ultimate Warrior and participated in a “ Hollywood Backlot Brawl ” match against Goldust at Wrestlemania 12. He soon went to WCW and feuded with Hollywood Hogan and the nWo.

On the November 18 episode of ‘ Monday Nitro ’ , Piper revealed that Eric Bischoff was the newest member of the nWo. Thus , this led the faction to attack Piper after doing so. Ric Flair and the 4 Horseman offered to help Piper against Hogan , thus , on the December 9 edition of ‘ Monday Nitro ’, he declined and went on to defeat his long time rival on his own as he declared he would at Starrcade in 1996. In 1997 , Piper joined forces with Flair and the Horseman to battle the nWo. Piper took a hiatus from the promotion , only to return in 1998 as the new Commissioner of WCW. His last WCW appearance was in 2000.

Piper made a few more appearances in WWE and went on to make an appearance in TNA. He continued wrestling on the independent wrestling circuit until his retirement in 2011. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005 by Ric Flair. Piper died at the age of 61 from a Heart Attack on July 31 , 2015 in Hollywood , California. Piper is considered to be the Greatest Heel of All Time. Wrestlers such as Drew McIntyre, MJF, and Ronda Rousey were all fans of Piper. He gifted Rousey his nickname ‘ Rowdy ’ and his jacket. She’s wore it to the ring .

My Final Thoughts:

Roddy Piper is my favorite Heel of all time. I love how he didn’t care what you thought about him . He was also pretty cool as well. I wish I could’ve seen him in his prime and met him. Have you met Rowdy Roddy Piper? What is your favorite Roddy Piper match or moment? Let me know!

Love You All,

- Kay

[redwoodrroad]

What are your thoughts on Paul Toombes and Faye Carstairs Flay in from Madhouse?

Do you think Madhouse was slasher film?

omg..... i'm delighted you're asking me this 🥰 Paul and Faye...... i love how their relationship ends up at the end

Faye is a sweetheart and i'm glad Paul ends up becoming so kind to her

and to be honest, it's tough for me to identify Madhouse as any type of horror flick because 1) i don't watch horror movies, i don't watch slashers, i'm actually incredibly sensitive to the tropes that appear in horror and slasher and thriller movies, and honestly the more visually graphic movies in this sphere make me personally very very sick so i have to be very careful about watching horror movies; and 2) i've sort of come to accept that these types of movies are maybe not "horror" by the classic 70s definition. Peter Cushing said in one particular interview, "I just feel it's the wrong adjective that's applied [to his movies]," and he cites movies like The Godfather or movies about war to be closer to "horror" than the movies he typically stars in--Madhouse and others I think he considers "fantasy" more than "horror" and i'm honestly inclined to agree with him! which is probably why i can stand to watch them, because really, they are more like spooky, slightly gothic fantasy with occasionally (mildly) graphic scenes to set the tone

here's the interview i'm thinking of:

so i don't really know if it counts as a slasher either! it certainly has the aspect of multiple characters being killed, but i understand slashers to be extensions of horror, but maybe i'm off base on that. OH also in the following interview i'll paste below, both Peter Cushing and Vincent Price talk about their opinions on the genre of Madhouse specifically (spoilers: they both say it's like a fantasy with gothic overtones, or like a murder mystery with horror elements, and they don't seem to suggest it's a slasher either):

all of that said, i think if YOU think it's a slasher, then so be it! i don't really have a horse in this race either way, and just because Peter Cushing and Vincent Price say it doesn't mean it's true either, all of this is just various takes on this particular opinion. no matter what Madhouse is, it's certainly one of my favorite movies 🥰

thank you for asking! i wasn't expecting this, but it was nice to talk about it!

[deltaboogie]

Benny Turner - BT - Nola Blue Records

       Peter "Blewzzman" Lauro © Oct '24 

BT is Benny Turner's fifth release, and I'm very happy to say that I have now had the honor and pleasure of reviewing them all. To quote Benny: "I had a great time working on this album with some of my favorite musicians and reminiscing about my music history, from picking up the guitar again to revisiting my gospel roots, to finally recording some of my favorites......."

As I prepare to list those favorite musicians of Benny's, I'm going to take the liberty of saying that when Benny said "some", I'm pretty sure he meant "a whole lot". That said, with all of them being dear to him, and many to me as well, I'm going to attempt to name them all. For this project Benny - on lead and background vocals, bass, lead guitar, banjo, percussion and hand claps - is joined by: Bobby Gentilo on guitar, clavinet, piano, percussion and background vocals; Charlie Burnett on upright bass and background vocals; Nate Young on Wurlitzer, piano, clavinet and background vocals; Paul Murr on drums and background vocals; Will McFarlane, Derwin "Big D" Perkins, Billy Davis, Steve Grills, June Yamagishi and Jack Miele on guitar; Harrell "Young Rell" Davenport on harmonica; Clayton Ivey on Wurlitzer, keys and Hammond B3; Justin Holder, and Christy Engel on drums; Jeffrey "Jellybean" Alexander on drums; Sax Gordon on horns; Shawn Allen and Keiko Komaki on piano and B3; Dave Keyes on piano; Norwood "Geechie" Johnson on bass drum; Joe Krown on B3; Tiffany Pollack, Warner Williams, Marva Wright and Kassie Netherland Miele on background vocals; and making her recording debut, Nola Blue Records' very own, Sallie Bengtson on background vocals and claps.

BT contains three of Benny's originals and seven covers that were some of his, and his families, favorite recordings by some of their favorite artists.

Kicking things off is Benny's rendition of "Bump Miss Susie", a song by Rudolph Toombs that's often credited to Big Joe Turner. And just like Miss Susie herself, the song is a smokin' hot number. While Benny excitedly tells us about just how much Miss Susie enjoys bumping, the chorus line of "all night long" features Charlie, Bobby, Paul and Nate enthusiastically reminding us of just how long she enjoys doing it. Musically, the profound rhythm Charlie (upright bass) and Paul (drums) are thumping out is absolutely perfect to bump to; and the rousing guitar (Bobby) and piano (Nate) leads create a perfect bump party atmosphere.

"Going Down Slow" (James Oden) is a song that Benny says is one of the most requested songs at his live shows. With it being one of my favorites of this lot, I get why. Benny took a classic Howlin' Wolf slow blues song, and with his heartfelt and soulful lead and background vocals, he gave it an inspirational gospel feel. Musically, the song is nothing short of masterful: Benny, on the bass, Justin on the drums, and Clayton on the piano and B3 - have the slow blues rhythm groove nailed; while "Young Rell" and Will shine on the killer slow blues harmonica and guitar leads. With its several replays, this one just became the most requested track at the House of Blewzz as well.

The next two songs are songs where in addition to sounding absolutely fabulous, the band does an equally great job of allowing the vocalists to shine. On ballads titled "When I Call On You" (Dee Clark) and "Born This Time", Benny and Tiffany are flawless together. You know those live shows where from time to time the musicians leave the stage and the vocalist does a solo acapella type song? These are that song! The story about how and why this track got recorded is as interesting as the track itself. Other than to tell you that it started in 2017 when Benny met Billy Davis - an original member of The Midnighters - while they were both billed at the Ann Arbor Blues Festival, you'll have to read the rest as Sallie Bengtson, the President of Nola Blue Records tells it on the liner notes. Although it's more of a compilation, Benny's calling it "Finger Poppin Time" (Hank Ballard). Along with Benny singing lead and all harmonies, the song is highlighted by Billy sounding as good as he did on guitar, back when the originals were recorded, and some killer piano leads from Dave Keyes. The first of the final three songs on the disc is also the first of Benny's three originals. The song is called "Drunk" as in "If you see me on the ground, don't try to pick me up - unless you've got a bottle and a sixteen-ounce cup. I want to get drunk". According to the liner notes pertaining to this one, Benny wrote it with his late friend Jimmy Reed in mind. Hmmmmmm, I'd like to hear more about this inspiration. Although some are more common than others, the thoughts that inspire original songs are literally endless. That said, this instrumental composition has to be one of the more unique. While Benny was writing it, It seems that the lazy, laid-back vibe the music created reminded him of "how the animals would lay around in the barnyard at the end of a long hot day in the fields." Hence the title "Sleepy Time In The Barnyard". It features Benny playing his first instrument - guitar. Joining him on what Benny calls "a down-home back porch country blues instrumental like he used to hear his family play when he was a boy in East Texas", are Bobby on guitar, Charlie on upright bass, Nate on piano, and Paul on drums.

The closing track and final original song is titled "Who Sang It First". It's a track that Benny co-wrote with Jim George and it first appeared on "Breakin' News: 10 Years of Blues" - the celebratory Nola Blue ten-year anniversary album. In actuality, the song is a re-write of Jim's original composition titled "Black Is Beautiful". The idea behind the song is that it really doesn't matter if you covered a song and did it better or worse than the original artists, as long as you remember who did it first. Jim describes his original song as a “tribute to all the black pioneers and artists who have paved the way, invented the music and enriched all our lives.” The sincerity that Benny exudes on his vocals, with beautiful backing help from Kassie and Tiffany - truly bring the song's lyrics to life.

Other tracks on another dynamite Benny Turner release include: "The Walk" (Jimmy McCracklin) and "Smoke My Peace Pipe (Smoke it Right)" (Wilson Turbington).

[tctmp]

Documentary  War

[speok]

Mansión sangrienta

Una estrella del cine de terror llamada Paul Toombs regresa al papel que le dió la fama después de doce años en una institución mental cuando una serie de macabros asesinatos empiezan a tener lugar.

[fairytalelagoon]

I know this is an older post, but just throwing it out there anyway; from what I can gather, I assume it was so Price's character could still continue playing Dr. Death, just under the guise of Cushing's character, whom is now technically under contract for the role. So, Price's character may still be "Paul Toombes" in private, but "Herbert Flay" in public. (Hence also the joke about the "sour cream and red herrings", because "Dr. Death's Final Scene" was in fact, a "red herring".)

If anyone's seen madhouse (1974) could u tell me why he does the makeup at the end? Other than the fact that Vincent price seems to have to get burned and make a new face from makeup in like, every film

[ilovemesomevincentprice]

Vincent Price as Paul Toombes

MADHOUSE (1974) - dir. Jim Clark

[therevengeoffrankenstein]

matching his and herbert's playlists 🥰

[schlock-luster-video]

Today in horror / slasher movie history: on December 31, 1977 Madhouse debuted in Brazil.

[tarzinnia]

I do appreciate the 'talking and bonding' chapters, so I'm glad to see it. They make for a smoother transition and also the character development grows ever stronger which supports the plot. If I'm being honest, I think that is where many films (and novels but those have different editing/space limitations) fall short. If the characters are not fleshed out enough, if viewers/readers cannot discern what makes them unique or relatable or conflicted or anguished, etc then the action is just a bunch of noise. I don't typically watch boxing as a sport but there are some films such as Cinderella Man (2005; Russell Crowe, Renee Zellweger, Paul Giamatti) or The Champ (take your pick: the black and white 1931 original with Wallace Beery and Jackie Cooper or the 1979 remake with Jon Voight and Ricky Schroeder) that reveal all of the motivation and back story one would ever need before the penultimate fight at the conclusion. Which is my point: while the fight IS the action, without the story, it's just two men hitting each other--and in my opinion, there aren't any real winners in that.

So, back to your story....under the clip below...

Very vivid dream sequence for Mr. Parker and the sudden shifts--very realistic. I hate when that happens in dreams but it does and you captured it. That helpless feeling that your legs are leaden and your arms useless and fear is in your throat and there is nothing, nothing, nothing you can do and the thing you fear the most is happening and then...you wake up. Yep. Yep. Yep. Poor Peter, we were right there with him, trying to catch Gwen. Every single damn time.

I see he is back to his giant wall of thoughts again. Well, I guess he can afford to repaint when it's over...

It's pretty easy to be sympathetic to Angel stuck in bed. Been there and ugh, yeah, not fun. The Movies With Miles time was gold. Cracked up with the School of Rock comment. Great movie btw and yeah, I feel old. The rest of the references too: I love Robin Williams, although my two faves are probably Dead Poets Society and Good Will Hunting. He was just unbelievable haunting in both of those. Not taking away from his comedy and Mrs. Doubtfire is right behind those two for me, but the scene on the bench with Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting where Williams' character says, "You don't know about real loss 'cause it only occurs when you've loved something more than you love yourself" just makes my heart ache. So absolutely true and wrenching. It was a pleasure to bond along with Angel and Miles over movies.

Oh, and The Princess Bride! Just about fell out of my chair! Inconceivable that you would use that in this chapter, hehe!

That pesky phone reappears and yeah, Angel is far too nonchalant with it. I think her Dad missed something during her training cause she should be talking to Peter about it even if the two of them aren't always getting along. Although I see they do have some of the old sparky banter back that seems reminiscent of their youth. She has to either trust Peter or not, and based on her behavior, I think she knows he's not going to hurt her in that way, so ugh, Angel: show him the phone. Sure she can take care of herself, but Toombes doesn't fight fair and there's power in numbers. I'm guessing we'll see how well she and Peter are able to loosen up a little in that regard?

Finally, the medical team was interesting. No comment there as I'm going to reserve my thoughts on that for now.

Well done on Chapter 12! And look, another essay. But it was a good chapter and worth it.

*I didn't mention it above, but the chapter title is interesting because I have no idea if you are messing with us readers and I need to make a wall of thoughts like Peter or if the title is simply the title. To wit: The Good Nurse (2022) is the recent Eddie Redmayne/Jessica Chastain piece (on Netflix) covering the story of convicted serial killer, Charles Cullen, and the nurse who suspects him. Given my earlier comment about the medical team, you can see why I'm a little thoughtful. Also: the two stars are excellent in that film but the subject matter is a little tough to watch.

The Angel In The Garden of Evil | Chapter Twelve: The Good Nurse

Summary: Peter's having nightmares and Angel just wants to be in her own bed.

Warnings: 18+ ONLY!, Mentions of injuries, medical equipment, nightmares, the Gwen thing, angst, fluff, genre typical tropes and topics.

Word Count: 4.3k

A/N: Some might say that these two's relationship is just like a freaking yoyo. Also the women in the Daredevil universe keep sneaking into this story, hmmmm. I'm also trying to be reasonable with this recovery time so we got a lot of talking and bonding with different characters going on too.

TWELVE

Sirens blared, red and blue lights flashing as one cop car after another raced down the street. Peter stilled on the corner of the street as he watched them pass, that feeling in the back of his neck putting him on alert. He quickly turned down the closest alley, shedding his clothes and donning his suit as he began to climb up to the roof.

His feet pounded on the hard concrete rooftops as he jumped from one roof to the next before leaping diagonally off the last, free falling towards the ground. Thwip. He fired a web, the other end sticking to one of the nearby buildings and he swung himself forward. He carried on like that, chasing the sirens and flashing lights as they continued to move towards a large electrical surge at Oscorp tower.

As his feet finally hit the ground and he looked around he found he wasn’t at Oscorp. He was suddenly on the roof of a building in the middle of Hell’s Kitchen. He looked along the rooftop to find The Vulture, kitted out in some sort of flight gear and Angel. 

“Oh no Pete, looks like I’ve got your girl.” The Vulture taunted. 

Peter crouched into his fighting stance but the Vulture just laughed. But it wasn’t his laugh, it was much more chilling and familiar. The Goblin. Peter looked around frantically and when he turned back to Angel and the Vulture, neither of them were there. Instead he was at a clock tower. He looked above him to see The Goblin in a green suit and on a glider, in his grasp, flailing around in mid air. “GWEN!” he heard his voice shout. “GWEN!” But suddenly the image changed again. It wasn’t Gwen and it wasn’t the Goblin, it was Angel and the Vulture.

There was a scream as the Vulture let her go. “PEETTEEERRR!” she screamed.

He jumped off the building as her body passed him, his arms lying flat to his sides as he dove, his body piercing the air as it tried to catch up with her but no matter how fast he fell, she seemed to stay just out of his reach, her hands reaching for him. “I’m coming baby, I’m coming.” he said.

He reached out his arm, his fingers moving to release a web but nothing happened. He kept clicking the mechanism, but nothing happened. He could see the ground coming up fast behind her, he had to do something. ‘Come on!’ he groaned. He had one hand reaching out to her, his fingers inches away from hers, as he continued to tap his web shooter on his wrist with the other. Thwip! Smack! His body jolted to a stop just before he hit the ground but he was too late. He had just begun to process what had happened, red blood pooling out onto the side walk when-

Peter awoke with a start, his body jolting itself awake in the wooden high back armchair he had placed by the side of her bed. The steady sounds of beeping in the room quickly eased him, along with the steady sounds of her breathing beside him. He rubbed the sleep from his face as he shifted in the chair. He was still dressed in his shirt and trousers he’d worn all day for work and his skin felt pinched where some of the clothes had ridden up in his sleep. He let out a small moan and a sigh as he pulled his trouser legs back down slightly, sitting forward on the chair, his hand reaching out for hers.

She had been fast asleep when he had come back earlier. His moment with Hobie ended up being a bit longer than expected. Eddie had informed him of Angel and Felicia’s little spat while he’d been gone. He hoped Felicia would just walk it off and be back to work as normal in the morning like nothing had happened, but he wasn’t quite sure anymore. He wasn’t sure about anything. He hadn’t felt this unhinged since, well, Gwen; his dream only acting as a reminder for how everything could go so wrong. 

They had been lucky, again, but it was only a matter of time before that luck ran out. It was clear that Adrian Toombes meant business, everything he had been through with Fisk mere child's play compared to the stakes the Vulture was willing to go to. The man wasn’t from the city. He had no respect for the people.

Peter had gone round and round in circles trying to talk to George Stacy and explain things. 

“Come on Chief, you know this isn’t my game. Everything I’ve ever done in this city was to help it, not hurt it.”

“I don’t care Parker, you’ve brought a gang war to my streets, whatever happens now I can’t protect you. And if they can tie the bombing back to you they will and there’s nothing I can do to stop them from arresting you.”

“And what about you sir? Are you gonna arrest me? You know that without those hubs, crime goes up. You wanted me to hang up the suit and let the police do their jobs, I did that. You wanted me to find another way to help. I did that. I don’t want this fight here anymore than you do.”

“I’m sorry Peter, there’s nothing I can do.”

Peter lowered his forehead onto her hand, his eyes closing. He needed to think. He needed to work this out. He needed to keep her safe. No matter the cost he had to keep her safe. He kissed her hand before he got up and left the room.

He moved down the hall to his office that he had set up so he could be closer to her. He switched on a small table top lamp on his desk before he started rooting around in the boxes he’d had moved over. He then grabbed a roll of tape off of his desk and moved over to the far wall of the office. He wiggled the framed print that had been put up on the wall off of its hook, his fingers still wrapped tightly around the roll of tape and bits of paper. Once the wall was completely blank he started taping the bits of paper to it before rummaging around in the boxes once more for more pieces of paper. Scraps of newspaper articles, photos, hastily written notes, maps, all being added to the wall. When he ran out of things from the boxes he sat himself at his desk, opening up his laptop, searching and printing more things off until the entire wall was covered.

----

Angel woke up alone. She figured someone had to be at home but she had no idea who. She felt disgusting. She wanted to get up and just wash off all the sweat and grime from her body and give her teeth a good brush, but she couldn’t very well do that while she was plugged into these bloody machines, who’s beeping was starting to do her head in.

“PEETTE!”  she called out. “PETERR!” There was a delay before Eddie came into the room. “Where’s Peter?” she asked.

“He had to go out again?” 

“What time did he come back last night?” she pondered. She had tried to wait up for him but the drugs had made her so drowsy. 

“He got back just before midnight I think? I mean I went home at like, quarter past so yeah, I’d say just before midnight.” Eddie rambled.

“When is he gonna be back?”

“Not sure? Why is there something you need?

“Yeah, I want to be free of all this.” she said, raising her hand and showing off the cannula and tube attached to it, motioning to all the other bits and bobs she was attached to. “And I want to have a shower.”

“Okay, okay.” Eddie said, sensing her distress. “I’ll call Pete, get him to get someone out to check you over and see what they say. In the meantime, can I get you any breakfast?”

She thought for a moment before she said, “UUUhh I could murder one of those bagels from-”

“That shop on the boulevard?” Eddie finished for her, more than familiar with the place himself.

“Yesss.” she beamed.

“Cream cheese?” 

‘Yup.”

“Coming right up.” he said as he left the room.

“Morning?” Miles said as he hobbled in on his crutches.

“Heyy.” She greeted him with a smile.

Miles used his crutches to hop across the floor and grab the TV remote from where it had been left the night before. He hit the power button, letting it load, before he swung himself over to the chair at the side of her bed.

“How you doing?” she asked.

“Not bad. Docs got me on these painkillers.” he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small tube of pills, tossing it on the bed in her direction. “Pretty good stuff.” he joked.

“How’s your leg?” she continued to ask as she looked over the label of the bottle before handing it back to him.

“Ehhh, I’ve had worse.” Angel raised her eyebrows at him, pressing him to continue. “Okay, maybe I haven't,” he said, doubling back on himself and making her smile. “What about you?”

“Sore.” she said, her hand moving to ghost across her ribs. 

“I bet… Hey, at least you didn’t have internal bleeding.” he joked.

“What?” she frowned.

He chuckled. “The paramedic rushed you out of there because she thought you might have internal bleeding. Hit the side of that car pretty hard. Not seen a dent like that since my cousin pinched my Uncle's car and jumped a red light.”

“Well that would explain why my body feels like it’s been hit by a truck.” she joked back. They both let out a small chuckle before she coughed and winced in pain.

“Heard you wanna be off that stuff. You sure it’s a good idea?” Miles asked.

“If I have to stay chained to this bed for one more day I’m gonna end up committing murder.” She jested. “Hey, maybe they’ll put me on some of those painkillers you’ve got, I mean, it seems like they’re doing a good job.”

“Nah, I’m just built like a house, man.” Miles continued to joke.

Miles flicked through the channels until they found a movie they both wanted to watch, settling down and watching Jumanji. Eddie returned about 30 minutes into the movie, dragging his own chair into the room and they all sat there watching the movie as they ate their bagels.

When the movie was done, Eddie left the room as Miles and Angel went back and forth about what to watch next.

“The Princess Bride.” Miles threw out. “I am Inigo Montoya, you killed my Father, prepare to die.” he said as he impersonated the famous line.

“Ehhh. What about Shrek?” Angel asked as they shuffled through the movies on Netflix.

“I watched it while you were out for the count the other day.” Miles interjected. “OOOH what about Hook?” 

“Nahh, I’ve already watched one Robin Williams film today, I can’t do another, it’ll just make me dwell on the fact that he’s dead and it’ll depress me again.”

“Big Robin Williams fan then.” Miles observed as he continued to flick through the movies.

“My Mom was.” Angel replied. 

“What was her favourite?” Miles asked.

“Mrs Doubtfire.” Angel smiled as a memory of her and her parents sitting down to watch the movie on a Saturday night when she was little, crossed her mind.

“Oh I love that film.” Miles said before breaking into yet another bad impression. “HELP IS ON THE WAY DEAR!” he called out before chuckling to himself.

“Oh what about this.” Angel said eagerly as Miles stopped on The School of Rock. “Uhh I loved this film growing up. It’s what made me learn how to play the bass guitar.”

“You know how to play the bass.”

“Knew. I knew how to play the bass. I haven’t played since I was maybe 14 when the reality of my Dad’s job finally hit home and I realised I was never gonna be in an actual band.”

“Why’s that?”

“When your Dad’s Wilson Fisk, you don’t tend to have many friends.” Angel said a little disheartened by her childhood memories.

“That sucks.”

“Yup.” she quietly agreed.

“You know I’ve never actually watched it.” Miles said as he started to load the film.

“You what!?” Angel’s head whipped around to him in shock.

“Yeah, it was a little after my time.”

“A little after your time!” Angel’s eyebrows raised. “Are you calling me old? I thought you said you weren’t a kid.” she continued to jest and poke at him.

“Oh shut up, you know what I mean.” he grumbled.

----

Angel fell asleep around half way through the movie. One second she was watching the kids pretending to be sick with ‘stickittothemanosis’, the next she was waking up 2 hours later. She was alone again, Miles no doubt having hobbled out on his crutches to leave her to sleep as soon as the film ended. ‘Uuuuhhgg.’ she groaned stiffly, as she tried to prop herself back up against the pillows again. She really hated how all these drugs were starting to make her feel.

She was about to call out for Eddie to chase him up about the doctors when her phone buzzed.

She frowned as her head turned to the bedside table where it sat. The only person who had ever really messaged her on it was her Dad and he was dead. ‘Maybe Peter had noticed it last night and put his number in it and it was him’ she thought. When she pulled it over and opened it up, it wasn’t Peter. She didn’t know who it was. It was an unknown number. There was a message, sent 6 minutes ago.

‘And there was me thinking Felicia Day was the Black Cat, but you seem to have 9 lives all of your own.’

The message wasn’t signed off.

‘Who is this? How did you get this number?’ she typed back.

Nothing. The message said it had been seen, but nothing. There was no response. ‘What the fuck?’ she frowned as she analysed the series of numbers attached to the message, trying to work out if they were familiar or not. They weren’t.

“Hey, Baby.” Peter said as he strode into the room. “What’s wrong?” he observed, his face suddenly becoming paranoid and serious as he observed her look of confusion towards her phone.

“Nothing. It’s nothing.” she said shrugging off the message and closing her phone, placing it back on the bedside table.

“Okaaayyy.” Peter said slowly. “So I hear you’re not being a very good patient.” Peter pivoted the conversation. 

“I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about.” she said back.

“Oh really. Picking fights with Felicia, making demands left right and centre.”

“All I want is a shower Pete.” she tried to reason with a sickly sweet demeanour. “Look at me, I look disgusting. I feel disgusting. And I know you can smell me from over there Spider boy so don’t try and spin me some web about me smelling like roses because it aint happening. Get me off this shit, I want to have a shower.” she said as she gestured towards the machines and tubes around her. “Oh and by the way, I can get up and pee for myself just fine thank you without this fucking thing.” she said as she pointed out the catheter, the thing that irritated her the most.

“Okay, okay, sassy pants.” she frowned at the old nickname she hadn’t heard since she was probably 23. “Docs on his way up okay.”

“Thank you.” she sighed in relief at the news.

“Don’t know how well it’s gonna go though-”

“Pete, I swear to whichever God so happens to be listening right now, if you are about to make a comment and rub it in my face about your regenerative spider abilities-”

“-I’m not, I’m not.” he said, his hands being thrown up in front of him defensively. “I’m just saying no matter how much you don’t like it, you still have broken ribs and a-”

“-fractured wrist, I know!” she said back. “But unlike Miles, there is absolutely nothing wrong with my legs.” she began to snarl as her irritation began to rise again.

“Okay, okay!” Peter said again, his voice getting higher in pitch the more agitated she became.

They were gratefully interrupted by the Doctor who came in, a nurse in blue scrubs hot on his tail as he came into the room.

“Ahhh Miss Fisk,”

“Parker.” Both Angel and Peter corrected together.

“Sorry, Mrs Parker,” the older gentleman said, correcting himself. From his balding hair and crows feet, Angel assumed he must have been in his early 50s. “Right so I’m here to take a look at things, my name is Dr Healey,” he said, “this is Nurse Temple.”

“Just Claire’s fine.” the younger woman interjected, her hands slipping into her pockets as she rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet, waiting to start her work after the Doctor’s assessment. Angel sent a small smile of apology her way for having to work with the good doctor.

“Okay…” Dr Healy said as he started up his regular spiel again. “I’m just gonna check over your vitals, take a look at the bandaging on those ribs, do a couple of physical tests to check your movements-”

“Just get me out of the bed Doc.” Angel snipped at him, eliciting Claire to look down at her feet to hide the smile across her face and the small snicker that escaped her lips.

“Yes, well… very well then.” Dr Healy said, suddenly on the back foot.

“Angel.” Peter chastised.

“What?!” she threw back defensively. “I just want to shower and be able to pee for myself. I’m not planning on going anywhere other than the bathroom- and maybe my own bed,” she quickly added, “I promise.” she said to him.

Peter sighed as he gave in. “Can we do that Doc?” Peter asked him.

“Yeah, of course we can.” Claire chimed in as she stepped forward, grabbing a pair of gloves out of her bag and slipping them on as she started to make her way around the side of the bed.

“Umm yes, yes.” The Doctor hesitantly agreed, still on the back foot. 

As Claire began to remove the cannula from the back of Angel’s hand, the Doctor checked over Angel’s abrasions and mobility. She was still very sore and achy but with slow careful movements the Doctor finally conceded, with a nod of his head before moving away to allow Claire to remove the catheter, as he wrote out a prescription for some painkillers.

“Okay, this is gonna feel uncomfortable.” Claire said to Angel as she started to brace her fingers around the small tube attached between Angel’s legs. “Okay I need you to take a deep breath for me alright, I’m gonna count you in okay?” she attempted to reassure. “1,2,3-” 

Angel let out a small wince as she was detached from the catheter. “There, you go, there you go.” Claire coached softly.

“Okay, you’re probably gonna want help taking that shower.” Claire informed as she moved back around the bed to where Angel was already trying to shift her legs over the side of the mattress. “Actually if I’m honest, I don’t really recommend a shower at all, just maybe a really shallow bath and a wipe off with a washcloth.” she continued to say as she took her gloves off before reaching her hands out to Angel’s to help steady her as she stood.

After being stuck in bed with little mobility for the last 3 days, it was no surprise Angel’s legs wobbled and gave out when she tried to stand. “It’s alright I got you.” Claire said as she took most of Angel’s weight against her own body, as Peter raced around the bed to help. “It’s okay, you’ve been lying down for a while now, this is normal, just give your legs a chance for the blood flow to get round them again, you’ll be okay.”

Angel felt slightly dizzy as her blood now raced around her body, finally reaching her toes properly for the first time in days. 

“It’s okay, I’ve got it.” Peter said as he swapped places with Claire.

“Yeah no problem.” Claire said as she allowed Peter to take over. “Umm I can go start getting the bathtub ready if you want?” she offered.

“Yeah, it’s just across the hall.” Peter informed her as she began to leave. “You okay?” he asked, checking in with his wife.

“Yup.” she said fighting through the mild pain in her back and ribs and the odd sensation in her legs.

“You ready to start moving?” She didn’t give a verbal response, just nodded. “You want me to carry you?” he asked, noting her obvious attempt to downplay her pain.

“Nope, I’ve got this.” she reassured him with heavy breaths as she began to start hobbling with his assistance towards the door.

“Uh Mr Parker.” Dr Healy interjected, “She’s gonna need this prescription filled out as soon as possible.” He said lifting up the bit of paper he had just ripped off of his notepad.

“Uh Yeah, okay. Can you pass it on to one of the guys down the hall?” Peter threw back over his shoulder. “Preferably not the one with crutches.” Peter tried to joke, using it as some way of apology and ease the tension created by his stubborn wife.

“Ummm yes, of course.” The Doctor stammered as he attempted to gather back up his things.

“There we go.” Claire said as she helped Peter eaze Angel into the bathtub. The water was shallow, only just covering her legs and hips as she sat herself upright in the tub, her arms resting on the sides of the bath to prop her up and make sure she wasn’t leaning back against her ribs in the hard tub.

Peter could sense Angel’s tension at having Claire watch over his shoulder as his hand reached into the water for the red washcloth she had found and placed into the tub.

“Make sure you ring it out well, she can’t get her bandages wet.” Claire informed.

“Okay, okay. I think I’ve got it.” Peter said, turning his head to look at her. “Ummm thank you, I think I can take care of things from here.” Peter said, kindly dismissing her.

“Okay.” Claire conceded with a nod. “I’m just gonna hang around out there for a moment just in case there is anything you need.”

“Thank you, but I don’t think that will be necessary.” Peter said, driving home her dismissal a little harder this time.

“Okay. It was nice to meet you.” Claire said over Peter’s shoulder to Angel with a wave.

“Thank you.” Angel said timidly from behind the cover of Peter’s body.

When Claire left the room, Peter began brushing the damp cloth across Angel’s bruised skin. “What?” she queried when he began to frown.

“It’s just,” his voice said quietly as his fingers traced across one of the bruises on the top of her chest. 

“I know, I know.” she said equally as softly as she too took in the bruising all over her body.

“It just… makes me feel so helpless.” Peter confessed.

“I know. But this isn’t your fault Pete and you know it.” she tried to reassure him.

There was a pause between them before he said, “I had a dream last night.” he confided. “She was in it.”

“Gwen?” Angel confirmed.

“Yeah.” 

Gwen had still been alive when Peter had first swung into her life, saving her from that explosion at her Dad’s warehouse. They hadn’t met again until after Gwen had died. They used to run into each other at the cemetery, her visiting her Mom, him visiting Gwen. They used to just sit with each other and talk, reminisce about their loved ones. 

“I’m not her Peter.”

“I know that.” he sighed. “I know that.” he said more confidently. “It’s just…” his voice trailed off and tears began to form in his eyes, “I can’t lose you too okay? Not again, not for good, okay?”

“Okay.” she repeated quietly, a silent promise just between the two of them.

“You can’t be doing shit like that again, you know?”

She looked confused, “What go help out at-”

“No, I mean, what happened downstairs. You can’t- I can’t” he corrected himself, “I don’t know how to keep you safe when you do shit like that okay.”

“But maybe you’re not meant to.” she said cautiously as he continued to wipe at her skin, “Maybe you can’t, maybe you’re not meant to. Maybe that’s…” her voice trailed off as she had a thought ‘Maybe that was what her Father was training her for all along.’ 

“Maybe that’s what?” he asked, growing tense at the idea of not being able to protect her, to keep his own wife safe.

“Peter, maybe that was the point of my Dad keeping me away from you. Not just to protect me, but to show me how to stand on my own two feet, how to protect myself.”

“But you shouldn’t have to-”

“And why not? Because you’re my husband and that’s your job? Bullshit. Who’s there to save you huh? When shit hits the fan, which it already has, mind you; who looks out for you?” She looked deeply into his eyes. “Who is there to save you?”

-----------------------------------------

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Madhouse (1974)