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PUNISHER: WAR ZONE (2008) dir. Lexi Alexander

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The Last of Us | S01E06

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"sure."

he holds out his mug for her to refill, sparing her an upward glance, corner of his mouth turned upward in a smile. the bruises that splotch his cheeks have yellowed in the past several days.

he sets the paper with its morbid headline face-down, the editorials facing upward.

"i don't know," he says. he hadn't quite expected an existential conversation so early in the morning but - hey. what's his life if he doesn't? not like his head ever shuts off at any time. "what do you think? i like to think there's - balance. sometimes. maybe. i don't know."

Juniper likes routines and consistency in a life that is otherwise up to the discretion of her brothers, her sisters, her scheduling managers. She likes regulars that mind their business and read their papers and keep their orders simple. She likes Frank (or whatever his name is).

In fact, she feels comfortable enough to make her second idle comment about his paper - the first one having been last week, and about winning the lottery.

"It can be," she says. "Terrible, and unpredictable. But our lives aren't so bad to live overall, right?" She smiles to apologize for saying something so morbid, laced with an understanding of too much cruelty. "More coffee?"

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though he hadn't been accustomed to it at first, he finds her bluntness refreshing. his brow raises in response, a low chuckle following. one day at a time could and does mean this, too. the only person remotely watching them is diana's doorman, who's busy on the phone and typing away at his desktop.

he'd say he's not a PDA kind of guy, really, but he honestly doesn't remember if he is or isn't. in either case, he loops his arm around diana's lithe waist, feels the muscle tone of her body against his front as they embrace.

"yeah?" he murmurs, partly like he doesn't believe it, but mostly in amusement, as he noses at the dark hair by her temple, speaking softly, "i know i feel the same."

You take things one day at a time, but you never know when those days will expire. Days do not exist in endless supplies, especially not for warriors like them. For them, life is about being on the cusp of a beautiful thing, only to be hurled off the mountain as soon as you almost grasp it. She holds his hand a little tighter, this small thrill running like a shiver down her back at the memory of how his fingers had explored the intimacy between her thighs. Together, they have known pleasure. And as so often follows pleasure, perhaps they will know pain together, too.

For now, she offers him a smile that is almost lazy, if Diana were capable of such a relaxed gesture. Her fingers enterwine with his, and though she is certainly not unguarded, neither is she actively pushing him away. As she often does, Diana defaults to honesty. ❛ I like having sex with you, Frank. ❜ It is blunt, because the truth needs no decorations to exist.

Her eyes search his for a question that she has yet to ask, wondering what he must think of all this, her previous coldness turning to warmth. She is made for warmth, is made for love, but sometimes cruelty causes you to forget your true self. There's the sister of a smile on her lips, though.  ❛ I would like to do it again. ❜  

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@vitalphenomena said: there are things worse than dying. ↳ punisher sentence starters. / always accepting.

newspaper's a dying medium and yet, frank sits at the diner every day with the daily paper in hand. it seems to get thinner and thinner each time, practically a paperweight in his hands, but he reads every word. he sits in the same booth, at the same time, gets the same waitress.

the front page is splayed with the same sort of sensationalist gore fest per usual. he flips past it after skimming through, and for a moment, doesn't even realize juniper ---- that's her name, he'd noticed it the second time he passed through ---- had been speaking to him at all.

"yeah," frank looks at her for a long moment, gauging the far-away and familiar look in her eyes. adds, "this can be a terrible world."

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@debtbound asked: there are things worse than dying. ↳ punisher sentence starters. / always accepting.

the mouthy all-talk tough guys generally say shit like that, all bark and no bite. but the old man says it with the wisdom of someone who knows it to be true. and frank may not play well with others on an interpersonal level, but he likes to think he understands most people.

yet still, he has to ask, given caine's reputation and all - "that a threat?"

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PUNISHER DIALOGUE PROMPTS from a various films, shows, and comics.

up is down and black is white.

don't be surprised when the past comes back to bite like it always does.

how we deal with disappointments is what decides what kind of person we are.

don't talk stupid.

the only way out is to find something that you really care about.

happy is a kick in the balls waiting to happen.

how the hell can you hate someone that much?

though we make the world despise us, we can't lose.

you made it personal.

fighting for the people who run the world gets you stabbed in the back.

pissed off beats scared every time.

there are no souls. all we are is meat and bone.

the past is more than memories.

nobody is happy to look in the mirror anymore, see themselves.

there are worse things than dying.

the only crime in war is to lose.

i think i'm done.

you should have stayed in your hole.

the only way to win is not to play.

loss doesn't work the same for everybody.

hope you remembered a first aid kit.

i'm your only friend in the world.

i just can't figure you out.

my moment of clarity came from the strangest of places.

the people that can really hurt you are the ones that are close enough to do it.

i know that look.

there are things worse than dying.

let me be what i'm meant to be.

in any war, there's collateral damage.

let me put you out of my misery.

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it's not the reaction he'd been expecting, but he's not surprised by it nonetheless. in all truthfulness, he doesn't exactly know what he'd expected or, even, what outcome he truly desired by coming here. had he wanted diana to push him away forever? or had he wanted this, an olive branch that they both had clearly needed after they'd both distanced each other after what he thought to be an impulsive night on both their behalves but especially diana. because there's no way someone like diana prince could want him in all of his ugliness, particularly on the inside.

"hey." he squeezes her hand, her lithe fingers soft against his rough skin. he's weathered, worn down, and outwardly she's the total opposite. but the mutual understanding that got them to this place seems to creep its way back between them, like a palpable thing that connects them. a string of fate, almost, if he believed in that type of shit.

the thought's too romantic, really, for someone like him at this juncture.

"i think we uh, i think we ought to take it one day at a time," frank offers as a compromise. he doesn't like them, but it means less pressure on both of them. it's a consolation, yes, but he doesn't need to reassure her of anything when they both know he gets it.

This is not in her nature, to be cruel. This is not in her nature, to ignite a spark then crush it out, violently, with the toe of her shoe. All she sees is the way he deflates, the way she slaughters whatever confidence it had taken to come all the way here. She had been the one to kiss him, had been the one to climb onto his lap, and now look at her still deciding how the next bit goes.

She doesn't think as much as she just takes his hand from his pocket and holds it in her palms, thumb tracing knuckles that always seem to have hints of red. ❛ Frank... ❜ And the way she says his name, too, is a caress.

❛ I don't know how to do this. I don't know if it's worth doing this. ❜ It's been so, so long, Frank, since she's had a semblance of affection in her life. It's been so, so long, Frank, since she was anything other than a shell of the woman she once thought she would be. Diana buries her dark gaze into the floor, and she, too, feels quite small indeed.

❛ I don't know if I'm worth it.. ❜

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"i mean - you don't gotta say anything."

of course, she already knows that, but he's just reiterating that fact. he feels blundering, for the first time in a long time, having made his way over here instead of calling. she'd left him the morning after, and he'd come all the way here as if her presence was a goddamn siren's call to lure him in. he doesn't chase anyone like that who he doesn't hate.

he's not supposed to, anyway.

"you're right," frank's throat clears, hands fisted in the pockets of his medium-wash jeans, "forget it, diana. we can just move on from it."

it's been a few days since diana had left his apartment. what happened between them was entirely impulsive and yet, the culmination of months of connecting with one another. at this point, it's a sensation so unfamiliar that it's nearly jarring. in a way, he's grateful for time apart to collect his bearings. it's not as if they interact on a daily basis anyhow, but they'd come to be friends - obviously, more than that considering what happened between them - and it's strange, after more than 48 hours, not seeing or speaking to her.

frank thinks he has a semblance of self-control and patience, or maybe he's a goddamn idiot for deluding himself into thinking so. considering he's queued in the lobby of diana's apartment building almost as soon as the thought to head to that side of town strikes him, his broad form an anomaly in the sleek environment of the foyer. her doorman shoots him a stare that frank reciprocates.

when the elevator dings with diana's arrival, frank clears his throat as she approaches, realizes how see-through his motivation for coming here instead of doing anything else appears, "ain't much of a texter or caller so i, uh - i wanted to see you in person to talk." / @shelassos

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" - you alright with guns, lady?" is somewhat of an incredulous question, really, considering the chances of him not even acknowledging its response. maybe part of him's genuinely curious, or maybe he wants to understand how she's managed to last this long in the constraints of arkham island without a small army to back her up.

considering their circumstances - it's him confined here with him, and she's of use to the mission at hand.

he clears his throat, clarifying, as he offers her a hand-piece with his hand clutched around its barrel, " - you got any use for one, i mean?" / @ecopoison

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it's been a few days since diana had left his apartment. what happened between them was entirely impulsive and yet, the culmination of months of connecting with one another. at this point, it's a sensation so unfamiliar that it's nearly jarring. in a way, he's grateful for time apart to collect his bearings. it's not as if they interact on a daily basis anyhow, but they'd come to be friends - obviously, more than that considering what happened between them - and it's strange, after more than 48 hours, not seeing or speaking to her.

frank thinks he has a semblance of self-control and patience, or maybe he's a goddamn idiot for deluding himself into thinking so. considering he's queued in the lobby of diana's apartment building almost as soon as the thought to head to that side of town strikes him, his broad form an anomaly in the sleek environment of the foyer. her doorman shoots him a stare that frank reciprocates.

when the elevator dings with diana's arrival, frank clears his throat as she approaches, realizes how see-through his motivation for coming here instead of doing anything else appears, "ain't much of a texter or caller so i, uh - i wanted to see you in person to talk." / @shelassos

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@DISPATCHED a canon-inspired writing blog for marvel's 𝚏𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚌𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚕𝚎 / 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚛. 21+. private, small-scale, & plot-based. heavily affiliated with @shelassos & @rotmori ♡

post borders & carrd by @villainsrph !

CARRD / INTEREST CHECKER / SIDEBLOG

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“perhaps home is not a place but simply an irrevocable condition.”

— James Baldwin, Giovanni’s Room (via bluebeardsbride)

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TAGS.

i am my war. my war is me. - visuals that's how you hate that much. - study have i run too far to get home? - castle family i claw my way into the light but the light is just as scary. - anything re: frank attempting to live a normal life, particularly as pete castiglione, but also after leaving the marines. i prefer to blame others; it's easier. king me. - early punisher stuff.

DYNAMICS.

she reminds me of the heart. - frankdiana our song ends in a damn symphony. - frankbilly you still get to be the hero. - frankmatt once more to see you. - frankmaria.

more tba.