#I can't tag rn

[chaotic-orphan]

hi i love your blog so much!! i just read your merry may of june day 21 i think, the charismatic one with the henchmen Dante and Gavin and it was so so so good. would you ever consider making it a series? it literally hits all of my fav whump tropes. no worries if you’re not interested. congrats on your degree by the way!!!

Partners in Crime

Read part one here

@dreamingonmyown this is for you! I'm glad you enjoyed the first part - I don't know if this will become a series, and I'm not really happy with this part but I have just stared at it for too long so maybe I just hate editing it. Whumpee is Casper now, and Monroe is Whumper. Monroe went through like six names changes so if there's a weird name it is probably Monroe :)

~*~*~*~*~*~

Casper peeled himself off the ground, his limbs exhausted as if he had just donated every drop of his blood. Even if he did donate all his blood, Monroe would still expect him to show up to work, or get Dante to grab his corpse for another fucking job.

He wobbled when he got his feet under him. It felt weird, like Monroe had cut off one of his senses; taken his eyes, or deafened him, or plucked every nerve from his body.

Monroe smiled at him as he grabbed the wall for support coming in from the balcony. “There you go, Casper. Taking it like a champ.”

“Oh fuck off, Monroe.”

Gavin laughed at that, eyes darting between the strange pair. Casper settled heavy into one of the chairs at the island, where Monroe was sitting when Casper arrived.

“Was any of this necessary?” Casper asked, not thanking Monroe as he slid a cup of coffee across to Casper. Little bit of milk, two sugars, just the way he liked it. “You still haven’t told me why you did it.”

Monroe inclined his head. “I thought I told you playing coy doesn’t suit you, Fox.”

“You think that I somehow betrayed you and used my power for someone else?”

Monroe just stared at Casper across the marble countertop. It was Gavin who answered. “He doesn’t think, Casper. He knows that—”

“Oh fuck off, Gavin, nobody wants you here,” Casper replied without looking at him. “You know that, right?”

“At least Gavin understands loyalty,” Monroe replied, heavy eyes pinning Casper to his chair. Casper rolled his eyes, bringing the steaming mug to his lips and gulping down two mouthfuls, gathering his thoughts.

“Like a dog,” Casper replied finally, casting his attention back to Monroe. “Well, I won’t be useful to whatever plans you want to discuss for the next few days. You’ve ensured that, dickhead.”

Monroe waved the insult away. “Nonsense. You know me, Casper, I like to plan well in advance. Your abilities should be up and running by the time I have use for them.”

“How convenient.”

“It really is. Just remember how you got to where you are today, Fox. How quickly your life changed after you met me.”

“Not for the better,” Casper grumbled.

Monroe raised his mug of coffee in a sardonic toast. “And yet, you can pay your rent.”

“As can you in your fancy hotel,” Casper shot back, raising his own cup. “Partners, remember?”

Monroe’s eyes glimmered with a dangerous smugness that Casper hated. It was just so irritatingly superior. “Partners,” he replied coolly.

They both took a sip of their coffee. Even with the two sugars, somehow Casper’s coffee tasted bitter, or maybe it was the eerie emptiness in his body. The dreadful absence of something he couldn’t quite describe.

“Now,” Monroe said, setting his cup down and clasping his hands on the table in front of him. “To business. Gavin, be a dear and grab my papers for me.”

Gavin stood and nodded, as if following Monroe’s commands were his life purpose. His reason to breathe. Casper kept his eyes trained on Gavin’s back as he left the room.

Stupid git.

Monroe inclined his head. “He’s useful.”

“Yeah, as a footstool. Or maybe with a gag, he would be.”

Monroe smiled. “Mmm, so tempting, Casper. I could get the pair of you a matching set. I’m sure Dante knows a guy.”

Dante answered with deathly silence as he so usually did. Casper could picture him in his usual spot, sprawled out across the couch in the living room, a book in his hand.

Casper scoffed. “I’m sure he does.”

Gavin returned, sliding a manilla folder across the countertop to Casper. Casper stopped it with his hand and looked down at the stupid file. He didn’t want to do this again, last time was supposed to be his last job. He wanted to wash his hands of this life already, he was tired of it.

“Do you need Gavin to open the file for you, Fox?”

Casper raised his eyes to Monroe’s across the table. He clenched his jaw and pushed the file a little away from him. “I don’t want to do this anymore.”

“Open files?” Monroe asked innocently.

Casper’s expression dropped, exposing his irritation. “This. This fucking whatever we have here. Aren’t you tired? We got everything we want, Harry, let’s quit while we’re ahead.”

Monroe crossed his arms over his chest, cocking a brow at Casper. “You want to stop making money?”

“We have enough,” Casper grumbled. “The two of us, okay. You have your passive income now from your hotels and your real estate and I am secure. I have savings and shit. We don’t have to keep living like it’s all going to disappear tomorrow! We can stop.”

“I don’t want to stop.”

“Easy to say when you’re not the one taking the risks!” Casper snapped. The air seemed to chill with the snap of a book behind Casper and he straightened in his seat as he heard Dante move behind him.

Gavin, the idiot, broke the silence with a sneer. “You’re such a fucking pussy, Casp—”

“Dante, please show Gavin out.”

Gavin’s head whipped to Monroe, but Monroe didn’t even look at him, his hard gaze fixed on Casper instead.

“What? Why, I can help.”

“I know, but it’s getting late, and Casper and I need a chat.”

Before Gavin could protest further, Dante put a hand on his shoulder. Gavin looked between the two at the counter before letting out a disapproving groan and shrugging Dante’s hand off.

“Fine. Call me when you need me.”

“I will.”

Dread pooled in Casper as he watched Dante and Gavin leave. Somehow, Monroe still made him uneasy when he shouldn’t. Casper had known Monroe way before the other two did, but Monroe had a lethal way about him. In his words and his quiet power. The fact that he could beat the shit out of Casper but paid someone else to do it said everything about the man.

Only when the doors to the penthouse shut did Monroe begin to walk around the counter towards Casper. Casper set his jaw, not letting any of his anxiety show as Monroe undid the button of his waist coat.

“We can talk about that tomorrow, Casper,” said Monroe. The surprise must have been written plainly across Casper’s face because Monroe laughed. Not a cutting, mocking laughter or anything snide. A warm laugh, like how he used to when Casper had met him first. “We should relax. Watch a movie. It’s been an age since we did anything like that.”

Casper’s brain was stuttering and short circuiting, trying to find the angle and fighting the familiar ache inside him at Monroe’s easiness. He swallowed, nodding his head. Monroe smiled his easy smile and nodded.

“Good. I’ll get changed into something more comfortable,” he said, unclipping his pocket watch and laying it on the counter. “You can pick the movie if you want. Do you want a tracksuit? Actually, scratch that, you need one and to clean yourself up. You’ve got blood on your face.”

Casper rolled his eyes at the faux concern. “Gee, I wonder why.”

“Oh, relax. You know that’s just business.”

“Taking my powers isn’t just business, Harry, it’s personal.”

“Casper,” Monroe drawled in his gentle, chiding way. “Let’s not fight anymore, hmm? We’ll talk about all that tomorrow. I didn’t change your room, do you still have clothes here?”

Casper lowered his gaze. It really had been an age since he’s been here. “Yeah,” he said quietly. “I did.”

“Good. I’ll be a few minutes getting changed.”

Casper swallowed. Monroe reached a hand up and ruffled Casper’s hair until Casper let out a cry and batted his hand away. “Oi!”

Monroe laughed, disappearing from sight. Casper didn’t move for a moment, the smile on his face felt off, strange. He really shouldn’t stay. He should disappear while Monroe was distracted and move country or continent. Or planet if he didn’t want Dante to find him and drag him back.

Fuck.

Casper dropped his head, running a hand through his hair and pulling at the strands on the back of his neck, letting out a long, tired sigh.

Pale eyes flicked to the golden pocket watch that Monroe had discarded on the counter. Casper glanced up, making sure Monroe wasn’t lingering as he grabbed it, turning it over in his hand to read the inscription.

Rumours are power. Favours are currency, and only the smart ones survive.

C.

Casper ran a thumb over the indents of the letters in the metal. It was old. It was old when he got it from a backstreet merchant known only as Grouse. Definitely stolen, but Grouse always had a soft spot for Casper, and Monroe. The only real cost was the engraving that crippled Casper financially for a week, but it was worth it. To see Monroe’s face light up when he gave him the gift it was worth it.

Casper sighed, putting the watch down and getting to his feet. After all this time, Monroe was still the only shred of family he had in this world, the same way Casper was Monroe’s only family. Monroe had found him on the streets — the two of them scrawny and skinny — and taught him how to live instead of just survive.

The words were the nugget of wisdom Monroe had told Casper, back when they were kids. It saved Casper’s hide more times than he could count, especially in the beginning when Monroe wasn’t there all the time to have Casper’s back in a fight.

Casper walked into his room and stood in the doorway, taking it all in. Everything was how he left it. His bed took up most of the room, a super king and softer than any bed he had ever slept in. His PC was set up on his desk in the corner of the room, his screensaver lighting up the screen. Casper made a point not to look at it as he took the first door to his right.

His wardrobe, a small box room with shelves panelled into each wall and a hanging space in the back. Casper grabbed black tracksuit bottoms and a hoodie, getting dressed in the wardrobe. Hanging his signature leather leather jacket up with care and throwing the rest of his clothes wherever they landed.

It felt good, like old times as he stepped out of the wardrobe and walked to his ensuite. He missed him, the old Monroe; the version that was like an older brother. Harry. Not the dictator who had taken over Harry’s body, the hard businessman Monroe, who took whatever he wanted and left nothing for anyone else.

Casper made a point of ignoring the small voice in the back of his head that told him that’s the way Harry had always been. That it was Casper who changed. He didn’t have the energy to deal with that kind of revelation tonight.

He stopped in front of the mirror and sighed. He didn’t look into it, but he could see the gash on his forehead from the corner of his eye.

Just wash your face, Casper, he told himself. Tiredness pulled at his mind, fraying the edges slightly. He didn’t notice he was tired before, but the weight of everything felt too great. Or maybe it was because he was in comfortable clothes.

Just remember how you got here, Casper, Monroe isn’t there for you. He really wished that voice would shut up for two seconds. Thankfully there was a knock at his door.

“You ready?” Monroe called from the other side. Casper nodded, realising after that Monroe couldn’t see him right now. “Yeah,” he said back, walking to the door and opening it. Monroe grinned at him. He was dressed in red and black chequered pyjama pants and a white t-shirt. His grin exposed his faint dimple that was so much more prominent when they were kids.

Casper followed him to the couch, settling in while Monroe pressed a button on a remote to lower the blinds over the windows. They closed with a soft hum while Casper scrolled through Netflix looking for something to watch.

His phone rang beside him. His heart fluttered then shuttered when he saw Monroe’s attention turn to it. “Who’s that?”

Casper shrugged as nonchalantly as possible. “Don’t know.”

“Aren’t you going to answer it?”

Casper bit the inside of his cheek as he kept scrolling. Monroe scoffed, reaching over. “If you don’t answer it, I will.”

Casper pushed his hand away, dropping the remote and quickly grabbing his phone. Hero’s name popped on the screen and Casper wanted to curl up and die. “You pick something to watch,” Casper told Monroe, who cocked his brow at Casper.

Casper stood and walked to his room, shutting the door behind him and then walked to the ensuite, locking that door too. “Hello?”

“Casper?”

Casper’s heart swelled at the voice.

“Hey, Hero. How are you?”

“I’m sorry for calling so late, I must have woken you—”

“No, no, not at all. I was — uh —” Shit, think Casper, what were you doing? “—shopping.”

Shopping?! Idiot.

“Shopping?” Hero asked, a smile in his voice. “At 11 pm?”

“Oh, yeah, y’know… less crowds.” Hero laughed and it made Casper’s heart thrum in his chest. “Why, uh, why are you calling if you don’t mind me asking — not that, it’s not that I don’t want you to call, I’m just — uh, y’know— curious?”

“Oh, right. Of course, I just finished a very long shift.”

“Fighting bad guys, do-gooder?” Casper asked, his voice light despite his stomach tying itself into knots. “Crime never sleeps.”

“Exactly,” Hero said with a laugh. “I — well, I was out fighting crime and the moment we caught the villain I was…”

Casper’s heart leapt into his mouth as Hero trailed off. He looked over his shoulder again just to make sure he wasn’t being followed. He didn’t want Monroe to overhear anything he shouldn’t know.

“You were?”

“It’s going to sound stupid.”

“I love stupid,” Casper said immediately, screwing his eyes shut and wanting to kick himself.

“Well, I was — I wanted to see you.” Casper yanked the phone away from his ear and threw his fists in the air, mouth open in a silent scream of joy.

He brought his phone back to his ear, and said “great. I would love to see you. Where are you?”

“I’m… at your apartment building, but you weren’t picking up.”

Shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit, fuck.

He had just lied himself into a corner. Monroe wouldn’t let him leave without a solid excuse, and then he’d get suspicious and have Dante tie him up all over again.

“I’m actually not home right now,” Casper said eventually, running a hand through his hair. Fuck. He really wanted to see Hero’s face.

Though, he could imagine it crestfallen when Hero said: “oh,” pulling at his heartstrings. “It was presumptuous anyways—”

“No, no!” Casper said quickly, bolting upright. “I like presumptuous! I just, I won’t be home tonight. I really am sorry, Hero.”

“I’m sorry,” Hero replied with a sigh. Shit, they probably felt humiliated right now! Say something! Say something Casper!

“I shouldn’t’ve—” Hero began at the same time that Casper said, “What if we—”

Then simultaneously again: “no, you go ahead.”

Then they laughed and Hero said, “you go.”

Casper licked his lips, not expecting the nerves to tingle the back of his neck. “What if we got breakfast tomorrow morning? You can tell me all about your hot crime fighting.”

“None of it,” Hero said with a flush and Casper could imagine the blush igniting Hero’s face. “It’s not hot.”

“Beauty is subjective, dear Hero, and you are the epitome of sex on legs.”

“Casper!” Hero said, mortified, but he could hear the smile in Hero’s voice and Casper knew everything was fine.

“We can meet at the needle in town?”

“Yeah, I’d like that.”

“Great.”

“Okay, see you then, 10? 11?”

“Yeah, ten sounds good.”

“Okay.”

“Okay. Good night Hero.”

“Night Casper.”

Casper couldn’t keep the grin off his face as he stood and unlocked the door. His smile washed away when he saw Monroe lingering outside the door, arms crossed.

“I think we need to have a little chat.”

*~*~*~*~*

[hinamie]

in spite of everything, I had fun <3

[wardingshout]

apple season

[forgettable-au]

FORGETTABLE-AU (Page 44-47)

*...

[BEGINNING] [PREVIOUS] [CONTINUE]

[kayshasiemens]

Rising from the dead to share this painting and then disappear again

I have spent over 90 hours of my life on this thing because I have had the brain rot for the last 2 years of my life (almost 20 if you count when I first read the comics) and it had to express itself somehow

Hope this dramatic bitch feels appreciated

(A Dream of Morpheus, handmade egg tempera on panel, 12x18 inches...if by any chance you'll be at SDCC or Gen Con, I'll be at booth 934/936 at the first one and Art Show #13 at the second one - come see the original, maybe get a print, or just yell/cry about Sandman with me?)

And here, have some more details - I had fun combining some favorite elements from both the comic and the show ♡

[nothatsmi]

Guys. I've done it.

The animatic is finally here!!!! YAhooo!!

I really hope you like it. Took me something like two/three weeks on top of an insane amount of work, I don't know how I managed both-

If you want you can (re)watch it on Youtube! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mki1Vl3ylMM (yes this is self promotion)

[captainofthetidesbreath]

"Ah. Your distraction worked. Could have set it when we were farther away." / "Désolé. I didn't say it was a good plan."

[anoant-haikyuu-dump]

Kenma meets his future self

[astrolavas]

thinking about the... potential clawthorne woodcarving mentorship.

+ bonus cuz also thinking abt how if hunter ever met dell's palisman and got reminded of flapjack, he'd probably feel bad abt making that association cuz he knows what it's like to be seen only as someone's different version (even though the bird wouldn't mind much so lol)

[ineed-to-sleep]

Some sketches I did to try to get a feel for what I want my Rook to look like 🤔

[shepscapades]

okay am i crazy? someone please tell me I'm crazy, I saw the thumbnail for Xisuma's newest hermitcraft episode and was immediately reminded of the deepslate/blackstone palette and building style of all of the buildings from the Evil Empire in season 8. Clicked on the video and the introduction "Previously, on Hermitcraft" was voiced with Evil Xisuma's voice filters. I had thought Xisuma said in a recent FAQ video he had no plans to bring Evil X back into hermitcraft plot because the storytelling wasn't really his top priority, but this kind of seems like foreshadowing of some kind? Thoughts?Regardless, kind of a sickening thought for c!xisuma that Ex might just be. lurking. very cool <sweating

[gdsplicer]

I'm seeing a influx of people using the wording "aroace spectrum" as opposed to aspec, or using aroace as if it covers all aros and aces, like...

Do I really have to explain why that's not as inclusive a move as you'd think it is?

If someone addressed me, a aro, as "under the aroace spectrum", I would be questioning their allyship even if they themselves are aspec because no where in that's sentence did I say I'm also ace.

Using that wording instead of aspec is as much dismissive and hurtful to non-ace aros as it does when people shove our aromanticism under asexuality without thinking on why it's not helpful or disrespectful.

I feel so strongly on demanding that aroness and aceness is seen as separate, on demanding proper recognition and respect for aroallos and non-SAM aros, on demanding that my aroness is seen as enough on its own because calling me ace or aroace is erasure on my identity; It pushes the wrong narrative and box onto my experiences. It promotes misunderstandings on not just aromanticism but also asexuality. It treats my label something not worthy of taking up space in the aro community, in the aspec community, in the queer community.

Stop using 'aroace' or as the umbrella word to cover the aspec community.

[cangrellesteponme]

happy pride month to the evil demon and the evil demon ONLY

[thegoddamnhat]

after years of being in fandoms, has anyone gone from being super strict about ships (physically shuddering when a character is shipped with someone other than who you ship them with) to becoming a very chill multishipper? like, you think everyone should just date each other now and are just cool with everything? is it just me?

[xy-is-i]

Just thinking about Dick freaking out over losing his title of best uncle to Jason.

Dick showing up to take Lian out and give Roy a break only to hear she's having a fun day with Jason

Dick walking into the room with the toy he knows Lian really wanted, only to find out Jason got it for her first.

Dick showing up to game night at Roy's only to find Jason already there.

Just Dick getting increasingly frustrated and his rival Jason having no clue well the the rest watch on in humor and exasperation. Roy finds the who thing hilarious.

Picturing it all coming to a head when Dick is babysitting Lian and she shows him a new photo they put up. Dick all dejectivly being like, "look, it's you and your favorite uncle."

The pure shock and joy he feels when Lian tells him he wrong and her favorite uncle is "you uncle Dickie, duh!"

The door opening and Lian shouting "Papa!" As dick turns to excitedly tell Roy what Lian said only to see it's Jason who's holding Lian.

Dick just bluescreening.

[beebfreeb]

The computer! It is my sona character.