too-much-tma-stuff · 8 months ago
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Hunted Again
Pairing: Gerard Keay/Casper
Fandoms: The Magnus Archives, A Date with Death
Spoilers for the Sealed with a Kiss ending.
This is maybe the most self indulgent thing I've ever written but you know what? It's free dopamine and the perks of being A Creative include sometimes getting to write self indulgent crack fics.
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After his cancer scare the doctors told Gerard that they had no idea how he survived. The surgery had been a long shot to begin with, he had been told that, that he was probably going to die. But honestly, he hadn't been worried because the amount of times he had miraculously survived was getting truly ridiculous. He tried not to take it for granted but with how his life had gone, the way he danced between the fears, it only made it more obvious.
Still, that was the closest he'd ever come, and Gertrude had left him so he left her. It wasn't hard, they had been traveling together but it's not like he had an address, a job, anything besides a name that she could use to track him. When he was let out of the hospital he simply walked away.
He wasn't getting any younger and he wanted a life, with Mary's ghost dealt with and the feeling of being indebted to Gertrude broken nothing was holding him back. He had some savings, enough to get a studio apartment, a mattress, and some canvases and paints. He had no traditional work experience but if even his mother could praise his art he must have been good at it. So he painted, and then sold the paintings, and bought more canvases to paint more.
It wasn't long before he built up a bit of a reputation, not just for the beauty of his art but for the.. odd affects. It was nothing bad, he would have stopped if it seemed like he was making more artifacts for the fears but it was something else. He believed deep in his soul that there were no beings of light or hope or love or any of that shit but still... His paintings seem to bring the people who bought them some amount of protection.
He never guaranteed anything but still, people came to him, and he could See the marks on their souls. This one was touched by the lonely, that by the spiral, and he could paint. Not what they wanted, but what they needed. Eyes and parallel lines, and a faceless party. A shield, not a foolproof one, but one enough to buy them time if they had it in them to rejoin the safety of the herd. It exhausted him every time, but it paid well enough that he could rest between pieces, or work for fun.
He still traveled too, kept his nose to the wind for signs of Leitners, but he never saw Gertrude again and he avoided all the monsters as best he could. He even got himself a pet, a snake because he thought that if he died it wouldn't mind to much. And he knew he would die eventually, especially because the insane near death experiences Continued! Even when he wasn't anywhere near anything to do with the fears pianos fell right behind him, trains derailed while he was alone at the station, it was ridiculous!
And yet he kept on living, and at some point you just had to laugh at these things or you give in to the paranoia and the fears take you. Maybe he had already been taken by The End without realizing it and that was why this was happening, but whatever.
He rarely used his computer honestly besides communicating about commissions so when he got a notification his first assumption was that. But when he went to his computer the there was a strange app he hadn't installed. Huh, well delete it and move on.
More notification. What the fuck? How did it reinstall?! Gerard nearly got rid of it immediately, because the last thing he needed right now was more spooky shit! But there was no proof this was supernatural yet, he could admit to himself that he was so focused on the fears he sometimes forgot humans could be assholes too. Besides he didn't know much about tech, this was probably just a hacker. He deleted it again.
This time he watched as it installed itself again immediately and scowled. Greeat, well, might as well see what bullshit life was throwing at him now.
He opened the app and was immediately treated to someone claiming to be the Grim Reaper and rambling to himself when Gerry didn't respond right away to the demands for his soul. He covered his mouth to stifle a smile. He'd met real reapers, servants of the end, and this person was nothing like this. Gerry let go of his anxiety and decided to have a little fun, responding to the hacker just for a bit of fun.
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Days later he would be the first to admit this had gotten out of hand, and well and truly shaken his world view. He has known about the fears, the supernatural forces in the world, hell he even knew about reapers, but nothing like his Little Reaper, Grim, Casper. The sweet, spooky, stupid being who Gerry had let into his soul despite fully knowing the risks.
Playing dumb for fun had turned into, playing dumb to get more information, then finally playing dumb because he genuinely didn't know what to do. He had had a few relationships but they had all been short and ended in tragedy, he was too wound up with the fears to be truly close to anyone. Anyone mortal, maybe... maybe a Grim reaper would be perfect?
When he'd asked about Gerry's family he very nearly panicked, but when he'd said he wasn't ready to talk about it Casper had been so understanding. So perfectly willing to let it go! Gerry tried not to be suspicious Casper already knew. He had a feeling the Reaper had started following him After his brain cancer, but if that was the case how much did he know?
When should Gerry ask? When should he tell Casper. It didn't feel like it was time yet, but if he only had a week left maybe he needed to just bite the bullet and do it! Surely Casper had to know about the fears, at least The End. But he hadn't referenced them once...
It was absolutely ridiculous, it didn't make any sense, and yet Gerry believed it. It was amazing. When Casper told him about the way Gerry had been giving away parts of his soul to help people, being a personification of life it threw everything he'd believed back in his face. There was good in the world, he could do good in the world, had been for YEARS.
When he hung up the call with Casper he cried, just lay in his soft bed with the blue comforter and bawled. He wasn't even truly happy, but it was a release a long time in coming. And the next day Casper was there again, waiting for him and still as kind, charming, and bashful, and only a few more days left on the bet.
There was something he wanted to do first if he was going to die, so he set up his easel and paints again. carefully he arranged the bouquet of flowers Casper had brought him in a vase and started to paint it. He his spirals in the centers of the flowers, eyes in the leaves, clouds in the petals, and put his entire heart into every stroke of his brush. If Casper took his soul, he would have to take the painting too, and hopefully it would protect one of the few people who'd brought genuine joy and love into his life.
He shouldn't have worried about that really, because Casper didn't even try to take his soul. When he spoke about leaving his job, his life, quitting being a reaper to be with Gerry it... Well it was just another earthquake reshaping Gerry' worldview, one of many this week, but another welcome one.
"Yes," He agreed immediately, "You're welcome here, I'll leave the window open."
He got up and unlocked it, sitting on the bed and staring at the window, anticipating Casper's arrival.
"You really left it- Oh!" he sounded as Gerard grabbed Casper's arm and dragged the other man into his arms. He overbalanced with Casper's weight and they fell on the bed together with Gerry on top. His long black hair fell around both of them, it clashed beautifully with Casper's white skin and red eyes, and it made Gerry think about the story of snow white.
"I've wanted to hold you for so long, longer then I've even known you I think," Gerard murmured, propping himself on one elbow so he could caress Casper's cheek. God his skin was so soft.
"I believe I have too," Casper whispered, wrapping his arms around Gerard's shoulders.
"I guess your soul is mine now hm?" He asked tilting his head a little.
"I suppose it is," Casper agreed, not even a trace of wariness. God he was activating Gerry's fucking cuteness aggression!
"You can keep it. Having your heart is enough for me," Gerry said, his hand dropping to gently rest on Casper's throat, feeling his pulse pounding under his fingers despite the coolness of his skin.
"Seems like a poor trade off," Casper murmured, pulling Gerry a little closer.
"Then I'll take a kiss too," Gerry breathed. "If you're okay with it."
"Yes, more then okay. I want you too kiss me," Casper said, blushing brightly, his skin showed his blush so beautifully.
"Oh good," Gerry said lamely then kissed Casper passionately before he could make a comment about Gerry being flustered.
The kiss turned into many, Gerry's arms got tired so he lay down next to Casper, pulling the other man against his chest and kissing him again. And again, and again.
The sun set, and they lay together, wrapped up in each other, black and white hair layered together over the pillows.
"When did you start following me?" Gerry asked, playing absently with Casper's hair.
"Five years ago," Casper replied, shifting down to rest his head on Gerry's shoulder.
"After the brain cancer then?" Gerry asked.
"Yes."
"So you know nothing about what I did before that?" Gerry asked, feeling a slight lump to his throat.
"No...?" Casper said questioningly.
"Okay.." Gerry said and trailed off, there was a beat of silence as he tried to think of what he was going to say. "After the cancer I really turned my life around after that. Before that I wasn't exactly a 'normal mortal', I was... a Hunter."
On top of Gerry Casper tensed a little, and when he looked up there was just a touch of wariness, maybe even fear, in his eyes.
"Not of your kind," He assured with a little smile. "Or, well, there were a few things that called themselves Reapers but they were nothing like you. My mother... she fancied herself a witch, she spent her entire life, and my entire childhood teaching me how to harness powers that should have been impossible to touch. That's what my tattoos are for," he said, glaring absently at the eyes decorating his knuckles.
"In the end her power grabs killed her, and I wanted to rip everything like her apart for what she'd done to me, the nightmare she'd made my childhood. I hunted, and I killed," He ran his hand down Casper's arm and laced their fingers together. He allowed it but didn't reciprocate.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, at first it was because I didn't believe you. You were nothing like the others, and you didn't even mention the Powers I knew of so I thought you were lying. Then... then I truly was lost, I had been so sure there was no good in the world. No powers of life, or hope, or even truly good people. And you dropped all of that right into my lap and I didn't know how to respond.
"I haven't killed since my brain cancer, when my hunting partner abandoned me when I needed her most I realized there was no joy for me in that life. My overseas trips you've followed me on.. have you seen me burn the books?" A slight nod. "Do you know what they were?" A small shake of the head, worry and fear.
"Objects of power for the 14 Fears, the Dread Powers I was taught to harness. I thought they were all there was, but I think I'm realizing it's like trauma. With something so bad possible, it's hard to imagine there being good too. But now I know there is good, and there is love, and I love you. I'm sorry I didn't tell you all this before you came, I didn't know how."
There was a long silence, but Casper didn't pull away so Gerry let him think. "You're not, as you said 'pulling my leg'?" Casper asked softly.
"No, not about this. I can prove it to you if you want. Well, not this second but you can come with me next time I track down one of the books. Or go to help one of the people touched by the fears," he offered quickly.
"I suppose now I know how you first felt, because I know nothing of this. I suppose I didn't spend enough time on earth to know of powers that prey on mortal fears."
"That makes sense. Don't worry though, I've been navigating this since I was born. I know all the tricks, and now understanding better what I can do, and not being alone, I Know we'll be okay. Good even!"
"It still sounds like a big risk," Casper said worriedly.
"Well... Yes, but I can't stop Casper," Gerry said softly.
"Can't, or won't?"
"... Won't. I've felt so much disrepair all my life that there were no Good powers, now that I know in some ways I Am a good power. Casper, I need to help people. Can you understand?"
"Yes, I can understand," Casper sighed relaxing and resting his head on Gerry's chest again. "I will support you, and the travel will help keep the other reapers at a distance since I am on the run.
"I have much more to learn about the world then I ever realized, which is... disconcerting. But you will guide me through it, and I've always enjoyed learning."
"Thank you Casper," It came out in a rush of breath and true gratitude. "Thank you."
"I always though 'love is blind' was a saying for fools, but I was the fool who had never known love," Casper murmured, sitting up and pressing a soft kiss to Gerry's lips. "I believe I would follow you into hell Sunshine."
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ashoss · 5 months ago
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this idea wont leave my brain please help me !! YIPPEE HADES BATKIDS !!!
without the bg and text under the cut :))
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asdhj probably gonna post like,, two at a time because thats ,, a lot,,,, of drawing ,,,,,,, so heres tim and jason! i think i got the hang of it more with jason lol
ALSO ALSO!!!
thank you to those who helped me with the titles for the batkids!! they were all really good :D (all on insta lol)
timothy: the tenured - thomson_at
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ruporas · 1 year ago
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captain's warm hugs! (id in alt)
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aterfish · 7 months ago
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We just had "Guess That Artist" game in Haunting Heroes discord server! I just had to try drawing in Detective Conan style and limited color palette :D
@noir-renard thanks for hosting!
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starryeyes618 · 12 days ago
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Light blue babyre moodboard
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beatriceportinari · 2 months ago
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Sunfish, origami, one square sheet of paper
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feketeribizli · 28 days ago
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ummm proper post of me alien au 😁 not much to elaborate on we are just having a bit of fun... (well not all of us. pray for lando lol)
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gunstellations · 9 months ago
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In the world I love
_
In a different world
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cyellolemon · 3 months ago
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surviving the ocean
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akakumoeteru · 4 years ago
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I had this very silly and more than a little stupid scenario where modern!AU WX are celebrities who separately get into their own RPF fandom to cope with their mutually unrequited feelings and then finally confess and get together in a very embarrassing and public display at a doujin event and this was like, the final scene to that.
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dredgesnails · 8 months ago
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i very badly want a double life 2: electric boogaloo but crucially no one is allowed to be paired up with their soulmate from the first one (except ranchers) and also lizzie and gem and mumbo and skizz are there too. anyway here are some pairings i think would be funny or interesting or would please me personally:
mumbo + scar: complete the mumscarian circuit
mumbo + lizzie: statistically the worst players right after jimmy. lizzie died before him once and she can do it again (and take mumbo with her)
grian + jimmy: nightmare scenario for the both of them
pearl + gem: an unfair matchup as they would win no problem but i love them together and i think we deserve them together after the events of secret life
scar + tango: wildly unpredictable. scar takes damage constantly but (almost) always escapes by the skin of his teeth. tango on the other hand has blown himself up before
pair them up best + worst in order (pearl + jimmy, gem + mumbo, scott + lizzie etc) and see if they manage to balance each other out. this takes out some of the randomness but there are still some fun duos i think would come out of it (etho + bdubs, skizz + martyn, impulse + bigb) and i also think pearl could keep jimmy alive long enough to not die first
and for lore reasons:
grian + bigb: lets see how the secret soulmates can handle being real soulmates
scott + jimmy: ok i know the last time they were together jimmy doomed them both with his curse but this time it’ll be different scott’s lucky now
cleo + etho: the progression of divorced with kids > roomies > soulmates tickles me
ren + martyn: i miss renchanting
+ bonus because i have been thinking about who i would want joining the life series a lot. this is who i want to join
doc + anyone really but mostly grian: okay seriously i imagined doc in the life series once and now ive been consumed by the desire to see it. especially with his health linked to grian. think about it. would be fun with ren also for entirely opposite reasons
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roxiusagi · 2 months ago
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The strugglersss
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bombomangooo · 2 months ago
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SALLY SCRIBBLESSSS!!!!!
I reappear every few months to post a single drawing then disappear into the void again… enjoy
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seungs · 7 months ago
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stray kids - sherlock cover (orig. shinee)
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ineffably-leech-art · 2 months ago
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him!
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pixelpastry · 1 year ago
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I AM NOT BITTEN
[one week left to pre-order the female rage zine]
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