#the Inversion fic...that was also supposed to be way worse...

[faydingrain]

I feel like I always end up reacting to my own fics incorrectly...like

Me: *adds minor angst tag and occasionally says* Mind the tags! The fic: *ten times worse than I initially intended*

Me: *adds warnings* HEED THE TAGS. OH MY GOD. PAY ATTENTION TO THE WARNINGS PLEASE. TRIGGERING SHIT INCOMING. The fic: *ends up severely toned down than it was before*

[dreamingbrownie]

2024 fic wrap-up: Daemyra / House of the Dragon

Welcome to part 1 of my 2024 fic wrap-up! For ease of rebloggability in the individual fandoms, this is going to have three parts: House of the Dragon, Merlin fics, and some miscellaneous.

Part 1: House of the Dragon!

My big House of the Dragon series Dragons will rule the realm revolves around an early marriage between Rhaenyra and Daemon before she could have been married off to Laenor. The whole prophecy theme tied to the Long Night crept into that story, which lead to me writing a complete do-over of the War of the Dawn but pulled 250 years early into the House of the Dragon era. Jon and Daenerys snuck into the second story because this is their war and also I love the parallels between these two couples. Big fat TW for the pregnancy topic and Rhaenyra's difficult, changing emotions around it, obviously canon levels of violence, Daemon being a loyal little bitch and a family man at the core; in many ways, this is very much a fix it story for House of the Dragon Season 1, second half. Also added canon Starks because they fit in so neatly into the politics.

Part 1 is What the stars couldn't bear (this is essentially a lot of smut with the political plot of saving the Targaryen family from itself as the narrative frame) and part 2 is What few still understand (this is the Long Night story.) Part 3 is in the making.

Summary What the stars couldn't bear:

“Will you marry me,” she said all in a rush, hope more than a question; fuck tradition and all the rest; “Daemon, will you,” and she didn’t get to the end of asking twice. So occupied was she drowning desperately in his kisses that she didn’t register the shock in his eyes until he pulled back for long enough to stare at her. She had taken him by surprise. This was sweeter almost than the reverence with which he kissed her forehead. “Rhaenyra. Gods, yes, did you ever doubt I would? Zaldritsos, do you think I would let anyone touch you? Never. I will marry you in the tradition of our house-“ “On Dragonstone, Daemon, we could go right now-“ “I have to talk to your father first,” he groaned, all agony. Fear gripped Rhaenyra. Somewhere far overhead, the heartbeat of dragonwings disturbed the mild night. She had no doubt that Caraxes would take her on his back. But she would never leave Syrax behind, not when her father would disinherit her or worse: banish Daemon again. This was why they were hiding in their soap bubble summer night dream. “No – No, he’ll be so angry, Kepus, he will tear you from me!“ “Never,” Daemon growled, on fours above her, and kissed the stars out of her field of sight.

25,162 words, oneshot.

Summary What few still understand:

A King claims a dragon in the twilight of his life, a Prince and a Princess are called North, and House Targaryen stands divided. Winterfell has called for aid, a full five generations before they will do so again. If Dragon Dreams are warnings and time is as see-through as water, what is the price of trying to change the story going to be?

95,197 words, 11 chapters, done.

What I loved most about writing this series is the family dynamics, giving Viserys a sort of redemption which I wanted to write since Season 1, Laena and Rhaenyra's friendship, and exploring a straight relationship in a way that defies gender roles in the way the show does and keeping some others, as the show does, to stay away from the Not Like Other Girls trope. I've written so many stories about gay men that this felt like something I could really sink my fingers into: If you're a woman writing the perspective of a female main character, that does things to your story. (Also this was my way of finally fixing GoT season 8, I suppose. About damn time.) Blood of my blood dives deeper into the pregnancy-and-birth-theme of House of the Dragon, so big fat TW for that again, also while keeping the inversed gender roles of Rhaenyra as Queen / Crown Princess and Daemon as her supporting, non-ruling husband who mainly is a father to (in this story) their eight children and a warrior / general in his own right. What does that do to their respective responsibilities and their dynamic as a couple? I wanted to spare them the pain of losing Visenya, so this is what this was. And because as a friend once told me, I cannot keep the politics out of my love stories, other TWs include the usual canon levels of violence seeing as this story diverges that day after Viserys' death in that the Greens take a different approach to getting Rhaenyra to fall in line after Aegon. Special mention for Rhaenys getting her revenge. Summary:

“Hello, uncle,” Aegon said, pushing past Otto with no regard for the soldiers so pressed dangerously close into the handrails of the bridge. They were all out of breath and sweaty in the merciless afternoon sun. Daemon gripped the pommel of Dark Sister praying for patience. No, he wanted to see what the usurper had to say for himself; he was even wearing the black crown of the Conqueror and his blade. “Where’s my half-sister? I have come to speak with her.” “My wife has just given me another beautiful daughter. In this family, we do not ask the woman to rise off the childbed to curtsey for a Hightower cunt.” This is how the Dance of Dragons starts: the Greens make a monumental mistake.

8,397 words, oneshot.

A cousin-story to the Dragons will rule the realm series was Of cats, wolves, and dragons. Another canon divergence: Luke lives, and Jace comes back with a mountain cat kitten from Winterfell for Rhaenyra. Skips right over all the civil war, takes a sharp left and ends on Rhaenyra ruling the realm peacefully as rightful Queen. This is a lot of fluff sprinkled with some angst for flavor. Implied Jacaerys/Cregan/Baela there at the end.

Summary:

As a show of the North's allegiance when war crests on Dragonstone, Lord Cregan Stark gives a kitten from beyond the Wall to Jacaerys for his mother Rhaenyra, rightful Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. Snowball grows to the size of a direwolf and never leaves Rhaenyra's side ever again. Six years later, Lord Stark comes to King's Landing to bend the knee - and to collect the debt.

14,689 words, oneshot.

[kinda-indecisive]

May 28 2024

She's here...

I have returned, for the hundredth time, to my writeblr. That doesn't mean I haven't been writing the entire time I was gone. I have been doing that. Mainly fanfic.

In case anyone reads this and wonders what my fandoms are, lately it's been DC, more specifically the Aquaman movies, and Lore Olympus. My main fic is a romance longfic between Orm Marius and my OC :) I'm currently on a posting break with that one, so I can create a a small buffer between my usual posting schedule.

Not a lot else going on in my life. I was supposed to start a new job soon, but that hasn't been working out the way I wanted. My mental health is good, but it could be a lot better lol. And my social life is practically non-existent. But, inversely, things could be a lot worse.

So I dunno. I figured I'd come back here and see if I could do something with it that I haven't done before.

Today I didn't do much but enjoy myself. I watched Only Yesterday, the Ghibli movie, and I cried at the end. I also read a couple chapters of Percy Jackson for the first time. People have teasingly questioned my love of Greek Mythology before because I haven't read these books, so I figured I'd read a handful of them this summer. Or at least the first one :)

I also got a bit of editing done on the longfic I mentioned before, so that was nice. Drank out of a new mug I bought myself as a little treat. Snacked on some prunes (gut health is important y'all lol).

I don't know what I have planned for tomorrow, but I plan on making it a good day!

Entry 21 | Word Count: 297

[sleepless-in-southlands]

I would be very very interested in learning more about the lore of your recent fic... I love crime/mob boss aus so so much

:D you are SO valid i am happy to offer my words

under a cut bc they Do get kinda violent/dark so be forewarned

to start with the Big stuff imma talk about scar + mumbo's respective scars

ik i didnt say it specifically, but when bdubs tells scar to be careful and he grabs his neck, he's grabbing at a scar (ha)

he got this from his first right hand man! bdubs is the second who got his position after helping save scar's life when the first guy attempted to kill him and take over Glass Empire

scar also has a few smaller face/shoulder/arms scars from the encounter, but the neck one is the biggest and the one that nearly killed him

bc of this, scar has an inverse relationship with trust! the more he trusts someone, the more he expects them to betray him. this does create relationship problems later but it's ok they'll figure it out <3

a lot of mumbo's scars actually come from him being a bit clumsy, tho ofc mr South mob boss will never admit this

most of the gunshot scars come from him takin hits for grian, tho some are jus his

the big ones, over his heart and around his side, come from the same event!

see mumbo used to be a mob boss in a different town (imma come up with names for the org/town/etc later) that was somehow worse than Heremita

it was worse bc every group had their own specific Thing they did to show that a certain kill was smth they had done- Heremita uses symbols

one of the groups 'thing' was cutting the heart out, sometimes keepin/displayin it in their main office if it was a significant murder

mumbo had met with that group's head in what was supposed to be a no-weapons discussion dinner, but the other guy drugged mumbo's drink and was pretty far into gettin his heart when mumbo managed to wake up enough to flee

he got the side cut in the scuffle that ensued when he got up and ran

that event is actually what led mumbo and grian to strike out in a new town, bc a move like that indicated their group was rapidly losin respect, and more bold attacks would follow. they set up at night in Heremita to establish themselves Big and fast

this is also why mumbo didnt take the painkillers from scar- he only accepts food/drink that grian gives him (he mostly jus makes his own) and anythin med related is usually a plain-out No

now to make things fair i will also talk about Grian's scars

grian also has a fair few gunshot wounds, most taken for mumbo, but not as many as mumbo. this is due to a mix of mumbo havin been at a higher position longer, and grian being better at dodging

however grian also has, going down both arms from shoulder to just above the wrist, a little more than a dozen (each arm) near-circle cuts around the arm that are straight-edged and evenly spaced

remember how i mentioned old town had Styles? yeah

grian didnt start out as mumbo's right-hand; he used to be a regular lackey who mumbo ended up takin a shine to and talkin with a lot

enemies thought he'd be a good target to kidnap and get info from, bc he was close to mumbo, but not high enough on the command chain to be noticed missin very soon

the lines are from torture- after each line, they ask if the victim wants to crack, and they cut again if the answer's no. the mix of prolonged pain and bloodloss is usually effective

grian Refused to break however, and was about to die for it, when mumbo, who did notice his absence right away, burst into the room with absolutely Zero back-up and beat the living shit out of everyone there

hazy from pain/bloodloss, grian watching mumbo commit what was probably several war crimes only to then very gently ask if grian was ok was a religious experience

if grian had it his way their first kiss wouldve been Right Then but mumbo thought he was just acting out of delirium and misplaced need to 'repay' mumbo- it took several days of recovery and grian proving he was lucid for them to get anywhere

altho grian isnt ashamed of his scars (bc he didnt break), in old town, they were usually pretty shameful- the only people who had those scars and lived were those who betrayed their organizations- so he usually keeps them covered

so yeah scar histories <3 cant be a mob-er without 'em amiright

tumblr told me there's a character limit for text blocks, which ig bullet points count as, so here's a break in the block

ok on to smaller details referenced but not fully explained in the text:

heremita Does follow the s7 mayor race in the sense that it has five major mobs- the South, Glass Empire, the Armory (false's), stress's, and doc's- and those bosses are all runnin for mayor

also similar to s7, false's method of trying to get votes is striking down members of opposing gangs to convince the people only the Armory can offer them satisfactory protection

this sometimes involves kidnapping members and then staging a fight-kill at the scene where false wants to plant her poster, again a la s7

scar's cane is not entirely for decorative/dangerous use! he does actually need it to walk long distances/for long amounts of time, due to various leg and lower back injuries he's sustained over the course of his time as Glass Empire's head

grian might technically be mumbo's right-hand, but you'd be hard pressed to find anyone in heremita who doesnt see him as a secondary head of the South. he goes with mumbo to all business meetings, and mumbo rarely says no to his ideas or suggestions for the org

most of the mobs have separate abandoned warehouses they do their tortuin/killin in. the End Crystal has one directly in it bc the South is Like That

not really lore, but all last names were picked in my attempt at fitting them with their minecraft names- Chronos is the personification of time, Eris the goddess of discord/chaos. since grian doesnt have anythin else to his minecraft name, Penemue is a 'watcher' angel and, in enochian lore, the scribe of god

and there is a lot of the lore!! not all of it, and not all of it is fleshed out, since i hadnt really been plannin on makin this much more than a one shot, but,,,,,, we'll see. i already have some good ideas if i were to do a sequel so ya never know ya never know

[onewomancitadel]

I was wondering, what do you think about the theory that Sacrifice is from Cinder's perspective? Because it honestly makes sense for both Raven and Cinder - though it being a V2 song is making me lean towards Cinder. I figured I'd ask because as of now, you're my go-to for all Cinder knowledge. IMO the lyrics fit what we've seen of her pretty well.

Slightly related side note, I feel like there's a way to adapt that into a wonderful knightfall fic, but for the life of me I can't figure our how.

P.S.² - Now that I think about it further, don't you think the song could also match Jaune's outburst against Oz? After he found it they were being lied to?

Have a nice night!

Hold on wait what lol this is why watching the show for so long and having discordant fandom exposure can fuck you up: I always thought this was a Cinder song. Whose song is this supposed to be?????????

(I can see how you'd read it as a Raven song. Raven does a lot of work opposite Cinder).

I'm not big on the RWBY music front though I do think a lot of foreshadowing is in the songs (crackpot theory that V7 opening also applies to Cinder, what, why are you booing me? I'm right), for instance I was fairly certain Summer's fate was worse than death based on Red Like Roses Part II (... why did they feature a conversation specifically framed like that), and it's nice to be proven correct years later. Of course, a lot of fandom said that was wrong, but if she's alive it's because it's very very very very bad and death is as precious as life.

Hmm... what else... oh I think Fear applies to Cinder, it's the volume we get more Cinder characterisation (and Oz's speech covering Cinder, 'will you forgive them? Will you understand why they did the things that they needed to do?' doing a lot of heavylifting here). Plus when I think of 'in the darkness' I am immediately thinking of her.

I think Ironwood and Cinder contrast one another in that one is a 'loss of self' and refusing to confront vulnerability and giving into fear/ego. Whereas Cinder's rise is realising who she really is (which is related to her being the epic and most awesomest Fall Maiden) and accepting vulnerability/overcoming ego. So Fear is an Ironwood song (V7 broadly) and by the same virtue I think is a Cinder song.

This is now not the song you were talking about so let's circle back to Sacrifice which is a song from V2. I think that yes it does make sense for a Cinder song because I always assumed it was a Cinder song, and because I held that she had a personal investment in burning down the Huntsman academies (lol me wuz right, I was also correct that the reason she was excited about Raven wanting to kill her good for nothing brother is because Cinder similarly killed terrible/horrible/shit 'family').

But you're not taking me

plz don't take her I want her to live. Cinder's perpetual survival against the odds is very cool and I think also fits the song, though more in retrospect.

oh btw

Truth will rise Revealed by mirrored eyes

Ruby 'Rose' and Cinder 'Fall' lol. Rose as in the verb, like the moon rises. They did that. Hope you like it. Also I’m pretty sure the reason I assumed the song was a Cinder song is because of ‘fall’. The song has fall and rise in it.

'Mirrored eyes' is easily Ruby, silver used to be used to make mirrors, which... well that's more Cinder/Ruby twinning lol, that's all over the story, although I do wonder if Ruby's going to lose an eye like Cinder, but yeah, my ongoing theory is that Cinder and Ruby will be totally powerful together and their strength inversely reflects each other (full Maiden power realised at the same time as silver eyes awakened) so I would also gander that anything in this song referring to Ruby's rise is also Cinder's. The truth probably relates to V6:E3 Salem/Ozma backstory, most likely, but I also take the meaning quite broadly.

It's not a coincidence either that Cinder's at her highest point at the end of V8, and Jaune and Ruby are respectively at their lowest. Ruby has her Wolf stuff coming on in the next few volumes too, when I think Cinder's probably going to have her arm purified (Ruby must realise her silver eyes through a trial by fire). There is some inverse relation between pain and growth, pain and joy, across these two characters, where I think they’ll eventually ‘balance’ together at the end.

Oh and the irony in this song which refers to 'freedom' is that Cinder's not free under Salem. It's the same as the others on the side of Good, they're not really free to make Choice without Knowledge until V6:E3 (which is painful! Jaune is angry!). Cinder on the side of Evil is Choice without Knowledge as well. (This is also a front where I think the song, from V2, reflects V3: Pyrrha doesn’t have full knowledge of what she’s walking into, and she’s a sacrifice - Cinder and Pyrrha foil each other obviously to extremes on this front).

To cap the post off: I'm very flattered you asked for my opinion lol. I don't profess to have a complete RWBY musical knowledge, I mostly do this by feeling/intuition and I haven't read any fandom musical interpretations, but thank you. Thank you as well for liking my Cinder opinions lol! I'm pretty self-conscious about it.

Also I don't listen to the RWBY OST a lot in its entirety, just putting a footnote here. I heard Sacrifice recently and also back when it came out on the V2 soundtrack and had always assumed it was a Cinder song. If somebody comments it's definitely not a Cinder song, please blame teenage me for the assumption; it's her fault, not mine. (Okay it is mine, but this is MY fantasyland and I'm living in it).

Slightly related side note, I feel like there's a way to adapt that into a wonderful knightfall fic, but for the life of me I can't figure our how.

You mentioned this in the ask as well, I think it works for a Knightfall fic premise because both Jaune and Cinder are critical of Oz and Salem. Neither of them are in it for their respective headmaster and master. It's a very interesting idea. I think it also works from the respect of the Indecisive King parallel, where the King has a very difficult decision ahead of him and he doesn't know what to do. The widow offers him different advice, and a different answer (theme of Sacrifice is that they are not going to be sacrificed like the others). So Jaune helping Cinder with a difficult choice placed upon them by higher powers than them is a very compelling premise which already fits into their intertextuality/fairytale.

Hope you have a good one too. It's only afternoon for me now! (o:

[captain-aralias]

“Fuck the Mage” – a look at the politics of Carry On’s most and least popular characters

I’ve written this not to try and make anyone feel bad about liking Baz, or Fiona, or Natasha, or any of Baz’s family (I like Baz and Baz’s family). I haven’t even written it to try and make it OK to like the Mage, or to stop it being OK not to like him. (It’s OK to not like him – he’s a bad guy.)

But we’re coming up to another general election. Today is actually the day of the Conservative party manifesto launch! And I said I would write this to @basic-banshee, who I like and admire, and who was right to say Baz is a Tory earlier in the week. 

It feels like the right time.  

I should also say now that I don’t closely follow politics. This isn’t my specialist subject. I’m just British and I live with a hardcore socialist. 

I also think I said all of these things in The Mage’s Heir already, so if you want you can read that instead. It has vampire sex too, which this doesn’t.

(Keep reading will take you to an essay that is almost five thousand words long. So strap in.)

---

"One will come to end us; and one will bring his fall” - the narrative drive of the Chosen One story

It is a truth universally acknowledged that ‘Carry On’ is based on ‘Harry Potter’. More than that, though, it’s specifically a challenge to the kind of book that Potter is – in which a hero is chosen and fulfils his destiny defeating the big bad. It purposefully subverts the expectations of readers familiar with that sort of story.

That means that, where the villain in ‘Harry Potter’ is a racial supremacist who is obviously and actively evil, the supposed big-bad villain in ‘Carry On’ doesn’t really exist. The Humdrum is just an echo of Simon, who by the end of the book identifies himself as the villain as well as the hero. This is a neat twist on the format. It isn’t supposed to be an argument that all heroes are actually the causes of their own destruction, although you could read it that way.

The real villain is the Mage. Who in classic Dumbledore fashion left Simon to be raised in horrible conditions and never gave him enough information to make his own choices. He also murders Ebb, locks Baz in a coffin in inhumane conditions, and let vampires into Watford – an event that directly or indirectly led to the death of Natasha Grimm-Pitch.

This is again a twist on the format. The Mage fills the role of the wise mentor and we find out as early as ‘Fangirl’ that he’s Simon’s father. Even though there’s a strong movement that argues that Dumbledore is a manipulative dick who used to date a Nazi, I don’t think anyone would call him the villain of Potter. He’s still far more good than bad and he’s still absolutely necessary in helping Harry work out how to defeat Voldemort.

That’s why the Mage has to be the villain – it’s because you wouldn’t expect it of the person in his narrative role or with his political views. (I’d guess it’s not supposed to be a statement about all wise mentors, though it could be. Or even all socialist reformers.) It’s also because the kinds of things that Dumbledore did to Harry are worse when viewed through the more personal lens of YA romance, rather than the more traditional school-story fantasy of Potter.  

Fandom is essentially united in its absolute condemnation of the Mage as a character.

He’s almost always written as an abusive father in fic. (This is particularly noticeable for me in non-magic AUs where he often physically and mentally hurts Simon outside of the fantasy genre where sending a child to take on a dragon is loosely acceptable.)

Penny tells us that he’s sexist (although Agatha – who also doesn’t like the Mage – points out that it’s possible the Mage just hates everyone). Penny tells us that anyone can call themselves the ‘Great Reformer’ and she’s right. The Mage’s Men are actively equated to Nazis through their raids, which is backed up by other familiar emotive language like ‘banned books, banned phrases’.

But the thing is, the Mage really was a great reformer. And Baz’s family really were a bunch of privileged, self-centred assholes who deserved not to be in charge, no matter how much we like them. We don’t talk about it much, beyond how Malcolm’s (very standardly conservative) homophobia affects Baz on a personal level, because the emotions of the story lead us down a different path.

Baz is the romantic hero, Natasha Pitch is his dead and wronged mother, and the Mage is the villain. Not because he’s a Nazi (he isn’t). Not even because he killed Ebb or imprisoned Baz.

It’s primarily because, unlike Natasha, he isn’t a good parent.

Which is fine. It makes sense for all the reasons above, and the Mage is a bad parent

But the problem with ‘Carry On’ being an inversion of the tropes of traditional narratives is that we end up with a canon that (even though it’s full of POC characters and gay characters and disabled characters) almost asks us to be OK with the politics of Baz’s family and class, because we like Baz and we don’t like the Mage.  

And they’re not really OK.

“Not one of ours” – the Old Families as Conservatives

I’ll talk more about the Mage later, but he exists as a reaction to the Pitches, so let’s talk about their political leanings first. Specifically, I’m going to talk about Loyalty, The Other, Vampires, and Taxes.

Ban wrote a nice and also brief description of what Conservatives/Tories are to start you off, if you didn’t read it. Later an anon (sorry if this was you!) said that Rainbow would never have really meant for Baz to be read as a Tory. 

But I’m pretty sure she did and I respect how much she didn’t shy away from it.

In fact, the only way I can imagine Baz and his family not voting Conservative/Tory is if they just didn’t vote at all, because they thought Normal politics were unimportant. Which is also a highly privileged position to take as it assumes that none of them will ever need to take advantage of Normal public services and that it’s no concern of theirs what happens to everyone else in the country i.e. this is the one situation where not voting Tory is actually the most Tory thing you could ever do. 

1. Loyalty

Now obviously Baz’s family do care – passionately – about the people they care about. This is one of their most appealing characteristics as characters. It’s very likeable and understandable. Rainbow has suggested Baz is a Hufflepuff. Hardworking – and (this is the key) loyal. I see it, although I think he would have turned out very differently if he’d been told from the age of eleven that this is who he was, rather than being essentially told he was a Slytherin. But that’s a detour.

The problem with being loyal is that there are people you aren’t loyal to, and you can see this clearly in the Pitches. The people they love must be protected, even at the expense of everyone else. Its barely a choice. Although the Pitches would never betray each other, they’re famous betrayers.

I adore Fiona, she’s one of my favourite characters. But she is also – as Rainbow stated recently – ‘a dangerous lunatic’. She is hardly bothered when the specific action that she insights Baz (a child) to take against Simon (a child who hasn’t done anything to her) causes Philippa Stainton (another child who really hasn’t done anything to her) to be permanently disabled.

Baz is almost unable to comment on how this event makes him feel even in his POV - probably because he’s loyal and he doesn’t want to criticise Fiona. Although we know it causes him to stop trying to kill Simon, so I’d guess that it troubled him, even if it didn’t trouble Fiona. (We’ll come back to Baz as part of his family later.)

2. The Other

If Natasha were still in charge of Watford, Trixie wouldn’t be allowed to attend. Gareth wouldn’t be allowed to attend. Simon wouldn’t be allowed to attend. The Minotaur worked on the grounds, since ‘creatures weren’t allowed on the staff’ (which is horrifically racist language, even if it’s true.)

Oddly, Simon is able to voice this within the text (probably because he’s been hanging around with the Mage so much), although his opinion is disregarded because it sounds naïve and because even he tell us that he doesn’t understand what’s going on.

“I still don’t think it’s a war,” Agatha insists. “It’s just politics, just like in the Normal world. The Mage has power, and the Old Families want it back. They’ll bitch and moan and cut deals and throw parties---” “It’s not just politics.” Simon leans towards her, pointing. “It’s right and wrong.” Agatha rolls her eyes. “But that’s what the other side says, too.” … “It’s not just politics,” he says again. “It’s right. And wrong. It’s our lives. If the Old Families had their way, I wouldn’t even be here. They wouldn’t have let me into Watford.” “But that wasn’t personal, Simon,” Agatha says. “It’s because you’re a Normal.”

Firstly – it probably was personal, let’s face it. But secondly – even if it wasn’t personal-personal, it’s still an example of a prejudice that echoes the distain people like the Malfoys have for ‘Mudbloods’. Just because Simon could be the first Normal to gain magic, doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be allowed to join Watford. The Mage shouldn’t have to give him a title and a sword just to get him in.  

Simon’s right, even if he doesn’t mean it this way. Politics affects people’s lives.

“Ask Natasha Grimm-Pitch about suicide rates among low-magicians,” the Mage tells Mitali Bunce – who is right that killing people isn’t the answer, but also not nearly as progressive as she thinks she is. “Ask your Coven what they’re doing to fight pixie sticks and every other magickal disease that doesn’t affect their own sons and daughters.

3. Vampires as a specific example of the Other

Natasha and the Old Families were in charge when Nicodemus Petty joined the vampires. It wasn’t the Mage who struck Nicodemus’s name from the book and pulled out his fangs. Which we’re told is fine, actually, because it’s against Mage Law. Even though the idea of this happening to Baz is horrific and unthinkable, and even though we have no evidence that Nicky ever killed anyone. Just that he wasn’t human.

If you’ve read ‘The Mage’s Heir’ you’ll know I think Nicky is a very interesting character to bring into this space. He’s powerful and he’s innovative, inventing spells Baz has never heard of even after he has his magic taken away from him. He’s like the Mage, and like the Mage (who is from Wales, which is traditionally a very poor area of the UK), he’s clearly from a low-class family. The accent that both he and Ebb have is East-End London, which means they’re poor. Even though they’re powerful magicians and therefore theoretically as valid as the Pitches in the Pitch-world order.

Yes, he chose to become a vampire and Baz didn’t but partly he’s punished for being poor and trying to become more powerful in a way that the Pitches don’t understand. He wasn’t necessarily going to kill anyone.

Are vampires even bad?

Because Baz isn’t bad – or not just because he’s a vampire, anyway. We see Simon wrestling with this in ‘Wayward Son’ and he struggles because of his personal hatred for Lamb.

Even (and perhaps especially) under the Mage, the World of Mages just uniformly accepts that a whole group is evil. I think ‘Wayward Son’ begins to trouble this, even as Lamb betrays Baz and vampires are the enemy. But we find Baz actually thinking: “I’m not used to thinking of vampires as fellow victims.”

What he means is that he’s not used to thinking of them as people.

It’s completely appalling to keep Baz in a coffin – I’m sure we all agree with that. If it was another vampire, would the Old Families and the rest of the World of Mages feel the same way, or would they think that was a proportionate response?

When we talk about the death of Natasha Pitch we talk about the Humdrum having killed her, or the Mage having killed her. The vampires are presented as a random instrument of death (which if they had been taken over the Humdrum they would have been), rather than people who were paid by the Mage to do something.

The way the situation is presented to us in the Record, by Natasha herself, and by popular memory is that monsters broke into the nursery and would have killed Baz and Natasha if she hadn’t responded as she did.

However, Nicky says to Baz: “For what it’s worth, I don’t think he meant for your mum to die – but I don’t think he minded much. Made everything a lot easier.”

So it’s at least worth contemplating a reality where this is what happened:

The Mage paid vampires to break into Watford and cause a disturbance. He didn’t think anyone would die.

One of the vampires bit Baz but didn’t intend to either kill or Turn him, which we know is now a possibility but which nobody in the World of Mages had ever bothered to find out.

Even if the vampires did intend to Turn Baz, it could easily be a political statement – an opportunity to show that even a Pitch could be a vampire and that the World of Mages might like to reappraise its choices.

When Natasha arrived, she saw her son being threatened, acted on her prejudices and didn’t ask questions. She murdered a large group of people who had broken into her school, but who otherwise hadn’t necessarily done anything wrong.

I don’t say this is what happened, just that it’s a possibility. 

Even if these vampires are evil and this was a terrorist attack (a phrase I’m using deliberately) the fact that presumably most of the others aren’t evil is still relevant. We barely scratch the surface of what this means for the World of Mages even in ‘Wayward Son’. 

One of the things I think that’s most interesting about the Mage’s rise to power is that he does using the same hateful speech that the Old Families use, just exclusively directed against the Dark Creatures, rather than all creatures and low-powered magicians. It probably made it easier for him to gain support because these are views that everyone holds, but it’s completely at odds with his whole stated reason for being in charge.

Definitely not ideal. We do deserve better.

4. Taxes

Baz also tells us that his family are against the idea of taxation, which the Mage has introduced largely to benefit people who aren’t like Baz.

‘Taxes to cover all the Mage’s initiatives; most notably to pay for every faun bastard and centaur cousin, and every pathetic excuse for a magician in the Realm to attend Watford. The World of Mages never had taxes before. Taxes were for Normals, we had standards instead.’

I’m writing this post in November 2019, about a week after the Labour manifesto has dropped. It has this to say about taxes:

Universal public services, collectively provided through general taxation and free at the point of use for all, are how we guarantee the right to a good life. Public services do more than make sure everyone has the basics. They create shared experiences and strengthen social bonds. They make our lives richer and more fulfilling. A decade of Tory cuts has pushed our public services to breaking point. Labour offers real change – we will make Britain’s public services the best and most extensive in the world. We will pay for this by creating a fairer taxation system, asking for a little more from those with the broadest shoulders, and making sure that everyone pays what they owe. We will reverse some of the Tories’ cuts to corporation tax while keeping rates lower than in 2010. We’ll ask those who earn more than £80,000 a year to pay a little more income tax, while freezing National Insurance and income tax rates for everyone else. We will end the unfairness that sees income from wealth taxed at lower rates than income from work. VAT is a regressive tax that hits the poorest hardest and we guarantee no increases in VAT.

The Conservatives have launched a rival site called https://www.labourmanifesto.co.uk/ It has this to say about taxes:

“Hardworking taxpayers would have to pay an extra £2,400 each year in tax on average to cover Jeremy Corbyn’s reckless spending.”

The language of the Conservative party is about how higher taxes will negatively affect you the voter, rather than benefit the whole country. It’s also about tradition and how brilliant it is.

We Will Put You First Getting Brexit done. Investing in our public services and infrastructure. Supporting workers and families. Strengthening the Union. Unleashing Britain’s potential. The future is there for us to grasp. Not a future in which we endlessly refight the battles of Brexit and the Scottish independence referendum, or in which Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell – propped up by Nicola Sturgeon – lead a Government which rejects everything that has made the UK great.

I’m not saying traditions aren’t important (unless they’re bad traditions – like imperialism, which made the UK great, for sure), but they’re definitely less important than helping large groups of people through public service. Also Brexit sucks and is incredibly bad for the economy the Tories claim is so important to them.

If you aren’t from the UK (as I’d assume most readers aren’t), it may not be so cripplingly obvious that Baz’s family are rich therefore Conservative. But they’re also conservative – and therefore Conservative.

“a Tory vampire” – Baz’s own politics

Baz is a version of Draco Malfoy, who calls Hermione a ‘Mudblood’ and supports Umbridge and then Voldemort, although he later regrets it.

I haven’t really read any Harry/Draco (I was in Wolfstar), but I’m guessing that a lot of the fic builds on the fact that Draco cries in a bathroom, is unable to go through with murdering Dumbledore and Harry, and that his family ultimately decide to leave the Final Battle rather than support Voldemort. I’d guess that we argue that he was young and stupid, didn’t understand the full impact of what he was doing until it was too late, and then had to stay with the Death Eaters because he was afraid for his life and the lives of his family.

Baz, I am arguing, comes from a similar upbringing and has similar beliefs, even if he never got to the murdering Mudbloods stage. (He’s given an out in a way by never being in power when we see him.)

I’d also argue – because I really like Baz and I don’t want him to be ‘racist and speciest’ – that his actions and beliefs are, like Draco’s, massively affected by situational factors outside of his control. And that he, too, was young and stupid. I find it almost impossible that he could arrive at Watford with any other ideology – and I say this as an ex-Remus/Sirius shipper, who clearly found it totally reasonable that Sirius would hate his family and side immediately with a bunch of do-gooding Gryffindors.

The key there, though, is that Sirius hates his family; whereas Baz and Draco love their families and are (see above) incredibly loyal to them. One of the reason it’s easy for me to sit here and say ‘voting Conservative isn’t a thing I would ever do’ is that my family are hardcore ‘Not Conservative’ voters. If I ultimately decided I didn’t agree with them, I could do that, but I started out thinking they were probably right. This is the case with Baz and Draco – they have further to go than someone like Penny who was raised by Mitali and still tells Shepard that imagining being a Normal is like imagining being a frog.

I think Baz is a more sympathetic character than Draco Malfoy by a long way, but Draco has a strong justification for being more evil in that Voldemort will literally murder him if he doesn’t perform hateful actions. Baz merely worries that the Mage will “drive his whole family out of magic” if he doesn’t fight Simon, which is a bit of a weak argument when you think about it.

What has the Mage actually done? He’s forced the Old Families off the Coven – of course he did. They would have voted against his reforms. He’s raided their houses for dark objects that they do actually have. He doesn’t let them meet in large groups – which is an edict that they’re clearly ignoring given that the Club (so Tory) exists and also that the Old Families do actually have a Consortium that meets to try and work out how to seize power through potentially illegal means. 

Are these actions designed to win the love of the Old Families? Of course not. Could there have been better, less repressive strategies? Yes, absolutely.

But how empty are Baz’s coffers really? They still have at least two massive houses that we know about. They’re not exactly on the streets.

All that aside though, Baz does have a very good reason for acting the way he does, much better than Malfoy. His entire life that has been warped around his mother’s death.

The fact that she’s dead, and that she died in (arguably) heroic circumstances, makes it very difficult for Baz to think of her as anything other than completely perfect and right about everything. Even when he thinks about how she’d probably kill him for being a vampire, even though he knows that he’s never hurt anyone and therefore does not deserve to die, even then he still thinks that she must be right and that he is a monster who deserves to die. Fiona has exactly the same reaction.

Because he thinks his mother was perfect and because everyone around him tells him what a good headmistress she was (and because the Mage is presumably very bad at this part of his job), he also has to regret the fact that she isn’t in charge of the school anymore. Education is important to him.

And the timing of Natasha’s death is also specifically and strongly linked to the loss of power, and the two are inextricably bound together. If Baz is to love and honour his mother, to regret her loss, he must also regret the loss of the things that she stood for.

Now the Mage isn’t in power anymore, and Baz’s mother is at peace, he probably can start to think differently about the way the society is structured.

I believe that ‘Wayward Son’ – in which I don’t think Baz thinks a single racist thing, and instead queries the idea of going to America given the ‘current political climate’ – shows that he’s already starting to consider his view on the world differently.

Part of this is because of who he is personally. He’s gay – and of course he’s a vampire, both of which wouldn’t normally be acceptable to his family. (Although you can be gay and a powerful Conservative, of course. It’s much less unacceptable than being poor.) (Incidentally, I know you didn’t ask, but I don’t think the Mage would care if Simon was gay. He’s a liberal. He’d want to be OK with it, even if he wasn’t. But he’d care that Simon was dating a Tory and would definitely try and forbid it.)

Baz has more reason than any other Pitch to reassess his family’s politics, because they negatively affect him personally.

The trick will be to see if he can look outwards from himself, and care about things that don’t help him at all. Which I think he can.  

“He’s still more good than bad, I think” – the Mage and his poor decisions

OK, here we go. The most controversial part.

So, the Mage is the villain and is also a bad guy who left Simon in a home, tortured Baz, killed people, and incited hate against vampires. As I said right at the beginning, I’m not going to argue that you should forgive or even like him because ultimately I can’t if eighth year plays out as it does in canon.

But Lucy tells us that we shouldn’t take him as a straight-forward villain and if we’re willing to give the Pitches the benefit of the doubt over some things, I think we should at least give it a try for the Mage.

Here’s what I’ve got.

1. The political situation at the start of ‘Carry On’

In a story where the Mage was the hero, the book would have finished where he got into power. We’ve defeated the evil oppressive empire and now it’s a chance for reforms, hurrah! Everything will probably be good.

What we actually find at the beginning of Simon’s eighth year is that the Mage has been fighting the Old Families solidly for the last twelve years. They’ve resisted absolutely everything he’s tried to do, and far from being powerless now they’re not in charge, they’re actively and effectively using extreme wealth to obstruct the process of normal government:

“Half of Wales has stopped tithing. The Pitches are paying three members of the Coven to stay away from meetings, so we don’t have quorum. And there have been skirmishes up and down the road to London all summer long.” “Skirmishes?” “Traps, tussles. Tests – they’re all tests, Simon. You know the Old Families would seize the reins if they thought for a moment I was distracted. They’d roll back everything we’ve accomplished.” “Do they think they can fight the Humdrum without us?” “I think they’re so shortsighted,” he says, looking over at me “that they don’t care.”

Now, obviously, this is the Mage���s viewpoint on what is happening and so can’t be trusted in terms of the Old Families motivations. We also can’t ask them because we only hear from Baz (and once, briefly, from Fiona) who has his own view of the world which is coloured massively by his relationship with Simon and his mother.

Shockingly Simon again said it best: “That’s the problem with all the Pitches and their allies – it’s impossible to tell when they’re up to something and when they’re just being people.”

I sort of expect that the Mage is right, though, based on everything I know and feel about the Old Families. The Humdrum hasn’t directly affected them – or it doesn’t until the hole in Hampshire – meanwhile the Mage “will drive them out of magic.” (Will he though? Or will taxing people who earn over £80k a year not actually affect their lifestyle all that much?) 

To be fair, I think the Mage probably thinks that the Old Families are the greater threat as well - they were the threat that he summoned the Greatest Mage to fight – although it’s the threat of the Humdrum that drives him to try and take Ebb’s magic.

I’m not saying that if they cooperated the Mage would have been able to work out what to do about the Humdrum, but their refusal to acknowledge that fighting the threat is important is probably infuriating.

2. He’s alone, overworked, and doesn’t trust anyone

The Mage has the two most important jobs in the World of Mages. It’s strongly implied that these were held by separate people before he took them both. And the reason he took them both is that I doubt he thought anyone else could be trusted, because until he became a political figure, only one person had ever treated him as anything other than a complete lunatic. After that, he gets people like Premal and the Mage’s Men (and Simon and Lucy) who obsessively and unquestioningly follow him, which also can’t be good for him.

He probably wasn’t very old when he worked out how to summon the Greatest Mage, probably 22-23. He doesn’t go to university and took power before he was 30, well before most Normal politicians. (Natasha, obviously, also wasn’t very old, so take that as you will.)

He’s doing two incredibly difficult jobs at a time when there’s a world-level threat (that admittedly he caused, but by accident) as well as a constant political threat. Of course he’s shit at both of them. Of course he didn’t think he could take care of a child on his own while this was happening.

He doesn’t have Dumbledore’s excuse of ‘Old Magic’ keeping Simon safe during the holidays, but I think he probably thinks it’s for the best and doesn’t see many other options when he’s so time-poor himself.

He doesn’t have any friends and never has done, because he’s never valued the personal over the global. He doesn’t have time for friends and family; finds it impossible to forgive the lightest of slights, like Mitali valuing tradition as well as wanting change; and even if he did have time for friends and found someone to be friends with, he wouldn’t be willing to spend time enjoying himself while what he perceived to be injustice was going on. People have headcanon-ed Simon as autistic before; if he is, it’s not impossible he got it from his father.

By the time we see him in ‘Carry On’, I assume the Mage is exhausted and angry and making the worst decisions of his life in an attempt to try and stop the Humdrum from destroying the world.

That doesn’t justify any of them, but I think it puts them into perspective. And for me – it means he is redeemable in an AU if you avert Baz’s kidnapping, which is unforgiveable even if you assume he didn’t know how the numpties would treat him.  

It doesn’t mean he will have been a better father to Simon, though. Simon will still have had to have grown up scared and hungry and alone, for the greater good.

So it depends what you think makes a villain.

The end:

This essay was a lot longer than I thought it was going to be. It took me some time to write, and presumably longer for you to read than you might have expected, so thank you for getting to this point.  

I think that’s probably all I have to say right now. Please read ‘The Mage’s Heir’ and ‘Keep Calm’, if you found this interesting. I’m also turning over a thing in my head where Natasha is still alive, which will almost certainly be a lot gentler than this, because I barely talk here about the good things about Natasha and the Pitches of which there are many. But which will show a lot of the above playing out – like Penny’s roommate just won’t be Trixie anymore.

I hope ‘Any Way the Wind Blows’ has something to say about politics that isn’t just tied to the Mage!

I think it’ll be easier to tell what’s really going on without him being there.

And please, if you live in the UK - even if you want to vote Conservative - register to vote before the 26th of November. 

But also - consider not voting Conservative. 

[starblazerm31]

Get To Know Imalia

Answers from the Get to Know My Character list by @forsakenoathkeeper concerning my Arcana/Slayers OC Imalia Gabriev.  Things to know:

Imalia is NOT the apprentice from the Arcana storyline.  That is Azalea.

Imalia was Azalea’s original Master and mentor in the ways of magic.

Imalia has known Asra since he was 11.

Below the cut, since is really long! 18+, please!

01. What does your character’s name mean? Did you pick it for the symbolism, or did you just like the way it sounded?

Imalia doesn't have a meaning that I'm aware of, and actually, my boyfriend came up with it.  Imalia used to be named Lina because she is in a Slayers crossover fic.  She's the descendant of Lina Inverse, and she was originally named after that character.  My boyfriend thought she should have a more unique name, so he came up with Imalia.  "Mal" for short.

02. What is one of your character’s biggest insecurities? Are they able to hide it easily or can others easily exploit this weakness?

Imalia is insecure about what others would think if they knew she carried a nightmare goddess inside her.  Good luck trying to exploit it...Lon is good at turning situations to the absolute worst.  Asra and Azalea took it pretty well, so she seems to have nothing to worry about.  At the moment.

03. What would be their favorite physical trait about themselves?

Imalia loves her muscular arms.  Her way of using magic utilizes physical strength as well as willpower, so she's pretty built.  She loves flexing her biceps and watching others go wide-eyed.

04. What are their favorite traits about their lover? (one psychological and one physical)

Imalia adores Asra's curiosity.  He's like her, always looking for answers to impossible questions. (she would like to think that she had something to do with this trait of his, but she knows better).  As for physical, she loves that divot where Asra's neck meets his collarbone.  She kisses that spot hundreds of times each day.

05. Are they sexually confident or more of the shy type?

Imalia is extremely sexually confident.  She knows what she likes, and she knows how to make him cum.  The only question is exactly how out of breath does she want to leave him.

06. Do they have any hobbies that their lover finds unusual, odd, or otherwise annoying?

Asra isn't too keen on how Imalia likes to go raid bandit camps and rob them blind.  He finds it a bit rude.

07. Is there a catchphrase or sound that they tend to make a lot (likely without being aware of it)?

"Fuck this fucking fuckery."

08. What is, perhaps, their biggest flaw? Are they aware of this or oblivious to it?

Her biggest flaw is also her greatest strength.  Her overconfidence.  With her magic, she has to hold to "I think therefore I am."  If she thinks she can do it, she actually can do it.  But sometimes she can't.  And those are frightening times for her.  She is aware yet oblivious.  It's just who she is.  

09. Do they have a favorite season? What about a favorite holiday?

For the season, Imalia loves summer.  She loves the heat and the rain.  As for holiday...her favorite is any one where she can get drunk.

10. Is your character more feminine or masculine?

Masculine.  Her appearance is quite feminine, but her persona might as well be a boisterous man.  She treats Asra like a man would treat a woman, and he doesn't complain at all.  She makes him feel precious and wanted, protected and loved.  Respected and revered.  And he's completely comfortable letting her top him most of the time. ^_~

11. What is something that would make your character fly into a rage?

Say/do anything negative towards Asra or Azalea.  She will HARM you.

12. Is there some particular talent, skill, or attribute that they simply could not give up?

She could not live without her “Tea and Cookies” spell.  It's a summoning spell where she summons a platter of Orange Pekoe tea, shortbread cookies, and two cups.  The tea and cookies heighten clarity of thought.

13. What are your character’s sleeping habits? Heavy or light sleeper? Blanket stealer? One that always rolls onto the floor? Pushes their lover onto the floor? Sleep talker or walker?

Imalia sleeps like the dead, even though she's actually being tormented in her dreams.  At least she doesn't scream and thrash...damn Lon...

14. Do they live alone or with family? How do they feel about their family/roommates?

She lives in her estate with her servant Ben Du Vos and his daughter Avery.  She loves them as if they were her actual family since Ben has been serving her family since before she was born.  Avery is just cool as hell and very utilitarian.  Mal made Avery her personal assistant, and Avery became very good at acquiring hard to get reagents and ingredients.  Asra has been known to take advantage of this a time or two.  Avery doesn’t mind, especially if it means she will get to see Muriel.  x3 

15. Is there a certain person in this world that they cannot stand? The very mention of this person���s name makes them tremble with anger or fear.

Lucio.  Imalia and Lucio were a couple for three years, once upon a time.  It was the only time Imalia ever doubted every single thing she did.  Lucio had a bad habit of taking credit for everything amazing that Imalia did, and so she started to feel like part of the furniture.  So she left.  (In Lucio’s Route) When she learned that Lucio and Azalea were together, she thought she was going to go insane.  But he made Azalea happy, so she kept her venom at a minimum.  But she watched him like a hawk.

16. Is your character the athletic type or more of a couch potato? What are some sports/games that they like?

Athletic.  Imalia loves rock climbing, swimming, wrestling, competitive combat magic, and chess.  Yes, chess counts as a physical sport to her, because when she plays you have to do push-ups every time one of your pieces is taken.

17. Does your character have dreams of getting married and/or having children?

Perpetuating her family's bloodline is extremely important to Imalia, so of course, she wants to have children at the very least.  But when she and Asra finally got together, the dreams of marriage flared up like the sun.

18. What kind of home would they want to live in? Where would they place this abode?

She already has an amazing home.  Her estate is spacious, magically protected, and is situated far enough out of the city to where you can see the stars unhindered.  Plus she is near the people she loves most.

19. Would your character be the kind to get into fights? (physical or verbal) Would they be a good fighter or cave in rather easily?

Oh yes.  Imalia loves a good fight.  The more opponents, the better.  She is a superior combat mage, so she's going to win most of the time.

20. Does your character like animals? What are some of their favorite animals? Would they want pets? What about mythological creatures?

Imalia loves animals.  She is very partial to birds.  Her familiar is a phoenix named Balthazaar.  Balth is stubborn as hell, and he hates "burning day," the day he is supposed to die and rise from the ashes.  He will just draw it out, and start looking worse and worse each passing day.  You can usually hear Mal in her study yelling "Just die, Balth, you'll feel better afterward!!  Look, you're molting burning feathers all over my expensive maps!!"

21. What is one of your character’s biggest fears? How would they react when dealing with this fear?

She is afraid that Lon will go against their contract and kill not only Imalia, but her loved ones as well and trap them forever in her realm of torture.  She keeps this fear to herself because she really doesn't want to make her loved ones afraid of her.

22. What kind of tattoos, piercings, birthmarks, freckles, and other such unique physical features do they have?

Imalia is covered head to toe with invisible magical tattoos that flare up when she utilizes them.  They are various swirling designs and arcane symbols.  She has two visible magical tattoos, one on each hip.  One is her keys (a big honking keyring with around 20 keys on it), and the other is a jeweled Flask of Requirement (it makes any drink she needs.  It has actually made Lime Gatorade for her before; she HATES the taste but likes how it makes her feel better).  She touches the tats, and the object they display appears in her hand.  If she loses the object, it reappears on her skin within 24 hours.  Her basic vanity tattoo is her family crest on her left shoulder.  She has nine facial piercings.  Four rose gold studs over each eyebrow, and one rose gold labret piercing.  She also has pierced earlobes.  Each piece of jewelry she wears is enchanted.

23. What is your character like when it comes to school? What subjects are they good/bad at? Do they get in trouble a lot or are well behaved?

Imalia thrives at school.  She is a certified genius and teaches once a week at Prakra's Magical University.  She is well behaved for the most part, but very eccentric.

24. In their own words, how would your character describe what their lover is like?

"Asra is the star that always guided me, but was always too far out of reach.  Until one day it floated from the sky and landed in my adoring palm."

25. Is there something traumatic from your character’s past that greatly affects them even to this day?

Her father's death during the Red Plague.  She misses his advice and boundless love.  She misses his boisterous laugh and the loud sound of his footsteps throughout the estate.  She misses having him in her corner no matter what.

26. What is their lover like sexually? How do they feel about their lover’s quirks, needs, etc?

Asra is a switch and Imalia is totally fine with it.  She is mostly a dom herself, but when Asra just HAS to dom her, she is more than happy to oblige him.  Anything he needs, she will provide.  He needs to be pegged?  She will just magically grow a dick and give every inch to him.  He needs to be treated like a princess?  Well lay right down love, and let me get to work.  He needs to rail her from behind until she sees stars?  Let's go for this constellation!  He needs a slow long fuck that leaves him breathless?  How many times would you like to cum, darling?

27. If your character was going to get arrested, what would be the most likely reason for it?

Public disturbance, destruction of property, magical assault.  >:)  "What, officer, that guy was BEGGING me to blow up his store."

28. If your character became a celebrity, what would they be famous for?

Well...she kind of is a celebrity in her home country of Sairuun (Say-Roon).  She's a princess.  She's famous for that, as well as surviving a mass assassination attempt on her whole family (the whole reason she lives in Vesuvia and not Sairuun; her entire family minus her cousin and her parents were killed; got to make sure at least one survives).  But her main claim to fame in Sairuun is the fact that she can cast the exact same spells as her famous ancestor, Lina Inverse.  Once a year, during the Festival of Inverse, she casts a Dragon Slave for the whole kingdom to watch.  From the safety of a mountain.

29. What is one of the most courageous things your character has ever done for a loved one?

She allowed herself to be possessed by the Lord of Nightmares in order to save the life of her cousin, Queen Dreen Suval of Sairuun.  Dreen had been possessed by the remnants of Dark Star, a horrid monster of god-like power.  The only thing that could defeat him was his creator, the Lord of Nightmares.  Imalia called upon Lon to save Dreen, and Lon decided to take up permanent residence inside Imalia until Lon could create a new body for herself.  The mother of all monsters lives in Mal because Mal couldn't let her cousin be destroyed.

30. When it comes to the arts (music, film, theater, etc), what does your character like?

Imalia LOVES music.  She loves to tour Vesuvia and find all of the street performers.  She and Asra have had some of the best dances to the music of the streets.

31. Would your character be the kind capable of killing? Would they enjoy killing or only use it when necessary or, perhaps, refuse to kill no matter what?

Not even going to lie.  Mal is a killer.  She kills, and doesn't feel bad for it.  She won't kill needlessly, but if the person/thing has done some horrible stuff...bitch misused their gift of life and has to die.

32. If your character’s lover offered to take them out on a dream date, what would they want to do?

Go to the library in Sairuun and spend all day perusing the tomes.

33. If your character wanted to be alone, where would they go?

Imalia can teleport anywhere she wants to within a specific distance, and she has a portal to take her anywhere farther.  If she needs to be alone, she will usually go to the seaside of Vesuvia, outside of the city.

34. Does your character have favorite foods? (breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, snacks, etc)

She loves hot pot.  A big ol sizzling bowl full of seafood and savory vegetables.

35. Is your character afraid of death? If they got to choose how to die, how would they want to go?

Imalia definitely doesn't want to die.  But if she has to, she would want it to mean something.  Save someone she loves.  Make a change.  Tear a hole in the fabric of reality.  Anything that would scream "I WAS HERE, DAMMIT AND I DID WELL!"

36. Does your character have any medical conditions? Are they serious or minor? Do they affect their day to day life?

Not really, but whenever she uses Lon's power she ends up vomiting charcoal for a little while since her power literally burns Mal up from the inside out.  However, she won't die from it, since Lon would die with her.

37. What are some of your character’s pet peeves? What are some things that annoy them or disgust them?

She HATES controlling parents.  If she sees a parent helicoptering their child, she will either scream them deaf or storm from the room.

38. What kind of weather does your character like? Cloudy skies, rainy days, sunshine, etc?

A rainy day followed by glorious sunlight.  She can really feel the sun giving her power on those days.

39. When people look at your character, is there some assumption they might make about them just by appearance? Is that assumption correct?

She looks mischevious.  Yes.  She very much is.

40. Does your OC have any guilty pleasures they enjoy? Hobbies, past times, music, etc that they wouldn’t want known by others?

She actually loves to dress up for parties and balls.  She knows she has a great body and she does like to flaunt it.

41. Does your character’s family affect your character in any way?

YES.  Mal's mother Narsa was a tiger mom and outright abused Mal when she was young.  To Narsa, Mal's one duty was to marry someone important.  She didn't need any other goal than that.  If Mal couldn't sit still or carry herself exactly the way Narsa wanted, Narsa would strike Mal's fingers with a reed.  She broke Mal's fingers several times, and Mal did require magical surgery to correct improper bone healing in her hands.  As a result, Imalia didn't have any real self-confidence for a long while.  And Mal's father didn't help since he bowed to the whims of his wife.  Dating Lucio had been just to please her mother, and after that ended Mal finally told her mother off and left to pursue her own dreams of attending Prakra's University.  Mal's father and mother divorced shortly after that.

42. Is there anything in your character’s past that they regret, haunts them, or they wish they could change?

She wishes she could have stopped the Plague before it took hold in Vesuvia.  Losing both her father and Azalea tore her heart apart.  Even after Asra brought Azalea back, Imalia still regretted her father's passing and will apologize to his portrait randomly.

43. Does your character have a switch that changes aspects of their personality whether they are around friends, family, etc. Is there someone who gets to see their true self?

When visiting her cousin Dreen in Sairuun, Imalia tends to be prim and proper, very diplomatic.  When the two of them are alone, they throw all pretention to the wind and curse and drink and smoke and imbibe...substances.  Dreen is her oldest and dearest friend, and Imalia is so glad that they are also related.  However, her true vulnerable self is only seen by Azalea.  The part of her that questions herself and where she is going in life.  The part that misses and loves so deeply that it hurts.  Azalea is Imalia's soul mate, even though they aren't romantically involved.

44. Is there a particular event that would emotionally devastate your character?

If Azalea were to die again.  Imalia would not be able to handle it.  She would seclude herself from everyone and swear off all magic forever.

45. Is your character the kind to hide their true emotions or do they wear their heart on their sleeve?

Imalia hides her true feelings.  When she realized that she was in love with Asra, she kept it locked up tight inside.  She's good at putting on a front and will suffer the consequences indefinitely.  True feelings give others power over you, and since she has a fucking nightmare goddess inside her, that would be devastating.  But she will eventually come to terms with her feelings and express them.

46. What is some random affectionate thing that your character always does to their lover?

Whenever she passes Asra, she will trail a finger down the center of his back.  She loves how it gives him goosebumps every single time.

47. Is your character outgoing? Would they be the leader of the friend group, or the quiet one that gets dragged along?

She's the leader, no mistake.  She's the one doing the dragging and the one that everyone looks to when shit turns south.

48. Is there anything in particular that would ignite your character’s jealousy? Or does your character not get envious?

If Lucio ogled Asra.  She would get right in Lucio's face and hiss "You want to keep those eyes, goat boy?"  Other than that, she's not jealous.  Asra loves her and that is enough.

49. What is something that your character has nightmares about? Are these frequent? Do they heavily affect your character’s mood?

Every time Imalia sleeps she has the worst nightmares due to Lon.  Lon can't control Imalia in any way, as per the terms of their contract.  However Imalia's sleep is Lon's playground, and she does every cruel and horrendous thing you can think of to her.  Yes, even that.

50. If your character confessed love to their crush, boyfriend, girlfriend, etc, what would they say?

"Asra, you are my starlit sky, my fresh Spring rain, my guiding light.  Without you, my heart aches so much I can't bear it.  You calm my mind, refresh my energy, and stay my hand when it wishes to strike.  I love you.  I love you SO. DAMN. MUCH."

[jumpboy-rembrandt]

do you have any taz fic recs? especially taakitz or blupjeans!!

i am very sorry for how long this took!! i am an old lady who stores her bookmarks in browser, and after figuring out how to transfer them from phone to laptop, i realized i would have to carefully review all 65!! this took most of the day.

disclaimer: i tried to focus mostly on the ships you mentioned, but i got distracted by some of the really good gen fic i keep around. it’s just. it’s my favorite you guys.

apologies if you’ve already read all of these – i’m not sure what the trends of the fandom are. if all else fails, here’s a link to posts tagged both fic and blupjeans, and here’s one for fic and taakitz. i also have a fic rec tag that includes a few things i apparently never bookmarked properly!! check that out too :)

blupjeans:

watch me stumble over and over by rosesandspades713

2k // the stolen century

lup and barry get together, with taako working both sides into talking to each other

just a little change by writingismycoffee

5k // tsc

barry gets a mustache and lup hates it. mostly silly, but the reason she hates it is much worse than she first thought.

barry and lup; a collection of firsts by potatolord

10k // mainly tsc

a very sweet, very well-written compilation of important moments in lup and barry’s romance

the phoenix flame by alatarmaia4

32k // PRINCESS BRIDE AU

i’ll be honest, my shitty memory doesn’t allow me to remember the story very well, but from what i can remember it kicks major ass and julia is in it at the end. also, it’s a princess bride au. of course it’s great.

taakitz:

wouldn’t have it any other way by theplace

8k // between eleventh hour and suffering game

taako and kravitz have a nice night out, except there’s a surprise waiting back at the moonbase. kravitz meets the family, and there’s only some mild angst by way of dramatic irony.

(when i think about you) flowers grow out of my grave by piraete

30k // flower shop/mortician au

krav needs to find a new flower shop for work and accidentally meets a very cute elf who needs a date to his friends’ wedding. taako and magnus are friends with carey, killian, hurley, and sloane, plus little ango is present. very very good fic.

of all the stars and sunrises i’ve seen by untrustworthyglitch

7k // post-canon

taako never ceases to impress kravitz

the queen’s command by anonymous-moose

2k // post-canon

very short and cute. the raven queen is disappointed in her son.

twins and their boys:

the worst candlenights ever by weevilo707

40k // college au

both taakitz and blupjeans. contains: kravitz owning a literal raven, readers living vicariously through fictional characters, and the best barry ever written.

commitment issues by anonymous puzzler

6k // stolen century and post-canon

the twins aren’t used to permanence. here are two times they discuss it. includes teasing and doubt and sappiness. it’s very good.

counting days by violentsarcasm

3k // stolen century and post-canon

sort of the inverse of the previous one: both twins are romantic nerds. also discusses lup’s time in the umbrastaff.

character studies:

i have loved the stars too fondly by quilly

26k // pre-canon and tsc

an incredible character study of davenport. legitimately one of the best fics ever written. i know you’re looking for romance, but this is a work of art.

head of the flock by teacuptaako

2k // pre-canon and tsc

a character study of lup. “the universe owes lup interest. it owes her fifteen dollars, minimum.”

because that’s what love is (equivalent exchange) by teacuptaako

6k // tsc

technically blupjeans, but it’s mostly about barry’s relationship with taako. it’s wonderfully written with a unique take on taako and makes me feel things no matter how many times i reread it.

still here by bluemoodblue

9k // post-canon

taako and lup recover together

caleb cleveland and the case of the missing memories by vigs

3k // pre-crystal kingdom

kiiind of a character study? a very clever interpretation of how angus found the bureau. it is fully adopted into my headcanon. note: it is technically a wip, but i think it’s complete enough to enjoy.

family fics

evocative by blackwiresonherhead

3k // stolen century and pre-canon

lucretia misses her family. when she misses her family, she eats. a wonderful fic about lucretia’s relationship with the twins.

the academy by lesetoilesfous

18k // pre-canon (on two-sun world)

i really, really love this fic. it’s ipre-as-family (specifically the twins, magnus, and barry) and it’s really cute and sweet and they support each other and i love it

pieces set to fall by weatheredlaw

9k // post-canon

i’ll tell you up front. everyone dies in this fic. it is sad but sweet, and you will probably cry.

that being said, it really is a beautiful story about taako saying goodbye.

kindness won’t save anyone by kitahart

pre-stolen century // 5k

taako is sick and his friends are worried! a thb as family fic. angst and comfort.

the game is already lost by altschmerzes

9k // written pre-suffering game

fluff-without-plot. taako needs affection from his friends and doesn’t realize how much they love him. i think this is the top-rated fic on ao3 so you’ve probably already read it, but it was the first taz fic i read and i cherish it.

puzzle pieces by dareandwriteit

19k // written pre-stolen century

angus is beloved by so, so many people. it is nearly 20k of pure, unadulterated fluff. please enjoy.

let angus mcdonald be a child by idgahufflefuck

5k // pre-stolen century

what it says on the package! thb start mothering angus. warning for bad eating habits in the fourth chapter.

things that will not break by rqtheory

2k // pre-stolen century

magnus and taako are worried about angus’s supposed lack of parents

other

well, that’s what you get by pierianabeyance

2k // post-canon

lup just kicking the shit out of sazed. in the wise words of the author, “write the ass kicking you want to see in the world. even if you don't Ever Fucking Proofread It”.

AND OF COURSE: if you’ve been on my blog for more than a few seconds, you already know this but go here and read everything

[thelioninmybed]

A billion replies from like two weeks ago

nihilsupernum replied to your post “I wrote this a billion years ago for Em and June and never posted? idk...”

this is so fucking relatable frankly

I aspire to relatable fucking and of all my fic I suppose this isn’t the worst one to find relatable! (show of hands, which would be the worst? ...was it the severed hand hand job?)

nihilsupernum replied to your link “Childish Things - TheLionInMyBed - The Silmarillion and other...”

not only did this make me cry, which is not in itself particularly remarkable, it made me feel shame about it, which is

Why are you ashamed of THIS though and not of telling me about your failed desk sex

nihilsupernum replied to your post “Previously: 1, 2, 3 “You always were my favourite nephew,” Fingolfin...”

alright but fingon would totally handle being a POW better than maedhros bc he’d just be like “yeah this was probably going to happen eventually, what with, you know, my everything”

idk, Fingon can handle a lot of things but he doesn’t strike me as one for hanging around

imindhowwelayinjune replied to your post “The Russian fandom over on ficbook.net probably asked me for this AU,...”

wine mom maedhros. the copper circlet, you fiend. maglor as gleeful as a bag of dicks for scoring a single hand pun. THESE BE THE GREAT AND NOBLE, OF THE ROYAL HOUSE, AH YES

The copper circlet is mandatory, how else you can tell he’s GREAT AND NOBLE when he’s fucking drunk on vinegar at three in the afternoon. 

theotherwesley replied to your post “character (other than luthien *lol* because that's canon) most likely...”

Melkor: DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO

I mean, it’s your dick (pseudopod?) my dude...

rio-abajo-rio replied to your post “The Russian fandom over on ficbook.net probably asked me for this AU,...”

whoa it's truly horrifying I'm impressed... I dread to think what would come after... but hope Fingon would be happy.... somehow... somehow... and thank you very much for this gift for us))

I figure as long as one of them is wearing a crown to bed, they can figure shit out <3

imindhowwelayinjune replied to your post “maglor vs. maeglin”

I know I'm a deviant but don't throw terms like 'in the sack' around for me to willfully misinterpret

I don’t see Maglor/Maeglin going any better for anyone than Maglor vs Maeglin. Probably way way worse. 

mywoesaregranular replied to your post “lion, I had a terrible thought: what if maglor in terrible dads AU had...”

This is so fking sick I love itttt

TY for enjoying this Found Family fluff. 

chestnut-podfic replied to your post “Bree the Horse vs Bill the Horse”

"turn the stables"

How dare you.

curufins-smile replied to your post “lion, I had a terrible thought: what if maglor in terrible dads AU had...”

maglor. maglor no. stop.

Shhh. Let him parent. 

simaethae replied to your post “lion, I had a terrible thought: what if maglor in terrible dads AU had...”

this is AWFUL i love how it goes from actually sort of cute to this nightmare parody of it?? aaaa

Maglor is probably thinking this somewhere in the back of his mind but he can’t stop now, someone cut the breaks. 

imindhowwelayinjune replied to your post “Bree the Horse vs Bill the Horse”

flawless reasoning, also agreed that this is only accomplished with atheist bree, after which the town would kick his butt

also i scrolled through your blog searching for what prompted this but have concluded that you just get an inverse type of anon, the kind that generate the meme prompt before it's even been posted.

Either the anon is a time traveller or fucking tumblr mobile is screwing up my inbox again with future asks, ugh. 

vardasvapors replied to your post “Bree the Horse vs Bree the Town”

…..yes

I hope you’re not being sarcastic because you having asked is the least scary option.

imindhowwelayinjune replied to your post “lion, I had a terrible thought: what if maglor in terrible dads AU had...”

This is. A very good Halloween story.

God I have such crawls (but also the fuckin arid way you voice Maedhros is my FAVORITE)

Maedhros is arid because Maglor hid his wine again, the fucker. 

berrysphase replied to your post “berrysphase replied to your quote “We could have a lot of fun with...”

thank goodness for the diversity of human thought, I mean, I for one never would have thought to mash up the venus of willendorf with a dildo, and the world would have been the lesser for it

I think lesser is the right word

It’s a wonderful world! As in, to quote Pratchett, it provokes wonder. 

theotherwesley replied to your post “berrysphase replied to your quote “We could have a lot of fun with...”

she's beautiful

She’s for sale! ...when they get back from the artists, I am NOT looking forward to the days ahead.