#THIS lorenzo is purely bad. he never turns good

[0itmelex0]

OC HALLOWEEN CHALLENGE day four ❯❯ twisted

featuring lorenzo willingham adrik turgenev as a high ranking heartrender; a devout and loyal soldier of the darkling

[unmarlou]

time to pretend.

pairings. slytherins x fem!reader

summary. a typical day at the summer house.

lacy says. saltburn inspo but no bath water :/ this is bad lol purely for the aesthetic.

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"oi!"

the morning sun was beaming down stronger than yesterday. your sunglasses weren't even enough to keep you from squinting, though the book in your hands did good job if held at the right angle. and had it not been for the towel between, your skin would've been sticking to the lawn chair.

"morning blaise..." pansy said dreamily at your right. she was still half asleep.

you looked over your shoulder and saw blaise approaching, draco in tow. "didn't even bother to tell us you were out here, i see."

"we wanted you to get your beauty sleep, darling. nice swim trunks." they had tiny hula girls on them.

"i am a man of fashion." he plopped himself at the chair to your left, adjusting his shorts and sunglasses. he flashed a smile - a pretty one that only he could own and flaunt regardless the time of day. he quickly nudged your leg and pointed to draco, who sat at pansy's feet.

he was covered in noticeable amounts of sunscreen, head to toe. not only with a look of distain on his face but his slouch conveyed a message just fine on its own.

involuntarily a snort escaped, followed by stifled laughs.

"oh shut up."

even pansy, who was curled on her side away from everyone, sticking her hand out to some small animal, laughed, "we're only admiring you.”

all he could do was roll his eyes.

"stolen my chair then, have you?"

everyone’s attention turned to the voice, only to see enzo, also in his bathing suit, holding a platter of fruit. he almost looked like the cover of a magazine your mother wouldn't let you buy.

glancing over the back of the chair you could see mattheo and theodore walking in the field, talking lazily, probably sharing their first hellos of the day.

lorenzo placed the silver plate down on the small table between the chairs. you had asked him to bring something to eat expecting a piece of toast, though with him, you should've known better.

"well we can share, you know?"

"thank you, enzo."

he gave you a quick nod and wink, his way of saying no problem, never wanting to make a big deal out of gestures he found to be the minimum in his friendships.

"want me to sit on your lap then, blaise?"

draco rang on your left, "past a strawberry… please."

your arm extended to him, presenting three instead of just one. he cracked a reluctant smile, always surprised at how well you all knew him, never letting him stay miserable for long, "thanks."

a new shadow appeared on the ground in front of you causing you to peer up and greet theodore, "fruit?"

he shook his head, eyes still puffy and barely open, indicating he had just awoken. he stretched and rested his hands on either side of yours and pansy's chairs. bringing his forehead down to his left hand, he seemed to be taking a chance at sleep again.

"theo's had a rough morning."

you turned again and almost cackled at the sight of lorenzo sitting in blaise's lap, and mattheo sitting in lorenzo's. you could've sworn you saw the chair slightly give way under their weight.

pansy teased, "but an excellent night, isn't that right, teddy?"

he groaned loudly. drinking was never his strong-suit. he could roll and smoke all day, even on his worst, but going shot-for-shot was something he did only when feeling the most audacious. and something he always came to regret.

he shuffled his way to the small dock at the pond in front of you. eyes still closed, he laid down on the edge, his arm hanging over and into the water.

"hangover so bad he had to reconnect with nature."

“we’ve all been there.”

you smiled idly. placing the book on your stomach, not even considering an odd tan line. tilting your head back, your eyes closed.

a breeze blew, giving your skin a break from the exhausting heat it was under. you could feel the full trees above sway, and hear the water of the pond move with theodore’s helping hand. the low indistinct chatter of your friends simply background noise to remind you you weren’t alone in this oasis.

most mornings were like this. easy and quiet, any and all problems excluded from this place, this bubble of a world you had. if ever asked what moment you wished you could relive again and again, it would always be this.

-

the large, wall lining, arched windows of the left wing hallway made it the sunniest place in the house at this time of day. and the cold tile felt nice under your concrete-burnt feet.

the windows were wide open, allowing the plants and hung-dry linens of the courtyard to creep in and fill the corridor with a scent that could make one nostalgic for a place and time they’ve never even been.

your steps were the only sound until they multiplied. by the cadence of the walk, you knew who it was.

“theodore feeling any better?”

“loads,” in the corner of your eye you could see him pull a cigarette out and spark a light, he took a long drag before continuing, “gave him one of my cures.”

you shuddered, twisting your face. mattheo had an affinity for putting ingredients in a pot, mixing it up, and saying it would fix any and all problems. sometimes you thought even he didn’t believe his own words, he just liked seeing your face contort in disgust. “let me know when his tail starts growing.”

entering the room at the end of the hall, the sound of the shower running became clear. the french doors of the back wall were open, allowing air to flow freely.

you spun on your heel and allowed yourself to fall onto the four-poster, now staring at the charm displayed up on the canopy. one you recognized, as all your parents used to do it when you were children; a depiction of the night sky, to lull you to sleep and wish you sweet dreams.

mattheo was on his stomach next to you, carefully tapping ashes off the side of the bed. in the lighting of the room you could see how summer had be treating him, skin tanned by the sun, while his hair only got lighter. he tapped your arm for your attention, and pointed to the bathroom, furrowing his brows.

“pansy.” you answered.

an oh formed on his face.

the sound of wind chimes rang in the distance, accompanied by tree leaves brushing against each other, and birds singing softly. there were actually a few birds gathered at the small balcony just outside the french doors. they always seemed to gravitate towards pansy, all the beauty in life resided to her.

“i wonder what snape is doing right about now.”

you groaned, putting your hands over your face, trying to hide from the imagine of your professor in your mind, “don’t mention him, his energy will invade the space.”

“say his name three times and he’ll appear, you know!” pansy’s shouting voice carried into the room. there was actually no need for her to, you could hear her perfectly fine seeing as the bathroom door was wide open; she hated having it closed, never wanting to be separated from the rest of world for too long.

you shouted back, “says she who flirts with him for a higher grade!”

“it’ll work one day, just you wait!”

this was true, she was absolutely convinced she could charm her way to at least Exceeds Expectations. not that anything had given her an indication it had worked in the past. or ever.

mattheo sat up, almost choking on his laugh, “just do what enzo does, pretend your best friends with him.”

the shower turned off, followed by long rustled movement before she walked out. she held a stark white towel to her body, water droplets coming off her hair and onto her freckled collarbones. “does it work?”

he ran a hand through his hair while reaching to put his cig out on the bedside ashtray, “ ‘course not. but easier to watch and keep the lunch down than your attempts.”

she made a face before opening one of the dresser drawers next to her and chucking a pair of balled-up socks at him.

suddenly the door bursted open, presenting blaise and lorenzo. they wore cheesy smiles and had their arms extended out beside themselves, “OUR DINNER OUTFITS!”

both were still wearing their swim trunks from earlier in the day, yet this time accompanied by suit jackets, ties, - that certainly did not match and they definitely dug up from the attic - dress shoes, and jewelry to go with. theo ran up behind and wrapped a boa around blaise’s neck.

“no fair! i want one!”

“there’s a whole lot more in the boxes we found, hurry up and we’ll get you one.”

“didn’t think to include me, then?”

“those have to be at least 60 years old.”

“jesus enz, what kinda parties did your dad used to throw?”

he flopped on the bed, a dust cloud emerging from the jacket, causing you to cough and wave your hand through the air. “no clue,” he leaned closer to you, showing his wrist, “but look at this fancy watch i found.”

it looked as old as time.

“no doubt you’re sweating enough for all of us in those?” draco leaned on the doorframe.

“would be unnatural if we weren’t.”

pansy walked to the armoire, and shuffled her hanging clothes along until she found what she was looking for: a silk black dress. she picked the hanger off the rack and walked it over the french doors, putting on the doorframe. she turned to everyone’s eyes on her and shrugged, “might as well.”

-

playing dress up was always fun, especially when all the glamour was real. watches and diamonds, boas and silks.

the dining hall was lit, wall to expansive wall with candles. the curtains up high drawn back, displaying the rising moon. the long table in the center was decorated with the most gorgeous grand arrangement.

the house elves had absolutely outdone themselves, platters of food spanning each end of the table. and though you didn’t see much of them, you made a mental note to seek at least one out and thank them.

after more digging around and even a trip to the attic, which made you consider taking a second shower of the day, you had found the best box of all; charles berkshire’s record collection. bowie, zeppelin, beatles, queen - it was a 60s/70s wet dream. so for the first time in what must’ve been years, the gramophone record player of the dining hall was to be put to use.

with everyone now standing at their respective seats, prosecco was to be poured.

mattheo, who sat on the right head of the table, was the one to open it; he always was. his naturally mischievous smile was one to be admired, especially when each of you wore the same one. with a big POP! he went around and filled everyone’s flutes - although you all cheered, the night hadn’t started just yet.

each with your drinks, lorenzo danced over to the record player and placed the needle down. a night at the opera began. he slowly turned to face you all once again, raising his glass and walking back to his seat, the left head of the table. all other glasses were then raised high, and his role as host was to be fulfilled, “live forever!”

“live forever!” you chorused, arms extending closer to each other before cheers erupted once again, louder this time, accompanying the crescendo of death on two legs. cups were brought to mouths, and taking your first sip you could’ve sworn you recognized that phrase, somewhere in the deep recesses of your mind, but couldn’t seem to place it.

pulling chairs forward, everyone was sat. looking around, under the immense candle light their faces had a new glow, one that filled you with an unexplainable excitement. the night had begun.

the feast was lovely, you all agreed it must’ve been the best you’d ever had. though you could’ve just been drunk and hungry.

“this is the best food i’ve ever tasted.”

“best.” emphasized lorenzo.

mattheo covered his mouth, still chewing, “never been better.”

this conversation happened multiple times since you had started eating. each time blaise ended it by saying, “god we sound like our parents.”

the room smelled like the extravagant parties back home, the boys smoking their macanudo’s - inspirado black’s, they swore by - leaving strong cigar smoke lingering above you. pansy had drank enough to pull out her cigarettes, and one was passed around the table. your glass was bottomless, literally, allowing your feeling of weightlessness to continue.

the conversations around were indecipherable, you just sat picking at whatever food was left on your plate, intent on listening to the music in the background. the record player was enchanted, never needing for someone to get up and change the record; once the needle was down, and an album was over, a new one would take its place.

you took another sip of whatever it was in your glass, listening to the end of some song, what was going to play next didn’t even cross your mind until the beginning chords of a new one rang out. standing up suddenly, causing your drink to slightly spill on the hard wood, you gasped, “this SONG.”

your arm immediately shot out to pansy, who looked up at you mid-drag and smiled. you couldn’t even remember what song it was or where you had heard it before but you knew it was imperative to give it its own moment. meeting each other halfway, arms waiting for the other person and giggling, your hands interlocked with hers.

dancing, spinning around, and laughing; you had never felt so blissfully unaware. or dizzy.

more bodies appeared around the two of you, but ones you knew well and invited with the most love one could feel for another person. blaise’s boa wrapped around him and draco as they danced and sang, theodore holding a bottle of champagne while mattheo bent lower to waterfall it, and enzo grabbing both yours and pansy’s hands to spin you simultaneously.

you weren’t sure who’s laugh was who’s, or what song was playing, who’s hand you were holding, or what drink was being poured, not like any of it mattered. once again you had entered a bubble, impenetrable from the outside world.

-

the library couch was the comfiest in the whole chateau. the fire had been crackling for some time, accompanied by lorenzo’s piano playing on the west wall. he was actually the best you’d ever heard, though he shyly kept his talent close to his chest - until the proper moments.

you watched the embers pop off the fire mindlessly, not thinking about anything in particular. a book sat in your lap but it had been forgotten long ago, your unfocused eyes unable to retain the words. they were however able to travel upwards to the painting on the mantle, for the first time you truly looked at it - it was a group of people, slightly older than yourself. you immediately recognized lorenzo’s father, although here he was more handsome, his son certainly took after him. searching farther you spotted a woman, and after some staring you deduced it was bellatrix, her cheekbones being the exact same as mattheo and enzo. she truly was beautiful, regardless of the sinister look she was giving through the paint. you couldn’t make out the others, though you noted a boy, who was definitely younger than the rest, with curls that fit his face well and a solemn expression that carried a worlds worth of weight.

mattheo and draco sat on the rug, silently playing chess. they had become more and more fond of muggle chess as the summer went on.

pansy was sprawled out on the lounge chair to your right, the spaghetti straps of her dress daring to slip off her shoulders. her eyes were closed as she hummed - incorrectly - to the piano. she hung her head over the edge, causing her bangs to fall off her face, and her now open green eyes found yours. your smiles matched each other.

blaise, who was seated next to you on the couch, had his legs resting on the ottoman. he was holding a letter from his mother that had arrived a couple days ago, just now finding the time to read it. theodore was in the opposing lounge chair, eating the chocolates that accompanied the letter. she had sent them just for him - his favorites from honeydukes he had sorely missed. he watched mattheo and draco’s game intently.

“play that last one again.” you had called out to enzo.

he scooted his chair and looked over his shoulder, “liebestraum no. 3?”

“sure.”

“you like liszt?”

you paused, turning to face him and furrowing your brows in obvious confusion, before replying to the best of your ability, “…i like you?”

he gave a smile that was only reserved for you. liebestraum no. 3 began again.

you slumped down on your side, your feet now hitting blaise’s clothed thigh, he gave a tap to your ankle, indicating recognition but not taking his eyes off the letter. with your ear now against the armrest, your breathing slowed.

you focused on every sound. the chess pieces gliding across the wood board followed by draco’s or mattheo’s huffs of concentration, the faraway wind chime carrying in through the open window, lorenzo playing that piece you had grown to love in the last few minutes, the pops of fire, pansy’s subtle soft humming, and the crinkle of the papers blaise held.

your eyes closed, whether voluntarily or not you weren’t sure, but you didn’t fight it. overwhelming comfort and content had taken you, warmth from all over allowing absolute relaxation.

-

“hey… hey, wake up.”

“y/n… y/n…”

the harsh nudge of your arm made you open your eyes. squinting up, you could make out blaise and theodore. you, unintentionally, matched their tone by whispering back to them, “what?”

“wake up, we’re going for a swim.” blaise flashed you the same smile from the morning, it was so genuine even your groggy mind thought of how you’d never know anyone else with one like that. theo had moved on to wake pansy.

draco’s voice came from behind the couch, “she awake?” before an answer came he peered over from above and your eyes met, “lovely. now get pans and let’s go.”

sitting up and looking around you finally realized why everything looked different - the fire had gone out. now the only light was the full moon shining through the windows. the room was coated in silver.

you rubbed your eyes harshly to adjust and looked over to see pansy doing the same, “what do you want again?” her voice was raspy and tired.

“swimming.” you answered, standing up with the help of blaise’s hand. once to your feet you realized you were still in your dinner attire, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. you stuck an arm out to her. grasping it and standing, she opened her eyes wide and blinked rapidly. her voice was abruptly normal again, “well c’mon then.”

the boys were close behind the two of you, exiting the library. the entire manor was the same coloring of silver and blue. any other place and you would’ve been creeped out and uneasy, but in this place with these people, you could never feel anything other than safe.

going your separate ways from them to change, you and pansy walked the corridors, chatting nonsensically.

entering your room, you undressed quickly, happy to get the confining dress clothes from what seemed like hours ago, off of your body. you picked a bathing suit from drawers, tossing one to pansy too, who couldn’t be bothered to go to her room. both of you helped the other tie their suit.

voices in the hall approached your door, before a series of knocks. you both called back, “yeah?”

draco’s head peered in cautiously, before noticing you both were clothed, then opening the door fully to reveal the others. he held his arm up, “we’ve got towels, come on.”

all the boys said some iteration of come on and let’s go, eager to get out. rushing, you both were handed towels. excited chatter overtook the group, voices echoing and bouncing off the expansive walls. lorenzo appeared suddenly from the back, running, and yelling at the top of his lungs.

this triggered a domino effect, everyone was now chasing each other down the halls. something in the back of your mind told you to look around, and when you did, it seemed as though childhood had come back. playing games and having races with the same people that ran beside you now. watching their faces as they passed you saw summers long gone, of late night swims and early sun-basking mornings, dress up dinners and quiet library lounging. you ran and ran and ran.

your bare feet hit the concrete of the patio before hitting the dewy grass. though night, it was still warm, humidity latched to your skin. you had joined hands with blaise, a silent agreement. the moonlight illuminated the pond, beckoning you to come forward. it was just a ways away.

lorenzo had made it first, his shout as he jumped in rattling everything in a 10 mile radius. for the rest of the summer he would go on to say that he had to have made the world record for largest splash.

mattheo was close behind, so close in fact you thought he might land on enzo’s head, though he resurfaced just in time to watch him jump in and moved out of the way.

you and blaise were next, hand-in-hand again, running off the dock, your screams silenced by the water. cold consumed your entire body for the first time in months. it was relieving to have your body soaked in something other than sunscreen or sweat. feeling the last of your friends enter after you, you opened your eyes and found them. swimming to each other, you grazed skin as if to say even in water, i’m right by your side. if you didn’t need air, you would’ve considered staying down there forever.

breaching the surface and taking a deep breath, you brushed all the hair out of your face. you looked around to find some with droplets combing through from their hair to their eyelashes, and others with water slicked-back hair. each was breathing as heavily as you, half from having to catch their breath, half from pure exhilaration.

water splashed from all directions, making you squint and do the same. you weren’t sure who was splashing you for the fun of it and who was splashing you because you had splashed them. yelps and laughs were echoing off the surrounding trees. the plants were drinking well tonight.

“let’s play chicken!” someone had shouted over all the noise. cheers of agreement erupted from the chorus and subsequently the excessive pushing of water was halted.

you had fond memories of chicken. it used to be the boys on the girls shoulders, back when they all were still shorter than pansy and you. but now they were taller and had built quidditch bodies. as much as you believed in yourself, you didn’t desire feeling a draco sized weight on your shoulders.

“girls versus boys!” you announced.

theo shrugged, “not much of a competition.”

blaise took him by the shoulder, “ay, beware of the black haired one, she likes to go for the eyes.”

it was decided you and pansy versus theodore and lorenzo. they were a great duo, the two of them were the beaters on the quidditch team. they surely knew how to work together.

theo stood behind enzo, waiting for him to dip underwater.

“oi try not to pull the hair, i’ve got a sensitive scalp.” enzo reached a hand up and combed the back his head. theo looked like he was going to say something, before just shaking his head and sighing, “m’sure i’ll manage.”

a countdown from three began, then hitting one, you and lorenzo went under. water engrossed your entirety once more. feeling pansys hand upon your shoulder for balance, then her leg, you held on. within less than a few seconds she was securely on and you rose. you took a big breath once again, pushing your hair out of your face. the boys were in sync with you.

almost immediately pansy and theo were at each others throats. their arms went up, interlocking, and their bodies casted a shadow on lorenzo and you. it was like a tiny pocket. shouts came from beside you; blaise, mattheo, and draco each yelling out what could’ve been tips but when shouting over each other it really just sounded like a bunch of nothing. you were pretty sure whatever they were saying was going to be unhelpful anyways.

between keeping your balance, trying to push enzo, and still treading, you were determined to win.

“ah! ow! STOP TRYING TO PUT YOUR FINGERS IN MY EYES!”

pansy clearly was as well.

it suddenly hit you who you were up against. this was lorenzo, the single most ticklish person you’d ever know. you weren’t sure why you hadn’t thought of it earlier. with a mischievous smile and lots of trust that pansy could remain on your moving shoulders, you reached to his bare stomach and began prodding at him.

just as you expected, he started to freak out. “hey! HEY!” he laughed between his shouts, “STOP- STOP THAT! NOT- FAIR!”

the boys on side were having a field day.

“ENZ!”

“I CANT-”

“DONT YOU DARE DROP ME.”

and with a strong push from pansy up top, and another prod to enzo’s side from you, both of their exclamation were stifled by gurgles of water.

pansy dived down, quickly coming up and hollering. cheers were shared all around, even from theo and enzo.

“let’s stick to quidditch.”

“agreed.”

in the midst of it all, you turned to face the house. it wasn’t foreign to any of you by any means, yet catching it in this moment you couldn’t help but feel amazed by its beauty. as if you were truly noticing it for the first time. it harbored your love within its stone. your love for this season, your love for this place, your love for these people. looking at the scene you saw your friends, you reached for them and they accepted, reaching for you. you heard their laughs, saw their smiles, and felt the same on yourself.

all in one breath you realized what lorenzo had said earlier was not just some toast; it was a definitive proclamation.

in this bubble of a world, you would live forever.

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navigation.

[thelightofthebane]

through the good and bad and all in between

Summary: Magnus was born a warlock. Magnus became a mundane for love and by self-sacrificing tendencies. Magnus turned into a vampire after an act of spite and revenge.

A story about survival, new identities, love through adversities, and accepting changes.

Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Episode: s03e17 Heavenly Fire, Vampire Magnus Bane, Turned without consent, Major Character Undeath, Immortal to Mortal to Immortal, Magnus Bane Deserves Nice Things, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Good Boyfriend Alec Lightwood, Soft Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Cat & Alec friendship, Domestic Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Fluff and Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending

Rating: E

Chapters: 10

Words: Around 23k~

This fic was created for the Shadowhunters Mini Bang 2023: Presented by the @malecdiscordserver

You can read it on AO3 or the second chapter below ~

Chapter 2 - You're my best friend and I want you to know I care

“Tell me.”

Alec’s voice was hoarse and he felt empty. Numb. Catarina and he were sitting next to each other, right across Magnus’ grave.

Magnus’ grave.

The mere thought of it was already enough to make him want to throw up, but actually seeing it? It was only Cat’s presence there that prevented him from falling apart entirely. Well, more than he’d already done.

Despair, sadness, anger, grief, other emotions he never felt in his life nor knew how to name, mixed together and suddenly burst out of him earlier when he had arrived at this peaceful haven.

Now… Now there was nothing.

“After you told me you couldn’t find him… I immediately went home and picked one of his belongings he left with me after Lorenzo kicked him out of the loft.” Cat quickly swiped away a tear that escaped, although like Alec she felt too jaded to react more. “It was very weak. I could feel him, but I couldn’t pinpoint exactly where he was. It took some time, and when I finally got a location, I opened a portal without thinking twice, stepped into it and then… then…”

An intense body shiver drew out a sob from her, and she had to hug herself.

“I saw them. All of them. There were about seven or eight vampires there. They were all over him. Drin…Drinking from him. By their red eyes, I guess they were all fledglings. Except one.” Cat’s face shut down for a moment, and a single emotion could be seen in her eyes in that moment. There wasn’t a single drop of sadness or grief anymore.

There was only rage.

Pure, unadulterated rage.    

“Her.”

Alec’s left eye twitched.

“Camille.”

Maybe if Alec had magic, he was certain he would have exploded something after hearing that name.

“I…” Cat swallowed hard. “I’m usually not one to lose control. I’m a healer, and I swore to never hurt another being. But in that moment, I lashed out. I had already lost Ragnor. I couldn’t lose Magnus, too. And I’m not as strong as Magnus was with his powers, but the shock wave was enough to knock out all those fledglings. But not her.”

Alec swore mentally. That cunning vampire b-

“She stumbled for a moment,” the warlock continued, unaware of Alec’s raging thoughts. “And then she looked at Magnus. I think she considered for a moment taking him and running away, but then she looked back at me and smirked. I’m sure… I’m sure she knew what choice I was going to make after realizing the predicament Magnus was under.”

Predicament. What an understatement.

“I hate that she could read me so easily.”

“You love him.” Alec murmured, his eyes never straying from Magnus’ name on the stone. “If not you, I’d have done it. I don’t care if Magnus would hate me after, I’m not losing him.”

“Good thing that he will hate me then.”

“He won’t. You’re his best friend and know him best than anyone. Even better than me. You have centuries of history together. I’m still too new for him. I don’t think he would’ve appreciated it.”

“You really underestimate your worth in Magnus’ life, don’t you? Even after he gave up on his magic to save your parabatai?”

“I never wanted this!” Alec yelled. Or tried to. It sounded more of a punched-out plea. “I only ever wanted him to be happy. After he lost his powers, I vowed to never let him hurt himself like that again. I wanted to protect him. I wanted to take care of him and build a family with him. I wanted to stay with him until my last breath.”

But he failed.

He failed.

He fucking failed and now Magnus was again the one paying the price.

Alec’s hands twitched. The urge to punch something until his skin broke and his bones cracked and he bled and bled and b–

“Stop!” Catarina snatched his hands and held them firmly with hers. “It’s not your fault what happened before or today. It was on Valentine and Jonathan and Lilith and Asmodeus. Now, the only culprit is that damn snake, and I swear that if I ever see her again, I’ll stake her myself.”

Alec huffed humorlessly. “I think you’d have to get into line.”

Catarina sobered then.

“We need to alert everyone about her return.”

Alec hummed. “I’ll issue a request to the Clave and put her head as a first-degree code red. She’ll be treated as a high dangerous criminal of the same level as Jonathan. All Institutes around the world will be alerted, and I’ll also ask some Downworlder leaders who are Magnus’ friends and know me in other states and countries to look around. Luke will know too so he can alert New York’s werewolves, and I’ll ask Raphael to talk to the vampires.”

“And the warlocks?”

“I was hoping you could help me there. I bet Lorenzo wouldn’t give a damn, especially if Magnus is involved.”

Cat nodded. “I’ll send a message to the Spiral Labyrinth. An attack against a fellow warlock is a serious crime, no matter if Magnus still had magic or not.”

“Thank you, Catarina.” Alec murmured, and suddenly his hands twitched under Cat’s. “Why aren’t you angry at me?”

At her cocked eyebrow, he explained.

“He gave up on his magic to save my parabatai. He did it to help me.”

“Not everything is about you and your group of Children of Angels, lover boy. Magnus was also feeling guilty for helping Lilith without knowing.”

“She tricked him!”

“And yet…” Cat sighed. “Look, this guilt game won’t help anyone. All of us have a role in it until it snowballed and came back to hit us in the ass.”

Alec frowned, turning confused eyes to her.

“It was me who suggested asking Asmodeus’ for help to Magnus.” The warlock confessed before sighing tiredly.

“Oh…”

“This is a mess.”

“I think it sums up everything pretty well,” Alec said dryly.

.

.

.

For another half an hour, they found comfort in their shared worry, grief and desperate hope that Magnus would hear the calling and come back to them, no matter if as a vampire now.

It was only after listening to a crow at the distance for some time that Alec decided to break the silence.

“Where are we?” He wasn’t in the best headspace before to ask Catarina. He just entered the portal she opened to him, not bothering to ask the destination. He could as well be in another dimension, and it wouldn’t matter as long as Magnus was also there.

“Ragnor’s home.”

Alec hummed. London outskirts then.

“I thought you had been here before.”

He shook his head. No, Clary and Jace had. The same day one of Magnus’ best friends died. And Alec… Alec was busy getting ready for a wedding that would bring him and Lydia unhappiness. By Raziel, he was so stupid…

He never had the opportunity to comfort Magnus, even if Alec was the last person the then warlock wanted to see back then.

“There isn’t a cemetery for Warlocks. Most request to be cremated and their ashes put into an urn and sealed in the Spiral Labyrinth. We don’t have relatives of blood to keep family crypts like you Shadowhunters. So, a long time ago, Ragnor, Magnus and I joked about being buried together somewhere. Magnus chose to bury Ragnor here, and I agreed. The wards here are strong, nobody else besides me and Magnus have access to this place. Ragnor has been resting in peace here.”

“And since a vampire’s graves dirt can be used to summon them, or even used against them, this is the best place to protect Magnus’ too.”

“I’m glad Magnus chose a smart one.” Cat tried to tease him, but Alec’s lips barely ticked upward.

He was still too raw.

So, he did what he knew best.

He deflected by occupying his mind with facts and things he could control.

“How Ragnor’s wards are holding up despite him being dead?”

“Ragnor was very clever. Under us, there is a ley line convergence. Ragnor entwined his own magic with it, creating a very powerful barrier even after his death. This is why only those keyed to it or invited can enter here, and even then they have to have good intentions. Not even the Seelie Queen can spy on this place. We are safe.”

“What about Madzie? Is she with someone now?”

If Catarina knew what he was trying to do, she didn’t seem to mind, but indulged him.

“She is with a Warlock friend of mine, don’t worry.”

Alec nodded, finally running out of words and looking more like a lost child than the leader of one of the biggest institutes in the world.

In some ways, he was.

Not only by immortals standards, but Catarina knew well how a Nephilim was raised. And being the oldest from an old lineage, Alec carried more weight in his shoulders than warlocks in their millennia.

She sighed tiredly.

“You know, Magnus had always been the middle child between me, him and Ragnor. I’m only some decades younger than him, but still, I could say he is my big brother, though he always behaved more like the youngest one of the bunch.” She rested her head on his shoulder.

“I…” Alec gulped, suddenly feeling his throat too dry. “I want to protect you and Madzie too, like Magnus has been doing until now.”

“You do know that I don’t need your protection, Shadowhunter? I can kick your ass even without my magic.”

“I know.” There was a ghost of smile on Alec’s lips. “Maybe it’s a little sister thing? Izzy is pretty good at that too, but even still, I always want to protect her. I always protect those I love.”

“And you love me?” She cocked an eyebrow, but there was amusement glinting in her eyes.

“You are Magnus’ family. Part of his heart. And I vowed to protect his heart when he gave it to me, so yeah. I already love Madzie. I know I could easily love you too.”

Catarina’s face softened, and suddenly she didn’t look like a centuries old Warlock. 

Only Magnus’ little sister.

“Thank you for loving Magnus.”

“Thank you for letting me love him.”

.

.

.

It took one more hour, but suddenly Magnus’ grave began to shake.

Cat and Alec got up in a hurry, both holding their breath in expectation.

Magnus was coming.

~*~

Alec wasn’t there when Simon first emerged from the ground to his new life as a vampire. Many things were happening at the same time, and all marked the beginning of the chaos that would upend everything that Alec knew in the last 23 years or so.

However, Jace had recounted that night for him and Izzy. Alec had also read some reports of witnesses during a turning event approved by the Clave and consented through a Writ of Transmutation. It wasn’t a pleasant sight to behold. It was also extremely dangerous since the newborn vampire would be famished and attack any near living thing for its blood.

Alec wasn’t afraid though. Honestly, he would let Magnus suck him dry if it would lessen his boyfriend’s pain. 

Hence why it was honestly disconcerting when Magnus got out of his grave… without an ounce of disturbance. He was all covered in dirt and seemed haggard, but his eyes were clear and he wasn’t actively looking for blood. Perhaps it was his demon blood. Cat herself said that wasn’t any precedents for the current situation. There was no records of a warlock becoming a vampire. And even without his magic, Magnus’ blood was a bit more special than most due to his heritage. Or perhaps the lucidity came from centuries of experience and self-control.

Although Magnus also looked very upset in that moment.

If he had noticed Alec and Catarina’s presence, he didn’t show it. His only reaction was a snort at seeing his name decorating a stone and his shoulders slumping as if the strings holding him together had just been cut.

He knew. Magnus knew what all that meant. Alec wondered if Magnus was thinking how his agency was once more compromised and the choice was taken from him.

Again.

The Shadowhunter got his answer when Magnus finally turned to look at them and flinched.

Alec… Alec wanted many things in that moment, hugging Magnus was one of them, but the strong desire to scream again was top of the list.

Right next to a strong urge to cry.

How many times he could take the heartbreak until his heart couldn’t be mend anymore?

When Alec took one step ahead, Magnus half-turned and crossed his arms tightly against his chest, avoiding looking at him at all costs.

Oh.

Did Magnus think it was Alec again? That it was Alec who buried him and let him become a Child of the Night?

“Ma-”

Cat stopped him and shook her head. Helplessly, he watched as she approached Magnus, already conjuring in front of him a glass full of blood. With shaking fingers, Magnus took it and drank everything without pause, not caring about the drops escaping his lips and dripping from his chin.

This felt so unfair, Alec couldn’t help but letting escape a breath that sounded close to a wounded animal. Which in hindsight was not very wise by the way Magnus flinched again. An apology was at the tip of Alec’s tongue when a portal suddenly opened behind him.

Alec barely had time to make sense of it, at first thinking someone was coming, when Cat’s voice cut through his chaotic thoughts.

“Go.”

And no. That was the last thing he wanted. Magnus needed him. Alec had to stay and make sure his boyfriend was okay and-

“Alec, go!”

“Cat, please…”

“Go, Alexander.” Magnus’ voice cracked in his name, and if Alec thought nothing else could hurt him at that point, he was badly mistaken.

“You don’t want me here?” Alec whispered, but his only answer was silence and Magnus still refusing to look at him. And Alec… Alec couldn’t understand. Nothing more made sense.

“You can come back later,” Cat assured him. “Let me be alone with Magnus for a moment.”

He still wanted to protest and fight this clear dismissal from both of them, but Alec knew how to pick his battles. Maybe Cat wanted to tell Magnus what she did and help him get acquainted in a place that was once home for their best friend. Alec could also take the time to put the order for Camille’s head into the Clave’s system.

God, how he wanted to stake her with one of his arrows.

“I-” He paused for a moment, but then gave a firm, albeit tense, nod. “Please, take care of him. I’ll come later.”

Alec wanted to say more, wanted Magnus to look at him, but he wouldn’t push. Magnus was the priority here, not Alec’s feelings.

Sighing tiredly, and nodding one last time to Cat, the Shadowhunter turned and entered the portal back to New York.

[urmomsstuntdouble]

89 for the writing promp game? 👀👀 whichever characters u feel like it fits

oof this took a while. wasn’t sure who to write it about, and i didnt use those exact words, but. yeah. here it is! 

(3rd person pov, lithuania x romano)

.

Nobody enjoyed world meetings. It was a known fact, and one regular humans would probably assume without knowing what transpired at such meetings- Which wasn’t much, in all honesty. And while they weren’t fun, they weren’t always bad. Sometimes they’d be in a nice city, and flights would line up with those of friends, and so forth- Today was not one of those days. 

Tolvydas had stumbled off their train at three o’clock in the morning, and into their hotel bed two hours later. Their body now ran on two hours of sleep, and the conditions of the meeting didn't do much to help them stay awake. Jackets and ties were folded over the backs of several chairs, and some of the other nations held small wooden fans in death grips. Some were slumped over, and others stayed at attention. Of the other Baltic states, Estonia had removed his glasses and Latvia was clearly more focussed on his smartphone than the presentation. Tolvydas couldn’t blame them. The heat of the room seemed a cage, pressing in on them and making sweat drip down their back. 

Why did the meeting have to be in Southern Europe? Tolvydas could handle the heat, but being trapped inside for an entire day- On which nothing tainted the pure azure of the sky- was a lot. A glance around told them they weren’t alone, as nearly every forehead shone with sweat. Every now and then, Tolvydas’ head touched their chest and they jerked back to attention. Their efforts were futile, though, and they’d yet to catch a single word of Paraguay’s speech. 

Someone tapped their shoulder- Feliks, sitting at their left. Tolvydas looked down at them, where they’d rested their head on crossed arms. 

“So bored,” they mouthed, and Tolvydas nodded. They shifted their notepad into Feliks’ line of sight and gouged the word TIRED into the paper. Feliks nodded with pink cheeks and drooping eyelids, and swiped the pen away from Tolvydas. Wish there was air conditioning. LORENZO DOESN’T BELIEVE IN AIR CONDITIONING. 

Feliks giggled at that, attracting the glares of some nearby nations. Pink cheeks turned red, and they sank down a bit in their seat, folding their arms. Tolvydas sighed, and rested their head in their hands. Would it be a good idea to tape their eyes open? No, and they didn’t have any tape…shame. Tolvydas tilted their head around, looking for the host nation. Lorenzo. Romano, or Italy- They hardly ever spoke of things related to their nationhood. In fact, they only spoke as a result of social happenstance, that being Feliciano’s friendship with Feliks, and the Italy brothers shared a car, and that Tolvydas had spent much of the 90s on Feliks’ couch. A coincidence Tolvydas was fond of, actually. It was rare that nations befriended each other purely for social reasons. Even Feliks came into their life for the sake of politics. 

Tolvydas looked around the room yet again, this time searching for Lorenzo. Would he be drowning in sweat too, they wondered? The answer seemed to be yes, and they bit back a smile upon seeing him. He sat hunched over the desk, with his suit jacket resting on the back of his chair. Dark circles lined both his armpits and eyes. As if cued by their staring, Lorenzo opened his water bottle and took four hearty gulps, then returned it, empty, to the desk. Tolvydas blinked, and wiped some sweat from their forehead. When they returned to their hotel room, they would get rid of all these clothes and lay on the bed with the windows open until they fell asleep. 

They shuffled their papers about, searching for the weekend’s itinerary. They gave their speech the day before, but about a hundred nations still had to take their turns…According to the schedule, today’s last presenter would be Qatar. So the meeting would be over by…seven, maybe? Tolvydas pushed some air through their lips and picked at a loose thread in their shirt sleeve. 

It wasn’t until about seven thirty that Qatar gave her presentation, and closing the meeting took another half hour. Once that was done, the nations milled about and spoke, as per their custom. Rare was it that they were allowed to be people- Tolvydas would never understand how people could say they ‘didn’t pay attention to politics.’ Paying attention to politics was all they could ever do. Then again, they were Lithuania, not a person. 

Fortunately, many of the nations elected to move outside after the meeting ended. They fit right in with the students, bustling around the university campus. Nations fragmented here, splitting off with friends or returning to their hotels. Most importantly, though, they were stopped by people asking to take selfies. Tolvydas smiled and laughed when required, and let themself be dragged around with the other EU members. 

“Where are we going?” Asked Feliks at their side, and they nodded, glancing around. Tolvydas wasn’t sure they recognized this city- They’d been to so many, it was hard to remember, and European cities started to look the same after a while. 

“Not sure,” said somebody- Hungary. “I think Vene said something about a bar? I wasn’t really paying attention.” She snorted like it was punctuation, and Feliks laughed. 

“Oh, Erzsi! Hey, I didn’t see you there!” Feliks launched himself at her, and was lucky that she reacted fast enough to catch him. 

“Hi, Erzsebet,” Tolvydas said, suppressing a laugh. 

“Hey, losers,” She said, arms clenched around Feliks’ waist. “Glad to see you here, that meeting was stuffy as hell.” 

“Ugh, I know, right?” Feliks said. They righted themself, walking independent of Erzsebet again. “I was practically dying of the heatstroke.” 

“I don’t think you can get heatstroke if you’re not in the sun,” Tolvydas said. 

“You can,” a voice chimed in- Spain. “Trust me, summers are brutal at my place. Hey, can I ask you a question, Lithuania?” Tolvydas glanced over their shoulder, as if there was some other Lithuania he could be talking to. 

“Uh, yes,” They said. 

“Do you have nude beaches in your country?” Tolvydas choked on their own spit, and let out a strangled chuckle. 

“Y-Yes,” They laughed, “Sorry, I didn’t expect you to ask something like that-”

“I was thinking about all the ways I’ve gotten heat stroke before,” Spain told them, holding his hands in front of his chest like a T-Rex.

“And one was at a nude beach?” 

“Well, yes…” He narrowed his eyes. “More than one, actually. I don’t like nude beaches, Lithuania, because if you’re not careful you can get sunburned…I mean, you can on a regular beach, but it’s so awkward to be, like, in front of your people and putting sunscreen on your entire body, you know? And I’m a country, so it’s a lot of attention, and all that…You know?” 

“Well,” Tolvydas said, “Not really, because I don’t get a lot of sun, but yeah, sort of.” They bit their lip- Since they’d been talking to Spain, they had totally lost track of where they were in the city. The university was out of sight, and Feliks was now absorbed into a conversation with Hungary and the other EU Slavs. 

“Hm. You are pretty pale.” Tolvydas tucked some hair behind their ear. 

“Yeah,” They said, not sure what else to say. 

“Yeah,” Spain murmured, eyes darting about the street. “Where are you taking us, Feli?” 

“What?!” Asked Italy. He stopped in his tracks and turned around, causing Finland to crash into him. “Oh, crap! I’m sorry, Finland.” Finland gave him a smile and assured him it was no problem. 

“I said, where are you taking us?” Spain shouted, “I don’t recognize this street.” 

“Umm, I actually forget?” Italy laughed, “My brother has a bar he likes that’s near here, but I don’t like it so I don’t remember what it’s called? And he’s busy now, so- Yeah. Oh, hi Lithuania! I didn't see you there, how’re you doing today?” Tolvydas started, eyes widening. 

“Hi,” They said, “I’m tired, but it’s alright. You have a lovely home.” 

“Thanks,” Italy said, “Though it’s really my brother’s, I…I don’t really like it that much down here, to be honest. Don’t tell him I said that. But it is nice to visit!” 

“Excuse you, it’s lovely here!” Spain said, “I’m telling on you, Feli.” 

“Don't!” Italy shrieked, “Please?” He turned to Spain with wide eyes. Even Tolvydas would have to oblige, and they had plenty of experience saying no to cute people. Well. Cute dogs. And Raivis. And Feliks, and Russia. Maybe they did have experience saying no to cute people after all. 

“I’m only joking,” Spain said, “Besides, Lithuania here agrees with me, don’t you?” 

“Uh,” Tolvydas said, “I do, yes. It’s- It’s a very nice climate you have here. And I like this street- Very, uh, very nice cobblestones.” Italy snorted, his hair falling into his eyes.

“Thanks, I’m glad you like them,” He said, though they weren’t his. Tolvydas hummed, and took a moment to really look at the street they were on. Buildings kept the sun from reaching them, but not the warmth. Storefronts beckoned here and there, with parked motorcycles at intersections and window boxes at second floor windows. Every so often they passed some graffiti, though most of it was nonsensical to Tolvydas. Not once did they see a street sign. If it weren’t for Lorenzo’s lead, Tolvydas would be completely lost. 

Finally, the group made it to the bar. It was a nice, quiet place- Tolvydas felt bad for the staff. They hoped nobody would get kicked out, though it was unlikely. Who was a nation, really, if they’d never been asked to leave a bar before? 

Tolvydas wound up sitting beside Spain, with Lorenzo on their other side. Neither spoke to them- Spain was discussing the art of bartending with Italy, and Lorenzo preferred glaring into his cocktail. Tolvydas wondered if they should talk to him- They’d only spoken a brief hello today, after all, and that was a formality. But he seemed annoyed, with his furrowed brow and crossed arms…And now he was looking at them. 

“Why are you looking at me?” Tolvydas sat a little straighter.

“Um. I, uh, I was wondering if it would be okay for me to talk to you,” They said, mouth dry. Lorenzo bit the corner of his lip, eyebrows raised. 

“Why wouldn’t it be?” 

“I don’t know, you looked, like, a bit irritated,” Tolvydas said, “S-Sorry.” 

“You’re right, I am,” Lorenzo said, “Fuckin’ hate hosting world meetings. There’s so many people who are just in my space, you know? And I didn’t even realize there were so many people following me when we were on the way here.” He lifted his cocktail. Black salt rimmed the glass, and Lorenzo licked some away. “Was talking to Belgium, got distracted. But she left to go back to her hotel, so. Anyway.” He hung his head between his shoulders. “That’s a bit much, I know.” 

“No,” Tolvydas said, “World meetings suck, whether you’re hosting or not…I don’t hate it but also there’s that invasion-y feeling.”

“Invasion-y feeling, yeah,” Lorenzo murmured, and licked more salt from the rim of his glass. “‘M tired.” 

“Me too,” Tolvydas said. “I need to bring hair ties tomorrow.” 

“That sounds useful,” Lorenzo mumbled. He took a slow drink of his cocktail, wincing at the end. “You don’t have anything to drink.” Tolvydas glanced down at the bar in front of them, and no, they didn’t. Huh, they hadn’t noticed. 

“I don't,” They said, and glanced over at the bartender. A young man with veiny forearms, chatting as he shook up a new drink. His hair was greased back into a pseudo helmet. 

“Giulio!” Lorenzo shouted, catching his attention. Giulio paused in his drink-making and glanced back, then nodded and went on with his business. “He’ll get you in a second.”

“Thanks,” Tolvydas murmured, “I could’ve waited.” 

“Yeah, but you’re talking to me right now,” Lorenzo said. He sipped his drink again. “And I don’t want to talk to you when I’m drinking and you’re not. Then it’s not equal.” 

“Fair enough,” Tolvydas said, “I can just shut up if you want me to-”

“No, we’re talking now,” Lorenzo said, “I want to talk. And it’s my country, so…yeah.” He took a drink. 

“I think it’s nice here,” Tolvydas said, “Very warm.” Lorenzo hummed, then glanced up- Giulio stood at the ready, finished with his previous drink. He exchanged some words with Lorenzo, who turned to Tolvydas after a moment. 

“What do you want?” 

“Um- Could I please have a krambambula?” Lorenzo relayed the message, and Giulio was up to drink-mixing. 

“What’s a krambambula?” Lorenzo mused, peering over the bar. 

“Wine and vodka,” Tolvydas responded, “Belarus’ favorite.” Lorenzo hummed.

“Didn’t you used to be married to her or something?” Tolvydas bowed their head, letting hair fall in front of their eyes. “So you did, huh?” 

“Y-Yes,” Tolvydas stammered, “Briefly, a hundred years ago-”

“She good in bed?” 

“What?” Their cheeks grew warm, too warm for it to simply be the heat. “No- I mean- I don’t know, see-” 

“Hey, calm down, I’m just making conversation.” Lorenzo waved a hand, “It’s none of my business, I know.” 

“We, um. Never slept together,” Tolvydas said, “She doesn’t like me very much, actually.” 

“Oh. That’s a shame,” Lorenzo said, and Tolvydas nodded, though they weren't sure what the shame actually was. A shame they never slept together? Maybe- Since she didn’t reciprocate their feelings, it was hard to really fantasize. They could daydream about kissing her all they wanted, but they’d still know that acting on it would be assault. So their feelings were in the process of fading away. A shame she didn’t like them very much? Eh, they would get over it. Eventually, maybe. They had time. 

Giulio returned with their drink. 

“Can I have a taste?” Lorenzo asked, “Never tried that before.” 

“Of course,” Tolvydas said, and handed him the glass. He took a sip, and struggled to keep his face from contorting in disgust. “You don't like vodka?” Tolvydas asked, taking a swig.  

“Shit’s nasty,” Lorenzo said, “Tastes like sadness. And like, we’ve all got issues or whatever, but mine aren’t so bad I need to drink vodka.” Tolvydas snorted. 

“Okay. Lightweight.” 

“Lightweight?!” 

“Yeah, vodka’s like 95% alcohol volume.” 

“Psh, whatever.” Lorenzo scoffed, and Tolvydas giggled at the sheer nonsense of it. “Why are you laughing at me?” He asked, leaning forward in his chair. 

“Psh, whatever?” They repeated, “That doesn’t even make sense.” 

“It does so,” He said, “You’re too small-brained to get it.” That stung a bit, but Tolvydas didn't mind. They understood it was a joke, though they didn’t appreciate it any more for understanding. 

“Whatever,” They said, looking away. Their eyes naturally picked Feliks out of the group- He sat on the bar, legs crossed, with a glass of wine held in both hands. He’d unbuttoned his shirt to the third button. Tolvydas shook their head- It wouldn’t be very long before they were completely drunk. 

“I hope Feliks doesn’t overdo it,” They thought. 

“Probably will. They look like they’d be wasted after two glasses of wine,” Lorenzo commented. Tolvydas jolted- They hadn't realized they were speaking aloud. 

“They’re- Yeah,” Tolvydas said, “They like parties, always have, but they get drunk too fast to enjoy it.” 

“Maybe that’s why they like parties so much. ‘Cause they don’t remember what one’s like, from all the drinking,” Lorenzo said, “Toni’s like that, sort of.” Tolvydas hummed, and swirled their drink around in the glass. 

“I don’t think such heavy drinking is a sign that one likes parties,” They murmured, “After all, if you like doing something, wouldn’t you want to experience as much of it as you can?” Lorenzo scoffed, and they turned their head to look at him. His arm was thrown around the back of his chair, with his chest out and facing them. Sweat still clung to his forehead- It was less oppressively hot in this bar than the meeting room, but only just. 

“Part of the allure of drinking is that it can make you forget about things,” He said, “Happy people don’t develop alcohol issues. And, you know, for people like us, it’s different, seeing as how we can’t fucking die.” Tolvydas shrugged in response. They shifted in their seat, feeling the cheap leather through their pants, and took another sip of their drink. Lorenzo was correct in that one liked to drink to forget. For people like them, there were virtually no downsides, save whatever you did while you were drinking. Once, Tolvydas had set a cow on fire and didn’t find out until the next morning when, in the clutches of a hangover, they were arrested. 

“I guess,” They said. Then, mind caught on the cow-arson, “What’s the dumbest thing you’ve ever done while drunk?” Lorenzo sucked air in through his teeth. 

“Done too much stupid shit to tell you off the top of my head,” He admitted, “But, uh, this one time, I drank up a town’s entire supply of wine. Bad move. Had to regrow my kidney.” Tolvydas winced, a bit less inclined to finish their drink. 

“That sounds painful.”

“Yeah,” Lorenzo said, “Much like hosting the fucking world meetings.” Hosting the world meetings was terrible- It was a constant headache to have so many other nations around you, especially if it was in your capital city. Tolvydas had never had maggots in a wound before, but they imagined that was what it felt like. 

“Oh, I know,” They said. It was a good thing they all shared the burden of hosting the meetings. Locations cycled through nations, such that Lithuania wouldn’t be the host country for another ten years- They’d still have to do smaller meetings, of course, like the EU and UN and such, but at least it wasn’t a world meeting. Over two hundred nations in the same city could make even the humans feel a bit off. 

“I’d be better if all you people hadn’t- hadn’t fucking followed me here. I mean- I didn’t want my idiot brother to invite the entire goddamn continent.”

“I’m sorry,” Tolvydas said, “I was just going with everyone else-”

“I don’t- You know, actually, I need to continue this conversation outside,” Lorenzo said, and stood up. He said a few words to Giulio and turned around, making for the door. Tolvydas’ skin pricked- What had they done wrong? It was just a simple conversation- But of course they’d manage to screw it up. They remained on the edge of their seat, with their eyes fixed on Lorenzo, as he walked out of the bar. As he got to the door, they stood. Should they apologise? Or- Or did Lorenzo want to fight them now? They pushed away the idea, knowing it was all probably fine. 

Tolvydas pulled out their wallet, and left a few euros beside their drink. They followed Lorenzo outside, stumbling when they left the bar. The moon had risen while they were in the bar. He stood in the middle of the sidewalk, bathed in silver light save the faint glow of a lit cigarette. Tolvydas swallowed. While it was dark outside, the heat from the day had yet to evaporate. Tolvydas speculated that if they were to touch Lorenzo’s skin, he’d be as warm as if he were sunbathing. Right, Lorenzo- They were not here to stare at him. 

“Are you okay?” Lorenzo jumped, turning around with wide eyes. His shoulders sagged when he saw them.

“Yeah,” He mumbled, “Just fuckin’ tired. Want to go home.” 

“Oh,” Tolydas said, “Sorry then, I’ll- I’ll fuck off now.” They turned away, poised to return to the bar. 

“No,” Lorenzo said, then bit his lips. “I mean-” He put his cigarette between his lips and took a long drag. He looked hollow for a moment before he turned his head and blew a ring with the smoke. “You smoke?”

“Uh, no, not really…not anymore.” 

Lorenzo hummed. “Shame. I could teach you how to blow rings, if you did.” 

“You still can,” Tolvydas said, voice paper-thin, “If you want. And if I could borrow a cigarette. World meetings are hard on the rest of us too.” Lorenzo raised an eyebrow, and pulled a pack of cigarettes out from his back pocket. 

“Ah, but you’re not the host, Lithuania. And you represent your entire country.” 

“You can call me Tolvydas,” They said, “I mean, if you’re comfortable with that.” 

“I just offered to teach you how to blow smoke rings. I don’t do that with everyone you know,” Lorenzo said, “Maybe I’m still fucked up from the meeting…But okay, sure. Tolvydas.” 

“Thanks,” They muttered, “Also yeah, sorry about your. Brother.” Lorenzo shrugged, and took another drag. 

“I don't want to think about him right now…No, I want to go home…” He bit his lip, and swayed from side to side. Was he alright? Tolvydas ran through a list of all the little things they knew to do if a nation was sick. Lorenzo coughed, and they twitched, hands reaching out for him. Instead of falling or even stumbling, Lorenzo put his cigarette to his lips another time. His cheeks shone in the orange glow. When he was done, he ground the butt under his heel. Three smoke rings floated away from his mouth. 

“I’m gonna go get drunk at home now…You can come if you want.” He turned on his heel, reducing the cigarette butt into a stain of ash. He had a nice gait, Tolvydas thought. A medium sized stride, and they couldn't help but notice the sway of his hips…

Several short and fast steps later, Tolvydas was by his side. 

song lyric asks

[40sbarnes]

Medici: Spymasters of Florence

Chapter 12: Out of Luck

hope you enjoy this chapter! we are finally getting some actual lorenzo x reader content lmao

pairings: lorenzo x reader (fr), francesco c reader (friends)

tag list: @brynthebulldozer @mythicalamphitrite @nana035 @valravnsraven @hannahhistorian92 @not-thatweird @isaac-lahey-is-bae @angrygardendeer <3

“May I ask," your attention was pulled to Lorenzo by his words, "why the sudden change of heart?" His interest appeared genuine, no ulterior motive. You had halted your journey as night began to fall, the horse needing the rest more than either of you. You stood across from each other in the tavern room you were holed up in for the night. It wasn't as if you could rent two rooms without suspicion, especially with you being a woman.

"The truth?" You sighed, your fingers pulling at the strings of your cloak. Lorenzo hummed as a reply, eyes watching you intently. You didn't see a reason to lie to Lorenzo anymore, and he was the only person you could truly talk to this about anyways. "I delivered the message to Orsini today," Lorenzo's lips parted, but he didn't say anything, "for Pazzi. Orsini didn't take any notice of course. I knew you'd taken care of it." Worry flashed throughout your eyes for a second, realising Lorenzo might be upset you didn't double check with him.

"That must have been difficult," he took a step towards you, still leaving plenty of space, "but what you did was not in vain, y/n, not then, not now." He reassured you, you were surprised that was where his mind had gone.

You just nodded slightly, now holding your cloak in your arms, as if you were a child holding their favourite blanket. "So you came with me because...?" Lorenzo pried.

"Because you were right," you hated admitting it, "a break wouldn't kill me. Perhaps the opposite..." A soft grin fell onto Lorenzo's lips, "and because right now, I don't feel like being around the people I care for," you were precise with your words, not quite meaning the harsh intent they held. But you didn't wish to be around Francesco or Guglielmo as of right now. The guilt would seep right out of you and into their fingertips, ready to be dropped into their Uncle's lap.

Lorenzo chuckled slightly, looking down at the ground as he raised his eyebrows. "I see. I know the feeling."

"I didn't-" you weren't quite sure what to say, or why you cared that you might've offended him, "what of your predicament? Any more rejections from noble women?" You settled on changing the subject instead.

He laughed again, standing taller as he thought of an answer, "Not yet. But I fear my mother’s mind has settled on marriage now. It only makes sense now that I'm head of the family, but I guess I'd never truly considered it before," he shrugged, resting his hand on the end of the bed frame.

"Because of Lucrezia Donati?" You pushed, intrigued. He seemed taken aback, clearly not used to people being so brazen with him.

"I knew I could never marry Lucrezia. Honestly that might've been the beauty of it," he kicked off his shoes as he uttered the statement, acting as if it was a casual thing to say.

"I suppose I hold some fortune in that, then," you pushed your hair off your shoulder, setting your cloak down on the bed, sitting beside it. Lorenzo moved onto his over shirt once he was finished with his shoes, shooting you a glance to tell you to elaborate.

"For all your riches, and lack of mine, at least I needn't worry for my standing, or marriage, for the most part," your eyes couldn't meet Lorenzo's, so they fell to your lap. You didn't have a family to sell you into marriage, and although one day you may be forced to convince some poor man to take your hand, you were doing a good job of preventing yourself from that fate for now. You knew most women weren't as lucky, and you did well not to take your situation for granted.

"The most part?" Lorenzo questioned, his tone serious as he sat to your right on the opposite side of the bed, you lying down to stretch out your legs.

"Well, it's only a matter of time before you convince me to give you my hand in some scheme," you teased, still slightly in disbelief he'd gotten you on this trip.

Lorenzo scoffed, not enjoying your joke. "What a deluded thing to say," he shook his head. You furrowed your brows, turning your torso fully to face him.

"The reason my mother is pushing me to marry is for noble blood. Not for whatever runs through your veins," he spoke the words as if they weren't dripping with venom.

You turned away from him, "A simple jest, Lorenzo. Not everything has to be about how I am so very much beneath you," in that moment, it was pure hatred running through your veins.

"Y/n- please, we both know you'd never marry me, I was simply-" he began, you closed your eyes, as if it would shut out his horrid voice.

"You're right. I could never be so lucky," you squeezed your eyes shut tight, "all this talk of how I'm such a peasant has truly tired me out. If you would please let me sleep...goodnight Lorenzo."

Silence ensued. Your anger soon subsided, and you felt yourself drifting, sleep guiding you away from that small room.

Lorenzo's voice was the quietest you had ever heard it, but it filled the air nonetheless. "I'm sorry. It is I who is out of luck."

You didn't have the energy to respond, not that you even had a response.

—-

You woke at the crack of dawn the next morning, finding the blankets had been placed over you. You spun on your side, looking for a sign of Lorenzo. The chair across the bed was empty, as was the bed beside you. You sat up, worry setting in, until you saw his messy locks resting on the bottom of the bed. You glanced over him, he was resting against blankets, sitting on the floor. You felt bad for a fraction of a second, before you recalled the events of last night.

Carefully, you rose from the bed, doing your best not to disturb Lorenzo. You truly didn't feel like talking with him just yet. Instead, you opted to retrieve your cloak from where it had fallen on the floor, and replaced it around your shoulders. You danced across the room, reaching the door without a noise, only to slam it after you. You hoped it would wake him up, and he could get ready without you having to wait, and put up with his presence.

You skipped down the steps of the inn, making it outside to take in the colours of the sunrise. You breathed in the fresh air, before heading to the stables, going to check on Callus. Lorenzo didn't know the horse’s name, which shocked you, so you'd insisted on naming the helpful creature. You gave him a quick pat, not used to dealing with horses.

"Heading out already?" The stable girl appeared beside you.

"Yes, must make the most of the day," you acted with an air of class, the girl just grinned up at you, before climbing over the gate to the horses.

"I'll get her ready for ya," she began saddling 'her'. You had assumed it was a male, from all Lorenzo's 'faster boy’s as he pushed the horse to go faster. Now you weren't sure Callus quite fit. You stopped your trail of thought before it could completely escape you, and your eyes fell back on the girl as she worked. You were going to Venice. It would be easier to run away from there, you'd already have so much distance down. You could perhaps become like this girl? She didn't seem so miserable. Definitely much happier than you currently were. You didn't have long to consider your thoughts as a stressed Lorenzo came flying out the inn. He was notably in a different outfit than yesterday, clearly having packed for the trip, unlike you. He slowed his pace as he caught sight of you.

"Good morning," you greeted him, leaned on the fence.

"I thought you'd run off," he lowered his voice, speaking through gritted teeth.

You swallowed, feeling slightly guilty as you watched the tension in his back dissipate, relief washing over him. You hadn't done it of course, just thinking about it constantly.

"And you'd care?" You seethed, not looking his way.

Lorenzo stood back, straightening his clothes as he did, he had clearly put them on in a rush. "Clearly."

You spared him a glance, his eyes burning into your own, and you were unable to look away.

"I need you, y/n," your heart froze, his face was but inches from yours, "you're integral to the plan," you turned back to watch the stable girl, moving away from him.

"Well, I'm here," you spoke, your voice flat. Lorenzo continued his stare until Callus was ready, and you both stepped back from the gate to let it creak open. The reigns were handed to Lorenzo, and he began attaching his bags to the saddle.

"Thank you," you took the stable girls hand into yours, sliding a few coins into it before closing it over as Lorenzo paid no notice.

She bowed slightly, "You are more than welcome, Madonna," that caught Lorenzo's attention, his gaze falling onto you once again, before he straightened out the saddle, getting ready to mount.

The young girl took your hold on her hand to pull you in closer, "I wish my betrothed looked at me the way your husband does," she made sure to keep her voice low. You stifled a laugh at the irony, until your heart sank in realisation.

"Your betrothed?" She seemed far younger than yourself, nowhere near the age for marriage.

She nodded, "Well, in two years, when I am of age," the pain in her eyes didn't go unnoticed by you.

"He won't look at you the same. He will treat you with far more respect than I am given," you promised her, not wanting her to idealise whatever your relation to Lorenzo was.

"Y/n," as if on cue, Lorenzo's name fell from your lips, although not as harsh sounding as usual.

The girl shot you one last sad smile, before she returned to her work and you yours.

Facing back to Lorenzo, he assisted you onto Callus, before pulling himself up. He took the reins into his hands and you continued your journey without another word.

—-

You came to a stop once again in a town just outside Venice. All three of you were hungry, and the sun had yet to reach its peak. Lorenzo was planning on attending the banquet for Vitelli’s grandson’s birth, a celebration of the continuation of the bloodline, which wasn't until tonight. You had plenty of time.

Once you had found Callus a safe stable to rest in, you led Lorenzo to the centre of the town, where the market was bubbling.

"You wouldn't find these in Florence," you nudged Lorenzo slightly from where you stood in front of the blacksmith, half teasing as you knew his love for your city, but also in awe at the swordsmanship.

He smirked at your words, also admiring the fine blades. "I'd like to see their art," he bragged, always finding a way to one up.

"Maybe this is it," you suggested, marvelling at the different daggers.

"Come along, I'm starved," he spoke after a moment. You did as he said, as your hunger was getting the best of you also.

You soon found a seedy public house, not much different from the Florentine ones. Lorenzo bought you both meals, and you picked away at it, trying your best to ignore the rowdiness of your fellow customers.

"Is that the only gown you brought?" Lorenzo questioner, motioning to the dress you were wearing.

You nodded, swallowing the food you were chewing before replying. "I truly hadn't planned on joining you."

"It won't do for the banquet. You'll be serving drinks by the end of the night," you bit back all the horrid remarks you wished to make, about Lorenzo and his constant condescension.

"Well sorry, your highness, an arrogant man burnt my banquet gown," you huffed.

Lorenzo grinned as he held back a laugh, "I do apologise for that. But that doesn't change our current circumstance. We'll have to get you a new gown. Hopefully this town’s dressmaking holds up to their forgery."

You just nodded, feeling odd about the situation. Pazzi had loaned you a fancy gown once or twice before for similar purposes, the idea wasn't foreign to you, but it felt particularly peculiar with Lorenzo. Especially with last night’s conversation still fresh in mind.

—-

You stepped out of the fitting room, feeling incredibly vulnerable in the dress. It was half an inch too tight, making you stand up that little bit straighter to hold your poise. Your shoulders were bare, and you were oddly aware of the cool air around them. The dress was quite plain, a deep crimson colour, the sleeves falling to your wrists, where they hung wide around them. The skirt was much more constricting than you were used to, and you imagined if you were to don your usual blade on your thigh it would make for a terrible silhouette.

You stood in Lorenzo's line of sight, and he sat up taller from where he was slouched in his chair. He surveyed you for a moment, before his gaze switched to the seamstress beside you.

"Doesn't she look splendid?" The seamstress asked, pushing for her sale. You had stumbled upon her small shop after you'd eaten.

"Danger often takes shelter in beauty," he mused, sharing a grin with you, the tailor barely taking notice. "How much?"

[misssophiachase]

With or Without You

For Klaroline AU Week - Day 4 - Enemies to Lovers

Rebekah is diagnosed with a virus and sent to the hospital for observation. To help stop the spread, the two people closest to her in the past two weeks need to self-quarantine. The problem is her best friend and her brother can’t stand each other. Forced to live in the same house, will they kill each other or do something entirely different before 14 days is up?

(Please note: I realise this is a difficult time and the subject matter is serious but this drabble is designed to be just a bit of fun during a tough time.) 

“I can’t live with or without you.”

Day 3

“Honestly, Kat, I’m not sure if I can last much longer,” she groaned. “He sings in the shower, badly. he leaves the toilet seat up constantly and don’t get me started on his remote control form. He switches channels that fast I feel like I’m at a rave.”

Caroline lived in Los Angeles with Rebekah Mikaelson, they’d been friends for years. Her brother had shown up recently from London, where he was based, only for Rebekah to develop the virus. She was going to be okay but had been sent to hospital purely for observation purposes meaning they were imprisoned together as a precaution for fourteen whole days. 

To say she wasn’t coping was an understatement. 

“So, you haven’t had sex yet?” She asked matter-of-factly. Even though she was currently staring at Caroline through a computer screen, she still had the annoying ability to cut straight to the awkward part.

“Kat! She hissed, looking down the hall to check he wasn’t listening. “Your inappropriateness knows no bounds even via Skype.”

“The way I see it is the sooner you have sex, the frustration you feel towards each other and the situation will dissipate. And who knows? If the sex is good you’ll not only have something to do to pass the time but you’ll also be getting your required cardio.”

“Seriously,” she growled. “Is sex all you think about?”

“About 90 per cent of the day,” she quipped. “Tell me you have a better idea?”

“Ah, not to sleep with him because he’s an arrogant asshat who thinks the world revolves around him?”

“I don’t think, love, I know,” he called out. Unfortunately, she chose that exact moment to turn around and copped an eyeful.

“Wow, does he work out?” Kat cooed, obviously she’d had the privilege of seeing him too dressed only in a white towel tied low on his hips, his bare chest and six-pack on full display. Caroline felt her mouth go dry and was struggling to form words he looked that delicious. 

“If you use all of the hot water again, Mikaelson, I swear I’ll come in there and..” she paused, realising what she’d alluded to.

“By all means, love,” he murmured, the dimple in his left cheek making an ill-timed appearance. “Maybe that way we can conserve water.”

“You are unbelievable,” she muttered. “Not if we were the last two people on the planet and we had to repopulate the earth.”

“Well, if you change your mind, you know where to find me, Forbes,” he chuckled, shutting the bathroom door behind him.

“You are so screwed figuratively and literally, ” Kat laughed. Caroline didn’t respond knowing her friend was right. 

She should have hated him, in fact she had since they met eleven years earlier. Caroline had befriended Rebekah during sophomore year at high school. They were both cheerleaders and had bonded over music and drama club. 

Rebekah was new to her school, so too her brothers Kol, Elijah and Niklaus. The first two were polar opposites personality-wise but she got along with them famously. The problem was with Niklaus, or Klaus as he liked to be called.

They’d clashed from the outset. It started with a few stray insults and developed into more insults and pranks. Apparently everyone thought it was a passing phase but it wasn’t ending anytime soon. 

However, being locked up with him in quarantine was doing all sorts of strange things to her. In fact, she was experiencing all these not-so innocent urges. She wanted to blame it on Kat’s innuendo or that fact he swanned around the house barely clothed but there was definitely something bigger at play here.

Day 5

“She keeps making me watch all of these bad movies, only cooks meals with weird and unidentified grains and apparently the living room is her personal gymnasium,” he complained. 

Klaus Mikaelson didn’t do roommates and there was a very good reason why. He liked his space and he liked walking around partially naked but suddenly he was thrown into this quarantine situation which was a complete minefield. 

“I said I’d only take this Skype call if you didn’t complain about Caroline Forbes, Niklaus, but yet here we are again,” Enzo growled. “You two need to get a room and pronto.”

“We have rooms, in fact, we have a whole house of rooms and yet that still isn’t enough distance between us,” he muttered. “I am going to go crazy locked up in here with her.”

“And the best dramatic Oscar performance goes to...”

“You would feel exactly the same way, Lorenzo,” he argued. “Caroline Forbes is nothing but a spoilt princess who thinks the world revolves around her.”

“I don’t think, I know, asshat,” she drawled finding her way into his room while repeating his sentiments from two days earlier. No doubt just to push his buttons that much more. 

What Klaus wasn’t expecting was for her to look so wet doing it. Yes, she was wearing yellow, rubber gloves but her white t-shirt was soaked through revealing a very lacy bra and some rather pronounced nipples no doubt due to the temperature. 

“Holy...” Enzo murmured before Klaus shut his laptop with a bang. He figured it was the least he could do to protect her innocence and it had absolutely nothing to do with jealousy whatsoever. Or that’s what he told himself.

“You’re here in my room...wet,” he mumbled, trying to look anywhere but exactly where his eyes wanted to go. 

“I’m trying to clean up after your lazy ass,” she groaned. “You do realise how germs spread right? Maybe if you took better care to clean up after yourself then we wouldn’t be experiencing our current predicament.”

“I’m aware of our current predicament, trust me,” he shot back. “Since when did cleaning end in a drenching. I know you like me, Forbes, but I can see everything.” She looked down in complete shock, his comment having the desired effect.

“Unbelievable,” she muttered, pulling off her wet gloves and throwing them in his direction before leaving his room, no doubt to change her top. 

“I’m the one who’s spreading germs?” He cried out, attempting to remove the dirty gloves from the bed. 

Klaus and Caroline had never gotten along in the eleven years they’d known each other. Klaus decided from the outset that Rebekah truly was evil bringing her into his life and home. Caroline had this annoying ability to get under his skin and Klaus unfortunately let her.

His friends and brothers told him it was because he liked her deep down. Sure she was hot. there was no denying that, but he’d prided himself on maintaining his distance. Well, that was until he was forced to live in such close quarters for two whole weeks. 

His willpower was waning and Klaus wasn’t sure he could go the distance.

Day 7

“Would you stop switching channels so fast, it makes it a little difficult to see what’s actually on,” she offered, rolling her eyes as she said it. 

They were seated on the couch, the long, uneventful days were taking their toll and the fact they still had another week to go wasn’t doing much for their morale. 

“There’s nothing on so it doesn’t really matter,” he replied in frustration. “I’m so bored! And if you dare suggest cleaning again I will confiscate your rubber gloves.”

“Well, what else is there to do?” She mumbled. “And please spare me from running around the place half naked again, I’d like to keep down my dinner.”

“Come on, you secretly love my naked form,” he smirked. Her tell-tale blush was giving her away instantly. “You know I’m not that bad once you get to know me.”

“Funny, the past week hasn’t unearthed any new or redeemable features that I can tell,” she answered. 

“Just so you know those little insults of yours don’t offend me in the slightest bit so please just give it a break, Forbes.”

“Well, what do you suggest we do to pass the time?” She asked, obviously not realizing just how loaded her question was. 

They were seated on the couch, only a few feet apart, if either of them were to just lean forward they could do something really stupid. Or really fun, depending on who you asked. 

“Fine,” she said, reading his mind. “But if we do this, don’t think this means I like you in any way, Mikaelson,” she clarified.

“The feeling is mutual, trust me, sweetheart,” he agreed. They paused momentarily almost as if they were thinking about the very prominent line they were about to cross and weighing up the pros and cons. 

It didn’t take much consideration as he pulled her greedily towards him so she was straddling his lap. Caroline never knew just how crimson his lips were from this vantage point, Klaus was thinking the same about her blue eyes.

He ran his hands along her cheek, his thumbs rubbing circles over her skin. Her heart was racing and given she was practically touching his chest she knew his was too.

There was no going back.

His lips found hers, slowly at first almost like he was taking his time to discover every inch of her mouth. She moaned against him as his tongue dipped into her warmth. She tasted like a heady mixture of mint and chocolate from dessert and now Klaus had tasted her once he wasn’t ready to give her up anytime soon.  

Caroline grasped his neck, her fingers playing with the stray curls at the nape as she melted into his kisses. Klaus knew it wouldn’t be long given just how much he’d wanted her all these years.

He stood up, and wound her toned legs around his waist, careful not to break contact. They made their way quickly to the bedroom excited for what was in store. 

Turns out the sex continued longer than seven days and also out of quarantine. In fact, the sex turned into dating and the dating turned into an engagement. At their wedding, Kat, Rebekah and Enzo regaled the guests with stories about how they got together when they were forced together in lockdown. 

Who said quarantine was necessarily a bad thing?

[nicodemusprewett]

❝ I know I shouldn’t do it, I just do it, and what you think’s got nothing to do with it. Before you were born, I was already sinning. It’s not because the light here is brighter and it’s not that I’m evil, I just don’t like to pretend. ❞ NICODEMUS PREWETT looks a lot like that muggle, LORENZO ZURZOLO, right? Only a SEVENTH YEAR student, that GRYFFINDOR student is sided with the WRAITHS. HE identifies as a CIS MAN and is a PUREBLOOD. [ BEE/BEATRICE, SHE/HER, 22, EST ]

hello !!!!!! i’m bee !!!!!!! i LOVE exclamation points, if you couldn’t tell !!!! i’m super duper stoked to be writing nico. he’s kind of the worst !!! i promise i’m a lot nicer than he is !!! and i also have memes !!!!! if you hit me with a like, i’ll come plot with you !!! also pls bear with me on this intro. there’s no rhyme or reason to it.

aesthetic: silk ties. tweed blazers. crystal glasses. lies that flow from lips like honey. a not-yet-crowned king. the glint of white teeth behind a feral smile. naive rage. a powerful glare. pressed shirts. expensive cologne. cigarette smoke clinging to your clothes, your skin. a need for fine things. lush champagne. a flair for the dramatic. a storming temper. unlimited grandiosity. chaos-touched. perfect but rotten. a disregard for consequence. boyish charm.

rambly bits: ( mentions of child abuse )

— godless hubris

how do you know yourself ? all too well. you know you are sure, you know you are just. there is nothing wrong with you — in fact, you are probably as close to perfection as a wizard could get, and you truly believe that. your blood is pure, you are beautiful, you are capable. you have no flaws ( — none that see the light of day, or that others know of ) and that’s remarkable. you are sure you are going to be known in perpetuity. your name will be next to the greatest the wizarding world has seen. where can you go from here ? only up.

— righteous fury

is your fury yours ? or did you learn it ? orion lestrange gave you attention, and to get more, you listened to what he said. you gleaned his anger until it tasted like your own. suddenly, there was no good or evil, wrong or right. it was simple: what the wraiths said went. you are not one to question something that will bring you recognition, something that will bring you power. you will do what needs to be done to ensure the wraiths ( rather, and deep down you know it isn’t and has never been done for the wraiths, but rather for yourself ).

— hapless melancholia

you remember seeing the weasleys in diagon alley once when you were young. you made a careless remark that one of the children looked quite a bit like yourself. your father gripped your chin in his fingers and made for sure certain that you knew you were nothing like them. you thought little of them again until you saw them on the platform to leave to hogwarts. there were joyous shouts and gleeful exclamations. there were multiple kisses and tight hugs — unexpectedly, your heart ached. you thought you would get over it. you thought you would grow up and grow out of these … childish longings. instead, time went on, these feelings grew stronger. you would wake up, your chest heavy, feeling a desperation for something you couldn’t buy — you wanted to be loved. you wanted soft words and softer touches. you deserved those things, didn’t you ? if those ruddy weasleys had it, why couldn’t you ? this grief over lack of affection all too often turns to anger. you shake and you snap so easily — really, it should be no wonder why no one loves you.

— dark souls, ( dark ? ) dreams

nature and nurture are curious things. your nature ensured that you crave love, but your nurturing ( — rather, your lack thereof ) ensured that you were cruel and callous. your father was a nasty man, harsh and severe, and you learned from him how to be the same. after all, your ploys for attention included acting like him the best you could. you copied his mannerisms, his way of speech. it never did catch you his fondness, but it did warp you into someone unkind and severe. despite being dark, your dreams are lighter than you are in the day. there is love and there is warmth, and things are gentle and soft. but when you wake, you scoff. you’re not sure if you are angry that a part of you is so weak, or if you are angry that you don’t have these nice things.

— bitter glory

heavy lies the head that wears a crown. that won’t be the case with you. you will wear it with ease when you are finally king, you will not be stifled. you have one goal: to be king. what will you do to get it ? anything. you will give up your chances of being loved, you will rid yourself of the chains of being loyal to anyone else. if that causes you ache, this loss, so be it. some things are worth more than others.

wraiths:

— there is something so satisfying about being in charge of all the student wraiths. it’s a taste, more like a tease, of the power he could have once he is out of school. it feels so right, so fitting. but part of the draw to the wraiths had been orion. nicodemus had hoped ( had prayed ) that the man would be something more than his parents had been, something more than anyone in his life had been. it didn’t happen, though. orion offered him power, and the taste of it melted into his tongue sweetly, and that’s what is keeping him involved. tl;dr: are the wraiths right ? who is he to say. is he going to keep with them for the time being because he’s a power-hungry baby megalomaniac ? yes, one hundred perfect.

— his code name is viticomus, meaning adorned or crowned with vine-leaves.

— he has a rune because selling your soul at the ripe age of sixteen ( maybe seventeen, tba ?? ) was totally a good idea for him ! one of the best he’s ever had ! it’s for occlumency and it’s on the nape of his neck under his hair.

prophecy:

— the final betrayer. what does that mean ? nicodemus has wondered but he refuses to say anything certain to anyone. there are seemingly countless people he could betray. orion. his prewett relatives. himself. it leaves a strange taste in his mouth, wondering  what it could mean. he doesn’t suppose he wouldn’t betray orion — for all the man had taught him, nicodemus still didn’t have the thing he wanted most — and should circumstances be right, it would be a hard choice. and the prewetts ? it could be argued that he’s already betrayed them, taking the label and beliefs of wraiths. but the last option worries him the most. it would be so easy. give up the things he wants, subject himself to a life that isn’t quite fulfilling.

plot arc:

— nicodemus knows that power is the key to adoration. now at the top of the wraiths, or at the very least, of the students ( maybe some of the adults, or at least in his mind, he is ), the lust for more is nearly palpable. he doesn’t just want it — he needs it. if he isn’t to get it, what has it all been for then ? he cannot wait for the respect, he cannot wait until his name strikes feeling into the heart of those who hear it. only then, will he be satisfied ( —or so he thinks ).

more rambles, less structure:

— can i just say: the duality of man ??? the lust for power, the need for love. these things typically don’t play together. for those who want power, they sacrifice love because the respect and fear they command replace it. sometimes being loving doesn’t command power. nico ( a note: no one calls him nico. it’s too informal, it’s too plebian, but for my sake while writing this intro, i will call him nico ) doesn’t quite understand this. he wants to be on top ( a need for a crown is overwhelming, and he’s only just begun tasting what kinghood is like, glints of power in his hands ) but he also wants to be loved. but does he know what love is ? probably not. he knows it’s in how you care for another person, a feeling that wells up in your chest, but i’m not sure he really knows how to love someone. he knows what it is to want and to lust, but love ? he’s never had it ! he wouldn’t know love if it smacked him in the face ! my poor emotionally-stunted, morally-skewed boy ! ( also i will acknowledge: the wraiths ? bad. nico ? Bad. not good people. not people you should aspire to be ! )

— and let’s talk about the weasleys ! what does he feel when he see them ? anger. jealousy. sadness. he could have been like them, if things were different. he could have known them. he could have been loved by them. and yet, none of those things are true. they’re practically all strangers, but he feels so much around them. for the most part, he hides it, behind snide words and an upturned nose. there is no getting close to them — first, he doesn’t know how to mend years of cruel behavior, but two, what if they turned him away ? for nico, feeling his own hurt and resentment as is is much better than risking getting hurt more.

— onion headlines that give me nicodemus vibes: “ i am the product of a single-nanny household ” “ wealthy teen nearly experiences consequence ” “ somebody should make a movie about my life ” “ i am lost in my own mansion ” “ report: income inequality most apparent during fifth-grade classmate’s birthday party ”

thoughts, few details:

— his parents hate each other and cheated on one another all the time as he grew up. are they a good example of a healthy relationship ? definitely not.

— he’s a scorpio. moody bitch.

— charms his hair brown now that he’s older to look less like a weasley, but can’t be bothered about the maintenance until someone points out he’s looking a little ruddy. the freckles, though ? he charmed them once and he ended up with like a thousand more and he won’t tempt fate again.

— would probably choke if someone liked him. probably ??? would think they’re lying.

— voldemort ? had good methods of control and fear-mongering. could nico be a better leader ? he believes so.

— his parents only had a kid out of obligation and not love. can we imagine the complex that gives a kid ? 

— his parents supported voldemort back in the day. they still believed in pureblooded ideals, though, and nico grew up hearing them. this meant that the wraiths weren’t telling him anything he didn’t know when he was readying to join them. 

— a note on this: orion tempted him with the allure of family. not pureblooded mania, not the scorn for anyone not entirely witch or wizard, but with family. they were both blacks, slight distance between them both, and blood together was a powerful thing. he had hoped this meant affection — he would have been over the moon at the smallest of fondness —  but it seemed ( like voldemort himself —  orion would be enthused at the comparison ) the older man was incapable of such.

— nico’s view of love DOES NOT equal real love. he’s dumb and wouldn’t know love if it hit him in the face.

 — he thinks he should be loved. like, thinks people should be bowing at his feet, kissing his shoes.  he thinks he’s more than deserving of it. how could he not be ?

— his full name is nicodemus vaughn prewett. he’s named after a dead relative. wizards love that.

[biconicfinn]

top 5 magnus relationships (romantic or familial or friendships whatever!!)

jdhfjkdhfbjdkhbskdhbgjsdkg shara i love you for this ask 

by the way these are in no particular order they’re just as my brain goes

1. malec!!!!!!!!!! duh!!!!!!!!!! okay so they are basically soulmates and they love each other so much and they’re each other’s family they’d never thought they’d have??????? like magnus didn’t think marriage was an option for him because of immortality and because no one stayed and even those he loved the most left him eventually because he was too much and not enough all at once. and alec always thought if he did get married it would be to a woman and he’d be doomed to forever be in a loveless marriage and die young because that’s the shadowhunter way. so for them both to find each other and find the kind of love they never anticipated and especially for magnus, never having loved and been loved this way with anyone before and so he’d never been married??? until alec????? poetic cinema

2. magnus and raphael!!!!! i’d like to think that of all his downworld children, magnus has a soft spot for raphael especially. like magnus rescued raphael and saved him, helped him adapt to being turned, control his thirst, come to terms with his faith and how to continue practicing even though he couldn’t go to church anymore, coping with having to leave his family behind. and raphael in turn learned about magnus’ trauma and suffering at the hands of camille and asmodeus, about how his sire was truly evil and horrible and raphael will avenge magnus and vows to take camille down someway somehow (camille is raphael’s sire right?????) maybe i have a fic exploring this in the works. and in the not so angsty part of things!!! magnus and raphael cooking together!! my personal fave headcanon that they both queued up to watch the original star wars films for hours and are og princess leia fangirls!!!!!!! the two of them talking shit about others at downworld parties with the rest of the immortal squad!! RAPHAEL AND MAGNUS CUDDLING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! also all the jokes magnus would torment raphael with about alec technically being his stepfather akfdkahbkdafgb

3. magnus and catarina!!!!!!!!! i love this dynamic duo so much i feel like they’ve got this best friend/sibling dynamic and they’ve helped each other through a lot of shit and also two academic legends!!!!! they both motivate each other to pursue learning new languages and degrees and inventing new spells and potions!!! they collaborate to make something and BAM brand new shadow world medical miracle! i feel like they also are the type to prank others, especially ragnor, relentlessly and they give off this air of sophistication and regality and elegance and yes they’re all that but they’re also little shits who will prank you and talk shit about stuffy clave officials and irritating assholes like lorenzo. also they get dressed up together for events and swap outfits and accessories all the time, magic helping to adjust the measurements accordingly. magnus was also the first person cat turned to when she wanted comfort/reassurance/encouragement to adopt madzie and he definitely cried when he saw the signed adoption papers (because there’s gotta be some formal adoption thing for warlocks since they’re usually abandoned by their parents when their marks manifest)

4. magnus and ragnor!!!!! so a lot of people see ragnor as magnus’ dad which im not saying is bad, but i prefer that ragnor is like magnus’ favourite older cousin, the kind of cousin who’ll give you advice and get you out of a jam but also get up to shenanigans with you, you know? like yes ragnor probably taught magnus alot (especially if you believe that they met shortly after magnus first banished asmodeus) and helped him get back on his feet. when they don’t live in the same city they probably have like weekly weekend tea sessions with the rest of the immortal squad for gossip, and whenever either of them are working on a new project, they’ll portal over to each other and discuss magical theory and the like! also ragnor would definitely be the one to embarass magnus in front of alec with stories of his antics over the centuries and magnus retaliates with stories of his own, whilst alec just fonds over magnus because he is whipped for his husband. i’d also like to think that ragnor is the one who helped magnus choose his name and he wouldn’t admit it but whenever ragnor gifts magnus something (like jewellery) it’s always got protection spells cast on it to keep magnus safe 

5. magnus and freddie mercury!!!!! (disclaimer: i mean absolutely no disrespect to freddie mercury or his legacy! this is just some harmless fun and headcanon based on what little the writers have told us about magnus’ history and his implied relationship with freddie mercury) this one is a mix of pure speculation and a shit ton of discussion and headcanons with @tothetrashwhereibelong. so magnus and freddie were probably not deeply in love like romantically, but they probably were very close companions and had a friends with benefits relationship, which probably continued until freddie met jim hutton. i’d like to think that magnus told freddie about being a warlock and that even after they weren’t friends with benefits anymore they were still very close, i’d like to think that freddie wrote some songs about magnus (good old fashioned lover boy anyone?) and that they loved each other as friends very much. also that magnus was one of the first people freddie told that he wasn’t going to get treated and would just live as long as he could. and that magnus probably mourned and grieved him as much as anyone else in freddie’s inner circle. less sad headcanon: magnus loves to lipsync and dance around to queen songs at home! ridiculous hairbrush microphone and elaborate outfits and all! it helps him feel connected to one of his dearest friends and sometimes if he closes his eyes and really loses himself in the music and dance and energy, he swears he can hear a “magnus, darling, you’re fabulous” called out to him in an achingly familiar voice, accompanied by a laugh he hasn’t heard in a long time. 

[thegreymoon]

giuliano de medici?

Obligatory disclaimer here, anon, I’m really not a fan of this show and Giuliano de Medici. I think it’s a terribly written show and he’s a terribly written character, and even though it’s no secret I find Bradley James to be one of the most beautiful people alive, I’m going to go with 

Not My Type | Alright | Cute | Adorable | 🤗Pretty🤗 | Gorgeous | LORD MERCY

Mind you, when I say ‘pretty’, I mean so goddamn beautiful I was willing to wade through THREE seasons of utterly infuriating bullshit just for him! (OK, two, because I still haven’t summoned the willpower to sit through season 3 even though I absolutely still plan on doing it 😭😭) I mean, just look at this man’s eyes: 

He’s so gorgeous, I could weep 😭

Also, I’m not going to pretend even for a second that the fact that the costumes gave off such strong Arthur vibes didn’t have anything to do with me sitting through this nonsense and almost enjoying it. When he said ‘I don’t have time for this,’ in this very scene, I got hit over the head with so much deja vu, because it is Arhur’s line, and it was totally Arthur’s delivery! His battle scenes gave me life, but why were they so short? Why was there not more? Why does everything about this shitty show have to be so goddamn unsatisfying? Did the Medici producers not see Merlin season 5? Did they not see what this man can do? Such a wasted opportunity, oh my fucking God! 

Anyway, rant incoming: 

Mind you, I don’t blame Bradley for the unsatisfactory mess Giuliano turned out to be, he did the best he could with the nothing he was given. Only Lorenzo got some semi-decent writing (and even this was not consistent), but Giuliano got such nonsense story arcs, I was sitting there not believing my eyes and ears! I’ve seen gutter trash soap operas with more believable cliche romance! Hell, I’ve seen twelve-year-old girls write better self-insert fanfiction! Even cartoons have better villains than that caricature of a husband, I was laughing out loud at what they were trying to get us to swallow! I mean that line, “It’s not the mask that attracts me, it’s what lies beneath it,” OMG, YOU’VE SEEN HER TWICE IN YOUR LIFE AND SPOKEN THREE WORDS TO HER, JUST SHUT UP!! 😣😫😭

It never gets better, unfortunately, and they wasted the character on this laughable romance instead of doing just about anything else with Giuliano! More of his relationship with Lorenzo, with Bianca, with Lucrezia, or even with Francesco! Hell, I would have even taken Sandro (even though the guy playing him can’t act to save his life and the character is beyond annoying)! Or, I don’t know, and this is just a radical idea here, they could have made Simonetta less two-dimensional and given us an actually believable romantic sub-plot with properly developed characters!

Oh, Gwen, how I missed you! I was forced to eat my words on each and every criticism I ever made about how poorly Arwen was written on Merlin, because it was perfect, perfect writing in comparison! So good, it could be taught in a literature master class! Oh my God, just how do you take two such beautiful people like Bradley and Matilda, put them together and end up with something so infuriatingly nonsensical, forgettable and bland? Colin Morgan has spoiled me and I confess that there was a moment in all my frustration where I had an ugly thought that Bradley James just has no chemistry with women on screen at all, but that’s not really true, because even at it’s worst, Arwen was never this bad and there was never a time when he and Angel actually made me roll my eyes at some of the worst pieces of dialogue I’ve ever heard. Then, of course, there was his performance with Barbara Hershey in Damien, which was on a whole another level of intense, so I have to conclude that the reason Giuliano and Simonetta and that whole ridiculous subplot were so terrible is because the writers could not write for shit. 

Also, as much as I love Bradley, I feel like he was tragically miscast in this role. I just didn’t buy him as Daniel’s younger brother at all. Not only is Bradley older IRL, he has the older brother vibes as well. It’s in his voice, his posture. Better writing for Giuliano notwithstanding, I feel like this show could have been vastly improved if Bradley and Daniel had switched roles. Again, did none of these people see Merlin? Did they not see how iconic Arthur was and what Bradley can do? Because, damn, that man has presence when you give him the proper material to work with, and they took advantage of none of it! I like Daniel, I really do, but even though he was given the best material on this show, he just didn’t fully deliver and I have yet to see him in anything where I am impressed by his performance and not just sitting there for his pretty face.

And since this has devolved into a looooooooong post that no longer has anything to do with the hotness of Giuliano de Medici, let me just mention him: 

Who is this guy and how do I get more of him, because, OMG!  😍🔥🔥🔥😍

He has the most fascinating face I’ve seen in a while, and the way he moves and carries himself is mesmerising! He deserved better-written villainy than what he was given! This show truly did not deserve its cast! Francesco Pazzi was so terribly written, it’s laughable, and yet, here was this guy, stealing the show left and right, in spite of the shit material he was given to work with! Somebody please cast him in something more worthy (preferably in English, or at the very least with English subtitles so that I can watch)! 😭😭

The thing that infuriates me about this series is that they had some fantastic actors here that totally deserved better, such a fascinating period to work with and some of the most interesting figures in history and they spent all their time and money on making them as cliche, two-dimensional, cartoonish and bland as possible.  

Also, I can’t end this post without mentioning how much I loved Sarah Parish as Lucrezia! The woman is perfect, OMG! 😍 The wives, in general, were too good for their husbands in both the seasons I watched so far. The mistresses can go choke, though, and I hated how much they tried to white-wash adultery all over the place. In addition to the poor writing, this show sent out some really gross messages and did nothing to call out all the misogynistic tripe. 

I must exclude Simonetta from my mistress-hate because she died a horrible death, and frankly, other than that, there was not much there for me to perceive her as a real character anyway. I wanted to like her so much because I saw the gifs on Tumblr before actually watching the show, but the writers gave me absolutely nothing to work with and in the end, all I was left with was that she died all alone and with no help or comfort, sick, cold and thirsty, which is one of my big personal fears. The fact that the writers did this to her for no logical reason but to play up Sandro’s and Giuliano’s selfish man-pain - after I really did not buy either of them actually loving her - was just an additional disgusting layer on this poorly written story arc. She deserved better. 

In conclusion, if it wasn’t for Bradley James being pretty, I would have quit this rubbish halfway through season 1 (if anyone is interested in reading just how much I hated it, you can find all my bile here). Season 2 was just as bad, but Bradley, Daniel and Matteo made intolerable characters bearable, which was something Richard Madden was unable to pull off. Of course, all my pure love goes to Contessina, Lucrezia and Clarice, because they were the only characters that I genuinely enjoyed in this mess and didn’t just put up with because I liked the people playing them.

[bytheangell]

Elle, my sweet angsty summer child

Where Lost Things Go(Read on AO3)

They try their best, but it isn’t enough. There are too many demons, Lilith has too much strength, and Isabelle used too much of the Heavenly Fire in their journey to get to Magnus to have enough left to fight their way out. They have to leave - and Magnus has to stay behind to keep the rift closed. 

“We have to go. Now,” Clary says, clearly struggling to hold the portal open for their escape back out of Edom.

“Go ahead, I’ll be right behind you,” Alec says, giving the others the nod to go through the portal first while he turns back to Magnus. Lorenzo goes first, and then Simon, but Jace and Isabelle linger. 

“Alec…” Isabelle says slowly, and Alec gives his siblings a slow, sad smile. 

“You couldn’t just leave with the others, could you?” He sighs. “I guess I owe you a proper goodbye, I just- I thought it’d be easier if you found out when there wasn’t anything to be done about it.” There are tears in his eyes as Izzy flings her arms around him.

“I understand,” she says, the words choking in a sob pressed against his shirt. “I love you, Alec. We’ll find a way to get you back. Both of you. We got here once, we can do it again.”  

“Are you sure about this?” Jace asks carefully. 

“I’ve never been more sure about anything,” Alec says, turning from Izzy to wrap his arms around Jace. “Clary already put the rune on Magnus, so I’m paired with him instead.” For how long, Alec isn’t certain, but it’s a question that no one dares to bring up at this point.. The moment Jace realizes this was his plan all along and not just an impulsive choice he only nods in understanding. “This isn’t forever, Alec,” he swears. 

“Take care of him, will you?” Jace says to Magnus, who wears a look of disbelief as the implications of the scene unfolding around him slowly dawn on him in stunned silence. 

“Guys-” Clary says, voice strained. “Soon we’re all going to be staying with Magnus. I can’t hold this anymore.” 

“Go,” Alec urges, giving Jace one last clap on the back. “Tell mom and Max I’m sorry.”

“This isn’t goodbye. After all, what was it you said... ‘It’s only Edom’, isn’t that right?” Jace says with a forced smile, and though his words waver with emotion he does his best to hold himself together as he drags Izzy back towards the portal Clary is barely holding open for them. The three of them are gone a moment later and Alec watches the portal close with finality. 

He looks at the space it once occupied for a few more seconds before he feels Magnus’ hand on his shoulder. 

“Alexander, you should’ve gone with them.” Alec only shakes his head, turning to take Magnus in his arms. “My place is with you no matter where that is, and it always will be.” 

---

Learning to control the magic he finds within his veins is easier when it’s Magnus’ magic. It isn’t foreign - it’s the same magic that reached out to him time and time again back home, the same magic that welcomed him as a trusted visitor through any ward Magnus created. It finds an easy, comfortable home within Alec, and reacts in kind. 

With time Alec’s stele becomes a decoration - a reminder of the life he left behind and nothing more. He takes it out and holds it from time to time, trying to draw a rune or activate his iratze, but never to any avail. Sometimes he simply holds it just to hold it, thinking of his family, or even Clary and Simon, wondering how they might be doing… praying to an Angel he’s never been more disconnected from that they’re still alive, wherever they are. 

Magnus walks in on him one of those days, catching Alec holding his stele with eyes closed against a silent trickle of stray tears. 

“Do you regret it,” Magnus asks quietly from the doorway,, unable to meet Alec’s eyes when Alec startles at the sudden sound. 

“No,” he says quickly, placing the stele back onto the ledge he picked it up from and walking over to Magnus. “Never. I miss them, of course I do. And I wish there had been another option, one where I could still be with them. Too. But I haven’t once wished I left you here alone.” 

“I’ll get us back,” Magnus promises. It’s one that Alec’s heard every day for nearly 200 days now.. He tried to stop keeping track but the numbers stay in the back of his mind no matter how hard he tries to forget about them. After all, they may be days in Edom, but they’re days with Magnus, and he means it when he says he wouldn’t have it any other way. 

“I know you will,” Alec agrees, smiling as he leans in to a kiss that starts slow and reassuring, but quickly grows into something more. Magnus kisses another promise against Alec’s lips, a silent reverence to the man he loves, a reassurance that Magnus may be the King of Edom now but his allegiance is, and always will be, to Alec. 

It’s a devotion Alec never doubts. 

--- 

It’s been a year since Alec arrived in Edom. He has a place next to Magnus now. Edom still stands but it’s under the rule of Asmodeus’ son - Alec’s husband. There’s no official ceremony to be had down here but it feels no less meaningful  when Magnus declares Alec his husband. 

Alec’s presence in Edom is a matter of contention for the first few months he’s there. He can hardly leave the confines of the home Magnus inherited - his home, now - without being attacked. An outsider, an interloper, angelic blood in a place Angels should never dare to tread. Though obviously hunting every demon within the confines of Edom itself would be a fool’s errand, Alec doesn’t hesitate to defend himself no matter how outnumbered.

The first time Alec comes back drenched in sweat and covered in ichor Magnus tries to step in, but Alec insists that he’s fine, that he can take care of himself. Alec plays the refusal off as not wanting his presence here to be a burden, but Magnus soon realizes that Alec needs that danger, the thrill of the hunt, the satisfaction of doing the thing he spent his entire life training to do. Alec knows Magnus doesn’t like to see him put himself in unnecessary danger but Magnus looks the other way. Any demon foolish enough to attack Alec meets the same bloody death. For a while it’s enough… until it isn’t. They day Alec goes out looking for a fight is the day he ends up outnumber and overpowered; the day Alec nearly doesn’t make it back home is the day Magnus can no longer bring himself to look the other way. 

Magnus makes it clear from that point on that Alec isn’t to be touched. Most listen, some do not. After several daring demons make a few last attempts to be the one to take out the Nephilim brazen enough to come to their home - only to fail and suffer a fate by Magnus’ hands that makes even a battle-hardened Alec turn away from the sight of - the direct attempts on Alec’s life cease. Magnus takes things a step further, decreeing that Alec is to be treated as his equal. There are many more rumbles over that development but none dare to question their new King. Or, as it were, Kings.  

 It’s strange, Alec thinks, to be able to freely wander Edom in any capacity, let alone one where he’s to be obeyed, should it come to that. It never does. Rather than be in a position where they have to listen to a Nephilim the demons decide to avoid Alec at all costs instead which suits him just fine. 

They’re making progress. Alec can use his stele again, thanks to some magical tempering on Magnus’ part, a fusion of the pure angelic essence within Alec’s blood with the tool so that it can hold its own against the dampening effect of Edom’s overwhelming demonic energy. They learn to channel the magic that Magnus shares with Alec as one so that rather than weakening the effect when they both call upon it at once it actually strengthens. 

They’re making progress, more every day, and while Alec doesn’t lose hope that they can find a way to defeat Lilith for good, seal the rift and find a way back home, he finds that with every passing day by Magnus’ side he feels more content than the one before. Life in Edom is far from ideal, but there’s something to be said about the lack of societal pressures, familial expectations, and the general weight of the world which Alec Lightwood, Head of the New York Institute, live under on a daily basis before. 

This existence should be a punishment, a prison, but instead it’s almost freeing. The guilt Alec experiences for even humoring the idea, let alone relishing in his time trapped here with Magnus, shuts him down for days at a time when it hits. He doesn’t eat, he doesn’t sleep, he won’t even speak to Magnus, and though Alec can see the pain it causes Magnus to give him space that’s exactly what he does. They both pretend not to notice when Magnus comes back smelling like ichor and death on those days or the strangled sobs that come from one - or both - them that get caught echoing down otherwise silent halls. 

---

On day 413 (because Alec never can stop counting), Magnus perfects opening portals within Edom. On day 415 Alec watches Magnus deliver Lilith to the same fate he condemned Asmodeus to. On day 417, without Lilith’s magic constantly battling against his own every time Magnus reaches out to connect to the demonic realm around him, he’s able to focus enough power to permanently close the rift, and keep it closed besides the smallest tear for a portal back to New York, which he’ll have just enough energy to seal shut behind them if they move fast enough during the transport. 

Alec is surprised at the mixed emotions day 418, what will be his final day in Edom if all goes according to plan, brings him. 

“Ready?” Magnus sounds anxious, but there’s a smile on his face as he makes the final preparations. 

Alec knows he should nod and agree, but instead the words leaving his mouth are: “Would it really be so bad to just stay here?” 

“...why would you say that?” Magnus asks slowly, and Alec surprises himself by speaking exactly what’s on his mind. 

“You know how much things changed in the three months after we met.... It’s been over a year. I know the plan was always to get back home, back to our lives, but… what if we don’t have a life to return to?” Alec knows, realistically, he can’t simply waltz back in and take over the Institute again. He’s not positive he’ll even be welcomed back among the Nephilim after the decision he made to stay in Edom. And Jace, Izzy, and the others… what if they never found a way to get them back because they didn’t want to?

Or worse, what if they do want him to step right back into his old life, when he isn’t sure that’s what he wants after so much time away. 

“Then we go somewhere new, and do something different. Just because we’re getting out of Edom doesn’t mean we have to stay in New York. If you want to travel the world, say the word and it’s done. It’s going to take some adjustment, but we’ll figure it out together. Edom was never meant to be either of our homes.” Magnus says the last sentence with contempt. 

It’s reassuring to hear the option out loud. The option for change, for growth, for something different. His life with Magnus prior to Edom was a whirlwind, and their time here far from ideal for growing a healthy relationship. It’s enough to hear from Magnus that he has no expectations of Alec once they’re back except that they’ll figure things out together. 

The promise of facing their uncertain futures together is enough to ease Alec’s nerves as he reaches out to take Magnus’ outstretched hands.

“Alright,” he agrees finally. “Let’s go home.” 

[prettygraceful]

the worst SH character: 3a talk

ok that underhill/ alec dynamics set was the straw that broke the camel’s back, so here we go. no bad feelings at all from me towards that blog tho! they ran a poll so they must honor the results. but when it comes to the fans who claim to love magnus- yet still like underhill- and especially the showrunners and writers of this duplicitous character... yikes. ok, i’m going to break my thoughts into 3 posts- 1 for addressing 3x05/ 3x06, and 2 for 3x15- cuz otherwise it might be too long for everyone to easily read. i’ve really tried to thoroughly explain it all.

unlike blonde shadowhunter OC #1 (lydia) who was the means to a good end- alec finally accepting himself- blonde shadowhunter OC #2 (underhill) was only created for unnecessary malec drama. and unlike OC #1 who left soon after fulfilling the purpose of her creation- OC #2 didn’t leave, even in the finale. and for what, since he didn’t have any narrative importance or redeeming qualities. 

so let’s start from the beginning of underhill’s story: 3x05. now on the surface, his 1st scene was important- telling alec that it was inspiring when he openly accepted himself and developed a relationship. but all of underhill’s words and actions after that, proved the latter part of that moment- about magnus- to be very disingenuous. how? well, let’s get into it- my points build on each other.

so onto 3x06. all of the alec/ underhill scenes were just a will they- won’t they, pseudo cheating arc. the fandom turned the discussion of that ep into “see i knew alec would never cheat.” well yeah, obviously not- alec’s sentiments over his father were made clear in 2x08 and 2x16. and the fact that the writers did saia- closure- then sizzy instead of cheater!simon like in the books, showed that they understood that cheating is the disrespectful action of a bad person. so obviously alec cheating was never a possibility, but that’s not the point? at all? showrunners/ writers can set up a bullsh*t arc, even if their audience knows they’ll never see it thru. for example, the bogus “oh clary’s dead” in 3x10. that was never going to happen, yet they still did that arc tho! do you see my point?

in 3x06, the typical will they- won’t they beats were all there: alec looking back at underhill after he helped maryse. alec’s open bitterness/ sadness at magnus while getting drunk in a bar (a common visual storytelling technique to imply the possibility of bad choices). underhill- the new theoretical “option”- a gay man- *coincidentally* appears when alec is in a vulnerable state. and he’s oh so nice with "i’ll help you”, and alec’s “you’d do that?” in that voice. and finally, even after alec bluntly rejects him while getting into the cab, they still made sure to keep underhill’s reflection on the cab window for pseudo dramatics- implying maybe it wasn’t the end of this possibility. (unlike the clear closure with dot at the end of 2x13- which also was different cuz that arc was dealt with overtly).

i know it is uncomfortable to admit the writers would stoop to the low brow pointless drama of an “almost cheated” storyline- and that they only introduced a new gay character for drama- but they did. and given how much the gays on here like to brag over their ability to read subtext, i was shocked when everyone was adamantly saying that underhill’s motives were totally pure. he was being nice “just for the sake of friendship” about as much as lorenzo rey was in 3x02. and given who alec is- despite being sad/ drunk- he was written OOC here imo.

and lastly, it’s necessary to mention that the problem here lies not only with the writers and the character, but also underhill’s actor: steve byers. shortly after he was cast, he quipped about a malec/ underhill threesome. he shouldn’t have gotten a pass for that, just cuz he was new. one doesn’t get invited into a new place, only to piss on the carpet first thing. and then just earlier this year byers posted a fan’s manip of underhill in place of magnus in 2x18, so it was him with alec- also proving his initial quip was not mere ignorance. then when byers was called out on this, he insulted the fans instead of apologizing for his disrespect.

so when fans still included him in this year’s pride sets, that was... baffling. and disappointing cuz neither the character nor the actor deserves to be celebrated. there’s good rep on this show, so bad rep really doesn’t need to be recognized. and it’s... understandable when dom’s quips of romantic-jalec are overlooked, since he’s a favored main, and especially since matt’s been regularly pressuring the fandom into silence for the last few years. but why are some parts of the malec fandom willing to disregard rudeness for the likes of mr. nobody byers?

ok, 3a talk done. so both of the 3b commentaries will be posted next week. i know this is long, but i wanted to make sure all the points were fully explained. and plz note that this post is only a preface to the real problems- all 3 of the posts need to be read to get the entire point i’m making. thank you for reading :)

[its-sir-actually]

My thoughts whilst watching 3x20

-The psychopaths are flirting, how cute. The seelie queen definitely wants the demon D 🍆 Maybe if Jonathan got laid he'd chill the fuck out a bit more 🤔🤔

-Oh FFS Clary you just ruined the seelie queen and Jonathan's vibe...but that bitch slap was glorious (pun absolutely intended)

-Clary! Stop getting jealous and flirting with your fucking BROTHER 🤢🤢

-WE'RE COMING 😭😭😭😭 AFTER YOU 😭😭 THIS IS THE HUNT 😭😭😭😭😭 this is the hunt 😢😭💔💕

-A fucking pretzel 🤣🥨

-Asmodeus I know you're evil but I enjoy you so much...now go get your son's apartment back

-Alec is so done already and it's only his first scene 😂 remove yourself from his presence Meliorn, you're not going to win this battle.

-Jace's puppy dog eyes and THAT pleading voice will always get him what he wants...Meliorn took one look and was like ok I'll leave a secret passageway open for you (and it won't be the only secret passageway open for you if you know what I mean 😉😏)

-Izzyyyyyy ❤ The New York institute would fall apart without this girl!

-Mama Lightwood 💕 Ohhh that Luke and Maryse look...they're going to be such a power couple!

-"If I did or said anything to offend the two of you" OMG she's grown so much and I love her with all my heart 😍💕😍

-He gave the ring back 😢 Mama Lightwood please fix your silly boys

-Lorenzo's plethora of portraits of himself is such a mood!

-Lorenzo shat himself a little bit when he saw that Magnus had his magic back and then he fully shat himself when he saw Asmodeus 😂

-Hahahaha fuck me...he turned him into a fucking lizard 🤣🤣🤣🤣 I'm fully crying right now

-That's the Malec closing the portal to Edom beach! They like filming on this beach when Malec are broken up...also Jordan you are very boring

-Oh Luke, these praetor boys have your nuts in a vice

-Great, these creeps are flirting again 🤢 at least she didn't let him kiss her

-Mama Lightwood is about to fix everything 💕💕 Side note: it's so good to see Magnus opening the door to his apartment again!

-"Stop, you know I love you" did I mention that I love her? 💕

-😲😲 she showed him the ringgggg! Now Magnus knows that Alec was going to propose to him 😁💕

-Am I a bad person because I'm kinda happy Jordan's going to die?

-Hahaha they put Lorenzo (Lizenzo Reyptile 🦎😂) in a tank 🤣🤣🤣

-FUCK HIM UP MAGNUS!

-Wow! Magnus SNAPPED! Cya later Asmodeus 👋🏼 it's been real

-"Rest easy brother, we can finally restore the Morganstern name" who the fuck talks like that?

-Did Clary just threaten my queen Izzy? Be prepared to die bitch!

-Alec and that goddamn bow 😍😍 fuck em up boo

-Does that mean that Clary's vision is also impaired?...Oh no she's fine...I guess the twinning rune isn't working today 🤷🏽‍♀️

-The most unrealistic thing I've ever seen on this show is that Clary Fairchild was able to knock down the absolute warrior princess that is Isabelle Lightwood.

-Never thought I'd say this but you turned up at the right moment Simon!

-YES JACE! Now stab her again just for fun 👍🏼

-Ohhh shittttt! That twinning rune was really holding Jonathan back...I'm so ready to see evil Jonathan!

-Izzy saved Simon and got hurt! My queeeeeeeen 💕👑

-This heavenly fire serum storyline is BORINGG right now...please make it more interesting or make it go away.

-Sizzy 💕 Who knew pulling shrapnel out of a person could be so romantic? I'm enjoying this slow burn, they're going to be so amazing once they actually get together 💕

-Oh no...how sad...Jordan's died 😏 I do feel sorry for Maia but I'm so ready to see pack alpha Maia!

-Heyyy Heline 👋🏼 "I ran into Aline and her..." Oh Alec you really do need to learn how to be a bit more subtle 😂 also look at how proud he looks

-"wE WeRE jUSt doINg ReSEarCh" that smirk Mr Lightwood 😏😏

-These Lightwood siblings are about to make you regret coming to earth Mr Demon

-MAGNUS! "Traffic was hell" 🤣🤣

-Clary ya boring and ya basic 💁🏽‍♀️

-YASSSSS ALEC GRAB THAT MAN BY THE LAPELS AND SMOOCH THE LOVE OF YOUR LIFE! 💕❤💕❤💋💋

-Magnus, my boy, you are a gift from heaven 😇 the amount of times Magnus Bane has saved the shadowhunters asses is hilarious!

-Oh! OHH! It's happening...It's actually happening!! 💕❤💕

-"Alexander Gideon Lightwood, will you marry me?" "Only if you'll marry me too" ❤💕❤

-The rings ❤ The mutual proposals ❤ The I love you's ❤ Pure perfection!

-Don't worry my teary eyed boy, you'll have him back soon 💕

-Alec is usually so emotionally composed and to see him cry and fall to his knees is deeply upsetting but at least he has his family around him right now

[loquaciousquark]

Talks Machina Highlights - Critical Role C2E26 (July 17, 2018)

Tonight’s guests: Matt Mercer, Ashly Burch, and Taliesin Jaffe. Heck, I’m nervous for all three of them.

Announcements: Critical Role will be at the San Diego Comic Con on 7/21 in 6BCF at 6:30pm. The panel will be aired next Tuesday during the TM time slot. They’ll also be at NYCC in October!

CR Stats! Episode 26 had 14 natural 20s, the most of the new campaign. This was in no small part due to Ashly borrowing Tal’s dice because she doesn’t own her own dice bag. There’s so much dice karma happening in that sentence I don’t even know how to handle it. It ties with episodes 55, 61, and 100. Keg has the most natural 20s of any single-episode guesting with 4. Molly got the M9′s 100th kill. He leads the party with 21 kills in all. “Hot murder streak.”

We’ve seen seven of Molly’s cards so far: the silver dragon, anvil, serpent, eye, moon, shadow, and the chariot. Tal says the serpent may be the same as the dragon, but he’ll check.

This was Ashly’s first time guesting on the show proper--previously she’d only been on oneshots. Biggest difference? “There were less people dying on the oneshots!”

Matt and Brian both take a moment to applaud Ashly’s characterization and sticking to the true roleplaying of her character over any min-maxing of the dice she might have done otherwise. Tal says the math would have come out either way as it was. It’s the first time she’s ever done something like that in a D&D game.

Matt always prefers roleplaying over what’s strategically optimal, especially since the moments where you falter and fail often lead to the true “hero” arc for your character. “It was very wild and unique to watch the cocksure exterior crumble.”

Everyone’s been kind to Ashly directly since The Incident. It’s only whispers she’d heard indirectly.

Tal already hadn’t slept the night before; he didn’t that night either, just curled up and thought until dawn. He realized in panic that he’d never come up with a backup character as Matt had asked months ago; he has rolled a new one since then, but he spent most of the weekend coping with making a new character in three days after spending six months on Molly. Bless.

Brian woke Ashley up during the live show when he heard Taliesin say “my Blood Maledict’s going to kill me” so that they could watch the rest together. He realized that Matt was hesitating a lot more than usual as things went on, that Matt seemed to be hinting more and more strongly that the impending encounter was about to go very badly for the M9.

Matt designed the Iron Shepherds to be a very dangerous, powerful group when they are all together (as they were that night). He’d planned for several options: the M9 following and never catching up, waiting to gather intel until Shady Creek, catching up but only observing from a distance, and for the actual battle itself. He tried to give them clues about how dangerous they would actually be: that there were more than five enemies, that Ashly’s character knew how dangerous they were, that they were prepared and tough-looking. However, he never wants to be too heavy-handed in guiding the players’ hands. His intent with the battle was to show some surprises and that the M9 didn’t know what they were dealing with, and had hoped that the M9 would take the hint and back out sooner than they did.

Brian could tell that Matt was very visibly affected as the fight went on, which Matt points out was in part due to how late it was. He allowed the battle to occur because he didn’t plan for it to be a long one (the Iron Shepherds were going to speed away...until the M9 dropped the tree across the road). Then he had no idea what was going to happen during the battle. He adds that DMs sometimes end up with encounters harder than they’d plan, and it was nervewracking because as much as he cares for these characters, he also has a responsibility to be true to the strength of the enemies and the realities of the dice. There were a lot of ways the fight could have still gone, but didn’t (parlay, discussion, more ambushing, better dice rolls).

If Keg hadn’t stepped up and used her relationship specifically with Lorenzo to halt the battle, it would have gotten way, way worse for the M9, including the kidnapping of more of the M9 to be sold.

Lorenzo has a specific vanity and enjoyment of power over other people, and Keg’s intervention played straight into that. It’s the only reason that encounter didn’t go more poorly.

Some of the Iron Shepherds’ background information was known by Keg; some was deliberate misleading on the part of the Shepherds to keep Keg in the dark.

Keg wasn’t happy about Caleb’s charming, but Keg knew there was no way she could take on the Shepherds on her own. She has a facade of being cocksure and proud but is truly a coward, and knew that taking them on alone would kill her. The charming was a “necessary evil.”

Taliesin knew the risks of the Maledict but planned to give Lorenzo disadvantage, hopefully dodge the next two attacks, and escape as soon as Lorenzo engaged with Beau. Then the dice came up with the rest of his HP and that was that.

Matt did in fact roll the Golden Snitch for the bad guys this game. Brian: “Let’s not give him the most powerful die in the game next time.” Tal: “Oh, it’s going to go mysteriously missing any day now.”

Lorenzo was not visibly afraid at any point during this fight. Matt declines to elaborate further.

GIF of the Week! u/rndmanswrs4rndmqstns from Reddit, for a gif of the battle map from last episode superimposed with a tragic news ticker footage of the slaughter.

Molly’s final words were an easy choice. “He’s not complicated in that direction, and his feelings on violence and death are easy.” Tal says it didn’t fully hit him until hours later. Still, Molly never really felt ownership of his own self; it all still felt borrowed. He knew death would come eventually and probably earlier rather than later. “As ways to go existed, I think that was a very Molly way to go.”

Matt thinks these reminders of mortality are important...depending on the type of story you’re trying to tell. Their game needs the stakes of having the risk of death, although that’s not what would be fun for every game and should not always be on the table. However, they know each other so well that he feels it’s an important reminder that there are consequences for their actions and that it suits the world they live in. Tal points out that the same thing is true for so many types of fiction: “they’re only fine because they’re not real.” Sometimes these stories happen in a vacuum and the hero is immortal...and sometimes, as in their game, they’re not. Matt thinks it’s important to be able to grieve and feel catharsis for even a fictional character (and cites a particular death from C1 as an example for himself). Matt: “In a weird, macabre way, I’m excited to see where the story goes from here.” Brian: “Me, too.” Tal: “Me, too. I mean, at first I was panicking, but now I have a pretty good idea.”

Ashly initially panicked when Matt revealed the Iron Shepherds’ abilities (since she thought she’d misremembered what Matt had said), but then felt even more justified in her RP. Everything felt worse because so many people were gone, including Laura and Travis. “I felt like the babysitter who dropped the baby.” She felt the whole time during the fight that they shouldn’t be engaging the way they were.

Molly’s final thoughts were “easy and simple and base...the immense, reasonable, and wonderfully sustaining emotion of ‘well, fuck you, too,’ which is the righteous and more reasonable cousin to ‘fuck you.’“ No fear, no panic.

The Iron Shepherds existed as part of the worldbuilding in the northern region and were intended to be a later issue, but Matt wove them into the story soon since Laura & Travis had to leave. He wasn’t intending for them to become such an immediate, intense antagonistic force, but DMs have to adapt to the situations and this one felt natural.

Cut to Dani Cam, who had a very hard Thursday night ( :( ). She asks Ashly how Keg, someone very self-preservational, decided to sacrifice herself for the M9. Ashly remembered that in their discussions, Matt characterized Lorenzo as someone who liked to make examples of people, and thought that if she prostrated herself in front of him, he might maim her but not kill her, which turned out to be accurate--so it was still fairly self-preservational on her part. They’ll find out more next week. Ashly will be with us the next two sessions and will be joining the crew at GenCon! Heck yes!!

As much as Tal likes Matt’s Lingering Soul class, he would never consider it as an option for Mollymauk. “There’s no version of Molly coming back as a ghost that doesn’t end with him desperately wanting it to be over.” Matt designed it more narratively to be a person whose sheer force of will keeps them from accepting the moment of death due to unfinished business or the pure determination to live...which they both feel is the exact opposite of Molly.

Matt liked how Taliesin showed that all personalities can play the Blood Hunter, not just the edgy grimdark type.

Fanart of the Week! @jesttothenines, with this pain. Ow.

If Molly hadn’t run to Lorenzo, Beau would have likely been his example instead. Molly was an easier target, though, because he was closer and more hurt. If Beau had been unconscious instead (and not dead) when Keg made her plea, Lorenzo might have asked what she was willing to trade to get Beau back.

This is the second of Tal’s characters Matt’s killed. The first one was a mad monk who liked to set things on fire who was eaten by ghouls.

Dani: “Why can’t this campaign be happy? And fairies?!” Matt: “We had the fairies last campaign in the Feywild! They murdered the pixies! They sided with the werewolves!”

After last campaign, Tal and Dani hugged while Dani cried pretty hard. Then Tal went home and cried himself. He left the table during the episode because he was on the verge of having a panic attack and couldn’t handle watching everyone else panic as well.

Ashly thought she was going to have a limb lopped off at minimum when Lorenzo had her kneel. She didn’t expect to be let go unscathed. 

Molly would have considered his death “worth it” if he knew it meant Beau was spared. In a way, it helps that he now has an “eternal one-up” on her. Matt: “That’s very Molly of him.”

The persuasion success from Keg was a chief reason Lorenzo spared them, but it was also because the rest of the M9 were insignificant gnats to him. Keg’s reaction was the only one he cared about, so as soon as she gave in he’d gotten what he wanted. Then he just wanted to set the example and spread the word.

Ashly hadn’t meant to let them know she’d been part of the slavers until Shady Creek, but actually likes how it came out.

Matt really doesn’t think it was an overall bad plan. It was just a few strategic missteps, some very bad dice rolls, and an enemy that outmatched them.

Dani recalls to us all that Molly had told us it would be a cursed trip.

Molly’s parting advice to the M9: Tal declines to think about it much in depth. “Life’s short, eat a bagel. Join the circus. Lighten up. Life’s short; do something to a bagel.”

The illusion that cloaks the cages under the tarp means that even if the missing three of the M9 are in there, they wouldn’t have seen Molly’s death.

Molly is no different in Taliesin’s head than he was last week, which is why he's having a slightly easier time with this than everyone else. “He’s no different for me, I just don’t get to trot him out on Thursday.” He was based off of several friends, some who have passed away, and several experiences he had as a teenager and places and people he knew that profoundly affected him. He mentions a song off the soundtrack for Wristcutters: A Love Story, since that movie had a lot of “good carnie family vibes” about weird people taking care of each other. There was an archetype in film that was very much Molly which Tal hasn’t seen in a long time, and he explains: there’s a way of living a life where you don’t give a fuck about what people think but you do give a fuck about people. He never needed to be fixed and he never needed permission for anything. He’s not Iron Man where you’re waiting to see him become a good person, and he was never a creature of profound change like Captain America, where you watch to see the good they make on the world; his unfinished business was in each interaction he had with the people in the world and making them deal with him, but making sure that dealing with him was always a positive and kind experience. Matt gets very emotional at the description. Me too, friend.

His favorite part of playing him was being a teenager version of himself; the art and cosplay were spectacular. And the terrible accent, of course.

Brian takes a moment to thank Taliesin for making memorable characters and memorable choices that have a bigger impact than what only they can see. He looked at all the tributes for Molly this week because he wanted to get a feel for how the community was feeling so that they could hone the questions for the show. The character meant a lot to a lot of different types of people, and it’s a testament to Tal’s heart that people connected so much with this character.

Brian, Matt, and Tal are all crying at this point. Ashly starts reactive-crying. Dani’s crying on the Dani Cam. This is AWFUL.

After Dark: QQ Edition

We open laughing (relieving change) since everyone’s hurled obscenities at Brian just before the show went live. Matt enjoys being on the other side of that for once.

Beau is the member of the M9 who’s best earned the right to wear Molly’s coat. “She’s the one who needs to lighten up. Caleb’s never going to lighten up and that’s okay. Jester doesn’t need it. Fjord doesn’t need it. That’s not Nott’s problem.”

Keg is super interested in Nott’s never-ending flask. “I’m abandoning this super dramatic narrative. I’m going for the flask.”

A TPK was possible if the M9 kept throwing themselves at the Iron Shepherds, but Matt knew they were smarter than that and would either flee or give themselves up as Keg did. “It relied on the players’ actions at that point; that’s why I was so nervous. I was like, this is the scenario I built and now we have to see it through.”

Tal honestly doesn’t remember what Liam said to him when he left the table right after him. It was mostly a “well, that happened,” and Liam just refilled his drink before going back to the table.

Tal went home after the show, cried in bed, and then the sun came up and he realized he had no idea for a new character. He spent so much time working on Molly that he never got around to making anything else. He came up with his next idea in about thirteen-fourteen hours, and he’s very happy with it. Matt points out he was explicitly clear about how they needed to come up with backup characters when the campaign started. “These low levels are dangerous!”

Everyone addresses the new studio in terms most respectful and patient, asking it to be benevolent now that it’s had its blood sacrifice. 

Keg’s going to grow a vengeance beard.

Brian talks about Ashley’s reaction on the couch; she leaned forward on her knees, looked over at Brian, and said, “I’m gonna kill that motherfucker.” Brian said, “Yeah, you probably will.” They now have a formidable villain for the early campaign.

Tal can’t even answer the question about how Yasha will react when she finds out. “Oh, no. Oh, no.”

Matt and Brian have a retrospective moment of panic about how good it is Yasha wasn’t there that night, since she’s a rage-based barbarian. Matt, wide-eyed: “There would have been no parlay. Oh, no. Next question.”

Keg’s favorite moments were the secret-sharing with Nott and the conversation with Beau. Matt loved their meeting: “When an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. It was beautiful.”

Brian’s first desire after the show was to rage-tweet Matt Colville. He, apparently, refrained.

 Matt thinks the threat of death should be present and played out when it happens, but he never likes playing DM-vs.-player.

Tal smiled when Molly was being killed because that was both Molly’s reaction, and because Tal himself is a nervous smiler.

Matt doesn’t consider this revenge for Tal killing him off so soon in the Vampire oneshot; Tal reminds us that he knew Matt knew about the very specific subclass he’d given Matt and they both knew what would happen when he went outside.

Tal and Matt reminisce about early PC deaths. “What was that, 2012?” Ashly: “Aw, you guys have killed each other so much!”

They’re asked about the best lie they’ve ever told. Tal convinced someone a nonsense Pirate Queen existed; Matt doesn’t really lie, but when he senses gullibility he doubles down until reality’s rearranged.

Tal started wearing black when Jim Henson died...except that he forbade black at his funeral. The camera zooms in on Tal’s iridescent loafers & his peacock paisley shirt: “This is Molly’s funeral shirt.”

Ashly will definitely be back on Thursday; Tal will be back as soon as the narrative allows it. He’s prepared for Thursday if it works out.

And that’s where it wraps up tonight. Be good to each other; it’s almost Thursday.

[sian265]

Legio autem Arcarius Legion of Archer Chapter 12

Alec sat on his bed in the guest room, listening to the tinkling and clattering of glasses in the other room. He could hear the low muttering of the staff getting ready for the party. He looked down at the arrow he clutched in his hands, Alec wanted to do or give Magnus something but it would require revealing a deeply buried secret of the Legion. He had nagging worries about this party and keeping Magnus safe specifically, this would go a long way towards bringing Alec’s mind some peace. Making a decision, Alec rose and laid the arrow down on the bed. He finished dressing in the suit that had magically appeared in his room when he stepped out of the shower. Magnus already knew him well; the suit was black and conservative. The green silk dress shirt a darker version of green that Alec could live with. He did not realize that Magnus had been thinking of Alec’s eyes when he chose the shirt for him.

 Once dressed, and giving his hair a quick critical eye, Alec picked up the arrow and left. Standing outside Magnus’ bedroom door, Alec knocked and patiently waited for the ‘enter,’ from Magnus. Stepping into Magnus’ bedroom, Alec’s breath caught, he could only stare as his heart threatened to beat out of his chest. Magnus’ look fantastic. He was wearing a banded colored jacket with a partner of red, gold, and purple swirls. The thread of the jacket sparkled in the light. Slim, tight silk, black trousers with little slippers that had beaded crystals on them made the whole outfit, and Magnus’ shine. The High Warlock had gone light on the eyeliner and his lips were a shiny pink bow. “You look wonderful, Magnus.” Alec finally whispered, a little bit of awe in his voice.

 Magnus almost seemed to preen under Alec’s attention and his eyes sparkled as he took in the archer. “Alexander thank you, but you! You look so handsome Commander!” Magnus’ eyes swept up miles of leg, up past belted pants to the silk of Alec’s green shirt. Looking back into those hazel eyes flicked with green, Magnus’ congratulated himself on his shirt choice, it did really bring out the different shades in Alec’s eyes. The archer’s broad shoulders look especially fetching in his jacket. Magnus’ swore he almost swooned like a girl, his Commander was so dashing.

 Alec took a step closer and saw Magnus’ eyes drop to the arrow in hand. The Warlock merely raising a brow in question. Alec cleared his throat. “I want to give you something, but first I have to change this into it.” Alec held out the arrow for Magnus to see. “There is a secret that goes along with my gift that no one outside the Legion knows, well beside the Consul.” He waited until Magnus’ nodded in understanding before continuing.

 Alec gave the arrow a firm shake, and Magnus’ saw with amazement that the once fiberglass shaft was now a metal rod, almost spear-like with its arrowhead tip. Then Alec slowly ran a hand down the metal until he reached the end. Grasping the end of the metal rod, he slowly began to bend it. Alec began shaping the rod around his wrist, creating a banded, circular, bracelet, made from pure Adamas. Alec slipped the bracelet off his own wrist and reaching for Magnus’ slipped in on the High Warlock’s, the sleeve of his jacket falling around it and covering the shiny metal, but not before they both saw the metal gleam deep red. Magnus could bare the touch of the angelic metal due to him being the son of an angel, even if that angel had fallen.

 Magnus lifted amazed eyes to Alec, he knew of none but the Iron Sister who could manipulate pure Adamas. Alec gave him a small smile and looked back down at the hidden arrow. “Legion members are not only chosen because of their abilities as warriors. Each also shows a touch of the ability that only the Iron Sisters possess the ability to manipulate pure Adamas. This secret is known only to Legion members and the Consul.” Alec touched the metal of Magnus’ new bracelet. “I need you to be careful tonight, not only for your sake, but mine as well. Don’t remove this until all this mess is over, please Magnus.” Alec picked up Magnus’ wrist and placed a kiss on his hand.

 Magnus reached out with his free hand and straightened the collar of Alec’s jacket, causing the other man to smile broader and flush lightly. “You make it so easy Commander to fall for you.”

 Alec’s blush deepened and he reluctantly released Magnus’ hand and stepped back. “As much as I would rather stay here all night alone with you, I do need to speak with my archers and the Shadowhunters assisting tonight.”

 With a similar reluctant sigh, Magnus also stepped away and turned back towards his vanity table. “I completely understand Alexander. I too must finish getting ready. Until later then?” Magnus shot a look over his shoulder, almost playing coy.

 With a pleased smile in return, Alec replied. “Most definitely!”

 Alec stood tall, spine straight, shoulders back and hands folded behind him. He met each pair of eyes that stared back at him, Legion and Shadowhunters. They stood gathered, Legion at attention, Shadowhunters scattered across the back of Magnus’ balcony, waiting for Alec to speak. The differences in the two groups were easy to see. Izzy and Clary stood near the balcony doors dressed in party clothes. Alec’s Legion stood in a single line, every one equal distance apart in formation. They stood proud and tall, each with their bows clasped across their chest and their quivers full of arrows. The Shadowhunters on the other hand were draped across the stone balcony wall, over a lounge chair or leaning against the wall. They eyed Alec with boredom, clearly thinking this was all a waste of time.

 Alec would have never allowed that level of unprofessional behavior, but he wasn’t in charge of the New York Institute. His gaze returned to his archers. When he spoke, it was with a clear, strong, firm tone that had every ounce of his confidence in his people and their ability to accomplish anything he asked.

 “Each of us were born for a specific purpose. Each of us stood under the eyes of the angels and took an oath. We pledged ourselves, heart, body, and soul to a sacred mission. Be you Shadowhunters, or Legion, the oath was the same. Our duty is to protect the Shadow World. I ask that of you tonight. Our mission tonight is to protect and to apprehend those who have done harm to the Shadow World. We are after murderers, killers have deprived Mundane and Seelie of their lives. These evil beings have targeted one of our own, someone who has given tirelessly to the Shadow World. We will not let them succeed.”

 Alec paused and swept his gaze down the line of his archers. “Legion!” He commanded in a loud stern voice. “Do I have your pledge?” His answer shook the stone they stood on, the stomping of eight archers and the thump as their bows met the ground. Their “Aye Commander!” would have been heard by an entire city block if Magnus’ wards hadn’t prevented it. Alec allowed himself a proud smile, before a sharp ‘dismissed,’ was issued.

 Alec met Jace’s eyes and gave him a nod to stay behind. Once his archers went to their stations, Alec moved to Jace and led him to Izzy and Clary. “Thank you for assisting us this evening.” he told all three of them. Alec addressed Jace first.  “If you and your Shadowhunters can watch the perimeter around the building below, we can watch from above.” At Jace’s nod, Alec turned to girls. “Izzy, Clary if you could work the rooms, mingle with the guests and keep your eyes out?” At their nod, Alec went to move away but was stopped by Izzy’s hand on his arm.

 Izzy went up on tiptoes before Alec could even react and wrapped him in a tight hug. Stepping back after releasing him she eyed Alec with a teasing grin. “We are happy Big Brother to help protect your boyfriend.”

 Alec couldn’t help the light flush that covered his face. He just shook his head at the three as they laughed at him. “Funny, Izzy.” Alec nervously straightened his jacket avoiding Jace’s curious gaze.

 “Alec,” Jace asked with a frown. “You can’t be nervous that we won’t protect Magnus?”

 “No Jace, I’m just not looking forward to all the mingling and small talk!” Alec replied, grouchy at the approaching socializing he had to do. His siblings seemed to want to do nothing but laugh at him so Alec shot them all a look that conveyed his opinion very clearly and went back inside, time to get this dog and pony show going he thought.

  If Alec could spend all social gatherings he was forced to attend in this way, he might actually enjoy them. As he moved around the room greeting Magnus’ guests, Magnus’ hand never left Alec’s lower back. That firm pressure and comforting touch made small talk and smiles easier to manage. That Magnus made a point of introducing Alec to everyone and made it clear through look and touch that Alec was with him, well that was just fine to Alec. He’d never seen so many Warlocks in one place, marks of every type were on full display. Mixed in with Warlocks were Seelie’s, Vampires, and a few Werewolves. Magnus was popular and his parties stuff of legend. Food and drink flowed freely.

 He was standing with Magnus and Catarina when he felt Magnus stiffen next to him. “Wonderful, the windbag decided to come.” Magnus muttered to Cat, looking towards the front door. Alec followed his gaze to see a slender man enter with a small Asian woman on his arm. The Warlock, Alec assumed, was wearing a flashy dark suit and had his long dark hair pulled back in a tight ponytail. The women was dressed in a traditional hanbok.

 Alec turned back to Magnus. “Who is that?” he asked.

 “The current High Warlock of Brooklyn, Lorenzo Rey.” Magnus replied, with a great deal of disgust in his voice.

 “Oh stop,” Cat muttered with a light slap at Magnus’ arm. “He is not that bad and he is doing a fairly good job as High Warlock.”

 Magnus scowled at her. “Only because you refused the job my dear.” Cat just laughed as Magnus quickly pasted on a fake smile as Lorenzo called out, “Magnus Bane!” Alec hid his own smirk at just how fake Magnus’ greeting was to the other Warlock. Magnus waited until the pair approached before responding. “Lorenzo, so glad you could make it.”

 “Well, I could not miss the social event of the season now could I? Besides, I have not seen you since the last great gathering, what’s it been 60 years?” Lorenzo took two glasses of champagne from a passing server and handed one to his companion.

 “80, but who’s counting.” Magnus replied, “And who is your lovely companion?” Magnus turned his gaze to the small women who had been silently observing Magnus since Lorenzo brought her over. “Magnus Bane-, my dear, welcome.” Magnus held out a hand to the women and she limply gave his hand a brief shake before dropping it.

 Lorenzo smiled even broader, all shiny white teeth. “Ah forgive my lack of manners! This is my new young apprentice, Shinyun Jung.” Lorenzo turned to look at Alec. “And your companion, Magnus?”

 Magnus’ hand came back to rest against Alec’s lower back. “Of course, may I present Commander of the Legion, Alec Lightwood.”

 Alec did not miss the gaze Lorenzo ran up and down Alec’s body or the interested spark that appeared in the Warlock’s eyes. “Nice to meet you,” he muttered and instead of shaking the man’s hand, Alec moved his free arm around Magnus’ waist, hopefully making it clear he was very taken.

 Lorenzo’s smile dimmed a bit at Alec’s move. He turned back to Magnus. “I did not know the Consul’s Legion and the High Warlock of Alicante were so close.”

 Before Magnus could reply, Alec did. “Oh yes, Magnus and the Legion are close, very close.” His tone was just as phony as the smile he gave Rey and his companion, who had not taken her eyes off Magnus, something Alec had not failed to notice.

 Magnus and Cat both covered laughs with a cough, and the hand across Alec’s back pressed a little firmer. “Well, we must mingle with my other guests. Do enjoy yourself Lorenzo, and it was nice meeting you Shinyun.” Magnus guided Alec away with a gentle push across his back.

 Once they had moved away from the pair, Alec leaned down to whisper into Magnus’ ear. “I feel like I need a shower now, how much longer till they all leave?”

 Magnus gave a soft chuckle. “Oh no, my dear Alexander. The party has just begun, and I’ll help you get clean later.”

 TBC…

[hiddlesgirl]

SH 320: City of Glass

By the Angel, there is so much to say about this episode. It was huge emotional rollercoaster; confrontations, goodbyes, tender moments, a huge battle and that special proposal. This was such an epic episode and (if that awful thing hadn’t happened on June 5th) it would have been the best season finale of the show; I would have been so devastated, excited and hyped for season four. The last scene wasn’t even the original episode ending which was even more of a cliff hanger; apparently we will figure out which scene it was because it’s pretty early on in 321.

Watching this episode is the most emotional I have even been watching an episode of Shadowhunters, in fact the only other time I can remember being this emotional watching an episode of a show was the Season 5 finale (and Series finale) of BBC Merlin. For 320; I was out of my seat, kneeling on the floor two feet away from my TV absolutely sobbing my heart out in those last 10 minutes. Amazing.

Now that Magnus is more composed you can see that he is still very suspicious of Asmodeus’ motives, he knows that his father is cunning and that he is playing nice for now but sooner or later his true intentions will be revealed. I really like the dynamic between them; Jack and Harry have a really great back and forth.

I also noticed that through the scene Magnus became physically closer to Asmodeus over the course of their conversation, he moved away initially but when he moves to leave he was shoulder to shoulder with him. I’m not sure if this was intentional or not but I think that it does subtlety show that Magnus still needs support and reassurance right now, that he is still vulnerable and is (perhaps subconsciously) seeking out comfort.

I absolutely adore Maryse, I think that her development and unlearning her past prejudices has made her one of the most changed characters and hers is one of the best overall character arcs in that respect; she is a very different person than she was. She has not only become more emotionally open but she has tried to make amends to numerous people for her past behaviour; Luke, Magnus, and her children.

She is worried that she may done or said something to jeopardise Alec and Magnus’ relationship; she has seen how much they love each other, how important their relationship is and how much it has changed her son for the better; and she doesn’t want to do anything to negatively affect that.

You can see her confusion and upset when Alec tells her he broke up with Magnus, she doesn’t understand why Alec would leave the person he was planning to propose to. Plus, she is worried about Alec because she can tell that he is not himself.

I really liked the interaction between Magnus, Lorenzo and Asmodeus; it was a little gratifying to see Lorenzo being fearful of Asmodeus. I laughed so hard when Asmodeus turned him into a chameleon; after everything Lorenzo has done to Magnus it is about time karma came back around for him. He did redeem himself a little by agreeing to take his magic back but there are so many things that  he has done that I don’t think he has time to atone for; the biggest probably being the fact that his entire grudge with Magnus is purely about jealousy.

You can see that Magnus enjoyed getting a little bit of payback, and you can’t blame him for that; he has been so out of control of his situation for so long, and a lot of that was down to Lorenzo (forbidding the other warlocks to help him in anyway, forcing Magnus to go to Edom in the first place and then making himself the only help available), that to take back some of that control is empowering. But you can also see that he is very conflicted, he is a kind and compassionate person at heart and he doesn’t enjoy hurting others so while it feels good to have some control he genuinely doesn’t enjoy this ‘revenge’.

We get to see just how manipulative, controlling and callous the Praetor is; they threaten to send Luke back to prison if he doesn’t do as he’s told. Luke is now indebted to them and he is going to struggle with that I think because he has a strong moral compass, I am very concerned about what plans the Praetor have for him and that vial of serum.

Although I want to cringe (and I did) when Jonathan moves to kiss Clary I also understand the reasoning behind it from his perspective. He was raised by Lilith who has a very skewed version of love and she also kissed him on the mouth. It seems that Jonathan has no concept of the boundaries between different types of love and how to demonstrate them.

I have really enjoyed dark Clary because it is interesting to see what kind of person she could have been, or could have become, if she was raised by Valentine; plus Kat does a great job. I thought the dynamic between her and Jonathan was very interesting too, she is very much the authority between them; he always ends up deferring to her. I wondering if this was because he didn’t want to upset her or cause her to leave, wanting to please her so that she wouldn’t abandon him.

I love the scene between Maryse and Magnus; my heart soared when Maryse said ‘stop, you know I love you’ because Magnus hasn’t had a mother in centuries (and he felt rejected by her) so to have the mother of the man he is in love with completely accept him into her heart and family must be amazing. Plus, again, it shows how far Maryse and her relationship with Magnus has come; in Season one and 2A she couldn’t even call him by his name, only calling him ‘downworlder’ or ‘warlock’; now, she has come to know him, accept him, appreciate him and love him. I’m not crying, you’re crying.

I got so excited when she told him about the engagement plan; she knew that he would need to be convinced of Alec’s love and had no qualms about telling him this. She knows that Alec would never tell him but Magnus deserves to know just how much Alec loves him; she is doing everything she can to bring them back together because she wants them both to be happy. I love Maryse with my whole ass heart.

Maia tells Jordan she doesn’t want the serum, she has come to terms with her new life and she doesn’t want to have to make another fresh start; she has a life here, with a pack and friends. She has worked hard to build this new life for herself and no matter the troubles she may have she doesn’t want to give that up. She knows that becoming a mundane again won’t help her; it would only isolate her because she would no longer have a pack or be part of this community she has found.

I don’t like Jordan but I think this was very well done and emotional scene; both Alisha and Chai did an amazing job. I think that it is the first time I felt some sympathy for Jordan, he was starting to turn his life around and make amends for his past mistakes, and now he won’t get the chance. I feel so much sympathy for Maia because she has been able to let go of the hurt and resentment, to get closure on that part of her past. Now she is losing this person all over again.

I love the confrontation scene between Magnus and Asmodeus, I keep saying it but I absolutely love the energy and dynamic between them. Asmosdeus’ true motives come out, he wants Magnus in Edom so they can gain control over it; he has had a taste of Magnus’ power and how strong it is, he wants to use it and Magnus to become King of Hell. It is Magnus’ worst nightmare confirmed, and Harry’s acting when he says those words is amazing; you could feel the power and emotion in the words.

I was surprised that Magnus decided to send Asmodeus to Limbo, but it is the only place he can think of from which Asmodeus can no longer reach him. I was so excited to see Magnus overpower and restrain Asmodeus, I love seeing Magnus being powerful and badass; plus to see him take control and sever himself from his father was awesome. Not only does it take physical strength but an emotional one too, because even after everything Asmodeus has done he is still Magnus’ father.

I also hope that Lorenzo having witnessed this, albeit as a chameleon, that he will have gained some respect for Magnus and will let go of his petty jealousy. This is the only way I see any redemption for him, if he lets go of his grudge.

I really liked the sword fight scene between Clary and Izzy; it was intense, the choreography was amazing and I love the flaming swords. My only criticism is that maybe the sound effects were slightly too loud so they could come off a little cheesy.

Simon tries to talk Clary down, telling her that she is going to have to live with her actions for the rest of her life; he knows that if she were herself she wouldn’t want to be hurting any of them and if she did the guilt would be with her for the rest of her life. He knows what it feels like to hurt someone you love and he doesn’t want her to experience that. You can see her falter and lose a little of her conviction when she’s faced with Simon, you can see that she loves him and doesn’t want to hurt him.

Jace is the one to sever the connection between Clary and Jonathan, literally leaping in (from what seems like an unlikely height, unless he can just jump six feet off the floor). We find out that not only was the rune fostering Clary’s darker side but it also was holding back some of Jonathan’s power; he sprouts wings and promptly wing slaps Alec which I cannot help but find funny. It makes sense that the rune would affect both of them and it is nice to finally see how it was affecting Jonathan.

I love Izzy, she is so selfless and willing to literally throw herself into the line of fire for people she cares about. I am wondering though if they just left all those shards of Glorious just lying around the Seelie realm, which seems like a bad idea, or did they take a few minutes to collect them all up? If they did, what would they do with them? Destroy them? Store them? Inform the Clave? Make more serum? A lot of unknowns surrounding that exploding sword.

As much as I love Luke I really don’t like him at the moment, I know that he is being coerced but he is using Maia’s trust in him as a tool to get the serum. I wonder if we will see the fall out of this. I also wonder what plans the Praetor has for the serum, do they plan to replicate it in order to distribute to willing Downworlders? Or for more selfish purposes? All I know is that we saw Luke with runes in the promo and I am both scared and excited.

I like that we are finally getting to know more about the rune and how it affected Clary, as I suspected it was not like the Owl or a possession; I am kinda relieved that Clary was in control and knew what she was doing because we have seen what that absence of autonomy does to people. I think that the rune just fed those deep darker impulses in her, along with encouraging positive emotions towards Jonathan. I think that Clary may have genuinely been starting to feel sympathy for Jonathan and definitely felt a pull to him that was simply because they are siblings.

Jace comforts her because he knows how hard it is to fight the pull of family, he himself has done things that he regrets in the name of family; some of his actions pertaining to Valentine, his mistakes while Head of the Institute after finding out he is a Herondale. He understands wanting to be close to your blood relatives and doing things out of the norm for them.

I love Clary’s line ‘I should have fought harder for this family’; she feels guilty for her actions and that she let go of her new family too easily. She loves them all so much, they are her family and she deeply regrets not fighting harder to stay with him.

I really like that Izzy asks Simon for help when she had refused it from her brothers, it really shows how much trust they have that she allows herself to be vulnerable in front of him and that she feels comfortable asking him for help. You could see this really begin when she opened up to him about her addiction issues, then when he needed her support at the end of 3A; it has been beautiful to watch their friendship grow and strengthen, now to watch it flourish into something new.  The entire scene was very sweet and softly intimate; you could feel the closeness and care between them.

Maia finding Jordan’s body was heartbreaking, Alisha’s acting was phenomenal and the song they played really heightened it. I actually did tear up because the emotion of the scene was so well built with the acting, the way it was shot and the song; it was very emotionally provocative.

At Jordan’s funeral you can see Maia pushing down her grief, closing herself off as a coping mechanism; not only because of all her complicated feelings about Jordan but also because she has taken up the mantle of Alpha. She has to think about the pack and knows that they need her to be a strong leader right now. That said I really hope that she doesn’t bottle it up too much and she is able to confide in someone, maybe Simon or Bat.

I really liked the little interaction between Helen, Aline, Izzy and Alec; it’s nice to know that Helen and Aline have grown close and I love Alec’s little smile at ‘research’. It was really endearing to see them holding hands as they were running through the grounds of Alicante and I am hoping the we get to see more of Heline in 321 and 322.

Alec and Izzy take up arms in the courtyard area; I have to give a mention to the extra who leapt up the stairs behind them, he saw his moment and he took it, very impressive.

I love that moment between Alec and Izzy, they are prepared to fight with everything they have and they will fight until the end together. It also hurts a little to see Izzy, who is usually so confident in her abilities, to be scared and turning to Alec for reassurance. I was a little scared for them but then a started screaming/cheering when Magnus destroys the Edomai that were heading for them; and his line ‘traffic was hell’ is fantastic.

The scene between Clary, Jonathan and Jace was actually filmed in Paris at the same time as the scenes in 312. It was great that they were able to generate the appropriate emotions for this scene given how different the emotions were in 312.

We find out that the rift facilitates an unending loop for the demons, they are banished and then return over and over; which is an absolutely horrifying prospect. Clary tries to appeal to Jonathan, she knows that he genuinely loves her and I think that part of her does hold some genuine love for him now, because after everything he is still her brother.

You think for a moment that it might work but you can see something in Jonathan break, he feels that he will never be loved no matter what he does; he has tried to be better and it didn’t gain him anything. So he is taking out his pain on those who have wronged him.

Clary’s emotions were expected but I did not expect for Jace to become so hopeless and fatalist in those moments; it was a bit of a shock but I think a good one. Jace is seeing his home being destroyed in front of his eyes and is faced with the reality of everything and everyone he knows and loves being taken away. They have been in bad situations before but this is the first time that he doesn’t see a way out.

I think that the moment between them is very tender and sweet, Clary trying to inspire some hope and fight in Jace; it felt very much like a goodbye, I also really liked that they flipped Jace’s statement from an earlier episode ‘until I die, and after that’. That they were taking this moment alone to say goodbye to one another before they jump into a fight they cannot win; again this was a very emotionally provocative scene.

Okay, are you ready? I know I do this every time we are about to go into an emotional Malec scene, but holy fuck this scene is absolutely heart destroying. I’m crying just thinking about it, I’m going to have to write through the blur of my tears.

Alec is panicking about Magnus being near him, he doesn’t want Magnus to lose his magic again because they are in close proximity. Also, I think that he is nervous of being near Magnus because he still loves him so much and it hurts to be around him and unable to show that love.

Magnus is having none of Alec’s refusals and tells him he knows about the deal, he needs Alec to understand that he doesn’t have to stay away anymore and that Asmodeus cannot hurt them again. He can see how much Alec is struggling in that moment and needs to let him know that he understands why he made the deal, that it’s ok. Magnus cannot bear to be apart from Alec for a second longer and is desperate to let Alec know that he doesn’t need to keep his distance.

Upon hearing this Alec cannot hold himself back and interrupts Magnus by grabbing him by the lapels and kissing him, he is desperate to have that closeness again; to be able to touch and kiss him, to know that they love each other. It is even more incredible when you think about the slight parallel to 112 in that Alec grabbed Magnus by the lapels and just kissed him, in those two moments all he could think about was kissing this wonderful man.

Also, the long shot of them kissing with Alicante burning in the background was absolutely stunning.

When they learn of the swords destruction you can see Izzy coming to terms with their imminent destruction, Clary and Jace huddle close together not being able to be parted from each other in what could be their last moments, and Alec only has eyes for Magnus.

Magnus, however, has walked towards the balcony and is looking at the destruction that is happening and you just know that he is about to sacrifice himself to save everyone, again. As he tells them about a way to strengthen his power he moves slowly back towards Alec, he has already made his decision and wants to be close to Alec in these last moments.

When Izzy says Edom Alec immediately begs Magnus not to do it, he has only just gotten him back and he cannot bear the thought of losing him again, to be parted so thoroughly. Magnus looks at Izzy, Clary and Jace; he wants to do whatever it takes to keep them safe, he cannot stand by and watch the people he cares about die, especially when he could have done something to stop it.

Alec begins panicking again because he still wants to marry Magnus and he didn’t get the chance to propose, he wants Magnus to know just how much he loves him and cannot bare the thought of Magnus leaving without knowing that. I didn’t think it would but ‘Needless to say’ pops back up and I am already crying. Magnus presents Alec with two silver rings. They are beautiful, simple yet elegant which suits them both so well; plus it looks like they might be inscribed and I need to know what they say dammit!

Plus, I love that after Magnus banished Asmodeus he left to go buy engagement rings.

I am absolutely sobbing when Magnus asks Alec to marry him, and uses his full name; you can see that he is a little nervous because he has never been married before and he may never have proposed before, even if he has it has been a rejection. Despite knowing how much Alec loves him, and had planned to propose himself, you can still see that flicker of doubt.

Alec replies by taking one of the rings and saying ‘Only if you’ll marry me too’ and I am gone; I think that this was so important because it was Alec saying to Magnus ‘I want to marry you, please will you marry me’. He wanted Magnus to know that he has absolutely no doubts about this whatsoever and it was Alec’s way of being able to propose too.

The shot of them putting the rings on is so beautiful, and Alec’s little gasp really gets me because he is so overwhelmed that he is going to marry the man he loves. He never thought he would experience genuine romantic love, never mind marry someone he is in love with, and now all of those deeply buried hopes are coming true. The emotion of both of their faces is just so beautiful and as usual I cannot fault Matt and Harry at all; I only ever have awe, admiration and love for them and their acting.

The close shot of their faces, going in for a kiss, is so beautiful; with the gold in the background. This entire scene has been shot so amazingly. Unfortunately they don’t get to kiss because an explosion occurs; Magnus looks towards the destruction with trepidation but Alec only has eyes for Magnus, he doesn’t want to look away from his fiancé because he knows the moment he does he will have to face the reality that Magnus is leaving.

Without looking at Alec Magnus walks to the balcony, he knows that if he looks back or lingers then his resolve is going to start wavering but he does look back when Alec speaks. ‘It’s only Edom. You always come back’, Alec has faith that they always come back to each other and that nothing can keep them apart for long. He cannot bear to think any other way, the only thing keeping him from begging Magnus not to go is that it is the only way and the belief that they will be together again.

Magnus is not so sure, there is a slight shake of his head that shatters my heart; he truly believes that this could be the last time he sees the man that he loves. He takes a moment to look and Clary, Jace and Izzy; he loves them so much and he is doing this for them, he wants them to know that. He tries to lighten the mood, as always and especially when he is doing something selfless, by saying ‘Never thought I’d be a runaway groom’.  He takes one last look at Alec and then enters the portal.

As Magnus disappears you can see Alec begin to break, the smile falls from his face and he walks to the spot where Magnus last stood trying to be as close to him as he possibly can right now. Unable to contain his emotions Alec falls to his knees crying, he looks like he might be trying to say something but is too choked up and devastated that nothing comes out, instead he breaks slumping where he kneels. This is the most emotional we have ever seen Alec, you can see the utter loss and devastation in his expression; the weight of all his feelings from the break up, the proposal and Magnus leaving all come crashing down on him at once. He is breaking under the loss.

Izzy, Clary and Jace are crying too; they just witnessed this beautiful profession of love and now they are seeing two people they love being torn apart; to see Alec, who is the most emotionally reserved of them all, completely break down makes them move. They surround him, offering him physical comfort, letting him silently know that they are there for him and that he doesn’t have to go through this alone.

It is at this moment that Alec finds the strength to look up to the sky, his expression is absolutely heartbreaking; he is absolutely destroyed. We see the rift being healed by Magnus’ gorgeous blue magic and this makes me cry even harder because it not only symbolises Magnus saving them but there is just something so heartbreakingly beautiful about seeing Magnus’ magic call back all the Edomai and light up the once red sky in blue. I can’t put it into words but it is so beautiful.

The last shot is of the four of them witnessing this and a slow close up of Alec watching Magnus’ magic, it is so beautifully soul destroying. I have watched this scene four times and I have sobbed my heart out every single time.

This episode was amazing and would have been the best season finale of the show I think, plus it’s the first Malec cliff hanger; Season 1 was Jace and Valentine, 2A was the Soul Sword, 2B was Jace, 3A was Clary. I know that I would have been screaming at the writers for leaving it there but can you imagine how amazing it would have been too; to know that Season 4 was going to be Malec centric, that a huge dark Magnus storyline was on the horizon; to have those months of theories and excitement for what was sure to be the best season so far. It would have been incredible, and it wasn’t even the original episode ending which was even more of a cliff hanger; I am excited to see what it was (we will see it early on in 321).

I am not ready for 321 and 322; I actually refuse to say the word finale out loud because I cannot cope with that right now. And I haven’t watched any of the Farewell videos from TV Guide because I cannot deal with any of that until I have seen 321 and 322. Even then, I am still going to be fight to save this show because it is too important and amazing to give up.

[bluephoenixdruidicprincess]

Shadowhunters 3x14, A Kiss From a Rose -- Review

Alright, so Shadowhunters 3x14, A Kiss From a Rose, let’s talk about it. I’m finally buckling down and writing this review. I’m sorry for always being super late on these reviews, but this show is just so damn boring. It’s really difficult to just sit in front of my computer these days and talk about this show because there’s nothing I really want to talk about. Everything that I could possibly say about these episodes, I’ve already said a hundred times before in previous reviews. Shadowhunters has never been a “good” show, but at the very least, it was always somewhat interesting and so bad that it’s enjoyable to watch in an ironic sense so once upon a time, I legitimately enjoyed reviewing the show. But all of season 3 (including A and what we’ve seen of B) has just been so boring and directionless, it’s become a real chore to actually review this show. Dare I say it, I think I’m enjoying Lega-Trash far more than I’m enjoying this show currently and that’s saying something considering Legacies makes me feel like I’m dying whenever I watch it. But, I made a promise to you all as well as myself that I would see this show to the end, so here I am.

I would like to preface this review with saying that I am NOT a huge supporter of this show. I do enjoy certain elements of it but I’m not what would be classified as a devoted fan. For me, Shadowhunters is not a good show and I do get very critical of the show in my reviews. Honestly, for me, I watch the show because 1) I’m too curious not to and 2) I find that this show can be so bad its funny and that’s how I reap enjoyment out of it. I am not at all invested in this show or its characters anymore. I’m just watching to see what happens. If you’re a die hard fan and you lash out at everyone who has a different opinion than you, you might want to skip these…I’m just saying. My reviews may not be for you. If you do decide to be a total troll, well then pay attention to the below disclaimer.

This is going to be an honest review of my thoughts and feelings regarding this episode. If you’re the kind of Shadowhunters fan where you only want to hear positive things about the show, this is not the place for you. If you decide to stick around and get offended by what is said, then that’s on you. I warned you. Just know that if you send me any rude comments or messages, I will 100% ignore you. I find that’s the best way to deal with bullies. I work 14 hour days. Do you really think I want to waste my incredibly valuable free time dealing with derogatory comments? Hell no. This review will consist of my honest opinions. Opinions are never right or wrong. I’m not telling YOU how to think and feel. I’m telling you what I, quirky and socially awkward me, think and feel. So please, lets discuss with dignity and respect. If I’m critical about this show, it’s only because I want it to get better. There is, in fact, a difference between hating a show and being critical of it. I do not hate Shadowhunters, I am being critical and analyzing the flaws as I would with any other show. There are positives but there are also negatives. It’s great if you want to promote positivity with this show (and I encourage you to do so) but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to point out the things that are legitimately wrong with it. Also, keep in mind that despite the fact that I do like the books, me being critical of this show has nothing to do with my fondness for the books. I don’t really care if the show deviates from the source material as long as the changes are good, it makes sense, and it doesn’t create plot holes within the confines of the world the show has created. My problems with this show are problems I would have with any show or book for that matter. I think it’s perfectly reasonable to take issue with a show that has plot holes, shoddy world building, and inconsistent characters. There will be spoilers for the books and movie.

3x14, A Kiss From a Rose was…surprise, surprise…super boring. Seriously, it’s beginning to feel like this entire season is filler. This show continues to astound me in its talent for having too much going on but yet nothing also happens at the same time. I must’ve fast-forwarded probably about 70% of the episode because I was just so completely bored. I don’t understand it. There’s so much plot, the show is operating on a deadline but they continue to use filler episodes. It boggles my mind. In fact, I’m actually beginning to wonder just how far in advance the show might’ve known they were going to be cancelled because it feels like no one is trying this season. The writing is bad, the directing is bad, a lot of the acting is very bland and uninspiring, I’m beginning to think that the production staff, at least, had known about the cancellation most likely after 2B and before 3A. Like, if I had never watched Shadowhunters before, never read the books and an episode of season 3 (whether it be 3A or 3B) was my first introduction to the franchise, I would’ve written this show off no questions asked. Whereas if my first introduction to the show was an episode from season 1 or season 2, I still would’ve thought the show was bad but I also might’ve found myself slightly intrigued. The show, while being so completely bad, does have its moments of intrigue where I can tolerate it and there is none of that thus far in season 3, it’s just really bland, boring writing.

More Directionless Incesty Stuff…Yay

We unfortunately continue this story line of Jonathon being super attracted to Clary (for some reason, again, it’s beyond me on why everyone and their mother loves show!Clary in all of her Mary Sue glory, but whatever). I was originally excited for seeing this story line being switched up with Clary getting Jace’s story line from the books but the show is approaching this all wrong. It shouldn’t be about Clary sympathizing with Jonathon, it should be about Clary understanding him and seeing a bit of herself in Jonathon and questioning her motivations and if she can really justify her own actions as any better than how Jonathon justifies his own actions. It doesn’t mean she forgives him, it just means she gains an understanding of him as well as herself. It’s something that I’ve mentioned before in previous episodes that when really analyzing Clary as a character and what motivates her, she’s really not all that different from her father. The only thing that separates them are their ideals. In fact, I’d wager that without Jocelyn, Clary could probably have turned out exactly like Valentine. I think Clary has more in common with Valentine than she does with Jocelyn. At her very core, I actually don’t believe Clary’s this inherently good and pure person. She’s selfish and she’s willing to do whatever it takes to get the things she wants and without Jocelyn kind of curbing those instincts into a sense of social justice values, she could easily have gone the opposite direction. And that version of Clary is a fascinating character…it’s too bad the show doesn’t think so, they keep on wanting to depict her as this pure and perfect and innocent little flower who can do no wrong and deserves zero consequences for her actions and that’s what makes her boring and dull.

But this story line does nothing for Clary or Jonathon for that matter. Jonathon just continuing to have these romantic feelings towards his sister with very little development towards it just further showcases the show depicting him as this “evil” guy. He’s evil so of course he desires his sister in a sexual manner. And this certainly does nothing for Clary as a character. All we’re seeing is Jonathon manipulating Clary and taking advantage of her and her gaining feelings of sympathy towards him, it’s completely unnecessary and gross.

I was also bothered by just how long it took before Clary realized that it was actually Jonathon she was on a date with and not Jace. I mean, the whole part where Jonathon is making excuses for himself, it really doesn’t say very nice things about Jace, don’t you think? So the fact that she just accepted what he was saying as the truth while wearing Jace’s face really paints a very jaded picture of how she sees Jace. So again, it leaves you with the question of, “why on earth is Clace a thing?” They clearly don’t understand anything about each other. Or at least she has zero understanding of Jace as a person. 

It was an interesting move for the show to give Jace’s City of Lost Souls story line to Clary in the show but thus far, the show isn’t doing a very good job of executing it. And I still wish that since we’re going for a role reversal here, that it should’ve been a complete role reversal and instead of Jonathon being super obsessed with Clary like he is in the books, it’s actually Jace he’s super obsessed with. As I’ve said before, if you’re going to do a role reversal, you might as well go all the way.

But the date in the ice skating ring was a little cute so I’ll give the show that. I didn’t hate that scene. And early in the episode when the seelie is pretending to be Clary for Jonathon and she blows it by saying something Clary would never say and Jonathon blames the seelie for it, I really like that the seelie points out that it’s not her fault that the script she was given sucks. By no means do I believe this show is that self-aware, but I found enjoyment in choosing to think that there’s a possibility that the writers are making fun of themselves a little bit with that line. As I’ve always said with this show, their dialogue is atrocious and this show is actually known for it’s bad dialogue so I enjoyed that line.

The Return of Magnus’s Magic…Sort Of

So apparently warlocks giving each other magic via magic transfusion is a thing, I guess. Awfully convenient though, right? Something we’ve never seen as part of this world in the show before. But whatever. Magnus goes to Lorenzo and in exchange for Magnus giving up his apartment, Lorenzo agrees to perform this magic transfusion on Magnus. It’s nice to know that this whole plot point of Magnus losing his magic and having to find a way to live without it was a complete waste of time. Although, at least it looks like there’s consequences for it so we’ll see, I guess but I’m not holding my breath that this is somehow going to further develop Magnus in any sort of way other than put him in a victim position once again. Seriously, I’m so sick of this guy always being put in a victim capacity. I’m sick of always being told I need to feel sorry for this guy and that being the entire development of his character. An anon came to me last week talking about how Magnus is basically the Bonnie Bennett of Shadowhunters and to a certain extent I can agree with that but I would never compare the awesomeness that is Bonnie to show!Magnus. Bonnie may have been a victim a lot but she always grew every time she lost and we don’t ever get that with Magnus. There was this inherent strength about her and we never had to be told that. But this show goes way out of its way to tell us how strong of a person Magnus is. If you develop a well-written character, you don’t have to do that. The one time show!Magnus became legitimately interesting to me was the set of flashbacks we got in the first episode of 3B where we got a glimpse of the darker parts of his past and I’m just like, “where’s that guy? I want to see that guy.”

But anyway, there’s was some sort of Lara Croft Tomb Raider shit going on with the Magnus and Alec plot point where they’re trying to find the sword Jonathon is looking for but it’s ultimately pointless, they don’t find it. And we also get a really cringey scene where Alec threatens Lorenzo for being mean to Magnus and dare I say it…expecting payment for what he gave Magnus, I know, a real shock that when you make a deal for something, you should actually have to give up something. And what you give up should have a similar importance to what you’re being given. In general, that’s how payment typically works. But whatever, again, Magnus needs to always be the victim so of course this is what happens. I don’t mind so much that Alec threatened Lorenzo…I do however mind that he’s using the power he has as a head of the Institute to threaten Lorenzo, to me, that was a little uncalled for. Sure what Lorenzo did was distasteful but it’s hardly something where Lorenzo should be threatened by Clave punishment. I’m not saying Alec shouldn’t have threatened him, I understand why Alec did it, I just wish it wasn’t Alec using the power he was given as a leader to threaten him. Threaten Lorenzo individual-to-individual, that kind of thing, but don’t use your privilege for it, that’s distasteful and frankly really showcases how incredibly racist this show actually is. And it also shows a double standard. It’s not cool to use your political power to lord over downworlders but yet it’s okay to use that power to lord over downworlders you don’t like? How very progressive and woke of you, Shadowhunters.

But maybe with Magnus getting his magic back, we’ll have the conversation we were supposed to have in 3A where Malec actually deals with the immortality issue instead of sweeping it underneath the rug where they sweep all their other conflicts.

Jordan’s Underserved Redemption in Maia’s Eyes

I really dislike how Maia’s forgiveness of Jordan went down in this episode. This is something that definitely shouldn’t have happened immediately after Maia saw her entire pack get slaughtered and then have her claustrophobia triggered and oh yeah, Jordan is also dying in front of her. That’s sensory overload right there and it does nothing for her as a character. Really, how the show has been executing this whole Maia Becoming Alpha does nothing for her character. What’s the point of Maia going through this character arc of her feeling weak and defenseless and finally gaining the confidence to be strong if there isn’t a pack left that enabled her to become that being? It all feels just really pointless.

Oh, and I guess Simon and Luke did something this episode. It wasn’t much and really the episode could’ve gone without them and it wouldn’t have made that much of a difference. They find Maia and Jordan...and Luke gets arrested. I don’t know why Luke is so obsessed with giving the wolves the funeral rights immediately after their deaths when that’s never been the case before but whatever. I guess we must continue on this whole plot line of the NYPD cop plot line Luke has been on since Season 1 despite it always 100% being a complete waste of screen time.

There you have it. My review of Shadowhunters 3x14, A Kiss From a Rose. It was boring and another filler that really continues to worry me about the rest of the season. So far, 3B has had 0 direction, 0 character arcing and it’s just been a really dull experience. And what they’re doing does absolutely nothing for the characters. I’d give this episode a C+. It’s nothing special. It’s bleh. I guess I’ll hope for better when I watch the newest Shadowhunters episode today.