#and we izzy enjoyers can do our part too!

[gydima]

You ever think about how there would probably be 25% fewer Izzy Hands posts if some of the people who dislike him would adjust WHERE they talk about him?

Like, I get why some people hate Izzy. No big deal that people have different opinions than me! The problem lies in beating the same dead horse IN THE IZZY HANDS TAG or in direct response to Izzy enjoyers' posts.

For anyone who hates Izzy and genuinely wants to see less about him, the solution is simple and two-pronged:

If you make a post criticizing him, tag it "Izzy Hands critical." Izzy enjoyers are far less likely to jump to his defense there than in the regular old "Izzy Hands" tag. (We may never even see it if we have that tag filtered!)

Try not to yuck someone's yum in response to Izzy-positive posts. You won't have to expend your energy in a pointless back-and-forth battle if you ignore posts by Izzy enjoyers or block us altogether if our opinions bother you overmuch.

Rest assured, we've heard MANY TIMES why Izzy is crap and people shouldn't like him. Unless you're a galaxy-brained individual with an earth-shattering new analysis, one more post/response isn't going to make us see the anti-Izzy light.

(For the record, when Izzy-critical folks say something negative about him in their OWN blogs and DON'T use the Izzy Hands main tag, I think it would behoove Izzy enjoyers to scroll on past and not engage either. No one's convincing anyone to change their opinions, let's be real.)

[laniidae-passerine]

sorry for loving Ed and Izzy more than Stede but maybe they shouldn’t have made Ed like that (a fellow mixed race babygirl suffering under her mental illnesses with a sadistic streak that is both informed by and independent of her childhood traumas) and Izzy like that (absurdly pathetic but in need of help and trying to get better)

[r0semultiverse]

The Lady of The Lake

Had this recurring dream again where I was a part of a ghost hunter style cryptid find show. One of my old friends Elijah was in it. We needed film ideas. It was a chill thing. The main guy would ask us what ideas we had. Leader guy says what if we could make anything what would we make. Black hair girl says a coffee machine. Blonde hair girl says a fishing rod with fishing line and all.

These meetings always take place in my parents’ back yard for whatever reason. The leader guy is the producer just for the record.

Anyway Elijah says “depends on for what.” Then he says jokingly “what are you a cop?” Producer guy chuckles and says no it’s not that kind of show. Then asks me what I would make. I say it depends on the context of who I’m making something for. “You guys gotta be able to come up with something on the spot, it’ll help,” the producer states. Then we notice that Elijah is outside the fence now starring at what appears to be a pond nearby. We all walk over and ask him hey what’s up what’s going on and try to check on him. He says “you guys see her right?” The producer has a grim look on his face and says sternly & loudly “that’s the lady of the lake, look away!!” He also takes out his camera, starting to film. “Whenever you spot the lady of the lake you need to look away immediately and imagine to yourself scenarios where she is killed, dead, ripped in half, anything and say them loud and proud as factual”, he says. “If you do not do this, she will keep getting closer whenever you look for her even if it’s just to find out if she’s getting closer and she’ll take you unless you declare her death as factual,” he also states.

Some of us start looking for her but I look away at first from the pond because I don’t want to aggro the lady of the lake onto me. It’s like SCP Shy Guy Rules but you can turn off her chase state by declaring her death out loud & proud. When you blink or look away after making eye contact it teleports closer to you every time until it’s completely upon you. Elijah in a panic says “the lady of the lake was eaten by bears?” He sounds even more scared now and squeaks up “guys, she’s gotten closer!!!” Producer tells him to remember to say her death loudly and proudly. I’m still looking away out of fear so I can’t say for sure what was happening but I hear Elijah take a deep breath in and tell “the lady of the lake was mauled to death by bears this afternoon and tragically died due to bleeding out!!” Elijah has sighed and said he couldn’t see her anymore and had returned back to the group to hang out with me. I never did see what she looked like, but when I asked Elijah he was too afraid to describe her out of fear that it would aggro her once more onto him.

We have a lunch break and one of my old friends Izzy was like yo Rose I bet you can’t lift me up! I said “okay bet!” I lifted her up bridal style and she kissed my cheek and I kissed hers and we laughed it off. Izzy lifts me up with ease and laughs saying something about me being light on my feet. ‘Twas all fun and games today since we almost had one of our group attacked by a cryptid apparently. My partner Jun was there for some reason now and said “hey Rose do me next!” Much to my surprise they pulled me into a full on kiss and it was very enjoyable.

Some time later amidst this yard party I guess we were having, I hear some strange bird noises and the blonde girl and black hair are asking if the producer also hears some weird bird sounds. All 3 of them look up to my neighbors roof and suddenly are stricken with fear across their faces. The producer tells me not to look up knowing I’m curious almost to a fault. I glance up slightly and just see a black raggedy robe, cloth, or dress flapping in the wind and I pause my vision there, not daring to look up a single centimeter further. “That’s her”, the producer yells and tells me to record. I take out my camera and do as instructed, tilting the camera towards the roof, but not daring to look.

The next few moments happen very quickly. The producer and the 2 girls start floating upwards towards the roof, holding their necks as if they’re being force choked by Darth Vader or something. “This must be the part where she’s close enough to get you”, I think to myself. I have to do something! Having not not completely locked eyes on her myself yet, I latch onto the side of my neighbors house and start climbing the rain water filters, which surprisingly didn’t budge under my weight. I hear a screech and look quickly towards the pond from earlier, not daring to make eye contact with this creature, assuming it even has eyes. I keep climbing and use the windows to pull myself up onto the roof. The roof rather than being hard to walk on was somewhat hollowed out like a big nest for a bird. The producer and the 2 girls were on the ground struggling for breath and I glanced up.

What I will describe to you next is potentially very off putting if you have a fear of being watched or looked at especially from afar. You know how in low quality photos or just poor brightness settings, there’s sometimes blurry people in the background just minding their business or doing their own thing? Or shadowed background people in a manga panel so far away that you can’t make out any features? Take that shadowy background figure and imagine it looking directly at you, intentionally in that random fun vacation photo or outdoors shoot you were doing. That figure isn’t minding its business, it’s locking eyes with you. It knows you’re watching and it’s watching back and it doesn’t take fondly to you having made eye contact. Descriptions aside I feel my heart sink into my chest as if I’m on a drop on the roller coaster. I was starring into this thing’s face, the lady of the lake, if you could even call what she has a face. It was just all shadowed, but I could feel myself losing breath and being unable to breath.

I quickly start running over through her makeshift nest towards the cryptid, my time is short now so I have nothing to lose at this point. As I make my way over I declare loudly that the lady of the lake was ran over by a semi-truck, shot outside a club, mauled by a grizzly bear, and beaten to death this evening as I maintain eye contact the entire time, coming closer to her. The creature screams out in agony and I hear my colleagues gasp for air, finally being free of her effect on them. “The lady of the lake was beaten to death this evening by yours truly,” I declare as I grab at the shadow and swing a punch towards their face. The hit lands but almost kind of goes right through at the same time. The shadow and cloth start to collapse as I attempt more physical attacks upon it. Whose to say if I was out of breath at that point or not, but I kept going until this thing was just a lump in a black cloth. I proceed to stomp it out, declaring the lady of the lake dying in as many scenarios as I can think of. I was working off of pure adrenaline at this point. The cloth eventually just dissipates into thin air, fading as if made of ashes. The Lady of the Lake was gone for good or at least for now, hard to say for sure. We only knew about avoiding eye contact and declaring her death out loud & matter of factly. We all carefully climb back together and someone goes to get a ladder. We were safe this time and got a tiny bit of footage out of the whole thing.

[frenchiefan]

The Great Izzy Hands Divide

Hello all. I come to you a Izzy neutral, huge TV enjoyer with media studies background, here to try and answer the fandom’s polarizing, puzzling, and at time painful question of what is this Izzy divide? And how do we move on from it so we can all have fun, and everyone can feel safe. 

And not get viscous over whatever happens in season 2. 

As it’s clear-I’m writing anonymously because the tension has gotten-that intense and I’m earnestly afraid of backlash from both sides. That’s not to say EVERYONE in the OFMD twitter/tumblr fandom is part of this polarizing Izzy divide, but the discussions, discourses, pain, and attacks, have become so loud I believe most people-even a neutral person like myself have heard about them/seen them on our twitters/tumblrs. I love this show so much and have been in the online community since it aired in March, so a lot of this is based on my observations-and from what friends on each side have told me. For the sake of protecting everyone who has received online hate or are just trying to have fun in fandom-I won’t be listing any usernames, or quoting specific tweets/blog posts, but if you’re doubtful about any of my talking points you need only check Izzy tags on tumblr/twitter. 

My hope in this meta is to unpack what’s going on, where are these sides coming from, what do they seem to believe, and how can we collectively move forward no matter how we feel about Izzy to just have fun with an extremely inclusive, progressive, funny, romantic, and queer show that’s obviously meant very much to many of us in terms of representation. My biggest goal is making folks feel able to have fun in fandom spaces-and everyone to be a little kinder. 

So to start off-let me do my best to summarize what is going on for those who aren’t active on twitter/tumblr or are so deep on one side/in a corner they don’t see much discourse: 

In some pockets of the fandom there is a very heated schism over the character of Izzy Hands that goes beyond just ‘folks who dislike Izzy as a character’ and ‘folks who like Izzy as a character’. 

There are those who proclaim his character is inherently horrible and irredeemable and anyone who is a big fan of him must by proxy, be a horrible person too. For the sake of this analysis these are the “Izzy-haters”. The opposite side appears to be a group who really adore Izzy, and see him as a much softer and sympathetic antagonist/anti-hero and believe those who hate Izzy lack empathy or are very puritanical and are misreading his character. I’ll refer to them as the “Izzy-apologists”. 

So how did this come about? And why’s that worth writing meta on? Don’t all fandoms have character and ships wars and so on? Absolutely. But it’s gotten to the point some people are getting constantly harassed and doxed or people are afraid to even share thoughts or fan-made content about the show without fear of retaliation or being dragged into a divide. So where does this fall in the context of fandom? 

Whenever a character becomes a fan favorite, some of their fans look for ways to justify their actions, and/or ship them with numerous people. This happens in all fandoms. Look at Harry Potter (cringe I know, absolutely fuck JK Rowling, but I’m assuming it’s popular enough you all know the reference I will make here), back in its hay-day one of the most popular ships was with Harry and his constant bully/rival Draco-because Draco became such a fandom darling. This was called ‘slash’ shipping, to purposefully ship two characters together who were enemies/rivals/at odds in the media and it has remained very common in all fandoms. 

It’s not a bizarre phenomena for people to relate/find an antagonist sexy and want to put them in situations, especially if they get exciting romantic/sexual tension out of it. People can like villains/antagonists for many reasons: maybe it’s their confidence, their camp, their backstory is complex, or something as simple as their design is sexy. It’s not bizarre either, for fandom to develop characters with little to no backstory or fill in parts of their backstory that ‘fanon’ (fan content considered canon amongst a fandom) becomes so big it’s challenged between fans if someone rejects it-even if it has no canonical basis in the media itself. 

So Izzy fans (I say fans not apologists yet) began doing so, writing Izzy fic, making Izzy art, making Izzy/Ed backstories, so on and so forth. Typical fandom behavior. However as is also typical fandom behavior-some people don’t enjoy seeing some of those slash pairings, when the canonical interactions between those characters involved pain. So certain fans began making it clear they didn’t want to see it/disliked it. Others pointed out some Ed characterization in certain pieces of content could be slightly problematic in terms of racial stereotypes if it involved making Ed as consistently violent toward Izzy after canon implied Ed only resorted to violence toward him for having his life threatened. And again, as usual in fandom, a few overzealous folks can really stir the pot and make it worse for everyone. 

From what I observed: a few key ‘Izzy-haters’ popped up and began making the sweeping generalization that all big “Izzy fans” were racists and white, for liking Izzy in any capacity after he hurt his POC boss Ed. Some of those folks were big on twitter, and POC themselves, so their voices reached far-and well-lots of people wanting to be sure they didn’t get called racists themselves or accidently support something racist quickly joined in on these call-outs and the mounting generalizations regarding any sort of sympathetic Izzy content that diverged from canon. This generalizations became about the fans of Izzy themselves than just Izzy. 

Logically, for the Izzy fans who weren’t going to be shamed into dropping their favorite character, this led to them becoming very defensive of Izzy to defend themselves. Arguments came up that Izzy was actually harmless, Stede was just as bad as Izzy, or the other characters’ actions against Izzy were far worse and the show’s framing was wrong to cast him as ‘the worst’, ‘Izzy is fictional and it doesn’t matter-the show is itself is messily written so is anyone to criticize Izzy’. These folks became “Izzy-apologists”, who instead of just being fans of Izzy-would only be fans of Izzy if they could prove he was unproblematic. 

Things escalated and escalated with people getting intense on each side. An Izzy-apologist made a rape joke that went a mini-viral about wishing sexual assault on all people who hate Izzy. Some POC felt uncomfortable staying in fandom or going through main tags from some of the stereotyping HCs/content around characters of color shipped with Izzy. It bears noting though, the most extreme harm appears to have been done toward the Izzy fans group. There was an instance where doxing was attempted and potentially succeeded against an Izzy fan, with a bunch of their closest followers being threatened as well, leading a large major of Izzy fans  on twitter to become especially anxious, and turn even the most neutral person, or mild Izzy fan, into a stern Izzy-apologist out of fear that anyone who aligned themselves with “Izzy-haters” would commit the same kind of horrifyingly harmful behavior that could affect peoples’ off-line lives. And that if they couldn’t prove Izzy was actually a harmless character-they were in danger for openly liking him. 

So that leads us to our current state of affairs. Some Izzy-haters proudly proclaim their disdain for Izzy and his big fans, occasionally getting into arguments with apologists over how much Izzy is at fault vs Ed, or dismissing anyone who likes Izzy in any capacity as racist. Any POC who claim to be an Izzy-fan are often erased or accused of race-faking or internalized racism. People who seem to support Izzy ships/art/fics with likes/retweets that are sympathetic toward him are characterized as apologists or racist as well. Izzy-apologists or stans get hateful anons on tumblr or mean quote retweets on twitter. Pretty hostile. 

On the flip side, some Izzy-apologists have taken to calling anyone who doesn’t outright love Izzy, or mainly engage in canon ship content as “Gentle-beardies” and speak about them in mocking, referring to them as boring, mean people who lack sympathy for Izzy because he’s an underdog or an old man who isn’t attractive enough to get sympathy. There’s a belief from some that if you profess any dislike toward Izzy you’re probably an asshole who’s ready to dox everybody who does like Izzy. Many POC are often shut-down or ignored-or told they don’t understand history/media studies when they point out issues with certain Izzy HCs/fics. People who dislike Izzy or pointed out in his laws in good faith have also received hateful anons or mocking quote retweets. Again-pretty hostile.

And that leaves…a lot of tense neutral people in the middle. Anyone who ranges from mildly enjoying Izzy to disliking him without making it personal. Folks who would happily write fics or do art or funny HCs about their thoughts on Izzy with others but are afraid to get lumped in any category. People trying to appease sets of friends who will react very strongly if you seem to lean to one side of the Izzy divide that isn’t their own. 

So I’d like to try…and see if I can try and break down where these two groups' beliefs are spanning from-and see if there is someone who is actually ‘right’ in all this. I think I recently cracked the code on why no matter how many debates break out on twitter or tumblr over Izzy there never seems to be any progress to peace-and it is because the two sides are viewing Izzy in extremely different lenses. 

Let’s start with the Izzy-haters. From what I’ve gathered, they’re of the belief Izzy is an extremely racist, homophobic, irredeemable bigoted character, a la a neo-nazi biker at the bar who’s bad side suddenly comes out once he gets a chance to show his power. Therefore anyone who is somehow seeing Izzy as sympathetic or redeemable is clearly harboring those internalized racisms or homophobias themselves. This lens sees Izzy as the ultimate villain of the show, it views Izzy in the frame of history in the show’s time period, as a white man with the power of whiteness in the 1700s, which he uses to bully others and eventually tear down Ed mentally. 

Their evidence usually comes from the following talking points: 

Izzy’s treatment of crew of color: consistently bullies and talks down Fang and Ivan, and once in power uses it to have crew of color doing hard labor. 

Izzy hates gay people: Izzy mocks Lucius when he catches him with Pete and clearly targets him for his overt feminine labeled qualities of queerness-similar to his distain for Stede and his lack of more traditional masculinity. 

Izzy sees Ed as an animal: Izzy sees Ed as an object and only wants to see him living out a stereotype of a violent POC, and Izzy sells out Ed to the English in episode 8 just to have control of him afterwards. 

Izzy-apologists look at Izzy in a nearly opposite light. Izzy is not so much a villain, as just a misunderstood antagonist-or even anti-hero/prickly old man who is harmless at the end of the day. He’s short, he has stomach issues, he doesn’t have that much power. He’s relatable because he’s trying his best at his job and his boss doesn’t appreciate him. This lens looks at Izzy as a queer, lower socio-economic, character without much power in the story he’s in, just trying his best to stay alive in the harsh world of piracy. 

The Izzy-apologists often answer the above Izzy-Hater points with these arguments: 

Izzy’s actions are not from racism & do not cause that kind of harm: Izzy is frustrated no one is working as hard as him on the ship since Ed is busy playing dress up, Fang is off getting sketched, and Izzy is just trying to survive, hence why he’s so harsh to everyone, and tired of being underappreciated. Race has nothing to do with it. 

Izzy is gay himself and therefore can’t be homophobic: Izzy is clearly in love with Ed, as evidenced from interviews with Con O’neill & David Jenkins, and Izzy is just annoyed with Lucius and Stede being rich and/or is jealous of them and their freedom to be be openly queer.

Izzy is in love with Ed and served him for years: Izzy would not work for a man of color for years and try to protect him if he was racist. Izzy thought Calico Jack would get Ed out of the English raid before they showed up and only ‘took custody’ of Ed to save his life after things back-fired. 

Both of these sides can seem pretty persuasive on their own without any context. And when the two groups are looking at Izzy in such vastly different lenses it makes sense why neither is ever going to agree or compromise on their viewpoints. It would be like a set of people arguing about the abilities of a rabbit-but one side thinks they’re talking about “Bugs Bunny” from “Looney Toons” and the other thinks they’re talking about “Thumper” from Disney’s “Bambi”. If one side goes “Well the rabbit loves wearing dresses” the other is going to call them outright liar-since they think they’re talking about an entirely different rabbit. They are very rarely going to reach a compromise because they are coming from two vastly different perceptions of what a rabbit is-just like these two sides are coming from two vastly different perceptions of who Izzy is and what he does. 

So is either side “right”? As a neutral person, with friends on each side, here’s my perspective. 

Let’s get to the elephant in the room. Is Izzy racist/homophobic or just misunderstood? That is the question. Because most progressive queer fans of a progressive queer show, would be very uncomfortable if they were stanning a character who was akin to “Hans Landa”( the Nazi from Inglorious Basterds or “Calvin Candie”(the plantation owner from “Django Unchianed). But because a few Izzy-Hater people very vocally read Izzy as akin to a Hans or Calvin, Izzy-apologists in the last few months went into full gear doing their best to assert-Izzy lacks any power and carries identities that would make it impossible for him to be like any of those characters, with metas, HCs, fics, and so on. 

I think the real answer comes from a misunderstanding of racism on both sides. A lot of people-especially white people, often think of racism in all or nothing terms. You’re either card-carrying Neo-Nazi member of the KKK, who loves Brexit to get rid of immigrants, or a monthly supporter of the ACLU, NAACP, and all other progressive racial rights groups who have never said or done a racist thing in their life. 

The reality is unfortunately and fortunately much more nuanced. Anti-racism studies tell us most of Western society itself was built on foundations of white supremacy and heteropatriarchy. Most countries of the world were colonized at some point, and had racist laws and processes built into their civilization. So small and big acts of racism exist every single day. Many people will do or say racist or homophobic things toward one group or another without ever intentionally trying to hurt anyone-but still have horrible impact-or an impact that adds to a smaller effect but still long term process of alienating others which becomes harmful. 

So what does that mean? It means people can often be racist or homophobic, or sexist or abliest, without ever consciously choosing to. Now it’s important to point out-in a good portion of those situations the harm they cause won’t be as intense as say, someone who is consciously and deliberately bigoted trying to get the outcome of causing pain to a group they have prejudice toward. The constant messages and systems in our society can contribute to something called “internalized bias” where society conditions a person to think about a certain group one way. In example-none of us have ever met a real elf, but so much media containing elves paints them as elegant, woodland, intelligent, and snobbish-that we would describe an elf like that if asked and expect them to behave like so. Well the same thing can happen when we see and hear stories of certain races stereotyped certain ways-we just assume certain certain behaviors are part of their defaults based on the stories we’ve been told-which can lead to far more dangerous situations if a group is being stereotyped as criminal or dangerous. 

But that doesn’t mean those people who are causing the smaller acts of unintentional harm, or unconsciously causing harm, should be entirely dismissed as innocent by naivete, and therefore allowed to go on. If a child breaks a window with a football you wouldn’t arrest them for deliberate vandalism-but nor would you simply ignore the matter without having a conversation about how to use footballs in the future to avoid breaking other peoples’ windows. 

Okay, what does this have to do with Izzy? Or Our Flag Means Death? If you check the meta tags of tumblr or articles written on the show, the queue is long of people who have analyzed and pointed out how well the show addresses race, racism, and so on in the show. It’s not a race blind show unlike some media adaptations (Like Bridgerton) where the different power structures of race in the modern day or the show’s time period, is never acknowledged. Episode five is extremely explicit in its addresses of race from how my fav Frenchie and Oluwande are treated. It addresses the inequalities of the 1700s while updating our protagonists enough from their asshole historical counterparts, that the show becomes and inclusive progressive story where racists are punished for their behavior. The show understands the nuance of racism and homophobia though, showcasing sometimes those unconscious moments can come up even from characters who mean well. 

We actually see a good number of unconscious acts of racism in the show-like when Stede and Pete assume the Native Nation ate the hostages when they’re captured in Episode two, or when Stede stays awkwardly silent to Badminton’s comments about his “colorful crew” in Episode one. It’s obvious the most egregious racists though in the show are meant to be the English navy, from the comments to their innuendos, to their positioning as the most disruptive villains in the show. If there are the equivalent to modern day hate-groups or bigots in the show-it’s them based on textual canon evidence alone. 

By that assertion-we know Izzy is not part of the navy. He is a pirate, he works with crew of color, and is in the show until episode 9 following most of Ed’s, a man of color, orders. Additionally, Izzy would not have sought the advice of Spanish Jackie, a black woman, if he were truly so bigoted he could not stand being below/taking help or orders from people of color. Therefore from what we’ve seen, it’s not really fair of Izzy-haters to assert Izzy is an absolute to his core violent bigot, and anyone who manages to love him after watching the show must be one too

To Izzy-haters’ points about Izzy mistreating the crew of color-it’s worth noting he’s just as awful to Pete and Lucius who are white in the show too. Izzy is clearly a grump who doesn’t have much affection or respect for anyone-unless they’re high ranking above him and proved their worth as a pirate like Ed or Jackie. 

As for Izzy being overtly homophobic-as in hating any form of homosexuality or same-sex relations, that doesn’t entirely track with him inviting Calico Jack to help when its made clear to Ed and Jack have had a previous sexual relationship. Granted-maybe Izzy wasn’t around or didn’t know that, but it bears thinking he probably knew Jack wasn’t entirely heterosexual, or Ed if he’s had previous relationships with men and Izzy continued working for him. 

To the final point of Izzy-haters, being that Izzy only sees Ed as an animal-it’s clear Izzy respected Ed’s reputation as Blackbeard and did care enough about him to send Calico Jack to try and save him before the English attacked, and make sure the English couldn’t execute him when it turned out he was there. Izzy says it himself in the text he’s “honored” to work for the “legendary Blackbeard” so he has some respect for that figure and humbleness toward it as well. There is some subtext to be gleamed from how Izzy smiles when Ed chokes him or even appears delighted after he realizes Ed has forced him to eat his toe, that he does harbor some sort of romantic or sexual feelings toward Ed-at least when he’s in his Blackbeard persona. 

With all that said, I think canon evidence of season one makes it clear to us Izzy is no Hans or Calvin, and therefore his fans are not stanning or attracted the show’s equivalent of a Neo-Nazi. It’s extremely unfair to decide anyone who is a fan of Izzy is racist, because the comedy of the show and nuance to his character make it clear that’s not his sole role in the show. So liking Izzy in and of itself is not an issue, and should not be treated as a crime or generalized that only “white” or “XYZ” people like Izzy. And it definitely should not lead to people jumping to the conclusion someone who likes Izzy is harboring some deep hatred themselves, or is anyway worthy of doxing/stalking/etc. 

So is that it-insanely long meta over-the Izzy-apologists are right? Well-as I said this is nuanced-as is the concept of racism and bigotry. While the text shows us Izzy is not to the level of bigot of a Neo-Nazi, I do think the text makes it clear to us Izzy is the antagonist for a reason and not a misunderstood little guy. 

A lot of Izzy-fan content delves into the idea of the hidden world of Izzy. There are popular posts out there that say things like “Say what you want about Izzy but if a child handed him a toy phone he would answer it” although we never see him interact with children in the show. There are lots of HCs about his backstory, many certain Izzy must come from a poor, working class background due to Oluwande’s comment that “most pirates don’t choose this lifestyle”. There’s especially a lot of fan content generated around Izzy’s subtextual and interview commented on queerness.  

Izzy is shipped with almost every male character in the show, especially with Ed and Stede or sometimes both at once. There are tons of metas and fics about Izzy’s repressed homosexuality and the shame and struggle he carries trying to be masucline in the rough world of piracy. Izzy being a trans man is an extremely popular headcanon too, to the point polls and threads and blog posts have been made about it. Some users have remarked they see Izzy as “inherently” trans, because of how much of an outsider he seems to them, referring to the fact he is shorter, teased, and seems unable to have the man of his desires, Ed. 

It’s clear Izzy-apologists see Izzy from this lens. A queer man, who is teased, overlooked, and unable to get the things he has worked so hard for and truly desires. He is not some swaggering Chris Evans pretty-boy, he is a small, easily flustered man-and he earns their sympathy and at times empathy. In comparison to Ed and Stede who are taller, and seem to be getting what they want from the narrative, Izzy is an underdog. He doesn’t have Ed’s charm and looks or Stede’s money and influence over Ed. So Izzy apologists will often assert Stede is a far worse character than Izzy-a rich queer man invading spaces and who callously ignores Ed’s feelings abandoning him on the beach. Izzy’s pushing of Ed to be Blackbeard is only so Ed will survive in the world of piracy, as much as it hurt Ed. 

For some Izzy-apologists Ed’s cutting off his Izzy’s toe was absolutely abusive and not a justified retaliation for the threat on his life, and shift the entire focus of the narrative that Izzy has been Ed’s constant victim-a trope that appears in many Izzy-apologist centered fics. Izzy is an “attack dog” or “sex toy” or “butler” to Ed-just tirelessly working for Ed all these years, out of desperation he’ll someday appreciate him. Some even are certain Izzy is Ed’s oldest friend. And the cruelest thing is Izzy is completely overlooked when an incompetent richer, and more effortlessly masculine man shows up and steals Ed’s heart. 

This viewpoint seems to be why Izzy-apologists to dismiss any accusations of racism or homophobia in fics or HCs, and label themselves the ‘fun’ part of the fandom, recounting fans of canon couples as dull and unimaginative or unable to empathize with the struggle of someone as marginalized as Izzy. 

The thing is, Izzy is not as marginalized in the canonical text as this popular fanon has made him out to be. As far as we know, canonically, Izzy is a cis white man, who has gained the benefits of it in the pirate world of OFMD. There’s nothing in the text to indicate he is poor or struggling, or specifically comes from an impoverished background. One could equally argue he came from a naval background hence his sense of his discipline like many historical pirates just as easily -as there just as little evidence. His first introduction is intimidating and held up as a contrast from Stede’s bumbling, that Izzy is the kind of ideal, masculine, pirate who commands respect. He nearly slices Stede apart in sword play until Oluwande and Pete assist in distracting Fang and Ivan. 

In Izzy’s next appearance he commands respect in Spanish Jackie’s bar, with just his name getting Jackie to pause in her actions after she’s been shown to take no shit from anyone else present in the scene. It’s an entire point of episode three Izzy is insanely frustrated by Stede because he is the first person to best Izzy at stealing hostages in a long time-which is also noted as a surprising thing by Ed. Izzy is not a powerless little guy, he is second in command on the most powerful pirate’s ship. Within the show’s context he is a picture of ideal masculinity that pirates would strive for, because in the world of OFMD there no Marvel-esque Chris Evanses. No male character with a six pack and chiseled jaw. They cast handsome Con O’Neill for a reason-who has earned the admiration for his looks and attractiveness from other cast members like Nathan Foad (Lucius) and Vico Ortiz (Jim). So yes Izzy does get more respect than someone like Lucius or Stede off the revenge, hence at least one of the reasons he's baffled by the revenge itself. And it could be a multitude of reasons Izzy bullies Lucius and Stede-maybe it is internalized homophobia, jealousy of their open flamboyancy or past wealth, or maybe he just finds them annoying in general. In the end why he does it can be debated forever, but it's clear he does do it, because he is an antagonist in season 1. 

As for Izzy’s loyalty or submissiveness to Ed-this is also contradicted by canon. Izzy disobeys Ed-multiple times. He doesn’t tell Stede “Blackbeard” wants to speak to him in episode two-and ignores Ed’s order to not duel Stede in episode six. Izzy tells Ed point blank in episode four he was honored to work for the “legendary blackbeard” which is the only reason he tolerated Ed’s changing moods-which surmises Izzy only knew Ed after he became Blackbeard, not as a long loyal childhood friend. Izzy is ready to leave the moment he thinks Ed has officially become an embarrassment and lost his mind in episode four, until Ed offers him the chance to become the new captain once he disappears after using Stede to fake his death. Which Izzy excitedly agrees to, delighted to see Ed’s ruthless side back again and not at all sad about the idea Ed will leave. Lastly, Izzy’s taunting of Ed in episode ten and calling him a ‘namby-pampy’ does not appear for the benefit of Ed’s survival, because he did not take this step when Ed was most vulnerable crying in a blanket fort. He only took this step when Ed decides he no longer wants to be Blackbeard, which means Izzy looses out a chance to have status by being associated with the most powerful pirate.

And as for Izzy’s queerness, yes there is a lot of subtext and interviews which strongly indicate Izzy is not heterosexual, but that doesn’t mean queer individuals are incapable of perpetuating homophobia themselves. Even within the Queer community there’s plenty of gate-keeping that happens amongst queers, and even if we decide Izzy himself is gay and in love with Ed in his own way, it doen’t diminish he clearly has a distinct idea of how queer men should carry themselves, with a distain for those who behave overtly classified feminine such as Lucius, or Stede (Or Ed in episode ten-hence the specific insult of “pining in a silk robe” toward him from Izzy). 

So no, Izzy is not a misunderstood, oppressed figure in the show with a secret heart of gold. He is the antagonist very much so, and painting Izzy’s behavior as softer or justified by increasing the violence of Ed or ignoring the context, is something that is not just harmful to POC fans, but to those who consume fic and internalize those stereotypes getting put forth. Whether Izzy’s harm to Ed is because he selfishly needed him to be Blackbeard, or he had an internalized bias, or maybe he really in some backwards way wanted to ‘help’ Ed-it’s not insane that some fans and especially POC fans are going to notice the dynamic of race in these interactions-and how Ed being pressured into remaining a hyper violent persona by a white man is impossible to see without some element of internalized bias in place on Izzy’s part. Izzy is the antagonist for a reason, and people are allowed to find fault and discuss the villainous elements of him, without folks acting like it is a personal attack. 

So what’s the point of all this? Am I trying to police Izzy-apologists they have to drop all their HCs and only ship canon content? Saying dark content with slash ships has no place in fandom at all? Not at all. Non-canonical ships have existed forever in fandom-so have villain/antagonist love. So has kinky, dark, and dubious content. Ship whoever you want to ship, and have whatever favorite character you want. Everyone deserves to have fun playing characters in fandom space without fear of being doxed or sent threats if they do so in a way another fan dislikes. Fandom content does have to be restricted to keeping things canonical and have the fun of canon is making AUs or putting characters in situations they'll never be in during canon. 

There’s nothing weird about liking or relating to a villain. Everyone loved Walter White during “Breaking Bad”’s hay day (hence why the show was so big) but we didn’t see a rise in folks running off and cooking meth-and even today as I see the queer community reclaiming Jessie and Walt from the show-I don’t see folks accusing them of planning to go cook meth. Izzy fans can love Izzy and see parts of themselves in him without implying they would treat Ed the way Izzy did or share every single belief Izzy has. Just like people can relate to Walt for being powerless and angry in his life-WITHOUT resorting to cooking meth and becoming  drug lords-Izzy fans can relate to Izzy from feeling overlooked at work without meaning they’re going to bully their friends into behaving a certain way. Izzy fans should not feel forced to become Izzy-apologists and well apologize for liking Izzy, or feel obligated to soften his edges. 

But Izzy-apologists should be mindful of tagging their content that especially veers into slash-and also be open to hearing if the content they’re putting in main tags or sharing amongst themselves is leaning into harmful real-world stereotypes which can perpetuate peoples’ biases. 

So with that said-I want to assert Izzy is the antagonist yes-but he’s not the Neo-Nazi from an Indiana Jones movie. Fanon Izzy has captured both sides of the Izzy debate some have forgotten what a real rabbit (the real Izzy) is like, and rewatching the show may help lift some of those lenses for folks. As of now Izzy stands at a crossroads-season 2 may push him into redemption or increase the stakes of his antagonism. 

If Izzy does end up with a redemption arc and Izzy-haters need to be prepared to trust Jenkins and his writing team, that they do not loose faith in OFMD because it doesn’t go the way they hoped. 

And with that said-I urge the Izzy-apologists the same, if Izzy doesn’t get a redemption arc and becomes worse, or is written out-it isn’t from fan pressure or a sudden 180 on the writer’s part. It’s part of David Jenkins’ vision which he’s stated he knew from the start of the story. 

So what’s the consensus, where do we go from here? Here’s my suggestion based on the observations listed above: 

Izzy-haters: Please recognize Izzy is more nuanced than you think, and even if season 2 puts him further him down his villain path, let Izzy fans exist in peace. You can block them, or mute them, or just ignore them. Unless they’re threatening folks if you can’t handle them enjoying Izzy in any capacity, you need to just let them be because it is just fiction and there are many many ways to enjoy a story or have fun with it. There are plenty of POC who like Izzy and and ALL of his fans do not deserve to be called names or accused of racism just for simply liking Izzy. Real people should not be getting over fictional character’s rights. 

Izzy-apologists: Please recognize Izzy is the antagonist for a reason, and people in good faith commenting on it is not an attack on you personally even if some Izzy-haters made you think so. Loving Izzy should not involve making the rest of characters, especially those of color, into harsher, crueler versions of themselves to make Izzy’s actions pale in comparison. If you can’t enjoy him without doing so, then please keep that especially dark content out of the main tags so people aren’t subject to racial or queer stereotypes that can be harmful. Real people should not be getting over a fictional character’s rights. 

All of us: can take things in better faith, be more patient, learn to block & mute people if we stumble into their territory and they aren’t forcing their version of things down our throats. If we really do see content we think is going to hurt other people-we should address people privately in good faith assuming it was an accident and have a discussion about it. There is no reason any person should be sent anon hate or doxed over fictional characters. And if we start feeling overwhelmed-take a step back and breathe. Remember fandom should be fun. 

And we should all remember-we shouldn’t be making sweeping generalizations about people or name-calling based on their favorite characters. 

If you read any of this about the actions of “Izzy-haters” or “Izzy-apologists” and realized you might’ve contributed to some of their more toxic actions and perhaps I’ve persuaded you to reconsider-posting an open tweet or tumblr post of peace would be a nice step forward. “Sorry I called all Izzy fans toxic moving forward I realize that was unfair I won’t do it again” or “Sorry I said anyone who dislikes Izzy is prude and unempathetic I realize that was unfair and I won’t do it again”. 

Well thanks for getting this far with me folks. I appreciate you taking the time to read this, I know it was a long one. My main goal is just that we all feel at peace to like or dislike Izzy as much we naturally do-without fear of any sort of retaliation or having our personhood labeled over it. As someone with friends on both sides-we’re honestly missing out on great times in fandom if we let our perception on one character divide us so violently or make us cruel to one another. Fandom should be fun-and if this helps even one person on either of these split fractures be a little kinder or calmer, I’ll be so cheery.

-Cheers, Frenchie’s most devoted fan.  

TL;DR

Izzy is not a raging racist bigot, but that does not mean he’s pure and free of all wrong-doing or potential bias toward some characters. 

Liking Izzy or relating to him does not mean that person BEHAVES like Izzy or would do the same things he does. 

Do not refer to Izzy fans with generalized statements or accusations stating anyone who likes him must be a certain way.

Do not refer to Other character fans with generalized statements or accusations stating anyone who likes them must be a certain way.

A person is allowed to like Izzy without having to justify his actions. 

We are allowed to disagree on how we characterize or see certain characters without making it personal.

People are allowed and it is normal to make fan content that diverges from canon.

Other characters should not be turned into racial or queer stereotypes to soften Izzy’s actions-and if that’s the only way you can enjoy him, keep it out of the main tags. 

No one should EVER be doxxed or put in danger offline over their opinions on Izzy or any fictional character. 

Learn to just mute and block people whose opinions you hate. Fandom should be fun. Real people should not be getting over fictional character’s rights.

[blackmissfrizzle]

No One Has to Know

Pairing: Angel Reyes x black!reader

Summary: Since there isn’t a lot of angel Reyes x black reader imagines going on here I was wondering if u can write a request for me that. You and angel are in a secret relationship because y’all are ten years apart and your mom( who’s mayor) finds out?? Requested by @briannab1234​

Warnings: None for this part

A/N: This was going one way and then it went another, but I hope you all enjoy!

It was a hot ass day in Santo Padre, so it was no surprise that Adrian’s raspa shop was full. Today you were accompanied with your fake group of friends (except for Bryce) aka the group of friends your mom approved of.

When your pickle raspa with chamoy and lucas was finished, you searched for an empty table, only for you to find the one table you didn’t want to sit at because of who sat next to it. The Mayans. Or more specifically Angel Reyes, your secret boyfriend. The argument from last night replayed in your head as you stared at the table.

“Why not?” You yelled, throwing down your bag.

“Because its not smart Y/N.” Angel stared at you through a cloud of cigarette smoke while you paced back and forth.

Sitting in his lap you took his cigarette and put it out. Cradling his face, you kissed him. “What’s stupid about wanting my boyfriend to be my date at my graduation party?”

Angel scrubbed his face in frustration. This argument between the two of you was becoming more frequent. You wanted to make your relationship public, but he didn’t. He didn’t want everyone else to confirm what he already thought. He didn’t want them to say he was a low life and no good for the mayor’s daughter or that he was too old for you (his 34 to your 24).

“Listen, querida we can go public another time. Just take that loser Rob and make sure he keeps his hands to himself.” Angel kissed the top of your head to end the argument.

You hit him in the chest and pushed off him. “Fuck you, Angel! If you just want me to be your little fucktoy and not your girlfriend just say so.” Before he could stop you, you were already out the door. Once again, his insecurities fucked him over.

“Hey, yo, Y/N over here!” Coco’s voice pulled you out of your head. He was pointing to the table next to him. No way you could pretend that you didn’t see the table now.

Starting your way over there Eileen grabbed your wrist to stop you. “How about we just eat them to go?” Her green eyes wide with fear.

You broke out of what she thought was an iron grip. “Its over 100 degrees outside. Trust me they won’t bite, unless,” you leaned in closer to her and dropped your voice lower. “you want them to.”

Leaving Eileen in all her white woman shock, Bryce followed you to the empty table. Both of you greeted the men at the table besides you. You barely gave any energy to Angel while Bryce gave Gilly all her attention due to her crush on him.

Eventually, your friends joined you, still wary of the Mayans. Rob sat next to you and wrapped his arm behind your seat. Angel wanted to break that arm in half.

This midday delight was less enjoyable than you wanted it to be. It was tense and not just because you weren’t talking to Angel. Your friends made it a point to ignore your Mayan friends and while the Mayans did their best to make your snotty friends uncomfortable by making the most vulgar jokes (which were hilarious by the way).

Most of the time, Bryce and you talked to the Mayans. They were by far better conversationalists. Plus, you and Coco had a lot to talk about since you were Letty’s mentor at school.

In the middle of listening to EZ tell an embarrassing story about Angel, Rob saw Angel staring at you a little too long. So, slightly he tilted your chin towards him and kissed you.

You scrambled to end the kiss. In no way shape or form you led Rob to believe you were in a relationship. Even though he was your escort to the party, you explicitly told him that y’all were going nowhere.

When the kiss ended, Angel was nowhere to be found. A great part of you wanted to dump the raspa on Rob, but you didn’t want to make a mess in Adrian’s place. Instead you punched him in the face and left the shop with a bunch of cackling Mayans and Bryce.

It didn’t take you long to find Angel. He was a couple of blocks away at his dad’s carniceria. “Angel, I-”

He held his hand up to stop you. Flicking his cigarette down, he stomped it out. “Done with your ivy league boyfriend?”

“Don’t do that. I wasn’t expecting him to kiss me.”

Stepping down from the stoop, Angel got somewhat eye level with you. “You definitely let him kiss you longer than necessary.”

A black escalade rolled up, revealing up, revealing your mom behind the window. “Y/N, dear we need to get ready for the party.”

“Hi, Ms. Mayor.” Angel waved at your mom and in return she gave him a curt nod.

Patting you on your arm, Angel gave you his congratulations and returned to his father’s shop.

Once inside the car, the tirade started. ‘What did I tell you about those Mayans? Have your fun with them in private not in public.’ ‘Stay away from that Reyes boy. I don’t like how he looks at you.’ ‘You could’ve at least been hanging out with the smart one.’ ‘You should be focused on your career and Rob.’

Every line you heard before and just like every other time you were ignoring each word. Her nor Angel was going to ruin this relationship.

--

“I don’t know, Pops. Maybe I should wait til she gets home, and we can celebrate together. Just the two of us.”

Felipe fixed his son’s tie. “Nonsense, Angel. You’re going to your girlfriend’s graduation party. She wants you there, son.”

“What if I embarrass her?”

“You won’t,” EZ quietly entered the room, dressed up as well. “We’ll make sure of it.”

“We?”

EZ pulled back the curtains to reveal the Mayans all in suits on their bikes. “We got your back, bro.”

Angel squeezed his brother into a tight hug. “Thanks, mano.”

“Let’s go get your girl.” EZ clapped Angel on his back.

--

This had to be the most extra party ever, but extra was your mom’s middle name. All you wanted was a simple bbq, good music, drinks, and your friends. But nope this turned into an extravaganza and networking opportunity for your mom.

“You can’t be here!” You heard your mother’s voice despite her trying to keep her voice down.

Your eyes followed her voice and the sight you saw left you breathless. Angel in a dark striped suit strutting towards you with the rest of the mc in suits as well, trailing behind him.

“What are they doing here?” Rob asked with a mix of fear and disgust. He was truly a horrible person; you didn’t know how you put up with him for so long.

“He came,” you happily whispered. You shoved your champagne flute in Rob’s hands not caring that it was spilling on him. Your only goal was to get to Angel.

The dress you were wearing didn’t allow you to jump Angel like you wanted to. He could see the conflict on your face, so instead he twirled you around to fully admire the way the dress clung to your body and how it brightened the aura around you.

After your 360 turn, Angel twirled you inside his arms, grabbed the sides of your face and leaned down to kiss you. “You look beautiful, querida.” He whispered against your lips, his hand running up and down your leg exposed by the hip high slit.

“Not as good as you,” You bit your lip at the sight of Angel in a suit. His jet-black hair perfectly gelled back, his suit clinging to his body.

“Impossible. Now introduce everyone to your boyfriend.” The slap to your ass didn’t bothered you, in fact you laughed it off and began introducing Angel as the love of your life. The shocked gasps of the stuck-up residents of Santo Padre as you made the introductions did not go unnoticed by you, but you also didn’t give one flying fuck.

On the other side of the room you could not hear the most objected protest of them all. “Get him off my daughter!” The mayor ordered the president of the Mayans.

“No can do, Izzie,” Bishop smirked. Whenever he could he’d like to stick it to the mayor.

“Its Isadora,” she corrected him. “I will not allow my daughter make the same mistakes I did.”

The holier than thou act was grinding Bishop’s gears. There was a time when the mayor wasn’t a stuck-up bitch. “Watch it, Ms. Mayor. If it wasn’t for my fucked up feelings for you, I’d shoot you where you stand.”

“Obispo, please.” Her tone softer, reminiscent of the times she writhed under him. “She has a future. She has a future outside of Santo Padre. Don’t let my daughter-”

“Our daughter.” It was his turn to correct her.

Isadora sputtered. There was only one other person she told the truth to and that because she was caught, and he promised to never to tell anybody. “How did- how did you know?”

“I always suspected, but you kept her in LA with her ‘dad’ most of the time, so I couldn’t confirm until she kept popping up at the club. Easy enough to get DNA for a test.”

In all her being, Isadora wanted to slap the man. “You had no right.”

“And you had no right to keep her from me!” Bishop was upset at all the missed opportunities. You were a lovely young woman and he missed out on the chance to watch you grow up, but now he refused to stay away from you anymore.

Your yelling tore the two away. The unexpected guest getting all the attention now.

“Daddy!” Your arms encircled around the older man. His appearance was a welcomed surprise.

When he got done spinning you around, you introduced him to Angel. The three of you engaging in an animated conversation.

Isadora and Bishop watched off in the corner. Isadora in shock and Bishop in jealously.

“Tell her or I will.” Bishop threatened his old flame before he left heartbroken from seeing his daughter call another man dad.

A/N 2: Were yall ready for that surprise?

Tags: @angrythingstarlight​ @starrynite7114​ @briannab1234​ @chaneajoyyy​ @titty-teetee​ @thickemadame​ @brownsugarcoffy​ @ifoundmyhappythought​ @marvelmaree​ @browngirldominion​

[blackhakumen]

Mini Fanfic #531: Returning from The New Horizon (Super Smash Bros Ultimate)

4:00 p.m. in front of Smash Town......

Wolf: (Smell The Fresh Air As Him and His Crew Made Their Way to the Mansion) ('Ahhh') Yeeup. It's good to be back home, boys....and Izzy. (Winks at Isabelle)

Isabelle: (Giggles Softly as She's Hugging Wolf's Arm While Walking Beside Him)

Leon: (Carrying Some of his Packing Bags) I'll admit, the New Horizon Island was a pretty decent experience if I do say so myself.

Panther: (Carrying his Packing Bag as Well) I agree. While it's not as fancy or luxurious as any resorts I dreamed of visiting someday, it was still enjoyable for the most part. What's your thoughts on the experience, Wolf?

Wolf: I had good time there. Learning how to fish for the first time, setting up campfires, meeting new people, the good stuff. (Smiles More Softly) But if there's one thing I would say I like most about this trip is.... well....(Blushing a Little) Getting to spend quality time with beautiful pup right here~ (Kiss the top of Isabelle's Hair)

Isabelle: (Giggles Softly While Blushing As Well) Oh Wolfie~ I love spending time with you too~ And I'm so happy you and the others enjoyed our vacation together. It means so much to me that you all gave it a chance.

Leon: Yes. I honestly wouldn't mind going back there for another visit next year if any of you would like to go back as well.

Wolf: Shit. I'm down for that.

Panther: I as well.

Isabelle: (Smiles Brightly) Then it's settled. Next year, we're going back to New Horizon-

????: IZZY!!~

Isabelle: (Gasps in Joy as She See her Girlfriends Happily Waiting For Her on the Doorway) Girlfriends!!!~

Once she took her hands off of Wolf's arm, Isabelle immediately rushes over to her group of friends and form a loving group hug with one another for a couple of minutes before letting go.

Isabelle: I missed you girls soooo much!~

Peach: We missed you too, dear!~

Daisy: (Smiles Brightly) Sooooooo?~ How was the vacation?

Samus: Were you guys able to catch some fishes?

Palutena: Did you guys set up a campfire?

Rosalina: Were you able to gaze upon the beautiful stars?

Bayonetta: (Starts Smirking) Did you and Wolf got busy one of those night?

Peach: (Glares at Bayonetta) Bayonetta!! How could you ask Izzy something like that?!

Palutena: (Gives her Witch Girlfriend an "Annoyed" Look While Pulling her Ear) Seriously.....You know that isn't any of your business.

Bayonetta: True. (Shrugged with a Smile Still on her Face) But there's really nothing wrong with having a little curiosity about juicy topics like this, my dears.

Isabelle: (Giggles Softly While Rubbing the Back of her Head Back and Forth) The vacation was amazing. We did everything you girls guessed we did and then some. And....to answer your question, Bayonetta......(Starts Blushing while Turning her Regular Smile into a Bashful One) Let's just say that.... you're not entirely wrong in that assumption.....

Peach/Rosalina/Palutena: ('GASPS')

Samus: (Eyes Widened in Genuine Surprise) Well, I'll be damn.......

Bayonetta: (Smirk Grew Wider) Ohhh my~

Daisy: HOLY SHIT! REALLY?!

Isabelle: (Happily Nodded) It's the honest truth~

Bayonetta: (Smiles Excitedly) Izzy dear, you GOTTA give us some details on this!

Daisy: Yeah! Don't leave us out on this here!

Samus: Can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm kind of interested in wanting to know too.

Palutena: Yeah. Me too now that I think of it.

Rosalina: (Blushes a Little) I am also curious as well.

Isabelle: (Giggles Softly) Calm yourselves, ladies. I promise I'll tell you everything. Once we have our tea time prepared of course.

Peach: YES!

Ladies: (Stares at Peach, Some with Raised Eyebrow and Some with Smirks on their Faces)

Peach: (Starts Blushing) I-I mean....('Clears Throat') I agree to this as well. N-Not because I am interested in the conversation we are having right now, but only because I want to celebrate Izzy's return. That's all.

Daisy: (Rolled her Eyes with a Smirk) Whatever you say, cuz. Now let's get this tea time started already!

Ladies cheers in rejoice as they make their way back inside the mansion together.

Isabelle: (Waves at Wolf) I'll see you later on tonight, Wolfie!~

Wolf: (Waves Back at Isabelle) Sure thing, babe! Have fun with the gal pals in there! ('Heh Heh') I love that pup~

???: Just what I needed to see. Wolf O' Donnell.

Wolf: (Starts Smirking Once he Sees a Very Familiar Face Making His Way Towards Him) Well, if it isn't McCloud himself. You miss me?

Fox: ('Scoffs') As if. I was having the time of my life not seeing your smug face last week. But joking aside, how was the vacation?

Wolf: Pretty good. Thinking about going back there next year with the gang.

Fox: Nice. You know, I kind of never expected you to be this easy going, Wolf.

Wolf: (Shrugged) What can I say? I'm a change man.

Fox: (Raised an Eyebrow)

Wolf: Okay. Maybe not completely changed, but you know what I mean.

Fox: Perhaps. But as much as I would love to continue this chat, I got some errands to run. (Walks Away) I'll see you later.

Wolf: Sure thing. (Turns Around and Gives Fox a Smug Look on his Face) Oh and try not to lock yourself out this time, McCloud! You don't wanna embarrssed yourself like last time, do ya?!

Fox: (Gives Wolf a Middle Finger While Walking)

Wolf: (Chuckles Lightly) Not gonna lie. I missed that fox......Missed messing with him, that is.

?????: 'Eyyy, Star Wolf! Welcome back!

Panther: (Turns to see a Familiar Face Make His Way to Him and Leon) Ah, Mocking Bird, it is somewhat good to see you again.

Falco: .....Okay. Just this once, I'm gonna ignore that. How's the vacation? Y'all did anything interesting there?

Leon: For the most part. We learned how to catch fish for the first time, set up campfires on each nights, experience the outdoors and it's true natur-

Panther: (Begins to Smirk) I just got myself a phone number from a very beautiful feline.

Falco: Oh shit. Really?

Panther: That is correct, my mortal competitor. Her name is Ankha and her beauty is so much to be desired.

Leon: (Rolled his Eyes) She's more of self centered brat if anything.....

Panther: Come now, Leon. She wasn't that bad. She just has her own opinions and taste on certain things.

Falco: Sounds like your kind of girl, Casanova.

Panther: (Chuckles Lightly and Confidently) Yes. I couldn't agree more. (Points at Leon with his Thumb) I've been trying to get Polwaski here to join me on the Island's night club for almost the entire week, but he always turn down the offer.

Leon: In case you haven't noticed, Panther, I was never interested in anything romantic related. Especially something trivial as getting into a relationship. I prefer to remain solo for the time being. Just me, myself, and I.

Falco: Ah come on, man. Being in a relationship isn't that trivial or anything. I've been kicking it with Katt since day one and so far it's been great.

Leon: (Raised an Eyebrow) Really? Then tell me, Lombardi, when exactly was the last time you called Monroe as of late?

Falco: .....................Touché, Polwaski. Touché.

@keyenuta

@ma-lemons

@26shann

@cyber-wildcat

@chompycroc

@ink-correctsmashbrosbloo

@italian-love-cake

[ofgeneticperfection]

Scarlet’s chain of sweetness

Courtesy of  @madamdirectcr

5 THINGS YOU LOVE ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER.

1. Indomitable - She pretty much does what she wants, how she wants, whenever she wants. If she wants something? She manipulates her way into getting it. She doesn’t stop until she has it and hardly anything will sway her otherwise. She’s extremely hard to control when determined and set on a task in mind. She’s hard to control period. She’s got a streak of wild, impulsive, and loves to toy with others be it malicious or just to tease.  Her will is near impossible to break and she never believes that she can’t do something even if it is the impossible. Atop of that she’s fairly hard to defeat physically, she’ll bring more than a challenge if ever attack or if a loved one is ever hurt. I’m not saying that she can’t be brought down because she can, but it’s going to take more than a couple of hits.

2. Emotional Depth-  There’s not just one tier to Isrieal, there’s a million and it’s a labyrinth. She comes off as cold, arrogant, prideful but that’s the main wall that she hides behind. She’s strong and will exude complete confidence most of the time while being sly, cunning, coy, and whatever else she can throw at you. These are the emotions she shows to the world but the rest she’s buried so deep inside that she forgets they even exist. Inside she’s broken, sad, lonely, tormented but she has her ways of hiding them and biting back the pain that feeling these emotions brings. It’s from the conditions she’s been stuck in for her whole life at Hojo’s mercy and the lies she’s had to tell herself to make it easier to handle. Of course, this naturally makes her volatile with bursts of anger or other strong emotions and if she let’s one slip out they all come spilling out sooner or later. She does have a tendency to use special sedative injections to subdue these emotions whenever she feels any starting to well up. Deep under it all, however, she loves with all of her heart once she is sure that she will not be hurt. She’s always afraid of that in a way, but there is no in between. You have her all or you have her nothing. But once there she is quite passionate and protective and more soft and innocent then she’d originally lead you to think. 

3. Manipulative - Life is a game and she plays to win. At least that’s how one survives in ShinRa. She learned from one of the best manipulators out there and now she’s known to even manipulate the Professor himself. She rose herself from experiment to assistant Director by playing him and she plays everyone around as she sees necessary in order to get what she needs. She often shows what she wants to show and nothing more, near every move and every article of clothing is precisely calculated towards whomever she is meeting with. Of course, only if you don’t know her well. 

4. Deals with the Devil- Oh yes, she loves to make deals but don’t worry they’re mostly fair and she is one to keep to her word and her promises. Despite her demeanor she is quite loyal when she promises something. If you work out a trade or a bargain she’ll do her best to uphold her end of it, getting you what you want in return. There is a lot that can be traded between science and other departments after all and she’s not afraid to go behind the Professor’s back here and there if it means obtaining something she’s personally after in the end. 

5. A.I Alien - Lastly, yes I love the fact she is a hybrid and loves to play with quantum theory and A.I in the future. I always love the sci-fi aesthetics and concepts and the idea of something beautiful having a monster inside. She’s at conflict with this part of herself, often not knowing how to fully accept it but at least she is in control of the cells and not the other way around. She’s also always been focused on uploading consciousness and prolonging and bringing others back to life since she doesn’t age. It’s from there that she gets pulled into quantum theories and eventually breaks through to a system A.I that she makes a deal with to her own advantage, but this is a plot I haven’t touched in a while. Really I love everything about her but these are some fun and dominating concepts. 

5 PEOPLE ON HERE YOU LOVE, AND WHY.

1. @animus-inspire Where do I start? Seriously. This was unexpected but yet one of the best things that has ever happened in my writing history. I love love love this ship and all the AU’s of it so much! And beyond that, it’s so rare to get me to talk a lot but I can’t seem to ever shut up around you xD. But, I LOVE talking to you and the connection we have and the fact that we have so many stinking ideas all the damn time and they all get played off each other so easily and that we can share the same obsessions and YES WHAT HAVE YOU DONE! But you are also one of the sweetest and most full of life people I know on here and I absolutely love writing with you, you’ve made it so great :3. And you are seriously best Reeve and have made me love all the Reeve. <3

2. @thefirstthaumaturge I’ve known you for about like, well.....well over 10 years xD And I love you more as the years go on. We’ve survived drama days together and now we can laugh about all the stupid RP stuff we did in the past. I also enjoy all of our new RPs and how great its been to see both our OCs grow and thrive in these communities. I also super love talking to you and playing video games with you and watching WestWorld and movies with you. Basically, you make everything super fun and I don’t know what I’d do without you around. I also love how we always manage to say/type the same things at the same time all the damn time xD Digital sisters but its as real as it gets. 

3. @shinraweirdscience @xbroken-science @insidious-scientist  I love all of my Hojo’s that deal with Izzy’s crazy ass and put up with me so thank you guys! I’m always down for crazy plots and all the trauma that comes with them so don’t ever feel bad about throwing anything at me or damaging Izzy. It’s what makes her her after all. And I find it all a lot of fun. I’m always ears for ideas so let me know!

4. @sadistic-second I don’t write a whole lot with you here but you’re always good company in the voice chats and you make playing games a lot of fun as well. I like our little group we have going on to do all the stuffs. I love all the gifs and icons you make, and the paracord is very creative as well. It’s always cool to see what you can do. Of course I like all the funny things too.   @apathetic-ruler  I have to say you’re writing is amazing, I love it! I haven’t wrote with your Ru but I love past life Ru xD One of these day’s I’ll figure out what to do with a Rufus I’m sure. 

5. @ivory-paragon We don’t write much but I love playing FFXIV with you and being in all your groups. It’s a very fun and enjoyable atmosphere and you make me laugh all the time. If I hadn’t found you I wouldn’t have found any of this awesome community and my great shippy ships that have come out of it. @rikelusshinra I love all of our RP’s and stuff too. You have a super amazing OC that seems to fit right in and I’ve loved writing with Rike. Even if you are busy now. It’s rare Izzy finds ships that work but you are one of those lucky ones that she fits well with and I love all the ideas we play with as well. So to my FFU peeps! Even if we don’t write on tumblr much I still love you both. 

Honorable mentions:

@cinderella-gurei God, you are the best Chadley and you break my damn heart all the time in our RPs. Izzy will never forgive herself completely but she’s glad to have you around and so am I! She will protecc forever. <3 

@madamdirectcr I love your Scarlet! I want to see what happes :3  @makeupandmateria Another lovely Scarlet I had to mention as well!

5  SONGS EITHER YOU OR YOUR MUSE REGARD AS A ‘GUILTY PLEASURE’ THAT ALWAYS MAKES YOU SMILE.

So okay, I’ve thought about this all day and I’ll do a few categories. Since I revolve around music so heavily and no lie have hundreds of my own music videos in my head for every song I’ve ever heard, yes I’m one of THOSE people. xD

So I’ll start with what I’ve been listening to lately that really fits in with WestWorld Izzy and Logan!Reeve ShinuestiLos xD I can’t seem to get Poker Face out of my head for her and a couple other Lady Gaga songs that fit in  Like this one too. 

Also I really love these songs but they are so random. This one mostly thanks to ARI, but I can never not listen to it when it comes on. Also Mortal Kombat. This song makes me so fired up every time I hear any variation of it xD. Even now! alkdjfsldjfsdljf, but I do really like this mix. 

Then we can’t forget those emo day songs. Mr. Brightside is one I can never resist singing. It’s just so damn good! Then there is Holiday by Greenday and can’t forget Miss Murder by AFI xD 

Now I have an extremely long list of electronic type, synth, darkwave, trance, whatever the heck categories they fall under that I just like to call my Robot music xD  Here’s a couple with AI themes that I’ll just throw out here. We Appreciate Power and quite literally A.I 

And lastly this one reminds me of Midgar so much and Izzy, but I always see her singing this if she ever made a music video. (which apparently she’s made many) But she’d definitely be in front of wall sized windows with Midgar in the background and the labs, and its also why she sometimes refers to it as Electric City, idk who the guy would be singing with her but if you want it to be you just let me know? Lol.  After all she is Indistinct. Ill Defined. Uncontrolled. Unconfined. 

Tagged by: @animus-inspire (this took me forever Reeeeeve x.x) 

Tagging: @thefirstthaumaturge

[kalinara]

You know what I loved best about Shadowhunters?

It is the first time I’ve seen anyone tackle the idea of a deconstructive adaptation outside of fanfiction.

The Mortal Instruments novels were pretty popular as I recall.  They sold well, built up a pretty passionate fanbase, and even got a movie that I never actually saw.  I think I read maybe the first one, and it wasn’t really to my taste, but I didn’t think it was terrible.  It just had a lot of the common flaws that I see in a lot of YA books.  

And generally, when you get an adaptation, it doesn’t tend to touch on these problematic elements.  Or if it does, it kind of sidles away from them.  The Twilight movies, for example, show us a couple of POC as vampires, even though technically according to the books, all vampires get paler with age.  But at the same time, neither movies nor books really address the inherent racist dynamic between the vampires and the werewolves.  And so on.

Shadowhunters is different.

When I watch Shadowhunters as an adaptation, I get the sense that a lot of the people involved genuinely do love the Mortal Instruments as a series, but that they’re not willing to overlook the problematic elements.  They want to explore them instead.

And they did.  Starting with the Clave.  Because, at least from what I recall, there’s not a whole lot TO the Clave in the books.  I mean, it’s there.  Sort of.  But our main trio (Jace, Alec, and Izzy) seem to be primarily fighting demons on their own.  They’re literally children.  I think Alec is the oldest at what, seventeen?  And while they’re meant to protect Downworlders and only kill demons, there’s a certain level of probably unconscious superiority.  I mean obviously they don’t support Valentine, the villain who wants to genocide all the downworlders.  But the elements are still there.  Our heroes have angel blood, our heroes are special, and their authority is righteous.

I’m not trying to attack Ms. Clare with this, because I think this kind of thing is very very common in YA books in general.  But I love what Shadowhunters did with this set up.

First, Shadowhunters did away with the idea of Jace, Alec, and Izzy as lone child soldiers against demons.  The Clave exists, and it’s very visible.  The Institute is bustling, filled with all sorts of background personnel.  Something is always happening.  Things are always being monitored.  There are missions happening that our characters aren’t necessarily involved in.  This does create a bit of narrative awkwardness in the first season, when the show tended to cleave more loyally to the books.  (Alec’s role as de facto leader of the Institute early on in particular seems to wax and wane in terms of level of authority.).  But it smooths itself out early on.  And it makes more sense: fighting demons is pretty important.  Not a matter to be left to three teenagers alone.

The show both ages up our characters, which makes certain romantic plots a lot less creepy, and actually addresses the idea that these people have been essentially soldiers from childhood, and that there is a LOT of institutionalized racism and superiority, along with militant duty, that gets drilled into these people from birth.  We get to see the kind of environment that builds a Valentine, and how even generally rational adults like Luke and Jocelyn might have gotten caught up in his fanatic ideology.  It takes the throwaway comments and superiority displayed by the protagonists in the book and extrapolates where that came from.

I remember reading somewhere that Ms. Clare was really unhappy with Alec’s actions early on in season one, when he was in support of Meliorn being taken to the City of Bones for interrogation (torture).    And I can understand that.  I’m sure Ms. Clare has a very clear idea in her mind about who Alexander Lightwood is.  And her Alec Lightwood would never agree to take a man to be tortured.

But I think that, in terms of the show, it was important to show Alec like that.  Because we needed to see exactly how ingrained this ideology actually is.  Jace is the brooding rebel.  Izzy is the bleeding heart half in love with Meliorn already.  Alec is the responsible one, the dutiful one who shoulders the burdens.  Which means, he’s the character most likely (at this point in the story) to swallow his conscience and misgivings and do what he thinks he’s supposed to do.

It’s an ugly moment, but it provides us with a focal point for his eventual growth.  Alec’s multi-season plot, of overcoming both overt and unconscious personal racism, to tackling the problems of the Clave itself, is one of my favorite parts of the series.  And it had to start somewhere.

One of the touches that initially made me uncomfortable, but now I rather like, is how most of the Shadowhunters are white, while most of the Downworlders are POC.  There are exceptions on both sides (the Penhallows, Luke-pre-Werewolfing, Iris Rouse), but that’s the general gist.  And at first, I thought this was a really bad thing.  Until I realized that the show actually was making a point.

Because the racism against Downworlders is fantastic racism.   And all too often, fantastic racism becomes an excuse to use real world narrative tropes meant for poc and apply them to white people.  And look, I like X-Men as much as anyone, but this isn’t our story.  (And there are very few things that annoy me more than when we see fantasy racism applied in ways that lead to POC being racist against white people: see the anti-alien senator during one season of Supergirl who just happened to be Latina.)

Even though it’s still a little uncomfortable that most of the people with “angel blood” are white and most of the people with “demon blood” are not, it does mean that we’re basically returning the focus of the fantastic racism back where it should be: on the POC victims.

Most of the Downworlders we see on the show are good people.  They’re trying to live their lives the best they can.  And the Clave uses the actions of a few bad apples (many of whom have some significant provocation!) to justify a draconian rule over all of them.

The parallels are hard to miss, and the show doesn’t actually try to miss them.  I always think particularly of the episode in season 2, where the Clave starts to chip Downworlders in response to a serial killer targeting Shadowhunters.  It’s heavy handed, sure, but it hits hard when Maia talks about real world racism and how the Shadowhunters are supposed to be better than that.  It’s another episode where a main character is complicit in the institutional racism, and that gets called out too.

It’s not perfect, of course.  And I think Jace, in particular, ends up getting off scott free for things that he really shouldn’t.  (For example, kidnapping the werewolf girl and bringing her to Valentine makes him literally guilty of her murder under the law.)  But it’s something.

Another improvement from the books is in Alec and Magnus’s relationship.  For one thing, they’re a side couple in the books, given a handful of scenes here and there, but very much in the shadow of Clary and Jace’s drama.  Their plots have some seriously uncomfortable elements: the age difference, the way Magnus presses Alec to come out, Alec’s paranoia over Magnus’s sexuality and past experience, Alec’s plotting with Camille to remove Magnus’s immortality.  It’s a mess.

Now whether or not it’s a worse mess than Clary and Jace’s nonsense.  You got me.  But it wasn’t fun.

But even with the problems, Magnus and Alec meant something to a lot of fans.  And I think the show really delivers on that front.  Magnus and Alec go from being a side couple with a handful of scenes, to in many ways, being the pillar of the series.  The age difference is less of an issue (I mean, Magnus is still many times Alec’s age, but Alec is actually an adult in this version).  The biphobia is gone, and while Alec is occasionally intimidated by the difference in their experiences, it never turns into a critique of Magnus. 

Their conflicts and obstacles are much more compelling.  Alec’s initial coming out story was triumphant and the best part of season 1 to me.  The fact that Magnus is a Downworlder, and Alec is a Shadowhunter, with all that entails isn’t forgotten.  The romance, and Alec’s plot of overcoming his racism, are deeply intertwined.  And Magnus isn’t a bit part in the story either.  His plot, especially with regard to his self-identity and relationship to his magic, is just as important, if not more so, by the last season.

The weakest part of the series for me was when they were more faithful to the books, but I thought the show did a good job of refocusing later season events on Clary rather than Jace.  One of the things that annoyed me about book and the early part of the series is that, as soon as we had Jace’s (not) parentage reveal, he seemed to end up with 90% of the focus in any of the family drama.  Clary discovers her long lost father is a genocidal maniac, but Jace was raised by the man so it gets more focus.  The dynamic between Jace and Jonathan had a lot more focus in the books too.  Sometimes it seemed like the story forgot that Clary also had a family stake in more than just her mother.  So I was really happy when the show started digging into Clary’s identity as a Morgenstern, and went the route of linking her to Jonathan.  (Even if I could definitely do without incestuous overtones.)  Jace, as a character, tends to work better when he isn’t the center focus, in my opinion.  Or at least when the focus is shared, and he gets to react and take part in other characters’ plotlines.

You’ll occasionally see this sort of deconstruction in fanfiction (when it’s not a joyous celebration of unlikely characters banging - not that there’s anything wrong with that), but rarely to this extent, and certainly never with this kind of budget.  The idea of a “Shadowhunters style deconstruction” is a really interesting thought exercise to apply to all sorts of media that has both enjoyable and problematic elements.  

[faejilly]

i am for you (12/?)

Jace Lightwood! I love him. And we haven’t really gotten inside his head yet. So. Short and sweet, as he rather got to the point, and I hope still enjoyable. 😉 (AO3 / series tag)

It didn't take Alec long to join them after everyone else left.

Jace didn't think it would.

When Luke and Maryse bought the house their children were all already too old for a treehouse, but the Lightwoods liked it anyway. It was up off the ground for Alec (but not so high it gave anyone else fits about him and heights). It was outside for Izzy, but protected enough no one had to worry too much about the weather, and it was small enough for Jace to feel surrounded without the walls closing in.

So that's where he and Izzy went, and that's where Alec found them.

Normally watching their tree of a brother finagle his way through a trapdoor made for children made Jace smile, but tonight it was hard to be amused. Alec made it through, and stood in the middle of the single room, shoulders hunched so he wouldn't hit his head on the ceiling. Izzy was leaning by the window, and Jace was sitting on the floor, slumped against the opposite wall, and the both of them just looked at him.

Alec waited.

He was annoyingly good at that.

"You weren't going to tell us, were you?" Jace asked.

Alec closed his eyes.

"Even when Mom asked, when that card came up." Jace could feel himself trying to speed up, to spit the words out faster and harder, but he made himself stop and keep his pace steady. "That's what that look between you and Magnus was, deciding if you were going to tell us the truth or not."

"No, I wasn't," Alec opened his eyes. "We weren't going to tell anyone, it was just going to be for us."

Izzy made a noise in the back of her throat, like she wanted to argue but couldn't quite manage it. She held a hand up, and tried again. "Why did you then?"

"I'm not about to start this thing with Magnus out by introducing him to my family and then lying about how important he is to me when someone asks."

"I—" Jace stopped and swallowed. He didn't know how to say this. "You met someone who meant so much to you that you wanted to marry them and you weren't going to tell us."

"And only did because Mom had the luck to ask you a dumb question from a game that none of us would have ever thought to ask on our own." Izzy's voice sounded steadier than Jace felt, but it was unusually sharp-edged, and he knew she felt as off-balance as he did.

Alec wasn't supposed to hide things; they almost hadn't survived last time. Sure they joked that he never went on dates, but that was a joke because they all knew he never mentioned any of them because none of them had mattered. Alec didn't hide things that mattered. He was the center the rest of them circled around and it made something empty out in Jace's chest, dark and howling and desperate, when that center shifted; he was sure they were all about to crash.

There was a wrinkle between Alec's eyebrows, but he wasn't quite frowning. "I told you he meant a lot to me. That I wanted you to get to know him."

"That's not the same thing!" Jace heard his own voice lift, and almost swore when he accidentally hit the back of his head against the wall behind him.

"The last time you made a very important personal decision without telling us you were going to do it, or how you were really feeling about it, we ended up picking you up from a psych ward three days later," Izzy was using her clinical voice, clean and precise, but her eyes looked lost.

Jace waved a hand in her direction in agreement. Yeah, that.

"This isn't at all like that." Alec's jaw was too tight, and Jace got why, Magnus and Robert probably didn't deserve the proximity that that sentence almost gave them, but still.

Jace inhaled, made himself unclench his hands, his shoulders, and exhaled. "But how do we know that when you won't tell us about it?"

"What, I can't have any privacy?"

No, Jace wanted to say, but he knew that was unfair. He saw Izzy mouth it too, though, so at least it wasn't just him. He tried something a little more diplomatic. "Why wouldn't you want to tell us you wanted to get married?"

"Because you two were clearly worried about how sudden this was already." Alec tilted his head, half a shrug, half stretching out his neck. His voice was so damn steady and calm, Jace kind of wanted to punch him.

He didn't get it. He never got it when people were worried about him. Which of course just meant they had to worry more. It was exhausting.

"Not telling us what's going on isn't going to make us less worried!" Izzy's hands flung wide, and Jace heard her knuckles tap against the window-frame. She didn't even seem to notice the impact. "Not telling us things is never going to help."

Alec's frown was completely there this time, his face heavy and his lips pushed tight together. "You tell me everything about your lives all the time?"

"Yeah." Jace scoffed. "If it's important. Of course we do."

"I told you he's important!" Alec's voice finally cracked up a notch, a hint of emotion breaking through. "I'm not giving you private details about my relationship so you can feel better about our issues."

"Getting engaged is the opposite of private!" Izzy snapped back. "That's half the point of getting married, isn't it, making it public and official?"

"Why are you mad at me for being happy?" Alec's voice dropped and his shoulders hunched even further down, like he was waiting for a blow, and Izzy flinched.

"We're not mad at you for that!" Jace shouted. "I'm terrified something's going to go wrong with this whirlwind romance of yours and I'm gonna get another phone call from you saying good-bye from a rooftop!"

Alec closed his eyes again, his entire body gone too still, and the treehouse was so quiet Jace could hear his own heartbeat echoing in his head.

"This isn't like that," Alec repeated, but his voice sounded almost hollow this time. "I don't. I'm not like that anymore, I thought you knew that."

"We could all live until we're ninety and I will still be one phone call away from that night." Jace shrugged, closed his eyes too, tried to pretend they weren't burning. "You told me you were fine, you promised that everything was going to be ok, and then you said good-bye."

"And I was wrong." Alec's voice was barely above a whisper. Jace felt Alec sit beside him, not quite touching, and Jace leaned over until he bumped against Alec's shoulder, shuddering something that wasn't just relief at the contact. "I'll never stop being sorry that I did that to you."

"You can't keep secrets from me." Jace sniffed, hard, focused on keeping the damp in his throat out of his voice. "Not about how you're feeling. We had no idea it was that bad for you, before..." Jace swallowed. "Maybe it's not fair, but I can't handle it."

"We can't handle it," Izzy echoed softly.

"Ok." Alec shifted until he could wrap his arm around Jace's shoulders. "Considering everything, that's entirely fair."

"So?" Izzy's voice was closer now, and Jace felt her sit down on his other side after she spoke. "How are you feeling?"

Alec huffed out a laugh, though he didn't quite sound amused. "That was the real problem, wasn't it? You could tell I was hiding something."

"To be fair, I don't think either of us realized that we could tell you were hiding something? We just felt—" Izzy trailed off.

"Twitchy?" That wasn't the right word, but Jace went with it anyway.

"So you could tell something was off, but you couldn't tell that you could tell?" The amusement in Alec's voice was lighter this time, less complicated.

"We were also worried about the holy shit he just met this guy and they're way invested already." Jace shrugged. "It's not the sort of thing that happens every day."

"Sooo," Izzy repeated, drawing it out for emphasis this time. "How are you feeling?"

Alec snorted, and squeezed Jace's shoulders. "I got this really weird email by accident and by the time I finished reading it I was smiling like an idiot and I totally had a crush on whoever sent it even though I wasn't even sure he was a guy at the time."

"That's ridiculous." Izzy tried to sound serious, but then she giggled, and Jace felt his shoulders relax at the sound, at the warmth of Alec's arm around him.

"I know!" Alec sounded like he was smiling now. "I told myself that, but it didn't help at all."

"What'd you do?"

"I wrote him back and tried to pretend I didn't want to ask for a name and number. But I gave him my name and told him about the bookstore 'cause I kind of hoped he'd offer without me having to ask?"

"How long did you manage to keep that up?" Izzy kept asking all the right questions, and Jace smiled as he listened to the teasing rhythm of her voice. "The not directly asking for a name and a number."

"Oh, like one email. And then I had to make up rules like it was a game so I could distract myself from begging him to tell me his favorite restaurant so I could take him there."

Jace snorted. "You're hopeless aren't you."

"Hopeful, actually. More than I'd ever felt before about a maybe-date."

"Awww." Izzy sighed. "That's actually really sweet."

"And then I finally worked up the nerve to ask him out a couple emails later, and he actually said yes and I literally yelled at my phone screen in shock and almost poured my coffee down my shirt."

Izzy coughed out a laugh loudly enough it almost echoed. "You're a disaster aren't you."

"Always." Alec agreed, his voice warm and fond and easy. "It gets worse."

"Yeah, we heard that part." Jace opened his eyes and looked at Alec. "Did you really ask him to marry you as soon as you saw him?"

Alec shrugged, his torso shifting against Jace's side. "You've seen him, can you blame me?"

"Yeah." Izzy said, but she sounded fond this time, not worried. "That's absolutely crazy talk."

"I know." Alec shrugged again. "But. I met his eyes, and... It's not like anything was missing, it wasn't like there was a hole in my heart that Magnus filled or something, but I could feel him fit, right against my life, like two pieces of a puzzle. I could almost hear the snap in my head like those plastic building things we had when we were kids, or a magnet when it gets close enough to fridge and it just sticks into place? And he looked back at me and his eyes widened and I could see him hear it too."

"Oh." Jace sighed out softly. "That sounds nice."

"And kind of terrifying," Izzy added.

"Yeah," Alec agreed. "And then he kissed me and I almost died it felt so good."

Izzy laughed aloud that time, bright and delighted. "You did sneak out of Simon's set early to get laid, didn't you?"

"Wasn't much sneaking."

"I see you're not disputing the getting laid part." Jace nudged Alec with his elbow.

"Nope."

"Never thought I'd see the day." Izzy's voice dropped, thick and syrupy. "Our big brother's all grown up."

"More than either of you have ever been," Alec scoffed. Jace could hear the rolled eyes in the tone of his voice. It was great.

"Being grown-up is overrated," Jace said.

"Ain't that the truth." Izzy stretched, her legs still too short to reach the trapdoor, her arm knocking against Jace's side. "Why'd we grow up, anyway?"

Jace felt the shift of Alec's body as he laughed almost silently, breath shaking in the air. "Are you sure we did?"

"Nope." Jace shook his head. "We are having this conversation in a treehouse, after all."

"Would it be better if it was in a bar?" Jace glanced at Izzy, at the curl of her smile as she caught her bottom lip against her teeth. "That's adult, right?"

"And a terrible idea." Alec reached past Jace to swat at Izzy's leg. "We're adult enough to have too much to do on Monday mornings for that to be a good plan."

"See, he is an adult!" Izzy turned to face Jace directly, eyes wide with fake horror. "We should kick him out of the treehouse."

"I dunno, I think proposing marriage at first sight gives him enough dumb-ass points he never has to be an adult if he doesn't want to." Alec groaned, and Izzy laughed again, and Jace grinned. He felt the dull ache that'd been lingering in his chest for the past week finally start to ease. "In fact, I think that makes him the least adult-like of the whole family."

Alec shoved Jace in the side, and Jace fell against Izzy and started laughing. "Top Lightwood Dumb-Ass, and it's not me!"

"Yeah, yeah." Alec sighed as he agreed, and Jace could tell he was trying to sound annoyed, but there was a smile on his face and he couldn't quite pull it off. "You're gonna mention it in your best man speech, aren't you."

"Fuck, yes." Jace agreed. "And every anniversary for the rest of your lives."

"Your kids are going to be able to use it against you any time they do something without thinking." Izzy's grin softened as they all stilled at that, at the thought of Alec's kids. "You're gonna get married."

"Not tomorrow, though, ok?" Jace straightened himself back up. "I get that you're happy but I really think we'd all lose it if you did that."

"We already agreed on a long engagement." Alec's lips twitched. "Though I did move in to his apartment with him?"

"What the fuck?" Izzy sputtered, half-gasping as she waved a hand at him. "Oh my god, who are you and what have you done with the guy who spends half an hour deciding to order the same thing at his favorite diner every time we go?"

"He fell for a guy with an oversized tub that he actually fits in, who never runs out of hot water."

"Can I move in too?" Jace asked, almost seriously. "The water at my place is usually hot but the pressure is horrendous."

"No way, that's our sex bath-tub." Alec stopped abruptly and dropped his head in his hands, as if he hadn't meant to say that out loud.

"Holy shit." Jace snickered. "Top dumb-ass of the family forever."

Alec sighed, and lifted his head. His face was flushed, but he was still smiling, bright and open in a way Jace had seldom seen. "Absolutely worth it."

"As it should be." Izzy leaned over Jace, sticking an elbow into his ribs along the way, to give Alec a kiss on his cheek. "I'm glad to hear it."

"Really?" Alec tilted his head as he looked at them, hands wrapped together just a bit too tight in his lap. "Because I do get how out of line this is."

"Well." Jace paused as they both looked at him, and shrugged. "Do you really expect sensible advice from me or Iz?"

Izzy smacked him on the shoulder, and Jace grinned at her. "Besides. Mom and Lydia are two of the smartest people we know, and they both think it's worth the leap. They're usually right."

"I'm gonna have to tell Lydia tomorrow." Alec's eyes widened. "Oh shit, we're gonna have to tell Magnus' friends tomorrow. I hope they take it as well as you all did."

"You want them to corner you in a treehouse and yell at you?"

Alec snorted. "I came voluntarily to the treehouse, and you're both terrible at yelling at me, you can't ever pull it off."

"Hey." Jace stuck out his tongue. Alec was right, they were terrible at yelling at him, but he wasn't supposed to admit he knew that.

"Oh yeah," Izzy elbowed his ribs on purpose this time. "We're definitely adults."

"The adultiest."

Alec rolled his eyes yet again, and Jace couldn't stop grinning. It'd been too long since they'd done this, just been in the same place at the same time with no agenda, no deadline. He'd missed it.

They'd needed it.

Best family dinner in ages.

[decembermoonskz]

izzy !! it s been ages LOL how did your christmas and new year go?

i ve been busy for the entirety of our school break and unfortunately, school resumed earlier this day :< i did a lot of reading and playing during the vacation, although my experiences this holiday seemed to be more boring compared to the previous years :"> i hope you did a lot of cool and fun stuff all the same! what were your handmade ornaments made of? :O

other than that, i waited for all year-end kpop shows and sat throughout every performance !! they did a lot of collabs and my multi stan heart did not take it lightly ~.~ have to say that the 'snow prince' stage from mbc gayo is my favourite HAHHDSDHAS also, one more banner right? until xiao appears <33 i hope i ve saved enough primogems by then.

oh god, your world building gets better and better as time passes 😭💕 took me long enough and i honestly regret that i didn t immediately allot time to read g&s !! before i knew it, i already reached the end. i. need. more. >:c TAKE YOUR TIME WRITING THE NEXT PART THOUGH <33 and your writing ? oh my god. 🙇 I NEED MY DETECTIVE BRAIN TO GET GOING BUt, it won t budge 🤌 like, wHAT DOES GOLD AND SILVER EVEN SIGNIFY ?? gold - werewolf ?? silver - witch ?? bc like, reader's eyes turned silver when using powers. BUT, i don t think i remember a werewolf's eyes being described to turn gold upon transformation. and, i remember reader mentioning that werewolves carry a gray aura. HMMM. then i guess damned - the blood claws ?? WOT. or is the meaning something deeper?

dude, i m really curious who that random guy in reader's dream is HAHAHAHAHDHHDSHSAHA WHAT HE SAYS IS DEFINITELY A WARNING

WHAT IF, chan used to be part of the enemy organization, the blood claws, and later on just left because he doesn't seemed to be the type to accept and deem their objectives to be morally correct. HE MIGHT BE A VILLAIN IN DISGUISE YA KNOW but cross that out because i trust reader's instincts in people's auras. okay so take two, maybe chan used to belong to TBC and left because he s nice 😭😭😭 if not, then i m sure that he had something to do with them in the past, whether or not it d be related to the serial cases. i just can t seem to think of a reason as to why he would be so eager to help solve the mystery if neither of the victims were someone he s familiar with.

but then again, maybe someone he knew WAS a victim. HMM. what if he found out that organization killed his parents because i remember felix stating that he, along with chan, seungmin, jeongin and jungwon, was an orphan under another werewolf. so, revenge??

uhm, continuing from 2 paragraphs before, i doubt that a child alone would be able to poison a grown up no matter how often drunk and possibly always unaware that person may be of her surroundings. add to the fact that that woman is no normal human being but a werewolf so 🤷 betting my all primos that he got help from somewhere, maybe it s from the enemy organization o.O THEN THEY TOOK HIM IN THAT S WHY HE SUDDENLY DISAPPEARD THEN LATER ON LEFT THE ORG L M A O I D K .

or maybe he was the killer all along and this fic is the turning point from your fluff writer signature vibe,,,,, THIS IS YOU THRILLER DEBUT !! o.O JKJK THIS IS GETTING TOO DARK SHHSADJHSFDFS (and the genre says angst and fluff XD)

lastly, i hope you stayed and will stay safe, take your time resting !! we love you izzy so much <33 though i ve only interacted with you for less than half a year, you and your stories were part of the reasons why my 2021 was enjoyable. i hope for more conversations between us, good luck ~

- 🤡

oh my goodness hi! it had been a while even tho I’m on hiatus rn it’s nice to hear from you again! I’ll throw my answer under the cut bc this post is pretty long, but to your last paragraph, thank you so much.

I’m so happy you came and became an anon on my page it means a lot. Whenever I see your emote in asks I get very happy~ To know that my stories could make your 2021 enjoyable means the world to me 🥺🥺🥺 I hope we have tons of conversations in the future bubs thank you!! Now onto the other answers.

we made salt dough ornaments and also my holidays went well :3 gl with school and

TODAY IS XIAO DAY!!!!!

I’m so excited! I’ve been waiting since February of last year. IT. IS. TIME. HE IS COMING HOME TODAY!!!!!!

Oh also you read gold and silver!!!

First off I’m in love with your observations, I obviously can’t confirm any of them haha but it’s so nice to see your theories and speculations.

Chan’s eyes did actually glow gold so that could be yes. Also I love your theories for chan it’s so nice to read! Your theories are very interesting, well done with your observation skills! When I read this I could only think that I said “well done” as I was reading. It’s very interesting to hear your thoughts thank you~ ^^

ALSO JAKSJSKSJAKA honestly when I read that you said I may have written chan as the killer I laughed 😂😂😂 I’m not sure I’m metal enough to go that dark yet 🤣🤣

Thank you so much for your review and thoughts I hope you’ll look forward to the next part !!! ✨✨✨

[woebound]

so since i’ve been busy out of character lately, with the most horrific of situations, i haven’t really been paying the utmost amount of attention to anything on here, let alone my followers, and to check it today and see that i’m not far off 650 followers ? i almost screamed, and then proceeded to cry for about fifteen minutes. i honestly can’t thank you all enough, especially for sticking around when i disappear for weeks on end when life just becomes too hard for me to deal with --- i know this blog is anything BUT consistent and half the time i wonder why people continue to follow me because of my lack of activity on times, or maybe my own insecurities about my writing are a huge part of the blame for my questioning of it, but i am beyond grateful that people have followed me. this blog is like my baby, it’s an escape for me to just get away from life for just that short amount of time while my head feels like it’s going to explode. it’s that place where i can bring my ideas to life ? the plots that probably wouldn’t have ever been canon or the ones we were all going to explode. it’s everything to me, and i’m glad people have liked me and my writing enough to stick with me. THANK YOU SO MUCH, from the bottom of my heart <3333 so without further ado, this is just a post where i gush about the ones who have captured my heart by being close friends with me and also about the ones i’ve watched from afar and admired for their talent ??? and also fan girled over !!! thank you guys again, i love you all so much. 

FIRST OFF --- here are the babes who i’m close to, who i spend time talking to in real life, who i’m extremely good friends with or who mean a lot to me ( in no particular order unless stated ) --- 

@myricd/ @stilesism / @crownbeanie --- BECKS my loveeeeeee, my bestfriend, mY OTHER HALF AND ACTUAL EVERYTHING, is it even a surprise that you’re right at the top of the list ??? did you expect anything less because if you did umm ???? nope. most of the shit i’m about to say to you you’ve probably heard me say a million times because i’m nothing if not repetitive??? but screw it. you are honestly ONE in a million, it kills me when you don’t realize just how much of a star you are, or just how talented you are ??? because you deserve to know it. REAL talk okay, without you i wouldn’t still be here. you have talked me down from so many horrific ordeals in real life, you have been there to speak words of wisdom when you yourself are having a horrible time, you’ve put aside everything for me, and i’m just beyond grateful. in fact, just last night you helped me out of a horrible moment where i was falling apart. you’re my best friend, and i’ve never been as lucky as i am now to meet a friend who truly has my best interests at heart, a friend who ( i hope ) won’t desert me, or turn on me like past friends have. i have the utmost respect for you. it’s truly lucky too because what are the odds that we met in real life and then found out that we both have the same hobbies of roleplaying ? it’s like fate. as much as we don’t get to write often, when we do it’s fucking brilliant, and i don’t think there’s anyone i enjoy writing with more??? look at all our ships !!!, all of our babies and their incredibly complicated but intense relationships, and how we cry over them all the time. LET’S JUST TALK ABOUT HOW WE HAVE A MASSIVE LIST OF LOVES !!! ceffy being one, or stidney !! each of them having a massive range of ideas or head canons, i love how you capture each character with such ??? clarity, such talent. you are beyond brilliant, i have told you countless times i love your writing. i miss seeing you almost every day like we did in coll, and shouting over the endless possibilities of plots, it’s actually quite sad how much i value our friendship. until you i kinda lost hope in having best friends, because lets just be fair here, i’ve had a list of shitty friends who have completely fucked me over and made me feel like i was the reason, and then you came into my life and became the best god damn friend i’ve ever had and i honestly can’t ever begin to thank you enough. you actually made me feel valued, and like i was doing something right and i don’t have to worry that i’m going to lose you because i’m the worst ( i mean it doesn’t mean that i don’t worry because i do , that’s just me though . ) i’m blessed to have you by my side, you’re my other half practically, and i honestly can’t thank you enough for embracing me as a best friend, and a writing partner, it’s the best of both worlds. you have been there with me through so much in our friendship already, i don’t ever wanna imagine a day without you by my side which is why i treasure you so so much. we’ve been friends almost three years, and you are one of the best human beings i’ve met in my entire life. we’ve pulled each other through so much with both hands, and it’s great having a friend who understands me, who can communicate with me, by JUST a look, or who can listen when things are terrible. --- i love you becks, you keep being you because you’re fucking amazing !!!! thank you for being a god damn inspiration to me <3333 

@caelestiigne --- BRIANNA MY SWEET BABE !!! THE LOML ??? i honestly have no words to ever express my love for you ?? it honestly wouldn’t even come close. you’re just pure as fuck and the sweetest person i’ve ever met. i can’t begin to thank you for purely embracing me, my overbearing attitude on times, and my portrayal of characters, you are honestly one of my best friends in the roleplay community. you are so encouraging about ships, and you’re also one of my mains for skins, and also my exclusive for jace / izzy. i love how when we first spoke about jace and izzy we said we weren’t shippers of them that much ? and NOW look @ us, loving life and crying over their relationship ? i don’t regret a fucking thing i swear because they are adorable. i honestly love writing with you so much, it’s threads with you that i look forward to , i end up losing my mind when i see you’ve replied or that you’ve tagged me in a starter because i just know the thread is gonna end with me crying like a baby. what i love most about us is that you pretty much get me out of character too, you’re so understanding if i’m flaking a little when real life gets too much. or even if i’m just not feeling it ? even going as far as to be there for me and to speak to me, when i feel like tearing my hair out because i’m struggling to cope. i can’t thank you enough for your kind nature, your endless amount of ideas, the overflowing amount of feels and just for being you. i am blessed to have found such an amazing friend within the community like you, and i am astounded by how talented you are every time. you’re the freddie to my effy, the effy to my cook, the jace to my izzy and so many more muses ! i honestly almost cried because i found out you’d seen skins because of the endless possibilities, and i think it’s honestly damn hard for us to do a thread and not ship our muses ? because we just have chemistry as writers and i think it’s because i just fully respect you as an individual, but also because you mean a hell of a lot to me. i find it hard to trust people anyway, but you became a friend when i needed it the most, and i’m so thankful to you, you’re just ??? there aren’t words. you’re amazing ! i think because we have such a good friendship, writing with you isn’t a chore? it’s so enjoyable --- so much so that i’ve made a zillion ideas up in my head, or i’ve made us a pinterest board, or i’ve thrown my characters at you. you capture all your characters so perfectly, building on each of their weaknesses and all the aspects of their personalities. there are no words for me to even come close to expressing how talented you are, i wish you’d see how brilliant a writer you are ! you are beyond eloquent with your words, it’s another reason i can add to the zillion i have for why i love to write with you. we also never lose contact with each other which i’m grateful for, because we are constantly talking on discord, or writing there even if we haven’t replied over tumblr.  but above all, you’re one of the best friends i’ve had in this community, you’re a sweet angel who deserves the world and i love you to absolute pieces. thank you for being there when i’m falling apart and for understanding if i take forever. you are so appreciated by me, and i’m so glad we found each other and have this amazing friendship. THANK YOU BBY !!! <3  @voidworn --- CHELS MY BABE !!! is there even a way of me expressing how i feel about you and our friendship ? i honestly love you to pieces. first off, i spent like so long being frightened to even approach you as i died over you on my dash and your talent. i love how you capture stiles, i always have done and besides that you’re the sweetest person i think i’ve met. you make it so easy to just approach you and be over excited about ships, or yell at you about ideas of crossovers or the multiple possibilities of canon ships ? like lets just cry over stizzy, that ship is a damn masterpiece --- i just love how you capture each and every aspect of stiles’ personality, the vulnerabilities, the things that hurt him the most from his past. i just think you should know how brilliantly you capture him, you have been one of those blogs i’ve fan girled over --- you capture him that well that i constantly hear his voice in your writing and that’s something i don’t have with an overly large amount of people. i value you as a person because of your kindness, and how willing you are to help people, you send me psds because i couldn’t afford to buy them and that in itself is something i appreciate so much, you have such a kind heart --- thank you for continuously being there for me, it’s honestly so sweet of you. our ships kill me of all the time, stizzy as i’ve already mentioned and now stook ? if that works, brooke/stiles are beyond perfect and already have me crying every time i reply to you or look at my pinboard ? they even have their own playlist i’ve made. i wanna thank you for being so happy to embrace me, and my own interpretations of characters, for being so accepting of me and how i bug you ! also ??? for wanting to writing with me, it always makes me feel overwhelmed in a good way when i find someone whom i admire a heck of a lot wanting to write with me, so thank you because it means a lot. i wanna thank you for blessing me with your talent ! for allowing me to create two amazing ships with you, because not only do i love them beyond words, but i love writing with you, and the amount of chemistry we have as writers is great. i’ve also made a friend for life in you and i’m beyond blessed to say that ? i constantly look forward to your replies, and when you do reply i literally scream !!! everyone should follow you because you’re brilliant, a true sweetheart and an astoundingly amazing friend. thank you for sticking by me, throwing feels my way and being a darling ! you’re amazing. i love you lots <3  @coyoteache / @guiltache --- TAYLOR MY LOOOOVE !!! ONE OF THE BEST FRIENDS I’VE EVER FUCKING HAD !! you know what ? i’m beyond shocked at how it’s been almost three years since we met, since i wept over you on my dash and had the guts to message you and cry over your perfection ! i want to first off thank you for actually NOT getting sick of me and sticking by me this long, especially when i’m annoying as fuck. you’ve been there when i’ve had some of the hardest moments of my life ? i can’t begin to thank you enough for being there because i’ve messaged you when i’m sobbing over things i can’t change and you’ve been there, like the angel you are, presented me with advice when you, yourself are having a hard time and there is nothing more selfless than that. if there was one word i could describe you, it is definitely selfless because you constantly do things for other people even when you are struggling and that in itself makes you an amazing friend. i’ve constantly gushed over how blessed i am to call you a friend, especially after all this time, if i ever had to go into detail about our threads, i’d be here FOREVER because we’ve had so many threads ??? that i could never talk about all of them. there are a few that kill me off though, such as STANNA ! stanna are my babies. the multiple layers you bring to stiles, even things that aren’t mentioned in teen wolf, you have such an astoundingly intelligent mind that you think of things i’ve never even thought of that i am always shocked ! i am always happy to write with you, you know that, and i cherish every thread we do, no matter what the context, or the ship because you are truly talented. you bring such depth to every character you play, whether it be a teen wolf babe of yours or someone else from your multi ! i love our chats out of character too, you always make time to check in with me, and you also tell me about your ooc life and i’m so happy that you’re happy too because you deserve no less !!! i am so happy that we’re still friends after all this time, i can’t believe it’s been three years  !!! but i’m so beyond grateful for those years. i love each muse post you’ve sent over that time, how you’ve showered me with feels, how you’ve helped build my trust in people when it comes to friendships especially since i’ve had it hard making friends in the past, you’ve been a damn fucking good friend and i can’t thank you enough. i love you endlessly ! you’re a true star, and i wish you of all people could see how truly talented you are !!! you are so eloquent in your writing, the way you capture a character with your words will always astound me. KEEP being you because you’re fucking magnificent. and i love you to pieces <3  @donutshirt --- SEB MA BOI MY NERD --- okay so this isn’t your permanent blog home because you’re currently taking a little break from fully writing indie but there was NO way in hell i was writing a follow forever and not including you because i honestly love you to pieces and you mean too much to me. in all honesty, you’re damn important to me ??? let me first express my love for you by screaming about how fucking brilliant a friend you truly are !!! if it wasn’t for you, i’d never have applied for uni this year, you kept me calm, you helped me write my personal statement, i honestly owe so much to you and i don’t take this shit lightly. you are so good to me ? i can’t thank you enough. you have helped me through so much shit, you don’t even realize, you’ve been one of the best friends i’ve ever had in a matter of almost a year ? you’ve trusted me with some pretty personal shit and that means the world to me that you’d be so open with me, and i can’t thank you enough. our friendship is so special to me, because i hardly spend a day without talking to you unless things are hectic or very bad. i’ve cried to you over skype before now because things are so rubbish, and you’ve kept your composure and just been a class A friend and for that i will never be able to find enough words to thank you. through the shit going on right now, my grampa being ill, you’ve been there, no matter what even if you have other stuff to deal with. THANK YOU !!! from the bottom of my heart. LET ME CRY OVER OUR SHIPS NOW, and your talent !!! first off, you’re the scott to my allison, my other half of scallison !!! and also the spencer to my aria !!! sparia and scallison are our babies, we love them so much , and i love being able to develop them with you, because you are never short on ideas, you constantly astound me with your love for them too. you bring such depth to both of your characters, but also depth to their relationship with head canons, and little quirks each relationship has, like the nitty gritty ideas we’ve had, where spencer and aria clash over how spencer uses her for the anti anxiety meds. i can’t even describe the chemistry we have as writers or how talented and eloquent you write, and i can’t ever thank you for how amazing you truly are to me ! for how you check in on me when things are falling apart, how you’ve talked to me when you have stuff going on yourself !!! i love you to absolute pieces ! i am so glad i met you because not only am i inspired by your strength, but i just couldn’t even imagine my life without you ! i don’t EVER want to !!!! thank you for being an absolute babe, a cheerful light, and a true friend, because they are hard to find, but once again i have been blessed to meet one through writing !!! I LOVE YOU MA BOI !!! never change, because you’re a fucking masterpiece and inspiration to me, and i will never be able to thank you for how much you’ve helped me !!! <33333 @snakeworn​ ---- MIA MY LOVE !!!!! THANK GOD THIS ISN’T IN ANY PARTICULAR ORDER !!! because let me be frank here, you would be much higher, but i started writing this before i found out you were still around on tumblr because i didn’t know if you were still writing ! LET me just cry over how much of a phenomenal friend you seriously are, you deserve all the awards because not only are you consistently there when i need you which i am eternally grateful for, but you manage to be this ??? radiant light who is able to put aside her own issues, or troubles to give this outstanding advice, and i love you for that firstly, because it’s so selfless of you !!! I WISH i could scream on about how amazing you truly are, you deserve all the love, because you don’t realize how great you are and it breaks my heart !!! as we speak, you are typing up calming words to ease my mind of the recent heartbreak that is about to rock my family, and i can’t thank you enough. i am blessed to have found a friend like you !!! in fact, you’re not only a best friend of mine, you’re like a sister i’ve never had !!! a sister i’ll always want !!! i can’t wait until you come to the UK so we can meet and scream over all the shows we adore, and so i can personally thank you for being a diamond and give you a god damn massive hug. LET ME SHOWER YOU WITH SOME COMPLIMENTS. not only are you a fucking amazing human being but you have the most astounding way with words, especially when it comes to writing and being a friend. you’re able to bring so many characters to life, in such a unique way, but you give your characters so much love and i admire it so much because i’d kill for that talent. i hear the voices of cheryl when you play her, and toni especially !!! what i love is your characters become your kids, and you are able to delve into them with such depth and that in itself makes a writer truly brilliant !!! we’ve had so many brotp’s and ships, let me just cry over our layden because aw, they were so so so sweet !!! i can’t even begin to express how much i loved them, i loved how you were patient with me when i was finding my feet as liam, even when i felt like he was rubbish ! you gave me constant reassurance, ( another amazing thing about you !!! reason 1085837397839 why you’re the best friend ever !!! ) you threw headcanons my way, or we talked in detail about them and that’s something i love !! i love how we can just talk about characters, or shows so freely --- THE BEST kind of conversations because there’s no stress whatsoever, or me talking about my turbulent life. i also can’t express how much i loved sydette !!! our babies, the best sisters ever. they were so adorable !!! we had such freedom with them, but they brought tears to my eyes on so many occasions ! the good old days of OUROBOROS !!! i can’t thank you enough for convincing me to make this account, or for being an absolute sweetheart of a friend !! i wouldn’t be enjoying my writing so much if you didn’t play a hand in shaping me as a person, shaping how i write, or just being there to catch me when life knocks me down. i will continue to be a friend whom you can lean on, while you continue to keep me up from where you’re standing. i love you bb !!! thank you for being you. <3333  @lionkinged​ / @notapackanimal​ --- JELLIIIII MY SWEET ANGEL !!! okay, so first off, is there a sweeter person than you ???? nope. definitely NOT. you’re such an angel when it comes to understanding why i disappear for weeks on end, i’ve been a shitty friend to you honestly, but i love that you’re so nice about it, because you know how much i’m going through and i will never be able to even come close to thanking you for that, but THANK YOU. it’s not even close to how much i wanna shower you with love, but let me express my love through this mention. i am first off, so happy i met you because i was blessed to become friends with a girl with such a kind heart, but also with such a selfless nature. you take your time to message me every so often, to see how i’m doing and that in itself means so much especially when i disappear, life itself gets hard, but having friends who are fucking treasures like you are makes it a little more bearable. i wish you knew how loved you actually are because honestly you are !!! BEYOND TREASURED !!! it’s heartbreaking seeing you upset, because you mean a lot to me, honestly the absolute world, or when you think bad of yourself !!! I WANNA slap you silly because you should see yourself through my mind, you’re such a babe !!! BEYOND TALENTED and honestly ??? just amazing. your writing astounds me, i know we haven’t written in a long time because i’m the W O R S T ?? but i love how you capture theo and marek. while i have had more experience with your theo, i have to commend you for creating your own character and bringing him to life, with his own little quirks and your own interesting ideas, it takes some doing but you’re brave enough to put your amazing characters out there !!! i think marek is amazing and i can’t wait to write with him when i get back on my feet properly with the community !!! LET ME JUST CRY OVER YOUR THEO ??? honestly i can’t even come close to expressing my love for him. I LOVE how you capture both the vulnerability of him, and then the darker sides of him, his ticks, or his anger toward the pack on times ??? i think that is amazing. i love our threads, maleo have killed me off more times than i can count because they are heartbreaking and great at the same time --- the fEELS tho ?? they have messed me up i swear, i don’t write maleo with anyone really but you ? because i enjoy it with you. i love how you think of things to do with them, or how they act around each other, it’s brilliant. I WISH EVERYONE could see how amazing you are, how talented you are because i honestly hear theo’s voice in your threads it’s crazy !!! our maleo is special and i love them, the au’s have brilliant potential and dynamics that i love it --- especially when we did the h2O verse ?? how amazing !!! you thought that up and it was crazy good. i don’t remember how we even started talking, but i’m beyond glad that we did !!! you’ve made my life a million times better just by being there, i am grateful for you and being your friend and how you still wanna be mine makes my heart melt. i PROMISE to be a better friend. i will probably ALWAYS be awol, but having someone who understands, who is patient, and still amazing to me means everything. THANK you for BEING you !!!! we will write more, promise. i love you jelli, so so so much. <3  @hopelesswxnderers​ --- VICKSIIII BABEEEEE !!! MY GAL !!!! how has it been seven fucking years since we became friends ???? since we met through a skins roleplay we have remained a constant in each other’s life, don’t get me wrong i am terrible at continuing threads ? but life !!!!! life fucks me up a lot, but what i love is that you still want to write with me, and that means everything to me because i truly treasure writing with you. first off, we have had so many amazing threads over these years, we’ve actually had too many to count. but let me just name a few that i’ve personally loved so much !!! the first being liv / nick from skins and their dynamic and how our lil group with ashley and jennie was amazing !!! it was beyond dramatic, but i loved how we had this close knit group, i actually remember getting excited to get on and do some writing with you guys. then i joined your mmfd rp after watching it because you screamed about how it was brilliant and let me just commend you on how fucking astoundingly amazing you are at writing finn, you’ve not only captured his essence from the show, but you have built him as if ??? you created him. i can’t even remember a time where you haven’t played him. i love him best out of all of the characters you play especially when we have ships, alexinn was brilliant and even though i BUG the hell out of you about them !!! i have to say though !!! RECENTLY i loved fini and chlook ??? because they are beyond brilliant, the dynamics and how they care for each other always warms my heart. i know i don’t stick around to ever finish a thread with you but just know that writing with you means everything to me, because you are damn talented. i love you to pieces honestly. we’ve grown up together over the years, and i can’t wait for many many more threads, or when we finally get to meet because it will be amazing to finally cry over every single thread we’ve done, or the shows we love. i wanna thank you for putting up with me, because that in itself deserves a fucking award, i love our friendship. you’re like an older sister to me, you’ve been there for so long, i don’t ever want to be without you, E V E R. i don’t remember NOT writing with you, so therefore, i don’t want to ever NOT write with you. we’ll still be writing in years to come, i’m so very sure of it. you’re such a sweet person, with a heart of gold, and there are NO words to express my love for you babe. i am always here for you if you wanna write, because we are able to just throw ideas at each other and be like DO THIS W/ ME ??? and i love that we’re that comfortable in our friendship to do that. our friendship is the longest of mine on this list, and that is truly a testament --- because you’re a damn diamond. i can’t ever thank you for being the best friend ever, but i love you beyond words, thank you for being there, for remaining a friend, and a brilliant writing partner. <3333  @heartsofvalor​​ ---- BRODIE BABE !!! okay lets just start off by saying, i don’t remember how we even became friends, but i’m so grateful to have met you ?? i just remember following you and fangirling not only over your portrayal, but how incredibly sweet you are in real life. let me start this by thanking you for listening to me rant and rave over things that have hurt me, over life being a twat, or anything else i have cried over ? you’ve surpassed being a great friend because you listen, you take time to speak to me, to embrace me as a writer, and i’m so glad i met you. you also take time to make sure to cheer me up with ideas, words, pinterest boards, or just headcanons??? you’re such a sweetheart honestly and more people should recognize that because you’re one of the greatest friends i’ve ever had. can we just cry together over the perfection that is fiona / sam ??? like i can’t even begin to scream ENOUGH about how much i love their dynamic, about how incredibly compatible they are, about how much i enjoy exploring the relationship. i never even thought of them as a pairing before but honestly they are such an incredible match ??? i think they’re my favorite AU i’ve written ever by far because it just makes me damn excited to reply to ?? i mean i know i forget to reply because life constantly fucks me over, but i just love how sam protects fiona so fiercely, and how it’s like a forbidden fruit relationship because he’s having something he shouldn’t since he’s lips friend. i can’t wait to delve further into their relationship ? thank you for gracing me with your talent, i love how you bring EACH character to life in an incredible and unique way, especially sam. SAM is my son. i love when we cry over head canons, or send each other ideas, or anything to do with our ship !!! i am beyond blessed to have met you and be able to create such a monumentally amazing ship with you. i am grateful for our friendship, for you being there to offer advice when needed, or for you being there and making me feel appreciated, because that truly makes my day ?? and it’s so needed sometimes, i have had a hard time lately, and just by having conversations with you, it does take my mind off things so thank you. you’re truly a diamond, and i appreciate you so much. MORE people need to see just how incredibly talented you are because you honestly bring such a light to your characters. I LOVE how you have thought up to much background to sam, and how he’s involved with fiona, or the southside in our au because it shows how much you love your characters, but it also shows how brilliant of a writer you seriously are. here’s to many many many more threads together, and much more years of friendship, thank you for being there. i love you so so so much !!! and i appreciate you morre than words could ever express. you’re a fucking diamond, NEVER change, because you’re too precious. <3333 @perfectevil​ ---- KAZ ??? ONE OF THE MOST TALENTED HUMAN BEINGS I’VE EVER MET !!!! okay, first off, yeah we’ve not written in so long !!! but that’s because i’m the worst, i disappear and forget to reply but let me just express my love for you and for our threads that we have done whether it be indie, or ouroboros !!! so this year, it’s almost three years since we were in ouroboros together, and i was blessed to meet you !! you were so welcoming to me, when i played allison and then later, my daughter sydney !!! what i love the most about you is that you don’t realize just how incredible you are at writing theo. it’s like you’re ACTUALLY him !!! you bring such a depth to him, such life and you capture him in a way that is really commemorating to how he was written in teen wolf but you also develop the little that the show gave us, and make him your own --- the darkness in him that you touch upon a lot is something i love so much, or his motives for things, i just love how much you understand him or how you thoroughly look into him. IN FACT it’s like he’s YOUR character, and not created by jeff davis, that’s how truly amazing you are at him, and i’m proud to have said i have written with you ? i am in awe at your depth, your talent, and of you as a person. you are so sweet too ?? i love talking to you, i love knowing i can message you out of the blue and be like ??? OMG THIS IS SYDNEO. talking of sydneo, OUR BABIES, i miss them but i am still grateful for the heart we threw into their friendship, to the endless list of headcanons --- such as how theo protected syd from bullies when they were young, or especially when he came back to check on her in coyote form when he became a chimera !!! those things both warm but break my heart ?? we’ve explored so many dynamics of them ? them as kids, friends, teens, lovers, and even enemies !!!  i can’t thank you enough for your kindness,acceptance of my writing, because it means everything to me. we’ve had other gems when it comes to threads, such as mona/theo, or kat/theo, they were so much fun to do, to see our characters in different settings, and their reactions to other characters ? it’s honestly a pleasure to write with you. you’re a sweetheart, and one of the most talented writers in the community !!! i can’t wait to write with you again because i constantly miss writing with you but also miss the feels, the chemistry the characters have, or just the excitement i have to get stuck into nitty gritty threads with someone as talented as you are. i LOOK forward to writing with you again soon !!! hopefully, hmu after you read this and we can cry over possible ideas? but lets just say you’re a fucking credit, like i said theo is so eloquently written by you, so loved, and he’s truly like he’s your character, when i think of him, i think of you. you are so close to canon, but you also have delved from it, and made it your own, but also made sure to keep him in character !!! even when he’s breaking !!! you’re so special to me, thank you for embracing me as a person, embracing my characters and my portrayal, and for allowing me to send you ideas, shipping things or even to check in. you surpassed being a great writer ages ago. i LOVE love love you loads !!! thank you for blessing me with your talent. <333  @battleincarnate​ / @63l3​ --- MADELEINE ??? MY BABE. i remember how much i’ve fangirled over your blog since i started this tumblr, i don’t remember a time where i didn’t follow you ??? we’ve had a few threads over the time i’ve known you and they all meant a lot but the one that truly meant the world was bensler ?? BENSLER were my babies, and while we didn’t complete a thread, it did mean a lot to write them with you for that short time, because no one else in the community writes them !!! while i was devastated not to write them with you, i’m glad i got to at least once because the thread idea was so great !!! but i love how you bring elliot to life in such an incredible way, you are able to capture his anger over things, or his attitude toward olivia, or to his job, or even his kids. you put so much thought into it that it’s fucking admirable ??? you deserve so much recognition for how incredible you are ? i love how you delve into elliot’s dynamic with olivia, and how we’ve cried and screamed over discord countless times over the svu eps we love, or the moments between them we love, or how we’ve talked in depth about how much we love them and their backgrounds !!! i love that you take the time to think everything out, or give elliot the love that he truly deserves ! i’m glad i get to see you portray him and bring him to life in a way with such love that he didn’t get enough of when he was on svu, you love him so much and i love that !! i also love your creativity with ideas, you’re just beyond fucking talented and you are the best portrayal of elliot !!! i admire you as an individual, and a writer so much. you’re so talented, and i’m so glad you’re bringing such an underrated character to life because it’s honestly needed !!! i love bensler so much so it’s nice to see them on the dash, or to have played them because i personally love them heaps. thank you for blessing me briefly with your portrayal of elliot, and allowing me to pick up olivia in hopes of exploring them with you, it meant the world. i also love how brilliantly you bring alison dilaurentis to life, you capture both the soft side of her, but also the badass af side of her and it’s almost like every character you write ???? is ACTUALLY them. i can’t wait to hopefully delve into more ideas with you for future threads, for ideas of ships or aus !! i love writing with you because you’re so down to earth and incredibly sweet and i’m glad to have a friend like that. MORE people should follow you to see how amazing you truly are because it’s needed ??? you deserve all the love. thank you for being there, for allowing me to write w/ you and for being a sweet babe. i’m grateful for our friendship and that you’ve graced me with your incredible writing !!! i love you a lot ! never change because you’re amazing <3333 

----

THOSE I ADMIRE FROM AFAR, WHOM I HAVE POSSIBLY HAD FEW THREADS WITH OR WHOM I CRY OVER BECAUSE OF THEIR TALENT. I MAY HAVE FORGOTTEN PEOPLE BC I’M THE WORST BUT ILY ALL !! i just have a scattered brain ! if you’re mentioned, come @ me bc i’m happy to write w/ all of you ok !!! <3 ---- @gibins​ ; @runegiven​ ; @starhaze​ ; @brutaely ; @mkvch ; @disregardsorders​ ; @helmot​ ; @millicnreasons​ ; @awesomegaydar ; @learnedskill ; @frdie​ ; @joneshead ; @petrovanity ; @petroeva ; @lodgeds ; @blsms ; @bittenrage ; @valicnt ; @mieczlw ; @deathrepeated ; @deathwritten ; @griefdefined ; @griefbuilt​ ; @umbraevenatores​ ; @russethued​ ; @stuartwcmbly​ ; @ldges​ ; @gngrdrews​ ; @bittenrage​ ; @drowngrief​ ; @drownrot​ ; @snitchsought​ ; @olympiclion​ ; @olympiclamb​ ; @gllaghrs​ ; @softlykept​ ; @aspiredlights​ ; @asphalted​ ; @chosenforthis​ ; @knifefate​ ; @softlykept​ ; @thorndroses​ ; @alwaysbleed​ ; @steeledwill​ ; @cruelety​ ; @wearsheadbands​ ; @bcckmarked​ ; @warsraging​ ; @govtdna​ ; @mysrybled​ ; @serpentfamily​ ; @serpenthand​ ; @vixenwidowed​ ; @corruptedgood​ ; @corruptbadge​ ; @corruptlines​ ; @kolhearted​ ; @ponytaled​ ; @wantsbest​ ; @callmefp​ ; @cryoconquer​ ; @lockwoodspecial​ ; @lovesjello​ ; @anchorled​ ; @mcplastics​ ; @soulhcart​ ; @souldragger​ ; @hellbitched​ ; @tobeblamed​ ; @andrewsnco​ ; @seesgood​ ; @benevolf​ ; @roseguided​ ; @breedsmisery​ ; @objectivelyhot​ ; @tragedyveined​ ; @kingkeeper​ ; @brightspells​ ; @traitorize​ ; @magicrot​ ; @ptrvas​ ; @troubledharts​ ; @southsideleader​ ; @southraised​ ; @fatalles​ ; @roseguided​ @roseswrit​ ; @orgnlptrva​ ; @assassinsgirl​ ; @knowntragedy​ ; @stormedchaos​ ‘ @divinedeaths​ ; @divineardour​ !! 

[kaitiemakesshit]

I

By The Powers That Be

I spent my Saturdays the way most haggard and weary husbands do; clutching a purse while seated on any available surface I could find, waiting to finally go home. Only I was not a haggard and weary husband, but a haggard and weary bigender babe holding the purses of my two best friends. We were in a local indie clothing store that they knew and I knew we would be leaving empty-handed. But I also knew that it wouldn't stop us (read: them) from spending a minimum of two hours browsing all the clothes and knick-knacks. The inventory rarely changed but we stopped here during every trip downtown regardless. I highly suspected that Marcie had a crush on the hipster girl who ran the cash register.

My only saving grace was my tablet, which I was reading one of over a hundred books on. I was an avid, voracious reader and would usually be reading several books at the same time. In this case I was absorbed in Lord of Shadows, the latest book in my favorite series. I generally preferred the show over the books, but that was because the show was so damn amazing. The books were still greatly enjoyable, even if the older ones weren't that great.

I was just getting to a good part when I sensed a presence next to me. I glanced over to see a woman sitting next to me on the display couch. A double-take revealed that she did, in fact, look exactly like Jane Lynch in a crisp, white linen suit. I was baffled. I didn't know where Jane Lynch lived, but surely she wouldn't be anywhere near a dumpy little suburb like Campbell. Nor did I imagine she would sit next to me and stare at me with a smile that said she had many secrets and I knew none of them.

“Hello,” she said. Her tone was quite friendly, but I was still on edge. This didn't seem right.

“Um, hi.”

She cocked her head and studied me up and down. “Is this really what you're willing to settle for?”

I puzzled. “Excuse me?”

She gestured around at our surroundings. “Do you really want to settle for this...mediocrity?”

“...I don't follow.”

A snort. “I've been watching you for a long time and—“

“That's...really creepy.” I leaned away from her.

She shot me a glare that shut me up. “And I noticed that you have so much potential. You could be so much more than this. Why are you settling?”

Everything about this was unsettling me. “I'm happy with the way things are.” At her incredulous look I added, “...Mostly.”

“Well I'm going to change that,” she said. The smile was back and even more unsettling than before.

I nervously scooted away from her, as far as I could get on the couch, and clutched my friends' purses tighter. “I'd rather you didn't.”

She reached out to touch my cheek, to which I flinched away. “Tough shit, kiddo.”

“I gotta—“

I had started to say that I had to go, but out of nowhere my legs suddenly felt like jelly. I knew I wouldn't be able to stand up without falling flat on my face. I desperately looked around for my best friends in hopes to call them over to rescue me, but they were both occupied. They were separated and were talking to two different people that made me even uneasier. They wore the same white linen suits as Jane.

My attention was taken back to Jane as she stood up. She seemed too tall, much too tall. She took my face in her hands and I whimpered, finding myself unable to pull away. I couldn't move a single muscle.

“I don't want this,” I pleaded, afraid of whatever she was about to do. My mind was flooded with images of knives and guns or whatever else one could commit acts of violence with.

“You'll thank me later,” she said softly, stroking my cheek with her thumb.

“Who are you?”

“You may call me Jane if you wish. The short answer is that I am a member of the Powers That Be. We watch over all the universes. Normally we're not supposed to interfere, but...I think an exception can be made. Just this once.” She winked.

“Bullshit,” I blurted. She made herself sound to be some all-knowing entity, but those didn't exist. I believed in a lot, but this was hard to take.

“You'll believe eventually.”

Before I could respond, a feeling came over me. My skin fizzled with what felt like static electricity, making the hair on my arms and neck stand up on end. My vision went blurry, despite my glasses still being firmly planted on my face. By the time my vision cleared up, it was dark and Jane was gone. I don't know how it got dark so fast, because it had seemed to take only a few seconds. But there was darkness and I...wasn't in the store anymore.

The couch and I were still together, but my friends' purses and the store and Jane were long gone. Instead I was in a smelly alley like I'd never seen before. The jelly feeling in my legs was now gone, so I jumped up and walked out of the alley, clutching my purse like it was my last life line. Which it might very well be.

Glancing around, I found myself in a small commercial district of some kind that I didn't recognize. How did I get here? Where even was here? I tried to ignore the growing dread in my stomach as I looked for anything familiar. Nothing. But...

Suddenly I heard screaming. I nearly jumped out of my skin and looked around for the source. A couple stores down there was a woman on the ground, screaming in terror at the hulking figure above her. They were dressed all in black and had her pinned on the sidewalk. I had my phone out before I could fully comprehend the situation and I was shouting, “HEY!” as I approached. Most attackers and rapists ran at the sight of trouble, and surely they'd see me dialing 911 and run for the hills.

They didn't.

The attacker whipped around to look at me and I froze in my tracks. The owl demon. The owl demon from Shadowhunters. Surely it had to be someone in a cosplay or something. Just so happens that a fan of the show is also a rapist asshole. That theory was quickly disproved when he suddenly appeared in front of me, fast as The Flash. I screamed and took off running away from him. I didn't look back to see if he was chasing me, because quite frankly I didn't want to know. I didn't even look back to see if the woman at least got away.

It was in that moment I wished I wasn't such a lazy slob who spent all day on her ass. All I could think about was how I couldn't run very fast and how I was probably going to trip and fall on my face and die. I never tripped, but I did get knocked off my feet sideways into a wall. It was a brick wall too, so all the air got knocked out of me. As I gasped for breath, the owl demon loomed over me. This was it, this was how I would die. Or get possessed. One of the two.

Just as it reached for me, an arrow suddenly lodged in its shoulder. It let out a loud, angry noise and clutched at the injured shoulder, whipping around to see the offender. I stared in shock at Alec and Isabelle Lightwood as they stood across the street, Alec's bow already notched with another arrow.

“Get away from them!” Alec commanded.

The owl demon growled and zipped over, lunging at them. Isabelle knocked it away with her whip, sending it skidding back on the pavement while Alec sent another arrow flying into its chest. The owl demon, to its credit, yanked the arrow out and quickly disappeared, off to places unknown. As soon as it was out of sight, Alec and Isabelle ran over to where I still sat on the sidewalk against the wall.

“Are you alright?” Isabelle asked me with concern as she knelt down next to me. Alec stayed standing, looking around in case the owl demon came back for another try.

I was dreaming, this had to be a dream. I was still back on the couch in the store, having somehow passed out while waiting for my friends. These thoughts ran through my head as I gazed into Isabelle's deep brown eyes and nodded.

“Just stunned.”

“Come on,” Alec said as he reached down to grab my hand, hauling me to my feet. “We'll take you home.”

“I don't live here,” I blurted before I could entirely think it through.

“Where do you live?” Alec asked.

“California.”

“What are you doing in New York then?” That was Isabelle.

“Good question,” was my reply. They both looked at me like I was insane. Which I very well might be.

“I don't understand.” That was Alec.

“It's a long story. Short version is I'm here against my will. Or I'm dreaming. One of the two.”

“Well...Why don't we take you somewhere safe and you can tell us the full story.”

“I don't...think that's a good idea. You'll think I'm insane.”

Alec and Isabelle shared a look, a look that was meant to convey “We know more than this person”. In reality, I was in on it, in a really weird sense. “Why don't you let us decide that,” Alec said as he and Isabelle led me off.

“Where are we going?” I asked curiously.

“A place called The Institute. Normally your kind isn't allowed in there, but I think for this we can make an exception.” Isabelle explained. I had an unfortunate flashback to Jane. She said she was making an exception for my case as well. I wanted to complain that I shouldn't be allowed in the Institute, but I wasn't sure if I should tip my hand just yet.

“You guys don't have to,” I said sheepishly.

“Where would you even go?” Alec inquired. He took my ensuing silence as answer enough. “Exactly.” He did have me there.

After what felt like hours of walking, but was probably only several minutes, the Institute was in sight. Alec and Isabelle didn't start relaxing until we were walking up the pathway towards the doors. Alec opened the door and ushered Isabelle and I inside. Immediately we were accosted by a Shadowhunter I recognized as the asshole one.

“Who's this?” he said, clearly displeased with what he was witnessing.

“Izzy,” I explained.

He sneered at me before turning back to Isabelle and Alec. “Did you seriously bring a mundane to the Institute?”

Alec could barely contain an eyeroll. “She was being attacked by the owl demon and she has nowhere to go. What did you expect me to do, Raj?”

“Anything but bring it here!”

“Did you just call me an 'it'?”

“Raj,” Alec said warningly.

“I was gonna offer to leave until you called me an 'it'. I have a gender. I have two in fact.”

“What?” was the general consensus from everyone else.

“It's called being bigender. I identify as male and female, so I respond to both male and female pronouns. Just fyi.”

There was a beat of silence as everyone processed this. Then Isabelle spoke. “You owe us a story, if I recall.”

I groaned. “You have to promise not to lock me up after.”

“I think we can handle it,” Isabelle chuckled.

“Right.” I hesitated. “So basically I was sitting in a store waiting on my best friends when this woman who looked exactly like Jane Lynch approached me. She said she was a part of this thing called The Powers That Be and that she was going to help me live up to my potential. She touched my face and next thing I know I'm here in New York and the owl demon is attacking someone.”

“How do you know—“ Alec started.

I held up a finger. “Not finished. Where I come from, all of this—“ I gesture around us. “—is a TV show based on a book series. You guys are Shadowhunters who protect mundanes from the Shadow World which is filled with Downworlders like vampires and werewolves and warlocks. You're Alec and Isabelle Lightwood, you live here with Jace Wayland-slash-Herondale and Clary Fairchild, are friends with Simon Lewis who is a vampire who's dating a werewolf named Maia, and you're currently dealing with attacks by the owl demon who's working for an unidentified greater demon.”

“How do you know all that?” Alec asked me suspiciously.

“TV show, like I said.”

“Right. Do you know who the greater demon is?”

“Yes.”

“Who is it?”

Before I could reply, there was a rumbling from the sky outside despite it being a clear night. “...I don't think I'm at liberty to say.” There was more rumbling, but this sounded almost...pleased.

“So not only is it crazy, it's useless,” Raj snorted.

I glared. “Stop calling me 'it'.” He ignored me.

“Well she's staying here whether you like it or not. It's our job to keep mundanes safe, and that's exactly what we're going to do,” Alec said firmly. There was no arguing with his tone, not even Asshole Raj. He looked decidedly displeased, but remained silent. I stuck my tongue out at him because I am a mature adult.

“Come on, I'll take you to your room,” Isabelle said with a smile, taking my arm and leading me down a long hallway. Eventually we stopped at a door which she opened upon an empty bedroom. It had no signs of anyone staying in it, like a new hotel room. I guess this is where I would be staying until they decided I would be safe to let loose on the streets. “This will be your room.”

“It's nice,” I said appreciatively as I walked inside and looked around. The walls and floor were a dark wood and the lights cast a soft, yellow glow. The bed was made with crisp white sheets and a slate gray comforter.

“We'll figure out the clothes situation in the morning.”

I arched an eyebrow. “I'm not gonna be here that long, am I?”

“Just until the owl demon is dealt with.”

“So an entire season. Fantastic.”

“Get some rest. I have a feeling you'll need it.” And with that ominous warning, Isabelle left.

I sighed, slipping off my shoes and my jacket, climbing into the bed. The Powers That Could Suck My Dick were at least kind enough to alleviate my insomnia, because I was asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow.

The next morning I woke up bright and early, a first for me since my school days. I reluctantly climbed out of bed and slipped my shoes back on when there was suddenly a knock on the door. “Come in,” I called.

It was to my great displeasure that Raj popped his head in. “Alec wants to see you in the library,” he said, sounding even less happy to be talking to me than I was to him.

“I don't know where that is,” I said as if it should be obvious, which it should be.

Raj rolled his eyes. “Come with me, mundane,” he huffed, opening the door wider so I could fit through.

“Wow, I'm not sure if that's better or worse than 'it',” I quipped as I very reluctantly followed him.

“You shouldn't be here.”

“You don't say.”

Raj stopped in his tracks and turned to loom over me, trying to be intimidating. I am angry to admit that it kind of worked. “You don't understand anything, do you? You're just a child bumbling in things you don't understand—“

“Look, asshole. I didn't ask to be here, okay. I was brought here against my will.”

“So you say.”

“What even is the point of this? I'm stuck here for as long as Alec and Isabelle say, so why are you yelling at me as if it'll get me to leave?” I said, waving my arms about angrily. He was really getting my blood boiling and I desperately wanted to punch him.

“Don't touch me, mundane!” Raj growled, recoiling as if he'd be set ablaze at the slightest brusgh.

“I'll do worse than touch you, you little—“

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” came a familiar voice as a body stepped between me and Raj, the angry, spitting cats. It was Clary, and I was mildly shocked to realize that she was shorter than me. So tiny and yet could so easily kick my ass. “What's going on here?”

“Alec wants to speak with the mundane. He's in the library. You take it,” Raj spat before skulking off. I flipped him off behind his back, though I wouldn't have minded if he'd seen it. My pulse raged through my veins as I turned to Clary, who was now stuck with me, it seemed.

“I would say he's not as bad as he seems, but he really is that bad,” she said sheepishly. My anger ebbed a little, mostly because she was so tiny and cute. Even if she could kill me in seventeen different ways with her pinkie finger alone.

“Yeah, I've gathered that much,” I snorted. Clary turned and started down the hall, motioning for me to follow her, which I did. I wasn't in much position to say no to these folks. They were kindly letting me stay here for safety until the Powers That Be decided to send me home. Which would hopefully be very soon.

“So Alec and Isabelle filled me in on your story,” she said as she walked, passing various other Shadowhunters. I couldn't see her face, but I could tell by her tone that she was dubious at best. I couldn't really blame her. I still wasn't convinced this wasn't a dream or a hallucination.

“I know it sounds super crazy, but I swear it's true. I can prove it.” I jogged to catch up with her at her brisk pace and lowered my voice. “I know about the wish.”

I knocked into her after that, as she stopped suddenly in her tracks, a look of panic on her face. “What wish?”

“The wish to bring Jace back,” I whispered. “But it's okay, I won't tell anyone, I swear.”

She cleared her throat and straightened her back. “Good,” she said, moving again. I fell into step behind her, trailing like a lost puppy relying on someone to guide them. She eventually led me through a large set of double-doors into what I could only assume was the library. It was a giant room full of books, it was a safe assumption.

At the center of the room was Alec and Isabelle, no doubt doing some research on the owl demon or trying to puzzle out who the greater demon was. They both looked up as we approached, and neither looked too shocked to see Clary leading me instead of Raj.

“I was summoned?”

“Yes,” Alec said as he stood up straight. “I had some more questions for you.”

“Fire away.”

“I wanted to get a better idea of what your world is like,” he said.

“Just like this world, only minus everything supernatural,” I said with a shrug.

Alec, Isabelle, and Clary all looked as if that was the weirdest thing they'd ever heard. “Not even magic?” Isabelle said.

“Nope. I mean, there's illusionists, but no real magic. Angels? Probably don't exist. Vampires, werewolves, warlocks? Definitely don't exist. Magic? I wish.”

“So it's nothing but the mundane world?” Alec said incredulously.

I nodded. “Basically.”

“It can't be,” Alec said. “There probably is but you don't see it. Like here. Mundanes are perfectly in the dark about our world.”

“I—“ I paused. What if he was right? What if there was some secret supernatural world that was being kept secret via magic and other suck tricks. I mean, a supposedly all-powerful being just sent me into the world of my favorite TV show (supposedly), maybe such things were common and I was just glamoured against seeing it. I shook my head. “My head hurts.”

Clary, the closest one to me, put a hand on my shoulder. “It's okay. I felt the same way when I learned about the Shadow World for the first time.”

“I'm still not convinced that this isn't some kind of dream or hallucination, but this is just...” I shook my head again. “This just can't be real. It just can't be!”

Alec, Clary, and Isabelle shared a look between them that clearly said they worried for my intelligence/sanity. Alec approached me and gently took my hand...and sliced a knife across my palm.

“Ow!” I yelped, jerking my hand away as blood began spilling from the open wound. Clary hurried to my side to tend to it.

“Alec!” Isabelle scolded. Alec paid her no mind.

“Still think this isn't real?”

“You're a dick!” was my witty reply as Clary searched for something to stop the bleeding. Isabelle walked over with a handkerchief and pressed it against the cut in my palm. I hissed in pain.

“It worked, didn't it?” Alec shrugged, crossing his arms.

“That doesn't make you less of a dick.” He snorted.

Eventually the bleeding stopped and Isabelle and Clary got it bandaged up. I flexed my palm and winced. It stung like hell, and I wanted to slap Alec with it. I know it would probably only hurt more, but it made me feel good on the inside to imagine it.

“We need to take her clothes shopping,” Isabelle said once I was no longer in danger of bleeding to death (thanks Alec).

I piped up before Alec could. “I don't have any money.”

“Why can't she just borrow some from the others here?” Alec asked.

Isabelle gave him a Look. “She's a mundane, Alec, not a Shadowhunter. Shadowhunter clothes are made for fighting. And she needs underwear.”

Alec was clearly done at the mention of underwear. I was done at the mention of underwear. “Alright. I'll grant you guys some funds and you can take her shopping.”

Isabelle smiled pleasantly and kissed his cheek. “Thank you.” She turned to Clary and I, the former apparently getting roped into this. She didn't look too put off though. She actually looked like she might enjoy it. I guess even Shadowhunters enjoyed shopping trips. “Come on, let's go. We have a mission to do.”

“Wait, don't you need the money?” Alec called after us as Clary and I trailed after Isabelle, who was walking out of the room.

“No need. I have your credit card,” Isabelle called smugly over her shoulder as she sashayed out of the room.

“Hey!”

[sapphicalexaandra]

Between One Heartbeat and the Next 

Pairing: Jace/Alec

Rating: T

Summary: Alternative Post-S2 Finale. Jace's death has brought some unexpected consequences that Jace and Alec now have to deal with...

Notes: Companion piece to my other fic 'Apart'. This is the same Post-Finale scenario, but as set in my Seelie Court Kiss AU, and some passages are therefore repeated, while some canon events are changed. To get the context, you should probably read the other parts of this 'verse, especially 'Where Thou Diest..', where some things are like in 2x20 (for example, Jace's death), but the circumstances are different.

“Can we talk?” Alec asked Magnus abruptly.

He didn’t wait for a response, but went directly out and into the back alley of the Hunter’s Moon. Magnus had followed him, and they stood face to face, regarding each other in what could only be called awkwardness.

Alec sighed. “Listen, I know you probably don’t want to hear it again, but I’m really, really sorry for lying about the Soul Sword. I never meant to hurt you or any Downworlder…and I realize that I could’ve acted differently to show that.”

Magnus remained silent for what felt like an eternity. Then he cleared his throat and spoke in a somewhat subdued voice, compared to the way it usually exuded confidence, “I know. I know you didn’t mean it like that.”

That wasn’t all that they had to say to each other, was it? Alec wanted to think so, but the protraction of more silence didn’t really work in favor of that. “I just hope that you’ll still be willing to work with me in the future, for the protection of both our people. But I – I’ll understand if you can’t.”

Magnus had made it clear, when they’d had to use the Allegiance Rune to fend off the demons swarming Alicante, that he was only doing it for the good of his people, and not for him – which was perfectly fine by Alec. But if they wanted for the Downworld Cabinet to continue, they couldn’t stay in the kind of terms they’d been in since Magnus had sided with the Seelie Queen, a fact that had led to Valentine reaching Idris at the detriment of the entire Downworld. Alec had driven him to that, he was painfully aware of it, so he didn’t expect them to ever be friends, not anymore…but if his plans as Head of the Institute hoped to succeed, Alec didn’t know what else he needed to do to make up for what he had, or rather, hadn’t done.

“It’s fine,” Magnus said dryly.

“It’s clearly not fine…”

“I assure you, it is.” And before Alec could protest any further, he added, “I’ve stopped being in the right the moment I struck that deal with the Seelie Queen.”

Alec was taken aback by the self-loathing he could hear in that statement. “You were only trying to do what was best for your people – that was all my fault!”

“Oh…I said that to myself, too. Repeatedly. And for a time, I even believed it." Magnus chuckled mirthlessly, his gaze fixed on the ground.

“What – what do you mean?” Alec asked, more and more confused by the second. “I thought that you–”

“Don’t you see?” Magnus raised his eyes, and a glint of yellow passed through them, “I wasn’t acting for the sake of my people, I wasn’t disappointed by your lie for their sake – but for mine! Cause the truth is, I still love you, and I resent you…for not feeling the same way about me than I do about you! I told you I was fine about our break up, but I wasn’t, and still am not. When I think back to how you kissed Jace instead of me at the Seelie Court, I - that’s why I jumped at the first chance that I got, at the first reason I could find to justify it to myself, to finally act out all this anger that I have inside and hurt you just as much as you hurt me!” 

Magnus was breathing hard, as if he had just been running a marathon, and Alec didn’t know what to say, what to think, he opened his mouth to try and do something…but it was still Magnus who went on, “No, I wasn’t acting out of the goodness of my heart. I was simply being stubborn and petty as a mule, going on with my quest to avenge my broken heart, calling it righteous – and I almost ravaged everything in my path.”

“I’m – I’m sure that’s not true! You’re a good person, Magnus.”

“Maybe…but it doesn’t change the facts.” 

Alec felt his eyes burning. All the hours of happiness he had spent with someone else…he couldn’t help but feel bad at whose expense that had been. “I – I’m sorry. I know I always say that, but I truly am. I never meant to string you along or – I just wish that I could–”

“That’s not on you, Alexander. You don’t owe me anything, nobody owes anybody feelings they don’t have. And I am sorry, too, for everything I did when I couldn’t accept that.”

Alec powered through the constriction in his throat, “There must be something that I can do to ease your pain or...”

Magnus’s smile didn’t light up his eyes. “Just be happy. Live your life to the fullest. That’s all anyone can do.”

“What about you?” Alec had to ask. “You deserve to be happy, too. I’m sure there’s someone out there, who will love you just the way you deserve to be loved...”

“Maybe. But for now, it’ll have to be me. Goodbye, Alexander.”

“...Goodbye, Magnus.”

And Alec reentered the Hunter’s Moon, as Magnus went the other way.

It wasn’t fair – how it had turned out, what he had done to him, Alec mused over the loud music that invaded his earbuds as soon as he opened the back door. Even if he hadn’t meant it, his path was riddled with people he had inadvertently hurt, or worse – Jocelyn Fairchild, Max, Magnus… To get where he was now, he had left too many bodies behind. Even if one of them was also Valentine, it didn’t change the fact that no peace, no party - for how earned and enjoyable - could truly fix everything that was broken along the way, and he would never let himself forget that.

Still, despite that awareness, despite the guilt he felt over having romantically failed someone so severely, as he scanned the crowd, putting on his widest smile when he passed people he knew – no reason to bring the harsh reality into that merriment, at least for that one night –  he couldn’t help but be looking for one person, and one person only…and not regret it in the slightest. He was on the contrary yearning for it, or the night wouldn’t be a true celebration.

Recognizing a redhead, he approached Clary, only to notice that she was dancing with both Izzy and Maia. They all seemed to be having a great time, and his smile was genuine when he addressed them, “Hey.”

“Yo, big bro!” Izzy, clearly far-gone drunk, was holding her stomach, half-doubled over as she laughed over something he hadn’t heard. “Join the fun!”

“I think I’ll pass, no offence,” he shot back, glancing at Maia bemusedly, at which she shook her head. He then asked Clary, “Have you seen Jace?”

She was laughing too, but sobered up enough to answer him, “Oh, he was at the bar a minute ago…” They both looked that way, but there was no sign of him there. “He must’ve gone out.”

“Yeah, I’ll find him, thanks anyway,” he told her, adding more quietly, “Hey, can you...keep an eye on Izzy?” They sneaked a glance at the girl in question, who was leaning heavily on Maia, still laughing uncontrollably. “I think this is her way of…you know, drowning the pain…” Alec swallowed down thoughts of Max, “and I just want to make sure she gets home safely.”

Clary smiled understandingly. “Of course. I’ll get her to have some fun, then I’ll bring her home. You know I’d protect her with my life.”

Alec nodded, thanking her, but he had to do a mental double-take as he noticed that Clary, in light of her words, was staring at Izzy with what could be only described as a soft look. “Ehm, where’s - Simon?” Alec asked her, arching an eyebrow.

Clary nonchalantly looked back at him. “Oh, he went back home…he was feeling tired, and I don’t blame him.”

“Yeah. I guess I’ll go, then.” He bid them all goodnight, not before placing a kiss on his sister’s head, which she took as being even more hilarious than what she was previously laughing at. “Careful how you walk, with those heels.”

“I take offence to that!” But Izzy still stumbled, pummeling right into Clary’s arms.

“C’mon, silly, let’s get you out of here,” Clary told her fondly, catching her, a crinkle in her nose.

 Shaking his head, Alec left the merry scene with a lighter feeling.

A feeling that was crushed into a million pieces once he saw the scene happening outside of the bar.

“Jace!”

Jace was crouched on the ground, his whole body and face contorted in pain, as he coughed and spluttered and struggled to breath. Feeling as if he had just received a punch in the gut, Alec rushed to him, kneeling in front of him as he debated whether to touch him, or if that would only worsen his condition… “Hey, hey, Jace, it’s me, I’m here.” 

Jace raised his head slightly, but his blood-shot eyes didn’t seem to really take him in. Still, Jace’s arms shot up to grip Alec’s shirt, as he let his head fall heavily onto Alec’s chest. His question answered, Alec wasted no more time in circling his parabatai's shoulder, holding him in his arms as Jace’s body shook and Jace’s hands tightened their grip to the point of tearing the fabric of the shirt. The only words Jace managed to say were, “I don’t know, I don’t know what is happening, I don’t know…”

“It’s okay, it’s gonna be okay. Breathe, just breathe, I’ve got you…”

Alec couldn’t tell how much time passed, but eventually Jace’s breathing did slow down, his grip loosened, his body relaxed, and he collapsed against Alec, completely spent. Alec kept holding him, reluctant to let him go even after Jace recovered well enough to break apart and look him in the eyes.

They stared at each other, purposefully syncing their breaths together, as Alec took Jace’s face in between his hands, caressing it, studying it – the dampness on his cheeks, the circle under his eyes, the phantom pain and utter shock in them – all the while trying to ebb away the panic in his, both their bones.

“When did this…start?” Alec finally asked.

“Neve– it’s never happened before,” Jace croaked out. “I was feeling weird, and I went out to get some fresh air, but then I started feeling this, I don’t know, rush of something, and suddenly it took ahold me. I don’t– Alec, I don’t know.”

A dull ringing pressing into his ears, Alec tried to convey, looking into Jace’s eyes, a confidence he didn’t have, but that they both needed in that moment.

“We’ll figure this out,” he stated, firmly. He caught a tear at the corner of Jace’s half-brown eye. Then he added more quietly, “We’ll figure this out.”

They made the journey back to the Institute in silence, both too stunned to say anything. Jace couldn’t talk past the knot in his throat; Alec probably didn’t want to upset him any further.

When they reached Jace’s room, mindful of the rotation of the camera in the corner, the only thing Jace had the energy to do was fall heavily on his bed. Elbows on his knees, he put his face in his hands.

Alec was crouching in front of him a moment later, a hand tentatively caressing his wrist. “Talk to me, Jace.”

He couldn’t handle Alec’s gentle voice, or the soft way he was looking at him…so Jace got up abruptly, going to pace around the room as he shouted, “What is there to say?! I knew it, I should’ve known, that you don’t bring people back from the dead without consequences! You just don’t!” Hands in his hair, he rounded on Alec, who had gotten up as well, “It’s just…we should’ve expected something like this.”

“Not necessarily!” Alec retorted. “This was a wish granted by the Angel himself…there was no reason to think… We don’t know what this is, or if it has anything to do with – okay, it’s a fair guess, but we can’t fall into a panic and expect the worst from the start, without researching first!”

Jace snorted. “And what? What other thing could it possibly be? Let’s face it, Alec, not even the Angel must have the power to bring someone back from the dead indefinitely, or without some sort of catch to the kind of life–”

“We don’t know that, Jace, we don’t know that,” Alec almost pleaded, covering the room in only a few strides to get in front of him. He took his hands, and Jace almost didn’t let him, but at the first touch he didn’t want him to ever let go. Alec took a deep breath. “Okay, there’s no point in me now telling you that you don’t need to worry, or that I’m sure you’ll be okay and won’t – die again or something…” Alec’s voice broke, but he pressed on, “What I will tell you is that you – we – can’t be consumed by this. What have we been saying? We’ll live our lives to the fullest, we can’t know when things go bad either way, we just need to make the most out of what we have.”

“And what do I have? Convulsions, a tendency for pain, a probably doomed existence?” That wasn’t fair to Alec, who was only trying to cheer him up, and Jace disliked himself beyond words when he became a pathetic tangle of self-pity, but he still couldn’t get rid of feeling that way.

“You have me, for what it’s worth,” Alec said in a small voice.

Jace gripped Alec’s hands back, almost getting angry at Alec’s hesitation. “Of course, you’re worth everything to me! That’s why I don’t want you to suffer even more because of me…you don’t deserve that.”

“And how does that have anything to do with me? Wait, let me guess, you want to distance yourself from me, so if something really happened to you, you think I’d suffer less? You should know better by now.”

Jace clenched his jaw, a protest mounting in him...but he had to sigh in defeat, lowering his gaze. No, that wasn’t feasible. Alec was all he had, and all he wanted – needed by his side, forever. He could never distance himself from him. Yet…

How long do I have?

That question seemed to have been printed on the back of his mind.

Shadowhunters were raised to expect death at any moment, and to embrace it. He more than anyone had been willing to lay down his life for the right cause. But like this? A betrayal, a defeat, a divine intervention by someone else’s request...would be what caused his downfall? There wasn’t anything honorable about that, it wouldn’t have a purpose or benefit anyone. It just sucked. That’s why that question couldn’t help but bring only agony with it; there was no acceptance or resignation in the way his limbs trembled under that weight. And Alec – he would bring Alec down with him, there was no escaping it.

“Hey, look at me.” Jace didn’t want to, but he could never say no to Alec, especially when he asked of him something in that way – not demanding, only loving. Thus, he raised his head to stare into hazel eyes. “Let’s focus on what matters. You’re alive, right now.”

Jace exhaled slowly. “Yeah. For now.”

“No. Not ‘for now’. Right now.”

“I know, I know…”

“And right now.”

A pause. A heartbeat.

“And now again. You’re still alive.”

Another pause. Alec placed their joined hands on Jace’s heart, which skipped a bit, then resumed his steady beating.

“Right now, again. And guess what? You’re still alive. Can you feel it?”

Jace held his breath, transfixed, then nodded.

Alec leaned forward until their foreheads were touching. “Are you still alive?”

And Jace couldn’t contain a smile any longer, as well as the bubble of poor light rising in his chest. “Maybe.”

Alec chuckled. The way he kissed him then was feather-like, his lips barely brushing against Jace's, but Jace felt it all the way to his toes.

“What about now?” Alec was whispering now.

“Mmmh…I might need another reminder, just to be sure,” Jace whispered back. He had never been more serious in his life.

Alec kissed him again, and this time Jace felt it far beyond his toes. His own self seemed to have expanded; to the ground, to the air around them, to Alec himself. They were in a bubble, and nothing from the outside world could pierce it. Jace forgot about anything else.

He didn’t know how Alec always managed to know exactly what he needed, and what he needed to do, to take him out of his shell. Reminding him that his every heartbeat meant that, in that moment, he was alive, and he would be until the next moment, and the next, and that that needed to be cherished…wasn’t something that he would’ve thought of on his own, or that it would’ve worked if he were on his own. Jace was forever thankful for Alec.

Jace’s hands sprung free from Alec's hold on their own accord, and they started tracing everything they found in their path. They needed to touch, to feel. Be it the patch of skin under Alec’s torn shirt, or the toned muscles of his arms as Jace shrugged Alec’s jacket off of him, or the curves of his sides as he rose the shirt over Alec’s head, removing it. Alec’s skin lit up under his palms, and Jace just had to replace them with his mouth. He pressed his parted lips on the juncture at the base of Alec’s neck, on his collarbone, his chest, so that he could breathe the scent of him in.

Alec had his arms around him, his mouth tracing the side of Jace's head in a timeless caress, until he drew back and pulled Jace's chin up, to capture Jace’s mouth with his once again, exploring the depth of it with his tongue. Jace was vaguely aware that his own shirt was removed as well shortly after, and he was now circling Alec’s neck to have him be that much closer to him, so that their skins were next to each other, heartbeat against heartbeat.

Alec’s arms were holding him tighter now, and Alec was so determined about it that Jace found himself be raised from the ground all of a sudden. Taken aback, he quickly recovered by wrapping his legs around Alec, laughing against his lips.

“You calling me short?” 

Jace could feel the curve of Alec’s mouth. “Yeah.”

Being held like that, however, was anything but amusing. Jace didn’t know if it was the closeness, or the fact that he was completely, literally, in Alec’s hands now…but he was overwhelmed by it, at how he felt safer than he’d ever been. Upon realizing that, Jace could only bury his face against Alec’s neck, while they stayed in that position, hugging each other, for a blissful, unmeasurable moment.

The kiss that came after had a new purpose, new awareness to it, and they fell onto the bed still not having parted from it.

When they had to part to catch their breath, Alec didn’t stop there, but started kissing every inch of Jace’s face with a kind of franticness to it that made Jace’s heart clench and beat more rapidly at the same time. When he realized Alec was now kissing away tears that were falling from his eyes, Jace shouldn’t have been surprised, but he still was.

“Who cries while making love now?” Alec teased him good-naturedly, but his voice was hoarse.

Jace snorted, blinking away more treacherous tears. “Still you.”

“That was one time…”

“Three times.”

“Shut up.”

“Make me.”

But there was no bite or playfulness to how their lips collided once more...only desperation.

After, when they were cuddled up on the bed, tears were still hard to keep at bay. Alec held him from behind, but Jace had to turn around, the face in front of him the only thing that could give him some form of solace. He brought a hand up, to draw the line of Alec’s jaw with his finger - the solidness and immutability of his parabatai the only thing he could ever count on. Alec in turn circled his shoulders, and snuggled closer to him. Surrounded by his warmth and scent, Jace managed to fall asleep.

Alec refused to sleep. He didn’t dare close his eyes. If he did that, the face in front of him, tense even in sleep, would disappear, and he couldn’t let that happen. He didn’t want to think about why he felt the need to drink it in (until he could), but the reason was there, swimming behind his eyelids. If he delved into it, he wouldn’t be able to stay calm enough to not wake Jace up.

You don’t bring people back from the dead without consequences! You just don’t!

For how much he had wanted to ease Jace’s worry, keep his mind away from thoughts of those exact consequences, Alec’s platitudes couldn’t work on himself too. He dreaded every second that went by that brought him closer and closer to a world without Jace.

That’s just how life is, so listen to your own advice and appreciate every heartbeat. 

But no matter how much he told himself that, there was no denying that Jace’s death had literally broken something in him, and a prospect of things only getting worse…wasn’t pleasant. So maybe, if he didn’t lose Jace from his sight, or if he kept him as close to himself as he could, he wouldn't be taken away from him...

Alec knew that he was being irrational, and that his stubbornness wouldn’t really do anything to change any event that wanted to happen - still, he’d rather die than not do it.

That was why, when Jace’s body became as taut as a bow string, Alec felt it straight away. He drew back his arms just in time, right before Jace gasped and bolted upright, his face morphed in a not-so-silent scream as he clawed at the sheets.

And Alec could only bring him to lay against his chest, not minding it in the slightest when Jace started clawing at the skin of his arms, drawing blood, since the real bleeding was going on inside of him (that was not a one-time thing, this is real, this is bad, I don’t know what to do, I can’t lose him again…). Jace would be stricken once he came to his senses again, but there was no way in hell Alec would let him deal with this alone. Being his anchor was only the least he could do, that pain being nothing compared to what Jace was going through; if he could’ve transferred all of Jace’s pain to himself, as a matter of fact, he would’ve.

Jace did come to his senses eventually, breathing unsteadily as he took in his bloodied hands and the mess on Alec’s arms. Alec didn’t let him utter even one word, he simply led them both to the bathroom, picking up his stele first. Jace insisted to heal him, and Alec didn’t protest too much about it. He could’ve sworn he never felt those scratches.

What he did feel was Jace’s unsteadiness, and the way Jace was rattled out of his mind even though he tried to mask it. Alec wasn’t faring much better; he felt entirely useless in front of that impossible situation. Nothing he could say to Jace would matter in the face of an unknowable agony that had plunged on him – them – to lead them into chaos, as if it was punishing them for…no, that couldn’t be, right? The fact that they were breaking one of the most sacred laws couldn’t have anything to do with…it had only affected Jace...

No, everything that affects him affects me.

Alec’s head was positively going to explode. Only the fastness with which he switched it off was able to prevent that, letting him take care of Jace, clean him up, draw him back to the bed, and finally fall on it with not a single thought in his mind.

The way he clung to Jace, hugging him from behind, burying his face against the back of his neck...he couldn’t say was only for Jace’s benefit. Jace brought a hand back to pass it through his hair, and Alec sighed at the sensation. 

“Promise me,” Jace said then, “promise me you’ll live on, if something happens to me.”

Alec froze…then he deleted from his mind everything that he had just heard, pressing his face even further against Jace’s skin, kissing every spot he could reach. “Shut up, shut up, go to sleep. You’re not dying. You’re not.”

For he didn’t know what miracle, Jace didn’t say anything else. He simply interlocked their hands together.

[ramajmedia]

7 Things We Hope To See In Legally Blonde 3 (& 3 That Should Stay In The Past)

In 2001, Legally Blonde came out, based on the novel of the same name. In 2003, a sequel came out called Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde. In 2009, a spin-off DVD was released called Legally Blondes. In 2007, Legally Blonde: The Musical premiered. And for the last year, Reese Witherspoon, who starred in these first two films as Elle Woods, has been talking with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to create a third film, which is set to release next year!

RELATED: Legally Blonde Characters Sorted Into Their Hogwarts Houses

What will it be about? Who all will star in it? How many nods to the classic movies will appear? How different will it be? What will be the reception of it? Only time will tell, so until then, here are seven things we hope to see in it and three we don’t.

10 Hope To See: Elle Proving People Wrong In A Classy & Cute Way

After being told she was not serious enough in the first film, Elle studied and worked hard, earning her way into Harvard Law. After being called Capitol Barbie in the second film, Elle fought for animal rights and got Bruiser's Bill the attention it deserved. No matter what this character is doing, she is standing up for herself, following after her dreams and being a true inspiration. Plus, the way she has proved people wrong is classy and cute (not entitled and annoying), and we want more of that in this third installment!

9 Hope To See: What That Looks Like In Today’s Time

While on Ellen, Reese Witherspoon said, “it's sort of about women being underestimated, and I think it's a good idea -- that things have changed, but not that much has changed.” As mentioned, this character got into law school and passed a big bill, even when many around her had their doubts. Since these two movies, there have been many conversations and headlines surrounding women, their struggles and their triumphs. That being said, it will certainly be interesting to see how recent events/news will shape all that Elle stands and fights for in life. 

8 Stay Away: Anything Having To Do With That Spin-Off

In 2009, Legally Blondes was released, as a spin-off story. While this flick was co-produced by Reese Witherspoon herself, it was, well, disappointing to many fans. It focused on Annabelle "Annie" and Isabelle "Izzy" Woods, Elle's British twin cousins who ended up at a prep school. Maybe they, too, were standing up for themselves and fighting for injustices while there, but it was hard to be inspired by anything here with the sub-par acting, the clichés and the randomness of it all. So let’s skip over all of this with the new film, okay? 

7 Hope To See: The Return Of Familiar Faces

In the original movie, we got Ali Larter as Brooke Taylor-Windham, a fitness instructor and one of Elle's role models; Jennifer Coolidge as Paulette Bonafonté, Elle's manicurist and confidante; Selma Blair as Vivian Kensington, an eventual friend; and Luke Wilson as Emmett Richmond; Elle’s eventual husband. In the sequel, we got Sally Field as Congresswoman Victoria Rudd and Regina King as Grace Rossiter, Rudd's Chief of Staff. These are some big names, and these were some memorable characters, so it is exciting to think about the possible roles they will play in this new project.  

6 Hope To See: At Least One Chihuahua 

Moonie was the chihuahua who played Bruiser Woods in Legally Blonde and Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde. He lived with Gidget, a chihuahua who appeared in Taco Bell commercials and in Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde as Bruiser's Mom. Unfortunately, Gidget passed away in 2009, and Moonie did in 2016. It is hard to imagine Elle without her furry friend, so we are wondering if they will address the passing, if Bruiser will be replaced, if a new pet will be around or if there will be a tribute to this great supporting character. 

5 Hope To See: Even More Pink

Of course, Elle’s outfits were some of the best parts of these films, and many of them were full of pink, earning her the nickname Capitol Barbie (which even became a real doll!). Her room, bedding, accessories, phone, and furniture also boasted her favorite color, and she even turned in an iconic résumé, which was on pink paper and scented with perfume. What else could be pink in her life? How many pink things has she added, all of these years later? What other average objects (like paper) could she take to the next level with this color? We’ll see!

4 Stay Away: Musical Numbers

After the success of Legally Blonde as a novel and a movie, people decided to also turn it into a musical. Sure, the story is entertaining, and the main character is captivating, but there are some things that should just not be turned into musicals. This one even aired on MTV, along with a reality TV show about the audition process for finding the next Elle Woods.

RELATED: Bend & Snap! 10 Lines From Legally Blonde We Still Say Today

While some may have been fans of this Broadway project and television series, let’s just keep any musical numbers out of this new movie, shall we? 

3 Hope To See: The Romance

Legally Blonde 3 is set to release on February 14, 2020… which is Valentine’s Day. Because of that date and this genre, fans can surely expect to see some romance! When we last saw Elle, she had just gotten married (in a park in Washington, D.C., on the home plate of Fenway Park - How cute!). Now, she could be divorced, pregnant, the mother of several children, with someone new or still happily enjoying life with Emmett. Either way, this movie needs to bring the love, since it is always enjoyable to see the star get swept off her feet, living happily ever after. 

2 Stay Away: Anything That Tarnishes Our View Of This Franchise

Sequels (and threequels and so on) can be a tricky thing: Many fans are drawn to original stories, the ones that first intrigued them and made them fall in love. However, there are franchises that have successfully created many more movies, as well. It is the time of reboots, revivals, and reunions, and having Reese Witherspoon all in for this new film is promising. It just needs to honor the OG story and not do anything that tarnishes our view or makes this all feel like a regrettable decision… Please and thanks. 

1 Hope To See: The Bend & Snap

And, of course, we better see the bend and snap. For those who don’t know or remember, Elle teaches her friend Paulette this classic move, in order to try and attract the UPS guy. As Elle says, this move has an 83-percent return on a dinner invitation, causing the other women around her to try it, as well as causing fans at home to fall in love with this fab movement. And there is no way it can’t be in this new movie, right? It is a big part of Elle, so it better show up!

NEXT: Legally Blonde Characters Sorted Into Their Hogwarts Houses

source https://screenrant.com/legally-blonde-3-hope-see-stay/

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