#mundane!Ragnor

[lurafita]

Challenge time!

I got a challenge. So I found this:

random generator thing. I typed in the different species we know from canon (tv-show canon for me), and that will randomly assign a species for a character. Like you press go for Magnus, write down result, then press go for Alec, write down result, and so on. Then, once the species have been assigned to the characters, you need to think up a prompt for them. My picks will be under the cut.

Magnus: Shadowhunter

Alec: Higher demon/prince of hell

Jace: Seelie

Izzy: Angel

Clary: Werewolf

Simon: Vampire (🤣)

Raphael: Vampire (Are you kidding me?!)

Catarina: Vampire (is this thing broken?)

Ragnor: Mundane

Maia: Mundane

Luke: Warlock (finally got a warlock in the mix)

okay, I will cap it here for now, other characters can be assigned later if need be.

uff. this is surprisingly hard.

Magnus is the only shadowhunter.

Alec as a higher demon has potential, not gonna lie.

Seelie Jace. hmmm.

and Izzy an angel. Then there could still be a sibling relationship between her and alec, actually. Alec is simply a fallen angel. Izzy didn't fall because she still follows the doctrine. though she might fall as the plot progresses.

Clary as a werewolf. Guess that is easy enough. She could be a mundane that had an encounter with a rogue werewolf, and Magnus found/saved her. Not knowing whether or not she will turn, he can't take her to a hospital. If she needed medical attention, he would probably take her to the institute, where they could also monitor if she changes, dies, or remains mundane. after the change, he can get her to the nearest wolf clan and inform them of the rogue that got her.

simon could also start out as a mundane, maybe he was even with clary when she was bitten and Magnus had to take him along as well. as both simon and clary then want to learn more about the shadow world, simon lands himself on the business end of a pair of vamp fangs. (could be Camille)

Raphael and Catarina could have history. Catarina could be leader of the clan! maybe she was the one who turned raphael in a bit to save his life.

Ragnor could be like a mundane university professor who is well versed in obscured knowledge and the history of mysterious stuff. Maybe Magnus is enrolled in one of his classes, because he has discovered that some of the mundane knowledge about all that goes bump in the dark can be surprinsgly helpful

Maia… I don't know yet.

Luke could be the high warlock of the territory.

okay, how to bring higher demon/prince of hell Alec into the mix.

obviously there would have to be some kind of summoning.

or alec himself decided to visit the mundane plain for a bit, because why not?

and maybe he just happens to witness the shadowhunter that is so uniquely dressed for his kind, fighting off demons, or that rogue werewolf, or whatever. and he takes a shine to him.

Or, Clary was supposed to be a shadowhunter (like her canon counterpart), and Luke was the high warlock who blocked her sight/erased her memories, and the werewolf thing just happened. So when the transformation seems to mess with Clary more than it should, because there is a magical block involved (which they don't know at this point), Magnus calls in the high warlock. Luke helps Clary through the transforamtion, but then in order to have the chaotic energies in Clary balance out, they need to get her her memories back. And just like Magnus in canon, Luke had given them to a demon for safekeeping. The demon in question happens to be Alec.

[threewaywithdelusion]

Alec Lightwood Not Giving a Single Fuck About the Law

(Spoilers! So many spoilers! For everything except Secrets of Blackthorn Hall, because I haven't read it yet)

I'm not too clear on what the Accords say about Shadowhunters policing Downworlders/what Downworlders are not allowed to do. But I'm pretty sure all of these must be illegal (or at least frowned upon):

Not reporting that Magnus started a joke cult that turned in a real cult that was killing people and worshiping a Greater Demon

Letting the person actually running said evil cult go free after they had captured her because he knew the Clave would execute her and even though Shinyun was literally responsible for several murders, he thought she deserved a second chance (and Magnus related to her, and Alec wanted to spare Magnus pain)

Never reporting Elliott of the New York Vampire Clan for literally everything he has done, including biting several Downworlders at a party, having multiple incidents with faerie fruit, "accidentally" biting 17 mundanes while under the influence (including at least one time where Lily had to stop him from killing the mundane in question), and cheating on two Selkies who then caused property damage in a fight with each other

relatedly, not reporting Mordecai, the faerie fruit dealer

(I just love this entire exchange: "As the current head of the New York Institute," Maryse said, with an attempt at firmness, "if there is illegal Downworlder activity happening, it should be reported to me." "I do not talk to Nephilim about Downworlder business," Lily said severely. The Lightwood parents stared at her, and then swung their heads in sync to stare at their son. Lily waved a dismissed hand in their direction. "Except for Alec, he's a special case.")

Watching Juliette, Werewolf Queen of the Buenos Aires Shadow Market, kill a Shadowhunter and just lightly suggest she try to take the Shadowhunters alive (and then not punish her in any way for killing that one guy)

Not reporting that Ragnor Fell had found a realm for the Greater Demon Sammael and also worked for him for a period of time (I don't think the Clave would care that Ragnor didn't had a choice because of the sventhorn)

Suggested in the final battle in Queen of Air and Darkness that an effective way to render opposing Shadowhunters unconscious would be to have vampires bite them and drink enough of their blood that they passed out

Protecting Marcy, the werewolf who transformed at a club during a full moon, and never reporting her for almost revealing the shadow world to Mundanes and injuring several of them

Breaking the Cold Peace several times by visiting several Shadow Markets, interacting with faeries, and pretending not to know about multiple illegal Shadowhunter-faerie relationships (Tian/Jinfeng and Mark/Kieran/Cristina)

Not illegal but probably seen as outrageous by other Shadowhunters:

marrying Magnus in Shadowhunter gold

traipsing into a hell dimension to save Downworlders

letting a vampire (Simon) drink his blood

offering his blood to a different vampire (Lily)

raising a Downworlder child as his own (and also training that child like a Shadowhunter)

raising a Shadowhunter child that has a Downworlder parent

Basically, Alec Lightwood is a badass and the fact that he went from the type of guy who said "sed lex, dura lex" to the man who did all of this is the reason he is one of my favorite characters ever

[alexanderlightweight]

I miss writing. I miss malec

I plot in my head every night but it’s not the same.

I miss writing about how Magnus and Alec tease and find and appreciate and murder for each other and how much they love each other.

I miss Team Immortal and how Magnus and Cat and Ragnor and magical rituals and the spiral labyrinth politics and the finer elements of magical and warlock culture and

I miss diving into world building with magical botony and zoology and thread magic to pocket dimensions. How magic isn’t equal and there’s different levels and wild nature magic. The way that while the spiral labyrinth has changed and evolved, that it still holds to the very oldest of rituals. Everything carefully and continually read by each new Elder and the acolytes of the library learn by trade. Because knowledge isn’t kept in books alone. There are singing histories and spells kept alive by enchanted pieces and the memories of those devoted to learning. Carving and thread work and rituals in tapestry or furniture.

(Because elder isn’t a title based on just age but also elder knowledge. Warlocks who especially dedicate themselves to either singular or a plethora of fields and excel at creation and learning become elders. The very best researchers and scholars of the wealth of knowledge and magical prowess. Being an elder isn’t just a perk it’s a dedication and an oath to the protection and betterment of their people. Active oaths to keep them from stagnating in the decades of immortality and aging.

If you truly start slacking or losing your way, the magic prods you. Eventually you are forced to make a choice, forsake your roll as an Elder and retract and be released from your vows. Or uphold them. )

Metalworking and leather working and the labyrinth contains it all.

I love expanding on the shadowworld and the different ways magic is used by each race and how they all separately interact with the outskirts of the mundane world.

Of figuring out how a warrior society would work and the different styles of life that could have evolved.

And how much sheer adoration and platonic love is between the three of them. And the trust.

Because even when Ragnor is ignoring Magnus (a petty fight that turned into a research binge that turned into a few more years of silence than intended while Ragnor experimented in a pocket library) Magnus is still going to show up and make sure he’s fed and hydrated because the pettiness never outweighs the care.

(Cat has spells on all their vitals and vise versa. But she sent Magnus over with an excuse around year theee when she figured Ragnor had just lost track of time. Magnus doesn’t even remember that Ragnor was being petty and Ragnor doesn’t remember the argument at all).

I miss Alec figuring out what he enjoys and that he’s allowed to enjoy.

Honestly I got a little off track but I’ve been wanting to write malec and post for so long.

I miss the interactions and comments and looking forward to new Wednesday prompts. I miss writing Wednesdays so much and I’m looking forward to starting them up again when I’m healed :/

This took about an hour to write the first time but half got deleted and had to be rewritten when Nightshade started barking outside (it’s past the neighborhood noise curfew and I had to run to grab him so we stayed polite).

Nightshade likes to go outside and ‘guard’ the house for a bit every night before his door gets locked shut for bed, but since bed is subjective to my insomnia and not his sleep schedule he sometimes goes to ‘guard’ rather late. He huffily settled in his crate, perturbed I wouldn’t let him ‘protect’ the House.

Honestly I’m just happy I can write on my phone without a ton of pain anymore.

💜 lumine

The House made a rule (without me lol I was outvoted) that every time anyone buys anything they have to consider if it’s for public House use and if it is, how likely I am to injure myself with it. Or how likely is it to randomly break and hurt me.

It’s very sweet but I hate that it says something that they all agreed. It’s also hilarious because I’m the one who does all the yard work (I’ve had to delay fertilizing for a month and had to stop PT for 3.5 weeks while it healed enough for me to go) so I have axes, clippers, trimmers I use frequently.

[foodsies4me]

July Malec fic rec!

Thanking the ever talented and wonderful @lawsofchaos1 for letting me barge in the DM’s to ask for help for this month's theme! This time the theme is a double one aka parabatai-feels/Alec&Jace friendship and religious themes! The same rules apply as always, one fic per author, even though all of these authors have other brilliant fics you should be reading and if you want to add your own recs in the comments, tags, or reblogs please feel free to do so! 💜

Also, I have tagged the authors whose Tumblr account I know (aka found on their AO3 profile), but if you'd prefer I not tag you, please tell me! I don't want these to be annoying for the authors.

One-shots:

3 Times Jace Feels Alec’s Happiness by fancyachatup: Just like the title says, three times Jace feels Alec being happy through their parabatai bond.

Summary:

3 times Jace realizes that Magnus is the best thing that's ever happened to Alec.

I cannot touch because they are too near by @faejilly: Still one of my favourite fics about the parabatai bond to date!

Summary:

If Magnus is going to love Alexander (which of course he is) then he's going to have to understand his parabatai and their bond, at least a little bit better than he does now. But he's not entirely sure how or where to start...

The Oddities of Sharing a Soul by @facialteeth: Another lovely Magnus learning some more about the parabatai-bond and what it means fic. Cute and fluffy and definitely recommended.

Summary:

Magnus goes to visit Alec and learns from Isabelle that there are some odd features to having a Parabatai Bond.

and miles to go before I sleep by ralf: Magnus meeting his kids in the past. This fic is just adorable and reading it never fails to bring a smile to my face.

Summary:

“Alec, can you come to the Institute?” That's Clary's voice, coming through the line in a low whisper. Alec tenses instantly. “What is it?” “It's Jace.”

Parabatai by SilasSolarius: A more eldritch as well as a queer platonic approach to the parabatai bond! Also, Ragnor lives because of course he does!

Summary:

Summary: Parabatai. Everyone, even downworlders were aware of the most sacred of the Nephilim's bonds, and yet very little is known about it. As far as most are concerned, the bond is merely a fancy way of calling each other brothers-in-arms, or best friends. Yet in reality, it is so much more. Ragnor Lives! AU

Multi-Chapters or Series

Angelus ex Machina by @bluemeridian: Rec-ced by lawsofchaos1, but I will 120% rec this series as well because it is just avdnz’gj’z’glg I love it so much, the way they parabatai bond is described is exquisite.

Summary:

Demons have disappeared from the city and the local Shadow World has discovered the hard way that the only thing worse than demons is an institute of Shadowhunters with no demons to fight. But that situation is (hopefully) temporary. The whole thing with the parabatai bond being weird is something else entirely.

Take Me To Church by j_writes: I don’t’ know how to describe this fic other than I love it, that’s all.

Summary:

Alec is the acting head of the Institute trying to deal with the new pressures this title brings. A string of Mundane murders and strange demonic markings leads him to seek help from the nearest High Warlock, Magnus Bane. Upon meeting him, Alec realizes that his secret is at risk of being revealed. He tries to keep his growing attraction for Magnus hidden as best as he can. With the support of his sister, Isabelle, who is trying to find love herself; they both try to discover if they can let their worries go and accept love with open arms.

The Whipping Boy (orphan account): This fic hurts. It just hurts.

Summary:

1. a boy brought up together with a young prince and required to take the punishment for the latter's misdeeds 2. scapegoat

The burden of command is one Alec shoulders gladly. When protecting his family has always meant taking responsibility for their actions, he's had a lifetime to prepare. 

It's the one thing he's good at. The one thing about himself he knows is worthy.

So, of course, Magnus and his siblings hate it.

The truth written on our souls by @to-the-stars-writing: Immortal Alec meets good parabatai Jace meets some religious imaginary meets magic gone wrong and worldbuilding which are the two things that make me go feral above all, so yessss!

Summary:

Be careful what you wish for.

That was a saying that was something most people threw around in a teasing sort of way. Something to chide another with, maybe, after something goes wrong. But when dealing with magic there were no truer words. Be careful what you wish for was a very clear warning. One that Alec had heard Magnus lament over people not heeding so many different times.

Today was only further proof of that.

They’d come into this planning on doing a spell to give Alec immortality. They’d done their research, prepared themselves as best they could, but they’d forgotten that basic tenant. Be careful what you wish for.

Holding Angels by @echo-bleu (Hi Echo, I love you💜💜💜): Alec tells the Clave he made the wish and not Clary. This fic hurts and is painful and I love it.

Summary:

The decision is anything but easy, but it’s simple. It’s suddenly limpid in Alec’s head, like this is the moment he’s been waiting for his whole life.

(He tries not to think about how morbid that thought is.)

“I would have done the same,” he repeats. She sniffles against his chest.

“In fact,” he continues, pushing her back gently to look at her, “that’s exactly what I did, as far as the Clave is concerned.”

Alec tells the Clave he's the one who made the Wish.

Laudanum by @lawsofchaos1 that I couldn’t not rec. (Sorry, Laws you had to know this was coming when you mentioned religious imaginary). While I generally try to limit myself to complete fics, this fic has had me by the jugular for years now and I am obsessed.

Face blank, Alec steps forward without a moment of hesitation to stand in front of the Inquisitor, his people parting respectfully before him to clear his path as he goes. He comes to a halt a few paces in front of the Clave representative and the guardsmen she’d brought from Alicante. A coiled leather whip hangs from the belt of the man at her left shoulder.

Shoulders drawn back and hands clasped behind his waist, Alec meets Imogen Herondale’s steel gaze. The words are ritual and although Alec has said them many times before, never before has he meant them less.

“That it may please the Angel to bring back into the way of righteousness all such as have erred, I place myself before you for Discipline.”

Imogen Herondale smiles.

[lawsofchaos1]

Promptlet: Malec Early Meeting

Izzy and Jace start clubbing early because Shadowhunters consider themselves adults around fourteen when they begin full mission status at the Institute. So, sixteen year old Alec just sighs and brings his Advanced Clave Law seminar work to Pandemonium and sits in the corner of the bar with a thick legal text and his battered spiral notebook for his rough draft essays. He doesn’t care if Jace and Izzy are taking field assignments, they’re still his little siblings and need a chaperone.

Magnus, obviously, starts hearing gossip from his bemused bartenders about the young nephilim downing club sodas with lime while frantically highlighting a battered copy of the Accords and decides he needs to figure out what's going on. Immediately.

So, Magnus ends up chatting with Alec (who, as it turns out, really likes the Shirley Temple Magnus snaps up for him in what was supposed to be a joke) and starts flipping through Alec's latest homework assignment. Magnus blinks, snaps up another Shirley Temple to keep Alec busy, and carefully reads the essay twice over, pulling out his own notebook (bound leather and fountain pen with a gold nib of course) halfway through. Alec found a loophole, a big loophole, that would exempt Downworlders from being questioned without notification to their faction leader. 

Alec is an absolute disaster of a baby gay whenever Magnus so much as says hello or looks in his general direction, but, once he starts arguing the Law? He is vicious and ruthless and sharply concise. (Although Magnus becomes a little bit of a disaster himself when Alec absentmindedly starts chewing on his cherry stem while debating the finer points of interpreting The Clave vs. HOTI-Beijing, 1823.)

Ragnor comes over all the way from England just to see Magnus utterly lose his cool at this now seventeen year old shadowhunter who is literally drinking Shirley Temples and eating his weight in the extra cherries the bartenders slip him because they adore him too. Also, in terms of relationship dynamics? I think it would be kind of fun to explore Alec having a gigantic crush on Magnus (and Magnus just kind of utterly adoring Alec in turn between his obvious looks and, more importantly, his intelligence and his sharp humor and just .. everything) but also realizing that Alec is seventeen.

Alec is much more open (not that he had a snowball's chance in hell of hiding his Gigantic Crush on the High Warlock from anyone in Pandemonium except his siblings), and wages what amounts to pretty much open warfare to get Magnus to date him. He's insistent that Shadowhunters don't mature as slowly as mundanes (which.. fair) and makes bulleted lists and actions plans for every reason Magnus tries to say he deserves better/Magnus is too old/Alec is too young/etc.

And.. just how the Downworlders slide a stray Shirley Temple across the table for advice? Alec starts bringing little vouchers for a certain amount of advice time (or maybe little cupcakes or chocolate chip cookies that he makes for Jace and Izzy or something?) and slides them furtively across the table.

"Where might one take the High Warlock of Brooklyn out on a date?"

And then somehow two days later Magnus ends up in Central Park responding to a call from one of his warlocks and instead Alec is waiting there with a picnic lunch and a blanket and looking very, very smug.

This teenage Shadowhunter is outsmarting him. What even is this?

Also, Can you imagine the first time an old fling of Magnus' portals in to Pandemonium for the evening, expecting a night of fun, and the moment they ask where Magnus is at the bar, every Downworlder in hearing distance is glaring? Suddenly a good dozen wolves and vampires put aside their decades old fights and start running interference to keep this brazen interloper away from where Alec is holding court ranting about the Clave's shoddy grammar and lack of consistent position on Oxford commas (which, how dare) and how that can be used to interpret their latest ruling in three different ways, depending on what side you want to fight on.

(Magnus is sighing and staring dreamily from across the table.)

One day, Camille starts her usual nastiness and trying to get Magnus to come crawling back and Magnus feels .. nothing for her. The only thing Magnus feels is rage that Camille would try to interfere when he's clearly ... dating someone now.

And Magnus blinks wildly internally because holy shit he's dating Alec. WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN MAGNUS DOES NOT KNOW

I do think Magnus would hold off on anything physical until Alec was what Magnus considered of age, so think how fun it would be to explore how the two of them date when their primary love language can't include sex?

Think of all the cuddles and the literal sleeping together and the hand holding and the forehead kisses and, excuse me but did I mention the cuddles? I really want Magnus and Alec cuddling on Magnus' throne at Pandemonium after a hard patrol and Alec falling asleep and all the Downworlders just kind of cooing at their very favorite nephilim.

(I also imagine an impressively oblivious pair of siblings who don't realize their brother isn't just moping in a corner while they dance for literal years.)

When Alec is older maybe Jace and Izzy start trying to subtly tell him it's okay to be gay, he doesn't have to hide it - they'll still love him, and Alec is just .. like .... 'what are you talking about?' as he smugly claims his gorgeous boyfriend.

[khaleesiofalicante]

Aight I'm off to bed, but wanted to show yall the main bebes from the Other Timeline. Some random facts about each one:

Story, just like most warlock children, does not have a last name. She gets to choose her own (single-syllable name with a dark/sorrowful meaning) when she is older.

Stevie is gay. She dated a girl from the Warlock Academy where they grew up together like most warlock children. Her girlfriend was killed when she was trying to use her magic before she got her arcane binders.

Kaila is married to a mundane cop (yes those still exist ugh).

Magnus still lives in his Brooklyn apartment. (We see Tessa and Max walk there as opposed to Hermes' house which is in England).

Tessa was given the position of the Dean of the Warlock Academy by Ragnor - who died (along with a few other senior warlocks) making tens and thousands of arcane binders to protect future warlocks.

Max buried David under the rubble of the NY Institute - because it's hallowed ground (demons won't eat his body_ and because he wanted David to forever be in New York - the city he ran away to so he could be safe.

[delightfullyterrible]

Starting off my birthday month by giving y'all some ✨ pain ✨

This whole fic is based on one angsty movie dialogue and Thule Malec......so you know double pain 😊

*********

"Do you ever wonder what life would be like if we were ordinary?" Magnus asked, staring at the ceiling.

They were still lazing in bed even though it was already mid-morning. The previous few mornings had been spent like this, wrapped in sheets and talking about the most random things, until one of them got hungry enough to get up and make breakfast (or in Magnus’s case, summon it). No one knew they were back from vacation already and neither Alec nor Magnus was in any hurry to tell them.

"Ordinary? Like if we were mundanes?" Alec asked.

"Yeah, because I do".

This piqued Alec’s curiosity. "And what do we do in our ordinary lives?" he asked. 

"You do a regular, boring 9-5 job, I wait for you to come home and give me attention”. 

Alec chuckled. “What else?”

Magnus turned towards him and raised himself slightly. “On the weekends we do laundry and taxes. Maybe host a barbecue once in a while".

“And who does the grilling?”

“You of course,” Magnus replied sunnily. “Or maybe Jace or any of our other friends. But not Isabelle”.

“Not Isabelle,” Alec agreed. "Do we still live in New York?"

"We could live wherever,” Magnus said. “New York, London, Florence, Mumbai, Tokyo, anywhere. Any special preferences?"

Alec shook his head. "Any place is fine as long as it’s you I wake up next to. Whichever city, whichever country, whichever universe".

Magnus smiled. “Alexander Gideon Lightwood, you will be the death of me,” he said and kissed him for a long time.

~~~~~

The memory felt like a lifetime ago. Alec wished he could go back to that time when life was so simple and the only thing he had to worry about was how to keep Izzy and Jace away from trouble or how to get the glitter out of literally every surface in the house.

But the world as he had known had changed completely. Sebastian Morgenstern turned it into his playground. Demons roamed freely, mundane numbers were dwindling and Shadowhunters were either Turned or killed or barely managed to escape. There was personal loss too - his mother was missing, his sister was dead and his parabatai was worse than dead.

His sister had died killing Sebastian and his parabatai’s very soul had been corrupted by him.

And then there was Magnus, on his knees in front of him, begging to be killed. 

“You have to do this Alexander,” Magnus pleaded. “There is no other way”.

“There has to be another way. Tessa and Ragnor are still searching, they could find something that….they could find something”.

“Even if they do, it will be too late,” Magnus said. “I don’t have any more time left”.

It was true. The blight had started affecting warlocks all over the world. One by one they were all falling ill and no cure had worked. Magnus, being an Eldest curse, was affected the most.

Alec kneeled so he could be at eye level with him. Magnus was beyond exhausted. His bones were jutting out and his usually beautiful face was pale and sunken.

Magnus clasped Alec’s hand. “Alec, my brave archer boy, I know I am asking a lot from you but I can’t see myself turning into a monster,” he said, tears welling up in his eyes. “For centuries I have kept my humanity intact, trying my best to not let my father’s blood taint the good in me, trying to not give in to evil”. He shut his eyes as if in pain and whispered “I can’t fail now”.

A teardrop rolled and fell on Alec’s hand. “Look at me Magnus,” he said and lifted Magnus’s chin. “Look at me and listen to me, you are kindness, strength, humanity, and patience all wrapped up in one person. All your life you have helped people and saved lives. Even if they didn't deserve any of it. You are not evil. You never will be”

“I wish it was true Alexander. I wish that was my reality right now. But when this illness takes over my body, everything you said about me will vanish. I won’t be part human anymore and I would rather die than lose my humanity”.

Alec knew that. Magnus’s humanity had made Magnus what he was today. It was what Alec had fallen in love with first. So how could he see it leave his body? How could he deny him his last wish?

“Is this what you really want?” Alec asked in a small voice.

“Yes I do,” Magnus said. “You know why it has to be you right?”

“I know,” Alec replied. “I just wish we had more time”

“I wish that too. Maybe it's possible in another universe”.

“Maybe in another universe, we have a different life, a happier one”.

“Like the one we talked about a few months ago?”

“Yeah, like that one,” Alec replied softly.

Magnus closed his eyes and touched his forehead to Alec’s. He pulled away after a few minutes and whispered “You have to do it now before anyone else comes”.

Alec nodded and slowly retrieved a knife from inside his jacket. With his other hand, he gently touched Magnus’s face. “Just so you know, in another life, I would have really liked just doing laundry and taxes with you”.

Magnus smiled and kissed him with all the passion and love he could muster. Tears flowed down his face, mingling with their kisses. He gasped as the knife went in but didn’t move away. 

They stayed like that in each other's arms until Magnus’s breaths became shallow. Alec pulled away and gently lowered him to the ground. Blood seeped from the wound and darkened the soil around him. Magnus opened his mouth to say something but he started sputtering and reddish-black blood spilled out. Alec made a move to shush him but Magnus stopped him. “Alexander Lightwood…. it has been an honor being loved by you,” he said finally and went still.

Alec closed his eyes in pain and let the tears fall. He wanted to do more than that. He wanted to scream, shout, break something, bring Magnus back but nothing would work. He had lost everything and everyone he once held dear. The only thing he was left with now was grief and pain.

Once upon a time, Alec had dreamed of changing the world so the people he cared about could live and love freely. But what was the point now if they were all gone? What kind of world would he fight for? And for whom?

It was one of the quickest decisions Alec had made in his life. He curled his fingers around the hilt of the knife embedded in Magnus’s body and pulled it free. He thought of his family one last time, of Clary who died trying to save the world, of Tessa, Ragnor, and Catarina who were desperately searching for a cure. He thought of Magnus, the man who made him come alive with one look, who made him feel deserving of love.

A world without Magnus in it was not a world worth living in. With that thought in mind, Alec plunged the knife into his chest. It stung at first but it was okay. This pain was better compared to the pain of living. He laid down next to Magnus, clasped his hand, and closed his eyes. At least in death, they could be together.

The last thing he saw was a vision of two boys standing in front of a door. One was a toddler, barely 2 or 3 years old, with blue skin and tiny white horns jutting out of his head. The other one was slightly older with unruly curly hair and a solemn expression on his face. The boys looked like they were waiting for someone. He heard them call out, then the image faded and darkness took over as if signaling the end.

taglist : @dandeliononthemoon @onetimetwotimesthreetimess @ninacarstairss @vierss-herondale @elettralightwood @gayforcarstairsgirls @rinadragomir @magnus-the-maqnificent @carelessflower @dustandducks @wildesummerchild @potato-jem @the-ethereal-aura @literallytypogod

[cityofdownwardspirals]

Sweeter than Sweet -A Malec birthday drabble

Because it is my birthday today and I'm very self indulgent🥳

“What are you doing?” Magnus asked, trying to make sense of what was happening in front of him.

He had been away on a job, helping some old friends by opening a Portal to London for them. The call had come in very last minute and he left as soon as Alec had come back from the Institute because they couldn’t leave Max alone.

What he didn’t expect to see when he came back home was his boyfriend with his hair covered in what seemed like flour, sitting in front of the oven looking at it as if it held all the greatest secrets of the universe. The kitchen was a mess with utensils all over it as well as a countertop full of flour. Magnus took a deep breath and a sweet scent of vanilla filled the air and that is when he realized that Alec was baking something. Judging by some raw dough that was filling up their trash can, it seemed like it wasn’t his first attempt at it either.

When hearing Magnus’s voice, Alec looked up with wide eyes. “Oh, I didn’t expect you to be home so soon,” he simply said, standing up and brushing something that looked like whipped cream off his black sweatshirt.

“It’s almost midnight,” the warlock said and Alec seemed surprised to get that information and checked his watch to double check. Magnus looked around the apartment again before narrowing his eyes. “I am guessing Max is asleep?”

Alex nodded, then walked around a kitchen, moving a few things around the counter in an attempt to make it seem tidier. “Yes. I thought I would use the chance since you were out and get some stuff ready for the party.”

“The party?” Magnus asked, not knowing exactly what the Shadowhunter was on about. He also could not remember the last time Alec organized a party without Magnus being involved in the planning.

“Yes,” Alec said, then finally walked towards his boyfriend to give him a chaste welcome kiss. “It was supposed to be a surprise but you caught me in the act now.” Then, when Magnus kept looking confused, he narrowed his eyes at him. “You do know what tomorrow is, don’t you?” Alec asked.

Magnus thought about it for a moment, coming up blank. “Um, Wednesday? I know you like Wednesdays but I didn’t think we were throwing a party-”

“Your birthday.”

For a moment there, Magnus wanted to laugh because he thought that might have been a joke. He surely remembered his own birthday and that was December 8th, which was...only mere minutes away.

He had forgotten his own birthday for the first time in 400 years.

You couldn’t really blame him with everything that had been going on that year. Finding Max and then everything that happened with Ragnor and Shinyun and Magnus almost becoming Samael’s slave... His mind was so overwhelmed by all those events that something as mundane as a birthday slipped his mind.

But not Alec’s mind apparently, as his boyfriend was hard at work trying his best to bake a cake. It made Magnus’s heart beat just that little bit faster.

“I can’t believe I forgot,” he muttered, sitting down on a stool in the kitchen, putting his head in his hands.

Alec sat down on the stool next to him, an arm around his waist. “Hey, it comes with age, I suppose,” he joked, but when he saw Magnus didn’t crack a smile, he cleared his throat. “You forgot because you are always so busy thinking of others that you forgot to think about yourself. Lucky you, you have me now to help you do that.”

“How do you always know what to say?” Magnus said, sighing dramatically before leaning over and placing a kiss on Alec’s lips. He put his hands on his boyfriend’s face, gently caressing his cheek. He’d only been with his boyfriend for two years now and yet in those two years this man had grown to know him better than anyone else.

Before he could say anything else, Alec jumped off the stool, looking focused. “Anyway, I better check on that cake,” he said, heading back towards the oven.

“Why not just buy me a cake? That’s what you did last year.”

“Because this year I had the time to do it. And I’ve heard they taste better when you make it yourself,” Alec replied, crouching down to check on the oven again before straightening back up. “I put my secret ingredient in it. Extra love.”

Magnus wanted to roll his eyes at that comment because it was so corny, but he felt butterflies in his stomach instead and he found himself smiling like a teenager. “I am sure the staff at Cakes and Co. put lots of love in their cakes,” he said, walking up behind Alec and putting his arms around him.

Alec turned around in his embrace and leaned his forehead against Magnus’s, a small smile spreading on his lips. “But no love they put in it will ever be as strong as the love I have for you.”

At that, Magnus actually groaned, burying his face in Alec’s neck. “When did you become so cheesy?”

“Having a kid changes a man, I suppose.” As if on cue, they heard Max’s voice coming from the bedroom calling out for both of them. Alec sighed as he let go of Magnus and wiped his black clothes clean as well as he could. “I better go check on him,” he said.

However, Magnus put a hand on his arm to stop him. “Hey, you’re a baker hard at work. I will go, I need to tell him hello after coming back anyway,” the warlock said, reluctantly stepping out of his partner’s embrace.

However, before he could get very far, Alec pulled him back and gave him one more passionate kiss. “Happy birthday, my love,” he said softly and Magnus checked the clock they had on the kitchen wall just to confirm that it had indeed just struck midnight.

Luckily, Alec’s last attempt at the cake was successful and Magnus thought that that specific birthday cake was better than anything any money could buy or any magic could summon.

[magnus-the-maqnificent]

Stars Around My Scars

Chapter 1 - All Eyes On Me (Read on Ao3)

“Why me?” Magnus asked at last.

“Because,” Raphael said, his voice thin and drawn. “Ragnor, and every other warlock I’ve called have decided that this situation is exactly your type.”

Magnus frowned. “How many warlocks did you call before me? Actually, wait, don’t answer that. What do you mean this situation is my type?”

“Shadowhunter,” Raphael said, and it all clicked into place.

“I don’t know if you’ve heard but I don’t-“

“Black hair, blue eyes,” Raphael went on as if he hadn’t heard Magnus. “Lost cause who needs saving. Death wish? Definitely. Come here as soon as you can.”

I don’t involve myself with Shadowhunters anymore, Magnus had wanted to say, but it didn’t matter. Raphael had already cut the call.

Magnus sighed and dropped his phone to the side, locking eyes with Chairman Meow who'd been sitting on the floor next to the coffee table, watching him with his beady green cat eyes ever since Raphael called him two minutes ago.

“I guess I’ll be going off to the Hotel Dumort, then,” Magnus said.

Chairman meowed.

All Magnus was told about this situation was “a violation of the Accords” and “we need you here NOW”. Oh, and that apparently the perpetrator was a Shadowhunter. Raphael had said he was ‘Magnus’s type’ - as if Magnus would seduce a Shadowhunter into leaving the Downworld alone.

Besides, if a Shadowhunter was wrecking havoc at the Hotel Dumort, Magnus doubted he could be seduced by a warlock anyways.

But when he portalled into the foyer of the Hotel Dumort, there was no havoc. There was only silence.

“Raphael!” Magnus called out. Faint echoes of his own voice reached his ears, followed immediately by a voice from right behind him.

“There you are.”

Magnus jumped and whirled around, calming down when he saw it was just Raphael.

“Damn you vampires and your silent footsteps,” Magnus cursed silently. Raphael didn't grace him with a reply.

“He’s in there,” Raphael cocked his head in the direction of what Magnus recognised to be the ballroom. Well, the former ballroom. No balls had been held in there for the past few decades, atleast not to Magnus’s knowledge.

“What’s the problem?” Magnus asked. “Because there doesn’t seem to be one.”

"Walk and talk," Raphael grumbled, gesturing at Magnus to follow him as he turned on his heel and headed into the ballroom.

"He came in here a while ago," Raphael said. "And has been goading the clan into sucking his blood."

"What?" Magnus knitted his eyebrows. "Why would he-"

"I don't know," Raphael almost growled, clearly agitated at the situation. "I've kept the clan at bay so far but I can't hold them for long. The Shadowhunter entered the Hotel at his own will, technically we are at liberty to do with him as we please, but-"

"He's a Shadowhunter," Magnus murmured. He had entered the ballroom now, and throes of Vampires parted at the sight of him and Raphael, giving way to the middle of the room. "If he dies here, the rest of them will come down on you."

"Precisely," Raphael said, his voice clipped. "Stop him."

Magnus stepped ahead of Raphael, making his way through the vampires as quickly as he could. The last of the crowd gave way, and then Magnus saw the Shadowhunter for the first time.

He was sitting cross-legged in the center of the room, head bowed, a pale finger tracing something in the dirt lined floor. If Raphael hadn't told Magnus he was a Shadowhunter, Magnus would've thought he was a mundane - he was certainly dressed like one, in a gray sweater too large for him and similarly oversized jeans.

The boy must've heard Magnus’s footsteps, for he raised his head, cold blue eyes cutting across Magnus’s gaze.

Something about that gaze troubled Magnus. There was something hollow in there, almost dead.

There was also something familiar about him.

"Is that…?" Magnus murmured.

"Maryse Lightwood's brat?" said Raphael, who had by now caught up to Magnus. "Yes."

Another piece clicked into place.

"Well, then there's definitely something shady going on," Magnus whispered to him.

"What are you talking about?"

Magnus whirled, looking once again at the Shadowhunter.

"If you're talking about me," he said, "You might as well say it to my face."

Magnus briefly locked eyes with Raphael, and then stepped forward.

"What do you want, Shadowhunter?" He asked, loud and firm.

The Shadowhunter was silent a moment, then he tilted his head, the way Chairman did sometimes when he assessed a stranger, and said, "I want to die."

Magnus was stumped.

He blinked, once, then twice, and quickly recovering from his stupor he asked, "Why?"

"It's none of your business," The Shadowhunter said hurriedly. "I don't see how any of this is your business, in fact. I want to die, and I know vampires love Nephilim blood. I get what I want, and they get what they want."

"Except for the part where they turn you into a vampire instead of keeping you dead," Magnus pointed out. "Or mommy and daddy come after all of us for murdering their baby boy. They're notoriously famous for that."

"I wouldn’t mind that. Becoming a vampire," The Shadowhunter said, to Magnus’s surprise. "And as for the other thing…" Something shuttered close in his eyes. "You won't have to worry about my family coming down on you. You won't have to worry about any Shadowhunter coming down on you, in fact."

The boy raised his hands, palms facing himself, and it took Magnus a moment to realise what was wrong with them.

There was no Voyance rune on either of his hands.

"As far as they're concerned," he said, and now his voice was hollow too. "I am no longer one of them."

Magnus liked to imagine he had two brain cells. A back one and a front one.

The back one was fast - it did all the legwork and simply gave Magnus the information he needed in that moment. The front one, though somewhat slow, told him what he needed to do with the information he had.

Right now, the back brain cell was telling him, The Shadowhunter for some reason got deruned and is now practically a mundane in the eyes of the Law.

All the front one was willing to give him was, Fuck.

There was murmuring breaking out among the vampires now. Magnus couldn't hear what they were saying, but he suspected the gist of it was something like, Well, if he's deruned, there's no harm in drinking his blood and killing him, right?

"EVERYBODY SHUT UP! NO ONE IS GOING TO DRAIN THE LIGHTWOOD BOY!" Raphael yelled, confirming Magnus’s thoughts.

"Lady Camille would've let us drain him," a vampire muttered sullenly from someone behind.

"Dale!" another vampire hissed from nearby, this one a woman. "We don't mention Lady Camille around Magnus Bane, remember?"

Magnus raised an eyebrow at Raphael. Raphael simply shrugged.

"Simply trying to spare your feelings," he said.

Magnus sighed. "Nevermind that. Now-" He turned back to the Nephilim boy, who was still sitting on the ground, eyes flitting among the vampires - who were still muttering in spite of Raphael's orders. "What about him?"

"You have to get him out of here," Raphael hissed. "Now."

Before Magnus could even think of what to do next, the Shadowhunter stood up in one swift move, graceful even with the lack of runes. Just as swiftly, he brought his wrist to his mouth, teeth tearing at pale skin.

The dirt on the floor quickly soaked up the splash of deep red blood that landed on it.

Like a ripple, the smell of fresh Angelic blood hit the noses of every single vampire in the room.

Behind Magnus, Raphael swore in a low voice.

"So," the Shadowhunter said. "Who wants to go first?"

In the silence that followed, one could hear each drop of the Nephilim's blood hit the floor.

Plop.

There was a stain of blood red on the Shadowhunter's teeth and lips.

Plop.

The vampires looked on, eyes wide and nostrils dilated. Magnus heard a click behind him as someone's fangs popped out.

Plop.

Magnus had to act, and fast.

[themimsyborogove]

Merry holidays, I opened a bottle of rum and wrote some shippy nonsense

——

Paint the Sky With Stars

The sunset faded into twilight, and Catarina gave up on hoping the clouds would clear a little. In another few minutes, their campsite would be pitch black if they didn’t start a fire.

“You look unhappy,” Ragnor said, coming up behind her.

She shook her head. “It’s nothing,” she said.

“You don’t usually make that face over nothing”

“It’s silly enough to count at nothing,” she turned toward him, plastering on a smile.

“Catarina,” he gave her a pointed look, immediately seeing through the facade.

“It’s just been a long time since I’ve been out of a city,” she admitted. There wasn’t much use in lying to a person who knew you so well. “I feel like I’ve forgotten what the sky is supposed to look like.”

Ragnor examined the clouds with careful consideration, tilting his horned head to one side. After a long moment, he brought his arms up, and Catarina realized what he was going to do a second before a whirlwind swirled up around them.

“Ragnor!” she hissed, grabbing at his arm. Changing the weather wasn’t technically illegal, but it was highly discouraged, considering the commotion it caused with mundane meteorologists. Most warlocks didn’t have the stamina to disrupt much, so it didn’t often come up to begin with, but Ragnor seemed determined to banish every cloud from their sight line.

The wind finally died down, and Ragnor sat down on the grass with an exhausted oof.

Catarina shot him a look. “You idiot, why would you do that?”

“Because you looked unhappy,” he said simply. He reached up for her hand, and she took it, letting him tug her down to beside him in the starlight now brightening their campsite.

She nudged her shoulder into his. “You can’t just change the weather because someone was unhappy.”

“It wasn’t someone, it was you,” was all he said. When she glanced over at him, she could see the stars reflected in his dark eyes, the lines around them softer than he usually let anyone else see.

Catarina let herself look up, something catching in her chest at the deep indigo sparkling with infinite pinpoints of light, a far cry from the handful of stars she could only sometimes see in the New York sky if she was lucky.

Ragnor flopped down onto his back next to her, and she laid back too, letting the sky take up her entire field of vision, feeling almost like she could fall into it if she let go of the grass and soil underneath her.

She reached for Ragnor’s hand between them to ground herself, twining their fingers together and trying to focus on the warmth he always radiated while she drank in the sight of the sky.

It was a ridiculous stunt, but she felt lighter, staring at one of the few things that felt as eternal and unchanging as she did, the constellations moving in their familiar patterns like old friends.

Ragnor’s fingers squeezed hers, the inhumane movements of the extra joints on his fingers as familiar and comforting to her as the stars.

“Thank you,” she murmured, letting him hold her to the Earth while her thoughts drifted through the galaxy.

Ao3 link

[lurafita]

Ragnor is sure Magnus gets into these situations on purpose. Just to give him grey hairs.

Don't ask me how or why,

but I had the sudden image about Magnus happening to be at a bank when the bank gets robbed, and instead of the usual hostage situation, twenty minutes in, the robbers sit in a circle with Magnus and discuss their issues and agree to give themselves up. 🤣

Alec is... Not sure how to deal with this.

[skylar102]

Nothing Left But Forward - Master Post

After finding out his parents are using him as a scapegoat and forcing him to marry a woman whose in love with another, he decides to fake his death. With help from Ragnor, Alec is able to escape and live freely as a mundane. All seems well until Ragnor's past comes back to bite him and Alec is thrown back into the world he swore to never return to. ~~~~~~~

Art done by the awesome @schreiberling2021 💜💜

Beta read by @hopesilverheart 💜💜

This fic was created for the Shadowhunters Mini Bang 2023: Presented by the Malec Discord Server.

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

[alexanderlightweight]

Hello!

Alec's Trueblood lines possibly making him the angelic equivalent to Magnus' level of royalty in Edom.

Perhaps a young warlock gets a summoning wrong and traps an angel (well, not quite an angel) in a circle instead of a greater demon.

oooooh okay so i jumped on this like a preying mantis on a grasshopper okay! i went a little bit of a different route so Alec could finally kick some ass and Magnus is a little out of it but this is basically. i hope you enjoy!

Trueblood Shadow!heir Alec is summoned instead of an angel across time and dimensions. No one has a good time

-

Magnus is wondering how he’s going to get them out of this, if he’s going to be able to get anyone besides himself free and safe from the nephilim currently using Magnus and four other warlocks to try and power their ritual. They’re summoning an angel, they said. 

Their faces smug as terror had filled everyone around him and Magnus had known that out of all of them, he’s the only one who will survive. No angel will risk Asmodeus' wrath by smiting Magnus, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be hurt. That his heart can’t be ripped apart as he watches warlock children shivering in  fear from where Magnus’ hopes his protective magic and shield will keep them safe and invisible. 

It’s the shadowhunters fault in the end, but Magnus still blames the warlocks who tries to save themselves by selling out what the nephilim considered ‘untrained power vessels’ and Magnus had arrived in time to stop the transaction and save the children, but the other warlocks he was fighting and himself were taken down. Magnus personally will let every drop of magic be drained from the adults around him and if he can, he’s going to rip it free from the array and use it to protect the children, some mere babes.

There’s a crackle of lightning and Magnus can feel the shock wave as the ritual starts, as frost fills the air until each breath crystallizes. At the sight of ice growing on the walls of the abandoned ruins they’re enclosed in, across the broken floor and up the crumbling towers. 

A storm rages around them but for once, the rain no longer slips through, freezing and pausing in the air, a piece of captured starlight in crystal form, cold and bright and glittering all around him. It’s beautiful and terrifying and Magnus tries so hard not to feel fear but for the first time in a long time, Magnus wonders if he’s miscalculated.

The summoning was a success he realizes and Magus knows then that he never thought it would be, that he’d deluded himself into thinking he could hold out until Ragnor or Cat show up.  Instead he watches as the world turns dark except for the icy stars and then there’s a crack, like a glacier being broken open and everyone who isn’t magically secured and bound to the array is blown back.  Some of the shadowhunters remain conscious but it’s with vicious glee that Magnus watches as several of them get smashed into the stones of the decaying castle with splintering cracks of bone that echo in the hollow silence.

The being is glowing, a silver blue light that is an ethereal wisp as the being slowly floats to the ground, four large, long wings trailed out behind it. The eyes look a silver, inhuman blue, more lines criss crossing and overlapping than an iris and a pupil. It casts a long, writhing shadow that is less in the shape of the angel and more in the shape of a hungry maw.

“What is this?” It asks and Magnus is surprised by the low, smooth almost soothing timbre of the voice. Though, Magnus thinks, it would make unfortunate sense if angels were able to charm with their voices, probably why the mundanes accepted the stupid offer from Raziel in the first place.

“Great angel—” one still standing shadowhunter starts. “Forgive us for bringing you here with such disgusting methods.” He kicks at one of the, no longer necessary Magnus supposes, warlocks. “We are indeed of your divine righteousness! To help us cleanse the world of downworlder scum.”

“Are you serious right now?” the being asks and Magnus wonders if he has a concussion because he could swear the angel sounds confused. "Is that? Why is my husband here?”

And suddenly everything goes very wrong, for the shadowhunters.

Because the angel is beyond furious and Magnus watches with a thrilled sense of horror as what looked like long, soft plumage shudders and shines and turns to pure, sharp and deadly adamas. The shadowhunters all gasp and kneel in delighted awe and shadows peel from the floor to wrap around them as the angel steps out of the array, crossing over to a kneeling form and Magnus watches as two of them are beheaded with the easy flap of a razor sharp wing-tip. And then the angel spins, wings flared out and like arrows, feathers shoot out, finding the necks of every shadowhunters still breathing. 

“Oh fuck, just what did they do?” Magnus is being asked next, instead of that deadly plumage in his own neck and he’s looking into eyes that look hazel under the inhuman blue. Then cool hands are pulling him up, picking him from the ground. “Magnus?” And then Magnus feels a hand against the side of his neck but instead of squeezing, there is pure ice being delivered into him, cold, powerful energy that burns as it writhes through him and replenishes his reserves. “Summoning a fucking angel, honestly. I thought we were done with this bullshit. Of all the things, I swear if this is because we ate the cup that one time, I’m going to be pissed.”

“You ate a cup?” Magnus finds himself asking which is still better than commenting that an angel swears. Especially when he's dazed and still shocked by how gently he’s being touched, by how powerful and invulnerable he suddenly feels. “That doesn’t seem very tasty.” Because it doesn't and honestly, Magnus feels disappointed, he'd rather have learned angels didn't eat or only drank ambrosia than learn they eat dishes.

“Oh gods, fuck you’re high as a kite on magical shock. Okay, babe what do I need to do, what are my priorities?” 

“You’re going to listen to me?” Magnus asks because while shadowhunters might think they can command an ancient being, Magnus never once has made that same assumption. 

“Of course.” He’s promised and what feels like a kiss is pressed to the top of his head. “I always listen to you—” and there is a muttered ‘mostly’ that he misses. “As long as you don’t try to convince me that the best way to get over something that makes me angry is to set it on fire, again. I’m not sure Imogen’s office can survive a second inferno.”

“They can stay. Trapped.” Magnus clarified, because he doesn’t want the other warlocks dead. He wants them strung up in front of the council and verbally and physically lashed until their blood and pain is a tenth of the terror the children they stole felt. 

“Okay, and the kids? Are they safe to move? Are any of them hurt? Are they coming with us?”

“Yes.” Magnus says because he can’t leave them here and the angel he knows is better than the one he doesn’t. “With me.”

“Mkay, I’m going to send a message to Cat.” And Magnus wonders how this being knows Cat and if it’s reading his mind, “okay. I’m not going to message Cat.” But instead of a fire message he brings out some strange, eldritch artifact that glows and hums angrily at its wielder. “Okay, no service. Great. Well, a fire message won’t work since she’s still at the Labyrinth. You have enough energy for a portal?” 

Magnus does, somehow but he’s still surprised when he’s led over to the hidden children and the angel helps him stay upright. Hold him as Magnus opens a portal and then keeps him on his feet as Magnus sends the children through. He closes the portal instantly and opens a new one, not wanting to take the angel to the children, even if Magnus doubts a change in portal would truly stop him.

Magnus gets through the portal and then the angel, his angel that is still following him obediently shudders, a look of shock on his face as he takes in the lair and something hopeless and heartbreaking when he turns and now in a place with proper lighting, Magnus marvels at how human it’s face is. 

“Magnus?” He’s asked and Magnus nods, because obviously he is and then his angel’s wings flutter, its expression falling and it’s dropping in what almost looks like a faint, a strange, fallen image of divinity. 

Magnus summons a drink and lets himself slump, still staring at the angel as he wonders just what he’s gotten himself into this time.

[tetsunabouquet]

Heir To The Lands Chapter 29

Masterpost Everyone Wants An Answer

The night had been terrible. Ty had cried himself to sleep in Kit's comforting embrace and the blonde hadn't slept at all out of the fear Ty would wake up in the middle of the night for a toilet break and cry some more in the bathroom. Taking care of Ty was his number one priority at the moment. Livvy's spirit and his foster parents were wisely leaving Ty to Kit, recognizing a small group of people fussing over him would stress him out more then just letting Kit handle it. Kit stared at him as he slept, and only left the bed to close his curtains when the sun began to shine. Ty slept and slept until his phone started buzzing. He stirred in his sleep and Kit couldn't help but glance at the object and wondering if Ty would be okay with him answering a probably concerned Jules. But thank the Angel, he didn't have to. Because his own phone also started buzzing and he saw both of them were texted by Dru. He quickly placed Ty's phone on the nightstand to read the text she had send him, 'It's a bit of a story, but I made it back safely from Faerie. I did require the help of Ragnor and he reminded me of being on the verge of a panic attack. What did Gwyneth and Jaime say? Because I think the Shadow World is already feeling whatever threat the Seelie Queen is planning.' Kit was euphoric yet anxious at once at Dru's message and he slowly shook Ty awake. The boy's pale eyelids fluttered until his gaze landed on Kit. After a moment of hesitation, Kit spoke, "Ty, I know your mind is too overcome right now, but you need to know Dru made it back! Somehow, she came across Ragnor and that's honestly all she texted me. But I wanted you to know she is safe." Ty's hands started fluttering as his mind was visibly racing, and Kit tried stroking his hair out of the Blackthorn boy's face, wondering what he should do to help Ty process. "Is it okay if I get you some tea?" He asked hesitantly and after a minute of silence Ty started nodding which Kit took as a yes.

Alec had called his friends to his and Magnus' apartment. Magnus had been overtly dotting by spoiling their children rotten with toys so they would be distracted for a couple of hours because they refused to go to bed once they realized that their uncles and aunties were coming over. Toys R Us is shutting down anyways, he said. Alec did not know enough about bankruptcy or mundane parenting to fully understand the picture of mundane kids and their apparant new religion of tablets, but he did not have the energy to care. Because all his mind was consumned with, where thoughts on the raid. For someone had broken into his office and stolen all kinds of files, including his correspondence with Manuel. He was sick with worry and Magnus' earlier phone call with Ragnor was enough to have his husband grow pale and quiet. For Magnus to look that distraught, it would need to take a whole lot. Alec's heart was resting in his shoes as he raced to the door as he heard the familiar doorbell and the loud yapping between Jace and Simon.

Dru had sent the text, Thais was gone from their room. She was willing to bet she was assigned to the student patrol- this was a program Luke thought up to help the New York Enclave by easing up their burdens whilst simultaneously having the opportunity to train students in actual combat. The New York neon lights ruled the dark skies as all of her thoughts floated through her head, finally getting to process everything that happened. Jaime's terrible state, meeting Ash Morgenstern again and Ragnor's worrying booth. It all sank down her mind like an anchor dropped in the vast ocean. She laid down on her bed, groaning at the long day she had. "Kit, what on earth has the Seelie Queen got planned for you?" She asked the ceiling just as the door to her room opened. Dru shot up as not one, but several people entered her room. She was just about to reach for her stele as the light switch flicked on. Thais, Laura, Tomas, Zeynep and Tavi were all standing in the room. Thais looked worried but annoyed with Tomas behind her exuding his usual calm and collected aura, Laura looked confused, Zeynep looked tired and Tavi was looking at her with one brow raised before scanning the room with disinterest. "Welcome Dru. Can you explain to me the meaning behind my brother's text?" Tomas asked as he held up his phone expectantly and Dru knew her long day wasn't over yet.

[faithfromanewperspective]

dangit there goes the ask/follow/unfollow thing again! anyway. tell us about your mixed feelings about ragnor.

okay. this one's a juicy one. i'm not going to lie, ragnor pisses me off in a lot of ways. he's hilariously grouchy, he's not a bad guy, he's actually kinda loveable and he's doing what he does from a place of centuries of trauma but there are some things I simply can't overlook and this all put together, he's the perfect realistic example of someone who has been dehumanised and discriminated against by shadowhunters for centuries and yet still winds up interacting with them, and behaves accordingly.

Ragnor is older than Magnus, he was his friend and mentor which I find super sweet. He's rough around the edges but has a caring side to him, and we see that when he takes Magnus under his wing. He makes a great friend group dynamic with Magnus and Caterina and I do love that aspect of him.

Ragnor doesn't have the formative good experience with Shadowhunters that Magnus does, nor did he grow up with the distance from them as Caterina seems to have (imo she has more autonomy in her relations with shadowhunters as she's a healer, she's street smart and knows how to break the law without getting in trouble, she mainly deals with mundanes and so the shadowhunters she does help tend to not be The Clave Inner Group). He has been hurt by Shadowhunters: from the warlock head on the wall they didn't understand why was traumatic in tftsa, to the way he was very shaken after matthew and christopher blew up the academy, to the way we kinda get the vibe that he was there, before the Accords, interacting with them as much as he had to but knowing that he could be killed for pretty much no reason (and we see that taking a toll on him). He's not as reckless as Magnus, and prioritises survival for himself over anyone else--and after living hundreds of years in such a world, who can blame him? For 'haring of to Capri' for 'his nerves' during chain of gold. For working with Shinyun when she Thorned him after imprisoning him for literal years in tlbotw. For the way he talks about and treats the TLH gang, which I will get to.

Rangor and the Victorian Herondales Before I get to that, I want to trace that thread (of the connection between Ragnor and James and Christopher specifically) back to when Charlotte hired Ragnor to watch Will's family for him, when he was 12 and she was only 18-19 or so. In CP1, we see that they seem to get along and work together fairly well: Charlotte respects him, and maybe he finds her less intimidating as though she's an Institute head she's not part of the Bigoted Powerful Group of shadowhunters and she's grown up in a world of the Accords. Clearly he has no problem with her, she pays him well, they get along fine, appropriate boundaries are maintained (what are those, Magnus Bane?) he watches the Herondales for her, all is fine. Things are purely business. They discuss Tessa a little (if I remember correctly) but all is respectful, Ragnor seems to be fine with both Will and Tessa.

Fast forward to the Academy, Ragnor got a job as a professor, the warlock head drama is dealt with, he's doing his job, he's a bit curious about James, the first ever grandchild of a demon, he's willing to be there to educate him, whether about Shadowhunter things or warlock things, he doesn't get weird when James' powers appear like all the Shadowhunters do. He knows he's teaching Christopher who is an inventor and likes to explode things, but Matthew's looking after him even if Matthew is acting like a brat--Ragnor never seemed to have a problem with Henry, now he's teaching Henry's son and his protegee, from what I remember of Nothing But Shadows he seems generally pretty normal about this (correct me if I'm wrong), at least no more hysterical than the regular person. Then the building explodes. Ragnor wasn't in it, Matthew made sure of that, we get the sense he was fairly nearby--but so were literally hundreds of people.

And I don't want to minimise his trauma in any way. It is real, it does make perfect sense when we think of him already being in a vulnerable position as a warlock, even if it didn't make sense it would still be very valid and very real. A building explodes. Of course that is traumatic. Even if Christopher didn't mean for it to happen and it was Matthew, really, who mixed the explosives. Ragnor doesn't have to go and look at it from either of their perspective, to figure out why--he's allowed to just be traumatised. He's got a very realistic portrayal of PTSD from that event actually. But at the same time, he's an adult, and they, even if they are children of an oppressive tribe/cult, are children. And he chose to teach them, knowing what Shadowhunters are like, how their entire job is literally violence. That doesn't negate his right to be traumatised, he doesn't need to parent them or make space for their feelings, but there are a couple of things I just can't sweep under the rug.

Ragnor and the TLH gang There's a reason why I referred back to the Victorian Herondales: Ragnor has been watching out for Cecily and her parents, keeping track of them being alive at least, since she was a child. He teaches her son. He doesn't have to like Christopher, of course he links him to his trauma, but for a 16-year-old to hear 'hide the breakables, hide the whole house, Christopher Lightwood is here' when you're someone who really just wants to help people, is gambling on a dream of being able to use your passion for that (and frequently doubts it) and would feel terrible for when you do accidentally violate OH&S badly because you're a child and someone else set you up to do something you would hate to do (even though you're careless enough that you would inevitably do something like that on your own)--that would be brutal. I wish we were able to explore a bit more about what that was like for Christopher, I wish we were able to see someone (Cecily or Gabriel perhaps) work through that guilt and self-forgiveness with him. But in my opinion Ragnor could have done that much better. He didn't need to talk to Christopher, could have said that from the get-go and Tessa just ushered James and Lucie and Thomas up to talk to him or something. Like yes, his 'nerves [were] in a state' we can see that. It's good of him to know he needed to get to Capri. But I'm a little too protective of Christopher to just let him off the hook for that. Like I'm not super mad--just you know. Mixed feelings.

And then there's James. TMH was a fever dream, yes, but that whole scene 'oh ragnor loves causing trouble' like. There was backstory to that, to James taking bets from him, and Ragnor knowing what to say, like there's some sort of truth or dare going on and they're just causing trouble, having a good time and being little shits about it. Like this clearly wasn't the first time James had gone drinking with Ragnor (and it leaves me with so many questions. Like Ragnor clearly thought James was alright from the Academy days, he's grown up now, enough to have fun, he trusts him not to kill anyone with that gun when we know how self-preservational Ragnor is, and they weren't as protective of teenagers then as people are now--he wasn't necessarily in the wrong). Like he didn't have to realise what state James was in at the time (in fact it was probably good to just be normal and friendly, who wants to be parented anymore at 16). There's definitely a lot of trust there (and I do trust Ragnor with whatever he had against the barmaid that she deserved to be knocked over and have to prise a bullet out of her prosthetic). And he sees James again 6 months later and is like 'oh I wonder what will become of you Herondales [includes Lucie which at least someone does] so be it bye' so like. they're cool enough. But something about that whole thing was extremely irresponsible. How would he have felt if James had drowned in the Serpentine that night, if Ragnor had managed to convince Magnus to hang out with him? I don't know. I am glad none of us had to go through that. There would be quite the ripple of guilt around the cast. Rangor wasn't bad but he wasn't smart: it was Magnus, reckless, caring, weirdly-fascinated-with-the-Herondales Magnus who had never met James before who noticed something was wrong and decided to step up. You can see how I lost a bit of respect for Ragnor there (even though he did also do some things that earned my respect).

And then he talks about the TLH gang as any cynical Downworlder would about some Shadowhunter youths, as if he doesn't know them? He does know James, he doesn't have to like Christopher and Matthew because of the Academy thing, he's decent enough in how he talks about Anna and Thomas, but he's kinda disrespectful of Cordelia (like doesn't that word basically mean 'slut'? or am i mistaken?) when he's got nothing against her (other than her being Alastair's sister I guess, Ragnor did teach Alastair and we never see what he thought of him, they're similar in many ways but Alastair was part of the bully group at school apart from his first year). Like with the history between Shadowhunters and Downworlders I really think Ragnor deserves a serious apology, and restitution; but I also think that the TLH group are the kind of people who would be able to facilitate that: not with the Clave as a whole but just with some Shadowhunters, and sometimes that means just as much. I hope they do, post-canon, I hope that's why Ragnor in the modern series seems better to the shadowhunter youth than he was to James and Christopher and Cordelia (and he doesn't teach at the Academy anymore, good for him). I hope he does realise (and I'm going to mention Christopher's death sorry) that he was a good guy and only a child and manages to separate him from that traumatic experience and let Christopher's friends (for he's already been out drinking with James a few times right and does have that curiosity, plus I'd bet James does want to explore his warlock heritage at some point) be humans to him, as Charlotte was when most Nephilim didn't treat him as human. I hope Ragnor in post-canon(historical) does get to mend the rift between him and the Shadowhunters, if only partially.

Ragnor in the TDA era And then, just when I think 'oh he's alright actually' he shows up with Shinyun and he had something awful happen to him again and his cowardice came through. Which is understandable given his trauma. But surely you think about how destructive this plan is and nope out at some point? I think that's all that needs to be said for tlbotw. Yes he does vow to do better when he gets a second chance at the end, owed to, yet again, Magnus being reckless. So he deals alright with Kit and Ty. He actually takes care of them a little the way he should've at least attempted to with James. He does all he can really for another deranged black-haired autistic teenage boy, even if it does involve lying--necromancy is so much worse than lying. He's a confidant for Kit or at least available to be that, which Kit also desperately needs. So he's alright for that. Overall, yes. Mixed feelings. He's an interesting guy. Can't wait to see his arc in TWP.

[khaleesiofalicante]

dani can you make a list of the main takeaways from this chapter? so much happened that I think my mind missed a couple of details...

also,the chapter was amazing.i fucking loved it. petition for chapter to be from other magnus pov. also we need the diary of other max

Not y'all making me write a 25k chapter AND Sparks Note lmao. Okay. But let's see.

What do we know about the Other Timeline:

Max and David (with their kids) lived a very different life in the Other Timeline. They went into the mundane world (not Australia hehe, Staten Island) and lived as mundanes, hoping it would keep them safe.

This means in the other timeline A LOT of the things that happened in LBAF 5 and 6 did not happen - including Arcaid, Blackbane, Arthur getting arrested, Other Max drama etc. It was just...It was a very quiet and peaceful life.

Mavid family knew about Arthur's power. He tells them as we saw. They also know Lucifer killed him.

They had a very quiet life until the day of Winter Solstice when Arthur dies, Lance gets triggered and destroys Idris and all the nephilim in the world.

His power kills Lance and the door between the demon world and mundane world breaks, turning the real world into a demonic one where demons just live freely (because nephilim aren't there to kill them anymore)

All the nephilim died except for David (who switched to his demon blood). But 11 days after his boys' deaths, he takes his own life by changing back into his angel blood and drawing an agony rune on his chest. He dies before the demons find him.

Warlocks can't use magic in OT because demons sense it and kill them. So, they all wear Arcane binders (which takes their magic away).

A lot of warlocks in the other timeline are dead too - including Ragnor and Catarina.

The Warlock Academy in London is where baby warlocks are brought in (Magnus teleports them there) and trained not to use their magic (this makes me very sad btw). Tessa runs the place. Tessa does not wear arcane binders because she needs to put it on everyone else.

The Specials (Eldest Curses) who can use their 'special' powers learned to expand on them. Tessa can turn into demons too (she once turned into an angel in TID), Magnus can teleport through dreams (dream walking), Max can time travel because he used lightning/light to create portals that break through the fabric of time.

The Other Timeline is a fucking mess. People die every day. It's not hospitable and it's dangerous and it's literally dying. I'd give it another 300-400 years before everyone (mundanes) dies.

That's when Time Travel idea is brought up. There is a lot of research to figure out what to do. There is an ENTIRE team of people working together to fix the timeline - under Max's leadership.

The first attempt is to bring Arthur back (because it was the obvious trigger) but then Max finds out about canon events and how they cannot be changed.

That's when Kincaid comes up. Everyone knows a little bit about him even though he doesn't exist in their timeline. They see him in the mural. Hermes knows the Knightstorms (because of Mikkel). Max knows him because Arthur used to mumble his name in his sleep.

Hermes sacrifices himself (because Michael's blood is guarded by his own at Nico's orders) for Kincaid to be created.

Max creates Kincaid and then they all wait patiently.

ENTER THE CURRENT TIMELINE.

What happened at the end:

Other Max says he won't change a canon event

David forces him (by threatening to take his own life) to open a time portal

But they don't let Other Max change the canon event because they fear he will go through the portal to his own timeline

So Max puts him to sleep

When Other Max wakes up, he finds out that Arthur is alive and Winter Solstice is over. Meaning someone changed the canon event and prevented Arthur's death.