#obviously i haven't had much time to get to izzy in this book considering he doesn't really come into full form until MS

[duffmckagans]

very excited for people to see how all of these characters have changed in subtle ways due to either maturity in nuance or dissatisfaction with the original portrayals, but i think i'm most excited for people to read about valerie this time. which, possibly may be because this book is centered around her, but i just feel like she's gained some good depth. all of her traits are still there, for better or worse, but there's definitely an added realism that i'm really proud of ♡ and i hope is better understood this time around.

[run-me-through-but-not-like-that]

Hi, I just wanted to tell you I love all of your Izzy x reader fics! They’re so much fun to read and I’m still only partway through the treasure trove that is your masterlist 🥰 I feel like you’re single-handedly carrying the izzy x reader tag here on tumblr and I give you many kudos!! I thought your last fic (drunken flirting with Izzy) was perfect and I was wondering if you’d be willing to write a part 2 where the reader actually does get their tattoo from him? Obviously the image/symbol is your choice but what if they got a small tattoo on their cheek like Izzy but it’s a little swallow to match his? 👀

Not a direct follow up to the drunken flirting fic (can be read separately) but you get that tattoo from Izzy!

Izzy Hands Gives you a Tattoo:

Once again, as was pretty typical these days, you found yourself enjoying your leisure time in Izzy's cabin. Nothing untoward, of course. Quite the opposite, really.

Izzy sat at the desk in his little cabin, working on the books. The ledger, you think he said but those duties never held your attention that long. Still, he looked rather handsome, even hunched over the desk, brow furrowing as he put everything in order.

You, being less productive, lay out on his cot, watching him silently as you played with a loose thread on your shirt.

As you watched Izzy, appreciating the way he looked in the candle light. How it cast a warm glow over his ever tense face.

"At this rate, Lucius is going to get a tattoo before me," you commented, muttered really. Not even sure if he had heard you, he tended to get a little lost in his work.

"Still haven't made a decision?" Izzy questioned, lifting his gaze from the book and glancing over at you.

"No," you groaned dramatically before turning onto your side to better face him, propping your head up on your elbow. "I think I want something small, since it's my first tattoo and I know it's going to hurt, but something meaningful, you know?" of course, you had been putting a lot of thought into it but you wanted something that you could look back on and smile at, this was permanent after all.

"Whenever you pick a design, just let me know," Izzy shrugged, attention turned back to the ledger.

Eying the swallow on the side of his neck, you hummed to yourself. You liked that one, thought it was pretty. Didn't think he'd be a huge fan of birds, considering how he reacts to Karl.

"What do yours mean?" you asked, hoping he would indulge you. He seemed to do so more often than not lately.

You weren't completely sure how this friendship, budding relationship, whatever it was began but it was comfortable.

Izzy looked back at you before sighing, pushing the ledger away from him slightly before standing. A part of you worried that he would just leave, unsure of what to make of his movement, but instead he crossed over to the cot and sat down on the edge.

"Nothing very sentimental, really. The north star is a pretty common tattoo among sailors, suppose to bring luck when navigating, not getting lost and finding your way home. That kind of thing," he told you, gesturing towards his face. The tattoo on his cheek, of course. "The swallow symbolises distance travelled, a bit like a milestone," that sounded like it could also hold some sentimental value as well as a marker of some miles travelled.

Shifting from your position, you sat beside him, legs folded under yourself. "What about this one?" you asked, carefully taking Izzy's hand in yours and stroking your thumb over the small tattoo between his thumb and index finger. The ace of spades.

Izzy took a moment of answer, lingering on how your thumb brushed against the ink so tenderly. How you still held his hand.

"Depends who you ask. Symbolises strength and honour. Some think it's a symbol of good luck," Izzy informed you.

You had a feeling it was somewhat sentimental since he didn't seem to be the type to believe in luck, and definitely not the type to trust it.

"I like it," you hummed, smiling softly.

Izzy never found it easy to tell what you were thinking, you were so strange to him at times. "Yeah, you think you might want one like that?" Izzy asked.

"It's small, it's meaningful. Hits my requirements," you chuckled, but it really did appeal to you. "Would remind me of you too," you added, thumb stilling over the small tattoo as you met his gaze.

You noticed his mouth twitch, trying to figure out how to respond. You waited, always did when he got like that. "You want a matching tattoo?" he definitely sounded surprised, though not off put by the idea.

"Only if that's alright with you," you weren't about to deny it even as your face heated up. The idea sounded...nice to you.

"Yeah...yeah that's alright," Izzy nodded, still not pulling his hand away from yours. "Where would you want it?"

You chewed on the inside of your cheek, knowing your answer but unsure of his opinion on the matter. Finally released his hand, you lifted yours and stroked your thumb over the tattoo of a star on his cheek.

"Your cheek?" he questioned, almost sounding like he had the breath knocked out of him.

"Again, if it's alright with you," you nodded, confident on what you wanted but knowing it may not please him.

"...yeah...think it'd look good on you," Izzy cleared his throat, but sounded genuinely sincere. You couldn't help but smile, even if you were still trying to understand what exactly he was thinking.

What Izzy was thinking could pretty much be boiled down to: Fuck. You wanted him to give you a tattoo, that was one thing, a show of trust considering his rocky standing among Bonnet's crew. More importantly, you wanted a tattoo that matched one of his own. Even more importantly, you wanted it placed on your face, where everyone could see it, where you couldn't hide it.

"Great. Decision made!" you grinned, pleased with finally having a plan as you dropped your hands down into your lap.

"When do you want to do it?" Izzy asked, assuming you would want more time to take more consideration.

"Whenever you think is best," you shrugged, not seeming to worried about thinking on it much longer.

"We'll do it tomorrow, I'll dig out my kit and check the ink is still good. Should be," Izzy suggested, watching you for some sort of reaction.

"You have your own kit? Thought we'd have to ask Roach for the stuff," you asked, head tilting to the side curiously.

"Who do you think did most of Edward's tattoos?" he raised an eyebrow. Of course Edward had received tattoos from many people, some he remembered, some he didn't, but plenty of them were entrusted to Izzy's hand.

"Oh? Well now I'm really excited. Knowing the type of artistry I can expect," your smile only grew. If Izzy's tattooing was good enough for Blackbeard, it was beyond good enough for you.

"You spend a lot of time admiring Edward's tattoos?" Izzy squinted at you, the corner of his mouth tugging downwards, only for a second.

"Not exactly, but he obviously has a lot of them," you shrugged, plus the captain always had one arm full of ink on display. It was hard to miss. "You're not jealous are you?" you asked, smirking a little when Izzy scoffed, looking away from you. "Just makes me even more confident that I can trust you with this," you assured him, deciding not to tease him too much more.

"Won't make it hurt any less," he muttered, easing up again.

"Yeah, yeah whatever," you rolled your eyes, trying not to think about the pain too much. "Don't need to be all jealous though, sure everyone will get the idea once I'm sporting your tattoo," okay, making you would tease him a little but more.

"Fuck off," Izzy huffed, his face developing a pink flush. You just chuckled at his flustered expression.

-

The next day, you anxiously but excitedly made your way to Izzy's cabin. He had told you to meet him after lunch, saying you should eat something first, so that's exactly what you did. You had been talking about getting yourself a tattoo with the rest of the crew, they were all supportive.

When you arrive, letting yourself in, Izzy had already gotten everything set up. Candles were lit to make sure the lighting was good, said he hadn't wanted to do it out on the deck despite the better lighting. To be fair, you preferred this, the intimacy of it.

Izzy nodded to the chair he had positioned next to the desk, where his tools lay. You rounded it, taking a seat without complain, your anxiety growing as you watched him prepare everything.

"Going to just wipe down the area, avoid dirt getting in the wound, and then I'm going to trace the outline with a quill. Make sure it looks right. Okay?" Izzy walked you through the first few steps and you hung on to every word.

"You sound like a professional, Iz," you smiled up at him, earning a twitch of a smile from him.

Just as he said he would, he wiped your cheek with a damp cloth and used a quill to trace out his shape. It tickling, making you flinch and giggle to yourself. Izzy had fondly chastised you for your reaction but you knew there was no real venom behind it.

Once he was pleased with the outline, he handed you a handheld mirror. You took it, taking in your reflection, turning and tilting your head every each way to see how the tattoo looked from every angle. You liked the way it looked on you, bringing a smile to yourself. It made you look like a real pirate but, perhaps more significantly, it reminded you of the man who was watching you carefully for a reaction.

"It's perfect, Iz," you beamed up at him as you placed the mirror down.

Izzy made sure to sterilise the needles (despite having done so earlier), just to make extra sure. Needle dipped in ink, he brought the point up to your cheek.

"Last chance to back out. If you quit halfway through you're going to end up with an ugly mark on your cheek," he warned, letting you change your mind at the last minute. You knew he would give somebody else this much explanation, this much chance. You appreciated it.

"I'm ready," you promised with a determined nod.

Izzy got to work like a real professional, just like you had teased him about earlier. He lost himself in the repetitive task like he did with most of his jobs, putting his all into it.

The process definitely hurt, he was stabbing you in the face hundreds of times over and over again. It stung more than anything.

It made your eyes water, even if it was more due to the placement of the tattoo than actually crying from the pain. Either way, Izzy didn't mention it, just wiped the tears away with his thumb before they could reach the fresh ink.

You were thankful that you had chosen a small tattoo because it still took a while and you weren't sure you wanted to go for much longer.

Thankfully, Izzy finished filling in the tattoo some time later, and wiped away the excess ink and blood with a cloth.

Once again, he handed you the hand mirror. "Like I said, it's perfect. Thank you," you complimented his handiwork, genuinely appreciative of him taking the time to do this for you.

"Going to hurt for a while," Izzy told you, beginning to clean things up.

"Figured as much," you sighed as you placed the mirror down. It was worth it though.

"Don't scratch it, and it is going to itch. Do not scratch it. Treat it like a normal open wound to avoid infection," Izzy advised, heaving a sigh before continuing, "Bonnet would probably let you use some sort of ointment he has. Coconut oil is good for it though."

"Thanks, Iz. I'll take good care of it," you promised, despite already feeling the urge to reach up and touch it.

Seemingly sensing your urge, Izzy squinted down at you. "Repeat what I told you," he demanded.

You bit back a smirk, straightening your posture obediently. "Don't scratch it. Keep it clean. Avoid infection. And you recommend coconut oil," you repeated smugly, earning an amused smile from him as he turned back to tidying up.

-

"The new tattoo looks great!" Black Pete complimented enthusiastically when you made your debut onto the deck.

"Like a real pirate," Lucius teased warmly, smiling fading a little when he realised that Roach, the only person he considered doing tattooing, was sitting with them.

"Why did you let me do it?" Roach frowned, confirming Lucius' thoughts. Roach hadn't given you the tattoo but he didn't think anyone else knew how too.

"Roach, I love you and I'd happily let you do some stitches for me but I'm not letting you near my face with a needle recreationally," you teased, making the man roll his eyes, but the maniacal smile supported your choices.

"Then who did it?" Lucius questioned, cocking an eyebrow at you.

"Izzy," you shrugged, like it was the most obvious thing on the ship.

"You let him near your face with a needle!" Roach exclaimed, almost sounding offended.

"He's good at tattooing!" you insisted. "Plus, he knew the design well," you added.

Lucius squinted at you, because of course he did. What he hell did that mean? It wasn't exactly a complicated piece. Still, he didn't question your meaning despite wanting too.

He saw it later though, understood it then. Lucius had been watching you, still getting used to the new marking on your face, when Izzy approached you. Casually, like he so often did with you, Lucius had noticed that before.

The first mate had placed his bare hand on your shoulder and that was when Lucius saw it, properly saw it for the first time. The ace of spades tattoo between his thumb and forefinger.

You had gotten a matching tattoo for Izzy fucking Hands.

[miazeklos]

Itacon Day Two: recap

Here we go again! Hopefully tumblr will crash less this time around. Again, panel by panel, although it'll probably be kinda disproportionate.

Dom

Starting with him because I got lost in the subway and missed Chai's first panel. He started off with Alberto - I joined the questions line almost as soon as I arrived and asked them both what the characters's story lines would be from here on regarding family. Alberto said that it'll be difficult, but Simon would try to move on. Dom said that Jace has a lot going on in the family department and a lot of it is traumatic for him, but he considers the Lightwoods his family above all.

There was a question about the book club and what books Alberto would recommend to both Jace and Simon. For Jace, he said 1984 because of Clave parallels; for Simon, anything by Kurt Vonnegut.

Dom said he enjoys playing Jace because he's hard work - they don't have much in common. Thinks Jace's life would be simpler if he had his personality. Hardest scene to film was the dreamscape in 3x08. All the parabatai scenes are hard, but then again, "there's not really an easy episode for Jace. He doesn't get a break.". Loves to work with Alberto and Matt and also with David, Nicola and Alan because they're "a unique breath of fresh air". Later addition - "Oh shit, and Kat!". Poured a glass of water for his translator one-handed because his collarbone is broken and got wildly applauded for it.

Jace's ideal ending according to him is being happy with the people he cares about. His favourite thing about Jace "apart from his amazing hair" is his self-sacrificial nature. Upon asked a question about playing a different character, he says Izzy, because he'd "rock some of her outfits". Often inspired by his co-stars - "everything Jade does is dripping with charisma".

He got a question about animal abuse and said that "it's one of the most disgraceful things to do" and that you shouldn't treat an animal in a way you wouldn't treat a person.

Shared a story about himself - when he was thirteen, his father was working on the production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Ten years later, almost to the day, he went to start filming Vampire Academy and it made him tear up. What he and Jace have in common is that they both "like to fix things".

Dom x Matt

This was the stuff of dreams, obviously. There were so many people in line that I didn't get to ask a question, but a lot of fascinating answers happened anyway. When asked to play three truths and a lie with each other started off with "Matt snores" and "Dom cries in his sleep" and it just got more embarrassing from there. Shared a few stories from their vacation. Debated on whether they'd have it in them to kill each other should the circumstances call for it; Dom was offended that Matt would even consider it. "But you haven't considered all the possibilities!" "Maybe I can consider not being your friend anymore". This panel was littered with half-said spoilers and inside jokes that no one really got, which was clearly the point. Called each other babe a few times. That might or might not have been a fever dream.

Matt recited the oath and it was beautiful. He also seemed to be in a semi-permanent state of worrying about Dom which, given the state of him, understandable.

There was a question about whether there was some truth to what the Owl was saying in Magnus's flat. Dom delicately said that he was intentionally trying to hurt people but that he also has full access to Jace's memory. Make of that what you will.

In general, it was a lot of fun, 10/10 would repeat again but won't have the chance to (probably, unless they overlap tomorrow). They're such a good team.

Matt x Nicola

Another panel that had a lot going on. They mostly talked about the different aspects of the relationship between Alec and Maryse (apart from one apocalypse-related question which delved into the truly bizarre vision of cultivating the only animals/lifeforms left on earth into a society and saving up gold for some reason). I asked about Alec's years in preparation as Head of the Institute and what Maryse was like then; they both talked about the different faces to their dynamic and how the militaristic nature of their society bleeds into parent-child relationships and vice versa.

There was a question about whether Maryse could suppose what Alec's feelings for Jace were; Nicola said no, because Maryse considers both of them her kids and she knows that their relationship is intense, but not in that way. Lots of possibilities for a darker fic here, tbh.

Will

His panel was super short today because he had things to do. About three people got to ask a question. There is always tomorrow, however, and I'll be Ready.

Kat

Speaking of darker stuff, this sure took an interesting turn. She talked a lot about Jonathan in different ways - how he was never truly given a chance, is clearly conflicted and so on. I asked what Clary would turn out like if she'd been raised in the Circle; "Oh, that's a fascinating question. If Valentine raised her, I don't think she would be too different from Jonathan". Still, she thinks that if Jocelyn did have some impact in this AU, she'd rein things in. With Jonathan together, they could be "terrifying"; seemed delighted at the prospect. In the same vein, she was later asked about what it would have been like if Clary and Jonathan had been raised together. She thinks they'd be close like Alec and Izzy, if not more, and they'd be "unstoppable, maybe close enough to become parabatai. Can siblings be parabatai? I don't remember the rules... Wait, you can't date your parabatai..." Continue to make of that what you will.

She wants to play a villain one day; a new one. Talked some about the differences between shooting movies and shows, too.

Chai

This panel was technically a mix of absolutely everything, but the majority of questions were directed at him. Started off with just him, then Nicola joined in, then Jade and David, then Dom and Alberto. In the end, they were down to Chai and Jade, I think. My question was about where the ambition/interest in acting came; both him and Nicola said that they wanted to be actors since they were little. He wanted to be in action movies; she played mostly in theater because she didn't see women like herself on screen and didn't believe it was possible.

Someone brought up that he'd be great in one of the Fantastic Beasts movies - the reaction was pretty much, "Can you repeat that to my agent? And the producers?"

Talked some about Jordan and second chances when asked; he thinks everyone deserves a second chance if they do genuinely want to grow and change.

At some point, there was a suggestion for a dance off between David and Jade so Nicola could decide which of them she wanted as her son in law (frequently referred to by them as stepson for some reason).

There was a question about a theme song for them and their characters; all I remember from that is Jade saying 'every time someone asks about a favourite song I'm like [sizzling sound] zero songs exist' (which, relatable) and Dom saying Don't Stop Me Now about himself and something by Radiohead for Jace.

For different characters for themselves, Chai said Simon because he loves him; Jade initially said Isabelle but then moved on to Alec or Magnus.

Alberto

It started off with him getting a tiny round stuffed panda, which is a good start to anything. He also sang a song, which, same as above. The next book in his book club is The Handmaid's Tale - he wants to focus more on female writers, writers of colour and non-American writers.

He generally seemed neutral on ships and sort of redirected the question when it came up. He did discuss Jace and Simon's relationship more thoroughly, though - he thinks they're "two sides of the same coin" and share quite a few qualities, but had vastly different childhoods so their personalities clash, but they've grown to accept that and respect one another (insert obligatory 'why would love say something so controversial yet so brave' here).

Thinks Simon is great because he's a good person and mentioned that he's "better than" some of the decisions that were made for the characters and then discarded. Can't imagine what he could've been talking about. One thing he dislikes in Simon is that he's still fearful despite being a vampire.

My question was what the ultimate happy ending for Simon would be; he answered simply, "I think he'd just like to have his mum back", which promptly broke my heart.

...And that's all from me tonight, folks! Sorry if it's a bit hectic (it's all from memory) and a bit biased in the commentary (I'm only human). I'll be back at it tomorrow evening!