#I knew I'd love this show and Alec

[marchentraume]

No thoughts today other than Alec Hardy and kissing him better

[destiel-wings]

81. alec lightwood | SHADOWHUNTERS

[morrieandlicky]

Sweet Moments Between Maurice and Alec That You Have Not Seen Before (From E.M. Forster's 1st Draft for Maurice)

Context: Forster's first version of Maurice, finished in 1914, has a rather different ending than the final published version (no hotel scene, and no boathouse reunion). See here.

Forster's first draft for Maurice is, in my opinion, the rawest in terms of boldly displaying the love shared between Maurice and Alec. This version shows much more of Alec's emotion and tenderness, as well as of Maurice's sentiments and affection towards Alec. It is definitely not as subtle as the final version, with quite a few straightforward declarations of love.

Hence, I'm disappointed that Forster did not manage to integrate at least some of these 1914 texts into the final version: it would've made the love between Maurice and Alec much more pronounced and convincing, as well as made Alec a character with more depth and feelings.

Having read Forster's first draft for Maurice, I share below some of these moments between Maurice and Alec that are not in the final version (ordered on how lovely I think each moment is. Bolded texts are the highlights).

1. After running into Mr. Ducie in the museum and Maurice bursting out to Alec.

M: "I'd possibly have blown out my own brains."

A: "Why?" he asked, stopping dead.

M: "I should have known by that time that I loved you."

A: "You can't, sir, you couldn't."

M: "I love you, sir be damned."

A: "Maurice"—never before had the word been spoken—"you're an angel."

M: "I don't want to hear that."

A: "Maurice, Maurice" his voice failed also; he had once said the rest to a woman. "Maurice - what you've said I feel. Understand?"

M: "I think so, but I want to be sure. Remember those rose bushes in the other rain? - Look at me hard - That's right. That'll do. It's settled." (Maurice is referring to the moment when Alec ran in the rain across the rose bushes at Penge just to see Maurice's face.)

2. The conversation after Maurice refuses to stay the night with Alec—a scenario that only happens in the first draft in 1914. Be prepared for tears.

A: "Come just for a little to me."

M: "If I came it would be for ever."

A: "Ever's the best."

M: "Why, man, you sail Thursday."

Alec found no answer.

...: here's when Maurice explains in a long paragraph why they can't be together because of their class difference and the fact that they're both men. But in this long paragraph Maurice pretty much brings up wanting to marry Alec—"We can't have the particular thing we want (which is roughly speaking marriage) unless we sacrifice something else"

M: I thought from that letter of yours you might want me to come. But, Alec, come where to?"

A: "I'd know if you weren't a gentleman," Alec said. "We'd a' found work together as mates."

M: "Yes, and if you were a gentleman, I'd take you this minute to my home.

A: "I'd a' been what young Clive was to you, then."

M: "He's a saint and we aren't. Leave out him."

A: "I'd a' been yours till death, then." ("I would've been yours till death, then")

M: "Out there if you get a chance to marry, take it. That's what I wish.

A: "Maurice, what'll you do without me, dear? Have you no other friends?"

Maurice dared not look forward to his own future. He rushed on the parting.

M: "And if there's ever a child, I shan't ever have that, so remember me."

A: "I'll remember you, child or none. God bless you. O God bless you, and be with you if I can't."

3. Right after Maurice puts his hand on Alec's back in the museum

"Yes, awfully serious," remarked Maurice, and rested his hand on Alec's shoulder, so that the fingers touched the back of the neck, doing this merely because he knew that he loved Alec, that he loved him not as a second Dickie Barry, but deeply, tenderly, for his own sake, beneath weakness and vulgarity.

4. In the museum, Alec in pain and acting cute

[Alec] had bitten his lip, his eyes were red too; face and body were cramped with pain.

M: "Alec -"

A: "Alec am I?"

M: "I'm sorry I used that other name of yours."

A: "Don't speak to me," he growled, "let me go, you calling me Alec when I"

M: "Did you give me away then on purpose?"

A: "You're correct.

M: "Was it to get money - or only to do me harm?"

A: "I couldn't say."

M: "Come, let's get away where we can finish our talk."

A: "What? What do you say?"

M: "Come along, Alec."

A: "Do you call me that still?"

M: "Come away, man, don't break down for God's sake...." He took hold of [Alec's] arm. The touch was not reminiscent; it hinted at a relation to come.

A: "Oh but you must, I want it." Alec yielded.

5. Maurice at night thinking about Alec's letter

He tried to forget the treacherous letter, but it stole back to his mind, and he suffered most during moments in bed, when it masqueraded as a real love letter, and offered him the completeness that Clive enjoyed with Anne.

(This is brilliant writing because we, as readers, know that Alec's letter is a love letter, yet Maurice's "muddles" prevent him from seeing it as a love letter, and it is only at night, when he's craving Alec's presence, that he's able to allow himself to see the truth and succumb to his feelings for Alec.

Here, again, is also a suggestion of Maurice wanting to marry Alec, like how Clive married Anne)

6. One version of Maurice's and Alec's first night together

A: "Good evening - sir, said the low voice. Was you wanting something? Couldn't you sleep?" It was the gamekeeper.

On your rounds? gasped Maurice, trying to sound natural, and felt corduroys. Their touch disconcerted him. Whither was he tending from Clive into what companionship?

A: "Just wait till I've set down my gun - eh aren't you trembling?"

M: "So are you - ah don't."

A: "Don't you like that?"

M: "I don't know."

A: "Christ you're fussy. Don't you like me to touch you."

M: "That's you lad."

A: "Yes."

Side notes: hopefully these will shut all the detractors (of the relationship between Maurice and Alec) up—namely Clive apologists, Clive+Maurice shippers, and all of those dark academia classist out there.

[kiiwiigii]

The Red-Eyed Boy pt. iii

Pt. One | Two | Outtake

Alec x Swan!Fem!Reader

Summary: Alec returns and shows you how sorry he is. *wink, wink*

Warnings:

Smidge of angst

Smidge of bondage

Straight up smut

Word Count: 3,130

A/N: Today I learned that suck at writing smut, but please enjoy anyways. As with all my Alec fics, he is aged up. Also, I am fucking obsessed with this gif.

Tags: @rosedpetal, @lack-lust-3r, @badass-daisy-22

Alice and Bella eyed me warily from their spot on the kitchen table as I padded around the kitchen. It was my turn for dinner tonight and I was working on a new recipe.  

"Please stop looking at me like that. I'm not about to keel over dead and I'm definitely not about to poison Bella right before she gets married." 

I grinned when Bella scrunched up her nose in annoyance. 

"You're not gonna die because you're tied to Edward through a piece of paper, Bells." 

"Says you." She grumbled. 

"Have you heard from him?" Alice asked softly. 

"No." I pursed my lips. 

It had been nearly two weeks, and I hadn't heard a damn thing from Alec. I had called and texted only to be ignored and left on read. I knew he'd be mad, but for the love of God, he was taking this too far. I just wanted to strangle him. I had spent the first week moping before trying to shake myself out of it. I refused to let myself fall into the state that Bella had after Edward left. 

Although it was really hard not to. I still had my moments, usually in the evenings when I was alone. 

I paused in the middle of chopping an onion, looking over my shoulder at Alice. Her visions were the only thing I could really count on right now, unless I had a vision of my own. Unfortunately, sleep had been avoiding me, and when I did sleep nothing came to me. 

She shook her head sadly, indicating that she hadn't seen anything. Yet. However, she also hadn't seen anything different from her previous visions, so nothing had really changed, and that gave me hope. 

"So, Y/N, we have your first dress fitting tomorrow." Alice, thankfully, changed the subject.  

"Ooh yay! Do I get to see Bella's dress?" 

Bella groaned before plonking her head onto the table. She was so easy to tease. 

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you didn't want to marry me." Edward entered the kitchen, shrugging off his jacket. 

I smiled watching them all together, happy to watch the little scene from afar. Eventually I had to turn back around, doing my best to hum a tune in my head, both to distract myself from the situation with Alec and so Edward wouldn't pick up on my depressing thoughts. This should be a happy time. 

Somehow, I don't think I was fooling anyone. 

It was official. I hated weddings and anything to do with them. I was almost positive that had I not been in a house full of vampires, Rosalie would have stuck a few pins in me on purpose.  

It was dark by the time I finally arrived home, and all I really wanted to do was shower and pass out on my bed. Keeping up a relatively happy façade almost 24/7 was exhausting. 

The house was dark, and I suddenly remembered that dad was out on one of his camping trips with a friend. Well, at least I would have the house to myself, and I could be as depressed as I wanted. 

I went straight to my room to gather some pajamas and a towel. I almost felt too tired to even shower, but I'll be damned if I'm not going to make sure I do some basic self-care. Throwing my bag onto the bed, I began to strip. 

"You should keep your window locked." 

I jumped and let out a scream, quickly covering myself, dress already hanging half off. 

It was Alec, propped up on my bed, another book in hand. How had I not seen him?? I even threw my bag in his direction. 

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" I wheezed at him, trying my best to get my racing heart back under control. 

"Not particularly." His eyes roamed over me, from head to toe, his eyes lingering on my neck, where my pomegranate seed necklace hung. And then the dangling straps of my dress. "You look beautiful, tesoro." 

I blinked rapidly, trying my best to figure out what the hell was happening. I hadn't heard from Alec in nearly a month and here he was, just sitting here. In my room. On my bed. As if nothing had ever happened.  

"Where have you been? Why have you been ignoring me?"  

He simply eyed me before closing the book with a thump.  

"I was extremely… angry. There was a while where I did not really have control of myself. I even scared Jane." He admitted. "I didn't want to take it out on you. Or for you to see that side of me." 

I glared at him. 

"So, you just disappear without a word? Didn't bother telling me that you were okay and that you just needed space? You're aware that I've had visions of you since I was like, six years old, right? I've seen you angry." 

"Not like this, you haven't." He said quietly. 

"Do you know what I thought? I thought you had left me. Despite whatever Alice's visions tell her, I know that they can change at the drop of a hat. I was just sitting here waiting, praying that you wouldn't change your mind." 

Fuck, here come the tears. 

He was next to me in a heartbeat, hands cupping my face. I tried to back away, but he kept his grip firm. 

"I would never leave you, Y/N." He said softly, wiping the tears away. "Ever. I have never been good at relationships. I have always kept myself at arm's length, but you, you are different. And when I saw you on that field, after the battle, I had never been so scared and angry in my life." 

He paused for a minute, searching. "Had I lost you, I would have burned the world down." 

My breath hitched in surprise, and I could feel my heart skip a beat. He kissed me then, and I allowed it, wrapping my arms around his neck as he reached for my waist. His kiss was soft and controlled, while mine was bordering on desperation. 

"Don't you ever do that to me again." He whispered against my lips, a warning. 

Why did that turn me on and piss me off at the same time? 

"I'm sorry, what was that? Because it sure didn't sound like an apology, Alec." 

He pulled me flush against him, nipping at my collarbone in reproach. I hissed in pain, but he quickly soothed it over with his tongue. 

"Then let me show you how sorry I am." He whispered. 

He pulled me in for a heated kiss and I couldn't help but gasp. Alec took the opportunity to dip his tongue into my mouth again, and the moan that worked its way up my throat had him growling possessively. 

I could already feel my nipples tightening and the wet heat between my legs. 

I grabbed him by the collar to pull him closer. He gladly obliged and before long, he had me pressed into the bed, right underneath him, his lips giving slow languid kisses anywhere he could reach. 

"Alec." My voice was caught in my throat. 

Goddammit. He hadn't even gotten me out of my clothes before he had me begging. Hell, he had barely even touched me.  

And I was supposed to be mad at him, dammit! 

He paused, lips at the swell of my breast. Finally, he lifted himself up so he could look me in the eye, searching my face. 

"Do you trust me?" 

I nodded my head furiously. 

"I need to hear you say it, Y/N." 

"I trust you." 

I was practically panting. 

Alec produced a long strip of gauzy fabric and slowly tied my hands together, gauging my reaction, before putting them above my head. 

"Did you come prepared with that?" I gaped at him. 

"No. I took it from your bag." He smirked. 

My bag? Since when did he have the time to go through my bag? I looked at my tied wrists again, trying to wrack my brain as to why I had a long ass strip of- 

'Oh my god.' 

It was the sash to my bridesmaid's dress. I know I hadn't put it in there. The last time I had seen it- Alice. She fucking knew. She had to. She had a vision and didn't even tell me. Granted, if this was a part of her vision, I would be highly embarrassed to hear her explain exactly what she saw. 

"Now." Alec put my hands above my head again, and then trailed his own hands down my arms to my collarbone, thumbing over the mark he had placed on it earlier. "Your hands stay put above your head until I say otherwise. If they do not, I stop. No matter what I am in the middle of." He warned, pausing to make sure that I understood. "Are you okay with this? If not, we can stop." 

I shook my head back and forth frantically. 

"Y/N, I need you need to say it out loud." 

"Yes." I breathed. 

"Good. If you become uncomfortable at any point you are to tell me." 

"Yes sir." It was out of my mouth before I even realized it and I blushed furiously. 

"Are you sure you're a virgin?" He teased. 

"Why don't you find out for yourself?" I teased back, a little breathless. 

Alec's brows raised before he smirked, leaning in closer, mouth right next to my cheek. 

"I think I am going to enjoy this very much." His hands began to make their way past my collar bone to cup my breasts through the fabric of my dress, his thumbs flicking slowly back and forth over my nipples.  

My back arched in a gasp, and he let out a hum, pleased with my reaction. Soon I felt more and more skin being exposed to the cool night air, his cold lips and tongue following right behind it, licking and nipping his way until, aside from my bra, I was fully exposed from the waist up. I blushed as he sat back, admiring the view. 

"You are truly beautiful, mio cara." He breathed.  

His cold hands caressed every inch of exposed skin, purposely avoiding the spots that I wanted him to touch the most. I pouted up at him and he swiped a thumb across my lip. 

"I must admit Y/N, I like seeing you like this. And I think you like it too." 

Slowly, I gave his thumb a long lick before sucking it into mouth. His eyes darkened even further, and I could practically feel the rumble of possessiveness in his chest. 

"Careful, amore." His voice was now husky and strained. 

I released his thumb, edging my teeth along the sides and cocked an eyebrow at him. "I thought you were supposed to be apologizing." 

His eyes were now pitch black. 

"I think you forget who's in control here." 

I let out a squeak as he moved aside and ripped my dress the rest of the way down, leaving me in just my bra and panties. He settled himself between my legs, to nip and kiss his way along the inside of my thighs. 

I sucked in a sharp breath when he placed a kiss right over my covered mound, and then nuzzled into it. My hands jerked and he looked up at me, remaining still. 

"Hands, amore." He chided. 

I immediately put them back in place, wriggling my hips in anticipation. Finally, he slid my panties down, revealing my inner most self, glistening and wet just for him. 

"Perfect." 

It was the only thing I heard before his mouth was on me and my back arched off the bed yet again.  

Keeping perfect eye contact with me, he gave me long slow licks, delving into me with his tongue. And then he found my clit. I couldn't help it, I cried out, my hands immediately coming down to lace themselves through his hair. 

This wasn't an apology; this was fucking torture.  

He paused with a growl. 

"Hands, amore." 

"But- but-" 

He lifted himself up slightly, a warning look in his dark eyes. "Hands." 

"Alec." I whined, wriggling my hips again and trying push him back down. "Please." 

"You know the rules, principessa." 

"Did you just call me princess?" 

He just smirked. "You're learning. Now, hands. If I have to tell you again, I will tie you to the bed." 

'You just may have to do that.' I thought. 

He watched me for a moment more before slowly lowering himself back down, wrapping his arms around my thighs to keep my hips level. He began his slow assault on me yet again and I did my absolute best to keep my arms above my head. It was working so far... barely. 

Before long I could feel a warm heat beginning to build low in my stomach.  

"Oh god, please don't stop." I chanted. "Don't stop. Don't stop. Don't stop." 

I wasn't entirely sure what was happening, all I knew what that it felt good, and he absolutely had to keep going. Otherwise, I was sure I was going to die right then and there. 

And then the bastard stopped. 

"Alec." I let out a low whine. 

He crawled back up to me, placing a kiss on my lips and I groaned at the taste of my arousal on him.  

"No cumming just yet, amore." He swept his tongue along my lips. "The only cumming you will be doing is on my cock." 

I almost choked. "Have- have you always been this dirty?" 

"You have no idea." He bit my earlobe and I squirmed at his words. “And this is only just the beginning.” 

"Well, it looks like won't be doing much of anything, since you're still dressed." 

"That can easily be remedied." 

My eyes widened as he slipped off his shirt. I had always known he was muscular but there was a big difference between feeling it and seeing it. Next came his pants and underwear, and I’m pretty sure my brain stopped working. 

How was that going to fit?? 

"Like what you see?” 

I simply nodded my head, my mind still trying to process the situation I was in... and the fact that his cock was rather... large. 

He leaned over and began untying my hands. I raised a brow at him. 

"I want you clinging to me when you cum." 

Oh fuck. 

My hands immediately went to explore his naked chest when he caught my hand and kissed my fingertips. 

"Are you still okay?"  

"Alec, I swear to God if you don't fuck me-" 

He cut me off, crushing his lips to mine and I suddenly felt him nudging at my entrance. He sat back briefly, rubbing himself in my juices, preparing. 

"Eyes on me, amore." 

I swiftly looked back up at him. I don't think I could have taken my eyes off him in that moment. 

Finally, finally, I felt him enter me ever so slowly. I let out a hiss of pain, my hands clutching desperately at the sheets, and he stopped, letting me adjust for a minute, all the while never breaking eye contact. This, this was something else. I had never felt so full.  

"Fuck, you're tight." 

I let out a whimper. 

"It's okay, mio cara." He kissed away the tears from my face, I hadn't even realized that I was crying. "I'm going to move now." 

And boy did he move. It took a few thrusts before the pain subsided and then I felt as if I was flying. He kept his thrusts steady and deep, his hands roaming my sides before cupping my breasts and placing gently kisses along the edges. And then proceeded to close his mouth on one of my nipples through the lace.  

"Alec." 

He didn't reply, deciding to suck harder and scrape against the sensitive buds with his teeth instead. If he kept this up, I wasn't going to last long, and I think he knew it. He sat up again, but this time he angled my hips up and I was suddenly seeing stars. He was hitting my sweet spot now and I couldn't contain my moans any longer. I could feel it building, and building, and building.  

"Don't you dare stop." I panted. 

"Eyes on me, darling." He ordered, grabbing my face, and making me look him in the eyes. "I want to see the look in your eyes when I make you come on my cock." 

Oh, God. He was speaking to me in Italian, and I didn't have the slightest clue as to what he was saying, but it was hot. 

"Alec, please. Make me cum. I want to come." 

"Fuck, so tight for me." He thrust harder and I could feel the walls of my pussy starting to tighten up. "I want to see you come undone around me." 

"A-Alec!" 

He forced me to look up at him again as I came hard, legs wrapping around his waist as he nearly collapsed on top of me. If I was seeing stars before, now I was suddenly seeing a whole fucking galaxy. 

"Fuck." He kissed me deeply as I felt him spasming inside me, cool liquid coating the walls of my pussy. 

He hovered like that for a long moment, his kisses turning into soft, languid ones, his hands roaming in even softer caresses. Finally, he pulled out of me, and let his eyes wonder over me. I'm sure I looked a mess, but he seemed to like what he saw, judging by the smirk on his face. 

"Come, amore. Let's get you cleaned up." 

"I don't think I can walk." I closed my eyes, doing my best to breathe and not die from great sex. 

"I can definitely help you there." 

I nearly yelped as he lifted me from the bed bridal style. 

"Is this your way of saying you want shower sex?" I wriggled my eyebrows at him. 

"I had not really thought of it, but if you insist." 

I laughed and snuggled into his chest. 

He paused a moment, really looking me over now. "I am truly sorry, Y/N. For everything." 

I placed a hand on his cheek. "Apology accepted." 

NEXT - (Outtake)

{Masterlist}

Translation (Done via Google): Tesoro: Darling/Treasure  Mio Cara: My darling.  Principessa: Princess 

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[allwormdiet]

Shell 4.1

As much as I wish Taylor could ride this high forever, unfortunately looks like it's back to school

Taylor. Honey. Dearheart. You keep being really complimentary about your bullies' physical looks, and this does not in any way undermine the hurt they've done to you or your resentment thereof, but it does muddy the waters a little bit as to whether resentment is the only thing you're feeling

The back-and-forth actually feels so refreshing compared to every previous interaction with the bullies, like. My god. Did Taylor just have to rob a bank to get the confidence she needs to not worry about these fuckers? I never thought that John Dillinger therapy would take off but maybe there's a future in that

Better the devil in plain sight than the devil you can't see at all.

John Dillinger therapy! This is what I'm talking about! Let's go Taylor, show that inner strength! Shed the burden!

I mean hell, maybe, or maybe this is an upturn where she finally gets sure enough in herself to get these jerks off her back forever. We'll see how it plays out, right?

The idle speculation on Mr. Quinlan is a little wild but well in keeping with my own experiences. Sometimes teachers just passively generate rumors around them.

This one stupid bit about John Dillinger therapy keeps paying off, this is great, real joke investment opportunity

Honestly Taylor I think you can feel bad about it while also living with it, I'm not gonna pretend to be some expert on morality or philosophy or whatever but I feel like you're allowed a certain number of felonies after enough suffering in your life

Technically not a career boost for the Undersiders, at least not as far as public renown, but making your enemies look like clowns is just as good if not better. Like yeah, those tools on the other side are getting their pay docked because of that bigass hole in the roof of the bank, and you're way richer from the same event

Expanding our understanding of the city a bit more, and honestly this sounds dope as fuck. I'd love to visit every once in a while and just soak in the culture, although not if it meant living in Brockton Bay. That seems. Bad.

Ugh, these kids

Honestly I'm not quite this hardcore but damn if it isn't a mood. I've yet to see proof of Rachel being wrong

Yeah I know she had her dogs attack Taylor, Taylor's an aspiring snitch, it's okay to maul a snitch

I think I knew this part already but honestly I'm more excited to have Rachel lore than anything

I wonder how much leniency can be provided for crimes that happen in the immediate aftermath or because of a trigger event. Maybe not a ton, or maybe enough to get away with murder. I'd be curious to learn more about that, if it ever comes up.

And uhh, yeah, that'd fucking get you dead bodies alright. Wonder if that's why she's so hardcore about the training, making sure that never happens again. Entirely for the dogs' benefit, or only mostly and then there's some part of her that thrives with that kind of control?

Alec you cheeky little shit, you're endearing yourself to me

Honestly Taylor, just try and breathe easy for a little bit, I don't think you've been able to do that in over a year. Take your time, enjoy your walk on the wild side.

Maybe I'm biased but I love these two interacting on their own, so I'm fully in favor of this plan Lisa

Well I'm sure if Lisa ever killed anybody they deserved it, or if nothing else she arranged circumstances so that they ended up deserving it after some mild provocation

it's fiiiiiiiiine

Current Thoughts

This story has such good slice of life, I want more of it every time and every time I get cut off before I'm satisfied. Is that on purpose? If that's on purpose Wildbow might be a more sinister intelligence than I'd thought.

School segment was so blissfully short and Taylor managed to fight Emma to a standstill so this is a huge improvement over every other second she's spent at school

If Rachel ever kills anyone on purpose they deserved it, and if Rachel ever kills anyone on accident it's okay bc everyone makes mistakes

Honestly I'd be willing to accept any of these kids as having a good reason to render someone cadaverrific. Brian and Lisa have good heads on their shoulders and at this point I'm starting to suspect that the lazy gamer thing Alec has going on is like, at least partially a front for a deeper personality, and he's trying to be shallow on purpose, so idk what that means for him being a killer but I somehow doubt he's a fucking Hannibal Lecter type when we're not looking

...Actually come to think on it the only two members the Protectorate has info on is Grue and Bitch, right? Tattletale is an unknown and Regent has almost nothing about him. I'd suspect Grue to be the second killer but I'm not sure if that's a red herring.

Find out eventually, I guess.

...I might have another chapter in me before sacking out for the night. We'll see.

[peupeugunn]

okay but imagine if shadowhunters had had filler episodes. just them doing dumb nonsense that didn't have any effect on the plot. bonding.

clary learns about the nephilim education system and she doesn't know whether to be horrified or amazed cause on the one hand they're giving knives to four year olds, on the other hand, izzy is a fully certified forensic pathologist at 19.

simon spends an entire episode dragging raphael around new york tryna find him a replacement jacket because even though the kidnapping situation was very fucked up he feels really bad!!! the episode ends with them picking out a really amazing jacket and then raphael having to pay for it because with all the supernatural crap happening, simon honestly forgot that he's a broke college student.

jace and alec episode with them on their day off just chilling (izzy and clary following them because clary Does Not Understand Parabatai and izzy thinks this will help. somehow.) they go to the library and spend some time curled up together reading. they get coffee and go to the park. jace screams at some ducks while alec provides moral support. they go for a movie. they walk around the city holding hands. they go back to the institute to spar a little and then head off to bed. clary through the episode keeps asking "are they dating? are they not? seems like they are?" but izzy keeps denying the dating allegations. clary then finds someone in the institute that can actually explain parabatai with actual words and she barges into izzy's room in the middle of the night screaming "YOU COULD HAVE JUST TOLD ME THEY'RE SOULMATES ISABELLE!"

there's an episode that is literally just. magnus' cats. nothing else. magnus provides narration like this is a nature documentary.

malec's second date, where they just sit on the couch and watch tv and trashtalk the characters. the entire episode is edited to look exactly like a youtuber-reviewing-a-tv-show thing. the first time time an action scene comes up, alec gets so mad at how unrealistic it is and magnus gives him a detailed explanation of how and why movie fighting is so different from real life fighting and why they're choreographed that way. the episode is an hour and a half because magnus and alec keep getting sidetracked and start talking about random stuff. it ends with them falling asleep together on the couch.

a magnus & catarina & ragnor episode with them just hanging out. cat and ragnor keep making fun of magnus for being so in love but he keeps agreeing with them with a lovestruck expression and that takes the fun out of it. the episode is a clipshow style thing except it's not clips of stuff we've already seen, it's their adventures (including, obviously, peru.)

a jimon episode where simon sits jace down and explains in detail the entire plot of star wars. all the star wars. jace asks so many questions and they get so sidetracked at times but simon powers through. at the end, jace reveals that he actually has watched star wars and he knew everything simon was saying but let him go on and on for hours because he wanted to see whether simon would figure it out and also cause jace likes spending time with him.

a clizzy episode where izzy jokingly asks clary to paint her and clary gets so excited!!!! so izzy goes along with it. clary keeps talking like she's doing a tutorial on painting except izzy can't see what she's doing. through the episode, izzy keeps doing more and more ridiculous poses and clary paints and sketches them and somehow they turn out actually good?

i have more ideas but like. idk about you guys but i'd have watched the hell out of this stuff.

[gulnarsultan]

Hi darling!

Can I request a poly!volturi kings x fem!reader where the kings don't have time to spend time with the reader but she really needs them. So jane and alec (which the reader is close to) have to tell the kings that they are needed.

Hello sweetie. ❤ I hope you will like it.

You were not selfish. You knew who they were and how important their mission was. But didn't they even have five minutes to spare for their precious wives? As you repeat this question in your mind, your heart begins to break. You also started to spend your time with the guards. You used to make up with Jane, comb and braid your hair. She used to show you her newly bought porcelain dolls. Alec shows you the pictures he made. He was painting you. Felix and Demetri were spending time playing virtual games. You were having girl talk with Renata, Corin, Heidi and Chelsea. Afton and Santiago were helping you with the plants in the garden. Soon your husbands realized that you were no longer spending time with them and you were not striving for it. While they were all in the throne room, the subject was brought up by Aro.

"Our precious wife is moving away from us."

"Aro is right about that. What's wrong with him?"

While Marcus wanted to say something, Jane started to speak.

"She's heartbroken because you don't want to spend time with her. She's trying to heal her heart by spending time with us rather than begging you."

The kings were both surprised and worried when they saw how angry the twins were. When you came to the throne room, Marcus noticed that your golden bonds against them had faded.

"Dear wife. We heard there are some problems."

"No problem. I overcame the problem myself."

"So by getting away from us?"

"You have no idea how it feels to have so-called soul mates who don't even have five minutes to spare for you, Caius. I'm not selfish. I understand if you don't have time for me. And I spend time with friends who want to spend time with me."

"Honey, we love you."

"Love is not just words, Aro. Love is proved by demonstrations. In fact, I have no faith in these strings anymore. I don't even trust the ones you really love anymore."

If they had asked the Kings what was the heaviest physical and emotional blow they have taken in their lifetime, their answer would have been the day you said those words to them. Even if the Kings wanted to spend time with you in the coming days, you stayed away from them. Finally, Caius lost his patience and yelled at you.

"Smug. We are your Kings. You can't disrespect us. You won't turn down our love."

Tears began to flow from your eyes with meaning at these words. The guards were so enraged. You left the throne room and went to an unused room. Curled under the covers, you never went out until evening. Jane and Alec brought you dinner.

"I'd pull out her barbie hair one by one if I could. You're the most perfect person I've ever met in my life. Please don't let any idiot's words hurt you."

"Jane is right."

In a short time, other guards came and joined you. They were all trying to lift your spirits.

"Honestly, I may be unfortunate with a soul mate. But I'm very lucky to have good friends like you."

You had decided to go out into the garden when it was midnight after they had left. You were sitting on the bench by the water fountain and looking at the sky. The kings came to you very sad and embarrassed.

"Can we come dear?"

"Why do you ask for permission? As the king, everything belongs to you."

"I didn't mean to say it like that. I was very angry."

"You don't need to fall in love, King. You have the right to do anything."

"Aro, please forgive Caius and me, honey. Believe me, we're in pain. We feel all your feelings, too."

"Marcus is right. It really hurts."

"I don't believe it. I'm actually stupid enough to think you love me. I was foolish enough to believe that a tyrant like you, especially Cauis, would."

"Please don't say that."

"I don't believe any of you anymore. I don't have good feelings for you anymore. I want to go."

Aro knelt before you and held your hands.

"You don't know what to do without reading my mind."

Aro's hands pushed off and you stood up. A few days passed after this speech. The mood of the kings was in a very bad state. While you were lying on your bed in your room, the Kings had arrived. You ignored them by turning your face the other way. Aro was on your right, Marcus on your left, and Caius between your legs. After five quiet minutes, you noticed that your body and emotions were starting to heal.

"I don't know if I can forgive you."

"Trying will be enough for us."

"I'll do my best."

Now the Kings, or at least one of them, were spending time with you on a daily basis. Although it took a few months for your forgiveness, your bonds were stronger than before. This was a lesson that the Kings would never forget.

[alexanderlightweight]

I don’t know what it is, but that au you just posted of all your cracks I’ll paint with gold has seized me. I’ve already had to reread it again I love it so much. Is there any way we could be seeing more of this?

it's called the bonds i'd break and sure! it's fun to sometimes see the mirror differences that make a world change from a single action.

i'm glad you're enjoying it so much

<3 lumine

-

Alec feels numb as he lets Magnus guide him to safety.

He didn’t think this would work.

Any of it.

The fact that it did… Alec’s not sure how he feels about it.

A part of him knows that he wouldn’t have survived the agony of being completely deruned, not and remained the same as he is. But Alec’s already not the same, already cracked apart and with jagged edges and oozing wounds that he’s not sure even Raziel could heal… and Raziel made the damage.

But not all of the damage.

They didn’t come.

Alec knew they wouldn’t make it. That’s why he did all of this, why he gave Jace and he a chance to be judged fairly, in hopes that maybe Jace wouldn’t experience the same pain as him.

But now that he’s had a rune stripped from his flesh – almost as painful as his soul being torn asunder and then made whole – Alec knows there would have been little left of him after losing each and every single mark on his skin.  

He can’t imagine being alone and deruned and if he’d been deruned, then that would mean he hadn’t tried blood magic. That he hadn’t summoned the Silent Brothers and that he’d been holding out and hopeful. It means all his faith would have been shattered rather than been strategically abandoned with the cold acceptance he has now.

Worse… Magnus wouldn’t have been there to save him.

Magnus is the only thing keeping him together right now and Alec doesn’t think he could survive being deruned and adrift without the only person in the world he thinks could anchor him ever again.

—

Magnus portals them straight into the shower and he uses magic to shield Alexander’s eyes. His boy doesn’t even seem to notice the change in atmosphere, temperature or element and Magnus makes a low, concerned noise as he vanishes their clothing.

This is the last way he would have ever dreamed of getting Alexander undressed and Magnus wants to burn the clave that this must be the first time he touches Alexander intimately.

With magic it’s easy to maneuver him and get Alexander clean and to bed and Magnus isn’t sure what to do, except stay close and let Alexander cling to him.

Which he does.

The moment Magnus lays down, Alexander climbs onto him and then he rolls them over, settling with a soft noise before he sighs. His eyes are still worryingly blank, and he seems unaware that they are still naked and tangled together, nor does he show any signs of the hunger that Magnus is sure he’s feeling.

Instead, Alexander settles, eyes focusing on Magnus’ own as he wraps his arms around tightly and tangles his legs with Magnus’ own.

“Don’t leave?” He asks, the first words he’s spoken since he begged to be taken away and Magnus couldn’t deny him anything, even before all of this.

“Never, Alexander. I’ll be right here.”

[headstrongblake]

letter 32.

nick's determined to find you, bring you home. i wish there was something i could say to him that would help him with this, in coping with losing you...because while i hope against hope that you'll come back with us when we find you...i know already. i know you won't return with us. i know that. but nick doesn't. he does his best to hold onto the hope that bringing you back will fix everything that went wrong since that man. i think his hope is getting into my soul, working it's way into my dreams because when we finally stopped at this crap motel tonight after hundreds of miles...i had the most vivid dream. so real that when i woke up....my heart ached for it.

you were there. happy and a little older, but you looked less worn. like you no longer carried such a devastating weight that i know you've been saddled with long before you ever should've been. we were happy. i was so confused as i walked down the hallway, filled with gorgeous pictures we must have framed...there was a child laughing...i think that's why i was confused the most, i haven't had dreams like this, or even thought of a family since our scare...but when i got downstairs...oh grant, there she was. our little girl, laughing on the kitchen counter, making a mess with you. it appeared so real...felt so real.

god, nick's hope is infectious and dangerous. this won't be our life and i'm devastated by it...i know i was terrified about being a mom, terrified about possibly having a child but...i wish you knew that if i could go back, i'd make sure you know that one day.... a family with you would have been my dream.

letter 19.

i hate you so much for leaving. for doing this to me. to nick!! to the family we created here. i hate you, grant. god i hate you so much and worst of all, i hate myself even more because i still love you. i still love you so much that if you showed up here right now, right this second...you know i'd fold into your arms, and tell you how that everything's going to be okay now. i write that and know how fucked up that is. how could you do that to somebody you love?! how the hell could you promise to love me, to never leave me and after everything we've been through together...you did. i believed you, every time you swore you loved me i believed it. i think part of me still does, but when i do, when i remember all the promises you made, and how you made me feel in every moment we spent together...i'm just angrier. you don't get to promise someone a love like i thought we had and then just abandon them!? it's not fucking fair grant. it's not. you broke my fucking heart...

letter 74.

i still miss you at times, grant. please, don't ever think that because my life has continued that i forget you, or everything we did together. you're my family. part of my family here and that will always be true. kassy and i are better. i understand why she was hurt when nick and i left to look for you, i can understand the anger and pain she felt in how we left her, especially for you. i love you still, i don't know if that will ever change, but you're not at the forefront of my thoughts anymore, haunting me. & most importantly...you are not here. kassy is. bellamy is. alec. nate. trinity. atom. liv. they're all here and i'm finding more of myself. i'm pouring into those i love who are here and i'm pouring more into myself again. bell doesn't love it, but i started a new business here. exacting justice, giving a little payback. it's brilliant and growing fast. word on the street lately is that i am who you go to when you're stuck between a rock and a hard place. i was tired of being too late, of not being helpful, of the people i love the most...being hurt in ways i can't keep stomaching. this is how i fix that. how i do my part in it.

but I have to admit, there are parts that worry me. i'm sure that'll worry bell if he notices it. but the violence, the cruelty, the darkness of this world—it's getting easier to manage, easier to duel out. I'm changing grant, but i also think i'm becoming who i need to be.

i don't know why i'm still writing these....but, it helps. when i can't sleep, when i'm spinning out...writing to you helps.

|| @thewholecrew

[emiliasilverova]

A reclist of Tenshi's work (and some memories)

It's late here and my whole being demands sleep, but I promised to myself I'd make a reclist of my favourite things @slimysuckers/@tentacletenshi ever made for Tenshi day, so here goes.

As far as photomanips go, there's really one that immediately comes to mind: the hug in camo. I just love it, I can't tell you much more than that.

For fics, however, there are three of them I'd like to mention:

Welcome Home, You're No Longer Alone—I have a funny story about that one. See, I first stumbled upon it way before I joined the Café, knew Tenshi personally, or even shipped any combination of 00Q00... but the art struck me (I mean, it's uh, very striking indeed 🥵). I had to frantically search the whole Bond category on AO3 to find it again (maybe some people from the slack remember it?)... and yeah, I did find it. And you can be sure I'll never forget about it ever again.

Kisses Across Universes—aaaah, good, old-fashioned bondalec (and yet another amazing piece of fanart). If I dedicated my earlier post from today (A Time for Sweetness) to Tenshi, it's because of this fic. Tenshi really loved bondalec, and actually had commissioned the piece of fanart at the end before creating the fic itself. From our talks together, I can show you something she probably never showed the world before—the sketch she provided the artist to explain what she wanted (see below). It's just so sweet... reminds me she had a very extensive collection of bondalec/00Q00 fanart, btw. A real treasure trove I should download from Discord before it disappears forever (you can never be too careful these days).

And last but not least, Good Names Are Forever. I personally think this is her best (of those I read, that is). The premise, the characterisation, the plot, I love everything about it. In fact, now I remember telling her I wish I had enough skill to make a fanart of it. Considering how my art skills have dramatically improved as of late, I might just do it. I wanna bring to life this image I have in my mind: Q stands next to a sitting Alec, his hand on Alec's shoulder, and Alec gives his most Janus stare/smile and says something like "don't f*ck with my son". You'll surely understand reading the fic.

You were so shy, Tenshi... and yet, look at everything you created. Everything you brought other people to create, even. Looking through Discord messages, I see you were saying you've been in the fandom since LiveJournal days, that you've seen GE in theaters, and that basically you've always been there, even when you weren't creating yet. Even though you didn't start writing until 2020, I have the conviction you've always been there indeed. Perhaps I was seeing your name in comments, although I'll probably never know for sure. I'm so sorry you were bullied, you absolutely didn't deserve it. I'm even sorry for scaring you at first, all because of those firm Opinions I used to have. So I'll conclude with this:

*hugs the tentacle creature*

And thank you, as always.

[canonically47]

episode starts in like two minutes so might as well put in my review request now!

OH MY FUCKING GOD GUYS... HOLY FUCKING SHIT /POS

disventure camp all stars epiaode 13: "dis-vengers" - review

spoilers!!!! (but you knew that.)

they killed my aroace alec headcanon... they took it, stomped on it and burned it to the ground... yet another dsvc man who has fallen victim to the whiny lovestruck baby trope god i am so fucking sorry alec

the saddest thing is i could see them together if riya liked him back. like when they kissed and i saw riya give in i was actually excited and then she pulled away two seconds later and i was like oh.. we're doing this then.

krysderek and trevor yada yada does anybody care?? did anybody give two shits???? no? okay good NEXT!

poor alec, this episode treated him like shit. i'm starting to believe he may not make finale. this episode gave him such a visceral downgrade

connor not knowing what VR is he's so unserious 😭😭😭

ally and connor were boring this episode (as always imo) but i'm glad to see them have more moments together!!

JAKE AND AIDEN. god i'd be lying if i said this episode didn't make me adore them individually and as a pair. can we forget tomjake and instead shove jake between james and aiden and make them poly. i really need a poly couple in this show i'm starved for them

even from a non-shipping point of view, these two have come so far and i'm so peoud of them. just... argh they make me so happy now wtf i've done such a 180 on them and i'm not even complaining?!!?!!???

FUUUUUUUUUUUCK YOU YULLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!

top ten moments that made me cheer and yell loudly this episode!!!!!!

grett and gabby... grett has with gabby what the fandom wishes she had with riya. they're so,,, yeah let's shove grett between gabellie as well. maybe we should also add tess. and ally somehow. and hunter can be there as some sort of treat??? i gotta make a chart for this

FUCK!!!!!! YOU!!!!!!!!!!! YULLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! here's a small collection of everyone hating on him

fuuuuuck you have no idea how happy and relieved i am after this episode. now that the love triangle has been cast aside, i feel like the show is finally returning to its peak. i'm gonna elaborate more on that on another ask i got from this same anon but just know i'm starting to be much more excited and look forward to episodes now. i hope they don't immensely fuck it up

9/10 because .. the kiss. but otherwise it was an amazing episode

look at those queer couples . fantastic stuff. peak gay onc era is coming back

[junjourt]

I already knew what was going to happen in this episode because sadly I saw some spoilers, but it still hurts... That's the saddest elimination in my opinion

SPOILER

After this Alec and Fiore are officially in my black list. Betrayal is nothing new to them, but this time they made two people suffer playing with their emotions and traumas, something that they never did before, or at least not at this level.

Tbh I understand Ellie and Jake's reasons, but I can't justify them, especially Ellie. I would have justify Jake if he hadn't vote for Tom, it's that vote that I can't understand. I mean, despite everything Jake was doing quite well because he wanted to keep his promise and confront Tom, so WHY AT THE END DID HE VOTE FOR HIM, WHAT'S IN HIS Mind? No hate, I still like Jake and Ellie, but GUUUYSSS!

Anyway, I'm also worried for Jake, after this show his traumas could get even worse. He lost his grandmother and then he saw Miriam and Tom die before his eyes (it was a simulation, but still it must be traumatizing) then he got betrayed again by someone he cared...Poor boy!

Also, do you remember that Tom was surprised (and I'd say he felt sad for that) that the others consider him the least trustworthy? And now Jake didn't trust him again, why are they being so cruel to him? 😭

At least there are two things that lifted my spirit a little. The first one is that, as I predicted Gabby asked Tom for help. Now, since the tomjake situation is tragic and my dream to have Tom, Jake, Miriam and Ellie as friends went down the drain, can I at least have the friendship between Tom and Gabby? (And Tom and Jake togheter again of course) Pleaseee🥺🥺🥺

The second one is the thanks to the patreons. Why are we seeing Tom's funny side only now? (I'm referring to the jokes 'cause we already knew he has a silly side). After that I love him even more and he officially became my son🥰

[di-daynamic]

But the Symbolism. . . (II)

This isn't exactly a continuation, more just me ranting about how amazing and perceptive Jace is.

Firstly, to add onto the previous post, another significant thing Jace gave someone was the toy soldier he gave Max. I'm fairly certain it was a relic from his own abusive childhood with Valentine, and he gave it to Max, his younger brother who - while his family certainly had its own troubles - had a happy and fairly idyllic childhood.

And Max died holding it. That's how much it meant to him.

Pretty sure I don't need to elaborate on that.

In City of Heavenly Fire, in Edom, when Simon feels the burst of pain in his chest from when Raphael was killed, Jace knew what it was instantly.

“Raphael,” Jace said finally, in a flat voice. “He’s your sire, the one whose blood made you a vampire.”

But he didn't tell. He kept it all to himself, instantly changing the subject and pretending the cause for Simon's discomfort was something else.

He knew that at this stage, Alec and Clary would absolutely fall to pieces if they thought Magnus and/or Luke and Jocelyn were dead.

And Jace cared for Magnus, if not for his own sake (though they were absolutely friends at this point) then for Alec's. We know he sought comfort from and confided in Luke in the past.

He kept this knowledge to himself. How much agony do you think this must have caused him? Keeping such a vital thing to himself - that the people they sought to rescue could already be dead. He mustn't even have known they were alive until he got there and Sebastian mentioned they would pay for that.

And sure, maybe it was a tad unfair to the others, but I'm not focusing on that right now. Jace's need to protect the people he loves, even at the cost of their own independence, is so obvious in every action he takes, in the tiniest details spread across the books. I love this.

“Clary,” Jace said, a warning in his voice.

Jace wants to stop Clary from giving too much information about his family to Mark, in the tunnels below Faerie to Edom. Why?

Because:

"—My family? Do they know—” “What’s happened to you? A little. And no, they’re not all right.” His eyes closed.

Jace knows the pain of knowing the people you care about, the people you love, are hurt because of you, and yet even knowing that you can't do anything about it.

Jace empathizes with Mark. Clary even thinks it:

Jace didn’t answer her; he looked stunned. She wondered if Mark, brittle and orphaned and alone, reminded him somehow of himself.

Jace was brusque at the beginning, demanding to know about Mark's time with the Fair Folk, but as soon as he realizes the torture and imprisonment and hopelessness of his family being somewhere he could no longer go Mark'd gone through he became sympathetic. He gave him a witchlight, one he'd always had, the symbolism which I talked about in Part I.

It was Mark's 'I'd rather die' that spurred him on. I think that also reminded him of himself, his impassioned speech to Clary as he went back under Sebastian's control.

“They took you because you have faerie blood, but also because you have Shadowhunter blood. They want to punish the Nephilim,” Jace said, his gaze intent. “Show them what a Shadowhunter is made of; show them you aren’t afraid. You can live through this.”

Mark wanted to feel and be useful. Jace gave him a purpose, something to do. Mark saved Idris and all the Shadowhunters there. A lot more would've died if the precautions against Faeries hadn't been put in place.

Jace was a war tactician and a friend at the same time: he gave Mark hope, was kind to him, and even then ruthlessly used his sense of being lost and the same kindness to make him do something for the war effort.

I can't stress how much I love this dichotomy, and how much it reminds me of Julian (also reading City of Lost Souls Julian - the troublemaking wax melting kid, knowing how much he goes through and how much pain is waiting for him, is just awful).

I could wax poetic about how awesome Jace was in the Blackthorns' interrogation. He wasn't as outwardly biased towards them as Magnus and Clary, but he was unequivocally on their side. His arguments were the ones that convinced Robert.

He agreed with Robert at first (and God, I love Julian's thought process about him):

“He has a point.” Jace smiled at Julian and Emma, and the smile was like gold melted over steel. You could see how the softness was a disguise, and how what lay under it had won Jace the title of best Shadowhunter of his generation.

But then, immediately next switched it around. You can see the way it changes Robert. For Jace, it became personal, and if it was personal for him - he would have done the same - it would be so for Robert, his adoptive father. He goes from stern to exasperated, more willing to be pliant.

He's the one who finally convinces Robert to let Julian speak. The final masterstroke. Robert complies immediately, despite reluctance. I doubt Jace planned how the entire thing went down, but this was a clear show of his loyalty and his brilliance. We see how Jace's strategizing mind works. He remains unreadable throughout, even to Julian - master liar and manipulator.

And when he spoke to Mark later on. He tries to put Mark at ease - doesn't succeed fully, of course, but it does sort of work. He reminds him of the witchlight. And of course, he's understood that Julian is the one running the Institute. I'm guessing it's half the official correspondence he gets from running the New York Institute, and half listening to Julian spinning his tale and helping him out there, but still. He guessed something which not even Emma, the love of Julian's life knew about him. It's kind of ridiculously OP, but also really amazing.

In Lord of Shadows, when he first met Kit, Jace knew exactly what to say. We, as readers, know that Jace would love meeting his blood family and as Alec put it, wanted Kit to like him, but to KIt, he seemed simultaneously someone impressive, and someone he wanted to be far away from.

And this:

-- "You’re fifteen years old. You might think you want to die, but trust me—you don’t.”

Am I the only one whose heart is breaking from the PARALLELS? And the certainty with which Jace says it? Jace-Death-Wish-The-SIze-of-Brooklyn-Lightwood-Herondale? This is as cathartic as seeing Jace finally calling Valentine abusive in The Lost Book of the White.

The 'Herondales Can't Resist a Challenge' thing is definitely part of the reason Kit decides to stay at the Institute. There's also, of course, Ty and Livvy and revenge.

Kit felt a sudden tightness through his body. Talking to Jace earlier had eased some of the anxiety he’d felt ever since his father had died. Jace had made everything seem like maybe it would be easy. That they were still in a world where you could give things chances and see how they worked out.

(The 'I didn't hear anything' at the kids' spying antics?? Jace totally did stuff like that with Alec and Izzy when he was younger).

(Also, like he's not the one who convinced Robert to listen to Julian and then present the testimony without involving the kids. This is canon to me.)

Clary leaves Jace alone in the room with Mark, when they're asking him for advice on Faerie. Playing on his prior connection to the Blackthorn. And Jace gets Mark to cooperate within a minute, revealing some information, but not all of it.

Also, the thing with the Herondale ring. Jace got it from Clary, who got it from Tessa, right when he was beginning to accept that he was a Herondale and took the name. To me, his giving it to Kit - and through Clary no less - was an expression of hope that Kit would be able to find the home and family and love and identity he had. And maybe a subconscious subtle manipulation on the fact that Kit never knew his mother and would therefore be vulnerable to Clary, whom everyone - from Emma to Julian - seems to regard as maternal.

And the way he intimidates Kit into not selling it just cracks me up.

(I love him making sure Emma and Julian have Magnus and Alec's numbers in case they run into trouble. He absolutely recognizes the 'chaos follows me around' tendency he has in them. And that he and Clary asked Magnus to help them. I could talk about that for days.)

Just - the way Jace's sarcasm, his charm, his ability to get people to talk and manipulate them, sweet-talking, humour, superhuman fighting abilities, kindness, emotional sensitivity and perception all meld together is genuinely breathtaking. I get why some people don't like his character - but I love him.

[binarybitex]

behind the scenes: Boss Babysitter

with the most recent chapter of Heart Hollow being released (Boss Babysitter), I thought I'd share some insights into my creation, writing, and notetaking for it.

caution: this post contains spoilers!

Welcome to Boss Babysitter; Mr. Andrei Wright decides he needs to come back down to the Hotel's floor after his Assistant Manager - Lewis Lockheart - destroys company property in an emotional overflow. Zeke, still processing having seen his orderly manager snap, has to join the two managers throughout daily tasks at Heart Hollow Hotel. The three of them oversee maintenance, attempt to review an end-of-week-report, and have a meeting with housekeeping. Not even halfway through the day, Mr. Wright decides it's time for lunch; Zeke offers him a cigarette outside in order to give the two managers some space. One questionable conversation later, Zeke trudges back inside to enjoy Lewis' company for the remainder of his break. After a brief history lesson and some comments that are just a bit too sweet for coworkers, Zeke and Lewis' attention is brought outside as Andrei Wright gets arrested for fraud.

the earliest mention of this chapter was from the very first Heart Hollow master arc list (dated 2019 or so). a lot of things have changed, but I knew from the get-go that Andrei was going to be arrested.

fun fact: when i was originally creating Heart Hollow in 2019, I was taking a much more adult-comedy-cartoon route. there was, in fact, going to be a shoot-out as (gasp) the FBI and (even bigger gasp) the IRS show up!!! i decided to scrap that. it just doesn't match the "real-life" drama route im taking now lol

the arc list from november 2021 is one of the first redrafts of the story after my 2-year art block.... the one from april 2022 was after I started making the comic. again, lots of things have changed, but I always outlined space for an episode revolving around Andrei's arrest

here's me brainstorming potential chapter names. i recall struggling with the name because i liked a lot of my options; however, i eventually stuck to "Boss Babysitter"

........

(eheheh it's a play on the hit DreamWorks film "The Boss Baby" featuring Alec Baldwin as "The Boss Baby")

the first idea on what i wanted the meat of the chapter to be about. i wanted to really put the nail in the coffin about Andrei's mismanagement and how that's been affecting Lewis.

more exploration into what the chapter was to be about. i find this one curious, actually, as this was from my earlier notebook (2021-2022) so I guuuuueeeeess I had a pretty good grasp on this chapter early on......??? thank god for notebooks bc it's really hard to keep everything crammed up in my brain.

the chapter before it ("The Heart of Heart Hollow") concluded on Lewis punching the employee bathroom's mirror. i had to bring up the aftermath, how Zeke was managing having seen that. i also wanted to touch upon Lewis' return back, and how unlike him it is to take an impromptu vacation like that. i knew even in the earliest drafts of this scene, that Lewis was going to lie about where he got his wounds from.

early sketches of Lewis' arrival after his impromptu vacation. these lil thumbnails make me giggle.... theyre just so silly lookin.

i also needed to consider how their day was spent with Andrei joining them. i broke it down piece by piece here, scene by scene. i love my additions of dialogue within my loose ideas. it really brings momentum to my writing process.

also, sidenote: can I just say that I do not hold the same beliefs as Andrei? he's a shit head and i wanted to make his character very uncomfortable to be around.

the scene between Andrei and Zeke was one I've had planned for years. it was so euphoric to finally write it out and send it out into the world. here's the snippet where he outwardly admits to his white collar crime.

for the longest time, I was going to reveal that Zeke was living at the Hotel at the very end of "Boss Babysitter"..... however, when I was writing the aftermath of the mirror break (in "The Heart of Heart Hollow"), I thought it appropriate to include Zeke's squatter status. the drama of the story starts to tie itself together as we witness Lewis do something dangerous and impulsive, and learn something rather confidential about Zeke. we start to wonder: who are these characters? what have they gone through to lead them here?

lastly...... just a little doodle of Andrei in prison garb. i love that he's let his beard grow a bit more.

[dreaming-marchling]

Director's cut around anything in The Warlock's Cat? I absolutely adore the story.

The Warlock's Cat Tidbits :)

Also, hopefully cats weren’t deathly allergic to romaine lettuce, carrots and what tasted like balsamic vinaigrette. All Alec knew was that cats hunted mice, what their diets were like after that was a mystery. Nobody could actually be allergic to a carrot, right?

Just in case anyone out there is unclear, cats totally can't survive on a vegan diet, they have to have meat. So nice try with this salad, Alec, but this did absolutely nothing for you lol

---

He braced himself, flexed his claws but didn’t attack. He didn’t want to attack. Alec was just resting up, he’d get out of here as soon as he could but he had no way of communicating that so the cat probably…

It licked him.

Aside from the kindness from Chairman here, cats groom each other to bond but often the groomer is asserting dominance over the groomee. So in cat speak, Chairman is also saying "this is my house but I like you" while he grooms Alec. Further enforcing Magnus' thought later that Chairman and Alec are friends and that Chairman is the alpha in the friendship lol (and that they're both aware and okay with that)

---

To his great surprise, she turned to him and nodded her head as well, “I am the Sirin. It is a pleasure to meet you as well.”

The initial outline didn't have the Sirin. I just wanted some various Downworlders to show Alec how similar their people were and that Magnus was nothing like what Maryse had said. I decided it'd be fun to have a non-humanoid being come to Magnus so I started researching. When I discovered the Sirin from Russian folklore I fell in love and had to include her.

This is a picture of her and her counterpart Alkonost (the Sirin is on the left)

[By Viktor Vasnetsov, Birds of Joy and Sorrow (1896)]

This is my favorite artwork of them but there are many other great ones (plus plenty that stick a pair of featherless tits in the center of their bird chests, if that does anything for you lol).

---

The spell carried Alec all the way to his bed in Magnus’ bedroom where there was some green stuff – oregano? – scattered around. Alec didn’t stick around to figure it out, he just rushed back out to the living room but Magnus was gone.

I've said before that I was heartily tempted to include an "Alec on catnip" scene but didn't because the technically un-aware and un-consenting drug use on Alec's part would change the overall lighthearted tone of the story too much but please know that after the story eventually Magnus manages to convince Alec to give the catnip a try and he gets some potent zoomies and really enjoys himself rolling around on the floor over and over again lol. He likes it better than alcohol.

---

Once more, the conga line departed the loft via portal.

Listen, if I was rich and could pay the cast to act out scenes from my stories, I'd obviously totally pick the really major romantic moments or big revelation moments or hurt/comfort moments, like I've got a list I could choose from happily. This one though... I would be genuinely tempted even though it's not major in any way. It's so dumb at a certain point, like it forever cracks me up. I was cackling writing this. I don't really do funny confidently but like, I was genuinely laughing at how ridiculous this had gotten.

---

Under no circumstance was he telling them about the litter box situation. If they loved him they wouldn’t even ask.

This occurred to Izzy and Jace both but they do love him so they didn't ask.

---

He was small. He was furry.

He was a cat.

Again.

Shit.

Originally the story was meant to end with Alec going to talk to Magnus and them realizing they're in wuv and kissing. I was having too much fun though so I added the whole cat shifter thing.

---

“The next person who finds you and thinks you’re a stray might be a more modern and responsible cat owner.” Cat said, glancing at Magnus before she turned and smirked at Alec, “I was encouraging Magnus to neuter you. Sorry about that.”

After the story ends, Magnus casts a few spells on Alec to ensure that any catting doesn't get him in a bad situation like a tracking spell and, discretely and importantly, a notice-me-not spell on his balls. I didn't know how to weave that in but like, it's important lmao.

---

“Sorry if this is rude but is your cat a cat?” Alec asked in one rush.

I added this shortly before posting because readers had been commenting about Chairman's perceptiveness. Give me a hint of an excuse to talk about Chairman Meow the familiar or the old forest god or literally all the many headcanons and thoughts I have about this cat, seriously. Any excuse.

---

Then came something glowing red. Alec picked it up gingerly and was surprised to read Kīlauea Lava from January 22, 1884 Eruption.

This is a real eruption of a real volcano. I researched this. Why? Are any of you vulcanologists? I don't know why I was so intent on accuracy here but good opportunity to tell people now: this is a real volcano eruption.

---

Magnus laughed, “Shall you tell your mother or would you like the High Warlock to do so?”

Maryse listens to the explanation of this and literally stares at them silently for like a full minute before turning and walking away. It's like long after Valentine that Maryse again acknowledges that her son is a cat shifter.

Thank you for asking!!

[gryphons-n-kelpies]

How about the reactions/thoughts of the main love interest list if the MC doesn't want kids and prefers to not be around them or even complains about some kids they had to be around, but then they see the MC actually show care when kids are involved.

Like

"That kid is just kinda standing alone in the hallway... Should I go ask where their guardian is, or will they get scared if I go up to then? Ya know, let's just stay here and keep an eye on them. Oh! There's the guardian! Phew! Ok, let's get out of here."

"A dad told me to keep an eye out for his daughter and that if I see her to tell her to wait right here. So, yeah, sorry. Can't move from this spot because I promised I'd keep an eye out for a while. I'm on a mission and it ain't done yet."

"I don't really know this person very well or even truly care for her, but she's my sibling's friend, so she exists in my life and I'm not too comfortable around her little girl, but she said her and her husband can't find her, so I'm gonna rush out into this heavy rain and wind to look for her!"

(After finding the child)

*Hugging the kid tightly* "Oh, sweety, are okay!? Here, come here, your mom and dad are over here" *Protective hugging*

Or even just for baby animals?

"There's an extremely young puppy under the porch!? Holy shit, I'll get them! It's way too cold to let a young animal stay there for too long! I'll get them and bring them inside!"

(Later)

*Completely covered in mud and cobwebs from crawling under the porch and freezing from the temperature outside* "Wait, the puppy was already saved!? And ya didn't come tell me!? Eh...whatever. Lemme give the baby puppy a cuddle."

If interactions like that don't pop up, it could easily be assumed that the MC doesn't care about kids or young creatures in general, but a situation similar to the ones listed happen and BOOM! Young creature protection mode.

Would it come as a surprise for them to learn that the MC doesn't actually dislike children or would there be at least a couple that would be like "no, I already knew they had this side, I just never got to see it in action until now."

Alec would probably know ahead of time that MC doesn't want kids, he'd be sad as he wants a family of his own (even if MC is amab), however, he wouldn't complain so much because being with MC is more important to him than making a family. It would only be a surprise to him if they did want kids at first but have changed their mind for whatever reason. After talking it through so he can understand their viewpoint. He'd respect this choice and support them for it.

Morogh doesn't know if he even CAN have kids. Sure there are spells and ways to make it more possible, however the thought doesn't cross his mind. He'd probably assume that they dislike children at first, but after some stalking observing.. He'd probably inquire his thoughts after experiencing it straight up as "Morogh" while you are hanging out with him. He'll actually chalk it up to his human curiosities that just happens to be less morbid than usual.

Sidney wouldn't assume to whether or not MC likes kids or not, but he'd be surprise to learn that they don't want children. Especially if they "meet the right one." He'd nod in understanding be full of more admiration and love for MC because even if they do not want kids, they still have a warm, loving heart for the youth and will still do right with them.