becauseshesmiledatme

[becauseshesmiledatme]

Greetings,

Once again, I'm here with a mandatory post covering everything you need to know about my next fic, in this case, YBMF. I usually do this upfront to set expectations and answer some burning questions, so let’s dive in!

What's this fic about?

I’d say it’s kind of canon-divergent—it’s a different kind of shadow world with new geography and politics. Think of it like an alternate reality, like Thule, where the core of the characters and the shadow world stay the same, but their fates and storylines are totally different. The fic explores themes of separation—systematic, not just romantic (though maybe that too). I’m playing with similar ideas in my original book, so this feels like good practice!

Who are the main characters?

The story mainly revolves around Malec, but like TLND, it’s a story that has to be told through the four of them to really get the full picture. Everyone gets a POV, their own story arc, and their own journey in the fic. So, honestly, I’d say they’re all main characters.

What's the format?

We’re back to multiple POVs and timelines—yay! Each chapter has two POVs: one from a child and one from a parent. The first half of the story is split between past and present—Max and Rafael cover the present, while Alec and Magnus take us through the past. In the second half, all four of them come together in the present timeline.

Is it angsty?

I’d say so, yeah. It tackles some heavy topics, and as hinted, Malec aren’t together in this fic—so you can definitely expect some angst. I’d place it somewhere between TLND and LBAF in terms of angst levels. Of course, I’ll tag anything potentially triggering as we go, but as always, please prioritize your mental health and read at your own pace. PS - It's always a happy ending though :)

Is this book or show-based?

It’s book-based, especially since the world-building in this one is pretty heavy. I’m leaning on the books and their characters, but you’ll also see some Daniverse/LBAF OCs pop up. You don’t need to have read my other fics to follow this one—but it’s definitely more fun if you have, hehe.

Is it long?

Multiple POV stories tend to be long anyway, but honestly, I never know how long until I’m deep into the writing process. That said, this one is planned to have around 25 chapters (plus or minus 3), so it’s a little on the longer side.

What’s the writing schedule? When will you post?

The writing schedule for this fic is December - March. As usual, I plan to post twice a week (Tuesdays and Fridays - at night).

Okay, that's it. I'll see you on Tuesday with the first chapter! ❤️

[becauseshesmiledatme]

Magnus' POV of his closet

Alec's POV of Magnus' closet

Max and Rafa POV of Magnus' closet

[becauseshesmiledatme]

Okay, I need to talk about this passage from City of Bones

Something that comes up a couple of times in regards to the Circle era is that all the modern kids kind of look down on the previous generation for buying into all of this bullshit, much like the readers probably do. Clary is a modern American teenager, of course she hears about Valentine and immediately sees the obvious parallels to white supremacy, of course she can't believe that her family would go along with that and knows that she would do better. And Luke doesn't argue with her, or try to defend his assertation that Valentine wasn't always evil. Even if Valentine was Luke's friend at first, he still should have known better than to let things go so far. Jocelyn should have known better, the Lightwoods should have known better, they all should have known better. But they didn't, and neither does Clary.

Even though she's able to identify Valentine's rhetoric as hateful when she's learning about it as "things said by this mass murderer," she still repeats the same stuff after picking it up from people she trusts. Clary falls into the classic progressive pitfall of lumping opinions into right and wrong; people into good and evil. Luke isn't trying to convince her that Valentine was actually a good person or that it's okay to do a little violent hate crime as a teenager, he's trying to point out that knowing which people to label as "evil" doesn't actually do anything to make you an ally to the people being oppressed. She can hate Valentine, but can she see werewolves and vampires as people equal to herself?

The answer is yes, obviously she can. But it's only because she has people like Luke there to call her out when she does something out of line. Luke fell for that stuff too as a teenager, but he took the time to unpack all those hateful beliefs, and so has a much better understanding of how to live up to his ideals than the kid who's never done anything wrong in her life.

In addition, I really like that the book wasn't afraid to acknowledge how Valentine is definitely analagous to white supremacists. Most stories with some sort of fantasy discrimination act like this is the only bigotry and their characters have never heard of racism, but that automatically flattens the world. Clary thinks she knows enough about racism to apply those lessons from history onto a new situation, but she clearly isn't actually ready to practice what she preaches.

Also, this is by no means a Clary hate post. I love that she's a flawed character and that the narrative acknowledges this and lets her grow from it. A lot of stories would be afraid to look at the protagonist (who's kinda a reader insert) and go "you are not immune to propaganda," but it's an important thing to make the kids reading these books aware of. Clary isn't evil, but she did do some harmful things and has to reckon with that potential for hate within herself before it goes any farther.

It's not perfect and it's not a complete education on anti-discrimination, but it's better than what you might expect from a YA urban fantasy novel published in 2007. Hell, it's better than you expect from a lot of people active online today.

[becauseshesmiledatme]

Andrew: “You done talking?”

Neil: “Yeah:)”.

An animation kiss I did back in May. It’s nice to see characters you draw on a daily in motion.

[becauseshesmiledatme]

[becauseshesmiledatme]

would just like to remind everyone that alec and magnus were never a situationship — they were interested in each other, as open about their feelings as possible despite societal and personal conflicts, and then they became boyfriends. all in under under two months. they had issues that were not initially addressed which led to a breakup early on in their relationship, but through open communication and willingness to grow, they worked it out and held zero resentment, moving forward into a beautiful, mature, adult relationship. if they can respect themselves and each other enough to pursue the person they love admist multiple barriers, public shunning, family issues, and a goddamn war, so can we, my lovelies. do not settle for indifference.

[becauseshesmiledatme]

“It’s true,” Rafael said quietly. “A long time ago, your father and mine were in love with each other.”

“Do you know what happened?” Max asked, his voice small.

Rafael shook his head. “My father refuses to talk about it.”

You Broke Me First: Coming Sooner Than You Think

[becauseshesmiledatme]

[becauseshesmiledatme]

I yearn for Faircain.

It's a physical need.

[becauseshesmiledatme]

happy birthday Magnus Bane

[becauseshesmiledatme]

[becauseshesmiledatme]

[becauseshesmiledatme]

Part 2 of meeting Aaron and Katelyn’s daughter. Katelyn had to make a call and asked Neil if it was alright to hold the kid for a moment. Next thing Neil knew he was staring down at a much smaller, less judgmental face than the one standing beside him

[becauseshesmiledatme]

Aaron and Katelyn’s daughter shares a surprisingly close bond with her uncle

[becauseshesmiledatme]

my fathers

[becauseshesmiledatme]

Do you ever cycle through the same 4 apps on your phone over and over again and feel like a tiger pacing its cage at the zoo

[becauseshesmiledatme]

Magnus at first was not onboard with Alec’s holey jumpers, until he realised he could use it as an excuse to slip his fingers inside to touch his bare skin