#OH OH OH or it could actually be from clary's point of view what do we think about THAT huh??

[garvalhaminho]

what do we think of "it's time to go" but it's jocelyn fairchild escaping valentine's grip on her and her child(ren)

[ladyhindsight]

Two Shadowhunters are dead and a tracksuit gang is intent on taking Simon somewhere, but otherwise the plot refuses to appear. It isn’t important, even quarter into the story. These people have wedding to plan and relationship troubles to attend to, for god’s sake.

Simon is now bunking with “Kyle” and is introduced to his rather ascetic room. And oh, boy, this also isn’t the last time we get to read about “Kyle’s” hazel eyes.

The only reason I can give for the need to have that “honestly” there is because Simon has been nothing short of a sourpuss the whole book so far and his tone, without the adverb, would be snide. But let’s not pretend for a moment it couldn’t be replaced with

→ Simon replied with a relieved sigh.

→ Simon replied and gave Kyle a small smile.

Yes, very ordinary. He seems just like normal person. No Ulterior Motives detected here. He’s a normal guy.

Because this compound sentence has two subjects, both having male pronouns, “his room” is ambiguous and could be interpreted as either one of theirs. I read it like Simon went into Jordan’s room.

→ Simon went to his own room.

The feeling of tightening in one’s chest could be a physiological manifestation of emotion. It doesn’t necessarily have to do anything with breathing itself. Having to explain (i.e. justify) every emotional response Simon feels in his body and always note that he is, in fact, a vampire who despite (insert a reason) can still feel things physiologically gets tiresome and redundant quickly. It already has. 

Simon falls asleep after more lamenting on his current life. He wakes up and goes to the kitchen where Jordan is cooking.

Clare’s writing, as usual, is filled with filter words. There should be a tally on how many times someone “could see” something in this book. Anyway:

→ The gold medal at his throat had a pattern of leaves and the words Beati Bellicosi on it. “Beati” had something to do with saints...”

And I don’t know if he must be. Didn’t Jordan just yesterday show Simon his tattoos that are mantras from the Upanishads? That didn’t warrant any interpretation on Jordan’s religious leanings, so why does this?

Maia then calls Simon and asks if he was still attending the  dress fitting at Karyn’s Bridal Shop at three o’clock.

Clary’s characters is the only one making a fuss about looking like girly-girls or anything remote feminine, though later in the story she wears red stockings and a hot pink dress.

Simon then falls into narrating how on earth he ended up finding himself in this grievous predicament of dating two girls.

There wasn’t a chance because you never took one. Inexcusable.

Jordan inquires whether it was one of Simon’s girlfriends that called. Simon then explains his dating life in painfully dull detail. Jordan isn’t happy to hear about it:

Because he is just A Normal Guy. Nothing to see here, right Simon? Jordan then leaves for work and Simon skips off to the dress fitting. Clary is showing off a dress and Simon thinks it’s nice but it is not enough for Clary. Clary turns to Maia in this dire crisis:

Maia’s words are authentic because that is what is shown throughout the books. Clary, on the other hand, is wrapped up in the Not Like Other Girls narrative that outright had her acting hostile to any other girl, had her outright dissing femininity.

Clary doesn’t write in a diary about Jace, she draws and paints him. She needs to buy comic books not to feel “frilled up girly girl.” Maia wears a dress and then goes back to her jeans. She does her own thing whereas Clary’s character is all over the place with this shit.

Jocelyn and Luke arrive at the bridal shop and are disgustingly in love.

It’s Simon’s point of view, but he doesn’t need to be there to constantly remind that hey, these are his thoughts.

→ Clary had told him they were disgustingly in love. He didn’t find it disgusting, though that was probably because they weren’t his parents. They both seemed happy, and it was actually rather nice.

They then discuss how they will be wed in a mundane ceremony and how the Nephilim do not recognize unions between them and Downworlders.

But nothing in the story indicate this. Whenever Simon makes a note of the Shadowhunters’ attitude towards him, it’s always, in some way, negative. 

Maia then prepares to leave and Simon smells her.

Which begs the question, why doesn’t Simon smell Jordan?

Maia calls Simon “baby” and Clary demands Simon to make up his mind before the next Saturday.

Because it is brought to such an attention, it’s supposedly important for Clare that the readers take note and be amused with Simon. Nothing about Clary’s chosen footwear is this interesting or amusing if Clare didn’t think to point such mundane and boring thing out if she didn’t find it so. Look how Clary, despite in her girly-girl dress, wears sneakers! Isn’t she not like any other?

→ She was wearing green sneakers underneath them.

Then Jace arrives and we get this:

And I am so tired already. And the whole book is filled with this bullshit. But this is especially bullshit because it’s Simon who narrates their now troubled love. And I couldn’t care for less, but apparently Clary and Jace’s relationship is right in the front center of everyone else’s.

People discuss the current events of Shadowhunters dying. Jace takes his jacket back from Clary and is suddenly distant. Jace flings himself out of the bridal shop because nothing can be done discreetly during deep emotional turmoil. Later the others leave for dinner:

They are walking down the street. They talk about Simon staying at Jordan’s, and Simon asks Clary to maybe come over. When they arrive at the diner:

So Luke and Jocelyn just pranced in without holding a door open for them?? Not cool.

Oh, for fuck’s sake, it’s just people working out. Stop being so dramatic.

Polite parents don’t sit hours on end supporting your hobbies just to be polite so maybe, just maybe, Jocelyn actually cares? A wild idea, I know.

Simon then talks about Jordan and his pot plants that are not pot. They are first mentioned in the beginning of the chapter:

And then, Simon tells about these weird plants when they have been unmentioned since the initial introduction to Jordan’s hobbies in horticulture.

Just a pet peeve, again. Though the only time Simon could’ve checked the plants out was after Jordan left for work after the breakfast and before Simon’s appointment at the bridal shop, a mention of it would’ve been nice. Now it comes out of nowhere.

Then the only plot relevant thing we get from the diner scene are the abandoned demon babies. After the Not So Fantastic dinner, Simon walks home when the tracksuit gang ambushes him again.

→ Simon leaped back with a force that surprised him; his vampire strength was still so new.

Clearly.

Jace then swoops in, saves half of the day but not really, sees the Mark of Cain in action, throws a bible quote at Simon, and boom. We’re done. What a fucking awful and boring chapter.

[toyahinterviews]

THE LATE EDITION, E4 WITH MARCUS BRIGSTOCKE 24.3.2005

MARCUS: The fabulously taut Toyah Willcox! TOYAH: Fabulously taut, eh? MARCUS: The fabulousty taut Toyah Willcox and I don't mean your education (Toyah laughs) You look fantastic! TOYAH: Thank you very much. I should hope after that amount of money MARCUS: How much did it cost? TOYAH: 11,000 Euros. So at the point of exchange, it was about £7500 MARCUS: Money well spent! TOYAH: I think so MARCUS: Yeah. And you've written a book which is moving and scary and at points a sickening account. It's very graphic about exactly what you went through

TOYAH: I hope to put people off as much as tell people what goes on. There's some women you will never stop having it done like me, but I hope that the book actually puts the weaklings off. It takes a bit of kind of mettle to go through with it MARCUS: There are some who would say it takes more mettle not to change how you look TOYAH: Bollocks! (the audience laughs) MARCUS: Fair enough. Why bollocks? TOYAH: Because I think sometimes women – and I’m talking from a woman's point of view - and I know men to this ... look at Dale Winton, obviously MARCUS: Not for too long (the audience laughs) Those lights bouncing off that brighter colour, you can actually damage the retina     

TOYAH: Sometimes you do it for yourself. It is a selfish act sometimes and I did it because I wanted to do something. Having a facelift doesn't stop you ageing, you're going to carry on ageing. Nothing will stop that but hopefully I will do it a little more attractively MARCUS: Right TOYAH: Am I boring you shitless? (Toyah and the audience laugh) MARCUS: No, not at all! In all honesty I'm trying to be delicate or I had intended to be delicate but you're talking in a far more - TOYAH: Don’t be delicate because you're a sweetheart! MARCUS: OK, can I feel behind your ear? TOYAH: (moves towards Marcus) If I can sit on your knee MARCUS: Oh my good God! (feels behind Toyah’s ear) There’s almost nothing there! TOYAH: See! It’s good work! MARCUS: I'm not going to grab it and pull TOYAH: Oh, by the way, I've had my arse done. Could you feel that? MARCUS: Yes, I could (the audience laughs) And I want to say for the record, I'm not bored now! (Toyah and the audience laugh) And if Thatcher was here he (sic) could measure things. There have been some real horror pictures, haven't there? Let's have a look at that (a photo of Jocelyn Wildenstein) TOYAH: I have to tell you about Jocelyn Wildenstein. She's one of the richest women in America and this is body dysmorphic disorder. This is when you don't see the truth of who are MARCUS: Yeah, you see, that's the thing. I think if you look at lots of the elements of her mashed face, they look OK individually. It's just when you put it all together you just think oh, my God! TOYAH: It's like Burt Reynolds and Julian Clary married together. I mean, it really is quite bizarre! MARCUS: It is a hideous mess. Let’s have a look at the next one. Joan Rivers TOYAH: Sorry, when I'm 73 I want to look like that woman 

MARCUS: Yeah, that's taken a lot of surgery, hasn't it? TOYAH: Yeah, there's about three facelifts there. That's my guess MARCUS: Looks like she's got a beard coming up eventually (the audience laughs) It’s an oldie but a goodie. There are women, I think, who were very critical. I mean, Melanie Phillips who writes in The Daily Mail absolutely tore a strip off Anne Robinson when she had her face done TOYAH: And do you think Anne cares? MARCUS: I know that she does. It didn't hurt her but she was angry and she wanted to get back at Melanie TOYAH: I think if anyone gets back at anyone it’s going to be Anne because she's rich and she's powerful. But I do think a time comes when you do stand up and go "see, Melanie's kind of had a go at me, that's fantastic! I’ve arrived!" MARCUS:  Has Melanie Phillips got a point at some level that unless women are allowed to grow old on screen - because you're someone who's who's very much in the public eye ... If women aren't seen to be growing older it will be impossible for them ever to grow older TOYAH: OK, I totally agree women must be allowed to grow old on screen and it's been an actress's dilemma for since the TV's been going but from the age of 35 to about 50 women weren't finding jobs. Caroline Quentin has broken that mould and parts are being written for her    But the biggest problem that I predict is that it's going to become about those who have the money to have the really good work and those who don't have the money to have any work at all. And it's going to be like them and and us so a huge social divide MARCUS: I think it is enormously difficult to have a career particularly in presenting if you're a woman of advancing years. I make absolutely no judgement. I've thought about surgery myself. I've got quite a long, narrow face, and I'd quite like it shortened and made more round (Toyah laughs)   Whether I shall ever actually have that done I don't know. It would mean removing bone from here to here. Quite dramatic! But nonetheless, I think your surgery has made you look sensational. And I'd like to thank you very much indeed for joining me this evening. Toyah Willcox! TOYAH: Thank you! You can listen to the interview  HERE

[magnus-the-maqnificent]

Let’s analyse - the fight against Abaddon

Brought to you by that one anon on @khaleesiofalicante ‘s blog that’s been driving me crazy. They clearly don’t seem to get the gist of the scene, so here I am... *sigh*

Oh, and I am once again asking y’all to learn and develop critical reading skills asksdgfhh

This is gonna get really long, so I’m gonna put it under a cut. Ciao! (Also, I’ve added alt text to all the images, so don’t worry about that!)

I’m gonna focus mainly on Alec in this analysis, on what this fight meant for his character development, and whether or not it determines his worth as a warrior.

First let’s review - what happened before the fight took place?

Let’s start with the confrontation scene between Alec and Clary. Specifically this part, where Clary’s anger gets out of hand and she lashes out at Alec;

However, if you look back to what Jace actually said...

Jace only said that Alec has never killed a demon, and not that he was ‘too afraid’ to do it. It was Clary, unfortunately, two twisted his words. *sigh* anger brings out the worst of people, huh?

However, at this point, the damage has been done, and Alec believes that Jace thinks he’s a coward or something, because he’s never killed a demon. Which plays right into his insecurities of not being a good enough shadowhunter. And the morning before they go to Dorothea’s house, this happens -

From Jace’s point of view, he only spoke the words out of mild frustration over why Alec, his parabatai, wasn’t supporting him, and clearly meant them as a way to convince Alec to come along. He didn’t meant it maliciously. However, to Alec, who’s probably been stewing over what Clary said to him a while ago, it’s only a confirmation that what she said was true, that Jace thinks he’s too afraid to fight demons/forsaken.

Misunderstandings are a bitch.

After that comes this,

I’m including this scene here for two reasons - one, there’s clearly some tension between Jace and Alec, and two, Alec is clearly shown in an archer’s getup, with a quiver of arrows strapped to his back, and a leather bracer on his arm.

But then, we get to this scene, right before they go to Dorothea’s and after they check the demonic activity levels,

Alec ditches his bow and arrow at the last minute in favour of a feather staff.

Why? Because he knows there’s low demonic activity, and therefore low risks of facing demons and/or forsaken.

Because at this point, he wants to prove to Jace (and Clary) that he’s not afraid of killing demons.

At this point you might be thinking, What? That’s so stupid? If he wants to prove he’s a good warrior, he should do it when there’s high stakes. This just proves he’s a coward and a bad warrior!

Wrong, wrong and wrong.

Alec initially has his bow and arrow, when they’re expecting more trouble while fetching the cup. But when he finds out that there’s little to no risk of coming across demons and forsaken, he switches to the feather staff, because he’s thought this through. In a high stakes battle, switching from high-range-defence (which Alec specialises in) to low-range-offence, could be a serious liability and could result in Jace and Isabelle getting hurt with no one to watch their backs. Alec weighs the risks of him switching fighting styles against the stakes of the fight they’re going into, and only when he knows that the stakes are very low, and that Jace and Isabelle won’t be getting hurt that he decides to take up low-range-offence. Like he says to Isabelle, he knows what he’s doing.

Even when his feelings are hurt and he wants badly to prove that he isn’t afraid, he still puts the safety of his siblings first, which is... maybe the opposite of selfish. The irony.

So, yeah. Once Alec knows that his siblings won’t get hurt in his quest for bravery, the mission, for him, becomes all about him trying to prove to Jace (and Clary) that he can be a brave, badass warrior who kills stuff, too. Note how his behaviour changes abruptly in this scene. (“Let’s kick some demon butt!” the second hand embarrassment omg)

And also in this scene:

Alec is generally very goal oriented. Like we see in future books, for missions like these, Alec always focuses on the final goal (retrieving items or rescuing people, etc.) and the demons/forsaken/cult members/whatever he’s fighting on the way becomes secondary to him. Yet here we see that he seems to be equally prioritising retrieving the cup and fighting forsaken, while even Jace is indifferent to the forsaken. Because like I said, at this point he only wants to prove that he’s not afraid.

Now onto the actual fight scene....

All three of them - Jace, Isabelle and Alec, were expecting low demonic activity and low risks. No one expected a fucking greater demon to pop out of nowhere. To them, it’s like... in terms of a video game, playing until level 15 and then jumping to level 95 or something. All three of them are clueless.

And at this point, if you’re holding only Alec at fault for being clueless, when all three siblings are scared shitless (yes, including Jace. It’s canon that he uses humour in a fight when he thinks he’s going to die.)... you’re the one holding gay characters to a much higher standard than the straight ones. Stop doing that, dumbass.

Now, at this point, Alec is in a fix. He’s set his mind on proving to Jace that he can be a brave warrior too, but now he has to protect his siblings too. Except he’s already ditched his bow and arrows, which means there’s no going back. He has no choice but to go on low-range-offence.

So, he does both.

He gets in between Jace and the demon, effectively preventing Jace from getting hit, and strikes at the demon at the same time, injuring it. Basically, Alec tried to hit two birds with one stone, with a weapon he wasn’t as familiar with as he was with the bow. From his point of view, it was foolish - like we see in the graphic novel.

Except... that was a pretty brave thing. He charged in front of a greater demon even though he was clearly afraid of it, for Jace. His fear wasn’t greater than his instinct to protect, even if the need to prove himself was still there in his mind. In the end, Alec was brave. (But at this point, Alec probably thinks that fearlessness and bravery are the same thing, and it may not be until the third book that he realises the difference).

You know Magnus says ‘I think you were I injured in an act of bravery’ or something like that in the graphic novel? Bitch was right. (Damn, now I wonder just how much Alec needed to hear that).

And now, enter Simon

Yes, what Simon did was amazing - but can it really compare to Alec’s archery skills? Now, what Simon did was more endowed in strategy than skill. He knew about the skylight, knew that sunlight is harmful to demons, and utilised that knowledge to his advantage. But the skylight, in an earlier page is described as a single wide pane of glass. Now, you tell me, what’s easier - shattering a pane of glass, or killing a level 95 boss with weapons?

And... why do people feel the need to point out that Simon killed the demon while Alec specifically couldn’t? Why don’t I see people comparing Isabelle and Jace to Simon? Why the gay shadowhunter vs the straight mundane? Why not straight shadowhunter vs straight mundane? Why are you holding Alec to such high standards and say nothing about how Jace, the greatest warrior of his time, couldn’t kill a demon while a mundane could? Double standards, that’s why.

And now for our grand finale-

At this point, Alec doesn’t know the full extent of what really happened. It’s unclear how much he’s processed, but it’s clear he remembers until the point he attacked the demon. He was unconscious for a while, so he may not have witnessed Simon’s entrance. It’s pretty hard to say. But this scene here just goes to prove my earlier point once again - he just wanted to prove to Jace (and Clary) that he was a brave warrior, that he could kill demons too. And now, in his mind, he did kill a demon. He’s proven himself, even if he’s gravely injured now.

(Someone give him a damn hug omg)((Also bless Clary for coming around and being an Angel))

And the rest... well, you know.

Actually, you know what? Thank you, you mean ass anon. You helped me understand my favourite character a little better. I’m only realising now just how much Alec’s arc in the first three books revolves around the idea of fearlessness and bravery. Maybe that’ll be an analysis for another day.

Goodbye for now! And pay attention in English class, folks! Especially the reading comprehension stuff!

[khaleesiofalicante]

Hey Dani!!!

Sorry I haven’t commented on the last couple of lbafs - I really loved them, especially Max’s

I’ve had a pretty busy week actually

I got braces today, and rn the wire is stabbing into the side of my cheek and I am not liking it,

i attended the funeral of a much beloved friend who died in November. My grandad conducted the service and we cried it was lovely but also really nice to catch up with people I haven’t seen in a while due to covid - but he’s in a better place and he was really sick so it’s almost selfish to miss him

I watched the first few episodes of call the midwife season 11 (which watching in 2020 really shaped my view on abortion) and yeah i haven’t watched tv in a while

I had a further maths exam last week and I think it went ok… but I have that kind of mindset where if I don’t think I’ve achieved near to 100% in subjects (particularly maths) I think I’ve failed 😭😂

Umm a bunch of my friends got covid and idk how I’ve avoided it, my friends grandma died, and she still was kind enough to ask about the funeral I went to 😭😭 she’s lovely

I have an argument with my music teacher brewing because technically I have to do a music recital evening but I have no wish to embarrass myself in front of judgmental strangers so that won’t be happening

My friends from london visited for the weekend and we haven’t seen them since before covid so that was nice

oh and odd thing - theres still a spare bed in my room and i was reading in it last night but i got back into my normal bed but somehow i woke up and i was in the other bed and idk what happened😭😭

i finished part one of the return of the king and it was amazing but i think i prefer the two towers

very excited for new lotr series in september so yayy

also, developing a new angsty plotline for my ongoing tsc story where (adult) rafe gets a mundane girl pregnant and we shall see where that goes

and finally, an lbaf related question, the last chapter in part 1, was that from magnus or clary's point of view, or could it be considered to be from both?

my autocorrect isnt on so im typing super slowly 😭😭

anyway apologies for my long rant, hope ur doing ok ❤️❤️‍🔥

Life update yes!

That's a lot of intense shit happening in a short while - especially all the covid-related stuff you can't really control. I hope you are talking some time for yourself!

The bed thing happens to me as well! Sometimes your body is so tired that it doesn't really remember all the moments you do (especially when you are about to sleep or actually sleeping)

I'm so glad you are enjoying lotr. Tis a masterpiece. Love the angsty plotline! Keep me posted (if that's okay??)

LBAF - the last chapter is from clary's pov because it's the dream about Idris. I wrote it in a way that people would think it's Magnus pov :)

PS - never apologise. I love these updates. ❤️

[zpetlovesglitter]

The Wicked Powers Theories

The Wicked Powers has recently been getting me excited WAY too much - which says a lot about how weird I am since Cassie hasn’t even started on it yet (LOL).

aND, so, I kind of thought it’d be nice to jot down some predictions and theories on how the series might go and maybe some thoughts on THE SHIPS (that really do be the real TEA).

So.Here we go.And do let me know about any thoughts you have on this topic as well - I read anything about TWP like a crazed creature these days istg.

1)The POV has already been envisioned to be from Ty, Dru and Kit. I absolutely love this settlement since they are all very intriguing characters. Ty is an interesting person and his actions are always unpredictable, so we might enjoy this one. And,I believe he is at The Scholomance while the story progresses, followed by Livvy (Ghost Livvy, I mean).It’s still unclear what Livvy’s situation is, so I can’t wait to know more about that - it’s bound to be something unexpected. And, as for Dru, it’s kinda obvious. We all know that WE HAVE A LOVE TRIANGLE COMING UP. But, other than that, we also know she attends The Academy and finally starts to makes some friends and even has that really close Italian (..or was it Spanish???) Shadowhunter friend who’s her age and Cassie also revealed that the two are really tight indeed. And I will be honing in on the Love Triangle soon - I told you I’ll be trying to spill whatever tea I’m guessing at.  And, as for the last character WE HAVE KIT! OMFG YOU DO NOT KNOW HOW MUCH I LOVE OLDER BROTHER KIT.LIKE GOSH DARN IT HE IS SO ADORABLE AND MINA IS SO EFFING CUTE I CAN’T EVEN-                          AND KIT’S TRAINING WITH JEM AND HE IS GOING TO BE A WELL-TRAINED SHADOWHUNTER IN TWP, SO YAYYYY!! And, I absolutely CANNOT wait for MinaXKit interactions, they are the cutest siblings ever and I absolutely know that Mina grows up to be sarcastic. I can’t wait for the possible sarcastic arguments between Kit and 4-year old Mina. YOU THINK I FORGOT ABOUT KITxTY? NOPE.THE REAL SHET’S COMING UP.

2)Now,we know that the storyline is going to have something to do with that Faerie Heirloom that was from the Rosales Family. And, Cassie also said it was going to be kind of an Arthurian Legend-ish story. If you don’t know the Arthurian Legend, I suggest you read on it. I’m not sure if Cassie meant the characters and LOVE Aspect of it or the LEGEND aspect of it as in the stuff about Excalibur and all. But, for now we’ll view it in both and examine it, shall we?

King Arthur's reign ends after his wife and best knight have an affair.

This is the drama in the legend.But, there are no relationships with the MCs yet. So idk. I’m clueless. Like, maybe Dru has a relationship?? Okay I’m clutching at practically nothingness so don’t judge me. :/

So,it’s obviously something to do with the LEGEND.

I am afraid I cannot say too much about it, since I have never read too deeply about it. But, here’s some of the basics:

-He managed to pull out Excalibur from the rock it was stuck in.

-He wielded Excalibur for the people and not for his own self-interest.

-He gets help from a wizard named Merlin.

-The peeps go on a quest.

And I have this reference from a website..I’ll hit u with the link as well, if you’d like to read more on it like I did

Arthurian legend, the body of stories and medieval romances, known as the matter of Britain, centring on the legendary king Arthur. Medieval writers, especially the French, variously treated stories of Arthur’s birth, the adventures of his knights, and the adulterous love between his knight Sir Lancelot and his queen, Guinevere. This last situation and the quest for the Holy Grail (the vessel used by Christ at the Last Supper and given to Joseph of Arimathea) brought about the dissolution of the knightly fellowship, the death of Arthur, and the destruction of his kingdom.

(I’ve linked it with the text above.)

So,now I thought this was interesting- the destruction part. After all, it’s something I’m expecting about the Shadowhunters. Will the Clave maybe be destroyed? Or maybe Faerie will be destroyed? So,there were three things that brought on this uh Destruction.FIRST, his wife and his best buddy were going behind his back and doing them lovey-dovey stuff. And they all go on some quest to retrieve something important to them. So, this sounds like something plausible to be the plot of TWP. Maybe the Heirloom’s missing? And who goes on the quest though? Maybe they venture through Faerie? BLAH MY HEAD HURTS SOME THINGS ARE BETTER TO BE SURPRISED WITH ;)

-----I kinda scrolled back up while writing about Janus down there and remembered CLARY MIGHT BE TAKEN HOSTAGE LIKE YESS AND THEY GO FIND HER MAYBE?

3)We will defo see Christina, Mark and Kieran at some point- no worries, Emma and Julian too. Happy Couples! XD

4)So,then we can look forward to Dru and Jaime’s interactions. I am absolutely excited for this the most, as a shipper of the two. If you remember, we saw Jaime ignoring her for a while back there at the end of QOAAD and then he says “See ya at the Academy soon ig”. I really do hope they meet and hang out as friends, at least. I am excited to see what kind of trope it’s gonna be tho. Like, do they ignore each other and remain awkward until they start the adventure stuff in the book where they eventually have to talk to each other after years or smth. Or, maybe they’re really good friends rn. But, what I’ll warn y’all shippers is that they might not end up together, and could wind up as brother-sister-ish kind of best buddies. Which is equally cute a relationship imo. It’s a really sweet thing to be, really. I lowkey hope Cassie spins something beautiful for their relationship like a sibling-like best friends kind of thing. But, I feel like they might have feelings for each other in secret. Or maybe they date. Or maybe they suppress their secret-feelings for the sake of friendship later on in the book and end up having that really sweet friendship I was talking about.There are SO many options and that is precisely why I am so freaking excited.

5)JAIME ROCIO ROSALES.       Like, I have this gut feeling that he might end up being my fave male protagonist character in TSC. He’s got it ALL. Like, the sense of humour, the looks, the bubbly yet brooding personality, the quirks and OFC THE FRICKING NAME ITSELF IS CUTE AF LIKE BRUH I CANNOT WAIT TO READ ABOUT HIM.I have so much to say about Jaime but I’d rather we let ourselves simply wait for the crumbs Cassie might give us or maybe reread all his parts in TDA like I do everyday or just wait for the book to come out rather than simp for someone we know nothing about yet....

6)Ash Morgenstern.         He’s a cute lil bean.        That was random and untrue lmao. He’s not a ‘lil bean’. He’s totally badass with dem wings and all, but we know he’s soft inside for Janus and ofc Dru, I believe. I find him the most intriguing character, honestly. I would love to know what goes through his head. He’s actually, like, the one character in TSC that I don’t have all figured out. He gon surprise us all for sure tho. He is awesome. That’s all I have to say for now. And he looks up to Janus which is SO GODDAMN SWEET AHHHH. And THE WINGS I CANNOT WAIT TO READ MORE ABOUT THE WINGS IT SOUNDED SO BADASS ISTG I LITERALLY CANNOT WAIT GOSH DARN IT. But he really do be a cute lil bean lowkey tho.

7)Kit and Ty LOL. I have no words really. But lemme tell you how it might go. There is definitely going to be some kind of reunion. AND THEN THAT’S WHERE IT GETS CUTE. They could either be awkward and we know what tension that gets us-perhaps some whisperings of My Watson...(?  ;) and maybe they go all sad and brooding with dem looks later OR, they could be the sweetie-pies they were before and be happy and all HIII BUDDDYYYY MISSED YAAA LESS GO BE DETECTIVES YAY BURN IT UP MAH BUDDY!! Either way it’s going to be cute af and we know it . TRUST IN CASSIE Y’ALL.I trust Cassie to let this ship sail the seven seas and seven more like it deserves.

8)Ash and Dru So, Ash has a strange lil fixation on Dru and I believe he even thought she was ‘pretty’ or something. It was definitely a good adjective, but I think he said ‘pretty’. idk but we know he likes her. and I can imagine a nice relationship. I can picture them with her hair flying in the wind and they meet for the first time or smth. IHNI WHAT IM SAYING. But, there will be DRAMA. They are going to be real cute with each other YOU CAN BET ON THAT.And, by cute I do not necessarily mean ‘Oh, you have the loveliest eyes’ or some shet like that. I have a feeling it’s going to be a case of ‘Well,that’s not weird or anything YOU WEIRDO - NO U - NO U - NO U’ However this relationship is going to go, I know that it’ll be a sweet one.And, for all you shippers of these two, I have no assurances that HE IS THE ONE or anything but he is definitely a candidate. Jaime is going to be some competition I can tell. So, idk. It depends on the Jaime x Dru ship to decide things for Ash x Dru ship imo, since it might be a no-brainer if the two have feelings for each other- I mean,Jaime is an actually perfect love interest in TSC, while Ash is strong potential Best-Friend material, so it’s ONLY if Jaime and Dru don’t like each other that way that Ash could make it as a love interest. So, if y’all wanna find out what’s in it for you guys, ask Cassie maybe about how the Jaime x Dru ship might go, the next time u wanna ask her ;)

9)Tavvy and maybe the kid Helen and Aline might have had We were getting hints of another baby, so HERE WE GO.Tavvy might have a playmate. :D. YAYYYYYYYYYY

10)Janus  I’m honestly worried about him. He is a worrisome character. I hate empathising with the antagonist, personally. AAAAHHHH . I hope we see some character development in him. I really don’t want to see him as an antagonist in the story. He’s sweet and feels cheated, but he should realise that it ain’t Jace’s fault but SEBASTIAN’S fault. I would like for him to make amends with Jace :( And, also, he might get the story started in TWP tho idk. But, seriously tho, when he went home in that short story and Ash asked, “I thought you were gone forever?” or something of that sort and he shook his head sadly and Ash went soft for him. Like, that fricking broke my heart. I love this relationship tho. And, i hope Clary and him can be good friends. But, I feel like he might end up dying to save her or smth and make us all cry . T_T

11)WHAT TF IS GOING ON WITH THE SHADOWHUNTER POLITICS RN THO?HOW AND WHERE ARE THEY ALL SURVIVING TOGETHER WHAT IS THEIR SYSTEM AND STUFF THIS IS NOT A POINT WITH POTENTIAL THEORIES COZ HONESTLY I WANT TO BE SURPRISED BUT I THINK THEY MIGHT ALL JUST BE IN HIDING AND THEN IN TWP THEY MIGHT HAVE TO COME OUT FOR A QUEST OR SMTH AND WHAT IS HAPPENING TO THE SHADOWHUNTERS AT THE CLIMAX OF THIS WHOLE SERIES??? IT IS THE END OF TSC SO IM SCARED AND KINDA SAD TOO :(((((((

12)Thule We might learn more about the Thule world and maybe they restore it or maybe the Quest is in Thule. idk. we don’t know much, but Thule will most probably be explored a lot. Cassie wouldn’t have opened up Thule for no reason.

13)Zara and Emma  Showdown? Befriend e/o ? What’s in store for these two? If it’s a showdown we get to see CORTANA YAY I AM OBSESSED WITH CORTANA NOW BECAUSE OF CORDELIA AND HER OBSESSION GOSH DARN IT WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO ME

14)BIG WAR I see a huge war coming I just know it. It’s a climax so there MUST be a big war and so I cannot wait! Feel like there’s gonna be some deaths as well. Lowkey feel like Jia might die. I can feel it. :(

15)The best-friend shadowhunter of Dru is a nice thing to look forward to! I can’t wait to read about the two! And I love the fact that Dru is finally exposed to new people. And, for anyone who’s confused as to how she goes to the Academy, in QOAAD she only said she’ll have some maturity done AFTER some years .  Those years are over and she at the Academy now hecc yeah I BELIEVE THE BFF IS CALLED THAI AND SHE’S FROM THE SPANISH INSTITUTE CORRECT ME IF IM WRONG???

16)Magnus Bane He is literally everywhere. He gon be here too. No worries for all the Magnus Bane stans. He’ll make it here without a doubt!  Good for you :).  and the entire community of shadowhunters they literally always need him  17)THE MAIN MAIN PLOT THE SHADOWHUNTERS SHOWDOWN IS OBVIOUSLY GOING TO ALSO BE RELATED TO THE PRINCES OF HELL COMING TOGETHER AND I AM TOO SCARED TO LOOK TOO INTO IT BUT WE KNOW SHIZ COMING GNJODIFPEDWEFHUGBJ VM

18)THIS IS KINDA RANDOM BUT I CAN’T WAIT FOR THE SELF-ESTEEM GROWTH IN DRU LIKE PLEASE SHE QUEEN MWAH

[plantdad-dante]

Book #5 - City of Glass by Cassandra Clare

(collected thoughts on the third book in the The Mortal Instruments series, first time read, watched the show, actually had some kind of writer’s block for this post, wtf)

I liked this way more than City of Ashes. In fact, I liked it so much I don't even remember if Valentine made a Paradise Lost reference. I think Sebastian/Jonathan did, though.

I read somewhere that City of Glass was originally supposed to be the last part of a trilogy and it definetly feels like that (funnily enough, also retroactively explains a lot of my feelings about City of Ashes). It combines its own, fairly self-contained plot with the resolutions of longer spanning arcs, and both mostly feed on the set-up done by the previous books - in short, it's the kind of sequel/finale I enjoy. The first half of the book, up until Sebastian kills Hodge, doesn't explain much and jumps around between multiple points of view to build its mystery, and I honestly enjoyed not knowing what was going on, but also kinda knowing because I had the puzzle pieces to understand. Does that all make sense? I want it to make sense. (the second half kinda forgets about perspectives that aren't Clary or Jace, which, for me, removed the thing I liked so much with the first half - having no all-defining "main" perspective to view the action from - and I personally would have loved to read some of the Clave politics stuff, or a scene from the final battlefield when the demons retreat. or, you know, something.)

I loved Alicante as a setting. It felt more concise and homely than New York, like the setting was now part of the narrative, instead of just the place where stuff happens. New York as a place didn't matter to the first two books. Alicante did to this one.

Somewhere in the first third, there were two scenes back to back - first one where Jace gets really worked up and throws a bunch of angry, resentful things in Clary's face, directly followed by the scene where Alec's crush on Jace gets resolved. And, oh boy, that one-two punch hurt.

On the brighter side of things.... Izzy finally got stuff to do! And character!! I actually cheered when she saved Jace from Sebastian. Still like her. Still want good things for her. Not looking forward to seeing her in a love triangle with Simon at its center. I mean, I didn't dislike Simon this time. But he also didn't give me a reason to put him on my list of "things to care about". Warming up to Maia, though. Also don't want her in this love triangle.

I loved Clary being angry at her mum when she returned. It just felt like a very natural reaction after everything that had happened and with the emotional state Clary was in in that moment. I liked it.

Also, I think I'm okay with Jace now. ... Don't ask how that happened, I have no idea. Still wann hit him with a newspaper, though.

Trying to messure if I like or dislike Clary is damn complicated. I'm mostly confused by her, because whenever I try to think about her as a distinct character, the picture gets all blurry; and it feels mean to call her bland, because I don't think that she is, not really, but I still can't form an opinion on her. I don't dislike her. Maybe that counts for something.

Already knowing these two weren't related made me more charitable towards them, I guess, but I'm somehow okay with them as a couple. Not rooting for them, but I don't dislike them, either. Nice, neutral ground.

Which brings me to..... Oh dear, I would have given my last two braincells for more Malec page time. Apart from that scene with Jace, I feel like I read the cliffnotes version of Alec's arc and that just wasn't enough. I want to ask for more Malec in the next book, but that feels like it could go horribly wrong, so I'm just going to shut up now. I mean, they are happy now, right? Just let them be happy.

I loved the Angel. Hell yes, be a stone cold, ethereal bitch!

All in all - I liked it. It felt fresh, compared to its predecessors, and... familiar. As if the world building finally got the chance to settle into itself. Or I settled into the world. Whatever.

[silver-lily-louise]

Everything I Need - a Shadowhunters fanfic

Word count: ~4k Summary: “Magnus desperately wants to accept, wants to promise anything in exchange for his Alexander’s safe return, but he knows he has to be smart about this.” Alternative events, starting at the end of episode 3x18, ‘The Beast Within.’ When Alec refuses his offer, Asmodeus takes things into his own hands. Warning for the implication of torture. 

~oOo~

When Alec walks into the bookshop, he’s still not sure what he’s going to say.

He’ll likely never know what it’s like to lose something as vital to himself as magic was to Magnus, but he can see the pain this is causing the man he loves. And Alec does love him, loves him more than anything, which is why he wants to fix this so badly.

But Izzy’s words have been echoing around his head ever since they talked, too. He wouldn’t want this. He loves you so much. Much as he argued that Magnus would get over their breakup in time, Alec can’t deny that his sister has a point. He wouldn’t want this. He’d said as much to Asmodeus, too, hadn’t he? Even if he thought taking the deal was right, that Magnus had already sacrificed too much for Alec, it shouldn’t be his decision. It should be Magnus’. If he can’t know, doesn’t Alec have a duty to choose what he is almost certain Magnus would?

The bell chimes softly as Magnus opens the door, a look of surprise on his face. ‘Oh. I thought you were Maryse.’ Alec walks past him, the anxiety in his gut ramping up a notch. ‘Yeah, where is my mom?’ ‘She retired for the night. She left me the keys so I can keep working. You know, I’m a perfectionist.’ Alec feels himself tense as Magnus’ hands are suddenly on his shoulders. ‘You okay?’ He hums with displeasure, feeling the strain in Alec’s muscles. ‘You seem stressed.’

Alec turns to face Magnus, mouth open to start the ‘We need to talk’ speech – but when he meets his boyfriend’s gaze, the words die in his throat. Despite his obvious concern, Magnus has a look of peace about him that he didn’t this morning, and certainly didn’t last night on the balcony. Alec forces a smile. ‘It’s nothing, just… it’s been a weird day. How did things go here?’

The concern doesn’t totally leave Magnus’ face, but he seems content to leave it for now. ‘Well, you can see for yourself,’ he says, gesturing around like he’s showing off a piece of art. ‘What do you think?’ ‘Looks good,’ Alec says, glancing about the room, and means it. Sending Magnus to the bookshop was mostly a ploy, but Alec isn’t surprised to find that he’s done a great job.

Magnus seems pleased enough with the praise, curt though it is. ‘The main thing is, Maryse seems to like it. I’m glad I was able to help her out.’ His smile takes on a gentler, more thoughtful look. ‘And besides that… it actually helped, spending some time with her today. I know it’s going to take a while to adjust to this… new lifestyle, and maybe I’ll never be fully there. But seeing how she’s managing – I suppose it gives me some hope. Besides,’ he says, taking Alec’s hands in his and looking up at him fondly, ‘I’m not doing it alone.’

Alec swallows a painful lump in his throat. ‘No. You’re not.’ And just like that, he knows that Izzy was right. If there’s another way to get Magnus his magic back, Alec won’t rest until he finds it – but they’ll make that journey together, not apart.

Magnus frowns. ‘Are you sure you’re alright?’ Alec closes his eyes for a moment, letting the last bit of fear drain from him. When he opens them again, he’s struck anew by the man in front of him – beautiful even in his worry, an almost blazing aura of love rolling off of him. A genuine smile spreads across Alec’s face. ‘Yeah. Everything’s fine.’ Suddenly, Alec becomes hyper-aware of the weight in his jacket pocket, and once the idea reappears in his head, he can’t wait another moment.

He clears his throat. ‘Listen, Magnus… You make me happier than I ever thought I could be. I love you with all my heart, and I…’ He takes a breath, willing his voice to stay strong. ‘If you’ll let me, I swear I will spend the rest of my days trying to make you as happy as you make me.’ Heart hammering, he reaches into his pocket for the ring box, dropping to one knee as he watches Magnus’ eyes go wide. ‘Magnus Bane, will you marry me?’

There’s a second of silence that seems to stretch on for eternity, and Alec can’t breathe.

But then Magnus is kneeling in front of him, reaching up to cup Alec’s face in his hands, and kissing him fiercely. ‘Of course,’ he breathes as he pulls away, almost laughing. ‘Of course I will.’

Alec’s heart soars, and he gets to his feet, pulling Magnus up with him. His hands are shaking as he slips the ring onto Magnus’ finger, but he manages it, and then they’re kissing again, but gentler this time, sweeter.

‘You had one job, Alexander.’

Alec whirls around, blade drawn, to where the disappointed voice is coming from, and his stomach drops as he finds a man with an unfamiliar face but hauntingly familiar eyes. He’s taken off guard as Magnus jolts forward, arm sweeping Alec behind him. ‘How did you get here?’ he barks, and Alec’s not sure if the anger or the fear is stronger in Magnus’ voice.

Asmodeus smiles. ‘My boy. We have so much to discuss. But for now, I’m afraid I have business with your fiancée.’ With a careless flick of the wrist, Magnus is thrown into the nearest bookshelf, crashing to the floor. Alec starts after him, but finds himself immobilised after half a step.

There’s the sound of a portal opening behind him as Magnus struggles up to his hands and knees, and then Alec is being pulled backwards, and he can see the sheer terror on Magnus’ face as he reaches out in desperation and screams Alec’s name -

The bookshop disappears from view.

***

‘No. No, no, no.’ Magnus gets to his feet, shaking with the force of his racing heart. ‘No.’ Alexander.

He tries to slow his breathing, hands fisted in his hair. Tries to recover from the whiplash of Alec proposing one moment, promising Magnus he need not face any of this alone, and being dragged away from him the next. With Magnus powerless to stop it.

Magnus closes his eyes, feeling the tears pool, but then he quickly blinks them away. He can’t fall apart now. Asmodeus has Alec, which means they’re already running out of time.

He turns and sprints from the shop, furious that he can’t just portal to the Institute. But the news can get there faster than him, and he pulls his phone out of his pocket, finding Isabelle’s name in the list and hitting call.

She picks up on the second ring. ‘Hello?’ ‘Isabelle,’ he says, panting. ‘Asmodeus. He took Alec.’ ‘What?’ ‘He took him, he – he came to the shop and portalled out with him, I couldn’t stop it.’ ‘Where are you?’ she demands, a professional snap to her words as she falls back on her training. ‘Running. To the Institute.’ ‘I’ll have someone meet you at the entrance. Come to the ops center.’ She hangs up without waiting for an answer.

Magnus slips his phone back into his pocket, pushing himself to go faster, faster, until his mouth tastes of metal and he can’t hear his footsteps over his terrified heart.

***

The ops center is swarming with people, different voices barking orders and relaying information. The appearance of a greater demon is cause enough for concern, but Asmodeus hasn’t just resurfaced – he’s kidnapped the Head of the Institute.

‘You have no idea where he could have taken Alec?’ Jace asks, not for the first time. They’ve tried tracking him, but came up empty-handed. ‘No,’ Magnus says, and it takes all his self-discipline not to lay into Jace for wasting time, repeating pointless questions. ‘I banished my father centuries ago, it’s not like many of the hiding places he was familiar with are still standing.’ He thumps the table in frustration. ‘I don’t even know why he would take Alexander. He just said he had business with him.’ He’s almost entirely sure this is to do with him; but if it were as simple as his father wanting to hurt him, why wouldn’t he have done that in Edom, rather than making that trade to save Jace? And why would he take Alec alive, rather than just-  

Thankfully, Isabelle interrupts that train of thought. ‘He did have business with Alec.’ They all turn to look at her, and she continues, if somewhat hesitantly. ‘Alec went to speak with Asmodeus. He made a deal to get you your magic back, Magnus.’

‘What sort of a deal?’ He tries to make it a demand, but it just comes out desperate. Alec wouldn’t trade himself for Magnus’ magic, would he? Surely he’d know that Magnus wouldn’t want it back at that price? ‘Asmodeus said that he’d return your magic if Alec broke up with you,’ she explains. If Magnus’ head receives one more reason to spin today, he swears it’ll explode. ‘What? Why?’ ‘I don’t know,’ Isabelle admits.

But when Magnus thinks about it for a moment, it makes perfect sense. Alec is all Magnus has left. If he walked out, Magnus would be miserable, and more vulnerable than he’s been in centuries. So when his father came swooping in, returning his magic…

He scowls, cursing the manipulative bastard. ‘But Alec didn’t break up with me.’ ‘So the deal’s off, right?’ says Clary. ‘So why take Alec?’ ‘Maybe he’s pissed that Alec screwed up whatever plan he’s trying to pull off,’ suggests Jace.

There’s the unmistakeable whirl of parchment behind Magnus, and his arm snaps up to catch the fire message. His heart stutters in a combination of hope and dread as he reads it. ‘Whatever his reasons, I’m about to find out.’

Thompson Park, by the lake. Half an hour. Come alone or he dies.

***

Twenty-eight minutes later, Magnus is pacing by the lake in Thompson Park, eyes darting to the shadows to try and spot Asmodeus’ approach. He’s alone, as his father requested. Some of the tacticians at the Institute fought him on that, but with Isabelle as Acting Head of the Institute in Alec’s absence, their arguments were quickly shot down. Not that anyone could have stopped Magnus following those instructions to the letter anyway. Not with Alexander’s life on the line.

‘Magnus.’ Asmodeus’ voice comes from the right, and Magnus stops pacing, turning to face his father, who’s standing there with his arms open as if in invitation. ‘Where’s Alexander?’ Magnus asks immediately, hoping his voice doesn’t sound too pleading. He’s in a weak enough position to negotiate as it is.

Asmodeus chuckles. ‘Straight down to business, just like I taught you. Don’t worry, your little Nephilim is safe enough. I’ll show you.’ He raises a hand, and it’s only centuries of keeping his cool under pressure that stops Magnus’ breath catching. Asmodeus has conjured a sort of hologram, and it shows Alec in an empty room, wrists shackled and arms stretched above his head, an intricate circle drawn around him which Magnus recognises as a silence spell. Alec’s twisting furiously, trying to find some leeway in his restraints, some weakness he can exploit. He’s also shouting, clearly unaware of the spell that renders that pointless.

The image shimmers and disappears, and despite how horrible it was, Magnus feels a pang. He meets his father’s eyes. ‘What do you want?’ Again with the amusement, and Magnus feels the hatred rise in his gut. ‘You, my son.’ He takes a step forward, his demeanour turning more serious. ‘I want you to come to Edom with me, to stand by my side as we take down Lilith once and for all. With your strength beside me, we could be unstoppable.’ ‘You already have my magic,’ Magnus points out. ‘I do, but magic is always more powerful in the hands of its true master,’ Asmodeus explains. ‘And in Edom, you could be more powerful still.’ He takes another step forward, and Magnus forces himself to stand his ground. ‘Come with me, Magnus. Regain your powers, and live out your days as the prince you were born to be – safe in the knowledge that your darling Alexander will be returned to his family in one piece.’

And Magnus desperately wants to accept, wants to promise anything in exchange for his Alexander’s safe return, but he knows he has to be smart about this. ‘When do you need your answer?’ If Asmodeus was expecting an instant agreement, he doesn’t show it. ‘You have six hours. Though for Alexander’s sake, I hope you decide soon.’ And with that, he disappears, and Magnus is alone again.

***

‘You’re not considering it,’ Izzy says disbelievingly. ‘Of course I’m considering it,’ snaps Magnus. ‘It’s the fastest way to get your brother out of Asmodeus’ clutches and back to all of you – maybe the only way.’ Izzy runs a hand over her face, clearly exasperated. ‘For two people who love each other as much as you guys do, you both really have no idea what the other would want. Magnus, if you go with Asmodeus, there’s no way he’ll ever let you leave again. If Alec comes back to find you gone, and we have to tell him that you’re trapped in Edom with your father, you think he’d be okay with that?’ No, of course he wouldn’t. But, ‘At least he’d be safe,’ Magnus argues.

‘Magnus, stop,’ Clary interrupts. ‘We all want him back, but there has to be another way. Maybe we can find him on our own. What did you see when Asmodeus showed you his location?’ The answer is easy, every detail of that image burned into Magnus’ memory. ‘An empty room. Low ceiling, a few high windows, concrete floor. Sounds of traffic outside. Not exactly a lot to go on.’ ‘Well, it narrows it down to somewhere in civilisation,’ Clary points out. ‘We know he isn’t keeping Alec in the middle of the desert or something.’ ‘Oh, excellent,’ Magnus mutters, rolling his eyes. ‘Civilisation. Why, that’s not even half a million square miles!’

Clary opens her mouth to say something, but they all freeze when Jace hisses in a sharp breath.

‘Jace?’ Izzy asks tentatively. Jace just grimaces, refusing to meet any of their eyes. ‘I’m fine.’ Which means that Alec isn’t, and Magnus’ stomach drops. For Alexander’s sake, I hope you decide soon. ‘Whatever the plan is, we need to get a move on.’ Clary’s hand comes up to rest on Magnus’ shoulder. ‘I know you’re scared, but this isn’t the way. We’ll find him, Magnus. We’ll get him back.’

Magnus closes his eyes briefly, refocusing. He wants to say I know, Biscuit, but can’t bring himself to. Jace could feel fear and anger through the parabatai bond earlier, but this is the first time he’s felt pain. Which means that Asmodeus is getting impatient, and they have to-

An idea strikes him, and it must show in his expression, because Clary asks, ‘What is it?’

Magnus smiles grimly. ‘Asmodeus just made his first mistake. I know how we can find Alexander.’

***

‘I don’t like this,’ Izzy declares. ‘The last time we tried to use the parabatai bond long-distance like this, Alec ended up in a coma. I don’t want the same thing to happen to Jace.’ ‘This is different, Isabelle,’ Meliorn assures her. ‘We aren’t sending Jace’s soul after Alexander’s. I’m simply going to trace the connection between them, using the pain Alec is feeling.’ ‘Why now? How is this different to when we tried to track him earlier?’ Clary asks. ‘Pain has a certain power all of its own,’ Magnus explains. ‘It’s the most basic of distress calls, and Meliorn can help us answer it.’ If the situation weren’t so dire, Magnus would feel like laughing. Asmodeus clearly thought that hurting Alec would pressure them, increasing his advantage. Instead, it’s going to be his undoing.

Meliorn closes his eyes, hands hovering over Jace’s parabatai rune. A few long moments pass, Magnus and the Shadowhunters waiting with bated breath, before he opens them again with a smile of satisfaction. ‘Alexander is close by, still within the limits of the city. I can take you to him.’

‘What?’ Magnus is taken aback. It should be a relief that Alec is close, but all he feels is suspicion. ‘My father could have taken Alec anywhere in the world. Why keep him in New York?’ ‘Maybe he thought it would be the last place we’d look,’ suggests Clary. ‘Or maybe he just doesn’t know anywhere else,’ adds Jace. ‘You said it yourself – his old haunts are long gone. If he’s only just gotten out of Edom, he can’t have explored much in that time.’ ‘Or maybe it’s a trap,’ Magnus counters. ‘Maybe he’s waiting for us to invade, and when we do, he’ll kill all of you and Alexander.’

Izzy raises a hand. ‘Enough. We could argue about this all day, but it’s four hours until the deadline, and we don’t have much of a choice. We know where Alec is, we just need a plan to keep Asmodeus away while we go get him.’ She turns to face Magnus. ‘If you set up a meet with him, will he definitely show up in person?’ ‘Yes,’ Magnus says, and he’s certain about that. ‘He’ll have to. He’s the only one who can restore my powers and return us to Edom.’ Izzy nods. ‘Alright. Then once we have Alec, what do we do with Asmodeus?’ ‘We banish him,’ Magnus says. He quells a shiver of revulsion at what he knows he has to do next. ‘And unfortunately, I know exactly who we need to do it.’

***

This time, when Magnus steps out into the clearing beside the lake, Asmodeus is waiting for him in the pale dawn light, still with that infuriating smile on his face. ‘Magnus. I knew you’d come to your senses.’ Magnus takes a deep breath, careful to let the right level of vulnerability show in his bearing. If Asmodeus starts to suspect anything, then everything is lost. ‘Before I accept your offer, I’ll need a few… assurances.’ He twirls the Lightwood family ring on his finger, letting his nerves show a little, but careful not to disturb the ring hidden above it. Asmodeus nods – he was expecting this. He was the one who taught Magnus to make deals, after all. ‘Name them. I’m sure we can come to an arrangement.’ We’re almost there, Magnus. Jace’s voice sounds in his head. Keep him talking.

Magnus pulls himself up straighter, looking his father directly in the eye. ‘I’m going to need proof that Alexander has been safely returned before I go with you. I need to see him, in person, back with his family.’ ‘Of course, I wouldn’t have it any other way.’ Asmodeus’ expression is earnest, but there’s an underlying smugness there, too. He’s won Magnus’ trust before, and clearly thinks he can do it again. ‘I’ll even let you say goodbye, if you’d like.’ Magnus ignores that, because if he stops to consider it, he’ll lose his nerve. ‘Additionally, I need your word that once we’re in Edom, you won’t send anyone after them. As long as I’m ruling alongside you, the Lightwoods are off-limits.’ ‘Yes, yes,’ he says, and there’s a hint of impatience in his tone now. ‘I don’t care in the least about the dealings of Shadowhunters, besides when you’re involved. Let them have this whole wretched plane – if they leave us alone, I’ll leave them alone.’ He steps forward until he’s within arm’s reach of Magnus, holding out his hand, businesslike but for the eerie smile on his face. ‘So, do we have an accord?’

We’ve got him, Magnus. Get rid of him! Magnus returns the smile, dropping the veneer of acceptance and letting it turn menacing. ‘No.’

Asmodeus’ face drops, betraying confusion – then anger, as Lorenzo Rey steps from the shadows and binds him. ‘You stupid boy,’ he spits at Magnus. He fights, but Lorenzo is borrowing power from every warlock in the city, and no demon is a match for that. ‘You could have been a prince at my side. Now, what do you have? A mundane existence, one without magic, and a measly handful of decades to suffer through it.’ ‘Maybe,’ Magnus allows, sneering back at his father. ‘But if I must die, at least I’ll never see you again.’

Asmodeus’ eyes burn with rage, and he screams in agony as Lorenzo completes the banishment. The demon disappears in a flash of blinding light, and Magnus stares at the spot he was standing, feeling oddly numb.

‘Goodbye, father,’ he whispers.

***

The rest of the morning passes in a blur. Lorenzo portals them back to the Institute, and Magnus paces Alec’s office while they wait for the Shadowhunters to return. And then Alexander himself appears in the doorway, alive and honest-to-god smiling when he sees Magnus, and everything else falls away. Magnus doesn’t even remember crossing the room, just finds himself with his arms around Alec, being held just as tightly in return. ‘I’m alright,’ Alec murmurs into his ear. ‘It’s okay.’ Magnus just nods, not quite trusting his voice yet.

Belatedly, he remembers Alec’s injuries, and pulls away. ‘I’m sorry, I- are you hurt?’ Alec shakes his head, and he’s still smiling, and it feels like a miracle compared to the despair of earlier. ‘Nothing an iratze couldn’t fix.’ ‘Good thing, too,’ says Izzy. ‘It was a lot easier getting out of there with all five of us able to fight.’ She turns to Lorenzo, regaining an air of professionalism even though her tone stays warm. ‘Lorenzo, thank you for all your help.’

Lorenzo huffs. ‘Yes, well. Asmodeus running loose is no good to anyone. Plus, what’s the point of the Head of the New York Institute owing you a huge favour if he isn’t alive to grant it?’ Alec nods seriously. ‘Thank you.’ The corner of Lorenzo’s mouth ticks up. ‘Now, if you’ll excuse me.’ With that, he struts out of the room, and it’s just the five of them, Meliorn already gone.

Alec sways in place, and Magnus steadies him with an arm around his waist. ‘Come on. You need to rest,’ he says, and with another grateful glance at the others, he starts leading Alec towards the bedroom. It goes to show how exhausted he is that Alec doesn’t protest.

But inexplicably, once they’re dressed in sleepwear and under the covers, neither of them can sleep. Not with the day’s events still weighing so heavily on their minds. Alec breaks the silence. ‘Long day, huh?’ Magnus breathes a laugh. ‘That’s an understatement.’ ‘I guess rescue-wise, this makes us even after what happened with Iris,’ Alec teases.  ‘Actually, I think this just means we both owe your sister twice over.’ Alec groans. ‘Oh god, don’t tell her that. We’ll never live it down.’

They both chuckle softly, and then there’s another moment of silence before Magnus says, ‘Isabelle told me about the deal my father offered you.’ The mirth slips from Alec’s expression. ‘Oh.’ He looks away from Magnus and sighs. ‘I’m sorry I brought him back into this. I didn’t know what else to do.’ Magnus reaches up, carding his hand through Alexander’s hair. ‘It’s alright. I’m just glad you didn’t go through with it.’ He sees the relief on Alec’s face – clearly, he wasn’t sure until this moment that he’d made the right choice, and Magnus’ heart breaks just a little at that. He leans in, planting a gentle kiss on his fiancée’s lips. ‘I miss my magic, but I wouldn’t trade you for anything.’ He pulls back to meet Alec’s eyes again. ‘Thank you,’ he says sincerely. For caring enough to try. For believing in how much I love you. For coming back to me. ‘I love you, Alexander.’

Alec clasps Magnus’ hands in his own. ‘I love you too. And if there’s another way to get you your powers back, I swear, we will find it.’ Magnus smiles. ‘I know. And I want to keep looking.’ He moves over, resting his head on Alec’s chest, arm curling around his waist. ‘But for now, I have everything I need right here.’ And for the first time, he doesn’t feel like he’s trying to convince himself when he says it.

When they eventually fall asleep, it’s in each other’s arms, and the last thing Magnus thinks before he drifts off is how grateful he is for that.

~oOo~

[couragehopelovefaith]

Goodbye between Magnus and Clary

I love Shadowhunters to death, but one thing that I would've wanted to see was the goodbye between Alec and Clary and Magnus and Clary. I have already written my own version of the first one, so I wanted to give the other one the chance as well and see what would happen if Clary went to see Magnus before his wedding. The relationship between Biscuit and Uncle Magnus has always been lovely and interesing in my eyes, and they had so many similarities. I imagine their relationship would've gotten a chance to develop even more when Clary and the others would've left to save him from Edom. English is not my first language, so apologies for any possible grammar or spelling mistakes. There might be at least two parts coming up. Hope you like it!

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She had been wondering the streets for quite some time now, lost in her thoughts. The world seemed to appear in its right colors for the first time in forever, which was truly ironic considering. Once, she had taken it for granted, hurried from place the place, never actually looking around. Now she wanted to honor every step and put every detail on her mind. Without even acknowledging it, her feet brought her in front of the familiar apartment house and rose her up the stairs to the highest floor.

On the one hand, she would’ve wanted to spend her every remaining moment at the Institute, but its gleeful and nostalgic atmosphere was too much for her right now.

But still, when she stood in front of this dark-toned door, an irrational fear almost frozened her. “I can’t do this. I should turn around and run away.”

Then her other side, the rational one, spoke up and made her shake her head. “Don’t be ridiculous, Fray. You’ve been managed to get through a lot worse. Demons, losing family members, getting possessed…You’re not in the battle now. Suck it up.”

Before she could stop herself, she knocked the door with her knuckles and took a step back, half expecting it to dramatically open by the blue smoke. Her guess went hardly wrong: almost immediately, the owner of the apartment peeked out and his dark eyes widened with surprised joy. “Biscuit! What a pleasant surprise! I didn’t hear you coming.”

“I didn’t come through the portal”, she answered lightly, trying to maintain eye-contact with him. “I had to go for a walk…to think things through. Somehow I just…” her sentence cut short since she looked over his shoulder and saw many thick books and fabrics lying on the floor. “Oh, you of course have a lot of planning to do, I didn’t mean to disturb you. I can come back later and…”

He grabbed her arm lightly to calm her and made her thank her decision to wear a long-leaved coat so that no one would see the lack of her runes. “Hey, slow down. You are welcome here anytime.” Clary estimated his warm smirk for a moment and answered it the best she could. “Thank you, Magnus.” Smoothly, he moved out of the way and stretched his hand to point towards the living room. “Besides, I’m almost ready. It would do no harm to get some female-point of view on the matter.”

Clary couldn’t help laughing to the irony of his words: in his spiky hair and dark, slim clothes the man looked like he had just stepped out of the fashion-magazine. “I think you should rather consult Izzy with this. She will be your sister-in-law soon enough, after all.”

Magnus chuckled in a low voice and shrugged. “When it comes to clothing, she truly is an expert. But your artistry truly is beyond compare, and you shouldn’t undermine it, especially after all this time.”

The wave of nostalgia swooped over her; he had used almost the same words when they had officially met the first time. Instinctively, she wondered if her abilities to draw would still be there after Angels would have succeeded in their plan. Probably the answer would be yes – she had had those skills as a mundane after all. They could take away her skills and memories, not her personality. At least, that’s what she hoped for.

Awaken from her thoughts, she feared that the silence between them had lasted suspiciously long. But Magnus still seemed to think her absent-mindedness was because of her guilty about her surprise-visit. “If it makes you feel any better, you’re not the only visitor I’ve had an honor to receive today. The high warlock of Brooklyn came to respect me with his presence.”

Automatically, Clary’s eyebrows raised. “Lorenzo? What did he want?” There had been no hostility or bitterness in his voice, so the meeting probably hadn’t included insults or throwing things.

“He came to fetch the rest of his belongings”, he explained and lead her to sit on the couch. “I guess he thought it would make me easier to settle in, if there were no signs of him hanging here.” Pausing for a moment, he tilted his head and smiled gently. “After what he did for Alec, I saw no reason to keep arguing. I… invited him to the wedding.”

“That’s very sweet of you. I’m so glad you were able to sort things out.” A gentle ray of pride spread inside her, since she was once again reminded of warlock's selflessness. That surely hadn’t been an easy thing to do. Preventing him from seeing her sensitizing, she took her invitation from her pocket and waved it.  

“So…celebration at the Institute, then? Quite a bold move. Not that Clave wouldn’t deserve a kick on their butt every now and then.” Blushing, she hoped her words hadn’t sounded too aggressive and gave her up. Luckily, her fear was for nothing; Magnus laughed openly and scratched his head. “Not going to argue with that!” Looking at the distance, a warm smirk returned to his lips and made his whole face shine. “It was Alec’s idea, actually. He thought that us getting married under the Clave’s eyes would be an inspiration to others like us.”

“And he’s right.” Without a doubt, she took his hand and squeezed it lightly to enhance her words. “And you already have been – more than you could ever know. I haven’t known him for very long, but I can tell that meeting you has made so much impact in him. He was… very closed off, blind to the all the possibilities around him. And when he had to leave you, he was deeply hurt, so close to revert back to the past. He did everything in his power to get you back, even so much that he was ready to turn into a vampire for you. I’m so happy you two found each other.” The plus side of this situation; she was able to say all the things she otherwise would have hesitated to reveal.

Magnus looked at her quietly for a long time, clearly moved by her words. Eventually, he tightened his hold on her hand as well. “Thank you, sweetie. That means a lot to me.” Hesitantly, he stood up and walked towards the windows. “Truth to be told… despite my father’s vicious deeds, he was right about me.” Glancing her and noticing her questionable face, he wrapped his arms around him.  “Darkness and anger, they are inside me. Deep, perhaps, but still there. If I had stayed in Edom longer… I don’t know what would’ve become of me. So… thank you.” Now, he fully turned to face her, and his words were utterly sincere. “What you did for me, it was…” an affection broke his calm and collected features for a moment and he shook his head. “I can never thank you enough – no matter how long my life will be.”

Despite her own sorrows, Clary flashed a genuine smile. “Look who’s talking. You’ve been protecting and saving us probably more often than I will ever know. This was the least I could do for you.” In a flash, she remembered all the times that she and Jace had appeared to his doorstep, always asking for help. And when he had been in his lowest point, she had been so caught up with her own problems and drama that she couldn’t have even honor him by visiting. The guilt pressed against her throat and she wanted to say something to express herself, but backed out in a fear of sounding too final.

Noticing her sudden seriousness, Magnus raised his eyebrows and sat slowly back down. “Biscuit, what is it? I can tell something’s wrong.”

Conflicted, Clary waged the war inside her head. Too obvious sentimentality would blow her cover and cause unnecessary agony. But this man was the closest thing she had ever had to a godfather, and she wanted to be as honest as possible with him. After all this time, she owed it to him.

Eventually, she sighed and put her palms together for being able to focus better.  “To be honest, I.. didn’t think it would be so hard. To come back and face the mistakes that I’ve made.”

“Hey…” he tried to calm her down by fixing her tress. “We all have our flaws, and had our dives into the darkness somehow. The fact that you are willing to come back takes courage and makes you different than many others. No matter what you might do, you are beloved. Don’t ever forget that.”

Both affective and wanting to laugh to the irony of his statement, she bit her lip and nodded. “Jace has been trying to help me, and I love him for that. But he was under Lilith’s control. I was completely the master of myself, Magnus.” Unable to face his compassionate eyes, she spread her hands and shrugged. “I don’t know… for so long people made assumptions of me because of the family I was born into. At first, I tried with everything I got to prove them otherwise. But when I finally let myself to get the taste of it, what it really meant to be a Morgenstern…” her voice trailed off when she struggled to explain herself properly.  “that power… I got caught up in it.” No matter how she tried, she couldn’t hide the embarrassment that was boiling under her skin. “Even liked it. Hunting demons is one thing, but taking someone else’s life, multiple times…let alone relatives…” she gulped and tried to stop her voice from shaking. “I always thought that it would be the line I would never cross. During my darkest times, that was what I counted on. But now…”

The whole time Magnus had been quiet and listened her rant carefully. Thinking of what to say, he tilted his head and scratched his neck. “I know that it might not help you right now, but you did it for the greater good. Countless people would’ve died without you, Biscuit. That’s not something that should be ignored, not by you or anyone else.” After a little pause, he crossed his arms and let out a little sigh. “Some people are just beyond saving.”

“Who defines that?” she hadn’t meant to sound so attacking, but her passion pushed through without helping it.  “Who decided us to leave us here and take someone else away? Who gave us these baselines and such crappy ones to others?” A memory that she wasn’t ready to face yet, tried to flood back in, but she pushed it away by focusing on Magnus’ wistful face. By the distant sorrow in his eyes, she was able to figure out that her words had gotten him reminiscing his deceased close ones. The memory of him saying farewells to Ragnor was burned into back of her mind. “During these hundreds of years of learning, that’s something I have never found out an answer to. I really wish I could give you one.”

His rueful smile enlighted the flames of regret in her heart. “I know. You’re not the one I’m mad at. I just thought that…considering your past…you might understand.” Her eyes grew wide when she realized how ambiguous her words had been. “Oh my God, that sounded completely wrong! I’m sorry.”

Against her every expectation, he chuckled calmingly and spread his hands teasingly. “Come on, if you don’t consult the son of Asmodeus on the issues like this, then who?”

“Yeah…” she chuckled lifelessly and sighed. “I’m sorry. About your father.”

Surprised, he looked up, but didn’t seem too upset. That gave her the courage to go on. “I know that he wasn’t much of a parent, considering what happened to your Mom and his other influences, but… he was still your father. It must’ve been hard.” It was ironic that the similarities were becoming visible to her now that her time was running out.

He nodded absent-mindedly. “Yes… he had his flaws. Despite his exile, he was always there to remind me of our similarities, my darkest impulses. All these years, I have hoped that I could just wish him away. But now that he’s actually gone…” his voice trailed off and he started to play with his wedding ring, like it had given him support. “No matter how challenging these centuries have been, he gave me this life. And whether I like it or not, for that I will always be grateful.”

Suddenly and unintentionally, she drifted into her past as the livid images flashed right in front of her eyes. His father calling her Clarissa for the first time, feeding her his lies about the siblinghood between her and Jace, Dot being in the cage because of him… him telling her she chose the wrong side… how he stabbed Jace… him collapsing when she stabbed him out of blind rage… when she removed his resurrection rune… him calling her Morgernstern…

“Clary?”

Startled, she looked up and saw Magnus’ questioning eyes watching her.

“Huh? Sorry, what did you say?”

“Just asked if you wanted some tea.”

Shit. She must have appeared really rude. “No, I’m fine, thank you.” In the name of truth, she would’ve needed some, but she knew that if she had something in her hands, they wouldn’t stop shaking.

Magnus tilted his head and bit his lip. “Oh, that’s pity. Are you sure? I’ve learned to make some exquisite mundane-style Earl Grey.”

It was somewhat cute that the great warlock like Magnus Bane would feel insecurity of the quality of his cooking skills. Comfortingly, she prepared to convince him that this wasn’t about her doubts on that, when out of nowhere, his words triggered another memory in her and made her face turn pale. Instantly, he recognized the change in her and raised his eyebrows. “Is everything okay? Did I say something wrong?”

Not knowing if she should laugh or cry, she looked somewhere far, unable to focus on anything particular. “It’s just… that was the first decent thing he did for me in his true form. Jonathan.” A part of her wanted to call him as he was, her brother, but the word got stuck on her tongue. “When I woke up after Lilith’s attack… he could’ve been violent, or tried… to assault me…” a slight disgust filled her mind, but she chose to turn away from it. “But he offered me Earl Grey. Of all things.” The repressed, hysterical laugh escaped her lips and took her track of thought with it.

For a while, Magnus seemed to be out of words. After the moment of comforting silence, he slightly shook his head. “Biscuit… I am really sorry.”

“Don’t be”, she said straightforwardly, without any bitterness. “You couldn’t have known.”

“I can’t fully imagine what you’re going through right now, but I can sympathize and listen, if you wanna talk.”

She wanted. Oh, how she wanted. Especially when this was her last chance. But she didn’t quite know how to describe, how to explain…

“I know who he is, and what he has done…” she started slowly, hesitating, “I think I should be angrier. I’m mad at myself for not being angrier. He killed Dot, the closest person I had for a sister a really long time, and almost killed Max, who was completely innocent to all of this. He kissed me twice while impersonating someone else, carved words in my hand, made me harm myself, killed many other innocent people and got me to…to take someone’s life.” Towards the end, her voice started to shake and she tried to get it under control. “He told me to let him go. After all those things, who could blame him? He wanted it to be over. Or that’s what I’ve tried to tell myself.”

Shaking inside, she crossed her arms to keep herself warm, but the coldness inside her was twice as merciless.  “Despite everything, he was my brother. Once he was that helpless, abused boy who pleaded for help in my dreams.”

As an unwanted reflex, the memory of those screams echoed in her ears and made her close her eyes momentarily. “He once told me that things could’ve been the other way around. That I could’ve been raised by Valentine. And no matter how I tried to deny it, I don’t know if I had acted any different in his place. How could I judge him for his past?”

Her mind was full of circling, consuming questions that made her hazy, but in the end, there was only one that she wanted to get an answer for right now.

“Did I do the right thing, Magnus?” she whispered, her voice thick with emotions. “Maybe there was something else I could’ve done. Plead for him, get him captured or…” the options were running out of her mind and her voice trailed off helplessly. But despite her expectations, by each word, her heart felt lighter. 

Once again, Magnus had been completely silent during her whole rant and looked like a refined statue in his chair, focused and thoughtful frown on his face. Eventually, he sat straighter and spoke slowly and considering, like making sure he meant every single word.

“I think you gave him peace.” The simplicity and calmness of his answer surprised her, but also gave her oddly a plenty of hope. “The journey between you two was sadly short and…complicated to say the least, but at least you got to know each other. I’m sure that he appreciated that.”

A huge wave of gratitude washed over her and she had to focus to stop tears filling her eyes. Not knowing what else to say, she uttered: “Thank you.”

Then, before she could stop herself, she wrapped her hands around him and hugged him tightly. At first, he seemed to stiffen by surprise, but after recovering of the first shock, a pleased chuckle rose from his throat and he answered the gesture. “You’re welcome, Biscuit. You’re welcome. You know I’m a man of my word. You can come here anytime. It’s always a pleasure to have you here, especially now that the hell is not falling apart. I’m sure Madzie would want to see you more as well.”

Reflexively, she nodded and closed her eyes, letting the nostalgic sadness consume her for a moment. There was nothing more disgusting than breaking her promises, but this man deserved some reassurance and stability on the possibly happiest day of his life. After she was certain that her feelings were at bay, she let him go and cleared her throat hesitatingly. “You know, I could take that tea after all. To honor Jonathan.”, she defined for clarity.

A wide smile spread on Magnus’ lips when he instantly stood up to make things happen. He was known for not wasting any time. “Coming right up!”

[bytheangell]

put you into words

(Read on AO3) 

“Alright everyone, listen up! We have a slight change to the submission process for the Literary Magazine this semester!” Clary calls out, gathering the attention of everyone in the classroom.

Magnus, with more than a few papers already tucked away into an envelope for his own submissions, listens with a worried look on his face.

“After a few troubling submissions last year, Mrs. Penhallow has decided to err on the side of caution and require that all submissions have a name on them, and be turned in personally to a club member by the writer. Nothing can be turned in entirely anonymous - but if you wish for it to be printed anonymously, we can still do that! To keep them as anonymous as possible there will be one person unaffiliated with the club assigned to reading through them, just to make sure they fit the guidelines before taking the names off as long as you aren’t doing anything stupid like sneaking bomb threats in, or threatening to hurt anyone.”

Magnus tenses. He has some pretty personal submissions, some… well, honestly, they could be quite embarrassing if anyone knew they were from him. Not because he’s ashamed of them - quite the opposite, they’re some of his best writing in his own humble opinion - but because if someone read them with him in mind as the author they might be able to piece together who they’re about. And the last thing he needs is for word to get out that his muse this year is his unrequited crush on Isabelle’s brother. Even Isabelle doesn’t know, despite the increasing frequency he makes excuses to hang out with her while he knows Alec will be around the apartment the two siblings share with their other brother, Jace.

They’re friends in their own right at this point. They follow each other on social media, text more than Magnus texts with anyone else, even Catarina, and usually spend most of their little group hang-outs gravitating towards one another to catch up on life, and school, and everything in between. But it’s been the majority of the year now and after an attempt or two at flirting that fell flat Magnus wonders if it’s entirely one-sided, and he isn’t about to risk their growing friendship to find out. Not when he can just dump his feelings into his writing instead.

Anyone who knows him might connect the dots. But a stranger reading them, and then keeping them anonymous from there? He doesn’t love the idea but it’s better than the alternative of Clary reading them, or someone else in the club. And what can he really do about it other than not submit what he’s been working on for weeks now, and that simply isn’t an option. So Magnus nods in agreement along with the rest of the group before scrawling his name on the bottom of every sheet in the folder previously marked only with the word ~Anonymous, before handing it over to Clary.

With the folder in hand Clary holds it up, grinning from ear-to-ear. “This is pretty thick,” she observes. “You’re going to be half the magazine at this rate.”

“I’ve got a lot of inspiration this year, what can I say?” He smirks a bit before shrugging.  “And they probably won’t all make it, anyway. You know how it goes.”

And with that he leaves the rest up to fate, and forgets all about the writing submissions for the rest of the week.

---

The following Thursday he shows up a few minutes early, catching just Clary in the classroom re-arranging the tables into a circle.

“Need some help with that, Biscuit?” he asks, shrugging his messenger bag off of his shoulder and tossing it to the side of the wall by the door.

“Sure you wanna risk messing up that perfect manicure of yours?” Clary quips, and Magnus laughs as he grabs a table without waiting for permission or acceptance.

“So what’s on the agenda for tonight?” He asks, and the hopeful tone of his voice must give away the answer he’s hoping for because Clary shakes her head.

“We’re not voting yet,” she says, and Magnus sighs.

All the submissions for the magazine are typed up without names, read aloud to the group, and voted in by a points system. Everyone gets a vote, and the 30 submissions with the highest number of votes gets in. Not all of them are from people in the magazine, either, so it’s really a mixed bag of submissions every semester. But it’s fair, since they’d obviously be biased towards each other’s if they knew which was theirs.

“I wanted to do it this week, but I couldn’t get them back in time from our apparently too-busy-to-finish-in-one-week volunteer reviewer,” she explains with an eye-roll.

“Really? I mean, I know it’s not their job or anything, but there weren’t that many to read through, were there?” Magnus wonders who could be so busy they can’t set aside an hour or two to read through some poems after an entire week.

“Yeah, well, I gave them to my girlfriend’s brother so I can’t exactly be rude about rushing him--”

Magnus drops the chair he’s carrying, paying it absolutely no attention when it tips sideways onto the floor. His eyes are wide and he’s certain he isn’t breathing. In fact, he can’t remember what air is as his entire brain seems to short-circuit because Clary is dating Isabelle Lightwood.

“What? He’s finishing them now, so don’t worry! They’ll be done by next week.” Clary’s trying to make him feel better, as if his reaction is to the news that they’re still being worked on, and not over who is working on them.

“Clary - and I cannot stress how important this is - which of Izzy’s brothers did you give them to?”

“Oh, right. I keep forgetting you know the Lightwoods, too. Why does it matt--”

“CLARY, PLEASE.” Magus is pleading now, and he feels about five seconds away from throwing up. He and Clary aren’t very close outside of the club, and she and Isabelle just started dating a few weeks ago, so of course he doesn’t expect her to remember that he’s friends with them, too. He doesn’t blame her, he isn’t upset with her, he’s just upset.   “Are you alright?”

“CLARY.”

“Oh my god, alright already! Alec volunteered to read through them when he overheard me complaining to Izzy about the new rule, but I don’t see what the big deal is-”

Magnus takes several steps backwards to lean against the wall, tilting his head back and closing his eyes in frustration. No no no no no no no, he thinks, and doesn’t realize he’s also saying the word over and over again out loud, too, until Clary gives him a look like she fears for his general sanity. She might not be too far off after tonight, if he can ever show his face on campus again for her to notice.

“Magnus, what’s wrong?” Clary keeps her distance, eyeing him carefully during this burst of erratic behavior.

“I have to go.” Instead of answering the question he turns and leaves, pausing only a moment to grab his messenger bag off the floor.

“Magnus?!” Clary calls after him, but he doesn’t stop or turn around.

The walk to Izzy’s apartment isn’t far from the classroom he’s at, but every step seems to drag on for a lifetime, even as he speeds his pace up to something not quite a run, but pretty damn close. Paying little mind to the people around him he bumps into the shoulders of more than one student while he punches a number into his phone and brings it to his ear.

It rings, and rings, and goes to Alec’s voicemail. He sends a text (‘Hey. This is going to sound strange but if you haven’t read the Literary Magazine submissions yet could you wait, and call me first? It’s important.’) but it stays unread and unanswered. Of course it can’t be that easy.

Okay, that’s fine. He can try a back-up plan. A few seconds later another number is dialed and ringing, and this time an eager, “Hey!” greets him through the phone.  

“Isabelle, darling, please tell me you’re at home.” He tries to keep his voice even but there’s a clear edge to it, an underlying panic. Izzy being home to try and stop her brother before he gets to Magnus’ submissions is his last hope.

“No, I have class late on Thursdays, remember? Why?”

Magnus groans, face dropping after the moment of hope he mistakenly felt after she picked up.

“Damn. Right, well. I’m going to your apartment to try and stop Alec from reading about half a dozen poems I wrote about him, so if you never see me again it’s because this went about as mortifyingly as I’m anticipating, I’ll have to transfer schools so I never have to face him again, and it was really nice knowing you.”

“Ma-” Izzy barely starts to say his name when he hangs up on her, much the same way he walked out on her girlfriend only minutes before.

He doesn’t want to go to their apartment because if he does, and Alec already read the poems, he genuinely doesn’t know what he’s going to do. But he has to risk it on the off chance that luck is on his side and maybe Alec just told Clary he was getting around to them now, but he was really pushing them off again. Please, he silently pleads with the universe, be on my side this once.

It only takes ten minutes for him to reach the apartment, but another 4 of pacing the hallway outside the door before he finally knocks.

There’s the sound of shuffling behind the door, soft footsteps that grow louder before a lock clicks and the door swings open.

“Oh, hey Magnus!” Alec’s clearly surprised to see him.

“Why do you even own a phone if you never have it with you, Alexander,” Magnus tries to joke, but he’s too nervous and it shows.

“Oh, sorry,” Alec looks a little sheepish. “Probably left it in my room. Uh, if you’re looking for Izzy she won’t be back from campus until late, it’s Thursday.” Alec points out. It occurs to him that this is the first time the two of them are actually alone, without Izzy or Jace or another group of friends along to go out or watch movies with. His heartbeat picks up speed at the realization, even if this is far from how he imagined finally getting some alone time with Alexander.

“I know. I was actually hoping to talk to you, if that’s alright. You didn’t happen to--”

But Magnus pauses when Alec shifts in an obvious attempt to block Magnus’ view of the living room. Shifting just enough (because Alec is tall and imposing when he needs to be, but he isn’t big enough to block the entire doorway) Magnus glances past Alec to the table that’s in his line of sight, and sees what Alec is trying so obviously to block.

He’s too late. The table is covered with papers and a familiar envelope with Magnus’ name on it sits open at the top.

Alec knows. He read the poems and he knows and there’s nothing Magnus can do to take that back. He’s ruined everything - the dynamic they all had when they hung out together, any chance he had of maybe flirting with Alec properly and asking him out one day - now he just looks crazy, like he does nothing but stare at Alec and those gorgeous hazel eyes and soft smile and those little crinkles around his eyes when he laughs that just beg to be admired in poetry.

Which, to be fair, isn’t entirely off-base. He does spend a lot of time sneaking glances Alec’s way. It just isn’t something he planned on exposing yet. It isn’t the right time, and now it never will be.

“--you know what, nevermind. You’re right, I was here for Izzy but I totally forgot about her class, so I’ll just… go. Yeah, I have to go. Sorry.”

Magnus turns around and takes several steps down the hallway when he feels Alec’s hand on his shoulder. “Wait.”

It’s a simple request and yet somehow actually stopping instead of taking off in a sprint down the hallway is the most difficult thing Magnus has done in recent memory.

“Magnus, I-” Alec starts, but stops again.

Magnus takes a deep, steadying breath before forcing himself to turn around. “It’s alright, you don’t have to say it. I know you only hung around with me because I was friends with your sister. It’s cool, really.” Giving his best, fake-confident ‘I’m fine, really’ smile.

“That isn’t what I was going to say.” Alec frowns.

“No, of course it isn’t. You’re too nice to actually say it,”  Magnus shakes his head. He can’t do this, not here, not now. He can’t stand there and listen to Alec let him down easy until he wants the ground to swallow him whole. They were just starting to become better friends and now he ruined even that, and he’ll never forgive himself for it. “I’m sorry. I can’t-”

“Will you come inside for one minute? I want to show you something.” Alec looks nervous. Why would Alec be nervous? “Please?” When Alec repeats the request, practically begging this time, Magnus knows he can’t say no to that look.

“Alright.” It’s a reluctant agreement but he finds himself following Alec back into the apartment. When the door shuts behind him it leaves Magnus feeling strangely claustrophobic.

“Just… wait here. Don’t leave.” Alec instructs before disappearing down the short hallway that leads to his room. Magnus can’t help but wander over to the table, picking up his poem from the top of the pile and glancing over some of the words he wrote of a trip they took with Izzy and Cat and a few other friends to hike and picnic a month ago.  

‘We watch the sunset from the mountain top Hand-crafted by deities, perfected over centuries To be mesmerizing To be awe-inspiring But nothing in heaven or on earth could compare To the enchantment I feel Watching hues of green and chestnut and gold Light up like fireworks when he laughs’

It was a perfect day. A perfect memory. Why did he have to go and ruin it?

When Alec comes back Magnus drops the paper back onto the table like it burns to the touch.

“Seriously, Alec, I’m sorry… if I thought for a second Clary was going to give these to you I never would’ve-”

“Listen, Magnus, I know words are your thing and all, but if you could just stop talking and listen for five seconds.”

Magnus winces at Alec’s exasperated tone, attention finally drawn to the paper Alec holds out. It’s covered in Alec’s handwriting from top to bottom.

“What’s this?” Magnus asks, taking it when Alec doesn’t reply right away, instead just holding the paper out stubbornly in front of him.

“It was meant to be anonymous, too. But since I read yours it’s only right that you get to read mine.”

Magnus looks from Alec down to the paper in his hands, and begins to read. It isn’t a poem, more an uninterrupted stream of consciousness. The prose takes the form of Alec observing someone in the fading light of the sun’s last rays. Of a moment on a mountaintop, with wind-blown hair and friends and wine… and about how Alec wished it was just the two of them instead of a group outing, instead of his sister sitting between them on the blanket they shared.

Magnus has to read it a second time to be certain before allowing himself to speak.

“...you wrote about me?” Magnus asks, dumbfounded.

“I know it’s probably awful, I tried the whole poetry thing but it was total garbage so I just sort of rambled instead, but… that isn’t the point. You’re asking if it’s about you, and yeah. It is.” Alec smiles, not the big kind that give him those explosive laugh crinkles but a small, reserved twitch of his lips that’s barely noticeable unless you’re looking for it.

And of course Magnus is looking.

“I thought there were some signs, but then I wondered if you were just being nice to me because I was Izzy’s brother,” Alec admits. “So I figured if I sent this in, and it wasn’t just me…” he shrugs. That’s clearly as far as he got with his plan, but it’s more than enough.

“It isn’t just you.” Magnus confirms, smiling for the first time since Clary told him about Alec.  

“So now what?” Alec prompts.

Magnus considers for a moment before the perfect idea comes to mind.

“I’m free Saturday for another hike. You drive, I’ll pack the picnic?” And then, just in case he isn’t clear enough, adds, “Just us this time?”

Alec’s entire face brightens at the idea. “Sounds perfect.”  

...maybe the universe wasn’t as out to get him as Magnus first thought.

[izzymalec]

why don’t you see how “clary the god” negatively affected magnus? in s1, 2a they only let magnus be part of the group when he was doing things for the shadowhunters. and so in 2b, 3a, 3b when she was god, he was cut off from everyone but alec cuz they didn’t need him anymore (and god forbid he gets to be actual friends with anyone. cuz no, only saying “biscuit” to clary, nada to jace, and 1 scene with izzy per half isn’t friendship when the shadowhunters and simon are being pals every single ep

magnus literally didn’t say even 1 word to clace- you know the main characters of the show- in 2b. not 1 word. and you can count his lines of dialogue with them in s3 on 1 hand, literally. meanwhile alec’s out here getting arcs with both of them every single half. i mean, you claim to like magnus so why you don’t care about him as part of the group? cuz everytime i see you hype “clary the god” it feels like a punch in the face cuz that choice cost magnus all his screentime with the other mains.

why doesn’t it make you uncomfortable that they gave a white character (1/3 of the mains) powers just to cut the only asian main from the group dynamic so that it really just became only the 3 whites and 2 hispanics spending time together at the center of the show, while the 1 asian and 2 black mains were always cut off and on the outside (and not allowed to connect to each other, cuz god forbid POC mains connect to each other instead of merely being “spokes” on the whites “hubs of the wheel”.

it is such a joke that so many fans are crying “clary deserved better” in the finale and that it was bad to derune her- WHERE was that energy when magnus gave up his magic for all of 3b? no fans cared cuz “oh he’ll get it back.” so would she, her last scene with jace showed she may not be a god anymore but she was still a shadowhunter. he suffered all of 3b and not 1 single character outside of alec and his mom said even 1 word of comfort to magnus. not one!! why do only white tears matter?

“clary the god” ain’t as cute as you’re acting like it is unless you only care about her, in which case your username is misleading. also doesn’t it bother you that an asian’s man accomplishment (creating the portal) is dismissed when the white girl can do it with zero effort on a whim? you can tell this show is run by whites. or that they barely let magnus do magic in s2/ s3 cuz they didn’t want to spent their cgi budget on him but they had no problem blowing it on her playing god? yikes.

there are a lot of very valid points here and i’m glad u got it all out, let me answer thoroughly!!

point 1: magnus doesn’t get enough screentime

agreed. the writers don’t appreciate him at all. he does get more screentime as the show goes on though, he isn’t part of some episodes in season 1 and 2a, they change that later

point 2: magnus doesn’t get to interact with the other mains and doesn’t get friends because of clary’s powers

i partially agree with this, i never made the connection to clary’s powers but it does make sense since magnus was often used as a plot device in the beginning. however, i don’t think he even is meant to be friends with some of the group (or maybe he is, the show generally is really bad at building family and friendships because they don’t really let characters interact) so i don’t think it’s /horrible/, however i do think that he should be getting more of his own storylines and that the storylines he does get should be more explored and he should be allowed to get more scenes with dot or catarina

point 3: clary having god like powers is racist

first things first: clary is the main character of the show, the show is meant to be about her. she is supposed to have more screentime than everyone else, it’s her storyi don’t think that they gave clary her powers with the intention of cutting out magnus’ screentime, i think they gave her those powers to move the story forward. that doesn’t change that they give far less screen time to poc, and i agree that they shouldn’t have done that. 

point 4: no one cares about magnus, everyone just cares about clary

this is the point i gotta say i disagree the most with, maybe it’s perception, maybe it’s because of the people i follow, but i had a completely different experience for this. i remember several posts about magnus losing his magic and how it must have affected him and metas and fafics and everything revolving around this topic. i personally have rarely seen anything about clary.but that’s the fandom, i do agree that the writers should have let many more characters who supposedly care about magnus talk to him about his magic loss (refer to point 2)

point 5: the last message

“clary the god” ain’t as cute as you’re acting like it is unless you only care about her, in which case your username is misleading.

i clearly care about clary and i’m not really making anyone think that i don’t, my icon, title and description all reference her. i don’t exclusively care about clary, otherwise i’d exclusively blog about her. i understand how from your point of view the clary is god concept is bad, but for me it’s a fun theory, i just like it, i don’t think about how clary having some of her powers could have maybe potentially lost magnus some screentime, i think about how amazing it would be to see clary with glowing eyes and flying hair ripping raziel apart. i think about how funny it is that clary came into a new world and a two months later was like “yeah i can bring people back from the dead, what about it?”. i think about how due to the writers having given clary those powers, whether they should or shouldn’t have is open for question, clary is about as powerful as warlocks, the most imo most powerful beings in the shadowworld, and due to clary defying the angel’s will she’s more powerful than the angels, so? clary is god. 

i like to focus on the story, because yes, shadowhunters is deeply problematic, i never doubted that, but i’m honestly here to have fun with it and i enjoy talking about the concept, if i only ever focused on the stuff i don’t like about the show, the stuff i disagree with there’s no point in having this blog

also doesn’t it bother you that an asian’s man accomplishment (creating the portal) is dismissed when the white girl can do it with zero effort on a whim?

sure that’s p fucked up, when it comes to clary the writers just make her be able to do anything, which is a flaw, i know that’s what your entire message is. yes. it is wrong that clary can just do things that push magnus out of the picture, it is something that shouldn’t be done. but clary being able to do anything at any given time is also a bit funny, because it’s bad writing and that bad writing is what makes her god, you know?

or that they barely let magnus do magic in s2/ s3 cuz they didn’t want to spent their cgi budget on him but they had no problem blowing it on her playing god?

maybe it’s due to my lack of perception but i really never noticed that, i can think of many instances where magnus uses magic, in fact there’s a lot more (or at least better) cgi in season 2 and 3 than there is in season 1, so i’m not sure that statement is factual

so! in conclusion: thank you for your message, it really gave me a great insight on why someone might not like the theory and it’s understandable! but for me it really is just something to have fun with because it lets me make fun of the show due to its ridiculous writing and lets me appreciate clary, two things i love doing. you took things a lot deeper than i ever intended them to be, but we all love the show while complaining about things that were problematiqué. i don’t see how my god clary theory is really harmful as it is only based on things that are shown in the show. things that maybe shouldn’t have happened, yes, but in the end they did and all we can do is get angry at them, ignore them, or make something with them. 

conclusion: the god clary theory is just meant to be dumb fun, it’s completely okay if you don’t like it, or can’t like it if you feel like it’s based on injustice or for any other reason

thanks again! have a nice day!!

[jcmorgenstern]

Hey kid wanna cry Remember that kiss between Clary and 'Sebastian' in s2, after Clary says that Jonathan deserves to be saved? How desperate that kiss was. Now knowing the that for years Jonathan was clinging to the idea that somewhere out there theres a person who will save him, who will not hurt and abandon him puts the whole scene in different perspective 😢

you’re very right and you should fucknig say it anon!!

I’m trying to get over my annoyance with how much they’ve fucked Jonathan’s storyline (and my god, the timeline)–the demon clary kills in s1 at the EARLIEST appears at the most 2 months ago, which means Jonathan only learned she existed 2 months ago max. He then, in that time, made a deal with Azazel to get out of hell, walked to Paris, kidnapped Sebastian at a cafe, moved to New York, rented an apartment, knew enough about the goings on at the institute to steal the sword (Genuinely blanking on how he got the Cup to summon Azazel–i knew at one point but rn im anxious and caffeinated), summoned Azazel, infiltrated the Institute….like this is fucking insane on so many levels, and now he can’t even find a sword? ??? ?? ? ? ? like damn need me that kind of motivation on my finals

(also im pre sure aline mentions sebastian dissapeared more than two months ago but lmao what’s consistency)

I actually really liked the prince/princess thing, because it flips the very gendered script by having Jonathan wish for Clary to save him. and Clary IS that figure–she goes to insane lengths to protect and save Jace. I don’t think Clary’s horror at realizing she could have but didn’t save Jonathan is her being like “oh damn im a woman therefore it’s my job,” it’s that being powerless or failing to save a life is one of her worst fears, and she’s upset that yet another family member is “lost” to her. Her entire arc is unified by the theme of finding and wanting to keep her family and loved ones (both family by blood or by familial love) safe. It’s also a callback to the books (a thread that is completely dropped) where she writes a comic about a dark prince that she interprets to be “Sebastian.”

When Jonathan calls “you were supposed to be my princess” after her, he doesn’t mean “I was supposed to carry u away at the altar and we’d make babies in heterosexual union,” he means “you were supposed to be my knight in shining armor and rescue me from the dragon/evil stepmother.” In the context of the story as it’s told–Jonathan as Rapunzel (or Fiona LMAOO) in the tower crying for help, and Clary the knight with the sword only the chosen one can wield riding to his rescue–I feel that meaning is fairly obvious if you understand his character beyond “ew incest lol.”

To put it more academically: in the terms of a feminist reading of the fairytale, Jonathan understands himself not as Clary’s possessor, but the “princess” she as the (traditionally male) knight rescuer is entitled to after the rescue. It may actually deliberately echo the book line where Clary asks Jonathan “who do you belong to.” The script of Jonathan as the hyperagressive, masculine aggressor stalking the (artificially) agency-less woman is complicated by his dual role as the traditionally female victim of abuse waiting to be rescued by the traditional male rescuer. In just a quick few minutes we get a whole different dynamic where we realize Jonathan doesn’t feel he is entitled to her–from his (warped) point of view, he feels she is entitled to him. Jonathan views the act of receiving love in terms of his usefulness or how his identity/abilities/whatever can be exploited by whoever loves him (see: his speech to her about Valentine)–his confusion about why she doesn’t “want” him is because well, she defended him once as anon says, she saved him by giving him hope, she must love him–why won’t she take what’s hers?

This is the dynamic I’m fascinated by–I’ve always read Jonathan as an oddly feminized villain considering his other position as a hyperaggressive rapist–if I were to go full batshit on yall I’d bust out a “queer-coded men presented as often ineffectual rapists” reading but. ill leave that for another time.  or never. I feel the books made that reading very available by sexualizing his abuse by revealing his whip scars in a situation where he takes his shirt off and Clary is uncomfortably thirsty (and the audience is VERY comfortably thirsty). It’s also very surface-level and never really brought up again–something else you’d expect from a presentation of a female character’s abuse.

The show complicates it by presenting the product of Jonathan’s abuse as something to be reviled and horrific, but also kind of pathetically comedic. A male victim of abuse that actually lets the effects show is clearly something to be othered, pathologized, made into something charred and inhuman. The power and agency expected of a male character is restored to him in his rebirth, when the narrative invites you to consider whether he really could change; as that agency is slowly stripped away through imprisonment, a botched matricide attempt, implied (past) sexual assault, it’s paired with his implied descent into irredeemabe villainhood.

I fully realize I’ve jumped so far off the deep end I may as well have started burrowing into the ground of that metaphorical pool, but I think Jonathan’s dual status as feminized victim and masculinized rapist explains why some female fans find Jonathan deeply and fundamentally abhorrent and others find him sympathetic and relatable. Both, I think, are legitimate readings and reactions made available by the text–it’s a question not of whether people think rape is okay or not, but which of his dual gendered positions each person find more salient.

(I’d also argue the same could be said of Jace–do you see him as the typical heterosexual male jock, or the sensitive victim of abuse who struggles with his mental health? Honestly, this model applies to so many other characters–Tony Stark, for example, or Loki). I think it’s important as fans to appreciate, no matter your position or reading of a character, the alternate readings available–I understand why people hate Jonathan and are deeply uncomfortable with him, even if I don’t feel the same way. I don’t take Jonathan hate as a personal attack against my reading specifically, but against the person’s own particular interpretation of him. (I do often get annoyed if people deny the possibility of alternate readings, and probably get pissy in general, but shh).

anyway tldr this was actually just top/bottom discourse in disguise JONATHAN MORGENSTERN IS A BOTTOM thanks for coming to my TED talk haha gotcha

[ralfstrashcan]

3x20 Reaction / Commentary

I wonder why, considering it wasn't hard at all. They barely had a plan and even had time to include some personal drama in their fight. Wtf. The only thing I can imagine why no one ever managed to kidnap her before is because no one wanted to have a hostage as irritating as the seelie queen.

Hahahahahaha hilarious. Also, lol, no I'm choosing not to think of the implications because they are TOO DISTURBING, YOU HEAR ME @intezaarlily XD XD XD

HAHAHA I CAN'T THE WAY SHE PETULANTLY SHAKES HER HEAD

I mean, compelling argument. And very fitting since we learned from that Lilith Debacle that the Shadowhunters' go to solution for everything and anything is torture. But what I find way more interesting is that we finally get a good look at the side of the seelie queen's crown.

's pretty.

There's so much to unpack in this scene. Which I'm gonna do, in excruciating detail. In a relationship analysis post thingy, not here, because time and space reasons. Just know that this scene is absolutely amazing, their facial expressions and gestures, and of course the pretzel. Dammit, so amazing. Can't wait to fawn over it all.

I'm with Meliorn on this one. Just because Lanaia committed a violation of the Accords (yes, on behalf of the seelie queen but the shadowhunters have no way of knowing that and I guess Meliorn wasn't stupid enough to tell them that) doesn't mean Clary can violate the Accords back and go unpunished. That's not how a legal system works. It's clear that with this whole operation the shadowhunters valued Clary's life over that of however may seelie guards' it would have taken to keep Jace's cover and get Clary back. I bet you Alec is aware of that and that's why he has that pinched look on his face the whole time. And while he argues pro shadowhunter side with that injection about Lanaia and he tries to placate Meliorn, he noticable doesn't try to justify Jace's actions at all, and whenever Jace does, Alec closes his eyes as if he's thinking “Dude don't you realize that's not an argument.”

And then he just wants to leave???? Hahaha creep

HAHAHAHAHAHA OH MY GOD COMEDIC GOLD. The way he delivers that line I can't!!! The way he says “naturrrrrr” hahaha delicious.

Uh if that's the smartest move? Who knows what kind of kinky shit Meliorn will demand in return?? I mean, just look at his smirk. Also, in case this doesn't get addressed again this is such a ficlet waiting to be written lol.

The way Alec immediately starts almost-crying when someone mentions Magnus pulls on my heartstrings. Fragile darling boy.

I mean, I'm pretty sure Alec carrying the ring around in his pocket was for meta reasons so he could give it to Maryse in their only scene together, but dammmnnn the in universe implications. Ouch.

I'm really going to miss this XD

“My” door??? My ass.

“Alec and I are no longer.”

lsjfkasdjflksdjfsdjflskdjf I CAN'T HAHAHHAAH HIS FACE

Hahahahha please Lorenzo stop, I feel like I shouldn't be laughing so much XD Isn't this episode supposed to be Super Dramatic? I'm actually having the time of my life so far XD

XD XD XD XD XD

Okay and now I'm back to rage because wtf!!!! So Magnus is aware that Lorenzo's jurisdiction is limited and tiny, why didn't he remember that literally anytime before this, for example in 3x10?? Just imagine it, if Magnus had done that fancy ritual thingy he wouldn't have even needed to trade his magic away. Oh right, problem identified. There wouldn't have been some Prime Drama if he'd behaved like a sensible person. Ugh.

The way Lorenzo's face falls upon hearing Asmodeus is priceless. But, uh, important question, how the hell does he know Asmodeus's face? Or does he identify him by his powers? Then again he failed identifying Asmodeus's power signature before already (3x02) so uuhhhh I need answers.

Magnus Bane, finally enjoying the Draco Malfoy Way Of Life. I mean, that's not really rebutting Lorenzo's claim. The opposite, in fact. Also wtf does Lorenzo have for nerves to say that to Asmodeus's face???

So this is not common warlock practice. Thanks for clarifying. Also, look at Asmodeus's smug face when Magnus references Edom hahaha #ProudDad

THE SASS HAHAHA (btw for a moment I was worried he'd turnd him into a plastic lizard until it moved haha)

Also this means, the person Magnus trashes later in the loft with the whips, as seen in the promo, is Asmodeus?? Because he learns of his deal with Alec?? Or tbh, I've been entertaining the thought that it's Alec ahahaha

Also, Asmodues saying “When they hear about what?” has the same energy as Loki saying “I'm listening” in Avengers 1.

Yeah I still have questions about that. But sure, whatever. Then again, if Jordan is so long-fingered he could start a career as pickpocket. Sounds like a stable income job to me.

See, the problem here is that this isn't fixing any of Maia's problems. Apart from the fact that currently she has no problems to fix as far as I'm concerned (the dead pack won't be miraculously resurrected if she becomes human) her issues with her family aren't due to her being a werewolf. She's adjusted to her life as a werewolf and if you ask me, she's grown to love it and she doesn't want to go back. Hell, she wanted to become alpha. She's working on building her own pack now. Someone who hates being a werewolf wouldn't do that. Very obviously, his line of reasoning makes sense for Jordan because he can't forgive himself for turning and abandoning Maia, which he views as ruining her life. So by reversing it he could finally start to atone for what he did. Perfectly ic, but very frustrating because as I pointed out, this won't benefit Maia in any way, it'll just create drama between the two of them. (And frankly, while I moderately care about both of them, I'd rather have Malec on my screen. Sue me.)

Uh-huh, so some werewolf praetor spy with binoculars saw that Jordan stole the vial from the Institute but Izzy and Simon, who were literally in the same room didn't. No questions, your honor. Also ngl, since I knew this scene from the sneak peek already and couldn't care less about Luke's stupid Praetor plotline I skipped this scene XD #sorry not sorry

I know a lot of people were relieved Clary didn't make out with Jonathan and I'm honestly so surprised why people would assume in the first place there was any risk for that. Despite the Evil Rune taking hold she's still aware of her feelings, for example her love for Jace etc. So why would she suddenly be into incest?

Hehehehe the likelyhood of Asmodeus getting trashed in that loft is growing XD (Also please appreciate how I'm keeping my salt about Maryse's “I love you” under wraps, I'm amazed at my self restraint.)

I mean, I was really surprised by a character actually taking action, trying their hand at communication like this. I am impressed. The thing that I slightly dislike is that it's Maryse. She didn't have all the info about the deal Alec made with Asmodeus and a) Izzy had and I really, really expected her to do something about that instead of just letting Alec wreck his life and, to a good part, Magnus's as well, and b) if even Maryse, without even knowing for sure that Magnus's magic returned after Alec broke up with him, could put two and two together, why the hell didn't Magnus??

I can half buy that with his issues and insecurites striking harder than ever, amplyfied by the severe grief of his magic loss, he'd fall for Alec's lies because to him Alec loving him the way he did was too good to be true anyway, and their relationship wasn't long enough for Magnus to really get used to the idea that he gets to keep this. It's obvious in the way he always keeps his eyes closed after they kiss, this moment of disbelieve that this is actually real. So Alec breaking up with him wouldn't be an unreastic thing, it would be reality finally catching up with them, it'd be the universe rightening itself.

But, I only half buy it. Because even if Magnus had doubts about himself and his worth, how the hell could he revisit all those memories in 3x19 where Alec was dropping wedding vows left and right, and not realize that something about Alec was off there. Anyway, dwelling on this is pointless because what's done is done, but it's a very weak explanation and very convenient, story telling wise.

Hahahha love me some common sense. Maia has tons of it. Makes her so likable.

Listen, I like Jordan, but I can't even feel any sympathy in the face of all this stupidity. Just take the frakkin vial yourself, idiot. Humans don't die from silver poisoning. And it's clear that you're struggling with your werewolf-dom to hell and back. This would literally solve all of their problems wtf. But God forbid anyone ever act reasonable on this show. Goddammit.

Hahahha so rude. *Loki Voice* WHO PUT HIM THERE??? Another missing scene ficlet dying to be written XD Also, does Lorenzo still have his consciousness or was his mind reduced to that of a lizard? Will it be restored when he's transformed back? Is that even possible or was that transformation irreversible? Will he remember his time as a lizard? Or is Lorenzo as we know and love to hate him gone forever? So many questions.

Bitch you didn't, you had to be TOLD

I find it amazing that Asmodues tries to argue with Magnus even though his evil plan was uncovered. He really doesn't get it, does he? That Magnus likes his life and doesn't want to be in Edom?

I am reeling. What a frikkin powermove, disposing of him like that, and with his own invention no less. Talk about a dead ass capable character who could trash everyone in his way. Honestly I'm still processing. This is so radical wtf. So I'm never gonna get another scene with Asmodeus?? Please I wanted more of them!! I am so helplessly in love with their dynamic. 5 bucks say he was supposed to come back in S4 I WAS SO DEPRIVED OH GOD!!!!!

Edit: Yeah, this was actually supposed to be a setup for a Dark!Magnus plotline, with Asmodeus playing a big role in S4. They changed that and cut this short, here's the article I got this from. We were so robbed. I can't.

“Hurry, away from this Shadowhunter Nonsense. Honestly, that they can never solve their shit issues in their own fugly ass Institute but have to do it on our beautifully groomed frontyard. The disrespect.”

WOW IZZY'S WEARING FLAT SHOES FOR THE OCCASION CAN YOU BELIEVE IT

Also that fighting is awesome and all (Alec as a tactical advantage, Jace “betraying” his position as a ploy, color me impressed) but doesn't Clary have to stab Jonathan for it to work?? Or is it enough if one of the bondmates is stabbed with the sword?? And since Fake Glorious is super instable etc. and will likely be destroyed in the process they shouldn't take any chances and make sure it really works the first time around.

I get that this is supposed to be dramatic but sorry, I don't buy for one second that 3 Months Shadowhunter Newby Clary manages to get one over Izzy who's been literally trained since birth (yeah that was a quote from Arthur because I'm total Merlin Trash) and she's their best fighter ever and could beat Jace and Alec at the same time with the flick of a wrist while blindfolded. Please. Oh my god. Maybe because she always fights with her whip she's not too used to a sword. Then again she also uses a staff and she still was trained since birth so no, I'm still not buying it.

Hahahahah nice one, Simon.

“That's my plan, you can bet on it, bet on it, bet on it....”

why I mean, this was a conscious choice on producers' part, right. So I'm demanding an explanation. What's the point of this weirdly edited grunt?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA SAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Hm, they don't fold too nicely. But all in all, pretty solid wing work.

?????? This makes no sense since, prior to this half season, he wasn't tethered to Clary. Wtf. For all intents and purposes, Jonathan should be dropping dead to the ground since he was using Clary's life force to be alive, remember, he was literally killed to death before. Only their bond was keeping him alive. This makes no sense whatsoever. But anyway, that was a pretty impressive departure.

Yeah, how about you get the f outta there now, Simon.

H-e-a-l-i-n-g  r-u-n-e. Honestly. Wtf.

Also, Izzy pushing Simon to the ground was a little stupid, he could have vampire-run out of the explosion's perimeter easily. If he had a few brain cells. Okay, problem identified, I take everything back, Izzy made the right call.

And I guess Alec's just chilling over there on the forrest ground. He deserves that break, man.

Just force it down Jordan's throat omg. If he still dies, whatever, good for him, he got what he wanted. If not then he can maybe start facing his Maia-shaped issues in a constructive way.

Maia giving it to Luke makes no sense. How the f does he want to “get rid of it” wtf. If I were Maia I'd just pour it in the river or idk, burry it somewhere. Lock it in a safe, throw away the key. Or better yet, keep an eye on it. But sure, Luke who just learned the Praetor are full of shit is gonna give it to them?? I mean, the thought must have crossed his mind that maybe they didn't heal Jordan as a punishment for failing that Heidi mission? Since apparently it's common werewolf knowledge that the Praetor is able to cure a silver poisoning? Jordan wouldn't have said that if they didn't have a cure for it, right? If Luke honestly gives them that vial, he'll be dead to me. I fully expect him to try and blackmail the Praetor with it or something, but if he doesn't istg.

You're on thin effing ice, man.

Aahhhhh yeah how very convenient. Also rude, they stole Jonathan's home :C Also technically she shouldn't be able to do that because it's demon travel and she no longer has a connection to demon blood.

Yeah and they also steamrolled whatever room was there before they parked that big ass apartment there. Congrats.

“You barely got your licence to drive a car, much less whatever that was.”

hahahaha

ALEC'S FACE HAHAHAHAHA I LOVE ONE 100% DONE MAN

Hell yeah logic!! But lol I genuinely don't think Jace or Simon thought of that when they were unhelpfully patting her back.

.........? How is Simon there then? This isn't even sarcasm, I genuinely don't get it.

This was cute and all, but she didn't actually activate her iratze wtf. Or wash off her blood.

Dude wtf Maia

I mean come on, this is so obvious to top off their drama.

Yep, I called it. Seriously, you don't leave a person on the brink of death alone for literally this reason. And before you tell me she was just getting some food to lighten the mood from her way back from the bridge, there was still tons of daylight then and this is at least several hours later. I am sorry, but I feel zero sympathy.

1) Where do those surviving werewolves besides Bat come from? 2) What does mundane police have to say about this public cremation? 3) I remember this shot of Maia walking away from the fire from the 3B Trailer. So rude.

ALSO I'M MORE THAN READY FOR SOME MALEC CONTENT WTF MAN

NO. NO I DO NOT BUY. EITHER THE WINGS ARE STILL THERE OR HIS JACKET IS RIPPED TO PIECES BUT YOU DON'T GET TO PRETEND THEY MAGICALLY APPEAR ON TOP OF HIS CLOTHES WTF He's not Miley Cyrus from that one music video. (Can't be Tamed, if you're wondering.)

0 bucks say he caught them making out, honestly this was so obvious.

This rang deep. Really great moment. I can't really put it into words, but this had such an impact. A real warrior feel to it. Amazing.

“No obviously we don't but c'mon, work with me here.”

I can't possibly put into words the love I'm feeling for one (1) extra warlock.

He finally got it. My poor murderous incest baby. Too bad this means Clary lost her only bargaining chip.

NOOOO IT'S NOT, YOU WERE RAISED BY VAL IN A HUT AND THEN LIVED AT THE NY INSTITUE, THE ONLY TIME YOU VISITED ALICANTE WAS OWL'ED OUT OF YOUR MIND TO KILL IMOGEN WHAT THE HELL HAHAHA

I love how he delivers this line. It's his goodbye because there's no making it out of there alive, and the last thing of importance he has to say is a love confession to Clary. Very nice delivery.

ahahahahah okay this was a nice echoing of Jace's other love confession, but all I could focus on was how frakkin red Clary's hand is hahaha

I love everything about this, okay. I love how Alec just gives in because he couldn't stand to be apart from Magnus for one more second. I love how this is reminiscent of their first kiss at Alec's fail wedding. (Btw can you believe we're gonna start and end Malec with a kiss at a wedding and a wedding kiss? The poetry.) I love the backdrop, the absolute destruction. Love Izzy in her rightful place in the first row since she's the Captain of the MS Malec.

I really appreciate that they bothered with an explanation why Magnus needs to go to Edom at all, but, uh, if memory serves right he closed a rift to Edom in 2x19 and it was no big deal. I'd buy that this rift is larger or more powerful because it was created by the Morgenstern Sword but just because I can find an explanation that this task is harder than one Magnus already accomplished onscreen with relative ease doesn't mean it's not the Show’s duty to deliver an explanation of its own accord instead of letting fans pick through their worldbuilding and figuring out something that makes sense. A simple “You closed rifts before, from Earth.” - “This rift is too large” would have been enough. Is that too much to ask.

GOD MAGNUS WHY THAT WORDING I HAD TO THINK OF LORENZO WTF MAN WHY YOU MAKE ME THINK OF LORENZO WHHHYYYYYYYY

When he lifted his hand in that slow deliberate move I was SO SURE HE'D BE WEARING THE LIGHWOOD RING HAHAHA

HAHAHA THAT WAS CLEARLY NOT THE FUGLY LIGHTWOOD FAMILY RING (since that has a square shape on top, come on) YES I STAN A FASHION ICON

Btw there's a description in those rings, I can't really tell, but the one on the right looks like a loopy A upside down so I'm guessing one has “Alexander” and the other “Magnus” on the inside????

Edit: Both rings say “Aku cinta kamu” and I am DEAD

Hahahaha Alec wanted to win the proposal but this round goes to Magnus. But tbh he totally cheated XD XD XD

Ngl, the ring catching on Magnus's knuckle for a moment reminded me of the wedding of Kate and William ahahahaa I'm trash XD

Can you believe Malec got cheated out of their first engaged kiss by some rude ass explosion? Unfair.

I find myself genuinely confused by this. Why does Alec even entertain the thought of not going with Magnus? It seems so illogical that they'd seperate now. Later reason kicked in, and yeah, Edom probably isn't the best place for a shadowhunter but this is exactly it: Alec's instinct should have been to go with Magnus and I wish they'd taken the time to address this in any way, to give Alec the chance to express his wish to go with Magnus.

WTF WHY DOES MAGNUS SHAKE HIS HEAD THIS IS NOT OKAY WTF

But then he jokes about runaway grooms anyway because he thinks he’ll never see Alec again and he wants Alec to remember him joking & smiling & happy *cries* I’M SAD. why did I bring that up.

Thanks, @intezaarlily for making tHIS EVEN WORSE WTF

OH MY GOD I CAN'T I'M LAUGHING SO HARD THIS IS SO RIDICULOUS HAHAHAHA Magnus REALLY should have pulled the portal down on himself and not flown into it like a flying fish jumping out of the water wtf hahaha. Then again this is proof he can totally do the superman flight and it is CANON that he did that at some point. He had a whole annoying phase where he'd just fly around like a super hero. Cat was so done with it. Ragnor refused to be around him at all. Good times.

Anyway, another thing I need an explanation for is why it'll be so hard for Magnus to return to Earth. In 3x10 that posed No Problem, meaning one of two things. Either a) Asmodeus sent him back or b) he could easily travel back because he used that pentagram thingy. Honestly, the fact that Jonathan just as easily returns to Earth after his failed attempt on Lilith's life lets me favor b), which begs the question why Magnus used a regular portal instead of the pentagram thingy now. But even if a) is the case then that means Greater Demons apparently have no problem removing people from Edom and then I wonder if Magnus will have to beg Azazel or something to return him home lol, like a little kiddie asking for a lift. Or maybe, since he channelled his epic Edom!Power, maybe he can send himself back?? In any case I want some solid explanation on that.

Alec just collapsing made so much sense okay. I could feel the emptiness in my own chest, having gained and lost everything in a few short minutes, I can't even imagine how crushed Alec must be feeling.

Magnus's magic closing the rift is so epic in an incredibly emotional and intimate sense. Seeing his magic, part of him, when he's so far beyond all of their reach. It's incredible, it's touching and powerful and so so fragile. I'm amazed.

I can't believe they did this. I can't believe they put the literally last shot of this in the 3B Trailer. The audacity.

Okay but really important question, who's gonna feed Lorenzo now??? (God only one week left I am dead.)

[axelsagewrites]

Magnus Bane*No Tea Tonight PT2

A/N: IM SORRY. Im a day late. But this time my laptop broke right when I had a history and english assinment. I then had to write out my English essay (4 pages) and history essay (6 pages) by hand with all my notes saved on my laptop. That was my fun weekend. Im sorry. Im trying, I promise.

Masterlist HERE

Wattpad HERE

Magnus Bane X Warlock!Reader

Part one

"Should we tell Magnus?" Isabelle asked her brother. They'd mulled over the case all night, thinking of different theories about where (Y/N) was and why. Going over files was normally tedious but the little clues they found every few pages kept their interest. Soon the pile was sky high. Alec looked up from the stove. he'd offered to make breakfast, not wanting to be poisoned by Isabelle, before they went to follow up some clues. "Maybe. I'm not sure. This might not go anywhere, I don't want him to get his hopes up," The pancakes were ready, and Alec handed Izzy a plateful. "Yeah but," she started with the pancake in her mouth, "he'll know stuff we won't. Plus, they were in love," "Exactly. When Valentine took Jace I was distraught but I knew he was alive because we were parabatai. That kept me going. Now we're going to put Magnus through the same stress with no guarantee." Isabelle sighed, "It's just not right. I would want to know," It was too early for Alec to really care about anything, but this was getting to him, "We follow up some clues, first hint of something we'll call him. Deal?" "Deal."

It was somewhat expected that most of their clues would be duds. They were vague photos of someone who vaguely looked like (Y/N) from years ago. Most of the areas had either changed or been remodeled since or it was a landmark where no one would've remembered them. They decided a snack was well deserved so bit the bullet and got some street food. "I always think I'm going to die when I eat this," Alec said once they were out of the vendors hearing. Isabelle shrugged as she plopped on a bench, Alec follows, "At this point, I'd eat anything," It was a wonder to other females how Isabelle could eat so much and be that fit. "You got the files?" Alec pulled out what a mundane would describe as a flash drive and pressed a small button. Like in the institute a screen was lit up like a hologram they could swipe on. And like all their other tech the Mundanes couldn't see it. "We've checked clues A through H. the rest seem to be spread across the world. Malta, London, Tokyo, Morocco, basically everywhere," Isabelle squinted at the screen, "I don't get it. it's not like (Y/N) was discreet. Look, they're in full view in that one, not even trying to hide," Isabelle pointed to a photo of (Y/N) standing at some old bookshop seemingly looking right at the camera, "I just don't get it," Alec thought it over when something popped in his head, "What I don't get is why we're out here when this was Jace's idea," "Oh, he's trying to get permission from the clave to escalate the case," She rolled her eyes, "Clary said they were going out today so I think he might be lying," "Ya think?" Alec was anything if not sarcastic. "Where's the bookshop?" "Dunno. it just says Marvin's Books. No street or anything," "We must be missing something," Alec muttered, enhancing the photo and looking at every corner and pixel he could. "There, look." Isabelle did and shrugged, "Do you know any Mundanes with purple skin?" Isabelle looked closer and sure enough, there was an arm in the shop window, the rest of the body not in view. But the hand was purple. "Hey, that photo at the twin towers..." "Probably the same guy. Maybe if we find the bookshop," "Well it has to be an English speaking country because of the sign," Alec nodded along to Isabelle's thoughts "and the clothes are so 2005," Alec gave Izzy a look who shrugged it off. Izzy scanned the photo some more, "Zoom in on that bag," Alec did, "And that mundane looks like she's holding a target bag." "Must be America," "Yeah. So, 2005, America, some guy named Marvin." "It's a start,"

There's only so much Isabelle and Alec can do so they went back to the institute, running the photo of the bookshop against the institute's gallery. Thank angel you can filter by date and location otherwise it would've taken weeks. Instead just 3 days. Izzy groaned when she saw the estimate. "Look who decides to show up," Alec says as Jace and Clary walk past. Jace pauses with a grin, "You know how the clave is-" "You're lying. Isabelle said you and the little girl were going on a date. So you get to alphabetize the case files," Alec grabbed and chucked a huge file filled with random sheets of paper at Jace. Jace grimaced, "Why do we keep paper copies?" Alec shrugged, "To make you suffer?" he suggested. "So did you'd find anything?" Clary asked, too upbeat for Alec's liking. Isabelle groaned from in front of the screen, "Give this thing 3 days and maybe. Something about a bookshop, some guy names Marvin, 2005, and some guy with purple skin," Clary raised her eyebrows, "You asked." Isabelle turned to her brother, "Are we telling Magnus?" Internalizing the biggest sigh possible, Alec forced himself out his seat, "C'mon then," "You know there's no point in us all going," Jace said. "Jace unless you want me to hire decorators to turn your room into a duck wonderland I suggest you put your shoes back on," Jace scoffed. Isabelle didn't, "He's not kidding. Look we got bored," Isabelle clicked on a different tab and a Pinterest board of duck-themed bedrooms popped up. Jace shivered, "Bloodthirsty little beasts. Let's go then,"

The eldest lightwood was less than enthusiastic that Clary had joined them but said nothing. Well, nothing much. Isabelle talked to Clary about what outfit to were next time they went out and Jace held his arm protectively around Clary. So Alec thought about how to tell Magnus what they'd found. Hey Magnus your lovers not dead Sup Magnus? By the way, you're missing lover might've been kidnapped by some purple dude. Hi, Magnus. So you remember that lover that's been missing for almost 20 years and is probably our fault? Yeah, we found her! Turns out we just never looked in the first place. Or as Alec actually said when Magnus opened the door, "We found (Y/N). well, pictures at least," Alec needn't have said more before Magnus ushered them all in. "What do you mean?" The group shared a look at Magnus' desperation. "I don't care how...bad it is just tell me. I need to know," Isabelle stepped forward, "We found a picture of (Y/N) after they went missing. Couldn't have been taken before 2014," "Impossible. You must be wrong," Pulling out the flash drive, Izzy brought up the photo, "That museum wasn't built till 2014. They were alive then...maybe now," Magnus just stared at the image. "But-but if (Y/N) is alive, why haven't they came back?" The shadowhunters couldn't look him in the eye. Isabelle swiped through the photos "Some of them aren't very clear but look. (Y/N) has been all over the place. Every continent. The last photo was taken in 2015 outside of some shop in England," She swiped to the photo. "They have CTV in England," Magnus' eyes lit up as he spoke, "The whole place is covered in cameras," Alec sighed, "They get wiped every few months, let alone years." Magnus ran a hand through his hair, pulling at it, "Why are you showing me this?" Isabelle and Alec shared a  look, "We need your help." Isabelle told him. She went to the photo with the man with purple skin and horns, "He's been in a few photos. Well bits of him. This is the only one showing his face. Do you, do you recognize him?" Magnus stared at the photo, "I've met a lot of warlocks. Can't you check the system?" "They're not all on there. If other warlocks hiding them they tend to slip through the gaps," Alec said. "You think (Y/N) was hiding someone?" Alec hesitated but gave a single nod, "Theirs no way. They would've told me. (Y/N) was horrible at secrets, got all riled up over them." Magnus looked at the picture longer, "He looks...familiar?  As I said I've met a lot of people. Horns and purple skin aren't such a rarity. Hasn't he shown up in his own photos?" "Only with (Y/N)," Isabelle said. Jace suddenly seemed to realize something and grabbed Clary's satchel. "Hey!" She objected as Jace rummaged till he pulled out a file, "Jace!" "Sorry babe," he flicked through the file, "Here, it's some of the pictures of him," Jace handed Magnus a small stack of maybe 7 photos that had been printed, the first being the one of the man. Clary and Alec were both glaring at him, "One less thing to file," he murmured under his breath. Magnus shot him a quick glare, "I'll have a think on it," That pleased the shadowhunters. "Look if you think of anything, even not about these photos, call us yeah?" Alec said. "Of course. Anything to find (Y/N)," Magnus seemed to suddenly dislike shadowhunters again as he began to hustle them out the door. Alec hung back to check on him, "I'm...okay. Look its difficult. I've not seen a recent picture, I've not had this sort of hope. You need to give me time," Alec nodded, "Of course. But you know we're here for you?" Magnus nodded. Alec looked over his shoulder before saying in a quieter voice, "You helped me a lot when we first met. I was confused and in denial. I know we're on different sides but Magnus, you're a real friend," "I'm glad I could help Alexander," Magnus said, "Truly. No one should feel ashamed of what they are," "And you shouldn't be ashamed of feeling alone. If you need to talk," "I'll call," Magnus finished it for him. "Thank you. (Y/N) should see me now, being friends with a shadowhunter," They both gave a short laugh over that. "I'll see you later," "Bye Magnus," Alec walked down to meet his friends and Clary. Isabelle hung back, asking what that was about. "Just wanted him to know he isn't alone," "Does Alec have a crush?" Izzy teased. Alec rolled his eyes, "We've been over this. Sure he's cute but no," "Still hung up on you know who?" she nodded to the couple in front. "Nah. I'm young, apparently, I've been...seeing people." This statement led to a long and intense discussion on Izzy's part trying to find out who exactly.

Magnus watched from his balcony as the shadowhunters walked out of sight. Chairman brushed by his feet, reminding him to feed his cat. Magnus set a bowl of food down and went to sit on his couch. The photos sat discarded on the coffee table. The warlock picked the top one up with an expression only someone with too many memories could have. "What did you do Caleb?" Magnus whispered, staring at the infrit on the paper. Magnus snapped his finger and the strongest drink he could image showed up. He flung the photo back on the pile and leaned back into the couch, drink in hand. "You were always (Y/N)'s favorite rescue,"

Part three

[sirkkasnow]

07 Think Twice About So-Called Safety Gear

Ao3 link

07/16/13 Tuesday

Ford claimed the action camera and its vest and disappeared out into the woods off and on for the next couple of days. Clary and the rest of the Shack crew were all firmly admonished not to venture out onto the trails.

That meant she was back to morning sessions on the laptop, doing stuff that looked to be split between actual work and sending updates to family. Early one morning he caught her singing softly into the earpiece - a lullaby, he thought, but couldn’t be sure because she spotted him immediately and slipped away towards the woods again.

Stan kept working on the station wagon in his free hours. The bodywork would still be an issue but he was getting close to a running engine. That left him with mixed feelings - the house and the summer would belong to him and Ford and the kids again. On the other hand she’d be gone.

Clary took their adventures in stride. Even when Ford returned with erratically-focused video of a crystalline stag glinting as it stalked, tinkling, through the darkest and densest of the pine groves way out beyond the edge of town, she held. Went pale, sure. She asked a few calm pointed questions, then filed it away in whatever mental folder allowed people to deal with the kind of perpetual craziness that hung over Gravity Falls.

But she didn’t run, and she made breakfast the next morning, and went out to the swap meet with Mabel as though nothing much had happened. They made a pretty pair on their bicycles, Clary’s mountain bike with the road tires swapped back in and Mabel’s pink banana-seated tassel-handlebarred glitter machine sparkling in the bright sunshine. Hours later they rolled back in with the little bike trailer in tow and loaded to overflowing with bungee-corded bags.

“What’d you find, kids?” Stan called over as they headed into the house, Clary shouldering two-thirds of the loot.

“Stuff!” Mabel yelled back, firing off a deliberate wink as she turned to head up the stairs. Clary’s cheeks were red with more than effort and her smile a bit sheepish as the door banged closed.

Oh, hell, they were conspiring now. Stan caught himself smiling in return well after they’d gone, rubbing at the back of his neck.

The local mayhem level had been about par for Gravity Falls, though Clary had endured more of that nonsense in the last couple of days than any mere tourist should have to. When Mabel suggested a fishing trip Stan immediately agreed. They could all use a peaceful day for once.

The whole process inevitably got more complicated than it should have.

“Mabel, come on.” Stan wasn’t exactly a dab hand with a needle, but he wasn’t bad. Stitching down letters over breakfast with a ten-minute deadline was a bit much though.

“You are going to make her a matching hat and we are going to have a fantastic time at the lake, got it?” She waved a forkful of pancake at him and he dutifully accepted the bite while tacking the R into place. Backwards. Dammit.

“Are you even gonna let her get any breakfast before we go, since y’banished her from the kitchen? Ow - “ He stuck the needle-pricked fingertip in his mouth for a moment, then started in on the Y as she glared at him.

“I sent Dipper out with an egg on toast. She’ll be fine. We’ll be feasting on trout by tonight anyway, right? Right?” Mabel nudged him in the ribs and he sighed, tugging the last knot tight and snapping the thread with his teeth. The fishing hat looked about as haphazard as all his other attempts.

“I don’t know about this, pumpkin. Maybe she doesn’t know how t’fish.”

“Then you can teach her. Come ooooonnnn.” Mabel latched onto his hand and tugged. Stan plopped the four fishing hats on top of the tackle box and managed to stuff the whole assembly under the other arm, allowing himself to be dragged out into daylight. Dipper and Clary leaned against the Stanleymobile, chatting as she finished off the last bite of toast.

“Mornin’, everyone. Ready t’play kings an’ queens of the lake for a day?” Clary looked up, huge sunglasses shading her face. She was buttoned up to the chin and covered past the hips in a voluminous white long-sleeved shirt, he assumed to protect her fishbelly-pale hide. A tote bag was slung over her shoulder. Mabel grabbed her hat and Dipper’s out from the heap jammed under Stan’s arm, then plucked the new one out of the pile and dashed off. “Hey, come on, that’s not finished!”

Mabel pressed the hat into Clary’s hands. Stan headed right to the back of the car and got it open one-handed, dropping the tackle box in, struggling not to be too embarrassed by the whole thing. Clary slipped around the rear fender to stand beside him, reaching into the trunk to rearrange the poles and the rest of the gear so it’d fit more efficiently.

“What’s this?” she asked, low-voiced, tugging the hat out from under her arm.

Stan squared off the tackle box again and refused to look at her. “Mabel wouldn’t let me leave until I made you one. Said it was nicer if we all had matchin’ hats or somethin’.”

At the edge of his field of view he could see her fingers smoothing out the lettering: C L A R Y in bright colors snipped from random scraps of fabric. Clary popped it on her head, grinning in the brim’s shade. “A Mr. Mystery original, straight from the hands of the master himself. A real collector’s piece. Aren’t you supposed to be charging a premium for these?”

“Well - well, yeah, maybe - hey. Hey!” She skipped back out of reach, then dove around the side of the car with a giggle. “At least let me fix the R!”

“No way, Pines, it’s mine now!” She slid into the passenger seat and slammed the door behind her.

Stan thunked his brow against the edge of the trunk lid in pleased mortification, then banged it shut and headed to the driver’s side. Dipper and Mabel were already regaling Clary with tales of Scuttlebutt Island and the local lake monster, which she was taking in with wary almost-belief. Much of the drive down to the lake was occupied with a lively argument about who had encountered the most annoying anomalies in Gravity Falls. Stan had a ready supply of stories that even the kids groaned over.

“And that is why only your grunkle gets to complain,” he concluded with absolute authority to a chorus of cheerful mockery from his passengers. The Stanleymobile glided into one of the more convenient parking spots, he put it in park, and the doors banged open all at once to disgorge the crew. Clary chased down the kids with her bag, applying sunscreen before letting them run ahead to the shoreline.

Stan started hauling stuff out of the car, tossing in his jacket since the day had warmed up, keeping half an eye on the others. Clary paused, stepped out of her sandals and slathered sunscreen from toes to mid-thigh along her sculpted legs, balancing gracefully on one foot and then the other. He had no excuse whatsoever for watching the whole process and did it anyway as he ducked in and out of the trunk.

Dipper and Mabel were only a minute or two into a splashing contest before he heard her yell truce! to check her phone. A few moments later she was running back up the sand, wide-eyed with alarm, her brother trotting along in her wake. “Grunkle Stan, Grunkle Stan, I’ve got an emergency!”

He was about to start the balancing act required to handle a bunch of beach towels, the tackle box and the fishing poles. “What’s the problem? Someone dyin’?”

“Just the opposite - a birthing! Grenda Jr. is is having a baby right now and Grenda needs me there for emotional support! Grunkle Stan, you gotta let me go.” She was pouring it on thick even for Mabel, hands wringing, and Stan looked at her with open skepticism.

“Sweetheart, you planned out this whole trip an’ we just got everyone down here. Can’t she hold it in or somethin’?”

“Please, Grunkle Stan. It’s not every day I get to witness the wonders of iguana childbirth, and she’s been there for me so many times.” There they were, the patented Mabel puppy eyes. Stan heaved a sigh and saw her fleeting glint of victorious satisfaction. They were gonna have to work on expression control one of these days.

“All right. All right, already, you can stop lookin’ at me like the world’s gonna end. Go take care of Grenda an’ her lizard, the rest of us’ll be fine out here.”

“Thankyouthankyouthankyou!” Mabel threw her arms around his waist, squashing him in one of those deceptively-innocent powerful hugs of hers - he went oof, then grinned, ruffling her hair. “And I’m taking Dipper for moral support!”

She snagged her twin’s wrist, to Dipper’s surprise and then sudden horror. “Wait, I didn’t agree to this! Mabel! Mabel!”

Stan watched in bemusement as Mabel hauled her brother off up the lake path at double speed, wondering what in the hell she was up to. Clary made her way back to the car and tossed her tote into the front seat, trying not to laugh and mostly failing. “Did we just get dumped?”

“We one hundred percent just got dumped for a lizard.” The grin lingered as Stan turned to her, then faltered as he had to pause for a long look.

She'd undone all her buttons. White cotton drifted loose around her shoulders. The marine blue high-waisted shorts and halter-neck swimsuit top underneath were so retro that the style was older than either of them. Her kerchief was tiny nautical flags on navy silk fluttering at her throat.

Of all the things he might have expected out of her on a summer’s day, something that showed skin had not been on the list at all.

Clary tilted her head, watching him watch her, and her lips curved gradually. “Need a hand with the poles?”

Stan finally unfroze a little, hauling out the tackle box and leaving the towels. “Sure. I've got the rest of it.”

She shouldered two of the four fishing poles. Stan latched the trunk and they walked together towards the dock. “Aren’t you gonna ask me whether I like what I see?” he asked after a while, not quite sure whether he was offended at being probably-deliberately stranded by Mabel or pleased as hell at the company.

“I’m not going to ask a question I know the answer to.”

He threw his head back and laughed. “Cocky much? Y’look nice.” More than nice, but she knew that.

“Thank you.”

Stan wrenched his brain around to the task at hand. “So, uh, since it's just us. How are you with boats? Any experience? You can swim, right? Tell me you can swim.”

Clary’s fingers drummed on the haft of one fishing pole. “I'm not great but I promise I'm not going to drown out there. Daddy used to take me out crabbing on the Chesapeake. Never did rod fishing, though. Can you show me some of the basics?”

“Yeah, that I can handle.” They came up on the end of the dock, the Stan O'War moored at its usual spot. Clary looked down at his faithful fishing dinghy and its many dings, then back up at him. Her eyes were unreadable behind the sunglasses but her mouth was quirked in doubt. “Hey, c'mon now, y'can't look at a man's boat like that. She's seen some fierce weather but she holds up just fine.”

“The repairs are your work?”

“'Course they are!”

She smiled faintly. “Then there's nothing to be worried about.”

“Except maybe the local lake monster. Which doesn’t exist, by the way.” Stan stepped down into the little boat, unlocked the storage box bolted down at the back and tossed her Ford's spare life jacket. “Try that on, probably be fine in the chest but we'll have to ratchet in the waist a bit.”

He strapped his own on without any adjustments, the buckles snapping home where they belonged. Clary looked something like an inflated orange sausage in hers at first. Stan helped tighten down the waist straps until it was secure. Damn shame to obscure the view.

“All right. Are you reassured that we're going to survive the day?”

“Y’never know out here. Ready to roll?”

“Show me what you’ve got, Stan.” Clary pressed her right hand into his offered one and stepped down into the centerline of the Stan O'War without even a bobble in the boat’s balance.

“Oh, with absolute pleasure, kid.” An offhand whack or two was enough to get the engine going. The smoke was at a minimum and they chugged out together across the lake’s placid surface. Clary leaned into the modest headwind, hands braced on the rail as he guided the boat in lazy arcs towards his favorite spot.

“There y’go. Peace and quiet, more or less.” There were plenty of other boats out and a few poles, but this was a nice deep bit of the lake, a faint chill radiating off the water providing contrast to the sun’s relentless warmth. “Live or lure?”

Clary hefted the smaller of the two poles. “I have no idea.”

“Congratulations, you get lures today. Less icky an’ less wasted worms while you get used to castin’.” Stan dipped into the tackle box and set her up with a basic lure, no hook, then made her run through a dozen practice casts until he was sure she wouldn’t pierce his ear by mistake in the process. It was clear that she really didn’t know a damned thing about rod fishing, more enthusiastic than efficient, but she caught on quickly.

The fish apparently liked enthusiasm just fine. In the first hour Stan spent more time netting the trout she’d managed to hook than manning his own line. A glow of pleasure lit up her features, shaded with occasional guilt as her catch began to pile up under one of the plank seats. “I guess they like the shinies today.”

“Beginner’s luck, kid, they’re gonna get bored an’ start swarmin’ mine any minute now.”

They didn’t, of course, stupid fickle fish. Eventually he noticed that she’d slowed her pace to something approaching Wendy levels of leisurely. Stan squinted over in suspicion; a corner of her mouth twitched up as she flicked her rod in a long, long cast, reel whirring until the lure finally splashed down. “So how much of town made it out today? I see the local constabulary’s here.”

One of her feet tipped over to indicate the general location of the police patrol boat. There was plenty of lake traffic and the weather had turned out to be perfect, which meant Blubs and Durland were out both to herd this week’s batch of tourists and catch some rays.

Stan glanced that way, then laughed hard enough to rock the boat. “You’re wearin’ a hat and shades. Even if they haven’t chalked it all up to the local gnomes or somethin’ they wouldn’t recognize ya.”

He still wasn’t seeing much action on his side of things, so he started pointing out familiar faces one by one, dropping the name and a bit of background on everyone as he went, buying a quiet laugh here and there. She’d relaxed enough to drape an arm along the rail, legs stretched out with ankles loosely crossed on one of the seats. Uncharacteristic pink daubed her toenails. He wondered idly if that had been Mabel’s doing, then swept Clary over with a single, thoughtful look.

“Y’know,” he said casually into the quiet, dipping into the storage box for a couple bottles of water and tossing her one. She caught it against her chest one-handed. “Can I ask a question?”

“Of course!”

Stan tapped the side of his neck. “You’ve got quite a collection of scarves.”

Clary’s attention flicked sharply to him as she braced the pole and opened up her bottle. “I’ve probably got a hundred or so at home and I keep picking them up when I go thrifting. You’re seeing the travel collection, here.”

“So you wear one every day. Heck, y’even slept in one when Ford was draggin’ us along for his all-night concussion marathon.”

“It’s just a scar,” she said, light, patient, practiced. “I’ve had it for years. It’s faded now, but early on I got tired of explaining it to strangers, so I went ahead and made the neckerchief a signature thing. I’m not sure anyone back home would recognize me without one of these, truth be told.”

He cocked a curious brow and she smiled a little wider. “All I can say is that I was young and stupid. You can’t tell me you haven’t picked up a couple in the course of your life.”

That was enough of a brick wall even for Stan. He flashed his left palm, fingers wiggling, then tilted it so the old scar would show a little better. “One or two. This one’s from the grizzly bear I had t’strangle with my bare hands....” Clary bit her lip to stifle a snicker. “What, don’t believe me? Undead hordes, maybe? Manotaur barbecue that got outta hand? Enraged unicorn? C’mon, cut me some slack here.”

She tugged off the sunglasses and abandoned the fishing pole altogether, resting her chin atop folded arms on folded knees. “So what happened? An episode of young and stupid?”

“Eh. Engine. I was figurin’ out how to change the oil on the El Diablo, I was sixteen, and I was tryin’ to do it with the motor runnin’ - not one of my more brilliant schemes.”

“You’ve had it all this time.” She sounded more pensive than surprised. “I wondered. That thing fits you like a glove.”

Stan felt himself coloring a little and picked up his forgotten water bottle, cracking the top open, letting his gaze sweep out across the lake. “I s’pose we’ve both got some road wear. Not like yours, that thing’s practically mint. Or, uh, it was.”

“I was born the year my parents bought the Fairlane. They didn’t get to use it as much as they had planned.” A faint rueful curve lay along her lips. “Half the point of this trip was to put some miles and some memories on it, I guess. Not doing too badly on the memories bit. I don’t mind a couple of dents.”

“Gettin’ pretty close,” he volunteered, half reluctant. “The engine, anyway. Couple-three days, I think, and we’ll test the sucker out.”

“We’ll have to make good use of those couple days, then.” Clary lifted her bottle to him in mock toast, half turning to track across the many boats dotting the water all the way to the shoreline, and stiffened up at about the same moment he did. “Are they supposed to be going that fast - “

“Ah, shit. Get in the middle, get low - “ Too late, as the speedboat buzzed past in a showy arc, carving a sharp wake that was absolutely going to hit at the worst possible angle. She was reaching for his outstretched hand, eyes wide with alarm, when the Stan O’War went up and over in a flip that flung him clean out of the dinghy to splash down flailing in the lake. The life jacket dragged him up before he could fully orient.

Stan broke the surface with a sputter and a curse, paddling off towards the upended hull and spouting a stream of furious invective off after the offending speedboat. Blubs and Durland’s patrol craft was already peeling out in pursuit.

Clary wasn’t up yet. He spotted the shadow of her thrashing legs under the Stan O’War, snapped his mouth shut, and put all his energy into getting there at top speed. Most of a year out on the bigger boat had made him a decent swimmer out of necessity and he cleaved through the water without putting much thought into how.

“Clary? Hey, Clary - you all right?” The damned life jacket made it impossible to just dive under the edge, and when her hand appeared groping around the submerged rail he reached out to clasp it in reassurance. “Can y’get out?”

“Stan! I’m fine.” Her muffled voice was reedy with panic, but clear. “I’ve got air. I’m – “ The water around him roiled as she kicked and struggled and finally shuddered to a stop. “I’m hung up on the oarlock, I think. Got two buckles undone but the third is stuck.”

“Just a sec, kid. Gotta jostle you a bit.” Stan popped the clips on his life jacket in quick succession, threw the thing up on top of the hull, then drew a breath and ducked under to join her. The interior of the dinghy was dim and smelled intensely of fish and feet. Shards of refracted light tinted green by the lake danced on the cramped dome overhead. Clary was jammed up against the gunwale, twisted awkwardly to keep most of her face above water. By some minor miracle she retained her hat.

“Second buckle,” she gasped out, strained.

“Got it.” The fish knife had gone down with the tackle box. Stan latched onto the offending buckle, so tight around her midsection that he could barely get fingers behind the strap. “Breathe out as much as y’can, all right?”

“Okay.” She forced the exhale out through her teeth in shivering increments, giving him just enough room to get a decent grip. The buckle’s tongue had jammed in the mechanism. Stan strained into it, jaw set, and twisted until the plastic cracked, then splintered. With a gasp of relief, Clary squirmed free and dragged herself under, bobbing up on the outside. Stan followed, shoving drenched hair back from his brow as he surfaced, and they both clung to the outer curve of the Stan O’War for a long silent minute.

The hat, still dripping, shadowed her features. He couldn’t make out her expression, but when he laid his hand at the center of her back she was shaking.

“You okay?”

“I’m fine, Stan.” Blatant lie, told with little finesse, all but daring him to contradict her. “Is the sheriff coming to fish us out?”

It had been maybe five minutes since they’d capsized. Stan looked out across the lake; Blubs had brought the speedboat to heel and while he couldn’t hear anything, it looked like the offender was getting a thorough public dressing-down. The attention of their fellow boaters was mostly focused on that particular bit of entertainment. “Gonna be a few minutes, sweetpea. What can I do for ya?”

“Just keep talking. Please.”

White muslin clung damply to her skin. He let the weight of his hand rest right there, because she wasn’t arguing and even if she wasn’t deriving any comfort from the contact, he sure as hell was. “Don’t you sweat it. So you should know that Blubs an’ Durland, much as they love hasslin’ me, love hasslin’ out-of-towners even more.”

“I’m an out-of-towner.”

Stan scoffed. “You are not, not the way that idiot in the speedboat is, you’re practically the bonus attraction at the Shack by now. Come an' see Gravity Falls’ one an’ only actual practicin’ attorney! She’s smart, she’s funny, she’ll knock y’dead with a smile at a hundred paces! Hurry up, folks, this is a one-time, limited engagement!”

Clary snorted in soft indignation. Almost a laugh. Better. He leaned in to catch her eye and gave her the widest, most fearless grin he could scrounge up in the moment. “Just let me handle this one. All you gotta do is put on a little show for those two, a little cold, a little scared, poor lost tourist stuck stayin’ with Stan Pines an’ the rest of his motley crew tossed into the lake through no fault of her own. Rest is my problem. Trust me?”

The tremor under his palm had eased a little, and he felt her inhale and exhale once. She cut him a wary glance and lied again but with more bravado. “I trust you.”

Which was great, because the patrol boat was puttering on up right about then. “All right. You good to paddle on over?”

“Got it.”

“Attagirl.”

Her spine stiffened a little before she pushed off and swam with a few clumsy strokes to the patrol boat’s ladder. Water cascaded from the tails of her shirt as Clary heaved herself up. Somewhere in the middle of that mess she’d lost her sandals - the rungs left parallel lines on the soles of her bare feet.

“You all right, miss?” Durland draped a blanket over her as she stepped down onto the deck.

“Thank you, officer, I am now.”

He caught the lead line for the Stan O’War, tugged the upended boat along after him and scrambled aboard, venting indignation the whole way - the tackle box, the poles, flipped us both right into the drink the nerve of some people. Clary perched out of the way with the blanket drawn close while the other three managed to get the dinghy righted.

Stan surveyed his poor battered boat, scowling in sheer frustration. The engine was going to have to be taken apart and reassembled again. Ford’s spare life jacket was tangled up in the oarlock, as she’d said, thanks to the extra length of straps flopping around once they’d finished fitting it. Should’ve borrowed Melody’s, he thought bitterly.

Blubs and Durland were as blessedly deficient in the short-term memory department as they’d ever been. There was no mention of last week’s midnight escapade. Clary was on the receiving end of some awkward shoulder-patting and reassurance from Durland that she endured with stiff, mostly silent grace. Stan claimed the seat next to her as soon as he could, kvetching all the while. “You did ticket that idiot, right?”

“Oh, we certainly did!” Blubs looked pleased with himself. “Don’t think he’s going to darken our lake again anytime soon. These tourists just don’t seem to care that we live here. Your little miss going to be all right, Stan?”

Stan blinked at Blubs in surprise, then at Clary, then draped a protective arm around her shoulders. She tensed instantly, a sliver of startled eye visible under the hat’s brim before she ducked her head. “Ah, c’mon, Blubs, this little miss ain’t mine, you know I’m too busy in the treasure-huntin’ business for that kinda thing these days.” He winked for effect and the sheriff chuckled. “But I’m the one took us out there, so I’ve gotta get her home safe. It’ll be gettin’ cold.” The sun had drifted well down, late afternoon’s heat still holding out on the water but already starting to dwindle.

The Stan O’War bumped along in the patrol boat’s wake. Clary turned her head to watch it as they cruised - rather lazily, Stan thought - back towards the main dock. He realized that his arm was still looped around her and twitched a bit, not sure whether he should withdraw, but her cool hand stilled him with a fleeting touch. “Good?” he murmured as softly as he could.

“Fine for now,” she replied, equally quiet. A subtle shift in posture left her leaning into him a little, for warmth maybe. Well, all right. The loose clasp of his arm snugged down a shade and he stayed put while Durland hopped down onto the dock, looping a line around the nearest cleat for a minute’s stability.

“Ride’s over!” said Blubs cheerfully. “You two go get nice and toasty.” Stan couldn’t see her eyes roll but he knew that it was happening regardless. Clary rose, accepting Blubs’ hand and stepping gingerly down to the battered dock. She shook out the blanket, folded it into neat quarters and handed it back up.

“Thank you both so much,” she said, her smile surface-sweet.

“Our pleasure, miss!” Durland hopped back up as Stan passed him and dropped down to the planks with a thud. “Y’all stay safe an’ dry, now!” Sheriff and deputy exchanged conspiratorial grins as Stan loosened the line and tossed it up to Durland.

The patrol boat revved up and swung out for a last round of herding tourists and locals back in. Clary buttoned her shirt up most of the way, fabric still damp and clinging oddly here and there. “Good god,” she murmured. “That really, really shouldn’t have worked. At all.”

“Told ya they wouldn’t recognize you.”

She finally looked up and caught his eye for real, tugging off the hat. “I may just be convinced that this thing has magical powers.”

“Don’t know if I’d go that far, but the magical power of distractin’ chatter is somethin’ I definitely believe in.” Stan reeled in the dinghy, looking down the dock to its usual spot. “I gotta tie this thing up. You mind waitin’ on me while I get that done and fetch the car? Swear I won’t take long.”

“Sure. I’ll be fine.” The sun had finally ducked behind the bluff and a bit of a breeze was beginning to pick up. The lake was nearly empty by now, small boats tied off at the narrow little slips along the town pier, a last few families packing picnic blankets and coolers to trickle up towards the parking lot. Both of them were the object of passing curiosity but she didn’t seem to care. “Listen,” Clary said at length. “Thank you. For all that.”

“Like I said, I’m the one took you out there.” Stan shot for a grin and got something a lot more apologetic than maybe he intended. Clary looked worn, frayed at the professional edges, unruly half-damp curls escaping her pinned-up hair. The smile she lifted to him was the real thing, though, and it warmed him to his pruny toes.

“See you in a few minutes.” Square-shouldered, straight-backed, she strode off towards the shore. Stan headed the other way to secure the Stan O’War and dump the life jackets back into their storage, then jogged out to the nearly empty parking lot.

The El Diablo still held much of the day’s heat. He shrugged into his dry, warm jacket with a faint shudder of appreciation, then paused to survey the remaining cars.

A speedboat-sized trailer yet remained, hitched to a fancy four-wheel-drive weekend-warrior sport-utility with Washington plates. Stan eyed it thoughtfully, then rummaged through the emergency toolbox. He came up with a squarish notch-edged tool, casually strolled over, unscrewed the valve cap on the SUV’s left rear tire, tightened the valve core hard enough to strip the threads then loosened it halfway, and screwed the cap back on in less than half a minute.

The towels got tossed into the front seat. He hummed to himself in absent satisfaction as he rolled the Stanleymobile up as close to the docks as he could get.

Clary leaned against one of the pilings, hugging herself against the gathering chill. She looked weirdly fragile in her outsize shirt and it tugged at him as he walked, steps speeding up a bit until he saw her half buckle over with a shiver that wracked her frame.

Stan’s jacket was off and around her shoulders before it even occurred to him to offer. She pulled herself upright, jaw tensing against a momentary chatter of teeth. “Stan, I’m fine,” she protested, nestling regardless as deep into the still-warm leather as possible and pulling the lapels close.

“You’re practically blue. Lemme, ah – “ Stan juggled the keys, got the passenger side door open, then shook out the kids’ abandoned beach towels and laid them down for her to sit on. “You okay on the gravel?”

“It’s maybe six feet, I’ll live.” She minced over to the car with arms extended for balance and hopped into the seat with obvious relief, brushing grit off her soles. “But I think I’m ready to go home now.”

Stan was happy to oblige. The light of early evening was soft through the trees as he piloted half-automatically back in the general direction of the Shack, glancing occasionally over towards his passenger. Clary had wrapped herself up snug in his jacket. The hat lay against her chest, an idle hand holding it in place.

“So as usual that was a little more of an adventure than it was s’posed to be.”

“I really am all right. Hungry, maybe.”

“All the crap we’ve gotten into the last couple weeks, I was beginnin’ to think nothin’ scared you.” He meant it as a joke, but the words dropped into the car’s interior with an odd weight.

Her level reply took a few beats. “It’s one thing when you can run.”

Quiet reigned for a while after that, Stan’s fingers drumming out idle not-quite-rhythms on the steering wheel’s arc as he brainstormed ways to salvage the evening, and by the time they were cruising down the drive to the Mystery Shack he had at least half a plan.

“So we missed lunch, huh? An’ we were supposed to be stuffin’ ourselves on fresh trout by now - “

“Most of which I caught.” In spite of everything her eyes glinted with amusement.

“Yeah, yeah, you’re a fish magnet, among your many other talents.” With a few casual spins of the steering wheel the Stanleymobile backed into its spot alongside Clary’s wagon. “But seein’ as we’re fishless, how d’you feel about campfires?”

“I like campfires just fine. Why do you ask?”

Stan put the car in park and laid an arm along the back of the bench seat, looking over earnestly in the half-light. “Seein’ as how today went to hell in a handbasket, can y’meet me out on the porch in a bit? You can go change into somethin’ dry. I’ll rummage up dinner and we’ll make the best of the evenin’, if you’re game.”

“None of what went down today was your fault.”

Stan winced; that wasn’t entirely true. “You’re our guest, I’m s’posed to know what I’m doin’ out there and all I did was get you drenched.”

“Since when has a day since I got here gone as planned?”

Light good humor was steady in her tone, but he knew damn well she’d been truly frightened out there in the water, and he just - couldn’t - quite let it go. Stan poked her shoulder with a fingertip through the jacket. “C’mon. Lemme make it up to you.”

“I didn’t say you shouldn’t make it up to me.” Her grin was a quick, welcome flash as she opened the door and slipped out of the car.

Clary disappeared into her room as Stan headed straight for the kitchen, rounding up the tail end of a package of hot dogs and the extra bag of marshmallows he kept stashed way at the back of a high cabinet. Ford stuck his head in, a pencil jammed behind one ear. “Finally! The kids got a lift and are on their way back from Grenda’s. They’ve already had dinner. How was your lake day?”

“Got capsized, lost all the fish, engine’s toast again.” Stan kept collecting. The last four hot dog buns, a squeeze bottle of mustard and the marshmallows went into a large plastic bowl labeled ‘SALAD!’ which usually contained popcorn. A couple of orange pops, the fancy real-sugar ones, turned up at the back of the fridge once he’d moved things around enough.

“Ah - you do have Clary with you, right?”

“Yep, she’s dryin’ out a bit.” Stan tossed the bottles on top of the heap and retrieved a barely-used barbecue fork from the utensil drawer. Ford looked at the accumulating pile in confusion. “Neither one of us got any lunch, so I thought I’d build a fire, she’s probably still freezin’ from the dunk. You want anythin’?”

The confusion vanished, followed by a thoughtful look Stan barely registered. “No, no, I had a sandwich earlier, I’m just fine, thank you. I’m sure you have it all well in hand. I’ve got a last round of analysis to write up, so perhaps I���ll see you two in the morning.”

“Mmhm. Good night, Sixer.” Stan tucked the bowl into the crook of his arm, patted Ford’s shoulder as he passed and headed out towards the far corner of the yard they used for the occasional weenie roast.

The firepit was nothing much, a circle of blackened stones bracketed by a couple of logs that passed for seats. Somewhere along the line he’d gotten into the habit of leaving the rough beginnings of a fire laid out in the center. A couple of matches and a few well-aimed breaths got the kindling going just about as Clary came out looking for him. Unasked, she brought over a few chunks of split pine until he had a nice crackling little campfire.

Stan sat back on his heels and looked up, dusting off one sooty hand before pushing his unruly hair back. She looked dry, at least - fresh clothes, fresh kerchief, spare set of sandals, still wrapped up in his jacket. “Hot dogs okay? There’s marshmallows for dessert.”

“Hot dogs sound fantastic. You need a little help, there?” Clary stood with hands stuffed in the jacket pockets and grinned down at him as he tried to figure his way around to getting up without looking like an idiot, wrenching something in his back, or both. Finally he stuck out a hand and she caught it, leaning back to help get him upright with dignity intact.

“Thanks, I think.” They both settled onto one of the logs, Clary dipping into his improvised picnic basket while he kicked out of his shoes and peeled off still-damp socks. He stretched out his toes towards the fire’s building warmth with a shudder of relief and accepted the barbecue fork and the half-package of hot dogs when she handed them over.

They talked quietly of nothing much as he went to work on grilling dinner. Exhaustion edged her voice, though her eyes were still bright with reflected firelight as she wolfed down her second roasted dog. “Listen, y’do understand that we’ve got a bigger boat, right? The one we go on wild adventures in?”

“Mabel and Dipper gave me an overview between rounds of interrogating me over breakfast.” Stan blinked and she ducked her head with a chuckle. “They are very determined to make sure I’m not some kind of bad influence, you know. Those are good kids.”

“The best.” Stan clinked his half-empty pop bottle to hers. “To family.”

“To clean getaways.” They both drank and Stan handed over the marshmallow bag. She tore it open at a corner while he hunted up a couple of passable toasting sticks. Headlamps over at the parking lot caught his attention. A familiar minivan had pulled in, its side door cracking open to drop off Dipper and Mabel, both silhouetted for a moment by the interior light.

“Bye Grenda!” Mabel yelled, answered by Grenda’s booming ‘Bye!’ as the twins spotted the campfire and came dashing over. “Just in time for dessert, I see,” she crowed, plowing into Stan for a proper hug. “You will not believe the day we’ve had.”

Dipper collapsed onto the log next to Clary, who obligingly handed him a stick and a couple of marshmallows. “I don’t think I believe the day we’ve had.”

Mabel took up position at the opposite side of the campfire and helpfully re-enacted their afternoon’s journey with grand gestures, starting with the mad dash to Grenda’s house - ‘we thought we’d never make it in time, we got stuck behind a parade of plaidypuses!’ - and on through the uncomfortably detailed process of Grenda Jr. Extreme’s arrival in the world. Dipper rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment all the while.

“And Grenda Jr. Extreme imprinted on Dipper, can you imagine! Little DipDop, a mom!”

“I’m not little, I’m manly - “

Clary turned out to be a champion marshmallow toaster, precise and patient, every single one perfect, golden and gooey. She traded them out for Dipper’s often scorched ones and chuckled her way through Mabel’s stories, then through Stan’s as he started to explain their day on the lake with a few judicious edits.

After a while he noticed, sort of vaguely, that she was leaning into his shoulder. He was too busy balancing Mabel on his knee and describing the dramatic flip of the Stan O’War to pay that much attention.

A while after that, he noticed that the last marshmallow was bobbing into the edge of the waning flames. Stan glanced over in surprise to see Clary’s head pillowed against him, lips parted in a faint regular whistle-snore. “Uh.”

Mabel leaned over for a better look. “Wow, looks like you wore her out.”

“Mabel.”

She looked up at him, expectant and a little smug. “Sooooo maybe you should get her to bed.”

He didn’t dignify that one with a response, setting Mabel on her feet. “All right. Sleepy time for little niblings. Up, up.” Dipper groaned in protest, chomping down his last char-edged marshmallow. Mabel caught his arm and led him off towards the Shack, all but skipping. She leaned over to whisper something in her brother’s ear, and Dipper’s eew was audible all the way back at the campfire.

Clary stirred just enough to peer blearily after the twins. “C’mon.” Stan nudged her upright, then took her elbow and helped her to stand. “You’re way past bedtime yourself, kid.”

“I can stay up too late if I want to,” she slurred, but shambled agreeably towards the house, leaning into him a little when her tired shuffle got off rhythm. “I’m on vacation.” One hand snagged the jacket’s lapel, tugging it forward to half conceal a jaw-cracking yawn.

“Yeah, but I’m not leavin’ you out there t’sleep with the crickets. There y’go.” Clary’s eyelids were drooping as he guided her down the hall, pausing at her doorway. “All good?”

For a moment she leaned against him to steady herself. She took five steps into the room, bumped a toe into the air mattress, then allowed her knees to fold and pitched sidelong into the pillows. Stan hastily stepped through after, to catch her if necessary, but she’d managed a decent landing for someone half unconscious.

His jacket was rucked up around her shoulders, shadowing her face. Long lashes stroked paintbrush lines against her cheeks; all the tension had bled from her fine, angular features. She looked far younger. She looked, he dared imagine, happy.

Stan picked out a blanket, fluffed it, then snapped it out to drift down over her loosely curled body. He took a moment to coax off her sandals and tuck a few folds in around her feet. “G’night, Clary,” he whispered, and got a faint mmm in reply.

The door closed silently under his hand. He looked up to the top of the stairs, straight into the wide eyes of the kids. Mabel flashed him an enthusiastic thumbs up, Dipper a more hesitant one and a toothy grin. He skewered them both with what he hoped was an appropriately grunkly glare and pointed in the general vicinity of their room. They obeyed, muffled giggles trailing after as they scampered off to bed.

Stan leaned against the wall and nudged the glasses up far enough to rub at his eyes. His head was buzzing with entirely too many thoughts tonight – he wouldn’t be settling down anytime soon.

Hell with it. Wasn’t like he hadn’t worked through until dawn before.

The sleeping house breathed softly all around him.

Stan rolled up his sleeves and set off to gather what he’d need.

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Clary steps out of her sandals and snaps the flip-top back on the sunscreen.

Whistle in appreciation.

Watch, but subtly.

My, isn’t this tackle box fascinating.

[medea10]

My Review of Eromanga Sensei

Huh? Darker Than Black?! Wait, isn't that a FUNimation title? FUNIMATION DUMPED THIS IN 2016. Aniplex has rights now. Of course they would. Okay. Darker Than Black it is.