#alexander the great was a well known bisexual

[babygirlgalitzine]

carve your name into my bedpost (ao3)

Alex has been suspecting that he’s actually bisexual for a while, but because of his Mom’s position as the first female President of the United States of America, and her upcoming re-election drive, he doesn’t feel safe in putting himself out there. In comes his best friend, and her genius idea to hire someone to help Alex out.

or, the one in which alex hires henry as a sex worker

₊˚ ✧ ‿︵‿୨୧‿︵‿ ✧ ₊˚

Alexander Gabriel Claremont-Diaz can be described as a great many things. His heritage, which he takes pride in, is Mexican-American, and he loves both parts equally. He is funny. Loving. An amazing son, brother and friend. He’s someone who constantly strives toward over achieving and he doesn’t stop to think about it until he does exactly that. In everything. Everything that he has done, and still does. Alexander Gabriel Claremont-Diaz is also, first and foremost at this very moment in time, most well known for being the First Son of the United States of America, the youngest, and most definitely loudest, child of the first ever female President. In recent weeks, Alex has also come to the startling realisation that he could also add another thing to the list of all that he is. 

He could add that he is bisexual. 

As it turns out, all of those years in which Alex has been proudly proclaiming himself to be a Really Good Ally, reading up on various LGBTQ+ laws and history, attending several different pride events in different states and generally educating himself for the greater good of the world, he’s actually not been an ally at all. He has been bisexual all along.

Probably.

In theory.

The thing is, he hasn’t actually really done anything with a man yet.

The thing is, Alex is totally nervous about it all. 

Despite the fact that this is a somewhat recent realisation and character development - as he likes to put it - Alex is not stupid enough to genuinely believe that it’s something that hasn’t always been there, brewing away inside him, niggling away at him, trying to reach to the surface of his body or at least tapping on his brain with enough harshness to awaken that part of him. He played lacrosse in high school, for fuck sake. He has seen many a naked male form and actually enjoyed the look of it: all lean body and abs rock solid, forming a six pack. He even enjoys thighs, though that’s something that’s not really a shock to him. He’s always liked thighs. But now, he thinks about them more often, all hairy and large, big enough that his hand doesn’t have the span to cover it all, even with his fingers all splayed open. It turns him on. At the time, he was simply just appreciating a body, wishing that he could potentially look like that through pure grit and determination. Now that he does look like that - and probably even better, given that his body is not that of a high school aged boy, and hasn’t been for a long time, plus the years of workouts and knowing what is good for him now definitely showing - he realises that he was probably just wishing he could be with the boys he found himself looking at.

Hindsight is definitely twenty/twenty, Alex thinks. Looking back on it now, he definitely wishes that he could have worked out this side to himself sooner, because he could have been true to himself for years. Looking back on it now, knowing what he knows now, he recognises that there have absolutely been several men throughout his life that he had crushes on, even if he didn’t know it at the time. 

[swnlcke]

❛ ✧ ── 𝒍𝒐𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 ... 。is that lola dupont , rocking the new giorgio armani ? wow , they look just like jessica alexander ! last i heard , she is a twenty - five year old elite from milford , connecticut . she’s a well known dancer who likes to give people tarot readings in her free time , and despises being told she can’t do something . i think she’ll do fine at the berry , since she seems to be engaging ; but i don’t know , others have said she’s quite obstinate as well !

❛ ✧ ── 𝒂𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒔 。

the electric hush of an audience right before a performance begins , fighting the impulse to change your hair at any minor inconvenience , worn out pointe shoes collecting dust in the closet of a home you'll never see again , glittery eyeshadow catching the light , the bittersweet ache of getting what you wanted , a bloody nose dripping onto silk stockings , a box full of vintage jewelry , the first thunderstorm of the summer , getting your lipstick on a stranger's teeth , imported french cigarettes at the bottom of a dance bag , a smile that gives the impression you're hiding a secret , spinning on your tip toes until you see stars .

❛ ✧ ── 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒔 。

full name: born lorena sofia hartley , but she goes by lola dupont . nickname(s): lo . occupation: professional dancer . birthday + age: february 15th + 25 . gender + pronouns: cis woman + she/her . orientation: bisexual .

❛ ✧ ── 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 。

birthplace: milford , connecticut . accent: faded southern new england accent , has a smokey speaking tone . nationality: american . ethnicity: white ; french & german . spoken languages: english & french .

❛ ✧ ── 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 。

parents: olivia louise hartley ( mother ) , unknown ( father ) . siblings: none . children: none . pets: none officially , although she's gotten into the habit of feeding the occasional stray cat . relationship: tbd .

❛ ✧ ── 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 。

eye color: blue . hair color + style: dirty blonde falling just below her shoulder blades , usually worn loose in messy waves or slicked back into a perfect bun . height: five feet, six inches . build: slim , toned . tattoos: a sword down the left side of her ribcage . piercings: multiple ear piercings . scars / marks: a thin scar near her hairline above her right eye from a curling iron & one on the inner side of her left ankle from a dance injury .

❛ ✧ ── 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔 。

zodiac: aquarius sun, scorpio moon, scorpio rising . character inspo: violet sanford ( coyote ugly ) , lux lisbon ( the virgin suicides ) . temperament: sanguine-melancholy . alignment: chaotic neutral . positive traits: engaging , daring , independent , creative . negative traits: obstinate , mercurial , shameless , elusive . drug + alcohol use: hardly ever drinks , smokes cigarettes regularly & occasionally does cocaine . nervous habit(s): taping her fingers or feet . favorite color: silver . favorite scent(s): patchouli , amber , vanilla & musk .

❛ ✧ ── 𝒔𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒚 。

━ olivia louise hartley was only twenty years old when she gave birth to her first and only child , lorena sofia hartley . a hairdresser ( and now a single mother ) in a small coastal town , olivia knew she had to work hard to change her circumstances . living so close to american royalty in new england with their old money that went back generations , it was envy and an insatiable want that would color lorena's childhood . she was acutely aware of two things very early on in her life : lack is the precursor to greed , and that she was destined for greatness . ━ before there was lola dupont , there was lorena : a restless child , but bewitching enough she could always draw a crowd long before she knew what the spotlight felt like . it was her mother's idea to put her in dance classes , and she'd take credit for that long after lola was well acquainted with what the spotlight felt like . it was dance that got her a scholarship to an all girl's preparatory school , and dance that would eventually get her out of connecticut . ━ ballet was her first love ; she flourished under the intensity of it , a perfect outlet for the unbridled energy churning within her . her mom latched onto that love , exploiting and shaping it , desperate to ascend to the status she so thought she deserved . it was her mom's idea to change her name . lorena hartley was just a small-town ballerina , but lola dupont could be a star . by the time she landed a spot at the american ballet theater, traces of her old life had slowly been extiguished . ━ the rewrites were harmless , kept vague enough to craft an air of mystery the public would hate to adore once lola's career took off . prep school in the states became boarding school in england or finishing school in switzerland . lola's fluency in french , picked up from her interest in old movies and one french-canadian classmate , became a by-product of a french nanny , or perhaps a distant french relative she'd spend summers with as a child . her absent father was a movie star, an army man, a mobster, or even tragically deceased. there was nothing concrete about lola or where she came from , nothing pinpointable about her except the undeniable talent she possessed . ━ new york city was good to lola . the world seemed so much bigger than she ever could have imagined. while her mother struggled to adjust to the fast pace and big names , lola thrived . she was preparing to audition for a chance to start an apprenticeship at the new york city ballet when she was scouted by a music video director . one video , one a-list client; that was all it took to launch her into stardom . lola retired her pointe shoes , her mom retired to connecticut , and things could only get better — or so she thought . ━ she had a good few years of notable fame . without her mother's iron fist lola was free to explore all the facets of dance she'd never been able to before . lyrical , contemporary , jazz , even burlesque — nothing was off the table . she was working with singers , teaching classes as a guest choreographer in trending dance studios , and even doing minor dance cameos in tv and film . she got herself into the occasional scandal now and then , mostly by speaking too candidly in interviews , or spending her newfound wealth on something the public deemed obscene , but it was never enough to shake her reputation . ━ it wasn't until she found out that her mother was being sued by multiple people from milford for fraud that anything changed . the life lola worked so hard to craft was threatening to be torn apart by the one person who'd helped her build it , brick by bleeding brick . being a part of the berry crew was more of an act of desperation than it was something lola thought long and hard about , and she's hoping it will be enough to mitigate the fallout of her mother's actions if they ever become public knowledge .

❛ ✧ ── 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 + 𝒕𝒊𝒅𝒃𝒊𝒕𝒔 。

━ she's a bit of a black cat ; one moment she can be open and inviting and the next she's elusive and standoffish . in a parasocial sense it makes her an interesting person to want to follow , but as someone who has to live with her for the unforeseeable future , it could be polarizing . growing up within a competitive dance culture with a momager for a mother , lola never had many friends , so the ones she does manage to make are near and dear to her . to compensate for the lack of longterm , stable , connections in her life she got into the habit of short-lived , torrid relationships . ━ she's almost comically superstitious . before she dances she has all sorts of good luck rituals she'll swear to you work . giving people tarot readings is a newer hobby of lola's , and she's definitely no master . her readings range from surprisingly , maybe even touchingly insightful , to so far out of leftfield you'll swear she's fucking with you ( which she might be ) . ━ has deeply conflicting opinions about her mother , and it's the only topic that's ever really sore . on the flipside , she couldn't care less about the fact that she doesn't have a dad , and has laughed away many attempts the media has made to insinuate she might have daddy issues beacuse of it . mommy issues however ... snksndk she tends to fixate on older women figures in her life , not always in healthy ways . ━ dance has become a convoluted obsession more than it has a career for lola . it's to the point that she wouldn't know who she was if she wasn't dancing , and a career-ending injury would crumble her completely . because of this , she's a bit of a control freak when it comes to her body and health . she's also almost always dancing ; even now at the berry , she'll still find time to squeeze it in . if anyone ever wanted to learn how to dance , she's a surprisingly patient teacher . ━ very much marches to the beat of her own drum . because she can come across in so many different ways upon first impressions , lola learned to just do her own thing without much regard to how other people perceive her . she despises being underestimated or being spoken to condescendingly , and she desperately craves validation and success even if she's not upfront about it . ━ she's got a love for gothic literature , tchaikovsky's ballets , vintage leather jackets and anything metallic or sequined . she once hired a lawyer just to take down a subreddit dedicated to her feet because she's adamant her feet are the ugliest thing about her . she's entirely convinced if she encountered a wild animal one day it would sense a kindred spirit and not attack her . she almost got kicked out of the american ballet theater for giving herself the choppiest haircut to ever exist after receiving one slightly negative remark about her turnout . after living in new york city for so long , she's developed a minor phobia of driving and will come up with all sorts of excuses to live her life as a passenger princess .

𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 . 𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕 .

[gsstories]

My characters

Character name: Gin Rose

Nationality: Puertorican

Age: 14

Pronouns: She/Her (for now)

Sexuality: Bisexual and demisexual

Appearance: Gin is 5'3 feet tall, pretty skinny, has tanned skin and brown eyes along with puffy brown hair that is dyed half blue, half light pink that is pushed back by a headband and the bangs are dyed a soft lavender color. She wears a red tank top with slightly baggy bluish gray pants and black boots. She wears fingerless black, leather gloves, has a light reddish brown purse that she always carries with a bisexual pride flag pin with a star in the middle.

Background: Gin is a young girl that originated from Puerto Rico and moved to Norrisville when she was 12 or 13, starting to study at Norrisville High in 8th grade. She has a mother named Miranda and an 11 year old sister named Amy, they own a family business which is a bakery. Gin's specialty are brownies. She loves drawing, writing, gossiping, music and singing, especially songs from shows that she likes. She is semi-[popular, a 'floater' if you will. Floaters are the kids that don’t really have one specific group of kids they hang out with and are generally shy but are also polite and friendly. They tend to have a lot of friends and get along with most everyone. The only group she doesn't float around would be Bash's. She has great academic intellect and tries not to brag about it but subconsciously does so. She is rather touchy with friends but avoids physical contact with strangers like the plague. May have a crush on someone.

————

Character name: Adira Guerrero

Nationality: Part Colombian, part British

Age: 14

Pronouns: She/Her

Sexuality: Omnisexual

Appearance: Adira is a 5’9 feet tall with a rather muscular physique, has black skin and brown eyes along with curly hair that she often straightens every few days and wears a wine red bandana and some black earrings. She wears a matching wine red crop top jacket with a dark gray t-shirt underneath, dark blue pants and red converse shoes. She has hair covering her right eye, which hides a rather long scar that she obtained due to a past ex.

Background: Adira is a young girl that was born in the US but her parents are from Colombia and the United Kingdom, her mom being Colombian while her father was British, Adira herself being part of identical triplets. She lived in Puerto Rico for a whole lot of years before moving to Norrisville in 9th grade where she was reunited with her long time friend Gin Rose, who she had met in Puerto Rico and had studied with her in the same school. Her parents are named Ava and Alexander while her older and younger twin sisters are named Abigail and Alanis. Her mother used to be a pretty well known singer back in the day but after having the triplets, she retired and became a gardener while her father was a lawyer. They have a fat cat named Gordis who sometimes gets out of the house and follows the triplets to school. She is mostly distant with most people, a bit of a loner you might say, but she acts rather lovely with those who are close to her. She likes to listen to music, train in boxing, gossip, dance, overall just perform like her mother once did, and stump people with legal facts that she learned from her father. May have a crush on someone.

————

Character name: Daniel Liu Pereira

Nationality: Part Portuguese, part Chinese

Age: 14

Pronouns: He/Him

Sexuality: Bisexual with a preference for men

Appearance: Daniel is a 5’11 feet tall boy with a rather lean yet strong body, has dark skin and golden eyes along with smooth, straight and long hair that he puts in a low ponytail most days and some feather earrings. He wears a dark yellow turtle neck, black pants and brown Uggs. He always wears eyeliner and a bit of eyeshadow, plus some lipgloss, he likes to stay pretty like that.

Background: Daniel is a young boy that originated from Portugal, having been born into a rather wealthy family. Helen loved in Portugal until he was 9 and then moved to Shanghai and lived there until he was 12 and then moved to Norrisville where he now is studying at in Norrisville High. His mom is Portuguese while his dad is from China, their names being Reina and Kai. He has three other siblings, an older sister named Victoria, a twin younger sister named Diane and a younger brother named Eugene. Daniel’s mother is a model and sometimes helps out Gin’s mother with her bakery rather often, so Daniel and Gin hung out together and became friends due to so. Other than that, Reina has a little shop where she sells handmade things while Kai is a retired military officer and now a stay at home dad. Daniel and his siblings were trained in self defense by their father, just in case anything was to happen, although Daniel is too scared to actually hurt anyone. Daniel is shy and usually nervous but can be excited when trying out stuff he likes with his friends, sometimes getting flustered when given affection but always appreciates it. He likes makeup, fashion, modeling, watching sappy and sad movies, cooking and baking and hanging out with his friends. He may have a crush on someone.

[herald-divine-hell]

My Journey Through Thedas

As Veilguard downloads on my PC, I thought to give my journey through the Dragon Age games and what BioWare's fantastical world has meant for me over the years.

Let it be known, I have been critical with aspects and elements of Thedas' worldbuilding, as well as routes I thought have been fascinating to delve into but BioWare either did not think or were incapable of actually implementing in game (Leliana/Inquisitor). Despite this, Dragon Age is one of my favorite series of all time, and this is my first ever Dragon Age release! So, why don't we go down along memory lane.

I first played Dragon Age in the summer of 2015, at my aunt's house in Texas (at the time, I had lived in New Jersey). While waiting for my family to get ready to get ice cream, I asked my aunt if I could hope onto my cousin's PlayStation 4, because of how terribly bored I was. Thankfully she agreed, and while going through his game sections, I noticed this really cool dragon covering, with a man weilding a sword and shooting a something like a green lasso at the dragon. On it, it read Dragon Age: Inquisition. I was, and still am, a huge fantasy fan, so the sight of that looked really fucking cool. So I hoped in, and went on my cousins save, and there he was at, seemingly just having arrived at Skyhold. I was utterly confused, so I went back and started - as I should have done - a new game.

And oh, boy. Was I excited. The character creator (despite nowadays a weird revisionist take that somehow DAI's character creator was actually bad - I'll give the hair tho) was absolutely fantastic, and since I love nobility I picked a male Trevelyan mage...who was white with violet eyes. (I can't recall if that was the time I started to like Dragon Age, but I played mostly white characters). And oh boy, I was in for a treat.

The opening cutscene was amazing, and there I saw the greatest thing that has ever graced my screen - Leliana, hooded and beautiful. At the time, I thought she was actually Muslim, because I thought her shawl was a hijab. Silly dumb fourteen year old Tim, lol. But I fell instantly in love with Leliana, especially when she stopped Cassandra from beating my ass for someone I had no idea I did. ("She likes me!" No, child Tim. She just wanted info. "No, she loves me.")

And from there it grew. I went and bought DA:I on my Xbox, and began to read Dragon Age Fanfiction, specifically Leliana and Inquisitor. One of my favorite fanfics was actually the Leliana/Inquisitor Trading Secrets by dats__gayyy (who never wrote that Trespasser epilogue :() Shoutout to them for introducing me and giving confidence to write my own fanfic. But at the time, I noticed a heavy leaning toward women, so I thought it was only fair that my first real Inquisitor should be a women rather than that prototype Trevelyan on my cousin's PS4. And in that year, the Hamilton soundtrack came out, right before they went to broadway. It was a match made in heaven. Hamilton - Trevelyan - they sound similar, no! And as I read Ron Chernow's Alexander Hamilton, images and thoughts of Alexandra appeared before me. A hyperactive, bisexual mess who loves to write and refuses to sleep? Perfect for Leliana! And from there, Alexandra Trevelyan, dearly beloved for so many of my friends were born, scarily pale skin and green-golden eyes all!

And from there, Dragon Age saved me. Without Dragon Age, I don't think I'll be alive. I certainly wouldn't have made a Tumblr and met all my lovely friends who provided a safe and secured space for me to explore and recognize my depression and anxiety, and who loved me despite my many, many faults. There were tough times in this fandom, and great times too, and though I may share my frustrations, I still remember going through Haven for the first time to reach the Breach, and seeing Leliana's face, and a very sparkly-eyed Tim whose heart was going to burst from his chest at the sight of her. Can't believe next year will be ten years since I fell for that Orlesian bard, lmao. Now I understand the Warden's pain.

No matter if this game is good or bad, thank you BioWare for making this. Thank you to all the developers unjustly let off by EA after Veilguard's development was over. Thank you all for existing! Now, let's go crack some eggs!

[thecapturedafrique]

KLAW: Day 4 Post—Childhood/Family

It’s @kingliamappreciationweek’s last day for submissions, and I wanted to share some head canons I’ve developed for my TRR MC Ally and Liam’s three kids. Tagging the amazing hosts @lizzybeth1986 and @sazanes!

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Face Claim: Issa Lish

Full Name: Regina Adriani Hongyao Romero de Torres Reese

Noble Title: HRH The Princess Regina of House Reese, Princess of Neso, Duchess of Faryll, Countess of Applewood

Named after her yayá Queen Mother Regina (whose disposition she also shares), Adriani goes by her middle name, though most call her Adri for short

She’s named in Chinese for her late grandmother Eleanor’s favorite flower, as her name 红药 (Hóngyào) means “flower of the Chinese peony”

A model for her godmother Hana’s charity fashion shows part-time, in the fashion world she is known as “the Princess of Poise” for her svelte figure

The definition of a horse girl, Adri is an accomplished equestrian and champion polo player, which has earned her the epithet of “the Centauride”

Bertrand is the favorite of all her uncles and aunts both surrogate and biological, which is helped by Bartie being her best friend

Adri is left-handed and plays the violin, and she often finds herself at odds with her little sister as she winds up playing the Liam to the other’s Leo

Raised by a bisexual mother in a very open environment, she never had to formally come out as a lesbian; rather, she simply demonstrated an attraction to girls—and only girls—from a young age

A total daddy’s girl as well, Adri’s greatest fear is not measuring up to her father as a sovereign

Face Claim: Sebastian Castro

Full Name: Diego Alexander Hongguang Romero de Torres Reese

Noble Title: HRH The Prince Diego of House Reese, Duke of Ennan, Earl of Limáni

Diego’s named after his late maternal grandfather, and in Chinese his name 红光 (Hóngguāng) means “ruddy glow”

His favorite sport is football, and he plays midfield; in fact, he made it into his grandmother Eleanor’s alma mater on a sports scholarship

Of the three royal children, Diego is the one considered the press darling, having won them over with his genuineness and goofball antiques

His godmother taught him how to play the piano, and she is also the favorite of all his aunts and uncles

After coming out as aroace as a teenager, Diego was given the title Duke of Ennan after graduating college rather than upon his marriage as tradition dictates

He’s a mama’s boy and closer to his younger sister than his older one

At 5’7”, Diego is considered a short king, which along with his temperament earned him the epithet of “The Little Prince”

Of all his siblings, he is the best at speaking the multiple languages of their household, which include Greek, Spanish, Sabir, and Putonghua

Face Claim: Jessica Sanchez

Full Name: María-Eleonora Hongyue Romero de Torres Reese

Noble Title: HRH The Princess María-Eleonora of Valtoria

Named after her late maternal great-grandmother and late paternal grandmother, she goes by Nora for short

Her generation name is 红 (Hóng) like the rest of her siblings, and her name 红月 (Hóngyuè) in Chinese means “red moon”

As third in line to the throne, Nora is set to inherit Valtoria from her mother, and thus shares her charge (the phoenix) and colors (gules and or)

She’s the lead guitarist and singer for her own band, Spoiled Barrel, which was formed while she was in lyceum

The night before her cotillion, Nora cut her hair short and dyed it pink, and she keeps it in that style but experiments with various shades

She’s skilled in embroidery and has a passion for fashion like her godmother, having designed most of her personal wardrobe

Even with her penchant for rebellious and impulsive behavior, Liam often says that Nora of all his children reminds him most of his mother

Leo is Nora’s favorite among her many aunts and uncles because he’s one of the only who won’t take her parents’ side when it comes to her acting out

[eofaquitaine]

what’s so funny to me is that almost all of the things conservative “men’s men” chase are inherently rooted in homosexuality.

STEM? Yeah so the guy who invented the computers is Gay. the dude who discovered Calculus was probably gay or asexual. All of backbones of mathematics from ancient greece were discovered and named for gay/bisexual dudes. Doctors owe a lot to famous twinks Da Vinci and Hart and to a lesser extent the queer Florence Nightengale and Sara Baker.

Thinkers? Cos you know straight men are so smart or whatever? Please. I hate to bring up the Greek guys again but cmon Aristotle, Plato, Sophocles? Voltaire King of the Enlightenment (allegedly)? all swung with their bros. Modern Western Philosophy can be attributed to the bisexual Ludwig Wittgenstein.

“Masculine Dress” Historically is dressing like a dude that these type of twitter guys would call a slur.

The Glory of War? Englands most famous Crusading kings (Richard Lionheart for example) were gay. Alexander the great, Julius Caesar and other classical generals/kings were gay/bisexual. Frederick the Great one of the most celebrated war figures in western history? gay as hell. If we assume these Dudes aren’t racist it opens up so many more like the Emperors of China particularly during the Han Dynasty, aka one of China’s greatest dynastical periods and a time of its empire growing, who were so gay that this period of chinese history is synonymous in some circles as being the great bisexual period of china. Sparta, which these guys love to flaunt, was famous for their female army division which frequently had female orgies (and ofc because it's greek the guys were doing it too!)

Their obsession with World War II? don’t even get me started. Alan Turing won that war and then was convicted of homosexuality. Margaret Chung who took care, healed, and rehabilitated over 2,000 US soldiers becoming one of the most influential members in the US Army was a well known lesbian. Nadine Hwang was a queer spy for the French. Hans Scholl who was a founding member of the white rose resistance in Nazi Germany was gay as well.

Influence over arts and culture? Again Mostly queer driven. Sappho of Lesbos pretty much invented musical theater. Michelangelo and other Renaissance artists were insanely gay so much so that being from italy was synonymous with liking dick. Turn of the century artists like JC Leyendecker or Louise Breslau helped contribute to the rise of consumerism and modernism. Being a theater kid is equivalent with being “gay” now but they seem to forget that theater was literally the original form of media through traveling bards, amphitheaters, storytellers etc making it older than books and definitely movies. Speaking of which a lot of celebrated authors were also famously gay! Like Shakespeare, Virginia Woolf, J. M. Barry, Hans Christian Anderson, etc. Actors and Musicians? Forget it that’s mostly gay are you kidding me? If you want go look up Actors who died of aids, there’s a lot of them. If you think we are in a “gay pop golden age” you clearly haven’t been listening for the past ~3000 years.

Freedom Fighters. They are obsessed with free speech aren’t they? Well let’s look at some queer activists/revolutionaries who actually walked the walk when it comes to freedoms that these dickheads probably enjoy! : Alexander Hamilton baby. Deborah Sampson, Jane Addams, Thomas Hall, John Laurens, Angelina Grimké, Maximilien Robespierre, Camille Desmoulins, Louis Antoine Saint-Just, Christopher Isherwood, Ludwig Wittgenstein. you can go ahead and thank them for your right to vote btw.

THIS IS ALL JUST WESTERN CULTURE. go ahead and triple this for all the innovated and influential queer people that went unmentioned and importantly in other cultures who made huge advancements as well (tho for the purpose of this post i’m focused on refuting the presumably racist people who believe that western glory is the peak of heterosexual masculinity)

so yeah to these illiterate idiots you’re welcome because yall couldn’t survive with even half the things that queer people have contributed to this world. (And for icing on top that documentary was a about a gay man, the language english in the tweet was half made up by a bisexual and he is typing it out on a device that originated from a gay man’s mind) 😘

Tell me you know nothing about history without telling me you know nothing about history

[cptablovegood]

Honestly the best bit in Alexander is when his boyfriend (who’ve Been in love since they were teenagers) has just given a ring as a token of his love, professed his feelings so intensely then basically gave him his blessing and said he wanted him to be able to have a son.

His wife then walks in on them, so aware of what’s between them. His boyfriend then leaves and his servant who is also his lover walks in.

10/10 awkward scene love it

[goth-metal-and-burtonfreak]

Was Napoleon Bisexual?

I have seen several tumblr posts (or it is the same being reblogged over and over again haha) on a specific book: Napoleon bisexual emperor by Frank Richardson. Unfortunately this book is seemingly very hard to find and since I'm no expert on determining someone's sexuality, I just wanted to share a few quotes I found on this subject since it seems to fascinate quite some people, myself included.

Here is a piece from the ebook dictator's sex lives:

“There has been a great deal of speculation that Napoleon was gay. He tolerated homosexuality in the army and refused to outlaw homosexual practices in his Napoleonic Code. Many men wrote of his “seductive charm”. General de Segur put it most succinctly: “In moments of sublime power, he no longer commands like a man but seduces like a woman.”

Later during his exile on st Helena Napoleon confided something to Caulaincourt upon meeting a handsome man:

"He told me that for him the heart was not, the organ of sentiment; that he felt emotions only where men experience feelings of another kind: nothing in the heart, everything in the loins and in another place, which I leave nameless."

One of the famous arguments used to proof Napoleon's possible bisexuality was Napoleon's obsession with the young Tsar of Russia, Alexander I. When they first met on a raft on the River Tilsit, Napoleon exclaimed: "It is Apollo!" Later he wrote to his wife Josephine: "If he were a woman I would make him my mistress."

Josephine’s maid talked about Napoleon’s “predilection for handsome men”. His aides were often young and effeminate, and he would caress them. Even his secetary Meneval described some of Napoleon's behaviour which would be viewed as slightly unusual:

"In these days of leisure, which was but apparent, for it usually concealed an increase of cerebral activity, Napoleon appeared embarrassed how to spend his time. He would go and spend an hour with the Empress, then he would return, and sitting down on the settee, would sleep, or appear to sleep for a few minutes. He would then come and seat himself on the corner of my writing-table, or on one of the arms of my chair, or even on my knees. He would then put his arm round my neck, and amuse himself by gently pulling my ear, or by patting me on the shoulder, or on the cheek. He would speak to me of all sorts of disconnected subjects, of himself, of his manias, of his constitution, of me, or of some plan that he had in his head."

Some historians affirm that Napoleon had multiple affairs with men, mainly soldiers but of course there is no  real evidence to back this up, yet at the same time it was of course logical that such meetings would not leave much if any evidence behind.

Keith Stern (Queers in History, 2009) mentions that Napoleon was particularly inclined toward same-sex love with his fellow soldiers, and that many of his aides were notoriously effeminate. General Duroc, who served as Grand Marshal of the palace, was widely rumored to be the emperor’s lover. As well, Gaspard Gourgaud, one of Napoleon’s aides/lovers, jealously guarded access to his master.

We can however never be certain whether Napoleon was truly bisexual though there are some experiences and written down encounters that suggest that he was. Of course being bisexual in the 18th and 19th century would have been a completely different experience than in the 21st century. It is however noticable how virtually every country in Europe punished sodomy severely yet Napoleon decided to decriminalize the act of sodomy completely.

There is one last interesting thing to observe: Napoleon had a homosexual friend, Laugier de Bellecour who studied with him on the École Militaire. It is known that Laugier sometimes teased Napoleon about his moralities concerning sexual activities with men which eventually resulted in the fight between the two. Later Napoleon said he regretted it and often spoke of his friend with genuine affection.

Make of this what you wish but it will certainly remain an interesting subject to study.

[mino-diabolik]

𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐅𝐈𝐋𝐄

𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄

↳ Mystic Tsukinami (Maternal Surname: Jomei)

Mystic — One of a kind. His name derives from his mother’s hazy words right after his birth after hearing one of the servants refer to the baby by the loving nickname of “mystic child”.

Tsukinami — (tsuki) “Moon” (nami) “wandering, waves, billows”

Jomei — “Spread light”

Katakana Name — 「 ミスティック 」 ( Misutikku )

Kanji Surname(s) — 「 月浪 (助命) 」

���𝐋𝐈𝐀𝐒

↳ Mys | Aiden | Lowell

𝐕𝐎𝐈𝐂𝐄 𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐌𝐒

Speaking Voice

↳ English VA — (N/A)

↳ Spanish VA — Jerry Velázquez (as Aladdin in Aladdin: Live Action)

↳ Japanese VA — Yuma Uchida (as Ash Lynx in Banana Fish)

Singing Voice

↳ English VA — Alexander Stewart

↳ Spanish VA — Jerry Velázquez

↳ Japanese VA — Chogakusei

𝐁𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐇𝐃𝐀𝐘

↳ September 19

Sign — Virgo

𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐈𝐄𝐒

↳ Demon

𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐄

↳ First Blood-Ruby Eye

𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐍𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐓𝐘

↳ British — Mystic’s maternal side of the family comes from a poor lineage settled on the capital of Great Britain.

𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝐓𝐘𝐏𝐄

↳ O — Individuals in this group are known for being confident and determined, as well as outgoing and loyal.

𝐁𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐇 𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐆𝐍𝐄𝐃 𝐒𝐄𝐗

↳ Male

𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑

↳ Male

𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐒

↳ He | Him

𝐒𝐄𝐗𝐔𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘

↳ Bisexual (with a heavier attraction towards the male gender)

𝐎𝐂𝐂𝐔𝐏𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

↳ Bounty Hunter — Debt collector under Kazuha’s orders. Often works on jobs from leaders of other clans, but also takes human clients that happen to find his services. He is only sent out to collect the sum of money owed, but is authorized to finish off the target if the quantity is not handed over.

↳ Prince of the Owl Clan (Monarch apprentice) — As the son of the Jomei’s queen, Mystic is in charge of managing conflicts targeting the Underground Kingdom, as well as delegating decisions proposed by the officials alongside his mother.

↳ Prince of the First Bloods — As grand as this position may appear, Mystic isn’t necessarily involved in the Tsukinami’s affairs. As he is Shin’s son, he isn’t high up within the lineage to be considered for the throne. Therefore, he will not be explicitly asked to contribute into major decisions.

↳ Third-Year Student — Attends Ryuotei Academy on-and-off. He tends to be very busy outside of his studies, but he will appear in class from time to time. His grades are good and is well-liked by classmates and teachers, but does have a difficult time getting used to a public setting because he has been homeschooled throughout his entire life.

𝐀𝐆𝐄

↳ Physically — 18

𝐖𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓

↳ 60 KG

↳ 132 LBS

𝐇𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓

↳ 5-feet, 7-inches

↳ 170 Centimeters

𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄

Mystic is the smallest of the males in his family, standing slightly below average height, and has noticeably narrow traits from his shoulders to his lower torso. He is rather pale but has a much vivid tone, giving him more of a humane appearance unlike most other characters. His eyes’ shape changes depending on his mood, but they are naturally round and brilliant. His irises are mismatched: the right is a vivid red and the left a bright golden. He has messy obsidian hair; the kind that cannot be combed down by any means possible, but doesn’t give him a crazed appearance. In fact, it gives volume to his face.

If you ever catch a glimpse of Mystic in public, it is very likely you’ll see him in his bounty hunter uniform. Composed of a black, thin, turtleneck undershirt and crop top-stylized jacket that carries multiple inner and outer pockets. The bottom half of his uniform consists of dark cargo trousers, also equipped with multiple pockets and casings, and works on either flat sneakers or military-like boots.

His casual attire consists of a loose-fitting gray sweatshirt and an extra, larger denim jacket with wide black sleeves. He wears black jeans and some ankle-high, worn-down Converse brand sneakers.

Casual — Bounty hunter uniform — School uniform

[Sprite made by lavendel081 (Tumblr) / lavendel080 (Instagram)]

Casual — Bounty hunter uniform

[Made by equinox-86 (Tumblr) / (Instagram)]

𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘

Mystic is widely known as an amiable and outgoing young man with the widest of smiles you’ll ever come across. He is very carefree and tends to trust people that treat him nicely—as long as he hasn’t had any negative interaction with them in the past—which can lead to him being tricked pretty often. He is quite gullible, one could say.

In spite of that, he is very sharp- and quick-witted guy. He is quite the genius when he wants, crafting plans and traps for his targets on an almost daily basis. He likes deceiving them or his prey, chasing them or having them chase him around. The thrill of chasing and being chased is something he tends to enjoy.

When drove to his end-wits, he becomes much more foul-mouthed than he usually is and tends to opt for violence because he is way too hotheaded to handle a verbal exchange. Still, he bickers a lot and likes to get under the other person’s skin.

𝐌𝐁𝐓𝐈 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐓𝐘𝐏𝐄

ESTP-T

An Entrepreneur (ESTP) is someone with the Extraverted, Observant, Thinking, and Prospecting personality traits. They tend to be energetic and action-oriented, deftly navigating whatever is in front of them. They love uncovering life's opportunities, whether socializing with others or in more personal pursuits. (X)

𝐀𝐁𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐄𝐒

↳ Supernatural Strength — As a hybrid of nearly equally powerful creatures, it isn’t surprising for him to possess abilities that go beyond a humane capability.

↳ Keen Eyesight — Capable of catching a speedy blur through his peripheral vision and spot a creature from exaggerated heights and distances.

↳ Acute Sense of Smell — Capable of picking up faint aromas that humans could not, as well as identifying an individual’s species/race from their scents.

↳ Sensitiveness — Mystic’s body reacts to a creature’s aura/presence in the form of a shudder or goosebumps as soon as they are within a certain distance from him. (Extra information)

↳ Aromatic Blood — The speck of human genetics in Mystic’s blood strengthens its scent, which he often uses to draw out targets or creatures he is after.

↳ Shapeshifting — As a First Blood, he is capable of shifting between the four shapes of all clans: Bat, snake, eagle, and wolf. Plus, as part of the Jomei lineage, he is capable of transforming into an owl as well.

𝐅𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐘

Tsukinami + Jomei

◈ DJ/Desdemona Jomei (Mother)

◈ Shin Tsukinami (Father)

◈ Caleb Jomei (Stepfather)

◈ Carla Tsukinami (Uncle)

◈ Kazuha Tsukinami (Cousin)

𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏𝐒

Direct Family

❖ Desdemona Jomei

Mystic’s relationship with his mother is beyond amazing. She had him despite all dangers and the disapproval of so many people, so she grew to be overprotective of him. She cared and spoiled him since a young age, even when the time she could afford to spend with him was minimal. He loves and admires his mother.

❖ Kazuha Tsukinami

His boss is to be feared, but Mystic would be lying if he were to say he didn’t enjoy her company. He admires her ability to remained poised and calm throughout any situation. That doesn’t mean he will not cower under his bed if he has managed to trigger the wrath of ten thousand gods out of her. They get along decently well, despite their multiple and repetitive petty arguments. Either of them would not hesitate to jump in front of the other to protect them from danger.

❖ Shin Tsukinami

Mystic doesn’t have much of a relationship with his biological father. He doesn’t exactly consider him his father and feels odd calling him by anything other than his name—though it makes him very happy when he does. It’s painfully obvious that Shin struggles with the concept of being a father, but Mystic just rolls along with it for Shin’s sake. More than father-and-son, they share a competitive friendship in terms of strengths abilities, and for DJ’s attention.

❖ Carla Tsukinami

Mystic fears his uncle beyond a normal scope. Carla has never done anything overly terrible to him, but the mere presence his aura brings into the room horrifies the poor demon like no other creature has ever been capable of doing so. Even so, he does look up at his uncle with exceeding respect and as a type of being he will never be able to match.

Jomei Family

❖ Marko Jomei

Mystic didn’t have a good relationship with his grandfather. Marko profusely refused to accept him as part of the family for being the offspring of someone from the First Bloods. He was abusive towards the child and fractured his already broken relationship with DJ.

❖ Caleb Jomei

(Acquired the surname of Jomei after being betrothed to DJ.) Caleb raised Mystic as though he was his real son even when he was simple the prince consort (queen’s husband) and had no romantic attachments to his mother. He loved taking the role of father very much. They don’t have much in common—with Mystic being an outgoing troublemaker and Taro a meek, reserved man—but they get along perfectly well.

Sakamaki Family (Will only be adding characters Mystic has a story with, because there are just too many to write—)

❖ Kino

Speaking in terms of the primary universe, Kino and Mystic are in a committed relationship (and later married). They met by mere chance, where things escalated from there. Mystic came to enjoy the company of the Vampire, and viceversa from Kino’s perspective. The rivalry-friendship grew out of proportion as they slowly grew closer through a great chunk of their close encounters.

Mukami Family

❖ Ruki Mukami

Mystic has had a not-so-subtle crush on Ruki ever since they met. This can be observed in his sudden change of demeanor (becomes meek and easily embarrassed) every time he crosses path with the Vampire.

In the universe shared with @ruki--mukami, Mystic had quite a bloody encounter with Ruki after he accidentally wandered into the Mukami Residence and made a mess in a brawl with a hell-born creature he’d been chasing. It isn’t exactly a secret that Mystic is quite intimidated by the Vampire. Even so, he often acts indifferent and unbothered by Ruki’s presence. As of now, their relationship evolved from that of master-and-prey that happen to share similar hobbies and likes, into more of mutual romantic feelings, as much as Mystic tries to deny it.

❖ Yuma Mukami

They are an absolute wreck. Both are hotheads and often start bantering and brawling. There is never a time that they see each and don’t immediately go at each other’s throats. Aside form that, they get along pretty well. They have more of rivalry-friendship.

❖ Kou Mukami

Mystic likes Kou’s outgoing personality, but feels uncomfortable around him. There is something that just doesn’t feel right, as though the person he is looking at the real person, but a mask.

❖ Azusa Mukami

Azusa once figured out Mystic reacted to wounds. He explained in a panic about his sensitiveness and begged Azusa not to tell anyone about it. He agreed to it, but continuously asked Mystic to talk about it more. Mystic prefers not to, though he will from time to time.

Others

❖ The Owl Twins

↳ Eirwen, Valentina

Arranged in order of age. Aside from being the trusted advisers of the royal family, the twins were assigned as Mystic’s caretakers soon after his birth after DJ was forced away from her son to take care of her responsibilities in the kingdom. They were basically the people that made sure Mystic wouldn’t end up getting himself into trouble or hurting himself, which was quite the difficult task.

❖ Yui Komori

As a fanged creature in the Diabolik Lovers universe, it is fair to say that falling—even ever so slightly—for Yui was going to happen sooner or later. Mystic finds her incredibly adorable and sometimes even envies her innocence. He openly flirts with her, but thinks of her more as someone to find amusement with. Since was brought up by a half-mortal mother instructed in a Catholic roof in her childhood, a few human values have also been passed over to him.

AU relationships

❖ Aimer Kurosawa (@kurosawa-family)

Loving husband for who he would drop whatever he wanted in a heartbeat. Their meeting wasn’t exactly the most romantic of encounters, nor was their primary arrangement as “friend with benefits”, but both unavoidably caught feeling for each other. Due to traumas of their pasts, this segment of their development could only be said to have been incredibly difficult. But they’re very much happy now!

𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘

Childhood

Mystic was born in the Underground Kingdom when DJ was dragged out of the Banmaden by her father, right after the First Bloods lost the war and were incarcerated. He grew up aware of the fact Caleb wasn’t his biological father, but had to act as though that were the case to avoid a scandal of the heir to the throne being a half-blood. Mystic’s grandfather would often demean and physically abuse him, spiteful of the fact he was the son of a First Blood and because his daughter refused to have a child with the man he had picked out for her—hopeful to erase any trace of human blood he had brought into the family lineage. DJ would intervene in Marko’s abuse anytime she caught it or realized Mystic was bruised up from unknown circumstances. She was fiercely protective of Mystic, as he was the son of the man she loved and presumed dead at the time.

After Marko’s death, Mystic was finally allowed to go on freely within the castle and out in the kingdom’s territory, though always under the watchful gaze of his caretakers. It was around this time that he began breaking out of his sheltered and meek boy shell and finally began turning into the outgoing and grinning character of his present. He was very loved by the villagers and made them feel safe to be so close to the royal family. He certainly changed the dynamic between the peasants and the royals after the death of the former king.

Early Life

After a heartbreak, Mystic coincidentally left the kingdom for a couple of years with his mother and stepfather to visit his mother’s hometown in London. He began experiencing with substances and other harmful objects, as well as toying around with humans as a form to derive his mind from his grief. Soon enough, he became notorious for this habits—specifically since that certain lifestyle was specially frowned upon at the time—until he and his parents left town. But he started enjoying that way of life and never broke away from those habits.

Mystic started traveling out of the Underground Kingdom almost daily once her mother allowed him. He was a scandalous man, open about his likes and habits for which he caught a lot of heat by multiple groups of people in the Human Realm. Still, he also formed a lot of alliances, friends that—even in their old age in the current day—continue to be happy to see him visit every once in a while.

Current Role in the Story (Dark Fate & Lost Eden)

(Work in progress!)

𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐈𝐀

◈ When Mystic speaks in English, he has a noticeable British accent.

◈ Mystic’s vocabulary is considerably wide and embellished from his upbringing as a prince, but soon blended with his vulgar idiosyncrasy. All of which led to an odd mixture of vulgar and elaborate speech mannerisms.

◈ Mystic is ambidextrous.

◈ His hands are 7-inches long and 3.5-inches wide.

◈ His waist has a diameter of around 8-inches (or 21 centimeters).

◈ Mystic’s blood tends to be naturally sweet, but may become bitter in somber instances and sweeter when exalted/as his heart raises (for whatever reason: excitement, fear, etc.) Its effects immediately invoke energizing effects and is potentially capable of carrying recuperating abilities. It’s as strong-tasting as it is aromatic.

◈ Mystic knows how to sing and play the piano.

◈ His favorite hobby is drawing portraits in charcoal.

◈ He can speak multiple languages. Most notably: Spanish, French, and Italian.

◈ Mystic knows how to handle firearms.

◈ He knows how to drive a car and a motorcycle.

◈ He owns a 2000 Indian Chief and a 1926 Bentley.

◈ His favorite food is Bouillabaisse: A traditional French stew of shellfish and fish, sometimes served with spicy sauce.

◈ He loves junk food. (Potato chips, sweets, etc.)

◈ His tattoo is very much alive, therefore it is capable of shifting places throughout his body. It commonly sticks to his right arm, however.

[kurgarru]

Ok this is going to be the most annoying lengthy comment of all time but I simply must, I’m sorry.

One interesting aspect of this discussion is the implication that fandom’s perspective this represents the shock of the new. However, there are extensive Christian traditions on the particular intimate relationships between Jesus Christ and Judas Iscarriot, Jesus Christ and Peter, and most of all, Jesus Christ and John the Apostle.

In the case of Judas, so much has been speculated and written about the kiss he gives Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane that a “Judas kiss” is its common own phrase, an idiomatic reference to a betrayal under the guise of affection. The event has a commemorative day in both the Western and Eastern Rite liturgical calendars (Spy Wednesday, aka Great and Holy Wednesday). While the Greek word used in the Synoptic gospels (specifically Matthew and Mark) to describe the kiss, καταφιλέω, kataphileó, can be contrasted with a different word, φιλεῖν, philein (typically, horny kidding), and is commonly used for a greeting, that’s not the only way it’s ever been perceived. Thank you to the Wikipedia editor who pointed and sourced that Lutheran theologian Johann Bengel claims that Judas *repeatedly kisses* Jesus, and that it is not just a singular kiss: https://biblehub.com/commentaries/bengel/matthew/26.htm

The additional reference to the use of the same word, καταφιλέω, kataphileó, to describe Alexander the Great kissing the Persian eunuch Bagaos in greeting - something the troops, with whom Bagaos was very popular, apparently demanded - might raise the odd eyebrow, and doesn’t entirely banish the ghost of the erotic from it: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiss_of_Judas

The nature of the falling-out (friends to enemies to ???) between Judas and Jesus has been written on so much that I wouldn’t know where to begin or end. Flavius Josephus claimed Judas was a founder of the Zealots, a new divergent Jewish philosophy, but Josephus had also fully jumped ship to the Roman cause after his surrender and enslavement, and sought to blame the Roman War of 66–73 CE predominantly on the Zealots: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jewish_War

‘Iscarriot’ was not a surname (surnames as now used in the global north were not used by Jews in this era), but likely a reference to the Latin ‘sicarii’, a wielder of a dagger, and/or the Sicarii sub-group of the Zealots, who were well-known as political assassins. Speculation on the falling-out as being primarily political (Judas fed up that Jesus wasn’t acting against Roman rule enough) has been a long tradition, dating largely from Josephus, but it’s not the only one. Suffice it to say, Jesus/Judas and Judas/Jesus have long been implicitly and even explicitly speculated on.

Arguably the far stronger tradition, however, is about Jesus and John the Apostle (as distinct from other Biblical Johns including John the Baptist). Frequently considered to be the subject of the line referring to the “disciple Jesus most loved”, in the Gospel of John, this intimacy was so well-established that by the time James II was getting criticism for his extremely queer relationship with George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, he famously defended their closeness as confirming to the highest ideals of friends: “as Christ had John, I have George”. More on James, George, and the criminalisation of sodomy here: https://www.port.ac.uk/news-events-and-blogs/blogs/democratic-citizenship/mary-george-homosexual-relationships-in-the-time-of-king-james-i-were-forbidden-but-not-uncommon

Rictor Norton makes reference to it, particularly in ‘Mother Clap’s Molly House’, his well/known history of C18 homosexuality: http://rictornorton.co.uk/eighteen/mother.htm

Detailed interview with Norton here (note that he has a tendency to be rather antagonistic towards bisexuality): https://notchesblog.com/2022/05/07/an-interview-with-historian-rictor-norton/

A fascinating historical coincidence maybe, but an account of a C17 same-sex marriage ceremony took place at the church of San Giovanni a Porta Latina “Saint John Before the Latin Gate". This church was dedicated to John the Evangelist, author of the Gospel of John and frequently identified as…John the Apostle. More in this book: https://notchesblog.com/2017/01/19/same-sex-marriage-in-renaissance-rome/

The Jesus/John relationship (no dynamics implied) was so well-established within the culture of early modernity that this only strengthened that reading. John Boswell made reference to it in his final and seminal (though also criticised) book, ‘The Marriage of Likeness’ : https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Same-Sex_Unions_in_Pre-Modern_Europe

More on his analysis here: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/gay-marriages-centuries-old-1570056.html

To this very day, the queer possibility of John/Jesus remains of keen interest to LGBTQIA and progressive Christians, and pops up quite frequently: https://amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2012/apr/20/was-jesus-gay-probably

The TLDR of this interminable comment is probably: the established shipping wars of Christianity long predate us, so yeah why not make the boys of 1st century CE Judea kiss? That “Jesus FUCKS” tag isn’t blasphemy, it’s ~theology.

sometimes i’m like ‘fanfiction can’t shock me anymore i’m numb to it’ then i find this shit

[thetoadcrow]

Crow's Brain Rot Queer Podcast Recs! (part 1)

I know literally no one asked for this but since this blog started off as mostly podcast related posts I'm recommending some good gay shit for those who are still here for the pods 👌🏻

(p.s. only gonna be talking about the main relationships cuz if I talk about all the queer folks in each of these I'd be here a while)

Welcome To Night Vale

TWs: existential dread, depression, unreality, conspiracy theory, violence, death, mentions of guns, racism, cultural appropriation of Native Americans, government endorsed and police violence.

I'm pretty sure if you were on tumblr minimum since 2015 you know this one, but if you weren't/just didn't care about podcasts until now. WTNV is recorded in the style of a news radio broadcast located in a weird little town known as Night Vale. The host of the humble radio show is Cecil Gershwin Palmer (voiced by Cecil Baldwin), who is a confirmed gay man and who's love interest is known as Carlos the scientist (voiced by co-writer Jefferey Cranor and later by Lou Fernandez). Join Cecil as he talks about the strange everyday things that happen in Night Vale, just don't eat wheat or wheat by-products.

The Penumbra Podcast

TWs: child abuse and abusers, Sudden loud noises. ableist language, surgery and body horror, violence and threats of violence, death, mortality, and illness, claustrophobic and dark spaces, deception and gaslighting.

TPP has a main story line and other side stories that aren't related, the side stories are great but I'll only be talking about the main story today! TPP follows Privet Investigator Juno Steel (voiced by Joshua Ilon) as he arrests bad guys and takes up PI work in crime filled Hyperion City on Mars and works through his sad boy problems one questionable mission at a time. Juno Steel is bisexual and nonbinary and he uses he/him pronouns. his love interest is master thief for hire Peter Nuryeve (voiced by Noah Simes).

The Magnus Archives

TWs: this one has a lot so I'll link a list of the TWs for each ep here, I did not make the list.

TMA is one of my favorites and honestly I had to restrain myself to not put this one at the top and make a whole novel about why you should listen to it. head archivist Jonathan Sims (voiced by creator Jonathan Sims) reads and records statements made by people who have had experiences with monsters, the paranormal, and other things while dealing with his own little fucked up workplace, uncovering secrets and discovering the uncommon might be a little bit more common then he once thought, Jonathan is a bi-ace man and his love interest is his assistant Martin K. Blackwood (voiced by co-creator Alexander J. Newall) who is a gay man.

EOS10

TWs: child slavery, drug and alcohol addiction, ableism towards autistic individuals.

EOS10 is a si-fi comedy drama about, well, space doctors! (trust me its good) it follows Dr. Ryan Dalias (voiced by Justin McLachlan) who was sent to EOS10 to help Dr. Horace Urvidian (voiced by Dan Berry) become sober so that he would do his job better. Dr. Dalias is bisexual and I can't really describe his love interest(s) without spoilers (its not Dr. Urvidian) but they are male and gay.

[alexandcrfm]

*      & .    〔    joe keery,   cismale,   he/him    〕    alexander russell is   a   thirty    year   old   superhuman   known   to   be   passionate   and   cheerful,   yet   awkward   and   cautious   at   the   same   time.   rumor   has   it   they’re   a   civilian   who   has   power mimicry   abilities    —    you’d   never   guess   it   when   you   see   them   working   at   new york presbytarian  as   a   doctor.   apparently   they’re   always   listening   to   someone new   by   hozier,   which   makes   sense   since   they   kind   of   also   remind   me   of   neatly organised video games,  saying every line of your favourite movies, and seeing good in everyone.    

BASIC INFO

name: alexander russell nicknames: alex age: 30 gender & pronouns: cismale, he/him sexuality: bisexual occupation: doctor for new york presbytarian ability: power mimicry. when within a few meters of a superhuman, he is able to copy that person’s powers and keep them indefinitely. however, he can only maintain one person’s power(s) at a time, and if they’re abilities that require skill to use well, he will behave as though he’s new to the abilities until he’s learned how to use them. additionally, his control over his power is currently tied to his emotions, as he doesn’t know he has it. if he is particularly emotional and within range of a superhuman, he is likely to pick up on their power without realising it.

BIO

alex’s parents agreed to enter him into project echo for the money a little before he was born. they’d always wanted a child and were extremely happy to be having one, but they weren’t doing well financially and knew a child was only going to worsen their finances.

when alex showed no signs of any extraordinary powers, he was considered a failed test subject and his parents swore to never tell alex what they’d agreed to have done to him. as far as they knew, nothing had even come of it and they were just a little richer. it didn’t seem like it would be an issue

they raised him well and were amazing parents. the money helped them a great deal, and alex lead a good, mostly normal childhood

he was bullied horribly in school for his nerdy interests like sci-fi movies, reading, comics, etc., for being considered a know it all, and for being considered ‘strange’. he became quieter because of this, only seeming to come out of his shell and talk about his interests with those he loved and/or deeply trusted for most of his childhood. more recently he’s become a lot less ashamed of the things he loves and is more openly himself.

has always been a big fan of superheroes but still acknowledges that superpowers can be dangerous in the wrong hands. still, he thinks that everyone is capable of good and doing good and he admires those who were once in the liberty league; they saved people and made the world a better place.

went into medicine so that he could also do good and help the world be a better place like those heroes, or like the fictional characters he admires in his favourite media. he had the smarts and the passion, and although he knew it would be a long, tough journey, he knew that the outcome would be more than worth it.

is now a really good doctor. he’s gentle and understanding, and he has the knowledge he needs to do the best job possible. he really cares about his patients and wants what’s best for them.

MISC

autistic

hobbies include: gaming, drawing, reading. would love to get into dnd but is too shy to find people who’re interested in playing

if you get him talking about his interests, he could go on and on for hours. he has so much love and passion that he might never shut up

is working through the process of loving and accepting himself. it’s a hard road, but he’s getting there. fake it til you make it!

believes everyone is capable of good and everyone is worthy of love.

as mentioned above, he doesn’t know about his powers! hanging around other supers is going to be Very Stressful and Confusing for him

i don’t have any specific wanted connections for him but i’m definitely open to ideas! friends, exes, ex bully, etc. anything goes!

[thatwouldbee-enough]

17, 26 and 36 for the weird questions for writers?

:D

17. Talk to me about the minutiae of your current WIP. Tell me about the lore, the history, the detail, the things that won’t make it in the text.

Oh god. Hmmmm let's go with the bridgerton AU.

That's probably one of the most fleshed out worlds I have at the moment. Washington becoming the Duke of Fairfax in this story comes about pretty similarly to his actual family history. His older half brother was supposed to inherit the title and lands associated with his dukedom, but when he died with no heirs, he made it known the title would pass to George instead.

In general, though the little world I've created is both based on actual regency era England and the version of it in Bridgerton, I've also definitely taken some liberties. For one, they're not bound as strictly to standard laws of inheritance as you'd likely find in real life during that time period (hence why no one bats at eye at George being like "I have no heirs and no longer have any step children, so this young man is going to be my heir instead because of reasons that I will not provide"). Also, though there wasn't really a "regency era" in the US at this time, this story does take place in the US, just with a similar vibe to regency era England.

Extra stuff that won't make it into text:

Nelly has 5 dogs.

George originally told Martha about the plan to make Alexander his heir one week after her second and only remaining child had died, and she was upset with him for well over a month. He thought he was being practical, but he was really just being an inconsiderate idiot.

Alexander is VERY good at riding, and one of the first things he requested for himself after moving in with the Duke and Duchess was his own horse c:

John and Patsy once tried to bring a butterfly into the house to keep it as a pet until their mom found out and had to have A Talk with them about respecting wild creatures.

26. How do you get into your character’s head? How do you get out? Do you ever regret going in there in the first place

Definitely depends on the character. A lot of the time I'll listen to different playlists that I've curated for certain stories and certain characters. If I really need to be in their heads, I try to listen to the playlists while doing something that takes 0% brain power, like showering or washing the dishes, so that I can start to think like them. Or while riding the train. I find riding the train to be great for spacing out and getting into someone else's head.

If there's something more specific I'm trying to get in the headspace for, I might do a lot of reading or looking things up online, read letters, etc. If I'm writing darker characters, sometimes it's helpful to consume other media with darker themes. Sometimes I just go the playlist route for them as well, though I typically need to just like... lay on the floor and let their darker themed songs wash over me rather than multitask.

The darker themed characters are the only ones where "getting out" is more of a problem, and honestly the easiest way for me is just doing something completely different. Watching something lighthearted. Hanging out with people. Singing along out loud to songs that I love.

36. They say to Write What You Know. Setting aside for a moment the fact that this is terrible advice…what do you Know?

I think I have a tendency to... know what I write? Like, to a point I'm definitely comfortable writing about situations that are familiar to me, but also when I want to write about something I just submerge myself into it as much as I can. Like I always enjoyed watching gymnastics, but once I decided to write about it I really just started watching as many youtube videos of competitions I could find, following some of the more famous male gymnasts on social media, watching how-to videos for learning various skills, etc.

All that aside, things that I Know that have made appearances in my writing include: bisexuality, strained family dynamics, working in a small-ish office with a bunch of 20-somethings (the ABSYCA office is quite literally based off of my first NYC office), mental health issues, the New York City area, uhhhhhhh.... getting inappropriate in hotel rooms?

Things that I haven't included yet but that I know very well and probably could write about: the medical field, various illnesses/diseases, playing musical instruments, and baking

[that-house]

Book Review: Unconquerable Sun (Book 1 of the Sun Chronicles) by Kate Elliott (2020)

Genre: Science Fiction (Space Opera)

Length: 523 pages

Intended Audience: YA (violence and swearing)

Rating: 3/5

Supposedly a gender-bent version of the story of Alexander the Great (I can’t tell because I don’t know jack shit about the dude), but set in space. The story follows Princess Sun and her Companions as they struggle for influence and survival in the midst of a vast interstellar war. Unconquerable Sun has a solid plot full of combat and intrigue combined with excellent worldbuilding. There’s an almost Hunger Games-esque aspect to it, with the main cast broadcasting their exploits to the people of the Republic to garner support and adoration, which was a fun dynamic to read.

My one major issue that crippled my enjoyment of the book was that the characters didn’t feel all that lovable, with maybe one or two exceptions. Maybe it was because the cast was too big or simply a lack of compelling characterization, but I didn’t really find myself growing all too attached to the characters. None of the confessions of love, deaths, or betrayals really felt all that emotionally impactful. At least there’s some solid bisexual representation!

It’s a well-constructed space opera, but it felt somewhat distant and detached. I’ll probably pick up the next installment whenever it comes out, but I’m not desperately craving more. Not a bad book by any means, but there were no moments of “holy shit this is a fucking incredible book.” It’s possible that I would’ve gotten more out of it had I known anything about Alexander the Great, so if that’s your thing, go ahead and give it a go.

Next Up: Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff

[onegroovyrose]

Hey Val! :3 I got this sense that I had to check your stuff to see what’s new and we have a Chris who is ready to duel, but then we also have baby Chris?!?! <333 He’s like so cute and my brain broke and I love him. Plus: Bryon being a parent?! Fabulous idea Val. :’) And not to mention well drawn. :D Also, I was wondering if you would share some of your head canons about Chris and dragonfable Chris- I mean Warlic. Only if you want to though! ^^ Have a great rest of your day/night! <33 Stay safe!

WAHGUBHUGHUHGHUBIHGUHU THANK YOU!!!!! 🥺🥺🥺❤️❤️❤️ AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA YOUR SENSES ARE IMMACULATE.... with finals done I finally (ha!) have a bit more time for drawing!! c: More chris's soon >:)

BUT WAH... I'M SO GLAD TO HEAR YOU LIKE BABY CHRIS AND PARENT BYRON?? 🥺<333 PLEASE UNBREAK YOUR BRAIN THOUGH YOUR BRAIN IS IMPORTANT!!!

AND AGUIHIUBHIUGHUIHUH DID YOU SEE THE DUEL LINKS CHRIS SPRITES??? Dude I swear Konami has done everything BUT add him but I'm hoping this is just a sign that he'll be out soon 🥺

LASTLY OH MY GOSH??? I. WOULD. BE. ELATED. TO LIST MY WARLIC HCS I'VE BEEN WANTING TO TALK ABOUT HIM WITH SOMEONE FOR SO LONG BUT I THINK I'D GO ON FOR AN HOUR ASDLFKBIO

Warlic HCS under the cut! :) (Warning they are. long 😔)

He is Bisexual (specifically demi-bi!!) : LISTEN LISTEN he's canonically been in love with a woman named Jaania for ages now and really cares deeply about her ( i have lots of screenshots but to save space I shan't add them here but literally throughout the main story he'll bring her up and how guilty he feels for being part of the cause that she was encased in a crystal prison for like. Years. How afraid he is to talk to her again because "what if I make a mistake" and how she now all but despises him (i could go on for awhile just on this part but ANYWAYS))

(cont.) At the same time he has a friend he's known for awhile named Alexander who loved Jaania as well. In the same accident that caused Jaania to be imprisoned, Warlic had set Alexander on fire which was Alexander's villain origin story so to speak and he becomes the main antagonist of Book 1 (Warlic has immense guilt over this as well and I also have screenshots but this is already long ALSKDGHAIB).

(cont. 2) POINT IS THOUGH... at some point they both go to see Jaania again but it goes really. really wrong (Elegy of Ice and Fire is so good and describes what happens and is my favorite quest ever) and EVENTUALLY HE TAKES ALEXANDER IN CALLS HIM ALEX AS A NICKNAME AND NO ONE ELSE REALLY DOES AND NOW THEY'RE ROOMMATES ALONG WITH WARLIC'S OTHER ROOMMATE CYSERO (WHICH HE CALLS CY)

TLDR he has a lot of guilt, a lot of love, and i like to think he's bi :)(specifically demi-bi! :) )

2. (we finally got to 2 ALSKDHF) Doesn't wear socks because Cysero (roommate) has stolen all of them

3. Cries. often. BUT ALONE... DUDE he's constantly wracked with canonical guilt, has cried not once but twice before, and described to have paralyzing fear, but literally every time something that might make him vulnerable is brought up he shuts down the conversation/thought. The one time you the main character bring up Jaania after another incident he teleports you away before you can finish BUT NOT BEFORE IT ZOOMS AWAY WITH HIS SADDNED EXPRESSION AND I AIAUGHIAUBHIUHGIUAHGUH....

I'm gonna end it here at 3 but i'm literally. overflowing with Warlic thoughts, if you made it here thank you for reading my rambling ASIUFDHAU

[echo-bleu]

jump and hope it’s not a cliff

Summary: Five times Alec and Magnus come out, and one time they come home.

“I’m gay,” he blurts out.

Some part of him still expects it to be earth-shattering, but it’s not. It’s almost nothing, just a word, a single syllable that falls out of his lips easily. It doesn’t suddenly make everything click into place, or scramble his whole being.

It’s just a fact.

Malec, about coming out and pride and supporting each other.

A/N: This is set in the same universe as map out a world and there are a few callbacks, but this should easily stand on its own. Alec is autistic, and everything else is mostly like canon, except that I stretched out the timeline. Part 1 to 3 are set somewhere during season 2, 4 during season 3 and the last two at some point in the future. The title is a quote from Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston (thank you Cor for the suggestion).

A huge thank you to the amazing @moonlight-breeze-44  who did a great job betaing this and cheering me on, as well as all the wonderful people in the Malec Discord Server for helping me come up with some of these scenes and being super supportive. This fic was truly a work of love and it's very close to my heart, so it's a little daunting to finally post it!

Warnings: part 5 contains a transphobic character who says very transphobic things. You might want to skip that part if it's a sensitive subject. The rest contains mentions of (mostly past) queerphobia and ableism, but it's all fairly light.

Read on AO3.

1.

Alec can’t remember a specific moment when they came out to each other. He remembers Magnus openly flirting with him — right in front of his siblings, too, and Alec is just embarrassed by how utterly clueless he was, though Magnus seems to think it was adorable — and his own clumsy attempts at flirting back, once he got over his confusion. But he doesn’t remember ever saying “I’m gay.”

He’s not sure he’s ever said it out loud, to anyone, like the word is heavy and draining and it’s something best left half-implied, a whisper of a suspicion rather than a hard fact; despite the evidence. Alec is attracted to men — is attracted to Magnus, really, because besides his mistaken infatuation with Jace, he’s never felt that pull for anyone else — but he doesn’t speak of it. Magnus just seemed to know, just like Izzy did, just like Jace did, or maybe he took a leap of faith and he’s really good at appearing more confident than he actually is.

What he does remember is skimming through Magnus’ Clave file, that day before they went to meet him at his club, and the leap his heart made when he read about Magnus’ well known “proclivities” towards lovers of all genders. It was followed by fear and disgust, because of course the Clave would write this down as proof of Magnus’ untrustworthiness and dangerous behavior. Alec was dangerously close to thinking that way, back then, too terrified of people finding out about him to fully question what he’d been taught to believe. He tucked the information into a corner of his mind, and he’d be hard-pressed to tell if it influenced his first impression of Magnus and how.

They’ve been dating for over two months now, and they’ve never spoken about it. They’ve never spoken about Alec’s very public coming out to the Clave beyond agreeing to a date. They’ve discussed past relationships — or lack thereof — and the political issues that come with a Shadowhunter dating a Downworlder, especially as they’re both prominent figures in the city, but they’ve never spoken of themselves or the couple they form in terms of queerness.

And now, staring at the rainbow cover of the new book in Magnus’ hands, Alec wonders why.

He shakes himself out of his thoughts and finishes hanging his jacket on the coat rack as Magnus puts down the book and stands up with a wide smile. They’ve decided on a quiet night in tonight — dinner and a movie — after a week that has been horrendously long for both of them. Unresolved issues are piling up at the Institute, but right now Alec just wants to relax and enjoy his boyfriend.

Boyfriend. He’s still getting used to that. He thought for so long that he could never have any of the things that so many people take for granted, and feeling for someone what he feels for Magnus, having it reciprocated, seemed the most unattainable of them all.

“You seem distracted,” Magnus remarks after a moment of silence in their dinner.

Alec looks up guiltily and stills his fingers, which have been tapping a discreet rhythm on his thigh. “Sorry,” he says, sheepish. “I didn’t mean to zone out.”

“What were you thinking about?”

“You,” Alec admits — it’s not a hardship to admit it at all. He spends most of the time that isn’t directly taken up by Institute business thinking about Magnus, in one form or another. He worries, often, that maybe it’s too much, that Magnus is going to find him too intense, but so far Magnus just preens at the attention.

“I’m flattered,” Magnus quips. “Anything specific?”

Alec’s eyes fall on the rainbow book on the coffee table again, across the room. It’s a book about queer history or something similar, something he hasn’t seen Magnus read about before. It’s flashy and mundane and distracting. There’s a strange tug in Alec’s stomach at just seeing a rainbow here, in Magnus’ living space, a fear that shouldn’t be there anymore.

“I’m gay,” he blurts out.

Some part of him still expects it to be earth-shattering, but it’s not. It’s almost nothing, just a word, a single syllable that falls out of his lips easily. It doesn’t suddenly make everything click into place, or scramble his whole being.

It’s just a fact.

“Okay,” Magnus says slowly, frowning a little like he can tell he’s missing something. “I already knew that, Alexander.”

Alec runs his thumb down the fabric of his jeans and works his jaw. “Yeah,” he says. “I’m not sure I did.”

Magnus frowns further, uncomprehending, then his face lights up. “You’ve never actually said it, have you? If you came out at the wedding—” he waves a hand.

“That wasn’t planned, and my parents aren’t exactly interested in talking about it,” Alec says. “I kinda feel like I used you, actually. We weren’t even dating or anything, and there’s a gap between flirting with me and kissing me in front of the entire Institute.”

Magnus shakes his head. “I was surprised, but I’ve never been shy or particularly closeted, if that’s what you mean. And I was definitely hoping that you’d call off the wedding. It was a hell of a way to come out, though.”

“It sure didn’t help my standing with the Clave,” Alec mutters. “Or my relationship with my parents. But I don’t regret it. I regret not really giving you a choice, though. Even if you’re not in the closet, I know the Institute doesn’t represent something positive for you, and publicly being with a Shadowhunter can’t be good for your reputation.”

“My reputation has been through much worse than this,” Magnus reassures him. “But I appreciate your concern. And I promise you I was a willing participant.”

Alec nods in acceptance and eats a few more bites of his risotto. Like everything Magnus conjures, it’s delicious. They eat in silence for a moment, but Alec feels Magnus’ gaze on him, intense but somehow not heavy.

“I’m bisexual,” Magnus finally says. “I’ve used many labels over the years, some whose meaning is very different now, and often no labels at all, but that’s the one I like best.”

Alec carefully commits the information to memory and looks up to meet his eyes, to show that he’s listening.

“Did you always know?” he asks. “Even when you had no words for it?”

Magnus takes a moment to think about it. “I think so,” he answers. “It was always a part of me, like my magic or my eyes. I didn’t always accept it, but I knew.”

Alec nods, feeling like he can’t relate to that certainty. Clarity isn’t something he’s ever had about himself, about anything. Whether it’s about his sexuality, or his aspirations, or even who he is as a person, it’s always been muddled. The identities his parents and the Clave tried to impose on him, Shadowhunter and Lightwood and soldier, have never felt quite right, like he doesn’t fit into the boxes he desperately tries to hide in, but neither have the labels he’s come across since, not really.

“I’m gay,” he murmurs to himself again. He’s not sure it feels right. Maybe he just needs to get used to it, after years of not daring to apply the word to himself. Maybe it’s really just a word, and its power drained out with the need to hide. Alec shakes his head. It’s better than anything else. It’s enough. It has to be, right?

2.

Magnus claps his hands once, making a bowl of popcorn appear on his knees. “Here,” he says. “The real movie night experience.”

He had been horrified to learn that Alec has never done that before. His siblings have sneaked out to go to the movies with their teenage dates, but Alec was always the good son, and the Institute only has one TV in the break room that is certainly not casually watched by the Head of the Institute, which Alec has functionally been since he was sixteen.

Magnus doesn’t count the few classic movies Alec watched on his own on his laptop in the safety of his room as a real movie night experience. Movie night is, by definition, something you do with others.

He passes the bowl of popcorn to Alec, taking a few pieces with his other hand and popping them into his mouth. They’re sitting side by side on the couch in his living room, rearranged for the occasion. Magnus has pushed aside the two armchairs that usually occupy the other side of the coffee table in favor of a huge wide screen TV, which is currently displaying the opening scene of The Fellowship of the Ring.

“Why does it include popcorn?” Alec frowns, taking a few from the bowl and passing it back. He’s sitting cross-legged on the couch, a fluffy pillow on his lap and his new tangle toy in his hand. He’s very recently started to loosen up around the loft and actually make himself comfortable, rather than constantly staying straight-backed and tense, and Magnus never tires of watching him stim and relax.

Magnus puts his feet up on the coffee table. “It’s tradition, Alexander!”

“Aren’t you way older than the invention of the cinema?”

“Come on, movie night is something you’re supposed to enjoy, not question,” Magnus says. “Shh, I love this bit,” he adds when Gandalf makes his entrance.

Alec huffs and sits back, but there’s a smile on his face, and he’s almost close enough that their thighs touch. Magnus lets him take the first step, knowing that Alec doesn’t always handle touch well, but by the time Frodo sets out of the Shire, Alec has sought out Magnus’ free hand and interlaced it with his own.

He listens amusedly to Magnus commenting on every moment of the movie, marveling at the landscapes and critiquing the largest departures from the books, which Alec hasn’t even read. He doesn’t say anything beyond making some noises at the right places, up until the first sword fights.

“But you can’t hold a sword that way!” he protests. “His posture is all wrong!”

Magnus holds back a laugh. “It’s a movie, darling. Cinematic aestheticism is more important than realism.”

“But this is wrong! How can anyone not see it?”

Magnus keeps it to himself that he definitely didn’t, in spite of his rather extensive training. His martial arts knowledge is very different from Alec’s sword-fighting techniques. “Just relax and let yourself enjoy it,” he says, squeezing Alec’s hand.

By the time they get to the Moria fight, Alec is leaning forward to watch more closely and sputtering. “That’s not how you hold a bow!”

Magnus shrugs. “He looks rather dashing while doing it, so who cares?”

“Who cares? I care! This doesn’t make any sense! Don’t these actors have a modicum of training?”

“I’m sure they do,” Magnus says. Alec’s indignation is rather hilarious, even if it doesn’t let him truly enjoy the movie. His purpose was to show it to Alec, anyway, not to watch it himself. Watching Alec’s reactions is endearing and more fun than the movie itself. “But they’re thinking more about making it look good than realistic. And they’re all really hot doing it, which doesn’t hurt.”

Alec blinks at that and tilts his head. “You think they’re hot?”

Magnus turns his head toward him in surprise. “Don’t you?”

Is Alec jealous? It doesn’t seem to fit with his character, not over such a small thing, but Magnus doesn’t know everything about him yet.

“I don’t know, I guess?” Alec shrugs. “I haven’t really thought about it.”

Magnus opens his mouth and closes it. He pauses the movie, and Alec frowns in surprise. “Alec, do you...who do you think is hot?”

“I, uh,” Alec hesitates. “I don’t know. Why is that important?”

“It’s not, necessarily, but most people don’t say ‘I guess’ when asked if someone is hot or sexy. You can have a type, but—” Magnus gestures in frustration, struggling to explain. “It’s something you see right away.”

Alec stares at him for a moment, lost. “I don’t… I’m not sure I understand. I mean, you’re beautiful. You’re hot, I suppose. Them—” he gestures at the TV. “I don’t know them.”

Magnus carefully doesn’t let the ‘I suppose’ hurt — he knows Alec doesn’t mean it the way it sounds. He smiles at the compliment, instead. “So you need to know someone to appreciate their sexiness?” he asks.

Alec takes a moment to think about it. “You’re the only one I’ve really thought of as sexy,” he says slowly. “And even then...it’s not something I’d think unprompted? It’s just not important to me, I suppose.”

“Alexander, are you asexual?” Magnus asks slowly.

For a moment, Alec looks like a fish out of water. He opens his mouth and closes it several times, searching for his words. He’s twisting his stim toy more and more nervously, so Magnus releases his hand to let him stim freely, putting his own hand on Alec’s thigh instead. Alec flinches away, though, so he lets him go.

“I don’t know,” Alec finally says. “Maybe? What if I am?”

“There’s a bunch of different identities under the asexual umbrella,” Magnus says. “It doesn’t have to be all or nothing.”

Alec freezes for a second, then squeezes his tangle toy hard in his hand. “Is it a problem? If I’m completely asexual?”

“No, of course not,” Magnus says hurriedly. “You’re wonderful the way you are.”

“Then why is it important?”

“For us?” Magnus checks. Alec nods without looking in his direction. “It just means that we need to talk about boundaries a little more than I’m used to. I want to do that with you, anyway, but maybe we should dig deeper than I anticipated.”

Alec nods tightly. “Okay.” He doesn’t sound like he really believes it.

“Alexander, I don’t know what you’ve been told, but it doesn’t make you lesser, or broken, if you don’t feel attraction to people. It’s just different. Some people are straight, some are gay, or bi, or something else. Some are ace.”

“But I’m gay,” Alec says.

It dawns on Magnus then. Of course, in the homophobic environment Alec grew up in, he would have defined a large part of his identity through his gayness, even before he was fully aware of it. Now that he’s come out, there are likely people at the Institute or even the Clave who only think of him as “the gay one”. Or “the gay one who is shagging a Downworlder,” probably, but Magnus doesn’t want to open that particular can of worms tonight.

“It doesn’t make you any less gay,” he says. “You can be asexual and homoromantic. Or gray-asexual or demisexual and still sexually attracted to men.”

“I think I’m attracted to you,” Alec says quietly. “I mean, sexually. I know I want to kiss you and date you, but I think I also want to have sex with you.” He’s red as a brick wall by the end of his sentence, but he bravely plows through, his voice even quieter. “I don’t think I was sexually attracted to Jace.”

Magnus nods as neutrally as he can. “And other people?”

Alec just shakes his head.

“Even romantically?”

He shakes his head again, his cheeks even redder. He’s started stimming again, so fast that his hands are a blur.

Magnus refrains from telling him that he feels giddy about being so special for Alec, because this isn’t something Alec chose. He doesn’t try to touch him, even though he wants to reach out. “So you’ve only been romantically attracted to people you already knew?”

“I don’t know,” Alec shrugs. “I didn’t really know you?”

“When did you start feeling attraction for me?”

Alec bites his lip, thinking. “I liked that you paid attention to me. No one gives me a second look, usually, unless I’m giving out orders. Jace and Izzy are easier to...approach, I guess. But I didn’t feel like...like you said, losing my breath and all that, until later. The day you said that, actually.”

“So you did know me by then,” Magnus says, trying to keep his voice neutral.

“Were you attracted to me from the beginning?” Alec asks hesitantly, like he’s not sure he wants to know the answer.

“Yes,” Magnus admits easily. “But attraction isn’t something you have to act on. I liked what I saw as soon as I laid eyes on you, but then I learned to appreciate you. Your personality, your sense of humor, your loyalty to your siblings. That’s not just attraction. That’s falling in love.”

“And asexuals can do that?”

“Some of them can, some of them can’t. Some want to and some don’t. There’s no one-size-fits-all with this.”

“So what am I?”

Magnus takes a breath, trying to figure out what Alec really needs to hear. Does he need a label? Or just reassurance? He decides to go for the option that feels the least patronizing and tries to answer his actual question. “You can correct me if I’m wrong, but I think that what you’re describing is demisexuality, and maybe also demi-romanticism. It means you need to know someone, to have an emotional connection to them, before you feel attraction. But you could also say that you’re gray-ace and gray-romantic, since you don’t experience attraction often or in the same way as most people, but you do have some attraction.”

Alec nods throughout, his eyes boring a hole into the TV he’s staring at with intense focus. Magnus can even see him mouth some of the words, trying them out. “I think that sounds right,” he says slowly. “I don’t know, I need to think about it more, but it’s a start.”

“You don’t need to settle on a label tonight,” Magnus tells him.

Alec swallows. “No, I know, but...you deserve to know. Even if you’re amazingly tolerant, you deserve to know what you’re getting into.”

Magnus closes his eyes briefly. “No, Alexander,” he says, pained. “Your identities are yours and yours alone, and you don’t need to put words on them for me. I’m not being tolerant; I love you for who you are, and anyone who can’t accept you, all of you, doesn’t deserve the time of the day. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”

Alec breathes out through his nose and stills his hands for long enough to look in Magnus’ direction. “Okay,” he murmurs with a tiny smile. He reaches out and takes Magnus’ hand in his. “I love you too.”

3.

“Mister Bane, please refrain from interrupting me in the future.”

Magnus sighs. The meeting has been going on forever, and the President of the Spiral Council, a warlock older than himself but disliked by nearly the entire community, is being downright insulting by refusing to call him by his rightful title of High Warlock. He feels the usual prickle of his skin at the address, at the way she insists on the Mister.

“My apologies,” he relents, all energy to argue drained out of him. He’s been fighting her on this matter — a change in the interrogation protocols for the warlocks captured by Valentine, ultimately a waste of resources — for three hours, and he’s done. He glares at the assembled warlocks around the table, who all agree with him but don’t have the guts to speak up. Why does he always have to do all the work?

He sits through the rest of the meeting without saying a word, resolutely ignoring the constant taunts from the President. She’s not worth his time. Not if no one will back him up.

Magnus is tired and more than a little upset when he makes it back to his loft. Minor inconveniences are piling up to make today one of the worst days of work he’s had in awhile. At least Alec will be here tonight, on his night off from patrol.

Magnus magically summons the few bills that have been left in his mundane mailbox downstairs at the same time as he takes off his jacket and haphazardly throws it on the floor of his bedroom. His heart constricts a little more at the sight of the address, Mister Magnus Bane. He doesn’t want to deal with this today, but he can’t seem to escape it.

He banishes the bills and changes his outfit to a silk robe with a snap of his fingers. There, better. At least now he’s comfortable.

Sighing, he sits down at his makeup console. He looks at himself critically for a moment. He went overboard with the makeup this morning, and the heavy, dark eyeshadow that he thought made him look mysterious now just seems to carve in his eye sockets, and he looks gaunt instead. He makes it disappear, leaving only the light eyeliner lines.

He woke up with a strong need to shave off his goatee, along with most of the hair on his body. He goes through one of these phases every now and then. He would usually do it straight away, but this time, he hesitated. What will Alec think, if he comes over tonight and finds Magnus smooth-skinned, not only his face but also his chest and legs?

Sure, Magnus could technically magic back the hair as soon as Alec gets here, but it doesn’t feel right.

“Everything okay?”

Magnus starts and almost falls off of his chair in surprise. Alec is standing at the door of his bedroom, in his socks. In his distraction, Magnus somehow missed him passing his wards, coming through the front door and removing his shoes.

“Fine,” he says. “Just a frustrating day. But you’re here now.”

Alec smiles. “I am. We can just chill out in bed, if you’re tired.”

“What about dinner?”

“I could do dinner in bed,” Alec shrugs. “I’ve been on my feet all day and most of last night. If I had my way, I wouldn’t move from bed for at least two days.”

“I could arrange that,” Magnus quips. He knows Alec would never go for it — for all that he says that, he’ll still be up at six on the dot tomorrow and unable to go back to bed. So Magnus has to take advantage of him while he’s here.

Snapping his fingers, he conjures a tray filled with Chinese food from a take-out place he knows Alec likes. “Dinner in bed it is,” he says.

“See, that’s why you’re my favorite man,” Alec smiles.

Magnus flinches. An actual, full-body flinch. He tries to cover it up by standing up, but Alec immediately spreads his arms to show his harmlessness, hunching over like he’s trying to make himself shorter. “I said something wrong,” he says.

“No, it’s fine, Alexander,” Magnus waves his hand, annoyed at himself.

“Please, Magnus. I can see it. You don’t have to tell me, but it would be better so I don’t do it again.”

“It’s just…” Magnus trails off, hesitating. He’s been putting off coming out to Alec, and he doesn’t know why. Or rather, he does know, but his fears are barely rational. Alec has taken him in stride so far, barely batting an eye, even at Magnus’ more extravagant habits. He had a truly amazing reaction to seeing Magnus’ warlock mark. So why would this be any different?

No, Alec won’t react badly. But if Magnus comes out now, it will become a thing. They’ll have to talk about it, explain, like every time he tells someone, and it will be weird for days. Magnus is tired. Tired of not being able to be who he is without everyone else forcing him into boxes he doesn’t fit in.

He’s tired and he doesn’t want to explain, but he also wants Alec to know. He wants him to know why words that seem perfectly normal and safe to Alec sometimes feel like a knife to Magnus’ back. He wants to be able to make jokes about his gender and have them understood. He wants to wake up next to Alec and know that his partner knows and respects him for who he is, fully.

He takes a deep breath. “I’m not a man. I’m nonbinary.”

Alec doesn’t move. His eyes widen a little, but he doesn’t turn away from Magnus, keeping his gaze somewhere around Magnus’ mouth as usual. Magnus can almost see the wheels turning in his head as he tries to decide what to answer with.

“Okay,” he says slowly. “I don’t...I think I know what the word means, but I don’t know a lot about it. Do you want to tell me what it means to you or do you want me to research it first?” His gaze trails toward the bookshelf Magnus has put together of books on queer theory.

Magnus gapes, because this is so far from any reaction he expected that it didn’t even come to his mind as an option. “I—” he stammers. “I will tell you, but I’m too tired tonight. And maybe you could...read a couple things first? Would that be okay?”

“That’s why I offered,” Alec says, with a relieved smile.

“You’re amazing, Alexander. You know that?”

Alec grins, with that tiny frown that says he wants to refute it but knows Magnus won’t hear of it if he does. He still can’t take a compliment — he can’t, Magnus has come to learn, think of himself positively without remembering every time he’s been put down and belittled by the people who should have lifted him up. Magnus just pats his shoulder. “How about we go to bed? Tomorrow, we can talk.”

Alec nods, and Magnus realizes that he’s looking forward to it, to telling Alec about himself.

*

When Magnus wakes up the next morning, which is their day off — Magnus has adapted his own schedule to match Alec’s whenever possible — Alec isn’t in bed next to him. Magnus finds him in the main room, sitting crossed-legged in an armchair with his laptop on his lap, a full breakfast ready on the table. He’s obviously been up for a while, if he’s had time to prepare all that on top of his morning run and stretching routine.

“Hey,” he gives Magnus a wide smile.

“Did I oversleep?” Magnus asks. He’s definitely less of an early-riser than Alec, who tends to wake up with the sun whenever he hasn’t been on the night shift, but he’s usually awake by the time Alec comes back from his run.

“There’s no such thing on a day off, but I think you were tired,” Alec answers. “I’ve been up for three hours.”

“Oh my,” Magnus murmurs, checking the time with a wave of his hand. To his relief — and amusement — it’s only eight-thirty, definitely not that late by his standards. “What have you done with all this time?”

“Research,” Alec waves to the books on the coffee table in front of him, which Magnus only now notices. They’re from his LGBT+ book collection, and definitely his top choices for learning about gender identities. “I’m learning a lot.”

“Let me shower and we can talk about it,” Magnus decides, his body tensing with excitement and a touch of apprehension.

“Breakfast is ready when you are,” Alec smiles reassuringly.

He’s just serving coffee when Magnus comes out of the shower. Magnus hasn’t bothered to get dressed or do his makeup yet, avoiding his mirrors — which isn’t the easiest feat in his bathroom, which has no less than two full-length mirrors beside the one above the sink — because he’s not sure what he wants to look like today. His goatee still itches on his chin, but he needs to get a feel for Alec’s reaction before he goes ahead and shaves it.

He forbids himself from pulling at his facial hair and grabs his mug of coffee instead, hissing when it nearly burns his hand. “Hey, you okay?” Alec asks, his voice quiet and concerned.

“I’m fine, Alexander,” Magnus makes himself smile. There’s no reason for this to go badly. Last night, even though Alec didn’t know much, was already affirming and relieving.

The concern is always there, especially given the culture Alec comes from, but Magnus has seen Alec fight hard against his own racism and internalized homophobia, and more recently his internalized ableism — and Alec is someone who doesn’t relent until he makes things right. Especially when he’s the one who made mistakes. It’s going to be okay.

“Tell me what you need,” Alec says, meeting his eyes — something he only does when he wants to show Magnus his support, explicitly and deliberately.

“Ask me?” Magnus tries. He hates feeling this vulnerable. “Ask me whatever questions you have, without beating around the bush.” Don’t make it awkward and painful, please.

“Alright, I can do that,” Alec smiles softly, and Magnus melts a little, like every time Alec looks at him like that. He takes a sip of his coffee. “So, I’ve read that there are a lot of different nonbinary identities. Do you use any of those labels for yourself? If you want to tell me.”

Magnus swallows in gratefulness. “I don’t, not really,” he replies. “Most of those labels are very recent, and they don’t really match with how I’ve learned to think about myself. Even nonbinary doesn’t feel exactly right, even if I fit the definition. But I use it because it’s rare for me to feel part of a community, of a group of people who share that with me.”

Alec nods thoughtfully. “I think I can relate with that,” he says. “The community thing, I mean. I’ve never actually thought about my gender, not beyond where it relates to my sexuality, but I guess not needing to think about it is a good sign that I’m cis.”

“Probably,” Magnus shrugs. “Does it feel strange for you? Realizing that you’re not really dating a man?”

Alec takes the time to think about it, though he never completely looks away. “No,” he says finally. “I won’t lie, maybe a few months ago it would have, because...I fought against my own gayness so much that when I finally accepted it, I needed it to be clear-cut. But I don’t feel like that anymore. If I learned something about identities and labels, it’s that they shouldn’t be boxes where you have to cut off parts of yourself to fit inside. I love you. I’m gay. You’re nonbinary. Those don’t have to be mutually exclusive.”

Magnus needs a few long seconds before he remembers how to breathe. “They don’t,” he murmurs when he can finally speak again. Alec isn’t usually eloquent, but he has a knack for finding exactly the right words sometimes. And surprising Magnus, every day.

“Yesterday, you reacted when I called you a man,” Alec says slowly. “I’m probably going to slip up a few times until I get used to it, but can you tell me how you want me to speak of you? What words I should use?”

“Yesterday I was irritated and dysphoric,” Magnus replies. “It usually isn’t a problem. I don’t love those words and I’d prefer to avoid them when it’s just us, but socially, I’ve been taken for a man for so long… I can’t say it doesn’t bother me, but I’m not sure I can really imagine anything else. Sure, I’ve had fun glamouring myself into something more feminine, or cultivating an androgynous style at different times, but I’m still...I’m more comfortable being seen as a man than as a woman. Warlocks are sometimes seen as sexless by mortals, like Seelies, because our customs are so different, and I’ve always played with those perceptions.”

“Your name is masculine, right?”

Magnus shrugs. “Yes and no. It uses the masculine marker in Latin, but Latin was a language with grammatical gender. There are masculine words referencing females, and the other way around. And it’s a dead language, anyway. It was dead before I was born. I don’t think of my name as masculine.”

“Then, that’s what’s important,” Alec says. “What about pronouns?”

“I’ve used many different pronouns in many different languages,” Magnus answers. “I’ve always been partial to languages with no gendered pronouns like Turkish, but I really don’t care. He/him pronouns don’t make me feel bad, and I’m used to them.”

“There are languages with no gendered pronouns?” Alec asks, fascinated.

“A number of them,” Magnus says. “We really need to travel more. But to go back to your question, maybe in a few years or decades, I’ll be more comfortable with the new gender-neutral pronouns in English like they/them, but it takes me a while to get used to new things. So he/him is fine for now.”

“Okay,” Alec nods. “What about...we’ve been calling each other boyfriends. Would you rather I use something else?”

Magnus laughs, relief finally washing over him. He was tenser than he realized, and it makes him feel like jelly, suddenly. “No, Alexander. Hearing you calling me your boyfriend is far too endearing to change that. Please keep doing it.”

Alec’s face illuminates with a wide smile. “My nonbinary boyfriend,” he says playfully. “I know we’ve only barely scratched the surface, but is there something else I should know right now?”

Magnus runs a few things through his head, deciding to keep them for later — he’s very curious, and not all that apprehensive anymore, of what Alec’s reaction to him in feminine lingerie might be — and strokes his chin. “Oh,” comes the illumination. “I really want to shave my face right now. It’s been too long since I last did that.”

“Okay,” Alec says. “That’s a gender thing?”

“Sometimes facial hair feels dysphoric,” Magnus replies. “Like today. Sometimes I just want to look different.”

“I love both looks,” Alec says. “I love all of your looks. I love how I never know what you’re going to go for in the morning.”

Magnus starts eating his pancakes, but he decides that he doesn’t want to wait. He conjures a hand mirror in front of his plate and runs his glowing hand over his chin carefully, leaving smooth skin behind. Alec smiles at him over his coffee mug and Magnus smiles back, glancing at his now hairless face in the mirror. That feels better. Maybe he’ll go ahead and wax his legs and his chest as well.

4.

“Of all the days to be called out on patrol—”

“I know, I’m sorry,” Alec sighs, trying to appease Magnus’ annoyance by squeezing his hand. It’s Sunday, it’s the middle of the day, he wasn’t expecting a call from the Institute at all. “But the nest is in a busy metro tunnel just below the end of the parade. In a few hours, there’s going to be thousands of people down there, and who knows when the demons might try to attack the trains. And they’re bat demons, so they need my bow.”

The curse—and occasional blessing, if Alec is honest with himself—of being the only archer worth his salt in the New York Institute, is that despite now being the official Head, he’s still needed on the patrol roster. Most Institute Heads retire from the field, the administrative and political work being a full time job, but Alec still goes out with his siblings several times a week, and he usually leads the special teams called to handle demon surges.

Today, he curses that necessity with everything he has. Magnus has been excited about their first Pride together for weeks, and Alec was truly happy to do this with him.

“We were supposed to go to the parade,” Magnus sulks.

“I’m really sorry,” Alec repeats. “Maybe if we handle this fast enough, I can join you part-way through? I’ll do my best.”

Magnus looks at him critically. “No. I’m coming with you.”

“I know the parade is important to you—”

“It’s only important if we go together,” Magnus answers. “If I come with you, it will be faster, and then I can portal us into the procession directly, if there’s still time.”

“Alright,” Alec nods.

The team, larger than usual patrols because of the size of the demon nest, is almost ready when Alec and Magnus make it to the ops center. Alec quickly gets his bow and quiver and straps on his thigh holsters, and moves to signal the go ahead.

“Wait,” Magnus holds him up. “If we’re going to do this, we’ll do it in style.”

Alec frowns as he waves his hand, releasing a cloud of blue magic onto the two of them. Alec looks down at himself, his eyes gliding over his outfit before he clocks the changes. The lapel of his leather jacket now holds two prominent flag pins, a rainbow one and one with the black, gray, white and purple of the asexual flag. He sees matching pins, significantly larger, on Magnus’ vest, with his own flags. It’s the first time, as far as Alec knows, that Magnus has outwardly worn his nonbinary identity in the Institute, and he feels a swell of pride at the shine in Magnus’ eyes.

“Look at your arrows, sir,” Underhill’s voice comes from over his shoulder.

Alec twists his head to see the fletching of his arrows, usually red, is now brightly colored. Each fletch bears the colors of a different pride flag.

“So we can defeat the demons with pride,” Magnus smirks when Alec looks back at him.

“I like it,” Alec smiles. The mass of bright colors hurts his eyes a little, but the gazes of his teammates on them aren’t full of judgment but of amusement, and that’s a victory in its own right. He runs a hand over the little pins on his lapel.

“Um, sir?” Underhill asks, clearing his throat.

“Yes?” Alec turns to him, but he realizes that Underhill is looking at Magnus and not at him.

He gestures at the pins Magnus is wearing, and Alec can feel Magnus brace himself for a comment. “Could I, uh, have one too?”

Magnus blinks. “Of course,” he recovers quickly. “Rainbow flag?”

“Yeah,” Underhill nods.

Magnus snaps his fingers, and a pin as large as his own appears on Underhill’s chest.

“Thank you!”

Alec is certain he can see his subordinate’s eyes shine.

“Anyone else?” Magnus asks, full of mirth. A few people grumble, including Jace, until a young Shadowhunter takes a step forward.

“Can I have a trans pin?” she asks, her voice only wavering a little.

Alec feels a swell of pride. Kara is one of the youngest recruits, a sixteen year old who’s mostly kept to herself since she transferred to the Institute last winter, because he was the only Head willing to accept her chosen name and pronouns. Her face is set in stubborn determination as she fields her teammates' stares and stands in front of Magnus. Magnus beams at her. “Here you go, darling,” he snaps his fingers again. Kara looks down at the shiny pastel colored pin in reverence, and flashes him a smile.

“Are we ready to go?” Alec asks. He doesn’t want to break the moment, but they really need to move.

Magnus takes a step back and throws out a portal in front of them. “Let’s go kill some demons,” he says.

Alec grabs an aromantic-themed arrow from his quiver, smiling internally at the pun, and nocks it onto his bow string before stepping through the portal.

5.

Alec does his best to pay attention to what Jia is telling him, but he’s not having the best time of it. He’s had a full glass of champagne already and it’s getting to his head a little, and the ambient noise isn’t helping his concentration — in fact, it’s loud enough that his head is pounding and he’s losing track of what’s going on.

And then, there’s Magnus. Alec keeps stealing concerned glances at him, standing across the room in conversation with an older Shadowhunter from the Prague Institute. It’s been at least ten minutes, and every time Alec looks, Magnus is wearing a new accessory.

Alec knows why Magnus elected for a plain look today, for their very first reception since they moved to Alicante. He wanted to avoid dragging attention to him, knowing that many people in attendance are doubtful toward the new High Warlock of Alicante. Tonight marks Alec’s official nomination as Inquisitor, and he wanted to spare Alec a scene.

Alec is starting to suspect that a scene may be unavoidable, and if the reason is what he suspects, then he will wholeheartedly defend Magnus. It started with earrings. Magnus went for a simple dark suit with almost no jewelry beside his wedding ring, but he’s now sporting a very shiny pair of diamond earrings. And a necklace. And a butterfly hair clip that probably costs more than a year of Alec’s now sizable salary.

And now, lipstick. Very obvious, bright red lipstick.

“I’m so sorry,” Alec turns back to Jia, “but I believe my husband needs my help.”

Even though she’s now his direct superior, he doesn’t wait to be dismissed and he strides through the room, his height and his new status meaning that everyone gets out of his way. Izzy catches his eyes briefly, and Alec signals at her to stand by.

By the time he’s made it to his husband’s side, Magnus’ hair has turned into a vibrant rendition of the nonbinary flag, and that’s not a good sign. Alec steps into his field of vision before putting a hand on his arm.

“Everything okay?” he asks.

“Peachy,” Magnus says through his teeth. “This gentleman right here was just telling me about a very strange sort of demon that possesses young Nephilim men and makes them pretend to be women in order to assault actual women.”

Alec blinks as he takes that in, as well as the poison in Magnus’ tone. He tightens his grip on Magnus’ arm, feeling the stares on them — Magnus’ new hair color is hard to miss.

“Really?” he asks innocently, tilting his head. “I’ve never heard of those demons. I should read up on them, so I can make sure every Institute is fully ready for an invasion. What did you say their classification was, Mr. Svec?”

The man gapes at him. “They’re...uh...I don’t…”

“That’s what I thought,” Alec says icily. “There’s no such thing. You’re Kara’s father, aren’t you?”

“That monster isn’t my son,” Svec spits out.

“No, you’re right. She’s not. She’s your daughter. And she’s absolutely thriving at the New York Institute, by the way. She’s the best fighter in her class. That’s what happens when people accept you for who you are.” Alec deliberately turns his back to the sputtering man and looks at Magnus. “Honey, it’s getting late, we should probably head home,” he says, purposefully speaking louder than he needs to. Magnus is trembling with rage, fighting to rein himself in. “Let me just tell Jia, okay?” he adds in a murmur, just for Magnus.

Magnus closes his eyes and nods. “Get me away from him,” he says.

Alec gently guides him over to Izzy, who immediately takes Magnus’ hand. “Let’s stay out of the crowd,” she says, nodding at Alec that she’ll take care of him.

Alec finds Jia with Aline by the buffet. “I can’t condone this kind of bigotry coming from the Head of an Institute,” he says through his teeth.

“I don’t think he’ll try that twice around you,” Aline chuckles, nodding toward Svec, who is now glaring at them from across the room, clearly ostracized. “He didn’t make any friends tonight.”

“What happened tonight isn’t enough to remove him, but as Inquisitor, you’ll be able to push for someone else to take his place when his contract is up in six months,” Jia says. “I understand your anger, Alec. But we can’t change people in a day.”

Alec remembers, not for the first time since she offered him the job of Inquisitor, that she’s not just the progressivist Consul that the most conservative Nephilim frown at, or the mother of one of his best friends. She’s also the person who once sentenced Clary to death without a second thought. If he wants change, he’ll have to bring it on himself.

He exchanges a look with Aline, thinking of the folder on his new desk, the proposal they might have a chance at getting through now that he’s the Inquisitor. Jia’s right, it won’t be done in a day. But it will happen. Alec will make it happen.

And if at some point in the meantime, he has the opportunity to get rid of a few bigots like Svec, he won’t turn his nose up at it.

“Magnus and I are going home,” he says. “Thank you for tonight.”

“Congratulations on the promotion again,” Jia nods. “I’ll expect you in my office at eight tomorrow.”

“Good night.” Alec has to unclench his fist to shake Jia’s hand, and he realizes just how angry he is. Aline clasps him on the shoulder with an understanding look.

He finds Magnus and Izzy at the door, ready to go. “Can you portal us home?” he asks Magnus as they step outside.

Magnus wordlessly opens a portal and steps through without checking that Alec is following him, a testimony of how unsettled he still is. Alec takes the time to hug Izzy before he goes through. “You were amazing,” she slips him, kissing him on the cheek.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he answers. “Thanks for your help.”

Alec comes behind Magnus and embraces him as soon as he’s out of the portal. Magnus took them straight to their bedroom, but he hasn’t moved since, standing there trembling in rage — or in something else.

“I love you,” Alec murmurs over and over in his ear. “All of you.”

After a minute, the shaking subsides, and Alec feels his own anger drain with it. It leaves him tired and out of sorts, his head still ringing with the noise of the reception. He loosens his hold on Magnus and takes one hand off of him to pull off his tie.

“I’m sorry,” Magnus murmurs. “I really wanted to avoid making a scene.”

Alec moves to face him. “Don’t ever apologize for something a bigot caused. It wasn’t you.”

“I tried to just ignore him, but—”

“He was awful,” Alec finishes. “I know.”

“I don’t know why I let him get to me so much,” Magnus sighs.

Alec guides them both to sit down on the bed.

“You love Kara,” he says. “He was saying horrible things.”

Magnus shakes his head. “I didn’t even know that was her father.”

Alec shrugs. “We all get triggered sometimes. He just pushed the wrong buttons.”

Magnus curls up and buries his hands in his still colored hair. “I usually have better control than that,” he says.

“I think I know what happened,” Alec sighs. “You were feeling insecure because you toned down your whole identity for me, in a place where you don’t feel safe. You were already on edge, and probably dysphoric, am I wrong?”

“No,” Magnus mutters. “I hate slacks.”

“Magnus, I don’t want you to change yourself for me, ever,” Alec says. He puts a hand on Magnus’ shoulder, to make sure that he’s really listening. Magnus looks up at him. “I don’t want you to make yourself smaller or more acceptable because you think it will be better for me.”

“I just—” Magnus sighs. “It was your day.”

“We’re not, ever, going to be normal. Not for the Downworld, and definitely not for the Clave. And I don’t want us to be, Magnus. I’ve spent enough time trying to make myself fit into a mold that didn’t fit me. I don’t ever want you to tone yourself done for them.”

“Okay,” Magnus murmurs, his voice fragile. Alec feels a strong pulse of anger at Svec course through him again, seeing Magnus so vulnerable. Magnus isn’t supposed to be vulnerable. Not about this.

Or maybe he’s more insecure about it than Alec realized.

Alec holds him for a while in silence, feeling Magnus’ need to recoup. “How did you know I was feeling dysphoric?” Magnus asks suddenly, after a few minutes.

“I’m starting to recognize it,” Alec shrugs. “Also, you might want to look at a mirror.”

Before he can realize it, Magnus is out of his embrace, staring at a hastily conjured hand mirror. “Fuck,” he mutters, showing Alec that his suspicion was right. Magnus didn’t realize the way his magic responded to his discomfort.

“Did I just come out to the entire Council because I was angry?”

“Uh,” Alec hesitates. “I doubt that many of them know what the colors mean. They’ll just put it down as one of your...eccentricities. Izzy might know, though.”

“That’s why she kept saying she loved me,” Magnus breathes out, running a hand through his colorful hair.

“Should I be jealous?” Alec raises an eyebrow.

“I don’t know, Alexander. I’ve been thinking of leaving you for Isabelle’s legendary cooking skills.”

Alec makes a face at him, then he reaches out and touches the tip of Magnus’ artfully styled hair where it’s dyed bright yellow. “I like this look on you,” he says. “I mean, I don’t like that you felt so threatened that your magic reacted this way, but I like to see you proud and loud. You’re beautiful.”

Magnus beams at him and relaxes back against Alec’s chest, holding up the mirror to look at the both of them, Alec straight-backed in his serious black suit and Magnus boneless against him, a flurry of colors. Alec wonders, often — especially on days like today — if they could make a more disparate couple, at least in the eyes of the world.

And yet the ways in which they fit together outweigh their differences, every day.

+1.

“I asked you here because I want to show you something,” Alec says when Magnus walks into his office on a Friday afternoon, holding his phone in his hand and looking confused.

Magnus stills at his seriousness. “Is something wrong?”

“No, not at all. The opposite, actually. But it’s important to me, and I thought you’d want to see it.”

Alec takes a thin blue folder from his desk and hands it over to Magnus, a small smile on his lips. Magnus opens it with a frown.

“What is this?” he asks.

“The ruling from the latest Council meeting,” Alec answers. “It came in just this afternoon.”

“The one they asked you to testify in?”

Alec confirms with a nod. He didn’t tell Magnus exactly why he needed to talk at the Council assembly, but it’s a common enough occurrence that Magnus didn’t think much of it. To Alec, though, it was a moment he’s waited for for a long time.

He watches Magnus skim the first lines of the ruling, his eyebrows shooting up. “Is that what I think it is?” Magnus asks, glancing up at him.

Alec’s fingers find his wedding ring and start spinning it. “Depends what you’re thinking,” he shrugs, trying to look unconcerned. He probably shouldn’t be anxious about Magnus’ reaction, but he is. “It’s the first part of a set of amendments to Clave law that I’ve been pushing for since before I was named Inquisitor. Aline and I presented them to the Council last month, and they’ve just been voted.”

“You and Aline,” Magnus says pensively. “‘Amendments concerning the inclusion of members of the LGBTQUIA+ community,’” he reads out loud. “You did this?”

“Full marriage equality regardless of gender, including for mixed-species couples,” Alec recites. “Automatic acceptance of name and gender change requests if related to transition. Recognition of the existence of genders outside the binary.”

Magnus gasps in surprise. Alec nods to confirm the truth of it. It’s one of the things the Council fought back the most on, and he pushed hard to get it to pass. It goes beyond even mundane progress in every country he’s looked up, but it was too important to let go.

“Anti-discrimination policies,” he continues. “And this one might affect us directly someday: equal rights to adoption and the use of surrogates.”

Magnus’ eyes light up briefly, though he doesn’t immediately comment. Alec wrings his hands and rambles on nervously. “We didn’t manage to get the legalization of polyamorous marriages, but we’ll keep working on it. We’re preparing a second proposal on Downworlder inclusion, but that one will probably make amendments to the Accords necessary, and that will take a lot more time.”

“Alexander,” Magnus says in a low voice. Alec almost keeps going, too nervous to stop, but there’s something almost dangerous in Magnus’ gaze.

“Yes?”

“You did all this?”

“Not on my own,” Alec shakes his head. “Aline wrote up most of the proposal, and we got as many queer Shadowhunters to come testify as possible. There aren’t a lot of trans Nephilim who are out, but it was important, especially since most of the people on the Council have little knowledge of these issues. Aline being Jia’s daughter probably helped a lot, and our wedding made a lot of noise around here.”

“No,” Magnus catches his wrist. “You did all this and you didn’t tell me anything? Not once?”

Alec deflates. “I, uh… I wasn’t sure it would go anywhere at first, and I know Clave politics can be a touchy subject for you. And then when we finally got the hearing, I kind of wanted to keep it a surprise? I didn’t want you to be disappointed if it didn’t work.”

He doesn’t understand Magnus’ reaction, or rather his lack of reaction. He’s been absurdly happy ever since Aline came by his office earlier this afternoon to bring him the ruling, and he thought Magnus would share his mood once he found out. But he seems pensive instead, like this doesn’t interest him all that much.

“What about you, Alexander?” he asks. “What if it hadn’t worked?”

“We would have kept trying,” Alec shrugs. “Like the last four times we submitted the proposal.”

Magnus blinks. “Four times?”

“The first time, it didn’t even make it past Jia’s office. She’s supportive, but it was shortly after she was elected, and she couldn’t afford the waves it would make when there were still so many Circle supporters around.” Alec consciously stops himself from talking and stills his hands, clasping them behind his back. “Magnus—”

“Yes?” Magnus prompts him.

“Are you angry I didn’t tell you?”

Magnus’ eyes widen in surprise. “No, Alexander, of course not. I’m just—overwhelmed, I suppose. I’m sorry I made you think that.”

“Then what is it? I thought you’d like it.”

Magnus looks away, biting his lip. “I do,” he says. “I—what you’ve accomplished is incredible. It’s going to change—everything—for some people, and that’s amazing. And I know that you didn’t do it for me, but—”

“You’ll be able to get the gender mentioned on your Idris ID changed or removed,” Alec finishes for him. “And anything else you want. I did do it for you, Magnus. Not just you, but for you, too.”

“I’m not a Shadowhunter,” Magnus says.

“You live here, now. This will apply to every Downworlder in Idris, too.”

Magnus works his jaw. “I’m having a hard time processing it,” he admits. “It’s been so long that—to be able to have my whole identity recognized, in Idris of all places—it’s almost impossible to believe.”

Alec’s tension relaxes almost on its own. “You can take your time,” he smiles. “It will still be here tomorrow, and the day after. Are you...mad that I didn’t include you in the process?”

“Why didn’t you?” Magnus frowns.

“I figured you had other things on your mind, with all the work you’re doing to get more Downworlders to move here. And it felt like...like something we should achieve on our own, somehow? I don’t know if that makes sense. Aline and I discussed asking you for advice several times, but we felt like it should be our project.”

“It does make sense,” Magnus nods. “This isn’t just about changing the law. You’re trying to change the culture, your culture, and I’ll never be a part of that. I understand.”

“I don’t want you to feel excluded,” Alec says immediately.

“I don’t. I’m amazed at what you’ve achieved. And if the next step is a rewrite of the Accords, then I’ll back you every step of the way, and push for those changes in the Downworld communities too.” He reaches out to stroke Alec’s cheek tenderly. “I love you, Alexander. You still surprise me every day, and I love you so much for it.”

Alec feels his heart speed up at the declaration, a wave of warmth and love coursing through him, reaching for Magnus. He opens his arms, and Magnus comes to nestle his face in Alec’s neck, hugging him tightly. “I love you too,” Alec says. “It would mean everything to me if we can take this next step in tandem. Change the world together.”

Magnus moves to beam up at him. “You’re incredible, Alexander. You know that?”

“You keep telling me,” Alec smiles, leaning in to kiss him.

As they pull apart again, he can’t help admiring the way the light hits Magnus’ face just right, highlighting the golden sparkles in his blue eyeshadow. Magnus has made it a point to wear warlock blue everyday since they moved to Alicante, but today it’s subdued, down to just his makeup and a discreet sapphire bracelet. He tilts his head, and the light makes his eyes glow.

“When you said the amendment about adoption could affect us, did you mean it?” he asks.

Alec bites his lip. “I know we’ve only talked about children in a very abstract way, but—is that something you’d want?” he asks in a smaller voice than he’d like.

“I’ve never truly wanted it before I met you, but yes, I think I would,” Magnus answers, looking a little awestruck by his own realization.

“It’s not something we need to commit to right now,” Alec reassures him. “But now, if we want to, the Clave will fully recognize any child we adopt as ours, and as a legal resident of Idris.”

“All thanks to you,” Magnus murmurs, tears in his eyes. “Yes, Alexander, I want children with you.”

“Then we’ll start thinking about that,” Alec says with a wide smile. “For now, let’s go home and celebrate properly.”

Magnus laughs wetly and twists his hand to make a portal. “After you,” he says.

Alec grabs his hand and pulls them through together.