#also the whole will thing.... alec deserved an explanation for that especially

[helenofblackthorns]

kinda bothers me that so many people misinterpreted Malec break up era as Alec being biphobic (therefore the books are Bad). does Alec does say things to Magnus that are biphobic? yes. but i feel like it's very obvious that he's not saying them because Magnus has dated many people of both genders in the past but because he outright refuses to tell him anything about them. like Magnus won't even tell him how old he is, he just brushes him off & makes jokes about it. and that would make anyone a bit of an asshole I fear

[kinkymagnus]

how about... twi magnus getting ravished and loved on by twi alec and canon alec

🥺🥺ok im partnering this with the other ask so let’s start here. first of all i’m going to bullshit how twi and canon malec met given canonical dimension travel involves jumping into their bodies or whatever, and also why would they, and also i think twiverse was closed off afterwards. but either way, like, let’s just. go with it. also no explanation for how them all meeting lead to them all deciding to fuck but again, whatever, let’s roll with it

(also random but i’m kind of picturing best of both worlds, twi magnus still is clean shaven, canon magnus has the goatee, they’re both gorgeous. also i just can’t picture twi magnus with the goatee somehow) 

ok so we’ll get to canon magnus but for now: twi magnus gets the living daylight ravished out of him 

maybe they take turns, or canon magnus is.......watching? like, this is sort of a weird “watching porn of yourself” vibe (which can be hot, like mirror sex) except... live? and like he’s just casually sipping a martini and twi magnus is like. ok? esp if--ok i have no idea where this is coming from but canon magnus doing his whole “dom vibes, casually lounging around” and twi malec are just like is alternate magnus a dom??? weird. but then they get to canon magnus’s turn and you know he gets wrecked lmao. or fuck, idk, he’s just off sipping tea in the other room reading a book lmao idk. i’m really not into selfcest but i feel like watching isn’t that weird in this context? but honestly idk so i’m just not gonna mention where canon magnus is from now on lmao anyway.

so twi magnus! getting ravished! by two alecs! with enthusiastic consent from all parties! 

first of all both alecs want to take care of him. they of course would talk about what’s okay (and learning differences between their kinks like twi magnus being more into praise than humiliation, that kind of thing) so like. kind of picturing twi magnus being blindfolded and it’s just big gentle hands all over, and like idk im picturing him kind of leaning back against twi alec, who’s like gently kissing his neck and palming his tits, and canon alec is between his legs kissing his thighs and getting ready to eat him out until hes crying while twi alec holds him still

and so much praise, like all this gentle touch and affection but like they’re both just telling him he’s beautiful and perfect and doing so well? you know? and it’s great 

do they have fun like, taking turns having magnus suck them off, (possibly while the other one teases him or just strokes his hair?) and that kind of thing? absolutely. twi magnus kind of purposefully overdoing the “shy” thing would be cute like he’s clearly teasing them with the “innocent” act and he looks so pretty with his lips wrapped around alec’s cock (both twi alec’s and canon’s alecs, which is a little weird at first but they both enjoy it a lot u kno wink wink) and on his knees 😩

(i’m kinda feeling saving the kinkiest shit for canon magnus, but like, also while i do think he’s less into humiliation kink and exhibitionism kinds of things, he’s still a kinky bastard, so like, he deserves more kinky things!! also the idea of canon magnus, clearly confident and sexy, getting soft sex, and twi magnus, soft and cute, getting kinky shit, is very funny. but also humiliation kink and also like, i still like the idea twi malec, particularly alec, has mostly seen canon magnus all put together and confident and then they get to see alec reduce him to a shivering mewling wreck 🥰 especially with like twi magnus sort of being like “wow this other version of me seems so confident and sexy and put together, he even kind of has dom energy, have i really changed that much? could i have been like... that? and then they see magnus a whining desperate little slut and he’s like ah yes i have not changed that much--that’s mostly a joke btw, although i can see twi magnus sort of having that view and then they talk more and they realize well they are more similar than they thought--obviously as they’re the same person, but you know. anyway im giving them both a mix of kinky and soft as they deserve) 

god twi magnus offhandedly suggests something really kinky like just really filthy and canon alec blinks like. huh and twi alecs like (completely unfazed) aw of course babe i’d love to :) 

canon alec, gently in his ear while massaging his tits and teasing his nipples lightly: hey sweetheart is there anything you’d like us to do to you?

twi magnus, breathless and already kinda fucked out and feeling safe enough it just slips out: mm what if u tied me up and took turns fucking me without letting me come and put me in a collar and maybe gave me a few creampies until i was begging for you to let me come? i could call you sir and beg you to touch my clit and my tits 🥺 maybe you could come on me so i look like a filthy little cumslut 🥺 and then you could both fuck me at the same time maybe until i squirt on your cocks? 🥺

canon alec: i

twi alec, unfazed: god ur such a genius sweetheart i love it 

canon alec: ,,yes

but like twi magnus on his knees being a good little sub, and like--another difference between him and canon magnus is while he does like to suppress his noise level (oh boy do both alecs have fun trying to fuck loud noises out of him, fuck all the hesitation right out of him until he’s shamelessly mewling and whining and begging) and like, maybe tease a little, he melts the second alec gets a little firm, while canon magnus likes to be bratty and tease him into it. so canon alec is kinda like, oh wow he melted fast but also it’s fun teasing the noise out of him (canon magnus does kind of do that but not to the same extent) and getting him to enjoy himself

so like twi magnus on his knees, servicing them like a good boy, and then obediently putting himself in the position for them to fuck him and ravish him, and canon alec might like have ideas twi alec hadn’t thought of yet (and vice versa) 

plus the image of twi magnus collapsed on the bed, all shivery and relaxed with pleasure after he’s been ravished and fucked to incoherence by two alecs (and oh boy did he get loud at the end, very very loud, louder than usual, and it was beautiful) and he’s just like.... cum dripping from his pussy, his thighs are a mess, he’s covered in hickeys, he looks an absolute wreck like just... a beautiful messy little slut, and you know im a slut for those like ‘before/after’ comparisons to show how WRECKED he is so like at the beginning he was all aw look cute modest nerd and now hes a wrecked slut leaking cum and panting and begging for more :’)

and you know if twi alec slips into his sloppy cunt to fuck him one last time, kissing him and murmuring praise, just gentle slow sex, giving him one last good fuck and kissing him sweetly and telling him he did so good while magnus just lets out incoherent little whiny moans and gasps as he just enjoys the ride, well.... that’s deeply valid of him, and canon alec is busy kissing canon magnus anyway and being like “oh babe can’t wait to see you look like that” and canon magnus makes a joke that he just did technically and canon alec���s like we should really have codenames 

ok time for the final twi/canon magnus crossover ask lmao dlfkgjdfg

[melynen]

You Bet - Bill Tanner/Alec Trevelyan

Written for the Trope prompt table’s prompt ‘Betting pool’.

For once, the betting pool wasn’t about James or Q or their relationship.

Alec had stumbled upon it completely by accident, when he’d hacked into R’s work laptop in search of something else entirely — namely, information about a particular gadget he’d heard James mention the last time they’d been at the pub celebrating yet another successful mission. James had waxed poetic about it and how Q had allowed him to test it out at the labs, so of course Alec got curious.

Perhaps he also lamented the fact that he hadn’t thought to nab himself a Q Brancher when he’d had the chance, if those were the perks, but that was neither here nor there now that he was taken and happily so.

Of course, not everybody knew about his and Bill’s relationship; M knew and by extension Eve did too, and he’d naturally told James who’d shared it with Q, but that was it. And it wasn’t like they were keeping it a secret, either, it was just that Bill wanted to keep private matters private and Alec respected that.

Alec had managed to lure his more reticent boyfriend into a few empty rooms in Six for a bit of snogging here and there, though, so he considered it a fair deal.

Still, the betting pool made no mention of Bill. None at all.

It had everything to do with him, however. It seemed that someone had heard him say that he was in a relationship, but not with whom, and the whole thing was centered around the identity of his mysterious partner. Bond and Q taking him along into their relationship was currently the option in the lead, but Eve, several other field agents, some people from Accounting and Medical, and even M had their names connected to his.

Alec was both extremely amused over the assumption that Bond and Q would want anyone else to join their relationship, and a tiny bit hurt over no one thinking that Bill might find him attractive enough to date.

Bill himself would probably find it all perfectly hilarious, though. Alec was going to tell him during their date in the evening, in any case. Perhaps they’d find some more amusement in it together.

*

Alec knocked on Bill’s door at precisely 7 pm. Bill let him in almost immediately, which told him that his lover had been expecting him.

“Miss me?” He grinned and, without so much as removing his jacket, pulled the man into his arms and kissed him on the lips.

“Apparently not as much as you did,” Bill said dryly when they drew away for Alec to finally lose the jacket, though there was enough of a sparkle in his eyes to tell Alec that he hardly meant it.

Alec shrugged and picked up the bottle of white wine he’d brought along then offered it to Bill. “I was bored,” he said by way of an explanation.

Bill snorted. “I’m sure. Weren’t you sparring with Bond for most of the afternoon?”

“Man can win, or lose although that’s just another way of looking at the same thing, only so many times in a row,” Alec said loftily.

“And you didn’t think to finish up your paperwork with all that time you had to kill?”

Alec, who was following Bill to the dining room and was therefore behind him, felt it safe to roll his eyes. “Of course not.”

Bill’s, “Don’t think I didn’t see that,” quickly disabused him of that particular notion, however.

People never really gave Bill enough credit. They’d see him and think that he was just another polite, soft-spoken bureaucrat, but Alec knew the truth. He knew that Bill had a core of pure steel, and that he was witty and intelligent and that he genuinely cared about other people. Knowing that only made him appreciate the man more.

Besides, not just about anyone could hold their own with a double-oh agent, and Bill was among those few that could.

They reached the dining room, a light and spacious room with a large table perfect for both dinner parties and smaller, more intimate get-togethers, and Alec could see that Bill had everything ready and waiting for them. The only thing that was missing was the bottle of wine, which Bill deposited into a bucket of ice, and they themselves.

Bill always insisted that whenever he cooked for them, they’d dine together properly in the dining room, complete with wine and dessert and all the works. Alec found it sweet, so he never said no when his boyfriend suggested that he come around for dinner.

Today’s menu was on the simpler side, a baguette with an olive tapenade followed by a fettuccine Alfredo as the main course and chocolate mousse for dessert, as Bill had had a long day at the office and hadn’t had too much time to prepare. To Alec, who really didn’t like cooking at all, it all sounded perfectly heavenly.

“It smells so good,” he said as he took his seat at the table. “I can’t wait to eat it… and you, afterwards.” He followed the words with an exaggerated leer and a wink as well, and was silenced by a glare that had more fondness in it than any other emotion.

“Just be quiet and eat your food, you menace,” Bill said as he opened the wine bottle and poured them a glass, though he didn’t sound like he was all too serious with his words.

Alec chuckled but did what he was told, and enjoyed each bite immensely.

“Thank you, it was delicious,” he said once they’d both finished eating and he was helping Bill clear out the table. “I honestly have no idea how you do it each and every time.”

Bill shrugged, looking quietly pleased. “I love cooking.” He paused, smiled, and pressed a tiny, gentle kiss on Alec’s cheek. “And I especially love cooking for you.”

After, they retired to the living room to relax and have some more wine. Alec wrapped his arm around Bill’s shoulder and took a sip of wine while his boyfriend made himself comfortable next to him.

“I found something interesting today when I hacked R’s laptop,” he said after a few moments of silence.

“What did I tell you about hacking R’s laptop?” Bill asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Not to do it,” Alec replied dutifully. “But Q’s is too well protected and I couldn’t be sure which minion had the information I needed.”

Bill snorted. “Not to mention that Bond would kick your arse if you tried.”

“Hey now,” Alec protested. “I’ll have you know that I won all our sparring matches today.”

“I was under the impression that you lost them,” Bill said innocently. “Since winning and losing are the same thing and all.”

Alec poked him on the side with his elbow. But lightly, as he didn’t want to hurt him, simply make a point. “Either way,” he said, eager to share his news. “I found a betting pool centered around yours truly.”

“Oh?” Bill said, sounding only mildly curious. “Do tell?”

So Alec did. He explained what it was all about, and also went through the people that were being guessed as his secret lover.

“None of them mentioned you,” he added, still a little affronted for his boyfriend.

Bill shrugged. ”Honestly, I’m not that surprised. When people were betting for Q’s secret lover, nobody suggested me then either.”

“People are idiots,” Alec said.

“Let’s not go quite that far, perhaps,” Bill said, and then a slow smile spread over his face. “We could have some fun with it though. Make an anonymous bet and win a lot of money. And in addition, I could even go and bet on someone really unrealistic. Like Eve. Or M.”

Alec felt himself start to grin. “I like the sound of that.” It was things like these that made him love his boyfriend more.

“We’ll donate the money to charity afterwards, of course,” Bill continued, matter-of-fact.

And that, too.

“That’s settled then,” Alec said, nodding. They deserved to lose their money for ignoring his Bill like that, and the money would go for good cause.

Alec did so love killing two birds with one stone.

[fraybaness]

such sweet sorrow

ao3

before she leaves, clary writes eight letters.

I. JACE

Dear Jace,

By the time you read this letter, my memories of you and the Shadow World will be gone.

It was the price the angels made me pay for the runes I’ve created.

It seems strange - and a bit cruel - that after everything you and I have been together, this is how we end. With me a mundane again and you reading a letter stained with tears I won’t remember crying.

But I have no regrets. These have been some of the best times of my life because of the people I was lucky enough to share them with. Because of you. You  were right to think I loved you unconditionally. I do. And I always will. No angel or demon could ever change that.

And even if I don’t remember you, you will always be in my heart.

Love,

Clary

II. SIMON

Dear Simon,

This is really hard to say. I think it’s especially hard to say it to you, but I owe you an explanation. Well, I owe you much more than that, but this is all I can give you for now: when I created that rune today, to stop Jonathan, I made Raziel angry. So by the time you read this, I’m not going to know you’re a daylighter. I’m going to think you’re dead.

The hardest thing to come to terms with these past few hours has been the fact that I will never see you again. I can’t imagine my world without you, Simon Lewis. That can’t possibly be real. Life without you is just a horrible nightmare. But I’m going to have to face that nightmare soon, and I won’t be able to wake up. I’m just sorry that you’re going to lose a friend, too.

Please don’t do anything stupid like come looking for me or try to change this. You can’t change this. I’ve made my choice and I would make it again. Because this sucks. This really fucking sucks and I don’t think I’ve been in this much pain since my mom died but at least this time there is a point to all this pain: I saved people. I saved you. I’d give up anything to keep you safe. I wish I didn’t have to break your heart to do it, but I can’t change that, either.

I love you. I’m going to miss you. I wish we had more time.

Love,

Your Clary, always

III. ISABELLE

Dearest Isabelle,

I scrapped so many drafts of this letter. I don’t know where to begin in telling you what you mean to me. Asking you to be my parabatai was supposed to be my way of telling you how much I love you and how you make me better. A better Shadowhunter, a better friend, a better person overall.

But that’s no longer a possibility, seeing as by the end of the night, I won’t remember you or this life. Apparently Raziel doesn’t approve of my rune mixing angel and demon blood.

I know. I want to be angry too. But I killed my brother this morning and my runes are already disappearing. There isn’t a lot of fight left in me.

Give ‘em hell on my behalf, won’t you?

I should end this letter now, before I go off on tangent after tangent and run out of time and realize I haven’t written to anyone else. But before I do, I just want to thank you for being the kindest, strongest, most amazing woman in the world. I’m very sorry that I will never get to call you my parabatai, but I know that in some way, our souls are already bound together.

Love,

Clary

IV. MAGNUS

Dear Magnus,

A part of me wanted to write this letter and give it to you before anyone else’s. Before anything became permanent. I wanted you to run after and me and tell me that we can fix this, you and me. Point out a loophole, help me come up with a solution, help me do something. But there is nothing either of us can do this time around. Which is why I really hope you didn’t find this until after your honeymoon.

At times, I think you know me better than I know myself, so I doubt there is anything I can say that you don’t already know. But let me just say: thank you. For everything. I couldn’t have done any of it without you.

With love,

Biscuit

 V. ALEC

Dear Alec,

If a couple months ago someone told me that I would be tearfully writing a goodbye letter to Alec Lightwood of all people on his wedding day, I would’ve laughed in their face. But that’s exactly what I’m doing right now, so I guess you were right: nothing in this world is impossible.

All jokes aside, I’m proud of how far we’ve come, both in our weird relationship and as individuals. During my time in the Shadow World, I’ve managed to build a whole new family, and you’re undoubtedly a part of that. You’ve been more like a big brother to me than my own could ever be.

I hope you and Magnus live a long and happy life together (by the way, congratulations! I can't think of a more perfect couple.) and I hope you don’t miss me driving you crazy too much. And I really hope I don’t forget the things I’ve learned from you all.

Love,

Clary

VI. MAIA

Dear Maia,

It seemed plain wrong to write to everyone but you. Truthfully, I don’t even know if you still kinda-sorta like me, or if Luke leaving the pack and you and Simon breaking up means you and I can’t be on good terms anymore. But I hope that’s not the case, because I really like you, and I don’t want you to think I’m an idiot for writing a heartfelt farewell letter to someone who hates my guts.

On the off-chance that you do, in fact, still like me, here is my heartfelt farewell letter:

I don’t know if the others told you, or if you even want to hear, but tonight is my last night in the Shadow World. By tomorrow, I won’t remember any of this, and I won’t remember any of you.

I wish you were going to be at Magnus and Alec’s wedding so we could use some of my borrowed time to get to know each other. I know it sounds like a waste, because I’m going to forget anyway, but I don’t see it that way. I mean, isn’t everyone living on borrowed time in one way or another? I wish I could use mine to do everything I’ve been putting off and get to know everyone I haven’t had a chance to.

Sorry, I’m probably being a little weird and depressing. I initially started writing this to tell you that I wish we’d hung out more, yes, but mostly to say I heard you were alpha now, and that’s how I know the New York pack is going to be just fine, and I’m more than a little disappointed that I won’t be around to see just how amazing you’re going to be.

(Also, Simon’s an idiot for letting you go.)

Sincerely (hoping this wasn’t too weird),

Clary

VII. MARYSE

Dear Maryse,

I’ve recounted this in too many letters tonight, and every time I bring it up or think about it my heart hurts, but here goes: tonight, Raziel is going to take my memories and my powers. I’m going to just be Clary Fray again, and I’m not even going to know what I’ve lost.

But that’s not why I’m writing to you. I’m writing to ask you to give Luke's letter to him when he gets back, and to  say that I’m happy you’re in Luke’s life, and that you were in my life, however briefly. I’ll admit I didn’t like you very much when we first met, but seeing how much you’ve changed and how much Izzy and Alec and Jace and Luke and Magnus love you has certainly changed that. I wish the two of us had the chance to get to know each other, too.

Especially because right now, I could really use a mom.

-Clary

VIII. LUKE

Dad,

I’m sure the others have already told you what’s happened, so I won’t waste ink and precious time going into details. I’ll just say what I need to say. The important things. Which are these: I love you more than I could possibly ever say, I want you to be happy, and you should grow your beard back.

And this: I don’t know what’s going to happen now.

It’s only to you that I can admit just how scared I am, just how badly I wish this wasn’t happening. I don’t want to break your heart any more than I already have but I don’t think I could have said (or written) this to anyone else. And I needed to say it to someone. I'm no stranger to going blindly into dark, dangerous adventures, but I still hate doing it alone.

Selfishly, I hope to see you again. I don’t know if I will even remember you in a few hours (I don’t see how I could ever forget you, but the angels have their ways, I suppose), but I can’t imagine a life without you. You have always kept me grounded in this crazy, messed-up life every day since before I can remember, and even if I’m a whole different person tomorrow, that won’t change, and neither will my love for you.

But, anyways, I didn’t mean to make this letter so depressing. All I want to say is that I love you, and I’m going to be okay, somehow, so please just live your best life and be happy, because you deserve it.

And maybe be a little proud of me? I’m trying very hard not to let anyone down today.

Love,

Clary

 IX. UNWRITTEN

Dear Clary,

You’re going to be okay.

[annathecupcake]

Some spoilery opinions on QOAAD

- First things first I need to talk about the one thing that's been bothering me all along. Yes, you guessed right, it's the parabatai curse. LM and LoS raised my anxiety level on this issue so high I didn't even know how to handle it. I honestly couldn't imagine how Cassie brings Emma and Julian together without stripping their marks. Imagine my little disappointment when things turned out the way they did. I mean, I LOVE Jules and Emma and I am happy that they can be together at last, but... you know, I feel like there should have been more explanation done on the issue of the curse. Like why did their love conquer it all, but in all those years married couples weren't able to overcome the curse. It just seems a little unrealistic to me. And why did their runes just disappear? I would've expected a little more information on that one.

But ok, I love them and I'm happy for them and I will come around.. eventually.

Also I kind of missed the tension between Jules and Emma that was present in LM and LoS. Mainly because of the "no feelings" spell on Julian, but I would have expected more feelings from Emma. More hurt about the situation.

- The whole Alicante thing confuses me so much. Like... why? Why would the cohort lock themselves up in Alicante? They can't fight demons like this which makes them no true shadowhunters. It's kind of stupid and I hope there will be more explaining in The Wicked Powers.

- Kierarktina... wow. Never would have thought they would be end game. I've never read anything quite like this before and don't know what I'm feeling and if I like it. But I think I do. I enjoyed this love triangle a lot and am probably just too shocked right now to know my feelings.

- Ty and Kit. The fairy blood thing with Kit still confuses me a little. I can't believe Livvy's ghost is tied to Ty. My sweet precious Ty. I somehow wish she'd just rest in peace and he would move on with the help of Kit by his side. The tragic ending of Kitty is something I am so sad about. How dare you Cassandra? My heart is broken.

- I somehow didn't care as much about Helen and Aline in this book as I did in the others. They were boring me.

- Dru. Through the first half of the book I was confused why Dru never really appeared much in the book, she's an interesting character and I like her a lot. So I was pleased to see more of her in the second half because I feel like people don't give her enough credit. She's smart and brave and deserves more. ALSO I SHIP HER WITH ASH HARDCORE. And with Jaime, a little bit😄

- I wish we would have more story to Ash, because his appearances were very brief and not so important. Till the last page I wondered what happened to him.

- Thule. I actually enjoyed the alternate universe twist very much. It was fun and interesting to read of what could've been. I actually thought Livvy would come with Emma and Jules, especially when Cameron oh so conveniently died in the silent city since he was the love interest that I thought was holding her back. But nope, didn't happen. I'm not sure if I'm disappointed or glad. A little bit of both I guess.

- Alec and Magnus... what do I say? I love them so much and the wedding was beautiful.

- Thule Jace at the end of the book... meh. I mean, it's cool and all, but like "do we need another Clace book?" Forgive me, but I don't need more of them. They should stay in TMI where they belong. Okay that sounds rude since I do like them, but I've had enough of them already🤷🏼‍♀️😅

- Also Annabel deserved a decent storyline. I feel like there was so much going on about her in the last books that in this one she felt like a shadow of herself.

- I was so glad Emma got Cortana back😭 and I think I'm gonna celebrate the day when Zara dies.

- Jem and Tessa ARE HAVING A BABY. Wow. I did not see that coming.

- Emotionless Julian. I really didn't like him. I missed my old precious sweet Julian and wished the time when he had no emotions was shorter.

- The bonus Clace scene at the end was wonderful and nice even if I'm tired of them, i liked it.

All right that's all I remember for now, but I might edit later. I know it seems like I'm only criticising here, but I genuinely loved the story regardless of everything and will enjoy rereading it in the future.

[cartoonfangirl1218]

Mortal Instruments zodiac

I’ve been on a binge of seeing whether zodiac signs really fit fictional characters and since I haven’t really seen anything about this on tumblr, I thought I might give it a try. All comes from https://www.astrology-zodiac-signs.com. 

Clary Fray (Aug 23) and Alec Lightwood (Sept 12) Virgo 

According to the site, Virgos are “Loyal, analytical, kind, hardworking, practical” which I think fits these two very well. They are not rash as some of the other characters, well Clary as her moments, but they do tend to stay to the safe side. But both are incredibly hardworking in training especially and loyal to their family members and lovers to the max. Virgos can sufffer from “Shyness, worry, overly critical of self and others, all work and no play.” This definitely applies to Alec when we first meet him in City of Bones with his stiff nature and his insecurity in his sexuality. Clary does not seem to suffer from insecurity nor wearing herself out. But that could apply to City of Fallen Angels when she was on constant alert for Sabastian. But that could be less attributed to her sign but to the circumstances. With lovers, they are very loyal and tend to value stable relationships. Which we see in Malec’s very stable relationship. Clace is similar, sure they have fun, but they are ultimately loyal to one another. In family, they support and love tradition and understand the importance of responsibility. Alec to a T and Clary as well with her fierce love and protective instinct of her mother and even feeling sympathy to Jonathan/Sabastian. So I would say Alec is very much a Virgo sign and Clary shares lots of traits. 

Simon Lewis (Oct 17) Libra 

Libras are “Cooperative, diplomatic, gracious, fair-minded, social.” Simon is shown time and time again to try to understand both sides in the warring status gaps between mundanes, nephilium, and downworlders, and often calls out the nephilium and others on their prejudices. He is also a very gracious character I think, well, at least he’s polite to all he meets. Libras suffer from being “Indecisive, avoids confrontations, will carry a grudge, self-pity.” This is also true of Simon. I don’t blame Simon for not wanting to get involved in the Shadowhunter world, being a former mundane and all, but he was hesitant to face Maia and Isabelle when he was dating both of them and will keep his opinions to himself in order not to rock the boat at first. He was guilty of self pity when got amnesia (extenuating circumstances though and understandable) and when Clary ultimately chose Jace before he got with Isabelle. And some angsting about being a vampire too and sort of carried a grudge against Jace until he accepted Clary’s relationship and got over his feelings. Libras seek deep, meaningful relationships which I think Simon has a pretty good track record of with having close bonds with Clary, Maia and Isabelle before forming a relationship with them. In a family, Libras can be stifled, following others opinions than forming their own like with Simon never wanting to displease his mother, but thanks to his time with Nephilium he has grown a bit from his mother’s overprotective shell. So Simon is definitely a Libra. 

Jace Herondale (Jan 18) Capricorn 

Capricorns are “Responsible, disciplined, self-control, good managers.” Now Jace is not always the most disciplined or epitome of self control. But he does exercise amounts of it when it truly matters like controlling his love for Clary when he thought they were siblings, trying to keep Sebastian in control when they were blinded together and choosing the fate of nephilium over giving into Valentine and Sebastian’s plan. Capricorns are faulty of “Know-it-all, unforgiving, condescending, expecting the worst.” Now Jace can be condescending but that’s more of a facade, nor is he particularly know it all-like or unforgiving. He can be faulted with always expecting the worse due to the Herondale curse. Relationships with Capricorns can be difficult because of their hard shells but once broken, they carry deep emotions which fit Jace very well. He is like an onion. He has so many layers. With family, Capricorns feel connected to every single item from the past and childhood like when Jace was delighted to get a Herondale relic as a sign of his heritage and playing piano like Valentina taught him. So while at first Jace does not seem like a Capricorn, he does fit the mold. 

Isabelle Lightwood (May 15) Taurus 

Tauruses are “Reliable, patient, practical, devoted, responsible, stable.” Now Isabelle is not the most patient or practical but I do believe she is wholely devoted and responsible to all aspects of her life whether it is her job as a Shadowhunter or towards her loved ones. Tauruses can suffer from being “Stubborn, possessive, uncompromising.” Certainly fits Izzy. Stubborn and uncompromising at her worst like when she shouldered Max’s death as all her fault and refused to even go to his funeral because she felt like she didn’t deserve to go. She is possessive of Simon too I would say. Her big announcement that Simon was her bf in Tales from Shadowhunter Academy showcase this trait in full glory. They tend to be a bit of hedonist, wanting to surround themselves with pleasure and beauty. With the many mentions of Isabelle’s beauty and her frequent sexual casual encounters it fits. Taruses can take a while in sexual encounters which does not fit Isabelle but she does take a long time to fully open up to an emotional long term relationship. Tauruses highly value family which is shown though Isabelle’s steadfast loyalty even when Jace was accused of wrongdoing, Alec’s sexuality and grief over Max. So overall, Isabelle can be considered a Taurus but does not define all aspects of her personality. 

Magnus Bane (Dec 8) Sagittarius 

Saggitariuses are “Generous, idealistic, great sense of humor.” Magnus is all of these things and more but yes, let’s stick with these three traits. Despite being burned so many times by Nephilium and Camille, he still maintains some belief that they can become better which Alec and the others did prove to him on some level. Magnus is a comedic genius, no explanation needed and Magnus is always generous to his friends and those in need like caring for young Raphael Santiago and Max Lightwood-Bane. Freedom is a Saggitariuses’ great love too which can be shown by Magnus’ many travels in life and sure to have many more. Saggitariuses can “Promise more than can deliver, be very impatient, will say anything no matter how undiplomatic.” Also true of Magnus. Not so much the first, but he is guilty of impatience like waiting for Alec to admit his feelings and is always willing to say how crappy Shadowhunters are to their faces. In love they are playful and humorous but ultimately loyal, faithful and dedicated. Exhibit A-Malec. Exhibit B-Still cared for Camille’s well being despite her awfulness. With family, they are dedicated and willing to do anything. Now we can’t say much for Magnus and his father, but for his partner and children, that is certainly true. Magnus is a definite Saggitarius. 

Hope you all enjoyed these thoughts! 

[helloanonymouswriter]

Undone || Malec

Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/651720275-undone-malec-ten

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14520396/chapters/38821172

CHAPTER TEN

Rafael slowly blinked his eyes open, mind foggy as he tried to make sense of where he was. What had happened? Where was he? He blinked the blur away until he focused on a dark ceiling. Then, his eyes darted about as he wondered about his brother's well-being.

Now he remembered.

He let out a breath of relief upon spying his little brother asleep next to him on a bed. The golden sheets covered the blue boy's body which rose steadily in his sleep. Rafael took in his whereabouts and deduced they were in Magnus' apartment. The layout was similar to his parent's room back in their future.

His head began to spin as he remembered the events over the past few hours. A quick glance out the window showed it was early morning. So much had happened that, only now was he given a chance to process. Valentine was dead, the angel was raised, Jace came back to life, a hell-hound attacked his father and Max killed it. They had been revealed. At the time, Rafael hadn't cared in the slightest that the cat was out of the bag but now he knew that the Shadowhunters would be asking questions.

There wasn't much left to do but tell the truth. However, they needed a back-up plan as to not screw up their timeline. He and Max were in serious danger of not existing, especially considering their parents' current fragile state of relationship. Looks like Max would have to erase some memories after all. Firstly, they needed to make sure their family could trust them and help them find a way to get home.

Rafael turned to Max and smiled at the Warlock's snores. Pulling the covers away, Rafael couldn't spot any injuries and felt grateful that Magnus had been able to help. Thinking of injuries, his hand ghosted over the point on his stomach where he'd been bitten. There was a dull ache but the skin was unmarred. An iratze or two were probably activated to speed up the process.

He turned back to Max and gently coaxed him awake by stroking through his hair. They needed to gather themselves. They had a big conversation coming up. Slowly Max roused from his sleep but, like Rafael, once he remembered what had happened, he sprung up and looked round wildly.

"Sh, sh, it's alright." Rafael soothed.

"Raf! You're alright!" Max grinned and pounced on his brother.

"Of course I'm alright you blue idiot. You're the one who went crazy." Rafael scolded.

"Sorry ... I saw the blood and couldn't stop myself lashing out." Max replied and pulled away sheepishly. Despite the fond feeling blooming in his chest, Rafael had to push on.

"Thanks for your concern, but now thanks to your tantrum the others will be wanting answers." Rafael sighed. Max bit his lip, unsure what to say. He felt like he was being a little harsh on his brother so softened up a bit. "Look, good job on killing the demon, but you need to be more wary about your well-being. Also maybe keep it more subtle next time?" Rafael smirked, mirth creeping into his tone.

Max gave a cheeky smile and nodded without saying anything. After a moment of silence, they caught the tail ends of conversation muffled through the bedroom door. The brothers shared an anxious look. "Can you activate a hearing rune to see how much trouble we're in?" Max asked. Rafael nodded and grabbed his stele off the side table which one of them must have left. That was a good sign, it showed they trusted them enough to use the stele and not activate any aggressive runes. Rafael felt a little guilty violating that trust by using the hearing rune but he needed to gauge the situation.

"I still think we should have restrained them." Came Jace's annoyed voice.

"We need to hear their side of the story." Clary tried to calm him.

"They're dangerous! You saw the younger one, he was literally on fire. How can you trust them after that?" He demanded.

"They've been helping us for days, why would they do that if they had evil intentions?" Isabelle snapped, feeling protective over the sibling in the other room.

"Hello? Am I only person who remembers Sebastian?!" Jace exclaimed. Everyone fell silent for a moment. Alec stood in the corner, not really knowing what to think. He didn't want to believe the boys were evil or spies but all his Shadowhunter instincts were telling him to question it until he was 100% certain. Magnus was silently seething, although he was suspicious of the boys' intentions, he hated how Jace was insinuating distrust because the boy was part warlock.

"How can you trust so easily after Sebastian weaselled his way into our group like they have? One of them was there when we revealed the location of the mirror, and the other kept disappearing. They must have set up the whole hell-hound thing and only now are they showing their true colours! Max especially can't be trusted, he could be one of Valentine's experiments."

Rafael grit his teeth in anger upon hearing and Max flinched as he heard through their connection. He hated that anyone would connect his brother in any way to Valentine but held himself back to see where the conversation would lead.

Magnus, however, couldn't hold the anger back anymore. "And what is that supposed to mean!?" He snarled. "That he can't be trusted because he's part warlock? How progressive of you! Just shows that the ideals of the nephilim never change!" Magnus laughed humorlessly and scowled at Jace.

"This isn't about Downworld politics! The fact remains that they are suspicious! Alec back me up." Jace urged. Alec gripped onto his elbows tightly. He was feeling honestly conflicted because he knew he felt a weird connection to the boys. Was it organic though? Had they enchanted him or were his feelings genuine? He felt sick at the idea of them being harmed but he had no reason for such protective instincts, so maybe they were plotting against them?

"You must have swallowed some lake water Jace because you're clearly not right in the head!" Isabelle snapped. "How could you believe that they would betray us? They're our friends." She insisted.

"You thought that way about Sebastian." Jace shot back, matching his sisters glare.

"This time it's different!" Isabelle fired back.

"How? What proof is there that it's any different? They could attack at any moment and we're providing BnB service!"

"First of all, I'm the one providing my home to all of you." Magnus interrupted, trying to calm himself down and speak with a level head. They shouldn't argue, but calmly settle the issue. "Second of all, I have wards up all over this apartment. They won't have the chance to attack, trust me." He reassured and a little bit of tension left the room.

Alec felt like he should speak up, he'd been silent ever since the lake. He hadn't known how to handle the situation. He didn't even know what he was supposed to be handling. He didn't want to have to deal with another betrayal. He didn't want to hurt them either. There was a moment of silence as everyone tried to figure out what to say.

"How do you know he isn't in league with Valentine? Have you seen the warlock before?" Jace accused Magnus. Insults were poised like venom on Magnus' tongue but he held himself back because he had seen the warlock before.

He gave a frustrated sigh. "Yes, I've seen the boy before." He confirmed and everyone else tensed. Max internally cursed once again at revealing his identity. He knew Magnus was too perceptive not to have noticed. Jace looked ready to argue once again but Magnus continued before the Shadowhunters grew suspicious. "Before you accuse me as well, I only met him once. He came to me a couple days ago looking for a potion to help him rebuild his strength. He got through my wards easily which shows he had no ill intentions. Of course he looked very different at the time, no runes in sight so forgive me for not recognising him straight away."

"Everyone was too focused on more important things, like, oh I don't know, the wrath demons invading New York, preventing Valentine raising the angel and my parabatai rune disappearing." Alec added, feeling frustrated with Jace's attitude and vague explanation of why the rune vanished. He clammed up after that and Alec felt all the more angry at his parabatai keeping secrets. He deserved to know.

"It's no wonder we got blind-sighted by the hell-hound given all that had happened. Let's just be thankful for now that Magnus wasn't harmed." Alec continued, throwing Magnus a softer look. Magnus shifted a little under his gaze, not knowing how to handle the affection hidden beneath the concern and relief.

Something had been bugging Clary since the lake, "Didn't um ... didn't Max shout 'Papa' when the demon arrived? What does that mean?" She asked curiously.

Jace opened his mouth to answer something along the lines of being affiliated with the demon. Isabelle quickly cut in, "He directed it at Magnus when the demon lunged at him."

"It was probably a command or something." Jace threw back.

"You think he'd look that freaked out by a demon attacking his friend if he was commanding it? Also, Rafael jumped in front of the hound, he saved Magnus' life! How could you think there was any malice there?!" Isabelle demanded.

"And why would I call the demon papa?" Max grumbled in annoyance. He felt a little embarrassed by his slip up of the tongue and knew they'd have to explain themselves. Before the conversation could continue, Simon, who had been filled in on what happened, heard movement in the other room.

"Um, not to alarm anyone but ... they're awake. I can hear them with my vamp ears." He explained. Everyone went silent and turned their gazes to the bedroom door. Rafael and Max tensed and shared a glance.

"Busted." Max whispered and Rafael smiled weakly in response.

"Time to talk it out."

Jace's hand instinctively rested on the blade as the doors started to open, feeling cautious. Everyone held their breath, waiting for the brothers to either show their true colours and attack, or explain. Max looked different to when they were by the lake. He had a glamour on that hid both his runes and warlock features, he didn't want to freak anyone out any further without explaining himself.

Magnus, noticing Rafael rubbing the spot he'd been bitten, felt a jolt of concern. They had both been hurt and he felt ill remembering the way the hound sunk its fangs into the boy's side. The boy who reminded him so much of Alec and made dread ring in his bones at the prospect of his Shadowhunter being in similar peril. "Are you alright?" He asked softly, not able to help himself.

"The iratzes did their work. It's a dull ache now." Rafael reassured. The boy then rubbed behind his neck awkwardly as he tried to figure out what to say. The Lightwoods in the room, as well as Magnus, couldn't help but notice the action being similar to Alec's tendencies. The similarities were startling and Isabelle was trying to work out how that was possible.

"You two have some explaining to do." Alec spoke up after the tense silence. Max felt a jolt of nerves as he recognised his father's scolding tone of voice. Usually it was followed by some sort of punishment, be it doing the dishes for a week or ichor duty for a day.

"Yes, we do. I know we kept stuff from you guys but it was all with good reason, I assure you." Rafael admitted, trying to stall just a little longer.

"And who are you to decide what's good for us?" Jace snapped, glaring at them. Max scowled back, not one to back down from a challenge from his uncle. Rafael held back an eye role and swatted Max's head, telling him to behave.

"Who are you?" Isabelle finally asked.

"Our names are Max and Rafael, but we're not from the LA Institute." Rafael decided to start small.

"And we are brothers, although I'm adopted." Max joined in.

"How can you use runes when you're a warlock?" Isabelle asked curiously.

Max looked a little ill as he remembered the circumstances of his birth and Rafael looked ready to jump in and explain. Max, however, gave his brother a look which told him he would tell it.

"You told us that a warlock experimented on Max when he was younger." Clary prompted, remembering their conversation after warning Imogen of Valentine. "You also said you had downworlders in your family."

Max sighed and hesitated before removing the glamour. Slowly his blue skin and horns appeared and his runes decorated his arms and neck. Shocked and awed gazes were cast round the room. Magnus felt protectiveness wash over him once again when he saw the blue warlock who had looked so lost when he came to him and made Madzie giggle.

"I um ... I guess I am a result of an experiment. My mother was a Shadowhunter and my father ... was a greater demon." Max admitted, feeling small. Magnus felt his gut twist at the shame on the boy's face and wanted to hug him close and say there was nothing to be ashamed of. He too was the son of a demon but it didn't define who they were. No one chose their parents whether they loved you or not.

"That's impossible, our blood and demon blood isn't compatible." Jace scowled.

Clary suddenly gasped where she stood and everyone turned to stare at her. "Unless ..." She started and looked over to the blue Shadowhunter.

"Unless, a warlock created a formula that could make the blood compatible. There's only one warlock crazy enough to try." Rafael filled in, fists clenching in anger.

Realisation started to dawn on the rest of the group. "Iris Rouse." Magnus filled in, disdain in his tone. "That woman never knew when to give up." He sighed and rubbed his temples in frustration.

"Iris Rouse was working for Valentine, how do we know you aren't doing the same?" Jace accused.

Max lost his temper, "I would rather die than side with Valentine! He's hurt my family countless times! He was a monster and would have killed me and the downworld regardless of whether I helped him so tell me, what could I possibly gain from working with him?!" Tears were beginning to sting his eyes and he fought to keep them back. He relaxed a little when he felt Rafael's soothing touch on his shoulder.

Everyone was silent once again, Jace had the common sense to look a little ashamed but suspicion still lay in his every move. All Alec wanted to do was comfort the boy himself and let him know that Valentine would never come back to hurt them again. His family was safer with the monster gone. He couldn't explain the tight feeling in his chest at seeing tears in the boy's eyes. Why did he feel so attached to them? He hardly knew them, he trusted them easily. He hadn't trusted a new person so easily since Magnus and he was still hurt by their distance. He shook the thoughts away. He couldn't think about that now, there were more pressing issues.

Isabelle decided to change topic and get more information without hurting Max further. "So, do you both have the same Shadowhunter mother? Is she a Truewright?"

Both boys shifted, knowing that the truth couldn't be held off any longer. "Um no, neither of us know who our mothers are but we're not related by blood. And ..." Rafael paused, trying to figure out the best way to explain.

"-we're not Truewrights." Max blurted and shrugged at his brother's exasperated expression.

"Why would you lie about your names? What are they?" Jace demanded, confusion clear on many faces.

"Promise you won't freak out?" Max smiled nervously.

"That's never a good way to start things." Isabelle snorted, crossing her arms. Everyone waited, with expectant expressions. Rafael took a breath and calmed his features, he needed to convince them after all. It was time they knew the truth.

"We're Lightwoods."

PREVIOUS  NEXT

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~HelloAnonymousWriter~

[notourlasthunt]

Shadowhunters: Fans Are Fighting Hard For the Series

The Nerd Daily. Isabella Stocka. June 25, 2018. 

In 2007, City of Bones was published as the first book in The Mortal Instruments series and since then, Cassandra Clare has become one of the most beloved authors of the YA genre worldwide.

Such a success was quickly recognised in movie world and soon Constantin Film bought the rights to create a movie adaptation. In 2013, the film starred Lily Collins in the leading role of Clary Fray, but unfortunately it wasn’t as big of a success as they had hoped to be causing it to be the only adaptation in what was intended to be a franchise.

After three years, Freeform (or ABC Family at the time) announced they would be adapting the book series into a television series. In cooperation with Netflix, who has the rights to show each episode internationally. January 2016 saw the first episode air, and now two years later, the series is currently on a summer hiatus after airing the first 10 episodes of season 3.

However, on June 5th it was announced that show would be coming to an end due to economic reasons. The series is set to air 3B, which would be 10 episodes long, due to it already being filmed and then a two-part finale in 2019.

The Shadowhunter fandom instantly began to protest with five million tweets in one week, over 120,000 signatures on a petition, and over US$11000 on a Trevor Project Campaign. From what we know so far, Freeform wants to focus on new shows so Netflix pulled out their international backing because they wanted to make more episodes. This led to fans using the #SaveShadowhunters hashtag on Twitter.

With the unexpected cancellation, Freeform announced to the shocked cast and fans that they will be making a 2-hour series finale to end the show, answer all the burning questions, and ultimately give the fans what they deserve.

The question that lingers for fans worldwide: is that even possible? Can a 2-hour finale cover everything the show began to explore and give both readers and fans all the scenes they’ve been hoping for?

So let’s break it down shall we?

Shadowhunters tells the story of Clary who turns 18 and hopes to celebrate her birthday with her best friend Simon, until she sees two young men killing someone at a club. But it doesn’t end there as her mother disappears and she gets attached by a monster, which is later revealed to be a demon. One of the men takes care of Clary and she learns who they are and in fact, she is ‘one of them’. She is a Shadowhunter as her veins carry angelic blood and her ancestors have sworn to protect the human world from demons with the world also filled with Downworlders, including vampires, werewolves, fairies, and warlocks.

Now you may think that this is ‘just another supernatural story’, but this is not the case. Shadowhunters combines the supernatural with the angelic, alongside family, love, friendship, diversity, and LGBT+.

Let’s have a closer look at the characters:

Clary Fray (Katherine McNamara) has grown up being very protected. After her mother is kidnapped, she has to find her place in a new world she never knew existed. She had to learn the world of the Shadowhunters and in no time, her natural ability showed and she could fight just like them. Her character sees the good in every person and her soft side is expressed through her art.

Simon Lewis (Alberto Rosende) is Clary’s best friend and he’s the embodiment of what everyone would want in a friend as he would do anything for the people he loves and cares about. Through Clary, Simon finds his way into the Shadow world quite quickly, and he has to deal with the negative side of it when he’s turned into a vampire and forced to leave his family in order to protect them from himself.

Jace Wayland (Dominic Sherwood) was orphaned early on his life, but luckily found his home with the Lightwood’s who adopted him. Robert Lightwood was the parabatai (essentially a very close fighting pair) of Jace’s father and he felt responsible to care for Jace. He is not only known for his sarcasm and charm, but also to be one of the best Shadowhunters of his generation. Unfortunately, Jace never had an easy life and later finds out that his real father is one of the biggest enemies to the Shadowhunters.

Alec Lightwood (Matthew Daddario) is Jace’s parabatai and he is the oldest of the three Lightwood siblings. Alec can see through Jace’s hard shell into his softer side, which screams “love me, because nobody ever has”. Since he is the oldest, Alec feels the pressure to be the perfect son and the perfect Shadowhunter to honour the legacy of his family. Because of that, he suppresses his feelings and doesn’t live his life as he would like to. He eventually comes to a point where he can no longer be the epitome of perfection and finally accepts himself the way he is and does not care about what others might think.

Isabelle Lightwood (Emeraude Toubia) is Alec’s younger sister and she is an absolute beauty. While the show initially portrayed her that way, the producers soon altered her character as it wasn’t exactly the right way to show a fearless, kick-ass female which could be a role model for many. Her character soon took on a role of leadership to show her intelligence and to make her stand on her own.

Magnus Bane (Harry Shum Jr.) is a Downworlder and the High Warlock of Brooklyn. He is hundreds of years old, openly bisexual, intelligent, and always there to help everyone in need. The importance of such a character nowadays is huge, especially for the LGBT community.

Luke Garroway (Isaiah Mustafa) took up the mantle of Clary’s father and he was the parabatai to Clary’s real father and a close friend to Clary’s mother. His character is shown to be a police officer in the series and he’s also a werewolf. To him, nothing is more important than his family and his pack.

Maia Roberts (Alisha Wainwright) was found by Luke after her first turning as a werewolf and he automatically took her in and helped her accept her new self.

Raphael Santiago (David Castro) is like a son to Magnus and the pair share a strong bond with him turning to Magnus occasionally for help and guidance. Raphael is also the leader of the New York coven and helps Simon with his transition.

So why would a network cancel such a show that combines so many unique characters and storylines? Economic reasons seems questionable and it doesn’t seem like a suitable explanation for the Shadowhunters fandom.

Although the TV show is different from the books, which is not always easy for those fans to accept who knows the books by heart. A book-to-screen adaptation is never an easy step, but the screenwriters and producers tried to balance this with special care.

The series addressed many interesting topics, which is great since it has such a diverse cast and characters, with LGBT characters comfortable with who they are and helping those who trying to find their way. The show shows pure friendship and the importance of friendship with the parabatai bond an important ceremony in the Shadow world. Never before was friendship made into a source of strength, and for me, this is one of the most beautiful description of friendship I have ever seen in a TV show and it’s also reflected in the fandom. A lot of friendships have been made since the show aired thanks to social media and conventions.

What also makes this show special is that it shows that it is okay to be yourself. Everyone knows that feeling of being an outsider, because they are different, like “strange” things, think on their own, or unable to be accepted. Everyone struggles at some point in their lives, they have to find themselves and decide who they want to be. Every character in this show is showing that it is okay to be who you are, that you do not have to think about what others want you to be and you do not have to let them tell how to act. Just because a lot of people, aka the society, tell you “you’re strange”, does not mean that you really are.

Can the show be saved? Netflix would be the obvious solution. They already financed the show in cooperation with Freeform and they are still interested in continuing the production. Due to legal rights, which lie with Constantin Film and Freeform, the whole situation is far from easy. Fingers crossed that they will find a way to get that cleared out. For the sake of the fandom!

The fandom are making their thoughts loud and clear so that they can be heard. Every tweet Freeform makes receives hundred of #SaveShadowhunters comments, even though the tweet is not always related to the show.

During the wave of hashtags, Tim Quirk the CEO of a company named Freeform (not related) got accidentally tagged in tweets and responded to this.

The cast is showing how grateful they are to the fans for trying to save the show and they do as much as they can to support the fans. Unfortunately, probably because of their current contracts since the 2-hour finale has not been shot yet, the cast and crew are not as active as with tweeting, hashtags, and supporting the movement.

It seems that the fans have to wait a little bit longer to get the final word if the show will be renewed, picked up, or not. Until then, let’s speak the parabatai oath and scream at the tops of our lungs that Shadowhunters have to be renewed!

“Entreat me not to leave thee, Or return from following after thee— For whither thou goest, I will go, And where thou lodgest, I will lodge. Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God. Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried. The Angel do so to me, and more also, If aught but death part thee and me.”

Do you want to see the series continue? Tell us in the comments below!

[takaraphoenix]

“Baby, you’re not a bother.” - “I’m too needy, you don’t deserve it.” & Malace? 💗

“We will make sure he doesn’t end like Céline.”

Magnus rested a comforting hand on Alec’s shoulder, but the Shadowhunter didn’t look convinced. He stared out of the window with a deep frown on his face. They both turned to look out of the window into the night. Jace had been giving them a hard time for days now. Ever since Alec’s parabatai-rune had disappeared, since Jace and Clary had been alone at Lake Lyn.

“I…”, started Alec, voice shaking a little. “I can’t lose him again, Magnus. I can’t.”

Sighing, Magnus pulled his boyfriend into a hug. “I know, darling. Neither can I.”

The moment the rune had disappeared, the moment Alec had announced that Jace was dead, that had been the moment to rekindle the relationship between Magnus and Alec. They had only gotten back together again in the aftermath, at the celebration, but in that very moment when they had both thought they lost their third, they couldn’t believe they had broken up over such a silly thing. Well, it wasn’t that silly. Both of them knew, they knew the reasons for their breakup had been very serious and valid – and they were now working very hard on rebuilding the trust that had been broken from both sides. On top of that, they also had to deal with Jace’s behavior though.

At first, they had both tried to blame it on their own sudden reunion. That Jace didn’t really know how to deal with that and pulled back to give Alec and Magnus the chance to figure things out. That theory lasted about a day. Because Clary was the worst liar ever and what she told them was just not believable. Something had happened at the lake and Clary and Jace refused to speak of it.

Alec saw it. Saw that his parabatai wasn’t sleeping, spent all night working or patroling.

“Five times”, whispered Alec roughly. “Ever since Clary came into our lives, I already nearly lost him five times. When he went with Valentine and I thought I’d never see him again because I couldn’t track him. When Aldertree took him to the City of Bones – and… and I saw the tapes. Later. I saw that Jace tried to kill himself down there. When Jace allowed a nearly drained vampire to drink from him – he lost so much blood to Simon, too much. And then immediately after, when he tried to kill himself to destroy the Soul Sword and only Valentine’s lies saved him. And… And now this. Whatever this is. He was… He was dead. And Clary used the Angel’s wish to bring him back. It’s the only plausible explanation for everything and for why they’re so shifty. It’s too much. I can’t, Magnus, I just really can’t… Why have I never done anything? I… I… I should have…”

“Darling, no”, cooed Magnus softly, kissing the top of Alec’s head. “It’s not your fault. Sometimes, we don’t… want to see when those we love the most have problems, because we feel helpless. We’ll get Jace the help he needs. I already spoke with Catarina, she knows some pretty good doctors. We can and will help Jace. We will not let it come this far again. Not ever.”

Alec grunted, not moving from his place buried in Magnus’ chest. The warlock caressed his hair soothingly until both of them had their thoughts a little more sorted.

“Let’s… Let’s go to the Institute together, try talking to him?”, asked Alec softly. “I tried, but… he got so defensive. About not being perfect. I know he’s not perfect, no one is perfect. I just… I don’t know if it’s because he doesn’t get enough sleep, if it’s the secret weighting him down, or the mental issues, or maybe a combination of it all. I don’t hold it against him, I just… worry, because it’s so unlike him to snap at me like that, because normally he knows that he doesn’t have to be perfect with me, never with me. That’s why I’m his parabatai, to be strong for him, with him…”

“I know, love”, whispered Magnus gently, kissing the top of Alec’s head.

He opened a portal for them both to step through to get to the Institute. Oh, how much Magnus loathed that his angels had both moved out. Well, with Alec it had been a given and Alec had never officially lived with Magnus, just kept staying there. But when Alec and Magnus had broken up, Jace too had moved out – because he didn’t want to take any sides during the break-up. He wanted to move back into his own room, but that had already been claimed by Max by then, so Alec assigned Jace a new, luxurious and spacious room – trying to spoil his parabatai, especially since Jace also refused to just move in with Alec due to the whole not taking sides issues. In the end, Magnus and Alec both didn’t get as much Jace as they wanted, even though they had only broken up with each other and not with Jace. Now that Magnus and Alec were back together again, Jace still kept pulling away from them both, to prevent them from finding out.

“Sweetheart, you’re not sleeping again”, sighed Magnus gently, stepping up to the bed.

Jace looked up at that. He was sprawled out on his bed in only his sweatpants. Normally, Alec and Magnus would both be all over appreciating their blonde’s fit physique, but they saw the dark circles beneath Jace’s eyes, how ruffled and unkempt his hair was, the sadness and blank look in his eyes. Alec and Magnus came to sit down on either side of Jace, easily pulling him into a hug.

“I’m sorry I barked at you earlier”, mumbled Jace. “I just… I just feel so… cornered.”

“We don’t want to corner you”, whispered Alec, face buried in Jace’s neck. “We love you. We worry about you. Me and Magnus, Clary, Luke, Izzy – I know she suggested to you to try group therapy if you don’t trust a doctor just yet. And it’d be… a start. But… please, Jace, we just want to help you.”

“Catarina knows some very good doctors”, tagged Magnus on, gently brushing Jace’s hair out of his face. “Only the best, she assures me. You could… meet them, see if any of them fits you. We know there’s a lot going on, things you… don’t want to tell us yet. But you can. And we’ll be there for you, all the way. We’ll help you through this.”

“I’m just a bother”, muttered Jace frustrated. “All I do is worry you.”

“Baby, you’re not a bother”, stated Magnus firmly, cupping Jace’s face.

“I’m too needy, you don’t deserve it”, sighed Jace and shook his head. “I can’t sleep, I keep you awake at night with that, you spend the day worrying about me. I’m…”

“You have issues. That’s not your fault”, grunted Alec, kissing Jace softly. “I’ve known you since you were ten, Jace. I know you come with a lot of baggage, I always knew that. This isn’t your fault and you’re not alone with this. You’ll never be alone with this. Please, allow us to help you.”

“We will not give up on you just because you have mental health issues, sweetheart”, murmured Magnus, peppering Jace’s face with kisses. “We love you. We will be here for you.”

“Don’t think you’re a burden just because we worry”, declared Alec firmly. “We worry because we love you. That’s a difference. So, how about… we sleep for now? You could really use it?”

Jace didn’t look convinced, but he allowed for his boyfriends to join him in bed until they were an entanglement of limbs and for the first time in a while, Jace at least felt content, even just briefly.

Read this here on FFNet & here on AO3

[flower-of-the-desert]

2x10 Thoughts

That should have been the title of the episode tbh. It would have been a really solid good ending to this part of the season if they’d paid a bit more attention and didnt take the easy way out of every tricky situation.

Sidenote: dispite the beginning, this is not a total hate post. In fact, I dont think it’s hate at all but more so discussing the writing issues that I think exist in the show. I’ve also included some more of my thoughts and an explanation of why I’m perhaps being a bit harsher on the show and certain characters (yes, I mean Alec) than might be strictly necessary and where exactly my problems with them stem from. So if you wanna read about silly old me and my thoughts, give it a try.

We need the vampires to attack Clary but Magnus is there too? No problem, just have someone hold his hand because apparently he cant do magic without waving his hands around??????

We need a dramatic reveal of Dot in the cage but Luke just said everyone there was either dead or gone? Lol, what werewolf senses???

Maia needs to confront Luke but she doesnt know where he is? Just have her wait in a random sreet in the hopes he might pass by!

Have Simon knock Valentine unconscious but we still need him to go be the Big Bad Guy? No worries, Jace and Simon are just gonna leave him there on the ground because... reasons.

Then we need someone to steal the soul sword? Pff, Clary can just drop it onto the ground and leave it there, no biggie.

And so on. I think the thing that really gets to me is not exactly that there are plot holes, I mean every story has them but it’s just... because I think the writers are in fact capable of creating good solid storytelling. When they decide to do it right, they do and the result is great! I havent shied away from praising the things that I think were done well. So they proved that they CAN do it but apparently sometimes they just... dont want to? Dont care enough? And that pisses me off. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I think the show has amazing potential, the idea at the core of the worldbuilding is hella interesting, the characters could be well-rounded and appealing, the plots could really suck you in with interesting action scenes and emotional confrontations and just... it could be so much MORE than what it is and I WANT it to be that. Instead I get episodes like this one and I want to flip a table or two.

Anyway, moving on to the rest of the ep. I love Maia continuously calling out Luke for his clear favourism of Clary and shadowhunters in general over his own pack. And I hate how Luke is treating her like some naughty child that needs a time out. Honestly, I’m even surprised he didnt just leave her on the street there.

And Aldertree’s sob story... man, you finally got me. Look at the tears streaming down my face. *sarcasm font* His story was tatal bullshit as much as his claim that he had warned Izzy of the risks. Dont make me laugh, pal. When exactly did you warn her? When you were trying to get her to spy on Clary? Or when you came onto her? Yeah, didnt think so. And frankly, this would have been the PERFECT chance for Alec to stand up for downworders and show he’s slowly but surely changing - have him defend Aldertree’s poor dead girlfriend and say something like it wasnt her nature, you dumb asshole, anyone in her situation would have reacted like that, you just killed the woman you claimed to love to save your own ass (which is true).

This is why I’m harsh on him (and shadowhunters in general). Because yeah, maybe it’s a small thing in the grand scheme of things, maybe it seems like I’m nitpicking. And both the narrative and some fans seems intend on ignoring those small things like they never happen (or are totally acceptable). But they matter to me. Because it’s those small things that make up the bigger picture. It’s those small things that pile up and shape a character who doesnt come across to me as what I’ve been told he is. So here I am being harsh on poor Alec because someone needs to. Someone needs to point out his mistakes, big and small, because otherwise it seems like it’s tots ok for him to an ass and casually racist, it’s only an issue when the “bad” shadowhunters do it.

This is especially true within the canon itself because if someone doesnt sit him down and explain to him what he did/said wrong and WHY it’s wrong, how is he supposed to learn to be better? How am I supposed to believe he really doesnt view DWs (Magnus included) as either soulless demons or children in need of his management when we dont get to see him work though these things and come to the conclusions that he needs to come to in order to improve. And the same goes for Jace and Clary and Izzy and all the others. This is what I want for him. I want him to get better. I want to cheer for him and be ridiculously sappy about his love life. But I need to see him changing and getting better, not just have someone tell me he is from one episode to the next. I dont think he’s some evil bastard that needs to die but he’s not as innocent and “woke” as people think either. His casual racist remarks and actions show that clearly enough and I want that addressed beyond a simple I’m sorry (do you even know why you should be sorry or why you acted like that in the first place?) and I forgive you

And since we are on the subject, the I love you scene was actually... quite nice? I mean I thought I’d have a issue with it but it was really good, all things considered. I liked the display of emotions and affection Alec portrayed and the whole omg, I thought you were dead so now I just need to tell you how I feel is a true and tested romance cliche but damn if I dont fucking love it to bits so yeah. I think the thing that bothers me more is the overall context rather than the scene itself. The last time Magnus and Alec saw each other was when Alec confronted Raphael and was rightfully pissed at Magnus for keeping it a secret. And then they dont interact at all after that (and I dont believe it’s mentioned that they’ve seen each other off screen either) till the love confession scene. So it just feels a bit disjoined. Plus I think there really needed to be some kind of closure on that. I mean Alec beat the crap out of Magnus’s son and Magnus didnt tell Alec his sister was off getting high all this time. I’m pretty sure this classifies as something that needs talking about.

I still feel so bad for Jace. I honestly cannot believe the show has managed to take this character I was so annoyed with at best and couldnt stand at worst in s01 and turn him around so much that I can honestly say I like him now. See what I mean about the writers being capable of good storytelling when they want to? I wish they’d do the same with Simon because as much as I’ve come to enjoy Jace, my annoyance with Simon has been raised to the same level. And this whole daywalker thing isnt helping because I still think it’s stupid as hell. What has Simon deserved to be given his special ability anyway? And why should he not have to deal with any consequences of being a vampire? I wouldnt be surprised if next season he finds a way to stop drinking blood too. If you’re gonna have a vampire character, then why remove all his limitations and characteristics of being one???

[fraysbanes]

such sweet sorrow

Characters: Clary-centric

Relationships: Clary Fray & Simon Lewis, Clary Fray & Isabelle Lightwood, Clary Fray & Magnus Bane, Clary Fray & Luke Garroway, Clary Fray & Alec Lightwood, Clary Fray & Maryse Lightwood, Clary Fray/Jace Wayland (mostly implied), Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood (mentioned), Luke Garroway/Maryse Lightwood (mentioned)

Rating: G

Summary: She writes eight letters.

 I. JACE

Dear Jace,

By the time you read this letter, my memories of you and the Shadow World will be gone.

It was the price the angels made me pay for the runes I’ve created.

It seems strange - and a bit cruel - that after everything you and I have been together, this is how we end. With me a mundane again and you reading a letter stained with tears I won’t remember crying.

But I have no regrets. These have been some of the best times of my life because of the people I was lucky enough to share them with. Because of you. You  were right to think I loved you unconditionally. I do. And I always will. No angel or demon could ever change that.

And even if I don’t remember you, you will always be in my heart.

Love,

Clary

  II. SIMON

Dear Simon,

This is really hard to say. I think it’s especially hard to say it to you, but I owe you an explanation. Well, I owe you much more than that, but this is all I can give you for now: when I created that rune today, to stop Jonathan, I made Raziel angry. So by the time you read this, I’m not going to know you’re a daylighter. I’m going to think you’re dead.

The hardest thing to come to terms with these past few hours has been the fact that I will never see you again. I can’t imagine my world without you, Simon Lewis. That can’t possibly be real. Life without you is just a horrible nightmare. But I’m going to have to face that nightmare soon, and I won’t be able to wake up. I’m just sorry that you’re going to lose a friend, too.

Please don’t do anything stupid like come looking for me or try to change this. You can’t change this. I’ve made my choice and I would make it again. Because this sucks. This really fucking sucks and I don’t think I’ve been in this much pain since my mom died but at least this time there is a point to all this pain: I saved people. I saved you. I’d give up anything to keep you safe. I wish I didn’t have to break your heart to do it, but I can’t change that, either.

I love you. I’m going to miss you. I wish we had more time.

Love,

Your Clary, always

  III. ISABELLE

Dearest Isabelle,

I scrapped so many drafts of this letter. I don’t know where to begin in telling you what you mean to me. Asking you to be my parabatai was supposed to be my way of telling you how much I love you and how you make me better. A better Shadowhunter, a better friend, a better person overall.

But that’s no longer a possibility, seeing as by the end of the night, I won’t remember you or this life. Apparently Raziel doesn’t approve of my rune mixing angel and demon blood.

I know. I want to be angry too. But I killed my brother this morning and my runes are already disappearing. There isn’t a lot of fight left in me.

Give ‘em hell on my behalf, won’t you?

I should end this letter now, before I go off on tangent after tangent and run out of time and realize I haven’t written to anyone else. But before I do, I just want to thank you for being the kindest, strongest, most amazing woman in the world. I’m very sorry that I will never get to call you my parabatai, but I know that in some way, our souls are already bound together.

Love,

Clary

  IV. MAGNUS

Dear Magnus,

A part of me wanted to write this letter and give it to you before anyone else’s. Before anything became permanent. I wanted you to run after and me and tell me that we can fix this, you and me. Point out a loophole, help me come up with a solution, help me do something. But there is nothing either of us can do this time around. Which is why I really hope you didn’t find this until after your honeymoon.

At times, I think you know me better than I know myself, so I doubt there is anything I can say that you don’t already know. But let me just say: thank you. For everything. I couldn’t have done any of it without you.

With love,

Biscuit

  V. ALEC

Dear Alec,

If a couple months ago someone told me that I would be tearfully writing a goodbye letter to Alec Lightwood of all people on his wedding day, I would’ve laughed in their face. But that’s exactly what I’m doing right now, so I guess you were right: nothing in this world is impossible.

All jokes aside, I’m proud of how far we’ve come, both in our weird relationship and as individuals. During my time in the Shadow World, I’ve managed to build a whole new family, and you’re undoubtedly a part of that. You’ve been more like a big brother to me than my own could ever be.

I hope you and Magnus live a long and happy life together (by the way, congratulations! I can't think of a more perfect couple.) and I hope you don’t miss me driving you crazy too much. And I really hope I don’t forget the things I’ve learned from you all.

Love,

Clary

  VI. MAIA

Dear Maia,

It seemed plain wrong to write to everyone but you. Truthfully, I don’t even know if you still kinda-sorta like me, or if Luke leaving the pack and you and Simon breaking up means you and I can’t be on good terms anymore. But I hope that’s not the case, because I really like you, and I don’t want you to think I’m an idiot for writing a heartfelt farewell letter to someone who hates my guts.

On the off-chance that you do, in fact, still like me, here is my heartfelt farewell letter:

I don’t know if the others told you, or if you even want to hear, but tonight is my last night in the Shadow World. By tomorrow, I won’t remember any of this, and I won’t remember any of you.

I wish you were going to be at Magnus and Alec’s wedding so we could use some of my borrowed time to get to know each other. I know it sounds like a waste, because I’m going to forget anyway, but I don’t see it that way. I mean, isn’t everyone living on borrowed time in one way or another? I wish I could use mine to do everything I’ve been putting off and get to know everyone I haven’t had a chance to.

Sorry, I’m probably being a little weird and depressing. I initially started writing this to tell you that I wish we’d hung out more, yes, but mostly to say I heard you were alpha now, and that’s how I know the New York pack is going to be just fine, and I’m more than a little disappointed that I won’t be around to see just how amazing you’re going to be.

(Also, Simon’s an idiot for letting you go.)

Sincerely (hoping this wasn’t too weird),

Clary

  VII. MARYSE

Dear Maryse,

I’ve recounted this in too many letters tonight, and every time I bring it up or think about it my heart hurts, but here goes: tonight, Raziel is going to take my memories and my powers. I’m going to just be Clary Fray again, and I’m not even going to know what I’ve lost.

But that’s not why I’m writing to you. I’m writing to ask you to give Luke's letter to him when he gets back, and to  say that I’m happy you’re in Luke’s life, and that you were in my life, however briefly. I’ll admit I didn’t like you very much when we first met, but seeing how much you’ve changed and how much Izzy and Alec and Jace and Luke and Magnus love you has certainly changed that. I wish the two of us had the chance to get to know each other, too.

Especially because right now, I could really use a mom.

-Clary

  VIII. LUKE

Dad,

I’m sure the others have already told you what’s happened, so I won’t waste ink and precious time going into details. I’ll just say what I need to say. The important things. Which are these: I love you more than I could possibly ever say, I want you to be happy, and you should grow your beard back.

And this: I don’t know what’s going to happen now.

It’s only to you that I can admit just how scared I am, just how badly I wish this wasn’t happening. I don’t want to break your heart any more than I already have but I don’t think I could have said (or written) this to anyone else. And I needed to say it to someone. I'm no stranger to going blindly into dark, dangerous adventures, but I still hate doing it alone.

Selfishly, I hope to see you again. I don’t know if I will even remember you in a few hours (I don’t see how I could ever forget you, but the angels have their ways, I suppose), but I can’t imagine a life without you. You have always kept me grounded in this crazy, messed-up life every day since before I can remember, and even if I’m a whole different person tomorrow, that won’t change, and neither will my love for you.

But, anyways, I didn’t mean to make this letter so depressing. All I want to say is that I love you, and I’m going to be okay, somehow, so please just live your best life and be happy, because you deserve it.

And maybe be a little proud of me? I’m trying very hard not to let anyone down today.

Love,

Clary

  IX. UNWRITTEN

Dear Clary,

You’re going to be okay.

[singingwordwright]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Shadowhunters (TV) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Lydia Branwell & Alec Lightwood Characters: Alec Lightwood, Lydia Branwell Additional Tags: Friendship, Introspection Series: Part 2 of A Series of Completely Not Awkward Encounters

He’s never had a stuttering problem before.

Alec wouldn’t consider himself exceptionally eloquent, but he can at least rely on his brain being able to string a few words together and have them come out as a cogent, coherent sentence.

So why is it that the mere presence or thought of Magnus Bane can render him incapable of uttering a single sensible word?

He explained himself badly when he told Magnus he’d proposed to Lydia. And he’d made an even worse mess of it when he tried to convey just where his mind was after that soul-shattering, life-changing kiss at the wedding-that-thank-the-Angel-never-happened.

And now here he is, staring at his phone for the fiftieth time in almost three weeks, waffling on whether or not to press the Talk button.

These weeks have been the longest of his life. In part, that’s because he knows every day Jace is missing is another day Valentine gets to spend pouring his poison into Jace’s already confused brain, doing who-knows-what to him, convincing Jace he’s something he’s not.

But also, the weeks have been long because he still hasn’t arranged that date with Magnus.

Magnus hasn’t pressed him. At first, that seemed to be because Magnus was giving him as much space as he needed to try to hunt down Valentine and get Jace back. He made it clear that he was available to render whatever aid they needed, free of charge, and then he disappeared to his loft.

They’ve texted, and oh, Alec has been just full of words when it comes to trying to explain to Magnus how afraid he is for Jace, and how exhausting day after day of fruitless searching has become. Especially now that he’s once again in nominal charge of the Institute. His parents are back in Idris—and wasn’t that a cold farewell, at least on his mother’s part?—explaining how they managed to lose one of the most promising shadowhunters of a generation to Valentine.

All in all, It just hasn’t exactly seemed like the right time for sweet nothings, and he thinks Magnus understands that. At least, he hopes that’s the explanation for the very pointed toning down of Magnus’s typically extravagant flirtations.

But inertia has set in. Or maybe it’s anxiety. Whatever, something’s making him hold off on calling and offering to cash that rain check for Magnus. And then it becomes A Thing. An “I haven’t done what you were expecting me to do and I know I don’t have any good excuse for it so now I’m even more reluctant to try to explain it” thing.

The texts are becoming less frequent, though. Stilted. And he has no idea how Magnus manages to put so many words into a gaping chasm of silence.

The ball is in your court, Alexander.

I can’t chase after you any more. Especially not under the current circumstances.

If this is going to happen, you need to be the one to come to me this time .

It’s sort of like the wedding all over again. Magnus coming only so far, and then waiting, waiting for Alec to make up his mind, find his resolve, and close the distance.

Only this time, the distance can be measured in miles instead of feet.

A rap on his open door startles him into almost dropping his phone. He immediately looks up, with a ready glare for Clary or Izzy or whoever has the cosmically bad timing to bother him right now, just when he’s trying to find his sac and push the damn button.

Instead, it’s Lydia, and he just can’t glare at her. Instead he musters a halfhearted smile and shoves his phone in his pocket.

“Bad time?” she asks, giving him a quizzical look.

“No.” Alec shakes his head quickly, his eyes darting to the side of her face. There’s nothing to see now. Rune and warlock healing took care of her broken jaw almost as soon as he’d found her on the floor of the office, but her face had still been horrendously bruised. The last vestiges have since faded, but it still makes Alec’s fists clench to think how hard Hodge must have hit her to put her down for the count like that.

Lydia’s not exactly a delicate flower, any more than Izzy is. He’s sparred with her enough—and wound up on his ass on the training room floor—to know that very, very well. It’s not like she needs Alec’s protective instincts.

But she has them anyway, if for no other reason than sheer gratitude.

Besides, they’re now jointly in charge of the Institute.

The irony doesn’t escape him that this is the exact situation they would have found themselves in had they actually gone through with the wedding. It’s actually a really good deal for both of them; all of the partnership, none of the closeted-homosexual deceit, angst, and conflict.

Total win-win.

Lydia is overseeing the day-to-day demon-hunting operations while Alec is spearheading the search for Jace. She’d argued early on that he should let her do that job, because Alec’s better suited to the diplomatic functions of running the Institute and because he’s just too damn emotionally involved in Jace’s case. But she quickly saw just how futile it would be to expect him to sit on the sidelines while she was out looking for his parabatai.

So now they’re both receiving a crash course in areas where they have a natural and understandable deficiency. Alec is trying to curb his impulse to bust heads for leads, and Lydia is learning to gracefully smooth things over when Alec comes dangerously close to failing on his end.

“What’s up?” he prompts when she continues to stand there, studying him like a specimen under Izzy’s microscope.

She frowns briefly, then takes one step into the room, no more. “Alec, if you were in the middle of something... important ...I can come back. There’s nothing in the reports from last night’s patrols that can’t wait.”

He can’t quite meet her eyes, because how the hell is he supposed to explain that he can’t bring himself to even call the guy he literally left her at the altar for? “I wasn’t.”

He hasn’t spoken to her about Magnus since she got out of the infirmary. Which is stupid because he knows she’s not holding a grudge over what happened, but it still feels like an off-limits area.

That sort of sucks, because if he could bring himself to speak about it at all, he could definitely use a rational and sympathetic ear. Izzy is just too invested in him having a good experience with the first actually attainable guy he’s had any interest in, and he and Clary aren’t those sorts of confidantes, however much they’ve bonded over their mutual distress regarding Jace.

But talking to Lydia about Magnus? That’s a whole barrel of awkwardness and embarrassment he doesn’t need right now.

He wishes Hodge hadn’t turned out to be a traitorous asshole for more than one reason. Once upon a time, he could have confided in Hodge. Yes, even about this. Maybe especially about this.

Alec can’t claim to have much of a gaydar—at least not one that’s undergone any sort of field-testing. He probably wouldn’t have even noticed Magnus’s interest if Magnus hadn’t bludgeoned him over the head with it. But he hasn’t forgotten the weighted way Hodge referred to Magnus’s tastes as “exquisite.”

He’s reasonably certain that wasn’t just about jewelry.

Lydia gives him a shrewd look, one of her eyes narrowing a little more than the other. “How’s Magnus doing?”

She tosses the question out almost like a challenge, though not an unkind or belligerent one. Similar to the way she would invite him to spar. And Alec has no doubt he could end up on his ass here, too, if he’s not careful. But if she’s going there, he owes it to her to follow.

Alec swallows and folds his arms over his chest. “Um...good. He’s...he’s good.”

For fuck’s sake, Alec, how many languages do you speak again? That internal voice sounds a lot like Jace. That’s the best you can manage?

Lydia nods slowly, then her nose scrunches a little. It’s frankly adorable and not for the first time Alec half-wishes he could have felt for her the things she deserves to have someone to feel for her.

“Really?” she asks, blinking. She looks so gently confused that he doesn’t feel the trap closing around him until it’s already sprung. “I ask because I’ve noticed he hasn’t been by the Institute except to check on the wards. And you haven’t left the Institute except for patrols or to chase a lead on Jace. Has Magnus been accompanying you? If so, neither Isabelle nor Clary has mentioned it.”

He stares at her a moment, his mouth hanging open. “Okay, that was a play straight out of Izzy’s book, wasn’t it?”

He can almost hear his sister coaching her. Disarm the unsuspecting male with a clueless mein until it’s too late for him to back out of the confrontation .

She smiles and the tension between them is gone in an instant. She leans against the wall and folds her arms across her chest, though on her it’s casual rather than defensive.“That’s was good, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah, you carried it off pretty well there. The diplomacy lessons are working.” He can’t help but chuckle, propping a hip up on his desk. “Seriously, though, Magnus and I, we’ve been, you know. Texting. Back and forth.” Though not as much this week as we were the week before .

One of her eyebrows lifts and that’s much more the sort of direct stare he would expect from her. “Yes, and...?”

“And what? I’ve been busy.”

“Sure, of course. We’ve all been busy.” Her mouth twists. “Busily chasing our tails, which I’m sure is exactly the way Valentine wants it.”

“That’s what I’m saying. There hasn’t been time—”

She holds up a hand, forestalling him. “How much time do you think we have, Alec?”

“What do you mean?”

“Valentine has the Mortal Cup. If we don’t get it back soon, he’s going to come after us, after Idris , and he’s going to bring an army with him. We all know it.” Her gaze drills into him and he knows she’s right. These days, here, now, are the calm before the storm. “Even if that takes him a while, in the meantime he’s probably going to go after Downworlders again, especially the powerful ones. So I’m asking you, how much time are you willing to waste before we’re caught up in a war we might not come back from?”

Alec rubs the back of his neck, which has been aching with tension and a lack of comfortable sleep since the day of their aborted wedding. “I have to find Jace—”

“You know as well as I do we haven’t had a single credible lead on Jace since Valentine took him. You really think tonight’s going to be any different? Or tomorrow?” Her eyes drop and she seems to shrink in on herself a little. The arms crossing her chest now make her look like she’s hugging herself. “Alec—take it from someone who didn’t have nearly as many days as she should have with the person she intended to spend her life with. Seize your chances now, because there might not be a later.”

She pushes herself off the wall and turns, pausing when she’s halfway out the door, speaking over her shoulder. “Besides, if you dumped me at the altar for someone you had no intention of following through with, I’m going to have to kick your ass and I’d really rather not.”

Once again, the capacity for speech is beyond him, and by the time he recovers, she’s gone, leaving him to stew in the knowledge he doesn’t just owe it to Magnus and himself to see where this thing between them can go.

It’s the least he can do to thank her as well.

He digs his phone out of his pocket before has has a chance to second-guess himself.

“Magnus? Hi...Um, no, nothing’s wrong...No, no change in the search for Jace, either. I was just...um...I was wondering if you were free tonight…you know, for that, uh, that drink we keep talking about...”

BUY ME A CUP OF COFFEE!!

[ziskandra]

PRIORITY OPS: REPOPULATING HELEUS (Ch. 2)

what did you do today, natasha? i made a dress and cried in a bunning’s parking lot and i also finished the next chapter of the longfic (finally!) HERE YOU GO. ao3 link. 1 | 2 |

2. Home Truth

When Liam returned from Prodromos, Sara was nowhere to be seen. Liam wasn't an idiot. He knew Sara hadn't been herself lately. Still, he hadn't expected her to simply disappear without a trace; while part of him understood why she'd done it, it caused a strong feeling of foreboding to settle in his gut. Why couldn't she just talk to him? What had he done wrong? Had he screwed things up already? The thoughts swirled around in his mind, but they did nothing but agitate him. He wasn't going to get answers like this, and he was torn between going searching for them or finding a distraction to throw himself in. God knew they had enough to be working on, and right now, he'd like to be doing something with his hands.

It was shortly after he found Sara's note attached to the fridge, her penmanship all hard lines and contained angles, that there came a knock at the door. Liam pulled up the security feed, and at first when he saw bright blue eyes staring back at him, he thought it was Sara. His heart washed with relief before common sense kicked in. He blinked once, twice, before realising it wasn’t indeed Sara but someone with those very same eyes. Scott.

“Hey,” Sara’s brother called, waving in the general direction of the security cam. “I know I’m dropping by unannounced and all, but, can I come in?” He bent at the knees, lifting a carton up into Liam’s field of view. “I brought beer!”

Liam couldn't help but laugh, even though it still did little to ease his nerves. He didn’t know the guy well, yet, but from what he did know? He liked him. And maybe Scott’s sudden appearance here had something to do with Sara’s disappearance. It was surely too much to be a coincidence. “All right, all right,” he acquiesced, pressing the button for the door’s override on his omnitool. “Come on up.”

Once he heard Scott struggling to heft the carton up the stairs, Liam popped out himself to help him carry it inside. Scott’s breath was heavy with exertion, fingers pale where he’d been gripping the box, his forehead a fine sheen of sweat. “Please don’t tell the doc I’ve been overdoing it,” Scott huffed. “I should be able to carry a fucking box…”

The box, by Liam’s reckoning, weighed at least a good fifteen kilograms. Hardly anything to a man like Scott at the peak of his physical conditioning, but he wasn’t, and therein lay the rub. He raised an eyebrow. “I won’t if you stop,” he offered as a compromise.

Scott threw his head back and let out an exaggerated sigh as they settled the box down in the kitchen. “Oh, God, not you too.”

It struck Liam then, as he busied himself with opening the carton, just how similar the twins were. It made him smile despite himself, despite how frustrated he currently was with Sara. Was this galaxy really ready for both of Alec Ryder’s kids?

“This is just like Sare,” Scott muttered from where he was stood by the fridge, finger running over the note Liam had discovered just before the other man had arrived.

“Is this the part where you tell me why you’re really here?” Liam asked, handing some to Scott to put away; they wouldn’t all fit in the fridge, but he’d like to at least try.

“That obvious, huh?” Scott answered with a laugh.

“That obvious.”

Excess beer safely stowed, Liam busied himself with pouring one for himself, and one for Scott. “Tell me about it,” he asked, doing his best to keep the trace of neediness out of his voice. He’d always been the kind of person who’d striven to understand people, know what made them tick so he could help them, if and when they needed it. The fact that he’d so obviously missed the mark with the person he cared most about in this whole galaxy still stung.

“All right,” Scott agreed, “but let’s get comfortable. Nice place, by the way!” He cocked his head to the side, as though appreciating the architecture of the ceiling. It looked to Liam like most of the other buildings that they'd built in Heleus since their arrival. “Still waiting for the housewarming, though.”

They settled on the couch, a look of deep thought settling on Scott’s face, deepening the thought lines on his forehead. He was a young bloke, young looking even, but the expression aged him. “Okay,” he started slowly, hardly looking at Liam, “Firstly, I know it’s not my business. But secondly, I saw Sara before she went off-planet and just… thought you deserved a better explanation than whatever the hell that was.” He waved a hand at the fridge. "If you want to hear it."

Scott's repeated hesitation made Liam wonder just how many sternly-worded warnings Sara had given him about getting involved in her business. He wondered, too, whether he should accept Scott's offer. Possible that Sara would see it as some transgression of boundaries. And yet. The situation seemed to warrant it. He closed his eyes, taking a deep sip of his beer. It helped, somewhat. "Okay," he agreed, settling back into the couch cushions, "hit me with it."

"Ah, shit," Scott sighed, "I didn't actually think this far ahead." He fiddled with his glass, twirling it between his fingers. If they were drinking real beer, out of real bottles, old-school style, Scott Ryder was definitely the kind of guy who'd rip off the label. "Just first, let me tell you, it's got nothing to do with you, all right? She's always been a bit like this." As though sensing Liam would seek clarification, Scott shrugged his shoulders gently before continuing. "Things get all up in her head, under her skin, and then poof, she's gone. Always took after Dad more, for the better and the worse."

Liam couldn't miss the way Scott's eyes clouded over; he nudged the other man in the shoulder with his beer. "I'm sorry," he said, because what else could he say? He didn't know what it was like to lose a parent, not the way Sara and Scott did. He'd left his behind, yeah, but they'd gone on to live long and fruitful lives without him. He'd made a decision. A choice. One the twins had never had.

The corner of Scott's mouth curved upward, a sad and tiny smile. "It's okay. I had a lot of time to think while I was stuck in that coma. It's more... I wish I could have been there. For Sara."

Liam sagged slightly at Scott's words, because he knew that he'd tried his best in those early Andromeda days, hell, the whole crew of the Tempest had. But it still hadn't been enough.  

As though reading Liam's mind, Scott threw him a shrewd look. "I know you love her. And I think you're good for her. But you don't know her like I do, and honestly? That's probably for the best." 

There was something about the look in Scott's eyes that told Liam that if he wanted to dig more deeply, Scott would probably let him. But he’d heard enough for now, and maybe recklessly pushing Scott's buttons would just tell him things he was better off not knowing. Sara's not even here but it was hard to ignore the way she'd affected him, especially after she'd voiced her disappointment in him after the mess with Verand. The old Liam would have pushed and pushed and pushed. Now? He was more cautious, and his nerves were somewhat calmed, and that was all he could really ask for. "So, I left for Eos, and she took the opportunity to ...go?" he asked, just to be certain about the timeline of the whole thing. 

"With the Tempest to Havarl," Scott confirmed. "She should be back soon enough. Give or take a few days. Still not certain about the travel time between places here." He took a long gulp of his beer, then wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "You know, one day, they're gonna have a proper comm buoy network all set up again, and everyone will be able to talk properly. Maybe." He winked.

Liam ran a hand through his hair. He really, really hoped he hadn't screwed things up.

***

Sara's return was marked by as little fanfare as possible. Liam was dozing off on the couch when he heard the door slide open. It could only be one person, the only other person who had access to their little house-slash-unit, whatever it was called. Liam felt his heart thump erratically in his chest as he heard Sara shuffle around in the bedroom before heading to the kitchen. He'd never been good at putting off confrontation, so he pushed himself up and forced himself to talk to her. He'd never really been good at this part of relationships; everything had always been fine until reality had set in, and that's when things got hard and when Liam started to feel out of his depth. Ended things, usually, before his temper did.  

But he'd also never been this stupidly in love before, and with everything he and Sara had been through together? Hell, it still felt like something straight out of a vid. He took a deep breath and tried to remember all the other relationship advice his dad had ever given him. People like to feel they're being heard rose to the forefront of his mind, and it made him wonder if maybe he hadn't been listening enough. Sara wasn't ready for the kind of commitments that he had taken for granted. That was fine. He still loved her, and so long as she still loved him, they could work something out. Together. 

Still. His throat felt raw and tight, like he was about to cry, as he approached her. She was standing by the refrigerator, stripped down to a singlet top and leggings, fastidiously removing the note she'd left there, the note that had Liam felt had been mocking him ever since he'd arrived home. "So," he started, doing his best to keep his voice even, "are we going to talk about it?" 

Sara jumped, almost as though she hadn't expected him around, hadn't given his presence a second thought, a flash of guilt passing through her bright blue eyes before her gaze hardened. He'd recognise that look anywhere. Doubling down. With a shrug so careful it seemed practiced, she crumpled the piece of paper in one fist. "I left a note," she deadpanned. 

"That's your explanation?" Liam said, more sharply than he anticipated. "'Hey, Liam, just have some things that need doing. Be back in a bit.'" He shut his eyes as he did his best to get a handle on his emotions. On one hand, yeah, Sara deserved to be listened to, and maybe he hadn't been doing a good enough job of that lately. On the other, his own feelings were still valid, and being left so thoroughly out of the loop like this? Well, it made him feel a bit shit, to be honest.

There was a moment of silence as Sara rustled around in the fridge, with a confused mutter about why the hell there was so much beer inside it. Eventually resurfacing with a large bottle of reconstituted orange juice, she took a deep sip straight from the container, wiping at her mouth with her wrist. "Yeah, that note," she answered with a jerk of her head. "Sorry it wasn't good enough for you or anything." 

Sara's stubborn passive-aggression unfurls something tightly coiled within his chest, he felt it crawl up his neck before he could quite stop himself. "God damn it, Sara," he started, eyes bunched up tight as though it would stop the inevitable tears from falling, "I was worried about you." He'd pretty much watched her die three times now and he still hadn't cried in front of her. Not really. The thing was, Liam had never been ashamed of his emotions; had told her, even, about how he still cried at night when he thought about his parents, the Milky Way and the life he left behind. Yes, even though he loved his new life now. But Sara has always been his strength, his rock, and as long as she was happy, he was happy, and now she was in obvious distress and he still wasn't enough.

He watched Sara's face drop out of the corner of her eye; she set the juice down on the corner as she whispered to herself, "Oh my God, I'm such a jerk." She reached out for him, a hand hovering just inches from his arm. He recognised the gesture from her own need for personal space; she was never the type of person to touch without permission, and also the kind of person who liked to be asked first. Liam, conversely, had always been very tactile. Dating Sara had been a learning curve.

Taking the offer as intended, he took her hand and drew her into a hug, burying his head into her hair and inhaling deeply through his nose. She smelt like some sort of angaran flower that he couldn't quite place, but what was most important was that she was there and real and he hadn't lost her. "You might not have come back," he whispered against her ear, and he wasn't really talking about just Sara's ill-timed interplanetary jaunt. He was thinking about all those other times he'd almost lost her, to the kett, to the Archon, and to think that after they'd survived all that, he could have lost her because he couldn't stop running at the mouth about just how much he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. 

He knew Sara had never been emotionally demonstrative; empathetic, yes, likely to get caught up in the heat of the moment, most definitely. Yet the depth of her feelings was something she'd always kept close and tight to her chest. It wasn't that Sara didn’t love him, Liam realised, just that she showed it in different ways. God knew he knew enough about the beginnings of relationships to remember how easy it was to get caught up in lust and discovering a new partner without taking the time to think about one's own self. One's own needs. Probably something Sara had already done but Liam hadn't even stopped to think about. But there was time. They had time. 

Sara buried her face into his chest, arms wrapping around him, holding him tight against her body. "I'll always come back for you, Liam Kosta," she assured him with a little laugh, a laugh that makes him feel a bit stupid for ever considering the opposite. "I just. Freaked out, okay? You were so certain about everything and I wasn't. But I'm feeling much better now." Her fingers splayed at his hips, running over the material they found there. "And I love you," she added, looking up at him through her eyelashes. 

"I love you," he responded automatically, sniffling slightly to get all the last bits of congestion and whatnot out of his eyes and nose. "Are you going to tell me what you were doing down in Havarl?" 

"I will," she promised, cupping his face with one hand, fingers wondering ponderously over his chin. Liam realised he'd forgotten to shave. "But let's go to bed first?" 

Liam yawned. Sleep? Sleep sounded good.