#but magnus knows his tricks so it's more difficult

[lurafita]

Raphael is a little shit (and wow, that's an underrepresented trope in this fandom if you ask me). He especially likes to mess with shadowhunters.

Raphael to Alec: "So, what did you get Magnus for tomorrow?" Alec: "Why, what's special about tomorrow?" Raphael: "It's the anniversary of the day he became High Warlock of Brooklyn. He might not say as much, but it's really important to him." Alec, panicked: "I need to go shopping. Underhill, you are in charge!" runs out of the institute Raphael whispers to Izzy: "There is no such anniversary." -

Raphael to Jace: "You know, since Luke is basically Clary's father, and the alpha of the biggest wolf pack around, it wouldn't hurt if you paid tribute to him." Jace: "Tribute? What are you talking about?" Raphael: "You are dating someone he claimed as his child. For werewolves, that makes you pack-adjacent. It's tradition that you offer a gift to both the alpha and the next of kin to your lover. Since Luke is both, you only have to appeal to him in that case." Jace: "Isn't that a little old fashioned? Sounds like a practice from one of those regency novels Izzy denies reading." Raphael: "Oh, because shadowhunter traditions are all up to date according to the times we live in?" Jace: "Point. What kind of gift do I even have to get?" Raphael: "I'm sure you will think of something. It doesn't need to be expensive. Just remember that it has to appeal to his wolf side more than his human side. A pack of bacon, or a raw chewing bone would do." Luke is very confused when Jace invites him to a steak dinner the following evening

[moodymisty]

Okay, hear me out. Lorgar is horrified and grief-stricken by the loss of his daughter. The Emperor is delighted because for the first time in so many years he remembered love.

But how will the other primarchs react to the theft and the fact that they CAN still have children?

Horus will probably stare at the baby like a maniac. He also wants a child, but the Emperor forbade it. Another reason for Heresy. He is as obsessed with her as the Emperor, if not worse. Especially when the Heresy began.

Vulkan and Sanguinius. The best uncles in the world. But it is better not to approach the second one during menstruation.

Fulgrim: The only Primarch who knows how to treat women. Allows the little one to dye him and do his hair “like a princess.” Alas, it’s better not to approach the daemon prince…

Corvus Corax. Depressive uncle. Loves and adores Lorgar's daughter. But he cries constantly because she is too a product of the Warp.

Lion, Mortarion, Angron, Perturabo, Ferrus: they look in horror. They have no idea what to do with children especially from primarchs.

Leman Russ, Jaghatai Khan and Magnus: it is forbidden to communicate with them as they are risk-takers.

Guilliman, Dorn: Difficult. They seem to like her, but they seem to be afraid of the very fact of her existence.

Alpharius and Omegon: playing a game of “guess who is who” with a girl. Of course, they play this game with everyone, but it’s more fun with a child who feels the trick and can’t speak. Well, with the Heresy, such games with manipulation will be even more terrible.

Horus and his uncontrollable breeding kink desire to have biological children just goes into overdrive upon realizing they may actually not be sterile.

also i love all of these interactions and think they are amazing. Also love that you didn't include Konrad because yeah lmao

[decepti-thots]

something that is very interesting rereading early MTMTE is that the comic is actually very much written with the assumption a ton of its readership are specifically pre-existing IDW comics readers, which can sometimes be difficult to remember because of the fact that a lot of people wound up coming onboard to MTMTE from outside the fandom in the end and now it has a reputation as an entry point as a result. this manifests in a couple ways throughout the first couple major arcs. one obvious one is that the Overlord stuff functionally makes it a sequel of sorts to Last Stand of the Wreckers, at a time no direct sequel was planned. but my favourite is that there's a kind of narrative trick the comic pulls with the leadup to the payoff Remain in Light gives us for Magnus.

the Magnus we get in early MTMTE is not the Magnus we get in earlier IDW comics. he's very exaggerated; where phase one Magnus is a by-the-books stickler for not so much as bending rules and someone we see struggling to maintain that sense of moral uprightness in the face of the war and the people around him being far less dedicated to staying on the straight and narrow like him, it's completely turned up to eleven in early MTMTE. phase one Magnus would not be doing endless doorframe audits, or throwing people in the literal brig for crooked badges. but this doesn't necessarily register as a change in character so much as a change in genre. MTMTE is also a dramedy with heavy emphasis on the comedy side of that in a way no other IDW comic is, and the shift in Magnus' characterisation therefore feels like 'well in THIS genre, that's what that archetype is like', rather than a diagetic shift in character. even if you come to MTMTE straight off those prior comics, it is very much a 'roll with the genre shift' thing rather than a 'hm. Magnus is acting… weird' thing. you let it go.

there are a couple indications this might not be the case early on. Rodimus especially seems to be under the impression that Magnus is acting uptight even for him, with his insistence on waving it off like 'he needs to relax, Swerve can you get him to chill on Hedonia because my guy is REAL stressed' and the like. (this makes sense- Rodimus is the person on the ship who has actually been directly interacting with Magnus regularly pre-MTMTE.) but it's not super obvious and not heavily emphasised.

which makes the eventual post-Overlord and RiL reveal, which is that Magnus has in fact been acting weird because he's having a breakdown that has largely gone unremarked upon by his shipmates, really really good. Magnus has not been doing doorframe audits because he's the comically uptight second in command acting as straight man for genre purposes; Magnus has been sending Rodimus a million memos a day and losing his shit over nothing because as someone whose entire identity as 'Magnus' is rooted in a wartime role he escaped into, he's been having an existential crisis now the war is over and he has no purpose and doesn't know what to do because he never expected to have to play that part in peacetime. the entire time the genre shift was somewhat obfuscating the fact this characterisation was a thing that is in-universe relevant, which also then reflects back on the fact Rodimus is like. hm. probably should have noticed that, now I feel like an asshole for not realising. (the scene where he and Rung discuss those unread memos, post-Overlord.)

it's a small thing, but it's a really effective misdirect for the payoff Magnus gets in RiL that reads a hell of a lot more clearly on reread and rewards that chance to revisit the early issues with that knowledge. of course that wasn't just a gag, of course he's actually slowly losing his shit slightly, he cannot go five seconds without making it clear he is Stressed As Hell. but until you get to that actual reveal, there's just enough room for the comic to let a reader assume it's, you know, we're in a comedy now, we need a hilarious straight man, and Magnus is it. it's great! all the stuff MTMTE pulls to simultaneously obfuscate the Magnus/Minimus reveal while also making it feel completely reasonable on reread is great. really good use of reader bias there.

[ijustthinkhesneat]

Ha nerds I rise again like mold from an apple! But this time I will be truly unhinged, I’ve embraced chaos and am ready to give it to everyone by mashing together my three brain rotting hyperfixations!

Today I will illuminate the hat ffxiv Job the Batfamily have as well as what Magnus Archives Entity they would be aligned with me! No one wants this, no one needs this, but everyone will suffer with me!

Bruce: Dark Knight, come on this man is too edgy and sad to not be the spooky shadow tank, but also he’s truly driven to protect his family and will use anything at his disposal to keep them safe. Like wise I think Bruce would be aligned with the Lonely. Bruce seems to so desperately want to foster a close and loving relationship with so many people but many times can’t help but push them away and wallow in his self inflicted solitude.

Dick: This was hard but ultimately I settled on Dancer, put the pitchforks down! Dancer is a flexible and spritely class that supports its Allies and helps them to rise up to their true potential, similarly Dick’s true strength shines when he is supporting and guiding his friends and loved ones through difficult situations. I think Dick would be associated with the Stranger. Aside from Dicks background as a circus kid and flexibility that borders of contortionist horror, Dick struggles with his mailable sense of self and even a bit of imposter syndrome, this is expanded by him spending half his life behind a literal mask.

Jason: Reaper, this bitch is dramatic as hell and everyone loves him for it. I think Jason’s closeness with death, and the fact he’s way more chill about cutting a bitch, makes reaper feel like a good fit, additionally jason can get a serious power boost from the Lazarus pit at the cost of his self control, similar to the reaper class. Again staying on theme Jason would obviously be associated with the End. He’s died and come back to life and has had an unstable grasp on reality and mortality ever since.

Tim: Machinist, boy loves his gadgets what else is there to say. Tim to me gives big Spiral vibes, this boy is a sleep deprived little liar. I mean seriously he can lie to Batman on 49 hrs of no sleep and no one suspects a thing. Also again with that imposter syndrome except instead of feeling like he isn’t who he is he feels like he’s tricked everyone into thinking he’s better than he is and is just waiting for the shoe to drop. Little does he know everyone loves him!

Damian: Samurai, nothing else to say it is what it is. I think Damian fits really well with the Slaughter, he is prone to acts of violence by very little and while I think deep down he wants to be less bristled to his brothers he struggles a lot with overcoming what he’s been taught.

Duke: This one is hard for me but I ultimately settled on Astrologian. I think it works with Dukes ability to manipulate light and even glimpse the future a little so the space fortune teller class seemed to fit. I feel like it is so hard to fit a fear with Duke sense the fandom interpretation of him is that he is the most hinged, not true by the way, but he just hasn’t been as deeply explored when it comes to trauma. I think Duke is also a bit of the odd one out, he works with light and operates in the day, he has powers, etc. For this reason I think Duke should be aligned with the Web. I don’t think it’s necessarily because he is perceived as normal but it is also that. Duke comes across as the most open and normal of the batfam but he’s arguably the least conventionally normal, he just passes the best, I also think dukes future sight could be connected with the webs complex plans and long term foresight.

Cass: Ninja, obviously. I think Cass fits with the Dark really well, not just because she’s quiet and spooky but also because she was raised in cult environment! Cass is more in tune with stealth and darkness than even Bruce and she has dedicated herself to not just navigating darkness but weaponizing it.

Alternatives:

Dick: The Spiral, Web or Vast. Dick has a complex relationship with long falls and also has experienced mind control and amnesia the most viciously out of many of the batfam.

Bruce: The Dark and the Hunt. Bruce struggles with not letting his person as Batman consume him, giving up everything for the mission, his kids are honestly what keeps him from crossing that line.

Jason: The Corruption, Slaughter and Flesh: Feeling like the Lazarus Pit has changed him so fundamentally that he isn’t who he was before also the murder. Also the Buried but we don’t talk about that.

Tim: The Eye, Slaughter and Lonely. Tim has HUGE Jonathan Archivist Sims vibes he also maybe likes killing people a little to much, also sad boi.

Damian: The Hunt and The End. He’s died before and it’s kinda the same thing as Bruce where he really refers on the edge of going full serial killer.

Cass: The stranger. Spooky dancing lady go brrrrrrrr.

Duke: The stranger and the vast: Fuke standing out so much from his family gives big stranger vibes bb. Also he can fly so he’s the vast automatically.

[biitchcakes]

@spybiote asked: who was the one family member your muse always looked up to, if any? — IN-DEPTH HEADCANON QUESTIONS — ACCEPTING

For a long time, Jessica didn't know if her mother, Miriam, was dead or alive. After a few decades passed, she assumed her mother — if she had been living — died of old age. However, her more prevailing theory was that her mother had been killed by Hydra. It made sense to her, having been in stasis for so long, the Wundagore lab torn to shreds when she finally awoke. And Hydra came for her not long after that, knowledgeable on herself more than even she was (Though in actuality, her mother was killed the night Jessica went into stasis — going for a walk on the mountainside only to be killed by a neighbouring werewolf.)

There was a brief incident when Jessica was still young, when facing the Viper (Ophelia), both the women had been tricked into thinking Ophelia was Miriam, but this had turned out to be false memories implanted into her by Morgan Le Fay — all to hurt Jess.

Jessica didn't know her mother for long, having fallen ill when she was only five years old, and being put into stasis mere weeks later. But she does remember her mother doing everything she could to nurse Jess back from her radiation poisoning without forcing her to sleep.

Jess loved her for that.

As for her father, Jonathan, Jessica harboured more complicated and less favourable feelings towards him. While maybe he thought he was doing the best he could, he still condemned Jessica to an unknown fate by pumping her full of his experimental spider DNA. She felt sometimes as though she were little more than a lab rat to him.

At first, she had looked for him, too. Wanting answers, closure, connection. . . But when she found out the truth, she cared only for finding answers and her mother.

She still has difficult feelings towards him, wanting to love or at least miss him, but she felt a stinging pang when she thinks of him.

The first person truly feel like a father to her was Magnus, her sorcerer mentor. He was the first person to treat Jessica like, well, a person: capable of her own thoughts and feelings, her own sense of agency. The two shared a deep fondness for each other.

She admired him. She looked up to him.

Nick Fury meant a great deal to her, too. The man she was sent to kill bringing her out of the darkness, convincing her to go her own path. He always trusted her, always took care of her. Whenever Jessica was put into a position of leadership, Fury always came to mind as someone to emulate.

Jessica has considered Carol Danvers family for practically as long as the two had known each other. The woman who has been to hell and back multiple times, who still has so much love and care to give. Who fought through her own demons, as well as battled the worst from the world — from the universe. Carol she admires most.

[cinberella]

DEVIL IN DISGUISE

Artist: @skylar102

Rating: M

Pairing: Malec

Word Count: 48.500

This fic was created for the ​ Mini Bang 2023 presented by the @malecdiscordserver

CHAPTER 6/7 Unleashed

"God, Magnus, what have you done?"

The Vampire’s voice holds stupor and dismay in it as if he could not believe his eyes. Truthfully, the scene before him is nothing less than horrifying. It reminds him of what he found inside a rogue vampire’s den a while ago. It was macabre. And Raphael is pretty used to dealing with blood, isn’t he? But so much of it? From just one man? He is frozen on his spot, disturbingly aware that the blood, on the floor and all over the walls as well, belongs to one of his friends. 

"What I had to." 

Magnus answers him, his burning eyes glowing with a feral amber light.

"Did you torture him? Angels above, Magnus… Meliorn has always been one of us, how could you…”

Raphael can hear the horribly beaten man’s slow heartbeat, so he knows he is still alive. For now, at least. Magnus looks different, though. He has never looked more like a Prince of Hell than now.

“Meliorn is hiding something from us. I know the Queen is involved in this mess, and he will tell me where that fucking Sword is. Unless his loyalty to the Queen is worth losing his life.”

“I didn't think you would go this far... The Queen won't forgive you so easily if you kill him."

Magnus rolls his liquid golden eyes, snorting. As if he cared about the Queen; though, he cares about his dear Vampire’s feelings. Raphael may be difficult to deal with but he has always been a loyal friend and a fair man.

"Look, Raphael, I didn’t have fun doing this, ok? Ragnor here can confirm that I tried to reason with him at first.”

“He did.” Ragnor confirms, calmly, sitting comfortably in an armchair on the other side of the room, unbothered, looking carelessly at the Seelie man chained to the ceiling by his arms stretched upward as if he meant nothing to him, as if his life meant nothing.

Meliorn seems to be unconscious; his face an unrecognizable mask of blood and bruises and his eyes are swollen and black all around. Raphael wonders if looking like that, he’s going to lose his sight. He is shirtless and his torso is covered in cuts and bruising contusions. And a mix of dried and fresh blood as well. So much… blood.

All in all, the scene is quite disturbing to watch, especially because of the utter stillness of the man, which appears somehow unnatural.

As they step further into what seems to have become a chamber of horrors, Raphael hears the terrified gasp the Warlock that he is roughly pushing inside lets out, perhaps realizing he is the next one. Raphael also notices the slight but constant shaking of his body. Galaster hasn’t drawn a single breath since they walked in, probably as shocked as the Vampire was at being faced with such barbarity.

After Ragnor caught him and brought him to Magnus’ hideout, the High Warlock welcomed him and seemed ready to deal with him right away, but something made him change his mind. In fact, a fire message arrived, out of the blue. The tone of those written words, read aloud by Magnus for everyone’s benefit, was urgent and frantic, asking, demanding Magnus to open a portal for whomever it was. Magnus looked mischievously pleased by the unexpected visit and ordered Raphael to take Galaster, already handcuffed with special restraints blocking his magic, to another room. Magnus was emanating a spine-chilling, frightening aura and was sporting a wicked smile on his lips; that was a grimace Galaster has never witnessed before. Before being dragged away, he saw Magnus open the portal, and Meliorn step out of it. It seemed much more like a trap, but Galaster couldn’t know what happened next. He guessed Magnus and Ragnor would proceed to interrogate the man about the Queen’s real intentions. On the other hand, the Queen had just tried to trick him, or so Ragnor told him, and surely Magnus wouldn’t trust Meliorn to be on his side, despite their century-old friendship. 

But this was no interrogation…  This was brutal and merciless agony. Galaster has made many bad decisions in his life. Decisions he is not proud of. In the past, he had thought for a long time that Valentine could really be the only hope against Demons... But then the outcast Shadowhunter turned out to be a visionary psycho-murderer and Galaster regretted having fought alongside him. He contributed to the deaths of his fellow Warlocks. Of innocent Downworlders. But Galaster has always been a coward and has been in hiding for 20 years, knowing he wasn’t worthy of forgiveness. Magnus Bane, instead, has always been a man of different moral stature. So far at least. Now he too seems to have lost that same humanity that makes Warlocks better than their demonic parents.

Galaster starts squirming against Raphael’s body. He is terrified. Meliorn was Magnus’ friend, so he can’t even think about what the Warlock may have in store for him. What kind of physical and mental torture he will make him endure? And Galaster is not that strong, is he?

“Unfortunately, I still need confirmation that the Sword is kept at the Seelie Court.” Magnus goes on, wiping his bloody hands on a rag. He could have cleaned them magically, but the effect would be different. Way less dramatic or horrid.

Raphael holds the Warlock firmly, still gawking at Magnus with a shocked expression. Magnus is finally showing what his true nature is, isn’t he? He is more than just a half demon, in his veins runs the blood of one of the most powerful Greater Demons. Raphael gets it, but this? Torture?

His face must be showing his consternation, because Magnus laughs at him, half amused and half annoyed.

“By Lilith, Raphael, don’t look so appalled! Meliorn is a tough nut to crack. But I am going to give him a little respite, ok? I guess I can lavish some of my attention on our dear Galaster now. What do you say, Ragnor, will we be luckier with this one? Will he tell us what we want to know? Or will he break too soon… He doesn’t seem very… resilient.”

At that moment the chained man moans and begins to cough up blood.

"Help… Please... Raph…" His voice is feeble and gurgling as he keeps drooling reddened saliva.

Magnus throws the blood-soaked rag to the ground angrily and stalks toward the man, grabbing his hair and yanking his head back violently, causing him to whine in pain again.

"Meliorn, don't be so annoying. We are having a conversation here. You better shut up and save your breath for later. Don’t worry, I’ll make you scream again soon. Now it’s Galaster’s turn, though. So, be quiet, yes? And enjoy the show.”

He releases Meliorn’s hair and spins around to stare at the other Warlock.

“Galaster, are you ready? I think you'll find these chains very interesting. They not only prevent you from using magic like the handcuffs you're wearing now, but they're made of adamas. So, they will be very unpleasant against your skin. You know that those marks don't heal, right? You will carry the scars forever, assuming you’ll survive."

"What? That's barbaric. Please Magnus, no… You can’t..."

Magnus shrugs nonchalantly, while Raphael starts pushing him to make him advance toward the chains dangling from the ceiling. The Vampire has not much of a choice, even if he doesn’t agree with Magnus’ methods, he won’t get in his way. He is not that stupid.

"Well, Galaster, I can, actually. Yet… what is gonna happen it's up to you, really. Meliorn has been useless so far and I'm losing my temper. If you tell me where is the Sword and who got it in the first place, I'll let you go, you will be free to run away and keep hiding like the filthy rat you are. Otherwise, I'll take all my wrath out on you, Galaster. This is a promise… I won’t hold back; I won’t spare you any suffering. Or even death, if necessary."

"Fuck, Magnus. We're not like that. Don’t you want to try and persuade him to cooperate? You can’t kill someone in cold blood like this."

"Oh, no? Well, watch me, Raphael. We have demon blood, my dear. And it is cold. Shadowhunters are right about that. Our blood calls for blood. And I'm sick of everything. Rebel Warlocks, hypocrite Nephilim people, and even friends who don’t trust me…” 

That sounded dangerously like a threat. Raphael widens his eyes, taken aback, but shuts his mouth once and for all. Magnus’ expression softens then.

“Raphael, I would never hurt you, but I won't let this world go to shit. Not if I can avoid it. There are still people I care about and I need to make it clear to the Consul that if she doesn't want the Shadowhunter line to be exterminated, she'll have to listen to us. I’ll put my hands on that damn Sword, no matter what the cost and I am not going to hand it back to the Clave. It’s too dangerous. By Lilith… They are nothing more than a bunch of incompetents at best and bloodthirsty traitors at worst."

Magnus looks around, catching the irony in his words, and giggles briefly.

"My God, Bane, you're a monster." 

Galaster whispers with a strangled voice, trying to escape the lethal grip of Raphael’s hands around his arms. But he isn’t strong enough, and his magic is obstructed by the restraints Magnus put around his wrists. Magnus lifts one of his eyebrows, smirking. Raphael shivers again.

"Am I a monster? Me? And what about you, then? You joined the Circle 20 years ago, you betrayed us and stained your hands with the blood of so many innocents. I just want justice, Galaster, and I may spare your life if you tell me where the Sword is. Otherwise, you are going to suffer… well, a lot."

A sob erupts from the Warlock’s mouth, his face transfigured by fear.

“Magnus…” Raphael knows he is not going to stop him. But…

“Raphael, if you're not strong enough, please leave the room, I've made it soundproof so you won't hear his screams, as I bet you didn't hear Meliorn's.”

Raphael shakes his head.

"No, I'll stay. I don't like this, but if this is the only way..."

"You know it is... We need to retrieve the Sword before it's too late. Shall we proceed?”

With a flick of his wrist, Meliorn is freed from the chains and his battered body slumps awkwardly to the ground. 

Ragnor stands up from the armchair and kicks him away with his foot, making room for Galaster to take his place. When he deems it enough room, he turns to the Vampire. The British Warlock oddly seems to be having a great time.

"Raphael, bring him here so I can hang him. I think Meliorn has passed out again and won't wake up anytime soon. Magnus went a little rough on him.” He sounds almost amused by the situation.

“Magnus, this time try to make this last a little longer, ok?" He concludes and Magnus shrugs,as to say “I’ll try”  and starts rolling up his sleeves intently. Raphael thrusts Galaster forward to make him move, but Galaster puts up some resistance.

"No… Wait, please…”

The Warlock drops to his knees, resting his forehead on the ground in prostration before Magnus; he is sobbing in earnest now, but Magnus looks down at him with undisguised contempt. For being a magical immortal being Galaster is admittedly reduced to an embarrassing begging mess. But he must know he is nowhere as powerful as Magnus, and if the High Warlock has decided to torture him to death, his only hope is to tell the truth and implore his mercy.

“Please, Magnus… I’ll talk, please.”

Magnus stops rolling his sleeves and grins.

“I’m listening.”

Galaster straightens up, sitting on his heels and looks up at Magnus like a mistreated puppy.

“Ok, sure So… Valentine... when he died… I knew I had to run away… And I never meant to go back to New York, I swear… But they found me, somehow, and they asked me to portal the Sword from Paris and to obscure any trace of the portal. They threatened me, and I thought… I could do just this one thing, right? I could disappear again, afterward, I thought… but Ragnor... Shit... I didn't mean... Please, Magnus… forgive me, ok? I'll do whatever you ask me. Just… Spare my life… I am immortal, I cannot die... Please…" 

The Warlock is rambling by now, having his fear taken the best of him. Magnus’ eyes are cold and unforgiving, though. His words even more, spat out through his teeth.

"Frankly, you are unforgivable, Galaster. As I said, I have no pleasure in inflicting pain, although I am good at it since as you know, I am my father’s son, after all. Do you wanna have a taste of my skills?"

"No… For God's sake... Magnus… Please…" Galaster whines and Magnus’ eyes shine with impatience.

"Stop begging then and tell me where the Sword is, so Ragnor can bring you back to whatever sewage he found you all in one piece."

A glint of hope lights the Warlock’s eyes. He nods frantically. He will talk, he will tell Magnus anything to save his life.

"The… The Sword is… It is already in Idris, ok?” Galaster is clearly overwhelmed by sheer terror and seems now unable to stop the tears, as he tries to speak between sobs.

“They… They asked me to create a portal near… near Brooklyn so you would be indicted… But the Sword was taken to Idris, I think... Oh God… I think pretty much right after I portaled it to… to New York..."

“Whom are you talking about? Who brought it there?” Magnus asks, relentlessly. He expects the Warlock kneeling before him to say Alec’s name; Alec Lightwood and his siblings were responsible of this whole mess. He has been so damn sure, but… apparently, he has never been so wrong in his life.

"Johnathan Morgenstern.” This is the name Galaster chokes off in the end, bowing his head forward in total surrender.

Magnus frowns, wordlessly. Because Johnathan Morgenstern is, was actually, Valentine's long-dead son. So, maybe he got it wrong.

“Who?”

“You heard me right. Valentine's son. I know, he died when he was just a toddler, I… I can’t explain why, or even how he has come back… But he is not human anymore. He’s not even a Shadowhunter anymore. He returned from Hell to take his revenge. He wants... He wants to break down the gates of Hell and rule Edom together with his sister. He told me as much. And I know he has made a deal with the Queen. She… She will reign on Earth, this world will be a… colony to her Seelie Court, while Johnathan wants to dominate Hell. But… there will be no more barriers between worlds, they will merge into one single realm. With the Cup and the Sword, he will be able to control demons and annihilate all the Nephilim people who are now protecting Mundanes... So, they will all die. Everyone without demon blood in their veins  will die. I am so sorry…"

Galaster seems to have regained his eloquence, but what he just said… It makes Magnus' blood run cold in his veins. Raphael and Ragnor seem equally petrified. Valentine's son? The little baby had horribly died in a fire at the Morgensterns’ mansion in Idris, shortly before Jocelyn managed to deceive and end her husband's life with the help of Lucius Greymark, the man’s parabatai. That night Jocelyn got pregnant with a girl, who was born nine months later in Alicante. 

How did Johnathan even survive? One thing is for sure though; being Valentine and Jocelyn’s son, the boy must be a Shadowhunter, he has angelic blood and could not have survived in Hell. So, what Galaster said makes no sense. In any case, his angelic blood may have granted him free access to Idris until now, and if he already brought the Sword there… It would be a disaster.

“Look, there's no way he survived the fire, much less he came back from Hell. Don’t mess around with me, Galaster… You don’t wanna play this game, do you?”

The Warlock seems calmer now, as if resigned to his fate. There is not much more he can do. He is at Magnus’ mercy and there is no point in keeping the truth for himself.

“Magnus… I’m not lying. He is a monster… He has demon blood in his veins and he is powerful…”

He is not human anymore…  The Warlock’s previous words sink in, eventually. Magnus’ eyes widen in realization.

"...there is something wrong with him… I mean, he’s not a Warlock, or a Seelie, but he has something absolutely demonic in him. And he is a shapeshifter… I saw him change… so he now looks like one of them... He took the place of the nephew of the Head of the Paris Institute a while ago and he had been living there for months.”

The Warlock stops speaking and looks up at Magnus, desperation and regret clear on his face. 

“It’s too late, Magnus. He has the Sword…. And when he puts his hand on the Cup... He... He will destroy our world to its foundations. I am sorry… So sorry."

Magnus’ jaw twitches and his hands close in tight fists. It’s way worse than expected, but it’s not his habit to give in without a fight.

"Raphael… We have to hurry."

The Vampire nods, looking alarmed, and willing to follow Magnus’ orders.

“I know… Tell me what you need me to do, and I’ll do it… Just… It seems that Alec is not involved, after all.”

“No, he isn’t.” Magnus admits, flatly. He is relieved, but he has no time to process what happened with the young Shadowhunter. It must be an explanation for his behavior. Raphael and Maia, and even Meliorn, they were right.

“And Isabelle either, right?” 

When the Seelie man, still laying on the floor, speaks again out of the blue, Galaster trail off in surprise. Meliorn scoffs then, shaking his head and lithely sitting up. His voice is firm and steady and he glances up at Raphael, grinning at the Vampire. Then he turns his awfully swollen eyes toward Magnus.

“I told you, didn’t I? Isabelle is not a traitor.”

He stands up easily, a moment later, his lopsided smile still plastered on his bruised face. Galaster gapes at him, and he gasps in surprise when his whole body shape becomes blurred and glows with a multicolor light. 

Right… He thinks. Seelie magic. 

When the glimmer around his figure fades away, all the bruises, wounds, and even the blood that covered his skin have disappeared. Meliorn is completely unharmed and standing in front of the Warlock in all his angelic-and-demonic combined glory.

“What the fuck?” Galaster mutters in disbelief.

Magnus can’t help but chuckle softly at the man’s mystified reaction, while Meliorn picks up a tunic that was on another armchair and puts it on.

“Galaster? Are you ok? You seem a little pale…” Magnus mocks him with evident satisfaction.

“You… You didn’t…”

“No, I didn’t hurt Meliorn, I don't usually engage in torture and turn my back on my friends. I’m not that kind of man, and I pride myself on trying to listen to them, despite my prejudices. I was sure that the young Lightwoods were behind this, but they made me reconsider my assumption. Or at least they convinced me that there might be another explanation. As much as I don't trust Shadowhunters, I do trust those who have stood by me for centuries. I can't say the same thing about you, though. You betrayed us twenty years ago, and you are going to pay for that, now. We will deliver you to the Clave and you will be tried for the crimes you committed when you were in the Circle. I'm sure the Clave won't have as much mercy on you as I'm having. I didn’t lie, you know? I don't like to inflict pain... But you... You deserve no mercy, Galaster, and my hands are itching… Raphael? Please, take him away, before I can indulge in rash deeds."

"What? No… No, you promised to let me go if I told you the truth. Magnus… You gave me your word…"

Magnus scoffs and points at him, looking at Meliorn in clear amusement.

"He still doesn't get it, does he?” He asks the Seelie man, feigning incredulity.

Then Magnus steps forward and crouches in front of Galaster. He utters his following words coldly and in such a detached way that the kneeling Warlock seems to be about to burst out crying again. 

His eyes are wet and his lower lip is trembling, but Magnus doesn’t pity him.

“This was all a farce, Galaster… Everything I said was a lie. Besides, I can't let you go. You're my ticket to get to Idris now, I need you. You shall meet with none other than the Consul herself, in her opulent office in Alicante, pleading your case. Raphael? Call Isabelle and tell her to get ready, we're taking this scum to the Institute."

"Got it… I'll call Izzie right away. Let me just get this package ready to be delivered to the Clave, ok? Just… Don't you think you overdid it with the amount of blood? It bordered me on the far-fetched side."

Magnus shrugs. “Maybe. But it worked; so…”

Raphael is unabashedly grinning now as are Meliorn and Ragnor. Who can blame them, though? This was so easy, after all, and they played a great team game. More than great. And above all, Magnus is such a good actor, isn’t he?

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 

Every Shadowhunter knows that in one of the guarded rooms adjacent to the Consul's office, there is a permanent portal, that can be connected to all Institutes in the world. It is mainly used by high-ranking officers of the Clave visiting one or other Institute or by the Heads living and working in the diverse cities who need to go to Alicante for whatever reason, or even to transfer prisoners who are to be incarcerated, tried, or executed at the Guards. The procedure is magically complex and is operated by a few portal workers, properly trained to interface with each portal on the other side of the magical channel. They are responsible to make sure that travelers arrive at the desired destination safely.

Clary and Sebastian are walking along the corridor to get there and two guards are following them, as ordered by the Inquisitor, but the girl knows that, provided they really go through the portal, it is very unlikely that they will land in South Africa as they should. Probably, one of the Shadowhunters in charge of their transfer is a traitor. But Clary is prepared. For starters, she is ready to react, she has her weapons and won’t hesitate to use them in case the blond Shadowhunter attacks her. Secondly, she has activated a special rune to be localized by her mother and Lucius, Luke, as she has always called him. And most importantly, the Cup she is holding in her hand is not the Cup. 

It's a simulacrum. A fake. The Cup has already been brought to safety for some time. When all this mess started, Clary was sent to New York undercover, to figure out who at the New York Institute could be the traitor. Because it was obvious there was a Shadowhunter involved. It must have been. A Downworlder alone could not have activated the Sword and in any case, Jocelyn knew that Magnus Bane was a man of honor, even though the two hadn't interacted in the last 19 years and were never friends. But both knew the value of loyalty. During the Uprising, Jocelyn pretended to be part of the Circle, she double-crossed Valentine, dangerously putting her life at risk. And she lost a son for the cause; in the end, she murdered her husband and Magnus respected her for that; he understood her pain, in some respect at least. And Clary knows her mother has always returned the favor toward the Warlock. But the Inquisitor... She had no idea, and she issued an arrest warrant for the High Warlock. In fact, no one knows about Clary’s true mission. Only her mother, Luke, and the Consul of course. Not even the Inquisitor knows the truth; as far as she is concerned, she did entrust the Cup to Clary a few minutes earlier and Magnus Bane is nothing less than a criminal. Well, the Clave will apologize to Magnus Bane when it's all over. The High Warlock is on the run at the moment and Clary hopes they don't catch him. She doesn't want him tortured or worse when she knows he's innocent. Not that she could do anything about it right now. Now she has to stay focused; anything can literally go to hell in a blink of an eye.

Now, Clary's at the reckoning. The Sword hasn't been found yet, but she knows it's her job to find it, and to do so she must humor this imposter, whoever he might be. The short distance from the Inquisitor's office to the Portal room feels longer than usual. Clary feels the tension in her shoulders as she walks unhurriedly, Sebastian following.

In the end, nothing happens and they cross the portal, under the watchful eye of the few Shadowhunters in the room. She is not very surprised, though, when past the glowing light of the portal, finds herself at the edge of a forest edging the shore of a lake. Well, the place is familiar to her. She has often seen those tall conifers and the silver water of the lake; on the other hand, she grew up in Idris, so she knows immediately that they are near Lake Lyn and the fact that Sebastian, or whoever this intruder is, wanted to take the Cup with him is concerning. She knows what that means, even more, if he has the Sword as she suspects.

And she bets the Sword is nearby. Who the Hell is this man? A well-disguised Warlock? But he entered the Institute and Idris’s wards without issues, so he must have angelic blood in his veins.

This makes no sense at all. He must be a Shadowhunter, but he needs demon blood to accomplish the ritual with the Cup. Maybe he has an accomplice… She must be very, very careful.

Clary is walking ahead of Sebastian again, slowing her pace and with all her senses on alert. The young man follows her and doesn’t say a word, but she needs to face him, so she stops in her tracks and spins on her heels, abruptly to look at him straight in the face. He is… smiling.

“Clarissa. It’s so nice to finally meet you. I have waited for this moment for so long, you have no idea.”

She frowns. The impostor cannot know it, but Clary met Sebastian five years earlier and it is not possible that the boy doesn’t remember her. They were barely teenagers when they met and they traded a soft, innocent kiss on the lips. Sebastian had been living in Paris for a few months then, after having lost his parents, and he was a timid and kind boy, and Clary spent a few days with him when she accompanied her mother to visit her friend Elodie. She and the blond boy clicked very fast somehow; they were so young and after those few days together and that delicate kiss they hadn’t seen each other again. Clary had her life in Idris and Sebastian in Paris, but she is sure he would remember that kiss.

However, when she introduced herself to him, the day before at the New York Institute, he gave no sign of recognizing her. And he looked eerily different. His eyes had lost all their gentleness.

Clary immediately considered that he had just arrived from Paris... and it was a sketchy coincidence, right? Of course, she couldn't share her suspicions with anyone. Not even with the young Lightwoods, who immediately welcomed her with open arms. Well, at least Isabelle and Jace.

She had yet to figure out what kind of person Alec was. But it was pretty clear that he didn't trust her, which made him either a possible suspect or a precious ally in her eyes. Clary leaned more toward the latter. Again just because of her instinct... And yet, she was rarely wrong.

"Where are we? And above all... Who the Hell are you?"

She finally asks, showing no agitation or fear. Her mother knows where she is, or at least Clary hopes so. Someone will come soon for her.  And the Cup is far away, somewhere safe.

"Oh, you're right sorry. I should introduce myself. And maybe show you what I really look like. I bet you'll notice the resemblance."

Saying so, the young boy changes his shape, his appearance. It’s a complete, full morphing of his body and face and even though Clary has already seen shapeshifters change their shape before, she knows no Shadowhunter possesses that ability. They may use a glamor but the effect is not the same. It drops altogether, it’s just an illusion. Therefore, the transformation that is slowly happening before her eyes is fascinating and horrific at the same time. The body structure of the boy, his skin, his eyes... everything transforms deep to its inner essence. Sebastian is gone in a few moments and instead of him, another boy is standing before her, more or less of the same height, slender, with red hair and green eyes, exactly like she and her mother.

"Hello… Sister." He confirms with a smirk.

"No... It's not possible. You are dead. Our father killed you; you died swallowed by the flames."

"No…” He retorts angrily, “our father saved me. He took me away from the fire and entrusted me to my mother. Or at least to the mother who actually raised me, nurturing me with her blood."

"Who are you talking about?"

Johnathan shrugs as if anything he was referring to was absolutely obvious.

"Well, Lilith… of course. I grew up in Edom, Clary and I assure you… It was not an idyllic experience. But the time will come when I will get my revenge against her, too. I will get even, Clary, in due course and for everything that happened to me. I will rule over Edom. I will dethrone her, and I’ll do it for you. I... I want to make you my Queen, what do you say? When I heard that our mother had another baby, that I had a little sister... Well, I decided to survive in Edom to come back to you. Despite the torture and all the pain Lilith inflicted on me every single day I spent with her, the thought that I still had someone to live for... To fight for, well, it made me hold on. Now give me the Cup, Clary... You need to drink my blood before I can put an end to every Shadowhunter’s existence, reduce them to be human again as they should be."

"Your blood?" 

Clary mutters in dismay. She is shocked by what this boy revealed. Is he really her brother? And was he raised by Lilith? The Queen of Edom?

"Yes... Lilith’s blood in my vein will make you a creature of Edom, like me if you drink it from the Mortal Cup. When our sword, the Morning Star Sword, finally burns your runes away and gets rid of any drop of angelic blood in our veins, we will rule over Edom, together."

Johnathan looks so calm and confident, and Clary is overwhelmed by a new feeling. She is sorry for him. Alone and abandoned, raised by a Demon, unaware of what love can be. What having a family even means. But she can’t let him win. She can’t.

“I am not going to Edom. Here is where I belong, ok? And you too. I am not going to drink your… blood.” 

The mere idea makes her stomach churn in disgust.

“Oh, but you will. This is the most precious gift I can offer you, or do you prefer to become a Mundane and succumb to the horde of Demons that are about to pour into this World?”

Good Lord.

“How…”

The boy rolls his eyes, clearly annoyed by her continuous puzzlement.

“The Sword, my dear… The Morning Star Sword that has belonged to our family for generations and that only you and I can activate with a simple touch, because of our name, can open a rift between here and Edom, but first I need to get rid of Raziel’s blood in our system.”

Of course, he is the only one who can use the Sword even if he is not a Nephilim anymore. That’s… terrifying. Clary can’t allow him to put his hand on that infernal blade.

“Where… Where is the Sword?”

“Not far from here. So... Are you with me, Clary? I know you are not to blame for what happened to me. You weren’t even born. Our mother abandoned me to die in that fire and our father left me in the hands of the Mother of Demons. But you? You are not to blame and you are my lil’ sister. I want to share my glory and power with you. We'll get to know each other, and I promise you, you'll be happy with me. Nobody will get in our way; you will get everything you want. I'm your brother, Clary, I just want to protect you and you'll learn to love me back. I'm sure of it."

He spoke his last words more sweetly, as if he really believed them and it’s heartbreaking in its craziness.

“Johnathan… I can't believe you survived… But our mother… She didn't abandon you, she tried to save you. It was Valentine's fault. That night… It was he who started the fire… She… She loved you and she has never forgiven herself for failing to protect you. I'm so sorry for what happened to you, but… I can't give you the Cup. You will have to kill me, Johnathan. Is this what you want?"

The boy's young but unsettlingly sharp face hardens a bit more at her rejection, and his eyes turn pitch dark. They are evil, bloodcurdling, revealing his demonic nature. Clary notices that he has no runes on his skin, at least on the visible parts of his pale body, and wonders if he can even bear them without losing his mind. Even more than he has already had.

She instinctively recoils when those devilish orbs meet her eyes. Her brother stares at her with those abyss-black eyes and Clary suddenly feels weak, and dizzy, her wobbly legs are suddenly unable to keep her on her feet.

"What the Hell… What are you doing to me?"

"Sleep, little sister, and when you wake up, it will be in a new world. A wonderful world that we will build together..."

Clary feels her lids heavy as she collapses, somehow gracefully, to the ground while her senses leave her, rendering her vulnerable and completely at her brother’s mercy.

She won't surrender… she must stop Johnathan and retrieve the Sword… It’s her mission, she must resist the sleepiness… But it's a losing battle.

Clary closes her eyes, as darkness envelops her. She hopes that her mother is on her way before it’s too late. Before Johnathan can open a rift to Edom, before he finds out she hasn’t the real Cup, cradled to her breast and his hopeless wrath destroys the World.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Alec enters the Consul's office, head held high and a stern scowl on his face, pushing Galaster Qibynn in front of him, in an attempt to make him walk faster. They were just in time, the portal to Idris was about to be shut down.

The plan Magnus Bane proposed to them was… well, literally crazy. But the Warlock was persuasive enough and convinced him that this was their only way to get to Idris in time. The unsanctioned transfer of the rogue Warlock would cover Magnus’ traces entering Alicante’s wards. Or at least, this is what they hope. Alec of course, but also Isabelle, Jace, Maia, Lily, Raphael, Meliorn, Catarina, and Ragnor.

They stayed in New York, waiting at the Institute to Maryse's sheer bewilderment; she was however silenced by a truly menacing Raphael. 

Such a large gathering of Downwolders all together under the roof of the Institute was surely unprecedented. They are ready to jump into the portal, should it open again. But for now, Alec is alone. The Consul is standing in front of her desk and is glaring furiously at him.

"Alexander Lightwood, you know we were about to close all the portals for a reason, don't you? You were not allowed to bring that Warlock here. The orders were clear. So, I wonder… what on Earth was so difficult for you to understand in the sentence "No Downwolders are allowed in Idris"? My life is at stake here."

Alec can’t really help but roll his eyes. He is already so…done. Everything happened incredibly fast and he has still to understand how he ended up in Idris with this handcuffed Warlock. At the same time Catarina was updating Maia about what happened with Galaster, Isabelle called him, summoning him back to the Institute. Apparently, Magnus had gotten his hands on the one who stole the Sword and was willing to hand it over to them. But the Warlock demanded that the prisoner needed to be taken to the Guards in Idris, using the portal at the Institute. Galaster Qibynn would talk to the Consul and the Consul alone, revealing Johnathan Morgenstern’s plan. Isabelle explained that the Warlock wanted to get immunity for himself in exchange for information about the Sword’s whereabouts. That was what Raphael told her.

Alec then rushed to the Institute with the two werewolf girls only a few moments before the small delegation of Downworlders arrived, dragging Galaster in chains with them.

Obviously, Maryse Lightwood freaked out, but eventually, faced with proof of Magnus' innocence and the real risk that the Sword could have been already in Idris, she let Alec go, pursuing this crazy idea Magnus came up with. Just before jumping into the portal to Alicante, though, Magnus grabbed his wrist and looked straight into his eyes. It wasn’t a friendly look. And his words still resonate in his ears.

"Apparently we need to work together for the greater good, Shadowhunter, but don't think I can ever forget that you deceived me and tried to incriminate me for things I didn't do and would never even think of doing. You got into my pants for your vile purposes and I hope you did have fun because that won't happen again. I despise you, are we clear? When we get out of this mess, just stay as far away as possible from me... The risk that I may try to incinerate you remains absolutely plausible. Do you understand?"

Alec was overwhelmed by guilt and regret and he was sorry for… for everything. But Magnus’ hurt feelings and his anger needed to wait. So, he rebutted, trying to convey his displeasure, but cutting it short nonetheless.

"Magnus… Look, I don't have time for this right now. But don't worry, I promise I won’t bother you with my presence. I know I hurt you and even if it wasn’t my intention, I am well aware of what I have done and I’ll take full responsibility for that. Now let's go and get the Morning Star Sword before Valentine's son succeeds in ending the World, shall we?"

Magnus’ eyes shone with something similar to admiration, and a weird form of respect.

"Lead the way, Shadowhunter." 

The Warlock said in the end.

And now here he is, following Magnus’ plan, trusting him, and putting himself at risk, fully and without any safety net. Good Lord… He is going to die, isn’t he?

"Consul, I am well aware, but I wouldn’t have brought him here if it wasn’t crucial. Much more than your life is at stake here. There's no need to lie. You should know that someone with Demon blood has already managed to sneak into Idris, so there is really no point in keeping those people who can help you away from here. They can help you… We can help…"

"So, this is the Warlock involved in the theft of the Sword? I remember him, he is a traitor, he used to work with Valentine. But he is of no help now and he can’t remain here. You need to take him back to New York. You can put him on trial there if you want. I don’t care. You can also execute him right after, for what matters."

Galaster fidgets on the spot, clearly at unease with the Consul’s words.

"You’re not listening to me, Consul.” Alec goes on. “We know who else is behind the theft of the Sword. We know who wants to derune us."

She furrows her brows in sign of annoyance.

"How do you even know about this? It’s classified."

"Seriously? My mother told me. I can’t believe you hid this from all of us. We could have lost... everything... Our runes, our blood, our power… our angelic mission…"

"Lightwood, I can assure you; it wouldn't have been of any benefit if Shadowhunters panicked and started picking on the Downworlders. Fear is no good counselor and emotions cloud judgement."

God, why she keeps giving out platitudes?

"Well, but it wasn't a Downwolder who wants to destroy us, but a Nephilim, right? So, you need to secure the Cup, now."

And it’s then that the Consul does something unexpected. She snickers smugly at him.

"The Cup is perfectly safe and Clarissa Fairchild is pursuing the finding of the Sword. We think the Verlac boy may be the culprit. His Aunt is already under arrest and the Paris Institute is compromised. I know you and your siblings don't think highly of the Clave, but we're not a bunch of idiots."

An ungracious and disrespectful snort resonates in the office.

"Well… I beg to differ, Consul."

It was Galaster who spoke so irreverently and quite rudely to the woman, making her eyes widen in surprise.

The man easily jerks off Alec's steel grip around his bicep and the cuffs around his wrists vanish into a blue cloud of magic. The glamour falls in the blink of an eye and the Warlock standing there next to Alec is no longer Galaster, but Magnus Bane in person.

Alec can't help but look in admiration and awe at him. His posture, his proud gaze, his loud and intimidating power. Something flutters in his stomach, something that is more than wonder, more than respect. It's something he can't come to terms with at this moment. Now they apparently have to go and save Clarissa Fairchild, left alone against her demonic brother. If only they knew where he brought her. Magnus seems to read his mind.

"Where is Clarissa?" the Warlock requires, in a resolute tone that demands nothing but an answer. "Her life is in danger and I can't believe you let her go alone."

The Consul seems more irritated than concerned.

"By the Angel, what do you think you’re doing, Mr. Bane? Ms. Fairchild is perfectly capable of neutralizing one Shadowhunter. She is with Sebastian Verlac, and we don't know yet if he is the traitor. We are waiting for her to report back. They headed to the Johannesburg Institute where they are ready to receive them. We need to understand his motives and to find out whether there are other Shadowhunters involved. It's a very delicate mission, as you surely understand. In any case, the Cup is safe. You don’t need to worry about that. We gave her a fake one."

Magnus closes his fists and glowing blue sparks start spreading from his hands. He looks furious.

The Cup may be held somewhere secure, but the Clave always puts its people’s life in danger, recklessly and without sparing a second thought. Clary is alone with an infernal monster and Magnus cannot stomach their indifference to her fate. What would happen when Johnathan discovers she doesn’t have the Cup? Who knows how he would react?

"Idiots! Sebastian Verlac has probably been dead for months. The Shadowhunter with her is Valentine’s son, her brother. And he came straight from Edom to destroy us all."

The Consul looks at him dumbfounded. Now she is decisively listening to them. 

"What?"

"Valentine's son. He didn’t die in the fire at the Morgenstern’s mansion as we thought, and, don’t ask me how, but he has Demon's blood in his vein. You see, Consul, he is a Nephilim, and even with his contaminated blood… he can both activate the Sword and use the Cup to derune us all."

At that moment, a red-haired woman and an African American man burst into the Consul's office.

"Jia! Clary has never arrived in Johannesburg… She's still here, in Idris… she's at Lake Lyn… We need to go."

Alec hears Magnus whisper a curse that no one would dare to utter in the Consul's presence, but… whatever. He is not wrong. The two men look and nod at each other, with the same resolute expression on their tense faces.

"Let's go. Maybe it's not too late. Jonathan doesn’t have the Cup, after all." Magnus says, whirling his hand to open a portal. Maybe he can’t obliterate the Nephilim kind, but he can still hurt Clary and open a rift to Edom. No Demon Tower in Alicante could protect the city then.

Alec braces himself to jump into the light with the Warlock, thinking once again that it’s true… He is going to die, isn’t he? Well, it doesn’t matter. It’s for a good cause. They will stop Johnathan Morgenstern at any cost. He and Magnus together.

[onetimetwotimesthreetimess]

lrhwy 12 reaction (not live cause i wait way too long to make this its growing cheese already)

Simon groaned and threw his hands in the air. “Jace is forcing me to join the gym. I hate the gym. Gyms should be banned, they are a crime against humanity.”

simon is SO ME i dont wanna get fit i just wanna lay down and dream about dragon magnus everyday why is that not allowed

“The trick is to not engage with Jace. Leave his messages on seen.”

my noisy ass can never im obliged to check everything

Alec left the gym and reached the loft, a little angry at everything in the world. He did not even pet the cat that was trying to reach him on the streets.

that how you know it his joker moment

He knew addiction was difficult—no, not just difficult, he knew it was earth-shattering and destructive for people who were going through it, but Alec could never get it.

well i think that the common things about addiction (and in general other tough things people go through that you have no experience of) you can only help them and be with them, the journey have to be made by them

One of them had brown hair and black eyes. He was wearing an ugly jacket with cargo pants.

#stopclotheshaming

He whispered in the man’s ears, “I don’t think she was very impressed.”

this can come up pretty flirty idk idk dont ask me idk

The woman thanked him and gave him her number, and Alec pretended to care about it.

cant believe alec gay ass willingly flirt with a woman just to get punched, nothing going on in there

“Why don’t you meet us outside, pretty boy, and we will show you who is the real man?”

pretty idiotic boy

But knowing about a problem and actually doing something about that problem were two different things.

me looking at all my abandoned wip

“I just got caught in some stupid fight. It was nothing.” Magnus knew Alec was lying, but he did not call him out on that; he just brought Alec’s hands to his mouth and kissed them softly.

this my shit right here right fucking hereeeee

the middle is just too painful i cant talk about my therapist cant talk about it my doctor advise me my superpower mutant gene wouldnt develop if i start about it so i wouldnt talk about it you gotta believe me. also the way malec stay away from each other is like me staying away from sugar near bedtime, we love each other but we will only bring misery in that time like right person wrong wrong time

Magnus, would you like to try a long-distance relationship with someone who you are not even in a relationship with?

it the start of rom-com, sometime u gotta believe

“And?” He repeated his question.

“For myself. I didn’t like how I was before, so I’m doing this for myself too.” Magnus breathed.

i love these part time idiots so much they just understand each other!

“I think more people should be allowed to be sugar babies. It’s 2022. Normalise golddigging.”

damn if only somebody write a sugar baby alec au if only hahahhahaha (pls write hello pls it too little fic for comfort i need more comfort)

They had texted here and there, but it had mostly been photos of Arrow and Chairman being whiny and sad without each other. 

even their pets are now co-dependent

Ezra was whispering something and chuckling into Alec’s ears, and it irked Magnus.

hiadt au but 10x time this energy maybe ?????????!?!!

Before anything further could happen, Alec burst into laughter. He took out a twenty-dollar bill and passed it to the woman.

part of alec's appeal is he both baby and a bitch, it science

When did Alec start doing the fist bump?

there nothing more brozone than a fist bump sit your jealous ass down

Magnus had a perfectly good shoulder for Alec to hide his face in if he wanted to, thank you very much.

what if erza shoulder are broader, what then

Magnus felt something constricting in his stomach. Like a tight knot.

magnus so hit different target exclusive i picture you with other girls in love and throw up on the street right now

Something akin to pain flashed in his eyes, and Magnus felt like he was missing something.

oh no oh NAH

He rushed back inside and came back with a weighted blanket. Magnus went behind Alec and wrapped the blanket around his shoulders.

casual domesticity why are you doing this to me you know how i feel about this

Alec shrugged. “One should know about their enemy.”

he so me coded first the virgo now the spider and the planning, i would never risk it all for anyone tho

“I loved you incredibly much. But I didn’t propose to you out of love that night. I did it out of need. Out of desperation.” Magnus said, his voice shaky. “It could have been anyone else in the world, and I would have done the same thing.”

my therapist is adding this into the reference page for analyzing me

That was 99.036% less than how much time Alec wanted to spend with Magnus.

if a man make you do math, dump his ass but i guess alec already has

Magnus took a deep breath. “These thighs are government property, you need to take better care of them.”

then dont magnus have to pay fees for touching goverment property, it good business @ alec dm me you need sugar baby coaching

He was so fucking wrong because it only felt like the Alec Lightwood-shaped hole, which was already pretty fucking big in his body, had increased exponentially.

so you filled his hole and he left an even bigger hold on you for the record i not sleep enough

“Ask me.”

Alec’s face contorted in pain. “I can't.”

it like chess game when nobody move first so the chess board just sitting there colleting dust

‘part appeal of alec is that he’s both baby and bitch’- I NEED THESE WORDS TATTOOED ON MY FOREARMS LORD PLS THANKS. Also casual domesticity when you’re not even together is the real shit sjsjs and you are welcome.

Alec flirting with Zara to get Magnus’s no + Magnus flirting with a woman at a club to get his ass beat. Magnus Bane truly out here ruining my gay little baby shhssjsj

your reactions are superior and nonsensically the funniest shit like always.

P.S. you will definitely get the hiadt x10 times this energy lmao.

[plus-size-reader]

Leverage

Magnus Bane x Plus size!reader

Word Count: 2107 words

Warnings: none

Summary: Magnus taking a special interest in you, Clary's human best friend who resembles a lover Magnus had centuries ago

Just a concept I was tossing around. Let me know what you think and If I should work on a mini-series based on this

—————————————————————————————————

“Just stay close and don’t say anything” Jace reminded, leading you and the rest of your party into Hardtail, his eyes focused on the surrounding crowd, constantly scanning for danger.

This whole thing should be easy.

All they had to do was find Magnus and get him to give Clary her memories back. All things considered, it should have been an in and out mission, something they had done a million times before.

...but they could never be too careful.

Especially considering that they had been forced to bring along some dead weight, in the form of you, as extra insurance.

Just in case the Warlock in question tried anything.

“This is a terrible idea” Alec grumbled, the words falling on mostly deaf ears, though by this point, even Clary was wondering if bringing you along had been the right call.

You were insistent, as soon as you found out that you could be of help but you weren’t blind. You knew that you were in over your head, heading into a downworlder bar with a couple of shadowhunters without any real idea what you were doing there.

Under any other circumstances, you would have turned tail and ran in the other direction, but this was for Clary.

If this ‘High Warlock of Brooklyn’ could give Clary her memories back, and help her figure out what their next step was, you were going to do anything you could to make that happen.

“We don’t even know if this will work-” he continued, earning an elbow to the side from Izzy, who knew exactly where he was going with that.

She knew what they should have already figured out, that once you found out why you were here, you were going to freak out for sure. After all, it wasn’t everyday that you found out that you bore a striking resemblance to someone else, long dead.

It wasn’t something you would be prepared to hear, so it would just be better if you could all get through this without you figuring out what you were actually doing here.

You took notice of the strange exchange between the Lightwoods but decided to ignore it.

The two of them were known to bicker, even to someone who had known them for a few short weeks, and you had more important matters at hand.

Like making sure you didn’t accidentally bump into a vampire or something as you made your way into the club.

“Keep your head down, and don’t go too far” Clary whispered, webbing her fingers with your own as you passed through the crowd, your grib unintentionally tightening as the reality of the situation set in.

Clary was built for this, it was in her blood, but you weren’t.

It wasn’t until you showed up to things like this that you realized just how far out of your depth that you were.

“I’m not going anywhere, trust me” you whispered back, focusing more on putting one foot in front of the other more than anything. Before now, you were sure that the correct answer to the question Jace asked you was yes.

Now that you were here though, you weren't so convinced.

You understood that getting Magnus to meet with you was a long shot in the first place, and you couldn't afford to mess it up, but you just weren’t sure why they needed you. Out of everyone here, you were the most out of place.

Anyone looking in on the scene in front of them would have seen just how much you didn’t belong. Not that anyone around you was all that concerned with you so far, all too focused on the music and lights.

As long as you did as you were told and kept your head down, everything would be fine.

All things considered, your job was easy.

You just had to stay out of the way, and hope that Jace and Alec didn’t need you for whatever it was they thought you could be useful for. Which could have been anything and you wouldn’t have known any better.

The Shadowhunters were so secretive, only telling you what they thought you needed to know, and even then, they always tended to leave out the important stuff.

It made working with them very difficult.

Still, you did what you were told and kept your head down, doing your best to blend in until something changed, which didn’t look like it was going to happen at first.

All in all, it looked to be a pretty standard conversation, though you couldn’t hear any of what they were saying from the distance you were at.

Of course, It wasn't until someone shot an arrow into some guy in the background that you realized just how wrong you were. Evidently, there had been an assassin in the crowd the entire time and no one noticed until Alec put him down.

Which, in turn, spooked the reclusive Warlock into nearly diving back into his wormhole.

He got his jewel, but from the looks on Jace and Clary’s faces, they didn’t get nearly as much as they were hoping for. The only thing that kept Magnus in place was the redhead’s grasp on his wrist, which likely wouldn’t be enough to hold him.

Clearly, they needed something else, which was exactly why they brought you.

You had inadvertently become the most important part of this mission just now, and that meant it was your time to shine, even if you didn’t exactly know what your part to play was.

Without missing a beat, Izzy shot over to whisper something in your ear, something that really didn’t seem like it would work. Though, by this point, you weren’t sure that you had any right to question any of the shadowhunters.

After all, you didn’t even know they existed until a couple weeks ago.

You shot Izzy one more questioning glance, just to make sure she was serious about this before she nodded, telling you to continue with the plan. If anything was going to get Magnus to stick around, it was this.

“Magnus, wait!” you called, doing your best to cut through all the noise that Alec’s arrow and subsequent murder had brought on, which worked surprisingly well.

As it would turn out, just because the Shadowhunters had neglected to tell you that you looked like the long lost love of his life didn’t mean that Magnus was going to. Even the sound of your voice was enough to ring alarms in his head.

He hadn’t heard that sound in so long.

Almost immediately, the Warlock spun around on his heels, his attention finding you immediately. It didn’t make sense, and there was no way that he could have explained it but there was no denying the truth.

Not when it was staring him right in the face.

It was you, and it didn’t matter how it had happened, not now. All he cared about in this moment was that you had come back to him, after all these years. . It was incredible, but even with as thrilled as Magnus was, staying here wasn’t safe. If Valentine managed to find him here, that meant that he likely already knew where the others were.

Every second he spent away was another second evil had to prevail.

Not to mention the fact that he couldn’t exactly trust the shadowhunters to tell him the truth. For all he knew, Magnus could have been looking at some glamour of sorts, and they were tricking him.

He was just having a hard time believing what he was looking at. After all this time, it didn't seem right to see you again.

“You always did like places like this” he hummed, that same far away look clouding his vision as had been this entire time.

No one had ever looked at you like that.

He was looking at you like the whole building could come crumbling down around you and it wouldn’t have mattered one bit. Like you had physically put the sun in the sky, and you barely knew who he was.

“I’ll be in touch”

...and with that, he was gone.

Though, the thought of walking away from you a second time was nearly enough to break his heart, he didn’t have a choice.

There would be no opportunity to talk to you if he was dead, besides, if they wanted to get Clary’s memories back, they were going to need his help.

~

“Who was he talking about? Who does Magnus Bane think I am?” you started, already asking all the questions that they should have seen coming but no one bothered to answer them.

They weren’t even sure they were going to need you when they asked you to tag along, and just because you had helped them out a little back there didn’t mean the Shadowhunters owed you anything.

You were still just some mundane.

The only reason you were still here was because of Clary, that and they needed you once Alec realized that they were going to have to meet up with Magnus in the first place.

Someone had to get him to agree to help.

“Don’t worry about it. All that matters is that he agreed to help us” Jace shrugged, ignoring you, which by this point was par for the course.

You were so tired of everyone acting like you weren’t here. .

“Come on. I did you a favor back there, can’t you at least tell me what I did?” you sighed, turning your attention to Izzy and Clary instead, because you already knew the males in your party couldn’t care less about what you’d done.

To them, you might as well not be here and you had come to terms with that. You just wanted to know who he thought you were, that was it.

In the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t even that big of a deal.

“The last partner Magnus had, she looked a lot like you” she allowed, recalling the photograph she’d seen, which might as well have been you a couple hundred years earlier.

You couldn’t believe it.

All this time, you were masquerading as someone else, someone that you didn’t even know existed, and everyone else knew all along.

It was ridiculous.

Though, before you could inform the surrounding Shadowhunters of just how ridiculous, Jace chimed in just enough to let you know that, even still, it wasn’t really your place to ask questions or have opinions.

“We were hoping to catch him off guard, we needed the upperhand” Jace shrugged, truly not seeing how wrong this whole thing was. Not only did they use you without bothering to tell you what was going on, but they exploited him too.

It wasn’t right.

“You should have told me!” you scoffed, thinking that at the very least someone would have had the decency to fill you in on the plan but it would appear that no one thought about that before now.

Jace didn’t even look all that interested in having this conversation at all.

“I would have helped even if you told me beforehand, you know? It would have just been nice to know what I was walking into” you continued, well aware that you were basically talking to yourself but not caring enough to stop.

You couldn’t be both the mundane they didn’t even care enough to address by name and a member of the team that they used when they needed help.

You could be one or the other, but not both, and certainly not at once.

“Well, now you know. Congratulations! Can we get going now?” Alec called, several paces ahead of all of you by now, and not stopping even still. He didn’t care at all about whatever little moral dilemma you were having.

He was much more interested in getting back to the institute before another assassin got the better of one of you.

“Thanks Alec, I appreciate that” you countered, not bothering to cover up the sarcasm flowing from your lips. If he could talk to you like that, there was no reason you couldn’t give it right back.

The truth was that it didn’t matter what they said or how much they pretended this wasn’t a big deal. What had happened back there with Magnus was a big deal, at least, it was a big deal for you.

After all, you just found out that you looked like some dead chick that was hooking up with one of the most powerful warlock’s of all time.

How was that not supposed to be a big deal?

[bytheangell]

Elle’s 2021-22 Shadowhunter Bingo Masterlist

I’ve had a ton of fun creating fic for the 2021-2022 Shadowhunter’s Bingo! I didn’t manage to blackout my card but I did write a ton thanks to these prompts, and I hope you enjoy them! Infinite thanks to @shadowhunterbingo​ for running this event! 

Sex Work - Making Moves | Teen, No ship, Isabelle focus

As a sex worker, Isabelle knows that she has to look out for herself, so she's going to do just that.

Halloween Fic - The Treat of Trick Arrows | Teen, Clary & Alec & Izzy friendship

Clary is shocked when Alec agrees to let them wear Halloween costumes on patrol, and even more surprised when Alec's costume comes with a very helpful added bonus! 

Witch/Familiar - A Moment Changes Everything | Teen, Ragnor/Raphael 

Raphael meets Ragnor's familiar, and the two grow surprisingly comfortable. (Warning for canon mcd)

Wing Fic - There’s No Give-Up in Us | Teen, Alec & Clary and Clary & Izzy friendship 

When the wings that Clary's rune summoned to aid in killing Jonathan return even after the rune fades, she doesn't know what to do about them.

Warlock Mark - Shared Marks | Gen, Lorenzo/Andrew 

If a Nephilim’s soulmate is a Downworlder, then they take on the characteristics of that Downworlder. When Andrew wakes up the morning after Alec and Magnus' wedding with a warlock's mark of scales along his skin, there's no mistaking what it means.

Fuck or Die - Just off the Key of Reason | Mature, Jace/Jonathan 

Upon entering The Bone Chandelier, Jace subjects himself to unknown Seelie magic at Jonathan's insistence. The desires it brings to the surface are unexpected... but not entirely unwelcome.(content warning for dub con, sex pollen drug, frottage) 

 School Teachers - Change of Tune | Gen, Jace/Simon 

Jace is quick to dismiss the newest music teacher, but Simon is about to make a much more lasting impression than he would've imagined. 

Babysitting - Current Thoughts of Future Days | Gen, Lorenzo/Andrew 

When Lorenzo and Andrew babysit Magnus and Alec's children, they end up discussing the possibility of children of their own... one day. 

True Love’s Kiss - They Don’t Love You Like I Love You | Teen, Magnus/Jace

When Jace Herondale is put under a curse that only True Love's Kiss can break, only Alec knows who that is - he just has to decide if breaking Jace's trust in keeping his secret is worth it. 

Blind Date - A Lot In Common | Gen, Lydia/Tessa 

Lydia and Tessa realize that they have more in common than they first thought, and it might work to both of their advantages. 

Blind Character - Attitude and Outlook | Teen, no ships 

When Alec comes across a blind Shadowhunter who isn't being given a fair chance to train, he transfers her to the New York Institute to see what she's really capable of.

Vampire Alec - Eternity With You Doesn’t Sound That Bad | Teen, Alec/Raphael

When Alec gets too close to Raphael Santiago it lands him some unwanted attention as leverage against the vampire with life-changing results.

Magic - Faith in the Face of Instability | Teen, Lorenzo/Andrew 

When Lorenzo loses control of his magic, Andrew doesn't hesitate to come to his rescue no matter the risk.

Crossover - What’s Your Emergency? | Teen, Emma/Julian 

Trapped in place with a broken phone screen, Emma's forced to call for help from the only number she can dial by heart for help, and the first responders of The 118 come to the rescue. 

Rune Ceremony - Worth the Risk | Teen, Simon/Jace 

Simon is faced with a difficult decision after his class's Ascension Ceremony takes a turn for the worst. Does he leave, or risk it all to get his memories and his life back? (Warning for canon mcd)

Free Space - Working Relationship | Teen, Christopher/Grace 

Why would Christopher want to be anywhere other than completing his experiments with the person who seems to complete him?

[beclynn-herondale]

Little Clace thing I wrote

He opened their bedroom door and walked into it, behind him Clary was sending a message to Alec about plans tomorrow.

Jace was ready for work to he over, they'd been strategizing all day and his brain was exhausted. they were all stressed about what will happen with the New Clave. Not to mention, when and if the Cohort makes a move.

But he tried to clear his mind of that, trying to think of other things, otherwise he won't be able to sleep. He sat on his side of the bed to unlace his boots and pull them off. Then shrugged his jacket off and fell against the bed for a moment.

"You seem exhausted," Clary said, her voice half worry and half amusement." "I didn't sleep well last night. so my brain is done from all the strategizing." "Or the thinking." she said playfully. "You're so mean," he teased.

He heard her throw her boots off onto the floor. "And disorganized," he said. "Organization ain't my thing. You knew what you getting into, Herondale," she said. "True. But, I suppose that's why we balance each other," he said, suddenly serious. Thinking about how if not for Clary being his partner, he wouldn't be able to do all this.

She climbed onto the bed and then was on top of him. "We do more than just balance each other out," she said. "We're a team and more." He ran a hand through her hair. "I love you," he said, "so much." "I love you, too," she said, "so much. She bent down to kiss him, he kissed her back.

She pulled away, and said, "What do we have tomorrow?" "More strategizing and planning," he said. "Alec is still trying to calm things down with the Fair Folk. Not all of them are exactly over the Cold Peace." Clary sighed. "Can you blame them?" "No. If it were me, I wouldn't be so forgiving either, but we're in a difficult time right now." "That's true," Clary said. "Do you think the Cohort is planning as well?"

"Probably." "What are we going to do?" "Don't worry. we have Magnus Lightwood-Bane on our side, remember?" "One day I'll tell him that you secretly admire him." "Magnus Bane's secret admirer. But seriously, it's not necessary admiration," he said. "it's me stating facts. Magnus is a powerful warlock, maybe even one of the most powerful. He's be the High Warlock of Brooklyn this long for a reason."

"Magnus is God," said Clary, looking proud of herself. If anyone ever knew Clary and him joked about Magnus being got, he'd never live it, Jace thought to himself. "Perhaps." Jace had to admit if he were to choose a god, it'd be Magnus. At least Magnus seems cool. And he did love Alec more than anything, so that made Jace feel a kinship with him. He saw that Magnus could see in Alec what Jace did as well, it made Jace trust that Magnus would always take care of Alec. And he saw that Magnus loved Alec with everything he had as well.

"Why am I so exhausted every day?" Clary groaned. "We aren't even that old." "Physically we are young," said Jace. "But mentally we are much older." "Mentally I want to sleep for a while." "I'm sure you can sleep in a little later tomorrow morning," he said. "But there's so much paper work to he done," she said. "I hate paperwork." Clary was tired of paperwork, so was Jace. but rebuilding things meant there was a lot of it.

"I can do the paperwork," he said. "I can't let you do it on your own." "Yes you can," he said. "Besides, even the sumptuous brain muscle needs rest." He grinned. She laughed. "I remember I said 'Your most sumptuous muscle is your brain.' back when we were in Shanghai."

"I never forgot that," he said, more serious now. "Listen, love, your brilliant brain needs rest." "Why did you remember that?" she asked curiously, but he could tell she remembered too. "Well, for one, you said it to me. Everything you say has meaning to me," he replied. "And for two, you reminded me I was more than just a fighter."

They shared a moment of silence, not uncomfortable at all. It was a silence if knowing what the other already felt and knew. The silence of being around someone you trusted and loved, someone who knew you just as well as you knew yourself.

"Does Alec look exhausted to you?" asked Clary, breaking the silence. Alec does look exhausted, he's been given everything his all, and Jace was a little worried. "Yeah," he said. "But I've tried to get him to rest. He just thinks he has to do everything." Jace heard the anxiety and worry in his own voice.

"He never knows when to take a break. I admire him for it but we all need a break," Clary said. "Maybe you could find a way to trick him into a break."

Jace thought hard about this. He could convince Alec to go out for a drink or a walk, or even convince him into sleeping and tackling him into a cuddle session. But it would not be easy. And everyone needed something from Alec these days, but even Alec has his limits. No matter how much hope and goodness he had to give. Alec always had so much faith and hope, it radiated off him when he talked about the plans for the new Clave or when he advised people on how they could do better and the positive changes they could make—

"Jace," said Clary. He realized he got lost in thought. "Yeah. Sorry, I zoned out." "That's fine," she said. "I was just saying we should probably get ready for bed and try to get some sleep." She was still on top of him. "Well, you'll have to get off me so I can put on pajamas." "To bad," she said. "I'm comfortable." "I thought you said we should get ready for bed? This," he indicated, "is not getting ready for bed." "This could be what I mean," she smirked. "To think everyone believes I'm the naughty one," he said playfully. Then brushed his hand along her cheek.

Her expression turned serious and she stared down at him. "Are you okay?" "What do you mean?" "You've gotten up early, even for you, these last couple of mornings. And you've been tossing and turning more lately."

Should he tell her that he's been having nightmares of some evil version of himself? And that he was still worried about that night she said she thought she saw him; and that he was acting weird. But Jace hadn't gone after Clary that night, he'd stayed back at Magnus and Alec's place to play with Max and Rafe.

When Clary returned and asked him why he'd been so weird, he felt his heart skip a beat. It hadn't been him. They decided to dismiss it as being exhausted from working so hard. But Jace had his doubts. After the Thule story.

"I've just been having trouble sleeping again," he admitted. "I don't know. It just happens every now and then." "Do you have something on your mind?" she asked. "Just the usual; New Clave stuff, running the Institute, patrolling. Nothing new." "You're worried about Alec?" "Yes. But I don't think it's that," he said. "Alec is a great leader and knows what he's doing. and I know when to step in if I need to, but he is also happy to be doing it. And as his parabatai I have faith in him, I trust him. The thing is, I have had a strange feeling that something is coming but I don't know what."

"We do have to start wedding planning," said Clary, shuddering. Clary was good at planning this stuff but did not like planning this stuff, she also disliked dressing up too fancy. But she also insisted they plan the wedding, mostly cause it was an excuse to spend time together. She'd asked him about dress styles and he thought it odd but told her 'Whatever you want. You'll look beautiful no matter what.'

He reached over to her and twirled a strand of her hair around his finger. "The wedding planning won't he so bad." "Magnus suggested glitter bombs." "Well, that won't be happening," he said. She nodded. "I can't have glitter stuck in my ears for months again."

He laughed softly. "What do you want?" he asked. "That's just it," she said, rolling off him. "I have no idea. But I feel like everyone expects you to know what you want. I'm sure you know what you want." "You'd be surprised," he said. "But, Clar-bear, we don't need to know. We've always gone slow and steady in our relationship, our wedding planning doesn't need to be fast. We don't need to have everything ready right away, we don't have to plan it all right away. it's our wedding." "You're right," she said "of course you are." "I usually am," he winked.

She rolled her eyes. "Seriously though," she said, "thank you." He leaned to the side and kissed her cheek. "Kiss me," she said. He'd heard her say that maybe a million times, but it never got old.

He pulled her back on top of him and kissed her hard; she smelled of jasmine. She was grinning against his mouth a little, which made him smile. They rolled around like this for a bit; kissing and comforting.

Eventually they got ready for bed, both of them changed into their pajamas and snuggled into bed together. He buried his face into the crook of her neck, placing a few light kisses there. As she told him about how Max turned into a bat early and caused chaos. He smiled fondly at that, his nephew be chaotic was always adorable. Rafe apparently said something in spanish that may or may not have been inappropriate; his other nephew was adorable and on his way to being a badass.

They both dosed off after she finished the story, they had to accept they were tired adults now, even if Jace didn't want to.

Tag list: @khaleesiofalicante @chibi-tsukiko @spotsandclawsthings @megs-readstoomuch @magnus-the-maqnificent @replayfootsteps @my-archerboy @jazzkaurtheglorious @simply-ellas-stuff @bookfast-at-tiffanys

[morihaus]

Campfire

The skies are mild and clear over the Ashlands of Vvardenfell, a blanket of brilliant stars splayed above the camp of two travelers, an aspirant priest and a wayward blade. A campfire burns before them as they sit upon mats, having eaten their fill of supper and now content to while away the night in dialogue.

A book lies open in the layman's lap, a thick tome embossed in gold and daedric lettering. He reads from it passively, as he knows the words by his own heart. "HOAGA, the Mouth of Mud, who appeared as a great bearded king, had the powers of Marshaling and breathing the earth." Their voice is low and mellifluous as he recants the sermon, scarlet eyes tracing carefully over every stroke of lettering, savoring the prose which sprung from the mind of a god. "On the battlefields, this demon would often be seen on the sidelines, eating the soil voraciously." They speak this in a deadpan, though a soft smile has not left their face since they began.

His companion, a foreigner to this land, restrains her laughter out of respect, chuckling only slightly. She does not mean to offend, but is calm in this interaction; this Dunmer has been the most accommodating of her presence out of nearly everyone on this ashy scab of an island, and over the weeks of their traveling together, she's come to see them as a friend.

"Were these real people?" She asks.

The priest-to-be, Ranso, smiles coyly. "Of course. Everything in these lessons is to be taken as fact."

Junah laughs softly, her grin is warm to him in the firelight. "Just thought I'd ask- I've never heard of a Nord eating dirt. I mean, not a general, at least."

They continue to read, Junah letting her eyes fall shut as she absorbs his words. Most nights they would spend like this, them reading their holy books, her listening, asking questions, having her questions turned back at her, the two of them discussing usages of imagery and metaphor, subtext hidden between the lines. It's not unlike her time at Anvil's College of the Arts, those poetry meetings that would stretch on for hours as they wound their way through pages and pages of purple prose, except these poems were much grander, they were scripture, holy texts, penned not by a devotee, by a preacher or a prophet, but by a god.

It's been fascinating to consider, and strange to the Redguard, who for all her life had been brought up on worship of the distant Divines of Cyrodiil, who spoke in winding ways to their followers. This god had winding ways of hir own, but hir words were plain to read on the paper. Theologians of Morrowind should be so lucky.

As Ranso utters the last few lines and reaches for his water skin, Junah remarks as such. "It's still so... strange to me," Her voice is hushed and bereft of judgement- this land is new and harsh to her Imperial sensibilities, but she's not so low as to insult its ways. "That your gods can communicate to you like that. Through published poetry no less!" She snickers to herself. "If only Akatosh were so thoughtful."

The Dunmer smiles against his drink before setting it aside and turning back towards her. "Perhaps he is not a good poet?"

Junah laughs at that; such an odd statement, too absurd to be profane, and yet there's an edge to their words that make him almost sound serious in this accusation. "What makes you say that?" She asks, curious and eager to hear him.

Ranso flips a page in the tome held in his lap, still looking at Junah. The dark painted spirals on his face, segmented like a carapace, seem alight as they reflect the fire. "Poetry is a personal art- and yet it taps into something much bigger, something felt by many. The microcosm, the words on pages or hanging in the air, shaded with impermanence, fighting to persist. It is a mortal expression. A god could not comprehend it as we do, nor could one communicate in a way we understand."

"But Vivec is a god, is ze not?" Junah asks.

"Yes, ze is. But ze has lived as a mortal, as all the tribunes have." Ranso explains patiently, their words coming easy for their passion for the temple. "This is why they can understand us, they have tasted mortality, they have felt the fleetingness of it all, and they remember this, even now as they are ascendant. Vivec writes with a twofold mind, one mortal, one immortal. Ze translates the experience of hir divinity in a way no other can, so that we might understand... 'the eyelid of the kingdom shall fill thirty and six folios, but the eye shall read the world. By this the Hortator needs me to understand.'"

Junah nods thoughtfully, carefully going over their words amidst a comfortable silence. With only the two of them, there is not much to do while they compose their thoughts, but they are content merely to lie beside one another.

"...I remember some theology, from my temple days in Cyrodiil." Junah begins, drawing Ranso's attention as she leans back and lays down against her mat. Her heavy armor had been discarded for the night, leaving her in a dark undershirt, buttons undone down to her breast, a few faint marks and bruises bared to the world along her collar. She raises her hands up to lay her head down upon them while she stares up at the stars. "I think- mortals can understand the gods, in little ways. The ways they manifest in our world. If you know hard work, farming, crafts, then you know Zenithar, at least a little bit. He is those things, that's how he makes himself known to us." She gestures one hand up as she speaks, laying it across her body, idly straightening her shirt. "Most of what I learned was Maran and Dibellan, though. They're... a little harder to quantify. Love, devotion, beauty, expression- I mean, people know these things, don't they? And how could these things not know us? If the artist understands their art, does the art understand the artist?"

Ranso listens quietly; they are less than familiar with the Imperial tradition, only knowing so much as the priests would tell the young to avoid their proselytizers. The Aedra, those he knew, cursed in the sermons, spoken of in distant pondering in the Vehkian circles he ran in as a youth. They find her words fascinating, their eyes are focused on her dark painted lips as she speaks these Imperial ideas- something, Ranso thinks, is best met with spiritual dialogue rather than ostracism. "It sounds more as though you know of things, and you liken them to the ideas of gods. A rather one-sided conversation." They tread lightly with their words out of respect for their friend, quickly honing in on another talking point. "Does the art understand the artist?... I like that." They chuckle softly, pleased to see Junah's flattered expression as they speak. "It's rather fitting, isn't it? Here we are, beings of a great work of the gods, marveling and wondering at those who created it, it which created us."

Looking up in the sky, Junah almost feels like she's searching for a face in the heavens now. Distant planets, the moons- waxing and waning- and a million tiny pinholes of light are all that she can see. "I hadn't thought of it like that... I meant the art as the god- as Dibella."

"Right," Ranso nods. "I'm not sure. It is more difficult looking up than down- even then, looking down, how does the artist communicate unto the art?"

"The art is communication." Junah says.

"So, the riddle is hidden away in itself?"

"I guess so... fat lot of good that does us though, huh?"

Ranso smiles at her. "It's not hopeless. There are always means of reflection."

She laughs softly, sitting back up and shifting closer to their side. "Ah, you're right. Let me get a closer look at you, maybe I'll figure it out." She leans in playfully and is met with a slight bump on her forehead as he moves to do the same. The two pull back with bashful grins and laughter.

After a few moments, Ranso finds his place slumped against Junah's chest, sermons still in hand, her heartbeat in his ear. Their eyes are closed as he recites the sermon from memory.

"Vivec says unto the Hortator remember the words of Boet-hi-ah:" Junah smiles, leaning down to rest her chin against the fuzz of Ranso's close-cut hair.

"We pledge ourselves to you, the Frame-maker, the Scarab: a world for us to love you in, a cloak of dirt to cherish." The winds of the ashlands blow softly behind the proud and dark voice he dons for the prince's speech. "Betrayed by your ancestors when you were not even looking. Hoary Magnus and his ventured opinions cannot sway the understated, a trick worthy of the always satisfied." Junah wraps an arm around their chest as they attempt not to let her affections distract them. "A short season of towers, a rundown absolution... and what is this?"

Junah breathes a deep, contented sigh and opens her eyes. The campfire is still burning, bathing the two in its glow.

"What is this but fire under your eyelid?"

[my-writings-and-musings]

I came up with lil idea, not intented to be a request but up to you what you do with this

So, human is getting miserable, sluggish and tired. Bots ask human why, they're not sure, Rung doesn't give an answer because patient confidelity. Whirl asks if he can kill someone. Magnus says maybe. But Swerve, the lil dude, comes up with an answer. He figures it's because of the metallic nature of the ship and the human just misses nature. So they gather a group of the humans friends to help with a project, and Swerve and Ten are the "bosses". Swerve shows them what Earths nature looks like, and multiple bots lend their talents to transform two unused habsuits into thing gigantic, realistic looking forest. Some bots bend metals to create trees and Ten paints them. Percy comes up with a way to create a small weather system that creates mist and rain and stuff like that. Multiple bots make tiny, or as tiny as they can make them, animal sculptures, and again Ten paints them. Brainstorm makes the ceiling look real. It works on human time and basically there's sunset and sunrise, along with a starry sky of the milkyway. Rewind collects animal and nature sounds from the nature documents Swerve has, and now theres a stereo in the rooms that quietly play said noises. Theres just an incredible amount of detail that goes into these rooms, with a vent/tunnel that connects them. In the end it's just an exact replica of a forest you'd see on Earth. Hours upon hours were poured into these rooms, multiple bots spent a good amount of their free time in the making of these rooms for the sake of their human friend. And it pays off. The human cries from happiness. They start to become themselve again and frequently spent their free time in the room.

That's it that's the idea

That idea is BEAUTIFUL.

Rung wants to offer assistance, but therapy isn't quite enough, and he's only one bot. Whirl assumes someone must be bothering his favorite squishy, and even if that's not the case, he believes that knowing you have a buddy who'd kill for you is always helpful. It makes him feel better, anyway... Magnus considers allowing some extreme measures as it becomes clear their beloved human is indeed suffering. They're tired, glum, reclusive, and just not themselves! It doesn't take a medic to figure out this can't be good for them.

Swerve, being a sharp bot with an excellent understanding of earth, is indeed the one who puts all the pieces together. The ship wasn't built with human biology in mind, and that's having some severe consequences, both for their physical and mental wellbeing. Some rapid fire research helps him craft a genius solution, but he knows he'll need help, so he gathers a massive team in the bar. Saying it's for the human gets the entire crowd to show without delay.

Before a packed bar, Swerve lays out the situation. Humans need their environment to be a certain way, he explains, and the ship just isn't meeting those needs. Undoubtedly this is what's causing the human to feel so unwell. When some bots aren't quite convinced he has Ten hold him up so he can speak with authority, and the medics concur it's a reasonable theory, though Swerve still requests Ten hold him up because he likes to be tall. Also because it makes proposing his solution much easier when everyone can see him.

An impressive plan is detailed by charts, PowerPoint presentations, drawings, schematics along with Swerve and Ten detailing the specifics as they go. The plan is simple but impressive; make some small part of the ship feel like home. Two unused habsuites would be ideal, and while they've planned it all out, they're going to need help. In fact, they're going to need as many helpers as possible. Rodimus doesn't hesitate to put his full support behind the plan, and encourages everyone to offer what skills they can. Ultra Magnus immediately sets about recruiting and assigning tasks with the admittedly solid plan Swerve has laid out. Every bot wants to contribute something. There's over two hundred volunteers, and soon they're all working together, keeping it a secret from the human so they'll be surprised. Drift finances the massive load of supplies that they need to get started.

As sneakily as they can, the bots work in shifts to follow the blueprints, with Swerve acting as the expert on all things Earth and Ten backing him up. The initial construction is the easy part; it's everything after that's difficult. When "renting" earth animals proves too difficult and Magnus forbids cloning more, they decide that art will do the trick, and thankfully they have lots of material to work with and ample artists to make it work. Metal is bent and soldered into the shape of earth's flora and fauna, with the artistically gifted Ten bringing it to life through his excellent painting skills.

On the scientific front, the laboratory goes a little wild creating ways to capture the "essence" of life on Earth, with Perceptor inventing a simple but elegant device to mimic the planet's atmospheric phenomena. Mist, rain, humidity, aridity, even the scent of ozone... It's all in there, and it even has a handy remote! Quite proudly, he points out that the entire room will even recycle it's own water supply, just like earth does. Not to be outdone (and to show off) Brainstorm sets about reformatting the entire ceiling. For him, it's not enough that the room can mimic the climate of the planet, it needs to look like it too. Though tempted to go all out with extreme weather modes, he settles for a ceiling that produces a realistic sky just like the one on Earth. It can be sunny, cloudy, starry, and even follow a set schedule!

But of course, as a very smart minicon points out, Earth is not a silent planet! Rewind puts his talent to use gathering the sounds of animals and plants and weather patterns, all of which he mixes into a sound program of unfathomable complexity to give the room a thriving ambience. Whether it's birdsong or a gentle rain, the human will long for the sound of their home no longer. Or at least he hopes as much.

In total there's no way to know how many hours were poured into the project, but the result is well worth it. There's a grand gathering when the human is brought to see the finished effort, and for a moment, no bot dares blink at the suspense. Everyone can only hope it works...

It does, to a degree they never could have anticipated. Their long suffering friend breaks out into happy tears, in part because of the planet they so long for, but mostly due to the incredible effort that's been put in on their behalf. Everyone worked on this in some capacity, there's not a single member of the ship that didn't contribute, and it was all for their beloved human. More than a few bots cry as well. So much hugging happens that they lose track of it all. The human camps out in the room that night with a lot of bots for company, and they actually have to keep track of who does so to ensure everyone who wants to gets a turn. Some find they like hanging out in the room so much the list of bots who want to see Earth magnifies exponentially. They all promise to the human they'll go together someday. But, for now, everyone is content to relax in their little slice of the humans home.

[thanksjro]

More Than Meets the Eye #29 - The One Where Everyone Gets Super Shiny

Our issue opens up with Swerve laying down the Story So Far in the Exposition Dimension.

Fantastic, you funky little man.

If Swerve looks like he’s been tossed through the car wash a few dozen times, it’s because this is where our new colorist comes in! Everyone, please say hello to Joana Lafuente- known for her love of gradients and attention to light sources, this actually isn’t the first time we’ve run into her. Lafuente worked on colors for several issues of The Transformers (2009), Last Stand of the Wreckers #3, and a few issues of MTMTE Season 1. However, she was matching the styles of her co-colorists on a majority of these, so we haven’t seen her style properly until now.

Getting into the story proper, Cyclonus is busying himself with staring out the window at a PNG of space, as he is wont to do, when he hears the tell-tale sound of tires squealing down the hall towards his room. Oh, goodness, whoever could that be?

Nearly forgot about him, didn’t you? Yeah, it’s a little difficult to follow up on things like a character’s recovery from a horrific disease when you’ve got comic event contract obligations to deal with.

After getting tackled by Tailgate, who reminds us all about the time he stuck his dirty little fingers into a dude’s brain meat, Cyclonus takes the little nerd on a walk through the ship.

You’re not going to convince me to reread “Dark Cybertron”. I don’t care how much of a marshmallow you are, it’s not happening.

They’re passed by Megatron and a bunch of crew members carrying that coffin we saw at the end of last issue down the corridor, Tailgate has a moment, and we get a taste of Cyclonus’ distaste for the Autobots as a whole. Tailgate is mildly offended by this, as he gropes his chest in distain, showing off his shiny new Autobot badge- a gift for not dying a terrible, gruesome death.

Good job, Tailgate. Proud of you.

They’re also passed by an absolutely blitzed Jackpot and Mainframe, the former singing Tailgate’s Tyrest-stopping praises as the latter carts him over to the Medibay to deal with the almost alcohol poisoning he’s got going on. Cyclonus remarks that Tailgate was missed, though Tailgate can’t help but wonder if that’s really true.

Y’all like slowburn romance, right? Because these two dumbasses have been roommates for two years, and we’ve just gotten to the point where physical contact can happen without one of them needing to be dying.

Anyway, it’s been a good day for Tailgate so far. Let’s hope it stays that way for the little dude.

...And that’s a series wrap on Tailgate! Let’s give him a hand, folks!

Hopping back in time to Megatron’s trial, things get underway, as Optimus Prime takes a nap in the judge’s bench as Gripper- whose name you don’t need to remember, as he’s not actually important- tells everyone about how brutal the Decepticon Justice Division is, even to Autobots. Which isn’t really supposed to be their deal, given their, y’know, name, but I suppose nobody’s perfect.

Up in the stands, in an… opera box, I guess? Rodimus is watching the proceedings, when Atomizer walks in. Which I guess you can just do in a Cybertronian court case. Sure.

Atomizer, in case you forgot, is the dude who has a bow and arrow, and used to be an interior designer.

Say, didn’t Whirl has a bow and arrow in the last issue when he attacked Megatron? Mighty curious, that.

Rodimus and Atomizer briefly reflect on the DJD, recalling the horror that was Vos- not that Vos, the other one. Rodimus would really just rather this all be over with so the Lost Light can get back to finding the Knights of Cybertron, and it’s at this point that Atomizer breaks out a thing he really ought not have- the count for the vote on whether or not Rodimus should stay on as captain. Rodimus doesn’t want to look at it, because it was supposed to be anonymous for a reason, and tells Atomizer to destroy the list entirely.

Hm, that’s not a terribly determined face there, Rodimus.

Back in the present, specifically in Swerve’s, Groove is threatening to break Streetwise’s arm, as we get the downlow on just what exactly our Legislator buddy’s deal is. Turn’s out, Swerve got one of the things reprogrammed, so that he follows not the Autobot Code, but something else entirely.

Hey, Swerve?

I don’t expect you to know this, because I don’t think you were present when they revealed this information to the readers, but… your new bouncer is made of people. He’s a dude made of other dudes, namely the Circle of Light. There’s a chance that you reprogrammed a sentient being, my good bitch.

Anyway, Swerve’s in a fucking mood because his shoulder hurts, someone’s stealing his shit, and Megatron has joined the narrative. Over at a nearby table, Skids, Nautica, and Riptide take a gander at the tabloids. Trailcutter, who is positively smashed, to the point where he’s just leaking booze out of his face like it’s his job, isn’t terribly interested in that, however.

What an astute observation, Riptide. And people say you’re stupid!

Trailcutter wants to drink some more, because it’s very likely he’s got a problem, but the mention of “Megatron’s super fuel” makes him feel like it’s time to stop hounding Swerve and start performing crimes.

Back during the trial, we get to Starscream’s testimony. He’s wearing his crown. He’s acting like a self-righteous asshole, as he defends Megatron.

Well, “defend” in the technical, legal sense, I suppose.

But really it’s more about him insulting Megatron’s intelligence, strength, and courage, in front of a LOT of people, while also trying to make himself look better in the war crime department. Megatron doesn’t appreciate this very much, if his murder-face is anything to go by.

Megatron lets Ultra Magnus (his defender, if you’ll recall) know that he wants a private word, and court goes into a brief recess.

Back in the present, Nightbeat’s busy looking at a pin-up of Rung’s alt-mode, when someone knocks on his door. That someone is Chromedome, who’s trying to solve the mystery of The Missing Declaration of Love. Not that he says that specifically out loud.

You two were married, why- okay. No point in yelling at this digital copy of a comic book.

Anyway.

So, the whole screaming thing only happened the one time, and everything was back to normal on subsequent plays of Rewind’s message. Nightbeat seems to be leaning towards the depressive isolating getting to Chromedome, which Chromedome responds to by telling him to get the fuck out. Alas, someone’s blocking the door!

YO WHAT THE FUCK-

Back with Trailcutter’s subplot, our drunken friend is in the middle of breaking into the Medibay. Our trio of cool-colored pals watch him from back at the bar, by way of a laptop that looks like it was built the same year I was born.

As Trailcutter attempts to commit a crime, Megatron, Ultra Magnus, and Ratchet pass by, trying to figure out how to handle the whole coffin situation. Trailcutter’s about to punch the locks off a door, and Nautica decides that this is where she’s going to draw the line today, leaving the gaggle of fools to their shenanigans. Then Tailgate glomps Skids, throwing the computer to the ground and breaking it, as Trailcutter finds the door to the Medibay magically open.

If you don’t know what glomping is, there’s a 60% chance that you’re not old enough to vote in the US.

Trailcutter sneaks into the Medibay, we get a reminder that Ambulon is super dead, and Trailcutter commits theft from a food bank. What a guy.

This is the point where security shows up, armed with a great deal of guns, one of which is Megatron himself. Trailcutter, instead of feeling super powerful, actually feels positively awful after consuming Megatron’s rations of “super fuel”. Because he, as an Autobot, doesn’t want to be within 50 yards of Megatron, Trailcutter breaks out the forcefields the moment the guy approaches him. And oh, what a doozy this one is.

Trailcutter’s gotten himself a fancy new trick- this forcefield he’s broken out lasts for a solid half-hour, and he can’t turn it off. I’m sure that won’t bite him in the ass at any point in the near future, no-siree!

Back in the past, Rattrap is commending Starscream on playing the field and getting the public slightly more on his side, but Starscream’s too busy patting himself on the back to really pay attention. He knew damn well that Megatron wouldn’t like what he had to say on the stand, and now things are finally looking up for ol’ Screamer.

Over with Optimus Prime, Slamdance is showing off how the general public is really into this whole “folks being held accountable for their actions” thing.

In the present, Chromedome and Nightbeat seem to have remembered they have alt-modes and are driving down the hall back to Nightbeat’s room- wonder what the speed limit for the Lost Light is?- and discuss just what the hell happened. The current theory is that the Rewind they saw was a Data Ghost- a collection of information so dense, it had a not-quite-physical presence that wasn’t 100% removed when he died.

Which is a little fucked up, but let’s see where this goes.

Nightbeat undoes the 40,000 locks on his door while Chromedome bleeds guilt all over the shag carpet over the fact that he hasn’t been looking for Dominus Ambus like he said he would.

C’mon James, gimme that Chromedominus endgame.

Nightbeat finally opens the door to find a small problem.

Hm. That’s… not normal.

Over in the Medibay, Trailcutter’s bubble has burst, allowing Megatron to slap him in the back of the head. This head-slapping induces his FIM chip permanently, making it so that he can never get drunk again.

Weird party trick, Megatron. Kinda shitty, really.

Megatron then gives Trailcutter the job of director of security, because he needs direction in his life. Trailcutter just sort of takes what he’s given, because I suppose you can’t really argue with a guy who can literally slap you sober, and also threatens to destroy you if you fuck up even once. Nice, Megs. Nice.

MEGATRON THAT’S BEEN SITTING LIKE THAT FOR OVER HALF AN HOUR YOU FUCKING WET NOODLE

So, since there’s mystery juice all over the floor and no one’s died, Megatron assumes that the coffin ought to be fine to crack open.

Please note that Megatron is not a medical professional, and his views are now peer reviewed by medical professionals. Megatron is in no way endorsed by the WHO.

Anyway, Rodimus is in there.

Pretty fucked up.

Back in the past, recess is over, and Ultra Magnus comes bearing bad news- Megatron wants to change his plea to “innocent.” This gets about the reaction one would expect from just about anyone.

Well, except Rodimus, who’s too busy reading that list that he wanted destroyed. He’s very sad about it.

I know, what a bummer!

[cloudyskywars]

The Magnus Archives, Season 2

Hello again. I’ve now finished listening to Season 2 of TMA and have lost my mind. @reese-haleth can confirm. After Season 1 I wrote my “statement” regarding my thoughts on the season. I’ve done it again, even though no one asked lol. Listen, I just love this podcast a lot, okay? Enjoy my 2,000 word report on Season 2 of The Magnus Archives. 

Statement below the cut.

Continued statement of CloudySkyWars and her experiences listening to the second season of The Magnus Archives. Statement originally given 28th April, 2021. 

I… don’t really know where to begin. It has now been a full day since I finished Season 2, and I still don’t quite know what to think. So many things were revealed in the season finale, and throughout the season in general. I don’t quite know what to do with all the new information I have now. In rereading my previous statement, I was right to be nervous for Jon. I didn’t think it was possible, but his situation got worse.

Let’s start with an easier- well, not easier- but more approachable topic I suppose? Sasha is gone. I think I’ve known that from the end of last season, when her voice changed abruptly and no one seemed to notice. Her scream as she was eaten, or taken, or whatever it was, was terrible. I suppose I shouldn’t have expected her to come back from something like that. Still, it hurts me to know that she’s truly gone. 

We now know more about the being that took Sasha. I’m still not sure what it is called exactly, but for now I shall refer to it as the Not Being. It has apparently been around for ages; hundreds, possibly thousands of years. As it said itself, it wears the person that it chooses as its victim. It transforms into them, for lack of better word, except it changes its appearance, yet somehow tricks everyone into believing that that is how the person has always appeared. Well, almost everyone. It is odd how there always appear to be one or two people that the being cannot fool. In the case of Graham, it was his neighbor across the street. In the case of Sasha, it was Melanie, the ghost hunter. As Gerturde Robinson said, it is strange that a being that has the power to assume someone’s identity and change pictures and hundreds of people’s memories somehow misses just a few people that remember who the person was at first. I do not know for sure, but perhaps those that it cannot fool are somehow protected by another one of the Beings. 

That’s another difficult topic. The Beings. I don’t know exactly what to call them yet. Jon has slowly been putting the pieces together, and with the statement of the now late Jurgen Leitner, the pieces form an almost complete puzzle. From my understanding, there are 10 Beings so far that we are aware of at this time.

Here is my understanding of the Beings so far. I don’t know how correct any of this is, but I know I still have much to learn.

Being 1: Darkness. The form of darkness incarnate, responsible for the founding of the cult The People’s Church of the Divine Host. It can dim lights, and also affect the water when it is near. The head of the cult in the 1990s was one Maxwell Reiner. 

Being 2: Michael, aka The Spiral. It lies. This Being appears to be a master of deception and trickery, and has no regard to others except to watch them in its tortured games. I will discuss Michael further, but right now we know the appearance it chooses to take at this time: a tall man with curly blonde hair and bulbous, swollen hands. 

Being 3: Meat. I do not know much about this being at this time. It appears to be vicious, and quite literally thirsts for blood and meat. 

Being 4: Fire. Again, my knowledge on this particular being is limited. I believe it to be closely tied to Agnes Montague, and perhaps be an enemy of the Not.

Being 5: Not. As I stated before, this being takes the identity of its victim and warps it, manipulating almost everyone’s minds to forget the original form of the person ever existed. It always seems to miss a few though. Its one weakness seems to be the wooden table that Jon has now destroyed. Jon was under the impression that the Not got its power from the table, but the opposite was true. The table was binding it, and for a bit it seemed as though the Not had almost unlimited power, taunting Jon in the tunnels. But I’m getting ahead of myself. The Not can trick photos and people’s minds, but appears to be unable to alter voice recordings of the victim as long as it is recorded on magnetic tape. This is how Jon realized that Sasha was indeed Not Sasha, as he found the tapes from Season 1 where her voice was recorded. It also seems to be unable to alter polaroid photos.

Being 6: Abyss. We don’t know much about this one yet, either. It takes the form of some abyss or another, whether it be the sky or the deep blue ocean. I am not ashamed to say that this Being is one of the scariest for me.

Being 7: Giant- I feel this is a poor descriptor for this being, but it is the best I can come up with at the moment. It is exactly as it sounds; a giant. So far we have primarily seen it manifest as a giant hand. Perhaps that would be a better name for it. Hand. 

Being 8: Thin- This is, I fear, not an accurate description of this Being. It is described as being tall and thin, with limbs like knives. Not much is known about him at the moment, however we believe that his “brother” of sorts was the werewolf creature from a previous statement. 

Being 9: The End- The Being of death and disease. I strongly suspect that this is the being responsible for Jane Prentiss, as well as John Amehurst, who has shown up multiple times so far in the series. 

Being 10: Eye, aka the Beholder- This Being is in control of The Magnus Institute, and ‘owns’ all those who work there. The Eye watches people, as its name suggests. It also apparently protects those it owns from the other beings, and the protections are strongest in The Institute itself. 

I hope that the Darkness has mostly gone away, for now. Basira claims that Maxwell Reiner, the head of The People’s Church of the Divine Host, is now dead. Hopefully this means that the Darkness will have less influence over this world for the time being. At least until it can find another host.

And that’s another thing. Basira. We were just introduced to the character this season, and already I am very attached to her. It disappoints me that she has left the police force and will no longer be able to help Jon, but I do not believe we have seen the last of her. Her leaving the police opens the door for her to help Jon more in the future, especially now that he is on the run for murder. I will… discuss that more deeply later. Basira’s introduction also caused us to meet Daisy, who I quite like at the moment, but I feel that will change quickly as she is the one investigating Leitner’s murder and will most likely be leading the manhunt for Jon. For the moment though, she is in my good graces. 

Daisy’s first statement talked about her first encounter with a paranormal experience. It dealt with the coffin from the statement of Joshua Gillespe. The moving company, Breekon and Hope, is not gone. I don’t think it ever will be. I do not yet know which Being they are associated with, if any, but they have caused problems in the past and I have cause to believe they will continue to cause problems in the future.

Now for the difficult part: Jon. He is in quite the predicament right now, and I am scared to see what will happen to him. He is on the run for murder, because Elias Bouchard brutally murdered Jurgen Leitner and has now framed Jon for it. Elias had me fooled. I thought he cared about Jon, about all of them. But he is clearly dedicated to the Eye, and anything that threatens the Beholder and what it watches, holds, and owns- Elias will stop at nothing to protect it. I do not know if Elias is a paranormal being himself or is simply an instrument of the Eye. 

I desperately hope that Jon will be alright. I think, (though I could be wrong), that he will reach out to Basira and ask for her help. Season 2 has developed outside characters more so than Season 1, and I believe it is so that Jon has connections that he can reach out to. With Basira leaving the police force, it opens the possibility that he can go to her for help. The same is true with Melanie. She and Jon have something that could almost be considered a friendship, though most of their conversations end in a verbal sparring match or fight. Nonetheless, Melanie was heading to India, and Jon was aware of that. Perhaps he will go to her for assistance, or maybe he will wise up and realize that Martin actually cares about him and ask him for help. We shall see. 

Gerturde Robinson is another character we have learned more about this season. She is hardly the absent minded old woman we were led to believe she was. In the beginning, Jon complained about her lack of organization in the Archives, but now I think there was a reason for it. She put the pieces together, and was murdered for it. She was trying to separate the pieces, to make it safe for whoever took her place, as well as attempting to fool Elias into thinking she didn’t know what was going on. She failed at that, as he discovered her knowledge and murdered her in the tunnels beneath the Archives. It was also revealed that she was working with Jurgen Leitner.

Leitner has been mentioned since the beginning, though we heard from him for the first and last time in the final two episodes of Season 2. Contrary to my assumptions, he was not making his books evil, simply trying to harness the power they already possessed. I am thankful that he saved Jon from the Not Being, as Jon would have surely died had Leitner not interfered. He is very knowledgeable in paranormal matters, and did his best to explain it to Jon. However he was murdered by Elias before he had a chance to explain all he wished to. Leitner claims that the books are the Beings in their purest form, and I am certain we have not seen the last of the books from Leitner’s extensive library. 

Martin and Tim surely think that Jon murdered Leitner. I hope that Martin at least will continue to have faith in Jon, and that he will possibly find the supplemental tapes that Jon had been recording and realize what was actually happening. Only time will tell, though. 

Another Being that we learned more about this season was Michael. He was first introduced to us by Sasha (the real one), back in season 1. At the time, it was portrayed as either a passive or helpful Being, showing Sasha how to kill the worms that came from the thing once known as Jane Prentiss, but this season has proved that not to be the case. Michael has trapped people multiple times, (notably Helen Richardson), and has since shown more aggression than before. It stabbed Jon, who then proceeded to lie about his wound because he didn’t trust his coworkers. To its credit, in the second to last episode of Season 2, Michael helps Jon get a head start from the Not Being after Jon accidentally sets it free. However it then proceeds to trap Martin and Tim in one of its corridor labyrinths for days in some sort of sick game for its enjoyment, and comments that it may also kill them. Luckily it either failed or changed its mind. Time will tell whether or not the Being that calls itself Michael will be more of a friend or foe. 

I suppose that’s it, really. There are surely many things that I have forgotten, but I have done the best I can to document my thoughts and my knowledge of The Magnus Archives at this time. I don’t know all that is going on, I don’t know how things will be resolved. I don’t even know if the mystery will be fully solved. But I desperately hope that things will be explained, that we will receive answers, and that the mystery will be solved. It has to be. I don’t know what I’ll do if it’s not.

Statement ends. 

[ayghe]

So is anyone interested in my headcanon/au for the magnus archives finale? I finished the podcast yesterday and I've been thinking about this nonstop, it was so close to how I envisioned the finale should be

(obvious spoilers for tma ending)

I really liked the whole alternate universe plot and Annabelle's involvement in it, I just think it should have went a bit further. My idea is that Annabelle was manipulative until the end, she wasn't telling the truth, at least not the whole truth and tricked Jon and the others to go with her plan. So the events are basically the same, Jon tries to go with his self-sacrificing plan and Martin "stops" him, just how it went in canon. But then, during the explosion, we hear a sound that is difficult to understand, then clearer as the explosion gets louder, until after it we understand that it's a laugh, Annabelle's laugh.

After this, the tape stops and when it comes back on we hear the very first sentence Jon has said in the first episode. It keeps going for a while until it fades and that's how it ends.

Basically my idea is the hole on Hilltop Road is not a portal to alternate realities but more of a portal to the same reality, something that creates a time loop, that make events repeat exactly the same every single time. It would obviously be a bad ending, but it would be so rewarding from a narrative standpoint, because the Web would have been able to do what the fears tried to achieve: live forever. In a time loop, where no one realises that events keep repeating and only the Web knows of it, the fears would never cease to exist and would continue to torment people forever.

Again, a bad ending, but I can't stop thinking about how close the canon was to this idea. I liked the ending, I absolutely loved the message it conveys, I just like thinking about other (more disturbing) possibilities. :)

[shadowhunterspolycule]

raphael and maia taking cooking classes together <3 raphael and maia making new foods together to share with simon and meliorn <3 cozy nights in with good food and a (funny) bad movie to throw popcorn at after <3 they all falling asleep together on raphael's big couch ! -maiaisbia

aaaaa amazing!!!! tbh i can't imagine rapha taking cooking classes fr or at the VERY least he'd complain the whole time. he's like "taki's is a family restaurant this pretentiousness is going to ruin the essence of the food" and maia is like "you are the most dramatic man i've ever met" and rapha's like "i'm still right"

she tries to convince him with her reasoning - they never ran a whole restaurant before and it might be good to know a bit of the tricks from the pros even if taki's is and will always be a family restaurant. but what really convinces rapha is the "come on, for me?" and that little pout she makes as she looks up at him

(for a vampire, rapha is very, very weak)

anyway they go and rapha is lowkey in despair like "they are treating this like a science. they are sucking all the joy out of the food. this is terrible" and maia has to keep elbowing him to shut up, which really just means rapha keeps complaining, but with a teasing smile on this time

anyway cooking classes turn out to suck ass because the teacher is some pompous french guy who wouldnt know good food if it hit him in the face, considered spices to "taint" the food and constantly belittled non-white cuisine saying that our techniques are "wrong" and that our cuisine is "unpolished" (this is a direct nod to YOU, erick jacquin. fuck your ethnocentric white supremacist ass)

rapha and maia are both seething after like 10 minutes of this bullcrap and they only stay with the explicit purpose of Making Him Mad. they go extra hard on the chile and force him to eat a dish so spicy rapha would have cried. rapha uses superspeed to get rid of his chair right as he was going to sit on it at least once. maia seriously considers setting him on fire. they both still pass the class because they KNOW what theyre doing, thank you very much

anyway the next time they decide to take cooking classes they go to a little class with a wonderful black cuban teacher who Gets It and actually gives them a few tips on restaurant-running specifically since the most difficult parts are the ones unrelated to cooking susnsid. and they end up actually having a lot of fun together and learning a lot of things they didn't know. the environment is one where people are encouraged to share their knowledge and culture and there are people from all kinds of ethnic backgrounds and yeah, they have fun. they even end up making a few good friends, even if the relationships are limited due to the fact that theyre mundane

rapha begrudgingly admits that okay, maybe cooking classes aren't so bad if the people in it actually care about food. and maia agrees that okay, no more pretentiousness

(really, she was just nervous about Taki's, because this is all new to her and she wanted to be As Prepared As Possible. and the french guy was considered the best, so, why not go to the best? rapha hugs her and kisses her forehead for her troubles and says "i'm sorry it didn't work out the way you wanted, cariño" and maia feels a little better)

(besides, she knows they're gonna rock this as long as they're doing it together. if they survived that cooking class, they can do anything)

and they come back with so many ideas and immediately go to the kitchen and spend all afternoon there trying out stuff like crazy scientists, which then inevitably everyone (luke, alaric, magnus, simon, mel) is invited to try and give their opinions on. most of what they've done is incredible and they're all delighted. magnus lowkey entertains the idea of using a spell to get rid of the fullness so they can eat more and there are STILL leftovers. they take them to an elderly home because of course they do

and then yes lying together in the couch and cuddling and laughing about their wonderful day together, the success of their dishes, and the stupid french guy's face when he fell off the chair 🥺