#looks like a perfect script to write magical runes

[aranyaani]

a few months ago I'd seen someone on twitter share this image of Barbar caves, the walls of which were polished so perfectly 2000+ years ago that it still shines.

It seems like the western world has finally taken notice of it. so much talent was lost in the last 2 millennia it makes me cry

[appleteeth]

Bruce Week Fic #6

Sunday (July 25): Grief, Magic

(Warnings for mentions of domestic and child abuse.)

It was funny, being friends with someone who knew magic. Loki had somehow, after everything they had been through, become one of Bruce’s closest confidant on board the spaceship taking them to Earth. First they would merely nod at one-another in quiet respect, then Loki stopped Bruce in the corridor one day to explain how something seemingly innocuous he had done was actually offensive in Asgardian culture and Bruce, though wary he was tricking him, thanked him. 

Then Bruce would make a habit of finding Loki in the makeshift dining hall and sitting with him, not exactly striking up conversation but letting him know they could talk, if he wanted to. 

A few months into the journey and Loki was spotted laughing loudly at something Bruce had said, and whilst it made Thor a little nervous to see them getting along so well, it was also a relief. They were both part of his Royal Council, after all, so they needed to get along for the sake of his people. 

Then, when Bruce moaned to himself about being unable to find what he needed in the cramped medical bay, Loki produced the vial out of thin air and handed it to him. 

“That still freaks me out,” Bruce told him before taking the vial tentatively. 

“I wouldn’t do it if it didn’t,” he said with a smirk.

“How does it work? Are you pulling items from somewhere else? Are you taught how to use magic or is it instinctual? Could I learn magic or is it an Asgardian thing?”

“No, I was taught by my mother and yes… to an extent. You wouldn’t be able to conjure items or control objects but you can learn basic spells.”

Bruce was excited for barely a second before he frowned. “Are you messing with me again?”

“Bruce, I have come to find you… relatively welcome company. I enjoy our conversations, even if you are a Midgardian.”

“Bit prejudiced, but thank you.”

“So I’m not messing with you,” Loki concluded. “I can give you some basic spells to try that will give you more insight into your being.”

“I, uh, think I’ve had enough insight lately," he said warily. 

And Loki smiled, this time without a mischievous glint in his eye. 

"What if I were to teach you a spell that helped you in ways you never knew you needed?"

Bruce snuck into the medical bay late into the evening whilst the rest of the ship went to sleep. It was the one place he knew he wouldn't be disturbed, especially as Asgardians were so resilient to injury, they barely came to him with less than a severed limb. 

He read through the instructions Loki had written in elaborate cursive, mostly in English but certain words wouldn't translate so he had to work through how to pronounce them before starting. It was oddly pleasant following the instructions step by step, like he was trying out a new recipe, only this was more writing specific phrases in runes than measuring out ingredients. 

He had to write the words as naturally as possible, like he had been writing in the language his entire life, recite them outloud and then… go to sleep. Which was easier said than done when he was expecting something miraculous to happen. He crept back into his shared dorm with seven other passengers and lay down, hoping that whatever was supposed to happen would actually help him.

He finally drifted off and there he found himself travelling, not sure what he was facing was a dream or effects of the spell, but welcoming it nonetheless. 

He was standing in an old-fashioned kitchen, meticulously clean down to the top of the cabinets where nobody would ever bother to look. Whoever's domain this was, it was so well looked after it could very well be a showroom. 

There were a few signs of life, however. There was a small stack of plates ready to be cleaned, a few novelty magnets on the refrigerator, a Captain America action figure on the table…

Bruce stopped, looking at the toy and realising where he was. He had spent so long trying to forget his childhood home he didn't even recognise the kitchen anymore. But he knew that toy like it was imprinted on his mind, having spent many hours clutching it, talking to it, wishing the real Cap was there to save him.

"I'm so sorry I kept you waiting, would you like some water?" 

And he spun on his heel to see her. It was so odd to view her now that he was a little taller than her, instead of being small enough to wrap his arms around her legs. She was still as beautiful as the pictures but she wasn't memorialised in his mind like some sort of perfect being. Her sweater was threadbare at the elbows, her hair was a little frizzy (thick curls like his, almost identical in colour) and she had dark circles under her eyes. She also wore glasses, which Bruce had completely forgotten because she took them off for photos. 

"Uh…" he didn't know what to say to her. 

"You must be parched, here," and Rebecca poured him a glass of water from a pitcher she kept in the fridge. "Piping in new houses is never deep enough to keep water cool, not like the old days." 

He was still trying to find words when he realised a vision shouldn't be able to hand him things, and he shouldn't be able to feel the cool water tumbling down his throat. 

"So, you wanted to talk about Robbie?" 

He nearly choked on the last mouthful and hid it with a loud cough. 

"Um, yes," he said, not sure who he was supposed to be in this scenario but going along with it all the same. 

His mother nodded and indicated for him to sit down with her at the kitchen table. Again, it felt so strange to be big enough for a chair he used to sit at every day as a kid, his legs swinging and needing a cushion so he could reach the table properly. 

"His teacher said he's been excelling," she said proudly but then immediately frowned. "You didn't speak to my husband, did you?" 

"No, of course not," and he now knew his role like he had read the script. "Yes, young Br… Robbie has been working really hard and it's clear to see he is clever." 

She smiled, but it was juxtaposed by her sad eyes. "You're going to say he should be in a gifted school, aren't you?" 

"Uh…" 

"Well I'm sorry but he can't. He just… can't." And she sighed tiredly before collecting herself. "I'm sorry, it's just--" 

"I know," Bruce said quietly. "You don't have to explain your reasons. I know you would want the best education for him, but sometimes that can't happen." 

And he couldn't help himself, she was right there in front of him. He put his hand over hers and squeezed it in comfort. 

"Thank you," she said quietly. 

"And it's not like kids won't excel as adults just because they missed out on extra tutoring," he continued. "They'll catch up in no time and go on to do great things." 

She smiled warmly and Bruce recognised his own features in hers. He never thought he looked like her, always hating how he was the spitting image of his father, but he saw himself in her smile. 

"I hope so. Do you know he can name every bird he sees? Even the scientific names. He read about bird watching and within a day he was telling me facts about each one." 

Bruce couldn't help but grin, having forgotten about that particular hyperfixation. "Is that so?" 

"If he could… that is, if we agreed he could go to a gifted school, I suspect he would get a scholarship for college, maybe even go early." 

She looked furious, if just for a moment, letting her guard down enough to show how she really felt. Bruce had never seen her angry; she had hid it well when he was small and already so scared of someone else's anger. She had shown him nothing but smiles and positivity, desperate to make his life as normal as possible. 

But he remembered hearing her crying behind the bedroom door, trying to suppress her sobs so she could go read her child a bedtime story like nothing was wrong. The illusion was shattered that day.

"You are doing everything you possibly can for your son. More than everything. You--"

He stopped himself. Was this really a dream or had he really travelled back? What would it mean if he told her?

"I will lay down my life for him," she finished, eyes defiant and full of fury. 

He felt his facade fading, no longer able to pretend he wasn't who he really was. 

"You're going to save my life. Over and over. Until that bastard kills you for it." 

He cried, clutching her hand and unable to look at her. She shouldn't have sacrificed herself for him. She wasn't supposed to be known as just a wife and mother. She was exceptionally bright in her own right, never one to boast but able to keep up with her husband and nudge her son towards harder sums and thicker books. It wasn't her fault the man who told her he loved her had used that love to control her, to make her feel weak and stupid.

Had she escaped that night, she would have done great things. 

"I know," she said quietly, tears in her own eyes. "I figured I had a shot that night. He usually stays late at the bar and left the car at home, so I thought I had three hours. But I didn't know he had a meeting the next morning and drank a whole bottle of whiskey walking home instead. I miscalculated." 

"It's my fault. You told me to pack but I couldn't find my stupid Captain America toy and…" he wiped his eyes angrily. "I held us up." 

Rebecca reached across the table to wipe the trails of tears from his cheeks.

"You were a child," she said. "It can never be your fault. Hey," and she cradled his face in her hands. "It was never your fault." 

"It wasn't yours either. None of it," he said defiantly. 

She nodded. "Thank you." 

The vision was starting to waver, like an old projection flickering as the film ran out. He clutched her hand desperately, wanting to tell her so much more, to tell her he hadn't wasted the gift she gave him that night. That he had excelled despite everything that happened. That he did everything to make her proud. 

He felt her hand slowly fading, getting lighter in his hand as it faded away. He managed to tell her he loved her before he awoke back on the ship, his face wet with tears. 

The next morning, much to everyone's confusion, Bruce marched straight up to Loki, grabbed him by the shoulder, and hugged him tightly. 

[that-random-chaos-entity]

How does your OC display love? What are some habits your OC has picked up?

Forgive me as this is a LONG post, but I felt it would be better to show, rather than tell, this one:

Words could not describe how awkward Perturabo felt being back in the Emperor's palace. It would have been bad enough if it were just his deadbeat father, a half-rotten corpse sitting in an overglorified golden life-support casket, ignoring him as per usual. But it wasn't just his father; so many of his brothers had come for this... ...this Sanguinala... ...in many ways it almost felt like the Heresy had never happened.

Vulcan, Corvus, Fulgrim, ROGAL FUCKING DORN, Magnus.... ...hell, even SANGUINIUS had come back from the dead. Raised by the same mysterious chaos entity that had turned Perturabo's world and soul inside out. Made him live his own life over and over again, through the eyes of the people around him, until he got the point. The people he impacted. The people he used, abused, and destroyed without a second thought. The people he...

...Perturabo shook his head, the physical action somehow dislodging the poisonous psychic tumor from his soul. Even though that parasite was long gone and the Eye of Terror no longer loomed over him, it had been feeding on his twisted spirit for so long that its blasted and withered hide still bled for it. Casting his self-destructive thoughts into the warp. This was a good thing (or so the Lanky Llama said). Though sometimes, when he started to brood and sulk, things would get... ...gummed up. He could shake any errant clots loose himself, but nobody helped the darkness bleed out of him like Nehetari.

And holy shit did he wish she were here right now. When she and her robotic people were around... ...the Lord of Iron actually felt like... ...himself. Or the version of himself that he wanted to be, anyway.

But no, "No xenos allowed at a family gathering," the Emperor had said. Not that it even would have mattered if they were; it was one of those weird weeks where the lanky llama disappeared on him and holed up in her room by herself. Something about a "Necrontyr biological cycle," that would, "likely make her act inappropriately," or "embarrass herself and him," but she would say no more on the matter.

Of course it would happen over the day when he needed--erm could have used her presence the most.

"Aren't you going to open your gifts, brother?"

Perturabo snapped out of his brooding to see Magnus looming beside him. It took him a second to process what he said, but when he did he scowled.

"Gifts Magnus? Really? Do think anyone here would ever give me a gift?"

"Excuse me! What am I, grox manure!?" there was no real irritation in Magnus's voice. He gestured to table in front of Perturabo, where three gifts sat that he could have SWORN were not there before. "And if you must know, you're the only brother here I saw fit to even GET a gift for."

"Aside from Sanguinius."

"Well... ...yeah..." the Crimson King shuffled his wings awkwardly. Both primarchs stole a glance at the MOUNTAIN of gifts that their brother had received. "...b-but he doesn't count."

Perturabo sighed. He didn't feel like feeling jealous of Sanguinius right now. Instead he grabbed the first package; it was obviously Magnus's gift. Whatever was in it was so warp-touched that it levitated a solid three feet off the table and changed size randomly. It turned out to be a small inter-dimensional rift that contained a book of arcane engineering, one that Perturabo had surprisingly not seen before. He thanked his brother; something that drew a surprised look from Magnus and a complimentary hug that Turbo awkwardly returned. The second gift was from Sanguinius, as it turned out, and when he opened the box he saw his own face, reflected in a simple yet elegant mirror. After a moment of wondering if this gift was actually meant for Fulgrim (clone fulgrim), he saw the inscription on the box lid which read, "to my big brother: it brings me joy to see happiness in your eyes now. I hope with this you can see it too."

Perturabo swore under his breath and slammed the box shut, furiously hoping that Magnus hadn't heard him sniffle just a tiny little bit. It was a moving gift to be sure, but after everything that had happened... ...somehow it just made the Lord of Iron feel like garbage. Well... ...more so than usual.

Thankfully, quick-thinking Magnus directed his brother's attention to the third gift. In fact, if he didn't know better, Perturabo would have sworn Magnus seemed even MORE excited for him to open this gift than his own.

"What is... ...is this from...?"

"MHMMM!" Magnus's enthusiasm was all-consuming, his grin audible in his tone. "She asked me come and pick it up from outside her door earlier this morning."

Perturabo's melancholy dissipated into a wave of curiosity. What sat before him was a perfect cube of blackstone, though if he knew anything about Nehetari, he knew that wasn't all there was to it.

Sure enough, when he picked it up, glyphs flashed along its side.

"Is... ...that..."

"Necrontyr," Perturabo murmured in deep concentration. "...and not just any form of Necrontyr; this is Ksakhemet Script."

"What?"

"Think of it as our high gothic. Except it's as if we had a high, HIGH gothic. Only the three Necrontyr kings and their families even knew how to speak this script, let alone how to read and write it. It is ancient, according to Nehetari... ...it's from a time even before the Necrontyr first started their galactic expansion."

Those statements alone were like a different language to Magnus, but his lust for ancient knowledge ignited like a blazing inferno. He would absolutely have to grill both Perturabo AND his xenos companion for more information once she was.... ...*ahem* no longer indesposed.

Perturabo turned the cube over and over in his hands, reading the ornate lettering as best he could. He'd only just started learning how to read Ksakhemet; he couldn't speak it properly because he lacked the extensive Necrontyr vocal range, but the lettering started to make sense the more he plied his fantastic mind.

"It is... ...a puzzle cube. I believe."

"D'AAWWW... How sweet...!"

Perturabo punched his brother in the shoulder, but it phased through his immaterial form.

"Shut your mouth!" He could already feel the heat creeping up his neck and he HATED it. Although he had to admit he was a little touched, if amused, that Nehetari had put together such a... ...thought-out gift.

And well-thought-out it was indeed! It became clear to the Lord of Iron that this wasn't just some slide and lock, physics based puzzle toy for mortal children. It was a custom-made testing tool designed to challenge his understanding of spacial compression, sub-atomic energy transfer, and even Necrontyr cultural theory. Each segment was challenging, unique, and soon he found himself absorbed. Magnus tagged along for the ride of course, and his respect for Nehetari grew each time he heard his brother growl in frustration, or give a small "...Ha! So that's it..."

"She has... ...quite the impressive mind. Especially for a xenos."

Perturabo grunted his affirmation. "...you don't know the half of it. She makes the Hrud look like a bunch of children." With a click the puzzle changed shape in his hands again, "...I would even say she has a mind similar to ours."

"...you don't say..."

"Hmph, she's DEFINITELY smarter than Dorn. I know that for sure."

Magnus chuckled. Of course she was.

The Lord of Iron didn't realize it immediately, but the puzzle cube was meant to serve another function, not just being an intriguing mental exercise. The more he fidgeted with it, the more time passed. Not by some technomantic power or magical means; he was just so absorbed in Nehetari's gift that he didn't notice his brothers packing up their gifts and starting to drift around and away from the throne room. Magnus, realizing he wouldn't be much help with this exercise, had taken notice of the custodes' Captain General (the one they call "kitten") and had begun to chat with him. Sanguinius was now at the Emperor's side, trying to pacify an impatient and belligerent Angron who just wanted to go celebrate Khornnuka with Lotara and Kharn. Corvus had dissapeared to... ...somewhere, and Vulkan was... ....had he somehow jackknifed himself into the psychic fireplace that the Emperor created!? Russ was laughing at him and drinking himself stupid (not that he had many IQ points to lose in the first place), but thankfully nobody was paying any attention to Turbo. Huh, who'd have thought; Perturabo was actually HAPPY that he was being ignored right now.

With a satisfying ding the cube shifted again, and to his surprise, glyphs flashed indicating that this was, in fact, the final challenge.

"Let's have it then. I'm ready..." the Lord of Iron grinned. He flicked the raised pad below the text and the final task scrolled across blackstone. Surprisingly, this time it was in High Gothic.

"...who is... ...my... ...favorite... ...human?"

He stared at the screen, dumbfounded. "Really? After all that, the last puzzle, is 'who's my favorite human?' Really?"

But wait... ...was the answer actually as easy as it appeared? Perturabo wanted to put his own name, but what if he was wrong? What if he wasn't her favorite human? He was hardly even "human" in the first place. Maybe she meant a true, normal human? But if this was supposed to be a present for him, why would she blatantly make him answer that her favorite human WASN'T him. What if...

"Hey nerd, the answer's obviously you."

Perturabo jumped to see Leman Russ passing him.

"What the-! Whe-how did you... ...you can't read!" Perturabo stammered. There was no way Leman just waltzed over here...

The Wolf Lord grinned, "Hey, ye nerds aren't the only ones who know how teh learn things. If I taught meself teh read Fenrisian runes, I can teach meself teh read some wolfin' High Gothic!"

"..."

"...that and I may or may not have used some of meh own psychic powers to read yer mind. You know, teh fill in teh blanks."

Considerably less impressed, Perturabo grumbled as he keyed the letters of his name into the cube. With another ding and a flash of green light, previously invisible cracks along the cube's surface began to glow and the cube began to shift one last time. When it finished, a tiny black tray was left in its place, revealing... ...a letter? And a pict?

"What's all this now?" Leman reached towards the tray.

Perturabo snatched it away, "Fuck off Russ! This is MY gift!"

"Oooh, is this from yer GIRLFRIEND!?"

"SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!!"

"Hey fuck you Leman!" Oh boy, here comes Magnus, "Like you could ever understand the subtlety and genius that went into that puzzle box! Let him enjoy his gift in peace!"

"LeT HiM eNjOy HiS gIfT iN pEaCe!" Leman crooned. "Shut her trap and go back teh yer boyfriend, yeh big red canary."

Magnus puffed up in outrage and looked about ready to turn Leman inside out. When Perturabo noticed Sanguinius inbound, no doubt to dissolve the impending battle, he took his chance to dip out. And by "dip out" I mean grab the tray and its contents, and duck under the table. It would hide him for all of a second, but that would be as long as it would take him to read the letter.

Or it would have, if Leman hadn't, SOMEHOW, been able to reach the tray before him. He snatched up the letter, practically from between Perturabo's fingers, and with utter horror the Lord of Iron watched as his brother brandished the page, cleared his throat, and began to read:

"Perturabo..."

"FUCK YOU LEMAN THAT'S NOT YOURS!!" Magnus howled. Perturabo roared in fury. Both brothers made a mad lunge at the Wolf Lord but he dodged, shit-eating grin on his face as he continued reading.

"...Perturabo,

I'm sorry, but I...."

"....failed you?"

At the mention of the word "failed", Perturabo's onslaught faltered, as did Magnus's. Leman's grin died on his lips as he read the next line, his eyes widening for a moment before they squeezed shut. He then passed the letter back to Perturabo, mumbled a barely audible apology, turned, and without a word walked off.

"That's not what I... ...uh... ...expected?" Magnus muttered. "He looked like a kicked pup. What did that letter..."

Perturabo clutched the paper looking the most feral Magnus had ever seen him.

"...you know what, never mind. That letter's meant for you anyway." He added quickly. "I'll be in the library if you need me, brother."

And just like that, Perturabo was alone. Well, mostly; the Emperor was still there, but he was oddly quiet. Sanguinius was watching him too, but from a discreet distance.

The Lord of Iron backed up into the corner of the room, still riled up but looking a little less crazy. Once he was satisfied that NOBODY ELSE would attempt to confiscate his stuff, he finally began to read what Nehetari wrote for him.

"Perturabo,

I am sorry, but I failed you. You said you wanted your brothers' appreciation for a Sanguinala gift, but of all the ones I interviewed asking for an appreciative memory they have of you, the only ones who gave me a response were your brothers Magnus and Sanguinius. So instead I instigated a situation to make one (please reference the included image). If your brother's expressions are to be believed, then I believe they all enjoyed attacking your snow bunker. I certainly enjoyed helping you defend it.

May you have a somber and pleasant celebration,

The Mehlrose,

Nehetari of the Szarekhan Dynasty.

Heir to the Silent Throne."

...Perturabo couldn't believe it.

He's asked for that as a JOKE. He hadn't actually been serious. When she's approached him, asking what he wanted as a "Sanguinala gift," he'd been in the middle of a complicated programming script and had said that just to get the point across that he didn't want to be bothered.

Slowly, and with a shaking hand, he lifted the pict from the tray and turned it over.

And she was right. This shot must have been taken by one of her tunneling scarabs. Or maybe one of her guard as they were circling the perimeter, hurling snow and distracting Russ. But however it was taken, somehow it was able to get a perfect shot of every primarch, including himself and Nehetari, hurling fucking snow or getting completely dunked on, but every single one of them had varying degrees of stupid fucking grin on their faces. Even Corvus was smiling!

It struck him: had that been her plan all along?

Minutes passed, and finally the Emperor himself spoke up. "My son, you're shaking like a Dark Elder nightclub on a Tuesday."

Perturabo didn't hear him. It took everything he had just to hold the pict in his trembling hands.

Why? Why. Why would she bother. How did she... ...why, why, why WHY? HOW!? When did she even have the TIME to plan this out!? There was no way. And not for him. Why? Why for him? And ALL OF THEM. How could she have known they would ALL come?

"Brother, are you ok?"

Perturabo snapped out of the loop to see the Angel standing beside him with a hand on his shoulder. He hadn't realized just how loudly his two hearts had been thundering, how BADLY his whole body had been shaking, until he felt that steadying touch. Instinctively he tried to regain control over his mind and body, and stowed the pict away in his belt.

Sanguinius asked no questions; he simply nodded.

"I'm going to find her..." Perturabo's voice sounded like sandpaper. He could feel the tears rolling down his neck, but he ignored them. "...I don't care if she FUCKING KILLS me; I am going to find her. She has no right.... ...she had no right to... ...to..."

"...go ahead brother." Sanguinius's smile was warm with understanding.

Salvaging what little dignity he felt he had left, Perturabo straightened up, turned on his heel, and walked shakily out of the throne room. He disappeared into the darkness, leaving his father and his brothers to stare after him in wonder.

(Sorry this is such a long post, but I started writing it and just went to town. I wanted to SHOW, rather than just tell, the kinds of things Nehetari does for the individuals that are important to her)

@gracia-regina @ask-a-scheming-sorcerer @luwupercal

[amiplayingright]

This is a long story, but I think it’s a good one

For weeks my DM (my roommate) was hyping up the next game. It was hard to schedule a video call, so she was always writing something I couldn’t look at or painting a mini I couldn’t see. We were playing a campaign in a bit of a mix between modern and medieval. Our objective was to find an archmage’s artifact in an abandoned laboratory. Of course it had to be a laboratory. 

My character was an elf-orc wizlock named Alta whose father was a scientist. A simple explanation of her backstory is that they lived in a town called Vassali, but were shunned due to being inhuman mages. When a tornado and hurricane combined into quite a literal perfect storm, the village’s leader had all the explanation necessary to execute the scapegoats. Alta managed to escape with a gash on her back, but her father, Reluvethel, was beheaded. 

Fast forward an ambiguous number of years, Alta, Berrian (a moon elf fighter), and Katherine (a gnomish druid) were traveling the lab. Entering a room with a beaten door, we began a battle with the monster my DM was talking about all this time. 

The battle itself was kind of underwhelming. Everyone in the group made their own cool plays, but it was ultimately killed while I was two death saves down. Being healed again, I saw as the creature crumpled to rust. Everyone was reduced, except it’s white metal head, which clashed to the floor.

It’s a good thing my partymates are new players, or else it would have been obvious that my Eldritch Sight was, in fact, not a wizard thing. I told them the head was magic. They predictably started fighting over it, while I slipped away to find what was magic in the cabinets.

I firstly found an amulet, which I silently tucked away without investigating. That, however was not all. I told my party that I had found a series of documents. The DM pulled out a physical copy. 

The front was a series of signatures, with a line of scratching and holes. A few of the names were written in different scripts, which I deciphered with my Eyes of the Rune Keeper. All of the names had a latin lettered version above them, exept the head researcher. I asked my DM with dread what the elvish script and signature said. Reluvethel.

Of course.

I hoped it was only a hint of things to come later in the dungeon, and began to read the rest.

“Experiment overview: The development of an intelligent war machine (sanctioned & sponsored by Fen Labs) to aid the great country of Valoria.”

Below were four drawings. A humanoid with barely distinguished pointed ears behind a large hole and scratches, labeled J.D. An unscathed human with a large scar on her face labeled Ana D. A smiling dragonborn labeled Telvar with scratches on their neck. Another humanoid with pointed ears and what seem to be small fangs under a clump of scratches labeled Selva.

“Day one: I’m glad that Lady Fen let us begin this experiment. They even gave us our own testing hall under the mountain! Perfect secluded location for our little project. Will update further.” Lady fen was one of the Archmage’s colleagues. She was the nicest, and said Reluvethel used to work with her in the lab. This page, along with others, had sketches of the machine we fought, cited as being drawn by Ana.

“Day 2: Still constructing the outer shell, meanwhile me & Telvar have been thinking up ways to engineer it’s sentience. Our list: 

Magic spell

Humanoid parts

Haunting

Realistic AI”

“Day 4: Lady Fen came by to check on my progress today. She said that she’s proud of me! We even tried an animation spell, but without success.”

“Day 6: We tried to place a deer heart into the frontal compartment. Will document further.”

“Day 9: It’s alive. IT’S ALIVE! It seems to be skittish and passive. J.D suggests putting in bear or monster organs. We’ll just have to deal with the smell.”

“Day 13: Bear organs work & we’ve achieved the desired temperament for a war machine. Lady Fen will be so happy.”

“Day 14: Fen was happy.”

“Day 16: Ana suggested we take it to the next level & put something intelligent’s organs in. I agreed, Telvor & Selva were passive, but J.D. was so revolted that he left. His loss.”

“Day 21: Fen supplied us with the organs. They showed up in a box at the door. I̶ ̶s̶h̶o̶u̶l̶d̶ ̶a̶s̶k̶ ̶h̶o̶ I’m grateful.”

“Day 24: Human parts work, but it can’t talk and seems confused. I wonder if multiple sets will fix it or make it worse.”

“Day 27: Fen supplied more at our request. Selva seems reluctant to continue, but  it’s for science’s sake that I do this. I won’t stop.” 

“Day 28: Ana here. Dr. Maiava (my surname) seems to be very interested in this. Will ask about it. Perhaps he does not want to disappoint Fen?”

“Day 30: Selva walked into the lab to see that our creation had died. It wrote on the wall in blood: ‘So long, G0od DoctOR!’. It appears to have been a suicide. Maybe the extra set of organs drove it to the brink. Fen won’t be happy. Selva quit.”

“Day 34: Ana again. Got a set of organs from Fen. Dr. Maiava is shut up in his workshop. He’s modifying the mask to have a mouth.”

“Day 36: It’s alive again and can now talk, as well as see. It seems to have retained memories from when it was alive. It told us to explain, so we did, but it was ecstatic to learn that it was practically immortal now. As long as it cooperates, I’ll be happy.”

“Day 44: The first battle was today. It was just some skirmishers, but our creation was efficient and ecstatic. Fen was just as happy.”

“Day 45: Another push into enemy territory, another victory!”

“Day 46: Dr. Maiava & Fen wanted to unveil our pet project, but Tevlar opposed. He said that if it went wrong, they could execute us for unethical experimentation. We decided to listen.”

“Day 50: It killed, but this time it enjoyed it far too much.”

“Day 68: It went power crazy it killed tevlar someone please help PLEASE NOT YET IT’S BANGING ON THE DOOR NOT YET I DON’T WANT TO DIE BY AN EXTENSION OF MY OWN HAND”

“Day 70: Ana here. I dealt with it, but D̶r̶.̶ ̶M̶a̶i̶a̶v̶a̶ Reluvethel fled to Vassali. Something about a family to live for? I’m building a tower to keep watch over the mountain & scare of investigators. Will update.”

Day 210: I got the news that Reluvethel is dead. I know how much he loved this project, like a child. And seeing as the soul inhabiting the shell retains memory... I know what I should do. He’d want this.”

“Day 416: I̶t̶’̶s̶ He’s feral. I locked the lab up for good. He’s too far gone to reason with. I only wish that the daughter never finds out. If she finds this, I am so deeply sorry. I thought it would work. I’m so sorry, Rel. I hope this book can jog your memory.”

The next few pages are blank with a series of scratches.

“Al t a. I am OK. It is OK.”

Each time I read his name, I hoped more that there wouldn’t be a reason to tell the rest who Reluvethel was. Of course that couldn’t happen.

[plumeandparchment]

Ida and the Seven Sisters: An account of the successful performance of PGM VII. 795-845 and the current results of that operation.

 On Friday February 19, 2021 I performed PGM VII. 795-845 to contact the angel Zizaubio of the Pleiades fixed star constellation for an assignment given to Rune Soup Premium Members going through the RS Angel Magic course.

 3 days prior to the ritual I made a crown out of two strips of black cardstock with 12 bay leaves attached to it - each leaf corresponding to the 12 zodiac signs. Written on each leaf was a Barberous name of the zodiac sign and it’s symbol paired with a sigil found in the Betz version of the PGM.

 I fumigated the crown in frankincense for 2 nights and on the day and time of the ritual fumigated it one last time with frankincense and fennel seeds.

 I recited the script of the ritual and then asked the angels to enter into a pact of benevolence with it such that I learn how to pray to God itself as well as start a relationship with the angel.

 I took the crown off and plucked the lead attributed to Taurus from it and traced Zizaubio’s seal on the back of it in gold ink.

 That night I had the following dream:

Dreamt that I met one of the founders of the company I work for. We were discussing some things that he had planned for the company but some other people were upset about it. 2 women were fired.

 In the last dream, an older black woman was telling me a story about how her sister had this ability to get money from people. All she had to do was tell her dad that someone was bothering her and her dad would write her a letter. She shared an example and she began to narrate one of the letters.

 I was so fascinated by her voice that I told her she should read audiobooks for a living. I told her “some people have the perfect voice for it. I don’t, but you do.”

 And then she walked over to me and played a song in my ear. She was singing. And I was really blown away by the song and she said something like “I’m trying to give this new generation what they need”.

 I was so enamored with this woman that I didn’t want her to leave but she seemed like she was in a rush so as she was leaving I was like “but wait, we need a book from you” because she seemed like she had so much knowledge and wisdom that I wanted to know about her whole life. And as she walked away she walked passed a book on a shelf and she said “there’s already tarot in this one” and then I see the book and realized she had something to do with it.”

 I recorded the dream and shared it with another RSP member. We agreed that contact had been made but I wanted to know the name of this spirit woman that appeared in the dream.

 Another name for the Pleiades is the Seven Sisters so ona hunch, I grabbed my Thoth tarot deck and grabbed the following 7 cards due to their planetary associations: the magus (Mercury) , the priestess (Luna), the empress (Venus), the tower (Mars), Fortune (Jupiter), The Sun (Sol) and The Universe (Saturn).

 I shuffled them, laid them out in the shape of a Heptagon and traced a sigil for the Spirit following the Chaldean planetary order, starting at the Priestess card ending at The Universe card.

 Then I took the Hebrew letters assigned to each card and wrote them out in the same order used to trace the spirit’s Sigil line. The name I came up with was “Gavdarpachath”

 Once I had a name, I played around with some gematria and then shared my results on an RSPM server for the course.

 Another member that had knowledge of Hebrew pointed out some errors that I made and corrected the name to: Gabdarpachot.

 She then told me “Gab” is the title “Miss” for women in Hebrew.

 Then I looked up the word “Dar” and Hebrew. Dar means pearl.

 Pachot has no direct translation from Hebrew to English but the Hebrew letters (peh - mouth, kaph - palm and tav - cross) have interesting allusions.

 We translated the name from Gabdarpachot to “Miss Pearl”.

 A strong feeling of familiarity came over me and I immediate recalled the name of my first baby sitter “Miss Ida” who baby sat me from Kindergarten to Second grade I believe. She died of cancer when I was around 7 years old.

 I remembered that she was also called Pearl but wanted to confirm that. So I called my grandmother who told me that she was indeed called “Pearl” by her relatives. I shared this with the group and we were elated.

 The Sunday following the performance of the ritual I spoke with my ex-wife who’d somehow injured her eye in her sleep. I found this to be quite auspicious so I told a very well versed astrologer friend of mine about the ritual, the results and the thing with my ex-wife’s eye. His response was her eye injury was confirmation that the spirit was making it’s presence known since the eyes, physical and spiritual sight fall under the governance of the Pleiades fixed star constellation. He reassured me that the spirit was not going anything malicious but physical damage to the eyes after working with the Pleiades is not uncommon.

 At this point I it was clear to me and others that significant contact was made and over the next week I had 2 additional dreams that supported my convictions.

 But I was still left wondering how to communicate with the spirit as more importantly, how to verify beyond all doubt that the ritual worked and contact was made.

 So this past weekend, during a practice tarot reading session, I asked another tarot reader to look into this. They’re answers were accurate and corroborated with everything that happened so far. However, the person facilitating the practice session broke out her “Hoodoo Tarot” deck and showed me a card from that deck titled “Miss Ida”.

My mind was completely blown and I immediately ordered the deck. This was even more confirmation that was on the right track and yet I still needed something to remove all doubt and I wasn’t there yet…until last night.

 Last night, I texted my friend and fellow RSP member to tell them about the tarot card reading and the Miss Ida card. I made a post on Facebook asking anyone with that deck to send me a picture of the card. Two people immediately responded with pictures of the card and I sent it to my friend.

 The woman who showed me the card also reached out to me which was strange because it was approximately 2am where lives, she just happened to be awake and she saw my post.

 So I share the dream about Miss Ida with her and she sends me a photo from the book that accompanies the Hoodoo Tarot that goes into the symbolism of the Miss Ida card. The proof to remove all doubt that I have been looking for has been handed to me. 

I believe the next step is to reenact the ritual that is spoken of in this book. Angels are real and magic works.

[malecsecretsanta]

Merry Christmas, suchawannabe56!

For @suchawannabe56. I really hope you enjoy. This fic has them both being so soft it literally hurt from cuteness at some points of writing.

Read On AO3

*****

and he holds him close just to keep the world at bay

“Magnus.”

The name was breathed between cracked lips, an almost whine as fingers shakily darted out to try to grab at his soulmate. Magnus froze, casting a glance over his shoulder to find the half-asleep Alec, hair messily curling into his face while his eyes stayed closed, breathing softly.

It was early, light just barely seeping through the curtains and towards the golden sheets of their bed.

Magnus had never quite been able to disbelieve the notion that Alec had been crafted by the Angel himself, sculpted so perfectly into someone who put Adonis to shame. He couldn’t find it in himself to deny it, staring at the vision made so at peace and half-tangled in the sheets.

He loved the mornings, when the loose curls of Alec’s hair hadn’t been smoothed back and forced to behave and his breathing was slow and easy, relaxed and delicate in sleep. A sight so few would ever be graced with, a blessing of magnanimous proportions.

“Don’t go,” Alec said in a painfully small voice, almost pouting. He was reaching out even now, arching his neck from the pillow and eyelashes fluttering as he clung to Magnus like he was the only grounding thing in the world.

Magnus huffed out a breath of laughter as he slipped back into bed. Breakfast could wait. He could easily summon a full course meal in lieu of cooking, something he didn’t have to leave bed to do. He tangled his legs with Alec’s and snuggled back under the covers. With a thought they wrapped around him, tugged by a swell of magic that had Alec sagging back in relief, eyes softening.

“Where else would I go?” He teased as he brushed Alec’s hair out of his eyes, huffing when it immediately fell back as his husband shuffled deeper into the blankets. Nowhere else has you.

Alexander gave a sleepy hum, and drifted. Magnus pressed a kiss to his forehead and buried his face in the crook of Alec’s neck, wrapping his arms around and holding tight. He felt the tension slip from his Alexander’s shoulders beneath him, the way a hum rumbled in his chest as he snuggled ever closer to his warlock.

Magnus couldn’t tell you when it started. But at some point, Alec had affixed himself to Magnus’s side and sought cuddles out like he needed them as surely as he breathed. When he slept, he latched onto Magnus like he was the most precious thing to be found ever, limbs wrapping tightly around him and pulling him close as he breathed those adorable snuffling snores against his skin.

He always, always sought out the warmth of Magnus at his side, pressed himself close, and settled in pure relief the moment he found that contact. As though Magnus was all he needed to keep fear and nightmares and restlessness away.

And Magnus, knowing Alec had been a light sleeper all his life, found no small amount of joy in the fact that when he reached up to softly brush Alec’s hair to the side, cup his face in the warm sunlight when he awoke first, that Alec hummed happily and remained blissfully asleep.

He knew he was safe here, with Magnus.

So he settled. He always did like this. With Magnus holding him, desperate for his morning cuddles. He would pout when he didn’t, when he was deprived of Magnus holding him and snuggling him for long enough, and Magnus knew firsthand.

He couldn’t help but delight in it, in some ways. Knowing Alec felt comfortable enough to let Magnus know he was upset. That he’d come to expect affection from Magnus, when he had been confused and terrified (try as he might to hide it) when he was first given such attention.

Magnus trailed a finger along Alec’s deflect rune, magic coiling protectively about him as it always did. Alec was his, his magic screamed, theirs. Soulmate.

Alec shuddered beneath his touch. Tiny shivers, small things, and he absolutely melted every time. He nuzzled closer to Magnus, leaning into contact with pleased hums and drinking up every fleeting brush and affection touch with an eagerness that left Magnus giddy.

It’s not as though Alec didn’t reach out too: a hand on his shoulder, threading their fingers together, initiating kisses.

Alec was always so responsive for him. Magnus couldn’t help but delight in it, revel in the thrill of Alec’s beautiful little noises and his instinctual reactions. The shudders that went beneath him, watching relief and awe flicker his face and him visibly relax, eyes slipping closed for a blissful moment he breathes in as tension leaves his body entirely.

The little shivers and goosebumps simple brushes could give him delighted Magnus to no end, and he’d never stop adoring Alec’s gorgeous expressions after Magnus kissed him.

Alec was something glorious to behold, and something he will never tire of seeing.

His soulmate, his Alexander was a vision like this, dark hair hit perfectly like golden light in a way that almost made a halo above him. His face was touched with a soft smile, something genuine and more blinding than anything in the world in a way that has Magnus’s heart fluttering in his chest. In these sleepy moments, hazel eyes crinkling at the edges as he stared at Magnus with helpless affection, was a moment he knows he’ll want to keep in his mind forever. His hair was slightly messy, fluffed in that delightful bedhead that set Magnus’s heart swelling as he remembered he was the one who got to see this.

It’s perfect.

He’s perfect.

“Good morning, my love,” Magnus could feel the moment he stirred, more genuinely this time, and he threaded their fingers together with a blinding smile. He dropped his forehead against Alec’s with a huff of laughter.

Alec looked down at Magnus’s hands as though he were awed at the notion he got to have this, blinking hazily before he smiled bashfully back at Magnus. “It most definitely is,” he whispered.

Magnus nearly choked on his next breath, before his smile turned mischievous. “Oh, I’m sure,” he teased smoothly. “Not a chance it can’t be without a pretty boy such as yourself here.”

A shudder ran along Alec’s spine at that, something that was delightful to feel beneath his hands and Magnus smirks. He delighted in garnering those little reactions from his husband, watching when after careful prodding a delightful pink flush spread his cheeks or he ducked his head away with his lips quirking in a smile.

Alexander Gideon Lightwood was a gift to behold and Magnus, more than anything in this world, wanted to spoil him. He wanted to give Alec nice things, the best. It seemed Alec didn’t get the script, or, possibly, couldn’t conceive the notion someone would want to look after him.

Alec was strong. There’s no denying that- even beyond his prowess in the battlefield, he made a powerful leader and strategist and diplomat.

That didn’t stop Magnus from seeing someone starved when he looked at Alec, the way he froze and leaned into Magnus’s touch with unveiled yearning, face softened and desperately pressing closer as though he’s almost afraid it might disappear.

He wasn’t used to softness.

Magnus would give up everything a thousand times over to give him such things.

Alec’s had his heart from the moment he swept off the stage to pull him into a dramatic kiss, with every ounce of fire that screamed he was dying for it. Since he offered Magnus the omamori charm with that delightful smile and crinkled eyes. Alec has always, forever, and eternally laid claim to his heart in a way no one else ever has or will.

Alec was his.

The endline.

The final.

The only.

For all the loves he shared, all the wonderful people he’d been with, Alec was the man he would hold forever in his heart and never let go. The last of his loves. Hell forbid, if something happened to Alec, Magnus knew Alec would be the one he never let go of.

Alec was it for him.

The only person in the universe, so perfectly and endlessly brilliant, that could fit him so.

His husband. His soulmate.

Alec had not been used to affection. But Magnus was damned if he let that stand, and thus, he didn’t.

“What are you thinking about?” the words were curious, Alec tilting his head to one side. Magnus glanced up, at the way loose curls tumbled into his eyes and blinking slowly and lazily from sleep (and Magnus hoped, joy). The warlock debated for a moment, rocking his head back and forth.

Magnus tangled his legs with Alec’s, wrapping his arms around his neck and pressing their foreheads together with a blinding smile. “You,” he breathed honestly before stealing a quick kiss.

It was warm. Perhaps too warm, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. Not with the flutter of Alec’s laughter against his skin and his own answering smile and the warmth settling into his heart. Not when he watched the delightful relaxation that ran along every inch of Alexander’s frame. When he saw him shiver under fleeting touches, as he thumbed softly over his cheek and ran a tremulous hand through his hair.

Alec’s eyes slipped shut as he leaned into it with a noise that sounded all but a purr of contentment.

“You’re beautiful, my little one,” Magnus said without thinking about it. Alec’s eyes snapped open, flying to Magnus’s. When he opened his mouth to respond, Magnus pressed a finger to his lips. “Ah ah ah, you’re going to let me finish.”

Alec flushed a delightful crimson as he forced himself to swallow hard. That term of endearment might be a keeper, Magnus decided with a grin.

“You’re perfect. My darling boy,” he whispered in awe. “You are everything to me, Everything I’ve wanted. Everything I never knew I could have. You are kind, one of the most selfless individuals I’ve ever met. You do so much for others without ever pausing to take a breath for yourself. Brave. So damn stubborn you drive me mad in the best possible ways. You… are stunning, my love. Not just in personality, but I do hope by now you know I think you so in all ways. Your eyes hold enough colors to make their own worlds, and your training has definitely paid off in a great many ways. And that deflect rune is sin on you, darling boy.”

Alec had dropped his gaze during the speech, biting his lip hard. Magnus kept a careful eye on things, watching the way Alec flourished under the praise, trembling, shaky. The pet names always were a pleasure to use, particularly finding ones Alec would tolerate. The air in the room was painfully soft. Vulnerable.

Alec allowed himself to be vulnerable here. “Magnus,” he protested. Magnus wouldn’t be all too surprised if said blush stretched all the way down his chest. Alec did like that, he noted. Not always, perhaps, but he loved being called pretty boy and ‘my little one’ garnered more than a significant reaction.

“I’m in love with you. My soulmate.”

Alec shivered at that. “Yours,” he swore. “Always yours, Magnus.”

With a throaty growl, he lunged forward to tug Alec into a fierce kiss. When he pulled back, breathing heavily against Alec’s lips, something flashed in hazel eyes. “You’re mine too,” Alec said firmly. “Just as surely as I’m yours.”

Magnus huffed on a choked laugh, twisting it into a smirk. “Of course, my love. Far be it from me to deny you,” he teased.

Alec snorted at that. He seemed intimately aware of that fact, surrounded by the thousands of things Magnus had given him, fought to make him believe he deserves.

Alec may not be used to luxury, but Magnus had centuries of experience and he had no qualms of putting it all to use, his wealth, to make a life of comfort personally for his Alexander, between wars and demons and darkness, warmed by the light of their own adorations.

Magnus rolled on top of Alec, tucking his chin against the junction between Alec’s neck and collar. He breathed in the familiar sandalwood and felt a smile tugging his lips, the mix of sweat and shampoo and the undeniable scent of the both of them.

It was nice like this. Just the two of them, together. Alec had begun to idly trace runes against golden brown skin with a fingertip, thoughtlessly. “You’re in a sappy mood this morning, aren’t you?” His lips quirked slightly up to one side.

“Well, I was just thinking,” Magnus leaned up to brush their noses together, watching the soft little grin that fluttered Alec’s face. “Of how much I love you.”

Magnus felt the way Alec’s breath hitched at that. “Sap,” he accused again. Magnus’s eyes softened at the edge, crinkling the way Alec always adored.

“Always for you,” he said roughly.

Alec realized with a start that he was tracing love runes against Magnus’s skin. He flushed, fingers jerking back and fluttering for one moment before, blushing furiously, he began drawing other runes. Protection. Strength. Promise. Loyalty. Love once more. “I don’t want to leave,” Alec confessed in a small voice.

Magnus couldn’t help but narrow his eyes at that. “Then don’t,” he decided simply, voice muffled. “Stay here with me.”

Alec seemed to snort on some delightful laughter, one Magnus heard clearly despite his shadowhunter’s best attempts to muffle the sound. “Magnus-” His voice cut off when Magnus pressed a kiss against Alec’s skin. He leaned up, something warm and pleased rumbling in his chest awfully akin to a purr. He could hear Alec’s stuttering breaths beneath him as Magnus trailed light kisses up his neck and along his deflect rune, nipping Alec’s ear lightly before pulling away to meet his gaze.

“I’ll never complain about having more time with you,” he stated simply before swooping down into a kiss.

Alec hummed into it, the vibration sending sparks beneath Magnus’s skin as he eagerly swallowed any and all noises Alec made. When he pulled back, his smirk was just on the side of mischievous. That was all the warning Alec had before Magnus pulled him up into another kiss, something fiercer and he bit Alec’s lip, not hard enough to cause any real pain but enough to have him groaning into it.

Alec stammered some nonsensical sounds, swallowing hard before he managed to gasp out, “Magnus.”

“I do love hearing you say my name,” Magnus purred with a teasing glint in his eye.

Alec huffed a little, cheeks still delightfully warm before he kissed Magnus softly on the lips, just once. They needn’t say anything else. They had no plans to go any further this morning. Magnus couldn’t stop himself from placing a few more kisses on the sweet face in front of him before he dropped his head to Alec’s chest, feeling the way the loose chains dragged against Alec’s skin.

It wasn’t safe to sleep with necklaces on, but when he sensed Alec was waking he had the wherewithal to snap them into place. Going by the way Alec’s eye softened and he dropped a finger to run reverently along the nearest chain, it was a good decision.

Magnus knew Alec loved the sensation of his necklaces brushing his skin. Ever since the first night they’d had sex together, he knew the way Alec lit up with it. Alec loved his jewelry, loved idly spinning Magnus’s rings while their fingers were threaded together. He loved them the same way he cherished Magnus’s makeup and magic. He loved the look of them on Magnus, gold and silver and beautiful materials.

Magnus couldn’t deny wondering what Alec would look like, decadent, refined, radiant adorned with beautiful necklaces and rings.

That was his specialty, his comfort, and he’d never push Alec to try anything he didn’t want. Seeing the ring perched on his finger, the band that he brushed every few minutes as though assuring himself it was there, that marked Magnus as his husband was more than enough.

Alec took Magnus’s hand in his and wordlessly spun the heavy ring with an ‘M’ imprinted on it between his thumb and forefinger. Magnus softened, watching the way Alec’s gaze dropped to peer wordlessly down. His lips were parted ever so slightly, face raw and open in a way that had Magnus melting against him.

“You’re beautiful,” Alec told him honestly, voice rough. Magnus huffed out a startled breath of laughter, cat eyes glinting.

“Why thank you, my love,” he mused with a pleased grin.

“When I first met you my first thought was that you were the most beautiful man I’d ever seen,” Alec breathed in confession. Magnus shifted, rolling onto his side to gaze back at Alec, dropping his glamour as he listened intently. Alec looked distant, mind a thousand miles away but no less awed by the man at his side even now. “Before- before I saw you, with your magic like that and you turned to face me with that jacket and the- the eyeliner and everything, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d smiled. Not until you spun to face me after you took down that Circle member. I don’t think I could tell you even now. But it was perfect. You were... incredible. I couldn’t tell half of what was coming out of my mouth, and I was convinced I was making a fool of myself but it was perfect. I wanted you. I wanted to get to know you and spend time with you and I- I was terrified of what you meant because people didn’t just make me smile or want me.”

“I suppose I was a little,” Magnus trailed off with a pained look. “Zealous at that point.”

Alec laughed, something wild and free that had Magnus’s heart stuttering. “I don’t know if I would have picked up on anything less,” he put his fingers just under Magnus’s chin, thumbing gently along the skin there before he reached up to cup his cheek.

“Your eyes,” he whispered, tracing a thumb just along the soft skin beneath his eye. “Are full of starlight. I remember looking at them and thinking that I was wrong, you weren’t the most beautiful man I’d ever seen, you were the most beautiful man there ever was.”

And now it was Magnus’s turn to flush. Heat rushed to his cheeks and he wanted to drop his gaze, look away as a bubble of embarrassment caught in his throat, but he was frozen under the weight of Alexander’s soft expression.

“Alec-”

“You are,” Alec said adamantly. His words were hushed, awed, expression all but reverent. “They were so bright. Molten gold, like a supernova, one of the collapsing stars they talk about in books captured for a moment. I wanted to look into them forever and memorize every detail and I couldn’t breathe for how much I wanted you. ...There was no doubt I could ever love you, Magnus. You’re beautiful, magical, the best man I know. There’s no universe with us in it where I am capable of not loving you.”

Magnus found his throat unexpectedly tight. He shook his head sharply with a wet laugh. “Are you sure I’m the only sappy one this morning?”

Alec shrugged, tipping his head concedingly.

“You bring it out in me.”

Magnus was all he ever wanted. He buried a kiss into said husband’s hair as their grip on each other tightened. Later, they’d have to get up. Face the world. But it was enough right now, wrapped in each other’s embrace in the warmth of each other’s love. They could stay here, up in their cocoon protected from the world for each other.

“I’ll stay with you. For as long as you’ll have me, I’ll stay by your side,” Alec whispered. The rune he found himself tracing, once, twice, and now for the third time was the wedded union rune.

“Forever, then,” he whispered.

Alec smiled. “Forever,” he echoed, and it sounded like a promise.

[creativerogues]

What’s It Like To Create Your Own Spell?

An Example

While shopping for high quality Parchment and Ink in the Capitol (while the rest of the Party goes shopping for magic Items and Healing Potions), the Wizard takes interest in a burnt and extremely weathered spellbook that still seems to still have some esoteric arcane runes within.

After speaking with the Shopkeeper, the Wizard buys the ruined spellbook at a great discount, as well as some fine Parchment and Ink.

The Wizard takes the Book back to the tavern, only to discover that most of the pages are burnt beyond recognition. A flash of inspiration and a Mending Cantrip later soon restores the book to its former glory, though does not restore the page's missing texts.

An Investigation Check into the Book's Contents soon reveal the Book's age, the Book easily dating back to before the Time of King Hirdall and perhaps even to the Time of the Floating Sky Cities of the Dragonborn...

Fascinated by their discovery, the Wizard looks into the Book even more, and with their previous Investigation Check finds the book appears to be in a different script, with elements of it appearing in Draconic, confirming to the Wizard the age of the Book.

The Wizard then goes out during their Downtime to the local Library to expand their knowledge of the Dragonborn Cities of Old that once ruled the sky. After speaking with one of the scribes working at the Halls, they are guided to a section on Ancient History, and another successful Investigation Check allows the Wizard to find the History Books they were looking for, gaining far more knowledge about the Dragonborn of old.

Returning to the Tavern later that night, the Wizard then decides to use Comprehend Languages in an attempt to translate the Ruined Book's Pages.

However, it seems as though only parts of the Book seem translatable, and another Investigation Check reveals that the Book, while written in Draconic, has been written in an old and strong cipher.

A quick Intelligence Check says that this could take the Wizard hours to decrypt and translate, as well as multiple castings of Comprehend Languages.

Left a little demoralized, the Wizard goes to bed and wakes up with only one mission, to translate this entire book.

As the Wizard explains to the rest of the table, by studying the occurrence of vowels, consonants and key words, and some aid from Comprehend Languages and the Rogue's knowledge of ciphers and Thieve's Cant, they hope to make a "Key" of sorts to this Ruined Book.

The Rogue helps out where they can, but this is clearly above their knowledge...

So as the Rogue and the rest of the Party go out to do some Downtime Activities, the Wizard shuts himself in his Room at the Tavern and begins to create a pile of papers, spending the whole day translating and then deciphering the texts and symbols of the Book.

Another Intelligence Check (aided by a little luck) let's the Wizard go well into the night without any sleep while they decode these arcane glyphs, and by the morning of the next day, even though they now have 1 Level of Exhaustion, they have now translated the Book, and it seems to be a part-Journal part-Spellbook, noting the works of a Dragonborn Wizard from ages past. 

The Dragonborn was working on a Spell of their own, and seems to of completed it according to these Journal entries, but whatever flames the book was subjected to have seem to of partially ruined the spell the Dragonborn had completed, but it still excites the Wizard that there's a Spell out there that no one else knows, and in theory, the Wizard could replicate...

The Wizard then collapses from exhaustion and spends the next day sleeping.

Finally, as this part of Downtime comes to a close, the Wizard shares their discovery with the Party...

This is just one example of how I would allow a Wizard Player to craft their own Spell in D&D, while still hanging onto the Story and making the process of discovering & creating a new Spell exciting.

And there are many ways to go about making a Spell, maybe if there's two or more Wizards in the Party, or a Wizard and another Arcane Spellcaster such as an Artificer, Warlock, Sorcerer, Arcane Trickster or Eldritch Knight, then they could work together to create a Spell.

They could also talk to NPCs, from Archmages to Historians, Librarians, Magic Item Sellers and more to "unlock" this new Spell.

But if you want to make your own Spell, always communicate it first, and talk to your DM about the possibly of weaving that into the overall story.

In my Homebrew Campaign Setting, this is why I created places like the Library of Saturnity in the City of Fostin, a place where Wizards and people of the Arcane can come and research, as well as the whole host of places to visit in Capitol; From the Edhel Halls Library to the War College to the Tower of War, the Tower of Evocation and all the other Archmage's Towers, Magic Item Shops and more that a Wizard could visit to learn more.

And that's why magic is beginning to boom in my Setting, with so many resources available to those that need them, it means its easier than ever to create your own Spells!

I also like to connect the Spell to a Place, Person or Object. In the example above, I’ve used a ruined Spellbook, but I’ve used things like a solid sphere made of silver with elven texts etched into its surface...

The whole point of crafting a new spell is that it’s a challenge: You don’t just wake up with something new in your spellbook.

A Wizard has to do research, perfect their idea, find the perfect Verbal, Somatic and Material Components they need for the spell before they can even think of writing it down in their Spellbook.

It’s a story in itself!

[anyhao-archived]

okay i cant get the jun (and yanan) historical & fantasy c-drama idea out of my idea thanks to that one video, so i decided to basically write the plot myself since i know its never gonna happen otherwise [side eyes pledis] @ pledis give him an acting role already 

anyways!! enjoy i guess.. who knows maybe ill be hired as a script writer. also this is more like. part 1 considering where i left off lol i can write more but i was just very pleased with how this turned out. (maybe ill do part 2 if people like this enough)

in this world, there’s humans (royalty, swordsmen, peasants, etc) and magical deities (gods, goddesses, sorcerers, witches, warlocks, etc) who live together on earth. they’re in a long stretch of peace after a 100 year battle left both sides war torn and in anguish.

the peace seems to continue to stretch year after year, but recently, there’s been whispers of unrest from both sides. there also seems to be a new race walking these lands, one known for their cruelty and their attraction to evil of all kinds

jun is a minor god, leader of one of the 13 major deities clan. he is considered the god of the seasons, and he can make flowers grow with a snap of his fingers. all his disciples and those living in his clan are trained well in the art of fan dancing, and are talented with the bow and arrow.

his traditional clothing has more flow and length to it than most, due to him being a minor god. these clothes make his dancing even more beautiful. he’s got a soft spot for shiny things, and enjoys wearing jewelry on any part of his body. he keeps a magical steel fan attached to his hip, which is able to turn into any weapon he pleases, though he prefers using it as the fan, or as a bow and arrow.

jun’s basically invented the art of using his fan in battle. he attached a long slice of very sharp metal to the inside of the fan, allowing it to be extended and used like a blade. the extension of the fan from his arm makes it easier to block and knock weapons out from his enemy’s grasp. he’s currently the only one who has perfected this new style of fighting, though people come from all over to receive training from him (basically, thinking like the kiyoshi warriors from atla)

yanan belongs to the human side. a long lost prince who has only recently found his spot within royalty at the castle. he’s used to roaming the city beyond, interacting with anyone and everyone, always smiling. he liked to walk the city, following certain smells, maybe playing with some kids. but now, as a well known prince, he’s forced to stay within castle walls, banned from speaking with anyone that’s not royalty

he really just wants to people watch, but his mother – the queen – keeps a close eye on him. she even has a close personal body guard to watch his every move  and report back to her (though, he is much more loyal to yanan than he is to the queen)

he’s not really all that talented in anything battle related, but he’s one of the most intelligent men in the realm. he’s able to think his way out of any problem, and his ability to read people & their emotions rarely leads him into any situation he can’t handle

he wants to learn sword fighting, but again, his mother refuses. he’s got a personal body guard, why would he need to fight?? little does his mother know he just wants to learn how to swordfight because he thinks it looks cool lol anyway he knows how to shoot a bow and arrow, if only because he used to hunt on his own. he was alright at it, but is quite rusty now.

every year there is a peace treaty signing, signifying another year passed filled with peace. it’s a huge party, basically, with many feasts, music, magic, and plenty of competitions. it switches who holds it every year but this year the humans are in charge and hosts it at the castle. this will be the first year yanan is attending as a prince (living in the castle)

all thirteen leaders of the deities attend, usually bringing one or two of their members along. jun is included in this! this is jun’s favorite time of year, he loves all the music and the dancing that comes along with it. and he cant forget the food either

yanan really doesnt want to be there. he feels out of place, and hes bored, looking around as the leaders from across the kingdom are announced. if anything he wants to get up and roam around, but he’s required to sit in one of the thrones reserved for royalty.

he fidgets in his seat, thinking about how much he hates his new clothes for the millionth time. they’re so restricting, not to mention heavy. why does all his jewelry have to be real gold? and his cloak is some fiber he’s not even sure what it is, but it’s itchy and heavy, too.

yanan stands to escape the prententious conversations surrounding him, but is caught by his mother before he can leave. she says hes required to meet some of the important guests attending, since hes the prince now. he sighs and follows her. he’s introduced as prince yanan – though hes still unused to this name – to the leaders of neighboring countries, and the 13 deity clans. 

his eyes easily sweep over his fellow humans, but he can’t help but stare at the deity clan leaders. they’re all beautiful. each member has vibrant clothes he’s never seen, plenty of jewelry, and beautiful smiles. most of them have pointed ears like elves, or multi colored eyes. they all have different designs – painted? are they tattoos? are they magic runes? – all over their visible skin, some even have them on their faces

yanan realizes, too late, that the designs all reflect what they are the gods of. the weather, the seasons, the heavens, musicality, love, etc. he briefly wonders what magic they possess, too.

his mother clears her throat, and he looks up. he must’ve been staring. god, he’s so embarrassed. he smiles shyly and bows, eyes falling to the ground. the deities carry on their conversation, and yanan straightens up. only to make direct eye contact with the only deity staring back at him. yanan’s not sure how to react. he doesn’t have to, though, because they are all leaving, politely waving goodbye. the feast is about to begin, and then the competitions begin the next day.

the next day, he finds himself sitting in a throne. again. his mother forbid him from joining any of the competitions. he can’t take this anymore. pulling on his bodyguard’s sleeve, he tells him he’ll reward him handsomely if he distracts the queen so he can leave. the bodyguard agrees, and yanan slips out of the area unnoticed. he goes to the archery competition, intrigued. 

it ends up a near death experience. he accidentally walked out into the archery field, not knowing the layout of the castle all that well, and an arrow was coming straight for him. it would’ve hit him had a wall of vines not appeared out of nowhere, the arrow being caught in the tangle of vines

jun, the god of seasons and flora, rushes over, making sure yanan is okay. he is, just a bit shaken. he tells jun as much, and excuses himself. jun is curious about this quiet, wandering prince. 

he decides, then and there, he’s going to attach himself to that prince. as a form of apology, he reasons. it seems like he needs a friend, anyways. he begins to follow (annoy? perhaps) the prince on the castle grounds. 

he also bumps into him in the city, like what is a prince doing out here in disguise? idk but i better protect him and see what hes doing. jun isnt subtle either, he continues to try to make conversation with yanan, who shies away from any deep conversation. 

jun asked, once, why he wont talk to him and he said the queen forbid him from befriending anyone outside the castle, but especially someone who isnt human. jun decides to make yanan his friend, and yanan eventually begrudgingly accepts. soon, it’s weird not to have jun at his side. 

they become inseparable, a beautiful metaphor for the peace between the two races. but soon enough, jun is required to return home to the clans, and yanan has to stay at the castle. its heart breaking. 

they dont see each other for a while after that. evil and chaos descends on the world, pitting the races against each other again. the peace treaty is broken, and many, many lives are lost. there was a life taken from both sides, a leader of one of the 13 clans killed, and the queen, murdered. 

rumors spread, saying yanan murdered the clan leader in cold blood, in return for them killing the queen. a royal dagger was left, bloodied and out for everyone to see. it had yanan’s initials on it. 

rumors spread, saying jun killed the queen via poison from some of his foliage. guards found pieces of a foreign plant that only the jun clan can grow, poisonous to anyone that is not a deity. 

both swore they were not involved in these murders, but these seemed to be the start of an all-out war. everyone thought the others were the ones in the wrong. humans began to hate the deities, and the deities began to isolate themselves away. 

everyone blamed everyone else. but they knew better. jun and yanan knew the other would never have hurt anyone. jun grows flowers in his spare time, and yanan sneaks out of the castle to give food to the poor. neither of them have an evil bone in their body, how could they ever willingly kill someone?

but no one believed them. it’s not until countless soldiers and innocent people began to lose their lives that yanan realizes staying in the castle is doing nothing. he leaves the castle and arrives at jun’s door step, begging for his help. 

jun easily accepts, and they begin to work together. they know each other did not hurt anyone, so, who could possibly want the treaty to fail? who could frame these two into starting an all out war? jun briefly mentions the addition of a new deity clan, someone just starting out. yanan asks what kind of god are they?

and jun realizes. 

“god of chaos.”

it’s them. they’re the one who framed them, they’re the one who is causing all this tension and all these deaths. with both races busy trying to kill each other, it leaves jun and yanan by themselves to save their world from utter destruction. 

[drkoestersmithrpg]

WHO THE HELL WOULD WANT TO READ THIS I DONT KNOW

I’m just giving you a bit the whole thing is 2000 word.

----------------------------

“I want to ask you on a date,” Tony asked him, leaning over the library shelf, smiling wickedly, as if he had were letting Peter in on a secret, or else had some mischief in mind.

Peter tried not to grin from ear to ear.  Tried, and failed.  His heart soared and his face was probably glowing.  There wasn’t much he could do to stop it.  Hoping that the nagging (?) “are we dating or no?” question was about to be answered.  Hoping the answer was yes.

“I’ve been given permission to enter the Ceremony Hall of the New York Order of the Ars Goetia as a consultant on the remaining, legally owned antiquities.  I was wondering if your… Scarlet Pimpernel persona…” he whispered, looking furtively around the library,  “would like to join me there.  With permission, of course.  We can consult on the case.”

And with that Peter’s hopes were dashed to pieces. He tried not to let it show.

  = = =

 At the appointed hour Spider-Man appeared on the roof of a mostly-deserted Ceremony Hall.  ...........................

“Which Virgin was that?” Peter asked quietly, referring to bald man.

“The only Virgin of any note was Enid Virgin, who painted that,” he waved dismissively at the designs painted above their heads.  “And she is dead.”

“That old guy’s sister painted the… no wonder he talked about them so much,” Peter said, looking around the room with admiration. “Oh…oh!  These are based on the book!”  he said, pointing to the designs on the borders of the pages Tony was looking at now, happy that he had made the connection.

“Yes.  Badly.” Tony’s tone was cold, and for a half-moment Peter wondered if Enid Virgin had done something to piss him off.

“So… you’re saying the only good Virgin is a dead Virgin?” Peter joked, earning him a sly grin from the devil-eyed man.  Peter suddenly wished they were all alone in the building.  It was sly looks like that that sent a jolt straight to his groin.

“Now here’s what I started to show you,” Tony said, turning to another page in the book.  There on the page was the picture of the circle that Tony had asked him not to step on.  “The original incantation, written in the original Proto-Hebrew.  But not that…” he said, clucking his tongue, tapping on the North East corner of the circle, then turning to the circle behind them.  “That is Biblical Hebrew.  Completely incorrect.  These pages, you see,” he said, indicating at least 1/6 of the massive book with his hand, “are not original.  Copies of copies of copies.  Ah yes, and this silly fellow?  Copied it wrong.”

He grinned as if it were a very funny joke.  Then groaned as Mr. Virgin and the man with the monocle entered the Ceremony Room for the third time.  Rather than shoo them away Tony actually crossed to meet them (taking care not to touch the magic circle on the floor) and discuss the ornate wooden boxes they held in their hands.

While he argued with them Peter looked around the room, observing everything, trying to be helpful in some way.  Trying to think of a way he could be helpful.  The “case” of the stolen Infernal Star was over, the thief in jail, the piece in the hands of the police.  What did Tony need him for here, exactly?  (Or did Tony just want a friend along to talk about a subject he so clearly loved to talk about?)  Peter looked at the letters on the floor, then made note of the Enid Virgin’s art above his head.  He realized that what he had taken for designs were, in fact, Arabic, just like some of the Arabic he had seen in the book.  Although the writing on the page Tony had turned to looked like Latin.

“Because I don’t care.  Yes, they are authentic, yes, they date back to the 11th century, congratulations, they are worth a great deal of money, now please go away.  I’m working.”

“You were hired to translate… how many languages do you speak, Tony?” Peter asked when the irritated man returned to the only object of his interest.

“James of the Long Road was the master of multiple languages,” Tony said with obvious admiration.  “The Grimoire Hikmat Hayati was meant to be read by the masses, and so it is primarily written in Latin, although his notations were in Arabic.  Approximately 80% of it is easily translatable.  But not this…”

He turned lovingly toward the back of the book, where a new, unique script filled the pages.

“This is called a Witches Alphabet (rune?).  Untranslatable.  Can you guess why?  It is a private code, created by the magician to be used only by his disciples. Created to hide secrets, but that is the secret of these pages.  These pages do not hide secrets at all.”

“Those aren’t spells?”

Tony reached out and traced his fingers lovingly over the page.  “No.  This is a love letter.  And it ends with a love song.  

“You are a lucky man, Peter Parker.  The last remaining copy of The Grimoire Hikmat Hayati.  It will never be displayed in a museum.  You are the only non-member of the Order to lay eyes on a love song that is 13 centuries old.”

“May I see it?” Peter asked after the man was silent for some time.

Tony looked at him, startled, as if he had forgotten that Peter was there.  Then he bowed his head, as if reluctant.  Then he turned a few pages and showed Peter a new script.

It was not like any music notation Peter had seen before, but he recognized the look on Tony’s face immediately.  Tenderly, Tony took his gloved hand and put it on the page with his own.

“There,” he whispered, and said nothing else.

“Can you translate it?”  Tony only nodded, and Peter asked him nothing more.

* * * *

 That night in Tony’s apartment the man was particularly amorous, pulling Peter to him as soon as he walked in the door, kissing him passionately and tangling his hand in Peter’s hair.  Peter was bold enough to actually wrap his legs around Tony’s waist, a move that seemed to make his lover very happy, and soon Peter was being swung around the room until they collapsed on the bed together breathless. Tony pealed Peter’s clothes off his body urgently, and even allowed Peter to undress him (all except for his shirt) before the lights were even extinguished.

“Tell me what you want,” he begged between kisses, sometimes pleading directly into Peter’s mouth.  “Tell me what to do to you.  I am your servant.”  But Peter held him too close to ask properly, keeping Tony’s mouth too busy to ask a third time.

He didn’t know why he did it (yes he did.  He did it because ‘Please turn me around, fuck me doggy-style and pound me for all your worth’ wasn’t in Peter Parker’s vocabulary.)

So the sex was the same tender, loving missionary that it always was, with Peter watching Tony’s face as much as Tony watched him.

He slipped away in the early morning hours.  Slipped away to bury himself under the covers of his dormroom bed and fall into the most painfully erotic dream.

They were in the Ceremony Hall, and Tony was reading from the spellbook, explaining to Peter that he had it all figured out.  “I am an adroit magician, after all, and it is a very simple matter.  Just picture it in your mind, little Peter, and I’ll know.  And I’ll do it.

“Oh.  Oh,” Tony said, his eyes going wide, and for a moment his Librarian-Face looked quite scandalized and Peter tried desperately to take it back.  Then he smiled, flashing that wicked grin that made Peter feel both relieved (because Tony understood) and horny as hell (because Tony understood.) “Oh beloved, why didn’t you say so?” he asked, bringing their foreheads together, and just like that Peter knew that it was alright, that Tony didn’t object.  That Tony had only been waiting for permission that entire time.

Taking Peter by the hand he led them to the center of the circle and lay Peter down on the cold tile floor, pulling his Spider-Man costume away like flower petals.  The fact that all the robed figures were standing in the circle watching them didn’t bother Peter at all, nor did it concern him that they now knew his secret identity.  Tony’s eyes were angled and wicked and perfect, and as long as Peter was looking into them he could forget about everything else.  Tony’s eyes were mesmerizing, and in them the world faded away as Tony’s hand gently pushed him to lay on his back.

And then Tony took both his ankles and raised them up and the spell was broken, and Peter was laying naked on the floor in a crowded room and there was no way to escape.

Slamming his hands over his ears Peter desperately tried to pretend like his fantasy is coming true in an empty room.  Frantically he searched for Tony’s eyes but Tony’s eyes were closed, and while Peter’s brain was screaming at him that his dearest sexual wish was about to be fulfilled his mouth was open and he was begging Tony to wait.

He woke in his dormroom with his hands clutched to his ears, begging Tony to wait.

[2019grimoirecchallenge]

January Week 1: Getting Started

Welcome to the 2019 Grimoire Challenge!

Alright, witches! To kick things off the theme for this weeks prompt is simple. Get yourself prepared. Collect whatever materials you will be using for your Grimoire. Is it parchment paper or notebook paper? Are you filling in a journal, a binder or keeping loose pages? Prepare all of these things. 

Choose your format! Will it be similar to mine, very scrapbook like? Or will yours be neat and orderly pages, lists, numbered and the like? Will all the pages share an exact format? Or will they be similar? Perhaps entirely random?

For those who like daily activities, there will be a portion of each week’s prompt set aside for five days of each week, with occasional bonus prompts and activities on some Saturdays. For this week, we’ll break it down as such, though you are not required to separate all of these into each day. If you’re up to it, do them all on the same day!

Monday: Naming your book

You don’t need to name your Grimoire, but to keep it more personal you can. Mine, for instance, is simply titled “The Basil Grimoire” and believe me, it took a long list and several days of throwing ideas around to find the perfect title. Choose a name that encompass what your craft is, how you will be using your book, and what you will be using it for. Will it be more encyclopedic? Or a step-by-step guide to things? 

Tuesday: Dedication/ Statement of Intent/ Book Blessing (New Page!)

Now, this part is also optional. Not everyone worships deities, not everyone needs to state their intent in written form, and not everyone chooses to bless or protect their book. Personally, I did something akin to all of these in one long poem at the beginning of my book. Are you dedicating your practice to a deity? If so, state it. What is the intent behind making this book? What is its use? outline this. And if you are blessing your book, or protecting it, write this out here as well. 

Wednesday: Outline/ Index (New Page!)

This one is likely to change and grow as the challenge goes on. But here is where we will make a list (you should use pencil or type it up on the computer so it is easy to change and edit) of the things we will be putting in your Grimoire. What are the things you personally hope to learn more about? What are the subjects you wish your book to hold and encompass? Is there a specific order you wish your book to be in? How to’s up front, correspondences and lists at the end? Or divided by type of magic?

Thursday: Organize your resources!

Don’t let my paltry list of resources be your only sources for completing the challenge. They’re just a start. Google is your friend. The library is your friend. Researching is your friend. If you’re using a computer (which I am assuming we all are, since you know, we’re on Tumblr) create a bookmark folder with your resources for research in it. If you’re writing in a certain script, make sure you have an image or example of it and keep it handy until you’re more familiar with it. What good would it do to write in runes if you can't easily read it afterwards?

Friday: Begin! (New page!)

So to break the tedium of the start of the project, we’ll do our first research task! Choose an herb you’re curious about learning more about. For example, Basil. Search its scientific name, where it grows, how it grows, when it grows. What are its correspondences and associations? What does it correspond with to you? What do you feel from the herb? What are its practical uses and magical uses?

There it is my witchy friends! The start of our challenge and the onset of our project! If you feel like sharing your covers/ titles/ images of your book, submissions are open for the entirety of the project. I look forward to receiving feedback, images, and thoughts from all of you!

Happy Crafting!

M.G.

The Basil Druid 

[ralfstrashcan]

3x22 Reaction / Commentary

Fair warning: Despite all feelings of nostalgia and melancholy with this being the last episode and all, this contains the usual amount of salt. Just, consider yourself warned XD

Impressive. Quick question though, why didn't Lilith pull this neat trick before going to Magnus and begging for an opening in the rift? We'll never know. Possibly because she's dumb.

Why would he give away his element of surprise with that stupid roar? Wtf man.

Istg if they kill Meliorn off just after I fell in love with him last episode imma riot so hard. Wtf.

1) Jeliorn Shipper: It's not actually clear who he's addressing XD 2) Am I the only one who feels like Meliorn's feelings for Izzy skyrocketed after they broke off their little mutually beneficial arrangement?? Because I sure do. Very convenient for the plot too.

This is both hilarious and infuriating XD

Boo Team Warlock. They can see that Meliorn is lying on the ground, obviously wounded, and all they do is stand around. Why do they all suck at first aid?? I mean, man down! What more do you need to know wtf.

Also what is that? Lorenzo actually being helpful? Wtf haha. Btw I made up my mind, he's lost bits of his character along the way. I don't like it. He's suddenly supposed to be a good lizard baby? Sure. *scoff*

I like that bit where Lorenzo and Magnus pool magic for a more effective attack but I'm doubtful they're perfectly synchronized since they never fought together. Or is this like a standard warlock fight maneuver? Are those a thing? I need answers.

Lilith shooting her fancy fire spit ball five meters to the left is both an overused cliché and ridiculous.

THIS is their plan of attack? They're all gonna die haha.

Script: Close up of female shoes with heels so everyone knows this is a woman.

RIDICULOUS

So did I understand that correctly? Lilith flew right into the line of literal fire? Whyyyy?

RIDICULOUS PLASTIC EYE IS RIDICULOUS

Wtf why isn't Lorenzo loudly objecting??

That circle reminds me of Guardians of the Galaxy in the worst way. Wow. I can't believe I just watched this. Wtf this was so bad *weeping* Btw note, considerate CGI flames only burn on torso and arms not on legs. Riiiight.

...................................................................what.

I mean, yay. All shadowhunters are jobless now. Guess all problems are solved. We just have an entire (slightly racist) race on our hands that's out of an occupation and also, militry. Those things don't mix well. Wtf. I cannot. comprehend. Wtf.

Also wtf. This was supposed to be the boss fight. And they finished it without a plan with one player literally before the opening?? UHHHH???

But, anyway. I guess I should be glad Alec didn't have to make good on his promise of living in Edom with Magnus, because as @intezaarlily so hilariously pointed out

The Alliance rune was temporary and wore off in like 5 hours, and Nephilim can’t survive in Edom because of their blood once the rune wears off, but Alec says he’ll spend the rest of his life with Magnus in Edom … I mean, I love the romantic sentiment! But that will be a very short life.

XD XD XD

Uhhhh yeah, the fact that Sizzy get a sex scene (ugh, could have done without that honestly) Clace get cute cuddling and Malec get................ lying five feet apart even though THEY ARE LEGIT A MARRIED COUPLE WTFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF

Honestly, I mostly skirt the negativity that surrounds the issue of how Malec always get shitty kisses and intimacy etc. But this is ridiculous. RI-DIC-U-LOUS. At this point, who knows if they'll even kiss at their wedding? We'll be lucky if they hold hands. Honestly. WTF.

Yeah agree to disagree. I'm not even sorry for my extra salt. Wtf. Still hung up on Malec. At least Izzy's runes glitter prettily in the morning light.

“I mean like relationships. Everyone that I've been in has magnificently imploded like the Death Star.”

SIGH. This is clearly not true. He stayed good friends with his exes (Clary, Maia) so that's a lie. And Saia was working out really well until the series needed it to stop, so it's not like he's inept. So either he's exaggerating because he's hella unreflected or he says that to get some pity from Izzy, either way I hate it.

Uuhhhh Izzy, you were never interested in having a relationship. That's not the same as screwing up a relationship wtf.

...............Does the show want to tell me Magnus is left-handed or what. Wow.

I

hadn't

noticed.

I guess Canon wants to use this last opportunity to tell us that Magnus is ambidextrous *shrug*

Also why the hell did Lorenzo give them back the loft? Oh right, he's a Good Lizard Baby now. The heck.

Anyway I did a very thorough reaction to this sneak peek scene already for a private correspondence, so enjoy ahaha ;)

- Me being deprived of Malec Morning Cuddles (and LittleSpoon!Alec) is unfair and I'm Not Over It.

+ Magnus excitedly writing their wedding invitation though <3<3<3

- Cheek kiss wtf man where are my REAL morning smooches WTF

+ CHEEK KISS SO CUTE OMG MAGNUS'S FACCEEEEEEEE I CANNNNTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

+ MAGNUS'S FRAKKING FACE WHEN HE GIVES ALEC THE INVITATION SCRIPT THINGY, RAISED EYE BROW AND THAT LIP THING HE DOES, LIKE IN THE TRAINING SCENE HAHAHAHA I LOVE

+ MAGNUS'S FACE AS ALEC READS THE INVITATION OUTTTT

+ A L E C S  FACE AT “TONIGHT” LIKE OMG HE LOOKS LIKE HE JUST HAD A LOBOTOMY HAHAHAHAHA I CANNOT

~ Okay I am conflicted about this. While I can buy both, Magnus wanting to move ahead and Alec wanting to plan (because I think it fits them both in terms of being in character) in this particular matter I kinda headcanon the reverse: Alec not able to wait another minute to Lock Magnus Down and Magnus wanting everything to be absolutely perfect and losing himself in planning.

That being said, Magus being like “Gotta get married while we still can and there's not a disaster on the horizon” is.... idk, isn't that kind of sad? He's all about cherishing things in life so you can remember them. And stumbling through his MARRIAGE, with must mean a real real lot to him, being his first in all his 400/800 years, that's... not really uplifting? He deserves better than that.

+ Magnus's clap tho at “location” XD XD XD

+ ALEC'S FACE AT TAJ MAHAL HAHAHA HIS FROWNY MOUTH

~ Quick question, how the hell does Magnus want to hold a whole ass marriage ceremony at a public mundane place?? With glamor? Without? Sounds like an unrealistic mess either way

+ “THE INSTITUTE” I CAN'T MAGNUS AND ALEC KILL IT BOTH WITH THIS WTF HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA I CANT

- Alec's reasoning. Honestly, I don't like it that much. Don't get me wrong, Alec being aware of the political dimension and liking it is 100% ic. But. This is their wedding. Their. Wedding. They do everything else for others, for their people and for the mundanes and the frikking world as a whole (3x20 being a prime example, basically screwing their personal happines to hell and back (pun intended) to close the rift saved the world because those wraiths wouldn't have stopped after Alicante let's be real). And their wedding, this should be just for them. How they like it, how they envision and how they've always dreamed about it. It shouldn't be held so others can benefit from it.

I want the wedding to be at the Instutite. In my mind no other venue even comes into question. But I would have loved if the motivation was differently nuanced. If Alec would have said that he's imagined it there, because yeah, Magnus's loft is his home and his heart, but the Institute must hold sentimental value for him, too. He grew up there. It's basically all he's known his whole life up to like three months ago. It's the embodiment of him being a shadowhunter and he loves being a shadowhunter, it's his identity. And Alec is a traditional guy. He wants his classical shadowhunter wedding and those are held at an Institute. He must have envisioned this after he started dating Magnus: exchanging vows in a ceremony held by a silent brother and with their wedding jewelry, in the chapel of the Institute, simply because this is the only marriage proceedure he's ever known.

Pissing off the clave, or rather, having the clave begrudingly accept him with his true self presented to the world should be a welcome byproduct, but not the main motivation.

From Magnus I would buy this line of reasoning sooner than from Alec because Magnus has hated the clave and its injustice since forever, has suffered far harsher under them than Alec, so he has a lot more personal interest to stick it to the clave than Alec, who, sorry, literally discovered their falseness three months ago. But then again, I don't think thoughts like that would be on the forefront of Magnus's mind and so it makes sense Alec would be the one to bring up this aspect. I just don't like how it was nuanced.

In any case, rewatching that scene I'm amazed at the amount of time Alec flounders before catching Magnus's attention, it's hilarious to watch XD

+ MAGNUS'S CONSIDERING POUT THOUGH WTF MAN WHO ALLOWED THIS

Another missing scene waiting to be written, of Magnus wearing a tux around Alec (and Alec drooling over him lol).

“It's just... all these hundreds of years... I can't believe you've never been married.”

Yeah, dito. How about you expand a little more on your personal stance on marriage, Magnus?? It's for science.

NOT ANYMORE APPARENTLY WTF CAN WE TALK ABOUT THIS SOME MORE PLEASE

1) Wow this was quick 2) Uh-huh, guess that's why they mentioned them before this episode, oh, never.

1) Then ralf would quit watching this show and who would make dumb comics then? 2) Lol I guess her poor ex warlock boy toy got dumped

HAHAHAHA THE WAY HE DELIVERS THAT LINE I CAN'T XD XD XD

TMI bro

Good. At least he's not completely delusional then.

Gal you said “focus” like once, that's not a lesson wtf.

Yeah, creepy creepy feelings.

But this is actually interesting since she can't lie, and she says in no uncertain terms that she wants to split her power with him, or at least the rule over earth. Buf if she's so afraid of him she even wants to rule beside him and relinquish part of her might, then I don't get why she didn't just kill him off when he was in his cocoon. Why risk making an enemy of him? Makes no sense. (Except that this would have been anticlimactic lol.) Also my question of what happened to Lucifer still stands.

Uhhhh apparently they just slept together, turning into a child is majorly creepy wtf dude. Also, where does her changed wardrobe come from? Absorbing clothes during a transformation is a skill werewolves would pay real money for, I can tell you. Market niche. Patent while you still can.

..................really? *sigh*

#vulnerability #abandonment issues #give jace wayland (or whatever you want to call him) a hug dammit

Finally, happy parabatai. What a sight for sore eyes.

Biting back more Sizzy salt, wow I'm impressed at myself.

HOW ABOUT YOU BOTH FRAKKING SAY THAT ABOUT MAGNUS WTF

(Btw the German Dubbing: “I was just thinking of asking you that!” lol as if the thought had crossed Izzy's mind in that exact second, making that whole thing even more ridiculous.)

Anyway.

“You know, I always thought I never needed a parabatai, that I was at my best when I was on my own.”

No that was because you disliked the weird codependency it produces. And it's fine if you change your mind on that and decide that the benefits outweight that, but please don't do it offscreen during an action screen but like, throughout a whole season? Consider sharing a thought or two about that fundamental change in your world view with the audience? Otherwise people (me) can just laugh their ass of at how ridiculous and ooc this is. Wtf. WtF. Then again she literally changed her stance on relationships in like a week and her stance on Simon in half a day, so I guess it's kind of consistent?? *snort*

There's a joke about missing hair in here somewhere. These poor, poor men. They were ROBBED. (And so were we XD)

Since when can Clary order around the Head of Security?? (Also look at her manic face in this shot ahahaha. Was that deliberate on my part?? You can't prove a thing!!)

Also Luke missing Alec's wedding again is history repeating itself.

IMMORTALITY RUNE ON THE RUN!! EVERYBODY DROP WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND CATCH IT!!!

Clary, gal, if you keep slinking after the rune like that you'll never catch it. Srsly. And you wonder why you lose track of it all the time? Move your butt, man!!!

WOW GREATEST DISAPPOINTMENT EVER. Can I skip this scene? Please?

Wow that was less painful than expected

Oh damn I knew this was too easy.

Btw apparently they have styling opportunities wherever Jocelyn's soul went after her death, because the clothes she wore when she went west

and the ones she's wearing now are similar, but decidedly not the same.

“Btw we'll talk about that creepy ass behavior later, and no supper for you tonight young lady!!”

Uh-huh, and what, pray tell, is Jocelyn? A zombie?? Just wondering.

These so-called “angels” are racists and you can quote me on that.

HAHAHA YEAH EXACTLY, SO RIDICULOUS AMIRIGHT

I mean. “Never draw another new rune or we'll take away your ability to create runes” basically translates to me “You have one last shot.” Right?

(Premonition!Ralf: ..........................you know nothing, Past Ralf.)

HAHAHAH SO FRAKKIN EXTRA I LOVE HIM

I think the white one is the prettiest <3<3<3 And now I wanna eat cake. Dammit.

LISTEN I KNOW HE SAYS THAT TO BE SASSY BUT!!!!! WHAT WAS MAGNUS GONNA EAT FOR THE REST OF ETERNITY???? ROASTED SHAX DEMON DRUMSTICKS??????? I NEED ANSWERS!!!!!!!!!!!

This “beauty” clearly is from his mansion, so he obviously only says this to gloat. What a tool. Or is this like, a different size? And he has the same three pictures of himself plastered over all his homes, but in different sizes??

LOL this feels like splitting household goods with an ex. And they didn't even date (uagh the mental image *shudder*)

Mostly for each other, but continue.

Also, is this Lorenzo's formal request to be adopted into that weird ass Protagonist!Family? Because loooool the position of sassy shady uncle is still vacant. I'm sure Peter Hale will teach him some tricks.

Don't get me wrong, I like the scene itself but...... what happend to the evil lizard baby? It seems that just like Maryse he got a character makeover between one scene and the next. This change of heart comes out of frakkin nowhere. He goes from “good riddance magnus i hate your guts” to “pls love me” in literally half a day. And I don't like that. Wtf.

Also, another thing: Why do they always imply warlocks are completely unable to find a lasting relationship / family / even some level of happiness that isn't “sitting in my plush villa and drinking overpriced alcohol”? As if all warlocks are inapt. Tf.

I mean, he's been showing that through absence, but I guess that's more because of the same reasons that persistently keep Catarina from showing her face than him actually not caring about his kids, there's no real grounds for this level of desinterest in Show!Robert's character. But anyway, I like the sentiment, that conflicts between the parents don't necessarily inevitably destroy the relationships between one parent and the children. And Maryse was always good at compartmentalizing things, so this is very fitting.

Wow I had really hoped I wouldn't have to see this particular face again. Guess we can't always get what we want *sigh* also what's the shit with those glasses? *snort*

Also, I mean, I'm by no means an expert, but even I know that you don't actually store a bow with the string attached? You unclip it so it doesn't wear out? But whatever, what do I know about angelic weaponry, right.

Wtf he was cleared for missions seasons ago. Did they forget? Apparently? Ugh but I don't care so, moving on.

“You'll be save on this balcony.”

*SIGH* Honestly I'm wondering what they even learn at their dumb Shadowhunter Academy. Since common sense, first aid, and make sure your frikkin enemy is dead by slitting their throat and !never! turn your back on them are obviously not on the curriculum. SMH.

Ngl though, good riddance on the Max front XD

Guess I cheered too early. You had one job, Jonathan. One. Job.

HAHAHAHA HONESTLY HAHAHA THE GUY NEXT TO HER FALLS AND SHE DOESN'T EVEN TWITCH, JUST KEEPS RECORDING LOOOL

Btw all the people running away, they're screaming their heads off but they're not really like, running? They're barely even jogging lol it's so funny XD

Let me just....

Yes. This.

Also that whole “I've never been to Toronto” totally clashes with Izzy asking Clary literally three minutes earlier if she can open her a portal to Los Angeles. I mean, they don't even try and pretend that their portal travel is consistent anymore. Sigh.

I mean. He. Hehehe.

Amazing that Magnus has been in this exact street in his exact spot. Luck-y.

Same, Jonathan. Same.

Wow she's smart trying the spite approach to get Jonathan to want to prove her wrong.

.....or not. Wtf Clary. You had him. Even after all this, you could have salvaged this. But there's just No Happy Ending for Jonathan. It's so unfair. Rest in peace, my poor misunderstood murderous incest baby.

Also

Wing Rune? Death via Crushing Wing Hug??

Btw if the runes are gifts from the angels and they don't approve of her use then why do they keep sending them to her?? Just, don't? Problem solved? No need for a Jocelyn!Scolding?

Edit: As a smart person pointed out to me Clary's ability to create runes isn't a direct gift from the angels that they gave her specifically, it's a result of Valentine's neat experiments. But then I wonder a) why the angels even allowed those blasphemous experiments in the first place (since apparently they can long-distance-derune people no problem, then I guess they could have stopped Valentine too?) and b) if they have the power to long-distance-derune people and they have the power to form some sort of resistance against Clary inventing runes..... how does that add up? Why the heck can't they forge a resistance strong enough against Clary's attempts to create a specific rune? It makes no sense. You can't be ridiculously powerful in one rune-aspect and ridiculously weak in one other rune-aspect. Either the angel has power over the runes (since they were a gift from him) or he doesn't. But this is rubbish. Or, y'know, plot convenience. Ugh.

Buhuu, they didn't use the stupid ass angelic rune ever so whatever. Until Raziel doesn't come down and exchanges her spinal marrow I'm writing this off as Consequenceless Dramatics.

Malec Wedding Ceremony. Phew. Originally I thought I'd keep this short but I changed my mind. Since this is my last reaction post I might as well go all out (with the salt, among other things), so. Here we go.

Music choice and the general everything-is-muffled-under-the-song was absolutely wonderful. I really love that song and it's very Malec-y.

UGH

AWWW WOULD YOU LOOK WHO DEIGNED TO SHOW UP

The suit suits him (ahahahaha I'm so sorry) but I'm kinda bummed he's not wearing Shadowhunter Gold?! I mean?!

Whoever that is, she has kickass hair and I love it, and I kept looking for her in the background the whole time. To some success I might add.

Yeah please show me Lorenzo's face instead of, idk, Jace's wtf haha. Also who invited Meliorn.

Is it even a real wedding ceremony when the groom is already wearing his ring??

U G H

Cat should have been the one to give Magnus away. Maryse could have given Alec away if she must (honestly, it should have been Jace, not Robert or Maryse, but whatever). But Maryse giving Magnus away? The Fuck? She HATED him two months ago. She literally gave up on him after he SAVED ALL THEIR ASSES AND WAS STUCK IN EDOM after like half a day. Also I kind hate her ridiculous redemption. But sure, have Cat, his best friend for centuries, stand on the sidelines and only show her face for a second. Frikkin Madzie had more screen time than Cat wtf. I hate that Shadowhunters infiltrate every aspect of Magnus's life and force his Downworlder friends out of it. That's the real oppression wtf. I'm so angry at this. The frikkin audacity.

Awww, the other half second of Cat's screen time. Let me fawn over it. I love her dress, especially the arms, the necklace is a bit much but she rocks it anyway, I love her hairdo and her smile is the sweetest.

*cough*

Ngl I laughed my ass off at this. Because, y'know, communication. Is totally their thing, isn't it. They're so good at it. This is sarcastic in case you can't tell.

I really really loved this line though.

HAHAHA I LOST IT. I mean, I found their interlaced speaking ridiculous already, but this?? PFFFF HAHAHA. No. Just, no. But I guess the one good thing I can take away from this is that since they both say their “always” together it is in fact the same “always” so thanks for more Immortal Alec Foreshadowing.

Whoa those are a lot of candles. I approve. Lexa does, too.

Magnus throwing confetti is too cute for this world.

And then they just.... leave? Am I the only one finding that weird???? This was so short? Where are they going?? lol????

Okay, apparently Clary's runes are all gonna disappear. Uh. Okay. I don't see where this makes sense, but anyway. Her acting in these last moments was absolutely awesome.

I really love that Magnus and Raphael got the scene together that they deserved. I just enjoy that Downworlder Dad Magnus and Grumpy Son Raphael aren't treated as a Plot Devices and only interact when some Stupid Plotline requires it, but outside of it too. It's so refreshing.

Ralf: “Oh God please spare me.”

........not my lucky day apparently.

Hahahaha love ya.

DAMN RIGHT

Jace and Maryse dancing in the background tho. Cute.

BTW wtf, I didn't undestand Annoying!Ghost!Jocelyn in the way that Clary was gonna die. Just, she wouldn't have her fancy rune powers anymore. And okay, apparently she won't have any rune powers but... uh, death? That's a whole different dimension we're talking here. And why tf can't anyone be precise on this show for once wtf!

1) Helen is valid and for probably the first time in her life said something smart. 2) They started dating 3 days ago, wtf gals, I mean I heard of the u-haul cliché but honestly wtf. lol.

Ralf: *hits pause* NO. Kay, in the same room as Ralf, fully aware that the latter is watching the last half of 3x22 with the Malec Wedding (with headphones, I'm considerate and don't want to spoiler my sister): What is it? Are they adopting a child? Ralf: No, WORSE. Kay: Are they pregnant?? Ralf: NOOOOOOO Kay: Tell me. Ralf: ........no. I want to see the look on your face when you see this.

You had one job dude. One job. And you failed.

Ralf: I'm going to be sick.

Honestly. WTF. Sorry, but Lorenzo is probably the un-gayest character on this show. Wtf. No. I refuse. I also refuse to believe that anyone looks at Lorenzo's self-important pompous ass and thinks hnnnngh relationship material. Or worse, one-night stand material. No! No! Punching bag material! Sleek antagonist material! That's all he is dammit!!

I REALLY AM GOING TO BE SICK WTF. UGH NO. NOOO WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE (aka screen writers) WHO THOUGHT THIS WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA. And also, can I give the biggest anti-compliment to the Max actor for the absolutely shitty delivery of this line? It's as if he's as dead inside as I am, because he says this as if he honestly couldn't give a single shit about Magnus and just ??????????????? wtf

Yeah, that one time she glanced at him in the Ops Center really gave it away. What the actual ffkk. Alec was preoccupied with other things then, wtf, he wouldn't even notice that on a good day. Sorry, show, but less is more sometimes. Not everyone needs a frikkin significant other and this is just ridiculous. What's next, Max and Madzie? UGH.

Lol this would be less ridic if apart from 1x05 this wasn't their first interaction.

NO NO NO NO!!!!!! I hate that I can't stop scanning the background for them! It's like the countdown on a bomb, you can't look away even though you know you should just turn and run. WTF. NO.

bitch what's alec been doing his whole life huh huh huh????

“Every single cell in my body loves you. And when those cells die and new ones are born those cells love you even more. So Jace, no matter what happens, my love for you will never die.”

Ridiculous Shadowhunter Biology Knowledge striking but I'll let it slide because that was really sweet.

Also ahahaha shouldn't that rune be gone already???

Shadowhunter #1 in the Background: *biting back a sob* I'm so crushed I wasn't invited to Malec's wedding and saddled with active duty instead. Shadowhunter #2 in the Background: *wiping away tears* Yeah, me too.... What did we ever do to deserve this </////////3

Again, how did she understand that from the weird AF scolding??? TF.

Uh, yeah, blatant contradiction, whatever. Btw since I know how that goes in the books (for Simon) I'm really wondering if they're gonna pull the same thing for Clary now. (Ugh.)

Also, following both a hint and innate curiosity I paused on the letter that Clary supposedly actually wrote AND WTF HAHAHAHA. I CAN'T.

Dear Jace, forgive me for leaving all of a sudden. I came to the realization that it's time for me to move on. I don't know what is motivating me to take this action but I must act on my feelings. From the first day we met we had a connection from ??? my introduction to the Shadow Hunters World. Alec, Simon, Izzy, the institute and all of the Shadow Hunters opened up skills and experiences that I could never imagine I had. You and I spent many years together and have experienced many adventures together which I will never forget. Many times over they have put our lives at risk but we have always managed to survive in the end. You have saved my life on many occasions (screen end, but I guess sth like “you have looked”) after me and taken care of me (same, “which I'll never”) forget. Your love for me I will always (“treasure”?) May our Shadows meet again, Love Clary

WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL HAHAHAHAHA WTF

........................I paused here and I was this tempted to just, stop watching. Honestly, Shadowhunters, what have you done to me. Making me honestly consider to ditch the last ten minutes of a show that I dearly, dearly love. Wtf. I just, I can't. Wow.

Where's the beard, Luke. It's been “a year” so uh you've had time to grow it back.

1) Magnus “left handed” Bane again writing with his right hand. Mysterious. 2) Honestly I kinda spaced out on this scene after this shot because those blue smears? I was so SURE those would be fingerpaint clumsily smeared on Magnus by Malec's Baby of Horrors. I was so focused on there being any hints of them having adopted a baby already, dreaded anguish kinda making it impossible to taking in anything else. The only thing I really noticed is that they moved with their whole ass loft and I love that.

Honestly, this and the “High Warlock of Alicante” are the only two acceptable things about this whole terrible fever haze dream I have entered. Not that “High Warlock of Alicante” makes any sense. It just has a nice ring to it, that's all. I really can't put into words how ridiculous and, yeah, almost offensive I find it that they actually pretend that blatant racism can be wiped out of the minds of people in the matter of a single year. Sure. The whole Clave changed their racist beliefs and Alec skipped from being a mere Head of an Insitute over being a Clave Envoy to being an Inquisitor (which doesn't even make sense, since an Inquisitor seems to be going from Institute to Insitute and acting as a judge for Shadowhunters on trial, not negotiating how the Clave treats Downworlders). And which warlocks exactly does Magnus represent in Alicante? It makes no sense for the Clave to allow Downworlders to just, randomly live there? And that's got nothing to do with discrimination, that's just logic if you run a military organization: You don't allow civilians to mingle. They don't belong in the Ops Center of an organization they have no part in? I'm all for Downworlders being allowed to participate in legislative etc. but living in Alicante (as more than the significant other of a Shadowhunter) makes no sense. And sorry, I don't believe that in one year there formed SO MANY Shadowhunter/Warlock relationships that SO MANY warlocks moved to Alicante that they need a HIGH WARLOCK for representation. There's SO MUCH wrong with all of this that I have no choice but to move on.

Hmmmm it only took Maia one (1) year to realize that carefully painting over blood splatters with yellow (and not even removing pictures while doing so) isn't in fact enough to cover them up and she needs to get a completely new paintjob, prefereably in a dark color.

Okay that made me laugh at least.

*rolls eyes so hard* And again with the pointless coupling up of characters. Are singles even a thing in this world? Apparently not. *SIGH*

“The Drevak Demons in Long Island?” “The hunt continues.” “Don't stop until they're gone. Is that clear?”

As much as I love Izzy, I'm not sure this dialogue really assures me of her competence as Head? I mean? “The demons are not dead yet? Kill them until they are, understood? And don’t argue with me on that, I’m super serious!!” It's not as if this isn't literally all that Shadowhunters do all day. I just don't see Izzy working a desk job. She's meant to be out in the field, slaying demons and cracking jokes and her whip while doing that. Sorry, but that's just how it is.

I could even tolerate that Sizzy scene because I was sooooo relieved Underhill didn't mention having a significant other or anything of the sort. Dodged a frakkin bullet there.

Edit: Nope, no, I can't. It's been two weeks and I have regained enough of my strength to be salty about Sizzy. But let me keep it to a minimum because time. 1) Simon not wanting to kiss Izzy in the hall is ridiculous, as if it hasn't been common knowledge since before that whole Downworlder Deputy Stuff started that they are a thing. So obviously this was just to pepper in the fact that he is in fact one of the Downworlder Deputies, whatever that should mean.

2) Nice to know that Simon continues to exploit his girlfriend's authority. Some things never change I guess, first with Saia and now with Sizzy. 3) I just find it ridiculous that while Simon wasn't able to keep a relationship running for more than two weeks before, suddenly this one works out a whole year without a hitch. Oh right, this was The Endgame Pairing, the other's weren't. *sigh*

<3<3<3<3<3 The Jimon Friendship we deserve!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THIS IS THE CONTENT I WANT TO SEE, NOT WHATEVER THAT OTHER NIGHTMARISH STUFF WAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Uh-huh, and what was Simon doing, exactly? Oh right.

Anyway.

I mean, as much as I love this dynamic and the fact that Jace managed to form a friendship with Simon who he kinda hated / pitied before, and as much as I love this scene itself..... the implications for Jalec are terrible. Jace is obviously not coping. At All. He's one wrong word from having tears running from his eyes in any given situation. And Alec just, effs off to Alicante to sip martinis with Magnus? Thank you for nothing, Alec. Wtf. I'd like some details on when exactly he decided to leave his parabatai alone in New York with all his heartbreak.

A toned down version of events would have been better. Alec still being Head of the Insitute, fighting tooth and nail against the Clave to implement Downworlder Involvement on more levels. Magnus being the High Warlock of Brookyln (because obviously Lorenzo got sacked for misconduct, come on). Simon and Jace growing closer over the shared devastating loss of Clary. Izzy slaying demons like a Queen. Underhill being single.

We could have had it all.

“You know, I pray every day, every day to the angels that they will see that our love is stronger than their spite.”

Lol Jace I'm not sure that's the way to phrase a prayer you want heard.

Okay, I'm gonna need several explanations here, ranked by importance:

1) WHY THAT HAIRCUT WTF

2) How exactly did Clary go from “complete memory loss, homeless, no money, no family, no friends, no nothing, literally just the clothes on her back” to “well-adjusted human being attending school, being super successful with her art, having an appartment and an astounding lack of depression” in a year?

????? ???????? ???????????????

???????

3) I really don't know a lot about either fashion or art, but both differ greatly from what we've seen from Clary so far. Neither her clothes match what she used to wear, nor her art style. She never drew abstract things. It was always portraits of people, or very detailed and realistic looking buildings / demons / sigils. So this doesn't really make sense either. I don't think they intended this to be the opening of a profound philosophical discussion on how much of your personality is laid down in your DNA and how much is just environment and experiences shaping you, so I really REALLY wonder why the f they did that, instead of having Clary draw Shadow World related stuff like before, when Magnus had her memories locked away.

Love the throwback. Also love Jace's reaction of running away, it's so relatable in this situation of utter emotional overload.

Okay, the end. I'm trying my best to end this on a slightly positive note okay, because otherwise I'll just make myself sad. First off, I HATE open endings with a passion, so this left me enraged. Second off, I can't believe the Clace Shippers were left with this as the last scene of their OTP. I kind of get it from a meta stance, they wanted there to be a point of contact for a possible pick-up, but still. They didn't even kiss. They didn't even have clarity what exactly Clary remembers. I hate it! Third off, how ridiculous is it that after a year Clary randomly remembers? Uhh? Why does the angel's punishment suddenly not work anymore? “Because love conquers all” etc. Uh-huh. Then why did it take a frakkin year? Huh, Jace?! If this had been the first time Clary and Jace see each other again, fine, I would have bought it. But “random” is such an unsatisfying explanation. Just, don't. So if you'll excuse me, I'll happily pretend none of this happened. Or it happened one month later, not a year wtf. Or I'll just follow through on my rewrite and rectify all the things I didn't like about these last two episodes.

And now that all the rage is out of the way, the good things. I loved both of Clary and Jace's acting in this scene (which lolllll I specifically point out because mostly in their couple scenes one of them fails XD). The careful way Clary touches Jace's rune and the way he almost flinches back, too raw for it, but also his vulnerable helpless smile, and how Clary smiles back. I also really liked the song. And the final shot, of the camera pulling away and into the nightsky, that was nice. It felt like an ending, so at least that gave me some closure.

I love this show. Even with all its infuriating plot holes and ooc-ness. It means a lot to me. It has inspired me to write fic like no other fandom. I plan to stick around for a long time to come, with both fics and tumblr posts. I'll rewatch episodes, obsess over details and grumble about shit I disliked because that's just what I do. It's how I show my appreciation. I guess what I'm trying to say is

Thank you

[dark0angel13]

The Ties That Bind: Grand Magic Games Spoiler

So this is a little spoiler to the upcoming chapter I’m writing for The Ties That Bind. It will focus on the GMG (My personal favorite story arc) and how Riley will be Incorporated into it. I do hope you enjoy this little [long?] spoiler.

Riley Belserion.  

Her name echoes throughout the arena and Riley feels a rush of adrenaline. Her body is thrumming with anticipation and she can’t hide the toothy grin that spreads across her face. Since the Grand Magic Games started, she’s had to stand back and watch as Fairy Tail lost battle after battle, helpless to stop the bastards that were responsible for not playing fair. That’s about to change, she decides as her eyes shift to Raven Tail. They all bare arrogant smirks and it makes her blood boil in her veins. Rest assured by the time this damn competition is over, Raven Tail will be no more. Riley will do whatever it takes to make sure that happens, if nothing else.  

Jura Neekis.  

The next name to be called stops Riley in her tracks and her eyes meet his from across the arena. She can see a multitude of emotions flash across his face, ranging first from shock, and settling on a satisfied grin. Riley can feel her muscles contract and relax and she takes a deep breath in. Breathe in, breathe out. This is going to be easy, she thinks. This is going to be a fucking cake walk.  

“Don’t let your guard down out there kid, Jura is a Wizard Saint for good reason.” Was that worry she hears in Laxus’ voice? Not possible; she replies with a scoff but can see the tension in his shoulders.  

“This match is as good as over,” her eyes settle on Mira, who simply looks at her with worry as she perches atop the wall of the arena. The stone is cold against her hand and she wills her heart to calm. “Prepare to witness greatness.” Is the last thing she says before she jumps, landing gracefully in the arena to march onward with purpose.  

Her form seems relaxed—her steps sure and silent—her hands shoved into the pockets of her jacket to hide the tension threatening to overwhelm her. Stay calm. She takes a deep breath in and stops at the center while she watches her opponent make his way to her. If he seems nervous, he shows no signs of it and Riley can’t help but admire his demeanor.  

The entire arena has grown silent, Riley notices as she glances from guild to guild, then to the stands where she’s met with confusion and uncertainty. Her heart hammers in her chest and part of her wants to scream at them for not knowing who she is. A fucking legend that’s who. She wants nothing more than to have her guilds name spoken with admiration and respect, and after this match, Riley is sure that’s exactly what’s going to happen. She crosses her arms under her breasts as the first voice rings out around her.  

“How do you think this battle will play out Mr. Yajima?”  

“Jura is very powerful being a Wizard Saint, but I wouldn’t count Fairy Tail out just yet.”

The names of those aside from Yajima elude her, but Riley doesn’t really care anyway. She’s here to fight, not be interviewed.  

“Who is this girl anyway? I’ve never heard of Riley Belserion.”

This voice, Riley realizes, gets on her nerves way too fucking much. She has to be twelve and she’s talking like if she hasn’t heard of something, it doesn’t exist. She’s about to get a fucking wake up call that’s for sure. When Riley’s done here today, everyone will know her name. She feels her hands ball into fists and she clenches her teeth. Yep, really fucking annoying.  

“Of all the wizards in Fairy Tail, Riley would probably have my vote on being the strongest. Since she was a child, not many people could hold a candle to her, and I have a good feeling that we are going to get a glimpse of her power here today. She is Fairy Tail’s Black Devastation, not to mention the elder sister to Erza Scarlet.”

Yajima’s words silence the crowd and Riley feels a wave of pride wash over her. The old man sure knew how to make a girl feel important. She smiles up to him when Jenny goes silent along with the rest of the arena. She can feel eyes on her, burning holes into her body like the sun through a magnifying lacrima and it’s both thrilling and off-putting at the same time. Riley can feel the anticipation in her muscles, the way they tense and relax. She can feel the anticipation in her quickened breathing and twitch of her fingers. She’s ready for this fight. She was born for this fight. She’s going to fucking win this fight.  

It’s only when one of them speaks that her mind races and she’s interrupting.  

“Well I certainly can’t wait to get this fight started! Without further adieu-!”

“Before we get this party started, there are a couple of things I would like to ask.” Her calm voice is a façade she’s happy to put on to take the eyes off the turmoil rising within her. She’s tense and ready for this fight; she knows Jura feels the same way when her eyes meet his. “I would like to propose a wager, if that’s alright with you Jura.” She watches an emotion flash across his face, too quick for her to interpret, before it’s gone and he’s nodding.  

“What is it, Lady Riley?” The smile he offers her reaches his eyes when he continues, “and may I add that it is a pleasure being able to fight you today. I’m so relieved you returned safe from Tenrou Island.” Good old Jura, a gentleman to his very core. Riley appreciates his respect but it grates in her nerves after so long, yet she smiles back none the less. This entire competition was one huge show after all.  

“Would you care to bet your title of Wizard Saint on this battle?” She watches shock register on his face and she can’t help but smirk. He had to have expected this at some point. “It’s about time we settled who was stronger.” The look on his face is almost comical.  

“Did I just hear that right?! Riley has just challenged Jura for his title of Wizard Saint! Mr. Yajima is this even possible?”  

“Under normal circumstances no, the title of Wizard Saint is something given by a majority vote of the council. Riley can’t simply ask for it…”

Yajima meets her eyes as his words echo around her and she tenses. His face shows no emotion and for the briefest of moments, Riley wonders if she’s stepped out of line.

“However…given the atmosphere around here I will propose a compromise. In order for this to be called into vote there must be at least six council members present in this arena. If we can get them then she can, in theory, officially issue the challenge.”

That’s all she needed to hear. Riley smirks and tunes out the rest of the light chatter to focus on Jura, who still seemed to be rooted in place.  

“Sorry to drop it on you like that but I figure this is the perfect opportunity to beat you and take the title of Wizard Saint. Nothing personal you see.” She hadn’t intended on coming off so bitchy but when she sees his expression deflate she knows she’s hit a nerve. “No disrespect Jura,” she continues with a slight bow, “don’t take it the wrong way. I respect your power and only wish to find out once and for all who is the better fighter.”  

“Don’t apologize Lady Riley,” He chuckles and walks up to place a hand on her shoulder, “I was your age once too. Being brazen and spontaneous is in your nature and to challenge someone like me, well it’s only natural. No disrespect taken.” Bless this man’s heart, he really was a saint. His eyes harden in the next moment and the hand on her shoulder increases its pressure.  

“Are you sure about this though?” His words are serious and his posture is rigid before her.  

“You bet your ass I am,” She counters easily. “I’ve been wanting to challenge you since we first met. You’re an amazing mage Jura, it would be an honor to fight for the title of Wizard Saint with you.” She flashes him a bright smile and holds out her hand for him to shake. His grip is firm and his laugh genuine and Riley can’t wait to fight him.  

“As of right now we have six of the ten council members who have agreed to support this little wager. Riley, you and Jura are free to do as you wish on this matter. Let’s have a good clean fight.”

Yajima’s voice draws Riley’s attention and his stern look has her nodding out of respect. This old man was not one to mess with. Jura nods once before turning to retreat back to his original position and Riley does the same, only stopping to look at Makarov.  

“Oh, one more thing.” Her eyes meet his and she knows in an instant, that he knows what she’s about to ask. “Do I have permission to remove the seal?” Her words carry on the wind and hushed voices ring out around her but she couldn’t care less about them. The only voice she wanted to hear was his and her entire body was honing in on his magic from where she stood. One word, one nod of his head is all it would take.  

“Yes.” His eyes are serious and his body tense but Riley hears the conviction none the less. Not to mention his underlying words. Show them what you’ve trained for, but be careful. Riley doesn’t answer; instead nods and turns back to Jura, who just looks on with confusion. Relax, she thinks haughtily, you’ll understand soon enough.  

She moves swiftly now, not wanting to delay this fight more than she already has. Her hand brushes her jacket aside and she knows Jura can see the rune script encircling her emblem. She also knows that he’s figured out that it’s no ordinary rune magic, if the look of shock that flashes across his face is any indication. She disregards his nervousness and focuses on her body instead, voicing the release spell while placing her fingers against her skin. She rotates her hand in a counter-clockwise position, undoing the spell as she goes until the runes burn off her flesh and she feels the reservoir that is her magic surge.  

The power rushes through her like a torrent of electricity barely contained and Riley can’t help the slight panic that follows. This much magic would surely give Guildarts a run for his money. The magic within her swirls chaotically—painfully—and Riley feels her scar twitch with discomfort but ignores it, instead focusing on the utter shock crippling her opponent.  

“Wow! Ladies and gentlemen I’ve never felt magic of this caliber before in my life!”  

“Indeed, Riley is a force to be reckoned with.”

“This kind of magic power…it’s terrifying.”

Riley can’t help but smirk at the reactions of those around her as the magic evens out and tapers off, leaving her body glowing violet. This is one thing she will never get tired of seeing. People’s reactions to her magic. That’s right, be afraid. Even from this distance, Riley can see the fear plastered all over her guildmates’ faces. All aside from Natsu apparently. Riley watches as excitement races across his features and she fights the urge to shake her head. Leave it to him to want to fight her at this level.  

Riley takes a deep breath in to center herself and looks to Jura, “Don’t hold back.”  

“I won’t if you won’t. May the better mage win.” He counters evenly.  

“I’ll give you the first shot. Make it count.” Riley offers smugly and holds up a hand to him. Come at me. “Hit me with all the magic power you’ve got Wizard Saint.”  

Jura moves with almost blinding speed, unleashing is attack without hesitation and Riley feels his magic spike. Her body thrums with anticipation and she feels the magic within her pulsing in time with her heart. She knows what’s coming, knows it will be powerful beyond what most mages can do; knows it won’t so much as scratch her.  

“Supreme King Rock Crush!” It races towards her fast; Riley is positive that most onlookers wouldn’t be able to keep up. She watches the earth crumble around her as it approaches and her hands grip her jacket out of instinct at the power he emits. It’s intense to say the least, but she stands her ground and takes a deep breath in, confident that she will come out unscathed. It hits with startling force and dirt, debris, and magic swirl around her in a torrent before mushrooming up. She watches as his attack hits her shield and smirks when it dissipates around her. She can’t wait to see the look on his face when the dust settles.  

“Wow! That was an impressive display of magic wouldn’t you say everyone? My word the power of a Wizard Saint is frightening to say the least. I think Riley made a critical error when she gave Jura the first hit.”

You wish asshole, is the only thing that pops into her head.  

“There’s no way she could have survived that and if she did, she sure as hell isn’t going to be moving any time soon.”

Riley can’t help the laugh that bubbles up. Oh, how little they knew about her power. How little they understood about the caliber of it. In due time.  

“Mr. Yajima what do you think?”

“I think that the magic energy she was giving off just a second ago should tell you all enough. Riley is not one to bluff, nor is she one to flaunt her power when she knows she can’t win. Keep watching.”

Seems Yajima is the only judge with a brain up there, Riley realizes as the dust finally dissipates around her. Jura stares on in disbelief and Riley swears his jaw hit the ground.  

“Is that all you’ve got Jura? At this rate, there was no point in me removing the seal. I can take you with half my magic power if that was your best shot.” She knows she sounds like an asshole, but frankly she doesn’t care. She’s more than excited to be able to showcase her magical ability. After her near death experience on Tenrou Island, Riley got an up close and personal view of just how weak she is compared to Acnologia. After the training she went through, she’s earned the right to be arrogant here today. Everyone can fuck right off if they don’t like it.  

“No fucking way!”

“Now now, language missy, there are children in the crowd.”

Riley laughed that time, her eyes landing on Jenny for the briefest of moments before returning her focus to Jura. Seeing the utter shock on her face was probably the best thing she’s seen all day.

Riley watches as Jura stumbles backwards, “How the hell did you come out of that unscathed?” His question is laced with fear and Riley chuckles.  

“Why not hit me with another attack and I’ll show you?” She casts a wink, knowing full well that it’s not needed but she does it anyway. Might as well be an extra big asshole, she thinks as she brings her hands up to clasp them behind her head. He could throw that attack at her all day and it wouldn’t do a damn thing. She knows it, her guild knows it, hell deep down she feels that Jura knows it too. For the first time since she’s met him, Riley hears a curse leave his lips and she smirks. Too easy.  

He unleashes wave after wave of his rock crush, and wave after wave, it dissipates around her, leaving a film of dust in the air.  

“Now do you see?” Riley asks serious, her hands falling to her sides while she takes a step forward, “I was in stasis for seven years yes, but when we returned I trailed like hell. Months of grueling, painful, mind breaking training that, on some days, made me wish I were dead.  I learned to unleash my second origin during this experience and in the process, amplified my magic. What you’re seeing now is called Magic Guard. It’s an impenetrable defense around me that disrupts attacks that are weaker than my base magic.” She watches his body go rigid and knows that panic is fighting for dominance in his mind. She doesn’t blame him, in fact she understands all too well how frightening her magic is. It scares her too.  

“Basically, if you have less magic power than me, you don’t stand a chance.” Mean to say, but true none the less. She takes a step forward and watches his eyes flicker before his hand moves but she’s not worried. He won’t be able to hit her. It’s pointless.  She takes another step before pain erupts at her core. It hits her fast, and she’s airborne in seconds, wincing as her eyes fall upon the pillar of stone now retreating back into the ground. Shit, this isn’t good.  

“You are indeed a powerful mage Lady Riley, but that magic protects you from all angles save for beneath you. Now that I know how to counter you, I know how to beat you.” Jura’s voice is steady as he sends more rocks rocketing into the air and Riley curses.  

“Now witness my second origin!” His power sky rockets and Riley feels it in her soul that this man is finally getting serious and she can’t help the tremor of anticipation that takes over her body. His magic is almost overwhelming and she swallows hard as the first few rows of onlookers are blown back. He was holding back up until now. She dodges easily in the air but the second her feet touch the ground his rock crush rips through her shield like a knife through butter and it takes a lot of focus just to avoid serious blows. Regardless she takes a few hits and slides backwards, wiping blood from her lip as she chuckles.  

“Not bad Jura, it’s about time you got serious.”

“What made you think I haven’t been serious from the beginning?” He raises a brow.  

“For the same reason you didn’t take me seriously. You were testing the waters. You didn’t want to accidentally kill me so you held back to gauge my reactions to your magic power.” Her eyes meet his and she feels her body tense when he nods. “Now I’m getting serious.” Is all she says before slamming her fist into the ground. The earth cracks and crumbles beneath her and she’s gone in the blink of an eye as it devours the landscape of the arena.  

“Ground Devastation!” Riley watches Jura keep the floor together while avoiding the worst of her attack and she has to admit, he’s a powerful mage. She knows this is going to be an intense match, yet at the same time, she knows it won’t last much longer. Not after she gets serious. She’s before him in an instant, her hand braces against the ground before she kicks up with her left foot. It connects square in his chest and he’s in the air before she even takes a breath.  

“Liquid Devastation!” She claps her hands together and locks her fingers and she watches Jura fall prey to her sphere of water. It surrounds him fast, and his gasp of shock before he runs out of air is a mixture of surprise and fear but Riley doesn’t care. She sees victory in sight, within her grasp and she’s not going to let up, even if he screams. No mercy. This is her time to shine. In the back of her mind she knows Juvia is somewhere in the arena raging at the similarities and Riley resists the urge to smirk. She raises her hands above her head for a moment before slamming them into the ground. The water around Jura becomes dense and rockets downward before exploding on impact. She can hear Jura cough and struggle to move against the dense liquid but her left hand is already reaching out for him, her palm glowing brilliantly.  

“Inferno Devastation!” Balls of flame shoot from her hand and zero in on Jura and she watches as he barely manages to dodge them. She knows Natsu must be flipping his lid at her attack and she can almost hear him say he wants to fight her. That damn kid is so predictable.  

Jura blocks her attack with little effort, having to only match each ball of flame with one of rock to cancel them out before coming in to fire off a punch. He’s surely not serious about resorting to close combat? Riley chuckles at his bravery and dodges swiftly before countering with a hit of her own. If it’s one thing she’s better at than magic, its hand to hand combat. Jura is fucked. He takes the hit and grunts when she lands another one-two combo.  

“I think I should mention that I’m very skilled in hand to hand combat. Just ask Mira. You stand no chance against me Jura.” The white mage flashes through her mind and Riley is grateful for all the sparring sessions to better her non magic fighting abilities. She wants to look back and smile at her friend but she doesn’t have time. She catches his fist in mid air, only to spin and flip him over her shoulder to slam him into the ground. His body hits hard enough to shake the earth and a grunt leaves his lips but Riley is moving again, landing hit after hit before stepping back. She’s breathing slightly heavier than before, her body thrumming with adrenaline from the action but she knows it’s not over yet. It’s not clear who is stronger and Riley can’t stand that. She needs everyone to see the difference in their power.  

As expected, Jura is on his feet in seconds and charging her head on. She matches him fist for fist and a shock wave rushes from around them before she spins and buries a foot in his sternum. Jura goes flying and Riley uses her magic to float. It’s just about time to end this.  

“For your sake Jura,” she brings her hands to the center of her being and draws magic, “I hope you survive this.” She really does. This attack, though even on its first level, has enough power to destroy the entire arena. Riley needs to be careful, she doesn’t want to kill anyone unintentionally. She can feel the magic envelope her, she can see the aura of violet engulf her form; she can feel the power surge within her and she smiles. Out of the corner of her eye she can see the rune knights gather at the base of the stands to erect a barrier. Good, they need to.  

She watches as the Wizard Saint stiffens visibly when a ball of violet magic grows between her hands. She knows he can feel her magic and it’s intensity. His hands fist at his sides and she’s sure she hears him curse but pays it no mind. His body is beaten but he stands relatively easily. A young mage he is no more and Riley knows this. Deep down, a small part of her feels bad for unleashing this attack on him, but the other part of her knows that unless she hits him with every thing she’s got, it won’t be a worthy victory. Though at the level she is now, she knows it’s not fair. Jura was giving this his all and she respected him for it. But his all just wasn’t enough.  

When she feels she’s drawn enough magic, Riley condenses it to the size of a ball and winds her arm up before letting it fly, watching as the orb rockets to him at blinding speed.  

“Minute Devastation!” It takes only a second to reach him and she watches Jura bring his rock up to protect himself. In vein though. Avoiding this attack by attempting to tank it out will only cause more damage. It hits his wall dead center and vanishes for a heartbeat before an explosion rocks the arena. Riley stiffens at her own magic power and deep down, hopes that he survives this. The source of the explosion grows and the shock wave of the attack puts the rune knights’ barrier to a hard test and in some areas, she watches it crack.  

There is a violet flash of light before her magic evens out and rockets skyward. The entire base of the arena is engulfed in a pillar of her magic before it vanishes and she’s left to view the wake of its destruction. There is no floor, and most likely no earth below the arena for the next mile or so If She had to guess. Jura is no where to be seen but that’s not surprising seeing as the last she can recall, the force of her attack shot him backwards and into the wall. She focuses for a moment and feels his magic right where she predicted; she knows he’s not dead.  

Riley’s eyes travel from place to place, noting how even through the barrier, most of the first few rows were blown back and almost nonexistent. Her guild mates, the ones she can see, are stiff with fear and she feels guilty. She didn’t intend on scaring them so badly, but she has never been good at holding back in a fight. It’s just not in her to do anything less than 100%. This match was the closest she got to holding her power back, if she had to recon.

She hovers a moment longer before descending and lands on the wall of the arena, where she sits gracefully and waits for Jura to get up. After a moment, when the dust around the whole in the wall dissipates, she stands and replaces the seal around her emblem. Just as fast as it surged within her, did the magic vanish and leave her feeling empty.  

“You fought well Jura.” She’s being honest when she speaks. He put up a good fight, gave it everything he had, and she respected him for it, but part of her wishes he had been stronger. A Wizard Saint he may be, but a challenge he was not. She watches the rock fall at the hole in the wall and a heartbeat later, Jura steps out and the crowed erupts into cheers around her. He’s bloody and barely standing but standing none the less and she feels her body stiffen. He could take a beating that was for damn sure. A chuckle leaves his lips a moment before his legs give out and he’s on his knees.  

“You as well…Lady Riley.” He winces as he talks and Riley can hear the struggle in his voice. “My second origin…is no match to yours.” He collapses a heartbeat later and Riley nods out of respect but stands on the ledge.  

“That’s the difference between you and I Jura,” she hears the arena go silent as she speaks and crosses her arms, “you used your second origin…I didn’t.”  

With that said, the entire stadium explodes into cheers and chatter but Riley just wants to see Cana. She’s done with this match and ready for the next one to start. She turns to hop down and make her way back to her guild but from behind her she can hear her name being chanted and part of her loves it. Loves the attention and the admiration, but the other part of her hates that she’s now to talk of Fiore. She didn’t want to be famous.  

“If I hadn’t just witnessed that I would never have believed it! What a match!”

“The rune knights had to put up a barrier to keep the viewers safe…I’d say Fairy Tail has this in the bag.”

You’re god damn right Jenny.  

“Mr. Yajima what do you think? Was that an amazing fight or what?”

“I told you she was strong…I didn’t realize she was this powerful though. The vote will be made when the final battle has been fought but I think it’s safe to assume Riley has indeed earned the title of Wizard Saint. Well done missy.”

At this point Riley doesn’t really care what the council votes. She thought she wanted his title but facing Jura in a straight fight was eye opening. He didn’t back down from her challenge, in fact he didn’t quiver at her magic. He simply smiled and gave her what she wanted and that was why he was a Wizard Saint. He deserved the title, she didn’t.  

Riley tunes everything out after that, making her way to Cana as a slight ache starts behind her eyes but it’s minimal at best and easy to ignore. When team B comes into view, she can see looks of utter shock on their faces and she stands at the door, unsure if she should walk in or not. Unsure if they want her to walk in.  

“Holy shit Riley that was amazing!” Cana wraps her arms around her and Riley tenses slightly before relaxing and returning the hug. Cana is warm against her and Riley wants nothing more than to kiss her, and that’s exactly what she does.  

“Damn kid, you’ve been holding out on us. I didn’t know you got this powerful.” Laxus gives her a pat on the head and she can see the smile on Mira’s face. They’re not afraid of her, and for that she is grateful.

“You gave us our first win Riley!” Mira smiles and gives her a hug.  

“How’s your head? Do you feel sick?” Cana is in her face and resting a hand against her forehead and Riley shakes her head as Team A rushes up to meet them.  

“I’m fine Cana, really. You don’t need to worry about me.” She counters easily, kissing Cana one more time before turning to hug her sister.  

“Riley that was amazing!” Erza’s grip is like iron.  

“Jura didn’t know what hit him!” Natsu is fired up like always as he speaks.  

“I knew you were strong Riley, but I didn’t know you were this terrifying.” Lucy’s voice is trembling.  

Many voices echo around her and it’s hard to keep up but Riley manages before her attention falls to Makarov when he speaks.

“You did well out there my child. I’m proud of you.” Her heart pounds in her chest at his words.  

“There’s nothing to be proud of Master I did it for the guild. I have to admit though; I thought he would be more of a challenge. I never had to use more than half my power against him.” Riley watches as the old man before her pales slightly and her gaze drifts behind him.

“Master Mavis, what are you doing here?” The black mage is confused but not surprised to see this woman. She was the first master and dead after all, it only stands to reason that she would be able to appear and disappear as she pleases.

“I wanted to see you in action after hearing all about your legendary power. I must say I’m not disappointed. You are a powerful mage Riley.”

“Thank you.” Riley hears the next fight get called but she couldn’t have cared less at that point. If it didn’t involve her or another member of her guild then she has no interest.  

“Hey Riley I got a question for ya.” Natsu’s voice brings her from her thoughts  

“What is it Natsu?”

“That last attack, what exactly was it? You said Minute devastation but that attack took less than a minute to hit him.”

Riley laughs at his confusion while her sister visibly slaps her forehead, but it’s Lucy who speaks.  

“She said minute not minute Natsu. Its pronounced ‘my-noot’ and it means small or tiny. It may be spelled the same but it’s based on size not time span.” As always, the celestial mage is brilliant and Riley nods in agreement.  

“She’s right. Minute devastation is only phase one. There are two levels after that. Planetary and ultimate devastation; the last one being powerful enough to compare to that of an Etherion blast if I had to say.”

“No way!”  

“Etherion could wipe out an entire continent!”

“Which is why I didn’t use it out there.” Riley smirks, “If I had then this entire city would have been destroyed and everyone in it.”

“Well, regardless you brought us our first win! You rock Riley!” Natsu drapes an arm around her as he smiles and Riley can’t help but smile in return. Natsu’s attitude was infectious, and when he smiled, everyone smiled.  

END

The remainder of the chapter is subject to change because I may hate it, but we will see what happens. I do hope this was enjoyable to read. I understand most who read this will have questions regarding Riley so feel free to ask me or read the story thus far on my FFN account. Let me know what you think. Too long? Did it suck? Feedback is always welcome.

[jcmorgenstern]

3x14 Review

Hey so for once this is actually super positive! I loved this episode and can’t wait to gush about it! So without further ado, I’m gonna get the stuff I quibbled with outta the way before diving into what I liked:

The Bad: — I think my biggest problem overall was that scene between Alec and Lorenzo. I understand Alec was being protective and he goes into Fierce Mommy Tiger mode around those he considers family and those he loves (I think it’s important to show that Magnus isn’t just his boyfriend, Magnus has become integrated into the thing Alec bases his life around). But I had hoped Alec would have figured out by now that a Nephilim threatening to depose a Downward leader over an apartment is…..unideal, at least. — I get that this may have been designed as a plot hook as an understandable yet stupid thing Alec does that comes back to bite him later (i.e., if there is a Downward civil war in New York, and Lorenzo decides to fuck Alec over). Alec’s strength and weaknesses are tied to his family, and I think it’s a very believable mistake for him to make. I don’t expect him to be perfect, I just hope the narrative treats his threat to Lorenzo as less of a “pure uwu cutesy bf” move and more of a mistake, even if Lorenzo is being cruel to Magnus. — Honestly y’all I expected something WAY worse. Losing the apartment was nothing compared to the drama I expected—I thought Lorenzo was gonna ask Magnus to spy on Alec or go back to Asmodeus or something awful. Thankfully that was inverted by a very obvious attempt to get Magnus to move in with Alec, because apparently he can’t buy a new house with all his money. — I also quibbled a little with how Clary was written, especially in that scene where Jace comforts her (or, really, when Jace makes what happened to her about him and how angry he is and how he’s going to kill Jonathan etc. It’s a pattern with him, esp where Jonathan is involved, and I have more to say about it). Clary has always been a very temperamental, look before you leap sort of person, and I’m not sure that if she figured out Jonathan had hurt Jace she would just smile and pretend along. Clary would FREAK. This is Jocelyn’s daughter, y’all. The knives would be out. She stabbed herself to stab him before and she’d do it again. She has ALL the tools at her disposal to rune him or run away. — To be clear, I’m not shaming Clary for what she chose to do or not confronting a violently entitled dude who kidnapped her once already, I just felt the arc was artificially extended to let Jace be the hero instead of letting Clary kick Jonathan’s ass off a pier and rune him. There’s no way that bitch can swim. It seemed kind of….not how Clary would react and kind of artificially done for Jace and Jonathan’s benefit. — Last thing, which isn’t even a quibble but I feel people will be confused if it’s not on here: the Maia and Jordan thing. I’ll go into it more but basically: if they’re doing what I think, I think it worked shockingly well, but if it’s played straight yeah it’ll be Unfortunate.

The Good: — I’m just gonna come out and say this episode was AMAZING. Since this is mostly a positive review I’d like to credit the writer specifically—Zoe Broad. Honestly just the overall coherence of this episode was greater than any of the ones in S3 for me, it flowed from one scene to the other and there was no point where I had the urge to check Facebook or whatever. The dialogue was pretty good overall and truly amazing at parts, and I felt she had a pretty good handle on the characters, despite this being her first episode, which was very impressive. — I actually ENJOYED the ship content??? Clace was absolutely adorable on the rink, with Jace’s sometimes annoying bravado being played wryly both on his part and by the script. “I was born ahead of the curve” delivered with a smile and then nearly falling on his ass was. Very good. And Clary’s little “you’re doing better than me….when I was six” was equally great and I just. Really liked it? They felt like real people on a real date and it felt real and dynamic and cute. — Same with Malec’s grave-robbing date. Usually their scenes start to get weighed down by drama or just general “talking to the audience to make them happy rather than each other,” but this was just cute AND advanced the plot, and connected them back to the main storyline. I hadn’t liked how they were quarantined away from the main story and I’m glad they’re back, even if the “losing Magnus’ loft” was a weird way to do it. — Maia and Alisha particularly were really the breakout stars of the episode. Alisha really really SOLD that dialogue and was honestly incredible. Her terror and anger and desperation felt so visceral and real that even though I knew it would be resolved in the episode, it was gripping and I genuinely needed to know what happened next. — I also did like how Zoe wrote Maia (that “frickin” was TOTALLY a stand in for fuck and I APPRECIATE it) and I felt she really captured how she feels about Jordan—she does care about him as a person, or rather for the person he was at some point, but still refuses to not to push down on her own anger and hurt for his or anyone else’s sake. I felt it was really complex and confusing and emotional for her and overall I think that scene was meant to give her a sense of closure. Just because she recognizes that Jordan does care about her and can be supportive of her, doesn’t mean she’ll necessarily jump back into his arms. — That’s kind of my reading—I’m not sure where they’re going, obviously, but my instinct was that the less chill stuff Maia says (implying they may be going a romantic arc) was more due to the fact she was PANICKING IN A LOCKED CLOSET WITH A DYING DUDE. Like she says “I’m confused” like yes she meant before but honestly right then she obviously was, and I don’t really see the show going for Jordan/Maia? Especially since Todd has hinted Maia has a “don’t need no man” arc. Like she drifts apart from Simon but gets back with someone she hated for years?? Not seeing it. — However if they do go there I’ll be really disappointed, mostly because of the missed opportunity for complexity but also because yeahhhhh maybe not the chillest thing with how many people interpret their relationship as abuse. (I could make a separate post about it but yeah). — Onto Magnus. God okay I don’t know how others felt but I felt Zoe really got to the crux of why Magnus misses his magic. That how he feels connected to the world through his magic was just…such a good insight and it really impacted me because it wasn’t just some generic “magic is what makes me who I am,” it was so much more deep and personal and I felt it meant a lot that Magnus finally put that into words for Alec. He’d clearly been struggling to impart to Alec how he felt, both in terms of “how do I even explain this loss” and a his own emotional reticence. God that grave robbing scene!!!! — Umm the Morningstar sword actually being a sword to summon demons?? Kind of weird?? Esp if they play it off as an actual Morgenstern relic?? Not sure what’s happening but it was cool?? — honestly dudes I’ve been FUCKED UP about the Luke storyline and SUPER STRESSED and now IT’S ALL HAPPENIGN someone SAVE HIM oh my GOD I’m actually so stressed I’ve been stressed for 9 months FREE HIM — Ok now to Jonathan bc lbr y’all know I can’t shut up about him. Ok first off, that scene with the seelie gal, oh my FUCKING GOD I was screaming what a LOSER GHSDKLFJhghghhghgg. And she insults his shitty dialogue?? Zoe ma’am may I PROPOSE??? This keeps getting wilder and wilder I can’t believe they’re GOING THERE. THEY’RE GOING THERE SO HARD. HE’S SUCH A WILD LOSER. Can you BELIEVE he found someone off shadow world fetlife to be like “I’m a Morgenstern and I love you bro you’re so hot and clever and lovable” I just can’t. I bet you ANYTHING she tops and is only in it for the shadow hunter ass. — SHAPESHIFTING. YALL. I BUST A NUT. Look, it fixes so many fucking plot holes. His eyes look SO COOL when he does demon magic. He’s so OP and Chaotic Stupid it’s not even a joke  I Lov my Mary Sue Son. — Honestly having Jonathan impersonate Jace is so brilliant (remember when he said, “I don’t want your pity, I want your life?”) Like it is so fucked up but I love it.  Not looking forward to the mind control but maybe he just whispered “I’m a bottom” into her ear and ran off in her ensuing shock and confusion. You can’t prove me wrong until next week so until then LA LA LA LA CAN’T HEAR YOU — Personally I liked Dom’s performance as Jonathan, but not to be that Bitch I felt Will was a lot more subtle about it. Dom gave him a straight up thousand mile stare whereas Will played him as something charismatic and good at lying with a little edge of Something Wrong, a strain behind a smile. Sure, Jonathan was probably nervous for his little kidnapping date, but I felt it was unrealistic that he was so suave and convincing (sans the part where Aline comes to visit him that was hilarious, Jonathan you’re an idiot) as Seb and then is like “I eat ants sometimes” as Jace. Like. He’s an obsessive bitch. He’d have practiced Jace in the mirror. Fuck you. Probably while saying “fuck you.” ANYWAYS. — Izzy doing science? It’s not much but I’ll fucking take it lmao. I’m excited to see where Heavenly Fire is going. Matt’s Latin is still abysmal but whatever it’s ok. — also that rose?? A kiss from a rose?? Honestly this ep was so clever and thematically connected and just FLOWED like an ACTUAL EP OF TV god I’m emotional!!!! Thank you Zoe Broad ma’am you are a hero!!! — Again I’m gonna point out both Jace and Jonathan have a designated Brooding Fireplace. — Not super hyped about Heidi coming back but hey this ep was Worth It.

Anyway tldr I really liked it and wanted to spew semi-coherent positivity for once! About more characters than just my stupid fave!!! Wow!!! Good writing is SEXY and I LOVE IT!!!

[theprodigypenguin]

TCC Headcanons (part two)

More headcanons, this time featuring a bunch of Teddy because I love him so much and he deserves all the attention! Of course there’s mostly Scorbus because I’m a trashbag for them. I’ll probably add on a third part of headcanons soon, because I’m starting to get very attached to the Jeddy ship as well.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Albus isn't remarkably skilled with spells or potions, but he CAN conjure a patronus charm by fifth or sixth year.

It's more powerful than even Harry's.

His patronus takes the shape of a dragon, which embodies his personality (hot blooded, impulsive, bites a lot, but powerful in his own way and deserving of respect, etc), and references his future as a Magizoologist.

Of course he thinks of Scorpius and recalls memories of Scorpius to conjure the charm, and it gets stronger and more powerful as he gets older and gains more memories.

Scorpius' patronus takes the shape of a phoenix, which embodies his loyalty, wisdom, inner strength, and longing to heal people from injuries and curses.

Though aviary creatures are his favorite, Albus refuses to work with Augery's.

He and Scorpius are pretty much the same height, accept maybe a centimeter difference of Albus being taller.

Delphini is an unregistered animagus (she can fly without a broom, she's clearly powerful enough to have perfected the transformation into an animagus, and I'm willing to bet she doesn't need a wand to cast spells either).

Her animagus is an Augery, of course.

Neville is? The best God damn professor? In the fucking school??????

Albus absolutely adores him and just chills in his office sometimes cuz that's his godfather and I'll be DAMNED if they don't have a great relationship you can fight me on that.

Lily is super good at Transfiguration and will 100% eventually work towards becoming a registered animagus.

Both Lysander and Lorcan work with their parents as Magizoologists and editors/photographers for the Quibbler.

They're notable for photographing magical beasts and writing more modern pieces about them.

They've also been known to tag along with Albus on some of his later adventures as a dragon keeper/Magizoologist to document his work.

Teddy Lupin eventually becomes an Auror like his mother.

His specialty is in potion making but he can do just about everything.

He's super involved in the equal rights movement for lycanthrope afflicted wizards and witches.

In honor of his father and what he went through, he works towards making Wolfsbane Potion more affordable for the afflicted.

Teddy himself is an expert at preparing and brewing the advanced potion, and keeps a few bottles on him at all times, just in case.

He keeps his hair wild colors most of the time, because without the camouflage he looks too much like Remus and it makes him incredibly depressed.

Whenever Harry or Andromeda see him as he is, they give weak and broken smiles, ones of pity and longing, and it tears him up inside.

He carries around a silver locket engraved with a wolf on the outside.

Inside is a picture of his parents, and a small music box fit into the other side that plays a lullaby tune his mother used to sing with to get him to sleep.

He swears sometimes he can still hear her, and Remus, singing to him.

His patronus is a wolf.

He's actually pretty protective of Scorpius.

This is likely due to the fact Teddy doesn't have many blood relatives left, and treasures the ones that he does have.

He loves Harry and considers the extended Potter-Weasley-Granger-Etc family to be his, but there's just something to be said about blood.

Plus Scorpius is precious and deserves to be adored and loved and treasured anyway.

He spent a few years (between the ages of twelve and fifteen) simply hating his parents, in complete denial of their deaths and "abandonment", but slowly grows out of it and is very proud of them and their sacrifice.

One of his most prized possessions is the gold medal of the Order of Merlin that Kingsley Shacklebolt awarded Remus after the Battle of Hogwarts, which he keeps close to his bedside and holds when he's feeling particularly lonely or at a loss of what he's doing with his life.

Despite the age difference, James is basically his best friend.

He was one of the first people to hold him when he was born and has adored him ever since.

During his first year at school, James had trouble getting used to things, so Teddy gave him one of his house scarves.

James would wear it and cling to it when he was anxious like he was holding Teddy's hand.

He luckily grew out of his anxiety after a few months, but kept the scarf.

Teddy calls him Jamie most the time, Jim if he wants to make him mad or piss him off, and only calls him James if he's upset/angry and needs to get his attention or wants to scold him.

In TCC when he sees James with pink hair, he changes his hair color to pink to match and make him feel better.

Albus always runs off after one of his unfortunately common arguments with their father, but always goes to the same place to cool down, and James always, always goes after him to talk.

It takes a lot of bad jokes and puns to get Albus to follow him back home, James doesn't quite know how to give him brotherly advice aside from trying to make him laugh, but being there for Albus, always following him when he runs away from home, is enough.

James was generally inconsolable when Albus went missing from the train, because for the first time he didn't know where his brother was and couldn't follow him to bring him back.

Teddy is an expert at wandless magic and silent spells (just like Remus), and can cast some of the most advanced spells and charms, or make some of the most advanced potions, without much difficulty.

I kind of??? See him??? Becoming Minister of Magic after Hermione?????? ((After him I see Scorpius MAYBE becoming Minister, but I haven't decided how I feel about that idea yet)).

Listen to "If You Could See Me Now" by The Script and cry over Teddy never meeting Remus so I'm not the only one suffering plz.

Teddy did not inherit Remus' Lycanthropy, but I headcanon he did inherit something I'm calling a Moon Sickness.

He is not a werewolf, but around every full moon he gets incredibly tired and fatigued, and has terrible nightmares.

Teddy is unexpectedly talented in astronomy, divination, and runes.

As if his father's blood connection to the moon, sky, and stars, gave him the gift of what Trelawney calls "the sight".

He isn't a Seer like she is, but his dreams are too convenient to ignore.

He tells himself dreams are all they are and has only expressed his suspicions about them to James (and maybe to Victoire idk).

Seemingly skilled at everything he attempts, but Teddy has a remarkably difficult time conjuring a patronus the first time.

Every time he tried he would just think of his parents and end up completely unable to make so much as a blue spark.

When he does manage to make a corporeal Patronus for the first time, it takes the form of a wolf, just like his mother and fathers, and he cries.

After the first time, he starts to conjure the wolf just to look at it, and pretends it's the spirit of his parents there to protect him.

Scorpius' boggart is Delphini.

Albus' boggart is Scorpius dead from the killing curse (his boggart is accompanied by the bright green light).

Teddy's boggart is himself, or some form of himself that he's scared of becoming.

As he is the only known child of a werewolf and a human, a hybrid that hasn't existed before, some people have taken a particular interest in Teddy.

Some of Fenrir's supporters from the second war managed to get away from execution and prison and went under ground, but they too have taken an interest in Teddy.

Some people think his blood, his DNA, could hold the secret to a cure for Lycanthropy.

It's a false, pointless belief and hope, not based on fact, entirely impossible, but that doesn't stop the werewolves from looking into it, wanting to experiment just to test their theory.

James' patronus is a dog (I honestly see him tilting towards being similar to Sirius in terms of loyalty rather than being similar to his grandfather idk why).

After the Delphini incident, the ministry kept her existence tightly under wraps to keep the wizarding community from falling into an all out panic.

And to keep Voldermort supporters and dark wizards from gaining confidence against the ministry and the Aurors.

Her arrest was never publicized in the Daily Prophet.

However, this also means the rumor of Scorpius being the Dark Lord's son continued to plague him at school.

Reporters claim a silly "harmless" rumor is less damaging than actually telling people their suspicions are correct and that one of the most dangerous dark wizards of all time had a CHILD.

Draco was furious upon learning the ministry's decision to withhold the truth about her, but Scorpius decided he agreed and claimed it was fine.

That he'd rather suffer through school for a few more years than watch panic ensue because of Delphini.

Because that was exactly what she wanted, and Scorpius would be damned if he allowed her the satisfaction of knowing people feared her.

Because of this, when his boggart changed into her, only Albus (and maybe the teacher), knew who she was.

The class laughed at him because why would his greatest fear be some pretty older woman?

Albus cast the Riddikulus charm before the boggart could finish changing, because he knew what it would be, and didn't want Scorpius to see himself lying dead on the ground.

The teacher scolds him for prematurely casting the spell, but he doesn't care, so long as he doesn't have to do it again.

The professor tries to make him but he refuses, so he’s given detention, but he honestly does not care.

He just doesn’t want to see Scorpius dead, even if it’s just a Boggart. 

He has enough nightmares about losing Scorpius without a Boggart fucking him up.

Albus tops in the relationship.

[mister-tom-a-dildo-lover]

Strive Pt. 20

{PART 1} {PART 2} {PART 3} {PART 4} {PART 5} {PART 6} {PART 7} {PART 8} {PART 9} {PART 10} {PART 11} {PART 12} {PART 13} {PART 14} {PART 15} {PART 16} {PART 17} {PART 18} {PART 19}

Pair: Tomarry

Rating: M-E(depends)

Tags: Mild Language, Homosexuality, Sexism, Obsessed Tom, Time-Travel/Dimension-Travel, Teacher/Student, Eventual Romance, Teacher-Harry, Grey!Harry, MoD(sort of), Death!being,

A/N: I forgot to add the Tumblr version of this chapter months back!

The very first day where he was no longer a Hogwarts student, Tom found himself perusing the library's Restricted Section. As he was now free to come and go as he pleased since he was legally an adult as well as a new member of the staff, he decided to get in as much study time as he could while he had the chance. And that meant research.

There was a limit to how many books he could remove from the Restricted Section at once though. And that was one. A single book was allowed to leave through one person at a time no matter who it was, just as a precaution. It was definitely a bit of a setback but Tom was just grateful to even be able to get to the books in the first place without someone interfering, so he wouldn't dare complain to anyone about it or they might think him too immature to handle the responsibility and may ban him. Also it would no doubt have Potter angry and Tom didn't want that.

He had full use of any of the school owls and he got a first hand look at who was caring for them. Hagrid. The boy was being groomed to be the perfect groundskeeper and often times, Tom would see him thumping along behind Dumbledore as they went on walks of the grounds. Tom made sure to avoid those places once he memorised their schedule well enough. While not necessarily feeling hatred toward the boy, he was angry at Dumbledore's insistence upon pampering him and favouring his precious Gryffindors all the damn time.

Dumbledore didn't seem to have a life outside of Hogwarts which was exceedingly annoying. He was always around even when he shouldn't be. Others like Slughorn, had homes to get to and living family to spend time with. And friends to see whenever they wanted. Apparently, the great Dumbledore had none of that save for a brother who lived in Hogsmeade and didn't like him all too much, which Tom found to be amusing, and a couple men here and there who rarely visited the school.

The paragon of Light and goodness wasn't even liked by his own family and could count his number of friends on one hand. Now if only Tom knew the reasons behind such things, then he'd be able to use the information to his advantage.

Being able to stay at Hogwarts also meant that he was free to go to Hogsmeade whenever he so chose, and found himself travelling down now and then either for the scenery, for a stroll around the bookshop, or for a Butterbeer because even Tom had to admit that they were delicious. And without the stress of having to posture for his fellow Slytherins, he felt more calm.

His absolute favourite thing however, was whenever he and Harry - he'd given Tom permission to call him by name since they'd officially be coworkers come September! - sat down for tea. And tea was never just tea. It was talking. Either about Defence, Grindelwald's War, World War 2, or their different opinions on controversial topics.

Harry also felt that the wizarding war was ridiculous. He held absolutely no respect for Gellert Grindelwald and explained exactly why.

The symbol the man used was that of the Deathly Hallows. The items belonging to The Necromancers Three. A myth told that Death had gifted the very objects to the brothers when they'd cleverly evaded a gruesome death at the being's hands. The one to gather all objects was supposed to become immortal and the Master of Death or so the legend proclaimed.

Grindelwald had perverted a simple story from Britain's roots. He used the symbol of the Deathly Hallows to spread fear and hatred across the European Continent. Enough for people to misunderstand what it originally was meant to mean. And while he was slowly trying to take over, he was also searching for something precious to him.

The odd attacks and the strange behaviour he'd been exhibiting for several months now, was finally explained.

According to Harry, the man was searching for the most powerful wand in existence. He truly believed it existed and was murdering people left, right, and center just to get his hands on it. And he wanted the Elder Wand as much as he wanted the Resurrection Stone and the Invisibility Cloak. He wanted immortality and was causing a ridiculous amount of strife just to get it.

Tom's method had been better if he was to be so bold as to claim. The ritual had hurt of course, but it had been quick and easy enough to perform both times he'd done it. No unnecessary bloodshed involved. No more exertion than a flick of the wrist and the drawing of Runes.

But Gellert had blinded himself by his own greed. Yet he also proved how selfish he was. As Tom had noted months before, he wasn't doing this to help the wizarding world. Grindelwald wanted to rule over everyone. He wanted them all to bow down, magicals and muggles alike. And that was why Tom thought his idea was stupid.

He was also incredibly bitter over his hand in Hitler rising to power because the man and his following had put Tom through some hell as a child and he hated them all!

Tom couldn't wait for Harry to just finish Grindelwald off for good. He was waiting for it, but knew he had to be patient if he wanted to win that bet he'd participated in.

But slipping the idea into their conversations was easy enough. Especially since Harry was already angry at the Dark Lord's actions. It would take one truly terrible thing to make him go after Grindelwald personally.

Other things they talked about were magical creatures. Harry was very adamant that they deserved rights, especially those with a level of sentience. He had read the recently published Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newton Scamander, and found himself siding with the magizoologist on many things. He then happily explained some of his experiences with magical creatures.

House Elves, Dragons, Gnomes, Thestrals, Basilisks, Cornish Pixies, Dementors, Boggarts, Acromantulas, Merfolk, Grindylows, Demiguises, Phoenixes, and so much more. He'd come to understand them and felt that just because each could be dangerous, didn't mean they deserved to be killed off and sold for potions ingredients. That just because some were considered Dark, didn't mean they were evil and must be eradicated.

The man was a firmly Grey wizard and Tom had to be honest when he said that he'd met no one as split down the middle as Potter.

The only thing that annoyed him about his stay at Hogwarts, was Dumbledore's presence. Everything else was perfection!

Tom stared down at the stationary in his hand. It was a light shade of blue and the script was golden and glittering. He didn't read too much into that for his own sanity.

It was an invitation to dinner. With the Potters. Charmont and Ella Potter to be precise. And the invitation had been given to him by Harry, who had been lightly flushed as he handed it over while saying, "Ellie wanted me to give you her letter. She said you needed some new correspondence."

Lady Potter wanted Tom to come to a dinner she and her husband were having. A dinner that was, according to her letter, just between them and Harry, and Tom if he decided to come.

And the difference between being invited to a Potter's home, verses being invited to a Malfoy's home, was that the Malfoys had a negative agenda no matter what. Ella Potter actually seemed like a decent person and while she had been a Slytherin in her youth, she'd willingly married a Gryffindor and let him mellow her out.

Also, while she certainly had an agenda as well, it most likely had to do with her attempts to match Tom and Harry together. So such an agenda worked to his benefit and wasn't being done with malicious intent. She wasn't planning on using him later, he was certain. And he couldn't find it in himself to believe that Charmont Potter had a manipulative bone in his body. The man had a reputation for being generous and a bit naive.

So with all of this in mind, Tom decided to put his quill to the parchment and write out his acceptance of their hospitality. This could also be a chance for him to learn more about Professor Potter and it would be foolish to pass it up. This would give Tom the upper hand over everyone else and establish a more secure connection between he and the man he most admired.

And because Tom coveted attention and information and things others didn't know because they would put him above them, nothing would pass from his lips to his followers. They didn't deserve the privilege of knowing Harry Potter like Tom would. Tom liked to keep his most treasured possessions close and any knowledge about Harry Potter was to be kept unlock and key in his own, impenetrable mind.

He was welcomed with wide smiles from the Potters and a shocked look from his… coworker. Harry obviously hadn't known he would show up, and Tom was thrilled to be a surprise.

The man was also attired in the most fanciful robes Tom had ever seen on him. Potter didn't often resort to magical clothing, preferring more freedom of movement in the newer, more modern clothes being introduced through various trade agreements with other nations. He was most likely dressed so well for the Heads of his House.

"It's so lovely to see you, Mr. Riddle," Ella said with a smile. "I've been dying to pick your brain over certain topics. This is my husband, Charmont."

Charmont was a messy-haired brunet with blue/green eyes, a sharp jaw, and a charming smile ironically. He was the same height as Tom at 186 cm, and came across as a kind individual upon first glance.

"Good to know you," the man said with a calm smile. "My Ella has had many a thing to say about your first meeting. I do hope you and our Harry get on well enough, yes?"

Tom plastered a not so fake smile on his face, genuinely pleased to speak about his former professor. "Harry is a diamond in the rough, sir."

Said man sputtered, his face taking on a lovely shade of pink.

"Come! Come! Dinner is being served as we speak and I want to get all the details from Mr. Riddle!" prompted Ella, shooing them toward one of the many open rooms off to the right of the grand, marble foyer of Potter Manor.

Dinner was a lavish affair. Not as pompous as something a Malfoy would host, thank Merlin, but still proper as expected of a Pureblood family. Though there were no veiled insults being thrown around and no one seemed to be trying to outdo another.

Tom had been asked every possible question under the sun, and occasionally Harry would be called into the conversation to give his input on certain topics. Ella seemed endlessly fascinated by whatever Tom responded with, and constantly sent Harry knowing looks that he seemed to pointedly ignore in favour of his wine. And he ended up drinking a lot of wine as a result.

"Tom Marvolo Riddle is such a unique name," said Charmont at some point near dessert. "It makes you sound mysterious and I find it to be fitting."

His smile became a little more forced. "The other children in the orphanage mocked me for it. Marvolo isn't a muggle name and they said it only made me weirder. I have come to dislike my name. Tom is bland, Marvolo is too strange, and Riddle sounds very..." He couldn't even finish his thought. He hated being connected to that piece of filth.

Ella smiled with understanding. "I know all about hating your given name, Tom. My true name is Avariella and I despise it. Sure, it means 'woman of great strength' but it sounds atrocious to my ear. Thankfully, Charmont was very understanding and adopted my nickname easily," the woman said, aiming a dazzling smile at her husband who smiled back with just as much affection.

"I like both of your names," Harry interjected quickly, pouting. "Names that make you think twice. Interesting sounding in my opinion. A sense of strength to them."

Ella beamed and Tom flushed lightly, looking away from the man's imploring, green eyes. Harry Potter had this odd affect on him and it wasn't fair!

"I apologise for my aunt's curiosity this evening. Ella tends to like to talk and she takes issue with not knowing enough of anything," Potter said with a small but mischievous smile that made Tom's heart flutter abnormally in his chest. "She means well."

"She is good company," Tom decided to say. "I like her." He was shocked at how true it was. The woman had been very interesting to speak with and she was very sly as she managed to drag Harry into the conversation by somehow finding a similarity between he and Tom for her to comment on.

Tom had learned that his former professor loved green. That he once Apparated when he was a child. That he could regrow his hair immediately if it was ever cut too short. And sometimes he would change his teacher's appearance whenever they annoyed him. Such as turning someone's hair blue for criticising how he did his homework.

During his childhood, Tom had done similar things, and it had been refreshing to hear that Potter was very much the same. Tom used to hate it when anybody did the exact same thing as him. He had always had the desire to be unique. Finding out about magic had been in both parts amazing and terrible because it meant he wasn't the only one and he wasn't as special as he thought he was.

This kind of attitude followed him well up until this point in his life. He liked being able to do things others couldn't. He liked knowing things others never would, or would have to rely on him into order to learn. And yet when he found out that him and the man he admired most were a lot similar than at first glance, it made him feel... dare he say, tingly inside.

He'd somehow gotten an invitation to return to Potter Manor in the future for their small celebration for Harry's birthday which was coming up on the thirty-first of July. Exactly six months away form Tom's birthday.

He had to think about the gift he should get the man. Potter had given him Slytheirn's Locket for his birthday. He'd found one of the only things remaining from Tom's family's history and had returned it to him instead of keeping the priceless artifact for himself. Not many people would ever do such a thing. How could Tom possibly top that?

Harry liked Quidditch, so a broom would probably work. At the same time he was a Potter and they had money. Anything Tom got him could be easily acquired on his own if he didn't already have it. Tom had to be unique.

A/N: Making up for forgetting to post this on Tumblr before uploading it on AO3 and FFN back in August.

[anorthalas]

A Most Unexpected Expectation

The following story was written by the wonderful @edaigoa​ to pair with the graphic featured at the end of this post in a collaborative story we’re writing. Enjoy!

Sitting at his desk, Kalyanar looked over the parchment Avie had handed him. It was finer than anything he could normally afford, crisp and expertly produced, but for once, the richness of it did not bring a scowl to his face. Instead, he was smiling, fingertips running gently over the embossed emblem his lover had ordered printed on each and every sheet. It was something he could have done himself, with some work, but having it gifted to him with an excited grin had warmed his heart. That she had specifically chosen a modified Brightquill symbol meant more than he could say.

With his lips pursed, he set his usual quill aside, rummaging about in his desk for a moment before pulling out another, along with a tray and a runed ring. The new quill  - or rather, old, as he had to blow a layer of dust off - was made of thick, heavy metal; despite the obvious care that the individual vanes had been sculpted into a realistic feather shape, even an orc might have found the pen cumbersome. It was, by all appearances, too heavy for practical use. The round tray and ring both matched the quill, made of the same silvery metal and etched faintly with runes. The tray was set aside, and a bottle of fresh ink that shone faintly with mana was poured within. The ring, Kalyanar slipped over his thumb; a loose fit, until it wasn’t, sitting snug at the knuckle after only a moment. The printed parchments were stacked, tapped on the desk, and stacked again. He flipped through the pages, thumb ring brushing the edge of each sheet before the were laid out on the desk in front of him, in neat rows and columns until all the available space on the desk was filled, with a single master parchment and a scrap of notes directly in front of himself.

He had spent ages on those notes, short though they were; Avie dictating and editing on the fly as he dutifully read out the lines, writing scratched out and rewritten until perfected. Despite their shared excitement, they both wanted it to be just right.

Ring still on his thumb, he took up the hefty quill in a light grasp and tapped it on the edge of the ink bowl; bowl and quill alike rang like a delicately crafted bell. The quill split- halved and split, again and again, copying itself into thinner and thinner slivers that surrounded the bowl, floating in midair. Kalyanar reclaimed the original in a much more comfortable grasp, now that it was reduced to the thickness of a normal quill, the metal vanes and barbs of the feather thin enough to waver in the air.

He dipped the quill into the ink, and it’s copies followed like a flock of angry hummingbirds, nibs taking up ink like nectar and flexible metal tines softly buzzing together with every motion. He took up a position over the master parchment- and the copies mirrored him whirr of finely ringing metal as they jostled for position over the other sheets. Kalyanar waited calmly, despite how his own nerves jangled along with the chiming feathers; only when each quill was as still as the one in his hand did he shift, moving the pen back and forth without touching parchment. Each and every one mirrored his motions in perfect chorus. Glancing briefly at his test sheet, the scribe set quill nib to parchment and began to write with his finest, most formal script.

For a while there was no sound but the gentle scrape of quill upon parchment and the faint buzz of metal tines; every so often, he returned to the ink bowl, and the mirrored dance turned to organized chaos as each quill rushed to echo the motion in a flurry of metallic feathers and jabbing quill points. Somehow, Kalyanar neatly avoided getting pricked, the magic more organized than it appeared. With the steady hand of a scribe, Kalyanar filled in the page; at some point, he heard Avie back come in behind him, the only warning the rustle of her clothes and the soft, indrawn breath of her surprise as quills whipped about. He smiled, but didn’t comment, even as he felt the weight of his lover’s ley-bound gaze upon his back and the magical scrivenery tools.

For all the preparations and care, the actual writing did not take long. Formality completed, Kalyanar signed his signature at the bottom with his own personal script that included a heavy dose of showy flare- but leaving plenty of room for Avie to do the same. A breath of air over the parchments- hot, unnaturally so, and laced with embers that did not burn - dried the remaining wet patches in the ink in record time. Only then, did he turn, quill deposited on the rim of the ink bowl with a flurry of followers that slowly carded back together into one fat quill.

“What do you think?” He asked, holding the master parchment up for inspection with a hopeful smile. “It should be just as you wanted. I’ve been working on this ink for a while... I ground up the tailing shards from Lori’s enchanting into the pigments. I feel like I nearly enchanted my mortar and pestle half a dozen times process of testing, but I think I’ve got the right method down. Hopefully it’s not too bright? It still looks good on this end, so I figured this was as good of a time as any to test it-”

“I can see it,” Avie said, neatly interrupting his rambling; her voice soft with wonder as she grasped the parchment with shaking fingers. The shimmery black ink glowed with mana under the spellbreaker’s leysight, making normally imperceptible writing just as visible to the blinded woman as it had been before. Suddenly, with a single gesture, a whole avenue of life was abruptly reopened for her.

“-Ah. Good. I’m glad,” Kalyanar breathed, at a loss for a moment, before he reached up from his seat with a gentle hand, palm resting on his beloved’s arm as she blinked rapidly, clearly trying to keep tears at bay. “Hey. Come here?” He offered, sliding his chair back from the edge of the desk. There was a moment without a reaction as she kept staring at the parchment, oft-white eyes glowing an intent lilac, before Avie’s arm slipped around Kalyanar’s shoulders as she claimed a spot on his lap; she avoided putting pressure on his bad leg with familiar ease, despite the faint tremble in her step.

“...it really isn’t too bright, is it?  I tried to use a moderate amount-”

“It’s fine,” Avie laughed, the words breaking with tears and the sharp sound of a sniffle despite her obvious happiness. “It’s perfect. Kalyanar, I can see it. That's perfect. And so are the words.” She finally looked away from the parchment to beam at Kalyanar, before leaning in to kiss him soundly. By the time they pulled apart, Kalyanar’s cheeks were flush and damp from Avie’s tears.

“...I wanted you to be able share this with me,” he whispered, forehead resting gently against her own. “This, more than anything.”

“Thank you. It’s the best present.” Another sniff and Avie roughly scrubbed a hand over her cheek, before she straightened up with a toss of her hair, reclaiming her poise with dignity. “But. I hope you weren’t expecting me to sign all of these by hand?”

Kalyanar let out a relieved laugh, tilting his head to rest his brow briefly on her shoulder. “Of course not.” Grin growing easily into a toothy smirk, he slid the ring off his thumb, dropping it neatly into Avie’s palm. “Here. I can show you how this works.”

Brows furrowing, Avie stared at the offering.

“...I am going to get stabbed by your army of quills,” she laughed in return. Avie turned the ring over in her hand- before slipping it onto her own thumb, fearless as ever.

“Nonsense! You’ll be fine. Give the pen a tap. It will still remember the parchments…”

“I’m not sure I remember how to sign my own name.”

“Don’t even joke. You’ll be fine. Here, let me show you...”

Not long after the ink was dry on dozens of identical signatures, the entire collection of copied parchments could be found posted around the Dawnspire, and slipped into the mailboxes of every significant friend, acquaintance, and noble found with the bounds of Quel’thalas:

House Silverbrooke of Anor’thalas and the Brightquill Family of Silvermoon City

Dawnward Avie Silverbrooke and Lightward Kalyanar Brightquill would like to announce the expectation of their first child, to be born in the coming month of November.

Signed: Avie Silverbrooke & Kalyanar Brightquill