#she also loves working on her sparrow in her free time

[echosong971]

The Exo Mechanic is In 🔧

[the-upside-down-umbrella]

Partners? Partners.

Five Hargreeves x Fem!Reader

Summary: Y/N Hargreeves, formerly of the Sparrow Academy, finds herself virtually alone in the reset timeline. The Umbrella’s bring her in to their chaos and she builds something new for herself while still navigating the grief of losing her family. She’s happy in the simplicity. That is, until the one Hargreeves she can’t seem to win over comes to her with an offer she might not be able to refuse.

Warnings: Some cursing. Some angst.

(Part 1/?)

A/N: This one will be 4 or 5 parts. A bit of a coffee shop AU if you squint

——————

She missed her family. She missed them so desperately that sometimes when she dreamt of them at night, she would wake up in tears as the loneliness set in and she realized that her dreams were the only place she would see them again. They had been dysfunctional and as far as families go, not that close, but they had been hers. She would never understand how she had survived everything, how she had made it through the reset when the others did not. She technically had Ben but he had distanced himself not just from the Umbrella’s, but from her, as soon as they fell into this timeline. Now he was in prison for a white-collar bitcoin crime and he refused to have visitors altogether. She was well and truly the last of her family.

It got easier with time and she fell into a predictable, mundane routine. For the first time in her life, she was forced to slow down and be a normal human being. No powers. No Sparrow Academy. Just living and surviving.

She found an apartment with a roommate who mostly kept to themselves and a stable, if not a bit boring, job as a barista at a local coffee shop just a block from home. It wasn’t much and some months she was barely scraping by, but it was a start and she was happy.

The other Hargreeves children, the Umbrellas, brought her into the fold of their chaotic family and soon, she began to feel less alone.

She had brunch with Luther every Sunday at his club. They spent that time talking about Sloane, keeping her memory alive between them. She shared her childhood memories of her sister and Luther soaked it all in, grateful to receive any little piece of new information about his wife that he could get. She was thankful for that time with him and happy that someone loved Sloane the way she always deserved to be loved. Even if it was just for a moment.

Diego and Lila had her over for family game night at least once a month and she had coffee with Lila every week at the shop. Their children called her aunt and she made sure that they were properly spoiled, much to their parent's dismay.

She made the trek to Victor’s bar often in the evenings not just for the free drinks, but because he was actually wonderful company and he made sure to carve out time to sit and talk with her whenever he could take a break from running things. Like her, she suspected that he also felt a bit lonely.

Klaus and Allison came as a pair these days. Their dynamic was a sight to behold as Klaus navigated his newfound sobriety, and Allison pulled together a life doing what she loved, to support her daughter. She loved being around them.

But there was one particular family member that Y/N could not quite figure out.

Five.

Apart from their initial interaction at Sloane and Luther’s wedding where he had drunkenly accosted her about her powers, he had barely acknowledged her existence. While she was building relationships with his other siblings, he kept her at arm's length. Sure, he was cordial with her at family events and dinners, but that’s where he drew the line. He rebuffed every attempt she made at finding a connection with him.

That is until he started showing up every morning at the coffee shop she worked at. The same time every morning and the same, predictable order.

The first time he walked through the door she was taken aback. She knew he lived on the other side of town but she chalked it up to some work thing bringing him there.

He made his order, indulged her in small talk, and sat down, opening up a newspaper to read while he sipped his coffee.

She thought it was a one-off, but was very surprised when he turned up the next morning at the same time.

And then the morning after that and the morning after that.

He began conversing with her for longer periods of time, asking questions about her day-to-day life after the reset and even sharing some tidbits of information about himself. She knew he worked for the CIA and had recently moved into a new apartment.

A few weeks went by and each day was the same. It reached the point that she would have his coffee made and the donut he liked set aside before he even made it through the door.

But after a while, her curiosity began to get the better of her. Why was he here? Why was he suddenly showing interest in her and what she was doing with her life? It was making her crazy!

“Your black, boring coffee, sir,” Y/N said in the most sugary sweet voice she could muster, setting the cup down in front of the irritating man in front of her.

Five immediately picked it up and took a deep sip, “Fantastic as usual.”

She pulled the chair out across from him and sat down with a huff, “Cut the crap, Five. We both know you have much closer coffee shops to your apartment. Why, may I ask, do you insist on frequenting mine? Is it just to pester me?”

“Maybe I just like your company,” Five shrugged, leaning back to observe her.

This poked at her ire even more. He was always doing that. Just observing her like some sort of animal in an enclosure. Always there at his little table near the window. Rain or shine.

“Oh please!” She scoffed, “You’ve never given any indication that you even like me, let alone enjoy my company. In fact, until you started showing up here every day, I was pretty sure you hated me. So, again, cut the crap and tell me why you’re really here.”

“Fine,” he said, sitting his mug down so that he could give her his full, undivided attention, “I have a proposition for you.”

“This should be good.”

“My boss wants me to take on a partner,” he explained, “but the problem with that is that I don’t really trust…anyone really. But I’ve watched you these last few years, Y/N, and I know that you’re smart, analytical, and incredibly sharp. Your powers fine-tuned all of your senses and even if you don’t have them anymore, that’s still there. And that’s what I want in a partner.”

“Five, I’m not even trained to work for the CIA,” she reminded him, “I’m sure they’re not going to just let some random person join ranks without experience.”

“But you do have experience,” he insisted, “you’re a Sparrow. You’ve literally been trained since birth to be a fighter, a spy, or whatever else Dad needed us to be.”

“Need I remind you that neither the sparrows nor the umbrellas existed in this timeline? So none of that is going to mean jack shit to anyone.”

“It will if I forge a few documents,” he said, leaning forward so that he could get a clear look at her, “How do you think I got this far looking this young? I’ll do the same for you and everyone will think you’re an FBI transfer. They’ll be none the wiser. Trust me, not everyone high up is as smart as they’d like to think they are.”

She doubted anyone was that stupid.

“Five, this might come as a surprise to you, but I actually really like my life here,” she told him, “it’s peaceful and easy and I don’t really need any more than that. After so long of fighting and striving for perfection for the Sparrows, I’m ready to just settle down and live slowly. So, thanks, but I think I’ll pass.”

“You say that,” he chuckled, “you say that you want peace and quiet but I know that’s just something you tell yourself. Because I’ve told myself the same thing and it didn’t suit me. But let’s face it, you’re as unhinged as me. You NEED the chaos. You thrive on it.”

“You’re really not doing yourself any favors here, Five,” she hissed. “Besides, why me? Why haven’t you asked Diego? Hasn’t he been bugging you about bringing in his resume? Make him your partner.”

“Diego and Lila have enough going on in their lives,” he waved her off, “And Diego is a skilled fighter but he lacks in the brains department. Trust me.”

With that final statement, Five stood up and pushed in his chair before downing the last dredges of his coffee, “Just think about it, okay? And until then, I’ll be here every day, as usual. No one makes a cup of coffee quite like you.”

With a wink he left her sitting at the table alone, wondering why on earth she was actually considering his offer.

[helaintoloki]

Hi! Id loved to request a viktor x fem!reader! Maybe where the reader has powers as well and joined the family just like lila, but she starting to madly crushing on viktor but is afraid/doesn't know how to confess? Or if he even likes her back. (I've been crushing on elliot for so long 🤧) thank you! hope this is okay.

a/n: this is my first time writing for viktor so please excuse any inaccuracies!

summary: despite thinking that your crush on Viktor is completely one-sided, you’re pleasantly proven wrong

Your chin rests in the palm of your hand as you lean against the counter of the bar and watch from across the room as Viktor serves drinks and chats with his regulars. You take the time to admire his hair and wonder if he styled it differently today, and when he turns after sensing your stare and flashes a brief smile in your direction you find you stomach doing summersaults in return.

“You know you can just talk to him right?” Your fellow bartender Anne jests with a playful nudge to your ribs.

“I know that!” You scoff indignantly, your face heating with embarrassment at being caught ogling your friend and boss. “I just don’t want to bother him while he’s working is all.”

“You? Bother Viktor? The guy who personally asked you to start this bar with him? The same Viktor you share a place with?” She clarifies with a raised brow and feigned shock. You roll your eyes in displeasure at her teasing, but this only encourages her to continue. “I don’t get why you can’t just make a move already.”

“Because it’s complicated, okay?” You huff out in annoyance while defensively crossing your arms. “I just don’t want to mess everything up.”

You felt your insecurities of talking to Viktor about your harbored feelings for him were valid. Despite originally being a Sparrow, the Umbrella Academy had welcomed you into their group with open arms when you’d joined Sloane in becoming part of their team. Though Sloane hadn’t made it out of the elevator after you’d been transported to a new timeline, you had, and you swore you wouldn’t waste the chance at a new life in exchange for the universe’s mercy.

With the only other remaining Sparrow immediately bailing on your group, Viktor extended his kindness to you and offered for you to come with him on his fresh start. You had clicked rather quickly after joining the Umbrellas, so it only felt natural to follow him. You worked to get an apartment together, helped him start up his bar, and now you two lived a peaceful life free of any powers or family drama. It was a nice routine to fall into; you just didn’t expect that you’d also fall for him in the process.

And now here you were, working another shift at the bar while pathetically pining over a man who probably didn’t return your feelings. You’d never dare voice your feelings in fear of ruining not only your friendship with him but also in fear of losing your new family as well. It was complicated, and so you were fine with swearing yourself to secrecy and hoping the feelings would dwindle with time.

“If you don’t take a chance now another girl is going to come along and do it herself,” Anne warns much to your dismay before excusing herself to wipe down the nearby tables. Sighing, you let your head lower and hit the counter of the bar in defeat as you mull over her words.

“Hey,” Viktor says, almost appearing out of nowhere and startling you out of your internal pity party. “Table three wants a round of whiskey.”

“Oh, right, of course,” you stammer out before quickly getting to work. It takes all of your willpower to still the shakiness of your hands as you set out six glasses and begin to pour out drinks. Viktor watches on silently with a careful smile, and you’re so focused on not messing up that you don’t notice the way he admires you work.

“Doing okay today?”

“Can’t complain,” you reply with a weak chuckle before sliding the tray of drinks over for him to take. However, instead of leaving Viktor remains planted in front of you, almost hesitating as if unsure of his next words.

“Hey, so I was supposed to close tonight but I got Bill to cover me. Did you want to grab some dinner tonight?”

“Don’t we always grab dinner?” You reply with a raised brow, unsure of why he seems so nervous.

“I guess we do,” he admits with a sheepish chuckle. “But what I mean is, would you want to grab dinner together? Like a date?”

“Oh… oh!” You exclaim in shocked realization. A part of you almost doesn’t believe this is happening right now, and you discreetly pinch yourself beneath the counter to ensure you’re not dreaming. You’re quick to respond with a delighted smile, nodding as you say, “I’d really like that.”

“Great,” Viktor says with a grin. “Then it’s a date.”

You watch him finally take the tray and head back to table three, your heart racing in your chest and your mind working overtime to replay the moment over and over again in your head. After almost a year of pining you’re finally going on a first date with the man of your dreams. Maybe you really were wrong about the possibility of Viktor liking you back.

You can’t wait to tell Anne.

[panda-writes-kpop]

Hiiii hope your having a wonderful day. I enjoy reading your scenarios especially dreamcatcher and aespa. Which made me wonder if I can request aespa as your pirate GF :o

Pirate! Aespa as Your Girlfriend

a/n: Thank you for the lovely message, anon! I'm so glad you love my aespa and dreamcatcher stuff 🫶 and of course you can, dear! Hopefully, you enjoy this! Obligatory tag of @foolish-sparrow ❤️ can't write about pirates without acknowledging the Pirate AU queen! Please check out all of her stuff because it's all so amazing 🫶🫶 also I tried something new with the banners, so let me know if you like it or not!

tw: it's in order of how the girls are introduced in the Pirate AU fic universe (no, I have not forgotten about Giselle or Ningning I will be getting back to them plz have patience with me 🫠) instead of age order, booze and drunken activities, violence, pirating and other forms of stealing

♡ Masterlist ♡

Winter ~ The Captain

she's always busy as the Captain of the Red-Haired Pirates, either trying to corral her crew (mostly Karina and Giselle) or find the next place or ship to plunder.

but for you? she has all of the time in the world.

You're very famously known as her soft spot on the crew, and people will use it to their advantage.

Of course she knows this, but if you're going to continue to kiss her and whisper sweet nothings in her ear... she'll let the shenanigans slide, for now.

Winter likes to show you off, whether by letting you commit the finishing blow on an opponent or giving you a chance to show off your own unique set of skills

Most of the time you spend together is at night when you're out at sea.

She'll be busy looking over the a map or checking some coordinates when you wrap your arms around her waist

a rare smile appears on her face as you state out at the open ocean together.

"Where are we going, my lovely Captain?"

"As long as you're by my side, wherever the seas take us, my dear."

Karina ~ The Marksman

the loser (affectionate) marksman by day, the greasy (slightly drunk) flirt by night finds herself changing her ways as you two enter a serious relationship.

Karina feels much more comfortable being her dorky, usual self when it's just the two of you alone, but as your relationship progresses, more and more people see a different side of her

if you aren't a marksman like her, she takes you to a local shooting range and teaches you everything you need to know

"You need to aim a little higher on the target, otherwise you won't do much more than give them a good scare."

"I'd love to focus my aim, Karina, but you're making my heart pound when you're this close to me."

Karina is well-known on her crew for her drunken antics, especially with the various people she meets during her travels

It all stops with you - either you're watching her to make sure she doesn't get absolutely wasted, or you're the one participating in her antics while you're both drunk.

If it's the first option, you're able to pull her away from the bar with lots of affectionate or promises of stronger booze on the ship (you just send her straight to bed, and she's too tired to argue)

If it's the latter, you two often find yourselves cleaning the decks in order to avoid Winter's wrath due to the shitstorm that you usually cause.

But hey, at least you have someone to cuddle with as you nurse your hangover away.

Giselle ~ The Arms Specialist/Mapmaker

Pulling double duty on the ship takes a toll on the amount of free time Giselle has, but when she has a free night, you can be sure that she's living it up, especially with you at her side.

You'll literally have her heart forever if you help her with her daily tasks, she's so stressed out with everything on her plate.

Depending on your specialties, you're either marking the map or helping with coordinates, or you're cleaning up gun powder and restocking the gunroom with newly pillaged supplies.

It works in Giselle's favor because she always can find a reason to talk with you when you're working on similar tasks.

"Do you need some help, darling?"

"I think I can handle myself, Giselle, but I don't mind the company."

After the ship has docked and the sun has disappeared from the sky, Giselle is finally free from most of her responsibilities.

She's dragging you to the nearest bar, either to hustle some of the crew at cards or to grab a few drinks.

You tell her that it's unfair to play cards against people you can't even sit straight, but you find that your concerns are silenced when a bottle of your favorite liquor is sitting at your side.

And if you're just grabbing drinks with her, she's sure to tell you how much she loves you (and all of the awesome pirating stories you missed out on before you started dating).

Ningning ~ The "Rogue" Mercenary

The quiet, withdrawn "misfit" in the crew isn't drawn to having a friendly relationship to many on the crew, except for you, of course.

She hasn't fully adjusted to the pirating life, considering that she joined the crew after being held captive by them, so she often is quietly looking over your shoulder to understand how to be more useful aboard the ship

"You can come closer, it's easier to learn how to tie a knot when you can see what I'm doing."

"I can see fine from where I'm at, but thank you for the offer."

You invite her to many of the crew's nighttime activities, and it's rare for her to accept, but when she does, you see her cracking a smile and occasionally laughing at everyone's antics.

Ningning likes spending time with you one-on-one, and that's when she confesses her feelings for you.

Literally no one knows that the two of you are together, except for a drunk Karina that saw the two of you embrace one night (and no one believes her, to this day).

She doesn't like to teach you her trade, she went through a lot of shit to get her skills, but she will show you how to fight if you aren't the greatest at it.

You'll just have to put your pride to the side because she will beat your ass, every time, without fail.

Plus, she can steal a kiss or two while she has you pinned to the ground. She lectures you about not being distracted with a smirk on her face, as if it isn't her fault.

[keepingeahalive]

Holly and Poppy O'Hair Headcanons

Holly’s full name is Holly Ivy O’Hair. Poppy’s full name is Poppy Hazel O’Hair. 

Poppy uses she/they pronouns.

The twins were tower-schooled before attending Ever After High. 

Holly is cursed to have all doors that close behind her magically lock her in. She has to keep her dorm room door wedged open. Poppy isn’t completely comfortable with this and prefers the door to be closed, but she lets Holly keep it open a crack. 

Poppy was definitely one of those girls who cut up their dolls’ hair.

Holly has ADHD, which makes damsel-in-distress class really difficult for her even though it’s her entire story. She also has a one-track mind. Once she starts on a subject, she will not stop talking. She uses reading and writing as an outlet for all the things buzzing through her head.

Poppy is the shier of the two. She’s more of a listener than a speaker, which comes in handy when Holly goes on a passionate rant. The only time she has no difficulty socializing is when someone is in the barber’s chair.

Holly’s a researcher of old folktales and ancient civilizations. The Wicked Step-Librarians have had to lock her out of the library for sneaking in after curfew and not being able to get out. 

While they are close, Poppy wants to carve her own identity separate from Holly. She doesn’t only want to be known as Rapunzel’s sister. She wants to make a name for herself and have an impact on other people as her own person.

Holly is a morning person. Poppy is not. 

Holly is sometimes insecure over having so much hair. She can’t avoid stepping on it, getting it snagged on something, and sometimes dragging on the floor. She envies Poppy for being free to cut her hair.

Multiples run in their family. Their mother is also a twin. She has an older twin brother named Tarragon, but she got the Rapunzel destiny because she was female.

Holly has had a crush on all three Charming siblings at one point or another. 

Poppy was closer with Nanny Nona than Holly. Holly was wild and fidgety, frustrating Nona to no end. Poppy was the calmer of the two and thus got along better with Nona. Holly and Nona still get frustrated with each other from time to time.

Poppy loves spicy foods. She’s almost obsessed with them.

Their music choices differ drastically. Holly likes country pop music. Poppy is more into punk rock. However, they both share the same favorite artist: Dolly Charmton. Poppy plays the song “Midnight to Noon” to get her pumped up in the morning.

Poppy’s a great climber. She sometimes goes beanstalk climbing with Jillian. 

Holly is slightly taller than Poppy. 

Rapunzel and her husband work as the fairytale equivalents of district attorneys. As such, Holly and Poppy don’t get to see their parents very often - especially their mom - and it’s why they were left in the care of Nanny Nona. 

Holly does tutoring in Creative Writing.

Despite working in a literal barbershop, Poppy does not like barbershop music. 

Holly does not do things halfway and always takes the long road. She struggles in areas that don’t interest her, but she’s reluctant to take shortcuts. Her mother drilled into her head that “you can’t climb a tower if your hair is too short.” But Poppy tries encouraging her to “work smarter, not harder”.

Poppy has a thing for “baddies”. She used to have a crush on Sparrow, but got over him quickly when she found out he preferred Holly over her. She also has feelings for Duchess despite knowing she was voted “Most Likely to Steal Your Destiny.” Deep down, she knows it’s a problem.  

Holly theorized Daring wasn’t Apple’s Prince Charming but kept it to herself. The only person she told was Poppy. She was pretty happy when she found out she was right. 

Both sisters are devoted dragon moms.

They’re both very nervous for when their destiny comes to pass. Holly is a bit wary of living a lie; that she’s technically stealing her sister’s destiny. She’s also having some pre-guilt about blinding her future prince. Poppy is doing everything in her power to keep anyone from finding out the truth, because she wants to keep the life she’s been building for herself. 

[a-thousand-lives-lost-for-peace]

thinking a lot about metaphors and how they're so ingrained in characters

specifically with jill valentine

there's just so much in her character that you can draw from

you have jill valentine , the bird , the sparrow , she's free and she's uncaged and she can never be held down for long , she always knows what it's like outside of the box she's so often kept in

then you have jill valentine the wolf , loyal to the point of self-sacrifice, wild and feral and unable to be kept on a leash , she's backed into corners but at the same time she's never willing to back down , she's always ready to bite and claw and at the same time she's also gentle and careful with those she loves , then in some pieces of my writing on my rp account specifically , this gets focused on in the context of the big bad wolf from red riding hood - this specifically surrounds her re5 verse - the girl and the woodsman gone to rescue someone who they thought needed the help only to be met with the jaws of the wolf who pretended to be that exact someone

then there's jill as eurydice and select others as orpheus specific in her re5 verse , taken to hell and kept there until orpheus musters up the courage to go and search for her , to bring her back , for he cannot look back and stop lest she stumble and be damned to hell forever , but he cannot help it and so she can never truly escape on her own , she's dragged back down before she finally breaks back through it once more

you have jill valentine the soldier , the fighter , she's always willing to put herself in front of a gun , of a knife , she knows what it is like to work with others for the greater good and yet she never knows when all of that is going to end , the fight never ends and all she can do is keep pushing forward

you have jill valentine the martyr , who fell from that cliff to fulfill her cause , to save the very thing she cared for , a flagstone for the organization she calls home only to return and find out that they are starting to run deep with the same corruption that afflicted umbrella

[fandoomrants]

FINAL THOUGHTS ON TUA S4/TUA IN GENERAL

First of all, I can't believe I make this account because of this show and waited excitedly for 2 years only to feel so numb right now...

Unlike some people I didn't hate season 3. Season 2 is still my favourite but 3 wasn't that bad, just a bit odd. And there were many directions where things could have went.

Mostly spoiler-free, for season 4 I can say:

-It did answer some long awaited answers but I feel like it didn't answer everything, some things were just vague mentions, and it also created more questions.

-I feel like either some actors were busy, or didn't want to return, because there were characters I expected to see but they were either not mentioned, or vaguely addressed, which was disappointing.

-The ending somewhat wasn't terrible, I have always assumed something like that might have to happen, yet I hated how by the time it did, all the characters were so ruined that I couldn't feel even a bit bad for most.

Now, I'll get into some more details about the things I liked, and the ones I didn't.

Spoilers ahead:

Things I DIDN'T LIKE:

-I already ranted a lot about this in my comments while watching but - Five and Lila! I like(d?) both characters and I thought the journey they had from constantly fighting enemies to reluctant allies to friends who relied on each other, was great. Loved their scenes in the beginning of episode 5.... And then wanted to jump out of somewhere. The thing is, I don't exactly hate the way it happened. I hate the fact that it 1) happened when Lila was already with Diego, and had THREE kids with him, that was basically cheating, and 2) the fact that in the end, it didn't bring anything to the plot. Diego and Five fought almost until the end, and it was uncalled for. It didn't bring the characters' development anything. It turned Lila into a cheater and Five.... Well, I've said before that I didn't see him as aro/ace like some other people, but I didn't see anything that this brought for him. I just think they worked better platonically altogether, because they went a long way and nothing suggested anything between them.

And this also leads to...

-Diego and Lila. For me, they were sorta relationship goals. They were constantly bickering and fighting but it was their thing. They were on the border of toxic sometimes but somehow managed to stick together. So how did this happen?! It could have went a whole another way. Diego realised he really loved her and wanted to be with her. I think that I would have accepted it if she and Five had kissed or something, and she had realised she loves Diego too, and returned to him, but no. In the end, it's unclear what she even feels for him.

-Lack of interactions between Klaus and Ben. Okay, I know this isn't the OG Ben Klaus spent years with, but in s3, Klaus was the one who constantly tried to reach out to him and convince the others to give him a chance. Now, nothing. Luther was the one who interacted with him and looked after him, and then later Viktor. I get it that Klaus had other stuff on his head but it was a weird development, and it felt even a bit OOC.

-The lack of closure to some characters relationships altogether. Ben... Just turned into a monster with Jennifer, didn't get the chance to interact with the rest again. Ray was mentioned to have "walked away", Allison never mentioned him. She spent the whole season 3 ranting like mad, now only Klaus said a word. We didn't even get to learn what happened exactly. And in this universe, was Claire his daughter or no?! Also. Luther literally mentioned Sloane once. Never heard about her again. Like, maybe he had searched for her but it wasn't mentioned at all. Dave also wasn't mentioned even once. Sissy wasn't mentioned. Now, I know all if these characters were from other timelines but they were loved by the Umbrellas, and in previous seasons, they mentioned them, and wanted to find them. Now, not one mention... Even the Sparrows were barely mentioned. Nobody mentioned Pogo. Or OG Grace (well, the robot one they called "mum". Not the real one from the 60ies). I just feel like these were left as some plot holes. I get that the last two weren't exactly needed here, but there could have been at least a mention. They were from the original timeline, the siblings had spend their whole lives with them.

-Gene and Jean. I get it. Every season has some "villain" character(s), but I just really disliked these two for some reason. Won't even elaborate.

-Not even one dance, except for Gene and Jean. All seasons had at least one iconic dance.

-The music, now, I won't complain too much about it, but all seasons had some great songs. Here we had them too, but we mostly listened to Baby Shark, which was hilarious but also a bit weird.

-No epic battle scenes. Well, Luther and Diego had something of the sort, but the end battle was pretty lame, imo.

-They got back their powers, and some of them had new powers too, but it was all unexplained. What happened with Lila, what were these laser eyes?! Also, Allison got new powers, never used the old ones again (I kinda get it, tho). Klaus.... Presumably got the floating? Which was supposed to be a thing in general? But in any case, none of this was explained! I thought at first that they got the powers some of the other children like them had but we didn't learn that. Also, Diego, Luther, Viktor, Five, Ben didn't get any new powers. Diego did something weird at one point but his whole thing was controlling flying objects and I don't count it. And Five's arriving at the station isn't exactly a new power. Ben's was a result of touching Jennifer. Nothing new for them, otherwise.

-Speaking of getting back their powers, no epic battle and all, here's another thing. In s2, in the beginning, and then the end, it was epic! They were all fighting with all they had, unlocking new ways to fight and all. I believe they were at their peak. Five also managed to get a few seconds back in time, Klaus was able to control armies of ghosts. Here, none of that. They were pretty weak. And maybe it was a side effect of just getting their powers back, but it was disappointing. Klaus didn't go back to alcohol and drugs, yet he only saw one ghost of a random guy, then a dog. They could have made the ending at least a bit more epic.

-In the end, the Umbrellas ceased to exist but.... What about the rest of the special children?! This Ben wasn't even from the Umbrella Academy. And ok, in the end, only these got their powers back in this timeline but surely, the thing with the branching timelines must apply to all 40-something. So how only 7 gave up their powers in one universe, and things got back to normal?

-All in all, the weird pacing and vibe. It wasn't as serious as season one, or chaotic as season 2 and 3. There were barely moments that made me truly laugh, and some characters were OOC. And some didn't really get to achieve anything. Viktor, with his whole plan on helping Ben, achieved nothing. Five kinda ruined his brother's family. Klaus... He also didn't achieve anything, in the end Allison saved him yet again. And while it was cute, it also was, I feel, a step back from his characterisation because he was shown as quite adaptive and able to get away from a bad situation. Allison pretty much only saved Klaus. Diego had a family drama, but nothing much. Luther.... He was just there. Ben's arc was ok but I hated how little time he had with the rest, in the end, he never got to feel as part of the team, and Lila just... Ruined her family for someone who is both around 20 years older and 20 years younger than her at the same time.

-This one is pretty much for humour purposes but - Luther without pants way too much!

-I feel like I must be forgetting something but I'll just move on to...

Things I LIKED:

-Claire having much more screen time and actually being a developed character, rather than just someone staying there for the sake of Allison!

-Claire and Allison, and especially Claire and Klaus's relationship! I feel like Klaus would be good with kids, and even change his ways because of them. (He sorta did, despite walking away at one point. I like to think that spending time with Allison and Claire helped him get clean.)

-Allison and Klaus! I mentioned in another post that I've noticed that they were closer even in season 1, where they interact much less hostile and with more fondness that with the rest of their family, in flashbacks he comforts her when they get their tattoos, etc. And then, of course, their reunion in s2. In s3, we didn't get much of them but I loved them in s4.

-Allison and Viktor taking care of each other! These two had some really rocky relationship throughout all of the seasons but they still cared for each other in a way that was different than the rest. They had the true sibling bond but I think by the end, they also learned to be friends.

-Viktor in general. The only character that didn't once irritate me with a decision he made. I feel sorta sorry for him because he seemed to care for everyone. Allison, after all she did, Ben, although this isn't the one he knew. He got to clear things with this version of Reginald, too. Generally loved him here.

-Now I'm a bit bitter-sweet about that, seeing how things developed but, Lila and Diego's daughter named Grace!

-Even more bitter-sweet, and tiny bit hippocratic but Lila and Five, before that one development in ep 5. They could have truly had a good and normal PLATONIC bond.

-Allison, somewhat. She's one of my least favourite characters, especially after season 3, tho she wasn't my fave before that either but here I liked her.

-Luther somehow didn't irritate me either, although I didn't like him much too, before.

-Klaus has always been my favourite and even though I didn't quite like all that happened, I liked his development, his desire to be sober, and his unwillingness to get his powers back. I think he had lots of potential, and obviously most of his problems came from his powers.

-Despite everything, the last scene, with all the characters we've seen before, being happy and all that. Agnes and Hazel! For some reason, loved that even in this timeline, without all else, they found each other! And the fact that the kids of the Umbrellas were still there. This is a tiny bit of a plot hole on it's own but it was a nice scene.

-And finally, somewhat learning how Five founded the Comission, and finally learning what the "Jennifer Incident" was!

[theonlymadmanonmars]

Random Dndads Headcanons for all the main characters and as many side characters as I can think of!

Ron: Ron does not know what a Kiss is and thinks people are talking about the little chocolates. (Just like hugs he has been kissed he just doesn't know what tits called)

Dayrl: Daryl wears those "Free dad hugs" Shirts when he goes to pride with Grant. He always gets hugged multiple times and is just happy he looks approachable.

Henry: Henry gave Lark and Sparrow little Bear plushies to hold if they missed Him after the forgotten realms.

Glenn: Flirts with literally everyone but when he's around people he's interested in turns into a stuttering mess (IE Morgan)

Jodie: Has WILDLY inaccurate memories of his roll and the police force in general because none of the omega dads actually knew how the police force worked and couldn't be bothered to research it.

Walter: He does wheelies in his wheelchair to make Paden laugh.

Samantha: She adores amusement parks and always Drags Ron and Terry to them. They both just watch and eat Cotton Candy because they don't like the rides. This was incredibly awkward Before the forgotten realms but after became incredibly sweet bonding time for the family.

Carol: She once paid over four hundred dollars to an Internet scam Promising to get her signed posters from the cast of primer. What arrived in the mail was a picture of Scam likely doing a peace sign That was signed "Signed posters from the cast of Primer" with a little heart.

Mercedes: She does commissions for paintings and has drawn worse than the most freaky stuff you can imagine. This singlehandedly bought the house they live in.

Morgan: She has Tattoos of skulls and various bones (Teeth, Jagged broken bones, Ect) On her collar bone because she thought it was funny. Jodie wasn't a huge fan but Glenn LOVES them.

Erin O'Neil: She really liked all of the kids even if she didn't show it. Sparrow and Grant where he favorites. Also she likes metal music Glenn introduced her to it.

Scam Likely: Post season 1 he helped out with some doodler stuff and Continuously randomly Blasts clown music while the dads are fighting. He also called Jodie his boyfriend long before they started dating.

Mark Likely: The most flirty cunty bitch you'll ever meet. I have no proof I just know. She likes parties and her and Glenn get along so so well.

Autumn Oak: Does not like knitting. She just desperately needed to stab something and that's not super possible in Oakvale. She takes up Taekwondo in the human realm and loves it.

Paden: Regularly got into Brawls with Lark and Sparrow when left alone with them. Always lost.

Terry Jr (S1): The most Goth kid to ever goth. Another parallel to Scary and he was great at eyeliner.

Grant (S1): Was the only kid nervous to come out to His parents. Was incredibly surprised when both of them immediately and loudly supported him.

Lark (S1): Hates birds. He has a very one sided rivalry with Birds Especially Larks because there can only be one.

Sparrow (S1): Henry taught them acoustic guitar from a young age and they are really good at it.

Nick Close (S1): Started playing guitar hero To impress Glenn. It became one of their favorite games to play together.

Nicholas Foster (S1): Buys hard into copaganda. His favorite show growing up is Brooklyn 99.

Willy Stampler: His hatred of cats carries over into adulthood. Hes killed a few druids because they were wild shaped into cats.

Barry Oak: He loves to be physically above other people. he sits on Large flowers above people's heads so they have to look up at him.

Bill Close: When he's sober (rare) he really hates Barry and Willy. Because of this Barry does everything in his power to keep him drugged up and manipulatable.

______________________________________

Scary: She and Link share clothes. She likes her Garfield T-shirts and sweatpants, Link likes Her Skirts and Old Sundresses. This is aided by Scary's magic because Neither of them fit each other's clothes.

Link: She has a Garfield Pillow that's twice her size. Scary is slightly jealous of it.

Normal: He made all of his friends matching teeny the teen figurines. Except Customized for the individuals. Scary's is Goth, Hermie's is Joker themed, Taylor's is in anime figure style, and Link's is a soccer player.

Taylor: Cosplayer! He cosplays! He cosplays any gender from any anime. He spends an ungodly amount of Cassandra's money on it but she's more than happy to accommodate.

Hermie: Can and Will perform every part of Holy Musical Batm@n! Normal is enthralled every time.

Terry Jr (S2): Does all the accounting and analytical stuff for daddies because he like reading and numbers.

Grant (S2): Firmly believes that he's not good enough for Marco and Link. So Marco texts him and calls him all the time with pictures of him and Link saying how much they love him.

Lark (S2): Has gotten scared by his own shadow multiple times and shoots it every time.

Sparrow (S2): Says I love you at the end of phone calls no matter who they're talking to. This has lead to many awkward conversations.

Nicky (S2): Has a cut here tattoo on his missing arm That Glenn did the day after it healed. It was the first thing to make Nicky smile after his arm got cut off.

Mae Hales: She doesn't actually do anything at the office but get coffee. Ron was the one that hired her and he called her Doug for years she never corrected him.

Veronica: She was goth at Scariest age. Her and Terry met at a concert.

Marco: He is the sweetest guy you'll ever meet. He's also an amazing cook. Which makes up for Grant being an awful cook.

Rebecca: She is a little delulu. She believes her family is perfectly healthy and they all get along and love each other.

Cassandra: A bad bitch with horrible taste in men. She has dated three other men after Nicky and before Willy. None of them ever met Taylor. He would've hurt them to the best of his ability.

______________________________________

Trudy: Can obviously read and write but pretends not to be able to at home for her husband's sake.

Kelsey: Had an Italian student once and her teacher heart was very conflicted. Also she's really bad at baking but loves pie and spends way too much money on it.

Tony: Sells dating advice at his dealership for the teenagers. His advice is only ever vaguely sexual innuendos as he is the world's worst flirt.

Francis: Has the highest grades in his school despite being held back. He is an incredibly book smart kid and has the street smarts of a toddler.

BB: Her parents died in an alleyway like batman. Her one true goal as a detective is to find her parents killer. This is why they're never on screen and no one mentioned them when she got kidnapped.

Tyrus: He has a crush on Tony. Them threatening each other is a very poor attempt at flirting. Also in my mind He's a Blasian business owner in the fifties so like good for him.

Timmy: This child is trans. He's a trans dark academia kid in the 50's. None of these things are supported by his parents.

Kamonwan: She is very into Studying the World Wars. Especially the mass atrocities committed in America against Japanese citizens.

Sticky Rick: He is into show tunes. His all time favorite is Damn Yankees because it makes him feel like he's into sports. Which he is not.

Carly: When she has to double straw malts she pretends to be a walrus it's incredibly dorky and Francis loves it.

That's it because this post is way too long. Hope you enjoyed <3 (I couldn't tag everyone lol)

[witchthewriter]

@spider-silk. ✧˚.⋆

𝐏𝐎𝐓𝐂

𝑫𝒆𝒔𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏

𝑰 𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑬𝒍𝒊𝒛𝒂𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒉, 𝑱𝒂𝒄𝒌 & 𝑾𝒊𝒍𝒍… okay so look.

You said you were poly and this is the first time I've had the opportunity to ship someone who is poly. I completely believe being in a relationship with three other people would work. Especially because of your species in this world.

𝑺𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒔

A mermaid, living in the depths of the ocean with your sisters. Sharp teeth and clawed nails; you eat those who get too close.

But curiosity always got the better of you. Wanting to know the life on land, but never wanting to go too far from the sea. The pirate life is perfect for you and your partners.

𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒏𝒔

The four of you work because living in piracy ... doesn't have rules. With Elizabeth as the Pirate King, Will as ... well Davy Jones, and Jack being as infamous as he is - you're all powerful individuals.

And because of that, you have your indepence but know that you always come back to each other.

With Elizabeth, it's like fire; a passion, a heat, a yearning. She is so adventurous, that you cannot help but follow her ship.

Will is as easy as swimming. Such a calming personality, you feel like there's not a problem in the world with him.

And Jack ... oh Jack Sparrow. Like a forbidden fruit you cannot help but pluck.

𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒆 𝑺𝒐𝒏𝒈

First Kiss by Howard Shore

Kingdom Dance by Alan Menken

True North by Joseph Trapanese

𝑹𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝑻𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒔

Opposites Attract

Home Is Wherever You Are

Makes A Mess (Jack) x Cleans The Mess (Will) x Is A Mess (You) x Has To Re-Clean The Mess Because It Wan't Done Properly The First Time (Elizabeth)

𝑷𝒍𝒐𝒕 𝑻𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒆

Defying Expectations

𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖

𝑾𝒊𝒍𝒍: He loves that you two can open up and be yourselves together. There's no pressure to put on a certain face, or act a certain way. There's just each other, connecting. 𝑱𝒂𝒄𝒌: Loves your free-spirit. He finds similarities in you and he feels like you're both a lover and a great friend. 𝑬𝒍𝒊𝒛𝒂𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒉: Loves your rebellious spirit. But also loves that you want to be close to her - it makes her feel needed. And that makes her feel invincible.

𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅

Tia Dalma! You've become absolutely best friends; ever since you started doing business with her. It's because you're both creatures of the sea. Having an affinity for water, for waves, the ocean deep.

𝑾𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆

A mix of Will and Elizabeth - honorable, dutiful, but rebellious and daring. You have strong loyalty and great knowledge of many things. Sometimes you surprise yourself with what you know.

𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒑𝒆𝒕

Just as dangerous as your pet, you seem to have a connection. It was made once you dominated the creature - let it know that you are the monster in these waters.

𝐇𝐎𝐓𝐃

𝑫𝒆𝒔𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏

𝑰 𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑨𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑹𝒉𝒂𝒆𝒏𝒚𝒓𝒂! The bridge between the two when things became rocky; you didn't let the women go down different roads. Alicent is a good match because you're both intellectual - you have brilliant games of chess. Whereas Rhaenyra loves your passion. You walk to the beat of your own drum, and that's something Rhaenyra mirrors.

𝑺𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒔

You are 𝑽𝒂𝒍𝒚𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒏, fully by your parents. With dark purple eyes and silver-white hair.

𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒏𝒔

No one but the three of you know about the relationship. No one would accept it. So you hide it. Use it as being close in friendship. And everyone buys it.

Travel to Dragonstone and that's where you can find solace in being together. Without the formality of being at court.

Alicent is more of a listener, where Rhaenyra loves to talk. You're moreso in the middle. But love when Rhaenyra rants.

Rhaenyra loves braiding both your and Alicent's hair. Once Otto chastised Alicent for it and ever since then had to re-do her hair before seeing her father.

Alicent doesn't want to fly on dragon back, so it's just you and Rhaenyra in the air. Chasing each other around, laughing and carrying on as Valyrians do.

𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒆 𝑺𝒐𝒏𝒈

Fire In The Water by Feist

Would That I by Hozier

The Wedding by Bear McCreary

𝑹𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝑻𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒔

Moon (You) x Eclipse (Alicent) x Sun (Rhaenyra)

The Impulsive (Rhaenyra) x The Hyperactive (You) x The Unheeded Voice of Reason (Alicent)

Soulmates Sometimes Come In Threes

𝑷𝒍𝒐𝒕 𝑻𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒆

Friends to Lovers

𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖

𝑨𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒕: Your analytical mind - she loves when you play games together. She feels like you're a worthy opponent. Rhaenyra isn't one for those type of games. She doesn't like all the rules.

𝑹𝒉𝒂𝒆𝒏𝒚𝒓𝒂: Your creativity astounds her. Inspires her even. She loves when you think outside the box, it makes her feel less alone.

𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅

Your dragon is your best friend in all honesty. You love spending time with her; flying but also just being near her. No other dragon rider has that kind of connection with their mount. You see her for the being she is. With a mind of her own, a beating heart and want for freedom.

𝑾𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆

A mix of Rhaenyra, Harwin and Helaena. Creative, enduring, kind, opinionated. Your love for adventure but also the little things. Like to be looked after.

𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒑𝒆𝒕

𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒎𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝑫𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒇𝒚𝒓𝒆! Known for her blue scales and maternal nature, she is both loving and full of fire. Said to be the mother of Dany's three dragons, Dreamfyre was also the mount of Rhaena Targaryen (the granddaughter of Aegon the Conquorer) and Helaena Targaryen, the Queen of Westeros.

𝐆𝐎𝐓

𝑫𝒆𝒔𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏

𝑰 𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑫𝒂𝒏𝒚! She would absolutely defend you with her life. Adore you, love you, give you whatever you need - hell whatever whim you want! She would definitely use her abilities as Queen to get you anything. When it comes to you, she is completely at your defence.

𝑺𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒔

𝑶𝒇 𝑶𝒍𝒅 𝑽𝒂𝒍𝒚𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝑫𝒆𝒔𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒕... with the purple eyes you weren't a completely obviously to the eye that you herald from Old Valyria. In her your hair there is a thick stripe of white, that you can cover up if you wish.

𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒏𝒔

Loves to 'baby' you. Definitely gives you the Princess treatment. Wants you always to be comfortable and wanting for nothing. Puts your wellness before her own.

When you found each other, it was like fate ... destiny. The world made sense. Dany felt less alone. She wasn't the only person with purple eyes and the afinity to ride dragons.

It was a wonder seeing her children for the first time. The beasts were magnificent, and to this day they still are. It never gets old seeing them. Their size, the way they're shaped, their scales and how they're always warm. The constant ... rumbling that can be heard when near them.

Has a few guards to protect you whenever you're without her. They are your sworn protectors - because if anything happens to you, then she will kill them.

Loves being you jewellery, all sorts - from everywhere you go. Like this. And this. And this.

𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒆 𝑺𝒐𝒏𝒈

Scotland by the BBC Symphony Orchestra

The Train by James Newton

Romantic Flight by John Powell

𝑹𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝑻𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒔

Found Family

Like Calls To Like

 Tragic Past x Ray of Light (goes both ways)

𝑷𝒍𝒐𝒕 𝑻𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒆

Legacy & Legend

𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖

Dany loves your intellect and intelligence. You teach her things that she wouldn't know without you. She finds you absolutely fascinating. One who is truly wise; even if you don't see it for yourself.

𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅

Missandei is your best friend. You're like sisters; you rely on her for a second opinion on everything. And have actually taken her flying on dragon back.

𝑾𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆

I think you're a mix of Sansa, Arya and Pod. Curious, rebellious, helpful, caring, loving and protective of those you care about. Maybe you say you like being alone but you do get lonely.

𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒑𝒆𝒕

𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒎𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝑽𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒏! The gentlest out of the three. You two would have a bond so unbreakable that people think you can talk telepathically. He understands you and you him. Both wanting love, and easily showing it to one another.

Where you go, he follows. And if he cannot fit in the room, you can find him either on the rooftop; waiting for you, or in the field outside your bedroom window.

He cannot sleep at night if you haven't given him a kiss goodnight.

[outofangband]

Dor-lómin residents and animal headcanons:

I did the Fëanorians here and I was very bored at work

edit: reposted with  more information  and edits I couldn't check for !

Other headcanons for them can be found in the character tags! I know I’ve talked a few times about these characters and animals before especially Aerin :)

Húrin

Húrin likes animals, both the domestic ones and wild ones. He has had several cows he was especially fond of and he likes ermine and pine Martin like creatures. He finds them funny to watch.

Incidentally, the animals I always associate with Húrin are mongooses, meerkats, sparrows and river otters because they’re family oriented creatures who are also small, snarky and infamously antagonize large predators (sparrows go after crows, mongooses and meerkats go after huge venomous snakes and river otters go after crocodiles)

Huor also likes cows. He likes gentle ones he can pet while he daydreams. I could see him with a large, fluffy cat.

Both him and Húrin remember being in awe at the golden leopards they would occasionally see along the outskirts of Gondolin, in the mountains. Additionally, him and Húrin also do both love eagles. Húrin has an eagle feather tattoo

Túrin as a child liked animals in theory but was usually afraid of bigger ones. He was also very sensitive to animal death. There is a small bird graveyard in the back garden Túrin insisted on creating. He liked hearing about animals from Sador or Rían. Aerin and Húrin both tried to get him interested in horses with little success. They would have definitely tried again had there been the chance to

Túrin in Doriath really liked animals and plants! His favorites were the quails that the marchwardens kept and strange pale turtles Nellas would show him in pools deep within Neldoreth He doesn’t have too many strong opinions on animals until his time in Brethil to be honest.

Lalaith loved chasing butterflies! She also likes bunnies and chickens.

Morwen I’m uncertain about. I don’t think she has a favorite animal but if she does, she’s certainly not going to say it. She tends to be extremely unsentimental when it comes to animals though she does have fond memories of her father taking her to watch birds as a young child on early mornings when he was home and of catching lizards with Rían in the summer.

I do headcanon she is unafraid of skeletons and especially as a child and teenager had an interest in the bones because as I’ve said, she was a morbid child 🍃. I love theoppositeofprofound ‘s image of her as a child with a crown made from starling(?) bones. That exactly fits my thoughts about her, her aesthetic and her disposition.

Niënor liked bugs and frogs as a kid. She liked to find and save bugs in the house and bring them outside. She developed a rather unsentimental view of some animals as a child such as rabbits and some birds which they could occasionally kill to eat.

I love exploring the connections and associations with her and deer

Sador enjoys the animals he sees from his windows, especially rabbits and red foxes. He is rather intimidated by horses. They are Unpredictable.

Aerin, who I headcanon as an animal lover in general, really loves horses! I’ve talked about this a lot, most recently here, but them and the role they play in Hadorian society is extremely important to her.

She also has a pet goat which she adores. Goats aren’t usually raised by the Hadorians but this one she got from a passing group who occasionally traded with her people. She raised it from when it was a baby with a bottle. Aerin also likes bumblebees and hedgehogs

She has a complicated feelings about pigeons

Rían loves colorful animals especially. Birds, butterflies and dragonflies, brightly colored lizards she would see on sunny days in Ladros, even some beetles. She also has a fondness for owls and crickets.

Note: didn’t put Brodda on this list because he doesn’t deserve to be on it.

As always please feel free to ask more!

[spotsupstuff]

hi

you've mentioned that sparrows would have reincarnated as a slugcat?

would you mind elaborating on that?

also would they have met caper again after becoming all scuggy?

heehee

hoohoo hee :)c of course i'll elaborate! it is Her ✨ Fish's little best animal friend

wonderfully enough, Sparrows and the Tinkerer were developed completely removed from each other in my head, so Tinkerer still feels like a rather separate character from Sparrows even though they somehow wound up havin a lot of similiarities. exactly how the reincarnation stuff should feel like

the Tinkerer is Sparrows! and no character in-universe will ever find out. it isn't important. nobody but Tinkerer is affected by this, and Tinktink doesn't really have the means to speak about it. but for us behind the screens that know about this it will make Tinktink's interactions with the world just a lil bit more juicy

you've sent this at a good time, too! the day ur question came in i was actually pondering how to somehow make use of this reincarnation fact and not just let it float about as a lil bonus for the people that would know about this lil tiny ultimately unimportant connection

so, the idea: as we (probably) all know, Euros is going to end up developing the Rot. this is distressing for a large amount of reasons, but the main point rn is that Euros is also a secret archive of folklore of the lower circles in the Eo group, plus maybe even a little bit over the range's borders to the east (after all, there's two more groups right next door to him n he's a phone operator chief). Euros is going to die a slow painful death and he won't be able to care for or save his collection of knowledge, which somehow manages to hurt him more than the reality of his impending doom

maybe not so surprising, considering that in his archive are the stories, the history, the spirit of his late lover's home- a place he clung to for as long as he could, the one he spent the most time in with his overseers, the one that held people he constantly wished could be his citizens instead of the vile and fake *things* soiling the streets of Ales

so one day after the Fish has properly reconnected to the Eo group, is caught up on current events and trying his *damnest* to revive Mission Self-preservation even though it is guaranteed to be useless, Euros mentions the nightmare that he's living through

"I'm a dead man walking, carrying precious treasures of people that were never heard crying out. I've held them close and safely within myself for over two thousand years. And now, when I'm fated to rot through and splatter on the ground, I fear all this time will be for nought. That I will kill what I've been protecting for so long."

"Even if nobody ever reads these- learns of them, hears them out from above their graves- I can't bear the thought of losing them."

and well Fish DOES have a lot of beef with Euros, but at this point this bitterness is starting to give away to desperation and horror of the terrible torment waiting for them in the future. he might be stubbornly still trying with the Mission, but he would go against what makes him himself if he didn't acknowledge that they are all damned for good no matter what he tries. so he gives in to the pity and hails Tinkerer to his chamber

he explains to her what he needs her to do and tells Euros about the plan. Tinktink has to travel all of this distance

to get to Euros (basically walk through the whole Europe), but dammit, she helped one Iterator that became her closest friend, she will help another one (a different Gen 2 that she loved and dedicated her whole life to in a different life)

Fish sends her on her way with a hug and a plead to keep herself safe

it takes her over a month to get there even with the help of vehicles like the barely working trains and a remshackle sky-sail that Fish guided her through fixing in their free time together. when she gets on top of Euros' structure, the dejavus start to hit. she visits the Mechanics' home, her feet carrying her to the bedroom as if it was just another end of the workshift. she looks in the cupboards she- opened millions of times- never even touched. she walks outside and then down the path to the entrance into the Iterator she's- taken countless times- never set a foot on

she saw these halls so many times she can pin point where every screw is- she's never been here, she can't understand these giant beings, they are too complex for her animal brain. that specific rhythm of beeps and pumps and water rushing through metal veins has haunted- comforted- her in many of her dreams. the Tinkerer makes it to the chamber almost like on an auto-pilot

when she enters the chamber, the slugcat finds itself disappointed, scared, confused- this isn't what this place is supposed to look like (but how does she know what it is supposed to look like-?), this isn't how she left it (this is the first time she stands here, what are these thoughts). it's supposed to be brighter. warmer. why is the puppet's plating and skin damaged by time, where is it its vibrancy, why are its eyes so tired? there are panels missing from the walls ("it's got to be the results of that Fever i once made a proj- i can fix thi-! what?"), glowing artificial bronze robins fly about or sleeping on his shoulders, tiny Rot cysts pulsate from the cracks in the umbilical arm. where has the firebird in that halo gone off to?

Euros greets her joyfully ("oh what are you trying to play at, you goof. i've known you for so long, i can tell when something's wrong. what's hurting? why are you tired? i'll get you back into shape, doncha worry love.")

"Ah, you made it! Welcome to my chamber, adroit little thing."

"Please. Your journey was a long one. I hold no doubt a very dangerous one, too. I won't march you into the job immediately. Rest up."

Tinkerer thinks he's strange. but her legs are indeed hurting, the bag strapped to her is heavy. she curls up in the corner of the room and tries to get some shut eye. she almost falls asleep when Euros starts mumbling under his breath, shooting nervous glances towards the birds. five fingered hands tremble so badly the joints rattle like a child's toy. he's scary, when his shoulders hunch up like that and those tired eyes turn frantic. but it hurts so much to see him like that for some reason, more so than it is scary. so against the better judgement of a survivor, she softly coos at him

the puppet's head snaps to her, gaze cold. the mumbles increase in volume, allowing her to understand

"...I'll tell you what. I have another mission for you, little messenger. But it has to stay a secret between the two of us. Nobody would approve, especially not the one you belong to now."

something whispers that the puppet closing in is supposed to be a comfort. the larger part of the Tinkerer instead finds itself wishing to run away

"Are you aware of the Memory Crypts that lie beneath all of us City Bearers?"

cautious nod, back pressed against the wall

"Good."

[thefamilycryptid]

MY HUGE RANT ABOUT SEASON 4

Spoilers ahead

This is going to be really rambly. It it is definitely not all of my thoughts on this season. I did have parts I liked about this season and I admit I sort of liked the ending of the season but I didn’t like the season as a whole and I like complaining so sorry this is long

First is was fat jokes at Diego, which was weird af, especially when he took of his shirt and showed he was RIPPED THE WHOLE FUCKING TIME LIKE NOT EVEN SLIGHTLY CHUBBY BRO WAS SUPERHERO JACKED???

I actually didn’t notice that it was Sparrow!Ben who got sent back with them at first, I was hoping and praying for my good ghost boy. I just kinda hates Ben’s whole character in this

Then it was constantly playing baby shark and NOONE DECIDES TO JUST SMASH THE RADIO??? Like if had played for just the first sequence then someone smashed the radio it would’ve been a bit funny but it took over a whole episode and I HATED IT

CGI vomit???? Constantly????? Also do the blood and guts look plastic to anyone else? Like practical gore usually looks pretty good why doesn’t just feel funky this season?

I liked the Jennifer plot line originally, but I feel like it just became a weird way to shoehorn Ben and Jen into a relationship.

You’re telling me that RAY CHESTNUT becomes a DEADBEAT DAD??? He was genuinely the sweetest guy season 2 and now we’re expected to believe he would just leave his wife and kid (I’m assuming Claire is his Bio kid in this, but even if he’s just her father legally it’s absolutely wack that he would just leave her and Allison).

The Klaus plot line was actually so upsetting this season. Like he screws around in every season but it’s usually tied back to the main plot somehow. But this time it literally just felt like “haha the gay addict relapses after YEARS of working so hard to remain sober”. They wrote it like it was some punchline, like we were meant to laugh about him being “haha funny comedic relief of Klaus never being able to have a happy life” and it didn’t even have any plot relevance?

And then the big one Five and Lila

I genuinely cannot express how disgusted I was with this plot line. The moment I started episode 5 I kept a literal chant of “oh god please no ” BEGGING that it was a fake setup.

But no they actually did that. They made Lila and Five have a weirdass emotional love affair while suspended in the bullshit time traveling train. I’m gonna break down specific thoughts I have about this incident just bc there is so much I have to say

1. The age gap of the characters. Lila is 35 (ish? Her time traveling is a lot less than five so we can assume she is roughly still 35) and Five is in his 60s mentally while being in the body of a 19yo (him being 13-14 in season 3 and the 6 year agegap). I feel like I shouldn’t have to explain the mental/maturity agegap between a 35yo and a 60yo.

2. There’s also the huge glaring problem of the actors ages. The fact that the writers waited until Aidan was FRESHLY legal to write him into a relationship with an actress 15 years older than him is actually disgusting. Especially considering Ritu knew Aidan since season 2 when he was 16 years old and she was in her 30s.

3. It completely ruins fives character as someone who spent several decades trying to figure out how to save his whole family, into a homewreaker who was completely ready to let his family deal with the apocalypse while he had a cushy old time in a cottage core life with his brothers wife. Five killed thousands of people for the chance to go home to his siblings and I’m just expected to believe that he would throw that away for his sister-in-law???

4. Lila is a kickass independent woman in seasons 2, 3, and in the beginning of season 4. She’s practically a single mother bc Diego’s head is up his ass, shes juggling taking care of 3 kids, having her extended family live with her, AND trying to feel normal again by playing spy in her free time. Yet after episode 5 she is reduced to a “woe is me I’m stuck between two brothers, one I’m married to and have 3 kids with, and the other I just think gets me so well even though he lied to me”. She is slightly redeemed after they get out of the train stop and returns to Diego but it was still gross that it happened in the first place and there are still weird aftershocks

Ok end of Lila and Five rant back to the other stuff

Loved Victor so much in this season btw, the only normal Hargreaves at this point. Wish we could’ve heard more about how he is apparently charming the pants off of every woman he meets, if he and Lila got together behind Diego’s back I don’t think I would’ve even been mad he simply is THAT BITCH and we love him for it.

The five Deli was actually kind of funny to me tbh. I just wish it had gone way differently, like yes definitely like all the Fives that gave up but I wish our five had solved the problem just to spite them all. Because that’s the POINT of Five’s character that he refuses to just give up on problems, even if he has to ham-fist his way through everything until he has the solution and this season just ruins that in him. Where is stubborn till the end Five?? Dead and season 4 killed him 😔

And then there was the ending.

I don’t like it for a bunch of reasons. But the main one was how sloppy it felt. Also a bunch of inconsistencies which I will once again breakdown

1. I didn’t like the whole “we must end our existence to save the timeline” solution. I feel like it’s just massively overdone and lazy writing. I honestly would’ve preferred never getting season 4 over this ending

2. Lila, Diego, and Allison being so worried about their kids being ok without them is such a weird point. Like if you cease to ever exist then your kids won’t have ever been born I think that’s the whole point of not existing???

3. This isn’t a complaint but the scene where Bennifer absorbs everyone else looks really weird to me idk why

The EPILOGUE!

I admit it was pretty cute to see all the characters from previous seasons appear again, I love the Swedes by baby girls.

But how the hell are the children alive when their parents ceased to exist?? Like genuinely how the hell does that work ??

I almost wished we could’ve gotten to see all the scenes from the mothers when they WOULDVE given birth but instead we get to see what happens without Marigold. It would’ve been a nice wrap up if we got to see the scene with Victors mom again but it’s just her swimming with the boy she’s hitting on. I feel like it would’ve been a slightly more satisfying ending that I could’ve forgiven the “erase ourselves for the good of everyone” ending.

I have more opinions so ask me abt them if you want but I promise this post would be a novels length if I said it all so I just wrote the big stuff here lol

[solarisrasa]

Heart's Balm, Soul's Harbor

At twelve years old, Alexander Lightwood received a gift he neither wanted nor asked for: The Warlock Magnus Bane and his daemon.

With his own daemon unsettled and Magus Bane's status as High Warlock and enemy of the Clave, Alec makes a choice to free the man, only to realize too late that his daemon cannot be freed with him.

Rating: M

Word Count: 19k

Warnings: metaphysical assault, kidnapping, minor descriptions of violence/blood

Ship: Malec

Huge thank you to my beta @forensicsisabelle who even jumped on this morning to edit the last bit, since I am perpetually running late <3 You've been a gem and kept my comma's straightened out!

Art by the absolutely amazing @cam-ryt who has been very lovely even though we're both very busy!

This fic was created for the Shadowhunters Mini Bang 2023: Presented by the @malecdiscordserver

Find it in the collection here

When Alexander Lightwood was twelve years old, he gained a terrible secret, he stole something sacred from another.

Well, not quite stole it, exactly. He kept it, without consent or permission, yes, but it was all to keep the other safe.

But that's the wrong place to start. To start, it was Alec's birthday, and he was turning twelve, and there were gifts...

The morning came crisp and clear and Alec was already dreading it. Birthdays were meant to be exciting, as Izzy always reminded him, time to celebrate and have cake. She was always thrilled for her birthday, but she was the younger of them, and their parent's didn't do the same things. 

Also, Izzy liked parties and people. Alec would prefer just his friends, Jace and Izzy and maybe a few of the boys he sometimes had lessons with, but that never worked out. His parents were determined to prove their eldest was growing into a strong Shadowhunter and someone who could one day lead the institute. Alec's birthday was as much about showing off their own abilities as leaders as Izzy's birthdays were about celebrating her. Jace's birthday was a quiet thing the last two years, though there was still a display of weapons, and his twelfth birthday would be just as big as Alec's, but he was allowed time to adjust to people. Not that he needed it, Jace would be the darling of the evening, and Alec much preferred that. Mostly.

This year he was old enough to take missions. His party, accordingly, was a political affair. Families with children in his age group or slightly older were invited, as he would patrol with their kids and someday, if his mother was right, lead them.

The dread only intensified when his daemon, Ranimirus, curled closer to him. A male daemon was rare for a male Shadowhunter, and Rani stayed quiet most of the time to keep their secret. Even his parent's didn't know. Izzy, with her curiosity, had guessed, though Alec had never confirmed it and was careful to keep Rani away from her daemon. Jace just knew, but that was okay. Jace had kept every one of Alec's secrets, and his own daemon, Kaie, was Rani's favored friend. Rani, a cozy puffball that was curled in against Alec's throat, made a face like he expected to be reprimanded and promptly changed into a sparrow.

Alec closed his eyes. "You didn't settle."

"No," came the little bird voice, sad and frustrated.

"It's alright. It's probably my fault," Alec said, holding his hands out for his daemon to land in, nuzzling against the little bird who chirped reproachfully at his self-deprecation.

"Lots us people's daemons don't settle until they’re a little older," Rani told him, even though they both knew that his parents were going to be disappointed. They said that a settled daemon by hunting age was a sign of a good, strong leader.

"We could pretend," Alec nearly whispered.

Rani fluttered into the air, changing to a magpie and croaking out a sound of distress. He was right, Alec was never good at holding his emotions fully in check on his birthday, though he did well enough that only Rani's unsettled form gave him away. It would hurt Rani to try and hold back the natural shifts that reflected Alec's changing moods, deep as they ran. 

"I suppose starting the day by disappointing them isn't that unusual," he said, watching Rani's form shrink until he was a tiny hummingbird, colors all muted brown.

"Do you remember, before?" Rani asked him, his tone gone strange. It was the same voice he used when he was asking Alec questions only a daemon could know to ask, one's that dug at Alec's heart and made him think.

He closed his eyes, recalling the feeling of his mother's hugs and laughter, his father's large hand steadying him instead of pushing him. It was warm and safe to be with them and there was a hazy recollection of a cake with candles, his mother singing. There were four candles on the cake.

"No," he lied. Rani dropped onto his shoulder, a moth now, barely bigger than his thumbnail.

-

Late into the evening, with Alec and Jace sitting on the back steps, both sweaty and tired after their weapons display for the party, a man drew near with his mother.

"Jace, go find some water for the two of you," Maryse commanded, with a slight smile for her adopted son. Jace's gaze darted between the three of them, Kaie shuffling uneasily on his shoulder. She was a gorgeous falcon who rarely changed anymore, and Alec felt the pang of knowing Jace would outstrip him in this too. 

"Jace," Maryse repeated, smile drying up.

"Going, going." Jace held up his hands and shot Alec an eye roll at their mother's antics before dashing inside.

Alec knew, as well as Jace did, that his mother wanted him alone. Her wolf daemon, Soledad, paced a neat perimeter behind him as soon as Jace left. 

She sat primly on the step beside him, tugging her skirt into place, and the man with her, half-familiar to Alec, came to stand looming over them. His daemon was a magpie with greedy black eyes that hopped along behind him as he walked. It looked much crueler than Rani's own magpie form that morning, and its beak was held open strangely.

"This is John, Alec. He's come from Idris to celebrate your birthday and he has a gift for you." 

The man, John (undoubtedly another Johnathan, for there were many among Shadowhunters), gave him a distasteful look but dipped his head in greeting just the same.

"Thank you for making the journey, your presence is gift enough," Alec recited, aware of what his mother expected of him. "Any further gift you bring is appreciated and welcomed."

John's distaste lightened some, an appraising light entering his eyes instead, and Alec hated that more. With a practiced motion, he drew his stele through the air just behind his daemon and a large cage shimmered into place, unglamoured now. The magpie daemon was holding a rope connected to the cage, clearly pulling it along. Now that it was visible the bird’s mouth hanging open didn’t seem so odd. Alec forced himself to look at the cage, pushing down the shocked flush of heat, anger and shame, that rose in his chest. 

Curled together in the bottom of the cage, limbs pressed uncomfortably against the bars, were a man and his daemon. They were both unconscious and the man was covered in an ill-fitting, thin plain brown shirt and pants. His daemon was some kind of large cat, its thick fur was marbled black and brown, and Alec thought it was almost as beautiful as the man. He immediately stopped looking at them, schooling his expression into something neutral as best he could. Rani was beside him, a small brown cat himself with fur tufted in a display of discomfort that Alec quickly stepped in front of to hide.

"Is that-?" Maryse started, and Alec watched his mother closely. She sounded shocked, and though her expression was one of mild interest, he thought there was some frightened thing in her eyes.

John grinned, a wide display of his teeth that drew a soft hiss from Rani. "It is. Magnus Bane, the High Warlock. My men caught him and his daemon two days ago, and I thought he was a fitting gift for your heir. After all, the Lightwoods have a long history with Bane."

Maryse leaned down, like she wanted a better look, but Alec didn't miss the strange, regretful look in her eyes. He didn't want to know. He wished John had never been invited, he wished he could have a quiet birthday again, with cake and candles and his family smiling. He wished-

Rani's claws caught his pant leg before the thought could fully form, his little cat body trembling and his eyes wide.

Alec would think it again, many times.

He wished he never had another birthday.

-

When everyone was asleep, the guests mostly gone except those close enough to his parents to have stayed late talking and eventually sleeping, Alec and Jace snuck to the room where his mother had bid John to put the caged warlock. The cage only held his daemon now, the cat was curled tightly, but when the door opened a pair of golden eyes flashed in the sliver of witchlight from Jace's cupped palms. The cat came to its feet all at once, mouth open and teeth showing with a hiss.

"Raziel," Jace swore as Alec stumbled back into him, Rani and Kaie as falcons quietly flapping in alarm overhead. The cat's teeth were huge.

"Hush Cahya," a rough voice said in the dark to the right of the cage, a hand coming into the witchlight with ruined nail polish glittering as it reached for the daemon, tugging to a stop just out of range. A manacle, silvery and hard to look at, gleamed in the light, and the daemon, Cahya, twisted so its long tail slid through the bars and touched the hand.

"Come to see the captured monster?" the voice continued as Jace let the witchlight fill the room.

It was the warlock, Magnus, who sat on a bare cot with his feet chained to the wall, allowing him enough motion to kneel or lay on the bed but not enough to properly stand. He had dark hair, and Alec was struck again by his pretty features, though he looked exhausted and bitter.

"Alec can come see you if he wants to, you're-" Jace started, with his usual heat. He was offended at something, though Alec had no idea what this captured man could've done.

"Jace," Alec said, voice soft. Behind them on the floor, Rani bumped Kaie gently. Both Jace and his daemon understood immediately. Alec needed a moment.

Jace handed him the witchlight and turned to guard the door, Kaie fluttering up to his shoulder as he went.

Magnus watched this with a small frown, and Alec noted his eyes were like his daemon's, yellow-gold with slit pupils that thinned in the light. He waited until he was sure Jace was outside before he spoke again. "This is Rani."

Rani changed into a small black and white monkey and waved one little hand. "Hello."

If Magnus thought the daemon's distinctly male voice was strange, he didn't show it, only looked suspiciously between them.

"Is it okay with the two of you, if Rani checks to see if, if your daemon is hurt?" Alec asked, hands held out from his body, the witchlight sitting in his open palm.

"I am not injured," a smoky female voice said. "I am only weak because the bars are filled with your angel metals, and I do not have the flesh of nephilim in my teeth."

Alec didn't flinch at that, though Rani backed away from the cage a little. He wouldn't blame them for being angry. He didn't understand how his parents could've accepted this in the first place, why they had allowed John to give him a person. Even if the downworld was nearly at war with the Clave, even if his mother and father had been a touch too close to Valentine before he died, this was...this was wrong.

He took a deep, shuddering breath, "Okay. Rani won't go near you. Are you alright, Magnus?"

Magnus gave him a long look, the bitter, wary twist to his mouth softening some. "Oh, grand, thanks, very nice cell here. Tell whoever set it up I hope they choke." He sounded very sweet at the end there and Alec's lip twitched a little, though his heart was still hammering. Cat eyes focused on him, "You know my name. Who are you?"

Alec sighed, "Alec. I'm-" He remembered John's words, the Lightwood's had a history with Magnus Bane. He remembered his mother's uncharacteristic regret, her fear. The feeling of something deeply wrong settled in deeper.

"I'm Alec Lightwood. A man gifted you to me for my twelfth birthday. I don't know why, but I-" There was a rapid knock, Jace signaling him they needed to go. Rani darted to him, running up his leg and settling on his shoulder as Magnus stared at him, mouth slightly open and something dark and angry in his eyes.

Alec hurried toward the door, looking back long enough to make a promise to Cahya and Magnus, "I will get you out."

-

"We can't," Jace hissed, back in his room. Alec was sitting on the end of Jace's bed, Rani curled around his shoulders as a mink.

"It's dangerous," Kaie added, her voice soft, pained. She hopped closer to Alec on the bed, never touching, but close. "We've seen those cuffs before. They're keeping his magic contained. It's almost impossible to remove them without the right key."

Alec bit his lip, he knew his eyes were already rimmed red. He was trying very hard not to snap at either of them, he knew they were just as frightened as he was, even if Jace was trying to hide it. They knew, more than anyone, what Shadowhunters might do to a captive warlock. Valentine had kept Jace, had taught him and raised him and tortured him. They knew.

"What if we find the key?" Rani's voice came, muffled against his throat, but clear enough.

"They won't stop hunting him," Jace pointed out.

Alec curled tighter in on himself where he sat, and Jace sighed, falling to sit beside him. They were kids, though only barely by Nephilim standards, and they didn't know what to do.

"What about..." Kaie started and then fluttered her wings, to whisper quietly between them, "What about Ragnor?"

The warlock who had been a teacher, who lived at the edge of Idris and who was known for killing Shadowhunters on the spot if they approached without warning. The Clave left him alone, partially because too many of their number remembered him as a teacher, a friendly face, and partially because it was said his friends could set Idris aflame.

Jace looked thoughtful, and Alec rubbed his hands together slowly, thinking over the suggestion. If they could see Ragnor, he could help and more than that, if the rumors were true he might even come get Magnus himself, and they wouldn't be in any trouble. Except, Alec didn't like the idea of putting someone else in danger. 

"Tomorrow," Jace started. "Tomorrow we can ask Maryse, tell her we want to go into Brocelin together, to work on our connection. Ragnor's is reachable if we follow the edge of the forest, and no one will bother sticking around to watch us out there."

Kaie clicked her beak. "The wolf packs have been forced deep into the forest, so there's barely any danger."

Alec let out a breath slowly, pressing his hands together harder even as Jace nudged him with his shoulder. Rani pressed his soft nose tight to Alec's throat in response to the dizzy feeling that was making Alec's extremities tingle. 

"If we ask tomorrow, hopefully she lets us go soon. I don't think it's a good idea to let Magnus stay here too long." Alec looked at Jace as he spoke and found his best friend looked as grim as he felt at the prospect.

-

Izzy woke them, her cloud of dark hair a messy tangle as she jumped on them both where they'd fallen asleep on Alec's bed. Chilo nearly blended in with the dark strands where he was laying over her shoulders. He made a displeased flicking motion with his forked tongue as her rambunctious bouncing dislodged him and he changed into a sparrow just in time to avoid smacking into Jace's face.

"Iz!" Jace said, rolling away from her as she laughed, ignoring Alec grumbling in annoyance.

"C'mon, c'mon! Mom wants everyone down for breakfast!" she said, poking repeatedly at Alec's arm until he was moving fast enough for her. Jace was spared the prodding because he rolled to his feet and quickly fled, Kaie soaring after him.

"I'm going, Iz," Alec said, swatting half-heartedly at his little sister's sharp fingered hands. 

"Dad wants to talk to you about your presents, he said. I don't know why, they were all boring. You got soooo many books, and not even ones about swords or anything!" She flopped back on his bed with a huff and Chilo landed on her chest as a ferret, wiggling everywhere.

"We need to comb our hair!" he told her, and Izzy giggled as Alec tried to keep the worry off his face. His father wanting to talk about gifts wasn't good. His stomach felt tight, and he had to swallow before he could speak to Izzy.

"See? You're in here annoying me, and you're not even ready for breakfast," he said, hoping she wouldn't notice how tight his voice sounded.

"You take longer," she said, sticking her tongue out at him for good measure and then running away.

Rani hummed in worry, still a furry scarf at Alec's throat.

"I know. We need to though, we can't be weird about it or it could be bad for helping Magnus." He raised a hand and brushed against Rani's copper fur, the same shade it was the night before. He felt a flare of hope, but then Rani was shifting under his hands. He turned into a lizard the length of Alec's palm and climbed into his hair, settling comfortably.

The hope Rani had settled crumbled again, and Alec tried to forget it as he dressed. There was more to worry about.

-

His father was waiting for him in the hallway where Magnus was being kept. He was staring off into the distance while his coyote daemon paced around his legs. Both of them seemed unsettled and Alec braced himself.

"Dad?" 

Robert blinked, and both he and Tristana turned toward Alec like he was unexpected, even though they'd asked for him.

"Alec. Good. There's something we need to do with your gift from John," his father said, like they weren't talking about a person. 

Alec gritted his teeth and felt Rani's little body twist in his hair, no doubt trying to hold himself in check. He managed to nod and his father reached for the door, only to hesitate with his fingers inches from the door.

"It won't hurt them," Robert assured him, and the sick feeling in Alec's stomach lessened a little.

"It's just a way to make sure they won't run away." Robert nodded once, not looking at Alec, and opened the door.

Magnus was sitting on the cot, his back against the wall. The circles under his eyes looked deeper and more like bruises in the overhead spill of diffused witchlight than they had the night before. In the cage, Cahya was only a pair of hateful eyes watching them over her paws, her long tail tucked close to her body.

"I don't know if John told you who-" his father started, not bothering to greet Magnus or his daemon in any way. Tristana stayed in the doorway behind Alec, blocking him in.

Alec swallowed his fear, forcing himself to meet Magnus' eyes.

"Magnus Bane. The High Warlock. He said he thought he was a fitting gift for the Lightwood heir." Alec's voice was flat, and he knew his expression was as empty as he could manage. The tiny light in Magnus' eyes dimmed, and Alec very, very carefully didn't look at his father as Rani turned into a miniscule snake and sunk little fangs into Alec's scalp, both of them working to stay grounded.

Robert stepped in front of Cahya's cage, and Magnus broke eye contact with Alec, staring at his father instead, his face cool.

"Robert. Good to know you're as pathetic as ever, other men giving your son gifts well above his worth." Magnus made a show of stretching. "Maryse was always the one of you with any real talents, sad that your heir-" He raked Alec with a look of disdain that Alec pointedly didn't react to, "-seems to have taken after you."

Alec loved his father. Once, when he was much smaller, he had dreamed of being like his father with his kind smile and his gentle hands. Then he had begun to grow and understand. His father was weak, the smile was empty, and what Alec had thought was gentle was Robert's inability to commit himself, a fluttering and uncertain way of touching everything. The only times his father showed strength was with Maryse beside him, and even that was more a muted support of her. Magnus couldn't know the way his words twisted in Alec's chest, and if he did, well...Alec supposed he might have earned them.

He could have tried harder to get Magnus out the night before. If he was really good the way he wanted to be, he would have taken Jace's original advice, before they'd snuck in to see Magnus, he would have gone in with a sword and damn anyone in the way. He swallowed against what had felt like smart caution in the dark but seemed more like cowardice in the light.

Robert didn't respond to Magnus, he was opening a small cupboard built into the wall just out of reach of Cahya's cage. 

"John was testing us. He's done quite well, politically, but your mother and I are in a better position with the new consul. The unrest in the Downworld and the tightening of Idris' borders means that those of us who can do what must be done are gaining value. I don't know how John caught Bane, though I plan to find out-" Alec had to swallow fear and he saw the way Cahya's lips pulled back at the threat, "-but I know that he didn't seriously believe we could hold him. Magnus Bane is the High Warlock for a reason. He's terribly dangerous, and giving him as a gift to you is ridiculous." 

Robert brought down a bowl and a bottle with thick grey something in it, holding it so Magnus couldn't see it.

"Giving him to Jace might've made some sense, but it's well known that you aren't as strong as your brother." He unstopped the bottle and poured it into the bowl. "Magnus would have you in his palm within a week. But, John has never understood that Lightwoods stick together. You might be too weak alone, but I can help." 

Alec's muscles were locked so tight he was surprised he hadn't fallen over. His father had always made it apparent he preferred Jace, but never had he so plainly called Alec weak and lesser. Doing it here, in front of a captured man, was probably his father's idea of making a point, of motivating Alec to work harder. Worse, whatever they were in there for was going to make it harder to free Magnus.

"Give me your hand." 

Alec did, unable to think around the hurt and confusion and fear.

Robert slashed his palm, adding his blood to the bowl. Alec watched it drip in and distantly remembered his lessons, the way that Nephilim saw blood magic. His father taking his blood like this was a terrible taboo and a worse violation. 

Rani fluttered in his hair, a swallow suddenly. 

"Perfect." Robert's hand closed around his daemon and Alec's vision went strange, he swore he heard Magnus crying out, but couldn't focus. It felt like someone had shoved something cold and awful down his throat and squeezed his heart. Then there was a tugging and some part of him twisted over itself and he was falling.

Alec landed on his side on the floor, and Rani fell next to him, both of them shuddering and gasping as Rani changed into the smallest moth he could and pressed against Alec's pulse. There was the sound of something growling and hissing and chains and yelling, but he couldn't make out words. He sucked in another breath and his stomach lurched and then he was rolling on instinct, vomiting on the floor. He stared at it, trying to get his breath back and understand what his father had just done to him.

He looked up, feeling the way that spit and vomit were on his face and tears were running messily down his cheeks.

His father wasn't looking at him. Instead he was working on whatever was in the bowl together. He looked toward Magnus and found the warlock already looking at him, his face twisted in disgust. It didn't seem like disgust at Alec, rather for him. 

"I'm sorry," his father said, and Alec's head snapped back to him. He was filling a large syringe, one of the types without a needle, from the bowl. The liquid was thick and pink, probably from the blood in it, and it was hard to reconcile it, the shuddery terror still coursing through Alec, the captive in the room, all of it, with one of his mother's plain white bowls, the same kind Alec ate cereal out of most mornings. 

Robert turned to the cage, and Magnus and Alec both moved. Alec tried to crawl forward, his head swimming, and Magnus lurched to the end of his chains. 

"Wait-" Alec moaned, dragging himself upright. He tried to get to his feet, but it was too much too fast and blackness rushed in over the sight of his father reaching for the caged daemon.

-

Ragnor had let them in only after a wall of flame that rolled over both him and Jace. It hadn't hurt them, only left a terrible taste in their mouths and left Alec feeling especially off balance, though that was easier to do since his father's hand had closed around Rani two days ago. Jace slung an arm around his shoulders and pulled him toward the door a scowling green warlock was holding open impatiently.

"Well, neither of you are here to kill me, capture me, torture me, or bore me, so out with it," Ragnor, because that was the only person the green man with horns could possibly be, barked at them. He dropped into a chair, a cup of tea and saucer finding their way into his hands as part of the movement in a way that Alec honestly couldn't say was magic. His daemon was nowhere to be seen.

"We're here about Magnus Bane," Jace said.

The teacup clicked harshly against the saucer, and Ragnor set both aside, magic misting visibly over his hands. "What's the Clave want with the High Warlock?"

Jace opened his mouth to reply, hand still resting on the hilt of his blade, and Alec decided now was the time to step in.

"We're not here because the Clave sent us. No one else knows we've come to see you." Ragnor's eyebrows raised, and there was a spark of meanness in his eyes that Alec didn't acknowledge. "A man captured Magnus Bane and his daemon-"

"Ridiculous." Ragnor cut him off, relaxing back in his chair. "Magnus? Maybe. Magnus and Cahya? No. Cahya's got every bit of sense between them, and she would never allow it." 

Alec and Jace shared a look, uncomfortable with correcting Ragnor, but aware they needed to make him believe them.

"I don't know much about them, but a few days ago was my birthday, and another Shadowhunter I'd never met brought me a gift. He said it was because of my family's history with Magnus Bane. He gave Magnus and Cahya to me. I've seen them. We spoke to Magnus, we snuck into the room my mother put them in to check on them that night." Alec swallowed. He didn't want to explain what had happened with his father, he hadn't even told Jace about it yet.

Ragnor's green skin went very pale as he sat forward again, his eyes sharp. "You're absolutely certain Magnus wasn't casting an illusion? Warlocks and their daemons can travel very far from each other. He could be pretending that Cahya is with him."

Alec shook his head slowly, and Kaie spoke up from where she was perched on Jace's shoulder. "There was definitely a daemon in that room."

"She spoke to Rani," Alec said, gesturing to his sleeve where Rani clung as a sugar-glider. "Magnus was also wearing magic-sealing shackles, so he wouldn't be able to cast any spell, he can't even hide his mark. Please." Alec licked his lips and took a step closer to Ragnor.

"Please. We have to get him out."

Ragnor looked at him for a long moment, then to Jace. His expression was grave when he nodded. "Of course we do. He's a major leader of the downworld...and my best friend, fool that I am."

Jace cleared his throat, his hand no longer on the hilt of his weapon. "If we free him, Maryse and Robert aren't going to just write it off. They're going to want to get him back, preferably before anyone realizes he's gone, and if they can't do that..."

Alec swallowed hard. "It would be a huge embarrassment to them. They wouldn't stop hunting him, to prove themselves again. My father is convinced Magnus was given to me as a test. He did something with my blood and...more, to keep them bound."

He didn't know what the potion, because that's what it had to be, his father had made actually did, but he figured it was worth mentioning, if they were going to succeed in freeing Magnus. Ragnor didn't seem so concerned about it though, as he gestured for them to sit, finally.

"We'll have to plan to get Magnus out of his chains. You'll need his help. The best way to ensure that he isn't forced to spend the next decade running from the Clave, and the most helpful thing for the Downworld as well, is to fake his death. You understand, of course, that if we do this neither of you can breathe a word, not under duress, not ever?" He stared at each of them in turn.

Kaie made a soft sound, shuffling, and Jace nodded. Alec pressed a fist to his heart, a Shadowhunter gesture of promise. "Not even with a hand on the sword." 

Ragnor sat back again, watching them without a word for long enough that Jace started to fidget.

"I'm trusting you with much. If your intentions were anything less than pure, the flames you crossed would've killed you. You will have to pass through them again when you leave."

Alec didn't have any doubt as he nodded, and beside him he felt Jace do the same. They had agreed, ages ago, that they wanted to help. They were supposed to hold the line against the darkness, not kill anyone who didn't fit their worldview, not police the Downworld. Jace, especially, wanted to earn redemption that Alec didn't think he needed, after being raised by Valentine. The man was dead, but his ideology was rampant in the Clave, re-skinned and made palatable as "for the greater good" and "for their own good."

Maybe, Alec thought, as the three of them began to plan, this was the first step for Jace and him toward something bigger.

Cahya was limp at the foot of his bed. Her breathing was labored, her body curled tight and trembling, and Alec was pressed against his headboard, watching her as he tried to get himself under control before someone came looking for them.

His hands were shaking. Pressed close to his heart, Rani was a tiny moth, wings fluttering lightly against him and their bond thrumming with worry. 

Magnus was free. Enough blood, a man literally burst into pieces and strewn around the room, another glamoured to look like the warlock and locked into one of the shackles, and it was a believable failed escape attempt. They—Magnus, Alec, and Jace—had agreed that Jace was the more believable option. Even now he was reporting to Robert and Maryse what had happened, how he'd been passing by with Alec and heard a commotion, how they had watched Magnus obliterate his guards, and how Jace had managed to slip in fast enough to stab Cahya, how the daemon had burst into golden sparks and the warlock had died instantly.

The real complication was explaining why Alec's daemon was a clouded leopard. 

It was the part that had failed.

Magnus had agreed to go only after Cahya had whispered with him frantically when they discovered she couldn't leave the boundary of the Lightwood estate. His dark eyes had been murderous, and Alec had easily promised to keep her safe. 

The door burst open, pulling him out of his reverie, and Cahya came to her feet, long teeth exposed in threat.

His mother stared, Soledad growling from her side, but Cahya was not Rani, who had learned to yield to the older daemon, and she didn't back down. Maryse's eyes darted from the daemon to Alec, and he couldn't read her at all. She was a stranger to him, more than ever before.

"What. is. that?" she asked, each word a blade.

Alec forced himself to set a hand on Cahya's back and hush her the same way he would've calmed Rani. His tongue felt too big in his mouth, and his fingers clenched in her fur against the wrongness of doing it. He forced down the feeling. He had to keep her safe.

"It's-"

Jace's angry voice came from behind her. "Alec!" Then his brother was pushing past her and Soledad, Kaie pointedly landing next to Cahya and pushing her beak through the fur of Cahya's face, a gesture she'd done to Rani a hundred times when Alec was stressed. It was bizarre to see it and not feel the comfort of it. Against his chest, Rani struggled to hold the smaller form.

"I told her you were in shock, that Rani had taken on the form because you've never seen a daemon die," Jace whispered to him quickly, hugging him tightly, and Alec was glad. He knew that his parents would never respect him, with the way they were painting this: Jace a hero and Alec a disappointment who couldn't control his emotions. Again.

"Sorry mother." Alec didn't dare make eye contact, speaking to Maryse's chin so she might not see the lie. "Rani won't change."

Maryse made a sound, not the disappointed or disgusted one he expected, but not pleased either. Soledad calmed and spoke softly, "Are you alright, Ranimirus?"

Alec felt dizzy with gratitude for his past self. Rani had hardly spoken, even to other daemons except Kaie, had barely tolerated touches from others, and that meant the Cahya's single nod wasn't strange, that Soledad did not try to touch her the way Kaie was. He knew that many parents and children, even among Shadowhunters, allowed their daemons to show some affection. Chilo was often carried by the scruff by Soledad or Tristana when Izzy was called to dinner or her bath, but Rani and Kaie had never allowed that approach. 

Jace and Kaie had been too scarred by their time with Valentine, who would hurt Kaie to punish Jace, and Alec...well. He and Rani were naturally withdrawn and they had secrets. 

"Alec?" his mother asked, her voice even.

"We'll be fine, Mother. I'm sorry about my present," he said. He carefully stroked his hand over Cahya's spine to hide the way her fur was raised.

"It is...regretful. Magnus Bane was-" She cut herself off, and Alec looked at her face, finally. She did not look at all as he expected. There was genuine regret in the twist of her mouth, and he'd swear it looked like there was moisture in her eyes, but still she smoothed a hand over her skirt.

"It was not your fault," she said. "No one could've held Magnus Bane for long, if he didn't want them too. I have informed the Clave, and they are calling a session. John never told them he captured Bane, and I'm sure that they'll be looking to your father and I for explanations now."

"What do you think will happen?" Alec asked, trying to keep to some sort of normalcy. He always asked after these things, his parent's talking to him after Clave meetings, preparing him for leadership. Jace groaned and slumped against him carefully, uncertain where Rani was hiding.

"I can't say, but I believe this may be the match that will ignite the Downworld. Magnus was much loved, and the Clave needs to come down hard on them. I expect that Idris will be fully sealed off and the Institutes called to war. If that's the case, your father and I will be needed to command, but you children will stay here to finish training." She smoothed her skirt again. "I will make what case I can if that's what it comes to, since Max is so young."

Alec's ears were ringing as he nodded. Maryse spared another look at Cahya and left them, Soledad following closely.

When they were gone, Alec snatched his hand away from Cahya, who turned to him as Kaie squalled and hopped away from her.

"I'm sorry. I-" Alec curled his hand against his chest, where Rani was.

"Peace, little Nephilim," Cahya said in her warm voice. "I am not angry with you. I know that you have both done what you can. If Idris is sealed, Magnus will not be able to come for me."

Alec slowly shook his head. "We may have started the war."

Jace sighed heavily, "Guess that means we'll have to end it too."

There was silence between them as the words hung in the air.

-

Part II: Eleven years later

Izzy spun a blade casually, her careful eye watching the way it moved through the air. Chilo was a glitter of danger curled close to her throat, his eyes half lidded despite the slow flickers of his tongue that told Alec he was paying perfect attention.

Beside her Jace was methodically sharpening his arming sword, his main blade already gleaming and deadly on the table in front of him. Kaie, a tiny glittering coat of adamas links catching the light as she moved, was sitting on the rafter over his head. 

Around them the New York Institute turned. 

Alec's Institute. 

The Clave had declared full scale war with the Downworld on the eve of his thirteenth birthday, though Idris' borders had been sealed since the day Magnus Bane was reported dead. His parent's had been sent to New York and Los Angeles, a Lightwood on either coast to coordinate as was fitting their status. Their children were confined to Idris until they were eighteen, even though most Shadowhunters took missions much sooner than that. It was all presented as some great reward for killing Magnus, but Alec knew it for what it was. 

They were being punished for pushing the Clave into all out war before they were ready, for inciting the Downworld. His family separated. He and Jace had to prove themselves time and again to earn the right to take the parabatai oath, and Izzy outclassed all the others in their age group in science and weapon smithing and still didn't have an official rank. 

And Max.

Aldertree had sworn that Max was an accident, that no one could have known the Brocelin wolves were so close to the boundary line. That Max was only separated from his class for a moment. Aldertree had come to them with bloody clothes and Max's pendant with the flames of the Lightwood crest and spun the story.

A message had reached Alec through hidden means, meant for the rebel leader known only as "The Raven" which Alec had chosen in quiet conference with Rani and Cahya in the early days. Naturally it had created a small issue for any Nephilim with a Raven daemon when the name had come to light, but that had been resolved easily. The message had told Alec, who had told Jace and Izzy, that Max was fine. He had been purposely dragged into Brocelin and the wolves there had stopped the adult Shadowhunter from hurting him, but in the fighting Max had been scratched. He was settled with a pack in New York and was safe. The letter asked that his family be informed, if the Raven believed they were trustworthy. It was signed with a cat eye symbol.

That was six years ago.

Now Alec was officially in control of the New York Institute. His parent's marriage hadn't survived Max's alleged death. 

At his side, Cahya matched his pace as he left his siblings to make another circuit of the ops room, checking in with his people and ensuring Underhill had nothing new to report. He was in charge of both normal security and the person through which Alec's spymaster reported, though Marna had little cause to check in recently. His daemon was a great Pyrenees named Fergal with a glowing white coat that Alec had watched snap a man's spine the first time Underhill had been in the field with him. 

Underhill nodded at him and Cahya as they passed but didn't signal that they needed to speak, and Alec decided to take a detour into his office. They were as ready as they could be, just waiting for more reports to come in before they made their stance official. Alec had been working toward this moment for years, his siblings, his daemon, and Cahya with him every step of the way. 

By the end of the week, the New York Institute was going to defect, and they wouldn't be alone. His staff was at least two-thirds members of the rebellion or sympathizers, and he was ready.

He was just nervous. 

As soon as they were clear of the Clave's eyes, as soon as they officially declared for the downworld and cut their core off from Idris' reach, they were going to invite the leaders of the downworld in. Most didn't know who, exactly, had filled the High Warlock position, but Alec was certain that if he personally sent the invite, Magnus would be the one to come, not his figurehead. 

After all, one of the reasons Magnus had played dead for so long was making herself comfortable on Alec's office rug. 

Alec scrawled a locking and silencing rune on the door to his office and turned on the device Izzy had gifted him to sweep for electronic surveillance outside of the Institute camera's. His office was personally warded against magical ones, and Cahya was able to sense those anyway. 

Once he was certain no one would be able to disturb them or see them, he sank to the floor beside Cahya, and Rani came out of her fur, a tiny moth that shifted into a cat as soon as he touched Alec, purring and rubbing against him. They could rarely do this, unable to risk being caught or Rani accidentally settling. They had managed thus far to hold off the settling, which Izzy teased was why Alec was single, he'd just never really grown up. Still, they could both feel the pressure of it when they touched, the way that Rani's body wanted to become what he was meant to be, and Alec's soul ached with it.

"Soon," Rani said, kneading Alec's arm with his paws, and Alec cuddled him close to his chest.

Cahya set her big head on Alec's knee, a comfort now instead of the twisting wrongness it would've been for anyone else. They had to touch often to sell the lie, and in battle it was important to communicate with quick touches since they didn't actually have any bond to tell them where the other was. In the first years, they had nearly been caught because one of them would start running and the other wouldn't notice right away. Now they moved together as naturally as Alec ever had with Rani. 

Alec loved Cahya. Rani did too. They would miss her like a limb, but she wasn't theirs.

Rani pressed his tiny nose into Alec's body, hiding his face against him and speaking, "What are we going to do after? I don't think I'm a leopard, and we can't never settle. How do we figure it out? How do we make plans without you, Cahya?"

Cahya laughed, her honey warm laugh rumbling against Alec's knee.

"No, I don't believe you are a leopard, little Rani. You and Alec will have to see what you become. I'm looking forward to knowing, though I have my guesses." 

Alec rolled his eyes at her, burying his fingers in Rani's fur to pet him with a shaking hand.

"We'll miss you," he told her softly.

She shuffled closer to him, her eyes warm. "I won't go forever. You and Jace would be hopeless without me."

Rani laughed. "Izzy can handle them awhile."

"Yes," she acquiesced, "A while. Then Magnus and I will come help."

Once she'd hardly spoken to them, hardly said Magnus' name. She used to sit at Alec's window and watch the gate, her long tail swaying in a slow sweep. Then Alec had nearly been killed, a training incident covering a clear attempt on his life. He'd been bleeding badly, clinging to consciousness with Jace frantically healing him. He'd tried to stop them, certain in his delirious bloodloss that if he died Cahya would be free. After all, she could go anywhere with him and nowhere alone, it made sense. 

She'd laid pressed close to him to hide Rani for days afterward, not letting anyone but Jace, Izzy, and Max close to him. She'd told him stories about Magnus then, about getting banned from Peru, about starting cults as a joke, about makeup and traveling and magic. 

When he'd healed, she spoke more, and once, after the world was quiet in the very early morning, told him she would rather live captive as she was than let him die.

"Do you think he'll like Alec?" Rani asked her, while Alec was thinking about the past.

Cahya made a pleased sound. "Oh yes. He'll have to learn, granted. He doesn't yet know how Alec has kept me safe, how much you've sacrificed, but yes. He'll learn fast how mushy you are."

Alec said, "Hey!" even as Rani nearly rolled out of his lap laughing. 

"Face it, you're a sap. Ask Jace if you don't believe me!" Cahya told him, and Alec groaned, accepting the blow to his dignity.

-

Eleven years ago

Magnus portalled to Catarina’s, not trusting the safety of his own home after his capture. Cat was on her feet in a second, a scatter of papers falling around her as she moved toward him, no magic in her hands; she recognized his magic anywhere.

Her hands were on him, grasping his shoulders and pulling him into a tight, quick hug. As soon as she released him, she was slapping at his arm with a frown that did nothing to hide her relief.

“Where the hell have you been, you little troublemaking idiot?”

Magnus tried for his usual devil-may-care flare; it hadn’t failed him, even when manacled in the Lightwood’s home. He could feel the way the grin pulled wrong though, undoubtedly an obvious tell for Catarina.

“Oh you know, out causing trouble for Shadowhunters.”

Catarina gave him a long look, “And, how, tell me, did you cause problems for them?”

Magnus shrugged, heading for her tan couch, “I made a daring escape from Idris with a trail of bodies in my wake, naturally.”

Catarina settled on the couch beside him, giving him a pointed look, “Magnus.”

He sighed heavily and decided to let her in. He always needed her, especially when he’d gotten himself into situations like this one. Especially when there was an ache where Cahya was supposed to be, his very soul still bound in Idris.

“I was put into a cage and made into a rather distasteful birthday gift for the Lightwood heir.”

Catarina gave a single slow nod, her eyes glittering with anger despite the measured way she moved and spoke, a nurse too used to dire proclamations for outburst. It settled Magnus, prone to dramatics as he so often was, to see her patiently waiting for him to continue.

“The party seemed dreadful too, poor thing. He was the one, well him and his brother, who orchestrated my escape. Sad to think they might grow into the sort of men who would’ve captured me in the first place.” Magnus tipped his head back, the weight of her gaze still on him. “Maybe I can see if they want to come away when I go back.”

The couch sunk under him slightly as Catarina leaned fully into his space, her blue face coming into his line of sight. 

“Why would you go back?” 

He could see in the tightness around her eyes and the downturn of her mouth that she had guessed why, but didn’t want to believe it.

“Cahya is still their unfortunate guest. Some magic Robert Lightwood used, some terrible binding spell that used the feathers of his son’s daemon, taken by force, kept her there. I couldn’t bring her further than the edge of the Lightwood’s’ manor grounds.” Magnus could remember perfectly the desperation in Cahya’s voice when he’d sprinted past her at the boundary line. The anger he was keeping banked at the thought of her still trapped with the nephilim flared at the memory and he forced himself to breathe through it. It wasn’t time yet for fire and ruin.

“You can’t go back,” Catarina told him, drawing him back to the moment with her as she sat back. 

“Without you, you mean?” It was a familiar tease, her and Ragnor refusing to let him run into trouble alone. 

“No. At all.” Catarina summoned a piece of heavy paper, Ragnor’s stationary, and held it out to him.

“Ragnor sent it just before you arrived. Idris has sealed their borders, it’s impossible to get in without a full scale assault.” She watched him reading carefully. “If you say go, I’ll be there with you, of course, and more the fool for it. The Downworld isn’t ready though. Idris is too well protected, the stolen magic they made the wards from is strong.”

Magnus read the damning message and closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose and trying to center himself. Ragnor was on the very edge of the ward when it was activated and had since relocated to his home in England, but he’d seen enough. If Magnus wanted to march in and get Cahya back, it would be suicide.

They had to have sealed the place just after he cleared Idris’ portal tracking range, so barely a day after he left.

“Cahya’s on her own, for now,” Catarina said, squeezing his arm gently.

“No.” Magnus thought of the nephilim, of the Lightwood boy laying on the floor after his father’s assault, of his brother murdering Magnus’ captors without hesitation, of being in a cage with Maryse Lightwood’s troubled face looking in. “She’s not.”

-

The first time it happened was nearly a year later. 

Magnus was listening to three pack alpha’s try to civilly divvy up a safe house after being forced to relocate due to an uptick in Shadowhunter activity in New Jersey when he felt it. Like someone had poured ice water straight into his chest, at first. A hand closing around his throat even as an ache started deep within him, some barely known place inside suddenly exposed to harsh light.

He’d gasped, slumping in his chair, his hips twisting as he went limp despite the sprawled position not supporting his body well. The wolves had all frozen, eyes flashing in worry and the sharp sense of a predator in danger.

Someone was touching his daemon. 

Were they hurting her? Was she being used for something awful? Were they trying to-

It ended and he could breathe properly again. He wanted to sit and gather himself, but edgy, uncertain werewolves made poor company, so he straightened up and offered them a serene smile, ready to redirect their attention.

-

Eventually Magnus got used to it. Enjoyed it, sometimes, even. 

After the first few times it stopped feeling so terrible and strange, the initial rush of cold still came but less like ice water and more like a cool balm, the ache had calmed and was now only a sad reminder of how much he missed Cahya. Strangest of all, the feeling of a hand around his throat had morphed into a sensation like someone was gently touching him, a light and welcome feeling.

 It happened with more frequency as time went on, sometimes he’d pass entire days with the feeling, like someone was keeping a hand on Cahya constantly. 

-

Present day

Magnus could feel a nervous energy thrumming through New York. If The Raven was to be believed, it was because of the coming change. 

He sat, glamored as always, watching over his club as the day faded, hyper aware of the waning hour. Ten minutes to midnight. Ten minutes to rebellion. The Shadowhunters were declaring themselves at the turning of the day, what would be shortly after sunrise in Idris, when any active fighters would be ending their night. 

Magnus reached for the leylines around the city. He could feel the burning thrum of them as his warlocks tangled their magic with the power of the Earth. The Raven had sent him the notice of the New York Institute’s planned rebellion as a warning and courtesy. They had asked nothing of the Downworld, but Magnus believed in action and he had sent out both the warning of coming turmoil and a request. The warlocks knew only that Clave action was expected, and Magnus had asked them to be ready to raise a ward over the entire city if necessary. 

He wondered, as he often did, where in the mess Alec Lightwood would be. He knew that the man who had once been a boy helping Magnus run was head of the Institute, that he would know Cahya’s whereabouts. Magnus could only hope Alec was not going to be one of the Shadowhunters killed in tonight's upheaval. In his heart he dared to hope that maybe he would even be one of the rebels, but he had no way of knowing. Shadowhunter’s stayed well clear of Downworlders, except to kill them and the Institute Head was practically a ghost, even among Magnus’ clever watchers.  

The pulse of Pandemonium's music around him and the ebb and flow of the wards settled him. He waited.

At precisely midnight he felt the telling rush of coolness and comfort that meant hands were on his daemon. In the same breath a bright wash of angelic power flared in his awareness, the leylines rippling despite having no direct connection to it.

The core was severed from Idris. It was beginning.

He settled further back in his seat, magical awareness flaring out from him as he prepared to keep the watch for the night. Max Lightwood nodded at him across the dancefloor, his wolves would be prowling the night, keeping the mundanes safe from demons while the Shadowhunter’s worked. The vampires at their backs to help and to carry news with their speed.

Tonight, Magnus thought, New York was taking back its power. 

-

Sunrise came with a messenger.

Pandemonium had closed to mundanes in the wee hours, but Magnus had the doors open for his people and the news they carried.

The wards had been raised when Clave special forces were engaged. According to The Raven, the Institute was able to close their standing portals but couldn’t stop them from trying to come in from outside. Magnus had sent back the assertion that none of Idris’ forces would set foot in New York. 

Raphael had arrived with word that vampires could smell Nephilim blood for half a mile around the institute, and when he went to see, the front steps were wet with the stuff.

Now, a blonde man with a great white dog at his side and runes scrawled over his visible skin was standing just inside the entrance. He brought his hands up in front of his chest, wrists crossed, thumbs touching, the sign of The Raven.

Magnus waved him nearer, watching those who remained in Pandemonium as they tracked him across the floor. Max Lightwood melted out of the shadows nearest Magnus, his Jack Russell daemon, Amada, sitting calmly at his feet. Magnus did not send him away, even as he waved others back. Max had a right to know.

The blonde man stopped a respectable distance from the raised part of the floor where Magnus sat, patient. He stood calm, settled and ready to report, and Magnus got the impression he was a man used to following orders and waiting for instruction.

“Closer,” Magnus told him, watching as his eyes flicked over Magnus and to Max. There was no recognition there, so not someone who’d known Max as a child. 

He climbed the stairs, his daemon keeping stride.

“I greet you, High Warlock.” He dipped his head, and when Magnus said nothing, continued. “Commander Lightwood requests the presence of the leaders of New York to coordinate our next actions and swears to uphold truce within the city.”

Magnus raised an eyebrow, aware of Max practically vibrating beside him at the mention of his family.

“Commander Lightwood is not the person who I would speak to.” 

The blonde’s lips curled a bit before he schooled his expression, but the flash of a smile made Magnus curious.

“The Raven, then, asks you to come. In one hour. He also asks that a message be carried to-” Here he glanced again at Max, and Magnus made an impatient gesture. Still uncertain, the man leaned closer, his words a whisper, “Magnus Bane, he’s asked to come as soon as he can.”

Magnus felt the breath rush out of him. To know that he lived, The Raven could only be one of two people, and with the way his messenger spoke, it was clear who it must be. The invite to him specifically… He swallowed the hope that burned bright.

“Very well. Tell your commander I will come. As for the other, no promises.”

With a relieved nod, the man went to leave, only for Max to come forward.

“Please. Can I come back with you? Only me.” 

Magnus watched as the two looked at each other, the blonde deeply suspicious and Max desperate. He spoke up.

“This is Max Lightwood. He only wants to see his brother.”

A spark of recognition, and the blonde smiled, relaxing some, though Magnus noted his daemon didn’t loosen at all. “They’ll be happy to see you. I’m Andrew and you can come with me.”

Max gave Magnus a quick smile and then the two were leaving.

Magnus closed his eyes, he had a meeting to get ready for. 

-

The Morning After

Alec watched the infirmary staff moving smoothly between beds, looking over those who were hurt badly enough in the fighting to still be bedridden. Most were well on the mend, runic healing and rest working double time. The dead numbered too many, though fewer than Alec had expected and mostly from the Claves forces. 

The front steps would need to be replaced from the amount of blood that had coated them as his people had fought to keep their home safe. 

It was worth it. The Downworld had come together outside, the warlocks’ wards kept Idris from sending more reinforcements, and Alec had checked this morning to see the night demon activity had all been more or less handled while they’d been out of commission. 

He pushed off the wall where he was leaning, ignoring the glare one of the medics gave him as they moved past him. Helen and her little fox daemon could give him looks all they liked, he wasn’t going to spend anymore time in a bed of his own. There was too much for him to do. 

He’d no sooner had the thought than a familiar shadow swooped over him. Kaie landed on Cahya’s head, ignoring her growl. Jace’s hand landed on Alec’s shoulder a moment later.

“If you’re going to stand around in here, you might as well let them treat you. I can tell you’re still hurting.” 

Alec grunted and shrugged his hand off. “I was only stopping by to check how we’re doing. I’m fine, nothing my iratze isn’t already taking care of. Obviously.”

Jace gave him a long look, assessing. They both knew if he was truly hurt badly enough to need care that Rani would be in danger of revealing them. The few times it had happened, including when Alec had tried to die to free Cahya, Rani had lost control of their form, shifting too fast to stay hidden. A side effect, they all assumed, of Alec’s iron will resisting the settling. Still, Jace was twice as bad about accepting care, and Alec wasn’t about to listen to him.

Before he could say anything else, Underhill stuck his head in and upon seeing them both nodded sharply.

“Commander Lightwood. My message was delivered and a commitment from the High Warlock returned. She’ll be here for a meeting.” 

Alec kept his expression carefully controlled at the pronoun, uncertain who he’d be dealing with if Magnus didn’t show.

“There’s someone else that accompanied me who wants to meet with you. Both of you, and Isabelle, in a non-official capacity. I have him waiting in your office.” Underhill looked like he was biting back a smile this time and Alec raised an eyebrow. 

“Who?” Jace cut in, his wariness clear as Kaie fluttered to his shoulder. 

Underhill did smile this time. “A young Alpha, Max Lightwood.”

Alec felt his heart leap into his throat at the thought of his little brother and he could see his own eagerness mirrored in Jace, feel it in the way their heartbeats fell into sync again. 

“I’ll go find Isabelle and send her along,” Underhill reassured them, clearly reading their impatience to see Max. 

-

Jace followed so close he was practically stepping on Alec’s heels when he let them into his office. Cahya hung back and gave a small nod to the door, letting Alec know she would stand guard for them. It relaxed him enough to focus on the room, knowing only Izzy and Chilo would be allowed to pass.

Standing with his hands clasped behind his back in a familiar pose, sandy brown hair long enough to curl at the nape of his neck, and taller than Alec expected, was Max. He turned to face them at Jace’s wordless exclamation and looked shocked as Jace closed the distance between them to pull him into a tight hug, Kaie excitedly hopping around Amada who let out a happy bark. 

As soon as Jace let him go, Alec stepped in, less abrupt but no less intense in how he hugged Max. They’d all missed him and the years in between did little to stop the wetness that gathered in Alec’s eyes as he embraced his little brother.

“I thought you weren’t going to be a tree like this asshole.” Jace said, grinning at Max.

He shrugged but his eyes weren’t dry either and his own smile looked almost painfully wide. “Werewolf thing, maybe?” He looked at them both, like he couldn’t believe it. At his feet Amada and were whispering quickly to each other, catching up faster than their people.

“Where’s Rani?” Max asked, when the silence had dragged on, and Alec realized he hadn’t said a word yet.

“In the hallway.” It was the truth, Rani was buried in Cahya’s fur, as always. “Angel, but we’ve missed you, Max. You’re safe?”

Max rolled his eyes in tandem with Jace’s slight huff. “Yes, Alec, I’m old enough to take care of myself, and besides, Downworlders look out for each other, doubly so the wolves. I have my own pack now! It’s small but we’re happy. We live together in Brooklyn.”

Alec sighed and smiled again. “I’m glad. You’ll have to tell us about-”

Izzy burst through the door, cutting him off as she flew across the room to wrap Max in her arms, Chilo rising from her shoulders to taste the air around their little brother.

“Max! You’re all grown up!” Izzy stepped back with a teary laugh. “How’s life on the other side?”

“He’s an Alpha now, Iz,” Jace said, watching Max glare at him for stealing his thunder.

“And a bartender,” he hurried to say. “I work for the High Warlock, and normally I’d be too young still, but Mag is cool about it since I don’t try to drink and I let myself be glamored to look a little older.”

“A bartender?” Alec asked, remembering the limited times he’d even seen the outside of a club, mundane or otherwise. It didn’t seem like the safest profession, but then again, Max was a werewolf.

“Oh! If you’re friends with the High Warlock, you can say hi. She’s waiting for Alec right now,” Izzy said, not looking away from Max. It was something Alec could relate to. He felt like leaving  Max now, he might never see him again, but duty was calling him.

“She…is?” Max sounded a little uncertain but then he nodded. “You’ll like her, even if she is a little…dramatic.” 

Alec resisted the urge to sigh, the ache of his shoulders and his ribs was a enough reminder how done with anything dramatic he was. 

“I’m sorry, I should meet her. You can stay though, please.” Alec gestured to the space, giving up his office for his siblings was easy. He wanted the Downworld leaders to see a little of his Institute anyway, and he had a table set in the multi-purpose room that had once been the worship hall. 

Max grinned, “Try not to drool. She’s probably still dressed for holding court.”

Jace whistled and Alec made a face, answering without thought as he was comfortable with just his siblings. “She won’t distract me that way.”

Max opened his mouth in surprise, and Alec could feel the way Izzy tensed, even if Chilo hadn’t hissed in alarm. Jace was still grinning, but Kaie had gone very still. Max just laughed and Amada’s bright laughter joined his.

“She’ll be disappointed.”

The tension between them evaporated, and Jace reached to pull Max closer, laughing as Izzy teased Max about his clear appreciation for the High Warlock’s looks. Alec wanted to stay with them a little longer, but this was important for so many reasons.

He called a quick, “I’ll be back when I can,” and stepped back into the hallway. Cahya was waiting for him, though she seemed agitated.

They started down a hall to the ops floor where Underhill most likely had the High Warlock waiting in an atrium.

“The High Warlock is here. Max seems to know her.” 

Cahya just nodded and Alec took a deep breath. “I promise, I will do what I can to have her arrange a meeting with Magnus.”

Cahya paused and Alec looked at her. “If she knows Magnus, she’ll know immediately that I’m his. His magic is part of me too.”

“I can’t leave you behind,” Alec said, throat tightening at the idea that their secret might be out. He was only barely ready to accept that Cahya would be leaving with Magnus, let alone a stranger who might think it necessary to try and take her. If they could even bypass the binding spell.

“Of course not. Have her meet us in your room instead, it’s private and might give us a chance to explain.” Cahya nudged him lightly with her soft nose.

“You want me to invite her to my bedroom?” 

“You were the one who gave up your office.”

Alec could almost hear Rani laughing from his hiding spot and gave in with a groan. “Fine. I’ll send a message to Aline. She’ll make fun of me, but she’s not going to make as many assumptions as some of the others.”

Cahya looked pleased as she led him toward his room, her tail flicking in the air behind her.

-

The High Warlock looked amused when Aline let her in. She had tanned skin and hair that curled softly around her face in a red a few shades deeper than the long dress she wore. It was silky, high slitted, and caught the light when she moved, and Alec could agree with Max, though the effort was wasted on him.

“Thank you for accepting my invite. I apologize for the odd choice of space, but my office is occupied and there were some… concerns about the content of our conversation. In regards to that, I must express my gratitude for your early arrival, since it will give us time to discuss a somewhat delicate issue.” Alec put every ounce of diplomacy into his words, leaving a respectful distance between them and pointedly gesturing toward the pair of chairs that would keep the bed out of their sight lines.

She smiled at him and inclined her head gracefully, sitting with a flare of her dress that revealed more of her leg. Alec wondered if he should tell her it was lost on him. 

“Thank you for having me in what I’m assuming is your bedroom? I am happy with the direction you have taken this Institute and appreciate that there is something you need to speak with me, personally, about. So, what is it?” She leaned back, with a casual twist of her wrist a drink appeared, shimmering and gold in the glass.

Cahya chose that moment to make herself known, padding around the chairs and purposely brushing along Alec’s legs, only to freeze completely at the sight of the woman.

“Wha-” Alec started, unnerved by the stillness that held Cahya in place.

“Cahya,” the woman breathed, and then her glamour melted away.

Magnus Bane, still in the dress which was suddenly much more interesting to Alec, slid out of the chair, his drink falling to the floor as he nearly crawled toward his daemon. 

Alec swallowed hard, nudging Cahya lightly with his knee when she didn’t move to close the small distance between them. She started to tremble, her whole self vibrating, her fur bristling, and Alec made a sound of worry that was mirrored by Magnus.

“Rani,” he called, hoping it would help if his daemon wasn’t in danger of being crushed when the two did come together.

Rani fluttered out of Cahya’s fur, pressing himself against Alec’s cheek and watching just as tense as Alec.

Finally, Cahya lunged forward with a soft mewling sound, knocking Magnus back and pressing her full weight against him. They both were making sounds, quietly speaking in a language that Alec didn’t understand, and Cahya was rubbing her face against Magnus’ chest and chin, heedless of how she was pulling the dress off his shoulders. 

Alec decided to give them a moment and retreated to sit on his bed instead, where he could only see parts of them. 

Rani changed into a large rabbit that Alec gratefully cuddled against his chest, stroking through Rani’s fur in a calming pattern. They stayed, enjoying the feeling of being close to one another, until Cahya’s low voice called to them.

Alec reluctantly set Rani down, watching him flicker between forms too fast to identify all of them. It made his stomach clench, and the ache that lived in him pulsed. He’d long thought of that tender spot as the consequence for not allowing his daemon to settle and every time his emotions overwhelmed Rani’s form like this, he only became more certain of that.

Magnus’ golden cat eyes tracked him as he stepped back around the chairs, keeping his movements deliberate and slow. It was probably a rush of disorienting feelings to be reunited with Cahya after so many years apart, and Alec might have been the leader of a rebellious Institute, but he was still a Shadowhunter. Magnus’ long history with his family was something Alec was intimately familiar with and something he was terribly ashamed of. It wasn’t just the birthday gift incident. His parents had personally hunted Magnus, killed his friends, helped torture the Whitlaws and those they tried to protect. He was hyperaware, as he slowly sat back down in the chair he had first occupied, of the gulf of blood and stolen souls between them.

Rani, panting with the effort of holding one form, slowly crawled closer as a long-eared mouse. Cahya made a low chuffing sound and Rani flinched like he never had from her before, his form flickering again until it stopped, leaving a small skunk pressed shakily against Alec’s ankle.

“Rani-” Cahya started, her voice low and pained. Alec hated to see her hurt for them, but he couldn’t stop the wave of guilt nor could he fully look away from Magnus.

Tears streaked golden makeup down Magnus’ cheeks. His expression was torn open, and his fingers were curled tight enough in Cahya’s fur it looked painful. In return Cahya’s claws had clearly drawn blood from his bare shoulder in her need to be closer, his dress sluggishly darkened where it was soaking in. He was still staring at Alec, an unhappy twist to his lips.

“You kept her,” Magnus said, his voice raw and scraped thin. Alec wanted to close his eyes against the words, the accusation in them. He didn’t. Magnus deserved more than that.

“I had too.” He swallowed hard, holding himself still as Rani shoved his little body into the leg of Alec’s pants with violent trembles. “I didn’t know how to free her, and it wasn’t safe to ask.”

Magnus’ expression twisted into one of anger. “You had my daemon, you touched her and kept her against her will for more than a decade because you were afraid to ask for help? Because only a warlock could help you, and you knew any of my people would have killed you for the slight so you just… did nothing? I thought you would grow into someone better from the child I met. I thought you were The Raven, but you’re only another disappointment with a pretty face, I see.”

Alec’s ears were ringing and he had to press his hands tightly together, his bones nearly creaking. Magnus was clearly overwhelmed. He was angry and twisted up from getting Cahya back, and he didn’t know Alec, not really. The hope that Alec had carefully tried to smother, that he would get to know Magnus, the man whose soul companion had been nearly as dear to Alec as his own daemon, that he might get to still see Cahya, guttered in his chest and went cold.

Another weight pressed against his legs, and he watched in shock as Cahya pressed her face against his shins, her body stretched between the two of them. Magnus’ breath audibly stuttered, and Alec looked to him to see a mirror of shock.

“You are angry, my abang. You’ve earned that anger, but Alec has not. He wasn’t afraid for his own safety, he was worried for ours.” Cahya’s long tail twitched as she spoke, nosing at Rani’s hidden form as she did. “If the Clave knew you lived, if breaking the binding between Alec and I failed, if the warlock who we tried to hire wasn’t capable, what then? We were confined to Alicante for so long. When we finally made it out of the city, when we took over New York, we agreed that we would wait for this moment.”

Rani, calmed by Cahya’s proximity and firm tone, slid out of his hiding place and changed into a snow leopard, larger than her, to rub their faces together. 

“You agreed?” Magnus asked, wiping at his tears and obviously trying to rein himself in. He sounded more confused now, less angry.

“Of course,” Cahya said, her words muffled in Rani’s fur. 

“If she thought it was safe sooner, I would have done anything to get her back to you. It took us ages to figure out how far away from me she could go, how to work together like she was mine, so no one would know. I-” Alec took a deep breath, knowing there was no real way to make up for any of it, but especially this. “I’m sorry I touched her. I had to. In battle we couldn’t feel each other, and we had to make it real in front of the Clave.”

“And I enjoyed it,” Cahya said, matter-of-fact.

Magnus tipped his head forward, frowning. “I came to enjoy it as well. It should have always felt like a violation, but it stopped being that a long time ago. I am…sorry I lashed out at you. This is…”

“A lot,” Alec said, nodding.

“So much,” Magnus agreed, beginning to smile.

“If I’m not banned for my outburst, could we possibly pick this up after the meetings we are both expected at in the next ten minutes?” Magnus nodded at the clock hanging over Alec’s dresser.

“Shit,” Alec said, pushing to his feet and looking between their daemons.

“You’re not going to be seated next to me. The others might already be here. How do you want to do this?” Alec asked, thinking how he would hate to be separated from his daemon in Magnus’ shoes, even by a few feet. 

“Over the years, I’ve convinced people, with a little glamor and the help of unsuspecting birds in the park, that ‘Maggie’s’ daemon is a magpie. I don’t want to announce who I really am yet. Things are already unstable enough and, although I am fabulous, I would like more time to understand what’s happened to Cahya since we parted.” Magnus ran a hand down Cahya’s spine, his expression broken open and wondering.

Alec felt Rani’s large, furry head nudge against him, and a moment later his daemon was a magpie instead. His feathers were blinding snow white against an oil-slick sheen of prismatic black. He preened a little under Alec’s attention and hopped a step closer to Magnus.  

“Fair’s fair,” Rani said in his soft voice, and Alec swallowed hard at the implication.

Cahya touched Rani constantly, but she was another daemon. It didn’t register to Alec’s senses, except that Rani felt comfortable with her. Magnus was altogether different. 

Rani took another hop and Magnus stared at him, eyes wide in surprise. Alec swallowed his worry. Rani would be perfectly safe, no one would know that he was Alec's during the meeting and Magnus wasn't going to hurt him. They might not know each other, but Alec had spent years with the literal representation of Magnus' innermost soul. He knew what he needed to; he could trust Magnus with this. 

Magnus' gaze darted between Rani and Alec, his fingers kneading into Cahya's fur loosening as Rani plucked at the hem of his dress delicately. 

"Are you certain?" Magnus asked, one hand slowly leaving Cahya to hover just in front of Rani.

Alec took a deep breath, steeling himself for the feeling of another's hand on his daemon as Rani stretched toward Magnus' hand, his wings trembling. He'd been a bird then too, when Robert had grabbed him and torn from him the final ingredient in the spell that bound Cahya.

"I am," Alec said.

Magnus' hand dropped to meet Rani, burgundy nails like tiny clawed points running between the fine feathers on the top of Rani's dark head. Alec couldn't make himself blink, staring at where golden brown skin met black feathers even as he swayed, breath leaving him in a rush. It felt warm. Nothing like the cold, unwelcome violation of his father's grasp, just a warm trickle through him, stealing his words and calming his thoughts. It was half-familiar, undoubtedly from his experience with Cahya. 

Rani hummed, pressing into the light touch, and Magnus relaxed, quietly petting him as Alec watched, breathing slow and trancelike, until Cahya's rolling laugh broke the spell.

"You're late," she informed them both, and Alec jerked, swearing as he realized she was right.

-

Alec was exhausted by the time the meeting was over. Meeting was a light way of phrasing the only barely non-hostile beginnings, as leaders of various groups from New York's Downworld had arrived at the Institute, upset by the lack of neutral ground in some cases and understanding of Alec's position in others. They'd just weathered a major offensive, he couldn't leave the reach of his people just yet, but with "Maggie" on his side and Max chiming in that this was the "big brother" he talked about, things had smoothed over well enough. Agreements had been made to formalize a peace treaty, with a new location decided on by the majority. That it was an event hall that had most recently hosted a senior prom seemed to delight and amuse Magnus a great deal. 

Still, it had taken him longer than he wanted to explain how he had come to be the Raven and what the plan for his people in New York was now that they had broken from the Clave. He had to table questions that had come flying from every group about what the next steps were, unable to fully commit a plan of action without coordinating his people and getting word from the spies still in Idris. 

When he'd revealed he was waiting on inside information, most had been content to let his lack of concrete plan go, happy enough with the long-term goal of dismantling the current Clave. 

Raphael Santiago had pressed him a little harder, but backed off quickly enough when he pointed out that they were not the only Institute that had gone rogue last night and he needed to have a full check-in with the other four.  That had served to remind the group that given the ability to wait until more pieces were in place, Alec wouldn't have called them together. It was a sign of his desire to build connection and ensure that everyone had a say in the next move, as well as the need of his people to have allies should the Clave retaliate further that he had requested a meeting so quickly.

After, he stood by the door, thanking those that had come and seeing them out, hoping his sincerity was showing through his weariness. When only Max, "Maggie", and Raphael remained, he let himself sag a little. At his feet Cahya was laying with her paws folded under her chin, feigning the same tiredness. 

Rani was quietly settled on "Maggie's" shoulder, looking for all the world like he belonged there perfectly. He'd spent most of the meeting perched on the arm of a chair, but as Alec grew more tired, had moved closer to Magnus. 

Jace and Izzy joined them as it became clear that no one else was leaving anytime soon. Izzy gave him a soft smile and headed for Max, while Jace leaned against the wall beside him. Kaie was on his shoulder, staring at Rani with slitted eyes.

"So. How did the pre-meeting meeting go?" Jace asked, voice low.

Alec wanted to laugh, especially as Kaie's feathers puffed up when Rani caw-ed in her direction. He had no idea how to explain, Jace would be the best to understand, his and Alec's linked souls the closest comparison there was to the relationship between Alec and Cahya's person. 

"Well. Very well. Maggie and I need to talk a bit more though." Alec couldn't stop the tired smirk from curling his lips and Jace caught on immediately.

"No." He swiveled to stare at the pretty woman who was currently scowling playfully at Raphael. "No way. That's him?"

Alec nodded. "Yeah. He dropped the glamour when we spoke and he saw Cahya."

Jace started to grin, Kaie shuffling uneasily. Alec was tempted to nudge him hard enough to unseat her, if only to stop whatever Jace had to say. 

"Was he still in the dress?"

Alec rolled his eyes. "Yes. Was a little too preoccupied with reuniting with his daemon after a decade to bother changing his clothes."

Jace sobered a bit, but he still waggled his eyebrows at Alec. Kaie's sharp eyes turned to Alec, "If Cahya is his, who-?"

She trailed off, her eyes widening at the same time Jace's mouth popped open. Alec sighed and nodded, holding up his hand to stop any more questions as he watched Raphael step away from Magnus.

"Later," Alec said firmly, and Jace nodded.

Raphael shook his hand with his usual formal grace. "Until next time, Lightwood."  

Alec offered him a smile that was a little warmer than the other leaders had gotten. Raphael had been one of the few who knew he was the Raven, since Alec had helped him remove Camille. Raphael left without another word.

"Maggie" approached him next, rocking on her heels as she stopped in front of him and Jace.

"Is there any way we could continue our earlier conversation?" she asked, smiling a little. 

Jace clapped Alec's shoulder. "Take him to the roof. Iz, Max and I can catch up and run interference. Anyone needs anything, we'll take care of it for a bit and get Max up to speed on all our drama."

Alec sighed in relief, nodding at them both. "The roof will work great. Just remember"—he caught Jace as he started to walk away—"Max is a leader too, there are areas he's not allowed to go anymore. He's got more responsibility than just our little brother."

Jace's face pinched, unhappy with the reminder, but he nodded once and Alec let him go.

-

Magnus let the glamour drop as soon as they were alone on the roof. Alec had led him through a series of quiet hallways in the residential wing of the Institute and up a secluded stairway until they were in the open air.

A couple of deck chairs and a large waterproof crate were set up in the flat open space. Alec easily opened the crate and pulled out a large cushion and pile of blankets. Cahya, clearly familiar with the space, started dragging the cushion into place. Rani, obviously exhausted as he had not left Magnus’ shoulder yet, swayed to press his head against Magnus’ cheek.

The flush of familiar comfort that rushed through Magnus brought his attention back to Alec, who was settling onto the cushion, his hand rubbing over Cahya’s head unconsciously as he did.

Magnus swallowed and came to join him, pausing to snap himself into a more comfortable outfit. He still chose a red dress of softer fabric that ruched comfortably at his thighs with a pair of creamy chocolate leggings so he could fold himself down next to Alec without issue.

When they were both comfortable, the silence stretched. Neither of them knew what to say, it seemed. 

When Cahya yawned, curling between them lazily and easily pressing against them both, Magnus realized he should give Rani back. It was strange, how comfortable he felt with another person's daemon settled close, touching him with every shift of the little bird body.

He reached toward Alec, making a bridge with his arm as he set his hand lightly on Alec's shoulder. Rani was tired and this would give him the excuse to go to his person. Alec looked at his hand, then at Rani, his face softening in understanding.

"Before you fall asleep on me, pretty bird," Magnus said, smiling as Rani bobbed his head and took a step. He almost started when he felt Rani change shape, his light magpie shifting to a ferret and quickly bounding over his arm to curl around Alec's shoulders. He blinked at Magnus slowly.

"I could use a nap," Rani said, his voice soft and slow. Magnus resisted the urge to coo at the  daemon, even as Cahya huffed, "You could both use a nap.” She looked at Magnus, fondly exasperated “They hardly slept before the battle, and they certainly haven't slept since."

Magnus gave Alec a playful chiding look. "That's not the most effective leadership decision."

Alec, however, tensed and Magnus wanted to take it back. "I'm only teasing, Alexander. You've done admirably."

He dipped his head and as they sat in silence again, slowly relaxing. His breathing slowed and Rani went loose around his shoulders until Magnus was certain that Alec was starting to drift off.

"Alec?"

"Sorry. I was just...thinking. It's been so crazy, I've hardly had time to look into the curse recently and there wasn't anything in Idris. I don't know how to let Cahya go with you. I swear I wouldn't stop her if I knew how it worked, I'm sorry. You can stay as long as you want, we'll figure something out. I would let you take Rani, to be sure that I was trying, but I'm not a warlock. He can't go far from me or I- We'll-" Alec swallowed, looking distraught as his thick brows pulled together, and he trailed off.

"I wouldn't be so dramatic, Alexander," Magnus said, lightly. "You've already let me borrow sweet Rani more than enough, more than I would have asked for. I'm very used to being away from Cahya. We spent plenty of time apart before any Lightwood shenanigans and we'll be just fine visiting each other until we solve this curse."

Alec frowned. "You're sure? I wouldn't keep her from you."

Magnus offered him a smile, running his fingers through the fur between Cahya's ears and listening to her purring in contentment. 

"I'm certain for that precise reason." Magnus laughed a little, leaning forward conspiratorially and delighting in the way Alec leaned toward him. "She's a perfect excuse to visit you."

Alec blinked in surprise, a pleased little smile starting to curl his lips. "Yeah?"

Magnus grinned outright then. "Yes. You're fascinating to me, you know. And I feel you've unlocked something in me, more than simply returning my daemon to me."

There was color growing in Alec's cheeks and he looked down, tipping his head to press a cheek into sleeping Rani's soft fur. Magnus took the moment to properly look at them. Alec was obviously tired, worn a bit thin from his endeavors as The Raven, but still so strong and so sweet. He was lovely, his hair a bit messy from the breeze on the roof, his lips soft looking and he looked more relaxed than Magnus had seen him today. Rani was a sleek grey and his ferret form was-

Magnus blinked. Right, he'd noticed before but been in too much of a haze finally being back in touch with Cahya.  Alec was twelve when Magnus had been his birthday present, nearly of the age when daemons settled. Now he was well into adulthood, twenty-three and a leader and yet, Rani still changed shape.

"Alexander." Magnus hesitated and Alec looked at him again, clearly reading the change in his tone.

"I know, you're only playing at flirting, Magnus, it's alright, I didn't expect-" Alec started, his chin tipping up and Magnus couldn't let that misconception go. He held a finger over Alec's lips, watching him quiet with a confused little expression.

"You see?" Cahya purred and, yes, Magnus did see. 

"I am absolutely offended you think I would do that. I am genuinely interested in you, you beautiful creature. Now let me be serious about something else for a moment, then I can go back to correcting your ridiculous assumption that you shouldn't expect me to be very invested in taking you out for a drink." Magnus gave him a pointed look, enjoying the way that Alec's cheeks flared with color at the direct words.

"I-I would...yes," Alec managed, starting to grin. "Yes to the drink. And letting you be serious."

Cahya chuffed at them both and resumed her low purr, undoubtedly helping them to stay relaxed as Magnus broached the topic that worried him most. 

"Rani still changes."

Alec made a soft sound of discontent. "He has to. What if he settled as something too big and I couldn't hide him? No one has two daemons, and saying he was a pet would mean letting people touch him, besides their daemons would know immediately. He never settled, we wouldn't let it happen."

"Alec, no one can stop their daemon from settling by sheer force of will. It's impossible." Magnus let his magic curl visible from his right palm and lifted it slightly, so Alec would see it. "I believe it might have to do with the curse that your father put on Cahya, may I?"

The wisps of blue magic were easily reaching toward Alec, recognizing him from his long acquaintance with Magnus' soul, and Magnus was gratified to see a kind of wonderment in Alec's gaze as he nodded, watching the magic as it washed over Rani. The daemon woke, blinking muzzily at the light of Magnus' powers and easily uncurling, nearly falling from Alec's shoulders as he obviously enjoyed the touch of it. 

Daemons were magic, in a way, the sort that was powerful and ancient and beyond understanding, no matter how hard the Spiral Labyrinth attempted to uncover their secrets. Still, Magnus had never seen one bask in magic the way Rani was, his little head tipped back and happy trills leaving him as Alec ended up having to cradle him. A tender look had taken over Alec's face as he watched, and it really set in for Magnus.

Here was a Shadowhunter who had spent years barely getting to see his own daemon, afraid of being caught or interacting with them too much, because he was keeping the daemon of a warlock safe. Here was a man who had done what so many said was impossible and ousted the Clave from Magnus' city, who had opened his doors and worked to bring  his people and the downworld together. 

Even if Magnus wasn't so drawn to him, even if Magnus hadn't found him immediately beautiful, he would want to help Alec and Rani.

He forced himself to re-focus on what his magic was telling him, the threads he could feel that wove between Cahya and Rani and on to Alec. The bond between daemon and person had been frayed and rewoven with a new thread among them.

With a push of his power, Magnus brought the visual to bear for Alec to see as well.

"Here." He lightly touched the glimmer of brilliant blue among the silver of Alec's bond to Rani. There were thin strands of gold from Alec's end as well, but Magnus knew a parabatai link when he saw one.

"What is this?" Alec asked, staring in awe, the light from the bond dancing in his eyes. Rani, too, was watching the threads with wide eyes, inherently aware of what he was seeing.

"It's us. That's the tie between us, the parts of you that reach out and become...me," Rani said, his voice small and filled with wonder.

"It is," Magnus confirmed. "The silver is all you,. The blue however, is the answer to why your daemon never settled." Magnus let the very tip of his finger touch the thread of his own soul, watching Alec shudder and feeling the echo in his bones. "This is me. This is a piece of my bond with Cahya, cut from me and wound into yours. It's more than enough to keep her tethered to you. You said yourself, you aren't a warlock, you cannot go far from your daemon."

"She's not mine," Alec choked, horrified.

"A piece of her is. This is what your father did, he tied her to you just enough that she cannot be far from you, though further than your true daemon. The magic that makes daemons what they are is so tangled here. This sort of spell should never have been made, nor used. It especially was not meant to be used on a child with an unsettled daemon. Cahya is hundreds of years old, Alexander, she has been settled for longer than mortals live." Magnus sighed heavily. "I can only assume that your father didn't know the risk of what he was doing. There was every chance this would have killed you, or broken the bond between you and your own daemon completely."

Cahya made a hissing sound, and Rani huddled close to Alec, looking alarmed. Alec tucked Rani closer still and nodded once, sharp. 

"He probably thought it was worth the risk," Alec said, simply and unaffected, moving on before Magnus could say anything to that. "Can it be fixed? Or do I need to make arrangements so you can be with her?"

"Arrangements? Alec, what are you-?"

"I can't live with you, full time, I have too much to do here, but Cahya and I know how far from me she can go, so maybe I could get an apartment closer to you so she can be with you, or-" Alec was staring off at the sky now, clearly ready to make plans and leave behind the strange vulnerability. 

Magnus let the visible bond fade as he tried to stop himself making faces at Alec. 

"I'm sure that we can find a way to undo the curse before it ever comes to that. I'm more concerned about helping your Rani settle. That's the first and most important thing. Once he's settled it will be much safer to try separating my bond from yours." 

"How do I do that?" Rani asked.

Magnus had no answer for that, nor, it seemed, did Cahya or Alec.

-

Leaving his daemon was harder than Magnus wanted to show. He re-glamoured himself, after pressing his face into Cahya's fur the way he hadn't since Camille left him in shreds, decades ago. Alec offered to walk him out, but he declined with a flippant excuse about not wanting to start rumors about Alec and Maggie, though in truth he was hoping Alec would take the opportunity to go to sleep. He also didn't want to have to try and casually tell them good-bye at the door again. 

Watching Rani turn back into a moth and disappear into Cahya's fur had bothered him more than he thought it would, but he'd still taken his leave.

The next day found Magnus restless. 

Nothing was distracting him, not Chairman Meow who he kept wondering how Cahya would react to, not his apothecary when he remembered her easily helping him with potions. He wanted to go back to her. He wanted to see Alexander again.

A treacherous thought cropped up.

Alec had already offered to live with him or near him. He could say they needed to be together until Rani settled and they could separate Cahya. He could be weak about this, beg Alec to make it a priority and delegate what he could of the budding rebellion. 

He could be selfish.

Magnus cleared his throat, snapping away the potion that was already a hopeless endeavor. He needed to think of something else. Anything else.

His phone rang and he snatched it, not looking at who was calling.

"You've reached the High Warlock. This will be very expensive if you're rude." Maggie’s voice, just a register above his own, came easily.

“I’ll try not to run up my bill,” Alec greeted him, his tone warm and teasing. “Hello, Magnus.”

Magnus grinned. “Alexander. Think of an Angel, after all. What can I do for you?”

“I wanted to see how you were doing. I know this isn’t easy for you and I’m sorry.” 

The same feeling that he’d always associated with Alec touching Cahya bloomed in his chest, warmer than ever, and he fell into his favorite chair with a dramatic little twirl, just because. “I’m just fine. I miss her, and I would love to spend more time in your darling company, but I can handle waiting.”

There was a long silence, and Magnus found himself tugging his earlobe, worried that he might have given Alec the wrong impression, somehow.

“What if you didn’t have to?”

“Have to what, Alec?” Magnus asked, hopeful.

“Honestly, without having to deal with Clave paperwork, the Institute can spare me for a couple hours this evening. We were well prepared and our losses were far from what I accounted for when we cut the core from Idris, so we’re in great shape, all things considered. The Clave isn’t going to move on us again so quickly, especially not with the Downworld supporting us.” He took an audible breath and Magnus pressed the phone tighter to his ear. “Were you serious about that drink?”

A giddy, bubbly feeling that was all too familiar welled up, and Magnus sighed happily. The first flush of interest returned was wonderful. “I was. Tonight, then? I know a few places we might go.”

“Actually…I was thinking I could come to yours? That way you can be with Cahya properly, too. Also-” Alec sounded a little embarrassed, and Magnus thought he could hear another voice that sounded suspiciously like Jace in the background, “- also, I want to see you not Maggie, or even the High Warlock.”

“That would be lovely, Alec. I will send you my address so we can both pretend it isn’t in a file somewhere. Does five work for you? We can have an early dinner and a drink, and I can even return you to your Shadowhunters before prime demon hours.” Magnus hoped that Alec could hear how much this meant to him.

“Can we say six?” Alec asked as Jace shouted, “He doesn’t have to be returned!” 

“Six. It’s a date,” Magnus promised and he could hear Alec smile. He could also hear Kaie squalling and the familiar sound of Cahya hissing. “Go, save your parabatai from our girl.”

“I’ll see you tonight. Bye, Magnus.”

The call ended and Magnus took a moment to lean back in his chair, head tipped back. They had a date tonight. He’d see Cahya again, and maybe get to see Alec and Rani relax again.

“Oh!” He popped back up, going to find Chairman Meow. “Come, Chairman, we need to look our best for our guests.”

-

After a dinner of food from his favorite Ethiopian place, that Alec had grinned over and fed bites of to Rani, they were relaxing in the living room. 

Magnus’ table was covered in cocktails that Alec was systematically sipping his way through and making faces that ranged from “disgusted” to “confused, but not bad” in an attempt to find one he liked best.

Rani and Cahya were curled at their feet, a pair of leopards, though Rani was a larger snow leopard still. It was such a picture of a good, calm evening that Magnus’ face hurt from smiling.

Alec picked up a tiny glass, barely the size of a thimble, and tipped it into his mouth before Magnus could warn him. The face he made was one of shock and then immediately after a tightly twisted mouth as the sour, astringent liquor hit. 

Magnus couldn’t help the way he started laughing, especially as Rani jumped to his feet, fur bristling in alarm as Alec coughed.

“That’s…wow,” Alec managed, setting the thimble glass down like it was a bomb.

“It’s really meant to be drunk with this.“ Magnus held up a shot glass of sweet liqueur. “I think we can certainly rule it out though.” 

He took a sip of the sticky sweet shot, turning to Alec to ask what he wanted to try next only to be surprised by how close Alec was suddenly, leaning into his space. 

“I want to try it.” 

Magnus swallowed and set the shot glass down, watching Alec’s eyes dart to his mouth, still wet from the drink. “Alright.”

A warm palm cupped his neck and Alec’s intent gaze searched his face. Magnus knew that he couldn’t have done this before, and decided to help him. He pushed into Alec’s touch, brushing their lips together lightly and then sighing softly against Alec as he deepened the kiss. 

Alec’s hands were burning as they cupped his chin, like he was precious, and Magnus let one of his own hands lift to tangle in Alec’s hair. With a light swipe of Alec’s tongue, Magnus opened to him, tasting a strange blend of their drinks, the lingering sour in Alec’s mouth. 

With a low sound, one of Alec’s hands dropped to Magnus' waist, pulling them closer together. He was twisted on the couch to face Magnus, but it didn’t matter as he tipped further toward Magnus. 

A pleased rumbling sound finally broke them apart, and Magnus turned to look at their daemons as Alec pressed his forehead to Magnus’ temple, gathering himself.

The sound was coming from Rani, who had his eyes closed, his fur was black with a pattern only visible where the light hit him and he had shifted from another leopard to a jaguar. With her head laying on his shoulder, Cahya slowly blinked up at Magnus, equally content though her own purr was much softer.

Magnus felt Alec pull back to look at their daemons as well and tore his own gaze from them to watch Alec. There was a tenderness in his expression, his lips parted and upturned as he gently reached down and very deliberately ran his fingers through Cahya’s fur before continuing to scratch Rani’s own large head. 

In hundreds of years, Magnus had only rarely let his long-term partners touch Cahya, and even then it was never with the casual ease that Alec did. None of them had ever felt right, but this did. It always had. 

Rani was pressing into Alec’s touch happily and Magnus swallowed before leaning forward as well, his shoulder pressed closed to Alec’s. He buried his fingers in Rani’s fur along his side, feeling the thick soft pelt and the way that Alec’s breathing hitched beside him. 

“See?” Cahya asked, though Magnus wasn’t sure who she was directing the questions to. 

“I said he’d learn how mushy you are,” she said, giving Alec an amused look as Magnus shifted to lay his hand in her fur instead.

“You also said he wouldn’t like me at first.” Alec told her, fondness heavy in his voice.

Magnus scoffed, “What’s not to like?”

-

The morning light woke Magnus, his face scrunching against the brightness as it slanted across his face. From the general direction of his hip came a grumble that did not sound at all like-

“ ‘at time ‘st?” a groggy Alexander Lightwood asked, blinking and struggling to sit up from where he was slumped against Magnus, his face having been obviously pillowed against Magnus’ hip.

Magnus smiled, a sleepy and delighted thing that he couldn’t stop if he’d wanted to. 

“It’s just about eight,” Cahya answered, and yawned immediately; her fangs on full display. Rani mimicked the action, still a jaguar with his own impressive set of incisors. It was much cuter than it should have been.

“Crap,” Alec said, drawing Magnus’ attention back.

“We stayed up later than I expected.” Magnus shifted around until he could stretch back, wincing at the feeling of his slept-in clothes and undoubtedly messy makeup. “You’re a fascinating person with very interesting opinions on important martial writings and I am a scintillating conversationalist, anyone you’re late getting back to will surely understand.”

Alec rolled his eyes, but there was fondness in the action, and Magnus considered it a win. He snapped himself into a fresh outfit, fitted jewel blue pants and a black shirt with a loose drape, nothing too dramatic this morning. His face felt better with a wave of his hand to clean up and adjust the coloring of his makeup, softening it to a more suitable day look.

When he was done, Alec was just looking at him, lips parted.

“What?” 

Alec blinked and Cahya made a chuffing noise in the back of her throat, nudging Rani’s shoulder as he grumbled back. 

“You’re amazing,” Alec said, no trace of flattery to it, and Magnus felt his cheeks flush with pleased color. With a crooked little grin, Alec continued, “Even if you’ve heard too many conspiracies about Sun Tzu.”

Magnus gasped in mock offense. “Just because I think that the intention of his writings was angling more toward sounding like a good advisor, à la Macheivelli, does not mean I believe in conspiracy.”

“Magnus,” Cahya said, patiently.

“Okay. Maybe a few ‘conspiracies,’ but I was right about the most recent one! Though, it’s only a conspiracy in the very original sense.” He finally pushed up from the couch, watching as Alec did the same, twisting this way and that to stretch.

“What was it?” 

“That you were the Raven.” 

Alec stilled, blinking at Magnus. “You mean when I sent Underhill with the message?”

Magnus turned away from him a moment, trying not to feel embarrassed about his assumption. He’d only met Alec once, a child who had said little to him, been horribly violated by his father, and then helped him plan an escape. 

“Not…exactly,” Magnus hedged.

“When?” Alec asked, curious.

“How long after you learned he was Commander in New York?” Cahya’s warm voice asked, making Magnus turn back around, tugging at his earlobe a bit.

“Oh, about a month, maybe? I’d been in touch with the Raven off and on and knew they must have been in Idris, but then they started to address problems more locally relevant, and I thought it was someone who’d been moved here. I found out you were here not much later and well…I don’t think anyone else would’ve realized, but I drew some lines.” 

Magnus could remember the immediate hope, when he learned Alec was so close. The hope that Cahya would be returned to him and that Alec had grown into as good a man as he had the potential to be.

“Magnus…” Alec shook his head, cheeks a little flushed. “Well. I’m glad you didn’t think I was an awful person, if you thought I might be the Raven that whole time.”

Magnus stepped closer to him, running a hand down his arm reassuringly. “I hoped. I wanted it to be you. Lucky me, that I usually get what I want.”

Alec’s smile went soft and wide, his heart so obviously on his sleeve that Magnus had to swallow against an answering surge of warmth. They barely knew each other, and yet-

Cahya leaned into Alec’s touches as naturally as his own. Rani felt just as comfortable when he was on Magnus’ shoulder as his own daemon might’ve. Alec’s siblings seemed supportive of them already, and Magnus couldn’t deny the feeling like something was unfurling in his chest. Some bloom he’d neglected for so long he was surprised to find the bulb of it even still existed, let alone had the potential to flourish under Alec’s sweet gaze.

“We should, uh-” Alec started, gesturing vaguely toward Magnus’ front door and tugging on his shirt with the other hand, clearly meaning to leave before he was any later to the Institute.

“Yes. Of course.” Magnus sighed. “I don’t suppose my company would be welcome?”

Alec frowned, his eyebrows drawing together until a determined glint entered his eye. He stepped fully into Magnus’ space, cupping his cheek and leaning close, before pausing just a moment, like he wanted to be sure. Magnus melted into the touch and was happy to find Alec’s lips pressed against his, soft and closed and just as lovely as their kisses traded during the night before.

When Alec pulled back he offered an apologetic smile. “I’m going to have a lot on my plate. Your company, and your counsel, would be very welcome, but not until this afternoon.”

“Ooh, we could have a lunch meeting. I’m just so charming I have to stick around after, of course.” Magnus could summon something for them, it would give him a perfect excuse to sit and chat with Alexander uninterrupted again and learn a little about what foods he liked.

“Of course.” Alec said, his tone lilting into nearly a tease, and Magnus was delighted. 

“You’d better be on your way. If we’re going to meet later, I need to look Maggie’s best.” He made a shooing motion and Alec laughed.

“Alright. Rani?”

Rani shook himself off, standing up and stretching his long body lazily before taking a breath and going perfectly still.

“You’ll need to hide again,” Alec said.

Rani took another breath, his face scrunching. “I can’t.” 

The words fell between them, and Magnus watched as realization dawned on Alec, Cahya’s tail wiggling the way it did when she was terribly pleased with herself.

“You’ve settled.” Alec breathed at the same moment Magnus pointed at Cahya and said, “You knew!”

Rani pressed his long body against Alec’s knees, twisting around them to glare at Cahya.

“I didn’t know,” she said, sounding smug. “I thought it was likely. Something in you, Rani, just seemed to slot into place. Good. This is much simpler.”

“How?” Alec sounded like he was used to her proclamations like this. 

“Magnus does not need an excuse to have breakfast and lunch with us. Also, Maggie has no reason to make an appearance.” She sniffed.

Magnus stared at her, and then at Alec as he started laughing, Rani’s soft laughter joining in.

“You don’t like Maggie?” 

“Chop, chop,” Rani choked out, still laughing.

Cahya only stood with a swish of her tail and headed toward the door. “You’ve a resurrection to plan. Chop, chop.”

Alec grinned at him and Magnus resigned himself to this being his life now. They still needed to release Cahya from the binding spell after all. Something he realized, he was very much fine with taking a while.

“So,” Alec said, taking Magnus’ hand in his after fondly flicking one of Cahya’s ears on his way. “Where should we get breakfast and draft your Magnus Bane returns from the dead speech?”

Magnus laughed, stumbling closer as Rani nudged behind his knees. “Anywhere you want, Alexander.”

[madthetruemad]

Wahh, I ran over as soon as I got the notification of your reply. I've started playing zenless and I think I've been spoiled by hsr cuz I feel like there's not even polychromes 😭😭. I want Astra Yao but I'm tryna save my money for mydei. Broke life

I've been thinking more about how y/n and fei fei could meet. Maybe she's out picnicking. Randomly, she sees one of yuanie's cat pets stuck on a tree. Climbs to save like the cute princess she is and falls in the process while fei fei whips up a window and literally princess carries her. (Pun intended).

___

To me, if jing yuan is the lion(secretly a cat), the fei fei is the cute albino wolf. I think y/n would be a hamster. Yk, cute and a little skittish but smart at the same time with good instincts.

Au! Jing yuan's world if there were all animals : by mei!

Fei fei : white wolf, protective and loyal. She's also part borison so yeh!

Yuanie : lion, territorial and the thick manes. Maybe cat, too? 24/7 eepy. For a specific cat, it would have to be Persian cat. Cuz oh that floof is strong with this one.

Mozzarella : my not so favorite spy because fack u for causing y/n to die in her first life. He would be a bat...maybe a beaver? Bat because they're nocturnal and blend in the darkness

Uncle Jiaoqiu : Foxy little fox who's also a master chef.

Geppie : Since both his siblings are named after cat breeds, including him. He shall be a gepard cat. Ik, so creative.

Punch bag Yanqing: corgi, need I say less?

Bladie: would be the black cat trope. That's a lot of cats, yes. And fack you too bcz of his ass acting y/n got caught. He automatically fails her acting course.

And fack dhil bcuz i was this close 🤏🤏to getting hit by truck kun, isekai as y/n and strangle the shit out of him.

___

Ughh. I miss jing Yuan. I hope they make a luofu part 3. Even though I have him, I still want more lore of him. I have him at e2 only T-T.

---

I have a few more head canons for our dear emperor and his vassal(fei fei)

1. Yuanie love love love^10000000 cuddles. This lion man would be the best pillow. Imagine using his arm like a pillow while spooning.

2. Fei fei blushes and purrs(?) When y/n touches her ears/ tails. I think this is super cute, and I know wolves don't purr, but I hope you add a scene like this. Pretty plsss 🥺🥺🙏🙏 with a cherry on top and a cat on your lap along with body pillow jing yuan?

3. Yuanie let's y/n bury her face in his floofy hair. I literally wish I was sparrow whenever I see his idle. Like THAT SHOULD'VE BEEN ME!!!!

4. Fei fei also starts wearing compression shirts after seeing y/n loves it so much when yuanie wears one. I would be salivating. 🫢🫢🫢

5. Jing yuan's favorite smexy time position is ...folding you in half. 😳😳😳. Cuz...yk breeding kink

6. Fei fei's favorite has to be anything where she can kiss you.

7. If this was yandere, jing yuan would be the aware one

8. And fei fei would be the delusional one. Idk why but it kinda just works for me.

---

Imagine being sandwiched by two generals ahhhhhhh. 🛐🛐🛐. I'm so down bad for both of them. Sounds like a dream honestly

---

Is chicken wing boy gonna be part of y/n's harem? Or is she satisfied with fei fei and yuan? Oop--.

---

Why do I have a feeling that chicken wing boy wants to use y/n to free himself, since I assume he's been reduced to a spirit/soul so he can't roam around to free himself to go round 2 with jing yuan (don't take this out of context pls).

---

Personally, I am questioning sundae man's choices bcz literally blade and not boothil????? There must be a reason, yea? But I'm wondering what it could be.

Istg, boothill has better acting. And he's a sexy Texas criminal cowboy. Take my money.

---

Bladie better redeem himself big time! And jing yuan too. If I was y/n I'd be throwing hands with every single maid In the palace.

---

Here are a couple lore and world building questions!!!:

1. Does jy have lightning lord?

2. If jy has lightning lord does fei fei also have her wolf?

3. Are they long life species like the Canon?

4. There must be a limit to sunday man's power because if there wasn't, he could just rewind time till jing yuan was never born. Therefore, no one would be there to kill him and he has better chances if winning against jy in the rematch 🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯

5. If the concept of aeons exist since sunday himself was close to or became an aeon, do pathstriders exist? If yes. What type of role do you think they specialize in gameplay? Like hunt single target and erudition aoe

6. Does sanctus medics exist and will they be handed to the story?

7. Will we ever get to see yanqing? I imagine him being very very good friend with y/n and he would treat her like guardian figure

---

That's the end of my long winded interview. I hope you don't mind the simp and blade slander. We can always simp together. As always, don't push yourself and stay hydrated!!! Good night, good morning, and good evening. It's nearly 12 am for me right now. So good night <3333

I get what you mean XD feels like we have to work a bit harder for pulls in zzz then hsr. (Though, for me I'd say genshin is far worse for me lol) but anyway, I hope you'll be able to get astra yao!!!!

Lol, when y/n finally does meet feixiao I bet it'll be quite the spectacle!!!

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XD cats, cats everywhere! Y/n will definitely never catch a break with all of them around especially as a hamster

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I miss jing yuan too 🥹 hopefully when they expand the Xianzhou alliance, they won't forget about the luofu...

As of right now i have jing yuan at e6 and his lightcone 😎 he's been my main even before he got that major buff from sunday

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1. Definitely. Cuddles 100%

2. I can see her doing that 👀 I hear wolves grumble/growl when they're affectionate with someone

3. Y/n will definitely try this at some point in time 🤭

4. She definitely would do that just to get y/n's attention

5. 😳🫣 fr, he can fold me in half any day- i mean, who said???

6. Ofc 😳

7. & 8. I can see them fighting it out for you. Neither of them would want to share at all lol

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Sign me up for that sandwich XD

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He may be a part of the harem, just depends if he's a bad guy or not 👀

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Oh, he definitely wants a second chance 💯

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To sunday, he thinks blade will be more reliable than boothill ;>

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Redemption arcs incoming lmao 🤣

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1. he does

2. She does too

3. Yep!

4. There is definitely a limit to what sunday can control (and who)

5. I feel like even though aeons exists along with paths, they aren't tied down to game mechanics, so Feixiao and other characters who are single target can attack all they want and aren't limited to single attacks (kind of like how they are portrayed in their character animation trailers on the hsr channel)

6. They will be mentioned/make an appearance

7. Yanqing will show up soon, he's just busy in the au storyline right now ^-^

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I feel bad for blade, but hopefully he can make a comeback soon XD and same to you!!!

[miasudare]

Ladies and Gentlemen the boi you have been waiting for!

(Please note that it's not rule 63, it's canon that pj is genderfluid and the second version is just to add color to the character)

Name: Paperjam (PJ/Jams/J-J) @7goodangel

Age: 18

Gender Fluid (any pronouns - he/him preferred)

He mostly grew up with his mom around. Since Error was still in school the time him and his twin Gradient born. But their dad always tried his best to be a part their life as much as possible. Pj always looks up to him. When he was 2 his brother Cil was born and he take the "older sibling" thing a little too serious. Even to this day she cares about Cil more than anyone. She is currently living with her father for 6 years. He doesn't like to talk about his mother.

PJ is known for being the extremely hot-headed, jerky and sassy student in the school. He can't stand people generally and is quite mean towards the newbies. Sometimes Fell or SF messes with them just to make them angry. But his lover Omni is always there if he gets a little bit too mad. If Omni isn't there her group will always make sure that the fight is settled. And since his "passion" for fights is very noticeable, you might see him around the faculty room a lot. It doesn't mean that they are bad at their classes ofc. I mean, your father works with these people of course you're gonna get free tutoring from them. You have to have good grades now.

He is the captain of the basketball team. He is pretty short when you compare her to her teammates. 1.70? (5.5) But that doesn't stop him from winning every game.

At lunch time if he is bored, he goes to the library to mess with his cousin Goth. Goth usually gives her his ancient legends books since PJ kinda likes dark magic and stories about it so she would leave him alone.

His room is messy. She has some classic posters on the wall, like the basketball team she likes, a very attractive lady, her favorite singers album cover etc. He has a corner filled with sports equipment and unused cloth materials.

☆She usually runs away from home at night to mess around with his friends. Error isn't happy about this at all.

☆They are usually mean but if they love you at one point, you'll see that they are quite sweet and relaxed.

☆She has a plush collection of everyone she knows. She likes to sew a lot like her father but is scared of anyone knowing this since this kind of hobby is quite ridiculous to others. He keeps the plushes in a chest.

☆He is allergic to feathers and Palette having a sparrow is not helping.

☆She has Atelophobia (fear of being imperfection). He wants to be best at everything and tries to be like his father. He wonders if she would be the next destroyer.

☆They like drawing too. They usually try to make animations by themselves. Then he gets frustrated and chokes a plushie.

☆He likes make up. Also pink stuff. And shiny stuff. With glitter and everything.

[serikyl]

For the ask game: Terry Jr?

• How I feel about this character

TJ!!! I adore that tall ridiculous man : D

I want to draw and write him more

• All the people I ship romantically with this character

Romantically! I have been a Tergrant shipper since way back in s1, even before I knew we’d see them again in s2, I’ve held the headcanon that they dated in high school. To me! They are very much a Right Person Wrong Time type of ship, there are many timelines where they end up together

I also ship him with Veronica, we rarely get to see her, so to me, she’s a former goth, closet twilight renaissance girlie, and the two of them nerd out over both being former goths

Oh oh, and I love the idea of him and Lark having a single awkward kiss they don’t speak about/an office hookup bc it’s funny to me

• My non-romantic OTP for this character

Nonromantic!

…. Also Grant 😂 They’re important to each other

I’m also fond of him and Nicky, and him and Sparrow

• My unpopular opinion about this character

Ugh, okay, I’m… nervous to admit this one and I’m politely begging people to be nice here, but I’ve always pictured him as white. From day one, he’s looked a bit similar to Ron Stoppable to me and I weirded up his design from there as I went.

I think it was a word association thing tbh, bc he’d been described as “blond” and then Ron’s name was said

To me, he’s the one friend who is glow in the dark, and everyone hounds him about sunblock, while he reminds them that melanin doesn’t protect them all from skin cancer.

To be super clear about that, I love the versions of him that are black, I adore them. But! I got into the fandom really late despite listening since s1, and ended up picturing him differently.

I picture visual headcanons to work like Spiderverse, all the TJ’s imagined by each of us could theoretically meet if we got real fucky with time and space : D

• One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

I wish we’d gotten to hear TJ talk to Grant after the Chimera, but Darryl interrupted and I am HAUNTED about it bc what were they going to talk about, I need to knowwww, what if Grant got to have a kiss from the person he never expected!!! : O

Anyway! Thats about it for TJ : D

Please feel free to ask for more characters, I love this kind of thing *u*