#simon & raphael brotp

[jakeluppin]

Simon Lewis 🤲🏻

1: sexuality headcanon: 100% Not Straight. i'd say probably bi/pan, but i could also see him being gay as well. 2: otp: obviously simon/raphael 3: brotp: i do love simon/clary obviously but i also love simon/luke and their friendship 4: notp: simon/magnus is so weird to me... i don't think i have any that are major Nos but yeah. maybe also simon/clary, just not a big fan of it. 5: first headcanon that pops into my head: before he was turned, he didn't go to synagogue super regularly. and obviously right after he felt like a monster and he felt like he couldn't ever go again. but over time he grew into himself and understanding that no, he's not a monster. so he reached out to his rabbi and is basically just like, "So, ya know, totally hypothetical, obviously, but what about vampires and drinking blood? Kosher?" and then they talk and simon gives probably too much detail that his rabbi is definitely thinking there might be something Going On. but soon after simon starts attending services more regularly. and during this time simon and his rabbi are meeting and talking more about life and what it means to be a good person and what it means to be a monster (because, well, simon is sure he isn't but not quite 100%) and then at some point he brings someone with him and they're holding hands and after services the rabbi sees simon give the boy a small kiss before going up and saying hi to the rabbi. the rabbi saw and the two talk and basically the rabbi assumes that simon's whole obsession with talking about being a good person and not being a monster was because he's gay and was dealing with some big internalized homophobia. 6: favorite line from this character: "What? Come out of the coffin?" 7: one way in which I relate to this character: jewish, not straight, in love with raphael 8: thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character: i mean he's an Idiot sometimes but not so much embarrassment 9: cinnamon roll or problematic fave? cinnamon roll

send me a character

[normal-thoughts-official]

Ur take on a malec beauty and the beast au please

ugh you got me in a difficult position here because on the one hand, i do love the idea of a beauty and the beast malec au. i just think the idea of a socially isolated person who thinks themself/is perceived as monstruous and who has locked away their heart and doesn't believe they could ever be loved fits magnus like a glove. but on the other hand, i don't want to make magnus, a brown character, animalistic, for obvious reasons. and i can't really think of a way to make him monstruous that doesn't fall into animalization/beastification (both racist tropes) or ableist tropes

so i'm thinking... maybe the spell is just that people are repulsed by him/fear him automatically? like it just creates this horrible almost impossible to ignore repulsive/fear/"fight or flight activating" aura around him for absolutely no reason and makes ppl be repulsed and/or hate him. even if it doesn't change his appearance at all. it's not really a changing or shifting spell, more like a spell of hatred

which like.... i know doesn't sound like anything poc/queer people don't already go through but there is a main difference which is that it makes it impossible to find a community. like even other brown and queer people look at him and feel this... huge disgust and even fear and might even hide and so the isolation is absolutely total and it fucking hurts. and besides it is one thing (a very bad thing) to walk around and have to be on constant alert because you never know if someone is going to be violent, and have to deal with occasional comments and disgusted reactions... it's another to consistently have like, children screaming and people cowering 100% of the time without exception, you know? he's basically living the life ppl with social anxiety think they live and he has nowhere to turn to, no one who understands or who's more likely to actually want to talk to him because of his differences. there's no one to lean on. even the people who love him aren't immune to it, even if of course they are not turning their backs on him

so anyway here are my thoughts: this was totally done by camille lol beacuse the whole backstory about being mean to an elderly lady doesn't fit magnus anyway and also i just like sprinkling camille angst where i can. so after magnus finally got himself free of her and her stupid claws she hexxed him back into isolation. both as punishment (a kinda "if you don't want me, then you have no one" logic) and just to make him more vulnerable because again, abusers want you alone and isolated and away from a support network so you are more dependant on them and more likely to buy into their thwarped logic if they can immerse you in it. so she's just trying to manipulate him into getting back with her, because she wants him and most of all his power

and basically you know the drill, if he doesn't find anyone who will love him romantically until the rose withers yada yada he will die. and again she just wants to make the spell so it constantly drives home how alone he is and how he can't find anyone who will love him (except for her), and make it so he's more and more likely to come back to her as time goes by because then the spell will be broken

(sidenote: camille obviously doesn't actually love him, because anyone who does that to someone doesn't love them. but as the one who cast the spell, she can lift it whenever she wants. so all she has to do is kiss him and lift the spell and be like "see, magnus? who else would love you like this, but me? even after all these years?". and honestly if it had come to that magnus would know she was lying because there is no way this is love, none. but anyway it doesn't come to that, that's just what her plan is)

anyway it still doesn't work because magnus is done and he won't get back to her, and he particularly doesn't want to get back with her after, you know, all this trashfire. and he just sets his jaw and is like "fine" and accepts that he will live however long he still has with his friends and people he loves and away from her, basically

and like gosh sidenote but this would have been so painful for his friends. camille very deliberately made it romantic love because she knows magnus has so many fucking people who love him, but him and the immortal squad have found family dynamics, not romantic ones. so there is nothing they can do even though their love for magnus is just... so real and pure and they hate to see him like this, hate to know that right when he finally got rid of her she made sure he still couldn't go out in the world. especially since magnus has always been so damn sociable, loved to be surrounded by people and to meet them and care for them. but here he is, walking as hidden as he can and with his head down avoiding eye contact because he knows the horror is there and some children run away screaming when they see him

and i just picture this desperate little scene with raphael in particular where he's just like.... "i'll try to kiss you. we have to try" and magnus is all, "my boy, you don't even like kissing, and she was very adamant that it had to be romantic" and raphael is almost in tears like "but i do love you, goddamn it! i should be able to undo this spell" and it's so sweet that he's trying and willing to be in this really awkward position where he kisses (yikes) magnus (which is just weird especially since magnus is kind of a father figure to him) because he's just... so desperate to have him free of her, finally, once and for all, you know?

but obviously it doesn't work, not even with dot, who had a kinda fling with him in the past but doesn't really feel Romantic Love™ for him even though she does love him, it's just... not what the spell requires. and it's unfair as hell and there are lots of tears but just the fact that magnus falls asleep surrounded in a teary cuddle pile after some of the absolute worst kisses of his life because his friends/family love him enough to put themselves in such an uncomfortable position in the hopes of making him free, is enough to make him feel a little better. and the fact that they are still there for him and obviously still love him so fiercely even though looking at him now literally evokes fight or flight instincts in them is already more than anything camille could ever give him. if anything, she's proven how loved magnus is

and that helps him get through it that day and is something he tries to hold unto in the worst days, but still, it's hard and it just... sucks. it's tiring to go out in the street and always have people staring at you and to see the horror in their faces and be so isolated and never really know what might happen, if he will be attacked or harrassed or what exactly will happen. so he isolates himself more and more and soon the only people who ever see him or visit him are his friends. and fuck, do they hate seeing him like this

things settle in a weird kind of way. magnus is still living his life and working as a wizard and etc and in a way the spell even helps him have some more credibility because you know, isolated scary person is kinda what ppl expect from wizards. but he avoids having contact at all costs and mostly sends the potions they request and stuff their way, and the only ppl he sees are his friends unless he absolutely can't avoid going outside. and he's fucking miserable. and every once in a while camille will come back to be like "so, magnus, are you ready to stop with this little tantrum of yours and come back to me now? how is the rose doing, by the way?" because god forbid he catches a break

also it turns out that magnus' adoptive streak becomes even stronger because he is 1- extra lonely; and 2- empathizing more than ever with the outcasts. don't get me wrong, he always has, he's a fucking brown, bi trans man for fuck's sake. we all see ourselves in the stray dogs and lonely people one way or another. but now this is turned up to a thousand, so, you know

so he has one (1) extra kind of contact in his life which is basically with stray animals (particularly cats cuz u know, this is magnus) that he finds around in need of help. they can all leave if they want, but a lot of them stay, particularly the black cats, disabled animals, and others that have a particularly hostile environment outside. you know

(not me again with my very specific hcs about deaf pitbulls who fall in love with my faves but LOOK pitbulls are very sweet and caring animals who don't deserve the fame of monsters that they have and if the idea of one being best friend's with magnus and them having a loving and caring relationship doesn't appeal to you then idk what the fuck to tell you)

this of course doesn't help his image cuz this guy is just going there and collecting black cats and snakes and has a huge pitbull around with him at all times but it's not like it can get any worse so magnus doesn't care, and besides, he can't just leave them out to die in the cold and harrassment of middle ages white ppl who think black cats are the worst possible thing but rats carrying deadly diseases are fine (and look, i know rats are also animals that get a lot of shit and persecution, but like, seriously, clean the streets)

and every once in a while there will be a person in need too, like a homeless person in need of a place to stay or some sick person who has been abandoned or something of the sort, so magnus brings them in as well and cares for them as well as he can, but also tries to maintain minimal contact because he's been burned too many times, okay

so like, cue alec! i know in the original BATB belle ended up with the beast to save her father's life but fuck that. i lowkey consider making it "izzy ran away from home so alec comes after her and they both end up staying with magnus" but i think i like it better if it's just alec who decided to leave. like he's done with the abuse both towards him and his sister and he wants to be able to live his life even if he's gonna have to start over in some other village all alone. anywhere but here and all that

and of course alec used to be plenty rich and he has a lot of skills that help him pass by - he's a good archer and hunter, he's a good leader and organizer so he could do wonders for a failing business, he's smart and cunning - but he also has, like, 2 gold coins to his name. maybe some more from stuff he took from home and sold, but still

initially he is living at a tavern and i guess i'm making simon, raphael, and maia tavern owners again! i don't even care anymore, it suits them. rapha is the cook and the three of them run the business and simon also makes musical appearances during dinners every once in a while, and they are living the happy queer polyamorous life of their dreams. we have no choice but to stan

anyway alec is staying with them and he becomes friends with i think maia in particular since, you know, she is the one with the most contact with the customers since rapha is in the kitchen and simon is up the stage most of the time. plus they are both the same brand of bastard and they have an easy understanding between them that just works

and look! simon, raphael, and maia are 3 trans, non-christian/non-white (unnecessary addendum: the concept of whiteness didn't exist until around the 17th century, but whiteness as a concept came basically as a substitute for christianity [link to source], so i'm counting the fact that simon is jewish and raphael and maia are not culturally european as equivalent to non-whiteness in this context) people, so it's not like they would ever kick a gay man running from an abusive home out. but you know what they also are? magnus' friends. and after a while of talking to him maia thinks he is trustworthy enough for them to send magnus' way, because magnus needs as many friends as possible. plus, he wouldn't kick a person in need out, so unlike with them magnus can't really push this newcomer away so he'd have more company. plus, the possibility that he might fall in love with magnus and undo the stupid spell is there, i'm just saying! i'm not saying it WILL happen but why not give it a fucking shot?

raphael in particular is of course super protective of magnus and he swears to god that if this guy gives him half a bad look raphael will end him, which earns him some pats on the shoulder for his troubles and "rapha, we don't want magnus to be hurt either"s. maia says that she's been assessing him for quite a while now and she's pretty positive that he won't be terrible to magnus, but if she's wrong, she'll kill him personally too. and rapha trusts maia. how could he not? she's maia

so, they send alec magnus' way. "i'm sorry alec, but we are struggling to make ends meet *hides gigantic gold stash* and the tavern is packed *raphael upstairs stomps at maximum speed to make it seem like their 13 empty rooms upstairs actually have people* and we really need your room to give to this customer *simon in a wig* BUT we have a friend who we're sure will give you shelter if you ask, it's not very far away, and once we have a free room we will let you know". and alec is just like, okay, because he's been staying there for free or considerably less than the usual fee/in exchange for some stuff he hunts for quite a while now, and they are nice, so it's not like he can complain

and they don't tell him about the spell exactly because it is not their story to tell but they do let him know what to expect re: magnus' vibes and say it's a spell. and alec's like ok i guess. alec's very practical, he doesn't really care, and it's not like it's the guy's fault anyway. which is exactly why maia is sending alec there

so they send magnus a heads up ("magnus this guy is HOMELESS and we are SOOOOO packed can you please give him shelter for a little while thx xoxo"). alec arrives there a while later carrying like 3 prime rabbits he has hunted as a thank you gift because he hates being dependant on people but it's not like jobs abound in the middle ages, and he is actually a little embarrassed to go in and ask this guy he doesn't know for shelter but he IS kinda desperate. for now

anyway he is standing there with his 3 rabbits debating whether or not to knock on the door and magnus just opens it magically like "i know you're there, dear, just come in" so alec does and awkwardly presents him the rabbits and shit and is all "thanks for letting me stay, uh. i can help you with food and taking care of the house and stuff" even though, you know, magnus has magic and doesn't need it

(and magnus appreciates it deeply, because it is tiring to do it all magically on his own but most non-magical people don't even consider that)

and like... it is very awkward at first because magnus does NOT trust at all and he mostly just wants to keep away from anyone who can... look at him. but they ARE living together (oh my god they were roommates!! just kidding they each have their own room but you get it) so it's inevitable. but like magnus' insecurity makes him keep to himself for long times and makes things awkward, kinda like how the initial days with the beast and belle the beast was rude and kinda shitty except magnus is not shitty, just... private

and maybe the subject even comes up like "thanks for the meal alec. i'll go eat it in my room" "i mean, you could eat here if you want" "and ruin your appetite? no thank you" and alec is just like "*shrug* it won't ruin my appetite. unless you are my parents, the concept of failure, or some girl wanting me to marry her, i don't think there's a lot the spell can do to make me scared. besides, you literally have a kitten on top of your head right now and you refuse to remove it and are using a spell to keep her from jostling when you move" "her name is Fluffy, and she is sleeping!" "right, my bad" "wait did you say the concept of failure?" "yea"

it's not that the spell doesn't work on alec; it does, just like it works on his friends. but he is willing to go beyond that initial repulsive reaction that he knows is illogical anyway (and alec is the kind of guy who is just like "if my feelings aren't logical, i don't listen to them" which in this case is useful lmao). and the thing is that once you get to know magnus there is nothing about him that is scary, and the feeling just becomes completely ignorable, because humans are nothing if not adaptable. but most people don't want to go through the trouble to try, and magnus himself doesn't want to let himself be vulnerable enough to give them a chance because there IS a great chance that he will be met with some level of aggression, even if it's an unintentional microaggression

and eventually they grow closer and build trust. i think this happens particularly when camille steps in for one of her regularly schedule shoving-it-in-magnus'-face visits and alec is just like. "hey why don't you just use magic to keep her away?" and magnus realizes that he never even THOUGHT of that and like, jesus, how much has he been unconsciously torturing himself? so he does it, and he ends up telling alec about the story of the spell, which might be the first time he's told someone that didn't know him before the spell was cast

(alec: "so she's basically just killing you slowly?" magnus: "don't be silly, alexander. torturing me first is the most important part". and he sounds self deprecating and almost resigned and god alec feels murderous)

ohh but wait bonus: magnus says that she will only undo the spell if he gets back with her, he doesn't mention that it technically can be undone by romantic love or whatever bullshit's going on because he doesn't believe it can happen anyway, so, who cares

anyway! time goes by. fun fact: alec and magnus get along really fucking well. magnus is so so smart and knowledgeable and he shows alec many of his inventions that never got to see the light of day or that were stolen by someone else who wasn't cursed and took all the credit. he also fascinates alec with his magic, but mostly with his personality. there's something just endlessly endearing about this guy who is so fucking proud of his puns and so so nice and gentle to every creature he encounters, be it a kitten or a pitbull, who's letting alec stay with him for no reason other than that alec needs it

and alec is so goddamn appreciative of it because like he IS and we stan! and he's always trying to give back to magnus which is kind of a rarity, but most of all he's also extremely funny beneath the whole no-bullshit attitude, he's caring and fierce and resourceful and strong (so's magnus) and they click so well. they can also talk about their similar experiences with like, abuse and trauma without making it super heavy and they're just,,, so supportive of each other. so like yeah surprise surprise they fall in love

but they don't really say anything because (on magnus' part) that's just fucking ridiculous, he's a monster; and (on alec's part) he will put magnus is a way too uncomfortable position if magnus doesn't like him that way and they will just... be living together. and magnus will feel like he has to compensate to alec somehow and alec doesn't want that. it's just complicated when one of them is dependant on the other, and besides, alec has had very little to offer magnus so far

(no, he has no idea how much his company means to magnus and has brighted his depressed ass life. he is stupid)

sometimes magnus' friends visit and they're always just so happy for him, to see how he's hanging out more and let someone into his life after so long. it earns him a lot of forehead kisses and "i'm so happy to see you like this". and over time he starts to invite them over more as well as just open up back to the people in his life :')

angsty but also kind of fluffy sidenote: i picture that every time they kiss his forehead or cheek or whatever they linger for a little while and then open their eyes slowly and sigh like "i had been hoping that it would work this time. magnus, you know i love you, right?" and magnus is all like "i know just from you saying that, darling. it's just not how the spell works" and aaa

and like to be extra clear im not saying that alec fixes him or romantic love heals him or whatever, just that having let someone in, someone who didn't know him before the spell, and have them completely accept him and realize how much he had been missing out re: touch and human contact helps him realize how much he misses his friends and how pushing them away is stupid when they've never been anything if not supportive of him. they don't care that he's cursed. and obviously magnus was already on the way to that if he even managed to let alec in anyway

anyway! dramatic healing scene. LOOK. usually i'd be all for "they don't change back actually because people don't have to look beautiful to be lovable". like the original BATB disappointed me sooo badly because i had just been hoping that he'd stay the same way and still be loved. but in this case it's not that magnus doesn't look beautiful! it's that the spell has made him be hated by people for no reason other than existing. and breaking the spell is not changing magnus himself, it's changing that hatred. so, yeah. i'm not saying it's a deep metaphor or anything, just, you know daudhasdja it's different from the usual monster thing

and i'm torn here because on the one hand i LOVE the drama of the original BATB where everyone decides to gather to kill the beast and belle saves him and shit, but idk if it fits with the vibe ive been building here. no actually @ me shut the fuck up. you know how i mentioned that they kick camille out with magic finally? i actually had no intentions of following through with this in any way but like of COURSE she would be absolutely pissed out of her mind and want to get back in some way, we already know she's vindictive. so i'm gonna use that. this is what neil gailman meant when he said that writing is just making a rough draft and then writing it again but like it's on purpose this time

anyway! so after they yeet her camille is obviously furious and fuming and it might have finally dawned on her that magnus will NOT fucking cave and she is losing power over him, not gaining it. so she decides to play a last card and get him to almost die so he kind of HAS to take her bid, you know? so she makes up some shit about how magnus has kidnapped the lightwood heir and she's only now hearing about it, and no one else is safe and yada yada. and she has "proof" because alec IS indeed there and again the spell just helps everyone easily agree with her that magnus is That Kind Of Guy or whatever, and middle ages ppl weren't exactly waiting for a good enough reason to grab their pitchforks. and they don't even KNOW about the spell, really. all they know is that he's very powerful, secluded, and they all fear and almost hate him just from one look

so camille makes up some bullshit story about how he made a deal with the devil to become extra powerful, and that the source of his powers is the rose, so they have to get rid of the rose to kill him. (sidenote: i never understood why the hell the rose was never used as a weakness against the beast. like was he keeping it super guarded and safe just for the fucking shits?) so they devise an attack so someone can sneak up and get the rose, and camille makes up some bullshit story about how they have to destroy the rose a specific way so it takes longer and she has time to manipulate magnus before he dies. man, it's easy to be a villain when your target is secluded

anyway! big attack at magnus' house. magnus' friends don't hear about it until it's too late because camille knows exactly who they are and warned them that they were on "the witch's" side. alec is maybe away hunting when it happens? camille obviously has magic in this AU so she can check for that information. maybe she even says that she will be the one responsible for finding the lightwood heir so there is minimal risk of him revealing that she lied lmao

oh no, violence! they battle and yada yada. catarina is probably the first one to realize what is happening because i figure she, madzie, and dot are the ones who live closest to magnus'. they send fire messages and get ragnor, simon, maia, raphael, and meliorn to help. oh yeah, and alec i genuinely forgot trust me to forget about romance in a romance-focused au. but alec is the only one of them without any magical resources and he's far away and on foot, so he's gonna be the last to get there, which camille had been counting on

but alec or no alec, they can keep the attackers at bay because they're all powerful and smart and shit and a lot of them have magic as opposed to the mundanes who don't, but of course that's mostly because they are holding off on attacking and the invasion is mostly a distraction because their PLAN is to use the rose. and camille tells them all to leave once the petal puckering starts so she can "protect them from any lashouts" (have her big villain speech). and it's not like any of magnus' friends is gonna leave to go after them when magnus is dying, bUT they also won't attack camille because she's his only hope. and they won't be able to get to stop the rose plucking in time because that's in another room and while she made it slower than something that the person can use to kill him in a second it's also not slow enough for them to get there on time (maybe there's a spell against magic use near where magnus keeps the rose? just for extra safety, so the ones with magic can't portal there or whatever)

anyway. big villain speech. magnus screams in pain every time a new petal is plucked. his friends are either running to the rose thing desperately or trying to get camille to stop this madness, she's going to kill him for fuck's sake. i don't know which chooses to do what so you can figure that out i guess. and for that extra drama, right when the last petal was going to be plucked, wee woo alec lightwood arrives! and he went straight for the rose because magnus had told him about it and he figured that there was a good chance the attackers might go for it. so he shoots the person's leg or something and gets them away from the rose and yay, day saved! mostly. because now there is only one petal left to fall before magnus dies, so at the very least, his lifespan has been shortened considerably. also, he is still in pain

i'm torn about what happens to camille then. on the one hand, i love killing camille! bonding activities for the whole family. on the other, she kinda is the only one who can save him now. they all know magnus won't want to get back with her, but hey, it's not like camille wants a relationship! she wants magnus to be her asset. a relationship was just the best way to get him to do that she had initially. but magnus doesn't want to cave and be dependant of her, so, you know. but maybe they can try to convince her to stop this fucking madness, god knows how

so okay yeah no camille-killing yet because they don't want to jeopardize magnus' safety, so she just leaves convinced that either way, she wins, and this might be the best possible scenario actually because magnus will have lots of times to think it over and be real desperate and come to her and strike a deal. so, yay her! she just needs to lie to the mundanes that the mission was successful or whatever, and it's not like that's gonna be hard because magnus won't want to be seen there again, so

we are all running to check up on magnus now. he's kinda like, on the ground coughing blood, but he'll live for as long as the last rose doesn't fall. still, they all settle on trying to help him, getting him in bed, tending to his wounds, etc. and thinking about what the fuck they are all going to do now. so you have raphael and maia making magnus soup, simon running his mouth as he throws around ideas on how they can fix this, ragnor, cat, dot, and madzie (who is here now that the danger is over ofc) checking and rechecking magnus' vitals for the billionth time and trying to figure out how much time they have, meliorn using their fae powers to stop his pain. and madzie is all snuggled in bed with magnus holding his hand and asking if he wants her to tell him a bedtime story, and magnus just... feels cared for and loved

alec meanwhile i think would tell what ACTUALLY happened to the person who was doing the rose thing - i actually have thought about it and think it might make sense for it to be luke. just because i love him and it kinda fits the whole "initially sided with shadowhunters, lately became a downworlder" thing. and like luke genuinely believed he was saving a person/people so alec brings him in too and magnus is all "catarina, dear, can you help heal his leg? i would, but i don't think i have enough magic right now" because he is the sweetest man immediately wanting to help the guy who almost killed him. and luke is in awe

(and alec brings him on purpose, too, because he knows that anyone who actually talks to magnus for a little while will see what an amazing person he is. and he hopes that luke, as a mundane, can tell the others that and turn them against camille)

and after that, of course, alec sits down by magnus' side and Does Not Leave. he's just there holding his hand and talking to him and magnus' friends, who are all also kind of. sitting there, trying to snuggle up in a gigantic pile of like 10 ppl to cuddle close to magnus and make sure he feels loved and cared for and that they know he is real. madzie gets special privileges in that sense because she's smaller and also a kid, so she gets to be kinda snuggled up with him. so alec has to be content with holding magnus' hand lmao (which he is, he's just happy that he's alive and okay. and he has a whole plan to get camille to undo the spell, mostly involving getting the mundanes against her and telling her that she is only safe for as long as magnus lives, because once he dies, she will have a bunch of ppl who will hunt her down to the faces of the earth to make her pay for what she did to him. the only reason they didn't do that yet is because she can still save magnus' live, so is she really going to let him die knowing that she will be next?)

so alec takes his hand and tells magnus that they will fix this, he promises, and give a little kiss on magnus' hand. just a little peck, no deep intentions, but magnus gasps a little because he feels something, and his eyes water a little bit because he's so touch starved and tired and hurt and alec kissed his hand and he can feel this kind of ache inside him, somehow a good ache, but he just can't explain it. and so alec notices his watery eyes and he very tenderly wipes his tears away and tells him that they're all on his side, will always be, and kisses him on the forehead. and this kiss? this kiss is full of adoration and love and purpose, and magnus gasps and the wounds that hadn't been healed suddenly mend together, and the petals that had fallen go back to the rose before it disappears in a beautiful flash of light, and suddenly magnus' magic is back full force and he just looks at himself for a second, and everyone erupts into joy because holy shit, the spell is broken

and alec is so confused because again! he didn't kNOW about the whole true love's kiss thing or he would have asked magnus to let him kiss him as soon as he learnt about his feelings, because even if magnus didn't feel the same way, alec could undo the spell. and he's like "why the hell didn't you tell me?? we could have fixed this months ago" and magnus is like "i didn't think it would make a difference. wait, you're in love with me? have been for months?" and alec is like "first of all, yes. second of all, i have nothing else to say, i just said 'first of all' because i was so indignant"

and magnus laughs and jumps on him and kisses him on the mouth this time and they are both smiling and laughing into it and so so happy. and raphael is kind of just peppering kisses on maia's face too, like, "you were right, he undid the spell, thank you" and maia was never sure that this would happen but she will take the credit actually please and thank you

and they all live happily ever after and kill camille together the end i guess. god this post was so long i'm so sorry

[bytheangell]

Twist of Fate

(Advent Prompt: Costume) (Saphael, mentions of alcohol)  (Read on AO3) 

“You all know the rules,” Jace announces loudly. Simon looks at him with the amount of dread proportional to someone about to face their own death. “Each of you has a carton of eggnog, spiked with a little something special courtesy of yours truly.”

“Gross,” comes a voice from the back, followed by an equal mixture of groans and laughs.

“It’s alcohol, pervs,” Jace clarifies. They all know that, but Simon appreciates the reassurance now that there are so many worse options floating through his head.

“The last one to finish - or the first one to throw up - has to wear the costume at the party tonight,” Jace concludes. Simon glances over to where the ‘sexy elf’ costume hangs next to Jace for full effect. It’s a tradition at the music fraternity, and honestly, Simon knows he should consider himself lucky that the hazing and pranks here are pretty harmless after some of the horror stories he heard about the other frats.

Unfortunately, Simon isn’t thinking about it very rationally because the idea of anyone at school seeing him in that costume is enough to send his anxiety spiking. The idea of Raphael, who he has a ridiculously huge crush on, seeing him in it… Simon might as well drop out of the fraternity, or out of college entirely, and probably just spend the rest of his days in a cave because he isn’t sure he’d ever get over that embarrassment. Because of course, this is the one party Raphael finally agreed to show up at.

“I can’t lose this,” Simon mutters to Alec, who stands beside him. Alec hates all of this just as much as Simon does, and they bond over their dislike of these ridiculous competitions and challenges often. “I invited someone tonight…”

“Someone?” Alec asks, an eyebrow raised. “Or Raphael?”

Okay, so maybe Simon’s crush isn’t as subtle as he sometimes likes to think it is.

“Someone who may or may not be Rapahel,” Simon continues. “And if I have to show up in that I won’t even be able to say hi, let alone try to ask him out.”

Alec looks like he’s about to say something, but before he can Jace is counting down for them to begin.

Simon makes it through about half of his carton before he can feel his stomach start to rumble. He's never been great at chugging anything, let alone eggnog. One of the others is already done judging from a sudden round of cheers, and Simon looks around in panic as another finishes right after before going back to forcing down more of his own carton of thick, spiked eggnog.

“I’m going to lose,” Simon mutters to himself, chancing another glance to the side. “Maybe it’s fate. It’s definitely a sign, inviting him was a terrible idea...”

Alec hesitates beside him. “If you don’t lose, will you ask him out?”

“What?” Simon asks, taking the briefest second between drinking to respond, very aware of another person finishing next to Alec.

“If you don’t have to wear the stupid costume,” Alec emphasizes. “Swear you’ll finally ask him out and I’ll never have to listen to you moping and pining again.”

Simon’s brows furrow. “Sure. Why the fuck not,” Simon answers. “Not like it matters, because-”

A moment later Alec turns and, after a pause, puts on a good show of doubling over and looking queasy just long enough for Simon to realize what he’s doing and finish the last of his eggnog, leaving Alec the last one with eggnog left.

“Looks like Alec is this year’s Sexy Elf,” Jace announces, looking pleasantly surprised by the sudden turn of events at the end.

“Why did you do that?” Simon asks.

“‘Thank you, Alec.’ ‘I appreciate you saving me from public humiliation, Alec.’,” Alec says, in a higher-pitched, squeakier voice Simon realizes is meant to be him.

“I mean yeah, thank you,” Simon adds quickly. “But why?”

Alec shakes his head. “Because it’s halfway through our senior year, and as your friend, I cannot stand by and watch you make another excuse to not ask Raphael out. So now you have to follow through, because if I end up wearing that for nothing I will make the rest of this year a living hell for you, Lewis.”

Simon gulps, watching Alec take the costume and walk away without another word.

---

Simon watches Alec grab a drink with his boyfriend, Magnus, who in a show of solidarity came to the party in a sexy Santa costume to match Alec’s punishment sexy elf outfit.

“I’m a little mad at how well they pull that off,” Raphael says beside him, and Simon jumps a little in surprise. He didn’t hear him walk up over the music. “Don’t let Magnus know I said that, though. I tried to talk him out of it the entire time he got ready.”

“Your secret’s safe with me,” Simon says with a nervous laugh.

Alec makes very pointed eye contact with Simon and he knows it’s now or never. He’s not entirely sure what Alec might do if he chickens out again, and he doesn’t particularly want to find out. Especially not when what he could be finding out is if he has even the slightest chance with Raphael.

“Hey,” Simon starts, doing his best to sound nonchalant. “I’ve been meaning to ask you…”

“Ask me what?” Raphael prompts when Simon hesitates, falling silent.

“...out,” Simon says, realizing this is probably the lamest way to actually ask someone out, but at least he said the word. “Ask you out. Like, on a date. With me.”

Raphael looks surprised, and for a moment Simon is positive he’s going to say no before a small smile crosses his features. “I’d like that,” Raphael agrees.

“Yeah?” Simon says, sounding relieved. “I mean, uh yeah! Great! Maybe dinner after we get back from break?”

“Dinner sounds good,” Raphael says. “But I’d love to start with a dance right now,” he adds, reaching a hand out for Simon to take, which he does. He can’t believe he didn’t say something sooner, but he’s definitely going to make the most of the time they have left at school together… and hopefully a long, long while after that, too.

[shadowhunterspolycule]

hopping off that last ask a little bit just to do a slightly less cracky take: meliorn

so meliorn can speak any language because ✨magic✨ and of course it's a little tricky because again, language isn't an exact science, much less translation, but in short it's like they can automatically have equivalents of a word in their head and reply accordingly. so nuances of the language are lost - which is why they sometimes sound weird or too posh - but communication is very easy

and then of course over time they learn more about the nuances and words that are associated with certain contexts and you know, the whole thing about languages. particularly english in this case as it's the one they use the most but i also like to think that they try to learn spanish and yiddish, like, for real? because they always hear their partners speaking spanish and they know it would mean a lot to simon if they learnt yiddish For Real as so many people look down on the language. especially because raphael and maia are already trying to learn it, so, you know, meliorn can join in

and just like... they aren't pretending to not know the languages but they want to actually learn them from the start, their structure and stuff, not just the words, you know? because learning languages is always so fascinating and shows so much about the culture(s) that language belongs to, and it's really so interesting and enriching and meliorn is in love with the cultural diversity of non-seelies

so it's just soft hours with izzy, raphael, and simon all trying to explain the same concept to him, except they have very different approaches and it soon becomes a mess of arguing that leaves them more confused than they started rudbdjdndi in the end it's usually maia who pulls them to the side while the others are in passionate debate to explain it to them in simpler terms and meliorn is like "oh! i understand now. thank you, bella" and maia has that cute soft smile. it's also funny cuz maia is the least fluent out of them all but it is what it is

and EXTRA soft hours with simon teaching the 3 of them yiddish. it's a little infuriating cuz due to magic meliorn doesn't need to be taught the alphabet, while raphael and maia struggle with that for a bit, since they haven't learnt an alphabet since they were small kids lmao. and meliorn already basically speaks intermediate-level yiddish because ✨magic✨ so it's a bit frustrating, esp cuz rapha definitely has a little bit of a competitive side

but just hhhhhhh meliorn being fascinated by the intricacies of language even if they don't need to learn them, maybe with a pencil behind their ears as they take notes about the subjects and smile softly at each new thing they figure out..... aa

[maiaphaelsource]

anon’s great cornucopia of maiaphael prompts, part 12

ANYONE CAN FEEL FREE TO GIVE THEIR OWN THOUGHTS ON THIS PROMPT

For an entire day Maia just saying ok boomer to everything Raphael says

idahsudha this one just has “simon” written all over it. simon said that once when raphael’s attempt to tease him by pulling the “respect your elders” card backfired spectacularly and hasn’t let it go ever since. raphael gets so flustered. he’s not a boomer, he’s from the silent generation! it’s different! maia, tell him it’s different. 

“i don’t know, sounds like the same thing to me”

so now both of them are ganging up on raphael and he just regrets everything. he tries to do good on his actual generation’s name by staying silent the whole time, to not give them any room for okay boomer-ing but they somehow find a way to anyway

he is never free from it again

[intangibel]

Imagine Alec hearing someone use Alexa to control environmental things - lights, blinds, music and bailing up Simon because this, this is something he can do to make magnus’ loss of magic just a tiny bit better. He can automate the loft within and inch of its existence. He’ll buy digital candles damnit, if he can find them.

Imagine Simon being a little bit terrified because alec is weirdly intense about everything but also so freaking excited because Alec needs his advice and he's got this. Mundane technology - that's his thing. And, he has been given an unlimited budget which holy crap that's the coolest thing ever because home automation - the real kind not just your average crappy google home situation - is expensive.

Alec convincing Raphael and Catarina to help him get the technician and Simon into the loft to work their ”magic”. Catarina & Madzie assisting with spells to further enhance this fancy electronic system to respond to Magnus, doing away with the ”hey Alexa” start up phrase. Alec, Simon and Raphael making Spotify playlists to accommodate the times Alec’s heard Magnus mutter how Jazz would be perfect while glaring at his silent sound system.

Alec can't bring back magnus’ magic yet but he damn well will do whatever it takes to give him some small proxy until he figures it out.

Now imagine magnus...

[grxceblqckthxrn]

Simon: you won't like me when I'm angry

Raphael: bold of you to assume I would have liked you anyway.

[booksmusicandmagic-blog]

Ok guys listen up

If you like the show Shadowhunters, good for you!

If you like the books the Shadowhunter Chronicles, good for you!

If you ship (insert ship here) good for you!

But that doesnt mean you can hate on other people for doing something different.

[maiaphaelsource]

[image ID: two gifs of raphael and simon talking after they break out of prison. they are standing against a door, keeping it closed

simon stops, looking a little tired, and positively surprised. he says: "not bad for a mundane"

raphael almost smiles, breathing heavily. he says: "i might have lost my strength, but I'll never lose my will to fight". end ID]

[juuuuunaaaaaooooo]

Saphael Season1 “Bd/Comic” Version : Episode 9, Scene 8

King of Sass!

[normal-thoughts-official]

Okay I have this hc abt Simon that at a certain point after he starts dating Raphael, he gets it into his head that he needs—not Magnus’ approval, exactly—but to make a good impression. Raphael’s other partners, Maia and Meliorn, already have a pretty good relationship with Magnus. And maybe Simon’s apologized for some of the shit from early in the series, but he’s on nowhere near as good terms as them! Magnus isn’t the type to give a shovel talk, but he IS protective (with good reason), so he already mostly approves of Simon (anyone who can make his son happy is good in his book, and Simon DID apologize). But Simon, after some deep reflection, manages to decide that the best course of action is a 50-slide long PowerPoint titled “I just want you to know that I promise I’ll treat Raphael really well”. Magnus is mostly just amused, but touched as well. Raphael is also touched, but mostly dying of embarrassment. Maia and Meliorn think it’s adorable but also are laughing their asses off. The rest of the Polycule start wondering if they need to make PowerPoints for each other’s respective (chosen and otherwise) families.

i love everything about this ask. simon going to Magnus' for some sort of family dinner and he's like *ahem*. id like to thank magnus for this lovely event, and if allowed.... id like to say a few words *the lights dim, a powerpoint presentation begins, he has a laser pointer*

he got alec's help to set everything up in the living room so all he had to do was turn on the tv and his presentation would be there. alec only agreed because he thought itd be hilarious. he was right

the presentation is very sweet and fun tho and simon definitely fumbles a bit even tho he's Rehearsed and it features some really cute stuff like pictures of them together that simon uses to make commentary to Prove that raphael makes him happy and he'll do everything to give it back. and raphael kinda wants the earth to swallow him whole but he also kinda wants to cry. mostly to cry. wouldnt say no to being swallowed whole tho

and magnus is just like "simon i know you, i trust you with my boy" and simon is like "no, magnus, i'm making a statement here, by the time this is over i'll be your favorite of rapha's partners" and maia and mel are like "hey!!" but simon just keeps going

it lowkey starts an unofficial competition to be Magnus' Favorite even tho magnus has no favorites and he loves all of rapha's partners as long as they make rapha happy - and they do, thank you very much. but still every time they do anything for rapha theyre like "make sure to mention this to magnus :)" and rapha is all "you're insufferable. i swear you only spoil me because of him" which earns indignant splutters and a lot of cheek kisses until he takes it back

in short theyre soft and i love this

[the-great-lightwood-bane]

aight hi

character ask game for,,,,,, izzy? have you done izzy yet?

and also clary!!

I haven't done either of those yet, thank you!

Izzy

general opinion: fall in a hole and die | don’t like them | eh | they’re fine I guess | like them! | love them | actual love of my life 

I'm not as interested in Izzy as a character than I am with Magnus or Alec, but I do like her! She's badass, she's smart, she's generally a very strong female character, which I like. (Maybe she's a bit too stereotypically "badass feminine character", but that's the creator's fault, not hers.) She's a bit dismissive of Alec at the beginning of the show (like Jace and Clary), but she's very supportive elsewhere, so I like her overall.

hotness level: get away from me | meh | neutral | theoretically hot but not my type | pretty hot | gorgeous! | 10/10 would bang

Izzy is like the prettiest person ever... I like how Magnus & Alec look, but Izzy is absolutely gorgeous <3 she is excluded from the top category only because there is literally nobody who I want to bang skdjfsdksjdfhdksjh

hogwarts house: gryffindor | slytherin | ravenclaw | hufflepuff

This one's difficult... Honestly, she's very much all of them except hufflepuff. She's gryffindor in that she's brave & self-sacrificing (obviously; literally all characters are), slytherin because she's sneaky and a bit ambitious and definitely has a slytherin aesthetic w/ her whip, ravenclaw since she's a brilliant forensic pathologist. I think I will put her in slytherin, though, since basically all book characters can fit into the gryffindor slot so she's not unusual in that way, and honestly most of her ravenclaw characteristics can also be applied to slytherin.

best quality: this is surprisingly difficult... she's just a fun character? idk if that counts, but it's hard to pin down exactly what I like about her

worst quality: She's too pushy.

honestly it's kinda hard to explain what I mean here, and I feel like it might be based off of fanon rather than canon, but Izzy can be too insistent? She sometimes doesn't know when to back off.

(There's also the whole badass-female-stereotype thing that I mentioned earlier, but again, that's not Izzy's fault skdjfhsdhjkf)

ship them with: Simon

tbh I'd also be totally fine shipping her with nobody at all, but if I have to pick one person, it'd be Simon. Their dynamic is just ADORABLE (tbh any ship involving Simon is adorable), I love the "nerd hot" x more traditionally hot thing.

brotp them with: Clary, Alec

in the interests of consistency, I have again given two brotps

Clary: I gotta say I LOVED having Clary & Izzy become parabatai in the show. I'm also a huge fan of Clary & Simon as parabatai in the books, but Clary & Izzy is also just really interesting...

Alec: THE. BEST. SIBLING. RELATIONSHIP. EVER. need I say more? (no, I needn't, but I shall in any case) They're just a really good sibling pair, and they're super fun to write as siblings. Their dynamic is top-tier. They understand each other, they care for each other, it's just really good <3

needs to stay away from: Raphael

okay so this might be a bit of an uncommon opinion, idk, but I feel like their relationship in the show was very toxic and I strongly do not ship Izzy & Raphael... like I don't think they need to be enemies or anything but I feel like they're not really healthy together. So a bit of closure is fine, but I don't like them together. (not anything against Raphael btw)

misc. thoughts: love her. badass. her whip >>>>>>>

Clary

general opinion: fall in a hole and die | don’t like them | eh | they’re fine I guess | like them! | love them | actual love of my life

okay this looks worse than it is. tbh I'm just kinda neutral towards Clary? like it really depends on the context — she can be written really well in some fics, or in a way that makes me really dislike her. I'm kinda torn on the canon front since the books are from her POV, making it hard to dislike her, but I really don't like her in the show... She definitely has some interesting points, but overall her character has some major flaws as well.

hotness level: get away from me | meh | neutral | theoretically hot but not my type | pretty hot | gorgeous! | 10/10 would bang

she's... fine, I guess? sometimes she looks really pretty but other times it's kinda meh for me

hogwarts house: gryffindor | slytherin | ravenclaw | hufflepuff

I feel like this is kinda obvious... as I said with Jace, most MCs are gryffindors; Clary's just living up to that. She's hot-headed, stubborn, brave, fiery, the absolute epitome of a gryffindor.

best quality: her determination to do what is right

admittedly this has not had entirely good consequences, but she's got a very strong moral compass (if occasionally a nice set of blinders, too). If she realises that something is the right thing to do, she'll do it.

worst quality: her hot-headedness

Clary's worst problem imo is that she doesn't think. She just goes diving right ahead into things without pausing to go over the possible consequences, etc. She's definitely getting better at that as the series goes on, but it's something to work on.

ship them with: Jace

I do appreciate the occasional clizzy/claia fic, but I don't really ship either of those strongly? And she and Jace can be absolutely adorable together, so.

brotp them with: Alec

I LOVE CLARY & ALEC OKAY

they are the perfect foils for each other — impulsive vs. overthinker, emotion-driven vs. emotion-suppressing/logic-driven, short-range daggers vs. long-range bow, short vs. tall... I love their dynamic

needs to stay away from: uhhhh honestly Clary is fine, she doesn't really need to stay away from anybody...

misc. thoughts: tbh I like her more at the end of this than I did at the beginning. she's interesting, she definitely has some good points, she's got a really good redemption arc.

[carelessflower]

FOR THE ASK GAME

MAGNUS

general opinion: fall in a hole and die | don’t like them | eh | they’re fine I guess | like them! | love them | actual love of my life 

*deep breath* MAGNUS WITH HIS KIND HEART, WITH HIS WISDOM AND THE FACT THAT HE LIVED FOR SO LONG BUT STILL SO LOVING AND SO UNDERSTANDING AND AHHHH. magnus's back hurt from carrying the tsc on his back, without him the shadoworld would be in shamble. the best character, idc idc best character

hotness level: get away from me | meh | neutral | theoretically hot but not my type | pretty hot | gorgeous! | 10/10 would bang

the most beautiful, most gorgeous, hottest man that have ever grace this earth.

hogwarts house: gryffindor | slytherin | ravenclaw | hufflepuff

he's a nerd he likes to research and makes potions and literally create the freaking portal. magnus is a ravenclaw, ravenclaw through and through slytherin is a close second

best quality: the fact that magnus exist is already the best thing ever happen

worst quality:  his tendency to close off (relatable btw)

ship them with: stealth romantic attacker, archer boy who never miss, the presence of God, alexander

brotp them with:  catarina, ragnor, raphael, izzy, simon, jem, tessa, maia, lily (we need more content about this)

needs to stay away from: his dad, situation in which he's kidnapped/dragged to hell/turned into a demon

misc. thoughts: i'm not a magnus bane apologist because he has nothing to apologize for

[maiaphaelsource]

anon’s great cornucopia of maiaphael prompts, part 8

ANYONE CAN FEEL FREE TO GIVE THEIR OWN THOUGHTS ON THIS PROMPT

Pride marches with everyone! Malec and the polycule maybe the pack and clan too 

aaaaaaa another great one! i particularly like mixing this in with the idea that raphael and maia slowly become people that baby trans downworlders go to? you know? like they are just this huge iconic couple of color and they’re both also downworlders and trans and sometimes when people are struggling with their sexuality/gender, they just come for them. sometimes ace people go directly to raphael and stuff like that, but trans people usually like talking to them both. especially because they are just... so open about it and such important members of the community and everything, you know? many people admire them and follow their steps and so when they start to struggle they come to them. and with taki’s becoming a space that welcomes queer people as well that just goes double

which always fills them with so much pride and joy to be able to make other people’s lives a little easier than it was for them? you know? like they enjoy knowing that what they’ve been doing, as leaders and as members of the community and just by being vocal about themselves, is touching people and making such a difference, and that so many people seem to find them approachable and trustworthy. it’s really nice 

so i was thinking, them taking someone with them to Pride for the first time? of course they’ve been to pride plenty of times at this point, especially with the polycule, and someone close to them started slowly but surely opening up about being queer too and they go to pride with them. i’m thinking bat because i just really love nonbinary bat? (oops self promo) and she’s kind of Maia’s (and Simon’s) protege and i like to think that she also helps them out at taki’s, so... she kind of becomes raphael’s protege, too. and when she comes out as nonbinary to them, very hesitantly, they immediately welcome her with open arms and help her come to terms with that and figure out what she wants to do, you know? and they take her to pride and it’s so fun? she’s kind of self conscious as she’s still getting used to just.. big and crowded places and being so unapologetically herself, but it’s great. she has her little she/them pins and everyone respects that without blinking and that’s so exhilarating, you know? 

and raphael and maia are hand in hand, raphael has the ace pride flag painted on his cheek and a little trans flag wristband...... god i’m gonna need to lie down actually because raphael in wristbands and bracelets as a whole... and also he starts wearing the ace ring after a while and it just becomes something that he’s always wearing, once he finds out about it? and he’s smiling so wide in that way that he rarely used to, once, but that now comes easily for him, even with the noisy crowd (thankfully magnus has spells to dull the background noise and prevent sensory overload :) and they make sure to be more far behind the actual Huge Crowd for the people with sensorial issues, as well as bat who’s still getting used to all of this). and maia is just so happy in her dress and jacket filled with pride buttons and pins and patches!! some of which she even made herself?? or with raphael’s help? okay i’m gonna need to breathe but i might talk about something like this soon yeah okay it’s on my queue now stay tuned

anyway... the point is, they are happy and so... unapologetically themselves and bat’s eyes shine and raphael has that way of calmly showing her places and things. while simon and maia are more excited and dragging her all over the place. they just want to make sure she has The Best Experience, you know? each in their own way. and it’s nice

actually aaa everyone please send me more ideas about them at pride because there’s so much to talk about here!

[maiaphaelsource]

thanks for tagging ❤️❤️ i'm happy to know this blog is getting more people into the pairing. i do love some of these ideas, i hope you don't mind if i explore them a bit further

#1 in particular is super sweet i think? we usually write thinking “maia and raphael co-running taki’s”, but i had never thought about raphael helping her with recipes and etc before, even if he’s not taki’s’ cook (maybe before? it has to start somewhere, after all) 

and yes raphael just knows a lot about food and he’s always honest with her and she appreciates that, and it helps her trust him that he doesn’t beat around the bush, but is also never rude, you know? he will give her suggestions or concrit sometimes, and he will always praise her for the good parts (of which there are plenty! she is very good at her job, after all), and sometimes when he gets excited he even brings her to the kitchen and they try tweaking with it a bit

also, soon the rest of the clan becomes interested, after they’ve built some trust with her, so soon enough she has a lot of people to test out her drinks. which helps keep her menu varied, and plus the clan turns out to be quite fun once they’re not tearing each other apart, so she always enjoys it. there’s a lot of bickering over which of her ideas was the best. someone criticizes her and someone else boos. raphael rolls his eyes and hides a smile, and she’s like “hey, all opinions are welcome here” and whoever booed goes, “not if they’re wrong” 

#2 makes me so happy inside like yes the vampires having a safe place at taki’s/hunter’s moon is an absolute favorite! i love the idea of the vampires and maia becoming friends and how she goes out of her way to make sure they have a place to stay and don’t have to worry about the sunlight is very sweet. the bar has accomodations for all kinds of downworlders, of course, but this one is particularly sweet. also, more reasons for the clan and the pack to grow closer!

and #4.... ABSOLUTELY. i just love the idea of them helping each other out as leaders, not just on their obvious conjoined project of improving relationships between vampires and werewolves, but just in general? maia can get insecure, because even if she is a great leader, it’s hard and she’s young and the pack has a lot of issues to deal with after being broken up so many times. so sometimes she’ll show up unceremoneously at the dumort, just, frustrated? and asks him for help. she tries not to give too many details because she knows it certainly wouldn’t make matters easier if the pack knows that the clan knows about their issues, but raphael gets it and keeps his mouth shut and other vampires who could potentially want to start drama away. and he always not-so-subtly gives her an example from the clan itself, so there’s something of a balance in information trading. maia doesn’t need it to trust him, but the fact that he does only helps her trust him more

and honestly soon they’re both going to each other, because maia is a great leader and they have a lot of shared issues (trying to rebuild a community that was almost torn to pieces by infighting and previous leaderships) that could really use some thinking together. soon these meetings become official, and something of an alliance is born, and even other vampires and werewolves that aren’t them are attending and it’s almost like a council or something. and it’s nice and only helps strengthen them all and aaa i love this

lastly, i love wingman simon! i like the idea that he calls both of them to his gigs and then is like “shame i can’t spend a lot of time with you guys, since i have to play, but have fun!” and proceeds to sing songs that he knows the both of them like/would like (or hate! nothing like some mutual eye rolling to spark a conversation), romantic songs, etc. he’s watching them out of the corner of his eye the whole time, and it’s really unsubtle, but the two of them are too engrossed in their talk to realize what he’s doing. and when they do, well, it’s a little too late, as you’ve said

he asks them if he can sing for them on their first date and gets a simultaneous eyeroll so powerful he almost falls back. worth it, tho

Top 5 headcanons about maiaphael ?

I am making every last one of these up because to be honest? I never really thought about them much until very recently (this past week?) when I stumbled across @maiaphaelsource and went ‘WELL NOW I SHIP IT’. So we’re absolutely winging this. HERE WE GO: 

1. Raphael helps Maia come up with creative new drinks for the vampires that stop into the Hunter’s Moon, and then Taki’s. When she perfects a new mix she brings a round of it to the Dumort to test it out. 

2. Bonus to #1, no one questions why first the Jade Wolf, and then Taki’s, have blackout curtains. (It’s far enough across town that if the vampires can’t make it back to the Dumort by sunrise they know they can always find safe haven there if needed.) 

3. The first thing fledgelings are warned about (after The Essentials like not killing mundanes, Accords Laws, etc) is who Maia Roberts is and that you do NOT start trouble with her or her pack.  

4. When Maia wasn’t sold on her ability to lead her pack as Alpha, she couldn’t deny the impact her relationship with Raphael would bring to the table as a way to form a proper peace (or at least better tolerance) between the vampires and werewolves. It was a factor that eventually helped sway her to agreeing to the role. 

5. Simon not-so-subtly nudged them together. He invited both of them to his gigs all of the time, invited the two of them to his place to hang out, when he was somewhere with Saphael casually mentioned to Maia that she should show up, and vice versa to Raphael if he was somewhere with Maia. He just knew they’d hit it off and threw them into each other’s paths until they realized it, too. (Thanks to @skylar102 for bouncing ideas with me for some of these, #2 and #3 particularly

[gummybearzgocrazyagain]

the first characters i ever fell in love with: lunatic lightwood and magnificent bane

a character who’s worth i haven’t seen at first, but love now: jace and simon after TMI

my ultimate favorite characters™: LB fam, lily, raphael, elliott, kieran, elyaas

my least fav character: jocelyn

my OTP: 🏹/🔮

my NOTP: romantic clalec that’s just nasty, saphael

my brotps: LALEC, emma x cristina, kieran x diego, ragnor x raphael, lily x elliott x raphael dynamic, magnus x catarina, simon x george, jimon, merry thieves; 

misunderstood/unappreciated character i care about: robert, even though, but still

saddest death: raphael, george, robert (in this order)

favorite era: TMI/TDA

least favorite era: TLH

character that everyone else in the fandom loves, but i don’t care about: ash, anna lightwood, jesse blackthorn to name just a few

my ‘you’re piece of trash, but you’re still a fave’ fave: elliott, you sunafebitch)

my ‘guilty pleasure’ fav: asmodeus, i just can’t help it

my ‘beautiful cinnamon roll who deserves better than this’ fave: kieran

my fav crack ship: leon verlac/elliott/peng fang for the winnnn, elliott/robert, mark/gnome

my ‘i lowkey ship them, but i’m not too invested’ ship: kierarktina, sizzy, diana/gwyn, juliette/joaquin, thomastair

ship that everyone in the fandom loves, but i don’t care about: kitty, jordelia, ghost-writer

‘this made me so happy you have no idea’ moment: with such a blessed canon it is way too difficult to choose just one, so let it be at random: when alec asked jace for a sex tip in trsom, and jace delivered in his usual helpful manner, and then izzy built on that with the “grapefruit”, that was... gold

saddest moment: janus’ pov in FF, it was off the charts; also, catarina and ephraim

favorite location: i wanna say “a certain hotel in rome”, but for purposes of staying civil, let’s say... LB loft, and a Shadowhunter Academy