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la-muerta · 3 years

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first lines: fic-writers meme

Rules: List the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20, just list them all!). See if there are any patterns. Choose your favourite opening line. Then tag 10 of your favourite authors!

I was tagged by @poemsfromthealley ! Here goes, in order of most recently updated:

1. these violent delights [rated M; The Untamed/MDZS, a Romeo+Juliet AND 上海滩 (Shanghai Bund) AU]

The train pulls into the station with a wail of metal against metal and a choking cloud of dust and grey smoke.

2. Lost & Found // 有缘千里来相会 [rated T; The Untamed/MDZS, an airport meet-cute also exploring the themes of family, belonging, and the meaning of home. It’s set during Chinese New Year so there’s plenty of CNY traditions in there!]

It has been too long since Wei Ying has been back.

3. walk the plank (into dark water) [rated M; The Untamed/MDZS, a “Pirates of the Caribbean”-inspired AU with Chinese mythology mixed in, Wangxian and YanQing]

"I think we're almost there," Wei Wuxian said, straining to peer through the thick fog that surrounded them.

4. what to expect when you’re expecting the unexpected [rated E; The Untamed/MDZS, a kinkmeme prompt fill for Pregnant!Lan Zhan, featuring modern cultivators, Chinese mythology, and Wangxian being idiots]

"Well, getting in here was easier than I expected," Wei Ying remarked as they stepped into the cool darkness of the cave.

5. we’ll be carrying each other [rated T; The Untamed/MDZS, a kinkmeme prompt fill for Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian accidentally swapping bodies, featuring a lot of Yunmeng-Jiang sibling feels/emotional baggage, junior quartet, and Wangxian being idiots]

"Children! Over here!" someone called out, their voice far too loud in the silent forest.

6. show me off [rated E; The Untamed/MDZS, a Kinktober fill as well as kinkmeme prompt fill for a Zoom meeting gone very right (for Wangxian at least)]

Wei Ying doesn't know how long he's been sitting in Lan Zhan's lap.

7. Default Setting [rated E; The Untamed/MDZS, a Kinktober fill and part two of my AU where Wei Wuxian is a sexbot programmer]

Wei Ying brought his work home all the time.

8. take what you’re given [rated E; The Untamed/MDZS, a kinkmeme prompt fill for Lan Zhan fulfilling his husband’s sexual fantasies]

"Why did I agree to work with Mianmian again?" Wei Ying said with a groan, letting his head fall back as he sat down heavily on the couch.

9. Chaos Theory [rated E; The Untamed/MDZS, featuring superpowers, time travelling assassins, and mad scientist BFFs Wei Ying and Wen Qing]

Wei Ying knew better than to investigate strange noises coming from back alleys but he had never been able to leave well alone.

10. lovers be lost (but love shall not) [rated T; The Untamed/MDZS, an arranged ghost-marriage casefic set in 1910s Jiangsu, China]

"We're here, da-ye,” their driver announces as they come to a stop.

11. freak in the sheets // 人不可貌相 [rated E; The Untamed/MDZS, a kinkmeme prompt fill for gloryhole pwp featuring mistaken identities, office romance, and of course, Wangxian being idiots]

“This is possibly the worse idea you’ve ever come up with, and that’s saying something, Huaisang,” Wei Ying says, waggling a finger in the general direction of his friend. “I’m going to do it.”

12. burning bright [rated E; The Untamed/MDZS, a kinkmeme prompt fill for Dragon!Wei Ying knocking up Lan Zhan, featuring oviposition, consensual monster-fucking, and a proper Chinese dragon thank you very much]

His brother volunteers to be one of the men pushing the boat, but a part of Lan Zhan wishes he hadn't.

13. Thunderstruck [rated E; Shadowhunters (!!), a motorcycle racers AU featuring Malec riding sexy speed machines and Maiabelle enemies-to-lovers flirting via engineering, as well as Lightwood siblings feels]

Alec could smell the approaching storm, even above the ever-present stench of burning rubber, motor oil, and sun-baked tarmac.

14. Wishbone [rated E; The Untamed/MDZS, a kinkmeme prompt fill for canon-divergence when Lan Wangji decides to stay for dinner when he visits Wei Wuxian at the Burial Mounds]

Wei Wuxian finds the whole situation amusing at first, that tiny A-Yuan has Lan Zhan wrapped around his chubby little pinkie so easily.

15. No Refunds, Satisfaction Guaranteed [rated E; The Untamed/MDZS, part one of my AU where Wei Wuxian is a sexbot programmer, featuring Wangxian being idiots XD]

The bell at the entrance of the shop chimes softly, but it startles Wei Wuxian so much that he nearly falls out of his chair.

16. wrecking ball [rated E; The Untamed/MDZS, a kinkmeme prompt fill for Wei Ying “corrupting” good girl Lan Zhan, genderswap!Wangxian]

The boom from the bass is so loud that her teeth are rattling in her skull, and the harsh strobe lights are too jarring in the near-darkness of the club, but Lan Zhan thinks she's probably the only one who dislikes it.

17. to live this way is not for the meek [rated E; The Untamed/MDZS, a kinkmeme prompt fill for celebrity!Wei Ying and normal fan Lan Zhan, featuring clandestine backstage fucking and rockstar!Wei Ying]

There's still almost an hour before the concert starts, but the place is already packed to full capacity.

18. One Year Later [rated T; Shadowhunters (!!), short post-canon fic exploring what happens in the morning after Clary remembers Jace in the series finale]

"Magnus!"

19. a place for you to love me [rated E; The Untamed, post-canon fix-it casefic where Wangxian investigate a strange forest together]

Wei Wuxian leaves. Lan Zhan does not come with him.

20. the song remains the same [rated T; The Untamed, post-canon, immortal!Lan Wangji meets a reincarnated version of Wei Wuxian]

They don't live here, so bring him with them to an inn. (A "hotel", they called it. The concept is not unfamiliar but the scale of it, like everything in this time, is intimidating.)

I’ve noticed that Wei Wuxian is my go-to for POV for my MDZS fic. Also, I tend to start fics with dialogue or some sort of sound, but almost always with sensory input (sight, smell, etc).

I think my favourite opening line is #11 freak in the sheets, because it makes me laugh :D

Tagging @sfjessii , @fleurdeliser , @widdershlns , @theleakypen , @wwxadhd if you want to play!

#tag games #long post #I wrote a thing

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aneshb25 · 4 years

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Disclaimer : giving it in the beginning coz this post has nothing to do with SOME OF THE TAGS (tho I am quiet involved with these tags) I have given, so some might find it irrelevent. I just wanted to spread it as much as I can. But please go through it! You will not be dissapointed.

My country, India, has gone through a lot of changes since September 6, 2018, before and after. On this day, Homosexuality was discriminalised in my country and I being a supporter and a citizen I guess it was my duty to post this.

Though it does not mean, my country was forever homophobic and suddenly all became liberal on and after 6th sept. No! Many citizens both famous or non famous has come out in open support of homosexuality! And what reached the public more is the media and movie-cinema-theatre! And I am so proud of it.

But somewhere in these movies the concept of 'Homosexuality portrayal' was just shown as slapstick-comedy in plots as extensive measure! Either thrown into the plot for a comedy relief with jokes or completely degrade them

But on the opposite side there are lot of other movies in various languages that have won national awards, forced us to cry buckets with tragic ending and goosebumps over powerful morals of the plots. Highly applauded👏

Still for me, I had always waited for movies with a homosexual couples getting their own happy ending. I understood it was not possible before 2018 as law forbade it and a movie is a mere reflection of the society. But after 2018, I defintely waited for it and then in 2020, this year, it came to me in the form of this👇👇👇👇

Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan!

Can't tell whether it has got a HAPPY ENDING or not, but what I can say is IT'S DIFFERENT

The upper picture is a poster where two Indian Grooms are going to get married on a horse-back ride with the parents below who are confused as hell!🤭 By the way, did you notice the triangle-tattoo on the left neck side of the man in jeans. It a gay symbol supporting homosexuality. Don't miss it!

But why is this different?

Different because it has got comedy, but not a slaptick, a very serious topic to be dealt with in Indian society but not with those heavy tragic themes shown in other previous movies. Because in this movie it is based around HOMOPHOBIA, how IT is a "disease" and that homosexuality is absolutely normal. The movie has a comedic approach with an emotional approach, showing how same it is with straight couple, also portraying a same-sex couple with a absolute adorable 💯 chemistry

Let me show you part by part!

1) Meet Kartik and Aman, a regular couple, and with a height difference for which my brain, my heart, my kidney, my whole body melts (okay that was too much, but see it yourself)

(And don't miss the heart eyes😍 Kartik gives when his other half is not looking #WhippedCulture)

2) Here Kartik is a very confident gay who wears pride flags as a superhero cape, well he IS a superhero for his Aman

Now this scene is important! Can you see the pigeon in front of him (sorry for the low quality, its screenshot I won't hide). In our country Pigeons, Doves, these birds are the SYMBOL OF FREEDOM... So here Kartik wears a Pride Flag🏳️‍🌈 proudly, and there are pigeons! 🤔 Understandable, right?

3) And between the comedies we find scenes we find these two fighting and so very sad when the love of their life is ALMOST going to get away! Devastating😭!

4) Now the directors also show here some great Indian Movies (that ruled over bollywood for decades) parallels! And the couples, gay or straight, are so similar

Now now, before you start quaking on SHADOWHUNTERS, I know its NOT a bollywood movie and no where near bollywood concept. Its just my addition!

Don't we all love Malec and their epic first kiss? Alec stepping down the altar, "enough"-ing his mother and kissed Magnus in front of the whole wedding! *dreamy eyes*

Well that sort of happened here too! Just Aman boldly kissing Kartik in front of the whole wedding. How can you not but relate? 😅

5) And we get see some great Kartik-Aman chemistry that puts my chemistry syllabus to shame, half of the other bollywood couples to go back home. They made a whole lesson out of chemistry, physics, maths, literature and bio

6) But for every subject there are exams and this case they are the PARENTS & FAMILY... Aman's family is hell bent to drive Kartik away but Kartik isn't ready to back down until He marries Aman....... But that doesn't mean he left out his family

Here Kartik tells how much he and Aman relates to the parents and their ACCEPTANCE is everything. If they have won over their parents, they have won over the world too.... It is also a message to the parents that their support means everything to their children

7) BONUS : The fun in Indian weddings is like no other. Dance, music, colour, clothes, families and guest, food, rituals, function *phew* thats BIG. Its big and fat!!! But its double the fun when its a BIG-FAT-GAY-INDIAN wedding and with a KISS😘

And I end it here with Thanking Kartik, played by Ayushmann Khurrana and Aman, played by Jitendra Kumar. Both are the powerful actors of the industry and TV sirieses who are so supprtive.. Ayushmann is the content king of bollywood, making movies on plots no one can even think of! And Jitendra, better know an "Jeetu-bhaiya" who rules the Indian TV siries.

Mention worthy GAJRAJ RAO, NEENA GUPTA, MANU RISHI CHADDA, SUNITA RAJWAR, MANVI GAGROO🙏🙏

(sorry Tumblr only allows 10 pics, so I can't upload the cast group photo)

But here is the link to the movie trailer , the movie releases on 21 Feb, 2020... Audience response is amazing and quiet unbelievable.. with more than 48M views in trailers and 5M views on songs in just 24 hours

So international, national viewers check the tralier with eng subs (you will probably get eng sub under Hindi captions😅lol) and laugh and mush and get soft watching it👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇

youtube

And btw what will be the couple's SHIP NAME? Suggest now😊

Till then, TREAT PEOPLE WITH KINDNESS 🏳️‍🌈 💜💙💚💛🧡❤️🌈💐

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faejilly · 4 years

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I was tagged by @la-muerta & @facialteeth & @thedivinemissema for the WIP/Title Game

rules: post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. send me an ask with the title that most intrigues you and interests you and i’ll post a little snippet of it or tell you something about it!

AND THEN by @shadoedseptmbr @msviolacea & @ravenclawnerd for the “stories you want to write... but for some reason haven’t yet”

so this will be a mish-mash of both? The WIPs will mostly have blurbs in this case (to fit the second meme) but you are still welcome to ask follow-up questions, if you’d like ;) Assuming you make it through the list, it is uh. Not Short.

Anyone who would like to play with their WIPs, please consider yourself tagged in either or both of these. :D

Misc Fic Folder:

“untitled document” - where I’m working on fictober fills so I have word-counts for my GYWO tracker. I am not working on these because Brains Are Dumb and also Going Back To Work Is Exhausting

I made a file called “YULETIDE!” which has nothing in it but I’m determined to finish this year so that is definitely technically a thing in the Unending WIP List of Doom worth mentioning. (Tho obviously that’s all I could say even if I had started, because anonymous.)

“coda-fics, rewatch!” -yes, that exclamation mark is important! it’s to keep me motivated! (it didn’t work). Much like untitled, this is for putting stuff so I can do word count tracking even if I don’t know what I’m doing. Currently I think it just says “MARYSE” because I was working on my SH 1x6 coda-fic and then got distracted and haven’t typed anything up yet. (Yay notebooks? Boo notebooks? Not even sure at this point.)

WNIP (works not in progress) Folder:

“TOG” - I had one vivid mental image of how Nicky & Joe met (blood-stained evil smiles?) but then no idea for a follow-up story and also the fandom is insane and I’m not sure I want to deal with all of *gestures vaguely* all that

“Shan Xia Notes” -for a TTRPG that never quite got off the ground; she was a semi-tragic selkie who was still in love with the evil queen/lady who stole her skin and I got to play her for like one session and she was surprisingly chaotic neutral, which wasn’t at all what I’d been expecting. But the game never really got off the ground, so I never had enough info to really delve into writing backstory fic

“post-Kruschev” -Kruschev’s List was the last episode of Scarecrow & Mrs King, and I was debating writing an epilogue in place of the s5 we never got, to try and tie up some loose ends, but the fandom’s three old-ladies in trench coats and I never quite worked up the gumption to get it anywhere

“Code Realize warm as silk sequel” -there is literally nothing in this file except “SEX! Only a little angst” because I wanted to write some “we can’t actually touch each other” smut but never actually did. 🤷‍♀️

BioWare (also all Not-In-Progress Anymore)

“seb/adelaide”, “Theia” & “DAI Erana” -these WIP folders were cannibalized for ficlets for the last few times I did fictober, and while originally I had ideas for longer epilogues for all three of them, at this point I don’t think any of the remaining bits could support a story any longer.

”whispers in the dark” -Maia Ryder never really got much fic at all; the cancellation of any further Andromeda stuff was really disheartening, and at this point I’d have to play the game again, and I don’t think I’m gonna manage that any time soon

”TSP” -a Mass Effect 3 Shepard AU collab project that kind of went off the rails, and our mutual brains/lives never quite seem to line up so we can try and rebuild it ”Ngaio & Tane” -my one truly ruthless Shepard (Alliance background, who romanced Traynor) whose father Tane Shepard was, I think, in PsyOps, and I wanted to figure out their complicated relationship but never really did know where I was going with it

”JE Zu & Yaling” -so I’ve rambled about my Tragic Sagacious Zu Romance Thoughts regarding Jade Empire more than once (#Icy Yaling should have most of it) but apparently I want to yell about it more than I want to actually write it? Whoops.

”CI sequel: 5 times fic?” -Cruel Intentions is a kinkmeme fill that I started and then it sat for like five years before I actually finished it, and I liked the ending, but it does leave a giant fucking question mark in terms of how those people got from there to where they are after the game, and I kind of wanted to write a proper h/c fic rather than just... leaving them wallowing in all that trauma?

But I didn’t. I don’t even remember for sure how I wanted to frame the 5/1 of it all, besides it being something sad about allowing people to see you or touch you in some way. (Prayers maybe, since I think there was definitely some Sebastian & Fenris & faith stuff going on in there.)

“candles” -Merribela prompt fill that I never was happy with? Not sure what I might do with it at this point, so it’s just sitting there all sad and lonely and neglected-like.

Shadowhunters

pt1: WIP LIST ONLY

“Persuasion” -so I keep trying to write Persuasion AUs in many fandoms because it’s my favorite Austen, but I think I like it too much, I have no real solid concept of how I’d transform it, and if I don’t have anything else to say about different characters within that framework, I have no push to actually write anything? Also this SH version of it suffered from MASSIVE scope creep when I started outlining and it got too big for me to handle so I like, killed it twice? Whoops. This one is really probably never gonna happen.

“oosdt sequel” -I wanted to write more about the Forest That Eats People and Magnus & Alec as Guardians Between Worlds, and also some background Magnus’ Found Family & Lightwood Family Feels (maybe some clizzy?) and I left a Madzie plot-thread dangling from the first one on purpose even but I think this one had too many ideas and not enough focus so it’s sort of sprawling all over a doc with a lot of “???” in it

“procedural-ish” -this was originally going to be a sex-farce. and then it turned more serious. and then maybe kind of copaganda which was uncomfortable in terms of the Everything That Is The News in 2020, and then maybe it was more a Mafia AU and at that point I had self-inflicted tone whiplash and I wished the voices in my head were a little more forthcoming about their plans so I stopped before I brained myself on my computer monitor in frustration.

“I had rather a rose than live forever” -I started a reverse!verse Malec (Shadowhunter!Magnus, High Warlock!Alec) for bingo last year, and I couldn’t quite get it together in time, so I made a moodboard inspired by the bits I’d started instead. I may see if one of my prompts from Bingo this year help me finish it?

“fall fright fest (practical magic au)” -exactly what it says on the tin! almost exactly a year old & neglected! IDEK ANYMORE (I talked about this one with the WIP meme last time tho: here)

“priest!kink theology?” -I thought it was gonna be smut? I like priest!kink. I have made other people like it and yell at me even! But then I kept diverging into demon!Magnus thinking about Priest!Alec’s faith and as usual, IDEK ANYMORE *laughs*

(If they’re remotely canon-adjacent or divergent, a bunch of these are in here because I need to rewatch the show to get the pacing/timing/tone right and I haven’t, and I don’t know why, because I enjoy the show, but BRAINS! Are Dumb! So I guess that’s it?)

“I do” -I have tried to write this damnable Malec arranged marriage fic like six different times. I have signed up for fic exchanges and bangs with it, I have rewritten massive sections, trying to change tone or structure or POV or whatever, and it basically comes down to they like each other too fast and I keep not gutting it enough to get back to a useful pace, but by the time I realized that I was on take six and kind of sick of it. I may get back to it eventually

“wing!fic” -canon divergent in early s1, trying to deal with the consequences of Simon’s kidnapping as the Truly Serious Event that it should have been. It uh. Got heavier than I expected with those consequences (considering it was originally just supposed to be Alec’s wings flirting with Magnus) and also see above re: rewatching for pacing.

“2x20 aftermath/date night/pandemonium porn“ -yes that is the actual wip title. It used to be “spite fic” because I was originally inspired by fighting against a lot of fic!Alec characterization that was clearly based more on the books and ATG syndrome than the Alec in the show, which is the Alec I know and like and want to read about. BUT, pacing and etc. again, I think. Also I have somehow entirely lost my knack for writing porn, which makes it difficult to finish something originally intended to be smut!fic. Or even teasing almost!smut.

“rubbish heap” -so this is about three different fics that I realized complemented each other really well so they’re now all in the same file as I try to turn them into the sequel of “with an if in its soul”. It includes amnesia, parabatai lore shenanigans, a s3 rewrite, and some truly awful Owl adjustments that make me wince in horrified authorly delight and pain. BUT, as with the other ones in this file, the scope is large and I normally write short-fic and I kind of just threw up my hands in exasperation. I may have to break it back up into the three different fics instead, if I ever actually want to write it. Them? But also I need to take better notes on s3 to make sure I have what I need in here.

SH Pt 2: Started posting or not yet in hiatus because it’s actually almost ready to be a thing in the real world! maybe!?

“kisses (firsts)” -I actually started publishing this one, a “series of firsts” that was supposed to be kind of relationship milestones and kind of an excuse for smut, and then there wasn’t that much smut and I lost momentum and also dear lords & ladies the timeline is stupid, wtf. I may not ever add to this one, tbqh. It doesn’t stop in a terrible place, and they’re all ficlets so they stand alone all right.

“clizzy epilogue” -this is blank atm, it’s more a reminder for me to keep poking away at my “girls who can’t breathe air, only fire” collection BECAUSE I WOULD LIKE TO ACTUALLY GET TO THE CLIZZY AT SOME POINT

"mer!alec" -pts 2-4 of a series, but apparently having an actual plan gets in the way of me *writing* the thing, and I haven't managed to throw the half an outline far enough away from my brain to be able to write again. Or something like that.

"ibhww" -if broken hearts were whole is a soulmate fic I started a million years ago, and purposefully set aside to finish some other WIPs because I thought they'd be quick, and now it's just buried under two and a half years of regret and shame so it's hard to get back to it

"iafy" -i am for you is a delightful & frothy semi-epistolary fluff piece that also just lost momentum because Life & 2020 & etc. It's far and away the most popular thing I've ever posted on AO3, which also makes me feel weird sometimes, and I feel like the fact that there's no grand conclusion planned, just a bit more fluff and settling in, might end up being disappointing? Basically, it's the first time I think I've psyched myself out about reader expectations, and until I get over that I'm going to have trouble finishing the last couple chapters. (There really are probably only two more chapters though. IT’S SO CLOSE, I wish I could just... write it. And yet?)

“fake-hating” -I do not like fake dating as a trope that much, I just do not get it, but I love outside POVs and arranged marriages and there’s this delighful tumblr post about how they wished there was more fic about people who were together but had to pretend they werent’, and uh. This may be that? Eventually? I’m not exhausted by my failure to finish it yet, so it’s still in the regular folder rather than the hiatus folder, even though nothing’s been posted for it.

AND I THINK THAT’S IT?

Not as terrible as it could be, but still. MANY WORDS THAT MAY NEVER SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY. Posting the equivalent of one’s old ratty sketchbook is always a weird feeling. :D

#on writing #writing memery #unending WIP List Of Doom

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fictionalrambles · 4 years

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Shadowhunters Fandom Story - Part Fifteen

Submitted by jwrites_

Five Favourite Fics:

1. What's It Gonna Be by @lemonoclefox

Why I love this fic: I'm a sucker for Pride & Prejudice. San was able to take that dynamic and put it all in a modern day telling of it. I can't count how many times I've read this. Sometimes I read it all the way through, other times I go and find my favorite parts just to get that rush of emotions it never fails to give. The enemies to lovers is done perfectly, the dialogue is great and flows seamlessly, the way she tied in the storyline between Simon, Isabelle, Valentine, and Alec together was genius. I truly love every word of this story.

Favorite scene: Awkward - love - confession - in - the - rain

Favorite quote(s):

(Yes. Love confessions are great but have you ever overheard someone say something rude about you and then have the opportunity later that same night to be able to casually call that person out for their comment?)

"Her friend is..." He trails off, as though searching for the word, and Magnus can imagine him gesturing in the meantime. "Interesting," Jace eventually settles on, pointedly.

"Who, that Bane guy?" Alec says, and as he does, Magnus is hit with a wave of intrigued surprise. Does Alec like men? Interesting. The assumption could be wrong, of course, but Jace's tone implies that that's why he's mentioning it. "He's a bit over the top, don't you think?"

He sounds almost disdainful as he says it, as though Jace's mere suggestion is laughable, and Magnus's intrigue immediately shifts to offended annoyance. He straightens a little where he stands, reluctantly affected by it.

"I mean, love songs are great," Magnus admits lightly. "But stringing a few pretty words together does seem a bit unoriginal when everyone does it."

Simon shoves him lightly in offense, and Magnus can't help but laugh.

"Then what do you suggest?" Magnus is taken completely by surprise when he realizes that it's Alec who's speaking, and he turns to him. The guy's expression is neutral, but seems genuinely curious.

"Oh, I don't know," Magnus says, swirling his drink around in his glass. He shrugs. "I suppose I'm more a fan of showing and not telling. I'd much prefer someone showing interest in what I like and who I am, than comparing my eyes to the night sky, and whatnot." He gestures airily, then hesitates. He suddenly can't seem to stop himself, the memory of the Lightwoods' overheard conversation bubbling to the surface. "I think most people can appreciate that. Even if some of us are a bit over the top."

--Okay...I'm gonna go ahead and throw in a love confession~

"Look, I don't expect anything from you," he says, as though the words are hard to say. "You've made your feelings pretty clear, and I respect that. But I heard you talked to my mom, and with the stuff you said to her... I guess it just kind of made me a bit hopeful, or something. A bit." He clears his throat, while Magnus just listens. He turns to watch Alec's profile as the young man struggles to find the words, eyes on the view in front of him. "Either way, I'll admit that how I feel hasn't really changed. Maybe it should have, but..."

Alec shakes his head, and Magnus feels his throat go dry. He wants to interrupt Alec, wants to say and show everything that's bursting out of his chest, but he waits. Alec takes a deep breath then, turns to him. He looks determined.

"If you want me to," he says steadily, "I'll go. I'll leave you alone, I promise. You won't hear from me again." He pauses, licks his lips. "But if you don't want me to, if something has changed since last time, somehow... I'd really like to know. Because that would be pretty great."

2. 42 North 71 West by @lecrit

Why I love this fic: I was blessed with the opportunity to witness Lu working on this fic from its conception to its end. I was there and still I am blown away at the way she was able to work the time jumps. I remember thinking with every chapter I read, 'Wow. The way she is telling this story is amazing. She is amazing.' Lu has a way of presenting so much honesty in her characters. She writes them in a way that feels so real, that you can't help but understand their fears and hesitations even though it hurts. The story is a back and forth told through scenes set in the past and present. You get to see what they were and where they are. The story is beautifully heartbreaking. And she was able to make me enjoy a story that dealt with politics? What? Sorcery, I tell you. -- also, the bench.

Favorite scene: This was almost impossible to choose and I took way too long trying to pinpoint just one. But I'm going to go with one that I hold very dear. When Magnus goes to visit Alec on his birthday and he finds Alec playing the song he only plays when he's sad. That's all I'm going to say because I don't want to spoil~

Favorite quote(s):

“Magnus,” Alec breathes out.

The name feels almost foreign, as if he hadn’t uttered it in too long and now his mind is troubling to catch up with his mouth. Still, it manages to make Alec’s heart stutter.

“We should’ve stayed on that bench in Boston,” he murmurs.

The good thing is, he knows where to go to find his way back. It is inked on his body, engraved into his soul, sealed into his heart.

3. Lead The Way by Clockworkswan

Why I love this fic: Because it takes the wonderful adventure of Doctor Who and packs it in with Malec. This is the ultimate fun and feel good but you will also cry at one point fic. I always go back to it if I want a wonderfully written Doctor Magnus and his adorable companion Alec. Seriously, even if you're not into Doctor Who, give this fic a shot. It's written in a way that you will get so caught up in the adventure that you won't even realize it's based on something else. And if you're a Doctor Who fan, you're in luck with all the little Easter Eggs Heather left throughout.

Favorite scene: I really don't want to spoil anything. The planet of Ablorix. This will mean nothing if you don't read the fic (so you should ;])

Favorite quote(s):

Magnus extends a hand. It’s just like before, when they were in the hallway a couple of weeks ago. It’s just as inviting as it was the first time.

“How about it, pretty boy? Name a star. Any one will do. Or a date,” Magnus says. The double meaning is evident when he winks. He pauses then, and his expression shifts, growing solemn.

A clear shift in his demeanour happens. Magnus turns from playful to sincere in the blink of an eye. Although, there was also a serious tone to it. Magnus looks at him, and understanding eyes meet Alec’s hesitant ones. “Alexander, you seem like a man in need of a break, and I am very much a man in need of a friend. Adventures are always a quick way in figuring out what you want. What do you say?”

What does he say?

He says yes.

Of course Alec does.

Before Magnus can think of a good retort, he tries to ignore the clenching ache his stomach gives at the sight of a confident, smirking Alec Lightwood watching him so openly. He settles for pointing in a random direction. “I have to go and see a dog about a man. Meet back here in five?”

“Uh, isn’t the expression, ‘see a man about a dog’?”

“Not when the dog ran off with the man’s wife. A rather big scandal, it seems. The president wants me to try and step in. Smooth things over, so to speak.”

At that, Alec just stares blankly.

Magnus holds up a finger. “Yes, this is normal for me. No, you may not come along. Go.”

4. Love & Other Drugs prequel of Our Love Is A Harsh Chord in the Semi-charmed Kind Life series by @la-muerta

Why I love this fic: I'm kind of cheating here by listing two fics but they're a package deal. Love & Other Drugs was a smutty one-shot that left me wanting

more...

backstory. Let me tell you the pining and 'unrequited' love between those two demanded a story to be written. Which is why when la_muerta ran a poll on whether or not she should start it or another series first, I campaigned for this one like it was my job (I lost but I still got the series eventually so did I really lose?) The writing in this and with all of la_muerta's fics will hook you. The sadness over the back and forth between them is done so well. It's angst that will grip you and hold onto you until you eventually finish. Just go on the twitter hashtag of #OLIAHCfic and see my screaming.

Favorite scene: Probably the LSD scene.

Favorite quote(s):

Alec was still here, in bed with him.

How many times had Magnus wished that he could wake up with Alec in his arms? He didn't dare to move, wanting the dream to last a little longer, but Alec was already stirring.

he'll wonder if life would be a little easier if he wasn't hopelessly in love with Magnus, but it is a fact of who he is now: Alec Lightwood is 6'3, has dark hair, is gay, and is in love with Magnus Bane.

They are lying next to each other now, turned on their sides and face to face. The world is no longer warped and weird, but glowing and perfect. Magnus is tracing a path of lightning down Alec's body with his fingertips, and in a moment of clarity Alec understands that in Magnus' eyes he is as beautiful as he thinks Magnus is (it is the first thing Alec forgets when he wakes up sober later).

Words aren't enough to express how he feels, but they've always understood each other better when clumsy words don't get in the way.

5. The Lonely Hearts Hotline by @unrestrainedlyexcessive

Why I love this fic: It's funny, it's endearing, it's heart wrenching, it's sexy, etc. The way Alec is written in this fic is one of my favorite characterizations. The way his situation can resonate with so many young adults today. That feeling when you're an adult and you feel like you should know what to do with your life and who you should be but the truth is, you're still just as lost as always. Being an adult sucks tbh and even when you're an adult, sometimes life doesn't quite feel like it. Alec's character and growth in this fic is beautiful. (I also really loved Jace in this fic)

Favorite scene: A tough choice. Probably the office party and follow up scene in Magnus' office.

Favorite quote(s):

The problem with being a new grad, in general, is that the world and job force demands you have experience, but you have to live a certain number of productive years on the planet to gain that experience.

Early adulthood is no man's land. You don’t have the experience to matter and no one wants to pay you to gain it, hence how he ended up in the precarious situation he’s in: dodgy sex work by night, an even dodgier roommate, and desperately hoping an internship eventually turns into an actual paying job.

Magnus runs his tongue down the knobs of Alec's spine. "You're so beautiful," he says, pausing.

"I'm really not," Alec insists, eyes fluttering closed.

"Why are you so kind to everyone except yourself?"

"I'm a work in progress."

"Aren't we all?"

#shadowhunters #shadowhunters fanfiction #fanfiction #fanfiction blog

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sugarandspace · 5 years

Note

malec prompt: The hero shows up at the villain’s doorstep one night. They’re shivering, bleeding, scared. There’s also a slightly dazed look in their eyes– they were drugged. They look like they were assaulted. Looking up at the villain, swaying slightly as they’re close to passing out, they mumble “…didn’t know where else to go…” then collapse into the villain’s arms.

Thank you so much for the prompt! As you know, I didn’t go with the hero/villain thing and wrote a canon divergence AU instead! I hope you like this! :)

Behind Enemy Lines

AO3

Warnings: graphic descriptions of violence

It's a rare moment of peace and Alec has decided to take a walk. Well, ‘peace’ might be a wrong word to use since Valentine and Jonathan are still out there and the bridges built between the Downworld and the Shadowhunters are weak and frayed at best, but Alec needs this moment out of the Institute, out of the environment that screams war and helplessness. It’s been two weeks since the secret about the soul sword got out, two weeks since Magnus walked away.

Alec takes in a deep breath and tries not to think about it, which is useless because that seems to be the only thing he’s capable of thinking about lately. How his secrecy had destroyed the best thing he had going on for himself.

He can’t help but wonder how different things would be if they were fighting on the same side. If he’d been honest with Magnus, would they still have the Downworld on their side? Alec is pretty sure they would at least have Magnus.

Alec feels like his old self, a soldier who pushes his emotions out of the way to focus on duty. It’s not as easy as it used to be, now that he knows that there’s an alternative.

Lost in his thoughts, Alec doesn’t even realise that his feet have carried him to Brooklyn. It’s late and he’s on a more remote part of it and there’s no one in sight. He’s just about to turn around when he feels a hand on his shoulder and a sharp pain in his neck.

He pulls out his blade, ready to defend himself, but his fingers feel numb and the weapon clatters to the ground. He’s pushed to a wall of the nearby building, his cheek colliding with the rough brick. There’s a weight on his back, pinning him to a place.

“You want to see what happens to liars?” A male voice says and the person pulls Alec away from the wall only to slam him against it again. “You have a funny concept of transparency Lightwood.”

“I tried -” Alec starts but he’s cut off when the man pulls him away from the wall and throws him on the ground. Alec can’t see clearly, but there are three vaguely human-shaped blurs hovering above him. One of them kicks him on the side. Alec tries to curl into himself but the next kick is aimed at his back, the one following that hitting the back of his head.

Alec groans in pain, tasting blood in his mouth.

“Good luck trying to find your way back to your people,” one of the blurs says, a female voice this time. “It would truly be a shame if someone were to find you while you’re in such a vulnerable state.”

Alec tries to struggle as he feels hands on his body, patting down his clothes until they reach into his jacket pocket. He knows what’s in that pocket. His phone and his stele.

“You had no intention to help us, it’s your turn to feel helpless,” the male voice from earlier says. “I know your kind is a fan of taking trophies whenever they kill one of ours, I feel like this stele will look good on my shelf.”

The people leave, but not before kicking him on the side one more time. One of them steps over Alec’s forearm, stomping so hard the bone gives way underneath it.

Alec howls in pain. He struggles to catch his breath, to focus on the situation rather than the pain. He needs to get up, needs to get to safety. He can’t stay here. Who knows who will find him. Demons? Another group of angry Downworlders? A mundane?

Finding support from the wall next to him, Alec hauls himself into a sitting position. The world around him turns and twists and the pain is making it hard to concentrate. He wants to close his eyes and rest, but there is enough clarity in his mind that he knows that he shouldn’t. Knows that there’s a high chance he wouldn’t open them anymore.

Clenching his jaw tight, Alec stands up on his unsteady feet and starts his slow walk to safety.

-.-.-

Magnus sits down to his armchair with a drink in his hand. It’s been a long day, another one in a line of several long days. He’s grateful for the peace. Having all the warlocks of Brooklyn under his roof had been fun for a while, but as the situation lasted and lasted it was better to find an alternative hiding place for those who didn’t trust their own wards enough.

He’s able to enjoy the peace for roughly a minute before the big loft around him starts feeling lonely and quiet. It’s clearly empty, no sign of company anywhere to be seen.

No mission reports on the table, no bow next to the door. The only jacket draped over the couch is the one Magnus had been wearing earlier. Magnus curses himself for the feelings he still feels.

The distance hasn’t helped, he still finds himself wishing that Alec would walk in from the front door and make everything alright again. But then Magnus remembers the humiliation and betrayal he’d felt when they parted, and he gets angry. Angry at Alec and angry at himself, for not guarding his heart better.

He really should have learned by now.

There’s a knock on the door that brings Magnus out of his thoughts. It didn’t sound like a proper knock though, more like a thump, so he feels for his wards and finds out that the person behind the door is a friend and not a threat. But Magnus is not expecting anyone.

He welcomes the distraction though and gets up. He sets his glass on the table and walks towards the door. When he opens the door, he’s faced with a sight that makes him feel a myriad of emotions at once.

The person behind the door is Alexander. The sight of the man makes Magnus want to close the door to his face because he doesn’t have the mental capacity for this right now. But something’s wrong. Alec looks beaten, his breaths frantic and his clothes dirty. He’s leaning against the wall next to the door, cradling his left arm to his chest. He’s shaking, his clothes look damp, and there’s blood running down the side of his face as well as from the cut on his lip.

“Alexander?” Magnus asks, not an ounce of the anger he felt earlier in his voice. All of that is pushed aside by the wave of worry that’s threatening to drown Magnus.

“…didn’t know where else to go…” Alec says, his words slurring down a little. He’s looking at Magnus but his eyes can’t seem to be able to focus. He coughs, and there are splatters of blood on the wall next to his head.

Magnus is still frozen in shock, but as he sees Alec’s eyes slipping shut and his legs giving in, his arms are there to catch him. Alec goes completely limp in his arms and Magnus reacts immediately. He snaps his fingers to close the door behind Alec and creates a portal, bringing it towards them so it can suck them in. They appear in the bedroom, right next to the bed where Magnus lays Alec down.

He rolls his sleeves and gets to work, scanning Alec’s body with magic to get a clear idea of his injuries. He’s badly beaten, with broken ribs and internal bleeding. His left arm is bruised and broken, and there’s a tranquilizer strong enough to knock out a horse running in his system. It’s not working as strongly as it should now when it’s mixed with angelic blood, but it’s still a small miracle Alec made it this far before falling unconscious.

Magnus doesn’t waste any more time and gets to work, healing the most painful injuries first even though he’s not sure if Alexander can even feel the pain at the moment. There’s a question in his mind brought on by a familiar protectiveness he wishes he didn’t still feel so strongly.

“Who hurt you?”

-.-.-

When Alec wakes up, all he wants to do is go back to sleep. The bed underneath him is soft and the sheets silky against his sore body. He reaches his arm to the side and furrows his brow as he finds the bed next to him empty. That makes him wake up more and he remembers that he shouldn’t even be in this bed.

His heart starts to race and he slowly opens his eyes.

He’s in Magnus’ bedroom, and the room looks exactly the same as it did two weeks ago. Alec doesn’t know why he expected it to have changed. His eyes settle on Magnus who’s sitting on an armchair next to the bed. The first thing Alec realises is that he looks tired, and the second is that it doesn’t make him look any less beautiful.

A strong wave of regret fills his stomach and Alec has to swallow hard before he can speak.

“What happened?”

Because Alec has no idea how he got here. He tries to think hard and the last thing he remembers is that he was taking a walk. Everything after that is unclear.

“You showed up at my door a few hours ago bleeding and drugged,” Magnus says. His tone is impassive and Alec hates it. “I didn’t get much out of you before you passed out.”

Alec knows that there isn’t really anything he could have done differently, but he still feels guilty for showing up in here - for inconveniencing Magnus.

“I’m sorry,” Alec says quietly.

Magnus doesn’t respond. He stands up from the chair and turns his back to Alec. Alec realises that the reason for his fatigue and heavy movements is probably magic depletion and he must have exhausted himself while he was healing Alec.

“I know I have no right to be here,” Alec starts and stands up. He’s still feeling sore and he dreads to think about how bad he had been before Magnus healed him. He’s wearing different clothes than he was when he left the Institute earlier that evening - a soft t-shirt and faded sweatpants. It evokes a feeling he can’t explain - and that he has no room for in this moment - to see that Magnus hasn’t gotten rid of everything Alec left at the loft when they broke up. “I’ll go. Thank you for healing me, you can send the bill to the Institute.”

Alec hates how his own voice sounds, professional and distant. It isn't the voice he usually uses with Magnus, but he feels like he’s not allowed to use that tone anymore. He lost the right when he lied to Magnus.

“Money?” Magnus asks, turning around so fast Alec takes a step back. He looks angry, the glamour long gone from his eyes. “You think I care about money?!”

Alec doesn’t know what to say, stunned from the sudden outburst.

“You almost died, Alexander.” Magnus says and his tone is still harsh. “And you’re treating this like business.”

“How should I treat it then?” Alec asks, his own tone challenging. He doesn’t want to argue, not after Magnus had apparently saved his life, but he can’t just stand there and take everything Magnus is saying.

“Isn’t that what we are?” Alec continues when Magnus doesn’t say anything. “Isn’t that what you’d expect from anyone? Money for the services provided?”

“This is different,” Magnus says, his tone still angry.

“You are right,” Alec says. “We are on different sides, you probably wouldn’t offer your services to an enemy. I’m sorry you had to save me.”

Alec tries to walk past Magnus and leave the loft because this feels awful. It was torture when they weren’t talking, but arguing with Magnus feels a lot worse. He only manages a few steps before Magnus reaches out and takes a hold of his bicep.

“Don’t walk away from me,” Magnus says, his teeth clenched.

Alec laughs. The sound sounds hysterical to his own ears.

“You’re one to talk,” he says as he turns to look at him again. “You walked away from me first.”

The words sting and Alec can see that Magnus reacts to them as well. He just can’t make sense of what the reaction means. When did he stop being able to read Magnus?

“You lied to me,” Magnus says, his hand dropping down and his words no longer angry. The tone he’s using now is cold, laced with the pain of betrayal that still feels fresh.

“I made a mistake,” Alec says quietly, shame filling him. He feels tired, both physically and mentally. “Look, why are we arguing? What is this going to accomplish? Let me leave and I won’t bother you anymore.”

“I don’t want you to feel like you can’t come to me when you need help,” Magnus says, his voice now tired as well. “You could have died if you didn’t come here tonight, and if there is a next time, I don’t want you to try to find help somewhere else, when I’m close by.”

“You shouldn’t need to worry about me anymore,” Alec says quietly.

“I know,” Magnus says weakly. “And I’ve tried to stop. But not a day goes by when I don’t think about you. I can’t hate you. I hate what you did, I truly despise being lied to - but I can’t make my heart hate you.”

“I can’t stop thinking about you either,” Alec admits. “I really am sorry I didn’t tell you about the soul sword. If there were a way to go back in time and change it I would. I thought I was doing what was right, but nothing good has come out of it. I miss you and I can’t stand being on different sides.”

“You said it yourself once, after our differences almost drove us apart at the beginning,” Magnus says quietly. “Relationships take effort. I stand by what I said, I’m ready to put in that effort, if you are too.”

“Yes,” Alec says immediately. “I promise to learn from my mistakes, if you promise to stay when things get difficult.”

“I think I can promise that,” Magnus says, and his lips lift up in a small smile. Alec can’t help but smile back, the first real smile in two weeks. It’s a smile of relief and hope, and Alec can’t quite believe he gets to feel those emotions again.

“Stay for the rest of the night?” Magnus asks. “I couldn’t find your phone so I sent a fire message to Izzy explaining the situation. She knows you’re here.”

Alec nods, walking back to the familiar bed.

It will take a while before they sleep like they used to, limbs tangled together and breath warming skin, but this is a start. A new day will come and they will talk more, trust will be rebuilt and shame will fade. They will build their relationship back to what it was, and they will do it while fighting for the world that is theirs

Not the Downworld or the world of Nephilim, but the Shadow World, a world of individuals who are used to fighting each other when they would be stronger if they fought together. That is not a short distance goal though, and will only be reached with small steps in the right direction.

For now, sleeping in the same bed and being on the same page is enough.

#malec #alec lightwood #magnus bane #shadowhunters #shfanficnexus #my writing #i loved this prompt!!#i gave myself emotions #just a reminder to everyone that prompts are welcome!!#also thank you elle (bytheangell) for the encouragement!!#iheartmalec

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jcmorgenstern · 5 years

Text

3x12 “review” (aka whining)

Okay so 3x12! First the things I liked, so this doesn’t come off as a gigantic whining list of things I hated. (I feel kind of bad I didn’t do a 3x11 review because I actually really liked that one, but I guess I have more motivation to whine than anything else).

readmore for length and sanity.

So things I liked:

Luke and Jace interaction! Though the pacing was absolutely insane and I absolutely refuse to believe that the Clave has the infrastructure in place to take detailed barometric readings in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE SIBERIA, so detailed that Jace can easily pinpoint exactly where the apartment was. Like I wouldn’t believe they have that kind of detail in rural Iowa, let alone a place that’s colder than balls.

That last point was all whining.The Morgenstern sword!! Y’all have NO idea how long I spent being mad that Valentine didn’t have it in the first two seasons. It now seems a bit odd to introduce it now considering Valentine didn’t in fact ever have it, but whatever. Also Clary being like “fuck Morgenstern weapons” was kind of funny considering her kindjals are waiting at home.

Magnus’ storyline. Though it’s kind of weird and rushed and confused, I’m just glad my man is getting some real focus on him as a person rather than a love interest or idk some overblown “son of Edom” thing.

Cain was, I admit, a really cool and interesting concept, and I already really like Pasha!! I hope he’s continuing to get better after his surgery. Don’t love as much how they’re mainlining Lilith as the Biggest Bad Ever and a Whole Evil B*tch (more on that lovely term of endearment later).

Mirek was really cool, kind of had to laugh at the “demon middle class.” Can’t help but wonder if the “status quo” thing was a deliberate political joke or not. Either way, Jonathan has never met a structure he doesn’t want to overthrow. Does the Clave spark joy? Apparently not.

MELIORN IS BACK!!!!! And wants a threesome, apparently.

Jonathan peevishly being like “I forgive you for trying to kill me, btw” and Clary just rolling her eyes and ignoring him.

Jonathan’s fucking GAAAY. (Or bi. pan. whatever. You do you. All I’m saying is THIS BITCH RAINBOW). I do not care what the intention was, that’s what I’m choosing to get out of it.

Things I didn’t like:

the plot of this episode is pretty much enough material for an entire season. They compressed it so much people are calling it a filler episode. Jace and Luke figure out the secret of the apartment (which is untraceable), go to Siberia, figure out Jonathan is alive, find Clary and rescue her and that’s only about 15 minutes of footage overall. That could be spread out over 15 episodes.

On the Simon side: they find the first fucking vampire, become his new bestie, get the only thing in the world that could rid him of the mark without any sort of price or even really having to ask, they get back into Faerie without any problems, Meliorn takes them right to the Queen despite knowing Simon has a weapon of death on his face, she agrees without argument to unmark him not even knowing if he’ll explode or what, the mark is off in about 14 seconds, the FUCKING DRUG PLOTLINE IS BACK AG A. I N. And then rose petals. That could have been the entire SEASON.

No Maia. (I know she’s in the next ep I just want to complain).

It’s also weird because it seems like Malec is progressing on normal time and the other two story strands are progressing on some extreme kind of fast-forward. It gives you all kinds of whiplash. If there was any kind of thematic overlap or even an attempt to connect the strands thematically it might work to ground the other storylines but it. Does not.

I hate that the apartment is Lilith’s and not Valentine’s, and that apparently it can only go to a few select spots now. NOT. THE. POINT. Point = missed.

And onto the things that bothered me the most: the whole treatment of Jonathan and Clary, and the Sizzy. For which I need an entire section to bitch.

Jonathan and Clary: why god have you abandoned me

* Ok so honestly, I had to go and check to see who wrote 3x11 and 3x12, because it had to be different people. 3x11 was by Todd and Darren, and 3x12 was by Alex Schemmer. Schemmer has only written one other episode in 3a (3x03), which explains to me why he seems to have missed a fair bit of lore. To me, the huge difference between 3x11 and 12, which basically deal with the same plot line (Clary kidnapped by Jonathan, wary of him, trying to escape) but in hugely different ways and different focus.

In 3x11, the focus is all on Clary. Her initial confusion, her fear, anger, the attempt to escape, the attempt to kill Jonathan. All shot from her point of view. She takes more action than he does—she runs away, she grabs the knife, she stabs him. He is mostly reacting to her, running after her, offering her soup and tea and trying to win her over. Even when he does talk, the scenes where he talks about himself are brief and she shares equal part in the conversation.

This makes sense, as she is the main character.

In 3x12, everything is about Jonathan. From the first shot everything is about him, the camera focusing on him even when Clary is the focus of the scene (i.e., when she’s finding new clothes—and was a shirtless scene necessary? Like we get it, you nearly killed poor Luke in a gym somewhere, thanks for the update). Every time he and Clary talk, it’s just him talking at her. “I forgive you for killing me.” Telling her she’s good at art. Telling her there’s an Institute nearby. Telling her he likes art. She can barely get a word in edgewise from the get-go, and it only gets worse on the hot chocolate “date.”

He says the whole point is to get to know each other better, but he LITERALLY talks about himself the whole time. Clary barely even reacts, just makes eyes at a phone. He doesn’t even seem to notice she’s not listening. Like guys, this is every bad tinder date ever. Then they go to to the antiques store, and even then she’s shuffled off—shoo! Get out of the scene!! Even the French guy interrupts her at every turn and she gets shuffled off like a sack of potatoes *again*.

Like don’t tell me Clary couldn’t kick his ass and then explain things to him when he’s pinned to the ground. It would be faster, safer, and if Jonathan shows up again she can be like “ohh he was threatening us!! Look, I beat him up to keep us safe!” and Jonathan would buy it hook, line, and sinker. Since killing people in broad daylight is ok, clearly the show isn’t worried about the realism of fighting in the streets.

And then she’s shuffled off AGAIN, and although the show clearly understands that being kidnapped and controlled by your dangerously unhappy brother who seriously has the creepy hots for you is a pretty freakin SCARY situation, it still shows all this from Jonathan’s point of view, teasing the “romance” of it all and giving us hehe teehee little slips of it (like the shirtless scene). And then when she finally is able to break free and actually do something, he yells “BITCH” at her and runs off, and she falls into Jace’s arms, completely forgetting to act like a real human being.

The reason why 3x11 works so much more for me is that Clary is at least an equal partner, and is given space to react and actually do things; in 3x12 they seem to take any excuse to bundle her off, keep her out of frame, mute her reactions. Jonathan and his feelings take center stage and suddenly Clary is a side character in her own story. 3x11 is more compelling because Jonathan is legitimately trying to win her over, trying to connect with her, personally. It’s obvious he cares about her opinions as a person and her as a person—you couldn’t replace her with a cardboard cutout and the scene would read the same. They actually interact. In 3x12 he’s just ranting at her about himself while she sits there. On no narrative level is there any sort of connection or interaction.

Like imagine the situation differently. They’re in art store, because lbr the real museums prolly wouldn’t let them shoot there, and Clary is talking to Jonathan about her favorite prints and artists. He’s listening, maybe a little too intently, maybe talks about a piece he likes and what it means to him. She looks unnerved. As they talk, the camera follows her gaze, and we realize she is trying to find someone’s phone to take it. She’s pretending, of course, but there is something charming about Paris. Jonathan keeps offering to buy her souvenirs, very awkwardly, trying to find something to please her. She picks something to make him happy. He returns from the register just before she can make a grab for someone’s phone and bolt for the door. He suggests they go to the cafe across the square. We cut to where they’re sitting down, she’s tearing into a croissant. Jonathan is wearing a “I <3 PARIS” cap, which is a bit jarring and distracting. Clary tells him it looks silly and he takes it off. He mentions in a forcedly offhand way that this is where he met Sebastian Verlac, and seeing her expression, quickly adds that he knows what he did is wrong. She says something along the lines of “do you, tho” and he launches into his monologue. She tells him that she liked Sebastian Verlac, even though she never met the real him. He looks happy at first, then seems to understand what she means, and his expression darkens. He tells her that that’s exactly what Valentine said she would say—that she likes Sebastian, not him. She looks disturbed at the mention of Valentine, and he takes the opportunity to tell her the whole thing about not wanting to hurt anyone and the whole thing being about killing Valentine.

And yada yada yada you get the idea.

Honestly the whole rescue felt very contrived—how convenient Clary has been posthumously pardoned one day before her rescue! And then Jonathan calling her a bitch—haha no thanks. The entitlement is uhh Not Great.

Anyway tldr @ Alex schemmer Clary is not a sofa pls give her some human emotion pls and thanks

Sizzy: why god have you abandoned me, the sequel

Honestly writing that entire wall of text wiped me out but ill try

The drug arc is the bane of my existence

Im so tired

I thought we’d be done in season 2 yet here we are at the end. Drug arc: 1. Actual character development: 0.

Why is this the ONLY plot line the show can remember or keep running for more than 2 episodes. WHY

Why does she even like Simon. They never interact. They don’t even know each other. Everything is just an excuse to get them together. it’s forced and leaden.

Playing her and Raph off as badwrong and her and Simon as rose petal romantic is weird af dude. Izzy has just been the tail end of male characters’ storylines for so long and I’m tired.

If they’d played it off as a sacrifice on her part I might be less mad, like paint her as a hero but it just felt like this was expected of her. It was romantic because there was nothing else to do and OF COURSE she couldn’t refuse!!! Please be realistic, she’s a woman. Think of herself even a little? Impossible!

Never mind she could have easily used her medical training to open a larger artery, pour the blood into his mouth, and iratze herself as soon as Simon was cogent enough to be out of danger. He was already woken up enough to drink the blood she poured from her hand. No biting/venom necessary. Lmao.

Stop treating Izzy like shit just to force a romantic storyline seriously lmao

Aaaaanyway lol that was like 20000000 words but those are my thoughts if you made it to the end you deserve a trophy or smth

#sh spoilers #sh salt #im really sorry i just. did not like.

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bluephoenixdruidicprincess · 5 years

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Shadowhunters 3x18, The Beast Within -- Review

Now that I've got 3x17 over with...Let's get into 3x18, The Beast Within. And yet another episode where it's abundantly clear the writers wouldn't know subtlety if it drop kicked them in the face. This show has introduced fun concepts this season but as per usual, they feel the need to execute these concepts in the most boring way imaginable. It's also super weird to watch the premiere of a Halloween themed episode in the middle of April.

As always, I'm not a fan of Shadowhunters. I'm just watching this show to see what happens and I’m reviewing it because I feel obligated to. I don't think it's a good show, I actually think it's pretty trashy and it really only exists to be shipping fodder except minus the character and relationship development, there is none, so it basically fails even at that. But if you like Shadowhunters, that's perfectly fine. We like what we like. You just might not want to read this. Also spoilers for the books and movies.

I think I've actually hit maximum apathy for this show now. I normally blacklist shadowhunter posts while the new episode airs so I don't get spoiled when I watch the new episode the following day. But yesterday, I forgot to do that, I got spoiled and I didn't care. I saw plenty of gifs and discussions come across my dash and I didn't care. I'm truly saddened that I've at last hit this point. I always knew it would only be a matter of time before I would be brought to this point and it looks like I'm there now. But it's cool. We're on the final stretch until this show is finally done. So I really only have to suffer a little longer.

The Cure That Didn't Cure

Our "heroes" attempt to cure Clary of the mark using the Heavenly Fire but I guess the batch is too diluted for it to work. So it was really kind of a pointless scene that I don't even know why it exists other than to waste time. Oh and I guess to showcase Kat's screaming techniques which are pretty cringey. I hate it when she screams on this show. It never sounds like she's genuine. But you know, it's alright. Some people just aren't screamers. We can't all be Candace King (Caroline from TVD). Now, that girl can scream. I don't know how she does it but she's just really good at putting the emotion into her scream where you feel like you're feeling the same pain she is. The way she jerks her body, how she inflects her voice mid-scream, it's quite impressive. I certainly never enjoy watching my favorite character in TVD get tortured (and I think she was the most physically tortured character on the entire show) but I do applaud her ability to act out the torture. Oh, and Clary's lazer powers have come back. Thank God for that. I don't know if I could possibly survive without seeing another cringey scene of lazers flying out of Clary's hands again. Just why, show? Why? It's not necessarily. You've already depicted Clary as a fully functioning shadowhunter regardless if it was earned or not. Are the lazer powers really necessary?

But since it's Halloween, demons are running amok and everyone has to go out hunting and I'm just asking why they thought it would be a good idea to take Clary of all people to patrol? You know, the person who has shown they aren't always in control of their actions. They're going to take that person, give her deadly weapons and they didn't think it was going to go badly? But the fight eventually takes them to the sewer Clary makes the choice to join Jonathon instead of Jace so we're finally getting dark!Clary even though this is definitely not what I wanted. I don't want the show to use magic to make her dark, I want the show to acknowledge the darkness that was already there way before the mark. In fact, if they absolutely felt like they had to go this route, have the cure work but Clary still chooses to go with Jonathon because the mark helped bring out some of her more innate darkness and then deal with that for the final few episodes we're in. You know, do something to acknowledge that Clary isn't this precious little flower child. Allow her some character development. I also don't particularly understand why she chose to go with Jonathon. I get the mark was making her feel a little sympathetic but I don't understand how it lead to this?

The Continuation of the Malec Drama

It's not a Shadowhunters episode without Malec drama, am I right? Well, in return to giving Magnus his magic back, Asmodeus tells Alec to end his relationship with Magnus so it's basically every Malec fanfiction ever. Alec talks it over with both Jace and Izzy to varying degrees of success and he comes to the conclusion that he needs to break up with Magnus as he feels like this is going to save Magnus. And why wouldn't he think that? Magnus has been putting an awful lot on Alec regarding this whole situation so why wouldn't Alec feel this way? Alec breaks up with Magnus, telling Magnus that the past few days has made him feel like the spark that Alec loved about Magnus is gone. Magnus tries to stop him but ultimately, Alec walks away. And the break-up is alright, I guess, I just hate how "high school" writing it is. For me, a far more complex and interesting break-up would be Alec using the reasoning of that Magnus can't just lean on Alec for the rest of his life. He can't keep on pushing the drama onto Alec expecting Alec to fix it. Which has long been an issue I've had with the Malec relationship. That every time something goes wrong in in the relationship, Alec is the one who has to give way and fix it instead of both of them working together to fix it. Alec could tell Magnus he doesn't want to be in a relationship playing second fiddle to Magnus's identity crisis. He has to think about what will make him happy.

And can we talk about how terrible this line is, "You're not that selfish." This is Magnus basically implying that he likes that Alec selflessly makes allowances in the relationship instead of perhaps doing what he wants to do. And it also kind of reads like emotional manipulation. "I can't accept this break-up so I'm going to make you feel like a bad person so you won't break-up with me". So just, wow, Shadowhunters.

Becky

Believe it or not, there was something I did enjoy in this episode and that was Simon's sister Becky returning. She is so much fun, has so much energy, and with the innocence on how she approaches the shadow world, I kind of wish this actress played Clary. Kat's alright but I've never been too terribly impressed with her portrayal of Clary but the actress who plays Becky really brings energy in every scene she's in and I want her to be in more scenes. And what is it about this show and siblings who have more chemistry with each other than the love interests?

Though, I do think it's weird that shadowhunters who have literally grown up in the heart of NYC don't know mundane vampire culture, though. If you grew up in Idris, I can understand that but how have they lived in NYC, apparently they always patrol on Halloween and yet know nothing about how mundanes view vampires? It's just really hard to believe.

At Becky's request, Sizzy goes back into gear in all of its cringey glory. They literally made a pack two episodes ago to stay single and now this is being shoehorned in. Why? If they were going to do this. This pact should've been made a season ago. When you make a pact like this, it only works if the couple is a slow-burn and Sizzy definitely has not been that.

I Guess I Have to Talk About the Jordan Redemption

I don't hate that the show is giving Jordan a redemption arc but I do dislike how the show is going about it. It's definitely not deserved. Just because he saved Maia's life and joined an organization dedicated to helping people and that's enough to forgive Jordan for being a shitty person both before and after he became a werewolf? Come on.

I also hate the idea of Maia having to rebuild the pack. It does such a disservice to her character to make her own pack as opposed to taking control of her pack and showing that she's become strong enough to assert herself towards these individuals that previously looked down on her.

There's just so much going on in this episode that if the show was more subtle, it might've worked. But Subtlety and Shadowhunters have never gone hand-in-hand. I'll give this episode a B. I liked Becky and the structure of the episode wasn't bad. But other than the Becky parts, I thought this episode was pretty bland and most of what the episode did, I found to be pretty cringey and just generally trashy.

#shadowhunters #shadowhunters 3x18 #shadowhunters 3.18 #shadowhunters the beast within #the beast within

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femnet · 6 years

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Today, anyone can tell you that I am a hardcore book fan. But, up until I was 12, I hated reading. It felt like a chore, something that I was required to do for school but that I would never actually enjoy. I had never found a book that I could relate to or that could hold my interest. At the time, I could never have imagined the way that reading would impact my life.

I grew up (and still go to school in) a very small, conservative town in Texas. Here it was so taboo to talk about being gay that it was never mentioned. I had never even considered that a girl might like a girl or that a boy might like a boy. I was just told that girls liked boys, so that’s how my world worked.

My world finally changed one day when I was at a friend’s house. My friend’s brother was in the living room watching TV, and, for a reason I don’t recall, he said, “That’s gay!”

He immediately regretted saying that in front of me, because I wouldn’t stop asking him what that meant. I was a very persistent and curious girl, so I annoyed him until he told me, “It’s when a man likes another man.”

This was a very small moment in my life, but it introduced me to this fascinating new concept. If men could like men, then girls could like girls. And if girls could like girls, I could like girls.

The idea was there, but, at this point, the problem was that there was nothing more to it. I didn’t know any gay people. I had never seen gay people in the media. There was nothing concrete.

As previously stated, I hated reading at the time. However, I loved movies.

I was still 12 when I went to see a movie called City of Bones. I had no clue what it was about, but I had seen the trailer and it caught my eye. One morning, my aunt and I shuffled out to her car and we drove to the next town over where the nearest movie theater was. I was bouncing up and down with excitement as we went in.

For those who don’t know, City of Bones is the first book in Cassandra Clare’s series, The Mortal Instruments. Without spoiling anything or getting too deep into the story, there is a gay character named Alec Lightwood who is struggling with being in love with his best friend and coming to terms with his sexuality. Eventually, he meets a handsome warlock named Magnus Bane and starts to fall in love with him instead. You may have seen the Malec ship around Tumblr since the show, Shadowhunters, started in 2016.

This was the first time I ever saw a gay couple in media, but this wasn’t the only reason the experience was valuable. I saw the struggles of coming to terms with your sexuality in a society where it’s not accepted to be anything other than straight. I also saw a bi character for the first time (Magnus Bane) which introduced the possibility of being attracted to more than one gender.

This was the day I decided to give reading another chance, and the day it started to change my life for the better.

By the time I turned 13, I was devouring books. I was in the awkward stage where my peers and I were getting awkward sex talks and having classes where adults would come in and tell us stories to scare us into abstinence. (For those who don’t know, sex “ed” in Texas does not actually involve education.) However, I didn’t feel like any of this applied to me. My peers were busy discovering this new kind of attraction and I was left drifting alone. The older I got, the more I felt like something was just wrong with me.

I was 14 when I started high school and I was still very confused, but I also got access to a much better library and joined a book club. Through this, I discovered The Raven Cycle, The Darkest Part of the Forest, and even more books written by Cassandra Clare.

It was back in The Mortal Instruments where I encountered a canon asexual character for the first time: Raphael Santiago. He isn’t a main character, but seeing a character that wasn’t interested in the attraction other characters were dealing with made me feel much better about myself. (Plus, he’s a vampire. That’s pretty cool, too.)

While I had been identifying as pan, I had known that wasn’t entirely correct. That year, I finally settled nicely into the identity panromantic asexual.

This was about the time I started realizing the power of representation. I did have friends who were LGBT+ and they were looking for characters like them the same way I was looking for characters like me. As I had once learned to love reading, I had also learned to love writing. Seeing the way that one author with a few great characters could impact lives, I told myself, “Hey, you could do that!”

I turned 15 and then I turned 16. I read Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, The Song of Achilles, All for the Game, and more. The more I saw the impact these stories had on me and those around me just by featuring characters like us, the more I was inspired to be the person creating that impact.

I am currently 17, almost 18, and I’m a senior in high school. I just finished writing a full book for my creative writing class as a practice for the ones I’m going to be writing in the future. I am planning on studying English and LGBT+ studies in college and going on to get my masters in creative writing. My dream is to write books that will give other people the representation I wish that I had had growing up. Nobody should ever have to live 12 years before they realize it’s possible for them to like someone of the same gender. And nobody should ever feel like there is anything wrong with them if they do.

We have definitely made progress with the amount of representation out there, however, as an ace person who can name three canon ace characters, I can tell you we definitely aren’t as far as we need to be. But, even the little representation that I did see growing up made a profound change in my life. This post definitely does not cover all of it. Without those realizations, I wouldn’t be on the same path I am now, and I am grateful for them every day.

For those of you searching for some more representation in your life, here’s a list of the books that I mentioned and a few more:

The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare

The Dark Artifices series by Cassandra Clare

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

The Raven Cycle series by Maggie Stiefvater

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Heartstopper by Alice Oseman (this is actually a comic)

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

I Was Born For This by Alice Oseman

Six of Crows series by Leigh Bardugo

All for the Game series by Nora Sakavic (my personal favorite)

#lgbt representation #the mortal instruments #by jess #june 2018 #love and sexuality #real life #media #books

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singingwordwright · 6 years

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Untitled: Malec Rock Star AU concept

Okay, after @ohfreckle and @faejilly so cruelly encouraged me yesterday, I had to at least take this concept out for a test drive.

The plot still hasn’t come together fully, this is totally unedited and unbetaed so far, and I have no posting schedule planned for it. Also, I have no idea what s3 is going to do to my head and whether it’s going to drive this story totally out and fill my brain with other stuff. Thus, like the D&D concept, I’m not putting it up on AO3 yet, because I don’t want to start anything else I may not finish.

However, for those of you who were intrigued, I thought I’d give you a hint of what it would look like.

Also, this piece is 100% inspired by @noksindra‘s fanart based on the People’s Sexiest Men photoshoot, and I’ll be borrowing each characters’ instrument/role in the band from that, as well as the band and album names. Credit goes to them for that portion.

Anyway, enjoy!

Trigger warnings for sham marriages, drinking, mentions of past drug use, and past minor character death.

Gideon’s dark hair was soft beneath Alec’s fingers. He sat on the edge of the bed in the Captain America-themed bedroom they decorated together last year and stared down at his sleeping son, eyes burning and his throat tight.

Rubbed a shaking hand across his mouth, nearly overwhelmed by the temptation to go crawl into his own bed and hide away to avoid the pending confrontation.

Or, alternatively, he could get his shit together.

Eventually, headlights painted the wall, splashing harsh light into the quiet, comfortable darkness. Since there were only two houses on their—his—cul-de-sac, and the other one was currently empty, it wasn’t hard to guess whose car had just arrived.

Lydia’s key jingled in the lock. The front door squeaked softly as it opened, and clicked quietly shut. He could hear her in the dining room, the clink of crystal suggesting she’d made a stop by the liquor cabinet he hadn’t gotten around to purging.

Alec sighed and wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans, then rose.

As he thought, there are two whiskey glasses on the dining room table. Lydia hadn’t turned the dimmer switch up very high; she sat there in semi-darkness, staring down at her folded hands.

“Alec, I’m so sorry about Max and Jace,” she said before he could speak.

“Yeah, well, that might have meant more if you’d actually been there at the funeral,” he replied tightly. Which was unfair. His parents had never really warmed to her and his father had been convinced he’d shot his career in the foot, marrying and having a child so young. They wouldn’t have wanted Lydia at the funeral.

Rather than deal with all that, though, he gestured to the glasses. “You shouldn’t have poured those. Simon and I made a pledge after we—well, after. The band is going totally dry.”

Lydia snorted. “Easy pledge for you and Simon to make. Neither of you likes to drink much.”

Alec took a chair, but didn’t pick up his glass. “Still, we thought it would be easier for everyone…”

“And it will. But do you think it’s going to help Jace later, when you’re on the road, if you refuse to have a drink with me tonight, to make a difficult conversation go more smoothly?”

“Good point, counselor.” Alec sighed and lifted his drink. The whiskey seared his throat and he shuddered, but the warmth that radiated from his stomach soothed his temper and nerves, and damn Lydia for right about that.

“How was Gideon this weekend?” she asked once their glasses were empty.

“How do you think?” He pressed his lips together, because that was way more snarly than he wanted to be in this conversation. The sudden surge of anger didn’t surprise him much; he’d been tamping it down for almost a week. But a lot of it had nothing to do with Lydia and if he unleashed the part of it she did own, he’d end up heaping the rest of it on her as well.

“I spent all weekend answering the same question over and over: why won’t he and mommy be living with me anymore. And I had to bullshit my way through it every time, because I don’t even know the answer!”

“Alec—”

“No!” His hand shot up, cutting her off, and his well-intentioned effort not to rip into her verbally hung by a precariously thin thread. “I get an email from you one day telling me you’re taking Gideon out to your grandparents’ old place in the country, so you won’t have internet or phone. Which would have been fine but it meant I couldn’t reach you after the accident. And then I get home from burying one brother and delivering the other to fucking rehab, only to find divorce papers sitting on my goddamn table, with a note saying you’d talk to me when you got back. Then, two weeks later, you call saying you’re back and you’ll stop by and drop Gideon off to spend the weekend with me, and we could talk after he fell asleep. Well, fine. Here we are, Lydia. Our son’s asleep and I think I’m finally entitled to a damned explanation.”

She gave him a long, tired look, and reached for the decanter of whiskey once again.

“You are,” she said after pouring another shot and taking a slow sip. “But first you’re entitled to an apology. I left the divorce papers and the note three days before the accident. I was out in the country when the news about Max and Sebastian and Jace broke. Please believe me, I would have wanted to be here. I would have done things entirely differently if I’d known—”

“Yeah, I get it. You didn’t mean to kick me in the balls while I was already down, it was just bad timing.” Alec scrubbed his hands over his face until his eyes stopped burning. “Sorry. That was unnecessary.”

“No, it wasn’t. You’re totally justified in being angry with me. I needed space to think and prepare myself for this conversation, but I ended up making what was a terrible time for you far worse, and not being there to support you when you needed me. I truly am sorry for that.”

Alec closed his eyes and swiped the back of his hand across his damp lashes. “I just want to know why. We were a family. I thought we were happy. What am I missing?”

She didn’t quite roll her eyes at him, but there was an incredulous really? riding heavily on the wry gaze she fixed on him.

“What, are you trying to make me say it?”

His hackles rose at that knowing look. It left him feeling exposed and defensive. “Why not?” He flung out a hand. “You’re the one with all the damn answers!”

“Not this one, Alec. This one can’t come from me. You need to be the one to say it.”

“Don’t.” He clenched his jaw and looked down at the table until his temper was back under control. “Have I ever done anything to make you think—” Except, of course, it was what he hadn’t done that confirmed what she’d always suspected and he’d never said. Dammit. “Have I ever been papped in a compromising situation or done anything to end up on the gossip blogs?”

“No, of course not. You’d never take that risk with the morals clause still in your contract with Idris Records, nor would you humiliate me that way. I’ve always appreciated that about you. But I need more.”

More. A more that he couldn’t offer. “You know I wouldn’t mind if—”

Then she did roll her eyes. “Oh, yeah, that’d be terrific. I’d get papped slinking away from some illicit encounter. I’d be vilified all over the blogosphere as the scarlet woman who broke shy, quiet Alec Lightwood’s heart. The Nephilim would probably have to break ties with my firm, which would cost me my job, but at least you’d become a media and fangirl darling for fifteen milliseconds. Robert Pattinson Goes Rock-n-Roll.”

He didn’t have an answer for that, because of course she was right. They’d somehow managed to trap each other, when they’d always intended the exact opposite. He nodded, hanging his head.

“We were using each other and you know it. Not callously; we truly care about one another, but not the way we’re supposed to. Not in the way that will sustain a marriage.” She stared at him levelly. “We each had something the other needed for a time. I needed a husband after John died, because I didn’t want to be a single mom just finishing law school, and because John’s awful family would have made a bid for custody if they’d known about the baby, and they had enough money that they might have won.”

She wasn’t telling him anything he didn’t already know. They’d had very frank discussions at the time about how his coloring was similar enough to John’s that no one would question it if he’d claimed the baby was his.

“And you needed a plausible excuse for why you never banged any groupies or showed up to events with some up-and-coming starlet or model on your arm,” she concluded, her voice subdued.

Alec’s mouth twisted. The idea that he was a devoted family man helped bolster his appeal with some of the band’s audience. Jace cultivated the image of the wild party boy, while Alec was the deadpan sidekick who kept him grounded. It played well in interviews.

Except now it was clear Alec had failed spectacularly at fulfilling his role.

He huffed in irritation. “Okay, so it wasn’t a traditional marriage, but it was working. At least, I thought it was. When did that change?”

“When I got lonely, Alec.” Lydia’s eyes were sad when she met his startled glance. “I know you being off touring is part of the package, and for a long time, I was okay with that. After losing John, when Gideon was little and I was so wrapped up in him and starting my career, I didn’t want anyone else. But it’s been six years, and I’m ready to try to find someone. And I—”

Her voice hitched and her eyes swam. She hasn’t wept in front of him since the day Gideon was born, looking exactly like John. “I care about you enough that I started coming dangerously close to deluding myself. Telling myself that maybe you and I could make it...make it real. Maybe I just hadn’t ever tried to be attractive to you, and it wasn’t that you couldn’t want me, it’s just that you were being a gentleman, giving me time to get over John. That you might want me once I let you know I was ready.”

Alec sniffled and wiped his eyes again. Hurting Lydia was the last thing he’d ever wanted to do, yet somehow, just by existing as who he was, he’d managed to do just that. After all the blows he’d taken these past few weeks, that was one too many.

“That’s when I knew I had to get out.” She shrugged, her smile forced but fond. “But you? You don’t like change. I know leaving the divorce papers was cowardly, but I didn’t know how to convince you it was time to let go. I thought if I gave us both a few weeks to settle in with the idea before we talked about it—”

“Alright. Alright. I get it.” His breath shuddered, but he nodded, lifting his head. “Okay. So what do we do now?”

“We sign the papers, and release a statement through your publicist that we are amicably divorcing, our son continues to be our top priority, we’d appreciate privacy during this time of transition, et cetera et cetera. Then, you take a while to heal and support Jace in his recovery. I’ll work on buying out Sebastian Morgenstern’s rights to The Nephilim’s brand and catalog. In fact, I’m already on it.”

Alec bared his teeth in fury at the mere name of the drummer who had gotten Jace hooked on drugs. Sebastian had been behind the wheel, higher than a fucking kite, the night of the accident. Yet somehow he walked away with only a few bruised ribs while Max…

Dammit.

Lydia gave Alec a moment to seethe, then continued, “Once Isabelle has had time to grieve, she’ll return from staying with your parents and begin work on finding The Nephilim a new drummer and front man. Then I’ll do what I do and handle the contracts.”

“I don’t think we can do that,” Alec said, shaking his head. “Ask Izzy to replace Max?”

“She’s your manager, Alec. Who else is going to do it?”

“I’m just… The Nephilim happened because of Max. Yeah, Simon and I were the songwriters, but it was Max as the child-prodigy with the angel face that really made it happen. I’m not sure the band can exist without him. I’m not sure I want it to.”

Lydia frowned. “So you’re all...just going to retire? Try for solo careers?”

“Come on, Lydia. We both know I don’t have the vocal chops for a solo career.” Alec snorted. “Simon could pull it off, and maybe Jace if he can keep his nose clean, but I’m just, you know, Tony Banks. I’ll always be stuck playing keyboards and singing backup.”

“You’re a brilliant songwriter, Alec. You and Simon together. Max may have been the face of The Nephilim, but you are the soul.”

Alec’s cheeks warmed. “Thanks. But not the point. Actually, we were thinking of forming a new band. Simon and I talked about it over coffee after Max’s wake. We didn’t want to put it on Izzy to try to find someone to fill his shoes, and we knew it wouldn’t be the same anyway, so we were thinking maybe building something new of the skeleton of The Nephilim. Like the core members of Joy Division forming New Order, or David Grohl moving on from Nirvana to Foo Fighters.”

“Mike Rutherford forming Mike + the Mechanics while Genesis was taking a break,” she added, picking up on his chain of thought.

“Exactly. Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page going from The Yardbirds to Cream and Led Zeppelin, respectively.”

“It’s risky.” Crystal chimed as Lydia tapped her fingernail against her empty glass. “It rarely works out as well as it did for Grohl and Page. You’d be giving up all the branding you’ve built as The Nephilim and starting from scratch. Some diehard fans might follow you, the same way they would if you decided to split up and try for solo careers, but you’d lose a big chunk of your audience.”

Alec shrugged. “Max is—was—The Nephilim. This is the way it has to be.”

“All right. There’s going to be a whole stack of new contracts that will need to be negotiated, then. Like whether the new band will have the rights to The Nephilim’s old catalog and brand. But that’s something to figure out once you have a singer and drummer. I assume, even if you won’t be using the The Nephilim band name anymore, you don’t want Sebastian to have rights to it?”

“I’ll fucking kill him if he tries,” Alec growled, and buckled in to talk business.

“Magnus Bane,” Izzy announced two months later, apropos of nothing as she slid into the booth across from Alec.

Alec rubbed his forehead. “That name sounds vaguely familiar, but I can’t place it.”

“What name?” Simon asked, returning from flirting with the bartender. Or whatever passed for flirting with him. Jace had never quite managed to get a grip on his jealousy over Simon’s inexplicable appeal to girls. Jace was the one with the golden-boy good looks and charm, the one whose skill on the bass was frequently compared to greats such as Sting and Geddy Lee. But Simon, with his nerdy hipster appeal and adequate but less showy handling of the lead guitar, always topped the popularity polls, far ahead of Jace.

Alec, for his part, just wanted them both to shut up about it.

Izzy leaned over until her chin rested on Simon’s shoulder, her hand slipping into his lap as she peered past him toward the bar. “She’s cute.”

Simon smirked and kissed her jaw. “If you want to find out if she’s into girls, you have to ask her yourself. Her name’s Maia.”

Izzy mock-pouted. “I didn’t come up in conversation?”

He shook his head fondly. “Nope. Two things guaranteed to get a girl to stop talking to me. One: mentioning I have a girlfriend, and two: acting like some skeezy asshole and asking a girl if she might be interested in a threesome with me and my girlfriend. No way, not going there. Besides, she’s really nice.”

“Oh!” Izzy’s eyes widened. “You like her. Well, how about I ask her out for you? That way, she knows all about me and there’s no danger of her assuming you’re a cheating creep.”

“Or you could ask her out for yourself?” he shot back as Alec wished that his glass of cola was large enough to dunk his head in and drown out their conversation.

“Who says I won’t ask her out for both of us?”

“Can we please, for the love of God, get back to the subject?” Alec demanded.

Simon and Izzy both gave him guilty looks, which Alec interpreted to mean they’d literally forgotten he was there.

“Right.” Simon cleared his throat and folded his hands together on the table before him. “Something about a name?”

“Magnus Bane,” Izzy announced again, triumphantly.

“Oh! The guy who went viral after he was on that reality show! Which one was it, again? He was good!”

Alec gritted his teeth. “Let’s assume for a moment that I don’t know what the hell either of you are talking about and clue me in.”

Izzy sighed and pulled out her phone, poking at it as she spoke. “Last year, Magnus Bane made it past the audition rounds on one of the reality singing competition shows. He was incredible, but the producers had already decided who was going to win and they made sure that happened. Magnus was eliminated four weeks from the finale, but by then his first performance on the show had gone hugely viral and he’d built a fan base. Enough so that, even though he didn’t win the competition, the labels took notice. He happened to sign with Idris recently, and now that the deal is inked, his manager has been auditioning talent to back him as a solo artist. But rumor has it he’s a Nephilim fan, and I think I could convince the label, and his manager, to let him join our new project instead.”

She passed her phone over, along with her wireless earbuds. Alec inserted them, unpaused the video she had loaded for him...

...and promptly forgot how to breathe.

Magnus Bane was amazing. His voice was a smoky bari-tenor with just the right amount blues-tinged whiskey-and-growl. His fashion sense was glamorous without being either ostentatious or campy, and his eyeliner was sultry enough to oust Dave Navarro from Alec’s catalog of wet dream fodder and make Bowie and Lambert look like a toddlers who’d gotten into their moms’ makeup kits.

He strutted across the stage like sex on legs, wild and dangerous and...kind of sweet, too. It was there, easy to miss, but lurking in the way a dimple appeared when he smiled at the applause when he was done performing.

“He’s, um...wow.” Alec passed the phone and earbuds back to Izzy. “He’s not much like Max, though, is he?”

She smiled sadly, leaning against Simon, who rubbed her shoulder. More than any of them, Izzy blamed herself for what had happened to Max. She’d been the one to persuade them that Sebastian was the right fit for The Nephilim, after all. “Is that really a bad thing? If it’s actually going to be a new band, we need a new image.”

“Yeah, but, musically, I mean.” Alec forced himself to ignore the part of himself that was salivating at the idea of writing music for Magnus’s voice. “Can we adapt to playing with someone whose style is so different?”

Simon’s hand shot into the air. “I volunteer as tribute!”

Alec blinked. “Huh?”

Izzy shoved Simon down. “Ignore him. He’s being a film nerd again. It’s a quote from that movie you couldn’t bring yourself to watch because it came out just after Gideon was born.” She patted Simon’s hand as he sulked. “But maybe that answers your question? Simon thinks he can play with the guy. If you do too, then Jace is the only one we need to convince.”

“What about the sobriety pledge?” Alec met Simon’s eyes, then looked back at Izzy. “He looks like he might like to party a bit.”

“So far no rumors of any problem behaviors have emerged from behind the scenes of the competition or from anyone who has worked with him since. I’ve scoured his social media feeds and while he has been out to bars and clubs with friends, there haven’t been any drunk tweets or videos. Then there’s this.”

She poked at her phone for a moment and handed it back to Alec, a tweet thread dated late July filling the screen.

Magnus Bane @MagnificentBane

So heartbroken to hear about Max Lightwood. He may have been younger than me, but he was decades beyond his age in talent. #RIPMaxL

I’m even more heartbroken to hear he wasn’t even the one who was high. He was just in the wrong car with the wrong guy.

I hope @SebMorningStar faces the consequences for his choices. The rest of us need to take this as a lesson.

We’ve lost too many talented people in this industry, friends and loved-ones, to drugs, alcohol, and irresponsible behavior.

No one, however talented, is indestructible. Fame is a very unreliable airbag.

That was weirdly poetic, Alec though, smiling despite the fresh pain in his heart at seeing those thoughts on Max. The guy was probably a capable lyricist.

I love a night out at the club as much as the next guy, but I’ve learned from a lot of close calls who not to trust with the keys.

Sometimes the guy who shouldn’t have the keys is me. I’ve learned to make sure everyone gets home safely then, too.

It’s a fucking tragedy that Max will never get the chance to learn how to make that call.

My heart goes out to his brothers and the rest of @NephilimBand and the Lightwood family. May they find comfort and solace. #RIPMaxL

Alec blinked rapidly and passed the phone back to Izzy. “Wow. Okay. So I don’t think we’d have a hard time talking him into the sobriety pledge.”

Simon glanced at the tweets over Izzy’s shoulder. “Especially if we just make it clear that he’s free to do what he wants when he’s not in the studio or touring with the rest of us. I mean, I’m not interested in telling anyone they can’t have beers with the guys while watching a game or go out for a drink with friends. Just, you know, not when the rest of us are there.”

“You really think you can get him to agree to it?”

She took a slow drink of her virgin daiquiri. “I think so. There’s no downside to it for him. He needs a band; you already have a band, minus a drummer but we can fix that. True, he won’t be billed as a solo act, but signing on with you guys means he starts out with a bigger fan base than just his social media following since the competition. Plus, we know he likes your music.”

“Any potential downsides for us?” Alec asked.

“None that I can think of. In fact, he’s openly bisexual so we might end up increasing our LGBTQ fanbase.”

He frowned sharply. “What? How’s that going to work with the morals clause in our contract?”

“Lydia’s renegotiating from the ground up.” Izzy gave him a grin so toothy it would make sharks swim away in terror. “Whole new band means the old contract gets thrown out. She’s insisting on getting rid of the morals clause.”

Alec stared at her for an incredulous moment, then narrowed his eyes at Simon, who sank down in the booth a little. “The new band was your suggestion. Did Isabelle put you up to that?”

Simon rolled his eyes. “Oh, yeah, that was totally the first thing on her mind when she was crying her eyes out over Max.”

“Right. Sorry. That was out of line. I just—” Alec rubbed his forehead. However coincidental the timing, Simon and Izzy couldn’t know why Lydia was divorcing Alec. They might suspect, but they didn’t know.

“Alec, do you think Simon and I like hiding who we are?” Izzy asked softly. “Thanks to that morals clause, we have to pretend we’re not dating, or otherwise we’d have to pretend to be monogamous. I mean, sure, since Simon’s the one bound by the old contract, the label would probably turn a blind eye if we only saw other women.” She nodded toward Maia over at the bar. “They’d assume he was cheating on me, and for some odd reason they’d decide that didn’t violate the prohibition against illicit sexual behavior. But God forbid if we wanted to date another man.”

Alec struggled not to shudder or wince. “You get that this is way beyond TMI, right?”

“But you get what I’m saying.” She gave him a censorious look, the kind that never failed to whip the band into shape whenever they started misbehaving in the studio. She’d mastered it since she’d taken over managing the band from their father, when their parents had divorced. “It wasn’t as big a deal when Max was with us; The Nephilim had a certain image that was entirely appropriate for a band whose first album dropped before their lead vocalist had to shave regularly. But we’re starting with a clean slate. New image, new outlook. I’m just saying, there’s more than one person in the band who will benefit from losing the morals clause, okay?”

“Okay.” Alec caught Simon’s eyes and nodded. “I’ll let Jace know when I pick him up from rehab next weekend. I don’t think he’ll have any objections, So if Magnus is interested, have him join us in the studio as soon as possible; we can bring in a session drummer temporarily if we have to. Let’s just all jam and see how we work together.”

On to Chapter 2

#shadowhunters #malec #fanfic #rock star AU #addiction cw #character death cw

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wewalkadifferentpath · 6 years

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Ace-friendly SH Fics: Masterlist

Alrighty folks so strap in, here is the first round of my ace-friendly Shadowhunters fic rec list! It’s so hard to have to navigate fics that should have a canon asexual character, always just vaguely expecting disappointment (cough Raphael). So. All of the fics on this list are ace-friendly in some way or another, whether it’s tagged/talked about or even intended by the author or not- they do NOT invalidate Raphael’s asexuality (using the definition of asexuality as not experiencing sexual attraction, irrespective of feelings toward sex. And while this list does have some aroace!Raphael, it is specifically for ace!Raphael) This’ll cover everything from ace-friendly smut for my smut-inclined friends (meaning Raphael is not sex-repulsed in those, but still ace) to platonic/solo stuff for those of my friends who are less romance-inclined. I also threw in some headcannons of other SH characters. Let me know what you all think! (Things not under the “smut” category do not have any written descriptions of sex to the best of my memory and brief scan-throughs, but please let me know if there’s something in the general list that should be under smut). If you’re strongly sex-repulsed please use your usual discretion. (And everyone just please read the tags in general). One final note: keep in mind that this is just a collection of fics that are supportive of asexuality. While these are fics I personally enjoyed/read often, this list is not an endorsement of all aspects of the content (ie. the way other identities are handled, etc.) This list is meant to account for different tastes, just with the bonus relief of knowing asexuality is there. So, here we go!

(I’m ridiculous and can’t do regular summaries; my comments on each rec- if any- are in the brackets):

Saphael (without direct mention of asexuality but still unequivocally respecting it):

The Heart of An Adventurer by DustinMcDreamy

Skyrim/Dark Ages AU: Simon is a simple tavern worker, but he wants more than his boring life. An adventurer stays the night at their Inn and Simon is enamored with both the adventurer and his wonderful life.

(so this is a lovely person who I’ve been collaborating with and they are honestly such an ally and their stories are wonderful, this one is probably my favourite but you can check out their page for other stuff)

put the boom boom into my heart by idontshaveforsher_yesyoudo

"Or maybe something like soulmates always sneeze at the same time and I cant be sure but me and this kid in my French class just sneezed at the same time are we soulmates or was it a coincidence (proceed w character trying to make themselves sneeze around said person to see what’s what)"

or, the one where simon hates his life and Mr. Immaculate Hair doesn't make it better, until he does

Forgotten at Dusk by halfmast Simon finds Raphael wandering around Manhattan barefoot - things go downhill (uphill?) from there.

(So I think this is the only one I’ve included that’s an unfinished WIP and is also NOT explicitly laid out as asexual- because I can’t guarantee it won’t change in later chapters. It also has one chapter left and hasn’t updated in a while so if that rattles you, don’t touch. But it’s beautifully written and sweet and a neat concept, and so far doesn’t contradict asexuality!)

before I ever met you by izzyasavestheday (stilessexual) “I’m missing something,” Simon went on, voice cracking. “I’m missing someone but no matter how hard I try I just can’t fucking remember.”

Can you find me someone to love? by domoiswatchingyou

They all have one thing in common: they are all bad at love, even when some of them love to deny it. (Saphael and Malec AU WIP) (And I gotta say guys, I beta for this lovely person- and thus actually have a hand in writing the ace parts- and they are a wonderful individual. Asexuality not mentioned as of yet but will be upcoming).

baby, I’m not made of stone by izzyasavestheday (stilessexual)

“Did I ever tell you that we feel everything? The clan, I mean. If I focus enough, I can tell you who’s sad and who’s angry and who hasn’t been sleeping properly. I can tell you who’s been having nightmares. There are no secrets here.”

i'd spend all nine lives with you by alaricrodriguez

simon gets himself turned into a kitten and raphael can't find his fledgling

(this is just little and cute and there’s no explicit effort made to make Raph ace but I guess I’m kind of cheating since it’s from Simon’s POV and doesn’t come up at all but it’s not contradicted and I love this fic so)

echo series by izzyasavestheday (stilessexual) “Right,” Raphael brought himself to his feet, smooth as anything. “Let’s go.” Simon gapped up at him, “Go where?” Raphael rolled his eyes, impressively, (like he didn’t care, like he didn’t care about Simon, but he was here and they both knew neither of them could ever stop caring no matter how much they continued to hurt one another) and heaved a spectacular sigh. “Home.” -

Saphael (ft. actual conversations about asexuality/the word is spoken):

Somebody out there by mckvch (RaiseYourVoice)

(Road trip fic, which is classic of course. PLEASE read the tags. Could be interpreted as demi/gray ace but I identify as just ace and it fits me just fine. This is one of the first fics I read coming into this fandom, and the first one that made me fall in love with Saphael, and it’s got an insanely special warm fuzzy place in my heart) (Also 27 chapters, so how can you complain about that???) The acing on the cake by mckvch (RaiseYourVoice)

““Oh, come on, puns are amazing! Tell me your sexuality and I’m sure we will have at least one shirt that’ll appeal to you.” Simon patted the pile of shirts in front of him and smiled hopefully at Raphael who really wanted to disagree and tell the boy he was wasting his time here but he couldn’t bring himself to.” (pride!fic) (this author has some of my favourite ace!Saphael fics ever, and like an endless supply of them with everything under the ace/aro umbrella) A Lesson in Love series by Malteser24 ”Simon thinks it will be difficult to adapt to their new situation - in which they don't actually hate each other - and Raphael can't imagine their date as being anything but awkward, considering how out of his depth he is when it comes to dating.Instead, they actually have a fairly good time.” like a love song on the radio by eversall

Simon's a bartender, Raphael plays the piano, and somehow they manage to communicate to each other that yeah, they both want this.

Rock Solid Panda by OhHolyHell

(Made for pan pride day, “Raphael is actually a thoughtful softie” (and so is Simon!) (ft. ace puns)) Disasters that lead to pretty boys (are worth it) by gayinsight "My friend is out of town and I’m supposed to be taking care of her pet fish but it died and you work at the pet store help me find one that looks the same so she won’t notice!" (this one has a hella flirtatious Raphael making some jokes that imply sexual attraction but it doesn’t actually HAVE him experience it and it’s honestly one of the cutest, funniest little Saphael fics ever so)

if i ever had your number, i think i would use it by eversall

“You – why is your number in the Pandemonium bathroom?”

(classic meet-ugly sorta vibe) I am a pile of bricks and you are holding a sledgehammer by LiviKate “So when do I get tucked safely back under Raphael’s wing?” “You won’t,” Lily said, wandering over to the other side of the room to get her own drink. “Raphael has a new fledgling now. You’re stuck with me.” Or, when Simon isn't the newest vamp in the clan, he has a hard time sharing.

Promised It All, But You Lied by sirknightmordred As Raphael lies in a magical coma that can't be cured, Simon thinks back to pivotal moments in their relationship. (There IS a warning for fairly descriptive sexual assault, but it’s actually surrounded by bolded words in the story so easy to skip. And it does not attribute his ace-ness to the assault, but it’s also rep for those of us who are ace AND have negative experiences with sexual violence)

Sing me a Song by Margo_96

the one where Simon teaches Raphael's younger brother how to play the guitar and Raphael is not happy. or maybe he doesn't mind it that much (Okay so this is one that kind of equates asexual to ‘not wanting sex,’ and Raphael does have very strong infatuation so not so much representative of romantically-fuzzy people. Hooweeverr, it’s cute af, and I like Simon’s initial reaction to the coming out, and it’s 8 chapters, so worth a read for sure) until i’m not afraid by angelblooddemondust

(Trans!Simon (which I can’t speak to at all) ft ace!supportiveRaph (which I can)) (read the notes) -

Saphael (ft. smut):

Head is spinning thinking ‘bout by LiviKate

Simon and Raphael enjoy their time together, even if Simon doesn't really know what to call it.

Or, gratuitous vampire sex with some ace-spectrum themes because there's not enough Asexual Raphael.

(This is a lot of blood drinking, which is not my fav, but it’s brilliant in terms of what a sex-positive ace might look like and how they experience sex- it’s from Raph’s POV, and it’s quite good overall imo. Probably my favourite ace!smut)

Just Pull me Closer by SomeWaywardDaughter After spending an irritating patrol with Clary and Jace, Simon just wants to get back to Hotel DuMort and Raphael. (so I’mma be honest I was in a pretty sex-repulsed mood while doing this part so I didn’t fully reread it to be sure it’s safe but it’s literally written by a self-professed ace author and I did see reference to the aceness amidst the smut so I’m pretty sure we’re good)

What is Desired by DustinMcDreamy (I’m not going to include descriptions for smut because many of them are potentially triggering in nature for sex-repulsed friends, but this one is a dom/sub sort of thing, pretty hella kinky so buyers beware. It’s messy on the ace-front (the author started the series before Raphael came out, and had to add it retroactively) but there’s some good lines in there in particular for gray ace or demi folks who are experiencing lust for someone for the first/only time, etc.) chasing starlight by mostlikelydefinentlymad There was no set destination, simply one agreed upon prerogative: drive. (So this isn’t technically smut insofar as there’s no actual explicit description of sex, it’s basically all blood drinking, but it’s a heavily implied metaphor and Raphael’s blood lust for Simon is very reminiscent of sexual attraction, so that part kind of doesn’t reflect how I feel as an ace person. BUT Raphael does not actually experience sexual attraction, the story is quite lovely, and the author is quite lovely as well, so I’d still recommend it)

Caught. by Kalifa (Lol this is short and not super smutty either but it’s like #sexindifferentfeels all the way) -

Raphael and Other Characters ( back to no smut):

love comes in at the eye by prettydizzeed

The first time he asks Raphael out, Raphael scoffs.

(A Raphael/Meliorn fic- and I gotta tell you I didn’t even ship these two but the characterization is beautiful and the handling of the asexuality is a dream)

maybe we're just gonna live forever, maybe heaven's a mistake by prettydizzeed

Raphael presses the pendant into his palm and looks at Magnus. “How did you become okay with it?” Magnus gives a flourish of his hand. “After the whole ‘half demon blood, scorned by the earth as a monster’ thing, liking boys wasn't that big of a deal.” He sees Raphael's expression and adds gently, “But it's different for everyone.” Raphael looks at his hands. Lets go of the cross. “How do I become okay with it?” Incompatible by NotEvenThat

Raphael wants to know why their relationship works for Jace. As with everything, Jace struggles to talk about his feelings and why Raphael Santiago makes him feel so safe. (I can’t even get over how much I love that this fic makes asexuality seem like a bonus rather than a burden in a relationship- which shouldn’t be rare, but alas)

landscapes by brightclam

(Another Raph/Meliorn, those seem to be popular! Ft. gender nonconforming Meliorn and the tags “Asexual Raphael Santiago” “i shouldn't have to tag that but some of y'all demons ignore that” which made me laugh for like 5 minutes)

- Arospec!Raphael/Romance not Mentioned:

Make Yourself at Home by savannahrunes

Two occasions Raphael Santiago shows up at Magnus's door, each time with something quite important to say. (This is my favourite aroace Raphael fic ever and made me cry both times I read it. Also written by an ace author) (do yourself a favour and read this even if you’re not arospec- although that goes for all of them in this category) (he is legitimately 100% aro in this)

Unnamed Soulmate AU by http://parabatri-gonebabygone.tumblr.com

(So I couldn’t trace this back to AO3 or even the author’s most recent tumblr but it’s so beautiful and I love this fic so much and the author (in my limited opinion) did an amazing job of having an aroace soulmate dynamic and gah, yes)

Four Times Raphael Santiago Was Kissed, and the One Time He Kissed First by albabutter

His mother should have had a house full of girls. Instead she ended up with him and his brothers and a rag tag crew of every teenaged hooligan in a five mile radius running through her home. She was quick to grab an ear but quicker to give a hug, and Raphael put up with it as well as could be expected. She gave hugs to the neighborhood boys and kisses to her sons, and the only silver lining was that she didn’t wear lipstick. (honestly this is one of my favourite Raphael fics in general, and I believe the author only intended for him to be ace in this but I definitely interpret it as at least aro-spec as well if not just straight-up aroace) When’s a monster not a monster? by scalira “He had never heard about something like this before. You either liked the opposite sex or you lived in sin as someone who liked the same sex. But he had never heard of people just not liking any sex.He decided to just let it rest for now, pushing the worry aside till he at least graduated highschool. But then there was a friend, and his name was David.” (*** Warning: there is a fairly sudden mention of oral sex near the beginning. And some descriptions of violence. But this is one of my favourite ace-fics in the way that it explains what asexual attraction feels like for me, and Raph is also grey-homoromantic so bonus) (this author has lots of varying ace and demi/grayromantic/etc Raphael fics too to check out) Carpe Noctem by UMsArchive For decades, it seems like unlife couldn't get any better and nothing threatens to take all of that happiness away from Simon. Aside from the passing of time that slowly takes everything away from him. Almost everything. (Listed as demiromantic, but as far as I can remember doesn’t even have kissing by the end so it should be fairly aro-friendly)

Maybe by mckvch(RaiseYourVoice)

“ Yeah, he definitely didn’t want to kiss girls, ever, but boys...not so much, either.” (arospec Raphael with some ambiguousness about his feelings for Simon) It's Not a Date (Unless I Pay for Dinner) by Vitamin_Me Clary cancels their date last minute, but Simon ends up having a good time despite himself. (So I don’t think this author really intended on having Raphael be aro or even ace, but while I’m not aro and can’t be sure, I think this fic should be pretty safe even for people who are mildly romance-repulsed. There’s definitely implications of feelings- especially from Simon- but really I interpret it as being this chill, mostly platonic, nice little fic that makes me feel pretty good when I’m sick of all the heavy romance stuff) 18. Play A Musical Instrument by GideonGraystairs

So this is just a tiny drabble amidst a sea of drabbles but I love it because it’s one of the only fics I’ve seen that’s literally JUST Raphael, reflecting, by himself. It doesn’t say he’s ace/aro anything, it just doesn’t have any romantic arc at all) -

ace!Alec Lightwood:

Accidental Fate by allonsyarielle

There were two things Alec Lightwood knew about himself beyond a shadow of a doubt. The first was that he was gay. The second was that he does not like sex. Through a chance encounter with Magnus Bane, Alec learns about asexuality, and it opens his eyes to a new part of his identity. (okay so this one did sort of equate asexuality with “not wanting sex” but I still included it because I think it’s a frank take on how it can feel to realize you’re asexual, and all of the negative emotions that can come with that) Sleepovers Aren’t Just for Kids by SomeWaywardDaughter Ace!Alec discovery his sexuality (written by an ace author) -

Others SH headcannons:

Send My Love To Your New Lover by HornedQueenOfHell

(This one is about ace!Etta, one of Magnus’s old exes. It also does the ace=not wanting sex thing, but the author is ace-spec so it’s got some perspective for sure. And it’s written so beautifully and such a lovely concept. **Warning for ace-phobia and brief sexual harassment) (I cried the first time I read this) El Hijo De Santa Muerte by Gzmoii “He stepped aside, letting Guadalupe in. She walked in with a careful nod, looking around at Magnus’ loft. Magnus snapped his fingers behind his back, hiding the potions and other magical ingredients around the loft. Given that Guadalupe wasn’t a mundane, she wouldn’t be able to notice the subtle shift as everything around the room moved. Guadalupe’s head snapped toward him, “What was that?” She asked.” (So this actually DOES have ace!Raphael, but I’m putting it here because it also has aro!Guadalupe Santiago, which is hella rad) (22 ch and counting)

You Aren’t Broken by allonsyarielle

(Ace!Alec but also demiromantic!Magnus)

-- -- -- Alright, that’s it for now! Hope you all got something out of this! If you are one of the authors listed here and you want your fic/name OFF the list, please message me. If you have written an ace-friendly fic that you want included, hmu and I’ll check it out. Depending on demand, I’ll hopefully be doing updated lists every so often, as well as spin-offs (for example, I have a small but growing list of Malec fics that just so happen to have really sweet comments about asexuality, or have ace!Raphael as a minor character). If you want to request any specific type of fic, please feel free to ask me, I’ve literally got folders overflowing. Have a lovely, ace-friendly day!

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shsummertimefest-blog · 7 years

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I Need to Tell You Something

Enjoy, @magswoods!

You said you liked Malec, fluf, angst, happy endings and fake relationships, all things that I like too, so here you go! This was a lot of fun to write and I hope you have as much fun reading it! ♥

Title: I Need to Tell You Something Rating: T Word Count: 2724 Tags: No Supernatural, Celebrity AU, Actor Magnus, Actor Alec, Fluff, Angst, Pining, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Background Clary/Izzy, POV Alec Summary: Alec needs to get his name out there, preferably without resorting to drama and scandal. He agrees to a PR relationship with Magnus, who needs this too but for different reasons. But now that the time of their "break up" is getting close, Alec's not so sure he wants things to end.

[Read here]

Inviting Jace and Izzy over for a movie night seemed like a good way to distract himself. The only other thing that somewhat managed to take his mind off his problem the past week, was exercise; but after putting himself through some gruelling workouts, his body needed today to rest.

It works, at first. They argue about what movies to watch and what food to order. Then Alec has to defend his ice cream from Izzy, though he still loses half of it in the battle. They settle around midnight, with him and Izzy on one couch, her toes tucked under his thighs, and Jace half-asleep on the other couch. Slowly but surely, Alec’s thoughts drift back to what occupied them before his siblings arrived. He hopes they don’t notice, because that will only to questions he doesn’t want to answer. These hopes are soon smashed to pieces. Now that they’re no longer occupied by the movie or food, Jace and Izzy’s focus has shifted to him. Their not so subtle, curious glances–that he refuses to acknowledge–prick his skin.

He feels Izzy shift as she reaches for the remote and pauses the movie. For a moment, nothing can be heard but the sounds of New York that manage to make their way up to his apartment.

‘Can you please tell us what's wrong?’ she asks, her voice a sisterly combination of annoyance and worry.

‘Nothing's wrong,’ Alec huffs.

Jace sits up and raises his eyebrows. ‘You invited us for a movie night.’

‘So?’

‘You only do that when something's bothering you,’ Jace explains.

Alec slouches, his cheeks heating up. There are times he wishes he wasn't so close to his siblings and they didn’t know all his tells. ‘I don't do that,’ he protests.

‘You did when you came out to us and were worried about mom and dad’s reaction,’ Izzy says.

‘And when you wanted to switch your major from Business to Acting,’ Jace adds.

‘When you decided to be an out actor, and not go back in the closet until your career took off.’

Alec holds up his hand. Fuck, they’re right. He takes a deep breath, not sure where to start.

‘So you know how Magnus and I are supposed to break up tomorrow?’ By the looks on Jace and Izzy’s faces, they already know what he's going to say next: Izzy’s beaming and Jace is smirking. ‘I don't want to,’ Alec finishes.

‘I knew it!’ Izzy crows, throwing her arms around him to give him a tight hug.

Jace gets up and sits down on Alec’s other side, forcing Alec and Izzy to scoot over so they can all fit. ‘Have you told Magnus yet?’

‘Would there be a movie night if I had?’

Alec leans forward hiding his face in his hands. How does one tell their fake boyfriend you don't want it to be fake anymore? He groans. How did he get to the point where that’s a question he has to ask himself?

Being an actor is something he’s always wanted. He doesn’t care if people know his name or recognize him on the street, as long as he gets to play the parts that he wants. He’s one of the lucky few who got noticed early in their career, and quickly got access to bigger and, mostly but not always, better parts. Lately though, the fact that people don’t really know his name, but more as that guy from that movie or as the brother of Jace, lead singer and keys for The Nephilim, and Izzy, personal trainer and activist, has become a bit of a problem. Parts he sets his sights on are being snatched up by people whose name is bigger, even if their resumé, or their talent, isn’t.

‘You need to be more accessible, relatable,’ his agent said when he talked about it with her.

‘I have two annoying siblings and I like animals,’ he said. ‘That’s pretty relatable for most people.’

She smiled indulgently. ‘Yes, we all love your Instagram. You have a beautiful face, you love your family, you have a nice house, cute pets, and you’re smart. You’re pristine, almost angelical. People don’t know what to do with that.’

‘You’re saying I should have a scandal?’ Alec asked, raising his eyebrows, because that just sounded stupid. He never understood how people got involved in all that drama.

‘I think a boyfriend will be enough for now,’ she said. ‘And I know the perfect person.’

‘No.’ One thing Alec always said was that he would never have a PR boyfriend. The concept’s ridiculous, reminding him of the marriages of European nobility when having a title was still the only thing that mattered. They put a number on your influence, wealth, and looks, then find someone compatible. Ridiculous.

‘He needs this, too,’ his agent said. ‘He had a very public breakup with a vindictive ex, and the press keep hounding him about his love life. When people see him with you, they’ll back off. At least a little. You’re private, dependable. You’d be helping him more than he’d be helping you.’

Playing on his charitable side, a low blow. Alec could see his agent knew it, but she also clearly didn’t care.

‘Who is it?’ he sighed. If this guy really needed help, hanging out with him for a couple months, holding hands so the vultures could snap a couple pics of the “happy couple”, maybe wouldn’t be such a terrible thing.

‘Magnus Bane.’

Alec’s eyebrows shot up. Magnus was pretty much the opposite of him: bright, enigmatic, constantly in the spotlight for his movies, clubs, and dating life, always mixing business with pleasure. And yes, he was gorgeous, there was no denying that.

Izzy had told him about the break up when it happened, her girlfriend Clary was a friend of Magnus’. They’d stayed with Magnus for a couple days to make sure he wouldn’t do anything stupid, like call his ex.

‘And he’s okay with this?’ Alec asked.

‘It was his idea. Even mentioned you as a possible “boyfriend”,’ his agent grinned, knowing she had him right where she wanted.

Their story is simple: they met at a party and hit it off. It’s not far from the truth. They have met at parties before and gotten along great, only the part where Magnus called Alec the next day to see if he wanted to get a drink is a lie.

Fake dating Magnus isn’t a hardship. Despite seeming like polar opposites, they have a lot in common, and Alec thinks there is real chemistry between them–people probably wouldn’t have bought their “relationship” so easily if there wasn’t. It was a little awkward at first, but the more they hung out, the more Alec got to know Magnus, the more he liked him. Until he realized that he liked Magnus. Magnus isn’t just beautiful and charming, he’s also sweet, and smart, and funny. Every time Alec does something nice for him, his face lights up, whether it’s bringing Magnus’ favourite food when he comes over, or tells Magnus he likes how his hair looks that day. The realization wasn’t much of a shock, but it made the knowledge that everything between them was fake and that he couldn’t have it very painful. He tried to put some distance between them, but knowing that Magnus was out there was a like siren call. Alec couldn’t stop himself from seeking him out.

He should be happy, the ruse worked. He got a call from a producer, offering him a job initially given to someone else, and the press backed off of Magnus, giving him room to breathe. But he’s not happy. The fact that they got what they wanted means it’s time for it to end. They’ll stay friends, an amicable “break up” is important for both of them, but it won’t be the same. No handholding, or kissing, no tucking Magnus into his side as they walk to their favourite restaurant. Then they’ll start hanging out less often, fewer calls, until eventually all contact will fade away. They’ll go back to chitchat at parties they both happened to be invited to.

Alec leans back into the cushions, rubbing his face. The thought of Magnus becoming a stranger again hurts.

‘You need to tell him,’ Izzy says gently. She wraps an arm around his shoulder, and he slides down far enough to lay his head on her shoulder.

‘What if I’m just imagining it?’ he asks. ‘What if I didn’t just fool the public and the press, but myself, too?’

‘There really is only one way to find out,’ Jace says.

‘By possibly making a fool of myself,’ Alec sighs. ‘I swore I would never get pulled into a mess like this, and then I do it to help a guy out, and I fall in love with him.’

Jace and Izzy go very still beside him. Alec looks up to find them staring at him with wide eyes.

‘What?’

‘You need to tell him,’ Izzy says. She untangles herself, races from the room to come back and throw Alec’s jacket and boots at him.

Alec fumbles to catch them, and is about to ask what the hell is happening, when Jace pushes a set of keys into his hands.

‘Take my bike, it’ll get you there faster.’

‘What is happening?’ Alec asks.

Izzy takes his hands and smiles. ‘You just said you’re in love with Magnus.’

‘I–’ Alec hesitates. Is he in love with Magnus?

‘Close your eyes,’ Jace orders.

Alec frowns, but complies when Jace nods impatiently.

‘When you think of your life in ten years, is Magnus there?’

Alec can see it clearly: a lazy Sunday afternoon, the sun shining, their pets having taken the best spots in the shadow, Alec reading a script by the pool, Magnus ruffling his hair as he makes his way inside to get them a refill for their cold drinks.

He opens his eyes. Jace and Izzy are looking at him like they know exactly what he saw.

‘You need to tell him,’ Jace repeats Izzy’s words.

‘It’s 1am,’ Alec protests.

‘It’s Magnus, I’m sure he’s still up,’ Izzy says. Things aren’t moving fast enough for her and she starts putting his jacket on him for him.

‘He has a meeting tomorrow. He went to bed early.’ Alec’s thoughts are tumbling all over each other. The fact that he’s in love with Magnus is too big, so he focuses on simpler things, like tightening the laces on his boots.

‘I’m sure he’ll forgive you once you confess your love,’ Jace grins. ‘Go!’

‘I– Yeah. Okay.’

Alec straightens his jacket, and clutching Jace’s keys, runs out the door. He’s in love with Magnus.

Holy shit.

He’s in love.

With Magnus.

He races through traffic to get to Magnus’ as fast as he can. When he comes to a screeching halt in front of the garage doors of Magnus’ building in record time, it’s a minor miracle he didn’t get pulled over. He’s sure there’ll be some tickets, but he’ll pay Jace back. He punches in the code, and impatiently taps the handlebars as he waits for the gate to open. He parks in the first open spot he sees, bangs through the doors, and starts running up the stairs. It’s not until Magnus opens the door and looks him over with a confused smile, that Alec realizes he must look like a sweaty mess. He should’ve take the elevator.

‘Alexander, what are you doing here? Is everything okay?’ Magnus asks.

Alec’s breath catches in his throat, and he nervously switches Jace’s helmet between his hands. He should’ve thought of what to say. He figured he’d know once he got here, but with Magnus looking sleepy in his robe, no makeup, messed up hair, and downright adorable, his mind is drawing a blank.

‘Why don’t you come in?’ Magnus suggests. He gently takes Alec’s hand and leads him inside.

Alec meekly follows Magnus to the living room. They come to a stop by the windows overlooking the water. He can see the little lights of the boats and the city reflected in the water, and the lights of the city on the far shore. He turns to face Magnus and blurts out, ‘I don’t want to break up.’

Magnus’ fingers tighten around his, which to Alec, somehow, registers as Magnus feeling the same way, and he dives in, pressing his lips against Magnus’. It takes him a split-second to realize that Magnus didn’t actually say anything, that the little squeeze of his fingers might just as easily have been from surprise. He begins to pull back, an apology already forming on his lips, but Magnus places his hand against his cheek to keep him in place. There is no way for Alec to misinterpret that. He fists his hands in the lapels of Magnus’ robe to pull him closer, and relaxes into the kiss. It gentles, sweetens, becomes the best kiss Alec has ever had. They’ve kissed before, little pecks on the lips and cheeks for the cameras, but this one is just for them.

As much as Alec wants to keep kissing Magnus forever, the adrenaline from the ride and the race up the stairs soon has him out of breath. He pulls back and rests their foreheads together. His heartbeat is loud in his ears, the only other thing he can hear are his shaky breaths. He lets go of Magnus’ robe, his fingers grazing the bare skin of Magnus’ chest on their way down. It’s smooth and warm, tempting Alec to touch it everywhere, but they’ve only just had their first kiss. He continues down until he can rest his hands on Magnus’ hips.

‘Finally,’ Magnus breathes. His hand has moved from Alec’s cheek to his neck and he’s playing with the short hairs in the back. His other hand is gripping Alec’s shoulder.

Alec pulls back so he can look at Magnus, and raises his eyebrows. ‘Finally?’

‘Darling, I’ve been flirting with you every chance I got from the first time we met. You really didn’t know?’

Alec’s cheeks heat up with a blush. He smiles and shakes his head. ‘I honestly didn’t really expect you to flirt with me.’

Magnus’ smile is so radiant and fond that Alec has to kiss him again. Magnus’ mouth is more level with his than before, and Alec realizes he must be standing on his toes. To help, he slides his hands from Magnus’ hips to his thighs and hoists him up so Magnus can wrap his legs around Alec’s waist.

‘As much as I approve of this development, I do have to get up early tomorrow,’ Magnus murmurs against Alec’s lips.

‘Sorry.’ Alec completely forgot about Magnus’ meeting. He tries to put him back on the floor, but Magnus tightens his legs and digs his fingers into Alec’s shoulders, like a koala bear unwilling to let go.

‘You can stay. If you want,’ Magnus suggests. He looks nervous, like he’s scared he’s giving too much, too fast.

‘Okay,’ Alec smiles.

He’s never stayed over before, but he knows where Magnus’ bedroom is, and without putting his, now very real, boyfriend down, he walks them there. After quickly brushing his teeth and stripping down to his boxers, he slides in next to Magnus. They turn on their sides, arms pillowing their heads, searching for each other’s eyes in the dim light.

‘I’m glad you came tonight,’ Magnus says.

‘Even though it interrupted your beauty sleep?’ Alec teases.

Magnus chuckles. He scoots closer until they’re almost touching. Alec drops onto his back, and wraps an arm around Magnus to pull him on top of him. Contentment washes over him. He wishes he could bottle this moment up and keep it forever.

‘I love you.’

Magnus stills, except for his fingers that twitch against Alec’s arm. Alec is about to say that it’s okay if Magnus doesn’t say it back now. Technically, they only started dating fifteen minutes ago.

‘I love you, too,’ Magnus says.

Alec traces Magnus’ smile, small, happy, and full of wonder, with the tip of his finger. He’s going to have to change his stance on the whole PR boyfriend thing, because as it turns out, it’s pretty great.

#magswoods #shgiftfest17 #fic #malec

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fictionalrambles · 4 years

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Shadowhunters Fandom Story - Part Seventeen

Submitted by @archeryandeyeliner

Five Fave Fics

Lightwood-Bane Family Series by Fanatic_weirdo

Why I love this series: This was one of those fics for me that had me up until 4am on a work night, but I just couldn’t stop reading. Every single story in this series hits the reader in a different way. It deals with immortality in a way I have yet to see another fic handle. It works in Max and Rafael to a point where I was almost more invested in their stories than Malec’s, which is incredibly hard to do. The reader gets Malec as immortal husbands and father’s to two children who the reader can’t help but fall in love with.

Favorite work in the series: This is Me (Fighting for you) follows the love story between Max Lightwood-Bane and Chris, Shadowhunter and Parabatai to his brother, Rafael.

Favorite quote: “He’s getting married,” Max whispered. Every word harder to say than the last as he tried to breathe against the feeling in his chest that made it feel like his throat was closing. “And not to me.” That broke the dam and now the sobs were back. Heaving and ripping out of his throat as he gripped one of their shirts as tightly as he could, desperate to keep from drowning.

Magnus and Alec had tears of their own trickling down their faces at their child’s pain. They knew it wasn’t just a teenage heartbreak. What Max and Chris had was as real as what Magnus and Alec had.

“Please fix it, Daddy,” Max begged, his face contorted in agony. A sob came from Alec’s throat as every instinct in him told him to do what was ingrained in parents to do and ‘fix it’.

“I want you to kiss me,” Max whispered. Chris moved forward but another hand on his chest stopped him, “But I won’t be able to bear it when you stop.”

Support System by @bytheangell

Why I love this fic: Elle has always been one of my favorite authors in the fandom and someone I’m lucky enough to call a friend. This was one of the first chaptered fics I ever read for the fandom and it pulled me in like no other. The dynamic between Magnus and Alec was so perfectly written and the storyline truly helped me with accepting the inevitable end of the tv series. Throughout the entire fic, you just want them to get their act together. The missed opportunities are plenty and when they do finally meet, it’s just as beautiful as the reader could hope for.

Favorite quotes: “Why don’t you just tell him?” It’s a question Alec asks himself every day, and the answer he gives himself is the same one he hears come from behind the rim of a martini glass.

“Because if he doesn’t, and I ruin this friendship now, I’ll never forgive myself.”

Alec picks up the thought without missing a beat. He doesn’t know what this guy’s situation is, but he can certainly relate to the general concept. “And even if he does, and it doesn’t work out… It’s safer to keep what you have than risk losing everything.”

“...but then I wonder what if he’s sitting there, thinking the same thing? What if we’re both just waiting for the other to make the first move? Hell, what if it’s worth the risk?”

Magnus’ eyes aren’t on the billboard; they’re on the man standing next to him. Alec is conveniently unaware with his attention dutifully turned upward. He knows he should be looking up as well since the billboard is what they came here to see, but honestly, he’s enjoying this particular view much more... Especially now that the edges of Alec’s lips are curling up in a soft look of appreciation he probably isn’t even aware he’s making - the pure joy of his expression is enchanting. So while everyone else’s gaze is focused upward Magnus’ eyes linger on Alec. He doesn’t know what everyone else is looking at - Magnus can’t imagine a more captivating sight than the one he’s currently taking in.

Angel's Treasure by @msalexiscriss

Why I love this fic: I read this fic during a slow day at work. I sat in line at Dunkin Donuts, opened it on my phone in full, and drove to work with it ready to skim during the day. I was captured by it. I am not usually a fan of these kinds of AU’s, but this fic had me neglecting all of my adult responsibilities. The adventures that they go through together and the love they have for each other was everything I needed at that moment and it will forever hold a special place in my heart.

Favorite quotes: “No, what are you doing!?” He berated himself in the back of his mind. “You’re caring about the boy and you can’t! You can’t!” He told to himself, trying to close his eyes and go back to sleep.

But his mind kept taking him back to the first time he had seen Alec in the square in Alicante, to the day the boy had helped him out of prison, to the day when, in an attempt to protect his father’s honor, he had tried to kill him; to their time in the Spiral, to their little stroll in Cadiz, to their perfect adventure in Cartagena. There was a memory of Alec in every day since they had met and Magnus hated that.

He hated it because he was starting to feel guilty, something that had not happened before. Every time he recalled one of those moments all he could see in Alec’s eyes was trust, and Magnus knew he was not worthy of such thing. Alec didn’t do it on purpose, of course, it was in his nature. Alec was one of those men who had a blind faith in humanity—and that was either a blessing or a curse.

“The fact that you’re a pirate doesn't make you a bad person.”

“What?” Magnus asked just to make sure he had heard correctly.

“Not all pirates are bad.” Alec said. “You’re not bad...I mean, you’ve committed crimes and all, but you’re not a bad person. I know you’re a good man.”

Magnus tried to laugh at the sudden compliment, like Raphael and Ragnor seemed to be doing, but he couldn't. What Alec had just said had touched him deeply. And even though he was not sure if he deserved the praise, he was grateful that his skin had the right tone to hide those uncontrollable accumulations of blood, because after more than 108 years, give or take, Magnus Bane, immortal pirate and once captain of the world's fastest ship, had blushed.

Appassionato by @chonideno

Why I love this fic: There’s something so soft and wonderful about Malec falling in love with only their mutual love of music. Throughout the entire story, I didn’t mind that they hadn’t met. They fall in love with each other through every piece of music that Magnus requests and Alec seduces him with every brush of his fingers over the keys. I wanted Alec to keep fulfilling his love for his gift and Magnus’ little notes made it even better, for both the reader and Alec. This fic is nothing less than poetic in nature and every single piece Alec played for his tiny audience had me captured without actually hearing the music.

Favorite quotes: There’s a note on the doorstep.

Alec bends over, picks it up and closes the door. It’s a thin piece of paper coming from some kind of notepad. Something is handwritten on it; the ink is a deep purple (really? who writes in purple ink?) and the words flow with grace despite having obviously been written in a rush. The letters are inclined, in cursive, elegant. Even more pleasing to the eyes, instead of a complaint, Alec reads a love letter.

“A humble request to the pianist: Liebesträume no 3 in A flat.”

A request. Someone heard him and when they could have ignored him or asked him to stop, they want more. They want more. A wild shiver runs down Alec’s back. He has an audience.

On Tuesday, his neighbor sounds tired, so Magnus requests a simple Goldberg Variation.

On Wednesday, his neighbor plays for a full hour without stopping so Magnus requests the short and jumpy Maple Leaf Rag, hoping to tire him out and allow him to sleep.

On Thursday, Magnus finds a large plate full of muffins of all sorts on his neighbor’s doormat; chocolate, caramel, blueberry, vanilla – only good stuff. They all look homemade too, all soft and perfectly baked. Still warm for some, they smell absolutely delicious. Magnus can’t believe it. It’s for him. His neighbor made all of this for him. He leaves his note and carefully takes the plate as if he had just found a pirate’s treasure. Of all things he owns, of all the silks and cashmeres he’s touched, nothing is quite as precious as a plate of baked goods prepared with love. Later this night, biting into the muffin version of an apple crumble as Alec delights him with Saint-Saëns’ Swan, Magnus wonders what he did to deserve this seat in heaven.

“I have one last humble request, if you let me,” Magnus smiles, visibly proud of having used the perfect phrasing. He steps even closer, his hands joined together under his chest as he rubs his own palms gently. “Please, teach me,” he almost whispers.

Alec raises an eyebrow. This doesn’t make sense, Magnus always seemed to be such an expert. “Teach you? What do you mean, you don’t play it?”

Magnus’ eyes dart to the left. “I know a lot about music but I’ve never really…” he moves his hands around, looking for a word. “Taken the time to learn myself.” He locks his gaze back into Alec’s eyes. “So let’s make a deal. Keep the piano and give me lessons in return.”

Wild Life by crazyellephant

Why I love this fic: There’s something about two strangers who meet in the craziest of ways that just gives a reader hope for their own future. Magnus is so entirely lovable and Alec was a goner the second he decided to ask Magnus along for the ride. With every new character who sees them falling in love, the reader learns a little more about both Magnus and Alec and it makes the reader fall in love with them separately before they even want them together. These two were insufferable the entire fic and I just wanted them to have their happily ever after.

Favorite quotes: In this life, Alec is just the guy who was nice enough to have picked up this hitchhiker. And tomorrow, quite possibly, they’re going to go their separate ways.

"Hey, Alec." Magnus said, his voice echoing in the room. Alec grunted to acknowledge he was still awake. "Thank you for coming back to pick me up and staying with me tonight."

Alec turned and lay on his back, his hands resting on his stomach. He looked at Magnus and smiled. "No problem. My conscience wouldn’t have let me live it down if I heard you died there or something."

"Magnus?" Alec asked, voice catching in his throat.

"Hm?" Magnus responded.

"I really like you." Alec all but whispered his confession, aware of how very close they were. He held his breath, waiting for Magnus to say something.

Magnus smiled wider. "I really like you, too." He confessed.

Attached to her message is a screenshot of Magnus' Instagram page. Trust his sister to already be following probably all of Magnus' social media accounts. It was a picture of the two of them. Magnus had jumped on Alec for a piggyback, his arms around Alec, hands resting on Alec's chest, Alec's hands circled back around Magnus' thighs to keep him steady. Magnus' had his chin on Alec's shoulder and both of them were smiling. It was taken by a friendly tourist when they were at Lipan point earlier that day, with the view of the Grand Canyon right behind them.

On the caption Magnus had written:

Most handsome mule at the #GrandCanyon. ;) #OrIsItStubbornAss #besttimeever #adventure #mine

Author Story

I had always been terrified of posting my writing. I’ve written for years, upwards of 15 at this point in time. I have notebooks filled with stories dating back to my freshman year in high school, none of which have ever (or will ever) see the light of day. There was something so… satisfying, about posting my first story for this fandom. It wasn’t anything amazing now that I look back on it, but it spurred my creativity and had me yearning to write. It had been years before I posted my first fic that I had actually sat down and written a story. Now, a few days go by without writing and I feel lost.

I have this fandom to thank for that. I’ve met the most brilliant, talented, kind people that I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing through Shadowhunters. Every author mentioned and so many more inspire my own writing every single day. Writing is… hard. It’s impossible to always feel good about what you put on a page, but to have fans of the show tell you that your writing made them feel something is unimaginable. I’ve had people tell me that my writing makes them cry because of angst, have to take a cold shower because of smut, makes them curl up in a ball and squeal because of fluff; it honestly means everything.

#shadowhunters #shadowhunters fanfiction #fanfiction #fanfiction blog

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flower-of-the-desert · 7 years

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So I just finished s01 of Shadowhunters and I have some thinky thoughts about it. I’m putting it under the cut because it’s not all positive (well, most of it isnt really) and if you are a die-hard malec shipper, you should probably skip this.

Overall, I think my opinion so far can be summed up as this show has a lot of potential to be really good and interesting and nobody seems to want to do anything about it. I mean the set up is great - demons threatening the world? Awesome. A secret society of warriors whose purpose is to protect the world? Nice. Magic? Warlocks? AU worlds? Perfect. Class issues between the races? Homophobia? Relevant and important concepts to tackle. So in theory everything is great. But in practice? Not so much.

I think the two main issues this season has are 1) thngs happening way too fast and not enough time and focus given to certain topics and characters in order to understand their motivations and the worldbuilding of this universe and 2) the problem with show, dont tell - that is to say we keep being told things but almost never shown anything to actually back up these claims.

Now I know there are time limits and you cant fit everything into a single episode or even a single season and you shouldnt have to. I’m not saying they should have crammed everything into 13 episodes. That is not the issue. The problem is that when topics that should be given due focus and time within the specific episode arent, things get confusing. For example, why did Alec decide to marry Lydia? We find out in the next episode that he’s decided to restore the family honor on his own terms after finding out about his parents’ past. Which is great. We have Alec’s motivation. But in the episode itself where he proposed everything was set up for him to follow his heart. That was the theme of the episode and Alec through the entire thing kept agreeing with Magnus and whoever else was telling him to do what he wants. Only for him to turn around simingly out of nowhere in the literal last minute of the episode and decide to get married. Dont get me wrong, I dont have a problem with him NOT choosing to follow his heart given the situation but there wasnt enough focus on his struggle between the two during the episode in order to make his last-minute turn seem less weird. And that doesnt even cover Lydia’s side of thngs. Why did she decide to get married to a literal stranger after meeting him like yesterday? And this is not an exxageration - Alec proposes literally 2 or 3 days max after Lydia shows up. Is she that desperate to run an institute? Wouldnt she be allowed to have the position if she’s not married? Why does it even matter - doesnt it make more sense to give her the position based on her skills and results on the job? We dont know. But these are the sort of worldbuilding questions you might want to answer.

This is just one example of how things are going way too fast and there’s not enough time given to explain the characters and universe properly. There are more but if I keep going, we’ll be here tomorrow too. I’m not even gonna bother to cover all the scenes that just flat out do not make sense cause then we’ll never leave.

The other thing bothers me even more - there are sooo many things we are TOLD but never really SHOWN - Alec has been in love with Jace for I dont know how many years, Alec is repressed, the SH society is homophobic (admittedly we are not told this in canon, I dont believe? but that is at least the implication made), Magnus is in love with Alec and Alec feels the same, Magnus is a centuries-old warlock, one of the most powerful people in the world, Ragnor is even more powerful, etc etc. But. Where is the evidence? If Alec has spent so long being in love with Jace and repressed, wouldnt it have been more difficult for Magnus to get him to agree to a date than one half-assed phone call? Wouldnt Alec be struggling even more with accepting that Magnus is interested and panicking about what to do, denying everything with all his might? Shouldnt there be more struggle here?

So far I havent seen any signs of anyone in the Institute being homophobic. Maybe that changes in s02 but so far? Nope. Even Alec’s parents whom fandom for some reason has decided to demonize as some kind of terrible scumbags are not homophobic and actually hella decent people all things considered. Lydia is not homophobic. The goddamn Silent Brother seemed more interested in the kissing scene than anything else.

Warlocks are supposed to be hella powerful yet Magnus needed Alec’s help to fight off ONE circle member and Ragnor got killed by a TINY demon thingy that even Clary can handle. We were told Magnus cares so much about that necklace he’d risk his life to get it back yet 5mins later just casually gives it away to Izzy and doesnt mention it again.

Clary and co LOVE to make these passionate speeches about how they’re the new generation of shadowhunters who respect the downworlders and believe everyone is their equal and the Clave is wrong - yet the moment a downworlder refuses to help them, they have no problem blackmailing, focing, lying and going behind their back to get what they want. And this is admittedly not a bad thing to show that these people despite their good intentions cant just change over night, if the narrative at least acknowledged their hypocrisy as a sign they need to grow some more but it doesnt.

Again, I an keep going but I wont. And finally there’s Malec. By all accounts I think this is the thng that disaapointed me the most. It could have been so awesome if developed properly! Like again we have a great set up - two people from opposite sides of the war, leaders to their respective groups, meeting and falling in love against all odds - it’s basically every enemies to friends to lovers fic ever and it’s AWESOME. Except not really because the way they play it in canon is just what even? So they meet and Magnus is obviously sexually attracted to Alec and wants to pursue that. Cool. Alec is... feeling whatever it is he’s feeling, I honestly cant even tell if he was interested from the start or just happy someone was paying attention to him. I suppose that stuttering scene when Magnus introduces himself is supposed to show he’s interested. Or something. Then Magnus calls to ask him on a date which yay, makes sense with how eager he was when they met. And then Alec agrees. And this is where things start going wonky for me. Why does he agree so easily? Isnt he supposed to be in love with Jace? Isnt he supposed to be terrified of anyone finding out he’s gay? Next scene after they heal Luke, Magnus goes you’ve unlocked something in me and I go was it your dick? Because this line for all its romantic vibe and whatnot in the context we’ve been presented so far makes no sense. Because now the show wants me to believe that Magnus fell in love at first sight. Except this is not how they played it - what I saw was Magnus being really fricking horny. I did not see any grand revelations of omg, I just fell in love for the first time in over a century with this hot piece of shadowhunting ass I just met. Now I’m supposed to believe Malec has had enough development and enough scenes together to warrant such a strong emotional reaction from Magnus two episode after meeting Alec and after like 2? 3? scenes interacting with him. Insert the sure jan gif here.

Fast forward to the wedding - awesome scene really. Kiss and all (such a hot kiss and I ask why arent they kissing like that in s02 instead of these we’ve been married for 50years and cant wait for one of us to die already pecks?). But again, it only works if you ignore the context and take it as a stand alone scene. Because otherwise the emotional depth that it’s supposed to have? Goes out the window to stand besides all the emotional and mental development that was needed between them in order to make the scene really work and resonate on a deep level. And dont even get me started on how wrong Magnus acted at the beginning of the episode.

I can buy - at a push, a big big BIG push - that Magnus fell in love from the start but I absolutely do not believe Alec did as well. Honestly, I dont believe he loves Magnus even now in s02 (I havent watched it yet but I have enough context about some of their key scenes to say this, there is no way I man in love would tell his boyfriend not to take a treath to his life PERSONALLY, amongst other things). And that is just sad. Because this could have been a great love story, all the fire and passion and fireworkd like we keep getting told there is but what we see is something different.

#shadowhunters #anti malec #alec lightwood #magnus bane

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flowersnfaes · 7 years

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stuttering pt 2 (malec highschool au)

alec awoke to see sunlight beaming through the window in his reading nook and the yellow curtains around it were blowing in the warm, spring breeze. he looked over toward where he hangs his coats and jackets to see a gold jacket resting on one of the hooks, and a pair of black platform shoes on the ground below the jacket. he recognized them as magnus’s. magnus was here. alec smiled slightly to himself. it felt good for him to know that somebody cares about him and understood what he was going through and feeling. alec looked around his room to see the boots he had on yesterday were placed at the edge of his bed where magnus had put them, his book was still on his nightstand in the same place where he put it last night, and he moved over to feel the other half of his bed, which was a bit warm. alec doesn’t remember sleeping on that side at all, and then the thought dawned upon him that magnus must have slept with him for a bit. alec could only assume that he had started to whimper in the night (something he does when he’s had a rough day) and that magnus wanted to comfort him. alec smiled at the thought and climbed out of his yellow sheets that matched the curtains flowing gently in order to get dressed. alec hates the feeling of being in jeans for too long, and especially sleeping in them. he learned that as he stood up and the tight fabric rubbed against his dry and tired legs. he cringed at the feeling and walked over to his closet to change. he decided on black sweatpants, a lavender colored sweater that was two sizes too big (alec loved big sweaters, it made him feel comfortable and warm), and white fuzzy socks. he changed quickly and decided to make his way downstairs to see what izzy was up to. but isabelle was nowhere to be found, and instead he found magnus sitting at the breakfast bar, playing on his phone. he must have heard alec, as he turned around to face alec, grinning. magnus was wearing the same pants and shirt that he was wearing the night before, and he had removed his makeup. his hair was slightly messy, but he still looked breathtaking to alec. “good morning alexander,” magnus greeted warmly, as he stood up and slowly made his way to alec, a soft smile on his gentle face. “are you feeling alright? i heard you crying a bit in your sleep, do you feel better?” magnus asked softly. “y-yeah, i’m fine, j-just tired,” alec stuttered, looking at the ground every time his voice got shaky. magnus put a hand out to stroke alec’s arm soothingly, trying to calm the boy. alec melted under his simple yet powerful touch, and put his hands on magnus’s hips. “well, i’m very glad you are feeling better,” magnus exclaimed happily. “why did you stay?” alec asked quietly. “what do you mean?” magnus replied, curious. “i-i mean, why did you stay with me last night?” magnus ran his hands to the small of alec’s back, rubbing it ever so slightly. “i care about you, alexander. i haven’t seen someone break like you did before, and i wanted you to feel better,” magnus begun. “scratch that, i needed you to feel better.” alec looked puzzled. “w-why?” magnus smiled softly. “anxiety is very, very scary, i’m sure you know it. and i know it too, and i couldn’t stand the idea of seeing you like that. it hurt me, alexander, and i want to be here for you.” alec smiled. “it feels good to know that someone wants to stay with me.” magnus chuckled. “i’m more that happy to.” alec moved his hands to feel magnus’s cheeks, holding his delicate face. “c-can i k-kiss you?” alec asked, blushing a rosy pink. “of course,” magnus replied, and the two locked lips. magnus’s lips were soft and gentle, a way to let alec know that he is here to stay. magnus pulled alec a little bit closer, and alec gingerly rubbed his thumbs against magnus’s face. they pulled apart, and alec buried his face in the crook of magnus’s neck, blushing. he couldn’t resist placing a small kiss on magnus’s neck, and he felt magnus shiver ever so slightly. alec looked up to face magnus, and just had to kiss him again. so he did, magnus smiling into the kiss. magnus chuckled as they pulled away. “you sure are eager,” magnus noted. alec tensed up. “i-i am? im s-sorry, i can s-stop if you want me t-” but he was cut off by a gentle peck from magnus. “don’t stop,” magnus started. “it’s lovely seeing you like this.” alec blushed and smiled at the other boy. alec had never felt this happy before. “i k-know it’s a lot to ask, b-but do you think y-you could stay h-here for the weekend?” alec asked quietly. magnus nodded. “of course. i would love to get to know you better.” alec smiled and hugged magnus tightly. “thank you,” alec whispered. “anything for you, alexander.”

———-

the pair spent the first half of the day sat at alec’s favorite bench, talking about anything they could think of. alec learned that magnus has an obsession with project runway, and they spent the late afternoon and evening binge watching countless episodes of the show. alec’s head was rested in magnus’s lap, and magnus played with his soft hair. alec would often make comments on the designers that magnus found hilarious, and the two laughed together in complete bliss. later in the night, the pair decided to move upstairs, as alec was getting a bit sleepy. magnus borrowed a t-shirt of alecs and some sweatpants that were a little bit big on him, but he did not care. magnus whispered alec stories that his parents told him when he was much younger as he ran his fingers along alec’s inner arm, just as alec dreamed of from years on end. alec felt safe and happy in the arms of a boy that he thought he would never he able to touch. he drifted off to sleep quicker than he ever has before, and he couldn’t have wished for anything better than the boy he was holding. it was as if the world finally gave back to him.

———-

part 3 maybe possibly most likely because i love this concept???

#shadowhunters #alec lightwood #magnus bane #malec #otp #ship #fluffy #alternate universe

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kayefraser · 7 years

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Fic - Just this Once

Malec Week 2017 Day 5 - Non-Supernatural AU

Hello!

I couldn’t let Malec week pass by without a little celebration, so I thought I’d contribute something to Day 5.

Some notes about the following story:

- I had written an original fic a few years ago that I thought I’d retrofit for Malec. The original fic was sold to Breathless Press but it was never published before they closed so the rights are mine to do with what I will. :) I thought someone should get some enjoyment out of it (instead of collecting dust on my drive - figuratively, of course), so why not cut it up and re-package it for Malec week? Not sure what I want to do with the original yet though. Might post it for fun sometime.

- The concept behind this fic is basically ‘a reverse date’. Interpret that how you will. That said, the first scene was originally way more graphic, but I’ve changed it up and toned it down because I wanted a sweeter Malec fic this time around. :)

Please enjoy!

Alec wiped the drops of water off his face as he stepped into the pristine, marble-tiled lobby of the office tower. The clips on the soles of his bike shoes clicked loudly with each step he took, and he had to consciously slow his pace to avoid slipping on the polished floor, especially considering it was likely wet as well.

The rain couldn’t wait another hour, he thought grumpily. At least by then, he would be done his last delivery and he wouldn’t be battling both New York traffic and the wet roads on his bike. Still, despite his internal grumbling, he managed to maintain a neutral expression. He was nothing, if not professional.

Only a few people lingered in the spacious lobby at this mid-afternoon hour, which just made him more self-conscious as his shoes tapped their way to the security desk to check in. As a bike messenger, he was like the grease that ran the well-oiled cogs of the city’s corporate sector – usually unnoticed, but infinitely essential. Still, that didn’t stop his eyes from discreetly glancing around to ensure he hadn’t drawn any stares. A portly middle-aged man continued to talk away on his cell phone off in one corner, while a pant-suited woman silently tapped on her tablet by the potted plants. To Alec’s right, a beautiful, dark-haired woman was in a deep conversation with a drop-dead gorgeous man. Alec paused for just a millisecond as his gaze lingered on the man, an odd heat tickling the inside of his stomach. With his immaculately styled hair, tight fitting pants, and a form-fitting jacket made from some shiny material Alec hadn’t even known existed, that stranger definitely knew how to make a statement without saying a single word.

Alec quickly turned back to his task, and approached the security desk. With his job, he’d seen and encountered enough to know there was a whole different world out there with a whole lot of different people he would never understand. “Hi, Luke. How’s it going?” he asked conversationally as he took the clipboard from the desk and jotted his name down. He’d made enough deliveries to this building to know the drill.

“Oh, you know, I’m living the dream,” the older man deadpanned as he pulled out a visitor’s scan card.

Alec chuckled good-naturedly and took the card. "Should I ask what kind of dream?“

Luke threw him a knowing look. “Only if you’ve got three hours and a bottle of tequila.”

"Next time then.“ Clipping the card to his cross-body strap, Alec nodded his thanks to Luke and clicked his way to the elevator. After the doors dinged open, he pressed the ‘21’ button, and quickly tapped his visitor pass on the scanner. Before long, he was walking his way over to the reception desk of Branwell and Branwell, LLP. The receptionist was new, so he gave her a pleasant smile as he walked up to the outgoing delivery pile that was usually placed on the side for him.

“Hi,” he said as he picked up the small stack of manila envelopes. He shuffled through the pile and verified that they were all going to the same address. "Just these today?“

The girl – a small brunette who looked like she’d just graduated college – stared at him for a moment, an unreadable wide-eyed, mouth slightly open expression on her face. He raised an inquiring eyebrow at her before she managed to speak. "Uh… yeah, yeah, just those.”

“Okay, thanks.” He slid his messenger bag up along his torso and tucked the letters in. The receptionist continued to stare at him, her fingers unmoving over the keyboard she’d been typing away on earlier, and Alec felt a bit self-conscious again. He managed to keep his smile in place as he said, “Have a nice day then.”

Only when he started to walk away did he hear a quietly squeaked “You too.”

He hit the elevator button, and waited patiently for the doors to open, all the while feeling those wide brown eyes of the receptionist on his back. It’d happened a few times in some other offices, he’d noticed – this odd reaction from young women whenever he approached – though he’d yet to figure out why. He’d always thought he was the awkward one.

“Oh, Alec! Glad I caught you!”

Alec turned to see a short blonde jog toward him, an impressive feat considering the four-inch heels she had on. “Hi, Lydia. Did you need something?”

Lydia Branwell was a junior partner at the family-run firm, and one of the few in non-administrative roles who actually took the time to chat with him. Most often, the busy office workers didn’t really converse with the lowly messenger. "Yes, I’ve got one more delivery,“ she huffed as she held out an oblong package.

Alec eyed the thing warily. He hadn’t allotted any space in his bag for something this big. "Okay, but you know I charge per address, right?” He took the package and noted the destination.

Lydia shrugged just as the elevator arrived. "Sure, that’s not a problem. Add it to the invoice. It just needs to get there before end-of-day.“

Alec nodded his agreement as he tucked the package under his arm and hopped into the elevator. "Only because it’s you,” he threw out as the doors began to close.

Lydia grinned cheekily, likely hearing the genuineness behind his surly reluctance. "Thanks, Alec!“

The elevator descended much quicker than Alec had anticipated, so much so that he hadn’t yet managed to re-arrange his bag for Lydia’s extra package. Cursing silently when the doors opened, he walked back toward the lobby, dropped his security card off to Luke with a quick thanks, and headed over to the corner to shift things around in his bag. It took him a good three minutes before he could snap the flap closed with a triumphant breath.

"Oh, there you are, darling! You’re late!”

Before Alec knew what was happening, he was yanked up against a solid body and pulled down for an unexpected kiss. He froze in surprise, eyes wide and arms almost flailing, but then, the lips against his own moved oh-so-enticingly, coaxing and wooing, sending a shock of sensation through his body, and into his groin. Fingers cupped the back of his neck under the edge of his helmet and his lower back, gentle yet firm, as if subtly preventing him from pulling away. Not that he wanted to; that mouth and those fingers, moving so expertly on his skin, sent a delicious thrill to every one of his nerve endings. As much as his rational mind was shouting ‘what the fuck’, every other instinct – carnal and otherwise – was screaming ‘hell yeah’.

After what felt like minutes – although realistically, Alec knew it must’ve been much less – the stranger pulled away. The sudden absence of warmth almost made Alec chase after it, but he managed to remain still and somewhat dignified, though through no small amount of willpower. The absolutely stunning man he’d noticed earlier stood pressed against him, a dark, unreadable light in his eyes.

“Please, just play along,” the stranger whispered, as he made no move to step away.

The points of contact Alec felt along his body, pressed up as they were together, caused some weird flip-flip thing to happen inside him. But he stayed silent, his non-verbal way of agreement. He tried to covertly glance behind the man, and noticed the beautiful woman from earlier staring at them. She stood by the doors for just a few seconds longer before she turned and stomped away, insofar as she could stomp in her stilettos.

“She gone?”

Alec looked down at the meticulously lined eyes of the man in front of him, and nodded. "Yeah,“ he croaked. He was surprised his voice still worked at all, given how he couldn’t seem to string a coherent thought together with what had just happened. Suddenly, the reaction of the receptionist several minutes ago all made sense.

The man stepped away, and as irrational as it was, Alec didn’t want him to. 'Sorry about that,” the stranger said. "I couldn’t think of any other way to get rid of her, and I noticed you checking me out earlier, so I took a gamble.“

"I wasn’t –” Alec stopped himself. He wanted to deny that he’d been checking the man out, but really, who was he kidding?

The stranger laughed, a clear, sparkling sound that somehow eased the tension from Alec’s posture. “Don’t worry. It was all harmless. Now, I better get back up to work.” The man pivoted around in one graceful motion, and threw Alec a wink. “Thanks for the assist!”

“Anytime,” he finally said breathlessly, though he doubted the other man heard it as he’d already walked away. Alec stood and stared, dumbfounded. Who – no, what – in the world was that?

(***)

[Running late. Be there in 30.]

Alec suppressed sigh as he read the text message from Isabelle. Why wasn’t he surprised? He loved his sister, he really did, but sometimes, her habit of being perpetually late for things was downright inconvenient.

He tucked his cell phone back into his pocket, and looked around for a distraction that would keep him occupied for the next half hour. The movie theater itself, despite its age, was a bustling place. The smell of fresh popcorn and melted butter wafted through the air as moviegoers milled about the lobby. From what Izzy had told him, the building itself was over seventy years old, although the interior had been lovingly restored not too long ago to retain that pre-World War II vibe. From the subtle wainscoting to the plush, red carpet, to the antique chandeliers, Alec thought they’d done a great job in capturing that old Hollywood ambience. That being the case, it sadly lacked the flashy diversions that the more modern theaters boasted.

“Hello! Fancy seeing you here!”

At first, Alec had thought the question was simply another voice in the sea of other voices, but when he glanced over to his left, recognition caused a flutter in his stomach.

“H-Hi. How’s it going?” Even as the words left his mouth, Alec knew he sounded like an idiot. He swallowed thickly as he turned to face the stranger from the other day who had kissed him out of nowhere. Dressed as the man was in those sleek leather pants, dark purple shirt, and a shimmery waistcoat that emphasized a set of broad shoulders and tapered waist, he wasn’t surprised that he couldn’t think straight.

The other man shrugged. “Same old, same old.”

Alec smiled dumbly and nodded like the idiot he had proposed himself to be. Cue the awkwardness, he thought to himself.

“Hey, are you busy right now?” the man asked, obviously not repulsed by Alec’s sudden loss of social graces.

Alec knew where the conversation was heading, and he reminded himself that he didn’t make a habit of kissing complete strangers, and then hanging out with them afterwards. And yet, his mouth was moving before his brain could stop it. "Nope, I’m waiting for my sister, but she won’t be here for another half hour.“

"In that case, did you maybe want to grab a coffee or something? I hear there are a few good places to try just down the block.”

He should’ve said no, but instead, something else came out. "Sure, that sounds good.“

Again, he silently called himself an idiot and followed his new acquaintance out of the theater. As they walked silently down the sidewalk, passing the chatty moviegoers and quaint, little storefronts, Alec couldn’t pull his attention away from his companion. Maybe it was just him, but even the guy’s side profile looked perfect. Rich, dark hair, coiffed high with streaks of dark green, highlighted the strong features of a face that likely drew its fair share of admiring glances. There was a confidence there, and authority too. It was in the way he moved, and the way he held his head, as if he was in control of everything around him, and knew assuredly that he could handle anything that came his way.

Alec’s nerves hummed from his nearness to the man. He was physically attracted, that he couldn’t deny, but that gave him no excuse to behave like a horny teenager. He should be better than that, and smarter too.

When they finally arrived at the end of the block, they were confronted with several choices of mom-and-pop type shops that were abuzz with people. They eventually settled on a diner that wasn’t overly crowded and where they didn’t have to wait for a seat. Within minutes, they were sitting in an odd, rustically decorated diner with hot coffees in front of them.

Alec took a sip from his cup, using the drink as a stall tactic to determine how he was going to handle the awkwardness he was fighting. He couldn’t stop his eyes from lingering on the man sitting across the table from him. His companion, however, appeared so much more at ease, calmly taking in the décor as he was. Still, Alec knew he couldn’t keep the cup against his mouth forever. Slowly, he put his drink back down, and took in a fortifying breath. "So, good movie?” he asked. It wasn’t the smoothest opening he’d used, but then again, he didn’t find himself in these situations very often.

That changeable, multi-faceted gaze fell on him, causing an inexplicable urge to squirm. "Not really. It was a documentary on elephants,“ was the reply. A small, guilty smile tugged on those sensual lips, and Alec found it strangely endearing. "But I didn’t go for the show. My company was sponsoring some environmental initiative and we were just hosting the event there. I, of course, had to make the requisite appearance.”

For some reason, the explanation didn’t sound far-fetched to Alec at all. In fact, it seemed like a natural quirk of his companion’s character. “Your company? What do you do?”

The other man smiled as he placed his arms on the table and leaned closer. "I’m a senior editor for a fashion magazine.“

Somehow, that didn’t surprise Alec either. "And you like it?”

“I do. There’s a different crisis every day. Then again, I like all things different.” It may have been a trick of the diner’s lighting, but Alec could’ve sworn there was a wicked twinkle in those piercing eyes when the words were spoken.

And he, like the naïve sucker he was, couldn’t help but be drawn into the game. "So, you were attending the event on your own? No date?“

"No, went solo on this one. Why? You offering?”

No, it wasn’t a trick of the light, Alec concluded. The man was definitely flirting with him. And he had actually flirted back. Then, he remembered the beautiful, dark-haired woman he’d seen the man with the other day, and realized that the guy likely met, dated, and flirted with a carousel of amazingly beautiful people every day. Some of the levity drained away at the thought that this was likely normal behavior for the other man. He must appear to be such a mouse compared to all the sparkly people in the fashion world.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.” The other man straightened in his chair, his expression more serious than it had been just a few seconds ago.

“No…no, that’s fine.” Alec shrugged, hoping his sudden inferiority complex didn’t show too much. “So, do you make a habit of kissing guys out of the blue?” Alec didn’t realize what he’d asked until the words had left his mouth. Smooth, real smooth, he berated himself.

The man sat back in his chair, a lopsided smile gracing his face as if people asked him that kind of question all the time. "Only the hot ones.“

Alec felt his face flush. The man’s mood was playful and sexy, all at the same time, and it drew Alec into its allure like the proverbial moth to a flame. With that charming and magnetic personality sitting across from him, Alec realized he could easily fall for the guy, which might not be a good thing. The feckless playboy type was definitely not what Alec considered safe at all, especially not when feelings were involved.

"So how about you? You’re a full time bike messenger?”

“Yup,” Alec stated plainly, grateful the topic had turned to neutral territory.

“And you enjoy it?” A dark eyebrow arched up in genuine curiosity.

“I do. It’s … It’s different,” he teased with a small laugh, intentionally echoing his companion’s earlier answer. "Different people and different situations every day. Plus, I’m out and moving all the time, not sitting at a desk.“

It might’ve been Alec’s imagination, but the man seemed stunned for a brief second. Then, he was back in the moment again, that vivid sparkle in his eyes. "Kindred spirits,” he stated as he reached for his coffee again.

“Kindred spirits.” Alec repeated under his breath, rather agreeing with the sentiment.

They fell into a comfortable silence as each of them took a few moments to enjoy their drinks. Alec found the coffee tasted better now than it had before. He suspected it might’ve had something to do with the company he was with.

Regrettably, his phone ended the moment. Apologizing for the interruption, he took his cell out from his pocket. Sadness trickled through him at seeing Izzy’s message. “I gotta get going. Looks like my sister is here,” he said as he pulled out his wallet.

A stilling hand stretched across the table and stopped him. Alec stared at the contact, silently relishing the feel of the touch.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ve got it,” his companion offered and sat back again.

Alec wanted to protest, but he noticed a flash of steel in the other man’s gaze, and conceded. “Thanks." Not wanting to prolong the goodbye more than he needed, he stood up with an onslaught of mixed emotions, and strode out of the diner.

(***)

"That’ll be four dollars.”

Alec handed a five dollar bill over, and waved off the change. He eagerly grabbed the hot dog from the stand owner and took a bite before he was even a couple of steps away. The kid in him sighed with pleasure; there was something perfect, something uniquely New York, about a hot dog bought from a hot dog stand. He walked over to where he’d parked his bike as he chewed, and pulled his water bottle from its cage.

Considering there had been rain in the forecast that morning, the day had cleared up pretty nicely, he thought as he looked at the sun-drenched city that moved around him. Bobbing heads, streaming cars, honking horns – the sea of chaos flowed back and forth in a stream of choreographed poetry. There was certainly nothing wrong with taking an early lunch to simply soak it all in.

His eyes flickered over to the skyscraper half a block away. Yes, the skyscraper, where it had happened exactly a week ago, where he’d met him. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t been back since then, but it was the first time since they’d had that coffee, since Alec had felt some sort of inexplicable connection. And that scared the crap out of him.

He took a sip of his water. He would have to go in there in a few minutes anyways, he told himself. And it wasn’t as if bumping into that man would be the end of the world. In fact, it would be the complete opposite. But what if … what if that absolutely beautiful stranger hadn’t felt anything at all? What if he had been just being friendly to him, and nothing more?

For most of his life, Alec had wrestled with his self-doubts, first with his ability to meet his parents’ high expectations, and then with his decision to reveal his sexual orientation. This was no different. He was doubting himself again, and he could hear Isabelle in his head giving him one of her pep-talk-and-lecture combos.

He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he completely missed the shouts coming from behind him until it was almost too late. The next few seconds were a juxtaposition: everything happened too fast, and yet, too slow. The screeching of tires, the screams of pedestrians, and the crashing of a body against his own – his senses registered it all happening, but his mind couldn’t process it fast enough.

It wasn’t until he crashed to the ground and the air rushed from his lungs that everything started to move in real-time again. He choked, trying to catch his breath as he pushed himself up. Adrenalin had likely dulled any aches or pains he may have had, and frankly, he was grateful for it, mainly because he was coming to terms with what remained of his bike under a car that had just jumped the curb.

“Fuck,” he wheezed out in disbelief.

“You okay?” There was worry in those words.

Eyes still wide, Alec turned to the person – his savior - who’d pushed him out of the way, and froze.

“Hi,” said the familiar voice, so soothing, so reassuring. "You okay?“

Alec nodded. He didn’t know how long he had paused for, but he was sure he nodded… eventually.

The man smiled at him, the sun reflecting the relief and happiness sparkling in those familiar eyes, eyes Alec had connected with over coffee just days ago.

"Good,” the man huffed as he pushed himself up and brushed the dust from immaculately cut suit. He offered Alec a hand. "Because I’ve always wanted to be a hero, and I wouldn’t really be one if you were hurt,“ he added with a wink.

Without thought, Alec took the offered hand and pulled himself up. "T-thank you,” he said shakily, the shock of the moment not completely lifted yet.

“My pleasure. And I was doing a public service. We can’t have hot guys being mowed down by out of control cars now, can we?” The hero of the moment was trying to lighten the events, and Alec appreciated it. He truly did.

“I’m Magnus, by the way, Magnus Bane.” The man extended his hand out again, this time, in the way of introduction.

Alec stared at the offered hand for a moment, the full meaning of it settling in for him. He looked up at Magnus’ cool, penetrating gaze, and knew that he could so easily fall fast and hard for this guy. In fact, he might have done that already. The connection was there. It had been there the moment he’d caught sight of the man when he’d entered that lobby a week ago. It had been there when he’d taken that first sip of coffee with him sitting across the table. And it had been there just now when he’d allowed himself to be helped up. He’d just been too scared to admit it.

Maybe … just maybe, if he silenced all his doubts, all his second-guessing and reservations, and take that risk … just this once.

A small, tentative smile crept its way onto Alec’s lips. He reached out, took the hand, and gave it a nice, firm shake. "Nice to meet you, Magnus. I’m Alec, Alec Lightwood.“

#malecweek2017 #malec fic #malec fanfiction #shadowhunters fanfiction

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