Fandom is so obsessed with contrasts in ships that they force them onto hollanov, a couple who are FAMOUSLY supposed to be similar. There is no slutty one and prudish one. They both love sex. There is no smart one and dumb one. They both excel at the same career where traditional metrics of academic intelligence don't apply. There is no jock and nerd. They are both professional athletes. There is no neatfreak and slob. They both pay other people to clean their houses. Please release yourself from the need to manufacture an opposites attract dynamic in every facet of their relationship, ESPECIALLY when the central conceit of hollanov as a couple is that they're more alike than everyone else seems to think.
Fandom has a tendency to say "because this person does this, their partner has to do that", even for arbitrary headcanons. This is probably because it's an easy shorthand for narrative conflict, but I'd argue that characters being similar can be just as intriguing, especially when (as is the case for hollanov) people instinctively assume that they're NOT the same
Fandom is so obsessed with contrasts in ships that they force them onto hollanov, a couple who are FAMOUSLY supposed to be similar. There is no slutty one and prudish one. They both love sex. There is no smart one and dumb one. They both excel at the same career where traditional metrics of academic intelligence don't apply. There is no jock and nerd. They are both professional athletes. There is no neatfreak and slob. They both pay other people to clean their houses. Please release yourself from the need to manufacture an opposites attract dynamic in every facet of their relationship, ESPECIALLY when the central conceit of hollanov as a couple is that they're more alike than everyone else seems to think.
Fandom has a tendency to say "because this person does this, their partner has to do that", even for arbitrary headcanons. This is probably because it's an easy shorthand for narrative conflict, but I'd argue that characters being similar can be just as intriguing, especially when (as is the case for hollanov) people instinctively assume that they're NOT the same
Fandom is so obsessed with contrasts in ships that they force them onto hollanov, a couple who are FAMOUSLY supposed to be similar. There is no slutty one and prudish one. They both love sex. There is no smart one and dumb one. They both excel at the same career where traditional metrics of academic intelligence don't apply. There is no jock and nerd. They are both professional athletes. There is no neatfreak and slob. They both pay other people to clean their houses. Please release yourself from the need to manufacture an opposites attract dynamic in every facet of their relationship, ESPECIALLY when the central conceit of hollanov as a couple is that they're more alike than everyone else seems to think.
Fandom has a tendency to say "because this person does this, their partner has to do that", even for arbitrary headcanons. This is probably because it's an easy shorthand for narrative conflict, but I'd argue that characters being similar can be just as intriguing, especially when (as is the case for hollanov) people instinctively assume that they're NOT the same
Put in the tags the completely finished (whether cancelled or wrapped up on its own terms) TV series that has YOUR perfect ending, however you define that
Please donāt include huge spoilers for the specifics of the endings, and it would also make me happy if people donāt use this to talk about the shows whose endings they hated
#if you look at gauis' entire everything for more .5 seconds you're like 'wow shakespearen levels of moral complexity here' #but merlin is constrained by being a genre of show that can only be described as 'Hijinks' and so it's like #ah yes that's our ensemble cast's designated Funny Old Man. look at him he's raising an eyebrow in disapproval! #and like he is a damn funny old man icon! legend! beleaguered mentor dad to wizard jesus and babysitter to the magic hypochondriac king #except by rights its like hang on dude shouldn't you be like fundamentally broken inside. #stood by and facilitated the genocide of your own people and destroyed a way of life you had dedicated yourself to preserving #tried to save as many people as you could but had to essentially be choosy about how many you saved to be able to help more but also #to keep your own head. oh and also the guy who ordered the genocide is one the only friends you have left and you genuinely care about him #even though he's patently nuts and is directly responsible for the deaths of half your other friends. and he's your BOSS. #you end up looking out for young vulnerable terrified extremely powerful magic users in the heart of camelot #one of them you (tho this is hardly only half gauis fault tbf) inculcate into your own paranoia and loyalty to the monarch that #he becomes a shell of himself dedicated to protecting the king more than any of the ideals he came to the kingdom with #and the other just about goes mad after years of terror that the man she loves as a father would burn her a death for being who she is #and was so desperate for community she went looking for it in ways that went very Wrong when community was in fact there the whole time #but was lying to her face about it out of (genuine but misplaced) paternalistic care #literally gauis what the hell. i want to study you like a bug #sorry this was a funny post and look what ive gone and done to it dhejd
Why the fuck is my flow so heavy????? I changed my tampon like an hour ago and already bled through???? I don't think thats literally ever happened to me what the fuck
low key feel bad for whatever master took on baby olruggio. like have fun here's an adultified 7-year-old who has already been traumatized by death and monsters and gets nightmares about it. he has a problem with authority, doesn't trust adults, has no problem lying to said adults, probably hates his dad, is codependent with the wise of teaching's apprentice who looks like he bites and hey he also sneaks out into the wilderness regularly with said apprentice. and oh! he's a prodigy who probably thinks he knows more than you. good luck!
So this ended as a three-times + 1 fic. Also, while it absolutely felt strange to have Alec using pet names, this was too funny not to write. That said, I planned for this to be a short 300 word drabble. That did not happen, so here have 1k5 words of Malec being ridiculous about pet names.
Magnus knew his boyfriend wasn't one for pet names or flowery terms of affection. Alexander, quick as he was to show and share his love, only ever called Magnus by his first name, his title when he was feeling flirty while at work.
It didn't bother him.
Magnus was okay with having the monopoly on all pet names. As long as Alexander allowed him to continue using any and every pet name he could think of under the sun, Magnus was fine with Alexander only ever calling him Magnus. More so, the way Alexander said it never failed to make it sound like a term of endearment in its own way.
Magnus was fine, happy even, with the status quo. He delighted in finding new terms of endearment, whether it was to fluster his boyfriend or to have him roll his eyes in exasperation. It was fun. Delightful. It made them both happy.
And then Alexander comes home one day, and a warm, happy "Hi, baby," slips past his lips.
Magnus couldn't see the expression on his face, his eyes still stuck on the bubbling pot on his stove, but the pure affection in Alexander's voice had his stomach twisting into knots in a way he hadn't experienced in centuries.
Alexander really never stopped surprising him.
"Hi darling," Magnus called back, still keeping his eyes trained on his simmering potion until the cream-colored liquid shifted to orange. He didn't notice the silence that followed, too preoccupied waiting for those last few seconds.
However, he did notice the puzzled expression on Alexander's face when he turned around. As he did Chairman's presence. And location. Which just so happened to be in Alexander's arms.
Magnus wasn't disappointed.
"Everything okay, Magnus?"
He wasn't.
----
The second time went along the same lines as the first one. Magnus was sitting on their couch rather than standing in the kitchen, working on a new manuscript rather than a potion, but his back was still facing the door, his concentration still on his task at hand.
He was editing his manuscript, an introduction to the theory behind portals and how it differed from summoning. The progress had been slow-going, more so than he would have liked. It wasn't that Magnus couldn't explain the theory; he'd given more than one seminar on the subject. However, explaining something without being there to show what he meant was an entirely different beast.
And so, his planned three weeks of writing turned into three months..
He was finally seeing the end of the paper-clad and ink-stained tunnel, which would explain why he didn't register Chairman Meow's excited mewl as more than vague background noise. The same went for the heavy-thud of feet and the rustling of clothes - the two habits Alexander picked up after he'd scared Magnus with his ghost-like silence one too many times.
He registered both sounds, but in that vague way, he registered his wards and the couch he was sitting on. It was background noise, something his ears picked up and then ignored again.
The same couldn't be said for the soft greeting Alexander uttered a few seconds after he'd hung his coat on the coatrack and placed his weapons on the weapon rack.
"Hey, baby. Did you have a good day today?"
"Mh, still trying to finish up the manuscript, but I should be done by tomorrow," Magnus said, putting his pen down to rub his eyes - when did they get this tired? "What about you, darling, everything at the institute?"
Magnus darted a glance over his shoulder to look at Alexander, only to see him blink up at him, his fingers scratching behind Chairman Meow's ears. "What was that, Magnus?"
"...Nothing."
---
The third time it happened, Magnus really should have realized Alexander wasn't speaking to him. However, he'd just spent three days repairing various wards for friends and customers alike, as well as closing seven demon rifts because twenty-year-old warlocks never learn.
All to say he was moderately exhausted and royally annoyed, more so by the customary lack of thanks the fool-brained warlocks greeted him with.
'Everything under control.'
Magnus only had one desire when he came home, and that was to take a bath and cuddle up with his boyfriend. Alexander wasn't home yet when he arrived, though, and he somehow managed to run out of soap, which means both desires had to be postponed.
Thankfully, Magnus always had a base ready to go, which meant he only had to delay his well-deserved soak by ten more minutes. Time he was more than willing to waste if it meant he could use his soap. Or their soap, as Alexander had also taken to using it everywhere.
It feels like taking you with me to work.
Magnus enjoyed his soak a bit longer than he should have, ignoring the passage of time as he let his muscles relax and indulged in one of life's greatest pleasures.
He'd finally dragged himself out of the bathtub when he heard their front door open and close, Alexander's familiar voice ringing through the loft. "I'm home."
Magnus hummed, a sound Alexander would pick up even with the water still being drained. He then started drying himself off, reaching for his bathrobe when he heard the clang of pots reach his ears.
Looked like Alexander would be cooking tonight.
Magnus was just finishing up in the bathroom when a loud mewl rang from the balcony, followed by the familiar sound of small paws tapping on glass.
As usual, Alexander fell for the theatrics, despite knowing Chairman Meow could get in and out of the loft whenever he pleased. Magnus could hear the footsteps leave the kitchen to head to the balcony, the familiar swish of the sliding door sliding open reaching his ears.
Magnus watched as Alexander picked Chairman Meow up, closing the door to the bathroom behind him as he too made his way over to the balcony.
"Hey, baby, finally back home?"
"For now," Magnus agreed, sliding up to him. "I probably would have been home yesterday if those younglings didn't try to get themselves killed again."
Alexander tensed, his eyes going from Chairman Meow to Magnus. "Uh..."
Chairman Meow.
Because that's who Alexander was talking to.
"I realize you were talking to Chairman Meow, forget I said anything. The past few days might have been more tiring than I realized. I think I'd better head off to bed."
"Wait, Magnus - "
---
Magnus swore there wouldn't be a fourth time. Where the first two times had been mortifying enough, the third had been downright painful. Which is why, the next time Alexander came home and greeted the open air with a short, "Hey, babe," Magnus staunchly ignored it.
He continued stirring his silver spatula through his cooking pot, counting down the seconds before he could add the tarantula legs to the green liquid and banish it to one of his pocket dimensions to cool.
He heard Alexander shuffle in the background, placing his coat and weapons in their designated spots. Magnus was waiting for the usual, "Hey, Magnus," to follow, only to startle when two warm hands wrapped around his middle.
"Hey, babe," Alexander repeated, the words soft and drowsy.
Magnus frowned, looking around to see if Chairman Meow had somehow snuck in the apothecary again, only for Alexander to tug him back.
"I was speaking to you, Magnus," Alexander said, pressing a smile into Magnus' shoulder. "I... I'm sorry I upset you yesterday."
"There is nothing to apologize for, darling," Magnus assured, tapping the arms wrapped around his waist to give him some more moving space. "It was merely a misunderstanding."
Alexander hummed in that particular way that meant he disagreed.
"You were upset."
"I was tired," Magnus corrected. "And perhaps the slightest bit concerned for the future of warlockkind - unable to draw a pentagram but somehow convinced they can go around summoning demons."
Alexander hummed. Again, "You're changing the subject." He turned around to sit on the counter, out of range in case the potion were to explode. "Why didn't you tell me you also wanted me to call you something?"
Magnus kept his eyes on the potion, unsure how to respond. He didn't know why the situation had upset him as much as it did, only that it had.
"I didn't know it was something I wanted," he admitted finally. "And I know you don't particularly care for pet names."
"I care for you," Alexander countered, ending with a shrug that said it was as easy as that for him. "So if you want me to call you Magnus, I'll call you Magnus. And if you want me to call you babe, then I'll call you babe or anything else you want."
Magnus bit down a smile, throwing the tarantula legs into the potion and banishing it to some random pocket dimension without much care where it landed. He pressed a quick kiss to Alexander's lips, moving over to stand between his thighs.
"Anything, is it?" he asked, his hands trailing up Alexander's legs to settle on his hips. "And what if I asked you to call me 'pup', pretty boy?"
Alexander pulled a face, an exact match for the one he pulled the first time Magnus used that particular pet name. "Anything but that."
happy disability pride month and once again, FUCK lazy subtitles. fuck the [speaks foreign language] instead of actually transcribing the words, fuck shortening sentences and changing whats been said for no reason, fuck censoring swearing in captions but not in audio and fuck anyone who says youre being 'too sensitive' for being upset about a lack of accessibility
