I said this before and I'll say it again.
Alec and Lily's friendship is underappreciated
Here is the tidbits of their growing friendship throughout the series (mostly happened in short stories, cassie i need more of them)
“One of the Nephilim,” said Lily, bad girl that she was, and she drummed on the table of their booth with shining blue fingernails. “My, my.”
“Hi?” said Alec.
—What to Buy the Shadowhunter Who Has Everything
“I think I saw you earlier,” said Alec hesitantly. “You were—making out with a faerie girl?”
(...)
“Why, you want to make something of it?” The woman bristled. “How happy I am to see the Nephilim constantly crashing our parties. Were you even invited?”
“I’m a plus-one,” said Alec.
The vampire girl relaxed slightly. “Oh, right, you’re Magnus’s latest disaster,” she said. “That’s what Raphael calls you. I’m Lily.”
(...)
“I’ve decided I detest you,” Lily told Alec.
“It’s mutual,” Alec said dryly.
Unexpectedly, that made the vampire woman smile, before Raphael dragged her away.
****
“Someone dropped a piece of roof on me,” Bat told him, blinking in a way that was more owlish than wolfish. “Inconsiderate.”
Alec realized Bat was not so much on a murderous out-of-control rampage as mildly concussed.
“Easy there,” he said, as Bat tumbled against his chest.
He looked around for the most trustworthy person, for someone to be on his team. He took a gamble and dumped Bat into Lily’s arms.
“Watch him for me, will you?” he asked. “Make sure he gets out all right.”
“Put that werewolf down immediately, Lily,” Raphael ordered.
“It really hurts that you would say that,” Bat muttered, and shut his eyes.
Lily considered Bat’s head, pillowed on her lavender bosom. “I don’t want to put him down,” she announced. “The Shadowhunter gave this DJ to me.”
—The Red Scrolls of Magic
"Don't waste my time, Lily," Alec said. "What do you want?"
"I want you to sit down and help me, I suppose," Lily grumbled.
Alec had sat down.
****
"I like Alec so much," Lily told Magnus at a party months later, slightly drunk and with glitter in her hair. "Especially when he gets snippy with me. He reminds me of Raphael."
"How dare you," Magnus had replied. "You are speaking of the man I love."
****
"LIGHTWOOD!" Lily bellowed, charging in.
"Ah yes, Lily Chen, I believe?" said Robert Lightwood, turning to her with the dignity of the Inquisitor and no sign of surprise. "I remember you were interim representative for the vampires on the Council for a time. Glad to see you again. What can I do for you?"
(...)
Lily did not care. "Not you!" she snapped. "Who even are you?"
"I'm the Inquisitor?" said Robert. "I was the head of the New York Institute for over a decade?"
Lily rolled her dark eyes. "Oh, congratulations, do you want a medal? I need Alexander Lightwood, obviously,"
****
"I do not talk to Nephilim about Downworlder business," Lily said severely.
The Lightwood parents stared at her, and then swung their heads in sync to stare at their son.
Lily waved a dismissive hand in their direction. "Except for Alec, he's a special case. —"
****
"You're sure the werewolves have this in hand?"
"Yes," said Alec. "You didn't need to charge to Idris and spill Downworlder business in front of my whole family."
"If they're your family, they know you can handle a little thing like this," Lily said dismissively.
****
"What?" Lily asked, looking up at Alec and sounding shy suddenly. "I always liked children, when I was alive. People said I was good with them." She laughed, a little self-consciously. "It's been a while."
"That's great," said Alec. "You'll be willing to babysit occasionally, then."
"Ha-ha, I'm the head of the New York vampire clan and I'm much too important," Lily told him. "But I'll see him when I drop by your place."
****
She stood on her tiptoes in high-heeled boots, kissed Alec on the cheek, and sashayed out.
"I do not like that vampire's attitude," said Robert in the silence following Lily's departure.
"Lily's all right," said Alec mildly.
—Born to Endless Night
“I thought I might bring Lily,” he told Magnus. “She can speak Spanish. And I thought it might cheer her up. She likes Jem.”
Nobody at any Market would question Lily’s presence. Everybody had heard of the Downworlder and Shadowhunter Alliance by now, and it was well known that members of the Alliance helped each other out.
Magnus raised his eyebrows. “Oh, I know Lily likes Jem. I’ve heard the nicknames.”
****
“Do you . . .” Alec coughed. “Do you want to talk?”
Lily tipped her head back to stare all the way up at him. “About feelings? Do we do that?”
“Preferably not,” said Alec, which made her smile. “But we could.”
****
There had been a time when Alec was unsettled by vampires, but Lily had always so clearly needed someone, and Alec had wanted to be there for her. They’d been teammates running the Alliance with Maia for long enough now that Lily felt like Aline Penhallow, a friend close enough to be family.
****
“So you’re Alec Lightwood,” said the head of the Buenos Aires Institute slowly. “Then this must be your Downworlder whore.”
There was a terrible silence.
It was broken by Lily, who blinked and said: “Excuse me? Have you been living in a hole? Are you not aware Alec is dating famous warlock Magnus Bane and is not interested in ladies of any persuasion?”
There was a rush of whispers. Alec didn’t think everyone was stunned by this information. They were stunned that Lily would say it, as if they expected him to be ashamed.
“Let’s be clear on this matter. This is my friend Lily, the head of the New York vampire clan.” Alec put his hand on his seraph blade, and the whispers hushed. “Think very carefully,” said Alec, “about how you wish to speak of her. Or of Magnus Bane.”
****
“You can stay here,” he agreed grudgingly. “The Downworlder cannot.”
“Like I want to,” Lily sneered. “I don’t stay in places where the décor isn’t ten out of ten, and this place is a minus fourteen thousand. OK, Alec, let’s make a plan for where we will meet up after I find a nice windowless hotel room. Do you want to—”
“What are you talking about?” Alec demanded. “If they won’t have you, I won’t stay here. The hell with this place. I’m going with you.”
****
“Leaving aside your destined honey lamb and all, I know there was Jace. Is it just guys with golden eyes?” asked Lily. “That is a very particular taste you have there, friend. It really narrows the playing field. So no other crushes besides Jace? Even a teeny tiny one when you were young?”
“Why are you leering like you know something I don’t?” Alec asked warily.
Lily giggled.
****
Lily was sitting cross-legged on the ground, one elbow propped on Alec’s knee, to be near the child. She tilted her head toward Rafael and asked him if he would please get on with it, because the sun was rising and she’d have to go to bed soon.
****
“Lily’s vulnerable during the day,” Alec said. “I’d rather stay with her. Will you be all right in the windowless room, Rafael?”
****
Alec rose and guided her, a hand on her trembling shoulder, to the bed. He pulled a sheet over her as if she were Rafael. Then he positioned the chair between Lily and Rafael and the entrance, and took his place there.
“Sleep, Lily,” Alec said, gently. “I’ll watch the doors.”
****
“Are we going to smuggle our way into the house in laundry carts?” Lily asked Alec excitedly.
Alec blinked at her. “No, we’re not. What laundry carts? I’m a straightforward person. I’m going to knock on the door.”
(...)
“I know Rafe stole your phone,” said Lily, “but who stole your sense of adventure?”
****
Alec bundled the woman into Lily’s arms. Lily was small enough that it was difficult, but she was strong enough to bear her weight.
“Take her. I have to get the others.”
“I don’t want to go!” Lily shouted over the crackling fire. “I don’t ever want to abandon anybody again!”
“You won’t. Lily, go.”
****
“Ah, there’s that smile,” said Lily. “It’s been two days, and I missed it.”
Alec stopped smiling and made a face at her, but when he looked at her properly, she was fiddling with the zip of her leather jacket. There was something about the set of her mouth, as if she’d set it determinedly so it wouldn’t tremble.
“Thanks for coming with me,” Alec said. “Also, you’re the worst.”
That made her smile. Lily wiggled her fingers in farewell. “Don’t you forget it.”
—The Land I Lost
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My media this week (29 Jan-4 Feb 2023)
📚 STUFF I READ 📚
😊👂A Quiet Life in the Country (Lady Hardcastle Mysteries #1) (T.E. Kinsey, author; Elizabeth Knowelden, narrator) - very entertaining historical cozy mystery with charming characters and not heavy historical accuracy (which doesn't detract in any way from the entertainment value (at least for me)). Plus the fact that they are free in both ebook & audio via KU. Definitely going to read more.
🥰 Exquisite (copperbadge aka Sam Starbuck) - 172K, White Collar, Peter/El/Neal - complete AU rewrite of s1-2, very well plotted & integrated; light D/s dynamic with P/N. I regret endlessly that there is not more good OT3 stuff like this for this show!
🙂 Push The Button (Kalee60) - 100K, shrunkyclunks - absolute tropefest: fake dating, team-as-family, only one bed, an entire pine forest
😊👂Mystery Mile (Albert Campion Mystery #2) (Margery Allingham, author; Francis Matthews, narrator) - this one was full on 'mysterious criminal gang adventure' than 'domestic murder' - I really do enjoy Campion's whole THING: his complete willingness to be the absolute fool so that people vastly underestimate him. alas, CWs for all the usual period typical/contemporary racism/antisemitism/xenophobia (+ a mouse death)
💖💖 +80K of shorter fic so shout out to these I really loved 💖💖
the night breeze carries something sweet (asbealthgn) - Stranger Things: Steddie, 4.8K - short but delightful rockstar!Eddie/some guy!Steve meet cute
His Greatest Adversary Yet (architeuthis) - original work: 15K - absolutely wonderful story about a retired superhero and the supervillian who keeps seeking him out because he misses him (and has a very late-in-life gay awakening when he finds him)
And I Knew (in the Crystalline Knowledge of You) (PippinPips) - Stranger Things: Steddie, 27K - fantastic Practical Magic AU
Cassiopeia, Orion, Bootes (AidaRonan) - Stranger Things: Steddie, 10K - another incredible monsterfucking fic. what a fucking gift!
📺 STUFF I WATCHED 📺
Shotgun Wedding
Scooby Doo, Where Are You! - s2, e1-4
Poker Face - s1, e1-4
🎧 PODCASTS 🎧
Off Menu - Ep 104: Martin Freeman
Welcome to Night Vale #210 - Ten Years Later
Welcome to Night Vale #211 - Howl
The Sporkful - The Boom And Bust Of Meat Alternatives
Renegades: Born in the USA - Relationships with Our Fathers & Masculinity
Welcome to Night Vale #212 - The Campus
You Must Remember This - 1980: Richard Gere and American Gigolo (Erotic 80s Part 3)
Welcome to Night Vale #213 - Murals
Welcome to Night Vale #214 - The Comet's Tail
The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Galileo’s Middle Finger
Strange Customs with Sasha Sagan - Nicole Richie—The Conspiracy
Renegades: Born in the USA - Fatherhood
Off Menu - Ainsley Harriott
Vibe Check - Hope Is A Light-skinned Ideal
99% Invisible #523 - Six-on-Six Basketball
Ologies with Alie Ward - Laryngology (VOICE BOXES) Part 2 with Ronda Alexander
The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Freud Museum London
Welcome to Night Vale - Bonus Episode: Crime Line
Welcome to Night Vale #221 - The Glow Cloud, Explained
You Must Remember This - 1981: Neonoir, Body Heat and Postman Always Rings Twice (Erotic 80s Part 4)
Into It - A History of Whammies at the Grammys (Plus: What's Lil Rel Howery Into?)
The Atlas Obscura Podcast - The Westgate with Rico Gagliano
Renegades: Born in the USA - Looking Towards American Renewal
Off Menu - Ep 137: Michael Schur
Endless Thread - Him: An AI Love Story
You Must Remember This - 1982: Teen Sexploitation, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Porky's and The Blue Lagoon (Erotic 80s Part 5)
🎶 MUSIC 🎶
Presenting Miley Cyrus
Presenting Britney Spears
Presenting Dua Lipa
Future Friends [Superfruit]
Presenting Lady Gaga
My Mix #3 {mostly '80s pop with a New Wave concentration}
my 'Thumbs Up' playlist
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