Hello lovely readers! I made an entirely separate author's note, because there's a lot to explain before we dive right in.
Firstly, this is an AU that begins after the end of the first movie. Like my last Descendants story, it's also very dark, and some of the Auradon kids are converted to the 'dark side' so to speak. Good and Evil are used as labels, just like in the movies and books, but most of the characters acknowledge that morality isn't ever that simple. That said, this story has a mostly-fair/not-insane Maleficent, inspired by the live action film. She's stillbad, but she doesn't enjoy kicking puppies or doing bad things for the sake of cruelty. We'll see how having a half decent parent affects Mal and the others (whose parents are more or less the same.)
The main pairing will be Ben/Mal/Evie, but because the plot centers around Mal as something of a cult leader, it's alsosomewhatMal/Everyone. There are a lot of complex and diverse pairings in this story, so if that turns you off, consider yourself warned. That said, there will be multiple peoplewithmultiple people, but it won't be the source of drama (for the most part). Like most teenagers, the kids haven't fully settled into their adult selves yet, and their emotions and desires change with their hormones. That all gets even more complicated when VKs come into the picture, who view sexuality in a very different way from the Auradon kids! (That said, there arenoexplicit sexual scenes in this story, just sauciness and discussion.)
As I'm fond of pointing out, the books show a much darker canon than the movies, so I'm largely using the books as a basis, except where they contradict themselves (like when the Evil Queen somehow finds a way to throw a feast for Evie's birthday when the only food they have comes over expired) or for the sake of a better story (like Hadie being a transgender girl and how the VKs met).
Finally, this story has religious overtones and occult themes. The characters' viewpoints on those things aren't necessarily my own!
I'malso telling this story in a way that alternates the present day (which begins at the end of the first movie), with flashbacks (exploring how things went differently in this universe, and how things stayed the same).
If you're still reading this, thanks for giving it a shot! Enjoy!
-Phoebe
(PS: Many thanks to everyone who voted on the cover! I ended up with a three-way tie, so I made some compromises.)