AUTHOR'S NOTES
Hello readers! InkyTalon here. I truly hoped you enjoyed this story, or that if you haven't read through it yet that you will enjoy it. Beware of spoilers below ^v^
I want to go over some stuff that I wanted to add as footnotes in the chapters, but didn't because I didn't want to distract from the story.
The cover art was drawn digitally by me, by the way!
Chapter 1: Resurrection
Hades plays a prominent role in this chapter only. I probably should have labeled this story a Crossover. But I wasn't sure if doing so would make my story reach less people, as in they would have to specifically search for an Aladdin/Hercules crossover to find this :/
The rest of this story takes place in the world of Aladdin, so I'll keep it labeled as such. Really hope I did the God of the Underworld justice - one of my favorite villains ever!
Hades and Jafar met before in the Hercules TV show crossover episode "Hercules and the Arabian Night", and it's referenced here.
Chapter 3: The Fall of a Priestess
{DISCLAIMER: I am not Egyptian. I do not proclaim to be super educated in Egyptian culture. The story told in this chapter is NOT meant to be an accurate representation of its history or people, and I don't mean to offend when I use the setting as inspiration. Mirage has an ancient Egypt aesthetic so I naturally went with that. Remember that this fictional story is only for fun not for profit, and I tried to keep this chapter as tasteful as possible}
Apologies for the exposition dump in this chapter and the next! I hope it flows as naturally as possible.
Creating a backstory for Mirage was fun because there's SO much wiggle room. All we know from the Aladdin TV series is that she looks like an Egyptian goddess, she has evil powers, and she was former lover to that Phasir guy that appears in a handful of episodes.
A reasonable conclusion would be that Mirage is an Egyptian goddess, but for the purposes of this story, I didn't find making her a goddess to be all that interesting - she couldn't get hurt. And as a deity she would already have all the power she could want… so why bother teaming up with a sorcerer like Jafar?
So instead I made her a corrupted priestess that tried to 'become a god' using sorcery, and was exiled for it. Dunno about you but I find that pretty compelling :)
Chapter 4: The Ascension of a Peasant
For Jafar's backstory I borrowed some ideas from the 2019 live action Aladdin, and I also took some inspiration from Miggery Sow's story in The Tale of Despereaux.
Jafar starting out as a peasant and thief was one of the few things I really liked in the Aladdin remake. Having a similar background to Aladdin makes him a really good foil, and makes Aladdin see what he could become if he continues to lie his way to the top.
I always felt that Jafar was basically the Belle of the Disney Villain lineup - the book-loving intellectual. I dig the idea that he's really into science and history, and how he uses his knowledge for evil.
Also did anyone pick up on the reference to Starkid's Aladdin parody musical Twisted, "I want to know your story"? ;)
Chapter 6: Training Session
Okay, if it were possible to write a musical number in a fanfiction, it would be here. Starting out as an epic villainous duet as they have fun wrecking fake Agrabah… and ending as a romantic ballad when they begin to realize their attraction towards each other.
This pairing is very rare - in fact I'm probably the only one to think of Jafar/Mirage at all, since the only art and stories done with them seem to be mine. I hope their chemistry is believable and their dynamic is fun! I think so.
While I love more serious approaches to these characters, it's probably clear by now that I'm keeping their campy villain energy as portrayed in the media they're from. Evil laughter and monologues abound!
Chapter 7: A New Secondary Mission
That entire "You're purring" interaction was actually the first scene I imagined with these two, and that was the moment I knew I had to write this fic.
And this is the point of the story where it earns its T rating. Is it hot in here...? *fans self*
Chapter 8: The Nightmare Begins
The scheme is in motion and the villains are wearing their disguises, but I wanted to keep it ambiguous as to who was who until the end. That reveal gave me chills when I wrote it :)
Also hey, the handmaiden chick from the 2019 Aladdin made a cameo! Ah, the only other part of that movie I really liked. She's such a gem. Wish she could have had more time here.
Chapter 10: Showdown
Here it is, the climax! Action packed, dramatic fun. But this whole scene is REALLY all over the place as far as tone. But that was actually intended.
If you've ever seen Twisted, the Starkid musical where Jafar is the protagonist, you might see similarities here with how Jafar reacts to Genie's jokes. He is confused and annoyed, because Genie references things the people of Agrabah would know nothing about!
So I wanted to write this in a way that makes us sympathize with Jafar and agree that the Genie cracking unfunny jokes in the middle of a dramatic scene IS really f*cking annoying. Not that I don't find Robin William's genie to be absolutely hysterical because I do! But from Jafar's POV, the constant interruption is infuriating.
Seriously, if you haven't seen Twisted, PLEASE watch it. You'll thank me later. The entire thing is free to watch on YouTube.
I really debated putting the whole "Jafar's a furry" joke in there because it's the cringiest thing I've ever written, but I went with my gut and did it. Hope it got a laugh from somebody!
Genie also makes a reference to Back to the Future, and transforms into Po from Kung Fu Panda. Disney would hate me if they knew I referenced Dreamworks with their characters, oh boy...
Chapter 11: Shattered
I'm really proud of how I wrote this one. If a reader could only read one chapter of this story, I'd pick this.
These villains aren't going to be redeemed. But they have feelings just like good people do, and they have breaking points when things don't go their way. I really liked exploring that with Mirage, and I about cried writing the part when she was nearly ready to give up.
And how Jafar responded really warms my heart. Again he isn't going to become good or anything, but being with Mirage has still changed him. Enough that he's willing to put her needs before his desire to beat Aladdin. And for a character like Jafar who's driven by revenge, that's pretty profound.
I love these two so much :')
Chapter 12: Home
I freaking love Iago. I couldn't not have him appear. In my humble opinion I find his jokes funnier than Genie's in the original film, but that's just me! Anyway it makes sense to me that despite his redemption, Iago still isn't entirely a good guy, and would rather try to save his own feathers and make bargains to protect himself. I also like to think that he still has just a *little* loyalty left in him for Jafar... after all Jafar did rescue and raise him.
I think how Iago and Jafar part ways here is really nice. They aren't friends again, but they respect each other and remember all the 'good' times they had. Bittersweet.
And that's the end of the story! Jafar and Mirage lived evilly ever after, awwww! The best ending this story could have gotten I think.
The ending sets up potential for a sequel, but I don't know if there will be one. HOWEVER I might write a one-shot, probably "fluff" couple stuff with Jafar and Mirage after the events of this story. Honestly I'd love to write them trying to be a normal couple for a day, and see how far their relationship has progressed.
Thank you SO MUCH for checking out my story, and for reading through all this too, wow. You're the best :D
I'd love to hear your thoughts, so please leave a review! It would make me the happiest writer on earth. Thank you again, and may all your wishes be granted!