Luna Gordon

Luna Gordon is a student at Brakebills College for Magical Pedagogy, with a talent for Illusion magic. She is best friends with Anderson Thackery and Odette Caplan, and helps with Rebecca Proctor's efforts in bringing stability back to the magical community.

Background
From a very young age, Luna knew she was her parents' favorite daughter.

''Sure, that's nothing something parents are supposed to admit -- "Oh, I love you both equally" -- but parents are human, and humans have favorites for everything. Kids included. And honestly, it made sense why: Luna cast her first spell at the age of three, and not by accident or forced out by some major trauma or deep-seated emotion...she just cast a spell from her abuela's little stack of cards she liked to keep by her rocking chair, and from then on, Luna could do very little wrong.''

''Compared to her older sister, Lola, Luna was smarter, more outspoken, and a thousand times more confident. She excelled in school, had many friends, and magic flowed through her with relative ease. And Luna didn't quite understand why Lola was so different from her, why it was harder for her to learn things or why she didn't make a lot of friends. Most people would say that the older sister always looks out for the younger one, but in this case, it was Luna watching Lola's back. And considering they were only two years apart -- which meant they would always be in the same school building together at some point in their lives -- this was something Lola would not be able to avoid. Not that Luna figured Lola would WANT to avoid it, per se -- they got along very well, playing The Sims and Runescape and all those little games that allowed them to build a world together, just for the two of them.''

''It came to a head in middle school, a few weeks after Luna started sixth grade at a prominent city Catholic school. Lola was being bullied -- not the physical, in-your-face type of bullying, but the passive-aggressive stuff about virginity and braces and all that bullshit. Well, Luna caught wind of this, and in an unprecedented violation of rigid, upper-class snobbery and social custom, found the group of bullies after school and proceeded to kick the absolute shit out of the leader.''

''Honestly, Luna had never fought anyone before in her life...but she liked how it felt. She had always imagined herself as a chola, tougher and badder than any of the weak-ass bitches at this school, and absolutely no one would fuck with her, or her sister. Of course, she wore the long nails and big hoop earrings, but she'd never struggled in her life to warrant the label. She lived in a lovely house in Queens, her parents were conservative but supportive, and her grades and magical prowess would get her into any magical school she wanted. So yeah, she was a poser, but Luna didn't really care about that, or being suspended for a week. This was about more than the label, this was about her fucking FAMILY.''

''So it came as a pretty big surprise to her when Lola didn't speak to her for two weeks after the incident. See, Luna couldn't understand why her sister had been so embarrassed by this. After all, they raised worlds together. They roleplayed together -- Harry Potter, Inuyasha, Charmed, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Fillory and Further, you name it. But all of a sudden, Lola didn't want anything to do with Luna in school, and sometimes even outside of it. But whatever. It hurt Luna, but she'd get over it. After all, she didn't feel guilty about it. Lola needed protecting, and Luna was there to do it.''

''Now, Luna didn't necessarily think her sister was stupid, but she was just as surprised as her parents when Lola was accepted into Brakebills. So, naturally, Luna had to follow her sister, if only to really understand how the hell she had gotten into such a difficult school. And, of course, to learn more about this boy she'd fallen in love with. He seemed pretty nice, honestly, taking her out to dinners and movies and treating her really well. Luna approved. Plus, he had a really big dick.''

''Not that Luna really cared about that sort of thing. She had only had sex twice: one, when she was fourteen, and once more a year later. She'd only even had sex that second time because she felt like there was something wrong with her for not caring about it in any way, shape or form. Every song she listened to was about fucking, love, summer flings; it was all her friends talked about. But eventually, Luna realized that while sure, she liked to talk about sex, she liked to put on the sexy persona, and she liked to masturbate, but she just had no care for sex or romantic relationships. Any energy she put into love, it would be for her friends.''

''Then, Lola broke up with this boy, and she changed a lot. Became even more introverted, petty, bitchy. So when Luna went to Brakebills, she had a bone to pick with the person that had made her sister insufferable.''

''When Luna first met Anderson Thackery, she was prepared to hate him, in that way loyal sisters hate an ex. But when she saw his room, saw all of their similar interests, and looked into his eyes that first time, she realized that he was just another fucked-up person. Luna didn't consider herself to be fucked up, but she knew her sister was to some extent, and other people were. And...honestly, she liked him. Like, a lot. Sure, those first few weeks she hung out with him less out of genuine friendship and more to understand why Lola fell for him...but soon, she found herself really fucking likin' the guy. Sure, he'd broken Lola's heart in a fucked up way -- but he had his issues, and while Luna really didn't get the deeper aspects of it, she gave him a get-out-of-Luna's-shitlist free card. And after a while, he gained a coveted spot on Luna's ride-or-die list. Anyone who fucked with him, fucked with her.''

''She felt the same for Odette Caplan, at first seeing the shy girl as a substitute for the old Lola. It wasn't until they began fighting magikin together that Luna realized her own confidence had been greatly inflated, and suddenly she could see through Odette the quiet strength that her older sister exhibited. Luna's own fragility, under that layer of fake-gangster toughness, began to crack, until she ended up looking death right in the face, in the form of Athia Hobbs. Luna had never dealt with death as directly as she had in that moment, and it shook her to her core. After all, she had always felt untouchable -- even the nachzehrer's attack felt surreal. ''

''But no one is untouchable. And all that strength that Luna thinks she has...well, it's up to her whether she wants to turn it into something real.''