#including the VERY RARE ability to constantly re-assess with every new thing he observes/learns

[faejilly]

i think the fandom doesn’t capitalize on the fact that Alec is a older brother, that man probably has so much more black mail on Izzy and Jace then they do on him

#mood

Izzy and Jace have nothing they can use on Alec.

One: They didn't think they'd ever need to because they thought they knew what he'd do in most situations (say no and then begrudgingly help them anyway, and tbf to them, they're mostly not wrong pre-Magnus)

Two: He is so aggressively self-contained for survival reasons that the only 'secrets' either of them has on him are the facts that he's gay and he and his mother have a fucked up relationship and THOSE ARE NOT THINGS YOU CAN USE FOR 'friendly family blackmail'.

Three: Alec is a tactician, he is observant, he is ruthless. He knows everything Izzy and Jace have ever done and the fact that he (as far as we know) never uses any of it is amazing and a little heart-breaking because he could have manipulated and threatened the fuck out of them and made his own life so much easier and he never ever did.

#jilly answers #forever-nox #lightwood family feels #alec lightwood #my sh rambling #sh meta #JOIN ME IN MY ETERNAL #*dying whale noises* #re: Alec Lightwood's improbable and compelling combination of talents a cptsd #deep self-assessment #well-trained comprehensive observational skills #including the VERY RARE ability to constantly re-assess with every new thing he observes/learns #paired with completely inflexible ethics #absolute faith in his own skills #vs complete and utter lack of a sense of VALUE IN ANY OF THEM #endless compassion #for everyone except himself #and anyone being an idiot #ability to comprehensively assess a complex situation in .1 seconds #and then fling himself into the most batshit 'solution' with 110% conviction #while everyone is still going #'what?' #I love him he is so fucked up y'all #shadowhunters