#a good parabatai scene finally
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top 10 atrocious shtv plotline
let me preface by saying i do not hate shadowhunters. it camp demon fighting hot people in leather with not enough lighting and candles as regular guest stars. this list is my personal opinion, a little something something rage filled silly little rants of my favorite show and its clown moment. picture this as the inner monologue of the lead in an indie romcom who speaks in metaphors and has a letterbox account. so sit back, grab your set and stele because you will need so much iratze for your sanity.
content warning: this rant will touch upon topics such as mental health, addiction, attempted suicide and incest.
10. magnus lost his magic
magnus is magnificent in everything, so that is why this plotline disappointed me. it has so much potential and they end up doing the bare minimum. there's no way magnus fricking bane has no one to rely on when he lost his magic besides alec. no fricking way. we should have gotten magnus to work out alec's deal with asmodeus by himself. i'm also of the opinion that magnus should be the one to figure out a way to get his magic back (there are lots of good fics exploring this, i recommend you check it out) it end up in this position cause overall it a good and interesting premise and magnus outsmarting his father and using his portal (something that magnus invented) to defeat him is a good conclusion
9. heidi took over dumort and planned to dominate the shadoworld
i mean this happened in the book, but it was given way way more screen time than necessary in the show. please dont tell me a newly born vampire is suddenly a master manipulator and leader and makes every vampire bend to her will. you're trying to be serious not comedy shtv. and how about we give all of heidi screen time to flesh out clary and magnus plotline in S3B more?? or idk, give the lightwood trio A PLOTLINE this season besides being the supporting partner
8. jordan redemption arc
he's an abuser. he's an abuser. HE IS AN ABUSER. we don't need him sobbing and crying and then ‘dying’ in front of maia. i loathe how for a second i thought they gonna make maia go back together with jordan again. the only good thing come out of it is maia getting somewhat closure, and i used that term loosely
7. the owl
jace spent S3A being mind controlled by lilith, struggling, begging to be killed, being mind control again, then free. he doesn't have a single moment after all that bullshit to process because oh we need the plot to move along and another fresh trauma has arrived at the jace station. and oh remember the soul sword thing??? when there's an attempt to write the payoff of jace unintentionally killing a bunch of people? i dont know about you but the show writers sure do not. the rules and influence of lilith over jace is so confusing it is ridiculously hilarious
6. alec and jace's parabatai bond
i've already done a recap of all the wonderful moments of jace parabatai career so i will keep this really simple. picture the parabatai bond as group final assessment. alec is pulling all-nighter, groupchat urging to finish tasks on time, one on one meetings with professor for feedback, two hours finalizing and fixing the final product. jace is "why do i have to do so much" and submitting work late two hours that don't pass the plagiarize check
5. team evil (evil clary + S3B jonathan)
i would like to remind you she turns fully evil in episode 18 and is cured of it in episode 20. they build this evil plotline up through clary burning her hand, snapping at simon once and losing it at aline (who btw i believe is justified in her rage how many people sebastian/jonathan/ginger incest bread have killed) clary turning evil means she now will sexily whisper her line, wear tighter/revealing dress and stare at people with smoldering eyes. because of course, evil female characters are like that. i also need writers for that clace scene in the club when jace's on seelie drug to answer for their crime against my sanity
jonathan S3B is bad. and not even the fun kind. when you compare this character to the one in S2B, he got clear on every possible aspect i almost shed a tear. he, like evil clary, has so much potential. but the way the writing goes makes him just hilariously pathetic. yes i am in fact referring to him yelling 'YOU WILL NEVER LOVE ME' at clary and then flying away in his devil cosplay
4. merlion getting taken to the silent brothers
alec is shit for blindly following the clave's order, jace betrays his parabatai and along with izzy and clary conducts a stupid plan that can create an all-out war and involves two of the downworlder leaders in all that. also, magnus steal alec stele aka the acting head stele…because bad decision is infectious in this episode. considering how serious they’re trying to make the political aspect of the show to be, the fact that this exists. literally insane. this whole plotline is to highlight how clary is the hero who stands up for justice and morals and all of that when she the one contributing the least. she just stands around lets everyone do stuff for her and they're trying to convince us she's the hero. then she and jace fuck off to another dimension after roping people into their mess because that is what a good hero does.
that screencap. she said that surrounding by downworlders. her kendall jenner pepsi world peace era
3. alec's mental health
alec try to jump off that balcony and the only person they show having any concern over it is magnus in the next episode. oh no no, not even in that lightwood family talk in the same episode of the balcony thing, with you know, his mom and his parabatai, not a word. and the only one who says anything related to it is clary of all people. im convinced the whole alec killing off jocelyn is for alec to feel guilty and then ease him into a friendship with clary because this is no way to handle this type of story there is no way. and it is not like they say oh well, here's the end of this. because they include shots of alec pinching his hands at that hospital scene. what was the reason? has alec not had enough on his plate already? friendly reminder, iris's spell at that party caused people to project their insecurities and everyone was fighting each other. and who does alec blame? who does he fight? who he thinks is worthless of living and no one will miss? himself. do they drop this storyline faster than clace romance? yes!
2. clace
ah, instant love that makes no sense because we are supposed to believe it is the way it is. the writers keep telling us there is nothing compared to their love but doesn't show us SHIT when it comes to that. don't believe me? oh, okay, the number of dates that they have before crusty lord of the lifetime valentine morgenshit breaks the fake sibling news is that time when jace stands and watches clary get encanto and tough inappropriately by a vampire and their rendezvous with fake dad. then in S2A they mostly interact when clary is in trouble and needs jace help. clary dates the first person she knows already has feeling for her, jace goes around very around. they don't bond or try to talk or interact besides jace constantly looking sulkily at clary and simon. then 2x14 it all reveals she loves jace she desires jace no one for her but jace. and i totally forgot jace's confession via the soul sword about loving clary, not the way you would love a sister and all that. their first date as an again couple is 3x02…the love confession is ridiculous because he's saying all these things despite us literally never seeing that on screen. they bonk when clary still links with her psychopath brother, that whole scene alone should pay for my therapy. we kept being told they are in love, but we are never shown that. hey, maybe some advice. slapping romantic music over a scene will not make the scene romantic, you actually need to write it too. this relationship goes nowhere because itself and the two characters inside it doesn't change. it's always clary wants something so jace push everyone and everything under the solar system out of the way to give it to her. this wouldn't be a problem if, yk, it is only in the first season and they have character development. but let me remind you S3B they summon lilith back to earth despite magnus losing his magic to help defeat her (didn't make it to this list but a very strong honorary mention) with the worst possible plan. relying on a guy simon knew for less than the time clary and jace spent thinking through their plan. it like you are asking for him to betray you
aldetree izzy raphael and yinfen
one of the only major plotlines izzy has. and it's this. because of course this addict seeks a provider then both fall in love and the provider becomes addict again is super duper appropriate to happen to these two. two of the poc characters who are prominent in the show. one of the few female characters. of course very splendid decisions right there. and at the end of the series izzy gets together with someone who can make her relapse again. all because this storyline that could have been cut off and replaced with something more decent. but nope! sexily blood drinking time!
tag list: @dustandducks @cityofdownwardspirals @magnus-the-maqnificent @onetimetwotimesthreetimess @wildesummerchild @cam-ryt @khaleesiofalicante @idk-i-just-really-like-tsc
#shadowhunters#magnus bane#alec lightwood#jace herondale#clary fray#isabelle lightwood#jonathan morgenstern#anti show jace#anti shtv jace#anti show clace
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Chain of Thorns - First Impressions
I finished the book a couple hours ago and needed to take a bit of time to formulate my thoughts. I’m a fast reader and admittedly, this can mean I skim in some places / go over some details so doubtless I’ll pick up on more when I do my reread.
They got long so underneath the cut… but here are my first impressions of Chain of Thorns:
I liked it a lot. I didn’t love it. It suffered from many of the same issues that plagued Queen of Air and Darkness and maybe even a bit more in this book. Namely, too big of a cast, too much plot to explore decently but more importantly - lack of follow-through/consequences for characters’ actions or events in the book.
Some initial points:
SOMEONE ELSE SHOULD’VE DIED/BEEN EXILED/BEEN LOST IN ANOTHER REALM. I like the happy endings they got (I have much love for these characters). But it didn’t feel earned. :/
Also the pacing throughout much of the book was breakneck, bar a few quiet interludes. Some storylines - Lucie, Jesse and Malcolm’s visit to Cornwall and Matthew and Cordelia’s Paris interlude could’ve used a few more pages to really allow the characters to develop/explore why they were really there before pulling them back in service of the main plot.
Let’s start off with what I did love:
My love for Matthew, Cordelia and James’ characters was maintained and possibly even grew during this final book. I just - *BITES FIST* Honestly, I’m pretty damn happy where things ended up when it comes to the interpersonal relationships and dynamics between the three of them.
I loved that we got Fairstairs in Paris, though I will pout (and almost certainly finish that one fanfic for…) it was so little. Just- James could’ve arrived later on? Not been waiting in their room? *forever mourns the lost opportunity*
I especially appreciated the brokenness of the three of them as they returned to London. The time it took them to muddle through, process and re-discover their true feelings post-Gracelet revelation and how it shaped the course. But how they all still desperately cared about one another and it never wavered even when they were furious with each other.
Controversial opinion - though I know Bry will back me up on this - but James and Matthew’s parabatai relationship is the best one out of all the TSC parabatai - yes, even Will and Jem, who were idealised. Matthew and James’ relationship is that perfect mix of love, frustration, co-dependency that you need for a parabatai relationship.
It rose to new heights in Chain of Thorns, as James was finally able to break down Matthew’s walls and help him begin to heal, not only with his drinking but also his self-loathing. And Matthew finally gets his friend back who has been suppressed emotionally for three years (!!!) and you can just feel the intensity and pull of the relationship between the two of them, for good or bad, throughout the book. The scenes in Edom just killed me.
And Cordelia is - maybe not glue but it’s just - something separate but essential between the three of them. The mirror, perhaps? Reflecting their best selves upon her. And Matthew and James’ unconditional love heals the part of her that feels she has to be useful or heroic to be loved
Look romantic or platonic, you cannot convince me otherwise that they weren’t all meant to be together in some fashion, even if it’s not a classic OT3, but maybe more V-triad? <brb just thinking about a heronfairstairs fic set in the 1910s>
UGH. I AM EMOTIONAL JUST THINKING ABOUT IT. It’s a messier, truer to life version of the Jem-Tessa-Will situation (especially if Jem hadn’t become a Silent Brother) and you won’t be able to convince me otherwise.
Cordelia, she broke my heart with Matthew but I accept it. I knew she was going to end up with James. But I do think- much like Tessa was with Jem, Matthew and Cordelia’s love for each other is a quieter flame than the ones they have for their respective Herondales, and it’s a shame it wasn’t explored more.
I think the one sticking point for Cordelia and Matthew in terms of romance is Matthew’s drinking. Cordelia has trauma around her father’s drinking and to see it reflected in Matthew (even if he is successful in his sobriety) means there’s that extra hurdle if they were to enter a romantic relationship. Cordelia is pragmatic enough that she knows she does not want the same type of relationship her mother and father had.
James and Cordelia- I did enjoy their ups and downs. I do enjoy them together. I think I am always going to be slightly put out that it didn’t end more tragically. Herondales always win in love- and the way that James’ story and history has been framed and referenced in SO MANY OTHER Shadowhunter books made me think possibly there would be something different this time- that he’d lose one of his loves, either Cordelia or Matthew.
Quick points individually:
Cordelia - My girl remains the best- she is the best combo of heroine - kind but proud, reckless but also caring and straightforward in her dealings. She can’t abide to be cruel but she can be ruthless (her cutting Tatiana’s throat- dammmmmnnnnn)
James - *checks* Not feral enough, lol. Yes, we did get many moments… especially post-Paris and ummm, that scene where he and Cordelia consummated their marriage but could’ve used more. Will come back with more coherent thoughts later.
Matthew… oh my darling Matthew. I’m going to have to come back to him in a separate post, I think. Having just read his arc in this book- I get why Cassie didn’t kill him off or separate him from his friends. There was already so much hopelessness woven into his storyline and a lot of uncertainty if he’s even going to succeed in remaining sober, any tragic ending would’ve felt pointlessly cruel, I think.
Ultimately, his journey isn’t over but I appreciate the steps he took during this book. At the same time, it feels so strange we ended the book with Matthew’s future still a large question mark. Still time for him to get lost in Faerie!! I ultimately believe he has a promising yet tragic life to lead, and I want to know what it is…
Other things I loved:
The Merry Thieves relationship in Chain of Thorns >>>>>>
Especially the scenes where they all go to help Matthew get through his first couple days of non-drinking. And of Thomas and Christopher each going to respectively check on James and Matthew. I loved their dynamic during this book, which I think we saw in Chain of Gold but less so in CHain of Iron so was happy to see its return.
Thomas and Alastair - were perfection. No notes.
I have to admit I might’ve skimmed over a few of their scenes that were cute but were interludes during other tense moments, when I was dying to know what happened to other characters we had just cut away from… but I am going to savour their interactions on my reread.
Alastair and Cordelia’s sibling relationship also remains amazing. As admitted before, I am a Carstairs family fan and this book definitely helped cement that.
After a few Christopher POVs, I definitely got the sinking feeling he was a goner. And yep- I was correct- as were quite a few others in fandom. He wasn’t one of my favourites but his development in the first half of Chain of Thorns before his death- his expanded interactions with the other Merry Thieves and his growing relationship with Grace were a delight to read and I am sad he didn’t make it. Also, I am such a sucker for an Orpheus and Eurydice callback so I absolutely adored the moment in the laboratory.
I think I’ll need to reread before I can fully opine on Grace’s arc in Chain of Thorns but my first impressions were favourable. I like that she didn’t get the full redemption arc right away. I appreciated she told Cordelia what had happened with her and James but it was strange we didn’t get that scene but were told it? Hmm, this was something that bothered me a few times- there were some important conversations between characters which should’ve happened ‘on page’ but didn’t.
Things I was relatively meh about:
Anna and Ariadne - they were… fine? I absolutely get they are some people’s fav characters but I think out of all of the characters, many of their scenes would’ve been the easiest to cut, and it might’ve made a more cohesive, tightly-plotted story.
Jesse and Lucie - honestly, I think the plot with Belial overshadowed the consequences of Lucie bringing Jesse back to life. No, he wasn’t just half alive, he WAS DEAD. You did necromancy, Lucie- accept it! I hate that it all seemingly was swept under the rug. :/
And sadly, Jesse as a character in Chain of Thorns was… boring. I’m sad to say it but it’s true! I appreciated him so much more as a sarky ghost.
Lucie’s plotlines… I need to reread but I think it’s a combo of Lucie’s storylines not getting a proper chance to breathe, like- what she and Malcolm were going to do to raise Annabel in Cornwall, or being too tied to what she can do with her ghost powers to help against Belial. She felt more like a plot device in this book than the others, and I disliked that for her. Maybe that will change upon reread but ehh. Wasted potential overall on both Jesse and Lucie.
Overall plotline with Belial - less interesting this time around? Hmm. Need to pay more attention to it on reread but first views were less than favourable. That being said, I guess he and Tatiana were quite clever with the Watchers and the plotline with the Cornwall Institute.
I enjoyed all of the Lilith-Cordelia interactions though - super fun to watch them spar verbally, and loved that Lilith kept implying that if Cordelia fullfilled her oath as paladin, she could have BOTH Matthew and James. Lilith isn’t shocked by that sorta thing, lol.
Lastly, the inherent bigotry and cruelty of the Enclave was used more as a plot device to get the adults out of the way for the big showdown and I hated that immensely- especially as all the fuss about Tessa and Lucie and James’ bloodline was again, all resolved by the end of the book. Booo, no lasting consequences.
This is very long for first impressions but anyway… I’m glad I’ve written it all down. Happy to engage in comments/reblogs but let’s discuss civilly, and of course - tag all your spoilers!
#chain of thorns#chain of thorns spoilers#chot spoilers#chain of thorns spoiler#chot spoiler#reader of books#cot spoilers#cot spoiler#the last hours#matthew fairchild#james herondale#cordelia carstairs
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More thoughts🤭
It was like there were two different people.The boy he fell in love with and the man he married. They were two different people: I've been looking for a way to describe the differences between teenage Mavid and adult Mavid and this is just perfect, because if LBAF 4 had been different, less cruel to them they would've been different-saddest part is that Lance's accident has a huge part in it so Mallory isn't a canon event but them changing so much is, right? Please tell me I'm wrong
Lance appearing like a selfish cunt is Alec's fault (he tried) but he really ended up being a selfless softie because his heart is like his daddy's and papa's
I just need to see that scene with Other Max finding Other David after he ran away (it's haunting me😭) but also I'm sure it changed him a lot and maybe it was something Max had to go through here too but didn't?
Even if time travel is real, you can’t change the past…You can only manipulate the past to change the future. : Finally starting to make some sense of time travel, which just makes me even more scared,I don't know how that's possible at this point
Cute flashback:Theia squealing when she saw Lance when she was a kid, adorable-Theia that's your future husband hunny (because he'll survive)
Madeleine and Joseph:a very good choice for the "It" couple of idris. Theia and Kincaid? Absolutely not, what's wrong with that country?
Madeleine saying she's grateful she said goodbye to her parents and knowing she didn't with Joseph hurts
David had held him that night and whispered to him in the darkness. “You love so much that I sometimes forget there are those who don’t even like me.”: I knew that quote would hurt, and I was right
I will be ignoring all the angst with the trial because my brain hasn't processed yet and I would like to preserve the shreds of sanity I have left thank you very much
Could Arthur's dreams play a major role? Them coming true like Magnus' if they both have a thing with dreams? And Arthur "manifesting" is part of that?
Is the reason Arcaid isn't canon the fact that Kincaid'd existence maybe isn't canon? Since it happened because of Other Max?
Let's talk about Arthur's birth and Selena in other timeline👀
Patiently waiting for Max to kick Lance's ass for pretending to hate David
Random thought but in Arthur chapter it says David's getting sick in winter, is that like Magnus got sick because winter triggered his depression? Or is it because of Lance's birthday?
I feel like what Jackson told Lance in IALS "You're very close to becoming the villan of this story" will turn into a line that will be very important in LBAF
Is Cami close with Camilla?
Not Cami thinking shadowhunters are the superior race:damn who raised this girl?
Yes Cami Theia wants to go to her travel year for a boy-no Cami it's not Kincaid, what happened to parabatais communicating?
Theia wants to get laid Cami. And help obviously-but also get laid. I'm liking Theia more and more
Will Cami think Lance is exploiting Theia when she finds out?
At first I didn't like the idea of Cami going to New York but I couldn't tell why? And then she went all I'll find the entrance to the Pandemonium and that's not good. Thank God Max knows what she's up to
Joan drawing good runes goes to the list of things that will potentially turn into a big thing👀
I was today years old when I realised that LBAF 6 ends on Lance's bday. This is not good. Not good. Not good.
I will stop now because this is again getting very very big. And to no one's surprise I have even more notes, but I will share those another time😅
Also this song reminded me of Blackbane and I really love it: Valentine by Maneskin (Maneskin have a very Blackbane vibe I think👀) Love ya, I really really hope you get better soon🌼
First things first. Maneskin is one of Lance's fave band (and mine lmao). AND VALENTINE IS VERY BLACKBANE FOR SURE. In fact, every lbaf playlist has an important Maneskin song for an important scene. I'll keep the one LBAF 6 to myself for now hehehe.
Let's dive innnnn.
I'm legally not allowed to comment on this. But in my mind mavid is one of those couples who doesn't have a perfect life. Every life (like IALS, FMF, LBAF) has a lot of pain for them to get through as a couple and that's one of their things. It's part of their story. As one of them said (or is yet to say), it's not about living a good life, but just living a one, even a bad one, with you.
these lightwood-banes boys will be death of me sigh
Unfortunately not part of the fic but if inspiration strikes who is to say...(maybe you can give it a shot!)
I can safely say that figuring out the time travel nuances for this fic has broken my brain :)
BABY BLACKBANE OMG? THE CUTEST-
Tincaid or Keia sounds CURSED.
Yeah. I wrote that whole thing in just because it hurt so good ngl.
Mavid angst >>>
Council trials are a different kind of trauma bro seriously
Maybe they can speak to each other in their dreams 👀
Kincaid's existence definitely isn't canon, meaning he doesn't exist in every world - or even fic. Here's some angst for you. He doesn't exist in FMF.
Not very different at all actually. At least, not in any important way - I THINK. Except that I'd say Selena, Max and a couple of other family members must have played a big role in convincing Other David to have the second kid because Other Max wasn't there to do it.
Same. REALLY. Same.
It's both. It's also all the memories associated with Lance's birth itself, not just his birthday/prophecy trigger.
:(
Yes! We are yet to see some of these dynamics. Camila is closest to Cami and Atlas :)
The Clave :/ (but in all honestly, as we are yet to explore, Cami is exact the kind of person that will come out if you are raised in the capital city of your government and grew up in a government building constantly surrounded by politicians and your president father. Unlike Rafael, who actually had a much rounded upbringing, Cami grew up in Idris. It has influenced her personality a lot)
Parabatais communicating? Since when? Never heard of that before.
She knows what she wants and I say good for her. Also damn these blackthorns are such hoes.
I mean she's already kind of thinking it (in the latest chapter she wonders if lance only helped theia/kelpies to manipulate the clave etc)
Cami going to New York is the best that ever happened to her - and for many other people hehehe.
Ohhhhhhh?
What do you mean it ends on Lance's birthday?...Am I missing something 👀
Thank you for all the thoughts. They really made my day - which was otherwise not so good. I really really hope I will get better soon too because I have plans for 2024 and they need me to do some work hehe.
Love you 💜
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Hey there! Feel free to ignore this, but I just needed to share some of my thoughts on CoT because I just finished the book and I don’t have any one to vent to aahhhggddhhh!!!
…Ahem…*composing myself*….so ANYWAY. This book frustrates the hell out of me. I’m not gonna harp on all of the reasons why because I think the fandom has thoroughly pointed out the biggest issues already (Christopher’s death, the Cordelia-James-Matthew love🔺, the overall pace of the book, unfulfilling character arcs, etc.). But one thing that I’m personally disappointed about that hasn’t been discussed quite as much as those other issues is Lucie’s subplot.
I’ve always treasured Lucie as a character because of her bubbliness and naive perspective. Out of all the characters, she had the most potential for growth simply because of her youth and innocence, contrasted by all of the shady shit she got involved in CoI. Although I’m glad that she and Jesse ended up together, I really wish their relationship wasn’t so rushed and focused on the physical contact between them (in other words, they were both just mad horny for each other in almost every scene). I feel like it would’ve been more natural for her character to experience some level of novelty and even awkwardness as she figured out how to finally be with Jesse, since it’s her first romantic relationship AND shes quite innocent in her idealizations of the world. Like I was just so put off by that first kiss scene where they basically just smashed faces and then Lucie suddenly was like “SUCK MY NECK”. It just felt so…unfeeling? Off-brand? Abrupt?
Also the “big reveal” about why Lucie flinched when she and Cordelia were practicing their parabatai ceremony was kinda lame imo. I just felt like 🤷♀️. So what if she saw some more ghosts? We already knew that her powers are trippy with spirits and shit, it just felt a bit anticlimactic. I still don’t get why CC decided to even include that whole fuss in the first place because it didn’t even add anything significant to the plot or change the characters at all.
Last lil thought about Lucie! I honestly thought that SHE was going to be the one who got kidnapped in the book when charlotte was teasing before the release. It might have been more exciting/suspenseful if Malcolm held her and Jesse hostage in his cabin when Lucie comes out of her coma—As the reader, we already know that Malcolm is coming undone at this point, so I can totally imagine him seeing Lucie’s success with raising Jesse and then deciding just to keep her under lockdown until she agrees to somehow try and raise Annabelle as well.
Thanks for letting me dump all my lil thoughts here! It’s been giving me a headache to keep it all in lol😆
Hey @banannie47 - no worries at all!! I made this blog because I love these books so much and love to chat about them online, so you came to the right place 🫶 Sorry for my slow reply - I’ve been answering this ask little by little over the past few days!
Yes yes yes let’s talk about my girl Lucie!! I’m going to respond to each of your points below - I haven’t seen too many people talking about Lucie post-TLH and I definitely think we should be!
Lucie & Jesse & kissing: I agree with you on a lot of this! Lucie can definitely be more naive and innocent, but I wasn’t quite so caught of guard by how suddenly Lucie wanted to be with Jesse. Lucie believes (somewhat youthfully) that love is good and powerful (Will and Tessa are her parents, after all) and it makes sense that as soon as Jesse is no longer a ghost, Lucie wants to take their relationship to the next level. They could barely even touch each other for so long, so I think it’s natural that Lucie would instinctively want to touch and kiss him now that she can - even when you’re young and innocent, it’s not abnormal to want to touch your partner (even if you don’t quite know why or how!)
What bothered me about this was two things: first, it was never explained why touching/kissing Jesse made Lucie fall into shadows, and that whole plot point never really came together to me. It felt like an excuse Cassie wrote to drive this behavior on Lucie’s behalf, and simultaneously to keep the two apart; Jesse and Lucie had to share intimate moments to forward the plot, and yet they were never able to have a real love scene uninterrupted by this unexplained phenomenon.
My other big issue was the scene after Lucie and Cordelia’s fight, when Lucie goes to Jesse for comfort. I loved the whole scene (I adore ghostwriter, so I loved finally seeing them together) but I HATED the line after Lucie took off her dressing gown and thought about using Jesse to make her forget her fight with Cordelia. Cassandra Clare always says she wants to model healthy sexual relationships, but using another person as a distraction is not healthy. And it’s not fair to Jesse and Lucie, either: their relationship is so much more than a “distraction” or a mechanism to help someone “forget” their problems. I thought this line was very out of character for Lucie (especially with her sweet, love-can-conquer-all attitude), and I really wish Cassie would have thought twice about how to word this/expressed Lucie’s desire in a different way.
The Parabatai Ceremony and Ghosts: I agree with you on this one 100%. The reveal was anticlimactic, and it had almost no stake in the actual plot. I honestly think Lucie was meant to flinch in Chain of Iron for a different reason (probably something a lot more tragic), and then Cassie changed her mind and had to backtrack/make up an excuse. I also think this could be why the parabatai ceremony replaced the family tree explanation as the short story - if something tragic was meant to happen during the parabatai ceremony in Chain of Thorns and then Cassie changed her mind, she probably had to cut it from the book and decided to make it the extra content instead.
Lucie & Malcolm: I’m with you on this one as well! I absolutely thought the kidnapping would refer to Lucie and Jesse in Cornwall, and I’m kind of shocked that everything associated with their excursion just kind of got brushed off? If I were Will and Tessa and my sixteen year-old daughter just spent FIVE DAYS in a warlock’s cabin with a boy she just brought back from the dead… I don’t know, I might have some questions. Also Lucie covered up for Malcolm in a lot of ways; she said that she asked him to take her to Cornwall, and she never told anyone that she was unconscious for so long. There were just a lot of unanswered plot points here, and I think there could have been a lot of potential for an exciting plot sequence if Lucie and Jesse had stayed in Cornwall a little longer!
Thank you so much the ask, and I am sorry again for the slow reply! 💛
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The last chapter. FINALLY. And yet it’s still ass and I have nothing constructive to say anymore.
The big bad has been vanquished. Clary is coming to and hears Simon and Jace talking above her. Jace has fallen into the depth of self-pity again. Jace asks Simon to carry Clary. Simon doesn’t just yet.
I am not a fan of this “Even Clary” concept.
Simon carries Clary inside and over to the elevator, but it opens before them and the Inverstigation Team arrives at the scene, conveniently late.
Heyyy, parabatai makes a sudden return now that there is a prequel series wholly dedicated to one pair above everyone else.
This is the first and only time in the book that Alec and Jace see each other face to face and interact in person. And I hate that the focus is immediately in explaining Alec might-have-been feelings for Jace.
→ ...but then his attention went, as it always did, to Jace. They were parabatai, and Jace was always first on his mind in battle.
Jace prioritizes his own punishment (not allowed to touch her after not being able to protect or save her, thinking Clary doesn’t want him to touch her because apparently Jace doesn’t know Clary at all) over comforting Clary and helping her with her injuries. Clary’s pain becomes all about Jace and his guilt. Jace asks Alec to take care of Clary for him while Jace wallows in self-pity. Alec should’ve acted anyway since no one else lifted a finger to heal Clary’s injuries.
Great bonding moment for Clary and Alec. Would’ve been greater if Alec had initiated it without being told. But all is about Jace’s pain so what can you expect.
→ There was confusion on Alec’s face...
→ could see, could see, could see, could see, could see, the amount of things these characters can see in this book is astonishing.
It’s funny how Clary thinks, the whole book, how well she knows Jace and is able to read him like a book, but the moment someone comes in and does it infinitely better, Clary is confused. Could there possibly be people who also know Jace? Maybe actually better than me?
It’s also funny because it’s probably unintentional.
This, if anything, highlights how barren is the field where Clare grows her fucks about anyone else than Jace and Clary. Alec and Isabelle do not have any reaction to the truth about Jace. They have no feelings, no nothing, because Clare didn’t want them to have that.
Alec and Isabelle should be furious with Jace and Clary, and that fury should carry over to the next book when Jace goes missing because of the secret they kept. And let’s not pretend that they kept it a secret in order to protect anyone, they kept it secret because it was their little secret, and that’s all.
Alec and Isabelle don’t get to have a reaction! UNBELIEVABLE. Nothing in this book quite upset me more than this. This is Clare protecting Clary and Jace from any real consequence as to their relationships. Sure, they can have consequences as long as it results in Jace’s man pain and everyone’s sympathy being on him. More than that, anger and hatred towards them is unacceptable.
Fucking boohoo. You made sure enough, and then ran to help Clary and stop Valentine. Stop throwing this pity party for yourself. The only reason this happened was because you weren’t being honest FOR NO GOOD REASON.
Then we go from one obnoxious thing to another and have Jordan’s annoying and pushy behavior pay off and they kiss with Maia.
Unearned and wrong on so many levels.
Could see, could see, could see.
Fuck off.
Shut the hell up.
Quit being dumb. As if Isabelle would let Simon suffer or die because of the current relationship status. Do you know her at all??? DO these characters actually know each other???
Another wrong thing to say. The previous one in chapter 18.
Alec and Magnus’ fight started because Alec was upset to face part of Magnus’ past and realized he knew diddly-squat about him or his past. Magnus refusing to tell him anything made Alec feel like he was a mere fleeting moment in Magnus’ life and for Alec Magnus was infinitely more. Magnus acts like he can’t do anything to help the situation and everything just reels from there to the point where the only thing they make up about is that Alec is not trivial.
What about all the other stuff like Magnus not telling anything about himself to Alec? THE UNDERLYING ISSUES IN THEIR RELATIONSHIP?
They’ve dated like, what, six weeks and Magnus was already trying to be fine with the idea that Alec will die and therefore he does not need to open up?
And to cap it all off, all of this conflict THAT SHOULD BE ONGOING is ended with them making out in a corner, Simon once again as their awkward spectator. God lord, I had forgotten how much I despised this.
→ Behind Clary’s family the Shadowhunters crowded around Isabelle...
This is a nice sentiment. Only that Luke is not a bachelor → For a man who’d never had children
Can you not mention Jace, for once in your life, especially in a scene that was between Simon and Luke and about their familial relationships?
So the book ends with Jace being beckoned by Sebastian.
Okay, so Simon’s bite woke him up. Doesn’t he still need the Daylighter blood to wake from the dead? What did Simon biting Sebastian even do?
Seaweed #3
It appears you don’t need to tell that.
→ His mind was screaming at his body to stop, but is left hand came down...
How come it is a new voice, Sebastian’s voice, when Sebastian’s voice already spoke to him?
I said before that City of Bones was the worst book ever, but I was wrong. This is it, shittiness so unparalleled so these two books might as well stand on the podium together.
#Clary Fray#Jace Herondale#Simon Lewis#Alec Lightwood#Isabelle Lightwood#Magnus Bane#Sebastian Morgenstern#City of Fallen Angels#CoFA Chapter 19
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WIP Wednesday
Happy Wednesday, people ^-^
So I know I said last Sunday that I was back from my unplanned hiatus, and then promptly disappeared again. In my defense, I spent most of the last two weeks sleeping, except for the one all-nighter I pulled. Anyway. I'm back! For mostly real this time! I still have an exam next week that I need to prepare for, but then the school-year is over, and I can finally focus on my writing! Not that I haven't been writing lately, as that's the one thing I did other than sleep over the last two weeks. So today is gonna be mostly a list of all the projects I'm currently working on, with just a few words about where I'm at with those, and maybe what they're about.
First up is They Say Love is a Journey. Novel-length, medieval fantasy, Malec fic. I have been working on this for most of a year by now, although I've been away from it for a little while as I focused on uni-stuff. I've started rereading what I have, both for editing purposes and just to remember where I'm at so I can finally write that one last chapter. I think I'll be able to post this one before next semester starts up.
Then there's the Hiding From Your Home series. Yes, you read that right, it's a series now. Also Malec, this one a canon-divergence fic, where Alec is part dragon. The first installment has been up on Ao3 for a while now, and I just posted a tiny sequel, Mischief, last Sunday. I have a couple more sequels/bonus chapters in the works for that one, but no idea of when I will finish them.
How Fragile We Are is another canon-divergence Malec fic, which I've had the idea for for ages, but only started actually writing last week. It's honestly mostly done, but I'm not sure when I'll finish it, as I kind of need to be in the proper mood for this one. It's not very long, but it's difficult to write, because it deals with some pretty heavy themes that I want to make sure I do some kind of justice.
I've actually started another little Malec wing-fic, which is also one I got the idea for a long time ago and just haven't gotten around to write yet. Now there's at least one scene written down. It doesn't have a name yet, though.
Then the other day I started another longer fic, based on a prompt posted in the Malec discord server and the ensuing conversation, about Parabatai sharing dreams. It's gonna be very Parabatai-centric and kind of a closer look on how that bond works, but Magnus is also gonna make an appearance or two, because I'm not quite sure I'm capable of writing Shadowhunters fic without Magnus.
Ah, and there's the one I've so far called Magnus doesn't go to Edom, although it has nothing to do with the currently-abandoned idea I called Magnus goes to Idris. This one is kind of a spite-fic, as I started it entirely as a response to a fic I read, which was good, but which had a point that I simply do not agree with. You can maybe guess from the title what it's gonna be about. I'm thinking of putting it in a series together with One Night (to Change the World) and any other works I might write with a similar sort of premise. The series would be called Ripples.
I actually have more WIPs and a whole bunch of ideas and prompts and stuff gathered in one big document somewhere, but these are the ones I've been sort of actively working on lately. I hope this very long post and the prospect of more fics to come makes up for the hiatus 😙 I'll try to post a snippet of something on Sunday, but I have an exam Monday, so we'll see. After that, I should be back to regular WIP-updates, Wednesdays and Sundays, and slowly finishing some of all these fics ^-^ Until then, have a nice week!
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I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about what’s been going on with me and . . .
#dailyaleclightwood#dailyjace#lightwoodsdaily#shadowhuntersedit#parabatai#mine: sh#sh 3x05#alec lightwood#jace herondale#a good parabatai scene finally#sh s3#mine#shadowhunters#sh spoilers
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“I will always choose you." | A KitTy Fic | Chapter 1 - Home is where family is.
“I will always choose you.”
“You were always a liar. Why didn’t you choose me?”
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Chapter 1
Los Angeles Institute.
Ty’s home.
Home. What a foreign word, after living so long at the Scholomance. After sharing his home away from home for so long, Ty didn’t know if he was relieved or not at the prospect of having his old room back. After living so long with a roommate, he didn’t know how long it would take him to settle down entirely, alone, without having to drown out Anush’s never-ending chatter with his music or waking up on his right side and seeing Anush’s peaceful face asleep. They were the little things that he called part of his ‘home’ like the posters of boy bands on the wall, paint splatters on his clothes, watches and other knick-knacks that didn’t belong to him, all the courtesy of Anush, who he once called his boyfriend, but now, his best friend.
Of course, the best friend part hadn’t changed; apart from Livvy, Anush was one of the only people who understood Ty.
Apart from a certain blonde who had run for the hills for reasons Ty didn’t comprehend still, but he was not going to think of that.
No. Thinking of… him would do no good. It would just cause a breakdown, and Ty couldn’t risk that.
No. Because Julian had just returned for good from his trip around the world with Emma, who, believe it or not, was already his fiancee.
That was another change that Ty had to get used to. But somehow, he didn’t think it would be much of one. Jules and Emma were already like a married couple, even when they were parabatai, and Ty had always suspected there was something more than platonic love between them. But he found out - they all did - that they had been in love with each other all along, and was that really a shock for him? No. Just that they PDA’d a lot more.
Ty stood on the steps of his home and took a deep breath of the salt-dissolved air that he had missed so much in the early months of his stay at the Scholomance, and felt the familiarity of the atmosphere settle into his body. Although Ty had changed quite a lot in the years he spent in the cold mountains of the academy, the Institute had not, and that was very reassuring for him. He felt grounded here. Confident, and no longer helpless, as he was so many times in the past. He was a Centurion. He knew what to do.
Ty walked forward and put his hand on the door. Immediately, it swung open.
A boy stood in front of him. Ty tried not to gawk as he looked on, stunned. Okay, maybe not visiting in five years was a bad idea.
Because the boy he saw in front of him, with blue-green eyes and tousled brown hair, classic Blackthorn look, was definitely not the youngest brother he remembered. Octavian, or Tavvy as they called him, had certainly grown into his looks and still was growing.
It was rare when Ty ever was surprised. But seeing his youngest brother, now thirteen, stand in front of him with an unreadable look on his face was like a punch to Ty’s stomach.
He had not thought of this when he’d decided, Screw the odds, and went off to study at Scholomance, partially because he’d always wanted to, and partially because of not being able to be in the places he knew he’d been in with Kit, but it seemed he had missed out on a lot. There was a curious light in Tavvy’s eyes - could he even call him that? - but other than that, he could not read him at all. Octavian’s Blackthorn cheekbones, mouth and jaws had developed enough to give him a handsome roguish look that immediately reminded him of his own father, uncle, and older brother. Octavian was the spitting image of a Blackthorn of their generation, and as Ty tried to locate his voice, Octavian said tightly, “Ty.”
No greeting. No “hello” or “good to see you”s. Just ‘Ty.’ There was something definitely wrong here. “Hi… Tavvy.”
Tavvy’s jaw ticked. “That’s not my name anymore. Not that you would know, of course.” There was a venomous undertone to his voice. “It’s Octavian.”
Ah. I guessed correctly. “I’m sorry. Octavian. Hello, brother.”
“Am I?” Octavian said abruptly. “Am I your brother? Because last I checked, brothers actually care if one of them lives or dies.”
As the statement sank in, Ty flinched slightly and frowned deeply, hurt seeping into his heart, along with bewilderment. “What do you mean? Of course, I care whether you live or die, don’t be ridiculous Tavvy.”
As the old nickname rolled off his tongue, Ty knew it was a mistake. Octavian’s sea-green eyes darkened with rage, and... betrayal? “It’s Octavian. And I’m not being ridiculous. Stop treating me like I’m a child, brother.” The last word was a mocking snarl, and although Ty had a few inches on Octavian, he clearly felt the waves of rage and intimidating wrath roiling off him. Ty was speechless. This was not the Octavian he knew.
Something was terribly wrong. And I think it’s my fault.
“Do you know why I asked you if you were really my brother?” Octavian said, his voice cracking as some emotion penetrated his brother’s emotional walls, and Ty found his own eyes darting on his brother’s face and finally resting on his eyes. It chilled him to the bone to see hurt swirling in there, along with a healthy dose of sadness and… loneliness. Octavian leaned in, the glaring intensity of his gaze ramming into Ty like a firetruck, and said, “Because.”
Ty’s eyes widened as his brother leaned back again, the unreadable look rippling across his face again. “Because?”
But he never got to know the answer as a blonde woman barrelled down the hallway leading to the front door and yelled, “Ty!”
And as abruptly as he had appeared in front of Ty, Octavian vanished again, but Ty couldn’t think of it again, not when the entire family was running to greet him, without the obvious exception. Ty was shaken but he quickly put it out of his mind. Octavian could wait. Now… he really felt how much he’d missed his family.
Home is where family is.
With that thought, Ty let Emma embrace his way back into his own world.
****
Okay, it’s official. Not visiting in five years was definitely the worst idea I’ve ever had.
Not that I haven’t had many.
Immediately a familiar face made an appearance in Ty’s mind, and Ty balled his fists as the betrayal that arose every time he thought of him, resurfaced and made his stomach churn. Shoving that thought out of his head, he followed Julian, Helen and Aline down the very familiar but yet very alien hallway. Helen and Aline had made a few slight changes to the Institute whilst running the place, and Ty had to admit, the now polished and sophisticated interior was a pleasant scene, although a little foreign.
It would certainly take a while to get used to though.
“Ty?” Julian said, looking over his shoulder. He had a perpetual smile on his face, as well as a tan. Ty noted that Julian must have become paler whilst staying in London; he and Emma were both sporting newer tans. London hasn’t changed then. “Yes?”
“Do you like the modifications?”
Caring, protective Julian. Always looking after everyone around him, and making sure they were okay. Ty felt a sudden rush of affection for his older brother. “I do, I suppose. It looks elegant now. Soothing. It’ll take a while to get used to but I’ll be fine. I like it.”
Julian smiled widely at him, as did Helen. “I’m glad you do, brother,” she said, reaching over and touching his shoulder lightly. He smiled at her. Aline, as usual, looked confident and proud beside Helen. “Of course he does, honey. We picked soothing colours and familiar things just for him.”
Oh, so that’s why they demanded to know which colours I liked and found soothing, Ty thought, smiling internally. It pleased him to know that even though everything else had changed, their love hadn’t.
He was so lost in his thoughts that he hadn’t noticed they’d already reached the training room and stopped only when Julian’s voice filtered through. “I think, out of all the places in the Institute, the training room has had the most changes.”
Ty looked up, frowning slightly. Julian inclined his head. “Wanna look?”
Ty nodded.
Julian then pushed open the door.
And there stood Kit Herondale, holding a crossbow in his hands.
Oh… God.
Julian Blackthorn, THIS IS A CHANGE?!
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LMAO. no really. lmaoooo.
tagging @gayforcarstairsgirls @buttcrflys-rose @ghafa-dale @ddepressedbookworm @tinypenguinenemy @the-enchanted-dreamer @khaleesiofalicante @blackasmysoul @noah-herondale-lightwood @gabtapia @roseberrylight @bookwormslounge @usual-disaster-bi @blindbandit1515 lmk if u wanna be added/removed from taglist!
here's chapter 1! hope u like it, cause it's my first time writing a longer fanfic. :D
#kita writes#ty x kit#i'm in love with ty blackthorn#ty blackthorn#kitty#kit herondale#the shadowhunter chronicles#the dark artifices#tda#tda fanfiction#twp#tsc fanfiction#the wicked powers#iwacu#iwacu chapter 1
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Dear Cassie,
At Cordelia’s introduction party we see James leave her in the middle of the ballroom, raptured by the first mysterious appearance of Grace. There is not enough time to realise the gravity of what he has done in regards to the young maiden, that Matthew steps in to take his place, leaving his partner, Lucie, to save Daisy’s night. Dis-grace avoided ;).
While reading that, my best friend and I couldn’t help but reminisce the scene from Jane Austen’s “Emma” in which Mr Knightley decides to ask sweet Harriet to dance (and gives her one the best nights of her life) while no-one was watching just because he sees her miserable on the side, and knows how much her happiness is important to his beloved Emma.
So, we’ve been wondering, how does Matthew realise that Daisy is about to be left partner-less in the spotlight for another girl.
Will we ever find out? If yes, please keep us spoiler free and just hint it away ;).
But if not, how did it go? What was Math doing while dancing and laughing with his parabatai’s sister? Watching James? Or was it Lucie who, having decided to organise and dedicate the ball to Daisy’s arrival in London, couldn’t help looking at her beloved Daisy to see if she was enjoying her night and noticing what was about to happen, pointed it out to Math so that he could fling himself to save her almost-parabatai? Or what is it even something more heartwarming than that, with Math seeing Lucie’s face change in the blink of an eye and following her gaze noticing what was about to happen??
I’m sorry I just had to finally spit it out — my (and my best friend’s too) heads are spinning with all the possibilities —if you haven’t noticed we love that scene.
Thank you for everything you do and I can’t wait to read COI.
I would love if you checked out my art too! @bgzart over IG!
This is such a great ask! My writing friends and I always use that scene from Emma, where Mr. Knightley asks Harriet to dance, as an example of “social saving” in fiction — where one character steps in to save another from the consequences of a danger that is social, rather than physical, in nature. Different stakes, etc.
However, I do think that it’s significant in this scene that Matthew isn’t asking Cordelia to dance for Lucie. I think of him and Lucie as having noticed at the same time, because Lucie is keeping an eye on Cordelia, but Matthew is keeping an eye on James. He’s the only one who knows the Grace situation, so he’s of course wondering what’s going on, and probably made nervous by James dancing with Grace. What’s she up to? When James abandons her on the dance floor, Matthew is also looking to protect James’ reputation, because it’s an asshole move to just leave Cordelia standing there. Both Matthew and Lucie have a best-friend’s-reputation stake in making sure it’s a “nothing to see here, move along!” situation.
It’s certainly likely Lucie encouraged Matthew to dart over and insert himself heroically into the fray. But it’s also very much a goodness-of-his-own-heart situation where Matthew is concerned.
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how i remember the shadowhunters episodes! aka oh boy this got long
season 1
1x01 - the one w the magnus on his throne scene!!!
1x02, 1x03 - eps magnus is tragically not there in (although i remember 1x03 by the weird (read: cursed) camille and simon scenes OH AND the isabeliorn scene)
1x04 - obviously malec’s first meeting (oh and elias, we deserved more of him)
1x05 - ??? does luke become the alpha in this one
1x06 - MAGNUS’ BEST OUTFIT (ok maybe one of them i could never choose one) AND SHARING STRENGTH SCENE AND DRINKS ‘TO US’ SCENE
1x07 - lol is clace’s first kiss in this one
1x08 - oH magnus sees alec training shirtless
1x09 - alec tells magnus hes getting married
1x10 - TWI MY BELOVED (magnus and chairman and church 🥺💖 also just twi magnus in general)
1x11 - ??? OH incest reveal
1x12 - OFC WE ALL KNOW <3 MALEC’S FIRST KISS OH AND RAGNOR!!! (ragnor is alive btw he faked his death ty)
1x13 - lol jace gets taken away <3 (oh and camille is a bitch)
season 2
2x01 - oof great fight and great apology (SO PROUD OF MAGNUS IN THIS ONE)
2x02 - um?? no clue. OH SOME GOOD MAGNUS & SIMON CONTENT
2x03 - is this the parabatai ep
2x04 - jocelyn death... i think (ALSO MAGNUS’ BLUE OUTFIT AND ALSO MAGNUS SENDING CAMILLE TO THE CLAVE!!!)
2x05 - omggg malecs talk on the balcony
2x06 - MALEC’S FIRST DATE!! also the kiss after the date <33
2x07 - lol malec’s [air quote] first time [air quote] ALSO OMG OMAMORI SCENE
2x08 - oof the party and the drama <3
2x09 - ??? oh does alec punch raph in this one (no i did Not like that)
2x10 - ohhh boi the one where it all goes down. MALEC’S FIRST ILY OBVIOUSLY
2x11 - ahahah the one where it all starts going downhill! if only izzy had called alec..... if Only
2x12 - nope. no. idk this ep is erased from my memory (sh writers i think there were many better ways to have magnus talk about his childhood trauma)
2x13 - ohhh This One. some really great magnus scenes. his makeup is So pretty and also his scenes w dot, more about magnus’ history <3 (freddie <3)
2x14 - hMM oh downworld cabinet (OF COURSE THE mr. lightwood and mr. bane scene oh my fucking god)
2x15 - some Good magnus content once again (���there’s nothing ugly about you” SOBBING 😭😭)
2x16 - hmm magnus isnt in this ep, also alec finds out about the soul sword
2x17 - shit goes down... before shit goes down tho, malec have a super super super sweet kiss which i Love and also magnus looks Very Good
2x18 - HMM besides the obvious we get some REALLY GOOD FLASHBACKS and malec’s actual first time <3
2x19 - some broken up malec....
2x20 - beach fight!! (that is the funniest thing i’ve seen) and “i don’t think i can live without you”!!!
season 3
3x01 - some GOOD communication between malec <3 also pool scene!!
3x02 - ooh warlock party and shenanigans that follow (many malec scenes bitching on lorenzo AS THEY SHOULD)
3x03 - dinner w maryse,,, AND too domestic for my heart to handle cooking scene
3x04 - aaa the “we’ll make it through this” scene (my HEART)
3x05 - ah some malec angst (and alec makes some stupid decisions) and!! one of my fav magnus outfits
3x06 - some more malec angst AND drunk alec and also the whole family dinner thing djfhj hilarious <3
3x07 - malec hug in the institute,,, magnus blames himself for things he Shouldn’t
3x08 - magnus’ outfit in this one <33
3x09 - magnus is running himself ragged for no reason
3x10 - magnus loses his magic... Yeah. oh and also the last ten minutes of the ep are probably the best thing in the show objectively (meaning, when i’m thinking of the plot and not of malec)
3x11 - oh some magnus angst... APOTHECARY SCENE!! ALSO MADZIE SCENES!! AAAAND “oh you know how we get”
3x12 - ah ofc the training scene <3
3x13 - oo some good magnus & izzy interaction followed by some good lightwood siblings interaction
3x14 - oh wonderful magnus gets lorenzo’s piss magic and loses his apartment :/
3x15 - magnus... almost dies (also the jealousy scene djfdhj) aND HEIDI FINALLY DIES
3x16 - OOF THE ‘STAY WITH ME’ EP,,, malec’s dance scene and alec crying for the first time in the show (lol one tear) AND ALEC SAYING THAT MAGNUS IS HIS EVERYTHING
3x17 - some bad decisions are made... (ykw that should be the tagline of this show) and alec almost proposes,,, magnus breaks down (hsj oscar when)
3x18 - the best acted scene in the show... the malec breakup
3x19 - magnus wanders thru nyc because alec forgot he doesn’t have a fucking apartment! OH ALSO MAGNUS GETS HIS MAGIC BACK <3 ALSOOO some flashbacks <333 ugh the lock one <3 crying
3x20 - MALEC GET ENGAGED!!! also the most aesthetically pleasing scene in the show 👌 alec pulling magnus into a kiss (BY HIS LAPELS) with the world burning behind them <3
3x21 - aa some angst AND ALSO MALEC’S REUNION <333 (BEST HUG I SAID WHAT I SAID)
3x22 - mALEC GET MARRIED!!!!! ALSO THE ONE YEAR JUMP MALEC SCENE,,, LIVES IN MY HEAD RENT FREE
#AYEE i did it#idk why i did it tho#send me asks if u want more bad (good) opinions cowards#shadowhunters#anti jace herondale#malec#magnus bane#alec lightwood#yall didnt ask for this i am Sorry™ with a trademark sign#tangent#@liv come get this
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Shackles and bridges: SJM and the mating bond
I know there are a lot of posts about this, but I wanted to do one myself, so here we go.
DISCLAIMER: This is my interpretation as someone who is a very new member of this fandom and has more contact with “common readers”, since I was one myself until a couple of months ago. Everything here is based on textual evidence and my experience as an avid reader, so take a step back from any ship. But I will talk about the probability of a rejected mating bond, so if that's not your cup of tea, be warned. English is not my first language, so forgive me for any mistakes.
Be kind!
Also, minor spoiler for CC.
The mating bond is the most important element in SJM’s books and it's present in most of the main endgame couples. Aelin and Rowan, Feyre and Rhys, Nesta and Cassian, for example.
It’s described as this precious, sacred bridge between souls - or is it?
SJM is a very formulaic writer. We can draw several parallels with her writing, due to the way she structures her scenes and chooses her words.
We saw this explicitly with Nesta and Cassian in the Solstice scene, which is very similar to the one between Feyre and Rhysand: an emotional discussion, kissing tears away, lovemaking with “say it” and “you’re mine”, mating bond glowing between them, on and on.
Different characters, but same scenario, same process, same wording, almost the same scene.
However, considering that every mated couple until now ends up together HEA, I have the feeling that SJM is starting to explore the mating bond in different ways, otherwise every one of her books would be too… similar? In a way that the reader wouldn’t be surprised anymore, it would be the same story over and over.
To the ones who are faithful to those characters and to her books (her fans), this isn’t exactly a problem, but we have to consider the other readers as well, the bigger audience (SJM sold millions of copies, so not everyone who reads her books is engaged online).
For that exact reason, to approach a narrative element in a different way is very common among writers.
I’ll give you an example with Cassandra Clare and the parabatai bond (SPOILERS from TDA): the parabatai bond is an oath between friends who swear to protect each other. In TMI and TID, we have this bond between friends (Jace and Alec/ Will and Jem) that are almost brothers. However, in TDA, we have two parabatai (Julian and Emma) falling in love with each other, which is extremely forbidden.
The different ways a writer can approach the same elements are important to keep the readers engaged - not the reader who is a fan, but especially the occasional reader. Otherwise, it would be the “if you’ve read one, you’ve read them all” kind of thing, which is no bueno.
With that in mind, I really think SJM is starting to explore/ approach different sides of the mating bond.
Mate—not husband. The Fae had mates: an unbreakable bond, deeper than marriage, that lasted beyond death. (Heir of Fire/ ToG)
“But if they’re blessed, they’ll find their mate—their equal, their match in every way. High Fae wed without the mating bond, but if you find your mate, the bond is so deep that marriage is … insignificant in comparison.”
Another proof that SJM is formulaic: in both ToG and ACOTAR, the bond is presented for the first time in comparison to marriage, as something deeper and sacred.
However, Bryce, main character of CC (SJM book published before ACOSF), looks at it very differently:
“And at least he’s not some psychotic alphahole who will demand a three- day sex marathon and then call me his mate, lock me in his house, and never let me out again.” Which was why Reid—human, okay-at-sex Reid—was perfect.
This is such a contrast. To Bryce, the mating bond would take her freedom away (keep that in mind).
I’m not saying Bryce won’t have a mate or anything like that, but we don’t start reading CC with the same vision about the mating bond presented in the other books: a sacred bond, deeper than marriage. Bryce couldn’t care less about that, not once she wondered if Hunt is her mate.
Therefore, I don’t think SJM finally writing a different story about the mating bond so unthinkable. On the contrary, we see writers doing that all the time.
Also, I’m not saying Elain will reject it, but SJM is not only approaching the mating bond in different ways now, but she already structured a very solid base for a mating bond rejection to happen if she wants to:
ACOWAR
“You said your mother and father were wrong for each other; Tamlin said his own parents were wrong for each other.” I peeled off my dressing robe. “So it can’t be a perfect system of matching. What if”—I jerked my chin toward the window, to my sister and the shadowsinger in the garden—“that is what she needs? Is there no free will? What if Lucien wishes the union but she doesn’t?”
“A mating bond can be rejected”.
SJM already wrote a whole scene to explain the mating bond and how, for some people, is not this sacred thing and it can be rejected. Not only that, she directly approached that Elain could reject it if she wanted to, and that scene involved Lucien and Azriel.
“You are his mate. Do you even know what that means?”
“It means nothing,” Elain said, her voice breaking. “It means nothing. I don’t care who decided it or why they did—”
“You belong to him.”
“I belong to no one. But my heart belongs to you.“
Also in ACOWAR, Elain makes herself very clear: she would have ignored/ rejected the mating bond right there if Graysen still wanted a future with her, because she loved him. She would have chosen to follow her heart without hesitation.
The funny thing is that Azriel - Elain's current love interest - never saw that scene, never saw how Elain vigorously rejected Lucien for someone she loved or the way Graysen rejected her (I’ll leave this information to you).
ACOFAS
Those doe-brown eyes turned toward me. Sharper than I’d ever seen them.
“And that entitles him to my time, my affections?”
“No.” I blinked.
Her mouth tightened, the only sign of anger in her graceful countenance. “I don’t want a mate. I don’t want a male.”
Months go by and Elain is still uncomfortable with the bond.
ACOSF
“I am not always in this city to see my mate.” The last two words dripped with discomfort.
Her brown eyes were wary. Usually, that look was reserved for Lucien.
Elain only shrank further into herself, no trace of that newfound boldness to be seen.
At this point, it’s clear: the question "what if the Cauldron was wrong?" didn’t come out of nowhere, not only for Azriel, but in the narrative as well.
SJM had been slowly hinted at for three books now. I know she can change her mind, but if she wants to write about it, she made sure to write the perfect opportunity:
SJM already wrote a scene about the possibility of Elain rejecting the bond, that involved Elain, Lucien and Azriel, so it’s not coming from nowhere;
Lucien compared how different Elain is from the female who he had really loved;
They are both uncomfortable around each other;
Elain is romantically interested in someone else, who was part of that scene back in ACOWAR when we were presented to the possibility;
This someone else (Azriel) is interested in her;
SJM made sure to tie the romantic plot (Elain’s mating bond) with a political plot (Blood Duel);
The political plot is connected to the overarching plot (Autumn Court, Beron and Eris/ Koschei);
Mostly important: Elain is showing for three books that she doesn't want the bond;
"I don't want a mate. I don't want a male."
She literally said that with all the letters.
We can see this dichotomy between shackles (no freedom) x bridge (a connection) regarding Lucien as well.
"(Jesminda) She had chosen him. Elain had been … thrown at him."
He said that Elain had been thrown at him and also that they were shackled.
“Give her time to accept it.”
“To accept a life shackled to me?” (ACOFAS)
And then right in the next book (ACOSF) we have this:
“Well, I didn’t have a choice in being shackled to you, either.”
The declaration slammed into her. Shackled.(…)
Shackled.
Words beckoned, sharp as knives, begging for her to grab one and plunge it into his chest. Make him hurt as much as that one word hurt her.
SJM emphasized what that one word meant by repeating it and using italics. It’s another side of a mating bond: not a bridge of connection, but shackles with no freedom, no choice.
If Nesta was that hurt when Cassian (someone she loves) said that he didn’t get a choice in being "shackled” to her, can you imagine how is it for Elain and to actually have this bond with someone she don't love? And to Lucien as well?
The thing is in terms of storytelling, and by that I mean the plot, it’s undeniable that we already have everything that’s necessary to approach the matter of the mating bond in a way the reader has never seen before.
It’s a huge possibility, one that would make the regular readers interested (we have to remember that, not everyone who reads those books is engaged. They read them when it’s appealing).
If you want to look deeper, we can see little clues that point to that narrative path, too:
Elain shall wed for love and beauty.
The bond Elain had chosen.
Elain cut in sharply, “I am not a child to be fought over.”
Now, why hasn't Elain rejected the bond?
Because a writer doesn’t waist a good plot like that. Simple as that.
Let me tell you: SJM won’t waist that plot because a part of the fandom doesn’t like Elain, because 1) the online fandom itself is just a part of the readers; 2) inside the online fandom there are people who dislike Elain, who are neutral about her and people who like her; 3) SJM already know some people hate Elain, otherwise she wouldn’t have wrote this:
You think Elain is boring?
I think she’s kind, I’ll take kindness over nastiness any day. But I also think we haven’t seen all she has to offer yet.
SJM already told us she likes to write about disliked characters. She will write the story she wants to write and ACOSF is the major proof of that. If it’s a rejection or not, only she knows, everything could happen.
But SJM has been writing about mating bonds for years, do you really think the first time we get to see a rejection it would be for someone else’s POV? Or in a minor plot as if it isn’t a big deal? Especially when this rejection is directly related to a political plot and to the overarching plot?
No, not when SJM has enough material to write 700 pages and more, not when she has the opportunity to make a whole book out of this, one that is something entirely new for the reader, not when SJM built the perfect opportunity herself.
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I finally finished Chain of Iron! Almost a year late!
-I enjoyed it, I'm still not super invested in most of the characters but it was fun to read! though the big prince of hell confrontation ... cassie why must we always have the biggest battles and majority of the plot unfold in like 40 pages only
-the constant miscommunication with James and Cordelia is truly ridiculous and I'm not a fan of it as a plot point (esp when there were several opportunities to clarify lol), but I did like their development in this book. teach me to kiss, but like as a friend, and i'll call you 'daisy my love' as a friend, and oh here's a house where i made every part perfect for you!
-really not vibing with Lucie at the moment. she's so caught up that she's committing crimes and not telling anyone anything and I found her parts & Jesse's kind of boring. also definitely predicting she and Cordelia won't become parabatai.
-Thomas and Alastair!! I wasn't expecting to like that but their scenes in the Sanctuary were so good. I loved Alastair being a gentlemen and refusing to go further bc 'if something serious is to happen between us it will not be because you were bunged into the sanctuary and suspected of murder'
-still just most invested in Matthew and James relationship. let them talk things out for once pls
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Let’s analyse - the fight against Abaddon
Brought to you by that one anon on @khaleesiofalicante ‘s blog that’s been driving me crazy. They clearly don’t seem to get the gist of the scene, so here I am... *sigh*
Oh, and I am once again asking y’all to learn and develop critical reading skills asksdgfhh
This is gonna get really long, so I’m gonna put it under a cut. Ciao! (Also, I’ve added alt text to all the images, so don’t worry about that!)
I’m gonna focus mainly on Alec in this analysis, on what this fight meant for his character development, and whether or not it determines his worth as a warrior.
First let’s review - what happened before the fight took place?
Let’s start with the confrontation scene between Alec and Clary. Specifically this part, where Clary’s anger gets out of hand and she lashes out at Alec;
However, if you look back to what Jace actually said...
Jace only said that Alec has never killed a demon, and not that he was ‘too afraid’ to do it. It was Clary, unfortunately, two twisted his words. *sigh* anger brings out the worst of people, huh?
However, at this point, the damage has been done, and Alec believes that Jace thinks he’s a coward or something, because he’s never killed a demon. Which plays right into his insecurities of not being a good enough shadowhunter. And the morning before they go to Dorothea’s house, this happens -
From Jace’s point of view, he only spoke the words out of mild frustration over why Alec, his parabatai, wasn’t supporting him, and clearly meant them as a way to convince Alec to come along. He didn’t meant it maliciously. However, to Alec, who’s probably been stewing over what Clary said to him a while ago, it’s only a confirmation that what she said was true, that Jace thinks he’s too afraid to fight demons/forsaken.
Misunderstandings are a bitch.
After that comes this,
I’m including this scene here for two reasons - one, there’s clearly some tension between Jace and Alec, and two, Alec is clearly shown in an archer’s getup, with a quiver of arrows strapped to his back, and a leather bracer on his arm.
But then, we get to this scene, right before they go to Dorothea’s and after they check the demonic activity levels,
Alec ditches his bow and arrow at the last minute in favour of a feather staff.
Why? Because he knows there’s low demonic activity, and therefore low risks of facing demons and/or forsaken.
Because at this point, he wants to prove to Jace (and Clary) that he’s not afraid of killing demons.
At this point you might be thinking, What? That’s so stupid? If he wants to prove he’s a good warrior, he should do it when there’s high stakes. This just proves he’s a coward and a bad warrior!
Wrong, wrong and wrong.
Alec initially has his bow and arrow, when they’re expecting more trouble while fetching the cup. But when he finds out that there’s little to no risk of coming across demons and forsaken, he switches to the feather staff, because he’s thought this through. In a high stakes battle, switching from high-range-defence (which Alec specialises in) to low-range-offence, could be a serious liability and could result in Jace and Isabelle getting hurt with no one to watch their backs. Alec weighs the risks of him switching fighting styles against the stakes of the fight they’re going into, and only when he knows that the stakes are very low, and that Jace and Isabelle won’t be getting hurt that he decides to take up low-range-offence. Like he says to Isabelle, he knows what he’s doing.
Even when his feelings are hurt and he wants badly to prove that he isn’t afraid, he still puts the safety of his siblings first, which is... maybe the opposite of selfish. The irony.
So, yeah. Once Alec knows that his siblings won’t get hurt in his quest for bravery, the mission, for him, becomes all about him trying to prove to Jace (and Clary) that he can be a brave, badass warrior who kills stuff, too. Note how his behaviour changes abruptly in this scene. (“Let’s kick some demon butt!” the second hand embarrassment omg)
And also in this scene:
Alec is generally very goal oriented. Like we see in future books, for missions like these, Alec always focuses on the final goal (retrieving items or rescuing people, etc.) and the demons/forsaken/cult members/whatever he’s fighting on the way becomes secondary to him. Yet here we see that he seems to be equally prioritising retrieving the cup and fighting forsaken, while even Jace is indifferent to the forsaken. Because like I said, at this point he only wants to prove that he’s not afraid.
Now onto the actual fight scene....
All three of them - Jace, Isabelle and Alec, were expecting low demonic activity and low risks. No one expected a fucking greater demon to pop out of nowhere. To them, it’s like... in terms of a video game, playing until level 15 and then jumping to level 95 or something. All three of them are clueless.
And at this point, if you’re holding only Alec at fault for being clueless, when all three siblings are scared shitless (yes, including Jace. It’s canon that he uses humour in a fight when he thinks he’s going to die.)... you’re the one holding gay characters to a much higher standard than the straight ones. Stop doing that, dumbass.
Now, at this point, Alec is in a fix. He’s set his mind on proving to Jace that he can be a brave warrior too, but now he has to protect his siblings too. Except he’s already ditched his bow and arrows, which means there’s no going back. He has no choice but to go on low-range-offence.
So, he does both.
He gets in between Jace and the demon, effectively preventing Jace from getting hit, and strikes at the demon at the same time, injuring it. Basically, Alec tried to hit two birds with one stone, with a weapon he wasn’t as familiar with as he was with the bow. From his point of view, it was foolish - like we see in the graphic novel.
Except... that was a pretty brave thing. He charged in front of a greater demon even though he was clearly afraid of it, for Jace. His fear wasn’t greater than his instinct to protect, even if the need to prove himself was still there in his mind. In the end, Alec was brave. (But at this point, Alec probably thinks that fearlessness and bravery are the same thing, and it may not be until the third book that he realises the difference).
You know Magnus says ‘I think you were I injured in an act of bravery’ or something like that in the graphic novel? Bitch was right. (Damn, now I wonder just how much Alec needed to hear that).
And now, enter Simon
Yes, what Simon did was amazing - but can it really compare to Alec’s archery skills? Now, what Simon did was more endowed in strategy than skill. He knew about the skylight, knew that sunlight is harmful to demons, and utilised that knowledge to his advantage. But the skylight, in an earlier page is described as a single wide pane of glass. Now, you tell me, what’s easier - shattering a pane of glass, or killing a level 95 boss with weapons?
And... why do people feel the need to point out that Simon killed the demon while Alec specifically couldn’t? Why don’t I see people comparing Isabelle and Jace to Simon? Why the gay shadowhunter vs the straight mundane? Why not straight shadowhunter vs straight mundane? Why are you holding Alec to such high standards and say nothing about how Jace, the greatest warrior of his time, couldn’t kill a demon while a mundane could? Double standards, that’s why.
And now for our grand finale-
At this point, Alec doesn’t know the full extent of what really happened. It’s unclear how much he’s processed, but it’s clear he remembers until the point he attacked the demon. He was unconscious for a while, so he may not have witnessed Simon’s entrance. It’s pretty hard to say. But this scene here just goes to prove my earlier point once again - he just wanted to prove to Jace (and Clary) that he was a brave warrior, that he could kill demons too. And now, in his mind, he did kill a demon. He’s proven himself, even if he’s gravely injured now.
(Someone give him a damn hug omg)((Also bless Clary for coming around and being an Angel))
And the rest... well, you know.
Actually, you know what? Thank you, you mean ass anon. You helped me understand my favourite character a little better. I’m only realising now just how much Alec’s arc in the first three books revolves around the idea of fearlessness and bravery. Maybe that’ll be an analysis for another day.
Goodbye for now! And pay attention in English class, folks! Especially the reading comprehension stuff!
#this took me TWO HOURS#AKSJSKSKSKKS#IM BEGGING Y’ALL TO RB AJSJSKSKKSKS#tsc#alec lightwood#tmi#cob#laks analyses#city of bones#jace herondale#jace wayland#isabelle lightwood#clary fairchild#simon lewis
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"Never love someone who makes you feel ordinary" -idk the source, but I loved the quote<3
Ok but all the Jace and Selena content ended me😭😭😭 HIM SINGING TO HER HOLY SHIT I MIGHT CRY
Mom come pick me up, mundanes are scarier than princes of hell...
Rafael staying with her made me really soft for some reason 🥺🥺🥺
Idk in which of your fics I read a quote that went something like "There aren't good or bad parents. There are just parents who try and parents who don't" and this reminded me of it 💙
FINALLY!! He joined the Gabrielina ship!!!! And he's gonna get some sense into Heronstairs!!! My man is so beautiful 🥺
Clary cutting her hair😭😭😭 I DIDN'T THINK IT WAS POSSIBLE TO LOVE HER MORE??? YET HERE I STAN!!!
Jace being so in love with Clary is something that can be so personal to me tbh
Amira>>>>
How, I ask, do you expect me not to absolutely LOVE Gabriel when they do things like putting a blindfold so they won't look at Selena without her consent???? And reassure her in every step??? And say things like: "I will love every version of you that you will share with me.”????? How???
“My mama used to say that someone else’s pain doesn’t have to be our antidote.”
///
“She said a princess is still a princess with or without hair.”
Gabriel's mom is the absolute best no one @ me!!
Selena is the baddest bitch of all time. She is a goodness. She is the moment. She is amazing. She-
Gabriel opened their eyes. They smiled too. “Sirenita. What does it feel like?”
“What does it feel like to what?”
“To be the most beautiful girl in the world?"
Idk how to explain you that I literally teared with this. In an office. This was just.... Ahhh this quote will be in my mind from now on🥺🥺🥺 and they ask me why I'm single when my expectations are THIS high
She can grow her hair again!!! HELL YEAH THAT'S MY GIRL!!!
Omg only David would paint the most powerful warlock's cane for it to look better 🥺💙
Everyday arson stops being a dream and becomes a need with Mallory 🔪🙂
Feral David is my religion 😍
Ahh Nico is so cute 😭😭 stop, I need to remember he is the most ancient and powerful warlock!!!
“Things are always prettier when they’re blue,” David noted sappily. That was smooth af jshdjdkdhs
He wasn’t going to say ‘you shouldn’t have’ or ‘I can’t accept this’.
It was a book and David wasn’t an idiot.
I feel him on a personal level😔
I love that he is focusing on how much Max loves him and not the fact that someone is trying to kill him for that lmaoo
“No,” Nico said. “I just saw darkness. Like I always do.”
Oh.
Nico squeezed him tightly before he pulled back. “Goodbye, David.”
Oh.
No, no, no!!! I don't like this. This is giving me BAD VIBES. ABORT MISSION😭😭 prince of Darkness foreshadowing????
“I know I can’t ask you to never to kiss anyone again. But at least until I’m alive, promise me your lips are mine.” he says this as if Max hasn't thought that if anyone other than David kisses him he will die😂
“And what if I don’t come back to you?” David asked quietly.
“Then I’ll come to you,” Max said simply. “You and I. We always find our way back to each other, remember?”
“What if I die?” David asked dumbly.
“You did die, babe,” Max smiled. “And I got you back.”
This scene is so cute but I can't help but be scared af😭 at least of he dies I know Max will try with everything he has to bring him back. Not that comforting, but still!!!
He kissed him.
Max’s eyes were glazed when David pulled back. He grinned. “What was that for?”
David kissed him again.
“Goodbye, Max.”
Well, this sure as hell feels like a final goodbye and I'm not here for that. I need mavid to stay happy and alive, OK?!??!?
Ok, ok. Soooo, Nico wanted to go to NY Institute. And now that David is gone, he went back to Idris... I don't think this is a coincidence!!!
Lexi and Gigi: best parabatai ever😎😎
I NEED TO KNOW WHAT DOES THAT SECRET MISSION MEANS??? I AM NOT UNDERSTANDING SHIT 😭
“Marcus created the perfect dilemma,” FUCK HIM BUT ALSO WHY THE VILLAINS ALWAYS SO SMART???
I already hate everything about that date :))
I am weirdly excited about Roman and Gigi going to Devlin Corp. Yes I know it's dangerous but who's better for this than them??!?!?
Hunter: this needs to stop😠... well, ok, just don't cause harm :) going home😊?? THAT ISN'T A REAL TALK!!!!
Marcus literally went like: yeah, I murdered Anjali's parents bc she didn't approve my idea and also took all the blood of some girl... But they crossed the line talking to my dad☹️!!!
Why the fuck does Mallory has Alec's arrows??? You don't deserve to even touch it!!!
Listen, I just want to know, in a really respectful way, why do you insist on hurting the Herondale-Fairchild family????? WHY??
DONT YOU DARE HURT MY BEAUTIFUL JACE. PLEASE. I'M BEGGING 😭😭
OMG YES CALL MARCUS OUT. THAT'S SO TRUE. WTF IS WRONG WITH THAT HYPOCRITICAL PIECE OF SHIT?
Also I love that quote too 🥺
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For a climactic point, it sure is boring. This chapter also holds a lot of quoting previous writing. Fun.
Clary is back at the helm. Jace had stunned her and she “comes back to consciousness in the marble lobby of a strange building, under the shadow of an unlit chandelier.” The chandelier has been described now by Simon and Clary. Jace brings Clary to the terrace and Clary finally sees Sebastian.
In the previous chapter, Simon also called it Snow White-esque scene. Glad to see the same descriptions circulating between the characters.
→ Second seaweed mention.
This kind of naivete and blind trust in a situation where Jace obviously is not himself will only get you hurt.
Oh, right. The poison. The poison for Kuzco, the poison chosen especially to kill Kuzco, Kuzco's poison. That poison?
→ How many times can you repeat the same information
Lilith then, once again, explains the plot, and Clary is shocked to find that their actions have consequences.
Again with the remembering. Also, loving this second moment of self-consciousness but as it amounts to nothing, it means nothing. Self-loathing and pity mean nothing.
→ There has never been given a reason why exactly it was kept secret. It’s not like Jace’s family ever crossed their minds. It’s not like Clary wanted to hide the selfish thing she did when she only asked for Jace. There is nothing, just plain agreement. Also, Jace is just as much complicit in the secret-keeping as Clary is.
Lilith, again, for the third time, explains the plot. Good lord, I hope they all are finally on the same page.
The first sentence is useless because you can first show the flash of realization and then confirm it with dialogue.
→ The demon woman’s voice had dropped to a low chant, and Clary saw her father standing inside a pentagram...
We return to the Investigation Team who have arrived to the mysterious building with an unlit chandelier.
Yes, shut up, Jordan. I will maim you.
The reaction this is going for → Aww, despite all this time hating Jordan, Maia still held onto a toe ring he bought her! She still has feelings for him despite everything, and now that she knows the truth, they can get back together!
Yuck.
They search every floor, and in one they find something horrible, but the writing cuts away back to the roof garden to keep the suspense up.
→ Pointless adverb when we can see Jace being obedient to Lilith’s orders.
LILITH EXPLAINS THE PLOT FOR THE FOURTH TIME.
Enough for demon thoughts to afflict him but not enough that Jace and Alec’s parabatai bond should ever be brought up or taken into consideration.
Why is this so hard concept for them to grasp? Why does this need to be explained gazillion times?
Whenever Simon and Clary’s history is brought up in attempt to call feelings from their long friendship, Simon’s character always goes to their early childhood, how he wanted to protect Clary, how tiny Clary is. Clary is always a this innocent little girl with braids who thinks about princes and castles. These memories are rather appearance-centered and pretty general. There is nothing really personal about these moments when Simon or Clary think of each other.
I liked when in the TV show, Clary says to Simon: “You’re still the same, Simon. You’re the same Simon I’ve known my whole life. The same guy who loves sci-fi and can recite every line from... from every Nicholas Cage movie. The same Simon who carried me over the Brooklyn Bridge when I lost my shoe, okay?”
Because these are more specific details that focus on Simon as a person, and how Clary knows Simon, not just how Simon looks like.
One consistent point about Simon’s character is his sense of responsibility over Clary. Clary supposedly has it too, over Simon, but she is written so engulfed by Jace that it has never given similar chances to manifest.
How can the lid vanish while it peels back? It can’t. →The lid peeled back like the lid of a tin of sardines. As the top layer...
→ Writes a paragraph about how the lid vanishes and peels back
→ Feels the need to tell you the coffin is now open because some dumbasses might not be able to keep up.
→ Simon had hungered to drink Maureen’s blood, craved the feeling of his teeth sinking into her skin...
Simon bites into Sebastian’s neck, and we switch back to the Investigation Team. They have discovered several dead devil babies and are feelings pretty sick about it.
As he should.
Alec is of the Clave. This is barely brought up that he is also of the Conclave.
It’s irrelevant to be so vague about some piece of cloth on which one rubs their snot. → Jordan had given her a handkerchief.
Let Jordan be a handkerchief guy.
We know Sebastian was fast and strong. You can also deliver the main point without saying or ruminating over complementary things at all. ↓
“Why would anyone want more of him?” Alec’s voice was full of naked hatred.
“I guess they’re trying to breed a race of super-warriors,” Isabelle said.
HOW UNPREPARED WERE THEY?? Isabelle saw the place was dark as fuck, her pendant pulsed with demonic presence, yet she did not give herself runes to prepare for a possible battle??
The Tracksuit Person stalks the Investigation Team and Isabelle catches her. It is truly exciting. The Tracksuit Person then explains the plot from the cult’s point of view.
The highlighted part is irrelevant and veers too much from the moment. It’s irrelevant when Isabelle is going to deliver this information to the readers anyway, so one might suppose she knows a lot about the demon cults.
Alec comes to look for Isabelle who has separated from the others while giving chase.
This is just confusing the way the conversation is formatted. Because Isabelle is disgusted, it seems like what turn out to be Alec’s words are hers. The pattern repeats itself in the next paragraph, but here we are right to assume they are her words.
→ “She can’t hurt him, Izzy,” said Alec in a reasonable voice. “I know you’re worried, but he’s got...”
Alec and Isabelle are interrupted by an elevator ping. The rest of the Tracksuit Gang attack them.
#Clary Fray#Simon Lewis#Isabelle Lightwood#Sebastian Morgenstern#City of Fallen Angels#CoFA Chapter 17
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An Honest Exchange
(S02E01 inspired fic - a scene continuation after the balcony apology/missing scene between that and Magnus helping Alec track Jace)
(Read on AO3)
When things get crazy, don’t push me away.
There it is. Even after everything, Magnus’ words ring with the promise of a future, of the chance for this to happen again, and the opportunity for Alec to react better next time. Alec hadn’t been certain what to expect when he arrived here tonight, and if Magnus hadn’t let him in the front door Alec wouldn’t have blamed him.
Magnus’ forgiveness isn’t something he takes lightly.
“I won’t,” Alec promises.
“Not to ruin the mood, but I have to know… why the sudden change of heart?” Magnus asks curiously, and though he does his best to keep the words light there’s a weight to the question.
Alec fights the urge to shrug it off and give some generic, noncommittal answer.
“Something my mother said,” Alec admits. “Before I came here she told me to forget about Jace because ‘he made his choice’. I realized part of me was afraid that walking away from Lydia, that kissing you, would be my choice that left me cast aside just as easily. I was waiting for it, after the confusion and anger faded. Then after the wedding, all I heard was that I’d ‘left Lydia for a Downworlder’, or that I’d walked away from my marriage ‘for a Downworlder’. They’d much rather blame you than me, and for a moment I almost let them. It was selfish, but I was suddenly about to face the consequences of making the only decision I’ve ever made purely for myself, and I was scared. know that doesn’t excuse what I said, or how I acted, I just… you were right. I didn’t get it. But I wanted you to know that I do now.”
Once he starts speaking he forces himself to keep going until he gets it all out, no matter how uncomfortable it is to acknowledge his own faults and his family’s prejudices. None of this is easy for Alec to say, but now that he’s started - now that he sees the reaction a little honest communication can get from Magnus - he wants to make the effort. He doesn’t want the promise he just made to be an empty one.
“I appreciate the honesty,” Magnus says, and to Alec’s surprise it isn’t dismissive or sarcastic - Magnus seems to genuinely mean it.
“There is something else I wanted to talk about,” Alec admits.
“I’m all ears,” Magnus says, leaning back against the railing of the balcony to give Alec his full attention.
“Back on the roof, at the Institute, you said something…” Alec starts slowly. He isn’t sure how to bring up what’s on his mind, he isn’t even sure he should. This is all so new still, and he’s made more than enough mistakes on his end for one day without adding this onto it. But it feels important. It feels like it’s something worth going out on a limb to say.
Magnus waves a dismissive hand, but Alec doesn’t miss the slight tensing of the muscles in his face as he controls his reaction into carefully crafted nonchalance. “We’re past all that now. It’s fine.”
“No, it isn’t. You said you were a lot to get used to, and-” Alec falters because he’s never been good at saying these sorts of things. He doesn’t have a lot of practice being honest about his emotions, not after spending his entire life hiding them or ignoring them completely. “It wasn’t anything you did. You were perfect. Even when I pushed you away, you tried to stay, to help however you could. Everyone else would’ve let me stay up there for hours alone… but not you. And maybe I do have to get used to having you around, but it isn’t a bad thing. It isn’t a burden.”
You’re not a burden. That feels too personal, too intense for where they are and what’s between them, but Alec hopes that Magnus can hear that truth under every word Alec does say.
Magnus remains silent for a long while, his gaze resting heavily on Alec who pulls his hands to clasp behind his back before he can fidget too much under the weight of that look. For just a second Alec swears he sees the sheen of tears in Magnus’ eyes, but it’s gone just as quickly.
“Thank you, Alexander,” Magnus says finally, the words soft and cautious but coupled with a small, genuine smile.
Alec gives a small smile and a short nod back in response. He doesn’t say ‘you’re welcome’, this isn’t the sort of thing you say for gratitude. It’s the sort of thing you say just to be certain the other person knows because they deserve to.
Then, when another silence falls between them and Magnus simply looks at him expectantly, Alec considers his options. His intention when he left the Institute was to come here and get Magnus to help him somehow, but the longer Alec’s here the more time he’s had to realize how unfair that is to Magnus.
Magnus already tried to help, and Alec pushed him away. Twice. He made impossible demands and accused Magnus of not caring, of not trying hard enough… and he has no right to apologize just to make the same mistakes all over again, no matter how desperate he is to find Jace.
“I should go,” Alec says finally. “Thanks for hearing me out.”
Alec turns to leave, ready for that to be the end of things for now. He’d go back to the Institute and figure out another plan. Maybe Izzy or Clary would--
“Wait!” Magnus’ voice calls out behind him, and Alec stops walking halfway to the door. Turning back around Alec looks to Magnus, who moves from the balcony slowly across the loft to meet him. “Do you still want to try your parabatai tracking?”
“I can’t ask you to do that,” Alec says, shaking his head.
“And you aren’t. I’m offering,” Magnus points out.
“I thought you didn’t want to do it because it was too dangerous,” Alec reminds him. Even as he says it he isn’t sure why he’s working against his own interests so much. Or maybe he is - because he isn’t thinking about just himself this time. They just made up, Alec doesn’t want to be the immediate cause of another problem or the reason for any more resentment.
“It is too dangerous,” Magnus agrees. “But so is anything else you’re likely to try without me. At least this way I’m here if anything goes wrong.”
Alec very briefly considers turning down the offer but they both know it’s his best chance at finding Jace. And he would feel better knowing Magnus is by his side…
He isn’t going to forget everything he’s taking away from this conversation - lessons on being honest and not making demands and asking instead of expecting - but he isn’t going to turn down an offer of help just to prove a point, either. He could find a way to do this on his own if he had to, but he doesn’t have to. Not any more.
“Alright,” Alec agrees, with a firm nod. “Let’s do this.”
#malec#magnus bane#alec lightwood#shadowhunters#catch me back on my Malec missing scene bs for so many of these codas I MISSED WRITING STUFF LIKE THIS#the rewatch coda fics continue!#elle writes a few deadbeat lines#long post
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