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ghoulie-67-baby · 4 months

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Partners in crime - Shadowhunters.

Summary: You’re Magnus Bane’s best friend and fellow warlock, when Shadowhunters ask for help you take the job together.

Warning: Mentions of nightmares, skimpy pyjamas (idk what you’d call them tbh), playful teasing between friends, fluff.

Pairing: Magnus bane x Warlock!reader (Platonic).

Word count: 1,336.

The sun scorched across my face through a gap in the curtains. I dramatically huffed as I glared at the curtains in disdain, knowing I wouldn't fall asleep again. I stretched with an obnoxiously loud yawn, humming contently as my bones popped in a chorus.

Discomfort quickly set in from the glaring light and I raked my fingers through my hair before swinging my legs from the bed and trudging towards the door. My dreams had kept me up a good portion of the night and in the end, I crawled into bed with Magnus which kept them at bay.

"Mags?" I called through the quiet loft, "Mags, why do you never close the curtains properly?" I searched the loft half asleep for my flatmate only to come up empty. I straightened out my shorts as I wandered to the kitchen, letting the growl of my stomach lead me.

My pyjama vest rose up my stomach as I reached to grab a bowl and I shivered at the cold air of my exposed midriff.

Shuffling towards the living room, I failed to notice the gathering of people until the sound of someone clearing their throat caught my attention. I nodded hello to the group sleepily, gathering my thoughts as I ate my breakfast. I snapped out of my sleepy state as Magnus appeared in front of me protectively.

"Good morning, my dearest, I'll make sure to close them properly from now on shall I?" The question was rhetorical but I nodded anyway, placing my now empty bowl on the table. "Now, as much as I love seeing you half-dressed," Magnus teased with a playful wink. "I'm not sure how much longer Simon can watch without holding his drool back so how about we cover you up." I sighed but let his magic swirl around me, a beautiful, feathered robe appearing around my body.

The fabric brushed the ground as I stepped forward and planted myself into Magnus' chest in a tight hug. He reciprocated, both lost in the cuddle and temporarily forgetting about the group awkwardly standing behind him. Unfamiliar people weren't going to stop me from having my morning cuddle, they could wait.

"Thank you, my love," I whispered, pressing a small kiss to his cheek before peering up at him quizzically. "so, who do we have today?"

"Shadowhunters and Vampires," I moved to stand beside him, smiling at the small sea of faces, some of which smiled back whilst others remained blank. A huge smile overtook me and my eyes softened as my es met Rachael's gaze. I knew he had turned away when I appeared in my pyjamas, he always felt awkward and refused to see me in a vulnerable state, saying it wasn't proper. I understood considering Magnus and I had practically raised him since vampirism. Though he hated to admit it, he was my boy but he had a reputation to hold up and such so I let him seem hardened and cold, sometimes.

"Hello my lovely boy," I held his face in my hand gently, looking at his handsome face before putting my arms around him. He kissed my cheek and hugged me back before clearing his throat, letting me step back towards Magnus. I sniggered as he glared at the group of shocked Shadowhunters, daring them to say something. "Play nice Rafe."

"This is Y/N, best friend for all intents and purposes, partner in crime and partnering warlock." I grinned, bowing playfully at the group who stared at me strangely.

"Y/N, these are the Shadowhunters of the New York Institute. This is Alexander," I noticed the twinkle in his eye at that name. "Jace, Clarissa and Isabelle. The new vampire is Simon, he's with Raphael." He gestured to each respectively and I looked over each of them.

"Nice to meet you all. What can we do for you then?" I let my eyes stay on Alexander a little longer than the others, taking in his tall muscular stature and handsome face.

"So, are you two, like, a thing or?" He trailed off and I raised an eyebrow, looking up at Mags and our grins matched.

"No," I chuckled, shaking my head, "We've been best friends and partners for a few centuries. Most people do assume that though." A gentle hand squeezed my hip and I leant into it softly.

"You seem close enough, you're kind of handsie too," I raised a curious eyebrow at the young vampire, enjoying his curiosity though going off the look on Raphael's face he didn't.

"We've lived together for a long time, and known each other even longer. We come as a pair, can't have one without the other but that doesn't have to mean we're together in that way." I grinned at him, my magic swirling through my fingers languidly. "Curiosity is a fine thing Simon but you should be careful who you're curious about, might just bite you in the ass." I chided him softly, using a small spell to deliver a small biting sensation on his butt. He yelped and jumped, laughing nervously, but grinning widely all the same. I liked him, he seemed sweet.

"And you wonder why Raphael doesn't play nice," Magnus tutted, an amused twinkle in his eye. I hummed before turning back to the matter at hand.

"Now, I've heard you're causing quite the stir in the Shadow world Clary Fray, what is Magnus getting us into now?"

"I need help getting my Mom back, Valentine has taken her," A shiver ran down my spine at that name but I motioned for her to continue. "I don't know where he's taken her but I could do with all the help I can get and I've been told you guys are the best warlocks to ask." I thought about it seriously, biting my lip as I did. "I don't want to cause any trouble but Magnus knows about some of my past memories, ones he blocked that could help me find her." I walked towards her, cupping her face in my hands, hushing her gently. I tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and let my thumb wipe away one of her tears with a gentle smile.

"Sweet girl, we'll help however we can as long as it's not a threat to the Downworld." She nodded gratefully, mouthing her thanks as her chest shuddered with a heavy breath. "I can't promise we can remove them but we can damn well try."

"Mama, it's not that simple." Raphael interrupted, looking furious. "We shouldn't get involved in shadowhunter business. They cause nothing but trouble for us." He spoke through gritted teeth, a hard glare fixed on Jace who leered back at him. These two obviously didn't get along.

"Rafe, sweetie, you can't justify not helping them because of that. That would make us just as bad as the Clave now wouldn't it?" I crossed my arms, looking at him disapprovingly. We raised him better than this, his anger was just clouding his judgement. "If things get too much then we'll walk away won't we Mags?" I glanced towards my partner who agreed with me. "You know that's how we work, my darling, we don't bite off more than we can chew." I made sure to emphasise so the Shadowhunters knew where we stood, looking pointedly at Jace whose glare never faltered. Perhaps my comment about the Clave had touched a nerve.

"Well, if you come back tomorrow we can get started, we have stock to replenish and things to organise, I'm sure you understand." Magnus began to shoo them closer to the door, waving them goodbye as I hugged Raphael. He paid special attention to bidding Alexander goodbye and I couldn't help my smirk as I made him a drink. It was 5 o'clock somewhere in the world after all.

"I can't help but feel like the next few days are to be exhausting." I handed the glass to him and nodded solemnly. There was no doubt about that.

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leossmoonn · 3 years

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hi can i have a stefan x fem reader fluff ig? idk stefan has been living in my mind rent free i miss him so much lol😌

yes 🥰

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masterlist

imagine - having your first offical date w stefan! (fem!reader)

note - this wasn't meant to be a blurb in the first place, but this is like super long. i got kinda carried away.. like 3.2k words...... enjoy :

“Oh, you look so cute!” Caroline squealed. She jumped on her heels in excitement, standing back to look at her work.

You were going on a date tonight with the very handsome, very mysterious Stefan Salvatore. He had been in town for a few months, and while you knew all about vampires and witches, you never actually had a chance to talk to him one-on-one. There were many occasions where you had to save your best friends, and you had to work with him. From what you gathered by working with him he was kind, smart, funny, and extremely handsome. You were very surprised he asked you out, considering you two never actually spoke to one another.

He had asked you out after Isabel came into town. Amongst all the crazy, there still seemed time to enjoy a nice date out with a nice boy, so you took the chance. There was really no reason to say no, anyways.

You had told your best friends about the date, making them very excited and very pushy in helping you. Caroline, who was the head in all of this help, planned your outfit, makeup, and gave you pointers on what to say and how to act. You felt a little annoyed by her, but you knew she meant well. Plus, she really did dress you in something cute.

You looked in the mirror, seeing yourself in a dark-blue dress and a black belt that went around your waist. The dress was spaghetti-strapped, so you had to wear a black jacket over it. The dress ended just right above your knees, and you had black heels to match. Caroline had insisted on you leaving your hair in its natural state so Stefan could see the real you, but you decided to put it up in your favorite hairstyle. Your makeup was natural, all but the red lipstick on your lips that Caroline also insisted on. You couldn’t help but smile, you loved what she did.

“Thank you, Care,” you smiled. You turned back to your friends, seeing Bonnie and Elena’s faces in big smiles.

“What?” You asked.

“You just... you’ve never been on a date before. I’m so excited for you!” Elena exclaimed.

You chuckled, “I’m excited for me, too. After tonight, I won’t be the friend who hasn't been on a date anymore!”

“Well, I haven't been on a date before,” Bonnie said.

You scoffed, “Uh, yes, you have. You just haven’t had a boyfriend before, which is something I haven’t had, either.”

“Yeah, Elena’s the only one who has had a boyfriend,” Caroline smirked.

Elena rolled her eyes, “Yeah, and we all saw how that worked out.”

You chuckled a little. A knock on the front door got your attention.

“Is that him?” Bonnie asked.

You nodded, suddenly getting nervous. Caroline sensed your nervousness and pulled you into a hug.

“You will do great! He asked you out without even getting to know you, don’t stress,” she said.

“Thanks, Care. I gotta go. I can’t keep him waiting,” you sighed and pulled away.

The girls followed you to the door, making you roll your eyes and try to shoo them away. You opened the door, your anxiety almost immediately disappearing once you saw Stefan.

He was wearing jeans, a grey-fitted shirt and a leather jacket. He had a big smile on his face as he looked at you.

“You look beautiful,” he spoke, looking into your eyes. You looked down at the ground with a shy smile on your face.

“Thank you. You look really, really um, handsome,” you said, bashful.

“Thank you,” he smiled. “Are you ready to go?” He held his hand out for you to take.

You lifted your head up, putting your hand out hesitantly and slipping it into his. Tingles ran up from your fingers to your arm as you interlocked hands with his.

“Have fun!” Elena giggled.

“Not too much, though!” Caroline exclaimed.

You looked back, rolling your eyes at them. You went out of your house, shutting the door behind you. Stefan walked you to his car, opening the door for you.

“Wow, and he’s chivalrous,” you teased, stepping into the car.

“Back in my day, women were treated like princesses. Every man did everything for them,” Stefan said.

“Wow, sounds like heaven. I mean, despite all the rights we didn’t have,” you snorted.

Stefan chuckled, “True.”

Stefan got in the driver’s seat, starting the car.

“So, where are you taking me?” You asked. “My house,” Stefan answered.

“Oh, I should’ve put on something more... chill,” you chuckled, looking down at your date attire.

“No, no! This is proper date attire, anyways. I’m cooking for us,” Stefan glanced at you, smiling.

“Woah, I feel so special,” you smiled. “I like to cook for the girls I take out,” Stefan said.

“And do you... take a lot of girls out?” You asked. You started to feel nauseous as you thought of his answer.

“No, honestly. Just whenever I do, I cook,” he shrugged.

You nodded. “When was the last time you had a girlfriend?”

“Um, 1964, I think,” he answered. Your eyes widened, “You waited 45 years?”

“Well, it’s not like I waited to find the right one or anything. I was just never very interested in dating or anything,” he answered honestly.

“What made you change now?” You asked. “Oh, well,” Stefan started. Now it was his turn to be shy.

“Well, first off, you. I know we’ve never talked a lot, but whenever I would see you, I’ve always would think you were pretty. And, Caroline and Damon wouldn’t stop teasing my about my “very apparent crush”,” he explained.

“I never noticed it. Then again, most people are oblivious to those types of things,” you chuckled. “Agreed. But yeah, so, you’re basically my reason.” You smiled, “You know you to make a girl feel special.”

“I try,” Stefan smiled and parked his car the the Salvatore house entrance. Stefan got out, hurrying to open the door for you.

You giggled, “Thank you.”

Stefan hummed a “you’re welcome”.

You two entered the house. You had been here plenty times before, so it wasn’t a big surprise to you. But the kitchen table was.

The table had a white cloth on it, candles, silverware on napkins, and a pretty bouquet of flowers on it. You smiled, “This is so beautiful.”

“Thank you,” Stefan said, moving past you to the stove. You went over to him, watching him grab a pan and different ingredients.

“So, what are you making?” You asked. “Ratatouille,” he answered.

You cocked up a brow. “Like from the movie?”

“Yeah,” Stefan smiled.

“Cool,” you smiled.

“Do you mind helping me?” Stefan asked. “Nope. Not at all. I must admit, I like cooking, but I'm really bad,” you chuckled.

“I bet you’re not that bad,” Stefan said. “We’ll see. So, what do you need me to do?” You asked.

“Preheat the oven to 375, please,” he directed.

You nodded and walked over to the oven.

“Now, help me with slicing some vegetables. Which one do you want to slice, eggplant, squash, tomato, or zucchini?” Stefan asked.

“Um, I’ll take the squash,” you said. You went over next to him, taking a knife and placing the eggplant on the cutting board.

“So, what was life like in the 19th century?” You asked.

“Hm, peaceful. Fun, relaxing. Of course, there was a war going on, and vampires running through town,” Stefan said.

“Like Katherine?” You asked. Stefan sighed, “Yeah, like Katherine.”

“What about your childhood?” You asked.

“Um, rough? My mom died when I was little and my dad was always tough on us. We were expected to be men by age 6.”

“Wow, that sounds fun.” Stefan chuckled, “It was. How about you? What was your childhood like?”

“Fun, relaxing, never boring. Well, that was before I met Elena, Caroline, and Bonnie,” you said.

“What was it like before then?”

“Um.. horrible? I had like, no friends,” you chuckled. “I was the weird, book-carrying girl that no one liked and everyone teased. Bonnie and Elena adopted me soon after I was in one of their classes in middle school. I’ve been best friends with them ever since. Granted, I'm more closer with Bonnie and Elena, Caroline was kind of jealous of me I think, but we all are best friends. I couldn’t imagine my life without them.” Stefan smiled, “That’s sweet. Damon was, and well, still is, my best friend, as much as I hate to admit it. We’ve drifted apart. A lot. Ever since we were vampires we have been.”

“Wow. Well, it's nice to at least have someone like that you can ask for help, always. I'm a single child. But, Caroline and Bonnie are like the two sisters I’ve never had. Elena, of course, has Jeremy,” you said. “Who isn't here, but hey, that’s why she has us.”

“That’s nice. Well, wait, now thinking about it, I do have a best friend, other than Damon,” Stefan said.

“Ooh, who?”

“Her name’s Lexi,” he said. “If she’s your best friend, where is she?” You asked.

“In New York. We send emails to each other and whatnot. She’s the one who helps with my bloodlust,” he explained.

“Wow, she sounds really nice,” you smiled. “Yeah, she is. And don’t worry, there is nothing romantic going on there. She just makes me a better person,” he explained.

“That was my next question. Well, I hope I get to meet her someday. She sounds awesome,” you smiled.

“I hope so, too. Hey, maybe I’ll email her and have her come over next time. She's actually very interested in you,” he said.

“Oh, really? She knows about me?” You asked.

“Well, I mean, she asks me all the time if I'm seeing anyone, and I told her I liked you, and well I told you about her,” Stefan blushed.

You giggled, “Well, good to know. I'm even more excited to meet her now.”

“Good, good. I’ll tell her that,” he winked. Your face began to feel warm again and you hid your face from his view.

He had a big smile on his face. He moved over to the stove, turning on the heat and put on a saucepan.

“What happens now, chief?” You asked, settling your hands on your hips.

“Well, now we make the sauce. You mind dicing these bell peppers?” He asked, getting one yellow and one red one out of the fridge.

You nodded, washing your hands and beginning to dice them.

“Do you want some wine?” Stefan asked, holding a wine bottle.

“Sure,” you smiled.

“This is the good stuff. We keep all the good liquor in this cabinet. Don’t tell anyone,” Stefan said.

You nodded, “Lips are sealed.”

Stefan smiled and poured you a glass, setting it next to him. You thanked him, dicing up the bell peppers. Once you were done, you let Stefan take over. He put olive oil in the pan a few minutes before, then put the bell peppers, onion and garlic he was dicing earlier.

“How did you learn how to cook?” You asked.

“Um, kind of just by watching my mom. I learned more by doing jobs and stuff. You know, I can’t be a lazy vampire the whole time, so I went to culinary school. It was a good hobby for me and soon became a fun, creative, and easy thing for me to do. It distracted me a lot from the bloodlust and family, too,” he explained.

“Culinary school, huh? That’s really cool,” you said.

Stefan chuckled. “Thanks .”

You hummed in reply. You two talked more about your childhoods, interests, what you want to do after high school. After a few minutes of the vegetables sautéing, you had put the veggies that you had sliced up into a pattern in the pan. Stefan put the pan in the oven, setting the timer.

“So, what do we do now?” You asked. “Well, we could drink more wine and talk or, we can drink more wine and I can give you a house tour,” he said.

“Ooh, I want house tour!” You exclaimed.

“Alright. Follow me, m’lady,” Stefan said, holding his arm out for you.

You giggled, “Don’t mind if I do, kind sir.” You wrapped your arm around his, your hand intertwining with his. Your other hand held the wine glass that he had refilled.

“So, that’s the kitchen, as you saw. This is the living room, and the Salvatore study is on the other side. You’ve already seen those, though, so let’s go upstairs.”

You nodded, walking with him up the stairs.

“So, over here are a few guest bedrooms. This is Damon’s room,” Stefan said, opening the door a little. You peeked into it, your eyes widening.

“Wow. Never knew Damon was such an alcoholic,” you snorted, pulling your head back.

“All vampires are, honestly. We’re basically immortal so, you know, no liver disease or anything for us,” Stefan said.

“Wow, lucky. I mean, I don’t drink much anyways. I usually just have one beer at every party I go to. I don’t like the taste of cheap beer,” you explained.

“Wow, I may have just found the perfect woman,” Stefan teased.

You giggled, “Yeah, my friends think I'm too picky, but you know, if I’m gonna drink, I wanna drink the good stuff.”

“Exactly! See, I understand you, don’t worry,” Stefan smiled.

You smiled, leaning into him a little as he led the way down the hall. You put your head on his shoulder, enjoying the warmth that he was exhibiting. You liked how you felt while being close to him, too. You felt safe, comforted. At home.

He looked down at you, smiling. “Here are a few more guest rooms, and here is my room,” he said.

“Can we go in?” You asked.

Stefan nodded, opening the door. You stepped in the room, looking over everything.

His bed at across the room, against the wall. He had his desk in the middle of the room, a bunch of books on it. He had a couch next to his bed and a few other chairs around the room, too. There was a huge bookshelf with lots of other books and other decorative objects.

“Wow. your room is huge,” you said.

“Yep,” Stefan said, standing in the doorway.

You went over to his bed, taking a seat. Stefan went over and took a seat next to you.

“This is a... wow,” you said, bouncing on the bed slightly. “This is a comfortable bed. Where did you get this mattress?”

“Um... I’m not sure,” Stefan chuckled.

“Ugh, I am jealous,” you smiled. “I wish I could sleep here.”

“Maybe you can if we continue uh, going on dates and stuff,” Stefan said.

You turned to him, smiling big. “I’d like that.”

Stefan smiled at you, putting his hand on your cheek, rubbing his thumb up and down on your cheekbone lightly. Your stomach did flips and your whole body became warm from his touch. You saw him leaning in and you started to get nervous. You had never kissed anyone before. Well, you have, but your first kiss was just a peck. And you had a feeling that this wasn’t gonna be just a peck.

You leaned in, too, taking a deep breath to try and calm yourself down. Unfortunately, that didn’t work. Stefan’s face got closer and you felt his lips brush on yours with feathery-light pressure. Your body jolted back, your eyes going wide.

Stefan looked at you, worried.

“Did I... did I do something wrong?” He asked.

You started to blush profusely. “No,” you shook your head. “I just um... the feeling really was new and surprising to me.”

Stefan smiled, “Yeah, kisses with the right person are like that.”

“You didn’t even kiss me, though,” you chuckled.

“Do you want me to?” Stefan asked, looking into your eyes.

You smiled and nodded slowly, scooting closer to him. Stefan put his hand on your face again. bringing his lips to yours. He kissed you and your whole brain exploded. You saw bright colors as you kissed him back, loving the feeling he gave you. His lips were soft and warm, and were really really good at kissing. They kissed you back slowly, softly. He was going gentle on you, which was something you appreciated immensely. Your hands went up to his neck, wanting him closer.

You pulled away for air, though, your eyes meeting his instantly. You went back to your flustered and shy behavior, looking away from him and biting your lip in excitement. Stefan couldn’t help but smile at how cute you were.

The oven beeped downstairs, singling that the ratatouille was done. He took your hand, pulling you up.

“Hungry?” He asked.

You smiled, “Very.”

You two walked back downstairs. You set two glasses and poured wine in them while Stefan took out the pan. He put the food on two dishes, mixing up a salad and getting some dinner rolls.

You went over to him, getting your plate and setting it down on the plate by your chair. Stefan brought over the rest of the food, sitting down with you.

“Dig in,” Stefan smiled.

You did as he said, groaning at how amazing the food tasted.

“You are... ugh, amazing. God. What can’t you do?” You asked.

Stefan smiled. “Um... I can’t bake.”

You scoffed, “Everyone can bake. Sorry, Stefan, you're perfect.”

Stefan smiled, “Nope, that’s you.”

“Oh, yeah?” You smiled.

“Yeah,” he smiled bigger and nodded.

You blushed profusely again. “I think the wine is catching up to us.”

“Hm, maybe. But you asked,” Stefan smiled. You laughed, “I did.” You two ate and talked a little more about your hobbies. After a third glass of wine, you decided that it was time for you to go. So, Stefan went and drove you home. The drive home was silent, but comfortable. Stefan had asked to put a hand on your thigh, to which you smiled and granted him access to. His touch made you warm and fuzzy inside, which was something you would be able to experience again with him.

Stefan got to your house, walking you up the the door.

“I had an amazing time,” you smiled.

“I did, too,” Stefan smiled.

You took his hands in yours, leaning up and pressing a kiss to his lips. He kissed you back for a few moments before you two pulled away for air.

“I’ll call you, uh, later,” you said.

“Alright. I’ll be waiting. Have a good night, Y/n,” Stefan smiled.

You smiled back at him. “I will. See you tomorrow.” You unlocked your door, going inside your house.

“You, too,” Stefan smiled, watching you close the door with a big smile.

You shut the door behind you, putting your back to the door, seeing Elena, Caroline, and Bonnie in your living room.

“So, how was it?” Bonnie asked.

“I think I’m in love.”

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kattahj · 7 years

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Thoughts on The Mortal Instruments, books 3-6

I've now finished reading The Mortal Instruments, and I figured I'd post some rather scattered thoughts on the ones I haven't already written about, because I do have some notes on them lying around.

They're not, in general, very positive thoughts. There's stuff I like (as a school librarian, I've read much worse), but also a whole lot I don't.

Thoughts on City of Glass:

A bit slow, but that seems to be true for all the books. And like a lot of books with POV switches, it has a tendency of stopping a scene whenever it gets interesting and moving over to something more boring, which doesn't really help to keep my interest up.

Since we're now moving into ground that the show by and large hasn't covered yet, it's hard to make direct comparisons.

Simon's imprisonment felt like treading water, just variations on a theme for the most part.

Although, I do think that one reason the book feels slow may be because many of the individual scenes aren't all that well-written. A lot of the time, they feel like infodumps. The emotional bits aren't emotional, and the action bits aren't engaging. I did want to keep reading, but it was more a question of wanting to have read the book, and finding out what'd happen, than wanting to read the actual pages I was on.

I really liked the part with Ithuriel, I hope they incorporate that in the show. It was horrifying and intriguing all at once. (ETA now: They did incorporate it! Yay! Not quite as horrifying on screen, but I don't mind.)

I also hope we see Alicante.

Aldertree is similar in personality but very different in appearance, which made me grin. I'm not over-keen on the way he acts here, though - he feels less politician and more Harry Potter character, if that makes any sense.

First lesbian, yay! Will she die? (ETA: She didn't die! At least not yet - should probably hold off the celebration until I've read the other series'.)

Clary's ability to make new runes is a bit meh, but then, I have an aversion to chosen ones in general. And it's kind of worth it for the Mark of Cain. I hadn't seen that coming (though probably I should have), and it felt more clever and less macguffiny than the other runes.

The scene with Raziel towards the end was engaging and I liked the description of the angel himself, but it also felt kind of hokey. Not least because I didn't believe for a second that Jace would stay dead. Again, the main failure is in the emotional content.

I have to admit, the one thing that did make me misty, was the discussion on Jace's name. That struck me right in my sentimental heart.

Thoughts on City of Fallen Angels:

Two pages in, it turns out that Simon is dating Isabelle and Maia and not telling either about the other. So basically, he's an asshole, and this book is apparently a lesser 80s movie. And then Isabelle loses points by declaring that since she's out of his league, he should have been more readily faithful to her than vice versa. A continued itemized list of "ways the book version of these characters are dicks."

There's also WAY too much time spent on these dating issues, and the preparation for Jocelyn and Luke's wedding, and other quite dull things. Halfway through the book, very little had happened. Although we did get Camille. Who is a white blonde here, which is disappointing, but I still liked her scenes. Especially when she cries blood.

Maureen is also white, but Maureen is a completely different character altogether than she is on the show, so it's not as jarring.

(And yes, I know it's not fair to blame the books for not being like the show in this respect, but there are so MANY characters who are white in the books and not on the show, it's impossible not to notice.)

And I'm not usually one to advocate plot before character moments, but when the character moments don't even say much about the characters... yeah. It feels even more like treading water than the third book.

In fairness, I was going back and forth between this book and "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child", and that one was even more boring. Maybe I'm just easily bored by books right now.

When Jace read "Hic locus est ubi mors gaudet succurrere vitae," I grinned. When I studied to be a librarian, we had lectures in a building where they'd taught anatomy in the 19th century, and that quote was written above the old autopsy room - which just happened to be our lunchroom. So every time we had lunch there, we were reminded of what USED to be going on. :-)

I know that the various photos Alec & Magnus send from their vacation are supposed to be humourous, but I found the thought of Magnus dressing up as caricatures of people from various countries really obnoxious. It's that kind of behaviour that gets tourists a punch in the face. (Or, well, quiet grumbling behind their backs if they're in passive-aggressive Sweden.)

The confrontation with Lilith was badass, I really liked that, and it brought the pacing up a great deal. I'm a bit sad that she was so easily defeated, it would have been better if she'd been brought in earlier and the actual defeat had been delayed a bit. I mean, I know it was all setup for bringing back Sebastian, but still...

Getting all the stuff with demon babies at the same time it happened at the show was a fun coincidence - but then, I guess they're taking stuff from all the books all the time, so it's bound to happen while I'm reading sometimes.

Thoughts on City of Lost Souls

I've had criticism of previous books, but this was the first one that was a downright slog to get through. I kept putting it down and doing other things, it was just so dull! The others took a few days each to read on average, but this one took nearly two weeks. And with all my other complaints pooling up, it was really hard for me to find ANYTHING to like in this book.

Although, I do love the bit where Simon's mom fills the house with religious symbols and won't let him in, as well as the scene where he meets his sister again. That had emotional impact, unlike most of the rest.

I liked Simon with Raziel too. Considering how little I liked Simon in book 4, it's remarkable that he's in all my favourite scenes this book. (Even if he doesn't have much competition.)

Alec's attitude to Magnus's past is every bit as annoying as people say. I know he's just a kid in the books, but Jesus, stop blaming your boyfriend for having LIVED before you.

I can't believe that after I've spent four books pouting that there's not enough Malec, once I *do* get a sizeable chunk of Malec my reaction is, "Ugh, NO." But they can't seem to be in the same room for more than five minutes without having an entirely stupid argument about something or other. And that's before we get into the really gross shit about taking Magnus's immortality. Like, yes, KILL your boyfriend so he won't move on after you're dead, that's a great approach to a relationship.

Think of it this way: If Alec was an Ocampa or something with a lifespan of eight or nine years, and he was trying to bring Magnus's lifespan down to the same length without his knowledge or consent, it'd be BLATANTLY obvious how gross and horrible this is.

In general, I feel that all the time spent on everyone's dating life wouldn't be a problem if it was engaging, and the romances being unengaging wouldn't be a problem if less time was spent on them, but the combination of both is lethal. Maia and Jordan started out kind of okay, though. The whole situation is fucked up, but it's fucked up in a rather credible way, at least. I can understand his perspective, but I also think she needs to run very far away from him and stay away. The real trouble only started when she started to fall for him again, because it felt like neither one of them were at a point where that would work, at all.

The assertion that it takes months to develop Stockholm Syndrome made me go "umm..." since the ACTUAL Norrmalmstorg robbery did not, in fact, take months. :-)

It's hard for me to get engaged in the "Jace is roped into a symbiotic relationship with Sebastian", because I never get a feeling that it's real, that the stakes are real. IDK if I'm convinced everything will turn out okay or if I just don't care enough if it doesn't. The fact that a LOT of time is spent on things like what they have for breakfast and what Clary is wearing doesn't help make the situation seem urgent.

The travelling house leads to more cringe-worthy touristy stuff, as if Magnus's outfits in book 4 weren't enough. The way the cities are treated as just ads in a travel catalogue really bugged me the wrong way.

One thing I've noticed about these books in general is that jokes that are pretty good out of context don't work at all in the books themselves. I think it's because there's hardly ever any sense of setup for them. CC's working from the assumption that any time is a good time for a joke, in the vein of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It didn't always work there, and it usually doesn't work here. The jokes aren't rooted in the emotional content of the scenes (to the extent that the scenes even have emotional content) and they come off as hollow. This wasn't a problem with something like Very Secret Diaries, that were parodies and nothing else, but when the jokes just pop out of nowhere in otherwise serious scenes, it just makes me cringe.

I'm not saying it's impossible to mix serious stuff and humour - hello, Diana Wynne Jones is one of my favourite authors! But it takes more skill than this. Though I did enjoy the bit about Alec being bitten by a gay spider. :-)

Magnus getting Simon's name wrong half a dozen times within a few pages is just annoying. He doesn't do it with anyone else, so it feels like a dig at Simon in particular, except there's nothing going on between them that would explain that kind of antipathy or even apathy.

The notion of Clary being more like Valentine than she'd like to admit might have been interesting, if it hadn't come through Sebastian and been played like the typical good girl/bad boy "you KNOW you're evil deep down" stereotype. I liked the final battle - it's sort of the same situation as with book 4, a great showdown that still feels like too little too late after all the boredom preceding it. I'm not saying I'd have wanted more action early on, but just more engaging scenes in general.

Thoughts on City of Heavenly Fire

Great start, that's a relief after the previous two. Starting off with some action means that we get a sense of the conflict right from the start. And I liked getting to see new characters, even if we don't know them very well yet.

Which meant I felt strangely let down, getting into the first actual chapter and the regular characters. A sigh of "here we go again."

Jace and Clary being forced apart by the heavenly fire can now be added to my list of tiresome and contrived plots to keep the characters pining. At least it's better than frog-eating clones. It reminds me of that virus plot in Dark Angel.

Okay, the Maureen thing is just... I know that she has lost her mind and all, but it gets really weird when she's called a "child" and behaves like a kid of six or seven. Any actual thirteen-year-old would sneer at her.

Emma's handled better, as children go, and I rather enjoyed her whenever she showed up. Though I found it odd that she was a head shorter than the petite Clary at 12, and yet it's said that she'll probably be tall. When I was 12, I had practically stopped growing, and many of the 12-13 year old girls at work are my height. Admittedly, I'm short, but so's Clary supposed to be.

I do like how much more action oriented this book is. I'm not usually one to advocate action over character moments, but the truth is that the author's simply better at that stuff!

When Jordan died, all I felt was, "Yesss, they're not endgame!" but then when Maia and Bat talked about him, I actually teared up. So that might have been one of the most emotionally effective moments in the whole series - over a character I didn't even like.

I did feel that the Maia/Bat thing was a rather haphazard way of making sure she wouldn't be alone, though. It could have used a lot more buildup.

I'm not that interested in Sebastian, but I do look forward to seeing him on the show. He's not so much a good villain as he is a villain with potential. If they do him right (which they might or might not, they can be pretty hit and miss), he could be lots of fun to watch.

I teared up when he/Jonathan died too, go figure. It reminded me of Mio My Son, and what happens to Lord Kato there.

I really like the bits with the seelies, and having to leave Mark behind. In general, this is a pretty well paced story, a pageturner, unlike the previous two. (Are they seelies in the books, or faeries? I read them in Swedish, so it’s hard to know which word to use. I’ll stick with seelies for the moment.)

I did feel that the whole bit in Edom dragged on a little too long, there wasn't enough change between the scenes to make them worthwhile. I don't think this book needed to be 500 pages. In general, I don't think any of these books needed to be as long as they are. Modern book marketing's fondness for doorstopper trilogies (and double trilogies) I guess.

One of the few jokes that works for me: "mad dogs and Nephilim never heeding a warning." Because, yeah. :-)

Taking SImon's immortality - even with his memories - was fairly easygoing for a demon, seeing how he never wanted it in the first place.

The way the Clave treats the Seelies, not to mention poor Helen, is appalling, but utterly realistic and I kind of appreciate it on that account, while still wishing they'd all stfu and stop being such assholes.

The fact that Helen specifically tells Julian not to let the Clave know that Ty is autistic (which I assume is the case from the description) says even more about how freaking warped the Shadowhunter society is in a lot of ways.

This is the first book where I've felt that Malec was well handled, not just in the sense of getting time together, but that I actually enjoyed the scenes they had. Although Alec's reactions to Simon/Izzy are OTT, immature, and annoying.

Emma and Julian deciding to become parabatai, and the obvious hints as to why this is a SUPER BAD IDEA, really brings home how ridiculous it is to permit kids to make that kind of arrangement in the first place. "Yeah, you can't sign a contract, but you can bind yourself irreversibly to another person for life." I know it's too late after 18, but how about making it a rule of thumb to postpone the rite until 17 and a half?

So to sum up the series:

Good action scenes, but surrounded with a lot of unnecessary padding.

Characters unfortunately mostly dicks, and most of their scenes don't evoke enough emotion, though there are some really good exceptions.

Some pretty cool worldbuilding concepts.

Jokes often okay in theory, but fall flat in context.

I've now started on The Bane Chronicles, which unfortunately I don't like at all so far. (It's the touristy thing again.) I've also borrowed Lady Midnight, which, considering that I quite liked Emma in CoHF, I may end up enjoying more.

#the mortal instruments #shadowhunters #city of glass #city of fallen angels #city of lost souls #city of heavenly fire

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