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yuzuka-rei · 4 years

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my last hours: chain of gold review

its practically tradition for me, every time i finish a cassie claire book, i whip open my long abandoned tumblr and yell about characters.

discussion is always welcome but if you’re like SUPER into this book don’t read this you’ll just get mad. also claire dont read this.

my biggest problem with this book is that it doesn’t take enough risks, it sticks to a known successful formula (the infernal devices remains the best shadowhunters series) and what results is a book that is nostalgic, not bad, but not breaking any new ground.

i’ll talk about what i liked first. i loved some of the storylines claire brought up in this book, BUT SHE BARELY EXPANDED ON ANY OF THEM.

you know what would’ve felt fresh and painful? charles fairchild. i want to read about Charles Fairchild, and his ambition, i want to read about his love for Alastair and how all he wishes is for his lover to just understand how much he *wants* to be consul. i want to read about his conflicted affection for Ariadne. i want to sympathise with HIM, because that would be so interesting, similar to what we had with jessamine, but with a man this time. we don’t have to like him, he just has to be interesting.

what i’d also have loved would be more about lucie’s insecurity about being “the second herondale”. tbh, it would’ve been really interesting for her to have turned to the dark but this is a shadowhunters book the moral conflict always comes with the relationships, not the fantasy plot. but anyways what is the DEAL with “the beautiful cordelia” that is the fucking gayest thing i have ever laid eyes on in my entire life. also thats all lucie and cordelia’s relationship is based on, just the fact that lucie writes to cordelia, and it makes it feel so cheap because all cordelia does is think about james. lucie reminds me of dru, the forgotten younger sister, but because dru was not expanded on in tda i think it would’ve been fresh to read about lucie and her insecurity

also: matthew fairchild. right now he feels super repetitive, basically just will herondale again but this time he also fucks boys!! what a CHANGE. will shouldve been able to see his younger self in matthew and help him, so this makes minimal sense. even if we *have* to have this super repetitive plot element, i want to read about matthew and how he is different drunk and sober. i want to see him literally fail his friends and risk their lives, multiple times, because he is too drunk to do shit. i want to see him sober, suddenly so uncharming and pitiful. also i fucking want to see hints that he’s in love with cordelia. yes there are “hints”, but this “love” feels really cheap as well. basically so many of the relationships in cog feel super cheap because you’re supposed to believe that matthew falls in love with cordelia because of like three interactions. (although a parallel to this would be cristina and mark, who also didn’t have that much interaction before they fell in love, but mark was so broken and cristina is literally the sweetest, that made more sense. matthew and cordelia?? kinda a cheap play esp considering how will and jem were also parabatai)

WRITE MORE ABOUT ALASTAIR. matthew seems way too put together and a “tragic romantic figure” in this book to make us Really see alastair as someone who should be hated. i want to HATE alastair but at the same time feel so much pity and pride for him. i know claire tried to make us dislike him but didnt work lol

oh i also loved the merry thieves i LOVE their friendship please give me more of that sweet sweet friendship juice. now this sort of marauders (im sorry im such a big marauders fan) brotherhood is something i haven’t seen from claire before and id love to read more about it

NOW I SCREAM ABOUT WHAT I DISLIKED

1, james fucking herondale. he is the most blandly and poorly written “male lead” in a claire book i’ve read for a long time. i’m all for reading about very stupid boys who are stupid about girls but the whole wild shift between grace and cordelia makes him seem like trash even with the bracelet influence. i disliked julian (i literally forgot his name and had to search it up), but julian’s fierce devotion to his family was interesting and grounded him. james is just ?? i guess he has the ability to go to the shadow realm?? like ngl i know nothing about his character and tbh i dont want to know more.

2, cordelia. carstairs. who is basically if you scrambled clary and emma together and added a pinch of cristina. she’s not a BAD character, and since we’re supposed to see her as the “self insert” (i assume), her being a bit bland was probably intended. but this IS like... the fourth shadowhunter series. can we get a female character who is the hot troubled one instead?? i want HER to be the one with the tragic terrible secret, i want her to lash out and go drinking and push everyone away. cordelia in this book exists to love and protect james, and that makes her... even more boring than clary, who you know at least had her own strong agenda instead of this “oh i have to save my father wait hes a drunk” arc

3, matthew fairchild is basically just will herondale if he were less in love with his parabatai and more gay coded (oscar wilde?? waistcoats?? really???) . i wish he were written as a proper casanova, seen dating a different girl or boy every scene because then it would Hurt to see cordelia dismiss his feelings because of his behaviour. tbh i just,,, like matthew fairchild but hes so similar to will it hurts that his potential is being squandered.

4, this book just feels like tid but the side characters are like the tda ones.

5, anna lightwood is basically magnus bane and i hate it but i love it

6, tbh most of the romances weren’t heart wrenching. cordelia having to marry james as an alibi was the only cool thing out of this book and even that was a bit odd. alastair being charles’ secret lover was Pretty out of the blue and that hurt but he literally left the relationship after one scene?? thats not realistic?? i want alastair to fall back into old habits, then try to leave again, then fall back again, then leave for Good. all of these romances are so whirlwild and mean so little, and they probably seem really cool to a 14 year old child but now they just feel... childish and stupid. TDA may have spoilt me for well built relationships, as much as i dislike emma and julian, their romance made SENSE. kit and ty? had feelings development. kieran and mark had their whole “we had to love each other to survive but now we don’t have to now what” struggle that was well laid out anyways.

BASICALLY, THE CHARACTERS IN THIS BOOK WERE WRITTEN TO BE IMMATURE, SHELTERED 17 YEAR OLDS AND IT’S UNSURPRISINGLY BORING TO READ

also: if jesse blackthorn, a dear character in our hearts, showed love towards his mother, she would feel more three dimensional but alas sakjfh

#chain of gold #the last hours

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crimziedrawings · 5 years

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Queen Part 1

The L.A Institute was packed with as much chaos and excitement one would expect of when a wedding was taking place. Emma, Cristina, and Diana were running around making sure everything was perfect and ready. Kit and Ty had given all three of them equal responsibility to plan their wedding, after days of being questioned about what kinds of flowers they were thinking about having. Honestly, they couldn't care less. They decided to have a more mundane wedding, as Kit was more accustomed to those traditions than to the Shadowhunters'. He hoped Diana would be able to input mundane things into the wedding, as she had lived most of her life with them. Ty preferred to have the wedding at the Institute since he felt more comfortable doing so at home where most of his memories happened, especially memories of Kit and Livvy. Ty went through his moments where he realized his twin sister wouldn't get to be there, she wouldn't get to see him marry the love of his life and hug him and laugh with him when they see Kit drunk on the dance floor. Sometimes, he doesn't want to go on, not when it felt wrong, not when Livvy should be there. But one look at Kit and he knows he can't wait any longer.

Kit paced in his room, rolling his shoulders to help ease the nerves he feels. He shouldn't feel nervous. He knows what to do, and he knows he's ready. But he just can't shake off the feeling. He looks out the window to the dunes, where the ceremony will take place, and sees Emma screaming at a man, his face red as he straightened a row of chairs. Kit let out a low chuckle, running his fingers through his hair.

"Don't do that, you're gonna mess it all up," a voice drawled from the door.

Kit whipped around to see Ash, leaning against the door frame, dressed nicely in a black tux, his white collar open and devoid of a tie or a bowtie. His tux had a line of gold around the wrist and his cufflinks were gold as well. His pale blond hair was a bit mussed, but the curls at the end gave it a more elegant look, combined with a circlet of gold that rested atop his head. He had a black earring in his right ear and a small tattoo underneath his left. His green eyes were sharp and bright against his paleness and currently they were grazing over Kit.

"Ash," Kit breathed, stepping away from the window. "About time you showed up,"

"I had a tiny, little errand to do," Ash said, pushing off the doorframe. He walked in fully, closing the door behind him before walking to Kit. "But I'm here now,"

Kit embraced Ash in a hug, clapping his back as he did so. Years ago, Ash came into their lives. After all the blood, the fight with Janus and the Seelie Queen, Ash decided to stay with the Blackthorns. Kit had kept in touch with some of the Blackthorns, and when the war came, Jem and Tessa thought it best that he stay in L.A. He hated the idea of separating from his family, especially Mina, who was with a "trusted friend." Now he was fine with it, grateful, even, because he got to reconnect with Ty. And now, they were getting married. Ash and Kit became good friends, best friends, one might say, until Ash left the Institute. Despite his absence, he never went out of touch. He and Kit talked on the phone, even facetimed each other. Kit would never give up the mundane technology. For three years, they had no idea where Ash lived. But when he turned seventeen, he got his own place in L.A. near the Institute, so he continued to visit on a regular basis, but he never stayed longer than a day. Ash never gave a reason for his unexpected disappearance, but Kit suspected it had something to do with Dru.

A year after Ash joined the L.A Institute, he and Dru dated. It was only for a few months, but Ash fell hard for her. He was undeniably happy around Dru, anyone could see that, but Dru's feelings didn't quite match his. Even so, she was still happy with him. They held hands, they sneaked small kisses behind Julian's and Mark's back whenever they could. There was nothing to indicate that there was even the smallest bit of unhappiness in their relationship, which confused everyone when Dru suddenly called it off. Kit didn't see much of Ash after that. He holed himself in his room, rarely coming out in hopes of avoiding Dru. Kit tried to get him to talk by asking what happened or if he had a hint as to why Dru broke up with him. He only muttered a stern "I don't want to talk about it" before turning his back to Kit. No one bothered to ask Dru about it, respecting her decisions.

Ash pulled back, patting Kit's shoulder before taking a step back. Up close, Kit could see a small purple mark just beneath Ash's collar. A hickey.

"I'm guessing your errand had something to do with that?" Kit asked, narrowing his eyes on Ash's hickey.

Ash only gave a sheepish smile and a wink before turning to look at the pictures Kit had on the wall. He trailed along the length of it, pausing only to give a small comment here and there. He laughed when he saw a picture of Tavvy, nine years old and wearing his underwear on the outside of his pants. He had a blanket tied around his neck and Mark was flapping it, like a cape in the wind. "Man, I missed that kid," he sighed, moving to the next picture.

"He missed you too," Kit said, walking up to Ash. "We all do,"

"Right," Ash replied flatly, as his eyes rested on a picture of Dru, laughing and covered in flour while Emma stood next to her smiling. "All of you do,"

Kit followed his gaze, smiling himself as he remembered the day. Emma and Dru decided to make cupcakes for Julian's birthday, and Emma struggled to open the bag of flour and used all her strength before the seal finally gave in and opened, causing flour to go everywhere. He stared at Dru, his own heart swelling with love for her. Their friendship was nothing like Kit had ever experienced before and Kit was so ready to call her his sister. He gave a brief look at Ash, seeing his face distant and his body stance rigid. He wondered when the last time he and Dru have actually spoken to each other, if they did at all since he started coming by again. That was what prompted him to ask, "Are you going to be okay?"

Ash blinked twice before answering, "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"Because Dru's going to be there?"

"So?" Ash sneered.

"And she'll be looking nice," Kit said. "Very, very nice,"

"She means nothing to me," Ash snapped, turning away from the wall.

"Ash-"

"I gotta use the bathroom before this thing starts. I'll see you down there," Ash grumbled before slamming the door shut behind him.

Kit only shook out his arms, preparing himself. He closed his eyes tightly, rubbing his hands over his face. He wasn't going to let Ash's bad mood get to him. Despite the dread for the tension he knows will soon be coming, he readies himself as he thinks of Ty and how in less than ten minutes, they will be getting married. Kit snapped his eyes open. "I'm ready,"

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tomirishia-sha · 5 years

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the russian localisation omg

i'm kazakh, i usually speak my language. But the games usually aren't translated in it, so we all have to buy games that are russian localized. It's not that i hate russians or something like that, no D: !! I will be talking about THE SIMS 2 LOCALIZATION, and why you shouldn't TRANSLATE THE NAMES.

this is my personal opinion, uwu

at first let's begin with neighbourhood names.

1)Plesantview - Novosel'sk. It sounds like a village name to me tbh. It doesn't translate as pleasant, but at the same time i wouldn't want to see PriyatniyVid (which is how it roughly translates).

It comes from the word Novosel'e, which translates to housewarming party.

2) Strangetown - Kitejgrad.

Kitej-grad is, according to the legends, a drowned town. It was drowned in the lake Svetliy Yar. It is said you could see the town at sunset.

i have zero ideas why it was used. strangetown is a dessert, so it's ironic. i guess.

3) Veronaville - Verona.

The russian localization translated veronaville and it's residents like in Romeo and Juliet. For example, the Capps are Capulet (Capuleti in russian) like in the play.

By the base game nhoods, I hope, you understood me.

Now, onto the characters.

THE PART WHERE I BEGIN SCREAMING OUT OF LAUGHTER AND CONFUSION..

The Pleasants, are Novosel'skih (Mary-Sue, Angela and Daniel stayed that way, but Lilith is Liliya, which means Lily. LILY.)

Caliente are Gongadze

Burbs are Barbo

The Beakers are Colbi (Circe is Freya in description, and Circeya in game.)

Specter is Necronomicon (Olive here is Gertrude Necronomicon, it sounds better in my opinion tbh)

Curious are Vseznaiko, which translates to know-it-all, but done in that way, to sound like a last name. The word is actually vseznaika.

Kevin Beare is Leonardo Beare

Britney Upsnott is Britney Upshott

Heather Huffington is Barbara Huffington(Which is the reason i call her Barbara sometimes, as a mistake)

Jane Stacks is Cleopatra Stacks

William Williamson is Julian Williamson

Klara Vonderstein is Emma Von Der Stein

Blossom Moonbeam is Ramon Moonbeam (like, why do you just change the names for no reason?)

Dirk Dreamer is Gans Dreamer.

Roths are Saint-Eclaires.

Morty is Tortimer (which is literally CAKE (Tort))

John Mole is John Bont

Jasmine Rai is Jorjette Rai

Zoe Zimmerman is Gulya Cimmerman

Feel free to add to the list, russian simmers

And so, as a conclusion, I want to say, while it's cool to see the differences in the localization, it should also have a reason, like why kevin suddenly turned into a leonardo.

I have a love/hate relationship with this lmao.

#the sims 2 #my ramblings #russian localization

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livcosmos · 5 years

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Lord of Shadows booktalk

I finished Lord of Shadows about 6 weeks ago but I didn't had the time to write this review but as the memory of it is still fresh in my mind and I have the time now let's get started. I think it is not necessary to mention how much I loved this book because it is obvious but I am going to say it anyway IT WAS AMAZING AND I LOVED IT. Thank you, dear Cassandra Clare, for giving us such wonderful pieces of pure gold. ( I am going to start Queen of Air and Darkness today and I am more than excited ahha I am going to see Julian again I can't wait.)

SPOILER ALERT

Alright so let’s start with my favorite thing, the London Institute as I said in the Lady Midnight review where I had the feeling that they were going to London, I wasn't ready it is way too much for me. I am not recovered from the Infernal Devices and beeing in London again seeing Jasmine oh God I cried so much when Jasmine was talking to Kit and when Emma was sleeping in that Carstairs room and saw the Initials on the wall and found those photos it was just too much I was crying like a baby once again. Ah and Bridget it is the same Bridget from the Infernal Devices how is that possible what does this woman eat??? Why is she still alive and not Will, Sophie or Charlotte??? Anyway so I was very emotional while they were at the London Institute but I enjoyed beeing back even if it hurt. Ah and I forgot the poetry book that Kit found with James’ Initials on them how sweet was that. I don't know everything related to the TID really gets me. But to move on let's go back to the beginning, with the Emma and Mark thing it wasn't as bad as I thought it will be. It was so incredibly sad when we got to know that after Mark said that thing with “Why just pretend?” and they kissed but Emma started to cry ah that was so sad. And I liked how their friendship developed how they have become each other's best friends and they were talking to each other into the night. And I also must say I am really glad that Christina knew the truth about them, that they aren’t really together. AH, and it was also kind of funny how Mark tried to be Emma's boyfriend in front of the others he was acting so weird. But poor Jules didn't thought it was that funny and he suffered, but I am glad that things cleared out in the end and that Emma told him the truth and that they talked about the problem that was the best thing they could to they should have done it earlier. And so the problem is now very big and very serious they CAN NOT THEY CAN ABSOLUTLEY NOT break all the Parabatai bounds they just can't it's not right. I mean Clary and Simon Jace and Alec and don't get me started about the Parabatais of all ParabataiJem and Will, what will Jem say they can not do that to him. In honor on Jem and Will, they can't do that. of course, I want Jules and Emma to be together but they can't break all the bounds. And anyway I hope that after Jules and Emma aren't Parabatai anymore... I hope Christina and Emma will become Parabatai I don't know these are all hopes I know there are not going to become reality because it will be too good to be true. But I am so glad that they talked to Magnus about their problem (and can we just talk a second about how Magnus has walked in on all, Will and Tessa, Jace and Clary, and now Julian and Emma ... there is only Jem and Tessa missing and it would be all complete, the poor guy has seen everything you could say) and I was so happy when they had the idea with Robert and the exile but we all knew that it was too good to be true it would have been too great if that would have happened. And I knew something was going to happen with Robert I knew it and ahhhahah it is so sad because I started to like Robert he was on a good way his relationship with Alec was good and after he became a grandpa I started to like him. Poor Izzy and Alec I don't even want to know how much they are suffering. Robert was Emma’s and Julian’s only hope that is now gone. And to make things worse the Inquisitor post is now free how is going to take it I have a very bad feeling about it. I just hate it when characters survive their series but die in another you just don't do that it is awful. That we started to talk about deaths, lets move on with Livvy....aaaa poor sweet Livvy I really liked her she was so cool and I shipped her with Kit even if that wasn’t a thing anymore very quickly but I was so sad when she died and I don't want to now how Julian feels, how devastated he is and how he will react and behave I am so scared. And Ty poor Ty she was his twin it is so sad and I am so afraid. Oh goodness and Jace’s and Clary’s appearance in the beginning, I loved how Jce was there for Kit and I am always happy to see him and Clary but I could take Clary’s story with her dream where she dies I just couldn't take it so I googled and I am happy that everything is going to be just fine but I must say Clary is so incredibly brave how she wanted to face death so bravely I admire her so much. And I am very interested in the Thule story and what is the thing with it. Is Thule maybe the place where Dru went when she touched Jamie’s weapon (side note I kind of liked Jamie I want to see more of him but I don't ship him with Dru), was the boy she met there maybe Sebastian’s evil son? If you ask me I think it was him, I am very curious to find out but that scene with Dru was scary I have to say. Alright so if we touched the Jamie topic lets move on with his brother Diego I was so mad at him and I loved how Emma got her revenge without touching him it was so funny but know we know better and I must say I HATE ZARA I HATE HER SO MUCH excuse me for what I am going to say but she is such a bitch, ah and her father I hope he is not going to be the Inquisitor please don’t let him be the new Inquisitor please. Ah and the Cohort are those people crazy are they out of their minds??? And what is happening with the warlocks what makes them sick this can't be good does it has something to do with the black book or that Unseelie king? The whole no runes and no seraph blades thing freaks me out anyway and now the warlocks are sick oh it's going to be bad its all going to be so so bad. I mean if Magnus were there with Annabell she would have gone crazy and Livvy and Robert would be alive now but no... And what do you mean Tessa is sick I cried again when I heard that I don't want her to be sick no just no. I know I am jumping up and down on the scenes but I write everything down as it comes into my mind. So I was happy to see John, Simon’s “friend” from the Academy but I was so so sad when he died poor Marisol I feel so sorry for her and I am sure Simon is also sad. Let’s quickly talk about Diana, I am so glad that we found out she was hiding and that it wasn't anything bad, her story was so emotional and I have to say I ship her and Gwyn I want them to be together. I also liked Gwyn, I liked that we got to see the human side of him, it was very nice. And Catherina omg she is so so kind, this woman not only helpt that lost Herondale she also helped Diana and she took care of Simon while he was at the Academie, she is such a kind and loving person I love her. Now it is time to talk about the trip to faerie land ah so for the beginning if I didn't mention it before, I love Christina she is awesome and the power of her necklace is so cool I definitely want to know more about the Rosales family and their relationship with the faeries. But why on earth didn't they stay together in faerie land I mean I thought the necklace workes if you stay near her why were they all running around by themself there, Julian, Emma, and Christina then went with Mark to that Faerie party like have you all lost you. minds? How those the faerie time thing wor anyway? And Christina and Mark danced at that party and I almost lost my mind like you don't dance at faerie parties it is too dangerous because you could dance till you die and another thing that everyone knows DONT DRINK OR EAT ANYTHING from a faerie because you will be stuck there in faerie land and what does Christina, of course, she drinks something I would have never thought that she would do something like this because Christina isn’t like that but anyway I am glad nothing too bad happened and I am glad for the kiss between Christina and Mark because I ship them. So and Kieran I don't know what to say about him because now I am not sure anymore of what I should think of him because as you r=might remember I hated him because of what he has done to Emma and Jules but now in this book he was kind of nice, I don't know we will see what is going to happen. To move on, we can talk about Emma and Julian now so first of all when they were there at the gate to faerie land and that faerie wanted a special object from all of them and Emma had to give him her Stele, the Stele that Jace gave her I was screaming I dint want her to loose that Stele it was so important for her and you don't give up a gift from Jace but anyway there is no going back it is very unlikely to get that Stele back. Alright but one of my favorite parts where when there were all sleeping there on the grass and Emma and Julian fell asleep with a lot of distance between them but when they woke up they were holding hands, that is so sweet I cried when iI read that I don't know why it was so emotional. Ah and another acne that I loved was the scene on the train with Jules and Emma where Emma was like “Draw me like one of you frech girls” and Julian was like “you know I hate that movie” and she said “ the first time you saw Titanic you cried”, that scene was so adorable and funny, I loved it.Oh my God, that scene where the Seelie Queen wanted to see Julian come one that woman is so shady you can’t trust her and I was screaming at Julian not to listen to what she was saying I was begging him to go away from her but he wouldn’t listen. I hate her even more than Zara she freaks me out so much. And with her glass bowl thing hjsadhaskjh she is so manipulative. That glass bowl freaks me out so much she must be watching them all the time with that thing. And please they can't give her the black book Imean yes they don’t have a choice but it’s not going to bee good if they give it to her yes the Cold Peace will end but she could start a war. YOU CAN NEVER TRUST A FAERIE ESPACIALL NOT THEIR EVIL QUEEN. And when Emma was batteling with that faerie and saw that it “was her dad” what was her problem she knew they were on faerie land and that everything there is shady and ahahaha she knew it wasn’t him but still she couldn’t fight. Ah, and Arthur lets talk about how underrated he is I felt so sorry for him dying it was so sad I mean he has no fault for his mind and he died so brutally. And that Annabel I hate her too, I mean I can understand why she was so angry with Malcolm and why she killed him and I can also understand why she freaked out at the consul meeting but there is no justification for her actions. And anyway what is the deal with her and the Unseelie king and she still has the black book and the Unseelie king took her so that means the king has the book now and that means no good oh God that also means that the Seelie Queen will be very angry oh godness I think things are going to be very bad.Now I am asking is there some sort of deal between the King and Annabell what is happening? And the Mortal Sword is now gone, Cortana broke it does that mean that the Clave will take Cortana away from Emma to use it as the mortal Sword because Cortana absorbs power? Is Cortana the new Mortal Sword? Cortana is very powerful and if it gets `in the wrong hands then there is going to be more trouble than it is going to be anyway. And I almost forgot to say something about that anonymous green warlock who helped Ty, Kit, and Livvy at the Shadow Market, I am pretty sure that that warlock is Ragnor Fell and I am not sure what to think of it.

So all in all as I said this book was amazing I loved it and I am excited for the next one. But I must say that I liked Lady Midnight bit more, of course, it was great but Lady Midnight felt a 100% right and Lord of shadows only 99%. Alright that's it for this review than’s for reading! Bye

#the dark artifices #lord of shadows #lady midnight #the infernal devices #the mortal instruments #tda #tid #tmi #JULIAN BLACKTHORN #emma carstairs #jem carstairs #will herondale #tessa gray #clary fairchild #Jace Herondale #in love

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ourintertwiningstars · 6 years

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Queen of Air and Darkness (Spoilery) Thoughts

I read the whole damn book, and the entire shadowhunters saga before it. that’s the background i have before i go off below.

SPOILERS BELOW

1) I really, really like how, in this book, Julian *earned* the “ruthless” and “calculating” persona that the author and the narrative always seemed to apply to him in the trilogy. I’ve always loved the idea of portraying someone who could be fundamentally kind-hearted and sweet while capable of being cunning and duplicitous. The author in the past referenced how Emma’s more straight-forward character versus Julian’s reliance on schemes reflect the opposite traits their genders are usually associated with, but the books used to always put this on Emma’s shoulders to be the next “Jace” (alpha leader and warrior) rather than really show us a Julian who is sweet to his family, but more than willing to do insane things with trickery rather than flashy swords. This book changed that, and I’m glad although I wasn’t a fan of a lot of his decisions this book. I definitely felt like at the least, whatever I thought of him, he had *earned* the reputation the narrative and author placed on him. There aren’t many male characters in fiction with as sophisticated in role as Julian (Jace, as great as he is, is definitely a stereotype, as is Simon). The closest parallel I can come to is Peeta, but Julian is definitely distinct in his style as a character.

2) I did not see the AU thing coming. At all. It wasn’t a shocker so much as a “what?” I really liked the idea of the main characters wandering in and interacting with a fictional alternate universe, as well as the characters talking with alternate versions of the people they knew. I think it was 100% intentional that Clary died at the Battle of the Burren and not later in the narrative of the Mortal Instruments, because it is pretty clear in this book and in the TMI series that Sebastian would have forced Clary to be completely *his* if he won while she was alive. The author made the smart bet that Clary is better off dead without that happening to her than keeping her alive in the alternate universe, and putting her in that situation where she would have become Endarkened and/or Sebastian’s “queen.” Not just better off because of the plot persay, but better off because that would be sadistic as a writer to do upon the narrative, and the alternate universe is already plenty sadistic without adding that element in.

3) I’m really, really curious about Thule!Jace. If Sebastian is dead, is he himself again? How much of himself can he be after being a killer for many years, and an aid to the apocalypse? Also, Julian killing Thule!Julian to save Thule!Livia was...wow. It definitely mirrored Achilles killing Hector while Hector was wearing Achilles’ former armor, making it seem like Achilles was killing himself (and he was). I definitely wish that was played on, or used as a subtle hint of foreshadowing. It was just a metaphor, which is fine, but I would have liked to see the implications of it dissected more.

4) I’m not the author, but something I felt very strongly about was that Livia should not appear in the books after her death. Not as a ghost, not in an alternate universe. Thule!Livia was really cool, and I get the point that the author was trying to make-she got to be the chosen one in the alternate universe as recompense for being murdered in the real world-but I think it’s really problematic to be like “death can’t be messed with” and then have said dead character pop up every two minutes. Real death isn’t like that. Nobody is going to see their loved ones again until after death, not as a ghost, not as a alternate universe anything. Pulling that kind of move comes off as fan-service, and cheapens the death of Livia. If the point is to make Livia’s death heart-breaking and tragic-because it is-than the narrative needs to commit to the fact that she is dead. No pop-up visits, no alternate version of her, nothing. At best maybe, a vision of the past or what could have been but not this. Also, Ty was being stupid, and he was being so stupid that I think the narrative wanted to make him stupid more than I believed he actually was that stupid. If you’re going to have someone go the whole “i’m gonna bring my loved one back from the dead,” you gotta go all the way Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, or don’t bother. That manga *earned* the story it got out of that narrative, and this one was a weak echo.

5) A lot of this book felt like set-up for the Wicked Powers more than it felt like specifically part of this trilogy. This was true of City of Heavenly Fire, and this wasn’t as bad, but it was annoying. Annabelle, for all her glory on the cover and the namesake of the book, is barely a factor in the plot’s narrative. She gets killed off with little repercussion or discussion, and Horace is swiftly disposed of. Which, fine, but you have to earn that. That wasn’t earned in the narrative. Dane and Samantha Larkspears’ deaths were well-done and haunting in their own ways.

6) I think Zara and Manuel are gonna be the villains of the Wicked Powers, which I am very much looked forward to seeing that dynamic play out.

7) Christina’s polyamorous relationship felt...tacked in. The build-up for her and Kieran to have feelings for each other literally was only in this book. It’s not that such a dynamic is impossible to pull off, it just felt very apparent that this was shoe-horned in the last book instead of naturally developing. Mark and Kieran, I buy. Mark and Christina, I buy. Kieran and Christina? Eh. I will, but I’m not entirely sold if that was a natural progression of the narrative or a demand of the narrative on them.

8) I love Clary and Jace in this book. The roles felt clear and I could see them as themselves. Simon and Isabelle got drastically cut-they’re barely cameos-while Alec and Magnus are supporting characters throughout the trilogy.

9) Ash is interesting. I genuinely don’t know how that dynamic will play out. I really hope he’s not another Evil Morgenstern bc...we’ve got enough of those. I don’t mind mysterious/grey, but he better not be the Villain of the next trilogy. That said, I wanna see where his character goes because he clearly is not fitting into any boxes of savior/victim. Tbh, there’s no reason he should have wings at all.

10) Diego got a really hot scar across his face that screams “I watched the Force Awakens.” Which is fine, because I can appreciate dramatic scars across the face. Additionally, there are such strong Hamilton references in this book that as I read it, I literally thought to myself “and the author discovered Hamilton while writing this book.”

11) Horace got disposed of so quickly in the overall saga that it’s annoying that he got built up so high by the narrative. He barely lasted two books before getting neatly killed off.

12) I honestly feel like the author kinda moved on from doing a series on a supernatural universe with all sorta of creatures to fixating on faeries. The last 4 books in the Shadowhunters saga have focused primarily on the faeries, with background attention to other creatures.

13) I want the world for Dru. Really. She’s the character I’m the most excited to see in the Wicked Powers.

#qoaad spoilers #qoaad #tda #the dark artifices

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iheartmilfs42069 · 7 years

Text

On Kierark, Toxic Relationships, and Fetishization

I am honestly alarmed by how many people ship Kierark (not to mention Kierarktina). Tumblr prides itself on being “woke,” and yet it’s a rare blog that DOESN’T ship them. But why? It’s toxic and unhealthy. Why is it that so many people don’t see it? Well, today I’m going to outline all the reasons why this ship is messy and abusive.

Let’s start with the first place we see them: “Bitter of Tongue,” one of the Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy novels. Granted, we don’t see much of them and it makes sense for Kieran to seem unfriendly around a Shadowhunter (or rather, a Shadowhunter-in-training). But then we get this observation from Simon, “[He] could not tell if the tight grasp of Kieran’s hand was affectionate, anxiety, or a wish to imprison.” First lesson in witnessing abuse: if it looks like abuse, it’s probably abuse. Also, why would that suggestion even be there if it wasn’t a very real possibility? Sure, this seems a bit flimsy, but it’s reinforced by what we then see in The Dark Artifices.

Let’s move on to Lady Midnight: The very first interaction we see Mark and Kieran have is when Kieran leaves him a note in an acorn saying, “Remember, none of it is real.” He knows Mark is in a fragile state of mind and he knows how much Mark has missed his family. And what is his response? Tell him it’s not real! That is a classic example of gaslighting. And we immediately see the impact it has, as Mark believes it and has a set back.

The next significant moment is when Mark, Emma, Julian, and Cristina go to the Lottery and Kieran follows and meets Mark in the coat closet. He spends the entire time guilting Mark for doing THE VERY THING MARK WAS SENT THERE TO DO. He’s mad Mark is spending time with his family and trying to solve the murders, even though he knows Mark only has a limited amount of time to do so. Mark immediately turns apologetic, EVEN THOUGH HE DID NOTHING WRONG. This is a manipulation of Mark’s emotions and further gaslighting.

Shortly after, Kieran spies on Mark and Cristina and gets jealous that they’re literally just having a conversation. The second he gets a chance to do something (Mark letting a faerie secret slip), he immediately sells Mark out. This is fucked up for two reasons: 1. Kieran reveals he thought Gwyn would force him to return to the Wild Hunt (and thus, Kieran). This is incredibly selfish and completely takes away Mark’s choice. If Kieran cared about what Mark wanted, he wouldn’t have tried to take away his choice. Even Julian, who would do ANYTHING to keep his family together, doesn’t do that. Kieran only thought about what HE wanted and fuck whether or not that’s what Mark wanted to (remember, at this point, no one knows what Mark will choose). 2. HE SOLD OUT THE BOY HE SUPPOSEDLY LOVES KNOWING THERE WOULD BE SOME KIND OF PUNISHMENT. We know, given that Kieran admits it and faeries can’t lie, that his only goal was to get Mark back. He didn’t give a shit about Gwyn’s secret being slipped. It was just a convenient turn of events. HE SOLD MARK OUT FOR ENTIRELY SELFISH REASONS. In doing so, he betrayed his selfishness and Mark’s trust.

And then, of course, there’s the infamous whipping scene. When Julian volunteers, Kieran ACTUALLY AGREES TO THIS. Defenders say he doesn’t view family the same way, so he wouldn’t understand that this was wrong. BUT, faeries know what family means to Shadowhunters and, more importantly, Kieran knows damn well what Mark’s family means to him.Therefore, THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR THIS. He doesn’t even feel guilty for what happens; he’s just upset Mark no longer trusts him and even hates him (I’ll provide more proof of this later).

Parallel to this, another pattern emerges: Kieran supports Mark’s insistence that he’s a Shadowhunter until other Shadowhunters are around. Then suddenly, he’s only a faerie. This has a very possessive air to it; Mark can only embrace his Shadowhunter side when it doesn’t threaten Kieran’s claim on him.

And now we get to Lord of Shadows: The first we hear of Kieran, we discover he has murdered Iarlath for whipping Emma and Julian (very clearly to try and win Mark back over). At first glance, it seems that he’s trying to make reparations. But, consider this: Iarlanth would never have whipped Emma and Julian had Kieran not sold Mark out. He still isn’t taking responsibility for his part in that day, showing he doesn’t really feel guilty (here’s that proof I promised). He’s just upset he doesn’t have Mark anymore.

But, let’s be fair, Mark does something alarming here too: his first instinct upon finding out Kieran is going to be executed is to refused to help him. He says he knew Gwyn wouldn’t let it happen, but then Gwyn never even shows up to the rescue. Perhaps, maybe, he didn’t really believe Gwyn would save Kieran. You want one half of your ship leaving the other one to die? Okay, then. And then, Mark only goes when Zara calls his honor into question the same way Gwyn did when he refused to help. HE’S DOING IT TO PROVE HE HAS HONOR. In what world is that a good thing in a relationship?

After the rescue, we come to the point where Kieran agrees to speak before the Clave and must swear fealty to someone. He swears fealty to Cristina and ACTUALLY TELLS MARK HE DID IT TO SPITE HIM. Even when he doesn’t remember witnessing Mark and Cristina getting close, he STILL pulls this shit. (Now would also be a good time to point out that losing one’s memories does not equal character development or redemption. If he does’t remember what he did, he can’t redeem himself from it. It also begs the question: why remove his memories in the first place? The Unseelie King didn’t know anyone was coming to rescue Kieran (let alone his ex), so what was the point? To try and trick us into thinking Kieran is having character development? Well, it didn’t work.)

Okay, let’s call Mark out for something again: he lies to Kieran about the break up so he will help him. While Mark had legitimate reason to not trust Kieran and it was for a very good cause, this is still a messed up thing to do. And it’s certainly not the kind of thing healthy relationships are built on.

Next, let’s get to the sex dream scene. First of all, it should be noted that, even when Kieran is making Mark have a sex dream about him, Mark is still thinking about Cristina. That’s telling, to say the least. But let’s get to the real issue with this: Mark tells us that Kieran used to do this for him in the Hunt, “but this time was different.” BUT THIS TIME WAS DIFFERENT. But what’s difference between those times and this one? Easy, Mark wanted it those other times, but not this time. KIERAN FORCED A NON-CONSENSUAL SEX DREAM ON MARK. No, this is not technically rape. But Kieran had zero consent and Mark clearly felt less-than-good about it. This is a VIOLATION. THIS IS NOT OKAY. Even if, as some people have said, Mark is the one who made it sexual, Kieran was still the one awake and in control of the dream. He knows Mark is asleep and therefore cannot consent. Either way, THIS IS A NON-CONSENSUAL VIOLATION.

Speaking of things that are not okay, Mark tells us something else about he and Kieran’s Wild Hunt days. They used to have terrible screaming fights. If this wasn’t unhealthy enough, we find out none of them were ever resolved because they just devolved into (presumably) sex. They had terrible, horrible fights that they NEVER RESOLVED. This is so very clearly toxic I can’t believe anyone can overlook this.

Remember when I said Kieran doesn’t care about what Mark wants? I have more evidence of that. Mark tells Kieran he’s not sure about their relationship anymore and asks for some time and space. And what does Kieran give him? Not time and space, that’s for sure! Yes, they’re both stuck in the Institute, but it’s really not hard to avoid someone in an Institute. This was Kieran once again ignoring Mark’s wishes and doing whatever the fuck he wants. At the very least, this is disrespect. At the very worst... well, would you want your significant other to do this shit?

“But they can’t keep their hands off each other when they’re together!!!” Hate to break it to you but PHYSICAL ATTRACTION DOES NOT MEAN THE RELATIONSHIP IS HEALTHY OR NON-TOXIC. People are attracted to people who are bad for them or who treat them badly ALL THE TIME. It is no where NEAR enough to base an entire relationship on, especially when it’s so unhealthy in so many other ways.

And all this brings me back to my original question: why do so many people still ship this? If it was a guy doing this to a girl, you’d all be up in arms. Not only that, but you claim you want good same-sex rep and yet ship things like this. Newsflash: same-sex relationships can be abusive, unhealthy, and toxic. They aren’t automatically perfect by virtue of being same-sex (and before you make any assumptions (as Tumblr is wont to do), I am a lesbian).

I can only come to one conclusion: you don’t really care about same-sex rep at all. You just have a fetish for white M/M relationships. And that pisses me the hell off. If you cared about same-sex rep, you would ALWAYS call it out when it’s unhealthy. (And no, I don’t think that was the point Cassie was trying to make, as she seems pretty hung up on them. But I think it’s clear she shares your fetish because we have countless Malec stories (of course, Magnus is Indonesian, but it’s still M/M) and keep getting Kierark content, but no Haline content. Interesting.) I am absolutely disgusted with “fake woke” Tumblr, only caring about things when it doesn’t interfere with their ships. Honestly, if you can read this whole thing and STILL feel okay with shipping Kierark, don’t call yourself an ally. You’re not. You just fetishize the M/M experience.

I have the terrible feeling that Cassie is not only going to go through with Kierark, but force Kierarktina down our throats. But I will never stop being vocal about how toxic, unhealthy, and abusive this ship is. I hope I’ve woken some of you up to the reality of this ship (remember, everything I listed was CANON FACT), but I won’t hold my breath.

UPDATE: So, I finished QOAAD and I have some additional comments. I’m not saying Cassie read my post and decided to retcon all these issues (for all I know, QOAAD was finished before I wrote this post). What I AM saying is the way Cassie addresses the issues I laid out in this original post is, quite frankly, bullshit. (Spoilers ahead.)

I don’t think Cassie knows how to write a redemption arc. Kieran’s redemption arc is made entirely of retconned canon, instead of actually showing him change as a character. Let’s begin with the only bit not related to his relationship with Mark and Cristina.

Apparently, Kieran was a very kind prince to his subjects. I know he’d been sent to the Wild Hunt because the Unseelie King viewed him as a threat, but this makes no sense with his character. Prior to this, Kieran has pretty much never been shown as being selfless or kind to anyone. Kieran says he did was kind for selfish reasons, which makes more sense to me. But then every character around him insists that he was kind because he cares, despite there being literally no evidence of this.

What pissed me off the most was when Mark said Kieran sent him that “Remember, none of this is real” not in Lady Midnight to comfort him. Mark says he remembers Kieran whispering that to himself while in the Hunt to help him cope with the horrors.

The problem is this doesn’t line up with what happens in Lady Midnight. When Mark receives the note, he has a breakdown. It sets back all the progress he’s made reacclimating to life with his family. He doesn’t connect it to anything he’s heard Kieran say before. He doesn’t even remember it at any point along the way. Mark literally never brings it up until Kieran finally admits he was wrong to do that. You can’t just say “Oh, I knew this was what you really meant all along” when your canon disproves this. If this was what Cassie had meant to be the truth all along, she would’ve addressed it far sooner.

Another instance of this is when Mark claims Kieran told Gwyn that Mark shared his secret with Cristina to “save his life.” But... from whom? Mark isn’t in danger from his family. Cristina shows no sign that she’s going to kill Mark and use the information for her own purposes. Gwyn wouldn’t have known Mark shared that secret unless someone told him. So how is Mark’s life in danger? How is Kieran going selling Mark out to Gwyn saving his life?

Remember how I said memory loss isn’t the same thing as a redemption arc? Neither is a magic pool that forces you to experience the pain you’ve put others through, and thus develop empathy. It shouldn't take this much for a supposedly good person to realize they’ve hurt people. This is such a cheap tool to further a redemption arc, and all is does is undercut any of that “progress.” Cassie is basically saying that Kieran never would’ve realized he’d hurt people without magical intervention and that is... not encouraging.

This makes even less sense, because Cassie was already setting up a more believable redemption arc. Kieran agrees to still testify before the Clave after he realized Mark had lied to him in Lord of Shadows. Why throw away a natural redemption arc in favor of something that makes your character seem void of empathy without a magic mirror to the soul?

Cassie has every character suddenly praising Kieran and talking about how much he’s changed. Even though he’s not really that different. But we’re expected to believe that Julian has just forgiven him? Julian Lives-And-Breathes-Vengeance Blackthorn? Cristina gets to speak for Emma and say she’s forgiven Kieran. That’s not for her to say.

I’m just saying, it’s not a coincidence that Emma being pro-Kierarktina is on page 666.

Mark forgiving Kieran makes sense. Mark letting him back into his heart is out-of-character. Cristina finding Kieran attractive makes sense. Cristina suddenly falling in love with him is out-of-character.

Do you know why Herongraystairs works? Because all the characters have genuine chemistry and you can clearly see why they love each other. Cassie literally has to spell out why Kierarktina works. This means she doesn’t show it well enough. Which means they fundamentally don’t work as a polyamorous relationship. As Emma repeatedly refers to the relationship as a “hot faerie threesome,” it just feels like more fetishization on Cassie’s part.

So, even though I knew this was going to happen, I’m still disgusted and disappointed. I even tried to keep an open mind, but Kieran’s redemption arc just does not work. Why should I want a character who doesn’t feel empathy without magical assistance anywhere near Mark and Cristina? If Cassie had really worked for a redemption arc, maybe it could’ve worked. I probably still wouldn’t have liked it, but I could’ve somewhat accepted it.

Honestly, after all the shit he pulled, the only redemption arc I would’ve accepted was Kieran sacrificing himself for Mark, Cristina, and the Blackthorns. It would’ve had more impact and the characters could’ve actually reflected on real character growth, rather than insisting to the reader that Kieran has changed.

So anyway, fuck Kieran. Kierarktina really kept me from loving this book as much as the first two. All three of the characters involved have to be out-of-character for the relationship to work. And I just can’t support bad writing like that.

#kierark #mark blackthorn #kieran of the hunt #kierarktina #the dark artifices #tda #cassie clare #tsc #the shadowhunter chronicles #lady midnight #lord of shadows #bitter of tongue #queen of air and darkness #qoaad spoilers

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brotherzachariah · 7 years

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"#the last hours #not gonna lie #i want nothing to do with this series if matthew and james aren't canon" really? wtf?

yes, i said it.

first of all, james and matthew are very gay/bi/pan-coded in nothing but shadows, the book from shadowhunter academy where they meet and basically follow the classic enemies to friends to lovers trope that we all love so much. there are so many quotes that made myself as well as my best friend (we are obsessed with this otp together) believe that james and matthew were into each other in a non-straight/bro way. here are a few:

“That was when Matthew Fairchild said, “Sir,” and smiled.

James had forgotten about The Smile, even though it was often broken out to great effect at family parties. The Smile won Matthew extra time before bed, extra Christmas pudding, extra anything he wanted. Adults were helpless to resist The Smile.

Matthew gave his all to this particular smile. Butter melted. Birds sang. People slipped about dazed amid the butter and birdsong.”

okay sorry but does one really wax that fucking poetic about some guy they’re not attracted to? no.

then later, to further prove this point:

“Matthew glanced at him and smiled: it was The Smile, gradual and illuminating as sunrise, and James had the sinking feeling that he might not be immune after all.”

ha. not immune to The Smile. james refers to matthew’s smile as a proper fucking noun. that’s not gay at all, folks. also, referring to your bro’s smile as being akin to the sun, just bros being bros.

“I was jealous of you first. I was jealous of everything about you, and I still am.”

“Wait,” said Matthew. “Wait, wait, wait. You don’t like me because I am so very charming?”

He threw his head back and laughed. He kept laughing. He laughed so much that he had to come and sit beside James on the step, and then he laughed some more.

“Stop it, Matthew,” James grumbled. “Stop laughing. I am sharing my innermost feelings with you. This is very hurtful.”

“I’ve been in a bad mood this whole time,” said Matthew. “You think I’m charming now? You have no idea.”

James punched him in the arm. He could not help smiling. He saw Matthew noticing, and looking very pleased with himself.”

THIS IS GAY.

“He found Matthew looking at him. Matthew had known, all the time, exactly where he was.

“Jamie,” Matthew said, sounding unsettled but impressed. “That was terrifying.”

“It’s James, for the last time,” said James.

“No, I’m calling you Jamie for a little while, because you just displayed arcane power and calling you Jamie makes me feel better.”

James laughed, shakily, and that made Matthew smile. It did not occur to them until later that a student was dead, and the Shadowhunters feared and distrusted the demonic—that somebody would be blamed. James did not discover until the next day that his parents had been informed of everything that had transpired, and that he, James Herondale, was now officially expelled.”

to quote my best friend and roommate “when ur gonna be expelled but it’s chill bc ur crush smiled at u”

“Father, please,” James said in a quiet voice.

“Mr. Herondale, please!” said Matthew. “We cannot be parted.” James braced himself for the explanation about truth and beauty, but instead Matthew said, with devastating simplicity: “We are going to be parabatai.”

James stared.

Father said: “Oh, I see.”

Matthew nodded encouragingly, and smiled encouragingly.

“Then nobody should come between you,” said Father.

“Nobody.” Matthew shook his head as he said “nobody,” then nodded again. He looked seraphic. “Exactly.”

HMM INTERESTING. CAN’T BE SEPARATED FROM EACH OTHER. BUT DIDN’T ACTUALLY PLAN ON BECOMING PARABATAI, DID IT ON A WHIM. SOUND FAMILIAR? YEAH ITS THE SAME EXACT SCENARIO AS EMMA/JULIAN. BINCH

now here comes the gayest quote

“We don’t . . . have to be parabatai,” Matthew said, his voice quiet under the sound of the blast. “I said it to make your father take me with you, so I could execute my new plan, but we don’t . . . have to. I mean, unless you . . . maybe want to be.”

James had thought he wanted a friend like himself, a parabatai who was shy and quiet and would enter in on James’s feelings about the terror of parties. Instead here was Matthew, who was the life and soul of every party, who made dreadful hairbrush decisions, who was unexpectedly and terribly kind. Who had tried to be his friend and kept trying, even though James did not know what trying to be a friend looked like. Who could see James, even when he was a shadow.

“Yes,” James said simply.

“What?” said Matthew, who always knew what to say.

“I’d like that,” said James. He curled his hands, one around his father’s coat sleeve, and one around Matthew’s. He held on to them, all the way home.”

GAAAAYYYYY

moving on to my actual points.

i feel like it’s important to take into account that so far, emma and julian are the only parabatai relationship that’s been canon. (unless you count michael and robert, but since they never acted on those feelings in canon, and it never actually came to fruition bc robert had his Big Gay Panic, i’m not counting it for the sake of this argument.) if cassie is really telling us that in her four main series, as well as her side novellas and miniseries, etc. the only parabatai relationship we get to actually see be together and fall in love is a cishet couple, i will fucking scream. that’s really homophobic and gross, considering. but honestly cassie has never been into qu**r-baiting, that’s not her style. and homophobia has never been her thing. which is why i have to believe that matthew and james will be canon.

also, matthew is obviously not straight. and i’m not going to search for the ask, but cassie was once asked about matthew’s sexuality specifically, and she was like “i would rather… wait… till the books come out… for you to know.” or something to that degree. like, fam she would never say that if matthew was straight. like i said, not a qu**r-baiter. matthew is obviously into james, and their relationship as i said before was gay/bi/pan-coded in nothing but shadows. BUT you say, MAYBE james is straight and matthew’s love for him is just one-sided! and then he just ends up with a random dude side character!! um, no. that’s the same thing that happened with alec-jace-magnus in the mortal instruments. it would be lazy af to run with that same storyline again, and i honestly would fucking lose my mind if i had to deal with another unrequited gay parabatai love story ever again.

next, and honestly this is REALLY important to me as someone who’s not straight. clary, tessa, and emma. the three /main/ characters of the last three series were fucking straight. they were written straight in the books. canonically straight. yes obviously we all headcanon them as lgbt bc why wouldn’t we, but the point is that the narrative painted them as straight. (disclaimer, i have not read lord of shadows yet, so if emma and christina somehow got together in that book, i take this statement back.)

with her fourth and possibly final (??) series coming out, how could she pass up the chance to make the main character lgbt? the world has changed since she started publishing her books ten fucking years ago in 2007. readers and publishers are much more open and willing to accept lgbt main characters and main relationships. she made alec gay back in 2007, which honestly seemed groundbreaking at the time, but having a side lgbt relationship in your novel is hardly groundbreaking in 2017. everyone’s doing that. but, she has a chance now, with all her popularity and money, and the fact that her books no matter what are instant bestsellers, to finally make her /MAIN/ main character non-straight. she can do anything she fucking wants. so!!! why!!! not!!! make!!! james!!! fucking!!! herondale!!! bisexuall???

and another thing, while i’m ranting like the crazy person that i am. yes, clearly james and cordelia get ~married and have kids or whatever the fuck according to that family tree we saw when clockwork princess came out. BUT keep in mind that at the time, cassie herself said that the family tree had purposeful inaccuracies and she left out the fairchild family line on purpose.

cordelia imo is obviously going to bi, pan, or a lesbian, and end up with anna. that’s just my two cents, and honestly i’m really happy about that because in all her fifty or so books, the amount of wlw is astoundingly low. obviously theres helen/aline, but they are background characters and a background relationship, and we didn’t even see them get together. so i’m glad there will be a wlw relationship in the core main group of the last hours. STILL though, still, that just means that cordelia and james got fake married so they could be with other people. but back to my original point: it makes more sense for that person to be matthew, rather than grace.

another thought to consider is that tlh and tda are meant to parallel each other in multiple ways. i know this seems obvious, but i have to believe that one of these parallels is the whole falling-in-love-with-your-parabatai-making-you-both-monsters drama that jem brought up. JEM, who had a very close relationship with his favorite nephew james and tried to comfort him when james thought he was ‘becoming a monster’ in nothing but shadows. i haven’t even read lord of shadows yet but idgaf bc this obviously still holds up.

tldr; obviously james and matthew should and can be together. and like i said in those tags, if they aren’t i have no interest in the book series.

#james herondale #matthew fairchild #the last hours #heronchild #mames #JUST #MAKE THEM CANON #Anonymous

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evakteket · 7 years

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Watchlist update

Hello, Kit here! This week I’m in the unusual position of posting this from Oslo while Immy is elsewhere in the world, so... halla! Hope you’re all holding up okay?

The usual: When it’s been more than three weeks since a fic was updated we consider it to be on hiatus and remove it from the watchlist. Then we light a candle for it and cry a lot. However, we don’t cancel our subscriptions and if one of the removed fics gets updated again, we’ll put it right back on the list.

The usual II: feel free to send us an ask if you have suggestions for fics we should check out -- even if they’re not Evak-centric!

Update summary:

Completed: 3 Added: 4 Removed: 0 (yay!)

Knock Four Times by @folerdetdufoler NEW

Yes, this is a US college AU, and yes, Even is American in it! This is extremely well written, and heavy on the angst–we won’t spoil you, but we’ll say that, as in the show, there were parts of this that were so well done they sort of hurt to read. Throw in a long distance relationship between Isak and his boyfriend back in Norway, and you’ve got a cool twist on the college AU setting that feels very realistic and really drew us in. - kit and immy

Come On, Set the Tone by @boxesofflowers, eeyoreneedsahug (@chloebeaux) NEW Okay, I can’t even pretend I have any chill about this. I AM OBSESSED with this fic. Isak is a mainstream pop artist with anxiety, trying to make the music he wants to make; Even is an indie darling who winds up on the same tour. It’s vaguely hate to love, and reminds me far too much of my time in bandom for me not to be screaming from the rooftops, so I’ll stop before I start giving away spoilers, but: yes. I like this. Read it. (Warning: you definitely need to check the tags first.) - kit

take me to the stars by iriswests (@westiris) NEW This fic makes the rather ambitious move of having Evak start off hating each other, before diving into a fuck buddy arrangement, but somehow the author makes it work. Some cool balloon squad stuff here, bonus Julian Dahl, and some nice b plotlines with Isak as an astronomy nerd working at the science centre and Isak and Eva as roommates. Well written, although we were sceptical about the dive straight into penetrative sex (which we should note is not explicitly described). - kit and immy stay a minute by grinsekaetzchen (@hotchocolatenthusiast) NEW In which Even is directing a new adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, and Isak is the actor playing Romeo. This fic is a very well-done au that feels true to the characters while still managing to give them a fresh world to play in, and we love the relationship dynamic between Even and Isak here, which is more complicated than it first appears. We're also completely taken with Even and Isak's fandoms, which we get a glimpse of through fake tumblr posts sprinkled throughout the fic; we're loving how this extra layer makes the world seem so fleshed out and real. - kit and immy

Checking from Behind by DickAnderton (@wecanjustbreathe) COMPLETED

Complete, rec here.

Doctor Patient Confidentiality by skambition COMPLETED

Complete, rec here.

Straight Up (Series) by @nofeartina COMPLETED Complete, rec here.

News:

Still on the watchlist:

making new clichés by strangetowns (@sanashappinessisendgame)

This Evak as best friends AU is incredibly well-written thus far and has a very realistic, nuanced portrayal of their relationship, both as children and in the present. This feels like the slowest, best of slow burns, and we can’t wait to see how it all wraps up. - kit and immy

Twice by intothewind (@brokenveinssay) This fake dating/band fic is a delicious addition to the world of Evak AUs, and we’re completely here for it. Isak pretends to be Jonas’s boyfriend, which leads to some full on Josak/Jovak-esque moments here, and we’d be lying if we said we hadn’t already read that shotgunning scene MULTIPLE TIMES. - kit and immy

the city of illusions, the city of yearning by elisewin (@books-figuero) A different city AU where the slightly older SKAM characters are exchange students in Rome, and where the author obviously knows the city and writes it well. Sweet and humorous so far, with a fair bit of the banter we adore so much in SKAM fics. - kit and immy

A Collection of Even & Isak’s First Kiss AU Shorts by @fandomlimb Just what it says on the tin: first kisses, a different AU in each chapter. Adorable short stories, varying POVs and varying amounts of fluff. - immy

Livredderen by Kudzibisa (Norwegian)

AU where Even is the first to arrive at the scene when Isak has been in a car crash. As usual from Kudzibisa, short clipped chapters keeping the reader on tenterhooks, peppered with beautifully crafted evocative sentences, for those truly blessed people who can read Norwegian. - immy

Livet skjer med meg by neelabrenner (@nilabrenner) (Norwegian) Post season 3 canon divergent story about Isak and Even’s life together, from Even’s POV. So far feelgood and funny and precious, but not without angst and other deep and not always pleasant emotions. Capturing the characters well from Even’s POV. Yes, those who can read Norwegian are indeed truly blessed. - immy

Expect the Unexpected by bri_ness (@brionbroadway)

This Big Brother AU had us at ‘snakesak’, and takes that tag to a whole new level. We’re transfixed by the mix of Big Brother gameplay and manipulation and the genuine interactions between Even and Isak, and we love how this fic feels really fresh while still giving nods to canon and staying in character. This is tagged ‘messy relationships abound’ and we’re totally here for it. - kit and immy

a mental archive of love unwanted by chevythunder (@icelandcurry)

This fic begins with Even in love with Mikael and moving into the kollektiv with Isak and Linn–a combo we didn’t know we wanted. We’re already loving the angst and the growing friendship between Isak and Even, as well as the dynamic with the balloon squad, whose friendship here is ultimately #goals. Although we all know how this fic is gonna end, this feels like a breath of fresh air, and we can’t wait to read more. Note: our previous rec had an error in the title, so apologies for that. - kit and immy

Mental kampsport by Peer (Norwegian)

Starting during Even’s depressive episode in S3 and being told from Even’s POV, this is an unforgettably beautiful and moving story. Every bit of it feels true to Even and the SKAM universe, while also bringing a feeling of fresh new perspectives to the table. Only in Norwegian, unfortunately, but if you can read that you should definitely read this. - immy

The Weight of Us by verlore_poplap (@mimi-fics)

This is a very interesting fic, in part because it’s so different to a lot of the stuff in the fandom so far. Isak and Even meet when they’re older, and in serious relationships with Emma and Sonja–in case alarm bells are ringing, yes, Isak and Emma are together, but the author uses the context of their relationship to explore what would have happened if he’d repressed his sexuality, which I think is very cool. The author also treats Emma very fairly. The fic has a few minor niggles–Isak, for example, at one point performs a super rare kind of heart surgery–but overall this fic has me really intrigued, and I can’t wait to read the rest. - kit

Stupid Cupid by BluebeardsWife … an AU with Isak as Eros evicted from Olympos and Even as, well, something supernatural not yet revealed (but based on his choice in films I can guess)? Oh yes. It’s well written and so far it’s really funny, but the tags hint of angst to come. Note: we’ve now fixed the link to this one! - immy

#wip watchlist

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aesarctic · 7 years

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Lord of Shadows, by Cassandra Clare

I finished this book a month ago, but I finally finished the review

Lord of Shadows is the second book of The Dark Artifices series, by Cassandra Clare. However, there are a ton of books that should be read before hand. If you’d like a guide, I have one.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Read on Goodreads

FOR THE SUPER NON-SPOILERY PEOPLE (Like me): I enjoyed this book more than the first one; it didn't take long for me to get hooked. Definitely a 95% rating. I can't say anything more, since it's the second book in the series, and to get to this point, you have to read many other books. FOR THE NON-SPOILERY PEOPLE (Hidden for the super non-spoilery people): Lady Midnight took me around half the book to get into. This one took a few pages--my first tab is on page eleven. I love how the characters are portrayed, as well. Though, I'm not a romance person, so every time something came up along that sort, it did take a bit longer for me to get through. I'm glad to say that this book did not have second-book-slump, and, in my opinion, was better than the first. EDIT: Cassie's writing has improved tremendously, in my opinion. I do think there could be more of a variation depending on the point of view, but over all, it's fun to read style-wise. And everything else-wise, really.

FOR THE SPOILERY PEOPLE: I'm going to break this down into three sections: Characters, Relationships, Storyline, and Shout-outs.

CHARACTERS: Mark Blackthorn: All I can say is that he's not my favourite character. He didn't annoy me, but when a scene featured him, I found myself not liking it as much as any other character. I do have to say, it does seem like he lost almost all human-world common sense after joining the hunt. He had years in the human realm. That couldn't have all been lost. I think he's being written dumber than he is. Julian Blackthorn: I love Julian from other characters' POV's. I love how everyone notes him as a selfless, caring person. I even like how they make notes on how ruthless and "razor blade"-like he is. But when reading from his point of view, I almost can't stand it. All he does is think about Emma. When he thinks about his other siblings, I think that's great, but the majority of it is all Emma, and it bothers me to no end. One of my favourite Julian scenes is from when Livvy died, and that wasn't even in his point of view. It was through Emma's. I do think it's interesting how Julian is supposed to be bad, in a way. How he killed his "father" and lied to peoples' faces. Livvy Blackthorn: One of my favourite characters. Her personality, how she wanted to be like Julian (personally one of my favourite parts), everything. I practically died when she did. I was surprised that I hadn't seen it coming sooner, since looking back, it was terribly predictable. Ty Blackthorn: Another favourite character, but more so than Livvy. I absolutely loved every scene he was in. I thought the fact that he wants to be a detective was great. I don't think I appreciated him enough in Lady Midnight. I'm not autistic myself, but I hope that he is good and accurate representation to the autistic community. Dru Blackthorn: I don't have much to say about her, but I wanted to include her. She was interesting, and I'm glad she had more of a part in this story. I don't know if I love or hate her yet. I'll mention here, though, that I don't like whatever thing is budding between her and Jaime. That had better stay a friendship. Emma Carstairs: She's a main character, but I have nothing to say about her that doesn't involve someone else. When she's with Julian, I almost can't stand her. All she does is think about him. When she's with others, she's quirky and makes bad jokes, and I find that fun. I like how she acts differently with each person: it's realistic, and I love that. My feelings about her are conflicted. Zara Dearborn: I don't know what to say. We're supposed to hate her. I hate her. Mission accomplished. It's one of those things where I appreciate her character and completely despise her existence as a person? She's written incredibly well for someone who is the equivalent of sewer water. That's good, but it also makes me hate her more. It's complicated. Diana Wrayburn: In the first book, she meant little to me. In the second book, that changed. When she came out as trans, I practically threw my book. I didn't--I was at a restaurant--but I would have. That's important representation. That's representation. I'm so happy. Is Diana my favourite character? No. Do I like reading about her relationships? Absolutely not. Am I thankful for her existence? Completely. RELATIONSHIPS: Julian and Emma: I am close to despising this. I hate how every time we get a Julian chapter, it's all Emma. Everything. Emma. I hate Emma's complaining about her feelings. In my mind, the parabatai bond was this special concept to honour people with close relationships to their friends. Their relationship feels like a disgrace to the bond. Either cut off your runes or emotions. Julian and his siblings: Starting with Mark, I like how Julian continues to trust him. Next, Livvy. There was a moment when Livvy enters Julian's room, and they have this moment that almost made me internally combust. Livvy tells Julian how she wants to be like him, and I think it's a powerful moment. Thought, I'm sure it was there to make her death more painful, and it definitely worked. Speaking of her death, I wish we read it from Julian's point of view. That could have been such a powerful moment. I was already dying inside. If we're going to go the mess-everyone's-life-out route, may as well rip our hearts out. Go all-out. That death scene was powerful, and I was shredded to pieces, but it could have been even harder on my emotions With Ty, I love how Julian takes care to make sure Ty is in the moment. Drawing out what expressions mean, or giving him a fist bump instead of a hug. Dru and Julian had that moment where he told her she was the heart, and sure that was a touching moment, but I felt as if it wasn't enough. One moment for 700 pages? She's the second youngest. Give her more love. Tavvy and Julian had one cute moment, where Tavvy began to meltdown because Julian was leaving. I loved that moment. I loved how there was a small glimpse at how Tavvy loves his brother. I wish there was more of that, too, like Dru. I'm going to also mention here that I wasn't satisfied with the reaction to Arthur's death. It didn't feel like enough. It felt like they blew it off. I know most of them didn't even know him, but that doesn't fully excuse it in my mind. EDIT: I was reminded by my friend that Tavvy also tried to escape with Julian, and now the Cute Moment Count has gone up to two. EDIT 2: There's a paragraph where Julian yanks Ty close and hugs him like his life depends on it, and that gives me life.And the moment where Ty gave Julian the coloured pencils? I'm dead. Livvy, Ty, and Kit: I love them. These are my favourite characters. Perfect. I love their dynamic. I love how Ty was only one allowed to put a rune on Kit. How Ty and Livvy invited Kit to do things with him, and trusted his ideas. How Livvy and Ty were so close-knit, but they were still willing to let Kit in. I love the platonic kiss between Kit and Livvy. I know a lot of people didn't see it as platonic, but I did, and that was a defining moment for me. It wasn't a kiss for a relationship. It was curiosity and trust. Livvy wanted to know, and she trusted Kit so that she could find out. I love it. Looking back, if I was paying attention, it was painfully obvious Livvy was going to die and Kit was replacing her, but I didn't look into it. I was too into the book. Livvy's death was huge and unexpected. Ty and Kit are going to further their relationship, and I hope it stays platonic. I really do. I can't wait. Jace and Kit: I love their interactions. Where Jace will say something about Kit being a Herondale, and Kit's like, "Uh huh, sure, yeah, okay, bye." Love it. Diego, Zara, Christina, Mark, Kieran, Emma, and Julian:Diego is engaged to Zara, but likes Christina, who also has a thing with Mark, who previously had a thing with Kieran and technically Emma, who has a thing for Julian. Shout-out to Christina maybe becoming Jaime's parabatai, who may or may not be into Dru? This entire thing is crazy, a little annoying, but I kind of find it hilarious. STORYLINE: In the beginning, Mark kills Magnus. Talk about foreshadowing. Ty has common sense. I wish he'd share it with other people. "Yeah, Ty's autistic." Maybe you should explain that a little more, buddy. "Yeah, they need to read a history book." Maybe you should bring that up, buddy. "Yeah, this is the Holocaust." Maybe you should mention that, buddy. "Yeah, I love cookies." Of course, buddy. Everyone loves cookies. Is the green flash a real thing? Everyone who talks about the rumour of Magnus magicking Alec into liking him is going to get a personal punch to the everything courtesy of me. I appreciate the existence of Malec, even if I don't ship it. Emma and Julian look at each other. One second later, they're making out. Gross. Unrealistic. Not what I want to read. Not what I'm here to read. "'If you don't fear death,' said Julian, 'then let Kieran meet it.'" Dang, Julian. The idea of Livvy just texting Simon for answers is kind of funny. Christina just happens to have this very convenient necklace due to her family's convenient bond with the faeries from generations ago. I have the hardest time believing Emma would just give upher stele. She didn't get it back, right? I don't remember her getting back. That meant something to her. It was too easy for her to give it up to enter the faerie realm. "'And if we don't have Energy runes, we'll have to get our energy the old-fashioned way.' "Mark looked puzzled. 'Drugs?' "'Chocolate,' Emma said. 'I brought chocolate. Mark, where do you even come up with these things?'" Cue me screaming. There's this paragraph from Kit's POV, and he was thinking about Emma and Christina and Julian, and he decides that he's going to stomp on Zara's foot for them, and one, I love that. Two, defining paragraph that shows that Kit does have a heart towards the Blackthorns and Co. Julian and Emma Look at Each Other and Their Hearts Explode: Part 2. I want more of all of the bilingual characters speaking their respective languages. "'I want to be parabatai again,' [Emma] said. 'The way we were before.'" YES. Yes. Please. Make my life simple. Become great parabatai. No more of this disgusting romance-y thing. I really don't like the idea of parabatai being a curse. When I first was introduced to the idea, I was thrilled. This was a special bond! For really close best friends who were always there for each other! "Best friends but more than that," as the book put it. I loved that. That's all I have, and that's all I'm going to have. I liked the idea of that being sort of shown in a book. Kit's ability to see ghosts and how that's a Herondale thing isn't something I'm fond of. There's this unnecessary paragraph that explains what the word "bust" means to Kit and I don't know how to feel. "'Tell me,' Kit said. Tell me what you need. "'Put your arms around me,' said Ty." I love them. I really hope they stay platonic, but the fact that both of them are opening up is lovely. There are moments where Kit even thinks about wanting to hug Ty, and I love it. Kit is opening up to the idea of Ty loving "Evelyn left." "She's dead?" "No, you idiot." "There was no reason to sail down Sexy Thoughts River to the Sea of Perversion when it wasn't going to go anywhere." The WHAT. "I'm READY." "Emma..." "I'm going to put bows on their heads." "That's not--" "CAN I GET A SELFIE?" "Eat your toast, Emma." I love the part where they discuss family mottos. Hilarious. Helen and Aline come in, and I appreciate their existence. I hope we get more of them in the next book because this wasn't enough. Also, I've got to love Emma's sass to Zara. Okay, and Robert's death? Unpredictable. Completely nuts. What the actual heck. Whoa. Livvy's death scene. I've already talked about it a bit, but gods. That messed me up. It was so predictable, but I was so engrossed with the book, I didn't see it when I should have. It was obvious Kit was coming into Ty's life to replace Livvy. And are there three-way parabatai bonds? Probably not, but that's what I really was hoping for. She was my third favourite character. I loved her in Lady Midnight but this book spent so much time building her up, I just--I fell for it. She had that scene with Julian about wanting to be like him--she won't ever get that. She won't ever get to be parabataiwith Ty. She's gone. And I'm sad. I can't believe Annabel was the one who killed her. When she got resurrected, I thought she was upset that Blackthorn blood was shed. Now she's not? I mean, I guess we don't know for sure, since she disappeared, but I'd think she would never have done it if she truly cared. And Livvy's last words tore me apart. Ty turning the colour of ashes and crumpling to the ground? I'm falling to pieces. Everything Julian? I've been murdered and I'm never coming back. I can't believe--Livvy--she-- I can't believe Cassie killed off a twin. Talk about cruel. One of my best friends is a twin and he rants about that all the time--people killing of twins. SHOUT-OUTS: -London -Will writing in the books (Did Ty take a Sherlock book that had Will's writing in it?) -"Oh we're Shadowhunters and even though our hidden country is in Europe we have no idea of mundane history or medicines for that matter" (Did they go through the bubonic plague? I'm curious.) -Clary just think she's going to die? And that's why she's not marrying Jace? What the heck is up with that? (Though, the romance-hating part of me is fine with that, honestly.) -Dru befriending Jaime, defying space and time (going into Faerie), possibly seeing Sebastian-baby (as BookTube calls him) -Christina: "I have this magical necklace to make sure we age normally." Everyone: *gets up and is everywhere in faerie* What is the radius of this necklace? -The Centurians were funny-annoying in the beginning and now I want to blow them up. -Emma: "Julian doesn't lie." Julian: *lies* -Julian literally gave the idea that there are other ways to hurt Diego other than touching him. -Kit, Ty, and Livvy in general -"I'm Christopher Herondale" -Kit's list of Shadowhunter grievances -What the heck is Gwyn doing, hooking up with Diana? -The entire binding between Mark and Christina was a giant rollar coaster I didn't want to get on and found entertaining anyway. -We saw Helen! And Aline! -The fact that Annabel was conscious for five years -If Julian's thoughts could chill, maybe -I really cannot see Emma and Julian together as a couple -The difference between Julian & family and Julian & Emma -Julian is willing to use whatever he wants to use as leverage as leverage -Emma shattered the mortal sword. What. -Who wrote the Blackbook? Why is it called that? "Oh, black leather is the only cover material we have. Let's just call it 'The Black Book.'" -Julian is willing to trust the Seelie queen for Emma; I'm ready to stab something -Robert's death is very convenient towards the exile plotline. Almost as if Cassie needed a way to disrupt it. More drama that way. -Kit doesn't know Livvy's dead: I want to cry. -Jessamine is a ghost? No, thanks -You know this is a Cassie Clare book when Magnus walks in on a main character sex scene -Malcolm? Alice? I refuse -Stupid love triangle--love square--pentagon--hexagon--heptagon? Can we go as far as octagon I'm not keeping track. -We saw Magnus and Alec's kids! -Emma just happens to be able to kill one of the Super Serious Non-Killable Faerie dudes. -Ty is the glue -Zara totally rigged Annabel's trial -Is this whole warlocks-are-weaker thing because of Malcolm's death? Because if not, Malcolm should have been effected too, right? -"Sexy weirdness" and "hot faerie threesome" are now Things thanks to Emma Carstairs -Robert was being nice -They have way too much hope sometimes -All of the Shadowhunters in the audience during the trial just happen to have bottles and bags and things on them. I don't have that stuff on me. -They threw bags? -Kit calling Shadowhunters hot -I don't want this, but what if Livvy is a ghost -Kitty is a ship name -Ty gave Kit his first rune -Emma must be feeling so much guilt for saying "Don't make a promise you can't keep." -Clary said "when" she dies (honestly, thank the gods.) -Sebastian left a weapon in the Seelie court. Spoiler alert: This weapon is a person. -Diego just happened to be engaged to Zara for marriage benefits on Zara's part -Christina let it slip that Julian and Emma like each other. Out of everyone, I feel like she would be the best at keeping that secret. -"You're not okay--I know how you feel towards water." -Kit actually cares for Christina on some level -Annabel just sort of killed those two guards. This book was an adventure, left me with a massive book hangover, and oh, man, was it good.

#Lord of Shadows #The Dark Artifices #book review #The Shadowhunter Chronicles #Shadowhunter Chronicles #review #This book was an adventure #left me with a massive book hangover #and oh man #was it good

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not-a-mimic · 7 years

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Come and Hold My Hand

Allenbert Week Day 1: Pre-Flashpoint Relationship

Continuation of my Pilot!AU - After the accelerator explosion Central City is left to pick up the pieces, minus some of their loved ones.

Come and hold my hand

I wanna contact the living

Not sure I understand

This role I’ve been given

I sit and talk to God

And he just laughs at my plans

My head speaks a language

I don’t understand

Barr. Where are you? I don’t understand, why arent you replying? I need to hear you. Please. Where are you?

Frost licked at his heart and soles as Julian scrambled to get to the station. He had to see his boyfriend - he had to know he was ok. But, as humanity decreed, thousands of loved ones in Central that night had the same idea as him - They needed to make sure their lovers, parents, siblings and family were safe. The roads clogged, slowing down to match the steady pace of Barry’s voicemail - a torturous experience that left Julian half mad by the time he got to the station. What if I lost my rock? I already lost Emma - I can’t lose Barry as well. It’s just my luck though.

By the time Julian finds Joe in the swarm of cops his vision blurs against his will and his knees tremble. Somehow in the short period of time since the explosion Joe’s aged 20 years. Shadows twist around him, shoulders slumped and Julian is struck about how much he looks like a parent who just lost their child, something Julian is all too familiar with (He remembers once having to tell a mother they found her son in the river - The way the slim, tiny, strong spark of hope disappears as quickly as her world shifted. He’d seen people lose loved ones before - his own parents and family themselves - but there he was, watching a woman lose everything. She lost everything and held herself together long enough to see them to the door before following her son into the void. Julian swore then to never forget her.)

He knows he’s watching Joe fall down that same path, following his son down and Julian just knows. Suddenly it doesn’t matter where he is, who’s watching with their dark glares and whispering comments.

He just breaks.

I just wanna feel

Real love feel the home that I live in

‘Cause I got too much life

Running through my veins

Going to waste

I don’t wanna die

But I ain’t keen on living either

Before I fall in love

I’m preparing to leave her

It’s Iris who drags him to the hospital, his body on autopilot. Of course it’s Iris - sweet perfect Iris who Julian had to fight claw and tooth with (without her knowledge) to win Barry’s affections - He’s not bitter ( I’m only a little bitter. Ok I’m bitter. Better? ) but seeing how she is still as perfect as ever even with her makeup smudged from tears and eyes scarlet. All he can focus on his Barry’s heartbeat, teh too-fast pattern of beeps in the stark room that makes his stomach turn and in turn his heart to race faster. It’s no where near Barry-speed, but it’s the thought that counts.

No-one ever mentioned what it would feel like to lose the love of your life - He knows he should be angry, angry at STAR Labs for building the Accelerator, angry at Harrison Wells for ever dreaming up it or angry at the world for taking his light like it too the mother’s son - But he’s just tired. Already he wants to hear Barry’s voice, to see his smile or listen to another stream of god-awful jokes that he’s heard a hundred times before but Barry still tries to make him laugh at and succeeds every time. He wants his boyfriend back - or he wants to know he’s at peace, not stuck in the half-limbo-half-sleep that’s a coma.

Joe joins him at the 3 hour mark, long after they have taken Barry away for another set of tests. He just wants it to be over already, already weary to the bone and its only the first day. He wants to be home in bed with his boyfriend, a tangle of limbs and sheets but happy.

No-one mentions that he’s sitting by a empty bed, still grasping at thin air and dreaming for the impossible.

They don’t want to pledge the hesitant over the edge after all.

Scare myself to death

That’s why I keep on running

Before I’ve arrived

I can see myself coming

Singh takes one look at him and puts him on mandatory leave. Noone’s complaining - Julian looks like he would be at home on the Walking Dead with no problem - and that’s coming from a group of men (and women) who live off cheap coffee and snack while they spend their days cleaning up a city wrecked by a impossible explosion and more impossible people. Julian would say he was interested, he knows he would of before and Barry would of died (he did practically - but whatever god is out there hasn’t held their end of the bargain. Yet. ) to see how Central has evolved over time, the impossible becoming possible and Barry’s half-mad rambles seeming more and more plausible each day.

Julian doesn’t want to go home, doesn’t want to think about the missing body next to his and the nights spent in front of the TV, watching everything from documentaries to reality TV trying to get Julian to crack - Barry never succeeded ( And he may never do so, a traitorous part of him whispers , He may do nothing ever again. )

It’s funny, watching the same things now seem to always get him to crack. He’d be fooling himself if he lied about why, the only light in his life a muted one when Joe and Iris invite him over for dinner. We don’t want you to feel excluded Julian (Iris never called him Julian before - It was always Albert or Desmond or some pun or joke about the two. Never Julian.) You lost as much as both of us that day. (He ignores how the West’s exchange looks at this - Like they know that they all lost an important person to them but that he lost the only important person to him, heart slashed in to and crumbling every second Barr’s asleep, every time he sees anything that reminds him of Barry.)

I just wanna feel

Real love feel the home that I live in

‘Cause I got too much life

Running through my veins

Going to waste

And I need to feel

Real love and the love ever after

I cannot get enough

Harrison Wells comes to them 2 months in, and leaves with Joe’s permission and a bruised lip. Julian comes away with a bloodied fist and glimer of hope in his heart that died months ago. It doesn’t matter about how much he tries to help Barry. Everything he doesn’t rubs Julian the wrong way - Something is wrong with the man and Julian does not want to be there when that’s exposed. Speaking of the devil…

“Mr Albert. I wasn’t aware of you and Mr Allen's… relationship. Isn’t there a policy against it at the CCPD? You both seem to be such talented scientists… Shame if either of you lost your job over a simple romance.”

“Do you dig into every relationship of your patients? Ones who are suffering because of your own mistakes? Or are you threatening me Mr Wells?”

Wells chuckles and Julian would swear later that his eyes flashed with something darker. Or in this case, something more red. He was an army kid - and he’d grown up shunned by his family, spent years in the shadows where the monsters live. Julian didn’t scare easy but this? This innocent man who is handicapped in a wheelchair made every instinct in him scream.

“Of course not Mr Albert, Just the ones who are breaking every rule in the rulebook for them. Neither of us would want Allen to lose his job over it would we? You do care about him.”

“I can’t believe what I’m hearing - You are cold hearted and selfish, thinking it’s appropriate to threaten my own relationship when you have not had one in 15 years. You’re our only hope to save Barry, yes I understand that but I will not stand for being insulted constantly.”

The doctor just smiles his sly snake smile and wheels past Julian, surprisingly strong arms working tirely as he disappears around the corner.

I just wanna feel

Real love feel the home that I live in

I got too much love

Running through my veins

To go to waste

I just wanna feel

Real love and the love ever after

There’s a hole in my soul

You can see it in my face

It’s a real big place

“I don’t trust his Joe - The Meta’s obviously originated at the particle accelerator and now we’ve left Barr there hoping they’ll do something to help him. Wells… Well I don’t trust him.”

“I know… I looked into his other staff - One Cisco Ramon and Caitlin Snow. Ramon’s clean and all reports say he’s a genius with a heart. Snow lost her fiance in the explosion - I don’t know why she’s still there and loyal to Wells but she is, and I have to give her credit for it.”

“So Wells only has 2 people left? Isn’t that a little… “

“Strange? It is a abandoned biohazard created by a impossible explosion. I wouldn’t want to hang around after my life was ruined by it too. It works to our advantage too - Less people to worry about when everything inevitably goes wrong.”

“Hmmm. I just don’t feel like it’s a good idea to leave Barr there - I know it’s our only hope but something’s not right.”

“Julian… We all want him back. Iris is… she’s dating Detective Thawne now. I don’t approve but I always wanted her to end up with Barr…”

“And then he went out and started dating me. A coworker who’s male, none else. Iris is coping in her own way - she’s lost the one person she can confide in, of course she’ll find someone else to help her. Thawne… he’s not a bad guy. A bit upbeat and pretty yes, bad guy no.”

“He’s also modest.”

“I knew I forgot something - But really, please try be nicer to Thawne? He’s good for Iris and is a decent cop Joe. He also bought you coffee that one time without ulterior motives-”

“He was trying to get on my nice side.”

“- Unlike Iris, who uses it as blackmail. How did she even learn to do that anyway?”

“… I’ll go look into STAR Labs.”

Come and hold my hand

I wanna contact the living

Not sure I understand

This role I’ve been given

Not sure I understand

#allenbert #barry allen #julian albert #barry x julian #allenbertweek2017 #tif (btio)#my writing #writing

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zoematherswrites · 5 years

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Happy Saturday!

Today is the first day of my Saturday blog posts and I am very excited to begin it with a music and book-related post. I know there is a book tag called the “Playlist Book Tag” which may be exactly what this is, but I was just too lazy to search up what the questions were so I will only be matching books to some of the songs on my playlist. Which is still going to be a lot of fun!

My music taste mostly revolves around classic rock from the 70s and 80s and of course, some pop bands like The Beatles. My favourite band in the ENTIRE world though is Queen. However, I only included two of their songs on here because, for some of their songs, I had a hard time coming up with books that matched them.

Anyways, here are 10 songs from my playlist matched with 10 books!

Summer Song by Himesh Patel

& Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson

This song is from the movie, Yesterday, which I saw and adored so I had to include some of its soundtrack on here. Summer Song reminds me of Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson because it is a summery contemporary book. Most importantly though, I feel as if the entire book is summarized in the first verse of Summer Song:

Sun’s in the sky And nothing can go wrong Kiss winter goodbye And sing this summer song

This first verse is basically what the main character’s best friend, Sloane, is saying to her in the letter she leaves behind after mysteriously disappearing. She is encouraging Emily to forget about her and live her life to achieve the best summer ever.

Across the Universe by The Beatles

& The Light Between Worlds by Laura E. Weymouth

The Light Between Worlds is a YA urban fantasy that is extremely atmospherical and whimsical which I think already, pairs well with this beautiful song by The Beatles. The book is all about two sisters struggling to settle back into their world after living in a magical forest for several years, and how one of the sister’s struggles more than the other.

Images of broken light Which dance before me like a million eyes They call me on and on across the universe Thoughts meander like a Restless wind inside a letter box They tumble blindly as they make their way across the universe

I feel that this is such an accurate description of how Evelyn feels throughout the story. She is living in the real world, yet feels a call from her true home which might as well be across the universe. Even when surrounded by loved ones and things that make her happy, a piece of her is missing and is lost back in The Woodlands.

My Fairy King by Queen

& The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

I think this is a pretty obvious choice, but the dark and strange lyrics and tone of My Fairy King by Queen really reminds me of The Cruel Prince by Holly Black. The Cruel Prince is about the dark side of faeries that is often not portrayed in literature and this is exhibited well in the song. Also, the beauty of the Fairyland is shown through Queen’s lyrics and relates to how I picture the world in The Cruel Prince.

They turn the milk into sour Like the blue in the blood of my veins (Why can’t you see it?) Fire burnin’ in hell with the cry of screaming pain (Son of heaven set me free and let me go) Sea turns dry no salt from sand Seasons fly no helping hand Teeth don’t shine like pearls for poor men’s eyes (No more)

These words just really remind me of how I think our main character, Jude, sometimes views the Fairy world. Even if she loves it and wishes to be apart of it, she knows that she needs to be terrified of all it can do.

Chances by Five for Fighting

& Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

Considering the name, I feel like this is fitting for what our main character is going through in Everything, Everything. Maddy has a disease where she is allergic to almost everything, and therefore, cannot leave the house. When a boy named Ollie comes along though, she starts realizing she needs to take chances in her already chanced life in order to feel like she is truly living.

Chances are we’ll find a new equation Chances roll away from me Chances are all they hope to be

These words reflect what I think Maddy felt before she met Ollie, but also after. Chances are chances, it is our choice if we want to take them.

I Want to Break Free by Queen

& When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

Our main character, Dimple, in When Dimple Met Rishi has always struggled with her parents understanding her desire for education over finding a boyfriend/husband. When she finally convinces her parents to let her go to a summer camp for aspiring web developers, she doesn’t realize it’s still to do just that: set her up with the son of their friends. Because of this, I feel like I Want to Break Free is a fitting song.

I want to break free I want to break free I want to break free from your lies You’re so self satisfied I don’t need you I’ve got to break free God knows, God knows I want to break free

This is basically what Dimple feels towards her parents. She is mad when she learns the truth and feels that they aren’t listening to what she wants, but instead, what they want.

Kiss Me by Sixpence None the Richer

& The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

It has been a while since I read this book, but I do vividly remember the main character, Belly, being absolutely in love with her older, family-friend, Conrad. Kiss Me is basically what Belly is constantly thinking when she thinks of him.

Oh, kiss me beneath the milky twilight Lead me out on the moonlit floor Lift your open hand Strike up the band, and make the fireflies dance Silvermoon’s sparkling So kiss me

Again, I would NOT be surprised if these lyrics were something Belly said in the book. Not at all.

Dog Days Are Over by Florence + The Machine

& The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

The reason why I associated these two things together is that in The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Charlie struggles to make friends as he starts his first year at high school. This is hard, but even before that, Charlie has had a difficult life. I feel like Dog Days Are Over perfectly symbolizes how he feels once he meets Sam, Patrick, and their friends, and finally, becomes a part of their group.

The dog days are over The dog days are done

It’s simple, but once Charlie finds his group in school, he finally feels like he belongs. Truly, his dog days ARE over.

Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield

& To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han

Unwritten is the MOST 2000s song I have heard, but at the same time, I love it for that. It reminds me of To All the Boys because Lara Jean writes love letters to all the boys she has loved before and for the most part, lives in a fantasy world when it comes to love and relationships. Her life is definitely not unwritten, but as she becomes close with certain characters in the book, she learns to live her life as more of a “go with the flow” and “take chances” than she did at the beginning.

I am unwritten, can’t read my mind, I’m undefined I’m just beginning, the pen’s in my hand, ending unplanned

These lyrics are a great reminder on how we should all live our lives, unwritten and unplanned. Well, okay, maybe plan a little bit because otherwise, you might just be wandering around, but don’t pass up on opportunities just because they aren’t written into your 5-year life plan!

Landslide by Fleetwood Mac

& Queen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra Clare

I know, I am surprised it took me THIS long to include a Cassandra Clare book but finally, we made it. Not only do I feel like ALL of the characters in QoAaD get hit by a landslide, whether that is in their relationships or just overall life, but the BOOK is a landslide too. Gut-wrenching plot point after heartbreaking plot point…I definitely feel as if I get swept away by the rubble of my heart afterwards.

Oh, mirror in the sky, what is love? Can the child within my heart rise above? Can I sail through the changing ocean tides? Can I handle the seasons of my life?

I really hear a lot of Julian and Emma in these lyrics if you know what I mean…just because they are definitely struggling with some things…I also think a common theme throughout this book is that a lot of the characters are realizing they aren’t children anymore and have to learn to understand everything they are feeling almost constantly.

Let It Be by The Beatles

& Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia

Eliza Mirk is a quiet and very introverted main character that I think a lot of us relate to. I know I do. Not only is she a creative person, being the creator of the webcomic Monstrous Sea, but she also deals with anxiety, which is something I can definitely relate to. However, she lets her anxiety for a majority of the book, get the best of her. When people try to help her and tell her the way she lives her life isn’t that healthy, she basically says “let it be”. It takes her a while to realize things need to change and that “letting it be” isn’t always the best answer.

And when the night is cloudy, there is still a light that shines on me Shine on ’til tomorrow, let it be I wake up to the sound of music, Mother Mary comes to me Speaking words of wisdom, let it be

So many people in Eliza’s life try to help her and get her out of her chair, and I think these lyrics reflect that conflict she has with them.

Wow! That was a long one, but there it is, me matching books with my playlist…anwyays, I hope you enjoyed it because I had so much fun creating this blog post! Don’t forget to comment below some of your favourite songs on your playlist, and also make sure you check out my last blog post which will be linked down below. Thanks for reading 🙂

Last Blog Post: How to: Get Out of a Reading Slump 2.0

@zoermathers

@zoeiswriting

@zoematherswrites

Matching Books to My Playlist Happy Saturday! Today is the first day of my Saturday blog posts and I am very excited to begin it with a music and book-related post.

#Blogging #BookBlog #books #booktag #creativity #florence+themachine #music #queen #Reading #thebeatles #Writing #writingblog #YA #yesterday #youngadult

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chumpmagump · 7 years

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woah wild shana appears on tumblr sporadically feelin real basic i dont have good intro soz no one reads this shit anyway so why do i care? why am i putting a question mark? why am i still acting like i have an audience okay back to the basic pop music and basic thoughts mainly because i need some mainstream shit after being flooded by people who are ‘’ interesting’’ maybe too interesting, their brain is like the school of thought compacted into 10 minute conversations though. So everything is WOAH INTENSE

im on my second cup of chai so i feel alright for typing shit that doesnt make sense but seriously, you know those people who just seem very cultured and their brain has no filter, they can talk about stuff for 50 minutes and then realise theyve been talking a whole lot and go to ask you something but you’re just so fizzled out you can’t possibly think of something witty to say. idk man, my social game is off probably because my new job has got me aching for movies and just generally a good cuddle and 8 hours of sleep.

why do people feel the need to talk constantly talk in metaphors, its like shakespreare shit. this is why god old bogan talk can be weirdly refreshing if youve been living around artsy farsty cities. nothing like a ‘’ i’m good aye, whats been hapening in your block’’ to reset. the guys im seeing are cool ( dont appreciate the not so honest honesty tho, will have to chat about that), the kind i wouldnt take to see my friends because my friends are just too chill for that like letstalkabouttheuniverserandomly. idk, theyre uni students who live a routined life not musicians or travel escapists haha, no seriously its so nice to chill with people who kind of make my brain fizz at the beginning, it makes me realise how flat and dead i have been inside in previous relationships.

i dont have time for friends who (ironically are guys) think me seeing multiple people is disgusting or stupid because i sleep with them. Yeah you can say you wouldnt do it personally, or like it. But once you bring the argument into it that it’s gross to sleep around you are immediately associating sex with respect and to me that screams i’m insecure and use sex as a weapon. Hell one of my friends said he didnt even want to hear about my meetings with new people. literally lost respect for me type thing. so yeah, two friends out of the picture unless they wanna maybe realise what they said does have a direct correlation to their view of me.

you cant just say to someone, i think its stupid to hook up with people and disgusting but then cover it with a lovely shade of pink in ‘’ but i dont see you as any less of a person’’. it doesnt make any sense and if anything i still lose respect for you, for your slut shaming tactics.

I’m not meeting people with the intent to have sex all the time, and even if i was why should that bother someone to the point they lose respect for a person? shoutout to cody, aprelle, julian and emma for understanding these wild concepts.

work is crazy, im finally learning my bartending shit, it’s interesting and i feel overworked and underpaid in this particular venue though. next year i think i’ll move on.

some coworkers wow amazing how much a person can be an asshole and still live for others to tell the tale.

bite my tongue and move the fuck on with a small ‘‘ fuckin bitch’‘ under the breathe. Imma have to get tactful in maybe making them feel a bit passively guilty about their actions otherwise i will just bust out some kendrick lyrics no wonder people are dead assholes irl who work in hospo. please dont kill my soil, kill it enough so i can scald and rebuild new flesh that can tolerate asshole level beta though. please, thanks anyway Vsauce , hotel hell and school of life youtube vids and chai have been heloing me restore battery life so maybe this week i can bust out of my shell and actually feel like an active participant rather than a silent observer. im done feeling like what i say doesnt matter, if it doesnt then why do i need you in mylife? thats on you, not me time to restore myself, learning baby steps all over again. essentially thats how we die inside and thats how free spirits or people who dont conform to society look so appealing yet annoying, because we envy them. we wish we could have the guts to break out of the conformity that holds us, dance in street, sing loudly in a public bathroom yet we dont because we are forced to keep our children (inner child) tucked quietly away until home time.’ hence why bruno mars and chai is on my agenda tonight.

we die when reach that age considered ‘’ young adult’’, yknow the age where the head school coordinator gathers all the kids in grade 8, with a speech of mumbo jumbo, ‘’have fun,... but you also have to know your shit, don’t be young and free, i mean be young and free but do your taxes’’’

its just science, we are socially learnt from young people that being a ‘’young adult’’ comes with the responsibility of not playing with toys, time to learn finance, but you can reserve play time for saturdays and evenings.. yet only selective playtime is appropriate for young adults.. which is still not play time is it? drugs, alcohol, sex , yknow the adullt playtime. hell even your playtime isnt free and is run by some invisible societal king. oo what would happen if someone farted in public? the king comes down from his throne and instills a worthy crime of .. nothing. that’s what i mean we are playing ourselves, we’re all fools.

so yes maybe i wont fart in public but ill be working on realising there is no king.

#2017 #suchapinginrant

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