#(hint: it's to do with thomas and alastair)

[ladyhindsight]

don't know if this is homophobic (saying this as a bisexual btw) but we need to study clare's tendencies towards the gays because there's almost one in every family and at least a gay couple in every trilogy, but they're never - never - the main characters. i guess kit herondale will be the first bisexual herondale who is also a main character -- mindblowing if i think about it. most of the times i wonder what motivates her to write so many gay men because she never has the same energy for the girls. and may i add that the gay couples she has written before have no page time (malec. everything happens in the background. we know nothing about their relationship and how they fell in love and why magnus was interested in alec given the disdain he had for alec's kin at the time) or basis (i'll say it. thomastairs. what do they have in common? why thomas was so in love with alastair from page 1 and why he never questioned himself as a gay man in a cult that looks down on gay people? and speaking of shadowhunters and their contempt for homosexual love. why is that so? where does this contempt comes from? the bible, even though shadowhunters have no religion of their own? why do we need homophobia in this world when all shadowhunters do is fighting demons? sure they need to have children .. but the mortal cup is there for a reason). another one that comes to mind is kitty -- the same questions arise again. we could argue that this is clare's problem with all of her couples, but i hate reading about a gay couple because the author felt the need to write about one (i'd say she's enamored with mlm as heterosexual women often are). take matthew fairchild for example: there was something between him and lucie herondale, but she had to pair him with cordelia for angst and now he's in love with a man. am i gonna read about the same gay couple all over again? it's not even interesting at this point .. all the gay couples are the same in different fonts, even the characters all act and talk the same way. the only one that had some drive was charles and alastair's story and she wrote it to show us how awful charles was -- god forbid a gay man born and raised in a cult in the 1900s is afraid of coming out. we all have to be proud of our sexuality, we can't be conflicted about it because that equals being evil and hating ourselves or not loving enough our partner 😍🙏🏼 poor charles! and matthew was there to add more disdain towards his brother because bo-oh! why is charles like that when his brother loves freely? clearly he's the rotten apple of the family tree ..

One central thing where the Shadowhunter world and society fails to justify itself is its value system. It is no wonder that norms and values ​​cannot find their foundation in history (or anything really) if, in fact, the entire infrastructure of their society is completely insufficient and baseless. They barely have a coherent relationship to any religion (not to mention their own) and have no actual values derived from any holy book, and Clare explains this by what is essentially a lack of religion. Nonsense. It’s laziness and inability to ask follow up questions.

The Nephilim society is what it needs to be any given moment to serve a point, but never necessarily make sense or be founded in their particular history and its development process. There’s absolutely nothing there to explain anything the Shadowhunters think (except the dislike of mundanes, I’ll give you that). And since they have no proper relationship with their own society, not even a hint of tendency to be introspective about societal issues, it is not surprising that the characters (who are essentially secondary/tertiary and sidelined next to the great main romance) do not examine the attitudes and feelings that the society that discriminates against them realistically arouses. Not to mention the nonexistent page time to do so.

For example, after a long overdue journey we come to understand Robert and his views, attitudes, and feelings about homosexuality, his complicated emotional life as to Michael and all that. Which is really great, but the same emptiness, the lack of foundation to any of it echoes beneath it all. Each of the characters are products of the Nephilim society that thinks the way it does, but everything any of the (marginalized) characters go through fails to explain why they have to in the first place.

We as real people understand such concepts in our own world: the history, the factors, the sociopolitical trajectories, the everything what has happened and what has led us to this point, to this world and time and the prevailing values and norms because nothing happens in a vacuum and all is caused by something. In the Nephilim society this type causality is completely absent and the prevailing attitudes exist only because they fulfill the needs of the story without going deeper into their origin and root causes.

In The Eldest Curses, where Alec and Magnus are the main characters, the writing is different, the effort is noticeably less, and the books are greatly shorter than any of the others. As to The Last Hours, I'm not even exaggerating when I say I was completely appalled and gobsmacked by how Charles' character was treated. Even more appalling was the fact that none of the several book reviews I read mentioned what a sickening recurrence as to handling of Alec’s sexuality and coming out that was. Clare made Charles an antagonist almost in every aspect and so made him “lose” without considering how disgusting the end result was. Or maybe she did, and that’d be even worse.

Like you said, the characters acting and thinking same is not unfortunately limited to gay characters only—it’s an all-encompassing where each character is somewhat reminiscent of another. Also aided probably by the fact that Clare writes dialogue in repeating manner, in similar style for every speaker, and the changes in tone and style basically mean whether a character says “maybe” or “perhaps” (side-eyeing Hodge).

On Matthew, I don’t understand the necessity of him having something going on with Lucie. It was so pointless and meant absolutely nothing that I just mentally died even thinking about the uselessness of it again. There is so much unconcluded with The Last Hours cast that I can’t still fathom how there is thousands of pages of meaningless meandering on issues who-gives-a-fuck-about, but AGAIN the organic circumstances surrounding the characters are left on the sidelines or not examined in depth they necessitate. It gets more frustrating, all of you’ve said, the more you think about it.

The exclusion of sexual minorities is a self-repeating fact that everyone can see in the pages of every book. Of course, many fans defend this and have defended it for years by saying that the series is not about them, they are not its main stars. But that brings us to the self-repeating nature of the entire chronicle and Clare's own biases that are rather evident. You can see what she likes to write about and what she doesn’t by solely comparing the amount of them.

Perhaps her reluctance to write about LGBTQ protagonists can be disguised behind the representation she writes about: after all, she constantly writes about minorities and is seemingly inclusive because she includes characters representing different minority groups in her books. When you look at the quality of this inclusion, I think it's a completely different story. And perhaps the most glaring example is sexual minority couples. Sure, there is plenty of them, but is it really any good quality-wise?

I mentioned in one of my previous answers that Clare's mentality closely mirrors the mindset of her fandom era. The answers she has given during her career as a professional writer (hot boys kissing doing well on the internet, for instance) also implicitly reveal her approach to this, not to mention the initial unapologetic misogyny and male-oriented views which she cultivated shamelessly through Clary.

[im-out-of-it]

Thomas was still looking as if he might faint, Alastair was studying his nails. It was bridgestock who broke the ensuing silence first. “This is preposterous, Charlotte. Carstairs is lying to cover up for his friend.”

“They’re not friends,” said James. “One of us might lie for Thomas. Not Alastair.” (great job on outing yourself in the future James)

“Then he’s probably mad with grief over his fathers death. Either way he’s not credible,” snarled bridgestock. (spoken as someone who doesn’t know anything about Alastair. the man is most likely celebrating lmao)

it’s funny how wrong everyone is here

Thomas and Alastair were friends whether they wanted anyone to know. you don’t go to museums and movies with someone that you loathe. even if it wasn’t shown in the beginning, Alastair and Thomas were slightly friends

(also Alastair studying his nails reminds me in TDA when Magnus does that when he’s been caught using magic by Alec for when they’re camping out lmaooo) (actually fun comparing Alec and Thomas to one another and never book Malec/Alec/Magnus, I only brought this one up because it seemed similar) (I will never support book Malec, support only show Malec)

see, this is why I’m not big on their development in the beginning of the series because now it’s as if hey they really aren’t friends or ever were and Alastair’s words aren’t as affective. what he said was cruel but imagine how much more devastating it would hurt Thomas if he felt more for Alastair. I think it would have been interesting to see more of a relationship and friendship blossom in the first two books instead. I mean that’s how I would have played it but I didn’t write the books (obviously)

Alastair’s words hurt no matter what and maybe I’m just a super depressive dark person but it would be more heartbreaking if their friendship meant a lot more and it was a little more obvious. I enjoy subtlety, I really do. I get if CC was going for a “they hardly talk or are seen together but behind closed doors, they’re actually friendly” but it doesn’t come off that way to me. maybe to others but not to me. I’m just saying that part could have been handled better

ALSO THIS WHOLE SCENE SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN THOMAS’S POV AND NO I REFUSE TO STOP BITCHING ABOUT IT

because imagine Thomas hearing “they’re not friends” and Thomas thinking WELL actually- we kind of were until I found out this massive secret and now it hurts to look at Alastair but I can’t stop looking at him. because hiding this whole friendship or relationship and then having it come out in the last book feels very lazy and messy to me

and to have bridgestock say “he’s mad with grief” when Alastair is glad to be done with his deadbeat father is hilarious. I think Alastair if we actually got his pov (that page doesn’t count) has mixed feelings but I don’t think he would be too terribly sad about it. Elias ruined Alastair’s life and Alastair is not one to forget that. BUT WE DONT KNOW BECAUSE ALASTAIR AND HIS POV IS OFF LIMITS TO US

I always viewed Thomas and Alastair as knowing more about the other than anyone else does. none of the merry thieves seem to get that Thomas is gay or seems to hint at it

Cordelia didn’t seem to know Alastair was gay or hinted at it

the only thing the merry thieves and Cordelia seem to want to talk about is James and Matthew while leaving Alastair Thomas Christopher out to the side

Thomas is arrested and James pov still makes it all about James. ITS NOT ABOUT YOU JAMES. I can’t stand CC and her problematic behavior of inappropriate pov when they shouldn’t be there

that moment was about Thomas and Alastair not making it the I hate Alastair fan club or poor Thomas he’s such a good friend but let’s make it all about me myself and I, James. this is the moment after Thomas not wanting to see Alastair and it’s all finally come into the light. Alastair has been trying to protect Thomas all this time so yes I do stand by the fact that this should have been focused on Thomas and Alastair and should have had both their pov as well as the sanctuary scene should have included both pov

I really don’t care about CC and her excuses of “they don’t have a pov because we as readers can’t know” or whatever excuse she has lined up. not including Alastair pov and leaving him, Matthew, Thomas, Christopher behind just to focus on James and Cordelia is an actual fucking crime

Alastair and Thomas deserve to have not only more focus on their characters but have their relationship developed as well

but also- Thomas, I know it’s nerve wrecking to know the man you love is protecting you still and cares for you but you can thank him later

and also- Alastair, Thomas will forgive you and all will be right with the world again. please keep standing there and vexing Matthew and the merry thieves. we all live for your dramatic flair

[edwin-paynes-bowtie]

What are your top 5-10 Thomastair headcanons?

Oh my God lmao I have SO many Thomastair headcanons. Not sure I can pick a top 10, but here are my 10 favourites. Some of them you may recognize as recurring things in my fic!

If you have read one of my best fics, this is one you'll recognize: film junkie Alastair. He's so interested in movies as an art form, and his interest and passion get Thomas into cinema, too. At the start of their relationship, they go to films around London, but they branch out pretty quickly. They go to places like New York, and Boston, and LA. Matthew even gets them into a Phantom of the Opera premiere in Paris and orchestrates a meeting between them and the director. It's something that Thomas and Alastair do together for their entire lives until they finally get a TV when they're 70 and in their little condo.

Thomas still retains his schoolboy diaries... and they are completely filled with, like, "La la la Alastair is so funny... and so amazing.... he spoke to me today..." etc. Alastair discovers this while they're moving and, with Thomas's consent, conducted a hilarious dramatic reading for just the two of them. To this day, he still does this sometimes, and it always makes them laugh.

Thomas and Alastair learn to cook all of each other's favourite meals. Usually Thomas makes breakfast and Alastair makes dinner, but sometimes they'll switch it up. Or they'll cook together. But yes I think that they learn all of the other one's favorite recipes and surprise the other one sometimes. I think that Thomas learns from Sona and Risa, and Alastair learns primarily from Eugenia.

Thomas scratches his nose when he feels awkward in social settings. It's a tell that no one notices besides Alastair, who is both observant and emotionally close to Thomas. He teases him about it excessively, but he also will use it as a cue and like, keep him comfortable when in group situations.

You'll be familiar with this one if you've ever read my smut. When Thomas and Alastair first started to get physical post-infirmary scene, Thomas was uncomfortable with speaking about sex and Alastair noticed. So he started using outdated sex euphemisms to get him to feel comfortable and laugh with him so he can feel safe talking about it. And it WORKED. Over time, though, after a couple of months, Thomas became more naturally comfortable and confident. But the euphemisms stayed. And they made it a game to one-up each other in weirdness and entertainment value of the antiquated terms. And then it became "no matter what we are currently doing, pause and guess the year the term is from." It's like this huge private inside joke for them that's intimate and hilarious.

Thomas and Alastair are both extremely close to Zachary. When Zachary is a young child, he genuinely believes that both Thomas and Alastair are his dads. Sona has to correct him, and he is floored.

One of Thomas's biggest flaws is that he's super petty. Like, if Alastair does something minorly annoying, he will passive-aggressively hint to it. I wrote a fic where Alastair accidentally eats his truffles so he decided to get back at him by putting some of his things too high for him to reach around the house. But he's also just as ridiculously doting. Like. He goes to replace his truffles and also brings Alastair a second box because he loves him

I think one of the best things about Thomastair is that they're always like. Teammates. Even when they're upset with each other, it's like, they will support each other through anything. It is a kind of love you don't see very often. I feel like the ONLY other time I've seen this is with Herondaisy, but yeah.

This is totally canon, but they're the capital-C PDA Couple. I love this about them. Booo. Get a room.

Eventually, when they're in their late 50s, Thomas and Alastair retire to Paris together. They get a condo high above the Champs Elysees and fill it with books and artwork, and there's a passage from their room to their roof so they can go up and look at the stars.

[purplebass]

OKAY GO OFF ABOUT YOUR HOPES AND DREAMS FOR THE THOMASTAIR STORY

CC said their story is like a romcom which is one of my comfort genres so I want them to be super domestic and fluffy 💜

breakfast in bed <3 or cooking for each other

Alastair playing the piano and Thomas singing!!!

exchanging glances from across the room and needing to leave the premises to kiss

dancing even without music <3 (idk why but I love ships dancing)

Thomas looking at Alastair sleep and being inspired to write poems about his beauty

them going grocery shopping for their new house <3

one of them giving each other a message after a long night of patrol

speaking Farsi with each other!!!

having dinner together in Paris like in 1902

eating with their families and we actually see it

playing with Zachary!!! thinking about their future <3

there is a car on the BiB cover so maybe them using Matthew's car??? I am planning a fic where I hint about Thomas doing something with a car

There is more but these came up to my mind right now

[simplyclary]

My (Personal) Thoughts on Seasons of Shadowhunters

Note: These are my personal thoughts about Cassie's latest project. Feel free to comment and reply down below and share your thoughts as well.

Recently, one of my favorite authors Cassandra Clare announced a Kickstarter project and it's all about Shadowhunters. I was excited when she hinted at it on her IG stories and was even more excited (with a few mixed feelings) when I finally got the email about the project itself.

My thoughts on this entire project will be broken down into segments/parts (so it won't be long paragraphs without breakers) so if you wanna hear my thoughts, do continue.

Part 1: Secrets of Blackthorn Hall

To be honest with you all, I'm not excited about this one. Well, it could be because it's available online (and here on Tumblr) so maybe that contributed to my non-existent excitement for it. I will also admit that I did not read every single entry of SoBH, I only read like the ones I cared about (Tessa's letter to Sophie is one of them) and the others, I may or may not have skimmed.

Art-wise, the art is beautiful, no doubt. But still, I'm quite skeptical about this one so maybe when it eventually comes, I might change my mind.

Part 2: Careful of Books Novellas

I am honestly not the biggest fan of novellas. I mean, I do read them to further understand the characters of a certain story (I did read A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas even though it was just the characters having a domestic Winter Solstice).

With this one, I am partly excited, partly not. I have no idea why but the closer it comes, I may be persuaded to be excited about it. It will feature a character whose future is interesting (I can only guess who that is...) and of course, it is set in the Shadowhunter universe (which timeline, I have no idea.)

I got to admit, novellas are fun but like it's not as fun as full-length novels with higher stakes and whatnot so I guess that is also part of it but I'll just have to see where we go from here.

Part 3: Notable Shadowhunters

Now, this is more of a collectible than a book because this will most probably contain more photos than words, which I'm not complaining about. It's always good to have fanart of your favorite Shadowhunters characters. I used to want to own the illustrated book but over time, that feeling kind of went away. I am a practical gal most of the time and I just thought that these photos would be scattered online anyway so if I favored a specific character's card, I would just get it online and print it myself if I desire to.

I'm not sure whether I will purchase it when it comes but who knows, maybe with some convincing, I might be persuaded.

Part 4: Better In Black Short Stories

This is probably what I'm most excited for. I adore the first three short story collections (Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy, Ghosts from the Shadow Market and The Bane Chronicles) and this is probably not gonna be any different. I'm a romance lover by nature and to know that this might feature some of my favorite Shadowhunters couples makes me a little bit more excited. I mean, to be fair, I prefer some couples more than others but getting stories about the prominent couples are not out of the question for me.

I'm looking forward (and slightly hoping) to maybe seeing my favorite couples Simon and Izzy, Thomas and Alastair, Clary and Jace, and Magnus and Alec take the spotlight but I'm not opposed to the idea that other couples (Jem and Tessa, Julian and Emma, etc..) will also be featured since romance is a big aspect in the fantastical tales of the Shadowhunters. Plus, it's never seen before content, so that kind of adds to the hype.

I just need the Clace and Sizzy wedding plus Thomas and Alastair living together, if you get what I mean, okay?

Part 5: The Compass Rose Journal

I may or may not have screamed when I saw this in the email because as a fan of Thomas Lightwood, his compass rose is a sentimental symbol to me and to own a journal with that very symbol, oh, I can dream but I guess it's coming.

And for art to be included, uhm, yes please! Although I honestly thought it would just be like a notebook with like the compass rose etching on the cover but I guess I was wrong.

Conclusion

These are all my thoughts. I may have not worded it all well because I did mention in a previous post that I kind of drifted away from the Shadowhunters fandom for a while now but maybe with this upcoming content, my heart might go back to the shadows or stay in the sunshine where it currently resides. ;)

With that, I say, Hail and Farewell, Angels!

[melanielocke]

Alastember - day 1 - fluff

I'm trying to write something for every day of Alastember, no guarantees yet that I will succeed but I'm trying. For today, I wrote a little fluffy piece set in a modern AU with no magic, Thomas as a doctor and Alastair as a PhD student.

@alastair-appreciation-month

‘You really can’t resist showing anyone that ring, can you?’ Thomas’ tone was light, teasing.

‘It is a beautiful ring,’ Alastair commented.

The two of them were at home, just finished doing the dishes, and on the couch. Alastair liked their evenings together. Thomas was often busy at work, but unless he had evening shifts they often spent their evenings together like this. This week, he had night shifts and he’d slept most of the morning.

Thomas put his hand on Alastair’s cheek. ‘And you want people to know we’re engaged.’

‘And what if I do?’

‘I don’t mind,’ Thomas said, kissing Alastair on the cheek. ‘I like it. I like how you’re not scared to show anyone that we belong together. That we’re going to be married.’

Thomas had proposed a week ago. Alastair had just made his deadline for his PhD and they were going out for dinner to celebrate at Risa’s restaurant. Alastair had not expected the proposal at all. They’d spoken about getting married, had discussed their ideas of what their future would be like, but Alastair had never expected Thomas to work out a proposal so soon. Thomas had given him the Lightwood family ring, the same ring Sophie Lightwood had worn before marrying Gideon, and somehow it felt more special than a new ring. Thomas really wanted him to be a part of his family.

‘I never wanted us to be a secret,’ Alastair murmured. ‘Besides, it was completely worth the reaction on Matthew’s face when I showed him the ring.’

‘He’s still not over it, is he?’

‘He’s getting there. And now that I’ve made my deadline and am waiting for a response, I don’t have much else to do.’

Alastair’s work weeks were sometimes exceptionally long, and sometimes rather short, depending on how much work he had to do, when his next deadline was. It could be stressful, but Alastair found he was managing well enough. It helped that he often had deadlines to work toward, and when he’d made one he could relax for a bit. It also helped that Thomas took care of him when he was busy, sending him pictures of his lunch to hint that Alastair should take a break to eat as well and cooking the most delicious meals when he came home. Otherwise Alastair might forget to eat at all.

‘I think I’m going to take another nap before work,’ Thomas said. ‘Do you want to join me?’

Thomas had two more night shifts to go and he was exhausted. Fortunately, a week of night shifts meant he’d be free all week next week, and he’d taken the week after off too so they could go on a vacation together.

‘Of course,’ Alastair said.

It was a little early to go to bed, but Thomas needed the extra rest and he figured they could make out a little before Thomas fell asleep.

‘You set an alarm clock, right?’ Alastair asked when they reached the bedroom, worried Thomas might oversleep and be late for his night shift.

‘Yes,’ Thomas said. ‘And it’s very loud, so sorry in advance for waking you too.’

‘That’s alright, at that point I’ll be either awake or in the middle of a nightmare,’ Alastair said.

With years of extensive therapy, EMDR, and paroxetine, Alastair would consider his PTSD relatively well under control, but nightmares were something that had never really gone away. It was fine, though, Alastair was fine. He was happy.

He changed into his pajamas and crawled into bed next to Thomas. Alastair had missed going to bed with him this week. They didn’t always have sex before going to bed, but they did always spend some time cuddling and kissing each other.

‘Come here,’ Thomas murmured when he was in bed too, and Alastair happily obliged, finding a comfortable position in Thomas’ arms.

Thomas kissed him, first on his cheek, and then on his mouth, his fingers running through Alastair’s hair.

‘I love you,’ Thomas whispered in between kisses.

‘Love you too.’

Alastair fell asleep in Thomas’ arms eventually, and startled awake when Thomas’ alarm clock went off. He was confused what was happening for a moment until he remembered Thomas had a night shift and he had to go.

Thomas shot out of bed and started changing.

‘Good luck with your shift, dr. Lightwood,’ Alastair said.

‘Try not to miss me too much,’ Thomas said. ‘Hedgehog can keep you company.’

Thomas threw a plush hedgehog at Alastair, which landed against his chest. It had been a birthday gift a few years ago and Hedgehog still had his place in their bed. Alastair liked holding it against him before falling asleep.  

‘I intend to sleep through you being gone. I’ll see you in the morning.’

Taglist: @alastaircarstairsdefenselawyer @life-through-the-eyes-of @styxdrawings @justanormaldemon @ipromiseiwillwrite @a-dream-dirty-and-bruised @amchara @all-for-the-fanfiction @imsoftforthomastair @ddepressedbookworm @queenlilith43 @wagner-fell @cant-think-of-anything @laylax13s @tessherongraystairs @boredfangirl16 @artist-in-soul

[boredfangirl16]

Chain of Lies

Days Past: Idris, 1899

TW: mild bullying

Thomas saw the boy before Christopher, or Matthew, or their newcomer, James, did. He had dark features, unlike most of the other boys at the Academy. With his black hair, smooth brown skin, and chocolate eyes, he stood out like a sore thumb. Yet Thomas couldn’t help, but think that dark features was a beautiful combination.

It wasn’t until after he had looked the boy up and down, multiple times, that he shook his head in confusion. Why was he so fascinated with him? None of his friends had even bothered to look in his direction. That is, until he came over. 

“Yes,” Matthew said. “Of course. Jamie, I can see that as a fellow admirer of Oscar Wilde—.”

“Uh,” said the boy, who approached from the left. “You new boys have barely been here five minutes, and all you can find to talk about is some mundane who got sent to prison for indecency?”

Thomas knew he was staring, but no one seemed to notice, or care.

“So you know Oscar Wilde too, Alastair?” Matthew asked. 

That’s right, his name was Alastair Carstairs. His family was known to move from place to place quite often. There were also quite a few nasty rumors about his father as well. He also had a younger sister. She had red hair, if he recalled correctly. He had briefly met them both at a party in Paris the previous year. 

“I know of many mundane criminals,” Alastair said, his voice like ice. His chin in tilted up, so it seemed like he’s looking down upon every boy there. His posture was rigid and his mouth was turned into a cocky sneer. “I read the mundane newspapers to find hints of demonic activity. I certainly don’t bother reading plays.”

There was a slight shift in his eyes, as he looked back to the two boys standing beside him. Both of them nodded their heads in approval and his shoulders relaxed, just a smidge. It almost seemed like he was looking for their approval. 

Matthew laughed in their faces. “Naturally. What use do sad, unimaginative little people have for plays? Or paintings, or dancing, or anything that makes life more interesting. I am so glad to be at this dank little school where they will try to squeeze down my mind until it is almost as narrow as yours.”

He patted Alastair Carstairs on the arm. Thomas almost wished it was him talking to the other boy. He seemed rude, but there was something about him. Something that Thomas couldn’t quite place. 

He realized he was staring again and quickly looked around in a brief panic. The sky was an awfully interesting shade of blue that day. 

“Run along now,” Matthew suggested. “Do. Jamie and I were talking.”

Thomas really hoped that Alastair didn’t listen to Matthew. He wasn’t quite sure why at the time, but it was like there was an invisible string pulling him to the other boy. A peculiar fascination. 

Alastair laughed sharply. “I was only trying to give you young ones a little guidance about the way we do things in the Academy. If you’re too stupid to take heed, that is not my fault. At least you have a tongue in your head, unlike this one.”

He turned and glared at James, who just sat there with his mouth wide open. 

“Yes, you, the one with the peculiar eyes,” Alastair snapped. “What are you gawping at?”

Thomas looked over and noticed that James did have weird eyes. They were almost a yellowish shade. It must’ve been a result of his mother’s heritage. 

“I—,” said James. “I—.”

“What’s your name?” Alastair asked. 

“H-Herondale.”

“By the Angel, his eyes are awful,” said one the boys who stood near Alastair. His shoulders relaxed once more. 

“Yellow. Just like a goat’s.”

“I don’t—.”

Alastair eyes darted to the side. “Don’t strain yourself, Goatface Herondale. Don’t try to speak. You and your friends could perhaps cease obsessing about mundanes and try to think about little matters like saving lives and upholding the Law while you’re here, all right?”

His eyes met Thomas for a split second and the small boy wondered if he too would be given a rude nickname by the end of the day. He didn’t say another word and walked away with his friends. They cackled as the word ‘goatface’ was spread through the crowd like wildfire. Thomas frowned when he saw the look on James’s face. It was of utter defeat. 

Matthew laughed. He had no sense of self-awareness. “Well. What an—.”

“Thanks so much for dragging me into that,” James snapped and walked far away from the group of kids that had formed. 

“What was all of that about?” Christopher asked innocently. 

“Some bully thought he could get the best of us,” Matthew said with a shrug. 

“But he did,” Thomas pointed out. “James ran away and everyone is calling him goatface.”

Matthew waved a hand dismissively. “He’ll come around.”

Thomas sighed deeply. It was going to be a long school year. 

About a week later, Thomas was walking through the halls with his hands full of books. The stack was almost as tall as him. Not that it said much, he was short for his age. The last class of the day had just finished up and he was rushing to find Christopher. If that boy was left to his own devices for more than half an hour, there was bound to be an explosion. 

He ran straight into someone and everything in his arms flew.

Thomas looked up and saw one Alastair Carstairs. His eyes were wide with surprise and his normally hard face, softened. It changed back in mere seconds, but Thomas knew he saw it. 

“I—,” stammered Alastair. He looked around cautiously and started sorting Thomas’s books into a neat pile. “Don’t you ever repeat a word about this to anyone else.” He blew a strand of hair out of his eyes. “Did you hit your head when you fell?”

“No,” Thomas said stupidly. 

His heart beat fast, as their hands brushed against each other when picking up the same book. Their eyes met. Alastair was the first to break eye contact. 

Thomas stood up with his newly fixed pile of books. It felt impossibly light. 

Alastair brushed off some nonexistent dust and seemed to notice that Thomas hadn’t left nor stopped staring at him. 

“What are you staring at?” He snapped.

Thomas forcefully pushed out his words. “Why are you so rude to everyone?”

“Excuse me?” His voice lowered, more defensive than anything else.

“Do you have a reason for your cruelty?” Thomas asked. He didn’t know where this boost of courage was coming from. “James hadn’t spoken a word to you, but you humiliated him in front of everyone, giving him that dumb name. Why?”

Alastair looked a-taken back. His eyes cast downward. “I’m just a cruel person. I enjoy the looks people give me when I cut them down to size.”

Thomas knew he should’ve just taken that answer and left. There was no reason for him to believe there are anything redeemable about Alastair Carstairs, but he couldn’t seem to let himself believe that. 

“I don’t believe you.”

“And why should I care?”

Their eyes met once more and Thomas could’ve sworn he saw something besides contempt in his features. It seemed entirely impossible for such a thing to be true, but he was convinced. After spending most of his childhood watching other children play while he was sick inside, he learned a thing or two about their tendencies. Alastair wasn’t like his friends. He looked to them for approval, something they never did. There must’ve been a reason for that.

“Because I wish to be your friend,” Thomas said with all the courage he could muster. 

Alastair chuckles. “That’s amusing.”

“I’m not joking. I can be very persistent.”

“I bet you can, but trust me when I tell you this. You don’t want to be anything like me, best to stay as far away as possible.”

Thomas frowned. “I’m not some kid. I’m the same age as you. Treat me like you would Matthew or James.”

“Are you asking me to make fun of you? That’s a first,” Alastair pointed out. His face was judgmental, but not cruel. 

“I want to be your equal.”

Alastair stared at him and for a moment he thought he made a terrible mistake. Perhaps there was nothing behind those eyes. Thomas was too kind for his own good. 

“You can certainly try,” Alastair said. “You better learn to walk faster, half-pint.”

His words weren’t harsh, it almost sounded like a joke. 

Thomas smiled.

“When you said you were persistent, I didn’t think it would be this bad,” Alastair said as he sat on top of the roof. His heels were dug into the tiles and kept him from falling the how many stories down. The stars were out and the sky was dark. Everything was as quiet as can be. “I could push you off this roof and no one would even know who killed you. Ever thought of that?”

Thomas’s eyes went wide, but he continued climbing out of the window. It was too late now. After weeks of following Alastair, he had finally found out where he disappeared to every night. The roof of all places. 

A book sat on his lap. “What are you reading?” Thomas asked, still standing. 

“Did you simply ignore my threat?” Alastair asked. Thomas shrugged. “It’s called The Prince by Machiavelli. You wouldn’t enjoy it.”

“Why do you say that?” Thomas sat down. 

“It encourages people to be cruel and terrible leaders. Doesn’t seem like something you would read.”

“Then why do you read it?”

Alastair looked over at Thomas and his heart stopped. His features were no longer as harsh whenever they were alone. He was still standoffish, but Thomas could feel himself wearing away at the older boy’s defenses. What they had could almost be called friendship. Almost. 

“It was suggested to me, by a—a friend,” Alastair said. His voice had a weird twinge at the end.

“I thought you said you didn’t have any friends. That you have no need for them,” Thomas said repeating his words from one of their encounters. 

“I suppose I did,” he said. His head was tilted up at the sky. “But he’s different.”

Thomas knew Alastair wasn’t talking about him. He never had even heard of The Prince, but he wished that he was that boy. The look in his eyes was something else. 

It was strange. Thomas had friends, but he was so desperate for Alastair’s attention. He had never felt this way about anyone else. Not even Christopher who he considered to be the closest thing he had to a brother. His pulse quickened and his heart beat fast in his chest whenever Alastair was around. 

“Who is he?”

There was silence. Thomas thought that he wouldn’t respond. 

“You’ve surely met him before, but I can’t tell you his name. He’s older than us, much more mature. He’s above all of these childish studies and social hierarchy,” Alastair said. He seemed to be in a far off place. “He wishes to be consul. I believe he could do it.”

“Then why did he suggest to you a book about terrible ruling techniques?”

“He says that I need to keep my mind open to all sorts of government practices and theories,” he said as if rehearsed. “You can’t just ignore or forget the bad things. They exist too.”

Thomas nodded, but he thought it was strange. There was a pang in his chest seeing the far off look on Alastair’s face. Someone figured the boy out and it wasn’t him. 

“What do you want to do when you leave the Academy?” Thomas asked. 

“I’m going to go on my travel year early. After that I’m not sure,” he said. His words turned harsh quicker than Thomas thought possible. “As you know my family doesn’t stay in one place for long. Not that you would ever understand the feeling.”

“Whatever does that mean?”

Alastair raised an eyebrow, “You are a Lightwood. You’ll get to go and do whatever you wish. Just the say the word and your loving family will come rushing to your side.”

Thomas didn’t quite know how to respond to that. It felt more personal than he let on. 

“And you are a Carstairs. Don’t act like your family isn’t influential.”

Alastair looked over and he seemed murderous. Thomas stood his ground, even as Alastair snarled. Unless the other boy was willing to share whatever his problem was, Thomas had done nothing wrong. 

“You have guts,” Alastair said. “I’ll give you that.”

Thomas smiled to himself. 

“But things aren’t as simple as that. Not that I care to share why.”

Thomas rolled his eyes. Every step he made was combatted by some witty remark used to cover up Alastair’s insecurities. 

“You could just be kind for once, you know. There’s no one here to impress,” Thomas pointed out. 

Alastair looked at him and laughed. “I would expect nothing less from you pip-speak. I’ve already told you there’s nothing redeeming about me.”

“And I still don’t believe it.”

Alastair smiled. An actual genuine smile. One that reached his eyes and showed off his dimples.

“You never will.”

Then it fell from his face and Thomas desperately wanted to say or do something to keep it there. It was too late and the mask fell back over Alastair’s face. Yet when Thomas looked at him and those caramel eyes of his, he noticed something. The happiness disappeared and left behind it’s opposite. Sadness is what has been hiding behind Alastair’s facade. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t seen it before. 

He didn’t even realize that Alastair had gotten up or that there was an arm reaching out to him. 

“Do you want help up or not?” Alastair demanded. 

Thomas took his hand. It was warm and calloused. His grip firm as he helped Thomas up to his feet. Red crept across his cheeks. 

“Thank you,” Thomas said in a soft voice. 

“Only for you, you hear me? No one else is to go around following me and insist I be kind. Alright?” 

Thomas’s heart leapt out of his chest.

“Of course.”

@artist-in-soul

@laylax13s 

@ashisamess

@thedamnephilimfangirl

@youwerealwaysmysecret 

@melanielocke

[hollabookgirl]

My personal chain of thorns theories that I have no basis for (other than that I think about them constantly)

Matthew OR Thomas becoming a vampire

Lucie being immortal/possibly resurrecting herself (I’ve thought this was possible ever since I read about Tessa leaving before she could see her kids die, and then when Lucie’s powers were revealed I thought it even more. Very likely this isn’t true but if it IS I’d feel very smug.)

Jordelia endgame but not until the very end of the book

I’m predicting at least three deaths of main characters/important secondary characters. (The ones I think are most likely: Thomas, Alastair, Christopher, Anna, or Grace)

Grace redemption arc (that won’t really work to make the fandom forgive her)

Tatiana wearing at least one (1) stupid outfit (this isn’t a theory so much as a confirmed thing for her character to do)

I feel like Alexander is going to somehow be revealed to be the great-great-something grandparent of Alec, Max, and Izzy

Charles will probably still marry a woman :/

at least one Will DILF moment

at least one Tessa MILF moment

okay the last two were projection

Cecily can have a MILF moment too

strong hinting about herongraystairs lore™️ to either james or lucie

Grace using her powers on Christopher and regretting it

One character will get stabbed (and YES i’ll count demons if it means Being Right)

Lucie axe scene! (I feel like we don’t have enough Lucie axe moments)

Bisexual lucie reveal (that one won’t happen i just think she’s a very bisexual coded character)

Beautiful Cordelia/Cruel Prince James references

Magnus walking in on jordelia (it’s just a rule that herondales get walked in on by magnus at this point)

some reason why magnus doesn’t think anything of malcolm’s eccentric behavior in the tmi era (like a spell gone wrong or smth)

Sona miscarriage OR one character will be announced pregnant

Will disapproving of the ghostwriter relationship

James saying something in the vein of “THAT’S MY WIFE”

Hinting that one or more of the characters of TLH will be in TWP (not just counting magnus/jem/tessa/etc)

[rinadragomir]

Okay Rina, here we go (because you’re amazing, you deserve a distraction, and I like to rant) 💖

- Charles x Alastair: I have, in fact, unfortunately seen people who ship them and I’m still sick. Genuinely wish for anyone (though Alastair is def more satisfying) to put him in his place.

- Thomas x Alastair: My everything. My OTP in the whole TSC fandom. I generally like reading fanon content, but sometimes it feels like Thomas isn’t understood by the fandom at all? Y’all forgive Alastair (and super rightly), but show absolutely no empathy towards Thomas. And honestly, I agree with the complaints about his behaviour in CoI, but I don’t get why people can’t read the context. Which doesn’t actually mean justifying, just understanding the situation.

- Eugenia x Ariadne/Kamala: Flawless. Too good to be canon. Doesn’t mean I’m not bitter about it, though.

- Anna x Ariadne/Kamala: Just don’t. Listen, I loved them in Every Exquisite Thing, and I was so happy about a wlw couple being “more central” to the story. BUT, let’s be honest, they were completely ruined after that. They were still okay in CoG, though I didn’t like how some things were handled, but lines were crossed in CoI. There was too much humiliation, too little understanding and too little sympathy towards Ariadne, her life and situation. On top of that, Anna showed that she doesn’t know her at all. I’m pretty sure they’re going to be endgame (if they’re fine by the end of CoT that is), but I don’t like it.

- Jesse x Lucie: Nice, but way too overrated by the fandom. Idk, I read TLH with great expectations for them (pun not intended lol), but I felt like most of their scenes were just okay. I’m not sure why, but they could never make me feel the pathos I was expecting because of their situation.

- James x Cordelia: Boring, but I do hope they’re okay in the end, because Cordelia deserves it. I’m gonna be honest (sorry in advance Rina because I know you love him), but I don’t like James. He deserves happiness after everything he went through, though, and I hope he gets it.

- James x Grace: Doesn’t deserve to actually be called a ship, and I despise it. However, it’s really worth a mention that I was very intrigued by the original idea of them (though I’ve always wanted Grace and Kit to be endgame), and I was really curious to see how that was going to go. For me, Grace wasn’t in love with him even then, but it’s evident James was, and honestly I was always curious to see how he ended up with Cordelia.

- Matthew x Cordelia: A big, gigantic no, but their friendship is great. Probably one, if not the, best developed, and I hate that Cassie’s gonna make it weird.

- Matthew x Kellington: They had so much potential, but I hate it because I’m pretty sure there’s a gross age gape. If their dynamic had been with someone who wasn’t toxic for Matthew and had the right age, I would’ve loved it.

- Grace x Christopher: Loved it since 2014, my TLH OTP then, and my second since Thomastair’s been revealed. I wish the timeline of the books would allow us to see more, but for how everything stands it wouldn’t be right for Cassie to give anything more than hints about them being together in the future. I don’t necessarily disagree with them being on the spectrum (though I also doesn’t see particular clues in that direction), but I don’t think they’d be at one end of it. I believe there have been clues showing they can be interested in romance at the very least, and that’s why I could potentially see them being demi or grayromantic. However, my knowledge about this topic isn’t as extensive as I’d like, so there could be better suggestions.

Couples aside, I also want to mention that Thomas and Christopher and Jesse and Grace are the best platonic relationships, and I wish there were more scenes about them. They deserved to be Parabatai. I’ll also take the opportunity to say that neither Matthew and James nor Lucie and Cordelia make good Parabatai pairings. The problem isn’t keeping secrets because that can make sense depending on the circumstances, but they almost never rely on each other or lean on the other when they need help. I also wouldn’t mind the Thieves going their own ways (except Kit and Tom). It’s just… if they make it work, then good for them and I’ll be happy, but atm they’re not really good for each other. Matthew and James have their own things going on, and beyond that there’s not really that strong of a bond (or desire to really get to know the others and what’s going on with them). It just feels like the four of them love each other, but the bonds that tie them have mostly grown out of their families’ closeness and very little else.

*afraid*

1) noooooooo you were hallucinating! No way it's a thing NO WAY!

2)Thomas is not understood even by his best friends like?... He's the most chaotic and emotional boy in their group. Like seriously, I usually don't read fanfiction (unfortunately) cause every time I start sth I'm always: "nO wAy tHeY wOuLd sAy/do tHat, literally no way". ANYWAY, Thomastair is a gem of our community 💅🏻✨

3)pfffff YesYES I remember the time people used to ship them REALLY HARD. I wonder who came up with this idea, it's so interesting 👀

4)JUST YES🥺listen🥺👉����👈🏻WHAT IF! IN! CHAIN OF THORNS! EVERYTHING! IS GONNA! BE! FIXED!🥺yes I absolutely have 99 reasons to hate Anna, cause she's 1) annoying 2) ignorant 3)thinks she's better than everyone BUT

as I said here she's just a fucking stupid teenager whose parents never said "you're cringe, never do this shit again". Like idk why all adults around her see her behavior as normal or "cool". Someone just has to let her understand that you can't be that "I don't listen to parents, I party all night, drink vodka with weird adults and break hearts for a dare like that boy from After" 16yo kid forever.

Like the life she lives doesn't make her happy just as it doesn't make people who she loves happy. She just needs to gain some braincells before CHOT🥺

5)...

6)

POV: James and Lucie are you fav characters and you've just read this ask

7) It's not a ship at all but I've written something about them here (if I'm not mistaken👀)

8) right right 😊 chemistry - yes, healthy relationship - not yet. As I said before, they were healthy for each other before the chain of iron, they definitely have chemistry, but now they're a bad influence for each other.

Matthew definitely needs some time WITHOUT her, to get over his feelings. Cause it's not a love, it's an illusion of healing, of something good in his life. She doesn't even love him back, so it's only gonna make it worse for him

Every time Cordelia interacts with Matthew in COI she uses him for running away from her problems and to focusing on someone else's issues. She has to face her own battles and Matthew, trying to help, only leads her further away from the right path.

9)I have nothing to say here, cause we hardly saw any interactions. Gotta wait for chot 😌

10) I'm so torn rn. I agree with 70% of this and and strongly disagree with everything else. I'm not gonna say anything except I need to read chain of thorns to complete my opinion on this. Cause these are really complicated topics🤔

OH MY GOD I ANSWERED EVERYTHING I'M SO PROUD OF MYSELF LOOK AT ME BEING SO GOOD AT TEXTING IN ENGLISH FOR SO LONG ✨💘💓✨✨💘💓✨

[anarmorofwords]

Hey so what do you want most and least from chot?

Hi anon!

Ughhh, okay, buckle up babes!

I do actually have a list of things I least want to see, aka...

"Things I won't forgive CC for writing in ChoT":

Alastair again being portrayed as despicable and deserving of the hate he's getting; getting more hate that's not called out; narrative suggesting Cordelia/Thomas are being unbelievably kind and merciful for loving him.

Matthew dying/turning into a Downworlder/getting lost in Faerie/his and James's parabatai bond breaking somehow. (I'm aware there are people who want/like some of these scenarios, and that's totally valid, I personally can't stand them)

Christopher dying. Don't you fucking dare, CC.

Sona dying in childbirth.

I wanna say Ari/Kamanna becoming canon in general, but while that's a possibility I'm trying to make my peace with, i just hope that if it happens, it's not framed as "poor Anna" finally allowing herself to love Ari and forgive her. If it's to happen, I need Anna to apologize and change her ways and Kamala to be respected by her. Though I'd rather they didn't end up together in general.

Lucelia not becoming parabatai.

Things I WANT to see most:

Alastair getting a friend; preferably Ariadne/Kamala/Grace/Kit/Genie.

Will and Gideon adopting bonding with/taking care of Alastair. Especially Gideon - the parallels between them simply beg to be explored and acknowledged. It's already been hinted that these two are actually fond of Alastair, so I have hope.

Alastair snapping.

To be honest I'd love The Parents to scold TMT for their treatment of Alastair in ChoI. (ChoG was mostly fine imo, both sides were being rather petty and immature, but in ChoI they were simply cruel). I wanna imagine their parents would be hella dissapointed when they find out.

Parents/children interactions. Honestly any and all of them, but I'm especially desperate for Alastair confronting Sona, Will comforting James after he finds out about the gracelet, Tessa and Lucie bonding time, "you're not a burden and should let yourself live your own life" conversation between Sophiedeon and Thomas, and obviously Matthew reconciling with his parents.

Matthew's issues being properly handled and addressed and not "cured by love" or similiar bullshit.

Matthew and James getting an emotional reunion scene that's entirely focused on them. Complete with bone-crushing hugs and frantic mutterings of imsorrys and iloveyous and imissedyous and sobbing and all that. And a long-ass, honest conversation afterwards.

Math's POV

Matthew sharing the Sin with his loved ones and being assured they love him still (bonus points for Charles trying not to be a shitty brother to him anymore)

Ariadne/Kamala getting to exist as a character outside of her relationship with Anna.

Grace getting to heal and unlearn the awful things she's been taught, also being shown compassion and understanding (bonus points for TID ladies taking care of her)

TMT working out their issues. I know it's an unpopular opinion, but I love their friendship back in the day and, even now, I don't think it's unsalvageable, imo they deserve a fresh start and a chance at a more mature friendship without all the miscommunication and unaddressed traumas and issues.

More Eugenia.

Grief being actually acknowledged - I mean Carstairs as well as Lightwoods and Fairchilds.

This is probably just wishful thinking, but Alastair realising Charles took advantage of him by ever entering a relationship with him. I'd love for some adults to also validate that realization and call out Charles, but I guess that's v unlikely.

less boobs and more soft scenes for Jordelia

Thomas speaking Persian/Farsi. That's a must.

Thomas being appreciated and his talents at least being mentioned

Kit being appreciated

i guess actually interesting plot; I'm intrigued by the whole Iron Tombs thing, she better not mess that up

fights that let other characters/weapons other than Cordelia/Cortana shine

Alastair playing with baby Carstairs

Cordelia standing up for Alastair and ensuring him of her love

Alastair playing the piano

Anna stopping with the fuckboy bullshit

That might be all, I guess? There might be some other small things, but these are most important for me.

Thanks for the ask <3

[ladyhindsight]

So I'll finally try to articulate some thoughts on TLH. The novellas to get to know about Alastair before ChoG are Nothing But Shadows (TFSA, James pov) and Cast Long Shadows (GOTSM, Matthew pov). NBS is focused on James's experience at the Academy and a significant part of it was being bullied by Alastair, and there Alastair is just basically Draco Malfoy bullying Harry Potter in the early books (thinking of canon HP, not whatever went on in fanon). Now, in CLS is where we have a flashback to when Alastair told Matthew the rumor about his parents. There is no mention of Alastair "spreading" the rumor besides telling Matthew about it, that was new information in ChoG. There are hints of a more nuanced perspective on Alastair, shown by Thomas, referencing that Alastair has some family problems and is most certainly envious of how they have loving fathers.

I think that was when I decided to like him, as it showed that his character would be at least a bit more deeper than a caricature of a mean boy at school.

Something I enjoy about Alastair is that at least in my opinion, the narrative/writing/etc doesn't REALLY try to tell you that you're wrong or right for liking or disliking him. Of course, there's the factor of him being insulted all the time, and I think this should have been done more organically, as half of it seems like the author didn't want people on social media saying she is a bullying apologist or what. There was some backlash from the people who wished him to stay a mean caricature, because how dare someone who hurt James and Matthew to not be written as an irredeemeble monster (same goes for Grace, really).

The way ChoG ends for Alastair wouldn't be a problem to me if that was something that could ever happen to one of the main characters. That thing you have been saying about TMI and TDA characters also fits TLH like a glove: nobody can ever call them out on anything and much less "win" an argument, they can't ever be the ones in the wrong.

Alastair was the one to "start" the beef between them, and that means that as the beef keeps going the main characters can do whatever they want and nobody thinks they're wrong and calls them out and make them feel like the "underdog" ever. I think the time Matthew (quoting the wiki) "promptly gave Christopher the ingredients he needed to blow up a wing of the Academy that Alastair was in" was a bit concerning, but I don't think the writing agrees. He was just being a funny silly guy. (This is told both in NBS and CLS I think)

One would think if that someone spreads rumors about your family, getting their room to explode would at least make you somehow even. We don't know much of what kind of damage the explosian really made, by the way, as this is not importart, as I said, Matthew was just being a funny silly guy. Which is the general attitude the series has for his character: he is being a funny silly guy/he is being an angsty silly guy. He is never really WRONG, you know. That drives me insane. It's TMI all over again but with many more people.

Alastair and Grace are the ones that can be wrong, like people usually are, and that made them much more interesting to me.

I haven't started on Charles, bruh, the writing of this character gets me climbing the walls with the absurdity.

- R

Alastair and Matthew mirror a lot of Gabriel and Will, but maybe their premise is a bit more nuanced than the latter ones’. Gabriel certainly wasn’t given the time of day Alastair in this story is, so it’s a progress, I guess. I really don’t have anything to add here. Everything you said was just perfect and my sentiments are the same.

Charles, though. A year back I received this message that pointed out that “his whole villanization is based on him not wanting to come out in the 1900s because he wants to have a good political career. so aparentely not being able to come out is his fault for having career dreams and not of the homophobic environment he lives in where being openly queer would damage his career. in london, 1903.”

Charles was written like Percy Weasley in Chain of Gold. His hopes and dreams for his future were a point of ridicule, and how he holds his mother and her position in great respect was another funny thing. Charles, what a try hard no one really respects. Ha ha. 😑 The object of the hatred these characters—Alastair, Charles, Grace—receive is misplaced, because it is their environment that plays a lot into their behavior and motives. With characters like James and Matthew it’s more reaction-based, how other characters behave towards them and around them because their environment has been stable and surrounded by trusty and safe adults (just how I see it, to put it simply, at the moment).

Of course, so it’s with Charles, but his goals in life are different from Matthew. Where I am at, Matthew doesn’t want to be a Clave official or hold office of any sort or be a public figure. I’ll probably get my answer once I read the next books, but I wonder if Charles’ homosexuality and Matthew’s bisexuality ever get addressed together, and I mean from the sense that Charles is in the closet and Matthew seemed rather open, or at least more open, about his bisexuality.

[im-out-of-it]

everytime I read TLH, there’s always something that bothers me (well actually a lot)

and there’s a small matter that gets me every single time (how dare I complain that’s so unlike me)

“I heard,” she said, pressing her forehead to her brothers shoulder. “I was outside with Eugenia, I heard everything.”- James pov about Cordelia comforting Alastair before he’s locked up with his boyfriend Thomas

but in chain of thorns, Alastair says “Thomas who” and doesn’t seem to think Cordelia knows anything about any of his feelings- romantic or not when it’s concerning Thomas

but how does she not know????? she stated (it’s probably weeks) weeks before when Thomas was arrested that she heard everything and then she says that Matthew told her. EXCUSE ME BUT BITCH WAS THERE!!!!!!! this is something that bothers me about CC’s writing because it’s so damn inconsistent. I don’t know if she genuinely doesn’t care (she doesn’t care about TLH or the lightwoods or anyone who is not a herondale and y’all can’t convince me otherwise) or can’t remember what she wrote. I write myself and there are times where I forget what I wrote but I have brain fog and a bad body so that’s my excuse. but I think CC’s excuse is that she’s a terrible writer

with all of her stories, it’s fucking filled with inconsistencies. and this is just a small thing. how do you go from “I know everything, I heard with Eugenia” ➡️ “Matthew told me” NO HE DIDNT HAVE TO BECAUSE YOU WERE THERE

like what else is everything? because all they talk about in there is Alastair following Thomas for “Cordelia’s sake” like Matthew doesn’t know shit about Alastair though it wouldn’t be shocking to put two and two together and get that Alastair has romantic feelings for Thomas. I know Cordelia isn’t as observant when it comes to Alastair as he is of her but it’s not hard to decipher “my brother has been following Thomas to make sure he stays safe and protected even though I know Thomas is upset with him so he must care very much for Thomas’s safety and life” A REGULAR FRIEND WOULD NOT DO THOSE KINDS OF ACTIONS

I know it’s such a small thing BUT IT FUCKING BOTHERS ME

it’s not as bad as let’s say making Malec healthy in TEC and then putting them in the back and making them toxic in TMI so clace can have the whole bloody series because we haven’t suffered enough. and this is something that gets me everytime because she couldn’t have found another way of Cordelia hinting that she knows Alastair’s feelings for Thomas?

I mean it’s pretty obvious to all of us but it makes her look a thousand times more incompetent when she does this and all the other shit she does in her books lmao

[edwin-paynes-bowtie]

MATTHEW FAIRCHILD, AN EXPERT IN ROMANTICS, IS BACK!

Matthew spoke. "If I thought you a party to an excessive number of moral failings – which, as a veritable gold mine of moral failings, I do not – I would not have taken the liberty of constructing this convenient travel envelope for you.” He handed it over. “Itineraries, tickets, potential scandals to be aware of. I kid!” Gideon was making a face, amused but unsure of how much of Matthew’s statements were in jest. Matthew held his arms up in the air innocently. “Matthew, dear,” Sophie said. “Gideon and I shall be quite alright on our own.” “In fact, it is our preferred state,” Gideon continued. Matthew coughed. “Yes, well. I know how to take a hint, so I shall leave you to your fun. Have a splendid holiday, and do not forget to seek out gifts for your favourite nephew.” - Or, with the help of Thomas and Alastair, Matthew Fairchild plans a romantic getaway for his Aunt Sophie and Uncle Gideon.

tsc taglist (lmk if you want to be added/removed): @staywildefairchild @sourlemons262 @belle-keys @drunkonimagination @alastaircarstairsismybff @vwritesaus @claritywithclary @luciehercndale @what-ho-christopher-put-in @life-through-the-eyes-of @alastaircarstairsdefenselawyer @bluewrite @lulusofis @oursoulstheyplay @tessherongraystairs @athearaej @faithfromanewperspective @vwritesaus @imabitchforjemcarstairs @emmalovesfitzloved @daisymydaisycarstairs @fangirlghost-19 @angeldaisies @celias @hanelizabeth @fangirlghost-19 @tiredandoptimistic

[purplebass]

The New Guy With The Gentle Smile - Thomastair

I had too many self-indulgent ideas that I didn't want to invest too much time about and turn them in long one shots, so that is how this collection came to be. This means that this collection will contain drabbles set in different moments of TLH (pre and post canon) at different stages of Thomastair's relationship. I want to write about random things about their life, silly things, I don't know - this is meant to be fun and non linear, so you may read the drabbles as standalone pieces. The first one is set at the Academy and Thomas and Alastair are 13-14. I wrote about their first encounter :)

Read on A03 💜

“Who is the new guy?”

Alastair never thought that he would be interested in the answer to that simple question. Every once in a while since he had joined the Academy, there was a new student. Some of them were worth his time, some others were not. 

He scanned the training room for the latecomer until he found him by the window. His hair was a dull brown, typical white boy brown, and his build wasn’t memorable either. Alastair thought the new student was as old as him, yet he looked younger. 

“Someone who wants to suffer, maybe,” replied one of the guys in his clique, whispering behind him. “He’s a Lightwood.”

“What? Who is his father?” asked another. “The one with the father in politics or the less famous Lightwood?”

“Who cares? The only thing that matters is that we have a new subject to annoy, don’t we?” it was Augustus Pounceby this time, who replied viciously. 

Alastair was still eyeing the newcomer with a frown but he knew his friend was a little obsessed with that precise Lightwood family, the one with the father in politics, and their younger daughter. Gideon Lightwood’s son, not Gabriel’s, Alastair answered in his thoughts. Thomas. He must be Thomas Lightwood.

Alastair knew that the question was aimed at him, but he dismissed the guy with a hand as if he was worth nothing, and went to Thomas. Whatever he would say to him would affect how others would behave with him, so he decided to test him first.

“Lightwood?” he demanded sourly. Thomas was minding his own business – Alastair noticed he was reading a book of poetry in Spanish – and he barely moved his head in acknowledgment. Alastair’s tone didn’t mean to be harsh, but it had to be. For his sake.

At last, Thomas Lightwood turned his attention to him. “I’m sorry?” he said with the hint of an apologetic smile which reached his hazel eyes. “I was lost in my book.” 

Alastair glanced down at the volume. “What is this about?” he wondered, unable to translate nor to see the words clearly from his position. He loved languages, but he had yet to learn Spanish. Seeing the new guy with a gentle smile reading Spanish poetry reminded him that he needed to hurry and learn it. Perhaps next time, they could discuss it together.

“Coplas por la muerte de su padre by Jorge Manrique,” he explained, showing what he was reading. Seeing that Alastair nodded, but didn’t speak, he continued: “He is a poet from the medieval age in Spain. He wrote this elegy after his father’s death.” 

“And what does it say?” Alastair asked, unable to stop himself. He was curious to know why someone would dedicate poetry to their father, and Thomas was about to answer when one of Alastair’s acquaintances cleared his voice behind him. He rolled his eyes. “Well?” he inquired venomously. “What do you need?”

“You were taking so long, Carstairs,” it was Thoby who came. “We need to go. Break time is over. Augustus and Piers already left.”

“I didn’t think you cared so much about being punctual to class,” he answered sternly. “Lightwood,” Alastair gazed down at Thomas, whose expression was neutral but still warm. “I will see you next time in class,” he nodded his head to greet him and the other guy did the same. 

He wanted to stay and talk. Talk about Spanish poets, ask him when he learned Spanish. Talk about all the things Augustus, Piers and Thoby didn’t give a damn about, while he did. But he couldn’t. He had a reputation to uphold, and showing kindness to a stranger in front of one of his lackeys wasn’t in the books. 

Perhaps Thoby had saved him when he interrupted him, but he still got mad after they left the room and were out of Thomas’ earshot. “Do not interrupt next time,” he warned Thoby. “There is no class after this and I was still questioning him.”

“I just wanted to save you from the Lightwood boy,” Thoby said. “He was talking nonsense.”

Alastair shot him a glare. “It isn’t nonsense until I say so,” he said icily, his tone final. “We don’t touch Thomas.” It was an order.

“Is it Thomas now?” Thoby shrugged and shook his head. Alastair wanted to slap him so hard but he tried to restrain himself. Thoby was a disgrace. “Are you afraid his daddy is going to come after you if we mess with him like we do with other people?”

“I’m not afraid of anything,” he seethed,  “Keep away from Lightwood,” he ordered, and Thoby shrugged. Alastair wondered if he should keep away from him too, but he would think about it another day. 

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed this <3

I tried to imagine how Thomas and Alastair's first encounter at the Academy would go, and I figured that the latter would approach him first and try to see if he was a friend or a foe. They are about 13-14 here, hence why I thought Alastair wouldn't have known Spanish by then (bc I headcanon that Alastair also learned Spanish at some point, like Thomas). We know from CLS that Thomas followed Alastair around at some point, before Alastair and his gang started harassing James and the others.

[cant-think-of-anything]

I feel like if we do get a translation of Thomas’s journal it’s going to be some worldly shit about his travel year with little hints of Alastair in there that he probably didn’t fully write because he still felt like it was too exposing

[merry-thieves]

So, guys, I can’t be the only one who noticed that when Thomas talks to Alastair at the end of Chain of Iron, he mentioned Belial as the person behind the killings. And Alastair doesn’t react to his at all. 

No he just accepts this without asking even one question. As far as I know nobody except the Merry Thieves and Co. plus Will,Tessa and Jem know about Belial. 

So, why is it that Alastair isn’t the least surprised or worried about that? I honestly don’t think that he figured it out on his own (I know he is smart but he doesn’t have enough information to come to this conclusion) and Cordelia or Thomas wouldn't have told him. 

Which either means that this was some clever hint from Cassie or that she made a mistake... Which one do you think?