#bane chronicles references

[garvalhaminho]

ik i'm late to the trend BUT

extras!!

[happygirl2oo2]

Magnus and Chairman Meow!!!!

(Tho, for a re-draw, I'd also offer- Alucard and Esa when she was still a little kitten)

Draw your characters like this

[brothersnackariahsbitch]

In case you missed the full story of the story of Silas Pangborn and Eloisa Ravenscar, here it is: In the Bane Chronicles, Magnus briefly meets Silas and Eloisa. Magnus notes that Silas introduces Eloisa as his parabatai but it reminds him of someone introducing their wife. In The Infernal Devices, Gabriel and Gideon recount a story that their father told them. Silas Pangborn was their uncle on their mother’s side of the family. Silas and Granville Fairchild (Charlotte’s father) were close friends, however Grandville snitched to the Clave that Silas and Eloisa were in love. Because of the events that followed this, Silas killed himself. Benedict Lightwood, manipulated this story though to claim that his wife died of grief from losing her brother to divert from the fact that he killed her from infecting her with demon pox (🎶demon pox oh demon pox🎶). This story comes back in during The Dark Artifices when Silas and Eloisa are mentioned because of Emma and Julian’s situation. They’re basically referred to as a cautionary tale about the consequences of parabatai falling in love.

I definitely missed putting those pieces together on my first read. It wasn’t until my chronological reread that it all clicked. It’s not really anything that consequential to the plots, but it is interesting that this story comes up throughout the series.

[helenofblackthorns]

@pamaramburu welcome to the shadowhunter chronicles!! sorry about replying in a new post, there's just a lot to cover 😅

City of Bones is a great place to start! sometimes people will recommend starting elsewhere, because it's not the best book but imo since it's the first book to be published its the easiest introduction. the world building is introduced gradually throughout the book, it's fun to read, not too long etc. so I would start there!

as for the reading order I would recommend a modified publication order. you could definitely do the publication order as is (just follow the publication dates and be mindful that some books came out the same year) but I personally would make some small tweaks to make it more straightforward :)

start with the first three books of The Mortal Instruments; City of Bones (2007), City of Ashes (2008), and City of Glass (2009)

then, read The Infernal Devices trilogy; Clockwork Angel (2010), Clockwork Prince (2011) and Clockwork Princess (2013)

finish the rest of The Mortal Instruments; City of Fallen Angels (2011), City of Lost Souls (2012) (optional: The Bane Chronicles (2013/14), a short story collection about Magnus Bane. it's not important for plot or anything but it does have spoilers for Clockwork Princess & City of Lost Souls so you can read at any point after them) and City of Heavenly Fire (2014)

then it's Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy (2015/16) this is also a short story collection and it's technically optional but I definitely recommend reading it now, as it follows an unresolved storyline from City of Heavenly Fire

next is The Dark Artifices, which is Lady Midnight (2016), Lord of Shadows (2017) and Queen of Air and Darkness (2018) (aka the longest tsc book, good luck!)

then there's the third and final (for now) short story collection Ghosts of the Shadow Market (2018/19)

the Eldest Curses trilogy is kinda hard to place since the books take place years apart & are more of a standalone so you can kinda just read them whenever. The Red Scrolls of Magic (2019) takes place in 2007 at the same time as City of Fallen Angels & The Lost Book of the White (2020) takes place in 2010 after Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy and before Lady Midnight (the third book is not yet released)

which brings us to the most recent series, The Last Hours; Chain of Gold (2020), Chain of Iron (2021) and Chain of Thorns (2023)

the last thing is Secrets of Blackthorn Hall (2022) which is a multimedia epistolary novel that was published here on tumblr (@secretsofblackthornhall) and is currently in the works to become a physically published book at some point soon. it came out before Chain of Thorns and there's a few references to it in the book, but they're pretty minor. you can read it before or after it's really up to you.

and that's pretty much everything! tsc is one of my favourite series ever and I hope you enjoy just as much! have fun <3

[quohotos]

So about the Serpents in the Prophecy of Bane...

I'm almost certain this is an allusion to Jules Verne's seminal piece of speculative fiction about going underground Journey to the Center of the Earth. Exerpt from the Wikipedia page:

The story begins in May 1863, at the home of Professor Otto Lidenbrock in Hamburg, Germany. While leafing through an original runic manuscript of an Icelandic saga, Lidenbrock and his nephew Axel find a coded note written in runic script along with the name of a 16th-century Icelandic alchemist, Arne Saknussemm. When translated into English, the note reads:

Go down into the crater of Snaefells Jökull, which Scartaris's shadow caresses just before the calends of July, O daring traveler, and you'll make it to the center of the earth. I've done so. Arne Saknussemm

Lidenbrock departs for Iceland immediately, taking the reluctant Axel with him. After a swift trip via Kiel and Copenhagen, they arrive in Reykjavík. There they hire as their guide Icelander Hans Bjelke, a Danish-speaking eiderduck hunter, then travel overland to the base of Snæfellsjökull.

In late June they reach the volcano and set off into the bowels of the earth, encountering many dangers and strange phenomena. After taking a wrong turn, they run short of water and Axel nearly perishes, but Hans saves them all by tapping into a subterranean river, which shoots out a stream of water that Lidenbrock and Axel name the "Hansbach" in the guide's honor.Édouard Riou's illustration of an ichthyosaurus (which is actually more like a mosasaurus) battling a plesiosaurus.

Following the course of the Hansbach, the explorers descend many miles and reach an underground world, with an ocean and a vast ceiling with clouds, as well as a permanent Aurora giving light. The travelers build a raft out of semipetrified wood and set sail. While at sea, they encounter prehistoric fish such as Pterichthyodes (here called "Pterichthys") Dipterus (referred to as "Dipterides") and giant marine reptiles from the Age of the Dinosaurs, namely an Ichthyosaurus and a Plesiosaurus. A lightning storm threatens to destroy the raft and its passengers, but instead throws them onto the site of an enormous fossil graveyard, including bones from the Pterodactylus, Megatherium, Deinotherium, Glyptodon, a mastodon and the preserved body of a prehistoric man.

So that's our culprit. That basically fits the description of the Serpents. Thought that was just a cool detail and reference.

The underground jungle is an element that you could potentially say is also an allusion to Verne, though I think the version in the underland chronicles is significantly different since the depiction in Journey to the center of the earth has light from above whereas all the plants in the underland are basically carnivores and/or feed off of volcanic heat.

It's also possible that this allusion is not deliberate, as much like War of the Worlds, Journey to the Center of the Earth has basically been subsumed into pop culture cannon and referenced so many times that a lot of it's unique elements have just become tropes. Dinotopia also used dinosaurs in a cave surviving the asteroid, Minecraft, Terraria, Spelunky, Noita, and basically any other video game that involves digging will at some point put a Verne styled underground jungle in there.

One YA series that leans really hard into the Journey to the Center of the Earth inspirations is the Tunnels series. I actually read them in 6th grade to attempt to scratch my TUC itch. Let me tell you, they're not as good and don't even come close. Whereas TUC has some tasteful allusions, Tunnels goes all in. The underground people are more evil (if that's possible) and are intent on wiping out all life on the surface. Worst of all, it's set in England!!! There's cool world building, but no giant talking bats so I have no choice but to award it zero stars. It was supposed to be turned into a movie in 2009 and all the books got stickers for that... said movie appears to have never materialized.

Idk, something I thought about while listening to today's @returntoregalia episode

Okay bonus details about how I made this connection: As a kid, wishbone would come on once a week at like 4 pm or something, I didn't get to see it often, but I vividly remember one of the episodes. For anyone who doesn't know, wishbone was PBS show that followed a dog and his human family as they go through some struggle that wishbone (the dog) finds allegorical to a piece of classic, public domain literature. The episodes are split in half with the parts in the present, and the reenactments within the dog's imagination of the classic piece of literature. In one of the few episodes I caught was about Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth. I do not recall how this novel was relevant to the characters lives, all I know is that it's way to long to fit into half of a 20 minute episode, so they had to really rush through a lot of parts. In one shot the characters are in this jungle and they run away from a Plesiosaurus puppet.

[malec-ao3feed]

Electric Rain

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/oPBg0K6 by redhair_and_a_handmedown_robe Magnus Bane and Alec Lightwood are the top two residents at Seattle Grace, so, naturally, they hate each other. When a teenage boy and sister show up asking for Dr. Lightwood, Magnus finds out there's more to his nemesis than meets the eye. Tagged M not because of smut, but because there's references to the Lightwoods' upbringing in a kind of religious cult. Please check the tags and look after yourself. Words: 2585, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Series: Part 4 of Artie's AUgust Fandoms: The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types Rating: Mature Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Categories: M/M Characters: Magnus Bane, Alec Lightwood, Catarina Loss, Maia Roberts, Andrew Underhill, Isabelle Lightwood, Max Lightwood Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Hospital, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Religious Fanaticism, Needles, Blood, Seattle Grace Hospital (Grey's Anatomy), Swearing, Enemies to Lovers, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Loss of Parent(s), AU-gust | August Writing Challenge, Medical Debt, medical neglect, Anti-Vax Rhetoric, Cults, Emerald City Bar | Joe's Bar (Grey's Anatomy) read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/oPBg0K6

[sprolden]

what is the best order to read the cassandra clare books in. idk what the series is called as a whole sorry

RELEASE ORDER, or at least something release order-adjacent. cassandra clare will try and tell you that they can be read in any order but that is a lie and will give you severe emotional whiplash.

tmi and tid were released simultaneously though, and i get maybe not wanting to read two book series at the same time, in which case i think it's preferable to read tid after the first 3 tmi books (since tmi is split into two triologies) or, if you want to avoid that at all, tid after tmi. you'll miss a few references in the 2nd tmi triology but it's perfectly doable, it's how i read tsc the first time around.

this leaves you with 2 main reading options (below the cut):

release order

novella collections & companion books are in italics, these can be skipped if you want to, or read at any point after the last main series that precedes it (eg the bane chronicles can be read at any point, as long as you read it after tmi and tid)

city of bones (the mortal instruments)

city of ashes

city of glass

clockwork angel (the infernal devices)

city of fallen angels

clockwork prince

city of lost souls

clockwork princess

city of heavenly fire

the bane chronicles

tales from the shadowhunter academy

lady midnight (the dark artifices)

lord of shadows

queen of air and darkness

the red scrolls of magic (the eldest curses)

ghosts of the shadow market

chain of gold (the last hours)

the lost book of the white

chain of iron

chain of thorns

"i don't want to read two book series at the same time" order:

city of bones

city of ashes

city of glass

clockwork angel

clockwork prince

clockwork princess

city of fallen angels

city of lost souls

city of heavenly fire

etc.

[boatcats]

19, 26, and 29 for fic writer asks!

Thank you!!

19. The weirdest thing you've researched for fic? I spent a period of time in the les mis fandom attempting to make a lot of historical references. So the weirdest thing I ever researched was probably the Parisian community of Belleville, which was a working class community that was very active in the Paris Commune. I also spent quite a bit of time looking up novels that someone might read in the mid 16th C for a Lymond Chronicles fic and stumbled on a book that was pretty much universally panned (I managed to snag a copy of it in Spanish but have not read it - partially because it sounds... Bad and partially because I don't feel like slogging through 16th C Spanish).

26. Are you able to write with other people around? I write on my phone and I'm very comfortable pulling up my notes app and working on fic when bored in a public place. Probably much too comfortable.

29. How easy is it for you to come up with titles? I'm not amazing at titles but they are not the bane of my existence. Sometimes I think of a fic concept, write the fic, and cast about for a mediocre title. And sometimes I think of the title first and that is what inspires the fic. I like to use song lyrics as titles. I'm actually pretty proud of both 'the lights were as bright as my baby' (OFMD fic title taken from a Hozier lyric) and 'every vessel pitching hard to starboard' (OFMD fic title taken from a Decemberists lyric). I've been meaning to write a young Ed/Jack fic inspired by the lyric "with a heart to let and no tennant yet" from the song Star of the County Down.

[khaleesiofalicante]

what, in ur opinion, Is required reading in order to enjoy your Shadowhunter fics? (i.e. can folks who don't read the historical Shadowhunter novels enjoy it ? what if someone skipped the bane chronicles ? etc.)

If by my "shadowhunter" fics, you mean lbaf - then i don't think reading all the tsc books is necessary. I've writen it in a way that you can follow it even if you haven't read the books. But reading the tmi books would be helpful i think. You can enjoy lbaf regardless of whether you've read all the tsc books or not - I HOPE.

if you are referring to my fics in general, then i don't think reading the books is necessary at all :)

[meraki-yao]

hi! i have see you before reblog shadowhunters post. are you a tv show fan or you have also read the books/saga?

Oh damn, a shadowhunters ask! Hi!

The short answer is, both.

The long answer is a little more complicated: I was introduced to the show during the autumn of 2019 by my now best friend, who was obsessed with the show (she's been a Harry Shum Jr fan since she was a kid). By then the show was already completed.

After watching the show and becoming absolutely obsessed with Malec, I started reading the books selectively. For some reason, I'm not that interested in TMI? I tried reading City of Bones and it took me ages, literally until I used up my book-borrow quota from the library. However, I did finish TID (which I kinda feel like is the shadowhunter chronicles magnum opus so far?), the shadowhunter coder, the short story collections, and all the eldest curse. I still know about whatever context I'm missing from the show and wiki and references, but yeah. Bane Chronicles and The Red Scrolls of Magic are two of my favourite books of all time (the other one is RWRB lol I am so predictable), and Alec's thoughts in "The Land I Lost" inspired a speech I wrote and did for a city wide public speaking competition that I ended up getting 2nd place for!

Both have their flaws that frustrate me: the show certainly have plotlines or moments and lines that I don't agree with and as a Chinese who loves reading about mythology, including Chinese mythology, I had a lot of issues with the world-building of The Lost Book of the White, but either way, I understand both of their values, and they both are extremely dear to me. It really got me through COVID.

Also! I write for shadowhunters! I mainly write for the show, because for whatever reason I'm more comfortable reading and writing fics for the adaptation instead of the original source material? But if that interests you you can check that out here!

[sangaverage]

VTM / VTR custom clan idea: Clan Rebelion

Do people do these? They do now!

Disclaimer! I do not know how "lore friendly" this would be or how it would fit in to lore this is just a fun clan concept based on a dream of mine from a while back, plus the golden rule exists. (The hair and eyes are NOT a reference to the fictional condition Alexandra Genesis before anyone asks) 

would work better in a VTR setting but can also be used for VTM or other World/ chronicles of darkness games that allow vampires.

When I say common/ preffered this is what I recommend for the most optimal version of running this clan however this is merely advice and you can swap these out for preffered stuff, should you want 

clan stuff under the divider credit: Here!

Clan name: Rebelion

Nicknames: The Chaos, The Hunter, The Reckless

Who are Clan Rebelion: A semi recent clan of seemingly unknown origin, at least for now, as Thier clans namesake would suggest, are rebellious at heart, many do not agree with most if not all of the rules set up by the camarilla seeing them as "stingy old folks" and will most likely fit under anarchs, sabaat (VTM) more rebel causes, those who wish to see significant change or just plain unaligned (VTR) however a rare few "Outcasts" do side and agree with the current rules and laws. 

They are Savage hunters who rely on The fear they instill in humans and in rare cases enjoying thier frenzies, some state Clan Rebelion have odd control over animals and the shadows themselves!

However there is an unspoken rule amongst clan Rebelion not to kill too many of human kind when feeding, although Rebelion may come across as more of the savage monsters Thier vampirism made them, they understand that without an ample stock of humans to feed on, what's the point of Thier survival? 

Disciplines: Potence, Animalism, Obteneration (VTM) 

OR 

Animalsim, Nightmare, Obfuscate (VTR)

Clan Bane: For reasons unknown Clan Rebelion all have white hair and eyes that glow with a  purple lucidium, this however isn't seen during regular conditions, the embraced keeping Thier natural hair and eye colours however, they have a curse of having Thier "true form" seen under any artificial lights or during frenzy and thus often try to stick to the darkness as much as possible! 

(True original generations of Rebellion members always have the hair and eyes showing) 

Common merits: Bloodhound (o)

Common flaws: Obvious Predator (oo) 

Clan quote:

"Humans are merely birds trapped in the cages they call cities, oblivious to the fact that they are being watched by a prying predators eyes, sometimes to ensure the best for both parties, they prey must feel like they are 'the one that got away' alas, they are often marked to drain dry later!" 

-Lucian Thanatos, Clan Rebelion 

Clan symbol:

[paint-lady]

Can a Lasombra / Tzimisce not be Sabbat

Short answer: yes. fuck canon do what you want.

Longer answer:

Yes!

In the most recent edition of vtm, 5th edition, the Lasombra have joined the ranks of the Camarilla. Their ruthlessness and drive actually plays really nicely into the Towers hierarchies and social games. And pisses the Ventrue off, a centuries honored tradition of the Lasombra.

V5 Tzimisce have joined the Anarchs. They have to be very very careful with their clan bane of needing to sleep near their grave dirt (or equivalent object of value determined at character creation) bc the price of Anarch freedom is... Instability and hunger!

But!! There is absolutely knowledge that these clans were/ still have sabbat members. This almost certainly makes kindred distrust them, fear them, or want to make sure they hold control and power over them. On the other hand, it could make kindred actively want to seek them out to ask wildly inappropriate questions and favors; the Lasombra or Tzim can only respond with "idk bro, I just live here."

In older editions, it wasn't impossible to make one of these clans not sabbat, but it was harder. You and your ST would have to rework some abilities to make stuff narratively work at the table. It would be odd to not have the Camarilla and Anarchs react negatively to the character's presence. You probably would be utilizing the label Tzimisce Antitribu or Lasombra Antitribu- indicating your unaffiliation with the sabbat, bringing some serious double negatives into the chronicle. But at the end of the night, people have absolutely played Lasombra and Tzimisce not with their characteristic sabbat sticker- and had fun too!

In my opinion, what makes a good player sabbat is three things: 1. The character is a creature (affectionate and derogatory) first and foremost. They are not human, they do not retain human desires.

2. They are sabbat. Their loyalty to their pack does not need to be unshakeable but their devotion to the cause should be. To remove sabbat ideologies from their unlife should leave them empty and uncertain of what to do.

3. They are their antitribu last. Clanlessness is valued, because why would you align yourself to a particular antedilluvian? Or out your own weaknesses to potential enemies and rivals? Valuing clanlessness absolutely does not mean that the sabbat wont take advantage of someone's clan bane.

Defying these three things would easily make that clanmember not sabbat. Wouldn't walk like one, wouldn't talk like one-- maybe would fight like one if they had friends.

They'd behave more like a human (something the Tower and Anarchs tend to value), they wouldn't be hellbent on destroying Antedilluvians, and they would acknowledge being a part of their clan (maybe not value it positively).

So in conclusion, yes you can and its canon in the most recent edition! But, recognizing the weight and history of that clan's involvement with the sabbat is inevitably going to come up in story. How you choose to have your character react is completely up to you!

Are they accurate in the VTMB game?

Uhhhh... in my opinion: kinda? On the one hand, the events of vanilla bloodlines are canon in VtM lore, as we see characters from LA By Night reference events and other notable names. So by virtue that official writers reference it, it is correct.

However, in comparison to the rich, sometimes contradicting, lore in the VtM books, the sabbat of LA feel... odd. At the very least, they are scary, which at its more basic level: the sabbat should be scary. In my opinion, the sabbat in VtMB are good representation of how to utilize them as antagonists, but do little in diving deeper in what they really believe and fight for, and are sometimes underwhelming.

The vanilla game does not offer the PC fledgling the chance to really explore the sabbat- the sect is an enemy no matter what. The unofficial patch lets players team up with Archbishop Andrei to overthrow the Camarilla. The clan quest mods dive a lot deeper into specific NPCs and add new ones, shedding more light onto the organization. I havent played the clan quest mods (or the majority of any mods), so I cannot and will not speak to the accuracy of them (aside from one ending). However, I know many people rave and love them, so at the very least they are fun.

The four major instances the PC fledgling gets to interact with the sabbat is in the warehouse in Santa Monica, Fun with Pestilence questline in Downtown, the Deathmask Productions story and Hollywood Fleshhouse, and the Hallowbrook Hotel towards the end of the story.

The sabbat are supposed to be Boogeymen, something bigger and scarier that goes even more bump in the night than your average vampire. Any sabbat the fledgling goes against is quite a threat if they're not adequately prepared! I personally have dealt with a bug where if I messed up stealth, ALL of the sabbat in the vicinity will come running to attack me in both the warehouse and the Hallowbrook hotel (thank caine this doesnt happen in the nosferatu sewers). They will be aggro for the rest of the mission, even if I am completely invisible and untargetable. I dont think this was the coders intent, but it is extremely accurate for the voraciousness, bloodlust, and pack tactics the sabbat have. They swarm and are a unit, all aligned in personally making sure I'm a pile of ash and astrolite.

In the vanilla game, the Fun with Pestilience quest lets the fledgling see more of what dastardly things the sabbat are up to. Technically, Brother Kanker, Jezebel, and Bishop Vick aren't explicitly sabbat. They are members of the Brotherhood of the Ninth Circle, a cult dedicated to spreading a plague to humanity and ascending to a higher state through a fuckload of murder. However, they use sabbat titles such as brother, sister, and bishop. And the wikia refers to them as antitribu.

Personally, I'd say that Bishop Vick and his subordinates work well for creating the sabbat as an antagonist. Their motives are shrouded in mystery and the fledgling has to dig and find answers to put the pieces of the puzzle together. After all, thats one of the things that makes the sabbat scary- they are unknowable and organized. We don't really get WHY this cult was aiming to spread this plague other than to open the Ninth Circle. I don't have a clue what that is. Thanks! I hate it!

Digging deep into VtM lore, this is likely some infernalist bullshit. Infernalism is making pacts with demons. According to older editions, the Sabbat is actually super against the practice of binding demons and utilizing their powers. In fact, they had an entire structure for eliminating such practitioners: the Black Hand. In the most recent edition, this is completely glossed over (which benefits the ultimate goal of V5: to streamline everything). To my knowledge, this is never brought up or mentioned in the Bloodlines vanilla game or unofficial patch. But if we read between the lines, it makes sense that higher ups don't even care that they're gone. In fact, the fledgling probably did them a service!

The other major sabbat character is Archbishop Andrei, a classic, textbook Tzimisce. He's creepy, he's scary, and he's outstandingly polite despite some fledgling breaking into his house. It should be known that violating a Tzimisce's hospitality is a death sentence. He is also a difficult boss fight and makes absolutely terrifying creations to wander the Hollywood sewers.

Archbishop Andrei is fun surface level. Digging deeper, he is a little underwhelming. There are ample arguments saying how weird it is that the fledgling can defeat Archbishops, Princes, and werewolves with speedrun strats. In truth, it is a little odd that Fledgling #5 can beat him so quick after being sired, but on the other hand: its a videogame. The progression makes sense in that context.

But if we remove that aspect and just look at the narrative, it is bonkers that Andrei let the fledgling live after being bested in combat... in his own damn house. The fledgling has insulted him repeatedly: for beating his creations, for potentially saying the sabbat is dumb long live the Prince, for ruining the flesh curtains... etc. A viable explanation is that the fledgling is more useful alive to get close to Lacroix and the Camarilla. Patient predators get their prizes, after all. Though, if word got out to the packs that Archbishop Andrei got KOed by a fledgling armed only with a baseball bat and the audacity tm, that could be very very bad for him.

Should the fledgling join the sabbat, the game concludes with them plunging the sarcophagus into the sea alongisde Archbishop Andrei stating how The Final Nights are upon them. Aside from reciting scripture, this feels wildly un-sabbat. The ultimate goal is to destroy the Antedilluvians, not hide them. It would be better if the sarcophagus was lit aflame in the furnace.

I have heard of other endings and watched the cutscenes online. One of note has Andrei opt to diablerize the ancient one inside, and the fledgling can potentially call him out on it. Diablerie is a sacrament to the sabbat, but diablerizing the ancient one potentially wouldn't destroy it. Should the fledgling continue to disagree, Andrei will only tell them to hush. They can push as far as to invoke monomacy.

Monomacy is the 1v1 to the death fight sabbat can have to settle a disagreement. To an outsider, this looks like a simple duel to the death. Within the sabbat, it is one of their sacred ritae. This culls the weak from their ranks, as those that cannot keep their blood don't deserve it. Young sabbat usually don't have a sense of how harrowing a fight to Final Death will be. For a fledgling to call this on an Archbishop is... honestly wild. Again, they're wielding nothing but the audacity.

However, for the fledgling to then WIN is even more striking. In the sabbat teachings, this would mean Andrei didn't deserve his vitae, and it was in the fledgling's right to claim it. Typically, the loser is diablerized by the winner, although Andrei shrivels to ash at the final blow, and the ending cutscene rolls before the fledgling is given a chance to participate in another sacrament. Here the sarcophagus is burned, and the few sabbat leave Lacroix to kiss the sunlight. This ending feels odd, yes, but it at least feels more characteristically sabbat than the first.

In my opinion, a more proper ending would have the fledgling be given their name and rites as a True Sabbat as the sarcophagus burns. Clearly they have more than proven themselves, and it is time for them to be brought in with their fellow brothers and sisters in Caine. Any remnants of the Tower will crumble beneath them as they spread throughout the city. Perhaps an outro with the taxi driver leaving LA, and the audience can see him give a knowing nod in his rearview mirror.

Does all this mean the vanilla game and unofficial patch is inaccurate to the sabbat? Eh? Its original intent is to have the sabbat be an antagonist, and that is true across multiple editions of VtM. It more than accomplishes this. Where things get lackluster is in the details- which can be stated about many aspects of VtM lore in Bloodlines as editions continue to evolve and change! However what has stayed true across many horror games is that the more you know about the thing that scares you, the less scary it is. Perhaps the most accurate aspect is how little we know.

Question for my VTM experts /v\

Can a Lasombra / Tzimisce not be Sabbat?

Also, was VTMB's portrayal of the Sabbat accurate? :V

[wildwood-reader]

Reading Update #9

November 27, 2022

Recently Finished

FANFICTION

Frozen earth by StarsAlignNomore

Fandom: The Untamed

Kudos: ✅️

Final Thoughts: I had the incredible pleasure of beta-ing this fic before it was posted today. This one just rips at your heartstrings in all the right ways. It's painful and sad and wistful, but also incredibly heartfelt and I love it so much. 💖

Currently Reading

BOOKS

The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan and Maureen Johnson (with illustrations by Cassandra Jean)

Re-Read

Edition: Paperback

Progress: 180/507

Thoughts: I'm not reading it very fast, I know, but I'm having a good time with it. I totally forgot we get to see the birth place of the Accords here, so re-experiencing that was very interesting. I am looking forward to reading The Infernal Devices after this, though. 😋

Understanding Chinese Fantasy Genres by Jeremy Bai

First Read

Edition: Paperback

Progress: 82/147

Thoughts: It's not as in-depth as I was hoping but I am learning some things I didn't know before.

FANFICTION

Pain is only a Pulse by ReyloRobyn2011

Fandom: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy

Progress: Chapter 4/5/?

Up-to-date? Almost

Chapters Behind: 1

Kudos: ✅️

Thoughts: A new chapter got uploaded just earlier today, which I'm gonna read soon. 👻

Heaven Has A Road But No One Walks It by Silvestris

Fandom: The Untamed

Progress: Chapter 48/48/?

Up-to-date? Yes

Kudos: ✅️

Thoughts: No new chapter since last week, so just sitting here patiently, waiting. 👀✨️

Not a lot of reading I got done, but it was still a good week. As always, my backlog is under the cut.

BACKLOG*

BOOKS

Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell

First Read

Edition: Paperback

Progress: Page 102/341

Thoughts: This is a buddy read with my bestie. It’s still on hold, but we might pick it back up before the end of the year.

FANFICTION

Red Azalea by CeNedraRiva

Fandom: The Untamed

Progress: Chapter 112/136/?

Up-to-date? No

Chapters Behind: 24

Kudos: ✅️

Thoughts: The stars are still not aligned for me to continue it just yet, but I’m really excited for everything that’s coming. 👻

Setting Fire To Our Insides by StarsAlignNomore

Fandom: The Untamed

Progress: Chapter 14/23/?

Up-to-date? No

Chapters Behind: 9

Kudos: ✅️

Thoughts: Y'know what, I think I will be ready to continue it soon; it fits my vibe hunger just enough, so we’ll see. 😋

Impossible Life (Series) by Comfect

Fandom: The Untamed

Progress: Part 1/3

Finished Reading? No

Parts Behind: 2

Kudos: Part 1 ✅️

Thoughts: Not sure yet when I’ll continue this, but I’m looking forward to Part 2.

Fall of the Crimson Flower by AkatsukiShin (in artistic collaboration with brilcrist)

Fandom: Word of Honor

Progress: Chapter 2.5/8/?

Up-to-date? No

Chapters Behind: 6.5

Kudos: ✅️

Thoughts: I want to continue it soon, I promise! 🙈

*Backlog refers to books and fic that I’ve started reading but have since put on hold due to various reasons

[i-have-not-slept]

Malectober Day 23: Fall

Bit of a shorter chapter today! This is the first chapter I’ve written that is specifically about show and not book Malec.

It was a cool September night, the sky inky black over Brooklyn. Alec leaned on the rail of the balcony, looking over the city. Inside, he could hear Magnus humming as he mixed drinks for them.

Alec leaned over the ledge a little, looking down. Far below were the lights and sounds of traffic, cars moving through the busy streets. He gripped the railing tighter. He remembered another night at the loft, when he’d stood in this same spot. Now he stood by the railing, but back then he’d been standing on it.  He remembered the voices in his head, drowning his senses, dragging him under. Weak. Murderer. He remembered looking down at the traffic below him, blood rushing in his ears, wanting desperately to be rid of every tiny bit of hurt. It had been easy to lean back into the awful drop. The feeling of weightlessness, the terrifying rush, had been freeing.

Sometimes, on bad days, he almost wanted to feel it again. 

Today was a bad day.

Alec was so caught in his thoughts that he didn’t hear Magnus’s step on the balcony until he was right behind him. He could feel Magnus’s eyes on him, knew he should turn around and face him, but he couldn’t. 

“Alec.” Magnus sighed. He sounded sad, but not angry. There was a faint clink as he put down the glasses he carried, then his arms were wrapping around Alec’s shoulders. For a long moment, Alec couldn’t move, couldn’t quite tear himself away from the edge. Then he shuddered and leaned back, not into empty air but Magnus’s arms.

“It’s alright, darling.” Magnus murmured into his ear. “Come away from the edge.” 

Alec let Magnus lead him inside and shut the door. The cold night air dissipated, giving way to warmth and light. The voices still whispered at the edge of his mind, but he could ignore them now. 

He was lucky that he always had Magnus to pull him back from the edge.

[malec-ao3feed]

Three Chords and the Truth

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/289RKC3 by redhair_and_a_handmedown_robe When the Mortal Instrument's opener drops out the day of their Charlotte show, Isabelle Lightwood calls in a favour with her favourite producer Magnus Bane. Her brother and bandmate, Alec, has his doubts, but Magnus has always been a brilliant performer - the country world just isn't quite ready for him yet. As the grandchildren of Phoebe Gladstone and the children of a senator, the Lightwoods walk a thin line between celebrity and notoriety. Alicante records are known for their lifestyle clauses, and Alec is no exception. When he meets Magnus, and sees what it would be like to be out, proud, and free, will he hunker down in the closet, or finally live his truth? Words: 6331, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Series: Part 3 of Artie's AUgust Fandoms: The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: M/M Characters: Magnus Bane, Isabelle Lightwood, Alec Lightwood, Jace Wayland, Maia Roberts, Robert Lightwood, Maryse Lightwood, Max Lightwood, Phoebe Gladstone, Camille Belcourt, Imogen Herondale Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood Additional Tags: References to Country Music, Musicians, Song Lyrics, Playlist, Songwriting, Touring, Sobriety, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Familial Abuse, Cowboy Hats, Guitars, Sharing Clothes, Homophobia read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/289RKC3