#cos if i get any closer to the tank it gets VERY upset and hides. so skittish

[toytulini]

carrot destruction

[tuwam]

home.

i.

days like this, areum really questions her parent’s sanity. 

really questions. as opposed to the usual just realizing they’re a bit impossible but they’re still her parents and she loves them. because no matter the rebellion, the frowns, the dipped eyebrows and the extensive hair dye to bathe in her mother’s disapproval, she loves them.

they just don’t understand her well, much like how right now, she doesn’t think she understands them.

a brother? her brother? their brother?

and why should she meet him? she’s had enough of dealing with a sister, now there’s another son in the family. pun intended. speaking of her sister, ahyeon’s head was buried in her phone ( texting her should-be-could-be-would-be boyfriend that’s not her boyfriend no doubt. 

they’ve been given rather vague instructions, to head to the address, give the man at the entrance their name ( also what the fuck that’s fancy as hell ) and head up to the suite. THE SUITE. they had a brother like this the entire time and areum can only wonder what kind of person he is to be out of their lives so long and suddenly request them like this. areum of course has been very vocal about this.

“how can we have a brother who hasn’t spoken to us for years?” ‘mhm.’ “he’s been what - out of our lives and suddenly wants to connect?” ‘mhm.’ “suddenly he’s in seoul living like a king, look at this place it’s huge.” ‘mhm.’

ahyeon is of course no paying any attention. her head’s still in her phone, her manuscripts half forgotten in favor of texting. areum has half a mind to steal her phone but ahyeon just got her nails done and they look like they’d hurt. so she’ll pass for now. she’s probably a little bitter that she can’t share this fact with anyone else, so her sister gets the brunt of it and of course being used to it - ahyeon isn’t listening.

“hey, do you mind telling your lover-boy to wait we’re doing a family thing here.” the words almost make areum gag. ahyeon looks up - eyes still sparkling from her photo shoot and areum fixes her with a look. ‘why don’t you call your lover-boy since you seem so pressed for the attention.’ areum’s response is cut-short when a shadow slinks it’s way behind her sister and she’s all arms rather than biting words.

‘cute - a devil emoji? is that your boyfriend?’

the owner of the voice, the deceptively sweet, strangely sultry voice has blonde hair. is considerably tall - taller than soonyoung she notices, and draped in an all-white ensemble of a loose sleeveless tank and comfort pants that more expensive than her phone. areum blinks as ahyeon jumps and effectively turns several shades of red.

‘ahyeon right? i was planning on getting you two some cute bachelors but i see i don’t need to? areum right? how’d the younger one manage to grow inches on you?’’

what the fuck.

ii. 

days like this ahyeon is pretty sure she should put ignoring on her list of skills. 

she’s been ignoring areum for twenty minutes. areum has been complaining from the time the chauffeur picked them up ( yes the chauffeur ) while ahyeon was busy taking pictures in the interior to entertain her co-star who seems so thoroughly invested in her life. the pictures were boring, she had to be as vague as possible on her social since apparently news of their relationship was still under wraps.

she did take the time to do her research though so the grandeur of it all wasn’t surprising. 

what’s surprising is that areum chooses to complain rather than admire the interior design. ahyeon would rather here her talk about that, rave about her interests rather than her invisible trust that’s been broken by an estranged family member.

areum has no memories therefore she has nothing to worry about it, or be upset about. maybe it’s their parents own resentment areum shows for the picks up for them. she’s always been more receptive to that.

still, ahyeon is ignoring her sister and has been since they got on the elevator to the top suite.

she’s also been texting hyuck so - her attention is elsewhere.

[ incoming ] brother? [ outgoing ] yeah, the house is huge [ incoming ] bet he works for the mafia [ outgoing ] this might be the last time you see me [ outgoing ] what if i was kidnapped [ incoming ]  they’d send you back 🤷🤷 [ outgoing ] 😤😤😤😤😤😤😤😤😤

ahyeon’s words register because ahyeon’s nose wrinkles at the words enough for her concentration to break. that and she knows ahyeon’s just a little snippy because she hasn’t been able to sped time with her boyfriend. so what if she’s been able to see hyuck after late night shoots, hyuck’s not her lover boy. ahyeon responds so quick she forgets to add that point.

[ incoming ] you want me to say i’d come don’t you

she doesn’t notice.

[ outgoing ] 😒😒😒😒😒😒😒 [ incoming ] i’d come right away 🤺🤺🤺

she fumbles, her own smile making it hard for her to hide her giggles.

it’s why she doesn’t notice the shadow coming upon her. but she registers the words.

‘cute - a devil emoji? is that your boyfriend?’

and nearly jumps out her own skin, words caught in her throat because no hyuck is not her boyfriend and can people ( ahyeon ) stop asking her that. he’s not her boyfriend he’s her friend and she’s too stunned to even speak or try to defend herself to the man standing behind her. she does however, cover up the phone screen, much how she does when she’s onsite and texting during makeup. the last time someone asked her they had to powder her to cover up the blush.

meanwhile, the man, who ahyeon assumes to be their brother, hair about as blonde and neatly styled as her own, is smiling victoriously. his skin is flawless, the glitter shines subtly, much more maturely under his eyelids and suddenly she wants all the tips. his outfit reminds her of something she’d seen gong yoo wear and ahyeon is stunned. 

also, relation confirmed because few people know who’s older between the two of them. 

‘why so silent, if he’s your boyfriend just say so. is he cute? older? younger? famous? famously fallen? does he kiss like a boy that doesn’t know what he wants or one that wants too much.’

ahyeon’s getting dizzy.

“you’re getting a little too personal don’t you think?”

areum’s voice rings out and the attention’s off her for a minute.

[ outgoing ] i feel like i just met a member of shinee 

is all she manages.

jongho. 

jongho’s thought this out about 110%. he’s thought about the right way to approach them, considering he wants nothing to do with his parents he’s opted outside of surprising the at the upcoming gala and being as civil as possible. mainly because his goal is to establish something of a relationship with his younger sisters. he’s also unsure of how they’ve grown, how they’ve been molded or broken out of the mold.

a gala appearance - as he planned it, might give his parents a heart attack and he’s not too sure that they’ll warm up to him after that. though, according to what he’s observed, areum might appreciate the little spice. 

though, one can never be too sure.

exposing the disgrace of a son turned star in front of his parents and their colleagues would be perfect but he’s been delicate only for the sake of these two. granted, the chauffeur and penthouse tour was a little - extra. they’re going to learn how he is one way or another, might as well lay it out in the open. 

areum as he’s heard appreciates things closer to his interests. art though it’s graphic design, and the rougher aspects of rebellion, derbies and abstract expression. she’d hate to hear just how like their father she’s become, in pursuing and determining her own path. wonderful.

ahyeon as he’s seen, appreciates the things closer to their parents. not so odd seeing as he’s seen her on the screen and she’s blossomed wonderfully, a spitting image of their mother actually. eyes that hold a hidden depth that even to this day, his manager fears when they meet up.

it’s exciting.

he doesn’t mean to be late, as a grand entrance was in his plans but things change and schedules mix up. so he’s heading up now smiling as the doorman recalls to hi just how different they are. and how they’ve grown.

and they have. in height maybe, he hears voices and knows that they’re still the girls that used to fight over which teddy bear to get for christmas. it’s refreshing.

jongho steps in and makes himself known. ahyeon’s expressions, usually reserved are comical, almost a little clumsy and he knows he’s going to have fun pulling her out this strange little cocoon she’s crafted.

areum on the other hand. well, he figured areum would be something to handle. it’s why jongho only fixes her with a look - a once-over to take in the damage, the image really.

she really does look like their mother. ahyeon sporting more features of their father. areum donned in high waisted shorts, a simple tee and chunky sneakers. ahyeon in a floral romper with her neckline exposed and arms covered. areum’s hair dye is fading and ahyeon’s hair might need a break from the blonde soon.

“too personal hm? guess a spa day’s out of the question?” ‘spa day?’ naturally, ahyeon perks up at the thought. ‘just like that?’ naturally, areum does not.

jongho has met pups with an actual bite before, he’s not phased in the slightest.

“we have a lot to discuss, you guys have questions and i refuse to sit and listen while your hair begs for treatment. areum - let’s give you some brown? some waves? and ahyeon, some contrast? maybe some gray? what do you think? all on me.”

ahyeon is practically bouncing and areum fidgets, though her hands stay in her hair.

the ride there, ahyeon’s smile doesn’t leave. areum’s own lips stay sealed, but her gaze remains on the.

it won’t be easy but it’ll be worth it.

he thinks, he questions why he even left in the first place.

[professional-anti]

Chapter Eight: Weapon of Choice

Heyyyyy!! Sorry, life has been cray, and it’s never gonna change, unfortunately. But guys, dw, I am dedicated. Also, weirdly, doing this has made me appreciate books even more? It’s so much fun to talk abt books, and I learn so much, even if it’s a book I hate. Okay, getting started (pray for me):

We last left off with Clary jumping thru the surprise door, like one does. Jace lands on top of her, yay, OTP moment, gag me. There’s a nice little detail where “Clary coughed hair (not her own) out of her mouth” which kind of captures the chaos and would be cute if it were an actual good ship. I hate when that happens. Jace criticizes Clary, FINALLY for a valid reason.

It turns out they’re at Luke’s house. Oh, classic, he lives in Williamsburg, the gentrified hipster paradise. Where else would a man who wears flannel live? Even more classic, he lives behind a bookstore. Clare is obviously one of those heavy-handed authors who has exactly two professions for her Intellectual Men™: bookseller and evil Giles.

I’m going to shake Clary. She doesn’t know why they’re here, despite having thought “I want to go where my mom would have gone” right before jumping. Like, bitch??? Do you have a brain? I’m cryingfff

Clary decides she wants to leave, even though there’s cleary something super sketch abt Luke. He’s so obviously protecting her, so he must know something, right? Well, Clary rubs her two brain cells together and decides, nope, nothing to see here! Time to go home!

Jace, being reasonable for once, is like, yo, maybe we should stay. They run into Simon, so you know there’s gonna be Dramaz. Jace and Simon apparently devolve into primordial wild dogs driven by the intense urge to fight for the girl dog so they can screw and produce puppies that are as annoying as they are. Here is what everyone is doing:

Clary is fixing Simon’s hair bc she’s a Woman Simon is pushing Clary’s hand away bc he’s Annoyed Jace is using his stele to file his nail bc he’s Not Paying Attention

There’s some horrible forced tension between Simon and Clary, where he’s all, “Clary, you ran away from me, I thought I and my dick upset you,” and Clary’s all, “Never, Simon, I love you,” and Simon cums. Not actually, instead he slut shames Clary:

“Yeah, well, you clearly also couldn’t be bothered to call me and tell me you were shacking up with some dyed-blond wanna-be goth you probably met at Pandemomonium”

On the one hand, draaaaag him, Simon!! Jace IS a peroxide blond who listens Evanescence (I almost wrote MCR before googling it and learning that if I wrote that, about a million punks would stream into my inbox in tears).

Simon’s eyes are “dark with suspicion”. which is just annoying. Yes, I would be so fucking annoyed if my friend ran out on me and then disappeared and then reappeared with a blond guy. But I’d also do some more questioning of the situation. Is she okay? Why is she with such a rude guy? Is he hurting her? Was she kidnapped? Is she being held against her will? Is this a drug thing? Does she need my help? Why did Luke cover for her? Is something deeper going on? Instead Simon is all possessive Nice Guy.

Apparently Simon spied on Luke packing a duffel bag of weapons. So he couldn’t give Clary any benefit of the doubt? It sounds like her family is caught in a bad situation! Maybe she had to hide for her life! Simon, use your brain!!

kajlkfaklsdjfalksdflk Clary tells Simon everything, and Simon asks if they kill all these different magical creatures, and Jace says ONLY WHEN THEY’VE BEEN NAUGHTY a;dlfjals;kdjfl;asdjfl;aksdjf hahahahahahahah This image that Clare is going for is just sooooo overdrawn. This dialogue, omfg.

Simon loses his mind and excitedly compares everything that’s been going on to D&D. Let’s totally forget abt the fact that Clary’s mom is missing, or that Luke just filled a duffel bags with murder sticks, shall we?

Jace and Simon have a bizarre conversation, and then they walk. In. The. Back. Door. Bc Luke doesn’t lock his back door. Bc that’s totally not something that someone who fills a duffel bag with weapons would do. At least the door to the bookstore is locked, though Jace opens it pretty easily with his stele. Why didn’t Luke have Jocelyn fix up some wards or something?

Simon asks Clary how she stands Jace, and she’s like “he saved me life” and he’s like “huh?” even though she told him everything that happened. Why is Simon so dumb. I guess all his blood is in his dick? Wouldn’t surprise me.

They find manacles in the wall, so either Luke and Jocelyn have (even more) hidden depths, or Luke practices

Luke’s apartment is filled with books. Of course. Look, I love books. I have about 500 in my room at this moment. I buy them constantly, I get from the libarary, I read and read and read. I think most of us on booklr do. But when every single Good Character in your book has books, it’s boring. And no one has unique book taste. What if all of Luke’s books were nature books? Jack London? Travel guides? That would paint a picture. Instead he has a bunch of fantasy and other fiction. That’s boring. I learn nothing, bc every goddamn person in this goddamn book reads fantasy. It’s so fucking generic. I totally approve of “good” characters admiring and liking reading bc that’s how you get ideas, and that’s how Lemony Snicket rolls, but there are more books than fantasy and mystery (the other main type that Lucas has) in the world. Justice Strauss has an inexhaustive library. Uncle Monty has all those books about snakes. Lucky Smells just has that one history of Lucky Smells. Already, you know so much abt each person (and place) by what books they have. We learn nothing about Luke.

Clary finds the overnight bag she leaves at Luke’s and changes clothes. I mention this only bc she puts on “a blue tank top with a design of Chinese characters across the front” bc of COURSE she is That Bitch. I hope it translates to something like “Radishes” or “Bridge”.

Luke’s bedroom has a shelf of “Indian statues and Russian icons” which, idk, makes me a little uncomfortable. These sound like things that are holy to someone. But I think the worst part is that Clary says, “Luke collects stuff. Art objects. You know … Pretty things.” I just googled it, and Hindu statues, like the one Luke has of Kali, are seen as actual avatars of gods. Clary is diminishing someone’s god to a “pretty thing”. It’s not a nick-nack or a trinket. (If you know more abt this, like if I’m wildly off-base, feel free to send me an ask!)

Jace finds the Metaphor known as a smashed picture of Luke, Jocie, and Clary, which Clary threw at the Ravener in her apartment, so realize that Luke went back through the apartment. Jace says that Luke must have gone through the Portal-potty last, so it brought them here. I’m still team Clary Asked to Go Where Her Mother Would Have Gone and Therefore the Portal did What it Was Supposed to Do and Brought Her Where She Wanted.

Luke and some warlocks show up, so Clary and co. hide behind the super convenient silk screen. Jace uses his sonic stele to make the screen transparent and we get this gem:

Jace shook his head at them both, mouthing words: They can’t see us through it, but we can see them.

Bc mouthing works that well. You don’t mouth compound sentences!! You mouth something simple like they can’t see us. Simon and Clary already know they can see Luke and the warlocks bc they’re looking at them right now! And this spell or whatever that Jace did takes the tension in the scene waaaaaay down. If they can’t see Luke, then everything becomes more tense. Are the voices getting closer to the screen? Is somebody about to reveal them? Instead, all the tension is drained in a dumb quick-fix.

Bc Clare thinks we’re stupid, she adds “It was frightening even though [Clary] knew [Luke] couldn’t see her, that the window Jace had made was like the glass in a police station interrogation room: strictly one-way.”

GD ARE YOU THERE??????? STOP THIS.

Jace realizes that the warlocks are actually Shadowhunters dressed as warlocks. Idk how he can tell, but whatever. He conveys this by whispering, so I don’t know what the mouthing nonsense was earlier.

The Shadowhunters are named Blackwell (redhead) and Pangborn (gray mustache). What sorts of names. It’s like Clare used a fantasy-name-generator. Who are we kidding, that’s totally what she did. Pangborn picks up the Kali statue and this conversation happens:

“Ah,” said Pangborn, taking the statue from his companion. “She who was created to battle a demon who could not be killed by any god or man. ‘Oh, Kali, my mother full of bliss! Enchantress of the almighty Shiva, in they delirious joy thou dancest, clapping thy hands together. Thou art the Mover of all that moves, and we are but thy helpless toys.’” “Very nice,” said Luke. “I didn’t know you were a student of the Indian myths.” “All the stories are true,” said Pangborn, and Clary felt a small shiver go up her spine. “Or have you forgotten even that?” “I forget nothing,” said Luke.

So the Shadowhunter mythology is that all religions are true? Inch resting. I vaguely remember this. Idk how I feel about this. The Shadowhunters are still gonna be super Christian no matter what lip-service Clare pays to other religions. She has angels! And demons! She’s trying to be inclusive, but it’s never really gonna work, bc she’s doing it in name only. But at the same time, I wouldn’t want her to mess with any religion but Christianity or, sigh, Judaism. Christianity bc it’s the dominant religion and can’t be marginalized (different denominations can be, but not Christianity as a whole) and Judaism bc she’s Jewish. There’s not very much Jewish in these books, though. Yeah, there are angels in Judaism, but it’s not really the Jewish Vibe. A book influenced by Judaism would have a lot of magic based on specific wording, and arguments, and Hebrew and Hebrew-derived languages. This book uses Latin and is into angels. It’s Christian-influenced, which is fine, I guess, but the lip-service to other religions doesn’t ring true. But also, saying “Christianity is the one religion!” is super upsetting and she shouldn’t do that. I don’t really know where I’m going with this, I’m literally thinking on the page. Do you guys have any thoughts on this? Please hit up my ask box or talk about this in the notes! This discussion really interests me, and I want to get diverse opinions.

Luke asks if Valentine sent them (he did) and if their clothes “are official Accord robes” “from the Uprising?” (they are). Wow. The Uprising. What a descriptive name! We don’t call things “the Uprising” in real life. It’s more like, “The French Revolution.” “The Cultural Revolution.” “The Revolutionary War.” “The Civil War.” Am I being unfair?” I guess someone right after one of the French Revolutions might just say “the Revolution.” But something about The Uprising is so boring. And aren’t there more than one Uprising? There should be. The Warlock Uprising. The Vampire Uprising. It doesn’t have to be all internal. Any organized group would rise against the Clave. The Clave is legit the worst.

It turns out Luke’s real name is Lucian AND. I. AM. DYING. Luke is Lucius Malfoy, confirmed!! Let’s do a list of what we know so far:

Clary: Ginny Jace: Draco Jocelyn: I’m getting Bellatrix vibes? Bc of the whole in-love-with Voldemort thing? Valentine: I don’t know?? I can’t think of who he could be??? We’ll have to leave this blank for now I guess :/ Hodge: Giles. Not a HP character, but this is a crossover event with Buffy. Isabelle: Pansy Parkinson Alec: I actually don’t know here. He’s the GBF. Simon: Does Harry make sense? They’re both boring nice guys (don’t @ me!)

This game is getting boring, let’s move on. Luke apparently used to fight with B and P, so we know he’s a Shadowhunter (or, if you’ve read this book before, you know he used to be one). Then he tells them he doesn’t know where the Mortal Cup is (they think Jocelyn hid it).

CLARY IS SO FUCKING DUMB OMFG. P and B talk about how Jocelyn hasn’t regained consciousness and Valentine wants to see her again (using her name) and Clary goes:

Jocelyn? Can they be talking about my mother?

NO THE OTHER FUCKING JOCELYN. CLARY HOW RU STILL ALIVE.

CC must think her readers are really dumb and can’t figure anything out on their own:

“I’ve never felt any way about [Jocelyn], particularly,” said Luke. “Two Shadowhunters, exiled from their own kind, you can see why we might have banded together. But I’m not going to try to interfere with Valentine’s plans for her, if that’s what he’s worried about.”

He might as well have said, “Jocelyn and I were both exiled. EXILED. We were exiled. We were exiled as fuck. Do you get it? Reading context clues is hard, so I’m saying WE WERE EXILED.” The quasi-warlocks should have responded like, “Yeah? We know you both were exiled? We were there?”

Blackwell refers to Jocelyn as “that bitch” bc institutionalized mysoginy is the absolute best! I love when vicious sexism is included for no reason! Bc also these guys aren’t any worse than Luke! Bc may I remind you that Luke was basically a supremacist! Just like them!

For some reason, these idiots believe Lucius when he tells them that he’s not close with Jocie. Then please explain why you both live in Brooklyn.

P and B threaten to make Luke stay in the city, and Luke threatens them, and somehow they let this happen? In other news, Clary is still dumb as rocks. She’s super hurt that Luke said that he doesn’t care about Jocie bc she has about 0 critical thinking skills. We’re talking none. She could have someone whispering the answers in her ear and still bomb the SAT.

Jace thinks that P and B think Luke “knows more than he’s telling” so why would they let him go???? Then Jace reveals that P and B murdered his dad, and this chapter is OVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Someone bring me a Bloody Mary. It’s how I feel inside.