#essay on wessa

[emmalovesfitzloved]

Tell me a few things you love about Wessa!

Ahhh another ask from my fav Shadowhunter blogger! Wohoo! These are the first two things that comes to my head. But there are MORE ;)

Their dark academia aesthetic

The Dark academia aesthetic of their relationship. Now while this may come across as superficial, its more then just "loving books". It's the chaise and adventure they find in books that they then live by in their real lives. How they challenge each other in a conversation and insider jokes they share tethered in the novels they consume. Let the other rant about their favourite things and celebrate novels that invite the reader into more journeys beyond just their own. And the way they talk about characters, morals and plots as experiences and people they know almost intimately. How their choice of words matters, and they are economical about their feelings. Dark over light academia bc London is a dank dark city ahaha. And they feel well deep rather than feather light.

Their timeless love

Somewhat still related to novels, but I feel like what Cassandra Clare did with Wessa was the melting pot of all our favourite literary tropes/heroines in classical literature. Which gives it a sense of timelessness and makes them feel like they are 'endgame'.

I wrote previously that Tessa is the perfect blend between Jane Eyre and Elizabeth Bennet. She retains Jane Eyre’s contemplativeness, slight shyness, physical features, dry sarcasm and strong sense of self-actualisation. But also Elizabeth’s wildness, snappiness, boldness, passionate love and will for happiness, all without the arrogance that came with Austen’s heroine.

Meanwhile Will's darker side reminds me of Mr. Darcy in how he pushes those he loves away. John Thornton from North and South who is set in his ways slightly stalkerish (i'm a sucker for the stalker trope sorry not sorry) Will retains the mystery of Edward Rochester, where there is more depth to him that meets the eye and heck even Tessa says at one point that his mood swings remind him of the treacherous Heathcliff. Most of all he reminds me of Alexander from The Bronze Horseman (which only came out in the 90's but technically it came out before TID and is already considered a classic). Alexander and Will overlap in how they sacrifice their love and longing for a greater peace (War and to not upset a family) all for the love of their other one. They are deeply flawed and challenge the reader on their tolerance for forgiveness .

“I love you. I’m blind for you, wild for you. Sick with you. I told you that our first night together when I asked you to marry me, I am telling you now. Everything that’s happened to us, everything, is because I crossed the street for you. I worship you. You know that through and through…” (The Bronze Horseman)

“Alexander, you broke my heart. But for carrying me on your back, for pulling my dying sled, for giving me your last bread, for the body you destroyed for me, for the son you have given me, for the twenty-nine days we lived like Red Birds of Paradise, for all our Naples sands and Napa wines, for all the days you have been my first and last breath, for Orbeli- I will forgive you. ” (The Summer Garden).

And you find you can, because their love and longing for their partner is almost holy and like a religion to them. Those we love the most, hurt us the most, but in turn, they are also those who deserve the most grace and Mercy. If not for them, then for who?

"You are not the last dream of my soul. You are the first dream, the only dream I ever was unable to stop myself from dreaming. You are the first dream of my soul, and from that dream I hope will come all other dreams, a lifetime’s worth." (Clockwork Prince).

This, coupled with the stakes of their relationship then as a unite (and also separately) echos a timber that reminds me of the setting we find in 19th century Russian literature (but with an HEA tysm CC my heart can't take it). This tragic longing we see in Anna Karenina where any choice Tessa makes she looses something in the same breath. The high apocalyptic war torn feel of War and Peace alongside the feeling of doom you get right at Chapter 1 in Clockwork Angel like we did in Crime and Punishment, when Raskolnikov kills a man, and it's all downhill from there.

Conclusion

CC wrote these two with the aim that they remain true to the history of their time, but blended it in with fresh modern air for us to be able to relate to and TRULY succeed. Who knew a historical romance about two book lovers could escalate so highly in the ranks? Now while they are so high up in the ranks of GOAT-ed couples in literature, they aren't without their flaws. Mainly not bc of the narrative or the character's choices but more to do with CC's discontinuation of their story linearly past TID. But that's a different ask for another time and tbh, that's where I seek out lovely fanfictions like the ones you create in order to fill in the blind spots CC didn't fill.

Thank you for this ask! I hope this was worth the read ILY @ibrushmyteeth-donttellanyone♡

Artistic Credit: Cassandra Jean

[edwinspaynes]

theories on the images?

Yes, let's go!

KIERARKTINA

Starting with the ship I don't care as much about so that I can get to the others, which happen to be my 3 favourite ships of all time, LOL.

At first I was really confused because I didn't notice Mark and thought that it was Kieran and Cristina and a horse. There was a brief moment where I thought Mark might have turned into a horse. I do not think this is the case, lol.

So the displayed items for them are:

Horse (I'm assuming a steed of the wind hunt)

A bow and arrow

Just two arrows

The Fae King's crown (perhaps just a character symbol of Kieran)

The three rings (that I am speculating are wedding rings!)

I think it's likely that Kieran and Mark will in some way briefly be drawn back to the Wild Hunt and take Cristina with them. They will, in my opinion, likely be married in some kind of Wild Hunter ceremony.

I don't think I can get more in-depth than that because I honestly do forget a lot of TDA and don't have a ton of opinions, but yeah! I will say I'm also really curious about why Cristina is silver while Mark and Kieran are both gold. Perhaps it marks her as a Shadowhunter rather than a Hunter? We shall see.

WESSA

I am PUMPED to see Will and Tessa again, they're my OGs, my little darlings. And LOOK THEY'RE GAZING INTO EACH OTHER'S EYES, 10/10 cannot wait for this.

The symbols surrounding them are:

The Eiffel Tower (not a surprise since Cassie said the story was set in Paris)

The Arc de Triomphe (once again, another symbol of Paris)

What appear to be cards or tickets to something

What looks like a magical snowglobe or crystal ball of some variety

A devil tail wrapped around a pitchfork.

The first two just tell me that the story is set in Paris. But I'm the most fascinated by the snowglobe because it gives off a sort of... ethereal vibe. Look at the symbol in the middle - it looks like a magical talisman, probably something psychic/fortune-telly. Maybe they get their fortunes read and the tickets are for a fortune teller.

This brings us to the devil pitchfork and tail.

We know that the story is set very shortly after Clockwork Princess, meaning that Tessa doesn't know the ins and outs of her demon heritage yet. It feels likely that in this story she'll discuss it with Will a bit...

OR. Or. And I like this one... Belial tries to possess Tessa while she is asleep and the Angel Ithuriel protects her. Belial talks about this having happened in the All Places Hell chapter of Chain of Gold. This would be really interesting because I've long thought I wished to see Tessa have some even indirect interaction with Belial. OH MAYBE WILL FIGHTS HIM OFF TOO YES.

Okay there that's it.

Now...

HERONDAISY

Babies, my babies. I love them so fucking much, they and Thomastair are by far the ones I'm most excited to see again. So let's unpack the Herondaisy corner THOROUGHLY.

First, I do appreciate the fact that Cordelia is still running (but, as @angeldaisies said, she is running side by side with James now and I am going to cry happy tears yet again.) Anyway, it also amuses me that she's running and James is like, reaching after her. She's going to do something brash and brave and impulsive and her and he's going to be adoring it every step of the way and I love that for them both.

So, symbols!

The chess piece (a self-explanatory symbol for their relationship that we all know and love)

The throne

Two pomegranate halves on either side of the heart

I can't think of what the throne is for, but it's very possible imo that it goes with the chess piece because - and I am willing to do a longer essay on this someday that isn't today - the final battle in ChoT is... a chess game. That ends with James, the king, on the Coronation Chair. And this throne in fact looks very much like the Cornonation Chair.

This brings me to something interesting, which is the idea of the symbols inside the hearts vs outside the hearts. I am only going to explore this for Herondaisy and Thomastair because that's what I'm doing.

In any event, James and Cordelia are the only couple to be inside the heart with no props. The other ships all have something with them - Cirenworth for Thomastair, the snowglobe for Wessa.

I am wondering if perhaps the things outside of the heart are things that the story is missing. Will and Tessa wanting to go sightseeing and getting stuck with dark dealings instead; Thomas and Alastair wanting to find Zachary who is missing (I'll get there) but instead feeling stuck at Cirenworth.

In this case, the Coronation Chair represents the past, as does the chess piece that Cordelia is running towards.

Now, I might be reading too much into that. But I'm musing and I like it.

I have 0 idea of what the Pomegranite may be - fertility? Feels too early. Katherine of Aragon? Long dead. Temptation to the underworld? ...Maybe.

In any case, I think and hope that this is going to be their honeymoon story. I want to see them in Istanbul SO BADLY and as angeldaisies pointed out the epilogue of ChoT sets that up nicely. The second wedding runes could be a flashback... maybe James is what's tempting Cordelia <333

THOMASTAIR

I am DYING with excitement for this one as well as Herondaisy's, if I don't get it ASAP I may wither and die in a blob of sadness. But I WILL get it and thus I will thrive. Herondaisy, Thomastair, Arianna, Wessa... the harvest is come.

Inside of Thomas and Alastair's heart, we have their figures running as well as a building that I'm fairly sure is Cirenworth.

Other symbols outside the heart are:

Zachary's pram (rolling downwards, away from the heart)

A car (driving upwards, away from the heart)

A baby shoe

A top hat

Assuming that the hat is Alastair's because he canonically wears hats. And remember in Chain of Gold what he did? He lost his hat.

Absolutely and 100% believe that this story will be about Thomas and Alastair losing Zachary and having to find him. Thought this before, but think it even more when analyzing the symbols.

Since it's a romcom, maybe it's like a heist romcom - they need to follow clues like the baby shoe and the pram rolling about to try to find him (watch him be nursing with Sona or something lmao). But yeah, and their car is gone maybe, so they don't know how to get around or look, and hijinks ensue.

I think this will be set while they're helping Sona move into Cirenworth, by the way, and when they move into Cornwall Gardens. Which I LOVE. HONEYMOON STAGE THOMASTAIR 10000/10.

AN END NOTE

Please don't get to attached to my theories or headcanons, and know that I am not too attached to them, either. I'm speculating for fun, and there is no way I am not going to love Thomastair or Herondaisy stories. Like, I'd read an entire book about either of those ships making breakfast cover-to-cover 100 times. This is just what I think based on symbols.

[thomaslightwood]

I can write an essay on all the stuff in this book that was straight up an easy out for CC, honestly

- Lucie and James losing their powers because Belial died (this makes no freaking sense, I'm sorry)

- A random Shadowhunters MAKING UP a family tree?? Just for fun? Not even actually checking up with who's dead and who's alive??

- Belial's favor to Jem is because Jem supposedly told the characters "hey, don't bother the new Belial and he won't bother you"? That was probably the worst, it's so stupid, I'm sorry

- Bridget being alive in TDA because she was struck by a lightning?

- Christopher dying and almost everyone's reaction to that basically (like, I'm sorry, his death was absolutely useless and it was only because 1) CC can't kill a protagonist or their love interests (Cordelia, James, Lucie, Jesse), 2) can't kill the person on the cover (Grace) and 3) doesn't want to play into 'bury your gays' trope. Christopher, Eugenia and Alexander were basically the only options and since one Sophigideon child is dead and Alexander is a baby, the only choice is Christopher. Fact is: someone just had to die and Kit was the best option)

- Skipping Cordelia and Lucie's parabatai ceremony - I know there's a short story with it or something but this is extremely important even for your two protagonists?? You shouldn't leave something like that as a bonus scene outside of the book, just so you don't make it longer

- CC specifically letting us know Wessa cried because James and Lucie are trapped in London but not even a mention of Gabrily mourning THEIR OWN DEAD CHILD?! And in the epilogue having them SMILING AND HAVING FUN WITH THE REST??

- Lucie got a bad vibe from Malcolm from the very beginning in the book but continuing to call him for help and talk with him?

- There were also a lot of missing things we were told will be explained: the Blackthorn sword name, Thomas writing songs, Woosley Scott had to return, something about a surprising baby, explanation why the modern Blackthorns don't see ghosts like the Herondales when they're their descendants... Maybe a few more I'm forgetting (some of these are said long time ago and it's normal to be changed/removed but let's be honest - half of these easily could have made it into the book without adding too much to the page count)

so many things in chot are like, straight up nonsensical. like the whole Esme making up the family tree and James & Lucie losing their powers when Belial "died" etc, none of that made sense and felt like cc was just taking the easy way out instead of dealing of the repercussions of things she wrote and published

[grace-lightwoodd]

Sorry, Jordelia is definitely endgame: a rant/essay by your local jordelia stan

Fairstairs shippers, prepare to be destroyed with facts and/or logic. This will inevitably be semi incoherent, as my essays/glorified rants usually are. No trigger warnings, unless you don’t enjoy the imagery of Tessa chucking a jug at Will’s head

First of all, James literally needs to have children. Jace is confirmed as Will’s direct descendant, and guess what, buckaroo! Will only had two kids: Lucie and James. And because of the patriarchal society of the clave (and the world), Lucie will inevitably take her spouse’s surname. This makes James Cassie’s only option to make canon, y’know, canon.

Furthermore, we can’t possibly forget about the statement that has been drilled into our heads since tmi. Say it with me: Herondales love but once. We all know it, we all hate it, we’ve all used it in our fanfics at some point, but that’s besides the point. Herondales Love But Once. One love and that’s it. And Cordelia was indeed James’ first love, as his “love” for grace was forced and therefore insignificant. And since we all know which family is Cassie’s favorite, we can reasonably assume that James will end up with his one (and only) love, Cordelia. (Cordelia also happens to be my one and only love, but that’s neither here nor there)

Also, like other endgame ships involving protagonists, Jordelia has been the main ship since the start of chain of gold. Each main ship from each series (wessa, clace, blackstairs) has been inevitable from the very first scene they are in together. Some examples include Will saving Tessa (being attacked via jug in the process), Jace saving Clary, the heartfelt “definitely more than bros” moment blackstairs shared at their reunion, etc etc. James and Cordelia’s first meeting (in several years) is Cordelia practically falling out of the carriage in the classic “oh I’m so clumsy please catch me in your strong, muscular arms” moment. And James does, in fact, catch her in his strong and muscular arms. This is, of course, the moment in which a hopeless romantic reader (me, and also probably you) would faint because that’s just so romantic. And we’d be right, but oh boy are we in trouble for chain of iron if we’re freaking out at this of all things.

TLDR: there are three main reasons Jordelia literally has to be endgame: Jace’s existence, Herondales Loving Only Once, and Cassie’s complete inability to be original.

[belle-keys]

Reflections: How we are Tessa, and the purpose of GOTSM (meta)

Cassandra Clare said in her latest IG live that the reason the epilogue of Clockwork Princess is forever beautiful but bittersweet is not because we know that the characters, save Jem and Tessa, die. It’s because we know that there will always be people who have to deal with their loss too and live on: a bittersweet concept, seeing someone die and having it remind you of how beautifully they lived. Think of the shared vision Will and Jem had in Learn About Loss when they went to Shanghai - Jem thinks of the fact that Will is about to die soon, but yet Will’s memory is constantly associated with the emotions he suscited as he lived. That’s overwhelming, beautiful, and sorrowful all at once.

There are those of us who have to go on living knowing these characters’ stories, now immortalized in memory- that’s the reader, but it’s also Tessa.

It was easier to die protecting the people you loved than to watch them die in your stead. What horrific choices mortality had to offer.

Tessa lives on through the century and the different stories of all the characters. She’s the chronological inception of the five families’ stories: the Herondales, the Fairchilds, the Carstairs, the Lightwoods and the Blackthorns. She does not die when Will does, nor when her children do. She lives a beautiful life but it’s still a pain to bear her own existence and bear the knowledge of the stories of all the people that she has known and loved over time. Furthermore, their stories live on in her, with her, through her.

Likewise, the stories of the characters live on in us. We as readers in the real world hold the stories we read in books in our minds and hearts dear as we go on with life, and we feel incredibly sad when our favorite characters die. That is the fundamental en-soi of stories: for them to be read and for them to touch our hearts.

The lives of all the characters and all the decades that Tessa has lived, the passage of time, are a literary symbol for the worlds that readers live in when they read books. She has to see what has occurred yet move on and keep living despite her attachment. Thus, Tessa is a stand-in for the reader as she lives on perusing time yet holds these stories dear too. This is incredibly incredibly meta to a level that has me like yooo. She is a living commentary on the relationship between readers and fiction. Moreover, Tessa herself is a reader and finds solace in stories meaning that her meta-ness is twofold. (This has links to the meta-commentary on literature in TID and TLH.)

“It was books that made me feel that perhaps I was not completely alone. They could be honest with me, and I with them.”

Now, this is why Ghosts of the Shadow Market feels like an opened wound. (Yes, Jem has been immortal too but now he’s human again, so I won’t put him in the same category as Tessa. Magnus, while we’re here, is objectively not the main character and most of what I’m saying is in fact applicable to him, but in terms of the main plot of the series, Tessa is more relevant.) Clockwork Princess is designed to be read either directly before or after City of Heavenly Fire. In this way, as soon as the reader learns Jem is shipped off to be a Silent Brother and has to battle the beast of time, he immediately gets saved from our perspective based on the way the books were released. We didn’t have to live all the years between 1880 to 2008 and live Jem’s life (or Tessa’s). We learned about The Jem Situation but then we got the outcome quite quickly in terms of the books’ publication order - we didn’t have to wait in suspense for too long to hear Jace’s heavenly fire saved Jem eventually.

Nonetheless, Ghosts of the Shadow Market does in fact give us all the hard parts of immortality: experience. It doesn’t in any means mitigate the value of TID or TMI, yet develops the story of an incredibly important character. If anything at all feels like a sequel to TID, it ain’t TLH, it’s Ghosts of the Shadow Market. We get Jem’s adventures but also his emotions. These stories in GOTSM break that sacred unspoken “happy ending” rule where we now have see the reality of what living is like: we don’t get that “running into the sunset, happily ever after” feeling. Instead, we grieve with Jem and Tessa, we mourn Will, we feel hope like Jem does and it’s all quite overwhelming given how much Jem feels. Yet this pain is again another example of meta-commentary on what time is like and what experiencing stories entails: it’s angst, but to a beautiful end. We get another bittersweet ending at the end of GOTSM: Jem and Tessa finally have their moment, a marriage and a family after 150 years and thus, all of Jem’s pain and living is finally comes to fruition: he is happy with his love. The 150 year old story that began in Clockwork Angel gets a new conclusion. Another layer to the conclusion that the epilogue of Clockwork Princess gave us, and we truly feel like we lived through those 150 years with Jem as he goes through many pivotal changes in his emotional arc. It reminds us that the Herongraystairs story is immortal. Hence, the payoff is amazing as we get to see Jessa thrive, just like got to see Wessa thrive in TLH. Talk about equality amirite.

“There will be no separation between us. Where you are, I am. Where we are, Will is.”

The meaning is twofold here too: Will’s spirit lives on as Jem and Tessa live, and Will Herondale the literary character lives as long as readers keep reading and remembering how he touched them. Again, the en-soi of books is reiterated too: books live on only when they touch us, and thus memorable stories always have more value on a wider scale in the literary canon. In fact, there’s an even bigger meta value of TSC in this regard, and it’s the way Cassie plays hommage to classic literature, classics, art, and religion and makes meta commentary on art and literature but that is a whole ass essay by itself lmfao (spoiler, but my thesis would be that the meta value of these motifs helps render the classic lit canon relevant yet simple among young people or some shit like that idk).

But anyway, all this to say that we see the story the way Tessa sees it. In the Romance Languages, “history” and “story” are the exact same word, and TSC effectively explores the phenomenon that makes the two one and the same using narration as it concerns the human experience. All of this has great significance as it reiterates the role of literature in our lives and the use of chronological structuring to develop such an extensive story.

[imherongraystairstrash]

One thing that has always confused me is how Charlotte and Henry conceived Charles while both of them thought the other didn’t love them back. I assure you Ik how babies are made but were they just trying for children because in that time it was kinda your “duty” to have children and pass the name? I have trouble believing that cause it doesn’t seem like they cared and the theyre both so awkward when it comes to intimacy (they’re super sweet and domestic though)

This always confused me a little bit too. I wrote a fic where I sort of wrote my hot-take on it (I think it was Will De-age part 2). But I’m not going to make you read the entire fic, I’ll just say it here:

I think Charlotte and Henry definitely...you know... when they got married and pre-tid. It’s not that they didn’t think the other cared about them; they just didn’t believe the other loved them as much as they did. I think Charlotte’s parents and maybe Henry’s didn’t love each other that much, just because they never really talk about them and I just got that impression while reading tid. They both talked about how they knew the other cared for them (they just hoped they would come to love them in the future) but we never see anything in the novels that would suggest that they cared for each other (every time they look at each other lovingly, the other didn’t realize it). I think the beauty of Charlotte and Henry’s relationship is that it’s more subtle in public. They are probably very affectionate towards each other behind closed doors. So much so that it led their own child (Matthew) to consider the possibility that his mother could be cheating on Henry. They’re not a in-your-face couple like Wessa, they’re more quiet on their relations.

Basically, I think that in tid, Charlotte and Henry’s relationship was much more complex and that we only scratched the surface with them before they professed their love for each other. 

Honestly, I could write an essay on how I interpret their relationship, and why I think it’s so beautiful, so let me know if you actually want a rant on them!

Thanks for the ask!

[clockwork-carstairs]

Read all of them; Jessa still owns my heart. I appreciate all of the ships and I wholeheartedly accept that all three of them love each other. Will and Tessa, Tessa and Jem, Jem and Will. The love these THREE have for one another is incredible and beautiful.

But to me, the most important qualities in a relationship are the ones used to defend Jem/Tessa. Love should be loyal, strong and soft, love should be kind and unrelenting, gentle, fierce, steady, unwavering, stable. You should feel safe with the person you love, the way Tessa feels safe with Jem, and always has. IMO, Cathy and Heathcliff had a very unhealthy relationship and I don’t think poses a very good comparison for the Wessa argument, but… ok. Just that personally, if it were between heat and passion (Wessa argument) and comforting, unrelenting love and intimacy (Jessa) I would go for the latter.

Will/Tessa, Jem/Tessa, Will/Jem - the essays

I get asked all the time who I prefer, Will with Tessa or Jem with Tessa.

I don’t think this is a question I can ever answer because whoever I prefer is how the story ends. I suppose it doesn’t meant I’d necessarily pick that character myself (I’d probably pick Simon over Jace, myself, but I’m not Clary) since I am not Tessa, but if I think she should be with Will, she’ll be with Will, if I think she should be with Jem, she will be with Jem, if I think she should be alone, she’ll be alone. It’s not an answerable question for me.

I did say I’d be happy to host a series of essays by readers on who they think Tessa should end up with and why, so here they are below. Will/Jem included as well since it has a very strong constituency. :)

Nothing is edited by me but everything’s under the Read More tag because…spoilers!

Keep reading

[purplebass]

Herongraystairs and the tragic nature of life

Is it crazy that I can't sleep because I'm thinking about a book that gives me a lot of feelings? A lot of feelings like emotional feelings. And I know what it is... No idea if I should worry about it, lol. It only happens with books or series or other stuff that I loved so much it consumed me. And this is why I wrote this essay/thoughts about Will, Tessa and Jem and the transience of life.

Yesterday I was reading The Midnight Heir story from the Bane Chronicles and I felt so elated, in love, heartbroken and depressed at the same time, when I thought about the Will/Tessa/Jem interactions. Of course, that didn’t just make me think about their interactions in that specific story (thankfully, we have plenty of their interactions to use as a reference) and how dramatic everything is.

I’ve read TID five years ago, I think, then I re-read it a few weeks ago because I wanted to refresh my memory, which I did, and once I was done, I felt so happy for Will and Tessa but also sad because Jem had to become a Silent Brother or he would have died. The epilogue when we know that Wessa had a happy life and how Will died just shattered all of that happiness I felt... which is, I must say, in some ways great, because it means an author can make you feel that even if people are happy, not everyone gets a happy ending and life is about death as well, so Tessa and Jem knew that sooner or later Will would die. It was surely a tragedy for Jem as well, because he not only couldn’t be with Tessa and Will, but being with them gave him life despite of the brotherhood he was part of it, and that was fantastic even if, like I said, heartbreaking. 

The Midnight Heir story managed to bring the same feelings as CP did, somehow. We still see that Tessa, Will and Jem are tight as always despite Jem can’t be with them whenever he wants (even though he tries to be as much as he can), and that he still plays the violin whenever he goes to the Institute, that to Will and Tessa he is always the same Jem, just wearing different clothes. In the story we also have James looking at them and longing for that kind of thing, not realizing that he sort of already has it. Well, Matthew is not Will or Jem, even though both Jem and Math are “addicted” to something. Math abuses of alcohol because of his issues with his past and not because he needs drinks to live like Jem needed the drugs to survive. (But this I should perhaps write it on another essay, haha!).

Anyway. As Magnus himself notices, the bond between Tessa, Jem and Will, will never be really severed and we know that is true, because we see that after Jessa get together, they still cry for Will and for those they lost (including James and Lucie). And this is even more sadder than what I mentioned above (Jem becoming a Silent Brother), because at least, Jem was there. In the present time, Will is not. Magnus knows that once he will go because he is mortal, a part of both Tessa and Jem will die with him, but at the same time, Will won’t, because he will still live in their memories (as we also see in various Jessa scenes set in the present time).

Now, all of this to say that all of this gives me deep, opposing feelings of happiness and sadness because it is all so real. For Tessa, it shows the struggle of being immortal. I think this is why CC chose to make her live forever, because that is the tragedy of life. You will see the ones you care about die, and you can’t do anything about it. I wonder, now that Jem is a mortal (is he mortal after becoming human again, or I’m wrong?) if history will repeat itself. I mean, the point was that Tessa had two loves in her life and that she got to experience life with them in different eras of time, but what is gonna happen when Jem will also leave her because of the tragic nature of life? I dread to know it, somehow, because I know it will be break me even more.

And this, my dear friends, is the reason why I couldn’t sleep last night or most of the nights ever since I re-read TID and I finished Chain of Gold.

[sprolden]

listen,.,

cruel summer by miss t. swift is a wessa song: an essay by me, user victoria solitairians / @lookwhatyoumademedo

ok first of all it slaps and so does wessa but also theres lyrics

“fever dream high in the quiet of the night, you know that i caught it (oh yeah you’re right i want it)” rmr wessa’s first kiss? when will had to drink holy water bc he bit a vampire and then he got a real bad fever nad they got all horny and made out? that

“killing me slow, out the window / i'm always waiting for you to be waiting below” hmmmm shakespeare analogies wonder what 2 literature geeks would appreciate THIS

“what doesn’t kill me makes me want you more” speaks for itself??? noah fence to my kids but they need to stop like... almost dying to save each other

“it’s new, the feeling i’ve got” my man william “im never loving anyone ever again” herondale falling for the first girl who barely tolerates him... is a new feeling 4 him

“i'm not dying (oh yeah you're right I want it)” tessa when she finds out abt the curse & it’s lack of trueness ?

“and i scream, “for whatever it’s worth, i love you, ain’t that the worst thing you’ve ever heard!?” they denied their feelings for each other for... so many books this speaks 4 itself ?

“he looks up grinning like a devil” is... a very much will line. if u told me its in the books id believe u

and last but not least. this song has one of many ‘blue’ lines. whats one thing tessa cant go 3 pages without noticing? correct. wills eyes. what colour are his eyes???

YEA

BLUE

[myfalsedevotion]

I've just seen the post, thank you for the tag @maaaiiittteee <3

Rules: tag 9 people you'd like to get to know better

Top 4 ships:

It's been a while since I've felt like, really intense about any ship. So I'll just stick to the ones that are always on my OTP list: Peraltiago (B99) will probably remain my #1 forever hahaha. Love them to death and I'm so happy we get to have representation of such a healthy relationship in somewhat mainstream media. Wessa & Jessa (The Infernal Devices), I will never be able to decide between those two. And lastly Cashton in fics (predominantly aus) have something about them that makes me fall in love with the relationship over and over again no matter the circumstances.

Last Song:

Sunshine on my shoulders - John Denver

('m feeling very soft today, and kinda sad listening to this and having no one I can share it with)

Last Movie:

At home: to All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You

At the cinema: Mientras dure la guerra (A. Amenabar)

Reading:

Do all the essays and journals I'm reading for my thesis count? I can't remember the last time i read a proper book 😔

What are you craving right now:

Cuddles, maybe? Idk. I'm in a really weird mood rn.

I'm tagging:

I'm really late for this so I guess everyone in my mutuals has been tagged, so I tag anyone who sees this and wants to do it! I'll keep an eye out :)

Thanks again for the tag @maaaiiittteee ^^

[emmalovesfitzloved]

Who are your fav characters, and why ? And favourit ship/s ?

Eeeeek finally getting round to this lovely ask by the smartiest @imabitchforjemcarstairs hehehe

I have answered this lovely q, and here is the link for the full unhinged answer for the "why" them, hehe.

But the TLDR just for fire rapid answers is:

Favourite characters:

Alastair

Will/Tessa (tie)

Thomas

Matthew

Kitty and Jessa tie

Malec (if allowed a sixth place)

Top Ships:

Thomastair

Wessa

Kitty

Jemma

Malec

(lots of cheating with the ties, but im going to be honest, i can't choose frfr)

Now to enjoy this read and not make and make this answer half assed, I will be original and give my two cents on the topic of Wessa vs. Jessa i haven't had the time to chat about until now. So technically you didn't ask for this lol but i feel like we love Jem and this is a perfect opportunity to give an essay responce on the whole shindig :)

So scooch in for me @imabitchforjemcarstairs we need a chat ;) .

On the topic of Jessa vs. Wessa vs. Herongraystairs in TID:

I think I liked them a lot especially in TID, but i think that the lack of Jem POV makes it hard to really understand what's going inside in his head. And i think the relationship as a ship in writing, suffers from it, especially when we have Will's POV. And that rather, the decisions that 'metamorph' in their relationship is out of Jessa's hands, but a response to the events CC convienently plops in, not allowing any of these three characters decided eyes wide open their fate. Which imo, is a cop out. Let's breakdown the sneaky manipulative writing CC did ;)

I recently reread TID (for about the 10th time now, as one does during the christmas season lol) and found that even during the Herongraystairs arc, it felt like the writing gave more bonding and more to Wessa than Jessa. I call this in romance novels the, "convincing period", where the author in those formative chapters has to convince the reader that these two individuals should be in a ship. CC convinced us on Wessa bc they were into each other since day 0 when Will saved her from the Twin sisters, had so many hobbies in common and shared the same common struggles of figuring out who they want to be in this world (Will struggling w/ his identity and curse and Tessa as a weird hybrid warlock who constantly gets gaslit her who life). So the convincing is done well there i think we can all agree on that pretty easily.

For Jem and Tessa, it seems as if Tessa always defaulted to him because he was a failsafe from Will. And i don't mean that negatively, but in that, he was brilliant, light, elegant, poised and studied and that is literally sexy as hell lol. LIKE COME ON, HE MADE MUSIC ON HIS VIOLIN FOR HERRR. THAT'S HELLA ROMANTIC. And is very "show don't tell" when it comes to his love, my fav trope. He is very clear, which at the time, was the opposite of Will. So that in of itself is attractive to Tessa. But it's a canon event, that she went into the engagement collaterally in book 2, bc Will constantly kept deflecting what they had. She wouldn't have explored a relationship with Jem, if it weren't for Will's deflections. This is literally a canon event. And Tessa wanted to explore what she had with Jem bc he was very decided and less flakey than Will. Which tbh makes utter sense to me!

But as you can see, later on, once Jem leaves the silent brothers, the way i interpreted this is that, Jem and Tessa became a thing bc of the history they have, the loyalty they have to the trio friendship group and bc Tessa doesn't have Will anymore. It's giving very much "begin again" by Taylor Swift Vibes (not too much but yk kinda that aesthetic). And what I'm trying to say, is that I read the Jessa relationship at a disadvantage when up against Wessa. I think CC would have benefited writing Jessa and Wessa independent, and not collaterally contigent on the happenings of what was going on with the status of the other relationship. And then, on Wessa's side in response to Jem leaving for the Silent Brothers, they didn't want to get together in Book 3, bc Will didn't want to take his best mate's girl away bc his best mate never asks anything of Will and he's also high key dying.

It’s unfair that Wessa happened bc Will felt like there was a curse which gave way for Jessa’s engagement, and conversely, it’s unfair that Wessa only got together once the silent brothers made Jem one of them. So again, the autonomy of these characters are not happening 'authentically' but are happening bc of circumstances.

There is also the accidental (ig) trope that Jem with his illness he was given which in political theory we call, “the children are dying” trope. Which means, you give blanket equity or veto power to someone irrespective of the context of deserving because they are “closer to death” than anyone else. This is THE DRIVING FORCE, of why everyone acts the way they do around poor Jem and it drives him, and us the readers crazy, rightfully so. Jem and Will become friends, not because Will at first fr liked Jem as a person or thought he was a talented shadowhunter, but “because he was dying”, blanket permission for friendship. Tessa was kind to Jem at first because, you guessed it, blanket permission because he is closer to death than she is. They get engaged despite not knowing each other for a long time, conveniently for Jem because, yes, he’s close to death. So much of autonomy is once again stripped from characters around Jem, because most of their actions are respective to his illness. Which is polite, lovely, but it rightfully upsets Jem because he is still a person. Not a a make a wish kid nor a charity case. This was touched on briefly when he said he didn’t want a nurse out of Tessa but a wife. This wasn’t morally delved into deeply save for Tessa’s answer “no I fr like u dude wdym” but than her actions proceed to default back to the “children are dying” complex around him. And we’re only freed from this trope finally once Jem has lived basically the immortal life and is a very changed person after silent brotherhood.

So WTF to do right? Seems like CC built up amazing grounds and complications in these characters, but what to do right? How can she wrap this up in a nice bow? Well CC went naturally via the occam's razor route, which is: Jem becomes a literal monk giving him 'immortality', so circumstantially, the only option JUST SO HAPPENS that Will and Tessa can be together. Again, its not a decision Tessa makes, its a problem that solves itself for Tessa. She goes with Will for now, and maybe in the future, she will go with Jem if he ever leave the silent brothers.

Which again, imo is a bit of a cop out. But CC didn't allow Tessa to put her big girl panties and choose a man. But one thing is clear, which is CC didn't write Will and Jem equal from the start. And it is very clear that Will was written from the beginning as the forbidden love and chosen one. Which is extremely unfair to Jem bc there is so much we could have learned and gained from a Jem pairing that DIDN'T happen bc of the circumstances of Wessa not working out. I truly think that Jem was written with an unfair disadvantage. Like i said, One bc his POV hasn't ever been explored that well. and Two, bc all of Tessa's choices weren't made bc she willed them, but bc CC wrote the circumstances in to take away the choice for her.

Now what I do think is right, is that Jessa, both being immortal are together later on in Shadowhunter Canon. I love Mina and I love what they can be for each other. They make each other happy. And for anyone who says that you can have only 1 love in ur life has a very romantic judeo-catholic view on things XD. U can have many loves in ur life, and each of them can be independent from each other. Love is not mutually exclusive. How is it that you can love unbundently and feel equal love for your multiple pets and children, but not find it in yourself to love more than 2 men? It is entirely possible. And so I do think there is room for Jessa, even if Wessa happened first. And I don't think it is disrespectful or cheating to remarry or find another love after one has ended.

I read criticism about them and how they don't live up to the same version as they were in TID, but i think living hundreds of years does that to you. And i don't think it's the fault of anyone in the pairing to 'bring out' the best in the other, but they can also be very changed people from when they were young. This criticism that they aren't great together later on in life is rooted in their own way of dealing with immortality AND THEN each other. I think what is a pity is that it isn't explored as well as Magnus's immortality has shaped his life which i think again, puts Jessa at a disadvantage. Magnus' continuity as I explained before is given a wider girth than Jessa which is why he is my preferred immortal. But then again, what would Magnus do, if he was immortal forever with his ship? He would be a very changed person he wouldn’t be his own comedic relief that’s for sure. In fact, Camille was not wrong when she said that immortality changes your relationship greatly. Where she fucked up was treating poor babygirl Magnus like shit just in general lol, and being immortal doesn't mean u have to be an asshole. I think immortality truly did a number on Jem and Tessa, irrespective of each other and has not a lot to do with Jem or how he treats her, but a lot about how how Tessa and Jem are quite literally a hundreds of year old great grandma and gramdpa hahahahaha.

But if Will were still alive or immortal like Tessa, would Tessa still be with him now that she has the option of being with Jem forever? Again, we are stripped away from that option because the circumstances decided over the characters. But I do think she would still chose Will.

Final question is, would Herongraystairs actually work? The answer in CC's eyes and again, the occam's razor answer is obviously 'yes'. In fact Tessa herself in Book 3 said it is entirely possible to be in love with 2 people at once and I think poly relationships are a beautiful thing. But is it the easiest and first answer, or is it the TRUE answer? Again, that we will never know bc Tessa's decisions on this matter are in response to the environment she is in, not because she truly believes it.

It is very clear that Will is written all across Tessa's mind in Book 1, and is what she thinks about 24/7. There were times where i was like, "girl just go up to him and JUST EXPLODE UR FEELS ON HIM UR GIVING ME A HEADACHE". But the plot just so conveniently every time they had a moment alone, would get 'interrupted' and the moment was gone. Only after in response to this mess of a situationship, did she go for Jem bc of his ease and what he represented (which we talked about before^) but it wasn't equally organic. It was in response to what happened with Will. Truly we all know, that Tessa would not have even considered Jem, if Will and Tessa decided to be a couple and engage by book 1. And I hate that Jessa read to me as second best, instead of a true, equal 1st place like Wessa. Which is would have to be, in order to have a Herongraystairs. I don't like that CC made Jessa collateral, but tbh i think she didn't know how to chose in the making of TID. So instead of choosing or rewriting the relationship so that both ships were dealt with equally, she made the events of the plot decide for the characters instead.

In defence of CC, a lot of our lives happens in response to our surroundings and circumstances instead of pure Free Will. Which might ironically make Jessa and Wessa and Herongraystairs even more realistic than maybe the idyllic cleanly chosen choices. Life moves fast and we can barely respond to it in time. And what matters most at the end, is that all three of these characters love each other dearly and would be there for each other no matter what. However, the way the plot was almost TOO conveniently choosing everything instead of the characters making hand on heart choices, swings us back to being a bit too unrealistic.

I truly, really love Jessa and I would marry Jem myself lol, but I really disliked the way it wasn't dealt with fairly. I am happy that they end up together at the end, I just didn't like the way they went about it. I would be more sold on Herongraystairs if it was dealt with more evenly instead of the other side of the poly v, instead of being collaterally contingent to the happenings of Wessa. Who knows, CC said that Jessa will re-encounter Will again and not in shadowhunter heaven so i wonder if there is any ability to clean this all up. But bc of the way CC wrote Jessa over how i WISHED she wrote them, Jessa is not in the top 5 ships for me unfortunately. It's def top 10 (and for sure over Clare lol) probablly like 7th place but not top 5. I think there are other relationships in the Shadowhunter fandom that are written a lot more cleanly where the characters are given by CC more autonomy in their choices which makes it easier to follow along. Not to mention get their POVs.

I cannot wait for your own lovely essay on our fav Jem @imabitchforjemcarstairs ! I hope my re-mentioning of it doesn't come across as antsy or like i'm trying to 'remind you' passively lol. Which would be awfully rude. As you can tell, I took my time to reply to this one :). My intention is one of pure excitement, fandom-ing over it and showing support.

art credit: @giannyfili on instagram

[edwinspaynes]

I think we talked about this before I apologise if it’s a real. But the TLH cast (obviously + Wessa) are big readers growing up. Not just because of the fact it’s Edwardian era so no the but say they were immortal and in modern times-

Who would be an e reader user? Who would chuck several books along with them when they vacation, or travel? Who would be an e reader enthusiast and the other isn’t?

What’s up with that? 🤭🤭

Oooh, interesting.

I think that Matthew would be a snobby traditionalist about needing to have his plays printed and his essays available, so he wouldn't want an e-reader. Alastair would also hate them, but I headcanon modern AU Alastair to be somewhat tech-averse in general (not totally, but like, does he like his smartphone? Not really.) I think Ari would also prefer print books. Just based on Vibes.

Will also would not fuck with e-readers and would make fun of Tessa for using one. Tessa likes both.

Christopher would enjoy how easy it was to organize an e-reader, and Grace would find it easily portable. So I think that would be their preferences.

I think Cordelia would also prefer e-readers because it grants her access to immediate releases. Same goes for Thomas. Both Thomas and Cordelia also want to save shelf space for their husbands, and they're perfectly content with their Nooks.

James would probably be a hybrid e-reader/physical book guy, imo. Also, AUDIOBOOKS. My man would love those. I think he'd prefer the feel and smell of an actual book, but he'd use the e-reader if it were more prudent because he were on vacation. Also, like Cordelia, he'd enjoy having it for immediate releases.

Anna also strikes me as a lover of both because she likes having physical books of those she likes. But she also likes really obscure things, in my opinion, so the e-reader would grant her access to them.

[emmalovesfitzloved]

Welcome! These are a few of my favourite things...♡

Bare min starter-pack to get to know a bit about me :)

she/her. 26 y/o lives in the UK.

My favourite hobbies are reading, dreaming, drinking coffee and obsessing over pets.

My favourite movies tv shows: Blue Eye Samurai, LOTR, Arcane, Haunting of Bly Manor/Hill House and the Office.

I work in the legal profession.

My guilty pleasure is reality shows...

I read fanficton of my fav novels every night to sleep and to wake and have for the past decade.

If you like:

Fitzloved (Realm of the Elderlings; Of Cats and Closed Doors)

Shadowhunter Chronicles;

18th 19th century classical literature;

Mauraders & Drarry Era (specifically, jegulus & wolfstar, rosekiller etc.);

All Souls series.

Relevant Posts/Essays ͙͡★

My Love Letter to OCACD and Fitzloved

Magnus Bane is the best Downworlder

Wessa is the Best!!!!!

Tessa Tessa Tessa

Ranking of SHC Novels

My response to Booktok turning the book community into fast fashion

Top 5 in the Shadowhunter Characters, Ships

I also love to make moodboards for the All Souls universe by Deborah Harkness which you can find: here !

Please let's be moots and friends :D Have a lovely day scrolling 😊

Gorgeous art by pandyals_art on instagram

[cartwrights-old]

aksgjafdfg i got in an argument with some insane wessa stan who made a second blog pretending to be someone else who agrees with her

a lot happened before that, @pushingdaises wrote an entire essay on all the shit she did

someone tell @donttearmedown how pathetic it is that they spent an hour arguing with a 12 year old. dude im t w e l v e. i dont know what an alegebra is. i couldn’t tell you a single event from the holocaust. that was who you’re arguing with. you are a grown woman who called a 12 year old a “lil shit” and “cunt”. this is the funniest thing that has ever happened to me. and shes claiming that she runs the account with a friend, yet it doesn’t show up on that list?? so do you have access to that or do you not?? like sis speak up i cant hear you over the sound of your clown shoes honking

[emmalovesfitzloved]

Rant about Wessa to me!

ughhhhhh with pleasure. they are my favourite couple.

Def the most disproportionately represented in CC's written work when fronted with the worth they have both, to the fandom and story. If that makes sense. And not for the better.

I think my biggest gripe with the way they are represented is that their true 'arc' as a couple ends with them getting married, when really, in the grand scheme of a relationship that is actually only little more than the beginning.

The real struggle in one's arc is how to stay together through thick and thin. how to navigate.

In fact, the way that CC wrote Malec, is what i HOPED she would do with Wessa. In fact for a long time i assued we would get that. When TLH was announced i was estaticcccc to be able to back to that time, and was dissapointed for a long time again, not only that during the era when Wessa was alive and kicking was beyond sidelined we got no standalones or Red Scrolls equivalent for literally the top 3 ship fav in TSC. They are full of chemistry could fill copious novels with their adventures and family building idk why they were so disrespectfully side lined during TLH. They should have gotten standalones while the TLH came out during the TLH era. Just like how Red Scrolls did for TMI in the second half trilogy.

And i think that's why i'm so salty that TSC ends at TWP. Don't get me wrong I want Kitty and things to come to an eventual end, but i feel like toxicallyyyyy, i'm owed more with Wessa. I have so many questions and lived experiences i think we could learn or know more of (i wrote an essay somewhat talking about this here for you last week if u want a refresher :P), from them as a couple beyond when they were just barely of age kids getting married. Their musings even as young adults were miles ahead of when i was 17 reading them, so imagine what they would be when they were in their late 20s, early 30s and beyond.

So yeah. I apologise if this was a bit wop wooop of a response. I'm in my feels today. I had a shit day so i'm feel cynical.

I am always on the hunt for fics to try and help fill this void, if you have any to rec do lmk <3

ILYYYY @ibrushmyteeth-donttellanyone