#had to mention jesse and lucie ofc

[d4rkshad0w]

i absolutely love the fact that 2 blackthorns have fallen for faerie blood and that they will continue to do so

i’ve said this a few times before but i find it fascinating that four generations of blackthorns are in love with some type of faerie lineage

and what makes it better is that all the fae they’ve fallen for are ROYALTY. like out of all faeries they manage to pull the best of them.

Nerissa was said to be princess of the Seelie court

Kieran is THE king of the Unseelie court

Kit is the last living descendant of the first heir which will one day make him KING of ALL of faerie

Ash is son of the Seelie queen and the next heir

and then Jesse and Lucie who doesn’t have faerie blood but is the granddaughter of a prince of hel

and then Annabel fell in love with a warlock

[shrinkthisviolet]

Talk Shop Tuesday: what inspired you to create your OCs? Was there a specific moment or inspiration that drove you to creating them, or was it something more indistinct?

How many revisions do your OCs go through before they're ready to post? Have any of your OCs gone through significant edits since you first created them? (and bonus, what are those edits?)

Who's your favorite OC to write? Which OC is the most difficult for you to write?

Love these questions so much, thank you 🥰

Ooh the answer varies for each OC. For Morgan, it was me thinking "hmm wouldn't it be cool if Jesse had an E1 doppelgänger raised by Eowells?" (I say that Jesse is instrumental to Morgan existing and I very much mean it—Morgan wouldn't exist without Jesse).

For Lucy, it was seeing Obi-Wan and Leia's dynamic in the Kenobi show and wanting Obi-Wan to raise a Skywalker kid for all the years he's on Tatooine (I'd thought of writing a Skywalker triplet fic for years, but only then did it finally click).

For Amelia, it was in watching NWH and thinking two things: "wow Otto Octavius is so dad-shaped" and "if Peter had a sister who lived through the Snap and who found out his identity via Mysterio, that would introduce sooo much fun tension...and give me the opportunity to really dig into the Snap and its implications" (I always love "post-blip meta" fic 💞)

And for Reyna, it was moreso me just wanting to give Nora a girlfriend 😂 I ship Nora with Lia and Mia anyway, but...I wanted to make my own OC girlfriend for Nora.

My OCs usually don't go through many revisions, they moreso just get details added to them and get fleshed out...though none have had major edit. The exceptions to this are Morgan and technically Lucy.

Morgan went through a few revisions—she initially had super strength, and she initially wasn't as close to Barry and Iris in s1. But the former changed when I wrote the intro fic (the super strength would cause rapid aging that I had no cure for), and the latter changed as I wrote the s1 arc and got attached to Barry & Morgan and Morgan & Iris 💞

Lucy is technically an exception too because as mentioned before, I tried to make a Skywalker triplet idea work back in 2015-16. Liana Naberrie Skywalker was her name...but I never could quite come up with a way to fit her in. But the Kenobi show finally made the idea click...and I changed the name to Lucy, since it seemed more fitting (and ofc her surname was Kenobi, not Skywalker)

Morgan is my favorite to write 💞 Amelia is usually the most difficult, but only because the MCU muse is elusive. When it clicks though, that's when the magic happens!

Reyna can be quite tricky to write too, to be fair. A lot of her story is full of question marks because there's a lot I haven't quite figured out yet (she's a pretty new OC)...which makes it a challenge to write for her. Though for both her and Amelia, it's always satisfying when I manage to write something 💞

talk shop tuesday!

[purplebass]

lol I don't mind characters going dark as long as it makes sense and that in the end they go back to being good XD I've had the idea of possessed!Lucie ever since CoG, because when James refuses to be possessed the first time he meets Belial, he mentions Lucie and something along the lines of "who knows what your sister will say" (can't remember precisely). It made me think that Belial might've come to Lucie at some point, since his plan to possess James and Jesse backfired. Belial is misogynistic af so that would've also shown that he was willing to go to these lengths in order to make his plan work and he would go to Lucie even though the thought was revolting to him bc he always overlooked Lucie and Tessa when he realized Ithuriel's protection would never let him posses her. So we wouldn't just had a darker Lucie willing to go to the villain to save her friends but also the villain himself coming to terms with needing to use a girl for his purposes. And we would've also had a Lucie x Cordelia fight, since she was Lilith's paladin!! It was a shame that CC never let Cordelia fight for Lilith and be corrupted as well, that would've also been badass to see! And we would've had the girls on the evil side and the guys on the good side -- what a fight that would've been!!!

You made me want to write this fic even though I'm not good with long fics but I could try lol and ofc you can send me yours, I'm curious!!!

Tweety how do you feel about villain!Lucie 👀

Lola! You know, I actually thought that Lucie would go a little dark in CoT 😄 because I thought she wouldn't be able to revive Jesse so the only other person who could've helped her would be Belial. But of course, he would ask for something in return 👀 since James refused possession, and Lucie herself cast Belial out of Jesse's body, he thought that he could use her as ransom, but she would have to play by his rules or he would kill the people she loved. Lucie accepts because she doesn't want James or Jesse or anyone else to die, and to make things interesting, Belial turns Lucie's emotions off (this would be a parallel with Julian in LoS! But also with possessed!Jesse). Imagine her disappearing, everyone thinks she died or she was kidnapped, then she comes back out of the blue and she is the villain. Everyone would be shocked, but they wouldn't lose hope that she can still be saved. And of course, at some point, she is! But not before everyone suffers a little bit and she destroys a little bit of London and wakes a few ghosts in order to put Belial's evil plans into motion. 😂

This sounds like a fanfiction, I know 😄 but I would only accept villain!Lucie if she is redeemed by the end XD I wouldn't have made it if she stayed evil 🥲

[clockworkbee]

Chain of Iron spoilers!

unpopular opinions (I guess)

I've seen a lot of people say that

Lucie kept secrets from Cordelia, and it's because of her that they're growing apart which could partly be the reason they might not become parabatai at all

and I just want to ask you one thing:

did Cordelia not keep any secrets from Lucie ?

[ this might turn into a rant and I'm open to any and all discussion on the topic but if anyone starts a fight, I'm simply ignoring.]

I'm not taking any sides btw. I'm simply asking people to keep their eyes open and see everything. [read under the cut.]

While Lucie kept the secret of raising Jesse with the one girl who's been wrecking her own brother's life, (which btw she has no clue about) she didn't lose herself in it and make that the only thing she cared about. Unlike most YA female characters who think that keeping a secret is important because of whatever reason they have, it's mentioned a few times that Lucie hated it. She didn't justify keeping her secret to herself, she felt guilty about it. At one point she even told Grace that she'd have to trust her because Lucie didn't want to tell her anything before first telling Cordelia or her family & friends.

As for Cordelia, I understand she kept her love for James a secret because it would have been so hard for Lucie to know and see her future parabatai loving her brother and having a fake marriage and all but it does not justify why Cordelia didn't share the burning she felt while wielding Cortana. Okay, that's a small thing, but she didn't even care to share why and where she had gone with Matthew, she kept her oath to Wayland the Smith, a secret.

Also, in my opinion, James didn't keep any secrets throughout the book. He discussed his doubts with his friends and when he suspected himself, the first person he could think of telling it to was Cordelia. tho I admit it was very frustrating reading his miscommunication esp. after reading that he was thinking about asking her to marry him the proper way.

Moving on to Matthew, the only secret my boy ever kept was about having killed his sibling. I get that he told it to Cordelia coz he loves her and didn't want to hide esp. after hearing her say that he seemed so sad to her, that she saw through his cover, but what I don't get is that he also loves James, his parabatai. I don't get why he could never tell it to James but told Cordelia very simply, and was even ready for her to tell others. I mean if he was so okay with others knowing (and by others, I mean I'm focusing on James) then why couldn't he just tell it to James first? It just felt weird. If there's a valid reason he's stated in books that I've forgotten, please remind me.

Now, Jesse. I've seen some people theorize that he could become more of an anti-hero or villain and would use Lucie or harm her and just, two things. 1) I don't see where this is coming from coz I didn't get any vibe about him hiding anything from Lucie. If anything, I think he'll be angry at Lucie or would stand by her and face consequences together resulting in a tragic ending to their love story. 2) we haven't gotten Jesse's pov yet so I am a tiny bit doubtful about some secret but it feels highly unlikely to me that he'd side with Tatiana and become a villain when like, Tatiana herself as well as Belial are already there, not to mention the fact that Lilith has some influence over Cordelia's weapon wielding and we all know she can't just stop fighting.

Like Matthew told his secret to Cordelia when he should have first told it to James, Lucie told Anna & Ariadne about helping Grace but even after that, didn't tell Cordelia. Grace never told Jesse what Tatiana had and kept making her do when we all know having even one person know is better than no one ever knowing. Thomas kept his night patrols a secret, ofc. his sexuality as well as Alastair too, when being friends, he should have at least told someone. Anna keeps her love for Ariadne a secret (imo) because she isn't ready to be hurt/heartbroken again. Cordelia kept her secrets from Lucie (leave everything, just talk about love) and instead of sharing when she could, she came at Lucie saying Lucie should have told her because she wouldn't have judged her.

Like EVERYONE kept secrets and those who didn't couldn't communicate well so why am I only seeing ppl talk about Lucie being reckless and choosing to keep a secret and making her life and character all about Jesse, when it isn't even true? She met her friends, she wrote still, she went to Anna's, she did all her normal life stuff, resurrecting Jesse was only one more focus.

and if it's so bad, then people who love Ty (spoilers for the dark artifices) how do still love and understand him when he's the better example of someone who lost themselves in their focus to resurrect someone?

[ I'm saying this based on what I've read most people say about Lucie in Goodreads reviews, btw. ]

[khaleesiofalicante]

HI, IT'S ME! YOUR LOCAL CHAOTIC WEIRDO!!!!! I'M BACK AGAIN LIKE I AM TWICE EVERY WEEK

IT'S MY BOY DAVID THIS TIME! WHY AM I SO HYPER! MAYBE BECAUSE THEY KISSED! AND I HAD TO SUPPRESS MY SCREAMS BCAUSE IM IN CLASS AND THE REST OF MY FAMILY IS OUTSIDE MY DOOR (NOT LITERALLY OFC)

OK OK OK OK OK OK

MAX AND DAVID ARE AT THE LONDON INSTITUTE YESYESYESYES

He rather liked that part in a story – when the hero fell, and everything seemed bleak. It always meant that hope was just around the corner. Because darkness never lasted. It was always followed by light. There was nothing more beautiful than that kind of sunrise.

THIS

I literally live my life by this analogy

AHHH DAVID IS ON HIS TRAVEL YEAR AND MAX IS WITH HIM

SCREAM

well i can't scream because my mom is sitting right there and I have class in 4 minutes so imma smile really wide

“Are you planning to read the entire library during your travel year?” Max chuckled.

“Of course not,” David replied. “I will need longer than a year to accomplish that goal.”

Me.

Wait

does max not being able to make portals have something to do with his lineage?

like

demon parent

ok so my programming class started 2 minutes early but screw programming I'm gonna be studying minds not this shit

ok that's a very bad attitude for someone who needs good grades in this year

Max was always hungry.

this is so me

KIT

KIT

KIT

KIT

KIT

KIT

TY

THEY MENTIONED TY

also if David doesn't become an institute head in the future THEN WHAT'S THE POINT

“Where is the kitchen?” Max interrupted.

max is such a mood

He had told Max that he had centuries to perfect his magic, that there was no need to rush it. Max had given him a noncommittal nod and nothing more.

HE'S GONNA MAKE THE BEST PORTALS YOU'LL SEE

“I won’t tell the Consul,” Kit winked.

At the mention of the Consul, David straightened up. He had been trying to get into Alec Lightwood’s good graces for years now. He didn’t think sharing a room with his son would do him any favors.

DAVID UDUCDFUHKDUHVUHSDH

PLEASE IF WE DON'T GET A CUTE ALEC AND DAVID SCENE SOON

KIT CALLED TESSA MOM

oh my god

Word was that Mr. Herondale had gone back to his obsession with brewing tea.

JACE

I have so many emotions right now but all I'm gonna say is that I'm so so proud of Rafael

“Do you not want to sleep with me?” Max asked.

UH-

WELL-

DAVID STOP THINKING ABOUT THE FUTURE AND ALL THE SHIT

STOP IT

OH MY GOD THE ONE BED TROPE

MAX IS IN HIS ARMS I'M ABOUT TO-

takes a deep breath don't scream. everyone outside this door thinks you're taking programming class

OH FOR FUCK'S SAKE JUST GET TOGETHER ALREADY

AWW JULIAN PAINTED PORTRAITS FOR THE INSTITUTE

The one of Will Herondale and Tessa Gray – A love that had transcended reality and lasted a lifetime.

The one of James Herondale and Cordelia Carstairs – A love that had started with a lie and then blossomed into nothing but happiness and devotion.

The one of Lucie Herondale and Jesse Blackthorn – A love that had been so powerful that it rewrote the past.

The one of Jace Herondale and Clary Fairchild – A love that had walked through hell and shaken up the heavens.

And then there the final one. The one of Kit Herondale and Tiberius Blackthorn – A love that had survived distance and darkness and doom.

This omg...

He wanted a love story. The kind he read in the books. The kind he saw in these portraits.

But he wasn’t a Herondale. He wasn’t sure if he was destined for that kind of love.

HEY

DON'T THINK LIKE THAT

The first part though

same

He might have been a little too excited. It was biologically impossible to control yourself when you find a stranger reading your favorite book in the whole world.

SO TRUE

“I see you already made a new friend,” Max said.

He sounded a little…odd. As if he was not pleased that David had made a new friend.

honey...

take a guess

can I jump in and bash their heads together?

“You are thinking of conjuring chocolate syrup, aren’t you?” David chuckled.

“How do you always know what’s on my mind?” Max chuckled back.

Because I know you, David wanted to say. I just wish I knew what’s in your heart too.

OH MY GOD I CANT WITH THIS

“You get chocolate syrup! You get chocolate syrup! You get chocolate syrup!” Max was yelling, standing on the chair.

They residents laughed harder, and David shook his head fondly. He hoped one day Max would pursue a career in theatre. He was a born showman.

can I have chocolate syrup?

also, the way David is just so fond of him like DYUSDGYJCDYUJM

“By the angel, do you have to be a drama queen about everything?” the boy next to them muttered – not so quietly.

David blinked. That was uncalled for.

But Max being Max was completely unfazed. “Of course I do. My Bapa would be personally offended otherwise.”

exactly you rude little shit

Max often pretended like people’s words didn’t hurt him - just as he pretend that fire doesn’t burn or wounds don’t bleed.

wow ok stop calling me out

Is max jealous??????

is he??????

how are people so good at languages like damn

TY

TY

TY

TY

“Oh my god,” Max groaned. “Is he already telling people to check on me?”

LMAO

using mundane medicine...

that's risky

but it's also something that WILL help

can't warlocks tamper with the blood samples?

A part of him wondered if that’s why he had agreed to send Max away to London – at least for a week. Because sometimes you didn’t want other people to see you were hurting.

alec I really goddamn hope you're dealing with this well

some of whom had even decided to die than get help from a warlock.

alright then gets my knives but you chose this :D

Nobody brought a book down for breakfast if they didn't like to read.

yes but sometimes also to seem busy so people won't bother you or you won't look alone.

“I know,” the boy said as he walked past them to the gate. “I sat on the stairs and thought about life for a few good minutes.”

his family is the one who took over David's previous institute (i can't spell that. marse- marselli- wat??) methinks.

The gang always visited whenever all of them were in the city together. They would have so much fun! Of course, the 'fun' mostly entailed Rafael stopping Georgia from drinking random potions she found in the stalls, Selena stopping Lexi from opening a psychic booth to help people talk to Raziel and of course David stopping Max from running to the gambling booths.

LMAO, I CANT WITH THIS-

Rafe: I am anxiety.

me at any given moment

EW TESTICLES HE'S EATING THOSE-

ok maybe I'm the only person who's really picky when it comes to food and doesn't eat the majority of things

“Anything on Magnus Bane?” Max asked.

“No,” the woman snapped and shoved some of the letters into a bag and hide it under the table. “Leave Magnus Bane alone!”

“Appreciate your loyalty,” Max winked at her and started examining a diary.

I like her.

"Everyone should be participating in this" -my programming teacher

me, an intellectual: participating in what?? goes to the class web THE FUCK IS THAT

“Something for the shadowhunter?” the woman smiled. “Perhaps an unpublished snippet from the Beautiful Cordelia?”

“Do you have any love letters?” David asked.

“Hmmm,” the woman went through the pages. “I do have a correspondence between an Iblis demon and Christopher Lightwood? Would you be interested in that?”

if u don't mind I would love to see both of those-

you know I just remembered I have a computer assignment I need to submit by the end of this week fml

“Never fall in love with an immortal,” she giggled again. “We don’t like staying in one place.”

SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP

MAX WHERE ARE YOU

why are we using x and 3 in programming class what the heck is going on

“I’m not just some warlock,” Max said, his voice low. “I’m Magnus Bane’s son.”

GIVE HIM THAT NECKLACE BACK

we usually have programming once a week on our physical school days and those are fun because my and my friend are continuously passing notes and talking to each other through writing

The scene where Max fought off all the evil people who tried to steal his valuable belonging. He would fight without breaking a sweat and throw magic fireballs at everyone and then get his necklace back. And then he would kiss David in front of everyone and it would somehow rain all of a sudden.

But life wasn’t a movie or a book. Life was just life.

life's boring

fuck life

I just heard a student ask "why are we not taking out the values of b and c" BESTIE I THOUGHT WE WERE DOING PROGRAMMING AND NOT ALGEBRA?????

“I know there wasn’t anyone to protect you before,” Magnus Bane had said. “But we are here now. We will protect you. This will protect you.”

He hadn’t wanted it back then. He didn't even want it even now.

He didn’t want something to protect him. Most importantly, he didn’t want to cover his scar. He didn’t want to hide it. He wasn’t ashamed of it. It wasn’t a mark of a victim. It was the mark of a survivor.

So, David had smiled and given the bracelet back.

“I never wanted to be protected,” David had replied. “I only ever wanted to be loved.”

The warlock had smiled at that and given David a hug. It had felt different than other hugs he had experienced since he had come to New York.

It wasn’t just the magic. Magnus Bane carried so much love inside himself you could literally feel it through him.

I'm gonna cry during my programming class (where we're doing variables apparently all of a sudden??)

this is so beautiful

“I wasn’t talking about Bapa,” Max said now. “I was talking about the other one.”

David chuckled at that. “Oh, yeah. He is definitely going to kill you.”

what flowers would you like at your funeral?

so Jackson has family troubles

I've definitely got that

yeah I know what it's like to be jealous of someone else's perfect family

JACKSON WTF

Is he trying to ruin max's relationship with his family???

oh hell no

JACKSON THE AUDACITY

“One stolen necklace, One broken nose and One bruised cheek,” he said. “And you’ve been in London for less than a day.”

kit seriously? but is he wrong though?

“This is what I get for falling for a Lightwood-Bane,” David sighed and walked through the portal.

WELL AT LEAST HE'S SELF AWARE

Jackson...

in some ways, I can empathize with him. my younger self anyway. but Jackson this is not how you do things

There was a moment of silence and then Magnus Bane giggled.

“I do love it when the quiet ones go feral,” the warlock grinned.

MAGNUS

NOT.THE.TIME

(me too)

“David!” Mr Herondale gasped. “Is your hand okay?”

yup that's Jace y'all

David hated violence. He hated fighting – which he was often not allowed to say out loud considering he was a shadowhunter.

But it was the truth. He hated hurting people – or even things. It made him feel sick.

“It’s alright, Chouchou,” Mr Herondale ran a hand through David’s hair. “Next time, just-”

“Use my words?” David asked.

“Just don’t get caught,” the man winked.

and that is why I would never want to be a shadowhunter.

I know saying that doesn't do anything but when I first read tsc I wanted to be a shadowhunter really badly and damn that was some time ago but now...violence of any kind is my biggest trigger idek why. and I hate that so much because what kind of a person gets triggered by loud voices and fighting EVEN ON SCREEN??? I usually just push myself to watch stuff because it's dumb. I refuse to see trigger warnings before reading a book or watching a show because damn it, I should be able to stand those things I'm, not a child. and it may be doing me more harm than good but I shouldn't feel like this in the first place

okay...that was long

ANYWAY

“David, I appreciate you standing up for Max,” the Consul said. “But next time, please try not to punch anyone in the face.”

“Yes, sir,” David nodded. “Because it’s wrong.”

“Because it means more paperwork for me,” the Consul groaned and then straightened up. “But yes. Absolutely. Very wrong. No punching people!”

LMAO ALEC

Jackson...

oh

oh

oh

I was wrong then

He was grinning. Magnus Bane must have raised hell in the shadow market.

that must have been fun

Max was doing that thing where he was not trying to pout but he was mostly definitely pouting. It made David want to kiss him. But then the Consul spoke, and David reminded himself he didn’t want to be the third person to get punched in the face this evening.

well-

“I understand that Jackson has been through a lot. But that’s not an excuse for him to hurt those around him. I learned that lesson the hard way. So, you shouldn’t excuse his behaviour.”

someone's trauma and pain is never an excuse to hurt others

but that doesn't mean we should invalidate their trauma either

“You can stay back and try to help him. I won’t stop you,” the man got up now. “But if he tries to hurt you-”

“You will unleash hell?” David chuckled.

“Worse,” the other man grinned. “I will unleash Lexi.”

that is much much worse

Books brought him comfort in so many ways. Just holding one in his hands automatically made him feel better.

oh my god

he gets it

I always have a book with me when I'm out even if I'm not gonna get the time to read it because just the weight and comfort of it in my hands or in my backpack brings me so much comfort and helps with my social anxiety so much

no one understands when I try to tell them that

you get it...

someone gets it finally

AYYY IRENE

“David, it’s very sweet that you want to protect Jackson,” Kit pointed out. “But literally no one is buying that. Not even Irene.”

The lynx purred on his lap as if she agreed with Kit.

“I could break into a liquor cabinet,” David said a little indignantly.

David is the nicest you can get

David wouldn’t. Apparently, everyone already seemed to know that - even the lynx he had met five minutes ago.

we are solving something in class and it's really quiet because we're all doing our work (I'm reading the fic so-) and this one person had their mic open and they kept on whispering their steps and it was so weird I cant-

BUT YES DAVID IS A CINNAMON ROLL. EVEN THE LYNX KNOWS

“We were talking about shitty fathers,” Jackson pointed out. “You’re welcome to stay.”

“I’m gonna need something stronger than red wine for this conversation,” Kit chuckled.

I remember that bitch

David used to do it when he was a child. He used to pretend his life was a story. He used to pretend everything that happened to him was happening to some other boy – a boy who wasn’t real. A boy who lived inside a book. Because it hurt a little less when you pretend like it wasn’t happening to you.

But the pain was still very real.

OK YOU CAN STOP CALLING ME OUT NOW

“I fucking hate ogres,” he said through gritted teeth.

“Was your father an ogre too?” Jackson asked.

“He was more like a harpy,” Kit snorted. “He was always flying and fleeing. I didn’t know how deep his talons were in my head until it was too late.”

you really like traumatizing all your characters, don't you?

I really fucking hope the ogre got what he deserved

and if the angel is dead then fuck everyone

“I mean, there was that time when Sebastian Morgenstern turned my father into the endarkened, and then he went around killing people. So, I would say he was more like a zombie,” the man was explaining now. “The zombie father tried to kill me but my brother killed him first.”

“Good lord!” Jackson said in shock.

Kit chuckled softly. “Boy do shadowhunters need therapy.”

they really do

He knew about those from New York. He knew Mr Herondale and Miss Fairchild went for one together.

YES GET THEM THERAPY

“Yikes,” Kit chuckled. “I’d prefer something classier. How about London Boys?”

“None of us are from London though,” Tiberius pointed out.

“The Beatles are not actually beetles, Ty,” Kit chuckled. “It’s just for pizazz.”

damn guys

Then the idea of a band turned into a possible YouTube channel where they would react to cute animal videos.

YS DO IT

“When people do awful things, really awful things, at one point we stop being surprised. Like what Valentine did to his children or what our fathers did to us or what those women did to Rafael. We might have been shocked or disgusted. But it wasn’t unrealistic, was it?”

“I guess not,” the boy said.

“Even when they did the most unimaginable acts of cruelty, it somehow managed to fit into our imagination. We accepted that the world can be unrealistically cruel. The kind of cruelty we will never understand. But why isn’t it the same for kindness? Why is that when someone is too kind, we automatically feel uncomfortable? We judge their intensions or think they are just pretending to be nice. We think they are being unrealistic. Why is that?”

we get so used to cruelty that kindness feels weird

“But that’s how our life works, doesn’t it? It’s a giant ball of what ifs and could have beens and if nots. What if my father had loved me instead of hurt me? Could I have been kinder if I was hugged instead of being abused? Would have I been a different person if not for my trauma? Our lives are an endless collection of theories about our real selves. The one didn’t we never had the chance to become.”

THIS

I used to spend a bunch of time on the what-ifs but those are useless. so screw the what-ifs and live in the present

“I guess we’ll never know, Jackson. None of us will never know how we would have turned out if things had been different for us. We never got the chance to be who were meant to be. Instead, we became who we had to become to survive what we went through. We will never know our true selves. We only know the version of us that made it through all the trauma.”

“Christ, that’s depressing,” Jackson said.

“It is,” David nodded. “But we made it through. We survived. I think we should focus on that.”

you survived. that's what matters

“There is nothing wrong with wanting to be rescued,” David smiled.

I wish I had heard this before...

maybe I don't always have to be strong. maybe it's ok sometimes just want to be saved.

I'm so happy that both Jackson and David found each other

David had learned Gaelic. Jackson had learned how to play the piano.

They had laughed and lived and loved and learned.

And they had survived – one day at a time. The London Boys.

they survived.

I know I'm always key smashing and screaming but these words, these lines, all these chapters mean so so much to me.

“You’ll write to me, won’t you?” David asked, hugging Jackson closely.

“No,” Jackson replied. “I will FaceTime you like a normal person, you weirdo!”

David laughed at that. “I prefer letters. They are more emotional.”

“I’ll text you,” Jackson countered. “With emojis.”

oh to have someone write me letters.

I love writing letters

once at the end of a school year, I wrote little letters to everyone in my class anonymously. even the people who had been mean to me. that was like 1-2 years after my transfer to that school and everyone practically hated me but I wanted to do something nice because who knows what someone is going through. I ended up not putting them in people's desks...

I threw them all away :)

but writing letters is superior

I often write my feelings down and give the letter to someone rather than talk to someone

if you receive a letter from me or a custom-made gift...you have reached my ultimate friendship

oh my god. THIS IS HOW I SHOULD TALK TO ONE OF MY FRIENDS ABOUT MY FEELINGS

It's kind of been a mess between us and I want to talk to her but I didn't know how to.

this is why i shouldn't send asks-

JACKSON CATCHING UP ON MAX AND DAVID

“You know what it means,” Jackson grinned harder. “Also, if that wanker tries to break your heart, I will break his face.”

“You know he is the Consul’s son?” David giggled.

“I’ve done it once and I will do it again,” Jackson shrugged. “He better treat you right.”

"wanker"

I HAVE A BRITISH ONLINE FRIEND AND THEY CALLED OUR AMERICAN ONLINE FRIEND A WANKER

AND OUR OTHER BRITISH FRIEND JOINED IN

WHILE ALL THE NON-BRITISH PEOPLE WERE LIKE "huh"

Lexi had cut her hair even shorter. Her girlfriend apparently got something called an undercut.

“Just in case someone dared to assume we were straight,” she had winked at him.

how many years has this fake dating been going on...

CENTURION SELENA

fterA the twins went to bed, David stepped out of the institute and went looking for his heart.

"went looking for his heart"

OH FUCK I FORGOT TO JOIN MY CLASS

MAX STOP DEPLETING YOUR SELF GODDAMN

And then somewhere along the way, Max’s heartbeat had become the steadiest thing in David’s life.

Max, with all his chaos and drama and danger, had become the steadiest thing in David’s life.

oh my god that's a parallel from canon

“Tell me why.”

“Ain't nothing but a heart break!!"

Max-

Max could make fireballs that killed demons on the spot. He could summon things from anywhere. He could heal people with his eyes closed. He was one of the youngest warlocks allowed to visit the spiral labyrinth.

Max was a warlock in every sense. A good one. A great one even.

he is so talented...

Only idiots would underestimate Magnus Bane’s power.

EXACTLY

He is probably going to be Consul like next week.”

David chuckled. “Next week?”

next week????

“Yeah, his smoking habits,” Max rolled his eyes.

Rafael wasn’t the smoker in the family. He knew who it was, but David would never open his mouth. It wasn’t his secret to tell.

this keeps on getting better

“It’s my hair!” David laughed.

“And you’re my David!” Max argued. “I say you are not allowed to grow your hair.”

MY DAVID

MY DAVID

MY DAVID

“I don’t want to downworld-splain it to you.”

Max blinked and then laughed. “You don’t want to what?”

“Downworld-splain,” David mumbled. “It’s when shadowhunters explain downworlders how to be downworlders.”

they were SO close to kissing

I'm gonna get in there and lock them in a closet together and tell them to FUCKING GET WITH IT

Remember who you are. Remember where you stand.

remember who you are. remember where you stand...

I know this is supposed to be about portals.

OH MY GOD THEY KISSED

THEY KISSED

IM SO CLOSE TO SCREAMING CLASS AND EVERYONE OUTSIDE THIS ROOM BE DAMNED

OH MY GOD DAVID FELL

reminds me of when alec fell down the stairs-

OH MY GOD I'M GONNA SCREAM

WE'RE GONNA GET MORE MAVID CONTENT SOON I'M SCREAMING INTERNALLY UYDRVFY7VSDU7UYVFSDUYGCADUYIGJCDSHJKGDVCSUGISDVHVF

ok, I have a computer assignment to get to and tests to study for. BUT I LOVED THIS CHAPTER SO SO MUCH!! THEY FINALLY KISSED I'M SO HAPPY!!!!!

Also I know I tend to go off track and you can totally ignore that. i just go crazy. BYEE

This live blog gives me so much life you don't even know. I am go glad you enjoyed the chapter. I love hearing you rant about it. It's refreshing lol.

And I looooooove the lil anecdotes you share in between. Also wtf is a programming class like nobody wants to learn programme what kind of hetero nonsense I-

FINISH YOUR ASSIGNMENTS AND STUDY FOR YOUR TESTS I'LL SEE YOU SOON :)

[ardeidae]

chain of iron ranting

honestly tbh i’ve kinda just been struggling over this book like . i love it but there are so many things that i cannot get over so...i thought i’d compile them in one post just to get my mind off them

positives

of the many, many character relationships, i found myself caring the most about jordelia (w/ some matthew) and grace w/ everyone (surprisingly). it’s pretty obvious why i care about jordelia—from all the domestic scenes to the almost absurd amount of miscommunication and heartbreak, i want to slap them both in the face and just get them to be happy. ofc, i understand why they aren’t, but i’m mad (and waiting for chain of thorns).

ofc, when we talk about jordelia, we have to mention matthew. i am literally praying that matthew and cordelia aren’t the final couple—which is funny, because pre-chain-of-iron i was rooting for fairstairs. but i’ve backed up on that decision. we saw real, genuine james in this book, and all the scenes with him and cordelia convinced me that jordelia (hopefully) is what we’ll get in the end. and besides, cordelia’s sorta said that she can’t love matthew in the way he wants her too, and i’m half-convinced matthew doesn’t actually love her in that way either—half-convinced, though. chain of thorns chould change my mind, i’m open to suggestions.

grace is slightly different. we got a look into just who she is, and i find myself...not liking, but understanding her better. the moments when she stops herself from using her power on christopher is one of my favorites (i’m still mad she pulled a one-eighty at the end though and pretend like it was nothing)

i love alastair in this book (...though i found myself not caring about him with thomas, which i found curious). we see more of the mature side of him, and he’s really one of the only characters who isn’t flat-out lying in this book, which is refreshing. i found his attitude towards his father interesting, and his little thing about the child not having a father was heartbreaking. loved him here.

negatives

now that i’ve got the stuff i liked out of the way...the negatives. i found myself—surprisingly—not too fond of jesse and lucie in this book. i understand lucie’s motivations—she both “loves” jesse and owes jesse for james’ life, even if jesse won’t hold her to that. but man, i don’t understand all the secrets. when lucie stood in front of cordelia, who was trying her damn hardest to not run a sword through lucie, all she could think about was jesse. jesse’s dead, and while she might have the power to save him, that isn’t a healthy relationship. they’re cute—i’ll give them that—but chain of gold didn’t give us a glimpse into how far she’s willing to go for jesse, and i don’t like this new development. she’s putting jesse over everyone—over cordelia, over her entire family. and i’m not happy about it. imo this is a fantasy—lucie getting to be the main hero of her story, only it’s not a story that can have a happy ending. at least, in my opinion.

speaking of that, i thought there were several things that were forced in this. it might be because i hate that cordelia ran off with matthew (though i understand why she did it), but i think the whole “james lucie will only listen to you” argument is stupid. we’ve never seen a case of this before—of lucie listening to james over her parents—and i feel like it was a plot device used only to make sure james didn’t run after cordelia and matthew.

i also found the whole “win a game, get a question” thing a bit peculiar. it’s rarely used as more than an exposition device, and we see it used once so that cordelia can find out why the merry thieves hate her brother (to my memory). i think i would have liked it better if we’d gotten more moments with this—after all, they play chess or some other game every night, and we could have gotten so many moments (i’m still mad that we never got the end of the scene where cordelia is like “if you wanna know who i had a crush on you gotta beat me at chess” like i want to see competitive james).

the...meh

there was stuff i wasn’t too excited about here either. the plot was decent—i didn’t expect the lilith twist—but something about the pacing felt old. too slow in some places, and too fast in others. also there’s more than one plot line here, and while the murder one was cool, the resurrection one felt a bit...messy. it kind of splits into two—what lucie’s doing, and what grace is doing, and lucie’s gets a lot more of the spotlight. not really a decision i liked—i find grace’s motivations and how far she’s willing to go more interesting, and i’ve already discussed why i didn’t really like lucie in this book.

i found anna and ariadne boring too. i’m not a person who cares about...steamy scenes that much, and steamy pretty much defines most of their relationship throughout the book. i would have liked it better if we spent more time on it, but this books juggles a lot—and i mean, a lot—of relationships, and it felt underdeveloped.

i also had some qualms about the dialogue. maybe it’s just me, but sometimes it took awkward jumps to reach certain conclusions (like there was a checklist for certain dialogues) and it didn’t feel natural. but that’s just me being picky.

...oh and i’m on the edge about alastair and thomas. the fact they spent their time together making out isn’t something i liked. i would rather have them talk, because that’s kind of what their relationship needs. i completely understand why alastair turned him down at the end, and while i pity thomas, i can’t say i disagree.

i also can’t understand why magnus and james spent so long in the spiral labyrinth. i read the short story at the end, and it kinda felt like a reason to just not have two trustable, actually sane adults to help. maybe i missed something (i was running on very little sleep by this point) but i didn’t get it.

...well that was me ranting. i don’t expect anyone to care, but i like writing things down. anyway (if anyone has finished this to the end, in which case, i’m thankful) have a wonderful day :)))

[sheisbeautyweareworldass]

Everyone is entitled to their opinion. But I feel like the fandom is being a tad too harsh on Lucie. She is obviously a morally gray character(Julian gets it from somewhere). Rejecting the spending time with your parabatai is not only Lucie’s fault. Cordelia kept becoming a paladin from her and always confided in Matthew(in chain of gold it was Anna who was her BFF and she barely mentions Lucie outside thirsting for her brother. Furthermore, ofc Lucie’s scenes would predominantly be about Jesse since her literal power is tied to the dead, how else are we gonna see her limits and how far she’s willing to go. Again, everyone is entitled to their own opinion but it just baffles me how everyone seems to favor Cordelia in every scenario just because Cassie made her a perfect heroine, who’s only flaw is to trust someone who deceived her. At least Lucie is becoming interesting.

oh, lucie and cordelia are certainly both guilty for the way their relationship is right now - and both of them blame themselves for it. i dot about the rest of fandom or why they didn't like lucie, but my problem was that i couldn't feel connected to her. when i read a book, i like to feel like i'm part of that story, not only watching it for above. the emotional part was missing in lucie's pov and that was something really hard for me, because i live for feeling emotionally overwhelmed in books.

my problem wasn't her relationship with jesse, it was the way it was written. when chapter 2 came out, i was surprised with how much i liked their interaction. i think the next lucie's pov is on chapter 8 - where lucie and jesse are talking about love confessions. it felt rushed to me. we had seen her friendzone herself and on the next time we see her, she's already pouring her heart out to him. i didn't get to see her epiphany moment. i didn't get to read about her growing feelings (and chog never made me believe they were in love - everytime i read that book, i always came to the same conclusion about blackdale: she's thankful for jesse saving james' life and feels like she owns him; lucie's the only person besides his family who can see him, jesse likes her because of that). it felt rushed and awful for me read to read.

i love morally grey lucie. i think cc can do wonders with her. but in choi she didn't. at least not to me.

i have my own problems with cordelia's plot in this book, but as usual, they're related to james and matthew, not to cordelia herself.

[grxceblqckthxrn]

hi @chocolatecarstairs came up with these post-CHOG questions and i really want to answer them because im sad that im finished reading it :((

MAJOR SPOILERS BELOW

what was your favorite part, 1 or 2?

Honestly I loved both parts, but I’d say I loved part two just a little bit more for the time that James wasn’t under the curse anymore and LOVED Cordelia

which scene in the book was your favorite?

EVERY scene that had Matthew and James being wholesome parabatai in it!!! my favourite chapter in this book was Blue Ruin, the one after Grace takes the bracelet back from James  (aside from the whispering room ofc).

what scene (or scenes) made you cry the most?

ok ngl i didnt spend much of this book crying, but the only scene that actually made me tear up was when james was dying and matthew could feel it and jesse (WHO I FUCKING LOVED MORE THAN I THOUGHT I WOULD) gave him his last breath :(((((

what scenes were unsatisfactory?

there were not enough Christopher scenes (but to be fair, even if the entire book was just Christopher it still wouldnt be enough for me)

but fr, i cant think of any off the top of my head but i’ll edit this if i do later

what made you laugh the most?

matthew!! james!! thomas!! christopher!! also some of the things Jesse said

what bored you?

this wasn’t boring, but the whole charles/alastair plot line didn’t have me very invested. I did love the alastair/ cordelia scenes tho, so it was just charles that was the problem

also no offense to james bc he was my first actual fictional crush after reading TMH/NBS but like whenever he talked about being in grace i would literally zone out lol the bracelet curse makes him so boring but whenever he isnt in the curse/ is with someone who is NOT grace i just!! love him!!

what disappointed you?

cassie honestly had me kinda shipping matthew/cordelia for a solid FIVE SECONDS there when he stepped in to dance with her after james left her standing there, but that was one of the only scenes that made me feel like they had natural chemistry (along with the scene where he drops her off at her house). I felt like the during the rest of their interactions in the book, cordelia was kind of uncomfortable, which made me really sad because even tho she has every right to feel that way, i felt bad for matthew. I kind of want him to fall for someone else completely and for it to be reciprocated. also, i just really want for matthew and cordelia to become good friends because i feel like they could have such great natural chemistry if matthew didnt love her.

what is the top thing you wish had been done differently?

see above.

what things did you predict that came true?

JAMES BURNING DOWN BLACKTHORN MANOR I FUCKING SAID HE WOULD DO IT TWO FUCKING YEARS AGO IF YALL WANT ME TO LINK THE THEORY LMK

what are some things that were really unexpected?

ok there’s quite a few things here so bear w me babes:

- James genuinely loving cordelia from the start. I wasn’t expecting him to naturally feel nothing for grace at all, so i was expecting a slow burn jordelia, but finding out that he actually loves her makes me so happy but the end where cordelia thinks he was just pretending breaks my heart :(((

-matthew liking cordelia lol definitely was not expecting another parabatai love triangle but i hope it doesnt last. i do think it adds to the plot and i love it, it just hurts to see matthew so emo :(((

-I was expecting to like cordelia as a character, but i ended up LOVING her so fucking much???? she’s so three dimensional to me, and it’s interesting to see how her personality adapts around different characters as people adapt around different social circles irl

-liking jesse as much as i did

-ok so james’ entire character was a surprise to me. it’s so fascinating to see how the bracelet actually affected his personality.If you recall him in The Midnight Heir from TBC. he’s like an entirely different person. i still loved him in TMH but i went into CHOG thinking that if he was gonna be like that the entire time i’d probably get over him really quickly. i was pleasantly surprised by how much i ended up loving him even more tho

-i didn’t expect oliver hayward to die and im going to stay emo about it

- Christopher is so much more clear headed than he was made out to be prior?? like there were so many scenes where he was fully there and when he defended anna to alastair i just kfdsnfkld i love him

are there characters that you didn’t like before that you like now?

yikes umm... Alastair, maybe? he’s somewhat okay to me now, I dont dislike him as much as I used to. ooh and Hypatia Vex. the only scene i remember liking her in QOAAD was when she helped out kit, ty and dru (me, going a whole TSC post without somehow mentioning kit? not possible)

are there characters that you liked before that you don’t like now?

I started CHOG ready to give Grace the benefit of the doubt, and I was surprised by how timid and shy she seemed at the start, but it was interesting to see how it was all an act and how she doesn’t have an actual personality yet. one could argue that she actually does love james, but i doubt it at this point. i dont hate her yet, even tho she IS fucking up james’ life, but she’s on thin fucking ice.

who was your favorite new character?

does new character mean completely new or just never been in a novella new? because for the first, it would be Cordelia (i LOVE her sm!!) and other wise it would be james, matthew and co. also!!! jesse!!

what places in the book would you like to visit?

that hell dimension sounds pretty lit ngl

did you like the ending?

ok so. we KNOW that jordelia is gonna be endgame. cassandra clare always takes the hardest path to get there, but when has she not delivered? it’s just a matter of waiting. so, yes, i did like the ending in sense of the plot because it was a great twist, but i also feel really bad for all of them even tho ik they’re eventually gonna be together :(((

what did you think of the epilogue?

i wasnt surprised, since we alr know that Tatiana is shady asf, but i just really wanna know how she partnered up with a GREATER demon like lol wtf. again, im really happy in terms of plot with this

what are your thoughts on the engagement?

i feel so. fucking bad. for cordelia. and james too, even tho he’s under the bracelet’s curse so he doesnt even KNOW he’s being manipulated. but i love how even through the curse, james still loves cordelia in his own way.

what did you want to see that didn’t happen?

matthew getting therapy periodt

umm honestly i just want more “merry thieves” content like i just love. all of them.

what do you wish had been resolved that wasn’t?

i really want matthew to tell james or cordelia what happened because i just need him to be loved and supported lol i want to give him a hug. 

what is your favorite pairing as of now?

jordelia!!! and lucie and jesse are kind cute rn, and i like them if theyre gonna be pining after eachother but i feel like if they actually get together i wont like the relationship as much.

which characters would you like to see more of in the next book?

CHRISTOPHER CHRISTOPHER CHRISTOPHER 

ANNA!!! i lovED reading about her she’s so badass

matthew!! jesse!! also i wanna see more of those bitchy girls lol just so we can see anna or cordelia tell them to stfu

what is one character whose death you would undo if you could?

ok i know that jesse is still very much a conscious character despite being dead but like,,, i want him to be the way he was before and also i want him to come back to life

and barbara!! she seemed so sweet 

which characters got bad/unsatisfactory endings?

ummm barbara? i cant really say much on this yet bc its still only the first book and when has the first book ever ended up with anyone being happy.

oh but also can we sign a petition to make cassie let matthew actually survive the series because my heart aches just at the THOUGHT of eventually having to read a scene where he dies

which characters got what they deserved?

literally. none of them yet. :(

who should have died but didn’t?

Tatiana lol also lowkey charles but i also feel pity him to an extent 

what plotline are you most excited to see in the next book?

okay the entire jesse plot has me hooked because i LOVE his character. also i love the bracelet plot but its making me MAD because i just want james to be happy but

what is one scene that you wish hadn’t happened, but you know was unavoidable?

THE ONE WHERE GRACE PUTS THE BRACELET BACK ON JAMES. i mean obv there was no way he was completely done with grace, but i literally got so sad at that part like why HIM of all people smfh let him be happy

which pairing do you like the least?

alastair x charles, grace x james, lucie x matthew bc neither of them actually like either imo lol

what are some theories you have for chain of iron?

- not necessarily for COI but i think matthew is gonna get exiled and turned into made into a mundane

- the bracelet will break (?)

- jesse will come back to life (like actual life) at the end of the book

-grace is gonna do something to help the main characters, making it hard for us to hate her.

what characters do you think should have gotten more plot time?

lol are yall gonna hate me if i say christopher again (also anna)

anyways this was really fun!!!!! PLEASE ASK ME STUFF ABOUT MY OPINIONS AND STUFF OR JUST SAY ANYTHING ABT THE BOOK BC IM DESPERATE TO TALK TO PPL ABOUT IT

[nabrizoya]

TLH; theories, expectations and hopes.

Kinda want to talk about downworlder appearances here. A little more than a long post. 

» 2. Downworld Denizens.

note: to all those who haven’t yet read TDA, GOTSM etc. (because ik a few who haven’t read them yet) this post is not for you. 

TL;DR this post talks about the proportion (no math here) of downworlder appearances in each of the series and novellas we have read. The Bane Chronicles not included.

For understanding’s sake, I’ll divide the downworld as the shadow market does. Into four major segments: warlocks, faeries (with sub-divisions), vampires and werewolves. While we do see other groups of non-shadowhunters and mundanes like the irfits, the djinns, the kelpies, sprites and wights, the mermaids, witches etc. we haven’t seen much of them be a major part of the plot as the above mentioned four do. 

That being cleared, let’s start series wise. 

▸ In The Mortal Instruments, we saw all the four interact. More than interact, actually. Every one of them played a major role in turning the series around. 

Vampires, we know what Simon Lewis, Raphael and Lily did. What antagonists Camille Belcourt and Maureen did and how they shaped the series. 

Werewolf packs, there were revolutions and the emergence of newer and stronger packs.

Warlocks, Magnus Bane, of course, but Ragnor played a part in the first trilogy and we saw Catarina’s abilities in the later half. Tessa was briefly mentioned and the timeline added up by the time COHF ended. 

In TMI, the Seelie Court entirely turned the tables while TDA picked up the thread from its counterpart, the Unseelie Court. Mark was taken away by the wild hunt which sets the precedent to TDA.

And, The End. 

[It’s been two years since I’ve read TMI and I barely remember things from it. All those I do remember is from vague readings that I did from wikia or see Dani’s rereading posts. There are inaccuracies here, but the jist remains the same.]

▸ Walk over to The Infernal Devices. 

Magnus Bane was a crucial character in the series, with a random appearance from Ragnor Fell. We saw Mortmain’s parents too, the warlocks whose deaths Mortmain wanted to avenge. Tessa is not a major warlock character. She’s the protag.

The Dark Sisters, a pair of witches, who unethically and literally shaped Tessa because she possessed the ability to shape-shift. 

Vampires, Alexie deQuincy, the guy in association with the Pandemonium, the club that Mortmain ran. Camille orchestrated the attack on him besides being a side character. 

Werewolves; we saw them both attack and defend Will Herondale on his way to Cadair Idris. Woolsey Scott was the head.

And that’s pretty much where downworlder appearance subsides. No mention of faeries. 

▸ On to The Dark Artifices now. 

Faeries played a MAJOR role in the events of TDA, which makes sense because the Cold Peace greatly influenced the beginning of the series. 

Mark’s return and the eventual discovery of the alliance that Malcolm had with that dude, [for real, I actually forgot his name and I can’t remember or be bothered enough to look it up], who used Mark and Kieran as their pawns to get what they wanted. 

The Unseelie King is dead, the Seelie Queen yeed her last haw and we saw the whole business with the first heir, that took its origins from Ghosts of the Shadow Market. 

Oh, not to forget the ruthless Riders of Mannan. 

And Thule, but we don’t talk about that here. 

Vampires, well, only Nightshade and his drugs. 

Werewolves, nope. None at all. 

Warlocks, yesss, what with the warlock fever and such. The major warlocks we noted are Magnus, Shade Fell, Tessa and, of course, Malcolm Fade. 

Hypatia Vex and Barnabas Hale also were instrumental to the plot since they detailed the tensions of the market. There’s sourness that we saw between Magnus and Hypatia, which should hint towards something. 

▸ Going forth with the Novellas, in Tales From the Shadowhunter Academy, we saw each one of them be mentioned to connect the dots between TMI and TDA and then draw the strings from TID. 

We noted the Uprising and the news of Lucian’s turning in the werewolf part. 

Vampires, I don’t think there was any mention of them at all. 

Warlocks, we saw our little Max Bluebell, Magnus and Alec as a family. Tessa is a warlock who has settled with her and our long lost love, Jem Carstairs. 

Faeries, now, aah, Helen’s inhumane exile, Andrew and Arthur’s torture in the Land Under the Hill, Lady Nerissa, the brief Wild Hunt stunt when Simon got imprisoned and Mark Blackthorn *sob* etc. 

▸ Ghosts of the Shadow Market:

Faeries, yet again, who, out of their spite, destroyed Matthew Fairchild’s life and we don’t how much more detrimental it is going to be ahaha pain my old fren, they harmed Jem too along with Rosemary Herondale, almost killed Tessa etc. 

Vampires, still none. But we did get to see Raphael and Lily’s interactions (The Son of Dawn) and Lily’s past (The Land I Lost). 

Warlocks, yes Tessa! Malcolm Fade and the weird book he was looking for in Every Exquisite Thing. (👀) Catarina Loss and her excellent healing prowess. Leopolda and her stains. Yeah, nothing more.

Werewolves, oh yes Mr. Scott, who helped end Leopolda Stain’s plans. And oh, the smuggling of yin-fen ofc in The Son of Dawn, and the kind werewolves who helped Alec, Lily, Tessa and Jem in The Land I Lost. 

That’s pretty much it. 

The real requirement that the post will satisfy is to see how each of them will make an appearance in The Last Hours.

Warlocks: 

Magnus will not play a major role (nor do I want him to which I will explain in a further post).

Tessa is minimally using her warlock magic. You know, for the smallest of things like some healing powers, lighting a candle with magic. The small stuff. She will, also, play a major role in defeating Belial because she is Belial’s daughter though currently, she is choosing to not use her demonic powers. 

Hypatia Vex is rumoured to be Magnus’ girlfriend? But I’d also like to see her as the authority of Hell Ruelle. Let’s not reduce her to being a simple love interest please.

Malcolm Fade.

I’d also like to see Catarina please Miss Clare, make it happen. 🥺

Land Under the Hill: 

Faeries shall certainly make an appearance. But most of all, they’ll be more inclined to destroy the Herondale lineage. The same happened with Matthew (as we found out in The Land I Lost from Auraline’s guardian): to end the Herondales.

There is a snippet in COI wikia where Cordelia freezes when a faerie tells her not to marry a man who does not love her. I’m ready to believe this is Mother Hawthorn, Auraline’s guardian.

There are also theories that Grace is Nene. Which is a possibility, and if it is true, we can see another faerie plotline.

I’m grasping at straws at this point but,,, Jesse speaking about the Land Under the Hill when he first meets Lucie will probably mean something? This is not my strongest bet, because in Chapter 3, the idea is diminished. Jesse tells Lucie that shadowhunters know about faerie traps too. But, just in case, some food for thought. 

Vampires & Werewolves: 

Vampires and Werewolves WILL play an important role in shaping the series here. With little to no involvement of theirs in TID (and TDA), it is a heavy possibility. 

The series took off with Elias’ punishment for being the person responsible for the deaths of werewolves in Idris. This will come back and bite the families, I’m sure. 

There are theories Matthew might be stripped of his marks to either become a vampire or a werewolf. Strong bets, but I hope not. (is this how werewolves will take their revenge? who knows).

Woolsey Scott and Camille Belcourt are set to make an appearance and we do not know why. 

Pandemonium is coming back too, lads and ladies and everybody else. 

Lily Chen is already present and she is set to become friends, or at least acquaintances, with Camille because they spend the 1920s together. 

Cordelia is going to save Lily and I cannot wait for it. 🥺

And, the end. 

This will also lead more towards the building up of The Wicked Powers too. 

. . .

One last warlock to talk more about is Malcolm Fade. 

Around the timeline of TLH, he has a connection with the Blackthorns and for the most part, is trusted by Magnus and Ragnor as a good and virtuous man. I should believe he was, until the truth is dug out, either in 1903/04, or sometime before 1936 when Jem inquires with Sister Emilia about Annabel Blackthorn. 

As per the information from TDA, Malcolm already was associated with the Unseelie King in the early 1800s, before the Accords that granted peace between downworlders and shadowhunters. He took the Black Volume of the Dead, though he is not possession of it. Yet.

Let me give you map of MF connections (mf connections lmao): 

Blackthorns 

Necromancy 

Black Volume of the Dead 

Warlock Magic aka Portals and Death Magic 

Cornwall Gardens and Institute

Avenging to vengeance 

Shadow Markets 

Sisterhood 

... This will then lead us to more interesting theories. Cassie did mention in one of her asks/answers that Malcolm is going to be a major character in this series. And you bet I’m making a theory about this too. 

That concludes the post. That’s it. If you’ve managed to read this entirety, you’re either too excellent or you’re just as jobless as me. Either way, here’s your reward for bearing with me. Trust me, you won’t regret opening it.

[valntinemorgenstern]

I’ve sorta started shipping Matthew Fairchild and Grace Blackthorn. If u think about it, Cassie’s hasn’t rly done an enemies to lovers romance, and that potential is w Grace and Matthew. Matthew’s feelings of Grace in Cast Long Shadows could foreshadow that trope and imagine the parabatai angst if he fell for her! That way I could see TLH being more emotional than TID (like Cassie said it would be). I know this is kinda out there, but I wanted to see if someone else can see it or if I’m crazy?

well in all fairness, Cassie has done enemies-to-lovers….on many occasions, actually. a lot of her pairings have started out if not exactly enemies per se, then disliking each other/not exactly hitting it off: jace and clary, will and tessa, izzy and simon, even gabriel and cecily….i would say its a fairly common love trope in cassie’s books? although i suppose you’re right in saying that there hasn’t been an active hatred/opposition as yet between two love interests (though i think it’s clear that this will manifest at least on grace’s behalf in her interest with james as per pip and estella). 

nor would i say matthew is the only candidate! i believe that cassie has mentioned that grace has garnered the disapproval of quite a few of james’ close friends and relatives (unsurprisingly), including anna, though yes i suppose matthew would possibly the only credible ‘enemy’ that is important enough to be an MC’s love interest. 

my issue with cassie having matthew fall for grace, and thus two parabatai’s in love with the same person is that, if you think about it, it’d be an exact replica of TID? the exact trope happens in TID with the love triangle. cassie has said that there is to be a love triangle, but one which involves 2 women, 1 man i.e. grace-james-cordelia. 

personally, i felt like there was way more obvious foreshadowing of matthew’s crush for lucie? i mean look at this: 

‘she was a picture of dainty disarray’ – she is a ‘picture’; she is ‘dainty’

“you are, as always, perfect” - matthew is obv melodramatic but it is clear that he’s flirting here. this is followed by ‘he wished he could fix the ribbon in her hair’ – and then invites her to attend their ‘secret’ club. charlotte even later suggests that she’d be proud if either of her sons wished to marry lucie. 

most telling: ‘matthew thought james was very lucky to have lucie. he had always wanted a little sister. not that he wanted lucie to be his sister.’ – that qualification there at the end obviously implies that he has (undeclared) amorous intentions towards her. it’s quite clear that he’s got a definite crush on her! 

not sure if lucie will necessary remain as his love interest throughout (she ofc has to somehow end up with jesse blackthorn) but that matthew’s affections start out with lucie in view i think is quite clear! i didn’t pick up on anything towards grace apart from marked dislike; unless you read something / interpreted something in a different way? 

[purplebass]

hello :3 i hope it's ok for me to ask you a question about chain of gold. I was rereading this scene where Grace wanted James to marry her as mundanes. After I finished that chapter I was still confused as to why she wanted that. I don't think that was the real reason (obviously) but Im not sure the reason behind it was ever revealed or explained later or in coi

hi anon! I love receiving asks with questions :D

I think Grace's implied explanation is in Chapter 3 of COI, when she's going to the room to meet James before the wedding but finds Tatiana disguised as a maid instead. Think of this scene as connected to the one you mentioned. It all comes back to Tatiana in the end, but in COI, Grace has had enough and she wants to make a good gesture (remove the gracelet), but she can't because of Tatiana making sure she doesn't disobey her. This is from Ch. 3 of COI:

I believe that Grace might have liked James in the beginning, thought how nice to know a different person who isn't Jesse or Tatiana - the only people she could interact with. She says that her power didn't work on him, so James could have fallen for Grace if Tatiana had never introduced the gracelet into the mix, perhaps. But as we know from COG, James had already started liking Cordelia, thus destroying any chance of that from happening. I guess that plus Tatiana already manipulating Grace and forcing to use her power to get whatever she wanted, damaged her so much that it ruined relationships and romance for her, because they turned into a sort of game to get Tatiana's approval. And no one truly loved either, since they were influenced by her power, which is sad. James was the biggest piece in Tatiana's chessboard. After James tells Grace that he won't run away nor marry her, Tatiana arrives on the scene and looks displeased with James and the others, but I think her reaction is staged and she's more angry at Grace for failing. And Grace is the one who ultimately told James that he didn't love her enough if he wasn't willing to run away with her. Because as we saw above, Grace didn't love James and a part of her knows all of this is wrong but she did it anyway because she's been emotionally manipulated and ofc wants so save her ass. lol She might have wanted to hurt him because she had seen the effect Cordelia had on him and the way she was literally destroying their whole plan. Cordelia is unexpected variable in their plans and we witnessed how even Grace realized that she would break the gracelet's magic with her pure love for James. Grace didn't want to marry him (nor anyone for that matter, maybe just be with someone for protection like she did with Charles).

So the reasons may be these:

1) it was part of a plot by Tatiana to weaken James and make him a mundane so he could be easily "accessible" for what we know Belial had in store and ultimately did using Jesse's body. Grace would have to sacrifice herself and brainwash James so that he would choose her over everyone else. Thus, she'd get him away from his friends and alone, and Belial could make use of him. Even as a mundane, James would have still been half warlock, but probably weaker without the marks. We know that Belial still wants James (or Lucie) very much. And that Lucie is tied to Jesse, who is tied to Grace. They're the specular couple to Grace and James but unlike them, Jesse and Lucie are in love (unless here, there is another game at play with Jesse in Grace's position, but I don't think so). Tatiana made use of Grace to get James towards Belial but Belial might get Lucie because Jesse's involuntary efforts - remember that in the COI Epilogue, Belial tells Tatiana that her son did a great job, and he may refer to his body but also to Jesse's involvement with Lucie which could have been unplanned on their part (or planned, we still don't know). I could write about this someday. XD 2) it was Grace's idea to get away from Tatiana and she used James because he was the only one she knew that was too infatuated with her not to say no. But as we know, James was infatuated bc of the gracelet but he still choose his family and friends over Grace. This probably made her snap back to reality and ask herself some questions and create another plan because James wasn't her escape route anymore. It could have also been a way to "save" James in the process and get him away from Tatiana and Belial, who knows.

I hope these make sense! Feel free to ask more 💜