#i’ve kind of transcended my original topic which is the lovely and beautiful jem carstairs but this topic means so much to me

[clockwork-carstairs]

this is THE post. the post that sums it up the most perfectly. i was (comparatively) late reading tid for the first time at 17 but after years of seeing the bad boy trope everywhere, and being tired of the rude boys i knew irl, it hit me SO hard having a fictional character just be so kind and good. like in a genuinely life-changing, shaped my standards forever kind of way.

reading about jem’s backstory, which is one of the most tragic and horrifying in the tsc universe and how despite everything he chose to be kind everyday, and was so strong and brave along with that kindness? that was a different kind of inspiring like i’d never seen.

in conclusion jem carstairs you will forever be loved by me, thank you for showing me that kindness can come out of awful circumstances, and that that kindness is one of the strongest and most enduring forces in the world

the thing about jem carstairs that i remember so clearly is that he was the first fictional character i had seen, at the time of reading clockwork angel for the first time, who chose to be kind.

this was a guy who had suffered so much and had become addicted to a substance completely against his will. a substance that was slowly killing him, but he still chose to live. he still wanted to live and not give up

and instead of being jaded and negative he was soo fucking kind and sweet and im afraid reading that at 14 years old altered my brain chemistry forever