#matthew bindup

[edwin-paynes-bowtie]

Shoutout to Cassandra Clare for writing a spinoff about Matthew Fairchild in the future. Literally my favourite thing ever to happen. She doesn't walk all over his peace of mind. She lets him bejeweled. He makes the whole place ✨️shimmer.✨️

[tiredandoptimistic]

My reviews of the Careful of Books novellas

The spoiler-free gist is that I really enjoyed all four novellas and definitely recommend reading them if you can. I left the majority of my thoughts below the cut in case you want to avoid spoilers, though I avoided using many specific plot details.

A Sea Change: Oh Matthew Fairchild you are so special to me. I loved getting to see him again, especially dipping into his POV. He's just as delightful as ever, and it was great getting to see a version of Matthew who's past the worst of his addiction and depression but still hasn't figured out what will come next. I also really enjoyed how his grief over Christopher was handled. Kit is one of my all-time top TSC characters so I was definitely disappointed that ChoT didn't have more mourning for him, but I 100% get that it wouldn't have fit the flow of the narrative and also these characters were dealing with a lot of crazy plot stuff so it would have taken a bit for the loss to fully sink in and the grieving process to begin in earnest. Showing Matthew affected by it in the long run felt very appropriate. Plus, every mention of fire messages was like a little memorial to him. I also loved getting little glimpses of other TLH characters in Matthew's thoughts, since he may be alone on the ocean but he'll always carry his friends with him. Plus, Oscar was there! Get me a t-shirt that says I <3 Oscar Wilde, Hero Dog. I think the plot was a lot of fun too. I was glad to see Matthew put his deductive reasoning to use, and I really like that the immediately suspicious downworlders weren't actually to blame for everything. It's always nice when TSC commits to showing that downworlders are people just like Shadowhunters or mundanes. Sidenote, but I can't help but wonder if the offer to turn Matthew into a vampire was a reference to the old fan theories that he'd become a downworlder by the end of TLH. I liked Sylvain and his relationship with Matthew well enough, but he's not a new favorite or anything. It felt a little jarring how quickly they got together, since CC usually goes for more slowburn ships, but it still fit the flow of the story. Ultimately I just wish that we got more time with them, but considering that the whole story was under 80 pages I'd definitely call it a success. I think I'll always be a little disappointed that we didn't get the full Matthew bindup (like I'll always be disappointed that we didn't get The Secret Treasons), but I trust CC's judgement and if she didn't have a full bindup worth of stories to tell then I'm glad we at least got one excellent novella.

A Scandal at Undershaw: This one was a lot of fun! Probably my favorite of the non-Matthew novellas, just on account of the vibes. It managed to keep a certain level of gravitas attached to the characters without taking itself too seriously, and the absurdity of "modern high schooler Sherlock Holmes who still acts Like That" was played into without feeling mocking. I like that the story acknowledges how Sherlock's behaviors (getting so wrapped up in his mysteries that he doesn't consider other people's boundaries) can be harmful, but it never demonizes Sherlock or acts like he's an emotionless asshole. I also like this version of John and think that he has a lot of personality while still falling into the traditional Watson role of following Holmes's zanniness. Irene was fun, and I like that she and Sherlock completely match each other's energies. I was just kind of along for the ride with the mystery, and I think it was totally serviceable. All the pieces fit together and it helped move the plot forward, but it wasn't really what I was there for. I will say, it's a little funny to me that CC published her high school AU Johnlock fic and they don't even get together. That plays into something I felt overall with this story; that it's just part one of many (though I have no idea if CC has plans to continue it). Even though the mystery is revolved by the end, all the characters clearly have a lot more to do in their personal stories. Now that they're a bit settled (and unsettled) at Undershaw, I'd love to see what they get up to next and how their arcs continue to evolve! I'd totally read more novellas (or even full novels) about this version of the Sherlock Holmes universe.

Wendy Darling: While the last story felt like part one in an anthology, this one felt like episode one of a TV show (which, to be fair, is kinda what it is). The script format was interesting, and I didn't have any issues with it though I admittedly prefer CC's prose. I like the setup of "dark academia Peter Pan" as she calls it in the introduction, and the lore of this universe is certainly intriguing. My one issue is that I don't really feel as though anything is resolved by the end. I want to read the rest of this book or watch the rest of this show, but as far as I know that isn't going to happen. Wendy, Peter, and James are all fun and engaging characters who I'd be down to spend more time with, but I don't feel especially connected to any of them. I'm mostly here for the plot and lore, which, as I've said, doesn't feel complete. It's all setup with only a couple bits of payoff. Still worth the read, but more of a vibes experience than anything else.

In Fire Foretold: This one was an interesting read because I know that CC is planning on developing it into a full series. I think the concept of a reverse portal story is a lot of fun right off the bat, though I admittedly wasn't grabbed by the worldbuilding of the fantasy portion (which might be down to my personal preferences). Once the story jumped forward in time to the real world, I quite liked Alix as a character and enjoyed the ominous impositions of fantasy on her (often grim) reality, though this is another story where the plot took precedence over the characters for me. I'm still intrigued by the cast so far though, and I'm especially glad to see a prominent F/F friendship, since CC has never been great at those. I hope that Julia will get to play a more major role in the full series (like Simon in TMI), though Bram and Corwin seem cool too. In the end it's another story where I'm left wanting more, only in this case I know that I'll get it.

So there you have it! Careful of Books is definitely my favorite Seasons of Shadowhunters book so far, and it leaves me excited to see what will come in Better in Black. Now I'm gonna go reread Nothing But Shadows, because A Sea Change has me missing the merry thieves.

[matthew-bindup]

14 June 2023: Matthew Fairchild novella bindup was not officially announced today.

[thebellekeys]

we still don't know why the carstairs owe the herondales...

[bemtevis]

have you seen the matthew novella bindup theories? do you think there's any validity to them? curious to hear from someone who doesn't stan him

I haven't seen any posts about it (I have the Matthew tag blocked) but I'm pretty sure the novella will be about him. GOTSM style, maybe?

There's a lot of foreshadowhing to him becoming a vampire and both GOTSM and TBC follow an immortal character, so it would make sense if it was about him.

If CC does write it, I just hope she properly researches addiction recovery, you know? I hate Matthew but he deserves a healing arc as much as everyone else, and I'm scared that CC will make the vampirism cure his alcoholism.

I haven't heard any other theories but you can send another ask if you want to know my opinion about a specific one, Idk

Ty for the ask :D

[edwin-paynes-bowtie]

for the record, i colloquially refer to matthew in everyday conversation 'my scrunkly lil guy.' i also privately call the upcoming matthew bindup 'the plant that ate dirty socks gets a girlfriend' after the iconic piece of children's literature by that name

i’ll never understand people who can’t make fun of their faves a little. like yes i love this character and would defend them to my grave but also they’re stupid sometimes and they do dumb things and imma make fun of them for it

[edwin-paynes-bowtie]

"No obvious romantic interest" has reverted me back to thinking that Matthew's girlfriend is Esme Hardcastle. I have thought this for years, and only recently changed my tune and decided it's a new character. But nope, I'm squarely back to thinking it's Esme.

After all, why else would we have this little Easter egg? We know how much Cassie likes foreshadowing, especially when it comes to romance:

If my 8-year-long theory is correct, I'll be very happy. Not just for my pride but also for Matthew. I think their chaotic energies would bounce off each other incredibly well.

[thebellekeys]

Matthew Novella Bind-Up Theory and TLH (slight tin-foil)

I wanna build on an awesome theory made by @fair-but-wilde-child cus I’m 1. Always down for TSC theories and 2. part of the Protect Matthew Squad and, their theory combines both of these passions of mine.

I never allowed myself to consider the possibility that my biggest wish may actually come true, and that is that Matthew might get a bind-up novella. Lots of people have all the receipts from Cassie about the Matthew novella so I won’t like repeat all of it, but the prospect seemed too good to be true for me!!! So like, I shut down my own hope with a single dark blanket of anguish which was: Matthew needs to like, live for a long time, if he’s gonna be the MC of a novella bind-up. I mean, I know Simon himself wasn’t immortal yet he got TFTSA but that was set in 2007 and all the historical shorts were told as flashbacks. If Matthew is living in 1903 then flash forwards would be awkward, right?

However, Matthew living would make so much sense in a way. Remember, Cassie specifically said that the Family Tree leaves out Shadowhunters who either became mundanes or Downworlders. And there are many allusions to Matthew becoming, ahem, immortal, in addition to the fact that Cassie may well indeed choose not to finish his character arc in its entirety in Thorns. (I don’t think it’s impossible by the way, but I want a good ole excuse for more Matthew content... I find Matthew’s emotional arc seems like it needs more page-time, and this is, after all, the same problem that led to Simon getting TFTSA i.e. him regaining his memory required time and growth which a novella bind-up allowed him to have.)

Here are some of my ideas about Matthew's fate if it's not a quintessential one:

1. Matthew leaving the mainstream Shadowhunter community: I’m not saying he’s becoming a vampire per se, but remember how Matthew waltzed into our lives in Nothing But Shadows claiming he didn’t wanna be a killing machine and wanted to enjoy life and art and poetry and not die young fighting demons? Yeah, it’d be peak literary irony if that turned out to be true. I know my baby loves Shadowhunting but the irony would be such a wow if this happened.

2. Matthew and Dorian Gray, Addie La Rue, Magnus Bane, all the hedonists: Matthew wants to live life and enjoy it and experience. He’s got the same wiring as these afformentioned characters that can’t be tamed by mundaneness. Like he’s going to Paris and likely will stay at L’Hôtel where Oscar Wilde himself died (and maybe will speak with his ghost!!!). Matthew becoming immortal isn’t, yunno, impossible. Imagine a novella with Matthew and his adventures throughout time, cus it’d thematically make sense if it happened to the “larger- than-life” character.

3. Matthew breaking the Law: I’ve said in one of my theories that the whole truth potion thing isn’t gonna just go away by the end of Thorns with no strings attached. Like, in the same way the yin fen issue wasn’t completely resolved at the end of Clockwork Princess for Jem, and his story had to stretch over a century for that to be fixed, I think that Matthew breaking the Law is gonna have some major repercussions. Plus the whole message Ty found at the Scholomance from 1904 seems sus, even if it’s just a date. (I don’t like the idea of Matthew in that grimy old place but whatever, it’s still possible).

4. Matthew and the Fae: Matthew keeps evoking imagery of the Fae, like remember when he was just making Fae buddies and the evil fairy called him the “fairest of children” and shit (love the pun)? Yeah, that’s a thing, but also this post made by Cassie is just so telling that there is one last novella bindup that’s gonna link TLH and TWP. Remember, the whole point of TDA and TWP is dealing with the Faeries and the Fae courts. And Matthew’s emotional arc in TLH is defined by his relationship with that pesky Fae. I find it hard to believe he isn’t a potential link. The Fairchild family’s symbol is that of fairy wings, don’t forget that.

Furthermore, I'm pretty sure there's gonna be a link between Matthew and Ty- maybe the Scholomance especially since Ty found that note dated from 1904 on the walls as OP mentioned. Plus Cassie teasing that Ty has something to do with her special project makes me think this is plausible.

Major issue with these theories and a counterpoint @fair-but-wilde-child brought up that I love to death:

How tf is it that Tessa, Jem and Magnus don’t know/have never brought up that this important dude is secretly alive?

What if Matthew’s adventures are based around him being in Fairie. Like what if, say, Matthew gets sent to the Scholomance against his will but he escapes somehow into Fairie. Imagine he spends like, a year in Fairie and gains a lot of wisdom and falls in love and some shit and then boom! He gets fricking rescued by one of TWP characters (imagine him being found by Ty or something). He thinks only a year has passed but it’s been a century. This solves thee “why don’t Tessa or Jem or Magnus or Catarina or Ragnor” know anything issue. Heck, maybe Matthew chooses to live in Faerie under some bargain and his friends let him go? Maybe it’s a secret only James and the squad know about? That is... tragic, but it’s a very tinfoil possibility that can explain his so-called “immortality” which makes a novella bind-up more feasible.

[edwin-paynes-bowtie]

I'm probably in the minority here, but I kind of hope this doesn't happen (and am glad that Cassie has said she's keeping Jordelia out of the Matthew bindup).

I think that, yes, eventually it would be awesome for them to travel together! But for Matthew, a big part of this Voyage - and a big part of what will emotionally cleanse him - is getting some space from James and especially Cordelia. I worry that meeting up with them midway through would derail some of his progress in cleansing himself of Cordelia, much like having a small bit of alcohol at the Christmas party set his recovery back.

Maybe in a couple of years, yes, they could have an awesome time going to one of their favourite countries and sightseeing. I'd love for the three of them + Matthew's LI to take a group trip with Thomas and Alastair, too (since I maintain that that 6-person group is probably going to be inseperable until they kick off).

But for now, the person Matthew most needs to focus on is Matthew, and I think part of that is resisting Cordelia a little bit even when the separation from both her and James hurts a bit.

No one can tell me that when Matthew as well as James & Cordelia are on their big voyages respectively, they won’t meet up someplace in the world at least once. Like maybe not in Paris and not immediately but you really think they could bear to be separated for that long?

[bemtevis]

if you follow fair but wild child you will see all the matthew bindup theories, since you were asking if anyone had more information!

I don't follow her, we have each other blocked akdjdjfjfjfjtj

but ty! I've heard of the vampire and the Scholomance theory, but not hers specifically 🧐

[edwin-paynes-bowtie]

All right, you asked me a question and now I have one for you, in a very similar vein: where do you see Matthew Fairchild post-canon? What are your hopes for him? If you were the writer, what would you do?

Sorry this took me a couple of days to respond to! I'm here(ish) now.

I actually am extremely happy with the direction Matthew's story has taken in the canon thus far. Even if I was dissatisfied with some other arcs/writing choices (see: Grace's, Christopher's, Cordelia's in many ways), Matthew's storyline was handled in a sensitive, realistic, and character-driven way that I loved. And, of course, I'm excited to see him going forward. I think that Cassie is going to continue to do an amazing job with his story because she has not dropped the ball on him yet.

This is probably a cop-out, and I'll give more of an answer in a minute, but I just want Matthew to be happy and healthy. That's my only real hope for him in the future. Think that song My Wish : "My wish for you is that this life becomes all that you want it to / your dreams stay big / your worries stay small", yadda yadda. But that's my real answer. I just want a happy Matthew and don't care what form that takes. I am going to therefore be unequivocally satisfied with any story direction in his bindup since Cassie already basically said at a signing that he would get a happy ending.

But if I were Cassie, here's what I would do.

I'm excited that Matthew has chosen to travel, because it's something that's also important to me. It's yet another way that Matthew's values and life goals mirror mine. I think that travel is freedom, and I am happy that Matthew is going to experience that freedom.

I think that in the bindup, I would take him to visit a ton of places all across the world. I don't want him to confine himself to Europe. I'd like to see him in South America, Asia, Africa - everywhere! I think this seems likely to happen, and am glad of it.

However, within the confines of "Matthew gets a partner abroad," I would like to see him not being with said partner 100% of the time. A big part of Matthew's travel should be finding himself. I'd like something where he travels alone most of the time, sees his love interest like once a month or so, and spends a couple of days with them. This would be the short story we see, and they would split up again until the next month, which would be the next story. This would give him ample time for solo travel, meeting interesting people, and taking the reins on his own adventure.

In my ideal world in canon, I probably would not have him meet his partner while traveling. I think he should meet someone in about 5 years, so he can get a grip on his newfound sobriety and freedom. Just, like from a realistic perspective. I think this would be the best thing for him in a realistic scenario.

HOWEVER, I am all for him getting a love interest now since it's something I'm really excited to see in the bindup. As a reader, I'm 1000% here for Matthew's adventure romance whirlwind. And I know that it will be totally fine in Cassie-Clare-Bookland, even if it's not what I think would be best for Matthew in a real life case.

For Matthew's love interest, I actually actively want him to end up with a woman. It's important to me as a bisexual to see a bi person wind up with someone of a different gender for once, and unlike a lot of people, I really trust Cassie to deliver with it. She hasn't disappointed me regarding Matthew before, and I don't see why she'd start now. I also would like to see an absolutely chaotic scapegrace of a girl who rejects Edwardian social conventions and embraces the bohemian lifestyle alongside Matthew.

Regardless of love interest gender, I want the person to be kind of a batshit bonkerballs sort that matches Matthew's chaotic energy. I want them to be comfortable in their freedom and their chaos; I want them to have scandalous fun together. I think Matthew needs someone who loves and embraces the crazier sides of himself, the mercurial moods, the fact that "feelings flow from him like blood from a cut." The fact that he's a little impulsive. This is what I deeply want for Matthew, and it's another reason that I'm chill with the idea of him meeting someone on his travels. It'll be another adventurer.

In my ideal world, Matthew would not have children. This is wish fulfillment because I am childfree. But I know he is going to have them and be Clary's ancestor. Though I'm not enthralled about that, I still don't think it will be harmful to his character. I think that he and the love interest will continue to be unabashedly themselves and raise their kids in a rabble-rousing bohemian way. But, if I'm taking creative license, I ain't giving him kids. I'm making one of the twins Clary's ancestor. I don't give a fuck about bloodlines, sorry.

I actually do have a controversial take regarding Matthew. If I were given full creative license over the character, I would give him a lot of distance from James and Cordelia. I hope that he goes no-contact with Cordelia while traveling so that he has time to heal from her and get over her, and I hope that he keeps his communication with James to periodic letters. I know he'll be close with them in the future, which is fine.

But if it were up to me, he wouldn't be. He'd still talk to them, be James's parabatai, but the emotional proximity would decrease.

I always viewed TMT very much as James/Matthew + Thomas/Christopher, but I'd want to bend the shape of this. I think James should become closer with Jesse, and Matthew should become closer with Thomas and Alastair. Not just because I like Thomastair better than others, but because I think that James and Matthew have so much hurt between them. And because, I cannot stress this enough, Matthew needs distance from Cordelia.

I think that Thomas's disposition complements Matthew's well, and I think that he could provide him and the chaotic love interest with a calming presence. I also think that Matthew and Alastair should become really, really close because they can understand each other in ways that other people cannot. Adding Grace to this BFF mix would also make me really happy, though I understand that it's unlikely.

That's where I currently am!

[edwin-paynes-bowtie]

CASSIE SAID IN IG THAT SHE HAS A FUN SHADOWHUNTER RELATED ANNOUNCEMENT NEXT WEEK SO CATCH ME 102819 FEET ABOVE REALITY IF IT'S THE MATTHEW BINDUP ANNOUNCEMENT

[fair-but-wilde-child]

Matthew bindup prayer circle RISE

I also wonder if Esme is Matthew’s love interest. I’ve considered it before because in Nothing But Shadows, she harbours a “tendresse” for him. Honestly I’d be super down for that, it would be really cute. I liked her in NBS lol idk

Interesting info from Cassandra Clare’s Chester event on July 13

1)Possible side project about Matthew. (We don’t have his POV, which was on purpose. Cassie cannot say anything for sure because we don’t know who survives Chain of Thorns.)

2)New character from Chain of Thorns: Esme Hardcastle. (Esme is working on the family tree and is “clearly a bit unhinged”. She asks the characters terribly personal questions that they answer incorrectly but Esme still writes everything down.)

3)Wicked Powers is not the last TSC project (it's possibly the last trilogy, but we still gonna get short stories, sth like "The Bane Chronicles" but not about Magnus)

4)We are certainly gonna learn more about what Anna had to go through before TLH.

[edwin-paynes-bowtie]

"you attract what you fear" AHHHH MATTHEW NOVELLA BINDUP I'M TERRIFIED

[edwin-paynes-bowtie]

I really want Matthew's love interest to be from another part of the world so we can have a major character who hails from a non-European country. Like we already have awesome characters of colour but they either hail from Devon (Alastair and Cordelia) or have 0 cultural exploration whatsoever (Jem). It'd be cool for Matthew to end up with someone from idk South Africa or Egypt or something

[edwin-paynes-bowtie]

ngl the matthew bindup feels like some grand mythical beast right now. the panacea to all of my sadness, the cure-all to my despair. it feels so impossible to me that she'll announce it soon that i just can't believe it. i honestly will probably make it into some legend by the time that it comes out and then when it's in my hands i'll spontaneously combust