#shadowhunters a problem of memory review

[bluephoenixdruidicprincess]

Shadowhunters Season 2 Episode 15 -- A Problem of Memory -- Review/Discussion

I’m back again with another Shadowhunters review. I feel really bad about being so late on these. I’m not getting a whole lot of inspiration with these episodes lately. But oh well. This time we have Shadowhunters Season 2 Episode 15 – A Problem of Memory. I found myself very satisfied with this episode. By no means would I say that I liked it. But I was satisfied with it.

This is going to be an honest review of my thoughts and feelings regarding this episode. If you’re the kind of Shadowhunters fan where you only want to hear positive things about the show, this is not the place for you. If you decide to stick around and get offended by what is said, then that’s on you. I warned you. Just know that if you send me any rude comments or messages, I will 100% ignore you. I find that’s the best way to deal with bullies. I work 14 hour days. Do you really think I want to waste my incredibly valuable free time dealing with derogatory comments? Hell no. This review will consist of my honest opinions. Opinions are never right or wrong. I’m not telling you how to think and feel. So please, let’s discuss with dignity and respect. If I’m critical about the show, it’s only because I want it to get better. There is, in fact, a difference between hating a show and being critical of it. I do not hate Shadowhunters; I am being critical and analyzing the flaws as I would with any other show. There are positives but there are also negatives. It’s great if you want to promote positivity with this show (and I encourage you to do so) but that doesn’t mean you should acknowledge the things that are legitimately wrong with it. Also, keep in mind that despite the fact that I do love the books, me being critical of this show has nothing to do with my love of the books. I don’t really care if the show deviates from the source material as long as it’s good and it makes sense. My problems with this show are problems that I would have with any show or book for that matter. I think it’s perfectly reasonable to take issue with a show that has plot holes, shoddy world-building and inconsistent characters. There will be spoilers for the books and movies.

Alright, so ultimately, I was pretty satisfied with this episode. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I liked it but it was moderately entertaining. There were stretches within the episode where I was legitimately bored, though. I watched this episode on Tuesday after it aired, which was my birthday, and I was far more interested in the game of Scrabble I was playing with my friends. I play a mean Scrabble, btw. Obviously, I didn’t feel too strongly about this episode considering how late I am in writing this. I feel like this has been happening a lot with 2B. The episodes have been leaving me with a general feeling of apathy. The episodes are satisfying but they’re also not dragging me into the story which is a very disconcerting feeling for me. Supernatural/fantasy type shows are my catnip. I typically love these kinds of shows and I want them to last for a good amount of time. I am sad that The Vampire Diaries has finished. I am sad that we’re almost done with Teen Wolf. The Originals is always one foot away from the chopping block (although I am hoping it sticks around for a little while longer so that Klaroline has a chance to grace my screen again). Pretty soon, I’m not going to have that many more fantasy type shows for me to cling on to. I guess we’ll always have Supernatural, though that is one fantasy show I wish would end. It has gone on for far too long in my opinion.

More Love Triangle BS

So we got the love triangle stuff with Jace/Clary/Simon still going on. This was kind of where my boredom was starting to surface within this episode. I don’t think there’s a word in the English vocabulary that epitomizes how much I don’t care about this love triangle. I barely tolerated it in the books and in the show, it’s completely insufferable. The only saving grace this plot point has is that it’s finally going to push Simon into some plot arcs that don’t center around Clary for once. At least I hope so. Simon, throughout his character arc, has always been following Clary’s plots around like a lost puppy and I’m interested in seeing where the story is going to take him now. Speaking of which, I got a little excited in this episode when Simon finally blows up at Clary. That was great. I think I enjoy it a little too much whenever people do yell at Clary. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, I get super happy. It’s like a drug for me. And I’m sorry to you Show Clary fans who adore her but I cannot stand her. Any scene that she’s in, I want to skip past. I just do not care about her at all. Which really shouldn’t be happening with a main character but what can you do? And I actually recently had an epiphany on why I don’t really like Clary. And it’s not for any of the shallow reasons that some people dislike about her i.e. her always needing to be saved. It’s nothing like that. I’m actually in the process of writing a post about my dislike of her character in the show. So if you follow me, you’ll have that to look forward to. But anyways, I’m not a fan on how the show is doing this love triangle. I think it was a mistake to portray Climon as this great epic love. By the show doing this, they wrote themselves into a corner because now there’s really no way to finish out this love triangle story without it turning into a cliché teenage melodrama. I was a fan of Simon in this episode. He treated Clary exactly how I wanted him to. Clary is being her typical selfish self by blaming everyone but herself. I have no sympathy for her. I did see this one post where the blogger had talked about Simon being overly dramatic and that he doesn’t really have a right to be angry with Clary. Clary didn’t ask for Simon to be in love with her and all that jazz. Now, that kind of talk I would find acceptable with Book Clary and Simon. Book Clary was fairly obvious about her feelings being different from the feelings Simon had. However, this argument doesn’t work as well in the show. Because Clary had given no indication whatsoever that she wasn’t all in for Simon. In fact, she was telling Simon the exact opposite. Jace revealed they weren’t really siblings and she straight up didn’t care. She even reassured Simon that she wanted to be with him (Simon). That is straight up leading him on even if it may have been slightly unintentional. But anyways, Clary was trying her hardest to get Simon to take her back and forget what all had happened but Simon’s not having it. I don’t know why she thought that would work. Clary is trying so hard to preserve this relationship but she’s not stopping to think and ask, “What does Simon want? What does Simon deserve?” He deserves to be with someone who loves him as much as he once loved Clary. I really like what Simon says to Clary when Clary tells him she loves him. “Stop! Don’t say that because you don’t mean it like I mean it.” I’m glad that Simon is showing Clary that she needs to hold herself accountable for her actions (something she never does in the show) and that not everything can be so easily forgiven. I’m glad the show is finally starting to do this with Clary’s character. One of my biggest gripes with the show is how willing the show is to forgive Clary for everything and no one ever holds her accountable for anything. I hope the show tries to do more with that.

Simon had his own plot arc going on in this episode which I kind of enjoyed. I did have a couple of issues with it, though. First issue was that it’s such a predictable plot. I can’t tell you how many shows I’ve seen where I’ve seen this plot point used. Never for a second did I actually believe Simon killed that girl. Why was I so sure? Because despite Freeform’s best efforts in making this show “edgy and racy,” they can’t help but to play it safe. Freeform is too afraid to go into something really dark like actually having Simon accidentally kill someone while he was under this blood-induced euphoric state. I think that would’ve been a really interesting direction to take his character. It would’ve been interesting to see how he dealt with that issue. I really wanted them to do it but ultimately, they fell back on bad habits. I know, Simon killed that vampire who framed him but that’s hardly the same thing. The emotional response we could’ve gotten from Simon would’ve been so much stronger if he had accidentally killed an innocent girl who put her trust in his ability to control himself as opposed to killing someone out of self defense. Disappointing but what can you do? I could write a book on all of the missed potential this show had with its plot arcs. I am a little upset that the show seems to be kind of writing off Izzy’s addiction too. They’re just saying she’s going to meetings to help with her addiction issues but we haven’t seen anything that shows she’s really struggling or anything that shows where she’s currently at in the recovery process. Which brings me to my second issue. When the vampire brings Simon to that club to feed on willing humans, I had a hard time believing that Simon would actually want to do this. Particularly since he knows about Izzy. It probably would have worked better if Simon hadn't known about Izzy’s problem and was just finding out that it’s possible for people to become addicted to vampire venom. But the fact that he knew about Izzy’s struggles and yet he was so willing to give this a try didn’t really sit well with me. I guess he was already intoxicated from that plasma shot he had maybe. I don’t know. It also confused me on why he didn’t realize that these kinds of dens may exist after Izzy confessed to him that she’s addicted to vampire venom. Did he never question where she was getting her fix? Obviously, she never went to one of these dens but Simon doesn’t know about her relationship with Raphael. And on the other side of things in 2A, why did Izzy risk being killed by Blondie Vamp when she could’ve easily gone to one of these dens? Ugh, so many plot holes once you start actually thinking.

But ultimately, I could get behind this plot point because it’s finally showing Simon trying to find his own way in the Shadow World instead of clinging on to Clary. It’s about him trying to figure out who he is and where he belongs in the Shadow World. He has ties to the mundane world, the shadowhunter world, and the downworld but yet doesn’t fit in completely with any of them. I’m really excited to see where this story is going to take him. This plot definitely had its flaws but the idea of the plot is what sold it for me. But that’s Shadowhunters for you. They always have really great ideas; it’s the execution that’s the problem.

Luke’s partner was also featured pretty heavily in this plot point too and I wish they would just drop this character. I don’t know what’s going on with her and what part she’s actually going to play but she’s completely unnecessary. This show has waaaaaaaaay more characters than they know what to do with. I really hope this show gets to the point of her as a character soon because she absolutely bores me whenever she’s on screen.

Aline Is Here

Aline has also made her debut into the tv show. I’ll be honest. In the books, I never really understood the fandom’s fondness for Aline. She’s not a bad character or anything. I don’t hate her, I just don’t care about her. We don’t spend a whole lot of time with her in the books and she never left me with any sort of impression. She was there and she and Helen are kind of cute, I guess, but again the books never spent a lot of time with developing Aline and Helen. So when people were badgering the showrunners about when Aline is going to show up, I really didn’t care. She showed up in this episode and I liked her scenes but ultimately, I still didn’t really care. I’m interested to see her in future episodes. The dynamic that she appears to have with the real Sebastian Verlac was nice to see. I’m definitely interested to see how Helen is going to pop up in this show and what the show does with her and Aline. Aline and Izzy also had a really nice relationship. I was beginning to wonder if Izzy was friends with anyone besides Clary. She doesn’t seem to socialize with any of the other shadowhunters at the Institute. Seriously, did Izzy have any friends before Clary showed up? But I’m always happy to see positive female relationships. I know this fandom has a pretty big Romantic Clizzy fanbase but I hope the show doesn’t go there. And before anyone jumps down my throat, no, it’s not because I’m bigoted and I don’t want to see a lesbian couple. Obviously, I don’t feel that way since Malec is one of my ultimate OTPs. TV these days really needs more supportive female friendships and that’s what I like about Clizzy. That’s what I liked about Aline and Izzy. And I want to see the show continuing on with that. Not all chemistry is romantic, guys. Sometimes there’s chemistry that works better as friends. And not all chemistry should be romantic.

We also had Will Tudor being his usual awesome self. This time he was playing both the real Sebastian and Jonathon. The talent this guy has, he has far too much talent for this show. Every scene he’s in, he outshines everyone else. Which is what makes the reveal at the end of the episode a little saddening. Jonathon finds a way to spring Valentine from the Clave and when Valentine is brought before him, Jonathon reveals his true self a la shapeshifting rune – a burnt, walking talking corpse, apparently. I really hate that rune. When I saw that reveal at the end of the episode, though, I burst out laughing. I think the last time I laughed so hard in this show was back in 2A when Jocelyn showed Clary the vision of Jonathon as the demon child where he made a flower wilt. I laughed pretty hard in that scene and laughed a lot in this scene. It’s just such a Disney thing to do. Of course, the villain would turn out to be this burned corpse because you can’t be attractive and evil at the same time. I can’t say I’m surprised though. Freeform is owned by Disney. Again, like I said before, it’s a very safe way to go about the series. Now, before anyone tries to claw my eyes out or anything, my problems with the reveal have ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with the fact that this is different from the books. That’s not my issue. I just think Jonathon being this attractive character but gets so progressively evil that his soul kind of warps into that of a demon’s is a much more interesting theme to explore than having him be this burnt up corpse. There is evil in beauty. That and it means Will Tudor as Jonathan has a time limit which is sad. He’s so fantastic as an actor that I literally could watch a 40 minute episode of Shadowhunters with it just being Jonathon formulating his evil plans. I’m sure Shadowhunters has a plan on where they’re going to go with this burnt corpse idea. I just hope it’s not going to be cliché Disney villain plot point. I’m sure this plot point was also taken so they could better explain why no one is noticing that Sebastian Verlac is not the real Sebastian Verlac. The Season 1 writers really wrote themselves into a corner when they made shadowhunters compatible with technology. The current writers really had no choice but to use the rune in this instance.

Malec This Episode

So Malec was pretty great this episode. We actually got scenes that lasted for more than thirty seconds this time around. Alec can tell that something is wrong with Magnus but Magnus is refusing to open up to Alec. Magnus is having problems dealing with his mother’s death and the repercussions of this death but he’s refusing to open up to Alec about this until Alec finally convinces him to talk about it. An excellent use of throwing Magnus’ words back at him. Magnus once told Alec that when things get tough, to not push him away. And here, Alec tells him the same thing. I was glad to hear it. Magnus comes clean that when he was tortured with the “agony” rune (I still can’t say that with a straight face – it makes no sense for why such a rune would exist) he was forced to relive the memory of him finding his mother after she committed suicide and his father lashing out at Magnus about it. Magnus uses his magic to kill his stepfather and admits to Alec that he had full control of his powers back then; he wanted to kill his stepfather. Magnus tells Alec that he wanted to keep this from Alec because he didn’t want Alec so see this “ugly” side of him. In which Alec responds with understanding. “There’s nothing ugly about you.” Alec accepts him for exactly how he is. He doesn’t have any kind of romaticization about Magnus. He intends to find out about the darker parts of Magnus. He doesn’t just want to be with the light parts. It was a really great moment for Malec.

Now, I am a little torn on how I feel about the show changing Magnus’ past with his mother and stepfather. But after going back and forth on it, I don’t think my problem is that I liked the story in the book better  as much as that I felt the show could’ve spent a little more time on this flashback. We didn’t get to see a whole lot of Magnus’s stepfather and we certainly didn’t get to see what exactly the man was saying to Magnus. The tone wasn’t really working.  In this instance, tone is everything and I don’t think the show got the tone right. The flashback could’ve been really great but the show did the bare minimum and in doing so, messed up the tone a little. Now, I have heard people say that they think the scene in the books is a little overdramatic in the sense that Magnus’ mother hangs herself out of shame in finding out she had laid with a demon and the stepfather trying to drown Magnus. I disagree on that assessment. Magnus was born in a time where if you were different, you were seen as evil. Anything that was different was seen as the devil’s work. So it would make sense that Magnus’ mother killing herself over finding out what her son was and his stepfather trying to drown him makes sense in context. I am a little sad the show didn’t go with this story but I understand the story the show is trying to tell. It works in its own way. The story in the books wouldn’t have worked as well with the theme they were trying to implement here. Like I said, it works, I just wish we had gotten a little more in the development of this flashback.

I also saw a few posts where a blogger was talking about how rigid Alec looks in the Malec scenes. That he doesn’t really look comfortable. He very much had a military like stance when dealing with Magnus in this episode. I think this was more of an acting decision. For me, Alec is feeling insecure about their relationship. Magnus is refusing to open up and it’s making Alec a little uncomfortable. So I was fine with the rigidity he might’ve been having these past couple of episodes. It makes sense based on what Alec is feeling.

I would probably give this episode a B. I definitely felt it was better than the previous ones. As always, there are still things the show can improve on. For one, executing their ideas better. As I’ve said many times, the writers have a lot of good ideas, the execution is what makes them fall a little weird sometimes. I also can’t help but feel like the writers may be writing with their dominant hand being tied behind their back. I mentioned it earlier in this review but I’ve been starting to realize that the writing in this show has been very “safe.” The show scaled back on the incest plot because it was controversial. We’re never really sure what the show is trying to do with Malec as a couple because the show doesn’t feel comfortable with how much they can get away with in that relationship. They went for the obvious plot point of Simon being framed for a murder instead of going dark and having Simon kill someone while in his drugged state. They’re certainly scaling back on seeing us watch Izzy with her recovery probably because that’s controversial as well. In the 2A finale, they had all of the main downworlders in one spot but yet none of them were harmed by what happened in the finale. They all conveniently were able to escape from the massacre. They did kill Jocelyn but Jocelyn was also a character a majority of the fanbase didn’t care about so her death was an “eh, whatever” thing. One of these days, I would really like to see the show just go for it. They’re trying to be dark and racy but at the same time they’re still afraid to. They don’t know how much they can get away with and I look forward to the day when they throw caution to the wind and just go all out. We don’t live in a pretty world and the shadow world certainly is not a pretty world to live in. It is dangerous, these people lead dangerous lives and it would be nice to see just how cruel and unforgiving this world can get.

That’s about all I have for you guys. Again, sorry I’m late. But better late than never. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the show. Did you love it? Did you hate it? Do you agree or disagree? As always, be respectful of mine and everyone else’s opinions.

[snarktheater]

Shadowhunters — Episode 2x15

There’s no real reason for me to open this post with this particular gif. It's entirely gratuitous. But I've gotta keep my spirits up somehow, and this seemed like a good way to do it.

See, there are two main plotlines in this episode (as usual), and they revolve around Simon and Sebastian. So my interest levels are altogether rather low. Hence the need for some sexy Matthew Daddario to cheer me up. The episode isn't even particularly bad, by the way—spoiler, I guess. It's mostly just that I have a hard time feeling anything for Simon beyond "oh, no, Simon's on screen". Especially now that we're ramping up the love triangle again.

Anyway. Let's talk about Simon, actually. His deal is…brooding at the Hunter's Moon because of what happened at the Seelie Court, getting drunk, refusing to take Clary's calls, you know, all the things you do in healthy relationships.

Quinn shows up, and…remember Quinn? Probably not, especially since I didn't even know he had a name until now. Quinn's the guy who defected from Raphael's vampire clan to pledge fealty to Simon as the Daylighter. And apparently, that involves buying Simon a drink.

"Plasma?" "The hard stuff."

Is he trying to get Simon drunk? Well, even now with the hindsight of everything that happens in the episode, I'm not sure if he's malevolent or just a douchebag who thinks getting blacked-out drunk is a good idea. Either way, I don't particularly like him, so as you can guess, his interactions with Simon mostly leave me wanting to fast forward over them.

Quinn then brings Simon to a "bleeder den", where mundanes who happen to know about vampires can let themselves be bitten.

"Isn't this against the Accords?" "It's kind of a grey area."

Okay, well, the Accords are shitty and Shadowhunters are doing a crap job protecting humans, that's nothing new. Better question, though: don't you feel even a little bad at using literal addicts to your own advantage? I mean, we spent a good chunk of the season highlighting the terrible effects that vampire venom addiction had on Isabelle, and I lost track of whether Simon knows about that, but he should still show some empathy towards those "willing" donors.

Ha, Simon showing empathy. And then what? No, instead he starts feeding on a girl. She has a name, I think it's Heidi, but it doesn't matter since the next time we see her, she's dead.

And I mean, the show's so obviously trying to hint at Simon being her killer that it's an obvious red herring. Seriously. Next time Simon shows up, he's covered in blood. Don't worry, he cleans it up at super speed so he can be pissy at Clary over what happened at the Seelie Court.

"You don't mean ['I love you'] the way I mean it! You never have. Ever since we were kids, I've been in love with you."

"It's [Clary's feelings for Jace] nothing like you and me." "But it's enough."

And, like…I don't know. I can't feel any sympathy for that. I mean, I understand jealousy, but I can't sympathize with it. The point is this: Clary has feelings for two people, and sure, they may not be the same kind of feelings, but she still chose Simon. And she hasn't given any indication that she's regretting that choice, or considering to cheat on him with Jace, or anything like that.

I mean, even if we admit the premise that "Seelie magic is always true" (something Isabelle tells Clary earlier in the episode), all it says is Clary desires Jace the most. Which, considering she's dating Simon and not Jace, isn't that automatically true? You can't really desire what you already have.

Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled that Clary and Simon are on the way to breaking up, but I feel like Simon's self-righteous attitude is just completely undeserved. He's rejecting her because 1) she has feelings for another guy and 2) she "doesn't love him the way he loves her", which doesn't really mean anything? Nobody feels things the exact same way. And, again, she chose him, so clearly she decided he was more important.

Ugh. I can't believe I'm arguing fairy logic and relationships with this show now. Let's jus move on to the next scene, with Simon trashing his shirt while trying to remember what happened at the den (you thought I was exaggerating about blacked-out drunk?). Luke shows up, because he heard about the girl's death and how it's obviously the work of a vampire, and he wanted Simon to help him investigate. Oh, and comfort him about the Clary thing, too.

"What's going on between you two, I'm always here for you. You're the closest thing to a son that I've got."

Aw. That'd be adorable if I cared about Simon!

But just then, Luke's partner Ollie calls to tell Luke that they found Simon's prints on Heidi, which Simon overhears because vampire hearing, and he runs away. As you do.

So Simon's on the run, and Luke tells Clary about the whole thing, including the possibility that Simon might have killed someone. To her credit, she's in denial, but that kind of makes it worse because Luke has to say this:

"Demon blood…it changes a person."

And…like, you know how Downworlders are usually a big allegory for oppression? Yeah, when Downworlders themselves go "yeah, we really are dangerous and out of control", it kind of makes it sound like that oppression is justified. Especially coming from Luke, who's been on the more reasonable end of things. So could you…maybe…not?

Anyway. He's going to find Simon and…I don't know, either arrest him or cover up, it's not clear yet. Clary insists to come along, which Luke eventually caves to, but the real question is: isn't investigating this kind of her job anyway as a Shadowhunter? Is Clary even working officially as a Shadowhunter?

Meanwhile, Simon asks Raphael for help finding Quinn and for shelter. Raphael, being a good guy, naturally agrees and—nah, I'm just fucking with you. Raphael will only help Simon in exchange for the secret to being a Daylighter. Because he's terrible. Lest you forget.

So Simon's out on his own, and he decides to retrace his steps from the previous night and hopefully figure out what happened. Which immediately gets him caught by Ollie, because…no duh, cops keep an eye on the scene of a crime. Who'd have thought?

But wait, it gets stupider. See, while she's talking to Simon (who immediately confessed) in her car, Ollie lets it slip that Heidi's bite mark is on her feet. And…like, Simon is grossed out by feet, so he totally never would have done that! Because people never do things that would normally gross them out when they're inebriated, right?

Well, the logic's sound enough for Simon, at least, who breaks out of Ollie's car, because I guess potentially being a murderer is horrible, but actually revealing the Shadow World to a policewoman is just a-okay!

He goes back to the den again, and lo and behold, Quinn's here, biting some other girl on the feet, which totally proves he's the murderer. Well, that and he confesses on the spot.

"It was an accident. Accidents happen, don't worry about it."

Simon threatens to turn him in, which leads to Quinn trying to kill him, because that's how deep his devotion to Simon was. No big loss, right?

I should mention that Clary and Luke track Simon down to the den, and Raphael's also on the case and reaches the den on his own. I should, because it's an attempt at generating tension, and it falls exceptionally flat when Simon…kills Quinn by himself just before the other three enter the den. Congratulations, one of your main characters and two of your main supporting cast were utterly useless.

Well, actually, Luke and Raphael do one more thing, which is hypnotize Ollie into forgetting the whole thing ever happened. So once again, Clary's stuck alone in being more or less useless. Oh, she does get a moment of wrap-up where Simon visits her at the Institute and angsts all over her, but says he'll remain friends with her but just needs time to heal. So…even that scene was all about Simon. You know, for a supposed protagonist who narrates the show's opening, Clary's shoved in the background pretty regularly.

Speaking of which, the episode's other plotline is the one that actually matters, as you might have gathered. And it opens with Sebastian being creepy on purpose some more, down to and including ironing his own hand.

Does this serve a point? We already saw him hold his hand on an open flame, and also, you know, he's holding someone captive. I think the latter qualifies as a better proof that he's a bad guy. We don't need this shit, you guys.

The actual plot, by the way, is that Alec is organizing the transfer of Valentine to the Gard in Idris. I don't know why he wasn't sent straight there when he was first captured, by the way, but okay, good. He's dealing with Magnus's angst over the memories of his past that were triggered when he was tortured as Valentine a few episodes ago, and…I'll skip straight to the resolution of that, because it's what matters the least.

Basically, the memory in question is of Magnus's mom, who (seemingly) killed herself in shame over her son being a warlock. Since the only proof we have of that is Magnus's human dad's word, and that she died from being stabbed in the heart, I have some doubts, but okay. The bad (worse?) part of the memory is that said human dad yelled at Magnus about it, and Magnus lashed out with magic, killing him.

Magnus feels bad, because even at that age, he was in control of his magic and should have known better, and he feels like a monster undeserving of Alec's love. The solution is…kind of obvious.

"There's nothing ugly about you."

Wow. So profound. Also I should remind everyone that this is happening because Alec sanctioned torture of Magnus. Unwittingly, sure, but the fact that Magnus basically has to ask for Alec's acceptance as a consequence of that is a little bit jarring. To say the least.

Meanwhile on the actual plot side of things, Isabelle's tasked with organizing security for Valentine's transfer. The Magnus thing is basically just a delay since he's the only warlock with clearance to open a Portal for something this high-profile. And the show's going to use that delay, fear not.

I'll skip over the scene of Jace removing Valentine's Circle rune. The show says it's because the new wards in Idris won't let him through if he has the rune, but honestly, that scene is nothing but Jace rehashing all the ways Valentine fucked him up emotionally, and then inflicting violence on Valentine (because removing a rune is painful, not because he's actually beating him up, but it's still violence). It's just utterly pointless.

What does matter is that Aline shows up in the meantime. Yeah, Aline is in the show now. Turns out, she heard that her cousin (you know, Sebastian) had resurfaced in New York after going MIA for a while, and she came to check up on him. Cue our Sebastian going back home to his prisoner, who, in a completely unsurprising twist, is the real Sebastian Verlac.

"Tell me [everything about her] or she dies!"

Well, I'll give it to our fake Sebastian: at least he knows how to come up with a decent threat that he can actually carry out.

So Aline and not-Sebastian (and yes, I still need to figure out how to call him) spend the evening together, and he somehow manages to trick her into thinking she's really her cousin. I mean, she does express some suspicions, but overall, it works. However, twist of all twists, the real Sebastian manages to break free from his bonds and escape Sebastian's apartment! Ooh, how tense, I wonder if he'll manage to alert anyone!

Yeah, don't get excited. He reaches the Institute just as Aline is saying goodbye to Isabelle after fake-Sebastian convinced her to go check up on their aunt Elodie, the woman who was taking care of real-Sebastian. And just before real-Sebastian reaches them, fake-Sebastian stabs him in the back. See, his landlord saw his apartment door open, and called him because he thought there was a break-in, so he was already hunting for real-Sebastian, and because dramatic timing rules all, he found him at the very last moment.

What about Valentine's transfer, you may ask? Well, yeah, actually, that wasn't really relevant to the plot of the episode, was it? It just comes back up at the very end of the episode, so you already know it's going to be our cliffhanger. And indeed, just before Valentine walks into Magnus's Portal, another Shadowhunter (Duncan Armstrong, who had been previously seen criticizing Alec's leadership) grabs him, and they never show up on the other side of the Portal.

And then, surprise! We find out that fake-Sebastian is the one who orchestrated that by threatening Duncan's family. He kills Duncan immediately, because \~evil\~, and greets Valentine by revealing who he really is.

And a "hello, Father" for good measure, if there were people in the audience who hadn't understood who he was yet.

And that's the end of the episode. The Simon stuff is trash, but I actually want to talk more about the dual Sebastian plot line. Because it should have been a tense plot, but it's so by-the-numbers that I doubt it would surprise anyone. However, it could easily have been salvaged, and I'm going to propose a version of events that would probably have worked much better (maybe even for people who read the books).

See, the issue here is twofold. One, we the audience already know that Jonathan Morgenstern is impersonating Sebastian, that he's evil, and that he has him captive. Two, we see Sebastian get his way in literally everything he does, so seeing real-Sebastian escape, when we're still halfway through this story arc, isn't really a tense moment. We know Sebastian won't be outed. So that shouldn't be the stakes here, because it makes the conclusion (fake-Sebastian killing real-Sebastian) the safe, predictable decision, and makes real-Sebastian being alive completely irrelevant.

So I propose this instead: everything unfolds as it does up until this episode, without the scenes of fake-Sebastian being obviously evil and creepy by gratuitously burning himself and also having a captive that we know about. Then, in this episode, someone (say, Aline) finds real-Sebastian captive. In his own (supposed) home or elsewhere, it doesn't matter. But real-Sebastian doesn't know that someone's impersonating him; maybe he's only seen Jonathan in his burned appearance we saw at the end of the episode. Based on something Jonathan says next episode, that form is actually stronger, so it would even make sense for him to use it.

Sebastian is rescued, but he's too weak to give too many details (and crucially, reveal he's been captive for a long time while a fake was going around). Aline investigates his capture, and finds Jonathan, still in his burned form, probably trying to get to real-Sebastian and make him disappear before he can spill too much information. Have all the action you want, Jonathan vanishes in the midst of it, having seemingly given up. Real-Sebastian, importantly, must be out of sight during all of this.

So cut to Aline going to check on her cousin, and he acts a little weird and maybe doesn't even know she's his cousin, but oh well, he's still pretty shaken up, so she dismisses it. Of course, it's actually fake-Sebastian again, but the characters don't know that, and we the audience don't either. Well, you can guess it is, but it's left uncertain enough. Maybe Aline found something that hinted at a long captivity, but fake-Sebastian denies being captive for more than a day, comes up with a theory that there may have been other captives, and she takes it at face value and leaves.

That creates mystery, and more importantly, some desperately-needed tension in the form of uncertainty—not for the characters, but for us, the audience. You can even keep the end of the episode intact, except Jonathan doesn't reveal to Valentine that he's in disguise as Sebastian yet. It doubles as a red herring, since now it looks like Jonathan was at the Insitute to (successfully) interfere with Valentine's transfer to Idris, rather than his actual goal of replacing Sebastian.

You can then reveal that real-Sebastian is dead…whenever the show will actually reveal it to the characters (I assume it will eventually). And now we, the audience, share the impact of that twist with the characters.

Of course, there are practical issues with this. In particular, it means having Will Tudor in the burned make-up (and having to make a different voice for Jonathan Morgenstern). And I realize it's easy to make a fix-fic after the fact to improve on a story that already exists. But…well, this was such an easy fix, and one that should have been obvious. Don't give the audience more information than the characters, and then treat the issue like a mystery. It's simple.

Anyway, that's all I have to say for this episode. Hope you enjoyed at least my little writing exercise, because I sure did, and that's pretty much the only thing I actually enjoyed about doing this review.

[rosereview]

Chain of Iron Review

Like my Chain of Gold review (which you can find on my post list or here) this is going to be a hot mess of emotions and feelings with very many spoilers. If you’re wondering if you should read this book (a review without spoilers) my thoughts are go fricking read everything by Cassandra Clare and fall in love with me. Yes, I highly recommend everything that woman has touched with a pen. But besides that, let's get into this review.

Characters

James Herondale- first let's start with one of the main characters who was a big part of this novel. To be honest I don’t have much to say about him personally without getting into his relationships with others and the plot points in the book (which I will talk about later), but I guess I will talk about my love for him. I was unsure at first (before Chain of Gold) how I was going to feel about James and if he would be a typical Herondale boy and be very similar to his father or his descendant, Jace. I was worried that he would be too similar to Will and Jace that he would not stand out, but like in Chain of Gold, I was very happy with his individual character traits and personality. While he is like Will and Jace, James is also very different and his own person. He’s a typical heart throb Herondale, while still having this very reserved and responsible side to him that I love so much. His only flaw is something he can’t control, so yeah… strong character.

Cordelia Carstairs- Like last book, I LOVE Cordelia, although this book was harder to read because of what she went through. Multiple times I wanted to just give her a hug and let her cry on my shoulder. I wish she hadn’t had to go through so much trauma in this book, but I know she’ll become a better character because of it. The whole ordeal with being Lilith’s paladin hurt very much, her unrequited (not really) love for James was heartbreaking to see continuously played on (I JUST WANTED THAT DAMN GRACELET OFF), and the parts about her father also hurt. I need to read Chain of Thorns now, just to make sure that Cordelia is alright in the end.

Matthew Fairchild- talking about Matthew makes me sad because I absolutely love him as a character and I just need him to get better. I’m so happy that he opened up to Cordelia in this book, but I need him to start loving himself again. The pain I feel when reading about him trembling and drinking himself to honestly too much (especially since he’s just a fictional character). And that’s really all I want for Matthew, is for him to be okay one day.

Grace Blackthorn- this was very interesting in Chain of Iron because we got a lot of flashback scenes from Grace’s point of view and that made me not hate her as much anymore. I still am very annoyed at her, but I like that I can finally see more of her side and sympathize with her. I’m very interested to see more of her character development, especially individually without all the stuff with James obscuring my image of her.

Lucie Herondale- someone else that I found I loved much more in this book was Lucie. In the last book, from what I can remember, Lucie was a little interesting at parts (I kind of want to say annoying, although that’s a little too harsh of a word), but I loved her in this book. She had much more character development (I thought) and her personality came out more in a less hectic way. Her inner thoughts started to make more sense to me, and I loved learning more about her as not someone who is just James’s sister, or Cordelia’s future parabatai, but as her own person.

Jesse Blackthorn- Another character I loved to see more of although we mostly just saw him through Lucie’s eyes, and I also already loved him even before. He became a much more understanding and developed character in this book and I can’t wait to see more of him now that he’s alive!

Alastair Carstairs- I totally fell in love with him in this book too! Holy shit, all I wanted to do was hug him and tell him that it would all be alright. Because he is an older sibling I think I can relate to him a lot more now, especially with all this baggage that he was keeping and trying to protect Cordelia from. I found the scenes with just him in them (like when he’s thinking about the future while looking out the window in his house after his father dies and thinking about his new baby sibling that will be born) absolutely amazing and captivating. Obviously I used to hate him because of the short stories that he was in the Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy and other extra short stories, but now I need more of him and I’m internally hurting for him.

Thomas Lightwood- Another character I am hurting for and I just need him to be okay. I loved and hated the fact that he felt so hurt for James because of the killer and he wanted to unburden James by catching the killer. I was just so moved but also so angry that he was putting himself in danger that it was a very emotional time reading (like me clutching the book and shouting at Thomas to stop and go back). But I will always love Thomas and can’t wait to see more of him. 

Christopher Lightwood- Last but certainly not least, is Christopher, who I am obsessed with. That one POV moment that we had from him was one of my favourites and now I need to hear from him more. I love all of his quirks and his inner thoughts are the most adorable thing but also makes me sad because he has no one but Henry to share them with and who fully understands and appreciates him for who he is. Also I still really find it wild that he’s the son of Cecily and Gabriel, who aren’t science-y people at all and who are both much more sarcastic characters, while Christopher is just so sweet and perfect. (Not saying Cecily and Gabriel aren’t perfect, but still never would have imagined them to have a kid like Christopher, but at the same time I find it so perfect that they did). Also I just love Christopher so much! I know I said that already, but I just can’t get over it. I need more of his inner thoughts and just more of HIM. 

Relationships

Now we can finally talk about the characters in terms of their relationships with other characters and since I was just talking about Christopher I need to start with…

Christopher and Grace! — I loved that little moment they shared when they were in Henry’s laboratory and were bonding of the pithos. It was the best moment in the whole book and I keep thinking about it in my head. I know of the family tree from the Clockwork Princess inside cover, it says that Christopher and Grace will get married and have the Lightwood offspring, but I just hadn’t really realized that significance until now. They are so cute together and even though I have expressly said I hated Grace in the past, the way she understood Christopher and the way they could talk together, warmed my heart so much and was the most redeeming part of Grace’s character for me. I just need more moments of Grace and Christopher. 

Now to the next most pressing relationship…

The James, Cordelia, Matthew love triangle!

Let's start with Cordelia and James— I love them together. Even with all the annoying shit with James and the bracelet, their relationship shone in this book and I was so happy about it. They are so perfect for each other and all of their moments together I was bursting with joy. Their chemistry, but also their solid foundation for their relationship is so well written that it’s impossible for me not to see them as together. This is their story and I’m in love with it.

Now Cordelia and Matthew— I also love them, but probably not as much. The thing is, I’m just obsessed with Matthew, so while I love the relationship just because I want Matthew to find happiness, I think James and Cordelia are better together. The problem is with Matthew is that he needs to work on himself first before he could ever hope to fully love someone else and share a life with someone else. I’m very happy for the moment though that Matthew has Cordelia at his side and that he even shared his biggest secret with her because I do think that Cordelia has the capacity to help Matthew (maybe even on this trip to Paris) but I also don’t want it to be too much for Cordelia since she already had to deal with similar issues with her dad and I don’t want it to bring up hard memories for her. But either way I just need the next book to see what happens after that VERY emotional cliffhanger. Cassie did me dirty with that one. 

James and Grace— Well I hate the fricking bracelet (also side note, I absolutely love that the fandom nicknamed the bracelet, gracelet. I love that so much). But I also see why Grace felt like she had to put it on and why she couldn’t take it off, but it still makes me so mad. Especially the way she still felt she could manipulate James in the end because she had nowhere else to go. I hate that part of her, the part that her mother taught her that it’s okay to manipulate men. But I was also so happy how James went off on her at the end, it was very satisfying until Cordelia ran off, but still very happy that James got to yell at Grace like that. 

Lucie and Jesse— another couple I am now fully invested and in love with. This book made me like Lucie more BECAUSE of her development with Jesse. I liked Jesse before, but this book, where we got to see lots of their development as a couple and be completely honest with each other, sealed the deal for me. I can’t wait to read more about Jesse and Lucie in the future because I am so happy for them and so in love with their love, it’s actually kind of ridiculous. 

Alastair and Thomas— again, I just fell completely in love with them in this book. The scenes with them locked up together were some of my favorite scenes, but I was beyond sad when Alastair still broke it off with Thomas in the end. I needed one couple to find some sort of happy at the end of this book, but all of them ended badly! I was very mad, but I can’t wait for the next book to see them get together (because they have to get together). 

Anna and Ariadne— I just love Anna so much and I want her to be happy, but in this book I also felt for Ariadne too. At first I didn’t like her because of the fact that she broke Anna’s heart, but now seeing her try so hard to make up with her… it just makes my heart break for the both of them. Also the only parts in this book that had these two in it, were scenes about their relationship, which is why I didn’t have anything to say about their individual personalities, but I would like to add that Anna is definitely one of my favourite Lightwoods and one of the best minor characters in the Shadowhunter universe. 

Lucie and Cordelia— for these two I wish that we had more scenes of them as friends, but I think one of the most powerful parts of this book that made it so sad, was the fact that Cordelia and Lucie didn’t talk. The way the two girls were by themselves with their problems definitely was a huge factor of why everything went bad, and I’m very certain that if Lucie and Cordelia had talked more, things would have ended differently. So I see and understand why they weren’t able to be the parabatai pals that I wanted them to be, but I still am waiting desperately for more scenes of the two of them just being friends. Another reason I cannot wait for the last book of the series. 

Grace and Jesse— because of all the flashback scenes of Grace, I was able to appreciate her relationship with her brother more. The bond that they have between brother and sister is so strong and beautiful that it’s another thing that redeems Grace as a character, and makes me sympathize a lot more with her. 

The Merry Thieves— just want to say that I love them so much. I will always love them and I just need more scenes of the group of them plus Lucie, Anna, and Cordelia. That is all.

Plot

For plot details in this book, I just have a couple things to talk about, the first being: WHERE THE FUCK WAS THE REAL MAGNUS! Honestly, I know where he was, but I felt so betrayed when Lilith revealed herself to be a pretend Magnus. Every Shadowhunter book has Magnus helping to save the day, and my theory is that the reason everything went so shitty was because Magnus wasn’t there. Jem and Magnus are always needed for these Shadowhunter children who just keep getting caught up into shitty situations. He better help more in the next book (which I already know he will, since at the end of Chain of Iron he was there with Will). On that note, I also thought it was clever of Cassie to have Will and Tessa gone for the majority of the book, because I feel like if they had been there, shit wouldn’t have gotten that bad, both concerning Belial and the kids’ love lives. It wouldn’t have been believable if they had been there but all the events happened in the same way, because I’m pretty sure Will or Tessa would have given more advice to James and Lucie. 

Secondly, that was some crazy business with Belial and Lilith, and also I’m so excited that Lilith is back. I think she’s such an interesting villain being Adam’s first wife and all. But also I don’t like who she’s a manipulative bitch, but I think that’s part of her charm. 

Next, the gracelet. I hate it. Period. Glad it’s off. 

Next plot point— all the stuff with Malcolm! Oh my goodness that was so interesting to see how Malcolm’s villain origin story started. I can’t actually believe that it was Grace that told Malcolm straight up about Annabel (I can actually believe it, I just think it ironic that she’s also a Blackthorn, and really only Blackthorns seem to have messed up Malcolm’s life). I’m very interested to see more of what he does with Jesse and Lucie now that Jesse is alive and Malcolm knows more about Lucie’s powers. 

Lastly, I wanted to touch on the extra short story from the first editions of Chain of Iron, with Magnus and Jem. I think that it was an important scene concerning the future Eldest Curses novel, The Black Volume of the Dead, and maybe even the Wicked Powers series. It just made me even more excited for the future Shadowhunters books and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for us moving forward!

And that’s all I have to talk about. Thank you if you read to the end and were able to sift through my thoughts. This is totally unedited, so sorry for stupid mistakes and such. 

Until next time!

~Rose Reviews

[thefandomentals]

Shadowhunters Chooses To Be Good Instead of Lawful

Season 2B has consistently been the strongest season of Shadowhunters so far. The plotlines and themes have been leveled up, and it is paying off in the big picture. That is why a lukewarm episode like 2x15 does not hinder the overall arc of the season. That said, the set up for the last five episodes of Season 2 could have used a little more sparkle.

And by sparkle, I mean Magnus Bane.

Keep Reading

[lovemalecforever]

Chapter 10

Emotions speak louder than words

Alec looked at her with slight relief and nodded. "Then let's head to New York tomorrow morning itself!"

"If that has to be done then I think Madzie can stay with him for the time being, in that way Magnus won't be alone."

"That sounds like a great idea, but... there's still a problem."

Catarina raised her brow. "What is it?"

"What am I going to tell Magnus about leaving for New York? I can't just say that I have to leave without giving him any reasonable explanation. And you're leaving with me too, he'll get suspicious and will ask a hell lot of questions!"

"We need to come up with something, but honestly I don't even know."

Rubbing his temples, he started pacing around when something struck him. He took out his phone and sent a quick text to his all-time lifesaver.

• Emergency needed, call ASAP!

-Alec. •

Catarina was looking at him intently, reviewing his actions, she got a glimpse of his text and got curious.

"Emergency needed! Really? And who did you text that to? Who else knows?"

Before Alec could answer, his phone started buzzing. He quickly picked it up and put it on speaker, but before he could say anything the other side's voice came quickly with a fierce and strong tone.

"Alec! Look, if this is one of your stupid kinds of emergencies, I swear, I'll portal myself to Alicante and kick your sweet little ass!"

Alec was mortified and his face was flushed with embarrassment. He looked at Catarina who was trying not to laugh.

"Are you done, Izzy!?"

Izzy sighed, then continued. "What is it, big brother?"

"First off, you're on speaker, Catarina is with me so 'thank you' for your sweet talk and second, we've found the complete spell!"

"By the angel! You did!" Izzy squealed. "But... this was your emergency, Alec?"

"Not exactly, for this ritual, I have to come to New York for a few days and Catarina is coming too, I'll explain everything when I'll be there. But the thing is, I don't know what to tell Magnus. Madzie is going to stay with him, but I can't just tell him I'm leaving without any reason, so, word of advice?"

"And to be honest, even though I'm not able to come up with something, knowing Magnus he's not gonna get convinced easily," Catarina added and looked at Alec.

"Oh! Hi Cat! Thank you for helping my brother, it's good to know that he has your support as well. And I agree with that. It's Magnus we're talking about."

"Izzy, not helping!" Alec said impatiently.

"Calm down big brother! Hold on a second..."

There was silence for some time on either side and Alec was growing impatient.

"Izzy, are you there?" But there was no reply.

"Izzy!?"

"Patience Alec!" Came the reply.

Alec sighed and looked at Catarina, she was getting worried too. After a few more minutes, Izzy finally spoke.

"Okay, so Alec, are you going to be busy with your ritual 24X7, or you'll have free time as well?"

"Honestly, it will take just a day, but I'll be needing everyone's permission first, I have to talk to everyone then only I'll proceed with it."

"Perfect! I think I have a solution to your problem!"

Alec and Catarina exchanged a look and heard her plan with curiosity.

_________________________

it was past 5:30 when Alec reached back home. As he entered, a strong smell engulfed his nostrils. Walking in further, he noticed Magnus's sleeping figure on the couch and sighed. The smell was strong and flavorful, so he was certain that something was cooking in the kitchen.

He walked towards their kitchen and saw that various kinds of herbs were spread on the kitchen slab, a pot was kept on the stove which was the source of the smell, and the stove was still on. He turned it off then walked back into the living room where his warlock was still sound asleep.

Kneeling down, he first caressed his cheek then left a soft peck on his forehead. As he was about to stand up, Magnus spoke in a hoarse voice.

"huhh... Alexander?"

"Hey there sleepyhead." He leaned down and pecked him on the lips.

"Hey. When did you come?" Magnus got up and sat on the couch.

"Just now."

"Oh, I didn't hea- oh no!" He panicked and was about to get up when Alec held him and made him sit down.

"Mags, if that was about the dinner you're preparing, I turned off the stove so don't worry, your dinner is safe. You can rest more if you want."

"No, I'm good, and thank you."

"For what? Turning off the stove?" He asked, confused.

"For finally coming home early, though it's not the early I expected but still, thank you."

"Are you trying to make me feel guilty?"

"Are you feeling guilty?"

Alec rolled his eyes. "Magnus, shut it!"

Magnus laughed a little and pulled Alec towards him making both of them fall on the couch, he then got on top of Alec and locked their lips. They pulled apart when they felt the need to breathe. He then rested his head on his Shadowhunter's chest.

"Magnus, love, not right now. We've got dinner to plan, right?"

"Ugh! Can't I cuddle my husband for a few minutes?"

"Magnus!"

"Ugh! Fine! You go get freshen up while I prepare the dinner."

____________________________________

*Time Skip- After dinner*

They both had their dinner and were cuddled on the couch watching Magnus' favorite movie. Alec was sitting and had his legs rested on the table while Magnus was laying down, his head rested on Alec's lap with a blanket covering him, Alec's fingers running through his hair and stroking it gently.

Alec was stroking his Warlock's hair, tangling it in his fingers then untangling it, stroking it then repeating the process again and again absentmindedly as his focus was on how to tell him about leaving for New York.

Magnus noticed this and looked up at his shadowhunter. "Is there something bothering you, Alexander?"

"Huh!? What?" Alec looked down at him.

"Is there something bothering you? You're nervous."

"I'm not nervous, Magnus."

"Alexander, I know your nervous tics, you always do that with my hair whenever you're nervous. What is it?"

"No, I don't, Magnus."

"Yes you do, now say it!"

Alec sighed, he knew he couldn't keep ignoring it and burst it on him at the eleventh hour. "I don't want to ruin our moment, but, can you please sit up? I need to talk to you."

This made Magnus worried, and he got up, paused the movie, and sat there facing his husband. "What's wrong?"

"Magnus, I... I need to leave for New York for a few days."

"What? But why so suddenly?"

"I didn't want to bring it up, but the demon attack that happened a month ago resulting in almost a war... " He trailed off and searched his Warlock's eyes for any sign of distress.

Magnus gulped nervously at the mention of that but composed himself and looked at his Shadowhunter. "What about that?"

"You're aware that it wasn't just in Alicante, it was all around the globe, but Alicante was the main target, destroying almost everything. The Clave made new rules and tightened their hold on the working ways of shadowhunters. They are still working on the new rules." He paused for a moment and looked at him in the eyes.

"I'm not getting it, how is it related?"

"There was a similar attack in New York a few days ago, it was taken care of, but the Clave wants to know how did it happen since every measure was taken and even wards were made stronger. So, they want someone from Clave to go there and inquire about it, and since I'm an Ex-Head of the Institute of New York they want me to go. Also, the meeting related to what was supposed to happen in Alicante has now been shifted to New York, so Cat is coming with me too as she's the new High Warlock of New York." He finished and looked at his warlock deep in the eyes.

Magnus looked at him, taking in every word he said, tears forming in the back of his eyes. The visions of that dreadful day coming in front of his eyes, he shut his eyes tightly.

Alec saw the sudden change in features of his warlock, he knew that look really well, and he knew what to do.

"Mags, hey! Look at me, I'm not going on any fieldwork, it's just a meeting. Hey, love, look at me!" He said softly while caressing his cheeks.

Magnus opened his eyes, tears were pooling on the edge of it. Alec's heart broke seeing that look on his warlocks face.

'I'm sorry, Magnus. I bought it up, but it was necessary, I didn't know what to do or say to you so Izzy and I advanced my inquiry visit and the meeting which was supposed to happen after a month as I didn't want to stress you, but I didn't have the option, I'm sorry love, I wish I can tell you that I'm actually leaving to be yours forever. Inquire visits and meetings are just excuses.' Alec thought.

"Mags, hey, I know what's scaring you, but please, don't think about it. I'm going to be at the institute the whole time and do you think any one of them will let me go on any hunts? They'll kick my ass and make me stay at the institute. You know Jace and Izzy, they won't let me. You don't have to worry about it." He cupped his Warlock's cheeks and wiped away the tears trying to escape from his eyes with the help of his thumbs.

"I'm sorry, I just... that day..."

"Mags..." He said softly.

"Do you promise you won't go on any missions? I know that's your job... but... I just ca-"

"Magnus, I promise, I won't. Just stop crying now, I can't see you like this." 'That's not what I'm going for anyways.' he added in his mind.

Magnus gave him a dull smile, still not completely recovered from the flashes of memories he just had. "When are you leaving?"

"I..." He cleared his throat. "Tomorrow morning. And since Cat is coming with me too, we thought Madzie could stay with you for the time being. If you're okay with it?"

Magnus became a little more normal at the mention of his favorite warlocks name. "Are you kidding!? Sweet pea is always welcomed here. And, by the way, when did you meet Cat?"

"Umm... this evening, before coming home. I went to her apartment to tell her about it."

"Oh, that explains it! Alexander, I'm sorry, I got really emotional for no reason. It's just that I'm not able to-"

"Magnus, I know. You don't have to explain. I didn't want to bring it up, but it was necessary. Honestly, if it hadn't been important, I would never agree on leaving. But Mags, you'll be okay for a few days without me?" He said the last part a little teasingly to lighten the mood, and that did work.

"Why wouldn't I be, instead, me and sweet pea are gonna enjoy and party without your grumpy complaints now and then!"

"Excuse me!? I'm not grumpy!"

"Says the king of grumpiness."

"I'm not grumpy, Magnus!"

"Look who's getting grumpy right no-"

Before Magnus could complete the sentence Alec locked their lips and kissed him with every emotion pooling inside him, his one hand stroking his face gently and the other on his waist holding him in place. He pulled apart after some time and looked straight into Magnus' eyes.

"Can we please live in the moment right now and not discuss that further," Alec said breathlessly.

"Couldn't agree more!"

"Wanna lay down again?" He tapped his lap.

"No, I want cuddles!" He got closer to him leaving no distance between them, lifted the Shadowhunter's hand, wrapped it around himself, and rested his head on his chest, covering them both with the blanket and resuming the movie.

Alec tightened his grip around his warlock's shoulders and smiled with relief that Magnus wasn't upset anymore. He kissed him on top of his head and resumed watching the movie.

[cassandraclare]

a nice review of Red Scrolls!

Hedonistic High Warlock Magnus Bane is vacationing with his boyfriend, demon-slaying Shadowhunter Alec Lightwood, in Paris when Magnus’s friend Tessa delivers bad news. A cult called the Crimson Hand is sacrificing faeries to raise a Prince of Hell who will unleash anarchy in the Shadow World, and Magnus is rumored to be their leader. Magnus concedes that he may have founded the organization as a drunken joke—the memory seems to be missing—but he adamantly denies any current involvement. The warlocks’ governing council won’t punish Magnus if he fixes the problem himself, so he and Alec team up with disgruntled former Crimson Hand member Shinyun Jung to find and disband the group. Vicious demons and suspicious Shadowhunters plague their trek across Europe, endangering their lives and testing Magnus and Alec’s new relationship. Clare (the Mortal Instruments books) collaborates with Chu (the Tao series) on this swashbuckling launch to the Eldest Curses series, set in Clare’s ever-expanding Shadowhunter universe. Magnus and Alec’s swoon-worthy romance explores the transformative power of love, while abundant action drives the tale to a harrowing finish.

Thanks, Publisher’s Weekly! 

[titsthedamnseason]

in the dead of night: chapter two

chapter 1 | once again: the most special of thanks to @tyblackthorn and @mostawesomepineapple for their guidance, they are both very lovely and i highly recommend you follow them if you arent already <3. also, i will be posting this to ao3 soon so keep an eye out for that but otherwise - enjoy losers!!

Julian was just finishing placing the last dirty breakfast dish in the sink when he heard Cameron come into the kitchen. The room was now empty, save the two of them, all the kids having gone off to be on their own, and Diana having not arrived yet. 

It was clear that Cameron had come to check on Julian, and find out what had occurred with the institute head the previous night. The last he’d known, Arthur had been in a maddened state worse than usual, but Julian had told him to go to bed and that it was under control, which had, of course, proved to be true. Normally, Cameron would have wanted to stay up and help to ensure these results, but he’d had a particularly nasty fight with an Eidolon demon earlier in the day, and had been exhausted, something he’d felt guilty about the entire morning.

“What happened last night? You look exhausted. I think even Dru was a little intimidated by the bags under your eyes.” Cameron had come around the table, and was now settled into a chair that he was sitting backwards on, his arms draped over the back, facing Julian, who was leaning back against the kitchen counter and wiping his hands on a floral towel.

“Gee thanks,” Julian responded, giving his parabatai a dry look. As he set the towel back on the counter, he squinted at the blaring sun coming in through the window, and figured today would be a good beach day. The whole family hadn’t had one in a while. The only problem would be convincing Diana to cancel training for the day, though she might go for it if they invited her to the beach . . .

“Hello? Earth to Jules.” Julian shook his head to clear it, and focused back on a worried Cameron. “Did everything go okay last night? You seem distracted. You would have woken me if anything had gone wrong, right?” The guilt was clearly displayed on his face, even though Julian had been the one to tell him to get rest. Julian quickly worked to reassure the other boy that it was alright.

“Yeah, sorry, no worries.” Julian gave a small smile, but it was quickly replaced with a more serious look as he sighed. “After you went to bed last night I tried getting in contact with Malcolm for at least a half hour before deciding it was no use. I would have tried for longer, but there was no time. Arthur was only getting worse.” Julian seemed sickened by the memory, and Cameron looked only slightly better. “I was running out of options, had nearly given up entirely, resigning myself to a night of a deranged Arthur, hoping Malcolm would come in time to fix it, or that he would wear himself out, that we wouldn’t need to involve the Silent Brothers or the Clave or anything, you know?” 

Cameron nodded his head in acknowledgement at the predicament that he’d heard and experienced himself a thousand times over. He wondered how his parabatai had gotten around it this time. With some brilliant plan, most likely.

Julian continued on, prompted by Cameron’s response. “Well, anyway, lucky for me, I just barely remembered the advice Malcolm had given us that I had nearly cast from my mind entirely, disregarding it as irrelevant but––”

“You called Emma Carstairs?!” Cameron clearly recalled the time that Malcolm had recommended the foreboding warlock to them, and how ridiculous the idea had seemed then. They hadn’t told Malcolm how absurd his proposition had come across as, but they had poked fun at it on their way back home from his house and well after. Emma was notorious for hating Shadowhunters, and was very private. Very few knew what she looked like, or where she resided for most of her days, but supposedly she received a lot of requests via fire-message from individuals hoping to gain her help, hearing of her powers, and optimistic to become one of the few who could say they knew her.

“Well, I actually fire-messaged her, but yes. She showed up almost right away. I’m not sure how the night would have gone without her, but I imagine quite poorly.” He then recounted the rest of the tale from the night before, how Emma had calmed down Arthur, what she looked like, their conversation after. The only part he left out were her qualms about being wary of Malcolm. Julian wasn’t sure if he trusted those yet, and there was no need to worry Cameron over nothing. “Just don’t mention this to Malcolm, please. He hasn’t even gotten back to me from last night yet, but I don’t want him to think we don’t need or appreciate his help. You know how flaky his feelings are, and I’m not sure how willing Emma would be to help us again if Malcolm thought we didn’t need his help and started refusing to give it.”

It wasn’t the best excuse, and Julian didn’t like having to keep things from his parabatai, but Cameron accepted it without question. “So she doesn’t hide her identity because she’s actually hideous? Livvy will be so disappointed.” It had been a long running joke in the Blackthorn family that for Emma Carstairs to be so secretive, her appearance must be atrocious. Livvy had been the one to start the conspiracy, and she was highly dedicated to her cause. Julian smiled at the thought.

“I’m glad that’s what you took away from the story, Cam,” Julian sighed. Finished with recounting the story, he went back to work wiping down the counter, turning his back on Cameron. He might joke, but Julian knew Cameron was only trying to lighten the serious tone and not make light of the situation itself, knowing how delicate the balance was.

The other boy didn’t look deterred by this response and merely shrugged. “That’s what I’m here for, dissecting the important parts of the stories that you overlook while you’re too busy overanalyzing everything else. Without me you’d be hopelessly lost, I’m sure.”

They shared a smile, and then set to clearing out the rest of the kitchen. They threw around meaningless conversation as they did, crafting a plan to get out of the day’s training and joking around. The matter from the night before was temporarily forgotten, and life continued on like normal for the LA Institute.

Julian knew that after the kitchen was clear, he would go off to the office to respond to the letters the institute had recently received while Cameron watched the kids for him. He knew that Diana wouldn’t give them a beach day, and they’d still have to train. He knew he was of age but still couldn’t do anything to save his family, not really, and he knew that his business with Emma Carstairs was not done, and wouldn’t be, not until he found out what was fueling her suspicions of Malcolm, and was sure he’d avoided any and all threats to his family.

---------

Julian could not stop thinking about Emma Carstairs, or rather, he could not stop thinking about what Emma Carstairs had told him.

As it turned out, the family had been able to squeeze in a beach day, so he’d spent the day at the beach with his family, minus Diana, who had been unable to make it to the institute at all that day due to other arrangements. Malcolm had finally gotten back to Julian around noon, texting to see if everything was alright, and Julian had easily responded that Arthur had eventually passed out from sheer exhaustion and had not awoken since, but that they needed more medicine. Malcolm had promised to bring it over before the next day’s end.

This was nothing out of the ordinary, Malcolm being flighty with his responses, but helping them out in the end. What made it different now was that another well known warlock, one that Malcolm had recommended himself, had warned Julian against trusting Malcolm. It wasn’t as if he even knew Emma Carstairs, or had any reason to trust her, even if she had helped him greatly and without charge the night previous, but he couldn’t help but consider that maybe she had good reasons. If that was the case, Julian wanted to know what those reasons were, and what her intentions were, because he couldn’t risk endangering his family, whether through Malcolm or through Emma.

He was pulled from his thoughts when Tavvy called out to him. He and Ty had just finished building a sandcastle, and they wanted him to come see it. As he made his way across the sand to them and saw Cameron splashing around with Livvy and Dru in the ocean behind, he vowed to get to the bottom of this Emma Carstairs business one way or another. He would do whatever it took to keep his family safe.

---------

Julian didn’t know if this plan would work and he didn’t like the feeling. The thing about Julian’s plans was that they were always foolproof, always well thought-out, and always reviewed by Cameron to pick out any possible flaws. The problem with this particular plan, was that it qualified as none of those things.

Julian knew that it was a bad idea, trying to contact Emma Carstairs again, and to do it by lying to her. Warlocks were usually pretty grumpy to begin with, and he doubted she would appreciate the false summons on top of that. He didn’t even know if she would respond at all. These were only two of the very many things that could go wrong with this plan. As Julian sat at the desk in his room, sighing as he watched the clock strike past midnight once again, he began writing his letter to Emma.

When he finished, he set down the pen and picked up his stele, quickly scrawling the fire-message rune onto the back of the sealed and folded letter. After sending it, he got up to go to the institute’s entryway, to hopefully intercept Emma when she arrived, and finally taking notice of the mess in his room, duly noting that he needed to clean it.

He wasn’t entirely positive that he wasn’t hallucinating from sleep deprivation when Emma Carstairs suddenly appeared in front of him. He rubbed at his eyes just to be sure.

“Julian, I’m so sorry! I feel awful about Arthur, I really thought the spell would hold! Take me to him now, I’ll fix it for you, and I’ll be sure it holds this time. No charge again, of course.” The guilt was all over her face, something Julian had not accounted for. It was clear that she’d been about to go to bed, if she hadn’t already been sleeping. She was dressed in cotton shorts and an oversized sweatshirt, paired with fuzzy socks and Ugg slippers. Her hair was down and draped across her shoulders, unlike the night previous when it had been held back in a braid.

“Don’t be sorry. I’m sorry. I lied to you so you would come, Arthur’s fine.” Julian scratched the back of his neck, hoping to pull off an innocent look. Judging by her face, the warlock was not impressed. He began thinking that perhaps the brutal honestly had not been the way to proceed with this plan, but he hadn’t had much time to think about it.

“What do you mean he’s fine?” Her arms were crossed over her chest, and she was staring him down. Julian silently hoped she wouldn’t turn him into a frog, and hoped if she did Cameron would take the risk and kiss him to see if he turned back. The kids wouldn’t survive with Cameron left as their only guardian. Julian needed to fix this quick.

“Look, I know this job has probably been––unusual, to say the least.” Emma raised her eyebrows at that, but Julian continued on, unmoved by her reaction. “I really am sorry that I had to call you back, and that I lied to you in the process. The truth is, I needed to see you to ask about Malcolm. Trusting him is no small matter for me and I couldn’t live knowing that I might be putting my little siblings in danger by keeping him close to us. I need to know what you know about him and how you know it.” Julian knew he’d been successful in getting to her when her glare gave way to a weary look and she began rubbing her eyes.

“Look, I’m not about to start telling you my entire history. I understand why you had to lie to me, but why should I tell you anything? Not to mention, it’s the middle of the night, and I rushed here for no reason. Is this how you conduct all your important business meetings?”

“I know you have no reason to tell me anything, but please, I’m begging you on behalf of my family, my siblings who have done nothing to deserve the shit hand they’ve been dealt in life. If you tell me this, and help me protect them, I swear I’ll never try to contact you again and I’ll pay you double whatever you’d be asking for this information.”

“Zero doubled is still just zero. Plus, making such promises is ridiculous. I will tell you what I can now, Julian, and if you desperately need me again I’ll come, but please don’t make light on that offer. It is to be used only in the most dire of instances, and only applies if you cease from lying to me again. Especially when it’s at the expense of my emotions, and my pizza, which has definitely burned by now.” She looked put out as she said this, though over his lie, her guilt, or her charred pizza, Julian couldn’t say.

“There isn’t much I can tell you about Malcolm, though it isn’t due to my withholding of information. In truth, I can’t even be absolutely sure he has ill intentions. What I am sure of is the bitterness that has always resided within him, and the horrific history he has with Blackthorns. It is entirely possible that he has seen sense and long forgotten the matter, though as someone in your situation, I wouldn’t count on it.” She let out a sigh and made her way to Julian’s desk to lean on as she told the story.

“You see, long ago, Malcolm had fallen in love with a Shadowhunter girl, a Blackthorn girl, who had loved him back just as greatly. Of course, at the time, it was seen as entirely revolting. I won’t go into the gruesome events that followed after they were discovered, and doing research on it would be essentially hopeless seeing as nearly all record of the event has been erased, but take my word for it that they were horrible. The girl was killed. Malcolm blamed the Blackthorns, among others. Maybe his connections to you and your family are of pure intent, but all I’m saying is that it seems awfully convenient that of all Shadowhunter families, he’s taken a liking to yours. He hasn’t wronged you yet, seemingly, but it doesn’t mean he won’t.”

Julian looked exhausted, and his eyes were filled with helplessness at Emma’s words. “I can’t go to Malcolm about this. If I imply to him that I’m suspicious and he has only pure intentions, he’ll get offended. If I tell him and he is working against us, he’ll only speed up his plans. Should I stop asking him for favors, just to be safe?” Julian knew that he couldn’t entirely trust what she was saying, and wouldn’t consider it fact, but he suspected there was at least some truth behind it, and plus, getting her advice on this might prove helpful. Something she said might give him a little more insight on how to proceed, even if  he didn’t take her advice fully.

“Absolutely not. If you ever encounter an issue that you don’t feel you can trust Malcolm with or suspect he may be misdirecting you, contact me and I’ll help. Otherwise, Malcolm should be fine. He hasn’t steered you wrong yet, and never asking him for things would just seem suspicious.” She seemed like she meant it, and so far she’d done nothing but benefit him. He would certainly keep her offer in mind.

“Thank you. I’m sorry again that I tricked you into coming here, but I was desperate. Just like last night, I guess. God, I wish I would stop finding myself in this position.” He was looking at her through hooded eyes, his head hanging with defeat and fatigue.

“You’re welcome, and stop reminding me of your misdeeds, Julian Blackthorn. At this rate I shall never forgive you.” She flashed him the smile that rarely seemed to leave her face. “I’m glad I was able to help, even if it was only slightly.”

“Yeah, a little more information might have been nice, but I understand. It’s good that I know even this much, or else I might have gone on blindly trusting Malcolm for the rest of my life without it. Without you. So, thank you for sharing, and for helping, and for continuously showing up at my house in the middle of the night. Also, for risking your pizza, that one is important.”

“You said thank you already, but you’re right, the pizza was a tremendous sacrifice.” As she approached him this time, she reached out for his hand and shook it, still smiling all the while. “I’m not sure you need reminding, but just in case you’ve forgotten, don’t tell anyone I was here, and especially don’t tell Malcolm I was here. He doesn’t like me already, and I can’t imagine he would be pleased with me stealing his customers.” She ended her statement with a wink, and was yet again gone before Julian could respond. He guessed she must not like goodbyes very much, if she was always disappearing before they could properly happen.

As Julian made his way to his bed, ready to finally sleep, he couldn’t help but compare this night to the one previous. Emma was once again so different than he’d expected, even if he had met her the night before. She was also very gracious, contrary to her reputation, what with helping him again, and doing it free of charge both nights. He supposed he should be more suspicious than he was, but nothing that she’d done had seemed disingenuous, and she’d only helped him so far. You could say the same about Malcolm, his brain reminded him. He couldn’t help but acknowledge that his brain made a fair point, and yet still, he felt as though he could trust Emma, even if he had to tread carefully if he was going to do so.

She had once again left behind the smell of roses, and as he drifted off to sleep he couldn’t help but note one thing that was different about tonight. He was sure he wasn’t going to tell Cameron about this in the morning.

[preserving-ferretbrain]

City of Celluloid

by Dan H

Sunday, 01 September 2013

Dan has seen the City of Bones movie.

Uh-oh! This is in the Axis of Awful...~

I first reviewed Cassandra Cla(i)re's City of Bones in the halcyon days of 2008.

Today, Kyra and I went to see the movie!

Umm...

Long time readers (or people who read the review I linked to above) may recall that I found the original book of City of Bones so blisteringly incoherent that I was barely able to write about it in any kind of sensible manner.

The movie is worse.

Kyra and I saw this film in the tiny, crappy screen at the Odeon on Magdalen Street, an experience we shared with about a dozen other people, all of whom seemed to be having a similarly terrible experience.

Just as with the original book, I really don't know where to start. Because this film is awful in nearly every conceivable way.

Let's start with the good bits:

Good Bit: The Cast are Actually Pretty Cool

Jamie Campbell-Bower is actually really good as Fanon Draco. In the book, I felt that his constant wisecracking revealed less about the character's emotional turmoil than about the author's desire to show off her ability to write one-liners. Campbell-Bower's delivery, though, actually manages to create the impression that I always felt the book was aiming for but failed to achieve – that Fanon Draco is hiding behind playful or dismissive language in order to avoid confronting his feelings.

Lily Collins is a bit generic as Clary but then, really, what does she have to work with. She's … a girl? She has special powers? She's hot for Fanon Draco?

Robert Sheehan (the guy that plays Immortal Kid in Misfits) does a reasonable turn as Simon, although again there isn't a huge amount to do with the character. He wears glasses (temporarily). He has a raging case of nice-guy-syndrome. Meh. I swear he's taller in this than he is in other stuff.

Perhaps most excitingly (even more excitingly than Jamie Campbell-Bower, and I love Jamie Campbell-Bower), Jonathan Rhys Meyers does a fabulously scenery-chewing turn as Valentine. And boy does he need it, because if he stopped raging around and roaring for ten seconds, you might have to ask yourself what the holy fucking hell is actually supposed to be happening, and then you'd probably have to go and cry.

Incidentally, I think it probably says something about the way things work in Hollywood that the teenage protagonists of this film are played by actors in their mid twenties, while their father is played by an actor in his mid thirties. Clearly Valentine was extraordinarily sexually precocious (even if we ignore the fact that Collins and Campbell-Bower are the best part of a decade older than the characters they portray, Rhys-Meyers' Valentine would still have to have started breeding at nineteen to have two seventeen-year-old kids).

Good Bit: It Is Quite Visually Interesting

Part of the fun of this kind of film is that it lends itself quite well to spectacle, and in the beginning the film-makers do a really good job of establishing a visual style, whether it's the Hogwarts-esque grandeur of the institute, the hundreds of Shadowhunter runes that Clary draws in her sleep, or the grotesque, body-splitting demons.

Some of these images might come from the book. I honestly don't remember. I'm pretty sure that the device of Clary drawing Shadowhunter runes is film-only, and I seem to recall that the entire concept of Demons being able to possess people is contrary to book-canon (where Demons are fairly specifically greebly monsters that eat you).

Having said the film is quite visually interesting, I should backtrack a little and say that the film is quite visually interesting in kind of its first half. After they get to the Institute things just get very, very lazy. Big generic flappy-winged monsters. Generic black-and-red demons who look weirdly like the dudes that the Zin send after you in Saints' Row IV

Although Valentine does make a pentagram out of swords. For which plus ten points for swords, minus six points because the pentagram is such an obvious symbol.

And now the rest:

Bad Bit: What The Fuck Is Going On?

So Clary is drawing runes. Then she meets a guy who only she can see. Then later other people can see him.

Then her mum gets attacked by dudes who are looking for the Mortal Cup, so she drinks some kind of magic coma potion because that is apparently the thing you do in that situation.

Then Clary gets attacked by a demon, and the guy rescues her.

Then they do a lot of running around, and the guy who we saw with her mum earlier said he was only hanging out with her to get the cup.

Then they go to this place called the institute. Some people are vaguely rude to Clary. Others aren't.

Clary works out that Damien from Gossip Girl is both gay and in love with Fanon Draco, despite the fact that he has said one sentence and been on screen for eight seconds.

Then Clary goes to see the Silent Brothers. This is one of the bits that are vaguely visually interesting. She has a vision where she sees the name Bane (well, actually she see a series of dots, but Fanon Draco realises that the dots are really, umm, the spaces around the letters in the word BANE witten in block caps. Because her brain stored the negative image. Apparently).

Then they go to see a Warlock. It is vitally important that before they do this that (a) Clary get dressed up in sexy clothes and (b) everybody including Clary take the time to observe that she looks like a hooker, because while it is important for women to dress sexily, it is also important to remember that women who dress sexily are gigantic whores.

The warlock agrees to help them because he is gay, and therefore fancies Damien from Gossip Girl, because all gay men are instantly attracted to all other gay men. The warlock is not wearing any trousers. I am not making this up.

The Immortal Kid from Misfits is captured by vampires for no clear reason.

Something something werewolves something something.

Then there is a scene in a garden where it is all romantic and you know it is romantic because they kiss, but also because there is an extraordinarily loud and intrusive love song played over the top.

Then I think Clary works out where the Mortal Cup is, because she is drinking tea while reading a book, and suddenly the teacup goes inside the page like a picture.

Then they fight a scary black woman.

Then Clary gets the Mortal Cup. Then the man with the grey hair opens the big water portal and Valentine comes through.

Then there is a really, really long fight scene.

No, I mean, like really, really long.

I mean, like half an hour in a two hour movie.

There is a flamethrower. Why is there a flamethrower?

Clary does magic with her glowing dildo pen to freeze some demons.

Did I mention flamethrower?

Grey hair man is a good guy again?

Valentine is everybody's father.

They win?

More glowing dildo magic?

Clary and Fanon Draco drive away on a motorcycle. At a slow walking pace.

Potentially Hilarious Bit: Deviations From Canon

The thing I find most uplifting about the Mortal Instruments movie is that now not only will there be fanfiction based on a novel series based on fanfiction of a different novel series, but there will now be schisms within that fandom between book fans and movie fans.

I read City of Bones five years ago, so I don't really remember it at all well, but I'm pretty sure there were some pretty big changes from book-canon. I'm almost certain that the final confrontation in the original book doesn't take place in the Institute, and Valentine's motivations in the movie are a lot less morally ambiguous, in that he's fairly explicitly trying to take over the world with an army of demons rather than just wipe out the downworlders (I might also point out that the word “downworlder” only appears once in the entire movie).

At the risk of sounding like a horrible nerd and closeted Cla(i)re fanboy, I was strangely irritated by the fact that Valentine, in the film, is able to summon an army of demons by using sort of generic magic, since in the book of City of Ashes a major plot-point is that he needs the Mortal Sword for exactly that purpose.

Other changes form canon just made sense. For example, in the film, Valentine more or less states outright that he used the same kind of memory magic that Marcus Bane used on Clary in order to make Fanon Draco forget that he was raised by the most famous and reviled person in the history of his people. Now actually I'm pretty sure that this isn't possible under book-canon. Shadowhunter magic is runes and only runes, you'd need a warlock for a memory-block, and there's no way that Valentine would have gone to one. But here the film-makers did basically the best they could with what they had. The alternative would be to just go with what it says in the book, which is that Fanon Draco just completley failed to realise that the man who raised him looked exactly like the man whose picture is all over the Institute.

The film also strongly implied that the man Fanon Draco remembered as his father wore an enormous hood at all times.

On the subject of Fanon Draco's heritage, the film inexplicably chose to keep the nonsensical “M turned upside down” plot point from the book, and translated to a visual medium it has exactly the problem I pointed out in my original article. During the climactic scene, when Fanon Draco is staring at his hand and realising to his horror that what he thought was a W is actually an M, the camera is showing us the ring from the other side as it has more or less consistently throughout the entire movie so we are only just seeing it as a W when for us it has been an M for the rest of the film.

Also, the scene with the ring is also pretty much the first time we learn the surnames of either Valentine or Fanon Draco.

The final change from book-canon is to do with the … umm … incest.

A major plot point in The Mortal Instruments is that Clary and Fanon Draco want to be together but can't because they're brother and sister. At the end of the final book, it turns out that Valentine actually isn't Fanon Draco's father at all, he just did weird angel-blood experiments on him while he was still in the womb.

Now I could be wrong, but I think the film-makers really didn't want two and a half movies in which their male and female leads spent half their time seriously contemplating incestuous sex, so they put the “not his real father” line in before any of the other revelations. So now after Valentine shows up in the Institute, he has a conversation with Hodge, where Hodge says “hey, if you really wanted to screw with those guys you could lie and tell them they were brother and sister.” This somewhat alters the context of everything that happens next, and everything that will happen in the next two films.

So umm, yeah. That's City of Bones: the Movie. It may actually be worse than the book.Themes:

TV & Movies

,

Cassandra Clare

~

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http://ronanwills.wordpress.com/

at 14:01 on 2013-09-01Robert Sheehan is in this? I'm really hoping he's destined for better things, so this better not end up derailing his career.

Anyway, I was hoping to see a review of the movie on here so now I can satisfy my curiosity without actually watching it myself. I have to admit some of the clips they released actually looked fairly entertaining, but I guess they're not indicative of the movie itself.

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Dan H

at 15:22 on 2013-09-01I think it depends on what you mean by "indicative". There are certainly a lot of entertaining clips, it's just that there's nothing stringing them together. It's like the film is a two hour long trailer.

This is more or less exactly the same problem that I had with the book. There are quite a lot of cool scenes, but they just sort of happen one after the other with no real throughline or sense of arc.

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Fishing in the Mud

at 15:44 on 2013-09-01I'm kind of morbidly curious about what keeps the Clare train going. It looks like she's making money off her work and everything, but I have to wonder how she feels about the terrible reviews her work gets even from critics who like and praise popular writers like Whedon and Rowling. Something tells me the poor woman isn't just in this for the money.

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Arthur B

at 22:24 on 2013-09-01

Incidentally, I think it probably says something about the way things work in Hollywood that the teenage protagonists of this film are played by actors in their mid twenties, while their father is played by an actor in his mid thirties. Clearly Valentine was extraordinarily sexually precocious (even if we ignore the fact that Collins and Campbell-Bower are the best part of a decade older than the characters they portray, Rhys-Meyers' Valentine would still have to have started breeding at nineteen to have two seventeen-year-old kids).

Isn't this part of the usual weirdness with American media wanting to cast teenagers in sexually provocative roles but not, for obvious reasons, wanting to show actual (or even simulated) underage action on screen? I literally just started watching

Vampire Diaries

and half my viewing time so far has been spent yelling at the screen WHY ARE YOU STILL IN SCHOOL GET A JOB YOU SLACKERS

(Though to be fair, the fact that all the high schoolers are grown-ass adults makes the whole thing less creepy in some ways.)

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Cressida

at 22:55 on 2013-09-01A video review from The Nostalgia Chick; I'm curious what Ferretbrainers think...

http://blip.tv/nostalgia-chick/the-next-whatever-the-mortal-instruments-and-ya-adaptations-6635563

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Arthur B

at 23:19 on 2013-09-01My thoughts are "Woah, holy shit, a TGWTG reviewer who offers interesting insights and doesn't rely heavily on gimmicks, fake rage and wAcKy ChArAcTeRs, how rare is that?"

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Michal

at 00:56 on 2013-09-02I was actually about to post that video. Needless to say, I find her points to be very good ones.

My thoughts are "Woah, holy shit, a TGWTG reviewer who offers interesting insights and doesn't rely heavily on gimmicks, fake rage and wAcKy ChArAcTeRs, how rare is that?"

The good ones gather at Chez Apocalypse. Kyle Kallgren of

Brows Held High

is also very erudite and worth watching, especially his more recent videos. (Even better, the crossover between Nostalgia Chick and Brows Held High in which they review

Freddy Got Fingered

is truly something to behold)

I'm kind of morbidly curious about what keeps the Clare train going.

There are very few writers who are purely in it for the money, even the bad ones. I can assure you E.L. James probably enjoyed writing

Fifty Shades of Grey

very much and did not think "my

Twilight

fanfic will make millions!" But if there is a sentiment towards material gain behind Clare's work and writing, it can probably be summed up by

this enormous tour bus

.

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Fishing in the Mud

at 17:04 on 2013-09-02

I can assure you E.L. James probably enjoyed writing Fifty Shades of Grey very much and did not think "my Twilight fanfic will make millions!"

No doubt. But with Clare, I get the sense she doesn't want to write dreck and doesn't want people to think she writes dreck, but may not fully understand how to get better.

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http://wrongquestions.blogspot.com/

at 09:10 on 2013-09-03

with Clare, I get the sense she doesn't want to write dreck and doesn't want people to think she writes dreck

Obviously there's a non-trivial number of people who don't think that she writes dreck. She was a massively successful fanfic author, after all, to the extent of getting a professional publishing contract off her fanfic (and despite her books' debt to Harry Potter, unlike E.L. James she hasn't sold her fanfic; she had to write something from scratch and sell that). And I have seen other YA authors rave about her, though it's not clear to me how much of this is liking the books and how much liking her. Either way, she's got a community (and readers) who give her validation, and if the film of her book has been panned it will be pretty easy for her and her fans to take this as the result of adaptation decay rather than a reflection on the source material.

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Dan H

at 13:11 on 2013-09-03To be fair to Cla(i)re, I do think she's improved over the years. City of Bones was a gigantic incoherent mess. City of Ashes was a slightly less incoherent mess, City of Glass and Clockwork Angel were sort of okay. I mean they still had all of the annoying stuff that I'd expected from Clare's writing, but they actually told a story that made some modicum of sense.

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Alice

at 13:52 on 2013-09-03Either way, she's got a community (and readers) who give her validation, and if the film of her book has been panned it will be pretty easy for her and her fans to take this as the result of adaptation decay rather than a reflection on the source material.

This should be taken with a massive pinch of salt and a [citation needed], but the impression I got was that during the film production process, Clare had talked a lot about how closely involved with the film she was, but once it became clear the film was a flop, she backpedalled and began downplaying her involvement.

Then again, she's not in the business of making films, she's in the business of selling books, and she's pretty good at that.

And I have seen other YA authors rave about her, though it's not clear to me how much of this is liking the books and how much liking her.

Wasn't Maureen Johnson accused of being part of a YA Mafia (including Johnson and Clare) who were somehow all in cahoots and conspiring to get each other published? Because there happened to be a bunch of (aspiring/new) YA authors living in NYC at the same time who were friends and liked to hang out and write together, and happened to all get published to varying degrees of success/popularity? It all seemed a bit storm-in-a-teacup-ish to me, because, well, they were all in the same business, in the same city, and about the same age. And once two or three people become friends they're likely to make friends with each other's friends, especially if you're all in the same boat like that. And sure, they might have been able to help each other with getting agents and that sort of thing, but that's not quite the same thing as getting your friend published & on the bestseller list...

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http://alula-auburn.livejournal.com/

at 19:51 on 2013-09-03I've found the commercials amazingly bad, even for the parameters "that type of thing." Like, it's possible I've blocked it out, but I don't recall the Twilight ads looking so badly put together, in terms of picking out lines to quote or images to use.

Of course, I don't quite see how all the people involved in making a film didn't get the difference between something like Harry Potter or Twilight, which for better or worse penetrated the wider culture (even my extremely pop-cultural illiterate dad could identify Harry Potter as something with a school of wizards, and Twilight as vampires) and this--I think if you didn't have at least some sense of what the books were about the commercials would look even more pointless. (Which was kind of how I felt about the other YA fantasy flop? Beautiful Creatures? Southern accents and witches or something? I still don't know.)

I've not read the TMI (lol) books, but I did read the somewhat-annotated Draco trilogy in an overwrought, sleep-deprived unmedicated-for-a-chronic-pain-condition haze, and I can vaguely see how her style could be sort of compelling for the right sort of pretentious youthful mindset. (I didn't know about the plagiarism stuff then--I barely had a sense of fandom; I was a total naif.) But how it's held up to much more than that I don't know. I also don't know anything about TMI fandom--if the books have much if any staying power outside either that brief, pretentious adolescent window (which can almost be endearing in its own way) or the somewhat incestuous-seeming YA reviews. But there are adults, I guess, who find the ponderous self-absorption of the Twilight books (at least, that's the tone I saw in the quoted lines I read) to be good and profound writing.

That said, I find John Green tiresome and the bit of Maureen Johnson I read didn't do much for me. I don't know if I've had bad luck lately in my YA choices (I read Thirteen Reasons Why because I got it for free), but I've seen a lot more of that faux-deep heavy tone, which to me does not indicate a "maturing" of YA. (But I have personal reasons to be snippy about "literary" YA, so.)

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Alice

at 20:44 on 2013-09-04I've found the commercials amazingly bad, even for the parameters "that type of thing."

I don't know that I thought they were that unusually terrible (within the parameters of "that type of thing", at least), but I was confused by the number of English accents on display, particularly Jace's. Is he meant to be/sound English*, or is it just that Jamie Campbell Bower can't do a US accent?

*I don't remember him being pegged as English in the book, but I read that years ago and don't remember the details.

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Cammalot

at 21:42 on 2013-09-04One odd thing -- virtually every review I've read of this film has complained that Jayce is "a thousand years old" or similar and either doesn't act it, or shouldn't be macking on Clary at his age. Is that something that the film made particularly confusing? I don't recall him or any other forefront character being anything like an immortal in the book -- I mainly remember Isabelle being 14 and acting a bit precociously vampy.

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Dan H

at 19:26 on 2013-09-05@Alice

I don't know that I thought they were that unusually terrible (within the parameters of "that type of thing", at least), but I was confused by the number of English accents on display, particularly Jace's. Is he meant to be/sound English*, or is it just that Jamie Campbell Bower can't do a US accent?

That confused me as well. I don't think I've ever *heard* him do an American accent, but the guy is an actor, surely he can learn? Is it that Valentine has an English accent because he's the villain, and Jace has an English accent because he was raised by Valentine? Or am I giving the film too much credit.

@Cammalot

One odd thing -- virtually every review I've read of this film has complained that Jayce is "a thousand years old" or similar and either doesn't act it, or shouldn't be macking on Clary at his age. Is that something that the film made particularly confusing?

*Everything* in the film is particularly confusing. The film makes no real attempt to explain anything, and there's one line where Jace says something about his people having been doing something "for a thousand years" and the way he says it I can see why somebody who wasn't familiar with Cla(i)re's work might think he was talking from personal experience.

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Fishing in the Mud

at 00:04 on 2013-09-06Fanon Draco must retain his English accent to remain fuckworthy. This point is not negotiable.

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Dan H

at 01:14 on 2013-09-06A tiny part of me is *incredibly* sad that they didn't cast Tom Felton as Jace.

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Cheriola

at 04:31 on 2013-09-06

Incidentally, I think it probably says something about the way things work in Hollywood that the teenage protagonists of this film are played by actors in their mid twenties, while their father is played by an actor in his mid thirties.

While I agree that the wish to sexualise teenagers is probably part of the practise of

Dawson Casting

, the reasons for it are also based in labour laws. It's much less of a hassle to work with adults who can work a full day and don't still have to get high school lessons on the side / won't suddenly leave the franchise in order to start college. And you don't run into problems like the Harry Potter movies with teen actors who age faster than their characters or suddenly look a lot different than their characters are supposed to. (e.g. the actor playing Neville became quite handsome.) Plus, even if there is the occasional prodigy, most actors really do need drama school before being anywhere close to good enough to portray actual characters, instead of just being 'cute'.

Clearly Valentine was extraordinarily sexually precocious (even if we ignore the fact that Collins and Campbell-Bower are the best part of a decade older than the characters they portray, Rhys-Meyers' Valentine would still have to have started breeding at nineteen to have two seventeen-year-old kids).

Really? It's considered "precocious" to be a horny 19-year-old egomaniac who doesn't use condoms? Seems in keeping with the power-high invincibility complex and the lack of care for other people's problems that usually characterise a stereotypical villain like that. I mean, it's not him that would have to care the baby, unless he wants to.

Also, the scene with the ring is also pretty much the first time we learn the surnames of either Valentine or Fanon Draco.

I've skim-read the book article to know what you're even talking about, and... Wait, his surname is Morgenstern?! She took a character who was a blatant Hitler metaphor and made him ethnically Jewish? That... Wow.

One can only hope that she simply wanted a German name (because all Germans are Nazis...) and thought it would be cute to use one that doubled as a Lucifer reference (it means "morning star"), and that she simply didn't do any research on German name origins. [It's one of those names that the Jewish population of the Holy Roman Empire chose when they were forced to adopt surnames in the 18th century. Usually it's pretty-sounding compound words not refering to a profession - like Goldblum(e) ("golden flower"), Bernstein ("amber") or Lilienthal ("valley of lilies").]

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Fishing in the Mud

at 11:55 on 2013-09-06I think some reviewer pointed out that the "Morgenstern" thing is one more reason the film won't work for anyone old enough to remember

Rhoda

.

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Alice

at 14:09 on 2013-09-06I've skim-read the book article to know what you're even talking about, and... Wait, his surname is Morgenstern?! She took a character who was a blatant Hitler metaphor and made him ethnically Jewish? That... Wow.

Well, Cassandra Clare is herself Jewish, so I imagine she was aware of what she was doing when she introduced the Morgenstern reference (along with its cultural/historical baggage). :-)

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Cheriola

at 15:37 on 2013-09-06Really? Huh. Well, it's her right then, I suppose. I just wonder what went through her mind that she thought saying "Yeah, our guys could be just as bad, given half a chance" and feeding into 'zionists want world domination' myths was a good idea.

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Arthur B

at 15:43 on 2013-09-06Is it not possible for Clare to be both Jewish

and

ignorant of the name's history, so she plucked a name which sounded German to her out of thin air without researching it?

I suspect she was going for the "Morgenstern = Morning Star = Lucifer" deal rather than the "Morgenstern = Jew" angle, after all.

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Alice

at 16:14 on 2013-09-06Is it not possible for Clare to be both Jewish and ignorant of the name's history, so she plucked a name which sounded German to her out of thin air without researching it?

I suppose it's possible, but I'd honestly be very surprised if she didn't read Morgenstern as sounding Jewish, even if she didn't know about the historical origins of the name.

I suspect she was going for the "Morgenstern = Morning Star = Lucifer" deal rather than the "Morgenstern = Jew" angle, after all.

Yeah, same. I suppose the thing with Morgenstern is that it's an obvious enough reference that her readers are fairly likely to catch it (and feel all clever and intellectual), while still being a recognisable surname. (She could have used the Greek form if she'd wanted to be more pretentious than usual, but "(h)eosphoros" doesn't really lend itself to turning into a surname that's easily pronounceable in English.)

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Dan H

at 17:53 on 2013-09-06

Really? It's considered "precocious" to be a horny 19-year-old egomaniac who doesn't use condoms?

I was thinking more of the scenario in which he'd started having kids at eleven rather than nineteen (and I'm using "precocious" here in the sense of "premature" rather than "talented"). Although even nineteen doesn't *really* make sense if we look at the way that the history is played up - it's never suggested that Valentine got Jocelyn pregnant accidentally, or that he had kids unusually young.

Valentine is clearly *supposed* to be in his early forties at least, it's just that then he wouldn't be in the narrow window during which Hollywood decrees actors the right age to be sexy.

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Alasdair Czyrnyj

at 23:07 on 2013-09-11

oh my what a shame who could have forseen rhubarb rhubarb

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Fishing in the Mud

at 02:03 on 2013-09-12Yeah, if it hasn't managed to turn a profit in a good three weeks, I don't blame anyone for backing off. The standards for bestselling books are a whole lot lower than for movie blockbusters.

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Dan H

at 16:02 on 2013-09-12

The standards for bestselling books are a whole lot lower than for movie blockbusters.

I assume you mean "the revenues expected from bestselling books are a whole lot lower than the revenues expected from movie blockbusters". Because for most other expectations (plot, characterization, that sort of thing), bestselling books and blockbuster movies are pretty much on par.

Also: I've been poking around the forums on Rotten Tomatoes and some of the discussions are hilarious. I particularly like the people complaining about Jace having a British accent, and the other people saying "No, that makes sense. They grew up in Idris, which is in Europe, so they'd naturally have picked up British accents."

Because all European people have British accents, you guys.

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Cammalot

at 20:11 on 2013-09-12

Because all European people have British accents, you guys.

I've long enjoyed listening to the variety of accents with which Swedish people speak English. (This is a tangent, but not a joke. There was a little honest-to-goodness rivalry in one of my classes between the ones who'd learned with a North American/U.S. accent and the ones who'd learned received pronunciation [capitalize?] -- two of these were siblings on opposite sides -- and they all ganged up on the lone Norwegian.)

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Dan H

at 22:37 on 2013-09-12

This is a tangent, but not a joke.

Three Swedes walk into a schwa?

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Shim

at 23:10 on 2013-09-12

Three Swedes walk into a schwa?

...and say "əw!"?

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Fishing in the Mud

at 01:16 on 2013-09-13

I assume you mean "the revenues expected from bestselling books are a whole lot lower than the revenues expected from movie blockbusters".

Right, sorry about the word salad. Yesterday was a long day.

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http://elsurian.livejournal.com/

at 05:24 on 2013-09-13In the halcyon days of 2008

Jesus Christ, has this franchise really been around for 5 years?

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Cammalot

at 18:13 on 2013-09-13

Three Swedes walk into a schwa?

Hee.

I want to make some sort of vegetable-based pun now, but I got nothin'.

Jesus Christ, has this franchise really been around for 5 years?

And going on what, nine books? (Gotta admire the productivity.)

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Dan H

at 19:05 on 2013-09-13Is anybody else feeling really freaking old right about now?

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Cammalot

at 19:55 on 2013-09-13Yes!

(Although that's partly because at today's freelance gig, I just met a coworker who was born my first year of college.)

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Dan H

at 21:58 on 2013-09-13Ouch.

I'm particularly looking forward to our next couple of GCSE intakes, which will be the point at which I start working with people who were born in the 21st century.

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Fishing in the Mud

at 00:44 on 2013-09-14Yeah, I just found out half the people I report to directly at work are younger than I am.

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[allthestoriesinyourhead]

Reviewer pj presents...

First of all, yes, I know I'm like 6 years late to the TID party and that it was back in 2013 when people were going crazy about this trilogy. But I discovered the magical world of booktube in 2015 and that's when I heard of this little gem. The Shadowhunters Chronicles. If you haven't heard of it, maybe its 2013 movie, it's 2016 Freeform/Netflix series adaptation or its book series of over 12 books + companions and counting, then you've been living under a rock, buddy.

Like I said, my first approach with this series was the movie. I liked it, but I had no idea of its massive foundations. Then in 2015, I learned of the book series and that it was going to be a Netflix series, and I liked the first episode and everyone's hype had me curious so I decided to give the books a try. I would read the first series The Mortal Instruments (6 books) and the star of this review The Infernal Devices (3 books) in the recommended order, which is the order of publication as these two series are intertwined.

If you didn't know (which I doubt), the recommended thing to do before starting The Infernal Devices is to read the first 3 books of The Mortal Instruments. And I read the first two back in 2016 and... they didn't grab me. So I gave up.

But I kept seeing so much hype around the TID trilogy, and that there were people who had only read that trilogy and skipped the TMI books because TID was a lot better and it had the best love triangle they'd ever read.

But do you think I read it right after that? Well, no. I finally started the series in December 2018 and finished it last week. And I did not regret it. Now brace yourselves for the longest review I'd ever written.

Summary

Since this is a summary review, obviously I can only tell you what the first book is about as if you didn't know already.

In 1878 in Victorian London, 16-year-old Tessa Grey just arrived from New York to meet up with her brother Nate, the only family she has left after her aunt died. But she is met by these 2 women, the Dark Sisters, who hold Tessa hostage and tell her she’ll only see Nate if she cooperates.

The thing is that Tessa has a very strange ability that no one else in the world has. She can shapeshift into anyone dead or alive as long as she has an object of that person and she can also truly become the person by accessing their memories and even their personality. The Dark Sisters knew this but Tessa had no clue, so they torture her to train her into mastering this ability so they could deliver her to the main villain of the story, The Magister, who wants to marry Tessa.

One day Tessa is rescued by everyone's favorite literary husband, Will Herondale, and she's taken to the London Institute where the Shadowhunters of London live. Charlotte, the head of the institute, Henry, her husband, a clumsy inventor, Jessamine who hates everything to do with the world of the Shadowhunters, Jem, the sweetest boy ever, and of course his best friend and fighting partner, Will. The Shadowhunters give Tessa refugee at the institute and they help her find her brother as long as she cooperates with them.

Review

Oh man! Where do I start with these books?

First, let me say that I really, really liked them, and I don't know why I waited so long to read them. I mean... I do know. Because I wanted to read all the books from both series and thought I couldn't read this one on its own. But I don't know why I waited so long after finding out that it was ok to only read this trilogy.

The prologue and the first chapter of the first book hooked me in on the character of Tessa. She really is an amazing protagonist and one of my favorite parts of the entire trilogy. She's so vulnerable at the beginning, but she was never weak. She's kind and friendly with everyone at the institute and even though she's new into this world of Shadowhunters and demons, and werewolves and vampires, she doesn't look away from it but instead insists on learning everything she can. She always has a question, always has her nose buried in a book and isn't afraid to speak her mind no matter who it is, and I love it how other characters think the same of her.

She isn't a fighter and can't get involved in the conflicts the way Shadowhunters do, but she's always there, she insists on helping, whether that is using her ability or just sitting down with them and thinking or doing research. She learns about some harsh truths along the way, but they never knock her down. She accepts them as reality and they only make her stronger. Tessa is really the kind of protagonist that's very easy to get attached to, and you're glad to be proud of her by the end of it all.  

Then we have our favorite boys, Will and Jem.

Now let me tell you, everyone on the internet will tell you that they're in love with Will Herondale so I had a lot of curiosity about him. In some ways, Will is a walking cliche, he's hilarious, he has the face and body of an angel (seriously, each book and every character loves to remind you at least 10 times how Will is the most beautiful man alive), he's outgoing, mysterious, oh! and recites poetry and loves the books Tessa loves too, but most importantly he's a bad boy with a tragic backstory. And I really liked him. I've learned not to take characters like him too seriously for their cliched actions (they made me laugh, to be honest, I feel like that's what cliches, when they're too obvious, are there for) and in doing that I was able to enjoy Will's character. I enjoyed his dramatic interactions with Magnus Bane, and his friendship with Tessa and Jem (also known as one of the most beautiful friendships I've ever read), and the way he acted when he realized that both he and Jem were in love with Tessa.

And then, of course, we have Jem. Now, Jem is also a boy with the tragic backstory. I truly felt bad for him when I read that, but all that tragedy only turned him into the sweetest boy ever. Jem is the kind of person that always knows what to say (or not to say) to everyone, even Will, who sometimes can be rude. There's a part where Tessa asks Jem about why Will is like that and he tells her that if he hasn't told anyone must be because of a reason and that he's able to get along with Will better than anyone else because he's the only one who doesn't ask him all the questions that everyone wants to know.

Jem is so kind, and that tragic event only made him stronger as a person and he's a character that I'm really proud of, to the point where I preferred Tessa to stay with him rather than Will (but I also liked Will so it's not like I wanted him to stay alone too). Throughout all three books, I always rooted for Jem, and the books sorta favored Will which made me a little bit sad, as if being with Jem was only a filler until Will came around for the big finale. And another thing that bothered me a little was that we don't see Jem's POV. We see almost everyone's POV, except Jem's :( (or maybe once on book 3?) But still, I liked that even though both of them had feelings for Tessa, they didn't resent each other, in fact, they were happy that they had found someone they loved, even if it was the same person. But Jem's love for Tessa made me happier!

And, I know I just rambled on about Tessa, Will and Jem but really I truly liked all the characters in here. I think the only one I didn't like was a certain Consul who, on the third book changes completely to add a bit more of conflict for the other characters that aren't Tessa, Will, and Jem, but I did like how it shaped these other characters and how they were more present in the third book. The villain I liked, I thought his plan throughout the 3 books was clever, but I didn't like his motive. To me at least, it doesn't count as a good enough reason, and it sounded kinda like a tantrum to me. But his plan was good so he's forgiven.

Also, I really enjoyed reading about such a different time period and I think I want to read more books that take place that far in the past. The last books I read that took place many many years ago were the books in the Shades of Magic trilogy (which also happen to take place in London) and I ADORED those books. Everything was described so beautifully, and I loved the way the characters talked. I always found it a little funny because we obviously don't talk like that, and even though it looked funny in some characters, it's one of the reasons why I liked Tessa so much. Everything she said always sounded stronger because of that extra polite manner of talking.

As for my experience reading the book, I wish I'd read them faster because I really liked them, all three of them, but... the chapters were so long! It really threw me off and I felt like I had to take breaks every time I finished a chapter. On the days that I read most, I read 3 chapters, one in the morning, another one in the evening and another one at night. And it sounds silly to say this after I just said that the books grabbed me (because if a book grabs me then I'm going to read it twice as fast). But that's the problem with that. Each chapter left me kind of exhausted that I felt I had to stop and do something else. Another thing that confused me, on the third book, pretty much everyone (except for Jem and like, 2 other characters) gets to be the narrator and after having just Tessa (and Will sometimes) as the narrators on the first two books, this sudden switch from character to character was kind of exhausting and confusing. I felt like I could stop between POV switch in between every chapter and I didn't like that very much.

As for each book I liked best... I feel like they're all tied. What I liked more about the first book was definitely Tessa and the way she reacts to the Shadow World and her first interactions with the rest of the Shadowhunters of the institute, especially Will and Jem. What I liked more about the second book is that we see the friendship between Tessa/Will/Jem develop a lot more, nothing too big related to the villain happens in this book (in my opinion), but for me that was ok. And what I liked about the third book (the first 30% I didn't like very much, felt too much like filler, the remaining 70% I really liked) was its fast pace, and that we finally learn the truth about Tessa's existence and her family, which I'd been wondering since book one.

And finally, I'd always heard that the third book's epilogue was heartbreaking, so I eagerly waited for it, and I can see now that the heartbreaking thing has to do with Will, but it was the part about Jem that almost made me cry. And not to give anyone any spoilers, but Jem has a sort of ability where he can play a song with his violin and the person who listens can actually see something. That's all I'm gonna say. That's the scene that almost cracked me.

Verdict

I really, really enjoyed this trilogy. Like I said, I don't always marathon trilogies, so for me to read these books back to back, means that this was a favorite. The only bad thing is that it didn't make me want to read the rest of the books in The Mortal Instruments series. I think I was more attached to the characters in this trilogy than to the world itself, but I truly admire the intricate thought and effort that was put into this and of course, the creativity to imagine a world so extense to write over a dozen books about it and still have enough inspiration for more.

What I am thinking though, is reading that new The Last Hours trilogy that Cassandra Clare is releasing in November since, chronologically, it takes place after this trilogy and some of the characters from this trilogy will be in it. I don't know if I can do that though because I haven't read the rest of the TMI saga or the TDA trilogy, so I’ll have to do research.

And so, after arriving in London and being thrown into the Shadow World and finding love and loss but most of all lots of love, The Infernal Devices trilogy has me awarding it with an overall score of...

4 out of 5 stars

reviewerpj out!

[thegreatmercutio]

Shadowhunters 3x02 Magnus and Asmodeus’ Information Review.

“Asmodeus handiwork...” The Warlocks or at least Lorenzo is aware of Asmodeus’ power.

Magnus: “I haven’t seen Asmodeus in centuries.” Nod to the books, Magnus and Asmodeus have met. In the books, it was around the 1920s. Correct me, if I am wrong. Pay attention to Magnus’ face and behavior when Asmodeus is mentioned. He’s carefully and protective of the name. Too much information can be dangerous.

Lorenzo: (suspiciously at Magnus) “Yet, you do know him...far better than anyone else in this dimension.” Shadow World mythology...Earth is dimension, Edom is dimension, The AU for example is a dimension...it’s like comics books with alternative universes. Books info: Edom was once like earth, had Downworlders, Shadowhunters, and mundanes...until Asmodeus and his children destroyed the Shadowhunters and basically took over the world.

Magnus: “I know what he’s capable of.” Books vs. show...I wonder how much we get to see. Personally, Asmodeus in the books disappointed me as a reader. Sorry, that’s my reactions. He had a great build up but ends up being a memory junkie, when he was supposes to be a great and powerful prince of Hell. Don’t disappoint me Show Asmodeus.

“More Importantly, you know how to use his demonic magic.” I loved this line. Magnus is connected to his father magic. That’s deep stuff. Magnus is more powerful than appears. Most warlock are children of demons...but Magnus is a son of a Greater Demon...*cough* Fallen Angel *cough*

Magnus: “If Asmodeus truly escaped Edom, all of New York is in danger.” How powerful is Asmodeus? Is this hinting what he wants?

THE SPIRAL LABYRINTH WAS MENTIONED BY LORENZO. Did anyone notice that. That’s big. “The Spiral Labyrinth is the central home of warlock magical research and knowledge. It is considered the underground headquarters of the world's warlocks, of scholars and students of lore, where a great deal of arcane knowledge is hidden. All of the ancient magic of the warlocks, as well as the magic that has been invented in recent years, is dutifully recorded and kept in the Labyrinth.”

Alec: “...a greater demon, especially one like Asmodeus.” The Shadowhunters knows about him. That means he’s in their records. But how much do they know?

Magnus: Sighing loudly as he replied...”Asmodeus and I have a history...He’s one of the few demons capable of doing something like this.” Big Magic. Big problems.

Alec: “Yeah, but we’ve fought greater demons before, but I’ve never seen anything like what happened at that party.” Alec and the Warlocks are shook.

The Ley Lines, Magnus: “Healthy ley lines are the energy source for all magic, Seelie and Warlocks alike, but they can become corrupted.”

Magnus: “Asmodeus isn’t just a greater demon. He’s the most powerful prince of Hell.” If the follow the myth and lore...there are 7 princes. Each after the 7 deadly sins. Asmodeus is the demon prince of lust. Not sure if they will follow this lore. However, he is the most powerful among the princes. So, please no easy shot through the chest. Yes, a cool moment for Alec, but a waste of a good villain. Azazel had potential. I want a good fight.

“And if Lorenzo’s right, what happened at the party is just the beginning.” Magnus isn’t wrong. It’s only the beginning. Lilith and Asmodeus rule Edom together. Lilith comes first with her mother’s wrath than Asmodeus will be coming with what...what is his plan?

Alec: “And you know him personally?” Magnus is struggling here. Had to catch his breath twice. In the books, Raphael had to pay a lot money to find out who’s Magnus real dad is. And Lorenzo doesn’t know who Asmodeus is to Magnus.

“Asmodeus is my father.” Major change from the books. Which I fully support. This is big moment for Magnus. Sharing information about Asmodeus is hard for him. Especially to Alec. Downworlders gets judge just because of their bloodline, but imagine your father is the prince of hell and brother to Lucifer. That’s big. Take note. This will be big for the Edom plot. Alec looks like he’s processing the information. It’s a lot to take.

“I was ashamed.” It’s not Magnus’ fault. Sins of the father. You can’t pick your parents.

Alec: “It’s just...Asmodeus.” He’s processing it still. That’s a lot to take in. Boyfriend, son of a prince of hell...talk about in-laws. Huh? Hahaha. Magnus looks worried. His walls are breaking for Alec, but the foundation is still there with fear. Being the son of Asmodeus, is a hard one. Know this, ASMODEUS IS A SECRET THAT BELONGS TO MAGNUS. HE DOESN’T OWE ANYBODY THAT KNOWLEDGE. It’s important to Magnus, that people see him...not his father.

Then Alec, reassured Magnus by changing the mood...determined to stop Asmodeus. Bold. But I do adore the Malec courage.

“And my...fa...father.” I always see it as...if Magnus uses or acknowledges his father. He gives his father, power. Magnus in the books, just has to call for him—literally a summoning prayer starting with...”My father...” and he will come. He’s very careful here.

“His magic is unique.”

“Alexander, about my father, I hope you don’t think less of me.” This deals with deep history. His identity as a warlock, as a Downworlder, and as Magnus Bane. It’s one of those tales, no matter how far you run from it...it will always find you. Magnus continues running from his past and his bloodline. But we know Asmodeus and Edom is coming...so Asmodeus will find Magnus. And the fear here, thinking he has scared Alec off. He so worried that he will lost Alec. This still will be a battle for Magnus this season but we are seeing him taking steps into opening up to Alec. And I am here for this character development. This is actually a nod and change in the books. In the books, malec relationships struggled due to lack of communication and with Alec’s bi phobic comments and his insecurities and Magnus lack of sharing and opening himself up...but the show is changing that. GOOD.

Here is Alec, always so to the point, bless him...”Are you kidding, I don’t care who your dad is...I care who you are. And you’re the furthest thing from a greater demon.” I loved this line. Magnus needs to hear this. His entire life, being a Downworlder was already hard but to bare the burdens of Asmodeus...that’s another level. He doesn’t even tell his closest friends. Alec knowing is big and Alec not caring about his bloodline is big.

All this is major set up for Malec this season. About identity, love, heritage, status, power, acceptance, sacrifices, loyalty, destiny, and commitment.

[adorealeclightwood]

Book Review: City of Bones.

Hey guys. So my dumbass was typing very quickly, and accidentally pressed a combination of keys that closed the tab, ultimately deleting my entire review. 

I wasn’t even finished yet, for fuck’s sake. 

*Screams angrily*

It’s okay. This is fine. Because I’m going to do it again. 

I said I’d post a review, so I’m posting it. I’ll type carefully this time. 

Alright, before we get into this, a word. 

I skimmed through a few parts. I wish I was the type to power through when I’m bored, but I’m not. I’m a premed student - I’ve done enough of that to last me a lifetime. When I read for leisure, I like to enjoy the words on the page. If I don’t, I’ll skim until I get to a good part. 

That being said, let’s begin!

Book Clary: Young, Dumb, and Broke. (Two out of three).

Book Clary gave me a headache. For starters, this is set in New York. In what world is she totally comfortable taking off with some pale blond boy she met two minutes ago? She’s fifteen, and I get that she’s supposed to have that naivety, but still. It’s strange. 

However, she did have a few redeeming moments that gave me hope for her character.

Going to the Silent Brothers. Her hesitation and reluctance to go through with it in the first place; her fears regarding the memories they’d find; the pain of the process. I’m glad it was written the way it was, because it was an unsettling ordeal. Finding out part of your memories are missing is bad enough, and on top of that, you have to go to a bunch of creepy looking, ominously silent men that are going to have to poke around in your head to dredge up some things you may or may not even want to remember in a procedure that can leave you deranged or dead. That’s some scary shit. 

Finding out Simon loves her. Not only was she completely blind to it, but she was conflicted in her own feelings as well, which helps serve as an explanation as to why she felt the way she did about the women Simon was attracted to. While she wasn’t entirely sure if she wanted him or not, she didn’t really want him wanting anyone else either, which coincides with the teenage state of mind quite well.

Knowing she was wrong for what she said to Alec, and apologizing. What? A white woman acknowledging her wrongdoings and apologizing without blaming the person she offended, or playing the victim? This is rare, people. I can’t even begin to tell you how many books/movies/shows I’ve seen manipulate the narrative or twist a character’s views in order to protect people like this, and that’s excluding how often I’ve seen it happen with my own eyes in everyday life. I loved the dialogue as well. Even after Alec points out that everything she said was true, she doesn’t disregard that she was wrong for having said any of it in the first place. “Not everything that’s true needs to be said. It was mean.” It was refreshing to read.

In short, there’s lots of potential here. I may actually like her at some point. 

Book Jace: Trouble.

Book Jace made the reading fun. I laughed out loud at some of the things he said, and also found myself rolling my eyes and mentally telling him to shut up, because that’s what an obnoxious character is supposed to do. You’re supposed to laugh and want them to stop talking at the same time. 

I like how he was presented as this cocky, irritating, too-cool-for-school guy that likes sex, sarcasm, and killing demons, but later on, we see him shift closer to that fragile boy Valentine raised. We learn why he has no desire for love (which wasn’t about another woman, thank God. That trope is overused.), why killing demons is so important to him, how he feels about religion as well as his duty as a Shadowhunter. I was surprised to see that kind of development within the first book, but I wasn’t mad at it. 

The only thing I had a problem with was how taken he was with Clary. Valentine pointed out that Jace loved her, and I was like, why? She hasn’t done anything. All they do is argue. Not the cute, teasing, underlying sexual tension kind of arguing, either. Clary voices her annoyance or snaps at him, and he antagonizes her. Even Izzy makes a comment about Clary bringing out Jace’s ability to show kindness or some shit, and I was like, where?

I mean, I guess, honey. 

Book Alec: Sad Boy Meets World.

Three words: I. Needed. More.

I made a post outlining all my favorite Alec quotes and moments. You can check that out here.

Now, I’m going to be doing a character analysis when I finish all the books, so I’ll keep this fairly short. Still, I’d like to point out a few things. 

We don’t see a lot of Alec in CoB, but when we do, he’s almost always off to the side, lingering in the background, slouching, or slinking in. He doesn’t like a lot of attention (which the book does a great job of showing, since he’s nowhere to be found 80% of the time). He’s shy and awkward, he rambles around Jace, gets excited over vampire motorcycles, finds mundanes annoying, and hates Clary. 

There were also comedic bits I enjoyed, like when he basically confirmed that he and Jace were the ones to pour holy water in the gas tank while at a party surrounded by angry vampires. 

I love Book Alec so far. More on that later. 

Book Magnus: Drippin in Finesse. 

Book Magnus was golden. He was fabulous, catty, popular, dramatic, and brazenly honest.

My favorite part had to be when Clary was in the middle of her woe-is-me spiel, and he put her in her place by sharing a story of his own, which I thought was delivered beautifully. (You can read what he said here.)

He explained that while she may be feeling different, it isn’t like the world is going to end. It’s like “tough shit, suck it up. Things could be a million times worse”. 

Oh, and don’t think I didn’t clock Magnus coming by to heal Alec when he was hurt. 

Book Simon: Lovesick Fuck. 

Book Simon surprised me in a lot of ways (all good). Usually, in genres like this, the best friend is pushed aside entirely, forgotten until they’re mentioned every five or six chapters, or killed off in a way that triggers the main character’s desire to cross over onto the dark side or some shit. I’m glad we didn’t see that here. 

I found it hilarious that Simon was turned into a rat - of all things. The parts where Clary was talking to him and his whiskers twitched were funny. I really liked how after he told Clary he loved her, he was upset that she hadn’t noticed, and when they talked again, he asked her if she could look at him and just see him for once. I know it’s fiction, but I’m a sucker for realism! 

I was pleasantly surprised that he was the one to use Alec’s bow and arrow to kill the greater demon. (Or, scare him off. I don’t remember what Jace said about it). The fact that he was even listening when they said demons couldn’t stand the sunlight was shocking, but good on him for making himself useful instead of sitting on his hands. 

Book Luke/Valentine/Izzy/Other Characters

Look, I hate skimming through anything that isn’t a textbook, alright? I do. I always feel like I’ve missed something, but holy shit. C.C can get so wordy at times, and when there’s actually something you want to spend eight pages reading about, she glosses over it in two paragraphs! 

I spent 85% of my reading time looking at my laptop like this:

Valentine was established as evil from the jump, and when he made an appearance, guess what? Still evil! Props for continuity. 

I didn’t see much of Izzy besides her flirtatiousness, lack of cooking skills, and worry for Alec when he was hurt. Come to think of it, that’s not a terrible summation of her character. Anyway, I like her. That is all. 

Hodge had me genuinely shook. I knew he was going to betray them because of the show, but when it happened it the books - and the way it happened - I didn’t see it coming. I wasn’t expecting him to actually do anything with the mortal cup until later, so that was a nice twist. I also like the fact that he mean a lot to the Lightwoods, because Jace didn’t want to tell the others what went down right away. On the show, they all turned on him the second they discovered he was working with Valentine, so again, it was a nice twist. Subtle, but effective. 

If there’s anyone else I’ve forgotten, it was probably for a reason, so...hm. 

In the future, I may do a post comparing book events to the show. We’ll see.

That brings me to the end of my review! I hope you all enjoyed it. 

City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1) Rating: 6.5 out of 10 Would Recommend: Yes/No Would Read Again: Yes/No Thoughts: A short, simple read. Decent set up for a complicated plot. Nice character introduction. 

My rating has more to do with the style writing, because there were a lot of passages I could’ve done without, but I promise I’ll try to get over that! 

Until next time.

- Erykah.

[bluephoenixdruidicprincess]

Shadowhunters 3x11, Lost Souls -- Review

It's that time of the year again where I put myself through the torture of enduring this show. Watching this show is like going on an endurance run. You drag your feet when you first start, when you get acclimated to the level of exercise, you think "hey, this isn't too bad" and then by the end, it's just pain...but also a sense of pride that you made it through. That's been my experience with the show, anyway. And it's basically how I felt about Shadowhunters 3x11, Lost Souls.

I would like to preface this review with saying that I am NOT a huge supporter of this show. I do enjoy certain elements of it but I'm not what would be classified as a devoted fan. For me, Shadowhunters is not a good show and I do get very critical of the show in my reviews. Honestly, for me, I watch the show because 1) I'm too curious not to and 2) I find that this show can be so bad its funny and that's how I reap enjoyment out of it. I am not at all invested in this show or its characters anymore. I'm just watching to see what happens. If you're a die hard fan and you lash out at everyone who has a different opinion than you, you might want to skip these...I'm just saying. My reviews may not be for you. If you do decide to be a total troll, well then pay attention to the below disclaimer.

This is going to be an honest review of my thoughts and feelings regarding this episode. If you're the kind of Shadowhunters fan where you only want to hear positive things about the show, this is not the place for you. If you decide to stick around and get offended by what is said, then that's on you. I warned you. Just know that if you send me any rude comments or messages, I will 100% ignore you. I find that's the best way to deal with bullies. I work 14 hour days. Do you really think I want to waste my incredibly valuable free time dealing with derogatory comments? Hell no. This review will consist of my honest opinions. Opinions are never right or wrong. I'm not telling YOU how to think and feel. I'm telling you what I, quirky and socially awkward me, think and feel. So please, lets discuss with dignity and respect. If I'm critical about this show, it's only because I want it to get better. There is, in fact, a difference between hating a show and being critical of it. I do not hate Shadowhunters, I am being critical and analyzing the flaws as I would with any other show. There are positives but there are also negatives. It's great if you want to promote positivity with this show (and I encourage you to do so) but that doesn't mean I'm not going to point out the things that are legitimately wrong with it. Also, keep in mind that despite the fact that I do like the books, me being critical of this show has nothing to do with my fondness for the books. I don't really care if the show deviates from the source material as long as the changes are good, it makes sense, and it doesn't create plot holes within the confines of the world the show has created. My problems with this show are problems I would have with any show or book for that matter. I think it's perfectly reasonable to take issue with a show that has plot holes, shoddy world building, and inconsistent characters. There will be spoilers for the books and movie.

We are at last embarking upon the final episodes of this show and if this episode is what's going to set the tone for the remaining episodes, then I'm glad it's the final episodes because...well, this episode wasn't great and is a perfect example of what I won't miss about Shadowhunters. Bland and cringey dialogue, more characters than it knows what to do with, and too much jumping across plot points. There are individual moments in the episode I enjoyed but overall, this isn't an episode I loved.

The Loss of the Mary Sue

I'm not entirely certain of the timeline in this episode. The episode never specifies on exactly how many days have passed since the 3A finale but I'm going to estimate about a week or so. Everyone believes Clary died in the explosion caused by Lillith attacking Simon.

The episode opens with Jace, Izzy, and Alec chasing after a downworlder and Jace makes some very shoddy decisions in this fight that lets you see just how reckless he's become in the wake of Clary's "death". We then get a montage of everyone missing Clary and the more significant one is Jace, that's the one they spent the most amount of time on. He's basically walking through Clary's room remembering all the times he spent with Clary...so basically three memories. Another classic example of what I've always been talking about when it comes to the adaptation changes. Clary and Jace have barely spent any amount of time together, even less actually dating and I'm supposed to believe that they're each other's one true love...not going to happen because the show didn't develop it at all. There's a moment in the montage where Jace starts looking at Clary's drawings and getting really emotional about it and I felt nothing because Jace has never been shown to take any sort of interest in Clary's artwork before. In fact, if it weren't for that one scene in 3A, I wouldn't even have known that Clary was still drawing. By the show deviating from the books in the way they did, Clace had less development but yet the show still wants to continue the aspect of Clace being hopelessly in love from the books. You can't make a significant change from the source material and then pages down the line expect to pick up exactly where you left off. By making the change, you changed the entire context of the relationship so now the entire story has to change in order to fit that new narrative. Sadly, the Shadowhunters writers have not figured that out yet and continue to make that same mistake...or they're lazy, it could be that, too. Jace eventually gets so depressed that it's implied that he's contemplating suicide but Izzy is able to talk to him and get him to think. And then she just leaves him after making him promise he won’t go through with it. If anyone's wondering, if you catch someone who you believe may be contemplating suicide, do not UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, LEAVE THEM ALONE!!! Particularly in a dark room. Being in a dark enclosed space is not the kind of place that typically sends out positive energy. But I suppose I can cut Izzy a little bit of a break. It's entirely possible the Shadowhunter world doesn't really understand how to help someone who's experiencing suicidal thoughts. They certainly didn’t help out Jace’s mother. Alec also confronts Jace about this in probably the only believable scene in this entire episode. Seriously, I've never been a Jalec shipper but I totally understand why people ship them. Matt and Dom are probably the only actors who actually have any chemistry with each other. But Alec tells Jace he's doing the memory of Clary a disservice and that if Jace were to die, it would destroy him as well. In other words, Jace isn't the only one who's going to be affected by this decision. Jace eventually is called by Luke who for some reason appears to be living in a motel room. I don't know why but whatever. Luke doesn't believe Clary is actually dead and he tries to convince Jace through some really weird conspiracy theory that probably even flat-earthers would find difficult to believe. But hey, if it leads to them finding Clary, I'll go with it. And I understand why Luke is unable to accept even the possibility that Clary might be gone for good. He can't think that about someone who he basically views as his daughter and the last connection he has to Jocelyn. Luke gives the evidence to Jace and tells Jace to at least check it out.

Simon, understandably, is also having a difficult time with all this. And Maia returns to give him emotional support despite leaving for a very particular and totally understandable reason but Simon needs her so of course she comes back for him. It's not like Maia exists for anything else but for Simon's character arc. Both Simon and Izzy kind of passive-aggressively shame Maia about leaving. And I'm particualrly disappointed in Izzy telling Maia about what happened to Simon's family as that's a very deeply personal issue and Simon should've been the one to tell her. It wasn't Izzy's secret to tell. I get that they were trying to use that scene to exposit information to the audience but there were better ways of doing that. Hell, it could've just been Izzy making an off-handed comment about Simon. Maia could've been talking to Izzy about how badly Simon is doing with the Clary situation and Izzy could've been all, "especially with what happened with his family" and Maia could've been shocked and Izzy could've been flabbergasted because she didn't know Maia didn't know. That would've been a much better way for the situation to be handled. But I'm not too pleased with Izzy saying in response to Maia not knowing, "well how could you? you weren't around." Just the insinuation that Maia should stay around and support her man and not go off and get in the right head space to properly heal herself after dealing with the re-emergence of her abuser. But I suppose I shouldn’t expect any different from Izzy seeing as she, herself, also only exists to give support the other characters. I think these passive aggressive intonations of shaming Maia are really horrible and shame on the writer. Maia, Izzy, and Simon decide to work together to find a way to get rid of the Mark of Cain from Simon's forehead. They talk to Raphael who now works at a soup kitchen in Detroit and Raphael tells them the tale of some dude chilling in the sewers of NYC who could possibly be the oldest vampire alive and may have answers to the removal of the Mark of Cain. Maia decides not to help Simon on this as its a bad idea for a werewolf and a vampire to meet and I almost forgot that was a thing, the show so rarely does anything with the vampire vs werewolf dynamic. But of course Maia has to back off to give room for Sizzy. I’m really not a big fan of Sizzy being explored here as everything that made Sizzy fun and interesting in the books has been completely stripped from the show. I’d much prefer Saia on the show. But really, I just want Maia and Izzy to have their own character arc, though that doesn’t revolve around shipping. 

The Malec B-Plot

We have a Malec B-plot that I found just completely unnecessary wherein Iris returns and kidnaps Magnus because she wants to get Madzie back. She falls for the most obvious trap in the world and hopefully we never see Iris again. What it does for Magnus's story works I guess but I just found it to be a really obtrusive subplot that didn’t fit at all with the episode. I'm not sure if it's just the fact that I've been away from the show for a year so I can see the the show a little more clearly now but the Malec chemistry is no longer working for me. Maybe it's just that I've always paid more attention to how alarmingly unequal their relationship is but I'm looking at the body language they're giving off and its not the kind of body language you would expect from lovers. They're so stiff around each other and not relaxed at all.

In fact, there's a line in this episode where Malec has just put Madzie to bed as they're baby-sitting her and Alec kisses Magnus and Magnus tells him to stop because they have a child in the apartment currently. Alec kind of scoffs because it's just a kiss and Magnus is all, "You know how we get." And I'm like, "Do we really, though?" There's plenty of scenes of them talking and I can buy them as friends with that but lovers? I’m having a difficult time actually buying that now. Like I said before, the Jalec scene was way more believable than any Malec scene in this episode.

But Magnus decides he doesn't want to feel helpess ever again so he decides he needs to learn how to fight. Honestly, I was surprised to learn that this is implying he doesn't even seem to really have any basic self-defense capabilities. The way he was swinging the sword earlier in this episode lead to me to believe otherwise. Plus, Harry Shum Jr is a pretty buff dude but I guess maybe Magnus lifts weights and that’s it. Alec decides to help him out on this venture, though.

Siblings Reunited

We find out that Clary is indeed not dead and that Jonathon's back. I'll be real, here. It's kind of hard to feel sad for Jace or Simon or Luke or anyone really regarding the "death" of Clary, considering this entire episode is interspliced with moments of Clary being very much alive. Honestly, I think this episode would've functioned better if it was just about showing everyone going through all the different stages of grief regarding Clary and at the end of the episode when they've hit the acceptance stage, that's when we see Clary wake up in the apartment with Jonathon. But whatever. The show decided not to go that route so we have to make do with what we got. Clary wakes up and looking pretty damn fantastic for someone who's been asleep for days. Not a strand of hair out of place, make-up is flawless, and not a wrinkle to be found on her clothing. In fact, I think they're in even better condition than they were when Clary initially had to put them on. Clary also isn't even the slightest bit groggy, she knows exactly where she's at and everything. Clary does comas well. Jonathon tells Clary that it is indeed him, her big brother and that before Lillith was sent to hell she sent them away to Siberia, apparently. Clary plays nice for a little bit with Jonathon but decides to chance out in the cold of Siberia. It's nice to see that in her state of unconsciousness her muscles didn't atrophy from lack of movement or deteriorate from lack of food. But Clary fails in her escape, Jonathon finds her and brings her back. Clary tries to stab him with a knife but they both find out that what happens to one person will also happen to the other. So yeah, we're full in City of Lost Souls plot here which is ironically the title of this episode. Shadowhunters has never been all that subtle. This new actor for Jonathon is going to take some getting used to. Will Tudor did a phenomenal job with him so its difficult to see this new guy as Jonathon. But it also is difficult to take Clary's anger and hatred of Jonathon seriously when you think about all that Jonathon's really done on the show is kill a shadowhunter Clary had never met before and then injured Max and Max swiftly recovered. Clary is all about painting him as the worst possible being and indeed, in the books, he is but here, while he may be a bad guy who's done really bad things, I don't know if its deserving of that level of hatred. We haven't exactly seen a lot of his horrifying dastardly deeds. Another example of making a change and then thinking you can still keep the same storyline at a later point in the story. I'm certainly not saying I wanted Max to die but story-telling wise, it would make the emotions Clary's feeling here a little more believable. But I'm actually really interested to see where this whole Jonathon and Clary plot goes. In the books, it's Jace that's put in this situation so it'll be interestig to see how the show tackles Clary being in this situation. I'm also wondering, because they seem to be trying to stay away from the incest vibes here, is Jonathon going to gain an unhealthy obsession with Jace instead of Clary? In the books, Clary was who Jonathon was creepily obsessed with. He was equating possession with love and viewed that Clary belonged to him in every way imaginable. So since the roles of Clary and Jace have been reversed here, will Jonathon's obsession now change from Clary to Jace? Probably not but it would've been interesting to see for sure. I mean, if you're going to do a role reversal, you might as well go all the way, right?

The Clave Acting Shady AF

The Clave is being super shady right now. They appear to be doing experiments on the incarcerated downworlders and all I can say is, "do we really need this?" And also, "Why is it being implied that Jia knows about this and is okay with this?" The interesting thing about Jia in the books was the fact that she was the first step in the leadership to help get rid of the more corrupt aspects of the Clave and instigating change. But I suppose it's per the norm for the show to make everyone but the main group a bad guy instead of morally grey. As I've said before, this show has no concept of subtlety. I can only imagine that this is leading into the part in City of Glass the show hasn't done yet wherein the alliance rune is going to be introduced but instead of using it to fight Valentine, they're going to use it to fight Jonathon. That's what these downworlder experiments seem to be leading into as it reminds me a lot of Valentine experimenting in the books. I'm sure there was 0 social commentary intended when writing this into the show, though...but I think its safe to say it's totally social commentary. The show isn't very subtle, once again.

But good news is it looks like Ollie is gone for good so yay! I am side-eying the show, though about that. What was the point of introducing her if you weren't going to do anything with her? I'd say they probably wasted about half of 3A with Ollie unnecessarily. But maybe if this show hadn't been cancelled, Ollie would've played a more significant role? Well anyway, at least some of the fat has been trimmed.

My biggest issue, as always, is the dialogue. The dialogue felt extremely one-note. It was almost like the writer made a flow chart of what they wanted to happen in this episode and was like, "crap! I guess my characters do need to speak, here's some lines to explain what's going on." The dialogue basically existed solely for the purpose of giving exposition but the real kicker is that it was really unnecessary. I could've had this episode on silent (and that might've even have made it an improvement) and I would've understood what was happening perfectly. The dialogue really didn't add anything to the experience, it just made the episode feel more awkward than it already was. And then there continues the trend of Shadowhunters treating their awesome plans as if they’re the most clever plans in the world when in actuality, the plan is beyond obvious and it was super cringey and awkward seeing Izzy being treated as this amazing strategist for making the obvious move. And the episode was already plenty awkward with the constant cutting. It's really difficult to enjoy any particular subplot going on in this show when we only spend maybe 30 seconds to a minute on any particular moment. I kind of wish this show structured their episodes more around themes as opposed to plot. Plot is temporary, plot is always changing but exploring themes through plot gives you more of an appreciation not only for the characters but the story, itself. While I didn't mind sequences in this episode, at the end of the day, it just kind of left me feeling empty. I also think the acting felt a little stilted as well. I wasn't a big fan of any of the performances given in this episode and whereas I've never thought anyone on this show was oscar-worthy for their performances in the past on this show, their performances have always been maybe a C+ to a B. But in this episode, it just didn't feel like any of the actors' hearts were in it. Now granted, that could be a side effect of the script because, as I've mentioned before, the script wasn't great. Or it could've been the directing. There's a lot of reasons for why acting can feel stilted and it very rarely has to do with the actor or actress being bad at acting.

I've made notes about how the dialogue and acting was stilted but those weren't the only things that were. The fight choreography and the blocking felt a little off as well. For starters, the fight choreography did not feel organic. It was strangely reminiscent of season 1 fight choreography. The constant jump cuts so you don't see too much of what's actually happening and just feeling like fight scenes move very slowly. Like the reaction times between sword swing to parry were very slow and it kept on taking me out of the moment. Then you also had moments where Alec and Izzy catch up with Jace in the sewer and everyone's staring at the seelie they're trying to capture for a good 5 seconds before the actual fight continues. And then there's just strange blocking choices where a character walks to a point in the room and then delivers their line but the walk to the new mark wasn’t organic and actually made the line feel more awkward.

I'd probably give this episode a C+. It was passable, with enjoyable moments but ultimately not something I have any desire to return to. There were cute moments (primarily Jalec and Madzie), but overall as an episode, not something to be too terribly impressed with. And yes, there were moments I did like. It’s not my fault the show just had more bad parts I felt compelled to talk about.

[hiddlesgirl]

SH 215: A Problem Of Memory

Another great episode, a new character, some emotional scenes and a huge shock. I really liked the emotional scenes involving Magnus and Simon, they both made me cry and they both made some progress towards emotional stability. I love that we are seeing Izzy continue to grow in strength and confidence; she is giving out some great advice too.

We open with Simon being in a bad place emotionally, he is still extremely upset about what happened with Clary, feeling confused, conflicted and raw. The vampire Quinn buys him plasma; plasma is the largest component of blood which is rich in nutrients, it is often used to help treat immune and blood disorders, as well as burns, shock, trauma to name a few. To vampires it seems to have the effect similar to a shot of vodka. Think of blood like a vodka and coke, mixed the vodka isn’t as potent; but take vodka on its own and the effect is stronger; in this case the vodka is plasma.

Quinn then takes Simon to a bleeder den; a place where mundanes willing let vampires feed on them; I liked the set and the lighting. Simon feeds on a girl named Heidi, he is a bit wary because he doesn’t know if he will be able to control himself after what happened with Jace. I felt sorry for Simon, but the situation was understandable; his feelings are a mess and we all do stupid things when we’re hurting.

If you did not freak out about seeing Alec wake up, shirtless, on Magnus’ red sheets then you are lying. Not quite the bed scene we were all hoping for but maybe we’ll get there, and we can’t complain about seeing a shirtless Alec right? I really loved how Alec stretched his arm across the bed, feeling for Magnus and immediately sat up when he noticed his absence; and the sound of his voice when he called out Magnus’ name, all raspy and rough from sleep (I’m dead).

It is clear that Magnus is being tormented by the memory of his mother’s suicide, a side effect of being tortured. I liked the flashback scene, I love that we are getting to know and see more of Magnus past, even if it is extremely painful. I know that his mother’s death is different from the books because in the books she hung herself whereas in the show she stabbed herself; there could be a few reasons for this. One, to see a body hanging is quite a graphic thing and would probably be a bit more traumatic from the audience than seeing someone stabbed (which is a regular occurrence on the show); plus it may have been too graphic for the child actor they would have to have for the scene, or too graphic for the network (Freeform) which is owned by Disney. Two, without the keris we wouldn’t have had this build up since 2A, it is unlikely that a piece of rope would have lasted for centuries plus a noose is less conspicuous than a dagger, we wouldn’t of had that moment of Simon trying to use the keris to open Camille’s box too. Three, there maybe be another piece of the puzzle we haven’t seen yet as to why she used that dagger, or chose to stab herself as the way to take her life.

We get another example of Magnus using make up as an armour too, when he was alone looking in the mirror he had no makeup on, but when he faced Alec is had full makeup with eyeliner and eye shadow. It is clear that he is trying to present a normal front and trying to hide his pain, even from Alec.

I love the domestic vibe of the scene; and yes I did squeal when Alec said ‘I love that face’, it is such a sweet line and moment. ��Alec says that it is the fourth morning in a row that he has woken without Magnus being in bed; so for at least four days straight he has been sleeping at Magnus’. I think that this is a great indicator for their relationship, they feel comfortable sharing their space and sleeping with each other; Alec also feels comfortable sleeping away from the Institute despite knowing that people undoubtedly know this which shows a lot about how far he has come in terms of being comfortable with his sexuality and relationship with Magnus.

He expresses his concern for Magnus; he knows that something must be bothering him. I adore their conversation about Alec’s ‘adorable little snores’, Alec’s slightly offended expression and Magnus imitating little snores is so freaking adorable. I love their morning kiss, it is so sweet and domestic.

Magnus deflects from himself by asking Alec about Luke and while it is a genuine concern it is mainly a way to divert Alec’s attention; as Alec begins talking Magnus slightly dissociates, or zone’s out, and I really like they edited it, muffling Alec’s voice so that you experience what Magnus was experiencing. Alec once again voices his concern, he knows that Magnus is acting differently and wants him to be able to talk to him, but doesn’t push too much;  it is very clear that Magnus is still very effected by what happened to him. I also loved that Magnus touched Alec’s deflect rune, I love that rune okay.

I liked that Izzy told Jace to leave Clary and Simon alone; right now they need to figure out their feelings and what that means for their relationship. Jace’s interference would only make it worse, especially for Simon. It’s okay for Jace to have feelings for Clary but he needs to let her figure out her relationship before he gets involved; it wouldn’t be fair to any of them, especially Simon.

Alec asks Jace for reassurance about his decisions as Head because he knows that his actions with the Downworld meeting are controversial; and he has felt slightly conflicted about Luke. He wants to know that Jace supports him, especially because Jace was the one to give him the job, he doesn’t want to fail or disappoint him. Alec is just learning to trust his gut more and have faith in his own decisions, so once in a while he just needs reassurance from another Shadowhunter, from his Parabatai, that he is doing a good job and the right thing.

Izzy is giving more sage advice to Clary, to give Simon time; time to process what happened and how he feels about it. Clary is adamant that she needs to fix it now, she keeps denying her feelings for Jace which is not helping the situation, and she needs to be honest with herself, so that she can be honest with Simon. Izzy is right, having feelings for two people at the same time doesn’t make you a bad person, but Clary needs to be honest and not mislead Simon because it will only hurt him more in the end.

The scene in the boathouse breaks my heart, Simon just wants Clary to be honest with him; when he found out they weren’t siblings she told him that she didn’t have feelings for Jace and it wouldn’t affect their relationship. He wants her to be honest even if it hurts him; he needs to know how she feels so that he can decide what he wants. His line ‘Because you don’t mean it the way I mean it.’ made tears build in my eyes, he knows that she doesn’t love him to the extent he loves her and it is killing him. He knows that they do not love in equal measure, maybe not even in the same way; if the Seelie Queen had asked him no one would have come close to Clary. He says that them trying to be more than friends was a mistake, because now he knows that she doesn’t love him how he loves her. He has loved her for so long and so deeply, but he cannot bear to feel second best or to stay knowing that she has feelings for someone else. Alberto and Kat broke my heart.

I love the shot we have of the Institute; I think it was really beautiful. We learn that Jace’s mother willing went to Valentine for the injections of angel blood because she mad miscarried before and was afraid of losing another baby; her motivations are completely understandable. I am a little bit suspicious of her death, apparently she committed suicide after Jace’s dad died and her body was ravaged by wolves; but she wanted a baby so much that she went to Valentine for injections so it is a little hard to believe that she would willing end her life, and the life of her child. Maybe I am just reading in too deep and the death of her husband was completely unbearable; but if she went to those lengths to have a child I struggle to believe she would willingly end that life.

I adore the scene between Simon and Luke, that he reassures him that he with always be there for him no matter what happens with Clary. I think this is a huge relief to Simon because Luke is the only parental figure he has who knows about the Shadow World, so to lose that would severely affect him. Luke’s line ‘You’re the closest thing to a son that I got’ warms my heart so much, he is reassuring Simon that they are family and that isn’t going to change. We also learn that a girl was killed by a vampire, and Simon’s prints were on her body; it was Heidi.

I love the scene between Alec and Izzy, he is beginning to open up to her more about his feeling, relationship and ask for her advice. Again he is showing concern for Magnus, and I think that he feels that being around Valentine wouldn’t help Magnus right now. Izzy is giving out more great advice by saying not to let Magnus push Alec away and that he may find it hard to ask for help; Magnus is extremely powerful, had few friends and has lived for centuries so it makes sense that he would find it difficult to be vulnerable and ask for help. Alec thanks her but says that right now Magnus needs space; I love that Alec, while worrying for Magnus, wants to respect his need for space and doesn’t want to make Magnus uncomfortable by pressuring him into opening before he is ready.

We meet Aline, who is a friend of the Lightwood’s and Sebastian’s cousin although he doesn’t seem to recognise her to begin with; which definitely sets off alarm bells. She points out that his behaviour and disappearance is strange and has come to a shock to his family, and that he seems different. She is definitely suspicious of him, which makes us even more suspicious; there is definitely something wrong. Which we find out when he goes back to his apartment to reveal that the person in his closet is the real Sebastian Verlac; he is an impostor.

Simon goes to Raphael for help, he knows that Raphael will be less likely to hand him over to the Clave and give him a place to lay low. Right now, thinking he killed someone, he is too ashamed to go to Luke who is a Cop, he isn’t talking to Clary and almost everyone else he knows is either a Shadowhunter or involved with one. So Raphael is really the only person who he has left to turn to, however Raphael wants to know how Simon became a Daylighter. Despite everything that is happening right now Simon will not betray Jace and put him in danger, he knows that it’s not Jace’s fault that Clary has feelings for him and that Jace doesn’t have any malicious intent towards him. So although Simon is hurt and getting rid of Jace would maybe solve his issue with Clary, there is no way that he would willingly give information that would cause harm to come to him. Simon doesn’t have it in him to willingly hurt someone, especially Jace who he has come to trust, saved his life and they have almost become friends. I admire Simon so much; despite his own pain he will not betray or hurt Jace.

Aline voices her suspicions to Sebastian, but they are soothed when he tells her about her girlfriend Caroline. He uses this information to reassure her and get her to relate and sympathise with him. It is great to have another LGBT+ person on the show, she seems to be an interesting character and I hope we get to see more of her. I love her coat and weapons holster by the way, badass.

We then see the real Sebastian escape the apartment, driven by the knowledge that the cousin he trusts is at the institute; he knows that if he can reach her he’ll be safe. I have to give kudos to Will for his acting, to portray to very different people in one episode is amazing; his body posture, expressions and demeanour changed for each character, I am very excited to see more of him in the rest of the episodes.

We find out that Simon didn’t kill Heidi because it was bites on her feet that were fatal, and Simon has a foot phobia; he finds out that it was Quinn when he goes back to the bleeder den. He is angry that Quinn is so nonchalant about killing her and is adamant that he is going to turn him over to the Shadowhunters; Quinn starts a fight. I really like this fight scene, it is rare we get to see Simon fight and I loved it; the choreography was really good and it looked realistic. When Simon killed Quinn it seemed that the other vampires were a little afraid of him; with his Daylighter status and showing that he is not afraid to kill other vampires, he has shown that he is not to be messed with. It will be interesting to see his interactions with other vampires after this.

We see that Magnus is still taunted by flashbacks, this time they include a man shouting at him as he stands by his mother’s body; he is so zoned out that he doesn’t even notice Alec’s arrival. He quickly tries to distract Alec, and himself, by fixing another drink; but Alec is not going to let it go this time. I adore that the first thing Alec says is that he loves him and he is there for him, not matter what; he is reassuring Magnus of his feelings and that Magnus doesn’t need to be scared.  Also love that Alec used Magnus’ words against him ‘When things get crazy, don’t push me away’, he wants Magnus to know that he is there for him and to let him in.

Magnus opens up, explaining that he is reliving his worst memory over and over. I love that when Magnus sits down Alec knees in front of him, he is at eye level, close enough to give support and comfort but not to close as to crowd him. We learn that the man in the flashback was Magnus’ stepfather, who called him an abomination; this is when I begin to cry, Alec looks so bewildered at the thought that someone could think of Magnus as an abomination. He knows that Magnus is kind, selfless, loving and supportive.

You can see in Magnus’ eyes and expression as he talks that he believes all the things his stepfather said to him, he believes the worst in himself and it absolutely shattered my heart. Magnus had killed his stepfather and you can see how much that memory torments him, I believe that he did not mean to kill him only to hurt him. He was a boy who has just found his mother’s body and then was subjected to verbal abuse, amid the turmoil of emotion you can understand him lashing out just wanting everything to stop. He probably underestimated his power and killed his stepfather by accident; if it was his intention to kill him he would not be so tormented by it.

Magnus further breaks my heart with the line ‘I never wanted you to see this terrible, ugly side of me’, he never wanted Alec to see the dark parts of his past and the terrible things he has done, even if they were by accident. He didn’t want to have to show that dark part of himself to the person he loves. When Alec says ‘Hey’ you can see the hesitation in Magnus’ face, he is expecting Alec to be disgusted, appalled or to hate him; he has so much self loathing that he is expecting Alec to reject him now that he has seen this dark piece of his past.

Alec’s line makes me love him even more than I already do ‘There’s nothing ugly about you’, he knows that no one is perfect and that everyone has things that they wish they hadn’t done or that hadn’t happened. He is not going to reject or love Magnus any less because of this part of his past; he knows that Magnus would never willingly hurt an innocent and that he lashed out during a time of great emotional anguish at a person who was causing some of his suffering, and he isn’t going to blame or leave him because of that.

The utter look of disbelief and relief of Magnus face makes me cry, he was fully expecting contempt and rejection but was amazingly surprised by this wonderful man that he loves. Alec loves him, all of him, and the tragedy of Magnus’ past isn’t going to change that. He was so scared to open up and lose Alec, now he knows that Alec will be there, will not run away and he can be vulnerable with him without fear of rejection. I love their hug, Alec giving comfort he knows that it was difficult for Magnus to open up and have to relive that memory and he just wants to embrace him, and comfort him. Magnus relishes in the hug, knowing that despite knowing of his past this man loves him, allowing himself to take comfort from him. I just adore this whole scene, Harry and Matt once again shattering my heart with their amazing acting; I love these two characters, and their relationship, so much and I cannot wait to see their journey continue.

Poor Sebastian, just as we think he might reach Aline in time his imposter (literally) stabs him in the back. It will be interesting to see if fake!Sebastian is going to leave the body for people to find and go into hiding; or whether he will hide the body and continue his masquerade a while longer.

We see Luke and Raphael work together to encanto Ollie after she witnessed Simon’s strength and speed, it is important to both of them that she forget. Not only for the safety of Simon but for the entire Shadow World. However, they do not know that she shared a picture of a wolf with her girlfriend, so it will be interesting to see if this unravels because of that.

Simon reassures Clary that they will always be friends, that he still wants to be friends but the he is going to need to time. Time to process, time to heal and time to adjust back to being friends. This is completely understandable, he needs time away from her right now to let his heart heal before he can be her friend again; especially if that is going to mean seeing her with Jace. I love Clary for reassuring him that it doesn’t matter how long it takes she will always be there for him. She loves him and wants to be friends, but she acknowledges his need for time and will give it to him.

They are transferring Valentine to Idris, I am glad that Magnus will be the one to open the portal; I think that he needed to be present for his departure, to know that he’s gone and can’t hurt him anymore. Valentine has to have the last word with his dig about the air reeking of Downworlders, despite him having no control over the situation he remains smug and confident. As soon as Duncan grabs his shoulder you know Valentine is not going to make it to Idris, and he doesn’t. Our first glance of Idris looks beautiful; I look forward to seeing more in future episodes.

Valentine and Duncan appear in a basement with Sebastian waiting for them, it is revealed that he had been holding Duncan’s family hostage to get him to comply; and then he kills Duncan. Valentine seems confused and asks Sebastian what he wants; Sebastian then removed his glamour and HOLY FUCK! WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?! 

The most common nickname I have heard is burnt chicken and I cannot help to agree, plus it makes me laugh. Sebastian then says ‘Hello, father’ so he is Jonathan Christopher; the believed dead son of Valentine and brother of Clary. I have to say huge kudos to the makeup team for the burnt chicken, apparently that took seven hours; amazing!

I really liked this episode, I have not disliked an episode of 2B so far, they are seriously stepping up their game and I am so excited for the rest of the season.

P.S; I have a theory about Sebastian burning himself. I think that it might be a habit or tick, and that he actually doesn’t really feel the pain of the heat burning his skin. He looks to be completely covered in burns, so I don’t think him burning himself would hurt him that much. It will be interesting to see if this is explained, and to learn why he is that way.

[pocket-elf]

Separation of the Body, Not the Soul - ch 4

Pairing: Jace/Alec (Shadowhunters)

Rating: M I guess? T? I dunno I’m bad at this.

Summary: Jace and Alec are found out, and as they are breaking the sacred law governing parabatai, they will be separated and prevented from ever contacting each other.

on AO3

Chapter 4: A cold and broken hallelujah It’s time to say goodbye...

The Clave seems to realise that even parabatai who are breaking the law deserve to say their goodbyes, and are leaving Jace and Alec alone while the portal to London is being prepared. And, this time, they make double sure to lock the door to the bedroom. Alec has snapped out of the shock he found himself in after the verdict, and his mind has gone into problem solving mode.

“Maybe we can call for a mistrial or something? The way this was done can’t be legal right?”

At his side, Jace just sighs and sits down on the bed, shoulders slumped. Alec sits down next to him, mind still revving.

“Can we contact the new Consul maybe? Have him review this whole thing.”

“There’s no use.” Jace says, defeat drenching his voice. “We were caught literally red handed. And Robert will never stand down.”

Jace raises his gaze to meet Alec’s, and the look in his eyes makes Alec deflate. All fighting spirit just dies.

“Then we run.”

“No. You…” Jace’s breath hitches a little. “You have to let me go.”

“I can’t do that Jace. I just can’t.” Alec puts his arms around him, squeezing desperately.

“If we run, there is no coming back from that. When, and it is when, they catch us, we will be de-runed and exiled. You will never see you family and friends again. I will not do that to you.”

“Jace…”

“This way there is still hope. Maybe with time, we can arrange an appeal. The Clave is changing, maybe the Law can change too. If we run, everything is lost.”

“But we’ll have…”

“No. Just… let’s not talk about it, okay? Just kiss me.”

Jace’s eyes are pleading and it makes Alec swallow his protest. This may be why their lives are currently being dismantled, but the crime has already been committed, and this is their very last chance to feel each other… Yet, he doesn’t heed the request right away. Instead, he cups Jace’s face with his hand, grazing his thumb over Jace’s cheekbone and then lips. Jace looks at him intensely, lips slightly parted. Any other day he would’ve let his tongue dart out, or slipped Alec thumb into his mouth, but not today. He just breathes and stares. But Alec can sense how Jace’s whole body is straining to just connect. And so is his own. He pulls Jace closer and their lips meet. Jace’s hands finally rise from where they have been limply resting by his sides, and he cups the back of Alec’s head with one hand while the other is spread wide, pressed between Alec’s shoulder blades. Not letting go, Jace leans back, bringing Alec with him. Following the movement, Alec gently rights them on the bed so that Jace’s head rests comfortably against the pillows. Their movements are careful and slow. Alec pushes Jace’s shirt over his head, and Jace unbuttons Alec’s in return, not stopping at the last button but simply continuing down to his pants. The desire to connect translates to them wanting to feel as much skin against skin as possible. But somehow, despite there being a rapidly ticking clock on their last hours together, they don’t rush things. They may not have time, but they will take it.

Their kisses may be slow, but they are deep. When Alec needs to break for air, he decides to simply divert his attention to the speed rune on Jace’s neck, covering the black lines with butterfly kisses and small flicks of his tongue. He wants to taste every inch of Jace’s skin, to commit it all to memory, but he settles on kissing every rune he can reach. Their fingers are interlaced, resting against the cool sheets, and, not wanting to let go, Alec pulls Jace’s arms down as he himself moves further down the bed to get to the runes on Jace’s stomach. He can feel the taut muscles trembling slightly under the touch of his lips, and, when he finally reaches the parabatai rune on Jace’s side, a shiver runs through them both and Jace arches up. He releases his hold on Alec’s hands and continues his upward motion, until they’re both sitting on the bed instead.

Jace claims Alec’s mouth once again, letting his tongue slip back in as if his and Alec’s have always belonged together . His warm hands are splayed against Alec’s bare back, and Alec can feel those nimble fingers slowly start to trace the runes etched into his skin — some of them put there by Jace himself. He knows that Jace is deeply familiar with every single line, just as he is with Jace’s. They could draw them perfectly, over and over again, even in the dark. And they have — with fingers and with lips. Now, however, Alec’s hands are simply resting on Jace’s waist, holding him steady and close. When he feels hot tears spill from Jace’s eyes, Alec moves to kiss the salt from his cheeks. He doesn’t say anything, but merely guides them gently back down onto the mattress.

When he slowly eases into Jace, it’s not with lust or passion, but with a soul-deep need to simply be as close as possible. To be one. He takes it slow, barely moving at all. Jace has his legs tightly wrapped around him, keeping Alec locked inside him. All Alec can do is make small rocking motions while clinging to Jace in return. It’s not about the pleasure, but the connection.

Alec doesn’t realise he’s crying too, until Jace moves his hands from where they’ve been pressed against Alec’s shoulder blades to wipe the tears from his face. Hand still cupping Alec’s face, he pulls him back down for another kiss.

“It’s going to be okay,” he promises, kissing along Alec’s cheekbone.

Alec doesn’t believe him. Not really. How can this be okay? They are never going to be able to do this again. Ever.

“I love you… so much,” Alec breathes in a reverent whisper.

Jace meets his gaze, and the warm light from the wall sconces reflect in his eyes, making the splash of gold glitter in the stark sea of blue. How will Alec ever be able to forget those eyes?

“I love you,” Jace sighs, pressing his body hard against Alec, while the feelings of love, loss, and an already building longing echo through their bond.

Not changing their speed or movement, the orgasm builds slowly between them. When they both finally crest the peak, neither of them cry out but simply cling to each other as it rolls through them, as if they were one single being, caught in melancholy rapture.

They stay like that, not moving except for Alec quietly stroking Jace’s hair while feeling Jace’s heartbeat echoing his own. He wishes they could stay like this forever, skin to skin in each other’s arms.

“I need to go,” Jace finally says, regret tinging his voice. He extracts himself from Alec’s embrace and quickly gets dressed. Alec can’t help but just look at him, trying to take in every detail of his skin before it is covered by cotton and leather, and possibly lost to him forever.

But when Jace is fully dressed and makes a move to leave, Alec has to reach out. He hooks an arm around Jace’s waist and pulls him back, holding on for dear life.

“We do this… and we’ll never see each other again,” Alec’s says, a lump forming in his throat.

“Do you truly love me?” Jace is looking down at him, a hand in Alec’s dark hair, with fingers gently caressing his scalp.

Alec simply nods and presses his face closer to Jace’s stomach.

“Beyond hope,” he whispers.

“Then don’t make me say goodbye.” Jace voice cracks.

Alec nods and buries his face against Jace’s skin, but doesn’t say anything when Jace, eventually, gently pushes him away and turns. He could have left in tears and with shoulders hunched in defeat. Instead, Alec watches him straighten his back and neck, and, even if he can’t see Jace’s face, he knows that it will show no trace of the feelings churning inside. In public, Jace will bear his punishment with his head held high, and so will Alec.

When Alec leaves his bedroom a while later to head for the portal room, he almost collides with Izzy.

“By the angel Alec! What happened?! I just got back from the Baltic coast and I’m met with murmurs of Jace being exiled, and I heard someone mention ‘salacious activities’? And you look like shit.”

“They… Izzy, dad walked in on us.”

Izzy’s jaw drops and she pushes Alec back into his room, locking the door behind them.

“Dad did what?”

“Me and Jace were… you know.”

“Noooo. Dad walked in on you two… having sex?” She raises an eyebrow, and her voice drops to an almost whisper on the last two words, despite them being alone, for once.

“Well, not really. Thank the angel we hadn’t gotten that far yet. But it sure was close. Shirts off, hands wandering, kisses…” He is too embarrassed to look at her.

“Oh, Alec. I thought you two were being so careful. What happened to triple checking you locked the door?”

“I don’t know, Iz. I don’t know!”

“How did dad react?”

“How do you think? The murmurs about Jace being exiled are true. He’s being sent to London in…” He checks his watch. “Fifteen minutes. We’re not allowed to even contact to each other for ten years. Jace and I, we’re criminals.”

At that, Izzy’s eyes widen and she can’t seem to get a word out. Alec slumps onto the bed, resting his elbows on his knees while covering his face in his hands.

“Dad stormed out, contacted Inquisitor Herondale, and our trial was this morning,” Alec continues. “Before you say anything… yeah, we lied. We said it was just last night and nothing more, and they believed us. I think that’s why we’re still allowed to remain parabatai, and there’s a time limit. But Iz… it feels like a death sentence right now.”

“Oh big brother, I’m so sorry.” She crouches down and hugs him. Then she straightens up. “Wait, did you say yesterday? All this in less than 24 hours? And you’re being separated for 10 years for making out just once? That can be really dangerous for parabatai! How is this fair?”

“Yeah, I know… But, we can’t do anything else right now.”

Izzy takes a resolute step towards the door.

“No, Izzy, wait! Don’t go to dad. There’s no use. I don’t even know if he’s still here. We will…” He swallows hard. “We will just have to do this.”

“What about you? What will happen to you?”

“I don’t know. I’m being demoted, of course. We’re getting a new Head of the Institute. Whoever that is will decide the rest. I guess dad had something to do with that, too. Wanting to keep the family together or something.”

Izzy huffs.

“Yeah, that ain’t happening. And Jace is family, too! First mom, now this? I’m not speaking to him ever again.”

When they enter the portal room Izzy leaves Alec’s side and flies into Jace’s arms, not paying any attentions to the guards on either side of him. Alec can’t hear what she mumbles in Jace’s ear, but he can imagine it’s the kind of tearful goodbye he cannot give his parabatai himself. And, no matter how Alec’s and Jace’s relationship has changed over the years, to Izzy Jace will always be a brother.

Clary should be here, Alec thinks. She, too, will lose a brother, and she doesn’t even know it yet. She and Izzy had infiltrated a reportedly rogue group of shadowhunters on the southern Swedish coast, which has naturally meant complete radio silence for the past week. For some reason Izzy was back, possibly to report, but Alec figures Clary must still be in Sweden, so the news won’t reach her until she returns. He is not particularly looking forward to the pint sized hurricane of fire that will tear through the institute when she learns of what has happened.

Eventually, Jace’s guards seem to get tired of Izzy and ask her to step away, so she returns to Alec’s side. Tears are still streaming down her face, but her jaw is set.

“I told Jace I’m going to fix this. And I will,” she whispers.

“It’s okay, Izzy,” Alec replies, hoping she would stop crying soon. It is making it very hard for him to remain composed.

“Jace said that, too. And no, no it’s not. But we will make it okay. Somehow. I’m not giving up on you two.”

“Thank you,” he says, voice low, while squeezing her hand.

The Inquisitor and her stand-in enter the room last. Alec assumes that the advocates and prosecutor must have left already, their job being done and all. And he isn’t the least bit surprised that Robert is absent as well. Coward, he thinks.

“Okay, let’s get this over with,” the Inquisitor says in a loud authoritative voice. But Alec thinks he can detect a hint of sadness in her eyes as she looks at Jace.

Alec stands up straighter, hands clasped behind his rigid back. When Jace is brought to stand in front of the portal, Alec has to use all his strength not to reach out or speak up. But he will keep his promise — no goodbyes. And then Jace lunges. It is not an escape attempt, he wouldn’t be that stupid. No, he just goes for Alec, and presses a kiss hard to his lips. It’s not like one more would make a difference anyway. It’s short, with closed lips and just pressure. And opposite to what Jace had wished, it is a goodbye. But before Alec can do anything in return, Jace is dragged away from him by his escort.

The last thing Alec sees is Jace looking back at him from the glimmering halo of the portal, eyes shining. Then, Alec's knees buckle and he crumples to the ground.

[booksareawayoflife]

City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

’Jace is now a servant of evil, bound for all eternity to Sebastian. Only a small band of Shadowhunters believe he can be saved. To do this they must defy the Clave. And they must act without Clary. For Clary is playing a dangerous game utterly alone. The price of losing is not just her own life, but Jace’s soul. Clary is willing to do anything for Jace, but can she still trust him? Or is he truly lost?

What price is too high to pay, even for love?’

 Book Review: no spoilers

I was really worried that I wouldn’t like this book, because I have heard mixed things about this book, and City of Fallen Angels. But I liked City of Fallen Angels, so I was hoping that I would also like this book! And I did!

This book was definitely slow paced until about the last 150 pages, where the climax occurred. I think that climax of this book does make up for the slow-paced nature of this book, and City of Fallen Angels, because shit went down. I am intrigued to see what will happen next, because I don’t know what will happen next. Although I do think that Sebastian/Jonathan’s evil plan was reused from Valentine’s, so I don’t think much of the originality of the main problem. Yet, I did like the references to The Infernal Devices, and even The Dark Artifices in this book.

In terms of the characters, I loved all the main characters in this book. This is the book I was looking for to make me love Izzy, and I love her now. Her character developed so nicely in this book, that it was about time. This book also broke my heart... I’ll go more into in the spoiler section of this review. I was even able to endure Clace in this book. I am looking forward to the City of Heavenly Fire so badly, but I have to read Clockwork Princess before I do. I need to prepare myself for marathon reading. I know after I finish that book, that I’ll want to rush into City of Heavenly Fire.

Overall, I gave this book 9/10 or 4.5/5. It is not the worst in the series... I think that will go to City of Fallen Angels, because it was too slow paced, and the payoff for the climax wasn’t that good because the true climax would occur in this book. But, don’t get me wrong, I still loved City of Fallen Angels, it is just the weakest in the series. This book is also slow paced, but the climax/ending make up for it for this book, and the last book. I would recommend this series, because you end up becoming so invested in these characters, and they become your friends. I am looking forward to what will happen next, but I am sad knowing that I only have one book left with the original Shadowhunter crew.

SPOILERS:

From here on out, I’ll be talking more in depth on the specifics of the books. If you haven’t read this series, or this book, I would recommend not reading any further.

Clary - There are points where I wanted to hit Clary, and tell her to take advantage of the situation, and not focus on Jace. Like when Jace came back to normal for a while, she didn’t ask him where her faerie ring was. I also wish that she kept in mind that she was a spy a bit more, when she was with Jace, and Sebastian. But, overall, she wasn’t as annoying as she has been, and I do still like her. I just think that sometimes she acts like a lovesick teenager... which she is.

Jace - I didn’t really have any feelings for Jace in this book, because for most of it, it wasn’t Jace. It was a Jace that was controlled by Sebastian, so I can’t blame him for any of his actions. I am intrigued about what will happen to his character in City of Heavenly Fire, because he has heavenly fire.

Simon - I still love Simon, and still think that Clary made the wrong decision... but whateves. I do like how he took a more prominent role in this book, and I am intrigued about what will happen next, now that he doesn’t have the Mark of Cain. I do love his growing relationship with Isabelle, and I am shipping them more now, after this book. I do also like the Alec, and Simon moments. There’s quite a few of them in the series, and they are precious moments.

Alec - I love Alec, but he was an idiot in this book. Every time that he went to visit Camille, I wanted to knock him out, and drag him back to Magnus’s loft. I am so sad that Malec broke up, but I am intrigued about how they will get back together, and how Magnus will get past Alec’s choices. My favourite Alec quote in this book, and maybe this entire series goes: Simon rolled his eyes. “It’s a good thing we know the person who’s dating Magnus,” he said. “Otherwise, I get the feeling we’d all just lie around all the time wondering what the hell to do next. Or try to raise all the money to hire Magnus by selling lemonade.” Alec looked merely irritated by this comment. “The only way you could raise enough money to hire Magnus by selling lemonade is if you put meth in it.”

Isabelle - I love her now. I just love how developed her character is now, after this book, and the last book. Her friendships with girls feel real, and not forced. Her relationship with Simon has more substance now, and she actually cares/needs him! I am intrigued about what will happen next to Iz because she doesn’t really take a prominent position in this series, but I do still like what she does.

Magnus - We got more Magnus! I am excited to see more of him, especially seeing as Malec has to make up, and I need to read The Bane Chronicles. I love Magnus, and I love the fact that there will be three more books on Magnus! My dreams are coming true. I better not die until the last book in the Magnus Bane trilogy has been published, and read by me.

Luke - I dislike the fact that he has basically disappeared from this series after City of Glass. I hope that he has a more prominent role in City of Heavenly Fire. This book, it’s because he was gravely injured, but still. I want more of Luke! I am still looking forward to his wedding. It needs to happen ASAP.

Jocelyn - I don’t really like Jocelyn. I think it’s because I still haven’t forgiven her for taking away Clary’s memories. But, I did start to like her more in this book, because she did comfort Isabelle when they went to the Iron Sisters. She is also taking a back seat like Luke, but less so.

Maia - I like Maia. She didn’t do much in this book minus get with Jordan, and fight when needed too, but it is better than nothing. I wonder what she is going to do next, and if she will take more of a back seat, or be a more prominent character.

Jordan Kyle - There was more development of his character in this book, and his organisation. I do like Jordan, but I am not as attached to him as the other main characters. I don’t know what will happen to his character, but I am intrigued.

Camille - I hated Camille in this book, because I didn’t trust her. Especially when she was manipulating Alec. But I do think that her death should have been written into the book, because she is an important character in the Shadowhunter Universe, or that Alec should have killed her. I am intrigued what the consequences of her death will mean. I do wish that we got to understand why she sided with Lilith in City of Fallen Angels.

Sebastian/Jonathan - I didn’t mind Sebastian... I even liked the trio of Clary, Jace, and him, but I hated him after her attacked... and I think tried to rape Clary. Because he was trying to unbutton her jeans after he kissed her... but he could have also tried to unclothe her to put her in the dress. So I am unsure what he was actually doing when he attacked Clary, but still... I didn’t like it, so I didn’t like him. I am intrigued about what Sebastian will do next, because I can’t guess what he will do. But I do like him as a bad guy more than Valentine, because he is more developed.

I can’t wait to read City of Heavenly Fire, but the next book I will read is Clockwork Princess! Which I also can’t wait to read. I am quite sad though, because I only have one book left in both series to read. But I am looking forward to seeing what will happen!

Love Lou xx

[basicshadowhuntersstuff]

This week in Shadowhunters news, updates, sneak peeks, and behind the scenes. All the stuff you need to stay up to date.

Official Promotion

2x16 Trailers: Hard Feelings.

2x16 Sneak Peeks: Clary and Jace, Valentine and Sebastian, Alec at the Institute.

“Interview With Showrunners Todd Slavkin And Darren Swimmer.”

“Season 2 Episode 15 Music Guide.”

Shadowhunters In The News

Advanced Reviews for 2x16: Day of Atonement: Spoiler TV.

Reviews for 2x15: A Problem of Memory: BSS, Spoiler TV, TV Fanatic, Hollywood Life, TV Line, TV After Dark, When Nerds Attack, Movie Pilot News.

TV Line (Review/Interview): Love Triangles, Evil Freaks and All the Malec Feels. (NOTE: Includes interview with Todd Slavkin and Darren Swimmer).

Hidden Remote (Article): Sarah Hyland’s Shadowhunters character revealed, Kevin Alves to play Bat. (NOTE: Casting spoiler is unconfirmed).

Hidden Remote (Article/Interview): Paul Wesley opens up about unique directing style on Shadowhunters.

Hidden Remote (Article): Freeform fans meet stars from Shadowhunters, Stitchers and The Fosters at D23 Expo.

Hidden Remote (Article): Shadowhunters fans have mixed reactions to THAT Sebastian reveal.

E! Online (Article): Teen Choice Awards 2017 Reveal "Second Wave" of Nominations. (NOTE: Shadowhunters is up for several awards).

Hollywood Life (Interview): Dominic Sherwood Dishes On That Clace Kiss & What’s Next For Them.

FYIG (Interview): Eileen Li talks about her roles on Shadowhunters and Jack Ryan.

OCCHI Magazine (Interview): Eileen Li Talks “Shadowhunters” and Representing the LGBT Community.

TV Guide (Interview): Paul Wesley Directs and Teases Sebastian's "Intense Arc."

CNET (Interview): Dominic Sherwood finds the magic in tech.

Girlfriend (Interview): Dominic Sherwood Reveals The Fate Of Jace And Clary.

Latina (Interview): Emeraude Toubia Talks Latino Representations in Hollywood.

Video & Audio Interviews

Vanity Fair: Matthew Daddario's Etiquette Guide to New York City. [1]

AfterBuzz TV: Dominic Sherwood joins them for their 2x15 recap show.

Studio 10: Dominic Sherwood talks Shadowhunters & Girlfriend Sarah Hyland. [2]

Access Hollywood:  Dominic Sherwood on Alec Running The Institute; Talks Newcomer Sebastian.

Access Hollywood: The Cast On Having 'TVD's' Paul Wesley Direct An Episode.

Scoopla: Dominic Sherwood answers fans questions whats a trait about you not a lot of people know, If you could body swap with a cast member, Lightwood family vacay, Would Jace and Christian Ozera have been friends in an alt universe, If Jace had a job in the Mundane world, Dom’s diary he keeps for Jace.

Sydney Confidential: Dominic Sherwood talks his super mario undies, Taylor Swift and Vampire Academy Movie UK plus what he's done on his first trip to Australia.

The Hype: Dominic Sherwood shares his celebrity crush (Part 1), His plans for when zombies take over and his fav roadtrip song (Part 2).

KTLA 5: Katherine McNamara on Earning Her Masters and Talks Shadowhunters Love Triangle.

Twitter & Social Media

Matt (Alec) has a twitter live chat.

“Mini MB!” Harry (Magnus) shares a photo of him with the actor who plays younger Magnus. [3]

ShadowhuntersTV shares a shirtless pic of Alec from 215.

Harry (Magnus) tweets he’s been campaigning to have Magnus fight hand to hand for some time.

Behind the scenes gif of Kat (Clary), David (Raphael) and Isaiah (Luke) from episode 215.

Behind the scenes photo of Emeraude (Izzy). [4]

“Fun fact: this scene was shot at 3am.” David (Raphael) shares behind the scenes photo from 215.

Isaiah (Luke) shares behind the scenes photo of himself, David (Raphael) and Alexandra Ordolis (Ollie) in the Jade Wolf.

John Rakich (location scout) shares behind the scenes photos of Vampire club from 215.

ShadowhuntersTV posts new/old photo of Dom (Jace) and Kat (Clary) from official photoshoot.

Dalia Ganz (Freeform marketing) tweets that Bastille will have a song featured in episode 216.

Behind the scenes photo of Paul Wesley (director) and Matt (Alec).

On set photo of Paul Wesley (director) and Alisha (Maia).

Behind the scenes photos of Kat (Clary) and Alberto (Simon) from 216.

ShadowhuntersTV shares behind the scenes gif of Alisha (Maia) and Alberto (Simon) from 216.

On set photo of Kat (Clary), Paul Wesley (director), Dom (Jace) and Emeraude (Izzy).

“Today I got to be a shadowhunter.” Scoopla shares a picture from their interview with Dom (Jace).

“Adventure awaits for our Shadowhunters.” ShadowhuntersTV shares a set photo of a map from 216.

“Paul Wesley tells us what character he would like to play.” ShadowhuntersTV shares a short video of Paul Wesley (Director).

Todd Slavkin (showrunner) tweets: Teases Malec in episode 218, Magnus’ journey in 217 will break you “#capecod #drawnbutter”.

Events: The Italian Institute Convention (Milan, Italy)

Matt (Alec), Dom (Jace), Kat (Clary), Alberto (Simon), Alan (Valentine) and Jade (Meliorn) attended the ITAInstituteCon July 15-16. (#ITAInstituteCon)

Jade shares: video from behind the scenes at the con, video of fans and the cast from the stage, various photos of himself and his cast mates.

Kat shares: photo of herself and Alan at the con, photo of herself and Dom from con day 2.

SOME PANEL TRANSCRIPTIONS:

Matt, Dom and Alberto, Dom, Matt and Dom.

FAN PHOTOS:

A thread of Matt’s panel (with Jade)

Dom’s panel

Kat’s panel

Dom, Kat & Alan panel: x, x, x, x

Dom and Alan

Dom, Alberto & Kat’s panel

Thread from Matt’s panel (day 2)

A thread of Matt & Dom’s panel

Jade’s panel

Final panel: x, x.

Threads of Matt with fans: Day 1, Day 2

SOME FAN PHOTOS WITH THE CAST: x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x