#downworlder-shadowhunter alliance | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

julescarstairs · 5 months

Text

Meet The Gang: That Which Is Precious and Lost Edition!

~~~

So, for those of you playing along at home, my best friend @tsc-reader and I have been writing a TSC Next-Generation Fanfic about our fanon kids of Kierarktina, Blackstairs, Kitty and Morgenthorn for two whole years now, over on Instagram. It’s called That Which Is Precious and Lost. We’ve written a complete instalment of 52 Chapters (which we call Book 1) and are currently working on a sequel, titled That Which is Gracious and Cruel (which we usually abbreviate to TWIPAL2, since TWIGAC makes us uncomfy ✨) as we speak!

Book 1 follows the kids as they embark on an epic journey to save their parents from a certain faerie matriarch, who is holding each of them captive for ransom — what ransom, you ask? Why, it’s none other than an ancient faerie spellbook called the Sage Scripts, which has long since been lost to the sands of time. Sands of time or not, the kids have a meagre fourteen days to find and retrieve the Scripts, and return them to the Seelie Queen’s hands — or run the risk of losing their family once and for all.

In book 2, the stakes grow higher, but there’s not much more I can tell you other than that, lest I spoil some big pointers from Book 1 for you 🤭 what I can tell you is that Book 2 introduces a staggering six more characters to the cast — five of which who are love interests for five of our main kids (and one who is honestly there solely to be an annoyance. You will hate how much we love pulling him into things. We’ll introduce you to those six on a different post, though.)

But I bet you’re wondering just who these kids are — and we would love to introduce them to you! See below the cut to meet our babies: The TWIPAL GANG!

1. Arrius ‘Ari’ Blackthorn-Kingson-Rosales

‘Ari passed a hand over his face and took the time to ask himself why he had to be born into such a ride or die family. He loved them all dearly, but this was getting ridiculous.’

— That Which Is Precious and Lost, Chapter Twenty Three: A Saccharine Melody (Written by @julescarstairs )

Ari is the eldest of our ragtag team of Shadowhunters at age 18, and is the son of Mark, Cristina and Kieran. A new adult, he takes it upon himself to guide his baby cousins, and younger sister Celeste, through the trying times that rise before them when their parents are kidnapped and held to ransom. His hair falls in short curls of medium brown, which lightens to a dirty blonde in the sun, and has the signature Blackthorn-Blue eyes, a trait shared by himself and only two other of his cousins. He stands at a staggering six foot four inches tall, though no one can really work out why or how he is that tall (not even us, the authors, but we love him for it anyway.) Ari simply grew, and everyone has come to accept that.

Much like Mark and Kieran, Ari chose a bow and arrows as his weapon of choice. Whilst he is capable with a balisong or a handful of knives, he prefers to work at a distance. In his childhood, he spent hours upon hours of his time mastering the art. Though often humble, Ari isn’t afraid to tell you he never misses.

Ari is a very mellow individual, often seen as the calm, grounding ‘rock’ in the lives of most of his younger family members. He is patient, thoughtful, but if you can scratch away that shell of responsibility that he so often hides himself away in, you will find that he does, indeed, have a sense of humour! (Ask Luc, he’ll tell you.) He loves very deeply, especially his younger sister Celeste, who he spent some periods of his childhood babysitting when his parents were busy with the Shadowhunter-Downworlder alliance, or, you know, ruling the Unseelie Court. Despite being Mark’s son, Ari bears a lot of resemblance to Julian personality-wise, and quite often looks to his Uncle for advice and guidance where his parents’ doesn’t quite suffice.

Ari’s fatal flaw is his stubbornness and his temperament. It takes a lot to send Ari into a fit of rage, given his cool and calm demeanour at the best of times, but if he is pushed over the edge, it’s hard to make him see reason. Like a bull with a red flag, Ari won’t stop something if he has his mind set on doing it, and will do anything he has to in order to get his way. His is a cold, quiet anger, which is frightening in its own regard and amplified by the fact that he stands over most people. The only person, aside from Celeste or his own parents, who has the ability to bring him back from such a dark anger, is Eleanor Blackthorn-Carstairs, who is only one year younger than him but not afraid to square up against him when he isn’t seeing the forest among the trees.

2. Celeste Blackthorn-Kingson-Rosales

‘Celeste let out a breath. Maybe it wasn't that she was part Shadowhunter. Maybe it was just that it had been a very, very long time since the Unseelie Courts had had a Queen. Now that she thought about it, Celeste wasn't sure there had ever been a Queen of Unseelie. The thought made her lift her chin defiantly. She would be a good ruler. Even if it was just for a short period of time, until her father got back. She would show her people that there was no reason to doubt her.’

— That Which Is Precious and Lost, Chapter Ten: Forgotten Memories (written by @tsc-reader )

Celeste is Ari’s younger sister, coming in at 16 years old to her brother’s two years senior. The daughter of Kieran, Cristina and Mark, she has her Father’s blue hair, which changes colour and value with her mood, and her mother’s warm, brown eyes. In a baffling contrast to her brother’s stature, Celeste is among one of the shortest of the TWIPAL twelve’s lineup, if not the shortest.

But don’t let that deter you. Celeste is a pocket rocket, and — much like her brother — won’t stop until she has what she wants, or achieves what she wants to achieve. Promises are like liquid gold to Celeste: when she promises you something, she will not break it, and will not forget about it. She’ll shake on it, pinky-swear, write it in blood if she has to, and will always follow through with what she claims. If ever she is rendered unable to do so, it breaks her heart. Minimum four business days should be allowed for her recovery. And if you break a promise with Celeste? I’d recommend digging your grave in advance, because she will come for you. She might even make it quick, since you did some of the dirty work for her.

Being Kieran’s biological daughter, Celeste takes her role as Heiress to the Unseelie Court throne very seriously. During the course of TWIPAL, Celeste actually splits off from the main gang to take her Father’s place on the throne, since Kieran is rendered unable to do so. She puts a lot of pressure on herself to do well, to do her Father justice and respect him and his wishes in every decision she makes. Every year, on her birthday, Kieran would take her on a walk through Unseelie Tower, showing her anything and everything he possibly could. The year she turned fifteen, Kieran gifted Celeste Windspear, his steed, just as Adaon had handed him down to him.

Celeste’s weapon of choice is a balisong, much like her mother. Unlike Ari, who likes to keep a distance from his enemies, Celeste likes to get up close and personal. She is very easily swept up in the fierce thrill of fighting. Though faeries may fight remarkably cleanly, Celeste does not. She’ll roll around in the dirt if it means she’ll win.

Celeste’s fatal flaw is her perfectionism. Because she so often strives to be perfect, to be everything everybody wants her to be, it makes her a bit of a control freak. Being raised by who she was raised by, Celeste recognises and admires her own autonomy and individuality, so any situation where that autonomy is taken away from her frightens her more than anything. She wouldn’t wish that on her worst enemy, let alone herself…

3. Eleanor ‘Ellie’ Blackthorn-Carstairs

‘Eleanor Blackthorn-Carstairs seldom ever found her home empty— at least, not without a note on the kitchen bench, or a text from her Mom or Dad letting her know they were going out. But when she returned to Blackthorn Hall from patrol, she found the vast home dark and so silent you could hear a pin drop, and there was not a single text on her phone. Maybe some teenagers her age wouldn't mind their parents stepping out without saying anything. Maybe some would savour the quiet ambiance: the faint chirping of crickets out the window, or the hum of wind as it blew past the curtains... But this was not a comfortable sort of quiet. And Eleanor's parents NEVER stepped out without letting her know.’

— That Which Is Precious and Lost, Chapter One: Pure Distilled Horror (Written by @julescarstairs )

Fun fact! Eleanor was the first of the TWIPAL gang to be born from our collective mess of brainstorming. Coming in at the second eldest of the cousins, Eleanor is an only child of age seventeen. She’s Emma and Julian’s daughter, and you would be able to see it from a mile away. She’s got Emma’s blonde hair and Julian’s blackthorn-blue eyes, as well as a face full of freckles, a trait often attributed to the Blackthorn bloodline.

Eleanor is just as chaotic and energetic as her mother is, often bouncing off her younger cousin Luc’s obnoxious, sardonic energy with witty remarks of her own (can you tell that Luc is going to be an important character to the narrative? I’ve mentioned him in two other characters’ descriptions already.) She is a strong swordswoman and she knows it, and as a result she has a competitive edge. She isn’t arrogant, but she knows her strength and her worth. She isn’t backwards in coming forwards about the things she wants.

But, despite everything, Eleanor is a balanced individual. Whilst she can be loud, bubbly and barbaric, she also has her Father’s maternal/paternal instinct, and is very quick to swoop in and lift people up when they’re falling apart inside. Where Ari is the dad of the TWIPAL gang, Ellie is very much the mom (but she’s not a regular mom, she’s a cool mom!) and it’s BECAUSE of their shared maternal instinct that Eleanor can call Ari out when he’s out of balance. She knows him better than he wants to admit, and will back him to the ends of the earth — as she will all of her cousins, especially LJ, whom she wants to be Parabatai with desperately, if her deep fear of the Parabatai bond wouldn’t keep holding her back.

Eleanor’s weapon of choice is Cortana, since she inherited it from her Mother. She values the heirloom dearly, and loathes being parted from it more than anything. Whilst she will always be found with Cortana strapped to her back, she is also quite competent with a crossbow, thanks to her dear old Dad.

Eleanor’s greatest weakness is her trust — or rather, her inability to trust. This excludes her family, of course, since she’s grown up among them and knows them better than she knows herself. But whenever new people come into her family, she isn’t quick to trust them. This is all primarily due to one person, who blindsided both her and her family into believing he was in love with her, only to drop her and walk away in a heartbeat. Whilst trusting too easily can be a flaw, being afraid to trust can put strain on new relationships she develops over time.

4. Livia ‘LJ’ Blackthorn-Herondale

‘LJ’s feet had barely touched the floor when she began to run. She sprinted through the hallways of the upstairs of her house, overcome with fear. Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong. She could hear the commotion coming from the floor below, something crashing to the ground, metal clanging against metal. When she got to the banister, LJ didn't hesitate. She jumped. There was the brief feeling of weightlessness as she fell, before she landed hard in a crouch on the floor. LJ burst through the doorway ofher living room, just in time to see a flash of blonde hair, a glint of gray eyes, and the spark of a Portal disappearing into nothingness.’

— That Which Is Precious and Lost, Chapter Two: Stuff of Nightmares (written by @tsc-reader )

LJ is the third youngest of the TWIPAL gang, at fifteen years old. (She’s only the ‘third youngest’ because the last couple of characters in the lineup are twins, and were born two months after her.) The adoptive daughter of Kit Herondale and Ty Blackthorn, LJ has long, black, curly hair and dark eyes to suit. In average lighting, her eyes seem black — but in the sun, or if a lamp or campfire hits her eyes just right, you’ll find that they’re actually a dark violet. LJ, despite being the youngest girly in the gang, happens to be the tallest, standing above both Ellie and Celeste but below Ari and the twins (who you will meet below.)

LJ was found on Kit and Ty’s doorstep, a classic image of a baby in a basket, swaddled in blankets. Neither Kit nor Ty know who left her there, only that the mysterious individual trusted them to look after her, and that they were going to look after her with their whole hearts. Sure, there must be a reason why they were chosen to look after baby LJ, but that was a fact they were yet to learn. With Livvy’s endorsement (because, yes, she is still here as a ghost), they named her Livia as well, but her whole family calls her LJ — with the exceptions being Kit, Ty and later Eleanor, who call her Liv.

LJ is a very, very bright young woman, nothing short of a brainiac. She is the first to seek logic and reason in everything she and her cousins come across — even in matters of magic, when logic and reason don’t really come into the picture. She’s also, possibly, the most levelheaded character in the entire gang. I’m convinced she carries their collective braincell 99% of the time (and the other 1% of the time is taken up by Ari and Oberon, who can lead when their siblings aren’t driving them insane.) In a way, LJ idolises her Father, Ty, for his intelligence and innovation. She spent hours upon hours of her childhood sitting with him in his study, watching him work on projects and inventions, and as a result she has developed an inventive streak within herself as well.

Liv’s weapon of choice is the Herondale dagger, handed down to her by Kit. When the dagger isn’t feasible, however, she also has a keen hand for throwing knives. Any small, sharp object — a dagger, a knife, a dart — is LJ’s specialty, but thats not to say she hasn’t at least made herself competent at every other weapon she can get her hands on. On top of that, LJ trained herself to be ambidextrous, not only to be able to handle weaponry better, but to be able to work on projects and experiments for longer periods at a time whilst minimising fatigue.

LJ’s biggest weakness is how she feels restricted by how little she knows. LJ can often spiral into a state of self-deprecation if she can’t solve a problem or puzzle herself. Even if her intelligence runs rings around that of her cousins’ — Ari himself actually comments on this — she beats herself up endlessly if she cannot work something out that flew over their heads. Liv puts a lot of pressure on herself to be great, to know the answers to anything and everything when it’s physically impossible for her to do so. She gets herself down a lot, but Ellie is the first to lift her back up and remind her that if she doesn’t know now, she will find out soon.

Second to Eleanor, LJ’s closest companion among her cousins is none other than Oberon Morgenstern, one of the twins. Oberon often finds himself recruited by LJ as her lab assistant, whether it be voluntary or not. He doesn’t mind, though, because if helping LJ means seeing her smiling and happy, then he’d do it any day of the week. The two are close, a dynamic explored regularly through TWIPAL’s fifty-two chapters, in a number of ways.

Speaking of Oberon, that brings us to our next character in the lineup…

5. Oberon Morgenstern

Oberon rarely ever lost his cool in bad situations, but his twin brother lying unconscious on the ground was clearly the exception. He sped downwards, the world turning to a blur around him. He landed in a crouch, bracing himself on the ground with his hand. Ari looked over at him, surprise touching his face at Oberon's sudden appearance, but he sat back on his heels, letting him take over. Whipping out his stele, Oberon sketched a neat iratze on Luc's arm. "Come on, brother," Oberon said softly. "Come back to me. Stay with me." He touched Luc's cheek lightly with his fingertips. His twin's face was icy, his pale curls plastered to his forehead with sweat. A few seconds passed.

Then Luc's eyes fluttered open, ocean blue behind his eyelashes. "Oberon," Luc said, his voice hoarse. "Im okay."

"Lucas Andrew Morgenstern, you are not okay." Oberon said, his fear coming out as anger. "Stop being an idiot, and tell me what's wrong.”

— That Which Is Precious and Lost, Chapter Twenty-Four: An Exquisite Dance (written by @tsc-reader )

Listen, we don’t pick favourites in this household, but the Morgenthorn twins are definitely a step above the rest. Oberon, and his brother Luc, who you’ll hear about next, are fraternal twin brothers, both the sons of Drusilla Blackthorn and Ash Morgenstern. Oberon is the older twin, and even though there were only a few minutes between their births, he isn’t afraid to tell you, your friend, or even Luc himself that he’s older. He takes his role as ‘the older twin’ very seriously, much to Luc’s irritation at times. Oberon is a gentle soul, with his mother’s dark brown hair — which falls in picture-perfect curls around his face no matter how many times he runs his hands through it — and his Father’s green eyes, reminiscent of his Fairchild heritage. Much like Celeste, Ari and his brother, Oberon has the tapered ears unique only to the fair folk, though they aren’t quite as pointed as a full blooded faerie gentry. He stands at five foot ten inches at age fifteen, which renders him the second tallest of the TWIPAL gang, second only to Ari (he is about one inch taller than his brother, which he also may or may not rub in his face from time to time. Oberon isn’t arrogant, but will take any opportunity to humble Luc when it arises.)

One thing that sets Oberon apart from his faerie family members is his wings, which he also inherited from his father, Ash. At age ten, a pair of black-feathered wings sprouted from his spine, taking permanent purchase between his shoulder blades. It was only a matter of time before Oberon — and Luc, for that matter — found that these wings were integral to his way of life. As a result, he is very skilled in the ways of flight, and utilises his higher vantage point regularly during battles and patrol.

Oberon is a deeply, deeply loving young man, a gift who keeps on giving even when his heart has been scraped dry, trodden on, broken and put back together again. His open, forthcoming kindness and friendliness may seem quite startling to most people when they first meet him, but it can also be very deceptive — because underneath that warm, loving teddy-bear that Oberon so often is, lies a dark, determined warrior who isn’t afraid to stand between anyone and anything if it means protecting those he loves. He is a very intelligent young man with a gift for strategy and deception. If it weren’t for his heart, for the fact that he loves and is loved by his family (and his boyfriend, Aaron Longford, who you will meet on another post), Oberon would make for quite the terrifying enemy.

Oberon is protective of no one more than he is protective of Luc. He and his brother have a very special bond, unlike no other. They are seldom seen apart, and when they are separated, it’s cause for concern. Their connection transcends the waking world, so much so that if they’re found sleeping side by side, they’ll often sleep-talk to each other. Oberon loves Luc so much that is causes him a lot of pain and heartache, especially as the narrative grows thicker, deeper and darker. Oberon hasn’t known a time in his life without Luc, and will do everything in his power to keep it that way. Wherever Luc is, Oberon will never be far behind. No matter how far Luc falls from grace (because, believe me, he can be ungraceful sometimes) Oberon will be there to catch him. Oberon and Luc were born into a social climate where people are still wary of the Morgenstern name, and as a result, the boys have always believed that, in part, it’s been them against the world. Oberon made it his mission to change the Council’s perception of the Morgenstern name. This means keeping both himself and his brother in line.

Oberon’s weapon of choice is Phaesphoros, the first of two Morgenstern family swords. Though the ‘normal’ world’s Phaesphoros was destroyed along with Sebastian Morgenstern during the Dark War, it is said that Ash brought both Heosphoros and Phaesphoros back from Thule with him (at least, in the TWIPALverse he did.) When the boys turned 10, and were old enough to bear marks and start their formal Shadowhunter training, Ash laid the two swords before his sons at let the blades choose their bearers. The connection was almost instant: Phaesphoros chose Oberon, Heosphoros chose Luc. It only made sense, after all, for the twin brothers to have twin blades.

Oberon’s biggest weakness, his fatal flaw, is his tendency to self-sacrifice. Whilst he might be a gift that keeps on giving, this doesn’t always work in his favour. He is quick to throw himself under the bus or in front of a train if it means preserving the wellbeing of those he loves most in the world. Whilst he performs these grand, sweeping gestures of self sacrifice under the pretence of nobility, he’s rarely met with the reactions he was expecting to get from them. It’s actually Eleanor, during a late night conversation in TWIPAL’s epilogue, that expresses how Oberon’s selflessness concerns her. There is a fine line between selflessness and not valuing your own life, after all. But, for all the conflict it causes, Oberon is steadfast in his decisions, as he is in everything he does, and firmly believes that every sacrifice he makes, no matter how big or small, is for the better of those he loves: of Luc, of Aaron, of everyone.

Even if Luc disagrees.

6. Lucas ‘Luc’ Morgenstern

‘… a whirlwind of memories rose before his very eyes: Luc falling out of bed the first time he and Oberon had slept in their new bunk bed, and Oberon being the one to help him up off of the ground. Oberon being unable to sleep the night before they got their first marks, and Luc being the one who sat awake with him until he lulled himself to sleep. Luc crafting matching bracelets for himself and his brother with teardrop-shaped agates as the centrepieces - agates, because they symbolised safety and security, and there was nowhere Luc felt safer than by his brother's side. Oberon throwing himself into Luc's arms, sobbing, when they finally reunited in the labyrinth.

The deluge of memories struck Luc like many punches to the gut, leaving him doubling over and gasping. He had always thought that he needed Oberon more than Oberon needed him, but watching his life laid out before him now, Luc realised that he was wrong, so very wrong. Because Luc was half of Oberon just as much as Oberon was half of him. Together they made a formidable warrior, in which Luc was the sword and Oberon the shield. But what good was a shield without a sword? A sword without a shield? Without one or the other, they were incomplete.’

— That Which Is Precious and Lost, Chapter Forty-One: My Sword, Your Shield (written by @julescarstairs )

Luc Morgenstern is the firecracker to Oberon’s lit candle. Despite being twins on paper, Luc couldn’t look any more different to his brother in terms of colour palette. He has Ash’s platinum blonde hair, which manages to stay stylishly spiky as Oberon’s stays stylishly wavy, and the signature Blackthorn Blue eyes, which give him the appearance of a high-brow Snow Prince. But despite his difference in hair and eye colour, both he and his brother share near-identical bone structure. There’s no mistaking that they’re twins, no matter how different they may seem at first glance. Both Luc and Oberon (which I forgot to mention above) have faces full of freckles, a trait brought out by many of their days spent outside in the Los Angeles sun. Like Oberon, Luc has a pair of silken black wings, which sprouted from his back at the ripe age of ten. He has mastered the art of flight alongside his swordsmanship, rendering him a highly skilled and agile opponent (something Luc himself will tell you, even if you didn’t ask.)

Luc has a loud personality.He’s proud, cocky, obnoxious and dramatic in the best possible way, to the point where it’s charming — because as confident as Luc is in himself and his abilities as a Shadowhunter, he never actively puts anybody else down in order to make himself look good (unless you put him down first, in which he will engage in verbal combat, but don’t take any of it to heart.) Luc can be quite hotheaded, a stark contrast to his brother’s colder, quieter anger, and struggles to curb his temper, especially when people challenge his pride. He’s got all the witty, sarcastic comebacks, something he shares in common with his older cousin, Eleanor. Luc is also the self-proclaimed President of The Disaster Blondes, a group consisting of three people — Himself, Eleanor, and Skylar, Celeste’s girlfriend — who have banded together for two reasons, and two reasons alone: one, they’re all blonde, and two, they’re all down to try any batshit crazy scheme under the sun, even if it’s to their detriment.

But despite Luc’s loud, self-assured exterior, he is actually very self conscious, deep down. He cares deeply what people think of him, and how they perceive him as a person. He worries, often, that he is seen as a bad person, and doesn’t believe that he is able to be loved. He experiences a sort of imposter syndrome, where he believes that he shouldn’t be among these people who love him so much, that he doesn’t deserve the good things that come his way. This is a trait that develops more in the latter half of TWIPAL, but a trait that presents itself all the same. It interferes with his relationships regularly, both past ones, present ones and future ones.

It’s Oberon that keeps Luc in balance, even when he isn’t actively trying to. Luc depends on Oberon more than he realises, sometimes, and often feels like he needs his older brother more than Oberon needs him, even when this isn’t the case at all. Luc would die for Oberon, just as Oberon would die for him, but he would also kill for his brother, get his hands dirty, if it means that Oberon is safe, well and happy. It terrifies him, how much he is willing to do for Oberon. He wants nothing more in his life than to be Parabatai with his brother, to reinforce the strength and power of their bond with an oath signed in blood and fire.

(Luc can also be found third-wheeling on a lot of Oberon and Aaron’s dates, but Oberon doesn’t really mind. Nor does Aaron, who has just accepted that his brother in law will be down to hang at any given opportunity.)

Luc’s weapon of choice is the shortsword Heosphoros. Like Eleanor, he has a very personal connection to his sword, often talking to it and reminding it (yes, the sword) how much he loves it. Luc trains ruthlessly, with the desire to be one of the best Shadowhunters of his generation, if not the best. Combat is also a release to Luc, who can be found decompressing and letting off steam in the training room of the L.A. Institute, just as often as he is found formally training.

Where Oberon’s greatest weakness is his tendency to self sacrifice, Luc’s is his tendency to self sabotage. Luc is fast to deny himself good things and positive outcomes purely because he himself doesn’t believe he deserves them. Aside from his tendency to self-sabotage, his only other weak point would be Oberon himself. If not for Oberon’s bottomless love and faith in him, Luc would tumble into an irreversible darkness. As much as Luc desperately wants to rewrite his own legacy, independent of his family’s sinister history, if Oberon were to give up on him, Luc fears that he, too, would be the one to light a match and watch the world burn.

~~~~

There you have it! After nearly 3,000 words of ceaseless rambling, you’ve met the core six characters of @tsc-reader and I’s TSC fic, That Which Is Precious and Lost. Whilst the story in full is accessible on our Instagram accounts, we are more than happy to reformat and repost the chapters here on tumblr if there’s enough interest in them 🤭💗 (so, if you would like to see TWIPAL make an appearance here on Tumblr, let us know! )

We would also LOVE to hear your thoughts on the main six! We’re always open to feedback, and will take any opportunity we can to talk about these silly little guys 🤭🥹💗)

Also going to tag a few peeps down here who I think might find this interesting:

@princeash

@bookishjules

(Also, there was one person here who posted a whole post about their fanon kids of the TSC gangs but I CANNOT find you. I am so sorry. If you’re seeing this please, give me a sign.)

And, of course, my best partner in crime @tsc-reader who I have already tagged copious times in this post 🤭🥹💗 love you, girl!

36 notes · View notes

carelessflower · 1 year

Text

lucifer helped alec survive the svefnthorn - a theory

story time! i was ranting to @dustandducks about how i can't believe alec survive being stabbed by the svefnthorn (he stabbed himself but same sentiment) which was attuned to sammael at the time. sammael who, you know, is a literal prince of hell, with power only second to lucifer himself. and to add more onto this.

it is stated that only a warlock can survive being stabbed by the svefnthorn and nothing can reverse its effects. no other magical creatures in the shadoworld stand a chance against the svefnthron, except the warlock. pretty terrifying right? but this happened

alec survived being stabbed by the svefnthorn. not only did he survive, not only did there was no blood or injury or visible scar from the stabbing, but he was also able to call the thorn's power to him and used that power to help magnus. but why? how could that happen? we already established the power of the svefnthorn, and it was clear alec was not meant to survive it. i love alec, i would absolutely do something that ends me up on national news if it would make him happy, but i know his ability. he doesn't have extra angel blood or any blessing from the angels, or any secret gift that makes him exceptionally powerful, he's just your normal level shadowhunter

even alec himself was surprised when he realized he was not burnt to a crisp due to his 300 IQ decision-making skills. and i know we have the explanation about the alliance rune smoothing the thorn's demonic magic and alec's angelic magic to work together, but once again, how? we don't have a clear exposition for this, even from characters in the story

alec didn't know it would work, magnus didn't know why it worked. everybody's best guess were fate taking it easy on them. and for sammael-

he just...left, like how corporate taking down their pride flags the second pride month is over. no rage, no murder, nada, just disappeared into space. he also seemingly non fazed by the fact that alec survive a thorn with clearly anti non-warlock embedded to its manual.

@dustandducks raised a really good point, what if someone else, some higher power meant for alec to survive. the usual, and maybe logical answer would be angel looking out for their descendants, cause alec need to fulfill a greater destiny in the future. im going to play the devil’s advocate here and suggest that lucifer popped up and gave alec a little demonic magical assistance. this conspiracy somewhat tied up the loose ends in the lost book of the white and built some interesting story beat for the wicked power and the black volume of the dead

the twist fitting to what we already known from tlbotw

maybe the reason why sammael didn’t snatch alec up and put him in some demonic science lab in his realm is because he sensed lucifer’s presence and decided not to mess with anything lucifer was cooking up. (as lucifer is more powerful than him, which is also stated before the stabbing scene in tlbotw) it can also tied in sammael’s motive of gathering other princes of hell to talk about lucifer in the epilogue. tlbotw was setting up the grounds for tbvotd, magnus escaped becoming a greater demon’s minion leading to alec becoming the minion of a greater greater demon

how the twist affect the future events in the tsc universe

one might be thinking, why would lucifer saved alec, he just a normal shadowhunter, why would the literal mega ultimate OG devil care about him? as much as i would like to say it’s because everything revolve around alec and everyone love him (as they should), i know it’s not the case.

many have speculated that in the final series, there will be a showdown between demons and the shadoworld. and what if lucifer wanted to infiltrate the enemy’s side, wreck them slowly from the inside and make them suffer at the hands of their kind. his spy should held high position, a major voice among the children of the angels and has a connection to the downworlders, and someone who wouldn’t pose as potential suspect easily.

enter alec who fit all these criteria and more. who would think their consul is under the control of lucifer and is working against them? if alec under the influence of lucifer wreaked havoc from the shadow, it could create more base for the cohort to claim that they were right and the clave in exile would suffer under an incompetent lead, causing animosity and conflicts in the already tense political situation. and when the truth comes out? chaos everywhere. lucifer didn’t even have to lift a finger to see the shadowhunters crash and burn

tag list (tell me if you wanna be removed or added): @magnus-the-maqnificent @literallytypogod @ukisteria @wildegremlin @steven--with-a-v @sociallyineptbibliophile @queenlilith43 @khaleesiofalicante @wandererbyheart @raziyekroos @onetimetwotimesthreetimess @alexandergideonslightwood @awecwightwood @noah-herondale-lightwood @elettralightwood @dustandducks @deliciousdetectivestranger @delightfullyterrible @letsgofortacos @kita-no @xxsunset-seasonxx @thelightofthebane @secrettryst @pocketoffeels @cityofdownwardspirals @coriia @i-have-not-slept @rinadragomir

#alec lightwood #magnus bane #malec #the black volume of the dead #the wicked powers #the lost book of the white #the eldest curses #twp #tec #the way this theory make no and some sense #feel free to add more #call me delusional but pls dont call me dumb #im sensitive

169 notes · View notes

vashs-posts · 2 years

Text

And now we call the consul, former head of the shadowhunter -downworlder alliance, hero of the dark war, son of former consul Robert lightwood, parabatai of Jace lightwood herondale, husband of the high warlock of Brooklyn Magnus Bane.

please put your hands together for our delectable muffin of love- Alexander Gideon Lightwood!!!

#alec lightwood #alec lightwood bane #magnus bane #jace lightwood #jace herondale #sobh #secrets of blackthorn hall #alexander lightwood #alexander gideon lightwood #malec #cassandra clare #cassie clare #tsc #the shadowhunter chronicles #the mortal instruments #tmi #shadowhunters

342 notes · View notes

lawsofchaos1 · 1 year

Text

Shadowhunter Promptlet: Arranged Marriage AU

In a bid to prevent a full civil war during Valentine's first rise, the Clave allows the Circle significantly more free-reign and doesn't fight against them in even the small way they may otherwise have done. Thus, the war against the Downworld drags on and doesn't come to an end with a rewriting of the Accords for another decade.

The Downworld rallied under Magnus and the other Consular High Warlocks once it became evident that the Clave had no desire to fight the Circle. Therefore, when it comes to a renegotiation of the Accords, they come to it in a position of power and control that they didn't have ten years ago.

When it becomes evident that the Clave (who are deeply regretting their decision to support the Circle) and the Downworld are both looking for something concrete, a visible symbol that this treaty will be more than words, the Clave suggests they give one of theirs in marriage to the undisputed leader of the united Downworld, Magnus Bane.

Expecting a fully political marriage (and also rather used to the idea of sealing treaties in this manner given both Clave and ancient history), Magnus agrees.

The Clave, as punishment for Robert and Maryse, Valentine's second-in-command, and as warning to the other Circle members of the Clave, decide to give up the Lightwood's eldest and only son as their sacrifice. He's been running the NYI with very little support from his parents (usually off doing tasks for Valentine) for most of the last year and this would also give the Clave an excuse to exile the elder Lightwoods back to the family manor in Idris immediately and give the Institute to their son after a few more months of Acting Headship.

The day of the wedding arrives and Magnus scoffs unhappily when he finds out he's being given a Lightwood in marriage, but the terms are meant to placate the Downworld, so he agrees, wondering what exactly this member of the family had done to piss off the Clave so badly.

And then comes the ceremony.

And the thing is, no had bothered to check who the nephilim were giving the Downworld in advance. The terms of the treaty are clear, magically binding, and very much in favor of the Downworld in this area- the nephilim will take Magnus' name, is forbidden to harm him, will live with him and cannot use that access to Magnus' home to bring in other nephilim who wouldn't be forbidden to raise arms against him. In turn, Magnus is simply bound to marry whomever the nephilim pick.

(Frankly, Magnus had just assumed he'd have a decade or two at most of co-habitation to deal with before the nephilim in question died some way or another.)

Thus, no one in the Downworld had anticipated the Clave sacrificing a fifteen-year old child until Alexander Lightwood, brand new parabatai trembling in fear and rage at the suggenes' place behind him and little sister crying alone in the front row, the elder Lightwoods already banned from New York, comes walking calmly down the aisle.

Yeah. No.

(But also, after all the hullabaloo of Magnus refusing to marry a literal child and the fun of reorganizing the treaty to still account for an alliance between Alec and Magnus since that was the whole point, Alec falls head over heels for the sparkly warlock who made his life better than he ever thought possible and is 100% determined that he is going to marry Magnus. Once everyone involved is of age and consenting of course because that was not a fun conversation to have on his not-really-wedding day and Alec isn't doing that twice. But really, Magnus doesn't stand a chance once a slightly older Alec begins to wage his seven-years-in-the-making wooing campaign. Magnus is wooed. Immortal husbands. The End.)

#shadowhunters #malec #promptlet #writing prompt #alternate universe #canon what canon #the downworld has more morals than the clave #and does not stand for child marriage #lawsofchaos rambles

97 notes · View notes

myulalie · 4 months

Text

Author interview

@aceon-ice tagged me and I’m really looking forward to this, thank you ♥

1. How many works do you have on ao3:

165 and I am extremely upset because Alex Rider got more than Teen Wolf and I can’t seem to catch up D:

2. What's my total ao3 wc:

1 047 026. wow. apparently I wrote 400k in 2020 and I’ve been putting out between 100 and 200k every year since, just wow.

3. What are my top 5 fics by kudos:

Mixing business with pleasure (Explicit, Malec, Shadowhunters)

Alec has to go to the Seelie Queen herself and strike a deal, release Jace from the curse in exchange of… what, exactly? He has nothing to offer. Magnus Bane is the warlock who grants wishes. His father is a Prince of Hell after all, the demon of lust… maybe Alec has something to offer then.

Yeah this fic took off alright, I really liked the concept ♥

Eyes on Fire (Teen, Sterek, Teen Wolf)

When a rival pack goes after Scott and his friends, Stiles finds himself caught in the crossfire. With his subsequent turning to haunt him among other nightmares, Stiles has to learn how to control his new abilities and make something of a situation he never wanted for himself, much less with the tensions that linger in Beacon Hills since the awakening of the Nemeton. As he eventually figures out how to be a werewolf, he finally finds common ground with one Derek Hale, catching feelings as he goes. The unexpected alliance might be just what Beacon Hills needs to bring the established werewolf packs together once and for all.

This was my first reverse bang and I finally tried my hand at werewolf!Stiles, I had a lot of fun coming up with the fic to match the art.

Deepest Desires (give in) (General, Malec, Shadowhunters)

Were-cats are good luck by shadowhunters' standards, so when a black, jewelry covered cat appears at the Institute, Alec pays him his respects. He needs it, considering the messes Clary and Jace keep dragging him in. Alec certainly doesn't expect the were-cat to take a liking to him, and even less to start flirting with him...

Now I want to read it again haha

A piece of night sky (Teen, Malec, Shadowhunters)

Alec is doing his best to keep the city safe. With no support from the Clave, the New York Institute is desperately understaffed. He begins patrolling with help from the Downworld factions - which proves to be tricky at best, and becomes almost impossible when the werewolves start hunting Alec. His siblings have no idea of what he’s up to at night and to keep them all safe Alec needs to keep it that way. Then, he meets the High Warlock of Brooklyn. Suddenly, patrolling also includes pop songs and bird puns in between watching someone's back when fighting demons. But, what’s one more secret to keep?

This was my first collab with a beta and an artist for a bang, I’m exceptionally proud of this one!

(Vir)Gin and Tonic (Mature, Malec, Shadowhunters)

Alec and Magnus have barely met when the High Warlock asks for virgin shadowhunter energy in exchange for Clary’s memories. Naturally, Jace offers Alec’s virginity. It doesn’t go according to plan.

The first fic in this list is actually a remix of this one with a slightly different take on virginity x)

4. Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

Yes, always! I just love interacting with other fans, it’s nice to know someone actually read your fic and noticed details or reacted to some choices you made in the narrative. Also it can be a great way to find new ideas and motivation, I wish I could be more invested in writing communities to keep those creative juices flowing.

5. What fic has the angstiest ending?

I’d say Dangerous Tastes (Explicit, Yalex, Alex Rider), it’s a bit of a star-crossed lovers romance and the ending is particularly bittersweet, albeit hopeful.

After a failed assassination attempt during his horse ride around the property, Alex gets a bodyguard against his will. He keeps flirting with danger from then on, even at the risk of getting his heart broken.

6. What fic has the happiest ending?

Oh, definitely 17 Suits (Explicit, Malec, Shadowhunters)! Alec and Magnus find common ground over the one thing that pushed them apart all throughout the story.

Magnus Bane, a sworn bachelor, receives his fair share of wedding invitations on a regular basis and makes sure his friends get through their weddings unscathed. One dark, wounded and mysterious Alec Lightwood is not going to rain on Magnus’ parade as he celebrates the best day of his loved ones’ lives.

7. Do you write crossovers?

Not really, I don’t read them either. I do write fusion fics though, specifically Pokémon like I did with Idris Tour Sweethearts (General, Malec, Shadowhunters) for instance.

Alec is fascinated by dragon types and has learned everything about them in books. He’s always dreamed of finding them in the wild and see them for himself, but he never went on his journey with a Pokémon and now, it’s too late to travel the world. Except, is it? Alec’s siblings are all grown up, and he doesn’t have a job — or friends — to keep him in his hometown. He could leave and attempt to complete the Pokédex, hopefully meeting some dragons along the way. Maybe he’ll even find love, like so many Idris Tour sweethearts before him… But the winner of Pokémon beauty Contests, Top Coordinator Magnus Bane, couldn’t possibly want more than one night in Alec’s arms. Right?

8. Have you received hate on ao3?

No? but then I usually assume good faith so unless you’re insulting me or my mom I’ll either think the comment is clumsy but the person meant well, or just move on.

9. Do you write smut?

Yeah, surprisingly. I was never really interested in smut, would even skip smut scenes for the longest time but eventually I found it useful in some stories and then I made a point of doing kinktober (Malec, Shadowhunters / Sterek, Teen Wolf) and smutember (Yalex, Alex Rider) just to figure out how to fit the prompts into some ideas and it’s been a lot of fun!

10. Have you had a fic get stolen?

I don’t think so or at least I’m not aware if there has been one. I did occasionally share ideas that got passed around and written by somebody else which is always uncomfortable but that’s on me for both sharing and not mentioning it wasn’t up for grabs lmao

11. Have you had a fic get translated?

Nope! I thought of translating a couple myself though, I’m just too lazy x)

12. Have you co-written a fic?

Several! Even though @spark-draws will deny it I do consider them a co-writer because they came up with a good chunk of the outline and I implemented major edits due to their feedback on The Mortal Instruments: Skyrim (Mature, Malec, Shadowhunters).

Magnus and Alec are now enemies who have been saddled up with a mysterious quest to save Skyrim. Will rivalry, distrust and fierce and dangerous dragons get the better of them? Or will they find some much needed guidance on the slopes of the Throat of the World, where a mysterious brotherhood holds some of the answers they so desperately need?

I also recently worked on Vastly Different Things (Teen, Yalex, Alex Rider) with @polarnachtsblog as a thank you fic for our pinch-hitter in the Yalex Secret Santa. We literally wrote parts of the fic on our own then merged it all together with minor edits and transitions, it was a lot of fun!

Alex almost gets tossed from a helicopter into a river in Chile, and spends some quality time with a certain assassin.

13. What's your fav ship?

Right now I’m on a roll for Sam Carter x Ba’al (Stargate SG-1) but my one true pairing is definitely Helen Blackthorn x Aline Penhallow (Shadowhunters). I love them. so much.

14. What's a WIP you want to finish but never will?

I don’t know, I’ve completed WIPs several years after I started them so I tend to not consider a fic discontinued until I’ve deleted the fic from the platform, and considering most of my WIPs have not been posted anywhere… ;)

15. What are my writing strengths?

I’m really good at “getting it done” I think because productivity breeds productivity. If you get started and power through long enough, it becomes easier and you can keep going and enjoy yourself while you’re at it!

Same with edits, I’m not afraid to change things (although I can be lazy). It also applies to plotting/outlining, I’m an excellent planner, sometimes too much of a planner though.

Style wise I’ve been told I’m good at writing fight scenes and setting, I do enjoy my descriptions!

16. What are my writing weaknesses?

I’ve always thought I’m terrible at dialogue!

I can get stuck in a writing slump from too much planning.

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages on ao3?

I used to really like it, especially since I’m bilingual myself. I wanted to use some fancy script to have the translation appear when you hover or link it to the notes and then back to the exact line in the story but I couldn’t figure it out xD

Nowadays I like the much simpler “POV character doesn’t speak the language” or “blah blah blah, they said in French”. You get it or you don’t x)

18. What's the first fandom you wrote for?

Either Naruto or Harry Potter, let’s say Harry Potter because there is a completed fic I can actually remember lmao.

19. What fandom/ship have you not written but want to?

Definitely Stargate SG-1 these days because I’m on a Sam/Ba’al binge!

20. What's your fav fic you've written?

Right about now it’s Blue for Brooklyn (Teen, Malec, Shadowhunters) but it may change depending on my mood!

Asmodeus is a legend among Shadowhunters and Magnus has a duty to the Downworld. When a renegade warlock unleashes a powerful demon in the streets, he has no choice but to get involved.

Tagging: @polarnachtsblog @geekmom13 @brightasstars @sterekxhale @countessrivers @1lostone @strangesoulmates @kelkblr @lastlymatt @ravenjames @junemermaid @freesirius4life @turtlesnails

#autopromo #alex rider #shadowhunters #teen wolf #ask game #pearfectly fine to ask

12 notes · View notes

margareturtle · 3 months

Text

If we don’t get to see the dynamic between Mark, Cristina, Lily, and Maia in TWP then what’s the point??

Bc I can just imagine,,

Lily always flirting with Cristina (and Emma of the come-and-stare family when she and Julian visit them)

Lily hesitant towards Mark at first (bc how dare he take Alec’s place) but he earns her respect after they figure out a faerie/vampire situation together and then they become besties

They have meetings at Maia and Bat’s place

Cristina and Bat start a latin cooking class for shadowhunters/downworlders (Mark learns to cook)

Cristina gets an excuse to show Mark Mexico City when they have a mission there to help Cristina’s mom with a downworlder situation

Just Mark and Cristina in the Downworlder-Shadowhunter alliance shenanigans

#yea need this #lily chen #maia roberts #cristina mendoza rosales #mark blackthorn #bat velasquez #alec lightwood #the dark artfices #the wicked powers #tsc

16 notes · View notes

malec-ao3feed · 1 month

Text

Brigther Than Gold

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/7EdS0gK by CorbeauPeregrin Because their wedding is more than an intimate, love gesture, but a political act broadcasting their alliance to the Shadow World, Alec and Magnus find themselves at the heart of yet another conflict tearing Nephilim and Downworlders apart. As always they are determined to get through it, come hell and high water, together. Alliance part 3 Words: 2917, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Series: Part 3 of Alliance Fandoms: Shadowhunters (TV) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi Characters: Alec Lightwood, Magnus Bane, Madzie (Shadowhunters TV), Lydia Branwell, Helen Blackthorn, Aline Penhallow, Jace Wayland, Isabelle Lightwood, Original Female Character(s) of Color Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Helen Blackthorn/Lydia Branwell/Aline Penhallow, Simon Lewis/Isabelle Lightwood Additional Tags: Alec Lightwood Deserves Nice Things, Magnus Bane Deserves Nice Things, Married Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Good Parabatai Jace Wayland, Jace Wayland is a Lightwood, Good Sibling Isabelle Lightwood, Magic, Runes, Magnus Bane & Catarina Loss Friendship read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/7EdS0gK

#IFTTT #ao3feed #fanfic #shadowhunters #tmi #malec #magnus bane #alec lightwood #magnus x alec #malec fanfic #the mortal instruments

4 notes · View notes

onetimetwotimesthreetimess · 2 years

Note

sugar baby alec without knowing hes the sugar baby is the best flavor

I would like to disagree. Alec Lightwood is the sugar baby and he knows it. Listen he’s around the TMI gang and specifically Jace Herondale. That mf is still shocked that Alec is the one who ended up bagging a sugar daddy. He never lets Alec forget this.

But picture this, every time someone calls Alec a sugar baby or tries to shit on his work, Alec goes overboard. He hears some stupid shadowhunters talk about how the only reason downworld-alliance worked was because Alec was sleeping with Magnus Bane. Instead of getting pissed or hurt or whatever, Alec dramatically ask permission from Magnus before the start of any meeting. He attends every single meeting wearing Magnus’ extravagant clothes just to piss of everyone.

“Mr. Bane, the real leader of the alliance, do I have your permission to start?”

“I can’t accept this request unless Magnus Bane agrees to this. You see, he’s the boss of me.”

Someone asks an annoying question and Alec goes “sorry I don’t have an answer to that since I haven’t consulted with my boss, Mr. Bane yet.”

Magnus is embarrassed with the entire thing but he also loves how fckn dramatic and insufferable Alec has become.

#kshakahjaak sugar baby alec Lightwood rights only #malec

54 notes · View notes

malecftmaxrafe · 2 years

Text

Isabelle said, “Oh no, Alec’s famous now.”

Ah, yes. Alec Lightwood: Hero of two wars, co-founder of the Downworlders and Shadowhunters alliance, and the future Consul.

#the shadowhunters chronicles #the eldest curses #the lost book of the white #the mortal instruments #the dark artifices #alec lightwood

50 notes · View notes

khaleesiofalicante · 10 months

Note

do you think the alliance rune works at a distance too or is it like bluetooth??

The phrasing of this question made me laugh so much. Based on things I've observed, here is what I think:

I don't think it's restricted by distance, but rather by time. We've seen nephilim and downworlders use it in battle and in battle moments, you can get separated from your fighting partner. So, I'm not sure if the run can calculate how far apart the partners are and work accordingly. But I do think it will be time-bound, like most runes, meaning the effects will fade after a very specific amount of time for anyone who uses it.

I also think it won't work if one of them is in a different dimension. For example, let's say the shadowhunter is in a hell dimension, but they applied the alliance rune in the real world. The rune will not work, and they will not have downworld powers, in hell because runes don't work in hell as we know.

#tsc #runes

15 notes · View notes

idk-i-just-really-like-tsc · 1 year

Text

this post has been in my head for like three days BUT i think it’s so super interesting and admirable how Alec in both book and show canon works to create alliances and peace between shadowhunters and downworlders I love him a lot thank you Downworlder-Shadowhunter Alliance thank you downworlder cabinet on shadowhunters tv that might have a different name that I cant remember right now

#yay #alec lightwood #alec lightwood bane #shadowhunterstv #tsc #tmi #tda #tec

23 notes · View notes

amchara · 2 years

Note

📖 (it took me way too long to find the emoji 😭)

Heh, I feel you- sometimes it's like you're scrolling through the emoji list forever to find the right one.

Okay- as a fellow Kierarktina fan, here's one that pops into my head quite often and that I daydream about.

It's a novella-length story set between The Dark Artifices and The Wicked Powers and switches between Mark, Cristina and Kieran's POV. It basically follows the three of them as they juggle life with their new relationship and understand their new respective places in the world.

Kieran, obviously, is coming to grips with being Unseelie King, and is learning how he wants to rule without resorting to the cruelty that his father resorted to- at the same time, the Unseelie Court has some rather unsavoury characters who are watching to see how Kieran proceeds. Additionally, there's hints from the Seelie Court that they're planning something (as hinted at in SOBH) and Kieran is also having to deal with the fact that the First Heir is apparently growing in his powers.

(there is a lot of faerie politics of the nasty kind because that is my jam, and also I have just come off reading Holly Black's TFOTA)

Mark's storyline is heavily intertwined with the Clave-in-exile and his new role at the Shadowhunter-Downworlder Alliance in New York. He's having to deal with life again as a Shadowhunter, while still dealing with the trauma around life in the Wild Hunt, and also with the unspoken prejudice that many nephilim still have around Downworlders. But he finds a lot of allies in the NY Downworld - Maia and Lily definitely (because they are also some of my favs) and at the NY Institute with Clary and Jace.

Cristina's storyline is a little hazier, which I kind of hate- but if I end up writing this ever (lol) she will get just as satisfying story as the two boys because I hate it when that's not the case for supposed 'love interests'. I feel like it involves her making peace with her family - because I feel that was an open storyline that never got resolved in TDA, and also, a lot of people underestimating her and her cutting them down (politically, physically) in a devastating way. :D

(Writing Ask Game)

#writing asks #mutuals!#kierarktina #mark blackthorn #cristina rosales #kieran kingson

28 notes · View notes

ladyhindsight · 1 year

Note

tda + robert related rant

i may be a declared 'fan' of the tsc universe but there are so many stuff that i would like to fix on the approach and there is something that frustrate me and i think you and others probably have realized: it takes a lot of the shadowhunters' 'credibility' away that it always seems like -20 year olds are better than +25 year olds at everything. that's just ridiculous and unrealistic since shadowhunters are supposed to get better the more experience and training they have.

i think the only adult that supposedly kept his "badassary" from the young days was valentine, and mind you the circle was supposed to be "the best of their generation" as stephen was pointed as being (of course he was the one to be especifically pointed as so, i won't even go there)

something else to point out is how absurd it is to say emma is the next jace. the next jace is jace. he is on his early 20s, emma is four years younger than him. they are the same generation. the jace of the generation is still jace! for fuck's sake, it's like their life is over once they reach 25!

which takes me to some of my annoyance with tda and robert: robert is supposed to be an actual good inquisitor, but objectively, he comes off as very incompetent because the cohort plot of tda relies on it. that's a very frustrating trait of tsc: if something is supposed to happen, any logic or previous setup information can be thrown out of the window

robert's primary, main job is to go after shadowhunters doing bad shit, and he pretty much may use the mortal sword whenever he wants to get people to publicly admit to bad faith/criminal deeds

politically, robert would most likely support alec on everything, so being an ally of the shadowhunter-downworlder alliance. so isn't stopping almost every problem that happen in tda literally his responsability? he only died at the end of the second book

and it gets worse imo

a significant part of the lord of shadows wreck is zara lying about having killed malcolm. now look, the information from the land i lost + the lost book of the white together go straight for the idea that before tda robert was already going after the cohort to some extent. of course we don't have details about that hahahaha

then we are in lord of shadows and jia, the consul, believes zara to be a liar and believes that going through the reports of her deeds, something suspicious can be found

so she asks diana to investigate the reports

wouldn't be WILD if that was SOMEONE ELSE'S JOB, someone who was SUPPOSEDLY INVESTIGATING THE COHORT and could use MORE EVIDENCE TO PURSUE AGAINST THEM

diana finds no explicit proof but strong reasons for suspicious

wouldn't be WILD if there was SOMEONE who can has full authority to use CIRCUNSTANTIAL EVIDENCE to decide on a INTERVIEW BY MORTAL SWORD

meanwhile robert is doing stuff that have no apparent relation to shadowhunter criminals. when there are so many people clearly doing a lot of stuff on bad faith, shouldn't that be his focus since that's his freaking job?

so the telling is that robert is a decent inquisitor and the showing is that his decency is to let the children get away with whatever so they can solve their own problems

Julian had woven his story to make Arthur’s absence seem natural. But Robert was like a dog with a bone. Emma supposed that was why he had been elected to the position of Inquisitor.

where is that energy. WHERE IS IT

the land i lost made it worse since there robert gets some over the top incriminating evidence of terrible crimes done by the cohort that could even be tied to the leader (horace) himself. what did he do with that?

robert's deeds as the inquisitor: being considered better than every other inquisitor and walking around frightening everyone with his bad mood

love that for him (no i don't. why are a bunch of young randos doing your job. why are these books so stupid)

- R

I like the teacher in The Tales, and I’d probably like him more if he wasn’t such a bully and a Nephilim supremacist towards the mundane students. I think he’d be funnier if he was just as fanatic about fighting but equally intolerant towards everyone’s lack of skills. There was an opportunity with that character to show older adult Shadowhunters who are incredibly skilled and great warriors. Alas, he is also used to prop up Jace’s uh-mazing otherworldly skills and talent as a Shadowhunter. I haven’t read all the stories, so I don’t know much about how his character will be, but this is my initial impression anyway.

It sort of is strange that the Clave revolves around the deeds of these young Shadowhunters like there is no other people doing great things and winning great battles. Valentine is, as you said, of course hailed as one but he was a central villain in the story, so it doesn’t count. He was supposed to be that to be a “credible” villain. Any Herondale is obviously the best of their generation, despite the fact that it rarely amounts to anything. Similarly Emma is the best of her generation, but it doesn’t really play part of show in the story? None of these people either become the best, they already are.

It just needs stating whoever at the time is the best, and when so many people are the best, is anyone really. The whole “being the best” concept makes the characters so fragile to any adversity because the narrative builds them up to be these indestructible, unconquerable fighters, and when they get beat down, it does leave a dent to the credibility because the telling does not match the showing. Most of the times it seems that being the best is a scale. Because Jace, who is the best, barely wins Sebastian, shows had incredible fighter Sebastian is.

I never got a proper sense what Robert was supposed to be like as the Inquisitor. Like you said, there is no consistency to him taking proper action because the story relies on the Cohort rising. Robert was said to be liked as the Inquisitor, but that’s the extent the public opinion of him goes, which sort of nudges to the direction that he has risen above his past in the Circle and the Clave does not regard him as worthy of the exile anymore as he does get elected to the position. Which also reminds me how it is told that Robert and Maryse are in exile, but they sometimes go to Idris to do official business for a time, but was there ever a point where it is said that their exile was lifted?

In CoA, it is told that it was Imogen who investigated the Circle and chose the punishments on Robert, Maryse, and Hodge, because the Inquisitors job is to investigate the Shadowhunters for the Clave. It’s totally wild that all the corrupt Inquisitors and Consuls were written having this immense corrupted power and everyone’s trust (all the nameless, faceless Shadowhunters that always go with the flow), but Robert and Jia, in comparison, were absolutely powerless against the Cohort.

Also in CoA, Maryse brings up the fact that Imogen could use the Mortal Sword on Jace as she had done to the remaining members of the Circle. Imagine if someone had done that to the Cohort since their reasonable suspicion. I don’t remember there being much on what Robert was actually doing, because why focus on anything like that when he is a mere side character and not Emma or Julian and their romance of a lifetime.

Since the beginning of the series, which I pointed out here years back, the adults have been absolute idiots and bad liars because the story also relies on that and those ques of something being a lie enough to raise suspicion from the narrating character or readers. The adults need to remain almost like willfully blind so the teenagers can do their stuff in secrecy and also to support inconsistent writing.

#Robert Lightwood #Series discussion #Reply

11 notes · View notes