bananacakepie

[bananacakepie]

Analyzing every Better in Black quote from instagram part 2 (part 1)

So this is clearly references a relationship between a mortal (Shadowhunter, Werewolf, Mundane) and immortal (Faerie, Vampire, Warlock).

We have three relationships where one character is immortal durring the story (Simon’s story takes place after the events of TMI, so Simon and Izzy don’t count): Will and Tessa; Cristina, Mark and Kieran; Sebastian and the Seelie Queen.

But Tessa and Kieran are both young immortals, and the speaker says they have lived many years. Leaving only one relationship left, one where both parties are seen as befitting the description in the quote.

A small part of me thinks that it might be from The Beautiful Ajatara or A Surfeit of Annas, and the dialogue is spoken by a - magical - side character. But there’s no heavy proof, so I think this quote is from Too Wise To Love.

[bananacakepie]

Analizing ever Better in Black quote from instagram part 1

The first thing we know, is that this is probably a “modern” story, taking place after TDA.

Janus is mentioned to wear a hawk mask in SOBH, and it seems like he travels between worlds frequently from this quote. He’s taken a monster from another world and let her go crazy.

Since we know the approximate time that this story takes place (Janus arrived at the end of TDA, so 2012-2015) we can easy dismiss it being one of the earlier stories (ones with TID or TLH relationships), which leaves:

City of Broken Hearts (Simon and Izzy)

The Time of Two (Jace and Clary)

The Judgement of King Kieran (Kieran, Mark and Cristina)

Bred in the Bone (Emma and Julian)

We can eliminate Simon and Izzy, because we know that Janus came to this world in Queen of Air and Darkness, while their story explains Simon’s proposal, which came before their engagement party in Lady Midnight. So their story happened before Janus came.

Janus wasn’t mentioned to be looking for anyone in a different world when he first came, so I think this takes place later, in 2014 or 2015, which eliminates Bred in The Bone, which takes place in Emma and Julian’s travel year (2012-2013).

Going off of the context of the quote, I originally thought it was from City of Broken hearts, because it seems to be a rare monster speaking, and Simon and Izzy have to fight a weird demon that ruins relationships.

But when I think about it, Janus is working with the Seelie Queen, so it would make sense for him to release a demon in the Unseelie lands, to cause them trouble. Which could explain the demon appearing in Kieran’s story.

It could be a part of The Time of Two, but I think it would be less relevant to their main plot of finding Max Trueblood.

So The Time of Two and The Judgement of King Kieran are the top contenders for me.

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The finances of Jocelyn came from a lot of her old jewelry that she steadily sold. I assume Luke did something similar, but perhaps he quickly offloaded most of it, while Jocelyn kept hers as long as she could in case she needed it.

Theres a cool headcanon I’ve seen where the Graymark family heirlooms are silver, so they hurt Luke whenever he touches them (symbolic!) so that would have pushed Luke to get his family jewelry off his hands asap.

Also Luke only had to worry about himself, while Jocelyn might have wanted to save a few pieces for an emergency fund in case she and Clary had to run, or some unexpected Clary-related expense came up.

hey so where the HELL did luke get enough money to buy OVER SIXTY ACRES of upstate new york farmland running a bookstore ???

[bananacakepie]

There’s something about Mark knowing these people so well, just seeing them and instantly recognizing them. You have to assume that Kieran told him about his brothers in great detail.

And that’s sweet, to think about how Mark must have poured his heart out about every last inch of his siblings, desperate to have some way to save his flimsy and manipulated memories. Think about how much Mark talked about who they were, inside and out, the people that made him want to be a Shadowhunter, the family that he loves. Think about how Kieran would have returned the favor, describing his own brothers well enough that Mark knew who they were on sight.

We see this! Kieran says that Mark called Julian gentle. He remembered it!

Okay. Now think about how Mark was able to recognise the brothers and the King from Kieran’s description. They are faeries, they are perennial, of course Kieran’s memories held up, of course they are unchanged. Think about how Kieran could not reconcile the version of Julian that Mark told him about with the version of Julian that he met. Think about how much the Blackthorns changed.

They’re human. Of course they grew and developed. But those changes were what made Mark think that they weren’t really his family when he woke up. Those changes were also how they stuck together long enough to see Matk return.

Something about the preservation of the Faeries versus the transformation of humans.

[bananacakepie]

Imagine how Kieran must be feeling right now. Dude is sentenced to death, when he suddenly sees his ex (yay?), the girl his ex is in love with (fuck), his ex’s brother who was whipped in place of his ex because of something that is his fault (double fuck), and his ex’s brother’s warrior partner who was whipped in the place of his ex which caused his ex to try to attack him (triple fuck)

And then Julian just strolls up like he owns the place. Which is probably against two sets of laws, but hey, lex malla, lex nulla, am I right? Nope. People are freaking out, screaming, grabbing weapons, even the king is shocked. Overreact much? They can’t even use their most famous weapons. Julian literally threw a fit about it. If they need to fight, they’re probably gonna need to take turns with Emma’s sword.

And Kieran - half delirious, completely in pain - looks up. Takes one look at Julian. His’s ex’s brother. Who he heard of being a gentle child probably a thousand times. A little twelve year old. And he instantly recognizes him. Just ogling him. Forget about his execution, what’s going on?

And then Julian starts doing what he does best: bullshitting!

But like really well. Scarily well. 5-years-of-life-or-death-lying-to-literally-everyone-he-knows-and-a-good-chunk-of-people-he-doesn’t well. And the Unseelie King believes him!

And the Unseelie King does attempt to poke holes into Julian’s story, but Julian rolls with it like the little liar he is.

And Kieran is so shocked. There’s this thorn on his neck, probably stopping him from talking, stopping him from defending himself, and he doesn’t try to fight it. Until Julian starts talking.

He would make an amazing lawyer. He absolutely throws himself into defending his person he doesn’t even like, with his only plan being his brain. And it fucking works!

[bananacakepie]

Mark hearing pipers and instantly recognizing the King is near is so cool. Imagine being so powerful that you just have pipers on call constantly playing. And everyone knows about him.

And if I hadn’t learnt that half a page after he was revealed to be sexist, I would have really liked the Unseelie King.

Mark: It’s the Unseelie King! I would recognize those jazzy tunes anywhere!

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Deception, division…

I know I have mentioned deception being a huge theme for TDA, but I freaked out when we met this new character with a built-in deception! Half of his face is one way, and half is the other. He can appear beautiful and perfect or horrible and scarred. And he is both. Just like Mark is both Faerie and Nephilim, both of the Wild Hunt and a Shadowhunter. Just like Julian is a good brother and a manipulative nephew. You cannot erase one side of a person, just because you have suddenly seen the other. Emma is a terrified daughter and a strong warrior. Cristina is a runaway and someone who refuses to leave anyone in danger.

None of who they are, their secrets, make then less, they only show another side. They only make them more complete. Both sides make up the face. Both sides of the character are needed to create the whole.

Neither side of the Unseelie King is false, but neither is the full picture.

[bananacakepie]

Mark is really resistant to the idea of being used against Julian. He’s all for dressing up and pretending to be someone he isn’t when it comes to Kieran, but he draws the line at hurting Julian.

The second that he realizes that Emma isn’t using him/making him lie out of convenience, but to hurt Julian, he pushes her away. He will not be the one to hurt his brother. His absence caused him pain, and as much as Julian will deny it, so did his return. No more.

Mark and Julian are cut from similar cloth. Both will do anything for their family and never want to see them hurt. But Julian deceives to save them, while Mark’s deception would hurt his brother. And amid all of the secrets and trust, Mark draws a line, refusing to be the one to trick his brother.

His sibling’s faces were the instruments of his torture. Why would he let his be Julian’s, especially when he knows how much it can hurt.

[bananacakepie]

I like that Mark took the time for a quick costume change. His ex-boyfriend is about to be executed, none of his runes are working, he’s stuck in a dimension where everyone hates his species, his backup is three 17 year olds (two of whom have fallen for Faerie traps, while the other simply hasn’t had the chance to be conned yet), and he thinks, “yes this is the perfect time to change my clothes.”

But I think this works with the theme I’ve seen a lot of in Lord of Shadows. Book two is all about deception, pretending to be someone or something you arent. And Mark dressing up like this is his way of doing that.

He’s trying to blend in, to be seen as less suspicious, and changes into something more fitting of Faerie, removing his shoes. He’s pretending to resume his old role, most likely for Kieran’s sake. If he were doing it to blend in, you imagine he would have done it much sooner after arriving in Faerie, but he waits. He’s doing it because of Kieran, because of the Court. This was always the plan (he had brought the clothes along) but he holds off on disguising himself.

Why? Because he wants to present another version of himself to his Shadowhunter family. He wants them to see him as a Shadowhunter, wants to be accepted and loved by them - but part of him wants that from Kieran. So he puts on this disguise so that Kieran will not be disappointed by the version of Mark he sees.

Book 2 is all about deception, but from Mark’s actions here (and Julian’s earlier) remind us that the motivation can varry. They act out of love.

[bananacakepie]

So Diego is their back up. I’m nervous that he might not come through. A theme that is rapidly appearing in every plot of Lord of Shadows is, to quote Diana, “People are not what they seem.”

Everyone seems to think that Diego will be on their side, that he’ll see the “right” choice and make it. I’m not a big fan of the best hope being a cheating partner, but beggers can’t be choosers. This also tells us about people’s perception. They can overlook Diego cheating (both Zara and the Blackthorns) and they see him as “Perfect” and positioned to make the right move. Maybe it is because of Diego’s overarching reputation - one that he seems to be failing to live up to as the story goes on - that they so quickly move on.

Diego being scared of Livvy is just him having tramatic flashbacks to Emma and the ants.

She crushed his self esteem. Bro went from having no flaws to cutting steak with a spoon. Twice.

[bananacakepie]

Its so funny that Arthur called Zara Amatis. Like, I get that its tragic that he can’t really detangle his memories. And Zara isn’t really affected by it, just -rightfully- taking it as proof of his insanity.

But to anyone who knows the lore? He clocked her.

He took one look at her and said: Oh you’re the girl who’s in a love triangle with the guy that everyone says is perfect, and you’re going to lose.

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Arthur’s sanity is ricocheting around his brain like it’s a pinball machine.

Like, at first, Julian identifies him as having bad days (where he gets nothing) and good days (where he does remember). At first this seems like a bad day: Arthur’s stuck in the past, remembering a friend from his school days, and confronting him for his actions. But then (after some creepy quoting) he seems to understand everything, remembering that Kit is a unique person, so he questions where Kit will stand among his family (still creepy, but he probably has a bit more of his mind).

He compares William (who could either be Will H’s from tid, who acts mean to protect the people he loves OR Will’s grandfather who is best known for brave and twice as self-willed as his grandson) to Tobios (who is William’s brother and known for deserting his comrades). Arthur is likely comparing the brothers: the strong-willed and fight-loving Herondale vs the mild-mannered traitor Herondale. Will Kit be devoted? Or will he put in minimal effort and then flee?

Arthur then deviates from that pattern to compare father and son, which may be him asking if Kit will follow his father. Will Kit be like Stephen, who everyone loved, but still died hated, a traitor to his people? Or will Kit be like Jace, who rebelled against his father’s ideology and blazed his own path?

Will Kit be beautiful? Will he help draw people into his cause, get them to follow him? Will Kit be bitter? Will he poison those around him with hatred and ideologies? Will he do both?

I love this. Arthur is out of him mind, and he’s nailing every single question. As always.

And Ty is the one who breaks him out of this, Ty, who may carry the face of a past Blackthorn, but not anyone Arthur knew. Ty, who is unique.

Also, Arthur is described as seeming angry. He’s serving fierce looks and speaking savagely. Like, he’s very much aware to realize the humor in his situation, that something he never had might be taken from him. There’s kind of a disconnect: tragedy is bad things that happen to you, comedy is bad things that happen to others. Arthur finding this funny shows the disconnect he has with the real world, to use a common phrase, he’s not all there.

From his earlier pov, we know that he does care about the Blackthorn kids.

He’s all torn up, because he can’t tell if he actually cares, or just feels responsible for them, because they’re family, BUT AT LEAST HE CARES. He’s admitted his faults, and is pretty aware of why he needs to stay.

He is one of two adults we know would do anything for the Blackthorns (Helen is the other). They have a great-aunt, they have Diana, but at the end of the day, Arthur is the only one who is making sure the family can stay together. Arthur who will take the medicine and brush off his guilt, and wants to help them in his saner moments.

[bananacakepie]

Both couples (duos, i guess, because neither pair is technically dating) know eachother so well. They’re in Faerie and unsure if they’re actually looking at the person they love/are avoiding a relationship with for plot reasons, so they need to check.

Cristina actually managed to remember that Faeries are tricksters (even as she’s being distracted by music), which sets up a following scene. But both her and Mark remember their first conversation, which is how she knows it’s him. Going back to how she helped him heal and regain his place as a Shadowhunter, because that’s where their relationship started.

Meanwhile Julian is able to tell that this isn’t Emma, because he knows her too well. It’s not just how they met, but everything about her. And that’s how Julian fell in love. He fell in love with everything about Emma.

I know Emma’s joking, but that’s pretty much what happened with Cristina and Mark (minus the nudity), AND… her smile was hopeful? While talking to Julian? About being naked?

You just know that Arthur is pissed right now. He warned them that Faeries were tricksters, and less then 1 day in, and Cristina has already run off to a revel and Julian’s making out with some random Faerie.

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Mark being called a Hunter here reminds me of when Gwyn called him a Hunter in front of the LA Institute.

Julian (i think) was insulted, because Mark had left the Hunt (that had harmed him) and gone back to being a Shadowhunter, but Gwyn insisted that Shadowhunter is still a kind of hunter (so Julian hating puns is at least a constant character trait) and the name could still apply.

I think it’s interesting that Shadowhunters and named after what they hunt “the monsters in the shadows” and that one of their mottos (one that Ty quotes earlier in the training room, often used at funerals) is “we are dust and shadows.”

“Pulvis et umbra sumus" translates to "We are dust and shadows,” and it's a reminder of their mortality, their brief existence.

But it doesn’t change that fact that, when the quote is applied, it sounds like they are meant to hunt themselves. (Which they do a lot in tsc.)

[bananacakepie]

I want to talk about Cristina’s relationship with alcohol. Because even though we get that Cristina herself doesn’t drink a lot, we know that there is someone very close to her who does: Jaime.

Jaime drinks and runs his mouth, and Cristina knows this, knows how careless he gets, how he runs his mouth. Has she drunk alcohol before? Probably. Has she gotten drunk before? I don’t think so. Cristina is a very careful person, and if she ever once saw Jaime when he was drunk, I think she would want to avoid putting herself in that vulnerable spot.

And now that she knows he was his cruelest when he was drunk? She is definitely avoiding it.

There’s something about this scene, where we see Cristina’s inhibitions removed. She’s only acting when she thinks she’s drunk. She craves the music, she wants to be free, but she doesn’t want to deal with the burdens that come with freedom, she doesn’t want the responsibility that follows. She likes order and sense, but she also likes freedom.

In order to preserve order, she must give up her ability to act foolishly, she mush temper her desires. But now she thinks she has an excuse to act how she pleases. She’s reminding me a bit of the way Diego talked about Jaime acting when he was drunk. I would compare the lines if someone asked. Or if I’m not busy. She’s not bound by order or manners, she gets to be as messy as she wants, because she has an excuse.

Yes, she’s out of control, but it isn’t her fault! She’s drunk!

And as we see later on, Cristina really needs that excuse, needs a way to separate who she wants to be (free and careless) with who she needs to be (rule obeying and reliable).

She only wants to kiss Mark when she’s - not intoxicated, but - punch drunk. She’s aware that they like each other, but she still feels uncomfortable. She thinks being drunk on faerie wine can be her excuse to do what she wants. (She’s not drunk. She’s just doing what she wants. She’s fully in her right mind, this is what she has prevented herself from doing.)

And Mark’s response tells us a little more about him, and the Faerie traits that he embodies/embraces. His anger at her lies. Or rather, “omissions of truth”. Faeries do not hide their honest pain, but Cristina does hide hers. Because she needs to appear a certain way. And Mark doesn’t like that, doesn’t like her excuse. Because Mark is not rule obeying, he is free. And he deals with the consequences of that behavior, because he knows he wants to be free.

Mark can be honest like a Faerie, but he isn’t manipulative like one, because his time in the Courts was only torture, but his time in the Hunt left no room for political scruples.

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Going off of Cristina’s internal monologue and the way Mark’s talking about the revel, I think she is very much bewitched by it. She’s ignoring everything around her, unless something briefly catches her eye. She’s dazed, and not thinking about what she’s saying, or what Mark’s saying, she’s just automatically responding.

I think Mark initially goes in with the intent of immediately pulling her out, but stops when she starts talking about him. Mark has a few moments where he really leans into his Faerie side, and I think this is one of them. Rather than helping Cristina, he takes advantage of her confusion, dancing with her to make sure she stays there, stays with him, so that he can get the full story from her.

And Cristina is so out of it that we don’t get a very good discription of his reaction. He’s got emotion in his eyes, but we don’t know the emotion. And I think Mark did that on purpose. He kept her there so that she would answer his questions, so she could be the vulnerable one (something she does have trouble doing in front of others, like when she ran to the rooftop for privacy after learing Diego had a fiancée) and he could read her. Very Faerie.

[bananacakepie]

Cristina essentially says: “To tear Julian and Emma apart is impossible.”

And you know what? Yes it is.

It says something that they subconsciously move towards each other. They’re used to this easy trust, this easy movement. As established in the last book, they are used to seeking each other out to help with nightmares, and sleeping in each other’s beds. They haven’t been helping out with that for a while, so you must imagine that this is also a moment of reprieve from their nightmares.

It’s so cute, but also very desperate. Julian and Emma cannot imagine being apart, and Emma is struggling to stay away. But in subconscious, neither of them can help it, and they gravitate towards each other.

Julian’s flower card is “I paint my heart.” Who does Julian have a room of paintings dedicated to? Who’s hair does Julian obsess over getting the perfect shade? Julian has Emma in his heart. He paints her.

Emma has Julian in her heart. She loves him, and she's pushing him away in an attempt to save him.

Everyone sees it. Even Cristina who is two pages from loosing her mind doesn't want to interfere.