#chog re-read

[fairetaire]

wait a damn minute-

pg 235

pg 341

pg 484

[branw3lls]

the way she might as well have kicked open that fuckin door and paused for applause from the studio audience

[hahahax30]

This is why Matthew's going to become a vampire

@tea-and-a-clandestine-agenda sort of pushed me to write this.

I've been re-reading chain of gold and chain of iron in preparation for chain of thorns, and I'm pretty sure that cc has been foreshadowing Matthew's becoming a vampire for a long time. We aren't crazy.

CC's known to pepper hints here and there that you only become aware of once you go back to analyse her stuff. For example, she mentioned the illness from chog in Simon's short story novella and then at the beginning of choi Cordelia mentions James running away to France (when that's what she did).

There are two main reasons why Matthew could become a vampire:

There's a scene in chog when Matthew recites his would-be epitaph

"shed not for him the bitter tear // nor give the heart to vain regret; // tis but the casket that lies here, // the gem that filled it sparkles yet" sounds pretty much like a prediction of his death, only we shouldn't be sad because Matthew's somehow alive. The only way he could be alive when he's died is if he'd become a vampire.

Chapter 29 of chot is titled "exile from light". Vampires can't see the light. Someone ought to have become a vampire and I have my money on the guy who wrote his epitaph

Also, James has talked about his fear of losing Matthew too many times.

The possibility of Matthew becoming a (blue-haired given that one comment he threw at Cordelia in chot) vampire is somewhat high, and Lily could very much turn him. I personally think he'll "die" in James's arms because that would mirror the time James almost died in chog but only CC knows that.

[kit-herondale-blackthorn]

A summary of the Valentine’s Day live with Cassie

- We won’t be seeing the Whispering Room scene from James’ POV before end of March; Cassie said it may be better that we read it after Chain of Iron because we’ll learn much more about what James is thinking and feeling

- Valentine’s day: Matthew would go all out, James would make it very thought out and personal, Anna would make it fun, Alastair “never thought of giving anyone a valentine in his entire life so he’d have to work it out from first principles”, Thomas would prefer to do something together rather than give a gift, Christopher would forget

- Chain of Iron silhouettes are: Cordelia, Lucie, James, Matthew, Christopher, Thomas, Alastair, Grace, Jesse, Anna, Ariadne, with one of them being shared between two characters

- The events of “One must always be careful about books” take place during Chain of Iron

- “Matthew is always falling in love with people he can’t have, that’s his thing; and Alastair is always sabotaging himself” - when talking about complicated relationships in TLH

- The Chain of Iron scene Cassie is most excited for people to read: When Elias comes back, James has dinner with the Carstairs family, and Alastair does something unexpected then - this thing that Alastair does is what Cassie is excited for us to read and respond to; also several scenes with Cordelia she’s excited for us to read, and a big action scene where everyone is fighting together (including Anna and Christopher)

- About writing character interactions: Thomas and Alastair’s interactions are “goals”, but even Thomas and Anna interacting have a fun dynamic

- TLH is challenging because most characters have loving and stable families who are always interested in their whereabouts, which doesn’t help with sneaking around and fighting evil

- Cassie’s favourite spot in London is the Borough Market, which is also where the London Shadow Market is placed - there’s a big scene in ChoI where they all go to the Shadow Market

- Will probably lost most of his Welsh accent, having lived in London for so long

- ChoI ends with an emotional cliffhanger rather than a LoS-type cliffhanger

- Church is not around with Magnus in Chain of Iron, but maybe we’ll see him in Chain of Thorns

- Eugenia’s story shows the dangers of gossip, where someone says something about her that may not be true, which in turn ruins her reputation

- One thing James likes about Cordelia is that she likes him exactly the way he is; Cordelia values James’ kindness; “she thinks about the bits of him that she likes a lot in Chain of Iron ans he certainly thinks about her” - this was in context of physical appearances

- There is A LOT of kissing in Chain of Iron (Cassie says the saying “the second book is the make-out book” is true for TLH)

- Re new characters: No Morgensterns appear; we see Eugenia return and get to know her a bit more, we see how her and Thomas are coping after losing Barbara

- Elias’ relationship with his family is addressed in ChoI

- There is a fun scene in ChoI that involves James and Farsi that Cassie thinks we’ll really like; Cordelia teaches him a lot about Persian culture and the meanings of certain spoilery things

- Cortana is important; the fact that Cortana was able to wound Belial made Cordelia more interesting in Cortana’s history and abilities

- The Fairie blades Matthew, Anna and Cordelia got from Malcolm in ChoG are not important; the Blackthorn sword is important and we’ll find out why we don’t see it in TDA, why the Blackthorns don’t have it anymore and what happened to it

- We’re gonna learn Cordelia’s, Alastair’s and James’ middle names in ChoI

- Matthew will tell someone about his secret, which will make his relationship with this person more solid

- Lucie doesn’t lose her optimism but goes through some difficult stuff; she thinks Belial is deeply sexist

- Grace believes she doesn’t have tender feelings for anyone or anything because Tatiana brought her up to believe that; we will learn a lot more about her, her growing up, ans her history with Jesse in ChoI

- “Matthew has coped with having a great secret by being a cheerful drunk, Alastair copes by being grumpy”

- Alastair’s grappling with the return of his father and trying to convince the Merry Thieves that he wants to make it up to Thomas and the rest of them while still being his grumpy self, as he’s not someone who “lays his heart out at other peoples feet and let them walk on it”

- Lucie “mostly” doesn’t tell anybody about Jesse, at least not anybody that we would think of - but that doesn’t mean people don’t find out anyway

- We see Anna and Ariadne spend time together and have an interesting and pretty intense relationship

[follow-the-pages]

Parabatai are perfect in every way, a Ted Talk.

(Mostly about James and Matthew, with some Julian and Emma mixed in. Cause they’re the only pairs I’ve read about thus far.)

*This post contains spoilers for Chain of Gold, Chain of Iron, and Lady Midnight*

I’ve read Lady Midnight, a while ago, and am planning on re-reading very soon. I remember falling head over heels in love with Emma and Julian. I loved their friendship, but I loved the romance more. It was the first Shadowhunters book I had read, so all I really knew about parabatai was that they shared a bond unlike anything else, and that they were forbidden from falling in romantic love with one another. The book heavily emphasized that, obviously, because Emma and Julian ARE in romantic love.

I’ve now read Chain of Gold and Chain of Iron and gained a whole new appreciation and love for the parabatai bond through James and Matthew. Because they don’t love each other romantically, it allows me and the book to focus on the actual bond itself. It absolutely kills me. The line in Chain of Gold when it is stated that comfort from your parabatai transcends the comfort you can receive from anyone else in your life, even your lover, is so beautiful. The fact that at the end of Chain of Iron, James is just as torn up about losing his wife as he is about losing Matthew, kills me. How the other two Merry Thieves say nothing and do not tease when James and Matthew are sharing their moments (like at the beginning of CHoI), kills me. No one questions or gets in the way of parabatai. For they know that parabatai are more attached to each other than anyone else in the world.

Near the end of CHoG, when James and Cordelia fall back from the demon realm, everyone there should be and is worried for James, yet no one, not even Lucie, James’ own sister, gets in the way of Matthew. Matthew is the one with James as he is dying, Matthew is the one literally holding James when he is revived. It breaks my poor heart to bits.

In conclusion, I am sorrowfully imagining reading the scene in CHoT when Matthew dies. (Cause he probably will 😭)

Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.

[bookishjules]

Sizzy, Sophideon, ghostwriter, Kierarktina :)

(re: this post)

SIZZY

SHIP IT!?? LITERALLY MY OTP <3333

1. What made you ship it? Same as with malec, it was because my bff was trying to convince me to keep reading the series after city of bones. Or at least, that warmed me up to them. City of Glass was definitely when I started shipping them fr fr and like how could i not?? Simon rushing after her when they're being attacked at the institute and then waking up with her at his bedside? Isabelle's note with the xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo?? The way Simon was the only one who could get through to her after max died??? I cry

2. What are your favorite things about the ship? EVERYTHING?? They compliment each other so perfectly, help each other grow and honestly just enjoy life together. They know how to be there for one another, and they never give up on each other. Also star wars?? And Isabelle in the cohf epilogue??? I could go on forever

3. Is there an unpopular opinion you have about this ship? I don't think so.. but hey, if loving sizzy is wrong, I don't want to be right, so I really don't care lol

---

SOPHIDEON

Ship it :) my darlings

1. What made you ship it? *shrugs* the books? ya girl is rereading tid rn and I haven't gotten to Gideon yet.. so I can't remember what specific part I would have started shipping them in.

2. What are your favorite things about the ship? Same with above! I need to finish rereading the series to get better answers. but I will say that they just feel like they FIT, you know? physically, emotionally. the way that he respects her and listens to her, which means so much to Sophie, considering her trauma. the way that Gideon's story is about becoming softer and more vulnerable, while Sophie's is about becoming stronger (literally, re: ascension lol) and more vulnerable

3. Is there an unpopular opinion you have about this ship? I don't really have many opinions on it, so I don't think so!

---

GHOSTWRITER

SHIP ITTT! If the fact that I'm literally writing a fic about them rn tells you anything, I mean... lol

1. What made you ship it? literally the flashback of Jesse helping Lucie in the woods lmao I KNOW that that would have been wrong, but also I had a feeling where it was going, and that she would eventually be the same age as him. He's just such a sweetheart. (though I think it took me toward the end of chog tbh bc I had to work to give up the hold I had on the Matthew/Lucie ship that had solidified in my heart years before)

2. What are your favorite things about the ship? I think a big one for ghostwriter is just how much they are able to be themselves with each other, they trust each other, and they actually like communicate??? wow. Looking at their relationship as a plot device, each one needs the other in order to grow and discover themselves to their fullest potential, which I think it just so special and makes their relationship really unique

3. Is there an unpopular opinion you have about this ship? Only if wanting them to be happy and not face the consequences of their quasi-necromantic actions is an unpopular opinion.....

---

KIERARKTINA

........ (I want you to know that the following makes me upset as well)

1. Why don’t you ship it? Kieran. It's mostly Kieran. I could never get over what he did to Mark. Also he felt like something that Mark was clinging to, something to give him light in the darkness, but also a reminder of Faerie, something holding him there, which I get that he needs as being 1/2 Faerie, but I feel like he needed something new. Also, do not... really fully see the chemistry between Kieran and Christina, or really why she fell for him, I guess? Maybe I was just blinded by my dislike for Kieran at the time that their relationship was developing. Basically, I just really think that Christina and Mark are beautiful and wonderful in all ways, but Kieran and Christina always confused me, and I feel like both Kieran and Mark deserved to grow beyond the codependent relationship they formed as part of the Wild Hunt.

2. What would have made you like it? ... no Kieran?

3. Despite not shipping it, do you have anything positive to say about it? Yes!! I love them all as characters, and I think their content is cute, as well as socially important. I appreciate that they can be there for each other as a support system. I'm gonna reread tda this year, so we'll see if that shifts my view of Kieran and their relationship as a whole. I do really wish I could ship them fully, because they are such a favorite in the fandom

Okay this took me way too long to finish, partly because I was busy and partly because I was scared to share my controversial opinion... lol but that's what this ask game is for, right?? Thank you for playing along and sending so many!! I loved this<33

(also, I know the yellow text is BRUTAL, but I managed to give each ship its own color between the two asks! and yellow just fit them, considering the choi cover ;)--if you need it to be changed for better reading though, let me know!))

[ohnotoomanyfandoms]

I'm really interested in your analysis of the plot twist being that matthew is in love with james instead of cordelia. Many people (including me) have joked about how it would make more sense but I never really consider it... In a canon way? But it could make sense. I like what you say about his (lack of) pov. Maybe there is something to analyse too in his reaction to james and grace vs jordelia. Like from the start he didn't really like grace but because he struggled to believe her. Ok I don't know where I'm going with this I need to reread chog. But just so you know that at least 1 person is interested in what you have to say about this theory.

Thank you! 

I shall try my best to explain why I’m choosing to believe Matthew is in love with James and not Cordelia until I am proven wrong by canon. 

1) The lack of POV that I mentioned in my other post is very telling. Cassandra’s choice indicates Matthew has a secret. We already know about his dark sin, so it’s not that. It’s something us readers aren’t supposed to know, so that it can come as a revelation later. 

2) Matthew hates Grace. He always has and he still does. Now, remember, Matthew was the only person James confided in about Grace. If James told him he was in love, shouldn't Matthew have been happy for him? If he had reservations about Grace specifically, why not make them known? No, in those initial years he didn’t loathe Grace specifically, he’d never even met her, but he was jealous of her for holding James’s heart. And then obviously he grows angry and bitter when Grace breaks James’s heart and leaves him for Charles of all people, proving, in Matthew’s eyes, that she’s just a social climber.

3) Cordelia. Matthew and Cordelia get along marvelously. He adores her as a person, and she him. They immediately build this camaraderie built upon how much they love the Herondales. As the book progresses and they get to know each other more, they start caring about each other and understanding each other as friends do. Now, I know everyone assumes those are signs of Matthew falling in love with her, but if the storyline was that linear, then why not have his POV? Why not show us how he was falling for her? Because it’s a red herring, that’s why. 

Hear me out: you can whip out ANY passage in Chain of Gold or snippet from Chain of Iron where you think the hidden subtext is that Matthew is developing feelings for Cordelia. I dare you, any passage, read it through the lens of “Matthew actually loves James.” You’ll see. I can provide examples in another post, if you want, let me know. 

Every time you think Matthew is jealous of James, it’s actually James he’s looking at, not Cordelia. Every time he’s angry, it’s on James’s behalf, for his sake. Now, you could of course just read this as parabatai protectiveness and I wouldn’t fault you for it. It’s how I read it as for nearly a year, after all. And then I re-read some old theories of mine from like 2015 and things clicked. I re-read the book and it all made sense through those lenses. 

I always said there was something suspicious about Matthew’s alleged feelings for Cordelia. They came too fast. I even theorized Grace compelled him to feel things for her, so as to mess things up a bit. Now I realize those feelings were never there in the first place. 

Now, let me address some of your potential reservations: 

A) “But this would mean Matthew is in love with both Herondale siblings! Isn’t that a bit odd?” No odder than James and Lucie Herondale being in love with Grace and Jesse Blackthorn, another set of siblings. I mean what are the odds of THAT happening, right? (Unless you believe Jesse is also making Lucie fall for him like Grace did with James.) It’s actually way less strange if a bisexual boy falls for his best friend and his little sister. Or falls for the sister as a result of his love for his best friend being literally impossible. As in, James can’t reciprocate because he’s straight, and even if that weren’t the case, any romantic or sexual relationship between them is forbidden by the Law. 

B) “Would this be another parabatai love story?” No, this wouldn’t be another TDA situation, because James doesn’t and can’t love Matthew back romantically. If anything, this is unrequited love in its purest form (which, by the way, isn’t even forbidden by the Clave. What is forbidden is if you actually have a relationship, consummate, but it takes two to tango, so there is no chance of Matthew facing legal consequences like exile or mark-stripping for this, thankfully). We’ve seen some unrequited love situation in other TSC books, but it was never a main thing. Alec got over his imaginary crush on Jace the second he met Magnus. Same for Simon with Clary and Izzy. For Matthew, this could be yet another reason for his torment. 

C) “Must everyone be gay???? stop making every character gay” I’m sorry, Matthew is canonically bisexual and therefore what I am suggesting is canonically possible. 

If you don’t agree with this theory, I am curious to hear what you think the “big plot twist in the love triangle” is going to be! 

[emmcarstairs]

The Search for the Lost Husband: Blackdale as the Ballad of Tam Lin

(Art by Wylie Beckert)

“They were falling together. If she held on tight enough, she could bring him back, she thought, like Janet had done for Tam Lin in the old story.” (Chain of Iron)

Fairy tales have been with us since the dawn of time. They have provided foundation for some of the greatest stories we have come to know and love. The key to the success of fairy tale motifs is their resonance with our collective unconscious. All around the world, although sometimes with different symbols, fairy tales explore similar concepts.

Thanks to the Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index, we have a comprehensible catalogue of folk tales from every corner of the globe. The folk tales are divided into several classifications based on their motifs. One of these classifications is known as “The Search for the Lost Husband” or ATU 425, and “Beauty and the Beast” is one of its best known examples. In this analysis, we will take a look at the Scottish ballad of Tam Lin, which falls into this type of folk tales.

There are many versions of the tale since it’s centuries old but the basic outline is thus: A fair young maiden named Janet is the daughter of an earl and lives in a castle next to the forest of Carterhaugh. All the maidens have been warned against entering the enchanted woods for there dwells the faerie prince Tam Lin, waiting to take possession of their chastity. One day, Janet grows bored and being the headstrong woman she is, sets off to explore the forest on her own. In the magical woods, she attempts to pluck some flowers but then all of a sudden Tam Lin appears, demanding to know the reason behind her trespassing on his land. Unfazed, Janet claims that she is the rightful heir to Carterhaugh and she can do as she pleases. After this, Tam Lin takes Janet by the hand or her waist, and when she gets home, she discovers that she is pregnant. 

Once her family realises her situation, they try to pressure her into a marriage of convenience but Janet refuses them. She returns back to the forest to question Tam Lin. He shares his tragic story: once he was a mortal man, but while travelling through the woods, he fell off his horse and was abducted by the Faerie Queen who forced him to serve her as one of her knights. He has been her captive for seven years and is concerned that on Halloween he will be offered as a sacrifice. Tam Lin reveals that Janet might be able to free him if she follows his set of instructions. 

On Halloween, Janet is determined to rescue her beloved and goes back to the forest. There she sees several knights passing by but patiently waits until she recognizes Tam Lin by his white horse and him missing one of his gloves (his signal). She pulls him to the ground and holds him firmly, as instructed, while the Faerie Queen puts several spells on him, transforming him into various beasts which scratch and bite at Janet but she doesn’t let him go. Finally, the Queen turns him into a burning coal, which Janet plunges into a well. Tam Lin emerges as a naked mortal man and Janet, still following their plan, covers him with her cloak. The Faerie Queen admits defeat, crying how she should have given him a heart made of stone and eyes made of wood. 

I believe it is already obvious how much inspiration CC must have drawn from this folk tale. The prologue of ChoG is essentially a re-imagining of its beginning.

Lucie Herondale is the daughter of Will Herondale, “a very important person”, in Lucie’s own words. The Herondales live in their Manor next to Brocelind Forest. One night, just as the woods seem to glow, Lucie ventures to go on a walk. Like Janet, she plucks some flowers, only she arranges them into crowns. In fact, the text stresses that this is the first activity she undertakes in the forest. Eventually, she gets lost and falls into a pit which is coded as a grave with its gleaming white bone. Lucie is caught in a place between life and death, and naturally, enter Jesse Blackthorn who is himself on the threshold. 

Jesse introduces the faerie motif from the get-go, which prompts Lucie to assume that he is indeed a faerie himself. (In ChoI, she refers to him as “a beautiful faerie prince”.) He even tells her that if the faerie gentry caught her, she might have to be their servant forever, which is an allusion to Tam Lin’s tragic fate and his own if we consider the Fairy Queen to be Tatiana/Belial. Lucie then brings up her lineage, her “royal blood” as hinted at even in her monologue, demanding that she be rescued, not unlike Janet who used her birthright as a leverage against Tam Lin. Which leads us to Jesse taking her by the hand, as also found in some versions of the ballad. This contact is important because it symbolizes union. From this point onward, the ballad treats Tam Lin and Janet as lovers. Of course, this is not the literal case in ChoG. But figuratively, Lucie’s encounter with Jesse will stay with her until she meets him again on equal footing. 

Interestingly enough, when Lucie and Jesse meet again in 1903, exactly seven years have passed since he has been dead / a captive of the Fairy Queen. Jesse’s death is a metaphorical slumber in which he has fallen owing to Tatiana/Belial’s doings. According to Tam Lin, every seven years the faerie folk offers a tither to Hell and because he is a mortal by nature, he fears that he will be the one sacrificed. Therefore, the time has come for a major turning point (which we witnessed in ChoI). 

In “The Search for the Lost Husband”, the motif of recognizing one’s beloved is quite common. The ballad of Tam Lin is no exception. We also find it in ChoI, even though it’s more toned down! Lucie has to piece together the facts about Jesse’s backstory as well as the identity of the killer. She is the first one who realizes that Jesse’s body has been used for ill intentions by seeing the runes on his body. Funny how in the ballad the absence of an object is the telltale signal, while in The Last Hours - it’s the presence of runes and blood. While Lucie is preparing herself to dive the sword into Jesse’s body, she acknowledges that the remnants before her are not her Jesse. Her Jesse is the ghost who visits her at night. In ATU 425, the groom is usually human only at night. Thus, she has successfully recognized her lover, which later allows her to face Belial, the Fairy Queen in our story (although I believe both Tatiana and Belial play this role).

In order to bring Jesse back to the mortal realm, she exorcises Jesse’s body from Belial’s anchor. In fairy tales, there is the motif of burning the beast’s skin as a means of breaking the enchantment upon the beast man (e.g. Luke burning Darth Vader’s armor so that Anakin Skywalker may live on). Jesse’s body is virtually his beast’s skin for it was used by a demon and made a murderer in ChoI. In the ballad of Tam Lin, a similar concept is observed - Tam Lin’s body is transformed into a fiery coal. The theme of fire as a cleansing force is observed across mythologies. Water has healing properties as well - Janet is instructed to hurl the coal into a body of water. By using fire and water, Janet baptizes the fallen prince, severing his connection with the faerie realm. Lucie relies on her own powers to purge Jesse of Belial’s dark energy, effectively removing his anchor which has been preventing her from truly accessing Jesse’s soul. 

At the end of the ballad, the Fairy Queen is upset about her defeat and laments the loss of Tam Lin. In ChoI, we have glimpses of Tatiana and Belial’s sour mood after Jesse is no longer in their clutches. However, while the ballad ends here, ChoI is only the second book in a trilogy. Where do we go from here? We shall see. 

Thank you for reading! I’d be glad to hear your thoughts! 

P.S. Now that you’re familiar with Janet’s last instruction - wrapping Tam Lin’s body with her mantle - the fact that Jesse was wrapped in Matthew’s medium-ridiculous overcoat is even funnier. Fingers crossed that this doesn’t jinx it all! 

[shadowhuntering]

Matthew & Alastair comparison

I’ve been re-reading Chain of Gold in prep for Chain of Iron and I've noticed that Matthew and Alastair are a foil of each other.

I’ve also been re-reading Cast Long Shadows for investigative purposes and it furthers my realization.

Matthew and Alastair have been through similar issues, but are the opposite (if that makes sense) in some ways. eg. Alastair had to pick up after Elias who is a drunk; Matthew is also a drunk. How they responded to these issues tells you a lot about their nature.

This is my observations, purely for analytical purposes so if I sound particularly harsh towards a character, I do not mean to be.

1. Personalities are the opposite to the other.

Matthew’s personality is literally meant to "blind people" because he's sunny, outgoing and is meant to be the life of the party (or his mask).

Alastair on the other hand is literally "dark" he is broody, not very forth coming and can be very prickly

Ironically though, both have the façade of being conceited when they are the opposite. Though you could argue that Matthew’s alcoholism is a result of being selfish. However, he has little regard for himself which is the danger.

Definition of selfish: Concerned chiefly or excessively with oneself, and having little regard for others.

2. They share a similar notion of love not being real, or won't last. 

Alastair just having a very pessimistic view in general, but Matthew says it about himself. He has full faith that other people will have happiness, where he doesn’t see it happening for himself.

3. Alastair is unapologetically himself, whereas with Matthew he hasn’t been himself for a while, and even back before the events of Cast Long Shadows he was trying to fulfill what people needed at the time.

Matthew cares too much about the people around him to think about himself, but also tries not to care as he fulfills the bad reputation people have of him. He has a mask/façade(s) to help liven or distract, yet he also openly degrades himself. He keeps people at arms length so that they will not be disappointed by him, but also forms close bonds with people. He so badly wants someone to love him, but he doesn't want to help himself or be vulnerable to other people. He’s a walking contradiction.

Alastair does regret the things he did, but he doesn't think less of himself because of them. He did all those things to protect himself from hurt. Alastair also doesn’t care for his attitude. It’s not his problem if people don’t like it basically 😂 He clearly has people he cares about like Sona and Cordelia and prioritises them also. He is also actively trying to right his wrongs on not dwell on his past. He wants to move on with his life.

4. Matthew doesn't want to help himself, Alastair does want to help himself and become a better person.

Matthew openly degrades himself yet keeps his own secrets and thoughts of himself. He self-destructs as he feels he deserves it, even when people reach out and try to care for his well-being and that of others they also love (eg. Lucie’s confrontation). He doesn't see that he is hurting the people around him and also himself because of his attitude towards his own life really. He doesn’t have much of a quality for life. He is clearly depressed. He fails to let anyone in because he doesn’t want to help himself and also thinks too much about what people think of him when honestly the perception they have of him now is probably much lower now because 1. how he has chosen to deal with his mistake 2. how he has kept it to himself therefore making it look like the people who care about him would cast him out.

Alastair knows what he did wrong and is trying to improve himself for the betterment of himself. It was evident that at the time of Cordelia finding out about Charles, he wanted to break free, but once he got over being mad at Cordelia for snooping (rightfully so tbh) he understood that she loves him and would give him the support he needed; he had the inspiration from her to commit to moving forward and make amends for himself. Sure, he kept people at arms length in order to protect himself but inherently he does make himself vulnerable for other people. He still let in Charles, made himself vulnerable to love. Then with Thomas... he let Thomas see his guard down in Paris (and before that Thomas just saw right through him) and he ended up allowing Cordelia in, taking heed of her advice and love. He knew that Charles was hurting him and other people, so he stood up to him. He is much more open and vulnerable which is ironic really.

To me, the progression Alastair has already made makes me believe that the same will come for Matthew. However, the bottom line here is that Matthew self-destructs and doesn’t want to help himself whereas Alastair wants to be a better person and look after himself. Alastair has self-love which is what Matthew severely lacks.

5. Both had to grow up fast due to responsibilities of looking after their father...

Matthew arguably has "Mommy issues". This is not me making excuses for Matthew, or even criticizing Charlotte in any way, this is just my interpretation of Cast Long Shadows...

Matthew seems to have low self-esteem and love for himself due to abandonment issues it seems. He probably felt abandoned as a child by Charlotte. It's not that he was unsupportive of her or holds anything against her, but when you look at it objectively, his upbringing shaped his reaction to Alastair and to himself. She literally left him crying at 6 years old and told him to "look after your father" as she had to go off with Charles. Cast Long Shadows is a huge emphasis of how the feeling of abandonment from Charlotte, leading to how he instantly believed that Charlotte had an affair with Gideon and took drastic action. This I feel is because he never felt comfortable to openly discuss to her about himself really. He also didn't trust her...

I do not wish to insult Charlotte as her job is serious and I'm so proud of her, but unfortunately, due to it, it made an impact on who Matthew is now. He didn't trust, nor feel comfortable enough to sit down and talk to Charlotte because he never really got to know her properly or wanted to burden her. It probably also felt like she had favoritism over Charles, and Matthew didn't want to step on her toes. She also never noticed the little things he did like make her favourite scones and he just went feeling unloved or unappreciated (though he should have said something?). She would ask of him to be sensible, didn't really engage much in his humor which probably contributed to how he viewed himself as well as he already was so self-conscious and was vying for her attention. No offense to Henry but his immersion into his science probably left Matthew feeling abandoned as well as he was the one caring for him, then Christopher is the one who understands and engages. Matthew was his carer, effectively, making sure he ate, drank, slept and wheeled him about. He did love his father though, so he didn’t mind. Though Henry does praise him when he breaks the news about them expecting which just made Matthew feel more guilty of his accidental poisoning.

It’s like Matthew wants all of the attention, but he never voices what he wants aloud. This results with no one paying him much heed. In Cast Long Shadows there is also a comparison to James and Lucie’s relationship with Tessa and Will. James and Lucie have communication with their parents, along with known support and trust. Matthew does not seem to have this as he seems too afraid to voice it, not because he is scared of Charlotte and Henry, but because he is too considerate of them. I also find it Ironic that the next story in GotSM is Every Exquisite Thing where there is a huge emphasis of Anna and Cecily’s relationship with each other. Anna being too scared that Cecily would be critical and not understand her, but when Cecily comes to Anna at her worst, she completely understood Anna and supported her, making her feel better. To me this is another stark contrast to Matthew where his parents are too busy to build a good relationship with him, and when there is a heart to heart (Henry talking with Matthew) it is too late and doesn’t ease his mind. Anna also points out how no one would approach Matthew because “he did not do well under confinement”- it makes sense, he doesn’t like confrontation. 

(I can go into further detail about Cast Long Shadows with Matthew’s upbringing being detrimental to his view of himself)

Alastair however has "Daddy issues". Alastair has a similar case of looking after his father, but he came to resent his father because he never got himself better or was so drunk to even remember or acknowledge Alastair and his help or I suppose confront his problem. Alastair knows what it can do and simply does not want to re-live it, and as Cordelia is now friends with Matthew, he doesn't want Cordelia being hurt by Matthew either or having to pick up after him as he did for Elias. That is also where they butt heads. It is too coincidental that Matthew is also drinking to forget, and is not wanting to make himself be better and deal with it. Alastair is trying to protect Cordelia, but he is also allowing her to make decisions for herself.

In ChoG Alastair says he was 10 when he learnt to fill the brandy bottles with water to mask the levels that had been drunk. He was probably picking up his father and "looking after him" well before that. Alastair tried to protect Cordelia from this because he was being more considerate for her sake. He wanted her to have a childhood he was robbed of. He is also being a foil here of Charles. Charles was so self-involved that he never decided to even think about his younger brother, Matthew. Alastair was compassionate; Charles was not. Alastair is a good older brother; Charles was not and was even accusatory that Matthew being parabatai with James and being in London is what caused Charlotte to be ill... he just has so much resentment...

I also believe that Alastair wanted the burden off of his mother, and I'm wondering if he knows more about Sona and her feelings towards Elias being sour and terrified (This is I feel what is indicated in the teaser of when Elias appears where Sona seems to go pale) despite rushing to him and hugging him etc.

“Sona went white and laid a hand against the wall to steady herself. "Elias?"” 

Alastair was bitter and twisted and he never wanted people to know because he knew it was a weak spot for him. It is what sparked him telling Matthew the rumor in the first place. 

“ "I wish I could say the same for you," said Matthew. "Has no kind soul thought to inform you that your hairstyle is, to use the gentlest words available to me, ill-advised? A friend? Your papa? Does nobody care enough to prevent you from making a spectacle of yourself? Or are you simply too busy perpetrating acts of evil upon the innocent to bother about your unfortunate appearance?" “

...

“Instead Alastair said: "Who are you to play the moralist, talking about tricks and papas, considering the circumstances of your birth?" “

He ultimately had inherited his father's shame which was wrong. It's what Cordelia has told him as well. Alastair shouldn't have to think of the mess of Elias; it is his shame to deal with, not Alastair’s.

Though arguably, as a result of Alastair giving Cordelia an innocent childhood, it opened the doors for Cordelia to want to reach out for him, due to her optimism and love, and as he loves his sister dearly, he takes what she has to say to heart. They will now face things together as a support network and hopefully they also have communication with their mother. Although their family may be "broken" they arguably have more communication and togetherness than Matthew does with his family.

(Sorry, that bit was long)

6. Result of their nature after childhood being robbed

Matthew seems to act more of a "child" anyways, being more “frivolous”. He is being reckless, he is a little petty as well. Whereas Alastair decided to grow up too fast and is more mature and relatively grounded. It did harden him to begin with, but he doesn’t want to completely isolate himself. He’s just simply more rational. This I feel is in their nature though, not nurture. 

7. Matthew is slowly driving everyone away, this is kind of what Alastair tried to achieve

Alastair at the Academy decided that he would be the bully in order not to be the one being ridiculed, thinking that he would be better off and retain a hard skin, but all it did was make him regret and never allowed him to create good bonds with people. Then when he came back from the Academy, he distanced himself from Cordelia. I interpreted this as him dealing with his guilt and regret and tried to not get Cordelia too close to him because of it, but Cordelia cared about him too much. Though it could’ve just been that he got too used to having a hard skin, not letting anyone close. Throughout ChoG he builds his bond with Cordelia, and we also see James coming around to Alastair. Thomas as always was curious and saw his better side and Christopher was seemed ready to give him a second chance. Though due to Matthew’s spew at the end, there is distance between him and Thomas and others (save Jordelia).

Matthew is driving everyone away, simply because he is being so reckless. He had originally established good relationships with people. Then, when Lucie confronts him he literally avoids it, no matter how realistic she was being and how much he cared for her, but that was it; he cared too much for her to tell her. We see that even James will snap at him in COI

Teaser #41: "There is no point to it," said Matthew. "If you will never see reason or good sense—"

"Because you're a bastion of reason and good sense?" James snapped. He knew he had a temper, just like his father; his anger spilled past everything else, tasting of copper and fury. "Matthew, you are drunk. For all I know, you mean nothing you are saying."

"I mean all of it," Matthew protested. "In vino veritas—"

"Don't you quote Latin at me," said James. "Even if you were sober, you've never taken love seriously enough to lecture me. Your passions have been a series of dalliances and ill-conceived attachments. Look at me and tell me there is something you love more than that bottle in your hand."

Matthew also decides to move out and get his own place to force independence and probably drive even more of a wedge between himself and Charlotte. We also knows he has an argument with Charlotte; his apartment and car is undoubtedly a result of that, escaping the conflict and confrontation. 

Anna had wanted to talk to him (Every Exquisite Thing), Magnus also wanted to help him. Lucie has always wanted to help for the sake of James and James has always known something was off. They just know that he wouldn’t say anything, and I think most were in the hopes that he would eventually say something. We know that Cordelia is most likely the one he tells thankfully! It is ironic that it is Cordelia for both Alastair and Matthew as well. So it already looks like Chain of Iron will provide the break and repair of relationships for Matthew, similar to Alastair’s progression of self-love.

8. Matthew is very open about his sexuality. Alastair does try and keep it hidden, however it’s more complicated. This is a reflection of their concern of judgement.

Although Matthew keeps things to himself, he admittedly is not afraid of what people think of him as his expectations of himself are so low. However, he is also ruled by the expectations of others, all through his life people had low expectations of him (again, another thing that influenced his actions in general) and he feels to fulfill that obscure one in spite?? The reputation the he has, has always been obscured because in everyone's eyes it will and always has been Charles who will inherit and uphold the good reputation as Consul as they don’t see Matthew as smart or responsible. However, the latter there he doesn’t help prove them wrong...

Alastair keeps his sexuality secret, that is until Cordelia finds out and he eventually warms up to her. Plus he was dependent of Charles as well, but committed himself that he wouldn’t be the side-dish. He wants to love himself for himself, not be hidden as a secret.

There is also a "reputation" element of the family that he still wants to uphold. He is learning though that he has to put himself first and should make amends for his reputation and not have to be burdened by others. Though I would argue that Cordelia is the one who is more concerned about it, but now she knows the truth she is wavering. It’s more complex.

To conclude: 

I feel like their stories will either reflect the other, or will be intertwined somehow. As Alastair has dealt with a drunk and looks down upon alcoholism in general because of his experience makes me believe that Matthew might need Alastair's perspective to grow up. Once he understands Alastair I feel it may pave the way for forgiving and loving himself. 

Alastair was the "spark" of making him spiral, but he was well on his way of questioning his family's loyalty and love of him before that (hence why we were given so much background) and it played into his weakness. Matthew I think wants to take it out on Alastair (he says he didn't blame Alastair or the Faerie. Alastair is just easy to take his frustration out on) as he is not prepared to come to terms with himself or even his family for that matter for his grievance. He loves his family very much and that’s why he feels so guilty, but it's wrong for him to believe so easily and hide his guilt away and that has to be due to his upbringing...

tldr; Alastair and Matthew have stark comparisons to each other that it’s probable that they are detrimental to each other’s character arcs.

@sparkofsummer

[lex-malla-non-est-lex]

I once again went and overanalyzed some things into a barely coherent format. Woo-hoo. Anyway,

Aight, everyone. ChoG do be hitting different when re-read after actually knowing about the anchor properly and stuff. Mostly trying to revisit the subject of just how aware of things Jesse might have been of something being wrong (even if he clearly misinterpreted some things along the way)

Like in ChoG, on the scene before when Barbara faints at the ball.

Meanwhile, when Lucie first tries to command him to live in CoI and is presumably stopped by the anchor/Belial.

Twisting monsters moving around, eh. Honestly starting to think Belial is literally a flying mass of his thousand forms because of how many times “pieces” and some form of the word thousand get used in relation to him. Darkness and shadows too.

Though I guess it’s easy to see similarities once you already know the answer lol.

Back to ChoG.

Considering how much the “not dead, not alive” thing gets mentioned in CoI, I wonder if there’s some special meaning to this in-between state, especially since it’s kind of implied that it gave Belial some sort of advantage to fight Cortana. I tried searching through both ChoG and CoI for references on that but James and Cordelia’s marriage vows were literally the closest thing. So I believe it must be referencing something else but can’t figure out what.

He also says something similar to this in CoI on the Grace flashback, so I think it’s safe to say he probably never realized he was being controlled. I wonder if the sleep is intentional or legitimately a requirement for the whole in-between state thing.

First of all lol at Jesse fiddling with the locket while Lucie talks about Gast. Didn’t Jesse try to find out who the warlock Tatiana had brought in after his death had been? Gonna guess he never figured it out since he says he doesn’t know him here, and Lucie only found out that Gast had anything to do with Jesse through Hypatia.

I wonder exactly how Jesse knows that there’s a desire to destroy Shadowhunters at play, though considering how he seems to perceive dark things in general, honestly wouldn’t surprise me if he’s just getting a general impression of what’s been going on. When James spies on Belial while he’s on Jesse’s body, even though Jesse was presumably unconscious, James can feel Belial’s inhuman hatred. So I don’t think it would be a stretch to think that the “desire to destroy and hurt Shadowhunters” that Jesse can feel might be him somehow perceiving something similar to that.

I feel like we desperately need Jesse PoV because all we have are his words and he seems so tactful with them.

Like I said, he’s so tactful it’s a bit annoying when I want to over-analyze things. I’d dare say it’s pretty clear he can somehow notice dark magic things but like, no details, dammit. I just wanted to see if James’s theory in CoI that his dreams might have had something to do with Jesse could be backed by any fact we know of Jesse, but honestly, I couldn’t get anything solid.

I know the general consensus is basically that Jesse doesn’t want Lucie or Grace to get hurt and that’s why he’s afraid of Lucie feeling like he owes her, but at times he’s so insistent that I wonder if he felt like there was an inherent danger to it even if he didn’t know what.

(Also, I wonder if the fact that Jem took Lucie to that spot at the end of ChoG is why he fears Lucie might have been dragged into the Jesse mess, on his thoughts during the CoI short story. Also, how did Tessa and Will even find out that Lucie knew Jesse’s ghost? I might have missed a line somewhere.)

If anyone’s got any ideas, please share, because my brain is running out of those fast, and yet I can never seem to drop the thought, so.

[prongsevermore]

i don't know if I'm the one who can't properly search but i can't seem to find jesse's quotes like there's already two books out and in goodreads there's only like 7 quotes tagged with jesse ?? and the same thing it's happening with lucie, like are you kidding me ??

well, now I'll have to re read chog and choi and post them myself ugh tasteless, all of you tasteless

[fairetaire]

James: 

[no-scones-allowed]

I WAS RE READING AND IN THE BEGINNING OF CHOG CORDELIA SAYS THAT SHE IS NIT AGAINST BEING MARRIED, BUT IF SHE IS SHE WANTS OT TOBE FOR LOVE AND NOT TO SAVE HERSELF/HER FAMILY FROM SHAME

AND THEN AT THE END IF THE BOOK SHE DOES EXACTLY THAT. SHE MARRIES JAMES WHEN HE DOESN'T LOVE HER.

[heavenwontbethe-same]

My turn to ask questions :) have you read six of crows? Cemetery boys? Any favorite YA book you would recommend me? :) also I’m watching tiny pretty things atm and it’s ✨intense✨ but oh well

Did you like chog? I loved it and I cannot physically wait for choi, it’s driving me mad I swear. Any fav ships?

Hi! Thanks for the ask.💙

Haven't read six of crows yet, but plan to some time in the future. Same with cemetery boys. "What to say next" and "tell me three things" by Julie buxbaum are really cute. "The book of the unnamed midwife" by Meg elison is also good (it's a take on a dystopian future). I also really liked "you deserve each other" by Sarah hogle.

I absolutely LOVED chog. I'm simultaneously re-reading chog and clockwork angel to keep me going till choi is released. Personally think that tid and tlh are gonna be my absolute favourites. All the ships are so cute, it's hard to choose, but have to say, thomastair and jordelia are giving me life.

[follow-the-pages]

Re-reading CHOG…

This book hits so different than all other TSC books

[bookishjules]

Clace, Gabrily, jordelia, Diana/Gwyn (I have no idea what 2 call them) :)

(re: this post - parts: 1 / 2)

CLACE

Ship it!!! Of course.

1. What made you ship it? Not sure exactly, but definitely by the greenhouse scene 😍 (which my puppy also loved so much when I read it that he ate the pages lol) and then after the reveal at the end of CoB, it took until I was accidentally spoiled to the fact that they aren't siblings, while I was reading CoA, for me to even begin to open my heart to shipping them again lol

2. What are your favorite things about the ship? Their chemistry, maybe? The way Clary brings the best out of Jace, the way Jace allows Clary to be strong and reckless in a way that other people won't, and in a way that she needs

3. Is there an unpopular opinion you have about this ship? idk if it's unpopular, but they are definitely my least favorite of the main 3 tmi ships--don't get me wrong, I do love them very much, but clary annoyed the crap out of me when I first read tmi lol so that probably was a big reason

---

GABRILY

SHIP IT <33 I love them more than I should for the fact that they only had one book of development lol

1. What made you ship it? honestly it could have just been the fact that Will's rival legitimately falling for his sister made for a GREAT story lol

2. What are your favorite things about the ship? I haven't reread Clockwork Princess in a while (will be soon though!), so I don't think I could pick out many of my favorite things :/ but their banter?? incredible. The fact that they are two of my favorite characters in tid helps a lot lol but I do feel like they just fit together so well. In a meta way, I love that Will's sister falling in love with Gabriel helped heal the rift that began because Gabriel's sister had fallen in love with Will.

3. Is there an unpopular opinion you have about this ship? I don't think so!

---

JORDELIA

SHIP. yes. absolutely. 100%

1. What made you ship it? probably feeding off of Cordelia's crush lol I mean, I too have a crush on James, so yeah you get it girl! Also when James' spell came off for that little bit in ChoG, which made me realize that it was worth shipping them, that James obviously felt the same, he just didn't know it.

2. What are your favorite things about the ship? they are SO sweet to each other. They stand up for each other and care for one another as friends first, and even if their marriage began as an act, they are still each other's number ones. And do I even have to mention the house??? and the chess games? They are just so precious

3. Is there an unpopular opinion you have about this ship? only if you prefer fairstairs I guess lol

---

DIANYN

shippity ship ship hehe (I'm pretending the above is their ship name bc I have no idea either lol)

1. What made you ship it? could not tell you lol (its been so long since I read tda, I don't even remember when they met...)

2. What are your favorite things about the ship? I love how both of them are so guarded but they trust each other implicitly. They are able to relax with each other after constantly having to put on a brave face for the people in their charge (she with the blackthorns/he with the wild hunt). Specifically love how Diana makes Gwyn so soft and approachable despite how intimidating he is

3. Is there an unpopular opinion you have about this ship? I do feel like they weren't super necessary to the plot, but they were always such a cute reprieve from the chaos and angst of tda that I didn't really care lol