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[cordeliasblackthorn]

Just got my tattoo dedicated to Cordelia. I gave the artist artistic freedom with the sword cuz obviously I couldn’t get the real Cortana with all the words and everything but this is close enough and I like it

[cordeliasblackthorn]

Tessa to Maryse

Dear Maryse,

As one mother to another, I’m writing to you for advice. It’s been many many years since I was raising children, and when I say many years, I mean more than a century. And now I find myself in that position again. Although we have not talked frequently, I have often thought what a wonderful mother you must have been and continue to be. After all, your children have turned out so wonderfully. Isabelle is so brave, Alec such a leader, and Jace, well, I can only tell you that I know what an excellent example of a Herondale is, and he is one.

I also know that you have experienced profound loss and grief, and that you understand it.

I am writing to you about Kit. He too is a Herondale, and I believe that he will be an excellent example of one as well. But like all Herondale men (and the girls, too, believe me I know!) he is very private and secretive. On the whole Jem and I wish nothing but to respect his privacy. But when comes the time when worry requires one, as a parent, to intervene?

A few nights ago after dinner I stopped by Kit’s room to give him his phone (he is forever losing it and leaving it somewhere!), and I found that he was not there. Glancing out the window, I could see him outside, standing in our front garden. He had his back to me and appeared to be staring off into the distance, but I could tell by the way he was standing and the movements of his shoulders that he was agitated. Concerned, I followed him outside. I came up behind him quietly, not wanting to startle him. Perhaps I came too quietly. I realized immediately that he was talking to a ghost—I’ve had experiences of such things before. As is always the case in this kind of situation, I could hear only his side of the conversation.

Kit said, “If you keep trying to talk to me about this, I’m not going to be able to see you anymore.” Then he said, “Of course I believe in forgiveness. But some things are so terrible that you never want to revisit them.” There was a long pause. I thought maybe it was over. And then he said, “Don’t you understand? Everytime you bring him up, it tears another piece out of my heart.” Then he turned around, and of course saw me, standing on the path outside the house. He didn’t say anything, just gave me a sort of betrayed look and ran inside.

The next day of course he just pretended that nothing had happened. I just don’t know what to do. Should I leave him alone to work through this on his own? I always figured there must be ghosts at Cirenworth—Kit has informed me that there is a ghost dog that he plays with sometimes, a retriever I think —but I can’t imagine any of them as malicious or hurtful. And indeed it didn't sound as though he were afraid of the ghost, but as though the ghost brought back dark memories of his past. Perhaps of his father? I just don’t know what to do. Jem thinks we should let him work it out on his own, as he is a teenager, but then I remember my first two children, when they were teenagers, how there were times when they did need my help. (I am very much hoping that Kit is not having a tempestuous affair with a ghost, as I’m not sure I could go through that again.)

It’s keeping me up nights worrying. If there’s any advice that you have, I’d love to hear it.

I’m enclosing a picture of Jace and Clary with Kit and Mina, last time they visited. They look so happy!

All best,

Tessa

[cordeliasblackthorn]

me when i remember the scene in chain of iron where james was tied to the bed

[cordeliasblackthorn]

TLH as out of context That 70s Show quotes

Jem when he gets to see Will for 'official Silent Brother business':

Alastair when he realized he could bully people instead of getting beaten up:

Tessa and Will to Charles when he went on that business trip and messed everything up so much that they had to go fix things for him:

Thomas and Christopher:

Charles thinking about Alastair:

Matthew to himself when he develops feelings for his parabatai's wife:

James at the train station:

Charles telling Alastair about being engaged to Grace:

Tatiana after her husband and father died:

Charles and Matthew:

[cordeliasblackthorn]

Three men and a baby AU but instead it’s two parabaratai and one of the parabartai’s fake wife and a baby

Listen, I would kill for Matthew, James and Cordelia to all end up co parenting a kid. The fucking chaos would be unmatched

[cordeliasblackthorn]

Emma to Dru

Dear Dru,

Hey, baby bat! So how’s Shadowhunter Academy? Still having a good time? How’s the roommate — Thais, isn’t that her name? How’s having a roommate? I always kinda wished I’d gotten to go to SA, although obviously the weather was better in California. But you like things dark and gloomy! Just, you know – try to get some sun sometimes, okay? While I know you love your ghostly pallor, vitamin D is a real thing.

Not that we’re getting any sun here in Chiswick, where England is being fully England with the weather. I guess it goes with the house, though. You’re going to love this place when you see it, by the way. It’s the most goth building you’ve ever seen. The whole place is full of crumbling statues and faded wallpaper with creepy stains and a LOT of these dark brambles—

Huh, I guess it makes sense there are a lot of black thorns at Blackthorn Manor. Still, they’re a huge pain to cut back. Why didn’t your ancestors go with something less pointy? This was owned by Lightwoods for years, why no light woods? We may never know.

(I always forget about the Lightwoods because I think of it as Blackthorn Manor but I found a diary of a girl who grew up here, hidden under one of the floorboards. Like way back in the 1870s. She’s just a normal Shadowhunter teenager of the time, complaining about boring history lessons and obnoxious older brothers. Normal stuff! She’s about 13 in the part I’m reading but it goes for a few years. Her name was Tatiana Lightwood, I wonder if Isabelle and Alec have heard of her?)

Anyway, Jules is working hard on de-spookying the place, but trust me, it’ll still be gothier than a ripped fishnet whenever you get to see it. It’s going to be ages before we’re done with all the hallways full of empty birdcages and decaying books. This house is big. And extremely busted.

Also . . . haunted. At first I think we were both in denial. It was just weird moving shadows, cold spots in places — if this was one of your mundane movies, we’d still be arguing about what was going on. But we’re Shadowhunters. We know ghosts exist. And we finally broke down and admitted to each other that there’s definitely one in this house. Somebody’s moving small objects around and playing the piano off in the distance… low, haunting bits of sweet music we can both hear. But here’s the thing — the only piano here isn’t even playable. It rotted through a long time ago.

So, we have a ghost. But they don’t seem definitely or even particularly hostile. It could just be a bitty poltergeist, or a passing unquiet spirit. I’ve just started going through papers and it’s obvious Some Stuff Went Down Here at some point, lots of weird references to demons and bindings. (Oh, I’m putting a thing aside for you, it’s a taxidermied raven covered in flowers, I think it used to be part of a really extra hat.) So the potential for unquiet spirits is definitely there. One more thing to deal with along with the need for all new drains. (What, exactly, are drains?)

Anyway, I can’t wait to see you and oh no, I spent most of the letter telling you about the house but I really do want to hear about the Academy and your roommate and teachers, like is Catarina there? What about Ragnor? Have you seen Jaime lately? Tell me everything!

XOXO

Emma

PS I just found out who Tatiana Lightwood thought was the cutest boy in London. Will Herondale. Wasn’t that the guy Tessa was married to, a long time ago? Would she think this was funny? I mean, it’s kind of funny. Always a Herondale, you know?

[cordeliasblackthorn]

The TSC fandom, every Monday, just like clockwork:

[cordeliasblackthorn]

Imma need The Wicked Powers to come out like ASAP cuz imma need some Carstairs family in my life rn. Like tbh I also miss Kit so bad. I just wanna see him with a happy loving family and being the best big brother 😭😭

[cordeliasblackthorn]

Dearest Magnus,

Jem, Kit and I are so looking forward to your visit. In preparation, Kit has been attempting to teach Mina to say your name. She’s almost got it, but you may have to content yourself with being called “Agnes,” as she has trouble with the M — very trying for her as she is so advanced in her speech, just as you say Max was. You should have heard them in the kitchen this morning. “Who is coming to visit, Mina?” “Agnes!” I feel that your alter ego, Agnes, would wear sequins and be absolutely deadly at whist.

Thank you for your thoughts about the wards. I will look for labradorite at the gem store in Exeter. I tried what you suggested with the chickens—I was able to borrow a Blue Orpington from a neighbor on the last quarter moon. Since then chickens seem to be avoiding Kit, so maybe it will work on demons too? (Though can you really tell when a chicken is avoiding someone as opposed to just being a chicken?)

Jem and I are endeavoring to walk a narrow line, keeping Kit safe and hidden while also providing him with the most normal life we can. We don’t want to lock him away in a tower like a fairytale princess—he’d be miserable. And Mina would be miserable, she just adores him and rides everywhere on his back, clutching onto his shirt with her little hands. It reminds me of the way James and Lucie used to ride on Will’s shoulders. I suppose times change, but children never do.

We’re trying to allow Kit freedom wherever we can. He’s enrolled at the small school in the village, where a few of his friends know about the Shadow World and others don’t. There’s a local pack of werewolves who we’ve become friendly with, and some of their children go to school with him. I’ve begun to suspect that Kit has a girlfriend, but he’s secretive about it. (I guess that’s another thing that never changes about children—how secretive they are. I just hope he knows he can tell us anything. Especially related to demons, or in Kit’s case, the fey. A hundred and ten years later and I’m still edgy.)

He’s a puzzle, our Christopher Jonathan Herondale. About some things he’s opened up, and is willing to talk to Jem and me about them freely — his father, and what it was like growing up being able to see all sorts of peculiar things but not really understanding why. About being taught to fear Shadowhunters. About his concerns about his heritage — what it means, what kind of power he might have. I think it frustrates him, not knowing.

Other things he won’t talk about. We have asked him about Ty, as you and I discussed, but he’s like a brick wall about their friendship. Whatever happened he won’t speak of it. I think Livvy’s death hit him harder than we guessed, too. I’ve heard him call out her name in his sleep, always in this very despairing way. Sometimes he’ll say Not if you do this. Not if you do this, Ty. I feel like whatever they fought about, it must have been awful. But people can be terrible when they’re grieving; we both know that.

You can probably tell from everything I’ve said how much I — how much we — love Kit. I just love him, Magnus, like he was my own. He is my own. I’d kill anyone who wanted to hurt him, just as I would protect Mina or Jem with my life. I never thought I’d have this again, this perfect family I love so much it hurts. Strange after so many years to be so surprised by one’s own feelings — but I imagine it’s much the same for you, isn’t it? Speaking of which, I hope you and Alec and the kids are well. Please let Max know that we found his superhero cape—it was inside the piano.

I enclose a picture from your last visit here. How adorable they all are!

Love,📷

Tessa

[cordeliasblackthorn]

I know you mostly write TID and TLH but I’d love if you wrote the Blackthorns reaction to Livvys ghost status and the necromancy (this sounds pretty interesting hahaha)

Ooh thank you for a TDA/TWP request! I get a real kick out of them!

Soo, I got a little carried away plot-wise and made this whole like TWP conspiracy theory fic, and I went off of that, so yeah... Hope you enjoy!!

When Worlds Collide

Series: TDA/TWP

TW: None

...

“Ty,” Livvy said.

“Yeah?” Ty asked, not looking up from his book. Kit—who was sitting a couple of feet away, looking through a book with Dru—however, did glance up at her. His blue eyes shone in the ray of sunlight that came through the Institute library window. Their marine blue outlined the luminous, almost white shade of the rest of his iris. She found that gaze reassuring enough that when she could ignore the pounding of her imaginary heart, that balked at what she was about to say.

“I have an idea.”

Ty looked up at her then. Dru, seeing that both boys were staring at a random spot in the room, looked at her too. Well…Dru was looking at her right arm, but she knew her sister meant to look at her face.

“I think it would be smart to…I think we should…”

Ty and Kit didn’t say anything as she trailed off, waiting for her to finish what she was going to say. Livvy felt her ears turn red, even though she was an apparition, and didn’t have blood flowing through her veins (ghosts like her are accurate enough to their flesh counterparts that things like blushing or a pounding heart were sensations they can feel and project).

She wasn’t nervous at the thought of telling Ty her idea, but she was nervous at the prospect of it being put to action. She was afraid of what they might think, what they might do, if they knew the truth.

Livvy found it hard to meet his and Kit’s eyes as she finally spoke again. “I was wondering if…Maybe you two should tell Jules. About me.”

Ty and Kit looked at her as if she’d grown a second head and she quickly added. “He’ll be able to help. You know he won’t, in a million years, report you to the Clave. Not just Jules, but Emma, Mark, Helen, they can help us.”

“Livvy, they’re gonna wanna take over the case. They’re gonna make us sit by and tell us they’ll handle it.” Ty refuted.

“But we’re not getting anywhere with just the four of us.” Livvy said. “I can’t even turn a page of a book, so I’m barely any help, to be honest. The others can help though. They know things we might not. Twelve brains are better than four.”

Kit looked like he might be swayed, so she locked eyes with him.

“We need help. We don’t have much time left.”

Kit glanced at Ty. “She has a point.”

Dru looked back and forth between them, trying to follow the conversation. “Sorry guys, but what’s going on?”

“Livvy thinks we should tell everyone about her resurrection. That way they can help us look for solutions.”

Dru looked pensive for a moment. “I mean, she has a point.”

They all looked at her.

“We can’t just ask everybody to help us look for solutions without telling them about Livvy. Not only will they not think it’s urgent or something we should be trying to fix, but they’ll ask a bunch of questions. I think it’s much easier to rip the band-aid and tell them the truth instead of spinning some insane lie that I’m 99.9% sure won’t work.”

Ty looked at both of his sisters and seemed to see the sense in their words.

“Fine.” He said.

“Kit?” Livvy asked.

“Yeah, I’m in.”

And it was settled: they’d tell the older Blackthorns about Livvy.

…

Ty had been the one to tell them. His voice was steady as he spoke, though his hands fidgeted intensely with a couple of twist ties that were in his pocket.

They all stood silently for a long minute. Jules, Emma, Mark, Cristina, Kieran, Helen and Aline all just stared. Tavvy clearly didn’t understand and looked back and forth between all of them.

“Do you think they’re in shock?” Kit whispered in Dru’s ear.

“Uh, probably,” Dru said.

Surprisingly, it was Helen who spoke first. “What?”

Ty looked at her. “Do you really want me to repeat it?” He asked her this genuinely, though, not a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

“No, I’m just—” Helen paused. “Are you serious? This isn’t some kind of prank or something?”

“Why would I do something like that?” asked Ty.

Helen paled, knowing that there was no reason as to why Ty would lie, which meant…

“Holy fu—” Mark began, before Cristina elbowed him and pointed in the direction of Tavvy. It seems that even after receiving the world’s most shocking news, Cristina still made sure that the conversation was censored in the presence of the young.

Emma looked as if she were going to say something to Ty but couldn’t think of what to say.

“Is she here right now?”

They all turned to Julian, who had been silent this entire time. His expression was unreadable, though not the way it usually was. Instead of seeming unfeeling, the amount of emotions going through Julian’s face was overwhelming.

Grief, astonishment, but mostly: hope.

Ty met his eyes and said, “yes.”

Julian’s lips pressed together and took a sharp breath, not letting it go.

“Where is she?”

Livvy looked at him, her lips trembling, her eyes lined with silver. She floated to her older brother who’d always been more than an older brother.

“I’m here, Jules.” She whispered.

It was as if Julian were looking at her, even though he wasn’t.

“She’s in front of you.”

Everybody looked to where Livvy was supposedly standing, but Livvy could only look at Julian. Her older brother. Her idol. The person she’d always aspired to be like.

Now, as she looked into his sad, ageless eyes, she couldn’t help but hug herself; if she closed her eyes, she might be able to imagine it was Julian hugging her, and not her own ghostly arms. Except, she couldn’t, because nothing compared to Julian’s hugs, which were filled with so much love that they could brighten any cloudy day.

She was dimly aware of her siblings and in-laws slowly filing out of the room, some staring near the space she was standing, others dropping their heads. Emma was the last to leave. She squeezed Julian’s hand and quietly let the door shut behind her.

“Livvy?” Julian said.

Livvy spoke, despite knowing that no matter how loud she screamed, he wouldn’t be able to hear her. “I’m here, Jules. I’m right here.”

“I’m sorry, Liv.” Julian said after a moment. His words came out wobbly, his eyes becoming bright.

“It’s not your fault Jules. I—”

Julian spoke over her, not knowing he was interrupting. “I should have protected you. If I could, I would change everything about that day. I would have saved you.” A lone tear slipped from the corner of Julian’s eye.

Livvy was too stunned to say anything. She’d only seen Julian cry once in her life, and it was at the every end of those 15 years, during her final, labored breaths.

Even then, she hadn’t been able to see Julian too well. As she slipped from this world to another, her sight was hindered by the light. It had been blinding.

Now, she saw Julian as clear as day. She was probably crying too, even if she couldn’t feel the tears on her skin.

“It’s not your fault.” She said through tears. “It’snotyourfaultJulesit’snotyourfault.”

“I’m so sorry, Livvy.”

This time, when she told Julian it wasn’t his fault, a deeper voice accompanied her own.

“It’s not your fault, Jules. She doesn’t blame you either. Nobody does.” Ty said. “I’d say it hurts her more for you to feel guilty than anything else.”

Livvy would have reminded Ty to be more gentle, had it not been Julian he was talking to. Julian, who knew his siblings as well as anyone.

Julian looked at Ty for a long moment. He opened his mouth to say something, closed it, and opened it again.

“Maybe I blame myself.” Julian said.

Ty looked at Livvy and it was a moment before she realized he was waiting for her to respond.

“Tell him,” Livvy said, “that I used to blame myself too, until I realized it was Annabel’s fault.”

When Ty repeated her message, Julian looked toward her. He was the only one (out of those who couldn’t see her) who managed to look directly at her eyes.

He smiled at her, and Livvy could feel her chest spasming the way it does when she cries. Her heart ached at the unfairness of it all. She wanted Julian to be able to hug her the way he did when she was still Livvy. The old Livvy.

“Ty, I think we might want the others in the room for this.”

…

Once the Blackthorns (and the honorary Blackthorns; that is, their significant others) had all regrouped back in one of the institute living rooms, Julian spoke.

“I was going to wait for our guest to get here, but she already knows this information, so I’ll just start: I was with Tessa a while ago. She’s actually one of our ancestors; her daughter was Lucie Blackthorn.”

Kit nodded, clearly knowing the story of Lucie Blackthorn née Herondale.

“Ms. Lucie Herondale, believe it or not, was a necromancer. A gift she inherited from her demonic heritage was being able to command and resurrect the dead.”

“Damn.” Said Dru.

“Damn is right,” Julian said.

“Does that mean we’re part demon or something?” Tavvy asked.

“It’s not hard to believe in Mark’s case,” Emma said.

Mark scoffed. “I’ve a delightful personality.”

“It could mean nothing,” Julian said. “But it could mean that, since she’s in between the two planes of existence, Livvy might be able to summon help.”

“But, does she still carry some of Lucie Herondale’s power? If so, would it be enough for her to even raise the dead?” Kit asked.

It seemed impossible and crazy, even to Livvy. However, the door opened at that moment and with it, the answers to all of their questions.

“No, it wouldn’t.” Tessa said, coming in. She stopped beside Kit. “But, if I’m not mistaken, she could very well attempt muster enough power to summon a sufficient amount of the very essences of Lucie’s spirit. Lucie’s power was strong enough that she could summon an entire army of spirits from the other side. She could do the same now, if we execute this plan correctly and efficiently.”

“What do you mean by ‘the other side’? The other side of what?” Helen asked.

“Of life.” Tessa said.

Emma whistled, impressed.

Tessa pressed her lips together and looked straight ahead. Livvy is struck by the imposing figure Tessa presents. She always stands straight and tall. Her elegance, like Jem’s, is something that belongs to a different century, back when society demanded it. The way she walks, speaks and basically does anything is so proper, it seems unreal.

“That is, this could work if Livvy is willing to try to summon Lucie.” She said, a glint in her eye.

Livvy already knew her answer.

...

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[cordeliasblackthorn]

Then & Now 💞

Kit Herondale & Mina Carstairs

Although Alec & Izzy won the vote i had done on instagram, Kit & Mina were a very close second so naturally I had to draw them too 🥰

I couldn’t decide whether to draw them as young kids or the ages they’ll be in TWP, so I did both! 😊

I hope you like it! 🙈

click on images for better quality

Characters owned by @cassandraclare

Tag list : @littleturtle95 @justaburningpile @zfoxdraws @bookworm-jedi @magnus-the-maqnificent @banesbitch @fair-but-wilde-child @beclynn-herondale @khaleesiofalicante @lizlightwoodherondale @my-archerboy @youngreckless @thomaslightwood @runecarstairs @high-warlock-of-brooklyn @panicatwallmaria @alexandergideonslightwood @cordaisya @livvyheronstairs @time-is-the-stuff-of-dreams @queen-born-out-of-fire @shadowhuntingdemigod @clarys-heosphoros @hardlymatters @tamaraheartz @anarchistbitch @noah-herondale-lightwood @icchiruki @crazy-beautiful @jurdan-my-beloved @icycoolslushie

[cordeliasblackthorn]

hold up imagine one of the tlh gang OR ONE OF THEIR KIDS becomes a ghost in the manor and either they make themselves visible or kit comes to visit and sees them, and they clarify all the information from post tlh AND THATS HOW WE FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS TO THE GANG AS ADULTS THIS IS GOING UNTIL NEXT AUGUST AKA AFTER CHOT RELEASE

for example: “it says thomas lightwood never married” “lmao nah he was married to emma’s ancestor alastair, they knew each other alarmingly well, the official family trees are just annoyingly very 20th century”

[cordeliasblackthorn]

Dear Cristina, from Emma

Dear Cristina,

I was going to try addressing this letter to Polyamorous Cottage In Faerieland, but I figured it might never be delivered. :) Ok, ok, I’m kidding. I’m sending it to the New York Institute—Clary says she’ll hold onto it for you. I know Jules and I have been popping around the globe like ping-pong balls, but we’ve finally settled here in London for at least a couple of months, so you can — and should — write me back at the London Institute — I’m not sure the place we’re staying even has an address.

(And sure, I could have just sent you a fire-message, but I have too much to tell you. Buckle up.)

So, a while ago Jules and I were in Manaus, in Brazil, studying the Curupira demon, when we got called into the Rio Institute. They had a message for Julian. His great-aunt — yeah, the one he was visiting when you first came to L.A. — had died. Really sad. And then, remember the beautiful house in Sussex where she lived? Well, she left that to some cousin nobody’s heard of, but she left Julian Blackthorn Hall. Which is a crumbling ruin in Chiswick (kind of a suburb of London). And then we had to come here, because of a codicil in the will (ahem, according to the dictionary, that’s “an addition or supplement that explains, modifies, or revokes a will or part of one”). Either Julian has to fix the place up, get it livable again, in five years, or he has to donate it to the Clave.

Anyway, you know how Julian is. He makes up his mind fast. We Portaled to London the next day after he got the news.

I was all set to eat scones, drink tea, and go on the Eye (all the things I didn’t get to do last time we came to London, due to being pursued by unkillable Faerie warriors.) But that was before we took a black cab from the Institute out to Chiswick and really saw the place.

From the outside it looks like a museum or an old library—you know, big marble columns, grand staircase, big metal dome on top that looks like it should have a telescope in it. (It doesn’t; I checked.) But inside it’s more like a fairytale. Not, like, something from Faerie. Or something from a kid’s movie. It’s like one of those fairytales where a crumbling palace sleeps for a thousand years. It was kind of romantic, for about five minutes. Then we spotted the first rat, nibbling on the tassel end of one of the drapes.

It’s a weird mix of interesting history, weird old art, and total ruin. There are cool portraits of old Blackthorn ancestors, mostly intact. Julian says he doesn’t recognize most of the faces. Some of them have names written on the back of the canvas or on the frame but other than “Blackthorn” none of the names mean anything to any of us. There are wooden chests full of ancient books and papers, and beautiful overgrown grounds that I’m sure were once gardens and are now England’s version of a jungle. There’s an old greenhouse and a weird little brick structure we can’t figure out. (Storage shed? Very small weapons room?) The whole place is just a mess, and most of the house isn’t habitable at all anymore. Someone built an apartment with “updates” off in one wing, probably in the sixties. (The apartment, by the way, reminds me of that vintage shop in Topanga I dragged you to. Remember?) Whoever lived in it left a closet of all kinds of vintage clothes and there’s crazy flower-patterned wallpaper and modern art everywhere. At least the apartment has electricity, running water, and heat, because the rest of the house definitely doesn’t —

I’m back now. Sorry, had to stop writing for a second. Julian was calling me. He was up in what was probably a ballroom? But anyway he took a wrong step and his foot went through the floor. (Not all the way through the floor, which is a relief. But it definitely made a hole.) The ballroom is big and dusty, but you can see how long ago it must have been beautiful, and very fancy. It has these huge French doors that open onto marble balconies, though most of the glass in the doors is gone now.

Once I freed Jules from the broken floor I figured it was my only chance to try to talk some sense into him, so I pointed out that this is a gigantic project for two people who have never fixed up a house before, and that we have a perfectly fine place to live already. And the weather is better there.

Jules, being Jules, took his time answering, really thinking about what I’d been saying. Then he said, “If you don’t want to do this, we don’t have to do it. You’re more important to me than a house. Any house.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to do it,” I said. “I just don’t even know where to start.”

Jules calmly explained that he’d been in contact with some faerie builders of some kind, hobgoblins maybe? who would be here Monday to do “a walkthrough.” Then he put his arms around me and said, “I know we can always live in the L.A. Institute. I love it there, too. But as much as any Blackthorn legacy exists, this is it. All these old papers, whatever secrets the house is hiding, they’re our family history. I want to pass it on to Dru and Ty and Tavvy. I want to give them what I never had.”

Well, what could I say to that? I get it. I have Jem as my living family history. Jules doesn’t have anything like that. And while Aline and Helen run the L.A. Institute now, they might not always, and besides, it belongs to the Clave. I get that he feels like he can’t give away a big chunk of his family’s history without giving them a choice in the matter.

I said, “All right. We’ll see what we can do. If we ever decide it’s too much, we can hold a big family meeting and everyone can vote. Keep the place or not.”

He picked me up and swung me around. Then we started kissing. I’ll be merciful and not give you the details.

So I’ve decided to consider all this An Adventure. It’s like an archeological site, and we are intrepid historians. Later I’ll see if I can convince Jules to put on a tweed coat and a pith helmet while we sort through the debris. Because whoever lived here before had a lot of stuff. It’s a big house, and every room has furniture with drawers and cabinets, and inside every drawer and every cabinet is clutter. Rusty weapons, water-damaged books, little boxes with more clutter in them, costume jewelry, portraits of random people, broken teacups…And remember, we’ll be going through it without any light but witchlights.

Anyway. I wanted to let you know what I was up to, and where we were. Our travel year was basically over anyway, so this is a sort of way of extending it and spending more time together. I’m not sad about that part. I was actually doing pretty well psyching myself up for the excavation of Blackthorn History, until this morning.

I know I said the house seemed haunted, but I was joking. Mostly. I’m not Kit; I can’t see ghosts unless they want me to see them, and so far I haven’t come across any ectoplasmic spirits with messages from The Beyond. But the place does feel odd — I keep finding myself turning around at the end of long, spiderwebby hallways, as if expecting to see something in the shadows. Or imagining I glimpse something over my shoulder in the mirror. I chalked it all up to nerves until this morning, when I came into the dining room and saw that the words “GO AWAY” were written in the dust on the floor.

I literally jumped. I was actually reaching for Cortana before I got a hold of myself. Don’t be ridiculous, I thought. That message could have been written any time. Long before we got to the house. It could have been sitting here in the dust for years, undisturbed.

I have a confession to make, though. I rubbed the GO AWAY message away with my foot. I didn’t want Julian to see it. He worries too much as it is. I didn’t want him to have that same bad moment of shock that I did, especially over something unimportant.

I feel better getting the story off my chest to you, though. Oh dear, Julian is calling for me again, I can’t wait to see what he’s put his foot through this time. I will write again soon, and in the meantime pip pip cheerio from London!

Love to you and the boys,

Emma

[cordeliasblackthorn]

Translation: Jem is our precious baby BEAN he’s our BESTIE he’s our own personal emo catboy and we will absolutely let him break our thousand year old fratboy goth codes because he’s OUR JEMMY! and even though we have to deal with the wessa AUs he constantly writes in his head and his goofy-ass parabatai calling us every time someone sneezes we LOVE OUR JEM! we would DIE for him okay so Raziel can FIGHT US

[cordeliasblackthorn]

Got my new fearless rune tattoo!!! It’s not perfect but I allowed an apprentice to do it for me but I’m really happy to have it 😌

[cordeliasblackthorn]

Couldn’t help myself! I can’t wait to read about them T.T

@cassandraclare 

Siblings serie: 

Alastair and Cordelia 

Lucie and James 

Grace and Jesse 

[cordeliasblackthorn]

Guess who’s getting a fearless rune tattoo tomorrow 🥳