#Series Discussion

[ladyhindsight]

i've come across one of your old posts about the poc shadowhunters and i don't know if you have already talked about it, but have you noticed too how much cordelia is sexualised in the series? as a woc myself i found the costant comparison of her figure to grace's to be .. i don't know, unflattering? unnecessary? since i was i teenager i have always compared myself to my white girl friends and i understood why cordelia did the same, but why all of the characters interested in her (james, matthew, lucie) are always talking about her body and how big her boobs are? and i noticed the same thing with christina too. do you think this is one of cassandra's patterns or am i reading too much into it?

It’s a pattern for sure. The sexualization of teenage characters has been an issue in the Shadowhunter series since its conception, but something in the specific and recurring focus on Cordelia’s breast and curves in The Last Hours was deeply disturbing. Another pattern that keeps repeating itself—the one sure constant in Clare’s books that you’ve picked up as well—is the female protagonist being compared to other female characters. Chain of Gold very early on sets Cordelia against Grace, more so appearance-wise. While the juxtaposition between them as to their relationships with James—in fact, the whole setting only exists because of their relationships with James—somewhat extends beyond their looks later on in the series, the first impression Clare decided to go for is their differing looks and how it relates to James Herondale’s affections. In Chain of Gold, Cordelia is first described (or rather she describes herself) as following:

"Cordelia was of the opinion that she looked awful. Pastels were all the rage in the fashion papers, but those papers expected girls to be blond, small-bosomed, and pale-skinned. Cordelia was decidedly none of those things. Pastels washed her out, and even the corset couldn’t flatten her chest. Nor was her dark red hair thin and fine: it was thick and long like her mother’s, reaching to her waist when brushed out. It looked ridiculous in tiny curls."

The writing emphasizes Cordelia’s looks not being that of a European/English white woman and points at the problem in fashion that prioritizes light-skinned women and caters to everything that Cordelia isn’t. We begin with the point that Edwardian fashion is definitely not for her, so when Grace is described by Cordelia after the latter learns it was not Cordelia James was “in love” with, it draws a direct line between the two reflections here, between their looks, and the generally (socially) perceived preference of one over the other:

"Cordelia looked over at James and Grace reluctantly. They made a stunning picture, his dark hair and her fair icicle beauty. Like ashes and silver. How, how, how could Cordelia ever have thought someone like James Herondale would be interested in someone like her?"

Cordelia beats herself up and feels inferior because she doesn't look like the ghostly Grace, the epitome of western beauty standards apparently. The book then does a poor job at addressing much of this in any meaningful level outside of Cordelia’s love for James. In my recollection, this wasn’t contemplated as an outright racial thing either, weirdly, by the writing. If it was, I’d expect the writing to elevate it far more. But then again, I’m certain Clare didn’t want anything that could be interpreted as potential racial preferences reflecting badly on James—though this is exactly how it reads when combined with the previous observation Cordelia makes of herself. The writing does bring up another point of view into this as Cordelia thinks the following:

"Cordelia felt numb. Well, of course he had run off, then. Every summer he had seen Grace save this one; how he must have missed her. She had always known James possessed a life she knew little of with his friends in London, but she had not realized how very much she didn’t know him. He might as well be a stranger. A stranger in love with someone else. And she, Cordelia, the interloper."

Though the connection, I think, with the first two is stronger as those parts follow each other in 10 pages and are more connected as this excerpt is somewhere 50 or so pages after. Yet the writing does not seize it as a worthy focus. This becomes more evident as Chain of Gold itself that introduces the whole idea of Cordelia feeling not enough or worthy because of her darker skin or curvy figure begins to veer away from that and establish the comparison between Cordelia and Grace being that of Fire and Ice, warmth and coldness.

The color scheme around Grace is white-gold, white-blond, ice-blue, silver, and ivory at its core. She is described by other characters as cold, statuesque, like a fire blazing in the heart of a glazier, her beauty being cold, like the shadow of a shadow, lacking vibrancy and color, pale; her dress was a cloud of ivory net, worn over an ice-blue satin underskirt; a pale woolen cape trimmed with fur at the throat and carried a matching fur muff. Her hair was pinned up in an arrangement of tiny plaits threaded with silver ribbons. She looked like the Snow Queen in a book of fairy tales; a dove-colored leather glove appeared, followed by sweeping ivory-colored skirts and a short coat of pale mink, topped with a head of upswept silver-blond hair, glimmering like metal in the sun; she wore a cream wool dress embroidered with blue; Her face was almost waxen in its pallor—beautiful but still, like a doll’s; her hair, loose around her shoulders, glinted silvery bright; a pale girl in an ivory dress, her hair the color of creamy-white rose petals.

Whereas Cordelia’s is of warm colors, her dark red hair a point of constant focus elevated above other aspect to her appearance (though her skin tone still earning mentions as well): a deep dark red, like fire shining through blood; her deep red hair curled against her cheekbones,James thinking catching sight of her red hair, her red hair caught back in a braid, her light brown skin gleamed in the witchlight, her hair tumbling back like a waterfall of autumn leaves, her unpinned hair falling down around her shoulders and spilling down her back, the deep red of rose petals and stroking her bare brown skin like silk, her and Cortana together being like a poem written in fire and blood, her body curved and moved like water or fire (like, you tell us which it is??); her hair swept from side to side, an arc of fire; her brown skin glowed, she seemed to blaze like a torch; she was all fire, all heat and light, from the gold silk roses woven into her dark red hair to the ribbons and beads on her golden dress; her red hair undone, spilling down her back like a river of fire; flame-dark hair, her hair shining like a new penny, long strands of flame red spilled down around her face, a dress of almost the same flame red.

These are some picks from all three books of The Last Hours. As to the sexualization of Cordelia, it begins with an oomph as soon as something awakens in James during their escapade in Hell Ruelle as he witnesses Cordelia performing on the stage.

"Cortana wove with her words, underlining each one with steel. She turned as her sword turned, and her body curved and moved like water or fire, like a river under an infinity of stars. It was beautiful—she was beautiful, but it was not a distant beauty. It was a beauty that lived and breathed and reached out with its hands to crush James’s chest and make him breathless."

Seems like a jab at Grace. Regarding all three instalments, my notice was that Cordelia’s curves, breasts, body, and all are sexualized almost exclusively from James’ point of view. Once we proceed to Chain of Iron, the writing effectively divorces itself from the premise that Chain of Gold in the two first excerpts above introduced and emphasized for Cordelia’s personal anguish over James. And that is also where the problem of over-sexualizing Cordelia really breaks loose once James and Cordelia become more intimate and have those scenes.

Chain of Iron (or Chain of Thorns for that matter) doesn’t really care about rubbing Grace’s existence in Cordelia’s face in the same manner—i.e. looks-wise—because Cordelia and James are entering marriage and an agreement which brings them closer together and James closer to breaking the enchantment of the bracelet and thus his true feelings (his lust) for Cordelia. Though Cordelia remains in the belief that James still longs for Grace despite the arrangements both have with Cordelia and Charles respectively, the writing no longer bothers with the juxtaposition between Cordelia and Grace in the same vein anymore. The writing barely describes Grace at all, which contrasted to the absorbent amount of Cordelia’s figure being described could be the reflection of James’ focus and true interest, but… yikes.

Grace is more a plot hindrance in the relationship between Cordelia and James and no longer warrants constant reminders of her looks in comparison to anything other than her own persona enwrapped in coldness because of her past and present trauma (that is ignored by most in favor of James). She is the possible infidelity that adds to the complication of Cordelia’s feelings and what powers her actions, though Grace’s own storyline takes her far enough away from James and closer to Jesse and Lucie. Grace is the conflict that still exists between Cordelia and James, and James reflects on this:

"Would it be like that with Grace, when they were married? James wondered. He had never felt comfortable around Grace as he did around Cordelia. Perhaps that was the difference between love and friendship. Friendship was more easy, more relaxed."

Though Grace is doing her own thing trying to save Jesse with Lucie, she is still present and a point of comparison in James and Cordelia’s relationship. But because Grace is physically mostly removed from their situation, James and Cordelia are bonding more and having many unreasonably explicit intimate scenes. I mean:

"...it was not relaxation he was feeling when he let his gaze roam over Daisy as she sat before the fire. He noticed everything about her as if he had been given a divine mathematical assignment intended to total up her charms: the shape of her mouth, the smooth skin of her throat and forearms, the curve of her neck, the soft swell of her breasts under her nightgown. She had been stunning tonight; he had caught quite a few men staring at her, at her curves poured into that green dress, at the graceful tilt of her head when she danced, at his gold pendant glimmering against her skin…." //MEN! This is a teenage girl.

"She was impossibly soft and curved. […] He’d tried not to stare, but he could still recall the shape of her body under the fabric. Now he could feel it: the indent of her waist, her hips just below his hands, flared like the body of a violin."

"He was helpless to stop his hands; they smoothed up and down her back, on either side of her spine. Her breasts were round and firm, pressed against his chest. He could tell she was wearing nothing under the chemise. He could feel the arches and hollows of her, and every touch seemed to unravel another strand of the thin thread of control binding his good sense. Blood pooled, hot and low in his belly. The fabric of her nightgown bunched up in his hands. His fingers curved over the shape of her, brushing the silk of her bare thighs, sliding up—" //Whenever Cordelia’s breasts are mentioned, James is for sure touching them in no time.

"Thin silk made hardly any barrier; he could feel her body all up and down his own, the shape of her: breasts, waist, hips."

"She heard his sharp inhalation as the fabric fell away, baring the tops of her breasts. He splayed his hand wide, stroking over her skin, even as he surged up to press his lips to hers again. She kissed him back eagerly, winding her fingers into the silky tangle of his black hair. His hand shaped itself to cup her breast." //Case in point.

"And then he had seen Cordelia—her head bent over her book, her hair shining like a new penny; she had been wearing a soft woolen dress that clung to her body, outlining every curve. He had nearly gone to her and kissed her, as any man coming home to his wife might do. Only at the last minute had he recalled himself, and turned toward the fire instead."

"He drew her closer, settling her against his chest. Her body relaxed against his, her head against his shoulder. He smoothed a palm down her back, trying not to let his mind wander to the warm curves of her body.”

"She wore a dress of almost the same flame red; James had never seen it before, and he’d thought he knew most of her clothes. This one was velvet, clinging to her breasts and waist, flaring out from her hips and thighs like an upside-down trumpet.”

Then there’s the whole sex scene in chapter 23 of Chain of Thorns, and now an abyss in me has been created, a hollow place in my mind birthed of the despair and disgust I felt when I went back to the books to look for these parts to present here. Anyway. Lawyered.

To discuss the patterns present in Clare's books, it's worthy to take a look at the previous series. If we wind back and consider TMI, Isabelle for sure has had her fair share of her breasts being on display, having “plunging necklines” and all, but what differentiates it from something like TLH is the tonality. I think that also plays a lot into it. For instance, Isabelle’s looks—in the earlier parts of the series especially—were approached from the perspective of Clary’s (Clare’s) not-like-other-girls mentality, Isabelle’s Femme Fatale contrasted to Clary’s sneakers, hoodies, and Raggedy Ann appearance that the hottest guy imaginable found more attractive than whatever Isabelle got going on (aside from the fact that Isabelle is also that guy’s sister but that’s neither here nor there). In addition to James’ unbridled and unhinged PoVs, in Chain of Gold Cordelia considering herself is written as follows:

She could not help but be conscious of how closely the dress clung to her body. The fabric over her hips was so tight that she hadn’t been able to wear a petticoat beneath it, only her combination and a light corset. Anyone could see the shape of her waist, the swell of her bosom, and even the silk draped across the curve of her stomach. The narrow sleeves slipped down her shoulders, uncovering the tops of her breasts; the weight and softness of the material was like a caress. She felt elegant in a way she never had before, and a little wild.

Cordelia’s looks being described here mostly have the tone of confidence and pride, not juxtaposed directly with some other female character’s either. What underlines more the sexualization of Cordelia—aside from the tone and the language used to describe her and all the other yuckety-yuck in the series—is the fact that other characters as well are in awe of Cordelia’s beauty, feel attracted to her, and are aroused by her. Grace is tiny, basically a ghost, helpless, and so petit she might break, but I don’t think the tone even in that juxtaposition is remarkably hostile like with Clary and Isabelle. What also attributes to the difference in tone is Cordelia’s compassion for Grace (which Clary never had for Isabelle):

"Cordelia could not help but wonder how much Grace concealed. It was not like her to approach James. Perhaps she had felt desperate. Cordelia could not blame her if she did.”

Worth to note, also Cordelia:

"Grace was wearing the same dress she’d worn to the picnic earlier, though the hem was torn and it was stained with grass. Not that Cordelia minded. There was something humanizing about Grace exhibiting even small imperfections."

Which I wouldn’t say is the same as Clary wanting to outright "destroy" Isabelle’s beauty by pouring soup all over her just for being beautiful. It's not because Grace is beautiful and Cordelia jealous/envious rather than Grace being generally regarded cold and statuesque. So, coming back to the TMI girlies: when Isabelle is described as “ribbon-slim,” it is because Clary feels herself to be “gigantic” in comparison (though Clary describes herself as slender with narrow hips?? She’s just a lot shorter than Isabelle??). Isabelle is exactly Simon’s type—tall, glamorous, and beautiful—and Clary is bitter because she is not all of those things in her mind or does not see her own beauty and value her own qualities in comparison to Isabelle. Jace finds Clary attractive because unlike Isabelle, who uses her beauty like a weapon, Clary doesn’t know she’s beautiful at all. Then there’s to consider that Isabelle’s looks—aside from Simon’s perspective probably—are approached also with negative judgement to her character and persona. Until the writing does 180 degree turn and Clare somewhat begins to like Isabelle without ever acknowledging Clary's enmity or the untruthfulness of it all.

I think Grace’s character was (strictly in this aspect and as to Cordelia, otherwise my opinion still stands that Clare shat on Grace) dealt with differently, more truthfully maybe, since it was her part in the scheme against Herondales and her inauthenticity that did justify the dislike others had for her. Unlike with Isabelle. Whenever Isabelle does anything—borrows her clothes to Clary, sits with Clary while the latter is unconscious, looks after Simon—there is always an air of disdain in the narrative and the way Clary feels about her when isabelle’s actions do not even support any of the ideas the writing wants to convey. Or justify Clary’s negative feelings and attitude towards Isabelle. When Clary acts hostile to Isabelle, Alec and Jace neither defend her nor call Clary out on her reaction because that’s where Clare sees Clary justified. When Clary says how Isabelle doesn’t like her, Jace says it’s because Isabelle is used to being the only girl around guys. Then we can wonder what guys since they have no other friends, but when they did have friends, it was Aline, and the only guys around Isabelle were her brothers but that’s another topic entirely…

With Clary and Isabelle, Clary behaves the way the narrative tries to say Isabelle behaves, but Clare had no awareness that what she told and showed were wildly different and contradictory, because Clary does everything she accuses Isabelle of, and Isabelle shows no signs of disliking Clary at all. This contrasted to Cordelia, who is adored by all and the girls around her are not vilified to that extent (except the mean girls Clare is insistent on always including that are then ridiculed by the writing because they are just one dimensional mean girls used as a fodder to prop up Cordelia who, on the contrary, is humble and kind). During the years Clare has written her series, the tonality has changed, but the pattern has not. When there is a hot guy as the main love interest, the laws of nature dictate that two girls must come together to compare each other, if not outright dislike each other first, and all of that comparison must exists in relation to that hot guy because otherwise: how would you know that Clary or Cordelia is The One? Or Tessa being compared to Jessamine by Will even though neither Jessamine nor Will even like each other in any way?

To somehow summarize this long-ass tangent, while the way Clare treats some of her characters is still pretty awful, it’ll probably never be as awful and hostile as it was in the beginning with Clary and Isabelle. Clare’s writing has evolved into some direction—I wouldn’t say anywhere good or better—but also into including more sexual tones and sexuality overall. That shift was noticeable in TDA, though the approach was a tad more discreet than whatever the hell Clare did with Cordelia and TLH overall (Anna and Ari for instance as well). TMI was pretty tame even with all the canoodling scenes Clary and Jace had, because I don’t think any other character in the series has been dealt the verbose hand Cordelia was. I honestly don’t know why. If she was an adult character, I might just cringe at the writing and constant descriptions of breasts and curves and then go on with my life, but as it is in reality, it’s just really depressing.

[away-ward]

im sorry for this rant KO, but why on earth is the bonus content for nightfall is the start of the horsemen? Like omfg. I really dont need it to exist because i like the mystery of them. Why can't we just have a willemmy bonus 😭 i'm so fucking upset. I initially wanted to pre-order the paperback but thinking about that whole alex drama in BC, i didn't, thank the lord for that! But i was still hoping for a willemmy bonus or maybe a will or emmy's back story, but we're getting to see Damon, A-FUCKING-GAIN? How many fucking bonus do we have to see him??! Fuck, i'm so upset, idk who to rant this with because i don't talk about this series to anybody irl.

Excerpt from PD's insta:

DAMON GRABS HIS JACKET OFF THE COURT AND PULLS IT ON AS HE LEAVES.

"YOU OKAY?" MICHAEL ASKS KAI.

BUT KAI JUST GESTURES TO DAMON WHO PUSHES THROUGH THE HEAVY DOUBLE DOORS. "I TOLD YOU, MAN," HE BLURTS OUT TO MICHAEL. "HE'S TROUBLE."

"NO," MICHAEL QUICKLY RETORTS, LOOKING IN THE DIRECTION DAMON LEFT. "HE'S AN ENFORCER, KAI."

HIS FRIEND STARES AT HIM.

"AND EVERY TEAM NEEDS ONE," MICHAEL ADDS, DROPPING THE BASKETBALL INTO KAI'S HANDS. "TELL THE COACH I'LL BE RIGHT BACK."

end-

🥲 ngl, i'm so sick of damon's appearance, at this point not only his character wasn't my fav, pd over-pushing him makes me really hate him now. "He's the enforcer" ughhhh, and when did this branding ever came up in the devil's night series? I only remember this point being discussed here on your blog of your meta about damon's character and his implicit role in their friend group and family. Istg i really never saw his role being discussed and branded like this anywhere, so the only place it could happen was in the private chat's of their pendragon fb group or between PD and their editor/most trusted beta readers. Istg the pettier side of me feels like some of PD's fb group fans saw your discussion posts here with other anons and told on PD, then they got inspired by you ideas about "his role" in the family. Which in theory, i don't see much wrong from it, but truly, where did this role establishment and branding came from? And ofc in PD's fashion, they had to rebrand Damon's role to be positive and borderline inspiring 🙄

and fuck, who cares about logic right? Definitely not PD when they kept on writing A and meaning B in their stories, but kept on being pissed off when readers understood it as A. 🤡

at this point, i'm not even excited anymore for this bonus content. I genuinely thought something good will come out of it, but with their opinion of willemmy a few weeks ago, and now with this. Idk. But I just know and fully sure now that PD just wanted to avoid the alex-aydin-will-emmy qna discussion extra materials, because they knew they fucked that one up, and many readers hated it, and so they probably want to just bury that shit and move past it. So of course, we'll never gonna get a willemmy bonus content. Ugh. I can't fault them for wanting to move on, but for someone who wnats to move on so bad and ignore the uncomfy parts of their own mistake in writing, they sure as hell is still be talking and hinting at this series from time to time especially for their most fav characters 🙄

but fr KO, it really left a sour taste in my mouth when an author behaves like this. Penelope Douglas is just so, ugh, idk. At this point ideky i'm still hoping for them to be better tbh when they've always been known to be problematic, like they're always just so disappointing. I need to detach my feelings for books i like to read with their authors, because i'm just gonna end up upset like this. But it's so hard!!! Especially when they're indies and you like some parts of the things they put out, and can't always find it anywhere else. Ughhh. i heard that series by Monty Jay was giving DN, so i might check it out, and i really hope it's better.

+ when you get a reach of the bonus materials, will you be sharing them here and share your thoughts and opinions about them? I'm a big yapper and i just wanna yap with somebody about it frfr.

Hey. Oh man, I feel your pain.

I really dont need it to exist because i like the mystery of them. Why can't we just have a willemmy bonus

Ohh, I wish I was with you on this but I’m actually excited about it. As someone who wants to understand these characters better, and who absolutely goes bonkers over character origin stories, this is right up my alley. I never expected any kind of Willemmy scene, so maybe I’m not as disappointed as I would be otherwise.

From what I heard, there are some willemmy scenes in this origin story though! So not all hope is lost (although I don’t know how it’s supposed to make sense, since I’ve also heard that this starts during their freshmen year and Emmy’s a year younger so… but whatever. I’m just happy for the moments!)

I am so sorry that this isn’t what you wanted!

Istg the pettier side of me feels like some of PD's fb group fans saw your discussion posts here with other anons and told on PD, then they got inspired by you ideas about "his role" in the family. Which in theory, i don't see much wrong from it, but truly, where did this role establishment and branding came from?

As much as this idea tickles me, the fact is that this was probably written months ago, and I only really had that discussion with in the past few weeks. More than likely, we were just picking up on something PD was implying the entire time.

But I just know and fully sure now that PD just wanted to avoid the alex-aydin-will-emmy qna discussion extra materials, because they knew they fucked that one up, and many readers hated it, and so they probably want to just bury that shit and move past it.

I’m still holding out of that pinterest board and discussion questions (though, it may be a lost cause). It just seems so stupid that they’d withhold those two things since they’re so minor compared to the bonus scene.

they sure as hell is still be talking and hinting at this series from time to time especially for their most fav characters

Coming from a writer’s perspective, it’s hard to let your favs go. Long after the other characters stop “speaking” to you, your favs come back. You still see them doing stuff. And PD is proud of the series, so of course they’re not going to bury it.

But yes, I agree that the fandom has been pretty loud about wanting some more willemmy content for some closure, and it shouldn’t be this hard to sit and think about the characters and deliver something, just to be kind to your readers and fans. I can’t say why PD is so resistant to it, but that’s for them to know.

i heard that series by Monty Jay was giving DN, so i might check it out, and i really hope it's better.

I had to look it up, and I’m assuming you’re speaking about the hollow boys? I haven’t read it, but if you do get around to it, I hope you enjoy it.

Regarding PD, I hardly ever look into the background of an author or give them a second thought. I also have never had the desire to contact an author, or do meet and greets or anything, that’s just me. So, I’ve never had the issue of needing to detach a work from an author, but I can see the struggle.

+ when you get a reach of the bonus materials, will you be sharing them here and share your thoughts and opinions about them? I'm a big yapper and i just wanna yap with somebody about it frfr.

I absolutely will share my thoughts, of course! I might do a reading react, or just a summary of my thoughts, whatever feels right. Again, I feel for your frustration and disappointment. The let down is never easy, but you'll read better books in the future. This isn't the last of it for you. So look forward to finding your next favorite read.

-KO

[imalsorettish]

i just finished loki s2. i have so many words and can say none of them in the main post without spoiling it in some sense so im just gonna freak out in the comments if youd care to join me and or cause discourse.

[yourheartstillbeating]

Oh if anyone cares, “Talk to you soon, Marksman,” were Delilah's last words she ever said to Piers. And she disconnected before she could hear him say good-bye. Btw.

[creativepotatowrites]

Introduction

Hi all!

My name is Marvin. I'm so excited to create this blog and share my personal musings.

Here, you will find anything from film/series discussions to my original content work.

I have a BA in Film Arts, specialising in Screenwriting, with a focus skill in Creative Writing. I have a few other skills, including Copywriting, Screen Acting, Voice Acting, and Directing.

I look forward to sharing my content with you all <3 I hope you enjoy!

[iphigeniacomplex]

it’s very easy to tell the good satires and pastiches from the bad ones because the bad ones are too afraid to live within the form. like if you are doing work with fairy tales and you are refusing to look closer at the underlying logic and unspoken rules of what can seem at first to be a senseless form, you are not going to create meaningful work. to borrow a turn of phrase originally used by maria tatar, if you refuse to enter “the house of fairy tale” as anything more than a gawking tourist, you will miss the particular order to the way the table is set, the rooms that are locked vs the rooms that are simply difficult to enter, the set of the floorboards and the position of the furniture. whatever you build will then be a gilded imitation of how you believe the house of fairy tale ought to look, the table set according to your educated specifications and every door open. there can be no interrogation of themes from a writer who views the form as beneath them!

[nickpeppermint]

[stevejobsbuysasamsung]

"captain, there is a definite pleasurable experience connected with the hearing of your voice!"

ARE WE NOT GONNA TALK ABOUT THATTTTTT,,,, MR NO EMOTIONS THATS ILLOGICAL SPOCK?????????

[puppetmaster13u]

Prompt 301

Ellie, during one of her stints of what do I do with my life right now, decides to, with the help of her Original Dad-Person (Look he’s aging and she’s not and it gets less questions the older he gets if he says daughter instead of sister with how the Fentons are getting older too) creates a Boo-Tube channel. No, not a Youtube channel, those are stuck to a single dimension.

Bootube on the other hand? Due to being through the Realms (and wow is Tucker getting so much income from creating it) is interdimensional. Which is so cool honestly. And she doesn’t know what to do at first, and honestly there’s already so many travel blogs that she kind of just… decided to do something that she wished someone had done for her and her brothers and Danny when she was new to the world. 

So she creates the channel CAAW: Clone Awareness, Accommodations, and Welfare. They had to learn things through trial and error, but maybe she can help someone out there learn how to find their own selves, or even help someone not melt. 

[pacey-bunce-loves-joey]

just two magickal besties with a gift for self deception

[ladyhindsight]

I think the problem with a lot of CC's characters is that she always tries to make them too nice imo.

She had something going on with Julian but then she backtracked and fumbled it, just like with the og versions of Grace and James we saw in TMH, where Grace straight up threatened someone with a sword and announce her loyalty to her mother, and James was out there shooting people and tricking mundanes -granted we are told that is not his usually behavior but anyone acting like that under any circumstances is not doing all right in the head. Idc what he had going on, I'm sure it was more interesting than TLH James.

Everyone in TLH should have been meaner, actually. There were hints dropped about Thomas and Lucie in gotsm and CoHF iiirc that made me think they were going to be Something. Magnus's comment about how he couldn't save James or Lucie (amounted to nothing in the end btw) and Cassie's insistence of the fact that the modern day Blackthorns were not descended from Lucie made me sure that her plotline was going to be that she resurrected Jesse and they both got immediately executed for it. And there's a point in gotsm where Magnus says that Thomas could be a green eyed monster (also amounted to nothing) and I remember there was a whole theory that he got his marks stripped and that the Rosales were descended from him. The inscription on the Scholomance, the snippet of someone dying in their love's hands, the promise of the Verlacd in TLH... Literally amounted to nothing. How is TLH so half-baked and nonsensical when she had ten years to plan it?

And Tessa, in the first book there are some fascinating gender shaped holes in her narration. About how she and her aunt spent years protecting Nate from seeing the way his gambling made their lives harder and about how they shouldn't have done that, how she saw his recklessness as innocence, how she acknowledged that deep down she always knew he was up to no good... And then Mortmain shows up and she falls back on the established pattern of trying to protect her brother's "innocence" as it was expected from her. And that was good writing; that was something she had done countless times, that was her role as a woman in her society, that was what was expected of her, that was what she knew was wrong and couldn't stop doing.

Sadly, this disappears after the first book. CC probably realized she couldn't have a protagonist that was not a feminist and instead had to take all of the Gender out of Tessa's narration. Like, no, let her confront her Gender and the horror of being trapped in a patriarchal society and being trapped at the whims of those more powerful than her, let us linger on the way the patriarchy also has a hold of Sophie and Charlotte and Jessamine. Let her feel the horror that even if she does leave to live a normal life, she could never have children and thus failed at her expected role in society. Actually have Tessa react when Mortmain tells her she CAN have children and that he intends to force her to give birth to his children. Don't jusg drop that and leave, CC! Linger on the horror of it all!

Jem also annoys me because he is simply too bland, when he shouldn't be! On paper, he should be one of the most interesting characters in TID! A foreigner, addicted to a drug against his will, chronically ill, member of a family with a legendary sword, the only person trusted by the Institute's equivalent of a stray cat that hisses at you every time it sees you. (And don't get me started on Will's curse being a hoax, I hated that.) We could have seen more about his feelings for his homeland, about what he was like under the effects of the drug, his pain... But we don't get that. What we get is him being the Herondales cheerleader, even when he gets his own book (and his pov was the most boring one in it, pass it on). Something that annoyed me irrationally was that he did not raise Emma after the events of TMI, but he does take Kit in after TDA.

This very much feels like CC wanted Emma to be in Los Angeles so she could kickstart the plot. But she could have had Emma go with Jem, then hear about the murders in LA, then go and investigate, and through her hard work being considered the best of her generation as the readers can see the journey; this way having a concrete arc and also being active in her pursuit for revenge.

And having her actively chase what she wants would also make her more distinct from the other heroines. They don't usually pursue stuff, with the exception of Clary taking reckless actions that somehow work out; stuff happens to them.

Emma really does read like a female Jace but I firmly believe that if CC had bothered to develop some other aspects of her personality that were established, like her liking to wear dresses (which is the most CC can write for a female character without the need to vilify or ridicule their femininity) or by actually telling me what her hobbies are, because I cannot remember what Emma likes to do in her spare time. Maybe because I haven't read TDA in so long, most likely because CC never even tells us - I know Julian likes to paint, Dru likes horror movies, Ty likes Sherlock, and so on, but I could not tell you anything about the main character.

And having Emma and Julian separated would also be a good commentary on how the Clave would have not cared about separating the children and make Julian's fears feel more valid. Julian and her could not be parabatai in the "Jem takes Emma timeline" but that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make since that plotline DRAGGED.

They could still have a whirlwind romance, that doesn't change. Currently rereading CoHF and the way these two are so obsessed about each other at 12 yo... It's giving Cathy and Heathcliff. Their relationship is going to be that one meme of:

"When their entire relationship is toxic, but they're both so fucked up that it's actually the best case scenario, because subjecting anybody else to either of them would be a human rights violation."

I firmly believe that CC tries to make her characters likeable and as such doesn't venture into making them have opinions and thoughts that could shock the reader. That's why so many of her characters fall into the same boxes. Because she doesn't dare to make them more complex.

The whole of the Shadowhunter Chronicles is just a pile of wasted opportunities, many of which you’ve included here. Character development or delving into many of the rather obvious themes and issues surrounding her characters has never been the precedence. Why focus on thematic organically surrounding Tessa when there is Will to care about? Why make Jem more fleshed out and independent as a character when there is Will to cheer on? Why even deluge yourself with the societal issues, actual taboos, norms—breaking them and forming new ones and changing the world with tough conversations and verbal battles when there is this huuuge MMC/MFC romance that hogs most of the pages and drowns everything else under it?

Clare has created a world with history and concepts and fantastic elements, and she absolutely sucks at implementing any of it into her writing. She doesn’t include tropes, she writes around them.

TLH bunch had way more to them, more contrast and flashier inter-character dynamics. Then the result was what it was because, in the end, everyone has to get along. For instance, Jace isn’t nice either, but that is the reason why the narrative has to go to such lengths for readers to sympathize with him. It actively pushes leniency and sympathy towards Jace whereas other characters are held to a tougher and, in a sense, more realistic standard as to their behavior. Clare wants Jace to be a tormented tough boy but also wants the readers pitying him. Which then molds all the characters around Jace to what Clare wants for him, not what realistic characters being treated like garbage and taken for granted would ever put up with.

Emma can only think she doesn’t really understand what Cristina, Kieran, and Mark got going on together and can only be happy for them, because Emma thinking it’s fucking weird would be too controversial and make people dislike Emma because she doesn’t like or stand polyamory. Every character from TMI gang to TID to TDA to TLH has to stand on the exact same opinion on every issue because that’s the right thing to do, not that a group that size could ever have differing opinions or, horror, dislike each other for some reason. Coming close is James and Grace, and that is mostly ignored either way.

(SIDENOTE: Apparently Clare fucked up the Lightwood family tree by having Alex continue the family line because he was born 1900 and the next known descendant Isidore that is Isabelle and Alec’s great grandfather was born 1908. I kind of hoped that the Secrets of the Blackthorn Hall would’ve sorted this mess out but clearly not. Also: “Alexander inherited the Herondale coloring from his mother of deep blue eyes and black hair. He has a burn scar across his chest from a rune given to him as a baby.” What Herondale coloring is it really when it comes from Linette Owens??)

Anyway.

Your final paragraph was spot on. I also never thought about how Jem didn’t take care of Emma but then goes on to play family with Kit. After CoHF Jem goes to explore the world with Tessa and marry her. He wants to look after Emma but only after the parabatai ceremony with Julian does Jem come clean about his name to Emma. Convenient to say the least.

[away-ward]

I am so sorry to bother you and I have no idea If you’ve answered this before, I tried looking but couldn’t find it, but whats like the run down on what actually happens during devils night in the book? Like what do the four horsemen do? I’ve yet to read the books as I’m already reading a different series but I can literally not find any info on what they do on the night. Feel free to ignore this lol

Yeah, no worries! You're not a bother at all. I've never done a complete run down of what happens. I can't tell if you're asking for like a general idea or a complete break down of the series. Message back if you're looking for something more detailed.

The general idea of Devil's Night, which is not something that originated with this series, is that on the night before Halloween, these kids go out and preform, for the most part, harmless but extreme pranks.

To give a full run down of the events in all four books, keeping in mind that the last one is 650+ pages, would be too much for any one person to do in a single post. I don't even remember all the major plot points or order of evens from Hideaway and Kill Switch.

If you have specific questions that would be considered spoilers, feel free to ask. I have no problem spoiling things.

All four books have the same basic tropes: second chance romance w/ enemies-to-lovers (depending on your definition of enemies), where the mml is seeking revenge for a perceived wrong.

The books:

should be read in series order, as each book builds on what happened in the previous book, with new characters introduced.

are dual povs, and told in a past and present format, with an the chapters from past and present timeline overlapping each other; All events in the books takes place in the month of October, with the climax of events taking place on Devil's Night or around then.

feature sharing/multiple partner scenes, but end with the main couple together (the HEA is up for debate in the fandom, but it's intended to be HEA).

Overview:

The Horsemen are four friends from Thunder Bay, a small affluent town in the Northeastern part of the US. They attended Thunder Bay Prep, and where known for being the best players on the school's basketball team. Some time during their school years, they started the tradition of Devil's Night, where they and their schoolmates spend the night partying and playing pranks. In the series, the Horsemen take the lead in planning and arranging the pranks and events, usually by themselves, letting others join later for the party. They're generally supported by others in the community, barely chastised by law enforcement. Rule of thumb seems to be, as long as they don't kill someone, it's mostly just a fun night that ends in a revelry and sex for those who join in the festivities.

Summary: In Corrupt, the series starts when three of the four Horsemen are released after spending 2.5 years in prison. They were sentenced after pleading guilty when evidence of some of their "pranks" (read as: actual crimes) was released online. They first seek revenge from Rika, former schoolmate and family friend, who they believe to be the source of the leak. But as an intense attraction between the leader of the Horsemen, Michael, and Rika is reignited, new information comes to light that makes them question everything they've been told. From there a new enemy emerges.

In Hideaway, Kai, is he is trying to rebuild his life. At the same time, he is trying to track down their new enemy, who knows some disturbing secrets about him. His efforts reunite him with, Banks, a girl he knew for only one night in his senior year of high school, but with whom he had an extraordinary connection. Banks has a questionable connection to his enemy, and Kai finds it in his best interest to keep her close while looking for more information. During this time, their feelings for each other resurface and in the end they're faced with choosing who they'll prioritize.

In Kill Switch, Damon returns to the spotlight in Thunder Bay when he marries the corrupted former mayor's daughter - just not the one he was sent to prison for sexually assaulting and who has been the object of his obsession since he was eleven, Winter. Damon and Winter met each other as children, when an accident left her blind. She returns to Thunder Bay years later for high school, where Damon takes advantage of her blindness to insert himself into her life. He quickly becomes her confidant and rock. Despite not knowing the identity of her new friend, Winter falls in love. Until she's told the truth. Winter knows that everything that happened between them was consensual, and that the sexual assault charge was because she was underage when he recorded one of their times together. However, she couldn't bring herself to admit it then, and she'll be damned if she gives in him now. However, Damon is a threat, but he's a threat she's never been able to fully resist.

In the final installment, Nightfall, Emory Scott, former classmate of the horsemen and Will's crush, is abducted from her life in San Francisco, and wakes up in a secluded house with five men. Will has been missing from Thunder Bay for over a year. He's in a place few know; a place meant for rich young men who are embarrassments to their public families. While his friend's were growing up, becoming parents and business owners, Will lost himself in drugs, booze, and sex. Locked in a house with men she knows nothing about, except that they're criminals of some kind, Emory looks to Will to be an ally. Only Will wants nothing to do with her, and it's all because lies she told, and how he blames her for the years he spent in prison.

However, nothing with this series is as it seems. There are mysteries and surprise reveals, plot twists galore - some good, some. . . not so good. It's not a perfect series; most readers don't love all of the characters, but say that there was something addicting about the series nonetheless. It's interesting world, and a fun ride to turn your brain off while reading.

Hope this helped. Thank you.

[hopeinthebox]

bts + reductress headlines pt.12

[yourheartstillbeating]

Things from Sid’s Resident Evil Canon⟨™⟩ that are canon in YHSB

The Graham siblings

Project W-2

Every movie/game that happened after 6. With some minor changes. You’ll see what that means when we get to them

[somewhereincairparavel]

Alright. I came across someone saying that Rick "put Jason in a pedestal" and "overhyped" him by emphasizing how good looking he is and that Jason shouldn't have been so attractive looking. (Tbf tho that person made it sound like they seemed more mad bc their least favourite character was considered good looking lol) but I'll yap about the significance here anyways. Beware of a very long yapping session below.

I do understand their frustration though, because jason getting told that he looks good all the time makes it seem very shallow and unfair to the others.

And let me tell you, Jason is SUPPOSED to be gorgeous looking in everyone's eyes. He is supposed to be conventionally handsome, Rick didn't intend for his looks to be "beauty is in the eyes of the beholder " or something like Percy's (like how Piper didn't find him as impressive) Percy's is supposed to be more authentic. Percy's character isnt centred in people idolizing him, everyone can acknowledge that he's handsome looking, but it isn't in a "perfect" type of way, he's a carefree spirit and that reflects on his looks. While Jason is hardwired as this ethereal looking hero in people's eyes that not even ONE can deny that he looks good, bc ppl in Rome had set him as the "standard". Jason said this before in the lost hero, that him being a son of Jupiter, makes him feel like the support he gets is only because his dad is a very regal and intimidating figure.

That's kind of the whole point, he's supposed to look like this perfect man who can do no wrong. His "Golden noble boy" arc is literally the whole concept of his character. Why else do you think rick wrote Aphrodite approving of Jason's looks saying that he needed no improvement (which she rarely does) ?

Because Jason is supposed to be put like a statue to admire and idolize, that's ALSO why rick made sure to add that Jason looks like a Roman sculpture, bc that's like a metaphor for his inner conflicts. The guy was put like an artifact for people to ogle at in camp Jupiter ever since he was a kid of 4. That's part of the tragedy.

Annabeth said it perfectly “Annabeth tried to hide it, but she still didn’t completely trust the guy. He acted too perfect - always following the rules, always doing the honorable thing. He even looked too perfect. In the back of her mind, she had a nagging thought. What if this is a trick and he betrayed us?” Mark of Athena, page 6.

His mother, whom he's supposed to look like, is also a literal world wide tv actress. So you can't expect anything less either.

Also, Jason is supposed to mirror Percy. And let's be real. Rick put Percy in a VERY high pedestal looks wise, aswell, Not just Jason. And that's okay.

Rick made Hazel mistake Percy for a literal god because he was just that good looking (tbf, in a way, when I was younger, I found this to be a little bit of an exaggeration, bro was covered in mud and seaweed and was compared to a god, it was rlly funny to a 10 year old me 😭 yeah but don't mind this though, this was just a younger me jealous that I couldn't be as pretty as Percy was in mud lol) If Percy can be "hyped" up so "unrealistically" in that particular situation then so can Jason. They are both literal half gods, so unrealistic praise is very normal) and rick also made sure to emphasize that almost all the teen characters had a crush on Percy. So apparently that isn't called putting a character in a pedestal but Jason's is? They are BOTH put in pedestals, because they're both heroes.

Jason and Percy are supposed to be equals, so both of them being in the top two when it comes to looks makes SENSE. Because people are supposed to argue about who is better looking, since they're written as foils.

You cannot expect rick to make Percy look like a god and Jason look like a rat 😭 then there's no point of having them as parallels if one has the upper hand in something. Rick did a good job by conveying that they are BOTH attractive, but in different ways. That's why the Percy/Jason looks debate always have mixed answers.

Jason getting complimented by Aphrodite, the GODDESS of beauty, for his looks and her saying that he didn't have anything to "fix" in his face BC it already looks gorgeous = Percy getting compared to a gorgeous Roman god by hazel. They are both equal comparisons in slightly different tones.

[spicyvampire]

He sure was using his mouth the whole time [Tharn's version]

THE SIGN (2023) EP. 10 + EP. 9