#me? forcing yall to read 10 long ass paragraphs of emo pseudometa no one asked for? its more likely than you think

[normal-thoughts-official]

ok i see a lot of posts about raphael and magnus that are like "like father like son" and they show that they have similar fashion senses or show them both being sassy or making similar expressions or whatever, but i wanted to talk about the other things they have in common

listen, magnus and raphael's similarities run so deep it's kind of surprising magnus didn't, like, actually raise raphael in his formative years

for starters, they're both incredibly loyal and dedicated to those they love. raphael had no qualms about threatening anyone or sacrificing anything for his family (be it the clan, magnus, his sister...), just like magnus never hesitated to do anything for his (like when he finally yeeted camille, he did it for raphael, despite feeling awfully guilty about it, despite how it forced him to relive part of his abuse and face her again). loyalty, love and family (as well as, i feel, justice) are the things that drive both of their characters and i think thats indisputable (dont ever threaten my family again, id do anything for the downworlders i take under my wing, etc)

it's not just the people they love, though. like the both of them seem to have this sense of needing to take care of others (which i called justice above). theyre both natural born leaders, and they both seem to have an eye for people who need their help. magnus' prime example of this is raphael himself, of course, and raphael's is simon. he risked his own life for simon back when camille was still the leader and they didn't even know each other, he took his body back to clary despite having no reason to even trust her, he offered her emotional support, and he tried to keep helping simon, despite simon constantly fucking him over (even if not knowingly or on purpose). he also saved izzy's ass back when the whole yin fen thing started, despite having no reason to trust her, and ended up having his addiction purposefully triggered by her as compensation for his efforts. it's pretty clear to me that, like Magnus, Raphael also wants to help other downworlders, keep them from suffering, and just generally take care of the weak and helpless lmao. sure he's a lot less gentle about it, Magnus has this whole sorta dad vibe going on; Raphael is a lot rougher at the edges, but the sentiment is still the same, that almost selfless kind of caring, that instinctive need to reach out their hand even when it will get them in trouble. like the both of them were done so dirty by the mains (esp clace) but they still kept helping and reaching out, and i think that says a lot about who they are tbh

then of course you have their insecurities, this sense of monstrosity they both obviously carry, which granted could be argued to be a thing for every downworlder, esp considering all the fantastical racism, but two things catch my attention about it: 1- the sense of atonement they both seem to carry; 2- the way they deal with it

i mean Raphael is catholic and feels guilt and that kinda doesnt need elaboration, lmao. we know he's always talking about atoning for his sins and that he canonically self harms because of that, while simultaneously putting himself in the position to do the dirty work to protect others (for instance, when he tried to kill clary to save the downworlders, which obviously would hit him pretty hard, or you know, the whole thing about getting close to Camille so he could slowly sabotage her. etc). Magnus has a completely different approach to that, but the sentiment is similar. the way he blames himself for his mum, for killing his stepfather (despite that being One Hundred Percent valid lmao), i never wanted you to see this terrible, ugly side of me. he feels guilty, and wrong, and like a monster, and he has hallucinations about standing in what looks like a burning battlefield, and he constantly sacrifices himself and his wellbeing for the sake of others, much like Raphael compromises his physical and even spiritual health in his atonement

and then there's the way that they both clearly put up fronts to be able to handle all of that, like? Magnus created this whole devil-may-care, lothario persona, so he could distance himself from others after the trauma of camille; so he could at least attempt to keep himself from getting too close, and being used and hurt, anymore. and raphael went a route thats simultaneously the same and the opposite - the same, because by creating this sassy, uncaring, cold front that didnt care about anybody he also put his distance. the opposite, because magnus' front was all about being (superficially) open and surrounding himself with people, and Raphael opted to close off, hide in the shadows, look unapproachable and angry and keep people from even getting close to him. Magnus put up a wall of people to keep him away from himself, and Raphael put up a wall to keep people away from him

basically their stories run in such a clear parallel, from their motives to their angsts to their choices and paths, and even their history is similar - both immigrants who lost their family because of their downworld status, thrown to fend off for themselves and having to completely rebuild themselves in the process, yet still looking for ways to take others with them as they moved forward. they can understand each other from simple things like missing talking in their native tongues to the deeper, painful parts of themselves that feel too raw to even touch on without pain. they went through similar hardships, and coped in similar ways, and built an eternal bridge with each other from that, and isnt that what family is? this unspoken understanding of each other?

idk, i just think they have so much in common and that it truly makes their familial relationship to ring true, you know, all these things they share that run so deep there's no way to imitate it, and i really wished we talked more about those kinds of parallels between their characters, too