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khaleesiofalicante · 3 years

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This is War - A Crack Fic

All the chaotic, horny energy today had to be channelled somewhere, right?

You can read the fic here on ao3 too :)

Central park was a vision to behold. There were no mundanes within sight. The warlocks had made sure to glamour the entire area just for today.

“We are not shadowhunters,” Ragnor had said. “We don’t half ass things.”

He of course had left immediately after securing the parameter saying he didn’t want to be involved in another one of Magnus’ childish squabbles.

“Welcome everyone,” Simon said, standing on a podium hadn’t been there before. Where was that from?

“Why is he wearing a robe?” Helen whispered to her wife. Aline just shrugged.

“For far too long we have been trying to settle this debate,” Simon said in a deep voice that was not that deep. “But today, we must settle on an answer.”

Jace rolled his eyes. “Can we get to the good part?”

“Jace, you promised you’ll let me have my moment!” Simon hissed at him and then cleared his throat. “Today we will decide the most pressing crisis of our time. Who broke the coffee maker in the Lightwood-Bane household?”

“Wasn’t me,” Magnus shrugged. “If I did, then I would have fixed it immediately. It was obviously Alec.”

“Liar!” Alec gasped. “I love coffee. I love that coffee maker. Why would I break it?”

“Well, to love is to destr-” Jace spoke up.

“Honey, not now,” Clary shushed him.

“Listen, the kids can’t obviously reach the coffee maker yet,” Magnus pointed out. “And I’m not the one who takes out my frustration on inanimate objects. I mean we all know what happened to the kettle in the institute.”

There was a soft murmur from the shadowhunters of the New York institute.

“I WAS HAVING A BAD DAY!” Alec argued.

“Just admit you broke the coffee maker, Alec,” Magnus said.

“I didn’t do it!” Alec replied. “You’ve always been jealous of the coffee maker.”

Magnus snorted. “Jealous? Me? Pfft. You’re the one who is obsessed enough with the darn thing to name it.”

“Treat lightly, Magnus,” Alec said. “Charles is already dead. Why would you-”

“ENOUGH!” Simon said into the microphone. When did he get that? “Like I said, this childish argument has gone for too long. Today we will settle it like the civilized adults that we are.”

Simon bent down and picked up a giant gun.

“PAINTBALL FIGHT, Y’ALL!” he yelled.

Everybody started cheering – with way too much enthusiasm for a Monday morning.

“Alright. Magnus, Alec – whoever loses the game will agree that they broke the coffee maker, and we will put this whole thing behind us and move on. Do you agree to these terms?”

Magnus and Alec looked at each other and then nodded at Simon.

“Alright!” Simon grinned. “Pick your teams!”

Little Rafe ran towards Magnus.

Alec gasped. “Betrayed by my own blood.”

Max ran towards Alec. “We are going to win. I always win.”

Alec grinned at that. “I pick Jace.”

Jace grinned back and ran up to his parabatai. “Ohhhh y’all are so going down.”

Magnus laughed. “We’ll see about that, blondie. I pick Emma.”

“Oh damn,” someone said from the crowd.

“Emma, this is a paintball fight,” Alec pointed out. “You can’t use Cortana.”

“Don’t worry, it’s just for emotional support,” she said with a wicked gleam.

“Alright,” Alec said. “I pick Julian.”

“Isabelle,” Magnus called.

“KIT!” Alec yelled.

“TIBERIUS!” Magnus thundered.

“Count yourself lucky that it’s daytime,” Alec said. “Otherwise, I would have called Lily and she would have destroyed all of you!”

“Already making excuses for your imminent failure?” Magnus chuckled. “I choose Helen and Aline!”

“You can’t pick them both!” Alec argued.

“I can and I just did,” Magnus winked.

“Yeah, Helen and I won’t fighting in opposing sides,” Aline shrugged. “Sorry, Alec.”

“I got the lesbians!” Magnus laughed. “You are going down, Alexander.”

“You wish,” Alec said and whistled. Diego showed up behind him. “I got the Inquisitor!”

“Clarissa,” Magnus said. “The Angel’s chosen one.”

“Babe,” Jace said. “You can’t!”

“Everything is fair in love and war,” Clary shrugged, pointing a gun that was bigger than her. “And this is war, biatch!”

“Kieran!” Alec called and the unseelie king materialised from some corner and ruffled Max’s hair.

“Mark!” Magnus called.

“Cris-”

“Oh no you don’t,” Cristina lifted her finger warningly. She was perched on top of a tree. “I’m not going to be a part of this madness. I got a medicine kit right here. So, if anyone needs me, just holler, okay?”

“And I will excuse myself as the referee of course,” Simon pointed out. “Alright. Standard paintball rules apply. No serious injuries. If you get shot, then you’re off the game. Last team standing wins. And no runes or downworld powers. We are gonna fight mundane style.”

“YAS!” Kit cheered, already cuddling his paintball gun.

“Alright then,” Simon waved a flag. Where did he get THAT from? Did he have a bag of equipment just lying around?

“LET THE BATTLE OF THE COFEE MAKER BEGIN!” Simon yelled.

And then there was chaos.

The warlocks – mostly Ragnor – had changed the area into a paintball area. There were places to hide behind and attack from. It was really elaborate. Maybe Ragnor had more fun designing this space than he had let on.

“Alright,” Alec said to his team. “Let’s keep this simple. Take down anyone you see.”

“Anyone? What about our significant others?” Jace asked. “Do we shoot them down too?”

“Of course not!” Alec chastised. “We are not animals! Is that clear?”

“Yes, Consul!” everyone yelled.

“I DON’T CARE IF THEY ARE YOUR BOO OR YOUR BAE, THEY ARE GOING DOWN,” Magnus said to his team. “FIND YOUR SIGNIFICANT OTHERS FIRST. THEY WILL NOT EXPECT YOU TO STRIKE! USE THAT TO YOUR ADVANTAGE! THERE ARE NO SIGNIFICANT OTHERS. ONLY SIGNIFICANT ENEMIES. IS THAT CLEAR?”

“YES CAPTAIN!” they all cheered.

They all broke out and ran to find their targets.

It wasn’t even five minutes since the game had begun and Kit ran straight into Ty.

“Hey,” Kit waved.

Ty pounced and pinned Kit to the ground. He pointed his gun at his boyfriend.

“Alec said we can��t hurt our significant others,” Kit put up his arms.

“Our captain said no such thing,” Ty replied. “You’re not-…Why are you grinning? I got you pinned down.”

“It’s my favorite place to be,” Kit smiled. “I open my eyes and there you are. You’re beautiful.”

“Stop flirting with me when I’m trying to fight you,” Ty blushed and then held out his hand. “Fine. I didn’t see you and you didn’t see me.”

Kit winked at him and ran away.

Mark and Kieran found each other next. They both held their guns at each other – neither of them shooting.

“This is childish,” Kieran pointed out. “I’m already bored.”

“Wanna go sit on that tree and hang out with Cristina?” Mark winked.

Kieran grinned and the two of them ran away too.

Helen and Aline looked at them and shrugged.

“We could just live stream the whole thing,” Helen pointed out. “Lily would like to see this.”

“I don’t know what that means but if that’s what you want to do and that’s what we shall do,” Aline smiled and and kissed her wife.

“Clary,” Jace said in relief when he saw her. “Thank god! I thought someone-”

There was sudden pain in his chest and he looked down to notice the big green splotch on this t-shirt.

“You...You shot me,” Jace said, sounding hurt.

“Jace, I’ve already stabbed you in the past and you once set me on fire,” Clary rolled her eyes and ran away to find her next target. “Get with it!”

“JULIAN ATTICUS BLACKTHORN,” Emma yelled and ran towards him. “YOU’RE GOING DOWN.”

“Not today,” he winked at her.

Emma blushed furiously just before attacking him. It wasn’t easy. Emma was skilled at close range combat, but Julian knew all her weak spots. So, they were even.

They wrestled for a while before Julian pinned her to the ground. He was breathing hard, his pupils dialed.

“I’m sorry, but this is strictly business,” he shrugged with a mischievous grin.

“But we are still on for tonight, right?” Emma asked. “I finally got a reservation at that Italian place you like.”

Julian’s eyes softened a litte. “You did?”

“Yes,” Emma smiled and hooked her legs on his ankles and flipped them in the blink of an eye. She shot him on the stomach and kissed him on his lips. “See ya at seven!”

Unlike everyone else Isabelle was not going to be fooled or manipulated by her significant other. Thank the Angel Simon wasn’t a part of this. She really liked the feel of the paintball gun in her hands. It was huge, powerful, messy and colorful too. Her kind of weapon.

She ran around the park and took down the others mercilessly. There were only a few of them remaining now – everyone else had already been shot.

But not Isabelle.

She didn’t care about the coffee maker of course. The argument was a ridiculous one.

She just wanted to win.

In the distance, she saw Emma take down Kit and Diego shoot Ty. She was off to destroy the Inquisitor when she had a familiar cry.

“Baby,” she ran to him. “My little blueberry muffin. Are you okay?”

“I fell,” Max sobbed. “Somebody pushed me.”

“Tell me who did this and I will-”

“ISABELLE DON’T!” she heard Magnus yell.

But it was too late.

There was a giant blue splotch on her white blouse.

“Max?” she asked in betrayal.

The boy just giggled and ran away.

In this distance, she now saw Diego covered in red, with a very satisfied Rafael hanging upside down from a tree.

And then the rest of them went feral.

“Surrender, Alexander,” Magnus said an hour later, holding up his gun, which was covered in glitter. “Everyone on your team is down.”

“Well, I don’t see anyone from your team standing either,” Alec pointed out.

“I still am,” Magnus said.

“So am I,” Alec replied.

“Give it up, Alexander!”

“Never,” Alec said adamantly. “This is for the coffee maker. I loved it so much!”

“Then you shouldn’t have broken it,” Magnus argued.

“I didn’t!” Alec said in frustration. “I love it so much because…because that’s the first thing you bought for me.”

“Oh,” Magnus said, the grip on his gun softening lightly.

“I know you have bought me so many expensive gifts but the coffee maker…it’s always been my favorite. I remember walking into your apartment one day, we weren’t even properly back together then, and you just bought it for me.”

“Well, you drink a lot of coffee,” Magnus grumbled.

“Yeah and you noticed. And you got me something so I wouldn’t feel weird in your apartment. You bought it so make me so comfortable. That’s when I realized I really, really like you.”

Magnus blushed a little. “Well, then now it sounds stupid to think you broke the thing.”

“That’s because I didn’t, Magnus!”

“Well, I didn’t either!” Magnus put up his hands. “In fact, the day it broke, I wasn’t even home. I was in the spiral labyrinth all day.”

“I know! I wasn’t home either! I had to go to the Mexico institute for an emergency meeting, so I called Jace to babysit the ki-”

They both stared at each other.

“JACE LIGHTWOOD HERONDALE!” Magnus’ voice boomed across the park. “DID YOU BREAK ALEC’S COFFEE MAKER?”

Jace was sweating. “Listen, I was gonna say something and then y’all started fighting and it was very awkward, and I was looking for the right time and then Simon came up with this idea and I thought 'hey we haven’t done a fun group activity in a long time and so why not?', ya know?”

Magnus and Alec looked at each other.

“Everybody,” Alec called. “Change of plans. Attack my parabatai.”

“AND SHOW NO MERCY!” Magnus yelled.

#I don't know what I did but I did it :)#malec #malec fics #tsc fics #dani writes stuff #tmi #tda #tsc

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clockworkopera · 7 years

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Theories on Cortana...

A few weeks ago I referenced this quote in an earlier post about Edom: When they arrived in the mirrored city of a destroyed Alicante Alec tells them Edom’s story (COHF 482-483): “They didn’t have seraph blades; they hadn’t developed them. It doesn’t look like they had Iron Sisters or Silent Brothers, either. They had blacksmiths, and they developed some sort of weapon, something they thought might help them.”

BLACKSMITHS !!!

Theory: If Isabelle’s ruby pendant was made from the same material as the Skeptron and found its way into this dimension, then could the reason Cortana (and other Wayland swords) be different is because it was forged by the Nephilim of Edom.

Note: As far as we know no Great Swords have been forged since Wayland the Smith. I know that the Iron Sisters work with Adamas, but it seems they don’t know the secrets of the Great Swords, for wouldn’t they make them like the Family rings if they did? Each family having its own sword?

This is a favorite theory of mine, so it goes first, but there are other considerations:

There are two things I want answers to the most about Cortana.

1) What does it mean when Cortana strikes something like the Black Volume of the Dead or the Mortal Sword and her hand and body go numb with electrified pain?

2) What does it mean when a Rider of Mannan makes the statement: “It is yet only one blade.”

So begins my journey…

Let’s go over what we know of Cortana:

-It’s been in the Carstairs family for generations. It belonged to Jonah Carstairs (Jem Carstairs’ father) and Will Herondale refused it as a gift from Jonah’s brother Elias after Jem became a Silent Brother. The inscription on the blade reads: “My name is Cortana, of the same steel and temper as Joyeuse and Durendal.” Cordelia became a wielder, instead of her older brother Alastair, “Because to an extent, Cortana chooses who it wants to be with. Believe me, Alastair isn’t initially pleased!” Cassandra Clare revealed answering questions on Tumblr. Also: On the Angel feather in the hilt: It is a big part of what gives Cortana it’s special powers and is the reason Cortana is able to do something in LoS no other sword has ever done. AND, That sword has magic badass powers we can only begin to comprehend. Gwyn also refers to it as one of the Great Swords. It eventually came to John Carstairs, Emma’s father and finally to her.

It’s history says it was forged by Wayland the Smith, and once belonged to Tristan and Ogier the Dane and is also according to Emma’s mother in a dream, LM (pg532): “And remember that a blade made by Wayland the Smith can cut anything.”

When Emma found out about her parents death she cradled the Sword, slicing her arm open, bloodying it and leaving a fierce scar on her inner arm. She used it to fight and protect the Blackthorns in the Accords Hall during the Dark War. In her battle with Malcolm, Emma struck the heart of the Black Volume with Cortana(LMpg596-7): She shrieked with pain as what felt like a bolt of electricity went up her arm. AND: Red pain misted behind her eyelids. Through the fog, she saw Malcolm standing over her. “Oh, that was precious.” He grinned. “That was amazing. That was the hand of God, Emma!”

----------------

My own take is that Emma and Cortana have a symbiotic relationship and have in a way become extensions of each other. My original theory was Cortana was tied to the power of the Black Volume and Emma is the only one who can now wield that magic. I had a wonderfully written piece that got hacked with red ink today when Cassie told us more about Cortana in her Tumblr: “Cortana…doesn’t absorb the power of what it strikes. We’ve certainly never seen it do that and it’s not part of the sword’s mythology.”

So maybe the big take away is that 1) Emma can cut through, hack away things of major magic (Black book, Mortal Sword and the Rider) and 2) Live through it

*** If Cortana shattered the Mortal Sword, then what did it do to the Black Volume? Is the magic of the Black Volume now fractured somehow? And what would that mean to the effectiveness of any spell used?

And what the hell was that black sap oozing from the Mortal Sword? What was that about? I have no ideas on that! (I digress)

But if Emma and Cortana have a symbiotic relationship while the sword may retain no residual connection to the energy it’s destroyed, could Emma herself? I think this might be important because Magnus warned Julian that Annabel is connected to the magic of the book, and I still wonder if Emma somehow isn’t too.

The other question that has been bugging me: What does it mean when a Rider of Mannan makes the statement: “It is yet only one blade.”

Does it mean that they can melt it down and make a whole bunch more ‘Great Swords’ with it, or does it mean it might get reunited with the other swords of it same steel and temper? “My name is Cortana, of the same steel and temper as Joyeuse and Durendal.” So, I set myself the task of doing and old fashioned sort of book report. I don’t know how much historical relevance Cassie plans on weaving into her books, if any at all—but the history is interesting, especially Durendal. Kit needs Durendal!

I’m leaning toward the ideas of the Riders knowing of a time, or a prophecy where all three blades will be united again in battle. I think that is something they fear.

Cortana’s Mythological History:

In the Mundane world, our world, Cortana does exist, both in mythology and in reality. It currently resides as a Crown Jewel and is used in inaugural ceremonies of the British Crown. Its mythological history is long.

It first comes to attention in the story of Tristan and Isolde and their story takes place in Cornwall. Tristan came to live with his Uncle Mark who was the King of Cornwall and in an effort to prove himself worthy, stood as the King’s champion. In battle, Tristan saved the king from paying tribute to an Irish King by killing his foe and it was during this fight with Cortana that the tip broke off. (This is the first reference to Cortana breaking and the legend behind why the tip of Cortana is missing from the actual Crown Jewel Sword)

After Tristan died the sword was bequeathed to Ogier the Dane, a paladin of Charlemagne.

This goes back to the Legends of Charlemagne, because the inscription of Cortana was taken right out of Bulfinch’s Mythology— “My name is Cortana, of the same steel and temper as Joyeuse and Durendal.”

All three swords were used in Charlemagne’s Campaigns. Charlemagne was Emperor of Rome who united and basically founded the Frankish state (what eventually becomes modern Europe) and brought Christianity to Europe.

The story that Arthur was referring to (and this is from Bulfinch, because I found too many versions to include) was that Ogier’s son was killed by Charlemagne’s psychopathic son Charlot. Charlemagne refused to punish his son (this is from Bulfinch’s, but the next part comes from the book, The Crown Jewels— I didn’t have access to it, so this is reported from Wikipedia): “When Ogier was about to slay the son of Charlemagne, (for revenge) an angel appeared and knocked it out of his hand, breaking the tip and exclaiming “Mercy is better than revenge.” From then on Cortana was known as the Sword of Mercy.

It also happens the other swords of Joyeuse and Durendal were with Charlemagne’s campaign as well.

Joyeuse is the Legendary Sword of Charlemagne. It is said to have been “So bright that it could outshine the sun and blind its wielder’s enemies in battle” (Ancient-Origins.net)

There are a lot of legends including: it was forged to contain the Lance of Longinus, it was smithed from same materials as Cortana and Durendal or that it was given as a gift from an angel.

The real Joyeuse was moved to the Louvre in 1792.

Durendal was no slouch either. The sword belonged to Roland another paladin of Charlemagne. He used the sword to hold off 100,000 Saracens (by himself) long enough for Charlemagne to retreat in an epic battle. Wikipedia: “The Song of Roland, the sword is said to contain within its golden hilt a tooth of Saint Peter, blood of Basil of Caesarea, hair of Saint Denis, and a piece of the raiment of Mary, mother of Jesus, and to be the sharpest sword in all existence.” Fearing the sword would fall into enemy hands Roland tried to destroy it but it couldn’t be destroyed. “After being mortally wounded, Roland hid it beneath his body as he lay dying.” The folklore says it still exists, embedded in a cliff walls in the Pyrenees, but it has never been found.

***I read that, and I thought—WOW! We need to find that sword for Kit!

Everyone petition CC that Kit needs Durendal!!

There are a lot of references and agreement that Durendal was forged by Wayland the Smith. So, while neither Cortana or Joyeuse are referenced to him being their creator, if you follow the clue of the inscription that is the connection. If he made one, then didn’t he make them all?

WHOA! Did you know Wayland the Smith was a true mythological character?

This is where it gets interesting.

Wayland the Smith is from Norse Mythology. Legend said he and his two brothers lived with three Valkyries. In one version, he married his Swan Maiden Valkyrie.

I bring this up because Gwyn mentioned the daughters of Rhiannon, the Valkyrie as almost a counterpart to the Wild Hunt—at least that was my impression, and they are wild magic. And when Cassie talked about wild magic in relation to Kieran’s eyes she said in her tumble post: “Wild magic kind of does what it does without being bound by too many rules.” So if Cortana is made with parts of that magic maybe that is why it seems to have a mind of its own, at least in who it picks for its wielders.

I am hoping that in the Last Hours Cordelia will learn more about Cortana’s history. How it came to be in possession of the Carstairs family, what other history with the Shadowhunters it has, and maybe give us some clues about what else might be possible with Emma for the QoaAD.

Please add comments, I love hearing what other people think!

#Cortana #lord of shadows #kit needs durendal #wayland the smith #dark artifices #cassandra clare #lord of shadows theories #edom #theories #dialogues #TDA #original post

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thereadingbee-blog · 7 years

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Review: Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare

Rating:★★★★★

It has been 10 hours since I finished the book. I tried to wrap my head around what happened, tried to accept it and failed. I slept, but I kept waking up thinking of that fucking awful scene at the end. Honestly, I don’t think I will be able to function properly for at least a week!

SPOILERS!! SPOILERS!!

First off, I’d like to address the ending that broke my mind and heart. WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?!!!! I am not a fan of Robert Lightwood, I didn’t care for him at all because I vaguely remember that I hated him in TMI, but when he died, I was more shocked than sad because Annabel HAD NO FUCKING REASON TO DO IT!! HE WAS GOING TO TAKE THE SWORD AWAY FROM YOU, WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!! Then I felt sad because that’s Alec‘s father!!!! ALEC!! In the shock, I forgot that. THEN, when I woke up, I realized (again the shock was too strong) that HE WAS GONNA HELP EMMA AND JULIAN WITH THE PARABATI CURSE!! HE WAS GONNA FIX THINGS, DAMMIT!

I thought that was gonna be the end of it, I said “Oh! Well, here’s the Clare death in the book” that was before I realized any of these things obviously! BUT THEN, LIVVY IS FUCKING STABBED AND MURDERED BY FUCKING ANNABEL!!!!!! WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU DO THAT SHE IS YOUR OWN BLOOD?!! For one thing, I instantly thought of Ty and I really wanted to hug him or reverse time or make him forget, this is going to be devastating for him. I can’t image how will he cope with that in the next book, and I am so scared to find out! But Livvy’s death means more to Julian because let’s be honest, Julian is crazy about his family, keyword being CRAZY!!! He will literally kill everyone on the planet for his family. I know this won’t happen, but I believe that Julian could kill the Dearborns and The Cohort because if they hadn’t discredit Annabel, Livvy would have been alive. Then when he finds Annabel, HE WILL FUCKING SLAY HER, and that will happen.

Moving on to Cortana, so I can’t remember if this is true or not, but someone said that Cortana absorbs the power of anything that touches it. DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS?

Cortana stabbed the black book,

one of the seven children of whatever faerie family,

and THE MORTAL SWORD.

IT BROKE THE MORTAL SWORD!!!

And if it has the power of the black book, does that mean that they don’t need the black book and can just wave it around whomever and kill them with that power?

Does it mean that IDK let’s say if she “accidentally” stabs Julian in his Parabatai mark would that end it? or her mark because it’s on her arm, safer than his heart.

Does that mean that Cortana is now the new Mortal Sword? That she can’t lie while holding it?

Doesn’t that mean that the Clave will want it back? Or would that make Emma the new Inquisitor (on the long-term probably) because she would never give away Cortana? So many questions and that’s just from the last few pages!

Then we have The Seelie Queen. I read the rumors about the Queen’s spawned “demon” (but not really ” “) with Sebastian, and I am starting to believe it.

One, she said the Unseelie King has captured one of her own.

Two, I don’t think the Queen cares that much if this someone was just one of her subjects.

Three, someone said that the faeries have the weapon that would destroy all Shadowhunters. That could be him for some reason being Sebastian’s son, I wouldn’t expect anything less than a demonic power to wipe out anything that is good. His father would have been proud.

OR That weapon is the Black Book’s blight (but they didn’t have the black book then, not the Un/Seelie).

Four, the weapon Jaime is hiding/protecting is that thing Dru touched, and it portaled her to a prison or something like it, with A GROWN ASS BOY, WITH GREEN EYES, AND BLOND HAIR. SEBASTIAN, IS THAT YOU?

THE INFERNAL DEVICES SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!

Magnus and Tessa. I refuse to believe that anything bad will happen to them. I refuse to believe that Magnus or Tessa will die. LET THEM BE HAPPY. For God’s sake, JEM DID NOT JOIN THE SILENT BROTHER KNOWING THAT THERE WILL NEVER BE A CURE FOR FUCKING YIN-FIN AND THEN GETS IT JUST FOR TESSA WHO IS IMMORTAL DIES ON HIM. CAN THEY PLEASE BE HAPPY FOR JUST ONE FUCKING CENTURY?!! IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK?!! When Magnus showed up in the book, I literally wrote “MY BABY” and NOW YOU’RE TELLING ME THAT MY BABY IS DYING?!! AFTER ROBERT’S DEATH, YOU WANT TO TAKE THAT AWAY FROM ALEC?! MY ALEC!!!! *breaks into tears/ Ocean Jojo now formed*

END OF THE INFERNAL DEVICES SPOILERS.

TY AND KIT. What I love about relationships, more than the normal happy ending is the tug war before the beginning of the relationship. I knew they were gonna happen, but there was no direct confirmation of it, but I read the synopsis for THE WICKED POWERS before finishing this book and it was ruined (the tug war that is). I am still excited for these two characters because I fucking LOVE TY!!!!!!!! And IDK what or how or anything will happen to him in the next book. IDK how will he cope with that? IDK how will Kit be involved in the grieving process? Livvy was his friend too!! I don’t know how they will both deal with that but I want to cry, this is too hard!

Cristina, Mark, and Kieran. I honestly don’t know what the fuck is going on with them, but I LOVE IT. I don’t care who ends up with whom, they have this weird chemistry/ friendship that I can’t define but it’s sort of calming and beautiful. Whatever happens, I want them to stay friends forever. Until Cristina and Mark dies that is. I also love how Faerie speak, they are so eloquent and there’s beauty in their words. Creatures of Wizarding Words. And Mark is so fuckin sweet and cute, that is not what I had expected after the creepy “Why lie? in Lady Midnight. He is powered on by caring and thinking too much about everyone in a good, kind way, not in the vicious way that of Julian. And Cristina, I can’t stop thinking that she is not a faerie, Idk if it’s because she is sort of obsessed with them and she adopted some of their wording or why exactly. And I am so happy about her friendship with Emma, they confide in each other without judgments but also without the “whatever” attitude. I LOVE THIS!! And Kieran, HE HAS GROWN SO MUCH ON ME!! That scene with Magnus/Alec’s kid !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOOOOOOOOOOOVE IT!! He is also becoming more humane in a way, I think Mark’s and Cristina’s influence on him kinda of made him more empathetic.

Emma and Julian. I cannot stop thinking that one of them will die by the end of Queen of Air and Darkness. I CANNOT STOP THINKING THAT!! I can’t even tell right now if the curse hadn’t taken place and is making Julian more frantic and crazy. He was literally thinking about ending all the Parabatai bonds in THE WHOLE WORLD, so he can be with Emma. Yes, it was just a threat to be used as leverage, but was it?! I do not trust him, I do not trust that he will not fucking burn the world to the ground for his family, and Emma is his family. And now that Livvy is dead, this craziness will take on a whole new level, I cannot predict anything concerning any of the characters’ mental, or emotional status after this book. But I also have this idea, that Julian will try to bring Livvy back using the black book, or Emma would do that using Cortana?! I don’t think he will that go, tbh! And Emma, she is the sacrificing kind of warrior, so I am like 90% she will die.

See, this why Livvy’s death is a freaking catastrophic! SHE IS A CENTRAL CHARACTER TO ALL OF THEM, THEY WILL FOREVER BE CHANGED BY THAT! YOU CAN’T PREDICT ANYTHING, NO ONE CAN!! WE ARE DOOMED UNTIL 2019!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is the longest review I have ever written and I am pretty sure I forgot a lot of stuff from that beautiful 697 pages book and 2 pages of equal agony and pain.

What are your thoughts on it?

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#Lord of Shadows #cassandra clare #booklr #the dark artifices #book review #book reviews

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lunacanis99 · 5 years

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Part 2 Lorlin

"Take it slow Sly." Lorlin hums with concern as Priskan helps her shakily to her feet. She's confused, obviously, they all were. But she'll find her feet fast.

Unlike Tharizdun, who is currently keeping a hand on his angel for support. It's strange to see a literal god so weak, but it assures him the Hydras will be able to manage whichever path they choose, no matter what those "Church and State" say.

"You should have waited." Impi fusses. "You should have let more of your power return."

"Nonsense." Tharizdun purrs, eyes gazing adoringly over each Hydra in turn. "This is their reward. For retrieving our little lost souls for us."

"What's so special about that half breed anyways?" Malice snarls. "He seems like he's more trouble than he's worth."

"I have to agree." Wildfire hums, adjusting his goggles. "All he seems to do is talk."

"They are very powerful." Erabus cuts in. "Trust me."

Lorlin bares his teeth slightly at the emphasis his mate puts on the half angel's pronoun, still uneasy with how much she cares for ones they're supposed to be against.

She wouldn't betray us would she?

He shakes the thoughts away. He has to trust his team.

"Powerful is barely a start to it." Tharizdun hums with hardly hidden joy. "They can hear secrets, anything hidden you wouldn't want heard, all against your own will, without you knowing. Once that power is in my hands I'll know everything those pesky adventures don't want me too. Every step of their plan~"

"Everything hidden?" Wildfire mumbles, a sliver of fear marking his voice.

"Everything!" The god enthuses. "From all of those little monsters they've ever been around."

That's when Wildfire grabs Lorlin's cape, a silent sign he easily takes as the two slip away from the others, further into this dungeon until they're out of earshot.

"We have to stop him from breaking that kid." Wildfire gasps.

"Woah hang on." Lorlin hushed him with a snarl. "You're talking treason Wildfire."

"I'm talking saving our asses!" The gnome snaps back. "Did you not hear what he just said?"

"Uh thank you for being amazing?" Lorlin questions. But the look 'you're not the brightest pup in the litter' look from Wildfire tells him he missed something.

"The half angel that can hear secrets. Specifically: things you wouldn't want heard, from anyone they've been around."

Lorlin slowly let's his ears fall back with the realization. "We've all seen them..."

Wildfire nods. "And what would we not want found out?"

Lorlin gasps. "Everything? From our plans if we turn on him to how we've all talked to Church and State peacefully, some of us have even HELPED THEM! And we've known where their little base was this whole time...." Lorlin runs a hand through his hair. "We are so fucked!" He'd just gotten them back, his family. They were finally together again. If Tharizdun found out before he brought Nestor back...

"What do we do?" Wildfire questions.

Of course, Lorlin is the leader, he has to be the one to protect his team. Erabus has done too much for them to lose it all now.

So the hybrid makes up his mind. "I'll deal with this..."

But as he whirls Wildfire catches his cloak. "He'll kill you..."

"Better than all of us."

"No." Wildfire snaps. "I wont let you do that! We all stay together!"

"What other option-"

"Why not just blame it on the hybrid rage?"

The boys whip around to find, of course, Cortana had followed them down the hall and was watching them.

"He'll still kill him." Wildfire insists.

Cortana just shrugs. "Then offer him something only Lorlin can give him."

"Like?"

"The island." She shrugs nonchalantly but the others blink in confusion. Before she starts to spin her lie. "Well we may have grabbed Robin off the mainland, but Videus did know where Robin was. And since Lorlin was the one who made the deal, Videus only told Lorlin how to find where they stay. So only Lorlin can lead us there."

Wildfire starts to object but Lorlin cuts in.

"And of course, we were waiting till after he broke the half angel to tell him. Make it more useful a raid..."

"We'll be lying to the god of deception. We won't be able-"

"Yes we will. Because Erabus will back whatever story we tell."

"... and she can talk circles around him~"

They're obviously all still worried, but the decision had been made. So Lorlin nods as the others murmur their quiet concerns and wishes of luck before he stalks off, making his way down the hall.

Luckily for him, Malice and Enla are engaged in a slowly heating argument at guard of the half angel, so he's easily able to slip past them unquestioned. And stepping into the room is a sorry sight, the poor kid couldn't be more than 10 but they're sat tied to their chair. Lorlin even feels sympathy as he noticed the half angel's bleeding wrists and head and bruised throat, as the half angel lifts their eyes to meet his gaze.

Lorlin swallows his nerves. "No one's bothered to heal those?"

Robin first glances down at their wrists then back up at Lorlin, before a soft accepting smile spreads across their exhaustion ridden face.

"I don't suppose it will matter in a moment..."

He hesitates. ".... suppose not."

"Will you at least-"

"Yeah. Yeah... it won't hurt."

Robin's smile somehow softens. "Thank you."

Part 3

#dnd #mof #dungeons and dragons #mantle of flames

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clockworkopera · 7 years

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Theories on Parabatai Bond Revisted Post LoS:

And the standard disclaimer: My theories are built not just on the Dark Artifices, but from all the previous Shadowhunter books, and will contain SPOILERS (including from Lord of Shadows). These ideas are based solely on book canon.

The parabatai curse does exist. Lady Midnight felt a bit unfinished with Emma turning her life completely upside down because of one paragraph from Jem, but it’s also been verified by the Unseelie Queen and Magnus, so they are definitely in trouble. We even learn more about the madness from Magnus (LoS pg599):

Magnus: “You become unrecognizable as a human being. After you become a monster, you are no longer able to tell friend from enemy. As your family run toward you to save you, you will rip the hearts from their chest. ”

Julian felt as if he were going to throw up. “That—I’d never hurt my family.”

“You won’t know who they are,” said Magnus. “You won’t know love from hate. And you’ll destroy what’s around you, not because you want to, any more than a crashing wave wants to shatter the rocks it breaks on. You’ll do it because you won’t know not to.” He looked at Julian with an ancient sympathy. “It doesn’t matter if your intentions are good or bad. It doesn’t matter that love is a positive force. Magic doesn’t take note of small human concerns.”

So, the best solution/offer Magnus had was to suggest exile: “And because parabatai magic is some of the most precious and most ingrained in what you are, exile deadens its power. All the things the curse intensifies—the power your runes give each other, the ability to feel what the other is feeling or know if they’re hurt—exile takes those away. If I understand magic, and I know I do, then that means exile would slow the curse down immeasurably.”

Slow it down, not stop it. So what happens to the Parabatai who can’t slow it down?

I made an argument in earlier posts (before LoS was released—it is outdated now) that the Parabatai bond might be connected with the Silent Brothers and Iron Sisters, and although I was hoping for more specifics to either verify or debunk that idea, not much has changed on that opinion. I’ll review for those that are new to following me.

What makes the Silent Brothers and Iron Sisters so different: their runes. The problem with Parabatai who love each other: their runes. Coincidence?

When Magnus talks about becoming a monster is that a physical description? And if it is, then would it match what the Silent Brothers physically look like? They are twisted and mutilated and everybody sees that. Question: Would Angel magic performed correctly have that affect? For having no frame of reference Tessa was terrified when she first saw one, but even those indoctrinated to see the Silent Brothers as a normal part of their culture see that something is wrong. Remember how the NY gang had to prepare Clary before they took her to the Silent City for the first time—words included, self-mutilation, warped and creepy (COB pg157-159)

Then there are the ‘mystical’ aspects. When rescuing Tavvy, Emma and Julian spoke to each other with their minds (something only the Silent Brothers can do). Their Runes were powerful enough to rival the healing of Silent Brothers when Emma saved Julian’s life after the poisonous cross bolt. Emma survived being blasted by the power of the Black Volume and Malcolm’s warlock magic with an Endurance rune. They melted stone at the church in Cornwall. The only Shadowhunters who can compete in wielding that level of power are the Silent Brothers and Iron Sisters.

Theory: What if the Silent Brothers and Iron Sisters were created as a means of separating Parabatai that become too powerful? Magnus recommended exile as a way of deadening the bond—slowing the curse down, but what happens if it’s not enough?

So, the Clave separates them: the men become Silent Brothers and the women become Iron Sisters, and their excess magic becomes the fuel for the Clave’s power from everything from wards to witchlight to Seraph blades.

And from the Codex (pg194): “In exchange for their special abilities, they have given up some of their humanity.” They sever a piece of their humanity and can no longer feel emotion. Would that halt a curse of madness?

In ‘After the Bridge’, on Cassandra Clare’s Tumblr, it’s the most we hear about Jem’s life as a Silent Brother. On Tessa: “He’d wondered during his time in Idris, after the heavenly fire had cured him, if it would still be like that with them: if his human feelings would return to him. He had been able to touch her and be near her as a Silent Brother without wanting her as he had when he was a mortal. He had still loved her, but it had been a love of the spirit, not the body. He had wondered—feared, even, that the physical feelings and responses would not come back the way they had. He told himself that even if Silent Brotherhood had killed the ability of his feelings to manifest themselves physically, he would not be disappointed. He had told himself to expect it.”

And if that isn’t bad enough in COHF (pg233) Jem tells Jace: “We—they don’t die, you know; they fade after many years. Stop speaking, stop moving. Eventually they are entombed alive.” (YIKES!! What do you think Will would have thought of that?) He also says, (COHF pg232), “But, I was never an ordinary Silent Brother.”—we assume it was because of his yinfen poisoning, but could it be he never reached that level of power because he wasn’t in love with Will?

The marks used to keep their mouths and eyes permanently closed are the Marks of Fettering (Codex, pg195). The very definition of fettering is to restrain with chains or manacles—while the Sisters (Codex, pg197), “They wear simple clothes, long white gowns bound tightly at the wrists and waists by demon-wire.” (bound by demon wire?). And the Iron Sisters sigil is a heart pierced with a blade. The language makes me think of prisons rather than a voluntary monastic order.

Jem says, (LM pg659), “Not everyone has a parabatai, but the fact that they exist is part of what makes Nephilim what they are. Without them, we would be infinitely weaker, in ways it is forbidden for me even to explain.”

If this were the case, then if the Parabatai bond were uprooted and severed in all parabatai it could both free and put an end to the Silent Brothers and Iron Sisters. But who would then forge the Adamas into steles and seraph blades—they would be as weak as the Nephilim in Edom.

There is a lot of debate on choices to make. Would Emma still say no if she thought Julian would be turned into a Silent Brother forever? I can see her making the sacrifice of becoming an Iron Sister, but would she ever let Julian suffer that way?

And let’s not forget that the Unseelie King now has the Black Volume along with Annabel. If he could weaken the Nephilim by destroying that bond, that might be the first thing on his agenda to do.

There is one thing I haven’t seen anyone ask. Who was powerful enough to place a curse on the parabatai in the first place and why? I think there might be a workable solution if they can figure that out. The Black Volume may be the obvious choice because it is the only choice, but I don’t think we should discount the possibility of other avenues.

***There is the Faerie binding spell between Mark and Cristina: Mark said, “A binding spell like that can tie two people together and send one of them mad, make them drown themselves and pull the other in after them.” Kieran also indicated: “That sort of binding spell is one of the oldest,” he said. “Oldest and strongest. I do not know why someone would play such a prank on you. It is quite vicious” and when Cristina asks for help he answers, “I could speak to my brother, Adaon. I am meant to ask him about taking the throne. I could inquire of him as to whether he knows anything of binding spells or how to end them.”

From my understanding to become parabatai is a combination of both rune and a spell. There has been speculation on Cortana cutting through the rune to sever their tie, but I think the curse lies with the spell and it doesn’t seem too dissimilar to the Faerie binding one. Since Magnus was able to sever Mark and Cristina’s spell, maybe he could sever the spell part of the parabatai using something similar.

***Another option I considered was inspired from an observation Julian made about Arthur: As Julian followed Diana out of the room, he couldn’t help but wonder what solace it was that his uncle found in old stories of gods and heroes, of an earlier time of the world, one where plugging your ears and refusing to listen to the sound of the music of sirens could keep you from madness.

Maybe they could just block their ears metaphorically and not ‘hear’ the madness of the curse.

Just from the way things are shaping up it seems likely that Julian and Emma will feel the need to go to the Unseelie Court and get the Black Volume back from the King, not to mention their unfinished business with Annabel. But, I think Julian is smart enough to not take the risk of venturing into that Court without getting some sort of protection against madness. He’ll remember how real the experience was for them seeing Emma’s father in the Unseelie Champion and will want to guard against that. It would be cool if that protection could extend to protect them against the negative effects of the parabatai curse too.

***And finally, an angel might be able to do it. There’s been a lot of talk about using necromancy to bring Livvy back from the dead or her becoming a ghost. I like to think of her as ascending to become a Guardian Angel, especially with her exposure to the magic of the Mortal Sword. And she’d look out for her family—Julian too. She might be in a place right now where she could do something that she wouldn’t have been able to while she was alive—making her death mean something. She seems the type of person who would beat down Heaven itself to help protect her family, so let’s not give up on her yet. That is my favorite theory so far…

Let me know what you think. I’d love comments, questions, discussion—all of it!

#lord of shadows spoilers #lord of shadows #parabatai bond #guardian angel #silent brothers #iron sisters #theories #dialogues #TDA #original posts #parabatai bonds

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