#would it be like May under Tatiana's mark | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

daisymylove · 1 year

Text

I sincerely don't know if Im alone on this one, so I want to know what yall think. Again, I may get some heat for this, but it’s my honest opinion.

Something I noticed in my reread is that I grew a slight dislike for lucie in chot, and as someone who had always previously rooted for her, I’m currently annoyed at myself.The thing is, Lucie IS a very privileged and sheltered girl.She was born into a wealthy, loving family and, because of her apparent “normalcy”, never suffered the brunt of the shadowhunter prejudice like Tessa and James.

None of this is a problem in itself, but my point here is that there were always other people protecting, thinking and worrying for her, so I think not only she never realized how precarious her family’s position actually was, but also has no true understanding of consequences and how the “real world” works.She knew in some level that what she was doing regarding jesse was dangerous, but was never truly afraid of repercussions, bc unconsciously she knows there will be someone to catch her . And while I do like to see a character become aware of its own privileges along the narrative, there’s no growing here.She finished the book without ever realizing it, because everything was just SO easy and convenient, and that bothers me greatly.

In all fairness, how could she? she does whatever she wants with no consequences.

I feel so conflicted bc while I actually cheered when she brought jesse back in choi, and always shipped them, I find the outcome of her actions to be low-key infuriating.Lucie wasn’t willing to give Jesse up, but also never seriously considered giving up her comfortable life to start over with him somewhere.That ludicrous and set to fail jeremy blackthorn plan wasn’t even her idea, it was the people around her finding a way to fix her “mistakes” to save all of their asses from jail.

Lucie could’ve had her marks stripped, her father could’ve lost the institute, it could’ve costed Tessa’s life.Those guys had been waiting 25 years for the slightest opportunity to pounce on her, does anyone seriously believe they wouldn’t all automatically think the warlock mother was involved? How come there was some major necromancy going on under her roof and she had no idea? we know she didnt, but still All of this was severely downplayed and there was little to no conflict regarding it, and anyone can correct me if im wrong, but none of that ever dawned on lucie.She never fully thought about how her family would be implicated, and nobody brought that up to her.Zero confict just chill, I guess this is our life now .Dont get me wrong, I dont want that shitstorm to actually happen,I just wanted her to become AWARE of it

she literally brought home this complete stranger to them all (we know jesse, the characters dont) that was 8 years her senior (it doesnt matter his body was frozen for 7 years, mentally jesse is 24), Tatiana’s son, and had been dead up until last tuesday, but nobody save perhaps jessamine, and god it pains me to agree with jessamine had a problem with that.Instant acceptance, no resistance, no objections at all.All it would take for that lie to crumble would be ONE trial by the sword at any point of their lives and everybody was as chill as chicken joe from surfs up

Her fight with Cordelia pissed me off too. Lucie meddled on something she had no right and no knowledge of,and demanded things of Cordelia without even being willing to hear her out. ”oh the poor thing is suffering so much bc of you, why can’t you just take him back?” GIRL, FOR ALL SHE KNOWS, UNTIL A WEEK AGO, HOME BOY WAS SWEARING UNDYING LOVE AND BURNING DOWN MANORS FOR GRACE BLACKTHORN.

WE know poor james was ensorcelled and fighting it, but what was cordelia supposed to think of it? How dare she assume that Cordelia “took advantage of James going to Cornwal to run away with matthew”?

The demon of secrets in edom scene was plain ridiculous.”yo I had a childhood crush on your brother, sorry for never telling you, I was embarrassed” is not a big deal.The fact that they needed demonic intervention for THAT so late in the book baffles me

While I do think most characters were severely nerfed on this book and behaved ooc on several occasions (swear to god I have some mild ptsd from all the times cordelia ran and did unhinged things) , my conclusion about Lucie’s arc is that she took her good life for granted, endangered her entire family, didnt grow from the experience, but still got everything she wanted with no consequences or sacrifices.She lost a cousin along the way, but who cares about that guy? what was his name again? Its my understanding that Lucie never even faced a trial.Thats unrealistic and bad writing, if you ask me.When I think it over, the word that comes to me is...spoiled.

And dont get me started on the fact that she found out Malcom was planning on doing full blown necromancy and didnt do anything about it.How that had no repercussions AT ALL still blows my mind.

The worst part for me is that I genuinely believe Lucie deserved better you know?

If lucie and cordelia hadnt been allowed to become parabatai, and jesse had received some other minor yet life changing punishment, and we had seen a trial scene I would’ve been satisfied, because at least it wouldn’t have been nothing.

397 notes · View notes

erigold13261 · 1 year

Note

:/ your NSR AU is Dark... I like it!! Sorry for asking so much but How does West feel after all of this? How will NSR look like in the 5 years?

Don't be sorry for asking questions about my AU, I love talking about it so any questions are welcomed! (also, glad you like the darker aspects of this AU! I was scared people wouldn't like it because it is a darker take on the game)

At first West feels extremely guilty and at fault for everything, mainly because he was already in an emotionally vulnerable state from Zuke disowning him as a brother. He felt like a shitty brother already and that just grew as he found out his brother almost died to 1010.

He was so full of guilt that he sold his house and land to move back to the city and take care of Zuke. And Mayday, but only because Zuke asked him to since the 3rd rap battle never happened so he had no reason to end up liking May (as a friend, not anything more).

Overtime though, that guilt turned to anger at NSR. It's one thing for NSR to come after him, but they went after his family and he is willing to do anything for his brother now to make things right.

As for NSR in 5 years, it really depends. I have been tossing the idea around of another revolution taking place (either with just Ex-Jay, or Kliff getting someone new, or Neon J being an insider for the revolution) so that would change things whether or not a new revolution takes place.

Either way, I would say that after the revolution failed, any story I tell with characters would be about 2-3 years later. So either NSR starting to collapse or a new revolution would take place then, and not directly after the failed revolution. That would mean, depending on what happens, 5 years after the failed revolution there are different outcomes.

If no new revolution takes place, NSR slowly crumbles from the inside with the current Megastars. DJ definitely gets fired, Eve might get demoted from second in command (in case Yinu/Mama would become second in command), and Neon would either have been fired and separated from 1010 or would be slowly drinking himself to death while 1010 stay the same in the public eye but get more dysfunctional behind closed doors. Sayu's crew would be the only ones who prosper because they would finally be old enough to get away from their families and live true to who they are (but still with a lot of trauma and unhealthy habits to unlearn). Tatiana keeps her control and power over NSR with no real change taking place. She just keeps replacing artists when she can hoping a new EDM artist would fix things but it never does.

If a new revolution does take place and succeeds, then NSR goes under a lot of internal reconstruction and fixes a lot of problems that were going on. Robotic fears and musical monopolies fade away. DJ, Neon J, and 1010 are able to quit and live their lives away from the public. Eve gets therapy and comes back better than ever after a small leave of absence. Yinu and Mama work through their problems with each other and take a long leave of absence (but Yinu probably come back around the 7 year mark with a new passion while Mama retires fully, just being there to support Yinu). Sayu's Crew get help earlier from their families which allows them to start healing sooner than if no revolution happened. There are also more charters, not just new ones to take the place of old charters, but also extra ones in each district (so like Dream Fever has Eve and like 2 other megastars that have different genres). Tatiana takes a small leave of absence while Mystery Man takes her spot, she works trough some stuff and comes back willing to change and hear people's complaints. She now actively works to make things better and tries her best to correct the wrongs she did in the past, to the city, the people, and her employees.

And if a new revolution occurs but it fails again, then NSR will probably be dead by the time the 5 year mark hits. The company would not be able to fully survive the reputation they now have as controlling and inefficient. Slowly a new company (or companies) would pop up and take over NSR's position. Or a whole new city would take the title of "Musical Capital of the World" leaving NSR old news. Yinu and Eve would probably go to one of these new companies (Yinu probably without her mother, she would get a new agent that could get her away from Mama). 1010 probably don't survive, either being destroyed or sold by NSR as a way to make a profit, which leads Neon to have nothing in life to fight for and he goes back to live with his parents or drinks himself to death. DJ tries had been fired for a while and tried to be there for Neon but just couldn't. He would try to get back into teaching but probably fail and live a miserable life with nothing to motivate him to actually work or get better.

Sayu's Crew are either forced to resign (before NSR dies) because their parents don't think their job is worth it considering revolutions seem to take place every few years (which makes it hard for the Crew to survive living under their parents rule with no outlet, and even makes adulthood hard because they all get kicked out with no warning once they are old enough), or they are forced to take a new job at one of the new companies so their families can still get money from them. If they go to another company they would have a better chance of surviving and will even cut contacts with all their families once they get old enough and can finally strive and make Sayu how they want with no repercussions. Tatiana would have tried to keep even stricter control on everything, letting her paranoia and pride get in the way of her judgement. She refuses to step down and ends up running NSR into the ground trying to keep order. After NSR officially dissolves she vanishes into the world, probably changing her name again and tries to start over somewhere new.

[Safe to say, a new revolution that succeeds is the best option for a happy ending to occur. Otherwise there is a lot more tragedy than happiness that happens.]

16 notes · View notes

tokiro07 · 1 year

Note

Any UU moments in particular you are excited to see animated?

This is not at all what you asked, but because it's something I've been thinking about lately, I decided to answer your question with my expectations for how the anime is going to break down episode by episode and then just highlight which events are my most anticipated

Season 1:

Ch. 1

Andy and Fuuko vs. Void and Shen

Trip to Baikal, meeting Gina

Gina defeated, meeting the Union

Clothes, trip to Longing, Spoil Phase 1

Spoil Phase 2, Victor awakens, Spoil defeated

Victor vs. the Union

Addition of Galaxy, trip to Rio

Meeting Chikara, battle with Rip begins

Tatiana vs. Feng and Creed, Tatiana's backstory

Andy, Fuuko, Tatiana and Chikara vs. Rip and Latla

Child Rip introduces Under, Chikara joins the Union, Fuuko resolves to become stronger

Season 2:

(13) Brief recap, Billy's betrayal

(14) Apocalypse retrieved, Juiz explains the loop

(15) Undead X Unluck, meeting with Anno Un

(16) Soul Calibur, journey through Andy's memories

(17) Andy and Fuuko vs. Victor, closing the book, death of Sean

(18) Negotiations with Rip, Autumn Phase 1, death of Anno Un

(19) Autumn phase 2

(20) Juiz vs. Billy, battle with Feng begins

(21) Battle with Feng, death of Shen

(22) Resurrection of Shen, Feng defeated

(23) Summer defeated, Winter goes unchecked

(24) Deal with Under, Winter defeated, meeting with Under

Season 3:

(25) Brief recap, Who would win: Hydrogen Bomb or a Spring Breeze?; Fuuko resolves to break out

(26) Fuuko vs. Kururu (extended scene dedicated to Kururu to fill up time); Fuuko's message to Andy

(27) Plan to take on Under, Top and Chikara vs. Creed begins

(28) Creed defeated, "I love you, Fuuko"

(29) Andy vs. Billy

(30) Andy concedes to Billy, Spring battle begins, Fuuko chooses Beyblade and summons Isshin

(31) Isshin's backstory, Beyblade battle

(32) Karuta battle, Spring Phase 3

(33) Union+Under vs Spring

(34) Spring defeated, final cherry blossom viewing, Fuuko assassinated

(35) Union vs. Ruin, addition of Ghost

(36) Preparation for Ragnarok, Andy leaves the Union

Season 4:

(37) Brief recap, meeting with Lucy, rampage through the Rules, addition of Seal

(38) Andy vs. Seal, sealing of Lucy

(39) Sealing of Andy, escape from Seal, Rip arrives

(40) Andy vs. Rip

(41) Rip and Latla's backstory, death of Rip and Latla, Andy resolves to Loop

(42) Andy vs. Nico, Andy vs. Ghost

(43) Tatiana vs. Ruin, Billy arrives

(44) Billy vs. Ruin, Juiz explains the Loop (again)

(45) Fuuko becomes the leader of the Union, God's descent

(46) Union vs. God, Juiz's Rebellion

(47) Death of Juiz, Victor's Rebellion

(48) Ragnarok, Anno Un's epilogue, Fuuko's declaration of war...Fuuko meets Akira

[Season 5: Loop 101 Arc in progress]

I may have the timing a little off here and there, a few plot points might take a little longer or go faster than I anticipate, but I think it should be pretty easy for there to be a strong finishing point or cliffhanger every 11-13 episodes, standard length for a seasonal cour

Also, I'm honestly just really impressed with myself: I did this with minimal reference to the wiki, I really just have the general order of events memorized, apparently. It went so well that I feel like I must have forgotten something really important and will end up having embarrassed myself

My real worry is that this is just going to become a repeat of what happened with Medaka Box, though; I made a similar prediction around the same time (approximately the 150-chapter mark) that would have organized the current material into four seasons with a fifth planned for the remaining story, and LOOK WHERE THAT GOT ME

Here's hoping David doesn't hurt me like Gainax

#undead unluck #uu spoilers #uu anime #spoilers #fouryearsandananime #...WAIT I CAN PULL OUT SIXSEASONSANDAMOVIE NOW

16 notes · View notes

warwickroyals · 2 years

Text

CHAPTER XLVIII: HARSH TRUTHS

Beginning | Previous | Next

Transcript under the cut - Click for HQ photos

AUTHOR’S NOTE: I hate writing Louis's scenes! He's so hard to write. Doesn't help that he's basically gaslighting Phillip here

All likes, comments and reblogs are greatly appreciated! Thank you for the support 💜

[LOUIS] While I admire your conviction, my decision is final. The boy needs order and discipline, two

things he’s evidently been lacking for years. Despite whatever it is he might think, I’m doing what’s best for him. He’ll get leave and holidays, I’m not permanently separating him from his child or her. My only regret is not acting sooner.

[LOUIS] You’re still here.

[PHILLIP] We need to talk about James.

[LOUIS] Why?

[PHILLIP] You know why.

[LOUIS] You may take a seat, Phillip.

[PHILLIP] I’d rather stand.

[PHILLIP] I had the most interesting conversation with Tatiana yesterday.

[LOUIS] I assume this is about why certain members of this family don’t know the true circumstances of James’s passing.

[PHILLIP] Certain members. I’m talking about his own children. And mine too, by the way, which—Thanks for that.

[LOUIS] None of my grandchildren know currently, nor will they ever know. The public narrative has proved sufficient.

[PHILLIP] I don’t care about whatever bullshit narrative you fed the public to protect your ego. I want to know the truth.

[LOUIS] It’s not about my image. You’re upset, I know James’s suicide left a mark on you in particular, but you have to understand: James spent most of his life hiding whatever it was that was tormenting him. He hid it flawlessly from the public, he hid it from his family semi-successfully, and when I realized that he could no longer go on hiding that side of him, he took his own life. I’ve probably taken years and years off my own life wondering why he did what or if it could have been prevented, but I still can’t make sense of it. In some ways, James’s tournament has become my own.

[LOUIS] If I can’t make sense of it, or even cope with this . . . horrible tragedy, what makes you think that a twenty-year-old child will? If Nicholas and Alexander knew the truth, everything they thought their father to be would be destroyed, it would be like killing him all over again. Especially for Nicholas, he wouldn’t know how to process that and remain. . . sane.

[PHILLIP] It’s not our right to hide this from them . . . I don’t know how to even explain this because you’re not going to listen.

[LOUIS] Whether you’re here for it or not, they will find out the truth and hate you for it. I don’t think you’re protecting anyone, you’re just preventing your grandchildren from properly grieving their father.

Do you honestly think their grief would have been easier to process had they known? Don’t be ridiculous, it would give them no comfort to know that their father shot himself in a drunken haze. How do you make sense of that? How can you rationalize—

[PHILLIP] Rationalize? How could you not rationalize any of this!? It’s the logical conclusion to what this family does to you!

[PHILLIP] Everyone here is either miserable or gone. This family sucks the life out of you until you’re just a shell and then . . . and then it goes on. God help you if you have anything resembling human emotions once you’re in. You’ll be spat on, and laughed at, and profited off of, and harassed, and made to loathe every painful, hellish moment of your life.

[LOUIS] Of course you would find it reasonable, Phillip, you have a bent for self-destruction.

[PHILLIP] Don’t you dare do this shit to me! You’re not going to cast me as an over-emotional crazy this time. I’m trying to get better, I’m inching myself forward, I’m trying to protect the people I care about. I might not be a good person, but at least I’m better than you, I haven’t spent the past fifty years never facing the consequences of my actions.

[LOUIS] Oh, so you’re a reformed man now? Explain to me how gallivanting across the southern coast with a woman almost eleven years your junior is helping you inch forward. You’ve been saying “I’m trying” for your entire life, Phillip. You’re in no position to grandstand—

[IRENE] That’s enough, Louis.

[PHILLIP] Mama, you knew about this, too. You kept this from me.

[IRENE] Darling, you need to understand that we’re doing none of this out of malice. We only want to protect the children. You most of all have suffered terribly after James’s passing. You relapsed. Your marriage fell apart. Honestly, Phillip, what concerns me is your eagerness to have your own nephews join you in that suffering.

[PHILLIP] I get it. I really do, you two are in denial, but this is craziness.

[IRENE] When you were a baby, James was terribly jealous. He cried incessantly; the nannies told me he’d pinch you when they weren’t looking— [PHILLIP] Mom, stop—But the older you got, the sicker you grew with depression and anxiety, the more terrified James grew that something horrible would happen to you. He wanted so badly to protect you, and seeing you in pain hurt him more than he was willing to admit. Phillip, you knew this. Sometimes harsh realities do more harm than good.

[PHILLIP] You resent me. Both of you. You hate the fact that I’m still here and James isn’t.

[IRENE] Of course not. I love all my boys, but right now, you’re holding us back.

[PHILLIP] I’m holding you back by being honest?

[LOUIS] Look around, Phillip. It’s a truth no one wants to hear.

35 notes · View notes

electricfied-wolf · 3 years

Text

Some more camp councilors because I said so

Miles: Enhanced intelligence/Psychic powers

Garnet: Future Prediction/Seer

Mayday: Song spells/Bard ______________________ ODFJKLMJIOKLDF THE CHESS REFRENCE IM SCREAMING-

#megacrossover #ace attorney #steven universe #nsr #no straight roads #Camp AU #not my art #would it be like May under Tatiana's mark? Because she's Tati's niece #but because May's parents are dead #and Tatiana adopted her and Zuke #that'd put May under Tatiana's mark #but she'd still probably be a counselor #some of the powerful peeps have to do other jobs so the older members of their cabin would step up as the counselor #BUT YEAH IJOFKOJJIODFK MILES...CHESS....LITERALLY IM LOSING MY MIND #submission

7 notes · View notes

lex-malla-non-est-lex · 3 years

Text

Tatiana, Belial, and their plans relating Jesse in the past

I’ve dabbled on this topic a few times but your comment really got me thinking. @delilahssbard

This turned out long so I’ll put it beneath the line.

Like, ever since CoI I’ve been highkey thinking Tatiana intended for Jesse to be possessed, but the specific phrasing you used reminded me of a part of ChoG and suddenly everything fits even more now.

- Chain of Gold

Back then, I honestly assumed Belial was talking about preference here, especially since he’s made it clear the reason he could possess James without destroying his body is they share blood, but that’s clearly different in Jesse’s case.

Considering how it’s repeatedly clarified that the anchor was placed on Jesse while he was a baby, that fact is probably significant. If anything, I’d dare say the anchor seems to be a workaround Belial’s destruction not just because he was literally anchored to Jesse’s soul, but by way of tolerance, especially since James also seems to have drawn a similar conclusion.

- Chain of Iron

There it is. Belial would have the anchor and a body to possess, as Jesse grew older. The anchor was in him since almost day one, and Tatiana clearly knew about the anchor, but what’s to say she wasn’t involved? We know the only one who was reluctant to place the anchor on Jesse’s soul was Gast. At no point is Tatiana mentioned in this until Belial outright says that he owed her a favor.

Jesse is just Nephilim, unlike James and Lucie, so by all accounts, a normal possession by Belial would have destroyed him, but the anchor intervened in such a way that there didn’t seem to be any visible consequences at all to him being possessed repeatedly (unless we subscribe to the theory that Jesse’s ghost started fading faster near the end because of the possession, but as of right now we honestly have no way to be sure about that specific fact).

We know Jesse’s childhood sickness involved fevers, and perhaps weakness, the latter coming from the statements in which he’s specifically referred to as weak. We also now know that the real reason Jesse died was because the rune he was given reacted badly against Belial’s essence inside him. Jesse’s description of his own death is that he collapsed into bed after getting the rune, then woke up feverish and in agony. Honestly, that just sounds like a worse version of his alleged childhood symptoms.

Considering his death was basically the result of a rune’s angelic magic clashing with the demonic essence inside him, it wouldn’t be that much of a stretch to assume his sickness was just his nature as Nephilim having a bad reaction to Belial’s essence, even if he only died because of the rune. I find it frankly impossible to believe that the anchor wasn’t hurting him, because we know under normal circumstances Belial would destroy a body within hours.

And let’s be real, Tatiana knew this. The only question in relation to her is whether she intentionally let him die.

The following are all quotes from A Lightwood Christmas Carol.

“He is very delicate,” said Tatiana. “Nephilim like yourself wish to put Marks on him, because they are intent on killing my boy as they have killed everyone else I love. You sit on the Council, do you not? Then you are his enemy. You may not see him.”

“I would not force Marks on the boy,” protested Gideon. “He’s my nephew. Tatiana, if he is that ill, perhaps he should see the Silent Brothers? One of them is a close friend, and could come to Jesse at our house. And Jesse could know his cousins.”

Before CoI, lines like these could be shrugged off to Tatiana being paranoid about her son being hurt by marks because he’s sickly, but no, we know now that Tatiana is entirely correct.

And it makes perfect sense that she refused to even let the Silent Brothers examine Jesse. No doubt they’d have been able to notice what was wrong with him wasn’t a sickness. Tatiana made a show out of it to exacerbate her own hatred of Nephilim, but she isn’t unaware of things, she just likes to spin them in a way that can be used to blame her enemies for things.

“Father planned alliances for us, when we were children.” Tatiana shrugged. “How ashamed he would be of you. How is your grubby servant?”

Then there’s her attitude, of course. The implication that she thinks it’s perfectly normal to involve children in alliances and plans. We know she didn’t hesitate to have a dark power forced onto Grace, if anything, it’s implied she requested it. We know Tatiana only sees Jesse as something that is hers, not as his own person, so it’s completely within the realm of possibility that she involved him in her own plans for revenge, even if he was just a newborn with no choice in the matter (or perhaps because he had no choice in the matter, considering how badly she reacts to the fact that Jesse *gasp* has a different worldview than her).

“I don’t care!” Tatiana shouted. “My son is of the blood of two of the oldest of the Shadowhunter families. He is not weak like your son. Go back to your weakness, Gideon. Get out of my sight, get out of my house, and do not darken my door again. I have not missed your company, nor your brother’s, and I am relieved that my child will not grow up under the corrupting influence of either of you.”

Now, this one isn’t so relevant as much as it’s interesting, because while it looks like Tatiana is just flexing and being mean to Gideon, that whole implication that Jesse isn’t weak does compare to how Belial views Nephilim in general.

- Chain of Gold

Belial had the anchor placed on Jesse alongside his protections as a newborn. Humans never get such protections against possession, and Belial still chose one of the Nephilim as his alternate vessel. He was that plan of his as completely viable.

And much like Tatiana, Belial clearly sees Jesse as a tool, as a method to push his agenda.

- Chain of Iron

And assuming Tatiana knew of the anchor from the start, that checks out. Belial wanted Jesse as a vessel to get closer to his goal. If he’s never seen him as an end-goal, then he’s always planned for Jesse to be a temporary vessel. Tatiana wants the Nephilim destroyed. Letting Belial possess Jesse probably sounds like a completely reasonable thing to her. It solidifies her alliance with Belial, makes things easier for Belial, and as Belial himself implied, Belial owed Tatiana a favor.

- Chain of Iron

Seriously, I can say with reasonable confidence that Tatiana knew Belial would use Jesse, perhaps even agreed beforehand to the anchor itself being placed, because to the both of them, Jesse was basically a puppet. (I mean, even the clothes she had him dressed in within his coffin literally scream Belial)

Then of course, what I believe to be the nail in the coffin for Tatiana’s involvement is just what she tells Grace near the end.

- Chain of Iron

She literally has the audacity to claim Jesse was to blame for his own death and basically defended Belial. You know, Belial, who was possessing and controlling her son. Belial, who placed an anchor in the soul of her newborn son and has basically robbed him of anything resembling a normal life or even afterlife. Tatiana is taking Belial’s side on that without any hesitation.

If anything, Tatiana might have let Jesse get runed just to be able to tell him off, like “ha, told you you were too weak to be Nephilim” or something like that, despite knowing damn well the reason runes would kill him was Belial. Tatiana had literal demons to do her bidding, I don’t doubt she could have physically prevented Jesse from following up on his threat to run to Alicante if she didn’t let him get runes, had she wanted to.

Belial probably can control the dead like Lucie can, most likely having far more experience at it. Tatiana surely knew that. Belial said Tatiana called him after Jesse died, and that he owed her a favor, hence the preservation of Jesse. Obviously, Belial benefited from this, but clearly Tatiana saw Jesse’s death as an opportunity to bend him to her will, because he never shared her beliefs during his life.

Now, this is actually where I believe Tatiana and Belial’s views of the situation diverge. Belial outright says raising Jesse as Tatiana wanted wouldn’t suit him. He had Jesse kept in that so-called twilight state that certainly proved useful to Belial, but I don’t think whether Jesse was alive or not mattered pre-Cortana. Not only does Belial clearly not care about consent, he also probably wouldn’t need it, because his anchor was already deep within Jesse’s soul. Jesse being dead or alive was likely irrelevant to the possession, since the one part of Tatiana’s statement that’s correct is that Belial probably wouldn’t have guessed Jesse would die as he did.

Tatiana wanted Jesse resurrected for herself, for her own desire to have her son follow her beliefs and intentions. Belial just cares for Jesse as his vessel. While they’re allies, I don’t think those two usages were as compatible as Tatiana thinks they were, which is probably why Belial outright says reviving Jesse wouldn’t have suited him, and honestly both of them seem pretty angry about losing control over Jesse.

(Belial’s clearly salty that Lucie exorcised him and Tatiana’s mad he’s “in the clutches of a Herondale”, but clearly both of them lost something they valued as an instrument, none of them are actually mad about their loss of access to Jesse as a person, because they’re honestly both terrible people, to say the least).

I know I called that other one the nail in the coffin, but in relation to Tatiana letting Jesse be runed even though that was practically bound to kill him, Belial outright says Tatiana killed him, even despite recognizing the rune was technically the cause.

- Chain of Iron

TL;DR: Tatiana definitely knew about the anchor, Tatiana definitely knew Jesse would be possessed and used by Belial, and Tatiana also definitely let her son die just because it suited her.

#coi spoilers #choi spoilers #chain of iron spoilers #tlh #the last hours #tlh theories #jesse blackthorn #belial #james herondale #tatiana blackthorn

80 notes · View notes

luciehercndale · 3 years

Text

James/Jesse Analysis

Jesse and James Analysis

Let’s talk about James and Jesse today, shall we? I know I’ve talked about Jesse too much lately, but bro, I can’t stop. *clown face* And we need to talk about James more, so here I am. Why do I believe James and Jesse are mirroring characters? Let’s see.

SHADOWS

James is the son of a shadowhunter and a warlock. Therefore, he is considered impure from the point of view of the most traditional shadowhunters who still can’t accept love between a shadowhunter and someone who isn’t/wasn’t a shadowhunter. By marrying Tessa, Will said FU to the ideal of a “pure” and “uncorrupted” bloodline that the shadow world had been imposing to them all for centuries. Due to his warlock heritage, James inherited the ability to turn into a shadow and to visit shadow realm(s). His power only manifested during his time at the Academy, when he turned into a shadow for the first time. The news was public because he disappeared in front of everyone. During COG, we saw how this happened several times. James still isn’t sure what is the reason that makes him turn into a shadow. Perhaps it’s fear of being hated by the people he loves, or that his ability (that the traditionalists see ass a monstrosity) will reflect upon his family who has a few haters in the Clave. He doesn’t want the people he loves to suffer the consequences of something he didn’t even ask to inherit. And it’s not his fault either, that he has this skill. He thought he had solved this problem after hurting Belial, but we saw that it was not, and he visited his grandfather again in another realm in COI. James can turn into a shadow, but he is afraid he won’t be able to revert it anymore and that he’ll be stuck in that state.

Unlike James, Jesse is the son of two people from two prominent and old shadowhunter families. But his mother despises shadowhunters and doesn’t wish to meddle with them because she claims they are evil, and also murderers who killed her husband and father. Jesse grew up as a mundane, in theory. We know that he trained alone, but without the marks, he wasn’t a recognized shadowhunter yet. No one ever knew Jesse, they only got glimpses of him through the years. And then he died, forfaiting every chance he had to become a shadowhunter like he wanted to be. Everything about Jesse’s life was kept private, and only Lucie, Grace and Tatiana can see him. It only became known in COI, that his body had been preserved, and in COT there will be explanations to give as how he managed to come to life. We met Jesse as a ghost, and have been quite in the dark about most of the circumstances surrounding his death. We just knew he was in a twilight state: he is a shadow/ghost but he isn’t dead, because his body had been kept safe in order for him to return to it someday. Jesse’s ghost could only appear at night, and he didn’t know where he went during the day. It isn’t clear to us either, but perhaps, he might also have disappeared entirely, or he went to a shadow limbo where his soul was unconscious or dormant. COI ended with his soul/shadow returning to his body and to life. We still don’t know much about Jesse, though, and I hope we get his POV.

BREATH OF LIFE

After James visited Belial’s realm and returned to the cemetery, he was dying. Jesse gave James his last breath, which saved him. It was the first time James saw Jesse, and the latter said he could see him because he was close to death. In fact, Lucie can only see Jesse because she is tied to death because of her power. Jesse claims to have no idea about his last breath’s business, and we see that once he gives it up, he starts vanishing even more. It was definitely important, but it didn’t stop Lucie from commanding him back to life. One thing is for sure. Belial’s goal in COG was to possess James’s body. He asked for his consent first, but James refused, so he used Jesse’s body, to whom he never asked consent. There could have been part of his soul in that last breath, and it is possible that due to this, Jesse and James may be somehow linked. James used to have vivid recollections whenever Belial committed the murders posing as Jesse. He also seemed to have moved, sleepwalked, even, despite he tied himself to the bed, but he isn’t aware how. James asked Belial, but Belial said that he never gave James visions, but he might be lying. Jesse might have willingly given away his breath so that Belial could bother James from afar, but I don’t believe this is the case. I think Jesse was really in the dark about Belial and his purpose, otherwise I believe he would have never consented to have his body misused to commit crimes.

BODY AND SOUL

James can turn into a shadow, Jesse used to be a shadow. The first could revert back to his body, but the second couldn’t do anything without the aid of someone like Lucie, who can command the dead. Jesse was lucky that his mother kept his body intact for all of these years, otherwise, he wouldn’t have had a body to return to. And Belial also put an anchor in his body to prevent his soul from returning there, which was destroyed by Cortana. While James was under a spell because of the gracelet and his emotions were clouded, Jesse’s body was under a spell and he couldn’t use it because his spirit was trapped between life and death. His emotions weren’t clouded, on the other hand. What I want to say is that it’s possible that through Jesse’s breath, James was able to “witness” the murders while Jesse was currently unconscious because Belial had taken over his body. I wonder if this won’t stop after Jesse was revived. He got his body back, and James also got his emotions back because the gracelet broke down. What if he’s still able to see through Jesse’s vision and he might be the one to dream about Lucie’s location? It may still work the same way. He wouldn’t have access to Jesse’s mind. He would just “dream” vividly about it, so it would be unconscious and unpredictable.

TDLR; Jesse has been a side character in COG, and we’ve seen more of him in COI for good reasons. But I think that he will be more than a side character in COT, considering the title. I expect James and Jesse to have more connections in the last book, both of the similarities/oppositions type. With Jesse getting back his body, I’m sure that Belial will try to lure James to give him his body one last time. Third time is the charm, as they say? He might even try to possess him against his will; who knows what the last breath can do? It could be another anchor for Belial, a way for him to access James’ body easily. We’ll only have to wait to find out.

Tagging: @lucie-blackthorns @ghostwriter-supremacy

#tsc #tlh #jesse blackthorn #james herondale #coi spoilers #chain of iron #chain of gold #the last hours #tsc theories #the shadowhunter chronicles #belial #lucie herondale #tweety.writes analysis

53 notes · View notes

cassandraclare · 4 years

Text

Our December flash fiction piece, A Lightwood Christmas Carol, is the second part of a two part story. If you didn't read part one last month, or want to refresh your memory, click here:

Otherwise, read on!

PART 2

“So,” Gideon said to Will the next night as they patrolled together in Mayfair, “the whole thing was a wash. I’m not murdering some poor bastard’s dog.”

Patrol with Will was normally a relaxing experience for Gideon. They enjoyed each other’s company, and demons had become so scarce in London that almost all of the time it was only a night stroll with a friend. Will even periodically recommended that they investigate for any suspicious activity in some local public house known to him.

Tonight, of course, there would be no ordering a quick round as a cover story for interrogating, i.e. merrily chatting up, the barstaff; Will was far too full of Christmas spirit. He had insisted on taking them by Trafalgar Square and spent many minutes in admiration of its temporary giant tree, and had stopped—twice!—to admire groups of carolers and applaud them. Gideon was bearing up well, he thought, considering. He even got into the spirit a very tiny amount, which is to say he was willing to eat some of the roast chestnuts Will bought.

Now Tatiana (and the dog news) had deflated Will’s mood, and Gideon felt a little badly about it. Will was frowning thoughtfully. “Why not just offer her money?” he said.

Gideon sighed. “Because Tatiana has plenty of money, all of our family money. And Gabriel and I have only our salaries as Shadowhunters. She doesn’t need money.”

Will looked scornful. “Everybody likes more money.”’

“Normally I would agree with you,” Gideon said, shaking his head, “but you did not see Tatiana’s state of mind. She cannot be approached in the way you would approach a rational person. I must do this task for her, but of course I cannot. Hurt a dog, of all things. I would never. Disgusting.”

Will stood looking past him for a long moment, and eventually Gideon said, “Will?”

“We will take care of it,” Will suddenly said. His gaze snapped back to Gideon’s face, and he was smiling. “We will give Tatiana what she wants, and we will not hurt any animals in the process.”

“We?” said Gideon, raising his eyebrows.

“Well, it’s my plan,” Will said reasonably. “So obviously I’ll be along.”

Despite himself, a smile played at the edges of Gideon’s mouth. That was the one thing he had over Tatiana, after all. He wasn’t alone.

###

The front door of Chiswick House swung open with somewhat more speed than it had two days prior, and Tatiana’s suspicious face appeared. She was wearing the same dress she had been wearing before, to Gideon’s dismay. In her left hand she carried the cleaned skull of some unidentifiable small mammal; Gideon didn’t wish to inquire why.

Tatiana’s glare quickly moved from Gideon to Will, who was bopping up and down nervously behind him. Will had insisted on coming, against Gideon’s better judgment, and only now did he realize the possibility that Tatiana might not even see him if Will was along.

Will, for his part, did his best. “Hullo, Tatiana my love,” he said. “Many greetings of the season! How excellently you’ve kept up the place.”

Tatiana blinked at him, startled out of whatever she had been about to shout. Gideon knew that Will had three good nips of brandy in him, and reckoned that was probably the best way to handle the situation. Meet the unexpected with the unexpected.

“Why have you brought my nemesis to my house?” Tatiana said, in the same tone she might have used if she were asking why Gideon had failed to return a book he’d borrowed.

“Crikey,” said Will. “Nemesis? Tatiana, I bear you no ill will. Have I ever, even once, interfered with your life? With your going about your business?”

“Yes,” said Tatiana. “Twice. Once when you murdered my husband, and once when you murdered my father.”

Will made a choked noise. “I murdered your father because he murdered your husband! And I didn’t murder him, he’d changed into some kind of great serpent.”

“A worm, Will,” said Gideon quietly. “He was a giant worm. Not a serpent.”

“As I remember,” said Will, “it were a great wyrm, from the depths of the Abyss, that we dispatched.”

“It was not,” said Gideon.

“It was my father,” ground out Tatiana, “and I wish to know, Gideon, why you have brought him here? I asked you to perform a task for me.”

“And I have performed it,” Gideon said briskly. “Mr. Herondale was good enough to come along, to help protect me from this most vicious of dogs that you described.”

“It’s actually quite vicious,” Will agreed.

“If you’ll just let us come in,” Gideon said.

Tatiana squinted at both of them as if trying to see through a possible glamour. “Well, come in, then. But you won’t get tea.”

“Tatiana,” Will said with an understanding chuckle. “There’s obviously no way I would ever consume any food or drink at your house.”

This was going rather well, Gideon thought.

Ensconced back in his father’s office, with no tea offered nor taken, Tatiana said, “Well?”

Gideon reached into his jacket and lay a dog’s collar, a weathered length of leather cord, down on the desktop with a flourish.

Tatiana looked at it and then up at him. “What is this?”

“It is the dog’s collar,” Gideon said. “A trophy of our dispatching it.”

She looked at it again. “This tells me nothing. You could simply have taken the collar off of that dog.”

“Madam,” said Will, “if I may? No man could possibly have taken the collar off of that dog. I would advise no man to put their hand within several feet of that dog’s neck, if they wish to retain said hand. Now that that collar is off, no man could ever put it back on.” He spoke in serious tones.

“I need something more,” Tatiana said. “If you killed the dog, you must know where it is. Go back and bring me the dog’s tail, or something.”

“Tatiana,” Gideon began, but Will interrupted.

“If I may again,” he said, “the dog resides on the far side of the very tall and very pointy iron fence that stands between the dog’s property and the road. Climbing over that fence at all is a feat that I would advise only the most well-trained of Shadowhunters to attempt once, and I would recommend they do it empty-handed, rather than carrying some random bit of dog. I’m afraid that the collar will have to suffice.”

Tatiana sat back and shook her head, dissatisfaction wrinkling her mouth. “Proof that you have dispatched the dog,” she said, “and not merely that you have encountered it.”

Gideon waited for Will to jump in again, but Will was silent. He seemed unsure how to proceed. Finally, he said, “Tatiana, give him the papers. Because it’s Christmas.”

“What?” said Gideon in disbelief.

Tatiana looked at Will with loathing. “Mundane holidays are meaningless to me.”

“I should have guessed, yes,” muttered Will.

“Please,” said Gideon, at the end of his rope. “My son—he’s…he’s like your son.” Tatiana stared at him in silence for a moment, so he pressed on. “He’s…he’s very small, and he’s often ill, and we worry about his survival. We worry about when we will put Marks on him. Like you do, with your son.”

Tatiana continued to watch Gideon in silence with a lizard-like stare.

“I know we do not see eye-to-eye on our family history,” he said doggedly, and ignored Will’s quiet hmph! from beside him. “But we are family nevertheless, and we may both have…inherited something. From our father. Something we’ve now passed to our sons. I must look through the papers to see if there is any clue there.”

She stared for a long and agonizing moment, and then she said, “Get out of my house.”

“Tatiana,” he began.

“How dare you compare your son and mine!” she said, her voice rising in volume. “Anyone could guess where the weakness in your son originates, and it is obviously with your decision to mix your blood with the most mundane you could find!” Her voice had risen to a shout.

“Sophie is an Ascended Shadowhunter!” Will shouted back, staunchly, and Gideon realized he was happy that Will was there.

Gideon made to stand up, but Will said “Tatiana, if I may yet again,” and he sat back down. Tatiana glowered at him. “I think,” Will went on, in a newly serious tone, “that if you and I could step outside into the hallway for a moment and talk in private—just for a moment. Give me three minutes, that is all. And after that, we will depart and we promise never to return. Right, Gideon?”

Gideon did not much wish to promise never to return to the house he’d grown up in, so he only said, “Whatever you wish.”

Tatiana examined Will’s face carefully, and then said, “You have two minutes, starting from this moment.” She rose from her seat and made for the door.

“Will, what are you—” Gideon began.

Will put the tip of his finger to his lips to quiet Gideon. “Trust me,” he said. “I believe that I can create a Christmas miracle.”

Helplessly Gideon watched his sister and his friend depart and close the door behind them. The seconds ticked by. Two minutes passed, then another two, then three more.

Then Tatiana came back into the room, followed by Will. Gideon tried to read Will’s expression, but it was neutral, nonchalant.

In Tatiana’s hands were two notebooks, packed with loose papers supplementing their own contents. Their covers, and the loose pages, were densely smeared with soot. “The papers of Benedict Lightwood,” she said. “You do not deserve them. And I am not gifting them to you. They are part of the house, and the house is mine, and they are also mine. You shall have them to peruse or copy at your leisure for the term of one week, and if they are not returned by that date, in their original condition, may the Angel have mercy on your souls. Both of you,” she added in Will’s direction.

Will threw up his hands in surrender. “I really just came for the dog-wrestling.”

Wondering, Gideon took the papers from her. He turned to look at Will, who murmured to him, “A Christmas miracle,” with a small smile.

“Come now,” Gideon said in the carriage on the way back from Chiswick, “what did you say to Tatiana to make her concede?”

It was snowing, that rare snow with very little wind, so flakes fell in a picturesque fluttering, rather than battering at the carriage like they might have as they made their way through Hammersmith, back in the direction of Central London. Will leaned back in his seat and gazed out the window.

“Well, if you must know,” he said, “I delivered an extremely well-considered speech, touching on the topics of the importance of family, the virtue of forgiveness, the need for all Shadowhunters to be allied in the fight against demons, the smallness of the sacrifice being asked of her, the pointlessness of revenge, and, of course, the giving nature of the season.”

“Oh?”

“Yes,” said Will eagerly. “And then, I counted banknotes totalling two hundred British pounds sterling directly into her hand.”

“Will!” said Gideon, shocked.

“I told you,” Will said airily. “Everyone likes money. Even mad revenge-seeking sisters, with the dried blood of their husbands on their frocks, like money.”

Gideon was flummoxed. It was an enormous sum. “You didn’t have to do that, Will,” he said. “She doesn’t deserve the money.”

“What she doesn’t deserve,” Will said hotly, “is the moral victory. It was money well-spent to be gone from that house.”

Gideon opened the journals, marveling at Will Herondale. His financial standing was better than Gideon’s own, surely, but two hundred pounds was an enormous amount of money, well more than Will could throw away on a lark. And yet he’d not hesitated to wield that money for Gideon’s sake, had in fact, Gideon now realized, brought the money with him on purpose.

So strange, Gideon thought with a sidelong look at Will, who continued harrumphing to himself quietly in victory. At this moment this boy he’d despised as a child was more his family than his own actual sister. And he found he was able to accept that. A Christmas miracle indeed.

“I really had better return these to Tatiana in a week,” he said, examining the journals again before he started reading. “Or she’s like to set a demon on me.”

Will chuckled. “Ha. Maybe she would at that.”

Gideon paused. “She might, you know. All jokes aside. It’s a legitimate possibility.”

“It is,” agreed Will, a little more grimly.

Minutes passed, during which Gideon skimmed the papers, frowning. After a time he found himself back at the beginning, and he wrinkled his brow, bemused.

Will turned back from where he had been watching the Bath Road go by. “What is it?” he said.

“There’s nothing here,” Gideon said, frustrated. “Plenty of terrible things, of course. My father was a…a…” He struggled for the right word.

“Monster?” suggested Will.

“Pervert,” said Gideon carefully. He shuffled through the pages until he found one that was only an elaborate diagram his father had made up in pencil and showed it to Will.

Will blinked at it. “Jiminy,” he said.

“But there’s nothing here that would cause weakness or fragility in his descendants,” Gideon went on. “No curses, no hexes, no demon poisons….”

“Only the pox, then,” Will said dryly.

“Yes, but that isn’t hereditary,” Gideon said. “We looked into that years ago for our own sakes.” He shuffled the papers. “All that trouble, and for nothing. Thomas remains frail and I remain unable to do anything for him.”

There was a silence and then Will said, “Gideon, it is Christmastime, and Christmas is a time to tell the truth. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“If you say so,” Gideon said, waving his hand. From his experience Christmas a time to sing in the street and eat a goose, but who knew what strange traditions Will had from his mundane childhood. “In any event, I’d agree you should tell the truth whatever the time of year.”

“Gideon,” Will said, clapping his hand on Gideon’s shoulder. “There is nothing wrong whatsoever with Thomas.”

Gideon sighed. “That’s very kind of you to say, Will, but—”

“But nothing. Thomas is just small. Sometimes children are small. He’s not cursed or hexed.”

“He gets sick,” Gideon pressed. “All the time.”

Will laughed. “Do you have any idea how sick Cecily was as an infant? She was colicky, and then she had fevers…she cried more than she slept, those first few years.”

“And then what?”

Will threw up his hands. “And then nothing! She grew! She fell ill less and less often. That is the way of children. And we did not have terrifying mute telepathic doctors to take care of us. Does Thomas eat? Does he exert himself when he does feel well?”

“Yes,” Gideon admitted.

“Well then,” said Will, leaning back as if his point was made. “Put your mind aside from your supposed cursed family. Tatiana’s son is sickly—does that surprise you, now you’ve seen the house? Now you’ve seen Tatiana? No, of course not.” He looked at Gideon intently. “Thomas’s only trouble,” he said firmly, “is that he is an adorable wee thing.”

Gideon stared at Will. Then he broke into laughter. Will laughed too, his usual hearty chuckle, and Gideon found himself feeling better. He was still worried about Thomas—he would be for a few years, he knew, until the boy had passed the time of worrisome childhood ailments and could be protected with runes—but he felt better nonetheless. He had thought of many ways he might feel on the way back from his sister’s house, but “better” had not been one of them.

“Christmas miracle,” Will whispered gleefully.

Well, thought Gideon. Some kind of miracle, anyway.

#the infernal devices #the last hours #tid #tlh #gideon lightwood #cassandra clare #tsc #shadowhunters #cassandra jean #william herondale #flash fiction

3K notes · View notes

msbrightsides · 3 years

Text

The Betrayal in COI

So Cassie has been promoting Chain of Iron w the tag line “you never forget your first betrayal” and I’m thinking about who could be betraying whom. I’m gonna theorize some possibilities, please lmk your thoughts on this!!! note: I hate pretty much all of these ideas personally bc it’s gonna be so painful so please don’t take this as what I want to happen

Lucie: someone betraying Lucie wa s the inspiration for this post bc she’s the cover star and will likely lead this book a bit more than she did in ChoG.

Jesse: it hurts my heart to write this but maybe Jesse knows more than he lets on? Maybe him withholding information about Tatiana’s activities causes someone to get hurt or killed, and Lucie blames him for it. Maybe Jesse gave his last breath to James and knew/later learned that it was part of Belial and Tatiana’s plans to get James under their control

Grace: my theory is that Lucie and Grace get kinda close but then she throws Lucie under the bus about resurrecting Jesse, which would fit into other theories about Lucie losing her Marks for necromancy. This could also tie into the same reasoning as Jesse, where Grace knows more than she says about the murderer and Lucie finds out. Also, once Lucie knows about the gracelet and how it’s being used to control her brother, she’s probably going to be real pissed with Grace.

Cordelia: this is the betrayal that would hurt Lucie the most I think. Maybe whatever strange power Cordelia swore an oath to compelled her to hurt Lucie and she had to comply for some reason.

James: he has a shortlist of people who are currently doing him dirty, but maybe there’s others?

Grace: this one’s obvious, since she’s emotionally manipulating him for her own needs and he still hasn’t realized yet. I’m not sure how forgiving he’ll be no matter her reasons.

Lucie: Lucie secretly doing necromancy with Grace behind everyone’s back probably won’t go over well with him. And since Jesse, James, and Belial are probably all tied together somehow, maybe Lucie forces James to help.

Matthew: we all have a bad feeling about Matthew’s future, so maybe he’ll try to make the loss of their parabatai bond “easier” by hurting James beforehand. Or he lets on that he’s in love with Cordelia and this compounds the complicated emotions James already feels

Cordelia: *see mysterious oath to mysterious being. Maybe Cordelia’s intention will be to help him but he doesn’t see it as helpful or it backfires and is definitely harmful

Cordelia: there are quite a few people who may betray her for personal gain or to weaken her and James and cause mayhem

Lucie: Lucie’s secrets with necromancy and working with Grace may eventually come back to Cordelia. She’d probably be upset she’s working w the one who’s disrupting her love life, but more that their actions will probably have serious consequences that will probably impact Cordelia.

James: he’s already on thin ice since the gracelet makes him unaware of his true love for her, but he’ll probs do more stupid stuff bc of it and cause tension between them. Also him possibly being the murderer may be a source of contention.

Matthew: we know that they become closer friends in this book and confide in each other, so maybe Matthew makes some self-sacrificing decision and uses something Cordelia told him in confidence against her. His idea of “softening the blow” once he’s “gone”

Elias: I think Cordelia already feels a little betrayed by him since she had no idea he was an alcoholic her whole life and is definitely conflicted about him coming home. We know that he makes a shocking demand of James, and maybe that demand is insulting to Cordelia in some way. Maybe he admits something to her about his trial that comes as another shocking revelation, or does something while drunk that is unforgivable

There are others that may suffer from a betrayal of some kind but I only have one or two possible people for them so maybe if there’s interest I’ll make a separate post? This ones long enough for now but I would love any and all thoughts!!!

50 notes · View notes

unspecified-trash · 3 years

Text

Reunion

This is my first time writing a fic, and I don’t plan on making it a regular occurrence; but I couldn’t get the idea of Jesse finally meeting his uncles out of my head so I wrote it.

Fandom: The Shadowhunter Chronicles / The Last Hours

Character: Jesse Blackthorn

Read it on AO3 if you want

Jesse had never felt this nervous before. Sure he had been frightened when he saw Lucie in the Thames that day and was terrified after discovering she intended to bring him back to life, but both those occasions he had been scared for her, not for himself. This was the first time Jesse had ever felt truly afraid for himself.

“What if they hate me, Grace?” Jesse whispered.

Grace had sent a message the previous day to his two uncles, Gideon and Gabriel Lightwood, that she had to meet with them and their families urgently, preferably at Gabriel’s home in London. In the letter, she explained a wish to make amends for both her their mother’s and Grace’s hateful actions towards the Lightwoods. However, they did not know that thanks to Grace and Lucie Herondale, Jesse had been revived after 6 years and intended to finally meet his family. Truthfully no one but the three of them knew he was alive, but tomorrow that would change.

“What if they turn me away and demand I never return? I wouldn’t blame them after all our family has put them through.” He confessed.

“Why would they hate you for any of that Jess?” she replied. “You haven’t done anything wrong. It is me who needs to worry about being turned away. They have no reason not to love you, and from what I was able to gather from Christopher regarding your death, it seems that they did. They mourned you and wished to meet you as well. I promise you, it will be alright big brother.”

Grace’s reassurance had allowed him to sleep relatively soundly through the night. How odd it was to sleep again. He was so used to roaming around at night and simply not existing during the day, that it felt strange and frankly a bit scary to lay down in a bed again and let sleep overcome him. Nonetheless, Jesse felt mostly rested when he awoke, but the terror inside him hadn’t settled. He had only a few bites of his breakfast and dressed in a hurry. He had spent hours the previous night deciding which of his new suits to wear. He opted for a black tailcoat, a dark green vest and pinstriped trousers. The vest had been a gift from Lucie which automatically made it his favourite.

Lucie had asked if Jesse wished for her to accompany him to meet this family, but he had refused, knowing he had to face them by himself. However, he did tell her that he would be happy for her to join in telling the story of his revival when they all went to the Institute for lunch; an event that Lucie was organising.

Once he was ready Jesse went outside and wait for the carriage. Since the Blackthorns didn’t have their own (yet), Uncle Gabriel had agreed to send his own to pick Grace up.

He couldn’t help but worry again about what the Lightwoods would think. He had a vague memory of meeting his uncle Gideon when he was ten and insisting he would become a shadowhunter. Uncle Gideon had told him that he wanted to meet Jesse, but that was fifteen years ago, and his uncle could have easily changed his mind. He never met his Uncle Gabriel, and therefore had no prior knowledge on what to expect from him.

He was shaken from his thoughts with the sound of the door closing behind him. Grace descended the front steps of Chiswick wearing a simple charcoal teagown and coat. By then the carriage had arrived outside the gates and was waiting for them. Jesse helped his sister board the carriage then climbed in himself. He sat across from sister but refused to look at her. Instead, he propped his elbow under his chin and gazed out the window, returning to his troubles. Grace seemed to understandthat no amount of reassurance could stop Jesse from worrying now, and simply reached her hand across and held his. Jesse gave her her hand a small squeeze but didn’t take his eyes off the changing scenery outside.

Winter was coming to a close now. The snow plaguing the roads was beginning to melt and people were ditching their winter coats for thinner jackets, but Jesse still shivered. It was incredible feeling the cold again. After not feeling much of anything for six years. Before he could bask any more the carriage came to a stop and the driver announced their arrival.

Jesse turned to Grace with fear in his eyes. ‘This is it’ he thought. He would finally know his family, for better or worse. The carriage door opened to reveal the steps of the Lightwood home and Jesse helped her exit. However, he could not muster up the strength to stand up himself and leave the carriage.

“I can’t do this” he croaked.

“Yes, you can Jesse,” Grace assured. “I will be right here with you, and they will love you. I promise.”

He gave her a small nod, but neither the fear in his eyes nor the sickly feeling in his stomach wavered.

Last night they had agreed that it should be Grace who knocks on the door, as it was her who requested the meeting. As Grace approached the door, Jesse stayed a few feet back and waited. All of his fears came back to him and swirled around his head. He remembered the awful stories Tatiana would tell to him when he was young, convincing him his family was evil, that they had murdered his father in cold blood. Although Jesse knew that his mother’s claims were false, he couldn’t help but fear for his life. He was terrified his uncles would want to kill him for all his mother had done to them. As he heard grace knock the door he considered making a run for it, but alas it was too late.

The door swung open to reveal a man with brown hair, an angular face and bright green eyes like his own. Gabriel Lightwood. Behind him stood a slightly shorter man. He had sandy hair and greyish-green eyes. Jesse recognised him as his Uncle Gideon and noticed he had not changed much despite not having seen him for the better part of fifteen years.

The two men had not had the chance to acknowledge him yet, as Grace immediately captured them in an earnest stare. However, after a moment, Grace stepped to the side to reveal Jesse to his Uncles.

For ten seconds all any of them could do was stare. Jesse could see feel their eyes boring into him as the emotions passed through his uncles’ expressions; recognition, sadness, confusion and fear. Finally, they both seemed to settle on disbelief.

Uncle Gideon’s eyes were wide as he whispered. “Jesse?”

His knees wobbled and Gideon steadied himself using the door frame as Gabriel continued to stare. Before anyone said anything else Jesse was suddenly enveloped in his uncle’s arms. He could something warm and wet dripping onto his shoulder. The hug became tighter as Jesse felt another set of arms wrap around him. In that moment, Jesse fully realized that he was alive again. His mother’s lies would never plague him and Grace again and he would never again have to wander the nights alone in the forest. He can finally know his family and start the life he never got the chance to live. Jesse wrapped his arms around his uncles and let the tears fall.

After a few minutes Aunt Cecily came to the door and insisted everyone come inside to escape the cold. Jesse and Grace were lead to the living room where the rest of the Lightwoods waited.

Aunt Sophie sat on a plush chair holding who Jesse presumed to be his youngest cousin, Alex. On the sofa, Thomas was sitting next to Christopher, who was wearing clean clothes with no scorch marks. Unbeknownst to them, Jesse had accompanied Lucie to many excursions with the Merry Thieves while he was still a ghost. Therefore Jesse knew that Christopher wearing fresh clothes was a rare occurrence, and wondered if it had anything to do with Grace’s presence. Hovering over Christopher was Anna, wearing a handsome blue suit and her red necklace was hanging from her throat.

All eyes in the room turned to look at the new arrivals, and Jesse began to feel nervous again. He looked to either side of him where his uncles were standing and they both smiled and nodded, eyes still watery, urging him to introduce himself. He took a deep breath and turned back to his family.

“Hello,” he started, feeling ridiculous. “My name is Jesse, and I am your cousin. I know this may all seem crazy, and it is, but I’ve been waiting to meet you all for twenty-five years, so here I am.”

There were many questions, most of which he refused to answer until they got to the Institute and could include Lucie in the conversation as well. There were even more hugs and tears, but for the first time in his life, Jesse Blackthorn felt like he was finally going to live the life he had always wanted.

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

Let me know what you think!

#tsc #tlh #fanfic #jesse blackthorn #gabriel lightwood #gideon lightwood

16 notes · View notes

erigold13261 · 1 year

Note

B2J, especially Mayday really remind me of songs Rewrite by Asian Kungfu Generation and Zankyo Sakka by Aimer! Since both songs are in Japanese, I recommend you listen to the English covers! (Caleb Hyles Cover for Rewrite, and mewsic cover for Zankyo Sanka)

The WHOLE song Rewrite and the lines

No matter how hard, I will never stray

I will choose my heart, not whatever you say

I'll follow the light of the dream that I drew, I know I'll find a way

I didn't come so far and cry so hard to run away, it's time to go!

And even if I won't be chosen, I will choose myself

For Zankyo Sanka! Sorry for the long ask! Hope you have a great morning/day/evening!

Yoooo! Those songs are so good! Putting my analysis under a read more. It gets pretty long lol

Rewrite:

Okay I can definitely see how Rewrite makes you think of Mayday. It actually makes me think of some kind of standoff between Mayday and Tatiana. Tatiana rewriting the past and May rewriting what the future holds.

Like that first stanza of lyric really fits Mayday:

The reason I want to spit out these sentiments, Is I have no other proof I even exist My future that I thought I’d managed to grasp, Is a contradiction of all I thought that I had

They really just feel like May trying to make a mark for herself, saying what's on her mind and creating her own future because she wants to be remembered, she want to make proof that she exists in this world.

The next stanza is a lot more Tatiana:

The reason I want this old image erased Is I see my limits and I’m out of place In the window of my own self consciousness I see last year’s calendar with no dates on it

And it shows how Tatiana turned her back on her past, shut out everything and erased what once was because she wasn't who she needed to be.

Now I, I rewrite All these worthless visions And I’ll be unforgettable Come to life, and rewrite All my bad ideas I will make them disappear before your eyes

This stanza above goes back to Mayday with some Tatiana in it. They are both rewriting what they think is worthless. Mayday rewrites to become recognizable, give herself life and purpose, to keep going into a future she wants to forge herself. While Tatiana is rewriting to get rid of her past mistakes, making a future she thinks will learn from what she has done. But her rewriting only erases what she has done so people don't learn. They forget. Not what Mayday wants, which is to be remembered and for people to learn from her.

I cut off all my youthful feelings year after year After all they don’t mean much, they’ll soon disappear This rotten heart These filthy lies

And finally this last stanza (before the Japanese part which I will try to analyze thanks to someone's lyrics in the comment) is basically all Tatiana. She cut away her past, she threw them away and made them disappear. However, Tatiana never saw herself as the villain until Mayday came along, so I think those last two lines are Mayday talking/thinking about Tatiana and how she is a liar with a filthy heart because May has no idea of Tatiana's past because of the rewriting and erasing that has gone on.

Keshite riraitoshite / Erase and rewrite Kudaranai chougensou / the pointless ultra-fantasy Wasurarenu sonzaikan o / and the unforgettable sense of existence

Putting the last two stanza together (I was going to but I actually split it to make it easier to read). But these both again are about Tatiana and Mayday. It kinda feels like it is at the time of their battle, but slightly before and after, like a pendulum swinging between two moments in time from different perspectives.

The before fights scenes would be the"erase" part of the song, where both Tatiana and Mayday are trying to erase each other's fantasies and "unforgettable... existence."

May wants to wake Tatiana up from this complacent place that Tati is in where she thinks everything is fine when it's obviously not. To shatter Tatiana's existence and make her realize no matter what she does to erase the past, it won't be truly forgotten with how much influence Tatiana has.

Tatiana on the other hand wants to snap May out of this fantasy that rock is the answer to everything, make May realize that she is not qualified to rule Vinyl City because of her short-sightedness. Tatiana wants to erase May's influence on the city, on the world, and on herself, but the influence that May has caused already is never going to be undone, the problems of the city and Tatiana are now seen by everyone.

After the fight though, that is where the "rewrite" part comes in. Together they rewrite not a fantasy, but a future. A future they all thought was a pointless fantasy until after the revolution made it real. They are rewriting their existence from the past back into the narrative while also writing their future together so that it will be unforgettable.

Kishikaisei / Like rising from the grave Riraitoshite / Rewrite Imi no nai souzou mo kimi o nasu gendouryoku / the meaningless imagination that is also the force that drives you Zenshin zenrei o kure yo / Give it your whole body and soul

This last stanza feels like Tatiana's speech at the end of the game. She is looking back on the events that happened. She sees how Mayday rose from the grave of Rock, how she rewrote history. Not only that, but even though the word "meaningless" is used here, I can see Tatiana also saying May's dreams and imagination are "meaningless" but in a good way.

May doesn't have true meaning behind her thoughts a lot of the time. She is impulsive and reckless, but she has an imagination and morals that guide her. To Tatiana, these feels kinda meaningless, but she knows they mean so much to Mayday to the point that they are her driving force and what was used to stop NSR and bring a brighter future.

If anything, Tatiana calls it "meaningless" BECAUSE these are the same things that drove her when she was younger. The only difference is, that Mayday gave her body and soul to her imagination while Tatiana didn't. Mayday was able to do and to continue what Tatiana wasn't able to. So even though Tatiana might personally think it is meaningless, she knows that it is what is going to let Mayday write her own future and create and unforgettable existence.

Zankyou Sanka:

You know what, even though you gave me lines to specifically look at, I am going to also talk about this whole song because it literally sounds like Mayday and Zuke fighting against NSR. Maybe not entirely in order but definitely most of the cast (So get ready for more analysis!)

A flower slowly bloomed right here Glowing with red and spreading love around And with the moon shining high up above, they melt the harrowing colours away

So obviously with this first stanza it feels more like it is about Yinu. Yinu full of love, mainly from Mama spreading it. It is a nice and welcoming sight that NSR likes to promote to people. A workplace that a little girl can happily play piano and spread her happiness, love, and passion is something many people would love to have.

I was going to say the second half reminds me of DJSS, but that was just because they mentioned the moon. It actually feels more like the moon is acting like a spotlight onto B2J as they are at the Lights Up audition. Being on stage in the moonlight (stage light) melt away the harrowing colors, which would be the anxiety and stress that B2J felt before starting their audition. Once they started they no longer felt anxious as they let the music flow through them.

Rolling with the wind, stumbling again But each time I fall, I grow stronger and then I will embrace all the light and the pain, the anger deep inside Because if I won't be the chosen one, I'll choose myself

Okay, this stanza is DEFINITELY about B2J. The two just going with the flow a lot of the time but stumbling every so often. Especially if they get hit in the fight/level. However, they get stronger and more determined as they go on, even if they get hit. The two take that pain and push through to the end where they... get rejected.

They are embraced by red lights, but pain, by anger. They weren't chosen, Tatiana full on disrespected the two. And to Mayday, if she isn't going to be chosen by the elites, she will choose herself and show them what she can truly do. To make them regret ever rejecting her and Zuke as they will take that pain and anger and only grow stronger than NSR can handle.

I will shout and let my voice roar throughout the darkest of nights I'll wipe my tears to find the light Letting the sound ring and reverberate past everything in sight

And here is May's freakout before the blackout. I can see her crying and screaming at the pain she feels. So angry and bitter at NSR. Making a new song in her head to call them out for their shitty behaviour and treatment to smaller artists. She becomes an echo chamber for her own thoughts as she convinces Zuke to help her bring back light to the city. They both come together, looking past everything in their way to focus on the light they want to find.

Even if I'm not sure quite yet what every sound really means, or who I want to hear me sing No matter if I am scared or in pain No matter how long the struggle will take I'll let my song ring out loud!

This stanza feels like something that goes on in both of their heads as they fight their way through everything. They don't really know who they are fighting for. Yes they say they are fighting for the little guys, but they are also fighting for themselves in a selfish manner. They are fighting on behalf of Kliff without even knowing it. They are fighting for freedom in their heads but also potentially a worse future of control as they could go down the exact same path Tatiana did and make Rock the only genre.

But they fight still. Through the pain, through the struggles, they let their song be heard. Their voices echo with the voices of everyone who likes rock, of everyone who hates EDM, of everyone who sees the flaws that NSR has. This song rings out loud and becomes heard by the masses, boosting May and Zuke further into their fight for the light.

And even in a thousand nights, a single one is all you truly need As all the colours then reveal themselves, the scent of crimson covers it all

This would be the fight with DJSS. Out of all the hundreds of nights that the Lights Up audition has happened, out of all the years NSR has been running, all it took was this one night for the blood to hit the water and the course of history to change. A colorful glimmer of hope shines through the glass soon to be shattered as B2J defeat their first boss, showing that they are stronger.

No matter how hard, I will never stray I will choose my heart, not whatever you say I'll follow the light of the dream that I drew, I know I'll find a way I didn't come so far and cry so hard to run away, it's time to go!

This stanza kinda feels like Sayu's battle. May already is following her heart, she isn't straying from the path just because of Sayu's words. Zuke on the other hand, because even though he is in this 100% with May, his heart isn't fully in it, that is why Sayu is able to through him off his game for a moment with the "follow your heart Zuke" line.

And May snaps him out of it. She didn't come all this way, infiltrate the internet/Sayu's level, just to be stopped by a silly comment about following her heart. She IS following her heart! She's not going to run away, it's time to go!

And even if I won't be chosen, I will choose myself

And again, their resolve to beat NSR is once again bolstered as they defeat another artist. May doesn't waver in her choice for herself.

I will shout and wither my voice, and break through all of the dark A burning flower lights a spark Here in this world that feels hopeless and vague, my song will leave a mark

Now this stanza I at first only say Yinu and Mama, but looking at it a bit longer I can also see Neon in it (not so much 1010) and a bit of Eve.

Overall, it feels a lot like Yinu's stanza right now. She is fighting her own battle through the dark, just like May, but her world is hopeless and vague at times. The only thing keeping her going is her mom and her piano. They both leave marks on her that help her through the dark.

And Mayday destroys that. She lights that flower on fire. She makes Yinu feel hopeless again. And in turn, May is left with a mark from her actions. That song Yinu and Mama play at the end leaves a mark on B2J to think about what they've done. They just made the world hopeless for a little girl. They don't know how to truly feel about all of this anymore and are wondering if they are doing the right thing.

Lighting that flower on fire lit a spark though. It brought out 1010 and Neon's fight, especially Neon's. He's seen how dark and hopeless the world can be. He's broken through the dark into the light. His voice reaches out as he shouts commands and sings, even if it has been withered from war and injuries, he still can leave his own mark.

And as he is defeated, feeling that hopeless, vague feeling he never thought he'd feel again. That is when he marks B2J. He asks them what are they fighting for. He demands to know what they have planned. He is back in the dark while May and Zuke leave him there, in the ashes that they made from their fire.

As they make it to Eve, someone who still feels hopeless and vague, someone who is trying to shout her voice out and break through the dark, only for her shouts to wither away and not be heard, she takes the mark that Zuke left on her and uses it as a spark for their fight.

I'll count every single night so I can paint every morning I'll scream out my voice, so hear me sing No matter if I regret everything No matter how high the limits will swing I'll drown it all out, and shout!

As Eve's fight continues in this next stanza, we see how is trying her hardest to reach out to someone. Pleading for people to hear her, anyone. She is counting her nights, she is painting her mornings, she can't just live because no one is there to help her, no one is there to hear her.

She shouts out, and thankfully Zuke is able to finally hear her and that allows her to hear beyond her own shouts. She is able to see the paintings of mornings she made finally and appreciate the work she has gone through.

The rest of the stanza can also be seen as May and Tatiana's big fight. No matter if May regrets her actions or how high she swung at NSR, she still pushes through as she thinks she is right. She thinks having her shouts be heard will be the correct thing to fix the problems. She drowns out all her regrets and thoughts, trying to get through the fight.

And she does. But instead of continuing to drown things out, she stops and hears Tatiana. Here's the screams of the past, of the satellite, of all her regrets coming up to hit her in the face.

She chooses to help NSR. She is no longer going to choose herself, because she sees all pain, suffering, and mistakes she has caused to people. But she also doesn't push the pain and regrets away.

After she helps NSR against the satellite, everything is drowned out by her shouts and tears as she is finally chosen by NSR, and she is able to reject them because she wants to choose freedom and growth.

#nsr #no straight roads #nsr mayday #nsr tatiana #nsr zuke #song analysis #eritalks #noart #asks #this took a lot longer than i intended #so these song analysis asks will probably be done sparingly #since i have to listen to the song itself #and then basically write an essay #lol #but it was SO MUCH FUN!#i loved this #gonna add these two songs to my music selection

5 notes · View notes

propsandmayhems · 4 years

Note

Can you use the prompt “Can I kiss you?” with your favorite ship?

omg literally thank you sm anon because this was so much fun to write!! i got this ask and immediately started writing!!! i did blackdale which is not my fav ship ever but i just was so inspired so i hope u like

i also posted on ao3 since it ended up being so long

“Can I kiss you?”

Lucie Herondale x Jesse Blackthorn

Lucie Herondale should be happy.

For the first time in over a year, everything was going well. They had defeated Belial and Tatiana. Her brother and her parabatai were happily married. Matthew had quit drinking and was beginning to heal. She and Grace had successfully returned Jesse back to life and convinced the Clave it was done by Belial, not by their own involvement in black magic. She still had her family, her friends, her Marks, and was learning more about her powers with the help of her Uncle Jem.

Yet there was still something missing.

Upon his return to life, the Clave - in an uncharacteristic act of generosity - had given Chiswick House to Jesse. For the past three months, he had holed himself up in the great stone pile, working to attempt to return the grand house to its former glory.

The first month after she and Grace brought Jesse back, Bridget had begrudgingly driven Lucie out to Chiswick House every day. She would bring all sorts of offerings - new books; freshly baked jam tarts; perfectly sharpened daggers and even a brand new sword, the blade stamped with a ring of thorns that matched the pattern on his locket, which she had ordered in from Idris. Jesse would always meet her at the front door, attempt to refuse the gift, finally accept and then bid her goodbye. That first month, he never once invited her in.

But Lucie Herondale was nothing if not persistent.

The second month, he continued his work on Chiswick House. One day, the carriage came to an abrupt stop in front of a newly installed wrought-iron gate. “Well, this is new,” Lucie heard Bridget drawl from the driver’s seat. Hopping down from the carriage, Lucie took in the new gate, black metal soaring up into the gray London sky. On the very top of the gate, curving bars formed the words ‘Blackthorn Hall.’

“I’ll walk up from here, Bridget,” Lucie called over, while quickly scribbling an open rune on the metal. Slipping through the gate, she made her way up the stone drive, her boots lightly crunching the rock under her foot.

Looking around, Lucie could tell that Jesse had already made wonderful progress with the house. The front lawn was manicured and free of the overgrown weeds that had overtaken the hedges along the drive. Despite it being a dreary day, the white stone facade of the house even seemed to shine brighter.

Lucie had made it to the door and before she could take the knocker in her hand, it swung open. Jesse stood on the threshold, black hair tumbling in front of his eyes. He was in shirtsleeves, as he nearly always was when Lucie visited. Lucie couldn't bring herself to be scandalized, since she had grown so used to seeing him in shirtsleeves in his ghostly form. He wore no tie and the top two buttons of his shirt were undone, showing the entire curve of his throat and his un-Marked skin. “I was in the study and I saw you walking up the drive…” he began, and then wrinkled his eyebrows in confusion. “Where’s your carriage?”

“At the front gate. Bridget and I stopped to admire the new gate you installed. ‘Blackthorn Hall?’” She asked, to which a blush rose up on his cheeks. It still startled her to see him with colour on his face.

With a small smile, he nodded, “yes. Do you like it?”

“I do,” she grinned and then held up the basket she had carried up. “I brought you scones.”

“Oh,” he said, flatly. Lucie’s smile fell, and he hurriedly added, “I don’t think I’ve ever had a scone.”

“You’ve never had a scone?” She exclaimed. “How can you even consider yourself an Englishman?”

He laughed - a beautiful, sonorous laugh - and then looked at her for a moment. “Would you like to come in for tea?” He finally asked.

“I would love that,” she smiled. Jesse stepped aside to let her and the scones into the house, closing the door behind her.

Jesse led her through the foyer and up the staircase, then down a hall and into a drawing room. Although the wallpaper and decor in the room were dated, the wood of the furniture was polished to a shine, and the dust that had previously coated the walls had been cleaned away. A fire was roaring in the hearth, battling away the dampness of the cool, November day. Above the mantle, the sword she had brought Jesse was balanced on two pegs.

“Oh,” she breathed when her eyes caught the blade. Noticing what she was looking at, a flush traveled up his exposed neck and settled on his cheeks. “I am so glad that you like it.”

“I-” he began and abruptly stopped, his face morphing into an expression she was unable to identify. “Maybe you should go,” he said suddenly. Lucie’s face scrunched up in confusion as he stepped back from her. “If anyone found out you were here, just the two of us… you would be ruined.”

Lucie huffed. “Not like there are hordes of men knocking down the doors of the Institute asking for my hand in marriage anyways, Jesse.”

Watching his shoes intently, he took another step backward. “Please, Lucie, just go.”

“Fine,” she replied sharply, dropping the basket of scones on the conversation table on her way out.

After that, Lucie did not return to Blackthorn Hall. She hadn’t heard from Jesse in nearly two months. Now, Lucie watched from across the ballroom as her parents greeted the families arriving for the annual Christmas ball. Faces seemed to blur by her - the Wentworths, the Townsends, the Pouncebys.

Then Jesse Blackthorn walked through the ballroom doors. Lucie was convinced her heart truly stopped beating. He was dressed immaculately; all his clothes were obviously new and flawlessly tailored. His dancing oxfords were unscuffed and the black of his tailcoat was balanced by the crisp white of his waistcoat. He was a perfect picture in black and white, the only color in the entire image being the green of his eyes - which were fixed on Lucie.

When their eyes met, Lucie’s heart restarted at triple-time. All but ignoring her parents’ greetings, he moved across the room to Lucie with purpose. Too fast and not soon enough, he was standing close enough for her to reach out and touch him. But the memory of the way he had told her to leave flickered in the back of her mind. “What are you doing here?” She asked, crossing her arms across the red bodice of her gown.

“Well, the entire Enclave is invited to the Christmas ball, and I am a member of the Enclave.” He pointed out, to which Lucie rolled her eyes. He took a small step closer to her and continued, “is there a place we can talk, privately?”

Lucie looked around. Many were watching them, as Jesse wasn’t exactly covert in making his way over to her. A small voice in her brain was screaming no, you will be absolutely ruined! You will never be married as is, you are only making it harder for yourself! But her heart was thumping out the sound of Jesse’s name. She nodded, “yes. Follow me.”

With a relieved smile, Jesse followed her down the same hall that led to the games room and into one of the lesser-used withdrawing rooms. A fire had not yet been started in the room and the air was frigid, causing goosebumps to rise up on Lucie’s arms. After closing the door, Jesse turned to face her. In the witchlight that illuminated the room, the green of his eyes was the same colour as the canopy of trees in Brocelind Forest. “I’m sorry,” he started, moving closer to her. “I am truly sorry for the way I acted these past few months, and especially the last time you came to visit me. May I be frank with you, Miss Herondale?”

Lucie swallowed and nodded, unable to form words.

He took another small step closer to her. “You have permeated every inch of my mind. I see the colour of your eyes in the sky and the curl of your hair in the branches of trees. I hear your voice narrating the books I read. When I try a new food, I find myself wondering if you like it. When I manage to sleep, I dream of you. That first month… every day you came to my door and it was all I could do to not gather you in my arms, to feel your warmth. You risked everything for me - you could’ve had your marks stripped! I am not worth what you could’ve lost.”

She stared up to him, blue eyes wide. “I knew exactly what could’ve happened to me and I chose to take the risk. Because I care about you. I care for you in a way I have never cared for anyone else.” Gathering her red skirts, she moved towards him. “I, of course, would have done the same thing for my family or my parabatai; but I feel for you in a different kind of way. I can’t explain it, but some part of me just longed to have you beside me - to be able to reach out and touch you.” Tentatively, Lucie extended her arm across what little space was left between them. Laying her hand gently over his shirt-clad chest, she felt his newfound warmth for the first time. She remembered how cold he had been when he had been a ghost. But now, the heat from his skin radiated from under his shirt, warming the chill from her skin in the frosty room. “Is this okay?” She asked, and he nodded slowly.

“Lucie…” He began, searching her blue eyes with his own green pair. “I just fear I will never be what you deserve. I am not a man with any sort of honor. I live in a house tainted by years of demonic activity. I cannot even bear marks like a real Shadowhunter.”

“It is not up to you to decide what I deserve,” she said. She meant to sound menacing, but her voice came out as barely above a whisper. Unblinking, Jesse reached up and caressed her cheek.

The heat from his hand on her cheekbone sent sparks of fire all the way down to her toes. Lucie let her eyes flutter close and leaned further into his touch. He was warm, so so warm, almost burning hot. She quickly forgot the lack of fire in the room. “Can I kiss you?” He asked, thumb drifting over her lips.

“Yes,” she breathed, and in an instant, she was gathered up in his arms. The hand that had been resting on her cheek moved to cup her neck, sending jolts of lightning down her spine. Jesse partially bent down and partially pulled her up to him, connecting their lips. Lucie’s mind whirred with the softness of Jesse’s lips on hers, his hand on her neck, his other hand grasping at the silk bodice of her dress. I can finally write the perfect kissing scene! She thought with joy, then realized, wait… am I supposed to be doing something?

Slowly, she lifted her arms up around Jesse’s neck, coming to rest at the edge of the collar of his tailcoat. Wisps of his black hair brushed against her fingers. She turned her head slightly, allowing herself better access to move her lips gently against Jesse’s without clacking their teeth together.

Raising herself further on her tip-toes, she brought herself closer to Jesse. His hand at her waist encircled her tighter, bringing her body flush against his. Every one of her nerves was alight with the feeling of him surrounding her. His scent, his warmth, his taste. Lucie had never even considered that you would taste the person you were kissing! She had never liked the flavor of mint tea before, but she loved the way it tasted on Jesse’s lips.

Unexpectedly, Jesse removed his lips from hers. Dipping his head down, he laid kisses along her exposed collarbone. “You are my shining light,” she felt him murmur against her skin, his breath hot and his body alive.

She squeezed her eyes shut. She thought if she tried hard enough, maybe she could just melt into his touch and completely lose herself in the warmth of his embrace.

A quick rap at the door of the withdrawing room caused them to spring apart from each other. “Lulu?” her father’s voice called from the other side of the door. “Are you in here?”

She looked to Jesse in panic and then quickly remembered that Jesse was very much visible to everyone now. However, if Will walked in and saw the state they were in, Jesse was very likely to return to his previous ghostly mode of being. “Yes, I’m here! I just came in to… fix my shoe.”

“Cariad…” He sighed, and she could picture her father pinching the bridge of his nose. “I saw you come back here with Jesse Blackthorn.”

“Jesse Blackthorn? I led him to the games room, you could see if he is there if you need him.”

The door handle jiggled. “Open this door or I will.”

Lucie looked to Jesse with a sheepish smile. He had an unreadable look on his face as he reached out to gently stroke her cheek before turning and moving towards the door. Lucie watched him brace himself as he pulled the door open, expecting to face the pure fury of William Herondale.

Instead, her father was grinning from ear to ear, with Tessa by his side. “See, Tess, I told you! She was not visiting Chiswick House every day just to ‘lend the support of the London Institute.’”

“Papa!” Lucie threw her hands up. Jesse looked as if he was about to faint.

Tessa rolled her eyes and waived off her husband. “Yes, yes. I always thought it would be Matthew, but you were right, as always.”

Lucie gaped at her parents. “Were you two betting on who I would marry?”

“Yes,” Will shrugged nonchalantly. Tessa nodded in agreement

Taking her husband by the arm, Tessa began to drag Will back towards the main ballroom. “Come along then, dear. I left Gabriel in charge of greeting the guests.”

Will looked at his wife, completely dismayed, and then the two dashed down the hall and back towards the ballroom.

Jesse turned to her, still frightfully pale. “Marry?”

Her mouth went dry. “I… I didn’t mean - I don’t expect -” she stammered, fidgeting under his green gaze.

Slowly, a smile spread across his face. “It would be my absolute honor.”

#blackdale #lucie herondale #jesse blackthorn #wessa #will herondale #tessa gray #the shadowhunter chronicles #tsc #the last hours #tlh #carley writes

56 notes · View notes

architectnews · 3 years

Text

Twenty-two women architects and designers you should know

To mark International Women's Day, we asked 22 of the world's most inspirational women architects and designers to nominate another woman who should be better known for their work.

Each of the prominent architects and designers was asked to select a woman who they think deserves greater recognition.

Several chose to shine a light on historic figures who did not receive full recognition in their lifetimes, with MVRDV co-founder Nathalie de Vries, Bangladeshi architect Marina Tabassum and Neri&Hu co-founder Rossana Hu nominating Jadwiga Grabowska-Hawrylak, Minnette de Silva and Lin Huiyin respectively.

Others took the opportunity to draw attention to a contemporary woman or women-led team that should be better known, with Camille Walala, Tatiana Bilbao, Dorte Mandrup and Eva Franch i Gilabert nominating Unscene Architecture, Taller Comunal, Marie-José Van Hee and V. Mitch McEwen respectively.

Read on for the 22 architects and designers that deserve greater recognition:

Marie-José Van He Nominated by Dorte Mandrup, Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter

"Marie-José Van Hee is a remarkably talented architect. Working primarily in her native country, Belgium, she is forging a significant mark on contemporary architecture with her attention to space, light and natural materials.

"Through her understated, authentic and poetic work, she continuously influences and inspires architects and designers alike. A timeless simplicity and weightlessness permeate throughout her designs, creating a stillness that seems almost tangible – blurring the line between art and architecture."

Iwona Buczkowska Nominated by Farshid Moussavi, Farshid Moussavi Architecture

"Polish-born French architect Iwona Buczkowska's brilliant career is distinguished by an architectural approach opposed to any form of standardisation, thus placing the diversity of users and their agency at the core of her work. Her tireless commitment has led to the creation of works of incredible richness and inventiveness, whether for housing projects or public facilities.

"At a time when we need to question our built environment, and in particular, the housing in which we live, her work on diversification, user empowerment and inclusion seems particularly worthy of attention. As her work is under-studied, and because some of her built projects are currently under threat of demolition, I feel it is particularly important to bring to light what her work has to teach us."

Charlotte Perriand Nominated by Es Devlin, Es Devlin Studio

"Last weekend I went to the South Downs to try to recreate this uplifting portrait of Charlotte Perriand (above) about which her daughter said: 'That photograph of a strong woman, triumphantly embracing nature, is the perfect image of my mother. She announces the contemporary woman, emancipated and free.

"Most of us have sat on the extraordinary and now iconic furniture she made in collaboration with Le Corbusier. Most of us are unaware of her fundamental role in its design. She was a genius in the art of collaboration, especially with powerful male artists. Her practice spanned an astounding range of genres, her work drew deeply on the forms she observed in nature throughout her rich life."

Kenyatta Mclean Nominated by Harriet Harriss, dean of the Pratt Institute School of Architecture

"I'd like to nominate Kenyatta Mclean, co-founder and co-managing director of Blackspace: the black, interdisciplinary, spatial collective comprised of architects, artists, designers and planners who have asserted both the necessity and the agency of 'Black Urbanism'.

"From my perspective, her ability to co-create spatial narratives that are centred in and driven by racial justice is essential and urgent work applicable both to the US where the practice is situated, and cities worldwide, where structural racism and other forms of discrimination are embedded in the materiality and form of the architectures that surround us.

"Moreover, spatial collectives – from Matrix to Assemble – offer a much-needed antidote to the vagaries of starchitecture and the hierarchies typically found in traditional design practices. Kenyatta Mclean's visionary work reminds us all of the need to use this period of Covid-imposed introspection to re-examine how much more inclusive, equitable and impactful our industry needs to become.

"Blackspace also offers a road map and a benchmark for graduates and young practitioners who are committed to leading the changes we need to make."

Unscene Architecture Nominated by Camille Walala, Studio Walala

"I would like to nominate Unscene Architecture. A pair of fantastic women that I met the year before the pandemic started. The architecture design duo – founders Manijeh Verghese and Madeleine Kessler – were the co-creators of the British Pavilion for the postponed 2020 Venice Architecture Biennale. Definitely, ones to watch."

Anupama Kundhoo Nominated by Seetal Solanki

"A rare kind within the world of architecture. Anupama Kundhoo brings people a voice, materials a voice and building a voice that is beyond her own – an egoless practice. Traits that shouldn't be so rare actually, but she's paving the way for so many and hopefully many more to come."

Ndebele women Nominated by Sumayya Vally, Counterspace

"In this tribe, we evoke women near and far – friends, ancestors and mythical figures – women who write, organise, imagine and build worlds into being. I chose to draw attention to the unrecognised architect genius of the Ndebele women – women who craft ritual objects and build and adorn their own homes. The calling of their names invokes the calling of millions of errant, unrecognised, other architects the world over – past, present and future.

"They are Maria Ntobela Mahlangu, Dinah Mahlangu, Johanna Mkwebani, Martina Maghlangu, Anna Msiza, Sara Mthimunye, Sara and Lisbeth, Pikinini and Sara Skosana, Anna Mahlangu, Letty Ngoma, Sarah Mguni, Martha Mtsweni Ndala, Rossinah and Esther Mahlangu."

Jadwiga Grabowska-Hawrylak Nominated by Nathalie de Vries, MVRDV

"When working on our Concordia Design project in Wroclaw, Poland, I met Jadwiga Grabowska-Hawrylak, the grande dame of modern Polish architecture. Born in 1920, she brought architecture to the next level in the second half of the 20th century. In 1974, she was the first woman to receive the prestigious Honorary Award from the Association of Polish Architects.

"In a time when female Polish architects were mostly known as 'the wife of…' Jadwiga had a highly successful career, she had a big part in rebuilding postwar Wroclaw, and was also known for her schools and housing. I am really impressed by her work and her amazing personality. When I met her, she was very energetic and still very much involved in architecture. With her passing in 2018, Poland lost a great architect."

Minnette de Silva Nominated by Marina Tabassum

"The first name that comes to mind is Minnette de Silva (pictured above with Pablo Picasso), an architect ahead of her time. Less celebrated than her contemporary male counterparts. You may have read this article below, but I'm sharing the link again. This tells her story better than I can write."

Marina Willer Nominated by Margaret Calvert

"I would propose Marina Willer, although she may not fit as she's already well known. Apart from being an exceptional graphic designer and filmmaker, Marina was the first woman to be appointed a Pentagram partner. Brazilian by birth, it was at the Royal College of Art, where I was teaching at the time, that I first became aware of her amazing drive, commitment and talent as a student."

Duygu and Begum Ozturk Nominated by Nelly Ben Hayoun, Nelly Ben Hayoun Studios

"I nominate Duygu and Begum Ozturk, the two sisters behind the fashion brand Harem London. Born in Istanbul, they started their all-organic fashion brand recently in Dalston, London; merging traditional techniques from Istanbul and London, bringing together their heritage and future.

"I love that they started a business together as sisters and that they are persevering in developing their beautiful collection despite the pandemic and Brexit and all the complexity this created for them. They need to be applauded for their great work."

Lin Huiyin Nominated by Rossana Hu, Neri&Hu

"Lin Huiyin was the first female architect in modern China. Lin and her partner Liang Sicheng were the pioneers in architectural heritage restoration and documentation in China during the 1930s.

"Although it was the two of them who brought China's ancient architectural treasures to light, Lin's recognition in documenting and restoring China's historic buildings has often been overshadowed by her partner, who is recognised as the 'father of modern Chinese architecture'. In addition to her architectural practice, Lin is also widely acclaimed for her literary creation."

Mary Corse Nominated by Azusa Murakami, Studio Swine

"I would like to pick Mary Corse. She has been gaining much-deserved recognition in recent years with a solo show at the Whitney but has been arguably one of the most innovative artists to come out of the light and space movement.

"We love her material research, her ability to take industrial elements like the glass microbeads used on motorway reflective road markings and using it to make really delicate and sublime optical paintings is really inspiring."

Yemi Awosile Nominated by Morag Myerscough

"I have loved Yemi Awosile's work for many years. She is a wonderful person and I have worked with her in the past on the Bernie Grant Centre where she made some textiles for the centre."

Franziska Porges Hosken Nominated by Jane Hall, Assemble

"Austrian-born, and America-based, designer Franziska Porges Hosken was pioneering in multiple respects. In 1944 she became one of the first women to receive her master's of architecture degree from Harvard's Graduate School of Design and in 1947, together with her husband James Hosken, she founded their successful eponymous furniture business Hosken.

"Despite giving up her design practice to take care of her first child in the late 1950s, Hosken continued to create as a photographer and journalist, publishing numerous books on urbanism including The Language of Cities.

"She was also an activist for women's rights, founding the Women's International Network and publishing reports on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), a term she is credited with coining, which affected the agenda of major health organisations including the WHO. Continuing to distribute a feminist newsletter well into her eighties, Hosken's legacy demonstrates an extraordinary commitment, undertaken over the course of a lifetime, to connect design with social activism."

Winka Dubbeldam Nominated by Sonali Rastogi, Morphogenesis

"Winka Dubbeldam is an architect whose contribution I would like to acknowledge. She is the founder of the WBE firm Archi-Tectonics. She had visited our studio about 15 years back whilst working on the redevelopment of the New Delhi railway station. I also enjoyed attending one of her juries in UPenn about ten years ago, and ever since, I have been following her.

"Being in academia myself, what resonates with me is her significant influence on the emerging generation through her involvement in architectural education and design juries worldwide. Her designs are evocative and transformative, and she creates architecture that matters.

"I read somewhere that she maintains a fluid balance between energy and calm, precision and informality, experiment and comfort in her designs, studio, and life, a mantra I have been following all my life."

Eva Albarran Nominated by Sofia Von Ellrichshausen, Pezo von Ellrichshausen

"I would like to propose Eva Albarran: a Spanish entrepreneur, living both in Paris and Madrid, who operates in the expanded, and diffuse, field of contemporary art and architecture.

"She is a solid character who has managed to solve complex productions for significant artists (such as Christian Boltaski, Felice Varini or Francis Alys). Together with her husband, they direct a refined gallery and the Solo houses program, a project that might well be read as a radical revision of the current human condition in relation to nature."

Dana Al Amiri Nominated by Pallavi Dean, Roar

"Dana Al Amiri, the co-founder of Watab Studio, is a rising star in the male-dominated Saudi construction industry. I love her minimal pared design philosophy – practicing in a region that is infamous for opulent and OTT statements. She truly represents the next generation of regional architects that are defining Saudi's design identity."

Taller Comunal Nominated by Tatiana Bilbao

"I would like to make Taller Comunal, which is led by Mariana Ordóñez Grajales and Jesica Amescua Carrera, my recommendation. Because for them, architecture is not a profession, it is a service to facilitate architecture to be produced by the people who inhabit it. That should be the future of our profession."

Anne Tyng Nominated by Huang Wenjing, Open Architecture

"Anne Tyng immediately came to mind as a female architect that deserves much more recognition. Born in China in 1920 to missionary parents; a classmate of Eileen Pei and IM Pei — these two little details seem to have brought her closer to me, my being Chinese and had worked in the office that IM founded.

"Tyng was one of the first women to study architecture at Harvard Graduate School of Design; the only woman to take the architectural license test in 1949.

"It is unfortunate and unfair that people often seem to be more interested in her anecdotal affair with the iconic master Louis Kahn than her great influence on his early works — the rigour of geometry and order was very much Anne Tyng's interest and contribution. She went on to be an independent architect, theorist and educator. A true pioneering woman in the field."

V. Mitch McEwen Nominated by Eva Franch i Gilabert

"Mitch is an architect, activist, dancer, rapper, entrepreneur, someone who has taken the lead on many occasions to make space for new ideas.

"We crossed paths several times throughout the last ten years; In 2011, during the Occupy Wall Street Movement, I organised an exhibition and a series of events at Storefront for Art and Architecture hosted by brilliant people; Mitch's workshop "How to Occupy a House in America" was one of them.

"In 2014, Mitch was one of the architects writing letters to the Mayor in the first edition in New York of the global project "Letters to the Mayor" asking Mayor Bill de Blasio: "How can New York City Housing Authority really become the Pride of Our City?" and provided some answers and ideas that still stand.

"Mitch is currently an assistant professor at Princeton University – where I am currently teaching a seminar. Her work is now on display at MoMA in New York as part of Reconstructions: Architecture and Blackness in America."

Mónica Bertolino Nominated by Sandra Barclay, Barclay & Crousse

"Mónica Bertolino is an architect from Córdoba, Argentina, where she lives and works as part of the Studio Bertolino-Barrado founded in 1981.

"Together with Carlos Barrado they have an excellent production of projects in different scales. In their work you understand immediately the search for good qualities in habitability, their sensibility when they intervene in the landscape, and their concern for research about materiality linked to the local traditions of construction.

"I admire and think she deserves recognition especially in her academic role where she transmits her passion and enthusiasm for architecture in an unconditional way. She is devoted to this mission!

"She participates in workshops and as invited professor in different universities in the world as well as a regular professor in the National University of Cordoba and in the Catholic University of Cordoba."

The post Twenty-two women architects and designers you should know appeared first on Dezeen.

#Architecture – Dezeen

6 notes · View notes

tlhnetwork · 4 years

Text

DECEMBER’s Chain of Gold Flash Fiction by Cassandra Clare

A Lightwood Christmas Carol