ANNNND, the celebration continues. Happy weekend to us! I was going to post this yesterday but I not only forgot to set it up in the queue, I didn't have internet for most of the day! Sad face. It's okay, though, because I totally talked my best-friends ear off about it while we got up to our usual weekend shenanigans. Because... anything to hear myself talk more. Anything to talk about the things I love!

You know the drill by now, I suppose--but if you don't... in the weeks leading up to the release of THE TENTH ANNIVERSARY EDITION of Cassandra Clare's bestselling City of Bones, I am hosting a meme/celebration to get better acquainted with my fellow fans. You can read more on that here and jump in at any time. Please, I'm so needy and want to converse with you guys. 

This week, the questions are FUN and not at all requiring bloodshed and sacrifice. That's a joke... there may be some. I am feeling like a mother picking out her favourite children when she shouldn't have favourites but sometimes you just love the SPARKLING BISEXUAL WARLOCK most of all, you know? And then the little girl who stopped a big war is like, "Excuse me?"  

I'm rambling again, aren't I? LET'S GET DOWN TO WORK, KIDS. Get your runes drawn and your stele ready because things are about to get WILD and CRAZY.*

*I say this while I'm sitting on my bed, watching Sabrina and the Groovie Goolies while eating Count Chocula out of a Rugrats bowl. 



I literally could not decide between these four as number one so here:

• MAGNUS BANE: When I first picked up the series, I didn't think I'd be so damn invested in Magnus. Not because of any particular reason, I just assumed I would be more fond of one of the other characters who received more time on-page. Somehow, Magnus Bane became my smol, magical son and I wanted to raid his wardrobe, attend some parties he hosted, and just become his best-friend. Don't tell Becca or Sammy that, they'll get jealous. Basically, I love everything about him and I mean that quite literally. He could smack me upside the head with Chairman Meow and I'd be like, "COOL." Is that bad? I love his relationship with Alec and the dynamic between him and the characters from The Infernal Devices and The Mortal Instruments. 
• ISABELLE LIGHTWOOD: The actual light of my life. Again, I wasn't really expecting to love Izzy so quickly but here we are and really there's no working around it. I adore how bad-ass she is. How warm she is. How strong. I love that she's sassy and stylish and could literally step on a demon and it'd be like, "Thank you so much, Isabelle!"  Okay, so maybe not that far but me--and actual Demon--would totally say that to her right before I die. I always felt for Iz when we learn more about her background--not just the love of her brothers--and I always found it so wonderful that she was able to work around herself (and her opinions about love) but that--her relationships--never *really* defined her. I still get sad when I think about how she had to feel after Sebastian killed Max. 100% GUTTED, FUCK-YOU-CASSIE-CLARE (just kidding I love you).
• CLARY FRAY: I love Clary. As far as main characters go, I think her development is one of my favourites. Watching her journey into this unknown world and be thrust in the middle of the war was distressing in the best way possible. I liked that we saw how she was tested with pretty much everything and she handles herself well under the circumstances. I love how strong she is and how deep her love runs for basically everyone in the series. There's that bit of sympathy that you feel toward her often (whether it be knowing that Jocelyn chose to keep things from her and alter her memories; to the love she felt for Jace, finding out her father and brother were the bad guys, to having to make a difficult decision about her best-friend) that makes you want to protect her but you know she can do it on her own. I love characters who mix badassery and vulnerability and as far as The Mortal Instruments go, I feel like that's every character. 
• MAIA ROBERTS: My queen. Hands down one of the most sympathetic and relatable characters in the series. Her backstory never fails to break my heart--having to deal with an abusive and cruel brother to the entire scenario she went through with Jordan. It broke my heart. Maia is one of the most resilient, inspirational characters in the entire series and I could probably write you an essay on why she is one of the best fictional characters of all-times. Not only is she badass like our other girls, she has this ability to love and forgive just as easily as she has the ability to stand her fucking ground ALL THE TIME. I love her blunt honest and her sense of humor. I always agree with Simon, too, in the fact that she is so capable of making it all feel normal and human even when LITERALLY NONE OF THEM ARE TECHNICALLY HUMAN. She really is so alive and in return, makes everyone else seem more alive when she is in a scene with them. Shadowhunters, Werewolves, Warlocks and Vampires never felt so damn real--and that's pretty much Maia's doing. To prevent myself from rambling further: MAIA = AN HONEST GODDESS WHO IS MUCH STRONGER THAN ANY OF US WILL EVER BE. That's all. 

• ALEC LIGHTWOOD: I... didn't dislike Alec at first. Not at all. But when he and Clary had their off points in the first book and he got a little violent I was like, "Whoa, there, pal." and had a bit of questioning thoughts towards that. As he grew and we got to see more of him--that dynamic between both him and Jace; the rest of his family, Clary, Magnus and even Simon I felt like that first glimpse of him was such an underwhelming one. Because Alec has always been so much more than his reactions. I think he is one of the characters who grew the most by the end of the series and also the one that I relate to most. When we meet him, there's that layer of distrust towards Clary (which makes sense) and he is struggling with his feelings toward Jace and his own sexuality. As we know him, we find that he is much warmer and a lot more caring than we'd have expected. Plus, he's really funny in the same dry way that I am. Alec Lightwood isn't one type of person and that's what makes him so lovable. Seeing him fall in love and fall into who he was meant to be? Legendary.
• SIMON LEWIS: I'll be the first to admit that I loved Simon so much the first time we see him. For some reason, I really rooted for him in the Clary/Jace/Simon love triangle. Oddly enough, I shipped him with both Clary and Jace as well as Isabelle and Maia. Something about him is so endearing and shippable, okay? Especially as the series progresses. Simon is just that geeky boy next door with a twist--he is a lot more intriguing than the archetype itself and has a lot of depth to him. Plus, I love the way he is always so keen on sacrificing things for others. It was so fun watching him turn from the dorky best-friend-in-love-with-a-girl-he-can't-have into Simon Lewis--like, there's no way to explain him but "Simon Lewis." His band names always  cracked me up. His little digs toward Jace cracked me up. But he wasn't the series sole comic relief. 
• JACE HERONDALE/LIGHTWOOD: Jace is basically one of the ultimate YA book boyfriends and I love him for it. He had a lot of times where he tested my patience (which is why he is ranked last--but I LOVE THEM ALL SO DON'T TAKE IT TO HEART) but for the most part he is a genuinely good guy hiding behind layers and masks that are meant to be rough around the edges. Again, he is beautifully developed and I adore his strength as well as his humor. There's something about the way he cares for his family that is just sweet as hell. AND LOYAL. 

A: Honestly? I like to think that, in all forms of fiction, we see pieces of ourselves scattered in the characters. I relate to them all in different ways. Isabelle's love of style and thoughts about love. Magnus' humor and attraction to others not based on gender. Alec's struggles and dry humor. Clary's determination and how her stubbornness can cause complications. Maia's honesty and the hints of vulnerability from the past. Jace's loyalty. Simon's never-ending band-names and love of lame t-shirts. I'd like to think I'm somewhere between Isabelle, Magnus and Alec the most. Yet, I can't help but to feel like parts of me are mirrored so clearly in all of them.




A: I'd have to say Jace or Simon. It's not that I'm not tied into them in one way or another, it's just that--at the end of the day--the way I relate to the others is much stronger. That doesn't take away from it, it's just the lists of common traits grows smaller when I think of the two of them side-by-side with me.

Part of me wants to do the ranking for The Infernal Devices but the other part of me is lazy and tired and PMS-ing so I'm like, "Hm." Also, I find it harder to rank the core three from The Infernal Devices because I love them all so much. Together, apart, etc--Tessa, Will and Jem are my favourites and one of those rare instances of a love triangle that you ship them all together equally. And now I'm getting totally emo over it--those are not tears in my eyes... ;) And then there's Jessamine--my darling daughter who deserved SO MUCH BETTER. I can't!

Maybe one day I'll do it--or start some sort of meme for The Infernal Devices.


What were your answers to this weeks questions? Send me your links, if you're participating! I can't wait to hear from you guys. 

XO