|| welcome this place is a mess but please enjoy your stay || genya safin stan first human second || ash morgenstern needs to be defended at all costs and if i have to be the one to do that so be it || multi fandom || mostly content from the shadow hunter chronicles ||
i figured people would like to know what they're getting into before they make the tragic decision to follow me and my wayward blog
important news
url change!! blackxstairs at least i think that's what it was >>> make-me-ur-aphrodite
basic things to know about yours truly
mfs wish they knew any of my real information 🥴
i cannot spell for shit so don't mind the grammar mistakes
madly in love w jem carstairs
i am married to julian blackthorn so don't @ me 💍💅
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MONDAYS ARE SECRETS OF BLACKTHORN HALL DAYS IF YOU ARENT IN THE TSC FANDOM BETTER BLOCK ME OR THE TAGS CAUSE IMA GO OFF BABE literally it will be the majority of my posts
this blog is mainly dedicated to the shadow hunter chronicles
all shadow hunter content will be tagged with tsc all shadow and bone/six of crows content will be tagged with the grishaverse anything from the raven cycle or the dreamer trilogy will prolly just be tagged with the raven cycle the song of Achilles content will be tagged with tsoa everything all for the game will be tagged aftg and finally i will be tagging my folk of the air posts with tfota
"it was books that kept me from taking my own life" -will herondale
“So that’s it?” Lance scowled. “We just have to make our own breakfast for the rest of our lives?”
“You know, I’d yell at you, but I feel like David’s partly responsible for this,” Dad muttered. “He’s got things to do, Lance. He can’t be making breakfast for 200 people.”
“I agree,” Lance nodded solemnly. “Let’s send all of them home.”
“Lance.”
“I’m just saying,” he grumbled, this time quieter. “It wouldn’t kill him to make us some French toast. Not for everyone. Just, you know, for us.”
Lance goes to school. Cami has a visitor. Arjun makes a friend. Max does laundry.
You can now read the new chapter of LBAF VII here on ao3 :)
Winter Solstice has passed—and the prophecy remains unfulfilled.
But peace is short-lived. The Next Generation of the LBAF faces greater trials than ever before.
Lance wrestles with the true nature of his powers. Arthur fears that death is just around the corner. Joan is given a task she feels utterly unprepared for. Kincaid faces the heartbreak of losing the one he loves. Cami risks her shot at becoming Consul. Iris falls for someone she doesn't think she can have. Atlas uncovers long-lost secrets he wasn't prepared for. Règine is torn between loyalty and betrayal. And Arjun dreads being left behind again.
While the young heroes navigate love, loss, and legacy, Lucifer quietly advances his master plan, with Madeleine, Asmodeus, and Mikkel each plotting their own deadly revenge.
Can Alec, Magnus, Rafael, and Max survive the storm—this time, together—or will the weight of their demons finally tear them apart?
“I’m a little worried about Arthur,” Max replied honestly. “He’s a little-”
“Young?”
“And naïve,” Max smiled. “I’m not worried Lance though.”
“What if he gets someone pregnant?” Cami asked.
“Why would you even say that? Now I’m worried!” Max groaned and the other girl snickered. “Are you being careful?”
“Ew!” Cami groaned now. “I don’t wanna talk about this.”
“Hey, if your daddy doesn’t know about this, then it is my responsibility to make sure you’re safe and responsible,” Max informed. “Trust me, you’re better off having the talk with me than Rafael. There’ll be a PowerPoint involved.”
Arthur visits a thrift shop. Atlas vists some badass women. Max visits Tony. Kincaid waits for a visit.
You can now read chapter 5 of LBAF VI here on ao3 :)
The moment people realized it was him, they started to sing and dance around him, welcoming him to their realm. It was nothing out of the ordinary. But it was super embarrassing considering Theia was right next to him.
“Wow,” Theia chuckled as people threw flower petals at him. “I knew they liked you. But I didn’t realize you were a celebrity.”
“Shut up,” Lance groaned and pulled at the strings of his hoodie. “My papa jokes that I’m the Taylor Swift of the Seelie world.”
“Oh, I think you’re much more famous than her,” Theia chuckled.
“I’d pay you $20 to say that to my father,” Lance said.
“I’ll do it for free if you promise to smile a little,” Theia hummed. “Come. Just one smile. And wave a little too.”
“Absolutely not,” Lance huffed. “Next thing, you’ll want me to dance with them.”
Alec goes to the Dumort. Joan goes for her training. Cami goes to New York. Lance goes to the Seelie Court.
You can now read chapter 04 of LBAF VI here on ao3 :)
He studied the other man intently, searching for any sign of recognition. His mind raced, connecting the dots with an uncanny sense of familiarity.
There was only one person who could weave scripture into casual conversation so seamlessly, only one person who listened to Father's words with such meticulous attention.
He swallowed tightly. “Lucifer?”
You can read the final short story from Love Breaks Apart Families here on ao3 :)
“Whose allegiance do you uphold, Iris? Shall you champion your kin, or shall you champion the Clave?
“I don’t care for either side,” Iris replied.
“Ah,” the man mused. “Political neutrality is a perilous stance, dearest.”
“I’m not politically neutral,” Iris said. It wasn’t an easy decision to make. But she made up her mind a long time ago. “I’m focused on the real threat.”
“And who may I ask is that?”
“Lucifer,” Iris replied. “It seems everyone’s forgotten about him.”
You can now read Iris' story from Love Breaks Apart Families here on ao3 :)
“Do you have plans with Theia, mi vida?” the man asked gently.
At the mention of the other girl, Cami let out a dramatic sigh.
Theia was currently in the Mexico Institute, which was run by Adriana Rosales, a distant cousin of Cami's mother. Theia was in Mexico City, helping out her aunt and learning from yet another Rosales bad bitch.
While Cami was left all alone in Idris trying to deal with boys who couldn’t climb out of windows and boys who didn’t know how an iratze worked.
It was terribly unfair.
You can read Cami's story from Love Breaks Apart Families here on ao3 :)
*shuffles into the back of the room in a trench coat and sunglasses, pretending I’ve been here the whole time*
*casually drops a special set of fire messages, hoping everyone won’t notice my unplanned, unannounced 3.5 month hiatus*
*whispers “sorry for missing Alastember and Matthtober” and leaves this as my peace offering*
Happy Halloween, my lovely TMT fam! I promise I’ll post later this week with updates about what’s been going on, but in the meantime please enjoy this special Halloween Edition of Fire Message Friday! 👻🎃
(To everyone who has reached out while I’ve been away, even those that I have not gotten to respond to yet: thank you so much for your kind words and messages! I’ve had a lot going on, but I’ll be back with our regularly-scheduled programming soon!)
Now here’s Halloween 1915 (plus a quick note on historical accuracy at the end!), when Matthew and Esme had the wise idea to throw a “bespoke” costume party…
October, 1915
Mayfair, London -> Various Addresses
All,
I know, I know. Not another invitation, you are thinking, adding it to the pile of invitations you will have to invent excuses not to attend for, not another ball, or gathering, or ridiculous Enclave-wide generic holiday event.
Generic this event is not; Matthew and Esme Fairchild do not believe in generic anything, and are hereby inviting you to a refined, bespoke All Hallow’s Eve gathering. (And by ‘refined,’ we mean as eloquent as possible while our house is covered in all sorts of toys and toddler crayon drawings, and by ‘bespoke,’ we mean as cultured as possible when some of the invitees have still not even touched my gothic literature recommendations for the month of October.) (Yes, Jesse, I’m talking to you - having four kids under four is no longer an excuse.) The events unfolding on the continent are harrowing enough; let us forget the real terrors of the world, this one night, and instead enjoy as thrilling an evening as possible amongst our extended friends, family, and several toddlers and babies running about.
Please refer to the below details and commonly-asked questions; if you have further inquiries (looking at the daftest among the invitees - A. Carstairs), please just ask your better half for clarification (Tommy Chap) or refrain from attending this gathering all together.
Always yours,
Matthew, Esme, Vienna, and Graham
Further information:
“What is this?” To be quite candid, Esme and I are sick of the Wentworth’s awful Halloween ball. We are establishing this event under the guise of a literary saloon, if only to help our nearest and dearest avoid another year of Piers’ recitation of ‘The Raven.’ What we will actually be doing is sitting around, gossiping, and generally enjoying the revelry and one another’s company.
“But Matthew, I love the Wentworth’s Ball! I especially love Piers’ fine rendition of Poe.” Fine, Alastair, don’t come. We will try not to weep with despair at your absence.
“But Matthew, I have kids!” That’s okay! Bring them! Only prerequisite: they must be wearing a cute costume, for it is All Hallow’s Eve (and I want a picture of all the kids in cute costumes, Angel spare me!)
“Do I need to bring anything?” If your name is Anna, Ari, Thomas, Alastair, Lucie, Jesse, Eugenia, Harry, or Cordelia: no! If your name is James and you have the world’s greatest fortune of being my parabatai: yes!
Other Details: Fairchild Residence, 31st October, 7:00 PM. Eat dinner beforehand - Esme and I loathe cooking. We will have puddings and candies for the kids, and even the American tradition of bobbing for apples. It will be FUN and you will LIKE IT.
Don’t worry about RSVPing - you’re all coming. Together, we can put an end to the Wentworth’s All Gallows Ball (an accurate name; I’d fancy a trip to the gallows over an evening with Rosamund attempting to critique ‘The Modern Prometheus,’ when we all know she has not finished reading a book since the Codex in school.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cornwall Gardens, London -> Mayfair, London
Fairchild,
At long last, I believed the day had come that I could reject one of your invitations; Thomas and I had previous plans to be out of the country, and I thought I could finally rest in peace whilst knowing our mutual companions are languishing at another ridiculous Fairchild get-together.
Rest in peace (on the streets of Paris, no less), I could not; my mother has just requested that Thomas and I take Zachary due to a last-minute family emergency regarding her sister in Tehran, and we have had to cancel our travel arrangements.
(I know, I know, Cordelia should take one for the team. But no - Mâmân says she is busy with Owen and Elizabeth, and practically begged us to keep Zachary here in Cornwall Gardens. He is eleven, to be fair, and far more energetic than little Owen and Betty, so we relented.)
Now, Thomas is insisting we attend this awful farce, with Zachary and costumes to boot. I have never dreaded a singular event more in our entire, unfortunate acquanaeitancship, and I write now to pose three simple questions to preserve my sanity (I know you said no enquiries from me, which is precisely why I must ask):
Will your sisters Matilda and Louise be in attendance, or will Alexander Lightwood? Zachary adores spending time with them when he is in London, and I reckon their presence will prevent a reprise of the clown makeup fiasco (Cordelia still will not allow Zachary to get within ten meters of Elizabeth when he is armed with a kohl pencil.)
When you say costumes are required, please reiterate to Thomas that this is only for the children. I will not be donning a ridiculous Peter Pan hat again, no matter how much the children enjoy it.
If I do have to wear a costume, do you think Jesse would be offended if I opted for a sheet ghost? I do not have time to pull something refined together on such impossibly short notice.
This is the worst news I have ever received. I dread seeing you on All Hallow’s Eve… though I must admit it is a better option than the Wentworth’s Ball.
Unfortunately yours,
A. Carstairs
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mayfair, London -> Cornwall Gardens, London
Dear Alastair,
Yay, the more the merrier! Graham will be so excited to see you again - I think he rather enjoyed sitting on your lap while you played the piano last weekend. I know my son is but two (and I know, as his mother, that I might be quite biased), but I believe Graham may have a natural inclination towards music - only time will tell, I suppose!
As for your enquiries - yes, Matilda and Louise will be here! Matthew and I are watching them for the next few days, as Charlotte and Henry have gone to Fairchild manor in Idris. Things are getting quite scary with the war on the continent, and we are hoping—
What is this? How could my wife ever betray me by writing these words?!? Thankfully, I found her unfinished correspondence before it could be sent, and irreversible damage could be done.
COSTUMES ARE MANDATORY. Originally just for the children, but I’ve changed my mind: you too must done a costume, A. Carstairs. May I recommend a clown or a court jester, rather, to reveal your own character? It could match my Dorian Gray costume - each of us could wear a reflection of our own soul. Mine, of course, will be refined and distinguished - and yours, a fool.
Esme is now laughing like mad over my shoulder - she seconds the clown costume, though she is too kind to say it.
Then again, isn’t Jesse afraid of clowns? Maybe you should stick with a ghost - dead, just like sense of humor, charm, and wit.
With very abundant love,
Your first and forever favorite friend,
Matthew Fairchild
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Curzon Street, London -> Wilson Street, London
Luce,
Please apologize the horrendous hour of this letter - Elizabeth is refusing to sleep, because we told her about Matthew and Esme’s party, and she is insisting that she, Margie, and Vienna all wear matching princess costumes.
(Remember when we used to write one another about urgent things - battles and investigations and such? Now demons are at an all-time high due to the war, and here I am writing you urgently, well past 11:00 PM, because my daughter wants to wear a matching tutu with yours. How the times have changed!)
Anyways, please reply at your leisure about this pressing, world-shattering matter. I do not think they have to genuinely match one another - they are five and four, after all, and would probably be happy in dresses they already have with toy crowns - so it might be quite an easy costume to put together at the last minute!
Sidebar: why must Matthew and Esme insist on such “bespoke” gatherings? Why can’t we all just meet up for enjoyable company and make up an excuse for the Wentworth’s?
Side sidebar: please tell your brother not to dress Owen like a duck in an attempt to startle your father at our family dinner before the party. James suggested it and Owen is just besotted by the idea, and I saw James crafting a costume duck beak out of spare cardboard and string. Truly, these are desperate times.
Always yours,
Cordelia
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wilson Street, London -> Curzon Street, London
Darling Daisy,
Aw! Do tell Elizabeth to rest well - Hazel is keeping Jesse and I up at present (she is at the age now where she is terrified of the thunder at night - poor love!) - but Margie told me today that she wants to be a princess, so of course they can match. Matthew and Esme’s party is shaping up to be quite elaborate - Thomas told me that apparently he and Alastair are dressing up as well, are you and James? - but I must admit, it will certainly adorable to see all the children in their costumes!
Oh, please let James dress Owen as a duck! That’s adorable, I’m sure Papa will secretly find it quite amusing.
Speaking of James: please tell your husband he is responsible for the costume dilemma in our house, as all of his hours of reading The Iliad to Edmund have worn off, and now my five year-old son wishes to dress as Achilles for the party. I don’t know how we’re going to swing that one… if you and James happen to have a Greek war helmet lying around, please do let me know.
As for the twins, Jesse and I are dressing them up as a puppy and a kitten! I’m sure they will protest all the matching when they get older, so I’m trying to get it all of my system now - they are just so precious! I can hardly believe they just turned two…
Okay, okay, I’m going to stop with all the sentimentality now. Hazel is dozing against my shoulder and I just might cry!
Love you to pieces, my darling parabatai. Let’s get on those princess costumes tomorrow (and by that, I mean please consult Jesse, because you know I am utter rubbish when it comes to fashion.)
Your soul sister,
Lucie
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mayfair, London -> Cornwall Gardens, London
Dear Zachary,
I heard you were coming to the All Hallow’s Eve Party - yay! Esme is helping us send this fire message, because we have an idea for a fun prank!
So our brother Matthew is having the party, right? And your brother Alastair is coming too - we should prank them so that they show up in matching costumes, and then we can tell everyone that they are best friends or boyfriends or soulmates or something! Which is funny because they DO NOT like each other - you know how they are!
We just need to think of a costume - Esme said she thinks she can get Matthew to do a matching costume with her, but then she just won’t do it and you’ll have to make sure Alastair shows up matching! I asked her for ideas, and she said we could do something like salt and pepper (but how do you dress up as that?) or maybe characters from a book. Let me know if you have any ideas!
Okay, we’re so excited you’re in London! Write back as soon as possible but DO NOT let Alastair see it!
Best,
Louise & Matilda Fairchild
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cornwall Gardens, London -> Mayfair, London
Dear Lou & Mati,
What a perfect prank! I asked Thomas for help, and he’s completely in on it!!
Thomas started laughing really hard, and said we should get them to dress as Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. I think there’s a deeper joke here I’m not getting, but let’s just go for it!
What are you planning to wear to the party? I think I’m going to dress like a vampire!
(Okay, Thomas just said that’s offensive to vampires. Maybe I’ll be a zombie instead.)
So excited to see you both,
Zachary
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mayfair, London -> Cornwall Gardens, London
Thomas,
I’ve been on the verge of tears all day - I CANNOT stop laughing at your brilliant idea! Matthew is totally on board to do Watson and Mary with me, so now you just need to get Alastair to do Sherlock. Just point out what an easy costume it is - I’m sure Alastair won’t fuss much once he realizes he just needs a trench coat and a pipe.
There is a small chance they leave us both after this, but it’s a chance I’m willing to take. If nothing else, we’ll pin all the blame on the children (Matilda and Louise are technically my sisters-in-law, sure, but they’re the true masterminds behind this plan.)
I’m so excited! We cannot wait to see you all tomorrow.
Yours,
Esme
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[After the party]
Undisclosed Location -> Various Addresses
All,
Congratulations; your scheming has created history, and now for the first time, Alastair and I have come together to plot our revenge. You all will rue the day-
Rue it!
-that you dared drive us to the same side. Our costumes were an embarrassment; the children calling us “soulmates” was even worse.
And really, Esme and James, did you have to take pictures to show our parents? The humiliation in front of those gathered was bad enough; the permanent photographic evidence will haunt us forever.
All we’re going to say: revenge is coming. You never know when, you never know how, but Alastair and I have a mutual goal now.
Revenge. Is. Coming.
Undersigned,
Matthew & Alastair
Best friends and soulmates forever
Quit it, Fairchild.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A quick note on Halloween, circa 1915:
There are quite a few historical inaccuracies in here, but I included them for the fun of the story :) people did dress up for Halloween in the early 1900s, but they typically only wore paper or cardboard masks and dressed as animals or supernatural things - costumes like Alastair and Matthew dressing as book characters, for example, wouldn’t have been thought of until Halloween evolved to be more similar to how it is celebrated today (which happened during the Great Depression, circa TMT times!)
Halloween costumes were always handmade in the early 1900s, and American department stores like Macy’s didn’t start selling costumes until the early-mid 1930s.
In the UK, what we now call “Halloween” was celebrated in Ireland and the Scottish Highlands before it ever made its way down to England. By the 18th century, Irish and Scottish teenagers used the holiday as an excuse to “imitate spirits” and play pranks. The tradition of pranks and costumes did not make its way to England until the 20th century, and by then the commercialized American version of the holiday became popular.
I hope you all enjoy, wherever in the world you’re celebrating from! Let me know about your own country’s Halloween traditions in the comments - it’s my favorite holiday, and something I’d love to learn more about around the world! :)
“Did Lance want to go to the Academy?” Alec asked.
“That doesn’t fucking matter,” Max hissed and slowly exhaled to calm down. “You know, David told me education is a fundamental human right. At least in the mundane world. But I can see that your Clave runs things differently.”
Alec crossed his arms. “So, now you’re mad at me?”
Max sighed. “Papi, I’m-”
“I’m not your papi. I’m your dad,” Alec snapped. “And I’m tired of you and Rafael acting like children.”
Max stared at him impassively. “Did you give Rafael this talk?”
“You know I have,” Alec sighed. “Look, Max, I understand how fucking complicated all of this is for both of you. But whatever problems you and Rafael have, you need to figure it out. Do not pass it on to your children. I will not have Lightwood-Banes fighting each other.”
You can now read the new short story from Love Breaks Apart Families here on ao3 :)
“When the shadow world finds out that Kincaid is the key to destroying Lance, they will rally behind him.”
Lexi sucked in a breath. “You know it’s Kincaid.”
“Of course I do,” Kieran smiled.
“You’re…You’re not gonna hurt him, right?” Lexi asked because she had to.
“Your Clave might enjoy hurting little children, but my court does not,” Kieran told her, his eyes glinting in the darkness. “We will not harm Kincaid. Not yet.”
“You shouldn’t get involved, Kieran-”
“When the Clave rallies behind Kincaid, and trust me it will, Lance will be made vulnerable. He needs his own army. The Seelie Court will stand behind him.”
“You do realize it will be safer for you and your people if you stay out of this,” Lexi noted.
“Careful,” Kieran said. “That almost sounds like a threat.”
You can read the new chapter of Love Breaks Apart Families here on ao3 :)
