I recently realised I don’t talk about Ty’s character a lot, nor my full perspective on it, so I’ve decided to say basically all my thoughts I have. This long rant includes my opinion on his character, analysing him as a character and how I believe he fits in the fandom! (Ty fans, this is for you)
To start off, I absolutely adore Ty’s character. I think his autism is written well (autistic people feel free to correct me) and he’s well written in general. Ty, in his core, is a kind, dedicated person. Though it’s obvious that many perceive his kindness and quietness as something that makes him fragile, though he proves to those around him time and time again that he’s strong and he can fight for himself. Ty’s incredibly smart too, and he absorbs information quickly and is able to use it in his daily life.
Ty as a character has definitely suffered. Growing up in a world that sees you as different, and feeling isolated, is not easy (I would know). On top of that, he had to watch his father die at his Julian’s hands, watch Helen get exiled and the Clave abandon Mark, and then later watch his twin sister die in the same place. Having a family so close knit torn apart for years is not easy, but despite that, Ty endured. Ty as a character, though it’s never said outright, is obviously implied to be very resilient. He’s also quite grounded and sensible. Something I found fascinating is how Ty, unlike the rest of his family, was able to seperate Thule Livvy from his Livvy so easily. Though it’s likely his denial and mental state in qoaad could’ve factored in, it still really demonstrates a high level of intelligence within Ty.
Now Ty in qoaad was honestly tragic. It seemed the only thing keeping him going throughout all of the book was the idea that he would get Livvy back. It seemed to consume all of his mind, and made him blind to any reason- I think this is a rare time where we see Ty actively consumed by emotions he’s obviously trying to repress, though he’s unaware of it. Ty as a character is quite logical and generally doesn’t get as emotional as others, nor is he comforted by emotional decisions (something I definitely see myself in him). However, I’d argue almost every action taken in qoaad was based off emotion, yet he disguised it as logic to comfort himself. Of course, repressing these emotions was breaking him down, which we saw through his destroyed room and his change in physical appearance throughout qoaad (getting skinnier and paler, as well as darker eyebags). The issue with Ty in QoAaD is that he became so focused on getting Livvy back, he did not acknowledge how much pain he could cause, and how he was (completely indirectly of course) hurting Kit. I’m not blaming Ty, his mental state was terrible, but the reality of his actions do need to be addressed.
Now, Ty after qoaad, once kit left, was definitely new ground. While we know Ty is aware he’s in love with Kit, we don’t know when he figured this out, so let’s assume that on some level he was aware he had feelings for Kit in TDA. Ty obviously misses Kit (according to Livvy, more than he even knew he could miss someone), and it’s tearing him apart. I think Ty definitely has a lot of guilt towards Kit too. Ty blames himself for Kit abandoning him, and now thinks Kit hates him. Being so in love with someone while believing they hate you has taken a burden on Ty, and now he’s thrown himself into his studies in order to avoid the thoughts of guilt. It seems only Livvy knows something is wrong with Ty, and how Ty seems to smile less, and seems to carry something she cannot support him in.
Being with Livvy’s ghost must also be strange, as Ty must feel guilt for her ghostly state, and even though she isn’t physically there, she’s still ‘there’. The question is, is that enough?
Ty in TWP will be interesting, as he’s going to have Kit right there, so close, yet emotionally, so far. As well as Kit only agreeing to go with him as long as Ty never talks to him again afterwards. My personal belief is that I don’t think Ty will give in so easily. When Ty sees an opportunity for something he wants, he will ensure he gets it. Ty is not one to ‘let go’. I think Ty will want to finally get the truth out of Kit, and whether that details their long repressed emotions for eachother…I suppose we’ll see. I do believe Ty will also be angry at Kit, because Kit did lie to him, tell him hurtful things, and then simply vanish. Ty himself didn’t seem to believe it till Magnus told him to his face. Theres so much hurt between them both, and so much guilt Ty is holding inside, I won’t be surprised if Ty explodes.
Lastly, Ty’s place in the fandom. If you are someone who loves Ty to the point you cannot take any criticism on him, I advise you to stop reading now. This section is not for you. Ty in the fandom is generally a really beloved character. Neurodivergent queer characters are not popular within books, so Ty is generally held in very high regard. Majority of the fandom loves him, and I’ve never seen a post genuinely antagonising him. However, there is a large portion of the fandom who refuse to criticise Ty at all. They excuse his actions and seem to refuse to admit that Ty has made mistakes too. No, this is not all Ty fans, but there are quite a lot of them who are like this. And in the end, the one who gets the hate is Kit (I’m not going to talk about Kit because this is Ty focused). There is a double standard between Ty and Kit, and I can guarantee if Kit made a mistake and Ty made the mistake too, Kit would be the one under fire and Ty would be defended. I have seen posts where people genuinely pride themselves on being “toxic Ty fans”. Ty is a wonderful character with his own complexity, but by refusing to acknowledge his mistakes and the pain he has caused, intentions or no, and simply shifting the blame, you take that complexity away from him.
Thank you for reading to here! If you have any other perspectives, points or questions to add, please go ahead and say them, I’m happy to hear people’s opinions. If you want me to do a huge long detailed rant like this on Kit, just ask.
tangentwithtanner
romaincrisis
stormborns
germansingergirl
turnnoffyourmind
discoholicmusic
andulkaphoto
