Tiberius Blackthorn

“I have loved you and you haven't known it.” (pfp by @cassandrajp) For comissions sent me message to my inbox plz :)

[thinktiberius]

POV: you find your silly boyfriend with his pretty pet.

[cassandraclare]

Hey Cassie! Can you tell us anything about Ty‘s former crushes? Like had he any crushes on popular Shadowhunters like Jace when he was younger?👀

Kit and Ty actually have a funny conversation about this in LPoH and I don’t want to spoil it. Definitely not Jace though, I think Kit would then worry Ty had a very specific type: “blond Herondales.”

[cassandraclare]

Hi Cassie!

My question is: Will Kit ever find out what his mother was like? I mean something beyond just descriptions—perhaps a photograph?

I’m also curious about Kit’s opinion of his mother. It feels like, considering all the sacrifices Rosemary made for him, Kit doesn't really know much about her; he doesn't even own anything that belonged to her—nothing to keep her present in his daily life (except for the heron necklace, but Ty has that, not Kit). It's like Rosemary’s presence in Kit’s life has been somewhat sidelined, which I find a bit sad. Will we see him thinking or talking about her in TLKoF?

Thanks for your answer! ♡

Hi! ❤️

As of right now what Kit's relationship to Rosemary's memory will look like in TWP seems a bit spoilery! — but it's an interesting question (though indeed when you are in a fantasy adventure and always running you don't get to introspect as much as you might like.)

Rosemary’s story intersects with Jem’s, and with Tessa’s — they only go looking for Kit when Rosemary dies, and they don’t immediately tell him about her because it would be devastating to find out your mother had been alive without you knowing and then died extremely recently. At that point Kit is not ready to hear it. It becomes clear in TWP though that they've discussed Rosemary with Kit and he is aware of her story.

It's worth keeping in mind that these are Kit's own thoughts regarding his mother, before he really finds out much about Rosemary. "Maybe there was something wrong with him, Kit thought as he followed Alec into the hallway. Maybe he didn’t have the right kind of feelings. He’d never wondered that much about his mother, who she was: Wouldn’t someone who knew how to feel properly wonder that?"

So in some sense the issue is what Kit thinks of his own emotional capabilities. It is clear to us he doesn't have the "right kind of feelings" because that would be too painful. And that becomes more complex for him when he learns the story of his mother. The fact that she sacrificed herself for him would make him more likely to want to hold his feelings at a distance, not more likely to want a photograph or a keepsake. She is also tied up in his mind with him being the Heir which he hates and regards as something that has almost ruined his life.

We do know now that he has blurry memories of her singing to him. But that isn't the same as knowing her. What Kit would be mourning, if he let himself really mourn Rosemary, isn't the loss of someone he remembers. It's the loss of the chance to ever know her at all. For someone in that position, being surrounded by reminders of a life that barely intersected with their own might be comforting, or it might simply emphasize what was lost before it could ever exist.

“It's like Rosemary’s presence in Kit’s life has been somewhat sidelined, which I find a bit sad.”

You’re not wrong; it is sad, and that's okay, because the situation is sad in a way that cannot be undone. Tessa cannot have Will back. Will could not have Jem back. Julian can't have Livvy back. Jocelyn never got her son back. The Merry Thieves don't get Christopher back. And Kit does not get to have a life with Rosemary in it. That is one of the recurring themes throughout the Shadowhunter books when sad things happen and cannot be reversed. The question the books keep asking isn't, "How can this be fixed and made not sad?" It's, "How do we go on after loss and how do we understand that it can be part of our history without becoming our entire present? How can we understand that moving on is not a wrong done to the people we lost but is rather what they would want for us? How do we understand that acceptance is not erasure, and how do we, as Shadowhunters, keep doing what needs to be done instead of being ourselves undone by sadness?”

These are all things that Kit needs to think about and has deliberately not thought about. Rosemary’s presence is minimized in Kit’s life because he never really knew her and he doesn't want to think about her or really about Johnny either. Whether he can keep all that up without cracking is the part that seems spoilery.

I would address one thing about the heron pendant, though, because I think it's interesting that people might look at him giving it to Ty as him sidelining Rosemary. I think about it the opposite way (and this does come up in TWP) — Kit’s mother’s legacy was one of sacrificial and protective love. Kit has given this necklace to Ty as a gesture of protective love. Ty having that pendant is the thing — the first thing in TWP — that Kit thinks of as connecting him to his bio-mom. When he sees Ty with the necklace, he thinks that his mother protected him and in turn he has honored that legacy by giving something that symbolizes her to the person he most wants to protect. He thinks she would be pleased. It's pretty much the only thing he's let himself think about as regards her. So I think of it as connecting him to Rosemary rather than putting her aside.

I don't think Rosemary's place in Kit's story is measured by how many of her belongings he keeps or if he has a photo of her (he's certainly seen one.) He isn't looking for that. It will be measured in what Kit finds out about himself, his own feelings, and his relationship to his past. None of this is to say Kit won't ever know more about his biological mother. It's only to say I don't think that if he did, it would make the situation less sad; it may well make it more sad. It's just that it's okay if it's sad and Kit's ability to engage with it as a real loss, and to work through those feelings, is part of his journey.

[cassandraclare]

AHAHAHAH for the “boyfriend moments” comment: i think it was just a way to mean the typical boyfriend/couple-like stuff! Likely that person wanted to ask if there were gonna be scenes that are kinda domestic and romance. Which we’d all love, but I think Kit and Ty have higher fantasy stakes than that in their world and their love too👀🌈

I feel enlightened!

I think you are right about fantasy stakes. When I think of romance, at least in a Shadowhunter context, I think high stakes, high emotions, massive consequences and, usually, the absence of the luxury of time. Also, usually Magnus walks in on you at some point or another.

I do think of TWP as very romantic books. Part of focusing in so closely on the main four characters is to give those romances space and time. It allows for Kit and Ty to be on a desperate chase across Europe but occasionally have time for squabbling over whether licorice is disgusting (yes, yes it is) or you, know being terrified about the other person's safety (which I find romantic, though not domestic.)

If the question is just whether Kit and Ty ever do anything romantic, I do not know what terrible person would promise a romance between two characters and then never let them do anything romantic. Kit and Ty must reconnect after a bad split, but that in itself is a romantic process. Also, they are quite a bit older than they were in TDA so "I don't know, do I maybe want to kiss this person?" is more like "I desperately do want to kiss this person, but maybe they do not return the feeling."

But even then, desperate kissing is just part of a whole, and ideally only works if the two people can also just have a nice time together when things are slightly less desperate. Like trying to make pancakes together. Which might happen. I'm just saying.

[cassandraclare]

liviablackthon asked:

Hi, Cassie! We know Kit has had some dating experience prior to TWP, which led me to wonder about Ty… has he explored his options as well? Who’s more experienced out of the two?

mayaheronthorn asked:

Hi Cassie! We know that Kit had a girlfriend - love u Hazel - and I was wondering if he dated other people in those 4 years? And most importantly, I wanna know if Ty dated someone? 💖 sending love 

izzyeatsfood asked:

hi cassie!! 

i got into your books in november of 2024, and it's been one of the most rewarding fandom experiences of my life. I love all the characters (especially kit and alastair, they're my shaylas) and am SUPER excited for TLKOF. I was wondering, while Kit was in london, did he date (or even just kiss) anyone other than Hazel? Thank you for your amazing books!!!!

yviintheclouds asked:

Has Ty had any romantic experiences in the time between TDA & TWP?

sherlockwaatson asked:

hi cassie! i want to say thank you for all of the content lately - it is truly giving me a reason to live and i am so grateful

my question is kind of silly but did ty date anyone between qoaad and tlkof? we know kit had a fling with hazel so i was only curious........

------

Friends, Romans, countrymen/women/people. I do understand why this is a burning question. Between TDA and TWP we have missed quite a bit of Kit and Ty's lives. Dating-wise, we only know about Hazel, and that was very clearly not in any way a serious relationship.

But unfortunately, any real answer would contain spoilers. Not even just for the first book! When Ty and Kit meet again, they don't know these things about each other either — Kit doesn't know if Ty's dated or kissed anyone, and Ty only knows about Hazel. Which he genuinely has no jealous feelings about because it is pretty clear that Kit's heart was not involved there.

I did not want either Kit or Ty to feel that the situation between them was impacted by the existence of some romantic rival. It's not the case, there's no love triangle, Kit and Ty's challenges come from other things: memory and forgiveness, understanding, star-crossed challenges of the epic sort.

Ty and Kit are probably not each other's first kiss. But they definitely would be each other's first most other things. :)

[cassandraclare]

Hi Cassie. I love your books.I don’t know if this is too much of a spoiler, but I’d like to know what Livvy’s role in TWP will be like and whether she’ll have her own storyline.

Hey! I mean the whole thing is kind of a spoiler so I'll be vague. She is almost always with Ty, and he's gotten very used to her being around and chatting with her like she wasn't a ghost. With Kit, she can discuss concerns she has about Ty, something she has no one else she can talk to about. Livvy's role is really about what happens when you try to cheat not just death, but also grief and other human emotions.

[cassandraclare]

hi!! i’m not sure if i’m remembering clearly but was there supposed to be a kickstarter letter from ty to kit? if so will we ever get to see it (and the rest of the letters in general)? i miss them so much 😞 tysm!

I wrote to all the people who got character letters and asked if they'd be ok with me sharing them: a lot of people said yes, but for those who said no, or who I didn't hear from, I can't post those — I'm sorry!

[cassandraclare]

LKOF chapter sampler snippet

Meanwhile, back at the Scholomance:

“You told us your final project would be about solving crimes using magic. But this”—Catarina tapped the stack of paper in front of her—“seems to be about the alternate dimension Thule. It includes a section on how one might possibly get there—” 

“That part is theoretical,” said Ty. 

“All right,” Catarina said. “But . . .

the final project is supposed to cover the kind of work you want to do when you leave the Scholomance. You’re an adult Shadowhunter. Solving crimes using magic seems like something you could do. Attempting interdimensional travel to a hell world does not. I know your brother Julian visited that other world, but there were extenuating circumstances involved that will never be replicated.” 

“I said it was theoretical—” 

“If you opened a door to hell in your dorm room and a beast came through and ate you, that wouldn’t be theoretical.” 

“No, I would call that empirical evidence. But I’m not doing that.” 

Catarina templed her hands beneath her chin. “I believe you,” she said. “And I don’t think you actually want to go to Thule, even if a version of Livvy is alive there. I think you turned in a final project you knew couldn’t possibly pass on purpose.” 

Ty froze. 

[tys-kitty]

„It wasn‘t as if he hadn‘t paid for it, either. The price of a secret he would always have to keep, the weight of the guilt. And losing Kit“

Okay nice but imagine a scene where Kit says to Ty „You could never lose me. I‘ve always inevitably been yours, Tiberius“

[wikitpowers]

AND THE AWARD FOR TOP YEARNER OF THE YEAR GOES TO....... 🌟🌟🌟

[wikitpowers]

TLKOF SAMPLER PT. 1 <3

I AM FREAKING THE FUCK OUT OMFG!!!!

[cassandraclare]

Hi! You recently mentioned how “some” of the POVs are Ty’s (and Ash’s) which made me wonder about the “access” we’ll have to his mind, and the reason you’ve said Ty and Ash. Meaning - you kept saying the main three are Kit, Ty and Dru, but I wonder if Ty is not as central in the sense that we get to see less of his POVs than the other two.

I do want to say - I remember you’ve discussing your reluctance with writing his POVs in TDA, because he’s a neurodivergent character, and you wanted to do him justice and not presume to write him as you do the other characters (sorry if it’s not accurate, it’s been a few years 😅). Anyway, it’s understandable and very respectful either way.. and when you said that about his POVs I wondered if that’s the reason.

Either way, I’m EAGER to get to dive into his mind, and I hope it’ll be more than a quick dip 🤓

Thanks Cassie. I can’t tell you how excited I am this is finally happening. Life right not isn’t amazing, to say the least… so it means a lot to have something good waiting around the corner. 🤍 U.

I'm so glad the book is something to look forward to. Lord knows we can all use that. :)

I've been thinking about all the discussion about this, specifically about POVs, and the questions I continue to get about who are the main characters, and I wondered: Is part of the anxiety about this because these three books have no clear protagonist?

All the other trilogies/series have a specific protagonist: Clary, Tessa, Emma, Cordelia. (TEC splits between Magnus and Alec.) The Wicked Powers has essentially four main characters, but I have never called them "four protagonists" and maybe I should.

Essentially, a protagonist is the one whose goals and choices drive the story. By this measure, all four of these characters are protagonists. Each has an equally important arc, plot-wise and emotionally. Each has a very specific destiny. [spoiler] As the prophecy we learned about in Better in Black is translated, they are the only people mentioned in it, and all of them are required for the prophecy to work. [/spoiler]

So there are actually four protagonists or main characters, and those are Kit, Ty, Dru and Ash. Yes, we see mostly Dru and Kit's POV in book 1. That doesn't mean that's the way the POVs will play out going forward; we have a lot more ground to cover! It's just how it turned out I needed to write this book.

I think essentially writers and readers come at the concept of POV from different directions. It sometimes makes me feel like I'm having difficulty translating what it's like from this side of things, but I'll try.

When you're anticipating a book but it isn't going to be out for a while, I think often there's a tendency to try to predict how it will go based on the limited information you have. Will my favorite character have enough presence in the story to make me happy? So you look to things like -- who are the POV characters? Who's on the cover or depicted in the promotional art? What can you infer from the snippets or from the jacket copy?

And unfortunately, this is not a very good way to predict what a book is going to be like or how you are going to feel about it! All the snippets and images and little bits of info like POVs or chapter titles, all added up, are a very tiny piece of a 180,000+ word book. And it's okay, of course, to anticipate and try to guess and get excited and get worried! That anticipating is a lot of the fun of waiting for a thing! But -- things like POV just in the end don't tell you very much about what a book is like, or how it's going to feel.

For writers, choice of POV is a storytelling tool. You use the tool in the way that seems best for the story. It's not about how much you like a character or whether they are central. I stayed away from a lot of Will's POV in Clockwork Angel because he had a secret I didn't want to share; regardless, I think of Will as one of the most important characters in the entire Shadowhunter series, not just TID. I ended up staying out of Ty's head a lot in LKOF because 1) he has a secret, too! and 2) there are things I want the reader to know about him that he can't know or be aware of and there is no way to convey that from his POV. We have to see it from outside because we know what he doesn't know. And 3) It's about the romance, too. I wanted there to be things Kit didn't know about Ty's feelings, and I wanted the reader not to know them either — not yet.

In TLKoF the bulk of the POVs are Dru and Kit's. But — and I know we may disagree — I don't believe POV factors that much into how important or central a character is. I do not think Ty is less of a main character in book 1 because we do not get his POV as often. I would have said that after James and Cordelia, Matthew was the most important character in The Last Hours and we never saw his POV at all.

And yes, as a neurotypical person, it is of concern to me how I write and portray Ty. I used multiple sensitivity readers to read for Ty in this book, a mix of people I know and people who do this professionally. I think people imagine that sensitivity readers are only necessary for scenes from Ty's point of view, but most of the readers' notes were on the sections not from his POV, because we learn about Ty, how he thinks and why he does things, from his behavior and his dialogue. We hear much more from him about his thoughts, feelings, emotions, habits, and the way he does things than we ever learned about him in TDA, and we learn the majority of them in scenes not from his POV.

Some people have asked if being worried about writing Ty correctly made writing his POV less positive or fun, but no, it didn't! I really love writing Ty because he has a lot of qualities I love; I'm just also worried about it. So far in LPOH his POV shows up the same amount as everyone else's and I'm enjoying it a lot.

If at the end of TLKOF you feel like you didn't get enough Ty POV and you want more, that's good — because you will get more, and at that point, there will actually be specific mysteries that you want addressed and they will be. Structurally, it didn't make sense to spend a lot of time in Ty (or Ash's) heads in LKOF, so when we do see their thoughts in LPOH, I think it's more enjoyable because we are getting the answer to what they were feeling during events we actually observed, and getting them earlier would be like reading the last page of a mystery first. (I know you're out there, people who do that! For shame! :) It's certainly more enjoyable for me as a writer to be able to hold some mystery back for maximum fun, and in the end we all do write the kind of stories we ourselves like to read and to create: we can't really do otherwise.

I'm off to Bookcon this week so not too around but I'll be back next week with some fun snippets from the Bookcon sampler! In the meantime, you have this giant novel of an answer to read.

I'm sorry if things haven't been great lately; I think it's been a pretty hard time for a lot of people and I often wonder what we'd all do without imaginary worlds to get lost in.

[cassandraclare]

can we get a kitty snippet please? (once you get permission from your publisher🫡)

I’ll ask ;) I do know a pretty big chapter sampler from TLKOF will be given away at Bookcon, which is next week, and after that I will share some snippets from the sampler with you guys. I am sure there will be plenty of Kitty because there really wouldn’t be any way to avoid that! (If my publisher wanted to, which, they don’t!)

[wikitpowers]

it really is that deep for me 😀💔

[cassandraclare]

good morning cassie! my question is if the infamous SOBH kitchen reunion scene will be brought up between Kit and Ty in TLKOF, or just the concept of forgiveness re “how long do you think it will take you to forgive me”? - will ty bring up what happened between them so explicitly ever again (or at least in this first book)?

They definitely discuss the whole "How long will you be mad" "I'm also mad" stuff, they kind of can't not discuss it. They do decide to put it aside in the pursuit of what they need to find, but that's temporary, as it has to be. If the kitchen scene gets a mention it is quite small as I think they definitely have much bigger emotions about other things.

[cassandraclare]

Maybe this is an odd question but is Kit able to safely consume faerie fruit?

He doesn't know . . . yet.

[cassandraclare]

Will we see Ty interacting with Irene in TLKOF? Is she just left with Anush?

(I love Irene so much ❤️)

I also love Irene, but alas, you cannot take a lynx on a read trip easily. It does not mean Ty will never meet Irene tho.