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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.

remember my tiny free game about a supervillain on his day off, "this game will end in 205 clicks"? no?

well that's great because i finally added achievements that work. so you can play it for the first time AND get some achievements to add to your prestigious "Gamer Score"

Hello! I'm one of you. When I was younger, I would have so much trouble having friends. I'm still not very good at it, but I will tell you what has made it better.

1. I learned the local sign language alphabet. When people are talking, my head fills up with things I want to say. I used to either interrupt people, or I would be so focused on not interrupting and waiting for my turn that I wouldn't actually listen to them.

Now, I use the sign alphabet to remember what I want to say. So if I want to talk about dolphins, I hold the D shape. I leave the remembering to my hand. This lets me listen to what the other person is saying. You could use a notepad or a phone, as long as you do it quickly.

2. I learned how to engage the other person. This is so hard. I want to ramble on and on! But people generally don't like that. They want to talk with you, not be talked at.

I would make pauses in my speech, so they could talk. I would ask questions. I wasn't very good at asking questions at first. I would say, "isn't that cool?" That doesn't give someone much to respond to. So...

3. I learned to ask open ended questions, like "What do you think about this character's choice?"

4. I learned that I needed to find common interests. I'm lucky because I can talk about a wide variety of topics. If you can't, I suggest you find clubs or forums for your special interest. You could also try to find something related to it. For example, if you like Steven Universe, and the other person is interested in gem stones, you could ask them about the real life properties of diamonds versus pearls and things.

As much as I want to talk all day about the show I just watched, I need to find someone who wants to hear it. If I'm with someone who doesn't like that kind of thing, I need to talk about something we both like. If I just met them, I can ask what their hobbies or favorite shows are, or I can ask them if they like my favorite stuff.

Will we learn more about Andrew and Eleanor Blackthorn in TLKOF? Will Ty or Dru be thinking about them as they go on their adventures?

A very little. In the scenes in TLKOF from Ty's perspective, there is no room or reason for him to think about them. Dru wears her mother's gear and thinks briefly about her father, but he died when she was eight, and Eleanor when she was even younger. To her, her parental figure is Julian, who she thinks about a lot, as does Ty.

svnshinee9 asked:

I was just wondering, since it's mentioned quite a few times, does Ty's hair and eye colours (different from the rest of the other blackthorn siblings) hide a piece of information we're still missing??

Nope! It is meant to be a fun piece of business tying him back to Jesse and the other Blackthorns of that time. That's all.

izzylightwoodfledaway asked:

Hey Cassie, I know we've just got A Sea of Change where we saw what happened to Mathew Fairchild after the TLH. And we sort of know that James and Cordelia lived happily ever after TLH but are we gonna see them later in their lives? Maybe James or Cordelia or Lucie could even get mentioned in the TWP? Maybe their ghosts could make a cameo? Or their story ended at TLH?

The forward progress of their stories ends with TLH. They do not live on forever or return as ghosts. We may hear bits and pieces about their lives, as history (Matthew's apartment in Paris lives on). It's not to say someday there might be a short story or something, who knows?! — but not in TWP.

laamedusa asked:

Hi Cassie!

I was wondering, does Ash remember or have any memories of Nene? I totally get if you can’t answer this but I loved their short story and would love to see more of them!

He does! He remembers her well though he won't necessarily admit it at first. She certainly changed him, as he has only known otherwise terrible role models.

smrxlmn asked:

Will we get any boyfriend moments in the first book? I know it's too spoiler, but.. but...

I don't know what that means! — and googling did not help me. Google did tell me that boyfriends should go canoeing or kayaking together, though I am not sure they would like that. You will have to clarify next round. :)

maryheronthorn asked:

hi cassie!

i was wondering if we are going to see a little bit of the sill on-going beef between emma and zara. i remember zara still being super angry and promising to kill emma when she got out of idris soooo maybe IF she gets out… will we see round 2? 👀 or is zara over it?

Zara is never over anything, but she also has beef with a lot of people. You'll definitely see her though she has bigger problems than Emma in TLKOF.

heronstairs asked:

hey Cassie, i'm super curious to know if we learn why the runed gun only fires for James & Kit during the plot of twp. it's been haunting me. very excited to reenter the shadow world in tlkof!! <3

We already know why it fires for James, but we will indeed find out why it fires for Kit, too, in TWP. Ty figures it out.

iveneverbeenanaturalt asked: Will Maryse’s brother be in TWP? any chance we'll see them reunite?

We will definitely see Max. (Max 2? Max 3?) His knowledge proves invaluable. Maryse and Max reunited before TLKOF so that would have to be in special content or a deleted scene. (For those of you who have not read Better in Black, you will find out who Max is!)

ecairis asked:

Are Emma and Julian planning to expand their family?

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........

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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.