#gremborants

the one true shadowhunters alignment chart

i do not take criticisms. this is the one (1) correct take. in the words of absolute icon eugene lee yang: “i’m right, you’re wrong, shut up.”

[explanations below cut; although many boil down to “vibes”]

saying s1 alec was kind of a dick and the other seasons versions of alec were better does NOT mean “alec is bad” or “matt is bad” or “s1 sucked” although s1 did have a lot of problems. (personally i think some of the worst acting/characterization/plot choices were in s1, although maybe not all of the worst, however i think i liked a lot of aesthetics better--such as magnus’s look (clean shaven, more colorful and gnc, the cat eyes) and alec’s hair (i just like the messy look im sorry lghkjfgh) it just means like. s1 alec was a dick. because he kind of was. like. i’m not saying he didn’t have his own issues, or even that his arc sucked (because it didn’t, i actually liked it, even though it meant magnus didn’t have much to do outside being his love interest and being a convenient plot point) it just means that s1 alec, particularly earlier s1 alec.... was a dick. 

he can be a dick that grows and changes and you can still like him like?????? it’s okay. characters can have flaws and grow and get redemption arcs. although that might be strong words to describe it given alec didn’t necessarily start out evil, but like. you know. generally a dick, and like. still racist as fuck (calling simon “it” for one still really bothers me and grosses me out, general comments like the slaves to their impulses thing or “overpaying some warlock” or whatever, belittling comments about mundanes calling them “ants” and stupid, and you know, willing to have downworlders be literally tortured and not being bothered by this at all) so like.... he was objectively not great. i’m not saying he didn’t grow, or that he didn’t again have his own issues going on what with being closeted and with an obviously shitty family (mostly maryse and jace) but like..... still a dick y’all. the point is that he grew. if he’d started out already perfect and the One Woke Shadowhunter that would have been unbelievable and nowhere near as relatable, interesting, or compelling 

but like are y’all seriously being like “how dare you not like alec” like lmao it is. earliest pre-evolution alec. people literally still like alec, and even if people who did criticize s1 alec actually hated him, there’s still an overwhelming majority of people so far up alec’s ass that they refuse to see even a single flaw and often smooth over the edges until he’s a round bland and boring character that is honestly a disservice to the real alec and kinda shitty lmao? anyway it’s not like the whole fandom shits on your fave unlike what magnus stans experience so like. what are y’all worried about here. 

like clary is treated as either Hot And Part of the Sexy Edgy Dark Murder Incest Trio so shes cool and murder is good actually and there's no abusive relationship here they're just all in love and a great murder ot3 or whatever... or like shes misguided and needs to be saved bc she went full dark no stars but its ok i promise shes a good person and she needs no redemption for her actions 

so like, it’s treated as a good thing, either as in murder is totally excusable and/or not the point (like reading a story about a supervillain, sympathetic or not, often comes with murder. people still like harley quinn and sympathize with her despite the fact she has killed before and will kill again, and this is not a problem nor is it treated as such, because the point is her morals are fucky. the story isn’t saying she’s necessarily a good person, but also you gloss over her actions because that’s not the point.) so her actions are glossed over and fine, or she’s completely forgiven/excused because She Was Manipulated Into It.

while evil magnus, while the "evil" IS treated as hot, is a) deeply opposed in canon and ooc, and like directly opposes his characterization and the point of his story (and literally his worst nightmare and something he has always taken great pains to never become!), while clary's evil thing was literally in canon and she actually did, and b) more rooted in his treatment of alec, a white character, and him being toxic/abusive/cruel and "owning" alec. the hot comes from alec, poor uwu white boy, being hurt and abused by magnus, a man of color. 

so magnus being evil isn’t a good thing, it’s almost always related specifically to him hurting alec (or someone else, but usually alec), and even if it’s not that, it’s about reveling in what a horrible monster he is, usually going right back into him being a downworlder (the subtext also connecting to him being a queer man of color, but more directly in the text, specifically his “demonic” nature) and it just being “in his nature” which is an incredibly racist and terrible narrative even if we are talking about literal demon blood the idea you can have an inherently evil nature is in of itself fucked up 

his actions aren’t sympathetic (despite the fact that even if we did throw out his characterization entirely and assume he became evil under asmodeous’s tutelage, he was literally like, an abused homeless child being manipulated by a much stronger and older man, who was his father and also a literal demon, so if anything he would be far more sympathetic than clary who just woke up one day and decided to murder) and he and his actions are directly condemned in a way clary isn’t. he’s just. a bad person. his actions are shown as bad things that he did. he is a horrible person. 

evil clary does something bad--hot. glossed over. not the point. or just forgiven and waved away. she’s hot, sexy, and effortlessly murdery. excellent. 

evil magnus--look how terrible he is! what a monster, doing something like that to such innocents! disgusting! he’s evil and we think it’s hot to make him a complete monster! look at him hurt alec! how horrible! 

not to mention again i can’t emphasize enough no matter how dumb it was clary canonically went evil full dark no stars and decided she wanted to murder for little to no reason... even tho she’s been through shit (nowhere near as much as magnus, and she’s still a privileged cis white shadowhunter, not to mention in canon, straight, despite the fact one can make good arguments for her being queer) but like she did go evil. that happened. so evil/dark clary, while often mishandled, isn’t necessarily against her character inherently. and it’s not a core part of her character to like, not be Like That, unless you buy into the angel blood = good nonsense, in which case, i hate to break it to you, but that is as much as an (albeit badly handled) allegory for racism/white supremacy as “mudbloods” are in harry potter. so like. maybe don’t buy into that, even if the narrative sometimes does (and cassandra clare always does, not that this is about the books, but just saying, she bought into her own fantasy racism because she’s that fucking bad)

magnus tho? dude. duuuuuuuuuuuude. the whole fucking point is that he’s been through endless shit, countless horrible things, deep trauma, and like. he’s still not fucking evil or dark. this man has been living as a gnc bisexual downworlder of color for like four centuries (whether you believe he’s trans or not he still falls into enough Minority Categories(TM) im pretty sure he’s got the “has been discriminated against and treated like shit a lot” thing covered), and he has gone through abusive relationships (romantic and familial) and lost friends and lovers, he’s been through horrible times where his people were hunted down like animals, he’s been personally hurt and abused over and over again, he’s been lonely and terrified and hurt and angry and scarred... and yet he always, always chooses kindness. he stays soft and vulnerable and kind, he stays selfless and full of love despite it all, which takes real fucking strength. he keeps caring, he doesn’t go numb, he doesn’t get cruel, he doesn’t ever go dark like his father wanted him to, like shadowhunters told him his blood made him. he isn’t dark, and that is the fucking point. that is what makes him inspiring, that’s why he’s compelling, and it’s like a huge fucking part of the core of his character. the whole goddamn point is he helps people and he’s kind and caring despite all the reasons he’s been given not to be! he made his choice a long time ago when asmodeous tried to make him dark, and he will never go back. that is literally his worst nightmare, something he still fears in himself to this day despite literally being the furthest thing from being anything like his father! because he’s a good fucking person! and y’all just want him to be evil so you can wank to your racist fantasies of him abusing your white fave. 

oh i def agree some rep is like waaay overhyped and/or straight-up offensive. CMBYN def made me :// and like, i feel like sterek could hypothetically be okay aged up (stiles is like 16 and derek was 6 years older so when they meet that’s def very very yikes but i mean, HYPOTHETICALLY years down the line 6 years isn’t a huge gap and it’s whatever) but like a) i dont love it when people are like “its ok, i aged him up!” it feels less weird when we’re not talking about like, literal ten year olds or something, but still def very weird. b) from what i saw of teen wolf i dont think they exactly had the best relationship anyway?? like??? ok. it’s not a ship i’d necessarily mega crusade against but people are def creepy about it and some people like to play into the age gap in a way that reminds me of book malec or worse :/

but i mean like sometimes its just the overhyped that gets me like look. look. i get it. i was into destiel too when i had my supernatural phase. i get it. it’s a fun ship, it’s cute, whatever. def better than wincest. but like people legit act like it’s straight-up canon and incredibly good rep just bc the actors teased that they’d be okay with it a few times? like it would ever happen? and also again, it’s not that there’s anything wrong with shipping them but two cis white guys is Not The Height Of Rep, especially in supernatural, a very white show with a history of killing off characters of color or making them evil or both, not to mention their yikes history with other things including queer rep. (also yes yes i know angels have wibbly wobbly gender and you could argue for that but like, no one writes it like that, let alone the show. that’s like when people insist the doctor is canonically nonbinary/genderfluid/etc. and i’m like look i’m with you and i agree but don’t give them credit for representation they’re not giving us.)

and then of course there’s the ships like st*rker that are just unarguably gross in every way like that’s a grown ass man and the minor he treats as a son, sir! but those are, while common, not as hyped up as ships like sterek or destiel.

and you know there’s other stuff i’ve heard of but can’t judge (like i’ve never seen the 100 or legends of tomorrow but i’ve heard both avalance and clexa have issues?) and you know, like even in shadowhunters, ships like j*lec and jimon get a lot of attention despite being.... not the best. particularly that first one. even some people working on the show in advertising and the like gave that attention, unfortunately.