And now … some questions about The Thing That Happens On Page 511. BELOW ARE SPOILERS. DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN’T READ COLS.

Hi Cassie! First of all, thank you so much for being so open to answering fan questions (even if you don’t answer this one). It’s really refreshing to see an author so involved with their fan base. I’m personally a HUGE fan of your work and have been for quite a while now. However, I do have a bone to pick with you: Magnus and Alec. Honestly, I understand why Magnus couldn’t be with Alec anymore - hell, I wouldn’t stay with Alec if he did something that awful to me either. I’m just also really hurting for Alec right now because, frankly, I feel there’s always been a huge power differential between the two. Magnus is immortal, he’s a warlock, he says he’s only sticking around because of how much he loves Alec, and he’s constantly being called on by “Team Good” to fix all of their problems - which he, again, does in great part because he loves Alec (I’m not denying he may have some good samaritan motives). Alec, on the other hand, is always the one who fucks up (pardon my language). He couldn’t bring himself to tell his family about Magnus, he pushed Magnus away, he’s only an 18-year-old Shadowhunter with no past relationship experience except a really long puppy-crush on his best friend. I completely understand why Alec fell in love with Magnus, which is why I sympathize with him, but what I don’t understand is what drew MAGNUS to ALEC? There’s such a huge gap between them and we’ve never really gotten any glimpse into the workings of Magnus Bane’s mind (well…maybe that’s a good thing), but for me that’s left a bit of a disconnect. Am I crazy to say that it was only a matter of time before Alec let all that insecurity get to him? Sigh. I want you to know that despite all this, those two are BY FAR my favorite characters and I was so glad to see them get such a big role in City of Lost Souls, even if it broke my heart just a little. Okay, a lot. That being said, PLEASE tell me Alec gets a chance to at least redeem himself in Magnus’ eyes??”

You’re not really picking a bone, you know, just making a (totally justified!) series of observations. ☺

Yes, there is a big power differential between the two characters. In the first few books it was evened out because Magnus was the pursuer, and Alec was the pursued — Magnus was pursuing the relationship and Alec was hiding and shying away. Come City of Fallen Angels, and the two have been together for a while, that dynamic has evened out and now they have to learn to be together as a couple. As equals. And that is where the problems inevitably start.

It’s good to see a lot of agreement with Magnus’ breaking up with Alec — he didn’t do it for a trivial reason — but neither did Alec do what he did for no reason. As for why does Magnus like Alec: well, you like Alec. You empathize with him. Why shouldn’t Magnus? We know from ID he has a weakness for beautiful boys that need a bit of fixing. Alec has a truly good heart, too. And Magnus has tried having relationships with other powerful immortals — Camille — and Downworlders — Woolsey — and they’ve gone badly. So why would he seek them out further? He hasn’t dated in ages, choosing instead to wrap himself up in a cloak of mystery, being the High Warlock of Brooklyn, and he doesn’t really let anyone in to see the truth of him. If he’s going to break that, breaking it for Alec, who is so unlike anyone who’s hurt him in the past, seems reasonable.

 The problem is, he really doesn’t break it. Yes, Alec shouldn’t have done what he did, but then how would you feel being in a relationship with someone who won’t tell you who their parents were, where they’re from, anything about their past, their real name, or even how old they are? Magnus has decided the solution to his problems is to live in an eternal now where the past doesn’t matter, but Alec is mortal and the past has to matter to him. Magnus isn’t giving him the openness a relationship requires — he’s saying “Take me as I am, no questions” — and that is a great deal to ask of anyone, not the least someone as young as Alec. In other words, yes there is a power imbalance — and Magnus is doing everything he can, consciously or not, to preserve it.

Alec may need to redeem himself in Magnus’ eyes. But so does Magnus need to drop some of his barriers, too.

xxthefakegingerxx asked you:You sunk my ship. :( MagnusXAlec was honestly one of my OTPs. :( *broken sobbing* PLEASE don’t make this permanent.

• 
  melloloveschoc asked you:
  So I just finished COLS and I cried for a half hour after reading Magnus and Alec’s break-up so I must ask do they get back together or will there be someone new?

Where there’s life, there’s hope, I guess! You’re not going to get anything more than that out of me. ☺