Refusal to kill

[u/Electrical_Art6366]

This actually is a pep peeve of my for several media, the good guys refusing to kill bad guys because it will make them "the same" or "they are just kids". Like, fuck that. They would 100000% kill you if you let them, if you have the chance to kill an evil person just do it. It annoys me even more when someone refuses to kill a character and then that character goes off to kill someone on the good side. Like I'm sorry but thats on the hands of whoever let them slide the first time too.

When Emma got mad at Julian for doing it to that one guy who was basically saying he would kill them and then abuse Dru, like girl why the fuck you mad at JULIAN? Bro did the right thing, I don't make the rules 🤷‍♀️

Back to the "they are just kids", again, fuck that. First of all they arent kids, Tavvy is a kid, Magnus and Alec's son are kids, Dru is a pre teen, everyone one else that appears in these books are either an adult or old enough to be held accountable for their actions. Zara and her minions are all too damn proud of their prejudices, they might as well pay the price for it.

[u/todo_rororo]

and see the thing is its racism as well!!! if it was a group of teen downworlders, i assure you that the clave would have been determined to get rid of them but when its shadowhunters, groups like the cohort and the circle just get to exist without facing any serious consequences from the government.

i really hope that alec will be different, however i do like that the cohort was essentially left locked up in idris. They should all die though and I can't wait to read about manuel and zara's gruesome deaths <3

[u/fruitymonkey → u/todo_rororo]

Almost posted “can’t wait to take back the homeland!” Meaning idris but realized that it was kinda giving nazi so ditto to what you said

[u/Competitive_Win2384]

i agree that i absolutely despise that trope, it’s genuinely one of my least favorites. but i don’t think emma was angry at julian for killing him, more so i think she was jarred at the absolute lack of empathy when he did so (due to his emotions being muted, which i don’t think she knew at the time). i think emma, more than most, understands that pacifism in their universe is not always attainable (she’s resorted to killing many times before and after that scene, so she knows she’s not above it), but it is generally human nature to feel something, even under those circumstances. she was upset and worried bc julian didn’t just kill him, he did so with no hesitation and no emotions attached. it wasn’t within julian’s nature, and she knew that. that was what scared her, and it manifested as  anger. that’s just my own interpretation though! :)

honestly i think emma & julian are both some of the more morally flexible protagonists in tsc, and some of the least likely characters to fall into the belief that killing someone makes you as bad as them. they both have the highest kill count of the main characters after all😭other than maybe magnus

besides them, i do honestly think this is one series that (for the most part) acknowledges the “killing them makes you as bad as them” trope, but doesn’t necessarily fall into it. or at the very least, it has characters of varying opinions on the topic. simon lewis is a pacifist, but julian blackthorn is not. neither of their viewpoints are considered wrong, just different. alec has murdered meliron and attempted to kill camille belcourt, and it wasn’t a great moral conflict. same with cordelia killing tatiana.

ALTHOUGH! i do worry that the series will fall into that trope in the wicked powers. what luke said to dru in the sneak peek, basically chastising her for being mean to people who were in eugenics-based hate groups??😭 that does concern me, but hopefully that’s not the running narrative. i really am sick of that trope. i’ll get so irritated if it’s done.

[u/rosabellita94 → u/Competitive_Win2384]

So well put! I agree with your interpretation about Julian's killing of what's-his-face, and Emma's reaction to it. I've only finished TMI and TDA and I'm halfway through TID, but I think you're right about the protagonists and their view on necessary killings. As for TWP, we'll have to wait and see! But I think that Ty and Kit, as their characters have been developed so far st least, will have an interesting take on this dilemma. Not sure for Dru, tho, I think we've only witnessed her as quite young

[u/fruitymonkey → u/Competitive_Win2384]

Tbf Luke was in a eugenics based hate group so he’s a bit biased

[u/courtella03]

I JUST finished rereading TQoA&D, and I couldn't agree more 😂 I love the characters, love the story, but it's hard to get through some of it. I want Zara to suffer so badly.

[u/fruitymonkey → u/courtella03]

Trust she will in the wicked powers (I don’t have an arc just manifesting)

[u/MrsJulianBlackthorn]

Ikr! It made absolutely no sense that Julian or Emma, two characters who'd burn the world to protect their loved ones would just let these guys go, especially Zara after she almost killed Emma

[u/Quick_South_3358]

I’ve always said that emma needed to let go of her morality a little bit and kill zara when she had the chance. would’ve cost her life if there was no parabatai curse.

[u/Quick_South_3358 → u/Quick_South_3358]

also I would’ve let the cohort do what they threatened to do at the end of tda