YA Love Triangle Week: Team Jace vs. Team Simon

Team Jace vs. Team Simon

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Team Jace

Team Jace is represented by Liz from Midnight Bloom Reads who is now taking over this post.

Hey guys! I’m Liz (aka. Midnight Bloom) and I’m here to plead my case for you all to support Team Jace!! He is one of favourite guys in YA lit, and if you don’t already love him as much as I do, all I can say is, “Well, then… more for me!” *cue girly laughter* I’m not kidding about the ‘girly’ part either- Jace has the ability to turn me into a complete fan-girl. Before talking about him melts me into a complete puddle after talking about him so much, I’m going to share a bit about why I LOVE him and why YOU should too! 

Name: Jace Lightwood (most preferable last name)

Age: 16/17

Species: Nephilim

Status: In a Relationship (with Clary Fray)

Occupation: Kick-A** Shadowhunter

Appearance: So Gorgeous It Should Be Illegal

Profile:

Everything about Jace sparks a reaction- whether I’m laughing at his wicked witty sarcasm, growing teary-eyed at the level of protectiveness he feels to those he loves, his loyalty, his fearlessness in the face of danger, his intelligence in knowing so many facts, and well… I could go on and on. Sure, he could also infuriate you at times like any other boy, but that never stops you from loving him and it is certainly an aspect of his charm.

The first time Jace made me swoon was almost in the very beginning of the first novel, City of Bones, when he rescued Clary from her apartment, literally sweeping her off her feet when she was losing consciousness and then later taking her to the safety of the Institute. Jace can be my knight in shining armour any day, just saying. By the time I first read about his tragic past and his father who taught him that “to love is to destroy,” I was already a goner. How could anyone resist a bad boy with a mysterious past?

Because of Jace’s past, he has a tendency to keep people at a distance… even his closest loved ones. However, he would never, ever abandon them in times of need and would do anything he could to help- to the point of self-sacrificing himself. He gives his whole heart to those he loves with a passion that just leaves you breathless and wishing the pages would come alive so he would feel that way about you too.

Indeed this was certainly the case as the series continued. Whenever there was a scene involving Jace (and thank goodness there’s a lot!), my eyes were constantly glued to the page. There are times when Jace feels so tormented about the way events have come about, certainly in the case of City of Ashes and in City of Glass, which make your heart totally go out to him and make you wish that you could do something to make the pain fade away.

How many characters make you respond this way? Sure, there are some pretty great guys in YA that I love, but Jace is a rarity who shall always have a special place. I know there’s still plenty more I can say and that this summary doesn’t probably come close to serving him justice, but he has this magnetic pull on readers that refuses to let you get away.

Famous Last Words (ie. Just a few of my fave lines by Jace because there are too many otherwise!):

“If you wanted me to rip my clothes off, you could have just asked.” (City of Bones)

“It means ‘Shadowhunters: Looking Better in Black than the Widows of our Enemies Since 1234.’” (City of Bones)

“Usually I’m remarkably good-natured. Try me on any day that doesn’t end in y.” (City of Ashes)

“Every time you almost die, I almost die myself.” (City of Ashes)  

“I love you, and I will love you until I die, and if there is life after that, I’ll love you then.” (City of Glass)

The thought of supporting anyone else never crossed my mind while reading The Mortal Instruments novels because seriously, I had already given my heart to Jace. For me, it has always been and will always be TEAM JACE all the way, and I really do hope you guys feel that way too!

So please, please, PLEASE support Team Jace this week!

And one last thing before I go, I wanted to say a huge shout-out of KUDOS and THANKS to Amber for hosting YA Love Triangle Week!

~ Liz (Midnight Bloom)

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Team Simon

Team Simon is represented by Ava of Book Infinity who is now taking over this post!

Team Simon Post

Throughout Clary Fray’s life, Simon Lewis has been her only real friend. He’s nerdy, but smart and witty.  Even when she is drawn into the world of Shadowhunters, he refuses to let their friendship die even though he’s not part of their world. For years previous to the events in City of Glass, Simon has secretly been in love with Clary. Right before she gets involved with the Shadowhunters at the beginning of the book, Simon is actually about to confess to Clary how much he likes her. But then she meets Jace and ruins all of Simon’s chances. It’s tragic, really- Simon could be such a good choice!

When I read through The Mortal Instruments, my favorite characters were neither Clary nor Jace (the two main characters). For some reason, I never connected with them the same way I did with others. What made me love this book was the amazing cast of supporting characters- namely Simon, Isabelle, Magnus (he’s greatJ), and Valentine as a superb villain.

Isabelle is a tough girl who knows what she’s doing, is fierce but loyal, and not afraid to fight. All around, an amazing character who I would want to be if I were ever anybody in the series. Don’t get me wrong- Clary is cool too, but Isabelle is just the best, probably also because she’s not the center of attention like Clary is most of the time.

I apologize for the little tangent-I promise I’ll refocus and stay on the topic I’m supposed to be talking about- Simon! He’s my other favorite character. I always imagined him as normal-looking as possible in City of Bones. He has brown hair and brown eyes, wears glasses, and plays in a band whose name changes on a weekly basis. He’s so real to me- much more than Jace. Sure, everybody would love to have an amazingly perfect yet tortured guy like Jace show up, but c’mon, how realistic is that? Yet Simon is so real, so normal, yet awesome.

If you need a reminder on just how awesome Simon really is, here are a few of some of my favorite Team Simon quotes.

"Is this Clarissa Fray?" The voice on the other end of the phone sounded familiar, though not immediately identifiable.
Clary twirled the phone cord nervously around her finger. "Yeees?"
"Hi, I'm one of the knife-carrying hooligans you met last night in Pandemonium? I"m afraid I made a bad impression and was hoping you'd give me a chance to make it up to-"
"SIMON!" Clary held the phone away from her ear as he cracked up laughing. "That is so not funny!"
"Sure it is. You just don't see the humor."
"Jerk." Clary sighed, leaning up against the wall."

"Jesus!" Luke exclaimed.
"Actually, it's just me," said Simon. "Although I've been told the resemblance is startling."

Every time I read the book this quote makes me laugh out loud. Love, love, love it!

Isabelle looked dubious. "Mom and Dad won't be pleased if they find out."
"That you freed a possible criminal by trading away your brother to a warlock who looks like a gay Sonic the Hedgehog and dresses like the Child Catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang?" Simon inquired. "No, probably not."

"Look on the bright side," said Simon, "If they need a human sacrifice, you can always offer me. I'm not sure the rest of you qualify anyway."

And one of Simon’s rare serious moments:

“So many times I've had to say things six or seven times before you'd even respond, you were so far away. And then you'd turn to me and smile that funny smile, and I'd know you'd forgotten all about me and just remembered - but I was never mad at you. Half of your attention is better than all of anyone else's.”

*Squeal!* He loves Clary so much! It’s absolutely heartbreaking to hear him say this to her. It made me love him all the more.

Sure, Jace can say some great things, but Simon’s goofy one-liners are top notch. Yeah, some of them just make me roll my eyes, like this one:

"The thing about the Mirror is that no one knows where it is. In fact, no one knows what it is.”
"It’s a mirror,” Simon said. “You know – reflective, glass. I’m just assuming."

Ha. Ha. You gotta love that stupid sarcasm Simon always has to throw in. When you get Simon and Jace together you have the best banter- their snarky dialogue was one of the greatest things about this series.

If you continue to need proof about Simon, watch the video below: I didn’t make it, but I found it on Youtube (credit goes to Hanneybean7) and even though it’s fan-made, I think it’s a great picture of Simon and Clary’s relationship! I believe the actors are Alexz Johnson as Clary, Kristopher Turner as Simon, and Alex Pettyfer as Jace. Personally, I don’t paticularly like Alexz Johnson as Clary- Molly C. Quinn from Castle would be my first choice. But Kristopher Turner would be a great Simon- he definitely has that cute-nerdiness going on. J (All the pictures in this post are of Kristopher).

The Final Say: It might seem that Clary Fray only ever had real feelings for one of the two boys- but it’s safe to say that Simon is an amazing option that will have no problem finding someone for himself. Because he’s that guy you just love because he’s your best friend, he’s witty, clever, a bit nerdy, but still a vital part of all the action. Even if Clary doesn’t pick him, he’s still got a lot of awesome options (anyone Team Isabelle???). And so that’s why YOU should pick Simon. :D

~ Ava (Book Infinity)

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So there you have it! Please vote who you would choose based on these two arguments and stick around for more guest posts and the final round of voting!