So, I have this friend, Brightskin. And Brightskin is a really huge Will-hater. (William Herondale from Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare.) So obviously she is on Team Jem. I love Will and Jem equally, so I'm Team Undecided Until Next Book, but for this argument I took Will's side. Behold - our nonsensical, irritating, totally useless argument:
Brightskin : Will is stupid.
Bookworm : Actually, he is quite smart. He is very clever, and his skills as a battle technician are vaunted by Charlotte.
Brightskin : Jem is the bomb because he's so sensitive and nice to Tessa.
Bookworm : Will is trying to be nice in his own way - by protecting Tessa from himself.
Brightskin : If he wants to protect her he shouldn't make out with her.
Bookworm : He can't help himself. He loves her.
Brightskin : Jem loves her too but you don't see him all over her all the time.
Bookworm : That's because he's a bit shy. And I don't think he's completely in love with her yet. Their feelings are developing.
Brightskin : And if Will loves her so much and wants to protect her he shouldn't be groping her with every opportunity.
Bookworm : He is not 'groping her with every opportunity'. In fact, he is trying to stay away from her and is unable to resist at times. This shows that he cares for her.
Brightskin : Then why did he suggest they have sex?
Bookworm : He was purposely trying to push her away - he knew she would be upset.
Brightskin : Upset enough to leave the Institute, which is really bad for her safety. If he loved her, why would he do that?
Bookworm : Not upset enough to leave the Institute, upset enough to leave him alone.
Brightskin : Why would he hurt her like that if he loved her?
Bookworm : We've been through this. Because he's trying to protect her from himself and his dark secret.
Brightskin : That's irrelevant. If he truly loves her he should tell her the secret.
Bookworm : That's not a fair argument - we don't know what the secret is yet. It might turn Tessa into a brooding, antisocial, jerky person too.
Brightskin : Well then, it's obvious that she shouldn't be with Will if knowing the real him would make her farouche.
Bookworm : Maybe it would, maybe it wouldn't. We don't know the secret, so we can't judge.
Brightskin : You just said above it would. Are you contradicting yourself?
Bookworm : I said it might.
Brightskin : Jem, on the other hand, opened up about his secret. Shows that he truly cares about her and is willing to be honest with her.
Bookworm : Maybe Will isn't able to tell her the secret.
Brightskin : Well if he cant tell her he shouldn't be with her, for her safety more than anything else.
Bookworm : Love cannot be controlled. And once again, he pushes her away. And goes to Magnus Bane, probably to get help.
Brightskin : Who knows, maybe he's a deranged psychopath vampire werewolf hybrid that's impersonating a Shadowhunter.
Bookworm : Hmmm, he could be.
Brightskin : And love can be controlled.
Bookworm : As in, you can't control who you do and do not love.
Brightskin : But you can control HOW you love them and Will isn't doing a good job of that. What if he starts making out with her or having sex with her and then he accidentally kills her because his love is uncontrollable?
Bookworm : That is ridiculous.
Brightskin : You are ridiculous.
Bookworm : Will is not like the vampires in Twilight.
Brightskin : Your face is ridiculous. IRRELEVANT.
Bookworm : I am pleased we are so mature.
Brightskin : Lol. Who knows? Maybe that is his big secret, that he's a savage sex monster.
Bookworm : No. Just no. What other objections do you have to Will, besides that he hasn't told Tessa his secret and he's possibly a savage sex monster?
Brightskin : "No. Just no." What an argument, please back it up.
Bookworm : All right, that was unfair of me.
Brightskin : Indeed it was.
Bookworm : But please do respond to my question.
Brightskin : Respond to my contention first.
Bookworm : Okay. So, which argument specifically?
Brightskin : That what if Will is a savage sex monster. And not that scenario specifically but the fact that we don't know how radical or dangerous his secret really is and if it is truly better to be safe than sorry then why go with Will? Stay with Jem. We know his problems, we know his true personality, we know him. We don't know Will.
Bookworm : All right. True, we don't know what Will's secret is. But we know that it has something to do with the box, with his parents, with his contentious attitude, and is the reason he's afraid to get too close to anyone, except Jem. But whatever his secret is, he is trying to protect Tessa from it. If Will really is a savage sex monster and that's his secret, then he definitely knows better than to get too close to Tessa. Hence, he is a huge jerk to her so that he's sure she won't try to get close to him. Now, please do me the honor of answering my question.
Brightskin : Hold on, let me respond to your argument. So we know for sure that he's a "huge jerk", so why the hell would we want him to get with her?
Bookworm : He's a huge jerk at times. But sometimes he shows his soft and caring side.
Brightskin : But he shouldn't because he isn't safe for Tessa.
Bookworm : For the millionth time. He realizes he's not safe for Tessa. So he pushes her away at the end. Please voice your other objections to him.
Brightskin : Okay then, Will doesn't want to get with Tessa, Tessa doesn't want to get with Will because he's a "huge jerk" to her, where's the conflict? Debate resolved.
Bookworm : Will wants to get with Tessa. Tessa wants to get with Will. But Will knows that's not good, so he pushes her away and makes her think he doesn't want to get with her. That is the conflict. Plus, Will is hotter than Jem.
Brightskin : Will doesn't want to get with Tessa and that's why he keeps pushing her away! Tessa doesn't want to get with Will because he was so insensitive and suggested they have sex. Whether it was on purpose or not is irrelevant. And "hotness" is not something which can be decided.
Bookworm : You are being a blinded oaf. If you say this is irrelevant I shall throw you to the cannibal ducks. And OF COURSE pushing her away was on purpose.
Brightskin : IRRELEVANCE.
Bookworm : To the cannibal ducks you go, then.
Brightskin : IT IS IRRELEVANT YOU IDIOT. BECAUSE SHE DIDN'T KNOW IT SO ALL SHE THINKS IS THAT WILL IS INSENSiTIVE AND A JERK. SHE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT HIS MOTIVES ARE SO THAT IS WHY IT IS IRRELEVANT.
Bookworm : But in Clockwork Prince Tessa will learn of his secret.
Brightskin : But we don't know what happens in that book now do we?
Bookworm : We shall see what happens.
Brightskin : Will and Tessa don't want to get with each other.
Bookworm : Tessa is definitely attracted to Will, as evidenced by her thinking of him as the most beautiful boy she has ever seen, as evidenced by how she is affected by his presence, as evidenced by the fact that they kiss and she enjoys it, and as evidenced by the fact that she is hurt when he pushes her away.
Brightskin : He pushes her away in such a manner that she believes that he is cruel himself even though that might not be the case in reality.
Bookworm : Will is definitely attracted to Tessa, as evidenced by how he is jealous when Jem kisses her hand, as evidenced by how he holds her when he thinks she's dead, and as evidenced by how he admits she is what makes him laugh.
Brightskin : But he doesn't want to get with her as evident by the fact that he pushes her away.
Bookworm : That doesn't mean Tessa isn't attracted to Will, it just means she's upset with him. He wants to get with her, but knows he shouldn't because of his secret.
Brightskin : So they won't! Want is different from should. I want to burn many people in bonfires but I shouldn't so I won't. It's not the question of whether or not they're attracted to each other, it's the question of whether or not they want to get with each other.
Bookworm : This is 1878 London. There is no such thing as 'dating' or 'getting with someone'. There is being attracted, falling in love, and getting married. You never know. Will's secret could be resolved.
Brightskin : BUT THEY CAN'T GET MARRIED CAN THEY YOU FOOL BECAUSE HE'S A SHADOWHUNTER AND SHES A WARLOCK. Well, many things could happen. Will could die but AT THIS POINT they shouldn't and won't. The end (:
Bookworm : Will could be turned into a vampire. He could become immortal some other way, or he could die. But that doesn't mean that he didn't/doesn't/won't love Tessa, and vice versa.
Brightskin : It's not about loving, it's about commitment. I love many people but I'm not going to get with or marry all of them.
Bookworm : ......
Brightskin : Did you just concede to my argument?
Bookworm : The entire premise of the argument is who Tessa should choose, Will or Jem, because of how much they love her/she loves them. So far, you've mostly argued against Will. What about arguing for Jem?
Brightskin : Will = rude, unstable, neurotic. Jem = kindhearted, honest, loving, caring.
Bookworm : Will = rude, unstable, neurotic, and cares for Tessa. Jem = kindhearted, honest, loving, caring, and dying. Quickly. Will = has a possibility of redemption. Jem = will die.
Brightskin : But maybe not because Tessa is determined to search for a cure for him
Bookworm : What if she doesn't find one? What then?
Brightskin : So the only thing, in your opinion, that makes Will better than Jem is that Will will live longer? What if Will dies in battle? What then?
Bookworm : No. But I'm saying we shouldn't judge before we know Will's secret. And regardless of whether Will dies young, Tessa is going to be left without either of them eventually.
Brightskin: What's the point of this? I'm bored.
THE VERDICT: We must wait for Clockwork Prince!
However, it would be lovely to hear YOUR thoughts! Will or Jem, and why?
