Friday Five: Jem vs. Will

What did people do before ‘teams’ were invented? Am I wrong to think that this whole business of teaming started with Jennifer Aniston and Angelina Jolie? That’s the first time I remember it being socially acceptable to vocalize my side of a predicament by using the phrase ‘team’. I liked it and still do. Made me feel like I had an army supporting me in something I had no control over. I was Team Aniston, in case you’re wondering. And it was a tough loss.

Since then, I have been a part of many ‘teams’. Team Edward. Team Peeta. Team Rihanna. Team Damon. Team Light Mayo (yes, it’s absolutely a real team). Team P.C.

And most recently, Team Will.

If you’ve read Clockwork Angel by the talented Cassandra Clare, you’ll know the team I’m referring to. Team Jem vs. Team Will: the genuine good guy vs. the charmingly cocky jerk.

Did I mention they’re both English? (Very important detail to know these boys have accents). Both are tortured by their past. Both have wiggled their way into our heroine’s good graces. They are equally handsome and equally awesome shadow hunters. But only one can win. And my bets (and hopes) are on Will.

Being part of Team Will is much the same as being part of Team Mr. Darcy. You love him, in spite of himself. And even though he challenges the main character so much you think he doesn’t stand a chance at winning – he starts to show a glimpse that he may in fact, be capable of caring; that there may be a core of kindness hidden under a deep layer of ego. (And did I mention, he’s ENGLISH?)

I’ve started quoting for my Friday Five because of this. And this week I thought I’d have a quote-off. Team Jem vs. Team Will. Let the dialogue speak for itself.

Will Herondale

1. "Are you implying that shreds of my reputation remain intact? Clearly I have been doing something wrong. Or not something wrong, as the case may be."

2. "When I mean morally deficient, I say, ‘Now, that is something I would have done.´"

3. "Well, she's not responding to my advances, so she must be dead."

4. "What kind of monster could possibly hate chocolate?"

5. "Do reasons matter when there's nothing that can be done to change things?"

Jem Carstairs

1. "Sometimes our lives can change so fast that the change outpaces our minds and hearts.”

2. "Dreams can be dangerous things."

3. "Goodness, real goodness, has its own sort of cruelty to it."

4. "Whatever you are physically, male or female, strong or weak, ill or healthy - all those things matter less than what your heart contains. If you have the soul of a warrior, you are a warrior. All those other things, they are the glass that contains the lamp, but you are the light inside."

5. "Is there a particular reason you keep biting vampires?"