❝'Iz,' Alec said tiredly. 'It's not like it's one big bad thing. It's a lot of little invisible things. When Magnus and I were traveling, and I'd call from the road, Dad never asked how he was. When I get up in Clave meetings, no one listens, and I don't know if that's because I'm young or if it's because of something else. I saw Mom talking to a friend about her grandchildren and the second I walked into the room they shut up. Irina Cartwright told me it was a pity no one would ever inherit my blue eyes now.' He shrugged and looked toward Magnus, who took a hand off the wheel for a moment to place it on Alec's. 'It's not like a stab wound you can protect me from. It's a million little paper cuts every day.'❞

-The Mortal Instruments, Book 5: City of Lost Souls, page 390

[This quote and the one about Nico in Trials of Apollo both hit home for me as someone who's queer but also as someone who is terrified of rejection. Coming out and being rejected just for being yourself is so hard. I'm leaving this as open for ideas for the books to FYI. City of Lost Souls is my favorite book in The Mortal Instruments BTW, only beat out by City of Heavenly Fire and City of Glass🥰]