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#because poor Alina lost her powers
mydarlingdearestdead · 9 months
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Aleksander Morozova rambling
Aleksander, as a child, saw and lived in a vastly prejudiced society toward his kind, which unsurprisingly had a large effect on his choices as an adult. Grisha were, and still are in the timeline, hunted for sport by otkazat'sya (namely Fjerdans). Not to say they were a united front against this bias, take Annika's ruthlessness as an example of that. She was his friend, or perhaps posed as such, yet willing to carve out his bones for the sake of her own power. She was the one who died young in the end, Ulle's son as well, Aleksander thought to use the cut on himself and frame a otkazat'sya village nearby. This was likely the first act taken against him as an individual from other Grisha, nevermind children.The two were afraid, unmistakably so, and therefore thought it justified to sacrifice, as I'm sure they would've considered it, another living being for either of their benefit.
The problem is, each of them, Aleksander especially, had the same experience. How does it feel when your parents bring into the world knowing they can't protect you from the dangers? Dangers posed from their own blood, mind you? Aleksander set out to create a sanctuary where no Grisha child would suffer like he once had. It was a noble vision, but a poisoned seed, as they say, grows to a poisoned plant. Those with power consistently crave one thing: More power. Aleksander Morozova is simply another victim of this pattern in literature.
The Darkling mantle, and those which came before it (e.g Black Heretic) are dehumanising, to say the least. The Grisha soldiers under his command aren't meant to see him as human in any case, to them he appears as an untouchable figure. I suppose that's important; when a god tells you to do something you rarely doubt his word.
Aleksander was fighting a war. Not the war those under him fought meekly with guns, though that literal war accumulated many losses and sacrifices as any does. His struggle was for power, as you'd expect and though it landed him in the throne eventually that's not the prime aspect. As I said before, the thing with powerful men is that they're ravenous, dangerously persistent in their hunt for more power. A single life lost is not a tragedy. No matter who the victim is, noble or poor, young or old. A single life lost in favour of a greater picture, is a sacrifice, a martyr. Alina says it herself, so many saints are martyrs.
I’m not saying Aleksander is a saint, despite The Starless Saint being a wonderfully poetic name. I’m merely suggesting he set out on a road to become one. I mentioned that a poisoned seed always grows into a poisoned plant because that’s nature. That’s the way things occur, nothing to fault or blame. I believe his idea was a poisoned seed, of sorts. The unfortunate truth is the most exquisite plants often turn out to be toxic.
His vision to create an oasis for Grisha was pure, but does that excuse the unavoidable bloodshed to afford it? Is there a meaning behind those losses? It was war after all. War ruins lives, that is no secret. Aleksander brought peace, and The Little Palace was, in some form, a direct result of that peace. The Little Palace and the second army were established, a sanctuary for Grisha and an Army for the king. A fair trade?
Is this trading lives like crops? Ten otkazat'sya for one Grisha?
Aleksander’s new system still had a hierarchy, despite it almost being flipped from the previous version and more complex. Before otkazat'sya were considered top of the food chain, and Grisha, orderless, below them. In that time, if Grisha had any use it was as weapons, which didn’t expressly change once the Shadows came into rule. Once Aleksander got his way, Grisha stood above those who had once tortured them. Still, even within them there was yet another hierarchy.
While all Grisha Aleksander considered to be below him except for the Sun Summoner, he had his favourites in Corporalki- Healers, Heartrenders, later Tailors-, preferring his guard to be made up of many Grisha within that order. Etherealki, which Shadow Summoners are also considered to belong to, remain as prominent figures in many battles as well. Materialki- Durasts and Alkemi-, while powerful, were not considered fighters during Aleksander's reign. They were not given physical training until Alina took control, which was an intelligent move on her part especially since we know what kind of accuracy Durast sharpshooters can achieve. A mistake on Aleksander’s part.
In conclusion, Aleksander did what he thought necessary. To him, every loss is a sacrifice, willing or not. Still, it’s the rule of man. Some people are always going to want to feel better than others. As Genya said, be careful of powerful men. The choice to have every otkazat'sya tested for Grisha power was to find The Sun Summoner and to build numbers in the first army. The problem is that many of these children, who were being brought to a supposed sanctuary, weren’t in need of one. In fact, by definition, a sanctuary isn’t a sanctuary if you aren’t in need of one.
One thing didn’t change from Aleksander’s childhood: Otkazat'sya feared Grisha. What did change is how they reacted to that fear. The reaction was an instinctive move to destroy what wasn’t known. Once Grisha were known to the public in Ravka, the fear may have grown, yes, but the willingness to do something about it shrank. These people who live their lives quietly in a town aren’t going to suddenly pick up a knife and throw it at someone meant to protect them. Even if they don’t believe that protection is necessary or possible.
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I finished shadow and bone season 2 - Thoughts
inej: I can’t stop wondering why no one said goodbye to inej when she left on the ship???? no one said anything??? also, the implications that she is now a pirate before the events of six of crows worries me. she better be coming back for the heist.
genya: that poor girl deserved more happiness. david died too early and made their relationship feel rushed. combining siege & storm plus ruin & rising was a bad move because it was all too much at once and yet not enough. also, alina replacing david in the triumvirate feels too bittersweet. david also deserved a proper funeral that we got to see. I hope genya finds happiness somehow
mal: having mal leave to become sturmhond felt a little off but I actually don’t mind it. alina and mal splitting up was a bit of a stretch tho.
alina: I’m glad she’s still around and she didn’t lose her powers. her corruption arc will be fun to see
wesper: agreed the slow burn aspect was lost but I believed it worked
ngl it feels like the writers used some of the best lines from the books because they weren’t hopeful of being renewed. I’m not too hopeful either BUT I WANT TO SEE THE HEIST.
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sleepless-crows · 1 year
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book fans are really going to have to think about it as an au, or a different timeline. With that in mind, it was so good. The very last scene?!?! Alina’s struggle with her morals when it comes to mal, her struggle with needing more power when it comes to the point where she turns to merzost- since they didn’t adapt it with the apparat’s underground shit, with her discovering there, that was the perfect decision.
I honestly don’t know how I feel about Sturmhond!Mal, and I love Inej going after slave traders already, but what with the introduction of jurda, how will her return (or absence) for the ice court job play out? (Also, so glad kuwei didn’t get in the way of the first wesper kiss. I think they did an amazing job with older wesper, and I will die on that hill)
Did you see the look between tolya and inej when he helped her up? Hoping and praying that wasn’t a ship thing.
JESPER ALMOST SAID SIX OF CROWS- HE ALMOST SAID IT
Pekka deserves to die, actually. He didn’t suffer enough. Poor Matthias </3
I really need to read the lives of saints now.
Oh, speaking of Pekka, it was so cool to see Kaz’s revenge play out on screen
i could go on, but bye for now babe
oh my gosh i have so many opinions about the finale. i really did not like alina's ending and just for zoya i would gladly prefer that she faked her death and lost her powers. if many people didn't like that, then they should've done literally anything else so long as it did not do zoya like that.
also i entirely just forgot about the apparat now that you mentioned him. i don't know i kinda liked what he did for the story even if i forgot what that was but i guess the show au was an intriguing decision.
I KNOW RIGHT. i'm glad mal is like finding his identity or something but sturmhond is nikolai's thing. i feel like the whole sturmhond thing was also done a little weirdly in the show. also how they talk about sturmhond like he's an act nikolai puts up instead of an alternate identity which he can take up to do things he wouldn't be able to as prince/king but where he is probably the most himself.
yeah i'm also glad inej is going after the slave traders already but like this was all because they killed off tante heleen. like she's not a part of the main crows anymore??? just like that??? i don't like that decision.
i think show!wesper was really cute and really fun and i loved it. but i love it separately from book!wesper. i have some controversial opinions about how they handled wesper in the show so sakdjfhlksjdf
OH I SWEAR. TOLYA IS ACE. AN ARO ACE ICON OKAY. AND INEJ WOULD NEVER FALL FOR ANYONE ELSE THAT KIND OF RUINS THE WHOLE POINT OF KANEJ? THEY ARE EACH OTHER'S RIDE OR DIE. INEJ HAS HER TRAUMA, THE ONLY REASON SHE EVEN FELL FOR KAZ WAS BECAUSE HE WAS THE BOY WHO SAVED HER. THEY BETTER NOT DO ANYTHING WITH TOLYA AND INEJ FOR THE BOTH OF THEM
HE ALMOST DID AND THEY CUT HIM OFF LIKE WHY
i just find it really frustrating that we still have pekka like the guy infuriates me so much i don't want to think about him or see him after he's been rid off like stop talking to matthias and interfering with helnik. i also really liked matthias' storyline in the show though. they changed a lot, but i really loved what they did with it.
and yes, violent kaz showed up so much and i loved that
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What you said in that last post about how racism forced Alina to act meek and quiet is actually something Jessie confirmed. Since Jessie experienced their own Anti-Asian racism growing up in a predominantly White British community (ex. Kids would bully her/them with fake Chinese accents) they understood how Alina had to survive (repress) in Ravka. When she fought back (ex. Punching her racist commander) she was harshly punished, and her gender and distinctive Shu looks made it harder to "forgive" her, unlike Mal, who was male and White-passing. Originally, there was also going to be a backstory (maybe it will be added in S2?), where Alina admitted to Genya she always knew about her sun summoning, but out of fear for her safety, her Shu mom told her her to hide her powers (Elsa vibes), and one day while she was secretly playing with her lights, raiders saw them and burned down her village. Little Alina blamed herself and repressed them until they almost faded from memory. 😔
That's interesting about the deleted backstory of Alina knowing about her sun summoning powers but suppressing them out of guilt because she blames herself for her village being burned down. I do wish they had kept this backstory though because its a better and more interesting/ meaningful reason for her to suppress her powers then she didn't want to leave M*l because he was bullied.
Maybe they will add it to season 2, I do think it would add alot to her character and I think it would be interesting to learn more about her family and her Shu heritage, what it meant for her to grow up as half shu, as whilst they did touch on it a bit I do think they could have gone deeper with her connection to her shu side and the struggles she faced because of it and how that did compare to M*l who was white passing and male and so had an easier time because of it.
It is a very sad backstory though poor little Alina, can you imagine carrying that burden at such a young age. It reminds me a bit of Aleks' backstory in Demon in the Wood (spoilers) where he feels guilty when the elders and Baghra slaughter an entire village, the elders because they believe it was the villagers that killed two of their kids and baghra because she was protecting Aleks. In both backstories a village is lost and its a young child who carries the guilt of it.
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caspianxth · 10 months
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SHADOW AND BONE SPOILERS!
okay first, Kaz would have not fucking given up his cane, and for a king?!?!? love it but he would not do that, it was adorable tho. Second, he just wanted to be loved:( i think i read it in the book cause they never said it in the show but all he wanted was the love of his people, and for them to be safe, and look what it cost him:( Third, why would they change all that, like yes i get this is basically a prequel for six of crows BUT i enjoyed jesper and wylan being slow burn and now theyre a thing?? like what happpens now instead of all the teasing and pining in both upcoming heists, and also with kanej, cause like yeah the love confession was word for word which was nice BUT theyre still TWO heists to come, what about the pining!?!?!! and speaking of inej, she's now free and also a slaver-hunting pirate, which is all she wanted but what about the heists!!!!! like i guess she'll come back out of the love in her heart but why have her achieve her dream just to give it all up?? And don't even get me started on Mal and Alina, like i get their story hasnt really ended, especially with the nikolai thing (poor baby), but wtf.
Despite all of that, I really enjoyed it, it was really well made, I just wish I didn't compare everything with the books, anyway, sending love, thanks for letting me rant none of my friends like s&b.
I do v much agree that it's v diff from the books, but I don't hate that! lemme dive in under the cut tho <3
I wish they had more time bc they were trying to do So Much though and I feel like nikolai's arc as a monster was just weirdly done. alas, lemme dive in!!
I actually disagree on the cane, and here's why. kaz had no reason to tell inej about jordie. he even says in his chapter he had no idea why he did it. was it because he loved her? or was it that he truly felt like she deserved to know? why would she deserve to know??? he also expands on this with jesper, someone who unwittingly betrayed him! he sees jesper as jordie and then when jesper asks who jordie is after kaz slipped and called him jordie, he doesn't tell jesper off, he doesn't shut down. he tells jesper that jordie was someone who meant a lot to him in a way that makes it pretty clear for me that he truly cares for jesper too. he didn't have to do that, but he did it for inej and for jesper, the crows who have been by his side longest. also in soc he allows the crows to drag him to a different cafe in djerholm after they stake out the prison transports. kaz's way is the highway at this point in soc, the crows haven't learned that they can team up on him the way nina and inej do for the ketterdam grisha in crooked kingdom, they didn't have to relocate, but they did. if kaz wanted to shut down their complaining he would have. instead he gave into their apparent need for sweet buns and hot cocoa. also, when we get flashbacks from the ferolind via wylan in crooked kingdom, kaz was the one who was warning wylan about tailoring his face using nina's powers on parem and it was kaz that believed that wylan's father still loved him. he even bet on it and lost (which is hilarious btw, I mean not for wylan but u get me). also, in crooked kingdom after kaz robs cornelius smeet and then crashes into him to return the dog whistle and returns his wallet, smeet gives kaz 5 kruge. he then turns and gives that to wylan. sure, they have pekka's money, but why would kaz brekker give wylan something for nothing? he also steals back jesper's pistols from club cumulus's safe. he claimed that a shooter's nothing without his guns, but jesper helped get his dad and wylan back to black veil just fine without his beloved revolvers. kaz also swore to inej that even if her legs were broken, he'd come back for her. yeah, he's in love with her, but would he do that if there wasn't still a kernel of kaz rietveld inside him?? would he give wylan 5 kruge or warn him that he might always have kuwei's face?? would he have worked so hard from the initial heist at smeet's to get wylan back his money by replacing jan's will??? no. dirtyhands wouldn't. kaz rietveld would. there's still pieces of him there, and that's exactly why he'd give his cane to nikolai. firstly, he still needs to be paid, a slow king is an easily killed king, and as kaz himself said he is more experienced with pain. it's the most logical move to make. kaz is also someone who still has kindness in him despite what he says, even in the show when he promises that he'll help nina w freeing matthias. there's a heart buried in him, and I for one love to get peeks at it. also I think they made his need to be loved by his crows in the show decently clear, like when he asks wylan when he last ate or when he gives up the deed for the crow club for inej (let's face it, dirtyhands could have found a way to get leverage on helene to make that work without risking everything for inej but he did it bc he cares about her) and with how he was keeping jesper's zowa powers a secret. even though jesper's zowa powers could have been pretty useful before, kaz said nothing. he also wanted all of the crows in the building when he took pekka down. inej was the only crow not in attendance (and matthias but he's in jail, so he kinda has bigger shit but kaz still paid the guards to keep him out of the fights).
w the wesper: gimme gimme gimme!!! I'd rather get it fast than not at all esp w how weird netflix has been the past year with what gets renewals and spinoffs and what gets cancelled. and I think they did it in a way that was very true to the characters!! it's so cute!!!! the stroopes!! you remember that nOW??!!??!?!?!? and can we talk about tolya being the #1 wesper shipper!!! also there's a gifset idk if I can find it tonight but it's kaz saying 'everyone's losing their minds' after wylan and jesper kiss outside ohval's and the caption on the gifset is 'my brother in ghezen you set them up' and I think about that a lot.
with inej I think that it's great that she's slave hunting early bc I think that it gives a really great opportunity for a bit of kanej closure that the books never had. at the end of crooked kingdom, inej prepares to leave and just says she isn't done w ketterdam (and by extension kaz) yet but that's p much it, even in king of scars / rule of wolves we don't get concrete kanej. I think with inej's story, it gives her that option to find her family and get that closure, and hell that could've been the payment kaz asked for when they returned to ravka, we don't know, but once she finds the slavers it'll bring her closure and I think that'll help give us a possibility of a definitive kanej endgame for the show.
also w the not malina end, I'm sorry but I'm all for it. I think it makes sense esp bc she used merzost to rip him away from death. we saw him in the field, he was content, he was at peace, and she legit Yanked him back. I think a part of him knows that. also, he did die. that no doubt changed him, so he's v right to explore who he is if not a mythical tracker and I loved nikolai dread-pirate-roberts-ing him by making him the new sturmhond even tho he isn't in charge. also I really really wish they'd done nikolai's monster story better. I wanted to see him w the wings and the talons and all they did was make him look like a nichevo'ya. boo!! but I think they were just trying to set up too much and cut a ton (harshaw and oncat 😭) and redo stuff to make it work, it felt like at times alina got sidelined for everything else they had to do.
also of course!!! ur welcome in my inbox bestie!!!
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ladymelisande · 3 years
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you don’t like alina? just curious.
She is terribly written, like, I can even be generous in things like, aesthetic. But that's where it ends with her. She is just a terribly written, thematically broken character. She has no growth, the flaws that keep her from moving the plot are never, ever addressed as flaws.
I can't say I don't like her as if "I hate this character", I save that one for how SoC is shoehorned in that universe, I guess. It just frustrates me, both as an original content creator and a fanfic writer, that is completely non-fixable. Like, in a lot of media that goes wrong or the writing is yikes, one could find good spots to fix them without changing the work much. But with a Alina in the books? No, she has no salvation. And that's... Kind of sad? I don't know, call it a writer's melodramatics. Like, it took me, two days, more or less, to craft an entire positive character arc for Aleksander in my series of AUs, but Alina, after ROW and after her 'Gurl Power' moment in Episode 8... Yeah no. Impossible. Her character arc could only be negative because there is little to do with a character that literally denies what happened in the text itself because the writer is that petty.
And of course, instead of fixing the mess she was in the books, the TV writers, like most inept American TV writers, thought that the best course was race-lifting her. Because that's the modus operandi that they have, instead of, you know, good structure and a character arc and stuff.
So, no, I don't like her. Her entire story is pointless and she is one the worst 'protagonists' I have ever read. A sack of flour dragged by a plot that would fall apart if she were free to make any choice as a character.
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cheekygreenty · 3 years
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Good 4 u - The Darkling x Reader
Here’s a draft I found, I remember quickly writing this on the train home from college, listening to Olivia Rodrigo’s song on repeat until I got sick of it. Enjoy bahahahah 😂😂
Alina this, Sun-Summoner that, Sankta Alina the other. It was annoying to constantly hear her name on other people's lips, Aleksander's especially. You should have known his obsession with her would turn into love but you were blind.
He said she was nothing worth his salt, Alina is the key to more power, he would say before he proclaimed his eternal love for you, showering you in love and pleasure. When your relationship fell apart and your heart broke, he took a piece of you with him, the temperate part, the side of you that was calm and rational. For now you were the walking form of resentment. He never cheated but this was much worse.
Aleksander didn't seem fazed, at all. No tears for the death of so many good memories, no sadness for the end of a chapter in his life. Maybe he experienced time differently from you because who in Saint's name pursues somebody so quickly after a breakup? Somebody who's already sure of their feelings long before they change their life around.
You held back your gags as you watched the two fawn over each other at the Winter Fete. She wore his color, black, and you had to admit she looked half decent in it too. You didn't hate her, she never did anything to you. But him, Oh saints you would kill him where he stood if you could. He looked happy, unlike you. It's like we never even happened, what the fuck is up with that?
There was a time when he looked at you like that, eyes full of adoration and love. Now he looked right through you, treating you like a stranger. 'He took out the trash' Zoya shrugged when you drunkenly told her what happened. Maybe she was right, maybe he never even loved me, maybe I was there to pass the time.
He was so unaffected by your break up it made you livid. Every glance spared in his direction radiated anger and disgust. You didn't even try to hide it anymore.
Your demonstration was about to begin. You were helping the Inferni twins show off your fire skills before Alina would end the show with a bang. You didn't care for parties shared with the Grand Palace and were guaranteed to leave right after your little firecracker of a performance, but some part of you itched to stay until the end.
You could see Polina get up on a small pedestal, signaling for you to get to yours. Aleksander stepped to the side, Alina at his arm. Gross. The power beamed off of him, he was doing good without me. What a shame.
You played around with the twins, completely forgetting the room of diplomats and even Aleksander, who never spared you a look. The fire felt good on your hands, swaying from side to side as you molded the element in your hands before splitting it in two, shooting it at the twins. Using your powers gave you a sense of calm and peace, but it never rid you of the rage you felt. Maybe you were too emotional.
You got down with a smile as the claps eased out. You went to leave, eager to leave the stiff atmosphere of the room. At least you showed up. But his voice made you stop at the door. Instead of it giving you a shiver of pleasure, it straightened your spine in defense.
'Her name is Alina Starkov' Someone pass me a bucket. His hands came together, submerging the room into darkness. Alina began her show, the light letting you catch a glimpse of him. As opposed to the entirety of the room, you only had eyes for him. He looked at her as if she was a goddess, he worshipped her. Fury rose in you. He looked at me like that first, or was it a lie? Maybe he never cared.
You wished for nothing more than for Alina to reject him, see him for the man he truly is. If he could play you the way he did then Saint's knows what he'll do to the poor young girl. You were headstrong and stubborn and he still managed to screw you over despite your built-up walls.
But what if they last? He'll have more power, the Sun-Summoner by his side and Ravka under his rule. And you'll still be you. An Inferni with a grudge.
Before you knew it, the room returned to its previous state and the diplomats were bowing down to their Sankta. You missed the whole thing brooding over Aleksander, who still stared at Alina like she was the air he needed to breathe.
You scoffed and walked away, not wanting to be in the same room as him anymore. What a dick. You strode around the Little Palace trying to cool down. One champagne glass turned into two then five. Still you felt the nagging tickle of anger. You suddenly heard shouts and signs of a fight, racing over to the room it was coming from. Even tipsy, the soldier in you replied immediately.
'This is for Zlatan' You ran through the door seeing an oprichniki slicing Alina's throat open. Oh Saint's no. You pounced on the man, quickly catching sight of Genya already on the floor tending to Alina. Apparently, you weren't the only one who heard the scuffle as the General's guards flooded the hallway, taking the rogue soldier from you. Your mind snapped back into reality, searching for Alina but finding a young Inferni in the black kefta. A double for security. Smart.
'Inform the General' Genya spoke, leaning over the body. Your blood ran cold, he would probably ignore you. But you did as she asked, running to where you saw him last. You searched for his black kefta in the sea of extravagantly dresses diplomats. You spotted Ivan chatting in the corner with Fedyor, 'Ivan where is the General?' You hid your blood-stained hands behind your back in an attempt to prevent unnecessary panic. 'In his quarters' He nodded his head towards the big double doors.
You walked away with a mumbled thank you. In his quarters. If Alina's absence was any indication of what he was doing, it would be a miracle if you didn't slap him the second you got the chance.
Your knock was sharp and loud in contrast to your shaking hands. Then you heard it, her laugh. You've got to be kidding me. Your bloody hands braced themselves against the doorframe, clutching the wood for dear life. Better the door than his face. As his face passed in your mind, the door opened just a tad, his body towering over your own. The smile he wore quickly washed away, replaced with a stern look.
'Y/N what are yo-' You stopped him with a signal of your hand, you didn't have the patience.
'Marie got attacked in the fitting room. She's dead. He's detained.' He looked at you passively, obviously wishing it was anyone but you knocking on his door right now.
'Wait here'
He shut the door again. But you could make out his conversation with Alina in the dead quiet of the hallway. You sent a silent prayer to the Saints about your previous argument. Let her see him for what he is.
You slowly backed away from the door, not wanting to hear anymore. You heard his boots step out into the hallway and took his silence as a sign to walk ahead to where the man was being kept. For you, the tension was awkward and insufferable but for him it was probably normal, although you knew he felt your pulsating rage.
There was nobody on this side of the Palace, his quarters weren't available to everybody and that made you thankful because what you were about to do would definitely be regarded as treason.
He didn't have time to register you turning around or the hand that slapped him across the cheek.
The noise echoed down the hallway, your hand stung, maybe that was too hard.
His jaw clenched but he didn't retalaite. Why was his ignorance such a trigger for you? It was what started this, him pretending you didn't exist caused you to fly off the walls.
You shoved his chest with all your might. Do something. He let you push him away but never looked you in the eyes.
'Are you going to say something?' You were furious, venom dripped from your words but had no effect on him. 'The big bad Aleksander lost for words? First I've ever seen it'
He turned his head towards you, looking into your eyes for the first time in weeks. It surprised you because you didn't miss it.
'What do you want me to say?' His voice was void of any emotion, no anger or pain, his composure never dropping. He was the complete opposite of you. Saints, you were the crazy ex.
You didn't reply. The truth was you didn't know what you wanted him to say. Nothing he could muster would fix this situation. His actions were irreversible and Alina was still in his chambers, the room where so many of your fondest memories took place.
'I wish to transfer to a camp. Permenantly.' You had been mulling over the decision for days now. You had put in a request with Ivan a week ago but never got an answer.
'I need you here teaching the students' So Ivan did send it on. Was this another one of his ways of ignoring you?
'Tough. I don't want to be here.' You faced your choices with logic. Your anger would never go away, the hurt of your first love betraying you soaked deep into your bones. Aleksander was immortal, he would never leave this Palace. You had no other option. He sighed loudly.
'Y/N let's keep our personal and work li-' You went for another slap, he deserved it, but this time he caught your hand mid-air, pushing you away gently. You walked backward, disgust turning in your stomach at the response your body had to his touch. He was an amplifier and the surety he brought you would always be there regardless of your feeling for him. You hated it.
'Good for you Aleksander. You got the girl, the power.... at least let me have something' Your voice cracked slightly. You wouldn't cry in front of him.
'I'll have Ivan sort it out'
With that, you left the hallway, completely forgetting about the task at hand, happy to finally have a day where he didn't cross your path.
Aleksander stood there watching your back as you walked away from him. You would never know the pain and anguish he felt every time somebody mentioned you, or when he thought of you. He loved you deeply, more than anything in this world, so he had to let you go. He would hate himself if anything happened to you in his fight for Ravka and Grisha, so he had to push you away.
He was selfish for ignoring you but also keeping you around. He knew it hurt you to see him around Alina, he knew all of it. He truly did. But he was too greedy. His own actions were confusing him. Push her away, make her hate you but keep her safe, keep her with you. It was impossible, either one or the other.
As you rounded the corner, he memorized you, all of you. It would be his last memory of you.
'Good for you Y/N, leave me and be safe'
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When I tell you antis have lost it because what the actual fuck is this???!! Apparently Alina is the toxic one now?? Not blade boy and his need for absolutely isolate her from everyone who might make her see she’s more that his “little friend from Keramzin?”
Mal was absolutely trash, like he was a physical manifestation of every poor decision Alina ever made. Talked about this briefly with @kasamira, but think about it, every dumb choice Alina made put her right in Mal’s path; suppressing her powers and making herself sick -> Mal, burning maps and getting her unit killed -> Mal, subconsciously continuing to suppress her powers in the little palace -> Mal, I can go on and on. The narrative is so obsessed with this illogical ship, it keeps making Alina do foolish, and sometimes cruel things (leaving people to die on the fold, literally only caring about Mal and nothing else even though her people are being hunted) just as long as she doesn’t drift too far away from who Mal wants her to be.
Every clash/fight Alina and Mal have is because she’s embracing who she is apart from him, how is that not a giant red flag??? She lets him go -> then she’s finally able to summon, she accepts her role as sun summoner -> she becomes more confident and he slut-shames her, she chooses to help rebuild the second army -> this fucking loser basically asks her to cut out her power, then ignores her, then cheats on her, then blames her?? How the hell are antis reading these books and coming to the conclusion that Mal is the victim here?? Who are these people who think a woman’s job is to strip away fundamental parts of herself just so a man can accept her??? What the actual fuck you guys? Lmao! I’m so annoyed by this, but also LOL! Because I think this is my villain origin story 🤣🤣
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blues-valentine · 3 years
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darklinas are always calling alina names belittling her saying she’s cringe not a good character annoying horrible heroine literally everything bad fandoms say about poc woman you can imagine and just being cruel in defense of her oppressor shocker (mainly because she listened to baghra about the darkling being evil) but then they wanna claim they are feminists and want her to be independent strong don’t need a man only if that man is mal, they want her to be powerful but when she is those things they hate her because she’s hurting their little poor evil villain the double standards and hypocrisy! Like which is it she’s either dumb and all those other names y’all call her just because she didn’t go back to her abuser and go dark with the villain or she is strong and powerful for choosing her own path but not really because that path led her to mal again?
Everytime drklinas use the feminist card when it comes to Alina, it's just ironic and down right embarrassing. I don't trust anything that comes out of their brains with that one because everything they want Alina to do goes against feminism. Firstly, they want her to be with her abuser, someone that slaved her, manipulated her, sexually assaulted her, tortured her, killed her mother figure, blinded Baghra, mutilated Genya and sold her to sexual slavery. Like? I don't know how can you call yourself a feminist and excuse an abuser this much. They always go with the "we know it's fictional, we enjoy the dynamic but won't support it in real life" but they go out of their way to deny, excuse and get angry at people pointing out those very same facts.
I have never seem a group of people that disrespects Alina more than them. They refuse to see her as a character with her own grown if it's not attached positively towards their "misunderstood villain" - Alina is smart, brave, funny, empathetic, with a good sense of duty and those characteristics only grow in the books. Alina's strength were never on her grisha powers but her bravery, that is what pushes her foward when she's at her lowest when dealing with her powers. Alina would never betray her friends trust just to be with her abuser, someone that mass murdered all the grishas (that she planned on leading) and mutilated her best friend. And if they refuse to see that, they never understood Alina and the sacrifices she made and was willing to make. Her empathy and loyalty towards her friends was what never allowed her to go dark.
Through out the trilogy, Alina's agency has been taken away from her one way or another. First, taken into the little palace against her will (like so many grishas), then manipulated by an ancient man because he needed her powers for his own agenda, later slaved by him, denying her full control of her powers and her own mind, forced to see visions that drive her to consider suicide (twice). She was also involved in a political drama she didn't want, and yes, despite Nikolai becoming a good friend at the end, he also wanted to use her for his own political gain. Alina almost married another man for the sake of a country and not for herself or for love (like she wanted).
Alina's ending, choosing to live peacefully with Mal was a choice she made for herself. After feeling so trapped with the sense of duty, she finally made the choice to be free. And that's honestly one of the most empowering things a woman can do. Drklinas deemed this ending as "anti-feminist" because it doesn't provide them with the girl boss fantasy. It lacks genuine intention when they invalidate the ending she chose for herself, and would have rather her with her abuser or a life as a queen she didn't want.
Alina fullfiled her destiny, she gave all her powers to destroy the fold. Later, decided to rebuild the orphanage at Keramzin, which was destroyed by the Darkling, so she could house children just like her and Mal that lost everything because of the greedy men some wanted her to become. She helped so that grishas would never have to be forced out of their home to be at the little palace ever again. She holds a legacy as Sankta Alina, the Sun Saint, and she's happy and content. And good for her.
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INEFFABLE - Kaz Brekker 
Chapter Nine
If you would like to read this on Wattpad, it’s on there as well, my @ is in_my_feels_probably and there’s a few visuals and better descriptions and stuff on there. otherwise, enjoy, let me know what you think, and you can check out my masterlist for updates and more. don’t forget to read the prologue, it’s important to the story!
INEFFABLE – Kaz Brekker
ineffable (adj.) too great to be expressed in words, utterly indescribable; too sacred to speak of. 
Chapter Nine
Elham had successfully made it past the guards. Baghra was right, they had paid no mind to a random Grisha walking around the courtyard, instead scanning for unwanted guests. They had simply nodded at her as she stepped inside. She immediately had removed her kefta, discarding it in a random hall closet, left in only her dress, which she was sure she must have looked uncomfortable and out of place in.
She was now wandering through random passageways, trying to find her way to the ballroom. She was desperately trying to remember the blueprints Kaz had shown her, trying not to get caught, when she heard a voice.
“Are you lost?”
A chill ran up Elham’s spine, and she went rigid. It was the Darklings voice.
“You aren’t supposed to be back here, the fete is in the ballroom. Can I help you find your way?”
Elham tried to control her breath, willing the tears to stop falling. She quickly wiped under her eyes, finally turning to face him. He hadn’t aged a day. He gave her a soft smile, but it slowly faded as he seemed to analyze her face.
“Have we met before? What’s your name?”
Elham realized she must have looked much older than the little girl who had fled the Little Palace, and she stamped a smile on her face, trying to mask her fear.
“I’m so sorry, sir. My name is Anya. I needed a bit of fresh air, and I must have gotten lost. No, I don’t think we have met, it’s my first time at the Palace. And I think I would remember meeting a General. I hope you’ll forgive me for saying this, but it’s all quite...overwhelming. I didn’t mean to get so turned around, though, I just needed a minute.”
The Darkling’s smile returned, and he offered her his arm. “It’s quite alright, I’ll lead you back to the party.”
Elham hesitated, before taking his arm, stepping in place beside him. He began guiding them back to the party.
“Where did you say you’re from, if I may ask? You look terribly familiar, I must know your family.”
“I quite doubt it. I’m from a small town in Kribirsk, but my family is from Novyi Zem. We came into some money and my father decided Ravka was a better opportunity for us. Turns out he was right, I never imagined we would be invited to the winter fete. My father fell ill a few weeks ago, however, but he insisted I still come, meet good people.”
The Darkling smiled, patting her hand with his. They had arrived just outside the ballroom. “I’m glad you came. I hope you enjoy your stay, if you’ll excuse me, I have some business to attend to. Just go right through those doors, the party is in there.”
“Of course, thank you for helping me find my way back!”
He gave her a graceful nod, and turned down another corridor, leaving her standing still in the middle of an empty hall. She let out the breath she had been holding. She violently rubbed at the arm he had been holding, trying to wipe away his touch. He had been uncharacteristically cold to the touch, despite his warm greeting, and Elham could still feel his hand on her skin.
She caught her breath, calming herself as best she could. The Crows still needed her, and the plan wasn’t going to fail because she couldn’t keep her wits together. She headed into the ballroom, scanning the crowd of people for anyone familiar, or the Sun Summoner herself.
A guard came to stand next to her, clearing his throat.
“Sorry sir, I...saints, Kaz?”
He whispered next to her, barely looking in her direction, trying not to blow his cover. “Where the hell have you been? I’ve been looking everywhere for you, you know the plan--”
He stopped talking, now fully turning to face her. His jaw clenched, and he slightly nodded his head, motioning for them to back away from the crowd, towards the corner of the room. “El, why are you crying?”
She reached a hand up to wipe under her eyes, and was surprised when she felt the tears on her cheeks. “I didn’t even know I was.”
“What happened?”
“We don’t have time for this. I’ll explain everything later, I promise, let’s just get what we came for and get out of here, I hate this place.”
He nodded, and Inej appeared next to them. She looked surprised to see Elham in the state she was in, but with a quick glare from Kaz, she didn’t even question it.
They stood in the corner of the room, watching the Grisha put on their little talent show the King had requested. As much as Elham hated this place, and she was sure she would have been miserable if she stayed, she almost missed her time there. Watching the Inferni bounce flames across the room had her in awe, and part of her wished she could be standing alongside them, showing off her talents.
Kaz looked unimpressed. “It’s reflective glass. Bounce the light into that, and people won’t know whether it’s coming or going.”
Inej rolled her eyes, stepping to another side of the room. Elham was about to follow, when she saw the Darkling, guiding the Sun Summoner through the crowd. Alina was dressed in a black kefta with golden embroidery. She was wearing the Darkling’s colors.
Elham decided it was better to stay away from the pair, not wanting the Darkling to catch on to who she was. Plus, as much as she hated to admit it, she somehow felt safer standing close to Kaz in the room.
Kaz would be no match against the Darkling or his favored Grisha if it came down to defending themselves, but he seemed to always survive improbable odds, and Elham was more than willing to bet that she would somehow make it out alive if she stuck by his side.
Alina stood behind the Darkling as he turned around, addressing the crowd. The room had fallen silent. “Her name is Alina Starkov. And she will bring liberation to us all.”
The Darkling stepped off the stage, and the crowd parted. Elham held her breath, shrinking back towards Kaz. The Darkling lifted both arms out, before swiftly clapping his hands together. Darkness enveloped the room. Wisps of black floated through the air. Elham could make out the Darkling turning to Alina, holding his hand out to her.
Alina stepped forward, and Elham was suddenly filled with a sense of hope. She didn't think Baghra would lie about such things, but hearing about a Sun Summoner and seeing one for herself were two very different things.
Alina put her hands together, calling the light. She slowly pulled them apart and held them steady, revealing a small sphere of light in between her fingertips. She bounced the ball of light from hand to hand, before creating another. Elham watched in admiration, a hand coming up to her mouth.
Alina pushed the light up and over the crowd, letting it reflect in the glass. She pulled her hands apart, letting light fill the room. Elham watched the Grisha around the room look at each other, smiling. She glanced over at Inej, who was absolutely beaming. Alina dropped her hands, and the Darkling released his hold, letting light fill the room once more.
The crowd murmured to themselves, some bowing down, some praying. Elham finally made out what they were saying, as she watched Inej mouth the words herself.
“Sankta Alina.”
Elham didn’t believe in saints, but even she was starting to question her beliefs. Alina may or may not have been a Saint, but she was powerful, and she was vulnerable, and Elham refused to let that kind of power fall into the wrong hands.
---
Elham stood with a drink in her hand, close enough to Inej and Kaz that they could include her in the conversation, without her looking suspicious. To an onlooker, it seemed as if she was simply admiring a piece of art on the wall, or that she may have had a little too much to drink.
Elham swirled her cup, listening to Kaz explain his plan for flushing out Arken. He really had betrayed them, and now, he was going to meet an unfortunate end. It didn’t seem that unfortunate to Elham, however. A man who profits off the Fold and the poor souls lost in it was not a good man, and she wouldn’t mourn someone like that. She just wished that she could have been the one to watch him go herself. She quite liked a bit of poetic justice.
Kaz and Inej had started moving, and Elham slowly trailed behind them. Kaz approached Alina.
“Miss Starkov! We are to escort you to dinner. Could you come with us, please?”
“I thought, umm...well, actually I am quite hungry.”
Elham watched as Alina was led down the hall in her direction, when the Darkling stepped around the corner, standing too close for comfort. Elham quickly turned away from him, suddenly looking very interested in her drink.
“Thank you. I’ll take her from here.”
He led her away, and Elham quickly moved closer to Kaz and Inej, suddenly aware of the Darkling’s Grisha eying them from around the room.
“Alright, plan B. Scratch that, plan F. Stay on the target and meet me at the escape route. Elham, come with me, they’re onto you too. Act like you're asking me for directions, and I’m going to lead us to that corridor.”
She nodded, and Inej headed in the other direction. “He’s an Inferni. Don’t take chances.”
Funny, Elham thought. If it came down to it, this would be her chance to reveal to Kaz her powers. She dreaded the look of betrayal that almost definitely would come her way, but if it meant defending him against another Inferni, she wouldn’t hesitate.
---
Kaz had led them through winding corridors, all the way to the chapel. Elham could tell the pace without his cane was killing him, she could see the grimace of pain on his face he was trying to hide.
“Kaz, I can--”
“Shut it, El. Hide. He’s coming.”
Kaz quickly ducked behind a pillar, and she dove down under one of the pews on the other side. Her heart was pounding, her mind racing. There was only so much they could do against an Inferni. Without having to create a spark, Elham could best him, moving quicker than he could. But she’d reveal her powers, and they were already unpredictable enough as is. She lowered herself closer to the ground, tucking into herself as the Inferni entered the room, scanning for them.
“You’re not supposed to be here, are you, limping man? You’re like a wounded spider in my house. You know what my sister and I do to spiders?”
The Inferni had gotten on top of the pews now, and was briskly hopping closer and closer to Elham across the top. She could hear him ignite his flame, and she sucked in a breath. She was at the front pew ducking down, ready to attack, when the Inferni jumped to the last pew, peering down at her.
Kaz leaped out from behind the pillar, clutching a piece of bannister, swinging it hard against the back of the Inferni’s legs, sending him tumbling down to the floor next to Elham, who quickly scrambled up and behind Kaz.
Kaz stomped on the Inferni’s arm, preventing him from raising his hands. “Unlike a spider, I only need one good leg. However, you look like you need both hands.”
He swung the bannister down on the man’s arm, sending out a nauseating crunch, along with the man’s scream of pain. Kaz pressed down harder, and Elham could hear the bone crack. She almost grinned. Kaz brought the bannister down once more, sending it cracking across the Inferni’s face, seeming to knock him out cold.
Kaz took a deep breath, stumbling back as he threw the bannister away from himself, turning to face Elham. He limped towards her letting out a groan, and she fought herself from reaching out to steady him.
“Are you alright, Kaz?” He just tiredly nodded in her direction, moving closer to her. She grinned, but as soon as she did, it fell from her face, her body going rigid.
“Kaz!”
Her eyes widened, and before Kaz could even turn to see what she was looking at, Elham quickly shoved her shoulder into his side, knocking him to the ground. She quickly moved to block his body with hers, hiding his frame from the Inferni’s sight.
He smacked the ground in shock, turning over to see Elham, raising her hands high, a flame erupting from her hands.
She was going to do this. She had to. The Inferni snarled, creating a spark, but Elham had already shot a flame across the room, it landing on the sleeve of the man’s kefta. His face scrunched in surprise, and he batted at the sleeve, trying to extinguish the flame.
Elham darkly chuckled, quickly advancing on the man. Kaz had sat up now, to see Elham raising her hands, sending one fireball after the other towards the man, all catching fire on his kefta.
The Inferni was screaming now, collapsing to the ground, but Elham didn’t waver. He was desperately rolling on the ground, clutching at his arms, but she just stood over him, bouncing a flame between her fingertips.
“You really shouldn’t have done that. I’m counting on seeing your sister later. I can’t wait to see the look on her face when she realizes her brother died by his own power. I don’t quite like anyone threatening my family, so I’m sure you understand why it had to come to this.”
Elham’s grin had fallen from her face, replaced by a darkness that met her eyes. The Valkyrie had come out. “I’ll see you in hell.”
She raised her hands in one final swoop, sending a flame quickly across the Inferni’s face and throat, silencing his screams. His head lulled to the side, his eyes still wide open. He laid still.
He was dead.
Elham heard a gasp, and she quickly turned to find Inej now standing in the doorway, a hand covering her mouth. Elham let the flames recede into her palms, turning to face Kaz, who was now standing, staring at her with an unreadable expression.
Elham tried to find the right words. “I...I--”
Kaz stopped her. “You saved my life. The rest doesn’t matter.”
Elham sucked in a breath, feeling tears prick at her eyes, and Inej was suddenly at her side, cautiously placing a hand on her arm. Kaz directed his attention to Inej. “Get your Saint, and let’s go.”
Inej moved towards the exit, but Elham stood in her place, staring at the Inferni’s body on the ground.
“Elham.”
She didn’t move. Kaz was now at her side. “El! We have to go, now! You can explain the rest later.”
She just faintly nodded in his direction, letting him lead her out of the room and down the corridors.
---
A/N - hi everyone, i hope you liked this chapter. i promise i have a lot of cool stuff planned, just bear with me, getting in some of these plot points without changing the story too much is a little hard. i should have another chapter out soon. let me know what you thought, feel free to comment or message with anything, and thank you so much for the support.
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roguestarsailor · 3 years
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my hot take on mal and why hes wonderful and why malina is the proper coupling (and im gonna shit on darkling/darklina for a bit)
*these might not be new thoughts but i want to express my love for mal and malina (and i just finished the books like a few hours ago so my brain is on fire) there was so much mal slander on the malina tags and i wanted to throw in my 2 cents!!*
- mal literally had nobody. this kid is a literal orphan! i love that he figured out what to fight for and kept his head in the game. i am a sucker for characters who needs to fight to get anywhere in life. he was gifted the tracking skill and befriending alina and thats it. characters like him have grit and a personality that makes them tough and fearless and i am always going to root for their happy endings
- this poor man has to face these super powerful beings without powers. its hella intimidating to be just regular while being surrounded by folks who can blast light, manipulate winds and waters and fabricate things from nothing. he worked with what he got and that was tracking and being physically fit to fight and i fucken applaud that!!!
- he never got in alina's way. i think whats tragic is that he internalized how much of a "low born"/"nobody" he was and saw that alina was destined for so much more and he made sure he was useful at all times. at the beginning of seige and storm, it felt like mal was hindering alina because she couldnt use her powers and that made her feel like complete shit (i wasn't team mal at that moment but what else were they suppose to do. darkling was worse tbh!!)
- he's just a kid. hes struggling! i was sad when it was confirmed that he and zoya were a thing for a bit (and has been with other girls) but thats just being a teen in a war torn society (and also hyping him up to be desirable for the audience)
- even his maturity is very much in line with him being a kid and trying to navigate being a soldier and then having to shifting his entire purpose to aligning with just alina. he was suppose to just be a soldier, and die honorably depending whos attacking who. but he rejected his training/soldier mindset and found alina because he knew she needed him! he could have died soooo many times, he lost friends but he had to roll with the punches the entire time. and again, this man got nothing going for him! just his love for alina!
- i dont think YA books appreciate the boys without power; those who aren't royalty and aren't born with wealth and poise. mal had to learn to survive at an early age and that includes learning to be likeable and social, being a skilled soldier, and tracker (but that was a gift). i love that alina also started out in a shitty position but she also learned her power and voice.
- mal lets alina be herself! I love female protagonists who are ambitious and want to stay in power but for alina, i like that she wants the ordinary things. she wants a normal life that isn't full of explosion, talk of war or politics or grand dresses. mal let her be goofy and let her be childlike-- see their banter, see their mischiefs growing up. darkling and nikolai needed her to be a summonor/weapon and a queen/leader. they demanded her to use her powers and be a face that decorated their arms; they demanded her to be this surreal being that hordes of people will follow. she has to be regal; has to be poised and laugh and smile on command; be an intimidating figure especially in this war torn country.
- mal wanted alina because she's his best friend! thats it! my favorite moment (and ended up being the sad moment) was in ruin and rising when there was a meteor shower and nikolai found alina first and them walking together arm-in-arm to go see it. mal, with a big smile on his face, was rushing to her to tell her about the shower but stopped short when he saw them together. in that paragraph, alina talked about how mal always ran to her when something that made him happy happens (ugh my sappy heart!!!)
- grishas are the marginalized group and face horrendous torture and systematic prejudges and ravka should have been a place they could feel safe. i like that darkling was fighting for them...but it falls apart when it seems he was hell bent on making sure alina fall in line. he could be that radical; thats fine but he was so obsessed with alina; he was manipulative !!
- i know we're suppose to sympathize with him because he grew up filled with hatred from his mom, grew up in a society that hates people like him and at its core, hes just a lonely boy where nobody understands him because hes soooo powerful and can live 5ever and only alina could understand him because her power measures up to him. but heres the thing, just learn to be a good person wtf??? also he had his mom???? he had someone???? also learn to make friends?? mal fucken did it and he got nobody. learn to build ships??? like nikolai who is an outcast in his own family. (im harsh to characters that live forever and refuse to budge from their original notion about the world. because u spent all that time being alive and not do a thing about that??)
- darkling just latched onto alina for her power. and he is demanding her to be his partner without understanding her and what she needs. he flirts w her, seduces her and plays her so he can be the ultimate powerful figure to lead ravka--so his goal stopped being saving grisha and demanding things from people. ugh how can anybody ship darkling and alina???
- at no point would it feel balanced if alina and darkling were a thing because alina will constantly play catch up. she will always feel like she has to be an adult and has to be this face for the people to follow. she could live with him forever and what?? learn to love him??? i guess??? doing what?? controlling ravka forever???
- anyways i love mal. i dont think hes boring. while browsing the tag for s&b and malina, it was just filled with mal slander! and this is my response to some of the hate. he's literally trying his goddamn best; he literally has no power and has to learn to defend himself the best he can. he is the type of character that has to fight for his survival, fight for his worth and fight for his love!!!! whats not to like???
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stepha199 · 3 years
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Ok I finished reading Shadow and Bonebook and I have *some thoughts*
I saw the show first, it was immediately obsessed with it.
I loved Ben Barnes and Jessie. I was blown away by their chemistry.
I loved everything about the show: The world building, Genya, Jesper, Inej, Mal was also cool and has such good vibes...Anyways, I was having a blast until the moment that I discovered the darkling was “bad”
I get it.
The guy hid Alina’s letters, lied to her about his plans, played the victim AND put a collar on her (very gross) (All bad things).
But the more that I thought about it, the more that I could kinda see his point.
Let me explain:
1) The Grisha were killed, experimented and persecuted all over the other countries.
2) He personally saw I bunch of people that he cared about died (Luda)
3) Then he thought that if he won the *freaking war* for that king, the grisha would find safety (In episode 7, we clearly see that it didn’t go that way) I mean they tried to killed him because the idiotic king was scared of the darkling powers.
4) then he created the fold (by accident) but discovered that it can used as a weapon to protect his kind because what would happen if they destroy it? The show is clearly showing you that he can’t trust on the king.
If they destroy the fold, the grisha (and him) would lost all power that they have now as the second army. He knows that they would probably be persecuted *again*
So what is the solution?
If I was him, I would probably use it too. But bad communication skills dude. I mean you could just talk with Alina before you tried to slave her (?)
I just fell in love with the lovers to enemies dynamic of those two (I tell you the amount of fanfics that I had read about them in Archive of our own) 🤪😂 I like the dark and light symbolism.
The age gap really didn’t bother me (We are watching and reading fiction) NO ONE IN REAL LIFE IS GOING TO FIND A PERSON THAT IS 500 YEARS OLDER THAN YOU. In the show they tried to level the power of their dynamics much better than in the book. Jessie herself said it on a interview.
I actually like Mal (the Malina relationship doesn’t do much for ME personally. Maybe because I had always hated that trope. I mean I don’t hate them their friendship is wonderful, some of their scenes are cute...but man the codependency of those two, it is annoying).
I liked that Mal was such a charming guy willing to do everything for his best friend. I really feel that Alina didn’t deserve him. The poor guy lost almost everything for her. Archie did a fantastic job!
Now Alina....
Man I hate when the main character is whiny...
Woman...you have the most unique and coolest power *ever* they took you to a freaking palace, they fed you, trained you, told you that you literally can save the world....... and you spent all time thinking about about childhood friend (IF I HAVE TO SEE THAT FREAKING MEADOW SCENE AGAIN YOU GUYS) and complaining and whatever. The last episode and the gorgeous Jessie saved the character for me.
Then I took a break and decided to read the book just to see how different things are.... and boy, oh boy.
The darkling is much more calculated in the books (I mean the show version is a softy compared to the book version) (Ben Barnes thank you) I wonder if those changes were intentionally made (?) maybe they will change the ending (I doubt it, but fingers crossed)
I knew that people hated BookMal and... I get it BUT hear me out. Is NOT Mal’s fault is ALINA’S fault.
The poor guy is just a regular dumbass 16 years old trying to figure things out.
In the books Alina just keeps thinking about him and whining about him and it gets annoying pretty quickly. BookAlina 🙃🙃🙃
Anyways those were my thoughts...
I just needed it to put it out there and get it out of my system.
Now I’m not sure that I want to read the second book. What do you say? Should I read it?
If Alina is going to keep whining about Mal is not for me...but I really want to read six of crows and apparently need to read the trilogy first.
Please be kind, if you don’t like my opinion you are welcome to share why but (kindly and respectfully)
Thank you.
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bondsmagii · 2 years
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The grisha trilogy could have been SO GOOD if (out of 10,000 ways to fix the story) Alina was allowed, just once, to say “I’m allowed to want things” and WAS ALLOWED without it blowing up in her face to show that poor, foolish girl what happens when you Forget Your Place.
god, I know right. this is what makes me so mad about how Zoya was treated in the Nikolai duology, as well. like, Zoya got to be the Bestest Most Powerful Grisha Ever!!, and was constantly rewarded for it and faced zero consequences, when Alina literally lost all her power for the crime of desiring more, leaving her bereaved and traumatised and, after everything, shoved to the side and reduced to a housewife/mother figure. like... she deserved so much better than she got.
overall I liked the Grisha trilogy for what it was at the time. it's a very good look at the idea of power corrupting, and it's incredible at dealing with the inherent loneliness of that much power, and how it can warp your perceptions. there's a lot to like about it, and for a YA book it's really, really strong on these dark topics. there's plenty to criticise, but at the end of the day these are short YA books, not epic high fantasy -- there's just not enough room for most of it. the problem with the trilogy lies, in my opinion, in Bardugo's complete lack of integrity. she spent too long on Twitter and wrote an entire duology pandering to people so she doesn't get cancelled for having [checks notes] a sympathetic villain. (there has been other much more worthwhile criticism about how she dealt with race via the different countries in the universe, which I do agree with; however the majority of the drama is all about the Darkling, and that seems to be the only thing that Bardugo paid attention to -- probably because even in light of the valid criticisms, the only thing people actually made a fuss about is -- shock, horror -- the villain is well-developed and morally ambiguous and the reader's hand isn't held the whole way through the story as they're reassured that don't worry, war crimes are still bad, actually.) the way she went back and shat all over the Darkling, undermining his story, and elevated Zoya for the very "crimes" that Alina was punished for? it undercuts everything about the original trilogy that made it so tragic, and so good.
and don't even get me started on the Netflix adaption. that was pure fan service, no integrity at all. the whole goat subplot was absolutely vomitous it was so cringe, having a literal model play Inej is downright insulting considering her story, and aging the characters up is a cowardly move. Kaz's dramatic little quips were acceptable coming from an edgy 17 year old. hearing them come from the mouth of a grown-ass adult in his late twenties is just absolutely unbearable. but hey, gotta get those gifs of Kaz Brekker owning the Darkling with his witty one-liners, right? it's bad enough when an author lets popularity go to their head; it's doubly bad when they destroy their work because they're seeking to hold on to it. power corrupts indeed. how ironic.
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Y'ALL I AM DYING HERE
I just finished King of Scars and HOLY SHIT the ending???? Blew my mind, although I am not sure how I feel about it :)))
SPOILER ALERT
The Darkling being back is such a power move tbh and if Leigh isn't careful, all of this could ruin his character and make him look cheap. I love him sm as a character, he is one of the best villains I have ever read and YES I KNOW HE IS EVIL AND AN ABUSER I AIN'T MAKING EXCUSES FOR HIM but you cannot deny that he is very powerful and badass and having him back opens a door for A LOT OF POSSIBILITIES.
HOWEVER
I feel that what made his character so endearing in the Grisha trilogy was his connection with Alina. Personally, I was dissatisfied with the ending of R&R because she lost her powers... I understand that my poor girl needed rest and shit BUT STILL... she really suffered the loss of her powers and I felt that she never actually got over losing it and losing Aleksander as well... I truly think that we might have glimpsed some goodness in him there at the end when he died and bringing him back as evil again kinda ruins that last-minute development. ALSO he SPECIFICALLY told Alina to burn his corpse NOT bury him... I think that he kinda knew what Elizaveta would do and wanted to prevent it...IDK ANYMORE!
I kinda want a redemption arc for him BUT... that would kind of be a cheap move...
AND
AND
Alina
ALINA
She HAS to come back!!! Even if the others won't tell her, it's impossible for her not to find out or for the Darkling to look for her, he is petty and obsessive like that. In his own dark, twisted way, he actually cared what happened to her. IN A WAY. I still think he's evil but yk... the D Y A D. (all of this fuckery is very similar to what Rey and Ben Solo had idk man)
BUT I trust Leigh to do some good shit with RoW. I REALLY hope the cameo will be Alina because their connection was the backbone of the Grisha trilogy and disregarding her completely would ruin her entire character and the Darkling as well.
ANYWAY THAT'S MY OPINION:)))
PLEASE FEEL FREE TO DM ME TO TALK ABOUT THE GRISHAVERSE I AM DESPERATE:)
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muffinrecord · 3 years
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I got Hikaru from the Light gacha! Is she any good?
Congrats!
Short answer: yes, but also no. Or: no, but also yes.
Longer answer:
A while back we were discussing Tsuruno-type units who are well-rounded and good for a variety of situations. Post One | Post Two | Post Three
For light, I mentioned: “As for natural 4*, then maybe Hikaru, but I don’t have much experience with her to know for sure.“ @raposarealm backed me up by saying, 
“From my *super* limited experience, Hikaru does fit the Tsuruno archetype pretty well. However, I haven’t used her magia much, and I haven’t gotten her to five star yet, so I could be wrong.”
Having actually played with Hikaru, I still feel like she fits the niche of the general all-rounded unit who can be used in a variety of situations. 
However, when watching the video Raz Anime did for Hikaru (link here), he brought up a good point: because Hikaru is so well-rounded, she’s not actually going to be great at any particular thing. 
I highly recommend watching the video, but an example is her connect. She gives Blast Damage Up 80%, Charged Attack Damage Up 22.5%, and Accele MP Gain Up 40%.
You might see where this is going. Her connect can be useful in most situations, but depending on your strategy, two of the three effects aren’t going to be helpful. If you’re using a blast team, then the charge (well maybe) and accele mp up aren’t going to factor in. If you’re using a magia team, then the blast and charge won’t factor in.
So poor Hikaru won’t be great for specialized teams. Essentially, if you are going for a specific strategy, then there will always be a better unit to use than her.
However, I think this ignores the fact that generalized characters can still be good. The idea of there always being a better unit runs on the assumption that you have those better units, which isn’t going to be true for a large part of the playerbase.
I mostly say this because I had the same notions Raz did, especially when running the memoria review blog. I was viewing the blog through the lens of a whale, who had multiple maxed copies of “I Made Friends” or a copy of Swords or a 2s Madokami or a 4s Kyoko or a 4s Alina. I would downplay a lot of decent, yet not-top-of-the-line memoria and recommend more expensive memoria that were either limited or hard to get.
It’s only right now, when I lost that account, that I’ve come to realize the power in the generalized, all-rounded-unit. Hikaru isn’t going to be a number one choice for a team, but that just means she can still fit in any team. For a new player or a f2p player, Hikaru isn’t that bad actually. She’ll be able to suit most of that player’s needs, without the necessity of having a bunch of different light units.
So in effect, she’s not good, because she can’t specialize in anything. But she’s also good because she can fit most situations.
To be clear, there are a few other issues with her kit; for example her connect doesn’t give a form of attack up/damage up, which means you’re losing out on valuable possible DMG, her SE is kind of generic, and her attack is kind of low (though, take into account that she is a support). But I think she’s decent.
Anyways, I still recommend watching Raz’s video for a more in-depth explanation.
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serpentsapple · 4 years
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(This post includes major spoilers for The Grisha Trilogy and the Shades of Magic series.)
@dykeblight replied to our introductory post with the following:
alright bud since u decided to put this in the main tags of the books ur critiquing ur ready to hear my take on this. first of all the wording in this post is pretentious as hell and it bothered me all thru out reading it. second of all, let’s lay some shit down: the only books ive read discussed in this post are adsom and tgt, and while i agree that tgt isn’t the most radically feminist book series out there, i have to ask: why are u focused on women writing this? why is this post generalizing
horrible male authors but name dropping female ones? alinas journey was largely about her realizing that she could make her own choices. about her not needing to be queen or supreme ruler or some shit. about how she could literally settle down with the worlds most boring dude and still be happy. anyways, beyond that: adsom. first of all, whenever someone pulls the “not like other girls” card for lila, i have to pull the “she’s genderfluid” card. it wasn’t Explicitly stated in the series, and v
has expressed regret for that, so it’s probably going to be more obvious in the next series. also, adsom is very much a period piece. you couldn’t be a woman in the early nineteenth century doing what lila did without like, yknow, *not being a woman.* the threat she got on that first ship— a period piece! if it was a male author, then that’s gross. but it’s not, a woman wrote it! lila also proceeded to burn the whole goddamn ship down. sometimes authors don’t want to write traditionally feminine
characters!!! sometimes women want to write about what THEY can relate to! and ve schwab, as a queer woman, probably did that. so now we come back to the question of WHY are you calling out only female authors for this? you could have accomplished the same goal by just including books and authors that you deemed Respectable. not to be that bitch, but there was literally no reason for you to post this lmfao. i think we should first tackle the issue that is men having access to keyboards, and
maybe then we can broaden our horizons by critiquing everything women do thats decidedly not perfect.                            
We created this blog to discuss these topics, so we welcome other opinions and interpretations!
To reiterate our goal and perhaps clarify... male authors already receive enough publicity and analysis - to the point they eclipse, at times, their female peers, even when it comes to writing female characters. How wonderful of them to treat fictional women as fellow human beings! (How shameless of others to treat them as their personal sexual fantasy!) Yet we would like to hear what women have to say about themselves. It is why we focus exclusively on their works.
Furthermore, we believe these works as worthy of analysis as any text written by a man. And it is precisely because of this conviction - their books potentially as grandiose, as mediocre as any man’s - that we will not refrain from criticising them. To treat them differently would be implicitly agreeing with the notion they aren’t as intellectually engaging as men’s writings.
Moreover, we are not advocating for “feminist” books from women. In fact, we dislike this qualifier: too often misattributed, rarely useful, always commercial. We desire convincing female characters, as talented as they are flawed, as just as they can be immoral. Thus, while we have grown tired of uncreative, unnecessary sexism in fantasy, we are not expecting perfect little militants in every story. We expect to be moved and stunned, to be left inspired or reflecting on what we read.
I hope this has cleared up our intent with the blog. Now, for the specific series discussed...
While I could see this be Bardugo’s aim for Alina’s journey, I disagree with it being well executed. Narratively speaking, I do not think Alina was treated fairly and was able to make true choices. Throughout all three books, Alina remained unobservant and somewhat self-centered, never challenging the affirmations of others and instead regarding them as truth. Let’s take the example of the Darkling: she accepts his supposed initial good intentions and views him, to the very end, as some kind of lost and anguished “boy”. Yet that isn’t what the text shows - on the contrary, the Darkling is a hollow character that spent centuries sitting on his behind, doing nothing for his fellow Grisha. Alina is never given the chance to realise this and reevalute what happened to her.
Beyond this, I feel like Alina’s journey was contrived from the start. Bardugo does not allow her to see beyond the words of others, nor does she allow her to actually grow. Alina’s crush on Mal and her fixation on remaining with him - despite him disliking what she is! - stems from a child’s anxiety and solitude. Instead of becoming her own woman, making her own choices and yes, having to face losing relationships, Alina regresses to the safety of her childhood, powerless and normal, just like Mal. Let us remember that, to remain with him, she sealed her powers within herself, endangering her health! So symbolically, it is a slap in the face: just when she embraced her powers - meaning letting go of her fears, of Mal -, she loses it all and go back to square one.
This is why I don’t find Alina’s journey satisfying. Even if it hurts, I wish to see female characters confronted to their fears and their flaws, and grow from them*. That is not what we witnessed with Alina. And: why is it that female characters must be “depowered”? Why does the Darkling (and Ilya Morozova) get to keep his immense powers, must live with his guilt, yet Alina loses every and any scrap of magic? Why is she punished for her greed so much, when she hardly is the greediest? (This echoes also Genya’s “punishment”, so heavily tied to her being a beautiful woman and beauty being, in Bardugo’s world, a key quality for women. Nikolai’s monstruous transformation is cruel but never specifically targeted at his sex.)
Why is it female characters only whose “happy” ending involve going back to their boyfriend’s house, complete with potential children? In a fantasy world, is it the best we can offer to these characters? Why does “making her own choice” usually involve them being unambitious and - I am barely caricaturing - happy housewives? Where are the female characters being greedy, powerful to the point of madness, and fascinatingly ruthless? Where are the genius, the good but scheming inventors and princesses? Where are the female Darklings and the female Nikolais?
Yes, it may not be Alina’s story and that’s alright. But reading the story she received, I could not help wondering: is it truly her story, or is it her story in a narrative unfair to women?
As for Lila... what Schwab stated confusingly in interviews or twitter threads cannot be used to analyse the text itself, though it may help. In this case, it holds a very different perspective from what she may affirm outside of it, so let’s keep close to what she wrote.
I disagree that it is a period piece. Her series is firmly set in a fantasy version of our world, with four alternate but equally real Londons, and with interactions between them that differentiate her England from ours. She chose to keep this England similar to ours, so the departure from it could be obvious; she chose, again, to have Lila threatened with rape by sailors even in Red London, her full invention. She chose, still, to never mention the miserable reality of lots of poor women like Lila in our England - namely, prostitution. She picked what suited her, as authors do, yet could not come up with any other plot than sexual assault. That she is a woman does not excuse her utter lack of imagination on that front! I find the notion that female characters are condemned to sexual threats depressing, on top of insulting towards authors who still strive to be creative.
And this is all ignoring what Schwab forced her other female characters to endure, which is sexual slavery, somewhat coerced pregnancies and social isolation, plus being sexist caricatures and butchered so men could be sad about it. In that context, what is Schwab exactly saying about women, if even her heroine is misogynistic and desperately trying to escape this reality? If Lila isn’t a woman - which she is in the text, she never denies being one, she only affirms being different, meaning a full human being! -, does that mean women’s place is in caricature and distress and death? If she is, then must they reject their womanhood and deride other women to be in the spotlight?
And this is all, again, ignoring that Schwab who, yes, admitted wanting to write a female character she wished to see in fiction, that resembled her... had Lila’s whole development derailed in favour of male characters. Lila’s ambition and excessiveness vanished in a third book dedicated to temptation! Lila’s anger and recklessness receded in front of Holland, all so we could learn about his sad backstory. Which involved, as salt to the wound, the stereotypes of a greedy girlfriend and the ever failing mother Schwab is so fond of.
Our post never suggested that women should not write non traditionally feminine women. Rather, that would be quite refreshing! I would love to read about these women that we hardly see.
Is it what Schwab wrote, though? Lila indeed crossdresses and appears androgynous enough to sometimes pass as a man (not always, in a manner that is most convenient to the author). Yet: she constantly mocks other women for being vapid, gossiping, feminine, in a word weak. Yet: Schwab has her, in the second book, attend a ball dressed femininely and feeling insecure about it, all to state she is - quoting! - “not most girls” and have Kell, her love interest, compliments her. She has the happy tomboy reaffirmed as able to be feminine and beautiful that way! How is that not depressing for every woman and girl who never want to be feminine? Why did Schwab choose to have her in a dress instead of a suit, like Lila would probably have preferred? Why did Schwab choose to strictly divide women and men into two categories, dress-wearing and not-dress-wearing? Why is Lila alone in her plight as an androgynous woman? Why didn’t this fantasy world have women and men dressed in a way they felt comfortable with?
This isn’t a period piece. Schwab was free to make that choice... and she did not. I would add, too, that women in real life have always struggled and fought against misogyny. They were women and they were still complex human beings and they still tried to live as comfortably as they could. Sometimes they failed, yes, because society wouldn’t want them to. But women like Lila have existed, and behaved like her, and dressed like her, and dreamed as big as her. Why should not we expect as much of fiction, then?
Sidenote: I am especially critical of that awful “tomboy turns into a lady” trope that fandom will seize it and run. It is disheartening to see countless edits and fanarts of Lila depicting her as feminine instead of androgynous as she was written, and often in feminine clothing at that. So if even the narrative later ends up confirming it...
*Or perhaps spiral down, willingfully blind. Alina’s story isn’t supposed to be a tragedy, however, so this does not apply here.
(If you don’t mind, I would like to hear why you found the post’s wording pretentious?)
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