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#genya and david and mal in particular
laurent-ofvere · 1 year
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Maya spill the hot hot tea of what you think of Shadow & Bone series (I’ll say it cz I’m evil, it sucks—-except the cast, the crows in particular really look the part)
I mean listen ive only seen 5 eps of the second season, I haven't read the shadow and bone books to compare and im watching this season with maca who's the worlds biggest hater and we cant get through 2 minutes without her finding things to bitch about and it CLOUDS MY OPINIONS bc I try and think of a scene and all I can hear is her YAPPING
that being said okay mmm I really truly dont give a fuck about the shadow and bone plot, like I just dont care and borderline skim lmao the special effects when she does her light stuff make me violent + does ANYONE like her and mal?? anyone??
I hear nikolai is meant to be hot and charming and all that? physically he bores me lol he's just giving baby face frat boy and im not about it but like, I get it, I guess he does the job (I say as someone who's unfamiliar with his written character and dont know what the job is)
ben barns is hot hes HOT he's so hot and I would rather watch him sit in his dark vibey room and be mute and pissed off for 45 minutes than watch another scene of alina whine about thinks I dont care about and thats really the situation. also, I love genya and david is a punk ass bitch and I wish they went more into her trauma and fucked up past lmao
I so agree on the cast! I really think the crows are FANTASTIC, a way better portrayal than I would have expected. I just, like, we're all on the same page regarding the crows being the more enjoyable part of this show? yes?
im really enjoying how this season seems to be more about their actual book events (unless im remembering wrong? I feel like s1 was mainly made up stuff and backgrounds to tie them into the show and s2 is more book 1 stuff?) and for a story where so much of the oomf is in between the lines and in the "you need to read 600 pages of so many small things that alone mean nothing but together have such an impact" of it, I do think theyre doing a solid enough job. I do think that a lot of it can be quite cringey, but personally I feel like this kinda story and some of these finer dynamics are inherently cringey when on screen and more palatable when its on paper so thats not really a critique on them, more so just is what it is. I also appreciate and am endlessly surprised by how much screen time the crows get given its not technically theyre show. but thats probably bc its just the better story :)
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wondereads · 1 year
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My Opinions on Shadow and Bone Season 2
As an original reader of Shadow and Bone and Six of Crows, I wanted to share my opinion on the new season since it's been pretty contentious. Check under the cut since it's probably going to be pretty long and there will be spoilers
I love the title cards for each episode
In the same vein, the map method of moving from place to place is great
Mal is much more likable in the show than in the book. In particular, he's much more supportive of Alina
I have to think of Alina as a different person than from the books. In the books, she hated her power and the pressure that was put upon her, but in the show she thinks of it as her calling
As such, the ending makes sense for this version of Alina, but it does have a lot of implications going forward
Personally, I like the RaR ending where Alina loses her power because I feel that is a happy ending for book!Alina. However, I think it was clever to change the price to Mal, but in a different way
Everyone was shitting on Nikolai's casting, but not me. From day one, I said he'd be able to pull it off, and he did. Amazing casting choice!
Kirigan/The Darkling is just so...annoying? This may be biased because of my intense hatred for Darklina, but it seems like the show is going out of its way to make him sympathetic because he's popular, and it just irks me at every turn. He isn't even an intriguing villain at this point
Genya and David were lovely, but David dying out of nowhere? Why? I haven't read KoS, but in SaB and SoC he is alive and well. His death is jarring, unwelcome, and doesn't even do anything narratively or character-wise
Who is this random Tidemaker bitch who just...appeared? She isn't in the books, and every scene with her was boring as hell. Yes, even that major combat scene in the finale with the two others, which dragged out for way too long
Zoya was a queen, no complaints
But what the fuck was that sword plotline? They didn't even end up needing the sword?
Tolya and Tamar were amazing character-wise, great sibling energy
Tamar just one chance please
Now for the Crows...oh, the Crows
Freddy Carter absolutely destroyed it as Kaz, he was superb
Unfortunately, a lot of his backstory feels rushed, and while I loved the scene with Pekka, it didn't have nearly enough buildup considering it originally occurred in the latter half of CK
Inej was also great, but her and Kaz's relationship was also rushed. Almost all of the major scenes (most of which happen in CK!) between them have occurred, which leaves...what? for any potential spinoff
Inej left? WHY. That is the CULMINATION of her character arc, not halfway through! I think they're trying to play it safe in case they get cancelled, but I'd much rather have a loose thread never tied up than an unsatisfying end
Also the 'I will have you without armor or not at all' is set up as if Inej has an issue with the physical contact. She would never do that, considering she has similar issues herself. The original quote is because Kaz has the emotional intelligence of a stack of kruge
While I found Jesper and Wylan adorable, they were rushed as well. It felt very insta-lovey, especially considering they slept together before? How? Wylan is a recent addition to the Barrel when he meets the Crows
That piano scene made me cringe I'm sorry
Matthias' arc seems pretty on-point, and his conflict is pretty well-portrayed for something mostly psychological
Nina was wonderful, simply a delight
I do wish she hadn't said Matthias was her 'true love', they wouldn't really be at that point
Also, at the end, I wish Matthias hadn't seen Nina. It would definitely set up their whole conflict much better
A lot of CK development happened in this show, which a) ruins the whole slow-build that a lot of people loved about SoC and b) means either the potential spin-off will be lacking in emotional depth or they'll be bringing in other conflict (which I don't even want to think about)
That's pretty much all I have to say. I liked some parts, but I really don't like a lot of the changes. A lot of people have said that we knew it was going to be changed, to think of it like fanfiction, but there's a limit to how much can be changed before it is no longer an adaptation. With the amount of fundamental character things that are being changed, I am finding it harder and harder to enjoy this show. I have no issue with plot differences, but Netflix is speeding through these heavy-hitting, developmental scenes that completely change the context and, as such, change the characters. I worry for the SoC spin-off, if we do get it.
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sunshine-singer · 1 year
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Shadow & Bone Season 2 Rant/Review
Disclaimer: Not my first post on here being a rant, but here we go... I’ve only seen the first two seasons and only read Six of Crows, so forgive me if I don’t understand certain plot points... Also, these are my own opinions, so please be kind, and I’m sorry if I remembered some things wrong - so much happened this season! Spoilers ahead for the show and very slight ones for Six of Crows duology, so read at your own risk* 
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So much has happened this season that I’ve had to get my Netflix up to remind myself what’s happened... anyways here we go:
Did I think the season was all bad? No. Will I still be watching season 2 again like I did with the first one? Yes. The acting was great, costumes were amazing, and I generally did enjoy the season. No issues with the actors at all - thought the portrayals were fantastic! Defo a big upgrade to last season! However, there were a few things I didn’t like:
So we start off with The Crows getting back to Ketterdam and Mal and Alina on the run. Was a great start, but the plots between the two started off feeling very disjointed, which I felt wasn’t an issue in the previous season. I also thought that they’d delve way more into Six of Crows and I’m a little disappointed that so much of The Crows’ storyline was Crooked Kingdom based... as I hadn’t got round to reading it yet. That’s fully on me though, as I made the decision to watch the second season without reading it first. However, I’m still confused plot wise about The Crows as it’s so different to the first book already - especially regarding Matthias and Nina. I just had a hard time wrapping my head around it, but maybe that is because I haven’t read Crooked Kingdom yet. I do feel like the fast pace ruined a lot of the build up for the relationships between all The Crows for me, and yet somehow Nina and Matthias didn’t move fast enough? Idk. 
While I do think the conversations towards the middle of the season regarding both Alina’s and Genya’s respective traumas were well handled, I can’t help but feel really disappointed by their storylines: 
Genya suffers under both the King and Kirigan, and then David comes into the picture and becomes her support. Then we see David sacrifice himself for Genya (or its heavily implied), and then we don’t come back to them for ages. No one even asks after her or asks where she is, and we don’t see her again until Adrik finds her. It just seems so unfulfilling to me that she doesn’t get a happy ending. I get it, it’s wartime, the stakes are real and not everyone is going to get one. It just seems so disappointing to me that Genya is characterised by so much trauma like that (like most the characters are to be fair, so this might be harsh) and then she has a bitter end to her story this season. Just very unsatisfying. Daisy Head is such a great actress though, and she did such a great job.
Alina’s conversation with Baghra about her time with Kirigan was a great watch. I did feel that her character was just sort of meh this season, but I’m not as into the Shadow and Bone plot as much as I am into The Crows, so maybe that plays a part in it. I felt that that particular scene was the only time I really connected with her character this season, but again, her storyline so far just seems so unsatisfying to me. She goes from not wanting to be the Sun Summoner; to then being manipulated by Kirigan; to then suffering from the after effects of his lies and deceit; to then having to kill Mal who is the man she loves; to bring him back and have him reject what they have (which I fully understood from his POV, just sucked for her); and then has seemingly corrupted herself with Merzost ... so resulting in her becoming the next ‘monster’ the Darkling said she would be? From the looks of it anyways. Again, not everyone is going to get a happy ending but it just feels so unfulfilling. I’m also a bit tired of the trope that entails the female hero choosing a guy over the greater good or corrupting themselves in the process. Again, understand why she did it, it’s just something I don’t enjoy.
Again, the Shadow and Bone plot is less interesting to me anyway, but I was so tired of Kirigan by the end. Very glad he died. I’m not sure if it was the actual character or his dialogue just sort of being cringe to me, but I just did not vibe with his character for the majority of the season. This was especially apparent to me in the last scene we got with him after the fold was destroyed. Again, props to the acting as Ben Barnes is great but the character just ended up not being for me.
I was looking forward to seeing Zoya again and was happy to see her this season. I do wish that she had properly apologised to Alina for how she behaved last season, I think I would’ve appreciated her more if they had a real heart to heart. Their conversation when they reunited was good but I still felt it was a bit lacking.
I’ve probably missed some things but this is already a long rant so thank you for sticking to the end! I might do a review for each episode as I watch the season again. Like I said before, still enjoyed it and all the new characters that came along this season were really likeable. So overall I’d still give the season a 7/10.
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thebirdandhersong · 3 years
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Well, I am pleasantly surprised!!!!
#i just finished the first shadow and bone book and can i just say. was not expecting to like it#but the fact that alina first wakes up her powers because she's trying to protect mal made quite an impression#the worldbuilding is just as confusing as i remembered but the descriptions of some of the settings are really fascinating#i had zero feelings about the characters the last time i read this book and now?? very attached#genya and david and mal in particular#honestly was not expecting to like mal at all#but you know how katniss makes her choice between peeta (peace and kindness and green growing things)#and gale (war and conflict and trusting no one but oneself)#yeah any sort of story with that already has my attention#(by 'that' i mean choosing love and kindness and light over darkness and fear and cruelty and hatred)#i just LOVE that mal and alina wanted a few farm animals and children in a safe warm place when they were little#and i love that they keep referring back to the meadow line (that one has my whole heart)#and i love the simplicity of their love and affection. it doesn't come with strings attached (as the darkling's love does)#not gonna lie though after seasons 1-3 of agents of shield and being scared out of my wits by grant ward in s3#i hear alarm bells any time i hear charismatic morally dubious bad boy with sad past#i'm sure we'll see more development in book 2 and 3 and my feelings may change#(i do feel bad for him a little because it IS obvious that he wants connection)#(but Wow there really is no excuse for all he's done and he still has no problem tormenting alina)#the thing is that he's just so good at manipulating your perspective that he SEEMS so charming and convincing#and casting ben barnes was a top notch decision tbh#because you can just tell by looking at pictures that he's given the darkling that fascinating factor from the books#which goes to show that he takes advantage of all of these things in order to get his way#anyways that's terrifying#reading adventures
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lonslibrary · 3 years
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a couple years before six crows started at hogwarts, there was a different group that ruled the school, a group of friends arguably even more unlikely: 
attention had always followed ravenclaw nikolai lantsov, who was considered pureblood royalty. students, magical creatures, and professors alike fell in love with his charming smile as soon as he began at hogwarts his first year. nikolai had eyes on him at all times, especially during meals, where he would show off his newest creation from muggle items. 
said muggle items came from his fellow ravenclaw and closest friend, muggle-born david kostyk. david had been the quietest student in school before nikolai had come across his electric toothbrush in the common room and approached him with a hundred questions. once david saw that nikolai was truly interested, he ended up teaching nikolai all about his muggle items and the way they worked. (nikolai had a particular affinity for david’s pencil sharpener, portable fan, and his favorite: post-its). 
in his second year, nikolai introduced david to gryffindor genya safin. the popular redhead was too busy watching the boy with glasses and dark hair from across the great hall to notice nikolai amusedly observing her right back. genya watched for weeks until she saw the quiet boy try not to smile when his paper airplane landed in professor snape’s potatoes. when she fell, she fell hard. the next time david’s airplane drifted over to the gryffindor table, she returned it herself, letting the lantsov boy introduce her to him in the process. and then the rest was history. 
and sure, nikolai liked to play matchmaker, but he liked genya’s best friend more. zoya nazyalensky was a stunning slytherin infamous for her wizarding skills, though rumor had it she didn’t need a wand to take down a man. she let nikolai flirt like she did all of her suitors, but at the end of the day, it was sometimes just him and zoya at the top of the astronomy tower, pretending that the way they both loved the stars was the only thing they had in common. 
his fourth year, nikolai befriended a witch named alina starkov in the year below him. alina and her boyfriend, mal oretsev, were both hufflepuffs known for running defense against the dark arts practices in the room of requirement together for their peers in need. a popular rumor said that it had something to do with the disappearance of professor kirigan the previous year, who had turned out to be an undercover death eater. nikolai was one of the few people who knew that kirigan had tried to seduce alina, the brightest wizard of her year, and that mal had almost been the one to kill him. 
his fifth year, nikolai met tolya yul-bataar and tamar kir-bataar, twins who were the gryffindor quidditch team’s unstoppable beaters. he and david had willingly helped tamar fix her broken broom after she took a nasty hit from the ravenclaw seeker in an accidental collision during a nail-bitingly close match. they ended up spending hours with the twins as they not only put tamar’s broom back together, but also updated both tolya and tamar’s brooms so that they flew better in the snow. it was an understatement that nikolai and david were very unwelcome at the first ravenclaw v. gryffindor quidditch match of the winter, where they quietly cheered for the twins as well as ravenclaw. 
it was in his sixth year at hogwarts that nikolai’s true lineage was revealed and his status of pureblood royalty plummeted as students whispered and stared over the daily prophet during breakfast. he just smiled appreciatively as genya and zoya glared straight back at the students that sent him dirty looks while alina and mal charmed the room of requirement shut for anyone who spoke badly about nikolai’s family. david, as ever, was uncaring and unchanging. nikolai doubted he had ever even recognized nikolai’s last name in the years they’d been friends. and the twins, always double the loyalty of one gryffindor together, both wore blue for a solid week after the news came out. nikolai could care less about the glaring and whispering.
he wondered why it mattered so much about his messy family when he had a better one right at hogwarts. 
always so much fun to write these!! comment below anything you’d like to read next 🤍 and make sure to check out the six of crows version here!
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dandelioncrownns · 3 years
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random grishaverse facts/trivia (mostly tgt/kos, tbh), because i love useless details. Also, attempted organisation, because i like order too. + ft. my unwanted commentary
the darkling
has a sweet tooth
loves animals and nature in general
for those of you who have read demon in the woods, he got to meet the white tigers :)
his bedchamber walls are carved into trees bc he loves the woods
his favourite trees in particular are pine trees (or just evergreen trees in general)
he used to be afraid of the dark (many possibly worrying? interesting? implications to this; i won’t get into it here tho)
he likes bright colours, but wears black all the time basically for the aesthetic
he met his younger half-sister, Ulla, when he was a seer’s apprentice in Fjerda 
the darkling is a musician! He plays the fiddle, and growing up, he played the balalaika and oud (i wonder if he can read tablature,,) 
His father was a very powerful heartrender (maybe this is why the corporalki are valued so highly by him?)
genya
she got an amplifier between the end of R+R and the start of KoS (kestrel bones)
Genya used Dekora Nevich, the Ornamental Blade, to poison the King
It smells like cinnamon and is a warm golden colour
the royal family / nikolai’s bio family 
the King once cut himself on his own sword
genya named the queen’s dog 
until she was like 11, Genya was like the daughter the queen never had (omg i really wonder how Nikolai and Vasily felt about that? ik it’s not really mentioned, and Nik kinda acts like he just met Genya is S+S, but they must have been a lot closer, right?? I mean genya was almost always at the grand palace with Queen Tatiana, and nikolai just really wanted his parents’ attention, there must have been some kind of maybe one-sided jealousy/sibling rivalry thing, right?? I digress- for now)
also the queen in a dog person
p. sure Nikolai is a mommy’s boy
(possible explanation:) he looks exactly like his real father (except for his eyes). Nikolai even has the same laugh as Magnus
the queen was also fed up with Vasily and his horses
Vasily rides a white gelding horse and Nikolai rides a speckled grey horse (called Punchline)
speaking of, vasily is definitely a horse girl, but like... just the worst (darkling 🤝vasily)
Queen Tatiana’s letters to Magnus Opjer were “very racy” 
 She doesn’t approve of women in trousers
Linnea is ~1 year younger than Nikolai
she is good at math + studies engineering at ketterdam (I wonder if maybe she and Nikolai crossed paths when he was at uni- they’re around the same age, so maybe?)
The King and Queen hired a clown for nikolai’s 10th birthday (the worst birthday party he’d been to, inclusive of the night Vasily died, according to Nikolai)
Nikolai is afraid of spiders (and also clowns???)
nikolai:
he can juggle
Nikolai sucks at learning languages 
he once spoke Fjerdan so badly a man named Knut offered him a ruby to stop
his Kerch seems pretty good tho
Nikolai met The Darkling when he was 14
Nikolai is a baritone (as is Jesper!)
In his free time, Nikolai writes bad poetry (remember that time he got stabbed w/ a letter opener bc his poetry sucked?)
he went through an emo phase/ existential crisis before becoming sturmhond.
during said emo phase, he wrote rhyming poetry pretty much exclusively
He also took philosophy classes at uni (PPE?)
alina:
alina tried on the same rose dress that the Queen watched vasily die in
Nikolai gifted Alina a VERY low-cut cobalt lace gown (In the words of Nadia, “The bodice might as well be cut to the navel.” )
Alina hates herring, but Zoya and Nikolai love it
She is VERY sarcastic and snarky!! I feel like this gets glossed over so much in the fandom, and just why?? (she’s so gloomy and over everything 90% of the time, i love it so much)
So this isn’t technically a fact-fact, but there is no way Alina wasn’t at least a little bit into women. Did you read how she talked abt genya? Zoya? there’s no way she wasn’t into them
Alina doesn’t really like hard cheese
zoya + zoyalai:
Zoya’s horse is called Serebrine
Zoya can use her lightning as a defibrillator (I’m sure other squallers can do this too with the right training)
Zoya likes Nikolai’s hands (and Nikolai likes Zoya’s feet lmao)
she has ‘weird (long?) incisors’  
she definitely had a crush on Nikolai since Ruin and Rising
kaz:
Kaz grew up on a farm in Southern Kerch, in Lij
Kaz is a both a cat and a dog person  (he just likes strays)
Matthias is a dog person, obviously
All the other crows are cat people 
He likes hot chocolate
both he and nikolai like brandy
hates cereal
Kaz is obsessed with magic + likes puzzles
actually very funny if he wasn’t terrifying (honestly?? at leat 70% of his dialogue is just witty quips/jokes)
Kaz’s right leg is the one he broke, and the dregs usually get their tattoo on their right forearm
the other crows:
Jesper has been known to go line-dancing (and would like country music) 
Mal and Jesper were friends in S+S!! (Probably) Jesper has a not-really-secret crush on sturmhond. 
He also had a VERY not secret crush on Kaz before wylan, ofc
Matthias’ middle name is Benedik
Nina would win in an arm wrestling contest against Jesper
Inej has a thing for Kaz’s eyes
Nina was at the orphanage with the other grisha kids in R+R
In the opening scene of CK, Jesper was wearing a navy waistcoat with little gold stars (his fashion is just top tier honestly)
grisha- powers, etc.:
A solar eclipse would have no effect on the Darkling’s powers, but it would make it harder for Alina to summon.
Fabrikators can make flowers bloom
The twins have shark teeth amplifiers
Adrik and Leoni are saints
general world stuff:
Gay marriage is legal in Kerch!
there was a landbridge connecting Shu Han and Kerch but the council of tides covered it
Antimony is used as mascara
kruge is pale purple paper currency
ravkan currency has Nikolai’s face on it (ig not anymore tho?)
Hringkälla is celebrated on March 20th
the distance between Ivets and Os Alta is only about 100 miles? (i’m just going to willfully ignore this, because thats,, so small?)
Mermaids and dragons exist(ed) in the grishaverse
misc:
the daughter of the duke of ivets has a daughter who can play the harp
there is not fourth tale of krigi
The baroness Natasha Beritrova is fifty (as of KoS) and has lands near caryeva
Elke Marie Smit is from one of the most powerful Kerch families and is just 16 in KoS
Oncat is an orange tabby
Anya liked Joost a lot :( (I got way too attached to them at the start of SoC and was so sad + confused when they died lol)
david eats hard boiled eggs for his working days in the shops
‘Malyen’ is the Ravkan version of ‘Malcolm’ (very fitting)
Nikolai brought the kids at Keramzin toy boats + frequently sends Alina and Mal gifts 
The triumvirate would also visit them every feast of Sankt Nikolai too :)
star signs / birthdays (ik the gv constellations aren’t the same as ours, but idc):
Inej: Cancer (june 21st - july 22nd)
Kaz: Capricorn (december 22nd - january 19th)
Nina: Leo (july 23rd - august 22nd)
Jesper: Gemini (may 21st - june 20th)
Matthias: Taurus (april 20th - may 20th)
Wylan: virgo (august 23rd - september 22nd)
Kuwei: aries (march 21st - april 19th)
Darkling: aries
Nikolai is most likely either a gemini or cancer (but he could also be a Leo or Taurus). Whatever it is, he is a summer baby.
Alina and Mal have the same birthday (they were given the Duke’s birthday when they came to the orphanage)
heights:
Jesper is 6’2” - 6’3”
Kaz is 6′
Matthias is 6’4
Nina is 5’9”-5’10”
Inej is 5’3” - 5’4”
Alina is ’short’ (5’3”?)
Mal and the Darkling are ‘tall’ (tbf, like all the characters are tall >:( I want my short people rights)
Nikolai  (well, stumhond, but i think they’re the same height) is described by Jesper as tall (so 6’2”+?? why is everyone so tall??? I-)
Zoya is several inches shorter than nina (zoyalai height difference lets go)
Kuwei is slightly shorter than Wylan (who is about 5’8”?)
there’s definitely more, so if you made it this far and have any more, pls add to the list!
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kazs-new-hat · 2 years
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the s&b weirdos and what i think their favorite ice cream flavors are
cw // food
i actually did one for our beloved murder of crows and u can check it out here !
my boredom has PEAKED you guys omg okay here we go-
our ball of literal sunshine alina as : cheese
OKAY LISTEN STICK WITH ME HERE
if you disagree with me, and you've never had cheese ice cream before the door is there -> 🚪
just like alina's character, nobody really expects much from cheese flavored ice cream but guess what? when you have it a fair chance, it is AMAZING, UNIQUE, and POWERFUL. it might be a little strange to some, but it works in it's own way. do you see where i'm getting at here
also it's yellow and i associate yellow with alina bc sun summoner duh
i can see her discovering it when she and mal had to stay in novyi zem that one time and absolutely falling in love with it;; she probably has a plan to recreate a ravkan version sometime
everybody's favorite edgy dark lord as : butter pecan or something with nuts it's cookie dough
i like thinking of this ominous deceiving brooding guy liking something like cookie dough ice cream to contrast all the edge
a perfect balance you know?
but if asked, he'd say something with nuts just because nobody likes ice cream with nuts and he just wants to irk them
but secretly really loves cookie dough ice cream with choco chips. also i bet he's the typa kid to lick the spoon after making cookies or brownies
but he probably never eats dessert unless he absolutely has to
animal whisperer mal as : vanilla
classic, absolute classic
it's versatile;; you can eat it with pretty much anything. apple pie? whop a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of that. you can eat it with fruits. put it in a a banana split. in a milkshake. amazing.
as a kid he probably stole whole tubs of it from the coolers with alina and he would eat it with peaches and whipped cream or something
also as a common flavor so if he wishes, he could get it from anywhere
also dont @ me because i never tried making vanilla ice cream but i think it's also the easiest to make so
pirate privateer-prince nikolai as : mint chocolate
i can hear the mint choco haters screaming
i don't know why he just seems like a mint-choco kind of person
he probably chooses this specific flavor for his birthday dinners and so everyone else has to also eat this flavor because he especially chose it. he just likes watching people wrinkle their nose in disgust while he enjoys his own helping happily
i have this random-ass headcanon that he did not like this flavor at first, but after being in a certain circumstance that left mint chocolate ice cream as the only desert option, he grew to like it so much and now it's a found memory of his days as a shipwright's apprentice
the person we all want to be friends with as : rum & raisin
in case you didn't know i'm talking about genya safin if you dont want to be friends with her stop reading
she def has a sweet tooth and also she likes to be FANCY therefore this is perfect for her
there really isn't any actual whole raisins in the desert (because who likes raisins?) but she likes the flavor of it
would probably also really enjoy eating it with like waffers or something
i also see her liking salted caramel or butterscotch or cotton candy--like the REALLY sweet ones you know what i mean? but rum & raisin is her all-time fav
our OP stormwitch zoya as : frozen yoghurt
probably not much of an ice cream person,,, she prefers the tartiness of a good cup of plain froyo
either tops it with very simple garnishes or the most extravagant and random ones depending on her mood. like there's no in between.
also likes it because you can top it with a lot more things and it'll work;;; it's hard to ruin froyo
usually has the plain one and tops it with a bunch of berrires or maybe marshmallows or choco chips if she's feeling particularly spontaneous
absolute mad genius and the purest person ever david as : mocha
for the uncultured: mocha is NOT the same as coffee, because mocha has chocolate
the absolute perfect blend of coffee and chocolate into ice cream form
very particular about the ratio of each, has probably even scribbled a plan somewhere in his notes about how to make the perfect ratio for mocha ice cream
also someone who doesn't eat desert that often, but absolutely loves the flavor and would not pass up a chance to eat it, like, ever
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kallypsowrites · 3 years
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Shadow and Bones Show: What I Hope Changes and What I Hope Stays the Same
Well, we’re almost at the end of our wait, folks. Embargo lifts tomorrow. I am no doubt going to be reading a lot of the reviews because I have no self control lol. But, before that happens, I want to discuss what I hope the show changes and what I hope stays the same.
Let’s start with the changes!
1. Mal
This is kind of controversial among Darklina stans, considering that they worry fans won’t understand their dislike for book Mal. And I get that perspective, but I also don’t want to be angry at the endgame of the show (which I’m positive will stay the same). Any improvement on some of Mal’s dialogue in book one and two would be welcome. Make me at least...neutral on the ship.
2. Foreshadowing
I would love some more foreshadowing to later moments in the series. Particularly the Mal twist which I don’t think made all that much sense in book 3. It came out of nowhere, it required a huge info dump and it kinda felt like Leigh was making up the rules as she went along. And I get it. She didn’t know where she was going when she wrote book 1. BUT now they can go back and FORESHADOW a little more and make it all feel more natural.
3. The Darkling
Now I don’t want much changed about him. Keep him a villain, keep him his dark self. But I’d love to see him be a human throughout and avoid dipping into caricature. I want to see him over all more consistent and i think Ben Barnes will bring that. I also would like more exploration of his cause and why he does what he does.
4. Alina’s Agency
Jessie talked about giving Alina more agency and choices than she has in the books and I hope they deliver on this because there are many times when Alina is made a passenger in her own life and I’d like to see her get to be more active. I’d also like to see ANOTHER change to her endgame but that’s a spoiler and not until season 3 anyway, so ya know.
5. Cohesive world
Because this is visual medium there’s more room to do this very naturally. I want to see more stuff about saints which isn’t buried in the short stories. I want to see foreshadowing to later magic system evolutions. I want to see supposedly important religious symbols like the firebird actually appear before book 2 when it suddenly gets relevant. Just like...really draw me in. Six of Crows did a better job with this but the world building of the original trilogy often felt a bit skin deep/an excuse to move the plot how the author wanted.
6. More fleshed out side characters
Leigh is not always the best with side characters. They are often one note and its hard to form attachments. In particular I want to see Zoya move beyond her ‘mean girl’ persona in book 1 and I’d love to see more of David. More of Alexi maybe too. Genya is perfect though
7. More on the plight of the Grisha
Again, we are told that Grisha are hunted. That they struggle. But the major trilogy still keeps the Darkling as its bad guy for the whole time and doesn’t really show the abuses the Grisha are put through. Not until Six of Crows do we get any meaningful exploration on this. We need to see more of the war. More of the push and pull. More of what they are fighting for very early on.
What I don’t want changed
1. My Crows
Change nothing about them. I love them. My bisexual disaster son, my cane boy, my knife wife. They are wonderful and even though this is new story, I want them to feel the same
2. Darklina
At its core, I want very little of Darklina changed, except for giving Alina more agency. Keep the toxic stuff. keep the angst. The drama. Keep the dialogue as much as possible. I WANT it.
3. Genya
Love of my life. Never change. She’s the best.
4. The major story beats
Book 1 is my favorite of the trilogy, so I’d like to mostly see it stay the same but with bonus content. And when it comes to the crows, I don’t want to see any of the future content disrupted because I LOVE six of Crows with all of my heart.
5. Kanej
Please keep their dynamic, please keep their dynamic, please keep their dynamic (and don’t ignore their trauma).
6. Jesper and Nina’s bisexuality
They like both and it better be made CLEAR
7. The humor
No grimdark fantasy for me please! Give me the light hearted bits in the mix!
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lehdenlaulu · 3 years
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Shadow and Bone: a few gripes
Okay, you know I was pretty impressed with Shadow and Bone, but it would be neither fair nor in character from me to leave you with an impression that I thought there was nothing to improve. So here we go:
First of all, the pacing. Again, I am actually impressed with how well it did hold together for an adaptation of a mashup of two separate books in only eight episodes, but I think we can all agree that it definitely could have used at least an episode of two more to let the scenes and story beats breathe and have time for slightly more organic development. It must not have been an easy task to edit, and unfortunately, the seams are kinda visible at times. There absolutely were things that IMO required more time and attention to set up properly, especially from a non-reader’s point of view, one major thing being... well, the entire setting really, namely the war and politics aspects. For example, I’m still kind of foggy on who originally is fighting who and why and for how long and who exactly performed the coup and in whose name etc. etc. Now I know this is based on an YA book and those don’t tend to dig very deep into the finer points of the realities of military politics, but... it would be nice to understand why are these things even happening, you know?
This is inevitably related to the previous issue, but I also wasn’t always sure if I always bought what the show was trying to sell to me, emotionally, or sometimes even what it was trying to sell me, exactly. I have three specific examples, all with slightly different issues: - Mal and Alina. Too much iron wire, as we say in Finland. Flashbacks and voice overs (letters, diaries, etc.) are, in a cinematic sense, tools of telling instead of showing and should therefore be used with care and caution. Especially in regards to a relationship between characters. And here we had both, repeatedly. And whether that was the idea or not, that sort of tends to come across like you don’t trust a) your audience b) your actors c) the relationship. And none of that is a good thing. So while this is probably not going to endear me to that particular shipper demographic, a couple of those meadow flashbacks less would have sufficed with the time given to developing other storylines etc. You want to lead your audience to something and let them figure it out themselves, not spoon feed it to them. They cute. Trust that. (I mean, if I, a total newbie to the setting, figured out Jesper was a grisha by the second episode and am totally rooting for Genya and David based on like two tiny off-hand scenes... You know?) - This issue is sort of the opposite: Kaz and Inej. I mean, I got that it was supposed to be there, I just wasn’t feeling it. And I don’t know if the issue is the chemistry, the pacing, the writing, the acting or what. But something didn’t connect. Again, I haven’t read the books and from what I’ve gathered that particular dynamic is probably not something that is easy to adapt to screen -- especially with 2 billion different other things going on at a breakneck speed -- but I hope I’ll get more out of Kaz’s character in general next season because he’s the one I feel like I know the least so far. - Kirigan/Morozova/The Darkling/whatever His Murkiness wants to be called in this adaptation. And my issue? I was never sure how I was supposed to feel about him. Now, that might very well be the idea for all I know, but I was honestly kinda left scratching my head about him. I mean, due to the Tumblr osmosis I had some idea what to expect, so my initial reaction was pretty much: “huh, I’d thought he’d be worse”. I’d expected him to like... stalk around like a storm cloud with a literal cloak of shadows billowing in his wake at all times, and be much more of a manipulative/pushy creep with Alina from the start. Instead he just... seemed kinda normal? A bit of a Chessmaster, yeah, but absolutely nothing that wasn’t entirely to be expected from someone in his position. I tried to gauge the appropriate attitude towards him from how other characters treated him, personally and by reputation, like... is he supposed to be a scary badass? Just scary? Just badass? Neither?? Like, he’s the leader of a wizard army and has spooky and unusual powers? He kinda should be a little scary? I mean, I know Ben Barnes (who can easily be considerably more intimidating if he wants to be) wanted to humanize him and they decided to use “The Darkling” as an insult rather than a title, but... When even the grisha-fearing Fjerdans were less “Oh shit, it’s The Darkling, he eats babies for breakfast!” and more “Ugh, it’s that bitch.”... Let’s just say him switching gears to full-on mustache-twirling Disney villain felt pretty jarring, honestly. Especially since, again, I’m still fairly confused about his motivations and goals because the entire backstory to that whole thing was kinda glossed over. So he wants... what? Grisha supremacy via magical weapons of mass destruction? Because he has mommy issues? Because someone killed his girlfriend a couple of centuries ago?? And was that the plan all along or did he just decide to go balls-to-the-wall bonkers when Alina left him? Because right now his goal seems to be more like ‘death to all who oppose me’. And that’s... pretty boring, honestly. If he’s to be our Big Bad, I’d like a bit more nuance -- and that’s not to rag on Ben’s performance or even his choices to play the the character as cutely smitten with Alina, but the way the character is otherwise presented. Once again, I know this is fairytale-ish YA fantasy, but if your source material has a typical garden variety super polarized love triangle (of sorts, anyway), your job is to make it more interesting in adaptation. So while I do commend the fact that they apparently made both of the guys less of douchebags, I feel like the tone should have been adjusted accordingly in other aspects. If that makes sense.
I think that was it, for the most part. I mean I could bitch about technical details or wildly inconsistent pronunciation of names or whatever, but those would just be nitpicking. Tagging at least @the-darkling but everyone please feel free to discuss!
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blacklister214 · 3 years
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Shadow and Bone: The Grey Morality Zone
It’s pretty funny to scroll the Shadow and Bone tag and see all the posts slamming the Darkling for his evilness. Darkling’s behavior is immoral, I can’t disagree, but how on Earth can people not be judging every other main character on the show as well. They’ve all done terrible things some deliberately and others indirectly. In judging morality I like to look at two things: Intent and Consequence.
Mal: He volunteers to track the Stag when his commander was perfectly willing to ignore the Darkling’s decree.
Intent: See Alina again
Consequence: Friends die and Darkling ultimately has the means to carry out his plan
Alina: Burns the maps
Intent: To prevent herself from being separated from Mal
Consequence: All the map makers except her die
Lets Darkling have the Stag
Intent: Save Mal
Consequence:  Darkling ultimately has the means to carry out his plan
Genya: Spies on and lies to Alina. Doesn’t send Alina’s letters to Mal
Intent: Protect the interests of her people and support the man who is in the best position to help her and them.
Consequence: Alina is taken in by the Darkling and develops feelings for him.
David: Performs the magic to bind the Alina’s power to the Darkling.
Intent:  Protect the interests of his people and support the man who is in the best position to help him and them.
Consequence: Partly enslaves Alina to the Darkling and allows him to carry out his plan.
Mattias: Kidnaps hundreds of Grisha to be “tried” and then burned.
Intent: To protect the world in general and his country in particular from being attacked by super powered beings he’s been raised to believe are monsters.
Consequence: He is responsible for the death of hundreds of innocent Grisha
Nina: Manipulates the inn keeper with her powers, plans to give up the conductor who is securing freedom for Grisha who don’t want to be pressed into the KIng’s service. 
Intent: To protect Ravka and All Grisha
Consequence: Fails so none
Claims Mattias is a slaver
Intent: Save Mattias from the Grisha
Consequence: Gets him thrown in prison for at least two years
Inej: Willing to kill a man on the say-so of an untrustworthy woman. Willing to kidnap an innocent woman (Alina) and sell her into slavery. 
Intent: Free herself from indenture and avoid returning to working in a brothel
Consequence: Fails so none
Kills two Grisha, one who is trying to protect Alina and the other who is avenging her brother.
Intent: Protect herself and the rest of the Crows
Consequence: Two innocent Grisha are dead
Rest of the Crows:  Willing to kidnap an innocent woman (Alina) and sell her into slavery
Intent: Personal financial gain
Consequence: Fails so none.
Basically if you like black and white morality, this is not the show for you!
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gellavonhamster · 3 years
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shadow and bone season one
because I can’t liveblog for shit, here are all (or most) thoughts in the same post
it was... alright? The books are definitely better, and I think a lot was lost in terms of logic and not only, but overall it was entertaining and made me wish we could get s2 as soon as possible - if only to see the characters who weren’t in s1 yet
to elaborate on logic, I think it was the most obvious when it was first established that Heartrenders need to touch the person to affect their condition, but then starting from the Darkling’s flashback (if I remember correctly), it wasn’t necessary anymore. Like, if it was necessary for the plot for them to be able to do that without touching, why make Nina say that first?
I also do not understand how it was possible to build and maintain a railway, even if unfinished, in the Fold. It couldn’t possibly have existed before the Fold was created, because that happened centuries ago. How do you build a railroad, especially in secret, in a place swarming with bloodthirsty flying monsters?
and then there were some other things of that kind, like everyone in the Darkling’s flashback - which takes place, again, centuries ago - being dressed pretty much the same as in the present, but okay, enough of that
wait, no. Not enough yet. Because can I just say that THAT’S NOT HOW YOU PRONOUNCE “MOROZOVA”
THAT’S NOT HOW YOU PRONOUNCE “KOROLEVA”
THE FIRST TIME BEN BARNES SAID ‘MOYA TSARITSA” I THOUGHT MY EARS WOULD BLEED
like, I get that Ravka isn’t completely Russia, but these are Russian words and you’re pronouncing them wrong, and I, being Russian, cannot help feeling annoyed, even though I am used to this kind of things happening in the Western movies/shows
okay, rant over, let’s proceed
it’s amazing how the Crows’ storyline is a total filler (and predictably so, since their mission couldn’t have succeeded in any case - they can’t kidnap Alina, Alina already has two books’ worth of story on her own), and they still pretty much carry most of the show on their backs
seriously. Kaz? Perfect in his mannerisms and delivery of lines and everything; I particularly liked how it is often obvious from the way he carries himself that he wants to touch Inej, but he can’t. I’ve seen people say that he’s not ruthless enough in comparison to book!Kaz, but I think that might be because we haven’t seen much of him with his enemies this season (except for that one scene with Pekka Rollins, in which he was overpowered). I bet there’s more of that coming. Inej? Also perfect - brave, badass, principled. The scene when she has to submit all her knives before talking to Heleen was great. Nina and Matthias? The most book-accurate storyline so far, and both of them are so charming and have wonderful chemistry. Jesper? Stole the whole motherfucking show with his charm, sense of humour, friendship with Inej (especially Inej!) and Kaz. He really must be what I loved the most about this show. Also, there’s a lot of interesting blink-and-you-miss it foreshadowing re: his Grisha abilities
I am very curious as to how much Jesper knows about Kaz’s history with Pekka Rollins. He’s aware that Kaz wants revenge, but does he know why? I love the scene in Crooked Kingdom in which Kaz accidentally calls Jesper by his dead brother’s name; I wonder how it will look in the show if Jesper knows that part of the story (if it is included at all, of course)
the hints about Wylan! Oh don’t worry, Jesper, you’re gonna have a demo expert, both “you” as in “the Dregs” and you in particular
I think we can all agree that the emotional support goat was good. I, too, want to be able to hold a baby goat in stressful situations
seeing the Crows interact with the characters from the trilogy was surreal, but not in a bad way. I liked the interactions of Alina and Inej, and that in this version Inej’s Sankta Alina knife is actually given to her by Alina. I hope after Alina’s “death” in the show someone’ll inform Inej that it’s just a ruse
moving on to the Grisha Trilogy part, I am normally very much against adaptations changing the personalities of the book characters, but I appreciated all the changes about Mal. He’s much more likeable than in the books, and his relationship with Alina was very cute
Genya and David my beloveds <3 they’re so sweet
also Alina and Genya’s dynamic!
Fedyor and Ivan being a couple was not something I expected, but it was a nice touch. Also, loved Fedyor in particular, what a guy
the dead girlfriend in the Darkling’s flashback... how “””original”““
I am not entirely happy about Zoya’s portrayal, but then again, some things about it are probably not for me to judge about, and some are not that bad, so whatever. In any case, the actress is great, and I have hopes for the next seasons
love Nadia establishing already in what much be her third scene that she likes girls. Hang on love, we’ll get you a warrior gf soon
I’m so mad they didn’t rename Ana Kuya even though I definitely remember reading some interview in which Leigh said she was informed later that it’s a bad idea for a name for a character based in a Russia-inspired country... could’ve saved me and all other Russian viewers from facepalming, but alas, it didn’t happen
I always imagined the amplifiers as something one wears, not something growing out of one’s skin, so that was pretty terrifying - but impressive
ok so I’m running out of things I wanted to say, basically there’s room for improvement but overall I enjoyed it and look forward to season two
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thegayraven · 3 years
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ok so final thoughts on shadow and bone, in no particular order:
im glad they put a lot of work into mal and alina's relationship because i dont mind being more invested in them. and i really liked jessie and archie in the roles and they did a great job
i think its pretty funny that archie renaux and ben barnes are jokingly playing up the rivalry irl and as a nikolai girl im excited for him to get in the mix and offer up his hand in marriage
zoya could have been meaner. she just could have been meaner! i would have supported her being meaner. i appreciate her turning on the darkling sooner because i like zoya but i also want her to be a little meaner. she deserves it!
oh speaking of zoya the fact that they made it canon that she and the darkling have had a thing...? big skeevy vibes for me personally considering he has known her since she was like 9. just saying
did zoya and mal actually bang in this version? i feel like they didnt. also i think its lowkey really funny that zoya and alina have the exact same taste in men apparently. also i kinda hope zoya loses the bangs next season...they were ok but not my fave.
it took me a while to warm up to danielle as nina but ultimately i did like her and i think i will like her even more in season 2. same goes for whoever's playing matthias he was p cute and he did a good job. no idea what his accent was supposed to be (it was fine tho i liked it) and i wish they spoke more fjerdan between the two of them but thats fine
oh speaking of languages are we just pretending kerch and ravkan are the same language? because realistically only inej speaks ravkan between her, jesper and kaz right? lmao.
at the halfway point i felt the crows' plot was quite stupid but episode 5 improved things significantly and i am not immune to wanting to see characters i like team up. i will say that alina literally giving inej the sankta alina knife was kinda cheesy but its fine. super funny how mal and alina are literally on the same ship as the crows in the end but theyre like "nah nah its cool we travel separately from now on"
omg speaking of alina when i heard they were going to cast an asian actress and make alina part shu i did not think she was going to experience 60 microaggressions per minute...like ok i guess it makes sense for ravkans to be xenophobic considering like the country's hardships and the wars and the ensuing nationalism but oh my god.
also also, alina being shu is kinda cool because that gives her another thing to connect with tolya and tamar about, yes? i know shadow and bone is less popular than six of crows but tolya and tamar deserve SOME of the hype being afforded to nikolai and wylan
daisy head was soooooo good as genya and its so fucked up that they pronounce her name "jenya" in my heart it will ALWAYS be a hard G. i got kinda mad on her behalf when alina was chewing her out tho...like alina i totally get that ur mad. but you literally do not know what she has been through 🥲
i honestly think the guy playing david is a little too hot to be david i always imagined him dweebier but its what genya deserves and he was excellent in the role so im fine with it.
ben barnes was an excellent casting choice for the darkling. theres gonna be exponentially more darkling fuckers now but thats the price you pay for good casting i guess. i'll be honest he and jessie mei li have good chemistry and all but the makeout scene still weirded me out because he is 39 and shes around my age.
omg SPEAKING of the makeout scene it was extremely funny to me that he's all like "are you sure? [about having s*x presumably]" when theyve been making out for literally FIFTEEN SECONDS and have taken NO clothes off. like what is she supposed to be sure about? you have put the cart SOOOOOO far ahead of the horse my dude! but i guess in tv kiss + "are you sure" is just meant to tell the audience "these two plan on banging" so whatever.
the antler collar was much creepier than in the book but that is fine. i was expecting mal to be the one to be like "alina you spared the stag's life so actually you still own your own power" but shrug. oh and we have very little foreshadowing of mal being an amplifier so far...and there was NO mention of the sea serpent or the other amplifiers which disappointed me a little but only because sea serpent foreshadowing counts as nikolai foreshadowing.
oh im very neutral on the effects for alina's powers...at points i thought they looked kinda lame but in the fold they looked cool
kaz and inej kept having these (for them) very sweet heartfelt conversations and every single time i turned to my sister and was like "this is soooo sweet...but in the book they would NEVER say this." however i understand that tv is a different medium than books and freddy carter did well with what he was given. jesper and inej were PHENOMENAL though and im excited to see all the crows together.
i still have no idea if this show is coherent to those with no prior knowledge but i'd love to know what its like to watch with no prior knowledge. like my sister said she wouldnt have picked up on alina being "sickly" prior to using her powers if i hadnt told her thats a thing in the book. or like genya having purple embroidery on a red kefta to show shes sort of between corporalki and materialki. also if youre watching without having read the books is it obvious that the darkling is evil or?
speaking of keftas, based on the teaser trailer i was worried they would look bad. but they looked very good! mostly the costuming was excellent. nina was the only character whose costumes i didnt like as much and to be fair shes stuck in one outfit until the end of the show so im sure she'll look better next season. oh and jesper could have been in brighter colors imo.
i was a little upset that they didnt call the merchants merchers...and also that theres no mention of the dregs? is kaz just the leader of his own gang in this world?? to be fair establishing the dregs might have taken up too much time but i want answers next season. also it was kind of wild to me that kaz uses the crow club as collateral when like the audience barely knows whats up with the crow club.
here and there they had very fun scene transitions or good soundtrack moments and that was fun. only moment that u can think of that seemed poorly edited was the fight scene with mal in episode 1, which just felt weirdly choppy. i am not a cinnamon topography expert tho.
overall i am happy because the show was very entertaining (all i can ask for) and i think it was maybe even kinda good!
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hypermania · 3 years
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Thoughts on Shadow and Bone? Does it hold up to the books? Should I give it a watch?
it’s definitely worth a watch! it’s fun and campy and it’s got heart and the good outweighs the bad by a landslide.
good:
JESPER FREAKING FAHEY. he is a delight. kit young captured him perfectly. he’s charming and obnoxious and the best part of every single scene he’s in. plus there’s a whole thing with a goat. it’s great.
alina- they pretty much fixed everything about her that was unlikable in the books. jessie mei li was a great casting choice. she makes alina earnest instead of... pathetic? infuriating? boring? idk it’s been awhile since i read the grisha trilogy but i know i did not care for alina. but played by jessie, she was fantastic!
mal- same situation. did not care for him at all in the books. loved him in the show. they did away with him being an asshole who doesn’t really treat alina as a person who matters until someone else notices her, which helped a LOT. and archie renaux did a great job.
genya- i’m pretty sure i already liked her in the books so i’m not surprised i liked her in the show. she was a scene stealer but in a quiet way. idk the name of the actress playing her but she did a great job of portraying someone who is being duplicitous without losing an ounce of sympathy or likability. 
ben barnes as the darkling! i mean honestly just an inspired choice, right? how can you go wrong? he’s the stuff of fandom legends and that really carries over to the story. and i cant lie- i am not immune to him summoning the darkness.
zoya, david, nina, and matthias were also all fine. i expect i’ll have more feelings about them in the second season when they’re utilized more.
the pacing- it moved very quickly but nothing in particular felt overly rushed. it just felt like yeah that’s how it’s moving. just bam bam bam.
the visuals- it was very nice to look at. the sets, the costumes, the lighting, effects, etc. it was all good. no complaints there.
the score- it was just great.
bad:
inej- she was unrecognizable to me. she lacked any and all subtlety. i don’t want to say too much about it because it would involve spoilers but i just really did not vibe with this inej.
kaz- also unrecognizable, as he was an idiot. sometimes he had a plan but mostly he didn’t. he actually let someone else make the plan at one point. he never seemed to know what was going on. he actually said the words “we should cut our losses” at some point. just a completely different character.
kanej- it just did not work. probably because they were entirely different characters. it felt very forced. i did not vibe with it at all.
the dregs plot- again, i don’t want to say too much and spoil it, but the plot was just stupid. they shoe-horned it in so the dregs could be a part of the story but it didn’t work.
but that’s really it for the bad. overall i liked it a LOT (and the fact that kaz and inej were so unrecognizable to me means that this won’t affect how i view them in the books haha). 
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So Bryn, top 10 ships from any media (books, tv, movies, musicals)?
BECCCCCAAAAAAAA WHHHHYYYYYYYYYYY
Ok, I can do this. I can do this. I can do this.
As always, these are going to be listed in no particular order because there is no way I could possibly rank them :)
~~~~~
1. David x Genya (Grishaverse)
2. Cresswell (The Lunar Chronicles)
3. Patrochilles (The Song of Achilles / The Iliad)
4. Julia x Donny (Bandstand)
5. Sokka x Suki (Avatar: the Last Airbender)
6. Alanna x George (The Song of the Lioness)
7. Inara x Mal (Firefly)
8. Orpheus x Eurydice (Hadestown)
9. Percabeth (PJO / HoO)
10. Anya x Dimitry (Anastasia)
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lastarpeggios · 3 years
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Shadow and Bone thoughts
-Whoever did the casting did an excellent job. Particular stand-outs: Kit Young as Jesper, Amita Suman as Inej, Danielle Galligan as Nina and of course Ben Barnes as General Kirigan.
-I’m really glad teens these days get to grow up with shows like Shadow and Bone. Wish I’d gotten shows with these kind of positive role models when I was a kid.
-Ben Barnes is a fine actor, so charismatic that any scene he’s in he overshadows the younger, less experienced actors. To a point where I did not believe that Alina could be Kirigan’s equal, much less overpower him.
-Jesper!!!
-I needed a more charismatic, scheming Kaz. I’m not sure if this Kaz could plausibly lead a gang like The Crows. Where were the tricks? 
-The pacing was too fast and there were too many characters and storylines jammed into eight episodes. Even though I’m glad they included the crows in season one, this greatly undermined the development of Alina, Mal and The Darkling. I wish they’d spent more time exploring Alina’s pull to the dark side.
-The CGI for Alina’s light beams was so bland it really took me out of the illusion that she had any power at all. I still struggle to see her as ‘the chosen one’ because I can’t see how light could ever be stronger than any of the other powers. The CGI for Kirigan’s shadows, on the other hand, was neatly done.
-Surprisingly, I am a Malina shipper. Maybe because I go by the rule of first ship = best ship. And I do think Jessie Mei Li and Archie Renaux had good chemistry and were more balanced than Jessie Mei Li and Ben Barnes.
-That said, as much as I love Malina, what is Mal’s personality other than caring for Alina? 
-The costumes were great. The hair was mostly good with noticeable exceptions being Zoya’s bangs and Genya’s wig line.
-I needed more David.
-The dialogue was tolerable, but very explanatory. More showing less explaining please!
-Inej and Kaz’s interactions felt undeservedly romantic. We needed more time to grow into them. They’re a slow-burn couple and their relationship felt rushed.
-Matthias is a walking stereotype, he’s the dumbest and flattest character and yet I didn’t hate his scenes with Nina. (What does that say about me?)
-Small pet peeve: I hate when characters have flashbacks to scenes in earlier episodes, that feature some kind of small and stupid interaction between two characters before shit goes south, as if they’re remembering this small  interaction as proof of the importance of their relationship. What does this establish? That they had this one moment together? 
-I didn’t like the Darkling’s backstory. Give me a real, through and through villain for once! I’m tired of every villain’s turn to evil being explained by a lost loved one.  
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absent-o-minded · 3 years
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SHADOW AND BONE SPOILERS
I binged the show yesterday in two sittings (Eps 1-5 in one, Eps 6-8 in the other) and I thought that I'd make a list of some of my favourite moments/lines throughout the series. (This is going off of memory as I haven't done a rewatch yet, so I'm sorry if some quotes aren't word for word.) Part 1?
- Milo The Goat being the Main Character for 10 minutes straight
- "She's not like you. No one is." I wasn't expecting to get fucking whipped so hard so early by Kanej but ThErE We gO
- The entire scene of Kaz dressing up as a painter just to get a look at the blueprints to the Archive Library because...why not?
- Alina and Mal being cutie patooties in the Camp before shit hit the fan.
- An underappreciated moment: When Mal said that Alina "looked healthy" and him smiling at the fact that she had developed an apetite from using her powers. I thought that it was a very tender moment.
- Ben Barnes as the Darkling having soldiers make room for him to walk because he is THAT BITCH.
- Mikael and Dubrov! It's always a good ol' adrenaline kick when a TV Show takes your love for two minor characters and shoves it in the blender right before your very eyes...Thank-Thanks Shadow and Bone.
- "Your tracker friend liked it when I put him on his back too." Even my face felt the burn of Zoya and I knew that it didn't even happen.
- The Crows in general were immaculate. Everything from the representation of Inej's religious standpoint (which I thought was done incredibly well) to Kaz being an emo boy (...she said see ya' later boy...) to Jesper going "Bang bang bullet bullet gun!"
- Jespers fucking lines, with some special mentions but not limited to: "...He threw a book at me?..." "I'M NOT THROWING OUT THE GOAT...so soft." "(*Insert Screaming*)" "I lost a little bit of money...I lost all of the money." "Of course, love." "I know. I'd miss me too. I'm fantastic."
- Alina's powers were beautiful (Mega props to CGI). Imagine having the power of being a literal ray of sunshine and then playing a character who has the power to summon literal rays of sunshine? That's Jessie Mei Li.
- The wholesomeness of the Inej and Jesper scene where Inej is trying to stitch her self up and there is a mutual understanding of her position of going back and Jesper inadvertently says that he values her.
- "My Crows." UHHHHNNNNNGGGG
- Genya saying that the Queen has saggy tits had me rolling.
- SPeakIng of GeNYA, Genya and David. The small snippets we got of the two are enough to last me lifeti-yeah, no, about two weeks, I love them both so much, please gimme.
- "You don't have to put-" *sigh* "Yes, David?" PFFF.
- Helnik in the Whaler's hut. I cannot pinpoint one particular thing. Wholesome.
- The build up of the Darkling x Kaz confrontation over the few weeks leading up to the Shows Premiere, the plethora of theories that involved Cane Whacking and Shadow Summoning and Insult Throwing and Fashion Copyrighting, and what did we get? The peak humour that was Kaz fucking throwing down a flash bomb and dissapearing like my perception of time and space after sitting in the dark for 5 hours watching the show. I do not know why I expected anything less, that scene was beautiful.
- The bit where Alina directly put her hands over the mans eyes and radiated her light directly onto his eyeballs? It was brief and swift but I found that so cool.
- As a Film Student, I can just really appreciate the overall aestheticism of the series. They managed to encapsulate both the quintessential elements (The setting/locations, The Score, Costume Design etc) and as well as the more meticulous, intricate details (Again with Kefta details, but also with Characterisation, Prop Design of the Crow Club) and so much more. The essence of the world that Leigh Bardugo has built was captured as if it had been plucked straight from my mind and I revelled in it for those 8 hours.
There are so many moments that I have missed or have not spoken about but I'll end that here as its been quite long, but this series was utterly beautiful, and all of those involved: The incredible Cast, the most talented of Cinematogrophers, Designers, Camera Workers, Writers, Hair and Make-Up Staff, truly to every single person involed - Thank you so much <3
(Also - Please feel free to add anything in the comments, or message me if you want to talk about the show. I'm debating whether to do a more consice review, but we'll see how lazy I'm feeling tbh. Take care everyone <3 )
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