#anti canon mal | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

descendantofthesparrow · 2 years

Text

Reprise 2.0 - Harry Hook x reader - Part 7 - Liar

Jane raced across the concrete steps of the museum of history, Gil and Doug at her heels. It was almost midnight: she had looked for her mother everywhere at the school, their house, the forest trail leading to the enchanted lake, the castle, anywhere she could think of where her mother could be. Nothing, not even a glimmer of glitter. Finally, they had arrived at the museum and as they went to go inside to grab the wand, Jane spotted the stone form of…oh gods, her mother. She turned on her heel and bolted towards her mom, tears burning in her eyes as she almost tripped over herself, Gil reaching out and catching her before she broke her face on the concrete, she nodded her thanks and got level with her mother’s eternally shocked face, her hands up in defense.

“Oh, mom” Jane whispered, reaching out and caressing her mother's cheek “what a hell of a way to spend my birthday huh?...don't worry, we got it all figured out” she kissed her mother’s stone-cold forehead and turned, grabbing the boy’s by their elbows and dragging them into the museum, passing by the sleeping guards and deactivated cameras until they reached the wand room; the item floating above them within its force field.

Jane held her hand out towards the wand, taking a deep breath as she realized this would be the first time she held it since the coronation. But she could handle it now, she knew her worth, and she wouldn’t make any mistakes this time. She muttered a spell under her breath in fae language, the barrier shimmering as the wand glowed periwinkle, floating down into Jane’s grasp.

Jane almost gasped as its magic flowed through her, her eyes glowing for a split moment. Gil and Doug stared at her, both very much remembering what had happened the last time. Jane nodded and turned, the wands confidence flowing through her veins. They all walked back out of the museum, Jane running over a million plans within her head. Now she had the wand, Auradon had a backup plan; her. Now…when would she know to use it? Would she just have to wait to hear Maleficent cackled in victory? Would there be a signal?

Jane took a deep breath, rubbing her face as she walked away from the museum with the boys in tow, she just hoped she wouldn’t have to use the wand.

Mal looked down at her phone again, tightening her grip on Ben’s back as he rode through the forest towards fairy cottage, where her mother was. Five minutes to midnight, and only so few hours till sunrise. She took a deep breath, looking back at Uma who nodded back at her, telling Mal it was okay, and they were going to win together. Mal gave a strained smile, resting her cheek on Ben’s back. Soon the path was too overwhelmed with foliage and roots and they had to abandon their bikes to go on foot, the nine unlikely heroes quickly followed Ben further into the dark forest, keeping low to the forest flow and moving quietly.

Harry’s hand never left yours as you got closer to the suddenly foreboding, yet quaint-looking, cottage. It had a sense of…evil, to it. Which made sense, Maleficent had made it her home base while plotting her evilness. Ben and Mal stopped behind a large tree, holding his hand up to tell everyone to be quiet. Everyone carefully moved from tree to tree, keeping out of sight from the cottage windows and doors, to keep the chance of surprise high.

As they got closer to the cottage, Uma took the ember from her necklace and handed it to Mal, who nodded gratefully and clenched it tightly in her hand, her eyes and hair glowing for a split second as the ember sparked. Harry took a deep breath, clutching tightly onto his hook and your hand, pulling you close and whispering into your ear “stay safe” he muttered and you nodded, kissing his cheek “same to you” you muttered back. You split off into your respective attack groups, Mal, Jay, Harry, and Uma at the front; ready to catch Maleficent by surprise and take her down with brute force.

Mal dashed forward with Jay, the two slamming open the cottage door, the ember gleaming brightly in Mal’s hand as Jay went into tackle position. They both straightened up, Uma and Harry joining them a second later, both ready to attack. “Nothing” Mal muttered, whipping around for any sign of her mother “There's-nothing.” Jay raced up the stairs, Uma following. They both came down a moment later, shaking their heads “No one upstairs” Jay muttered, Uma growling a bit as their plan went to shreds.

Mal let out a huff of frustration, dammit, dammit dammit dammit! Mal quickly pocketed the ember, turning to address Ben as he and the others walked in, only for a loud bang to echo from the storage closet next to the kitchen. Everyone jumped, Mal holding her arms up to keep everyone safe and back as Ben and Harry went forward to check on the noise, Harry at Ben’s back to protect him. Ben glanced inside the closet and his brows went up in shock? Surprise? He unlocked the door and opened it, only to see…Chad?

“Chad?” Ben said, completely shocked to see the son of Cinderella here. Harry sighed, relaxing from his fighting stance and pinching his nose, watching as Ben helped up the whimpering Chad, the terrified prince flinching back at Ben’s touch “hey, hey it’s okay. She’s not here, you’re safe” Chad slowly got to his feet, eyes looking about the room like a cornered animal, then he realized; it was just the vks and Ben…and some girl he had never seen before but he didn’t pay you any mind. He looked around the room once, twice, then back at Ben, eyes widening at his furry transformation “Ben?” Ben nodded, hoping he wouldn’t scare Chad, he didn’t look all that beasty anymore but he still had small horns, fur covering his body, fangs, and paws (which were covered by his gloves, but still) “Ben!” Chad laughed himself into Ben’s arms, pressing his cheek to Ben’s chest (originally Chad would’ve been at Ben’s eye level, but thanks to the curse, Ben was very tall now) “Ben! oh thank you, it was so scary! Mal-Maleficent! She’s-she’s possessing Audrey! I-I tried to get the scepter but-I froze up-I’m sorry”

Chad noticed the open door “The doors open” he looked around, seeing no sign of Maleficent. “she's gone” he grabbed Ben’s jacket and shook him around “I’m free-FREEDOM!” Chad bolted out of the cottage like his butt was on fire, you and Harry giggling at the absurdity of it all.

“Freedom~” Harry sang, closing the closet door and tossing his arm over your shoulder, following the others back out into the forest. Mal led the way out, pressing her lips together in frustration and fear, how in the hell were they going to defeat her mom if they couldn’t find her?! She felt Ben’s arm around her shoulder and she leaned into him, the ember weighing heavily in her thigh bag.

“let’s get this situation taken care of already, it’s way past Harry’s bedtime” Harry made a noise at Uma’s words, very much sounding like nothing and all the swear words at once. You giggled, knowing Harry was very much someone who liked to be in bed by 11 pm, for a chaotic ass pirate he was one for routine. Uma looked at Mal, she would know where Maleficent would go “where to next?”

Mal took a deep breath, trying to think about where her mother might’ve gone, before it hit her. Maleficent wouldn’t leave-leave, she was too close to her victory, she would stay close in case she needed to tie up loose ends. She was at Auroria castle, fuck she was THAT close. “Auroria castle,” Mal said, picking up her pace as she and the others made their way back to the bikes “she's out for revenge, and that’s where she was defeated the first time, of course-of course why didn’t I think of that before!”

As everyone raced down the path back towards the bikes, Ben made a comment that almost stopped Mal in her tracks “you know, at some point, you’re gonna have to tell me how you guys all got teamed up!” Mal pleaded to the gods that this would be saved for later, that no one would humor Ben and tell him. because then she would have to admit to her lies, because then her progress with Uma would be gone, Evie would be heartbroken. “well” Evie said with a laugh, smiling at Mal’s back as Mal nearly froze in place “Mal promised to let all the vks off the isle once this is over”

Ben frowned, looking back at Mal, very confused; did Mal change her mind? Hadn’t she decided to shut the program down and close the barrier forever? What had he missed? “Mal?” Ben asked, wondering what was going on, and Mal took a shuddering breath, her shoulders tense. “Mal?” Evie asked, very curious about Mal’s sudden change of demeanor. It felt….scared? as if Mal was afraid…of them?

You mentally winced, welp, here it was. The big reveal. You squeezed Harry's hand, looking up at his face. He just…looked resigned, as if he expected something like this, even if he didn’t know what he was expecting “I have to tell you all something” Mal said, voice strained, digging the ember from her pocket, staring down at it to avoid eye contact.

Harry nodded, turning into you and resting his chin on your shoulder “knew it, never trust a fairy” he muttered, so quietly only you and Carlos heard. Carlos glanced at Harry, then back to Mal, wondering what she had to tell them. Uma’s face of near happiness at the thought of all the vks getting off the isle dropped, just like Harry, knowing what Mal was about to say. She scoffed, turning away as Mal pursed her lips “I..uh…I-lied to you.” Mal admitted, forcing the words from her chest. Evie only looked confused, while you, Harry, and Uma; only looked resigned. Of course, of course, she did, you shook your head, resting your head in the crook of Harry’s neck, hoping to give him some sort of comfort as he realized he let his guard down around Mal, why did he ever do that, he knew what she was like-she had never changed.

God, how fucking stupid was he? To trust Mal like that. You could hear his fingers crack as he gripped the curve of his hook, his teeth grinding against his lip. “Back on the bridge” Mal continued, still not looking at anyone, just at her own reflection in the glowing ember “when-when I agreed to let all the vks off…I said-I couldn’t do it, the deal…I um…I made the decision, earlier today that um…the-the barrier would be closed…permanently.”

Uma let out a shuddering breath she had been holding, pinching the bridge of her nose as Evie, Carlos, and Jay looked at Mal horrified. She had WHAT?! “wha-what do-“ Evie couldn’t even finish her sentence, staring teary-eyed at Mal, she just couldn't believe it, Mal, her best friend, who know how important it was to them, to her, to Ben; to get those kids off the isle, to give them a life they deserved. Mal had just-thrown it all away, over one incident, that could’ve easily been avoided the next time. An increase of security, driving faster through the barrier, hiring those inside the barrier to protect the limo/barrier. So many options; and Mal went with the one that hurt so many people.

“why?” Evie cried out, Jay’s hand landing on her shoulder to comfort her, the two looking away from who they thought was their best friend.

Mal didn’t look at her, tears starting to drip down her cheeks “I made the choice to shut down the vk program, and close the barrier…to protect Auradon.” Ben just stared at Mal, she sounded so...guilty. unlike when she made that decision; yes it sounded sad but-she acted as if it was the only choice, the only thing she could do to protect Auradon, now it sounded like she had found more options, and regretted making a choice so quickly.

“Ben?” Carlos asked quietly, holding Dude tightly to his chest, staring at the king shocked “you-did- and you just, let this happen?” Mal quickly interrupted him, she would not let Ben be blamed for her stupid choices “he had no say in it” Mal said, almost snapping but her voice still sad “I-I made him agree, he didn’t want to close the barrier…while he thought of you guys…I only thought of myself, of our life…I’m sorry” Mal sobbed, tears dripping onto her hands.

Uma locked her lips, walking up to Mal, her eyes hard and unyielding “So, I agreed to save your precious kingdom and your behind…for a lie?” Mal finally looked up, her eyes red and puffy, pure guilt and regret clear in her expression “I never should’ve trusted you” Uma muttered, shaking her head “you’re always out for yourself” Uma just stared Mal down, forcing Mal to stew in her guilt, her choices.

Mal nodded, sniffing as she whipped away a fresh set of tears “I know, I’m sorry i-i…it was a stupid choice, and I regret it, I-I was going to wait till after but…I” Mal couldn’t continue, the pit in her throat too much to talk past. Uma just shook her head, glancing to the side as Harry swallowed hard, holding you close. “you’re so fucking selfish, you always have been” Uma muttered, pushing down the tears that wanted to overflow “and here I thought you actually changed, that you actually got better…I guess fucking not.”

Uma looked back at Mal, and glared, her eyes sparking with magic “you’re just like your mother” Mal stopped breathing, but god-that insult-with Mal’s current head-space, it felt…deserved. Uma was right, she was just like her mother, only thinking about herself and her future, not anyone else, or their feelings. Just her. “I’m-“ Mal sobbed “im so sorry Uma” Uma looked away, glaring at nothing.

Mal stepped back as you stepped forward, your head tilted dangerously, your eyes gleaming like they were when you had hurt Hook. “small question” you muttered; voice quiet. Uma and Harry stepped back, knowing you were about to verbally tear Mal apart, and she deserved it. “if you were to close the barrier, forever…how would the ‘food’” you used the finger quotation marks at the word ‘food’ “get to the people of the isle? The barges, I mean. If no one gets in or out…how would any of the barges come through? or-were you planning on keeping that quiet and letting everyone die off silently, letting Celia’s dad die, letting Smee die, letting the kids who are looking up to you-the fucking KIDS, CHILDREN Mal! Die, from starvation, from illness, from abuse? Were you just going to sweep it under the rug, lie to all your friends forever about why no more kids were coming? Lie to your kingdom about why the isle went silent, because you made the choice to kill those there?” you got right into her face, practically overshadowing her with your mere yet intense presence.

God Mal was going to throw up, she hadn’t thought of any of that, at all. And now it was being thrown in her face, you were right, you were completely right, her closing the barrier didn’t just mean Auradon’s safety and no more kids coming to Auradon, but-it meant no one would survive there past the year, she was sentencing every soul there to their deaths. No food, no trash, no cloth, no clothes, nothing, nothing would come through the barrier.

You waited for Mal to speak, to say anything in her defense but she just shook her head, admitting to you; that she hadn’t thought of that, that she was just going to brush the problem under the rug and ignore the problem till it went away “you aren’t a leader, you will never be a good queen, and you don’t deserve your place here” you snarled out, Mal flinching back, expecting your hands on her neck but you just huffed, turning away and walking back to Harry, taking his arm and leaning into him, still glaring at Mal.

No one said anything, you and Uma had said everything there was to say. “let’s go find Gil, get the boys, n leave 'em all to rot” Uma muttered, nodding towards the path back towards the bikes. You and Harry nodded, leaving Mal and the others behind, Evie and the boys still glaring at Mal as Ben stood silently, not wanting to be thrown in the middle of the fight.

Mal called out for Uma as the three of you left, all climbing onto the bikes and starting them “I’ll find Gil, you two go get the twins” Uma muttered and Harry nodded as your arms wrapped around his torso, revving the engine and pushing off the forest floor, hearing Carlos scream at Mal as the three of you drove off towards Auroria castle, leaving Mal the betrayer behind.

The ride back down the forest path was tense and silent, Uma and Harry stewing in their regret and near hate for Mal, she had tricked them, again, she had lied, again, she hurt them, again. Gods why had they ever trusted her to even open her mouth, all she knew how to do was look out for herself and lie. It was all she had ever done.

You felt…guilty, for not telling them about Mal’s lies but-like last time, you didn’t want to tell them something and then have the world implode because you changed the timeline. You’d tell them that you had done so but-that would have to wait till after…whatever would happen next. As you crossed into the courtyard of the castle, you heard another bike behind you and you turned to look, seeing Mal doing her best to catch up. “Uma!” Mal cried out, zooming ahead and nearly crashing her bike as she drifted to a stop ahead of your bikes. “please-stop!” Uma hit the brakes and turned her bike to the side to stop, some of the dirt on the ground floating up towards Mal who ignored it, ripping off the helmet she was wearing and tossing it to the ground “Uma-I need your help” Uma rolled her eyes, going to drive around Mal but Mal’s hands just slammed onto the headlight of the bike, stopping Uma in her tracks “we have a chance if we do this together!”

“your friends kick you to the curb?” Uma asked, knowing if Mal was here alone, she was out of options, her friends had abandoned her (not knowing they had been turned to stone) Mal just stared at her, her jaw clicking as she remembered what Carlos had screamed at her and how Evie had turned away, heartbroken and betrayed. Not even Jay would look at her, she hadn’t even gotten a chance to apologize and explain her change of heart, they were turned to stone before she could get a word out. Uma saw her expression and assumed she was right “Good” Uma snapped, her lip curling over her teeth.

“Uma-Ben-Ben saw the good in you, and I-I was stupid to ignore it, I was stupid to lie to you and-and-“ Mal took a deep breath, forcing down the pit in her throat as Harry gave her the death stare, daring her to step out of line. You didn't look at Mal, pressing your cheek into Harry’s shoulder. At least this time Mal actually sounded desperate for Uma’s help, like she was actually distressed instead of just-kinda needing help.

“Please” Mal croaked out, tears slipping down her cheeks “Help me, help Auradon…help me save Audrey” Uma just stared at her “if-if my mom gets her way…there will be no Auradon for the kids to come to, Auradon will be destroyed,” Mal said, trying to convince Uma to help, it sounded a bit manipulative but Mal was doing it to not just save Auradon, but to save Audrey, the isle kids, her friends. Uma glanced at the ground, the gears turning in her head before Harry glanced at her, and decided to spare Uma the feeling of betrayal again “you talk pretty” Mal looked at Harry, taking a shuddering breath as he shook his head, glancing back at Uma “but she's already made up ‘er mind”

Uma looked up at him, and nodded, knowing what Harry was doing and she was thankful. She didn’t need to give Mal another opportunity to hurt her again. “you got yourself into this mess Mal” Uma muttered, revving the engine of her bike. Mal stumbled back and out of Uma’s way, knowing she had lost Uma’s help “you figure out how to fix it.” Uma nodded and Harry followed her out the courtyard, leaving Mal behind in her guilt.

As you traveled further into the forest that led back towards Auradon city you felt an odd, pull, at your navel. “Harry-“ you were about to tell him you felt odd but suddenly you were pulled back and you slammed into a stone wall, groaning as you hit the floor. “ow” you muttered, shaking your head as you sat up, feeling smaller hands on your arm. You looked up, seeing Celia, looking very scared “Celia? Wha-“ you turned, seeing a green glow from the corner of your eye. Audrey-no-Maleficent, smirked cruelly at you, the scepter in her grasp. “What did you do?” you asked quietly, eyeing Audrey’s black to magenta hair, her eyes fully green and her clothes slowly turning black. Maleficent was turning Audrey into another her; you could even see horns starting to protrude from the top of her head.

You looked around, you were back at Auroria castle, on one of the spires, hundreds of feet in the air. “The perfect bait” Maleficent muttered, turning towards the courtyard where her daughter still was and sending bolts of magic into the air, cackling as she did. Celia screamed, the bolts of magic hurting her ears as they cracked like thunder. “Celia?!” Mal yelled out from below, hearing the young vk’s scream of fear and panic. “Come on Malsy~! Save your little friends like the hero you are!” Maleficent cackled, slamming her scepter into the stone flooring as purple smoke swirled around Mal, building up until Mal’s dragon form flew out, circling in the castle in hopes to find an opportunity of attack and rescue.

Mal hovered in front of her mother, sending a blast of fire directly at her, only for it to bounce off a magic shield. “Going to have to do better than that my dear~!” Maleficent laughed out, voice cruel and taunting. You huffed, telling Celia to stay low as you slowly got up and braced yourself for impact. “if I can make Gaston cower at the sight of me, you won't be a challenge” you muttered to yourself, launching forward and slamming into Maleficent, throwing her off balance and nearly getting the scepter out of her grip.

“Foolish brat!” Maleficent screamed, sending her boney elbow into your sternum and you hit the floor, gasping for air and scrambling to get to your feet “Brave one you are” Maleficent snapped, creating another shield as Mal blasted her with fire again “too brave.” You dodged the first wave of magic Maleficent sent at you, doubling over as the 2nd hit you in the stomach. “fuck-“ you coughed, gasping as the 3rd wrapped around your throat and held you over the edge of the castle, Mal roaring in magic as you were now right in the way of battle.

“I’ll make sure to give your little boyfriend your love” Maleficent cooed, snapping her fingers. You suddenly dropped, screaming as you plummeted towards the stone ground of Auroria castle. You heard your name be screamed, and you turned your head towards the voice, seeing Harry running towards you, hook left behind and tears of pure terror streaming down his cheeks. You heard Maleficent cackle and something hit your chest, sparking across your skin and you screamed out in pain, it felt like you were struck by lightning. Moments after that, the world around you started going dark, your body started to lose feeling, and the noise around you dimmed.

“I’ll give you this one thing child” Maleficent's voice cooed in your ear “For you courage? You die a painless death, a sleep like death in fact~” as she cackled; everything went black, and you hit the ground. Hard.

Harry screamed, thunder roared across the sky, and the ember in Mal’s grip flared brighter than the stars above.

“(Y/N)!!!”

-end of part 7-

yep, that happened. hopefully i’ve made/will make the final battle better than the canon/og version~!!!!! im having too much fun hurting (y/n)/Harry lol, p8 most likely will not be within the next three days like usual, i got lucky that today i even uploaded/finished p7! so just-keep an eye out lol

permtaglist!!!

@queer-cosette @sephiralorange @lunanight2012

@daughter-of-the-stars11 @musicarose @rintheemolion

@daughter-of-the-stars11 @verboetoperee @saryguerrero

@dai-tsukki-desu @imtryingthisout @remembered-license

@thecaptainsgingersnap

taglist!!!

@auradon-bore-a-don @dpaccione @reallysparklychaos

@dreamtogether2000 @thetrueghostqueen @godess-ofthe-underworld

@omgsuperstarg

#disney descendants #harry hook descendants #harry hook x reader #reprise 2.0 #poyw revise #poyw 2.0 #D3 Revise #kinda #Mal actually regrets her actions and tries to apologize/make it right #anti canon mal #anti mal #just in case #actual epic final battle #not there yet but #were about to go into it

53 notes · View notes

jupitersrising · 3 months

Text

Ben not seeing the love potion as malicious is actually so important to me. Because why would he think someone giving a love potion would have ill intentions for him? Sure, he's heard of the heroes horrific pasts but those are just stories of the ye ole' days the adults share. He's the result of the Happily Ever After, things like that don't happen anymore. All the evil-doers are put away. He believes all the Isle Kids have that same kind of experience. Of course he'd just think Mal was actually this shy girl who was too afraid to ask him out. He wants to see the best in her; he sees the best in everyone.

Mal, on the other hand, knows just how wrong it is. She never, ever corrects him on his assumption of her having a crush on him and being too afraid to ask him out. Because why would she want to do that? Making him understand the implications of a love potions just drags him into her world, into the Isle where stuff like that was always malicious.

Obviously I don't condone Mal's actions, and the implications of a potion that makes someone obsessed ("love") with another person is something from a fucking horror novel. I just think it makes sense (in-universe) that he'd never think that she had malicious intentions and that she would never want to tell him.

#i wanna pick all the descendants characters apart and study them #i haven't read the books btw #so just movie canon for this post #not anti anyone #ben florian #mal bertha #mal descendants #ben descendants #disney descendants #descendants

113 notes · View notes

grishaverse-chaos · 1 year

Text

I might be in a very small minority here, but I actually really don't want Alina to have a corruption arc in any future seasons of s&b! (Mostly because I hate the trope of victims becoming just like their abusers, and it seems to me that that's where the show is going with her arc)

So here's what I want for her. (Under a cut because it got longer than I thought it would)

I want her to be angry and terrified about her new powers. I want her to be furious that the Darkling gave her his powers - one final act of violation that means she will never be able to forget him, no matter how hard she tries. I want her to be scared, constantly. I want to see her break down in tears after killing the Fjerdan assassin, because she didn't know she had his powers and is she turning into him? I want her to be scared of the adrenaline rush she gets whenever she uses her new powers. To refuse ever to use them again.

I want her to have PTSD. Nightmares. I want to see her wake up in the middle of the night, tears running down her face because she dreamed that the Darkling came back and forced her to train her shadow powers. I want her to reach for Mal only to remember that he's not there anymore - and maybe she wonders, is it her fault he's gone? Maybe he knew that she would turn evil. Maybe, just like the Darkling, she's going to push away everyone she loves.

I want Nikolai to transform into the demon, and Alina to see it and have a panic attack because what if that means the Darkling's back? I want her to talk to Zoya, and ask how she manages to stay so fucking calm all the time. I want Zoya to break down when there's nobody around but Alina, and tell her that even if she seems fine, she's terrified, looking around every corner to check for shadows. I want Zoya to confess that she fears becoming just like the Darkling, and Alina to reply "try having his powers"

I want them to bond over their fear, and each promise to pull the other out if they ever do start becoming like him. I want Alina to retreat further and further from the throne because she doesn't trust herself with power, and Zoya to step forward because even if she doesn't trust herself with power, she wants to test herself, to prove to herself that she is nothing like him.

I want Alina to be completely unstable, to panic every time she's in trouble and has to defend herself. I want her to stop using her Sun Summoning because she's afraid that even that might make her more like him, and I want her to get sick from it. I want her to be on the edge of collapsing at any given moment.

I want Nikolai to not notice a single thing about how Alina's breaking down, because he's busy and has a kingdom to run. I want Alina to scream at him and tell him that he's one of the only people in the whole country who actually gives a shit about her so can he act like it? I want him to look at her for the first time in months and realise that oh shit, his best friend is dying. I want him to write to Mal, begging him to come back, because as much as he wants to be able to save Alina himself, he can't.

I want Mal to come back and tell Alina everything she needs to hear. I want him to convince her that her light is beautiful, that it is nothing like the Darkling's shadows, that she is nothing like him. I want her to bury her face in his chest and break down in tears, because she almost forgot how good he is at saying the right thing when she needs him. I want him to offer to take her away from Court, and her to protest, saying that she can't leave.

I want Mal to stick around, and while he's still there, Alina to tell Zoya about his offer. I want Zoya to tell her to take it, to go while she still can, before the wedding. (And if Zoya's saying this partly because she and Nikolai have gotten closer while Alina's been having her mental breakdown, and she doesn't love the fact that he's engaged to somebody else... well, Alina kind of guessed that anyway. She's happy for them.)

I want her and Mal to run away. Maybe they fake her death, maybe she just leaves. Either way, they don't go back to Keramzin. (That would require them to confront exactly how messed up their childhood had been.) Instead, I want Zoya to suggest something that the Little Palace desperately needs - something she knows the pair of them would be good at.

I want them to start a new orphanage, on the outskirts of Os Alta, for Grisha orphans. The Little Palace simply isn't equipped to handle children who aren't being raised into soldiers, and most Grisha children stay at home now, unless they or their parents want them to learn control over their powers. Grisha orphans, on the other hand, have nowhere to go but the Little Palace - so Zoya and Genya work on creating a school, and the orphans Mal and Alina are raising go there to study every day, then come back home to the orphanage. I want Alina to start using her powers again. Slowly at first - creating little balls of light that she plays with when she's alone. Then I want her to remember how much she loves using her powers, how much joy and euphoria it brings her. I want her to become happy and confident in her powers again, and return to full health. (She won't ever be completely comfortable with the shadow powers she got from the Darkling, but one day she uses them with the kids - making shadow pictures on the wall one evening, and she realises that even with his powers, she can do good. She can make them her own.)

I want the news to spread about this. Do people know that it's the Sun Summoner running the orphanage? Maybe, maybe not. Whether or not they know, the orphanage gets more and more well-known. Otkazat'sya parents decide to send their children there so they can study at the Little Palace. After all, they've heard of the couple that owns it, and they seem trustworthy enough. I want Mal and Alina to recruit a team of Fabrikators to help them build an extension onto the building so there's enough room for all the new arrivals.

I want adult Grisha - rogue Grisha, many of them - to stop at the orphanage if they're in need. Whether they've been injured or fallen ill, they ran out of food, they just need a place to sleep for the night - they come to the orphanage. They know it's safe. Some of them have no home to go back to once they leave. I want Mal and Alina to offer them a permanent place to stay at the orphanage. Almost everybody accepts the offer. Many of them find they have something they can teach the kids - whether that's a special trick you can do with specific Grisha powers, or something else (a dish they love to cook, a sport they played as a child, their favourite place to shop in Os Alta) - the children learn eagerly from each new arrival.

And I want Alina to realise, after a few years, that the orphanage has become a sanctuary for Grisha of all ages. I want her to wonder briefly if that makes her like the Darkling. He'd wanted to create a sanctuary for Grisha. Then I want her to look around at the happy children, at the older Grisha entertaining the younger kids, and realise that she succeeded where he had failed. She and Mal have created a safe place where Grisha aren't being thrown into battle. Sure, some of the children from the orphanage grow up and join the integrated army (the First and Second Armies have been combined into one army. Ravka is stronger together, and that's reflected by the army defending it) - but nobody is ever forced into military service.

I want her to know that, without even meaning to, she has become not only the Darkling's equal, but she has become better than him. She has made the country safer for Grisha. Not him. Her and Mal. She and Mal changed the world. (Again.)

#i hate the idea that she would become just like the darkling tbh #because i genuinely think she's more self aware than that #and i want to see her trauma!!#because in the deleted scene‚ the darkling gives her his powers without her consent. yet another violation #i want her to try to forget him and not be able to because his powers are a part of her now!!#i want her to realise that she's so much better than him #i want her and zoya to bond over their fear of becoming like him #i want her and mal to run away from court #there's so much more i could say about the orphanage because i have SO MANY headcanons about that #i want alina to succeed in making ravka a better place for grisha! i want her to be demonstrably BETTER than the darkling #grishaverse #mayhem.txt #shadow and bone #alina starkov #mal oretsev #zoya nazyalensky #zoya nabri #anti darkling #<- just to be on the safe side #i also want nikolai to be afraid of the demon but tbh we kind of got that in canon #in row we see him feeling like he made the same mistakes as the darkling and then fixing those mistakes!! which honestly was brilliant #now we just need to get a similar arc in the show #mayhem grishaverse originals

139 notes · View notes

jomiddlemarch · 2 years

Text

most precious to you

“Sasha, you’ve been in a black mood all day. What’s wrong?” Alina asked. He’d been curt throughout the morning, skipped luncheon, sequestered himself in the War Room until dinner and she’d had him in check in three moves in their regular evening shatranj match. Now, he stood at the window that overlooked the back gardens, though there wasn’t much to see on a moonless night except his own reflection.

“It’s nothing,” he said in a tone that was intended to be foreboding, forestalling any further question. She snorted and set down the book she’d been leafing through, unable to lose herself in it when he was so clearly bothered.

“Like Djel it is,” she said.

“Now you curse in Fjerdan?” he replied.

“If that’s what it takes to get you to talk. I’ll speak in tongues if I have to,” she said. “A trouble shared is a trouble halved, you know the old saying.”

“I created that saying,” he said. “They don’t all catch on, but that one did.”

“So, you believed it once,” she said. She waited. He could need that, a significant pause to demonstrate she would not leave, nor nag, patient when he challenged her, not goading him nor demeaning him for any expression of distress.

“I had a vision or a dream, I don’t know,” he said. “It doesn’t signify—"

“It upset you,” she said. “It matters.”

“We were together and apart, you wore a blue kefta,” he said, as if he were remembering it. As if he saw it again in the pane of glass before him. “Blue and not black. You were angry—”

He broke off, made some small gesture with his hand, though no shadows shifted in the room.

“Is that all there was?” she said.

“You and the boy,” he said.

“What boy?” She spent time with the younglings, but she had no favorite among them, and though she had hopes for the future, they had not spoken of children lately.

“The tracker, the one from your home,” Aleksander said.

“Mal?” she said, taken aback.

“Yes, him. You and he, there was a moment, I’d seen your face before like that, but not so far away,” he said, making the barest sense.

“A moment? You mean something happened between us, between Mal and me and that’s what upset you,” Alina said.

“You kissed him and he held you,” he said, as bleak as if it had happened. “You didn’t pull away—”

“Sashenka, it wasn’t real,” she said. “Whether it was a vision or a dream, a bloody nightmare, it wasn’t real. I didn’t kiss him and I wouldn’t. I mean, I suppose I might give him a peck on the cheek if I were saying goodbye but nothing more. I don’t feel that way about him—”

“You did,” he said. “There was truth in it, what I saw. A logic. Inescapable.”

“Well, now you’re positively talking nonsense. Who ever heard of love following logic?” she said. It was time to halve the trouble, to cut through it with a knife, a blade so sharp one blow would suffice.

“Milaya, you are being kind,” he said.

“You are being foolish,” she said. “I saw Mal as my best friend when we were children. I was infatuated with him when he joined the First Army, like so many girls are infatuated with a soldier. When he came to the Little Palace, I saw him for what he was to me, the brother of my childhood, a fellow survivor of the orphanage. Which was never home. It was only where we slept at night. What you saw has never happened, will never happen. Not every vision is a foretelling and not every dream is a memory recalled. Sometimes, we see what we’re afraid of and that’s all that it is, a fear that will never come true.”

“You don’t—you sound so sure,” he said and praise to Sankta Maradi, she could hear in his voice that he had listened to her. Believed her.

“Because I am,” she said. “Think about it—would Genya ever let me wear a blue kefta? She’s quite fierce about how little it suits me and how much finer the gold looks with my complexion.”

“Now you’re teasing me,” he said, but he walked back over to the bed and sat beside her.

“Maybe a little,” she said. “The blue is pretty, but it isn’t my color. And I feel a certain fondness for Mal, but that’s all. It’s nothing to how much I care for you and I’ll happily tell you that until you’re tired of hearing it.”

“Now you are being foolish,” he said, taking her hand in his and letting her feel the resonance of their power, the warmth of his palm against hers. “To think I could ever tire of that.”

#darklina #shadow and bone #season 2 preview #alina x aleksander #canon au #inspired by the recent trailer #anti-malina #without being too harsh on mal #for anyone who's feeling a little protective of aleksander morozova at the moment #soft!thedarkling #preemptive fix-it fic

56 notes · View notes

stonersolana · 1 year

Text

second season of shadow and bone pulled a live-action avatar movie basically

#sunbun speaks #shadow and bone #shadow and bone netflix #it was SO BAD #that ending was atrocious #also Alina should've gone HAM on murdering Darkles #they did Alina and Mal and Genya and David and Zoya so dirty 🤢🤢🤢#thank god the show isn't canon cause like this was just straight up bad writing #anti darkling #i don't want his creepy fangirls commenting here #they're always so dumb and gross #'i wish alina ended up with her groomer and abuser.' 'age is only a number!' 🤢 'it's anti feminist that alina ended up happy and safe!'#also somehow Nikolai was even more intolerable in the show??#pretentious frat boy energy is so exhausting #I'm surprised he was only punched once

14 notes · View notes

howtostandinsilence · 11 months

Text

darkling fans: in depth discussions about the harmful depiction of persecution in the novels and the racist and antisemitic ways the darkling is written, highlighting how the darkling could have still been a villain if the grisha as a persecuted and marginalized people had been handled better and the story was more aware of itself and the problems it was discussing. detailing where leigh bardugo’s inability to understand politics and oppression led to a damaging puritanical framework for her story that flattened her characters, distracting from the message she was trying to tell and forcing her to rely on ‘tell don’t show’ to convey themes she had no real grasp of.

explaining how they sympathize with the darkling’s efforts to achieve freedom for his people, even if they don’t agree with his methods, and see themselves in the suffering he’s faced at the hands of his oppressors. saying they like the potential he had as a character even as a villain if the story had only been better written.

finding fault in a narrative that champions the return to the status quo and the support of an oppressive monarchy. citing the canonical ways the grisha suffered worse after the darkling’s death and talking about how zoya’s depiction as queen was even more harmful for it’s shallow dismissal of how bigotry and persecution actually works within a system and the very real harm that was done to her people for thousands of years. providing detailed analysis of racism within the grishaverse and how leigh bardugo inadvertently ends up championing forced assimilation for her persecuted fantasy race.

antis, with reading comprehension so fatal they can’t even understand basic literary analysis and critical thinking: darkling fans think of the darkling as a left wing hero! shadow and bone is so so subversive. he represents the most evil men and he is the worst there is! people only like him because he’s so hot... even though mal is also described as hot, and nikolai is too...

#shadow and bone #the grisha trilogy #anti darkling bs #anti darklina bs #anti shadow and bone #the darkling #sab discourse

258 notes · View notes

sailor-hufflepuff · 5 months

Text

Sometimes I think the difference between darklinas and antis is which parts of the (frankly contradictory) books we consider canon.

Darklinas look at book one, at the Darkling who has worked tirelessly for centuries to free his people without taking power for himself, look at the monarchy which allows endless wars and starvation at the whims of a rapist, at Mal who ignores (at best) and undermines (at worst) the heroine while merrily sleeping his way through the first and second armies, only to notice her the moment she looks at someone else…

We look at those things, and look at later books and say “That doesn’t make sense. The Darkling would never ally with Fjerda, would never kill Grisha, it’s against everything that he is.”

We say “the Lantsov dynasty is corrupt, and should be destroyed, the entire feudal society of Ravka needs an overhaul”.

We say “A boy who compares the girl he wants to marry to a donkey, who kisses another girl the moment Alina’s attention wanders from him, who openly prefers her when she was sickly and powerless, is not good husband material.”

Antis, on the other hand, seem to take the opposite view. They see the Darkling as the power-mad mass murderer of RaR, and assume the General who eats on the ground with his men was a manipulation.

They see Nikolai as a shining example of the fairytale prince and conclude that the monarchy only needs a NEW king, a GOOD king, and everything will be fine.

They see the Mal who is willing to die for Alina, who gives himself to her and her cause, and think “I wish someone were willing to die for me. I wish someone would look at me and change his ways,” and thus view his characterization in books one and two as the foibles of youth.

Darklinas look at the duology and say “it was the King who conscripted Grisha and otkazatsya alike, who raped Genya, and the Darkling who gave everything for Ravka.”

Antis look at the duology and say “Zoya and Genya both blame the Darkling for their problems, therefore he must have groomed them.”

Which is more canon, the first thing written or the most recent thing published? I think that’s what truly divides us.

#tgt #the grisha trilogy #the grishaverse #darklina #pro the darkling #s&b #shadow and bone

70 notes · View notes

aleksanderscult · 3 months

Note

Hi ! So, I don't know if you're familiar with Chinese dramas, but I would like to recommend one that might remind you a little of Darklina. A good old enemies to tragic lovers, where the heroine will unfortunately not end up with the bad boy (with whom things will never come to fruition and will remain unsaid on both sides) but with the nice guy. It's called Lost You Forever. And to give you a quick description of the interesting relationship in this series ; We are Xiao Yao is in love with Jing (Whom I very like. He is clearly the archetypal nice guy she'll end up with, but like, a really good guy, on top of being a good character, not like that trash Mal Oretsev), but let's be realistic, that would never have happened if a relationship with Xiang Liu (the best male character in this series) was possible from my point of view. It's very clear that she's in love with him and it's circumstances that are keeping them from letting go and being together. I have no doubt that if circumstances would have allowed, Xiang Liu would have been Xiao Yao's first choice and vice versa. Jing and Xiang Liu are literally the two males characters that Xiao Yao is canonically in love with, but there is no doubt who in my eyes she loves the most.

My favorite scene for them (unfortunately cut, so not really complete, but the most important part of the scene is there) :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-abLjkm-AA&list=LL&index=10

Sorry, but Xiao Yao knows in this moment that Jing is in a dying coma, could die at any moment, and when she wakes up, the first person she hopes / wants to see is Xiang Liu and her bird takes her to see him ? And when she understands that she won't see him, she takes her time to lie down where they both were to cry ? Okay he healed her and she wants to thank him, but that's definitely not the type of reaction you get when the love of your life is in mortal danger and you can't see another man you're close to, technically your enemy on top of that, who just saved you, and whom you supposedly just love platonically.

But the thing is, you don't always end up with the person you would have chosen. They love each other, but know their relationship is doomed to failure given the circumstances they are in, so they do not act on their feelings and will never allow themselves to. It's so tragic. Typically the kind of story I love, even if it tears my heart out.

At least that's my interpretation, as well as that of many people.

Xiang Liu is your characteristically gray character who first appears as a villain to ultimately be much more complex (with good and bad actions) who will end up in love with the heroine he will protect, despite the fact that they are technically enemies. In addition to that, they will obviously be entitled to a great magical connection which re-connects their sensations (like, she is physically injured, he is) and emotions (like, their hearts beat to the same rhythm).

But of course, there will always be anti-complexity people who will come and tell you, to the point of contradicting themselves to justify a non-romantic love on the part of the heroine, that she only cries because she has the heart too good and feels sorry for him (I remind you that at the same time, the lady knows very well that the other guy she supposedly loves, Jing, is dying...), but also that she uses for her own personal purposes because she has no real affection for him ! We like contradiction, simply because we don't like that a heroine can have contradictory feelings for a morally gray guy !

And the fact that of all the male characters, Xiang Liu is the only one of whom the heroine wanted to keep a trace in her magic mirror ?! Why is that also just her using him or only having a platonic feeling towards him ? Let's be serious for two seconds and let's accept the complexity of a human heart !

Or there are obviously simply those who will tell you that despite the fact that the guy is a gray character he is only toxic and bad for the heroine, treating her really badly ! (I still want to say that without this guy who causes her apparently so much pain, well she would have been dead and buried a long time ago !)

Otherwise, here is a small playlist of videos dedicated to this ship (send by many people), just so you can get an overall idea of the dynamics :

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHTp96ofTkA3cLfybZP2xaXBCPDBoTx_-&si=s2VSBa270CVK5VeD

In fact, if I really had to compare Xiao Yao with Xiang Liu and Jing, I would say Xiang Liu is a call from the heart and Jing is a call from the head. She loves them both, but Jing brings her a trust and loyalty that she could never have from Xiang Liu given the circumstances of their respective responsibilities which technically categorizes them as enemies, even if they never really acting like that in my eyes. Also, we could see Xiang Liu as a character / creature of the order of fantasy in terms of symbolism, and therefore with whom the heroine could never have a real future, and that she will have to leave at one point or another, but which has importance in her present life in order to help her develop as a person.

Afterwards, as another story that could remind Darklina, I will recommend the Chinese drama Love Between Fairy and devil. In terms of books, I would say the trilogy a forbidden game by L.J Smith with Jenny & Julian, the shadow men, or the Empirium trilogy with Corien & Rielle. Dragonlance with Raistlin & Crysania. Only ships associated with light and darkness basically.

Either way, I'm a sucker for enemies-to-lovers or villain / gray / anti-hero characters in-love dynamics. It's so fascinating, and above all much more interesting than with a cute and nice guy without much personality in comparison... There is no worse crime than being boring in fiction.

Small bonus gifs further illustrating the Xiao Liu & Xiao Yao great dynamic :

Oh yes, I forgot to say that he bit her and regularly feeds on his blood.

OMG OMG

I'LL DEFINITELY WATCH IT, BESTIE!!

I love the plot already and the protagonists look GORGEOUS.

Agree to ALL of this! I'm the same. These kind of characters are always the best! And I'm going to put all your recommendations in my list.

Just a question!

I believe Raistlin was one of the inspirations for the Darkling's character. Does he remind you of the Darkling?

#asks #enemies to lovers #enemies to lovers recommendations #the darkling #alina starkov #darklina

42 notes · View notes