#Malzoya

[mal-zoya]

Btw I think it would be hilarious that Zoya and Mal met a lot before the scene where she offered to hook up with him, but everytime they encountered again she kept asking his name again and again just to get a rise of him (just like the flirting method of her future husband lol). But Mal still stuck at being oblivious and just patiently told her his name everytime, just like he did with Nikolai.

(i hope they will bring this back with zoyalai in season 3, i want them to call each wrong names on purpose as attempt on flirting lol)

and that's why in a world where darklina went to do whatever the fuck they went to do, malzoyalai was the endgame - they wore mal down asking his name after being married for 20 years.

tsaritsa zoya: *points at mal* sorry what's your name again?

mal: zoya, you know me since we were like 18, we fucked, we are still fucking, i am fucking your husband, can you please-

zoya: matthew, is it?

nikolai: *shows up* ah, zoya and michael, there you are!

#malkolai #zoyalai #malzoyalai #malzoya #replies #shadow and bone

[stromuprisahat]

from what i remember all the relationships in shadow and bone are toxic wastes of drama and meanness (with the exception of Genya and David maybe) horrible with both parties being vile towards each other like Mal and Alina? show and book codependent and in the Mal is the worst (I would not have been surprised if he did something physical). Darkling and Alina? both she see's him as subhuman. and she is an idiot so their ideals don't go together

I've decided to do this the lazy way, and simply copy ships from shipping wiki and delete the rarepairs:

Danya- ✌🎨🥇🧪💅

Darklina- 💀👑👌☕☢

Helnik- 卐💋🧙‍♀️🔥☠

Kanej- 🔪💑💸🥈💖

Malina- ⛓🤕⏲️😶☢

Malzoya- 🍆🍑🤷‍♀️

Nikolina- 🤴☀😙🎭🎎

Zoyalai- 🐲💍👨‍🦯🤡👑

Fivan- 💞🥉💔 (And that's only because they're just in the show.)

Jespwei- 😍🔥×🔫🤨

Kesper- 🤷‍♂️💸×🔫😍

Wesper- 🧪😳🧨👨‍❤️‍👨💉

Genyalina- 🤗👗🍰🗣💔

Ninej- 🤗👭👍😎🍹

Tamadia- 🤷‍♀️🪓🌬😒🖕 (Nadia has a personality?)

Zenya- 🛑

Shit, it might've turned into "What do I think about them", but you can see the "healthy" or wholesome ships in it too.

Since second season of Shadow and Bone totally ruined the little they did well in first, I'm ignoring its existence with the exception of Heartrender Husbands.

#reply #Grishaverse #grishanalyticritical #Danya #Kanej #Heartrender Husbands #Ninej #Darklina #Helnik #anti Malina #Malzoya #Nikolina #anti Zoyalai #Jespwei #Kesper #Wesper #anti Genyalina #anti Tamadia #anti Zenya #I'm tagging the sensitive ships I don't think positive as anti #because in my experience Darklinas can handle constructive criticism #while some stans of others cannot. #swastika #apparently counts as trigger warning now #so let's hide it kids #and pretend suggesting Nazi-resembling genocidal cult shouldn't be viewed as anything else to spare readers' sensibilities #is somehow problematic more than it's existence and constant leniency towards it.

[purple-eye-octopi]

honestly

i ship nikolina and malzoya more than the canon

#shadow and bone #six of crows #leigh bardugo #books #tv #nikolai lantsov #alina starkov #malyen oretsev #zoya nazyanelsky #nikolina #malzoya #malina #zoyalai #petrah speaks

[greensaplinggrace]

Happy Disability Pride Month to the SaB characters! Here are more HCs:

some in-universe hcs to match this post about alternate universe hcs

Genya is a genderqueer bi lesbian with chronic pain and reduced mobility in her left arm. The scarring covers most of her body, but especially her face and her shoulder, leaving her blind on her left side and partially deaf in her left ear.

Genya struggles with C-PTSD and intense flashbacks. She’s autistic and married to her autistic husband, David. She's spymaster to the crown, and takes great pride in her ability to keep those under her care safe and protected.

At David's encouragement, she eventually gets with Zoya and Alina, even finding a fast friend in Mal, who can relate to her many struggles.

Alina is a bisexual, nonbinary person (she/they) with OCD, BPD, and schizophrenia. Her intense bouts of depression often align with suicidal thoughts, and the worsening of her other symptoms, including chronic fatigue and chronic migraines.

When Alina lost her powers, it affected her senses and her body, as well as her mind. Mal helps her through her phases of grief and depression, staying with her at her lowest moments of loneliness and isolation, to her highest moments of joy at her new life and what she is building with him.

For a long while, it was only her and Mal, but she slowly reformed contact with her old friends again. First entering a relationship with Genya - when she realizes Genya has assigned spies to check up on her and watch her house - and then with Zoya, who finally comes to visit in person after many years of simple letters and the occasional gift.

Zoya is pansexual, polyamorous, and bigender, identifying as both a woman and a demiwoman, and she is deaf. She is also autistic, and deals with insomnia and night terrors as the result of her PTSD.

After learning her dragon form, Zoya lost her ability to hear as a human. As a dragon, she is still becoming acquainted with her new senses and the dragon's very different methods of thought. The adjustment is not an easy one, and Zoya spends many hours sparring to reacquaint herself with both of her bodies, as well as meditating in an attempt to handle her new bouts of dissociation.

Zoya is in a close relationship with Nikolai, who shares her experiences in many ways. He struggles with his new monster form, and is also deaf because of this. They work together to recover from their losses, and Zoya also finds comfort in her other partners - Alina, Genya, and Mal - as well.

Mal is a bisexual trans man with ADHD, SSD, and PTSD. He is an amputee that experiences chronic pain, and has essential tremors in his left hand.

When Alina was forced to take his bones and wear them to gain her powers, they had to amputate his right arm to keep the infection from spreading. He, David, and Genya often work together to create prosthetics for his arm as well as her eye, and have formed a close friendship because of this. Mal even begins a relationship with Nikolai, after the man visits him one too many times to be normal, and they eventually invite Alina into the relationship as well.

Mal lives with Alina in their small orphanage, taking care of their children and finally settling into his retirement from military life. While he often has flashbacks to old battles, and especially the deaths of his friends, Alina and his new family are always there to help him through them and show him he is loved and safe.

#shadow and bone #sab #grishaverse #alina starkov #genya safin #zoya nazyalensky #malyen oretsev #mal oretsev #genyalina #genyazoyalina #malina #genyazoya #malkolai #malzoya #malnikolina #zoyalai #zoyalina #look its every ship under the sun they're all poly alksjdflks #suicide mention tw

[theimprobable1]

Zoya implies that they did but I feel like there wasn't really an opportunity in the show's timeline and l can't see Zoya giving the time of day to someone who had already turned her down once

#shadow and bone #zoya nazyalensky #mal oretsev #grishaverse #i'm curious to see what people think #this poll is brought to you by me daydreaming about a fic I'll probably never write #and a conversation that would be funnier if they had #malzoya

[lilisouless]

How Mal and Zoya had a one night stand is beyond my comprehension. Sure, they were two pretty people but they have like no chemistry, no interesting interactions, no banther ; it was never zoya-mal, it was always zoya-mal & alina. The only thing was that they were both attractive but...i can't even see how the conversation would go, one would think "nop, this isn't working" and find someone else.

This is not a rant against the ship, the few people that actually ship them (as i have seen) are Niko/lina shippers who tolerate/ don't dislike Mal & Zoya and , very very few show! only fans , which i actually get it, Sujaya and Archie did have good chemistry (more than Book!Zoya and Mal even if they did have something) besides their personalities could go fine. I am not hating on the ship, its too small. I am more like saying that the only reason Leigh did them a thing was because there is one unwritten rule that the main girl and the rival girl always have to like the same guy. I am tagging it as "anti" just to don't bother the shippers, but lets make it clear i am not hating on it as much as Leigh´s really weird desition, which was only there for the sake of the trope.

"you only say that because you like Malina"

No, even if i don't ship it, i can reconigze that Alina/ Nikolai have good chemistry. And thats the deal actually: when an author makes a love triangle, the LI´s rival has good chemistry with the lead, but the MC´s rival hardly has any chemistry with the love interest. Why only one of them is presented as a serious contender? Is like : if the main character chooses the second option, they´ll be fine. If their love interest chooses the second option, they are making a big mistake. I wish there was more balance on this.

#anti malzoya #not REALLY #it was leigh who decided to make them with no chemistry so no one would want them together #but...I NEED SOME LOGICAL SENSE IN THINGS #zoya nazyalensky #alina starkov #leigh bardugo critical #leigh bardugo #really her writing stopped so much when she distanced herself from the cliches #malyen oretsev #mal oretsev

[glitter50000]

malina & malzoya for the ship ask game!

send me a ship and I’ll tell you three things I like about it, no matter my opinion on the ship overall Malina

• The childhood friends to lovers aspect. Just how the two of them had each other when they were kids when it seemed that everything was against them. Like how Alina in the books describes it as “Keramzin became our palace, our kingdom, and I wasn't afraid anymore.”

• The protectiveness they have for each other. Alina defends Mal from bullies with a knife of all things as kids. Mal’s willing to fight the darkling himself for Alina. Alina’s willing to kill herself if it means she can bring the darkling down with her but when Mal has to die she doesn’t want to accept that even though he has. Like how the darkling just needs to threaten one and the other will comply (in siege & storm he threatens to cut Alina and Mal agrees to look for the sea whip and in the show he uses Mal as a kind of leverage over Alina)

• Idk just the familiarity the two have with each other. Like they are best friends as well as lovers and with them I understand the friends to lovers appeal now.

Malzoya

• how they have that “friends with benefits” energy

• I feel like the potential for this dynamic could be funny or angsty

• I just think it’s fun tbh

#I dunno I don’t have a lot of thoughts on Malzoya but it’s pretty entertaining to me #shadow and bone #shadow and bone netflix #ask game

[biblade]

nobody: absolutely nobody: me: okay but the malzoya agenda—

#i will NOT be silenced they DESERVED to smooch a little bit #ESPECIALLY NOW THAT S2 HAS LEFT THEM WITH NO BITCHES!!!!!!!!! #mal would treat zoya right pls . pls . #╰ 🗡 𝐎𝐎𝐂 — himbo energy but like lesbian

[dylanobrienisbatman]

well now i have to ask for malzoya and if someone already did then mal/zoya/nikolai???..... malzoyalai????

Okay, pink is Malzoya and blue is Malzoyalai. The first time ever where I didn’t prefer the poly version. Tbh? I like it better without Nikolai. Him with either individually I dig (malkolai and zoyalai) but in a group I’m having S&S flashbacks to Nikolai being an ass to Mal to get to Alina… and… no.

Can you tell Nikolai is a conflicting character for me?

#ship bingo

[saintmatthias]

Malzoya for the ask game

F: NOTP

esp in the book it’s just boring! like yeah of course the pretty people find each other in the crowd. no depth to it for me! they both met their match with other people <3

send me a ship to rate!

#crow-summoner #del answers #ask game

[mal-zoya]

me, getting offended on mal’s and zoya’s shipping behalf when everyone ignores them when talking ot4 with mal/zoya/alina/nikolai, like excuse me but zoya jumped on his ass the moment she saw him, book!mal jumped to her heel and show!mal definitely wanted to but he was polite idiot. they aren’t some kind of platonic besties, guys 😭 they happened. it happened.

#malkozoyalina #mal x zoya x alina x nikolai #i still think there is a conspiracy to keep sujaya and archie from not interacting #because they would be too powerful for the show #malzoya #is my default and i'm staying #shadow and bone #mal oretsev #zoya nazyalensky

[mal-zoya]

au malzoya where zoya wants to usurp the darkling and tries to find the amplifiers herself and hires a certain tracker from the first army by using her general status.

WAIT A MINUTE???!!!! that's so good tho?!

imagine that in literally first five seconds of the story, zoya goes fuck this sun summoner crap, i had enough, goes straight to mal and 'here is the deal, you help me get the amplifiers and i'll help you get your alina back', then they proceed to hunt down amplifiers and they find more than just friendship on the way - maybe they find nikolai and have a hot threesome, who knows. let alina and darkling live their little palace drama, mal and zoya would have their grand adventure and own half of ravka by the time they'd finish.

#malzoya #*sniffles* #thank you anon #it's our canoe #shadow and bone

[mal-zoya]

potential season 3 au where Mal comes back and him and Zoya team up to help Ravka and also Alina and Nikolai as one is becoming mad with power while the other is becoming corrupted by a demon. Perhaps sparks fly between them in the process

at this point, i just need mal and zoya to interact on any level, the fact that they ignored each other the entire season 2, will be my villain origin story but, and i already said this, zoya needs to be the one coming for mal when shit hits the fan. nikolai won't go, he is the king and he is the monster, makes no sense. alina won't go because it's her darkness, that's the problem. genya won't go because she needs to keep an eye on them. it has to be zoya. it has to be.

(maybe they can cuddle in the captain quarters on the way back, you know......... there is only one bed *coughs*)

#thank you for entertaining my delusions #thank you kindly #malzoya #it's our canoe #shadow and bone #replies

[mal-zoya]

Mal/Zoya would've been a very interesting dynamic if the show had decided to explore it a little bit more. I'm not saying I want it to go as fas as in the book, where they hooked up (maybe because I haven't read the book so I don't see it making any sense, that why Mal was described as some sort of anti-Grisha would be involve in any kind of relationship with a Grisha woman) but in the show, a little build up for their platonic relationship would've been made sense.

They clearly both have some sort of sexual attraction toward each other, even though show!Mal is so deeply in love with Alina that he turned down Zoya, while Zoya had no interest in being romantically involved with anyone at that moment. But they both have potentials of opposite attraction while also having a lot in common. Even though she's kinda a mean popular girl bad bitch and he's a soft sweet but lonely boy, they're both fiercely loyal, they're both soldiers who are capable of shutting off their pain and emotions for the greater good. So adding a little bit more of their interaction (not so far more than she found him attractive or even respected him because of his ability and loyal personality; while Mal just felt maybe Zoya wasn't too bad that made him change his view a bit about Grisha before shifting his opinion completely after knowing Alina being one), just enough to make Alina misunderstand about their relationship. It would make more sense that why she moved on with The Darkling in the palace when she still had feelings for Mal, because she thought Mal already was with somebody else.

And ss2, one of the things that I feel frustrating that they didn't show the process of Mal looking for the Firebird before the big reveal, just a few more scenes showing how hard he had tried and some information he found out about the creature in the palace would create more impact when Mal finally knew the truth about it (he clearly studied hard that's why he found out about the Sankt Neyar and her sword). It would've been great to have Zoya help Mal in searching the information about the Firebird, while Alina and Nikolai was busy with their engagement plan (which we all know how much it hurt Mal and it would make him focus on his searching even harder to distract from the pain), and even though he already warmed up to Nikolai's crew but she was the only one (apart from Alina) that he knew from his homeland in the palace. While in their searching, I think it would be a nice opportunity to show more how Mal wasn't okay about Alina and Nikolai's engagement (add more dept to the fight in 2x05 "like none of it hurts" "ofc it HURTS!") and then see them bond over their grief (since Mal did lose his best friends in front of him, who must be closest to family for him besides Alina). And Mal praising how a great man Nikolai is (for his insecurity that he wasn't good enough for Alina) in front of Zoya could be a great build up for Zoyalai's future relationship.

yeah, i mean, i always saw malzoya as great "what if" or au ship. i've talked about it a little bit in here but yeha, i honestly think if bardugo went with darklina or nikolina, malzoya would be that side ship and i'd be completely okay with it

as far as the show vs books comparison goes, i think they did well enough with mal and zoya in the first season, i don't know wtf was going in the second. second season is like everything and nothing all at once. i still can't wrap my head around it.

#replies #malzoya #shadow and bone

[mal-zoya]

Archie Renaux & Sujaya Dasgupta on the set of SHADOW AND BONE

#sujaya dasgupta #archie renaux #shadow and bone cast #they are my brand #if i ever miss the opportunity to promote malzoya consider me dead #or worse

[mal-zoya]

listen i’m all for malina endgame and dark!alina/mal and soft malina and malarklina and friends to lovers malina and all that jazz

but

mal, zoya and nikolai should have threesome and then catch feelings

i’m just saying

#shadow and bone #i know zoyalai is coming which is great #but if you think i'm letting malzoya and malkolai go you are insane #malzoyalai #what