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ghostlynighty · 4 months

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You want request?

Can I get uhhhh PtN Cinnabar (and/or Zoya) with a fem!chief (or gn) who is insecure about their body weight?

Zoya with sinner fem!reader who is insecure about their body weight.

parings : Zoya x sinner fem!reader

requested? : yup

warning(s) : talking about body insecurity, i might have not talked about it well in this fic, might be ooc zoya

uh hey there, thanks for the request! I decided to make reader a sinner since I would like to make chief her own character. I also only picked Zoya since I do not know much about Cinnabar yet. I hope that is okay.

also, please do tell me if i wrote anything wrong with this. making fics with these kinds of topics is really hard for me.

The monthly check up, the moment you don’t really like. It's where the MBCC would conduct a routine check up for all of the sinners to see if something is wrong. This monthly routine check up is mostly for sinners but staff get check ups too.

You are a sinner that has been arrested by the MBCC and unlike sinners who resisted, you did not. You are going to be locked up forever and be “used” by the chief sure, but at least the food is free and there is a not so comfy bed to sleep on. There are so many of these “routines” that the bureau conducts, one of them is this medical check up. This was no problem to you at the start, you actually wanted to know if something is wrong with you and is always compliant but as of the recent ones however, you started to feel nervous about this, anxious even. It's not like the doctors and staff abuse you, it's just that recently, you’re starting to feel a little insecure about yourself, especially with your body and weight. You guessed that being locked up alongside these beautiful sinners with amazing bodies made you like this.

Your girlfriend, Zoya, the commander of the Legion, has started to notice this. You no longer wear your usual outfit that shows your skin, you now wear sweaters and long sleeved clothes which is not a problem to Zoya, she finds you really adorable in these actually. Her only problem was, it gets very very hot in the bureau, especially in the afternoon when you and her would go to the outdoors area to hang out. Zoya noticed right away what the cause was and she was determined to let you know that you shouldn't be thinking about those things.

At the moment, you were waiting in line for the check up, you tried hiding your anxiousness. You tried not to think about the doctors weighing you or only being in your undies while they check up on you.

Oh god, please make this stop-

Your thoughts were interrupted when you felt someone pull you away and lead you to a room. Looking up, you saw that it was your girlfriend.

“Zoya? Why are we here?” Your body acted into its own accord, hugging Zoya to calm yourself down. Your girlfriend could feel how much you were shaking and instantly wrapped her arms around you.

“I saw you were having a hard time there, is everything okay?” Zoya asked you as gently as she could, knowing that this topic is sensitive to anyone who is going through this. Your girlfriend does not want to force you into telling her what’s wrong, but you can see from the way she looks at you that she already knows your trouble.

“I’m just…I just don’t feel…good?” You tried to tell her vaguely, hoping that she would get it immediately. Zoya pulled away from the hug, looking into your eyes.

“Babe, it's okay, you can tell me and if you don’t want to, that’s also okay. I just want to help you in any way I can.”

Closing your eyes with a deep breath, you released it all to Zoya. How you don’t feel confident in yourself and in your body anymore, how you think you’re so heavy and that you need to lose weight, everything. You told Zoya everything while she listened, wiping your tears from time to time.

When you were finished, you two just stood there, arms wrapped around each other.

“Look and listen to me, you are beautiful. You always have been. There’s nothing wrong with having a little weight, you know? Believe me when I say you’re so fucking hot. I mean, have you seen some of those sinners who look at you?” You chuckled, wiping your tears as you remember those moments when random sinners would flirt with you, making Zoya annoyed that she would always let them know that you are hers and hers only.

“I’m not really good at these, but what I’m saying is, there’s nothing wrong with you. You are perfectly fine, perfectly healthy and…perfectly beautiful.”

“Thank you Zoya and I’m sorry that I only told you about this now.”

“There’s no need to apologise, but know that I am always here, okay? Now let’s go for your check up. If you want, I can come with you during your turn.”

It took you a couple of seconds to reply, not believing that a violent person like Zoya could be so gentle with you. You grabbed her cheeks, placing a soft kiss on it.

“I would love that.”

#nighty post #path to nowhere #path to nowhere imagines #ptn zoya #ptn zoya x reader #zoya x reader #ptn

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thereisnolumos · 1 year

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Correcting all the atrocities against Russian language in Grishaverse

I think that I might’ve already wrote on this topic here before, but I can’t seem to find it and I’m continuously bitter with the way my language has been expropriated and twisted in the girishaverse series, so, without further ado, 10 things that infuriated me (and the ones I remembered now, for there are surely more) as a Russian speaking person:

1. The first being the Grisha itself. It’s a male name. A shortened version of the name Grigoriy, to be exact. To call an entire group of people like that is… try switching it to “Johnny” every time you read it and you’ll understand the pain. She could’ve at least try and justify it with some “first ever” character with such powers named Grigoriy, so that’s why they’re called that… but no

2. All the names. Listen, if you’re using Russian names while writing in English (or any other language that doesn’t differentiate between genders) you have two ways:

eradicate the switch completely, giving everyone the male version (i.e. default bcs that’s the world we live in), or

FUCKING STICK TO THE RULES OF THE LANGUAGE YOU’RE GOT THEM FROM. The female Russian last names will always have a vowel in the end. So, it’s Aleksander Morozov and Baghra Morozova (I’m dying to know what name she thought that one is a short version of, for it just doesn’t exist). It’s Alina Starkova. Genya Safina (which should be Evgeniya, bcs Genya is a short version). Zoya Nazelenskaya (her name looks to me as of Polish and/or Ukrainian origins, correct me of I’m wrong. I’m only going off from the Russian language rules), etc.

3. It’s Fyodor, not Fedyor. And it’s Kaminskyi or Kaminskyy, there is an extra sound in the end, not just -y. Actually, for this last name use the name of the President of Ukraine as a guide, their names would be of the same origin, same as Zoya’s last name.

4. You cannot use just any word as a name in Russian language. I know that it’s sort of a thing in modern English language, but it’s not a case here. So, if I recall, there was a character with the name “Privyet” in the books. Which means “hi” in Russian. Don’t do things like that. Please. I beg of you. Fun fact, we have Vera, Nadezhda and Lubov (Faith, Hope and Love respectively) as real FEMALE ONLY names, but no such thing as just taking a word like say “Otvaga - Bravery” and making it a name. Nope.

5. Don’t even get me started on the idiocy that “otkazat’sya” is. It’s. A. Fucking. Verb. Means “to refuse” in a slightly different context that “otkazat’”. There isn’t a single version of the reality where it would’ve made sense to call a group of people by verb. None. If she wanted it to mean “the abandoned” as in “the power abandoned them”, she should’ve called them “otvergnutyye” or “ostavlennyye”. If the meaning is more towards “they refused that power”, then it should be smth like “otkazavshiesya”.

6. They have stressed the wrong syllable in the “merzost’” on the show. Supposed to be the first one. Not sure whether or not she meant to use the word “filth” in regards to the forbidden magic, or if, once again, she just liked the sound of this word.

7. “Kefta” should’ve just been “kaftan”

8. I actually hate that she couldn’t just stick to the names that would’ve been found in Russian empire during the time she drew inspiration from. What is Baghra and Malyen???? Where’d she get them??? I can stretch Baghra as being a very strange short version of the name Agrafena (veeeeery old Russian name, which suits her long life), but it’s a big stretch to say the least. Malyen just doesn’t exist. Mal doesn’t exist as a name (it’s a old version of the word “small” though)

9. What is the word “Tsarina” everyone seems to use in fanfiction where Alina and Aleksander rule over Ravka? There is no such word. There are:

Tsar - the male ruler

Tsaritsa - female ruler and/or wife of a Tsar

Tsarevich - son of Tsar and Tsaritsa

Tsarevna - daughter of Tsar and Tsaritsa

No Tsarina.

10. David’s last name is extremely strange. I assume he’s not of Ravkan origins, from his first name, but Kostyk - is a friendly short version of a name Konstantin. I’m debated over the fact whether or not this form of this name has even been in use before Soviet Union actually. I’ve met people with the last name like Kostyukevich and Konstantinov though (there are many last names that originated from first names in Russian language many, many years ago. But there are rules for the ways they were formed)

Feel free to add all the ways Leigh Bardugo butchered other languages and cultures in this series

#grishaverse #russian language #slavic languages #shadow and bone #aleksander morozov #alina starkova #genya safina #baghra morozova #malyen oretsev #shadow and bone season 2 #shadow and bone series #incorrect shadow and bone

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thecrxwclub · 1 year

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assigning taylor swift songs to grishaverse characters + ships because i don’t want to do my actual work!! this is about to be long as hell!!

notes: i feel like some of these will be unpopular opinions but here we are + there are two instances where ppl have the same song (long story short and you’re on your own kid) but i just think it applies to both characters really well. and idk why basically all the crows are from midnights, it’s just a soc album i guess.

ALINA STARKOV

– long story short : evermore

"Past me, I wanna tell you not to get lost in these petty things. Your nemeses will defeat themselves before you get the chance to swing…and I fell from the pedestal, right down the rabbit hole. Long story short, it was a bad time. Pushed from the precipice, climbed right back up the cliff. Long story short, I survived. Now I’m all about you, I’m all about you. Long story short, it was a bad time. Long story short, I survived.”

MAL ORETSEV

– this is me trying : folklore

“They told me all of my cages were mental. So I got wasted like all my potential. And my words shoot to kill when I’m mad. I have a lot of regrets about that…I just wanted you to know that this is me trying. At least I’m trying.”

NIKOLAI LANTSOV

– Mastermind : Midnights

"No one wanted to play with me as a little kid. So I’ve been scheming like a criminal ever since. To make them love me and make it seem effortless. This is the first time I’ve felt the need to confess. And I swear I’m only cryptic and Machiavellian ‘cause I care.”

ZOYA NAZYALENSKY

– You’re On Your Own Kid : Midnights

“You’re on your own, kid. You always have been. From sprinkler splashes to fireplace ashes, I gave my blood, sweat, and tears for this. I hosted parties and starved my body. Like I’d be saved by a perfect kiss. The jokes weren’t funny, I took the money, my friends from home don’t know what to say. I looked around in a blood-soaked gown, and I saw something they can’t take away.”

KAZ BREKKER

– Dear Reader : Midnights

"Dear Reader, if it feels like a trap you’re already in one. Dear Reader, get out your map. Pick somewhere and just run. Dear Reader, burn all the files, desert all your past lives. And if you don’t recognize yourself that means you did it right. Never take advice from someone who’s falling apart…Dear Reader, the greatest of luxuries is your secrets. Dear Reader, when you aim at the devil make sure you don’t miss.”

INEJ GHAFA

– Karma : Midnights

“Karma is my boyfriend. Karma is a god, karma is the breeze in my hair on the weekend. Karma’s a relaxing thought, aren’t you envious that for you it’s not? Sweet like honey, karma is a cat, purring in my lap ‘cause it loves me. Flexing like a goddamn acrobat. Me and karma vibe like that.”

NINA ZENIK

– Bejeweled : Midnights

“Sapphire tears on my face, sadness became my whole sky…And you can try to change my mind. But you might have to wait in line. What’s a girl gonna do? A diamond’s gotta shine. Best believe I’m still bejeweled. When I walk in a room, I can still make the whole place shimmer…Diamonds in my eyes. I polish up real, I polish up real nice.”

JESPER FAHEY

– Anti-Hero : Midnights

"I have this thing where I get older but just never wiser. Midnights become my afternoons. When my depression works the graveyard shift all of the people I’ve ghosted stand there in the room…It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me. At tea time, everybody agrees. I’ll stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror. It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero.”

WYLAN VAN ECK

– You’re On Your Own Kid : Midnights

“Cause there were pages turned with the bridges burned. Everything you lose is a step you take. So make the friendship bracelets, take a moment and taste it, you’ve got no reason to be afraid. You’re on your own, kid. Yeah, you can face this. You’re on your own kid, you always have been.”

MATTHIAS HELVAR

– ivy : evermore

"How’s one to know? I’d live and die for moments that we stole. On begged and borrowed time…oh, goddamn. My pain fits in the palm of your freezing hand taking mine, but it’s been promised to another. Oh, I can’t stop you putting roots in my dreamland. My house of stone, your ivy grows, and now I’m covered in you.”

GENYA SAFIN

– Clean : 1989

“Hung my head as I lost the war, and the sky turned black like a perfect storm. Rain came pouring down. When I was drowning, that’s when I could finally breathe. And by morning, gone was any trace of you, I think I am finally clean.”

DAVID KOSTYK

– Sweet Nothing : Midnights

"On the way home I wrote a poem. You say ‘what a mind’, this happens all the time. ‘Cause they said the end is coming. Everyone’s up to something. I find myself running home to your sweet nothings. Outside, they’re push and shoving. You’re in the kitchen humming. All that you ever wanted from me was nothing.”

THE DARKLING

I Did Something Bad : Reputation

"They’re burning all the witches, even if you aren’t one. They got their pitchforks and proof, their receipts and reasons. They’re burning all the witches, even if you aren’t one. So light me, go ahead and light me up. They say I did something bad. Then why’s it feel so good? They say I did something bad. But why’s it feel so good? Most fun I ever had, and I’d do it over and over and over again if I could. It just felt so good.”

TOLYA YUL-BATAAR

– epiphany : folklore

"Keep your helmet, keep your life, son. Just a flesh wound, here’s your rifle…With you I serve. With you, I fall down. Watch you breathe in, watch you breathing out. Only 20 minutes to sleep, but you dream of some epiphany. Just one single glimpse of relief, to make some sense of what you’ve seen.”

TAMAR KIR-BATAAR

– Only the Young : Featured in “Miss Americana”

“They aren’t gonna help us, too busy helping themselves. They aren’t gonna change this, we gotta do it ourselves. They think that it’s over, but it’s just begun. Only one thing can save us…Don’t say you’re too tired to fight, it’s just a matter of time. Up there’s the finish line. Only the young can run.”

HANNE BRUM

– long story short : evermore

“Fatefully, I tried to pick my battles ‘til the battle picked me. Misery. Like the war of words I shouted in my sleep. And you passed right by, I was in the alley, surrounded on all sides. The knife cuts both ways. If the shoe fits, walk in it ‘til your high heels break.”

–––––––––––––––––––––

KANEJ

– Renegade : How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last?

“Are you really gonna talk about timing in times like these? And let all your damage damage me? And carry your baggage up my street and make me your future history? It’s time, you’ve come a long way. Open the blinds, let me see your face. You wouldn’t be the first renegade to need somebody. Is it insensitive for me to say ‘get your shit together so I can love you’?"

HELNIK

– Long Live : Speak Now

“Long, long live the walls we crashed through. All the kingdom lights shine, just for me and you. I was screaming, long live all the magic we made, and being on all the pretenders, I’m not afraid. Singing long live all the mountains we moved, I had the time of my life fighting dragons with you. And long, long live that look on your face. And bring on all the pretenders. One day, we will be remembered.”

WESPER

– Paper Rings : Lover

“Kiss me once ‘cause you know I had a long night. Kiss me twice ‘cause it’s gonna be alright. Three times ‘cause I’ve waited my whole life. I like shiny things, but I’d marry you with paper rings. Darling, you’re the one I want, and I hate accidents, except when we went from friends to this.”

ZOYALAI

– The Great War : Midnights

"And we will never go back to that bloodshed, crimson clover. The worst was over. My hand was the one you reached for all throughout the Great War. Always remember we’re burned for better, I vowed I would always be yours. ‘Cause we survived the Great War.”

MALINA

– invisible string : folklore

“Time, curious time. Gave me no compasses, gave me no signs. Were there clues I didn’t see? And isn’t it just so pretty to think all along there was some invisible string tying you to me?”

DARKLINA

– Dear John : Speak Now

“You are an expert at sorry and keeping lines blurry. Never impressed by me acing your tests. All the girls that you’ve run dry have tired, lifeless eyes ‘cause you burned them out. But I took your matches before fire could catch me, so don’t look now.”

DANYA

— Last Kiss : Speak Now

“But now I'll go sit on the floor wearing your clothes. All that I know is I don’t know how to be something you miss. I never thought we’d have a last kiss. Never imagined we’d end like this. Your name, forever the name on my lips.”

TAMADIA

— Lover : Lover

“My heart’s been borrowed, and yours has been blue. All’s well that ends well to end up with you…Can I go where you go? Can we always be this close, forever and ever? And I, take me out, and take me home. You’re my, my, my, my lover.”

HANNINA

— Daylight : Lover

“I’ll tell you the truth, but never goodbye. I don’t want to look at anything else now that I saw you. And I don’t want to think of anything else now that I thought of you. I’ve been sleeping so long in a 20-year dark night, but now I see daylight. I only see daylight.”

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capinejghafa · 1 year

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Hey, I thought I'd add into the people telling you that you're completely right and you should say it about Inej/Kanej. This season gives the air of Kaz doing everything she's asking of him and her running away and acting like it's not on her own inability to deal with her trauma. Inej Fails Kaz at every turn this season when it comes to emotions. He lashes out after the Pekka thing because he was Worried, he specifically asked her there for Comfort and she didn’t show, he's rawest he's been since his brother died and irrational, and she just doesn't bother to fight back. She just tells him to eff off and leaves. Nina and Jesper tell her she's being just as dumb as he is and she decides Again, not to bother. Kaz does open up to her about his hallucination, a highly vulnerable thing for him to do, and she decides it's a great time to throw his words back in his face. And then adding the armor scene just comes off like, despite his trying, he will never be enough. Even in the book, though her reasoning is vaguely better, it still comes off as her saying, "your disability makes you not enough for me" and I don't know how I feel about that.

Hi! this is going to be a little bit of a tangent lol

I think it's very interesting the way book!Kanej is different from show!Kanej. Even as individual characters, they are altered to fit the show verse. Book!Kaz is very much closed off than he's show's counterpart... partly because in the book, he's a teen, and in the show, he's an adult. He's driven by revenge for sure, but he's also capable of more complex emotions because he's had to grow up alone in his environment. In the show, we don't know when he meets Jesper or Inej, but we know he's lonely. In the books, he meets them a few years after becoming part of the Dregs. Sure, book!Kaz didn't have friends, but he wasn't exactly alone alone (or not completely!).

Also, book!Kaz is actually bad at feelings because Leigh wrote him that way lol... a lot of his inner monologues are great to get the audience to be sympathetic with him, but he doesn't say what he means out loud... kind of. Like he tried to Inej how he feels before deciding to stay silent ("I will die unafraid..") And I think that's where the show had to find ways to get those thoughts into action. It's why we have Kaz be more open. In the books, it was fine... but it wouldn't have translated well for a general audience, you know?

I bring this up to say, show!Inej seems to have the problems that book!Kaz. Her problems are very internal. She's very much willing to say the problems she has with Kaz's plan or make comments regarding the crows' safety, but Inej struggles a lot with romantic feelings. It's not something that comes naturally to her. She didn't have it before the Menagerie (presumably not), and she's barely experiencing it now. With Jesper and Nina... and even Wy to that extent she doesn't have to worry about that. Hell, I'd even add Alina and Zoya to the mix. She doesn't have to double guess her choices, and they can just be her family (with Jesper) and her friends (Nina, Wy, Zoya), or her Saint (Alina). But with Kaz, she does. It's not that Inej is incapable of saying how she feels lol It's just that she is not comfortable if it's romantic.

So, it makes her actions regarding Kaz seem like a fail. It sort of feels like she's self sabotaging. Like come on, Inej you can't be upset at Kaz for being mad because you said you'd help take down his brother's "murder" and then walk in like nothing happen after you said you'd help destroy him... all awhile he's probably like idk if you're safe.

Or at least, if not self sabotaging, then something like kind of expecting him to forgive her because that's what the Crows do. Especially after he told her, "No Saint ever watched over me. Not like you have."

I don't think in the books it was necessarily supposed to be seen that way. I just think Inej is slightly more honest about her feelings there and unlike her show counterpart, Inej's biggest weakness was the company she keeps, the people she loves. So rather than have only parts of Kaz... I'm thinking more of his heart than physical. Or at least work towards that. I say slightly because there's a moment where Kaz said the famous "If I couldn't walk, I'd crawl you..." and Inej's face is very skeptical. Which makes sense because in her head she was fairly certain that Kaz wouldn't come for her, but I disgress.

tl;dr inej and kaz have to be accountable for their action, and idk talk to each other.

#anon #reply #kanej #kaz x inej #otp: if i couldn't walk i'd crawl to you #the crow #shadow and bone #sab spoilers #tbh you probably didn't ask for this adsdasd #i just have some lingering feelings about kanej and feelings #also i love that im like let inej be bad at feelings while also being like book!inej wasn't a completely unaware of them lol

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sleepless-crows · 1 year

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hey! same anon :)

I think the thing with shipping is that being told the characters love each other or not isn’t often the point, at least for me! like its the dynamic that’s interesting and especially in fandom stuff you can just see its development from there. like most non canon ships don’t ever get to being *explicitly* in love anyway.

so to that purpose it doesn’t make much of a difference to me that alina loves mal. I was trying really hard to root for malina and I did like it a lot for most of book one. but him being really cruel to her when she sees him at the fete, paired with how unwilling to treat her with like any good faith or understanding in book two.

I ended up really enjoying their dynamic in the third book actually, and the tragedy of mal sacrificing his life. but the ending, paired with the earlier stuff did mean that my negative feelings still outweigh the positive. and like at the end of the day, I just find other alina pairings more interesting.

the ending is mostly the crux of it tbh. because like the first book has alina holding back and refusing to be her own person because of mal. and while her being under the darkling’s influence is bad, it’s narratively implied that some degree of letting go is necessary for her to grow. and the conflict of having mal vs having her powers is first introduced. and then by book two we keep getting acknowledgement that they’re making each other miserable and would probably be happier apart. and the main conflict driver is alina’s power and position. then by book three, even though they have reached (a really sweet imo!) sort of acceptance and synergy, the narrative question of mal vs alina’s power comes back in full force where she has to kill him to get more power, and how that then becomes reversed to him being resurrected and her losing her power entirely. and while in-universe the loss of her power isn’t treated like a trade off, and I really don’t think bardugo meant it that way, narratively it feels like one because of how it’s been built up as an either/or question for so long. and juxtaposed next to the beginning of her arc in book one: where she was refusing to become her own person because of mal, it just ends up feeling like a large scale regression. which again I don’t think that was the intent! but it ends up leaving a bad taste in my mouth. and it’s just too analogous with like quitting your job/ending all career dreams for a high school boyfriend. so I just personally can’t get into it. which is why, to me, it’s like alina sure does love mal, but at what cost lol.

with zoyalina I think it’s kind of just the hyper focus on each other that a rivalry implies? and also that alina spends SO MUCH page time talking about how hot zoya is. like it’s probs leigh bardugo trying to make sure the reader objectively knows. but with a 1st person pov it just ends up like alina is just stopping to stare at zoya every time she steps into the room and just constantly internally monologuing about just how hot she is. and I think the arc of disliking each other a lot —> falling in love is again just fairly interesting. there’s more ground to cover so it’s fun!

and to an extent I agree a lot with your point about nikolai being allowed to give up artifice and just live his life! I think thematically I just *personally* felt like alina embodied that more as a character. because wanting nothing to do with the performance of court life is like half her personality. and I think nikolai could learn from that?

zoya absolutely represents this for him too but I think with her also being rather ruthless about strategy and willing to sacrifice happiness (ie being with nikolai herself) to make the more politically expedient decision, she just ends up overlapping with him a little? like they go through very similar arcs. and there’s nothing wrong with that and I absolutely see the appeal there too! I just tend to personally prefer the starker contrast I see with nikolina.

I’m sorry this got so long 😭😭 anyway again, I did like zoyalai a lot! they’re very fun and I love them! 🤍🤍

OMG THANK YOU <33 i loved reading this

but i feel like i need to correspond with a long reply too so here goes

oh i think we differ in views of shipping. for me, i usually ship something when i like the content shown right in front of me. especially since it's a book, i tend to prefer ships whose dynamic and relationship give me quotes and scenes i like, if that makes sense. but it is very interesting to think of what could've been if the author did something differently and how that may be appealing. i just don't ship that way! if i like what's in front of me, i'll take it. if i don't, then i don't. and i don't particularly see anything wrong with malina. can't you tell i'm a canon shipper, it's awful

again, you ship non canon, i don't tend to, and that's alright! also, i don't recall their relationship in book two, i feel like there are people who could defend them more than i can. so i won't comment on it. but i will say that i saw this post somewhere, i'd like to give credit but i can't find it, saying that mal suffers from ptsd. he watched his friends mikhael and dubrov die. and he could have been suffering from survivor's guilt. i think it's important to acknowledge this because his trauma affected him so much, and many people just ignore that. and it's hypocritical when we acknowledge kaz's trauma and how that affects his relationship with inej but we don't really talk about mal's. and mal is a teenager, and he's gone through horrible stuff, his way of dealing with it wasn't the best, but what should we expect? he shouldn't have had to deal with any of that, especially at such a young age.

i respect that.

i mostly agree with this. how do i word this? she did need to let go of mal to let her powers grow and develop but i think the hesitancy towards it was because she loved mal and didn't want to be separated from him. this was, after all, what hindered her from being found out a grisha when they were kids. it was definitely because of mal but it wasn't his fault. i don't have a strong liking towards their dynamic but this shows alina truly loves him (i've said this argument so many times already but it's true) and i just want for her to be happy. i'll continue this down below.

and the conflict of having mal vs having her powers is first introduced.

yep.

and then by book two we keep getting acknowledgement that they’re making each other miserable and would probably be happier apart. and the main conflict driver is alina’s power and position.

i don't recall that part about them making each other miserable, i must have forgotten it. what i do remember is that mal gave so much to be with and support alina. and they're both teenagers, we know how teenagers are. i think it's valid that they experienced some negative emotions, because they've both been through so much, and they shouldn't have had to deal with the situations they were facing. but they still stayed together and made up in the end. so i think if we account for the circumstances, i don't really see a big issue with it. but again, this hugely depends on perspective and just how you see it.

then by book three, even though they have reached (a really sweet imo!) sort of acceptance and synergy, the narrative question of mal vs alina’s power comes back in full force where she has to kill him to get more power, and how that then becomes reversed to him being resurrected and her losing her power entirely. and while in-universe the loss of her power isn’t treated like a trade off, and I really don’t think bardugo meant it that way, narratively it feels like one because of how it’s been built up as an either/or question for so long. and juxtaposed next to the beginning of her arc in book one: where she was refusing to become her own person because of mal, it just ends up feeling like a large scale regression. which again I don’t think that was the intent! but it ends up leaving a bad taste in my mouth. and it’s just too analogous with like quitting your job/ending all career dreams for a high school boyfriend. so I just personally can’t get into it. which is why, to me, it’s like alina sure does love mal, but at what cost lol.

the topic of alina giving up her powers is sort of a sore spot for the fandom. many people hate that decision. but i personally agreed with it? i think it was the best course of action to take, imo. i think alina was getting greedy with her power, she wanted more. and she did need more to defeat the darkling, but we also did read about her internal struggle fighting the temptation of power. how she didn't think she would ever stop wanting more if she had it. i personally agree with leigh that alina needed to lose her powers. it isn't choosing between mal and becoming her own person for me. i think it was more of teaching that power is addicting. once you have it, you'll always want more. we can see this reflected in society. and that no one should ever have so much power alone. because even the most kind-hearted people will struggle. the bittersweet part for me was how they had to live in secret, but i really think it was for the best that she lost her powers.

(i just realized while proof-reading this that i didn't counter you and basically just said what we both probably thought. so on brand for me. but i never really perceived it that way. i think it was more of doing what was necessary and giving her a happier ending (for choosing to do the right thing? idk). but i do get where you're coming from. leigh probably didn't intend to make it seem that way but it does.)

i guess that makes sense. i personally don't see the appeal but again, it's preference!

hmmmm... i agree.

i agree. i guess i've never really thought of that.

my arguments still stay the same with what i said in my last post but now i feel so, so informed about this. it was so nice reading all this!! thank you for sharing your opinion, again <333 i appreciate it so much, this must've taken very long. also, if i said anything wrong or in a mean, less collected way, please tell me! i swear i don't mean it, i'm just super grateful. plus, i haven't been in this fandom as long as many of you and i'm at that age where i'm still trying to form my own opinions, so that may have affected my replies. so please, please don't be afraid to call me out! i just really want to learn.

previous ask

#i feel like i may have said something stupid #in which case please call me out on it #i just want you to know that i'm so grateful for this ask #i feel like i learned so much from you #THANK YOU SO MUCH #just disregard whatever i said in reply if its dumb #anon asks #nikolina #zoyalina #zoyalai #nikolai lantsov #zoya nazyalensky #alina starkov #grishaverse #leigh bardugo #shadow and bone #siege and storm #ruin and rising

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lehdenlaulu · 1 year

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Okay, SaB S2. I'm groggy as hell and only have time for a couple of episodes, but here we go. Ep1.

Alina looks fantastic but I have to wonder where'd she find a curling iron in the middle of the sea. Unless the ship had a convenient tailor on board.

Aw, they cute.

I'm still impressed with the visual worldbuilding and production design so far.

Yeah, the Crows' brooding cello 'theme' still makes me immediately think of 'Vodka Inferno' by Diablo Swing Orchestra, if the overall vibe of the show didn't already.

Kaz backstory here we gooo.

Wow, very well-funded police force if they can afford purple uniforms. Assuming dyes work the same way they do in our world. Which I do, since that kind of thing has to be a conscious design choice.

Aw baby.

Hi Nikolai. I don't know you yet but I know who you are.

Huh, I thought Kaz had known all along and Jesper knew he knew. But I guess they needed to spell it out for the audience.

Damn, Mal. I'm not sure if that's just fancy editing or if we're supposed to believe he's Special somehow. (I know he's supposed to be but not like that I guess??)

And these would be the twins, yes? Hello there.

And here's the dude with the Finnish name and the Scottish accent. Hah.

And Wylan. Hi, Wylan!

Nina! Nice save, babe.

"Funny guns and angry hat." 😂 Perfect.

Poor Genya.

Nice acting from Dani on the 'love of my life'. The realization when she said that out loud.

Ep. 2

There's something about Nikolai I'm not buying. Maybe it's the acting, maybe the whole pirate angle is a little much and the balance of the vibes isn't quite right. Hmm. 🤔

Like, I get that the character is probably playing a part to a degree, but... yeah. Let's see how it unfolds.

Well done with the ship, though, it's actually properly cramped instead of absurdly spacious like in many films/shows.

I still really love the lighting of this show. Especially in comparison to so many other things recently.

I like that we're seeing Kirigan in human light as well, not just as the mustache-twirling villain cliché. The scenes with Genya are fascinating and disturbing. Great job Ben and Daisy.

Honestly I'm so glad they've aged these characters up. I would never believe they're teenagers. I mean, Wylan, maybe.

Huh, flashback or fantasy? I was under the impression they hadn't gotten to that part yet in the last season.

I wish the show had explained the amplifier thing a bit better, tbh. And did we even know about the Sea Whip and the Firebird last season, at all? And if she's been dreaming of them, shouldn't we have seen those dreams?

Ooh, an Alkemi! A cute one. Very... hmm. He might make a great Armand, actually.

Am I supposed to be feeling something between Alina and Nikolai? Because I'm not. At all.

And that would be a Tidemaker, I guess?

Well, that one definitely is one.

Wylan's acting a bit like jilted ex, which is weird and sort of funny. I suppose there's a reason.

Okay, no, everyone's apparently fighting like that now, not just Mal.

Ep. 3

Yeah, I doubt you'll take the Fold down in the third episode, my darling.

Okay, Nik, let's see if I buy you better now that the charade is over.

Aww babies.

Nadia! Hi! Wait, is that the same actress? I don't think it is.

Hi Zoya, good to see you.

Yeah, I thought it was something like that about the jilted ex behavior.

I guess Jesper is musiciansexual. 🤭

Kaz and Inej are better this season, I'm starting to buy it. Well, it helps that Kaz is starting to open up a bit, of course.

I love Nina and Inej, though. Inej needed someone like her around.

Well, everyone really is fighting like that, huh? It's getting sliiiightly unbelievable, but at least it looks awesome.

He's hot all bloody and disheveled I must say. 🤷‍♀️

Get it girl get it.

Listen, I love that Mal is supportive and they're very sweet but especially contrasting with the scene immediately after, I don't really care as much as the show probably wants me to. And that's not some shippy opinion, either, I don't really have a horse in this race.

Oh that's a very good shot of Kaz. Good job with the lighting and colors and blocking.

No, I honestly think Kaz is scarier than Kirigan.

Ooh, Tidemakers have green keftas? Yup, that's the one for me then.

Heh. I wrote this. Almost, anyway. Mine was slightly less creepy.

Well, that last scene felt familiar. Hah.

Okay, now some sleep, last four tomorrow night.

#Shadow and Bone #Shadow and Bone Netflix #SaB S2 #Shadow and Bone spoilers #Darna liveblogs stuff

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asparklerwhowrites · 3 years

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Writing Indian characters, from an Indian person

India is a huge country! while most characters in mainstream media are from the 'big cities' i.e Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, etc, there are many, many more places and areas to look at! since India is such a vast country, there is incredible diversity. 19,500 languages and dialects are present, with people of different skin, eye, and hair colors and types! there are, of course, a lot of inherent prejudices present, which I'll address a little later.

#1. Know their roots

There is no 'one' Indian experience. People from different places celebrate different festivals, worship different gods, and speak different languages!

A checklist of things you should know about your Indian character's background, in essence:

Which state and city/town/village are they from?

How many and which languages do they speak, and with what frequency? (Mostly, people can speak at least two languages!)

Are they religious? (more on religion later)

What are some of their favourite memories/moments linked to their culture? (festivals, family gatherings, etc)

#2. Naming your character

Some common names for boys: Aarav, Advik, Shlok, Farhan, Ritvik, Aarush, Krish, Ojas, Zain.

Some common names for girls: Arushi, Ishita, Trisha, Rhea, Riya, Zoya, Vedika, Khushi, Charvi.

Common last names: Shah, Singh, Agarwal, Banerjee, Dala, Bhat, Joshi, Iyer, Jain, Dhawan, Dixit.

Be careful while picking a last name: last names are very much indicators of the ethnicity/community you're from! most older folks can guess the ethnicity of people just by their last name - it's pretty cool.

Naming systems usually follow the name-surname format, and children usually take the last name of their father - but I believe some regions have a bit of a different system, so look that up!

#3. Stereotypes to avoid

This goes without saying, but I'm gonna say it anyway. Being 'Indian' shouldn't be your character's entire personality. Give them traits, feelings, and a purpose other than being a token diverse character. Some stereotypes that are really a no-no when it comes to Indian characters:

Making them good at math and academics in general (my Cs in math beg to differ that all Indians are good at math. often, the reason Indians are stereotyped to be so smart stems from an incredibly toxic and harmful environment at home which forces children to get good grades. unless you've experienced that, its not your story to write)

Making your Indian character 'hate' being Indian (not everyone?? hates their culture?? like there are many, MANY faults with India as a country, and it's important to recognize and take action against that - which often makes us iffy about how we feel about our country, it's genuinely not your place to write about that UNLESS you are Indian. don't bring in 'hatred' of a place you've never visited, and don't know much about.)

Make them scaredy-cats, 'cowards', who are good at nothing but being the 'brain' (I will literally behead you if you do this/lh)

#4. Why India shouldn't be portrayed as 'perfect' either

It's likely that most of you won't be going in SO deep with your Indian character, but India isn't the perfect 'uNiTy iN diVerSitY' as it's depicted in media. There are incredible tensions between religions (especially Hindus and Muslims), and even remnants of the 'untouchable' way of thinking remain between castes. There's a lot of violence against women, and misogyny is definitely something Indians are not foreign to. People with paler skin are considered to be 'better' than those with darker skin (in the older generations especially)

#5. Some common customs

Removing your shoes before entering the house, since your house is considered to be 'godly' and shoes shouldn't be brought inside

Eating dal (lentils), chawal (rice), sabji (a mixture of vegetables/meat that's cooked in different ways) roti (Indian flatbread) is considered to be a full, well-balanced meal and at least aspects of it are eaten for lunch and dinner (if not all four elements)

The suffixes -bhai (for men) and -ben (for women) are added to first names and are commonly used by adults to refer to someone of importance or who they hold to esteem.

However, 'bhai' (which literally means 'brother) is often used as slang when referring to friends or family. Other slang includes 'arrey' which is used to show irritation or 'yaar' which has the same context.

It's custom to call adults who you refer to in a friendly way 'aunty' or 'uncle', like the parents of your friends.

Talking back to your elders is forbidden, especially your grandparents who you have to refer to with utmost respect.

#6. Religions

India is a very religiously diverse country. The most common religion is Hinduism, then Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, and Buddhism. All religions have their own complexities, and since I'm a Hindu, I can tell you a little bit about that!

It's common to have a mandir which is a small altar dedicated to the deities your family worships. (Fun fact - they're usually placed in the East direction because that's where the sun rises)

Most kids can say a few shloks by-heart, which are a few lines of prayer! (lmao I've forgotten most but I used to be able to rattle off at least ten when I was younger)

Most people know at least the general plot of the Ramayan and Mahabharat - two famous epic stories. (I'm not sure if they're inherently 'Hindu' or not)

Many people wear necklaces with a small pendant of the deity they worship!

Common Hindu deities: Saraswati, Ganesha, Shiva, Krishna, Vishnu.

It's important to note that religious violence is a thing. Muslims especially, are oppressed and discriminated against. It's a very, very complex issue, and one that's been going on for thousands of years.

#7. Myth & Facts

India is a very poor country

Yep! Lakhs of people live in villages with no electricity, clean water, or amenities nearby. There's no point sugar-coating it. There are HUGE gaps between the poor and the rich (have you heard of Ambani and Adani :D) and while our millionaires rejoice in their thirty-story mansions, people die of famine, disease, and hunger every day. I am personally lucky enough to be EXTREMELY privileged and attend an international school and live in one of the most developed cities. Most people aren't as lucky as me, and it's a really true, horrifying reality.

Everyone in India is vegetarian

No lmao - while many people ARE, there's a greater and equal amount of non-vegetarian people.

We burn our dead in parking lots

This circulated back when the second wave was going on in India, and the media blew it out of proportion. First of all, what the actual f!ck. Cremation is a Hindu ritual, and by saying that aLL Indians burn their dead you are erasing the other religions here. Secondly, cremation is a sacred ritual only attended by close family of the deceased member. It does not happed in PARKING LOTS. It's a time of grief and loss, not a way to humiliate a religion for the way they treat their dead.

Drop any other questions about India in the comments/DM me!

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lentendays · 3 years

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Things that don’t make sense about the Gossip Girl reboot 1x01

1. Why do these new characters not know who Serena, Blair, Nate, and Chuck are? They only reference them in passing after scouring through the old GG blog, but by all rights the NJBC should be really powerful and influential people they would be aspiring to - and could meet as a cameo one day. THIS Is where they should have dropped all the references and made us care. Episode 1 should have given us glimpses of what the old cast’s lives have been like, to draw people in. They could have made Julien especially, as a fashion designer, look up to Blair or even Jenny. They could have made Max have his regular hang out at Chuck’s hotel. They could have done more to reference WHAT Nate’s doing.

2. Who Gossip Girl is. First, that it was revealed at all. Part of the draw of Gossip Girl is that we didn’t know who she was, she was this malevolent, all-knowing character that kept tabs on everyone. We could root for her because we didn’t know who she was and she took our cocky faves down a peg or two. It fueled the mystery, and when characters like Georgina hacked into the account they immediately gained significant power - while ALSO emphasizing GG’s, since the hackers were always inferior to the real one. Second - the identity of GG herself.

3. Not only is Gossip Girl a group of teachers - as in ADULTS - who from what we’ve seen have very little reason to keep their positions if they really are that oppressed (Zoya goes on about how private school teachers are severely underpaid, which we’re supposed to associate with her being compassionate - but just brings up more plot holes), they are adults creeping on CHILDREN in petty revenge. Yes, in real life, treatment like the ones that these teachers get happens and it’s terrible. But we’re not watching soaps about rich kids to root for unlikeable teachers who take compromising pictures of 14 year olds and imply they had sex with their sister’s boyfriend. It’s petty and disgusting, especially since their target is the one kid who hasn’t done anything to them and actually stood up for them. It could also fall apart so quickly, with just one of these kids calling someone to get the identity of the GG account holder, and suing them for all they’re worth for taking compromising pics of minors. GG is not a powerful, all-knowing character who has the other characters on edge - and who is ON THEIR LEVEL, able to pose a threat and play the UES game - e know they are underpaid adult teachers one step away from being discovered and brought down. The power is too imbalanced.

[It’s not like you can’t bring adults into the drama - Rufus and Lily proved that. The self-righteous character can also do well - see Dan. But not adults who stoop to the kids’ level without being clearly pushed to it for a reason we’re interested in. Like the teacher who gave Blair a B and later slept with Dan.]

4. Pacing. The OG series dropped us straight into the mystery and drama. Why has Serena been gone a year? What is this Gossip Girl’s role in all this? Nate slept with Serena and Blair doesn’t know? The reboot drops us into BURGEONING drama - everyone is great with each other, GG is not established, Zoya and Julien are actually buddy-buddy. The gang of 7 are tight-knit, with little drama except on a moral level (ie Obie not liking Julien’s manipulativeness) which doesn’t always work out great for soaps since that moral ball is going to get dropped SO many times. We don’t know why we should care, there’s not much to uncover.

5. The characters don’t have strong motivations. At least not compelling ones, not right now. Julien seems to be the leader, the Blair-lite - but she’s very nice. She just wants to have followers and get to know her sister. She’s not the antagonist we love to hate. When there’s a legitimate reason for her to potentially be angry or suspicious - when Obie and Zoya are suspected of sleeping together - she immediately dismisses it. What ends up tipping her over and sparking the conflict between her and Zoya is that she lost followers, and Zoya was ‘humiliated’ by being framed for sending a dick pic. Zoya loses it but we’re not sure why - she was hurt, yes, but what exactly did this affect? We didn’t see her ostracized in school, we don’t know what repercussions that one incident was supposed to have except a moment of embarrassment in front of people who could very well have been strangers. If Zoya had cared about fashion and blown her chance with designers, then that would have made sense, with the undercurrent of hurt. But this is what sparks their conflict - not Gossip Girl, who just comes off as try-hard middle aged sad adults - and results in Zoya declaring she won’t leave but she also won’t play Julien’s game. What does that mean? That she’ll just live her life the best she can? We’re not watching a soap to avoid pettiness! We see Julien later reacting to Zoya and Obie, who recently dumped her, later getting close, and she stomps off. And then she reacts nicely to the teacher she bumped into, contrasting the first part, where by all rights she should have been pissed. The teacher looks triumphant, but that doesn’t make sense. Their goal was to get these kids scared with Gossip Girl, but GG hasn’t created any change - Zoya and Julien fell apart because of Monet’s machinations - and this makes the teachers come off as EVEN WORSE because now the kids are even being nice! What’s the motivation to double down on GG?

This show had a lot of promise but they dropped the ball. Hope they get better in the next eps.

Edit: They totally did! And now that it's clear we're meant to hate the teachers, I can watch this again

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triptuckers · 3 years

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Sunshine - Nikolai Lantsov

Request: yea! “Can you make a Nikolai Lantsov x Reader where the reader has been with the Crows for a year, so when she sees him again, he recognizes her immediately and vice versa.” Pairing: Nikolai Lantsov x reader Summary: Someone looks very familiar, and you can’t wrap your head around it Warnings: crooked kingdom spoilers!! Word count: 1.6K A/N: hi! there’s (slight) crooked kingdom spoilers in this one, so don’t read it if you don’t want any spoilers for the book! thanks for requesting this, enjoy reading!

‘The Ravkan king is sending a pirate to go to the auction.’ says Kaz, making you look up in confusion as you’re walking through the halls of the fancy hotel. You are on your way to meet with the Ravkans, but you didn’t know the king would send a pirate to go to the auction.

‘He’s sending a pirate?’ you question. ‘To represent his country?’ ‘He prefers the term ‘privateer’.’ says Kaz, slightly clenching his jaw. ‘Probably because it helps him sleep better at night.’ chuckles Jesper beside you.

You roll your eyes, but chuckle as well. ‘Would it make you feel better if I called you a distance expert, instead of a good shot?’ you say.

‘Oh no, I’m good with flattering, you don’t have to use fancy words for that.’ says Jesper, making you laugh again.

‘Keep it professional, you two.’ says Kaz as you’re approaching the double doors at the end of the hallway.

‘Why?’ you say. ‘You’re intimidating enough for the three of us. Jesper and I can just be your bright side, you know, bring a little sunshine.’

‘We don’t need sunshine.’ says Kaz. ‘We need to bring Van Eck and Rollins down.’

You sigh as you follow Kaz through the doors. ‘Never a bright side with you, is there?’ you say.

Once you enter the room, you immediately look at the three people waiting for you. As you walk up to them, you take all of them in.

On the left is a stunningly gorgeous girl. It’s hard to keep your eyes off of her. She has her arms crossed and looks very sternly at Kaz, Jesper and you as you approach them. You can tell she’d much rather be in Ravka if it was up to her. You weren’t familiar with most grisha’s, but you’re sure Nina would know her.

On the right is a grisha you do recognise. But only because of the eye patch and scars. Genya Safin. Despite her scars, you can see her beauty. She looks a lot nicer than the other girl.

Between them in the middle is a boy, not much older than you are, who you assume must be the pirate. Despite being flanked by two powerful Grisha, he’s the one that catches your attention.

He doesn’t look like a pirate. At least, not like the one’s you’ve met. He’s holding his chin up high and standing up straight, not exactly like a criminal would. He smiles as you approach him and there’s something familiar about him you can’t place.

‘We’re glad you’re here.’ says Kaz, as the three of you stop in front of them.

‘We’re here on business.’ says the grisha on the left. ‘Zoya.’ says the pirate. ‘Be nice.’ But she only scoffs and rolls her eyes at him. Clearly, she didn’t want to be in a city like Ketterdam.

‘Well, this is Zoya.’ says the pirate, motioning to the girl. ‘And this is Genya.’ he says, gesturing to the other girl. ‘And I’m Sturmhond.’

‘I’ve heard that name before.’ says Jesper. ‘Only the good things, I hope.’ says Sturmhond.

‘This is Jesper.’ says Kaz. ‘That’s Y/N.’

Jesper nods at the Ravkans, but you narrow your eyes at Sturmhond. Sturmhond looks at you, waiting for you to say something, but you merely continue to look at him, slightly narrowing your eyes.

‘Why is she looking at me like that?’ he asks.

You don’t say anything, but notice Jesper moving closer to you.

‘Scheming face.’ he says, studying your features. ‘Her brain’s running at top speed right now. Best not to ask anything ‘til she speaks up herself.’

Kaz and Sturmhond start talking business, and you take Sturmhond in once more. There’s something so familiar about him, and you’re going through all the memories you made in Ravka, trying to determine where you could have met him before.

Some time later, Sturmhond turns to you again.

‘I know I’m nice to look at, but you’re over selling it a bit, sunshine.’ he says.

Sunshine.

Suddenly, memories of a summer night flood back to you. It was before you came to Ketterdam, when you were in Ravka. You did all sorts of jobs, because you had certain skills not a lot of Ravkans had. On one night, you had a run in with a few soldiers.

You thought you were done for, but they’d won an important battle that had lasted days, and weren’t in the mood for more fighting. They shared their food and kvas with you, and told you stories. You didn’t want to tell them your name, so one of the soldiers had decided to call you sunshine instead.

He had told you his name was Nikolai, and when you asked him about his family name and he said it was Lantsov, you didn’t believe him. What were the odds you ran into one of the Ravkan princes in the middle of nowhere?

Maybe he had spoken the truth after all.

You smile at Sturmhond and finally speak up. ‘You don’t look like a pirate.’ you say. ‘Privateer.’ he corrects you. ‘Pirate, privateer, all the same. You don’t look like one. You don’t talk like one either. Or act or stand like one.’ you say. ‘Then what do I look like?’ he asks you.

A smile tugs on your lips as you look at him. ‘A royal.’ you say. ‘Why would the Ravkan king send a pirate to such an important auction? If I was king, I’d want to know what was going on. I’d go myself. And have one of the best Tailors in the country help me with my disguise. Turn myself into a pirate named Sturmhond.’

‘That’s an interesting theory.’ he says. ‘Are you implying I’m king Nikolai? It’s a good one, but not the right one, I'm afraid.’

You nod at him but aren’t convinced. Next to you, Kaz pulls his watch out of his pocket, and tells you you need to go. The six of you walk toward the door, you and Sturmhond trailing at the end of the group. Just as you’re about to walk through the doors, he stops you and closes them, leaving the two of you alone.

‘You’re smart.’ he says and you smile at him. ‘I never thought I’d see you again.’ ‘So I’m right?’ you say, very pleased with yourself. ‘Maybe.’ he says. ‘Maybe?’ you say, laughing softly. ‘It’s good to see you, Nikolai.’

‘It’s good to see you too.’ he says. ‘You know, when we met and you told me your family name was Lantsov, I didn’t believe you.’ you say. ‘I wouldn't have believed me either.’ he says. ‘Some soldier claiming they’re a Lantsov? I’d think it was a bad move to try and impress a pretty girl.’

‘Ah.’ you say. ‘So you think I'm pretty now?’ ‘I thought you looked absolutely gorgeous when I first met you. Even in that ridiculous coat that you wore to hide your revolvers.’ says Nikolai.

‘Why come to Ketterdam as Sturmhond?’ you ask. ‘I’ve always been Sturmhond.’ he says. ‘Everything you’ve heard about him, that’s me. I sailed the seas when my parents thought I was at a university.’

You’re silent as you look at him. Genya had done a good job tailoring him. If you hadn’t spend an entire night talking to him, you wouldn’t be able to tell it was actually the Ravkan king, and not some pirate. But you had studied his face that night, and it had been imprinted in your memory ever since.

‘What’s on your mind?’ asks Nikolai.

‘Genya did a good job.’ you say, moving closer to him and taking in the details of his face. ‘I like your own eye color and nose better though.’ you say, making him smile.

‘Do you like it here?’ he asks. ‘In Ketterdam?’ you say and he nods. ‘I do.’ you say. ‘It’s messy, and you need to have some kind of weapon on you every time you’re out on the streets, but believe it or not, it feels like home. I can be myself and use my skills without a civil war or soldiers bothering me.’

‘Don’t they have Stadwatch here?’ questions Nikolai, and you laugh. ‘They’re here, yes. But they don’t do much. All it takes is a little kruge and they look the other way. Plus, in the Barrel the gangs have territories, the Stadwatch doesn’t decide how we handle things down here.’ you say.

‘If you ever get tired of this life, Os Alta is very nice.’ he says. ‘Is the king of Ravka asking me to come to the palace with him?’ you ask teasingly. ‘No.’ he says. ‘Nikolai is asking if you want to come to the palace with him.’

You smile at him. ‘I have to admit, it does sound nice. But I’ve found my place here with the Dregs. Kaz, Jesper, they may not look like much to you, but I trust them with my life, they’re my family.’ you say.

Nikolai nods, taking a step back and away from you. ‘I understand.’ he says. ‘Forget I asked anything.’

‘I wasn’t finished yet.’ you say. You step closer to him and look up at him. ‘Ketterdam is now my home, but I wouldn’t say no to the occasional visit to Os Alta.’

Nikolai’s face lights up upon hearing your words and he starts grinning like an idiot. ‘I’ll make sure there’s a bottle of kvas waiting for you on your first visit. Along with a gorgeous hazel-eyed, blonde king.’ he says.

You raise a hand and run it through his hair, which Genya had tailored to be a shade of red instead of the golden blonde you remember. ‘I prefer you as a blonde.’ you murmur softly.

‘Next time you’ll see me, I’ll be blonde.’ he says. ‘Next time I see you?’ you say. ‘Promise.’ says Nikolai.

A/N: If you want to request something, make sure to read my house rules Here’s the list of characters I write for. Everything that I have written can be found on my masterlist. Please don’t repost my work, as I spend much time and effort on it!! Thank you for reading! Much love, Marit

#nikolai <3 <3 <3 #nikolai lantsov #shadow and bone #grishaverse #nikolai lantsov x reader #nikolai lantsov x you #nikolai lantsov fanfiction #nikolai lantsov fanfic #nikolai lantsov fanfics #nikolai lantsov fic #nikolai lantsov fics #nikolai lantsov oneshot #nikolai lantsov oneshots #shadow and bone fanfiction #shadow and bone fanfic #shadow and bone fanfics #shadow and bone fic

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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!

#grishaverse #six of crows #the grisha trilogy #the darkling #nikolai lantsov #alina starkov #king of scars #rule of wolves #<< mild spoilers #zoyalai #kanej #etc. lol #brain dump

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lilisouless · 2 months

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Hey moot, I didn’t deleted the post cause I was mad at what you said,all your arguments were valid l in case you didn’t read the answers, i deleted it actually because i realized (partly because of what you said) that i was being too harsh on show!Nina when her worse sin is honestly just terrible writing

I still think she is an awful character,what you can’t do is convince me that netflix didn’t screw over Nina because unlike some characters, such as Wylan, they didn’t took Nina and said “what would make sense for her character” , what they did was “this is not a character,this is half of a ship” they saw the fans that always say that Nina is nothing without Matthias and decided that those were the people they wanted to appeal.

I admit, i was too harsh,Zoya was a jerk to her, but show!Nina is only written to convenience , her convictions and goals are not adjusted to her,are adjusted to make her personality end up in wanting to be with Matthias. Which is frustrating because book!nina had both a really good romance AND individuality, she could do both.

Additionally, conveniently no character on the show seems to get a shit about her, when in canon Nina is probably in-universe the most likeable crow,considering that she was liked by the orphanage staff, only bullied by the other kids because of jealousy and fat phobia, was the only crow to have at least one friend outside of the dregs (despite Big B being supposedly pals with Jesper, Jesper didn’t seem to care when he was left to bleed,so not so much of a friendship l comparing to Nina fondly remembering Nestor and being sad he died) compare Nina’s friendship with Jesper and Inej in the books, sure they have been together for less time but they clear like her enough to consider her being very important . On the show only Kaz seems to care about her, and that’s only because there’s no tent in the world that can conceal the writer’s massive boner for Kaz, he gets the ultimate preference, he is THE show’s pet.

It’s a clear problem in the show, to write with shipping as a priority, David for Genya in season two , Mal for Alina in season two, Kaz for Inej on season one, Inej for Kaz in season two (way more insulting since they killed HER villain to favor Kaz) you may have a case for Wylan for Jesper,but honestly I can get pass that one because season two didn’t need yet another white man to take screentime from Alina. Nina had it for Matthias’s sake,but her case is particularly frustrating because Matthias not only has absolutely no plot relevance, he has less screentime than her!

I can’t say I hate show!Nina completely,because she has good scenes when they are letting her be , her scenes with Matthias are mostly good, her scenes oth talking about are painful to look. And i just hate the concept that not only is she a very shallow adaptation, that her existence was made to please misogynistic fans and that the show writers can’t make more clear they don’t care about her beyond her romance with Matthias.

#netflix shadow and bone #six of crows #leigh bardugo #grishaverse

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greensaplinggrace · 3 years

Note

I feel like you are the only person on here that likes the Darkling AND Mal (also Darklina and Malina) and is respectful about it. I love them both and have been trying to find more people that do too. so I was wondering if you knew any accounts that like them both? thx! ❤️

Hi nonny! I really appreciate this ask, and I tried to find some blogs that fit the criteria. Unfortunately, the SaB fandom is pretty divided, and finding people more accepting of both sides is pretty difficult. I was actually going to make a post myself asking for blogs to follow that ship both or that treat both characters well because I’ve run into much the same problem. Currently, I’m actually following a lot of anti blogs that post content for their preferred ships/characters, and I just have the anti tags blacklisted. It’s still kind of depressing to see that kind of stuff pop up so much even when it’s blacklisted, but it’s manageable. Anybody who doesn’t tag their anti shit immediately gets blocked because they’re assholes, so I end up at least following people who are respectful of others in the fandom, which is good enough for me in the end.

I’m also not too sure if you want blogs that are neutral, blogs that post both, blogs that defend Aleksander but still like Mal, or something else. In general, any big gif-making blog is going to be a good bet, as they’re oftentimes more invested in simply creating content than creating anti content. Anything else and it gets slightly complicated, but here are some blogs I could find.

@inejz-ghafa is an amazing gifmaker for anything to do with sab

@eivor-basim is a mindblowing darklina gifmaker

@jesperfahxey has made stellar gifs for many of the characters, all of which I love, and actively reblogs Malina and other sab content

@kazbrekkor is a phenomenal editor and gifmaker who posts and reblogs tons for every character, including a lot for Malina and Darklina

@peraltastarkov reblogs for every character and is super respectful, very nice, and her sab edits are stunning

@cherylblossom, whose gifs are to die for, especially her Malina ones, and who reblogs tons of Darklina stuff as well

@dearemma‘s Darklina gifs own my entire soul, no lie

@flaythleann is a splendid Darklina writer and they reblog great content for all of the characters

@finnismyoriginalsin is a multifandom blog that reblogs a lot of Darkling and Darklina content

@crow-summoner is great too. they reblog tons of Crows content as well as Darklina content and they’re very cool about Mal

@mal-zoya is such a good ot3 blog for Malarklina!! and they’re a super fan of Mal, so there’s tons of content for him as well as Malina

@rey-of-luke, who also ships the ot3 and who posts about Malina and Darklina!

@sanktyastag has the funniest tags in the world and ships both Malarklina and Darklina. they also make these brilliant quote edits that will absolutely blow you away

@sturmmhond is another amazing blog that loves them both and has some spectacular posts about all of the characters on their blog

@brightburner, mostly Darklina but also Malina, very awesome, one of my favorite sab blogs

@strawberrieswing is an all Mal blog, but she’s super respectful, super fun, and her edits are absolutely amazing

That’s all I can think of off the top of my head! Sorry if it’s not enough or not what you’re looking for. I really understand where you’re coming from lol, so I hope I helped out at least a bit. The blogs above are at least respectful of what they don't actively post about, and I like them all quite a bit! To be honest there are probably more that I know of too but just can't think of at the moment, so I'll probably reblog this with another list when I have the time.

I’ll also use this post to shoutout though, anybody who likes both Mal and Aleksander and even ships both Malina and Darklina, PLEASE RESPOND and I will absolutely follow. I’ve legitimately been scouring the fandom for blogs that aren’t full of anti stuff lol.

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marisandini-chu-blog · 3 years

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How Shadow and Bones Differentiate Villain and Anti-Hero

Alright, first I need to claim the fact that I love dark, edgy, but misunderstood bad boy in stories with the potential of epic redemption. Loki from Marvel. Jason Todd from DC. Captain Hook from Once Upon a Time. Zuko from AtLA. You name them, I simp them.

So when I watched this new show on Netflix and shown a tall, handsome man in dark clothing, both respected and feared for his power. I feel... nothing.

WHICH IS WEIRD! Like... he’s obviously my type. Complete with the sad backstory and vicious streak. So I kept wondering why I wasn’t enamored by the Darkling, Alexander Kirigan. I wasn’t surprised he was the main villain, I even expected it. But I usually at least have a bit of sympathy for them. This OOC behavior of mine made me introspect myself and the show, trying to find out which part gave me the red flags before Mother Darkling decides to pop the chosen one out halfway in the season.

That’s when it hit me; there were red flags! The show had been subtly trying to tell us Kirigan is a manipulative boyfriend not just by great acting and good directing, but by comparing him with the actual anti-hero of the story who I actually love; Kaz Brekker.

Here’s the list of signs you might not notice of why Kirigan is meant to be a Villain instead of an Anti-Hero.

1. The Eyes

"The eyes are the window to the soul" is a common saying and and the key to good acting for any good show. Eyes tell us a lot about what a person’s character is like and SaB showed us the difference of a sincere man and a man with a hidden agenda.

Look at him! Look at that little smirk. Look at the gaze. That's the look you find when someone's evil little plan is finally coming together. Not one awed by the power or by Alina. A blatant sus move is what I'm saying. Congrat, first flag planted.

Sure he could still fall in love with Alina, but that doesn't stop his agenda either. All it does is potentially create conflict for him to pick either his plan for revenge or life with Alina.

In comparison, look at Kaz when he said this to Inej; "She isn't like you, no one is." Straightforward eyes. Serious grim. No nonsense tone. Inej is one of the most talented and terrifying rogue-assassin and Kaz just blatantly said that he kept her from 'slavery' because of who she is, not what she's capable of. Like... the man has no shame being known to love her while still trying to be professional (or as professional a thief can be). I can respect that.

This is the eye of a man who would abandon everything to make sure she comes out alright in the end. Do not argue with me on this!

2. Leverage and Status

The moment Alina steps into the Little Palace she was treated like a princess. A palace, by the way, that’s managed by the Darkling. She gets favorable treatment; from the food, Zoya displaced when she fought Alina, a horseback ride just the two of them, asking her to call by his name to make them familiar, a black uniform that might as well be claiming???

Dude is desperate is what I’m saying.

Sure, this could all be romantic gestures. There’s the problem that Kirigan is superior in status and name, powerful Grisha, and has a vested interest in her power. Pursuing romance while Kirigan has the ability to make her life heaven or hell with a snap of his finger made every single decision be seen with wariness.

"Beware of powerful men," Genya couldn't put it any better.

Had they pursued romance after they destroy the fold, cementing Alina’s position as a saint more. Then I might have let go of that wariness.

I’m only proven correct when the moment Alina turned away from him, Kirigan made another leverage by (spoiler!) putting an antler to her collarbone... eeeewwww much?!

That’s how desperate the Darkling is to be in control of a person and a situation.

And when no letter came for Alina? That a big red flag because who else in this castle can control the coming of going of letter with the Savior. HMMMMMMMMMMM.....

Then there’s Kaz. My man. There’s no competition. This guy held no leverage on my dear Inej. When she almost decided to leave, Kaz didn't force or convince her to stay but he ask her. Doesn't remind her of her debt whether monetary or life debt to him. In fact, this guy needs money for revenge but instead mortgage his main source of income for her freedom.

HE POSTPONED HIS LIFE GOAL TO FREE HER FROM DEBT ASJHAKFSDJGLDFJ!!!

What more do I need to say?

3. Sympathy Card

This is the type of point you want to watch out from your partners, ladies, gents, and others. The sympathy card is the way to go when anyone wants to reach out to you so you can take care of them before they abuse or gaslight you.

While it’s good to share trauma and eased the burden, sometimes it's healthy to ask yourself whether the person can take advantage of you and to verify whether they lie to you or not.

When Kirigan shared about his past as a sympathetic boy with his secluded fountain and coin. Everything about that scene rang warning bells for me... the part he had requested her to use his color... requesting to horse ride with just them two... sharing sob story that may encourage Alina to help him...

Kudos to Alina to see through the fact she's seen as a means to an end.

It was only when Kirigan showed righteous anger and frustration of a war that's killing his people did Alina finally opened her heart to him.

Kaz however doesn't use the sympathy card. Heck, the man likes to believe he shed away any weakness and threw it in the harbor where it belongs. Kaz hates weaknesses. And garnering sympathy is an admission of weakness for him.

We still know there's a tragic backstory as any decent anti-hero would have... but by not sharing that, this implies that Inej and Jesper stayed because of who he is, and not because of who he was or how he came to be. They don't need a sob story to stay together and that showed a stronger bond between them.

4. Friends

To be frank, I find this the most hilarious because this point is the one that convinced me that Kirigan was secretly an evil bastard.

He doesn’t have any friends!!!

Like... dude had a literal witch army, a wife once, a fuck buddy, and a girlfriend but there wasn’t a single moment in the show where someone, outside of Alina and superior, to speak casually to him.

You’re telling me this person... the most powerful and influential Grisha in the East Ravka, charming as hell, handsome as fuck, and yet he doesn’t have friends?!

“I’ve buried good soldiers... friends...” Get the fuck out of here! WHAT FRIENDS?!?! Maybe if you get off your little power trip from your self-made pedestal, you can actually be less of an asshole and make one.

Sure he excused himself by blaming his ‘ancestor’ for being a shadow summoner. I can see how the fear makes it hard for him to get close to anybody. But all the other characters who are part of his army only ever shown to speak with him respectfully, and the royalty even commend him. No one disrespected him even openly and you’re telling me he doesn’t have one friend amidst all these people?!

In comparison, look at Kaz. He’s brash, crude, and unapologetic. He held true to his moniker ‘Bastard of the Barrel’ and yet this ass has friends. They show Jesper joking with Kaz, and Kaz has shown to banter with him back as well as tolerating his gambling addiction when it could have jeopardized the Job. Inej was shown to actually argue and have disagreement with Kaz when he’s technically her boss. Can you imagine the Darkling doing that? CAN YOU?!

No. Because he's a pretentious ass. That's why.

This is a great example of the use “show not tell” of how Kaz despite his obvious edges has a soft spot shown through his relationship with Inej and Jesper, who have a friendly dynamic. I can attest that while Kaz didn’t create a good first impression, I love Jesper and Inej (they are precious!) so much that I project it to Kaz in extension.

On the other hand, Kirigan’s goodwill had only ever been told by outsiders or himself. None from his inner circle (which he doesn’t have!) other than his mother, who ended up outing him instead.

So I applaud the writers and showrunners of SaB to actually have subtext signs of a manipulative bastard. The Duckling is a good villain character that's complex but unredeemable. Sometimes, you just have a good ol' charming villain you can't redeem and that's okay.

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cheekygreenty · 3 years

Text

Little Witch - Part 18

The Darkling x Reader

The Winter Fete was fast approaching. The Little Palace was being cleaned up and stitched up in preparation and the seamstress unit was overwhelmed with orders of silk keftas and lavish gowns.

Aleksander was away at front lines on behalf of the Lantosv King again and you were buried up to your neck in work that would otherwise go to him. You pondered for much too long why he always left and you stayed. He constantly left for the camps and front-lines, tending to Grisha in the outposts and dealing with war duties while you were stuck in the confines of this very Palace, signing your name away and reading boring documents. From what you gathered though it had been the same before you arrived, your intelligence prevailing even now.

'You called for me Deputy?' An older Squaller loomed at your door, her greying hairs curling at the sides of her face.

'I did indeed, please sit.' You pointed towards the small sofa in the corner of your room and got up from your desk, heading for it too.

'I think it's about time I thanked you in person for everything you've done for me, Irina.' You picked up the sealed envelope sitting on the table and held it out to her.

'Is that what I think it is?' The older woman visibly teared up, a feathering touch on the envelope.

'I owe it to you and your mother, Irina. Take it.'

'This is so much more than we have given you.'

'Don't be fooled. , I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you.'

'Does he know?'

'Of course he doesn't. I keep my own affairs in order without him prying in.'

'Are you sure?' It struck you with a strangeness that you were much older than the Grisha in front of you and had nothing to show for it. You had seen her as a newborn baby cradled in her mother's arms all those years ago and yet you stood before her, the epitome of youth.

'Go. Live your life. It's all in there.' You gestured to the envelope. Irina looked at you just as her mother once did, a look of gratitude and hope. 'He may not be alive anymore but your girl is. So go, I beg of you.'

She stood up and hugged you tightly, quietly crying out of pure joy. You sushed her like you did when she was just a child.

'Go before I decide to keep you around.' You tried to lighten the mood, to say goodbye without having to actually say it. You knew deep down you would never see her again, and given the fact that her daughter was an otkazat'sya, you had no use for her either. Her life was far away from the Os Alta, you made sure of it and now her mother would get to join her and they could live out the rest of their days as a family.

'Y/N you will always be family. My mother made sure of it. I will always be here to serve you.'

'Go'

And she did, with the envelope clutched tightly in her hand, the daughter of your long-passed best friend walked out the door, ending your relationship with the Volkov Grisha.

You met Inessa Volkov during your very first year in the First-Army. She was a Squaller too, stationed at Kribirsk to aid skiff journeys. She was a firecracker, a feisty Zemeni woman who could both bark and bite and never relied solely on her small science.

It was most strange to see soldiers from opposite armies be friends, but Inessa would always swear she knew you were special. She followed you to the Little Palace, helped you evolve into the infamous witch the Fjerdan's began to fear, but her life hit a standstill when she got pregnant. Twins, the girl a Grisha, the boy an otkazat'sya.

Your position allowed for you to help the boy along in life, to prevent him from being dumped in an orphanage by the other Grisha. You gave him a life of happiness and content away from the buzz of capital and for that Inessa was indebted to you, even after your supposed death.

Irina only knew you as a character in her mother's bedtimes stories until you reached out. From then on, Irina served as one of your spies in the Palace while you stayed in the shadows watching Aleksander's moves from a long distance.

Irina was the last link you had to your old life apart from Aleksander and Baghra, of course. You were lucky she was powerful and could live a long life like her mother, but it still hurt to know she would die eventually and you would still be you. You were used to watching those around you die, Aleksander had prepared you for it unintentionally through his various stories and explained life adventures but the sting was still there.

You and Aleksander were on the same page when it came to Grisha abandoning the war effort, but you couldn't help yourself to not let Irina go. She had a daughter and grandkids that she deserved to spend time with in her old age.

No doubt Aleksander would throw up a fuss about a missing Grisha, but you had planned for it already. In the envelope was Irina's death certificate, the address of her daughter's abode, and all the information on her twin brother's family. You wouldn't tell him the truth ever, you would take it to the grave, if you even have to pleasantry to meet.

If he were to find out, with it would come the bubbling question of 'How many spies were there?' and there were too many to count. You had a looming presence and influence in the Palace long before you physically came back and no doubt he would be pissed that you got away with it.

'Deputy, are you to dine in the hall today or in your chambers?' The maid was looking at you and asking the same question she asked every night.

'I think I'll dine with the Grisha, thank you.'

Lately, you ate your dinners cold and in your office, eating only when you remembered the silver tray sitting idly on the table. When Aleksander comes back he's getting an earful and a stack of papers to read. That'll show him.

The hall was filled with pleasant chatter as you approached your seat. It no longer went quiet as you entered, instead a smile or two were sent your way when you noticed. Alina was sitting at her chair sulking over her plate as she usually did and Zoya was too busy eating to notice anything going on around her.

Your food was warm this time as you dug in, drinking the hefty meal down with kvas. You weren't privy to the conversation taking place around you as your thoughts were suddenly overtaken by him. You were never needy, but as of late you wanted to be near Aleksander at all times which was difficult since he wasn't here. The quick kiss he bestowed upon you before he entered his carriage did little to appease you. He never told you when he would be back, but you hoped he wouldn't miss the fete.

Alina was getting stronger, a messy report said that apparently something snapped in her and she grew in power almost overnight. Sometimes when you walked the Palace halls at night, you would catch glimpse of light coming out from under her door. She was growing confident and it suited her. You knew it wasn't any thanks to Baghra.

'Y/N'

'Hmm?' You looked up from your food to see who called you by your name and not your title and relaxed when your eyes caught Zoya's bored ones.

'Botkin asked me to ask you why you've been skipping your combat?' She looked around impassively as if this was the least of her problems but you knew she had nothing better to do given Aleksander's warning to her.

'Oh ummm, I've been busy.' You set your cutlery down and downed the rest of the kvas.

'A Grisha is never too busy to train, lazy perhaps.' You squinted up at the brunette with a false offense.

'Do you have something else to say to me Zoya?'

'I don't know what you mean.'

'Alright then if you say so.' You got up from your chair, coaxing her up from her own. 'Perhaps, your Deputy wants to train now. Should you care to join her?' You knew Zoya was an excellent Squaller, and an even better fighter but was she better than you?

You didn't miss the look of surprise on her face or the silent acceptance of the challenge as you both walked out of the hall, aiming for the training grounds.

'Don't worry about knocking me cold, the General doesn't speak for me.'

The spaces were empty, all Grisha being at dinner and Botkin seemingly busy too.

'I should hope so.'

If you looked at it from a subjective perspective, Inessa and Zoya were very alike. They both had that ruthless and vindictive aspect to their behavior paired with that sharp tongue and intelligent nature. They would've hated each other.

'Come on Nazyalensky, let's see what your made of.' You got into position, holding up your fists in front of you, ready to strike a blow if need be. You let her hit first, effortlessly dodging and ducking her punches and hooks. She was as fast as a bird in flight, swift and elegant. It impressed you, but unfortunately for her, it wasn't enough. You had her restrained in a matter of seconds, her arms behind her back and chest heaving against the wet ground.

'A worthy opponent. You're pretty good I must confess.' You let her go and stood up, adjusting your kefta around your waist.

'Again' You rolled your eyes at her inability to lose. Just like Inessa.

'Zoya, quit while your ahead. Besides I'm tired.'

'You do nothing all day, how can you be tired'

'Do you speak to the General the same way?'

'Only when he's not listening.' she joked and you actually laughed. It was refreshing to hear someone speak of him without that devout loyalty.

You walked back to the Palace, laughing and joking with the Squaller until you went your separate ways.

You didn't know what happened, but from that day onwards the rude Zoya Nazyalensky became a friend.

---------

Part 19

Contrary to popular belief, I would die for Zoya 😍🥰🥰

Taglist (tell me if you want to be added to the Little Witch taglist!!)

@theonelittleone @searching-for-gallifrey @0-artemis @lostysworld @xceafh @fire-in-her-veinz @patdsinner33 @cleverzonkwombatsludge @wizardwheezes @aleksanderwh0r3 @tomhollandisabae @hotleaf-juice @justmesadgirl @exo-1204 @houseofdupree @oberonpascal @eireduchess @lunas1x1 @adoringb

#shadow and bone #the darkling #imagine #the darkling x reader #ben barnes #grisha #alexander #alexander morozova #fanfic #alina starkov

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where-theres-smoak-2 · 3 years

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Yeah,exactly. One of the main problems with M*lina is how static their relationship is. We’re told they’re each other’s home and have feelings for each other but we never really see their relationship evolve and once they reunite(which in other better written friends to lovers relationships usually means showing how they’ve changed and wether they’re compatible together)nothing really changes either they solve their misunderstandings in 5 min and that’s it and this is actually a great example of how boring and devoid of any real storytelling Western shows,etc are becoming. The fake/woke puritanical crowd refuse to accept that how a relationship begins isn’t as important as how it ends. Darklina might have toxic elements or whatever but in the hands of a better writer the process of their relationship and how it ends should be much more important than bring so pure and unproblematic.With Aleksander you get to see the progression of him being so stoic and unreadable when he first meets Alina to becoming more vulnerable and even at times unhinged(getting emotional in the war room scene,Alina’s potential kidnapping,threatening his mother,rejecting Zoya,begging Alina to understand him,etc)and we get to see how being with Aleksander affects Alina too and that’s what a well written relationship should strive to do. And let’s be honest I don’t think viewers would care very much about the destruction of the Fold if it wasn’t for Aleksander carrying the plot on his back instead of rooting for the two orphans in o defeat him like LB intended(sorry to break it to you B*rdugo but LOTR did it so much better yet it was supposed to be originally children’s books,imo).

And this is why I find Darklina a much more interesting ship, because you get to witness their relationship grow and change but as you said this isn't the case with M*lina, their relationship is the same throughout. I do agree with what you said about how there seems to be this fixation of characters and relationships being pure and unproblematic. I've been noticing it more and more often lately with various tv shows and books and the fandoms and especially with reviewers and reactors. It's like a character does one thing wrong and the attitude of some fans is 'hang them they are a terrible person and their character has been completely ruined there's no going back now'. Which to me is just nonsensical. The amount of times I've seen a character do something the fandom doesn't like or something that is questionable and they've then been marked as ruined or bad is ridiculous, its the same argument they use that their character development has regressed or been thrown out the window because they've done one morally grey thing. In fact I've said this before but character development does not have to be linear, a character can improve but they can also have set backs, that doesn't make it bad development it just makes it human. One of the most popular phrases I see is 'character 'A' would never do this' but the thing is as circumstances around a character changes so too does the character, so things they might not have done in say season 1 become a plausible character choice in later seasons.

But more and more lately there's been this trend of making sure that your 'good' characters remain pure and don't ever do anything wrong and unfortunately this makes them boring in my opinion. I like to see characters make mistakes and I like to see how this effects them and how it changes them, do they grow from it or does it lead them to making more questionable decisions? A flawed character has more room to grow and is just more interesting to me which is probably why I like the darkling so much. As you pointed out we get to see Aleks grow and change as the season goes on from someone who comes across as very stoic and cold, the perfect general to someone who is vulnerable and flawed. It's the same with Alina as the season goes on we see her shift from someone who is insecure and feels useless, who is overlooked by others around her to someone who is confidant and who in important within her society and who owns her own power.

M*l however is a different story and I think it stems back to this purity complex. I think they were so desperate to make sure the character was liked they tried to paint him as this pure, shining knight who could do no wrong. Unfortunately this really watered down his character to the point that there isn't really any substance to him at all and he is very one dimensional. And he has no development at all, the M*l we meet in the beginning of season 1 is the same M*l as at the end of it. As terrible as I think the character is in the books at least he did have some character development in the first book in that at the beginning he didn't see Alina and he had no feelings for her from what we could tell and he slept around but come the end of the book he does develop feelings and does confess them to her and commits to her. However in the show they wanted to keep this 'can do no wrong' character so they made it clear to the audience that he did have feelings for Alina in the pilot episode and so he has feelings for her in the beginning and he has feelings all through the season and he has feelings at the end and absolutely no character development. The ironic thing is though is whilst they made Aleks so much more human in the show in a way they made M*l less human. The fact that he has no flaws and that he never does anything wrong makes him seem like this pure angel caricature as oppose to an actual person. Even down to deciding that he doesn't sleep with Zoya despite the fact that at the time he was free to do so as he wasn't in a relationship with Alina and it being book canon. That would have made him less pure and the less ideal knight in shining armour. I also feel like they use this later as a way of kind of comparing pure M*l with evil Aleks because Aleks has slept with Zoya look how morally corrupt he is, unlike M*l who held strong against temptation.

I like what you said about how a relationship starts isn't as important as where it ends. I agree with this I think the thing that makes a relationship interesting and well written is seeing that journey and seeing it come to completion to look at where they started and see the growth and change. Which is why when you have a ship like M*lina where they seem very fixated on the past and where the relationship began and where there is very little to no change in their relationship, I find it very boring.

#darklina #anti malina #answered

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