#like they have Amplifier Plot with alina but not each other?? | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

rose-sophia-isabella-rogers · 3 months

Text

A Steel That Went Through Hottest Fire: Chapter XVIII - From Darkness into the Light

Chapter Summary: You and Aleksander finally find a moment to yourselves, during which he reveals to you what he already has to Nikolai. He also has a confrontation with his mother, who still believes he has ill intents. And at long last, Alina and Mal arrive to Os Alta.

Pairing: Aleksander Kirigan/Reader, Alina Starkov/Mal Oretsev

Characters: Aleksander Kirigan, Reader, Nikolai Lantsov, Genya Safin, Baghra, Alina Starkov, Mal Oretsev

Word Count: 4252

A/N: Smut alert. If you don't like this or are underage, please, don't read from "'Yes', he says and goes down on you." to "'That was… wow,' you breathe out when Aleksander pulls out.". Enjoy! Inspired by prompts: https://pl.pinterest.com/pin/207306389090100549/ https://pl.pinterest.com/pin/207306389090100511/ https://pl.pinterest.com/pin/207306389090100510/

Tag list (let me know if you want to be added or removed):

@budugu

@intothesoul

@mizelophsun11

@pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy

@zeeader

@marrymonrich

@wonderland2425

@chelseyyouraverageluigi

@thehufflepuffavenger1

@drinix

Your heart is beating like crazy. Standing in the Darkling's chambers, you keep thinking about what has just happened. The Apparat and Yuri. The knife. People declaring you a Saint. Nikolai's promise…

Bring me Alina Starkov.

… Why?

Oh, I don't want her dead. We need her to win this. And besides… we have a long overdue… chat…

For a moment you thought he wouldn't agree. But he sent Tolya to get Alina and Mal at once. You can't wait for this meeting.

You shake your head. Now it's not time for this. You look at the door. And at that moment Kirigan walks in. He stops and for a moment you simply stare at each other.

'[Y/N],' he breathes out finally and rushes to you. He cups your face and kisses you like a man starved. You gasp and answer with the same fervour, tangling your fingers in his hair, which earns you a groan.

'Aleksander…' you sigh. He grunts and presses you closer to himself.

'Finally,' he murmurs. 'Finally, alone. It was driving me crazy. They didn't give us a single moment to ourselves in Lazlayon.'

'Well, they still don't trust us,' you remind him, playing with his hair. 'They feared we would be plotting. Or start a riot.'

'Or make out instead of working,' the Darkling hums. 'Because that what would have happened if they had let us be alone. I'd have been kissing you senseless and you wouldn't have been able to work on the antidote.'

'Well… seems like you have to make up for all the time we've lost,' you say, a mischievous glint in your eyes. Aleksander chuckles and presses a few kisses to your neck. Your breath hitches.

'Tell me what you want, milaya,' he almost purrs. 'I'm at your command. Whatever you need, I'll give you.'

'I want…' you start slowly, your hands going slowly down, until they reach his pants. He gasps when you push them inside and find his manhood.

'I want this… in here,' you finish, taking his hand and leading it to your core. 'I need it there. Please. I've waited enough.'

'You don't have to plead for it, lapushka,' Kirigan says, his voice husky. 'I'll give it to you there whenever you need it. I just waited for you to be ready.'

'I am now,' you whisper and kiss his jaw. 'Take me… Aleksander.'

In a moment, you find yourself in his arms. He barges into his bedroom and basically throws you on his bed. He stares at you with lust, quickly undressing himself. You get rid of your clothes as well.

'Mine,' he growls as he looms over you. 'All mine.'

'Yours,' you murmur, tracing his chest with your fingers, and look him in the eyes. 'And you're mine.'

'Yes,' Kirigan confirms, pressing a gentle kiss to your lips. 'Completely, utterly yours. As long as you'll have me.'

'Even forever?' you ask cheekily. But he becomes serious. He looks at you and gulps. You frown, confused at this sudden change in his mood.

'It may be more possible than you think,' he says quietly, staring at your amplifier. You touch it, slowly understanding.

'I'm… immortal now?' you ask with disbelief. Aleksander nods.

'I can feel it,' he says. 'Thanks to my nichevoy'a. They connected us. And… I can't exactly explain it… but I know you… you're like me now.'

'So…' you say slowly, 'unless I am killed… I won't be forced to leave you in the end? I won't leave you alone?'

The Darkling's heart melts. That is what is your first thought after he told you that you're immortal? He truly doesn't deserve you.

'Unless I'll drive you away,' he answers. You laugh.

'Never,' you say, shaking your head, and smile brilliantly at him. 'Good. I'm really glad, then.'

'Being immortal is not easy,' he warns you. 'You will watch everyone you care about wither and die.'

'But I won't be alone,' you say and entwine your fingers together. 'Neither will you. Not anymore. And immortality is not so scary if you have someone to share it with, right?'

The gaze of absolute adoration and devotion he gives you, causes you to blush furiously. He kisses you harshly, groaning into your lips. Before you can response, he pulls away.

'Yes', he says and goes down on you. You gasp and your eyes go wide.

'Aleksander!' you groan, bucking your hips. He pins them down. He devours you as if you were last meal. His lips and fingers know exactly where to press and how. He licks all your wetness, but ironically, the more he licks the more it leaks from you. His fingers stretch you, prepare you for him. You whine when you can't take it anymore.

'A little bit more, my love,' Kirigan says softly and you cry out when he pushes another finger in. 'That's it. Are you close?'

You nod, panting. He continues his ministrations for a moment longer. And when you feel you're about to cross the edge… he pulls out. You exhale shakily and look at him.

He stares at you for a moment, admiring your sweating face, your dilated pupils. He sees the desire in them. For him. All of that is for him. He's no longer alone. And he never will be.

'I love you,' he says softly. You smile at him. He sees tears glistening in your eyes. His heart clenches with guilt. He definitely should have told you about his feelings sooner.

'I love you as I've never loved anyone,' he declares, his voice serious. You cup his cheek and he leans into it.

'And I love you,' you say. He smiles at you and positions himself at your entrance. You both moan when he finally pushes in. He waits a moment, giving you time to adjust, and then starts moving. Slowly, at first. But he speeds up. Faster and faster.

'Aleksander!' you moan, throwing your head back. He groans and starts kneading your breasts. You gasp and push them into his hands, needing more.

'[Y/N],' he says in awe and joins your lips again. You put your hand on his nape and pull him towards you, wanting him closer. Wanting to become one with him.

His moves become sloppier. But he holds on. He doesn't want to end it yet. So, he slows down, which makes you whine in frustration. He can't help but chuckle.

'Something's wrong, moya milaya?' he asks teasingly. You glare at him and buckle your hips. He gasps. You smirk.

'Little vixen,' he growls and sucks on your nipple. He bites it gently. You cry out, your toes curling.

'Please…' you whisper. Aleksander would want to prolong it, to make you truly enjoy it. To treat you like you deserve. But at this moment he's relieved you're so close. He's been holding back for so long it hurts him to continue doing it.

'Together, my love,' he murmurs and speeds up again. You're both moaning and panting now. And finally, you reach peak at the same time, groaning each other's names.

'That was… wow,' you breathe out when Aleksander pulls out. He lays next to you, huffing.

'Yes… wow,' he agrees. You turn to look at him. He's staring at the ceiling, his expression pensive.

'What are you thinking about already?' you ask. He smiles wryly and looks at you.

'I love you,' he says, causing you to blink in confusion. 'And I'm happy. This feels… strange. I can't help but waiting for something bad to happen… and to lose you.'

'I'm here,' you whisper, joining your hands. 'And I'm not going anywhere. I promise.'

He smiles at you and kisses your knuckles. You shift a bit to be able to touch his forehead with yours.

'You promise?' he asks, forcing his voice not to crack.

'As long as you'll have me,' you answer sincerely. He grins.

'Forever, then,' he says.

'Forever it is,' you agree. Aleksander kisses your forehead and embraces you. You both close your eyes, content. And at peace.

Next day, you're in the workshop. Nothing surprising nor new. But this time, since the world already knows he's alive or at least everyone in Os Alta, Kirigan is there with you. Normally, you'd be happy to spend more time together. But the way he looks at you… is terribly distracting. And others glancing at you two doesn't help it.

'Remember what you said last night?' you finally ask, having enough.

'Which part?' the Darkling asks.

'About me not being able to work because of you,' you remind him, sending him a pointed look. He has an audacity to grin.

'I remember saying you wouldn't be able to work if we were alone, because I'd be kissing you senseless,' he says, causing you to blush. 'Neither of the conditions are fulfilled, so I don't see a problem.'

You force yourself not to look at others. You can't bear to stand their gazes.

'It appears all you have to do is to stare at me to distract me,' you say, causing him to smirk. 'Don't you have work to do? Or something?'

Before he can answer, Nikolai walks in. He locates you and marches straight to you.

'Perfect, I was looking for you two,' he says and clasps his hand behind his back. '[Y/N]-'

'You want to ask about my kefta,' you guess and hand him one of the papers on the table. 'Here is the design for it for other Grisha. And here… for uniforms of the army.'

You hand him another paper. Lantsov studies it, utterly fascinated.

'Amazing,' he murmurs. 'And what exactly does it repel?'

'Anything sharp that it's thrown at it,' you answer, shrugging. The King looks at you.

'Tell me more,' he urges you. You chuckle and shake your head.

'You do not want me to start talking about my projects,' you say. 'I can talk about it for hours. Just ask this one here.'

You point with your head at Aleksander. But he smiles.

'I'm afraid I'm a bad example, as I enjoy listening to you talking about things that are passionate for you,' he says. You blush again.

'And I really want to know how it works, it sounds fascinating,' Nikolai insists and looks at Kirigan. 'But first… would you mind checking on Grisha training? Zoya said she'd like to hear your thoughts about how they're doing.'

'Really?' the Darkling asks, raising his eyebrows.

'Well, not exactly, but I know that's what she meant,' Lantsov admits.

'Very well,' Aleksander agrees and walks to you. He presses a kiss to the top of your head and looks at your face, humming.

'What?' you ask, too late realising you're walking into a trap.

'You have lips,' he says, confusing you. 'And I have lips. Interesting…'

'Indeed,' you agree, not able to stop a smile forming on your face. 'We should test if they're compatible later.'

'Later,' Kirigan agrees, grinning, and walks away. You risk a look at the King, red as a tomato. But he's smiling.

'So, the kefta?' he asks, saving you from your embarrassment. 'What if Tamar throws her axe at it?'

While you're explaining your design to Nikolai, the Darkling hurries to the training ground with a spring in his step. Until he senses a familiar presence. He stops with a sigh. He waits a beat.

'Come out,' he says. 'I know you're here… mother.'

Baghra comes out of the shadows. She stares at her son grimly.

'What is your goal in all of this?' she demands. Aleksander scoffs and spreads his arms.

'I've missed you as well, mother,' he replies sarcastically. 'I've been well, thank you for asking. Well, besides the time I was dead.'

'You and only you are responsible for your death,' the old woman says, walking closer to him.

'I'm well aware,' Kirigan says. 'But I'm here now.'

'Yes,' Baghra says. 'What for?'

'Everything I want, I told to the King already. I don't have to explain myself to you.'

'Oh, but he can't see so clearly through your lies as I can. So? What are you really after? And what else do you want from that poor girl?'

'She is what I want. Nothing else matters but her. Now, excuse me. But our king has given me an assignment.'

He turns and attempts to walk away. But his mother grasps his wrist tightly. He tenses. Just like he was a child. But he isn't one anymore. He turns to her with a glare. She answers with one of her own.

'What is it in her that doesn't allow you to let her finally go?' she asks. He scoffs. He leans down, looming over Baghra.

'She's a mess of gorgeous chaos,' he says quietly, 'and you can see it in her eyes. She is… everything I've always wanted. And I warn you, mother… try to take her away from me… and I will feel no remorse in getting rid of you.'

'Do you really expect me to believe that you'll just let go of centuries of plotting for one girl?' the old woman scoffs. The glare she receives almost makes her shiver.

'After everything she's been through for me?' he asks. 'Yes.'

'What do you know what that girl has been through?' Baghra asks, getting back her confidence. But once again, the look in her son's eyes makes her freeze.

'I know they've informed you about… visions of me… that [Y/N] had,' he says slowly after a moment and she nods, confirming it. 'My nichevoy'a connected us. I was dead, yes. But thanks to a part of me being alive in Nikolai Lantsov, I was still here in a way. All the time I was by [Y/N]'s side. Yes, she could only see me at nights and not always. Because if I were to show myself to her every time that she fell asleep, I think it would have broken us both. But I was there. I watched her, sitting in that cell. I watched her losing herself. I watched her spirit slowly dying. I watched her being completely alone, scared and just barely alive.'

With every sentence he raises his voice and it becomes more passionate. Baghra's eyes go wide. She takes a step back against her own will. Aleksander pulls back, regaining his composure.

'So, don't question me what do I know about her sacrifices,' he says. 'Because I saw it. Every moment alone. Every moment she lied and manipulated, just so she could bring me back. I'm well aware of it all. I know that I don't deserve her. But I will gladly create another Fold if someone will try to take her from me. No matter who they'll be. And yes. If she doesn't want to rule by my side, if she just wants to have a peaceful life together with people she cares about, then damn it all, I'll give it to her. Because I'll choose her happiness over mine every time. And what's more, I know that with her by my side, it will be mine happiness as well.'

His mother stares at him, stunned. He challenges her with his gaze for a moment. When she doesn't say anything, he turns and walks away abruptly without a goodbye. She stares after him until he disappears behind a corner. Then… she smiles slightly.

'Maybe there's still hope for you,' she says softly, 'you stupid boy.'

Genya basically runs through the corridors of the Little Palace the moment she hears Tolya is back. She throws the door outside open and almost jumps down the stairs, then throws her arms around her dear friend.

'Genya!' Alina laughs, hugging her back. 'Oh, how I've missed you!'

'And I you, in case you haven't notice,' Safin says. Alina laughs again and the girls pull away from each other. They look at one another, noticing all the changes.

'How are… things?' Starkov asks hesitantly. Genya's good mood immediately dampens.

'They're… good,' she answers. 'At least for now. Hello, Mal.'

'Genya,' Oretsev greets her, nodding politely. Genya exhales slowly.

'Do you want to unpack first or do you want to get over it?' she asks. 'I know Nikolai is anxious to see you both, but you must be tired, so I'm sure he'll understand if you want to rest.'

'I'm afraid I won't be able to relax until I… see him,' Alina sighs. Safin nods in understanding and heads toward the Grand Palace.

'They have a meeting now,' she explains. 'Nikolai was informed you're getting closer and he thought it would be better if he was present during your meeting.'

'I think it's for the best,' Starkov agrees. 'If we're really supposed to work together, it wouldn't be good if we tore each other's throat right away.'

'Quite so,' Genya confirms. Two women chat with each other, excited to hear what the other has to say. Inside the Grand Palace, they meet Nikolai on their way to his chambers.

'Thought I heard your beautiful voice,' he says with a dazzling smile. 'Don't worry, he's still in my chambers. We're having a break. Wonderful to see you.'

'And you,' Alina says, hugging Lantsov tightly. 'You look well.'

'Thank you,' the King chuckles and pulls away. 'I definitely feel better than for the past months. Our dear Mal didn't want to start from meeting with him?'

'No, he's right-' Alina starts with a frown, turning. Her heart stops when she doesn't see her husband. She looks with panic at Genya.

'He was right behind us,' she says. But Safin gives her a troubled look. Because honestly, she can't be certain if Mal has followed them at all.

In the meantime, you finish the last batch of the antidote for today. You put it away and wipe the sweat from your forehead. You sense someone looking at you, so you look up. You freeze, seeing no other than Mal Oretsev.

'Here I am,' he says, spreading his arms. You raise your eyebrows.

'I can see that,' you say and clean your station, not giving him attention. He frowns and walks to you.

'I know you're the one that demanded Alina's presence here,' he says. 'And I understand why. You want revenge for her killing Kirigan. But if you want to kill someone, let it be me. I was supposed to die that day anyway.'

'Who says I want to kill anyone?' you ask, looking at him. He stares at you, surprised. You scoff and walk around the table. You face him and cross your arms.

'I wanted Alina here, because I know we're going to need her in the coming battle… or battles,' you say and shrug. 'True, maybe I want to take revenge on her. But I don't want anyone to die.'

'Then how are you going to take it?' Oretsev asks. 'Revenge, I mean. What are you going to do?'

'That's the most beautiful part,' you say and smirk. 'I don't have to do anything.'

'What is that supposed to mean?' Mal asks, frowning. You touch his chest and then poke it.

'She's already doing it for me,' you say. 'I knew it the moment you walked in her and asked me to kill you. You're missing it, don't you? Being the amplifier?'

Oretsev tenses. Oh, you've hit a nerve.

'You have nothing now,' you say quietly. 'Nothing but her. But it's not enough, no matter how hard you try to convince yourself. Your tracker's abilities were your greatest joy and source of pride. And she took it away. She took it away and didn't even allow you to leave, to finally get peace. What's more, to bring you back, she did exactly the thing she said she wouldn't. She used merzost.'

Mal takes a step back. He looks at you sharply, with a hint of surprise. You chuckle.

'Oh, yes, I know how she did that,' you confirm. 'I sensed it that day. And I wanted to tear her apart. For condemning Aleksander for his use of merzost and then doing the exact same thing. The difference? He wanted an army to fight with the king, so Grisha could finally be safe. And she did it so she didn't have to sacrifice anything. But there's always a price. And I'm gladly going to watch her pay hers.'

You stare at each other grimly for a moment. Then, you walk past him and head to the door. But before you can reach it, you hear hurried footsteps and a moment later Alina shows up in the threshold, panting. She glares at you and brings her hands together.

'Don't you dare hurt him,' she growls. You snort.

'I have no intention of hurting either of you,' you say, surprising Starkov. You walk slowly to her. You eye each other.

'Don't you want to take revenge of me for killing him?' Alina spats.

'Like I've just told your dear husband… congratulations by the way… of course, I want you to suffer for what you've put me through,' you answer and lean to her ear. 'But I don't have to do a thing to get what I want. You're already doing it for me.'

The Sun Summoner pulls away sharply. She looks at you with confusion, warily.

'And what am I doing?' she snarls.

'You're living,' you answer, stunning her even more. 'You're living and time doesn't touch you. Contrary to him. He's mortal. And you're not. One day you're going to lose him and you'll see exactly what I felt. Loneliness. Pain.'

'It will still take years,' Alina says angrily. 'Until then I may die very well myself. And you won't see me suffering from losing Mal.'

'True,' you agree, shrugging. 'But until then I'm going to satisfy myself with what's happening to your soul.'

'I beg your pardon?' Starkov asks harshly. Just then Nikolai and Genya finally catch up, both of them panting. They both freeze when they see yours and Alina's stand down.

'A few years ago, you'd have begged me not to touch him,' you say. 'And now? Now your first response, even though I was steps ahead of him, was to threaten me. Does that remind you of anyone?'

The Sun Summoner stiffens. You grin at her.

'I'm really going to enjoy watching you fall into his footsteps, while he finally gets the happiness he's longed for,' you say and wink. 'It was good to see you, Alina, Mal. I can't wait to work with you.'

You walk toward the door, leaving stunned Starkov behind you. Lantsov and Safin let you pass, watching you silently. No one says a word, until they no longer hear your footsteps.

'She's changed,' the Sun Summoner says quietly.

'Well, she's spent two and a half years in a cell,' the King sighs.

'Besides… who of us can tell we've actually known her before?' Genya sighs. Mal joins his wife and grabs her hand.

'Well, at least I think she was telling the truth about not wanting to kill us,' he says. Alina turns on him quickly.

'What were you thinking coming here on your own?' she scoffs. He cups her cheek.

'That I don't want you to die,' he answers simply. She stares at him for a moment. Then, she sighs and leans her forehead on his.

'I guess we should see him now?' she asks quietly. He nods. They join hands again and follow Nikolai and Genya. They expect to find Kirigan in Lantsov's chambers, but they find him outside the Little Palace, surrounded by little Grisha. They're hurling a question after question at him, and he tries to answer them all, laughing. Not far away you stand, smiling softly.

'Miss Starkov,' Aleksander says when he notices you. Children Grisha quickly fall silent, then scatter away. Alina separates from the group and faces the Darkling, her fists clenched. It's so weird seeing his face again, hearing his voice. She wasn't aware he still has such a hold on her.

'I'm truly glad to see you well,' he says and glances behind her. 'And my cousin as well. I'd apologise for everything but I know you won't believe I'm sincere.'

'No, I won't,' the Sun Summoner confirms harshly. Kirigan smiles wryly. He extends his hand to her.

'Can I at least hope we can put our differences aside and work together for the good of Ravka and all that we hold dear?' he asks. Alina eyes his hand for a moment, before she finally shakes it.

'For all that we care about,' she agrees. He smiles at her and she shivers. He lets go of her hand. Nikolai joins them and claps their shoulders.

'Now that we have this over with,' he says, 'I need you back, Kirigan, for our meeting.'

'Of course,' Aleksander says, his voice smooth. Lantsov looks at the Sun Summoner.

'You and Mal take all the time you need to rest,' he says. Alina nods. She watches the King and his peace advisor walking away, already immersed in a conversation. She turns her gaze away and it falls on you.

'See you tomorrow,' you say, noticing her look, and walk away. Genya and Mal join Alina.

'It's going to be hard, isn't it?' Oretsev asks. 'Working with them?'

'For now, it hasn't been bad,' Genya answers. 'But neither of us killed Kirigan, so…'

'Let's just hope they will keep their word,' the Sun Summoner says grimly. 'But if they try anything… I will kill them both this time.'

A/N: Thank you for reading! Let me know your thoughts! Reblog, like and comment if you could. Every comment makes my day!

This can also be found on Archive of Our Own: https://archiveofourown.org/works/52696933/chapters/135403246

37 notes · View notes

blues-valentine · 1 year

Text

Mal’s ending on Season 2, although it wasn’t what happened in the books — makes sense for Mal as a character because that’s where his mindset was during the last two books. He was convinced Alina needed to marry Nikolai. He didn’t feel like he was enough for her. He saw her as someone destined for so much more than just him. He pushed Alina towards Nikolai and actually asked him to do good by her. I actually really like that Mal said: "Choice. That’s the real true north" because Alina has been given not choice for most of her journey and he has tried to honor her choice in multiple ways thought out the books. I spoke about it previously. I think that while it’s not the path of the books for them both I like the idea of them finding their own path individually before they can get to be together again. It makes sense for Mal to want to search what is his propose outside of Alina because he just lost something that was so ingrained in him [his tracking powers] and that used to give him a sense of identity and propose. Right now, he is having an identity crisis and he needs to find out what he wants to be outside of Alina. He thinks his only propose was to be the amplifier. He needs to find out that they’re meant to be together.

I liked Alina’s ending in the books but I don’t dislike the idea of Alina getting the opportunity to lead and realize if that’s truly something she wants to do. If she’s doing it for duty or because that’s truly what she wants. As long as it doesn’t diverge too much from the original plots, I can get behind this idea. I find the concept of Alina exploring a dark side without Darkling very interesting and they can use a lot of inspiration from Siege and Storm. In a narrative point of view I can see how the story will go from here and I want to give them the opportunity to tell it and play with it *right*.

There’s not doubt in my mind Mal and Alina will find their way back to each other on Season 3 (if there’s one). Them getting back together as new people with experiences would be a good thing and will make them stronger at the end. That’s what the writers have been saying — that ending was not only to give Mal and Alina a longer presence in the show but it leads to explore them separately, not just as an entity.

#shadow and bone #shadow and bone netflix #malina #mal oretsev #malyen oretsev #alina starvok #grishaverse #mal x alina

189 notes · View notes

black-rose-writings · 3 months

Text

I've had this idea about how the show would have been massively improved by making one little change.

The show, especially it's second season, feels boring, pointless. The only driving point of the whole season 2 is to yell "Darkling Bad". They obviously don't care about established characters, the worldbuilding or lore. Definitelly not about Grisha oppression.

So, what small change would give even the slightest hint of a point and theme to it all, a theme that transcends the creators' need to shit on their most popular character?

Make Alina Aleksander's daughter.

Narratives about cycles of abuse and generational trauma are really popular these days, so instead of making it a story about shitting on the Darkling, make it a story about how Ilya being a shitty father and a mad scientist literally fucked over the rest of the world. Instead of making the show a story about destruction of Morozova's legacy, make it a story about it's redemption.

(Again, my ideal version of the story would be one that works with the themes, characters and plots of the original books and expands on them in a way LB was too much of an american lib to do, but this is "how to make the show better with as few changes as possible")

First, some tweaks to Alina's backstory to account for this change (well, giving her a backstory pre-Keramzin):

There was a more open conflict with Shu Han like 25 years ago, that required Aleksander's presence. During his stay, he spent a few nights with a local woman (possibly anonymously initially, but she did end up finding out who he was, this is important) of Shu descent (though she considered herself Ravkan). The conflict ends and much of the Dva Stolba valley falls under Shu control, giving more explanation for the tension and racism Alina experiences later. Alina's mother stays in Ravkan territory, because, again, despite her ethnicity, she considers herself to be Ravkan, and a few months after the end of that conflict, she gives birth to Alina. She does attempt to contact Aleksander, wanting him to claim the child, but he initially doesn't, both because it's impractical and because he doesn't really believe he is her father, though he does arrange for her to recieve some money.

A few years pass and Alina starts showing signs of Grisha powers, and her mother attempts to contact Aleksander again, telling him of this. She is unable to explain Alina's powers, because she knows relatively little about Grisha and has no idea how Sun Summoning would present. Aleksander does respond this time and urges Alina's mother to take her to be tested and that it would be safest for Alina to keep her parentage a secret (he still doesn't fully believe Alina is his daughter). Before Alina can be tested, however, the family gets caught in the middle of a Shu raid and Alina's mother (and maybe stepfather) are killed, and she ends up in Keramzin, now having an extra trauma reason to hide her powers (taking some inspiration from Alina's cut pre-Keramzin backstory from season 1).

Now, for the changes in season 1, those would be largely in the form of Aleksander's flashbacks and slow realisation of who Alina is. You can still keep the make-out scene/"romance" bits if you really want, because GSI (genetic sexual attraction, a syndrome/phenomenon where closely related people who have been separated for the vast majority of their life, like through adoption, deadbeat/cheating parents etc. upon meeting as adults develop an attraction to each other) is a real thing, incest in media is also unfortunately popular, of course this fucking family would do it, and antis will enjoy getting even more reason to hate Aleksander.

If we go the non-ew route, there would be some changes to the tent scene (to account for Alina being a living amplifier) and perhaps expanding/adding scenes to the journey to Os Alta, giving room to vocalize some of these differences (like explaining the living amplifier thing earlier). Maybe having Alina saying something that prompts Aleksander to be reminded of her mother, and being confused as to why at first.

Their interractions in season 1 would need to be reframed through the father-daughter lens, but it wouldn't be all that dificult, because it already has mentor-mentee undertones. Ideally, there would be a point somewhere before the Winter Fete, possibly as a catalyst for Alina's breakthrough with her powers, when he tells her who she is. It would give Alina a personal stake in the story, because she clearly doesn't give a fuck about her duties/responsibilities as a Sun Summoner in either version. She doesn't have to destroy the Fold because she's a Sun Summoner, but because she's the descendant of the Black Heretic. She's not just the savior of a country she doesn't give two shits about, but the redemption of her family.

If we want to go the "shit on Aleksander" route, nothing about his interractions with Alina would change all that much and the reveal of her parentage, at least to Alina, would come through Baghra, giving Alina more obvious emotional reason to run away and feel betrayed (especially if the almost-sex-on-the-big-map still happens, because "ew, I almost fucked my dad, who know we're related" would be infinitely more understandable of a reason to run away than what Baghra actually tells her).

Either way, the information that she isn't just a distant descendant of the Black Heretic, but his actual child, that she has a grandmother he didn't bother telling her about, that he told her they were going to redeem their family, when he only planned on continuing his work and using her for it, hits Alina like a truck. Alina going though StuffTM emotionally makes her decision to run away make a lot more sense.

Anyway, there would be very little change plotwise, just some dialogue adjustments, maybe mentioning how the Stag is her legacy, her heritage.

It would reframe Alina's fear of becoming like Aleksander, that permeates the second season, have some basis. It would give a reason for the "fuck Ilya and everything he touched and made" narrative Baghra is spinning. Baghra telling both Mal and Alina the story of her family, of why she believes now that it all much be destroyed, how her father's greed drove him to create abominations, to twist the world in unnatural ways, and she looks pointedly at the two as she says it.

Make Alina's stand against Aleksander her way of saying "the cycle of abuse in this family ends with me. I will make our family better.". Make her and Nikolai's political marriage a symbol of a new begining for Ravka in more ways than one - redemption of the Morozov(a) and Lantsov families. And bonding over "I can't tell anyone who my real dad is because it would cause trouble."

But of course, at the end, it fails, because both of them misunderstood the fundamental reason why things became as bad as they did.

IDK, I just think that changing Alina to Aleksander's daughter would improve their dynamic and a lot of the surrounding narratives massively. Even in variations other than the show.

#grishaverse #shadow and bone #shadow and bone au

15 notes · View notes

goblins-riddles-or-frocks · 6 months

Note

I wonder why vampires aren't shown to be as depressing as Aleksander is. (Idk anything about this book but since I follow you I have been reading all these metas and DAMNNN)

LMAOOOO first of all formal apology for subjecting all my previous followers who didn’t sign up for TGT meta to all of this TGT meta.

But also, I would argue that some, to even a lot, of vampires are that depressing? The Louis du Point du Lac archetype is a very prevalent one, that then got eventually watered down to the angsty Angels and Edward Cullens of the genre. (I would argue that Aleksander is directly written in conversation with the latter type) And the Vampire Chronicles/Interview With the Vampire itself, with its cast of varyingly wretched, depressed, and traumatized immortals, arguably redefined the vampire genre entirely.

Meanwhile, if you were following my blog before this, I’m assuming you’re here for Hellsing. In that, vampirism is partially a metaphor for trauma, or at least a past that cannot be overcome and turning to self destructiveness for it. Alucard’s entire personal motivation and goal is to die.

In my gradual fandom hop from Hellsing to TGT, I basically just went from analyzing the inner workings of one murderous and miserable, 500+ year old war criminal for anons in my inbox to another— only one of them happens to be Dracula!

(And I have said a couple times before that I think the Darkling is written like a vampire.)

However, I’d agree that there are key differences in the way Aleksander is depressing, and I think that is down to the themes, narrative function, and cultural associations that vampirism frequently lends itself to.

Since you aren’t familiar, I’ll sum up the plot of TGT as briefly as I can. It starts out as a very typical chosen one fantasy, where the protagonist Alina Starkov, an overlooked and unremarkable orphan serving in the military, is discovered to be the lost princess the super special, never before seen magic user with the special type of sunlight magic that the entire country has been waiting for to save it from the shadowy, monster filled dimensional rift, smack dab in the middle of it, that’s been making everyone’s life hell. She’s immediately whisked away to a life of luxury, and taken under wing by The Darkling, the mysteriously goth and pretty commander of all magic users who possesses the antithesis of her power. If she can summon light, he can summon shadows. He’s supposedly “only” one hundred years old, but his ancestor created the Shadow Fold. And he’s soooo sad and guilty about that inherited mistake and he’s determined to fix it. Alina’s supposed to to help him do it— chiefly, through the power of a mythical amplifier that’s meant to enhance her power. But the mid point of the very first book is that shdgdd after a big makeout scene with very dubious vibes, one of Alina’s magic teachers, herself turning our to be the Darkling’s mother, reveals that he’s much older than he claims and that he created the Shadow Fold and has no intention of destroying it, as opposed to using it as a weapon against other countries. And he also means to use the amplifier they’ve been searching for to magically enslave her and take her power for his own. So Alina runs away! And this sets off the rest of the series which is a race to get to each of the three mythical amplifiers before the other does. And generally evading the Darkling who has now gone gloves off and doesn’t mind showing himself to be an unfeeling mass murderer.

The narrative from this point on positions him chiefly as Alina’s foil, as her potential future and worst case scenario. As she amasses her own power and makes sacrifices in the name of defeating him, she’s presented as essentially being in danger of falling into the same path of corruption over centuries. Because, crucially, now that she has the amplifiers, she will also be immortal. And he is both convinced that she must turn out like him, but also that her immortality positions her as his equal above mortals, and as his companion, even if he must capture her and break her will down to make her see that.

The series’ main themes— handled with… debatable success— are that of autonomy, greed, the corruption inherit in accumulated power, and the pitfalls of means to an end morality. The particular ways that Aleksander is a uniquely miserable character are inextricable from his role in the story and what he is meant to represent. But the in-universe circumstances of his immortality also change things a lot.

Vampiric angst is usually tied to the overtly, or otherwise thinly veiled, Christian concept of damnation. Vampirism is culturally a curse, drinking blood to live, and fearing the sunlight is meant to be monstrous. There are individual instances (World of Darkness, some of the True Blood lore) where vampires have their own doctrines and believe themselves to be chosen or better than mortals. But typically cultural associations with them are uniformly negative.

In TGT there is the vague implication of “shadow powers bad” but it’s mostly framed as prejudice against something unknown. Meanwhile magic isn’t inherently awful, and the more powerful a magic user the more long lived they are, hence Aleksander pretending to be 100ish was believable. But hardly anyone else actually lives into multiple centuries the way he has. He’s an aberration. There’s also no element of like readily making anyone else immortal, so Aleksander ends up in this kind of bewilderingly lonely position of being isolated in his power and having no real idea of how or why this happened (beyond his equally long lived mother explicitly trying to have The Most Powerful Child Ever)

I think similarly, immortality as something that’s given to someone at some point during their life, as is the case with vampires, tends to evoke themes of stagnation and being frozen in time. Aleksander is a VERY inadaptable character, who isn’t really able to comprehend how much his sense of morals has been warped over the years. But he’s very driven and forward looking?

I feel like vampires as a concept don’t lend as easily and immediately to the “I am going to create widespread political change” type. And again with no preexisting associations with being cursed or damned, nor their being the inherent need for murder to survive, I think Aleksander ends up being in a position where he’s both more and less morally ambiguous. He’s not inherently monstrous, he only becomes that way through gradual, and inadvertent moral corruption. There’s no element of “succumbing to his nature.” He can keep thinking that he’s fully morally correct as long as he believes his goals are worth it and his sacrifices will have a return on them. The fact that he easily could have turned out completely differently and never been a villain at all is integral to his character.

Vampires conversely tend to deal with corruption of the soul/moral character at the point of immortality, or about consciously trying to combat the corruption of a known and acknowledged baser nature.

I’m aware that I’m making a lot of generalizations and assumptions about the ready thematic functions of vampires in fiction, but I hope this makes sense? Basically I think the tragedy just comes from a different direction.

Anyway, while I’m talking about vampires, I want to circle back to my earlier point about the Darkling feeling Edward Cullen influenced to me. Shadow and Bone was published in 2011, and with how slow moving the traditional publishing industry is, it’s safe to say it was written at least a year or two prior.

This would be towards the tail end of the post Twilight paranormal, and specifically vampire, romance boom. It was not at all uncommon to see unironic romances focusing on impressionable teenaged protagonists with poor self esteem, getting with 100+ year old love interests who, in singling them out (for their “maturity” and discontent from their peer group) validate their self worth, but also completely isolate and impose their own values on them.

The first half of the very first TGT book follows those same tropes pretty closely, and the initial romance heavy book marketing was basically indistinguishable from that crop of books.

To be clear, I think wish fulfillment stories are fine lol, but it’s really interesting to think of SaB (and the Darkling!) as a deliberate deconstruction in response to those trends.

Anyway this kind of went all over the place.

TLDR: I think vampires are?? frequently just as depressing?? They just tend to do it in mildly different ways. Also I have a soap box about Aleksander being a direct take on Edward Cullen (and others of his character type) being easily read as a controlling and abusive groomer.

#I… don’t even know how to tag this #grishaverse #shadow and bone #vampires #aleksander morozova #the darkling #also lol lmao sorry I am not editing or proofreading this I’m too busy #you’re just going to get my off the cuff stream of consciousness #vampire chronicles #hellsing #i ramble sometimes #all the bendy punctuations #a mysterious stranger has appeared #meta #*writer’s cap*

18 notes · View notes

oraclestory · 1 year

Text

Nikolai Lantsov x Alina Starkov

From Shadow & Bone s2 ep. 4, that scene where Alina is trying on the gown

Summary - Alina is trying on gowns for the announcement of her engagement with Nikolai when he walks in. She's with Mal, but Nikolai cannot hide his true feelings any longer.

A/N - I divert from the show's plot to give us a spicer scene that I think we all wish happened instead. Also, let's just pretend Mal is okay with Alina using Merzost so Nikolai can not.

Word count - 1.2k

Alina was growing tired of trying on varying similar gowns, each one more absurd than the last. Her corset was killing her and she said just as much to the stylist the Queen had so graciously provided her with.

“I will go fetch a different one,” the stylist merely responded. She opted not to put Alina out of her misery in the process.

Alina sighed and took herself behind her dressing panel, preparing to free herself from her suffocating corset. She reached for her laces and fumbled with them for a bit before she lost blood flow in her arms and they fell tiredly. Of course she couldn’t just take off the stupid corset. She was going to need help for that as well. Just like all of the other things she needed support in.

She barely knew how to be a Grisha. It had taken her months to learn what most had learned by the age of seven. She needed the help of Mal and their friends to find the amplifiers she also needed to tear down the Fold. Because she couldn’t even do that much on her own. The very thing that necessitated her existence.

Previously, she had the gnawing feeling that it would never be enough. That she was not enough to fulfill her destiny. It ate away at her, but no longer. She had a plan.

Footsteps fell in the room drawing Alina out of her stupor and into the present moment. She remembered her shallow breathing and itching to get out of her corset.

“Can you please help me with the corset? I can’t seem to get it off,” she asked the stylist.

The footsteps drew closer. She was facing the wall so she could not see him as he approached her, but she felt his presence regardless. She recognized that salty ocean scent that he couldn’t seem to get rid of.

“Nikolai,” she breathed. She began to turn around, but his hands on her back stopped her as he began to work on the laces.

“Alina,” he said, “I thought I’d pay you a visit before tonight. I figured you might enjoy my charming presence and I’d save you from your torture.”

“Oh yeah? And just how are you going to manage that?” She wouldn’t acknowledge how he was undressing her. How close his hands were on her body. That she could feel their warmth seep through the silky material of the fabric.

“By bestowing you a gift,” he responded simply.

Alina turned her head, leaving her body still for Nikolai to work on. She looked through the gaps in the panel to see a new garment in the dressing room. The piece was an army green with gold lapels. Alina recognized it for what it was—Nikolai had brought her a kefta reminiscent of the First Army uniform. It was nothing like the countless gowns she had begrudgingly tried on already today—it suited her. It was perfect and it left her speechless.

“Th-thank you,” she finally stammered, caught off guard by the act. She was grateful she wasn’t facing him so she didn’t have to look him in the eye as she blushed. She was also suddenly grateful Mal didn’t seem to be around today, but she wrote off this reaction to the situation. She chose not to focus on why the thought had surfaced in her mind.

“Had to make sure my favorite Sun Summoner has everything she needs to crush her enemies,” he said encouragingly in return.

Alina began to feel that he was undoing her corset painfully slow, taking his time with each set of laces. Nikolai would not admit to himself that he was taking the time to savor the act of undressing Alina—a dream that crossed his mind every so often when he saw her. But he would never allow the scene to linger in his mind for very long as wherever Alina was, Mal wasn’t far behind. It was no use. He was reminding himself of this more often these days.

“I want to support you in anyway I can in tearing down the Fold. We will find the next amplifier, Alina,” he promised. Perhaps he was aware of the desperation she felt toward the situation. Perhaps she did not carry the burden as well as she thought she did.

“There are other ways of doing that,” she said, putting the idea out there. She was testing the waters. It could be a mistake to let Nikolai in on the plan she was concocting and the researching she was honing in on.

Nikolai immediately stopped fiddling with her laces, dropping his hands to his sides. His reaction let her know he was aware of what she was suggesting. Alina stayed perfectly still, continuing to avoid facing him. She opted to make eye contact with the wall in his stead. “Please don’t tell me you are suggesting what I think you are suggesting,” he said coldly, the voice change abrupt.

Alina saw no point in disguising the truth he already. He could still be persuaded. And in truth, if all went well, she would not need the help of Nikolai Lantsov to do what was expected of her. “David has been helping me decipher Morozova’s journal. I think I could use it to tear down the Fold even without the amplifier.” Even she could hear how clever she thought sounded. How confident she felt.

“Alina, you can’t be serious. That stuff will destroy you,” he exclaimed in repulse to the notion. “Are you out of your mind?”

“Nikolai, don’t,” she commanded. She didn’t want to argue with him about this. She didn’t want to hear it coming from someone who didn’t know the weight she carried with each death taken because the Fold was still standing. “This is what I have to do to fulfill my duty and I’m willing whatever it takes.” Alina still wouldn’t face him. “We can’t keep losing people just because I’m not ready,” she added on.

He paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts. “I can’t let you do that.” He couldn’t stop himself from reaching out to her. He put his hand on her arm, the touch connecting them in more ways than one. “It’s not right.”

“I have to destroy the Fold!” She yanked her arm away from him, unsure of the way it made her heart beat and upset that Nikolai was discouraging her.

“Not if I’ll lose you in the process,” he proclaimed, finally undoing the last lace of her corset. It fell to the ground in front of her.

Alina was not distracted enough by the loss of the clothing to notice Nikolai’s use of I in his sentence. The distinction enraged her. She whipped her head around to face him, not caring that she was left only in her chemise.

“My boyfriend doesn’t care about it, so why do you?” She asked, putting everything on the line. If the one person who was supposed to put her above all else did not mind her use of Merzost, then why did Nikolai Lantsov? What she chose to do with her life should have been of no concern to the Prince.

Nikolai burned his gaze into hers, daring her to see all that was unsaid between them.

“Because I care about you, Alina!” His voice was accusing. How dare she not see what he can’t deny. “I care,” he said again, voice softening.

42 notes · View notes

storytime-reviews · 9 months

Text

King of Scars Book Review

The dashing young king, Nikolai Lantsov, has always had a gift for the impossible. No one knows what he endured in his country's bloody civil war--and he intends to keep it that way. Yet with every day a dark magic within him grows stronger, threatening to destroy all he has built. With the help of a young monk and a legendary Grisha general, Nikolai will journey to the places in Ravka where the deepest magic survives to vanquish the terrible legacy inside him.

Rating: ★★★★

King of Scars brilliantly uses multiple perspectives in order to craft a storyline full of dramatic irony and foreshadowing. Leigh Bardugo knew what she was doing in writing a book built on the perspectives of three characters already well known to her audience. King of Scars cleverly makes use of the connections between Nina, Zoya and Nikolai in order to bring their perspectives together and create a more well-rounded view. But what I also think works so well is that aspects of each perspective can hence be hidden from the audience until the critical moment for a plot twist, by focusing on a different individual’s perspective instead.

I always enjoyed Nikolai’s banter with Alina and others in the Shadow & Bone series, but his banter with Zoya is genuinely so much fun, and one of the best aspects of King of Scars. I also love that through their relationship we learn a lot more about who they are as people and what makes them tick. They are both fully fleshed out characters in this book, and continue to drive the plot forward.

The development of our three main characters is easily the most significant part of the novel, and I loved getting to know the backstories of Zoya and Nikolai. There is so much more to both of them than what they appear at first, and their perspectives allow us to finally peel back the curtains on who they really are. Nikolai is an incredibly clever and charming man, who can also be incredibly manipulative, and I loved learning how he came to be. He is absolutely brilliant and it makes me love him even more.

Zoya is not someone I particularly liked in the Shadow & Bone series, although I was told that I would come to love her after reading King of Scars, and those people were correct. This book shows a lot of her backstory and really develops Zoya as a character. Her past explains why she is so hard and strong and easily leans into her asshole side. It also demonstrates how sometimes the semingly harder and less emotional people are the ones that carry the greatest sorrow. I also enjoyed Nina’s journey from soldier to spy, and her pairing up with Hanne is very fitting and almost full circle for Nina.

King of Scars allows for some more world-building, particularly on Grisha theory and amplifiers, and these are actually significant ideas that impact the entire narrative moving forward. So much of the plot in fact revolves around these theories and whether there is any grounding in reality for them, some of which is slowly revealed in the last third of the book. I wasn’t entirely convinced by the idea of ‘the saints are real’, but these theories unfolded in an interesting manner. I also was impressed by the idea of having an amplifier being about give and take, and living as one supportive system. Zoya’s journey in these regards was interesting on a personal level as she developed further as a character, but also fascinating in how the revelations impact what they all know about Grisha theory.

All in all, I really enjoyed King of Scars and cannot wait to read Rule of Wolves and continue the story. However, I rated it 4 out of 5 stars due to the fact that some parts did drag on a little, including some sections with really long descriptions.

Warnings: violence & murder, gun use, torture & body mutilation, slavery, drug abuse

#booklr #king of scars #leigh bardugo #grishaverse #tbrbusterchallenge2023 #bookbanditchallenge #reading #books #book review

5 notes · View notes

little-cereal-draws · 1 year

Text

Major Shadow and Bone season two spoilers

Idk why Alina had to kill mal. Like I know that for animal amplifiers you have to incorporate them with your body but human amplifiers don’t work that way? In the books, they can just touch you and amplify your power and the show does this in both seasons too. So why did she have to kill him? Why couldn’t they just hold hands or smth? It’s the same effect.

And they do this a bit in the finale. They go to the fold and they hold each other and all these pretty pink lights shoot out. And that was enough, it was working until the darkling showed up.

So why did she have to kill him? To make sure the darkling couldn’t also use his power? I guess that makes sense but I shouldn’t be figuring a major plot devise out after I’ve finished the show. They could have explained it better

#idk there was a lot of dumb choices the characters made in this season and this is one of them #shadow and bone #shadow and bone spoilers #shadow and bone season 2 #alina starkov #mal oretsev

6 notes · View notes

crows-and-cookies · 1 year

Text

SPOILERS ABOUT ALL GRISHVERSE BOOKS

What strike me when you read the Grishaverse books in order is how much Leigh Bardugo grew while writing them. Don’t get me wrong with this bit of analysis—I love all of them, and they’re all good. It’s just occurring to me as I read them how her style improves as we go on.

The shadow and bone series is a bit clunky, moving in fits and starts, with a tiny bit of a gap between each story. Personally, I don’t think the Mal/Alina relationship is as well developed as others to come. And there’s some things that Alina doesn’t explain, but not in the mystery way of the crows, but in like the way that she’s describing the action with not as much emotional depth as she could (think in the second book in the church with the Darkling). Also, it’s purely Alina’s POV (with the exception of the first and last chapters).

In SOC, we start to get that alternating POV, which gives us more insight into other characters, fully fleshing out the issues and events. Even with Kaz, who doesn’t think he likes to show emotions (which he does show emotions, just under the guise of Dirtyhands’ violence), we have his internal dialogue of what he’s feeling, fully giving us the scene/scene reaction.

Additionally, the diction is more poetic than the glimpses of poetry we saw in Shadow and Bone. ‘Her heart was a river that ran towards the sea’, ‘I will have you with armor, Kaz Brekker, or I will not have you at all’, and don’t even get me started on the sheer magnitude of metaphors packed into SOC.

Not to mention the way Kanej grow towards each other in SOC, how they do the same things but for different reasons. Malina is growing, but it’s Alina growing and Mal chasing her, and he ‘grows’ in the sense of dedicating himself to her, but not in the sense of himself as much as Alina does. Kaz grows from wanting revenge to wanting to build something, to wanting Inej. He finally wants something for himself, but not under the guise of money, for the reality that he loves her. He has growth outside of her, but she helps it along. Inej moves from wanting forgiveness for the sins forced upon her (I think) to wanting to change the system. Inej gave Kaz the space and want to build something, and Kaz gave her the strength and skills to want to fight not just for herself, but for others.

Additionally, the scale of everything is increased in SOC. The violence and stakes seem greater, even though the Shadow and Bone was about a war, and SOC was about criminals. Alina does eventually kill people and works through that emotionally and notes how it conflicts with her image as a martyr—the crows kill people and it’s a backdrop for other problems. Kaz kills Oomen (after ripping out his eye) for what he did to Inej, for risking the safety of his people. It’s him ‘making him pay’ and keeping his reputation on the surface, but underneath it’s about him having feelings that he doesn’t understand about Inej and about protecting what he’s built. Inej kills Dunashya as a way of killing her ‘shadow’ and moving forward with the idea of doing harm to do good (killing slavers to stop slavery). While the setting is smaller (just Ketterdam and the Ice Court, mostly), the stakes feel much more fleshed out and higher. It’s something they all want, for a variety of reasons. Alina didn’t get that until halfway through the series at least, as she was fighting herself. Also, Alina’s want is mostly Mal, which is strengthen by the fact that he’s an amplifier, but for me that doesn’t feel as deep as the crows wants and needs. Finally, Shadow and Bone is about someone learning to become Grisha—Six of Crows says fuck that, we’re all equal here, and makes a fulfilling story and plot with several Grisha and non-Grisha, challenging the world view that was presented in Shadow and Bone.

And now for King of Scars and Rule of Wolves. We're focused on two people who need each other to survive logistically (for ruling the country), but romantically it has to be pushed into the background of their lives. It's not the one sided pining of Alina for Mal, nor the denial we see with all three of the relationships in SOC. There is denial, but their positions of power add depth to their reasons why they can't be together, with logistical issues (Nikolai having to marry a princess) getting in the way, instead of just feelings. We see a little bit of that logistical issue for Mal and Alina in the first book (the letters never sent) and are introduced to Matthias and Nina as being separated due to Nina, but the fact that Zoya and Nikolia literally use the rumors about them to protect Nikolai but actually can't be together? Ouch. And again, we're hit with the Grisha and non-Grisha being on equal footing, but not just as criminals--as royalty. The circumstances for their relationship have been elevated.

I will say I don't find KoS and RoW as poetic as SOC, but that doesn't mean it's not well written. Her dialogue was always good, and it continues to be great as the books go. Where Bardugo really shines is in being able to play with characters we've already met, and really dig deep into them. We've seen Zoya grow from the sidelines, and then she makes her literally more badass that Alina was. Nikolai accepts his darkenss and monster. The Darkling actually has an ending that feels more satisfying than if he was just killed, because we thought we already got that! And Nina? Her relationship with Matthias actually grows in the reader's eyes postmortem. Even minor characters, like Adrik and Leoni, Tamar and Tolya, and David and Genya! She really gave herself the space to flesh out these characters and let them grow as people who've survived one war and don't want another.

I will say I loved that Zoya accepted queenhood as a Suli queen, but it could have been gone into more, instead of hinted at a few times. (Also, I'm a mixed, white passing brown woman, so I identified with her in those few moments.) And Nikolai's choice to step down and do what we're introduced to him as (an adventurer) is perfect. This book shines because the ending speaks for itself and ties up a lot of loose ends.

In all, SOC and CK are my favorite. I'm sure I could find other things, but I wrote most of this at work in early December and then found it again in the new year and added the part about RoW and KoS. Bardugo's growth through the series is evident, and I wholly recommend rereading them all in order if you haven't.

10 notes · View notes

aimsyreads · 10 months

Text

"Weakness is a guise. Wear it when they need to know you're human, but never when you feel it."

Seige and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Rating: 5/5

Genre: Fantasy Fiction

Page Count: 496

Review:

Seige and Storm is THE middle book of all middle books. It keeps us satiated and leaves us hanging for more at the same time and is a perfect balance between the beginning and the end. Now I have a lot of points to touch on regarding this very book so let's go to the first section, character development!!

First of all I have to divide the book into two, former being ship half and latter being the Little Palace half. No filter, ship half was snooze. The character development during the ship half was tragic and felt like they were in stasis, specifically, Mal and Alina. Alina at least got redemption for her development in the latter half, but I wouldn't exactly say the same for Mal. In the ship half, our main characters feel really annoying and just plain dumb at times. They also become huge hypocrites during that time, telling each other about how dangerous certain actions are and then doing said action. I don't have any dialogues to quote but it did feel like they were going around in circles. Maybe Leigh Bardugo was trying to mimic the feeling of being in a ship where all you see is water and you feel like being trapped in infinity.

The only saving grace for ship half was Sturmhond but even he could not reedem it completely. His character is actually the flair and drama that the last book and I'm pretty sure the entire trilogy was missing.

In the palace half however the character development for Alina skyrockets, and Mal does develop as well, but the problem I have is that we see it through Alina's eyes and it's kind of difficult to discern the subtle changes that happens. Otherwise it is still good and miles better than the ship half. Alina on the other hand truly transforms into her role and we see her take up responsibilities. And seeing her take lead from her own pov was just chefs kiss. Also the main conflict between Mal and Alina does resurface without any conclusion which is getting slightly annoying. The palace half is also really good. So good that it makes up for the disastrous ship half.

However the lore and backstory (about the amplifiers and Ilya Morozova) that we get introduced to in the ship half was absolutely great. It was top notch. Despite s&b introducing us to this remarkable universe, it did not give us much lore about the history other than the immediate information that the reader needs. I feel like that's the only place where this trilogy truly lacks. Ruin and Rising has the most lore, but that too is mostly given to understand the Baghra and the Darkling, rather than giving us insight into the history of the world. I say it as a shame since I believe Leigh Bardugo could make even the most boring facts and wars seem the most interesting with her writing.

The plot and writing is also high quality, as expected of Bardugo. She never disappoints. The only problem was ship half but the palace half is even better than the first book so I'll tolerate it.

The ending made me take deep breaths to calm myself down because I was terrified of what was to come. Genuinely curious and confused. If I was reading this trilogy as it came out, I'm pretty sure I would've ripped my hair out in anxiety.

I honestly can kind of see where the story is going, like I know for sure that the Darkling will be defeated, but the question is how, and at what cost. Honestly I just want my girlie to rule Ravka or the second army but I know that wishing that for her is the worst thing I can do. I also do know that if the trilogy ends that way, it would not be a happy ending.

P.s. hope this makes up for the last low quality review🥲

4 notes · View notes

ralalalsblog · 1 year

Text

i like season 2 of shadow and bone!!

…but i also hated it. listen shadow and bone season 2 was an amazing experience like i LOVED tolya and tamar’s entrance and seeing 5 of our crows together warmed my heart but it was too not shadow and bone for me to absolutely love it. my memory might serve me wrong but in siege and storm the death of the sea whip was emphasized a LOT more in comparison to the show which i feel kind of dimmed the significance and ‘greatness’ of this mighty amplifier the sea whip. also am i wrong or did sturmhond or nikolai have different faces in the books? because i know that also highlighted how different these two personas are to nikolai like he views sturmhond as a whole other person who has freedom and everything he wants but can never attain but in the show there was very little emphasis on this. this whole nikolai and sturmhond being different thing also added on to nikolai’s personality and development as a character in the books which is why i feel that it not being as significant in the show would rlly not do nikolai’s character good in the long term. another thing is i wished there was more emphasis on genya and her whole ruined thing because the fandom absolutely ate up that line where genya said she wasn’t ruined she was ruin and that line came from a place of insecurity and pain from her being called ruin yet if that same place isn’t as developed in the shows we won’t get to see the same strong genya we love emerge from people calling her ‘ruined’ and getting over her insecurities. i absolutely HATED how in the last few episodes everything changed leigh and the writers might have wanted to give the readers a nice surprise with this change which is cute but we were expecting to see all the iconic scenes we had pictured a million times in our heads actually happen in the show for us to actually SEE instead of imagining like i personally was so excited to see some moments come to life. plus why did they kill david off so early and changed the triumvirate?? that just told me that they were gonna either change or not go with at all the plot of king of scars because the plot of that duology was heavily based on the idea of the triumvirate which consisted of genya, david and zoya. it also gave the whole idea of alina obtaining her peace more development cause she didn’t need to be in power or fight anymore yet alina staying in ravka with nikolai and being a part of the triumvirate has changed her entire character for me. i also wished we got to see more of wylan and jesper being introduced instead of them immediately knowing each other because now we won’t get to hear the iconic ‘not just girls line’ in show. anyways i liked it a lot but season 2 will not hold as special of a place in my heart as the books did because season 2 has just made me see the show and the books as two separate plots with the same characters.

#shadow and bone #shadow and bone season 2

4 notes · View notes

shelbbswrites · 1 year

Note

Oh boy, I have so many Shadow and Bone opinions and questions.

I lived it. S2 Alina plot Was a bit boring, but the crows more than made up for it.

that said: Do you think they could be crazy enough to go for Nikolai / Alina/Mal?

I love the dynamic where three sides of a love triangle are friends with each other and on the same page and it would be a beautiful setup

I'm all ears for any and all questions and feelings you have!

And I'm glad you liked it!

Actually, it's not that strange to see the fainted structure of a love triangle between those three. However, in the books, it's a lot more clearly defined. In fact, Nikolai and Mal have much more contention towards each other because of their feelings for Alina.

So, the show could amplify that in a third season. But I think they have other romantic plans for Nikolai. 👀

And I like what Season 2 does between Mal, Alina, and Nikolai. There's just enough pining from Nikolai's perspective, and I like that Alina is a bit oblivious to it because she's so in love with Mal. It'll make it all the more impactful when Nikolai feels all the things in bolder colors with a certain someone. I'm avoiding spoilers here because I don't want to ruin the experience for you if the show gets to keep telling the Grishavere's stories. Otherwise, I like that Mal isn't all that threatened by Nikolai. Mal is more annoyed by him than anything, which Nikolai can be a lot sometimes.

#shadow and bone #shadow & bone #mal oretsev #alina starkov #nikolai lantsov #shadow and bone spoilers #shadow & bone spoilers

4 notes · View notes

blues-valentine · 1 year

Text

S&B SEASON 2: THOUGHTS *a long ride*

I have conflicting emotions about that ending and overall how the whole season was handled for both SOC/S&B respectivelly.

First, I knew that I was going to be disappointed because they would mix S&S and R&R but this was a lot messier than I gave them the credit for. It left little room to develop Alina’s story line beyond the superficial. It felt to me like they were just trying to develop Nikolai for the KOS spin off and this seems unfair for Alina. She deserved her own time and it felt like they were just rushing to get her plot done.

I get TGT is not the most interesting and that the other books have been superior but it’s the start of the grishaverse and it sustains a lot of important things they just skipped over. Alina and her crew (Mal, Genya, Zoya, David, etc) deserved the time to breathe and their own exploration. Alina’s need/greed for power, the political aspect and her religious influence was glossed over and not developed further. Season 2 should’ve ended with Alina’s failed attempt to fully take down Darkling and being taken by the Apparat and therefore forced to become a religious pawn because this was an interesting aspect to Alina but also Tolya and Tamar, who ultimately were just there to fill the space in Nikolai’s story line and didn't get to explore that side.

Another thing about this season is that everything happened in such an anticlimatic way. Mal's amplifier reveal, Genya's backstory about the royal family and just so much that was more impactful in the books. David was killed off too soon. He didn't even get to marry Genya. Zoya deserved so much more and i'll hate it if I don't ever see her get to rule Ravka. Tolya and Tamar weren't given the level of depth I was expecting with their devotion to Alina. It was just too messy for me. I do think the season managed to improve some stuff. I think she Shu Han aspect was an interesting thing to add.

Don't even get me started with SOC because I feel like they have included basically everything so when the spin off does end up happening (we need good numbers for season 2 first) so many plots are not even going to happen. They took so many CK moments but without the right context so that didn't make it feel as impactful as it should've been. The actors truly did everything with those scenes especially with the Kanej scenes but it would've been so much better to have the full implications of what it means for their development. I wasn't too happy with how Inej's plot was handled. Literally we had CK before we even got SOC. And can we speak about the ableism with Kaz and his cane? Please.

Now, with that ending. I get what they had to change it. If they were to go with the R&R ending then there won't be actual story line for Alina and Mal. I’m still trying to understand why they couldn’t just use 3 seasons for the 3 books and wait to do the spins off, but I get that business is a whole different thing. So, that ending, like the whole season, it was rushed. You couldn't even feel sad because everything was happening so fast. The fact that Tolya and Tamar weren't the ones trying to bring Mal back to life was a shame because the friendship between Mal and Tolya was everything in the books. Alina clearly took part of Darkling's merzost powers to bring Mal back to life and this will cause her power corruption. But, the whole poison thing was so weird? This is a way to link the SOC characters and the KOS plot together but it's just so weird. About Malina’s ending, they did this to extend their arc in the show (x). I don't dislike the idea of them parting for a while until they get back to each other I just hated the way it felt too strange for both of them. I would have taken Mal asking Alina for time to be on it's own but not that weird excuse about his powers. And then, Alina had a whole struggle on R&R because she did not want to be a queen, because she wanted to be married for love and not for alliance. That Alina felt like a fanfic, not the real one. I have my own thoughts on where her story line will go for Season 3 (if there's one) and it could be interesting if executed right but I'm not too sure about that.

The season was far from perfect. It was messy and rushed. From both sides they skipped vital moments and interactions that could've made so many of the scenes have more sense and feel impactful. But I still would want a Season 3 and for those spin offs to be green lighted because those actors are too talented to lose for this.

115 notes · View notes

black-rose-writings · 3 months

Text

A follow up to my recent "Alina Kirigan AU" post (I can't think of a better name that isn't a full sentence). The OG post was trying to stay as close to the show's plot and priorities (shitting on the Darkling) as possible. This one is a version of events I would actually enjoy (and may or may not write a fleshed out version of - I some scattered pieces of an AU kinda like this written, but they were written pre-season 2 and I don't really like my characterisation of Alina or Aleksander in them.)

The backstory from the OG post stays pretty much intact - Alina is the product of a short relationship between Aleksander and an ethnically Shu Ravkan woman during negotiations with the Shu. He was vaguely aware of her existence at one point, but lost track of her when her mother was killed in a raid and she wound up in Keramzin. Aleksander starts connecting the dots during the ride to Os Alta (realizing Alina is a ridiculously powerful amplifier during the tent scene) and eventually puts it together.

He ends up telling Alina about her past and their relationship, and tries to bond with her as best as he can. It's not entirely pure, he is absolutely trying to steer her to seeing things his way/helping her see and rid herself of her biases and prejudice, but it's a slow process. Finding out who she is and being able to remember pieces of her pre-Keramzin past now that she has something to hold onto helps her have her breakthrough with her powers earlier. Perhaps Aleksander takes to helping her train occassionally as an excuse to spend time with her.

I'm not sure if this scenario would make Alina's self-confidence issues better or worse. The benefit of being a nobody orphan is that there is no family legacy to hold up, no family history to follow or refuse - Alina's imposter syndrome would be through the roof and she would definitelly not enjoy keeping her heritage a secret (I do think they would keep it a secret, for many reasons), because this girl has longed for a family for so long and now she can't share that excitement with anyone (she ends up slipping and telling it to Genya. Genya already suspected so.) On the other hand, she now has positive reinforcement in her training, she has a family, she is the future leader of the Second Army, she is definitelly Grisha.

One scene I do have very clearly in mind is the post-Winter Fete confrontation between Mal and Alina from the books, in this setting. Mal starts doing his slutshaming/Darkling's whore spiel and Alina, unable to stop herself yells at him that the Darkling is her father, that this is where she belongs, that she's Grisha and if he doesn't like it, that's his problem, not hers. Basically, I want her to have a cathartic breakthrough and actually let Mal go, and perhaps gain and keep a semblance of a backbone while she's at it.

Aleksander comes to her room, not for any bed-related reasons, but because he heard the two of them yelling at each other and her storming back to her room, and while he's comforting her, he starts to properly feel like a dad (giving him a starting point to start unraveling his own centuries of mommy issues).

Obviously, Baghra is not going to come in to try and drag Alina away while he's with her, so the reveal on her part doesn't happen then.

The story would obviously diverge massively from there, hopefully eventually leading to a badass father-daughter duo bringing world peace and also getting some therapy for their intense problems.

#grishaverse #grishaverse au #shadow and bone au #alina kirigan AU

6 notes · View notes

goblins-riddles-or-frocks · 1 year

Text

Anyway! So season two predictions:

- They’re just going to entirely cut the segment where the Darkling kidnaps Alina and drags them all on a mad dash after the sea whip. (RIP my favorite scenes). In season one, there was a lot of superficial attention paid to making her more active and I think this choice would be in line with that.

- Alina will probably just be in hiding, and somehow hear word of the Darkling’s fuck off evil shadow army (possibly through Nikolai hiring the Crows to go find her and tell her? we have confirmation that he hires them but lmao for what????) and be like “fuck I need to go back” So she runs to find Baghra, who in turn tells her that Morozova’s amplifiers are like pokemon. Gotta catch ‘em all.

- Show!Darkling continues to be a huge woobie. He’s going to spend all his screen time fighting back tears and probably does not ever mutilate Baghra.

- I almost think, especially if the series isn’t going to continue for long, that maybe he doesn’t even do the thing to Genya either.

- The tether scenes (replaced by “Mind Palace” scenes???) aren’t going to be anywhere near as sinister. He’s not trying to slowly drive her insane. He’s going to be crying at her to take him back. Look. He even embroidered his kefta with gold :C etc etc

- SOMETHING is going to happen with that antler bone scar on his hand. We saw it glowing briefly in a shot. Maybe they’re going to introduce Darklina having scraps of each other’s powers way earlier. Or maybe his scar’s just going to start rotting idk 🤷‍♀️ They seem to like body horror in this

- We have confirmation that there will be no Ice Court heist, so maybe Wylan’s there to help blow up the chapel?? Or otherwise do something with explosives for the attack on the palace scene. (We def saw some variation of the chapel scene at all and the Crows are there)

- SO I do think it would be very funny if they combined the entirety of S&S and R&R into a single season but I kind of feel like they probably… won’t be? I think they’ll leave us on a cliffhanger instead and then get canceled lol. But I’m not sure I agree with the theories that we literally see them destroying the Shadow Fold/where the Darkling’s grave is going to be in the fucking trailer. I think they’ll maybe just have her clear up a segment of the Shadow Fold? If that’s what we saw? Just to showcase her greater power, but I doubt it’s all going away at once. Or that he’s legit dying.

- I do however think wrapping up the story in a single season would be hilarious. I would LOVE to see Shadow and Bone speedrun, nightcore edition.

- They’re just going to forget about the Apparat. He’s going to be there but otherwise do nothing.

- Def some Zoyalai teasing to court KoS fans.

- I… have no clue what they could possibly do with the Matthias storyline. We know he can’t be freed. But also he and Nina got a bunch of trailer screen time?? So??? Best I got is that maybe we see the trial going down. And Nina going to visit him a bunch before maybe we get some sort of late season Ice Court heist teasing and indication that they might break him out?

- Kaz backstory for sure!! Literally why else give us a shot of him submerged in water like that. We also have confirmation that they cast an actor as Jordie iirc.

- Baghra is going to continue to be a plot device without much of a personality. She’s clearly super pro amplifier in this and probs is just going to slot into the space of info giving mentor. And then probably die.

- Another useless Mal scene(s) à la the fistfight where he’s centered as an action hero protagonist. As opposed to the book placement with him more as Alina’s damsel in distress. Maybe we even get “I am become a blade” lol

#shadow and bone #netflix shadow and bone #grishaverse #i ramble sometimes #not comprehensive but I will probably have more thoughts later lol

30 notes · View notes

where-theres-smoak-2 · 1 year

Text

Shadow and Bone 2x04 Review

Here it is ep 4 of season 2 there are spoilers book spoilers will be between 2 * yeah you know the drill by now if you’ve read my other reviews. Jumping straight on in then.

Nikolai, Alina and the Spinning Wheel

As usual I am starting with Alina’s storyline and the events that happen at the spinning wheel. At the end of the previous episode Alina accepts Nikolai’s proposal and so the plot for Alina is kind of centred around that this episode along with her being named the leader of the second army. What I did like was that when Nikolai announced that she was going to be the new leader the other grisha didn’t just immediately jump for joy and say that she’s going to be an amazing leader which I would have found really unrealistic. But you do get Adrik and Zoya voicing a bit of concern and Zoya pointing out that just because she can summon light doesn’t mean she’s going to know about military strategy. This is something fans have pointed out themselves so I am glad its being addressed in the show.

Another thing I am happy about is that they did have Mal question and kind of disagree with Alina about her being the leader of the second army. It was starting to feel like Mal was nothing more than a yes man, there was no nuance to him or personality, it was just yes alina, of course alina, go marry that other man Alina. At least here he is voicing his own opinion. I do think at points that opinion was somewhat naive though especially the part about once the fold is gone so to will the reason for hating grisha, like sorry no Mal honey, people never needed a reason to hate grisha they just do and they were doing long before the fold was created.

We also see Alina training and trying to develop her powers which are a bit unstable after the second amplifier. She debates whether to learn to use the cut or not as well. We also have David arrive and again I think its understandable that Alina doesn’t trust him right away but still listens to what they say. She learns about the Nichevo’ya and how there still may be a link between her and Aleks so she is definitely catching up on a lot of the information the audience already knew in this episode.

Mal discovers something in this episode to that wasn’t in the books something about a mystical lightening sword called Neshyenyer, that can cut through shadow. The theory is that the sword will work against the Nichevo’ya. It also looks like this is how they are going to tie in the crows with the grisha plotline as the plan is to hire them to get the sword form Shu han. Honestly I am excited to see shu han and this does sound like it could be an interesting plotline.

We finally learn the context of the first army general uniform/kefta that Alina was wearing in the trailer and yup I hate it. Turns out she chose it herself and had it made with the help of grisha. Look again I get what they were going with its supposed to show that she is becoming part of the royal family and that she is a leader and that they are trying to unite the two armies etc but it just looks so much like Zlatan’s uniform that I can’t disconnect the two. She is dressed in the uniform of the Kings army who have oppressed the grisha for hundreds of years who thought this was a good idea? Honestly it might have been over the top but I much preferred the gold dress the Queen had made for her not going to lie.

I did like the scene though where Nikolai gives her the Lantsov Emerald, not only does the emerald itself look really beautiful but again they both have good chemistry with each other and I really like the friendship they’ve developed.

Obviously one of the big things that happened this episode was Aleks’ attack on the Spinning Wheel during Alina and Nikolai’s engagement dinner. *It does seem like they have combined the attack on the palace and the attack on the spinning wheel from the books here as it has elements from both.* I did think it was clever how Aleks used their connection to draw Alina away from the fighting and to keep her safe. The scene where his image appears before her in the hall and he tells her he is trying to help her is interesting because of the way her powers react. Even though he is not really there her powers react when he gets closer to her and cradles her face.

The Nichevo’ya are as terrifying as always and one of them does get a hold of Adrik when he is trying to save his sister and even though Alina saves him I feel like he might still lose that arm looking at how badly injured it was and that we know wounds caused by the Nichevo’ya don’t heal very well.

Aleks is spitting out facts again, his speech about how her obsession with the fold is naive and how the grisha were hated long before its creation is spot on. Destroying the fold won’t change that. He also says one of my favourite lines from the book, ‘I have seen what you truly are and I have never turned away, I never will, can they say the same?’ But he is also makes a good point when Alina says that he is obsessed with power and control and he retorts that power must be controlled and that she is playing a dangerous game with it. He’s pointing out that she too has sought more power and is still seeking more power and that this comes along with its own dangerous, yet he also isn’t judging her for seeking that power, as he said earlier the power suits her.

I will confess that I was a little disappointed that we didn’t get the chapel scene but then I remembered a shot from the trailer that showed the gang including the crows and nikolai facing off against the nichevo’ya in front of a stained glass window which wasn’t in this episode so it seems like we may get another attack scene that does take place in the chapel so we still might yet see a version of my favourite scene on screen.

Genya and Baghra

Meanwhile over in Aleksander's camp his alchemist is grinding up Baghra’s finger bones for some mysterious reason and Genya is having a real tough time and honestly it is making me sad. She does have some scenes with Baghra though which is a dynamic I didn’t think we would see. If Aleks says one of my favourite lines in this episode Baghra says on of my least favourite. ‘Suffering is as cheap and clay and twice as common. What matters is what you make of it.’ She says it in very different circumstances in the books but I still hate the implication behind the words. That somehow you can control your own suffering or choose how suffering effects you when the truth is traumatic experiences effect every person differently. Whilst some might be able to push on through and carry on others can be crippled by it and have a harder fight, that doesn’t make them weak. I just think the line is a very callous way of looking at things. However I did have a bit more respect for Baghra when she called out Aleks for the way he was treating Genya. For reminding him that she suffered under the king because she was spying for Aleks and that she served him loyally since she was a child only for him to reduce her to an example now. Whilst I can understand that Aleks feels betrayed and abandoned by Genya because she tried to run that doesn’t make his actions towards her ok.

Genya and Baghra do manage to escape and the scene where Genya sees her reflection in the tray was so sad. The way she just screamed and smashed all of the experiments the Alechemist was working on just showed how much pain she is in. I am really hoping she will make it back to David next episode and that he can help her heal some.

The Crows.

Boy did Kaz Brekker get brutal in this episode. So the time had arrived to take down Rollins and honestly not only was the plan genius but there was something kind of poetic about, sure I did feel a bit bad for all those people who came into contact with Wylan’s compound and for a few hours believed they had actually caught firepox and could potentially die but well at least no one actually did die so silver lining right. I’ll also admit that using Rollins son as bait and telling Rollins that he had buried with whilst kind of brutal to watch was a clever ploy on Kaz’s part. But lets talk about everything in a bit more detail.

Once again Kaz and Inej had a moment of connection. The scene where he tells her to run and never look back if the plan goes wrong and her replying the only promise she can make is that Rollins will beg for his death. It is just so obvious that these two really do care and love each other but the both, Kaz in particular, struggle to communicate that. You can see it when Kaz says that he’ll find comfort in knowing she is there, Despite the dark topic of making a man beg for his death the scene is actually really sweet.

I knew they were going to do a cop out with Nina and make it seem like she had turned against Kaz when she was actually still working with him. But the whole scene of Kaz confronting Rollins was intense. You know how sometimes you are right but you really didn’t want to be right? Well I was right and I really didn’t want to be. Turns out Kaz’s older brother, Jordie, did die from firepox because they ended up on the streets after Rollins conned them out of everything they owned. The fact that Rollins can’t even remember the name of his brother just makes the whole thing worse. The idea that Kaz puts out that he has buried a child, Rollins son, is also really dark though I did suspect that it was a con but damn was Kaz convincing. Seriously the acting in this scene was really amazing.

Another moment of note is when Kaz makes the speech about love and how its a mistake to let anyone in because it makes you weak. I think this really does show how Kaz views his relationship for Inej. I also think it links back to that conversation they had about tells and weaknesses and he says no one looked for his true one. Inej is the one that he loves, the one that he let in and he believes that makes him weak as if someone discovered it they could use it against him.

Even though he never gets Rollins to remember his brother’s name Kaz does manage to clear the crows names and get Inej’s freedom. Which should be something to celebrate about but then Kaz driven by his fear of having a weakness decides to kick Inej out of the crow club. You can see how afraid he was when he talks about how he didn’t know where she was, whether rollins had tried to have her killed again. He is very much being driven by that fear in this scene and even her reassurances that she is fine don’t help. So he cuts her loose calling her a weak link. It is a hard scene to watch but it does make sense for Kaz’s character.

On to happier things though. Jesper and Wylan. I am really loving their relationship I loved when they are trying on the masks and Jesper says he happens to like Wylan’s face its so adorable. And obviously I loved the scene in Wylan’s workshop where Wylan admits that he left the first night they met because he didn’t think Jesper would want anything more and Jesper says that he would like to find out if there could be. I also liked that kind of awkwardness that they have where they don’t really know where they stand with the other but there is still that undeniable attraction between them and then Wylan just goes for it. The whole scene was perfect.

A small scene I would like to mention and I didn’t really know where else to put it was Jesper's speech to Kaz before the mission about how Kaz is going to say that he can’t do this without him, that he hates when they are angry but brothers fight and that he can have a tab at the club of his choosing. And Kaz just confirming that was exactly what he was going to say, it just reminds you that this is a found family and that when it comes to it they’ve got each other’s backs.

So that was episode 4 and we are at the midseason point. I do think this had quite a bit more action in it than the other episodes what with Aleks’ attack on the spinning wheel and the Crows taking down Rollins. I am going to assume that we’ll be moving into the hunt for the firebird and this sword in the second half of the season. I am still a little worried about the pacing as it does seem a bit rushed but none the less I am also still enjoying the show so far.

Favourite Lines

‘I have seen what you truly are and I have never turned away, I never will, can they say the same?’

‘The trick is not to love anything. Your mistake was that you let someone get in. Someone you would sacrifice everything for and it makes you weak.’

‘After all, that gelatin deer gave its life for your entertainment.’

#shadow and bone #s&b season 2 spoilers #darklina

5 notes · View notes