#pro mal

[hermionepunchesnazis]

“alina should’ve stayed with the darkling and leigh making her lose her powers at the end is lowkey ‘punishment’ for her being a powerful woman owo” you literally want alina to end up with the guy who sold genya to the king as a sexual plaything but go off about how alina choosing happiness and love over protection and power are so not girlboss of her ig

#this is girlboss feminism and y'all need to stop #anti darklina #anti darkling #pro mal #where's that tiktok that's like 'copette' 'dictat-her' #'it's punishment it's internalized misogyny' it's literally proof that she isn't like the darkling which is idk #the point #rant over

[aleksanderscult]

Alina: *has a good time in the Little Palace*

Mal:

#well that wasn't a heartwarming reunion was it? #anti malina #anti mal oretsev #anti mal #alina starkov #grishaverse trilogy #shadow and bone #grishaverse #darklina #pro darklina #alarkling #pro alarkling

[dreamsuvivor]

Hear me out: the hot tall dark and mysterious vampire/immortal/other kind of mystical creature boyfriend will always be supperior to the boring basic “normal joe” bf, (no matter how toxic their relationship with the mc is). At least the toxicity is usually rooted in the fictional aspect of their relationship, (like their age gap, or idk killing somebody close to the mc). But the “normal joe”s are always just controlling and jealous in a very “every other guy you find on tinder” kinda way.

#this rant is brought to you by me having to endure another episode of btvs with mr military man not dead #anti riley finn #btvs #i would deck that man the moment he started shouting at buffy and underestemating her #this is very much pro spike and angel #spike btvs #spike #william the bloody #spuffy #angel btvs #bangel #also applies to #shadow and bone #anti mal oretsev #pro darkling #darklina #the darkling

[darklinaforever]

I really think Mal Oretsev is the worst endgame romantic interest in existence.

Really.

There are many canonical ships I disagree with, but Malina ? This is the worst of all for me.

Alina had so much potential, and it was all wasted on a stupid tracker ; When she could have had the Darkling or Nikolai !

As much as I will always wonder what could be wrong in Alina's head to prefer her childhood friend to these two, and also what could have been going on in Leigh Bardugo's head when she wrote the character of Mal and the Malina relationship.

Like... she didn't notice that the character and the relationship were catastrophic ? Is that the height of romance for her ?

It sucks...

#anti malina #anti mal oretsev #alina starkov #the darkling #pro darkling #nikolai lantsov #darklina #alarkling #nikolina #darkling x alina #darkling and alina #alina x darkling #alina and darkling #nikolai x alina #nikolai and alina #alina x nikolai #grisha #the grisha trilogy #grisha trilogy #shadow and bone trilogy #the shadow and bone trilogy #shadow and bone #siege and storm #ruin and rising #anti leigh bardugo #grishaverse #aleksander morozova

[aelsie]

Jessie, Ben, Daisy: The Darkling and Alina are like a bickering old married couple.

Me: that means….

Ravka = the child suffering from their bickering and impending divorce, needs major therapy

Genya = the mutual friend who set them up, having a hard time deciding who to side with (at first)

David = their overworked accountant…he can only make so much magic happen

Nikolai = the dashing, shiny young new boyfriend, soon to be stepdad, who Alina, smirking, pulled up with at one of their proceedings

The rest of the Grisha = the assets and estates they’re fighting over

The Crows = Alina’s legal team, ready to win (Kaz = no time for your shit lawyer)

Mal = their pet do—….wait who?

Baghra = Baghra (yelling at them both)

They’re like one of those over the top rich married couples with their dramatic melancholias and flourish-y outfits and when they fight, they definitely overshare and make public spectacles and people look at each other like oh god, this again.

It’s a family drama, and mom and dad are taking some time off and just need couples therapy, that’s all. For now, daddy is sleeping in a hotel.

#mal is the dog they’ve set free in the meadow #I mean the countryside where he can have rabbits and other woodland creatures to chase #they’ve “put him down’’ to live his life on a farm👀 #baghra wearing a vintage fur coat and pearls lecturing the two idiots #when she herself probably passed on her own trauma and messed up ways to her son #pro darklina #darklina #alina x aleksander #alina x darkling #alina starkov #aleksander kirigan #the darkling #ben barnes #jessie mei li #daisy head #shadow and bone season two spoilers #shadow and bone #baghra morozova #david kostyk

[zoyaofthegardvn]

idk who made the decision to not release anything zoya related for the season 2 release date announcement, but i will find out, and trust, you will be dealt with.

#zoya nazyalensky #zoyalina #alina starkov #leigh bardugo #shadow and bone #grisha #grishaverse #zoya #pro zoya #pro alina #sun summoner #mal oretsev #six of crows #shadow and bone season 2 #netflix #nikolai lantsov #sujaya dasgupta

[lilisouless]

Just saw someone using Alina’s rant to Vasily to say that all of those things apply to book Mal and therefore she would hate him and…Vasily was a privileged rich prince who has an important power position, he was supposed to be the person who one day would take care of Ravka and has the resources to have a proper education. Mal was a commoner sodier who was destined to know nothing but war one day he will die in. Okay, book Mal is no perfect by no means, but you can’t compare both situations, specially if one decided to actually do good things

#netflix shadow and bone #leigh bardugo #mal oretsev #malyen oretsev #alina starkov #malyen oretsev deffense #pro malyen oretsev #alina starvok #vasily lantsov

[ragingstillness]

6 am thoughts:

SaB episode 1 au: Alina tries to save Mal on the skiff but she doesn’t reach him in time and he gets knocked off the skiff and dragged deep into the fold. In her perceived grief she still activates as the sun summoner and stuff continues as it did before. However, as the Volcra were creatures made of Merzost and Morozova’s Amplifiers were made of Merzost, Mal isn’t killed, in fact, the Volcra seem oddly attached to him. After he heals his animal lover side comes out and he begins to interact with the Volcra peaceably, learning that they won’t harm him intentionally. He tries to train them to not play so rough with him (think bite inhibition with dogs) and eventually manages to effectively tame them. (For the sake of my peace of mind, the Volcra who were originally created when Aleksander made the Fold have all been killed or died over time and the Volcra that live in the Fold now are their descendants) Alina and Aleksander show up to take down the Fold when Mal just kind of flies out riding a Volcra and is like hey you know you don’t have to do this, if I tell them not to hurt people they’ll leave the skiff crossings alone. We might have to set aside an allowance to throw meat into the Fold but I can stop them from eating people. In the past year Mal has become weirdly protective of the Volcra. He’ll defend people who call them ugly, they’ve all become his animals like he’s a shepard. He has managed to create some sort of pseudo-tether with them that allows him to communicate roughly what they mean. He tells Aleksander that the Volcra don’t really know why they attack him anymore, it’s been passed down through generations like a blood feud just “we attack the man in black” “why?” “Idk we just do” and when Aleksander’s like “the fuck?” Mal has the nerve to be like hey if you apologize to them they’ll probably be ok leaving you alone. I have a mighty need for Volcra Trainer!Mal oblivious to his own amplifier status, becoming sort of the guardian of the Fold as he lobbies to preserve the fold as the only natural habitat of the Volcra (think the National Parks System in the US). I want him to be like a dragon rider rigging saddles and such. This au makes me so happy for some reason.

#sab #shadow and bone #s&b #malyen oretsev #a rare pro-Mal post from me #grishaverse

[iwaoiness]

When Tooru likes Rosalía

Iwaizumi never thought it possible that anything could oust empanadas from the number 1 spot in Oikawa's TOP10 things I like most about Argentina.

Until Rosalia and her album El Mal Querer arrived during Tooru's second year in the Latin country.

Ever since he became obsessed whit her, there was no video call where Oikawa did not hum or sing a song. With the endearing accent that persisted in his Spanish, he sang voy a salir pa la calle, con la manita los aro’ brillando, en mi piel los corale’, me protejan, me salven, me iluminen, me guarden while he prepared to go out after Hajime helped him choose an outfit.

And also me da miedo cuando sales, sonriendo pa’ la calle, porque todos pueden ver, los hoyuelitos que te salen, like that day when he missed Iwa-chan so much that he couldn't disguise it and Jacob (Hajime's roommate and friend) uploaded a story to Instagram where Iwaizumi was laughing (so handsome, so ethereal) with naturalness and happiness and sweetness and with those tender dimples on his cheeks.

And de las luces sale un ángel que cayó, tiene una marca en el alma, pero ella no se la vio while preparing dinner following Iwaizumi's instructions via the video call

And when Oikawa was feeling playful, lying face down on the bed, with the laptop in front of him, he sang di mi nombre, pon tu cuerpo contra el mío, y que lo malo sea bueno e impuro lo bendecí’o, ya me abrazas sobre tu cuerpo, en la esquina de tu cama, and he enjoyed watching Hajime covered his face with his hands, his ears reddened and muttered curses in English because after so long, he understood Spanish too well.

Then, four years later, when Oikawa was giving up all hope of Rosalía releasing a new album, Motomami appeared, and Iwaizumi still remembers with a shudder Tooru's intense scream when it was released.

Now, with no trace of his accent, in fluent, melodious Spanish, Oikawa sang yo soy muy mía, yo me transformo, una mariposa, yo me transformo, makeup de drag queen, yo me transformo, lluvia de estrellas, yo me transformo as he swayed his hips and made his favourite smoothies in the kitchen of the new flat where he finally lived with Iwaizumi.

And there was one day when, while Hajime was talking to Kageyama on the phone about his hesitation to do a deodorant commercial, Oikawa sang out loud es mala amante la fama y no va a quererte de verdad, es demasia’o traicionera, y como ella viene, se te va to tease him a bit (just for old times' sake, not because he wanted to really annoy Tobio for interrupting them in their daily cuddling session).

And then he sang pa’ ti naki, chicken teriyaki, tu gata quiere maki, mi gata en Kawasaki as he and Iwa-chan walked to their favourite restaurant in Tokyo and Hajime, against his will, ended up humming the catchy fucking tune.

He also sang yo no soy y ni voy a ser tu bizcochito, pero tengo to’ lo que tiene delito, que me pongan en el sol, que me derrito as he went through his nightly skincare routine, with the song playing on his phone and Hajime by his side, brushing his teeth while looking at him in amusement through the reflection of the mirror.

And there was a time when Tooru not only sang baby, no me llame’ que yo estoy ocupá’ olvidando tus male’, ya decidí que esta noche se sale, con toda’ mis motomami’, con toda’ mis gyale’, but also joined the trend on TikTok (dragging Hajime of course). Both learned the choreography, recorded the video one Sunday morning and, in less than three hours, got more than 1M likes, 90k comments (20 of them from an excited Hinata), several calls from family and friends, a duo of Mattsun and Makki with their TikTok where both laughed trying to imitate them and Suna re-uploading the video on his social networks with the thumbs-up emoji.

And then came the RR album with Beso which Tooru had on loop for weeks, although Hajime didn't really mind, because the melody was soft (nothing to do with Chiken Teriyaki) and he loved it when Oikawa sang ya yo necesito otro beso, uno de esos que tú me da’, estar lejos de ti es el infierno, estar cerca de ti es mi paz as he wrapped his arms around Iwa-chan, smiled tenderly and looked at him lovingly before kissing him.

Although, when it was discovered that Rauw hurt Rosalía and they broke up, Oikawa (after venting his anger towards the male singer on his social networks) banned the album because in this house we don't tolerate infidels, Iwa-chan and replaced the RR album with the single LLYLM, with that fragment that Oikawa liked a lot and, during an April night, curled up on the small sofa on the balcony under the dark blanket of the sky, Hajime sang to him, low and soft, with an accent in his Spanish ay dame esa pulsera de flores, me la pondré en la muñeca, cuando despierte, así yo lo sabré, así yo lo sabré, yo sabré que fue real, será mi totem, lo sabes tú y nadie más.

But, instead of a flower bracelet, Iwaizumi carefully slipped a gold wedding ring onto Oikawa's ring finger and he, when noticed it, lifted his head from Hajime's chest, blinking in perplexity when he saw the jewel wrapped perfectly around his finger.

Is this...?

He shot his gaze towards Iwaizumi with a whirlwind of dizzying emotions swirling in his chest, where his heart was pounding so hard it could shatter ribs and pierce skin.

Hajime looked back at him, his olive green eyes shining with happiness in its purest state, and he widened his smile, that smile that expresses so much and brings out his dimples.

"Will you marry me, Tooru?" he asked him softly in Spanish, his voice trembling lightly, charged with the same emotions that stirred the setter.

Oikawa opened and closed his mouth, but the words caught in his throat, his lower lip began to tremble, his eyes to mist over before tears began to overflow and his cheks and nose began to blush. Tooru only managed to sob before he threw himself on top of him completely, hiding his face in Hajime’s shoulder, wrapping his arms tightly around his neck and sliding his legs on either side of his hips. Iwaizumi’s strong arms immediately wrapped around Oikawa, aligning their hearts in that hug, bringing him the warmth, comfort, and security that Tooru grew up with.

Hajime was Tooru’s home that always kept its doors open for him.

"If I'd known you were going to propose I would have taught you Taylor Swift's discography." He whispered when finally found his voice and Hajime let out a wet laugh, his hand never having stopped stroking Oikawa’s back while the other still clutched at his waist.

"So that's a yes?" he asked and Oikawa sniffled, lifting his head to look him in the eye.

He smiled, with that cute curve to his lips that forced his eyes to narrow like half-moons and his reddened nose to wrinkle tenderly.

"As Rosalia sang at an awards ceremony" Tooru cleared his throat and Hajime laughed again before his boyfriend (now fiancé and forever his soulmate) cradled his face in his soft hands, his thumbs caressing his cheeks as their eyes met again "Si me das a elegir, entre tú y la gloria, pa’ que hable la historia de mí, por los siglos, ay amor" He inclined his head, nuzzling his nose with Iwaizumi's, who narrowed his eyes, lowering his gaze to those glossy lips that curved upwards "I'm staying with you" He finished in Japanese and Hajime mirrored his smile before their mouths melted into a kiss charged with all the love they had sown since they were two years old.

The same love that today, at the age of 29, blossoms like every spring in an explosion of colours and shapes.

#iwaoi #oikawa tooru #haikyuu!! #haikyuu #iwaizumi hajime #oikawa x iwaizumi #pro volleyball oikawa #bl boys #hajime iwaizumi #iwaizumi fluff #oikawa argentino #oikawa speaks spanish #oikawa sings in spanish #hc of oikawa being a rosalia stan #proposal #rosalia #el mal querer #taylor swift mention #iwaizumi speaks spanish #iwaizumi hajime (29) athletic trainer #oikawa fluff #they are so in love #soft and fluffy #fluff and romance

[duaghterofstories]

I’m in a mood, so let’s refute some Anti Darkling posts.

No harassing the creator of this post, etc, etc.

This is our current post: https://www.tumblr.com/samandhislostshoe/675673929154772992/no-cuz-some-of-yall-no-one-said-you-have-to-like?source=share

no cuz some of y'all- no one said you have to like mal and no one said that you cannot ship darklina or like the darkling, but holy shit- hating on 17 y.o teen for doing few mistakes

I hate Mal because he canonically told Alina be preferred her when she was sick, hated on the Grisha, and some other reasons I don’t remember right now and can’t be bothered to find.

but overall loving alina and caring for her,

Mal may have loved Alina, but he did not care for her. At least not well.

but praise a literal 500 y.o groomer? mass murderer? there's a long list of things he did what are disgusting and way worse than Mal being rude or some shit. DID YOU EVEN READ THE SAME BOOKS?!

Probably not. Always wondered why you dislike the man trying to stop a genocide. This might be why.

"oH bUt ThE aEsThEtIc!" yea, pretty, but who cares?!

Me. Tbh, I want to be a villain cause of the aesthetic (Which isn’t to say Aleksander is a villain, but aesthetic is important to me)

"iF eViL wHy HoT?"

I’m asexual, if I say this it’s purely to piss off Antis like you.

Ben Barnes is hot. The darkling is not 😐.

Someone didn’t read the books.

It shows that y'all just care about looks at this point. He could literally kill your whole family and you would get weak in your knees just cuz "he looked so good doing it."

I’d support him killing his family because his only family is Baghra (and his sister, but I don’t think she counts since she’s been away for a while) and she’s a child abuser and manipulator. Not cause ‘he looked good doing it’.

Like, I don't know man, i don't see the logic in it.

Well, I don’t see a single logical point in your post either, so we agree.

#pro darkling #pro aleksander morsova #anti malina #anti mal oretsev #darkling antis dni #aleksander morozova #grishaverse critical

[syn-ch]

uhh, little tip, don't c/s too often. it'll drive you crazy

#ed not ed sheeran #boy ana #tw ana diary #ana trigger #c/s #chew and spit #⭐️ving #fat ana #tw disordered eating #pro for me not for thee #male anna #ftm ed #trans ana #low cal mal #obese ana #disordered eating thoughts #i need to lose so much weight #i want to ⭐️ve #i deserve to ⭐️ve #slow progress is still progress #ed bullshit #ana bullshit #@na motivation #ana and me #i need to ⭐️ve #i need to lose this weight #im so fat #starv3 #⭐️ve #syn-ch waist

[aleksanderscult]

Mal after seeing Alina for the first time in 2-3 months happy, healthy, strong: "oH mY gOd WhaT ArE YoU WeArInG?? YoU BeLoNG tO HiM NoW?? I CaN SeE YoU'Re HavInG a GoOd TIme hERe!!"😑😠

The Darkling after Alina ditched him twice, tried to kill him twice, the second time by using merzost and throwing a chapel on his face: "Here take this throne beside me, be my Tsarina. You were so hot that night.😩🔥 Also *takes out engagement ring* will you marry me?"🥺🖤❤️

#the man almost proposed after she tried to kill him😭 #he's so infatuated he's lost😭 #he loves seeing her powerful #it doesn't frighten him in the long haul #mal at least you could say how happy and grateful you are that she is safe and happy #and show it too #the darkling #pro darkling #alina starkov #aleksander morozova #pro aleksander morozova #grishaverse trilogy #grishaverse #shadow and bone #ruin and rising #siege and storm #anti mal oretsev #anti malina #anti mal #darklina #pro darklina

[ofmonstersandmagicians]

Something I've been seeing a lot from darkling stans lately is the refusal to acknowledge that most of the wrongs they claim he's experienced are wrongs that he's done to others first. One of the most blatant examples I saw was a post about how the darkling was "mutilated by his mother." This is rich because (in book) he literally *blinds* her, and (in show) he chops off her finger first? Like this aspect of "mutilation" that they're looking at is literally just the exact same thing he did to her first.

Unfortunately, acknowledging that makes their arguments look weak, so they ignore it. This is just a general thing I see a lot in darkling stans/apologists-- "he was persecuted"-- yeah, and he persecuted other people? "He was attacked by Alina" Yeah and he presented himself as a threat to her first? In book he literally burned down the orphanage that was her childhood home and murdered the caretaker? "Genya betrayed him"-- yeah, after he put her in a position *as a child* where she was brutally and repeatedly SAed? Idk man.

#anti darkling #anti the darkling #anti aleksander morozova #genya safin #pro genya safin #genya safin did nothing wrong #alina starkov #shadow and bone #mal oretsev

[darklinaforever]

Looking for the perfect equivalent to the Grisha trilogy ? What Darklina and Malina could have been if written well ? All with an equally bittersweet ending ?

In this case, you must absolutely read The Empirium Trilogy with the relations of Corien & Rielle (Corielle), and Rielle & Audric :

Darklina VS Corielle (by the way, if you know the names of the artists for the Darklina and Corielle fanarts, please tell me ? That I name them and above all that I go see their other creations) :

@aleksanderscult

#grisha trilogy #the grisha trilogy #grisha #shadow and bone trilogy #the shadow and bone trilogy #shadow and bone #siege and storm #ruin and rising #darklina #alarkling #anti malina #anti mal oretsev #the empirium trilogy #empirium series #claire legrand #rielle courverie #audric courverie #rielle dardenne #corien #furyborn #kingsbane #lightbringer #corielle #corien x rielle #corien and rielle #anti leigh bardugo #the darkling #pro darkling #aleksander morozova #alina starkov

[gritsandbrits]

#disney descendants #anti mal bertha #anti mal #bevie #pro bevie #anti bal #anti ben x mal #meme #anti mal x ben

[waldensblog]

Alright, I’m doing it. I am reading Shadow and Bone.

For context, I watched the show, but have never read the series before. Now, without further ado...

Alina:  I found Alina a bit irritating at the beginning, because she just seemed to be absolutely obsessed with Mal. Ana in the first few pages says the two are “too attached” to each other, and I felt that way watching the show, with these feelings amplified here. He seemed to have a life, identity, friends, outside of her, but she just kind of waited for him to come back. I loved seeing her grow at the Little Palace when she finally let go of Mal, and embraced who she is as a Grisha, started to have genuine friendships with Genya, Marie, Nadia, and hang around other Grisha. I loved her friendship with Genya so much. It was excellent growth in her, and I loved seeing it. I was a bit frustrated at the end, the way she kind of abandons everyone and runs off with Mal - on the one hand I get it - she doesn’t have the power to stop anything, and she’s saving Mal, but on the other hand, she abandoned a bunch of people to the Volcra, it’s not that heroic, but in a way, that makes it more interesting. I definitely think Alina’s major character flaw is her obsession with Mal, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she kind of regresses in the second book while with him. I generally like Alina, but at times she frustrates me. 

Mal / Malina:  Mal’s character is... not my favourite, but I don’t hate him at this point. At the start he’s a friend who has a life outside his friendship with Alina - he has other friends, an identity of his own, hobbies, etc. He gets pissed at Alina at the Little Palace for getting a boyfriend, basically, and makes his jealousy her problem. It’s fine that he didn’t initially have feelings for her - which probably has a lot to do with the fact that she was a sickly girl with no sense of self - but he made it her problem and was rude. He does at least apologize later and own up to it, but it’s obvious that her past with the Darkling is not a subject to discuss, which is really a shame, because... she should be able to discuss her feelings with her friend, but apparently, cannot. 

I know she’s supposed to have a crush on Mal, but I just don’t ship it. Normally a friends-to-lovers trope is one I can vibe with, in this case, I don’t. They grew up in an orphanage together, in the same household, so it really gives me brother/sister vibes. In fact, the first time I watched the show, I assumed that was how I was supposed to view them. I also can’t help but feel like... her crush on Mal is almost more told than shown. When Mal is introduced, I am told he has blue eyes. This was the extent of the description I had for a while, but as soon as the Darkling showed up... that was another description altogether. I don’t hate Mal at this point, and I don’t ship Malina.

The Darkling / Darklina: 

The Darkling has survived centuries and seen Grisha persecution, endless wars fought on behalf of the monarchy, and he wants to liberate Ravka. His methods? I don’t agree with, but his mission isn’t a bad one, so I understand why some Grisha and soldiers were cheering at the end for him. As I was reading, I was thinking “damn I wish these soldiers would get class consciousness and stop hating Grisha, realizing the King is really the enemy, as he makes them all fight for him!”. The Darkling tries to do just that here. He’s a villain from Alina’s POV (”Fine, make me your villain”), which I think is mostly an effect of 1st person POV - imagine reading these events from his POV. He isn’t a hero, he isn’t a good guy - I’d say antagonist yes, and morally grey.

As soon as Alina meets the Darkling, we get quite the description. His silky black hair, grey quartz eyes, sharp jaw. His strong arm catches her after the initial touch which she feels an immediate connection with (I know, I know, it’s because he’s a living amplifier - but still, all the “literally turns you on” jokes are too easy here!) Later we hear he has a soft voice, a laugh she loves, and she’s eager to impress him. She’s very actively thirsting for him in a way she didn’t really seem to do for Mal. When they kiss for the first time after months of dancing around it all, she noted that she’s been kissed before, but this was something else. There’s a major spark here. I think the feelings are mutual too. When Ivan turns a corner, he has a knowing smile. As a heartrender, Ivan would know if the Darkling seriously had 0 feelings, and in that moment with Ivan, it reads to me like Ivan knew. Later, of course, he gifts her the black Kefta, with his symbol necklace, which is like the Grishaverse equivalent of wearing your boyfriend’s sweater. He wants everyone to know they’re a thing. I think he was really sincerely hurt (and probably surprised by the hurt) when she ran off. She was growing, becoming comfortable as a Grisha, everything going well, and then she just left, no explanation, because his mother said some stuff. Yeah I’d be in pain too. I don’t condone his behaviour when he finds her again, not at all. I think his feelings are still there, as evidenced by the tent kiss, and they are mutual. Despite everything, there is still feelings, still a connection. Things aren’t over. I find myself still ultimately shipping it - even if there’s obviously problematic elements, because of what they initially had, what things can be - basically I just want Aleks to get some therapy, but I know that ain’t gonna happen lol.

Also, when the Darkling said “Can I come to you tonight”, Alina hesitated but my thirsty ass would have been like “Fuck yeah” in a heartbeat. Ben’s performance gave me a crush on his character (and actor) and is isn’t dissuaded here (though I dig show Darkling more as he’s more obviously grounded in humanity - again, probably a consequence of the show being 3rd person POV vs the book being 1st person POV). I am definitely pro Darkling and Darklina. 

Baghra:

Baghra is also morally grey to me. I neither hate nor love her. On the bad, she is an abusive instructor, hitting her students when they fail to perform, and she definitely chooses what information to give in a manipulative way. She does, however, ultimately help Alina, or in her mind she does, and Alina’s perspective too. She warns Alina about the Darkling, and helps her escape, saying she loves her son and doesn’t think he’s past redemption yet. On the other hand, by imparting this information here, now, Alina doesn’t get the chance to confront the Darkling and ask his side (which I find weird - she didn’t like Baghra, but immediately trusts her over her new boyfriend who has been by this point in the story only been shown to help her). It’s also rather frustrating when she calls Alina a “foolish girl” for being involved with the Darkling... like what the hell, it’s not like YOU SAID ANYTHING, FOR WEEKS/MONTHS!!!!! So yes, my feelings are neither pro or anti, just... she’s grey to me. I’ll need to see how she develops in future books to know where I stand.

Next Up: I will wait for season 2 to read the next one, so that I am thoroughly surprised by the show!

#shadow and bone #captain's log #alina starkov #pro alina #anti mal oretsev #sort of #anti malina #technically #darklina #for sure #anti baghra #not really but for tagging purposes i suppose i am critical in some ways of her