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#there's so much to say when it comes to inej and her religion but this post is already long enough
she-posts-nerdy-stuff · 3 months
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It’s one in the morning let’s talk Six of Crows analysis - it feels like it’s been ages since I did any analysis, which is like the entire point of this account so sorry about that but here we go: We should talk more about Adem Bajan you guys okay because first of all he effectively comes to represent the vast majority of everyday people in a clear juxtaposition to both Inej and Van Eck, but he also is in a position of far less choice than I think we give him credit for.
As a reminder, Bajan is a young Suli boy (presumably somewhere around 19 but we have no confirmation of that) working in the Van Eck household teaching Alys music. He is highly implied to be having or to have interest in having as affair with Alys, and was Van Eck’s chosen jailer for Inej at the beginning of Crooked Kingdom. Van Eck claims he made this choice because he thought “a Suli boy would be most conspicuous” when he was attempting to lure Kaz into a trap to save Inej, but it was also an inarguably smart decision in that, as Inej even comments herself, Bajan was easy to talk to, made her feel nostalgic, homesick, and alone, and very nearly succeeded in drawing information out of her without having to restore to torture. If anything, resorting to torture was Van Eck’s major mistake at this point but that’s really a conversation for another time. Bajan is a really interesting character because he doesn’t want to hurt Inej and specifically encourages her to tell him things so Van Eck won’t escalate things further, but when Van Eck does escalate things Bajan is unable - or possibly unwilling - to stop him. For this Inej calls him a monster, and when he claims he did nothing replies “no, you’re the man who stands idly by congratulating himself whilst the monster eats its fill”. She draws a Suli phrase on him that effectively means he’ll be rejected by the community forever and his spirit/soul won’t be accepted, and she describes it as the worst fate or something along those lines sorry I can’t remember exactly. But what’s the most interesting thing is that even though he claims not to believe in any of it Bajan gets noticeably upset by this and says “that’s not fair”. Inej is surprised that he’s this soft, and there’s a very clear juxtaposition between the lives they have lived.
BUT - let’s look at this from Bajan’s perspective. And remember - this is important - Bajan is not described as an employee of Van Eck’s, but an indenture. An indenture. So Bajan is a young boy indentured in a foreign country to a man as high up in the country’s government as you can get and who has clearly been illustrated to the reader as a terrible person on several different levels that I won’t dissect in too much detail right now. He appears to have acclimatised himself to Kerch surroundings and acts with elevation above his status, because that’s what he has to do to survive in the upper echelon of a deeply classist society that actively diminishes and disapproves of his culture. (<<if anyone wants references for that let me know and also I’ve written about it quite a bit before so that’s kicking around on my page somewhere) He refuses to speak to Inej in Suli because “it makes me maudlin” and my question to you is: is he rejecting the language to further attempt to fit in and as a product of internalised prejudice, or because it’s so incredibly painful to be half-connected to a culture not only that he has forced himself to reject but also that he feels he can never safely return to? Probably both. He tells Inej he doesn’t believe in Suli superstition, religion, or culture, and yet is deeply upset when she uses it against him. Is this because he actually does believe, or wants to believe, in the Saints and the Suli interpretation of them but has rejected them for survival and the supposed betterment of himself? Possibly.
Bajan strikes me as very similar to Jesper in the way he presents himself as free, flirty, and casual, but had a considerable weight to almost everything he says and considerable pain hidden closer to the surface than he may have realised. I think there are parallels between him and Inej if we want to see them, but also a very stark difference in the way Kerch and Ketterdam have treated them. Bajan may not be privileged but even as an indenture he has - or at least as far as we know has had - a far safer and kinder experience than Inej has. This could be related to gender since the hyper-sexualisation of Suli culture is mostly centred on women - “the Menagerie always stocked a Suli girl” (I’ve intensely analysis this quote before so I won’t now but ugh there’s so much to say) - but we do know there are young boys captive at the pleasure houses as well although less commonly and it’s also possible that this difference is linked to Bajan’s decision to turn his back on Suli culture in order to appeal more to Kerch society whilst Inej continually embraced her culture and arguably became more religious in response to her experiences.
This is complicated because I’m not entirely sure how I feel about Bajan. I understand and support Inej’s perspective and everything she saw whilst in a far more dangerous position that he was, but is it possible that this was a lonely boy who saw someone he thought was like him and tried to communicate with her the only way he thought was safe? You are completely isolated in a foreign culture and hate yourself for having suppressed your own upbringing in order to survive, but now you meet someone else who yes, is in more danger than you, but who you might be able to help so that she can help you in return. You aren’t safe to speak freely and so you subtly tell her that you are an indenture, hoping she acknowledges that none of this is of your free will and because you know that she was indentured too (and remember from a societal pov there is very little understanding of what indentured girls at the pleasure houses actually go through and although that doesn’t excuse ignoring Inej’s trauma it may explain why he doesn’t fully acknowledge that their positions aren’t equal), you tell her that speaking your own shared language makes you feel maudlin, hoping she realises that you desperately miss your homeland and using your language makes you feel even further from your family than you already are because you can’t share it with them. She doesn’t seem to be taking any of it in, your employer has every intention of hurting her and you don’t know what else to do, so you make a last plea: you ask her about home. You think you’ve already made it clear that speaking about home is painful, so you ask her about it to invite that pain, to share it, so you both understand. But it fails, because she only sees your employer puppeteering you. You openly beg her to tell him the truth so that he won’t hurt her but she refuses to comply, and after all of your efforts and your desperate attempts to connect and beg her to help you both go home, her response is to turn your home against you and banish you from it for eternity. So when you see her the next morning, how could you possibly look her in the eye?
Bajan did not make all of the right choices in his brief time on the page. He didn’t. But maybe he was trying really hard, and he had no other options left.
Anyway I’m not saying this is definitive one way or the other it’s just an interpretation but I find him a very interesting and very sad character and I although I support all of Inej’s actions in these scenes from her point of view I do find myself wondering how she appeared to Bajan and how he felt in the aftermath.
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a-heart-of-kyber · 10 months
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I do find the SOC fandom's take on the investment quote really weird. I can't tell if people really view it as a shit attempt at flirting, a secret love confession by the religion of Ghezen or like its just gone full on meme.
Looking at the actual situation surrounding the "I protect my investments." quote I think shows what it is. Kaz has just fought through however many men it took to paint the side of a shipping container red with blood and his legs is fucked up as he tries to get the woman he's in love with to help and safety as she bleeds out in his arms. He spends the run essentially challenging and teasing her to keep her awake.
The "I protect my investments." line is a shitty sarcastic joke meant to piss Inej off so she'll stay awake to scould him my guy. It wasn’t meant to be romantic. It wasn’t meant to be serious outside of its purpose.
And let's not ignore Inej's Massive Blinders when it comes to Kaz. She refuses to see how much he cares about her despite it being in full on "Everyone Can See It" mode before they even get to the Ice Court. I don't think it clicks for Inej how much Kaz feels for her until the bathroom scene in CK tbf. So, her interpretations of what Kaz says and does tend to be so entirely off the mark it'd actually be funny if it wasn't so sad.
So, is it because she takes it so literally that the fandom has gone hog wild or what?
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crowshoots · 7 months
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the zemeni, their beliefs about grisha abilities, and relations to religion & belief
said that i would do this post a bit ago, so here we go. now, several things before i go into it: this is all headcannoned and lore i made myself rather than anything supported in canon, as Ieigh bardugo has offered... pretty much nothing on zemeni culture, so! again, this is primarily for my blog and how i understand it, but keep this in mind for whenever talking about (my) jesper's culture. onward we go!
to start: we know very little of the zemeni culture in canon (unfortunately). the very little we know is that grisha are seen as blessed (and the word for grisha translates as 'the blessed'), and novyi zem is one of the few places available for grisha to hide safely for their lives. they do have teachings for their abilities off to the west, and they don't believe in grisha orders like the ravkans and the rest of the world does.
the terminology of the word 'blessed' as connotations. one, it obviously indicates a positive image of zowa. even in ravka, one of the countries most well-known for their employment and treatment of grisha, they're not exactly the same way. instead, the grisha are named after one of the first grisha saints, gregori.
a lot of the older ravkan saints are tales of grisha who were brutalized, such as gregori himself (mauled to death by bears). the ravkan legends tend to commentate them for all of the things they could do, uplifting them to a pedestal rather than ridiculing them or making them out to be monsters. in the books, it's also implied that saints are not shared from country to country -- inej has her own (suli) saints, and colm has his (kaelish) saints. they likely have their own tales and beliefs.
however, the usage of the word 'blessed' by the zemeni implies that they believe that this power comes from a higher power. it implies that fate had a hand in 'blessing' someone and gifting them this power. leoni's father says --
"leoni is zowa. she has the gift too."
the way that this is phrased implies again that the zemeni believe grisha/zowa power to be a gift from someone. aditi also says that "if my gifts can help people, then it's my duty to use them", perhaps implying a (mayhaps personal or moral-related) understanding of these gifts and using them in such a way to help others. in short: in my understanding, the zemeni view zowa power as a gift from a higher power, specifically given to aid others the best they can.
however, with the zemeni seemingly lacking in saints, now it becomes a question of exactly what this higher power is. in siege and storm, alina hears from mal that the zemeni have a god of work that they pray to (also curiously enough, capitalized as God of Work but I have no coherent thoughts on that). the god of work is not given a name, and we can assume that mal wouldn't know the zemeni names. (sort of like how if you weren't kerch/grounded in kerch culture, you wouldn't exactly know what ghezen would be the god of when someone told you that they'll pray to ghezen. it's not like they say "i'll pray to ghezen, god of commerce")
the way that i interpret this is that the god of work is not one person. it is not someone grounded in history, nor is it one body and one identity. they are just... the god of work, and that's all they are.
this is also where another piece of my personal headcanoned lore comes in. as the zemeni are based in black culture, i believe some elements are inspired by african-american history, as well as other places such as haiti and west africa. for my understanding of zemeni culture, it combines spiritualism as well as animism (as the zemeni are also based on australia, which i will take to mean the aborginal people of australia). in addition, jesper also says that he believes in things such as "ghosts and gnomes", the latter of which i think is a joke but the former i think is a reference to his belief in spirits.
the zemeni seem to be very connected to the land. novyi zem is most well-known for its crops and usage of natural materials. they have shown that they are quite technologically advanced (such as their weaponry and their airships), but purposefully guard these things as their own, as they've had enough of other countries stealing their things and using them without any respect for the ground it came from or anything else in relation to its creation process.
the zemeni believe that their land is inhibited and infused by the spirits of the dead who were buried there, placed back into the earth once they died. (this is also why the zemeni always choose to bury their dead in the earth, especially close to places like trees or rivers) they tend to bury family closest to their own houses as well so the spirits can watch over and see their family. they believe spirits are in nature such as mountains or caves or more.
since the spirits are connected with the land, the zemeni do their best to ensure that its never diseased and in good health. as a reward, the spirits give them good harvest and crop. similarly, they believe that any gifts given to them (so zowa power) is the spirits of the dead looking out for them, giving them something that allows them to help others and the community.
so tldr: in my headcanons, the zemeni belief system in zowa is inherently rooted into their ancestors, believing that the dead of their family have given them gifts.
in relation to jesper, this gets... complicated. leigh wrote him without any connection to his culture. he grew up shuttering off his feelings about his zowa identity and unfortunately grew to think of it as a curse and as a misfortunate rather than the gift that his mother thought it was. for him to think this way is an inherent rejection of his own culture, and jesper has many strides to take before he's in a place where he's content with it -- in the way i write him, he goes back to novyi zem to visit his da, then goes west to meet zowa teachers (one of which knew his mom). it's a frustrating few months, but it's a start of a community, one of the most vital things in zemeni culture, and it's a step forward.
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mcheang · 1 year
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Shadow and Bone S2 E7 recap
Spoiler alert
Well the opening scene confirms Fruzsi is not Ulla. Aw man. I wanted to see her. But I must admit it’s nice to see a Tidemaker in charge. Based on the Grisha order list in the books, it looked like they were the lowest ranking summoners.
Kirigan can visit Mal via their blood connection thanks to Baghra’s last visit. Nikolai learns about Mal’s power. Alina now realises how arrogant she was thinking she could bear the costs of merzost. Because Kirigan knows about Mal, he knows better than to face him and risk being killed by him at Keramzin. He suggests Alina kill him and go to the Fold instead, so it no longer can be a weapon. Alina refuses until Tamar and David suggest that they fuse a piece of Mal’s bone to Alina and Tamar kills Mal for only 2 minutes before reviving him. Does that count if Tamar kills him?
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At first I thought the Fold was like a tree-covered mountain and wondered if the glowing light was Kirigan’s soldiers.
Anyway, Nikolai’s unit realises that there is an ambush along the Fold as they travel to Keramzin. Their ship goes down. The Grisha are fuelled by hatred against the First Army for torturing them. They chase the surviving crew back to their base, where Kirigan had Vladim track Alina. He moves the Fold to cover it. As the volcra attack, nichevo’ya join the attack. Seriously, were there only 2 nichevo’ya in the whole series? If they are going to call it an army of indestructible monsters, at least make it an army. And can’t Alina make a glowing dome from inside the hallways, if her power is that strong?! As a nichevo’ya tries to kidnap Alina, Inej saves her with the crystal blade. It might be made of merzost after all. I wonder what price Neyar paid for it?
The crows come to Nikolai’s aid, helping to kill Kirigan’s Grisha.
In the ambush, there is no time to cut off Mal’s finger. David sends Genya off to safety as he stays behind to face the nichevo’ya. I don’t want David to die. :(
At Hellgate, Pekka talks to Matthias about revenge. The latter refuses to get even with Pekka, trying to stay true to his religion, but Pekka reminds him of Nina and Matthias is angry until he calms down. Alina and her unit go to the heart of the Fold where Mal’s hand with hers, makes her stronger. They kiss, and while pretty, this is still a rather small dome! They are in a war here! Their delay costs them when Kirigan enters the dome and uses the Cut on Mal. Alina strikes back with her own Cut. Both Mal and Kirigan are hit. The nichevo’ya take Nina.
I just realised. What happened to the Fjerdan front, since the engagement party was ruined. Aren’t they doing what Vasily is doing, minus the Grisha persecution? And what happened to the oprichniki?! Matthias doesn’t really get much screen time, I’d say less than Kirigan. But Nina knows that stopping Kirigan is currently more important right now than one prisoner, I think; since she wasn’t really loyal to Ravka. Tamar’s “to Nikolai”, while practical, also makes me think she is less loyal to Alina than book Tamar. Is no one going to explain what the twins’ necklaces are? The most painful scene for me is seeing Kirigan’s Grisha die. They are truly so little of them left. I rather like the book ending where they were granted pardon. And for amplified Grisha, they sure don’t show it at the attack. They can clear a line of trees, but they can only attack one soldier at a time like every other unamplified Grisha. Amplification is overrated if even Alina, having 2 amplifiers, doesn’t think the light up the moving Fold or use her power to try to blast the nichevo’ya.
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wiitzend · 3 years
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okay but the reason why inej ghafa makes such a good YA character despite not being the protagonist is because she’s so intensely relatable in many different aspects, but one aspect i want to focus on specifically is her religion because it truly is the source of her being. she doesn’t drink, she doesn’t gamble, she doesn’t even swear as much as the rest of the crows and is known to outwardly recite suli proverbs. every YA book protagonist has something about them that makes them different from everyone else, (in most cases when it comes to fantasy, it’s usually a special power/prophecy) but in this case, the thing that separates inej from the crows is her religious beliefs (matthias is religious as well, but you get the point). and it’s not written in a way that makes her morally superior than everyone else. we see inej grapple with the weight of her actions when she makes her first kill, and when she says that kaz will cut open the stomach of van eck’s pregnant wife and hang the baby from a balcony at the exchange, inej wonders if her saints would ever forgive her for saying something so horrible when she’s burning with rage for a man who intended to torture her. and all of that is just so!! relatable!! because holding fast to your religion when faced with violence and death and cruelty is not an easy thing to do, and it would’ve been so easy for inej to gradually abandon her beliefs the more ketterdam began to change her. and the fact that she simply refuses to do that, even when she feels hopeless, even when she suffers, even when her prayers might go unanswered and the boy she loves mocks her for it, exemplifies not only the depth of her faith, but the strength of her will. there’s something so important about having a book targeted to young adults that features a character who holds her own religion to such importance, and it’s never played for laughs nor is it seen as a hindrance. personally speaking, i took great comfort in that when i read this book in high school and it’s especially comforting now since it’s unfortunately common and considered funny nowadays to mock and degrade religion. inej ghafa is clearly main protagonist material, and i for one give leigh bardugo props for writing her so well.
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algumaideia · 2 years
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I finish Crooked Kigdom, so more stuff I thought.
Colm Fahey is an icon. He is my favorite secondary character, I loved all of his scenes. When Kaz called him sir/mister(Idk what was written in English), when he acted like a father and was Jesper come here in 10 seconds and made Jesper and Kaz look guilty, when he approved Wylan relationship with Jesper?? I just loved him so much.
Which brings me to my next point, why we didn’t got a scene with Inej’s parents? (Acording to her wiki they don’t even have a name) Seeing Kaz interact with them would have been gold.
Matthias death just goes worse and worse the more I think about it. It was unnecessary, poorly written, destroyed the pacing of the book, ilogical, and just so terrible. He deserved better, way better.
I wish the book explored more the asylum thing because way back it was thing to throw intelectual disabled and mentally ill people in those places where they would recieve treatment be tortured, so Wylan actually had a lot of chances to end up there. (I think they also would put poor people there, but I’m not sure). Basically everyone died there, sometimes multiple people were buried at the same place. It was truly horrible, and it didn’t have that much to do with the story but Leigh decieded to put it there so I just think she could have explored it more.
We don’t know basically anything about zemeni culture and this is horrible. Two books with a zemeni character as one of the main character and we don’t know the religion of his country, traditional customs, culture, nothing.
I don’t know why people hate Kuwei so much, this guy has barely a presence in the book. I don’t like and I don’t dislike him, he is just there.
The bathroom scene was amazing.
I am really happy to have more about Inej trauma.
It was nice to know more about Jesper past.
Personally Inej going after Pekka Rollins felt really ooc.
This book needed more Wesper kisses.
It was really nice to see Jesper stand up for himself. In the first book he just forgave, paid attention in another thing whenever Kaz was mean or hurt him, so I was really really happy to see him confront him. Jesper didn’t deserve this treatment and I’m glad he saw that.
Kaz saying he misses Jesper.
Kaz talking a little about Jordie with Jesper.
Wylan talking about how no one ever asked him to do things he couldn’t.
That is it for now.
Best regards,
Me.
Ps. Idk why but besides Wesper I like more the friendships than the romantic relationships in this book.
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takaraphoenix · 3 years
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Three Crows and a Goat
Fandom: Shadow and Bone / Grishaverse
Tags: m/m, character introspect, kind of fluff, jealousy, Asexual Kaz
Main Pairing: Kaz/Jesper
Summary: Kaz Brekker wasn't an emotional man, at least not when it came to expressing his emotions. He rather showed it. Like by getting his partner an Emotional Support Goat.
Links: On AO3 / On FFNet
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Kaz Brekker wouldn't consider himself a emotional man. That wasn't to say he didn't have emotions; he simply preferred not to broadcast them, or to say them out loud. He was a controlled man, a man who always had control – over himself, his emotions, any situation at hand.
He had been informed that while that made him brilliant at his job, it made him questionable at best as a romantic partner. He wasn't one for physical signs of affection either. Human touch came... hard to him. Very rarely and only with those he truly trusted and loved. So any touch at all was already a huge sign of his affections. Still, when his eyes would wander and he saw other couples, hanging all over each other, constantly touching. It made his skin crawl. And it on occasion woke a strange sense of guilt – not an emotion Kaz experienced too often.
His partner didn't mind. He knew Kaz, knew who Kaz was – and that was who Jesper loved. The whole package, all of it, all of him. Baggage, quirks, issues and all. They had found their own ways of handling some things; Kaz' dislike of touch extended to a sexual level. It wasn't something he desired, even though he was close to Jesper, close enough to touch him on occasions, in reassurance, gently. Not sexually. For long, he had thought those two were linked, the same; he disliked touch, so of course did the thought of touching someone intimately not sit right with him. It was only after he had... fallen in love, that he had come to realize that these two things were not entirely the same, because even when he felt the urge to touch Jesper, it was never in such a manner.
And even that, Jesper was okay with. He'd had such a soft look on his face when he had assured Kaz of that. Yet Kaz knew Jesper was a sexual creature, he was a physical person. And so they had come to an agreement, regarding that. As long as it was purely sex – no emotion, no repeats, no personal details exchanged – Jesper was free to lay with whoever he liked.
On occasion, very rare occasions, Kaz found himself doubtful. Doubtful whether this was enough for Jesper. Because Jesper was not like Kaz – he was an emotional person. He was expressive in his emotions. Affectionate. Perhaps not in the traditional sense either, but still.
All of these factors culminated in Kaz Brekker, feared and respected throughout all of Ketterdam, carrying a fluffy baby goat through the streets. If any of his enemies could see him now-
He tried to carry the fluffy baby goat with as much dignity as he could, but there was very little dignity in carrying a fluffy baby goat. The only thing that kept him going was knowing what the goat was for. He knew both Jesper and Inej had thrown him suspicious and surprised looks when he had volunteered to get the goat; that was a job far beneath Kaz Brekker. There was a reason.
Because Kaz was not too good at showing his emotions. And because Jesper was very expressive in showing what he was feeling at all times. And because Kaz knew what the goat was for.
/break\
On the train, seeing Jesper just completely lose it and have a meltdown, Kaz knew most other partners would have gone over there to comfort him personally, hold him close in a tight, soothing embrace. Kiss him, hold him, make him feel safe. Kaz knew how to do the last of those and on occasions the first two, but this was different. This was on a different level.
"I need you to calm down. Hug the goat, shut the hell up!"
At first, Jesper looked startled. Him and Inej had both suspected the goat to be bait, to be a sacrifice if push came to shove. With furrowed brows did Jesper pick up the goat and gently caress it before hugging it tightly. Kaz could hear him whisper a startled so soft before he wrapped himself around the small furred creature. Fully and completely wrapped around the goat.
Kaz sat stiff, watching with wary eyes. Watching the gentle touch as Jesper caressed the fur, buried his face in the goat's neck, hugging it with both arms. The longer he hugged the goat, the more he calmed down. Physical contact soothed him. This comforted him. And Kaz knew that. He also knew he wouldn't be comfortable trading places with the goat, being hugged with so much intensity, two arms wound tightly, face buried in a neck, full body contact. The thought was overwhelming.
And so Kaz Brekker had gone and organized a goat. A small, soft goat. The one the woman he had gotten it from had assured him was the cutest of the goats. So Jesper would have something, something soft and warm and reassuring. Something to hug.
Perhaps Kaz was not the typical kind of partner, perhaps he couldn't offer Jesper the same things others could. But he was Kaz Brekker and he knew how to make the things he could do count.
The smirk spreading over his lips was pleased and satisfied as he watched his partner calm down enough to get up and get his gun out and shoot with pure, raw precision at any danger threatening them from the outside.
/break\
Kaz ran his hands over his cane. Over the mended parts. It was a love-language in itself, the way Jesper had fixed the cane. Theirs was a subtle way of showing each other their affection, but that did not make it any less strong. Like his hands, his eyes wandered. They were on a ship, about to leave for Ketterdam again. Return home. This mission had been a huge failure all around. Perhaps not a full failure, considering they had seen the 'saint' with their own eyes. Had seen the Sun Summoner, the light, the power, the... miracle. Kaz was not a believer, yet did religion not stop being religion when it was physical and graspable? The girl sitting opposite him was not some fabled saint in some religious tomb to be prayed at. She was no Sun Summoner or Sankta Alina, she was a lost girl. She was a lost girl, a scared girl, as he had seen so many before in his life.
The supposed saint sat between her friend and Inej. Inej, who had barely been able to tear her eyes off Alina since they had met her. There was awe and wonder in Inej's eyes, in a way Kaz had never seen before. Even as she was speaking with Jesper, she could hardly look away from Alina.
"The friends we made along the way."
Kaz quirked an eyebrow at that, looking more intensely at Mal and Alina. They truly expected to keep those two, didn't they? No. Lost girl or not, Kaz wasn't in the habit of keep every stray they met. Though, admittedly, he did invest in one of a kind and there was probably nothing more unique than the Sun Summoner herself. It would make Inej happy, that was for sure.
"I'm talking about Milo," clarified Jesper indignantly when Alina looked to be getting a big head.
"Who's Milo?" wanted Mal to know, confusion all over his face.
It was Inej who rolled her eyes, albeit affectionately. "No one you need to concern yourselves with."
That only made Jesper look even more offended. The goat was supposed to serve one purpose; get Jesper through the train ride safely. Instead, he had... grown attached to the animal. Named it. Bonded with it. Kept bringing it up. Kaz Brekker was not a jealous person in nature – he knew what was his and he made sure they were always clear in what that meant. Yet, inexplicably so, he felt jealous of a goat. A ridiculous motion that he most definitely could not allow anyone to know about. What was, perhaps, even more ridiculous was what followed.
"Mister Brekker. Your... special delivery, sir."
Kaz arched an eyebrow and turned toward the voice. "About time. The ship is about to leave."
He put as much displeasure into his words as possible, though he still took the bag of coins from his belt and handed it over to the young woman, in exchange for... a rope. Jesper next to him gasped m a high-pitched manner as he turned and saw what was on the other end of the rope.
"Milo!" Jesper's voice was loud, drawing unwanted attention and earning a pointed glare from Kaz, causing him to immediately drop his voice. "But how—Where-Why? I thought our funds were dwindled, why would you-?"
As he spoke, or rather rambled in broken half-sentences, he picked up the goat, hugging it close and kissing its head. Kaz made a face at that, though subtly so. Though he may not understand why Jesper felt that way about this creature, he knew the goat was making him happy. Otherwise, Jesper would not have kept bringing it up all the time.
"It seemed like a worthy investment," dismissed Kaz shortly.
Inej was hiding a smile and... Mal made a loud sound. "The goat! The goat that helped me escape!"
He lunged forward and started petting the goat too, much to everyone's surprise. "You too? How?"
"There, in that necklace around its neck, was a bullet. I used it to break my chains. To escape. A good boy, aren't you? Such a good boy!" Mal laughed, ruffling the goat's fur.
"His name is Milo and he is the best boy," agreed Jesper eagerly, petting Milo's flank.
"Milo, is it? Pretty boy," Mal was nearly cooing at that. "How do you know him?"
As Jesper launched into a retelling of how they had first crossed the fold, the other three were left simply staring at them. At least Kaz wasn't the only one watching them in mild disturbance. When Kaz turned a little, Alina had taken a seat next to him.
"You two are a very... different couple," whispered Alina curiously.
"I doubt that is any of your business," stated Kaz just a little coldly.
He wasn't one for chitchat either. Though he had to admit, he was mildly impressed that she had picked up on it. Most people who met Kaz and Jesper didn't realize what they were, that they were partners beyond their work. Perhaps there was a potential to Alina, even beyond being a Sun Summoner. She could be useful. Not that he was making any definite decisions, though he had to admit that it would bring Inej joy. And, looking at Jesper and Mal bonding over a goat, all Kaz saw was yet another argument Jesper and Inej would use to try and convince him to keep Mal and Alina.
"This is very thoughtful of you," continued Alina, not minding him, the smallest smile on her lips.
Kaz opted to ignore her. Perhaps then she would go away. Or stop irritating him. She surely seemed to fit in with them, he mused as he looked back toward Jesper, Mal and the goat.
"Oh. Oh, I'll go and find him something to eat," suggested Mal eagerly. "He deserves it."
Jesper handed the rope over to Mal and let the other lead Milo away. Instead, he turned toward Kaz, basically beaming at him. That expression surely was worth the money spent. Kaz swallowed down the smile fighting its way up onto his own lips. No such things, certainly not in public. Instead, he slowly reached out and rested his hand on Jesper's, holding it gently. If possible, the smile on Jesper's lips brightened even more.
~*~ The End ~*~
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as widely requested, here is the era of peace between the couples who have subjected to my misery and doom. rest assured i’ll stop causing you all so much pain. first, as always, comes nina and matthias serving enemies to lovers. i would love it if you reblogged, because it makes such a difference
tagging everyone who stormed my dms and notes looking for kinder endings: @thebonecarver @crazywritingbookworm @holding-shan-back-from-murder @highfaelucien @saltyfortunes @queer-bookwyvern @smol-satan @quintessential-octessence @nightshade3465 @murderbabies @wafflesandschemingfaces @dreaminginvelaris
@black-like-my-soul to you, ofc, because you make everything brighter
Matthias Helvar hadn't always loved her.
Once upon a time, he had simply been a boy from the countryside, his fingers stained with blue ink, the curve of his mouth slow and deliberate.
Once upon a time, he had spent his days closeted away in the university library, poring over texts and thick tomes snatched from the very highest shelves.
Once upon a time, he had slept peacefully in his bed, and woken to the sun rather than a star-bright laugh, and his evenings were dull but he knew their rhythm, their beat.
Once upon a time, his name had been eight letters, three syllables, one simple intonation; the first time he heard her say it, breathless and gasping with her head thrown back against the wall, he lost his fucking mind.
They had just been two students, too determined and arrogant and convinced of their own pride. Nina Zenik was raucous and gorgeous and so likened to the sea, all lush curves and storming tempers and glittering surfaces and unknown depths. Matthias Helvar was quiet and furious and easily compared to the ice, all shining facets and cold beauty and unforgiving resistance and inflexible anger.
They danced around each other, at first, a solid series of cautious steps and mocking inclines of the head.
Sometimes he glimpsed her running around the fields, her straight dark hair slick with snow, spluttering as a tall young man tossed another handful at her. He watched with mounting fury as she stretched out during lectures, her head tipping back, soft rosebud lips parting.
Matthias hated her.
Hated the exquisite sprawl of her body, the graceful curves and elegant concaves and sharp angles.
Hated that when the night grew dark, darker, darkest, she was all he could think about.
Hated her eyes, brightest summer green, like dewy leaves and eager flower shoots and grapes stolen from his sister's plate.
But he had never glimpsed anything quite so ethereal as her gaze, and her lovely, secret smile. The smile she turned on her dearest friends, the smile he so often wished to experience, the smile he thought could turn the coldest dregs of the world warm.
She was fucking stunning, and brilliant and wise and glorious and he wanted to kiss her so badly it ached.
She was fucking awful, and loud and insouciant and miserable and he wanted to hold a knife to her throat and listen to her beg.
But she was Nina Zenik, after all, and he never managed to do much more than ruin himself with his fantasies and hopes and wild dreams.
When Matthias lay on someone else's bedroom floor, staring up at the ceiling with eyes that couldn't quite focus, all he could hear was the soft lilt of her laugh, the dulcet cadence of her voice.
He heard her whisper, Matthias Matthias Matthias as if his name was her religion, and she was kneeling at the altar.
And if Matthias spent his nights imagining the press of her hands, the furious set of her lips, the slide of her clothes against his bare skin, he could blame it on his hatred.
He found excuses to watch as she bickered with Kaz Brekker in the corridors, shouting over her shoulder and grinning all the same. He studied at the same table where she was talking to Wylan Van Eck as he sketched with limber dark pencils, preserving her smile in charcoal and paper. He couldn’t keep himself from listening as she laughed with Inej Ghafa, both of them doubled up, arm in arm. And when he glimpsed her trailing her fingers up Jesper Fahey’s arm, her eyes blurred with ecstasy, he nearly lost his damned mind.
Sometimes he reminded her of a hurricane, fierce and indomitable and unforgiving, and then he saw the shade of her eyes and all he could see was flowers flowers flowers.
Winter roses, shrouded in snow and cloud and mist, regal despite every attempt to make them bow.
Spring cherry blossoms, their branches slender and elegant, every little flower a bouquet of rosy jewels.
Autumn sunflowers, veiled in dusty light and the dying cinders of day, the sprawled petals a beacon of hope.
Summer hydrangeas, sweet and bright and prismatic with their precise hues, resting in a crown upon her head.
She was every blossom in the world flowering at once, a determined tide of unfurling colour, undaunted and unbothered.
Nina, Nina, Nina. Even the lilt of her name was a blessing in his mouth, though everything he longed to do with her was godless.
Matthias wanted to watch those rosy lips part, wanted to hear the breathless moan that escaped her, wanted to taste the sound on his lips. He wanted to watch the famous Nina Zenik come and come apart on top of him.
She was a song, and he could have listened until the downfall of the world. He had never heard anything quite so exquisite.
Her voice felt like redemption.
And suddenly, Matthias was seeing her everywhere.
She was in the little cafe across the street, her dark hair unbound, her lipstick the colour of fury, leaning across her table to better reach the sugar bowl.
She was dancing in the club his friends dragged him to, her hands tangled in a pretty girl's hair, and they were both kissing, moaning breathlessly, and all he felt was jealousy jealousy jealousy.
She was unwrapping a cherry popsicle and sucking on it idly, her head in some boy's lap as he braided her hair, and he had never known such hatred.
She was in his messages, in his kitchen, in his bed.
When Nina was drinking at a club, her lips around a twirling straw, her red velvet dress hitched around her thighs, all he could think about was the daring cut of her neckline, the precise slash across her breasts.
And maybe it was because he was drunk and tired and ecstatic that he asked her for a dance.
It wasn't the slow, sweet, serious waltz he had always imagined undertaking with his future bride.
It was furious and frenzied and fearless, his hands on the curve of her waist, her lips tracing a hot path down his throat.
It was Nina angling her face to stare up at him, long lashes low, her mouth parted ever so slightly.
It was Matthias sliding his fingers into her hair, gazing down at her, kissing her.
When she sighed against him, a breathless exhale, he lost his fucking mind.
His hands were tracing up the tight velvet of her dress, ghosting across the flare of her hips, faltering at the graceful curve of her breasts, and then she was whispering and smiling and her fucking green eyes were fluttering closed.
Matthias never saw the colour green the same way.
They never spoke of the kiss, or the dozens that followed, each one occurring beneath the strobe lights of their nightclub and a haze of ecstasy.
His evenings began to play out like a movie one had watched thousands of times, and yet every single twist was breathtaking, ethereal.
Nina's warm, sweet mouth. Her wicked hands. Her secret smile. The press of her lips against his own. The curve of her body tight to his own. The brilliance of her, so incredibly staggering that he felt the need to turn away.
She was Nina Zenik and sometimes when Matthias realized he was the one she was kissing, the one who felt her clever touch, the one who was witnessing her delighted grin.
And in those moments, the world could have been hewn of gold for how exquisite it seemed.
The very first time Nina kissed him outside of their club, he could barely move.
She had simply bounded up to him, dark hair ribboning back, and suddenly she was kissing him, one warm hand through his own.
All Matthias could do was stand still, stand still, stand still.
He still dreamt about the wicked, determined, furious look in her eyes as she collided with him. That single spark in her gaze could have lit cities aflame.
Their relationship was never the brutal, raucous wreck Matthias had imagined.
It was Nina with her arms around his neck in the corridors, leaning onto the tips of her toes, smiling up at him.
It was Matthias leaving a bouquet of sunflowers in her dorms, because something about their undaunted bright stand reminded him of her.
It was Nina tangled in his bedsheets, her hair a dark halo on the pillow, sunlight slanting across her soft skin, smiling just so slightly even in her sleep.
It was Matthias waking up to a series of drunken texts and shaking his head, because of course she was out drinking at three in the damned morning.
It was Nina skating across the lake of his childhood, her arms held aloft for balance, smiling softly as she whirled; a wraith of the cold, a sylph of the ice. Her cheeks were red as cherries in the winter air, and every breath was a cloud of warm air past her parted lips.
When she threw her head back, dark hair shaking loose, he thought love might be his death after all.
And on the single night when the sky was clear, and the clouds were softer than spun silk, and they were laying intertwined in the meadows, Matthias wondered if it hadn’t already.
If he could have captured the stars, they would have been hers.
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only as young as the moment is
for the @grishaversebigbang reverse mini bang 2021!
i was lucky to work with the amazing @mayerisart and @discountscoobyart. you can find their piece here!
summary: Alina finds that relieving, and she raises an eyebrow playfully at Inej’s mask. She shrugs, and Alina can see the slightest hint of a blush at the edges of her cheeks. “The Wraith is well known,” Alina teases. “The ship and the woman, both.”
ao3 link 
“What do you want to do?” Inej asks her.
Alina Starkov looks at the new world in front of her with bright eyes. The view from the Van Eck mansion is gorgeous—there are gardens below her, a large, clanging church for greed in front of her, and she can make out strange little people in their business suits and afternoon wear just to the left. Amongst them are splatterings of color, men and women in fancy silks, those who look Zemeni and Kaelish and even some Ravkans. She’s seen her fair share of ambassadors in the Little Palace, but she’s never seen such a diverse group of relatively ordinary citizens.
Her life in Ravka had been fantastic—not in its story, but in its sheer depth, in the legend she had carved out for herself in the history books—but it had been very Ravkan. “I want to see the world,” she breathes out, moving from the window to make eye contact with the pirate captain. She’d met Inej—truly met Inej—through Nina a year ago, and they’d grown a steadfast friendship. Inej looked at Alina as though she was a myth, but also as though she was a human, just another girl who hadn’t had much of a childhood.
When Alina mentioned that she’d like to see more of the world, Inej had offered her and Mal passage on her ship without a second thought. And now Mal is sitting down with Jesper and Wylan at the dining table and she’s here, getting settled into her rooms with Inej at her shoulder.
The slim girl winks at her. “I can do that,” she says. “We may just have to get you something for your hair.”
/
They leave the house an hour later, Alina’s hair streaked through with bits of dirt. It’s not a convincing disguise up close, and she’s worried it’ll give her away, but Inej smirks at her as she presses a mask to her own face. “Don’t worry. Even if people do associate you with the rumors of Alina Starkov, few will care. Religion doesn’t have much hold here.”
Alina finds that relieving, and she raises an eyebrow playfully at Inej’s mask. She shrugs, and Alina can see the slightest hint of a blush at the edges of her cheeks. “The Wraith is well known,” Alina teases. “The ship and the woman, both.”
Inej presses up lightly against her shoulder and leads her somewhere, towards where bustling hordes of people are coming from, light in their eyes and laughter in their throats. Some of them are wearing costumes—the amount who are growing denser as they make their way deeper into Ketterdam’s central business district. Many of them are dressed in red. Inej sees Alina’s eyes drift in their direction and points them out to her. “They’re dressed as Mister Crimson. You see those bags? They’ll toss out fake coins on the streets. You just have to say—”
A little girl runs up behind them on the cobbled road and smiles up at one of the Mister Crimsons. “Mother, Father, pay the rent!” she says loudly. The masked figure leans down to her and opens his bag, tossing coins in the air in her general direction.
“I can’t, my dear, the money’s spent!” a rough voice sounds, and the girl giggles and grabs the coins with greedy hands. As Inej and her walk past them, Alina can see the way they don’t shine. They’re not metal, probably some kind of knock-off. But the little girl is still happy, dancing back to her parents, clutching them.
Something happy finds a root in Alina’s chest. Maybe she and Mal should have dress-up days like this at the orphanage. She thinks the children would be happy, even if the coin was fake.
Alina touches her hand up to her hair, adorned with a crown of flowers. They’re real, taken from the Van Eck’s backyard—Wylan’s mother had picked them for Inej, who’d braided them through Alina’s white locks with strong hands. It makes her feel magical, far more magical than she’d felt with stag antlers around her throat. The gown and cape she’s wearing and all of it together make her feel like a princess.
“Where are we going?” Alina asks Inej, who grabs her hand and tugs her through the streets, right until they’re in front of a large, domed building.
“You’ll see,” Inej says, pulling her into it. There’s an arched and crowded walkway in front of them, full of people dressed in dozens of different costumes, but the two of them head to the left, where a brown aisle is empty. It’s almost scary for a moment, and Alina’s heart thuds for a moment; but this is Inej, and she has faith in the other woman.
“Alys!”
“Inej!” The two of them round the corner of the aisle into some sort of backroom. There’s a woman not much older than them standing in it, a wide smile on her face and a toddler running around her feet. They move to hug each other, and Alina takes in the room itself—it's covered in fabrics, costumes and the like.
“I’m so glad you’ve come to see the theater,” Alys says. Her voice is a bit high, but her words register in Alina’s mind.
A theater? She’s never been to one, not that she recalls. Sometimes plays were put on at the Little Palace, but not of the sheer scale that Ketterdam seems to love. The building that they’re in is gilded in gold, shoved to the brim with people, and the clothes tossed about this room are adorned with costume jewelry. Alys is wearing an ostentatious gown herself, but doesn’t seem to be an actor.
The toddler pulls up to Alina’s side and stares at her hair. “White,” she says, so Alina can assume her dirt disguise hasn’t held up too well. Alys reaches down and tugs the girl away.
“Come on, Plumje. You can take the nice ladies to the middle box, alright? You know where that is.”
The girl has a big smile and rusty red hair, and she grabs Inej’s hand and tugs them out of the room. Alina follows the both of them through a medley of carpented corridors until she and Inej end up in . . . a box, essentially, a mesh-covered ledge of seats that have a perfect view of the stage below, lit with an orchestra.
“They’re incredible,” Alina sighs the minute the musicians come into sight, almost a hundred playing in harmony. Plumje runs around them before disappearing back down the corridor. Inej reaches for Alina’s hand before settling down into a large, cushioned chair.
“Ketterdam has quite a few comforts to offer. The seats for this theater are expensive, and I . . . am not a fan of Alys’ husband. But the plays done here are magnificent.”
Inej’s voice shudders at that, at Alys’ husband, but Alina does not want to press anything. “Thank you,” she says, clutching the other woman’s hand as the light of the orchestra dims and then they’re swept off the stage by a barrage of curtains.
Inej squeezes back, and then turns to Alina with the light of a thousand suns in her eyes. “Of course,” she says softly.
They are two girls again when the curtains rise to the story of kings and queens—they are both content to observe fantasy, for once.
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For the longest time I refused to watch the shadow and bone show because
1. I don’t care much for the trilogy, I’m here for Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom
2. I doubted that anyone could ever portray Kaz and Inej
So...I was wrong. Freddy and Amita are perfect and they seriously made me cry during the show multiple times. And to think this is just the shadow and bone part. I can’t wait for season two focusing on the heist. And the DYNAMICS of Jesper Kaz and Inej + Nina and Matthias. IMAGINE when they introduce Wylan and all of them finally get together. The CHAOS. If they really do six of crows and crooked kingdom with the same cast and a good Wylan I will die because there is no way I can make it through the “I would come for you” scene or you know who’s death. You think I sobbed hard during reading it? It being brought to life will end me.
Also “no saint has ever watched over me. Not like you.” Oh my god.
If I had never read the books, it would not be that special and important to me, not that heart crushing. But I have read the books. And—
Kaz’s brother, who was all he had, died, he was thrown on the streets, lost his childhood innocence and ever since he has done everything he can to one day take down Pekka Rollins, the man who took everything. And he has lost all faith in the good in the world—he knows it exists but he can no longer place his trust in it.
And then Inej comes. And she is a constant presence by his side that he can lean on just a little. She’s good, too good for Ketterdam and after everything that happened to her she hasn’t lost her faith in her religion. All of that and knowing the entire story from the books, that was one of the moments that made me cry.
I know some people who CLEARLY haven’t read the books would say Kaz is toxic, which is completely untrue but also a different topic, but the fact that he changed all his plans and let Alina go to keep his promise to Inej about not letting her go back to the the Menagerie...
Anyway the show was soooo beautiful and the ending scene with Nina and Matthias broke my heart despite knowing they will meet again. (knowing what happens after they do hurts more).
I’m horrible at expressing my overwhelming emotion for soc&ck and for how it was brought to life in the show lol but I said what I could. I’m going to cry over it now—
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netflix shadow and bone s1 e5 pt3: peak darklina
the first kiss scene Alina is so beautiful Her little smile as she picks up his kefta after he hears him call out for Ivan to get it like ooh I'm gonna play a little trick on Alek Her making him smile with a joke that's not even funny The tentativeness of it all, them tiptoeing around each other, testing the boundaries Him being taken aback by her offering to help him put on his kefta but still wanting her to and immediately resorting to business voice asking questions about official sun summoner stuff And putting on his serious business face him trying to explain away the gloves by calling them a safeguard, not a sign of him not trusting her abilities the face he makes after saying spectacle either depicting his distaste for the showiness of the event or depicting his embarrassment at how he phrased the sentence, like what the fuck did I just say (more likely the first one) Her quickly turning around and walking away after the eye contact makes her realise how close they are and him pulling a puzzled look as she does so Just. Just how adorable the energy is. Both of them making jokes to diffuse the tension, her gripping the table to maybe steady or calm herself, the looks they give to each other as if engaged in a delicate dance; god-like Him straight up just blinking and looking down and gulping as she says 'we can offer Grisha and Ravkans hope' (could be multiple things he's thinking at this point, and all of them interest me) 'That means a lot to me, Alina.' *her turning to look at his face* 'You mean a lot...' *her immediately lowering her gaze and tracing where her mal scar used to be lmao* 'to everyone' *her raising her gaze to him again* The music swelling as she walks up to him, her barely grazing her fingers against his collar, his eyes looking across hers as if in disbelief, her looking at his lips, and then her closing the gap between them. Him being a little stiff, indubitably from being shocked, and yet giving into it almost instinctively as if he can't help it. The violin coming in powerfully yet softly to emphasize the tenderness of it all. This thing has been made with so much love and I can't contain myself about it. Him opening his eyes half a second after Alina, almost as if waking up from a dream and then, following a relaxing of his facial muscles as he clearly regains his composure, immediately looking inscrutable. Her doubting herself, not losing eye contact as he stands up from the desk, but her sudden fear, regret, and embarrassment clear on her face. Her sides of her lips slowly rising giving way his own self mirroring her and breaking into smile and composing himself and breaking into smile again before saying 'Not many people surprise me, Miss Starkov'. Her now fully breaking out into a smile, her face a picture of unguarded joy, she looks down only to have his gaze follow her face. Both of them giddy in the other's presence and the audience can feel it. It feels like he is leaning in for another one when the sound of the door opening makes them spring apart, regaining their composures and standing at a respectable distance from each other. Her poorly suppressing a smile, him looking at her visibly, her mimicking him with a glance out of her periphery, causing her to give in to her smile completely. Him looking visibly distracted as he attempts to pay attention to whoever came into the room. the Jesper of it all Jesper the mega idiot not being able to control his face from doing a thing as he realises the person who caught him where he wasn't supposed to be is the same person he was making sexy eyes at before and yet regaining his composure in record time The poor stable hand actually being interested in Jesper and being adorable with Jesper just being like charm itself Can you believe looking at Jesper Llewellyn Fahey in the flesh and having him make sexy eyes at you and then forgetting about it? Because I simply cannot. The line about light role play? Felt a little not right. GO OFF STABLE HAND WHO PUSHED JESPER AGAINST A WALL AND KISSED HIM, HE LITERALLY SAID IM POPPING OFF AND
THEN HE DID Zoya Zoya saying fuck off to the random racist comment made by one of the guests, but she was racist to Alina herself? (I mean South Asian-East Asian hate is not uncommon so idk) David omg the cutie pie adjusting his hair at the fete HEARTRENDER FUCKING HUSBANDS Fedyor insisting on Ivan eating the sweet and Ivan's solemn head shake like no babe im on a diet and Fedyor being like heart eyes please eat the sweet my love and then Fedyor holding Ivan's face to make him nibble off a corner and Ivan's face splitting into a reluctant grin Kaz the actor Seeing Kaz the actor instead of Kaz the master of trickery and plans is an interesting thing Kanej being Kanej cute banter interaction, would recommend, 10/10 hints at Arken being sus The look Kaz gives Arken when Arken leaves, I really should have known, I was simply being a clown Darkling and the dumb royalty We love the Darkling suppressing his anger at these otkazat'sya rulers dissing the grisha and the little palace Alina's entrance The soft hum that we hear when Alina enters but we don't see her face Alina's adorable peeking The Darkling's expression changing despite being done af with these mfers and instantaneously on catching a glimpse of Alina, she really has that power huh He really made it look like his pupils dilated and who knows maybe they did Him trying to call her out for not following protocol but him melting and saying 'you look lovely, by the way' Her saying 'you look like you needed saving' I can't breathe you're so cool ballroom at the little palace I must confess I expected the ballroom of the winter fete to be bigger
GENYADAVID looking at each other and pretending not to look at each other, my fucking heart Kanej being Kanej Kaz implying they're gonna try to trick the people into thinking that the fake sun summoner is real and Inej being done with his shit Alina's demonstration HER NAME IS ALINA STARKOV yes mfer The way people back away as he steps, god the power of this man Inej looking at Kaz omfg Okay him clapping the darkness into the room was cool af I love the shadow summoning effects so fucking much The first bit of light that Alina summons lighting up the gold parts of her black kefta, absolute perfection Alina just enjoying her power and then looking to Alek, his lips parting when she does Aw Fedyor looking at Ivan in a I told you she could do it way Genya and Fedyor exchanging glances as Alina besties THE CROWD SAYING SANKTA ALINA INEJ SAYING SANKTA ALINA WITH HALF A TEAR IN HER EYE DAMN THIS IS POWERFUL Jesper and Dima IMMEDIATELY TRANSITIONING TO JESPER SAYING 'SAINTS' AS A NAKED STABLE BOY GETS OFF OF HIM AGAHSJSJSJKS I CAN'T IM CACKLING AT THE AUDACITY OF THIS SHOW HOW ARE THEY SO PERFECT (his name's dima btw) Poor fucking Dima getting frightening orders from his superior as his hookup sneaks out with horses that are definitely not his Arken the little shit Ah Arken why'd you have to go and do this I was actually amused by you before the malyen factor omg Mal's here and someone saw him getting here apparat and faith? The apparat literally jumping out of the palace walls at Alina lol man I do love the religion angle of this universe and it would have been so fucking cool if it were explored a bit better ew apparat that grab was very violent mal/darkling interaction the darkling's reaction at his recognition of mal was so funny ah yes my arch nemesis, the other angle of this teen immortal love triangle how utterly delightful someone explain the darkling's 'are you alright' to mal, is it because Alina was worried sick, is it mind games, is it curiosity, what is it Im still don't know how to feel with them attaching a literal symbol to the sun summoner, to Alina's dreams and to the stag itself 'not until I see Alina' THE LOYAL HIMBO ENERGY IN THIS ONE ISTFG I have never known nose acting until I saw Ben Barnes, he uses his nose in his acting and it is absolutely wonderful; case in point, the 'i beg your pardon' to mal with the rage making his voice shake okay but why is every mal darkling interaction like, everything the prompt answer our baby mal gives and the satisfaction it brings to his face, fucking amazing the darkling being literally struck by this, his mouth literally agape, king this is a 20 year old lmao Baghra! OMG WE GOT A GLIMPSE OF BAGHRA'S FIRE YES Genya supremacy Genya beating Arken up let's fucking go Marie's plot influence and Racism? Yellowface? again? hmm bardugo (then again, I have no authority over this, I'm south asian) Ive already talked about how I'm interested in knowing if and how changing Marie's time and place of death going to influence the plot much because in the books it caused a chain reaction doing a lot of stuff Alina, my love Alina just, laughing with other Grisha, feeling at home, ah be still my treacherous heart Mal's confrontation scene with Alina that was in the books being retconned to Mal calling out to her body double, hmm, probably to make Mal more likeable, I don't have any feelings about this particularly Nadia and Fedyor Okay the both of them, smiling and walking, hand in hand, cute mlm wlw solidarity moment that I missed during the first watch Kanej interacting with Alina Why is Alina literally so adorable The music picking up as the Inferni catches sight of the 'limping man' (what? it was funny when he said it) Blue Irises Alina's face showing a certain sense of calm when Alek shows up Alina's face after the Darkling says 'for you' and presents her with blue irises is something like gasp okay you've got game sexy shadow man mal fite time omg I thought she was taking mal to talk to Baghra or smth not to kill him 🤡 aren't oprichnikis like
otkazat'sya or am I missing smth? Because Baghra's spy is obvs a fabrikator THE DESK SCENE omg the scene hath arriveth the fact that Alina can't stop smiling gods, the flirting 'I don't recall this, being part of the schedule' him turning back and saying 'it isn't' her hiding her face through the cover of smelling the flowers and just how coy she acts, like the literal eyelid batting Ma'am how embarrassing for you to have feelings rn these two are my absolute favs of all time the camera moving as they move from their spots on which they had to stand on to get the shot of their shadows almost kissing her nodding and smiling at him saying 'she'll probably be alright' like okay I'm ready for smooches kiss me already and him going 'don't you think' trying to savour this moment IM SORRY BUT THE FUCKING SCORE AT THE MOMENT THEIR LIPS MEET YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND I CANNOT COPE the way his hand is so big that he can almost hold her entire face in it the way she grips the back of his head I'm sorry I feel so disrespectful saying this but the sounds they make+I think that's a um titty grab or maybe it's just a holding someone and the placement was um unintended but I doubt it because everything in this fucking show is so intentional+ the lift up onto the desk+ the faces they make+ um god I'm going to hell for this but when they sort of grind into each other (I understand this is acting and they're just good at their job) but god does all of this make my heart race and also makes me happy I guess LITERAL GIGGLES I can't I'm soft 🥺🥺🥺 his little head shake at the knock on the door when he goes in for one last kiss before she gets off the desk and her eyes going all oy you, go get the door, I'm not going anywhere don't make whoever it is wait is so adorable and domestic her just standing there mouth agape to herself when he walks away HIM STILL FLUSHED AND BLUSHING AND HIS HAPPINESS CLEAR AS DAY ON HIS FACE WHEN HE OPENS THE DOOR his gaze flits to her when Ivan says Alina was the target 'I'll be waiting' love, I physically can't anymore Little cheek hold and walk away Her little smile to herself nearly fading before he jumps back in again to her surprise and to ours to hold her face with both his hands and kiss her one last time, and yes, he does kiss like he's being drafted for the war in the morning Her little mouth open and close and then her little smile to herself after he leaves I refuse to watch the rest of the episode right now because no let me steep in the darklina bliss
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SIX OF CROWS AND CROOKED KINGDOM-LEIGH BARDUGO
There is no secret to anyone that knows me that the Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo is my favourite thing to ever exist. The books are my comfort books; there is no describing the comfort I feel whenever i talk about them or read them; but if you are a reader like me, I'm sure you understand. There are so many things in those two books that just make me feel so safe and happy although I always end up sobbing whenever i read them. I'll try to tell you a bit about the characters and why I absolutely adore all of them, without spoiling too much(or anything). First of all:
1. Kaz Brekker: 17 year old boy, dark hair, tragic past. Need I say more? Kaz is a morally grey character, extremely smart and gifted with lots of abilities. Although he is part of a gang, and has scammed and killed people, he isn't 'bad'. Everything he does has a purpose- and in a city like Ketterdam, is rare to find people who wouldn't do anything and everything for money. While he does love money(quite a lot) he is motivated by his need of revenge. It's pretty rare that he loses control and does things without thinking them through. Amazingly developed character with an incredibly cool name.
2. Inej Ghafa: did someone say the strongest girl I've ever read? 16 year old who went through a life time of trauma. She kills and helps Kaz with his schemes, but she never loses her faith or her good nature. She is vicious, dangerous, deadly-but never cruel. She is wise and smart and just overall has a good heart. She does what needs to be done to stay alive and to keep her friends alive, but never enjoys it. One of my favourite female characters ever because even though she has feelings for one of the other 5 people in her team, she knows she deserves better and she never settles for anything other than that. She puts herself and her dreams and plans first. Also incredibly skilled and brave.
3. Nina Zenik: 17 year old powerful queen, sarcastic, brave and confident. A soldier who fights for what she believes in and stands her ground. Loves food and isn't hiding it. 10/10 one of my favourite women.
4. Matthias Helvar: 18 year old bigoted prick but we grow to love him as he develops. Looks like he could kill you and he most definitely can, but won't because he's a sweetheart (after he overcomes the prejudices that were put into his head).
5. Jesper Fahey: 17 year old that loves his guns and his gambling. Comedic relief, smart, incredible sharpshooter, charming and just overall a lovely character. I love him and some of his scenes broke my heart. He sometimes deserves better than what he gets.
6. Wylan: 16 year old- the rich boy of the group. Smart and brave. Even tho he is sort of 'nerdy' I love that he wasn't stereotypical at all. He is sassy and stands up for himself and for those he feels are being wronged, even against Kaz when he's at gis worst-definitely shows the kid was some courage in him.
Positives:
I love that we get chapters from all 6 perspectives. This way we really get to know the characters on a personal level, really see inside each of their minds. They are all brilliantly well developed characters- they go through changes, they learn to adapt, they learn that some things are not as black and white as they thought. We really get enough insight into their past, and we learn why each character is the way that it is. Details are given in time, not all at once. It really feels as if we are literally inside their brains. Each chapter made me feel as if I was becoming the character. The only character that doesn't have his own chapters in Six of Crows is Wylan, but Leigh Bardugo makes up for it in Crooked Kingdom.
-What attracted me to this book in the first place was the gang aspect; it somehow reminded me of Peaky Blinders. Despite it being about a heist, there is romance, not as the main focus but more as a subplot I would say-just enough to make you enjoy it without taking away from the main plot. The books also have lots of funny, heartwarming moments. Not to mention the heartbreaking ones. I can't even remember how many times I sobbed reading the books. I still cry about it sometimes, years after I read it for the first time. This what tells me a book is good: I think about it months and in this case, years after I've first read it.
-another positive is the diversity in these books: we have characters dealing with addiction, disabled characters, characters of colour, plus sized characters, characters dealing with trauma, characters dealing with various mental disorders, characters of different religions(although fictional) and characters of different sexualities. There is something for everyone. It also deals with xenophobia and sex trafficking, forced prostitution and fetishizing of different traits such as skin colour, hair colour etc. It also keeps a pretty feminist approach- there is no rivalry between the two girls in the group( Nina and Inej) and they are incredibly supportive of each other( i LOVE a good female friendship). Even when talking about the girls who 'work' at the brothels, they aren't shamed if they are there by choice- they are supported, which was good to see; it is important to see a book where sex workers aren't shamed or judged, especially considering that there is still stigma around the profession.
-what i also enjoyed is that the plot is not predictable. It keeps you on edge, it challenges you to guess the possible outcomes of every situation. Even the plans and schemes are sometimes(most of the time) hidden- we don't really learn the purpose of something until after it is done. Leigh Bardugo's mind is incredible- she comes up with the most amazing plot twists and turns. You can't really get bored of it- because if you don't keep reading, you may never find the real plan, the real purpose, why the characters choose to do certain things. It is honestly so entertaining to try to guess what happens next.
Negatives: -it does take a while to get into the action. The beginning of Six of crows involves a lot of planning, scheming, secrets- which to me seems only natural. We follow these characters through their journey and their journey isn't action packed at all times(this said, the book is never boring; there are interesting things happening at all times, even if we didn't reach the main part of the plot). The actual heist itself is more focused towards the second half of the book and that's where it really gets intense. If in the first half you find time to relax and breathe, in the second half everything comes crushing down. For me the pace wasn't a problem but I know some people like to get into things right away.
-sometimes it's hard to believe that the characters are 16 to 18. They seem so much older, so mature at times but this again seems normal to me. They went through traumatic events that most people don't go and shouldn't go through at such a young age. They were forced to grow up and mature fast because otherwise they wouldn't be alive. It's not really a negative in my opinion, but thought it was worth mentioning.
Overall, this duology is a 10/10 for me, 5/5 stars. I read it so many times and will continue to re-read it. Each time I read it, I enjoy it the same as I did when I first discovered the books. Leigh Bardugo is an amazing author.
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aion-rsa · 3 years
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Shadow and Bone Ending Explained: The Stag, Sun Summoner, and Black Heretic
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This Shadow and Bone article contains MAJOR spoilers for Season 1.
Netflix’s Shadow and Bone is a fantasy epic that has it all: A complex heroine, great supporting characters, and a sweeping plot that is based on a magical system that both empowers and isolates those who wield it. The back half of the season builds to a thrilling climax that’s both intensely satisfying and leaves plenty of room for the story to go in new directions in Season 2. (Which we better be getting, is all I’m saying.)
Let’s break down what happened in the Shadow and Bone finale and what it all might mean for the series going forward.
Alina Fully Claims Her Power
So much of the story of Shadow and Bone is about Alina’s journey to real agency, so it’s especially satisfying that Season 1 reaches its climax as she forcefully reclaims her power—both literally and figuratively speaking—from a manipulative man who only wants to use her for his own ends. Throughout the series’ eight episodes, we’ve seen her repeatedly shirk from a magical ability she never asked for and all the responsibility that comes with it, but here in the face of danger and death, she rejects the Darkling’s claim over her both physically and emotionally, fully accepting not just her own strength, but her right to wield it as she sees fit.
“You may have needed me,” she tells the Darkling, just before she stabs him through the hand and frees herself from his control.  “But I never needed you.” Striking a power pose and glowing with light, she is every inch a hero of legend as she pushes back the monstrous Volcra and saves her friends. It is an utterly triumphant moment, for a lost girl come into her own at last.
Does the Darkling Survive?
Yes, the Darkling lives to smolder another day.
No one is probably surprised that the Darkling survives his violent encounter with a volcra, eventually dragging himself beaten and bedraggled – but still looking very stylish, natch – out of the Shadow Fold. The ragtag band of shadow zombies that slouch after him certainly seems to indicate that Aleksander has successfully leveled up his abilities in some way since he couldn’t use merzost nearly so effectively in the flashback sequence that opened “The Unsea.” 
What this all means about his immediate plans for the future is unclear. It’s obvious that the Darkling is not just furious over Alina’s rejection of him as a partner but by her decision to – as he sees it – betray their Grisha brethren by doing so. (I also suspect he also really dislikes Mal at this point. Sorry not sorry, my man. #Malina for life.) It feels pretty likely that he is or is very soon about to be on the hunt for Alina once more, with a goal of regaining control over her powers and, by extension, the Fold itself.
The Shadow Fold Remains
You didn’t think the dark and ominous evil death cloud full of monsters would get destroyed in the series’ first season, did you?
It’s true, Alina doesn’t manage to bring down the Shadow Fold, but the Darkling doesn’t get to use it as his personal world domination device to subjugate every other kingdom to Ravkan (and by extension Grisha) rule either, so it still pretty much counts as a win in the end. He also exposed himself as a murderous tyrant, leveled the West Ravkan city of Novokribirsk, and animated an army of merzost shadow zombies that are clearly both dangerous and gross. Is he headed back to the Little Palace to take the throne for himself? On the hunt for Alina? Or something else entirely?
By the end of “No Mourners,” most people seem to assume that Alina died in the Fold, so other than small group comprised of Kaz, Inej, Jesper, and Zoya, no one knows that she’s off to find a way to boost her powers enough to face the Darkling again and cleave the darkness in two for good. Will the Darkling somehow realize she’s still alive? Will she be able to sense that he is too? Stay tuned.
What’s Next for Mal and Alina in Season 2?
My new favorite romantic ship heads off on their own new journey to search for a way to bring down the Shadow Fold and, by extension, the Darkling’s dreams of bending the world to his whims.
As Shadow and Bone’s first season comes to a close, Mal and Alina seem very much together in every sense of the word, cuddled up adorably to face a new horizon both literally and figuratively speaking. Now that they’ve both realized not just what they mean to one another, but how much they’re willing to risk – literally anything – in the name of staying together, it feels like there’s nothing they can’t do. (Except kiss, apparently, but I guess the show has to leave me wanting something from next season.)
What is the Sun Summoner Prophecy?
Alina Starkov’s ability to manipulate light means that she is a Sun Summoner, an extremely rare power that doesn’t fit neatly into the existing Grisha hierarchy. (Much like the Darkling, who is technically a Shadow Summoner.)
Since the idea of Sun Summoners was basically the stuff of rumor and legend anyway, many myths grew up around their existence, including a prophecy that basically predicted the Shadow Fold would not fall until a Sun Summoner was born to destroy it. (Shadow and Bone isn’t super clear on this, but the Fold has been around for over 400 years.)  Since Alina appears to be the only Sun Summoner who has ever existed, many Ravkans who follow the old religion consider her a living saint.
Read more
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The World of Shadow and Bone Explained
By Kayti Burt
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Shadow & Bone: Ranking the Ships
By Kayti Burt and 1 other
Who is the Black Heretic?
Though General Kirigan initially tells Alina that the Black Heretic – the Grisha considered responsible for the creation of the Shadow Fold and all the subsequent years of destruction it has caused –  is his great-great-great-grandfather, he is, as in so many other facets of his life, blatantly lying. There has not been a series of Darklings with shadow powers who have existed through the centuries, but just the single one. This Darkling, who has gone by many names over the course of his life, is the only Darkling and is at least somewhere around 500 years old. 
Shadow and Bone shows us the creation of the Shadow Fold in a flashback, which attempts to cast the Darkling – then known as Aleksander – in at least a somewhat sympathetic light. After watching his beloved Healer Luda die and fleeing from an army of soldiers with orders to drag him back to the Ravkan king, Aleksander becomes determined to discover how to use the dangerous dark magic known as merzost to protect himself and the other Grisha, including his mother Baghra, in his care. But though he is able to access great power through merzost, Aleksander cannot control it and it pours out of him in an inky torrent, creating the gash in the world that is the Shadow Fold and turning everyone in its path into volcra.
What is the Deal with the Stag?
Though Shadow and Bone mentions Ilya Morozova, it doesn’t do a great job of explaining his importance to Grisha history, at least not beyond his genetic connection to the Darkling. In Bardugo’s books, Morozova was obsessed with the idea of amplifiers, which are specific objects like bones, scales, or animal teeth that boost Grisha power past a single person’s normal abilities. (He is also referred to among religious Ravkans as Sankta Ilya in Chains, because that’s how he was martyred after he performed a resurrection – thrown off a bridge wrapped in irons.)
The magical stag Alina, Mal, and the Darkling spend half the series is hunting has specific connections to Morozova that book fans will remember but TV viewers don’t actually need to care much about right now beyond simply being aware of the fact that the animal is powerful and ancient. Per the Darkling, its bones would make one of the strongest amplifiers ever crafted for a Grisha to wear. And since, technically, it’s the Darkling that kills the animal he can claim the amplifier’s power as his to control, even if someone else is physically wearing it.   
However, before he is able to kill the creature, the stag has a moment of true connection with Alina in which it essentially chooses her to be its avatar and receive its power, rather than allow the Darkling to claim it in her place. Your mileage may vary on whether this as effective as the book twist hinging on Alina’s decision to show the animal mercy instead of killing it outright, but there’s still something compelling in the idea that this semi-magical creature sees Alina’s worth so clearly.
Nina Must Betray Matthias to Save Him
While on what is essentially the cutest breakfast date of all time, Nina and Matthias are discovered by a group of Grisha soldiers ready to do kill him simply for the fact that he is a Fjerdan druskelle. (Translation: Witchhunter). To save his life, Nina claims Matthias is a slave trader who’s trying to traffic her, an accusation meant to take advantage of the Kerch law that promises a bounty for him in Ketterdam.
 Since the sailors only get paid if Matthias makes it to Kerch alive, they’re willing to keep the Heartrenders from killing him outright, and Nina, who must immediately go with them in order to testify, buys some time to save him. Unfortunately, since Matthias was knocked out by Heartrender power prior to all of this going down, he thinks Nina simply double-crossed him and is having him thrown in prison as payback for his original capture of her. 
Though she’s clearly upset about his sudden change of heart, things get worse when Nina learns she can’t just recant her statement in court immediately – Matthias might be forced to stay several years in Hellgate prison (which you know is bad simply from the name) because so many accused slavers are awaiting trial. How she will free him – and whether Matthias will ever forgive her once she does – are questions for next season. But hopefully, they’ll at least get another round of waffles at some point. 
The Kerch Crew Heads Back to Ketterdam – and Maybe the Start of Six of Crows?
With Alina and Mal heading off on a mission to train her powers, the Six of Crows characters must begin their own new journey. Technically, the group is heading back to Ketterdam, where Kaz will ostensibly pay off the rest of Inej’s debt, reclaim the deed to the Crow Club and probably get a little drunk in celebration of the fact that they’re all home and still alive. (Or, at least, Jesper will.) But their convenient run-in with a very calculating-looking Nina on board the ship back to Kerch seems to indicate that a new chapter of their story is about to begin instead.
For those who have read the books, you’ll know that this all feels very much like the start of the story that takes place in Six of Crows. Or, at the very least something very like it. 
As that book begins, Kaz also is once again on the hunt for a Heartrender – enter, Nina – to help with a very complex job. But in order for Nina to pull off that job, the rest of the crew has to help her break Matthias out of Hellgate prison. Since that’s where he’s currently headed and we’ve already seen that Nina is desperate to fix what she’s done to put him there, it feels like a very safe bet that we’re about to see some portion of that story unfold next season.
Given that Six of Crows is chronologically set two years after the events of the Shadow and Bone trilogy, the show will probably have to do some fancy fudging of the timelines to make all this work. But…wouldn’t it be worth it if it means keeping these characters around for a bit longer?
What’s the Deal with Inej and Her Knives?
One of the smallest, most satisfying moments in the Shadow and Bone finale is when Alina gives Inej – who has been sweetly starstruck by meeting a woman her faith already reveres as a living saint – one of her daggers. Basically a literal representation of the heart eyes emoji, Inej declares that she already “knows just what to name it.” But what does that mean, exactly?
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Well, since all of  Inej’s other knives are named after Saints – Sankt Petyr, Sankta Marya, Sankta Anastasia, Sankt Vladimir, and Sankta Lizabeta, to be exact – it’s a safe bet the newest addition will bear Alina’s name. And given how handy Inej is with them, it’s probably the highest compliment she could pay her new friend.
The post Shadow and Bone Ending Explained: The Stag, Sun Summoner, and Black Heretic appeared first on Den of Geek.
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coeurvrai · 4 years
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Chapter 17 is a Serefin chapter and that - of course - means that we get yet another excerpt from the Book of Saints.
Svoyatova Violetta Zhestakova: When she was thirteen, Svoyatova Violetta Zhestakova led a Kalyazi army in the Battle of Relics in 1510. A cleric of Marzenya, Violetta was a ruthless killer who ultimately fell in battle, killed by the blood mage Apolonia Sroka.
Guess Kalyazin isn’t the only one who puts stupidly young people into positions of power. Just because Joan of Arc did it, doesn’t mean everyone should do it. Also she throws out dates like they’re supposed to mean something, except they don’t because we have no idea what the current time period is supposed to be. 
Also, saints are mostly mentioned in that the start of these chapters and really have no relevance to the story besides Religion and “don’t be a martyr”. Like the figures mentioned aren’t mentioned by the characters themselves - whether as warnings or examples or prayed to or whatever. What’s the point of having them in there - to the point that they are the title of your book - if you’re not gonna use them?
Not to harp on about how this is basically Grishaverse fanfiction, but the use of saints especially in relation to Inej is done far better than here.
Like you’d think since Nadya is a Cleric of Marzenya, she might think of Saint Violetta a lot more; considering it’s implied that Marzenya is a very special god to have as your patron, and that Violetta was younger than she was in being asked or forced to step up, as she was 13 at the time. Finding comfort and/or horror in the thought of Saint Violetta, asking for guidance, questioning how she dealt with the pressure and expectations of what she’s being asked to do.
But I digress.
This chapter starts off with Serefin, Ostyia, and Kacper killing time in the royal gardens as they wait for news about the salt mines, with jars of “krój” (I’m guessing a version for Grisha’s kvas? Cause according to Google and wiktionary, the word is Polish for fashion/cutting, so IDK). Serefin is putting off seeing his mum, no matter what he says, because he doesn’t think he will be able to keep things from her and he doesn’t think she will be able to keep things from his dad.
I don’t know why, cause I’m under the impression that his parents don’t like each other and are in an arranged, loveless marriage in which his mum spends as much time as possible away from the capital, but whatever.
So, instead of investigating the plots swirling thickly through the air of Grazyk just as heavy as its magic smog, Serefin did the one thing he knew best: consumed a fantastic amount of alcohol.
It was fitting assassins chose to strike that same evening.
Serefin, in reality, should be going to Tranavia’s version of rehab or AA or something and like getting some therapy for that PTSD, instead of getting drunk but alas. I also thought Serefin knew blood magic good too and military tactics, but ED keeps insisting on defining him by his glorified alcoholism.
Ostyia was the one to catch them, shooting to her feet and drawing the thin szitelki at her waist in one rapid motion.
The world spun dangerously as Serefin stood, but he shook it away, forcing himself sober. Well, as sober as possible.
“How on earth did they make it past the walls?” Kacper asked in disbelief.
Ostyia and Kacper both moved instinctively closer to Serefin, shielding him. A spinning dagger cut through the air toward him.
He saw the blade coming and ducked out of the way, his fingers already paging through his spell book without his mind following. He cut open his forearm on the razor in his sleeve and it bled profusely.
This action sequence confuses me because I don’t know how did Ostyia notice them? A flash of movement? Some clothing among the foliage? Footsteps? Is it night time? The gardens are described as “dark” so I’m going to assume yes but this might be a glasshouse sort of situation but everything is overcrowded in the gardens and so there’s less light cause plants are blocking out a lot of the light.
Like how am I supposed to be imagining this? Where are the assassins coming from?
Also “A spinning dagger cut through the air toward him, and he ducked out of the way”. Since this is Serefin’s perspective, the fact that the dagger is identified and described inherently implies that he’s noticed it, so you don’t need to point that out. At least, that’s what I think.
Serefin knocked her toward the one down the path as he crumpled a spell book page. His magic ignited and he let the assassin in front of him draw close before he lifted a hand and blew on his bloody fist. The paper crumbled into dust in his palm and shot in an acrid spray into the masked face of the assassin. When the dust hit, it burst into flames.
Why wouldn’t he just cut his finger or hand like normal? Also how does that work? Also the paper crumbled into magic dust and “shot in an acrid spray”??? How does that work? Is that supposed to say acid spray? Is it supposed to function like poison spray in D&D? WHAT ARE THESE SPELLS??? Like that makes no fucking sense cause acrid means “unpleasantly bitter or pungent”. So is the dust supposed to be acrid?
Some of the wording in this book absolutely just fucking baffles like what the fuck.
Anyways, Ostyia and Kacper deal with their assassins, Ostyia casting a spell only described as “that made the last assassin falter.” Then Serefin gets hit on the head and his vision ain’t doing so good, thanks to the alcohol fucking up his already fucked up senses. Turns out, there’s three more assassins in the group.
Not to worry though:
Kacper moved toward the new group, but one of them was already at Serefin’s side, a flash of steel at their hands. Suddenly they were gone and a figure Serefin couldn’t identify was standing in front of him.
The new figure’s face ducked before his.
“Get him up, I don’t think he can see.” He knew the voice instantly.
“Lady Ruminska, I don’t think—” Ostyia called, but Żaneta was already turning to face the remaining pair of assassins.
Blood ran down her arms as she tore two pages from her spell book. She wiped blood over them both while dodging out of the way of the assassins’ blades. One by one she let the pages flutter to the ground.
Żaneta is here to save the day! Also, as an aside, I think it’s supposed to be “a flash of steel in their hands”. Our resident biracial noble lady helps our resident incompetent prince out of the assassination jam. And like, I know Serefin was taken unawares and hit on the head and he’s already inebriated, but like you’d think he’d be a little bit better since he’s a General and is constantly drunk like Qrow from RWBY. But lmao whatever.
Iron spikes shot out from where the papers landed, skewering the assassins simultaneously and pinning them together. Both went down in bloody heaps. The pain in Serefin’s head amplified and he pitched forward, barely catching himself before face-planting into the stones. He lasted there for a few tense seconds—he could vaguely hear someone’s voice but he couldn’t tell if it was Żaneta or Ostyia—before everything shuttered black around him.
This was worse than any hangover Serefin had ever experienced. And he always kept track of his hangovers and how badly they hurt. He had a list.
Firstly, what the fuck. “pinning them together”??? How does that fucking work?? I thought the iron spikes - that remind me of Malachiasz’s still unexplained bullshit - were shooting out from under them, individually, how the fuck is it pinning them together? This ain’t a Saw IV situation, where steel spikes are pushed through particular parts of both of their bodies pinning them in place.
I have no words for the latter part. That one can speak for itself.
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kazofdirtyhands · 2 years
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💌 — romance/flirting
meme → muse skillset symbol meme topic → romance/flirting what business? → queries
Oh, the amount of jokes we could make at Kaz’s expense over how shitty he is at this.
No, but in all seriousness - I can’t exactly argue that Kaz is ‘bad’ at flirting, because I would argue he really only flirts once or twice in the time we’ve known him.
Yes - there are absolutely moments that could maybe be argued as flirting, but I don’t think Kaz even knew that. I don’t think they were considered flirting, even - would you consider a boy pulling the braids of a girl he likes a flirting gesture? That’s how Kaz is with teasing Inej about her religion; he doesn’t recognize his enjoying getting her annoyed might be equated to feelings. Most of his other comments are pointedly rude, or meant to actively deter her from believing he has feelings for her. It isn’t that Kaz is bad at flirting - it’s that Kaz is actively avoiding flirting. 
Spoilers below for the end of Crooked Kingdom!
The one time we really see him flirting is at the end of Crooked Kingdom, when he has Inej’s family brought to Ketterdam. 
“Wait,” he said. The burn of his voice was rougher than usual. “Is my tie straight?” Inej laughed, her hood falling back from her hair. “That’s the laugh,” he murmured, but she was already setting off down the quay, her feet barely touching the ground.
Bardugo, Leigh. Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows) (p. 529). Henry Holt and Co. (BYR). Kindle Edition.
Okay, hold on, let me squeal over Kanej for a moment before I continue with this.
We’re good! So, this is a cute and flirty moments, and Kaz actually has a playful side that will occasionally come out, particularly with those he cares about; and I don’t know if I’d say it means he’s good at flirting, but he can comfortably flirt. The blockages in flirting for him aren’t awkwardness or even his own lack of experience, it’s the fear of intimacy and trust issues. So with the right person, he can actually be quite playful and cute about flirtation, so I don’t think he’s necessarily bad at it; just bad at, y’know. Life.
Anyway! Romance! It’s kind of hard to say if Kaz is good at romance because I don’t think he’d view a lot of the things he did for Inej as romantic, strictly speaking; his feelings for her, yeah, if he was pushed, he’d call them romantic. But getting her out of her indenture, getting her the ship, and bringing her parents to Ketterdam? I don’t think they’re necessarily romantic, because I think they go deeper than his feelings of romance towards her. They come from a lot of different places; one of the big ones being growth in himself. Kaz is learning that, instead of hurting others for the fact that he was hurt, he wants to help others for the fact that he wasn’t helped - he sees in Inej what he could have been if he had had someone else there for him, to do things without trickery or payment, and he wants to give her what he didn’t have. There’s also just plain friendship - he considers Inej a friend, even if he has trouble putting that so much into words. And he wants to do something for a friend. It may be sort of romantic, in a sense, but romance isn’t his goal.
In terms of romantic though - Kaz really doesn’t know what he’s doing. He’s barely been around any romantic relationships. His mother was never mentioned in the series and it’s the headcanon of most everyone that she died when he was quite young, so he didn’t grow up around a pair of married adults, and he certainly didn’t see a lot of couples in the barrel. Most of the romances he’d seen prior to Six of Crows were probably Jesper’s hookups or other members of the Dregs having brief relationships. So I think it would take him a long time to simply grasp what is considered romantic, because romance is such a foreign concept to him. But I do think, given time, he’d get decently okay at it. Like anything else, when Kaz wants to do something, he’ll research and study and work to achieve it; that includes romance, even if he’d feel slightly ridiculous about it.
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reading-while-queer · 6 years
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Six of Crows, Leigh Bardugo
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Rating: Great Read Genre: Fantasy Representation: -Gay/bi protagonists (ensemble) -Two protagonists of color (ensemble) -Disabled protagonist (ensemble) -Mentally ill protagonist (unspecified, trauma related) Note: Not sexually explicit Trigger warnings: Violence, Death, Graphic injury, Fantasy drug abuse, Rape/sex trafficking/CSA (not in scene; character backstory), Guns, Slavery, Racism (exotification), Genocide (explicit; Holocaust metaphor)
Six of Crows was a great read, hands down.  It was not without its problems, but I want to focus first on how it was successful. I read Six of Crows—a hefty tome, to say the least--in a little over a month.  I couldn’t put it down.  Bardugo does an excellent job maintaining tension and keeping the plot rolling, which is especially impressive considering the frequency with which her characters recall the past.  What I liked the best was the unpredictable nature of the plot.  Bardugo holds back just enough information to keep the reader guessing without becoming frustrated.  This is done expertly by telling the story through multiple character perspectives.  The reader worries alongside them that they will never to be able to get out of the latest mess they’ve gotten themselves into—until another character reveals they have planned for this all along.  It’s a narrative trick that Bardugo uses again and again—and damned if it doesn’t work every time.
The premise of Six of Crows is that a ragtag team of criminals are hired to break into an impenetrable palace and rescue a political prisoner before said prisoner is either killed or coerced into releasing the secret formula to a super-drug that transforms magic-using Grisha into human weapons.  Six of Crows is a heist novel, which isn’t my usual cup of tea, but it helps that the characters aren’t suave spies who know exactly what they’re doing. Bardugo does a great job humanizing her cast.  They have weaknesses from gambling to trauma to romantic crushes.  They don’t know that they are going to get out of this heist alive, but the money is too good to turn down, and each of them have a desperate need for it.  The fact that the main cast themselves aren’t confident they will pull of their heist adds to the tension and makes for some delightful storytelling.
Beyond pacing and plot, I felt that the characters were well developed and had interesting dynamics with one another.  They had fears, weaknesses, allegiances, histories, and relationships that grew and changed as the story progressed.  I won’t spoil any romances beyond saying that there are a few, and that I was, for the most part, satisfied with their progression.
As for representation, I had heard that I would have to get through this book to get to the sequel before any queer relationships began to develop.  While it’s true that there is no queer romance in book one, two characters in Six of Crows are clearly queer—they don’t necessarily have to get together for them to be valid representation.  They flirt, they dance around the possibility of reciprocated feelings, and it’s all very cute.  Most importantly of all, they have character traits beyond their queerness—it isn’t central to their motivation, which is refreshing.
The straight romance is hit or miss.  One couple has an extremely satisfying progression to their relationship.  But the other romance is so aggravating that it makes me reconsider rating Six of Crows so highly.  Which brings me to the Holocaust metaphor.  In Bardugo’s fantasy world, Grisha, or magic users of various disciplines, are persecuted by the reactionary Fjerdan government.  Fjerda is at war with Ravka, which boasts the Second Army, all of them Grisha magic users collected from various nations where being Grisha puts them at risk of slavery or execution.  Fjerda’s citizenry is white, blonde haired, and blue eyed. The country is vaguely Nordic in religion and language, and its people value discipline. Of all the countries, Fjerda is the most violent towards Grisha—Grisha are perceived as less than human, and are burned to death on pyres by the elite military of Druskelle—who wear black uniforms. Fjerda is very clearly a parallel to Nazi Germany.  
This is made worse by two things:
First, Six of Crows pairs a Druskelle and Grisha romantically, which was never going to be satisfying.  I won’t give too many spoilers as far as whether they get together, but regardless of the outcome, it wasn’t a good call.  You can’t have your Holocaust metaphor and your romance, it’s like having your cake and eating it too.  The narrative wants you to pity Mattias for the torment of loving Nina while seeing her as an inhuman abomination.  The fact that Nina loves him too is incredibly frustrating considering how solid her character is otherwise.  Bardugo put forth a valiant effort to earn a romantic relationship between them, but no effort would have been enough.  I’m sure the relationship—and Mattias’ redemption arc alone—is enough to make Six of Crows a deal-breaker for some.
Second, you can’t have a heavy-handed Holocaust metaphor and also try to make the point that both sides have their problems.  The Grisha fight back, often fighting dirty, and this is used in the book to open Nina’s eyes to the Fjerdan perspective.  Which wouldn’t be so bad if Bardugo didn’t lean so hard on the Nazi metaphor, from the black uniforms to the racial coding.  Again: I can very easily see this being a deal-breaker.
And continuing on the thread of deal-breakers…I personally liked how the novel handled race and gender marginalization, but it might be triggering to some readers.  The two female protagonists are victims of slavery or sex trafficking.  Inej was trafficked into sex work before being bought out of her contract.  Nina was threatened with rape when she was captured by Druskelle.  The threat of sexual violence is a heavy weight on both of them.  Personally, I thought that it was handled well as an element of worldbuilding.  It wasn’t played for shock value.  I felt that while exploring the histories of characters from the “Barrel”—a slum in Ketterdam (fantasy Amsterdam), it would be remiss to skip over the ugliness.  Happily, while Bardugo usually doesn’t shy away from graphic brutality, she spares the reader graphic detail when it comes to sexual violence.
As for race, I felt that Bardugo constructed race in her fantasy world with careful attention to how race would be understood on a global stage that never had racial slavery. There is exoticism—“Suli (Middle Eastern) lynx,” for example, is the racial caricature foisted on Suli sex workers. Shu Han (East Asian) and Zemeni (African) people have their own caricatures as well.  But exoticism seems to be more based on nationality than race: “Fjerdan (Nordic) wolf” and “Kaelish (Irish) mare” are apparently equally dehumanizing caricatures.  The only time race plays a role in the book is in identifying people or attempting to avoid identification.  The main cast is searching for a Shu Han man, and scan prisoners for racialized features. Inej, who is Suli, likewise worries that her and Jesper’s skin tone will make them stand out in a pale-skinned Fjerdan crowd.  But discrimination doesn’t come into play.  Difference is noted, but there is no systemic oppression.  Suli and Zemeni and Shu Han characters make their way in the world unmolested.  The “White” nationalities, Kerch, Fjerdan, and Kaelish, regard each other with the same eye of difference, not common race. In their world, colonization exists, but it is just beginning.  One can sense global change on the horizon—just not quite yet.
This brings me to a spoiler-y point.  I recommend skipping this paragraph if you don’t want to be spoiled on a plot point near the end of the book.  One Kerch character (fantasy Dutch/German) elects to disguise himself as another character who doesn’t share his race/nationality.  The disguise may or may not be permanent, but the Kerch character takes the chance that he might look like another character forever.  It is necessary in order to pull off a trick Kaz is planning, but of course divorced from Bardugo’s invented world, it’s blackface/yellowface/brownface.  A lot of readers might be very uncomfortable with this. If the world of Kerch and Fjerda and Ravka were real, it wouldn’t be racist.  There is no history there that would lead to a taboo on black/brown/yellowface: it would a neutral disguise like any other.  But reading from our world, it recalls a lot of pain.  I’m not prepared to say it’s a bad thing that one character uses magic to change his appearance to match another’s out of disguise/necessity in the context of a de-racialized world.  I think that it sets up an interesting problem for the sequel--a problem that can’t be explored outside of fantasy literature--and I’m interested (if concerned) about how Bardugo will handle it.  Hopefully with more delicacy than the Druskelle/Grisha Holocaust metaphor.  Then again, much like the disaster of a Holocaust metaphor, whether or not the fantasy world justifies it doesn’t matter if it causes real world distress to readers of color.  All I can say is: read with caution.
All this, and I have said nothing about Kaz.  
The real delight of this book is Kaz Brekker, the leader of the heist and feared gang member back in Ketterdam.  His character illustrates the relationship between poverty and trauma.  The trauma is not an addendum to his character with little impact; rather, it is a part of him that shapes his relationships and impacts his ability to make decisions.  I thought the handling illustrated well how trauma integrates itself with a person.  The topic was taken seriously and handled with care.
Kaz’s physical disability is important to discuss, too—Kaz uses a cane full-time as a result of a badly healed break.  His relationship to his disability is well executed, and given that it comes from a disabled author, that is little surprise.  His cane is not a symbol of disaster, but rather, of strength.  It is his weapon as well as his mobility, and he views it as a symbol of his rise from the ashes.  With his cane, he goes from barely surviving to practically running a major gang.  
Altogether, and despite it’s marked flaws, I have decided to rate Six of Crows highly.  The idea is original and well-executed.  The characters are well developed, and you will be extremely worried for them as you read.  You’ll root for the queer characters as they slowly reveal more of themselves.  Disability, queerness, and trauma of all kinds are handled very well.  What isn’t handled well is really in bad taste--that cannot be overlooked.  I just regret that it might prohibit some readers from enjoying an otherwise great novel.
For more from Leigh Bardugo, visit her website here.
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