That’s a silly question, Darrow. He’s not your best friend. Cassius is your third wife, duh. You went on a honeymoon remember?

I swear if Virginia wasn’t in the picture, I’d be grabbing my paddle and rowing for this ship like hell.

Reasons I love the Red Rising series (spoilers for Light Bringer):

Darrow, hardened warlord, while surveying the utter destruction of a civilization: "Is Cassius a best friend?"

I can never look at a Golden Retriever and German Shepherd playing and cuddling the same ever again. Thanks Pierce.

Darrow literally has more light scenes with Cassius than with Sevro or Virginia and Cassius isn't even there with him for 3 of the 6 books

(he so clearly wants what Darrow and Sevro have😭)

Wait there are more in the reblog-

I swear if Virginia wasn’t around, these two would be exchanging vows by now. Honeymoon!!! A honeymoon!!! And Darrow didn’t say honeymoon with a question. He said honeymoon with a period. A statement. 😂🤭

In all seriousness, their bromance was so beautiful in this book. It makes you go, man what could have been had the world not separated them.

Top 5 Darrow Cassius Heterosexual Moments™️ from light bringer

5. Flirting over swordplay (not a euphemism)

4. Married disapproval

3. Tending to the homies wounds

2. Whatever the hell this was

1. They’re literally honeymooning. Cassius and Virginia are going to fight each other for Darrow’s hand. She literally had his baby and is married to him and I’m still not sure she’s winning.

*Fold is destroyed*

Zoya: YES! Time to kill—*looks over*

Darklina: *cuddles and snuggles*

Zoya: HELLO.

Alina, eyes closed: Tired. Just had a big fight. Now it’s time for cuddles.

The Darkling: go away, babygirl is sleeping

Zoya: Motherf—NIKOLAI, come here and fix this.

Narrator *movie trailer voice*: Alina and the Darkling broke up and made it everyone’s business. War, death, violence, foreplay! Grrr! Now they’ve reached their climax, they’re tired and it’s time for some aftercare.

Alright everyone, about this Darklina deleted scene. In a Newsweek interview Ben says,

But he is able to make her understand it in his last moments as he grabs her wrist and he feeds his power into her, so she has both.

At first, I was like—WHAT WHY DELETE NO! MORE DARKLINA! More emotional Darkling! More scenes to show he cares about her!

Then I decided maybe it’s better this way? I wonder if they decided that it would be better that she gained those powers because she used merzost (obv), because she, and no one else, did something that caused her to take a step towards the dark side, if you will. This makes her path even more similar to the Darkling. It makes everything Aleksander said even more correct. That she IN TIME (very short time apparently) will also make the same decisions as him. That everything he’s been telling her had truth in it after all. And she grows to understand and empathize with him more.

We all know that he cares for her and wants her protected anyway, in his own twisted way just from the other scenes between them. He already expressed “let me be your monster” and “let me carry the hatred in this world” which is probably to ensure that she has an equal and a balance. So maybe, they said, yes let’s make the darkness come because of HER decision and no one else’s.

Now, they could decide to reveal otherwise. They could be like oop it’s because The Darkling gave it to her. She can take it as aw hubby cares even from the grave, he wanted me to be protected-ish(?) the only way to beat your enemy is to become them maybe? And take the darkness in? Or she could react with anger and blame him for leaving the darkness with her. Seeing how she’s been so self righteous this whole time, which sounds more Alina to you?

So maybe it’s better this way, because then sunshine has no one to blame but herself. Doesn’t look like she’s particularly upset about it so far though.

Anyway, so many possibilities! I love it! I’m ready for season 3! And I better get my Darklina angst!

Pictured here: Wife mourns husband’s death. (Even if she did kill him. She summoned (literally) him. Some wives keep their husband’s stuff, some go to their favorite places. Alina said—to hell with that—I may have killed you but *WHOOSH* CUT! I know you’ll always be with me in spirit *proceeds to smile with glee*)

The way these two arch nemeses, hate you forever, will hunt you to the death rivals say “Alina” and “Aleksander”screams

We made out on a table once,

It was hot

Now back to fighting, my arch nemesis

😏

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

Me: that means….

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mal = their pet do—….wait who?

Baghra = Baghra (yelling at them both)

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

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

Welcome to my Ted Talk. Topic of the Day: Darklina Season 2 👀😬😱

Spoilers! 🚨

I had very low standards for this season when it came to Darklina because I’ve read the entire Grishaverse and well….it was rough when it came to that ship. I was a little disappointed that they took out certain moments, lines and points from the books. They made up for it with some replacement scenes but most of all with that ENDING! Oof, the ending gave way more open doors than I expected!

I always knew that they wouldn’t end up together. My beloved Darklina ship was a Shakespearean tragedy from the beginning. And yet I was looking forward to watching one half of my ship kill the other half of my ship. What a very strange ship! And yet I rode it happily! The connection they had throughout the season was powerful, the strange trust Alina and the Darkling had, the magnetism, the undeniable pull between two people who really had no other equal but each other and in so many ways made the other their only refuge. It was as if they were fighting on stage but behind the curtains they were confiding in each other, no matter how angry they were, conversations between two kindred souls, or two people who KNEW that no one else could truly understand them but the other. A literal one of a kind connection.

Throughout the season, the way he talks about their powers and the darkness, he’s warning her, cautioning her about the dangers of it, and all the terrible things that come with it. He also flat out tells her that with him gone the nichevoya will hunt her, but she takes it as a threat instead of a warning. A very Darkling thing to do btw. In the end, he’s saying, be careful because you’ll end up like me and it’s not pretty, you’ll lose yourself and will lead an empty life. I wouldn’t want that to happen to you. When the nichevoya goes to attack her, he yells for it to leave her alone and boy, that just proves that he still has a kernel of humanity and that he does indeed hold affection (maybe love or as much as he can love) for Alina. And he doesn’t want her to end up in the place he has—filled with pain, rage, resentment, loneliness, heartbreak, loss of humanity and quite possibly no salvation.

One of the surprisingly emotional moments was when he talks about hope and there’s a flashback to their first kiss. He basically admits that when she came into his life, he started believing that he could have some salvation, he started having HOPE, hope in controlling the literal demons and darkness in him, in ultimately saving HIMSELF. The Darkling remains nameless in the books and he only reveals his name to Alina about 2/3 of the way in book 3 during a *cough* intimate scene. For the show Ben said in an interview that his incredibly vulnerable admittance of finding hope when Alina came into his life was their replacement scene for that scene. I think that just might be more impactful.

As The Darkling dies, he looks up at her and says “Blue skies. My little saint.” This is the one scene I wish they kept from the book. Alina was way more emotional about his death in the book, she cries and holds his hand as he’s dying. In the show, you can see a flicker of empathy and sadness on Alina’s face. It’s there but not enough in my opinion. Either way, it still tells us that now more than ever, after everything this season, she understands him and knows him even better. She has seen and been around that darkness well enough. Maybe a little too well, as we see in the end. She grants him his final wish which is to make sure there is nothing left of him (but not really, his hand is still out there, ooooh!) His funeral was strangely sad when technically he is the villain. He’s a fantastically complex villain.

Also, boy am I glad that she chose not to be with Mal and decided to stay in the palace with Nikolai because that means no losing her powers and no Malina (for now). Alina is tenfold better in the show than the books just for that and that crown looks GOOD on Alina. I do want my Zoyalai eventually. And we see flickers of that when Zoya looks at Nikolai, interested. I do think that they will be endgame at the end of the day. Which begs the question, what about Alina?

The show ends with Alina using the shadow cut and her looking shocked and then scarily pleased with herself. The darkness has creeped into her. Exactly what Aleksander warned her about and didn’t want to happen to her. He will come back (which does happen in the books, so don’t fail me Netflix 😭) and I wonder if he might play a role in getting rid of that darkness within her, an ultimate show of how he cares for her. Wouldn’t that be a crazy “redemption” arc? He does tell her in the show “let me be your monster” and “let me carry the hatred of the world” as if he’s saying I’ll carry the darkness and you the light and together we’ll balance out and create peace. At least, that’s what’s going on in his head. Either way, those were really heavy lines to say to Alina. In the books, we do see him make a sacrifice for Ravka, stopping the Fold growing again by willingly trapping himself into a tree—literally being a monster holding back the bad things in the world. Maybe he'll do some redemptive thing for Alina also. We never did see his body disintegrate in that last scene. Also, Zoya was shooing a bee off of her--bees being the sign of Sankta Elizaveta aka one of the Saints who resurrects The Darkling in KoS. Maybe Alina will suffer under the weight of the darkness and who knows maybe Alina will find some strange relief to see him again. The one other person who not only understands but KNOWS. At this point, I expect that they will become even more like equals and will meet halfway. Now that Alina has slowly, subtly but surely walked a similar path to darkness—use of manipulation, harsh words about taking everything away, becoming colder, leading the second army, working as right hand to a king, saving a loved one with merzost, and finally, gaining shadow powers.

It’s the best we could realistically ask for in this ship. Because yes, in many ways, they do have a romance—twisted, toxic, gruesome, and tragic as it is but it’s there in my opinion. It’s an undeniable connection, a temptation that can’t be taken away, and what happened between them is the definition of changing someone’s life completely. Even on Alina’s end when she talks about how he was the first to show her her true powers, her value, how she was meant for more. Of course Baghra says that those still remain true regardless of him but you know that as Alina is saying it a part of her still feels so betrayed and so hurt. Because she did feel something for him once and had HOPED for something more with him, even Baghra tells Aleksander that there was a time when he could have earned Alina’s love. At the end of the day, it’s a way more compelling pairing BECAUSE of its complications and tragedy.

I never imagined Alina to take a dark turn, that’s a ballsy but fantastic move for the writers but I am SO here for it. It was always a pipe dream for some Darklina shippers. But...well, here we are! It basically happened! She might not have joined the Darkling's dark side, but she's basically gotten her own dark side now. It makes her more interesting and complex and opens the door for more darklina. Maybe not endgame Darklina but just more of their angst and drama. I remain a darklina fan even if their romance is terrible and tragic but their pairing is so messy, complex, poetic and has so many layers. Let’s suffer with this ship together my friends 😈🥹

With that, can we have season 3 now PLEASE?

PS. The Darkling is such a simp, even when she's destroying the Fold, he looks around with amazement and says "extraordinary" as if he's so proud of her. He's like biiiish that's mah wife-y, she's about to destroy my creation AND me because she's a badass. You go wife-y!

After watching the first 7 minutes of Shadow and Bone S2, I felt so much excitement AND dread 😬

I get it you guys, I get it. Alina and Mal = good. Darkling = BAD. And the show is really really painting it that way. But my brain, my heart, my soul(!) refuses to accept it!! It’s thinking instead Alina and Mal = good…like brother and sister, Darkling = BAD….and SEXAYYY, goodbye morals, let me be your evil queen! I tried to get to the other side but I couldn’t! I was cringing the whole time Alina and Mal tried to be romantic or suggestive and have tension 🥴 they feel like siblings! I couldn’t do it! The most I got was like aw that’s sweet but easily passable as sweet like siblings. The hot stones comment only made me cringe harder. How am I supposed to get through those scenes?! I found no spark, no riveting dynamic, no tension, no magic, no nothing between Mal and Alina 😬 not to mention, they become less interesting when they’re together. I was just glad for us to switch to Kaz, Inej and Jesper! I always knew the crows would be my salvation.

LOOK AT THEM 🥹🥹🥹 They look classy and chic AF.

Elucien visiting the continent 🛳️🌹

I was planning on sharing this on Valentine’s Day but I got too impatient/ excited and decided to share it early.

This lovely art was done by @ya_ariart . She did an amazing job of course! In “A Court of Thorns and Roses” Elain mentions that she would like to go visit the continent and see all the flowers that grow in other countries. So I wanted to commission a piece showing Elain and Lucien going to visit the continent. I feel like Lucien would happily go with Elain, especially since he’s been to the continent before and would know his way around.

Artist: @ya_ariart ❤️

Link to Instagram post

Characters belong to Sarah J Maas

Thanks @classy-ad-lib for tagging! I used my real name and hmmm, looks about right. All doom and gloom. Getting darker as it went.

I’ve no idea who’s done this yet or not, if you have whoopsie! Sorry! @helion-ism @yazthebookish @feysandandnyx @captain-of-the-gwynriel-ship @elucien @areyoudreaminof @daenerysstormbornstark

name aesthetic game 🔔

tagged by @eldestdaughterr & @positivewitch ♥️✨

rule: go to Pinterest, search “[your name] core aesthetic” and create a moodboard from the first nine images. no need to mention your name!

this was so fun! funny enough, I do vibe with this aesthetic 😌

@thedeadromantics @nina-zcnik @climb-the-mountian @feysandfeels @@oversizedbats @witching-by-the-willow @ladyelain @velidewrites @vanserrass and anyone else who wants to!!!

If Lucien and Elain were in the modern world, they would have food or animal nicknames for each other like pumpkin, cookie, jellybean, muffin, dove, bunny, and on and on it goes.

Lucien would bring out this very giggly, squealing, chasing each other around the house side to Elain. It would be disgustingly cute. She just glows and comes to life. And when he does finally catch her…..well, let’s just say there’s nothing “cute” at all about what’s gonna happen next 🔥🔥 even when he adorably calls her cupcake.

A Targaryen Thanksgiving (boy oh boy)

Rhaenyra is trying to stick to a schedule calmly but has to make sure Daemon doesn’t burn the kitchen down from his aggressive cooking, and trying to tell Alicent that really you don’t have to do that, I can take care of it. She’s starting to ask herself why she ever agreed to be the hostess.

Daemon is in charge of the turkey and he’s refusing to follow the recipe because whoever wrote it (Otto) “doesn’t know shit” and “can’t tell the difference between a chicken and a turkey so f*** this recipe!” He’s wearing an apron gifted by Rhaenyra that has all of their kids’ names.

Alicent has taken over washing the dishes even though dinner hasn’t started. She lowkey wants it all to be over already. They try to stop her because she’s wasting more water that way but she obsessively scrubs and soaps and says it’ll be better and faster this way! Much easier for all of us! Trust me, I know! *inhales sharply*

Otto is walking around the house like he owns it, bourbon in hand, commenting on the “positively scandalous” furniture. Inspecting the food with a grimace, moving things around in the kitchen, making snide comments about how HIS family did the stuffing. Daemon is ready to stab him with a tong.

Rhaenys and Corlys bring exotic wine from overseas. They’re #coololdmarriedcouple but Corlys is lowkey whispering we should have had this at our place, you would’ve been a better hostess, plus—all organic! Rhaenys side-eyes him angrily and makes him help with the Parmesan Brussel Sprouts Salad.

Aegon looks like he JUST left a Halloween party and is pacing with his headphones on. Alicent is yelling at him from the sink to change your clothes for crying out loud! But he can��t hear her because his sad boi emo music is on blast and he’s maniacally texting Aemond—where the hell are you?! Get me out of here!

Helaena is talking to herself, looking a bit nervous. She’s lost her pet, Dreamfyre the Lizard, but hasn’t told anyone. Lowkey going through the mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes. Last time her pets peed in the Christmas pudding! She’s also texting Aemond—where are you?! Pets lost! Help!

Aemond comes late in a leather jacket and makes a HUGE spectacle of parking his fancy ass vintage car. Everyone rolls their eyes at his dramatics and audacity. Daemon=deja vu. He brought his own homemade gravy. Daemon very reluctantly says that it could maybe go well with the turkey. Aemond preens at his hero’s uncle’s approval.

Jace is trying so hard to help his mom with the pumpkin pie but she keeps saying next year, next year Jace! Watch over Joffrey and the babies for now please! Joffrey is aggressively waving around a lizard-looking thing in his hand and amusing baby Aegon and baby Viserys, who have gotten their hands on the bread rolls and crawling around maniacally. Baela, who Jace keeps staring at instead of the kids, is looking like a million bucks and snapping photos for the gram. Say hi to my followers grandpa Vissy! She’s in charge of music and is blasting T Swift.

Rhaena is the most gracious out of everyone but is losing her patience because no, Baela, now we got bad blood, you know it used to be mad love isn’t funny right now! Luke is helping Rhaena with the tablescape but he keeps awkwardly looking over at Aemond, who’s staring daggers at him. He scratched Aemond’s vintage car last Easter and he has not forgiven him. At all.

Finally, Viserys is in the corner, half awake (half alive?) and they keep coming up to him with plates of food trying to feed him or yelling things like did you take your medicine today father?! Or how’s your blood pressure brother?! Or you need to eat husband! He just grunts and groans. He believes that the chaos around him is everyone having a grand old time!

One big slightly sociopathic family. Happy Thanksgiving indeed!

It’s very simple— you f***ed up Ticketmaster. Now millions of tickets are being resold on third party sites for thousands of dollars. The way they keep using headlines like “Taylor Swift fans broke…,” “Swifties crashed….” Or “Taylor’s fans caused a breakdown….” Or “Taylor Swift not touring for 4 years has caused….” Like what? No, Ticketmaster, YOU broke, YOU crashed. Your system and your process and whatever sketchy things are going on has brought about this failure. You had the numbers, you had the inventory, you had the access codes, you should have enough experience and foresight.

Anger towards Ticketmaster just might be what unites our country once more 😂 Watch your back Ticketmaster because there’s nothing like a swiftie scorned. And definitely not millions of swifties scorned.

Meanwhile in Storm’s End…..

Aemond pops hip, flips long blond hair, grabs mic, dramatically removes eyepatch….

✨🎶Best believe I’m still bejeweled when I walk in a room, I can still make the whole place shimmer 🎶 ✨

Summoning his inner midnights era swiftie. ✨

Fire and Blood is written by third parties gathering information from other sources. Only Aemond truly knows what happened. And he can either say that yes he made the conscious decision to kill Luke OR admit that he lost control of his dragon. Aemond seems like the type who’d rather be seen as a powerful monster to be feared than someone who doesn’t have enough will or control over his dragon, who is a big symbol of his power and standing.

Here was a young boy who did not truly want to kill coming to the realization that dragons are not pawns for his little games and that his actions have well and truly pushed the beginning of a destructive war and now he has to face its consequences.

It adds texture and depth to his character to see that he’s not just some crazy blood thirsty monster right from the offset. There was a time when he was the bullied one, but bold, reckless decisions have lead him to this moment where he loses the last vestiges of his boyhood by having to declare to everyone else that yes, he meant to kill Luke, and effectually embracing and living up to a soon to be frightening reputation. This makes for an engaging character journey and arc.

So, no, that “change” doesn’t bother me. If it’s technically a change at all. Maybe this is the REAL story. After all, GRRM is one of the writers of that episode. I think it’s an even better take on what truly happened 🔥

You know a show is doing a great job with nuanced characters when you watch the Storm’s End sequence and you want to hold both Luke AND Aemond in your arms. But for two very *cough* different reasons 👀

The former in a you’ll be okay I’ll protect you from the world my sweet little angel kinda way

And the latter in a please god corrupt me right now I’ll give you all the love you didn’t get we can go crazy together you sexy menace kinda way.