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starlessmistake · 7 months

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#alina starkov #shadow and bone #grishaverse #the grisha trilogy #the little palace #aleksander morozova #genya safin #fedyor kaminsky #everyone loves alina #as they should #darklina #alina deserves to be loved #alina deserves a support system #the little palace as family #my edit #my gifs

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barrel-crow-n · 6 months

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Six of Crows: All the crows pair off and I ship these ships so hard my hair might fall out, screaming, crying, I love them so much.

Shadow and Bone: Big Polycule. That's it. It's just a big fucking polycule

#nikolai flirting with mal and alina. so real #oh genya? you love david? yes you do but you also love alina omg queen.#zoya don't worry nikolai also has room for you in his heart. it's big like that #tamar and nadia? yeah but tamar was also flirting with alina tf #everyone is dating everyone #six of crows #shadow and bone #kanej #wesper #helnik #nikomalina #genyalina #denya #nadiamar #alinamar #zoyalai #i cant be bothered to do the rest #grishaverse

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aleksanderscult · 3 months

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Was the Darkling that much of a liar as the fandom makes him to be?

Because it's literally one thing for a character to truly lie every other page and another for the reader to have been tricked by the narrative that he's a compulsive liar.

If we thoroughly search and find his lying moments in the Grisha trilogy then it would be these:

“I don’t want to answer you.”

“Oh.”

Then he sighed and said, “One hundred and twenty. Give or take.”

After a moment, the Darkling said, “My great-great-great-grandfather was the Black Heretic, the Darkling who created the Shadow Fold.”

“How?” I pleaded. “How am I supposed to do that?”

“By helping me destroy the Shadow Fold.”

“What’s Baghra’s power, anyway?”

“I’m not sure,” he said. “I think she was a Tidemaker.”

“Because every day we don’t find the sea whip, I’ll peel away a piece of her skin. Slowly. Then Ivan will heal her, and the next day, we’ll do it all over again.”

“Where are they? ” I screamed.

“They are safe. For now. They will be on my skiff when I enter the Fold again.”

“As hostages,” I said dully.

He nodded.

So in the whole trilogy the Darkling lied six times. Four if you count the scenes before he was revealed as the "evil guy".

His first real conversation with Alina is considered both by the protagonist and the fandom as manipulative and shady. He lied about his identity, age and true goal. Now let's take it from the beginning.

The fact that he lied about his age and identity wasn't something personal against Alina. This is the exact same lie he had been telling the world for four hundred years as a means of survival and staying as head of the Grisha. Also, did we really expect him to say "Yeah, I was the one who created the Fold. Hehe what can you do?☺️". We would be lying too if we were in his place.

Another thing that needs to be understood here is that the Darkling was testing her. He was trying to see what her personality is like, how does she feel about her newfound powers and, most importantly, what has she heard and how does she feel about him. I'm pretty sure that he was kinda sure that Alina would have been influenced by the people's views about him. And he was right. Alina was afraid of him thanks to the rumors and superstitions that surround him. If she also knew who he truly was then she would run from that barn ASAP.

Now let's see the next lie that the Darkling spat out. The one where he told her that he needs her to destroy the Fold. This was another test. Trying to see how she would react if she knew her true purpose as the Sun Summoner that everybody expected.

Apparently she failed that test as well:

Alina panicked when she heard that the realm's future lies on her shoulders, when she understood that she would be the one to destroy the Shadow Fold. Imagine how she would react if the Darkling said "Okay look. I need you so I can use the Fold against some nations, not destroy it". Yup, she would scream and run.

There's no way the Darkling would say the truth to her, especially since he saw how frightened and prejudiced she was about him and how clueless she was about the whole economical and political situation Ravka was at this point.

He was waiting for the Sun Summoner to be born and emerge for centuries. He would never risk losing her now because of her narrow views and some brutal truths. It was a matter of life and death for him in order to protect his country. And this girl was too young, too naive to understand.

So no. He didn't do it because he had something personal against her or to seduce her. He did it for the good of his country so this girl would stay no matter what.

Sadly, it's evident that in the end the Darkling's suspicions proved to be right. She run away. And when he found her he chastised her about her selfishness and her inability to see the bigger picture.

“Did you deserve my trust? Baghra whispers a few accusations in your ear, and off you go. Did you ever stop to think of what it would mean for me, for all of Ravka, if you just disappeared?”

“You didn’t give me much choice.”

“Of course you had a choice. And you chose to turn your back on your country, on everything that you are.”

“That isn’t fair.”

“Fairness!” he laughed. “Still she talks of fairness. What does fairness have to do with any of this? The people curse my name and pray for you, but you’re the one who was ready to abandon them. I’m the one who will give them power over their enemies. I’m the one who will free them from the tyranny of the King.”

The Darkling was right, she did have a choice. I once heard a line from a show that said "In life we always have a choice. But sometimes it's easier to think that you don't" and it applies to Alina here perfectly. She had a choice but she said to herself that she didn't. And by doing so, she only proved Aleksander right. She can't handle the truth.

Now the next lie is when he lied about his mother's powers. Don't have to dwell here because it's the same thing as before. It's the same lie he tells everyone "I don't know. I'm not sure". The Darkling (publicly) has distanced himself from his mother and keeps that relationship a secret. It's just part of his persona (just like his age, his identity etc.). Again nothing personal against Alina.

The next one is just some clever emotional manipulation. When he made clear to Mal that he would curve Alina's skin he knew that the threat was just enough. He has seen them act all cutie-cutie and being sacrificial for the sake of each other to a disgusting point so he took advantage of that (I say good for him).

And the last one is just my personal favourite if you ask me. That strategy he displayed there was my most favourite that he ever showed. Since he knew again how the threat would be enough for Alina to come to him like fish on a bait. He embraced his villainous persona and pretended that he would hurt those children if she didn't surrender to him. But he knew better. Mindless heroism would just bring her right into his net and again he was proved right until everything fucked up and died.

In his own words:

“I know what you thought, what you’ve always thought of me. It’s so much easier that way, isn’t it? To puff yourself up with your own righteousness.”

Just some delicious shit actually.

So, in conclusion, no. He wasn't a compulsive liar. But when he needed to lie he did and only for (as he saw it) selfless reasons. In fact, he mostly either evaded the truth or spoke truth. So misinformation just spilled that man's reputation lmao.

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greencarnation · 1 year

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I'm so glad that they made Nikolai a hugger

#shadow and bone #he hugged everyone #especially alina like the platonic comfort they find in each other #the way they understand each other in a way nobody else can #it was actually through the portrayal of his relationship w alina that i came to like (show) nikolai #already adored book nikolai #but something about show nikolai when he pops up on screen is just like. hm #this man is so punchable #alina clearly agreed #but then he went from punchable (derogatory) to punchable (affectionate)#and it wasn't just w alina either #his scene where he hugged mal?#damn.#and he hugged tamar and tolya and shit too #i especially loved the scene where alina found out that mal was the firebird and immediately went to nikolai and just folded into his arms #bro that's them!!! that's my nikolai and alina!!!#nikolai lantsov #alina starvok #mine

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stheresya · 1 year

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It's so revolting when certain stories actively build up romantic connections between a main female lead and a morally grey/villainous character, going as far as including a few soulmate elements into the dynamic (meant to burn together two that are one like calls to like you were meant to be my balance yadda yadda), only to turn on everyone who was invested in the pairing and be like "wow you shipped that? You really thought this evil guy was some romantic hero? Lol you're dumb silly. He is bad and abusive and you are bad and prone to enter abusive relationships if you liked him." Like... you were the one who built a narrative of two souls fated to be part of one another so you don't get to be upset when your audience takes your word for it.

#romance in fiction #like hotd was going so strongly for daemyra #to the point where they completely sidelined and disrespected daemon and rhaeryra's respective love interests just to push them together #only to turn on everyone who was rightfully upset about daemons portrayal regarding his family (that he was supposed to love)#and be like 'well he is no ned stark' fucking DUH!#don't even get me started on alina and the darkling #daemyra #darklina #reylo fits into this too but in a different way #on writing

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fallen-goldfishcracker · 1 year

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Okay so I know everyone's worried about the alleged bad season 2 reviews and concerned that it'll be horrible but honestly? Watching the trailer? I'm so excited. I loved siege and storm (mainly for Nikolai haha) and although we can already tell that there are massive changes, I'm excited to see what they are. And the sets and CGI and production of the whole thing looked so cool you can tell so much effort was put into the show, and we have a fantastic cast who I trust to put their heart and soul into their roles- so yeah! I'm excited. In one month we get a high quality well acted author endorsed crossover fanfiction between all my favorite characters- and I can't fudging wait. I already read siege and storm multiple times- heck yea give me a new storyline and new interactions I will eat that stuff up.

Also the show has Wesper so it could literally be the worst steaming garbage ever but give me .4 seconds of ✨sexual tension✨ and gay pining between Jesper and wylan and I will endorse this show til my dying day. I just love my boys so much

Anyhow this was a ridiculously long post to say I am excited for the show and you can be too!

#No but if it flops I will legitimately cry #Like for a full week #Jesper Fahey #Wylan Van Eck #nikolai lanstov #Alina Starkov #Speaking of Alina Jessie mei li looked so good in the trailer #Whoever chose that first army coat thingy deserves my love and affection #The swagger and pure energy Jessie brought into the trailer was astounding #Maybe this should've just been a Jessie mei li appreciation post because WOW #Jessie Mei Li #Honestly everyone was so hot in the trailer #Just a bunch of pretty pretty people #Especially kit #Shadow and bone #Shadow and bone Netflix #Grishaverse

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lissa-edem · 1 year

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like in sab3?

Alina: people talk about you two, having an affair.

Tamar: they say, that you sleep together.

Nikolai: sorry, but Zoya can break my neck right in my bed, and I prefer life, not death. the world needs my charming and talented personality.

Zoya: I don't have to go into your bedroom to break your neck.

Genya: I start to think, that we better get you both naked and lock up together. maybe, then you'll shut up!

sorry, english isn't my native language, tell about mistakes.

#they're in love but zoyalai is zoyalai he jokes - she yells and everyone is so tired of their angst #zoyalai #zoya nazyanelsky #zoya supremacy #queen of ravka #nikolai lantsov #king of ravka #king of scars #alina starkov #tamar kir bataar #genya safin #sab #sab2 #sab netflix #netflix shadow and bone #tv: shadow and bone #shadow and bone #grishaverse #leigh bardugo

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genyasafinsmissingeye · 1 year

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Okay, sooo I finished Shadow and Bone season 2.

I know I’m a massive hater, but it was bad. Like, it was really, really bad. No hate to the actors at all. It wasn’t just the major divergences from the books (Though it irritated me, it was to be expected and Leigh Bardugo said it herself) the plot was just a mess. It didn’t make sense, it was forced and the dialouge was relentlessly cheesy and cliche. Not to mention how sidelined many important characters were, like Zoya and Inej- who was especially done dirty (I’ll post something more about that). I was just so disappointed. I loved the first season, and this was such a decline in quality. Leigh Bardugo said it would be “fanfiction” but this was fanfiction written by a twelve year old on Wattpad.

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nightmare-weaver-vex · 5 months

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HIHI! I was the anon that asked for the sickfic!!!

I just read it and honestly your writing skills have gotten so much better! I'm glad you're getting out of your writers block!!

However I have one teeny tiny iddy bitty compliant. I did enjoy the chapter alot, but I think introducing Alina sort of clashed with the sickfic. Don't get me wrong I already love Alina and her story! But maybe you could've introduced her in a different chapter so the sickfic can be a sickfick.

DONT WORRY I still love your work and you can ignore me if it's too much <33

(I thank you truly for such a nice compliment. It was something pleasant to wake up to. Yeah, now that you mentioned it, introducing Alina was a bit much. I guess you could say this is my first Sickfic so I'm truly sorry for the error. It is nice to know that people still love my series after a year or two. If you would ever like, I am open to more story requests and would be happy to write them. Man, the world needs more kind people like you. It is nice to see that my writing skill has improved. It is thanks to my going to college and how amazing my instructor has been. You aren't too much at all. I truly appreciate how you worded your response. Again I eagerly await to talk to you and if you have any more requests, don't be afraid to tell me.)

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wishallthatiwant · 1 year

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i am just thinking about how anytime they are in the slightest hint of trouble alina immediately steps in front of genya

#see: s1 episode 4 when fedyor fake yells at them #see: any genyalina interaction in season 2 particularly in their interactions with nikolai #idk i love it #kind of reflects how protective everyone is of her in the books #esp in the spinning wheel in r&r when genya confronts the king and queen #shadow and bone #genyalina #genya safin #alina starkov #grishaverse

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starrazorr · 1 year

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nikolai is one of the funniest characters in the grishaverse because he's this rakish, charming, flirty pirate who is determined to find a queen — any queen — and take his place on the throne and lead his ruined kingdom through a terrible war and — oh, look, he's fallen desperately in love with someone who doesn't feel the same way again. look at him pine. poor idiot.

#nikolai: i am sturmhond i love adventure i love freedom i dont want to be tied down #everyone else: youve spent two hours watching mal and alina sadly from the other side of the room. be fr.#shadow and bone #nikolai lantsov

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dramaism · 1 year

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saw jesper and wylan kissing on my screen with my own two eyes now i need 5278262 business days to recover from this

#my friends I've only read like 1/3 of crooked kingdom and I didn't now if they would have kissed in the book or not #so I'm very surprised #idk they just gave me that funny warm feeling i love it #i also didn't finish the season because I'm afraid of everyone's reactions and i don't know if i want to experience the finale myself #but as a person who only read shadow and bone six of crows and 1/3 of crooked kingdom i feel neutral?#like yeah the crows won't have any logical plot in the s3 at all because there'd be no reason for kidnapping #amd i kinda don't see what they'll do with alina and co next but i feel normal not outraged #aaaaand i kinda like that they included 2 alina books in 1s idk i like the flow #but for the crows it's surely confusing #jey talks #i really consider to finish crooked kingdom first and them finish the season lmaoo #also malina well i felt alright about them in s1 but now.... they're not good with each other and tbh alina has more chemistry with genya #than with mal lol

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aleksanderscult · 5 months

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my favorite interpretation of him is as a man who WANTS that companionship and love but. He’s been burned so many times before, falling in love with people he outlived due to war and his slower aging. So he can’t allow himself to be hurt like that again. Deep inside his little black heart he would love to be equals with Alina but unfortunately years of trauma and pain have left him entirely unable to exist in a relationship that doesn’t have a power imbalance in his favor. He doesn’t know how to let go of his want for power even in his relationships anymore. And now that he needs Alina for his Grand Schemes, well he definitely can’t fall in love with her without potentially fucking up his plan, right? He needs her to do many very specific things and he can’t be blinded by Real Emotion that might make him change his mind so instead he keeps her at arms length while making her THINK her feelings are requited and he pulls her strings to get her to do what he needs so that his centuries of living will have paid off. And deep deep down the man he used to be yearns to have built something real with her, to have companionship who won’t die in the blink of an eye, someone who understands this Otherness he experiences, an equal. If only the man he’d become could stand to let go of the reins in any relationship for more than like. Thirty seconds. Lol

⚠️TW!: sexual abuse and sexual assault! mentioned at some point⚠️

Yup. You get it, anon!

My favorite interpretation of him is as a man who WANTS that companionship and love but he’s been burned so many times before, falling in love with people he outlived due to war and his slower aging. So he can’t allow himself to be hurt like that again.

I completely agree to all of this!

What antis seem unable to understand is that the Darkling is human most of all. Not a villain, not a hero, not a Grisha but a human being with human emotions and needs. In fact, I find him the most human character in the Grisha trilogy. We all want love and companionship. None of us likes the feeling of loneliness (it's one thing to want to be alone and another to be lonely) and the Darkling is no different in this aspect. He wants to love and be loved. He wants someone to keep him company forever, to not abandon him because of betrayal, death, age or mortality. He doesn't want to be alone. For centuries he suffered from it and was desperate to find someone to fill this void. Alina was this person. She ticked (most of) the boxes for him.

(just a small pause to say that we can also see evidence of his desire to feel and live human things in RoW:

(He might considered otkazat'sya beneath him, but the feeling of humanity was something surprisingly pleasant for him. And he seeked Alina out to feel this way again. Even though he denied it:)

(A part of him wanted something simple. Peace and calm and a girl that loved him and he loved her at his side.)

If I could describe the Darkling's need for someone to join him and be with him, for Alina to come to him and love him, I would use this passage from the book "City of Heavenly Fire":

“Imagine if you were the last Shadowhunter left on earth (in this case let's use the term "the last Grisha of your kind"), imagine if all your family and friends were dead, imagine if there were no one left who even believed in what you were. Imagine if you were on the earth in a billion, billion years, after the sun had scorched away all the life, and you were crying out from inside yourself for just one single living creature to still draw breath alongside you, but there was nothing, only rivers of fire and ashes. Imagine being that lonely. And then imagine there was only one way to fix it. Then imagine what you would do to make that thing happen.”

THIS is how I imagine the Darkling's desperation to gain Alina. His last hope for love and companionship.

He has been hurt hundreds of times in the past. The lovers he had, the people he fell in love were dying in front of his eyes from their mortality. Others couldn't understand his powers, couldn't fathom him as a person (because I bet almost all, if not all, his lovers were otkazat'sya). So at some point, he just gave up. Gave up on love and stopped having relationships. He wouldn't be hurt again, he wouldn't allow it.

Deep inside his little black heart he would love to be equals with Alina but unfortunately years of trauma and pain have left him entirely unable to exist in a relationship that doesn’t have a power imbalance in his favor. He doesn’t know how to let go of his want for power even in his relationships anymore.

"his little black heart" that sounded so cute 🥺🫶😭

And, yes, I agree that deep inside (veeery deeply though) he wanted to be equals with Alina because on one hand it seemed right to him, logically and strategically (she had the power of light, he had the power of darkness. They were both immortal and she had a strong spirit). But years had already passed where he had the control in all things. Okay, not all. He couldn't stop Kings and Queens from making stupid or unspeakable things (and yes I'm alluding Genya's sexual assault from the King here). But he had a habit that he couldn't break. "Old habits die hard" fits here. He couldn't put aside his need for domination and just say "Yeah sure do whatever you want in this relationship, Alina! Peace and love!🥰✌️". No, he would still want to have the upper hand in their relationship and their rule.

And now that he needs Alina for his Grand Schemes, well he definitely can’t fall in love with her without potentially fucking up his plan, right? He needs her to do many very specific things and he can’t be blinded by Real Emotion that might make him change his mind so instead he keeps her at arms length while making her THINK her feelings are requited and he pulls her strings to get her to do what he needs so that his centuries of living will have paid off.

Yup. He didn't want to fall in love with her. Just to manipulate her. But the problem is that we don't choose when to fall in love and who. It just happens. And that fucked him up emotionally.

1) Because he hadn't felt that emotion in years.

2) Because it wasn't part of his plans, just like you said.

He literally panicked and didn't know what to do and he certainly didn't know how to express it in a healthy manner.

Alina's constant rejection and rebellion against him (+ her love for Mal and her choosing only him) made him go feral and do impulsive things. Made him fuck up his well-thought-out plans. So, in the end, he really is a person that sometimes let his emotions rule his mind unwillingly.

About him making her think that her emotions are requited, it's a complicated matter. In R&R he confirmed that he seduced her (if you call that seduction) as part of his manipulation.

But I think he also played himself back then at S&B. He tried to appease her worries at that time and in S&B it seemed genuine. Honestly, for me, it still does. But, according to him (and Bardugo) he did it to feel more bound to him, more loyal.

BUT! I think that in the meantime he played himself and caught feelings.

Like "He he I'm gonna make her feel good for herself 😈......shit.....now I feel something for her. FUCK!!"

But he would never admit that to Alina. Not in a verbal way anyway. Because when he gave her his name it was a type of love confession (GIVING HER HIS HEART, HELLO??).

I kinda agree that he wanted to make her feel that her feelings were requited but he also must have been like "but let's not tell her that I also caught feelings👀👀".

He wanted to fulfill his plans, yes. But he also fell in love with her in the process and everything went DOWNHILL FOR HIM.

And deep deep down the man he used to be yearns to have built something real with her, to have companionship who won’t die in the blink of an eye, someone who understands this Otherness he experiences, an equal. If only the man he’d become could stand to let go of the reins in any relationship for more than like. Thirty seconds. Lol

Hard agree to all of this too.

Just like I said, he didn't know how to live a life without controlling it and everyone in it.

#personally i find the Darkling more controlling than manipulative #he sucks at manipulating people #but controlling? Boy yes. He hates feeling that he doesn't have the control in any situation. Like a fish out of water #I also don't understand how some people shy away from the perception of the Darkling craving love and company #it's NORMAL. He's human. everyone wants love (unless you're Voldemort or something)#anon asks #the darkling #pro darkling #aleksander morozova #pro aleksander morozova #darklina #pro darklina #alina starkov #alarkling #pro alarkling #grishaverse #grishaverse trilogy #shadow and bone

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greensaplinggrace · 1 year

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rusalye should have killed everyone in that cave

#so maybe i am in love with rusalye #WHAT OF IT #she is my babygirllll #alina and mal i love you but this is the sacrifice i am willing to make 😔😔#myramblings #shadow and bone #sab #grishaverse #rusalye #the sea whip #alina starkov #but also when alina killed rusalye....#she looked SO good #maybe alina should have killed everyone in that cave too #😔😔#she should just live there with mal and rusalye #her and her amplifiers <3 #anyways dont mind me im completely sane about morozova's amplifiers

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tousakamis · 1 year

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just remembered the funniest instance of amatonormativity i’ve ever seen in my life. we did our epq which is like an extended project that counts towards our final grades and we were presenting them one evening and i was stood there talking about my topic to some adults, which was the abundance of romance in the media reflecting modern perceptions of it being necessary or whatever, and i glance over to my left and theres a big cardboard cut out basically saying “WHY ROMANTIC LOVE IS BIOLOGICAL AND WE ALL FEEL IT 🧚 “ while i was literally explaining why that isnt true,

#alina post #amatonormativity #aromantic #i dont know if i explained this well but it remains my top 10 experiences of this bullshit #like quite a few adults were genuinely really intrigued because they had never considered my points before #which showed how deeply ingrained it is!#but then there was the looming. reminder of what most people claim in the background #it was the specific focus on romance as well that killed me like you could've done just any old love and you didn't need to act like -#everyone felt THAT either but nah. romance specifically. fucking cracker

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fishy-lava · 1 year

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ya know what when i read the shadow and bone trilogy i really had no opinion at all on who alina wound up with and i still don't really care but watching people be mean to archie and idolize the darkling just makes me ship malina out of spite at this point

#its the ship that makes the most sense to me anyways #i never really like love triangle bullshit so i just dont care #but mal is honestly not that bad and some of you just need to chill out #every time i see someone ship alina and the darkling and say that mal is comtrolling and shitty it blows my mind #you DO realize what the darkling is like right?#ya know the most manipulative bitch in the entire trilogy???#anyways #malina endgame #i guess #not doing the usual tags for this stuff because im tired and dont feel like having everyone try to eat me alive

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