siriuslyobsessedwithfiction

[siriuslyobsessedwithfiction]

How did the Darkling's coup fail? I feel like all we heard about it was from Alina saying his coup failed, and the Apparat had fled... what do you think went wrong?

By coup, I assume you mean the one that happened "off camera" in the novel Shadow and Bone?

What do I think went wrong: 

(1) Why poison the king if he did not have control of Vasily? Or Tatiana? Although we later learn Genya's poison is slow acting, so I am not convinced it had anything to do with Aleksander's coup. He would not be able to be certain of the timing.

There are a lot of questions I cannot answer because I do not know what is the nature of Ravkan government. Do they have the Collegia? Ministries? The governing senate chaired by its Procutator? 

I do not see the Apparat’s road to power. I would have expected Tatiana or Vasily to seize control of the monarchy as an “interim ruler”.  

And if not then the Apparat needs to hold an actual position at court like a Chancellor or Chief Procurator so that he can take this position. 

(2) He never went back to Os Alta. I actually have no idea why after he survives what happened in the Fold he does not immediately return to the capital. He goes missing for an undetermined amount of time and this is long enough for the Apparat to flee and I assume Vasily to regain power. 

(3) Timing. Why launch this coup when he is hundred of miles away from Os Alta? 

What I think he could have done better:

(1) Puppeted the throne through Tatiana as regent. Although Vasily and Nikolai are so old, he would probably have to go through them. Actually, given Nikolai’s reputation as a useless wastrel, I am surprised he did not approach Nikolai’s double. 

(2) If he wanted to seize power for himself in his own name, make an alliance with the First Army for a military coup. I won’t claim this is straightforward because Ravka is using a regimental military system, and those are likely headed by members of the nobility, so why would they follow Aleksander rather than making a play for the crown themselves? But, I think the aristocracy could be overcome by promising decisive victory for Ravka. The Lantsovs have lost a lot of historic territory in both Fjerda and Shu Han (according to Ruin and Rising), so if he could prove that this territory could be reclaimed, either through manipulating the Fold, or the more reasonable unleashing of Fabrikator technology and sound military strategy, he could convince the Colonels to follow him. 

The positive side of a regimental system is that each regiment is responsible for its own recruitment and financing, so you do not need to win over the entire army in one sweep. 

Clearly his Grisha were not enough to hold the Capital. He needed a real army. 

[siriuslyobsessedwithfiction]

siriuslyobsessedwithfiction

Mar 27, 2024

Also in every fic where Sasha is plotting and bending backwards and Ivan is also stressed but helps dutifully and when they accomplish something they're happy and meanwhile Bagrha is like "Pshht, I could've done that in a week." but refuses to help them. She's just there to criticize.

In all of those situations, there should be a cut scene in Ketterdam where Kaz Brekker is laughing maniacally about how upset the merchant council is because government change means change of economics and Ravka will start paying off Kerch's debts under Aleksander's rule or guidance.

June 21, 2025

Lmaoo, I forgot I commented this. Yes, no matter what AU fic Aleksander is in, Ivan is there to be his right hand man and together they're working on overthrowing the government. Doctor AU? Surgeon. High School Student AU? Jock. Barista AU? Aggressively uses caramel drizzle while glares at people who have unnecessarily complicated orders. Still overthrows the government.

idc all modern darklina aus should end with aleksander committing domestic terrorism and overthrowing the government thats just realistic

[siriuslyobsessedwithfiction]

A conversation with another reader made me realize that the only aspect of the Darkling that seems to stick in Alina's mind is the desire not to be alone. That she only allowed herself to see in him what was a reflection of her own feelings.

She never had to experience anti-Grisha persecution, so she doesn't see him as a survivor of countless horrors.

She doesn't care about others, so she's constantly overlooking his drive to protect others.

She's refusing to think about her future of an immortal, so when she's confronted with that side of him, she only focuses on what's she already closely familiar with. The loneliness.

Even when searching for sources on Morozova, she quickly decides he was lonely. It's what Alina understands, it's what she can easily identify with, it's the one trait she never denies the Darkling.

She might offer sympathy, but seems to be incapable of empathy. It's as if her brain could relate, but not extrapolate.

(x)

[siriuslyobsessedwithfiction]

[siriuslyobsessedwithfiction]

Propaganda I'm not falling for: Henry Winter not giving a fuck

People will actually say anyone who thinks Henry was not a cold-blooded psycho is romanticizing him like Richard, who is an unreliable narrator, and then give examples from Richard's thoughts in the same breath. No, I couldn't give less of a shit about Richard's misinterpretations in his narration. This man compared himself and Henry to Achilles and Patroclus, there is no greater romanization of something that was never there. I'm looking at Henry's actions, not what someone thought of him.

Correct me if I don't remember something, but Henry never harmed Camilla. She felt safe enough around Henry even after Bunny's death to be with him often. Charles was the one who assaulted and abused her, Richard was the one who had urges to rape her. Oh, and Francis, who decided Camilla was leading boys on and who also had no qualms with sexually assaulting Charles. Henry helped her when she cut her leg with glass while others acted like idiots. And yet, you'd be Henry's victim if you say you like him as a character. They were all bad people, but there are other things to hate about Henry, there's no need to make stuff up.

Henry loved Bunny. I'm not saying in what way, but any sensible person would no longer be friends with a guy who leeched off of you and used you shamelessly and was not even grateful. Henry had the patience of a saint with him. He tolerated Bunny's blackmail too, for a while. Killing him was Henry's last resort. Also, friendly reminder that Bunny was a grown ass man who acted like a spoiled child, and went on lavish dinners and expensive trips out of Henry's pocket instead of studying, working and saving up money. Who would he leech off of if he reported Henry and he was arrested? His own family cut him off, who else would support him and tolerate his antics?

The fact that Richard idolized Henry and the rest of the Greek class followed him like sheep had less to do with Henry's manipulation and more with their own traumas and insecurities. If Henry was a good enough manipulator to play such a long game, he wouldn't have lost his grip on them so easily after Bunny's death. He would've handled Charles, if nothing else.

Last but not least, Henry wouldn't have killed himself if he was an emotionless manipulator. The last thing people like that will do is harm themselves. He could've blamed the murder on Charles, since he was an alcoholic, abuser, and threatened him with a gun.

P.S. I think we all have enough sense to stay away from people like Henry in real life, the message of the book was not complicated to decipher.

[siriuslyobsessedwithfiction]

Ravka if Alina had learned the history of oppression, segregation and genocide of Grisha and current political affairs instead of writing lengthy letters to Mal, whining how much pretty privilege Grisha had and thinking she could solve the philosophy of Grisha powers on her own:

[siriuslyobsessedwithfiction]

Propaganda I'm NOT falling for:

Mal being the best option for Alina

Zoya turning into a good friend and heroine

Zoya turning into a dragon

Genya feeling angry against Aleksander for her sexual abuse instead of against....i don't know. The real perpetrators perhaps.

Mal being just a traumatized and misunderstood boy

Alina losing her powers and feeling okay with it

Nikolai being a good king (lmao)

Baghra caring for Alina thus why she was "telling the truth to her".

Aleksander being a pedophile/groomer.

Aleksander committing genocide or whatever the fuck the antis call it.

Aleksander being wrong.

Alina being a good friend.

Alina not having feelings for Aleksander and the opposite.

Mal not being an abusive little shit.

Nikolai not being dumb as fuck.

The Saints storyline in the duology being good

The show being a "good adaptation" it's not even a good show

Malina not being the most toxic ship that has graced our eyes

Alina being a cute little baby (she was much more than that and most people just baby-fy her)

Genya betraying Aleksander and siding with Alina.

Genya's punishment for her betrayal being "unfair".

Ivan not being one of the best characters I have ever seen and cared for

Sergei being annoying and a bad character

The Fjerdan wars ending in just one book

Zoya becoming Queen

Leigh Bardugo being a good writer

Aleksander Morozova not being the best and most interesting character this universe has offered

[siriuslyobsessedwithfiction]

Isn't it interesting how the fandom forgets that LB excused Fjerdan Hitler's and rapists' actions because they were just a product of their environment and their countries made them that way apparently, then wrote characters from the same countries who were somehow immune to propaganda and didn't abuse power. Then nailed the Darkling to a tree cross even after he saved everyone's asses numerous times.

Capture them, drug them, use them, kill them for they're inherently malevolent

Six of Crows- Chapter 35

Immoral, inhuman things, meant to be used. The lowest of the low, yet not even living creatures.

There's no fear of the unknown, only utilization of an unfeeling tool.

The best lies are truth twisted into whatever suits you the best.

These are pretty stupid metaphors.

Snakes don't speak and dogs aren't likely to attack without a reason. True or perceived. A member of a cult breeding wolves should be familiar with the language of social canines.

And this, dear children, is why showing them otherwise won't change their attitude towards Grisha.

Every good action can be twisted and turned against them.

[siriuslyobsessedwithfiction]

Nina stared. “You’re Grisha. You’re an Inferni.” Kuwei nodded. “Jurda parem was a mistake. My father was trying to find a way to help me hide my powers. He was a Fabrikator. A Grisha, as I am.”

Six of Crows- Chapter 37 (Leigh Bardugo)

" ... the Black Heretic, the Darkling who created the Shadow Fold. It was a mistake, an experiment born of his greed, maybe his evil. I don’t know. ... "

Shadow and Bone- Chapter 5

But power was exactly what Aleksander had found, tucked away in this basement—his grandfather’s journals, the records of his experiments. They had become his obsession. He’d been sure that he could do what Ilya Morozova had done, and so he’d tried. The result was the Fold.

Rule of Wolves- Chapter 21

“A Grisha can have only one amplifier. You told me that yourself.” “Morozova’s amplifiers are different.” I gaped at him. “There’s another like the stag?” “They were meant to be used together, Alina. They are unique, just as we are.” ... " ... I know the truth in your heart. The loneliness. The growing knowledge of your own difference.” He leaned in closer. “The ache of it." ... “There are no others like us, Alina,” he whispered. “And there never will be.”

Siege and Storm- Chapter 3

“Morozova was the Bonesmith, one of the greatest Fabrikators who ever lived, and a man who tested the very boundaries of Grisha power, but he was also just a man with a wife. She was otkazat’sya, and though she loved him, she did not understand him.”

Ruin and Rising- Chapter 10

One of the essential tenets of Grisha theory was “like calls to like,” but Morozova seemed to believe that if the world could be broken down to the same small parts, each Grisha should be able to manipulate them. Are we not all things? he demanded, underlining the words for emphasis.

Ruin and Rising- Chapter 4

How an explanation from sympathetic narrator makes all the difference...

[siriuslyobsessedwithfiction]

If all the Darkling antis, concerned with his role in Genya's rape, redirected their fury at the actual rapist, LB might even decide to finally punish and incapacitate that one in the next book...

[siriuslyobsessedwithfiction]

The old gargoyle and the missing opportunities

Baghra's "reveal" of Aleksander as a "villain" doesn't make any sense and ctually makes the plot worse. I suppose the intention was: a young protagonist is charmed by an attractive and powerful man, believes that he is a brave revolutionary and a justice fighter with noble goals, and gets entangled in a relationship with him only to find out that his motives are much more sinister and he actually uses her as a pawn, tricking her with talks about "greater good". She feels betrayed, devastated, heartbroken, and disillusioned with the man she thought she knew and runs away to take revenge on him and ultimately stop him. Except it falls apart right from the start. The narrative tries to retroactively gaslight you by including Alina's lamenting about "how long she lived with his lies", but, considering that we still remember what actually happened, it makes her sound delusional or outright dishonest.

The Darkling is not charming. He's not that typical abuser who plays the role of a sociable, likeable, caring, and upstanding guy who secretly beats up unsuspecting women in his dungeon. He has a dark reputation, a dark image, and a whole swarm of semi-mythical gossip surrounding him. And he doesn't seem to mind. That's not how a charming manipulator acts - he doesn't cultivate a socially popular image. Nobody is charmed. Alina isn't charmed either: she initially recoils from his powers and believes he is going to torture her when he simply asks how her day was.

They actually barely interact. They have 5-6 brief conversations, mostly about her powers and amplifiers. Alina herself mentions he's barely present in the palace, and even when he is, he's not in a hurry to meet her. That's not enough to manipulate someone. It's not enough to build trust. It's not even enough to say that you know something about each other.

He interacts with her for political purposes. He doesn't manipulate her to enjoy the power he has over her and her feelings, like an abuser and manipulator does. He doesn't love-bomb Alina or try to convince her that he picked her for her delightful personality. He needs her power; that much is absolutely clear from the start. He doesn't try to humanize himself to her or get her to feel sorry for him; there is no moment of shared vulnerability between them. When they kiss, he seems almost annoyed with the fact he couldn't separate his business from unnecessary feelings. Playing on Alina's insecurities? No, he only encourages her and even defends her against Baghra's attack. Isolation? Also no, she has a full palace of Grisha and non-Grisha to talk to.

Moreover, Alina doesn't act like a victim of manipulation either. The danger of a skillful manipulation is that it's notoriously difficult to get through to the victim, even for their closest friends. The manipulated person is inclined to dismiss any warnings, get defensive, believe that it's just a misunderstanding, find excuses for their manipulator, and get angry at the person who tries to warn them for meddling with their relationship. Alina does none of that. She immediately believes the old abusive hag with no evidence and runs away.

If Aleksander is manipulative, why not continue manipulating her when he captures her after her escape? Baghra didn't provide any evidence; it would be easy to say she is just a demented old liar whose brain was damaged by the wasting sickness. He could also tell her that Baghra abused him as a child to make Alina feel guilty for trusting her over him. All the opportunities were there.

So Baghra's reveal works to the detriment of the plot because:

Alina is basically told that a guy she and everyone else assumed was evil is actually evil. There is no reason to gasp or feel betrayed; the act of a wronged wife who found out her husband is a serial cheater after 20 years of marriage is completely out of place.

The fact that Baghra delivers all the gossip in one go makes Alina's outrage against the Darkling's methods forced and performative. A day ago, Alina was happily swanning around the palace, not questioning Aleksander's goals and strategy once, not even asking questions about him, and as soon as Bahra told her, she suddenly became a staunch opponent of his "tyranny"? Sounds fake. If her discomfort with his actions was a result of her own moral reflection, that would be at least more honest and gave her a more believable conflict.

It robs Alina of any agency, as she doesn't discover information about the Darkling herself, doesn't start noticing disturbing signs and discrepancies in his behavior, and is getting infodumped by a Baghra-shaped deus ex machina instead. Once again, the conflict would be much more meaningful and impactful if Alina actually put some effort into discovering the Darkling's "true nature".

If Baghra truly believed Aleksander was going to manipulate Alina, why wait for months to warn her? It makes more sense to do it straight away, before the alleged manipulative tactics take effect.

Baghra shouldn't have even been there. If Aleksander was truly such a brilliant strategist and manipulator, he should have known that his mother, the only person knowing his Black heretic identity, could betray him. It's not like she ever made it a secret she didn't support him. So he should have made sure his mother didn't meet the Sun Summoner. Instead, he sends Alina to Baghra for training himself. Not very mastermindful of him.

If you think about it, Baghra works as a big bad manipulator much better. She has a more suitable role—that of a wise, grumpy, but well-meaning senior mentor. Who's going to suspect an old lady of plotting devious plans? Besides, Alina has already been brainwashed by a similar old abusive hag - Ana Kuya—so for her, Baghra's attitude seems familiar. Baghra does play on Alina's insecurities: rubbing in her face her humble orphanage upbringing, shaming her for her attraction to the Darkling (the idea that it's unbecoming for a young virtuous lady to lust over a man is probably already hammered into her by Ana Kuya), belittling her for her poor command over her power, and instilling the belief that Alina is stupid, foolish, naive, and can't make any decisions for herself. She also redirects any possible accusations of manipulation onto Aleksander: he is a centuries-old manipulator who knows how to fool naive young girls, apparently, not her. And if shifting the suspicion onto the person you try to discredit is not the most popular manipulative technique, I don't know what is.

[siriuslyobsessedwithfiction]

good things will happen 🧿

things that are meant to be will fall into place 🧿

[siriuslyobsessedwithfiction]

True. But there's also a lesson how not to get involved and do crazy things for people who wouldn't do the same for you or not to do things for the sake of aesthetic. Richard is a loser, and also a warning, to not become like him. Also, can we talk about the fact why Richard is such a loser. I'm not talking about his financial status or him thriving to be pretentious (Bunny also did that). Richard literally does not have a personality outside of being a wet mop with trauma and occasional violent thoughts. His strategy was to stand in the corner pretending to be cool and mysterious so people would think he was cool and mysterious. He gaslights himself that he had a special connection to Henry and the Greek class (he didn't). But when they'd actually come to him with their problems, he'd just sit there in silence. He couldn't even say anything comforting or clever or wise. I hate the type of personality Bunny had but at least he had one. Henry, who Richard idolized, talked to him after Julian had just abandoned him, told him he loved Julian more than anyone in the world, and Richard just sat there and didn't say anything. "Well, what could be said in that situation" - if Henry didn't want to hear anything, he wouldn't say anything to begin with. If Richard had been actually interesting, at the very least, he'd be accepted more.

Can we talk for a second about how absolutely useless Richard is as a character. The only reason he exists is because Tartt needed an outsider narrator to be unreliable and oblivious and kept in the dark to keep the mystery and speculation in it and that's what Richard is for. That's it. He's literally just there to narrate. He's not needed for the story at all.

[siriuslyobsessedwithfiction]

Bram Stoker was so funny for making Count Dracula write "For he is English, and therefore adventurous" about Jonathan Harker. The funniest way to throw the subtlest shade while remaining the picture of politeness and courteousness. It's like "Ah, don't mind my puppy, he gets excited when we take him to new places. But we like him the way he is and I'm sort of responsible for him, so kindly send out people to find him because he will, inevitably, walk himself into trouble." Yes, sir, people warned and begged him not to go to a place and he went there anyway. 100% the type of thing an Englishmen would do during that time period.

[siriuslyobsessedwithfiction]

im grilling absolute cheese

[siriuslyobsessedwithfiction]

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