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amanizali · 2 years

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what I would change about the Nikolai duology:

⚠️ major spoilers, obviously

I mean like genuinely we're mentioning character deaths, major plot points, basically summarizing, and a lot of it you won't understand until you've read the books—you have been warned

disclaimer: there were a lot of aspects I liked about the series (the writing was phenomenal, I felt many emotions, I had fun), but overall I was left pretty disappointed, especially since it's been quite a while and I've been able to think about it and develop my opinions. also I rant about this regularly so I thought I'd make a post. however, I adore Leigh and everything she does, and the grishaverse is extremely important to me (perhaps why I held such high standards for Nikolai's series). these are just my opinions, and it is totally fine to hold different ones, I'd actually love to hear them.

make it more about Nikolai. it felt like I had to speed through other povs to get to his, and especially by ROW, he almost felt like a side character (again). we got two books, and yet I feel like I barely know anything more about him than after the trilogy. he had povs, but it was so hard to get into his head about everything. there was SO MUCH potential for his story but it just ended up feeling like a side plot for the greater scheme of things

Zoya!!! I loved every single chapter from her pov!! why weren't those two the whole series? it would have been so nice to have something simpler where their relationship and story could also be established more

and like biracial Zoya who was almost a victim of child marriage?? her relationship with the Suli?? GIVE ME MORE

honestly didn't care much for the bee lady villain? whole thing was kinda on crack for me

why did David have to die? he didn't. it literally was an excuse for the Crows cameo and I will never forgive that. I loved seeing the Crows of course and it was hilarious (Kaz dressed as an old man lmaodjwiej), but that was not a price I was willing to pay (especially because I was still grieving). JUST GIVE US AN INEJ NOVEL OR SOMETHING THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN INFINITELY BETTER

to add onto that, Genya has gone through so much already. I feel like there's a limit for how much a character should suffer. it was just way too cruel, especially on her wedding day

I could have enjoyed our little found family loving each other and supporting each other for the rest of the series but instead David dies and we leave Genya to mourn all alone and forget about the og squad for the rest of the book pretty much

leave Nina out of it. I'm not sure how unpopular this opinion is, but her story did not need to be continued in canon. it ended so tragically but so beautifully and in a way that we could imagine how she healed in our own ways

also she really didn't need to be there for the plot of the series. it felt forced a little bit

also she just went straight to Ravkan military service after the heist and Matthias dying? uhh

how did she get over Matthias so quickly? it would be fine that she moved on if she hadn't been literally carrying his body around for months?? in a writing sense, I liked the whole grief arc but 1. I really didn't need it because again, it drags on Nina's story more than I would have preferred (and it was just traumatic ngl) and 2. SHE SWITCHED UP SO FAST AFTERWARDS

which brings me to Hanne. what even. who. I didn't care at all for Hanne. why are we introducing new characters that don't even contribute to the plot? I hate to say this but it felt like forced representation. I didn't feel for her/them/him (I'm sorry I don't know what pronouns they would use), and I didn't ship Nina with them either

Nina felt quite different when with Hanne and I just didn't really like this new Nina???? which is scary for me because I absolutely loved her in SOC but idk something felt off, and not even in just a post-tragedy way

the whole Fjerda plot. idk, it honestly felt like a forced way to fit Nina's plot in, I felt it didn't really contribute much at the end of the day even if what it was leading up to hinted it could have—this includes all the new characters too like Rasmus or whatever his name was

in general, all the different povs (Ravka, Shu Han, Fjerda) made it feel all over the place, and by the end, the connection wasn't enough for it to feel fulfilled. this series (especially ROW) had way too many things going on

I MISS ADRIK AND LEONI WHY PUT THEM IN IF THEY PRACTICALLY DISAPPEAR

that random love story with fake Nikolai and fake Ehri??? wha- why give these two random side characters a tragic love story?? like breaking my heart for literally no reason

yeah Mayu too like why is she getting povs? I appreciate the Shu Han world-building with that but there were just too many things happening for me to actually feel much for her and Reyem (but their bond was wholesome)

look I reallyyyy liked the Shu Han stuff since I was genuinely interested in the politics. I honestly wouldn't have minded more of that?? just if only the Fjerda stuff didn't happen and it wasn't so jam packed with plotlines

I also think the Shu Han politics could have been integrated with the plot a little better, it felt pretty distant from Nikolai and the overall plot (like maybe instead of going to Ketterdam, Nikolai could have been more involved in all that?)

WHY IS THE DARKLING BACK?? MAKE NEW CONFLICTS. NEW VILLAINS IF YOU MUST. STOP REUSING VILLAINS. ALINA DID NOT SUFFER THAT MUCH, WORK THAT HARD, GIVE UP HER POWERS JUST FOR THIS MF TO RETURN!!! it also devalued his initial death scene like that shit was BEAUTIFUL and to cry for someone you hate?? like wow

and now we're dragging poor Alina back into this like let her live in peace oml

THAT CULT THING WAS HILARIOUS BUT WTF the darkling is no longer scary nor can I take him seriously anymore. what even was that plotline like?? I'm honestly so confused I could not tell you what we achieved in this duology

that little multiverse?? tease at the end and him like holding together the world or whatever it was was cool tho

NIKOLAI HAS A BIRTH DAD AND A SISTER. AND IS A BASTARD CHILD. AND WE JUST. ARE PRETENDING THAT DIDNT HAPPEN??? like I'm sure Nikolai would feel some level of anger or confusion or sadness or SOMETHING but the short interaction was so casual and silly and we just never visited that again?? why are we portraying Nikolai like a comic relief character in his own series Leigh whyyyy T_T like I love his personality but he also has dimensions and we have sEEN glimpses of that

and yeah to go back to my first point, Nikolai is literally leading a war (loved the steampunk vibes). his brother (whom he had a complicated relationship with) died. he had to banish his parents. he found out about blood relatives. one of his closest friends and talented engineers died ON HIS WEDDING DAY. he has a demon inside of him and woke up every day in chains. so where is the depth??? why was he the least angsty out of all the povs we got?? (like we obviously got some moments but with everything else it was just pushed aside)

anyway, if you read this far, *mwah* thank you, I appreciate you for listening to my rambling. please lmk what you think!! do you agree? disagree? what did u think about this series? I hope you have a wonderful day/night ❤️

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maximotts · 2 years

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anything with leigh 😍 perhaps hiking with her and having a little make out sesh

I made it a nature trail walking thing because I don't like hiking lmaooo I'm just a lump bUT uh.. here's an actual full fic instead of a blurb, you're so welcome. This is fully unedited though so if you see typos, no you don't

leigh shaw x reader; the nature walk was your idea, playing hide and seek was Leigh's. Maybe the two of you get a little carried away, but what's important is you left no footprints. words: 2.5k

warnings: 18+ only; smut, make out sesh turned sex in the woods; pet names (princess); fingering (r giving); nipple play; groping; a lot of hickies; really just... loving nature and Leigh

It was the perfect day for an afternoon walk. Autumn was finally settling in California, still warm enough during the day for shorts, but the air could get cold enough to need a sweatshirt— hence Leigh’s current outfit choice of black bike shorts and a light sweatshirt brandishing her gym’s logo. Simple, comfortable, and appropriate for your outdoor activity, there were at least ten other women you’d seen just today wearing the same thing, but Leigh was always the center of your attention. The trees and flowers you’d seen as you walked were beautiful, but each time she turned to you and smiled, excitedly pointing out something she wanted you to see, she eclipsed everything.

So when Leigh beckoned you over again, you didn’t care that she was leading you slightly off the paved trail, only that she looked oh so happy with her improvised game. “Come find me!”

She didn’t make herself hard to find, not when you could so clearly hear leaves crunching under her hurried footsteps or her barely muffled giggles behind the thick tree she chose to hide behind. Still you played along, calling out her name and searching around trunks you knew weren’t right. When you finally got to her hiding place, you caged her in quickly, arms planting themselves on either side of her shoulders as she squeaked in surprise, “Caught you.”

Leigh let out a breathy laugh, her wide grin matching yours. “So you did. Good job,” You kissed her forehead, warm from her little run, but as you went to pull away Leigh held onto your shirt. “Wait a second, where are you going?”

Your brow furrowed as you looked around, sure that you were facing the right way back to the path, but Leigh stayed firmly planted against the tree. “Back to finish our walk, where else?”

“Stay here…” Leigh saw confusion flash across your face, even in pulling you back until you’d both be hidden behind the thick trunk to any passersby. She wouldn’t have thought it was your first time sneaking off somewhere, but either way, you were being awfully clueless about it and she thought it was adorable. “You’ve been staring at me.”

She said it like the fact it was; you couldn’t deny you’d had your eyes locked on her since she jogged out of her front door to your car a few hours ago. “I always stare at you.” You didn’t know where she was going with this, but her arms were wrapping around your waist and when she finally got you against her, you could smell the light florals of her perfume. Better than any of the various flowers the two of you had sniffed today, hands down.

“I think it’s cute that you stare, especially when you get that silly little smile on your face. I can practically see the hearts in your eyes sometimes… I like it.” She was biting her lip in the way that always made you want to do it for her instead, but this time she was very clearly staring at your own mouth. “Kiss me.”

“W-What?” There wasn’t anyone else around, most likely wouldn’t be as the sun started to set a few minutes prior, but it didn’t matter. Suddenly Leigh’s hide and seek plan clicked in your head; she wanted you alone. Here. In the woods. “But we’re outside—”

Leigh ended up closing the distance first, impatience spurring her into action. She’d wanted to kiss you since she first caught you staring at her ass while she bent over a cactus bush; you’d tried to avert your eyes, to pretend like you were looking at something else, but the plain rock on the ground you had your attention on didn’t fool her at all. It took you a second to get over your shock and kiss her back, but once you did, there was no stopping. If it was anyone else, maybe you’d be able to reason your way back to the car or make a case for continuing this at home, but not with Leigh. You had to have her whenever she let you, even if that meant pressing her against rough bark in a public park hidden away as if you two were horny teenagers.

“You just look so beautiful, I can’t help but stare.” You pulled away to let Leigh breathe, but your mouth continued on, trailing along her jawline until you were sucking a mark in the hollow behind her ear. She moaned something soft, letting her head fall back and exposing her pale neck to your onslaught. Satisfied with your first mark, you ducked your head down and raked your teeth over the column of her throat, beginning a whole new pattern of kisses, only stopping whenever you decided some new space needed a hickey.

She’d have to cover them eventually; the brunette hadn’t seen them, but she could very well feel that pleasurable sting and was well accustomed to hiding the tiny bruises you insisted on leaving each time you laid a hand on her. Leigh didn’t mind them, not at all, but she hated fielding questions and the deep red splotches that you left always rose some. “Jules is going to laugh at me again if she sees me come home with a bunch of hickeys around my neck…”

You chuckled at that, thinking of the ongoing bet you had with her sister of how many questions it took to make Leigh grumpy; it never took many when she started teasing her older sister about her relationship. “You’re the one who brought me over here, asking me to kiss you. What am I supposed to do?”

“Just…” Leigh shuddered as she felt your tongue lave over each abused spot, the lingering saliva cooling on her quickly in the chilled air, “Just this.” Your lips collided again, Leigh catching your bottom lip between her teeth to leave a mark of her own. She wouldn’t be the only one walking back to the car with evidence of your make out session. You let her lead for a moment, let her slide her tongue over yours, the rough surface coming to soothe the tiny cut you’d suffered from her teeth.

Instinct drove your hand under the hem of her sweatshirt, your open palm gliding easily up overheated skin. At first when you felt her sports bra, you were content to grope her over it, pleased with her quickened breaths and tiny moans, but after a while it was no longer enough. The stretchy material gave way with a rough pull, pushing the material higher up her chest and leaving her free to your touch.

“O-Oh..!” Leigh felt exposed, even with the sweatshirt still covering her; if anyone did spot them they wouldn’t see anything, but the thought of being caught in such a compromising position sent a blush up her cheeks. She’d be lying if she said it wasn’t hot though. Her thighs rubbed together as you toyed with her nipples between your fingers, both of your hands now cupping her full breasts. “Fuck…”

You could feel her start to squirm against you, hips bucking up as she shifted in place and struggled to stay upright. Deviously you parted her legs with one of your own, pressing your thigh into her pelvis just to have her groan heavily into your mouth. “You have got to stop making those noises.”

“Or what?” Quick fingers pinched her sensitive buds at her cheeky question and Leigh was equally quick to cry out, having stopped caring about any passersby.

“Or,” This time when you pulled back it was only your mouth, hands still glued to her chest where she pushed up against your palms for more. Her eyes were dark, pupils blown wide as she stared up at you through heavy lids. “I’ll have to fuck you right here in the woods, where anyone can see you.”

To your surprise, Leigh whined, her hips grinding down on your thigh. She’d never striked you as someone who’d be down for sex in such an open area, but then again, you’d never asked. “Oh, would you like that?” She hesitated just for a second, doing her own sweep back and forth or the surrounding area before nodding, flinging her arms around your neck to drag you back in for another kiss.

This one was different, hungrier, more insistent, as Leigh settled with her decision. “Please… I don’t want to wait..” She hadn’t expected to be so turned on from such a frivolous side quest, but the more you touched her, the longer the two of you spent out here locked in your passionate embrace, the more Leigh needed you right then.

“Fuck, Leigh. Okay,” This woman was going to be your downfall; you were content enough to spend the afternoon gazing longingly at her, more than satisfied to kiss her for a while even, but you’d never expected the pure pride you’d feel in Leigh Shaw practically begging you to fuck her right in this moment. Not that your sex life was extremely vanilla, but you never could’ve fathomed her wanting this. You flicked at her nipples as she rocked herself on your thigh insistently, clearly having found some satisfying position with how she gasped and held tight to your shoulders. “You’re so sensitive, baby, and always so responsive… I’ve barely touched you.”

You were right of course, you hadn’t done anything out of the ordinary, but something about today set Leigh off perfectly. She was thankful you didn’t mind how quickly she’d gotten worked up; you always were one to appreciate seemingly all of her, “Well I’d very much like it if you touched me more.”

“Your wish is my command,” Taking her statement for the push ahead that it was, you let one of your hands drop to her abdomen, blunt nails just lightly scratching over her belly to watch her shiver. “I bet you’re already so wet, aren’t you, princess? Couldn’t wait until we got home because you got so needy over just a few little kisses?” You skirted over the hem of her shorts while you spoke, fingers snapping the elastic back on her as she hid her face in your chest. Your other hand fell and rounded her hips, grabbing at her ass and tugging Leigh up until she got the hint to wrap her legs around you.

Here she was sandwiched between you and the tree, her sweatshirt protecting her back from any unwelcome scratches. She didn’t mind the position at all, until you guided one of her hands away from you and to the thick fabric, instructing her to pull the front to her sternum and hold it. Now her upper half really was laid bare, but you were too busy staring to notice her worried expression. “I can’t just-”

“‘Course you can.. Just keep your hand right there and let me see you.” The hand that left her backside was already pushing past the barrier of her shorts and underwear, your turn to groan as you found her well and truly soaked. “I thought you didn’t mind being out here where anyone could find us.”

Your mouth descended on her like a woman starved, exploring the newly exposed blank canvas for you to mark up at will— these Leigh was less concerned about because no one but you would ever spot them. A teasing finger rolled over her neglected clit as your tongue captured a cold-hardened nipple and Leigh nearly shouted, the duel sensations sending shocks through every nerve. “Fine.. be quick about it then…”

Leigh felt your grin curl over her goosebumps skin and when she looked down, the pair of mischievous eyes she caught had her regretting what she’d said. “So demanding today, really living up to that princess title! I’ll make you cum in no time, but once I get you home, you’re going to let me take my time with you. Deal?”

Taking your time sounded innocent enough, but Leigh knew better. You’d keep her up for hours, on edge with no hope of relief until you decided you wanted it. She didn’t hate it by any means, but clearly she tended to be impatient and you loved whenever you could force her to wait. But you were circling her entrance now, pushing in just to your first knuckle before pulling out and it was driving her insane. If you were going to make her hold off later, she might as well take what she wanted now. “Deal! Please just make me cum, stop teasing!”

It was such a desperate little plea from the beautifully disheveled woman currently dripping onto your hand, but Leigh hated sounding whiny so whenever she was you knew she truly couldn’t help it. “Needy little thing…” You pushed two fingers into her with minimal resistance, tight walls welcoming you as she instantly began rocking herself against them. Falling into sync was like clockwork, your thrusts meeting hers each time she pressed down.

Kissing her again was a necessity, needing to feel each whimper and whine against your tongue. The scratchy material of your t-shirt rubbed over her chest each time she bucked into you, an unexpected stimulation that only added fuel to how naughty this all felt. By the time your thumb started tight circles over her swollen clit, she was panting into your mouth, eyes screwed shut and completely unable to keep up with your dominating lips. “I’m close…”

“Yeah?” Her admission only had you pistoning your fingers faster, the wet sounds of her cunt just barely covered by the rustling of leaves under your feet. You curled your digits at just the right angle, watching as Leigh relentlessly fucked herself on your hand. “Go on, cum for me, sweetheart.”

She had just enough presence of mind to bury her mouth in the crook of your neck as she let go, muffling her screams as her hips jerked and twisted frantically. You held her secure enough that she wouldn’t fall, fucking her through her high until she finally started to settle. As she caught her breath, you righted her shorts and bra, pulling her sweatshirt back into place until Leigh could pass for someone who’d simply run a long sprint instead of having had a loud orgasm just off a nature path.

Kissing her this time was soft and innocent, your thumbs smoothing over her pink cheeks until she finally opened her eyes. “You alright? The tree didn’t hurt you?”

Leigh shook her head no, letting her legs down only to instantly start crumbling. You caught her in a flash, careful to support her even as you pulled her upright. “I feel great, but apparently that means not walking for a bit.” It wasn’t fully dark out, still easy enough to see your surroundings; waiting for a few minutes wouldn’t be a problem, but Leigh had other plans. “Carry me to the car?”

You gave her a once over, all shaky legs and flushed face, wide eyes gazing up at you in hopes of convincing you into another favor. Leigh was a capable individual and there was no reason she couldn’t make it the fairly short distance back to the car; you both knew this. You also knew you couldn’t resist those pretty eyelashes and pouty lips. Rolling your eyes, you turned around, motioning for her to climb on your back. “Hop on, princess. If you think wobbly knees are the worst of your problems, just wait until we’re home. You’ve got a long night ahead of you.”

The brunette hopped on before you could change your mind, plastering herself against you as you started the walk back to the parking lot. “Whatever you say, heart eyes.”

#I have no excuse for this other than I love Leigh and I love writing her #might have a lil problem in which I just go overboard every time I do write a fic about her #whatever leave me alone she's CUTE AND SOFT #leigh shaw x reader #leigh shaw fic #leigh shaw smut #leigh shaw #sorry for your loss fic #sorry for your loss #maximotts #motts writes.

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randomshyperson · 3 years

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Palm Springs - Leigh Shaw

All Works Masterlist

Summary: In Palm Springs, Leigh meets you. The season one finale re-imagined.

Warnings: (+18), smut, cursing, dom!reader, bottom!leigh, explicit language, explicit consent, brief mentions of harassment, fluff, brief rivalry dynamics, hopeful ending.

Words: 5.378K

Notes: My love, @abimess, this is my apologies for you. I kept mistaken "Wanda" instead of "Leigh" at some points in the writing, but it all worked out in the end. I hope you all enjoy the read, this is my first time writing for this character.

//-//

You threw the signed divorce papers against the passenger seat, ignoring the thick tears that welled up in your eyes.

Raising your hand, you turned up the radio and kept driving. Your cell phone started ringing the next moment, but you ignored it. It was probably Bucky or Steve calling to find out where you were after your little outburst at the company fundraiser.

Honestly, it wasn't your fault. You were handling it all very well, but Carol decided it would be a good idea to give you the divorce papers while you were surrounded by your closest friends, and that was the trigger. But now you were driving to Palm Springs, finally taking the damn vacation your ex-wife had put you through so much hell to get, but now, the seat next to you was empty.

It took a few hours to get there, since the complex is in New York, but you didn't care, having spent most of the way trying to understand how you managed to lose a woman like Carol Danvers.

No bags, you ignored the curious look one of the hotel staff gave you as soon as you pulled into the parking lot, smiling slightly as you took off your sunglasses and asked for directions to the front desk.

You frowned slightly as you were almost run over.

"Watch where you're going!" You shouted angrily at the driver, and the woman returned you the same angry look. Great, you've barely arrived and you almost died. This weekend was promising.

Stepping back, you waited for the woman to drive, not failing to give her a wry smile as she passed you. After this, you walked to the reception desk, and the area was quite full, which was normal for a weekend.

"Reservation in the name Danvers." You said to the receptionist after the greetings. He smiled as he checked the information.

"Valentine's suite, I see." He commented cheerfully. "Shall I prepare a second key for your partner?"

"It's just going to be me, buddy." You grumble, ignoring the uneasy feeling in your stomach. The man smiles awkwardly, but doesn't apologize.

After checking in, you go up to the third floor.

The room makes you sigh with disgust, the flowers and chocolates give you a headache. It takes ten minutes to find a chambermaid and ask her to remove all the decorations.

While your room is being cleaned, you decide to buy something to wear, since you didn't bring anything to spend the weekend at the hotel.

"Good morning." You mumble the greeting as you enter the gift store, your gaze wandering around.

"How can I help you, dear?" The saleswoman asks politely, smiling at you.

"I need something to wear for the two days I'm staying. It was a last-minute trip." You tell her, and the saleswoman looks surprised, but doesn't comment.

The woman eventually showed you the summer shirt section, and you sighed softly as you looked through the options. She walked away to attend to another customer, and you left your attention to the clothes.

A moment later, you picked out a few pieces and turned to talk to the saleswoman, only to run into the woman who had almost run you over earlier looking at the book section.

"You again." You let it slip not so low, attracting the woman's attention. She frowns for a second, and then she recognizes you. But before she can say anything, the saleswoman is speaking.

"Oh, you two know each other already?" She asks excitedly. "It's amazing how we can find friends here in Palm Springs isn't it?"

"We're not friends." You both inform at the same moment, and you squeeze your eyes shut slightly. The woman straightens her posture, pressing the book lightly against her chest as you switch the shirts on your arm. The saleswoman's curious expression prompts you to speak.

"Actually, she almost killed me." You say. "It was going to be quite a headline for this hotel. I'd be careful about the people you guys host around here."

The saleswoman looks at you with confusion, while the other woman lets out a dry laugh.

"You're the one who walked across in the middle of the street!" she defends herself. "It's not my fault if you weren't taught how to cross the street in school."

"Oh, so it's the victim's fault now?" You retort and the woman looks at you incredulously. A third customer enters the store and stares curiously at the argument, but the saleswoman is quick to gesture between you, smiling wryly.

"Oh come on, I'm sure it was just a misunderstanding" The saleswoman remarks and you sustain the annoyed look the other woman is casting at you. "There's no need for an argument."

"Of course not." The woman says forcing a smile, but her posture remains aggressive. "We are both civilized adults."

You bite your tongue to avoid another provocation, looking away from the green irises in front of you.

"Of course you are." The saleswoman says smiling, and then her gaze catches the shirts hanging from your forearm and she lets out a light exclamation. "Come on, I can finalize your purchase if that's all, dear."

You turn toward the cashier next, and it is only after you have paid for the clothes and are leaving that you see the other woman again on your way back, but she does not look away from the books to you. You couldn't care less.

//-//

In your room, you can't resist the urge to look at your phone.

Bucky has called five times. And Steve even sent you an email. You sigh weakly, feeling guilty as you catch a glimpse of Tony and Natasha's message notifications.

Your friends didn't care that you started crying in the middle of the meeting you were at because your ex-wife decided to bring a sensitive topic like the end of your five-year marriage to the table, but you were hating yourself for it.

At this point, you didn't even know what you had been crying about anymore. You and Carol had always had a difficult relationship, and since you got married, you began to wonder why you had done it in the first place.

You loved her so much when you first met her, and then everything gradually broke down. The lack of compatibility, the jealousy and possessiveness, and the lack of time. Carol was a soldier in the army, and you were a Shield special agent, and your jobs took up a lot of your schedules. But you knew that this was just another empty excuse. After all, your best friend, Natasha, was also an agent, as was her wife, and they made everything work properly.

Maybe things were meant to happen that way. That didn't mean it didn't hurt.

After taking a shower, you grumble lightly as you realize that you forgot to buy a bathing suit. And well, everything special about Palm Springs was the magnificent pools.

You figured the shorts and top you had would have to fit.

The pools were considerably more crowded than the rest of the hotel, and this was probably due to the current temperature.

You decided to buy a drink before sunbathing, realizing that most of the chairs were occupied.

The bartender was a pretty girl and smiled mischievously at you when her gaze fell on your collarbone exposed by the cut of your shirt, but you just gave her a half-hearted smile. Being newly divorced wasn't exactly the best scenario for flirting.

"What can I get you?" The woman asked as she rested her hands on the counter in front of her. You bit your lip thoughtfully, running your eyes down one of the menus left on the wood.

"Honestly, I don't know anything here." You say. "But I would like something sweet."

It takes a few minutes for her to prepare a drink for you, and you thank her as you accept.

As you sip a drink that tastes like strawberries and condensed milk, you look around the surroundings.

You frown slightly as you recognize the woman from the store, watching her sit in one of the chairs that has just been emptied in front of the bar. She doesn't notice you, but you notice her exposed legs, mentally scolding yourself for doing so.

As you take another sip of your drink, your tongue getting used to the sugary sweetness, a man approaches the stranger in front of you. From this proximity, you can hear the conversation, or rather the small harassment that he was doing.

Rolling your eyes at the stranger's clearly offensive attempt to approach the other woman, you force yourself to get up and walk over to them.

Well, Nat always said that you were a person with a natural talent for theater and you wish she were here now to see the little scene you caused.

Pretending to trip over the sunshade support, you made a sudden movement and knocked your entire drink against the man's collarbone, who let out an exclamation of anger and surprise as he stood up.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" You asked in a falsely guilty tone, forcing an expression of shock. Before he could say anything, you were already grabbing one of the towels left on the little tables beside the chairs and throwing it harder than necessary against the man's face. "Here, honey, clean yourself up."

The man blinked in surprise, and glared angrily at you for a second before muttering "whatever" and turning to leave. When he was already a safe distance away, you turned your face to look at the seated woman.

"Sorry about your book." You speak as you notice that the spilled drink has dripped a little on the pages. "But if you ask me, the ending sucks."

"Thanks, I guess." The woman mumbles not keeping her gaze on you. "I didn't need you to help me, by the way." She adds and you roll your eyes, realizing that the chair next to her got empty after your little commotion. When you sit down, she raises her gaze to you in disbelief.

"Who said I was helping you?" You retort. "I love throwing expensive drinks at strangers."

Your joke elicits a nasal chuckle from the woman, who softens her posture.

"If you want to lose money, I suggest donating rather than wasting it." She teases back and you bite back a smile, shaking your head slightly. When she opens the book again and leans her back against the chair, clearly deciding to ignore your presence, you copy the position, but stand with your arms folded across your chest and close your eyes, enjoying the warmth of the sun against your skin.

You are tired from the trip, and eventually fall asleep. When you open your eyes again, the woman is no longer there.

//-//

Since you have napped until the afternoon, there is no chance you will sleep early. You try to distract yourself with television, but most of the programs are pay-per-view and you have probably already exceeded all the limits that a Shield salary can afford, so you decide to spend some time on the activities included in your weekend bundle.

After putting on a shirt to join the lobby, you take the elevator down and step out into the outdoor area, not surprised to find the place as busy as before. The difference is perhaps the lack of children because of the time of day.

You walk toward the bar and roll your eyes slightly when you notice the same man as before being loud and boisterous along with a small group partying near the place. But you ignore them as you sit down on the first stool you find.

"Well, if it isn't my knight in white armor." A female voice comments wryly beside you, surprising you mildly. You look at the woman with a raised eyebrow, but she is looking straight ahead.

"So you expect me to call you a princess? We don't even know each other." You retort in the same tone, and watch the woman bite back a smile, rolling her eyes slightly.

You stand in silence while you order a drink, this time smiling in the same way that the bartender smiles at you. While you wait, you can' t help but look over to the side.

"You know, I think I might need to get your name." You begin in a tone of false seriousness, not knowing why you want to pull conversation with the stranger, but doing it anyway. "Since I need to know who to sue for attempted hit-and-run."

The woman laughs lightly, and as she sets her drinking glass back down on the counter, she turns her body toward you, without getting up.

"The smart thing then wouldn't be to say my name, don't you think?" She retorts with amusement in her voice. "That way I avoid a lawsuit."

You smile in a corner, shaking your head slightly. You lean your arm on the counter, and it takes a moment for her to speak again.

"I'm Leigh."

"No last name so I can't find your ID, right?" You tease and she smiles, licking her lips for a moment. "Well, I won't tell you mine either then." You comment before telling her only your first name, and she laughs lightly. "May I at least know your profession? Or, I don't know, where you're from? I need that information to track you down."

You joke, and Leigh makes a thoughtful expression for a moment.

"I'm from everywhere actually." She says mysteriously. "Because I'm an international jewel thief."

You smile at the mixed tone of seriousness and playfulness in her speech, respecting her right not to want to tell you the truth, and acknowledging the identity she chooses to assume.

"Oh, really?" You ask joining in the joke. "And let me guess, your disguise happens to be as a fashion stylist, right? And you have a red motorcycle and deadly poison hidden in your lipstick?"

Leigh holds back her laughter, nodding.

"I can't confirm any of that information, actually." She says. "After all, a little incident happened and I wasn't able to finish the story."

You laugh at the teasing, taking a sip of your drink. Before the moment of silence lasts any longer, you ask if you can approach. When Leigh consents, you take the seat next to her.

"And what do you do?" she asks as soon as you sit down. You clear your throat lightly.

"I'm a secret agent, actually." You tell her and from the woman's expression, she still believes you are joking. You do not correct yourself however. "Lasers and villains, the whole story."

Leigh smiles, murmuring in understanding.

"And what is a secret agent doing in Palm Springs?" She asks next and you assume a dramatically thoughtful expression.

"I got a hint actually." You reply. "A jewel thief, fugitive from the government. I'm trying to gather information to effect her arrest."

Leigh fakes an expression of horror making you laugh.

"If I see anything suspicious, I'll give you a heads up." She jokes and you smile, enjoying the whole thing. Before you can add anything else, the small group next to the bar let out loud laughter and they attract your and Leigh's attention.

You frown slightly when you witness the guy from earlier whistling at one of the hotel staff, the people with him finding his little scene of harassment funny.

"I guess a drink in the face isn't enough for some idiots." You comment and Leigh sighs mildly. She looks at you at the same moment you look at her.

"Maybe more drinks will be enough."

That's how you end up doing a little mischief that involves distracting the stranger with comments about his muscles while Leigh approaches and manages to get the man's card. When you walk away, after she hands the bartender the hotel ID after ordering a round for everyone at the bar on the stranger's behalf, you were laughing.

"I'm beginning to believe your thief story." You amused comment as soon as you and Leigh reach the trail out of the bar area. She just smiles at your words. You clear your throat next. "I guess I need to show off my secret agent skills then."

Leigh looks at you curiously, but you just smile as you nod in the direction of the gardens.

You walk for a few minutes in silence, and you remember everything you have observed since you arrived at the hotel, and are able to find the small opening in the fence that you saw some staff members pass through in the afternoon.

"Please, milady." You joke as you make room for Leigh to cross the path first, and she rolls her eyes with amusement before doing so.

You end up in some kind of unfinished private garden, but one that is still very pretty.

Perhaps it is an area under construction for some kind of party, as it has a stage set up in the center and some folded chairs scattered about.

Your attention falls immediately to the piano that has also been set up high on the dark stage.

"How did you find this place?" Leigh asks as she looks around, and you walk past her to get on the stage, eliciting a giggle.

"Field study, of course." You reply with false seriousness. " A secret agent never goes anywhere without studying the whole place first."

Leigh murmurs in agreement, deciding to follow you to the stage. You take a seat on the piano bench while she remains standing in front of the organ.

"Do you have any requests?" You ask looking down at your fingers as she studies your face.

"Old Mac Donald had a Farm." She replies and you choke on a laugh.

"And I thought your taste in music was as good as your fashion sense." You tease causing her to raise an eyebrow.

"Is that your way of complimenting what I'm wearing?" She retorts but you just bite back a smile, moving your fingers across the keys.

You decide to play a melody that she may not recognize, but is exactly what you feel you should play.

When the first notes of " Spring - Ludovico Einaudi" echo in the room, Leigh looks at you in surprise, but you just smile.

It takes a moment for her to surround the piano, and to sit down next to you. You continue to play, enjoying the sound and concentrating not to misplay the notes.

When you make a particularly fast movement on the piano, Leigh looks at you impressed, but you just push your shoulder lightly against hers, smiling. Neither of you regains the distance from before, and you continue to play.

When you finish, you are silent for a moment.

"Where did you learn to do that?" She asks in her low, impressed tone as you both look down at your hands on the keys. You sigh slightly, moving your fingers away and placing your hands in your lap.

"I used to play when I was a kid." You reply. "Before I was a secret agent, of course."

Leigh smiles, biting her lips lightly. You look away from the movement, to her hands quickly.

"Let me show you." You whisper as you reach out your hand to hers. When she accepts, you position her fingers on the keys, and then fit your hand on top of hers. "You start like this."

The sound is far from perfect, and Leigh laughs every time she misses a note, so you don't really care.

You stay like this for a few minutes, until you can get her to complete five notes without making a mistake.

"See? You' re almost a pianist already." You comment with a smile, looking at her face. She mimics your movement, and you feel your heart skip a beat from the closeness.

You feel the tension build in the room, but before you can think of doing anything, a male voice is breaking the spell.

"Sorry, but this area is for employees only." Informs the young man from the hotel, seeming slightly embarrassed to interrupt. You and Leigh quickly walk away, standing up and muttering an apology in unison to the guy, who waits until you leave by the trail he guides.

When you reach the entrance to the social area again, the employee closes the gate, waving slightly. You and Leigh exchange amused smiles.

"So... what do you want to do now?" You ask the next moment, wanting to prolong the evening.

"I want to swim." She declares and you frown slightly, then shrug. You nod in the direction of the pools and you exchange a glance before starting to walk.

//-//

At the edge of the pool, you sigh slightly.

You exchange a look with Leigh, standing next to you, and then you laugh softly as you both begin to undress.

You can't resist the urge to look at her, especially since she jumps in first and you catch a glimpse of her body covered only by a bikini. Ignoring your uncompensated heartbeat, you jump into the water next.

It's a good thing the water was cold, because you are feeling your face and body heat up at the way Leigh looks at you.

Trying to lighten the mood, you swim around her, casually meeting her gaze again as she mimics the movement.

You laugh lightly when you realize that you are swimming in circles around each other, and decide to stop. Leigh swims in front of you a moment later.

"Hello, superspy." She greets you almost in a whisper waving her arms to continue on the surface in front of you.

"Hello, international thief." You speak back in the same tone, your gazes locked on each other.

You wonder if she would like you to break the distance, as her gaze has lowered to your lips for a few seconds. But before you can surrender to this urge, she takes a step back.

"I'm cold."

And then she swims away, and you wonder if you have taken the whole thing the wrong way.

Following her a little way back, you look for towels.

//-//

"Which floor are you on?" You ask as you reach the elevators, each with a towel around your body. You watch Leigh tighten her arms against herself slightly.

"Second." She replies half-heartedly, and you nod.

"Let's go together then."

She gets into the elevator first, and after she presses the button, you stand next to her, your back against the wall.

The tension is back the moment the doors close, but after the pool, you find it best not to take any action, not wishing to make Leigh uncomfortable.

You reach her floor a moment later, and when she doesn't leave, you hold your breath.

You risk a corner-of-your-eye glance at her, but she continues to stare straight ahead, sighing slightly.

Trying not to look like a complete mess, you wait for your floor to arrive.

//-//

The way down the hallway is silent, and despite your nervousness, you don't fumble to open your room.

Leigh enters first, and strides into the room as you close the door.

She stops in the center, her gaze scanning around for a moment before returning to you. You hold your breath, and then she lets the set of clothes in her hands fall to the floor.

You bite back a smile, mimicking the movement. Taking a deep breath, you do the same with your towel, and ignore the heat in your cheeks as Leigh's gaze descends to your body covered only by your underwear.

She removes the towel at your waist next, and you stare at her exposed legs for a moment before moving slowly toward her.

You smile shyly as you stop in front of her, and it takes a second for you to slowly lift your fingers to touch her, tracing the outline of her arm and watching her skin shiver.

"Everything okay?" You ask softly raising your gaze from where your fingers were touching to her eyes. Leigh sighs, shaking her head in agreement. You give her a short smile, placing your hand on her cheek, and watching her lean into the touch slightly. "Use your words." You ask in a whisper, your other hand repeating the motion of your fingers from before, even more slowly.

"Y-yes." She confirms half breathlessly. "And you?"

"Yes." You say, your hand reaching for the strap of her bikini. "I'm going to kiss you now, Leigh."

She nods in understanding, sighing heavily. You didn't correctly calculate how attracted you were to her, because the moment your lips touched, you felt your head spin and it was hard not to push her against the bed immediately.

You both sigh against the kiss, and you slide your tongue into her mouth next, your hand on her face running down to her neck, deepening the kiss even more.

Leigh seems hesitant to touch you for the first second, but then she gasps against your tongue, and brings her hands to your shoulders, bringing one of them up to the back of your neck and scratching the skin, making you sigh.

With the hand that was on the bikini strap, you use your fingers to pull the strap down, and with the other hand you repeat the movement on the other side. When the bikini falls to the floor, your hands go down to her waist, and you pull her toward you.

Leigh gasps at the contact of your breasts bumping together, breaking the kiss with a wet sigh, and you take the opportunity to move your mouth down her collarbone, enjoying the sounds you manage to get out of her whenever you bite her sensitive skin softly.

You lean against her to lower your kisses to her breasts, and when your mouth finds the hardened nipple, she arches her back, closing her eyes as her fingers force your head forward against her breast.

"Oh." She moans as she feels you suck on her nipple, your other hand moving up to give her other breast due attention, your fingers playing with the tip. " Oh, fuck, that feels good."

You smile against her skin, feeling your core tighten with the sounds you are tearing out of her.

When your hand on her waist moves down to her ass, squeezing the flesh and pressing Leigh's hips against yours as your mouth continues on her breast, she moans loudly as she throws her head back, shuddering against you.

It's enough to make you lose control. You need to know how she tastes.

Gasping, you move your kisses down again, and Leigh holds her breath as you get down on your knees.

You kiss her thighs first, while your hands pull down the fabric of her panties.

When the fabric falls away completely, you swallow dry, your gaze glazed on the exposed intimacy of the woman in front of you, your mouth salivating to taste her.

"I-I'm gonna fall." She comments shyly, and you notice how her knees are already shaky. You take a deep breath, forcing yourself to stand up.

You take Leigh by the hand to your bed, and she stands there, making you smile. You move forward against her mouth again, and she sighs, almost losing her balance from the intensity.

"Lie down." You ask between one kiss and another, making her moan softly. "Spread your legs for me."

Leigh gasps against your lips as you slip your fingers through her folds for a moment, before pulling away until she obeys. You bite your lips as you watch her lie down.

Before you join her, you remove the rest of your clothes. Leigh's cheeks redden, but you give her no time to register this, climbing onto the bed with your knee between her legs and kissing her again.

As she begins to squirm beneath you for more friction, you move your kisses down her body.

She closes her eyes when your mouth is at the level of her belly, breathing hard.

When your tongue touches her pussy, you both moan loudly. You are amazed at how wet and hot she feels, the taste filling all your senses. And Leigh bites her lips to stop herself from moaning out in pleasure when your tongue begins to move against her clit, sucking and licking her devotedly and making her whimper.

"F-fuck." She moans breathlessly, her hips thrusting into your mouth. "Yeah...right there... don't stop..."

You lift your hands to her thighs, holding her open. Your own intimacy pulsing from the way Leigh is surrendered to you and the sounds she gives you.

Keeping the strokes of your tongue as deep as you can and being sure to press your clitoris in return, you feel her pussy tighten and Leigh's body begins to quiver in spasms.

"I-I'm... close... fuck..." she begins to whimper disconnected words, long moans escaping her throat. It takes only two more strokes for her to come on your tongue, her moan loud enough to be heard in the next room, but neither of you care.

You drink all of her cum, enjoying the taste and feeling on edge, without even having been touched yet.

Moving up your kisses again, you deposit slow kisses against Leigh's skin, waiting for her to recover from her own orgasm.

When you reach her mouth, she kisses you back with the same intensity.

You just know you're not going to sleep early tonight.

//-//

When you wake up, your bed is empty. You are surprised by this, really.

The night was very good. Much better than any one-night stand you have ever had.

After getting dressed by finding your articles of clothing, you walk to the front desk.

It takes a few minutes to find Leigh, and you frown when you realize from the bag in her hands, the documents, and the car key that she is leaving.

"Wow, you weren't even going to leave a note." You tease as you catch up with her. She is startled by your sudden presence, but forces a smile.

"Look, I'm sorry..." she starts but you shake your head.

"No need." You interrupt by putting your hands in your pockets and shrugging. "It was just one night after all."

"Yes." She reaffirms what you say, staring at you. You hold her gaze, and a long minute later she sighs. "No, it wasn't."

You swallow dryly, watching her. She seems conflicted about something, her expression going from worried to guilty in a few seconds, and then she takes a deep breath and shakes her head before looking at you again.

"I can't." She says, and you sigh lightly. "I just... can't."

"It's okay." You decide to say, ignoring the way your stomach is flipping with nervousness or your heart is racing. "We are civilized adults, aren't we?"

Leigh smiles, and you watch her eyes water for a moment before she quickly hides her emotion. You feel the same way.

" This is a goodbye." Leigh says next, and you look away to the floor, nodding in understanding.

"Goodbye, Leigh. It was nice meeting you." You say as you look at her again, forcing a smile even though your eyes are watering.

She smiles, approaching to kiss your cheek close enough to your lips to make you shiver. She doesn't pull away immediately, raising her mouth to the height of your ear, she whispers "I left a note." and before you can understand what has been said to you, she is gone.

It is only at the end of the day, many hours after she has left, and you are already inside your car that you rummage in your pants pocket looking for the car key that you find the note.

It is a piece torn from the page of the book "Unmoored in milan", the paper stained with drink. In the corner, in cursive letters it is written. "to my favorite secret agent. Leigh Shaw, Los Angeles."

You smiled at the words, and as you were driving back to New York, you wondered how long it would take Natasha to find out Leigh's phone number.

//-//

Tag list> @imapotatao / @aimezvousbrahms/ @ensorcellme/ @helloalycia

@mionemymind / @abimess / @stephanieromanoff / @yourtaletotell / @tomy5girls / @justagaypanicking / @thegayw1tch / @idek-5 // @myperfectlovepoem // @HELLOALYCIA // @ENSORCELLME // @AIMEZVOUSBRAHMS // @drpepperobsessed // @sighsam // @olsensnpm

// @sxfwap // @table57

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black-kefta · 3 years

Text

So I don’t know if anyone’s already made this point but don’t you think that if Leigh Bardugo really wanted the Darkling to be the irredeemable villain she makes him out to be by the end she should never have made him the Black Heretic? Shouldn’t she have just left it at “I’m 120 years old and was raised in isolation to be put in a position of power”.

1. This means you can write him as a privileged narcissist who never knew a moment of real prejudice. This Darkling knows on an intellectual level what the grisha in other countries suffer through but doesn’t truly empathise with them and just uses it as an excuse to perpetuate his own agenda. The original Darkling grew up worse off than most Grisha as he couldn’t even be himself around his own kind and still wanted to make the world safe for them.

2. “The age of Grisha power is coming to an end”- in the original books it’s completely reasonable to read this as: he assumes this will mean a renewed persecution of his kind- one that may actually succeed in wiping them out for good. However if he doesn’t actually care about Grisha (something I’d be much more inclined to believe if he hadn’t dedicated over 400 years of his life carving out a place for them in Ravka) this just makes him sound paranoid that his position of power will be made obsolete.

3. When he sees Alina siding with the Otkazat'sya he thinks she’s naive because he’s tried that over the centuries and was let down again and again. It seems, after centuries of a never-ending war, he can’t see the world in anything other than enemies and allies- he is convinced fear is the most effective way to protect his people. None of that sounds like an insane power-hungry monster. However, if he was just an old dude who looked young, you could portray him as a charismatic fear monger who deliberately ignores/sabotages the progress that is being made in Grisha/Otkazat'sya relations to further his own agenda.

4. It would be more believable that he’s just manipulating Alina if he hadn’t spent centuries alone, watching everyone he knows and loves die. In the show especially you can tell this was a man kept in the dark, drowning in loneliness, until this ray of sunshine entered his life and made him “human again”. Anyone who’s watched episode 5 onwards should find the idea that the only thing he’s attracted to is her power is ridiculous.

5. Some aspects might even be more fun if he weren’t so beyond caring about everything other than Alina and his his master plan. His vendetta against the king would feel more personal- he might viscerally hate the useless pig and want to make him pay for underestimating him all these years (his narcissism coming into play in a big way). His possessiveness over the Grisha under his command would have a whole new meaning if you couldn’t reasonably assume he feels protective after witnessing so many die unnecessarily.

6. The plan to expand the fold would not only be a way to expand his power- but a rejection of all that his ancestors have done to make amends for the destruction the Black Heretic inflicted on Ravka. They were the ones who built a safe space for Grisha and rebuilt some of their reputation with it. But he almost destroys everything they’ve worked for after reaping as much of the benefits as he can.

7. It’s implied that the line of “Darklings” are male- what happened to the female heirs? Were they just tossed aside, kept in hiding for their entire lives, used as breeders to keep the line going if the man chosen to pick up the position of power failed to/chose not to procreate? Maybe that’s why Baghra raised him to feel superior- it was what she was taught to believe (also makes her more of a sympathetic character when she betrays him and helps Alina escape)

8. He makes so many tactical blunders for someone who should have centuries of tactical experience. In the first book he tries to kill Mal when keeping him alive in captivity would ensure Alina’s long term cooperation (something he needs since she is the saint the people look to). He seeks to grant Alina exponentially more power right away when she’s currently his enemy and he believes they’ll have eternity together. He wants Alina to dump Mal and join him so he disguises himself as Mal and kisses her when she’s half asleep?!? - These decisions still wouldn’t make sense if he was only 120, but i think it’s a little more reasonable.

I realise the character I’ve described here is truly loathsome in an almost cartoonish way- but isn’t that what LB wanted him to be by the end? At least my version is consistent, he’s not trying to establish a dictatorship, giving heartfelt confessions about his real name, then taking a trip to burn down an orphanage.

That’s my opinion anyway. Feel free to add more in the comments or just tell me why I’m wrong- if you know of any other posts making this point please send them to me so i can feel validated 😂

#shadow and bone #grishaverse #the darkling #seige and storm #shadow and bone spoilers #spoilers #siege and storm spoilers #ruin and rising #ruin and rising spoilers #alina starkov #darklina #leigh bardugo #sab #sab spoilers #aleksander morozova #general kirigan #fan thoughts #fanfiction (kinda)

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somewhatgreatexpectations · 3 years

Text

Leave, Then Go (Wanda Maximoff/ Reader)

Hello! Soooo... I did a thing.

The response was positive, so I went with it. Double Lizzie! Excited to present you with the Wanda/ Leigh crossover! Let me know what you think, I’m actually excited about this!

Summary: Y/n works on mending bridges with Leigh when she meets the alluring Wanda Maximoff.

After waiting for what felt like hours, the woman you were waiting for finally appeared. You scrambled to your feet as you rushed forward to meet her. Concern immediately took precedent when you were able to fully take in her appearance.

She looked like a ghost of who she used to be. Beautiful, but void of life.

The bags under her eyes were prominent and the naturally glimmering emerald eyes that you used to love were dull. Empty. Dark like a storm rather than bright like the sea. Her shoulders were slumped forward with the weight of life when she used to stand so tall before.

It was as though she had been drained of all the light that she used to radiate.

Guilt clawed angrily at your chest. “Leigh.” You breathed out, swallowing down the lump in your throat.

When she met your eyes, her expression hardened. That was always a special talent of hers. Making you feel small with just a look. “What are you doing here?”

“Hi Y/n. You look good. Thanks, I did start running again. Green juice, it does wonders.” You sarcastically began a conversation with yourself. If her defense mechanism was being cold, yours was humor.

Leigh wasn’t amused by your antics in the slightest.

If looks could kill you’d be six feet under now. “What are you doing here?” She repeated in annoyance, heavily emphasizing every word.

Everything about her posture screamed impatience. “I-I wanted to check on you sooner. I did.” You fearfully watched a disbelieving smile spread across her lips. You knew that look. She was about to tear you apart. “I know! I know. I’m way too late and I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Leigh.” You rushed out, the words clumsily stumbling over one another as they tumbled from your lips. They were sincere though. You hoped she knew that.

“That’s not good enough.” The bite of her words made you flinch. Leigh moved to step around you, but you caught her arm.

You dropped your hand when you noticed her eyes fall to the place you made contact. “I know it’s not.” A heavy sigh escaped your lips. “By the time I heard the news, it had been months. Then it took me months to work up the courage to see you again… The last time we saw each other wasn’t exactly a… fond memory.”

Leigh’s eyes began analyzing you critically. You shifted uncomfortably under the weight of her gaze. “I needed you, Y/n. I needed you and you weren’t there.” Her eyes began to shine slightly with unshed tears.

The shame you felt made it impossible to maintain eye contact with the woman before you. “I know.” You whispered. “And I’m sorry, Leigh. Truly. I am. If you allow me, I’d like to earn your forgiveness. Your trust. To prove I can be there for you and be the friend you need.”

“Friend?” Leigh raised an eyebrow as she loosely crossed her arms. “If my memory serves me correctly that’s the reason you weren’t there in the first place.”

You awkwardly rubbed your arm. “Yes. Friend. I can do that. I can be that for you… If you give me the chance.”

Leigh stared at you intently, her eyes searching yours, for what you didn’t know. “No more grand declarations or ultimatums?”

“No grand declarations or ultimatums.” You repeated as you smiled hesitantly back at her.

You desperately tried to beat back the memory that lingered at the forefront of your mind. Of tear stained cheeks and white dresses.

After a tense moment of silence, Leigh nodded. “Probation.” She warned simply with a point of her finger as she moved around you to go into her house.

To say you were surprised would be an understatement. You expected her to tear you apart. Scream at you until she was blue in the face. “I’ll call you?” You called after her unsurely. “We can get coffee?”

“Mmm.” Leigh hummed flippantly over her shoulder, barely audible as she closed the door behind herself.

With a small smile you turned and began walking back in the direction of your own apartment. The conversation had gone better than you had dared to hope it would. Leigh could be cruel when she was hurt, and you knew you had hurt her. Leaving the conversation unscathed felt like nothing short of a miracle.

___________________________

Lying awake in bed later that night, your mind couldn’t help but wander to Leigh. Not that those thoughts were anything out of the ordinary. Seeing her today though made you worry even more than usual.

Hey. I don’t know if this is still

your number. It’s Y/n.

Read 12:14 a.m

You watched the bubble appear and disappear at the bottom of the screen several times before your phone chimed with a reply.

Is this a booty call?

Sent 12:19 a.m.

What? No! I just wanted

to check on you.

Read 12:20 a.m.

Surprising.

Sent 12:21 a.m.

Surprising that it’s not

a booty call or surprising

that I’m checking on you?

Read 12:22 a.m.

You tell me.

Sent 12:22 a.m.

I really did want to check

on you, Leigh.

Read 12:24 a.m.

I’m fine. Goodnight.

Sent 12:25 a.m.

Goodnight, Leigh. I’ll be at

Coffee Code tomorrow morning doing

some work if you want to stop by.

Read at 12:26 a.m.

After a few minutes of silence, it was clear she wasn’t going to reply, so you allowed your eyes to close as you drifted into a restless sleep. Still haunted by the image of white dresses and tear stained cheeks.

___________

The bustle of the early morning crowd at the local coffee shop was always a place of serenity for you. The sounds of everyone around you going on with their lives was calming white noise to you and made doing tasks easier.

“Excuse me?” You looked up and smiled slightly, actually surprised that Leigh had taken you up on your offer. “Do you mind if I sit here with you? It’s pretty crowded.”

Relief was your initial response to seeing her. There was still sorrow in her eyes, but the resentment she regarded you with yesterday had faded. There was an air of shyness that she carried that was unfamiliar to you.

Leigh was many things but timid was not one of them. “Of course not, I did invite you after all.”

Her head tilted slightly, and her movements became hesitant as she sat across from you. “I’m sorry?”

Nerves forced you to look away from her and fiddle with the cup of coffee before you. “Last night? I really was trying to check on you.” The smooth porcelain under your fingers distracted you from seeing the way the woman before you watched you with confusion. “You look beautiful today by the way.”

Regret flooded your racing mind as soon as the words fell from your lips. The compliment was definitely overstepping the boundaries of friendship.

A light blush spread across Leigh’s cheeks at your words. Odd. Leigh usually dismissed your compliments or rolled her eyes. “Um…” The other woman’s nose scrunched slightly. “I think you may have me confused with someone else.”

You weren’t sure what game she was playing, and it put you on edge. “Leigh, it’s obviously you.”

“I’m sorry. I’m not your friend. My name is Wanda.” The woman informed you shyly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Your eyes widened in disbelief. This woman was the spitting image of Leigh. It wasn’t Leigh though. That much became clear the more you observed her.

For the first time since she sat down you were able to detect the subtle differences. Wanda’s hair was just a shade darker. The make-up she wore was just a tad more noticeable. The many rings stacked on her fingers were accessories that Leigh would never wear.

More importantly, the way she carried herself. It was heavy and timid but lighter than Leigh. Something about Wanda reminded you of breaches of sunlight breaking through storm clouds rather than the perpetual storm that Leigh carried. The storm that always seemed to be moments away from sweeping you away.

Wanda was beautiful. Obviously. She was beautiful in a way that was different than Leigh even though they looked identical. There were no sharp edges to her beauty. It was soft. Like the first break of day. Leigh’s beauty was all sharp edges threatening to cut you to your core at every turn.

You didn’t know Wanda, but you wanted to.

“I’m so sorry!” You quickly apologized when you realized you had been spacing out. “I must have made you so uncomfortable! It’s just that you look exactly like my friend and she makes me nervous so I didn’t even notice the difference at first. You could be her twin-” Your nervous ramblings were cut short by a hand being placed over your own.

Wanda smiled slightly and all you could do was cover your face in embarrassment. She must think you’re a psychopath. “It’s okay…” She trailed off and raised her eyebrows in an unspoken question.

It didn’t take long for you to catch on. “Oh! My name is Y/n.” You shook your head as you humiliated yourself even more with each passing minute. “I’m so embarrassed.”

The melodic sound of her laughter drifted into your ears causing your stomach to flip. “Don’t worry. I think it’s cute.” Your cheeks burned at her words. The chime of her phone interrupted the moment as she finally pulled her hand back.

A small frown tugged at the corner of her lips as she read over the message on her phone. “Not to over step, but is everything okay?”

“Yes. I just need to leave now unfortunately.” You noticed an almost undetectable accent framed her words. The accent just made her all the more alluring to you. “Do you think I could have your number?” She asked shyly as she tugged at the sleeves of her sweater.

Without hesitation, you scrambled to find a pen and a loose scrap of paper to write your number on. “Here you go.” You both shared bashful smiles when your hands grazed one another.

With a small wave, and a soft smile Wanda turned to leave. “I’ll call you.” Excitement bubbled in your chest at the thought as you dreamily watched her walk out of the coffee shop.

“Okay. Am I going to regret coming?” You jumped at the unexpected appearance, causing you to spill your coffee. You mumbled several choice expletives under your breath as you desperately attempted to salvage the papers that you had spent the entire morning working on.

Realizing that the attempts were futile you crumpled the papers and focused on drying the table. “We’re off to a great start already.” You heard Leigh sarcastically muse from her place across from you.

Nerves bloomed in your chest, knowing it was actually Leigh sitting across from you. You treaded forward cautiously. “S-sorry. I’m glad you made it out, Leigh. It’s good to see you.” You stuttered out.

“I would ask how the coffee is, but it looks like the table would know more than you would.” Even more sarcasm. Definitely Leigh. Like you had noted when Wanda was there, Leigh was all sharp edges.

At the thought of Wanda, you leaned forward, pretending to not notice the way Leigh’s aloof attitude faltered slightly. “Do you have a twin?”

A dry laugh fell from Leigh’s lips. More controlled than Wanda’s. “What? Are you on drugs?”

“I think I may have just met your twin.”

Leigh’s stare became cautious when she realized you weren’t joking.

There it is! Debating making this into a series. If I did should Wanda have powers or should she just be a normal person? Also how does the title Love Me (Or Let Me Go) sound? :) Let me know what you all think, I’m excited to hear back from you all! Thoughts and comments always welcome!

#wanda maximoff #wanda #wanda marvel #wanda maximov #wanda maximoff fic #wanda maximoff x reader #wanda maximoff x female reader #sorry for your loss #leigh shaw #wanda mcu #wanda maximoff x y/n #wanda x you #wanda x y/n #wanda x reader

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dreaminginvelaris · 3 years

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Nesta: Your past does not excuse your actions

(I am not tagging anti because this post focuses more on being critical of Nesta's character/behavior than outright hating or shitting on her. If you’re one of the few who do not use any excuses towards Nesta’s behavior then this is not addressed to you.)

Since Sjm won't address the toxicity that goes on in her fandom when regarding those who use Nesta's past as a defense to the emotional, mental, and verbal abuse she inflicted on Feyre, and her behavior to others, I will use a quote from Leigh Bardguo from the podcast Write or Die, s2 ep1 to support my view.

For context: Leigh is talking about why she didn't give the Darkling a redemption arc etc. She then goes on to say, "Don't pretend that just because you had a rough childhood you get to be an asshole and an abuser."

What Bardugo said here is pure facts. Your childhood will never be an excuse for the way you treat others. Yes, your childhood can explain certain things, and it can explain why someone is the way they are. Nesta's childhood explains why she's cold and reserved and pushes others away. But it by no means excuses the abuse she inflicted on Feyre and even on Elain if we really wanna talk about it. (I am in no way excusing Elain for the part she played in Feyre's abuse, simply stating she was also a victim of Nesta's abuse in certain aspects)

Throughout A court of silver flames, this is exactly what Nesta did when acknowledging her behavior of all those years to Feyre and her behavior to others. She used the abuse of her Grandmother, the neglect and manipulation of her mother, the feeling of lack of love from her father, and the pressure she felt from society and parents to marry into an advantageous marriage, as well as the neglect her father displayed during the cabin years to excuse her treatment of Feyre during the years at the cabin and presently.

Instead of expressing regret for the actions and words she committed, she uses her past as a shield, as a valid reason as to why she abused her sister for years. She blames her parents and her upbringing for the way she is now, but the only thing you can blame those parents for is the childhood they gave her that lacked any warmth, compassion, or love. But Nesta's behavior, her attitude towards literally anyone, cannot be excused nor justified by her past. That she must take accountability on her own, something she has yet to actually do without making an excuse for herself and to ask forgiveness for the one person who deserves it.

Before anyone comes at me, I'm going to address it first. Rhysand. Yes, Rhys is an asshole, and yes he has committed abusive actions in the past. I can wholly admit that because it's the truth that I cannot nor will deny. But here's the difference: he never uses his childhood or trauma as an excuse. Remember it's usually some of the stans who do this for him, who use his trauma as a shield. This also goes to the Nesta stans because yes many of y'all do this often. But Rhys has never used his past as an excuse, for being an asshole. He owns up to it. When he gets called out on his shit, he admits to it and apologizes instead of using buts and ifs and half-assed excuses.

Nesta stans (some) have a habit of using her upbringing as a defense for her cruel behavior, not just to Feyre but others, and when you try to call them out on it, they'll deny it and say they're just "explaining her behavior not excusing it" which is literally bullshit because we all know what they're doing except for apparently them.

The reason I am using Leigh Bardugos words on the Darkling is because Leigh Bardugo is one of the most highly regarded authors in the book community. So if you cant take my word on it, that your past doesn't excuse your present actions, take it from Leigh Bardugo, who is a beloved and highly esteemed author, that I know many of us respect. I hope that you hear her words and understand there is no excuse whatsoever for what Nesta did. I hope you hear her words and understand that I nor others are not being "unsympathetic" to people like Nesta who had a hard life. I simply will not have her past be used as protection to Nesta's shitty behavior and treatment of Feyre and others.

"Don't pretend that just because you had a rough childhood you get to be an asshole and an abuser." -Leigh Bardugo

#acotar #acomaf #acosf #acowar #acofas #a court of silver flames #feyre archeron #elain archeron #rhysand #nesta archeron #nesta critical #sjm critical #leigh bardugo #pro feyre #feyre deserves better #nesta and feyre #sjm fandom

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the-empress-7 · 3 years

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I don't know if you have been following the Jesy Nelson/Little Mix/Leigh Anne controversy.

Jessie was a member of the British girl band, little mix, made up of three white women and one black woman(Leigh Anne). Jessie wanted to go solo for a long while, but didn't know how to go about it without being dragged. So what does she do? She goes on a pity tour telling everyone how she was depressed while in the group and how being in the group was affecting her mental health and how she became suicidal because social media trolls were always talking about her weight and comparing her to the other ladies.

Throughout her tour, she never hinted that she wanted to go solo. Her band mates didn't know she was secretly negotiating a record deal with Republic Records, the same label that has Nicki Minaj. So when her pity tour was over, she suddenly cut off communication with all her band mates and they didn't understand what was going on. Few weeks after her pity tour was over, it was announced that she has signed a record deal and would be releasing her first single featuring Nicki Minaj.

She released her single and it was met with much derision because people didn't recognise her as she was not looking like a white woman again but someone racially ambiguous. She wore braids in the music video and was singing about how she loves hood men. She was accused of blackfishing and culture appropriation. Nicki Minaj then hopped on IG to defend her and slam Leigh Anne, an actual black woman who has suffeeed much racial abuse. Everyone took Leigh Anne's side and now Jesy Nelson is scrambling.

Jesy Nelson just followed the Meghan Markle playbook to a T and it backfired. Instead of coming out boldly to say she wants to go solo, Jesy started claiming she was suicidal and threw the other ladies under the bus. Instead of Meg to say she wants to pursue commercial deals, she started claiming racism abuse and using mental health as an excuse. How Meg was able to successfully con people into being afraid of calling her out for fear of being called racist, needs to be studied.

Now they are trying to strike deals all over the place and rather than owning it with their full chest, they are being hypocritical and saying its ethical investment and they are doing it to change the world. So nauseating. Maria Carey is known to be a diva and she owns it with her full chest. She doesn't pretend to be what she isn't. With her, what you see is what you get.

Why don't the Sussexes just admit that they are doing a money grab? Why do they cloak their hustling with social justice and ethical investment? Why are they insulting our intelligence?

I haven't been following the Little Mix drama, I had no idea she was using M's playbook.

The only time they were truthful about their intention was on the Megxit website, they put down in writing that they were leaving to make money.

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where-theres-smoak-2 · 3 years

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Trigger Warning: Grooming, abuse.

Warning rant coming up. This is what really annoys me about LB’s podcast in 2019, the thing that just made me so angry is her blatant misuse of the term grooming. Like when I read that I was literally mind blown. There are so many antis now using this to justify them also misusing the term. Saying ‘oh but the author herself said she wrote it as him grooming her’. Well you know what I don’t give a crap what the author said because if she wanted to write him as a groomer then she should have damn well done her research before writing the character. Which I refuse to believe she did seeing as the character doesn’t display any of the behaviours of a groomer. I mean there’s that line she says in the podcast

‘Cause he is---he literally grooms her. It is built into the story---at one point, Baghra says: 'He has had a long time to figure out how to manipulate a young girl.'

This example she gives makes me think that LB thinks that grooming is just an older guy manipulating a younger girl, but this is a far too simplistic description. In actual fact anybody can be groomed and at any age, an adult can groom a child, but an adult can groom another adult. You can also have a younger man or woman groom an older man or woman, this idea of grooming being an older male to a younger female is just the most commonly talked about but it being the only conditions of grooming is false.

Also the words grooming and manipulation are not interchangeable. I really do feel like both LB and antis seem to think that they mean the same thing. They don’t. Whilst manipulation can be used to groom someone, grooming itself is a very particular kind of abuse and its alot more complicated than just one person manipulating another. It was already bad enough that darklinas were having to deal with antis popping up and spewing all this nonsense about how the darkling is a groomer and having to explain that no that’s not what a groomer is without having the author herself do the same thing. I think seeing the author make this claim is very hurtful, especially to those who have actually experienced grooming and antis don’t get to then tell us that we’re not allowed to be hurt by it.

The other thing that irritated me was this line:

By all means, ship it! But don't forgive him. Don't excuse--don't turn him into a character that he was not.

There are soo many things wrong with this statement. Firstly the fact that she tells readers that they are not allowed to forgive the darkling. Well I am sorry but an author can’t dictate to a reader how they react or feel about a character. I said in another post that every person has their own threshold for what they consider to be forgivable in fiction, the author doesn’t get to set that threshold for a reader, that is something personal to them. If I want to forgive a character then that’s up to me. The other part is this don’t excuse him and don’t turn him into a character he is not. The only reason LB would have said this is because its what she thinks darklinas are doing. We’ve fought this battle against antis so many times where we have to explain that just because we like to examine why the darkling has done something does not mean we are saying we are ok with what he has done. Maybe some darklinas do this but in all honesty I haven’t come across any who are, most darklinas are not making excuses for him they are just pointing out that his trauma in the past is contributing to his actions and that this makes him an interesting character. I saw some antis saying things like they didn’t understand why darklinas were so upset because LB said we could ship it. Well let me explain it for you because you’ve actually hit the nail right on the head. She tells us we can ship it, by all means, she is giving us permission to ship it. Well she doesn’t really have any right to tell us what we can ship. I mean how would the anti’s feel if she said the same to them that she gives them permission to ship m*lina?

And the final thing that irked me was when she says that she would have shipped it herself when she was younger. Implying that only those who are young and impressionable and who just don’t yet understand why they shouldn’t, ship it. It is especially annoying when you then see this quote from LB from a more recent podcast of May 2021

Brandon Jenkins:

Is there such a thing as a right pairing?

Leigh Bardugo:

I love a villain protagonist romance.

So which is it you totally would have shipped it as a youth or you still ship it now LB? Anyway rant over, excuse me while I go bang my head against a wall.

In an attempt to end on a slightly more positive note though, I will say one thing and that is LB did say this all in 2019 (even if it has only come up now) so hopefully she has learnt since then. I mean she did say this about m*lina in that same more recent May podcast showing that she does at least recognise that they are also a problematic ship:

Leigh Bardugo:

These are two people, who have been surviving with each other's help for a very long time and who have learned to rely on each other in a world that does not value them, and frequently treats them cruelly and who will truly do anything for each other. And that bond is both beautiful and poisonous, because um you know Alina is dependent on that. Mal is dependent on that, and they both need to have it severed in order to come back to each other.

The issue here though is whilst I think it is good that she is addressing why M*lina is also problematic I don’t feel like she does it enough. I mean correct me if I am wrong (after all I haven’t seen every interview she has ever given) but I don’t think she’s addressed this before, or at least I haven’t seen her address it anywhere else. Whereas she is nearly always talking about how problematic darklina is but again in the May podcast whilst she does talk about kirigan being manipulative and the older guy, younger girl dynamic at least she doesn’t use the word grooming.

#darklina #anti anti darklina #anti leigh bardugo #tw grooming #tw abuse #anti malina

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serpenteve · 3 years

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In most cases when you venture into an anti's profile after they've spewed some nonsense about how shipping fictional characters is supporting ab*se and gr*oming, they're a teenager and you're like well, at least this poor child's brain hasn't fully developped yet so that's something, but when in some cases it says 22 yo or 23 yo on there and you want to fling yourself into the sun, this new wave American centralized puritanism is gonna send back to the 1800s, this time by the hands of women.

As someone who's been in and out of this fandom since 2015, the shifting landscape of the fanbase has been fascinating to watch.

After the trilogy was published, Darklina was the most popular ship (called 'Alarkling' back then and I honestly have no idea why we picked such an unwieldy ship name lmao). Tumblr was much more active because this was before the Infamous Purge of 2018 and most of the fanbase was concentrated here instead of spread out across multiple platforms like it is today.

Mal hate was rampant. After Darklina, the most popular ship was Nikolina (this being before the duology paired him with Zoya) and/or shipping Alina with nobody. There were like max 4 people unironically shipping Mal with Alina, and usually those people were multi-shippers who shipped Alina with everybody. Most fanfics would either pretend he didn't even exist or would include him just to shit on him or kill him off. People would go and edit his wiki page on the Grishaverse wiki to remind people what an asshat he was and I'd be lying if I said this didn't have me in tears of laughter.

The amount of fan art, fanfic, fan edits, fan content about Mal x Alina was embarrassingly low. You could be forgiven for not even realizing he was supposed to be the main love interest based on fandom engagement alone.

The fact that the vast majority of the fandom hated Mal because of how much he reminded us of your run-of-the-mill garden variety toxic fuckboy (at best) was incredibly validating. We didn't fall for the author's failed attempts of excusing his bullshit. We kind of just made our own fanon and ran with it.

Six of Crows got published and while their fandom was much larger than Shadow & Bone, there wasn't a whole lot of overlap in the fanbase. A lot of SoC fans didn't even realize S&B existed at the time since it wasn't prerequisite reading to enter the Grishaverse. Also, SoC was obviously better written and tightly plotted so anyone who went back to read the original trilogy was going to be in for a surprise with the massive drop in writing quality.

Then the Tumblr purge happened and the fandom just kind of died off. This wasn't just something that affected S&B, however. A lot of users migrated to Twitter or just left Tumblr for good. I actually don't even know too much about the fandom history from 2018-2020 because I also left around this time (for other unrelated reasons).

Someone else might be able to fill in the details here but what I *imagine* happened is that the Darklina fandom kind of died off post-Tumblr purge as did a lot of fandoms at the time. Leigh published KoS in which she created a parody cult of Darklina fans and used her heroes as mouthpieces for her anti-Darklina agenda because she was pissed 3/4 of the fandom hated M*l and were shipping Alina with the villain out of pure spite and her terrible writing choices.

A new generation of fans entered the fandom through either Tumblr, Twitter, BookTube or TikTok and saw the chaotic mess of rampant Darkling simping and indiscriminate Mal hate that we left in our wake and then reacted to that. So now new fans starting unironically shipping Alina with Mal out of spite for the original fans who blatantly didn't and probably felt emboldened by the author herself immaturely reacting to her own fanbase and painting us as stupid cult members who read her book wrong.

And thus began the era of the Darkling antis (a phrase that 2016 would have absolutely clowned at) who, like the author, think anyone who ships Alina with the Darkling is an abuse apologist and is somehow too stupid to see his ~evil~ villainy and need to be reminded via anon hate about how dumb we are 🤡

Is it also a coincidence that people are turning around and claiming any critique of the sexist ending of R&R is now itself sexist? Is it a coincidence that new fans are willing take the author's excuses for Mal's shitty behavior? Is it a coincidence that antis are running around and calling Darklina shippers "racist" because...the Netflix adaptation racelifted the characters and they will jump on any half-baked excuse to harass shippers? ☕

#cw: abuse #fandom history #aka a post literally no one asked for but i couldn't help myself #all the old shippers are gone or are barely active FML #cw: grooming

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turnthedirtintojoy · 3 years

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I finished Rule of Wolves last night and although it was a thoroughly enjoyable read (as everything Leigh Bardugo writes) and an overall satisfying ending to the series, I do have mixed feelings about some of the choices that were made. And there were some VERY big plot holes. Some thoughts below the cut. Beware: spoilers.

Things I liked:

It was so nice to dive into this world one more (last?) time and to see all our beloved characters again (my Crow babies, Alina, Mal, Misha, Oncat...). Leigh’s writing was on point as always, and she really did a great job expanding this universe as well. We got to discover Shu Han and see a bit more of Fjerda, and this novel, I feel, has a lot more scope than the previous ones.

Leigh’s main strength remains her characters. Nikolai was delightful as always. Zoya’s arc was absolutely amazing. Nina was still the badass waffle-loving pansexual queen we all love.

Rule of Wolves offers great representation with a diverse set of characters. I never really clicked with Hanne’s character, but their story was told with grace and subtlety, and I love that Fjerda now has a gender non-conforming Grisha ruler (and they don’t even know it). Zoya’s road to acceptance of her Suli origins was also a nice touch.

I’m really grateful that we got a happy ending for most of the characters. Obviously I love that Nikolai and Zoya are endgame. Nina has found love and joy again. And although we only got a brief glimpse of the rest of the Crows, I like where they’re at (Wesper living happily, Kaz ruling the Barrel while Inej rules the True Sea).

Things I didn’t like:

So many plot holes and inconsistencies...

1. Let’s talk about the Ice Court, this supposedly unbreachable Fjerdan stronghold. It takes a whole book for the Crows to break into it, and they literally have to blow a hole in the wall with a tank to get out of it. But in ROW, although it is specifically stated security has been reinforced since the prison break, people seem to come and go as they please. Nina breaks into the Drüskelle sector not once, but twice. Not to mention Magnus Opjer who mysteriously manages to escape with nothing but a bone dart. Sorry, I don’t buy it.

2. The ending to Nina and Hanne’s story makes absolutely zero sense whatsoever. Why would Nina choose to keep Mila’s face? Couldn’t Prince Rasmus just marry Nina Zenik now that Fjerda is at peace with Ravka? It would make sense as a political alliance for the Prince to marry a Grisha. I hate that Nina will have to live as someone else for decades. Also, are we supposed to believe that Hanne will fool everyone as Prince Rasmus? A large chunk of KOS is devoted to Isaak’s training and difficulties to impersonate Nikolai, a man he has known for years and with the help of his closest friends (Genya, Tolya, Tamar...). He barely scrapes it in front of nobles, but Hanne will somehow manage to pass as Prince Rasmus, a man she barely knows, in front of his parents? That seems highly unlikely... One would say improbable.

3. As much as I adore the Crows, their appearance feels a bit forced and doesn’t really work narratively. I loved the Ketterdam chapters (of course I did), but they don’t really belong in Rule of Wolves and feel out of place. First, why would Nikolai and Zoya go in person? Also, we are talking about a Demon King and a Dragon Queen with an army of Grisha at their service, and they can’t manage without the help of Kaz Brekker, a 19-year old gangster, to steal stuff? Once was cute, twice is pushing it.

4. Since when are there Suli settlements in Kerch? And if Kaz knew it, why wouldn’t he tell Inej? This makes no sense.

Apart from this gaping holes, there are a couple of choices Leigh made that I am not a fan of. I mean, why kill David? On his wedding day no less! Hasn’t Genya suffered enough? I usually like a good character death, but this felt needlessly cruel and and it didn’t really advance the plot or the character.

The other thing that sort of bugged me were the two main romances which felt really dragged out. I love slow burns as much as the next person, but not every relationship needs to be slow burnt. It took almost two books for Nikolai/Zoya and Nina/Hanne to admit their feelings for each other while it was obvious to everyone involved that they liked each other since early in KOS. Leigh was trying really hard to find excuses to keep them apart until the very end and it kind of got tiresome at one point.

Finally, let’s talk about the Darkling’s storyline. COMPLETELY UNECESSARY. I mean he is by far my favourite antagonist in the Grishaverse (the other ones are a bit too one-dimensional), but bringing him back for so little was a waste of pages. I really didn’t like his arc: it felt forced and rushed and made very little sense. The blight storyline was solved in one chapter and didn’t really tie in with the rest of the story. Unpopular opinion but I also didn’t like that the Darkling had POV chapters. Kind of ruins the mystery of the character. I was fine with his ending (endless agony in exchange for Sainthood), but the fact that Genya, Alina and Zoya changed their minds five pages later kind of ruined the whole thing...

Despite its flaws, I still loved the book and devoured it in only a few days. I’m always sad when I finish a Grishaverse book and have to say goodbye to these characters, but thankfully we have the show coming out in a few days!

What did you guys think of ROW?

#rule of wolves #rule of wolves spoilers #grishaverse #shadow and bone #leigh bardugo #row #row spoilers #six of crows #soc #s&b #zoya nazyalensky #nikolai lantsov #nina zenik

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popblank · 3 years

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Watching Supergirl, S1E20 “Better Angels”:

While I’m a little skeptical about the concept of earnest speeches saving the day, I did like the way the Eliza/Alex one was handled. There was no last-second fakeout, and the speech was more personal.

Does it bother Kara when everyone refers to their current antagonists as “the Kryptonians”? Internally, is she thinking, “Excuse me, I’m here too, Kryptonians are not a monolith”?

Kara is religious in a way that none of her friends or family appear to be. Though her friends and family (aside from possibly J’onn) don’t have the burden of being one of the few remaining people who remember those religious traditions.

Oh! Non does realize that humans are not essential to saving the planet. I guess that’s easier when he doesn’t have much of a stake in the outcome.

Hmm they really were trying to set up something with Alex and Maxwell Lord.

Chyler Leigh is doing a good job in this episode.

So Kara can pick up a million-ton spaceship and fly it to space, but can’t get out of Toyman’s quicksand?

Catco has its own branded banker’s boxes. Imagine getting fired and having to take home your belongings in a box with the logo of your former employer.

Overall season 1 thoughts:

I only really knew Melissa Benoist as one of the reality-show kids from Glee, and I haven’t watched Glee in a nearly a decade. She did a solid job here as the central character; she is likable and earnest and is moral while not being too moralizing.

Most interesting characters to me were Cat Grant and Alex Danvers. It helps that Cat gets most of the best lines, but is also the best-acted character. Calista Flockhart did a great job and I never doubted the truth of her character even as her tone could veer from callous to shallow to wise to vulnerable within a scene or two. As a character Alex is in an interesting position because of her relationship to Kara, and her unasked-for burden of responsibility is a bit more relatable than the burdens Kara and J'onn have from being the last or almost-last of their people. I also like the surrogate father & daughter relationship between J'onn and Alex.

James seems like he should have had a bit more prominence but I can't remember what he did most of the time. He did have a nice scene with Bizarro, but otherwise it seems like his screen time was largely as supportive friend/love interest to either Kara or Lucy, which wasn't that interesting. Winn had just the right amount of focus for a supporting character. Lucy Lane’s storyline throughout the season seemed haphazard. Villains were OK; don’t have have strong feelings one way or the other for most of them except Maxwell Lord -- disliked him, although as a character that caused interesting things to happen (e.g. Red Kryptonite) he was useful.

Random thing I’m wondering about: Does Kara have a Social Security number? I’m curious about the world of this show and how superheroes and aliens must exist in it (always reading the chyrons on the screens behind Cat to see what’s going on) but that part of the writing seems a bit thin.

Visually, it was excellent. Aside from a few "these people are wearing silly costumes" moments that are maybe unavoidable in comic-book superhero shows, the quality of effects, camera work, lighting, and production seemed to be very high.

#supergirl #on to season 2

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isfjmel-phleg · 3 years

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July 2021 Books

Let’s see if I actually still remember any of these. It’s been a long month.

Most of these are from the TBR list I’m slowly working though, and there’s a lot of similarity of genre because comparable books were added around the same time as each other.

Maria Escapes (aka The Warden’s Niece) by Gillian Avery

I think I read this one in too much of a hurry to say anything useful about it, but I enjoyed it. Loved the Victorian Oxford setting and the heroine’s academic interests.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

I don’t really know what to make of this one. On paper, it has all the ingredients I like: multiple POVs, emphasis on characterization and slowly getting to know the cast, lots of banter, and a strong bond among the main cast. But (setting aside any content issues I had--which I definitely did)...somehow investment never kicked in. I didn’t really care about these people, when I was supposed to. I don’t know why not. Maybe I read it at a less-than-ideal time (while traveling), maybe I read it in the wrong frame of mind, maybe it’s one of those books that never really grab you until a reread. So for now I’m withholding a verdict.

Points, though, for possibly THE MOST HORRIFIC tragic childhood backstory I’ve ever encountered, yikes.

The King’s Sword by C. J. Brightley

I had expected more from the characterization, but overall a solid fantasy story whose narrator has a distinctive perspective (for one thing, he’s fascinated with names and their meanings and is constantly applying this to everyone around him).

Two Are Better than One by Carol Ryrie Brink

Brink’s depiction of friendship between middle-school-aged girls is so perfectly, cringily spot-on and I love it even though it makes me relive some youthful embarrassment. The melodramatic story the girls write together is hilarious.

Winter Cottage by Carol Ryrie Brink

Brink is of course associated most with her stories set in nineteenth-century rural America, so it’s interesting to see her set something in the 1930s. Charming slice-of-life tale with memorable characters.

Beyond the Pawpaw Trees: The Story of Anna Lavinia by Palmer Brown

An extremely thin story which seemed more like an excuse for the (very cute) illustrations.

The Friend with a Secret by Angela Bull

An intriguing little mystery/adventure set in the Victorian Era. As an adult though I am Worried about these children.

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

Beautiful and profound. It read more like a C. S. Lewis novel (and not just for the very welcome Magician’s Nephew references) than something written in this century. Piranesi is an endearing character, and I will definitely be rereading this one at some point.

Shadow Castle by Marian Cockrell

I may have been too old to properly appreciate this children’s fantasy.

The House on the Hill by Eileen Dunlop

I liked this one a lot more than I expected to, but considering that the plot revolved around resolving a troubled family past and the characters and relationships were thoughtfully drawn...this shouldn’t have been a surprise. It’s rather eerie, but I’d classify it as less a ghost story and more...almost time-slip?

The House above the Trees by Ethel Cook Eliot

The best part of this one was the gorgeous 1920s-children’s-fantasy illustrations!

The Children of Charlecote by Brian Fairfax-Lucy and Philippa Pearce

Less of a story and more of a thinly disguised homage to the real-life Charlecote and Fairfax-Lucy’s rather tragic family history. I think it would have been more impactful if I had ever been to Charlecote.

Wednesdays in the Tower by Jessica Day George

Tuesdays in the Castle was adorable, but this sequel was a bit juvenile even for me.

A Face like Glass by Frances Hardinge

Hardinge’s worldbuilding is intricate and intriguing but I never really connected with the characters. Despite the protagonist’s being surrounded by many others, there was a pervasive sense of isolation even when she was supposed to be bonding with friends, and it was hard to emotionally engage.

A Stitch in Time by Penelope Lively

...did I read this book? What was it about? I don’t know. Whatever it was, it apparently wasn’t memorable.

Carney’s House Party by Maud Hart Lovelace

Enjoyable overall, if not my favorite of the Deep Valley books (that distinction goes to Emily).

Winona’s Pony Cart by Maud Hart Lovelace

Doesn’t add much to the Besty-Tacy’verse plotwise, but it was interesting to get more development for Winona (a bit younger than when she’s introduced in the series proper) and her family situation. I don’t remember her being such a spoiled brat elsewhere, but her genuine friendliness to all is endearing.

Snow & Rose by Emily Winfield Martin

After Wrede’s disappointing retelling of “Snow White and Rose Red,” this version was delightful. It takes liberties with the original story (most notably with the identity of the bear--but given that the girls are actual children here, the choice makes sense and is narratively satisfying) but retains the charming fairy-tale atmosphere, and the illustrations are gorgeous.

A Walk out of the World by Ruth Nichols

Somewhat bizarre fantasy with some striking imagery, but the characterization (and plot in general) failed to grab me.

Time at the Top by Edward Ormondroyd

I loved the concept of telling the story from the perspective of the adults left behind when a young person disappears on a time-traveling adventure (normally it would be the other way around).

Minnow on the Say by Philippa Pearce

More of a mystery/adventure than Pearce’s better-known time-slip fantasy Tom’s Midnight Garden, but nonetheless quite readable. Pearce’s style and characterization are appealing.

When Marnie Was There by Joan G. Robinson

Arguably a ghost story but mostly about a friendship/second chance at family healing and thus right up my alley.

In a Blue Velvet Dress by Catherine Sefton

This is an Actual Ghost Story, but the premise of being provided books every night that vanish by morning was engaging, and the style was charming.

A Sound of Crying by Rodie Sudbery

Time-slip fantasy, a rather bleak example.

Mirror of Danger (aka Come Back, Lucy) by Pamela Sykes

Eerie and atmospheric but with a realistic and nuanced arc for the protagonist that keeps it grounded. I liked this one a lot (and would love to read the sequel, but it’s apparently very difficult to track down).

Seven Little Australians by Ethel Turner

My biggest takeaway from this one is that I am concerned about these children. They’re in quite a dysfunctional family situation, for a classic children’s book, perhaps worse than the narrator seems willing to acknowledge, and their father, quite frankly, is terrible to them.

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beeblackburn · 3 years

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The Anti-TBR Tag

I was tagged by @books-and-doodles! Thank you! And poor you, for I am a long-winded bastard.

1. A popular book EVERYONE loves that you have no interest in reading?

On general principle, I feel like the really popular stuff (Twilight, Throne of Glass, Divergent, The Mortal Instruments) ends up being stuff I’m inherently not going to be attracted to and some of them have their own hatedoms going on, so going after them in detail would be punching down (though I don’t particular like any of the above). So I’m going to try to go off the beaten path with these seven:

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab = nothing against her personally, though I heard her The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue was baaaaad, but apparently, she’s similar to Sanderson in the magic system being better than the characterization and I heard her writing’s got a white faux-female empowerment sort of thing going that I’m growing increasingly... discontent of by itself. I might try it out later, but I also got hundreds of books to drill through first and I’m in no rush.

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo = I’ve been increasingly getting the sense that Six of Crows was a flash in the pan, Bardugo’s style more defined by fun than genuine substance. And given a rather scathing review that points out unearned shifts in characterization, lackluster supporting cast, and two really uncomfortable exploitative sexual assault fantasy scenes (one of which was underaged!), I’m gonna say no.

A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik = I generally like Novik! She’s a very solid writer to me and I’ve bought most of her books, so this is purely me not taking to the Wizarding School genre. Sorry, Novik, "a twisted, super dark, super modern, female-led Harry Potter" isn’t the selling point it once was, and even then, I probably wouldn’t have taken to it. Especially when I’ve already got The Gray House by Mariam Petrosyan to read.

The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson = I’ve got mixed feelings on Mistborn looking back: it’s hardly the worst of his oeuvre (Elantris is that and was admittedly his first book) and The Final Empire took a few narrative risks that I admire, I also found the resulting books a tad juvenile and I don’t take to steampunk, genre-wise. I’m not even that much of a Sanderson fan, so I’d rather just read the summary for all I care.

Storm Front by Jim Butcher = given what I’ve been told about The Dresden Files’ lessening of noir roots past the first few books, how it later became more flashy-and-bang magical, and how it’s pretty sexist early on (and from what I’ve been told, doubled down on it later on and having worse treatments of its female characters), I’m in no particular rush to read them. The urban fantasy genre on them only turns me off more.

The Doors of Stone by Patrick Rothfuss = hahaha, I’m sorry, I did read The Name of the Wind, and read select parts of The Wise Man’s Fear, but everyone, instead of waiting and devoting your time for this book to come, I would suggest reading Fitz, Who Is Actually Good and Can Wring More than Disgust and an Eye-Roll out of You in Robin Hobb’s Realm of the Elderlings, given she is far better at characterization than Rothfuss.

Anything by Paul Krueger, Sam Sykes, and Myke Cole = fuck all three of these men and the idea that I’ll pay for their stuff. While I can’t demand any of you not buy from them and I’ll hardly claim to be a saint in terms of ethics, purchase-wise, I would beseech you all please don’t buy from these three authors who have a history of inappropriateness.

2. A classic book (or author) you don’t have an interest in reading?

Charles Dickens = look, I know his word count is padded because of serial installments back then, but I’m sorry, I wasn’t that impressed by the child-sanitized versions of Great Expectations and Oliver Twist. They were easily some of the most boring of out of the child-sanitized classics I read. It was the pictures that kept me going and barely at that. No thanks.

Emily Brontë = look, if I wanted shitty people being shitty to each other, I’d much rather read Joe Abercrombie because at least I’ll get some intentional dark comedy out of dumb shitheads being terrible to each other (Best Served Cold comes to mind). And I know we’re not meant to like these self-destructive people, but I’d rather not hate everyone that much.

Alexander Dumas = Three Musketeers really didn’t age well, just from the TV Tropes page and I’m not really looking forward to an adventure that goes out of its way to valorize its protagonists being adventurous assholes who dueled, drank, and womanized harder than anyone else and we should commend that because they were men. Ugh.

3. An author you have read a couple of books from & have decided their books are not for you?

Leigh Bardugo = like I said, I feel like Six of Crows (and Crooked Kingdom, to a lesser extent) was a flash in the pan and she’s been increasingly running on fumes ever since then. Good and fun with a decent eye for characterization, but hardly revolutionary, considering how I think Crooked Kingdom isn’t quite as good as Six of Crows, and the less said about Shadow and Bone, the better.

Neil Gaiman = I’ve read some of his stuff (and I didn’t quite see the hype over his writing, but liked it decently enough) but having heard that, in his Sandman run, he wrote in a transwoman solely to get killed for an emotional ending and how he defended that choice for awhile left a battery acid taste for me to read more. He’s a formative part of people’s childhoods, so I don’t blame anyone for being fans, he’s just not for me.

Steven Erikson = really nothing against the dude, I’m sure he's probably a decent guy, but I didn’t take to Gardens of the Moon at all and skimming Deadhouse Gates and Memories of Ice (which were admittedly better) made me realize its prose was something I would need a hard and sharp shovel to crack through, and the darting around of many, many POVs made me feel not invested in anyone.

4. A genre you have no interest in OR a genre you tried to get into & couldn’t?

I’ll answer both because I have the time:

I’m not interested in romance, mostly because it’s an entire genre built around the build-up. It’s usually the story about the beginning of a relationship, not the relationship itself. I’d genuinely like to read about the story of a romance that doesn’t stop shortly after the hook-up or before the honeymoon period ends. The City Watch parts of Discworld by Terry Pratchett, The Memoirs of Lady Trent by Marie Brennan and The Sharing Knife by Lois McMaster Bujold all have romantic elements that are relatively undrenched in melodrama or frills, but none of them are pure romances, which is a huge problem. I can take romantic subplots in fantasy, but I can’t take the genre as-is.

Urban fantasy is a genre I’m not against having my mind changed on liking, but right now, I generally find it insipid, a shortcut to good world-building, short on great characterization, and an excuse to lampshade and pretense to being above fantastical clichés in a tongue-in-cheek attitude while still committing to them. I do genuinely like Rivers of London by Ben Aaronvitch, but that’s really the concession I can give the entirety of the genre. I took a crack at Rick Riordan and Cassandra Clare’s stuff, but it didn’t feel like my sort of thing. Again, would like to be convinced, but I’d much rather read a domestic or slice-of-life fantasy set in a more overtly fantasy world than the urban one.

Also, sci-fi, but I’m trying again with the Wormwood trilogy by Tade Thompson, An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon, and either the Imperial Radch trilogy by Ann Leckie, or the Teixcalaan trilogy by Arkady Martine. I snoozed through Azimov’s Foundation and generally bored myself of hard sci-fi books, so I’m hoping contemporary sci-fi changes my mind on the entire genre.

5. A book you have bought but will never read?

A book I personally bought? Honestly, Traitor’s Blade by Sebastien de Castell. No particular reason, I just bought it at a closing-down sale at a branch of my bookstore on the cheap because the cover looked nice and didn’t really take to its blurb. I heard good things though, so if anyone else wants to read it...

I tag @vera-dauriac, @xserpx, @autoapocrypha, @kateofthecanals, @turtle-paced, @insecticidalfeminism, @secretlyatargaryen, @helix-eagle-hourglass-nebula, @xillionart, @jovolovo and whoever else that is following me and wishes to do this tag (I’d like to read your posts, so please tag me! :D)

#tags #book tag #anti tbr tag

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