#the darkling

[ekbelsher]

Siege and Storm: the scene where Alina's hair turns white

[secretly-a-catamount]

It genuinely frustrates me when people ship character’s with their abuser.

Particularly when the character’s entire storyline is about escaping an abusive relationship.

Particularly when the abusive relationship was founded on grooming.

Particular when the ship only exists because the reader thinks the abuser is hot, and is using the protagonist as a self-insert.

I don’t attack people over what they ship, I never have and I never will, you can ship those kind of fictional ships if you want, no, seriously, go ahead, I won’t stop or judge you, but I am asking you to be aware. Be aware that they’re unhealthy. Be aware that the ship you like was never going to be “endgame” by the author. Be aware that you have no right to bully or belittle anyone who doesn’t ship what you ship, particularly if it’s abusive. Just be aware. That’s all.

[theweeklydiscourse]

I just have to laugh at readers who claim that the Darkling was Zoya’s abuser. The text and the Netflix adaptation does the barest possible minimum to allude to such an idea and then these fans proceed to reframe the shoddy writing and praise for it’s “brilliant” commentary.

Bardugo and the Netflix writers could’ve done that (with proper planning and thoughtfulness) but it’s obvious that they couldn’t be bothered to put the effort in. Sorry- Zoya’s just not all that interesting and cramming in some subtext about how she was supposedly the Darkling’s victim is pure fanfiction. Particularly when even in the show, we see Zoya pursuing him of her own volition and that relationship is never meaningfully explored or elaborated on after the fact.

[appolinyou]

Kaz Brekker

I was a little bored and had nothing to do (sarcasm)

Kaz DirtyHands

[alinasheretic]

Alina coming to the Darkling in Ruin and Rising being like I wonder do I appear pale and gray, a little mushroom girl? Is so funny to me like, Alina, light of my life, are we aware that he’s literally waging a war rn because he wants to see u naked <3

[aleksanderscult]

Why do you not like Ben Barnes as The Darkling?

For two main reasons:

It was pure fan service which I hate. Like the same way you see Timothée Chalamet being casted everywhere or being fancasted for every potential role, they put Ben on this role to attract audiences. It was pure marketing and it was obvious that they never thought: "Does that role suit him? Does he look like the Darkling? Can his acting persuade others that he is the Darkling?" (I say "no" to every question)

The role didn't suit him for me. He physically didn't look anything like him and his demeanor or acting reminded me nothing like him.

And generally I didn't like the show version because:

He was too emotional. Literally he was getting teared up every five minutes. When the creators said "We want to make him human" they meant "We'll only make him too human" and that kind of acting took away the gravity from important scenes (like the name reveal scene or his death). For the audience it was just another emotional scene but for the readers those scenes in the books were special and utterly heartbreaking because they could glimpse his human side that apparently still existed inside of him.

He was too much of a simp. Book!Darkling always had pride and even though indirectly he tried to beg for her help and understanding, he never threw himself at her feet (the only times he kinda did was in his emotionally vulnerable moments which were rare but precious). Show!Darkling was well... Wasted but not with the cutie meaning of the word. It became his whole personality.

(actually the name reveal scene doesn't even exist in the series)

[billyboyblue]

Ben Barnes || 📸 Emma Holly Jones

[stromuprisahat]

girl why are you still reading these books if you hate them so much. treat yourself and dnf 😭

I think I've answered something similar some time before, but I can't be arsed to look for it at the moment, so...

I do not hate Grishaverse, it's merely incredibly frustrating in its unacknowledged bias, abandoned themes and wasted potential in general.

As for why am I re-reading it and don't intend to stop:

Sashka- the man I'd like to shake so he quits being nice and reasonable, and simply kills them all. Or kiss his forhead and gently force him to take care of himself for once.

Some of the delightful (or terrifying) fragments of worldbuilding I like to elaborate.

Sheer stubborness, because to quote my favourite (well-written) fictional Slav:

"I can't because I'm not a quitter! I'm a complainer, but I'm not a quitter."

[hexgirling]

“that character is a war criminal” that character is from a fictional fantasy world and did not attend the geneva convention

[greensaplinggrace]

I actually like it when ships hurt each other in long lasting and unforgiveable ways. I like it when they leave vicious, glaring scars. I like when they leave traumas. I like when they stab each other and torture each other and ruin each other’s lives and violate every inch of each other’s values. and I like it when they fucking kill each other permanently dead. 

[reggieslocket]

[zovas]

[mal-zoya]

Honestly? Netflix should pay me for my quality promotion work I do here.

[stealingpotatoes]

this is what peak romance looks like ok

(commission info // kofi support!)

[shadowandbone]

SHADOW AND BONE SEASON 2 WILL DROP ON MARCH 16, 2023