#Chance Leigh

[jazzdailyblog]

Universal Groove: Awen Robbe's Musical Journey from Tradition to Modernity

Introduction: In 2024, the music world witnessed the release of an album titled “Universal Groove.” This work, born from a serendipitous encounter at the Jazz en Ville festival in Vannes, France, in 2022, brought together a constellation of talented musicians from diverse backgrounds, led by 16-year-old Breton trumpeter Awen Robbe. The album’s creation is a testament to the enduring power of…

[phy-be]

His monstrous queen. His gentle ruler.

[ida-bitch-queen]

I need to lick his helix piercing and then explain to him in full detail about how it tasted as I sit on his lap and he rubs my hips JESUS I AM NOT OKAY I NEED TO BE PUT DOWN

[aleksanderscult]

Alina is not like the other girls

Alina is the personification of the girls that try hard to be everything their man wants them to be to the point that they lose themselves and don't know what their desires are outside of that relationship.

Which is very sad. And even sadder is the fact that this side of her character is not addressed by the narrative. It's treated as normal.

[xadenviolct]

*browses through tumblr tags again*

*misses all the potential that grishaverse could have held*

Seriously, there was some epic story potential there if Bardugo had only taken a few more risks. A few more avenues explored that weren't "typical".

And yes, I guess the mid 2010s (Shadow & Bone was published in 2012 I believe?) there weren't a lot of "risk taking" in the YA genre and I can get that... sort of.

Maybe.

Because the bare bones of the story? The plot itself?

It's so utterly good. And there's depth there between dark and light, and outcast and minorities in a society (the Grisha) and the symbolism between power and corruption, monarchy--

Just--

I could probably rant on how much COULD HAVE BEEN with these books, with this story, and yet what did we ultimately get?

A boring, tired, childhood friends to lovers, power corrupts, keep the status quo story line.

Yawn.

Don't get me wrong. I LOVE the idea. The plot. The characters. Everything about it.

I love what it could have been.

I just... wish it was given such a chance to do that?

I want THAT story.

I want the morally grey "how far is too far". I want the revolutions. I want the dark versus light, the yin and yang. I want the comparisons between Nikolai and Aleksander and I want Mal's mediocrity to actually be addressed and dealt with.

I don't want the FMC to ... settle in the end. To make herself smaller so the "ordinary" male love interest is satisfied. Because I keep thinking of the scene of her in the window, playing with the sunlight--

Mal might be happy, but Alina settled.

And that is not the message I want. That is not the message that should have been told, either.

I want the blurry lines between what is right and wrong. What is necessary for the good of many versus the good of the one.

And you know what?

That's where the books failed.

Because I'm sorry. Like Mal all you want, but the guy was just...

So far below mediocre it was ridiculous.

[transformers-mosaic]

Transformers: Beast Wars - Second Chances - Page 8

Originally posted on February 2nd, 2011

Story - Daniel Worsley Art - Leigh Taylor Letters - HdE

deviantART

wada sez: Finally, we’re back to the same page order of the original script; you can read it below.

PAGE 8: Scene 1: Panel 1: (box scene, Waspinator isn’t watching where he’s going. He’s bumped into a low-hanging branch with a thump. His body is squashing into his head, implying he was going at some speed).

Panel 2: (companion to the above) Waspinator is looking up, same size as the above. There are coconuts falling. Waspinator’s eyes are wide) Waspinator:  Ohh no…

Scene 2: Panel 3: (In the foreground, we see some portion of Waspinator (robot mode) from behind.? (Maybe just his feet?)? In the background, we see the entrance to Tarantulas's cave.? A trail of footprints/tracks/blood leads from Waspinator to the entrance to the cave)

Panel 4 (From inside the cave, we see that Waspinator has entered the cave; he walks toward us. Its entrance behind him, he is silhouetted by the light from outside. It is dark inside the cave. Waspy’s posture is odd, it’s both defiant, with his shoulder’s set, and terrified, his head tucked low down) Waspinator:  Szzpider-bot…Szzpider-bot leave fleshy-botszz alone… now…Waszzpinator promiszzed.

Panel 5: (In the foreground, we see Waspinator from behind; he steps back toward us. In the background, clusters of monitors come on, all with green, digital representations of Tarantulas's face on them (as well as other things, such as a wire-frame of the Ark, and “Plan: Slag it… Kill Everything” in Predacon script on one monitor) (re Waspy, think: Galvatron backing away from Unicron transforming) Tarantulas:  Do you REALLY care about those pests?  CHAHAHCCHHAHCAHAAA!  You really ARE pathetic.

Panel 6: In the foreground, Waspinator (beast mode) flies up and out of the cave toward us in a panic.? In the background, an ARMY of Fox Kids Transmetal Tarantulas drones pours out of the mouth of the cave. Tarantulas (OP):  Good riddance.

[stromuprisahat]

Echoes of Darklina

Six of Crows- Chapter 18

Kaz's chapter became more interesting than expected.

“Why would you care what I think?” He looked genuinely baffled. “I don’t know,” he said. “But I do.” And then he kissed me. It happened so suddenly that I barely had time to react. One moment, I was staring into his slate-colored eyes, and the next, his lips were pressed to mine. I felt that familiar sense of surety melt through me as my body sang with sudden heat and my heart jumped into a skittery dance. Then, just as suddenly, he stepped back. He looked as surprised as I felt. “I didn’t mean … ,” he said.

Shadow and Bone- Chapter 13

“... The people curse my name and pray for you, but you’re the one who was ready to abandon them. I’m the one who will give them power over their enemies. I’m the one who will free them from the tyranny of the King.” ... I gave a single shake of my head. He slumped back in his chair. “Fine,” he said with a weary shrug. “Make me your villain.”

Shadow and Bone- Chapter 21

... The moment his lips met mine, the connection between us opened and I felt his power flood through me. I could feel how much he wanted me—but behind that desire, I could feel something else, something that felt like anger. I drew back, startled. “You don’t want to be doing this.” “This is the only thing I want to be doing,” he growled, and I could hear the bitterness and desire all tangled up in his voice. “And you hate that,” I said with a sudden flash of comprehension. He sighed and leaned against me, brushing my hair back from my neck. “Maybe I do,” he murmured, his lips grazing my ear, my throat, my collarbone. I shivered, letting my head fall back, but I had to ask. “Why?” “Why?” he repeated, his lips still brushing over my skin, his fingers sliding over the ribbons at my neckline. “Alina, do you know what Ivan told me before we took the stage? Tonight, we received word that my men have spotted Morozova’s herd. The key to the Shadow Fold is finally within our grasp, and right now, I should be in the war room, hearing their report. I should be planning our trip north. But I’m not, am I?”

Shadow and Bone- Chapter 14

Why did you go to Alina? Yuri buzzed away. Why seek her out? To reclaim his power, of course. The universe wanted to humble him, to force him to appeal to a pair of pathetic orphans like a beggar on his knees. Why did you go to her? Because with her he was human again.

Rule of Wolves- Chapter 21

“I want you to know my name,” he said. “The name I was given, not the title I took for myself. Will you have it, Alina?” ... “Yes,” I breathed. After a long moment, he said, “Aleksander.” A little laugh escaped me. He arched a brow, a smile tugging at his lips. “What?” “It’s just so … common.” Such an ordinary name, held by kings and peasants alike. I’d known two Aleksanders at Keramzin alone, three in the First Army. One of them had died on the Fold. His smile deepened and he cocked his head to the side. It almost hurt to see him this way. “Will you say it?” he asked. I hesitated, feeling danger crowd in on me. “Aleksander,” I whispered. His grin faded, and his gray eyes seemed to flicker. “Again,” he said. “Aleksander.”

Ruin and Rising- Chapter 9

[joanofexys]

wait leigh is a zionist? I didn't know that and last time I checked she wasn't, is there a source for that? /genq

So Leigh Bardugo has been incredibly silent on what’s been happening in Palestine. A Palestinian (I believe she’s Palestinian but I don’t follow her so I’m not 100% sure) fan had a ticket to some sort of event and almost decided to not to go but she did. And when she reached the table Leigh was signing books at she told Leigh that with the message in her books she was hopeful that Leigh would’ve spoken up and was disappointed when she hadn’t and Leigh just smiled and refused to speak to her. Maybe Zionist isn’t 100% the right term but I don’t know what word to use for so fucking silent you can stare your own fans in the face and smile when they tell you they’re disappointed that you, of all people, are silent

Edit: because at another event someone asked her about Palestine and she answered that she "stopped being political on Instagram a long time ago" and then basically said what's happening is very sad but refused to outright condemn it or make a statement

[cantcatchmeee]

Cardi B at her Dirty 30 Cabaret birthday party

[bibliosauruswrecks]

Message received; no mourners, no funerals.

How about rioters, instead?

[ninacarstairss]

i have to watch this all again and process but i have one thing to say for now. thank you to the writers of season 2. there are so many flaws, so many things crammed into eight episodes when they would have needed 28, but they did one thing right that leigh could never do. they did alina justice. they left her powers to her, they let her rebuild ravka as she wished to, and they let her explore her dark side too. she used merzost, she brought mal back unlike in the books, and she tasted that power. she liked the power of that cut. she loves her power, her light, and leigh stripped her of that in the books. and why? to make her live a normal mortal life with mal. but they did this perfectly here, mal is his own person and he wants to find out who he is without his destiny to be alina’s amplifier, and alina wants to rebuild the country she fought so hard for, keep the friends and family she found along the way. this ending was perfect. i know we’ll see them again and they probably will end up together at some point, but this wasn’t it, this wasn’t the right time anyway. and i’m beyond happy they didn’t strip alina of her powers. she is a summoner, she loves being grisha, and i always hated how she was just taken away from all of that after tearing down the fold. it was as if she’s only been made for that purpose, to tear down the fold and then disappear again. now, she finally gets a chance to be her own person have a different purpose, rebuild a country, find her path, discover more about her power. she can choose where to go from here. i really couldn’t be happier about this ending

[sun-3-160]

i know ive already posted about this scene but here it is from a slightly different angle

[lululeighsworld]

was snapping pics of emetkal in ktisis and by chance i got the most gratuitous emet selch upskirt

[aleksanderscult]

I've been rereading the *Shadow and Bone* trilogy, and in the second or third book (I can't remember which), there's a moment where Alina mentions wanting all Grisha to eat together, instead of each order dining separately. It got me thinking: why did Aleksander, the General, enforce those ‘separations’?

Personally that was another "I made the villain dumb so I could make the hero look like a genius" moment from Bardugo. It happens a lot in media actually.

The Darkling is no fool. He wants his Grisha to be united so separating the orders in the tables alienates them further. Unless it signified discipline and the ranks that you find in an army which isn't illogical by itself.

Sure, the training is different for every order and the amplifiers that he gives signify how well trained and powerful is a Grisha and not that much if he's a favorite person for the Darkling (imo).

But since Leigh wanted Alina to be a revolutionary hero who thought things that a 400+ person didn't, we got this.

@stromuprisahat also gave some really good insight into this here and here.

[she-posts-nerdy-stuff]

3, 36, 89

3 - Free by Florence and the Machine - Jesper; Inej; Wylan

36 - Secret Worlds by The Amazing Devil - I can't explain it but it always gives me Nikolai x Dominik vibes (tbc I ship them but I ship Zoyalai harder)

89 - Sky Full of Song by Florence and the Machine - Jesper

[alinasaleks]

need s3 simply because i need more patrick as nikolai content