#Mal Oretsev quotes

[ordinarythingsiflovecaneverbe]

“I missed you every hour. And you know what the worst part was? It caught me completely by surprise. I’d catch myself walking around to find you, not for any reason, just out of habit, because I’d seen something that I wanted to tell you about or because I wanted to hear your voice. And then I’d realize that you weren’t there anymore, and every time, every single time, it was like having the wind knocked out of me. I’ve risked my life for you. I’ve walked half the length of Ravka for you, and I’d do it again and again and again just to be with you, just to starve with you and freeze with you and hear you complain about hard cheese every day. So don’t tell me we don’t belong together,” he said fiercely. He was very close now, and my heart was suddenly hammering in my chest. “I’m sorry it took me so long to see you, Alina. But I see you now.”

[appolinyou]

Kaz and Matthias:/Arguing and swearing/ Inej to Wylan: Don't worry, they don't hate each other, In fact, they even have friendship bracelets Jesper: Oh yes, Kaz, so I'm your best friend, and I don't have a bracelet like that! Kaz turned to Jesper in the middle of an argument with Matthias: Jesper, are you an idiot? We've got friendship pistols! Or is it a joke for you?

[littlealkemi]

Alina being supremely bad at Fuck, Marry, Kill is the plot of the entire Shadow and Bone trilogy

I also made a poll to prove my point

Here

[stromuprisahat]

Siege of Os Alta: *in a full swing* Royals: *slaughtered* Grisha traitors: *dead, dying or about to die* Sun Saint zealots: *bringing sticks into magic fight* The Darkling: Babe, come and join me! Malyen: ShE dOeSn't WaNt AnY pArT oF yOu! meanwhile Alina: His dark hair gleamed in the lamplight of the chapel. Summoning his shadow army had taken its toll. He was thinner, paler, but somehow the sharp angles of his face had only become more beautiful.

[slimeyslimeyballsack]

[swiftievolturra]

this is them , fr

[lilisouless]

Mal: It´s true! i saw an unicorn back in Novyi Zem

Alina: Mal...we were starving, tired-

Nikolai: i want what you were smoking

Mal: I saw it! it was with that kid we meet

Zoya: you think unicorns are real? how old are you?

Mal: you are right! its impossible! thanks for telling me that Mrs Dragon Queen with her were demon husband, when are you writing to your zombie raising child? Because my former sunray wife that i was born to amplify would love to meet her and maybe visit my half siren long lost cousin! Maybe i should tell her that her brother is a tree now

Alina: "snikers" Baghra fucked a fish

Zoya: just because SOME crazy stuff exist doesn't mean everything will ,some things are fictional, like unicorns.

---

Wylan: Why do you never take off her hat?

Jesper: Molly is very attached to it, it makes her feel complete

Jesper whispering to the horse´s ear: its okay, he is trustworthy, the secret is safe with him

[udovaintomyheart]

Do you know why? Because women may love flowers, but only one woman loves the scent of gardenias in late summer that remind her of her grandmother’s porch. Only one woman loves apple blossoms in a blue cup.

Six of Crows, Chapter 10 (Inej)

When evening fell, the boy would bring the girl a glass of tea, a slice of lemon cake, an apple blossom floating in a blue cup. He would kiss her neck and whisper new names in her ear: beauty, beloved, cherished, my heart.

Ruin and Rising, After

[emmedoesntdomath]

nikolai, grinning at alina: hey, pretty baby

mal, indignant: hey!

nikolai, eyes wide: oh, sorry

*turning to mal, grinning the exact same way*

nikolai, winking at mal: hey, handsome

mal, cheeks going red:

[malsdarkling]

Alina: What did you two do? Nikolai: Mal: Alina: You’re not in trouble, I just need to know if I have to lie to the police again or not.

[evenbettershot]

“Do you take anything seriously?”

“Not if I can help it. Makes life so tedious”

[goblins-riddles-or-frocks]

mal is soooo bisexual.

this is just one of many examples!!!

[yeah-fo-sho]

MALINAWEEK | Day 1: book to screen

⤷But no matter who or what I was, I would have been yours. - Malyen Oretsev, Ruin and Rising

[milosupremacy]

Zoya: Nikolai is probably thinking about his fiancée

Nikolai’s thoughts: the blue ribbon in Zoya’s hair

[stromuprisahat]

An icon, not an instigator

Six of Crows- Chapter 35 (Leigh Bardugo)

I've been thinking about this passage in connection to LB's words on Darklina, not quite able to put into words why it didn't sit well with me. First the quote, courtesy of @aleksanderscult :

I've analysed what Aleksander meant by this in the reply mentioning said interview. To put it shortly- I don't think he meant he expects Alina to manage his behaviour. It goes against his characterisation he'd let anyone control him in such way. He merely expressed his willingness to listen to her, should she disagree with him due to her moral stance.

LB herself puts her issue with certain tropes into two points:

Women shouldn't be expected to act as men's babysitter. He should change by himself.

Women don't have to be good. They, themselves could be even worse.

Her logic is faulty in several places.

First of all a woman acting as "a healer" as LB calls it doesn't necessarily mean she's somehow responsible for her partner's behaviour. It's merely about her influence helping him to overcome trauma or other effects harmful experience had on him. I'd even argue it's closer to what Matthias describes above, than whatever could Alina offer the Darkling. Ever.

You'd need specific qualities Alina never possessed. Empathy, caring, some amount of selflessness... What's the point of "addressing" a notion that doesn't have a leg to stand on?

While I agree that "a man should be able to better himself on his own" Helnik passage above has an important weak spot. A man should be able to better himself on his own without such change being significantly tied to a single person, especially if he's "rewarded" for his progress by romantic relationship with said person.

Genuine change should be driven by recognition of one's faults and resulting desire to become a better person, not a promise of possible relationship dangling in front of them. One that would be otherwise impossible.

While Matthias specifically happens to be a paragon of virtue, and once The Realization™ strikes, he never really falters, never tries to return to his old beliefs, ordinary people tend to struggle and doubt new ways less beneficial to them personally. Especially if their motivation happens to be external.

What happens when the one, who inspired his change is no longer around? What if they break up, his old ties severed and new ones either all business or acquaintances made through the ex-partner? Or are we ignoring the possibility that losing the benefits such change produced could lead the man to slip back to harmful patterns of behaviour and thinking as a way to justify one's failure to maintain the relationship or straight up revenge for ending it?

I'm sure no man would ever even think about that. Who'd be so petty or simply lost?!

This is why Malyen's change in R&R isn't believable. He "realized" his coercion led Alina to suicide attempt instead of expected eternal faithfulness, so he went through 180° turn of his behaviour. It's too sudden and too "perfect". Merely a changed tactics of abuse we shouldn't mistake for genuine betterment. "Look what you were willing to abandon!"

Matthias' case could be roughly fixed in this passage- don't make it all about Nina. Have him remember questioning drüskelle philosophy when Brum proudly showed him the laboratory. Or when he watched the broken body of a boy, who was ~someone's~ friend- make that the impulse to help Nina bury him. Have him remember seeing other Grisha as human, so his faith in their humanity doesn't seem so sudden and pussy-blinded.

Malyen's case would be much more complicated. His vices ~targeted~ Alina specifically. They were never openly admitted, described as such, he was never properly called out on them, certainly not by Alina herself. His doubtful development happened mostly off page in a way resembling just another kind of manipulation, and it didn't take long for it to "earn" him EXACTLY what he always wanted pre-change. He doesn't seem to mind the negative impacts of it any more than he did Alina's failing health previously.

To sum up once again- yes, women shouldn't be those to "fix" their man, but not because it's just wrong to expect them to do men's work, but because true change has to come from the inside. Others can help you realize there are "better" ways, but YOU're the one, who has to change the way you think. (Unless we're in Dead Dove territory, exploring all sorts of manipulation.)

Secondly it's kinda ironic reading LB's take on "Woman's rights AND wrongs", considering her strong tendency to moralize, shame and punish for any seeming "vice". Sure, she eventually changes the tune to "Women can do no wrong.", but that's equally stupid and harmful as the above mentioned Victorian take.

The way the books are written viewed through the lens of the interview turns likely a well-meant sentiment into the notion woman's some passive idol to worship by laying change at her feet, which wow- double creepy. Certainly more empowering than intentionally influencing or even FORCING the man to adapt to her requirements.

[slimeyslimeyballsack]