#Saint for orphanges

[portraitsofsaints]

Saint Vincent Ferrer 1357-1419 Feast day: April 5 Patronage: builders, reconciliation, aid in storms, orphanages

Saint Vincent Ferrer was a Spanish Dominican during the Great Schism of the Church. He was a brilliant theologian and preacher, who preached throughout Europe. Because of his fiery sermons, with accompanied miracles, he is called the “Angel of Judgement” and “Flaming torch of chastity”. This is why he is depicted with wings and a flame over his head. He “built up” and strengthened the church thru missionary work, in his teaching as confessor and adviser. St. Vincent lived to see the end of the Great Schism.

Prints, plaques & holy cards available for purchase here: (website)

[euphoniumpets]

People you know | Nikolai Lantsov x Starkov! Reader

Summary: After growing up in Keramzin and revealing to be a Grisha after being tested, you got sent into the little palace for your training and got seperated from your sister and Mal. You always hated the place and would often cause trouble along with your childhood friend, Nikolai. But as the two of you grew older, you grew apart and you got sent into the Second Army to serve General Kirigan. Now, several years when you are grown up, you got to see Alina again when she's the Sun Summoner and after learning that you couldn't trust your General, you helped her to escape the little palace and you never thought enter on a ship where you meet your long lost childhood friend.

Requested? Yes by @persephonesportal: I absolutely adored your calm before the storm series! I was wondering if I could request a fluffy Nikolai x starkov!reader piece. Where reader is Alina’s older sister but instead of growing up together, they were separated after the death of their parents. Reader met Nikolai at a young age, where they viewed each other as their first love but reader was sent away. Alina and Reader meet again and everything canon wise happens. Reader ends up reuniting with Nikolai as Sturmhond on the ship.

A/N: aww, thank you! I really hope that we got to have a third season of shadow and bone so I can still continue writing for my husband lmao and i hope that they would let us see zoya and nikolai act with each other. because they robbed us in the last episode where they was in the same scene.

Warnings: slight angst.

Growing up after your parents died and then you and Alina would be sending off to Keramzin, you never thought that you would end up being tested and finding out that you were a Grisha in the first place. You didn't knew much of your parents history before you were sent into the orphange and whenever you would try to remember their faces, they were nothing more than a distant memory.

You secretly hoped that Alina and Mal would come with you to the little palace as they would call it, but the saints wasn't with you that day. You could remember how heartbroken you was while you tried to grab your sister's hand and Mal's but it was no use as they kept drifitng apart from you.

Ever since, you had been lonely in the little palace. You never consider befriending the other Grisha's since you were an outcast. However, you and Zoya befriended each other since you had always admired her with her Grisha powers. The two of you were friends through thick and thin and you were sad when she had to leave the little palace because she was going away for the second army.

Zoya was a year older than you and you knew it was soon enough for you to join her at the second army. The last couple of years, you stayed alone, mostly kept to yourself before you had arrived at the Grand Palace to serve the Lantsov family.

You met Nikolai there however, your friendship did not last when he disappeared one day. You heard that he was going overseas and you thought that he would leave a letter to you, but all he left to you was a bitter pain of abandonment.

To avoid that feeling, you left the Grand Palace and joined the Second Army. You got to meet Zoya again and you heard a certian map maker would join too.

You walked through the camp, hoping that you would find a certian duo since you knew that they would come as a pair. And to your luck, you spotted Alina and Mal talking with each other.

''Y/N!'' You heard your sister exclaim as soon she turned around and saw your blue kefta. Grinning, you didn't hesitate to run toward her and Mal before erupting them into a hug. ''Saints, you are alive,'' Alina laughed.

''Of course I am alive, you never getting rid of me that easily, sis,'' You remarked before embracing Mal. ''They never taught you manners back at the little palace, huh?'' Mal teased you, making you roll your eyes at him. ''They could never,''

''You're not a little boy anymore,'' You commented and looked at Mal. You almost forgot how long it was since you saw them last at the Keramzin and Mal had grown since then. ''I almost forgot how long it has been since we saw each other,'' You replied.

''Yes, but now that you are here, let's catch up!'' Alina grinned before looping her arms around you.

-

Never in a million ways you thought that you would survive the Fold and see the searing burst of light that came out of your sister. It was at that moment, you knew you had to protect her, knowing that dangerous people couldn't be trusted.

The other Grisha dragged Alina away from you and Mal as you demanded to see your sister back at the little palace. Mal was worried sick, but you assured him that you would be next to by her side.

The General had been kind enough to let you and Alina stay in the same room and be together again. It had been so long and you almost forgot how it felt to have her by your side again after being apart for so long.

However, after several days with her training with the General, Alina told you that he couldn't be trusted. And to yor surpise, Baghra helped you escape the little palace. And now, several days later you had survived the attack of the General in the Fold, running away to find the amplifiers.

You and Alina had gone to the library in Novyi zem while Mal was gone and tried to find some information about the Firebird. Although while Alina tried to hide that she was the sun summoner, it did not went well when the first army came running after the three of you, leading now that the people of Novyi Zem helped you to get away from them.

You all tried to figure out a way to escape from Novyi Zem and for your luck, you saw a private ship in front of you. You, Mal, and Alina was studying the ship as you hide yourself behind some barrells.

‘’Only two ships in a harbor town? Something’s not right,’’ Mal stated.

‘’Maybe Bohdan ordered them away?’’ You replied with a frown. ‘’But the first Army doesn’t have the jurisdiction here,’’ Mal told you. 

‘’Perhaps the promise of 20 million Kruge is good enough to buy our access to the docks,’’ Alina remarked and showed the newspaper of her and Kirigian to Mal. ‘’I wish he was alive just so I could punch that face again,’’ Mal spoke. ‘’Thanks to him, the whole world sees me as a traitorous villain,’’ Alina replied as you sighed and grabbed the paper before you knuckled it down and tossed it away. 

‘’Yeah, well, they’re wrong,’’ You told her. ‘’Valiant of you, but I’m sure they printed more than one,’’ Alina said to you with a smile. ‘’Eh, whatever, it wasn’t a good use to us anyway,’’ You replied with a shrug. ‘’So, what now?’’ Alina asked and looked at you and Mal. 

‘’We find the Sea Whip,’’ You spoke, and you narrowed your eyes. ‘’Hang on,’’ You told them. ‘’That ship’s not flying any flag, it’s private,’’ You replied as Alina looked at you. 

‘’Which means, it can be chartered,’’ Alina said, and you nodded with hope. ‘’Okay, come on,’’ Alina urged and grabbed her bag. You stepped up from the ground and grabbed your bag, since you sat between Alina and Mal, you saw the corner of your eyes as Mal grabbed Alina by the cheek before kissing her lips. 

''Alright, stop kissing each other's faces and let'ts go love birds,'' You responded. Mal and Alina gave each other a look before following after you.

‘’Hey, stop, we need a charter out of here immediately,’’ You spoke as Alina and Mal trailed behind. You saw one woman and one male standing in front of you with a sword behind your back. ‘’We can pay,’’ You told them as you gestured toward Mal, who handed you a golden pin. ‘’It’s gold,’’ You told her and handed the pin to the woman. 

‘’That’ll do,’’ She shrugged her shoulders and gave the pin to the man next to her. ‘’Come on then, hurry up, I’ll take you to the captain,’’ The man spoke as you nodded, glancing at Alina and Mal before following him to the ship. 

'’Thank you,’’ You replied. 

‘’You, stop!’’ A voice spoke and the three of you turned around to see Bohdan approaching you. ‘’You want to fight, Ravka? Hey?’’ The woman commented as she brought her ax from behind. ‘’That man and that woman is a deserter of the First Army,’’ He scowled and pointed toward you and Mal. 

‘’They belong to our custody,’’ 

‘’Is that so? All right then,’’ The woman told him before she turned to the ship. ‘’Ravka wants a fight!’’ She shouted as she grabbed the other ax and the people began to show their weapons. You chuckled to yourself when you saw the reaction on Bohdan. ‘’I don’t want to escalate the fight with Shu Han,’’ He responded as he saw the male and you guessed it was the woman’s brother grabs his sword from behind and approached him. ‘’We’re not with Shu, we’re independent,’’ He commented. 

‘’Maybe save your bullets for the war, old man?’’ The woman questioned him. ‘’First Army needs to know its place,’’

-

As soon you stepped into the ship while Tolya led you to their captain, your heart almost stopped when you saw the familiar face in front of you. You never thought that you would meet him again after so many years of trying to find him but stopped since you lost hope.

Nikolai had met your gaze with wide eyes and from the moment you met him, he didn't wore his uniform but as a pirate uniform and it was then you understood he escaped from the palace. You knew Nikolai and could read him easily even that you had been torn apart form each other for so long.

You couldn't help but feel the ache in your heart when he looked at you with pleading look. No matter how angry you felt toward him, for leaving you alone, you stood silent and avoided his eyes as he kept talking with Alina.

After some arguments of not letting her go to the Fjerdans, Nikolai led you to the down below deck, as you were trying to catch some sleep for the upcoming days of finding the amplifiers. However, you couldn't sleep since you couldn't stop thinking about him.

It had been so long that you saw him and he was different. He had grown up into a man since the last time you saw him.

You walked up to the ship since you couldn't sleep and stared at the sea. You noticed that someone was walking toward you and you saw Nikolai standing next to you. ''I thought you were asleep,'' You heard him speak to you.

''I thought so too,'' You responded. ''I'm sorry,'' He said and looked at you. You scoffed slightly.

''You left me,''

''I know,''

''I know that I can't repay you for what I did...'' Nikolai stated and let out a heavy sigh. ''But I still care for you,''

''If you cared, you would've stayed or at least take me with you,'' You argued and faced him. ''But you didn't,''

''And nothing could ever repay that,'' You replied before leaving him alone at the deck, ignoring the ache in your heart.

[mastcrmarksman]

I loved the other one so ooooh thoughts on hawkdevil then 😊

Send me a potential ship with my/our muses, and I’ll give my thoughts on it.

also influenced by you.

a litle 616 canon context, although we aren't going fully with this four some event pulled from 616 some pulled from nmcu, you know the fusion universe. 616 canon, they actually don't have a lot of content history. besides the fact, they met in 1973; in daredevil vol 1, issue 99; because Daredevil had been dating Natasha at the time, and Natasha had Clint's only major love interest (besides his little crush on wanda and somee other flings) at the time; so as the decade goes, Clint was incredibly jealous and challenged Daredevil. You've probably seen the panels.

So first, they are kind of rivals and rub each other the wrong way. They don't really intersect a lot besidees Hawkeye and Daredevil existing in the same spaces after that. When Fractin/Waid era was going on, they seemto have reconciled whatever differences had, given DD would go to Hawkeye/Clint for leads and information; probably had some working relationship as Clint kind of plays both sides of the same coin. He is both an Avenger and hero who sticks to major teams, while also doing his own private "pro bono" hero work and acts as a street vigilante himself; so that's probably how DD and Clint got along, from mutual work spaces and such.

Finishing off this brief 616 canon look; we obviously have them being at odds again, and this is when Clint probably only major reference for knowing Matt as Matt (he probably knew matt a little through matt taking on other hero cases) is when Matthew is the PROSECUTOR / "For the People" attonery on the case and trial of Clint killing Bruce; which originally was looking at a possible death sentence, and heavily swaaying in the prosecutions favor. So much so that when brought up to Matt, he realizes that trial has not been fair/just. And the final time that DD and Hawkeye have crossed was when Matt headed the "Task Force" to hunt down and ended "Ronin's" activities in the city (this was when wilson fisk was mayor; so there was a major crack down on superheroes, both registered/super team and vigilantes with private/secret idenities).

So canonly, they don't have a lot going to thm, but like there is deftinitely something to be said between the two. As fanon expresses, you know they are Blind and Deaf, heroes with disabilties. That would be something for them talk about, to relate to in different ways, and ways with which means they do not mesh with the abled world. Additionally, and comics and otherwise, they are both kind of jerks who are disasters, who ultimately are at fault for their romantic relations failing. Additioanlly, they were both young boys mentored by older men (trickshot & swordsman, and stick), who manipulative and pseudo replacements for their dead fathers; whom ultimately when faced with their mentors again later in life, don't immediately see the manipulation or grooming done to them, or even forgive their mentors or their mentors are their weakness. i could also throw throw out. they both have major girlfriends that die that affeect for literal years in their comic canon. (bobbi & karen).

Going more specific with our boys, whom I love, and they havee a very time with each other. Clint's got some not unpacked religious feelings, because he grow up in middle of midwest, small conservative town iowa; he went to an orphange, Saint Ignautis, which sounds Catholic; and so there is something there that I have been thinking and exploring with Clint. I think he is raised under God, and he loses some of that faith and distance himself, andd more athetist in the sense that, he'd be anger with and think that god iss dead or abandonned, than anything else. So that's something that could be something between the two that gives them a deeper link, or thing to talk about with each other.

I think that with them, Clint and Matt kind of just happen, in this well that is the lawyer hired by the Avengers or other superheroes this one time or another; and Clint happens upon his offices or him in a bar, and Clint's a neighborly guy; teases Matt about lawyering for superheroe, but generally thinks he is an okay guy, and Clint doe his new age old gimmick of just "me? i'm just a guy" and that's how it is.

Then obivously, he knows Daredevil, DD's been invited to superhero functions and gatherings (i literally was just reading an issue where thre's a weddding with janet and yellowjacket who is hank; and you see DD in the background) cause vigilantes do get to weight and have a working relationship with super teams; and then Clint tends to cover Brooklyn and Manhattan (which hell's kitchen is a neighborhood in the manhattan borough) so he and DD end up running into each other, and on the occasion work together.

which only makes things awkward and funnyl; when clint is maybe dating one of Matt's idenities, and then runs into another. (the funniest thing is the idea of which clint finds out matt is dd. or dd is matt. is caue clint's "lips dont lie" (this is canon. this is canon. clint kissed "fake wanda (loki)" and immediately outed her as "not wanda" because he just knew by that kiss. has to kiss the other and he's likee "shit that's my boyfriend's lips" that'd be funny; but you know. eventually matt and dd are gonna collide in clint's life. but clint is good about secret idenities with people, and he tends to take reveals very well too.

i think of them just vibing on late nights, only form of communication between the two is touch; becaue clint's aids are out, so the only way matt reaches clint is touch, and through the same clint will reach matt with touch back. and both of their couchs are very familiar, and clint's allowed matt to rearrange his apartment and that's how everything stays, for the sake of matt when he's there, and clint will if asked ultimately givee up his apartment (not the building. he just won't be a live-in landlord) and be where his partner is. and just once they get over their (clint's) little egos and reasons to butt heads, soft and respecting, and i love them and it's your fault, ce (affectionate) <3

[ruins-and-rewritez]

DAY 4: SUGAR: Nina

Celebrations are few and far between. Birthdays are a collective. The Feast of Saint Nikolai is always meager. Saints Day is a day for reverance and prayer. Adoption days, rare.

There have been only two since Nina stepped foot in the orphange. There was a third, only to be cancelled when the boy acidentally set his bed on fire during a nightmare. He still smelt like ash when the Grisha came to take him to the Little Palace.

Today is special, Nina knows, because the staff in the kitchen is busy at work. A special vistor perhaps? An adoption? She isn't sure of the details, but she sits eagerly on her stool watching Baba Inessa kneading the bread.

Fluffy, white flour bursts up in little clouds with each rotation of the dough. Steaming seas of boiling water spit out puffs of steam. A kettle whistles and one of the ovens clinks when the door closes. The room smells buttery and sweet like the Feast two years ago when everyone got their own minature pastry to enjoy.

Nina's was filled with a dark jelly that left little pinpricks of flavor along her tongue with every bite.

She giggles, remembering the pinched look on Tomek's face when he found his own filled with green apple jam instead of the strawberry he'd been expecting.

Baba raises a brow at Nina, confused about her strange outburst.

Nina just shrugs in response, stifling another giggle.

"Would you like to help?"

Nina jumps at the question, most of the time the women in the kitchen prefer that she keep out of the way. But on handful of occasions they've rewarded her good behavior with a place beside them.

She moves in front of the spongey dough, waiting for direction or instruction. She knows that this will be bread she just isn't sure how she's going to make it that way.

Baba Inessa's hand are soft and worn, though they are gentle are she shows Nina hows to spread and knead. She guides her attention to a mixture in the bowl beside them. How to work the light brown powder in evenly. How to twist the dough into an intricate knot.

She explains in calm, measured words why they have to give it rest before to goes into the oven.

Nina helps whittle down the growing pile of dishes while it sits temptingly a few feet away.

She dives in with gusto, given the task of crushing fresh walnuts for the outer crust. Sprinkling them carefully over the top, before stepping back to let Baba slide their creation into the burning oven

It feels like a long time before the bread comes out, golden brown and piping hot. Even longer sitting on the cooling rack by the open window before Nina can see the end result.

Pride wells up in her at the sight of it. Flaky and glistening, like the loaves she seen in the patisserie window when Nina helped carry supplies back from town. Her mouth waters from it.

Baba Inessa smiles at her young charge, expertly slicing the bread into squat browned slices.

When she's through she hands Nina the thin heels of crust before loading the rest onto a fine china plate.

Cinnamon explodes in her mouth after her first bite. The few walnuts clinging to the end give a satisfactory crunch. Nina is sure its one of the best things she's ever made.

She can taste the sugar of it as the older members of Ravka's Grisha Order lead her away.

[dylanobrienisbatman]

The main problem with the whole mal vs the darkling thing in regards to being possessive (or really when it comes to any of their traits) is the fact that throughout, the darkling is clearly framed as the villain and his actions reflect that, whereas Mal as supposed to be the good guy and best romantic partner for Alina, and yet he has all these awful character traits and tendencies. So its less about how awful the Bad Guy is (since he's supposed to be), and more about how awful the person that we're supposed to believe is the best option for Alina is. I don't ship either, just my two cents.

Okay well... two things. First, your comment about "its less about how awful the bad guy is, since he's supposed to be", takes every comment I've made about Darkles out of context, which seems fitting since everything Darklina's spout about Mal is out of context. Him being the Bad Guy is fine, and if you like him AS A VILLAIN, and acknowledge all the bad shit he does, then my posts aren't for you. I think he's a very interesting villain, and a lot of the terrible shit he does that I have to keep making posts about make him a good villain, the problem is when the terrible shit the "Bad Guy" does is romanticized and viewed as the reasons why Alina SHOULD have picked him. So, don't assume everyone gets that "hes supposed to be awful". The point my post was making is that Darklina's love to call Mal possessive, but then turn around and act like Darkles literally enslaving her in somehow sexy and romantic. It's fucking not, and it's transparent as hell that y'all romanticize and sexualize the actually possessive character, and then project false character traits onto Mal. It's so transparent, it's almost funny.

But, more importantly, to your second, very wrong point, I wonder how much of the narrative about Mal having "awful character traits and tendencies" is actually a commentary on Mal as a character, or is it just Darklina's lying about things Mal has done and everyone accepting that misinterpretation as canon. Because, if were making a list...

Fuck boy - False! Mal was not a fuck boy! He was an attractive teenager who hooked up with consenting girls his age when he could, and he was not in a relationship during that time. Alina had never told him how she felt, so he is not beholden to her. (Also, nobody seems to have an issue with the fact that Darkles hooked up with Zoya in the show, that doesn't make HIM a fuckboy... interesting) (also also, nobody seems to discuss Darkles literally sexually assaulting Alina, and lying and manipulating her to get her to be physically intimate with him so he can use her... double interesting).

Slut Shames Alina - FALSE! The ever favourite callout line from Darklina's "He's all over you" isn't him slut shaming her. First, he has no idea what their relationship is like at that point, but more importantly, he is making an observation of her status in the little palace and how she has become his tool. He has dressed her up in his colors, made her put on a show for his benefit, and has created a situation where Alina appears to be his. Mal is noting that after months of searching for her, believing she was being hurt, tortured, or worse, when he arrives to save her, she looks like the Darkling's pet. (and, even if he WAS angry because he perceived them to be romantically involved, boy just spent months fighting for his life, lost multiple friends, and almost died to find her, all while coming to the realisation that he was in love with her, and then he shows up, after not hearing from her for months... I'd be pissed as hell too.) Important Note: He even acknowledges that what he said was wrong and tries to apologise, before Alina tells him that he was right. (Shadow and Bone, pg. 286). He also then apologizes, completely unprompted, for what he said. (Shadow and Bone, pg. 297).

Fat Shames Alina - False! This one is particularly laughable to me, because its one of the Darklina arguments that falls apart the second you actually read the scene. They are running for their lives in the forest, and Mal has to hunt and gather to feed them. He is noting that Alina's appetite has increased since he last saw her, and he makes a joke (ya know, how you do with friends) about how it would be easier to keep her fed if she still had her more meager appetite from before. He makes no comment on her weight, or her size, and he is not actually commenting on her appetite in a negative way, he is just acknowledging that it's a lot more work for him now that she eats more. Right before he says the line, the quote even proves that he isn't shaming her or thinking badly of her: "With a bemused expression, he watched as I gobbled down my portion and then sighed, still hungry". He is noting a change in her, and complaining that its made more work for him. If you think thats the same as fat shaming, well... thats a you problem.

Hates Alina's Powers - FALSE!!!! How to begin... do we talk about it was Mal's idea to hunt the stag in S&B, because he knew she needed it to be more powerful so she could stop the darkling? Do we talk about how he vowed to find the firebird for her, even though he was terrified of what all that power would do to her? Do we talk about how he literally died so she could achieve the power she needed to save the world? Or maybe we could talk about how he believed in her power more than anyone else, like when everyone was making bets about her abilities with the Cut and he knew she'd go further and better than anyone else expected her too, or when he tells her that he was never afraid of her powers, only what seeking all that power would do to her (which is literally the theme of the books, that power corrupts and seeking unmatched power can destroy you)? Mal being afraid of what is going to happen to Alina, being protective of her and worrying over her, is not the same as him hating her powers. He exists to help remind Alina of the themes of the story, and to guide her into maintaining her humanity.

Abusive - ... Do I even need to explain this one? Must I deign an explanation as to why this favourite Darklina lie is so fucking stupid, and also totally hypocrisy? No? Because we all know Darkles is actually the abusive one and they're trying to project their own shit onto Mal to further their abuse apologist agenda? Cool. Moving on.

Possessive of Alina - False! Throughout the entire series, Mal is quite literally the opposite of possessive, but yall just cant read. Not only does he quite literally step out of the way and allow Nikolai to court Alina without argument, which is the most direct example of him not being possessive, he also spends two full books believing, and repeatedly saying over and over and over, that they can't be together because he is not good enough for her. Mal believes, fully, that Alina deserves more than him, better than him, because he's just a tracker and a soldier, just a regular man with nothing to offer her but his love and his protection, and she is a Saint and should be a Queen. Possessiveness is the wish to own and control someone, it is literally the opposite of Mal believing that he's not good enough and doing everything he can to ensure that Alina achieves everything and gets everything he believes she is owed. A possessive character would not tell her to tell him to leave because he has nothing he can offer her, no title or land or country or crown. A possessive character would not promise to be the blade in her hand, because he believed he had nothing but the blood he could spill to offer her.

Angry - True! Yeah, omg, you caught us, Mal is ANGRY! Heaven forbid a teenager who is traumatized beyond belief and has to give up everything in his life, his position in the military (he deserted for her), his friends and the job he loved (Mikhail and Dubrov died for him, and he can't be a tracker in the army... because he deserted... for Alina), and, most importantly, he has to give up Alina (she should be Queen, he believes, and he has to give up the future he imagined with the girl he loves, who he was pretty sure loved him back, because she's a saint and queen and he's just a man), and more, is ANGRY. He has to be the one to find the amplifiers that he knows will end up hurting her, because thats what she needs to save the world. He has to sit by while Nikolai treats him like the dirt on his shoe and tries to woo Alina for his own personal gain (because Nikoalai did not love Alina. Maybe he came to care for her, but he proposed and spent all of S&S trying to get her to marry him when it was obvious they were not in love. He straight up says its so that the next King of Ravka can be married to the Sun Summoner. It's a power grab.) and he can't do anything about it. So yeah, Mal is angry. And yeah, sometimes he's even angry at Alina, just like sometimes she's angry at him. But they always find their way back, always apologize and try to be better for each other, and if you think anger is a toxic trait, and not simply a natural human emotion, might I suggest touching some fucking grass?

Idk why you thought I'd stand for Mal slander on my blog, cuz I will not. So, I'm gonna stop there, because I have shit to do today, but I really do wonder how much of Mal's 'toxic' or 'terrible' traits, that make him such a 'bad' love interest for Alina, really comes from Darklina's who refuse to actually read the text critically at all, and instead take everything he does and says out of context to further their agenda that Alina should have ended up as the Darkling's fucking slave forever, because thats the "girl power feminist" ending somehow. Mal supports her, loves her, sacrifices for her at every turn, and does everything he can do, to the point of literally dying for her, to ensure that she can defeat Darkles and save the world. He protects her, and when they end up happy and safe together on the orphange that they've rebuilt to help the children that were victims of Darkles war and genocide, he spends his days bringing her tea and cakes and flowers, kissing her silly under the stairs in the view of all the teachers, and calling her names like beauty, beloved, cherished, my heart for the rest of their ordinary life together, if love can ever be called that.

[a-dreamingflower]

My Favorite Hamilton Lines

“Ay, yo yo yo, what time is it?!” “sHOW TIME!!!” “Onarchy! onarchy? onarchy.... how you say..? Ah! ANARCHY” “anD pEGGY” “my dog speaks more eloquently~” “sILenCe!” “i will send a fully armed battalion to remind me of your love~! <3″ “im just saying if you really loved me you would share him~” “hA!” “‘cause if the tOMcaT can get mARRieD~! therE’S hOPe foR oUr asS aFtEr aLL!” “death doesn’t discriminate between the sinners and the saints, it takes and it takes, and we keep living anyway, we rise and we fall and we break and we make our mistakes. and if there’s a reason im still alive when everyone who loves me has died, then im willing to wait for it” “im a general! whEeeEEEeEEEeE!” “duel before the sun is in the sky, pick a place to die where its high and dry~” “oh, let me be a part of the narrative, of the story they will right someday. let this moment be the first chapter where you decide to stay~.” “IMTAKINGTHISHORSEBYTHEREINSMAKINGREDCOATSREDDERWITHBLOODSTAINS. LAFAYETTE!” “Immigrants, we get the job done!” “awEsoME! wOW!” “look at my SON!” “I wAs cHoSen fOr thE coNsTituTionaL ConvEnTioN~!” “Bright young man.” “Yo, who the f is this?!” “What’d i miss? Virginia my home sweet home I wanna give you a kiss!” (muah) “with a comma after Dearest, you’ve written My Dearest, Angelica~” “fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu-” “Madison and Jefferson are merciless” “well, ain’t the sin love the sinner?” “im erasing myself from the narrative, let future historians wonder how eliza reacted when you broke her heart.” “Everything is legal in New Jersey!“ “sept huit neuf....” “... its quiet uptown..” “FORGIVENESS~” “can i show you what im proudest of~” “The Orphanage” “I establish the first private orphanage in New York City” “The Orphange” “I help raise hundreds of children, i get to see them growing up!” “The Orphanage” “In their eyes I see you Alexander~ I see you everytime~”

[dylanobrienisbatman]

I literally do not understand, like I really don’t get it, how anyone could think the Darkling and Alina make a good pair. I can seriously ship Alina with everyone (hell even Nikolai) but him, cause it’s just so obvious that he’s hurting her. I don’t know, it’s literally impossible for me to see it. I don’t like the Darkling like at all, cause I don’t really think he’s well written, that’s is. I don’t consider him a well written villain but if somehow I did, I still wouldn’t ship him with Alina? I’d ship him with an evil OC? Cause to me it’s just something that totally doesn’t work and IT’S MEANT NOT TO WORK.

And as a Malina shipper, I must say that I’m tired of hearing that Alina “chose Mal” over the Darkling cause that’s not what happened. Alina didn’t have to choose between two guys, that’s not what the story is about. This is about Alina REFUSING the Darkling and that’s it. She chose HAPPINESS, and her happiness meant Mal, Genya, Zoya, Nikolai, Tamar, Tolya, Nadia, Misha etc... It’s not about what love story is better. What made me love the ending of the series wasn’t that Alina “chose the good guy over the bad guy”, it was that she wanted to get away from something/someone that hurt her and she MANAGED TO DO IT.

And a book targeted for teenagers published in 2012 (aka the period were toxic relationships where romanticized SO MUCH) that treats such themes, it’s really far more interesting than a story about a girl falling in love with a villain.

(Sorry for the long ask lmao)

Okay, well, sorry for the long response, but this is a WHOLE mood.

I personally think the Darkling is a well written villain, but that's mostly because he has the exact effect on the fanbase that Leigh was trying to prove by writing him the way she did, that attractive men can get away with pretty much anything because of their charm and their pretty faces, but overall I find him pretty lacking in a lot of ways. As an abuser, manipulator, and groomer, so specifically in his interactions with Alina, i think he's great, but overall in the story i find him kind of meh.

But honestly same!! Like honestly, I'm not really someone who enjoys "dark" ships. There are a few 'dark' ships that I've liked over the years, like early days Damon/Elena and Chuck/Blair (lol... to your point about romanticized toxic relationships...), but I was a lot younger when I was really invested in those ships, and as I've gotten older I really don't see the appeal in them as much as I used too. So I'm probably not the authority on what makes a good "dark" ship. But to each their own! Ship what you want! But to me, i hate it. Why would I want my heroine to be with someone who abuses her? Why would I want a strong female character to end up with someone who subjugates and controls her, and harms the people she loves? It's just not for me.

And yeah!! It's the misinterpretation of the ending that truly gets me. Alina would never choose the Darkling. Even if Mal had really died, and Alina had gone fully insane, I still dont think she would have been with him. If she had gone dark and went full power hungry crazy, I think she would have still killed him (@mal-zoya said it super well in this post). He hurt her friends, people she loves, like Nikolai and Genya, like Zoya, like Ana Kuya and the other teachers at the orphange, like Mal, and he hurt her. Even if she decided she wanted to become this immortal all powerful evil Grisha queen, it still makes no sense to think that she would side with the man who enslaved her. It just... doesn't make sense.

Alina didn't choose Mal OVER someone else, (possibly Nikolai, but still... not really? she never loved Nikolai?), she chose the life she wanted over the lives she didn't want. Even after her powers were taken from her (she did NOT give them up, despite what some people want to claim), she still could have become the Queen with Nikolai, or spent her life revered as Sankta Alina, but she chose to go live an ordinary life, full of ordinary things, full of friends who adored her and children who admired her and a husband who loved her.

I think the biggest thing that always gets lost is that the men in the story that were her 'choices', much like the hunger games 'love triangle', aren't just love interests. They represent paths that Alina can take during the story.

The Darkling represents greed and corruption. He represents a path where Alina loses sight of everything that is important to her and becomes the evil she is trying to defeat. Alina choosing The Darkling would be her loosing herself to her trauma and becoming a malevolent villain who torments the people she was meant to protect.

Nikolai represents political power and the need to be loved and worshiped by the people. He represents a path where Alina gives up the things she has always wanted for herself in pursuit of status and political power. Alina choosing Nikolai, and becoming the Queen, would be her abandoning her true calling, as the savior and protector of the people of Ravka, to rule them instead.

Mal represents humanity, sacrifice, and her true self. He represents the path Alina begins and ends the story on. Discovering that she is the Sun Summoner thrusts Alina into a life she didn't want as a child and never wanted, even by the end of the story. Harnessing the power of Morozova hurts her, and almost kills her. Accepting Nikolai's proposal makes her feel lonely, uncomfortable, and out of place. Alina choosing Mal, and by extension an ordinary life with the people she loves, represents Alina choosing to follow her heart, and to use her power for its true intention, to protect the people of Ravka and the world.

The power of the Sun Summoner wasn't granted to Alina so she could rule the world as some malevolent god-like figure, or be worshiped as a Saint, or rule the world as some immortal queen. The power of the Sun Summoner existed so that one day, someone who was pure of heart could step up and save the people of Ravka from the darkness and peril brought by The Darkling. The power of the Sun Summoner was granted to Alina because she had a pure heart, and because of her pure heart, she could withstand the greed for power, the corruption of the amplifiers, and the draw of political power and fame, to do the right thing and bring balance and peace back to the world. Her story is a beautiful thing because it reminds us that sometimes, the most important thing we can be is human, and kind.