#anyway. about malina herself?

[flustersnaggle]

“WHAT, GONNA CRY?”ㅤ

malina loveday (she/her) — gloomy // lazy // mean

[lilisouless]

Grishaverse love stories in a Bridgerton like Au

Most images are from Pinterest, if the original person where I got them wants me to take them down I will

Kanej

-They are lady Whistledown, meaning Inej gets the secrets and Kaz publishes them , probably in order to distract the town from radical groups

-Kaz gets a deal with noble man Per Haskell , he must help Inej marry a nobleman. Part of the share would go to Per Haskell and Inej wants the rest to travel and find her family that she lost after being kidnapped.

-Kaz tries to set her up with Lord Wylan Van eck , ignoring his own feelings due to lack of noble titles and the money she needs, while Inej believes this is simply because he prefers the monetary compensation than her and she needs the money anyway

Zoyalai

-Very similar to the books,Nikolai is the heir to the Ravka crown after the death of his brother Vasily. After losing her family in a mysterious fire, Lady Zoya has lost more of her property and she is no longer a candidate to be courted. The favors lean towards princess Ehri from Shu Han or Lady Alina who was just found to be a rich heiress.

-Despite her lack of richness, Lady Zoya has a high status as the King’s confidant , it’s famously beautiful and every man wishes to be the one to conquer her cold heart,Count Kirigin has his eyes in her

-Lady Zoya’s work is to advice the king about the his best option, Lady Alina seems the safest since Princess Ehri may have inner plans ,Zoya also must help him hide his status as a born bastard. This gets complications, in an attempt to hide King Nikolai’s visit to his real father, Zoya has to twist it and makes it believe she has an affair with the king, that the letters that she burned were love letters from each other (actually The queen and Magnus Opjer’s letters)

-Zoya needs a plan, Nikolai must still marry one of the candidates so she fakes an affair that will end up with the future king dumping her for one of the girls. If she is lucky,Count Kirigin won’t be too put off by this but she is not against the idea of becoming a spinster. Complications arise when in one of their affair fake outs, their flirting scales too much and becomes a real thing.

Malina

-As said above, Alina Starkov was a worker on an orphanage, she was losing hope in her childhood friend confessing to her. One day he is enlisted in the army ,Alina decides to confess to him instead but just as she is going to his place to say her goodbyes she is forcefully taken. She finds out she is a lost heiress and it’s taken to the palace to be a candidate for the king’s hand

-At the beginning she acts uneducated to not get chosen, but one day she gets the news that Mal is nowhere to be found,presumed dead,body not found.Alina spends months in mourning, acting normal in public,making friends with the company lady Genya but crying the whole night. She eventually tries to distract herself by doing something with her fortune and spends some on her old orphanage and it’s both admired and frowned upon for “acting like a normal not noble ,woman” . She becomes a dismissive public figure,some want her to marry the king,some fear her to be a radical

-One day she is having a secret walk in the stables and find someone: her friend Mal,a deserter now. Alina needs to keep hiding Mal,who poses as a servant and visits her at night with the excuse of guarding her door,they both need to find a way to elope

[koroleva-nazyalensky]

I have my grievances with season 2, sure, but one thing they did do is conclude it in a way that I personally would have loved the Grisha Trilogy to have ended the first time around.

Like obviously, I would’ve loved more Darklina. BUT, we’ve been living off of crumbs for years now, and they made Mal less of an asshole in the show, so I knew we weren’t going to get much post war room anyways. I’m sad the tethered scenes got cut short (RIP this isn’t real—let me) and he didn’t die in her arms, BUT he didn’t say she was nothing so I’ll take that as a win.

That said, I’ve always thought that an intriguing aspect of Alina’s character development is her affinity for power.

In the book, it scares her how much she wants it because it positions her in league with the Darkling.

"You were meant to be my balance, Alina.  You are the only person in the world who might rule with me, who might keep my power in check."

"And who will balance me?"

She fears it, and quashes her hunger for it time and time again, for Mal, for her own sanity. And yet, she doesn’t get a choice when she loses it. That loss permeates through everything, even her quiet life in Keramzin.

“Sometimes he would find her standing by a window, fingers playing in the beams of sunlight that streamed through the glass…”

This quiet life she defaults to makes sense for her character because her agency in the books wavers frequently and she’s very affected by Mal’s disdain for her abilities (for like the first TWO BOOKS–). But is frankly, boring as hell for a former saint. And, like the Darkling in a way, I did think she could deign to accomplish more.

In the scenario she’s placed in at the end of season 2, not only has she distanced herself from Mal willingly, but she gets the chance to be Grisha without the Darkling looming over her. She uses Merzost to revive Mal, has full control over her powers with all three amplifiers at her disposal, and used the cut, completely destroying a Grisha under the influence of Jurda Parem. On top of all this, she has fully accepted her role as Sankta Alina and is on her way to be Queen of Ravka. 

Think about the implications of this. A big theme in the books is that *ouat voice* all magic comes with a price, dearie. If Alina gets to keep her powers, it’s implied that she also gets to keep her prolonged life. She is at an all time high, her impulse controls are dead and out at sea, and her inflated pride has the potential to lead her to THE MOST satisfying fall.

When she uses the cut (in the same way the Darkling does) the upshot and shadow in her eyes as her mouth upturns slowly–UGH I’m honestly living for it. And like, we know she needs something to do while the crows are out there ice court heisting right? RIGHT? I’m not saying this is where I saw this show going, but since we’re here in this HD fanfiction world why NOT have Dark!Alina? How would show!Alina, crack under the Apparat’s influence? Who’s going to be her balance when the Darkling and Mal are gone and Nikolai is literally dealing with his own demon?*cough* and falling for Zoya *cough* What would it take to get this girl’s hair white? And what do I have to do to get a Yurified Darkling in the same room as her?

On that thought, (pardon my unabashed love for drama, I am a Darklina girlie in this Malina world above it all) if we even get to some version of the KOS Duology, does this mean she’ll still be Grisha when the Darkling comes back as the Black Heretic? Will she be queen? A mad saint shunned in the same way he was? A self-fulfilling prophecy? How absolutely delicious would that reunion be? For her to stab the monster and then become him? She wouldn’t be able to look him in the eyes and take the high ground like she did in the sanatorium scene. Everything he tried to warn her about would come to fruition. They could face each other as equals who made some decisions and just like retire together for eternity. (My delusional Darklina shipping ass is brought to you by Start a War btw… I read it immediately after Ruin and Rising on ff.net the first time around, I highly suggest it if you too are suffering)

To get back to the point, were it not for the Duology and the Zoyalai of it all, I’d honestly be for the Sol Koroleva route all the way. I mean, look at her!!!

Don’t you just want to see her gain the world, and then lose it all in the time it takes the crows to break Matthias of Hellgate? You can’t tell me a season 3 with an OP Sankta Alina dealing with post-civil war Ravka wouldn’t be entertaining at the very least.

Like, of course at the end of the day I want Zoyalai endgame with blue ribbons and rings the size of an acorn, peep the url, besties. But GUYS come ON we know how these things go. Mal’s gonna come back, reign her in and they’ll eventually end up in that boring orphanage with a cat or whatever anyways. In the meantime, we could have so much fun!

If you approach the show as you would fanfic, it’s not as maddening. Trust me, I’m a Darklina shipper and a Zoyalai shipper– you can’t even get to one of those without stabbing and burning the other. I know the showrunners would sooner give us some random love triangle with Tolya and Inej (a topic for another day) than all this but a girl can DREAM.

In conclusion, I did not prematurely lose David for nothing, I need to know where they’re going with this, so please be more chill so we get that unhinged season 3, thank you.

[twwpress]

Weekly Press Briefing #69: October 15th-21st

Welcome back to the Weekly Press Briefing, where we bring you highlights from The West Wing fandom each week, including new fics, ongoing challenges, and more! This briefing covers all things posted from October 15 - October 21, 2023! Did we miss something? Let us know; you can find our contact info at the bottom of this briefing! 

Challenges/Prompts:

There are no open challenges/prompts that we know of this week. Do you have a challenge or event you’d like us to promote or know of one we’re missing? Be sure to get in touch with us! Contact info is at the bottom of this briefing.

This Week in Canon:

Welcome back to This Week in Canon, where we revisit moments in The West Wing that occurred on these dates during the show’s run.

Season 1, Episode 5: The Crackpots and These Women aired on October 20, 1999.

Season 2, Episode 3: The Midterms aired on October 18, 2000.

Season 3, Episode 2: Manchester Part II aired on October 17, 2001.

Season 4, Episode 5: Debate Camp aired on October 16, 2002.

Season 6, Episode 1: NSF Thurmont aired on October 20, 2004.

Season 7, Episode 4: Mr. Frost aired on October 16, 2005.

Photos/Videos:

Here’s what was posted from October 15 - October 21:

Amy Landecker posted a photo of a graphic novel written by her friend.

Amy Landecker posted a photo of herself, Bradley, and his The Handmaid’s Tale Co-Stars Ever Carradine and Julie Dretzin.

Josh Malina posted a throwback photo of himself from 1985.

Peter James Smith posted a photo of himself and Greg Daniels on the SAG-AFTRA picket line.

Donna Moss Daily: October 15 | October 16 | October 17 | October 18 | October 19 | October 20 | October 21

Daily Josh Lyman: October 15 | October 16 | October 17 | October 18 | October 19 | October 20 | October 21

No Context BWhit: October 15 | October 16 | October 17 | October 18 | October 19 | October 20

@twwarchive: October 15 | October 16 | October 17 | October 18 | October 19 

Editors’ Choice: 

This week, we’re sharing some of our favorite fics set (or partially set) in Season 2! Be sure to tell us your favorites, too!

Eight Years by miabicicletta | Rated G | Danny Concannon/C. J. Cregg | Complete | He says her name over the TV and the chatter. all will be well by joshatella (shuuuliet) | Rated T | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | Complete | It is, without a doubt, the worst birthday that Donna has ever had. Relationships by crescent_gaia | Rated T | Josh Lyman/Sam Seaborn | Complete | Josh and Sam being themselves a bit and Josh going back and forth on asking Donna out. Set during season 2, right after Noel. sacred new beginnings by JessBakesCakes | Rated G | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | Complete | But now, he doesn’t need her anymore – or he shouldn’t, anyway. So she’ll go back to her apartment, and he’ll go back to work, and things will go back to normal, whatever the hell that means. There’s something about that idea that makes his stomach churn. all of you, all of me, intertwined by mikaylawrites for hufflepuffhermione | Rated G | Josh Lyman/Sam Seaborn | Complete | She’s squeezing him so tightly he has to focus on breathing, getting the oxygen in and out of his squished lungs. Something about the pressure quiets his racing mind. Burying his face in her hair, lets her keep quietly crushing him so that he only has to think about timing his breathing to hers, nothing else. The ways Donna comforts Josh with physical touch Or, the Donna Moss Human Weighted Blanket Agenda

Due to tumblr character limits, we have to split this briefing in half. We'll be back with the second half in just a moment!

[ragnarssons]

Yurk. This is so disgusting. But so real as well. Anyway, FYI, I hate The Darkling i find it very ironic how d*rklinas’ main argument against malina is how ‘oh but they make alina lose her powers for mal, but she is a sun summoner, she loves it, she loves her powers’ and then the show puts a scene like this. a scene showing how the darkling ruined for alina what she loved about herself. how he twisted her own powers. destroyed her pride. how he used what she was proud of, and used it not only against her, but to twist it and FORCE (these are her words) her to do things she’s ashamed of having done. anyway, y’all keep telling me how mal is the one who ruined alina *shrugs*

[riddlerosehearts]

okay since i was obviously thinking a lot about the emperor's new groove earlier today, i'm just gonna say this even if nobody else cares: i really like malina. from the emperor's new school. and i like... her relationship with kuzco... sort of? and uh, this turned into a bit of an essay, so here's a tl;dr:

in my opinion the emperor's new school had potential to be a good sequel series, especially since it's actually pretty funny at times (mostly thanks to kronk and yzma), but instead it's an incredibly messy and inconsistent show which handles its main character poorly and constantly resets his development. malina on the other hand is a great character, and her dynamic with kuzco is also great sometimes and infuriatingly bad at other times. i like kuzco/malina in spite of all the Bad because their positive moments in the show are really endearing to me and i can see what the writers may have been going for with it. i have multiple headcanon universes where the way they met and the way their relationship started is completely different because the show made me so mad that it gave me an insatiable desire to fix it. i'm aware that this is stupid and silly but this is tumblr, where i can be as stupid and silly as i want. also, kuzco is bi. to me. <3

anyway. essay below the cut.

okay so here's the thing. i understand why people would think kuzco should've been gay and that he shouldn't have had a love interest in the emperor's new school. i have no problem with this at all and i do think it would've been very cool if the show didn't have any romance and malina was just a friend. however i like to headcanon him as bi and i did so even before i rewatched the show in 2021 (for pretty much the first time since it originally ended in 2008) and got invested in it. also, i have a million problems with the show, and malina and kuzco's relationship is at least 400,000 of them because i have such conflicted thoughts about it.

i should also say that just in case you're reading this and not aware, the emperor's new school (2006-2008) is a sequel series to the emperor's new groove which ran for two seasons on disney channel. the premise of it is that kuzco has to graduate from high school to become emperor, and if he fails then yzma, who also works at the school as "principal amzy" in a very thinly veiled disguise, will be next in line for the throne. kronk also masquerades as a high school student and works for yzma again, and in basically every episode they act out various schemes to try to stop him from graduating. kuzco lives with pacha's family instead of in his palace as he's been cut off from his royal funds, and malina is a classmate who serves as his friend and will-they won't-they love interest who finally gets together with him at the end of the show. i actually find the show pretty funny and enjoyable at times, particularly because of kronk and yzma, but i have a lot of issues with it outside of that.

malina herself is not a problem to me. she has a surprising amount of depth and focus in the series and is intelligent, hardworking, ambitious, assertive, and compassionate. she has her own dreams and goals that get to be fleshed out, she's an aspiring journalist/reporter and several episodes are dedicated to this. she's a great friend to kuzco, both because of how caring she is and because she takes absolutely no shit when he's not treating her right. she literally even calls him out for his internal monologue. she's a great character, and i honestly love her.

the problem is: the emperor's new school essentially reverts kuzco back to his personality from the beginning of the emperor's new groove despite being a sequel, and with malina it goes back and forth between him mistreating her and objectifying her and being called out for it, and their relationship showing positive development where kuzco treats her well and seems to have genuinely learned from past mistakes. we'll see him be honest with her about his worries, own up to his mistakes and admit when she's in the right, encourage her to let loose and have fun when she's being too serious for her own good, give her a thoughtful gift that shows that he listens to her and cares about her. in one episode she almost kisses him while under the effect of a love potion and he panics and stops her, saying it isn't right because she's not in control of her actions, and later when she asks him why he did that he says he wants her to like him for himself and not because of a potion. also to his credit is the fact that said love potion was unknowingly/unwillingly given to him by yzma and made any girl who looked at him fall in love with him, and while he did take advantage of this to go on a date with malina, in the end he knew exactly why letting her kiss him would've been wrong and didn't let it get that far.

but then, in between all of this and in little to no consistent or coherent order, we have kuzco constantly calling her a "hottie hot hottie" even though she clearly doesn't like it, trying to come up with a plan to get rid of yzma and one of the plans is just "put malina in a swimsuit", getting malina and kronk in trouble and not caring, not wanting to dance with her because he can't handle the fact that she has a single pimple, barely being able to accept no for an answer, and just being way too much of an asshole while also constantly flirting with her--and malina is always patient and understanding, but i don't recall a single moment in the show where she hurt kuzco's feelings and he was the one who had to be patient and show that he'd stick with her no matter what. and she did have flaws! she could be bossy and reckless and a bit hypocritical, and things could've been done with this to make their relationship more equal and show more growth on kuzco's part. also... a few episodes after the one where he explicitly laid out why he didn't want to use a love potion to make malina like him, there was another episode where he intentionally used a machine of yzma's to split every part of her personality into a separate person so he could date "smoochy malina", who was obsessively in love with him and who he ended up breaking up with because her obsession was too much and she wasn't herself anymore. this is one of many examples in the show of kuzco having to learn the same or a similar lesson multiple times.

it's all just... very frustrating because they have so many moments that are, to me at least, genuinely cute and show potential for a good dynamic, especially in season 2. i feel like malina's whole personality is, in theory, a great match for kuzco's in an "opposites attract" sort of way. and i believe she likes him because she can see the good in him and is able to relax and have fun with him, and that that is what the writers were going for. that's what we see on the occassion that their relationship is written decently. but because any and all development was constantly being reset, it made it too frequently seem like she just felt obligated to give him a chance because he constantly flirted with her. and also because at one point, when malina's friend yatta asks why she would have a crush on someone as selfish and smug as kuzco, she spends the rest of the episode trying to come up with a reason and what does she end up saying? "sometimes people don't understand their own feelings, they just feel them". ugh. there are several episodes where the plot boils down to "malina stresses out too much/is too uptight and kuzco helps her relax/lighten up" but instead of using that, she has to essentially say she doesn't know why she likes him, she just does?

all this to say, i guess, that i really really wish kuzco and malina's relationship had been written consistently well because when it was, it was good and had potential. unfortunately, more often than not, it was badly written largely because kuzco was badly written and never allowed to properly grow as a person all throughout the show.

and what i did with all of these conflicted feelings while i was revisiting the show back in september 2021 was, i took my frustration toward the majority of the emperor's new school and my enjoyment of certain elements of it, and i wrote down a ton of headcanons on how i would've fixed it. i already think the very premise of the show is nonsense (literally why would kuzco suddenly need to go back to high school?? why does he act like he learned nothing?? they even go back and forth on whether he's actually still the emperor or not), and there are several elements of it that undeniably break continuity with the movie. so i have an AU in my mind where literally none of that happens but kuzco and malina still meet a few months after the movie and, because malina doesn't believe that kuzco has actually changed, they keep encountering each other and having a petty rivalry for weeks before coming to an understanding and becoming friends.

i also have an AU where the entirety of the emperor's new school is, in fact, an in-universe show--which is somewhat supported by all the show's meta jokes and the fact that there's literally an episode where kuzco gets fanmail for the show. and in this AU, everyone is playing themselves in a heavily fictionalized version of kuzco's life. kuzco and malina are good friends who thought it would be hilarious if she played the role of his love interest who he had a ridiculously over the top obnoxious crush on, but then, oops, guess who developed an actual crush on her while filming!

and, even still, i have a bit of a fix-it AU where the show did happen because despite the premise being kind of nonsensical, i could've accepted it as long as it meaningfully expanded on kuzco's character development from the end of the emperor's new groove. if i were writing this show it would've been about how kuzco is trying his best to be kinder, to pass classes he never had to worry about before, to still keep up with royal duties, and be around people his own age and have something resembling a normal life for the first time, while also dealing with emotional distress and hidden insecurities and fears that stem from having had his entire worldview completely shattered by the events of the movie. his relationship with malina still could've had its ups and downs and when things went wrong because of his mistakes, he could've truly learned from that and made up for it. a tv series about kuzco going to high school really could've been so much better, been something that kids could've learned good lessons from and that might not have been mostly forgotten today.

obviously i know that none of my headcanons and AUs change the fact that the show is a mess and kuzco and malina's actual canon dynamic is a mess. and although i wish malina as a character wasn't so forgotten and the better aspects of the emperor's new school (which don't relate only to her--the series also contains a lot of sweet found family moments between pacha's family and kuzco!) also weren't so forgotten, i understand why they are. and maybe that's for the best. i feel like i lost so many brain cells watching this show and yet my remaining brain cells insist on spending way too much time thinking about it anyway.

[where-theres-smoak-2]

Shadow and Bone 2x02 Review

Episode 2, done. Again there will be spoilers in this review so beware, book spoilers with be marked with * before and after so that you can skip over that bit, if you don’t want to see book spoilers don’t read anything between those two * and I suspect I am going to get very bored saying this line by the time I’ve gotten through all 8 episode reviews. But anyway this was another good episode and things are moving along at a good pace so far. A large part of this episode was taken up by the search for the sea whip. We also had a lot of drama going on with the crows, so lets dive in. 

Sturmhond’s Crew and The Sea Whip 

Ok I love Sturmhond and his crew they are just so entertaining to watch and you can see that they’ve all got a really strong bond. But I also really like the dynamic between Alina and Sturmhond. I like that she matched his energy and didn’t just bow down to him or let herself be intimidated by him and that lead to some really great scenes between them. 

One really great scene is when Alina comes to Sturmhond to confront him about changing cause and he picks up that she doesn’t trust him, I do feel like trust was a recurring theme in this episode. Trusting other people but also trusting yourself. As Sturmhond points out Alina, I think largely because of the betrayal she feels over Aleks, is already acting like she has been betrayed, this is likely a defence mechanism on her part and honestly can’t blame her. * Also as much as I appreciate the sentiment about trusting he doesn’t have ulterior motives, us book readers know that he isn’t really being truthful about who he really is and that’s going to suck for Alina later in the season, it certainly isn’t going to help with her trust issues either.* Similar to the scene with Aleks in ep 1 this question of whether Alina truly knows herself comes up. It seems like many characters are going to be questioning her over this, he points out that she doesn’t really understand why she is so valuable to so many people, that its not just about tearing down the fold or because she can summon light its because of that hope she represents, something that she has yet to believe herself. 

Ok I am about to be petty again so malina shippers look away, but I just have to say it Alina and Sturmhond have more chemistry than malina do. I’m sorry its the truth. I mean it still doesn’t match the same level that is darklina but its heaps better than malina. I just think at this point it is kind of embarrassing that the main couple you are supposed to root for is the one with the least amount of chemistry and appeal and that’s out of all of the ships on the show. 

But speaking of Mal I did think his interactions with Sturmhond were really funny, like poor mal felt so put out that Sturmhond wouldn’t even try to remember his name, I mean this is the sun summoner and sun summoner’s guest was kind of funny but I also thought Mal was really funny when he said it wasn’t even a long name to remember. But I also like that towards the end of the episode when he chooses a weapon that Sturmhond approves of that mal earns a bit of his respect and vice versa, they’ve still got a long way to go before they are buddy buddy but I still enjoyed the dynamic they had. 

I don’t know if I would call this a complaint but there was one line in this that made me wary, shall we say, and that is when Alina remarks on how Sturmhond’s crew is made up of both otkazat'sya and grisha and talks about how hey imagine if you combined first and second army. I saw this one coming a mile off, the whole lets unite the two armies rhetoric. Look I am usually all for unity and all that but the problem I have with it here is that thus far the only main first army character we have seen so far is mal. The rest of the time the first army are shown as antagonists to the grisha, they are the ones hunting Aleks and the grisha in the flashback of 1x07 and they are the ones locking grisha in cages currently. So we keep seeing the first army do horrible things to the grisha and then you’ve got alina going hey lets get the grisha to make friends with the first army. I get the sentiment behind it I really do but I also feel like the first army are going to have to put in a lot of work too. I also just know that they are going to use this as a way of showing that Aleks is bad because he didn’t unite the two armies, whilst also completely ignoring the fact that the King also wasn’t rushing to unite the two armies either and that of course Aleks isn’t going to trust the first army considering his past with them. 

But moving on lets talk about the sea whip. It looked as gorgeous as I thought it was going to from the trailers. But it was also alot more vicious than I expected it to be, though thinking about it more I don’t know why, maybe it was because of how calm and peaceful the stag seemed to be. But the Sea Whip was definitely playing with them and it did kill at least two people. Eventually it attacking mal does lead to Alina killing it and it is kind of ironic that Alina has this whole, we don’t need to kill the amplifiers to get there power thing going on and yet she has caused the death of two amplifiers now because she was protecting mal. *But I do suspect that they might be doing the whole you don’t have to kill an amplifier to get its power because of that plot twist with the third amplifier.* 

The scene when Alina takes the amplifier was stunning and loved how her powers looked and how you kind of hand that steady glow that was similar to the Stag but then there were these wisps of golden light that were slithering like the Sea Serpent. It just looked visually spectacular. I also loved how joyous Alina looked, she looked almost drunk on the power. I also thought it was interesting how the scene where the amplifier is being put on her was intercut with scenes of the darkling and that hot poker trying to heal the wound on his hand from the stag and then mal through the eyes of the sea whip. I definitely think this is foreshadowing, book readers will know.   

The Crows 

So much was going on with the crows this episode. We got more flashbacks of Kaz’s backstory and it turns out I was right in my previous review the older boy in the flashbacks is Kaz’s older brother. It looks like the connection to Rollins is that he offered them some kind of job which I am going to assume was actually a scam of some kind. I also do wonder if it is linked to the plague cemetery that the crows use as a meeting point as in ep 1 we did see what look like some kind of disease and now I am even more worried about Kaz’s brother. I am wondering if the job Rollins offers them somehow gets them exposed to the plague and his brother dies and that’s why Kaz wants to get revenge on Rollins so badly. 

As I mentioned before, trust is a theme that comes up a few times in this episode and this can be seen within the crows too. The crows seem to be struggling to trust Kaz because of how secretive he is being. It also seems like Kaz is struggling to completely open and trust the other crows. I really loved the scene on the rooftop between Kaz and Inej when she pushes to tell her his story with Rollins. It was interesting when he talked about secrecy being about survival and I do think on some level this is relatable. I mean I guess that is why people keep secrets, to protect themselves or others they love. But I also like what Inej said about trust being the opposite of secrecy, it was basically her saying he could trust her and she’d be there when he was ready to open up, at least that’s how I read it.  

I love Wylan, just wanted to point that out. I also really want to know the story of his connection with Jesper because they clearly have met before. Also maybe its my dirty mind get in the way here, but the fact that Jesper suddenly recalled that he had met Wylan before whilst lying on top of him, I mean, did these guys like sleep together at some point in the past? Or am I just reading too much into that. But it would explain why Wylan seemed kind of infatuated with Jesper in ep 1. Either way they do have some really good chemistry and I really so think these guys may have a romantic plot line this season. 

Speaking of couples I have to talk about Nina and Matthias because they are breaking my heart right now. I mean poor Matthias is locked up in hellgate. But there was that, well I don’t know what it was but it seemed like a flashback and it was a really steamy moment between him and Nina. Honestly my immediate reaction was hey up when did this happen? Which made me wonder if it was just him fantasising about Nina in that moment. But what makes me doubt it was just a fantasy is that right before the steamy scene Matthias’ cellmate says that their god will forgive his sins, then it shows the possible flashback, and then Matthias says the god could never forgive his sins. We also know from season 1 that Fjerdans have very different views on intimacy between a man and a woman and how its reserved for marriage so if he really did sleep with Nina offscreen in season 1 then his culture and upbringing could be resulting in him feeling some guilt about his relationship with Nina, especially as at the moment he believes she tricked and betrayed him. 

As for Nina she too is struggling with feelings of guilt and she is also thinking about Matthias but her guilt is wrapped up in the part she played in getting him sent to Hellgate and its clear that she is desperate to get him back and that really does tug at my heartstrings. 

The crows do get hit with some blows this episode and it is another one of those situations where their plan just does not go according to plan and yet somehow they still work their way out of it. The guy that Rollins sent after Inej, the Taxidermic, was really creepy, somehow I think we might end up seeing him again. I loved the scene where Jesper had a shoot out with Rollins guys, those gun tricks just look so cool. But once again I am very curious to see what their next steps are going to be but also what Rollins is going to do next. 

Aleksander and Darklina. 

So we got another dream, mind scene between darklina this episode and once again it was really great. They just have so much tension and angst in their scenes together and even when they are angry with each other they still have chemistry and sexual tension between them. 

I’ve said it before but darklina have this dynamic where even when they are arguing they are still communicating and I do think Aleks was spitting out some truths in this scene that Alina didn’t want to hear. He points out that she may think that she has found a family and love with Mal but that it will all fade away because mal will grow old but Alina will only grow more powerful. I do have to keep reminding myself that whilst as the audience we know Aleks’ past Alina does not. So when Aleks talks about knowing how she feels when she’s with Mal, Alina scoffs and I do think this is again a defence mechanism, she doesn’t want to believe that Aleks is capable of love or that he could love her because that would make things too complicated. There was a time when she thought he felt those things for her and she felt them for him, where she thought she might have found that family and future with him, she says it herself in 1x07, ‘we could have had this, all of it.’ But now she feels betrayed and hurt by him so it is easier to imagine that he is someone who is incapable of love. It make sit easy to make him her villain. 

I do think that when Aleks begins to describe the loneliness and the weight of their immortality, the ache that comes with it, that it strikes a nerve with Alina because deep down, despite her denying it, she does know exactly what he is talking about. I do think that Aleks feels very frustrated by Alina’s naivety because he has already experienced everything he is warning her about and despite his anger at her I also do think some part of him still cares about her and he can see that her denial will only lead to her getting hurt in the same way he was. 

Alina however is vey much in denial and she want’s to make it clear to him that they are not the same, that she doesn’t want to be like him, but at the same time I don’t think she can completely deny the truth, which is that she is more like him than she wants to admit. I said in last ep review that when she came to the mind palace in her blue kefta it might have been an act of defiance on her part to not wear his colours. Well in this one she is wearing the black kefta but she decides to take it off and this moment is really interesting because all though she is making a statement and saying I’m not like you and I won’t wear your colour again, she has to turn her back to him before taking it off, like she can’t look at him as she does it, and Aleks too has to look away and you can see that it is hurtful to him that she is doing this. What also interests me about it is that I’ve talked in the past about this metaphor of shredding their kefta, like Aleks does in 1x04 and how they come to each other without their keftas in their nightclothes and how this symbolises them shedding their armour in a way and how they usually have very open and vulnerable scenes. Well its the same here after she takes off the Kefta Aleks goes on this rant where he’s just letting all his feelings pour out, similar to that war room scene in ep 4, he talks about how he’s had to change his identity over and over and watch loved ones die from sickness, desperation, hate and time itself. This is what makes Aleks such a sympathetic character because of moments like this, you can’t help but feel bad for him, he’s been through so much pain and suffering. Ben also does a phenomenal job in these scenes and is so good at bringing that vulnerable side to the character and that humanity. You can see when he is giving this rant that Alina is feeling complicated feelings, its clear she hates to see his pain, you see her look away, but she also doesn't want to feel sympathy for him or care for him so she pushes it down and hides it behind her anger. What is interesting is next she kind of mocks him a bit, asking if that’s how he justifies his actions, her tone when talking about his loneliness and open wound is very mocking. But despite her mocking she still seems drawn towards him and moves closer. It’s like she is saying one thing but her body is communicating something else entirely.

Aleks doesn’t back down from this kind of challenge Alina is making and instead also moves closer until once again there is zero personal space between these guys. When he calls her ‘my Alina’ this does get a reaction out of her and she has to look away but as is par for the course with darklina she can’t keep her eyes from his for long. Throughout this whole scene I did wonder if Alina had figured out yet that Aleks was still alive but from the way she says ‘you’re already dead’ its made clear that she hasn’t so I’m guessing she thinks she’s just dreaming these conversations between them. 

Another subject that comes up in this conversation between them is this idea of the past being an open wound and Alina saying Aleks’ past is the cause of all ruin. In a way she is kind of right but unlike the audience she thinks his past was him deliberately creating the fold whereas we know the wound that won’t close is him and his people being hunted, Luda getting killed and him accidently creating the fold. Its his trauma from the past though that has made him the way he is now and why he is so desperate to safe the grisha at any cost.

This idea of a wound that won’t heal those is carried over into Aleks reality as he literally has wounds that won’t heal. Despite Genya trying the wounds left by the volcra and the stag antler won’t heal completely. It is obvious that he is in alot of pain as well and that the nichevo’ya are having a direct effect on his wellbeing. We see him go to a alchemist grisha looking for a cure for a splitting pain in his head and that alchemist suggests that they only thing that can heal merzost is more merzost. This leads to Aleks going and getting morozova’s journal and it is revealed that he has also hidden his mother in a cave, honestly that scene with baghra was funny the way she tsks him and pretty much tells him he looks like crap, but also what was with that smile Aleks gave after Baghra said he had kept her locked up there for weeks? He looked so damned pleased with himself. I am calling it now though Baghra is so totally stealing that journal and taking it to Alina.     

Anyway that’s another review done onto the next episode! 

Favourite lines of the episode. 

‘The past informs everything, its the wound that will not heal.’ 

‘Trust is the other side of secrecy.’ 

‘You’re not just sunshine, sunshine. You’re hope for the future.’ 

[legaciesandothernonsense]

Martin Going Solo - Malina 1.5

Over the least year or so, Malina developed a routine to the best of her ability

It was hard to juggle Natalie's needs with school and work but she tried her best

(especially when the dust bunnies invaded)

"Here comes the airplane!"

Despite hating cooking, Malina did her best to get better for Natalie

Natalie managed to crawl

She then glitched out and ended up outside somehow

Anyway, it's birthday time!

I swear she only has a few features from her father

Natalie's room got a renovation and was swiftly put to bed

Natalie had the audacity to do this while Malina was vacuuming

Of course she gave her a talking to

"Natalie, we don't throw our food"

Malina ruined my life by eating the cake

"Natalie, what did I say about throwing food?"

After much grinding, Malina got a promotion

The toddler stage passed by quicker than expected

The pigtails continue to reign supreme

Natalie takes after her mother in the hot-headed department

With Malina busy with school and work, Natalie tried to teach herself how to ride a bike

She also liked to dig in the trash for voidcritters

Updated Family Photo

--

Asp: Renaissance Sim

Career: Athlete (LV 5)

Degree: Biology (Complete), Health, Sport & Performance Science (In-Progress)

Baby Daddy: Jacques La Chien

[smartylina]

Of course he would show off. But if it's for her. She'll let it pass. Oh good! The council was something she was secretly worried about so in the end she'll wait patiently for something exciting to happen.

Malina must be psychic! But she doesn't even know how she can do it exactly, so she shrugs only to smile playfully at his remark. "Sure. I think I was temporarily immune by it. I bet the rest of the students were swooning whenever they saw you pass by".

She didn't have to help him all the way. That's true! But she thought it was the right thing to do, that and as time passed, she knew deep inside, Kuzco's not evil nor heartless. He just needed someone to guide him and someone she learned to like, despite his arrogant attitude.

"Aren't you so sweet? Thank you". She pats his cheek a few times for once second and then lowers that hand.

She then stops counting as he interrupts her, lowering the other hand she's using to list his flaws and chuckles. He's always funny when he's annoyed like that. "Alright. I'm sorry. But despite all your negative traits, I love you".

Oh? How much Malina desires now to give him her infamous 'Malina Stare' for the teasing. "Were you just into bad girls all this time, right?!" She says, huffing. Of course. Malina knows Kuzco would like her even if she dresses as a homeless girl.

Are her eyes deceiving her? Is Kuzco blushing too? It's barely noticeable, but still there. She can't help but swoon at the sight. If he once again thought she was this cute, he'd die happily if he knew Malina thinks the same about him!

Anyways, Malina feels Kuzco falling backwards with her, her arms never releasing his neck as she presses herself against his chest once they hit the blanket, ignoring completely the sound his crown made when it fell. Once there, she feels his arms wrap around her waist, and she removes hers from their previous position to run her fingers through his hair again and gasps a little when she feels him deepen the kiss, but kisses him back.

After quite a long time, she breaks the kiss to breathe and grins at him lovingly. Still blushing a lot.

"Wow..." She whispers, feeling dizzy and surprised at what just had happened. She then realizes the position they were in and clears her throat a little.

"Um.. this is a very, curious position is it not?" She questions as she places her arms in each side of his head.

Suuure. Oh don't worry, she'll know when he's planning it. In fact, Malina will most likely be the FIRST to know! If they are going to plan a future together-- which they totally were by the way, his council will be thrilled!-- he'll do everything in his power to show off for her, any chance he gets. "How do you even do that?!" He demands, playfully narrowing his eyes at her. He's still not convinced that she can't read his mind! "I don't know about a trophy, though it is pretty impressive you were able to control yourself around me with my natural charm and charisma." Kuzco knows how hard she worked to make sure he graduated, when in all honesty she didn't have to. But they could've had way more date dates, so it's a double edged sword. "Of course I would! Anything for my favorite hottie hot hottie." He deflects, though he does deflate a little with all of the names, rolling his eyes before settling his narrowed eyed glare on her hand as she lists them all off. After a moment he pushes her hands down with one of his own, cutting her off. "Okay, okay; I get it! You don't have to rub it in, sheesh." Kuzco huffs a laugh, she isn't wrong, and as he thinks back to 'Mallie' he grins a little at the memory of her 'bad girl' image. " 'Mallie' was pretty hot-- I mean, uh. Maybe you should dress up like that again; you know. Refresh my memory." He's teasing, he doesn't mean it. Malina will always look incredible no matter HOW she's dressed. "I know, I know. I'm glad you finally got with the program." He beams, buffing nails against his robe. 'She's so cute when she blushes like that.' Kuzco thinks to himself, ignoring the little bit of heat he can feel in his own cheeks in favor of casting his gaze across her face. Even after the musical kiss, he's never seen her so breathless and inwardly he's incredibly pleased he managed to have that kind of affect on her. It's just as his gaze lands on her lips again that she launches herself at him, and Kuzco can feel his eyes widen in surprise as he loses his center of gravity and falls backwards against the blanket with her on top of him. His crown tumbles off of his head at some point during the fall, and Kuzco couldn't care less where it lands as his eyes slip closed, and he chuckles against her lips and returns the second kiss with equal fervor. Don't tell him that, the kiss will never end if he has anything to say about it! He's been waiting for the opportunity to kiss her (like this) since they graduated, and if he stops to think too hard about it he might go into shock that it's actually happening! The hand that had been cradling the back of her head slips carefully out of her hair, and he winds both of his arms around her slender waist to hold her in place for the time being as he deepens the kiss just that little bit more.

[mcheang]

Shadow and Bone S2 E4 recap

Spoiler alert

Oh, they did a recasting for Vasily who now has dark hair, unlike his parents. Alina dislikes Vasily but offers to lead the Grisha since the Lanstovs want a Second Army commander loyal to them and she is Nikolai’s fiancée. Mal is against this as making her General will put an even bigger target on her back but Alina wants to protect the Grisha. Vasily manages to learn about Malina since they were having a moment in a hallway rather than a room. Genya still looks beautiful to me. Her and Kirigan’s scars do not make them ugly. Frankly I’m more worried about Baghra’s finger and Genya’s right eye. Seriously Kirigan, you could have chosen a lighter punishment for your mother! Imprisonment was enough! Baghra seems to care about Genya now. Aleksander calls out Baghra for protesting his plans because she made him this way. Baghra finally gives up on him. I have my doubts about Vladim. It looks like he wants Baghra’s power. And the bone crushing scene was horrifying. David warns Alina and she imprisons him after Nadia informs her that Kirigan keeps his close. Honestly, if that was obvious, he would make a horrible choice for spy. David refuses to teach Alina merzost but warns her about the tether. Nina knows Pekka cannot free Matthias and warns Kaz. Kaz has released a fake firepox that will be blamed on Pekka and threatens his son Alby. Wow, we actually got the Pekka showdown in Crooked Kingdom without the Jurda yet…

Pekka loses the respect of his men

Mal wants to find the special blade that might kill nichevo’ya. I’m not gonna say the name cos then I have to repeat it and it’s long. Anyway, Tolya and Zoya will go to the Crows to hire them for the job. Unless the blade was made with merzost, it will be useless. Vasily did his research and has Mal arrested for desertion. Dude, if you’re going to seduce Alina, don’t arrest her boyfriend! He is an idiot. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Jesper and Wylan kiss! 😄 now where are Ivan and Fedyor? Kaz kicks Inej out of the Crows after she made him worry with a detour. She is a free woman. Seriously, Nikolai giving Alina her ring has more chemistry than Malina. Alina starts getting worried about Mal’s absence, but no one is as concerned as she is. Oh, the siege and storm ending is here too. Only it’s at an engagement party rather than Nikolai’s birthday. And it’s still Vasily’s fault. Honestly, if he actually becomes king, Fjerda will crush him. I doubt even Kirigan could have reined him in if he were still General. Vasily dies and I’m not sure if the king still lives. Kirigan lures Alina away with an illusion so she will be away from the fighting and her head does some weird glowy thing. To Adrik, she must look unstable. While the invasion happens, Baghra takes advantage and frees herself and Genya, who heals her missing finger. (Seriously Kirigan, fixing her finger would have been better than figs!) Genya sees her reflection and destroys the Alkemi’s workstation in a fit of rage. You know the Darkling confrontation at the end, his S&S speech would work if Mal had been frightened of Alina’s power. But here it seems out of place. And considering book Alina had grown used to her imaginary Darkling, the offer to rule suited the book better than the show. It looks lika Nadia and Adrik are the only members of the Second Army who survived the engagement party. I don’t count Tamar and Alina since Tamar isn’t loyal to the second army, she’s loyal to Alina, and Alina wants to retire once the Fold is gone.

This certainly was a combo of endings from Crooked Kingdom and Siege and Storm. Looks like we get the Ruin and Rising arc next. This was too crammed, considering Alina’s relationship with the Darkling. His speech at the end is so out of place.

Well I can say this for Tatiana, she does love Nikolai, I think. I actually prefer book Baghra. I have not forgotten that Baghra only gave partial truths to Alina when Anastas was to blame for the Fold, and that she tried to kill Mal. The fact that Baghra gives up on her son now makes me unhappy. If you’re responsible for how he came to be, you don’t give up, you try to save him. Poor Tolya. None of his friends like poetry Pekka is a villain for sure but he does love his son and while I think it is good he knows his son is alive, I find that having Alby witness his arrest is too cruel.

Ooh, is David back under Kirigan’s power now?

[demonsours]

There was a clunk and a snapping of some archaic and grandiose lock. Smell of brimstone and boiled blood, combined with the sounds of the disgruntled damned hit Malina’s ears as she shut an arcane safe and had it dissolve from existence itself.

There was irony in calling it her fail safe.

She wasn’t much for keeping track of time, but being outside of Hell thanks to one very, very strange man was the best thing to happen to Malina. Gods above couldn’t make her say that to anyone’s face though. Neither could the devils and demons below.

When you cleaned Hell, you collected a lot of ancient bones, demonic ichor and broken souls who collapsed in on themselves. Any other demon of her level collecting such alchemical materials would set off anyone in power who may have gotten the idea that Malina wanted to make a power move and take over.

She could have.

That’s not what she wanted.

Eons of plotting, planning, grumbling, mumbling and being just a simple janitor had paid off. No one suspected the cleaner to take all the refuse and make it something useful. No one takes housekeeping as being perceptive enough to pick up all the details of the mess makers. No one suspects the alcoholic to be anything but drunk either.

Just a poison riddled cleaner who gamed whenever she got the chance.

It was all in that safe now. Her several plans, resources, trump cards and leverage to keep her life out of Hell permanent. Fake ID’s, land deeds, business permits, artifacts, and of course, a back door into Hell she designed herself. Why did she need that if she was leaving, you may ask?

It was smart to always have a back door, just in case. Especially if her sister didn’t know about any of this.

Malina could tell her. She had told her a few details, to keep her from snooping. A questionable taboo amongst other demons. In Hell, it was taboo. They weren’t in Hell, though. They were out of there and they were sisters. A strange relationship Malina couldn’t say how it started. She didn’t remember parents, just Zdrada being, well herself. She might figure it out anyway and become a nuisance.

She planned for it, just in case.

The rest of the harem was tolerable, she would tell herself. Even a bit likeable, she would deny. However such things never lasted, and this had lasted way too long. The greed demon needed to watch out for herself.

Yet still she made back up plans, just in case.

The curse of being intelligent... with a bit of a heart, as annoying as it was.

If this reality failed? Move to the next one. Planar movement wasn’t difficult. She had magic and skill enough to use it. She had done it by accident before. The only issues she had were moments of temporarily blacking out and not remembering certain events.

Perhaps Azazel would like to perform a study of that on her behalf.

It was all finally done. Everything else... was just adjustments and adding on as time passed, and shit happened. It was a strange weight off of her shoulders. Like a great success had finally graced her life. The sensation of satisfaction was mild, but still there.

There was just the waiting game now.

Back to her room. She needed to sleep. For once.

[stromuprisahat]

Zlatá Malina (Golden Raspberry), pt. 3

Shadow and Bone- Chapter 21

Presumably their last night together, before the Big Bad Darkling feeds one of these deserters to volcra. (I guess being shot to death in front of his fellow soldiers would be preferred...) A lot of melodrama, hand-holding and some horrible(y nostalgic) memories...

Let’s forget a whole night together is more than any reasonable officer would allow them.

Three days in “captivity”, believing the world is about to be destroyed, and this is all Alina can think about: MalMalMal...

Our heroine, ladies and gentleman.

It’s also funny- a public execution of a deserter is “cruelty”... in a world, where people are burned alive merely for the crime of existing.

Sometimes I wish Sasha was threatening less and acting more. Less bark, more bite. If “all the mercy traitors deserve” was none. We could’ve been rid of Malyen, and Alina would have two books to grow.

Or kill that fucking deer, rendering it useless...

Don’t worry Alina, Mal doesn’t mind you’re tainted. He stuck his dick in worse places... I don’t care if it’s just clumsy formulation, the implication’s gross.

Also: I need a Darklina rooftop sex fic ASAP!

For someone this self-aware he acts (un)surprisingly worse whole next book. Oh, wait, his fragile male ego will be threatened by his more powerful gf, I get it...

a.) Recently we’ve discussed what could Malina talk about post-TGT, since Malyen hates reminders she was Grisha and the Darkling existed. So here it is: glorified childhood on repeat.

b.) Kinda funny first thing they remember about “beloved mother figure” is “anger”... And we’re supposed to be upset, when she dies...

c.) Alina “My life has been hard” Starkov. Alina “I know what it means to be an outsider struggling to survive.” Starkov. Alina “It’s hot outside, so let’s lie on marble fucking floors to cool down” Starkov.

It’s obvious they were so busy and well-guarded, they had no free time to seek comfort anyone else could... *pointedly looks at our marble floors*

I know teenagers are supposed to be dramatic, but she’s talking like a forlorn wife, who haven’t seen her husband for years...

Some glorified, pseudo-romantic self harm as a treat:

Then he’d picked me up and spun me in a circle, and I’d clung to him, ... Dimly, I’d been aware that I still had a shard of the blue cup in my hand, that it was digging into my palm, but I didn’t want to let go.

It’s not like Alina can’t let the shard fall. How is she even holding it, if she’s hugging Malyen? Why would she hug him with closed fist? Aside from being too stupid not to cut her own hand on purpose...

Kinda funny her bestie couldn’t wait to hug her after a day? Two? Away, but doesn’t notice her palm is “dripping blood” and heads for lunch. Peak romance.

Another little detail about how “bad” did those orphans have it: Alina stops working and runs off, yet there is no repercussion mentioned.

In case you’re wondering, why should you cry about Ana Kuya in Ruin and Rising, she’s obviously loving guardian. A girl mutilates herself, what’s worse- she gets the floor dirty!

I’m taking it back, the self-harm is okay. Malyen kissed it better. Two years later...

Wow, this mutually incosiderate codependency’s so romantic, it almost makes me cry (tears of frustration and thinly veiled disgust).

Ivan’s so nice. Malina got whole night and he lets them make out right in front of his salad anyway.

pt. 1, pt. 2, pt. 4, pt. 5, pt. 6, pt. 7, pt. 8, tag for all icluding the rest

[dicblo]

~

Diablo's mine goes to a dark place. A place far off and distant that only lived on through his nightmares now. Being reminded of his childhood was...horrible. Those were the worst years of his life. The years leading up until he met Malina. He owed the woman his life, literally, but that didn't mean he didn't want to make his own choices to. Even if the most miniscule chance existed of him and Sibella not working out or Mal was right and he ends up dead it would have at least been his own choice. He looked death in the face before, it had never scared him but now the thought of dying terrified him. Malina reminding him of his father was not unexpected to Diablo though. She talked down at him constantly and he still did her bidding, never going back on his promise of loyalty to her. He has blindly hurt, stolen, cheated, and killed for her for years. Everything he did was for Malina. Once, just once, he wanted to do something for himself.

Malina's words echoed through his mind. Love isn't real, Diablo...let's not make up random things. He knew how true those words to her even if she didn't herself and there was a twinge of guilt in his stomach for a moment. Everything he did was for her, he reminded himself. He cared about Malina and did only the best for her. And she would never see him in the same light. He was simply some sad kid she talked off a ledge and showed a different path of life, and now he was indebted to her for that. "Maybe you just don't know what it is, Malina," he finally said. She would never love him, never care about him. Diablo was disposable. He wasn't sure why she kept him around this long. Maybe it's because he did anything the demanded without question and made sure it was done right. Who the hell knows, but it was that moment that Diablo realized how incapable of love Malina was.

The reaction Diablo got from Malina after comparing her to his father was one of the most terrifying ones he'd ever been on the receiving end of. The look in her eyes was sinister and Diablo knew she meant harm. Her words were harsh and cruel and maybe even stung a bit. Diablo flinched, her tone the same as the one that haunted him from his childhood yet somehow worse. He'd be a fool to not fear Malina. A part of him always did a little bit. Diablo felt small so he stood up taller, towering over her by a lot. She was belittling him and his anger was rising. "Maybe I wasn't a life worth saving then. Have you ever thought of that?" he said with a scowl on his face. "Do your worst, Malina. You always will." His hands were shaking and despite how brave he tried to sound he felt like the walls were closing in on him and his heart would burst out of his chest at any moment. Diablo finally makes eye contact with her, his expression had grown dark and twisted. At his core though Diablo was a sad soul that had searched for some sort of meaning for so long. He thought was Malina. For so long he thought his purpose was just to serve her. Before that he'd never felt he had one. So, for years it had been her. Then Sibella entered the picture and suddenly things changed. Malina wasn't going to respect that though. She never would. "There's not much worse you could do that he hasn't anyway," he speaks up again. "Whatever you have in store just get it over with," he says in a defeated tone.

❛ not everything , but a good share of it . ❜ it hardly mattered that much though , considering malina had requested plenty of questionable things be done by diablo in her name . still , it would be a nuisance if he were to get arrested yet again ; one more thing for her to deal with , and not exactly a fun one . she could've sworn he was about to say something else , maybe a name , before referring to ' the feline ' as just that , which made her raise an eyebrow for a second . she'd deal with that later . ❛ don't mention it . you're moving in by the end of the week ; i trust that won't be a problem . ❜

she would much prefer not to have noticed the shift in his demeanor , the way diablo seemed to shut down at what malina considered to be harmless advice . how generous of her , and yet ! nevertheless , she was taken aback by the mention of diablo's previous homelife . ❛ well , ❜ a small shrug , ❛ that's a very low bar you're setting . ❜ there's an almost comical tone to her statement , which doesn't make it any less true . it was better , yes , but not as good as what she thought he deserved and for whatever reason , malina liked to believe she knew what was good for diablo . someone had to keep his head straight , he lucky to have her . she wished she'd had someone like that at his age .

pausing , she simply stares in disapproval of the little pun he made . ha - ha , hilarious . ❛ am i supposed feel intimidated by that ? please , the man is allergic to sunlight . ❜ a dismissive chuckle . she could acknowledge dracula's reputation , but fear him ? never , she feared no man . it's the next few words that cause an actual disturbance in her , a strange feeling sitting in her chest . ❛ oh dear , it's worse than i thought . ❜ a heavy sigh , ❛ love isn't real , diablo . i don't know what it is you think you feel for her but let's not make up random things . ❜ and while malina wasn't sure why she was so certain of her conviction , she knew she was right . the mere sound of that word made her want to break something , but she knew to keep composure . just as mal was about to bring up the fact that he might end up dead anyway ( which , judging by the bites , wasn't a stretch in the slightest ) , he beat her to it . you sound just like my father .

malina's eyes went wide , incredulous and surprised . he didn't actually mean that , of course not ! it wasn't true , no . being compared to diablo's father , being worse than him , meant she was just as terrible as her own father had been — or worse . ❛ ... you little shit , ❜ mal barked . ❛ i saved your miserable , pathetic life and you dare compare me to that poor excuse of a creature ? who do you think you are ?! ❜ she could feel anger burning a hole inside her , nails digging into her palms as fingers curled inward . ❛ i think you've lived without consequences for far too long , you ungrateful , insolent fool . you think i sound like your father ? ❜ malina laughed like it was the funniest joke of all . ❛ i can do worse , and i will . ❜

[lilisouless]

“Feeding your partner is one of the most intimate things you can do”

Nina: Matthias my love, i am going to share my ice cream with you to prove that my love for you goes beyond-

Matthias: You already ate it while you were talking

Nina: How did i even do it?! Curse my sweet-loving instincs!

---

David: I could offer to feed her , but what if she doesn’t like it and says “yes” only to not look rude? Or what if she gets offended at the implication that i don’t think she can feed herself? But if i don’t do it and she wants me to, i´ll look like i don’t want to shera

Genya: David, my love? Oh great, he is on an overthinking loop again

---

Leoni: Here have a cookie, no sugar,honey and salty like you like it

Adrik: “eats”

(half hour later)

Healer: BUT WHY DID YOU ATE IT IF YOU ARE ALLERGIC TO NUTS?!

Adrik laying down with his face all swollen: It was our aniversary

---

Zoya: I don’t share food!

Nikolai: It´s okay, i do and i can feed you with mine. In afectionate gestures, i am the superior partner

Zoya: what no! you are nothing´s “superior” (grabs a strawberry and puts it close his lips) Eat this 

Nikolai: (Grabs a grape) No, i am feeding you

Zoya : No, i am feeding you! 

Nikolai: I-am-feeding-you

(Both continued to struggle and wrestling for hours)

--- 

Jesper holding a cupcake: Do you trust me? Close your eyes

Wylan wait eye closed until the cupcake clashes his nose ,leaving his face covered in frosting

Wylan: Haha Jes, now give me a napkin

Jesper: We don’t need one

Wylan as Jesper starts removing the frosting with his lips: Jokes on you, i was expecting you to do that

---

Inej after Kaz puts a candy on her mouth: This ones are my favorite

Kaz: I know, stolen food taste better

Inej: Kaz, why are you so-

Kaz: Don’t worry, they were for you anyway,Nina was going to give them to you in your birthday

“BREKEEEEEER!”

---

Tolya: I don´t think that counts as “feeding your parter” 

Nadia helping Tamar shallow a two liter bottle of beer: CHUG! CHUG! CHUG!

---

Oh and Malina thought about it but decided to make an eating contest instead and they both ended up on laying in the floor for a while

[wishingforatypewriter]

Idk if we can ask for the middle space but how about Baavira for "are you jealous?" but specifically Baatar being the one asking Kuvira :3

Kuvira sat by the turtleduck pond in the garden, reading over the latest reports from the northern front. The battle had turned in their favor, but she still felt she should be out there, supporting her soldiers.

Just as she was considering returning by airship in the morning, Baatar came through the sliding doors.

"Kuvira, have you seen my Ba Sing Se University sweatshirt?" he asked, a jar of hair pomade still in one hand.

Wordlessly, Kuvira gestured to herself, and watched the smile split his face when he noticed it on her.

"I'm not giving it back," she said after a moment.

"It looks better on you, anyway," he replied. "New question: have you seen my green—"

"Your jacket's on the back of the chair in your study, and your watch is on the desk."

Baatar came over and kissed her on the cheek. "Thank you, love."

"Where are you headed, anyway?"

"Malina bought a bunch of tickets to that new mover out of Republic City, so we're going with Qi and Shan and a few others," he said. "Do you want to come with us?"

"I have too much work to do." She ran a hand through her hair, thinking of all the administrative matters she'd have to attend to before returning to the front. "As do all of you, for that matter."

"And it will get done, you have my word," he said. "Besides, Malina always says breaks make you more productive on the whole."

It took everything in Kuvira to keep from rolling her eyes. If she had a yuan for every time he'd quoted Malina since she arrived from the North Pole, she'd be richer than Suyin.

Kuvira wanted to like Malina. She did like her, in fact, and her waterbending had been an indispensable help in the public works campaigns. But there was a quality to her friendship with Baatar that she couldn't help but find grating.

"I question how practical that is when you're running a country, but anyway, have fun."

He leaned down and kissed her cheek again. "I'll see you in a few hours."

As a few hours stretched into several, Kuvira tried to remain focused on her work, but a persistent annoyance was beginning to rise within her. By the time Baatar actually returned, well after midnight and flushed in a manner that can only be attributed to whiskey, her mood was clearly projected on her face.

"What's wrong?" he asked as he stumbled into the bedroom, tripping over air as usual.

"Nothing's wrong. I'm just busy." Kuvira gestured to the stacks of documents surrounding her on the bed.

Baatar raised an incredulous eyebrow, but let the matter rest. "Do you want some help?"

"No."

"Are you sure you're not upset?"

"Just busy," she repeated with an edge of finality in her voice, and signed the contract in front of her with far more force than was needed.

Baatar sighed. "I know what this is," he said, taking a seat at the edge of the bed. "You're overworked, love. Why don't you come to brunch with Malina and I tomorrow morning?"

This time Kuvira did roll her eyes. "Oh no, I'd hate to interrupt your date," she said before she had time to think it through.

"Date?" Baatar glanced at her, his eyes wide. "Kuvira, what are you talking about?"

"Nothing. Just forget it." She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Are you...jealous? Is that what this is about?"

"No." She sighed. "Not entirely."

Baatar took her hand and squeezed it. "What's bothering you, then?"

"You just seem to have so much fun with her."

"We do have fun as friends, but Kuvira, I love you. There isn't anyone else in the world I want to be with. You know that, don't you?"

For the first time that night, Kuvira smiled. "I do."

"Let's do something tomorrow, just you and me," he said.

"I'd like that," she said, and only minded a little that she'd have to rearrange her schedule for it.

[autismking]

was doing a s&b reread and realized how similar mal and alina are to katniss and peeta from the hunger games (malina the poor man’s everlark lmao) so i made a list if anyone is interested! i’ll start with the similarities between the characters individually and then as a ship:

alina starkov / katniss everdeen:

* scrawny, underweight

* “chosen one” - only one who can fix the country - and only begrudgingly takes on the role

* grumpy and defiant of authority

* something something how katniss sees the humanity in the mutts at the end of the first games and alina hears the humanity in the cries of the volcra in s&s

mal oretsev / peeta mellark:

* stocky

* blue eyes

* charismatic/gets along with people easily

malina / everlark:

* childhood sweethearts trope

* katniss sees the dandelion in the meadow by the school/mal and alinas favorite memories are in their meadow, mockingjay epilogue takes place in a meadow, katniss sings the song about a meadow, the meadow is the girls’ safe place

* they save each other’s lives multiple times

* “always” barely heard while falling asleep

* peeta giving katniss a roll in CF + alina giving mal the sweet roll in s&b

* complicated are we/aren’t we but they maintain at least an understanding that they are friends most of the time

* at one point had plots to kill each other

* he has nightmares about losing her/he comforts her when she has nightmares about the people she’s killed

* the feeling of owing something to the other person

* wartime romances

* they spend a night together thinking it will be the last night of one of their lives (multiple times actually)

* antagonist tortures (or threatens to torture) one in order to control the other

* love triangle (square?)

* she tried to sacrifice herself for him AND he tried sacrifice himself for her

anyways yes i know my brain is so big 😌