#genya safin deserved better

[unabashedmoonlight]

"She is a serf. I didn't have to force her."

Wanted: King Lantsov, Tatiana and The Darkling (preferably alive, need to beat them to death with a rock)

Nikolai will be getting punched in the throat for letting the 2 go (if i didn't hear his reasons he would be shot on sight but STILL where is the justice ughh)

[thegreatmelodrama]

SHADOW AND BONE SEASON 2 SPOILERS AHEAD

You mean tell me that in changing things about the Shadow & Bone books they drew the line at having David live??? I’m not using this as a critique of the season either. I just wish we could have gotten more time with David. And for Genya to have gotten more time with David. I honestly don’t even have the words. I just wasn’t expecting it happen so soon. Like reading it was heartbreaking, but this broke me.

[unabashedmoonlight]

Along with this, I think he also wanted the king to be more open to sharing things with her. With her so alienated and very clearly not a part of Grisha, he would be more likely to let some info slip.

Genya and her Grisha Colors

I think that something we don’t discuss enough is that the Darkling did not just let Genya to be raped again and again for years because the position she had was convenient, since he needed a spy.

He was very much aware about how Genya did not belong at court and about how she was slut-shamed and not considered a soldier by the other Grisha. One call and he could have given her the Grisha Colors she so desired. But he didn’t. He let her be mistreated. He ‘rewarded’ her sacrifice with even more pain and alienation. He made her desperate enough to be able to kill in order to take revenge and to finally be accepted. 

He weaponized her abuse and rape against her and he used her Grisha colours as collateral and he made an assassin out of her. And on top of all that he had made her feel small enough that she considered this small allowance to rise out of her misery a kindness on his part. He managed to make her think she should be grateful of his abuse.

[gwenpendragns]

DAVID KOSTYK and GENYA SAFIN Shadow and Bone, ‘Like Calls to Like’

[or-we-could-take-a-walk-together]

alina: kirigan? who the hell is kirigan?

alina: *gasp* oh my god no it’s the black heretic

[restinslices]

Idk who needs to hear this but it’s ok to agree with The Darkling’s ideas but not his methods.

The Darkling had every right to hate non Grisha and his plan made sense. Make it so Grisha are no longer mistreated and use the fold (which I’m pretty sure is an accident in the show and the books, but I could be wrong) as a weapon so Grisha can never be attacked again. It makes sense. He wants to be a savior for Grisha. His methods though? Fucking atrocious. Saying he did absolutely nothing wrong is wild asf to me. He manipulates and becomes so codependent when it comes to teenage girls. He manipulated Zoya, he allows Genya to be assaulted by the king so she can be a spy for him then later scars her, he manipulates Alina, tries to control her powers, threatens to skin her alive if Mal can’t find the second amplifier, he kills several people and I’m pretty sure threatened to murder an entire orphanage plus the other crazy shit he did in the books. He had a great idea that I can stand behind. He’s not wrong for fighting back. He’s wrong for the other wild shit he did and refuses to apologize for. And even if he did apologize, it probably wouldn’t be enough.

You can like The Darkling as a villain. You can find him hot. I love Ben Barnes and I love villains. I have been a Loki lover since Thor. I loved Bucky as The Winter Soldier. The Alpha Pack from Teen Wolf will always own my heart. But this mf Alexander is like Thanos; spitting real shit but has a shit plan. Thanos was spitting when he said the world doesn’t have enough resources but committing genocide instead of just doubling the resources when he had the power to do so is crazy.

Back to The Darkling, you can like him but don’t act like he did absolutely nothing wrong cause I’m never letting go of the bullshit he put Genya through.

[ludarklina-fan-spot]

Alina

"I'm fixing this shitty narrative!"

Alina cont'd

"You are having sex with Mal so I don't have to!"

Mal

Genya and Sasha

DarkGenyalina foreva!!!!

Feast Sankta! Feast well!

Gifs by @ladylrbloom

[stromuprisahat]

From under one of my posts, regarding Genya:

Now that I think about it, there would be an amazing story in it. A mix of show and (mostly) book canon- Ivan died, Genya helps loyalists just like @black-rose-writings wrote in her post, the Darkling gets the throne, making Genya his second-in-command in everything but name, using her spying experience and a net of friendly servants of Grand Palace (The King made sure there's plenty.), connecting her to his other networks (Hringsa anyone?).

The old Tsar eventually gets caught (No Genya- no tropical vacation.) in Spinning Wheel, but instead of simply killing him, the Darkling brings him to meet Genya- once a mere servant to do with whatever he pleases, now his judge and second most powerful person in Ravka. Unseen just like she used to be, but more dangerous than whole armies. She passed her judgement before, she tells him about the poison, but others he abused have not. Enter her loyal army of servants to deal with him however they see fit.

After the war, Genya's the one to charm nobles and foreign dignitaries alike. Mere Tailor, pretty thing during the day, grey eminence and puppeteer during night.

My horrible mind added: * and pegging David by night.

Oh, and the bitch Queen, obviously gets to be judged by Genya too. Wouldn't want ~her~ to get away with throwing a child to a rapist, would we? But I think the convent isn't such a bad idea. Some order like Silent Sisters in ASoIaF. With fitting visage adjustments. Her looks are all she cares about, so either keeping her long enough for permanent Tailoring, or traitor!Genya's nichevo'ya treatment don't sound bad...

[orniithology]

i will never not be so mad that david died. literally why did leigh even do that

but like????? no fr why did this happen. he didn’t have to. saints know neither he nor genya deserved this. they’d just started being able to breathe after the darkling they’d just started a life together they’d just gotten married and it all got ripped away and i am Furious about it. they should have been happy. she Just did this with matthias we didn’t need a repeat. genya has been through so much why would you do this to her she deserves better she deserves david she deserves love

i read row like over a year ago and i am still so upset and distraught and wondering why this had to happen

[cherryblossomtimemachine]

I'm ready to talk about her and how much she means to me

[unabashedmoonlight]

Leigh about The Darkling- I love the moments when he appears to not be in control. The thing I hate about him? What he did to Genya. And I'm not just talking about what he did at the end of Siege and Storm.

[greensaplinggrace]

I still can’t believe they changed the darkling’s reasons for scarring genya. it does such a massive disservice to both of their characters

[dcbnam-aep]

i havent seen anyone talking about the rule of wolves-esque intro thingy s2 ep8 like yes im still living my no body no death delusion to the fullest but as soon as the screen exploded with silver i was like oh no david oh no genya oh no oh no oh no-

[flippityflaps]

I love being tagged in these things💗🥹

hard to choose just one song butttt Mad Woman by Taylor Swift fits Genya like a glove, and practically the vast majority of women in the Grishaverse too.

Npt @naushtheaspiringauthor @thatdelusionalnerd @chocolateprincecat + anyone who wants to join:)

✨️TAG GAME TIME✨️

a song you associate with a book character or ship (name the character/ship please and thank you)

reminds me of cardan. no I will not elaborate you either get it or you dont.

npt: @ant-thebooknerd @agirlwiththoughtsandnegativity @bookish-phile @cookieswithforksandknifes @cromulentreader @fantasyfangirling4ever @graaaaaayy @highladyofterrasen7 @his-littlefox @jesyverse @kazbrekkerbitespeopleandsodoi @motherfeyre-archeron @mrswarnerxo @starlightbooklove @sweetvillainjude @thenightmareinyourcloset @thejudeduarte @veswe @viivdle @booklover2389 @annamatix

[evellynssocbrainrot]

This is mostly to speak in defense of this post made by @starsandscars81

First of all, my intention isn’t to gatekeep anyone else’s take or opinion on this subject matter. If you think differently that’s completely fine. It’s none of my business. 

Anyway, on to the analysis.

Kaz and the Darkling are, without a doubt, two of the most flawed characters in the Grishaverse. They’ve both done bad things and certainly aren’t good people. Even so, I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: comparing Kaz to the Darkling is still… extreme. And just not it. By comparison, no matter how much awful stuff Kaz has done, it’s no joke that he is over a million times better than the Darkling. 

The Darkling definitely didn’t start off as an evil character, and all his intentions aren’t horrible either. His main motivation is to help the Grisha, his people who have faced years worth of discrimination. He worked hard and built the second army and the Little Palace, which became a kind of haven for Grisha to come together and exercise their gifts. And coming from someone who dislikes the Darkling, I can tell you now that that is wonderful. I’m glad that he’s doing his best and defending his people. That is great. But even then, you can’t deny that some of the things that the Darkling has done on that path are borderline disgusting. The first being massacring hundreds, if not thousands of innocent people. Even if he’s doing it for the sake of his people, killing so many people who are not at fault is not an act of a selfless hero, but pure villainy and cruelty. And what’s worse is that he did this several times. Not just once, and without second thought. Reminders that these innocent people included harmless children.

The rest of the horrible deeds he’s done all come down to his treatment of Alina Starkov (and a bit of Genya Safin, as well). Whether you like Darklina or not, never forget or sugarcoat the idea that he ABUSED her. He may have loved her, he may have understood her, but he hurt her. Over and over again. He lied to her and hid his true intentions. He placed a collar on her and touched her without consent. He stole her power and claimed her as if she was nothing but an object. He was possessive of her and emotionally tormented her even after she ran away. He killed the only mother figure she had and completely destroyed her childhood home. He was absolutely disgusting. There is nothing at all to forgive and redeem. He was already beyond redemption when he created the Fold. And once again, IT DOESN’T MATTER if he loved her. It doesn’t matter at all when he did nothing but hurt her to such extreme amounts and would have continued to if he ever won, or if Darklina actually became canon. 

And what makes the Darkling even worse is that he doesn’t regret any of it. This is where he truly can be labeled as a heartless and cruel monster. He doesn’t express so much as even a sliver of remorse over his inhuman behavior. He doesn’t feel bad. He doesn’t reflect on it or think about it. In fact, he still believes himself to be in the right. He doesn’t even realize how awful he is. Doesn’t show any sign of improving himself. I mourn the person he could have been. I mourn Aleksander Morozova. But I will never defend the person he is today. I will always believe that the death he was given was far too light and SHOULD have been worse. It’s what he deserves. 

He didn’t start evil, but he became evil. He had hundreds of years to rethink his actions but never did. He wanted to defend his people, but you don’t do that by expanding the Fold and causing further destruction. You don’t do that with pointless mass murder. He loved Alina, but you don’t express that by ruining her life. Once upon a time, he was a young hurt boy, but now he’s nothing but a revolting, monstrous and horrible psychopath.

With that said, now I’ll move on to Kaz.

He is not a good person. I’ll tell you that now. I’m not at all defending the bad things that he’s done. Neither am I ignoring his bad qualities. He is manipulative, cruel, and violent. When he freed Inej from the Menagerie, his intentions weren’t to save her, but to temporarily make use of her skills. I know this, and I’m not dismissing it.

But here are some things that set him apart from the Darkling.

The first being that almost everything Kaz does has reason. There is ALWAYS a reason. His rage is targeted at hyper-specific people. People who deserve it. He killed Oomen, but because he hurt Inej to the point that she nearly died. He dropped a man from a tower, but because that man blackmailed a Zemeni sex worker. He destroyed Van Eck and his empire, but because Van Eck was a bitch. He spent all his life trying to crush Pekka Rollins, and he did, but because Pekka ruined his life. “Kaz Brekker always had his reasons.” The Darkling had no reason to commit mass murder and hurt Alina. 

The second thing is boundaries. The Darkling didn’t have fucking boundaries. Kaz, on the other hand, no matter the amount of violence and destruction he commits, never crosses some lines. He never ever raped or sexually assaulted anyone, he never hurts innocent people, he never hurts children, and never actually spread firepox around the city of Ketterdam. 

The third being awareness. This is a big one. The Darkling, in his path of vengeance, hardly considers his environment, the people around him, who he should get mad at and who he shouldn’t. And even after the horrible deed is done, as I said before, there’s no remorse and regret. For Kaz it’s the opposite. He is hyper aware of where he is. Who he’s with. He’s careful and considerate. And for some of the horrible things he’s done, despite how understandable and trauma-inflicted they are, he regrets them. He feels bad. He knows he’s not a good person. He knows he is awful. He knows he isn’t worthy of Inej. When he was drowning in the waters of Fjerda, it wasn’t himself he was thinking of. It was his crew, Inej. He was worried for them. He blamed himself for the positions they were in and vowed that no matter what, he would save them. He would fix this mess. The same applies in the next book, when they were all trapped in the Geldrenner hotel. It’s himself Kaz blamed, nobody else. 

We don’t even need to tell Kaz that he’s awful. Because he already knows it and wholeheartedly believes it. And unlike so many other similar male characters in YA fiction, Kaz desperately wished that he could change. Perhaps he doesn’t say this openly, but you know deep down that he doesn’t want to be this way. He doesn’t want this life or the trauma. 

Speaking of the trauma, so much of what Kaz does is because of it. Does it excuse his behavior? Certainly not. But it does help with understanding why. And even now, the consequences he suffers from the trauma are bad, but still don’t excuse what he does. Kaz himself thinks so. 

Kaz was a boy who was hurt, like the Darkling was. He lost someone important, like the Darkling did. But the way he responded to that was immensely different. Even the desire for money is understandable when you realize that the lack of it was what made him and his brother end up on the streets. And the money he got, he literally spent a large portion of it to buy Inej a ship and remake the Emerald Palace into the Silver Six. And before that, he gave up the last of it he had left to pay off Inej’s contract.

AND, speaking of Inej. Only someone extremely stupid would say that the way he treats her is the same as the way the Darkling treats Alina. The dynamic is messy and flawed, but they are young. It’s understandable if they fail from time to time. But overall, Kaz respects Inej. He adores Inej. He’s devoted to Inej. He’s loyal to Inej. He wouldn’t betray or abandon her for all the gold in the world. He’s protective of her, but not possessive. When he sees other people get close to her, he’s jealous. But not because he wants to keep Inej to himself, but because he wants to be able to get close to her like that as well. He realizes the wrong ways he treats her, and then proceeds to claim that he isn’t so bad that he can’t pull himself together for her. He spends a good portion of Crooked Kingdom going out of his way to make up for his behavior and it shows. It doesn’t make him any better a person, but it does make him a far better lover. A worthy book boyfriend <333.

Outside of Inej, you can see how much he cares about his crew. He protects them, he the Parem from Nina, he refuses to give it to Jesper, he gives Wylan advice like a big brother, he gave them all time to rest and recharge in the Geldrenner hotel while dragging his aching body all the way to the Slat to gather more people for his plan. He gave his crew every single resource he had left and even then, contributed alongside them when putting his plan to action. The Slat and the Dregs themselves have become a safe space for young people who don’t have a family or a place to go. He may be selfish with the world, but with them he’s nothing but the most selfless person to ever exist. 

The list is endless, honestly, but this is why it doesn't make any sense to compare Kaz to the Darkling. If I were in a life and death situation, and I was forced to put my trust in one person, Kaz or the Darkling, I would choose Kaz in a heartbeat.

Damn, this took way too long.

[thejudeduarte]

Characters that deserved sm better:

Cardan Greenbriar ~ tfota

Jacks ~ uoabh

Nikolai Lantsov ~ sab

Genya Safin ~ sab

Kenji Kishimoto ~ shatter me

Aaron Warner ~ shatter me

Newt ~ maze runner

Finnick Odair ~ thg

Grayson Hawthorne ~ tig

William Sitterson ~ legendborn

Matthias Helvar ~ soc

Lmk if there's more :)