#i don't actually mind it because lets be real most fantasy is anachronistic in this regard | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

greensaplinggrace · 1 year ago

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highly specific pet peeve of mine when it comes to sab is that none of the characters act with any kind of wariness when they should. like the grisha would not be celebrating in the king’s court with genuine displays of emotion (and obvious shows of rivalry that can be exploited) for all of the otkazat’sya nobles to see. aleksander shouldn’t be showing so much genuine emotion in front of the king or any otkazat’sya (noble or not, they’re all threats to him after all). everyone should be tenser when they’re in court or around authority figures, and the ways they disregard authority are bizarre. that would have you flogged in any monarchy during that time period.

it feels like the writers don’t really grasp the setting or what it means to the characters. these people are soldiers, and even worse, they’re soldiers that are apart of a persecuted class. they should not be so comfortable in areas or around people where they would be thinking about their every little move and how it could be taken advantage of if it was shown. vulnerability should not be tossed around so carelessly by people who should be startlingly aware of life’s atrocities.

honestly, genya is the only character that even acts remotely like she should, in that she is always tense and wary and holding herself like someone who knows they can be hurt at any moment. and even then she’s loose in the king’s court (the king) when she would be at the height of her wariness and paranoia.

#this follows the same vein as criticisms about the realism #in the way the military works in sab #and the ways mal and alina disregard authority as soldiers when there would be serious repercussions #like nobody raised in these conditions would act this way #genya safin #zoya nazyalensky #alina starkov #shadow and bone #sab #grishaverse #sab critical #i mean a bit #its kind of just a weirdly specific pet peeve lol #i don't actually mind it because lets be real most fantasy is anachronistic in this regard #there's so many characters in modern media that speak to their superiors like they don't fear any consequences when they absolutely should #but its so obvious that lb doesn't know how politics or the military works #(and also how the power allotment within it would actually work)#or any kind of government structure and the way people would operate in it #and doesn't give serious thought to how people in these situations would realistically be thinking #and the writers of the show clearly followed in those footsteps #but its like come on #its kind of obvious #you wrote a story centering around trauma there should maybe be a bit more of that shown #but i guess that's also the whole tell don't show problem sab has #myramblings

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