#the zoya factor

[singinprincess]

The Zoya Factor (2019)

[mad-who-ra]

Dulquer is a cutie

[sampigehoovu]

everytime I watch Zoya Factor, I have to read the Zoya Factor to cleanse myself.

[strepsils123]

im telling you this man in this movie has my heart aagggghhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

DULQUER SALMAAN in THE ZOYA FACTOR (2019)

[richdadpoor]

Dulquer Salmaan FINALLY Reacts To Rana Daggubati's Comment On Sonam Kapoor: 'Whatever He Chose To Say...'

Dulquer Salmaan finally comments on Rana Daggubati’s indirect dig at Sonam Kapoor. Dulquer Salmaan broke his silence over the fiasco caused by Rana Daggubati’s indirect statement about Sonam Kapoor. Rana Daggubati recently made a statement regarding a leading actress who wasted Dulquer Salman’s time on sets. He did not take anyone’s name but fans were quick enough to guess that he was referring…

[naushtheaspiringauthor]

~Child Of The Storm~

Nikolai Lantsov x OC

Image by - @brokendreamtale2

Warnings- slight ptsd and mentions of scars

A/N- CHILD OF THE STORM IS BACK YALL. I am SO sorry for disappearing for like, three months life's been A LOT. There's only two three more chapters left until the fic's over. I cannot believe it's been more than a year. BUT there is something new coming up very soon (tho it would be a lot sooner IF I JUST FIGURE OUT HOW TO FIX THE DAMNED PLOT HOLE). Anyways, this chapter's a bit long so buckle in. And let me know if you'd like to be added or removed from the taglist!

Taglist- @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy @sirisuorionblack @evelyndane @marauders-wife @el-de-phi

Ch-65 ~and it was either going to make her stronger than ever~

Anaya stopped at the doorway. She took a deep breath before entering the ballroom.

The place was a massive hall with shiny golden walls and chandeliers that covered almost the entire ceiling. It was where all of the royal events were hosted.

And tonight, for Nikolai’s coronation, Genya had done a great job of making even the hideous Grand Palace appear endearing. 

Even though Nikolai was supposed to be the centre of attention tonight, every head turned as Anaya went in. 

Even Nikolai himself had turned to look at her.

“Great” she thought, not quite fond of the gesture. She’d already been late because she’d spent the afternoon working when she should've been preparing for the event.

She walked forward, her gown brushing against the laces of her shoes, a smile on her face.

She saw Genya and Zoya standing in a far corner, gesturing to her to come to them.

“Councillor Nasrazeen,” A man spoke up, blocking her path. “It’s an honour to finally meet you” he smiled. Though his narrowed eyes and raised eyebrow expressed how he was much more irritated to meet her.

 “Duke Verensky” he introduced himself.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well, Duke Verensky” Anaya said, a smile plastered across her face.

“I have to say,” he began. “Ravka truly is changing its ways of working” He raised his brows. “Given how the Council is now being led by a Grisha woman”.

There it was.

When the news of Anaya’s position had reached the nobles, some had been intrigued as to why she’d become the Councillor. Others had simply refused to accept it. 

“Surely you’re aware of all the events that have happened in our country since last year,” Anaya said, her voice unwavering. “Ravka is certainly seeing changes it hadn’t ever seen before.” She tilted her head. “And perhaps it’s for the best.” 

But the Duke only narrowed his eyes further, “That we shall see” he gave a nod, walking away.

The coronation began shortly afterwards and lasted for a while. 

Anaya glanced at the clock. It’d only been an hour since she’d arrived, and yet it had felt like an eternity.

The prying eyes of the guests and their never ending questions made her want to walk out the door, but she had no other choice but to stay.

“Why exactly did King Nikolai choose you for a position that holds such great importance?” One of the guests asked.

“I believe you would have to ask his majesty himself about his decision” She offered as pleasantly as she could. 

“Still, if you had to think of a possible reason, what would you choose?” She pressed.

It’s probably because I don’t ask useless questions.

“It could be, as I’ve worked by his side during the civil war and because of my experience on foreign lands” She said. 

“Surely you would need more factors than that to be worthy of running a country” the woman said, smiling.

Why don’t you run it instead.

Anaya forced her lips into a smile, “Duchess, I-”

“I deeply apologise for interrupting you,” Genya appeared by her side. “But I’m afraid I’ll have to borrow Miss Nasrazeen for a moment” she smiled and dragged Anaya away by her arm.

“How do I thank you for this favour Genya” Anaya let out an exasperated sigh as she went to the corner where Zoya was.

“By actually dressing up on time” Genya grinned as she rolled a single amber eye.

“That woman is a menace,” Zoya added, handing Anaya a glass of champagne.

“That I figured out” Anaya rolled her eyes, taking the glass.

“I have to say,” Genya glimpsed at her dress. “You do look good in blue”.

“‘Immensely endearing’ is the term I’d use” Anaya flashed a grin. 

She lowered her voice“ I'm surprised how you managed to turn this hideous palace appealing ”

“What can I say” Genya straightened her shoulders. “I'm very talented”.

“Where is David by the way?” She asked

Genya rolled her eye, “He left as soon as the Coronation was over. He's very repulsive to social gatherings”.

“However do you deal with him” Zoya said, shaking her head.

There was a brief silence, filled by their similar thoughts.

“It's so hard,” Zoya sighed. “Pretending to be thrilled about all this, as if nothing happened”.

Anaya gave a single nod of her head. “That's what this all is” she lifted a shoulder. “Pretending to move on, getting used to the changes, acting along in the play”.

“Atleast Nikolai’s doing it a lot better than us,” Genya said, her gaze drifting over to where he was standing.

Anaya nodded in agreement. 

Even after all he'd endured, he'd managed to keep the act going, playing the parts he was expected to.

She had no idea how he did it all, when she could do nothing to shake the feeling of her scars creeping over her, reminding her of how they came to be.

Slithering like thorned vines over her arms, her back.

The evening stretched on and the nobles continued to pester Anaya with their inane questions.

And she had no choice but to offer them and answer.

…………………………………..

Anaya stood near one of the tables at a corner, a glass of champagne in her hand. It was getting immensely difficult to get through the event without it.

She then noticed two of the grisha students silently creeping out with a bottle of champagne hidden behind their backs.

“And where exactly do you two plan to be going?” Anaya said, appearing behind them.

The Fabrikator and the Heartrender turned around hastily, trembling in fear upon the sight of her.

“Nowhere…ma’am” The Boy began, refusing to meet her gaze

But the Heartrender cut him off, “I actually needed some fresh air so I told him to go outside” She offered.

Despite being shorter, Anaya seemed to be the one looking down at them.

“And I suppose you also need the champagne to enjoy the fresh air” She raised an eyebrow.

“We-” The girl began, but Anaya's sceptical gaze stopped her from further speaking.

Anaya looked at them for a moment, “What are your names?” She said, finally speaking.

“I- Nestor Verakov”, ma’am” The boy looked at his feet.

Anaya's gaze shifted to the girl.

“Nina Zenik” she said, managing to look up.

Anaya sighed, “Fine go, just don't let the General see you” she glanced at Zoya who was surrounded by a group of First Army officials.

They barely nodded before rushing out the door.

Anaya sighed and went back to her corner before another noble could drag her off.

She looked around, taking a sip from her second glass.

“Going very fast on the champagne are we?” She turned to see Nikolai with a smile on his face. “I will need my Councillor to be able to work tomorrow you know” He walked to her side.

Anaya sighed, “Yeah yeah”.

“You know,” He stood beside her. “Even though it’s supposed to be my day, you’re the one gathering all the attention” He flashed a grin.

Anaya rolled her eyes, “These people ask the most inane questions” She shook her head. “I get people asking how I plan on bringing developments to the country,” She waved her hand. “But how am I supposed to know what kind of woman the new king would be willing to marry?” She turned her hand.

He shook his head in disdain but he was smiling, “Ah, the nobles” He tilted his head briefly. “They tend to do that quite a lot, you’ll get used to it”.

“Perhaps you should tell them that the King’s looking for a seamstress who plays the eighteen string Khatur”.

Anaya turned to him, “Why specifically the eighteen string?” She raised a brow. “Why not the twelve?”.

“I” He began. “am a cultured man Anaya” He spoke as dramatically as he could manage with the guests watching them. “The eight string is for uncultured fools, don’t you think?”

“I don’t know,” Anaya put her glass down. “I don’t have much interest in string instruments”.

He paused briefly then spoke, “I’d have to thank you for your advice” His voice was much lower and serious.  “Really helped me get through all this”.

Anaya looked at him and gave the barest shake of his head, “Well I’m not one to offer advice,” She met his gaze. “But I’m glad I could help” Her lips formed a small smile.

……………………………………………

The topic had come up the previous morning. Anaya had been in her study, working, when Zoya and Genya had shown up to have tea with her.

“Nikolai doesn’t seem very thrilled about it,” Zoya had pointed out.

Genya nodded, “He appears distressed” She lowered her voice. “After all he’s endured, I’m not sure if he wishes to be King all the same.”

“But he has to,” Zoya said.

Genya gave a distant nod, pondering upon something. “Anaya” She turned to her.

“Hmm?” Anaya looked away from her papers. 

“You should speak with him”.

Anaya furrowed her brows, “What why?”.

Genya picked up her teacup, “He needs someone to tell him that he doesn’t need to fret about being the King”.

Anaya looked at her with an utterly confused look, “Why me? Why can’t either of you speak with him?”. 

She glanced at Zoya. “Well not her, but why can’t you do it”

Zoya rolled her eyes.

“I don’t…really speak with him” Genya said, hesitation lingering in her voice. “Given all that has happened”.

Genya had been pardoned only because of Alina Starkov. So there still was some hesitation between her and Nikolai. And Anaya had the feeling he didn’t fully trust her yet.

“Plus, he does seem to listen to you,” Zoya added.

Anaya raised her brows.

“He does, actually,” Genya agreed.

So Anaya had spoken with him. 

Not the entire day. The only time she’d seen him was when she’d been walking down the hall with the Finance Minister. 

When she’d been walking back to the Little Palace at night, then she’d seen him. Standing near the lake, almost irrecognizable.

"Nervous about the big day?" Anaya asked as she walked towards him. 

He turned to her in utter curiosity. His gaze softened upon the sight of her, "Well yeah" he sighed. "It's quite weird".

 He looked up at the night sky, the gleaming stars. "Even though I've been preparing for this my entire life, it still seems very daunting". 

She stood next to him.

 "It is understandable" she met his gaze. "I mean it's not everyday you get to be the King" she tilted her head. "It can be quite strange, when the moment you've been waiting, preparing for so long, finally comes". Her voice was low, the breeze on a summer night, making the trees waver gently. 

"For a long while, it almost seems impossible".

 "Improbable, actually" Nikolai lifted a finger, a corner of his mouth turned up.

 "What?" She said, utterly perplexed.

 "Nothing is truly impossible, it's only ever improbable".

 She nodded briefly in amusement, "Well, alright".

The silence lingered in the air, gentle, comforting, a hand held in another.

“Is this what you wanted to do?” Nikolai spoke, turning towards her.

She furrowed her brows in confusion.

“To be the council leader,  run the country?” He amended.

She looked at him, startled by the question but soon, her gaze softened. “Well, I’ve been certain for a long while” she looked at her hands. “That I wish to help the people, work for their betterment”. 

“And if being the Councillor is my way to do it, then I’m content with this job.” She lifted a shoulder.

She turned to the sky, admiring the gleaming stars, the moon at the centre of it all, shining the brightest.

She could feel his gaze on her, lingering in the silence. She didn’t look at him, she didn’t believe she could.

“It’s not easy,” he finally spoke. “Pretending to be your best version, when you’re still picking up the pieces”.

“Isn’t that what we’re all doing?,” she said, finally turning towards him. “Pretending to be okay when we’re not?”.

He nodded, looking at the sky, appearing as if he’s reminiscing.

“You’ll make a great King,” Anaya’s voice wavered in the air. 

He met her gaze, his eyes gleaming in the moonlight. 

“Especially because you’ll have an immensely talented Councillor by your side” She lifted her grinning, a small grin playing on her lips.

He smiled, “That, I will”.

[aleksanderscult]

Hello, I started following your blog pretty recently and I agree with most of what you think. I felt so confused when I finished the books and came on tumblr to see everyone hailing malina as the perfect relationship and I was glad to know that I wasn't the only one who disliked him.

I wanted to ask you something, im not sure if I saw this on this blog, but someone said that zoya is an example of toxic feminism in YA fantasy. Which checked out to me, but it also felt that bardugo added misogyny, feminism and toxic feminism in the SaB series.

Misogyny since alina had to face sloot-shaming in every book (almost entirely by Malyen ugh 😒). I felt that she really tried and suceeded to be feminist with genya, since she actually stood up for herself and had many facets to her personality. She also wasn't an important character just because of her beauty or anything super superficial. Genya IS a strong female character, and she wasn't 'broken' by the king, despite the foul things he did.

But zoya.. my god, I really wanted to like her, but I just couldn't. She is mean and hot headed to the point where I really don't see any redeeming factors to her. I always liked 'mean girl character who isnt as shallow as she seems' in fantasy novels, but she didnt exactly have a redemption arc either. If the darkling had warned her about expanding the fold in the first book, she would have fought for him. I think she isnt a strong female character, but just a girl who is a bully and decided to help mc since the antagonist hurt her specifically. She doesnt even think of the other casualties of novokribirsk. I think the 'break nikolais heart, I'll comfort him and make a magnificent queen' part was a joke, but still....

Please excuse my yapping. I haven't read crooked kingdom and nikolais duology, so I don't know if the characters had any developement since then, so please ignore any innacuracies of this text pertaining to that. Do you have any thoughts on this?

(Do you allow emoji annons? If so, can I be 🎀 annon?)

(Of course I do! You can use any emoji you want and ribbons remind me of coquettish things 😍)

Genya in S&B was my favorite version of her. She was traumatised by the King's abuse, that's true. But she wasn't solely that.

(Here's a meta about that version of her that I once did)

She was very brave, vengeful, intelligent, politically aware, had a sense of humor and was kind. There were different aspects to her personality and wasn't solely "the victim" as many fans of the Grishaverse like to portray her. But in Nikolai's duology Bardugo either forgot how to write complex situations within a court or just doesn't know how to (or it doesn't suit her 🙃).

She threw all the blame to the Darkling (as if he was entirely at fault for her sexually abuse), forgot that Grisha were serfs meant to please and serve the royal family (hence why the Darkling gave her to the Queen) and also forgot how it was the Queen who withdrew her protection and allowed her husband to abuse her. Also, a slight amnesia to how Genya herself decided to stay and take revenge. Essentially, the character became Leigh's mouthpiece to remind the reader that the Darkling is a heartless motherfucker that is undeserving of redemption. How banal.

Now about Zoya. Zoya is the typical female character that we encounter in media nowadays. A girlboss that kicks ass, is rude, has no sensitivity and threatens everyone. Again, cliché. But Leigh broke her own in-universe laws when she gave Zoya the protagonist's role.

Meaning:

The narrative with Alina as a protagonist: "You can't have feelings for your enemy!! You can't be independent! You need to depend on your toxic, childhood friend and...what is this? Power?? You took three amplifiers?? WELL SAY GOODBYE TO YOUR POWERS THAT KEEP YOU HEALTHY AND STRONG!!"

The narrative with Zoya as a protagonist: "Take the amplifiers, take the power to turn into a dragon, let's also have a Saint in your head giving you advice and guess?!? You just got promoted into a Queen and soon enough you will marry the love of your life!! Kudos!!"

That's basically what happened.

It would be an amazing end if only:

- Otkazat'sya didn't hate the Grisha's guts.

- Zoya had the qualities of a leader and a Queen instead of being handed the throne on a silver plate from an illegitimate son who failed in his job.

- The author didn't break her own rules just to prove and show how "awesome" her protagonists are.

- The same author didn't copy paste the storyline of Daenerys Targaryen into Zoya's (somehow she needed to appear cool and sympathetic)

- Half of the fandom didn't hate the primary protagonists now than they ever did before.

So basically Leigh infuriated the fandom even more about Alina's fate when she gave Zoya everything.

And about your question if the characters had any development in the later books after the trilogy. I've got some bad news, my friend. 🥲

[heliads]

req with nikolai lantsov x reader. they are married for convenience but are friends and support each other until they fall in love and everyone notices but them. reader and nikolai kiss a few times and sleep together but never talk about it. when zoya becomes queen nikolai asks reader if she will want to stay married to him and reader says she loves him, with or without a crown. angst with a lot of fluff at the end please!

anon i love the way you think (also all hail dragon queen zoya)

masterlist

Your husband may be joining you shortly.

It’s still strange to be saying that. Your husband, your king, your friend above all. Nikolai Lantsov has always been a great conspirator, a wonderfully clever thinker, so you trusted that he wasn’t merely making a drunken mistake when he asked for your hand in marriage over too many drinks one late night. Nikolai doesn’t do drunken mistakes. In fact, you think he gets drunk on purpose when making difficult choices to twist his enemies into thinking that they’ve got the upper hand, all so he can trick them when their eyes are closed in self-congratulation.

It might be a habit left over from his time burning the seas as Sturmhond, or it could just be Nikolai himself. Always the schemer, him; always the planner, the one with the ideas. His eyes glint like ice, his hair shines like metal. Both can cut if given the chance. No Lantsov would ever let themselves go into the unknown vastness without a weapon, even if the only one left is their own physical flesh and bone.

No, Nikolai wasn’t kidding when he asked you to marry him. By all accounts, it was a logical choice. The other nations had been clamoring for him to wed one of their daughters for quite some time now, and marrying you gave Nikolai an easy way out. You were a Ravkan noble, and well-connected to the independence cause while the Darkling was still in power. Having you as his bride would alienate no foreign powers just as it would connect him even further to his own people.

That’s the reason he gave you at least, his fingers tented in the shadow of a half-empty glass of champagne. The two of you were somewhere inside one of the Grand Palace’s mammoth rooms, far from the slippery wastes of the shadows outside. Nikolai always gambled best when his feet were on his own ground, when he didn’t have to fear anything or anyone interrupting his flow of thought. He could trick you into pledging your loyalty regardless of where he stood, of course, but it could never hurt to get the odds all in his favor.

You had said yes. Of course you had. You are Nikolai’s best friend, or so you like to claim. You think it could be true at one point. Maybe that will come after the veil descends over your eyes and a ring appears on your finger. Still, you think you’ll remember the way Nikolai’s gaze had sparked with triumph upon hearing your answers for years to come, as well as how he’d finally allowed a tipsy flush to descend upon his cheeks. Perhaps it wouldn’t be a terrible mistake after all.

The wedding served its political purpose. The biggest change the marriage gave your life was that it handed you a permanent spot in the Grand Palace. Before, you were always temporary, forever having your terms of service extended as your help was needed more and more in the war effort. Now, you’re a fixture for real, never having to worry about being gradually cut out again. It certainly allows you to make it to meetings on time with that much more certainty.

Also, you’re not alone anymore. You never were, not really; Ravka is a cramped sort of annex, the kind of place in which you can hardly go down the length of a street without bumping into at least half a dozen people. The palace is on a whole separate level, however. Here, there are guards stationed everywhere, First and Second Army alike, then all the Grisha there with the Triumvirate or having arrived to report from the Little Palace just around the corner. Factor in palace staff, random diplomats, and spies, and you’ve got an audience fit for any queen, no matter how recently crowned. 

No, hardly a dull moment indeed. Still, in the times when you need company most, those late nights when you’re certain that Ravka could never possibly come back from all the fights it has chosen to pick, you have someone there with you, someone who understands. When the moon has hung overhead for quite some time and the lights are off, Nikolai sits by your side, whispers that it’s going to be alright. Neither of you believe it, but it makes it better to hear someone you trust speak the foolish hopes aloud.

In all honesty, you think you’re growing to rely on him a little too much. At the beginning, you and Nikolai both agreed that this was strictly a marriage of convenience, that you had started this whole affair as friends and you would end it as such as well. Yet when Nikolai presents you to everyone in his path as his wife with that same giddy look on his face, it’s easy to pretend that his feelings could be elsewhere.

Elsewhere, just as yours are now. You had not intended to fall for him, but Nikolai does not make it a difficult task. He never has. There is another reason you agreed to his proposal, one you would not tell him in a thousand years:  you assumed that you would never get such a chance again. Nikolai is, after all, a royal, and you are not. If you had declined his offer, it would only be to watch him wed someone else. At least now you get to claim his heart. At least now it is halfway yours, even if he grows to love someone else. On paper, he is chained to you.

Some days, that is enough. Others, you won’t satisfy yourself until you know for sure. There are a few nights when both of you want to prove something, when you take kvas instead of water for too long and let yourselves pretend that your alliance is something more than mere politics. You have kissed him more than you thought you would, even when no one was watching and there was no audience in need of a ruse to be kept up. You did it because you wanted to, and he kissed you back because he needed it just as much as you.

You never offer up an explanation for those nights, and neither does he. In the morning, you both go about your business as if nothing had ever happened. In reality, it hasn’t. Small altercations involving both of you ignoring your duties have no place in the future. You are wed for Ravka and you’ll die for her too. Falling in love is only a distraction, and not one that will serve you well. You learn that soon enough.

Your husband may be leaving you shortly.

Nikolai is not a Lantsov, not really. The rumor mills have known it for some time, and you think Nikolai has as well. Of course it would all come to ruin at some point. Nikolai has had an incredible grip on his broken country for quite some time, but all those petty shards just sliced his hands to ribbon. It would all drop eventually, and no one could blame him for that.

The nobles wanted answers. They always do. What you did not expect, however, was to walk out of a conference in which Zoya Nazyalensky was named as ruler of Ravka instead of Nikolai. The general of the Second Army is a worthy queen, of course, and you easily hand your title over to her; the stress could gray your hair like a silver tiara, but it still leaves you wondering what comes next.

It also makes you think about Nikolai. Nikolai, who wed you to avoid political conflict. Nikolai, who is no longer in that same position. Nikolai, who has absolutely no reason to remain married to you at all.

Your thoughts race in a tumultuous rhythm all the way back to your quarters after that fateful meeting. It’s going to hurt. What will? And:  of course it will. What in this world doesn’t? You close the door behind you and walk halfway into the room before coming to a stop again. This has been your place for so long. It almost feels cruel to leave it.

The door opens behind you. You don’t have to turn around to know who has intruded on your shared space. You have long since been able to identify Nikolai by the turn of his step, the even rush of his breath, the quiet shuffle of his fingers in his gloves.

“Do you hate me for not giving you more advance notice?” He asks. Nikolai is careful to keep his voice neutral, but you hear the way his breathing hesitates as he waits for your response.

“No,” you say, although you do not turn around, “I knew you came up with it about thirty seconds before you said it. You didn’t have time.”

Nikolai exhales slowly. “We’ve had a lot of time.”

You close your eyes. This is the part you’ve been waiting for. This is when he ends it. Nikolai has no more use for you, not after he’s done his political maneuvering and finally managed to get himself out of the whole mess of kingship. You have always loved Nikolai for his mind, but Saints, if it doesn’t hurt sometimes to feel it used in the wrong direction.

“You could do it, you know,” you whisper, “No one would blame you.”

Nikolai had been starting to walk towards you, but his heels come to an abrupt click-stop on the floor. “What?”

You let out a bitter, quiet laugh. “End it. The marriage. People are already asking if you’re going to cut it off. We only made this agreement so you could fend off the other Ravkan nobles while you were king. You’re no longer king, why keep this around any longer? I won’t force you to stay with me if you love someone else.”

Nikolai is deathly silent for a moment, then two. You tense your shoulders, waiting for the blow to land, but it never does. Instead, he walks to your side and takes your hand.

“Do you always have to be such a martyr, sweetheart?”

Your lips part in a silent gasp. “What?”

Nikolai has the nerve to smile as if he hasn’t upset your entire world. “I know you didn’t just marry me for politics. I didn’t ask you just for politics, either. We wanted something. Maybe I still want it.”

He squeezes your hand; you squeeze it back, two beats of a heart. “You could marry Zoya, though. If you still wanted the crown.”

Nikolai laughs. “I don’t want the crown, and although I am certainly grateful to Zoya, I don’t want to marry her, either. No, Y/N, I want you. I want to wander through Ravka without having to worry about all the responsibilities of my office. I want to rent a rusted schooner and show you the sea. I want to get us in trouble and out of it again and again. I want to do a thousand things with you that we never could have done as king and queen. I want to die having loved you, and having loved you right.”

You smile, unable to stop for a second. “We can grow old without anyone needing us.”

Nikolai closes his eyes for a moment as if picturing it. “I think I’d like nothing more.”

You stand in a room that is no longer yours, in a palace that no longer calls your name. You think you have never been happier about it. You still have your husband. All else is a mere triviality.

grishaverse tag list: @rogueanschel, @deadreaderssociety, @cameronsails, @mxltifxnd0m, @story-scribbler, @retvenkos, @thatfangirl42, @amortensie, @gods-fools-heroes, @bl606dy, @auggiesolovey

[ignitesthestxrs]

Do you mind sharing what stuff added later by the author did you hate?

oh sure LOL like i have written before on the magical yellowface and how poorly the worldbuilding failed with shu han before and i think that is one of the most Egregious issues. kuwei like,,,does not even get to be a character, he's just a prop for this mlm romance that he is never given a reason to actually be involved in, and he is not allowed to become a part of the crew like the rest of the characters. he's just kind of the sentient plot point they carry around until the time comes to literally sell him to the highest bidder lmfaaaao

uuuh i do not like the depiction of parem as an addictive substance, i realise this is quibbling and it's magic etc etc, but i think that if you're going to use 'extremely addictive drug' as a metaphor in your magic world, you should put more effort into the way your characters interact with that drug and addiction. like the idea of 'drug that you take once and either it kills you or you're ruined for life' is silly and also not very emotionally evocative. also 'extremely addictive drug developed by the science monsters in the East that then becomes a significant factor in impending war' sure is a nasty trope to engage in without really subverting or interrogating it.

re: the darkling i just have narrative issues with that, i think that bringing him back is a dumb decision. it undercuts the narrative choices made in the original trilogy, and results in alina as a protagonist being relegated to kind of second tier status. like the darkling coming back in a story that does not have anything to do with alina is essentially a narrative claim that the darkling is more significant than alina, in a series that was originally about alina.

it's also just the way he's bought back that is so, so silly. it's so silly. why is this bee lady here. what is she doing. like again, the narrative fulcrum of the first trilogy is this relationship between alina and the darklig and this significant connection, and now this bee lady who we've never met before is bringing the darkling back to life? why do i care about her? why does she care about the darkling??? is the villain of this book really 'crazy lady who is obsessed with the darkling and bringing him back to life'? it is a narrative decision that somehow manages to pander to a particular subset of eager darkling fans, while also parodying them.

i think ultimately as someone who spent a lot of my fandom time and effort like exploring the narrative impetus for killing this character and why it worked as a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy, it's not that i would have not wanted him to come back ever for any reason at all, but rather that aws a reader i needed a really good reason for it? and i think the seeds of that really good reason were there in nikolai LOL like we didn't need a whole lot of New Worldbuilding Lore That We've Never Seen Before And Also This Bee Lady. nikolai with his own internal monster darkling seeds was right there, and in a book that was supposed to be about nikolai trying to be king, the focal point should have been...you know, that. if the darkling was going to come back, it should have been because of what actions nikolai (the protagonist!!! the titular king of scars!!) was taking in his efforts to rule while containing and/or using his monstrous self.

also the zoya dragon thing was dumb. it was just dumb and i didn't like it. i didn't like the defanging of zoya's character in general - the backfilling of her history to explain how she got her amplifier because of trying and failing to save an animal rather than just straight up murdering it is Weak. zoya was a cunt when we first met her! she was ruthless and power hungry and she wanted to impress the darkling! you undercut the character growth she had in turning against him when you fill in her history to make her Secretly Compassionate From The Start. she broke alina's bones because she was jealous of her, let her kill a fucking tiger for power and then realise what the desire for power does to a person over the course of her character arc.

in general so many of the choices the author made as the series got more and more popular felt like she was retroactively changing things based on various discourses that had cropped up over the years and felt more grounded in a conversation with the fandom than in a conversation with the books she had already written. it was a sad, slow process of falling out of love with these books for me sdhgkdsfg obviously i still have a lot of residual feeling and knowledge and opinions about them, but that is kind of the heartbreak of growing out of caring about something. you're left with all this Stuff and nowhere to put it.

[unabashedmoonlight]

I think a lot about Alina wanting to let the Darkling be tortured for an eternity. At the end of the trilogy, when she cried for him, it was because of, as Leigh said, her ability to even see her enemies as human.

I don't doubt that the tether, the shared loneliness, the confusion he created in her mind via the manipulation and the abuse (even though she mostly conquered it by then), their unique powers, bond and him basically being the one to encourage her to bring out her powers were all factors in that too.

Then in ROW, initially she cried and somewhere still wanted to believe that he did all of this for Ravka and wanted to coax it out of him that he regrets some of his actions. When he very clearly said no, she was disappointed, disgusted.

Was that the final straw? Or would she not have cared even if he had said yes? Did she not care because he made that decision for himself so he can deal with it on his own? Or would she still not have cared if it had been forced upon him? He had done enough things to deserve a rather harsh punishment after all and even if eternity is too extreme, he chose it for himself. Was this enough for her or did she still inwardly feel a bit of pity? Would she, like Zoya, be more desperate to save him had she tasted what his punishment felt like? Did she simply not comprehend what eternity would mean and at the back of her mind thought he would get out of there eventually anyway even without their efforts?

She was also the one to pose the question that defined his ROW arc. AND said, "It's not too late for you." Did she believe he had the potential to be better still even if he was choosing not to?

[tirkdi]

Are you that opposed to Zoyander?

lol, I am. I don't think it fits in the original trilogy at all, and I really dislike what they did with it in the show.

In the trilogy, the relationship between Zoya and the Darkling is almost completely one-sided. While Zoya fawns over him and then flips a switch to wanting to kill him, it's not even clear to me that he thinks about Zoya beyond the fact that she's a powerful Grisha. And even then, using trilogy-only canon, there's no reason to think that Zoya is uniquely powerful — I would guess he's seen dozens of Grisha just as, if not more, powerful than she is.

And if he did hook up with Zoya, what would he be getting out of it? He doesn't date — can you imagine — and there is literally not a casual bone in his body so they're not just like occasionally banging and cool about everything else the rest of the time. And the headache of running your military while having affairs with your closest Grisha? Absolute chaos, he does not need the extra paperwork that would undoubtedly create.

I do think he is secretive enough about his personal stance on not banging his Grisha that it's something Zoya and others hope may happen (and Zoya by the time of the trilogy would one million percent have slept with him if he'd offered). Keeping that hope alive without ever acting on it is deliberate on his part, makes them easier to control.

And while the Darkling is never casual, the first thing we see about Zoya in the books and the show is her casually having/trying to have sex with Mal — sex is something that's casual for her, to the extent that in the show she even casually bangs other people while she casually bangs her general. While it doesn't make sense with the Darkling's characterization imo, it does a true disservice to Zoya: the motivating factors for her are no longer power and love for her aunt, there's now also a jealous ex-lover situation going on. I don't love that for her and I think it sells her really short.

All that said, if RoW had gone differently, I do think we could have seen some Zoya/Darkling action. Once she's a dragon, getting her on his side by whatever means necessary is clearly in his interest, and with Juris in her head I think she might see a part of the Darkling that she never had before. There was potential for them, for a minute, there.

And, finally, there is one fantastic fic that made me stop grumbling internally about Zoya & Aleks banging in the show for a bit, which is Let Yourself Relax by goatsandgangsters. If we have to keep the show canon for them, that is 1000% the backstory I'm going with.

[lifewouldbebetteronmars]

NEW WIP??????

RILEY TELL ME EVERYTHING

Okay so I don’t know if you saw this ask that I sent to CK, but it’s basically the backstory and I suggest reading it before this

Because all of my WIPs are basically the same characters and stories that are recycled and evolved over time, I consider this WIP to be the Bix and Trix WIP, just elevated

The main characters are; Cleo Brisbane, Rose Tully, Casper Brisbane, & Zoya Amobi-Chapman/Zoya Saltykova

The four of them are the children of some of the most powerful members of a prominent magical cult that has since been disbanded. After the forcible disbandment and arrests of members of the cult, the children (only 10 & younger at the time) were sent to a magical detention center where they were subjected to interrogations and lots of group therapy (really more like a group interrogation). This lasted four years before they were sent to live on house arrest, in separate locations, for the last two years before being reunited

Now that they’re reunited, they’re planning a way to carry out the last plan Roland Brisbane planned before his death, as they feel it will honor him and possibly bring the hiding remaining members of the cult back out into the world

Cleo & Casper Brisbane are the twin children of Roland Brisbane, his only two surviving children. They’re half-selkie, though no one (even themselves) knows that and that factor affects everything to do with their powers

Like for example, Cleo is a powerful psychic who is haunted by dreams of water and death. She doesn’t trust her own mind most of the time, and can’t always tell if she’s looking at the present or the future

While Caz, he controls the air, he can manipulate it to his will if he wants to; but he usually doesn’t. He prefers not to manipulate the air, preferring to focus on his botany knowledge and potions work instead. He is the “healer” of the group after all

Rose Tully is the daughter of Claire Tully, the current de-facto leader of the cult following Roland’s death. She is probably my favorite to write, probably because I relate to her the most tbh

Her main trauma is that when she was a little girl, her mother told her “No one will love you if you aren’t perfect” and Rose took those words to heart, they still effect her everyday actions

She has the ability of levitation, both herself and objects she’s touching; if she isn’t touching it, it won’t float. She isn’t considered particularly powerful despite how hard she works at growing her power. Rose can levitate up to one other person, but she has to be touching them, just like any other object; though she can’t float them as far as something lighter

Zoya Amobi-Chapman (aka Zoya Saltykova) is the daughter of Ivan Saltykov, an inner circle member of the cult, who is also deceased. She is the only one of the core four who wasn’t raised in the cult from birth, as she was brought into it at the age of 4/5 when her father kidnapped her from her mother and stepfather. She doesn’t really remember most of her life prior to the cult. She’s half black and half Russian, though she identifies more with her Russian side due to being primarily raised by her Russian father

Zoya sees herself as two people, Zoya Amobi-Chapman and Zoya Saltykova. Zoya Amobi-Chapman is the fashion-forward daughter of Zara Amobi-Chapman and Michael Chapman, who doesn’t know a word of Russian, of cults, of magic; Zoya Saltykova is Ivan Saltykov’s daughter, through and through, a powerful shapeshifter and polyglot

She’s still learning how to balance the two

She’s a shapeshifter, as mentioned above, and can shift any feature into whatever she wants. She can change into people, animals, etc. Her favorite trick is to turn into an animal to spy on her friends to make sure they’re being safe with their non-magic partners. Zoya learned a trick where she would change her hair into whatever style she wanted in the blink of an eye and it’s a trick she takes advantage of often

Cleo’s love interest is named Max Locksley, a local non-magical boy; though they don’t consider themselves boyfriend and girlfriend for awhile. He’s very much not a believer in anything magical or supernatural, and very easily comes up with excuses as to why Cleo acts odd at times

Casper’s love interest is Max’s best friend, Rhydian Shields. He’s more inclined to believe in the supernatural and is a believer in all things to do with that. However, he knows that he’s most likely wrong and tends to ignore all the signs that Caz had magic

Zoya and Rose are each other’s love interests because I love childhood friends to lovers. And they’re both lesbians, but Rose is out and Zoya is not. Their relationship is complicated, especially since their separation

This is really long, but in my defense, Wagner, you did ask for everything

[mad-who-ra]

WHY DID NO ONE TELL ME HE LOOKS SO CUTE IN THIS MOVIE??

[sampigehoovu]

I was hunting for a cute DQ movie to watch and ended up at Zoya Factor, which annoyed me to no end because that is not how I remember Zoya from the book at all.

Obviously, I wanted to re-read the book. Unfortunately, I have given my copy to a sports journalist I went on 4 dates with. Had to make do with the audio book, which btw is very well done with the proper delhi accents and all.

Turns out, there are moments in the book where Zoya does get on my nerves. I totally get the heady attention she was soaking in, I totally get the insecurity after NZ first kiss, I get it all. What I do not get is WHY DOES SHE NOT COMMUNICATE WITH (or, confront) KHODA WHEN THAT MAN IS LITERALLY ASKING HER WHAT IS WRONG. every. single. time.

The stakes were so high! This is my issue with Anuja Chauhan's heroines (along with the aura of classism that pervades all her books), they're smart af but it takes them so long untangle themselves from their own insecurities, which is also entirely okay cause we all do it everyday but its soo scary when all of this has to happen at the exact moment a mob of devotees are attacking her make-up van to get her blessings. Fully sympatised with Zoya's dad at this point, he was so right.

Nikhil was fairly open about his intentions all through - getting her the bracelet, being nice to her family, putting her picture as his screensaver, telling her not to take up the stupid ad endorsements, sexting at the breakfast table, the whole "curls on my pillow, sunlight streaming in" business which frankly had me weak in the knees. Though, I suppose he'd have been more patient and kind had it not been the literally world cup and his entire career on the line. Phew, what a well written rom-com hero, don't think I'm ever getting over my crush on that (very fictional) man. Between him and Dylan, I don't think I can ever hope to be realistic about romance.

(more as it marinates in my brain, again)

(read the book, the movie is just sad)

[pure-ablution]

Do you have any tips for how to make henna stain better?

This is what Zoya did for her wedding, and the designs came out so dark that they were practically black!

The two most important factors in creating a dark stain are keeping the henna warm and not allowing it to dry out for as long as possible. After the henna is applied and has been allowed to settle for about 15 minutes, steam it, either with a proper steaming tool (make sure it’s a facial steamer and not something like a clothes steamer as this can burn!) or just by holding your hands over a pot of boiling water on the stove. Steam for as long as you can without risking the henna running or burning, and then let it dry a little again. When it seems as though it’s drying out, moisten it with a little bit of sugared rosewater, and continue this whenever the henna seems as though it’s going to dry out. When you have to go to bed, let the henna finally dry and then cover up the designs with some medical tape to protect them from being knocked. If you like, you can then wrap the hands in cling film and put on warm gloves to intensify the heat. In the morning, remove the henna paste carefully with a scrub of olive oil and sugar, and then rub in some Vick’s VapoRub to keep it hot and seal it. The stain will develop properly over the next 2 days, so I recommend having your henna night 3 days before the big day!

[musiquesduciel]

Watching one unwatched movie after another everyday on my watch-list. Since the year started, I've watched:

Kalank (Jan)

Harry Potter and the Dealthy Hallows: Part 2 (Jan)

Delhi Belly (Jan)

Mujhse Shaadi Karogi (Jan-Feb)

Kal Ho Naa Ho (Feb)

Mujhse Dosti Karoge! (Feb 8)

The Zoya Factor (Feb 10)

Daawat-e-Ishq (Feb 11)

Fitoor (Feb 12)

Aashiqui 2 (Feb 13)

Cirkus (DNF)

OK Jaanu (Feb 17)

Malang (Feb 19)

Gori Tere Pyaar Mein (Feb 20-21)

Luv Ka The End (Feb 23)

The Night Manager (Feb 23 going into Feb 24)

A Gentleman (Feb 24-25)

Indoo Ki Jawaani (Feb 26)

Tamasha (Started the first 41 minutes 2022 fall/winter, but finished Feb 27)

Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola (DNF Mar 1)

Band Bajaa Baarat (Mar 1)

Rajneeti (Mar 3 - just started because what a long movie - finished Mar 6)

Sui Dhaaga (Mar 4)

Mimi (Mar 4)

Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar (Mar 13)

Pathaan (Mar 15)

Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (Mar 20)

Rockstar (Mar 20 - DNF)

Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai (April 30)

Farzi (May)

Gumraah (June 13)

Luka Chuppi (June 21)

Shehzada (June 23)

Love Aaj Kal 2 (June 24)

Ek Villain Returns (June 25)

Bhediya (finished June 28)

The Night Manager Season 2 (June 29)

Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety (July 3)

Pati, Patni aur Woh (July 4-5)

Jab Harry Met Sejal (July 7-11)

Main Tera Hero (July 14)

ABCD 2 (July 15-16)

Dilwale (July 17-18)

Dishoom (July 18)

Judwaa 2 (July 19-21)

Stree (July 21)

Oppenheimer (July 22)

Ek Villain (July 23-24)

Coolie No. 1 (July 25-29)

Jugjugg Jeeyo (July 30)

Ittefaq (Aug 1-2)

Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar (Aug 3-5)

Thank God (Aug 5-6)

Barbie (Aug 7)

Mission Majnu (Aug 8)

Made in Heaven Season 2 (Aug 9-12)

Ishaqzaade (Aug 13)

Kidnap (Aug 14-16)

Baaghi (Aug 17-19)

Gully Boy (Aug 19)

Dhoom 3 (Aug 20)

Karthik Calling Karthik (Aug 21)

Shaitan (Aug 26-27)

War (Aug 27)

Heart of Stone (Aug 30)

Sadak 2 (Sep 1)

The Big Short (Sep 3)

Neerja (Sep 4)

Udaan (Sep 7)

Bawaal (Sep 8)

Neeyat (Sep 8)

Satyaprem Ki Katha (Sep 10)

Jaane Jaan (Sep 28)

Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (Sep 29-30)

Rock On!! (Sep 30-Oct 1)

Uri: The Surgical Strike (Sep 30-Oct 1)

London, Paris, New York (Oct 4)

Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga (Oct 5)

OMG 2 (Oct 7-8)

Jayeshbhai Jordaar (Oct 7)

PK (Oct 8)

Happy New Year (Oct 17)

83 (Oct 18)

Good Newwz (Oct 19)

Bewakoofiyan (Oct 7-20)

Guns & Gulaabs (Nov 3-6)

Kai Po Che! (Nov 8)

M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story (Nov 14)

Tiger 3 (Nov 18)

The Archies (Dec 7)

Sam Bahadur (Dec 8)

Half Girlfriend (Dec 9-10)

Saawariya (Dec 11)

Dream Girl 2 (Dec 12)

Kuttey (Dec 13-15)

Hindi Medium (Dec 16)

Friday Night Plan (Dec 17)

Chennai Express (Dec 19-23)

Kho Gaye Hum Kahan (Dec 26)

A Perfect Pairing (Dec 28)

Jawan (Dec 30)