#malghra

[stromuprisahat]

Both of Malyen's conquests we get to see are older than him. Zoya by a few years, and while Alina allegedly looks the same age, she was already wasting by the time she arrived to the orphanage, and malnourished children look younger.

Therefore Baghra totally floats in his target pool, when age is concerned. They also share similar personality traits, and enough narcissism to fuck their genderbent mirror. Ol' Bags might even get that perfect Shadow Summoning amplifier out of it, sharing higher percentage of DNA.

[darklinaserver]

otp: malghra ⚔️🌑

[greensaplinggrace]

Shipping ask game - Shadow and Bone edition Darklina

Malghra

Zoyalai

Darklina

I love the yin/yang dark/light symbolism so so much, especially in regards to how shadows and light actually affect each other. I find the actual physical implications of it fascinating, and the potential eldritch horror aspects of it intriguing, especially in regards to animal/inhuman instinct (them physically representing the not so physical concepts of light and shadow) vs the very real human facets of each character. I adore thinking about how dark and light symbolism ties into their characters as well as their relationship. Anyways, its just so good and has so much potential and I could go on about it for days.

I love the spiritual, existential soulmatism of their relationship. how it contrasts with the physical soulmatism of mal and alina's relationship. how the darkling complements her and brings out certain sides of her that would otherwise be hidden away.

I love how cruel they can be with each other. The passion and softness in equal measures whenever they interact. I love it when alina kisses him and then tries to kill him, I love it when he offers her a throne afterwards. I love how they react to each other like they are constantly overcorrecting, like the balance that they were supposed to represent got fucked up along the way and they're just slingshotting back and forth up and down around each other like two sides of a rubberband pulled too tight.

Malghra

okay I've been thinking a lot about the parallels between mal and baghra and it's actually kind of interesting. the way baghra champions a lack of corruption through a lack of power, the way she values herself and those she loves more than any grand goal, the way she sees the change in the one she loves and wants to bring him back to something redeemable and away from corruption. it often parallels mal's own wariness of corruption through grisha power and his value on alina's safety and his love of her, as well as his desire to bring her back to the person he knows and away from corruption. they aren't exactly the same, but I kind of like the parallels between the two characters.

if baghra cared about mal she would prioritize his safety, and mal needs all the care he can get

mal and baghra together would be objectively hilarious lmfao. crackship of the century for sure

Zoyalai

I like how Zoya's strict attitude contrasts Nikolai's more laid back one. Their interactions are always so amusing, and it often leads to very emotionally charged scenes that are just spectacular

I love the inherent angst of Nikolai's monster and his fear of hurting Zoya because of it

I like how soft Zoya allows herself to get with Nikolai, and how Nikolai can be more himself around her. I like how they bring out the best in each other

I love Nikolai's big "that's my wife!" energy alksjdfl. King of loving wholeheartedly and without shame

three things I like about this ship (x)

[holy-muffins]

SINGULARITY

Normally I don't post my fics on main like this, but here we are with my piece for the @grishaversebigbang !

There are also a couple of art pieces to go along with this, however I don't have the links handy at the moment BUT they're by @kavinskysdick and @bettycreeper who were both Materialki to my Etherealnik in the event.

Summary: Baghra has disappeared after the winter fete. As Aleksander is going through her hut looking for clues he finds an oilcloth satchel with letters in it, all of them signed with an impossible name. Meanwhile, Alina comes into her own and is intent on deciding what that will mean even as Mal wastes away in his sickbed and intrigue swirls around the Little and the Grand Palaces.

Author's Notes: Title is from the song of the same name by World Order. This fic is made up of a few rotating POVs and a few letters sprinkled in occasionally. There are a few original characters such as Dmitri Anokhin making a rare alive appearance in a fic, but mostly this fic deals with canon characters. Chapters will be posted quickly (about 3 a day) because the fic is done but it's separated so as to be more impactful with the different POVs.

Ao3 Link: SINGULARITY

Chapter 1: VITORIA, SPAIN, JUNE 28th, 1813

My dear B, 

We are on to the tall Pyranees next, I am told, and I am so low at leaving Vitoria and its warmth. The other men tease me for being a poor example of my people. Ha! If only they knew the truth of it. I wonder what the sergeant would say. Accuse his best scout of witch craft? 

Your last mentioned an issue with the butcher taking issue with your raising and slaughtering your own goats. I will not go so far as to say I told you so but my dear surely you can see how a man in his line of work might fret at seeing a respectable woman hauling a cart of goat hides to be tanned at the shop next to his. Perhaps the cost of the butchering should be seen as smaller than the cost of angry glares on market day? It is just a thought, but it has been many years since either of us have been truly forced to fend for ourselves. 

I know you are reading on after crumpling this paper and so will not anger you further, only leave you with my enduring affection. I don’t know from when or where I will write to you next, but hopefully these peninsular roads bear me swiftly to my destination nearer France.

Yours,  Mal

[chikzdigmohawkz]

Blade & Sheath

[satineainsel]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

The latest installment to the world of True North.