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Malyen in Siege and Storm, Chapter 16: You wouldn't believe the awful stuff these nobles say about Grisha! Malyen, FOUR (4) chapters later: *regularly participating in Grisha-beating fight club to boost his fragile male ego, visibly ENJOYING humiliating Grisha opponents*
Guys, is it normal to hallucinate your mortal enemy, when thinking about getting yourself some new jewellery?
Siege and Storm- Chapter 16
Alina's the kind of narrator, who might or might not be telling truth even about her own feelings. Is the pull really so strong, or does she "feel" it, because she's expecting it?
Why see Aleksander at this moment, if not to set him up as the third amplifier?! Or want him to rid Alina of Malyen and the smallness he represents?
Alina thinks about the Firebird -> Malyen annoys her -> she reaches out to Aleksander...
Theatrical asshole.
He'd cross himself, if it were a thing.
Meanwhile Will Graham, 40 y/o criminal profiler: Do I keep hallucinating my cannibalistic psychiatrist, who framed me for several murders? Cool. Let's discuss love with him... and stay in denial for three more years.
Okay, he didn't fare that much better...
Just... Alina, honey, try to take the fight to him! As him personal questions! Be obnoxious to see how much can he tolerate! Ignoring hallucinations is SO boring...
Siege and Storm- Chapter 16
Saints, Alina! Can you spare us your judgement and obsession with perfect beauty?!
Aren't all Grisha supposed to be extraordinarily beautiful to otkazat'sya? You should be wondering why does he have mouth full of clean teeth and no pockmarks? No limbs crooked and nothing rotting?
Alina didn't grow up watching TV adds full of models with glossy skin and shiny hair, symmetrical faces and whitened teeth! Where do her expectations come from?!
Perhaps share it with the class before you start about the end of the world next time?
YES!
Ask questions, get to know "The Enemy"!
Learn!
Evolve!
It's fascinating how inconsistent is the damn main character. A few chapters earlier she's like: Yeah, I get that. Understandable... and now she's horrified? How did she get there, because I can't point out the moment of realization and we're literally in Alina's head?
Can't wait for this moment to have no impact at all.
Alina's doing surprisingly well with Vasily. Polite, skillfully avoidant, cunty within the confines of what's Court-appropriate.
Now this one's too blunt, but still- a single (intentional) misstep isn't bad at all!
And she's back again!
I think Alina could learn to be a splendid courtier.
"Guys, meet my totally normal girlfriend, who's NOT marrying a prince..."
Siege and Storm- Chapter 16
Malyen's possible ulterior motives (Wanting the small, inconsequential "just Alina".) aside- I don't this is the best time to humanize her in people's eyes.
Alina needs to establish herself as a worthy player, a force to follow... introducing her as "daughter, sister, friend", especially when she's Grisha, means making her ordinary, a girl sticking her nose where it doesn't belong, and as a consequence admitting she bleeds too.
Half a page ago Malyen admits plenty of nobles want Grisha dead, and that they see Alina as one as powerful as the Darkling. Now her guard's telling them she's just a girl...
When you have to agree with a classist snobbish leech...
Yeah, because Alina isn't driven by ambition, but her traitorous pussy heart could point in a charming man's direction. Unlike Nikolai, Vasily is repulsive to her, and she doesn't like him at all.
See? Whore!
She remembers other man's kiss without appropriate feeling of disgust!
Siege and Storm- Chapter 16 (Leigh Bardugo)
Sure, others could mean two more... or ten...
I'm sure Alina picked the correct one.
David's mannerism
Siege and Storm- Chapter 16
Fidgeting, rearranging things, glancing at items of interest.
Doesn't get sarcasm.
Looking for the safety of known company. Alina wouldn't question him in front of them, would she? They're not supposed to talk about it!
Instinctual correcting overrides known tabu.
people talk about The Thing™: *focuses on the one item in the room connected to it and simmers silently, because he isn't supposed to talk about it*
Nervously checking if anyone new arrived, now probably to make sure no more people will know he knows.
Unable to comprehend why other people ask about the obvious.
Going for an understatement, when talking about hyperfixation.
And you were doing amazing hiding it, sweetie!
So when Genya said he feels terrible, it wasn't because Alina got a collar, but because he fears military use.
Does that mean "the most talented" Materialnik to work with glass and metal doesn't create weapons? No wonder Ravka's behind even with Grisha.
Too foreign concept? Too irrational?
Siege and Storm- Chapter 16 (Leigh Bardugo)
And here it is:
Vasily isn't some lounging fool, all too happy to skip away from the burden of the Crown. He isn't only used to the privileges granted by his position, he sees them as rightfully his.
He has no intention leaving it to another, certainly not a YOUNGER brother and A BASTARD to boot! While he might be too well-trained not to mention ~that~ in polite company, give him a good enough reason, and he won't hesitate. It's not like anyone can more than reprimand him.
Oh no, there's more of him...
Siege and Storm- Chapter 16
... as if that were the purpose of Second Army. The blind prejudice runs deep in this one.
But then again- he was raised by the Church. It's painfully obvious that has no love for Grisha, especially a powerful one, who won't be martyred.
The twins' upbringing's looking better and better. Dead Ravkan, strongly religious mother, possibly deserter. Father just oozing toxic masculinity and contempt for "weakness". Yet somehow he took the twins to Noviy Zem to turn them into mercenaries AND they were raised by the Church at the same time?
No wonder they're so fixed in their worldviews.
Creepy...
If there ARE supposed to be moments to tip you off he's secretly a religious fanatic, this is pretty suspicious interaction since he "found" Alina studying religious texts.
