#row chapter 33

Worse- it's outright offensive how we're introduced his alleged worshippers, who know nothing about him, and completely ignore his work and goals, aside from "good of Ravka" or whatever.

Okay, let's go, and suffer first...

WARNING: I'M TURNING THIS ASK INTO ANTI BOOK!STARLESS CULT RANT

Nikolai extended his hand. “Come to breakfast. My cook makes a marvelous pork loin.” [the Starless' leader:] “I don’t eat meat.” “Of course you don’t,” Zoya said. “It’s animals you object to killing, not people.” “The Darkling—”

King of Scars- Chapter 7

The Darkling what?!

The Darkling would've wanted his followers to go vegetarian?!

This is from that reddit comment about why everyone sided with the darkling.

Well yeah, Lantsov was a pig,

When you start a rant like this, and continue to something completely else, you're already dismissing the above.

Why bother with systematic issues, when you can find a single scapegoat, right?!

but the Darkling could have just killed the monarch and his line if that was the only reason.

I mean... that's what he tried to do, when he got tired of being nice, since it lead to nothing?

He allowed Genya to poison the King. HE was the one to kill Vasily (since his nice brother didn't have the guts to do so). He had his babies eat all the Lantsovs gathered to celebrate Nikolai's birthday. He incapacitated the secondborn bastard.

By the end of Ruin and Rising he had a clear path to the throne. Nobody to seriously challenge him. (Unlike the incompetent Golden Prince in later duology.) ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Or care to find out who the other brother was and put him on the throne.

Why? If you'd read any of his dialogues, you'd know he did that over and over, only to see anything he achieved crumbling as soon as "the nice" monarch dies.

“The people would love you for a time. But what would they think when their good king aged and died, while his witch of a wife remained young? When all those who remember your sacrifices are dust in the ground, how long do you think it will take for their children or their grandchildren to turn on you?”

Ruin and Rising- Chapter 9

What had changed? The answer was everything. Kings lived and died. Their sons were honest or corrupt. Wars ended and began again—and again and again. Grisha were not accepted; they were resented in Ravka and hunted abroad.

Rule of Wolves- Chapter 33

But the Darkling doesn’t forgive does he or share his power now that he has it.

No, he doesn't forgive, because his experience says they'll stab you in the back AGAIN.

As for him sharing his power... How do you know? Do you have access to some previously unpublished pieces?! We never got to see Second Army structure- and army HAS TO have it by definition-, and the only glimpse of his rule includes listening to "supplicants", accompanied by “I will take it under advisement.”, which is hardly an action of someone disinterested in others' opinions.

Ruin and Rising- Chapter 3

He literally offers Alina a throne in the same chapter, when we're at it:

“There are two thrones on that dais. You could see me anytime you liked.” ... “I sought Morozova’s amplifiers for you, Alina, that we might rule as equals.”

He’d rather slay all the Grisha to get to Alina.

Which Grisha? Alina's "maybe fifty" traitors from "hundreds stationed throughout Ravka"? Because the later were either murdered by First Army, in hiding or "had sought out the Darkling".

Siege and Storm- Chapter 15, Shadow and Bone- Chapter 10 and Siege and Storm- Chapter 12, respectively

Because that is what he wanted power through Alina.

Well, then he'd picked the perfect person for it, wouldn't he?

The one, who just wants to crawl back under the rock...

And what did Genya get for her years of loyalty

I could ask what he got for years of close co-operation on the most dangerous kind of plans, and a blessing to off her otherwise untouchable abuser. Especially since the guy, who send the abuser to comfy "exile" with no restrictions regarding access to more victims to rape, "earned [Genya's] loyalty forever".

King of Scars- Chapter 23

She let a crucial asset go, when ordered the direct opposite. A bit of scarring is simply era-appropriate, although usually it would be delivered by a thick whip with much less precision. And a smaller chance to survive.

or Sergei who betrayed where the spinning wheel was, got ripped to shreds as a thanks.

Sergei was twice a traitor. First he chose not to heed the Darkling's call and join the side that planned to slaughter him (, his and a whole shitload of bystanders). Second he betrayed the side he thus picked.

While I understand why he did the later- Alina treated him like a burden, and he had very little support after a horrifying trauma- he's still less than reliable, and the Darkling's action was that of a general in middle of a conflict. Sure, quartering is "officially" a bit less modern than 19th century, but it's not such a stretch.

The Darkling wasn’t a righteous revolutionary he was just going to be another kind of tyrant.

Because tyrants usually have trust of their closest advisors, sit on the ground and share meals with their subordinates.

“Did you know I had two brothers?” Ivan asked abruptly. The familiar smirk was gone from his handsome face. “Of course not. They weren’t born Grisha. They were soldiers, and they both died fighting the King’s wars. So did my father. So did my uncle.” “I’m sorry.” “Yes, everyone is sorry. The King is sorry. The Queen is sorry. I’m sorry. But only the Darkling will do something about it.”

Shadow and Bone- Chapter 20

In the light from the fire, I watched the oprichniki sitting side by side with the Grisha. Some of them had already drifted away from the fire to bed down for the night. Others had been posted to the first watch. The rest sat talking as the flames ebbed, passing a flask back and forth. The Darkling sat with them. I’d noticed that he had taken no more than his share of the grouse. And now he sat beside his soldiers on the cold ground, a man second in power only to the King.

Shadow and Bone- Chapter 5

What's worse- they're being denied existence outside of the great King Nikolai's army. They're not people, they're not even Grisha, they're just living weapons.

It's the exact opposite of what was the Darkling trying to achieve- he wanted Grisha to be seen as Ravkans. Perhaps with a different set of skills, but just as human as the majority of population, equal.

“... [The Darkling] vowed that we would someday have a safe place, that Grisha power would be something to be valued and coveted, something our country would treasure. We would be Ravkans, not just Grisha. That dream was the seed of the Second Army. …”

Ruin and Rising- Chapter 10

Kings lived and died. Their sons were honest or corrupt. Wars ended and began again—and again and again. Grisha were not accepted; they were resented in Ravka and hunted abroad.

Rule of Wolves- Chapter 33

Now there's a group that doesn't even have a name outside of the war effort (They're called Sun Summoners TWICE in the Shit duology.). They're just tools. Vessels of a useful power. Breathing shiny tech. They might not be officially serfs (maybe), but they're more dehumanized than ever.

Don't be afraid to ask. I sometimes take long to answer, but eventually I will.

Aleksander had indeed many half-siblings. He remembers trying to find some of them once he got too lonely, and likely once it was obvious he and his mother have different wants and emotional needs.

... He’d met his half sister, who had herself passed into legend and Sainthood. He’d searched the world for his mother’s other children, hungry for kinship, for a sense of himself in others. ...

Rule of Wolves- Chapter 33

As for the fate of those children- that's clarified in one of the short stories:

“I remember you,” he repeated. “You were born with a tail. Every summer I’ve come here to study and watch the sea folk, wondering if you might return.” “No,” said Ulla. “No. The sildroher cannot breed with humans. I cannot have a mortal mother.” He gave a slight shrug. “Not entirely mortal. The people of this country would call her drüsje, witch. They would call me one, too. They play at magic, read the stars, throw bones. But it’s best not to show them real power. Your people know this well.” ... Ulla felt the hurt inside her winnow to a hard point. “And did your witch mother care at all for the child she abandoned to the sea?” But the apprentice did not look troubled by her harsh words. “She isn’t one for sentiment.”

The Language of Thorns- When Water Sang Fire

In short any imperfection led to immediate abandonment, and judging from the qualities of the only child she kept, she was trying to make herself a copy. Immortal, Shadow Summoner, maybe even human amplifier to ensure they'll be in the same danger as her, therefore less likely to leave her.

......ummm what?

throwing grisha under the bus- is definitely not the best way to fix the problem of the precarious position of the minority. like letting your people get hurt, not great. the darkling kinda uses the 'one girl for all of ravka' argument (which is basically utilitarianism but thats a philosophy student tangent which if you want hit me up and i can gladly go on) except its not one girl its genya and alina and zoya and every single other girl.

WHAT DOES THIS EVEN MEAN LMAO

Hey nonny, I'm as baffled as you are and I've just woken up.

Almost a year later:

Now I suspect, what you're quoting, but I don't want to poke that pile of shit at the moment, so I'll only react to those parts you're pointing out.

the darkling doesn't really do anything about the nobility having all the luxury.

Strange, a fancy-clothed serf doesn't force the ruling class to relinquish their riches, even though he has no support of wider population...

but in terms of the small bit of wealth the darkling has, he doesn't use it to help ravka. he builds a palace. like yeah its smaller then the grand palace but its still a literal palace

There's no indication the Darkling HAS anything- quite contrary. He is a serf- therefore even his body doesn't belong to himself.

But when Yevgeni had offered Aleksander his reward, he had refused the king’s gold. “There are others like me, Grisha, living in hiding. Give me leave to offer them sanctuary here and I will build you an army the likes of which the world has never seen.” ... Only King Yevgeni’s Apparat continued to campaign against the Grisha. He railed that the Saints would forsake Ravka if the king continued to harbor witches beneath his roof. Each day he would stand before the throne and rant until he was short of breath and red in the face. One day, he simply keeled over. If he’d been helped to his death by a Corporalnik posted by a shaded window, no one was the wiser. But the next Apparat was more circumspect in his objections. He preached the tale of Yaromir and Sankt Feliks at the First Altar, a story of extraordinary soldiers who had helped a king unify a country, and two years later, Aleksander began work on the Little Palace.

Rule of Wolves- Chapter 33

Now where did the Darkling get the funds for building a Palace two years after refusing payment? I'm sure Grisha, who had to beg for "sanctuary" has coffers and coffers of gold stashed somewhere...

As for Little Palace being called "Palace"... it's a huge building, what else should people call it in this setting? "Big house"? "Barn for two-legged livestock"?! Sure, it's beautiful, but from its descriptions it's all Grisha work. Carvings and craftsmanship, not precious stones or metal.

throwing grisha under the bus- is definitely not the best way to fix the problem of the precarious position of the minority. like letting your people get hurt, not great.

You're right- after the most of Grisha fled, or were killed during the Civil war for siding with the Darkling (or being born Grisha to begin with), Grisha keep on being exploited and worse- kidnapped from Ravka itself. It would seem the Heroes failed once again.

the darkling kinda uses the 'one girl for all of ravka' argument (which is basically utilitarianism but thats a philosophy student tangent which if you want hit me up and i can gladly go on) except its not one girl its genya and alina and zoya and every single other girl.

It's fascinating that picking three "girls" with a thing in common- being somehow "wronged" by the Darkling, although their circumstances were significantly different- as the only representatives of all of Ravka doesn't rise any eyebrows. Or that they miraculously tranformed into "every single other girl".

Hell, Darkles' schedule must be pretty busy, if he finds a way to ruin everyone's life in so many ways- getting them to desert, join his opponent or straight up disobey his order?

Or are we supposed to ignore how common rules don't apply to them? How we're to overlook chain of order, social status and heroes' attitudes of 21st century pampered, entitled brats?

After some deliberation I've decided to put almost everything from the first part of this chapter under a single post, because all of it is thematically intertwined. It paints a picture of the state in which Ravka finds itself, its treatment of Grisha, all the reasons Aleksander attempted the Coup, and how he's about to get repaid.

Wow, I wonder why would anyone mind being perceived as no more than (annoyingly) living, breathing furniture...

... at best.

Why is Ravka so behind in military development?

There wasn't an involved Tsarevich to sweet-talk the Royal Couple into letting the Fabricators work on ~that~, because let's be honest- it certainly wasn't Alina, who persuaded them.

And the best mind they have doesn't want to create tools of destruction (and apparently the big, bad Darkling didn't MAKE him, if David's so shocked by use of Alina's powers to spread the Fold).

*mumbles*

As if he'd never done that before... as if the Darkling were a stranger to battle...

Shadow and Bone- Chapter 10 & Rule of Wolves- Chapter 33

Yeah, he sounds exactly like the kind of general, who stays in the rear...

Look, I know Sikurzoi are supposed to be uninhabitable or whatever, but let's be honest- which mountains (in mild climate) are completely uninhabited? Why wouldn't Aleksander- a lives-long student of survival- use otherwise hostile place to hide?

I know ~I~ would.

Do you mean "Are there any living Grisha left, stationed there?".

Geeez...

Zoya truly doesn't acknowledge the First Army massacres, does she? And the word ~would~ have reached them at this point, even if we ignore the dead from Grand Palace. Fedyor's group's in Little Palace!

Remember, children: It doesn't count as war, if they only regularly attack your villages, draw back, and their government claims it knows nothing!

He’s never faced the might of the First and Second Armies working in tandem... I wonder why... Could it be because your precious First Army hates his people so much they went to slaughter them the moment the Darkling's out of the picture?

I know this is Naïve Nikolai, but the way he puts it... as if otkazat'sya working alongside Grisha weren't exactly, what's Aleksander trying to achieve for centuries. As if he didn't manage it on smaller scale with his oprichniki. As if he should be surprised by mere possibility of it!

The weapons will be only a cherry on the top, the reason he keeps using nichevo'ya even though it costs him dearly. It's the kind of weapons he fears, because he knows, what it can do to his people (aside from rendering them strategically useless). He's seen massacres, he caused massacres, he cannot prevent them. And let's not forget he might be in the front line, but it will be those remaining 80 % of Grisha right behind him. And Nikolai's fancy new machine guns won't miss them more than his Army's weapons did.

This is horrifying.

They intend to slaughter the man for the crime of standing up to their regime and finding a way to substitute his people with canon fodder of magical variety, completely disregarding whys, or bothering to check if they're not living in a glasshouse first.

Why is no one asking about the pogroms? Why is no one questioning Grisha safety FROM FIRST ARMY?! Why do they act as if another massacre of Grisha should solve all their painfully obvious issues?!

Why am I supposed to wish THEM success?!

In a way...

How is your victory gonna ensure Grisha a place in Ravkan society, Alina?!

You murder the Darkling together, good... then what? Ya'll get a nice house in the country and your neighbours won't burn it to the ground? Stone you to death next time something bad happens? Never again- Grisha being dragged out of their beds in middle of the night?!

THAT'S what Aleksander feared- once Grisha are no more necessary for the wars, there's no place for them in THIS Ravkan society! Unlike otkazat'sya, those weapons don't make them vulnerable only physically!

This makes my head hurt.

Are they truly this blind?!

There's a lot to unpack in the whole Manly Manfight scene, so I've decided to thematically sort it, keeping the crumbs of pure Malina issues here. I'll leave their post-Zoya kiss confrontation for another post, because that's quite a pile of trash. The stuff below is mostly indirect tells they might not be as perfect for each other as the narrative wants us to believe.

I wonder if Alina were so concerned with fairness, should anyone else stand in Malyen's place.

Also: He doesn't want your help is about 50 % of what's wrong with Malina relationship. HE is the strong one, she's here to cater to his emotional needs. Gods forbid Alina would end a fight he got himself into!

Assuming Malyen is truly THE third amplifier, wouldn't it be funny, if he were claimed by some random Grisha due to his own carelessness?!

And of course Alina's going to blame her own ~careless~ words. As if her man child weren't able to see the difference between his (at least) basic training (and layers and layers of plot armour) and underfed "army" of ragged peasants, armed with sticks and faith.

If this were about ability to fight Grisha, he could've asked Botkin for special lessons- I doubt ~that~ guy lacks skills to share. Or the twins, if he hates everything Little Palace-related so much... but no, it's only about his ego, and the way others see him.

That said, here's another wasted parallel- Alina's helpless worshipers are seen only from afar. There's no fighting we'd see them in. Now, who has similarly untrained believers to work with?! And DOES attempt some basic training at least... wouldn't that be our late Starless Saint?

They held services every sundown, and during the days, they alternated praying and training. They were going into a battle, after all, and though Aleksander did not intend for them to do much fighting, they needed to look like they knew what they were doing.

Siege and Storm- Chapter 3, continuation

More arguing, more denying for the sake of disagreement, more of degrading the “villain”...

“He can’t wait to get away from you.”

I’d beg to differ. Pretty sure he’s trying really hard not to kill you, Alina.

...the bright edge of the blade pressed to Mal’s throat. The man holding him wore a familiar sneer. Ivan. *** “Drink.” I open my eyes. Ivan’s scowling face comes into focus. “You do it,” he grumbles to someone. *** It was hard climbing with my hands in irons, and Ivan quickly lost patience. He hooked my wrists to haul me up the last few feet. *** Before I could begin to sort through them, Ivan appeared and began yanking me back across the main deck. “Slow down,” I protested, but he just gave another jerk on my sleeve. *** “Move,” Ivan ordered. I struggled to my knees. He nudged me with the toe of his boot... *** “She’s the Darkling’s prisoner,” said Ivan, “and a traitor.” *** “Bring her,” he called to Ivan. “Mal—” I began as Ivan grasped my arm. Mal lifted his bound hands, reaching for me. His fingers grazed mine briefly, then Ivan was hauling me back toward the hatch.

Ivan’s never been fond of Alina, he’s clearly far from excited about their quest to find her. He’s more likely to be afraid for the Darkling, than of him.

The Darkling doesn’t miss a chance for a little dig at one of Alina’s less desirable qualities. He’s also avoiding direct answer once again. Alina doesn’t mind, she’s happy to supply it herself.