#tqb

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But you already knew that 🤭

The loss of strength in her legs and arms smarted, to be sure, but it was the death of the sunlight that had carved a rent into Alina's soul. She lay on her thin pallet hour after hour in the dark, wasting away with Tamar sitting guard at her feet, ever faithful. She did not see Zoya, or Mal, only Tamar, and the only sound that reached her ears was prayer - the Apparat on his knees beside her at morning and evening, fervently appealing to the Saints for her health.

Reasoning:

1) Beth Harmon is the shonen MC protagonist since she’s the only one with that specific haircut/hairstyle.

2) Beth is an orphan who has trouble making friends.

3) Beth talks like the typical antisocial, super-genius anime character who already knows every move you’re about to make. She’s basically L/Light/Lelouch. 

4) Beth’s motivation is to become the greatest chess player ever, just like 99% of all shonen anime protagonists (as in, to become the greatest of whatever their field of expertise is). She also becomes weirdly obsessed with chess, just like how a lot of sports anime protagonists become too attached to their sport (ex.: Hinata in Haikyuu!!).

5) The progression of the series is exactly like a sports anime. She starts at the school tournament, then moves up to the more national tournaments, before facing off against the big boss, who I guess is the Soviet chess player. 

6) Some of these characters feel like they’d fit in an anime. Like, the mentor chess player who dresses up like a cowboy. The two side characters who befriend Beth (the dudes who look like twins). The stone cold, Soviet chess player who thinks like a supercomputer. Beth herself.

AHHHH. Yes, let’s begin.

Look Beth is a socially awkward absolute DORK who isn’t awesome at expressing her emotions. “I like your hair” was about as smooth as she was capable of for saying “maybe I’m interested.” Was it an attempt at psyching Benny out? Yeah probably, but I fully believe even she didn’t know where she was going with it when she blurted it out. She, herself, didn’t know whether she meant it as manipulation or truth. 

And Benny-- who tried so very hard to resist her subtle attempts at using his interest in her for manipulation? Who verbally stated that he saw her strategy and wasn’t falling for it? Only he DID fall for it when he fell for her. And suave, cool Benny--knowing that he was playing directly into her hands-- used her clumsy line to give in and tell her he wanted whatever she was offering?