To people who haven't read Leigh Bardugo's Shadow and Bone trilogy and/or Six of Crows duology, then this is going to sound like utter nonsense. But if you haven't read them, I strongly recommend them! SOC is newer and in my opinion, better, but reading S&B first will help you understand some of the things that happen in SOC since they're in the same universe.
The books are being made into a Netflix show coming out this April, and after months of LITERAL radio silence (aside from a 15 second teaser) we got our first look at the characters and some posters!!!!
Even if you have no idea what I'm talking about, my excitement and ranting may still be humorous/entertaining to you
^Alina Starkov, WE LOVE AN ASIAN LEAD!!!! I was so excited about this casting decision because,,,, LOOK AT HER. Jessie Mei Li run me over with a car challenge
^Malyen "Mal" Orestev, not my fave character but Archie Renaux (his actor) is adorable.
^Alina and Mal
^FUCKING BEN BARNES‼️‼️‼️‼️ AS THE DARKLING!!!!! YEAH WE GOT BEN. FREAKING. BARNES. He was the ultimate fan cast for that character and ???? WE GOT HIM ???? I hate his character as well (as a person, but he's a great character) but he's going to play him so well.
^Inej Ghafa, one of my favorite female characters of all time, looking as BADASS as I pictured her in the books. I BELIEVE GOD IS A WOMAN. INEJ GHAFA SUPREMACY.
^Jesper Fahey, Inej, and Kaz Brekker. I'll admit that I was kinda upset about Jesper's casting because his ethnicity, Zemeni, gives him much darker skin in the books, but Kit Young seems like he'll do a good job. And I'm gonna rant on Kaz further down so stay tuned.
^Nina Zenik and Matthias Helvar. NINA!!!! I LOVE NINA TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH!!! I'm indifferent about Matthias tbh but NINA!!!!!!!! I was also hoping they'd cast a more plus-sized actress as Nina because that's how she is in the books, but alas,,,, Danielle Galligan does seem to have a curvier body type though, which is good because casting a stick-thin Nina would have been HORRIBLE.
One thing I really like about these casting decisions is that literally all of them are relatively unknown. Ben Barnes is the only big name we have, which really allows these other actors to shine and for the show to gain traction without the help of super well-known actors. Plus the diversity is even more amazing (Alina is white in the books).
Okay, now look at these absolutely gorgeous character posters.
INEJ'S KNIVES!!!! JESPER'S REVOLVERS!!! BEN BARNES' HANDS!!!! KAZ'S CROW CANE (IT'S SO FREAKING DETAILED, I LOVE IT), HIS GLOVES, FREDDY CARTER'S CHEEKBONES???? SHOULD BE ILLEGAL!!! WHAT THE HELL!!!! ILLEGAL I SAY!!!!
ALSO THE COSTUMES LOOK REALLY GOOD, LIKE KAZ'S SUIT IN HIS POSTER LOOKS AMAZING, THE DETAILS ON THE DARKLING'S KEFTA ARE STUNNING, AND INEJ'S OUTFIT IS BEAUTIFUL. AND THE DESIGNS ON THE REVOLVERS???? AAAHH.
Okay, now a rant on Kaz.
Kaz "Dirtyhands" Brekker is one of my favorite male characters of all time. I love him so much that when I re-read Six of Crows, I got the inspiration for Ares Ortega from my Raven Reyes fanfic, Fireheart (and if you keep this in mind while reading the book, you'll see why). Kaz is such an interesting and complex character. He's downright ruthless. He'll do whatever it takes to get the outcome he desires, including putting his friends in danger, but he has enough faith in them that they'll get the job done, so they get mad at him and he's like "Well it worked didn't it?" and I just think that's so iconic of him. He's literally a mastermind and a genius despite being a kid with practically no education who came from nothing.
But another one of the things I love is that Kaz is disabled and deals with chronic pain. The cane in the poster is what he uses to help him walk, and even with it, he still has a very prominent limp (he broke his leg as a child and it never healed correctly). Leigh Bardugo also deals with chronic pain, so she created a character who was strong, intelligent, and a main protagonist without centering his characterization around his pain. You hardly see characters like this (especially main ones) in media, so it's great.
Sorry lmao I just love Kaz so much, had to rant for a bit (and Freddy Carter seems like the perfect casting decision tbh).
Basically my feelings are just
I'm just treasuring Kaz and our little fandom cuz I know that when the show comes out and if it gets popular,,, the locals are gonna start simping over Kaz and I'm gonna be like "GET IN LINE"
The series can get dark at times but it's also sprinkled with humor, like this iconic scene from SOC:
Jesper knocked his head against the hull and cast his eyes heavenward. "Fine. But if Pekka Rollins kills us all, I'm going to get Wylan's ghost to teach my ghost how to play the flute just so that I can annoy the hell out of your ghost."
Brekker's lips quirked. "I'll just hire Matthias' ghost to help kick your ghost's ass."
"My ghost won't associate with your ghost," Matthias said primly, and then wondered if the sea air was rotting his brain.
Also I really hope we get a season 2 because I NEED my favorite from Shadow and Bone, NIKOLAI FUCKING LANTSOV, in the series but he's not in season one AAAAHGGGGHHHH. I also need Wylan Van Eck like,,, now. But he's also not in season one😔 this is slander (jk I just need my son)
And I know I'm going to drop dead the instant I see Zoya Nazyalensky because,,,, my queen. I would die for her.
IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE SERIES BUT WANT TO, SKIP THIS NEXT PARAGRAPH THAT'S NOT IN BOLD.
SKIP IT.
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
One thing I'm not looking forward to is the amount of Darkling apologists we're gonna get because Ben Barnes plays him. Like I said before, I think he's a great character and villain, but he is by no means the "innocent baby" or "hero" that some people paint him to be. He's a terrible person!!! He caused the near-extinction of the Grisha cuz he wanted to be super powerful!!!! He should not be praised!!! But because he's an attractive white dude, we're gonna have even more people simping over him than there already are. So just to be clear: if you see me reblogging content about the Darkling on my Tumblr, I'm appreciating his character/Ben's portrayal, not his personality or actions.
END OF SPOILERS.
Okay, with that, Imma head out and take a nap. Hope you enjoyed these pics and me screaming!!