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corpsebasil · 1 year

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The Pirate Lord Part 2

the future queen of Ravka doesn’t even know she’s going to wear a crown

You didn’t talk to him for almost two days.

He practically chased you around, vying for your attention as you avoided him like the plague. He’d lied. And not a white lie—Sturmhond had lied about his entire identity. His life. Well, you supposed, not Sturmhond. Because your captain and lover, the man you wanted to marry, was Prince Nikolai Lantsov, the youngest prince of Ravka.

So you spent your hours away from him processing and memorizing the palace, ducking into random rooms and examining anything you were allowed to see. You had to admit, finding out you were sleeping with a prince wasn’t the worst shock of your life.

You’d smacked him, though. Pretty hard.

“Y/N,” a voice called and you turned to see Tamar approaching, her eyes comically wide as she did a small spin in the hallway. “not too bad of a hovel, is it?” She asked, letting out a low whistle.

“It’s ghastly,” you lied, smirking. “how will we ever survive this?”

“Same way we survive anything.” She mused, flicking a very expensive looking vase as she passed it. “Lots of rum. Lots.” Then she stopped, tilting her head at you. “You should talk to him. He misses you.”

“Talk to who?” You asked, a thread of annoyance in your tone. “Sturmhond, or Nikolai?”

“They’re the same man.” Tamar rolled her eyes, swinging her arm around your shoulders and pulling you down the hall. “Come on, Y/N. We didn’t go through all that hell on the waves just for you two to be pissed at one another.”

“He can apologize to me.” You said, indignant. “Eventually.”

“Saints save us all.” She grumbled, leading the two of you towards the hall for dinner.

Nikolai had told you the truth only after you’d docked and made your way into Ravka. And he’d done it in the most ridiculous way possible—simply removing his coat to reveal a second one underneath, smiling and holding his arms out comically to you. He’d even had the audacity to say “surprise” seconds before you whacked him hard on his good shoulder.

The arrow wound was healed, but his muscle was still tender.

Now he watched you at dinner, still sitting with his crew like he always did. The difference now was that the table was far more elaborate, and there was a very comforting lack of eggs and pickles. Tolya and Tamar sat across from you, bickering over Saints knows what, while Nikolai sat beside you as you pointedly ignored him.

“Y/N,” he began, tilting his head at you. You pretended not to hear him, picking at the bowl of fruit on your plate. Fruit for heaven’s sakes. You swore never to eat a pickle again. “Y/N, please, you wouldn’t have been with me if you’d have known.”

You glared down at a strawberry, spearing it rather aggressively with your fork. He sighed and turned in his seat, placing his hand near your arm, but not on it.

“Come on. You know that I’m right.”

Tamar and Tolya were suddenly very, very interested in their own plates, the rest of the crew busying themselves with literally any topic that came to mind. You could’ve sworn someone mentioned how good the plumbing was and blocked them out.

“You don’t know that.” You said, voice cold as you shot him a look. “Everything the two of us have is based on honesty. How am I supposed to trust anything you say? You’re even acting different.”

“I cant be Sturmhond here, Y/N. I have to behave in a certain manner—”

“‘A certain manner’,” you sneered. “How royal of you.”

“You are still my Second, and the love of my life. Being a prince changes nothing—”

You stood up abruptly, almost knocking over a glass as you left the table. The crew stared, stunned, as Nikolai quickly followed, chasing after you out of the dining hall.

You stormed down the hallway towards the door that you knew led to the gardens, and past that, the lake. You’d barely stepped outside before he jumped in front of you, holding his hands out in supplication.

“Y/N,” he panted, walking backwards as you moved towards the lake, out of sight from the palace. You spotted some sort of gazebo in the distance, decorated with cushions and seemingly abandoned, and walked towards it. “Y/N, you have to believe me.”

“I don’t.” You gritted out, stomping over to the cushioned structure. “Have to do anything.” You plopped down onto the cushions, splaying out in a very messy manner. You huffed as you looked up at the ceiling, at the marble arches. “Don’t lie to me ever again.” You ordered, tossing the prince a glare.

He had the audacity to roll his eyes as he sat down beside you, shrugging off his heavy jacket and tossing it aside.

“I told you I wouldn’t.” He said, tilting his head. “But I swear I won’t. Scouts honor.” He held out his pinkie and you snorted, hooking your own through his.

“That’s a very powerful oath, Sturm—” you paused, eyebrows furrowing. “Nikolai.”

“Actually, that’s Nikolai Lantsov—Major of the Twenty-Second Regiment, Soldier of the King’s Army, Grand Duke of Udova, and second son to His Most Royal Majesty, King Alexander the Third, Ruler of the Double Eagle Throne to you, Second.”

“You’re insufferable.” You scoffed, but smiled at his familiar smirk, that mischievous light in his eyes back. “Don’t…act in front of me. I know that you have to be all posh and regal or whatever in front of the others, but not in front of me.” You frowned a bit, unsure of why it hurts to say these things to him. “I fell in love with Sturmhond.”

He swallowed, looking away from you, and sighed.

“You might love him,” he said, softly, his eyes still refusing to meet yours. “but I love you. And I had hoped that that would’ve been enough.” He gave you a look, a calm look that masked his pain and heartache, and you regretted your words the moment he moved to rise.

“No, I—” you grasped his arm, rising onto your knees as you tugged him back down. “I do love you. I do. I’m just going to have to get used to the changes, that’s all.” You knew your expression was pleading, and still you pushed on. “Just two days ago you were a pirate. This is a big switch for me.”

“Privateer.” He mumbled, but allowed a small smile to appear on his handsome face. “I’m sure you’ll adjust when you realize just how much I’m going to spoil you now that I’m in Ravka.”

You let a grin wash over your face as you tugged him forward by his shirt, pressing your mouth to his own. He laid you down eagerly atop the cushions, hands sinking into your hair as he kissed you.

“I love you.” He murmured, losing himself in the feel of you as you freed the prince from his clothes.

Your wedding had been an event to mark the century.

You’d had it on your ship, traveling all the way back to the ocean to marry your king. And as you kissed him, your crew and the guests clinking glasses and congratulating you both, the shell at the base of your collarbones lit up, sending tendrils of light and shimmering color across your skin.

“Queen of the seas.” Nikolai mused, glancing over at the water. Colorful fish could be seen under the surface, and when he took your hand and rested it on the rail, you could see the siren’s magic flowing all the way down your body. “I think the ocean approves, don’t you?”

You grinned, head still slightly heavier than usual from the crown that now rested upon it. It had been crafted by Nikolai himself, for you, and his outstanding powers of creation had made you a gorgeous pearl encrusted crown worthy of any queen of the seas. You turned to him, moving into his embrace as he grinned down at you.

“How do you feel about being a Queen?” He asked, raising a brow. His own coronation had been only a month before, an event at which you’d cried an embarrassing amount.

“I feel like being bedded by a king right about now.” You teased, wiggling your brows as he laughed.

“Am I to expect you to start giving me commands?” Nikolai tilted his head, tugging you closer. Nearby, Tolya was still celebrating, having had caught the bouquet. “You’re no longer my Second, you know.”

“You can start calling me Captain if you want.” You teased, leaning forward to press a long, soft kiss to his mouth. He was yours. Officially, now.

Although, you would force him to sail with you someday. Just for fun.

Yeet

#shadow and bone #nikolai lantsov #nikolai lantsov x reader #nikolai x reader #shadow and bone imagine #wattpad #fluff

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aleksanderscult · 4 months

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Bagrah could be a great, fascinating character if Leigh Bardugo didn't try so hard to victimize her and portray her as some sort of hero... Seriously wtf ? The narration in relation to Bagrah always made me cringe. In another version of events, I would have liked a less ignorant Alina to tell her the truth about being a bad teacher, a bad mother (now I want a fanfiction where Alina defends Aleksander of Bagrah) and just a bad person.

⚠️TW: Suicide mention at some point⚠️

Bestie, you just decided to touch one of the most problematic things in that universe. The matter of "We consider toxic, problematic women innocent and heroic".

Just like Baghra, just like Ana Kuya. A world where if you're a woman and you're toxic, then you're okay!

My own feelings of Baghra is that I just can't help but find her interesting. I can't help but wanna re-read her scenes sometimes. I don't like her but she's intriguing. There are times when I remember how fucked up her life was. Her father neglected her and her mother despised her. And then they abandoned her. Which makes me feel sorry for her. But then I remember how she had numerous kids from loveless matches and abandoned them all except one. Because this boy was special like her: immortal and powerful. She willingly condemned another human being to the pain and loneliness of immortality (and it's very possible that she condemned her other children to immortality as well, just like Ulla). She raised Aleksander with no displays of love, didn't allow him to form bonds with others and used emotional, verbal (and, very possibly, physical) abuse on him. Taught him how to be prideful, to abandon love, to value power. But when Aleksander became prideful and valued power, she turned her back on him. When he found a potential match on Alina, she took her away from him. Because Baghra always wanted him to depend on her for company and love. All these make me feel disgust for her.

But still Baghra was a product of the fucked up life Grisha had that made her value self-preservation, just like Aleksander was. The only difference is that Aleksander cared about the fate of their people.

And when Aleksander entrusted her with the training of his Grisha, she used violent means to teach them how to develop and control their powers. Even used their own phobias against them ffs.

And despite all this, we have the good guys not only remembering her fondly but also defend her:

This whole paragraph makes me sick.

Look, I naturally didn't expect the good gang remember the Darkling with love. No way that. But why on God's green earth do they make him seem like a lunatic with no feelings that was at fault for literally EVERYTHING?

“Did he love the girl he forced to commit those murders?”

Ah, yes, of course. Because if a person is a murderer then he's also incapable of feeling love. When you're a villain, you can't love. You can't have both. It's impossible, Aleksander! 😠🫵

“What about the girl he tossed into the old king's bed for his own purposes?”

Oh right. Because Aleksander gave Genya to the King not to the Queen's care. Jesus, I forgot that.

Oh yes! I also forgot how Genya decided to stay because she wanted to take revenge.

“then mutilated when she dared to challenge him”

Me if I was the editor of the book, saw that line and correcting it: "then punished when she dared to commit treason against him?"

Because isn't that what she did? She was his soldier and let the Sun Summoner escape. What do you think he would do to her? Give her a sympathetic pat on the shoulder and say: "I understand. She's your friend. Fuck Ravka."

“Or the woman he blinded for failing to offer him unswerving devotion?”

Didn't Baghra commit treason as well? Didn't she let the Sun Summoner go? Does Zoya realize that if the King had found out, he would behead Baghra on the spot?

Also why is she talking about him like he didn't regret what he did to his mother?

And am I the only one in this goddamn fandom that thinks that Baghra got away with it lightly?

So Zoya in a few words:

‘Who would speak for Liliyana, for Genya and Alina and Baghra if she did not?’

In other words Zoya: "I'm the LAWYER IN HERE!!"

Instead of wanting to feel love for the good characters and side with them, I want to slap them across the face. The amount of stupidity and arrogance they have is truly admirable. Congratulations for being douchebags, my friends!!👌👌

This duology has me like:

Instead of admitting that Baghra was problematic and made many serious mistakes (which I would much prefer to see from them) they're glorifying her. They're painting her as a frail, weak and innocent woman that did nothing wrong in her life. And being abusive is not against her! Of course not. Because she's a woman so we have to let her go of any charges and forgive her. ❤️

She was neither frail nor weak. She could easily use her powers if she could but Baghra loooved to play the victim. And she was definitely not innocent. She was one of the reasons Aleksander came out this way and contributed to his eventual downfall in R&R. Since her suicide made him lose his mind and become even more unhinged.

And, finally, yes I would have liked someone to tell her how shit of a mother she was to her son and how she sucks in general. But I don't think it would mind her much. She would be apathetic and sarcastic.

#if I see ONE person being a pro Baghra in this fandom I'll lose my faith in humanity #women CAN be toxic too #all people of any gender. race and sex can be toxic #the darkling #pro darkling #aleksander morozova #pro aleksander morozova #baghra morozova #anti nikolai duology #anti zoya nazyalensky #king of scars #shadow and bone #grishaverse #grishaverse trilogy

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qqueenofhades · 1 year

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"But Ivan and Alina got off on the wrong foot to start with, and their mutual dislike had only deepened by the time of that final confrontation. She was given every privilege, every special treatment, handled with kid gloves and worshiped when she had done absolutely nothing to merit it, and now she, the spoiled, foolish child, thinks that she knows better than all the Grisha, when she was only one for a few months and resisted them at every turn. It was like dragging a spitting, hissing kitten into the house and crowning it your beloved queen even as it tore all the furniture to shreds, and Ivan will not be taken to task for trying to stop her from destroying everything for which they have all fought and suffered."

Honestly I think he actually very much has the right idea of it? Like, this is my one big complaint about Alina as a person and as a character, and while most fics I've read either fix it or acknowledge it, it's never really a thing in the books in the way that it could have been and was very much a writing flaw when it could have been acknowledged in the story and become a character flaw. Obviously Ivan is a highly biased person to get an opinion from but frankly I agree with him here.

Oh, he's definitely not totally wrong, and his POV/feelings on her are entirely understandable. And yes, Book Alina 100% has Magical YA Heroine Syndrome, where what she's doing is right because she's doing it and it isn't really interrogated or challenged or deconstructed in any way. And while I haven't finished S2, I'm pretty sure that that's exactly what they're doing with Show Alina, and I'm SO here for it. Because she's insisted all along that she's the Sun Summoner and so what she's doing is automatically Light and Good, while she's going increasingly dark and feral and power-hungry and replaying all of Aleksandr's mistakes, she is also proving him exactly right about her and about him. She's doing exactly what he said she would do, and everything that he already tried to do for hundreds of years and which he tried to warn her about. But it's not gonna work, because she still thinks that she can have the right king and the right power and be the right kind of benevolent absolutist dictator, exactly like he did! And it's gonna blow up in her face!

Anyway, for someone who loves messy characters and morally grey complex situations and narrative parallels/foils especially in the context of the antihero/heroine dark-light binary, this makes my brain go BRRRR. Not to mention the whole "let me be your monster" thing and how when Alina doesn't have him to be the bad ol' Darkling to take the blame, while she's still supposedly the Supreme Saint Queen and is in fact just as corrupted by power as he is, she's REALLY gonna feel it, and will have to watch as her whole reputation as the savior of Grisha/Ravka comes slowly to pieces as a result. This is basically exactly what I wished they would do with Book Alina, rather than just having her giving it nicely up and going away with Mal and pretending that it never happened, and also I want Aleksandr to come back and still be totally besotted with her but also like "I TOLD YOU SO, I TOLD YOU SO, DO YOU BELIEVE ME NOW."

(Anyway. Just. Yes. Me want.)

#anonymous #ask #sab spoilers

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polycrowtruther · 10 months

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Excerpt from 'Saintstones and Sugar Cookies'

“-where is she, Nikolai, whERE IS SHE!? NINA ZENIK!” she shouted from the hallway. Nikolai and David rushed back into the kitchen quickly, the task of drying off all but forgotten, and who Matthias presumed to be one Zoya Nazyalensky stormed in after them. She was on the warpath, it seemed, her eyes bright with rage. Matthias had heard stories about the Windcaller Queen of Ravka, the third member of the Triumvirate, and now that he was seeing her he could attest that those stories were certainly true. She was an intimidating force of nature. A dragon in human skin. He could see how Nina had been taken under Zoya’s wing, they were one and the same.

Inej and Jesper slid into the room as well, followed by a boy Matthias didn't recognize but assumed was the other alpha in Genya's pack. Mal, as they had called him. Zoya slammed her hands down on the dining room table and leaned towards Nina. “YOU HAVE SOME EXPLAINING TO DO, ZENIK!”

“Oh, like you’re one to TALK NAZYALENSKY!” Nina retorted back. “THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING!?”

“You picked that edgy bastard as your omega? Are you fucking mental?” Zoya seethed, “You had me convinced he was the sweetest little puppy! I was prepared to be so fucking nice to him, but you're telling me you mated fucking rat bastard Kaz Brekker? You’re telling me Brekker is the little sweetheart that WHIMPERS and PURRS for you?”

“YOU LITERALLY FUCKED THE ACTUAL EMBODIMENT OF SUNSHINE! Like hello ? You mean to tell me the Saint who destroyed the fucking FOLD is the sassy brat you’ve been taming? She's literally walking history! That's the kind of thing you warn your fucking sister about before waltzing into her home with the Saint.”

“Oh Ghezen , she’s that Alina?” Wylan’s eyes widened, “Like for real, she's the Sun Summoner?”

Matthias felt his heart sink to the pit of his stomach as he realized the gravity of the situation, “Fuck, Wy, does that mean we jumped the mates of a Saint ?”

“ You're the one who punched them,” Wylan shook his head. “I just asked the questions.”

“Sure, but that was after you blinded them. Don’t use me as your scapegoat now,” Matthias grumbled.

“Wait, you two got into a fight?” Jesper looked between his mates quickly, “Why the hell did you two get into a fight?”

“It’s a long story,” Wylan smiled weakly. “But they said they both forgive us so it’s fine.”

"It wasn't that bad even," Nikolai shrugged, "Kept us humble, and all that."

Jesper shook his head. “I steal Inej away for two minutes and you two already find trouble. We can’t take you dorks anywhere, it seems. Not with Matthias’s pesky drüskelle sensibilities.”

“Nikolai survived a punch from a drüskelle?” Mal's gaze snapped to them as he spoke, but he seemed more impressed than anything else.

“Hold on,” Inej’s eyes widened as she pointed to the blonde in question, “As in the King of Scars Nikolai Lantsov? That Nikolai?”

“Oh sweet Djel, I punched a king ?” Matthias whispered, horrified. He scrambled to look back at Nikolai.

Before Nikolai could speak, however, Jesper made an indignant noise, “Hold on just a damned moment, I recognize you. You’re the one who hired the three of us to kidnap the Sun Summoner years back! You were the reason we were in Ravka to begin with! You’re Sturmhold!”

“YOU HIRED RAT BREKKER TO KIDNAP OUR OMEGA?!” Zoya screeched, turning to Nikolai.

“In my defense it was to get her out of the Darkling’s control!” Nikolai pleaded, “I didn’t pay to kidnap her maliciously !”

“Yeah, you didn’t pay at all!” Jesper scowled, “You fucking stiffed us! Left us to fend for ourselves against the Stadwatch!"

“You scammed Brekker into kidnapping Alina?” Mal tilted his head, “And he let you live?”

“I’m still debating that decision,” a raspy voice, rocks against stone, chimed in, “So cough up the kruge or count your days, Lantsov.”

“Like hell he will, Brekker,” A clear voice said from beside him, sweet and cheery, “You never delivered me, remember? He doesn’t owe you shit, and that’s mainly because his bank account is my bank account now and as the Queen of Ravka I will not give you my money.”

Matthias looked up to see his pack’s omega silhouetted in the doorway, a sharp shadow against the bright noon sunlight. A woman Matthias had only seen in paintings stood next to him, beautiful in a way so ancient it made Matthias feel obligated to bow or at the very least tilt his head in respect. It seems Kaz and Alina had finally made their way back to the Silver Six, and that they had quite the odyssey in the meantime.

#six of crows #crooked kingdom #kazzle dazzle #grishaverse #soc ck #six of crows fanfic #polycrows #six of crows fandom #kaz brekker #alina starkov #matthias helvar #polyamourous #pack dynamics #ao3 fanfic #a/b/o dynamics #a/b/o verse #omegaverse #this is me pushing my omega kaz agenda

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meyhew · 1 year

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you haven't watched sab2 yet have you? im dying to read what you think about it all cause you're one of the apparently very few people I share the same opinion about the books with and SIGH aint it tough out there for people w good taste these days 😩

well. um. i watched 6 episodes before the season was released and then i put off watching the last two bc i simply didn't want to. i enjoyed like the first... three? i had my qualms about them but i could put those aside for the most part and enjoy the stuff that i did like. then the further i got into it the more i just Deeply Hated everything that was happening. wesper arc? weird and unsettling for Me personally. helnik? basically nonexistent except for in matthias' fantasies. kanej? nothing happens but the vibes slayed. i was annoyed with how they used baghra in s1 and downright pissed about what they did to her in s2. and don't even get me started on darkles... i just know book darkling would kill show darkling out of spite and i'd cheer him on. book darkling is so cold and conniving and it's so annoying to see how much they've watered him down and humanized him to appeal to a certain demographic. malina tho... im so so so so so deeply angry about malina.

the entire thematic core of the grisha trilogy is that unrestrained power is Bad and that alina has never really wanted it for herself—she gets lost in her head for a while when she's overwhelmed by the euphoria of having multiple amplifiers but when she realizes that the cost of having unchecked power is sacrificing mal... well then she doesn't want to pay it. she literally brings him back from the dead because she can't cope with the grief of spending her life without him. her power literally explodes out of her because her body cannot contain all of it. she goes to live off the grid because she doesn't care for a life of power and politics anymore, never truly did. and the show erases ALL of that. this season shits all over the thesis statement of tgt and does such an unbelievable disservice to mal and alina's individual characters as well as their dynamic together. the two of them parting ways is tragic because it throws away the most crucial takeaway from the story: love, however ordinary, is all that matters. if love can ever be ordinary. taking that away from alina in favor of a political marriage and a crown is so disheartening because she has never wanted that.

"They wanted a Grisha queen. Mal wanted a commoner queen. And what did I want? Peace for Ravka. A chance to sleep easy in my bed without fear. An end to the guilt and dread that I woke to every morning. There were old wants too, to be loved for who I was, not what I could do, to lie in a meadow with a boy’s arms around me and watch the wind move the clouds."

#sorry it took me so long to get to this feel free to ask for smth more specific if u want i'll get to it eventually #i'm going home soon so i'll be here more often <3 #shadow and bone #anonymous #answered

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daughter-of-melpomene · 4 months

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This isn't so much a question as it is an open invitation to info dump about Catta and Ilya but I'm desperate to hear about others' Grishaverse OCs and I can't think of any specific questions 😅

Ahhh, thank you so much for this, Anon!! I think I’m just gonna give you five facts about each of them, since it’s been a while since I’ve talked about them and I don’t really know where to start (😅). And I’m also gonna tag @dancingsunflowers-ocs since I know she loves both of these babies!! <3

We’ll start with Catta, my beautiful neglected princess:

When Catta was eleven years old, she broke her wrist trying to race Nikolai down one of the longer Grand Palace hallways. The queen placed all of the blame on Catta and kept yelling at her for it while the palace doctor was trying to reset her wrist, and he was so frazzled by the queen’s shouting he wound up setting Catta’s wrist just a bit wrong. He fixed it, but she still has a small scar on her wrist from the incident.

The first time Catta tried kvas was thanks to Genya sneaking some in when she came to Catta’s room for one of their late night talks. She was seventeen and had never had so much as a sip of it before, because the queen had forbidden her from drinking alcohol, convinced that she would get drunk and embarrass the whole royal family. The kvas burned Catta’s throat and she nearly coughed up a lung after only a few sips, but the sight made Genya laugh, so she didn’t regret trying it, even if she never drank kvas again.

Once, only once, Catta had stolen one of Genya’s white keftas and tried it on, wanting to see herself in a Grisha garment and pretend for a moment that she was like her mother and hadn’t become just a disappointment to her father. She was only able to look at herself in the mirror for a few moments before she had to take it off, and she never even touched another kefta again.

After the Darkling is defeated and Nikolai becomes king of Ravka, he asks Catta if she would like to finally be legitimized as a Lantsov. Catta refuses - she knows that her brother will not treat her with the same neglect and contempt her father did for being a bastard, and after she thinks about it, she’d much rather keep her mother’s name… or perhaps, one day, even take Genya’s.

(And she does, in fact, take the name Safin once they get married. Despite this, Nikolai still recognizes Catta officially as his sister and makes sure that she and Genya have the appropriate privileges in the Grand Palace if they ever want them.)

And now let’s talk about Ilya, my sweet boy with the silver tongue:

For all his charm, Ilya is a terrible dancer. Jesper loves to laugh at him for how bad he is at it, but Kaz secretly finds it endearing, that with how charming his boyfriend is he’ll still never be able to seduce anyone with a dance.

Ilya and Jesper have had a playful, completely platonic flirting thing going since they met. Neither Kaz nor Wylan, when they start dating the boys, mind it at all, but Nina loves to call it their “little battle of the silver tongues”.

The first time Kaz was able to touch him without his gloves on, Ilya cried. They’d been slowly working on Kaz’s fear of touch for a long time, and though Ilya had never wanted or asked for more than Kaz was willing to give him, just knowing that the boy he loved trusted him enough to finally touch him skin-to-skin was enough to overwhelm him.

Though it’s never been a permanent thing, Ilya has performed at the Crow Club once or twice when it was a special occasion or the patrons wanted some entertainment that wasn’t drinking or gambling. He’s got a lovely voice and knows his way around a few songs on the guitar, and Kaz, though he’d never voice it, is absolutely smitten whenever he performs.

Ilya refuses to go on any more heists with the Crows after the Ice Court (“We all nearly died, Kaz, I don’t understand why you’d want to do it again”), but he gets into the habit of either making the crew dinner before they go off for their heists or having it ready once they come back. It’s his way of taking his mind off of his anxiety while his boyfriend and friends are putting themselves in danger, and also his way of contributing to the mission since the Crows are normally pretty happy to get a hot meal before or after they have to go off.

Thanks so much for asking about my babies!! It’s been so long since I’ve talked about them, so I really appreciate the opportunity. <3

#asks about my ocs #oc: catta rostova #oc: ilya dramir

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thebadgerclan · 2 years

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Rags To Riches: Chapter 1

Pairing: Nikolai Lantsov x reader

Chapter Summary: Caught by the Queen...

Your life was fairly simple: rise at dawn, light the fires in the grates, tidy whichever rooms you were assigned to that day, answer the summons of council members and on occasion, King Nikolai, serve dinner, clean again, before retiring for the evening. Or, your life had been simple, before you caught the King’s eye. If you were asked to pinpoint when it had happened, you wouldn’t be able to do so; it had been a gradual thing, beginning as a compliment on the speed of your service, turning to a friendship, and now…you didn’t quite have the words.

You hesitated to call yourself King Nikolai’s mistress. Mistresses were proper ladies, born of nobility, while you were a common maid. But when summoned, you warmed his bed, and wasn’t that exactly what a mistress was? But you were more than that. When Nikolai needed to vent about his idiotic advisor, you were there to listen; when he was excited about a new book, you were more than happy to read it along with him; and when he’d had a long day and simply wanted to cuddle, you curled yourself in his arms. You loved him, plain and simple, and while he hadn’t said those three little words, you knew that Nikolai loved you too.

He showed you in many ways that he loved you: a flower on your bed, a parcel of your favorite sweets in the broom closet you frequented, sweet, lingering kisses whenever he could. Your fellow maids knew about your relationship, and they did not like it. Bludnitsa, they called you. Harlot. You heard the whispers, the snide remarks, the hateful words, but you tried not to let them bother you. Was being hated by your coworkers truly so bad when you had the heart of the King?

You’d been reassigned to clean King Nikolai’s rooms daily, not that he was a particularly untidy person. The true purpose of your new assignment was to afford you a look at the model ship on the mantle. It was a replica of the Volkvolny, you’d been told, and to anyone else, its position meant little. But to you, it indicated whether the King wished to see you that evening. If the mast of the ship faced the window, you were to go to his rooms when you were done with work, if it faced the door, Nikolai was otherwise occupied.

So when you entered the King’s chambers to see the mast of the ship pointing towards the window, you smiled the whole time you worked. As you exited the room, a strong pair of arms wrapped around you, pulling you into a broad chest. There was only one person in all of Ravka who would dare to do that, and you giggled as kisses were pressed to your face. “Nikolai!” you said, and the King hummed, turning you in his arms and pressing his lips to yours.

“My darling,” he whispered, and you relaxed fully in his arms. “I just couldn’t wait until tonight to see you.” You smiled against his lips, resting your hands on his chest. You lost yourself in Nikolai’s kiss, so consumed by him that you didn’t hear the swift clicking of heeled shoes approaching down the corridor. Queen Isabella Lantsov Kir-Taban, Daughter of Heaven, the third-born daughter of Keyen Kir-Taban, was always composed. She never showed surprise, anger, or sadness as more than a slightly raised brow. It was how she was raised, groomed to be a King’s wife, never a Queen in her own right.

So when she found her husband with another woman in her arms, she merely raised a brow. She was not angry to see Nikolai had a mistress, not in the slightest. Theirs was not a love match but a political arrangement, meant to solidify the peace treaty between Ravka and the Shu-Han. What she was angry about was that it was a maid, and out in the open. Queen Isabella cleared her throat when she came to stop before her husband.

You opened your eyes, and upon seeing the Queen, you tore yourself from Nikolai’s embrace, dropping into a deep curtsey. “Moya tsaritsa,” you said, remaining in the curtsey until addressed. “My apologies, I did not see you.” Isabella laughed softly. “Clearly not. Nikolai, might I have a word?” “Of course,” he replied, laying a hand on your shoulder. “I’ll see you later, milaya.” He pressed a quick kiss to your temple, and with another curtsey, you scurried off.

At his wife’s insistence, Nikolai entered his chambers, sitting on one of the velvet sofas. Isabella didn’t sit, rather, she paced before the fireplace. “If you’re going to carry on with this girl,” she said. “Give her an official court position or keep it behind closed doors. We have an image to uphold.” Nikolai sighed, pinching his brow. “We do stay behind closed doors. Well, that was the exception, I got a bit carried away.” He was smirking, and Isabella pursed her lips.

“People are talking, Nikolai. Among the servants, among the staff. This does not reflect well on the monarchy.” The King shook his head. “Y/N might not want a court position,” he argued. “She seems happy as a maid.” “Well, either she becomes a member of the court, or you can no longer see her. I think I know what choice she’ll make given those options.” Nikolai considered; he loved you, and you loved him. If there was a way for you to be with him, he had a feeling you’d take it.

“Fine. I’ll draw up the order and discuss it with her.” The Queen nodded, but Nikolai continued. “You’re entitled to a lover, Isabella. There’s no reason you should be alone.” Isabella smirked. “I know. But you don’t see him ligering, do you?” Nikolai’s brow rose; he had no idea that Isabella had a lover, not that it was any of his business. She turned on her heel and left, leaving the King with his thoughts.

It was absurd that it was somehow acceptable for the King to sleep with a lady of the court but not a maid, especially when everyone knew that the King and Queen were not in love. Yes, he knew that images needed to be upheld, but why did the people care so much about who shared his bed? But they did, so Nikolai would act. The title hadn’t been used since his father had a mistress, but it remained the designated title for the King’s mistress.

On an official piece of paper, stamped with the double-eagle, Nikolai wrote his decree. He left off his signature, however, as well as the royal seal, in case you didn’t want to be titled. By order of His Most Royal Majesty, King Nikolai Lantsov, Miss Y/N L/N shall from this day forth be known as Lady Y/N L/N, Duchess of Os Alta, and afforded all rights and privileges associated.

#nikolai lanstov x reader #shadow and bone fanfiction #nikolai lantsov x you #shadow and bone reader insert #rags to riches

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bestgrishaversequotes · 11 months

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OFFICIAL LIST OF QUOTES FOR THE TOURNAMENT (under the cut)

if any of these quotes catch your eye, please feel free to submit propaganda!! not all of the quotes here were submissions, I picked out fandom faves that didn't get submitted plus one or two personal favourites, so if you see your favourite quote here go ahead and rant in my inbox about why you love it!!

all propaganda will be published with the polls

quotes crossed out have been eliminated; quotes in bold are still in the tournament!

Hug the goat, shut the hell up

He knew the look of a man defending his home with nothing but a rock in his hand

What is infinite? The universe and the greed of men

I'm sorry it took me so long to see you, Alina. But I see you now

Make me your villain

She's everything, you dumb son of a bitch

Because I am a pretty thing and a soldier all the same

Anything worth doing always starts as a bad idea

You're my flag. You're my nation

When people say impossible, they usually mean improbable

I keep to a strict diet of ill-advised enthusiasm and heartfelt regret

I know metal

I am not ruined. I am ruination

I make it a policy never to seduce anyone prettier than I am

That's weakness. That's a man afraid

They had an ordinary life, full of ordinary things

Joost had two problems: the moon and his moustache

We'll be kings and queens, Inej

My darling Inej, treasure of my heart

Matthias was dreaming again. Dreaming of her

What's the easiest way to steal a man's wallet?

The heart is an arrow. It demands aim to land true

I protect my investments

My Wraith would counsel mercy

My ghost won't associate with your ghost

I'm going to pay someone to burn my kruge for me

What bound them together?

We could wake them up

No. Not just girls

I have been made to protect you. Only in death will I be kept from this oath

Stay in Ketterdam. Stay with me

I will have you without armour, Kaz Brekker

I would come for you

Meeting you was a disaster

This action will have no echo

I recommend a cane

We do not take orders from Kerch street rats with dubious haircuts

This was the kiss he'd been waiting for

Someone I didn't want to lose

I'm right here, Father

When the world owed you nothing, you demanded something of it anyway

I can read to him

How about I push you in the canal and we see if you know how to swim?

Is my tie straight?

Call me Grisha. Call me zowa. Call me death, if you like

Yuri Vedenen, if you upset my wife again, I will kill you where you stand

Why did it matter to him what became of Ravka?

A king never kneels, brother

My ruthless Zoya, I'll load the gun myself

Because I'm fairly certain I'm hallucinating, and in my dreams you're much nicer

But she was already a queen

You are strong enough to survive the fall

It had the unfortunate effect of making him want to untie it

You list off atrocities as though I'm meant to feel shame for them

Maybe the gift of being human is that we do not give up

I loved him and he loved me

Because I am greedy for the sight of you

There is nothing in it worth loving

As my friend, as my general, as my bride

This is what love does

I will leave this world on a hammer blow

Then I will love her from my grave

None of this had been fated; none of it foretold

I will always seek to make it summer for you

#the initial matchups will be randomised!!#and if you don't recognise some of these quotes: don't worry‚ in the tournament each quote will have a longer passage surrounding it #these are just the short versions #grishaverse #six of crows #shadow and bone #mayhem talks #updates

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justanotherfanaccount · 1 year

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shadow and bone s2e7 reaction

oh shit ALL amplified with his mother's bones!?!?!

...I hope that doesn't mean they also get the shadow summoning

ok that wasn't summoning shadow...but that was still pretty bad

also all of sab's transitions are so good

OH SHIT NOW THE DARKLING HAS THE CONNECTION WITH MAL BECAUSE THEYRE RELATED HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT THIS IS SO GOOD OMG

I can't believe I ever doubted the greatness of this show holy shit

mal calling the darkling cousin is some bad ads shit

"I have nothing to lose" "only cuz you have nothing...you will die alone and i will die in her arms" HOLY SHIT MAL

don't mind me crying over this nikolai and alina scene

damn nikolai too? why is every man in love with alina...tell me how I can get rizz like that

I really like this mal nikolai scene when they're discussing sturmhond

"deserve her" 😭 damn this show is getting me

I love all the david and genya scenes 🥰 they're so wholesome

YES! they're trying the NOT killing mal thing! now at least if it doesn't work I can be like "they tried"

"so what should we amputate?" please david is so awkward i love it

LET THE LESBIANS KISS

I have a bad feeling bro...idk what's gonna happen...but something bad (definitely to nikolais crew)

welp

I want Pekka Rollins to be gone like the end of crooked kingdom I hate that man...do not corrupt Matthias I stg

alina scoffing at the Sankta alina window 🤭🤭

oh shit here comes the darkling

not him literally able to TRACK alina and mal

um...honey is not with his nichove'ya...honey is in the fold???

oh shit...I see why now

people running is always so funny to me

IS THAT FUCKING INEJ

YES MY QUEEN

"no no no no...no heroics" love

aww Nadia and her brother using each others good arms to summon 🥺

thia battlescene omggg so good

toyla and Tamar fighting hard to get back to each other 😭😭

NOOOOOOO I LIKED HIIMMM

"a king that ravka deserves" I'm sobbing 😭😭

THE GRAPHICS HOLY SHIT

David apologizing to the dead man 😭🤭 my awkward boy

DAVID BETTER NOT DIE

OMG GENYAS SCREAMS 😭😭😭 IM SOBBINGGGGG

ARE THOSE THE CROWSSS!?!?!?!

YES WYLAN AN EXPERT

YES DURAST JESPER

why did this chicken decide to put on lipstick before her battle??

once the crows showed up I knew they were done for

THERES THE LINE "well if you die we don't get paid" I love kaz so much omg

BRO I KNEW THEY DIDNT HAVE TO KILL HIM

damn that hopeful music really made me think it was over

NINAAAA YOU CANT DIE YOURE IN THE "SEQUEL"

#I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT'S HAPPENING #AND I LOVE IT #BUT IM SO SCARED #IF WE DONT GET A SPINOFF I WILL NEVER FORGIVE NETFLIX #six of crows spinoff #please im begging #six of crows #shadow and bone #shadow and bone spoilers #sab #sab spoilers #shadow and bone s2e7 #sab s2e7

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gerrymike · 1 year

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Dude fk my CTs I’m not studying for that shit instead let me spoil the entire plot of the one Grisha verse fic I have published because I did it so intricately in my head anyway yeah so Kuwei gets tailored into a new sexy young man on request and is set loose into Ravka little palace, makes friends with a pair of Shu sun summoner twins (fantasy Mongolia = Sikuri as per the Sikurzoi) Maxim and Matvei Ilyushin identical save personality, they goad Kuwei into bad behaviour and he gets goaded because he lives 2 make chaos and secretly craves friends who are bad influences. Finally in trouble for excessive property damage he gets out on probation of sorts, assigned a fabrikator (science magician) chaperone and gets stuck back into the lab where they’re cooking anti drugs, I wrote this all down on page somehow wow I did like 18k of that I think. Anyway just a recap

so chaperoned by lab fella Ty who’s hot talented with a similarly hot talented girlfriend Kuwei is in lab detention ffkkkkkk not good he hates labs. Understandably he gets off on the wrong foot with lab fella because some months or so of hanging around ilyushin twins have turned him into a problem child essentially. Upon request twins take him to the little palace nightly smackdown where he throws himself into the ring and gets his ass handed to him by the third in the hot and talented trio Sami riyad suli air bender wait that’s not the name for it ….squaller yes. Wakes up in the infirmary completely zooted, has to go to lab where he hangs with the one science magician he can stand, sascha mineyev, hot talented as well but not in the hot and talented friend group because she gets a kick out of chumming with losers but still likes to get a graft on Ty’s girl (who is queen of the nightly smackdown btw)

speaking of Ty’s girlfriend her names jin in addition to being zemeni she’s half shu so when summoned by tamar back to the infirmary to examine her pupils Kuwei builds a strange rapport with her based on their shared language and the fact that he is basically one of the only people who knows for sure that she’s been dosed up on some strain of parem that’s been boosting her beyond normal magic levels so she’s been heartrending on x games mode. She lets him know there’s an anonymous syndicate in the little palace that deals to kids who need a little extra za on a day to day basis except she can’t give him any names despite seeing her dealers pretty often

Ok so that’s a problem but now for some slice of life upon having a discussion with his tutor about the menaces that his besties are Kuwei wonders to himself huh do twins have identical mole patterns? Cause his good friends the ilyushins are freckled up, they have a system where they have their ears pierced and wear a jewel in a specific side so you could check the ear to verify who’s who, but when Kuwei looks closer he does realise there’s a different way to tell them apart. Eventually he comes to realise that by swapping their earrings the twins have been impersonating each other in specific situations…

#Phoenix rising

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zoyaofthegardvn · 2 years

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Quietly, Zoya sneaks up behind Alina, who is straightening her blue kefta in the reflection of one of the many windows lining the halls of the Little Palace. She grabs the saint's waist, giving her a firm squeeze.

Alina, clearly lost to her thoughts, yelps and whirls around to face her. Once she realizes it's just her wife, she visibly relaxes, but keeps a cross look on her face. Zoya wants to kiss the pout away, but she just laughs, "What's wrong little saint, why so jumpy today?"

Alina scoffs, the answer is obvious. "You know why, Z."

And she does, it's the first day they'll be in front of the court, officially as wives. As queens of Ravka. Zoya's nervous too, but mostly, she's excited to have her beloved on her arm.

"My love, please, trust that nothing will go wrong."

"Zoya, I trust you more than anything. But Ravka... are they truly ready for not one, but two Grisha queens? I mean... isn't it possible that too much change at once is bad? Too... abrupt? They haven't had the chance to settle into your queendom, let alone the both of ours."

Zoya can feel her frustration forming, an emotion she's been working hard to control.

"No, Alina, I don't. I don't think this, what we have, is too much." That last part comes out a bit harsh, and Alina's face falls. Zoya doesn't regret it, though. She loves Alina, and she doesn't care if that's a hard pill for Ravka to swallow. They have hundreds of years together, Ravka will just have to get used to it. "What would you have us do, Alina? Hide this? Would you have me marry a man, Nikolai, maybe? Have his children and keep you hidden? Have you be my mistress?"

Alina's head snaps up from where she had let it fall, "Now you're just being cruel."

That stabs at Zoya, it really does. She didn't want to hurt her, but she did want to make her see sense.

Alina goes to pull away from her grip, but Zoya tightens her hold, backing her against the wall.

Zoya inhales deeply, closing her eyes for a moment before releasing her breath and speaking. "I'm sorry, little saint. But please, understand where I'm coming from. How I'm seeing this. We're already married, we've just got to be a bit more public about it now. Ravka will be fine, this court will be fine. We're quite good at queendom, you know. We'll all be fine."

Alina trails her hands from where they were grasping Zoya's forearms up to Zoya's face, cupping her cheeks. She skims her thumbs along the space underneath her eyes, and Zoya relaxes into the touch.

"I didn't mean to sound like I don't want this with you. I showed you just how much I want you on our wedding night," Alina pauses, flashing Zoya a smirk, "I just don't want to make things more difficult than they already are."

Zoya smiles softly at that. She leans in, brushing the tip of her nose along Alina's. Their lips meet, and her stomach flips the same way it did when she'd first seen Alina, the little cartographer of the First Army. Now, her wife, her little saint, her country's Sun Summoner.

As difficult as it is, Zoya manages to pull back, looking Alina in the eyes. "My love, they've accepted you as Sankta Alina, they will accept you as my queen. As their queen. I swear it."

Alina bites her lip before speaking softly, almost too quiet to hear. "I trust you, Zoya. I do."

#zoyalina imagine #zoyalina #zoya nazyalensky x alina starkov #alina starkov x zoya nazyalensky #alina starkov #zoya nazyalensky #shadow and bone #grishaverse

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sophierequests · 2 years

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Hello,

Can i please request a zoya enemies to lovers headcannon where the reader is a fyerdan royal who has an arranged marriage with queen zoya? Thank you very much!

arranged marriage headcanons

Navigation┃Main Masterlist┃Request

Pairing: Zoya Nazyalenksy x gn!Reader

A/N: The Arranged Marriage trope is actually quite fun to write (reference: my Nikolai Lantsov two-parter), so I did enjoy writing this! Now I kinda want to write a whole fic about this- Thank you for the request!

Genre: Fluff

Warnings: arranged marriage?

After Zoya became the Queen of Ravka, the relationship with Fjerda improved drastically. Of course, there were still a lot of prejudices against the Grisha, but with the help of elected officials, she managed to put a halt to the Grisha hunt by establishing a temporary peace treaty.

Much to your dismay, this treaty also involved a political marriage.

It wasn't actually needed, but your parents were aware that Ravka would agree to almost every offer if it meant a formal peace contract. They had been trying to make you agree to multiple pacts before, since, as the youngest sibling, you weren't eligible to become the Ruler of Fjerda. But now, it seemed like you didn't have any other choice.

You weren't quite fond of the idea of marrying into Ravkan rulership, especially not with a known Grisha. Sënje Zoya daja Kerkenning is what she was called in Fjerda - her name only passing through the crowds like a whisper.

Whilst you were quite dismayed by the arrangement, Zoya seemed to be almost impartial to the whole matter. She remained Queen and didn't lose anything in the process. You, however, had to leave everything behind.

Since you married into the Ravkan culture, you also weren't able to hold a traditional Fjerdan wedding.

At least there seemed to be some understanding left in your fiancée, since she decided to take the risky travel to your home country, joining you in the engagement celebrations your parents hosted.

The celebrations were utterly traditional, no matter the actual non-traditional circumstances surrounding your marriage. You held a feast, sacrificed a goat to Djel and lit a ceremonial fire to send you off with the will of your God. Almost everybody that had spent more than five minutes with you, however, knew that you definitely weren't looking forward to the Ravkan ceremony.

"I'm aware that you dislike this…arrangement, but love…love will come eventually."

"Thanks…mother."

Needless to say that the actual wedding in Ravka was rather awkward for you, surrounded by people you didn't know in a country that was soon supposed to be partially yours. However, you managed to keep up the façade, playing the willing royal spouse.

At first, your new wife was pretty much ignoring you. She wasn't really too eager to get to genuinely know you, rather completely devoting herself to serving her kingdom.

“We don’t have to like each other. We just have to pretend.”

You were forced to mingle with the others. A Tailor called Genya became one of your closest friends with whom you could feel free to rant about your dire marriage.

"Oh, Y/N, she's going to come around eventually. And then you'll notice that she isn't all that bad."

"I doubt that she wants to, but we'll just have to see."

As much as she seemed to dislike you, she still included you in important decisions she had to make. And as much as you wanted to hate her for trying to play the loving wife in public, you still appreciated her maturity.

Another thing that divided the two of you was the difference in values. Even though you didn't necessarily support the traditional Fjerdan lifestyle, laced with female inferiority and questionable gender roles, you still occasionally liked to celebrate the festivities of your home, such as Roennigsdjel. If she had anything against that, she wouldn't voice it.

Your general living situation proved to be another difficulty. Whilst none of you insisted on having separate sleeping chambers, you were well aware that sleeping in the same bed wasn't the best solution.

As time passed, you gradually got rid of your prejudices against the Grisha and their abilities. You would even go as far as to say that you were pretty fascinated by the way they managed to control and summon their powers. Occasionally, when life at the Palace got too boring, or too political, you even went to watch Zoya train with the others. Since then, you knew that all the rumours surrounding her were more than true. She genuinely was one of the most powerful Grisha.

"You know that she's your wife, right? You can just ask her if you want to watch the training."

"I'm well aware of that fact. I'm just not sure whether she is. Would you like to ask her for me?"

After almost one year of marriage, something happened. You two started having small talk, sometimes even branching out into actual chats.

"How did you enjoy the Sun Celebrations?"

"Bold of you to assume that I enjoyed them at all. Your planning skills are quite limited, after all."

"Oh, grow up, Y/N."

"You first."

In case you haven't noticed, banter fills at least 97% of your dialogues. At least. Everyone else thought it was terribly endearing, but you didn't.

"I'm not promising you anything."

"Good, a promise from you is worth as much as a stormy winter's day, Nazyalensky."

"Wow."

However, after Zoya came home beaten and bruised, barely able to stand and apparently refusing to see a Healer, something inside you urged you to go and help her. Even with her initial protest, you managed to clean the wounds and patch her up as best as you could. Which was truly not a lot, since you only had the basic healing training, but your wife didn't seem to shy away from your inexperienced touch.

After that, your dynamic seemed to have shifted immensely. The banter wasn't meant to hurt the other, seeming more like clumsy flirting than anything else. Your talks got longer and deeper, with both of you being honestly interested in the other's life.

"You know, if we're going to be stuck with this arrangement for the rest of our time spent together, we might as well get to make the best out of it, Zoya.”

And you did.

The more time you spent together, the better you got along. Genya didn’t want to believe her eyes when she saw you take a walk together, laughing and arms entwined.

Now, you actually enjoyed working with her. You didn’t dread the dragged-out conferences, instead, you were quite happy to help your wife plan and govern the country. Even though you still disliked public appearances, you were more willing to join her.

And, much against everything you could’ve ever imagined, you both started falling in love with each other. It was rocky and messy, but you did it.

“I have to admit something. I used to dislike the idea of this…arrangement, but it has grown on me. You have grown on me. And I think I wouldn’t lie if I told you that I might’ve fallen in love with you.”

“Would falling in love with me be too horrible to imagine?”

“No, quite the opposite.”

After that, you also shared your first real kiss. Sealing the deal.

Your relationship started to bloom. You went on dated, spent more and more time together, and managed to calmly rule alongside each other, also strengthening the relations with Fjerda.

You mockingly started calling her moya tsaritsa as a term of endearment, effectively making her flustered.

Genya enjoys watching you two interact, sometimes also adding her thoughts or snarky comments.

Sharing a bed with her has also gotten… better ;))

She tried her best to understand and learn more about your culture, while she taught you about hers. Trips to Fjerda were exhausting, but she did enjoy them. Whether it was because of your company, or because of your honest excitement, whenever your ship docked in the harbour.

Maybe this arrangement wasn’t too bad after all.

#zoya nazyalensky headcanons #zoya nazyalensky x reader #zoya nazyanelsky #shadow and bone #grishaverse fanfic #grishaverse x reader #grishaverse #shadow and bone x reader #shadow and bone imagine #netflix shadow and bone #grishaverse headcanons

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wesperlovechild · 1 year

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⚠️ spoiler for shadow and bone s2 and shadow and bone trilogy ⚠️

TLDR: s2 failed to keep the main idea of the books in the absolute worst ways possible and now i’m mad

i’ve read almost all the articles and newsletters on why shadow and bone s2 turned out so bad, and i can’t say they’re wrong. there were WAY too many characters, plots, subplots (neshyenyer?), and settings. i could barely keep up with all of it (as someone who read shadow and bone and six of crows) and the whole time it was PAINFULLY obvious that the crows had the favored storyline, despite being the secondary storyline. another thing i’ve read in multiple articles is that that due to the six of crows characters being the more well-loved in the book world, the writers wanted to speed up and set themselves up for a six of crows storyline. look, i get it. we all love the crows. we all want to see the ice heist. we all want to see jesper say “maybe i liked your stupid face”. however that doesn’t mean that we should just skip through two whole books, cherry pick what we luck from six of crows and king of scars, and call it a season. because that was not a season. the second half wasn’t, anyway. i could bitch and moan about the numerous inconsistencies and continuity errors of s2, but there’s a few i really need to address.

the lack of the Soldat Sol and minimal appearance of the Apparat

a really big theme in siege and storm and ruin and rising that are often skipped over is the consistent deification of a singular person and what it does to the public perception of leadership. the show barely touches on it at all, save for alina insisting inej call her alina and not sankta alina. the members of the Soldat Sol, or sun soldiers, are there for their saint, alina. they are willing to hide in a cave or risk their lives for her, all of which is seen in the book yet the show leaves out any mention of them. we see this continuity in history of religion being a uniting force for people, and in some cases the leader of said religion is made to be a living saint and therefore not seen as human. they are put on a pedestal higher than the common person and what they do is more easily excused, allowing for a corrupt leader absolved of responsibility.

alina bringing down the fold on her own

i’ve seen many others talk about this too, but alina brings the fold down all on her own. i have two issues here. in the books, there’s a whole fucking army in the fold. in the show, there’s five people. in the books, upon using the third amplifier, the other people (otkazat’sya) there end up gaining the power of alina as she loses it. the lack of the army and community and teamwork of grisha + otkazat’sya which we see in the book lead to the idea that alina, the sun summoner, the saint, can do it all on her own. there is no need for a united ravka, for why must the people work together if sankta alina can do it all on her own? tying into that idea of teamwork, in the books the otkazat’sya in the fold bring it down altogether. alina doing it all on her own disallows the notion of “we did it together”, especially when we consider there is a grand total of one (1) otkazat’sya there when show! alina brings the fold down.

alina keeps her powers, becomes queen, and stays betrothed to nikolai

my main thing here is that she kept her powers. alina wanted a normal, boring life with mal. no powers. and in the books, she got that. in the show, she ends up being the sun summoner queen of ravka betrothed to nikolai. not a normal life, if you ask me. many critique ruin and rising as an example of the female protagonist losing her powers to settle down and have children, and it’s a valid argument until you realize that this is what alina wanted all along. obviously she was made for great things. the thing is, she’s already accomplished most of this big and notable great things by this time in the books. additionally, her use of merzost in the books was her ambition that led her to use all three of morozova’s amplifiers, not to bring mal back to life. albeit one more honorable than the other, the use of merzost led the the consequence of the her losing her powers in the books. i’ve also heard the argument that many fans don’t agree with alina losing her powers and settling down with mal in keramzin, leading to the change in the show. and that is my biggest issue. to that, i say, too fucking bad. first off, to deviate so strongly from the source material is to do a disservice to the books and honestly, Bardugo. alina used merzost and paid the price. additionally, the whole fucking point was to show that the deification of a person whether grisha or not has consequences. alina had to lose her powers for the practicality of it all. to let alina keep her powers is to betray the integrity of the whole damn story and to take in a whole other direction. i realize that book to screen adaptations will unfortunately never be down to the letter, but to change the whole direction? to change the main idea and values of the book? really?

and here’s the thing: the story of the show itself is not bad. if you take away the pressure of keeping in accordance with the series, it’s very well told (save the 738 plot lines stuffed into eight episodes). however, this is an adaptation. adaptations have the obligation to honor the storyline and main ideas/themes of the original work. it’s actually a really good plot twist for mal and alina to not be together after he’s resuscitated, or for alina to have shadow powers in the show. of course, you would need to know the content of the original books to get the full magnitude, but nonetheless, smart. in the end, the main problem of the show is that it fails to stay true to the books, in so many ways. if it had been able to stay true to the books, even with some deviation, as long as it came back to the main plot, it might’ve been able to keep the essence of the books. unfortunately, it strayed too far, and it ended up falling flat.

i still love this show and the actors, but the direction the story took with its stark differences made the last 2.5 episodes unwatchable for me. we’ll see if i watch the next season, if it gets renewed. this last half of the season was a perfect example of “the book was better”.

many of my thought were really just expanded ideas of what have been wonderful articulated in this article that everyone should read!!

#season 2 sucked #grishaverse #shadow and bone #siege and storm #ruin and rising #six of crows #crooked kingdom #shadow and bone tv #shadow and bone season two spoilers #shadow and bone season 2 #soapbox

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clairecrive · 3 years

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hello!! can you maybe write a nikolai x reader (she’s a heartrender) and they’ve been best friends since childhood and finally got together during the war, and he proposes to her once he becomes king? And she’s scared to say yes because the country might not want a Grisha queen but she eventually says yes?

Love Story

a/n: I missed my boy and so here's a fluffy piece for him. Thanks for requesting anon, hope you like this! x

Warning: none, pure fluff

Word count: 2.1K

Tags: @jupiterandbutterflies, @randomoutsiders, @agentsofsheilds, @for-bebbanburg, @pansysgirlfriend, @hannaxmaria, @vintagebitc

(if you want to, you can add yourself to my taglist by filling this form)

SHADOW AND BONE MASTERLIST

It was late when Nikolai walked into his room. It always was. He was the first one to get up and the last one to go to bed, assuring that everything was going as it was supposed to.

Such was the life of a king.

Well, Nikolai wasn't king yet. But with his father's illness, it won't be long 'till he was.

He had been dreaming about this all his life. Hell, this was everything he had trained to be. Ignored every rumours and gossip and slander, focused only on one thing: becoming the man that Ravka needed.

And now the moment had finally come.

Nikolai could barely believe it. Yes, he was ambitious and skilled. He knew that he was the right person for this job. Either way, he was nervous.

Whenever he pictured this moment as a young boy, he had always thought that it'd be the end. The coronation being the cusp of his personal fulfilment.

But things had changed.

Now his coronation didn't hold any finality to it. It felt like the beginning of something new if anything. Something that Nikolai had been extensively planning for and was extremely excited for. But since it was something new, something that had never been done before, the uncertainty of how it could go made him a bit nervous.

Because now he wasn't alone.

A fierce heartrender had become his partner, his confidante, his better half.

Trying to be as silent as possible, Nikolai quickly undressed before joining you to bed. It was routine for you. Nikolai would come home late, you'd be deep in slumber by then, but he would always hold you close to him and kiss your neck to warn you of his presence. That would usually wake you but you'd never get angry. Actually, you were the one that told him to let you know when he got back. If only to make sure that he was okay.

"All good love, go to sleep." He'd whisper then in your ear. You wouldn't move, only wiggle close to him and pull his arm over your body so that you could hold his hand.

To be fair, you had always been a constant in Nikolai's life. You had met when you were both children. He was known for being restless, always escaping his nanny's hold to go on "adventures" as he'd call them. They'd usually entail climbing over trees or exploring paths in the forest that he had never seen.

One day, during one of his quest, he had put into his head that he needed to climb the biggest tree he could find. It was easy enough to spot his challenge but doing it was another thing.

He had been able to climb a few feet, his short stature and slender limbs aiding him in his endeavour. Looking down to assess his progress, he was confident he could really make it. Overconfident really. Because too busy loading over his abilities, he didn't notice that his foot was not hovering over a branch.

So when he went to confidently put all of his weight on it and it was met with nothing, he lost his balance. He tried to grip with all his might to the branches he was holding in his hands but he wasn't strong enough. And so, he fell.

Thankfully, he hadn't climbed high enough for the fall to be fatal. But it was enough to severely injure him.

At first, the impact of the ground left him out of breath. His head hurt too. It was only when he tried to stand that he noticed that his leg was bent at an unnatural angle.

There wasn't any blood but the sight was enough to send baby Nikolai in a panic. His breath turned hollow and frantic and now that he was aware of the injury, pain shot through his leg making him sob.

It was for the noise he made that you had been able to find him.

You were also wandering around the forest but for less nefarious intent though. You had a book under your arm and you were looking for a quiet spot to read. Needless to say, as soon as you heard his wails of agony, the book fell discarded on the ground as you run toward the noise.

When you reached him you tried your best to get him to calm down. He was hyperventilating by then. You weren't that far in your training to be able to slow his heartbeat or put him to sleep. But you were skilled enough to soothe him with your touch.

That and Nikolai was too caught up in looking at you, this stranger who was trying to help him.

While you couldn't actually heal him, you kept him company until someone eventually found you.

That was how your friendship had begun until it had bloomed into something more as you grew up.

Unbeknown to you, your relationship was about to reach another mark. Holding you close to him, Nikolai willed himself to put his plan in action tomorrow.

As his coronation grew closer, he grew more and more restless. He needed to do this as soon as possible.

The next day went by as usual. When you woke up Nikolai wasn't next to you but you found a trial with your breakfast and a handwritten note on it.

It read:

"An hour before the sun sets, meet me when it all started."

While it was unusual for Nikolai to leave you little notes in his stead, the mysteriousness of it made you antsy. What could he possibly be up to?

Your day went by, as usual, a skip in you feet as you were excited about the date.

Like he had asked you, you made sure to reach that tree in the forest exactly when he asked you to.

Nikolai was already there, pacing at the foot of the tree until he noticed you standing there.

"What is going on?" Before seeing him, you hadn't thought that this meeting could be about bad news. But Nikolai looked nervous, almost scared and that didn't happen often.

"Hello, love." He greeted you walking towards you. Holding your hands in his, he raised one to his lips to leave a small kiss.

"Such a gentleman," you cooed at his gesture, his lips curling in a small smirk as a result, "what did you do?" Raising one of your eyebrows, you asked knowing that when Nikolai was so sweet it was only for two reasons: he wanted to make it up to you or he wanted to have sex. Since doing it in public places had never been appealing to him, you thought it more likely that it was the first.

"Can't a man do something nice for his better half?" He scoffed in fake hurt. You pointedly stared at him but you were smiling.

"I wanted to something nice for you," he said shyly? while shrugging your shoulders not meeting your eyes. Without waiting for a reply, he pulled you closer to the tree where you now noticed there was a white sheet laid with rose petals and candles all over it.

"Things are about to change," he said referring to his impending coronation as you reached the sheet, "and you know what I realized?"

You shook your head in reply, too enchanted by the man in front of you and the scenery around you to speak. Nikolai smiled at you, gently reaching to your face to remove a piece of hair by tucking in behind your ear. His hand gently cupped your cheek, his smile widening even more when you leaned into his touch.

"I've realized that no matter what happened in my life, where I am in the world or what name people call me, you're always the constant."

"And I don't want that to change. Ever." His eyes flicker between yours, shining with anticipation. But why? Surely he must know that you never intend to leave him.

"That it's never going to change, sasha. I'm here to stay." You assured him, your hand reaching to grab his.

His eyes flashed again, regaining their usual confident glow. He looked reassured.

"Well, you know me, my dear. Always worrying so, I hope you don't mind, but I'd like to make it official." He joked, his hands leaving your face as he kneeled.

Kneeled? He couldn't possibly...

Your breath hitched at his position. He got a little box out of his pocket before reaching for your hand again.

"Y/n, my heart, my love, the apple of my eye, you beautiful woman," he started cheekily knowing very well how calling these things would make you blush, "We were both young when I first saw you. Me making a fool out of myself by doing something stupid as per usual and you coming to save my ass. Little did I know though that that stupid adventure would give me more than a broken leg." Both of you smiled at the memory.

"if I knew that breaking a leg would be what made me meet you, I would have done sooner. And don't give me that look," he said once you glared at him, "what's a broken leg in the face of true love?" He added making you roll your eyes. Always smooth with his words. Damn him.

"Because that's what we have, a love story. And it may not be conventional with me dragging you all over the world doing reckless things, assuming different identities and everything but it's our love story. And it's beautiful, I wouldn't change it for the world. So baby, please, just say yes and make me the luckiest bastard in the world."

His words, his hopeful smile and shining eyes were too much for you to contain your tears. They were happy tears, you both knew that. There was no way you could say no to him. But at the same time, you were a bit hesitant. Nikolai painted a wonderful picture but you knew that the reality was a bit harsher.

Kneeling as well, you also gripped his hands.

"You're my whole heart, sasha, I hope you know it." You started, your voice wavering a bit. Nikolai's face fell for a moment sensing that there was a "but" coming. But it only lasted so long before his face morphed into that stubborn expression he'd always have whenever he'd set on getting something.

"I'd be a fool to say no to you, Nikolai," you added hastily hoping to rectify your mistake. "But I can't help but worry."

"You're going to be king soon and I'm not sure how much having a Grisha consort will help you."

Where his lips were pursed in confusion now they were set in a line. Knowing what was troubling you relieved him. That was easily fixed.

"So what, my love? I'll be a king and you'll be the queen. You've fought for this country just as much as I have. Besides, you're a fool if you think that I'm going to leave you just because I'll be addressed by a different title."

The hold on your hands felt reassuring, the sheer determination and honesty in his eyes even more. You knew Nikolai and you knew that he was ambitious as well as stubborn. And loyal. Your heart warmed at his words that you knew were true. He was not going to let you go.

Suddenly, the realisation of your feelings for him and his feelings for you overwhelmed you. A sob broke through your lips making worry return in Nikolai's eyes.

"Saints Nikolai, you have no fucking idea how grateful I am you fell down that tree that day." You confessed, eyes welling with tears.

"So am I, my love. My leg a bit less but..." you both chuckled.

Returning serious, Nikolai went to open the velvet box he was holding. The Lantsov's emerald. Your eyes widened when they fell on it. You had known about it but you had never seen it before.

"Nikolai-" you whispered in astonishment.

"I know it's not exactly your style but this was fit for a queen. My mother gave it to me and I want you to have it." He said sensing your hesitancy.

"Can I also have a kiss?" You asked cheekily batting your eyelids. Nikolai laughed at your antics. He quickly slipped the ring around your finger before cradling your face and pulling you close.

"You don't have to ask twice." And with that, his lips crashed on yours. He kissed you slowly at first, just your lips touching. But as soon as the realisation of what had happened dawned on him, the kiss grew frantic. His hands were in your hairs as yours were wrapped around the collar of his coat, pulling him impossibly close to you.

Life with Nikolai wasn't easy but his love was the most real thing you had ever felt. Nothing in the world meant more to you than he did. Ring or not.

#nikolai lantsov #nikolai lantsov x reader #nikolai x reader #nikolai lantsov x grisha reader #nikolai lantsov x you #nikolai lantsov x y/n #nikolai lantsov imagine #nikolai lantsov imagines #nikolai lantsov fluff #nikolai lantsov one shot #nikolai lantsov fic #grishaverse #shadow and bone #shadow and bone fic #shadow and bone imagines

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