STILL NOT OVER NIKOLAI WEARING BLACK AND GOLD FOR HIS CORONATION

The Darkling without his scars

Визжю просто визжю на ультразвуке от милоты. Теперь это моя любимейшая хэдканонная вселенная. Ещё больше я люблю Сашеньку потому что мои любимые сокращения этого имени именно Шура и Шурик🤣🥺🥺

сашенька ланцова - девочка бесстрашная, поэтому однажды она рискнула назвать дарклинга "дядя шурик". тот в отместку неделю называл её исключительно шура николаевна.

AU: The Darkling got the throne and captured Nikolai. After a while they realize their goals are the same and start to co-operate. To avoid attempts to overthrow Aleksander and install Nikolai, they fake Kolya's death and reclaim his rogue identity...

courtier: "Moi tsarevich?"

Nikolai: "Oh no, I'm Sturmhond, the famous privateer."

courtier: "Apologies, but you look just like late tsarevich Nikolai."

Nikolai: "Yeah, I get that a lot, but I'm ginger and much better looking, if we believe the Black Tsar himself."

courtier: "Well, certainly, I can see that now. Sturmhond, you said?"

Nikolai: "Please, call me Kolya."

courtier: "!!!"

~

courtier: "The likness, even your name... It's certainly curious, isn't it?"

Nikolai: "Oh please... half of the sailors is named after Saint Nikolai... Makes for riotous meetings and quite a challenge to command a crew."

~

courtier, sneakily: "Some might even want you to become the King..."

Nikolai: "Well, that can be arranged..."

Nikolai: *chatches Aleksander's eye across whole room*

Nikolai: *licks his lips seductively*

Nikolai: *winks*

room: *suddenly darkens a little*

Paddy's laughter prolongs life

it's the cutest thing in the world. I adore the baby tsarevna, she's just a treasure 🥺🥺🥺

i'm in darknikolina mood, so HEADCANONS TIME.

let's say pre-canon!darkolai happened at some point, and darklina obviously was a thing during the trilogy, and then nikolina got married because it's the ending we deserve. as a royal couple, they're expected to have kids at some point, and eventually they have a daughter. both, tsar and tsaritsa, have a lot of complicated personal and political feelings about a certain shadow summoner, but they name her sasha anyway. it silenced a lot of gossipers: they assumed the tsarevna was named after her unlamented grandfather, tsar aleksander.

(in truth, grand duchess aleksandra nikolaevna was named after the darkling, lamented by many.)

but then liza & co ressurect aleksander. and he learns that now there is a lantsov girl named aleksandra, who is in equal parts alina and nikolai, his most beloved people. and she possesses alina's beautiful dark eyes, and nikolai's golden locks, and alina's dimple, and kolya's sunny smile. and the girl is also a grisha (a little alkemi, because they deserve representation) - the grand duchess (aged three) did accidentally turn the darkling's brandy into water during their first meeting.

so, of course little sasha has big sasha wrapped around her tiny fingers in no time. all the tsarevna has to do is ask. and the scary, powerful, terrifying darkling would do it. like, once sasha said she would like to have an octopus as a pet, and aleksander immediatelly was like: "ulla, ULLA. get me the prettiest octopus in all three oceans of this world for baby sasha, please. you're her aunt too, by the way."

(aleksander: ugh, i hate the lantsovs, they're the worst. someone: but, your excellency, you are cuddling the tsarevna right now? aleksander, clutching sasha even harder to his chest: i said what i said.)

nikolai and alina are no help because they are aleksandra nikolaevna's loyal slaves too. as are aunt genya and uncle david. so, actual disciplining has to be done by aunt zoya, who is the only one immune to tsarevna's pleading eyes.

(aunt zoya is also little sasha's first girl crush, and she tells everyone that when she grows up she's gonna be general nazyalensky, and break hearts of boys and girls too.)

(alina is mentally preparing for the day sasha will have suitors because darkolai would try to decapitate anyone daring enough to ask their little girl out.)

and they live happily ever after, the end.

Давайте ещё поговорим про преступления и наказания в Равке? Обещаю, мне есть что сказать по этому поводу

Why is there this notion that the Grisha are spoiled in the books?! Seriously ! The author undoubtedly describes them as an oppressed minority and yet, at the same time, manages to say that they are privileged and spoiled rotten because they live in the little palace, have good / beautiful clothes, and eat their fill. on beautiful plates?! It's fucking insulting. Of course they are well maintained. They are literally the personal cannon fodder, to put in the front lines, of the king! Alina you are stupid!

I agree with you completely this element of the books really did not make sense. It was like LB was trying to say they were privileged because they have nice things like their clothes and the LP etc but all of these things are materialistic. They are creature comforts and are there as Genya said to help the Grisha thrive. But what are creature comforts next to being hunted, burned and experimented on. I am sure any of the grisha would give up those privileges if it meant they could live in a world where they could be free from persecution and oppression.

For me though it really highlighted the difference between how the king and his men run the First Army and how Aleks runs the second. It is clear that Aleks takes very good care of his grisha, he provides them with enough food, he makes sure they've got bulletproof keftas, that they've got access to a library, access to trainers who not only teach them how to master their grisha abilities but also train them in hand to hand combat, he provides them with the LP a safe home. Whereas the king doesn't do anything to make sure the Fiirst Army is provided with everything they may need to thrive and be strong. The king sees both the soldiers of the First and Second Army as expendable.

Another one for that AU, where Darkolai had a light affair before Nikolai left for "Ketterdam".

The Darkling: *meets Sturmhond to hire him to go after the Sea Whip*

The Darkling: "Captain. Can we talk in private?"

Sturmhond: "Sure. Follow me."

both: *enter captain's cabin*

The Darkling: "Hello Kolya..."

Sturmhond, sputtering: "What?! I...."

The Darkling: "Don't try to deny it. You might change your face, badly as my Tailor pointed out, ..."

The Darkling: *leans in*

Aleksander: "...but under all that sea, you still smell the same."

Nikolai: *visibly fighting his teen crush rushing back*

Aleksander: *smirks*

Alelsander: "And Ivan recognized your heart pattern. Smitten sobachka, he calls it."

Nikolai: *absolutely undignifoed noise*

Nikolai: "I am NOT SMITTEN!"

Aleksander: *smirk widening*

Nikolai, resigned: "Hello, Sasha."

comfort