#alarkling fan fiction

[where-theres-smoak-2]

Ok I am in rant mode again, sorry, this blog just happens to be a place where I dump all my thoughts negative and positive both, unfortunately for all who follow me. But I have seen some bad and incorrect takes from anti darkling/darklinas. So here’s just a few things I want to say.

Firstly LB has never stated that she based the darkling on her ab*sive ex. This is misinformation that was spread by antis. The only thing she has ever said about an ab*sive relationship was that she wrote the first book, Shadow and Bone, at a dark time in her life right after she had got out of a bad relationship. She has said in the past that the darkling was inspired by every bad boy she’s had a crush on in fiction including david bowie’s the goblin king. 

So it seems from these comments like the character was supposed to emulate those types of characters that woman find attractive, the ones you would fall for. 

I’ve also seen the argument that LB clearly wrote the darkling as a villain, well LB might disagree with you there as she herself has said on multiple occasions that she doesn’t write villains: 

LB says that the darkling believes he is doing the right thing and that ‘you can make a case for most of the choices he makes, even the despicable ones.’ So if LB says that she doesn’t write villains and that you can make a case for his actions you can’t really blame darkling fans for doing the same. 

The truth is LB promoted the heck out of both the darkling and darklina (or as it was known back then Darlina and Alarkling) when she was writing the og trilogy, even admitting to ‘fanning the flames’ when talking about people shipping m*lina and darklina and was clearly encouraging the shipping of both ships: 

She also put out teases for the darkling and darklina:

And promoted darklina fan edits even using the ship tags: 

It was only post the release of book three that she changed her tune, likely because of all the backlash she got about the ending of the books. So no LB wasn’t always against fans shipping darklina or liking the darkling. All of this information is easily found with a simple google search, I wasn’t even in the fandom back then being a show watcher first and yet I was still able to learn all of this with minimal difficulty. 

Which brings me to the whole darklina being an allegory for a older man manipulating a younger girl and how the darklina fans ‘missed this’. Well if they did miss it then it was for a very good reason, but the truth is darklina’s didn’t miss it, we just didn’t think it made sense within the narrative, the darklina fandom have talked about it, myself included, in fact I’ve already posted a whole pretty much essay on the topic. But let me explain why some people may have ‘missed it’ and why it doesn’t work in the story or with darklina as the allegory. The first is because LB chose to use an immortal/immortal couple for this allegory. The thing with immortality in fiction, especially as love interests, is it makes age pretty much meaningless. The whole point of immortals is that they are ageless. Immortal ships have always been accepted within fiction and this whole age gap issue has never come up before. Nobody was going omg but the age gap yuck with Bella and Edward when twilight came out, or when Magnus and Alec got together in Shadowhunters or with any of the ships in Vampire Diaries. Yet now anti’s are trying to use the argument that the darkling is 100s of years older than Alina and that’s creepy all of a sudden. Sorry but not in my book, an immortal is always going to be significantly older than anyone else what’s the alternative they spend eternity alone, never knowing love? At least with darklina they are both immortal. Another reason why it doesn’t work is because of how the darkling is described in the book, he is said to not look much older than Alina, so in the books he looks like a teenager. So of course people weren’t going to pick up on the older guy/younger girl allegory because the darkling isn’t presented in the books as an older guy. He’s described the same way every other immortal being in every YA book at that time was. It’s also worth noting that I am not sure if LB ever actually said that darklina were supposed to represent a older guy with a younger girl or whether that was something the fandom came up with. I’m not saying she didn’t just that I myself have never seen a direct quote from her that I recall and I wasn’t able to find one. I think the first time I heard of it was when someone sent me an ask about the topic. I know that she has said it was meant to serve as a warning of attractive and charismatic men being able to manipulate young girls but I don’t know that she herself has ever talked about an age gap or specifically mentioned older men? 

Another thing that I have been seeing alot of are comments like darkling/darklina fans only like him because he is hot. What bothers me about this is firstly even if that were true and the only reason people liked him was because he is hot, so what? There’s nothing wrong with that, its fiction and fiction is used to escape for a bit, its for enjoyment and entertainment, so if that enjoyment and entertainment comes in the form of staring at the hot guy irregardless of whether they are the hero or villain, let them be. Why are you criticising the way someone enjoys fiction? Sometimes a gal just wants to look at the hot guy. Secondly its just a really irrelevant argument because the darkling is not the only hot, charismatic character in the books or show. M*l is also described as being attractive and charismatic with no shortage of friends and girls, Nikolai is another character that fits that description, so by this argument the only reason M*l fans like him is because he is hot, and the only reason Nikolai fans like him is because he is hot. Thirdly its just plainly not true, whilst I am sure there may be some fans who only like him because he is hot, again nothing wrong with that, most fans like him for a variety of different reasons because he is an interesting and complicated character. As someone who spends a fair bit of time in the darkling/darklina tags the most common reason I have seen for fans liking him is because of his dedication to the grisha, his willingness to fight for the grisha something that he has dedicated 100′s of years of his life too. Personally I like Aleksander/the darkling because he has a sympathetic backstory, because he is fighting for the grisha and when seeing that they had no place to go where they could be free from fear he vowed to make them a safe place, a sanctuary, of course I am going to root for that goal too. I like him because he is complicated and complex and despite being an immortal being who has become deeply effected by past traumas there is still something beautifully human about him, particularly in the show. I also like the connection he has with Alina, the whole yin/yang of it and them being each others balance. I love the complexity and angst of them having this deep connection and pull to each other but also having this anger and sense of betrayal, how they have to try and navigate around having different points of view and seeing the world in a different ways, it makes for a very compelling story and their chemistry in the show is electric. The fact that he is hot is merely a bonus, but even if he wasn’t a conventionally attractive person I would still like his character because of those complexities, because of that connection he has with Alina. But one thing this rant has done is make me curious as to what my other fellow darkling/darklina fans like about the darkling? What drew you to the character? Anyway that’s enough ranting for one day, again my apologies, I am going to go and rewatch season 1 of shadow and bone in preparation for season 2′s release tomorrow...sheepishly shuffles off my soapbox, waving awkwardly.   

#darklina #the darkling #anti leigh bardugo

[darklesmylove]

early mornings | alarkling

little drabble for a request for the prompt: “Its six in the morning, you're seriously not having vodka.”

enjoy! <3

***

Alina's eyes felt particularly heavy as they slid open, squinting against the warm light of early morning. Normally she didn't wake up anywhere close to this hour, but as her vision focused and sharped as the bleariness of sleep cleared, it became apparent what had caused her to wake. 

Her husband's side of the bed was cold and empty, the multiple layers of silken covers thrown back haphazardly in further indication of his absence. 

Low murmurs could be heard from the next room, most certainly coming from his office. Her lips turned into a gentle frown of concern. 

What business could possibly need to garner his attention this early in the morning? 

In a swift movement akin to ripping off a bandaid, she forced herself off the bed, immediately longing to crawl back under the warm blankets as cool air washed over her skin, leaving a scatter of goosebumps. Though the temptation was ripe, she resisted the urge, stretching out her limbs like a feline with a few satisfying cracks and pops before padding out of the bedroom. And sure enough, as she rounded the corner there Aleksander was, slumped in the black leather chair behind his office desk, just hanging up on a call as she entered the room. His black curls were uncharacteristically disheveled, eyes haunted with dark circles.

And somehow, that only added to his beauty.

He looked up at her, meeting her gaze with a ghost of a smile. 

"Did I wake you solnishka?" 

She blew out a soft breath of amusement, head tilting slightly in pause before she lazily made her way to his side. 

"You know I can't sleep without you, Aleks." 

His silver eyes flickered with the barest touch of satisfaction before dropping back to the ebony desk beneath him. They both fell to silence as his reached for his glass, pale, slender fingers curling around the cup before bringing the clear liquid to his lips, downing half of it in one swallow. The strong, acrid smell that settled on the back of her tongue was clear enough indication that it wasn't water.

"Aleksander, its six in the morning, you're seriously not having vodka," she wrinkled her nose just slightly in mild disgust. 

He let out a dry chuckle, rich and deep and sending a wave of heat across her skin that crackled and sparked with intensity. 

Damn him for still having this affect on her after so many years. 

With a soft sigh, she took a seat on the edge of his desk, legs swinging languorously underneath her. His gaze traveled up her body, clothed in nothing but his black dress shirt, a gentle hunger in his eyes at the sight of her. She had to suppress her smirk. 

"Work is stressful," he simply put, eyes trained on her lips. Her fingers gripped the wood underneath her, tracing the woodgrain with a fingertip. After a moment of brief contemplation, she leaned back just slightly, knowing her eyes had to have been glimmering with sinful wickedness. 

"I think I can offer some help to make you feel better."

She couldn't help but laugh at how fast his lips were on hers, devouring her with a kiss that tasted of vodka.

#tgt #the grisha trilogy #the darkling #aleksander morozova #alina starkov #alarkling #aleksander x alina #the darkling x alina starkov #alarkling fan fiction #tgv #grishaverse #darklesmylove #darklesmylove writing

[miraculous-cumberbitch]

okay listen up you guys

ive read a lot of fics in my day. heck, if you follow my blog you know i write fics (yes i am taking requests)

but guys this fic i just finished is the most wonderfully written piece of media i have ever read. it’s a darklina fan fiction, but the darkling is developed so phenomenally. alina as well. i don’t know how to explain this fic. it is perfect. it’s about the size of a full length book (maybe shorter) so i got through it in a day, but i couldn’t stop reading it. that said, enjoy <3

note for- @darklesmylove

thank you for writing this fic. in my mind it is canon because you did amazing and i love you so so so much for giving us sasha and aleks, it is something i never knew i needed. also, your writing style is beautiful, and when i was reading, for a second, i almost forgot it was a fic. i am so excited to see what else you write and have written, because if you did write an original novel, i would read it the second it’s announced. i don’t think i can view darklina the same after this fic (i mean this in the best way) also- i did see a lot of people didn’t like a certain decision you made in the near very end (iykyk) but i think it was such a good decision because it developed aleksanders character PERFECTLY. and, i admire you for actually putting the good of the story before your personal preferences in characters (unlike a certain author i know), ik you didn’t like writing m*l, but you did an amazinf job, so YAY YOU!! i love you so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so much for this, please keep going and writing because you have talent!!

#shadow and bone netflix #darklina #alarkling #alina starkov #the darkling x alina #aleksander morozova #shadow and bone fic #fan fiction writing #books and literature #s&b show #shadow and bone #grishaverse #six of crows #sun summoner #the darkling #I LOVE YOU SO MUCH OK #LOVE FOR AUTHOR 100000 YEARS #YOU CAN LITERALLY CHECK MY TEXTS TO MY BEST FRIEND AS I READ #I LOVED THIS #OK THANK U NOW PLEASE GO READ

[ravkaunfiltered]

The little things...

Fan fic!

Pairing: alarkling!

Summary: Alina contemplates the things that make her love the darkling. AU where Alina chose the darkling and didn’t run away!

———————————————————————————————————

She sighs when she feels his arm slip around her waist and pull her close. She had been watching the Etherealki practice by the lake. Every once in a while she’d send light through the mist or waves and make them shine with bright vibrant color. And the others would look around trying to spot her but she was hidden quite well on the roof of the little palace. Even as good as she was at hiding, The Darkling always seemed to know where she was, and it never took him long to come to her. “Why don’t you join them?” He murmured into her hair as he kissed the top of her head, “They don’t bite...” she turned in his arms and burried her face in his chest. “Maybe that’s why I prefer your company,” she murmured, “you do bite.” He laughed, a deep resonating sound that filled her heart with joy. It was one of the many things that caused her to love him so much. She often found herself watching him, cataloging every little detail of him in the back of her mind. He was smiling at her and he cupped his hands around her face and rubbed her cheek with his thumb. “I love you Alina.” And then he kissed her softly. And she thought of his lips, the firmness of them and the warmth they sent through her body when they touched he skin. And she thought that his lips were another reason why she loved him. “And I love you Aleksander.” She murmured back to him. And his smile then, was radiant, the twinkle in his beautiful gray eyes made them look like stars. And she smiled too as she added his smile to the list. He dropped his hands from her face and took her hands instead, “I wish I had more time my Alina, my Sun Beam, but unfortunately I have a war council to attend.” And she smiled at the nick name and the way he said her name., and silently added it to the list. “It’s alright my love,” she said rising to her tip toes to plant a kiss on his cheek, “we have an eternity, I can wait.” And then he turned and walked away, she loved the way he moves, graceful and smooth, but with authority and stature. Another reason.

#tgt #alarkling #alina starvok #aleksander morozova #the grisha trilogy #the little palace #the darkling #the sun summoner #leigh bardugo #fan fiction #fanfic #fandom #grishaverse

[serpenteve]

In most cases when you venture into an anti's profile after they've spewed some nonsense about how shipping fictional characters is supporting ab*se and gr*oming, they're a teenager and you're like well, at least this poor child's brain hasn't fully developped yet so that's something, but when in some cases it says 22 yo or 23 yo on there and you want to fling yourself into the sun, this new wave American centralized puritanism is gonna send back to the 1800s, this time by the hands of women.

As someone who's been in and out of this fandom since 2015, the shifting landscape of the fanbase has been fascinating to watch.

After the trilogy was published, Darklina was the most popular ship (called 'Alarkling' back then and I honestly have no idea why we picked such an unwieldy ship name lmao). Tumblr was much more active because this was before the Infamous Purge of 2018 and most of the fanbase was concentrated here instead of spread out across multiple platforms like it is today.

Mal hate was rampant. After Darklina, the most popular ship was Nikolina (this being before the duology paired him with Zoya) and/or shipping Alina with nobody. There were like max 4 people unironically shipping Mal with Alina, and usually those people were multi-shippers who shipped Alina with everybody. Most fanfics would either pretend he didn't even exist or would include him just to shit on him or kill him off. People would go and edit his wiki page on the Grishaverse wiki to remind people what an asshat he was and I'd be lying if I said this didn't have me in tears of laughter.

The amount of fan art, fanfic, fan edits, fan content about Mal x Alina was embarrassingly low. You could be forgiven for not even realizing he was supposed to be the main love interest based on fandom engagement alone.

The fact that the vast majority of the fandom hated Mal because of how much he reminded us of your run-of-the-mill garden variety toxic fuckboy (at best) was incredibly validating. We didn't fall for the author's failed attempts of excusing his bullshit. We kind of just made our own fanon and ran with it.

Six of Crows got published and while their fandom was much larger than Shadow & Bone, there wasn't a whole lot of overlap in the fanbase. A lot of SoC fans didn't even realize S&B existed at the time since it wasn't prerequisite reading to enter the Grishaverse. Also, SoC was obviously better written and tightly plotted so anyone who went back to read the original trilogy was going to be in for a surprise with the massive drop in writing quality.

Then the Tumblr purge happened and the fandom just kind of died off. This wasn't just something that affected S&B, however. A lot of users migrated to Twitter or just left Tumblr for good. I actually don't even know too much about the fandom history from 2018-2020 because I also left around this time (for other unrelated reasons).

Someone else might be able to fill in the details here but what I *imagine* happened is that the Darklina fandom kind of died off post-Tumblr purge as did a lot of fandoms at the time. Leigh published KoS in which she created a parody cult of Darklina fans and used her heroes as mouthpieces for her anti-Darklina agenda because she was pissed 3/4 of the fandom hated M*l and were shipping Alina with the villain out of pure spite and her terrible writing choices.

A new generation of fans entered the fandom through either Tumblr, Twitter, BookTube or TikTok and saw the chaotic mess of rampant Darkling simping and indiscriminate Mal hate that we left in our wake and then reacted to that. So now new fans starting unironically shipping Alina with Mal out of spite for the original fans who blatantly didn't and probably felt emboldened by the author herself immaturely reacting to her own fanbase and painting us as stupid cult members who read her book wrong.

And thus began the era of the Darkling antis (a phrase that 2016 would have absolutely clowned at) who, like the author, think anyone who ships Alina with the Darkling is an abuse apologist and is somehow too stupid to see his ~evil~ villainy and need to be reminded via anon hate about how dumb we are 🤡

Is it also a coincidence that people are turning around and claiming any critique of the sexist ending of R&R is now itself sexist? Is it a coincidence that new fans are willing take the author's excuses for Mal's shitty behavior? Is it a coincidence that antis are running around and calling Darklina shippers "racist" because...the Netflix adaptation racelifted the characters and they will jump on any half-baked excuse to harass shippers? ☕

#cw: abuse #fandom history #aka a post literally no one asked for but i couldn't help myself #all the old shippers are gone or are barely active FML #cw: grooming

[saintprivateer]

I understand the ideas behind the zemenipearls post but can we not just have a nice fictional world? It’s not like the Kerch are made out to be a great nation of saintly people, it’s all fantasy for a reason. I won’t get started on their posts about my girl Nina and my dude Nikolai 😒

Okay... there’s a lot of ground to cover here so boot up cowhand I wrote a LOT

No matter how unlike-this-world a fantasy universe seems, it was still crafted by a real human who IS a part of this world. And humans put their own beliefs and experiences into their stories as the foundation for how ideal/ not-ideal they want the au to be. We use the environment around us as a stepping stone for our stories, and this DOUBLES if the author is saying “This World Is Not Like Ours At All”. The question authors answer of “What exactly is this au not like?” Rounds back to the place we are trying to distance ourselves from, because that is what this au is “not like.” And most often, authors craft these fantasy universes and bring the reader into a whole new world only to go back to a REAL theme of “This World Is Actually More Like Yours Than You Think.” Because that’s usually the entire point. We like fantasy because we want to see our nature mirrored in worlds unlike ours. We love that people can fly and cast spells, but we REALLY love when they’re as human as us in behavior/interests/ actions.

All that’s to say: you can’t actually write a racism-free world if you’ve never experienced a racism-free world. The ideals we want to portray will still be flawed and not 100% ideal, because the notion we have OF this ideal is fundamentally flawed. ESPECIALLY if we are still unlearning our own fallacies to these ideals. Grishaverse has anti-blackness threaded in the pages because there is anti-blackness on Earth and anti-black fallacies in the ideals Leigh Bardugo has internalized (like any other white person). If we can acknowledge the argument that meanings can be found in stories/art whether it was intended or not, then we have to acknowledge Leigh Bardugo wrote in her own prejudice or anti-black ideals into the grishaverse, whether intended or not. She wanted to write a story removed from the racism we know, and that in of itself isn’t a bad thing to imagine. But she still wrote tropes actively harmful to the minorities they represent.

“Why do you have to look for patterns that aren’t there and nitpick on characters? Why does everything have to be about race? Isn’t it enough that our heroes are TRYING to be good?”

When people say this, they usually mean “Why are you putting this in my face? We (the group not affected) were all doing fine until you decided to be grumpy about something, and I don’t want my ideals soiled by your criticisms.”

Imagine seeing the person who’s supposed to represent you and your identity be repeatedly trashed, ignored, dumbed down, dismissed, killed off, etc etc in canon and in the fandom, and when you finally get the courage to bring it up, the entirety of people not affected silence and threaten you for rocking their boat. You really can’t imagine how that actually feels unless you’ve felt it. When you write off the consistently abusive treatment of a community of people in a book as an inconvenient—and thus invalid— topic that “ruins” the characters or plots you want to root for, you’re acknowledging the privilege you have in being able to look the other way when these patterns have been brought to your attention.

There’s a lot you might not catch when you aren’t a part of the communities affected. If someone is gracious enough to extend their emotional and intellectual labor to point it out to you despite the all the gaslighting and harassment they face, the LEAST you can do is have an open mind and release the defenses and previous ideals you’ve cultivated for the characters you love. Black fans don’t owe it to you to spell it out, but they sometimes do! Despite how white fans treat them in return.

You said “it’s not like the Kerch are made out to be a nation of great saintly people.” Great! So we agree everyone should be praised and criticized accordingly? And when it’s pointed out that a character exhibits bigotry we can acknowledge that as a part of the environment they’ve lived in and thus a trait of themselves?

You can enjoy any universe or the characters that come with it in full capacity, and no one is asking you to discard stories entirely because of the mistakes. Nikolai meant and means a lot to me because of the ideals that I crafted in my head from 16 up. He’s a comfort character! He was my vision of a masc-presenting adventurer who got by with wit and charm and aesthetics. The people who love him see something of themselves in him, or someone they love. But he’s still a product of his environment. Just because I don’t want that to be true doesn’t make it untrue. Ravka is fantasy Russia but .*•*~more idealistic*.~*. This doesn’t take away the fact that the foundation is...still Russia. He’s still a privileged white king thats actively oppressing minorities in the story by upholding the kingship as it is, and if he continues the path he’s on, he’s not much better than his heritage. I love Nina to death but she’s still the jarhead kid in your algebra class ready to fight anyone who says her country merits basic criticism. The kingdom of Ravka would need to be entirely dismantled and recreated. Nikolai might seem more progressive than the kings before him, but he’s got a lot to be reprimanded for, and rebuilding can’t even start until he acknowledges and unlearns that. Which...he hasn’t, not fully, and there’s no written proof of him doing so as of now.

Before I made myself research more I got just as defensive of him and others. I’m sure I’ll get defensive over another story and have to relearn everything all over again. It’s a process and you have to check yourself all the time. But it’s a step towards the ideals we want to actually live in. If I want to imagine Nikolai a better man, I have to start from the scraps I’m given.

So yes!! You’re allowed to draw up your own themes and ideals from the stories and reimagine the characters to fit a narrative that makes your heart happy. But it won’t change the reality of the canon universe. Zemenipearls enjoyed the grishaverse so much she made a fan account for it, participates in fan-led events that celebrate the characters (and sometimes leads those events herself), commissions artists to make fanart, and has ongoing works that delve into the expansive universe that better represents her and what she wants for black characters in fantasy. And she STILL gets shit for imploring a conversation about what we all want to ignore away. Why would she put so much energy into this if she didn’t care or believe in this story too? If you also care about grishaverse that much, shouldn’t we be willing to uplift and reimagine by starting where the work needs it most?

Okay I’ve said a LOT SORRY HHHHH BUT TO WRAP UP: Ignoring a fictional character’s faults or repercussions is one thing, and I’m not about to waste energy on making people hold characters in a book accountable. We all see how people treat the Darkling.

But when you participate in or ignore the bullying and threatening that happens to REAL people, when people JUSTIFY that shit as if it merits denying a person their humanity, THATS the actual harm being done. (Not saying you’ve done that, but the mindset I’m seeing here is what feeds into that compliance.)

If we have the energy to protect and coddle our fictional white boys and let them burn the sandbox down, I KNOW we have energy to respect and protect black fans who have just as much say in how they see the story or how they reimagine it. If you have the energy to accept/tolerate the stuff alarkling fans promote, I KNOW you have the energy to put your pride away and acknowledge fallacies in your own ideals for characters. And regardless!!! of whether you “agree” with the criticisms or not, does that mean the person who spoke up about the issue deserves to be harassed?

I’m gonna ask the white ya majority reading this to be humble and open your hearts up to change the way you do for fictional edgy white dudes. Y’all have the SPIRIT but then it funnels into the WRONG IDEAS!!! PLEASE use your heads you’d be unstoppable if you used your privilege to amplify the ones who need amplifying. I promise Cardan BlackBerry and Alesksxxander Marigold aren’t gonna be disappointed in you 😔🙏

#that’s my piece on THAT sorry I’ve had time to sit with this #I wanted to go ahead and get it out on one thing too so I can refer back possibly #fandom racism #anti blackness #grishaverse #Nikolai Lantsov #kos king of scars #Nina Zenik #Ravka #analysis #ya fiction #zemenipearls #tgt the grisha trilogy #soc six of crows #ck crooked kingdom

[saintsandmisfits]

alarkling fan fiction is the only type there is so y’all we about to be blessed 💅🏻

#alarkling #darklina #the grisha series #the darkling #alina starkov #aleksander morozova

[zemenipearls]

Not only is Wicked Saints Alarkling fan fiction but the book is so white I left it under my lamp and it got a sunburn.

#Wicked Saints #duncan said POC? dont know them

[meherya]

Isn’t trying to erase everything you are not comfortable with like, censorship? I didn’t knew about the fic in question but is fiction, not reality. Y’all are trying to keep people away of liking TD/shipping alarkling. You are not better than the alarkling stans who harassed LB for not making it canon. If you don’t like something, just ignore it. The only thing you are going to accomplish is making people feel guilty for enjoying not romanticed unhealthy dynamics in fiction.

How is being against writing fics that are p*dophilic/Ephebophilic in nature censorship, that’s just common fucking sense

If you think fiction doesn’t impact reality you must live under a rock

I didn’t harass a creator for creating a book just because they didn’t make the ship canon, I’m coming for content creators that romanticize an obviously abusive relationship 

I’m here to make people feel guilty yes, because who in their right mind writes fics which involve grooming young girls 

Leigh didn’t romanticize the unhealthy dynamics between Alina and the d*rkling but their fans sure do and that’s where the problem is, I’m not for letting people ship what they want when it sets a precedent where younger fans will see something fucked up and think that’s normal lmao…

#pls don't send me shit where ur tryna say to let ppl ship wat they want when it involves abusive shit

[bonkai-coven]

3, 6, 7 for the questionnaire

3. Any fandoms that don’t appeal to you?

Game of thrones - basically you have to have the Correct Opinions or you’re not welcome

Gotham - ‘fans’ are generally very critical of the show (it’s not above criticism but it gets to the point where it’s just too much) and then there are also those comic book purists who have to make people who haven’t read any of the comics feel like they’re not allowed to enjoy the show.

Grishaverse - the darkling / alarkling fans get a lot of shit because apparently liking a problematic villain = condoning everything they do. Like actually sending hate to people just because they like a fictional character or ship is stupid as hell and yet…

Merlin = people who like merthur hating on gwen is really annoying. Like ship whatever you want but hating a female character because your m/m ship isn’t canon makes no sense.

6. Has fandom ever ruined a pairing for you?

Captain swan - even though swanfire is my otp, I still liked this ship sometimes but the once upon a time tag is filled with cs posts. Like the ship is included in everything and it’s almost unavoidable. 

Swan queen - I think they did have potential as a romantic ship but the fandom is kind of messy. Some people really act as if shipping emma with any male character = h0mophobia.

7. Is there anything you used to like, but now can’t stand?

The vampire diaries - yeah I’m just going to say it, people can be really mean to each other sometimes and I don’t care for it.

Thanks for asking! Hope I didn’t offend although I suppose that’s kind of the point of these questions

#don't take the tvd thing the wrong way #if we became friends through the fandom we're still friends #but sometimes the way you guys interact with each other is unbelievable #answered

[patruchilles]

fanfic

please send me your favourite fan fiction !!! possibly from the following fandoms:

- grishaverse [zoyalai, alarkling, kanej, helnik, wesper] - the lunar chronicles [cresswell, kaider] - harry potter [romione, dramione, the golden trio, harry x cho] - percy jackson [percabeth, caleo, hazel x frank]

some others: day and june from the legend trilogy, feysand from acotar, nessian from acotar, elriel from acotar, lucien x vassa acotar, celaena x sam from tog

basically your favourites because i need to get back into reading fanfic on wattpad and i’m so hyped

#reyasthoughts #sb #signal boost #i need fanfic!!!

[darklesmylove]

forgiveness | alarkling

Prompt request: ��When I said 'anything you want', I meant within reason.” 

“You said 'anything.' Besides, aren't you rich or something?’

***

"Alina, please."

Her lips twisted into an annoyed look of disdain, eyes flickering to her husband once before casting back out to the window, the spotless glass showcasing a stunning view of the New York skyline. It almost made her that much more infuriated, the fact that she was sitting on an almost unimaginably expensive couch in his luxurious penthouse. She knew he was watching her intently, analyzing the extent of her anger, what was projected and what was real, what angle he would try to push. One thing Aleksander Morozova had never excelled at was just fucking apologizing.

She sensed more than felt him sit down next to her, his mere presence sending a warm rush of heat flooding through her body.

"Alina."

The way her name formed on his lips when he spoke in that way never ceased to send a shiver slithering down her spine. She met his silver gaze, a manicured eyebrow arching in silent challenge. 

"You embarrassed me, Aleksander," she tilted her head slightly, eyes heating into a mild glare. A glare less rooted in anger at the actual situation, but more so the look he was giving her, smugness cloaked in an aura of concern and apology. He wasn't sorry for telling a potential client to back off in an exceedingly jealous spectacle at tonights party. Not in the slightest.

"It was necessary," he finally replied, words as smooth as butter. She scoffed, rolling her golden eyes and batting the hand away that had come to rest on her mid thigh.

Then she was back to staring out the expansive window, lips quirking into a bitter smile as he sighed, fingers beginning to tap incessantly against his leg.

"Okay, what do you want from me? I'll get you anything, anything you want."

Her scoff was only slight in its amusement. Of course he would offer her something rather than a mere apology.

But, as she'd learned quickly in their relationship, two could play at his game.

"Anything?"

The sly edge to the word was nearly tangible as she shifted her body to face him finally, legs crossing and arms folding in a business like manner. The sultry curl to his lips faded slightly. "Whatever you'd like, solnishka."

A finger pressed to her lips as she pretended to contemplate. "The Mona Lisa."

She grinned as he regarded her in a manner that was telling in his complete confusion of whether he thought she was actually serious or not.

"You want... the Mona Lisa. The priceless painting."

She couldn't help but let her spiteful grin grow wider. "I think it would look great right here in this living room, don't you, Aleks?"

He reclined back against the luxurious leather cushions, running a hand through his hair.

"Alina, when I said 'anything you want', I meant within reason," he murmured, gazing at her with tired defeat as he licked his rosy lips, leaving them wet with moisture.

Even with stale anger still warming her veins, she couldn't help but give him an appreciative look over. Her husband, though jealous and emotionally inept, was the epitome of physical perfection.

Still, that wouldn't get him out of this so easily.

"You said 'anything.' Besides, aren't you rich or something?" she questioned sarcastically, making a sweeping gesture around the breathtaking penthouse with an elegant hand.

He let out a soft groan. "Alina." This time his tone was, to her at least, amusingly pleading.

She bit down on her full lower lip, leaning forward and pressing into the curve of his lean torso. He stiffened, fingers whitening as they tensed. 

"Aleksander," she hummed, mouth hovering over his own and making his lashes flutter as they gently closed. "You want my forgiveness?" she whispered, words as sickly sweet as roses in full bloom, "I'd like the Mona Lisa hanging on the wall by tomorrow." 

She placed a hand on his jaw, feeling the muscles contract underneath her touch. Slowly, her lips brushed against his, warm and soft as she lightly grazed her teeth over his lower lip before drawing away. His eyes peeled open, pupils dilated as he gazed up at her with nothing but worship. 

"Good luck," she spoke with biting sarcasm, pushing herself off of him and sashaying away, leaving her husband to wonder how in the world he had ended up so lucky.

#tgt #the grisha trilogy #aleksander morozova #the darkling #alina starkov #alarkling #darklina #modern alarkling #alarkling fan fiction #alarkling fan fic #tgv #grishaverse #darklesmylove #darklesmylove writing

[darklesmylove]

The next few moments were a hazy blur, one second I was glaring up at his elegantly beautiful features and the next our lips had collided in a wave of angry, lustful heat.

if you'll let me, ch 13

#its coming i swear #my last final is monday so #ITS COMING #alarkling #alarkling fan fiction #tgv #grishaverse

[darklesmylove]

come cuddle me | alarkling

short little drabble of aleksander begging alina to cuddle with him

**

"Alina."

My name was a soft whine in my ear, I tore my eyes away from the tv screen to look down at a sleepy eyed Aleksander staring up at me with nothing but tired yearning. "What, Aleks," I sighed with a touch of impatience, raising a brow when he pouted his rosy lips. "I'm cold, come cuddle me," he complained softly, reaching out and insistently tugging at the hem of the large t-shirt I had stolen from his closet to wear to bed.

"And I'm watching a movie, grab another blanket if you're cold," I rolled my eyes in slight annoyance. It seemed whenever I was doing something that didn't give Aleksander my full attention he was always demanding for it right back almost immediately.

"Solnishka," he murmured, his slender fingers trailing a gentle path down the skin of my thigh.

Another soft sigh escaped my lungs, my focus flickering back down to him. It was true, he was practically shivering with cold, and seeing as it was the dead of winter and he was practically cold blooded he had to be freezing at best. "Say please," I smirked, immediately making a scowl dance over his perfectly sculpted mouth. His arms loosely folded over his chest as he proceeded to sulk, his silver eyes fastening to the far wall across the room. Even if he was acting like a spoiled child, I couldn't help my heart warming at the sight of him looking so undeniably cute. Only sleepy Aleksander acted like this, it was a rare occasion for him to be this plainly needy.

"Fine, come here," I conceded after a long moment, making his lips immediately break out into a dazzlingly bright smile as I promptly wiggled down under the comforter and proceeded to snuggle into his hard chest.

He hummed softly in approval, his head burying into my neck as he pulled me closer, his hands resting lightly around the small of my back. "You're so warm, solnishka."

My skin heated as he pressed a soft kiss against my shoulder, his mouth lingering on my skin. "And you are like a damn ice cube," I laughed, my legs tangling through his.

"That's because of my cold, dead heart," he mumbled, his fingertips stroking down my arm almost reverently. "Well you're not wrong," I snorted, placing a brief kiss against his cheek before relaxing into his tight embrace. Our breaths filled the air as silence fell between us, his heartbeat pulsing comfortingly against the palm of my hand.

"I love you more than my own existence, you know that, right Alina?" he exhaled, his words breathy and soft against my ear as sleep began to drape itself over his consciousness once again. I looked up at him, his eyelids already fluttered shut and long eyelashes casting dark shadows down his smooth, pale cheeks. "I do," I simply put, my hand finding his underneath the blankets, our fingers subsequently lacing together as naturally as breathing.

He exhaled in quiet satisfaction, pulling me closer and holding me in a manner that more than confirmed his words.

#tgt #the grisha trilogy #aleksander morozova #the darkling #alina starkov #alarkling #alarkling fan fiction #alarkling fan fic #grishaverse #tgv #darklesmylove #darklesmylove writing

[darklesmylove]

how are you here | alarkling

baghra comes back after ravka has found peace and aleksander and alina are happily married

***

Aleksander's P.O.V

Aleksander was sitting in the garden, a scrawled journal open on his lap and one arm loosely draped around Alina's waist, when a flicker caught his attention. His eyes lifted suspiciously, trailing his surroundings with a silent intensity, grip tightening around Alina on instinct. She noticed his shift immediately, at this point she was frighteningly perceptive at reading the smallest tells of his emotions and reactions. Still the apt pupil. "What is it, Aleks?" she murmured, not looking up from her book as she reached for his hand, gently winding her fingers through his. The gesture sent a thrum of such loving content through him his suspicion dissipated like forgotten dust in the wind. He tugged her even closer, lips pressing against her warm temple and lingering against her smooth skin. She stilled, a soft sigh escaping her lips as her eyes fluttered closed for a brief moment. Her porcelain cheeks were framed by white, silvery wisps of hair, her lashes long and darker than usual with the help of something Genya had applied earlier.

She was so beautiful, so utterly captivating, it never ceased to take Aleksander's breath away, the fact that she had chosen him.

He didn't deserve to be so lucky.

"I love you, solnishka," he murmured, breathing in the heady scent of her, savoring it as it settled on his tongue.

A teasing grin pulled at the corner of her perfect mouth. "I guess I like you a little."

Despite himself, he rolled his eyes.

The former peaceful silence settled between them again, broken only by the soft rustle of leaves in the warm summer breeze and the melodic chirp of birds. Brittle pages rustled between fingertips and leather binding.

Not a minute passed before he saw the black hazy shape reappear out of the corner of his eye. He felt his muscles coil, thoughts of denial immediate.

No.

It couldn't be.

"I'll be right back, Alina," he murmured impassively, his voice perfectly controlled despite the fact that he felt as if he could very easily pass out right then and there. Alina hummed mildly in acknowledgement, her legs curling up to rest on the bench as Aleksander stood up, striding down the garden path towards where he had seen the hazy figure. To his dismay, his hands were trembling at his sides, his heart thrumming painfully fast against his ribs.

His steps quickened as he turned the corner.

Immediately, he froze.

A woman was standing before him, cloaked in dark garments, her sharp eyes restored and just as disapproving as they had been before he had taken them from her.

"Madraya?"

He couldn't keep the waver from the word. Suddenly he was nothing but a little boy again, scared of himself and the world, the only comfort his mother and the shadows.

Baghra moved towards him with stiff steps though she was noticeably lacking her usual cane, offering no signs of warmth or joy at the sight of him as she approached. He had never felt smaller as she stopped directly in front of him, regarding him with cold, judging eyes. "It seems you have finally achieved what you worked for all of these years, my son. Or should I be calling you king of Ravka instead, boy?"

He shook his head slightly, his thoughts whirling and twisting wildly in his mind. What was this, was he hallucinating? Had he finally gone mad?

"How are you here right now," he finally asked, his voice back to cool and collected. He thanked the saints for his skill at controlling his emotion in this moment, for inside he was screaming and crying and begging to embrace her, to tell her that he was sorry and how much he had missed her over the past several years.

Four years without her had felt like an eternity even when compared to the centuries he had spent by her side.

"You know there are doors between the world of the living and the dead, Aleksander, you just have to search for them," she waved in dismissal of his implied incompetence, "Furthermore, that is not what I am speaking of. Tell me, how many did you have to kill to secure the throne?"

He swallowed hard, attempting to even out his erratic breathing. "It is not the same anymore, mother, Alina helped me see the flaws in my ways. We.. we are married, we have a child. I do not seek unlimited power like I once did, I am at peace with this world now."

Baghra stared at him with harrowing suspicion, eyes narrowed and lips turned into a grim frown. "You married the girl," she affirmed, pausing before adding a gravelled, "And you have a child of your own." He nodded, shooing away the hopeful thought of her approval.

All these years, and he still cared about what she thought of him.

That's love, you idiot, she's your mom after all, Alina's voice chided him in playful reminder.

The soft caress of her voice helped in calming him, his muscles slowly relaxing of their unbearable tension.

"I know..." he trailed off for a moment, unable to find words. "I know I have hurt you, I have hurt the world, I hurt the woman I love, I hurt my own people, but I can tell you now with great certainty that I am a better man. You made me ambitious, but it was I who didn't know when to stop, what lines to abstain from crossing. I know that you gave up on me in the end. But I have found myself again, I'm your son that you once loved and that I hope you will love again beyond this realm. I hope that you will forgive me one day, and that... you'll be proud of me." His voice cracked over the last handful of words, he hadn't realized how profoundly he meant them until they had left his lips.

It was the first time he had ever seen his mother look even remotely stunned.

She blinked slowly, murmuring something unintelligible, almost like a prayer. His breath hitched as she reached out, taking his hands in hers. A long moment of silence ensued, Aleksander could feel his heart beating in his throat with painful intensity.

Finally, she spoke.

"I have not heard you ask for forgiveness for anything in centuries, not since you were just my little Sasha," she uttered almost mournfully, her grip tightening around his, "I always forgave you, Aleksander, my love for you has transcended every horrible thing you did, but I realized it never was enough, it was never going to be enough. I knew I couldn't save you, though it seems you found someone who has. And I might say that I approve of that someone, even if she doesn't seem to possess a single ounce of discipline in the entirety of her sickly little body."

A smile, bright and genuine, graced his lips.

"You might be right about that, mother, but regardless, she was still everything that I needed. She has made me into the man that I hope you will be proud of again someday."

For the first time in maybe his whole life, his mother smiled back at him.

"I am proud of you Aleksander. This.. you have brought me peace."

Hearing her finally say the words after centuries of praying to imaginary saints made an ache build in his throat. He swallowed it down hastily before whispering, "Thank you."

The warm expression faded almost immediately from her features, her usual, perpetual frown quickly reappearing. "I must be going now."

He hated the instinctive wilt of his body, the pleading tone his voice took on. "Mother, just.. at least come with me over to Alina, come see our child, our family."

She shook her head, her eyes ancient and haunted with secrets of the living and the dead. "My time is up here, I must go back." Her palm grazed his cheek, light but firm. He bit down a protest threatening at his lips, merely nodding and leaning into her touch.

Two ancient beings stood together, mother and son once more.

"I love you, Aleksander."

"I love you too, madraya."

#oof #tgt #the grisha trilogy #the darkling #aleksander morozova #alina starkov #alarkling #baghra morozova #tgv #grishaverse #alarkling fan fiction #darklesmylove #darklesmylove writing

[darklesmylove]

you are not nothing | alarkling

after the events of ruin and rising, aleksander comes back

***

I felt it the moment he allowed me to. It felt like breathing for the first time in years, a soft hum reinstating the tether between us and mending the jagged hole his death had torn from the very fibers of my being.

He was alive.

Mal rushed over to me in worry when I collapsed to my knees, the basket I had clutched in my hands falling and spilling the freshly picked apples all over the wooden floorboards. "What is it, Nastasia, are you okay?" he fell to my side, using my alias seeing as we were in earshot of children. I couldn't reply, the revelation far too heavy to let roll off of my tongue. For a brief moment it felt like I might have shattered to pieces, but slowly, with the intake of a few deep breaths, I collected myself. "I just got spooked, I'm fine," I cleared my throat, not meeting his gaze as I picked up the apples and carefully placed them back in the basket. He eyed me uncertainly, we both rose back to our feet in tense silence. My teeth sunk into my lower lip when he took a step closer, his handsomely roguish features becoming swathed in shadow. "Whatever it is, you know that I'm here for you, Alina," he murmured, his lips grazing against my forehead before, hesitantly, he turned, walking back out to the garden where the children were waiting for him.

My hands clenched at my sides.

***

I felt it the first time he visited me. The tether vibrated and I was too weak to stop it, cradled in the gentle clutches of a half asleep state.

Dimly, I registered the feeling of his eyes, though mine remained shut. His gaze roved over me, and even if he was nothing but a projection of his true self, the intensity of it was nearly tangible. My skin heated, but I kept my eyes closed, silently refusing to acknowledge his presence.

After the minutes start to drag on, my hand reached out for Mal, lacing our fingers together over the covers. Mal shifted in his sleep, but didn't wake.

The feeling of his stare vanished almost immediately.

***

He came to me silently for many months, both of us stubbornly refusing to say a word.

***

When he spoke to me for the first time, it felt as if every broken, shattered part of me was healed with the mere sound of his smooth, cool voice.

"Alina."

Reluctantly, I allowed my eyes to lift from my sewing to where he was sitting on the velvet chair across from me. The crackling fire illuminated his shadowed features with a weak glow, somehow making him look even more alluring than I had remembered.

"What do you want from me," I finally sighed, silently proud at the casual, bored tone I had managed. My gaze dropped back to the garment I was carefully stitching, methodically weaving the gold thread along the hem of the white dress. He was silent for so long I thought he had gone.

"You're playing house."

My head snapped up, an unexpected rush of anger rising in my throat at his snide judgement. "Yes, I am playing house, meanwhile you were supposed to be dead," I snarled, my lip curling slightly. He raised a brow a calculated measure, his silver eyes holding a silent challenge.

He knew as well as I did that I would never admit my anger was solely because if I hadn't even been successful in killing him, that settling for this life and losing my powers was all for nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

"You really think a dagger killed me? I'm hurt that you believe me to be so weak," he spoke mockingly, stretching his legs out and crossing them at the ankles. They were so long that the shift in position brought him dangerously close to touching me. I tucked my knees in towards my chair, shooting him a sickly sweet smile. "I'm so very sorry to have hurt your feelings," I sneered, my words dripping with condescension, "It's not like I tried to stab you through your heart or anything. I'm truly sorry about that too, by the way."

He laughed, a dry, raspy chuckle that made my skin warm with the soft caress of it, an ache crawling up my throat in response. My fingers tightened around my sewing needle. All these years later, and he still had an effect on me that I was powerless to suppress.

"I'm touched by the apology, my Alina," his lips twitched upwards slightly, his head tilting to the side in an almost playful manner as he evaluated me.

It was infuriatingly comforting seeing him this way again, as if he had never left. As if he hadn't been gone the past five years. As if his absence hadn't made me feel like an empty shell of myself for so, so long.

Anger at my thoughts made my hand jerk just a measure too aggressively, the needle I was gripping stabbing through the soft flesh of my finger. A soft curse fell from my lips, I dropped the needle and inspected the blood already beginning to pool on the pad of my thumb with a faint prickle of pain.

I hadn't sensed his shift in movement until the very moment his hand closed gently around mine, sending a shock of electricity up my arm. My eyes shot up to meet his as he ran his finger gently over the raggedly torn cut, a delicate stroke that ghosted over my skin and left goosebumps in its wake.

An icy talon trailed down my spine in an involuntary shiver, a longing so deep and desperate clawing at my chest it took my breath away.

"You know that you will always have a place beside me, Alina, no matter how many times you fight me," he murmured in something like comfort, his grey eyes flickering.

Pain was thick in my mouth, it felt like my chest was collapsing in on itself.

"You said I was nothing."

The words tore from my throat in a soft, broken sob, accusation and loathing and emotions far too complex to even explain tinging my words. Because he was right, I was nothing without my power and I truly felt like nothing without it. Silent tears trailed down my cheeks, my head falling against his hard chest as he took me in his arms. It was sickeningly comforting, his smooth voice whispering unintelligible words of solace, his slender fingers stroking gently through my hair. Not even the dim thought of Mal could have pulled me away from him in that moment as I grasped the fabric of his kefta, holding onto him as if I would physically shatter if I let go.

Gradually, his touch moved from tangled through my hair, lightly cradling my face with soft fingertips. "You are not nothing," he spoke edged with a husky rasp, and when I finally looked up to meet his gaze, his eyes were dark with some indiscernible emotion, something somewhere between apology and longing.

"I'm not the Sun Summoner anymore." My lower lip trembled. "There's nothing else I can give you that you would want, Aleksander. So please, just go away."

His grip tightened around me, an echo of the desire that he felt at the use of his name running hot through my veins. He stilled for a moment, his eyes shutting briefly. The flickering fire cast long shadows down his face, warming his normally pale pallor with a soft glow.

My erratic breaths had finally evened out when he spoke again.

"My powers are gone too, Alina."

The soft confession rendered me frozen, speechless.

The word was almost strangled as it left my lips in hasty response.

"How?"

His eyes were chillingly haunted in the gray slate of their depths.

"I don't know, Alina. Because we are bound together? Because there is no dark without light? It's because of everything single thing I have been telling you since the very beginning, that our lives are intertwined and there is nothing either of us can possibly do about it."

Every word he uttered dripped with a mixture of loathing and longing.

A flicker of startling recognition made me tense.

I had managed to take everything from him and yet he still wanted me. And he hated that.

But.

He wanted me.

The thought left me reeling with something like exhilaration. For the first time in my life, someone actually wanted me. Not the idea of me like Mal, or the possibility of a political alliance like Nikolai, or merely because of my powers like Aleksander once had.

"What do you want from me then," I murmured, finding myself leaning into the hard curve of his body as if he was a force of gravity I couldn't possibly escape even if I tried. He paused, his head tilting slightly to the side, his eyes thoughtful and contemplating. Slowly, gently, his fingertips trailed down my arms, leaving a trail of heat in their wake. Before I could pull away he found my hand, winding his fingers through mine.

"I want you, Alina. That's all I want, because you're all I have left."

His tongue trailed over his lower lip, indecision flashing in his eyes.

"But I find that, somehow, I'm okay with that."

Every fiber of my being screamed at me to pull away when he leaned in, that I loved Mal and that I was content with my simple life at this orphanage.

But I didn't.

His soft lips brushed against mine light as air, a measure of hesitancy and reluctance present in the way he held me, as if even this slightest measure of vulnerability of allowing me to choose repulsed him. My mouth moved against his almost instinctively, I let out a quiet exhale at the familiar, pleasurable taste of him. His hand burned at my hip, my body arching into him as my fingers wound through his silky curls. I had forgotten what it had felt like to allow myself to give into his pull, the press of skin and whisper of breath nothing remotely like anything else I had experienced before. His tongue trailed over my lower lip, parting my mouth open and eliciting a soft moan. The words came out before I could stop them.

"I missed you so much, Aleksander."

It was nothing more than a sigh, a soft breath into the kiss, but I knew he heard me.

His grasp tightened, he pulled back slightly, his lips hovering over mine. "Come with me, my Alina," he murmured, "No thrones. No lies. We can live together forever, just the two of us, solnishka."

My chest ached.

I had never wanted something so badly. And yet, hesitation was still thick in my mouth. How could I trust him after everything, how could I forgive him after everything?

But he was right. Even with the loss of my powers, I still hadn't aged a day in the past several years, our tether was still as strong as ever, we were undeniably bound together. And he would be all that I had left in time, regardless of what my feelings were.

"Just... I need some time," I breathed, almost a shudder.

His jaw tightened for a brief moment, his lips finding mine again with the slightest hint of desperation.

"Then I will be here when the time comes. Always and forever."

My eyes fluttered closed as he pressed his lips to my forehead once more before, silently, he vanished.

#tgt #the grisha trilogy #the darkling #aleksander morozova #alina starkov #alarkling #alarkling fan fiction #fan fiction #ruin and rising #darklesmylove writing #darklesmylove