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wh0refornikolailantsov · 11 months

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Compass Of Pirates - Nikolai Lantsov

Summary: Nikolai is given a compass that he was told would solve all his problems, and yet he cannot figure out why it doesn't seem to work. Yes, I am merging with Pirates Of The Caribbean because I fucking can.

Content Warnings: No Beta/Proof Reading.

Nikolai Taglist: @hauntedenthusiasttragedy

The brass points across the centre of the compass are centred by a sundial, which as far as Sturmhond can tell is the most functional part of the compass. He holds the compass in the clutch of his palm, staring at the red arrow as it gently swings between two points, neither of which are north. He had picked it up from someone in one of the markets in the last port they docked in. It was this rocky, mountainous island, just off the northern coast of the mainland. The name of the port escapes the captains mind, but it was some fishing port with a name not unlike a weapon of some kind. But that isn't really important, what is important is the illusion of help this compass had been acquired under. "It will bring you to what you most desire," they had said, "the compass never leads you wrong." He had been dubious but nevertheless he has hope he isn't sure he has a right to, and yet he was finding the outcome very disappointing.

"This thing doesn't even point north," Sturmhond says, staring again at the compass in his hand. Mal shrugs, offering out his open hand.

"May I?" he asks. He hands it over, without pause and the dial spins to quickly into a new direction the moment it touches Mal's palm. Mal watches the dial and follows it's direction. He knows exactly what the privateer has observed, that this compass does not point north, but instead it is now pointing at Alina, who is leaning over the edge of the ship, staring at the way the waves are breaking onto the boats side, creating the white foam of sea spray and she is smiling like she has never seen the ocean before. "Oh, Sturmhond," Mal says, "it points north alright," he chuckles, "true north."

The Captain frowns. "True north?" he questions, staring the tracker down. "What kind of navigational system are you working on Oretsev?"

"The only one that hasn't ever lead me wrong," he hands the compass back to Sturmhond and the moment it enters his hand it changes direction back to where it had been previously pointing. Mal taps the fabric of his shirt, directly over his heart. "I told Alina about true north once, she asked me what scared me most, and I told her I get the most scared when I am lost, but I don't really get lost. Yet, getting lost happens even if you know where you are sometimes. So I told her about cardinal north and true north."

"Cardinal north is a direction on a map," Sturmhond says. Mal nods, not letting his eyes leave the Sun Summoner. "So, as for true north?"

"True north is home," Mal says, sounding more like a poet than a tracker, "it is where you feel safe and loved."

"Miss Starkov is your truth north," Sturmhond says with a nod. Mal doesn't even need to respond to that. "So you think this compass points to what exactly?"

"Whatever you most desire, that's what the translation says on the side isn't it?" Mal says, finally looking at him. "You did see that, didn't you? Since you're always six steps ahead of everything, and ever so flawless Captain?"

He is too eager to test the theory to even care about Mal's teasing of him. He just thanks him absentmindedly and follows the compass forward. "Don't walk off the edge of the ship," Mal calls after him, "or do..."

He spends a good while walking the length of the decking, trying to figure out why the dial spins into a change of direction, seemingly without link. "Maybe you don't know what you want," Mal teases, observing him.

"Doesn't this interest you?" Sturmhond asks, running a hand through his tousled hair.

Mal shrugs. "What use is a compass what would be pointing right beside me all of the time?" he asks. "Besides my heart always brings me back to her."

"You're good with your words when it suits you, aren't you?" Tamar asks, coming to stand beside Mal, bored of her card game and far more interested in whatever it is that has gotten the Captain all pacing and flustered. "Still staring at the broken compass?"

"It's not broken," Mal says, "it's just not helpful."

"A compass's only purpose is to point north, and it doesn't, so it's broken," Tamar argues.

"It's a heart compass, not a compass," Mal says. The Heartrender laughs.

"Those are legend," she says, taking some walnuts from her pocket to snack on. She offers him one and he shakes his head to dismiss the offer.

"Wasn't the Stag legend too?" Mal retorts. Tamar gives him a shrug.

"That means nothing of all legend," is her response, but she keeps watching Sturmhond.

"It doesn't even make sense," he says finally holding the compass up and above his head to see how the dial moves. "It's not pointing to anything, I thought it might've been pointing to Ravka but I was wrong."

"You're suggesting your truest love is a country?" Mal asks, "what kind of excessive patriotism is that?"

"You're not patriotic?" Tamar asks, her tone littered with laughter.

"No," he admits, not feeling pulled down by the admission, "I came here for Alina. She's my flag, my nation, she is the one thing I remain loyal to."

Tamar's question was to sway Mal from paying too much attention to the captains words, but he doesn't throw her a look of gratitude, instead he returns to his fixation on the compass, as it spins to point towards the ships bow. Some of the crew start to appear on deck, changing placement as the time passes, and Tolya walks beside you, as you tell him something out of their earshot.

He takes his eyes off the compass, staring directly at you, forgetting what his original intentions had been, he offers you a smile and you grin back, all teeth and cheer. Even after the days at sea nothing seemed to sway your mood.

Tamar elbows Mal in the side and before her can take issue with it, she nods his attention to Sturmhond, who has lost interest in the compass altogether in your presence.

"Got it working yet?" you ask, coming closer to the three of them Tolya by your side.

"Think it might be a lost cause," the privateer admits, holding the compass down and to his side, as if to hide it's direction from those around you.

"Come on, Captain, plenty have said that about broken things, but often you just need time or the right pair of hands," you say, "show me?"

He hesitates and Mal and Tamar share a look, a look that spreads into matching grins. "Oh, he is not as smart as he gives himself credit for," Mal says in hushed words.

"Most of the time he is, but any heart can get blind sighted, and when the heart is blind, the mind can fog," Tamar says, voice equally low.

You look at him and he is smiling at you like you're a sunrise, like he is seeing you for the first time, and you wonder how he always manages to look at you like this. Look at you in a way that makes your head spin and your stomach twist. You know Sturmhond, and you know the man can flirt like second nature, that no one you've yet to meet have been susceptible to his charms, so you try not to let go to your head. But that's not easy when he looks at you like he has just discovered what love is for the very first time.

He holds out the compass out and you look at it, not reaching to take it from his hands, you move around to his perspective for the dial to swing back in your direction. You lean around him, to get a better look and then stare out at the ocean. But he just watches you, not as much are daring to confirm what he suspects by glancing to the compass.

You move back in front of him, and the dial points to you, and you turn your head to look at the big blue expanse behind. "Compass doesn't know north that's for sure," you say, giving him a wild smile and a shrug. "But I guess it's no better than most of us in that."

"It doesn't know north," he agrees, shoving the compass back in his pocket, "but it seems to know things I should have before now."

"Hmm?" you ask, turning back to him from the waves.

"Nothing, now, tell me, what was so funny?"

#shadow and bone #grishaverse #nikolai lantsov #nikolai lantsov fanfic #nikolai lanstov x reader #nikolai x you #nikolai x reader #malina #alina x mal #tamar kir bataar #sturmhond x reader #sturmhond x you #sturmhond #tolya my darling i adore you

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1liv · 1 year

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peeta-mellark · 1 year

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MAL & ALINA

Shadow and Bone 2x06 "Ni Weh Sesh"

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shadowandbonecentral · 1 year

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Mal and Alina + ‘and there was only one bed’ (requested by Anon)

#shadow and bone #sabedit #shadowandboneedit #alina starkov #alinastarkovedit #malyen oretzev #alina x mal #malinaedit #malinasource #shadowandbonesource #gif #show #s2 #ours #by frances #sab spoilers

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corporaloretsev · 1 year

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Friends Couples who judge people together, stay together Requested by @vokrats

#malinaedit #sabedit #shadowandboneedit #dailyshadowandbone #shadowandbonecentral #alinastarkovedit #maloretsevedit #mal x alina #alina x mal #alina starkov #malyen oretsev #dailynetflix #my edits #malina tag #literally asked the lovebots 84 suggestions and i'm leaving it bland without texts sdjfjdfdj #i hope you like it ana :*

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ariadnethedragon · 1 year

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Malina + Hands

SHADOW AND BONE (2021–)

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shadowandbone · 1 year

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Shadow and Bone season 2 will adapt multiple Grishaverse books — and maybe not the ones you think

The sophomore season of the Netflix fantasy drama will cover both Siege and Storm and Ruin and Rising, the second and third novels in Leigh Bardugo's main Grishaverse trilogy.

#shadow and bone #six of crows #sab #announcement #news #jesper fahey #wylan van eck #wylan hendricks #malyen oretsev #alina starkov #jesper x wylan #alina x mal

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lilisouless · 1 year

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GUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUYS!

CAN YOU BREATH? BECAUSE I CAN'T!

#wesper #malina #shadow and bone season 2 #netflix shadow and bone #leigh bardugo #wylan van eck #jesper fahey #alina starkov #malyen oretsev #wylan hendriks #sab netflix #jesper x wylan #alina x mal #kit young #jack wolfe #archie renaux #jessie mei li

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emmedoesntdomath · 9 months

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nikolai, grinning at alina: hey, pretty baby

mal, indignant: hey!

nikolai, eyes wide: oh, sorry

*turning to mal, grinning the exact same way*

nikolai, winking at mal: hey, handsome

mal, cheeks going red:

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felixbobelix · 7 months

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Athough I personally feel that the execution of Mal and Alina's romance fell kinda flat for most people becouse the inherent push and pull of Darklina overshadowing thier relationship, can we take a moment to consider how how insanely dramatic Malina actualy is??

Like, think about it this way; Alina could have ended up with either a prince and become a queen or she could have ended up with the Darkling and become one of two of the most powerful Grisha. But she said no to both because Alina wanted love more then she wanted power.

The Darkling and Nikolai would have never looked at her twice before her powers where discovered. But Mal always saw her even if he wouldnt admit it to himself. And then the time he had to work through how he felt for Alina was stolen away from him when Alina was taken away.

And Alina literally PUSHED DOWN HER POWRS SUBCONSULY AS A KID JUST TO STAY WITH HIM!! And then Alina's powers first came to light when she was trying to save him. LIKE??? THE TRAGADY!! THE DRAMA!!! The very thing she pushed down to stay by his side inevitably was the thing that separated them. And they have the rest of the sires to try to find the balance between love and power.

For all the allure of Darklina and the fated "like calls to like" element of thier relationship I think that somehow Alina rejecting the idea of grand destiny and romance and saying "I dont care if your not ment for me, I'm still choosing you" and sticking with Mal makes me go feral in the best possible way.

Thier relationship was never easy, and they had forces on either side trying to tear them apart.But Mal didnt love her becouse she was a saint or becouse she was powerfull. He loved her becouse she was the same prickly girl who was his best freind since they where kids. He loved her even when loving her was the hardest thing in the world.

And Alina loved Mal becouse through all the turmoil of the books he remained a constant for her, and to her, he was the only home that she's ever known.

As a fandom we dont talk about how emotionally devastating that is brb I'm going to cry

#malina #alina x mal #shadow and bone series #shadow and bone books #book tumblr #ya fantasy #shadow and bone #mal x alina #alina starvok #the grisha series #grishaverse #seige and storm #ruin and rising #malyen oretsev #sankta alina

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outlawarya · 1 year

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'CAUSE WE SURVIVED THE GREAT WAR The Great War / Taylor Swift

#malina #malinaedit #shadowandboneedit #shadow and bone #shadow & bone #alina starkov #mal oretsev #mal x alina #alina x mal #sabedit #malinasource #alinastarkovedit #maloretsevedit #s&b #grishaverse #grishaedit #grishaverseedit #malyen oretsev #**

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yeah-fo-sho · 1 year

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MALINAWEEK | Day 1: book to screen

⤷But no matter who or what I was, I would have been yours. - Malyen Oretsev, Ruin and Rising

#shadow and bone #alina x mal #mal oretsev #alina starkov #malinaweek #malina #sab #malyen oretsev #tbh i misread the prompt as book quote but imma manifest this in season3 #sabedit #archie renaux #jessie mei li #shadowandbonecentral #shadowandboneedit #yeah-fo-sho gifs

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mockingjayne12 · 1 year

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behind the fold

#alina starkov #mal oretsev #shadow and bone #jessie mei li #archie renaux #malina #mal x alina #alina x mal #grishaverse

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lilithh6 · 1 year

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“pekka rollins got dealt with too quickly, he’s already defeated” this, “malina are not endgame” that... I’m sorry are we watching the same show?????? bc pekka rollins now rules Hellgate, aka the place the crows need to break matthias out of. and about malina, i REFUSE to believe they’re not endgame in the show. they’ve been so tied together throughout their whole lives that i understand the sentiment of wanting to find their own paths separately, especially on mal’s side. where do i think those paths are gonna lead eventually? back together

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caveatscriptor · 1 year

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My unhinged review of the S2 trailler of Shadow and Bone

You are welcome.

So basically they all look way too good, and I'm itching to know how they can possibly make the lovesick darkling look bad (and if we are going to get the connection/tether scenes in the tv show 🥵)

Oh, and if we get Zoya and Nikolai interaction... I might scream into oblivion

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corporaloretsev · 1 year

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When 'things' didn't go according to plan [insp].

#smh lovers #sabedit #shadowandboneedit #shadow and bone #malinaedit #malinasource #malina #mal x alina #alina x mal #alinastarkovedit #maloretsevedit #dailyshadowandbone #my edits #malina tag

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