#and literal bi king nikolai

[wesper-png]

Do you have any personal ideas for bi-privateer himself, Nikolai and his interaction with Alina, Zoya, and Mal? As well as personal ideas of Alina, Zoya, and Mal

so, like, the thing is nikolai gave mal his compass, the ship, his crew, his name and his clothes.

what he didn't give him was a list of people who have actually met sturmhond.

so one day when the ship rocks up in some backwater port to do a trade and mal nearly gets jumped by a captain and his crew who know for a fact that this tall, scrawny brunette is not their old business partner the only thing that saves him is the captains sudden bountiful laughter and his declaration that "it's so nice to finally meet the other mr sturmhond!"

word gets back to nikolai, of course, and he just HAS to drop in and make an appearance because lmao wtf. calls mal a colourful array of pet names and lays it on thick because he's having the time of his life out here while mal is fighting for his life.

The rest of the crew are absolutely beside themselves.

gets back to the palace and the first thing alina asks is "so how is our husband faring on the treacherous seas these days?" because of course she finds this absolutely hilarious as well.

when alina and zoya start to grow closer first as friends and then the flintiness comes out, the subtle touches and the words full of double meanings nikolai kind of sits back and watches it unfold. and takes pleasure in teasing alina about it profusely. its fun to watch the tiny sun summoner's cheeks flush and hear her stutter her words, trying to come up with some kind of excuse.

and of course he enjoys the way zoya's eyes track him across the room.

in the end it all turns into a kind of "this is my husband mal, and this is mal's wife alina who is also my wife, and here is our gf zoya, the newest member of the polycule".

[upforchaosat3]

I need more Malkolina fics pls 😭😭 I don't have a plot idea or anything so I can't even write it myself 😭😭

[high-warlock-of-brooklyn]

oh my god my literal bi awakening was nikolai and zoya in king of scars

i already liked nikolai from the grisha trilogy but i didnt like zoya much there and then king of scars out of nowhere threw a curveball with zoya and i was gone

There are very few couples that both members I'd actually date. Simultaneously if possible. Three's not a company if it's ot3 babyyyy

Like Zoya and Nikolai. Cardan and Jude. Nora and June. Niko and Myla.

Bi bitches just get it 😌💙

[blazethecheeto]

A King of Scars RANT (Extremely Long)

So I finished King of Scars and am reading Rule of Wolves now. But before I talk about ROW, I need to spill all of my thoughts on KOS or idk I'll combust- SO, I liked this book in all. It wasn't on SoC level of amazing, but it was not TgT level of bad. So I want to say all the things I liked about this book first, before I break it down and roast it to death.

One big thing was I loved how Zoya was written. As an absolute hater of Zoya in the Grisha trilogy, I was pleasantly surprised. I got spoiled of Zoyalai early on when I was reading Ruin & Rising and I was like MY PRECIOUS NIKOLAI?? WITH THIS BITCH?!?! But I actually found myself liking their relationship, and Zoya. I think it's definitely bc of Sujaya she was so amazing as Zoya that I was like, okay she deserves rights now. 

And it's so amazing to see Nina again. I love how this duology gives her a chance to shine on her own, without her relying on Matthias for her POV like in SoC. Oh speaking of Matthias 😭😭😭 I'm just still emotionally destroyed. Tbh every damn time Nina mentions one of the Crows I just put the book down and scream through my tears. 

AND HER AND HANNE- I love how bi Nina is, and I am living for more sapphic relationships. I also got spoiled that Hanne is trans. Which I don't particularly agree with... please don't hate me. All I see is a tomboy lesbian who just wants to be herself without her father trying to mold her into a feminine girl. Hanne is gender non conforming to me but idk I'll guess I'll see in ROW.

And the whole logic of all Grisha being able to control everything was kind of cool. And the Saints in the Fold was super trippy but I liked it. I really wished we had seen more of Grigori. Idk, I'm a softie for shapeshifting, genderfluid characters :) It seems like Juris and Lizabeta got so much development and Grigori got like what, two lines? Yeesh.

Isaak's storyline was so sad guys. I really liked Isaak, I love characters who are 'nobodies' and peasants that are supposed to be sidekicks/extras instead of the cHoseN oNes. He deserved better. And that whole Romeo Juliet thing with Mayu was fricken sad. 

NOW I will roast this book and say all of my complaints/rants. 

I really wished that Nikolai got more, idk, ✨ development ✨. And that's kinda unfair bc he did get more of that, he did confront his demons in the end and I liked seeing his childhood with Dominik and all that, but idk, it feels like Zoya has more main character vibe than him. Which is a bit sad bc the moment I heard Nikolai had a book I was like YES KING- 

But one of my biggest complaints about this was Genya. She should have had a POV, and a main character role in this. She was also scarred by the Darkling, I thought maybe she would at least have some more role in purging the shadow power from Nikolai. I thought she would have POV. Tbh she has more scars and more interesting/complexity than Zoya, she should have had a POV and development instead of her. If anyone was close to Nikolai, I expected it to be Genya, as she literally went through the same thing. Instead she's treated as a side character that shows up for like a quarter of the book. Tolya and Tamar had more screen time than her. I'm mad. 

On that note, I really don't get why Zoya was closer to Nikolai than all the others. You know what I would like instead of forced het romance between two characters that didn't even interact for the whole trilogy? The Triumvirate. Zoya, Genya, and David were the trio that I wanted to see. The dynamic, the budding friendship. I'm SURE there was tension between them at first, but then it became sweet and wholesome. Show me that! They should have been a team, a trio! Tbh I ship Zoya and Genya so maybe it's just my bias, but come on! 

Then The Darkling. I have mixed feelings. First, that dynamic is always fun, with the Darkling forced to kind of chill while the main characters screech at him, but it kinda erases all of what happened in the final battle? Like Alina is pissed probably lol. And I swear, if Genya doesn't get a part where she roasts his ass off and deals with the trauma he gave her... Like if they only focus on how Zoya is so betrayed but not Genya i swear- GUYS GIVE GENYA POV NOW.

Ooh and I wish that Nina found out that Leoni was saved by Jesper's mother. Like first, that would break my heart when Nina realizes that Jesper's mother died for her, and just uggh the feels. And the SoC referencess-

All in all I enjoyed it! This whole rant was mostly about Genya lmao- I feel like 50% of my problems with this book would be solved if Genya had a POV and more importance in the story. I give it a 7/10

[tricewithaz]

Do you have headcannons about the Triumvirate Tamar Tolya and Nikolai all being a found family with lots of banter??

I do!! They're an incredible group with lots of interesting dynamics that aren't explored nearly enough in the books we genuinely get CRUMBS so here we go

As for group roles I feel like this: Tamar is the energy ball, life of the party, she hypes the others up if needed. Genya is the tranquil presence, often a mediator, she tends to take care of the others. She’s also the astrology friend, personality type friend. She analyzes people a lot and very well and it’s often useful. Zoya is the mean one, do I need to explain? She’ll definitely put your feet on the ground, she’s also the mom friend at times. Nikolai is the flirt, and the one with the bad ideas that always end up in good stories and possible death,he’s also the most ridiculous one when drunk. David is the hesitant one, most likely to talk someone (nikolai) down from a bad idea (although he will probably join if he gets enough drinks on him).  And Tolya is that reliable presence that will smack a bitch for you, but will also smack you if necessary.

I'm convinced Genya and Nikolai are That Chaotic Bi Libra/Leo duo. They have so much chemistry it’s crazy. They’re THAT friendship that constantly compliment and flirt with each other and slap each other’s butts. If Nikolai is bending over a desk, Genya will slap him. If Genya enters a room Nikolai will make all sorts of comments about her and wanting to kiss her and marry her. They’ll make inappropriate comments about each other and “eyefuck” each other. The best part about this is that there’s absolutely no sexual tension between them whatsoever. He also loves to keep up with palace gossip with her. Yes he’s the kind king that remembers your name and that your mom recently broke her leg. Yes he knows you were seen with the neighbors gardener last Tuesday after hours. Everyone’s just used to it. Nikolai and Tamar have a similar dynamic but a bit tamer.

Zoya and David’s dynamic is better than you would expect and they spend a surprising amount of time together. Mostly in silence, maybe she's reading, he's working, they exchange some chatter but nothing that goes on for too long. They mostly sit in silence together and only talk about significant things, it’s perfect for them. They truly consider each other a friend and trust each other. 

Tolya is definitely the one with the poetic wise advice, but it hides a lot of tough love. He’s super observant and can read people’s feelings super well. He won’t really say anything unless they actually talk to him but he’ll definitely throw in some comments hidden as poetry. 

Tamar is way blunter about it, if she thinks someones being a bitch, they will KNOW. She’s also the one everyone goes to if they need sincere love advice. 

Oh Nikolai and Tolya will swordfight a LOT, for pure entertainment for no reason whatsoever. They do it in weird places too, if a room in the palace is closed....they’re probably fighting there. They do it for HOURS and HOURS until none of them can stand anymore. They also have a weird ammount of sexual tension but its purely one sided on nikolais part

Nikolai and David being nerds.....what a concept......weve seen them literally design a full neon ship from scratch in rear...leigh....please....give us more....pleASE...like, just for entertainment. I feel like they will spend entire afternoons and nights designing and constructing their lil steampunk toys and whatnot. 

Girls nights get crazy (affectionate)

Boys nights get crazy (derogatory)

They like to play a lot, like they'll do board games, and they'll play sports together and shit, and they’re super competitive. Nikolai often plays chess with genya or David, sometimes with zoya too but not that much. Theyll all play cards together, maybe row at the lake too, sometimes they’ll compete swimming. Nikolai Tamar and Zoya are also the kind of people to really love a challenge so you can imagine how that tends to end. Sometimes they bet on it too.

Zoya!!!! acts of service as a love language!!! shell bring you tea and put a blanket over you if you fall asleep!!! its so cute but no one ever mentions it, shell never admit it. 

Dont!!! get me started about the partying. Actually you asked this so deal with the consequences. As I said, nikolai is the craziest one and if you leave him to be something will probably end up on fire. He dances with tamar and genya a LOT. i mean, he does it when he’s sober, but esPECIALLY when drunk. Not so much with Zoya cause if they get too close in such a state something might happen that they both regret in the long run.  And hell flirt with tolya unsuccessfully ace tolya rights .  Tamar also gets batshitcrazy and will indulge him in his bullshit before someone else stops them. David is a bit of a quiet drunk but he has a great time regardless. The girls together are a bLAST, they sing, they dance, they go full on abba at times. Zoya flirts a LOT with Nikolai but he tries rEALLY hard to contain himself. 

I feel like they also share books and opinions about them a lot. They get real passionate about it. And they leave little notes in the pages. If Nikolai is reading a book David gave to him hell find notes that will say “when you finish this chapter come talk to me” “what do you think of this??” and shit like that. Zoya Nikolai and David particularly like murder mysteries, Tamar Nikolai and Genya share adventure books, Genya Zoya Tamar and Tolya all like romance books. Sometimes theyll also read non fiction, it’s not uncommon to see David and Genya comment a chemistry book they've read recently for example. 

I think thats all for now but I do think about these six a lot so idk