#leigh bardugo books

[ekbelsher]

Kaz and Inej: the bathroom scene. I hope those crazy kids can work it out 🖤

Happy Valentine's Day! (commissioned by @litjoycrate for their special edition Six of Crows book box)

[mysticmiav]

“If it were a trick, I’d promise you safety. I’d offer you happiness. I don’t know if that exists in the Barrel, but you’ll find none of it with me.”

This was one instance i ended up liking the lineart way better than the rendered version lol I kept tweaking and working on it more but still couldn't quite capture what I had in mind so oh well

[wingedshadowfan]

Darlington had never gotten used to it. He doubted he ever would—the urge to gag, the bitter spike that drove through his soft palate and up into the back of his skull.

“Fuck,” he gasped.

Alex blinked. “I think that’s the first time I’ve heard you swear.”

Chills shook him and he tried to control the tremors that quaked through his body.

“I c-c-class p-p-profanity with declarations of love. Best used sparingly and only when wholeheartedly m-m-meant.”

i had actually forgotten this part, kind of a chekov's gun, isn't it? i can't wait for him to either swear again or declare his love now

[captainsvscaptains]

Battle of the Captains

Semifinals 2b

No antipropaganda on my polls please

[yasyassie]

nikolai lantsov is so mastermind by taylor swift coded

like wdym no one wanted to play with me as a little kid so I've been scheming like a criminal ever since to make them love me and make it seem effortless... that's mister nikolai right there

[princessmacabre]

Reading Ninth House with the love of my life.

[rose-of-the-grave]

Old Enemies, New Friends

Pairing: Alina x Darkling

Hey, this is my very first darklina fic! Its been a year since I read shadow and bone so please ignore any inaccuracies. I'm the author (please don't repost) <3

This fic was for a request.

Masterlist. Read on ao3

Warnings: kissing, vague mention of sex(16+?), alina is a sex worker, no actual smut

Word count: 2,010

Description: Alina is working in a brothel and is on her way home when she runs into an old friend which leads her to reconsidering her choices.

Taglist: @rika150

It had been a long day. This was her last customer before she could finally go back home to Mal. Well, where they were currently living couldn’t exactly be called home. It was barely a shelter. It never stayed warm during winter and it was way too cramped for either of them to sleep comfortably through the night. She had thought that when she chose to be with Mal they could run away together and be happy in some village. She could be a mapmaker again. But no. Instead she had to lay beneath these sweat-covered, rutting pigs who paid her by the hour for her company.

This was hell.

The body that lay above her was out of breath, rushing his way to completion. With one final grunt, it was done. Or at least that part was done. Now he was laying on her, pressing her into the old mattress. She could hardly breathe. In the distance she heard a clock chime. 

Finally it was time for her to leave. 

She didn’t want to have to stay here any longer than she had to. This village had a way of making people on this side of town disappear. Just yesterday two of the other girls who had been down on their luck enough to only be able to find work here had vanished without a word. She hoped they had found a better life somewhere else but deep down she knew they were probably dead.

Pushing him off, she slid out of the bed. He was passed out cold. The stench of alcohol filled the room, thickening the air. It made her sick. She pulled some clothes on, hoping they would keep her warm on her way home. Picking up her cloak, she wrapped it around her body, covering herself up as much as possible. The cloak had been warm and well made back when she had first gotten it, now it was riddled with rips and the bottom was permanently ruined from mud. It barely stopped her from shivering on the mildest of nights.

Taking only a few strides she was already at the door. She opened it carefully, hoping that nobody was in the hallway. Relieved to see it empty, she left the room. Making for the back staircase, she was soon opening the door out into the back alley. The streetlamps were barely enough light to see where she was walking. Keeping close to the wall she winded her way through the village. Using the cloak to cover the hair, she kept to the shadows. If they couldn’t see her then they couldn’t kill her.

She had almost made it to the hovel that she and Mal were calling home when she felt it. She was being watched. How? Who could possibly see this well in the dark? Her darkest thoughts hinted at who it could be but she pushed them aside. They’d been fine so far, there was no way that after all of this time he had found them.

It was probably just in her head. She was tired, she needed some sleep. she wasn't thinking clearly.

She didn’t fully realize what was happening until someone had grabbed her by the wrist and pushed her up against the brick wall. She vaguely remembered trying to resist but she couldn’t feel her limbs.

“I found you.” A voice whispered in her ear. A voice that she recognized even months later. A hand crept up her side until it reached her face. She wished she could turn around and look her assailant in the eyes. “Alina.” Her name, barely a breath of air in the wind.

She shivered. He still managed to say her name in a way that felt both as intimate as a caress and as threatening as a wolf about to pounce.

He loosened his grip enough for her to turn and face him. In the dim light of the moon she could still see him, her memory filling in the gaps. He was just as imposing and beautiful as he had been when last she saw him.

“This is not a game of hide and seek. You’re not supposed to find me.”

“You ran, I followed. Is that not a game of chase?” He arched an eyebrow at her.

How could someone that she claimed and truly believed she hated still be so attractive?

“It’s a very fun game called leave me alone!”

“Then why are you still standing this close to me?” That’s when she realized that while they had been talking he had actually fully let go. There was far more space between her and the wall than between the two of them.

Despite her whole being protesting, she pulled away. Maybe it was just in her head but he almost seemed resigned, as if he had expected her to do that. She hated these power games. Without giving her plan a second thought she stepped closer, even closer than she had been before. She barely saw his surprise before he masked it with indifference.

She hated that most of all. When she had first run away with Mal she had thought she knew who she wanted. He was her childhood best friend and the Darkling was the Black Heretic. It was an obvious choice at the time. Now with him standing in front of her it didn’t seem all black and white anymore.

There was a time not long ago where she had almost thought she loved him. Maybe it was wrong of her but it had been a long time since she had actually enjoyed spending time with Mal. By the time they got home they were both too tired to even be anything other than irritated and tired.

“So, did you have a plan for when you got here or were you just planning on scaring the shit out of me in an alley?”

“Well I had planned on killing your tracker friend first but I figured you wouldn't want to see me if I did that.”

“You thought right.” Alina responded, she hadn’t even thought about the possibility that Mal might be dead.

Taking a half step closer she asked him another question, “What did you have planned after that?”

That close to him the only thought in her mind at the moment was the kiss they had shared before she found out who he actually was. It had haunted her sleepless nights long after she found out the truth. The intensity, the passion. It still managed to take her breath away.

Somewhere not far from where they stood, Mal was alone and probably getting ready for bed and here Alina was about to kiss someone else.

Her eyes flicked down to his lips. Would it really be so bad if she kissed him?

Maybe it was fate or maybe it was luck but the decision was made for her. Some traitorous part of her yelled for her to stop this but she couldn’t help it. Her hands flew up into his hair of their own accord, pulling him further into her. Kissing him wasn’t quite how she remembered it. No, it was better.

He pushed her backwards until her back was pressed up against the wall. The chill of the bricks seeped through her clothes but she couldn’t feel it. All she could feel was him, his body, and how it felt against her own. Pulling away to gasp, she kissed him once more, tilting her head at a different angle. His hands had settled on her hips, not wanting any separation between their two bodies. Maybe it wasn’t the right place for this but neither of them cared.

He allowed one of his hands to drift down her leg, pulling it up with a hand on her thigh. His hand stole beneath her cloak and up to the waist of her pants. His other hand moved to do the same, lifting her other leg too. Taking the hint, she wrapped her legs around his waist. She couldn’t get enough of him. And nor could he.

Shifting his focus, his lips left hers, making their way from behind her ear down her neck. Tilting her head back up at the sky, all she could see was a few stars blinking down on them. He nipped lightly along her neck, making her breathing even heavier.

Somewhere in the distance a clock rang, ripping Alina out of her thoughts. Mal was probably wondering where she was. She didn’t owe him anything, not anymore. It hadn’t taken them long after they had left together to decide to not be together anymore. Romantically, that was. They were friends and always would be but it had been time to come to terms with the fact that they no longer liked each other like that. Not how they used to.

Shoving at his chest she found her footing. She should leave now if she wanted to get some sleep. Turning away, she started walking away from what she knew she would somehow convince herself in the morning was a dream.

"Come with me.” He called out after her.

“What?” she asked in disbelief, facing towards him again.

 “I’m leaving at dawn. I have a ship that will take me wherever I wish to go. There is room for one more, if you want.”

“I…” She hesitated. More than anything she wanted to say yes but she couldn’t. She couldn’t leave Mal without even a goodbye. Alina owed him that at least.

“You have until sunrise tomorrow to make your decision. I’ll be waiting.” He said that last bit with promise, as if he personally was going to wait for her with bated breath on the deck until the sun was peeking over the horizon, heralding in a new day.

She smiled, and turned to walk home.

When she crept in all she could hear was snoring. There he was, sleeping away without a concern. He hadn’t even been worried enough to stay up until she got home. After changing into something a little more comfortable for sleep and then bundling herself in everything else, she went to sleep.

------------------------------

When she awoke, Mal was already gone. She wondered whether he was already by the port. Maybe he had seen the ship and the Darkling. Perhaps it was for the best. Now she could just write him a note for when he got back.

Dear Mal,

I know that we promised to always have each other's backs no matter what but I can’t stay here, working in that place. I found a ship that’s willing to take me if I leave today. I wanted to say this in person but this will have to do. Goodbye Mal.

I promise that I will try to write whenever I land.

Alina.

Leaving it in an obvious spot, she gathered her things and stuffed it all in a bag. Wrapping her cloak around her shoulders, she took one last look at the place she had been calling home for the last few months. She wouldn’t miss it. At least that’s what she told herself. She would miss the memories she had made here with Mal, nothing else.

Walking through the village, careful not to get lost, she made it on the dock just as the sky started to lighten. Already she could hear the bustle of everyday life. Scanning the ships, her eyes eventually caught on one in particular. A dark figure standing on the deck. There he was, waiting. Her heart lightened with hope. She had made it in time, he had actually waited.

She climbed up onto the ship and approached him.

“You made it.” The way he said it seemed disinterested but she caught a faint glimmer of relief in his eyes.

“Did you doubt I’d come?”

“Of course not.”

She took another step closer and then she was in his arms, kissing him. They were still there in each other’s embrace when the ship undocked, the rising sun lighting up the sky.

[ekbelsher]

She was not a lynx or a spider or even the Wraith. She was Inej Ghafa, and her future was waiting above. Climb, Inej. (for the @litjoycrate Six of Crows box set)

[mysticmiav]

Back to back SOC art? Yeah!

Saw these amazing crow ear cuffs (by Orem Craft ! ) and HAD to draw Inej wearing them!🗡

[wingedshadowfan]

friendly reminder that alex canonically spent the summer rummaging through the cabinets of the il bastone armory because it made her feel close to darlington while he was gone

[captainsvscaptains]

Battle of the Captains Quarterfinals 3

No antipropaganda on my polls please

Propaganda

Inej (propaganda by @paul-hectus ) : She was kidnapped from her family when she was very little and brought oversea to become an unwilling sex worker when she was FOURTEEN. She is an amazing acrobat and skilled with knives. She's also a great friend and deeply devoted to her saints. The boy she is in love with got her freedom, knives and her ship. Now she kills and hunts slavers❤️

Picard's the captain of the USS Stargazer NCC-2893, USS Enterprise NCC-1701-E and USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D

[msbrightsides]

Am I the only one who’s pissed that the Leigh Bardugo event at Yale is already full after not even 30 minutes? I can’t even get on the waitlist for the talk even though I’m going to BE IN New Haven. A placeI planned to TRAVEL TO for this event!!! I know all the Yale kids must’ve filled it up and that’s so frustrating honestly. I get it but also what the fuck.

[yasyassie]

wdym this is not a song about Nikolai Lantsov??? See, I was born the second child With a spirit running wild, running free And they saw trouble in my eyes They were quick to recognize the devil in me See, I was born a restless child And I could hear the world outside calling me And Heaven knows how hard I tried But the devil whispered lies I believed

[princessmacabre]

day 6/100 days of productivity

these last two days I struggled so much with my depression and anxiety… I feel a tiny bit better now and will go to sleep early. I hate feeling like I didn’t do anything, but I need to remind myself that a little goes a long way and even doing the minimum is something to be very proud of in my condition and circumstances. For all those struggling with anxiety, depression and PTSD as well: I feel you and I hope you’ll feel better soon and that you’ll find the peace you’re longing for ❤️‍🩹

finished reading through Unit 3 of my module and preparing the last 4 tasks I need to do

lots of house cleaning yesterday & today (we celebrated my youngest sisters birthday belated, but she was sooo happy and the food was so good too)

did some drawing

booked my zoom place for the "Yale Library Book Talk: Leigh Bardugo" streaming on Saturday. I was sooo f**king excited and still am and am soo much looking forward to it. By then, I will have uploaded all of my coursework portfolio and applied learning archive and met successfully my deadline (manifesting game strong)

… and I even got some fresh air…

ps: these are the peonies my younger sister gifted my youngest sisters. They are my favourite flowers and so freaking pretty…

take care xoxo