#ravkan alphabet

[officiallydriedkelp]

Throwback to a year ago when I decided to learn an alphabet from a silly little YA series

The bottom right reads "Learning the Ravkan Alphabet"

[she-posts-nerdy-stuff]

Literally nobody ever in any place or any time:

My brain in the middle of the night:

Inej’s POV chapters and experiences as described through other characters highly suggest that Suli is a spoken language only, not a written one. It would make sense for Suli to be a spoken language only, because the Suli people have little cause to write to each other since they travel together and the groups and families they travel with would appear to be the people they have contact with the most. Inej is fluent in both Suli and Ravkan, which makes sense since she primarily grew up in Ravka - with some of the roads her family travelled taking her through Northern Shu Han, but not very often. Following the assumption that the Suli people originated from Ravka, which the descriptions of both Inej and Zoya’s backgrounds would suggest, the need for the Suli people to speak Ravkan is apparent: they may have existed as a secluded and separate people to the Ravkan population, but over time as both cultures changed and evolved it became necessary for at least a certain level of integration - common with most cultures in our history. It appears that most Suli people are fluent in Suli and Ravkan, whilst very few Ravkan people can speak Suli. This highlights the common racism and prejudices against the Suli that are highly institutionalised in the country, particularly emphasised by Inej’s apprehension to meet members of the Ravkan government in Crooked Kingdom. Inej is also fluent in Kerch, and this is the language she primarily uses in Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom to communicate with the Crows, since it’s the one language they all share. However, what’s important to note here is that she cannot read Kerch - or at least she couldn’t before joining the Dregs; since she writes notes to Kaz she has presumably learnt to in more recent years. When she is first sold to the Menagerie, we as the reader know that she has at least some understanding of Kerch because she knows what Tante Heleen is saying, and even if she wasn’t fluent at the time she would pick the rest of the language up quickly over the course of a year, and is able to communicate easily and fluently with Kaz when they meet. What she does say at this time, when she would appear to be fluent in spoken Kerch, is that she cannot read it. She tells Kaz that she couldn’t read the contract Heleen made her sign, and when he shows it to her she is still unable to - he explains it to her in terms of the numbers, which she can understand (that links to a interesting theory about their alphabets and numerical systems, but is a bit of a tangent right now). For most people, learning another language relies on writing it down and learning to comprehend words written on the page before entering open conversation, but Inej has clearly learnt by speaking and listening instead; indicative that this is how she learns in her native tongue. Kaz also promises that she will be able to read her contract with the Dregs, and for that he has it written in Ravkan. Not Suli, Ravkan. Now yes, we did previously establish that few people outside the Suli community learn the language - in fact a student at the little palace in the first Shadow and Bone book calls it a ‘dead language’ - but the fact that Kaz was willing to track down a Ravkan translator (we know he is monolingual) in a city with such a low Ravkan population (as confirmed by Nina’s experience in little Ravka in Crooked Kingdom) suggests to me that if it could have been written in Suli, Kaz would have been willing to track down a Suli translator for her.

[applecidersstuff]

Have you ever thought that Wylan may be able to learn any other language and be able to read?

It is slow, yes, it's hard and after some time the words start to shiver, but he's able to make out at least some amount of information from the text.

I couldn't find any examples of letters in Zemeni, Suli, Fierdan, or Kaelish but the Kerch alphabet that I found sent me into a literal coma. I mean, have you seen it?! No wonder Wylans dyslexic ass saw spiders and bugs when looking in those books! those letters look like spiders and bugs!!!

Knowing that Fierdan was based on one of the Scandinavian languages I may guess it has the alphabet that we are used to. So it might be possible for Wylan to read it at least a bit. I am not saying that he SHOULD be able to read, no, but I don't think that he's unable to read entirely, and it's quite possible he can read Fierdan.

It said in Crooked Kingdom that Wylan tried to write and read but dropped that idea after seeing the disappointment on his father's face when he stuttered.

Imagen Wylan listens to Inej talk in suli to her parent and wonders if he could try to learn it. Imagen Inej catches him using his poor knowledge of ravkan to talk to her parents and realize what he'd been doing.

Imagen Inej teaches Wy suli when she comes back from her voyages and when he couldn't do something she'd tell him how Kaz was teaching her Kerch, and how annoyed he was every time she demanded he teach her more and more.

One day when Kaz visits, Inej agitates Wylan to try to read something, as she believes Kaz is a good influence on him(Jesper and Nina strongly disagree).

Wylan starts to quietly read some book he stole from Inej the day before and not the one she offered. This one was harder than the one Inej found, mostly because of the font but also because he didn't know some words.

He sits on the couch next to Kaz who watches Jesper and Inej argue over something unimportant regarding Nina's wedding, Hanne stands next to them having no idea what is going on because in a few long years of their friendship Jesper and Inej somehow taught each other suli and Zemeni(or at least some parts of them) and now were having an argument in a wild mixture of Suli, Zemeni and Kerch. Seating next to Wylan and Kaz on the couch is Nina, she looks as confused as Hanne, although shouldn't be as she knows all three of those languages.

When he starts to read out loud Wylan feels his heart beating so fast he thinks it might jump out of his chest, but he doesn't stop. It takes some time for Nina and Kaz to notice him. First, it is Kaz, he turns his head slightly, watching Wylan through his prereferral vision, but as he slowly realizes what Wylan is doing he fully turns his head. Wylan doesn't look up, he doesn't want to see that look of disappointment he had seen on his father's face so long ago.

Next, it's Nina, she turns to see what Kaz is looking at and sees Wylan clutching a book with a name written in suli. when she listens, She hears Wylan talk in suli and realizes that Wyan is reading. Very slow as if he was struggling to push every word out of his mouth.

When he, how it sounded, finishes a page he looks up. Inej has the widest, proudest, smile he had ever seen on her. Jesper seemed to still be putting the pieces in place but when he did his face had the weirdest spawn of emotions. Nina looked shoked and happy at the same time. But what surprised Wylan the most was Kaz. His jaw what you'd call " dropped" he was looking at Wylan with round eyes and for a moment Wylan thought Kaz had wanted to hug him. Then he smiled. It was the widest smile Wylan had seen from him.

None of them seemed disappointed at him.

None of them were.

[allegra-writes]

"Starstruck"

Original gifs by @kamillahn

Aleksander Morozova x Reader

NSFW

Warnings: Praise kink, size kink, mentions of semi public sex, bit of a choking kink, bit of manipulation (come on guys, this is the darkling here), mild self esteem issues.

After a night of drinks with friends in a strange country, you let a tall, dark and handsome stranger take you home. The next morning, you discover you slept with a super star.

MY MASTERLIST | BUY ME A DRINK

You tried not to make a sound as you scouted the bedroom for your underwear. The early morning glow filtering through the blinds that in your enthusiasm you had failed to close, provided you with barely enough light to find your sparkly dress, but your cream colored panties, so close in shade to the plush carpet under your feet, were another thing completely. Giving up, you sighed, getting up from the floor. It was useless, the panties were probably as ruined as the torn thighs in your hands anyway. Tall, dark and handsome please-call-me-Sasha had been very thorough in his wreckage of you the night before.

Leaving such a path of destruction behind was apparently, exhausting, because said man was currently snoring softly, hugging his pillow, looking far too innocent for someone who had done such wicked things to you in that very same bed -not to mention the elevator, or the ride home, or the bathroom bar before that- not even a handful of hours ago, and far too beautiful for your poor heart. Tearing your eyes away from that angelic sight was almost as hard as tearing yourself from his arms five minutes before, but you forced yourself to do it. He wasn't yours to keep, and though he had been very passionate about you last night, who knew what his reaction to you would be in the harsh light of day.

You told yourself it wasn't cowardice, you simply would rather to keep your memory of him and your perfect one night stand like that, perfect than have it tainted by the regret in his face when he woke up to... well, you. You also told yourself it wasn't a self esteem issue either, you considered yourself an average, moderately attractive woman. The thing was, he wasn’t moderately attractive. He was drop dead, hollywoodesque, carved by the gods cliché level of hot.

Yes, better to save yourself and him the awkwardness of the morning after and leaving before he woke up. Besides, you had a day full of bridesmaid duty ahead of you, the sooner you could get back to your hotel, the better.

If only you could find your other boot...

And maybe a hoodie or something to borrow, you didn't mind (much) the walk home in last night's dress, but you didn't really fancy to freeze in the glaciar air of Ravkan early spring mornings either. 

It looked like divine providence when you located both items in the reading nook by the window, all you needed to do was navigate around Sasha's side of the bed without waking him, and the task didn't seem a difficult one, considering all you had to do was walking barefoot on a very plushy rug to the other side of the room. In a couple of seconds, your treasure was within reach and you were bending down to grab your elusive left boot, grey knitted hoodie already in hand, when you saw it.

There, greater than life, staring right back at you through the windowpane from a gigantic billboard across the street, was your one night stand's face. Sure, the hair was longer, darker and the beard was thicker but there was no possible mistake, no chance of it being a simple, if uncanny, resemblance. Not when that face sported the same cupid's bow, the same onix eyes, hell, the same freaking beauty mark under his left eye. And it was really dramatic too, his tall figure, all clad in black in medieval period clothes, huge green characters against a dark background announcing "Aleksandr Morozov is The Dark One". Your limited knowledge of the Cyrillic alphabet prevented you from reading the name of the movie but one thing was clear: This wasn't a small or independent production, this was big, this was mainstream, a lot of money had to be involved for such a massive sized campaign. And for him to be the focus of it, for his name, albeit unknown to you, to be advertised like that, as big as the name of the movie, it could only mean that his name had weight, that it was as important as the movie or show they were promoting. 

You had slept with a freaking movie star. 

Suddenly, the luxury surrounding you was so conspicuous, so glaringly obvious you wondered how you hadn't noticed before. The soft hoodie in your hands was high quality cashmere, the luscious carpet under your feet probably real fur, the books lining the bookshelves, precious first editions. 

Jesus, had the opulent car that had taken you there the night before been his car, his chauffeur instead of an Uber ride like you had originally thought?

You were so stunned, so lost in thought, you didn't even notice your date was awake, until a hand shot through the air, quick as a whip, catching your wrist. 

In two movements, you were flat on the bed, sleepy, irresistibly disheveled, completely naked Aleksandr Morozov hovering over you.

"Where do you think you're going, malyshka?" 

In complete disconnect from your still short circuiting brain, melting twice over because he was there, so handsome and so close -and had you mentioned, naked?- you opened your mouth. 

"You're famous" 

A beat of silence. Then two. Until he finally grinned, easy and charming and handsome as the devil. 

"I am. Is that a problem?" 

He said it casually, smirk still firm on his face, but his eyes betrayed him. There was something guarded, something almost sad about them then, something that made your gut twist with guilt, your cheeks heat with embarrassment. 

"No, of course not!" You scoffed, searching for the right words to reassure, to comfort. 

But he was already over it, if the way he dived to kiss your neck was any indication, as the hand not braced against the mattress stroked the contours of your body, skimming the side of your breast, caressing the curve of your hip, splaying on the outside of your thigh, down and down until his fingers found your knee, hooking on the back of it to bend your leg around his slim hips as they pushed your thighs apart. 

"I- I have to go…" You stammered as his hand found its way to the inside of your thigh. 

"Do you, now?" Was that amusement in his voice?

“Yes. Ana, my friend, is getting married the day after tomorrow and I can't just bail on her when-” He swallowed the rest of your sentence, kissing you, open mouthed and slow, managing to make it dirty and sweet at the same time. Sensual. 

You couldn't remember anyone kissing you quite like that before, with such artistry, such abandon. As if the kiss wasn't a preamble or a means to an end, but a sexual act in and of itself. 

“You taste like my toothpaste” He growled into your mouth, before slipping his tongue past your lips again, chasing the flavor, hips undulating against yours so languidly, so softly, you doubted he was even aware he was doing it. 

You hated yourself for ending the kiss even as your lungs burned from lack of oxygen, but as you broke it and let air fill your lungs, so did your head fill with clarity and you remembered the long day of bridesmaid duty you had ahead of you.

“Im sorry, I really am” You lamented, sincerely, “I'd love nothing more than staying and spending the morning with you, but I really have to go”

Aleksander didn't seem to hear it, though, staring intently at you, index finger tracing the line of your brow, the bridge of your nose, your cheekbone, as if trying to commit your face to memory. 

“Sasha? Sasha! Are you even listening to me?”

Aleksander shook his head,

“Sorry” He didn't sound sorry at all, “It's just, you are truly beautiful in the daylight”

You felt your cheeks get warm again, so you buried your face against his neck, the way his breath hitched not escaping your notice. So, his neck was sensitive, interesting.

No, you couldn't let yourself get distracted again. You had to return to your life, had to get out of there before things could get any further. It was one thing to sleep with the sexiest man you had ever met under cover of darkness, with alcohol blurring his perception and your inhibitions. To let him fuck you completely sober in broad daylight was an entire different beast. 

“I mean it, Sasha, I have to go”

He let his whole body weight fall on you, trapping you under him. 

“I'm afraid I can't let you go, malyshka” He replied, not looking at you anymore, focused instead on the place where his hands were pushing up your already short dress till it was indecently bunched around your hips. 

“Why not?” You questioned, even as you let his fingers slide between your legs, find the wetness already seeping there for him. He didn't comment on your lack of underwear, which made you suspect he knew exactly what had happened to your panties and their whereabouts. 

"Because" He started as his index and middle fingers grazed your slit, coating them on your slick before coming up to rub circles on your clit, a rhythmic, electrifying friction sending sparks up your abdomen in record time, "I'm supposed to be dating my co-star, and as much as I like this pretty little dress of yours, if a paparazzi or a fan sees you leave my house in it, we'll both be in big trouble…" 

Your hand was on his wrist in an instant, trying, inefficiently, to halt his movements.

"Wait, you have a girlfriend??"

“It's not real, moya malyshka” He appeased, soothingly petting your head in a deeply patronizing gesture, “it's all make believe, publicity for the show”

Offended by his condescension, you batted the hand still patting your hair away, but he chose that moment to breach your entrance, just barely, only burying his fingers to the first knuckle, yet enough to send a wave of pleasure through your lower belly. 

“I'm only asking you to have a little patience,” You tried to focus on his words but it was really hard when he kept teasing your entrance like that, penetrating you less than an inch at a time and withdrawing his fingers again, only to caress your labia, your slit, your clit with a butterfly's wing pressure. “Just wait here until I can call my assistant to bring you some casual clothes, so if someone sees you leave here, at least it won't be so obvious you spent the night…” He rolled your clit between the pads of his fingertips then, making your eyes roll back. “Just a couple of hours, what do you say, pretty girl? I promise I'll make it worth your while…”

It did sound like a logical course of action, you were sure that made sense, or as much sense you could make of something with his hands driving you to distraction like that.

“Just… just a couple of hours?” It was pretty early anyway, your friends would probably sleep till noon, nursing their own hangovers, they wouldn't even notice your absence.

“Just a handful of hours” He brought his thumb to the mix, ghosting it over your most sensitive nub of nerves.

“Oh… ok” You sighed, giving in.

“There's a good girl” You could hear the smirk in his voice but couldn't find it in yourself to care, not when he rewarded you by burying his fingers inside you to the hilt wasting no time in starting to pump them in and out, thumb rubbing at your clit expertly, multiplying your pleasure to eleven right then and there. He seemed to relish in the noises leaving your throat, whispering praises in your ear, sending goosebumps down your spine. “That's it, just like that, let me take care of you. I can make it good for you… let me make it good for you…”

“Yes…”

His strokes changed then, exploring, searching your tight, wet heat for something. You knew the moment he found it because sparks exploded behind your eyelids, making you whimper and moan, and writhe. He pinned your hips to the bed with his other hand, keeping you in place as he intensified his assault, picking up the pace. 

It was almost embarrassing, how quickly you had become such a mess in his hands. 

"So beautiful… so responsive… God, you're perfect" 

You had never been one for praise kink, but his words in that voice, so deliciously husky with desire, was doing something to you. Something that obliterated your brain function better than any drink ever did. 

"Yeah, just like that… ride my hand just like that, looks so sexy… Fucking sexiest thing I have ever seen…" 

You had no idea when you had started following the movements of his fingers with your hips but you were glad he liked it; you didn't think you could stop if you tried, you were too close, too far gone.

"Wanna see you ride my cock just like that… think you can do that for me, malyshka?"

You nodded not really processing his words, you would have done anything he asked of you at that moment, that was why it was so disorienting to suddenly find your positions reversed, with him laying on the bed on his back, and you manhandled until you were straddling his lap.

"Are you ready for it, malyshka?"

A quick look down told you you weren't. Objectively, you knew you had already managed it the night before, but you hadn't seen it. Now, faced with the dimensions, the sheer girth of the appendage he called his dick, you froze.

Obviously, Aleksander noticed your hesitation.

"I know, printsessa, I know. It's too big for you isn't it?" 

You felt yourself nodding, eyes drawn back to where his hand was stroking his length leisurely. You had the distinct impression he was showing off for you. Bastard. 

"But you can take it, I know you can. You took it so well last night…" There it was again, that damned praising that made you want to do anything he said, fly yourself to the moon and back, only to get to hear that sinful voice call you a good girl again. So you let him notch the flared head of his cock to your entrance but didnt push inside, letting you take control, take your time, which you were grateful for because the stretch of his tip alone felt like almost too much, soaked and eager as you were.

You lowered yourself slowly, feeling every inch, every ridge and vein, watching in satisfaction as his eyes rolled back inside his head, as his hands flew to your asscheeks like he needed the purchase. Like he was as affected as you were. The little groans leaving his mouth motivated you to keep going whenever the strain threatened to be too much, until you were sat flush to his pelvis. You took a moment, then, as much to get used to him, to the feeling of being filled to the brim by his massive cock, as to center yourself. 

When you finally felt ready to start moving, you opened your eyes to find him staring up at you, slack-jawed, as if awestruck, as if he couldn't believe such a tight fit either. Rocking your hips just a little proved enough for his mouth to fall open completely, the most pornographic sound you had ever heard resonating through the room and searing itself onto your brain.

This man was going to be the death of you. 

“Just like that… fuck, you feel so good”

You wanted to tell him the same, wanted to tell him how incredible his cock felt inside of you but your voice was stuck in your throat, mouth open, fixed in a silent oh. Your silence didn't deter him though, because he kept whispering dirty nothings as your hips picked up their rhythm, hands grabbing at your thighs, your ass, your hips, everywhere he could reach that was unimpeded by your dress, adding fuel to the fire already burning low on your belly thanks to the maddening friction of his pubic hair scraping your sensitive clit as you rocked on top of him.

It wasn't enough.

To be stuffed full of him, to have his mesmerized attention, his hands on you. No, you were greedy, hungry. You wanted more. You wanted everything.

So you took the hem of your sequined dress and lift it over yourself, revealing all of your body to Aleksanders ravenous gaze. 

“Ara, moya malyshka… yes, take it all off!” Aleksanders hands flew immediately to your ribcage, traveling up to seize your breasts, squeezing the handfuls and making your head fall back in pleasure. “I knew youd look beautiful sitting on my cock, krasotka…”

“Sasha…” You managed to plead.

“Do you need something, malyshka?” 

You nodded.

“Do you need more? Do you need me to fuck you?”

“Yes” you were not above begging, “Sasha, please…”

He didn't reply with words, instead, he snaked an arm around your back, holding you to him as he sat up and started moving you up and down his cock one handed, the other cupping your face, holding you in place as he devoured your lips. Your own fingers searched, blindly, gripping at his dark locks, trapping him as much as he was trapping you, if only to have something to brace yourself against the slight sting of being stretched almost to your limit, the abrasion of his cock pistoning in and out of you, reaching deep, impossible deeper with every upward thrust. 

“Sasha…” You exhaled into his mouth, and he breathed it in, as drunk with passion as you felt, little moans in tandem with yours. 

You could feel it building already, every impact of his thighs against your ass, of his pubic bone against your clit hurtling you up higher and higher, a climb that almost frightened you, you weren't sure you would survive the fall.

But there was no stopping it, no way to fight it, not when Aleksander let go of your mouth just to lock his lips around one of your nipples, sucking and nibbling with far less skill, far less self control than he had shown as he fingers you open, biting on your little nub with enough force to hurt, to really send a sharp pang of pain that echoed through your body mixing and blurring with the pleasure until you didn't know which was which, until you didn't know if you wanted to lean into it or get away. 

The decision was made for you (or maybe there was never a decision to make) anyway, as his thrusts found that elusive little spot his fingers had already conquered before, and you were falling, abruptly and unprepared,  coming with such force you thought you'd might break apart, come undone at the seams, shattered by the force of an orgasm so powerful even Aleksander felt it, hissing at the vice like grip of your cunt strangling his cock as your climax rippled through you. 

"Fuck! Just like that, come all over my cock, Malyshka, give it to me, let me feel it…" 

You could tell he was close too, his movements faster, more erratic and found that you wanted it, wanted to feel him come inside you, feel him fall apart with you. 

So you reach out, wrapping your hands around his neck, and squeezed, crushing his pipeline, until his words were nothing more than an unintelligible wheezing, until his eyes widened and his face went red with lack of oxygen. 

Until you felt his cock pulsate inside you and the liquid warmth of his come paint your womb. 

You collapsed on the bed in a tangle of limbs, chest to chest, heartbeats pounding in unison, both shipwrecked by the intensity of what had just happened.

"You know," You panted, after a few minutes, "If your evil masterplan was using sex to stop me from leaving… it totally worked, I can't even move my legs'' 

His only response was a far too self satisfied laugh.

***

"Are you sure, Ivan?"

You were standing naked on the heated tiles of Aleksander's bathroom, tapping away on your phone as he ran a bath for both of you (you had insisted on a shower at first since it would have been quicker, but one glance at his colossal labradorite bathtub had obliterated all your resistance). The entire bridal party had watched you leave the impromptu Bachelorette's with "the Aleksandr Morozov lookalike" and were now demanding details, the dirtier the better. 

"... and there isn't anything you can do? Well, can't you ask Alina for help?"

That name you did know: Alina Starkova's face was everywhere, starring in the campaigns of every luxury brand from Bvlgari to Lancome. You simply had thought she was a new supermodel, up until half an hour ago you had no idea she was an actress, let alone Sasha's co-star and fake girlfriend. 

That you were absolutely not jealous of. No, if the name made you lift your eyes from your phone screen, it was mere interest. No pang of annoyance or anything else remotely unpleasant. That was ridiculous, you didn't even know the woman.

Aleksander was pacing the bathroom, as naked as you but somehow managing to still look regal af, even as he closed his eyes and pinched at the bridge of his nose in frustration. 

"Fine. No, seriously, it's ok…" the rest of his sentence was spoken in a ravkan so fast you had no hope of translating, but when he was done, he put his own phone away and turned to you.

"Was that your assistant?" 

"Yeah, Ivan" He confirmed, sighing, "I'm sorry, malyshka, but apparently there's a handful of paparazzi camping on my doorstep, I'll have to ask you to stay a little while longer while we figure out what to do about them" He sounded sincerely apologetic, "You don't have to say yes, of course, and I would never force you to stay, but you would really, really spare me a scandal if you do" 

You frowned, and his face fell even further.

"You keep calling me that, but I don't know what it means"

It was his turn to frown a little, in confusion, 

"What? Malyshka?"

You nodded. He smiled, just a little bit, taking a step towards you, into your personal space.

"It means 'babygirl'"

You scrunched up your nose,

"So what, I'm supposed to call you 'daddy' in return?" 

"Of course not," He replied, wrapping his arms around you, "just call me papa"

"Ugh, no way!" You batted away at his chest, but couldn't disguise the smile trying to break free. If it was a little goofy, well, no one had to know "I'm not calling you that, you dirty old man!"

"We'll see…" He shrugged, noncommittal, before bending to kiss your smirk off your face, "Wait, so, you're not mad?"

You shook your head, rising to your tiptoes to kiss him again.

"Nah, it just means we have more time in the bathtub" He hummed at that, hand on the small of your back traveling lower. "To wash!" You admonished. He didn't look chastised at all. "And after that… you can make me breakfast"

His smile was real this time, big and open.

"Of course, anything you want… Papa will give his malyshka everything she wants"

"Ew, stop!" 

His laughter filled the bathroom, and your heart, with warmth. 

The end?

[dedalvs]

I can't remember if you were in charge of the Ravkan alphabet as well, but any chance we could get a "Make me your villain" in the correct translation/characters?

I did, and you bet! That would be:

Pyele ma chayan drovnikan.

And this is what it would look like in the script:

Thanks for the ask!

[wqemzz-blog]

The Journey Home

Yes those are the canon Ravkan and Kerch alphabets on the posters behind them, good thing I don't have any Huge Life Changing Deadlines coming up soon that I should be worrying about instead :)

[avampiregf]

netflix gave us the ravkan alphabet like im not going to learn it and use it for secret messages

[wordspin-shares]

WIP Files Game

Thank you so much for the tag, @lamborghiniboyo! <3

Rules: post the names of all the files in your WIP folder regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them and then post a little snippet of it or tell them something about it! And then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

I'm not going to post everything, 'cause there's a lot of subfolders and files, and most of them are WIP-related, not the WIPs themselves!

--- characters in depth, desc & prompts folder ---

body language

charchart

facial expressions

gestures-bodylang

story plot, theme, goals

--- EIS folder ---

00.eis-new

01. names

idrin-answers

idrin-char-exploration

made-up words

-- Languages subfolder --

primitive elvish

westron

- Adunaic sub-subfolder -

adunaic dictionary

ni-bitha-adunaye

- Old English sub-subfolder -

introduction to old english

old english dictionary

- Quenya sub-subfolder -

from primitive elvish to quenya

quenya affixes

quenya course

quenya-english dictionary

- Sindarin sub-subfolder -

a gateway to sindarin

fifi's neosindarin

gondorian sindarin

prestanneth chart

sindarin-english dictionary

sindarin word reconstruction

-- worldbuilding subfolder --

3rd-4th age new reckoning correspondence

calendars

climate-gondor

climate-rohan

fanfic miles

healing

herbs

medieval weddings

mt-plan

--- GRISHAVERSE folder ---

daria-answers

daria charchart

politics

ravkan alphabet

thread of twilight

--- SPN folder ---

bunker locations

cc-studies

celia-answers

soundtrack options

tangents

t-playlist

--- TVD folder ---

fell's church-novels

fts

fts-plan

fts-playlist

fts-random-scenes

fts-trivia

mfhs

mf on map

tvd-eps

tvd-eps-done

--- TW folder ---

bh on map

gen-answers

gen-charsheet

paramedic

tw

tw-playlist

Tagging: @heirsoflilith, @stachedocs, @hughstheforcelou, @randomfandomingwrites, @starcrossedjedis, @anna-phora, @jinxsflame, @pondsocs, @notxjustxstories, @fanficanatic-tw, @heresthefanfiction, @deliahscrush2003, @bluebell-winter, and anyone else to join in the fun!

[lightfornight]

It's amazing how many languages you know! How/When did you learn them and how fluent are you in each of them? If you want to talk about that of course :)

Of course, I can talk about it ♡

So Polish is my native language so yeah, that's that.

English I was learning since kindergarten and I like to think I'm pretty fluent? Like 80-90%? But I also like to think that it came from fandom being mostly in english. I started developing more in that aspect when I couldn't really find good fanfictions in my language, when next seasons of various things weren't translated or I just wanted to play a rp game and there's none of that in my native language.

I was pretty obsessed with Italy and all that comes with it while I was in high school so I let myself be tortured by Duolingo Owl and some other course which name I cannot remember now. It went pretty well! I have troubles with finding words on my own (mostly choosing which grammar form), so speaking is hard but I can read aloud almost everything and understand from reading or hearing 70% of words or more.

Spanish I learnt in high school, we had classes with terribly strict teacher and I'm too ambitious for my own good so I really learnt a lot. I would say learning Italian alongside helped because they're pretty similar. (I also really wanted to understand and sing along to Shakira and Alvaro Soler so I had pretty good motivation haha)

My dad learnt Russian when he was in school and I found some of his notebooks so he taught me some things. I'm not very fluent, especially since Russian and Polish can understand each other languages if we try hard, so it's hard to tell how much I know and how much is just similar to my language. But I know quite a lot words and I learnt the alphabet because it's pretty.

We had German in middle school, so once more my ambition did not allow me to just let it go. I don't like the language but I do have pretty good memory so I remember the basic things we covered in school. Also @awkward-tortellini was obsessed and I had to hear all of that so that helped with storing it in memory haha But, yeah, just basic things

And Japanese was because I am an manga nerd too. And I wanted to sing along with Vocaloid and it's easier when you know what the hell they're singing about. I gave up pretty soon tho so I know only few phrases, few words and alphabet again beacuse it's pretty.

I also know exorcisms, lots if occult stuff and TONS of medical terms in Latin.

(And I memorized Gallifreyan, Enochiana and Ravkan alphabets because I adore writing down words [especially names] with silly signs, it brings me an immense amount of joy)

Sorry for a long answer I got a little carried away 😅

[malghra]

tenderest touch leaves the darkest of marks (3/3)

AO3 link

This is a bit of plot and then about 3k of smut (my first Darklina smut 😱). Rated E, but on the softer side.

A little explanation on Alina's underwear: she's wearing drawers, which are tied at the waist and have buttons running from the front to the back. My reasons for giving her this kind of underwear are 1) pseudo-historical accuracy, sort of, not really (though I did spend too much time doing research to find out what kind of underwear Alina would be wearing in fake 1800s Russia) 2) opportunities.

The Ravkan alphabet, for reference in the second half of the chapter. You'll get it when you reach that particular part.

Alina wakes up alone, and far from well-rested. She must have felt more tired than this in her life, what with her being sick all the time, but this is different. Trying to think about everything that has happened, it's hard to believe all of it occurred in one single night.

She realizes she's in his bed as soon as she opens her eyes, and with a quick glance around the room she learns that he isn't there. It gives her some sense of relief. She promised to show him, and knowing him, there is no chance that he'll forget. Her heart is in her throat as she imagines it. Whatever his reaction will be, there will be no turning back.

She is relieved that he wasn't waiting for her, she muses as she climbs out of the bed and sneaks out of his room to return to her own suite, where she asks for a bath to be drawn. She's relieved, but his absence has her aching. The feeling isn't new, it's something she's carried inside of her for her entire life, barely ever aware of it, never knowing it was him she'd been aching for.

Genya enters the bathroom with curiosity burning in her bright eyes and pursed lips. "You weren't here when I came in earlier," she says lightly. "And your bed hasn't been slept in," she adds more pointedly.

"That would be because I didn't sleep in it," she replies matter-of-factly, her fingers absentmindedly brushing her mark. Let Genya think what she will. She can't tell her the truth anyway. She glances up with a barely suppressed smirk, and then she sees Genya's ashen complexion, her red-rimmed eyes.

"What happened?" she whispers.

...

She dresses in the nightgown and robe she'd laid out before stepping into the tub, sliding a pair of soft slippers on her feet and marches back to his chambers. If this is something else he was intending to keep from her, she's going to find out.

She doesn't bother knocking, but pushes down the doorhandle and steps into the room, closing the door behind her and turning around again.

She freezes when she sees him, not because she's afraid, but because it takes every ounce of willpower not to throw herself into his arms. It's as if ever since she found out it was his name that is written on her breast, that pull she's been feeling has become irresistible. As if knowing has made it even stronger and nearly impossible to ignore.

"Alina." He says her name in a soft voice full of wonder, blinking as if he's seeing her for the first time, and it breaks her resolve.

She flings herself across the room, wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her face in his chest, clinging to him.

His body is stiff with surprise and his arms are awkward around her.

"Genya told me about Marie," she mutters into his kefta.

He relaxes around her, pulling her closer. "I wanted to spare you, last night," he murmurs. "We found the person who did this."

She inhales and exhales slowly, bracing herself against his solid chest. "What are you going to do to them?"

She can feel his hesitation before he answers, "We're still questioning him."

She tilts her head back to look up at his face. "But you'll punish him?"

"Obviously," he says calmly, his dark eyes hard.

She shakes her head. "Who did this? Why would they do this?"

His hand travels up her back and starts stroking her hair. "He was working for General Zlatan." There is a barely concealed tremor in his voice. Being so close to him, she easily recognizes it as rage. "Remember when I told you my enemies were more afraid of you than of me, and you didn't believe me? This is all the proof you need."

So this is all her fault. Poor Marie, did she realize the risk she was taking? Did anyone? Aleksander once told her the Little Palace was the most secure place in Ravka. They must have gone to great lengths to get in, just to find her and eliminate her.

"They all think I'm going to destroy the Fold," she realizes, aghast, "but apparently they don't want me to."

She pulls back so she can look at him. She half expects to find a grim but smug satisfaction on his face, but she can't read it.

She doesn't understand. She thought destroying the Fold would be the solution. She tried to see his point of view when he told her it wasn't last night, but she remained skeptical.

"You were right," she mutters. A quick flash in his eyes, a slight flare of his nostrils, that's all the reaction she's getting out of him, but she can practically feel the elation of triumph rolling off him.

"I did tell you I'm not in the habit of making a fool of myself," he reminds her.

Without thinking, she swats at his chest. He catches her fingers, sending a jolt of power and calm certainty through her body, but the corner of his mouth tugs up into a half-smile.

She can feel his sudden impatience. "You promised to tell me why you ran away."

"I promised to show you," she corrects him, stepping out of his embrace. She unfastens the sash of her robe and her hands curl into its lapels, but she can't force them to move. She purses her lips to hold back the smile that tugs at them when she sees the confusion in his features.

"I panicked," she reminds him. "I was so overwhelmed after..." she bites her lip, eyes travelling to the side of the map table he'd lifted her onto last night. "And after everything Baghra told me," she continues, "but most of all," she says, pushing the robe off her shoulders, letting it pool around her feet, both of her hands rising to cover her mark through the thin fabric of her nightgown, "I was overwhelmed because of this."

He shakes his head, eyebrows furrowing, even as his tongue darts out to wet his lips, eyes following her hands and the fall of her robe. "This? You're speaking in riddles now."

She takes a deep breath, her fingers clumsy as they fumble with the tiny satiny buttons of her nightgown. Her heart is beating in her throat when she folds back the fabric to reveal her mark to him.

He blinks once. After a short silence, he utters her name in a broken whisper. "Alina." His throat bobs, his eyes still glued to her mark. And then, "Alina," again, a low rasp.

He takes a step closer, and reaches out to touch the mark, glancing up to meet her eyes.

A gasp escapes from her throat as his fingertips brush over the red letters. Every single time he has touched her before felt so unreal, but this, this feels like the first warm and golden ray of sunlight in spring after a long winter.

"That felt nice," she mutters, inadequate as it sounds.

"Did it?" he asks, holding her gaze.

She nods. "Like a tingle, um..." She's suddenly so incredibly hot, and already too taut inside her own body. Her nipples have pebbled into hard peaks.

He repeats the motion, watching her face, and then brushes his knuckles over his name. She jerks away from him, her heart hammering in her chest.

He follows her, tracing the letters on her skin, as if he's trying to imprint them again. It's too much. He's quickly reducing her to a panting mess.

He arches an eyebrow, his eyes blazing with a fierce hunger. He licks his lips and his nostrils flare. "Do you want me to stop?"

"No," she confesses.

She believes he shivers when he groans, "My Alina."

"Saints," she whimpers as his calloused palm slides under her nightgown, making contact with her hardened nipple. "I want you, Aleksander."

He squeezes her breast, his other hand curls around the back of her neck and then he is kissing her.

It's everything it was the night before and more. Every pull of his lips, every nip of his teeth and every stroke of his tongue is feeding a fire inside of her. His hands are burning brands, seering her skin even through the thin fabric of her nightgown. Last night, she felt like she was drowning, now she's burning up, but she's desperate to be consumed by this fire.

She's not quite ready to trust him completely, but she can trust him with her body. She'll have to, this compulsion is too strong, too irresistible.

"My Alina," he groans again, hot breath fanning against her neck. He picks her up with  great ease, and she wraps herself around him as he carries her across the short distance to his war map to lift her onto it and insert himself between her legs. One of her slippers slides off her foot and falls to the floor with a thump.

"This feels familiar," he mutters, nudging her nose with his own, pulling her closer.

She hums in amused agreement as he nuzzles her cheek, the scratch of his beard grazing her skin as he pulls away and fixes her with burning black gaze. His kefta slides off his shoulders and hits the floor with a heavy thud as his hands come to rest on the neckline of her nightgown. "Off?" he growls.

She doesn't remember how to speak, so she just nods, an eager whimper escaping from her throat.

He lifts one hand, his middle finger trailing her bottom lip, his eyes following the movement. And then he lowers his hand again and rips her nightgown open all the way down the front, buttons flying everywhere.

"Hey!" she chides him. "I liked that!"

"I'll get you a new one," he mutters as his eyes drink her in. The hunger and adoration in his gaze bring a blush to her cheeks and make heat and wetness pool between her legs.

He splays his hand over her sternum, his palm warm against her skin and pushes her back, his other hand sweeping under her back before it hits the wood. He cups the back of her head as he lifts himself over her, covering her body with his own.

"You were made for me, Alina," he rumbles. "You cannot begin to comprehend how long I have been waiting for you."

His hot lips are on her neck, his hard erection is pressing into her blazing core through layers of fabric, and his beard and tunic are rough against her naked skin. There are too many sensations, and Alina feels as if she's had too much kvas. When her fingers find the hair at the nape of his neck, she twines them through the soft strands, pulling at them to ground herself, and he groans into the hollow of her throat.

As he starts sucking on her neck, a wave of panic crashes over Alina.

"Aleksander," she pants, and he grunts and sucks hard, pressing his tongue to her pulse point. There's a bit of pain, but the jolt shooting straight to her core is stronger.

"Say it again," he orders her.

"Aleksander," she whimpers, but then she finds her voice and addresses him more firmly. "Aleksander."

He appears to catch on to her mood and props himself up on his elbows, arching an eyebrow. "What's wrong, solnyshka?"

She licks her lips and stares up at him, opening her mouth, but no sound comes out. He leans down to nip at her chin.

"Tell me," he commands firmly.

"I don't have a lot of experience," she blurts out.

His brow furrows as he brushes his knuckles over her cheekbone. "Don't worry about that," he answers as he starts trailing kisses down her sternum. "I'll make this an experience for you."

He uses his fingers and lips and teeth and tongue to lavish attention on her breasts, taking his time. When his tongue traces the letters forming his name on her skin, Alina is sure she's about to burst out of her skin.

"I'm going to mark you all over," he announces, "to make sure no one will ever doubt that you belong to me."

His declaration gives her pause, the intensity of it almost frightening, but every fibre of her being is screaming yes, so she ignores that suspicious voice in the back of her mind.

His teeth graze her nipple and nibble. He sucks and nips, and she shudders at that novel, intoxicating mix of pain and pleasure. Her hands have found their place in his hair again, and she's starting to worry about possibly pulling it out when he suddenly veers up to stare down at her.

She moans at the loss of contact and props herself up to reach for him, her other slipper hitting the floor, but he grabs her hands and keeps them in a firm hold.

"Hush, solnyshka," he tells her, pulling her arms away from her body and placing her hands on the smooth wood of the table. "I'm admiring my work."

She twists her neck to find out that her right nipple has come to resemble a purplish sunburst. Her skin is reddish where his teeth and beard have grazed it.

"All mine," he rumbles as he trails one long finger down her stomach, over her navel, and still further down. He takes a moment to untie her drawers, and then his hand disappears under the waistband, into the coarse curls covering her sex. Her heart is beating violently, her breath coming in painful pants, and then the tip of his finger slips between her folds, brushing her clit, curling as it slides through her slick heat.

"Saints," she shudders, her fingernails digging into the wood.

"So wet for me," he croons, lifting his finger to his mouth, closing his lips over it, his eyes fluttering closed as he groans. "You taste like your light," he tells her.

Her cheeks burn, at his actions, or at his words, she isn't sure. She licks her lips and looks down, avoiding his face.

"Don't look away," he orders her.

When she glances up, he's kneeling between her legs, sliding his hands under her thighs to tug her closer to the edge of the table.

She wasn't lying when she told him she didn't have a lot of experience, so though she might have a fairly good idea of what he's about to do (she spent a decent amount of time in army camps after all), she doesn't exactly know what to expect, and it has her heart doing summersaults inside her chest, sparks of light flaring up under her skin as she watches him, her breath stuttering out of her.

A wicked grin spreads across his face as he looks up at her from between her splayed legs. He opens his mouth over the cloth that is still covering her cunt and breathes hot air into her core, making her whimper and shudder. Slowly and deftly, his eyes never leaving hers, he unbuttons her drawers, uncovering her.

His gaze leaves her face and his dark eyes blink slowly as they take in the sight he's revealed, before flicking back up as he tells her, "That pretty little cunt will be mine as well, soon."

He hooks her legs over his shoulders, holding her steady with one hand on her right hip. He starts lapping at her folds, lightly at first, parting her lower lips to tease his tongue around her clit, carefully avoiding direct contact. He licks and sucks and nibbles, dipping his tongue into her from time to time.

She sighs and moans, the sensation of his mouth on her already too much, but never enough.

"Please," she mutters.

"Say it!" he groans into her sensitive flesh, the vibrations rippling through her core.

"Please, Aleksander," she breathes, her eyes fluttering closed.

"Eyes on me, solnyshka," he reminds her.

The whimper that leaves her mouth is clearly one of frustration and he finally gives in. He closes his mouth over her clit and chuckles. Her hands fly up, twisting themselves into his soft, dark hair, sighing in relief as he finally brings the building tension inside of her to a crescendo, a steeply rising ascent instead of the rolling hills he kept her on earlier.

"Aleksander," she mewls. Every trace of shame has left her. She's grinding her cunt into his face, her toes curling into the fabric covering his back, her head lolling back against the table.

"Alina," he groans, "you're mine." His voice alone could be enough to unravel her, she thinks, more heated pleasure washing over her.

"Say it!" Ever the commander, it sounds like an order falling from his lips, but there's an edge of despair to it. "Tell me you're mine!"

"I'm yours!" It's not even half a lie or a reluctant confession. It's nothing but the simple truth she can no longer deny. "I'm yours."

He laps at her like he's been starving for years. "Mine." A single, simple word that coaxes more pleasure from her, but his voice almost breaks on it.

Her grip on his hair tightens, twisting them around her fingers and her hips buck forward involuntarily. He hums and sucks, and suddenly the tension snaps and the light bursts out of her as her orgasm crashes through her body in waves of ecstasy.

Before she's able to come down, his mouth is on her again.

"No," she objects, "no, I can't," trying to push him away, clenching her thighs to deny him access.

A jolt of power and desire surges through her as his hands enclose her wrists and pin her arms to the table. "You can," he growls. More gently, he pries her thighs apart, fingers brushing the insides, trailing closer to her cunt, raising goosebumps on her skin.

He flicks his tongue out and starts tracing intricate patterns with it on and around her clit. A single circle. Mirror curves. Another circle, but different, there's a loop at the end, she thinks.

A blunt fingertip nudges her entrance, and a long, thick finger slides into her. Saints, she's so wet for him. She mewls at the intrusion, but still finds herself vaguely wondering at what he's doing. She can't follow the next couple of shapes he traces, they're too complicated. There's another circle, but then more intricate ones again.

"Oh," she whimpers when his tongue traces a perfect Ravkan 'o' on her nub.

"You like that one?" he chuckles, crooking his finger inside of her, finding the exact right spot, and then adding a second one. Even as she quakes, the realization hits her. He vowed to mark her all over, and that's what he is doing. He's spelling out his name with his tongue.

Now that she's no longer questioning it, she can surrender to the feeling, and once she does, her second climax comes quickly, her cunt clenching around his fingers and her nub throbbing against his mouth as rainbows dance behind her closed eyelids, and a soft sobbing cry of his name escapes from her lips.

She slumps back and lets one hand slide out of his hair to cup his cheeks and he turns his head to press his lips to her palm, his beard wet and sticky against her skin.

He's pulling her up and into his arms then, brushing her sweaty hair back from her face with his dry hand, slanting his mouth over hers to kiss her. She can taste herself on his lips and tongue, and though part of her wants to shy away from the obscenity of it, she decides she doesn't care and kisses him back more hungrily. His grip on her tightens and he moans into her mouth.

"Bed," she manages to pant out between kisses.

"Bed," he agrees in a low growl, lifting her into his arms again, shadows dancing around them. Alina hardly has time to blink before she's lying on her back in Aleksander's bed. The black silk of his sheets is cool and soft against her skin, and it smells of him, she muses as she watches him remove his boots.

He climbs onto the bed, and offers her a slow and dangerous smile as he moves to brace himself over her. She can't help it, she feels her lips curve up into a smile of her own.

"This isn't fair," she complains when he lowers himself to cover her body with his own.

He arches a dark eyebrow. "What isn't?"

"You're still dressed," she points out.

"That can be remedied." He pushes himself up and off her, pulling his tunic over his head as he sits up. She only takes a moment to admire his shoulders and chest and the hard ridges of his stomach before she reaches for the buttons of his trousers, brushing her knuckles over the hard bulge straining against the black fabric.

"Alina," he groans as she unbuttons his trousers and slips her fingers into the garment to curl them around his thick, hot, velvety and considerable length. Together they get rid of his last piece of clothing, and Alina shoves her open drawers down her legs.

She reaches for him and clasps her hands over his elbows to drag him down on top of her. The sensation of so much of his exposed skin on hers is almost too much, but she needs him to get even closer.

"Eager, are we?" he teases her.

She doesn't care about coming up with a witty remark, she just nods and tilts her head up to capture his lips, but he hisses sharply as soon her tongue licks at the seam of his mouth.

"What's wrong?" she whispers.

He braces himself on his arms and twists his neck. "It felt like a knife slicing my skin."

"Where?" she whispers, eyebrows pulling together in worry.

"I can't see," he grunts. "It itches."

She wrenches out from under him and sits up, finding an angry red mark on his right arse cheek. As she leans in closer, she clasps a hand over her mouth but the giggle bursts through anyway. She extends a hand to brush her fingertips over the letters of her name, still looking as if they've been branded into his skin. The confused glare he gives her makes her laugh even harder.

"Looks like I've marked you as mine as much as you've marked me as yours." She puts a hand to his shoulder and pushes him back until he's lying on the bed, staring up at her. She braces her hands on his chest and swings a leg over his hips to straddle him, smiling down at him. "It's your mark," she tells him. "My name."

She reaches between their bodies to wrap her fingers around his cock and guide him to her entrance. Never averting her eyes from his face, she takes her time, slowly sinking down as she takes him in, and when he's finally fully sheathed inside of her, she moans at the feeling of being filled by him, nearly drowning out the sound of his gasp.

"You're mine, Aleksander Morozova," she sighs as she rolls her hips.

"Alina," he groans, his hands sliding up her thighs as reverent eyes roam over her body.

"You're mine, and I'm yours," she promises him, taking his hand and placing it over the mark on her breast, holding it there with her own. All Alina has ever wanted is someone to belong with, a person to call her own. She won't let anything take that away from her.

[darkling-er]

Here is the Ravkan alphabet, for all you fellow grishas.

[king-lopen]

Learning Ravkan pt 1

Wrote out a guide to the alphabet a few days ago and have been practicing since! Here are a few of my favourite examples:

Corporalki (written as Korporalki)

Na razrushaya. E'ya razrushost.

Mostly working on getting the alphabet memorised currently! Might open requests for Ravkan calligraphy like the first image if people are interested.

[thelavendercrows]

My Review of Netflix’s Shadow and Bone! (show-only watchers beware, I spoil minor stuff about the books)

So! Shadow and Bone came out - og book fans will know it depicts the story of the first instalment of the Shadow and Bone trilogy, along with new unseen prequel content for Six of Crows. Some things are intentionally shifted around, especially in terms of timeline and who meets who, but if I had to quickly summarise my thoughts: THAT WAS SO GOOD! Sorry in advance if this review is absolutely incomprehensible!!!

Part 1: Characters

Alina - making her more assuredly half-Shu seemed to work, though I can’t speak on the topic as I am a pasty bitch. Otherwise, Alina remained largely the same and I’m here for it - she was already a pretty interesting protagonist imo. Nothing but love for Jessie’s performance, I loved seeing Alina’s growing confidence though I wish there were more training scenes. 

Mal - they made him so much more interesting. Archie brought a lot to the character, and even though seeing Mal get fucked up every episode was a tad repetitive, I think it made him far more sympathetic and actually showed us that awful suffering he mentioned in the first book. Seeing his close friends die was just an incredibly powerful scene, and Malina feels a lot stronger with Mal being a more rounded character.

The Darkling - just because I dislike Darklina doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy the Darkling as a character. While I dislike that he revealed his true name so casually, that he and Alina seemed to fall for each other so quickly (I liked it better in the book because she had more training scenes, indicating more time had passed for their relationship to develop), and that they removed “the problem with wanting is that it makes us weak” line, I do enjoy Ben’s portrayal of the character. He was rendered a little pathetic by the Crows, but I do love the Crows so I’ll excuse it. Where his character really shined is with the flashback scenes and his interactions with Baghra. I’m very interested to see what they do with him next. 

Kaz - a lot of people have said Kaz is a lot softer than we’re used to. I agree, but it makes sense. Kaz was that mean but well meaning leader at the start of Six of Crows - he was only made harsher as he was forced to confront his traumas, and go on a difficult heist. Also, I think it gives a bit of context to why he and Inej end up having feelings for each other. We know in the books that they worked closely together for a long time, but actually seeing those moments makes all the difference. Freddy did an amazing job showing Kaz’s rough exterior battling his inner demons.

Inej - amazing, 10/10, can’t applaud Amita enough. I’m not sure about the choice to give Inej a brother? It could cause more grief later but it’s another weirdly jarring difference from the book. However! Inej was done perfectly in the show in my opinion. We see her stealth, knife and acrobatic skills, we see her initial horror at taking her first kill (amazing scene) and her motivations and religious beliefs are not ignored in favour of pairing her off with Kaz immediately. I do wish they kept Kaz gifting her that knife instead of Alina though. I always wanted to see that scene.

Jesper - DID YOU MEAN STAR OF THE GOD DAMN SHOW? Normally a comedic relief character has me rolling my eyes, but it makes all the difference that Jesper actually has troubles and flaws and motivations and HILARIOUS DIALOGUE. I love him. Kit Young did such a good job, he played Jesper perfectly and I also love the foreshadowing of Wylan’s appearance! Love love love Jesper. A+. Also he is bisexual look at him go!!! Representation!!!

Others: NINA AND MATTHIAS ARE AMAZING!!! ENEMIES TO LOVERS A+ EVEN IF THE TIMELINE IS ALL WEIRD. David and Genya. My loves. Perfect. A+ as well. Nadia, amazing. Very gay. Not sure why they killed Marie off like that. Pekka is scary but why did they make him kinda hot? Milo is my hero. I would die for Fedyor. ZOYA?? That is not my Zoya. Why did they make her say something racist to Alina when she herself is mixed race. Zoya would never. But all the actors did a great job even if the characters were a little different. 

Part 2: Plot

The rest of these parts should be shorter. So, the plot is mostly the same in terms of Shadow and Bone, but the stuff for the crows is all new and some parts of the story were changed to include them. While the crows on their own were amazing, I think the parts where they interacted with the Shadow and Bone cast felt forced and added some good moments at best, or actively damaged other characters at worst. For instance, Inej witnessing Alina was amazing. But Kaz outsmarting the Darkling, while it made sense, just lessened the Darkling as a threat. Otherwise I think everything was really good! The new Crows stuff was brilliant on its own, even if Nina and Matthias’ story was moved forward I still adored it, and Shadow and Bone stayed loyal enough to the books in terms of plot to remain engaging.

Part 3: Worldbuilding

My main concern about the show was how they would handle the language differences, but they did a great job. Like, they had Fjerdans speak in their own language, they made a new alphabet for Ravkan? I think they know what they’re doing. Seeing the Crows and the Shadow and Bone cast communicate in the same language didn’t really make sense but that’s just a nitpick.

Also, all the settings look amazing. Not much to say, they’re just great.

Part 4: Effects

Music, perfect, visuals, great (the volcras look amazing but Alina’s light power looked a little...fake), costume design and props, best I’ve ever seen. Enough said.

Part 5: Final thoughts

When a book is adapted into a show or film, I usually just assume that it will serve its purpose, maybe be a little frustrating or terrible at worst, and go. Shadow and Bone though, it adapts the books faithfully while still including worthwhile changes. It isn’t perfect, but it comes close. I imagine show-only watchers will like it a lot. 

Alternative take: Jesper and Milo carried the whole thing. Goodbye.

[5secondsofsomerhalder]

In case anyone was doubting how crazy I am, I wrote down all the lyrics to Taylor Swift’s All Too Well using the Ravkan alphabet

[pageturnersblog]

Go Beyond the Fold with netflixshadowandbone.com

Netflix has launched the official website for the #1 show, Shadow and Bone. NetflixShadowandBone.com lets you go beyond the fold to see how the show brought the books to life and some other fun surprises.

The site is broken down into 5 sections currently:

The interactive Grishaverse Map

Figure out what Crow you are in a very Jesper way

Take a quiz to find out what your role would be in the Ravkan Army

Create your own Grisha Avatar

And RSVP for your chance to attend a special Virtual Event

The interactive Grishaverse Map is probably my favorite part of the site. The map is just cool. There's so much to look at and so many little moving things. There's a whale up by the Bone Road that spouts water, which made me a little too gitty when I first saw it.

Several interactive spots on the map will let you bring up pictures or videos from the show that explain the map marker. But there are two interactive locations that will let you explore even more. Alina's room at Os Alta and The Crow Club at Ketterdam.

The Crow Club is fun, it lets you interact with and get a closer look at one of Inej's knives, Jesper's gun, and Kaz's cane. It also lets you explore a little more. But Alina's room is the must-see. You get a closer look at Alina's stag drawing and the Keftas, get the Ravkan Alphabet so you can translate everything on your second watch through, and more.

The Ravkan Army quiz is the other must-do interactive section of the site. It's a 12 question quiz that told me I was a Corporaliki Grisha. You can also see I got Jasper in the Which Crow are You section. This was fun, but not as interactive as the quiz.

And once your done exploring, don't forget to RSVP for your chance to attend an exclusive Zoom event with members of the cast, Executive Producers Eric Heisser and Leigh Bardugo, and other special guests.

I really enjoyed exploring the site. For me, I had to scroll a lot and it wasn't super obvious where the scroll bar was on each page. But overall, it's a solid companion website. I'm sure it will continue to expand with the show and offer more goodies in the future.

And on a side note, I hope they do some merch for the show. The playing card art is so cool and the graphics created for the series are so detailed and amazing. I'd love to show off my Shadow and Bone love to the world with a cool hoodie :-D.

[claryxjackson]

l for the alphabet ask

leire kabarov! because i need to work on her more

she has a younger brother who's an alkemi, she doesn't actually know that, she just knows he's Grisha

she defected from the First Army when her skiff barely made it through the Shadow Fold to Novokribirsk

from there she hid in inns and taverns whenever the First Army came looking for her

she is originally from a very wealthy Ravkan family, but her parents poured practically all of their money into supporting the Second Army because they felt it would keep her brother as close as they could

she once tripped Nikolai Lantsov when they were kids, not that she'll ever admit it.

send me a random letter and I’ll pick an OC who’s name starts with that letter and give you five random fun facts about them.