so cruel, so human

[stagbled]

#STAGBLED     :         the    BLACK HERETIC,        general kirigan,        the    starless saint.     make me your villain.   an    independent,        private,     head-canon   based,   low   activity     &      mutuals        only      ❛❛     ALEKSANDER MOROZOVA, AKA THE DARKLING       ❜❜    of    shadow & bone:        a    study    in    dark versus light,        loneliness,    power & the temptation in the dark,  martyr & sacrifice,        redemption,      koschei the deathless,        and    the byronic hero.    18+    and triggering themes.      affiliated with stagflood.     dissected   by   syl.  BLOG IS A WIP. CARRD COMING SOON. INTEREST TRACKER.

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other requestable muses include: will graham from nbc's hannibal, bunny corcoran from the secret history, glenn rhee from twd & more below.

rules (carrd tba) 01. just don't be a dick. if you don't like the nuance of a villain that showcases both morally grey actions plus the exploration of humanity within that, then don't follow! this goes without saying but muse does not equate mun. the darkling is a villain and all his relationships will be affected by that. his beliefs and trauma do not justify his actions - he is interesting because he thinks they do.

02. low activity. mutuals only. plot-heavy. duplicate friendly. multi and oc friendly as well. canon-divergent.

03. i will explore the ship darklina - including all the abusive and toxic elements that shroud it. it's important to the darkling and an interesting relationship to explore, as alina is his foil and obsession. i do not expect anyone to reciprocate shipping or desire it - just that i am simply open to exploration of a complicated relationship, wherever it may go. otherwise, chemistry is the must for anything. will tag '/darklina' and '/nsfw' in any posts that contain it. i am open to shipping with other charactres/ocs/the like as long as there is something there worth exploring.

04. that being said: dark topics will be explored. i do not support the idea of censorship of any form of art. however, i do ask that you tag anything that has to do heavily with grooming/csa/domestic abuse. if something i write needs a tag, just hop in my ims. i'm pretty easy to talk to and willing to accommodate those that ask.

05. still getting through the books so please be patient with me! that being said, alot of what i write will be headcanon, canon-divergent, and influenced by personal interpretation. some influences that will incorporate will be general gothic tropes of the byronic hero and being enticed by the dark. the tale of koschei the deathless may also be present and a reoccurring motif.

06. i reject the ending given to aleksander. while i am fine with his death (though, consider that null here) i do not follow the events of him being resurrected at all unless redeveloped via plotting. i will instead be following a canon-divergent path to be fleshed out soon. though the general idea is that aleksander lives and chooses to do so, facing his loneliness, wherever that leads him.

mun: hi, i'm syl! i'm a twenty-six year old literature and classics (greek focus) major. i adore tragedies, gothic horror and fantasy. i collect moth taxidermy and i love morbid things.

this is a tentative list of muses that will also make occasional appearance on this blog. feel free to request any of them: allison argent from teen wolf. adrian ivashkov from vampire academy. *bunny corcoran from the secret history. daemon targaryen from house of dragon/asoiaf. dorian gray from the picture of dorian gray. *glenn rhee from the walking dead. hannibal lecter from nbc's hannibal. jem carstairs from the infernal devices. love quinn from you. *maggie greene from the walking dead. patroclus from mythology + a song of achilles. *theon greyjoy from game of thrones. *will graham from nbc's hannibal. * = high muse. verses to come for aleksander: tlou, modern, canon divergences, twd, asoiaf, shadowhunters, vampire.

[thewildetyme]

“Look at how a single candle can both defy and define the darkness.”

— Anne Frank

[stagbled]

gonna do some replies and starters in the new few days now that i'm back home from my vacation! consider this a meme call if you'd like something in your ask box! you can also (please) fill out my interest check as well for motivation to hop in some ims!

[mcflymemes]

PROMPTS FOR PATCHING UP WOUNDS *  assorted dialogue, adjust as necessary

it's honestly nothing. i can deal with it myself.

next time something like this happens, you have to promise to tell me.

you're making a big deal out of nothing. i'll be fine.

how long have you had that?

i'm good at this, you know. patching up wounds.

would you cut it out? i'm trying to help you.

why didn't you tell me you were bleeding?

you didn't have to take that hit for me.

what are you hiding from me?

it's not the worst injury i've ever seen, but it's pretty bad.

how long were you going to hide this from me?

at least let me look at it.

there. it looks much better.

this will help with the pain.

i'm forever in your debt.

i didn't have anywhere else to go.

this wasn't supposed to happen.

is that your blood?

i've patched up nastier wounds than this.

stop squirming! you're going to be fine!

this is bad. this is really bad.

i just need a band-aid and a nap. i'll be fine.

we need to get you to a hospital.

how does it look? be honest.

keep your eyes open, okay? keep looking at me.

it doesn't hurt that bad.

give me your hand. let me look at it.

who taught you how to patch a wound like that?

it's not as bad as i thought it would be, that's for sure.

would you just let me help you? please?

you saved my life.

let me go find my first aid kit. it's in here somewhere.

i'll take care of it. you just sit and rest.

see? that wasn't so bad after all.

i've seen worse.

take two of these and drink some water.

ow! that really hurt!

i've got you, okay? everything's going to be fine.

you're gonna have to take your shirt off.

well... it could have been worse.

it looks worse than it really is, i swear.

roll up your sleeve a little, will you?

does that feel all right?

i didn't even realize i was bleeding.

you could have been killed out there!

give me a second to patch this up.

don't close your eyes. you hear me? stay with me.

i'm not giving up on you just yet.

you still need some time to heal.

i'm right here. i won't leave your side.

thank you for taking care of me.

if you can still hear me, help is on the way!

just squeeze my hand when it starts hurting.

how long have i been out?

let me check for a fever.

did you patch this up?

i've had worse injuries than this.

where did you learn to do that?

take some deep breaths for me.

look at me. you're going to be fine.

hold still! stop moving around so much!

i'll take care of you.

what the hell were you thinking?

where does it hurt?

i'm so used to doing this myself.

lift up your shirt a little so i can see.

lay back down. you're not healed up yet.

you never should have put yourself in harm's way like that.

looks like i've got myself a really good nurse.

will you stay with me while i sleep?

no one's ever helped me like that before.

i would have died had it not been for you.

don't you get it? if you don't let me help you, you'll die.

we have to be quick about this.

this could get bad.

[metamorphesque]

― Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood

[stagbled]

hello hello! this blog is a big wip atm, but gonna toss out this interest tracker for aleksander & my other background muses! please fill this out and i will eventually stumble into your ims/discord for plotting.

[stagflood]

Marie and Nadia accompany Alina to training with Botkin for the morning before going to Baghra. Her blue kefta clings to her nicely in a way that's slowly beginning to feel like it belongs with its rich summoner blue and golden embroidery that denotes her unique position as the sun summoner. The light within still flickers when brought out, but it's there and its light grows stronger with each passing day. Baghra's teachings, if one can call them that, corporal punishment was closer, but it was working with each passing day.

She's laughing at some joke Nadia said, her attention focused on the other girl than the long hallway they walk through. Her attention neglects to take note of the other people in the hallway until she's bumped into one of them.

The first thing her mahogany eyes see is the color black, but not a pitch color that would make her think she was lost in the dark. Her head lifts with an agonizing slowness to it. Marie and Nadia have gone dead silent. Their presence at her side no longer able to be felt.

As Alina lifts her head with each detail, the woven embroidery of black glistening against black kefta, her eyes widen and cheeks turn flushing red. She clears her throat, head shakes once to reorientate herself. "General Kirigan," she addresses, "I'm so sorry, that was rather clumsy of me." Clumsy girl. For a second, she looks behind her and sees her friends behind her with solemn faces. She looks back to Kirigan. There's a nervous finger that points at her chest, "Me? With you? Today?" Had something been changed that she had not been aware of. "I'm due to train with Botkin and Baghra today. Surely Botkin will be okay with it, but Baghra..." her voice trails off.

[stagbled]

( his alina )

expected, of course. the last mention of aid was met with steel against skin that never marred from the first army. aleksander had held it tight, prying the sun from her like uncoiling thread. like a snake tasting the air, his nostrils flared for a semblance of her radiating power. it had been... indescribable. intoxicating, lighting his eyes with a desire to obtain and contain, shadow in one hand and pure radiance in the other.

her bump into his side only draws a tilt of his lips. for a grisha meant to summon the sun, the majority of her surroundings appear as a shroud of obstacles. or perhaps it is only him, lurking where even her sunlight cannot pierce.

' apologies not required, alina, ' he reassures, his attention solely on her. there are others, he can feel them and their endless stares, their questions practically oozing from their open mouths. they mirror alina's own, her nerves as easy to read as the expressions she wears on her face. confusion, unexpected?

' oh, i am sure baghra will want to whisk you away later today. but for now, with me, miss starkov, ' aleksander leaves no time to dwell, offering a glance towards alina's acquaintances before he is setting off down the hallway, the little palace's clicking with his boots. ' besides, take what you learn to baghra and it will lessen her... practices. '

he had to have learned how to cut skin to spill light from somewhere, from someone, afterall.

[stagbled]

tossing a starter call out. please specify muse for your chosen muse - otherwise i will pick for you. most likely will hop in ims for some plotting!

[knifeathers-archive]

SHE WAS NOT A LYNX OR A SPIDER OR EVEN THE WRAITH SHE WAS INEJ GHAFA

indie novel based with show influence inej ghafa as loved by paige

[nightprompts]

&. 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐬.

( this is basically just a very self indulgent list of various fluff, angst, and suggestive themed dialogue sentence starters. )

❛ i could keep you safe. they’re all afraid of me. ❜

❛ i’m trying to fix your hair, so hold still. ❜

❛ your heart is beating so fast right now. ❜

❛ promise me you’ll still be here when i wake up. ❜

❛ you’re not as bad as everyone says you are. ❜

❛ i thought you’d like some company. ❜ 

❛ clean yourself up. you're getting blood all over the place. ❜

❛ here, give this a try and tell me what you think. ❜

❛ you can kiss me, you know. ❜

❛ come back to bed. ❜

❛ you look good like this. ❜

❛ working together again, it’s just like old times. ❜

❛ how is it you always know what i need, huh? ❜

❛ you’re lucky you got away with only a scratch. ❜ 

❛ i can’t imagine losing someone like that. i’m sorry. ❜

❛ you know you can always talk to me. ❜

❛ the only one who gets to kill you, is me. ❜

❛ so, what do i owe this pleasure? ❜

❛ ah, so you aren’t heartless after all. ❜

❛ may i have this dance? ❜ 

❛ it’s okay, you can touch me. i won't break. ❜

❛ enemies make the best lovers, you know. ❜

❛ hold still. this might sting a little. ❜

❛ we can't keep doing this. ❜ 

❛ you look like you've got something to say. ❜

❛ just relax and let me take care of you. ❜

❛ thought you’d be lighter without all that blood. ❜

❛ i had it under control. you didn’t need to do that. ❜

❛ everything looks so beautiful from up here. ❜

❛ you treat all your ladies like this? ❜

❛ well? how do i look? ❜

❛ can’t sleep? ❜

❛ do you mind if i smoke? ❜

❛ i’m scared of ending up alone. ❜

❛ i don’t think i’ve ever seen you smile. ❜

❛ how long has it been since you've slept? ❜

❛ you are losing my interest, and that’s very dangerous. ❜

❛ i’d suffer hell if you’d tell me what you’d do to me tonight. ❜

❛ you look really pretty right now. ❜

❛ i’ve never cared for anyone the way i care for you. ❜

❛ i’m not wearing any underwear. thought you’d like to know. ❜

❛ just a few more stitches and you’ll be as good as new. ❜

❛ i’d say we make a pretty good team. ❜

❛ i want you to forget this ever happened. ❜

❛ i'm here for business — not pleasure. ❜

❛ if i didn't know any better, i'd say you were jealous. ❜

❛ you'd look better down on your knees. ❜

❛ fine, keep acting like you hate me. ❜

❛ kiss me again. ❜

❛ are you asking me out on a date? ❜

❛ just sit there and look pretty and let me handle this. ❜

❛ you okay? caught you staring off into space again. ❜

❛ well, i do feel better now that you're here. ❜

❛ i'm not drunk enough for this. ❜ 

❛ why is it whenever we see each other, you’re covered in blood? ❜

❛ i was wrong about you. ❜ 

❛ the first time i met you, i had no idea you'd mean this much. ❜

❛ you gonna be a good girl / boy for me? ❜

❛ i’m not afraid of you. ❜

❛ books mean more to me than people anyway. ❜

❛ i just wanted to say thank you for protecting me. ❜

❛ how about a kiss goodnight? ❜

❛ i don’t have time for distractions right now. ❜

❛ you shouldn’t be out here by yourself. ❜ 

❛ if i have to think about one more thing today, my head will explode. ❜

[stagbled]

the  little  palace  is  warmer,  he  notes,  though  it  may  only  be  his  growing  anticipation. the  girl  -  his  alina  -  is  the  source  of  it,  tucked  into  blue  that  should  be  black,  her  power  as  intoxicating  as  he  feels  when  sinking  into  his  own. quickly  gone  is  the  need  to  prick  her  skin  for  drops  of  blood,  watching  it  pearl,  and,  if  his  eyes  linger  too  long,  color  marigold. the  urge  to  grasp  her  wrist  bones  in  his  hands,  listen  to  them  rattle  with  untouched  power,  twitches  at  his  fingertips. he  has  spent  an  eternity  and  one  searching  for  something  worth  amplifying. 

'  miss  starkov,  '  he  addresses,  finding  her  where  he  expects. '  off  to  your  training,  i  would  assume?  '

grueling,  as  he  remembers. he  can  see  glints  of  it  in  her  eyes. perhaps  even  a  flicker  of  new  determination. '  you will  be  with  me  today. '

✸ alina : @stagflood.

[gatakka]

Jacob de Gheyn - Venus and Cupid (detail), ca.1610.