#ooc there we go our darkling wanted me to post first

[ravkanfoxprince]

Before Aleksander even got to respond to David's thoughts spoken out loud, the door was pushed open with force, leading his attention to the interruption.

So, Zoya finally arrived and confused the hell out of him. For a long moment he gaped at her. How come she knew what was going on all of a sudden when this meeting existed for the sake of telling them just yet? After weeks could she suddenly see or hear Aleskander out of nowhere? For the very rare occurrence, the former king was indeed speechless. He exchanged a look with David, who was as puzzled, shot Aleksander's ghostly apparition an apologising look. Glad for the fact that nobody except for them was in the room to witness this very un-leader like outburst, he moved closer to Zoya cautiously but kept some distance (after all he preferred to live, thank you very much).

"Zoya", he said softly, "he wasn't dead to begin with just because he wasn't available. I don't know where you suddenly know from that he's here - the meeting here was supposed to be for sharing thus with you - but since you're apparently able to hear or see him now, tell me, what about Aleksander looks lively to you? He's not more than a shadow of himself. In the most literal sense."

Wording it like that felt like drinking poison, Aleksander was still a person after all, but he needed to talk some sense into Zoya.

"It wasn't his doing that he's here now. It wasn't mine either. It just happened. And if it wasn't for him neither me or the surviving Grisha would've made it out alive from the cursed island. You have reasons to be upset, but darling, you need to calm yourself down at least a bit. The past can't be undone, Saints know we tried."

The long rides through the forest did only as much for his nerves and not only was he still quite restless, the demon was harder to control again too, as if the events on the island influenced it too. He didn't trust his own ability to keep it under control and returned to be locked in for the night until he felt more secure again. Some risks not even he thought were worth taking. Now, he was pacing in front of the door to the war room. He made the decision that the Triumvirate and Zoya needed to know the full truth about what happened back there. Not only for the safety of the country, but because he owed them that much as his most trusted people. But Saints, it was a topic he dreaded talking about. How did you tell the people that mattered to you, that the man they all suffered under and that should be quite literally be unreachably locked away holding the world together, reached out to him in a way he still wasn't sure even he understood? Because in all the years of the demon's existence within him, this had never happened before in such a way. Let alone the sympathy and understanding this little conversation stirred in him. At least, so he thought, he didn't have to share that with his people.

There was no way around it. With a last deep breath Nikolai straightened his shoulders and pushed the doors to the war room open, maybe the first person to arrive.

[sheikah]

Hello! I'm sorry to ask this, but can you explain what spoilers you mean and the thing with Darklina? I just read the first book in the series; only managed to finish it because of The Darkling - love him. But I stopped reading the series/world after that one. So I'm a bit unsure if you mean spoilers regarding the books or the show? I'm a little late to the part. Reason for asking as an anon is because I got blocked by another when I asked a question about The Darkling...

Wow, someone blocked you for asking a question about the Darkling? I honestly don’t know how some people get through life being this sensitive haha... Relatively speaking he’s far from the worst villain out there??? 

Anyway, sorry it took so long to answer this. I wanted to get some distance from the spoilers so my answer wouldn’t be so emotional haha. Spoilers for ROW under the cut. Also, since you say you’ve just read the first book, I’ll be making brief mention of key plot moments from Siege and Storm and Ruin and Rising as well, so those would be spoiled for you, anon!

We don’t have all of Rule of Wolves yet, obviously, but people with early review copies posted photographs of pages on Twitter, and I’ll link them below

From those pages, we can gather the following:

The Darkling (as we know from the ending of King of Scars) has returned in Yuri’s body but basically looks and sounds like his old self.

A darkness/blight much like the Fold is spreading and killing. Nikolai and Zoya need the Darkling’s help with combatting it because of his magical power/past experience with merzost.

In the early parts of the book they keep him prisoner in a cell flooded with sunlight to prevent him from summoning shadows.

At some point during the story they trust him enough to release him. They bargain with him. He will help them in exchange for a meeting with Alina Starkov. Bear in mind that prior to this Alina would have assumed him dead.

They are concerned by this request but they agree. In the Darkling’s POV he muses that he needs to meet with her to “get his power back” or something. Not sure how this make sense since Alina lost her own powers. 

Anyway, so far, none of the above bothers me at all. But then...

When they meet with Alina it’s one of the most bizarre and OOC encounters I could imagine. Mal is there, and the Darkling randomly, out of nowhere, comments on how they’re related and Mal is like “lol we all hate our relatives amirite???”

Alina’s reaction to seeing the Darkling again is... no reaction at all. She doesn’t seem shocked, happy, upset, nothing. This man who loomed so large in her life and her destiny, this man she was forced to murder in Ruin and Rising... is BACK FROM THE DEAD, and everyone is just sitting around like it’s afternoon tea.

The Darkling looks at her and comments that she looks different. Here is the first thing to really and truly pisses me off: Alina says the reason she looks different is because she’s happy now and “[he] never really saw her that way.” As in, Alina was never once happy around the Darkling. If you just read Shadow and Bone, you know this is obviously not even remotely true. But it isn’t treated like a lie from Alina in the narrative. It’s treated like the truth the big, bad Darkling deserves to hear from her. 

Eventually they come to an agreement and the Darkling agrees to help at the cost of his own life. [Here is where I want to interject something. I’ve seen a lot of people insinuate that Darkling stans are upset because Leigh killed the villain of her story. In other words, they’re suggesting that we’re stupid for being upset because obviously villains die. I just want to say for the record that I 100% expected the Darkling to die in Rule of Wolves. That is not the issue here.]

Before the Darkling sacrifices himself (something that is, at least, somewhat framed as a selfless act to save Grisha and Ravkans), some truly odd writing from Leigh. First, he tells a whole bunch of people his real name. No one asked??? He just tells everyone. A lot of Darklinas are angry because prior to this, his name was a secret only known by Alina. It was something they shared, an intimacy, and it was significant because in “Demon in the Wood,” the Darkling’s backstory, we see the target his true name put on his back all his life, and that Baghra cautioned him to tell no one. So him telling Alina was a gesture of trust. Him telling everyone destroys that.

The second weird thing about the death scene is that he basically screams something along the lines of, “I’m not sorry.” Again, this feels so weird. Like deliberate spite from Leigh. Making sure not to redeem him before killing him off.

So I don’t know all the magical/lore details, but when the Darkling sacrifices himself it is in some ritual where his body is pierced and mutilated by a bunch of magical tree branches??? Supposedly he will continue to exist this way in some sort of eternal super-hell where he just suffers in pain without dying forever, all to keep the darkness from spreading. Zoya and Nikolai bear witness.

This last part is the part that upsets me the most, more than anything else I guess. So later, at the end of the book, Zoya is with Genya and Alina. Zoya reveals that she’s been having nightmares wherein she sees things from the Darkling’s point of view--destryoing Novokribirsk, etc. She realizes how easy it could be to lose yourself with the kind of power the Darkling--and now Zoya herself--possesses. She wonders if he really deserves this eternal and unimaginable suffering and torture. Zoya proposes letting him out to mercy kill him. Genya and Alina are doubtful, but even Genya is swayed before Alina is. And this is the heart of the issue for me. Zoya, who loathes the Darkling more than anyone, is the one having mercy and taking pity on him, while Alina is utterly apathetic to his suffering. Alina, who wept openly over his body and held him as he died. Alina, who honored his last wishes and saw to it that he had a funeral of honor alongside what the people believed to be a literal saint in Ruin and Rising. Alina, who struggled with wanting and feeling for him all the way to the end of the trilogy, whose last word in the trilogy was his name. Alina, who had compassion for the animals she had to kill for the amplifiers. That is Alina Starkov. But the Alina Starkov in Rule of Wolves is completely unaffected when this man she seemingly used to love is being tortured literally forever. She couldn’t care less. And so all of this together feels like a deliberate slight to Darklinas, and that’s why we’re angry. 

Anyway, Alina eventually agrees that the Darkling can be freed and killed, so Zoya says they’re going to replace the Darkling with the relic heart of a saint or something, and hire Kaz to steal it. So SOC3 is coming.

We did get one tiny crumb of Darklina. In the Darkling’s POV, he admits to himself that the real reason he wants to see Alina again is because “with her, he was human again.” He also ponders on why she was always able to defeat him and best him, and thinks that it’s because of something more than her stubbornness and bravery: “something he knew the name of a hundred lifetimes ago.” Most people are interpreting this as him finally admitting to himself that he loved her. It’s something!

Pics for reference.

[connorfixinghistie]

Blog Recommendation

Ok since i just got over 1k followers i feel like i needa do sth!! 

ispam reblog Connor content 24/7 and honestly half of this blog is built up with my senpais/secret tumblr crushes other sweeties’ high-quality content. all of them deserve all the love ok?? also this for some newbies in Connor army! hope ur not that lost in this huge community anymore <3

me jumping into good Connor content:

so here’s a shoutout to my fav Connor/Bryan blogs!! (involves Connor/Bryan) I also write a little comment/description for each blog :3

art blogs not included yet bc there r too many and most of them r multifandom blogs. check out #amazing art in my blog for more!

i talked too much sry

no particular order

if pronoun is not mentioned in the blog, i use they/them. 

[ General: all types of contents/reblogs, just like this blog ]

@mr-connor mari got that aesthetic ;) 24/7!! where i find most of connor stuff and comfort ;w;

@its-me-connor tons of Connor contents, makes gifs, Amy’s blog is a mood

@connors-g1rl if ur not following these three blogs idont know u jk have u seen her memes? dont we all love memes?

@dcviants the memes and texts posts r genius!! the posts will make ur day :D

@deviantsinmydetroit just look at their header and profile pic, arent u in love?? what else do ineeda say??

@detroitbecomehumanconnor look at the username aksdjsd, one of the earlies blogs i followed when i was first in the fandom :D

@rk800connortrash a blog which will definitely brighten up ur day trust me

@thedarkeststarrms provides ALL Bryan/Amelia feeds that u need! 

@connor-android loads of Connor/Bryan contents for ur daily need!!!!! (basically fangirling over all the images and edits)

@detroitbecomefandomhell A BIG MOOD

@cyberlifehq fell in love with this blog immediately, one of the best dbh sources!

@bryandechartdaily a great place for Connor army, daily feed :D

@peachydope a lot of good memes r waiting for u ;)

@hankconnor super funny quotes and loads of connor stuff

@deviantsxconnor this sweetie is the love of my life <3

@vb800 a new blog needed more recognition!!

[ Images/gifs/edits of our pretty boy ]

@arsuf A BLESS TO DBH FANDOM!!! MUST FOLLOW!!!

@bedifferentstrange ANOTHER BLESS TO THE FANDOM!! MUST FOLLOW!! 

@buffyannepratt how tf i missed u!!! MUST FOLLOW BLESS TO THE FANDOM AKSJSJNS

(I won't believe it if u tell me u never see their gifs)

@bryan-decharts top blog for Connor army, pretty Bryan/Connor gifs and edits that will make u cry ;w;

@iandsax MUST FOLLOW, a source u need in ur life, basically have all the bryan stream screenshots that i look for

@gaminginsanity dude that sweet dreams gif still haunts my dreams (thank u i love it)

@dbhcentral the edits r so pretty?? wth??

@deviantsconnor aesthetically pleasing, pretty edits <3

[ Fanfiction: mostly x reader, 100% well-written ]

@the-darklings def my fav <3 what a sweetie evil inside makes us suffer, always interacts with readers, gives the best ruthless!Connor(my fav my kink) content, if ur looking for angst, machine!Connor x reader, best place to go ;) 

@connors-heart the series To be Human is rly rly good!! also the aesthetic of the blog is v lovely <3 there’s not only fic but also general contents!!

@alexs-ummers noelle is a precious talented bean, super nice to readers, the way they write machine!Connor is perfect imo (hurt me so bad but i love it)

@detroitbecomehumanwritings general dbh writings! all kinds! 

@detroitbecomehumanxreader dbh x reader source!! where i spend time on at 3am

@liccy-boi-imagines madi is def an experienced and amazing writer (who literally has 20 other imagine blogs jc), got the cutest headcanons/imagines that make u blush and laugh, super nice to readers

@riiwriting riLEY my cutie!! not only good at writing fics but also making pretty moodboards!! also v interactive :D

@thirium-fiction  S/O reactions is my fav!! also the reason why im having a crush on Captain Allen but that’s not important, NO OOC imo

@gentledreaming got the best Connor x reader relationship headcanons <3

@revengeworld beautiful, touching writing and hi my gryffindor buddy

@queenmarcelinesimagines da best!!! imagines of multi dbh characters that fulfill ur fantasies ;)

@lowlaif u must've heard of Connor.exe Stopped Working! slowburn+fluff+angst+smut=perfection

@luvleekaotix-imagines KC got all my respect!! their sweet fluff will simply make u blush and explode!!! ur heart will be full ;w;

@magical-musical-imagines x reader imagines i read at 2am, different dbh characters x readers, super active and sweet to readers!!

@drmsqnc the writing is so beautiful that literally makes me cry ;-; 

@celestiaelisia isn’t the fic Protective the cutest thing ever?? i love it sm and u should def read it!!

@fuxkingpassword that soulmark au is EPIC!!!

@magnolopsida awesome writer, what a sweetheart, if u want a fic that makes u cry, go for it aksjjdh (now i introduce u to Conner)

@neatcointricks so cuteee and funnyyy! i couldn't stop smiling/laughing while reading their fics!!

@sherlockbelstaff tho only two connor x reader fics both CUTE AF especially Ticklish skdhsbc

@more-than-an-android a new blog i just discovered!!! the writer is SOOO SWEET!!! everything is so sweet ;-; it deserves more love <33

@connortastic my darling <3 the writing is just beautiful ;-;

ok the list could get super super long but that’s it for now! sry for this random shoutout akdhjdnsbs THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BLESSING US!!! 

Tag ur fav blogs in the comment :D