Katara Brushes The Tear Away With The Inside Of Her Wrist And Huffs A Laugh.

Katara brushes the tear away with the inside of her wrist and huffs a laugh.

Why is she crying?

She’s crying because yesterday morning Zuko was her best friend, and things were simple.

And now? Zuko is still her best friend.

But he’s also the boy who sang songs to her when she was dying. He’s the boy who saved her from a fate worse than death when he was barely alive himself, then literally carried her out of the depths of hell in his arms. He’s the boy who tended her wounds and refused to leave her side even for a second. He’s the boy who taught her how to smile again, how to laugh. He’s the boy that continues to stand steady at her back, and offer her the tools she needs to be able to rely on nothing and no one but herself. He’s the boy that gives her hope that one day, everything might be okay again. He’s the boy that she wakes up every morning desperate and impatient to see.

But he’s always been that boy, hasn’t he.

Except something has shifted between them now, after what happened on the beach yesterday.

And it thrills and terrifies her in equal measure.

“I’m crying, because the song reminds me of something from my past.” Zuko’s face is inscrutable, but she knows him better than that, can tell by the way the fire in his eyes flickers that he knows exactly what she is talking about. “And because it reminds me of the future that we’re fighting for.”

—These Tides Do Turn by FireLily_z

DARKLINA FIC RECS

so i never would’ve thought when i read my first alarkling / darklina fanfic that SEVEN YEARS LATER i’d be 1. still reading them 2. making a fic rec list and 3. going to get a chance to see my ship in action on a television show with ben barnes as the darkling??? mindblown. so i’ve put together a list of all my favorite OG pre-show darklina fics for y'all to enjoy - i’m hoping the show draws more people to the ship so even more delicious content is created…basically i want more to read so i can do another fic rec list after the show’s been out for a while HAHA p.s you can find the rest of my fic rec lists here. *update* click for PART TWO of DARKLINA FIC RECS and also for MODERN AU DARKLINA FIC RECS!!!

multichapter (aka canon-divergence galore)

START A WAR by nymja It takes three hundred years to love him.

A CURSE BETWEEN US by hanpersands Theirs is a delicate balance. They work because they are eternal, and there is only two of them. (Or, Alina gets knocked up and disappears. The Darkling is less than pleased)

TIMELESS series by destinies Alina Starkov expected to wake up on a ship sailing across the True Sea, one that would take her far from Ravka, far from the Darkling and his mad crusade. Instead, she awoke in Os Alta to a devastating truth: the war was won nearly a century ago, her first love was dead, and she remembered nothing. Not even that, as part of her surrender, she agreed to a political marriage.

SCARS OF LIGHT by kallypso Alina Starkov knows what it is to lose. Then she meets the Darkling, the powerful and handsome Grisha in charge of the second army. A man she swears she has seen before in passing hallucinations. He has spent years searching for her since the first rumors of a girl who shone like a star rose from Keramzin, and now he has found her.

TO BE SEEN by larry_hystereks Alina has spent her life knowing what it’s like to be hunted for being Grisha. She uses her powers to hide herself, hide other Grisha, and forms the Invisible Army. her main focus is to free the Grisha until she meets him; the Darkling, commander of the Second Army, summoner of the shadows. (if alina knew she was Grisha her whole life and if her and the Darkling were truly equals)

STARLESS by opheliarose They said the Darkling dwelt in a tower at the Little Palace, perched above the world like a dragon guarding its treasure. That treasure, as it so happened, was a girl. Yet when he selects an orphan girl with no past, a new future presents itself.

LONGER THAN LIFETIMES by moonburntmemory Alina Starkov and the Darkling cannot help but fall victim to ties that bind them. Neither can break from the ruthless cycle of fate connecting them. He is the night that allows all to know the shine of her sun.

IT FOLLOWS by queen_haq She isn’t quite herself; neither is he. But when they come together, it’s explosive. (“Our powers amplify when we’re physically connected.”)

A RAVEN AND A DOVE by amelia island What if the Darkling had met Alina before she awoke as the Sun Summoner? What if it wasn’t Mal’s life she saved on the Fold?

alternate universe

MOST ARDENTLY by captaingriffin Aleksander Morozova is handsome, rich, and not used to having romantic feelings for anybody, let alone mouthy orphan girls who are annoyingly endearing. Alina Starkov is quite comfortable being alone, and doesn’t have much taste for the conceited, rude, and insensitive Mr. Morozova, which she makes sure to tell him constantly. pride&prejudice!AU

LONE CANDLES by nymja They’ve lived four lives together. Only one ends happily. reincarnation!AU

IT’S A DANGEROUS GAME by ohwastelandbaby Left as the only witness to a heist, Alina Starkov is in need of protection from a band of criminals out to get her. What Agent Kirigan offers her, is far more complicated. bodyguard!AU

THE WEIGHT OF WINGS by eosithe In different times, in different places, Alina and Aleksander meet again and again. As the sum of a lifetime(s) of choices, their story is never the same twice.

SIEGING THE STORM AMONG THE RISING BONES OF RUINED SHADOWS by kara_luna Alina doesn’t go back to the day she met her greatest enemy or the day she stumbled into an orphanage. She wakes up in a time she’s never lived surrounded by the village of a boy she once knew as a man who held shadows in his bare hands and commanded armies and entire nations… And he’s a child who looks at her with eyes full of light. timetravel!AU

UNRAVEL ME by bananamilkis Living most of her life in a whore house, can Alina free herself from the invisible chains that Ana has on her or can a mysterious man unravel the truth for her?

MAKE ME YOUR VILLAIN by elegygoldsmith In which the destiny of Reylina Starkov, a scavenger and Omega sun summoner, becomes entwined with that of the Darkling, Alpha Emperor Kylo Ren.

oneshots

WHATEVER OUR SOULS ARE MADE OF by the_darkling 🌶️🌶️🌶️ This is the way it is between the two of them, an inexorable attraction that accompanies their every meeting. And if finally giving in means falling prey to his designs, then she’s happy to be devoured.

SEALED by the_darkling Her dear husband’s moods were as changeable and unpredictable as the wind but his affection for her was constant and unfailing, and Alina liked his kisses best of all.

BETWEEN MIDNIGHTS by vuas 🌶️🌶️🌶️ “You’re my wife, my sun summoner,” he continues undeterred, hot breath fanning over her neck. “You’re mine. I can do whatever I please with you. Why shouldn’t I kiss you?”

THE SILENCE OF YOUR TOUCH by wellthatsood After Alina first uses their connection, she wants more. Only this time, he isn’t alone - but that just makes it more fun. Or, “How to Frustrate (in more ways than one) Someone Who Can’t Talk Back: An Exploratory Study ft. Alina Starkov”

YOU LEFT ME IN THE DARK (NO DAWN, NO DAY) by cursebreakker An exploration of Alina Starkov’s life as she realizes she’s not aging like her husband is. Meanwhile, the shadows in the corner of her room observe.

anything and everything by these authors

NYMJA HANPERSANDS VUAS 🌶️🌶️🌶️ DARKLESMYLOVE CURSEBREAKKER

I NEED A FANFIC

I haven't stopped thinking about Arya with Jaime. Let me explain.

Let's imagine an older Arya. Maybe being the older sister.

And then we have Jaime Lannister; the golden lion, the kingslayer. And we have Arya Stark; the wild wolf, a warrior.

And ¡Boom! The lion fell in love with the wolf (grt the reference?).

I only know that Cersei would suffer an atraco to see how her brother falls in oove with Lyanna reborn.

Tyrion would have the entertainment of his life.

But u know, the main reason I hate twilight is bc of bella. And I hate bella bc for someone who claims to b in true love, she cant even handle the fact that she would grow old and her lover wouldn't. Like seriously?? U can't even handle a few judgemental stares for the supposed love of ur life??? R u really in love or in love with the fantasy of it?

And don't come at me with any argument, look at Tessa gray and will Herondale. Look at Magnus bane and Alex Lightwood. Look at Tessa great and Jem Carstairs. Alec and Will and Jem had lovers who would never age. But did they care? No. Bc they knew that the most important thing is that they found love.

His brow furrows. “I have made many mistakes that I’m not proud of—”

Katara laughs bitterly. “Mistakes? A mistake is forgetting to respond to a letter. Or using salt instead of sugar. Or trusting someone when you should know better.”

She narrows her gaze intentionally at him and his nose crumples slightly as he looks down between his feet. Ashamed. Good.

“You didn’t make a mistake. You made a choice. You chose violence and fear, each and every time.”

His mouth draws into a thin, bloodless line, and the anger that has been slowly bubbling up inside her turns to acid in her stomach, as he looks up and regards her. His eyes pierce hers with an intensity that makes her feel utterly bare. As if he can see straight through her supercilious words – see her for the hypocrite she is. Because she would choose violence if she could. If she wasn’t such a coward. She had chosen violence by agreeing to come here with him. Had been ready to kill whoever they came across in the ships bridge – all to avenge her mother.

—These Tides Do Turn by FireLily_z