♚
nikolai lantsov
we hope, or we falter.
Entry tags:
— SALTBURNT VOYEUR.
NIKOLAI LANTSOV NOTES: king of ravka, scourge of the seas, and occasional demon. saucy boy. |
Entry tags:
— SALTBURNT INBOX.
WELCOME TO THE SALTBURNT NETWORK
USERNAME:
SOBACHKA
text ❖ audio ❖ video
SINGILLATIM PERMISSIONS.
PERMISSIONS
● ● ● ooc information
PLAYER: eden
CONTACT: pm
● ● ● ooc permissions
TAGGING STYLE: i default to and prefer brackets, present tense, and my brain can't deviate im sorry
BACKTAGGING: Y
THREADHOPPING: Y if we've discussed it
FOURTH-WALLING: N
OFF-LIMIT TOPICS: n/a
● ● ● ic permissions
CANON POINT: nikolai is played from grishaverse book canon only, and his canon point is between ruin and rising and king of scars. nikolai has just become king of ravka. there may be spoilers up to rule of wolves.
CONTACT: pm
● ● ● ooc permissions
BACKTAGGING: Y
THREADHOPPING: Y if we've discussed it
FOURTH-WALLING: N
OFF-LIMIT TOPICS: n/a
● ● ● ic permissions
FLIRTING: Y, he will flirt with everyone even though he is a bitchless loser.
FIGHTING: Y, he is accustomed to all sorts of combat and will jump into a fight if he needs to, although he is a diplomatic politician and likes to talk his way out of things if he can.
INJURY: Y, he is actually very used to getting injured because in his world there are healers at the palace.
MINDREADING: Y, just lmk and i can give you his thoughts. his mind is generally always on fire. nikolai is the biggest adhd bitch on the planet.
MAGIC: Y, again just lmk about it.
IC LIMITS: not being loved immediately by everyone
VISUALS: blond-haired and hazel-eyed, extremely handsome and very physically fit. notable visuals are that nikolai has black scarring all over his hands and his fingertips are nearly black. this is due to the merzost he is infected with and the claws that pushed out of his skin when he initially was bitten by the darkling's shadow monsters and turned into a monster himself. he is rarely ever seen without gloves.
WARNINGS: in canon, nikolai was infected with merzost during the war against the darkling and is now host to a demon that takes over his body without his consent at random times (typically when he's already unconscious like during sleep). nikolai is not in control when the demon has him. he still sorta looks like himself, but is strong enough to rend metal, has large shadowy wings that enable him to fly, has teeth and claws sharp enough to rip your throat out, and kills and eats both humans and animals. the bloodlust is real.
if you choose to play with nikolai, i will auto assume that you are okay with themes of violence, gore, murder (never your character without explicit consent), loss of agency, injuries (again with discussion), and all the things that come with being host to a shadow monster that's literally ruining his life. feel free to opt out of interaction at any time! just pm me! nikolai is a majorly Trauma character and i never want to make anyone uncomfortable.
please note that for the purposes of the game, nikolai does not have any of the “powers” his monster gives him and does not transform at all. his monster instead manifests as more of an affliction, meaning nikolai will sometimes display animalistic behaviors and crave human and animal flesh. this is not fun and he hates it. please note that nikolai will be killing animals sometimes! he also might eat a dead body (probably not the whole thing)! if this is triggering to you, please mention it to me ahead of time as a topic to avoid.
ABILITIES: he is a physically fit person who is skilled in combat involving guns, swords, and fists. he has served in the ravkan first army and fought in wars. he also has an alter ego named sturmhond, an unscrupulous privateer who favors gaudy frock coats and letting his dog eat people's fingers. is nikolai mentally ill? all signs point to yes. he is also a genius inventor and civil engineer and likes to build things like ships, planes, and ships that function like planes.
ETC: nikolai is very much a golden boy and generally a very good person as much as he is allowed to be. he has a moral code that can be a little confusing considering that he is the biggest liar on the planet, but he is the sort of man that will never leave anyone behind and will fight for your human rights with his life. he very much believes in building a better world for everyone, is anti-monarchy despite being the monarchy, and really just wants to fuck off and adventure the high seas again instead of being king. he lives and breathes ravka and will absolutely die for his country, and he will probably die for you too because he suffers from terminal heroism.
SINGILLATIM
sing app
PLAYER INFO
Player Name: eden
• Player Contact: pm
• Player Age: 18+
• Permissions: We ask that all players fill out a permissions form for both OOC/IC. Link it Here. Please note that this is a permissions page for a different game, but if I’m accepted I’ll do one specific to this game since I’ll be playing Nikolai in a new way here!
CHARACTER INFO
• Character Name: nikolai lantsov
• Character Age: 22
• Character Canon: grishaverse by leigh bardugo (books only)
• Canon Point: between ruin and rising and king of scars, in the very early days of nikolai’s kingship when he has just started transforming into the monster again.
• Character History: wiki, spoilers for the entire series here.
• Character Personality: Provide information about their personality, both negative and positive aspects — with three of each. Give examples of how they've behaved this way. You do not need to provide an essay, but please submit enough to give a feel for the character.
— SELF-SACRIFICING: nikolai suffers from terminal heroism and is always the first to jump into danger. despite knowing that a king does not belong on the front lines, that’s pretty much where you’ll always find him, as he does not believe in allowing others to wage war for him. he is fiercely protective of his friends and his people, and is constantly shown to be willing to risk his life for ravka’s independence and die fighting for what is right. he is very glib about his own death and shows no fear of the notion of dying. he can be reckless to the point of absurdity and would rather die than allow his mind to unravel completely, in part because he wouldn’t be able to bear the thought of hurting the people he cares for, and in part because of his stubborn pride.
— JUST: nikolai is seen as the only lantsov who has a sense of justice and cares about right and wrong. he does not approve of his father’s methods of ruling and takes it upon himself to save ravka from his own family. he strongly believes that the law should not bend to rank or status, and forces his father to abdicate when genya reveals the king raped her for many years starting at a young age. while in the first army he fights side by side with the other soldiers without concern for wealth or pedigree, and as king he makes a point to know all of his servants and guards not only by name but to know of their lives and families as well. he puts in place many reforms to ease the burdens of the common people, raises taxes on the rich, and works tirelessly to protect grisha from the persecution they’ve historically faced. nikolai gains the respect and love of his people by making promises and then putting in the work to see them done.
— CLEVER/JACK OF ALL TRADES: nikolai is incredibly gifted in many areas. he used to sneak away from the palace at a young age with his friend dominik and learned to fight in street brawls, and later trained in the first army and excelled in swordsmanship and marksmanship. he studied at the university of ketterdam, but left partway through because he doesn’t learn well by sitting through lectures, instead opting to apprentice with a civil engineer, a shipwright, and a gunsmith during his extensive travels. he is a gifted inventor and has designed and piloted his own submersibles, airships, and planes. nikolai’s true strengths lie in his fortitude, intelligence, and ability to think quickly through problems, which is why the darkling specifically targets his mind and will by infecting him with merzost as punishment for betraying him.
— DUPLICITOUS: nikolai is a lying liar who lies. honesty is the one thing he freely admits he isn’t very good at. he knows exactly when to be friendly, ruthless, or charming, and can easily slip into the role of the humble soldier, the arrogant prince, or the authoritative king. nikolai’s personality can be incredibly contradictory. he wears many different faces and changes the way he presents himself to manipulate his situations despite his personal desires or feelings. he’s stated before that he doesn’t have the luxury to be himself, so it can be hard to parse out which parts are really him and which parts are just what he wants you to see. this makes him difficult to trust.
— ARROGANT/SELF-FELLATING: nikolai is allergic to taking anything outwardly seriously, which makes everyone in the world want to slap him. he has little desire to express doubt or weakness except with brainless charm. his walls are almost impenetrable and it’s difficult to have an honest conversation about his (often) fragile emotional states. being the second son and a bastard child, he was never important at court, and so from a young age he decided to become charming as a way to gain sway and attention. this became an integral part of his personality that he uses like armor. he wears his confidence extremely well and it’s nearly impossible to rattle him, but it hinders his personal relationships to be unable to be honest about his many growing fears — the darkness eroding his will, his failures as king, the notion that he is largely unwanted and unlovable. he has a tendency to laugh off his angst, but the cracks are there for those who know where to look.
— INSECURE/LONELY: this may seem at odds with his arrogant confidence, but nikolai is a highly insecure person that parades as the opposite. he is keenly aware that he was never truly loved or wanted as a child and had his parentage constantly questioned at court and even into his kingship. he strives toward an impossible ideal of perfection and throws all his self-worth into ravka despite knowing that his country will never love him in the way that he loves it. he has a terrible track record when it comes to romance and tends to fall very quickly into things because of his perennial loneliness and constant craving for attention.
• Character Skills: Does your character have any particular skills that might help them in game? Maybe they have knowledge of firearms, carpentry, fishing, maybe foraging or how to make clothes. List them here in bullet-point form:
• Civil engineering (can draft and build houses, structures, ships, planes, etc)
• Weapons (good with both guns and swords)
• Can captain/pilot both ships and planes
• Can build weapons (guns, bombs, canons, etc, but will question their use)
• Basically can attempt to build anything if he applies himself and has the materials
• Tells amazing jokes that will make everyone want to die and/or kill him
• Basic army training (can patch wounds in a pinch or sew someone up but he is a man with horrible bedside manner who thinks he has great bedside manner so you don’t want him as your nurse)
• He is a king and has a huge amount of political knowledge including how to be a smarmy politician to get what he wants
• Character Inventory: Characters may bring THREE items with them. These can be items a character owns, but might not happen to have on their person when they are brought to this world. They may bring tools they may already own to help them survive, or cherished personal items. The clothes they're wearing do not count as a slot, but if they have really good winter coat at home, that would count as a slot.
— ITEM ONE: a gun
— ITEM TWO: another gun (he carries 2)
— ITEM THREE: a knife made from grisha steel so it’s stronger than a normal blade
• Important Notes: Is there anything else you need to add? Any details about character functionality in game for characters such as androids or undead characters? Please see the FAQ or send mods a message if you have any questions!
nikolai was infected by merzost, which is a kind of bad science/magic in his canon, and it left him with a shadow monster living inside of him. the monster takes over his body when he’s unconscious, often while sleeping, and he uses a sleeping tonic that slows his heart and puts him as close to death as possible to stop this (with moderate success). i asked you guys how his affliction would work since it’s not really something he would consider a power and it’s not something he would attempt to win back in game, and you gave me some fantastic options of which i’ve decided to go with option 2! i’m excited to explore his bouts of animalistic cravings!
• Writing Samples: Players must provide TWO prose writing samples. These both must be log threads. Due to the fact there is no network in this game, 'network' or 'texting'-style threads will not be accepted.
— SAMPLE ONE: Here
— SAMPLE TWO: Here
Player Name: eden
• Player Contact: pm
• Player Age: 18+
• Permissions: We ask that all players fill out a permissions form for both OOC/IC. Link it Here. Please note that this is a permissions page for a different game, but if I’m accepted I’ll do one specific to this game since I’ll be playing Nikolai in a new way here!
CHARACTER INFO
• Character Name: nikolai lantsov
• Character Age: 22
• Character Canon: grishaverse by leigh bardugo (books only)
• Canon Point: between ruin and rising and king of scars, in the very early days of nikolai’s kingship when he has just started transforming into the monster again.
• Character History: wiki, spoilers for the entire series here.
• Character Personality: Provide information about their personality, both negative and positive aspects — with three of each. Give examples of how they've behaved this way. You do not need to provide an essay, but please submit enough to give a feel for the character.
— SELF-SACRIFICING: nikolai suffers from terminal heroism and is always the first to jump into danger. despite knowing that a king does not belong on the front lines, that’s pretty much where you’ll always find him, as he does not believe in allowing others to wage war for him. he is fiercely protective of his friends and his people, and is constantly shown to be willing to risk his life for ravka’s independence and die fighting for what is right. he is very glib about his own death and shows no fear of the notion of dying. he can be reckless to the point of absurdity and would rather die than allow his mind to unravel completely, in part because he wouldn’t be able to bear the thought of hurting the people he cares for, and in part because of his stubborn pride.
— JUST: nikolai is seen as the only lantsov who has a sense of justice and cares about right and wrong. he does not approve of his father’s methods of ruling and takes it upon himself to save ravka from his own family. he strongly believes that the law should not bend to rank or status, and forces his father to abdicate when genya reveals the king raped her for many years starting at a young age. while in the first army he fights side by side with the other soldiers without concern for wealth or pedigree, and as king he makes a point to know all of his servants and guards not only by name but to know of their lives and families as well. he puts in place many reforms to ease the burdens of the common people, raises taxes on the rich, and works tirelessly to protect grisha from the persecution they’ve historically faced. nikolai gains the respect and love of his people by making promises and then putting in the work to see them done.
— CLEVER/JACK OF ALL TRADES: nikolai is incredibly gifted in many areas. he used to sneak away from the palace at a young age with his friend dominik and learned to fight in street brawls, and later trained in the first army and excelled in swordsmanship and marksmanship. he studied at the university of ketterdam, but left partway through because he doesn’t learn well by sitting through lectures, instead opting to apprentice with a civil engineer, a shipwright, and a gunsmith during his extensive travels. he is a gifted inventor and has designed and piloted his own submersibles, airships, and planes. nikolai’s true strengths lie in his fortitude, intelligence, and ability to think quickly through problems, which is why the darkling specifically targets his mind and will by infecting him with merzost as punishment for betraying him.
— DUPLICITOUS: nikolai is a lying liar who lies. honesty is the one thing he freely admits he isn’t very good at. he knows exactly when to be friendly, ruthless, or charming, and can easily slip into the role of the humble soldier, the arrogant prince, or the authoritative king. nikolai’s personality can be incredibly contradictory. he wears many different faces and changes the way he presents himself to manipulate his situations despite his personal desires or feelings. he’s stated before that he doesn’t have the luxury to be himself, so it can be hard to parse out which parts are really him and which parts are just what he wants you to see. this makes him difficult to trust.
— ARROGANT/SELF-FELLATING: nikolai is allergic to taking anything outwardly seriously, which makes everyone in the world want to slap him. he has little desire to express doubt or weakness except with brainless charm. his walls are almost impenetrable and it’s difficult to have an honest conversation about his (often) fragile emotional states. being the second son and a bastard child, he was never important at court, and so from a young age he decided to become charming as a way to gain sway and attention. this became an integral part of his personality that he uses like armor. he wears his confidence extremely well and it’s nearly impossible to rattle him, but it hinders his personal relationships to be unable to be honest about his many growing fears — the darkness eroding his will, his failures as king, the notion that he is largely unwanted and unlovable. he has a tendency to laugh off his angst, but the cracks are there for those who know where to look.
— INSECURE/LONELY: this may seem at odds with his arrogant confidence, but nikolai is a highly insecure person that parades as the opposite. he is keenly aware that he was never truly loved or wanted as a child and had his parentage constantly questioned at court and even into his kingship. he strives toward an impossible ideal of perfection and throws all his self-worth into ravka despite knowing that his country will never love him in the way that he loves it. he has a terrible track record when it comes to romance and tends to fall very quickly into things because of his perennial loneliness and constant craving for attention.
• Character Skills: Does your character have any particular skills that might help them in game? Maybe they have knowledge of firearms, carpentry, fishing, maybe foraging or how to make clothes. List them here in bullet-point form:
• Civil engineering (can draft and build houses, structures, ships, planes, etc)
• Weapons (good with both guns and swords)
• Can captain/pilot both ships and planes
• Can build weapons (guns, bombs, canons, etc, but will question their use)
• Basically can attempt to build anything if he applies himself and has the materials
• Tells amazing jokes that will make everyone want to die and/or kill him
• Basic army training (can patch wounds in a pinch or sew someone up but he is a man with horrible bedside manner who thinks he has great bedside manner so you don’t want him as your nurse)
• He is a king and has a huge amount of political knowledge including how to be a smarmy politician to get what he wants
• Character Inventory: Characters may bring THREE items with them. These can be items a character owns, but might not happen to have on their person when they are brought to this world. They may bring tools they may already own to help them survive, or cherished personal items. The clothes they're wearing do not count as a slot, but if they have really good winter coat at home, that would count as a slot.
— ITEM ONE: a gun
— ITEM TWO: another gun (he carries 2)
— ITEM THREE: a knife made from grisha steel so it’s stronger than a normal blade
• Important Notes: Is there anything else you need to add? Any details about character functionality in game for characters such as androids or undead characters? Please see the FAQ or send mods a message if you have any questions!
nikolai was infected by merzost, which is a kind of bad science/magic in his canon, and it left him with a shadow monster living inside of him. the monster takes over his body when he’s unconscious, often while sleeping, and he uses a sleeping tonic that slows his heart and puts him as close to death as possible to stop this (with moderate success). i asked you guys how his affliction would work since it’s not really something he would consider a power and it’s not something he would attempt to win back in game, and you gave me some fantastic options of which i’ve decided to go with option 2! i’m excited to explore his bouts of animalistic cravings!
Nikolai remains possessed, but you can treat as more of an affliction than an ability. The demon remains within him in a mental capacity only. It will not have any powers, nor will it take over his body/make Nikolai transform. But Nikolai is aware of its presence within him — just perhaps in a weakened form. Maybe it simply haunts him/bleeds into him. Nikolai himself could suffer bouts of more animalistic behaviour/craves human flesh/animal flesh, for example.
• Writing Samples: Players must provide TWO prose writing samples. These both must be log threads. Due to the fact there is no network in this game, 'network' or 'texting'-style threads will not be accepted.
— SAMPLE ONE: Here
— SAMPLE TWO: Here
Entry tags:
— ximilia permissions.
PERMISSIONS
● ● ● ooc information
PLAYER: eden
CONTACT: pm
● ● ● ooc permissions
BACKTAGGING: Y
THREADHOPPING: Y when appropriate
FOURTH-WALLING: N
OFF-LIMIT TOPICS: n/a
● ● ● ic permissions
CANON POINT: nikolai is played from grishaverse book canon only, and his canon point is between ruin and rising and king of scars. nikolai has just become king of ravka. there may be spoilers up to rule of wolves.
FLIRTING: Y
FIGHTING: Y
INJURY: Y
MINDREADING: Y, just lmk and i can give you his thoughts. his mind is generally always on fire.
MAGIC: Y, again just lmk about it.
CONTACT: pm
● ● ● ooc permissions
THREADHOPPING: Y when appropriate
FOURTH-WALLING: N
OFF-LIMIT TOPICS: n/a
● ● ● ic permissions
FLIRTING: Y
FIGHTING: Y
INJURY: Y
MINDREADING: Y, just lmk and i can give you his thoughts. his mind is generally always on fire.
MAGIC: Y, again just lmk about it.
IC LIMITS: not being loved immediately by everyone
VISUALS: blond-haired and hazel-eyed, extremely handsome and very physically fit. notable visuals are that nikolai has black scarring all over his hands and his fingertips are nearly black. this is due to the merzost he is infected with and the claws that pushed out of his skin when he initially was bitten by the darkling's shadow monsters and turned into a monster himself. he is rarely ever seen without gloves.
WARNINGS: nikolai was infected with merzost during the war against the darkling and is now host to a demon that takes over his body without his consent at random times (typically when he's already unconscious like during sleep). he wears an anklet that stops the demon from ever taking control of his body on the ship, but the anklet does not work 100% off ship. nikolai is not in control when the demon has him. he still sorta looks like himself, but is strong enough to rend metal, has large shadowy wings that enable him to fly, has teeth and claws sharp enough to rip your throat out, and kills and eats both humans and animals. the bloodlust is real. if you choose to play with nikolai, i will auto assume that you are okay with themes of violence, gore, murder (never your character without explicit consent), loss of agency, injuries (again with discussion), and all the things that come with being host to a shadow monster that's literally ruining his life. feel free to opt out of interaction at any time! just pm me! nikolai is a majorly Trauma character and i never want to make anyone uncomfortable.
POWERS/ABILITIES: see above about his monster. he is otherwise a physically fit person who is skilled in combat involving guns, swords, and fists. he has served in the ravkan first army and fought in wars. he also has an alter ego named sturmhond, an unscrupulous privateer who favors gaudy frock coats and letting his dog eat people's fingers. is nikolai mentally ill? all signs point to yes. he is also a genius inventor and civil engineer and likes to build things like ships, planes, and ships that function like planes.
XIMILIA
prefs
VISUALS.
6'2", mid-twenties, strong, fit build. blond hair, bright hazel eyes. very much a ridiculously "picture perfect" good-looking man and will not let anyone forget it. slightly crooked nose. loves the sun and the sea and has a nice tan to prove it. favors military dress and polished boots, but can be seen in royal regalia when the occasion calls for it. (as sturmhond — reddish hair, much more crooked nose, muddy green eyes. rarely seen without his teal frock coat with gaudy gold buttons and enormous frilly sleeves. #fashion) has veiny black scars that begin at his wrists and go down his hands, darkest at his fingertips (nearly solid black). he wears gloves 100% of the time to cover them. he has many other (more normal-looking) scars. the other strange one is a small star right over his heart where he stabbed himself once with a spike from a thorn wood tree in an attempt to cleanse himself of the demon that inhabits his body (not successful, but also not fatal, #yolo).
when he turns into the demon, his fingers become tipped in long, black claws, his teeth grow into sharp fangs, his eyes turn black, and dark veining appears across his skin. he sprouts wings that seem to be made of shadows and can fly long distances. he gains enormous strength and is able to tear easily through flesh and bone, break through glass, and rend metal. he loses the ability to speak and read, but retains a hazy sort of consciousness and is able to eventually recall his time as the demon (and all the bloodshed committed during it) once he returns to his human form. don't @ him, he will insist he doesn't remember shit.
PREFERENCES & PERMISSIONS.
CANON POINT — i default nikolai to his flop era king of scars era, but am definitely up for shadow and bone trilogy, rule of wolves, or canon divergent things. if you want to play from netflix canon, just let me know! his story is very different there, so just know i default to book canon unless we specify otherwise.
PHYSICAL CONTACT — yes, but due to his affliction, he is not likely to take casual lovers to bed. he literally sleeps in iron chains. however, this will not stop him from flirting like a fool.
MINDREADING/MAGIC — yes, go for it. his mind is literally on fire at all times. he is also a huge liar.
VIOLENCE — yes, fuck him up. he is hardy and there are healers around. nikolai is host to a demon that he has limited control over, so it is extremely likely that he will accidentally attack you and feel very bad about it in the morning. pls pm me for any particularities irt injuries, otherwise he might scratch your baby up a little. no to killing.
WARNINGS/TRIGGERS — nikolai can be extremely glib about thoughts of his own death and is 100% ready to die at all times. this is a combination of heroism and tragedy. he is a sunshine boy who has been cursed with literal darkness, and he will go to great lengths to hide how brutal it's been to cope with. other triggers are that nikolai's demon is one huge non-consensual warning, as it causes him to commit acts he has little to no control over. i will not hit you with any kind of sexual non-con without prior ooc discussion. however, i am going to assume that if you tag nikky, you're okay with some violence, as this is part of the nature and struggle of his character. as far as ooc triggers, i am a garbage can and am down for p much every terrible idea you might have.
BACKTAGGING — yes, and 100% of my rp is done this way! i tend to like meaty story/character-driven tags, and i am a Slow Writer, but i live for slow burn psls and will literally backtag into eternity.
ROMANCE & SHIPPING.
FAVORITES — MAL, i will literally do anything for a malkolai psl. alina and kaz are my other god-tier favorites.
ALSO YES — the darkling to explore some terribad dynamics. does anyone play tolya because i am here for it. i love genya and will absolutely write some genyalai. tbh i am shipping trash and can probably be coerced into shipping anything. inej and sturmhond being pirate besties is a dream of mine, and nikolai and nina hilarity dynamics are simply chefs kiss in my head. we were literally robbed of the nikolai and nina interaction in the duology ok.
NO — ??? matthias probably
CROSSCANON/OCS — yes, if the vibes are there i will not stop the ways of the universe. i am very much a slow burn build up bitch, and i'm not the biggest fan of assumed cr because then we're skipping the best parts.
AU/CANON DIVERGENT SCENARIOS — yes, i'm here for it. i'm open to psls and am very much a fan of awful things and angst. i'm a huge fan of nikolai's demon and would love to explore a loss of control or madness.
SMUT — i'm fine with writing it! i prefer it to be as part of a bigger story rather than smut just for the sake of smut. give me all the pining and denial. i enjoy m/f and m/m equally, and nikolai will insist that he is a take charge bitch (and he is), but he is also a step on me bitch that struggles with giving up control and really needs to be lovingly slapped in the face every once in a while.
CODE BY MARWOOD
