Like Calls to Like

Grishaverse Sideblog of @bearfromthere | AO3: BearFromThere | Deaconess in the Church of the Starless Saint | Defender of Nikolai’s honour | Firm-believer that the books would have taken a turn for the better if Zoya had kissed Alina after the fête. 

[sherbornbear]

It would be quite interesting if Udova were a grand duchy. I would be very interested in an AU in which, rather than becoming Sturmhond, Nikolai took up the governance of his province as a testing ground for his reforms, and this caught Aleksander's attention....

[lightfornight]

This is the exact plot I would want to see. Political schemes? Check. Tension? Check. Also, I really wonder how Udova would look under Nikolai's rule! How much could he change while still being under the thumb of the tsar?

[sherbornbear]

I think being on the other side of the Fold would certainly help his machinations go unnoticed for a bit. The real question is how could he reform industry to create some kind of economic boom? I assume the Fjerdans aren't very keen on forestry so perhaps he can outclass the Kerch in shipbuilding and repair their fleet and/or sell them additional ships out of his own port?

I could see him inviting the Suli onto his land and trying to make inroads there to expand his own information network. (It is possible in this timeline Inej is never abducted.)

[aataraxia]

grishaverse needs a fandom cleanse because what do you mean you don't understand the concept of war and armies and why the little palace and the fold were created?

don't get me started on the insane double standards some people have with the characters, it actually shocks me.

[sherbornbear]

Hand me a broom and I'll start sweeping. And I think this applies to the fandom as a whole whatever one's opinion of the series and its characters.

I recently returned after a multi-year hiatus and the fandom may as well be Fangorn Forest for its stifling, embittered gloom. Is it a perfect series? By no means. Is all the meta in the world going to transform 2010s YA into a GRRM novel? Also no.

What drew me back to the Grishaverse was the fact that there are many elements I do enjoy and I want to squee about those, not fight with other fans on the internet or wade through endless critical posts that make one wonder if all that is left of the fandom is a few exhausted soldiers who have yet to realise the war ended years ago.

Personally, I regret any flames I fanned in the past, and wish I had spent more time on zany headcanons and discussing the characters that I love.

And I am not suggesting we should all take up toxic positivity. There are writing choices I vehemently disagree with, even while understanding some were made to appeal to the books' intended audience, and that what I really want from the Grishaverse is to transform it into the kind of adult, philosophical series its topics deserve. I will always lament the wasted potential of this story.

But! If I am going to discuss the series publicly on the internet then I want my posts to do something other than rouse anger. If I am going to be critical, I would rather do so in a productive manner like an AU.

I just find it sad that there is so little joy in the fandom that I wonder why even bother posting. Surely we can all allow each other to enjoy what we enjoy in peace.

[sherbornbear]

I was thinking about the final chapter of Tales from the Wood and asked Nikolai, "So what exactly is your plan? Aleksander cannot be removed from the Thorn Wood without kicking off the End of Days, and I doubt you have the heart of Sankt Feliks hidden away in your pack."

The answer I received should not have surprised me. This reckless idiot believes he and Aleksander can body swap, given that (1) they are already connected through the demon and (2) Aleksander has access to the very Making itself.

So in order to fight Juris and his current occupation of both Zoya's body and the Ravkan throne, what better way than to let another immortal occupy his own, while he holds the line at the Thorn Wood and prevents reality from unravelling.

Sir, this plan has so many holes it is barely held together by more than blind faith and bravado.

[starrfettii]

Zoya as the Darkling’s victim is such a pathetic and unbelievable retcon. There’s not even any groundwork laid out for that storyline in the original trilogy.

[sherbornbear]

I think Zoya as a factual victim of the Darkling is ridiculous garbage, but Zoya believing she is a victim is an interesting writing choice that dovetails well with the backstory she is given in the duology.

We are presented with a young woman whose parents betrayed her, and yet one who was shown in the original trilogy to value her position and Aleksander's regard very highly. One could argue that he fills the role her parents should have by giving her an older figure to respect whose approval is worth earning.

Only after the trilogy does she completely reframe the events as not only another betrayal, but also some sort of abusive relationship in which Aleksander was selfish and only thought of his fellow Grisha as tools. Sound familiar? It should as it is the actual abuse Zoya's mother subjected her to.

I think Zoya's newly expressed opinion about Aleksander is the result of her rejection complex at work. She wasn't brought into Aleksander's confidence and that is easily viewed as a form of rejection. He also didn't come for her specifically the way he tries to claim David. I honestly think her pride is stung more than anything, and as a defense mechanism she has transformed him into a monster in her mind. People do such things all the time after break-ups be they romantic or otherwise.

So personally, I think the writing choice is acceptable because it comes from Zoya's chapters and her own limited third person narration, not the "mouth of god". There is no textual evidence to support her claims, it is simply an erroneous opinion she has. Allowing one's characters to be wrong and even a bit unhinged lends a touch of realism.

[sherbornbear]

My copy of Karamzin’s letters was so worn that it flopped open accommodatingly to the more interesting passages. The author had a tendency to wax sentimental, but if one could look past all his snivelling for dearly departed friends, he had a good eye for detail. I would much rather read about the cliffs of Arkesk than hear about the fallen star of some young poet who burned too brightly and fell too fast.

This snippet is from a project I am currently working on that was inspired by Studies In The History Of Russian Cartography by Fyodor A. Shibanov.

[sherbornbear]

One of the strangest, yet most understandable aspects of the Grishaverse is that its cultural development perfectly mirrors a Europe of the early to mid-nineteenth century, right down to the waltz replacing the minuet. Strange because none of the unique worldbuilding elements altered the cultural landscape, understandable because it is an easy worldbuilding shortcut for the writer.

Ravka has a Royal Ballet; Fjerda, Ravka, and Kerch all have native operas; and all three cultures have popularized the piano to such a degree that children give recitals and the merchant class keeps them in the home. Again the piano, not the clavichord, not the harpsichord, not the fortepiano -- the piano.

There is also a reference to "country balls" in King of Scars, meaning balls are not only part of the urban culture of the capital, they are popular enough to be provincial, something that was also true in the British Regency period and mid-19th century Russia.

And since Bardugo decided to include Maslenitsa (Butter Week) and the "Spring Fast" in her worldbuilding, we may as well assume the ball season in Ravka mirrors the ball season of imperial Russia, which took place from Christmas until the last day of maslenitsa, at the end of February or beginning of March. [Source.] I know the final winter fete took place a little while before Butter Week in Shadow and Bone, but it is close enough that we can just assume while it was the last big hurrah of the season, the season hadn't technically closed.

So as a general rule of thumb, if something was popular in 1840s Russia or other countries in Europe more broadly, it is safe to assume that thing also exists and is popular in the Grishaverse. At least that is the conclusion I have come to.

[sherbornbear]

The places that passed by were unpleasant, the road narrow. Heiligenbeil, a small hamlet seven miles from Königsberg, conjured thoughts of pagan times. Once a mighty oak rose up here, a silent witness of the birth and death of many ages: the oak was holy for the ancient dwellers of this land. Under its gloomy shade they worshipped the idol Kukhro, bore him sacrifices and praised him in their wild hymns. The eternal flickering of this natural shrine and the noise of the leaves filled hearts with an awe in which the pagan priests cloaked their worship of the god. Thus did the Druids conceal their rites in the thickness of the forests; thus did the voice of the Greek oracles emerge from the depth of darkness! In the thirteenth century, having vanquished Prussia by the sword, the German knights destroyed the altars of paganism and on their ruins erected a temple of Christianity. The proud oak, the revered elder in the kingdom of plants, the bulwark against storms and hurricanes, fell under the destructive hand of the victors who destroyed all the monuments of idol-worship. Innocent sacrifice! According to a superstitious legend, for a long time it was not possible to cut down the oak, for all the axes were deflected from its thick bark as though from a hard diamond; finally an axe was sought out that was able to destroy the spell and separate the trunk from the root. In memory of this victorious axe the place was called Heiligenbeil, i.e., 'the axe of the saints'. At present this 'axe of saints' is famous for its excellent beer and white bread. - Letters from a Russian Traveller, no. 9

This could so perfectly be repurposed for an ancient conquest of the Ravkans over some territory in Fjerda during the time of Anastas. The oak being the sacred symbol of Djel and the sainted axe one of Durast make no doubt.

[sherbornbear]

I was looking up references to opera in the Grishaverse for reasons of my own, and while reading this passage I realised how often Bardugo uses this particular writing technique: developing her characters through their dislikes. For example, I am quite aware that Alina dislikes soldiers singing; kvas; jurda; reading, etc.

The above passage is one of those rare cases where a positive preference is presented alongside a negative one.

I find that this technique can leave one feeling as though the characters are contrarian or misanthropic or perpetually dissatisfied, and therefore somewhat unlikeable.

It is a good reminder to allow one's characters a little joy in their lives from time to time.

[philosophicaltrashcan]

I WILL NOT REST BEFORE I GET A SIX OF CROWS SERIES IN ARCANE ANIMATION WHO ARE WITH ME

[ink-stained-ambition]

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE

[sherbornbear]

I am a firm believer that fantasy when translated from page to screen works best in an animated format.

This would be a dream come true.

I am already flipping through my rolodex of voice actors and imagining the casting choices, like having Ben Starr's gravel for Kaz. The voice he gave Clive in FFXVI would be damn near perfect.

[sherbornbear]

Juris and his dragon hijacking Zoya's body will never cease to delight me. Are there plot elements I dislike in Rule of Wolves? Yes, and most of them involve Fjerda, but nothing can tarnish this. This is the gift that keeps on giving.

[is-today-tomorrow-in-nz]

[taragreenfield]

"The Darkling didn't do it for Grisha, he did it for himself!"

First of all, that doesn't make any sense if you remember how ridiculously little he gained for himself for centuries—he doesn't have any influence outside the little palace, any titles, lands, or even love and respect from the Ravkan population. You would think that the master manipulator aspiring for grandeur would have organized a cult of personality around himself and turned the whole country into a place of worship for himself, but no. He still serves the king, still fights in wars, still provides for his grisha, and is still considered an unnatural monster. I don't know about you, but if I were an immortal, super-powerful megalomaniac with otherworldly manipulation skills, I'd have everyone eating out of my hand and thanking me for allowing them to live in my majestic country. And if I came across a sun summoner, I wouldn't tell anyone. I'd simply lock her up, use her powers, and take credit for them.

But even if we forgot about it for a second and accepted that he did want power, glory, sainthood, or whatever—so fucking what? The fact is that he is the only person who bothered to build a safe haven for Grisha and had a strategy to liberate them. Not a single morally pure, selfless wanker apparently has lifted a finger to do anything similar.

A member of an oppressed minority running away from armed bigots or slavers will not give a single flying fuck about whether the guy offering him a shelter does it for himself. "I would rather starve, freeze, and risk getting lynched than accept help from someone whose motives are not 100% pure and selfless!!" said no one ever. The material outcome of your actions is way more important than your motives.

A person who donates to charity for clout still helps more than a person who doesn't donate at all. Moral purity doesn't pay the bills. Historical political figures, military leaders, and revolutionaries who brought about change also weren't saints and didn't have purely selfless motives, and people, driven to desperation by oppression, injustice, and indignity, didn't give a fuck.

And it's the same staggering hypocrisy again: Nikolai gets to be unapologetically ambitious, Alina gets to leave everyone behind because she "just wanted a normal life", Zoya gets to pursue power and fuck her fellow grisha over because "she just wanted to feel safe uwu" Their selfishness is proof of their humanity, but if the Darkling wants something for himself - he is a greedy monster who lost sight of his cause.

[sherbornbear]

Beautifully articulated, OP!

I would only like to add that Nikolai is not given a free pass for his ambition, but is criticized for it and compared to the Darkling on more than one occassion. It leads to delicious narrative parallels that I hope to write an essay about someday.

But in brief, this is one of my favourite excerpts:

And this one:

[sportsmusicsoapsmoviesfan]

[sherbornbear]

For the record, I think Ben was perfectly cast as Aleksander, but I am always imagining him as this young man.

[phy-be]

when your crush won’t stop thinking you want to steal her man just because you slept with him that one time 

[notholaenas]

⛅"it looks like they made up."🌩️

[phy-be]

look. listen. they can make rainbows. what more do you want from me

+bonus: 

[absentsun]

사랑의 물리학, 김인육 (Physics of Love, Kim In-Yook)

질량의 크기는 부피와 비례하지 않는다 the size of the matter is not proportional to volume 제비꽃같이 조그마한 그 계집애가 the little girl who is like a flower 꽃잎같이 하늘거리는 그 계집애가 the little girl who is like a swaying petal 지구보다 더 큰 질량으로 나를 끌어당긴다. the girl who is a greater mass than earth pulls me. 순간, 나는 in an instant, I 뉴턴의 사과처럼 like Newton’s apple 사정없이 그녀에게로 굴러 떨어졌다 without a reason, tumbled towards her. 쿵 소리를 내며, 쿵쿵 소리를 내며 thump, thump thump

심장이 my heart 하늘에서 땅까지 아찔한 진자운동을 계속하였다 like a pendulum movement, continuously moves from heaven to earth

첫사랑이었다. it was my first love.