SHE, THE HUNGER

SANKTA ZISA OF THE DARK WOODS

[woodswifearc]

WOODSWIFE — INDEPENDENT & SELECTIVE ZISA OF THE DARK WOODS ESTABLISHED IN LEIGH BARDUGO'S GRISHAVERSE. HEAVILY INFLUENCED BY GERMANIC LORE AND ROSAMUND HODGE'S CRIMSON BOUND.

SLAYER OF THE ENDLESS GREED! DAUGHTER OF HALMHEND, MAIDEN OF THE SILVER LAKE.

WRITTEN BY VIA ( 25+ / CHINESE-FILIPINO / ANY PRONOUN ) AND A SIDEBLOG TO @KOROLEVNAS. PLEASE READ RULES AND INFO PRIOR TO INTERACTION!

[woodswifearc]

something i genuinely love about zisa is that she legitimately does not give a shit about prominence / power / recognition. she appreciates being remembered but even that surprises her, because her isolation is self-imposed and not punitive, but preferred. she is a hermit 100% by choice, and she can change that at any time, but she doesn't. she already did what she set out to do ( kill the endless greed, save her brother ) and tyr's reaction to the atrocities she's committed, though painful, was expected. zisa has long since recognized that she and tyr are fundamentally different people, despite being siblings. her mother has zeroed in on her as the kind of person who would not hesitate to do the hard things. all the same, there is a part of zisa that sees herself as someone monstrous, but she does not view this aspect of her in a bad light at all. it's simply a statement of fact. but she feels a responsibility not to inflict herself on other people, knowing what it did to her parents and her brother.

[damarlegacy]

Making your characters insanely OP is good for your soul sometimes. Just juice em up. Just crank the dial. Make them absolutely batshit terrifyingly good at what they do

[woodswifearc]

zisa's good at math too but not the kind of math that's standardized or whatever, she can just count really fast in her head

[jacobhubertusart]

Wednesday, 2023/03/15, by Jacob Hubertus.

[thesoldiersminute]

Anya Taylor-Joy via Rachel Louise Brown’s Instagram (2022)

[woodswifearc]

re: zisa’s abilities — if we’re going by classifications, she would be a fabrikator/materialnik, specifically a durast. but considering that 1.) zisa is ancient, 2.) zisa is a living amplifier, and 3.) zisa was alive during a time when grisha orders did not exist ( her mother would fall under the corporalki category but is capable of both healing and heartrending, for example, which is not at all weird during those days, especially for a woodwife ) then i think it’s very fair to assume that zisa holds some level of aptitude for all grisha abilities, depending on how much she’s utilized them over the years.

in general, the thing that comes easiest to her is being a durast. but zisa is also capable of alkemi and healing ( which? in ways, can be used in conjunction with each other. ) there had been very rare occasions when zisa had to employ heartrender techniques on anybody seeing as… well, she rarely comes into contact with other people. but during the more tumultuous days in ravka, she probably did participate in some guerrilla warfare type situation where it came in handy. as for summoning, i don’t think she’s much of a squaller or a tidemaker ( the base ability is there but she doesn’t practice is as much, only as needed ) but i can definitely see her using inferni techniques from time to time. all of this is relative to the level of her abilities of course, which, considering points 1-3 in the above, is quite exponential. )

that being said, zisa makes a lot of things. she is constantly using her abilities as a durast in the little piece of territory where she resides. so for example, all the path blockages leading to her hut is made by her and can be activated/deactivated by some complex mechanism. there are traps around the borders of her territory for intruders and for animals. the lake near her hut is made by her as well, and she’s had to utilize some tidemaker skills to funnel the water in, and her alkemi abilities to sort out the environment within the lake so that the ecosystem within becomes self-maintaining ( so everything from the type of soil to the temperature to the entire aquaculture of the thing, etc. ) there’s morbid sentimentality that does not allow zisa to drastically alter mother hunger’s hut, but she’s basically created every single piece of utensil, cookware, and furniture in there, plus repairs and maintenance bc that hut is OLD. additionally, zisa does go “mining” from time to time when she needs base metal for things. basically, she is a DIY queen is what i’m saying.

i will say that some of zisa’s designs would be considered primitive per ravkan standards in the current timeline ( she needs to go out more fr ) but they also work very well for her and her needs! and she is quite happy and proud of the place she built for herself along with all the modifications she added in.

[woodswifearc]

cottagecore-hermitcore-witchcore zisa. she is very much in tune with solitude and in love with her independence, but she is also very loving. she endeavored to save her brother and did all that she could to spare his life, and she still loved him despite being shunned away. zisa did unspeakable things for tyr; the forging of both joyeuse and durendal already involved merzost. her standing in the endless greed’s way to save tyr, because she knew that if he died there was no getting him back, was also a testament to her love. that she would be willing to risk death AND to sully herself even further by tapping into powers that are beyond her to drive the greed into self-consumption AND to give herself a shot at surviving the ordeal… she did that both for tyr and for herself.

zisa has no qualms dipping her hands in blood for the people she loves. and for the longest time, the only person she truly loved was her brother.

[nightprompts]

&. 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐨 𝐱 𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬.

(  enemies  to  lovers?  slow  burns?  say  no  more.  various  dialogue  prompts  for  all  your  hero  x  villain  ship  needs.  feel  free  to  change  how  you  seem  fit.  )

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

❛ you can’t do this for me. i won’t let you. ❜

❛ it’s not for you. it’s not a favor. it’s the cruelest thing i could do. ❜

❛ i warn you. i’ll break your heart. ❜

❛ i know you better than you know yourself. ❜

❛ i’m replaceable. you’re not. ❜

❛ i hope to be the one you break your rules for. ❜

❛ why am i so fascinated by you? ❜

❛ when i watch the world burn, all i think about is you. ❜

❛ your hands are scarred from murder, and yet i trust them completely. ❜

❛ whatever you do. you’re still my family. ❜

❛ we could be the greatest team the world has ever seen. ❜

❛ how many times are we going to keep meeting like this? ❜

❛ i just wish i could protect you from everything. ❜

❛ enemies make the best lovers, you know. ❜

❛ sleep. i’ll fight the bad dreams off if they come to get you. ❜

❛ you know, they’re going to use the things you love against you. ❜

❛ truth is, i didn’t expect to get this attached to you. ❜

❛ you frustrate me incredibly. ❜

❛ love me like my demons do. ❜

❛ thinking of you is a poison i drink often. ❜

❛ please don’t make me do this. ❜

❛ don’t do anything stupid until i get back. ❜

❛ you protect what you love. ❜

❛ my heart scares you and a gun doesn’t? ❜

❛ you bandaged my wound with one hand, and held a knife in the other. ❜

❛ you save everyone, but who saves you? ❜

❛ you kill me and you accomplish nothing. your world as you know it will end. ❜

❛ all we do together is make love or fight. ❜

❛ i love the way your eyes light up when someone says ‘it might be dangerous’. ❜

❛ when is a monster not a monster? when you love it. ❜

❛ it’s pathetic really, how much i hope it’s me and you in the end. ❜

❛ you were right. you break everything you touch. ❜

❛ i would destroy myself to fix you. ❜

❛ i’m not going to kill you. you don’t deserve that. ❜

❛ that’s how you want me, isn’t it? desperate, jealous, and willing to kill for you. ❜

❛ i’m sorry you’re afraid of being alone. ❜

❛ they made you into a weapon, and told you to find peace. ❜

❛ i wasn’t there for you when you needed me, and i’m sorry. ❜

❛ ‘all right’ is not a term anyone would use to describe you. ❜

❛ just like old times, huh? ❜

❛ then we fight. together. ❜

❛ oh, i’ve missed this! ❜

❛ i know you. you’re me. ❜

❛ i’ve seen who you are under the mask. ❜

❛ i should kill you. why can’t i kill you?! ❜

❛ i don’t know what i’d do if they hurt you. and that terrifies me. ❜

❛ the world doesn’t need someone like you. the world needs you. ❜

❛ bullet wounds don’t just miraculously heal overnight. ❜

❛ you were fighting to survive. i was fighting to win. ❜

❛ i wasn’t a person to you, i was a weapon, and you needed me to work. ❜

❛ you’re pulling your punches. ❜

❛ i wish things were different between us. ❜

❛ don’t scare me like that. i thought i lost you. ❜

❛ don’t you die on me. ❜

❛ you’re so bad at this. it’s cute. ❜

❛ they don’t know you like i know you. ❜

❛ i broke my rules for you. doesn’t that mean anything? ❜

❛ do you think i’d let anything happen to you? ❜

❛ if i told you about the darkness within me, would you still look at me as you are right now? ❜

[requiem-on-water]

Full Moon Over The Spruce Trees by stsmhn

[woodswifearc]

you know when i first started writing zisa in like. 2018. i was so adamant that the closest vibe i could get in terms of fc is dark-haired anya taylor joy. but anya has been blonde for so many years and now it’s actually growing on me so i just went with it and i cannot see zisa as someone who isn’t blonde now fjshsjsh

[woodswifearc]

bro i love zisa so much i —

[kcrclrezni-a]

"I'm not sure that style of painting would fit in with the rest of your aesthetic," Nikolai returns, glancing around her home once more. "Or anyone's aesthetic, for that matter. I'd be concerned to meet a connoisseur of human raptor art." His gaze shifts to his pants, realizing how very disheveled he must look. Usually Zoya packed a change of clothes to make him look passably presentable, but usually he found himself in some field and not a Saint's kitchen.

"She is a Squaller," he confirms with a nod, brows furrowing. Should he have started with that? He thought it may be possible to beat around the bush on that particular fact. "I think that's one of the reasons why I find this meeting so fascinating. News doesn't reach you and I tend to hear everything, whether I like it or not." Nikolai cocks his head to the side and lets out a soft snort. "But I was there when the Fold was destroyed. I tend to get myself wrapped up in all manners of things. I think the Darkling would have referred to it as meddling."

"He didn't seem the type to listen to anyone, so don't feel bad about him ignoring you." Nikolai blows on his tea and happily takes another sip. "He seems to have gotten his revenge on me, though."

Baghra Morozova. The name causes Nikolai to stiffen and then sit up a little straighter. No, it's the tone in which the name is said. The knowledge of the news he'll have to deliver. "Baghra Morozova is dead." He raises his gaze from his tea and locks eyes with her. "She sacrificed herself to save the Sun Summoner from the Darkling's attack on the Spinning Wheel. Her final few months were... unkind to her. By no fault of her own, of course. I'm sure you'll agree she was a lovely woman. I wish I'd had the opportunity to get to know her better." A hint of a smile threatens to appear on his lips. "Her son did not take it well that his own mother was no longer on his side."

"You're not forgotten, no. Just not as well-known in Ravka as, say, Sankta Alina or..." He waves his hands vaguely. "Any other Saint whose story is written in the Istorii Sankt'ya." Nikolai's not exactly sure what to say when talk turns to Zoya and then to himself. "She is... Neither of those things. A trusted friend. A..." He trails off, not sure how to say 'General' without making himself seem more important or 'friend' without downplaying what she actually means to him. "I certainly try not to be a boring visitor, which is important because I need to set a precedent for your visitors to come. Can't have anyone be more impressive than myself, can I?"

[woodswifearc]

❛ ah, it depends on how it's painted, doesn't it? ❜ she gives him a small mischievous smile. nikolai's eyes scan the entirety of her small cabin; sparsely furnished but filled with practical and functional things, most of which are of her own making. wait until you see what's outside, zisa thinks. she's mostly scrubbed away the blood from the exterior, but the roof is still thatched with bird feathers in all sorts of plumage. the aesthetic is not really of her own choosing, but of the ancient horror that once claimed this place as her home. mother hunger, whose body is buried somewhere under her thriving vegetable patch. she is nothing now but bone.

zisa's fascination builds with every word out of her visitor's mouth. a picture is forming inside her head of an important man, important enough to be told things, as he himself implies. important enough to be in the fold as it was destroyed and to be an object of revenge by the darkling. a question is poised at the tip of her tongue but she holds herself off from asking and instead, opts to listen. a small sardonic laugh bursts forth from her mouth at the apt description of her former acquaintance. ❛ no, he's not one to listen. he's quite convinced he knows what's best for ravka. ❜ he started out hopeful and idealistic, like all of them do, before they realize that the world isn't as malleable as they hoped. and then the tyranny begins. ❛ you must have meddled quite severely to be penalized for it in the way you have been. ❜ good, zisa thinks. it took hundreds of years but it's good to know aleksander finally met his match. ❛ i don't suppose you can tell me how the fold was destroyed? ❜

there is no point hiding her dismay at his response to her question. zisa nods, her lips pressing into a thin line. the mention of a sun summoner has her blinking in confusion, but of course, it clears up just as quickly. it only makes sense that a grisha who can manipulate light has played a part in undoing the fold. ❛ baghra was lovely. of course, she was shunned as we all were; the similarity among powerful grisha throughout the years. i knew her before i knew her son. ❜ zisa sighs and stands up, straightening her apron. ❛ i need to check on that stew, if you'll excuse me. ❜ as she turns her back on him, she cannot help but think about the wayward path aleksander went down on. she never would have counted on him hurting his own mother, but she sees no motivation for nikolai to lie to her about it. zisa mechanically prepares two bowls of food, a hearty stew of meat and potatoes, and walks back to nikolai to offer one to him while she keeps the other for herself, and resumes her position on the seat before him.

❛ sankta alina is the sun summoner, i assume. ❜ she would have liked to meet someone who can call on the light. but the title sankta gives her the impression that whoever alina is, she has already been martyred. if not truly dead, she would keep herself hidden just like all the saints before her had. ❛ my tale is much too grim, even for that little red book, and long besides. ❜ still, it was good to be remembered. zisa smiles. ❛ you're entirely allowed not to answer my question with specifics, nikolai. but i'm curious about who you are. or what you are. regardless, your time here with me is coming to an end. ❜ she needs to get him back to his squaller. she may not have interacted with people for an extended period of time, but zisa has always kept her promises. ❛ eat, ❜ she commands gently. ❛ we'll be walking for a while. i suppose i'll feel the loss of your presence keenly when you've gone. but you know where to find me now, if the raptor in you remembers. ❜

[femalegifsource]

ANYA TAYLOR-JOY Vanity Fair

[woodswifearc]

zisa is an amplifier. it's custom in zisa's tribe for the chieftain to have children with whoever is the current woodwife, and their line has produced grisha who are also living amplifiers consistently, which is why the endless greed always took them as offerings, one to turn into a vessel, the other the disciple. however, this was also during a time when grisha power was not yet entirely understood. the endless greed didn't think he'd have need for grisha; he himself was powerful. what he needed was a bolster, a power source, an amplifier. one can also assume the endless greed ( and mother hunger ) used to be a normal grisha who dabbled in too much merzost, and thus it turned him into a sort of abomination. no one knows what kind of grisha he initially was, only that his physical form had become so corrupted, he could barely truly manifest anymore. his presence is like a thick fog and it is said he "swallowed" the sun and moon, but he really just blotted them out because he did not want people to see what he looked like in the light ( he also only really was able to do this within a limited area, but of course, zisa's tribe didn't know that, and they didn't venture out too far because they were made to believe the case was the same everywhere else. the greed's main motivation is to get out of the forest and be more mobile, thus wanting a vessel and an amplifier to achieve those ends. )

[woodswifearc]

thinking of zisa and that quote: in my part of the world, killing is a love language. and going insane, thank you.

[woodswifearc]

henlo, fyi this is a sideblog. i'm following from either @/korolevnas or @/northsrose