missumaru

[missumaru]

I had thought I'll feel happy when Konstantin dies because I hated him so much for the first two books but when he finally does die I didn't feel that joy. And I definitely didn't expect it to feel a bit sad. He was so nasty and hateful but he was also one of the best parts of the series. The paradox of him preaching religion vigorously to clean the village from demons only for it to invite one in the church itself. his faith both making and breaking him. him being resentful of god but also craving his love and attention. He basked in the love and admiration of people but he died the most worthless and a completely insignificant death, mourned by no one but the "devil" that he hated and feared.

And I was NOT ready to feel what this part me feel.

#the winternight trilogy

[missumaru]

The fact that there are real consequences every time that Vasya used magic makes me so happy

I’m tired of fantasy where using magic has no toll on the magic users

#the winternight trilogy

[missumaru]

“We encounter him in fairy tales as an ambiguous Jack Frost character, who punishes the wicked but also rewards the good. However, the roots of the character are pagan and violent. He traces his origin to Karachun, the old winter god of death and chaos who literally shortens your life.

Here is where I diverged from folklore. Because it seemed to me that death and chaos can’t be embodied by the same god. It’s impossible. Death is the antithesis of chaos. So I decided to bifurcate the character, and spin off his chaotic parts into the Bear. The bear is partially based on the dark god veles in Slavic mythology, (whose symbol is a bear) but the two are parts of one whole. I thought how incredible it was, the journey Morozko took to from savage death god, to forest spirit to, in the modern day, ded moroz, who with the snow maiden brings gifts at Christmas to good children. I imagined an actual person, immortal, watching their role and their very self change throughout history, and his he’d feel and react. And so my Morozko was born.

Yes, in the fairy tales, he’s like old man winter, with a beard. I didn’t want a grandfather though, I wanted someone of ambiguous years and morals, still full of life and unwilling to fade. And so I wrote him.”

- Katherine Arden talking about creating Morozko’s character on her Instagram 

#the winternight trilogy

[missumaru]

After they bound medved I was like ok interesting that’s all very cool but huh it is interesting how this personifies winter vs summer and why are we supposed to assume that morozko is the good one? Shouldn’t there be balance? Don’t both cold and heat bring danger and comfort?

And then I read the rest of the book and I was like oh. Oh ok.

#the winternight trilogy

[missumaru]

I have such deep respect for Katherine Arden’s ability to make the characters she clearly wanted to be terrifying genuinely so. For whatever reason, it’s not a skill–or series of skills to create a desired result that comes through to the reader–many authors possess. 

Not only did she do that, but she struck that balance between dangerous, frightening, and alluring with Morozko. Frankly, she struck all different types of scary yet fascinating with Morozko, Medved, and even in another way, Konstantin. 

Keep reading

#the winternight trilogy

[missumaru]

“Sleep is a cousin to death,” he said. “And both are mine.”

- Morozko, The Bear and the Nightingale

I think about this quote a lot…

I didn’t realize there was a book dedicated to Rodnovery and I have successfully read all three. But like… it was published about five-ish years ago, so I have found myself wanting to talk about it, but realizing it is hardly relevant anymore. It’s like being so late to the party, you missed the after party AND the 3 year reunion.

Anyway, my grandmother used to tell us stories of Morozko and the like, so it was oddly interesting to read through these books and find myself reintroduced to these topics I’ve so long forgotten.

#the winternight trilogy

[missumaru]

So… I kind of wrote a whole essay on Konstantin.

#the winternight trilogy

[missumaru]

In TWotW, it became clear to me that both Morozko and Medved are twins that symbolize different things for Vasya’s character. Medved is powerful and wild in nature just like her, but he’s also a creature of chaos that purposefully causes trouble in order to feed on people’s fear. He is what Vasya could become if she loses control of herself, if she gives too much of herself away to magic to the point where she forgets her own humanity. Meanwhile Morozko is cold and detached, as befits a winter king associated with death, and he’s been living as an entity for so long that he’s long forgot how to feel. And yet, it’s that coldness and longevity that makes him prudent in his actions, that makes him see reason beyond impulsive emotions. Morozko is what a powerful and naturally impulsive Vasya needs in order to avoid becoming a creature of chaos like Medved.

But it’s not as simple as deeming Morozko as the good and Medved as the bad, because they’re both far more layered and complex than that, which is why things don’t end with Medved being defeated by Vasya with Morozko’s aid. No. It ends with balance. Medved is allowed to be free while still having to answer to Vasya herself as she goes away with Morozko. This is Vasya learning to keep her chaotic side in check (Medved) without having to suppress it (something something a wild bird dies in a cage), just as she acquires a maturity that comes with the necessary coolness (Morozko) to keep her impulsivity under control.

#the winternight trilogy

[missumaru]

the way i was so taken by konstantin’s twisted obsession with vasya for the first two books and how it culminated at the beginning of the third but then the second i got to Those book 3 scenes i was like. oh. like, i get why people are insane abt him and medved now. me too, even.

#the winternight trilogy

[missumaru]

I read the winternight trilogy recently and I couldn't help but compare it to shadow and bone and how differently the two series deal with their main characters. Maybe that's because TWNT touches on some similar themes that SaB deals with.

Both these series have the "magic/power can corrupt" theme but TWNT handles it much better than shadow and bone.

she lurched forward, driven by the sound of feet above, and put a hand on the treasure-room door. Reality twisted; the door gave.

She heard them swearing. Her hands trembled. The sounds of storm, [...] were like three pieces of a nightmare. Reality was shifting too fast to understand.

“I was so frightened.” Reality was rippling around her like cloth in a high wind. She wasn’t sure if he was really there or if she’d just imagined him. “I am so frightened…”

Without thinking she cupped her palms and [...] Fire in her hands…It didn’t burn her. She was on the edge of mad laughter, as blind terror mingled with newfound power. “Konstantin saw me,” she said. “I ran. I was so afraid; I couldn’t stop remembering. So I called a thunderstorm. “Vasya,” said Morozko.“Enough for one day. You will bend your mind until it breaks.”

“It is not my mind bending,” she said, lifting up the fire between them. “You are here, aren’t you? It is everything else. It is the whole world bending.” She was shaking; the flames jerked back and forth.

Vasya is gifted with second sight, which means she can communicate with the unseen spirits and she can also perform magic. When she bends reality to her will within such a short span of time in between and under such stress it inevitably takes a toll on her. She's also someone deeply traumatized by the events that took place not so long ago, in the same city and at the hands of the same man who, in this scene, was chasing after her. She's afraid and her fear is amplified in Medved's presence. All of this only further messes up her head.

Her moral conflict and possible descend into madness due to magic is far more compelling than Alina becoming "power hungry" and that's because a) we actually see Vasya being affected by using too much magic b) the question of how and why can magic turn someone mad is answered by explaining how magic actually works in their world i.e: by forgetting reality. Compare this to Alina's three random anger outbursts that feel completely out of place or forced with little to no explanation on how her power works and the whole "power was affecting her" concept of SaB looks like a failure.

New clothes, a soft bed, hot food at every meal, the chance to be the Darkling’s pet.” “I’m not his pet.” “But you want to be,” she jeered. “Don’t bother lying to me. You’re like all the rest. I saw the way you looked at him.” My cheeks burned

Baghra had no patience with me. If I lost focus for even a moment, she’d smack me with her stick and say, “Dreaming of dancing with your dark prince?”

Alina is constantly shamed for her attraction towards the darkling by the narrative even when she's not acting on it just thinking.

“The clothes, the jewels, even the way you look. He’s all over you.” The words hit me like a slap. In the dark of the hall, I felt an ugly flush creeping up my cheeks. I snatched my hand from his, crossing my arms over my chest. “It’s not like that,” I whispered, but I didn’t meet his gaze. It was as if Mal could see right through me, as if he could pluck every fevered thought I’d ever had of the Darkling right out of my head.

Their demonstration at winter fete and all the time leading up to it was one of the few times we see Alina truly grow as a person who's no longer being held back by Mal or Ana Kuya's lovely teachings. At this point Alina was becoming her happiest and her most confident self only to have her new found boldness be stomped on by her dearest friend. And once again shamed for her private thoughts. Now because the poor girl felt a wee bit horny for the villain all the emotional growth she's had in the past few months is completely sidelined & the narrative focuses more on guilt tripping Alina for feeling attracted to the wrong man.

“Mal, what the Darkling said in the glade about … about him and me. I didn’t … I never …” “It doesn’t matter.” I looked up at him. “It doesn’t? “I don’t care if you danced naked on the roof of the Little Palace with him. I love you, Alina, even the part of you that loved him.” I wanted to deny it, to erase it, but I couldn’t. Another sob shook me. “I hate that I ever thought … that I ever—”

you...you WHAT girl? What did you do so wrong? Nothing! All she did was think darkling is hot and enjoy their kiss but the way they're talking about it you'd think she committed a crime. Also why the desperate need for validation from Mal all the time?? You're not married or committed to him. It's not a sin if you look at someone who isn't Mal! If Mal says it doesn't matter then it doesn't yayyy! life's good 🥰💫 but what if he'd said it did matter to him and that she was a disgusting person. What would she do then? Why does she place so much of her worth in what Mal says or thinks about her and why is she never allowed to grow out of this habit of hers?

Look, I get that she might feel embarrassed that she ever thought she could've a future with the darkling or there's feelings of hurt & betrayal but it's the constant shame attached to it that irks me so much.

We understand each other, he and I. Sometimes it frightens me.” “I am not surprised,” he said. “Spirit of sea and fire that you are; he is the worst parts of your own nature writ large.” His hands were on her shoulders now. “Vasya, he is a danger to you.”

Vasya on the other hand understands the Medved's (he's the devil btw) desire for chaos and isn't shamed for it. There isn't any harsh judgement in Morozko's tone either. He makes her aware of the dangerous line she's walking and how there's a darker part in her that she must keep in check but doesn't sneer with disgust in her face for that.

“I have done good and I have done evil, but I am neither. I am only myself. You will not make me ashamed, Morozko.”

She had dropped her hands, but she did not step back. “Though yes, I want Dmitrii’s admiration. I want a victory. I even want power, over princes and chyerti. I am allowed to want things, winter-king.”

"I'm allowed to want things" I love this line and I love how unapologetic she is about desiring something. This whole scene is my most favourite in the book because we see how sure Vasya is of herself. She never lets anyone, not even the man she loves, make her feel bad about her choices. She is stubborn and self-motivated and brave but that doesn't mean she isn't capable of reflecting on herself or being aware of her own flaws and we see her try to grow and change as a person. It's just that the narrative doesn't let her beat herself over it. She knows what she wants and she doesn't feel ashamed for it. And why should she? Power, ambition, passion and desire aren't inherently evil like SaB treats them. It depends on the one who holds them.

We see the good and bad in Vasya and her use of her magic but in Alina's case, she isn't given any room for such nuance since the very thing that makes her who she is, is constantly equated with greed & moral corruption. It is frustrating to see how Alina is not allowed any kind of depth and growth as a character in her own story.

Vasya is a great example of a strong fmc done right. Her story ends with her finding out about her ancestors which helps her understand her place in this world and realize her own motives i.e: to achieve a Rus' where humans & chyerti coexist peacefully and to travel to the lands of magic. Alina's story ends with the readers learning about her boyfriend's ancestors and his purpose in the world while she loses an intrinsic part of herself as a punishment for "greed" and goes on to live under a false identity.

Vasya's arc is empowering in a way Alina's isn't and that's because SaB is written as a condescending cautionary tale for young girls with lots of internalised misogyny and moral puritanism sprinkled in. You'd think a book targeted towards young "impressionable" readers as a moral lesson would encourage an arc of self-acceptance and love. Instead this series celebrates a very passive and self-diminishing storyline.

#shadow and bone #the winternight trilogy

[missumaru]

Vasya & Morozko from the Winternight Trilogy by KaneScribbles

[missumaru]

Shadow and bone cover book I made!! (Fandmade)

#shadow and bone #darklina

[missumaru]

if i think about the hunger games in peeta's perspective i WILL start sobbing

#the hunger games #everlark

[missumaru]

Songs of Lucy Gray Baird (1/?)

Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2023) template by userlokis (x)

#the ballad of songbirds and snakes

[missumaru]

seems like everybody’s talking abt the parallels btwn lucy gray & katniss or even katniss & sejanus or peeta & lucy gray or gale & coriolanus but EYE am interested in the fact that coriolanus and peeta are opposite ends of the same spectrum 🙏 you’ve got 2 blond men who have lived in poverty & impending death looming over their shoulders, who are so so so charismatic and charming (performers!) to where it’s just manipulation at times, who love a tribute girl from district 12 and risked so much for her … but they couldn’t be any more different. coriolanus charms his way through the capitol to keep the snow image pristine, to keep control over everything. peeta charms his way through the capitol for KATNISS. coriolanus’ love is rooted in possession while peeta’s is rooted in freedom ‼️

#the hunger games #the ballad of songbirds and snakes

[missumaru]

since seeing ballad of songbirds and snakes, i have not been able to stop thinking about the “old therebefore” scene… the sheer emotion in lucy gray’s voice, her refusal to let her fear show, the way she thought she was going to die right there and yet she just kept on singing. i seriously tear up every time it comes to mind. there was so much power in that scene, so much power in her refusal to let the capitol take away who she was, and that in itself was an act of defiance. rachel zegler will forever be famous for how beautiful and perfect her portrayal of lucy gray was and any tongue that dares to speak against her shall fall.

#ballad of songbirds and snakes #the hunger games

[missumaru]

What I think is kind of interesting is that if Dean Casca Highbottom, seeing exactly how good of a student Young Coriolanus Snow was, had taken the boy under his wing instead of despising him and trying to get revenge on a boy that never knew his father (and who only had of his father the words of others about the great man that he was), he might have had a good helping hand in stopping the games he so deeply despised.

It would have been, at the same time, quite a revenge on Crassus Snow to use his son to dismantle the Games the man helped implement. Not only that, but it would have offered young Coryo a person to depend on during his most formative years where he had to grow up under the immense pressure of keeping up appearances, taking care of an ailing grandmother and fighting everyday to keep himself and his family fed.

What Casca failed to realise during the 10th Games was that there weren't 24 tributes, but 25. Snow was fighting for survival just as much as the rest; of course, with the caveat that Snow was never in danger of losing his life. But, for a boy who had for all his life to survive instead of to live, those two might have been the same thing. In saving himself, Coryo would also save Tigris and his grandmother, while all the other tributes were saving mosty themselves since they would be going home with nothing to show for winning the games other than their lives and some (crippling in some cases) trauma.

Maybe things would have played out differently, maybe not, but we have seen time and time again through all four of the Hunger Games books, the power of a kind gesture: Peeta with the bread, Rue healing Katniss, Katniss singing to Rue, Mags sacrificing herself, Boggs treating Katniss like a young traumatised girl when no one else did. Who knows if Snow (and, in turn, the rest of Panem) wouldn't have benefited from it?

#the ballad of songbirds and snakes #the hunger games