#sankta margaretha

[amoureuxpagespoussier]

The Lives of Saints: Sankta Margaretha

Every year, lanterns are lit along the canal and prayers are said to Margaretha, the patron saint of thieves and lost children.

[stromuprisahat]

Down the demon went into the dark waters, all thoughts of children to devour abandoned, its claws reaching out for the diamond at the bottom of the canal. But the brooch was too heavy to lift. Anyone with sense would have left the jewel there, but demons have no sense, only appetite. It had seen the sparkle of the brooch as it fell and it knew this stone was more lovely and necessary than any it had seen before.  The demon died wrestling with the brooch, and its drowned corpse floated to the surface of the canal.

The Lives of Saints (Leigh Bardugo)

Why does this remind me of the Darkling chasing after the Sun Summoner only to (metaphorically) drown, trying to reach her? There’s a demon in the wood after all...

[martinakl13]

I think a lot about what the way they talk can tell us about our Crows. For example, interjections.

Unsurprisingly, Nina and Inej use all variants with Saints (Saints; All Saints; For Saints' sake) and Wylan uses Ghezen (Ghezen; Ghezen and his works). Matthias of course has Djel (Djel; Sweet Djel; For Djel's sake).

Now comes the interesting part. Jesper uses Saints, many times in his own creative way (Saints; All Saints; For Saints' sake; All Saints and your Aunt Eve; All Saints and the donkeys they rode in on) and (!) he also uses Ghezen (Sweet Ghezen). It's quite obvious that Jesper adopted Ghezen during his long stay in Ketterdam, but since he uses Saints much more often, it seems like something he got from his father as a child, since Colm also said many similar things in CK (All Saints; Saints; For Saints' sake). Do they recognise Saints on Wandering Isle? Probably.

And then there's Kaz. What do you think of his interjections? Have you noticed or thought about it? Kaz out loud never used any! Not Ghezen, not Saints, not Djel. There is only one exception where the interjection was part of his inner monologue.

Chapter 3, SoC:

"As Kaz headed down one of the little canals that would take him past Fifth Harbour, he realised he felt – Saints, he almost felt hopeful."

Oh yes, Kaz in his head when no one could hear him automatically used Saints and it wasn't because he wanted to mentally tease Inej about her Saints. I think the moment he felt almost hope, something from his past slipped out of the dark parts of his mind where he buried everything related to his family. Do we know for sure that Ghezen is the only god the Kerch people know? What about people from the countryside? Do they honour the god of industry, commerce and trade, or someone else who is closer to them? Who remembers where Marya Hendriks was kept? The Church of Saint Hilde. In addition, we also know two Kerch saints, Sankta Margaretha and Sankt Emerens. Coincidence? I don't think so.

[kazcreates]

Ex-Religious Jesper

Little Jesper, whose mother taught him all about the Zowa Saints. He would listen to the stories eagerly, one of the only times he would sit quiet and still. Entranced by the stories of Sankta Neyar, Sankt Egmond, and Sankta Margaretha, who had the same powers as him and his mother.

Little Jesper, who when his mother died and left him behind, stopped believing in the Saints. Not only encouraged by his father, but also due to the fact that his mother was not one of them. If they couldn’t protect her, the least they could’ve done was make her one of them.

Teen Jesper, who came to Ketterdam and met Kaz and Inej, and recognized the names of the Saints of Inej’s blades. He’d made the mistake of acknowledging that fact, and she asked him if he too was a follower of the Saints. She’d looked so excited, he hadn’t had the heart to tell her that he’d stopped believing in the Saints a long time ago.

Teen Jesper, who squirmed under the guilt of his mother’s religion every time he sat down at the tables, took their names in vain, took a life. He was zowa, his mother had always hoped he would be something more than this.

Adult Jesper, who is growing into his powers again with the help of Wylan. He’s far from a Saint, but he isn’t hiding from his abilities anymore. He’s made peace with the idea of Saints, having met a few himself, but he still doesn’t worship them.

Adult Jesper, whose only Saint is Sankta Inej, still prays before each of Inej’s departures that she’ll come back safely, for the sakes of all of Ketterdam. 

[yangvik]

so i recently finished the lives of saints and now it's time for my specialty; making everything about inej ghafa. the stories behind the namesakes of all her knives can be found here but the one that stood out to me the most was that of sankt petyr, her first knife. as the patron saint of archers it's likely she named the knife after her family's saying ("the heart is an arrow, it demands aim to land true"). but what stood out to me about it was how petyr died. i've seen a lot of analysis about the water imagery in the series and so i couldn't help but notice that petyr was martyred fighting a demon possesing a body of water, as inej fights slavers on the water. i know she didn't know that she would end up there when she named it but whatever it's symbolism you get it!!

while i was searching tags to see if anyone else noticed this i came across this post that highlights a possible parallel between petyr and kaz which is so delicious since it's known he gave the knife to her. one thing the grishaverse series is gonna do is eat the fuck out of symbolism. it was also not lost on me that sankta margaretha patron of thieves and lost children was kerch that was a nice touch. maybe a future knife name idk a girl can never have too many!

and ps sankta marya being a suli girl and the patron of those far from home made me want to eat the book. what the hell. what the hell.

[lunarthecorvus]

Inej Ghafa parent's fanfiction recommendations part of Lunar's soc fanficiton rec series

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what a mother was by @cameliawrites

Wordcount: 62k Chapters: 8/8

Characters: Inej Ghafa's Mother, Inej Ghafa's Grandparents, Inej Ghafa's Aunt, Inej Ghafa's Father, Inej Ghafa, Kaz Brekker

Tags: Mother-Daughter Relationship, Motherhood, Family, Romance, Coming of Age, Prequel, Time Skips, Suli Culture & Religion, Canon Compliant, Original Character(s), Canon-Typical violence, Period Typical Racism, Sick Character, Grief/ Mourning, Attempted Sexual Assault, First Love, Implied/ Referenced Homophobia, Eating Disorders, Bittersweet, Angst, Eventual Happy Ending

Author's summary/notes: "She could recount every detail of the day she married Kolhat: the geraniums her sister had embroidered along the sleeves and hem of her dress, one of her father’s old handkerchiefs tucked into her pocket, her mother’s silk veil draped over her hair. She could recall the day she met him, when she was all of twenty years old. Inej was not yet twenty. Shanta still felt as young as all that, and she felt far older." . . . Before she was Inej’s mother, Shanta Ghafa had a mother too. or: ten years and six suitors in the life of Mama Ghafa. My summary/notes: A beautiful retrospective of Mama Ghafa's past, the life she has lived, and all she has loved and lost. Camelia is just an amazing writer and every part of this fic was beautfully written. You can feel the grief and joy of Shanta's life and it added levels and depth to her character that I never would've expected. While reading this I couldn't believe that this wasn't canon and its own book. I would kill to read this for the first time again.

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Sankta Margaretha and Other Tales of Sorrow by @oneofthewednesdays

Wordcount: 18k Chapters: 8/8

Characters: Inej Ghafa, Inej Ghafa's Mother, Inej Ghafa's Father, Kaz Brekker, Jesper Fahey, Wylan Van Eck

Tags: Post-Book 2: Crooked Kingdom, Hurt/Comfort, Family, Angst, Implied/ Reference Rape/ Non-con, Canon Typical Violence, Graphic Description of Corpses

Author's summary/notes: When his daughter was stolen from beneath his nose on the outskirts of Os Kervo, Samir Ghafa lost his faith in the saints. After a letter arrives bearing the insignia of the Lantsov double-eagle, he finds his hope rekindled. But when he learns of the demon of Ketterdam, he begins to fear once more… My summary/ notes: I'm not sure how to write this without directly spoiling it.. but a certain opinion Inej's father has about someone is surprisingly uncommonly found in fics and its so interesting to read how the opinion is formed and how Samir acts because of it. Then consequently how the others act and feel because of Samir's actions. (I was laughing my ass off while writing this so vaguely)

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Ten Minutes in the Life of a Pear by @oneofthewednesdays

Wordcount: 8.9k Chapters: 4/4

Characters: Inej Ghafa, Inej Ghafa's Mother, Inej Ghafa's Father, Kaz Brekker, Asha, Hanzi

Tags: Panic Attacks, Healing, Implied/ Reference Rape/Non-con, Canon backstory, Pre-Canon, Pre-Relationship, Post-Canon

Authors summary: Four glimpses into breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert with the Ghafa Family. My summary/ notes: A heartwarming fic reflecting on the pain and the way relationships both platonic and romantic can develop and grow throughout the different points in life.

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Runs in the family by DopamineAddict

Wordcount: 99k Chapters: 16/18 (hasn't been updated since march)

Characters: Inej Ghafa, Kaz Brekker, Inej Ghafa's Mother, Inej Ghafa's father, Wylan Van Eck, Jesper Fahey. Tante Heleen, Specht, Roeder, Anika

Tags: Revenge, Family Reunions, Canon-Typical violence, Coming of Age, Inej Ghafa needs a hug, Past Rape/ non con, Post-Book 2: Crooked Kingdom, Kaz is scared of Inej's parents he knows hunger for revenge when he sees it, the Ghafa's might be a bit non canon but we only see them from Inej's pov in canon so..

Author's summary/notes: As the Ketterdam harbour grows closer, Priya and Devnand Ghafa steel themselves for the truth of whatever their daughter had been through over the past two years. And for what they might do about it. My summary/notes: Priya and Devnand meet their daughter again after years, they learn about her and what's she's been doing, but the other question that will be answered is what have they been up to since Inej has been taken. (This fic is just incredible, it changed how I saw her parents)

[maidenofcrows]

hiiii do you have any soc fic recommendations bc i need some and your account looks rlly cool!!!!

Awe, thank you!

Fic recs… I had to rummage around my bookmarks page but here we go:

The latte art series by pyrrhlc is a really good modern au

I really liked the Jordie lives au, Dirtyhands Regardless

The Honesty of a Bullet is… there’s some suggestive commentary/inner dialogue, but really portrays the fact that they’re still just awkward teens with crushes

Hold my hand and we’re halfway there is a nice picnic fic

Only One Reasonable Plea was a good read

Women of Ketterdam is not a kanej fic, but I really like it

Sankta Margaretha and Other Tales of Sorrow, where Kaz meets Inej’s parents post-CK

The Best Worst Kept Secret in Ketterdam is a very long (99 chapters so far) but complex and interesting fic by @fairytalesofforever where Kanej accidentally acquire a kid. The character arcs are so good.

I absolutely adore pretty much any SoC fic written by @cameliawrites and @whynotcherries

It’s Not You - It’s The Microwave by @a_nonnie_mouse is a fun modern au. I enjoy just about the whole Samples-verse

And then for a shameless bit of self-promotion, I myself have written Dinner at yours and we'll bare our souls and I just want to learn how, somehow, to be loved myself, the latter being the one I’m prouder of lol

Alrighty. I hope you enjoy! Thank you for the ask <3

[just-1other-nerd]

I'm reading The Lives of Saints right now and it was pretty much confirmed in King of Scars and Rule of Wolves that most, if not all Saints of the Grishaverse were Grisha, so now I'll list them and tell you what order I think they were in. Also Spoilers for the Grishaverse

- Sankta Margaretha: Durast because she works with solid materials like metal and gem stones

- Sankta Anastasia: Healer because her blood healing people is pretty obvious

- Sankt Kho: Tailor because he works with solid materials like metal (which is a Durast thing) thing but also with flesh and bones (which is a Corporalki thing especially a Corpse witch thing) and Genya explains at some point in the first book that a Tailors powers are kind of in between those two

- Sankta Neyar: Durast because she is the Saint of the black smiths and made her own sword

- Sankt Juris: a confirmed Etherealnik, his animal is the dragon

- Sankta Vasilka: Fabrikator because she works with threads and colours (btw I'm convinced that Leigh chose this name cause it's got "silk" in it, you know like a pun), her animal is the firebird

- Sankt Nikolai: I acutally have no clue (maybe an Alkemi???) even though it seems like this little boy didn't do the wonder himself he deserves to be a Saint because he is so nice to everyone and wants to share with the people also I think his animal is definitely the reindeer

- Sankta Lizabeta: a confirmed Fabrikator, her animals are the bees (btw I'm disappointed that we didn't get a picture of her like the one described in the Grisha trilogy you know where that bitch is brutally quartered)

- Sankta Maradi: Etherealnik most likely a Squaller

- Sankt Demyan: Fabrikator most likely a Durast

- Sankta Marya: Durast because she manipulates solid materials (rocks)

- Sankt Emerens: no clue (maybe a Fabrikator???), his animals were most likely the rats. Damn he deserved better than drowning in grain because he wanted to do something good like that's such a cruel death and then they didn't even bury him in the cemetery

- Sankt Vladimir: Tidemaker because my boy is holding back the ocean all alone for a whole month

- Sankt Grigori: confirmed Corporalnik Healer, his animal is the bear

- Sankt Valentin: powers no clue, animal is a snake, the book doesn't tell how he became a Saint and I'm curious but it told us a wonder he did just like in the Juris chapter but there the "defeating the dragon made him a Saint" was at least mentioned

- Sankt Petyr: powers no clue, I don't think the demon could be his animal

- Sankta Yeryin: Fabrikator because maybe she used her powers to move millstones to make the flour

- Sankt Feliks: most likely a Materialnik like the monks in the end of RoW, animal is the falcon

- Sankt Lukin: I'd guess Corporalnik because he survives something he shouldn't and because making people sleep before they die is a very heartrender thing

- Sankta Magda: the birth help and the suddenly looks younger part sound Healer-like but the healing potions and elixars and whatever sound more like a Alchemi thing so it's gotta be one of those

- Sankt Egmond: Durast, he works with stone, metal, glass etc can it be more obvious?

- Sankt Ilya: he is Morozova, the Bone Smith, a Fabrikator who used Mezost, even though he created the 3 Amplifiers those never were his animals but Alinas

- Sankta Ursula: Etherealnik, Tidemaker the wave was pretty obvious

- Sankt Mattheus: no clue, he just tamed wolves, so I guess they'd be his animals

- Sankt Dimitri: no clue

- Sankt Gerasim: Fabrikator most likely an Alchemi, because he works with paint and powders

- Sankta Alina: confirmed Sun Summoner, her animals are the stag, the sea whip and Mal I guess

- Starless Saint: confirmed Shadow Summoner

[kanejhell]

One for Malice

Read it on AO3!

Word Count: 1,403

Kaz Brekker strolled into the Promsvyaz on a late Friday afternoon, polished shoes tapping lightly against the dark marble floor. The small bank stood resolute in its declared street corner in the Exchange, stacked tall in the space between neighboring buildings, pathway lightly weathered from the wealthy’s daily foot traffic. He ran a hand through his hair, making the same face he always made when he was about to wager against Sankta Margaretha.

Large stone archways yawned toward the high ceiling, curving upward as they met the dome roof and slanted downward at sharp angles. Thick marble columns rested on either side of the entryway, continuous sets echoing down the length of the bank in mirror imagery. 

Desks lined either side of the wall, more than half of them empty, all the way to the back, a large one at its center. Wealthy merchants were scattered about the floor, unbuttoning and rebuttoning their cuffs, busying themselves with other trivial things. He grit his teeth for a moment, forcing himself to forget his limp as he walked to the far desk. He rolled his shoulders back slightly, throwing on that same arrogance that every other merchant’s son had grown, festering like an infection from a wound.

The man behind the desk scribbled on a piece of pale parchment absentmindedly. 

“Excuse me,” Kaz drawled, drawing out his words as if he had all the time in the world to speak them. “I’d like to open an account for myself.”

The man behind the desk didn’t so much as raise his eyes.

Kaz’s eyebrows knit together in mock annoyance. “I have a lot of money, and I’d like to put it somewhere safe,” he said, standing up straighter. The man behind the desk glanced at him, then set down his pen.

He sat up in his chair, peering down over his desk into Kaz as if he were a merchant’s boy, destined to make his own fate on his father’s dime. Kaz pulled out a stack of Kruge , bound together with a thick band in the center. 

The man– Mikhial, his nametag read–smiled at him as if they shared a secret. “An account you say,” he let out a hearty laugh, “a growing thing like you needs one of those in this changing world. How else will you be able to keep your things safe if not in a bank,” he tutted.  

He picked up his pen again, scribbling something else and casting the sheet of parchment aside. “So,” Mikhial said, “Your name?”

“Radomir,” Kaz announced as he leaned forward, mimicking juvenile authority. “Alexei Radomir.” His mind flickered back to the eldest living Radomir heir, no more than twelve. An old name, but not so known that it would draw suspicion. 

Mikhial hummed, scratching his pen against another new sheet of parchment. “And how much would you like to deposit today, Alexei?” He inquired, looking at him through his brows, greed in his eyes. Kaz fought the quirk of his lip.

He made a show of digging through his pockets, layering the disheveledness any other merchant’s child might have shown at having to attend to matters for themself. He placed the stack of the pale, purple bills still in his hand on the edge of the tall desk and another from his pocket on top of it. 

Mikhail made a face. “That can’t be all you’ve got, now. You wouldn’t want to see your balance to be so low from the start, would you?” He leaned in close, voice dropping low. Kaz took a step forward, as if mystified. “‘Tell you a secret. You start out as big as you can, and keep funneling more in. Never sell for more than you can make. That’s how all the big players do it.” 

Kaz nodded, face drawn in concentration as if he’d just received gospel directly from the Saints. Truly, he thought, there was no more fitting a place for it to be than in the centre of a bank. 

He dug around in his pockets for a moment, and pulled out a few other large, crumpled bills, as if they’d simply been sitting in the bottom of his coat pockets for weeks, forgotten. 

Mikhail nodded in approval, a glimmer in his eyes. “Now you’ve got the right idea. Let’s get you squared away.” He scribbled down on a piece of paper and set the large stamp across it with a heavy thud before settling it back down on the inkpad and filing the whole thing away in a drawer at his side. He fumbled for an envelope and slipped the crumpled Kruge into it, so thick it was bulging and wouldn’t close. Kaz pretended he didn’t notice when a few of the bills fell into a place they did not belong, unretrieved. “Now,” he said, smacking his lips, “there will be some paperwork for you to fill out at the other end, near that line of desks,” he gestured to the opposing side of the bank. 

Kaz filed the paperwork, carefully signing Alexei’s name across the blank and handing over his identification. Really, Rotty did an impressive job at its duplication. 

As he stepped back out onto the streets of the Exchange, the sun slipped over the horizon of the Harbor, colours dancing across the sea. He turned the corner into an alley, raising a brow at the small goat that knocked over a crate and bleated in his direction.

Inej turned the corner and came up beside him, offering his cane. He took it, leaning heavily against it as he came to rest on a wall, taking the weight off his leg. Inej bent down, stroking the goat’s coarse fur. “If you feed it,” he said, “it will come back.”

She laughed at him. “Would that be so bad?” Kaz raised a brow as she stood again. “You came back, you know.” He wasn’t the one that left, she knew. Though he was the one that took her offerings like any properly starved man, like there was yet another kind of greed he had yet to learn to bend to his will. 

His gaze dropped to the way her hair fell across her shoulder. The small scar at the top of her lip. He changed the subject. “The accounts are kept individually in a series of files, but not well. They’re being skimmed off by the tellers.”

“So how do we get in?” She asked, slipping further down the alleyway.

“Getting in isn’t the problem,” he limped heavily behind her, and she waited for him to catch up before continuing. “It’s keeping our hands clean after we get out.”

She picked up a crate and turned it on its side for him to sit on. “Our dear friend Radomir has an account now that we have access to. Currently, there are a couple hundred Kruge in it, waiting patiently. The bank knows it’s a large sum, so it shouldn’t be hard to fudge the numbers of the ledger.”

“So we funnel the money into the Radomir account, change the ledger to make up the difference for the missing funds, and then. . . what? We can’t withdraw that without drawing suspicion.”

“No,” he said, taking a seat on the crate and sending her a thankful look. He rest his cane against a barrel just to the side of him. “Which is exactly why we need someone on the inside who can do the moving for us. Then, before anyone notices their accounts have been siphoned, we’ll break in and drain Radomir’s account, too.”

“Someone on the inside?”

“There were a number of empty desks. I’m willing to bet they’re hiring.”

“And who exactly do you propose we send in?”

Kaz leaned back against the brick wall. “Wylan’s a merchant’s son. And, as the Van Eck heir, I’m sure they’d love a known name attached to their business.”

Inej shook her head. The goat bleated again from behind them, trailing along. Kaz shot her a look. “He won’t agree to that,” she said, bending down to pet the goat again.

He frowned. “He will if we can also talk Jesper onto the job,” he reached for his cane and leaned over the top, putting all his weight on it as he stood. 

“And how do you propose we do that?”

“I think it’s time we visit the Van Eck manor,” he said, turning to face Inej. “Bring the goat.”

Masterlist

do we want a grishaverse taglist yes or no

[ragingstillness]

Grishaverse reference

Hi Grishaverse moots, idk if someone has already done this before and if they have, sorry, guess we've got two cakes now.

I recently finished reading lb's written version of Lives of the Saints and I have many thoughts. The following are my guesses on nation of origin and grisha power for the saints mentioned in the book, based on the stories provided. There isn't a ton of information, but these are my best guesses, feel free to put these interpretations in your fics!

Also lb's grasp on Russian is tenuous at best, so keep in mind that this list is written letter for letter the way the chapters were titled, not the way these names would be properly spelled.

Sankta Margaretha - Kerch, likely Durast

Sanka Anastasia - Ravkan, likely Healer or Alkemi

Sankt Kho - Shu, Durast

Sankta Neyar - Shu, Durast

Sankt Juris of the Sword - presumably Ravkan but he dates back to before Ravka was a country, his story references one of his miracles not his actual story of sainthood so his Grisha designation is unknown, we do know that he's a two-souled Grisha bonded with the Dragon

Sankta Vasilka - probably Ravkan due to her being described as the first firebird, likely a two-souled Grisha with a firebird, maybe a Durast or Squaller 

Sankt Nikolai - unclear nationality due to his being on a ship from an unknown port, potentially Ravkan, Squaller, maybe an Alkemi too 

Sankta Lizabeth of the Roses - Ravkan, maybe a Durast, maybe a two-souled Grisha with bees, maybe an Alkemi with plants

Sankta Maradi - Zemeni, Tidemaker or Squaller

Sankt Demyan of the Rime - Fjerdan, Durast

Sankta Marya of the Rock - Suli, Durast

Sankt Emerens - Kerch, maybe Alkemi or Heartrender

Sankt Vladimir the Foolish - Ravkan, Tidemaker

Sankt Grigori of the Wood - Ravkan, Healer, potential Durast, two-souled Grisha with a bear 

Sankt Valentin - unknown nationality, potential Squaller or Heartrender, potential two-souled Grisha with a snake 

Sankt Petyr - Ravkan, potential Inferni or Heartrender

Sankta Yeryin of the Mill - Shu, likely Durast or Alkemi 

Sankt Feliks Among the Boughs - Ravkan, likely Alkemi, the Thornwood grew where he died, two-souled Grisha with a hawk 

Sankt Lukin the Logical - unknown, potential merzost-using Healer or Heartrender

Sankta Magda - Ravkan, Healer or Alkemi, maybe secondary Squaller gift, saved Grisha children from pyres

Sankt Egmond - Fjerdan, Durast, forced to create the Ice Court 

Sankt Ilya in Chains - Ravkan, merzost-using Durast, potential Healer/Heartrender too

Sankta Ursula of the Waves - from an area in Fjerda where she is called a princess but we known her mother is Baghra and her father a sildroher, making her half-sildroher half Ravkan, Tidemaker

Sankt Mattheus - unknown nationality, Alkemi or Heartrender, turned wolves into dogs, possible merzost using Heartrender or two-souled Grisha with a wolf

Sankt Dimitri - unknown nationality, likely a merzost-using Healer or Heartrender (or a Squaller playing a joke due to his? skeleton being found in a room still praying and also talking)

Sankt Gerashim the Misunderstood - likely Ravkan, potential Durast, his vow of silence makes me think it's more likely that he was attacked and made mute because it says he stopped talking at 15 and didn’t say a word in his defense before he died

Sankta Alina of the Fold - Ravkan, Sun Summoner, obviously 

The Starless Saint - Ravkan, Shadow Summoner, obviously 

Extra thoughts I had reading the book:

“Half of novokribirsk was lost” - this is how the Darkling moving the Fold was described so I guess we have a better grasp on where the Fold moved to and how many people died

The story with Alina isn't about her own sainthood but about people praying to her, specifically Grisha children who are being sold to Kerch slaver, what a surprise that Alina didn't fix everything governing Ravka (I am bitter as hell and this is sarcastic)

Ulla being described as a princess is odd because what is she the princess of?

We know that dragons and sildrohers exist in the grishaverse but nebulous "demons" are also mentioned as taking over people's bodies. It's unclear how real these might be or whether they were trauma responses or mental health issues.

A ton of these people are hermits, likely because it helped hide their powers.

Lots of saints being accused of conspiring with the “demons,” lots of the saints are described as “witches.”

The prose feels like I’m reading propaganda written by the Apparat. ex: All the saints are described as pious and this is what their actions are attributed to despite clearly being the result of Grisha powers.

It's interesting to me personally lb even included Aleksander or allowed a story to exist that showed how his expansion of the Fold benefitted a Ravkan citizen.

Most Saints are described as weak and sickly, wonder why that is (wasting sickness from hiding their powers). 

The Tula valley was desolate before the Fold because Feliks died there and many crops rotted after his death.  

A lot of these stories have townspeople and noblemen turning on the saints, also lots of stories of people fighting for royalty then being betrayed by the same royalty (what a sucky trend for Grisha).

Many saints are said to be monks and scholars, this might be Apparat propaganda but it also might be an extension of them being in hiding about their powers.

Lot of saints are Durasts and Alkemi, likely because Materialki powers are the easiest to hide. Possible Etherealki Saints probably didn't survive long enough to be remembered.

A surprising amount of saints were Squallers. This may be because wind is harder to predict than other natural forces and is more likely to be dismissed as nature rather than Grisha power.

Only one saint is a potential Inferni. Probably because it's arguably the most difficult power to hide.

Some of these legends definitely seem older than others because they reference each other and lb does not make it clear where in the historical timeline they fall in relation to each other.

Some of the saints are only described with their miracles not their stories of sainthood, this is a curious choice and I wonder why it was made.

Some of the saints' deaths are written as fade to black while others are described in excruciating detail. Another weird choice.

[brelliesvault]

RELIGIONES Y SANTOS

DJEL Es el dios que adorado por los Fjierdanos. Se dice que construyó el palacio de hielo y trabajó entre los fresnos. En Fjerda se entierra a los muertos cerca de un fresno para que de ese modo puedan echar raíces.

GHEZEN Es el dios de Kerch y el dios del comercio. Los ciudadanos de Kerch creen que el trabajo es parecido a la oración. La limpieza es solo una de las maneras que honran a su dios.

La iglesia del Trueque en Ketterdam tiene la forma de la mano de Ghezen.

LOS SANTOS Fueron personas reales que, debido a sus milagros y martirios en vida, lograron crear cierta devoción por ellos después de muertos, o al menos eso cuentan las leyendas. Hay historias muy diferentes de todos ellos y una extensa lista, pero de manera general se les conoce como Los Santos. Casi todos ellos fueron Grisha.

Lista de santos:

SANKTA ANASTASIA Patrona de los enfermos.

SANKT DEMYAN DE LA ESCARCHA Patrón de los recién fallecidos.

SANKT EGMOND Patrón de los arquitectos.

SANKT EMERENS Patrón de los cerveceros.

SANKT DIMITRI Patrón de los eruditos.

SANKT FELIKS DEL MANZANO Patrón de la horticultura.

SANKT GERASIM EL INCOMPRENDIDO Patrón de los artistas.

SANKT GRIGORI DEL BOSQUE Patrón de los médicos y los músicos.

SANKT ILYA EL ENCADENADO Patrón de las curas milagrosas.

SANKT JURIS DE LA ESPADA Patrón de los soldados exhaustos.

SANKT KHO Patron de las buenas intenciones

SANKTA LIZABETA DE LAS ROSAS Patrona de los jardineros.

SANKT LUKIN EL RACIONAL Patrón de los políticos.

SANKTA MAGDA Patrona de los panaderos y las mujeres desamparadas.

SANKTA MARADI Patrona de los amores imposibles.

SANKTA MARYA DE LA ROCA Patrona de quienes están lejos de casa.

SANKTA MARGARETHA Patrona de los ladrones y los niños perdidos.

SANKT MATTHEUS Patrón de los amantes de los animales.

SANKTA NEYAR Patrona de los herreros.

SANKT NIKOLAI Patrón de los marineros y las causas perdidas.

SANKT PETYR Patrón de los arqueros.

SANKTA URSULA DE LAS OLAS Patrona de quienes se extravían en el mar.

SANKT VALENTIN Patrón de los encantadores de serpientes y los solitarios.

SANKTA VASILKA Patrona de las mujeres célibes.

SANKT VLADIMIR EL NECIO Patrón de los ahogados y los éxitos inesperados.

SANKTA YERYIN DEL MOLINO Patona de la hospitalidad.

[wesper-ao3feed]

"Ketterdam Is Made Of Monsters"

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/xtrue8o by proper claws for proper thieves (Graivity) All demons were stronger underground. The people of Ketterdam didn’t know why, and they didn’t need to. They just kept the entrances Onder locked up and well guarded, at least in the good part of town, and stayed wary of what might emerge from the canals. Every once in a while—after a plague or a bad fire; a bad fall for the stock market (it was Kerch, after all); a spate of strange killings—the Merchant Council would turn their attention yet again to the city’s “demon problem” and send their priests and their soldiers into the tunnels. But most of the time, Ketterdam left their monsters be. After all (so they thought), the demons stayed below—or if they didn’t, then in the worse parts of the Barrel, where the staadwatch didn’t patrol and the thrill-seekers didn’t wander, and this amounted to much the same thing. Most of the time, the rich folks just prayed to Ghezen and Sankta Margaretha for protection, locked their doors (for what good that did them), and went about their own business. Feeling a little less evil for their own human blood. Feeling certain their neighbors shared it. They thought they were safe. Kaz let them. For now. Words: 4040, Chapters: 2/?, Language: English Fandoms: Six of Crows Series - Leigh Bardugo, Shadow and Bone (TV) Rating: Not Rated Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Categories: F/M, M/M Characters: Inej Ghafa, Kaz Brekker, Nina Zenik, Jesper Fahey, Matthias Helvar, Wylan Van Eck, Per Haskell, the dregs, The Dime Lions - Character, other Barrel gangs likely to make an appearance, Pekka Rollins (EWW), Tante Heleen (YUCK), Jan Van Eck (ICK) Relationships: Kaz Brekker/Inej Ghafa, Jesper Fahey/Wylan Van Eck, Matthias Helvar/Nina Zenik, Kaz Brekker & Jesper Fahey & Inej Ghafa & Matthias Helvar & Wylan Van Eck & Nina Zenik, And each friendship individually Additional Tags: AU where what is metaphorical in canon is literal, Inej is a literal wraith, Kaz is a literal demon, Nina is already the Corpsewitch, As for the rest of the Crows we'll see, kanej-centric but everyone's here, starts parallel to pre-Six Of Crows events, retelling everyone's backstories so we're getting into all of the trauma, ouch sorry it just has to happen, (says author to themself), Canon-Typical Violence, major character death?? sort of??, Inej died in the Menagerie, RIP Heleen and the Menagerie because Inej not so much, Antagonist deaths may happen, Network of tunnels under Ketterdam, FERAL DEMON KAZ, Kaz being infuriating enough to get himself stabbed, Demon Kaz returns from the dead infinitely so no worries, Demon Kaz has the hugest crush, BAMF Inej Ghafa read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/xtrue8o

[number63liveblogs]

The Lives of Saints, part 1

SANKTA MARGARETHA

I’m surprised that this is the saint we start with. Her miraculous work was very modest, all things considered: only a piece of jewellery that nobody else could lift, and she wasn’t martyred at the end of her story.

The demon is clearly not a real demon, but considering the “time of saints” had dragons it could be something sufficiently monstrous that calling it a demon doesn’t actually change the story much.

I do find her being the patron saint of thieves somewhat funny. She didn’t even steal that much.

SANKTA ANASTASIA

Anastasia’s much more what I was expecting from these stories. She’s martyred, and her “miracles” are something that could conceivably be Grisha work, especially if it was done before the arts were standardized. I can imagine a healer being able to make antibodies, but only in her own body and at the same time not being capable of keeping her own body alive under the stress.

SANKT KHO AND SANKTA NEYAR

Neyar fights single handedly for three days and three nights and ends up being the patron saint of blacksmiths? … okay.

And second and third of the saints who could be just Grisha.

SANKT JURIS OF THE SWORD

Interesting that we don’t get a story of how Juris originally became a saint, only the most famous of the miracles that he did after he became a saint. But we did hear a lot about his life in the series proper, so it might be for Doylist reasons.

Obviously the whole thing could be and most likely is just a coincidence.

SANKTA VASILKA

I think what the author is trying to gesture here is that the same way Juris was connected to his dragon amplifier, Vasilika was had a firebird amplifier, and she escaped in the guise of a firebird.

---

I’m surprised that only one out of the six saints we have here were actually martyred. The first books made their stories sound way more bloody, overall.

[milo-my-beloved]

things we don't say

A continuation of the some other life 'verse.

Playlist 🎵 Buy me a cup of tea ☕

Chapter Four: Kaz and Inej (Favourite Ship)

It takes them two hours to perfect their routine.

A clever combination of Kaz's close-up magic and her acrobatics tells the tale of Sankta Margaretha, Ketterdam's patron saint of thieves and lost children. It's a well-known story, and one the wealthy guests at Van Eck's party will love.

Once they've run through their performance a few times, they migrate into the kitchen. It's late — much later than when she usually cooks for herself — and Nina and Matthias can probably hear her stomach rumbling from the other side of the city.

Kaz opens the fridge, stares at it blankly, and then closes it again. "I don't have any food in."

She knew she should have eaten before coming. "It's fine."

"Pizza?"

"Sounds good," she smiles.

He places the order without having to ask what she wants. He knows all of the important things about her; her favourite kind of chocolate (salted caramel), her favourite flower (geraniums, like her mother), and her favourite pizza topping. It's deceptively easy to fall back into their old routines, even though the people they used to be are long gone now.

"It'll be twenty minutes," he says.

Not enough time to run through their routine again, but too long to stand here making awkward conversation. "Do you want to watch a film?"

Kaz tenses, his hand flexing on the head of his cane. "Do you have a particular one in mind?"

She racks a brain for a film that won't make the situation even more uncomfortable. Not a romance. Nothing serious. They need a comedy or something, but not a rom-com — nothing that will remind them of their failed relationship.

"Have you ever watched Now You See Me?" Inej asks.

Kaz shakes his head.

"You'll love it! It's about a group of magicians doing a heist."

He raises an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. But he follows her into the living room and hands her the remote without arguing with her choice.

By the time the pizza delivery guy rings the doorbell, Kaz has already pointed out five different magic-related inconsistencies. He passes the spicy meat pizza to Inej without taking his eyes off the screen, and shucks off his gloves to eat his strange anchovy-covered concoction.

If he notices the way Inej's gaze lingers on his bare skin, he doesn't say anything.

She tries to refocus her attention on the TV. Her eyes drift over to Kaz whenever she stops paying attention, delighting in the incredulous expression on his pizza-stained face. Every time he yells at the screen she grins like a fool, only to shut it down a few seconds later.

Papa always says that the heart is like an arrow. On the trapeze, it was easy for her to decide on her trajectory, pinning her focus on the next handhold as she soared through the air.

Now, she just wishes her heart would latch on to someone other than Kaz Brekker.

Continue reading under the cut // Continue reading on AO3.

Inej walked to the nearest hotel, still wearing Kaz's oversized shirt and a pair of black sweatpants she found at the top of her bag. Checking in so late felt like a waste of money, but she didn't care. She needed somewhere to be alone for a while.

The first thing she did upon entering her room was to change out of her clothes. The shirt smelt like him — like burnt coffee and foxgloves — and even when she tossed it onto the patterned carpet floor of the Geldrenner hotel, she couldn't rip her eyes from it.

She fell asleep on top of the mattress with the taste of her salty tears on her lips, wearing a band t-shirt Jesper gave her years ago.

When she woke, she forced her head up from the damp pillow and she strode on shaky legs to the bathroom. She stopped in front of the mirror, staring at her reflection for a while. What could she say to console the broken girl gazing back at her?

There was one thing she knew for certain: Kaz was too stubborn to come running back to her on his own. They were over, and her perfect summer had come to its abrupt end.

"It's going to be alright," she whispered to her reflection. The girl in the mirror didn't believe her, so she repeated the sentiment. "We're going to be alright. We're going to shower and get dressed, we're going home to mama and papa, and you will not wallow in this pain."

The girl in the mirror held her head a little higher.

"You can't force him to open up to you, but you don't have to watch his past swallow him. It's his loss."

Inej nodded once, a jerky movement, and then did exactly as she said she would. She cleaned the salty residue from her cheeks, braided her hair, and dressed herself in her comfiest clothes. By the time she returned her key to the front desk, her posture was as confident as it always is, even if she didn't feel as brave as usual.

On the bus over to her parents' house, the reality of the situation hit her all over again, and she has yet to recover.

*****

As soon as the film ends, Kaz launches into the rant that he's been saving up for the hour and fifty-five minutes they've been sitting there.

"It makes no sense," he grumbles, carrying their empty pizza boxes into the kitchen. "Did they learn any magic before making this?"

"I thought you said all magic is a con," Inej points out. "So's acting."

He rolls his eyes. "You know what I mean."

She smiles, fetching herself a glass from the cupboard above the sink and filling it with cold water from the tap. "I take it you don't want to watch the sequel, then."

"They made a second one? Who on earth asked for that?"

Inej laughs. It's always hard to tell whether Kaz is playing up his reactions — yet another of his cons — or if he just lowers his guard around her. She takes a sip of water, leaning over the counter. Outside, she hears the first drops of early October rain tapping at the window.

Kaz turns his head to watch the heavens open, and Inej knows they're both thinking about the same thing.

"It's late," Kaz says. "Do you want to stay over?"

Inej puts her glass down before she can drop it. "Is that the best idea?"

His neck stays firmly angled towards the window. He's shutting her out again. Why did she expect anything different? They aren't a couple any more. She has no right to his secrets. If he wants to dig his own grave, she won't be there to watch it after Friday.

Still, she can't help but push her luck. "Where would you have me sleep, Kaz? In the bed you threw me out of?"

He faces her then, his dark eyes searching her face. It's the first time either of them has mentioned that night, and Inej nearly regrets the question.

"I didn't throw you out. You left."

"Because you told me to," she corrects. Anger rises up her throat, threatening to spill out all over Kaz's spotless kitchen tiles. "Past three in the morning."

He looks down at his cane, turning the crow's head away from her. At least he looks ashamed, she thinks, but it doesn't bring her any comfort.

"I told you on the first of those double dates Jesper dragged us to — I'm not the man you think I am."

"You're exactly the man I think you are." She sighs. "That's the problem, Kaz. You were perfect for me. But you can't believe that another person can love you back, so you push us all away because of some imagined future wrongdoing."

He swallows, shaking his head slightly.

"I realised that a long time ago, thanks to your regular warnings. And so has Jesper, and Wylan, and all our other friends. But I wanted to stay. I wanted to be the exception to your rule, because I loved you. But you asked me to leave, and I respected that even though it destroyed me in the process."

She dips her head, focusing her gaze on the cup in front of her as she blinks away traitorous tears. She shouldn't have come here. She didn't intend to pour her heart out in his kitchen, unprompted. But at least this finally might give them closure.

"You don't know what you're asking me to confess." Kaz pauses, choosing his words carefully. "All of what you've said is true. You've just laid out all the reasons why you deserve a better man than me."

Inej shakes her head. "You are that better man, Kaz. You just refuse to see it." She finishes her glass of water in three desperate gulps, placing the cup in the sink carefully before turning back to him. "If you're still offering, I'll sleep on the couch."

He nods. They set up the makeshift bed together, moving the furniture back to where it belongs and spreading out Kaz's spare blankets and pillows. The end result is comfier than her own bed.

He hovers in the doorway as she sits down to unbraid her hair.

"Goodnight, Inej."

"Sleep well, Kaz."

He closes the door softly behind him, and a few minutes later, she hears his cane tapping against the hard wood as he climbs upstairs to his bed.

Inej lies down on the sofa, tugging a blanket up to her chin, and she dreams of Margaretha and her demon. As she drifts off, the demon morphs into Kaz's face, and she wonders whether that is how he sees himself; twisted, crooked, wrong, but still the boy she loves.

[mookybear12404]

Okay but imagine Inej stitching a scapular like the one she has in the show but of Sankta Margaretha (patron of thieves and orphaned children) and giving it to Kaz “to keep him safe”, and him pretending he doesn’t care about it but wearing it everywhere he goes, keeping it around his neck, hidden away against his chest, threatening anyone who dares to try and touch it or take it away from him

[inahandful-of-dust]

The Appearances of the Saints

Here are the descriptions of the physical appearances of the Saints of the Grishaverse.

Sources: The Lives of Saints; King of Scars; The Language of Thorns

***

Sankta Margaretha

In her image in The Lives of Saints she has black hair. She was originally from Kerch.

*

Sankta Anastasia

Known as a great beauty, she had red hair bright as a field of new poppies and green eyes that shone like polished glass.

She was Ravkan, more precisely from the village of Tsemna.

*

Sankt Kho

There is no description or image of Sankt Kho. He was Shu, so it can be assumed he had black hair and yellow-gold eyes.

*

Sankta Neyar

In her image from The Lives of Saints she has black hair. She was Shu, so it can be assumed she had yellow-gold eyes.

*

Sankt Juris of the Sword

Juris looked to be a man of about forty. He was as big as Tolya, maybe larger, and Zoya could imagine he must have cut a daunting figure with a broadsword in his hand. She could see a tracery of scales over his shaven scalp, as if his dragon features had crept into his human body. [King of Scars; Chapter 17]

In his image he has dark hair and light eyes. He is Kaelish, so it can be assumed he has pale skin given that the people of the Wandering Isle are said to tipically be redheaded and pale-skinned.

*

Sankta Vasilka

In her image from The Lives of Saints she has black hair.

*

Sankt Nikolai

The captain and the crew were shocked to see the little figure with the golden hair tramping toward them across the ice. They’d thought he must be dead, for who could survive the night in such a wilderness? As he drew nearer, they expected to find him hollow-eyed and ragged with hunger and cold. Instead his cheeks were pink, his stride even, his eyes bright.

*

Sankta Lizabeta of the Roses

“Juris, stop this,” said a woman, emerging from between the rows of soldiers. She wore a dress of blooming roses that blossomed and died in curling vines around her body. Her golden hair was a buzzing mass of bees that swarmed and clustered around her radiant face. [King of Scars; Chapter 17]

She was originally from Ravka, more precisely a village called Gorubun.

*

Sankta Maradi

When people left the old woman gifts [...].

In her image in The Lives of Saints she has black hair. She was Zemini.

*

Sankt Demyan of the Rime

There is no description or image of Sankt Demyan. He was originally from Fjerda.

*

Sankta Marya of the Rock

In her image in The Lives of Saints she has black hair. She was Suli, so it can be assumed she had bronze or brown skin and dark eyes.

*

Sankt Emerens

In his image in The Lives of Saints he has orange hair and pale skin. He was originally from Kerch.

*

Sankt Vladimir the Foolish

In his image in The Lives of Saints he has brow hair. He was Ravkan, more precisely from Os Kervo.

*

Sankt Grigori of the Wood

In his image in The Lives of Saints he has dark brown hair and dark eyes.

*

Sankt Valentin

In his image in The Lives of Saints he has brown hair.

*

Sankt Petyr

In his image in The Lives of Saints he has brown hair. He was originally from the Ravkan village of Brevno.

*

Sankta Yeryin

In her image from The Lives of Saints she has black hair. She was Shu, so it can be assumed she had yellow-gold eyes.

*

Sankt Feliks among the Boughs

In his image in The Lives of Saints he has brown hair and blue eyes.

*

Sankt Lukin the Logical

In his image in The Lives of Saints he appears as an old man with white hair.

*

Sankta Magda

In her image in The Lives of Saints she has grey hair. For further notions see also "The Witch of Duva" in The Language of Thorns.

*

Sankt Egmond

In his image in The Lives of Saints he has blond hair. He was Fjerdan.

*

Sankt Ilya in Chains

In his image in The Lives of Saints he has brown hair and blue eyes.

*

Sankta Ursula of the Waves

And of course Signy knew Ulla with her black hair and her gray-tinged skin.

[...]

Away from the blue depths of the sea, the sallow gray-green tinge of her skin was gone and she glowed burnished bronze as if she had tucked sunlight beneath her tongue. Her hair was black as it had always been, but here in the bright light of the human world, it shone like polished glass. Her eyes were still dark and strange, but dark like a midnight path that might lead somewhere wonderful...

[The Langauge of Thorns; When Water sang Fire]

*

Sankt Mattheus

There is no description or image of Sankt Mattheus.

*

Sankt Dimitri

There is no description or image of Sankt Dimitri.

*

Sankt Gersami the Misunderstood

In his image in The Lives of Saints he appears as an ald man with white hair and beard.