#when water sang fire

[aleksanderscult]

Hey :3 Any thoughts on Ulla?

One word: Her. 🛐

My first thoughts about her after I read her story was how much alike with her brother is and how much alike their lives were.

I already have two drafts about her: an appreciation post and similarities between her and Aleksander (which I don't know when will I post them).

Her life was a tragedy ever since she was conceived and I don't understand why Baghra wanted a child that she knew would have to abandon (unless she didn't care or her birth wasn't planned at all). She was a pariah in her own world and found a place within a person. But then she was abandoned and betrayed by Signy and Ulla became darker and more powerful. It's like every time a Morozova gets burnt down, he/she returns stronger.

The thing about Ulla that is also interesting is that she discovered at her lowest that there was strength in her and she started relying on herself instead on other people. Betrayal hurt but also taught her a lesson and like a true Morozova, she never forgot.

I wish we had more scenes of her and Aleksander together and I wish the latter could see her again. But of course finding a sea creature at the bottom of the sea is kinda difficult. Their dynamic was immensely intriguing and they could have been a powerful duo.

Ulla remains one of the best, most interesting and most well-written characters in the Grishaverse and she's one of my favourites in this universe. And I hope Leigh never writes anything about her again out of fear that she will destroy her character.

(that author has given me phobias)

[stheresya]

I get a little sad reading wwsf and seeing Ulla being all wary around Aleksander when they meet because i'm like nooo sweetie that's your big brother who was there when you were born and who kept coming back to Fjerda every summer in hopes of seeing you again because you're his sister and also one of the few people in the world who's somewhat like him and he wants is to connect with you and be a family😔 like i know his ominous manners are off-putting but it probably stung him a little to see Ulla being so mistrustful of him :(

[kensthjerte]

[jessread-s]

✩🐚🦊Review:

Bardugo’s spin on classic fairytales are a delight as always.

“The Language of Thorns” includes six short stories that are inspired by myth, folklore, and fairytales. Each are paired with stunning illustrations that really give it a storybook feel.

In her author’s note, she shares that she was inspired to write this collection by “the note of trouble that I think many of us hear in familiar tales, because we know—even as children—that impossible tasks are on odd way to choose a spouse, that predators come in many guises, that a prince’s whims are often cruel.” She takes bits and pieces from old tales and reshapes them with her dark, gripping, and masterful writing to make us, as readers, question the classics we grew up with. New morals are attributed to each story and I was blown away when I was left to ruminate on them every. Single. Time.

You do not have to read any of the Grishaverse books to pick this one up, which makes it perfect for new readers hoping to be introduced to Bardugo’s works and fans, like myself, who keep coming back for more!

Cross-posted to: Instagram | Amazon | Goodreads | StoryGraph

[endless-grishaverse]

“The sound was so ugly.”

“Was it?” Ulla asked, a hard carapace glinting from beneath all her gems. “Or was it just something you hadn’t heard before?”

When water sang fire

Now she lifted a brow and addressed the Ulle. “The first men to see bears thought they were monsters. My power is unfamiliar, not unnatural.”

Demon in the wood

[somecleverreference]

grishaverse lore is so fucking funny, leigh literally said “ursula littlemermaid is the darkling’s sister” and we all just went with it

[arany-studio]

I had the pleasure of working on this wonderful illustration of Ulla from Language of Thorns for the @grishaversebigbang 🥰

Etherealki: @legolasofmirkwoodforest

Materialki: @punchsomeoneforme-willyou

Here are a few reasons why you should read both the canon story of Ulla, as well as this fanfic:

���🏽‍♀️ a gray, badass female lead

🧜🏽‍♀️ sirens!!!

🧜🏽‍♀️ a magic system based on song

🧜🏽‍♀️ native people representation (we used Inuit and Sami inspiration for the Hedjut)

🧜🏽‍♀️ aroace main character

🧜🏽‍♀️ focused on friendship, betrayal and revenge

🧜🏽‍♀️ a dive into Grishaverse mythology

🧜🏽‍♀️ cameos of Grishaverse characters

[glitter50000]

Fic inspiration

Ulla ducks her head and gives a humorless chuckle. “It was never the mother, was it?” 

Her father regards her with a pained smile. “No, it wasn’t.” 

———————————————————————

He loved Ulla, truly, grey skin and all, she was still his child. Her laughs and giggles would fill the air with a joyous melody. He knew Ulla showed more promise as a baby than most sildroher ever have during that age. 

On dark days a small, ugly part of him thinks of taking her back to shore, finding her birth mother, and thrusting the baby in her hands without a word as she did him, never visiting again. 

During the times when Ulla’s wails would bounce across the walls and make the flowers shrivel and rot. He didn’t have a problem with it, she had a strong voice after all, but when the others complained it was a different story. How they glared at the two of them or sneered at the baby for the tone of her cries. 

The times when his wife would look at Ulla with an odd look, something akin to fear, repulsion, or pity. When that specific look would be on him instead. He remembers squashing down the hurt at the time she recoiled at Ulla reaching her little hands out to her or having just stood there as the baby cried. 

He would never want to give Ulla away though, for he never regrets her in the first place. 

———————————————————————

“You can hold her if you want.” 

She’s broken out of some trance by his voice as he comes over to the crib. He chuckles a little at that, recalling the occasions when she would hold Ulla with a smile on her face, entertaining her with a song almost as if she forgets about the baby’s heritage. Though now it seems she remembers the other half. 

“She won’t bite,” he says amusedly. 

“I know that,” she mumbles, glancing at Ulla’s tail and his. He sighs and moves to pick Ulla up instead, scooping her up in his arms. 

“You must think I’m a whore.” He tells her bluntly. Sometimes he sees her looking at him with what could be a trace of disgust. Remembers how uncomfortable she seemed when they were courting each other and she first met Ulla and he confided in her about Ulla’s true parentage. Still, she wanted to marry him and look after her like she was her own, despite it all. 

“What,” she’s taken aback, “no, no I don’t think that's all, it’s just…” she trails off, gripping the edges of the crib tightly. It’s silent for a moment before his wife speaks again. 

“I wish she had been mine.” She whispers.

———————————————————————

He still thinks about her at times, the shadow summoner, either with anger or nostalgia. Looking back to when she made him sing symphonies during their lovemaking.

Sometimes he wonders if he ever would’ve met Ulla had she not been born with a tail. Or would she have taken her away wherever she went and he would still be waiting for the bell to ring? 

———————————————————————

Brave little Ulla. Coming home on the bad days when there’s too much teasing with tears in her eyes, yet still acting strong and holding her head high. 

[legolasofmirkwoodforest]

https://archiveofourown.org/works/50915779

My fic for the GVBB 2023! I wanted to do Ulla justice!

The art on the right is by @punchsomeoneforme-willyou

The art on the left is by @aramy-studio

[blahwithasideofblah]

I have decided that the river from "Little Knife" is Ulla because she deserves a happy ending.

[stheresya]

Ulla sometimes dreamed of a life in distant waters, of finding other sea folk somewhere who would want her, who would not care what she looked like or who had sired her.

But mostly she dreamed of becoming a court singer— venerated, valued.

...

Ulla thought for a moment of an easy melody, something that would end this humiliation quickly. Then she shoved the thought away. She hated Signy for being so afraid to be paired with her even briefly, hated her classmates for their stifled giggles and sly eyes, but mostly Ulla wished she could kill the thing inside herself that still longed for their approval. [...]

...

"Hungry Ulla," he had taunted. "Why do you work so hard? I can smell your ambition like blood in the water."

Ulla didn’t know why those words shamed her. Song was all she had and so she clung to it, honed and perfected it, as though if she could only sharpen her skill to a fine enough point, she might carve a place for herself in the world.

Beneath the sea, Ulla was an outcast, like her brother and bio mother were outcasts on earth. But while the latter were cast aside through violent means for being born with special abilities, Ulla had to deal with rejection for her appearance through microaggressions: the giggling from her classmates, her mother's barely concealed disgust while brushing her hair, her friendless childhood until Sygny came along. Ulla spent her entire life longing to be truly accepted somewhere by her own kind, and every action she took was in service of that goal. She is similar to Aleksander in the sense that they both see power as a shield against discrimination. But while Aleksander sought power for the collective betterment, Ulla's quest for power was centered on her individual person. Aleksander wanted his people to be treated as human beings, while Ulla wanted to be treated with respect, to not be sneered at for her appearance. And she was only "accepted" into the merfolk when she showed them just how exceptionally powerful she was, and therefore useful for their royal disputes, just like grisha were only partially tolerated in Ravkan society when Aleksander showed them how useful they could be for the otkazat’syas wars.

But they were "not made to please princes" as Aleksander put it, and Ulla eventually came to see the truth of his words. They were born exceptional, and they were hurt and taken advantage of by people in power for their uniqueness. Now both siblings have risen to Sainthood, they became legends associated with devastation. Sankta Ursula of the Waves is the saint who split an island after sinking an entire city beneath the waves, and the Starless Saint is the one who split a country after bathing towns in darkness. This is what resulted of two exceptional individuals who just wanted the world to not hate them for being different.

[kensthjerte]

when almost no one talks about you, although you are no less interesting character than your brother

[stromuprisahat]

Is the language of thorns within the universe story book of sorts? I'm sorry for the silly question but I guess I'm just trying to find out what exactly was the point of this book. They were all interesting but apart from ulla's story most of them felt pointless to me and I'm just trying to see the connection between this book and the rest of the grishaverse books I thought if we got to know about bhagra's child then I thought maybe we'll get more about some other characters 🤷. Also it felt more "magical" than Tgt. In TLoT creatures like "the beast" and the Sildroher existed but the trilogy didn't mention any of that. Do you think ulla's people are still alive in the current timeline?

I think it was supposed to be The Tales of Beedle the Bard of Grishaverse.

The fables to help to paint the background of some regions, if we’re nice, cheap way to get more money from people interested in the world, if we’re not. I’m happy for you if you enjoyed reading them, I was bored by most. 

The genre really says it all. That’s why the magic, loose connection to main plot and no more mermaids “in present”. But then again, what is Small Science, but magic we’re not supposed to call thus, what is rusalye or firebird, but another mythical creature?

According to Grishaverse wiki, Sildroher are still around, but I see them as a culture long past their zenith. Ghosts of their splendid past, wandering ruins of fallen empire. As for Ulla, I do hope she’s alive, and I wish she’s been in touch with Aleksander. On immortal scale.

[serdaig1e]

Opinions on Signy (When Water Sang Fire)?

I think she's cool, but my respect for her got a teensy bit lessened after she just left Ulla to die