It’s safe to say that quarantine boredom drove everybody insane in the best ways. Regardless of how awful it sounds, here I’m not going to address recklessness that may result as people try to cope with it nor glorifying the term ‘productivity’ to ensure anyone they’re not wasting the whole year for nothing. Surviving this hard time is already an achievement.
Amidst dealing with anxiety and bland routines, I tried to occupy my mind with several things at once. Resurrecting my old hobby that is reading novels was the best decision after all. It started as an escape, especially after I finished my internship period, struggled to land on a job, and got my heart broken. I hit on the rock bottom for months, until I arrived at a realization that I’ve wasted enough time to weep and grieve. It’s time to do something. I started to scan my bookshelf in case there was anything I can read, sometimes I bought books and forgot to read them. Turned out I’ve read them all, so I went to Goodreads to something new. Fantasy and science fiction remain my favorite genres and from which I began my exploration.
I came across this book series, called The Grishaverse Trilogy, written by Leigh Bardugo. To be very honest, my initial attraction didn’t come from the synopsis nor reviews on the books but news about this book series getting adapted into a Netflix series in which Ben Barnes played a role as the villain. I like Ben Barnes, been watching his movies since he was Prince Caspian in Narnia. Just when I thought I was simply excited for him, the book series got me hooked as it excelled beyond my expectation. I can’t help but to follow through chapter after chapter, from the first volume to the spin-offs. Grishaverse basically lifted me out of my reading slump.
The first book called ‘Shadow and Bone’, introducing an orphan girl Alina Starkov as the heroine and her childhood bestfriend from the same orphan house, Malyen Oretsev, they grew up into two brilliant soldiers under Ravka’s flag. In the battle, they found out that Alina had an extraordinary power that made her a Grisha (individuals with wonderful gifts) and it evoked the whole army’s interest, including The Darkling, so-called leader of the Grisha whose power was as ancient as he was. I supposed the story began with typical arc in most fantasy books; a commoner discovering their true power that changed the course of their life as well as the arrangement of the world with one noble task: defeating an old, dark power.
For a new reader like me at that time, I would prefer how the story entailed in the sequels (Siege and Storm, Ruin and Rising) as they added more delightful characters entangled with Alina’s life as a Sun Summoner. Nikolai Lantsov was first introduced in the second installment of Grishaverse Trilogy. He was depicted as a witty and charming privateer who never ran out of strategy under the name Sturmhond, which I found out later that it was his alter-ego. At the end of the book, Nikolai’s true identity revealed; he was the prince of Ravka. It was easy to be enchanted by his heartthrob portrayal or clever response he gave even in the most complicated situation. However, such perfection further worked as a mask to conceal his deepest hurt and suffering because of his questionable past. I think that was what made me feel drawn to him more than any other character did.
What I like the most about this book series, including its spin-offs, is that the author isn’t confined in the binary opposition of good and bad. I personally think most characters’ personalities and backgrounds are built with the mixture of both, making their moral compass hard to guess, like you can be a Saint yet still crave for infinite amount of power, or a cold-blooded thief who secretly cares for his friends’ well-being. It opens to possibilities of multifaceted and high in complexity storylines, enabling readers to reflect on their own lives through the characters’ eyes.
This new obsession led me to the Grishaverse Twitter community, although I didn’t initially plan to join. It all came to me naturally ever since I changed my Twitter username into something related to Nikolai Lantsov and started posting tweets about the books in high intensity. It feels like a fresh air, still, to meet new peers from different parts of the world and be excited together. I was about to keep the hype for myself by retweeting their tweets without expecting any meaningful reaction but guess what, those Grishaverse fans started following me back! Some of my old friends even told me they were intrigued to read the books and watch the series once it airs because of what I tweeted. It feels good to know I’m capable of creating such influence without even realizing.
This whole journey of seeking new obsession really brought me places. My friends are into Genshin Impact lately, but the buzz doesn’t affect me much. I like watching them freaking out about the game on daily basis, though. I just don’t think online game is my thing. Instead, I attempt to explore my music taste. Recently, my bestfriend suggested me to listen to BROCKHAMPTON. I first knew them when they released SUGAR, but never really found out more about them, until my friend told me to listen to ZIPPER. It’s life-changing to say the least. I can’t stop listening to their songs ever since. Picking favorites is impossible since each song carries different weight and stories. They’re a bunch of geniuses with no bad song at all. Coming up with album trilogy? Madness. Saturation II hit me the most. I love the fact that they address a wide range of issues through music, be vulnerable to their experiences, and made sure the audience can connect with messages they try to convey.
From that I started to watch unhealthy amount of BROCKHAMPTON videos, from music videos to documentaries to interviews. One thing I learned the most from them is that you can still be yourself while keeping synergy with others. You don’t have to do things alone, even though you’re fully aware that there’s no such things as forever. That’s why you have to make the most of your life and just enjoy the moment while it lasts. It’s refreshing to see such vibrant atmosphere radiated from their friendship. They’re like rainbows; each person has their own color yet still manage to paint the sky beautifully together. I personally don’t think one member outshines the other for their individual qualities, they all equally stand out. Still, I can’t get my eyes off of Matt Champion. His charisma makes me want to cry every time. Just yesterday I found out that we were born on the same day, just different year! How cool is that? It’s only few days since I decided to be a fan of BROCKHAMPTON and I can already foresee how they’re going to make my 2021 so much better.
Aside from what a rough year 2020 has been, and crippling fear I still have to overcome even today, I want to remind myself that there’s still good things in this world I can be grateful of; thrilling fictional adventures, upcoming movies to anticipate, BROCKHAMPTON’s music, and a long list of goals I’m slowly, but surely, on my way of achieving.
