Interview: Ekaterina Spiridonova.

Hi everyone! I would love to hear more about you guys. 

 

River: Hi and nice to meet you! I’m River! I helped a bit with proofreading but my main role was co-hosting the launch party! I’m based in Scotland.

 

Mary: Hey. I’m Mary, from the U.K. I helped with the planning and early organisational aspects of the Dear Netflix book and also contribute articles and very occasionally have helped put together the Brekkin News newsletter. Currently helping co-ordinate a plan to bring campaign advertising to Times Square.

 

Arya: Hi! My name is Arya and I’m from Canada. I’m the project creator and I organized Dear Netflix’s collection period. I also co-hosted the launch party!

 

Zaruina: Hello! My name is Z (for Zaruina or Peggy in rl) and I am from Germany. I helped organizing the fanart and coslay picture entires. But my more important job was helping to get it ready for the printer in Germany, get a test print for ASOCAS and get the final version printed and sent to the US. Two more copies of the book were sent out for Eric and Leigh.

 

Darien: Hi! I'm Darien, I help run insta so you've probably talked with me already, but just to reiterate I was helping in a lot of the early stages with collection/organization/proofreading. I'm from the US!

 

Cris: Hi!!! I'm Cris from Spain. I'm the graphic designer. I did the layout of the book following the amazing ideas of the whole team and put my experience at their service. I'm also the designer of the Billboards and the web (my husband programmed it).

 

Rosalie: Hi, I’m Rosalie from the Netherlands. I’m an admin for the team and I try to help out wherever I’m needed and can help, and I do all the server announcements and helping maintain the Twitter parties. For Dear Netflix I helped a bit with organising all the responses and proofreading the final versions.

 

Hans: Hi, I'm Hans from the UK. I helped a bit with the planning, but mainly I did the data validation (checking that every submitted comment was included and correctly credited) and proofreading documents/versions of the book.

 

Who and how come up with the title «Third Army»?

 

Hans: It was actually a journalist, Pankhuri Bhutani, who came up with the title of Third Army. We did a series of newsletter Q&A articles with her about it if you'd like to read them - the main one that explains the origin of the name is in this issue.

We also posted all the Q&A questions in one post over on tumblr, which is probably easier to read for you.

 

How long ago did you learn about the Grishaverse?

 

Zaruina: I watched Season 1 on Netflix and liked it, but forgot about it again. I really got into it after watching Season 2 a year ago. I fell in love, got the books and am going to all the conventions now. And of course I joined the campaign team as soon as possible.

 

Darien: For me personally, my mom bought me the Six of Crows book on a whim in Target fairly close to when it came out back in 2015, and then once I had finished that book within the same week I went back and read the Shadow and Bone trilogy at my local library and was truly obsessed. It's been close to my heart ever since, and I was ecstatic when I heard it was being adapted to a show.

 

Mary: My eldest daughter loved the Crows books and so watched S1 of SAB when it came out. I was aware of it then as she watched and rewatched and told me I would love it. I only started watching when S2 came out though as I liked Jack Wolfe as Wylan and the Wesper storyline. Then I watched the rest and loved it.

 

Arya: I learned about the Grishaverse a few months after the first season of the show dropped. While watching it with my family, I binge-read the Shadow and Bone trilogy before moving onto the Six of Crows duology. I have been a steadfast fan ever since.

 

Cris: I came to the Grishaverse through the first season of the show. I watched it and fell in love with the fantasy world Leigh and the showrunners had created. Both with how the magic works, and with all the lore. I also felt incredibly attracted to the characters, specifically the Crows. From there, I jumped into the books and there I definitely found my place.

 

River: My answer is a weird one! I first read Six of Crows when a study buddy of mine at college recommend it as her favourite book. I really liked it, but the copy I'd gotten of Crooked Kingdom was a misprint. I got busy with school and then came back to it over a year later, also reading the original trilogy and watching Season One of Shadow and Bone early last year (just in time to get excited for season 2 in March!). Ever since it's been my favourite show/book series!

 

Hans:  first heard about the Grishaverse back in May 2021, seeing friends in other fandoms recommend S1 of the show not long after it came out. Somehow I'd never heard of the books before that and was really happy to find a new fantasy show. I really loved S1 but I didn't get much into the fandom or the books until after S2 aired. I just really wanted even more than we had after rewatching S1 and then binge watching S2, and to find people to talk about it with, which luckily I did, making lots of new friends.

 

If you could choose 1 character that represented us in this fight ring for the project, who would it be and why?

 

Darien: I would say Kaz for sure in my opinion. Quite a few of us on the team are in some way disabled or chronically ill, myself included. That's actually how I met several of the team members (we met before the show ended and were fast friends in the fandom space). Kaz has always been a cornerstone for me personally, but his desire to fight to spite people and what they expect of you was paramount to keeping my morale up while working on this campaign. Plus, I felt like he was a voice for all of us who had been untied by these characters and this series.

 

Hans: Kaz is the character that I feel best represents us. Partly because planning and strategising are very important skills for our campaigning efforts, but also because the phrase brick by brick is so incredibly apt for this fight to get back the shows! The campaign is ultimately made up of lots of small actions by all the members of the Third Army that build into something bigger than one person alone could ever achieve.

 

River: Definitely Kaz Brekker. He has some really great inspirational quotes (i.e. we never stop fighting) and his drive is the kind we want to emulate in the campaign!

 

Mary: Kaz Brekker. Brick by brick. We will get there just as he did.

 

Cris: Kaz. Absolutely Kaz. He never ever stops fighting. He may be angry or frustrated. He may feel betrayed, but he never stops fighting.

 

Zaruina: I would choose Kaz! This is a business decision Netflix has to make and he would find the best arguments to change their minds, making them agree that there is a lot of profit to get from renewal and greenlighting.

 

Which is the most successful moment of the fight in your opinion?

Darien: I can only pick one? Haha! I'd have to say that our Twitter parties trending as frequently as they do has been monumental. I have to post at the end of the day if we were trending or not on insta and more often than not we are! At this point, it's part of my nightly routine! We work so so hard on those twitter parties and that team is so organized and passionate, I love how much we've accomplished.

 

Arya: In my opinion, the most successful moment of the fight was right after the show was canceled. Not everyone wanted to join the campaign, but everyone was feeling their emotions. It was clear how much outrage there was, even if everyone didn’t join the efforts to save the show.

 

Zaruina: I think our most successful moments were the Dear Netflix release and of course the Third Army Summit. I think these things really make us unique as a fandom and a campaign.

 

Mary: Personally my favourite was our presence at Conventions meeting up with other fans and spreading word about the campaign. ASOCAS was amazing for that.

 

River: Because it just happened, it's fresh on my mind, but I truly think the Third Army Summit shows our success and reach. It was magical and special to be able to hear from the creators behind the show/books. It not only inspired us to keep going, but was also a way for our fandom to bond and shows just how impactful our campaign has been not only for fans, but for the cast and creators too.

 

Hans: I hesitate to pick one moment as most successful, because I think all the campaign efforts are important in different ways. But I think the billboards had the most impact outside the fandom, getting more people to take notice, which was very helpful to get the message out more widely and impressive that the fandom managed to raise the money for them pretty fast indeed. It was also very heartening to see that early on some of the show's actors and the conlangers get involved with the Kickstarter rewards, to know how much it meant to people involved in the show, as well as the fans.

 

Cris: We all know that this is a long-distance race. Every comment, every signature, every step is a small success. But personally knowing that our effort reaches the ears of the cast and crew as well as Leigh's, that they know that we love them, that we value them, and that we are going to continue fighting, for me is a huge success because it's the best way to show them my gratitude and admiration for their work.

 

In your opinion, what motivates you to fight to keep the series alive?

 

Darien: I think at the end of the day, despite its ups and downs this space has brought me so many friends and so many new viewpoints to discover and understand. I don't want to let this idea die, I want more of the Grishaverse's stories and portrayals and narratives. Everyone on the cast and crew are so creative and so passionate, and the Grishaverse as a whole has felt so much bigger than just a few books. It's everything to me.

 

River: The grishaverse and it's fandom are special in the way that the characters connect to so many people, especially people who have never seen someone like them onscreen. And the stories within the show and books are very empowering. I think that fans feel empowered to fight after seeing those stories. I know personally that the community I've found within the fandom and the campaign team also highly motivates me because it's become more than just a campaign-it's also about connection and shared passion and so much more.

 

Hans: What motivates me? I think it's knowing how many other people also care about these characters and stories. The sheer scale of fans who want it back taking part in the campaigning, but also Leigh, the show runners, writers, actors, and all the behind the scenes people who put so much work and attention to detail into building that world we all love. Everyone cares so much about the Grishaverse which is fantastic to see proof of, and I really hope that passion will eventually convince Netflix they've made a mistake and to bring it back.

 

Arya: It’s the fandom that motivates me to keep the series alive. There’s never been another fandom like ours who is so passionate—not just about the books, the original source material, but also for the live-action adaptation—and that stands out to me in a way no other fandom does. The Grishaverse resonates in so many and that’s something worth fighting for.

 

Cris: First of all the quality of the whole story and their characters (along the seven books). The massive human and minority representation. All the stories behind each character deserve to be told. And they already have the perfect cast. And secondly but equally important, the fans. The tremendous work behind this campaign is something that has left me speechless many times. The organization, the love, the effort, the resilience... I had never, ever experienced anything like this. They have all my respect and deserve everything I can humanly do for them.

 

Mary: I know what the potential is within the Grishaverse. It could be huge. The cast are so talented and passionate. They love their characters. If I had to give one reason? It’s for Amita Suman.

 

Zaruina: My love for the characters and the story is one part of my motivation. But my friendship with the members of the campaign team and the impact that we can make with things like yesterdays event, the Grishaverse Ship Rush, keep me really energized and motivated to go on and work hard every single day!

 

Are there any other ideas for saving the series? How soon do you plan to implement them?

 

Darien: We have plenty in store, although we are all still human and all this campaign work feels like a full time job, it's hard to stop because it's just such a big part of my life now. 

 

Hans: We get a lot of great brainstorming suggestions from Third Army members, as well as very creative ideas from our team members, so we always have ideas we're working on implementing. For things coming up soon, we have a new postal campaign starting in September, and keep an eye out for our plans to coincide with Geeked Week 2024 in mid September. We will also have campaign team members attending MagicCon 7 in early October. In general, the campaign to save Shadow and Bone and Six of Crows spinoff is always growing and evolving. Make sure to look out for a special surprise later this month!

 

Cris: I suppose that by the time this interview is published we'll have done more things. I personally have a very crazy idea that I have not told anyone yet, but because I think it would be almost impossible to carry out, but who knows, maybe I'll propose it and somehow we will make it happen...