#fuck Baghra

[minetteskvareninova]

I have to say, Baghra’s attempt at Sasha’s life reads less like a tragic parent figure doing what needs to be done, even if it has to be done to their own child, and more like Stalin letting his oldest son die in a concentration camp. Like, it would’ve been a tough choice for anyone else, but what luck, she’s a terrible parent who doesn’t love her kid!

[black-rose-writings]

Antis: The Darkling is an evil manipulator who wants to control and enslave Alina and destroy the world!!!!

Meanwhile Baghra and Mal, in canon:

Mother of Monster

Siege and Storm- Chapter 14

Awww!

Playing a victim, aren't we?

Sure, Baghra can mistreat Aleksander- he's her son-, but the moment he strikes back, all hell breaks loose. Not to mention his "punishment" takes form of a childhood trick she herself could at least attempt to dispel, except that would require her to summon, and she'd lose her veil of victimhood. And why give up her badge of authenticity?

How hard is she NOT summoning, if it aged her up so badly?

This is Aleksander's punishment for disobeying her- speeding up her withering away. She used to be constantly cold, but youthful. Does that mean she's avoiding summoning to prevent accidentally or instinctively clearing her own eyes, so now she's quickly aging as a welcome side-effect?

Look what you've done to me?! Your own mother! Your only constant companion!

There's no mention of nearness to merzost having effect on aging. It's draining the person using it, so even if her blindfold couldn't be removed by Baghra herself (Arguable, given her age, likely knowledge and set of powers.), she shouldn't look like shit due to its presence.

Did he finally achieve what he attempted all those years ago?

Is his grasp on merzost so strong he can truly manipulate it for his purposes like his grandfather did?

Is he truly a leap closer to getting what he fights for?

Am I insignificant to him now?

As if she ever acted with loyalty or support towards him and his cause.

A bit of blaming, drama and loving mother's dehumanization. She sure know how to play at Alina's already existing prejudice and fatalism. Can't wait for the girl to repeat those words...

I wish... yet the great villain will abandon his successful siege to attempt saving her, and grieve for her, no matter the mistreatment she offered him.

Sacrifice suggests intention. Baghra didn't know what will be Aleksander's reaction, we have no idea, what her expectations looked like, so assuming she's some tortured heroine, martyr to a cause, is erroneous.

[aleksanderscult]

You know what's so crazy? I just came across a post that popped up on my feed and someone said the Darkling pit Zoya and Alina against each other. Since they were so busy competing with each other, they couldn't see that the Darkling was the problem. They also came to the conclusion that the Darkling was a misogynist🙃 The amount of reaching that was made is mind-boggling, especially since the Darkling didn't have many book scenes throughout the series so where exactly are they getting this from?

The funniest bit is how they call us of "not having critical thinking".

I mean you must be purposefully blind to not have read the bit where the Darkling took Zoya's amplifier away and send her away from the Little Palace after she yeeted Alina on a wall. 'Cause if she stayed for a few more days he would most likely no longer have a Sun Summoner.

Zoya didn't need anyone to make her Alina's adversary. Her own vanity, obsession with the Darkling and need for the spotlight did that.

But of course her fans will never admit that so....

I knew that many people would rather defend "vulnerable", delusional girls that the narrative constantly reminds us that have been through the passion of Christ rather than taking the side of an "oppressive", "evil" man that his only goal is to make these girls suffer but damn.... You guys have taken it on a whole other level, huh?

[greensaplinggrace]

the reason the darkling thinks alina will be capable of forgiving him for everything he does to her with just a little time is because he has spent centuries forgiving his mother for her abuse of him simply because the alternative is eternal loneliness. he is always always mimicking his relationship with his mother in his relationship with alina.

[lassieposting]

Oh fuck it's just occurred to me that like

1) The Little Palace was designed by a very old, very paranoid Grisha who's spent his entire life being hunted and persecuted for existing

2) The Little Palace was built with at least one secret passageway Alina didn't know about, which brings her out into the grounds somewhere. There are most likely dozens of these hidden tunnels - they're escape routes for when the otkazat'sya inevitably turn on the Grisha and Kirigan finds himself with a school full of kids to evacuate.

3) In S2 at the Spinning Wheel, Nadia says that the First Army raided the Little Palace, and Nikolai is sheltering the survivors. There's a decent number of them, by the looks of it. More than a handful. Probably all those who were close enough to an exit passageway.

4) Kirigan wasn't there to open up the tunnels and lead everyone out, and neither was Baghra. So the tunnels can't be truly secret. Enough Grisha knew about them to vanish under the First Army's noses and escape. I'm picturing that one scene from Ye Olde X-Men 2: most of them got out through tunnels that weren't on any of our schematics.

5) This means it's likely that the Little Palace has its own version of those fucked-up shooter drills they have to do in America. The procedure for something like that would have to be drummed into these kids from as early as possible, just like they train you to respond to the fire bell, because otherwise in the rush and the noise and the confusion, they'd just panic, and that would cause chaos. They all need to know where their closest emergency exit is, how to open it, where it leads, how to check for nearby soldiers before emerging, where to go next. So that when they need that knowledge, it's become second nature. Instinct. Like young prey animals - just as Baghra taught him.

And this is the kind of fear and constant hypervigilance Kirigan and Baghra have been living with their entire lives, without even the benefit of a relatively secure, long-term home literally built to protect them. It's no wonder the pre-Little Palace Grisha are so messed up.

And he's probably had older Little Palace Grisha over the years, people like Fedyor, questioning whether it's really necessary to still be making these kids think they're at risk like that. The Grisha have been at peace with the crown for over a century! This is a relic from a crueller time, surely. And he brushes it off every time, because at some point in his history, he learned better. He's learned from his failures.

6) After Anastas put a bounty on his ambitious General's head and named him heretic, the guards say, "Thought you [and Luda] could quietly train witches under our noses, did you?"

So he's already helping teach other Grisha, even then, and we know from Luda that the king is now having said Grisha rounded up. And there's nothing he can do. If he goes back, the king will have his head. So when he next aligns himself with the crown as his own descendant, he's learned that unless he puts safeguards in place, it will be the Grisha he's protecting who will suffer whenever he butts heads with the monarchy.

And he turns out to be right. Pyotr and Vasily have neither the balls nor the strength to meet him on the battlefield, so instead they target whatever Grisha they can get hold of - the half-trained students, the researchers, servants like Genya - and blame them for whatever treason they're accusing him of this time. The escape routes were still necessary. They've always been necessary.

It just? Really hit home how fucked up this world is for them, like. Even within the 'safety' of the Little Palace, the Grisha kids would never truly be able to avoid or forget the fear and hatred the world at large has for their kind, or the danger being Grisha might place them in if their protector falls out of favour with the royals. Ravka might not experiment on them or burn them alive, but they're not safe. They never really were. They've only ever been used.

Convenient weapons, or convenient scapegoats, and with no say in any of it.

[mag200]

mal being the firebird. laughably stupid plotline and i continue to hate it so much. but at least we get to see more baghra and hear about her fucked up family <3

[or-we-could-take-a-walk-together]

the king of scars duology was leigh bardugo’s answer to every darklina shipper/darkling fan justifying the darkling’s crimes. in kos+row they explicitly call out every single one of the darkling’s crimes, which is why i’ll always be a malina shipper (in canon ships at least, genyalina supremacy) because the other option is simply terrible. so please learn to separate an artist from his art, which in this case the artist is ben barnes, and the art is his portrayal of the darkling.

[glitter50000]

SO YOU SEE SHE BURNED VILLAGES FOR HIM TO KEEP THEM SAFE WHEN HE WAS LITTLE AND LATER HE DESTROYS A TOWN FOR HIS GOALS AND-

[ghostlymarauder]

tell me Cassandra by Florence + The Machine isn't about Baghra Morozova

[kor-ee-an-door]

Ilya Morozova fully made amplifiers that should be worn together, knowing very well that someone would have to kill his daughter or her children and descendants down the line, and i don't think i shall know peace after this. He punished Baghra for it, then exiled her, a child, only to then turn around and make his dead daughter a weapon. Not even in death did they get compassion from their father, i--

[thegothicchangeling]

Something I spend a lot of time thinking about is that no one in the Shadow and Bone fandom seems capable of comprehending that Baghra was an abusive piece of shit and The Darkling was even more so.

I've seen people talk about how Baghra's terrible parenting had a profound effect on The Darkling. I've heard people say that The Darkling was a terrible person and completely irredemable. Although I've never seen both statements mentioned relative to each other, both are equally true.

I've also seen people use Baghra's abuse to try and absolve The Darkling of responsibility. These people make it seem like it was inevitable that he groomed Alina, killed and tortured hundreds, orchestrated the conditions that led to Genya's abuse, and did countless other terible things. It was not.

Baghra absolutely abused Alexandr. She absolutely was a terrible person. But she didn't make her son do anything. Every choice The Darkling made was his own.

Also, the people who talk about Baghra's cruelty only ever mention Alexandr. They never mention the countless other children she physically and verbally abused.

None of those children grew up to be war criminals, though they were victims just as much as Alexandr. Being abused doesn't make you make you abuse other people. It's your choices that do.

At the end of the day, Baghra Morozova was a terrible, horrible, abusive piece of shit. But The Darkling was worse than her in every way.

[minetteskvareninova]

Baghra’s astonishment at Dark Lord Sasha disfiguring Genya is also pretty hillarious. “You are making an example out of your formerly (but not now because she was clearly bailing on you and your whole cause) loyal servant?! That’s appalling! I would never expect anything like this out of you, the person who a few weeks ago nuked a city with horrible dark magic with the same exact motive (i.e. to make an example out of it)!”

[stromuprisahat]

Demon in the Wood (Leigh Bardugo)

There's something heartbreaking about Annika talking about loss, and Aleksander immediately thinking the learnt mantra "That's all of you for me.".

When others experience love and loss in equal messure- for you grieve most often something you've had-, Aleksander isn't allowed to love something he could lose in the first place.

He only misses having something, instead of being able to enjoy it even for a heartbeat.

[megumismom]

mom stays in the cage until alina says she loves me back

[greensaplinggrace]

I need a modern au where Alina is really stubborn about wanting to meet Aleksander’s mother despite his reluctance because she doesn’t have any maternal relationships in her life, and then when she meets Baghra she’s just like “...what in the everloving fuck is wrong with this woman, if we never speak to her again it will be too soon.”

[aleksanderscult]

Can I adopt the baby omg? Baghra hand him over!!

I already have my own adoption papers ready! 📝

How Aleksander was raised by Baghra: 😒😒😔😔

How would I raise him: