#headcanons ;; baghra

[unbeleveable-aa]

Thinking of an HOTD AU for Baghra. Maybe a woods witch like Alys, but actually ancient. Like remembers from BEFORE the Conquest. A recluse who is alive at the time of the Dance, living in the woods I haven't where yet, but doesn't give a fuck about which Targaryen is sitting the throne because she'd rather it be none of them, tbh.

[wilwywaylan]

(cont. from this)

Shenanigans keep happening, people aren't happy. It means twice more merzost !!

(The Darkling finds it hilarious, because Ilya has been pestering him to get him to spontaneously develop Durast powers. It wasn't very effective.)

[unbeleveable-archive]

Baghra's biggest mistake was deliberately bringing a child into the world. Not just because Aleksander turned into a shit, but also because said child was inevitably going to end up traumatized. Not by her, at least not directly (fuck the haters), but by the times they lived in.

[starlsssankt]

and while I got the whole "let's think about the Darkling" thoughts tonight--

Baghra.

In short, "it's complicated," but I will totally be diving into more depth on how I see their relationship (canon, head-canon, it's all the same here!)

As I mentioned (quite a bit) in this head-canon post, life was incredibly hard, incredibly tragic, for Aleksander. And his mother.

Because I am a firm believer (and I know others will disagree with me) but if Demon in the Wood showed anything, it showed the point that Baghra loved her son. Would and did do anything and everything to keep him safe, to keep him alive. To give him a sense of worth that she probably didn't have...

Granted, it's been a bit since I physically read the books, but if I remember correctly, her upbringing wasn't good. Her mother hated she was Grisha and then with the whole shadows and killing her sister and all that, it became even more so? I know it's something to that effect, anyway.

So Baghra, I feel, saw the shadows she could wield as something... maybe not unnatural but different. Wrong, perhaps. So when Aleksander had the same gift, she didn't want to instill that doubt, that almost, IDK, self-loathing or whatever, into him. So she told him he was strong, that he was powerful (I know there was something to that effect when she was talking to Alina at one point...)

DitW also showed just how far Baghra was willing to go to keep them both safe. To keep them both alive. And I do firmly believe that Aleksander knew that. Knew some of the lengths (probably not all of them, but definitely some, and he probably put more pieces together as he got older) that Baghra went to in order to keep them alive.

And then, as time went on and on, as they lived through lifetimes, it became clear that there was no one else like them. In a way, that made their relationship strained even more, and while the love might have existed still, even until the end, that whole "fine line between love and hate" and I mean, if I think of the Mikaelsons in TVD, like... being with only a few others (in TVD's case) or just ONE other person (in GV) for so long-- It's going to strain the relationship.

Aleksander went deeper and deeper in his pursuit of "making life better" and Baghra feared for him. Maybe, I think, a part of her feared him and how far he'd go, how much of himself he'd lose, but I think ultimately, it all stemmed from that core I love my son and I want what is best for him.

Was she a perfect mother? Hell no, but then, almost no character (or mother) ever is. (And let's be honest, perfection is boring when it comes to literature and whatnot because EVERYONE is flawed in some ways.)

But I do not think she was a bad mother, either. She was as human as Aleksander was, both of them with their own (very, very heavy baggage) of numerous lifetimes spent on the fringes of society, etc.

So by the time we meet both of them in the Grishaverse series itself, they've been alive for hundreds of years. Baghra even longer, of course, just by generational differences, so of course they're strained. Downright at each other's throats in some ways, and they act against each other.

By the time we meet them, you have to remember all of that. I think readers do a disservice to both characters if you don't.

Baghra, ultimately, loved her son and would do anything to save him. And Aleksander, ultimately, loved his mother and grieved the loss of her. (Let's be honest, they could have murdered each other at any point if they truly, truly hated each other, but they didn't because-- family, only ones like them, the death of one brings about utter loneliness for the other, etc. etc.)

So yeah, the short answer when it comes to this particular dynamic: It is VERY complicated. And the longer (summarized) answer: Immortality will wear down anyone and anything, no matter how much love and loyalty exists.

Yeah, okay... I'll stop on this one now, too.

[unbeleveable]

👥 for baghra

Send 👥 for a headcanon relating to both of our muses

It took five squallers to put out the blaze when Lark accidentally set Baghra's hut on fire. Many books were water damaged, some so old as to be irreplaceable, and Baghra threatened to make an indentured servant out of Lark until she had paid off reparations.

[she-posts-nerdy-stuff]

Some randomly assorted six of crows headcanons/thoughts/theories/idk

(feel free to agree/disagree/add your own to the list)

I think this is a pretty popular one but that Baghra survived the Grisha trilogy and was the blind Grisha amplifier being held captive at the Ice Court

Kaz is everything that Van Eck wanted in his child and that’s why he and Wylan bother him so much more than the other Crows (I have a whole essay on Kaz & Wylan parallels if anyone wants to read it)

Matthias’ mother and/or baby sister were Grisha and he didn’t know, and that they were actually killed by Drüskelle during the skirmish and Brum told him it was Infernis as part of his manipulation (this is not mine originally but I’ve seen it a lot so I don’t know who first said it, sorry)

Cornellus Smeet’s wife is brunette

I don’t necessarily think that Alys’ child is Bajan’s, though I have wondered this in the past and wondered what Wylan’s reaction might be if the kid weren’t actually his sibling, but I do think they were in or prepared for a secret relationship and that he would happily help her raise the baby as though it were his own

Mentioned this is a post recently but I think it’s possible that the reason Wylan has so few memories of his mother but such clear memories of being 8, and even younger, and going on all of the trips abroad with his father (Ice Court, Elling, Novyi Zem, Shu oil fields, etc) is because whenever Marya stood up to Van Eck, either in defense of her herself or Wylan, Van Eck would punish her by separating her from Wylan and Wylan was too young to know that was happening

I think that if Van Eck won and Kuwei went back to the Ice Court after Crooked Kingdom that the Kerch would have formed an alliance with the Fjerdans. I think they would have been able to successfully move through Ravka and I think that the Shu Han would have then declared war against them both. I also think that it’s possible Novyi Zem would ally themselves with the Shu and it would lead to a WW1 scale event. I have my reasons for this and I have a fic on ao3 exploring the idea and following the Crows in the potential aftermath (Our Gods Have Abandoned Us), but I also think it would be a really interesting discussion to get going I would love to hear other thoughts on it as well

[aleksanderscult]

Do you have any Aleksander/the darkling headcanons ?

This post is for 18+ people only!

(Yeah this one got sexual)

Oh I have so many, anon!

His favorite season is summer.

Most of his lovers were otkazat'sya (if not all).

In canon, he probably got his black hair from Baghra. But I headcanon that I inherited his beautiful grey eyes from his father. And his pale skin too (since we can see that in the graphic novel Baghra has olive skin complexion).

Although that's more or less canon - he has a penetrating gaze. An intense one. It makes you uncomfortable almost.

He must be around 1.85 and 1.88 tall (That's equivalent to 6'1 and 6'2 respectively)

He's really good at dancing. Very graceful. Although in canon he finds it boring ("When Water Sang Fire").

He particularly loves chocolate.

But even though he loved sweets I don't think he indulged in them much while he resided in the Little Palace throughout the centuries. I think he ate whatever the other Grisha ate as well. Didn't want to use his position and act all privileged like "Ooh I'm gonna eat sweets for the 35th day in a row!".

In his free time (which is basically almost never) I imagine him walking in the grounds, in the forests. Sitting beside a lake or river and listening to the sounds of nature. Also, I can see him reading books.

He's more of an introvert. Loud parties and balls don't excite him although I see him having absolutely impeccable manners at social gatherings and being an eloquent conversationalist if the situation demands it.

At the beginning of his life he slept quite a lot (at least eight hours the day if his mother didn't wake him up). But as the years and centuries passed he slept less and less. Now he probably sleeps three-four hours the day (at most).

This one is almost canon but he's touch-starved. All those years being either fearful or hesitant to touch other Grisha cost him psychologically.

Moving on to some sexual headcanons, he has a throat/neck fetish.

He is a butt guy.

In sex, he is a dom.

Lots and lots of bites and hickeys. He definitely leaves his mark and likes it too (that man managed to make Alina's lips look bruised after kissing her for two minutes. Imagine what he can do in the bedroom 💀)

Missionary position usually but not always on bed. I can imagine him doing it on the table, on the couch, on the floor, on the wall. Especially on the times when he's too impatient.

As for his love language, I don't find him the type of person to bring flowers and little chocolates. I believe his love language is touch. Stroking someone's cheek or hand, touching someone's skin, putting his arms around that person. It's all touch and touch. He doesn't express his love verbally ("Oh I love you! I can't live without you!" etc.) as much as he does physically and with actions. He would give gifts but the kind that have a deep meaning. Not superficial things. Also, quality time spent together ('cause he hates being left alone and he wouldn't leave Alina alone for five minutes).

He never married.

He didn't want children and I don't think he ever had any.

He chose the purple kefta for the Fabrikators not only because he likes bright colors but also because Ilya Morozova (his grandfather, idol and the most powerful Materialnik ever) was depicted wearing purple in Istorii Sankt'ya.

And since I'm a bit of an astrology freak I imagine him having a Scorpio Moon (intense gaze, secretive nature, dark hair, difficult relationship with his mother figure, hot jealous feelings, difficult in trusting others) and Taurus Venus (possessive, sweet tooth, constant touching, throat fetish, can't commit unless developing some strong feelings first).

[stromuprisahat]

Do you think Aleksander might have married at some point over his long life? And did he always wait for the Sun Summoner, or did that idea only come up after the Fold was created?

I’ve always wondered if he grew up hearing stories from his mother about a Sun Summoner and held onto the hope of meeting them, or if the idea only emerged after the Fold. Maybe before that, he was just focused on survival and creating a safe haven for Grisha, with the concept of a Sun Summoner—and a true counterpart—coming only later (which is so sad in a way)

Aleksander was always seeking companionship. At least as soon as he realized he and Baghra want something diametrically different. He even mentions lovers, but never spouses. It might be only a matter of wording- not thinking differently about loved ones he did or did not marry-, or he never made anything "official".

There's also the question of Grisha marriages- at least once he's officially the Crown's property- whether or not Grisha have a marriage just like anyone else, or is their legal standing different? Do they need their owner's blessing? Are they even allowed to marry, or is it just their own- yet legally not binding- ceremony?

I wouldn't be surprised if he- at some point- chose a political marriage to strengthen some alliance, whether feelings were involved, or not. Since that's one of the easiest ways to do so, and requires nothing more than his body- the thing he was taught to view as a commodity- I'd say it almost certainly happened. Probably more than once.

Regarding the Sun Summoners- we don't know anything about their mythology. We don't know if there are any legends, or how old. Whether those precede the Fold, or if they were spread after its creation. Were there any before, or did people simply do the math of Shadow Summoners => Sun Summoners?

The same applies to Sasha. How many stories did he hear, and hoped? The easiest way to find Grisha is to listen to fairy tales- how many times did he hear about a person with Sun at their palm only to find merely a powerful Inferni? Or no one at all? Were there such tales, or did it take a hopeful Shadow Summoner to realize darkness is nothing more than a lack of light?

We don't know anything, which is beyond ironic, since THE Sun Summoner was central character of the first three books. Not even her stay in religious cult focusing on ~her~ got us any information. I guess "the truth" is whatever we headcanon.

Baghra totally didn't tell him about them- she wanted to keep him to herself. Promising him companionship of a destined equal works directly against it. And he's always been smart. He'd put two and two together. Like calls to like and such...

[castleofravens]

im not anti alden or pro alden but a secret third thing

he literally just needs therapy he’s not a villain but his intentions (which i am going to assume are good based on what we know of him) don’t feel like they… translate? based on how his kids ended up that one conversation with keefe etc.

and that’s also like… i personally headcanon him as not white because i am latina and my mother is like that (to a slightly more severe degree) (and im not saying like.. all immigrant/latine/brown parents are like that but it’s just.. projection i guess? and like… generational trauma is wild…)

but anyways yeah he’s that parent who was raised a certain way or had rough experiences and then projects that on their kids, sort of like… to protect them they end up pushing them (in terms of sports or school or hobbies or being self sufficient) and inadvertently they give their own kids issues and i don’t know if im explaining this very well but yeah i think the vackers are the embodiment of generational trauma

but he also loves his kids! it comes from a place of care and while it’s not the healthiest at times or very good for them, he’s still trying, he’s doing his best with what he has and what he was taught so yeah he’s not a monster or anything (i have the same perspective with baghra from the grishaverse)

[ragingstillness]

I have so many thoughts and feelings about the name Darkling and some of them are even opposites.

Like, it’s canon that the Druskelle pre-date the Darkling’s birth, and we never hear Baghra called Darkling so it must be specific to him. Given his birth in northern Ravka, the fact that there is a Fjerdan word just for him isn’t exactly unexpected but like, how did that come about? Was it created by a druskelle? Or just a random Fjerdan? Was it an affectionate nickname or a slur?

Alternatively, we know that the Darkling has been trying to make himself and the Grisha seem relatively harmless to the tsar (as in, harmless to him not harmless to everyone) so maybe he came up with the name himself? It sounds vaguely cutesy, maybe a way of humiliating himself by giving the tsar something to chuckle about privately, make him seem less threatening? Or did the tsar (any tsar) come up with it as a derogatory nickname given his connection to the Fold? Does the nickname predate the Fold?

Alternatively, was the name one Aleksander gave himself? To solidify his identity, a child of the dark, a man shaped by the fold, a child raised in the dark and dark spaces, a child raised by the dark when his mother left him at times, a man coming into and taking possession of his powers? A self-reflective critique of his nature? A representation of his being born of dark magic from when Ilya modified Baghra genetically? An identity meant to reflect his operating in the dark and behind the scenes?

So many questions and headcanons so little time. There isn’t really a point to this post just wanted to write my thoughts out. Everyone is welcome to interact with this post if you like.

[tirkdi]

Do you think it is possible that Darkling knew that alina would lose her powers because of the three amplifiers and he would be there so he would get those powers?

It's an interesting question, but I don't think so. There's a technical aspect here, which is that he did not get her power, only otkazat'sya did, so on that level if he'd known how the amplifiers actually worked he would have known he wouldn't get it. But that aside: more than anything, he wanted someone to suffer eternity alongside him, and when he lost his mom, Alina was the only other option. He was bereft when she lost her power. He would never have sacrificed a companion for more Grisha power; he would never have let her sacrifice that.

Additionally ... I do not see him as particularly wanting more Grisha power for himself. I view him as pragmatic, or at least thinking of himself as such – if Alina wasn't going to cooperate with his plans, controlling her power was the easiest thing. If he'd wanted more Grisha power, he would have tried the amplifier trick long ago.

Related conspiracy theory time: my headcanon here is that he believes himself to be close to the limits of Grisha power – he's a powerful Grisha and an amplifier, and he lives sooooooo much longer than anyone else except Baghra. The two of them are far, by far, the most powerful Grisha in the trilogy. Because we are told over and over again that the only thing that can kill immortal Grisha is their own power, my headcanon is that he's never tried getting an amplifier (or risked connecting to one like he does with Alina) for fear that the sheer volume of power would push him past some invisible threshold of power that his body can hold, and kill him.

[unbeleveable-aa]

tag drop 3

[teamstorybooks]

Eu simplesmente preciso que alguém escreva uma fic sobre esse casal e me mande o link:

Esse é um crossover que eu não consigo parar de pensar. Acho que se Stella acabasse no mundo dos Grishas ela teria muito mais atitude que a Alina (TIPO MUITA ATITUDE MESMO 😳) e também não negaria ajudar as pessoas em quanto tenta voltar para casa. Eu também acredito que ela não iria gostar muito do Aleksander e da sua atitude manipulativa.

Meu Headcanon pessoal é que ela consegue identificar precisamente quem tenta manipular ou mentir para ela por causa do seu passado com a sua mãe. A rainha Luna não era fácil de se conviver e ela já teve manipulação emocional o suficiente para o resto da vida. Esse é também um dos princípios que eu vejo do por que ela não iria se interessar romanticamente pelo Aleksander ao mesmo tempo que teria atitude política o suficiente para entender os motivos dele (Criada para ser uma futura rainha e governar um país).

Eu acho que a Stella é o tipo de pessoa que precisa de alguém que sempre esteja ao lado dela nos melhores e piores momentos. Alguém que entenda as suas lutas e os seus traumas. Por isso eu acho que o Nikolai seria um ótimo par para ela.

Nikolai é leal. Um ótimo amigo. E o tipo de personagem que entenderia os traumas, as pressões e responsabilidades da Stella. Além disso imagine o tropo príncipe disfarçada resgata princesa que foi parar em outro mundo. Só consigo pensar nas trocas de farpas entre o Sturmhond e a Stella 🫠

Você não tem o menor senso de estilo pirata!

É corsário! E quem precisa de estilo quando tem essa cara!

E Baghra 🤭 coitada não saberia o que a atingiu.

Motivos para Stella estar no Grishaverso? Simples ela estava fugindo de algo e usou o anel portal para ir pra outro mundo (terra) mais acabou no mundo Grisha e sem ter como voltar por que perdeu o anel ou ele quebrou.

Além disso, imaginou Stella com asas de luz e todo mundo confundindo ela com uma anjo/santa? Preciso muito dessa fic 🥺.

[unbeleveable-archive]

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐋𝐀𝐖𝐒.

𝗕𝗢𝗟𝗗   —  character trait.

𝘐𝘛𝘈𝘓𝘐𝘊   —  situational.

absent-minded | abusive | addict | adrenaline junkie | aggressive | aimless | alcoholic | anxious | arrogant | audacious | bad liar | bigmouth | bigot | blindly loyal | blunt | callous | childish | chronic heroism | cheater | clingy | clumsy | cocky | codependent | competitive | corrupt | cowardly | cruel | cynical | delinquent | delusional | dependent | depressed | deranged | disloyal | ditzy | egotistical | envious | erratic | fickle | finicky | fixated | flaky | frail | fraudulent | foul mouthed | guilt complex | gloomy | gluttonous | gossiper | gruff | grudgeholding | gullible | hedonistic | humorless | hypochondriac | hypocritical | idealist | idiotic | ignorant | immature | impatient | incompetent | indecisive | insecure | insensitive | lazy | lewd | liar | lustful | manipulative | masochistic | meddlesome | melodramatic | money-loving | moody | naive | nervous | nosy | ornery | overprotective | overly sensitive | paranoid | passive-aggressive | perfectionist | pessimist | petty | power-hungry | proud | possessive | pushover | reckless | reclusive | remorseless | rigorous | sadistic | sarcastic | senile | selfish | self-destructive | shallow | sociopathic | sore loser | spineless | spiteful | spoiled | stubborn | suspicious | tactless | temperamental | timid | thief | tone-deaf | traitorous | unathletic | ungracious | unlucky | unsophisticated | untrustworthy | vain | withdrawn | workaholic

tagged by: @korolnichevoya

[chaotictoast]

His Dark Materials/Grishaverse Headcanons Pt. II - Dæmons

An incomplete list of my dæmon headcannons for a His Dark Materials/Grishaverse AU

Alina: Canary

Mal: Dog (Russian retriever) named Mariet

Queen of Ravka: Greater bird of paradise

Genya: Peacock

Darkling: Raven

Nikolai: Red Fox (golden fur)

Zoya: White Tiger

Baghra: Cat (old, scraggly black fur) named Bublik

Ivan: Bear

Harshaw: Cat (orangish red tabby) named Oncat

David: Gecko

Morozova: Deer (maybe actually a caribou bc female caribou have antlers sometimes)

Lizabeta: Bee/Wasp

Grigori: Bear

Kaz: Crow (slightly larger than a normal crow- people think she’s a raven)

Inej: Cat (Sleek black fur)

Nina: Death’s Head Hawkmoth

Matthias: Wolf named Trassel

Jesper: Swift

Wylan: European Robin

Hanne: Horse

[goblins-riddles-or-frocks]

In what position do you think a (lot) smarter Aleksander would be?

This is difficult to say because it’s like at what point in time does he acquire this additional intelligence lol? Does it change his goals? Or simply how he pursues them?

Like first of all, I don’t understand why it took him that long to attempt a coup. I can sub in headcanons about how he thought as long as the Shadow Fold is a problem he can’t solve, it’s going to give the impression of an ineffective government and he doesn’t want that associated with his rule, so the Lantsovs can keep the bad PR until they find a sun summoner. But the book never actually implies that? So what’s going on? Is he just procrastinating? Does he have anxiety?

Meanwhile, why is he just sitting around waiting for a sun summoner? What if one never shows up? Has he really just been sitting around for centuries doing nothing? Like was he just going to wait endlessly with zero back up plan? Like regular people in real history have been way more effective in taking power and that’s without the aid of a personal army, immortality, a literally endless amount of time, or the unholy powers of darkness lmao.

The political backdrop of this series truly makes no sense!

But yeah if we’re ignoring that and just talking about how he could have been smarter once the plot took off:

The absolute biggest, most bewildering mistake he makes imo is going full gloves off insane villain mode once Alina runs away. I love it as a character beat, but it’s literally so easy to… not do that. He doesn’t attempt any damage control whatsoever. He basically confirms everything Baghra said about him, when he could have just played up the fact that Alina disappeared in the middle of the night and he’s been SO worried about her, etc etc.

From a character perspective, I think he’s just too old and impatient to bother explaining anything to anyone. But it does feel like a huge misstep that he never actually tries to convince Alina to his side in general. His high handed “I am so reasonable and you are so stupid” schtick may be great for his ego but it’s not really conducive to getting her to see his side of things.

ALSO OPTING TO KILL MAL INSTEAD OF ACTUALLY BARGAINING HIS LIFE FOR ALINA’S COOPERATION??? Once again, great character beat. But also really, really stupid of him.

And then, he somehow manages to lose the capital despite a successful coup? How?? Why??? Sir ,you have your own literal army that’s only loyal to you 😭😭😭 From what I can tell he also only loses the capital because he chose to leave instead of holding it. So. Maybe don’t do that

From S&S on, it’s harder to guess what he’s up to in real time. But the choices of his we do see continue to be colored by needless vindictiveness, petulance, and a volatile temper. He talks so much about his unending patience yet he never actually demonstrates it! Almost everything he does feels like a bad choice or a potentially clever one that he immediately undercuts because of his own shortsightedness. This remains true all the way to RoW where his plan to enter the stage as a saint is more about a single decisive dramatic moment (that goes very poorly) rather than actually putting in the legwork to leverage his following to accumulate real power or to gather an actual army. He barely even takes the time to familiarize himself with the playing field. It’s the equivalent of a get rich quick scheme!

I feel like he has pretty much every advantage throughout these books! It’s so easy to picture a scenario where he takes control of the country and keeps it, or slowly persuades Alina to listen to his points. Idk all he has to really do on that front is to wait a couple hundred years so that everyone she knows dies, and to not? commit? very obviously unnecessary and impossible to justify mass murders??

So idk “Where would he be if he was smart” winning literally everything?