#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.

[smol-stardust]

Au where sab gang are uni students. They live in a dorm together and one day Baghra comes by for whatever reason (to lecture her son about his behaviour)

She ends up cooking and lecturing everyone bout their lifestyles because their uni lives are a mess. Somewhere along the span of her bi-weekly visits she has become the cool mom in the friend group who adopts all the other kids and loves them like they are her own. She knows everyone's secrets and everyone turns to her when the have problems/mid-life crisis. The cool mom everyone loves if you will.

Aleksander is now salty about his mom liking his friends more them him (villain origin story) Meanwhile Baghra's dissing about her son to the gang as she bakes them cookies and gives them insightful life advice.

[glitter50000]

Rattles and Whatnot

In which Ilya Morozova gets to meet his grandson for the first time

It’s smaller than I imagined. He stood in the center looking around at the hobble his daughter had decided to call home. 

With only one room and in that room laid a tattered cot and a wooden basket, Ilya could hardly call it a shack. However, if this is what she wanted then who is he to judge?

Well, her father of course.

Ilya had always worried about his eldest after his, unfortunate, parting. It’s hard to survive being Grisha, even harder being what she is, or what he gave her. Therefore he’d watch from afar. Follow rumors here and there and only express his concern should the situation be dire.

Now he isn’t a stranger to his daughter’s pointless quest for an immortal companion, as he gathered from his last visit after she had made it a pattern and buried her third child. Why she even bothered with this when she could’ve sought him out eluded him.

So hearing rumors of the notorious Black Witch striking fear in villages with a baby of all things swaddled tightly on her chest…

Well, that was something he had to see for himself. 

Had she succeeded? Do I truly have a grandchild this time?��He couldn’t fight the small smile that appeared on his face, it would be interesting to see them. Would they possess shadow summoning like their mother? The same abilities as well? If they were enough for his daughter to keep them then they must be special. 

As he was musing over what his grandchild would grow into, footsteps were heard on the outside. 

Speak of the devil

He must admit, he was quite proud of his eldest. She had taken to the shadows naturally and had grown into a beautiful woman. She looked quite like himself and a selfish part of him was satisfied with how she seemed to bear no resemblance to her ignorant mother. 

She was too focused on her child. Bouncing them up and down and whispering quiet comforts, a soft, small smile on her face. Ilya couldn’t help but enjoy the tenderness of the scene.

“You’ve grown soft”

She whips her head at his voice, all softness gone from her face and replaced with only sharp glares. She wraps her arms around her child protectively from him, as if he would sink that low.

“What’s your name?” he asked. She would constantly change her name so it was always different. She didn’t answer this time though and instead finds the floor more intriguing.

He steps closer, clasping his hands behind his back. Must she always do this? It isn’t good for children to simply ignore their parents, no matter how old. He can wait though.

It’s a few moments when she huffs and looks up to face him. “Sofia.” She answered curtly, never one to disobey her father. 

“Thank you, wasn’t so hard now was it?” He ruffles her hair just to see her annoyed expression. Looking so much like when she was a child. 

“What are you even doing here?” Sofia sneered, clearly not one for small talk. 

“Is a grandfather not allowed to visit his grandchild every once in a while?” At this, she raises an eyebrow, but ultimately takes the baby out of the sling to place them in the wooden basket. While she’s in the process of taking the sling off, he observes her child. 

The baby’s asleep right now, looking so tiny and fragile. Had she ever been that small at one point? They look so peaceful and Ilya has to wonder how much can they sleep through considering Sofia’s lifestyle. Other than that, the baby looks healthy. Seems Sofia had truly accomplished what she wanted.

Ilya feels eyes bore into the back of his head and turns around to see Sofia staring intently at him. The material used to carry the baby wrapped around her arms. Was she watching him the whole time? 

“Can I hold them?”

She shakes her head.

“Can I know their name?”

She doesn’t answer. 

He rolls his eyes. “Do you hate me so much you won’t even let me know the name of my grandchild?” 

She sighs and walks over to the baby, bundling them up with the same blanket. Sitting on the cot, supporting their head. Sofia moves to the side, inviting Ilya to sit next to her.

“His name’s Aleksander.” She tells him, Ilya resists the urge to scoff. Instead choosing to run his fingers gently down the infant’s cheek, feeling the same rush of power he found when Sofia had hugged him. 

“An amplifier.” He states, looking at her to confirm it. She simply nods. It’s clearer to him why she would keep this one. The place makes more sense as well, away from people.

He sees the newly added dark circles under her eyes. “Does he keep you up at night?”

She gives a small chuckle. “Not always, he’s surprisingly a quiet one for the most part.” She faces Aleksander, a somber look painted on her face. “I’m just afraid.” 

“He is your son, it’s natural to be afraid.”

“Yes…” She’s distracted, too busy looking at her son. Surprised that he’s real and not a figment of her imagination. 

She looks like she hasn’t slept in days though. He holds his arms out. “How about I look after him while you-“

“No.” 

He drops his arms and forms his lips into a line. Figures. She was always possessive of what belonged to her. He can’t help but look back to when his youngest got the full extent of that. “Do you ever let him go?”

She shoots him a lazy glare as an answer. “Why are you truly here? It’s always something.” 

Oh, he almost forgot. “I do have something to give actually.” He ruffles through his bag before pulling out a small stick with a wooden ball attached to it, painted with black swirls all around it. Giving it a little shake the toy starts to rattle quietly. 

He hands it to her. “Consider it my congrats.” Which she takes with caution as if the toy will explode right there. 

“Thank you, I haven’t been able to get anything for him.” 

At that moment Aleksander began to stir and he starts squirming and whimpering, needing…whatever babies needed. Ilya can’t possibly remember sometimes, it’s just been so long.

“I’ll leave you to it.” He tells her as if he’ll just be back tomorrow. Ilya grabs his stuff and heads for the door. 

“I’d live somewhere else though.” He advises. “This is no place to raise a baby”

She gives a tight smile at that. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Later that night Ilya would find that his daughter disregarded his advice as he sees the two of them through the shack’s window. Sofia shook the rattle in her son’s face while Aleksander reached for it with his small hands. Similar to when he first saw her today, she has a soft smile on her face. Looking at Aleksander with nothing but love in her eyes.

And Ilya had found himself smiling as well, as he walked off into the night. 

[waldensblog]

TOMORROW!!!!

[roseguided-arch]

baghra does love her children , even the ones whom she gave up , but she doesn’t particularly like being a mother. it’s hard for her to connect to them , to feel that motherly instinct like she knows she’s suppose to. perhaps the reason being is how she was treated in her own childhood by her own parents — being called one of her fathers own “abominations.” the only one she felt even an inkling of motherly instinct toward , despite being as harsh and prickly as she is in her mother role , was aleksander. her relationship with motherhood is very complicated.

[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

[unbeleveable-aa]

tag drop 3

[unbeleveable-archive]

I think it's only natural that Baghra isn't the perfect mother. She doesn't exactly have a stellar example to look back to and her own childhood damaged her beyond repair. She TRIED to do right by Aleksander by treating him the exact opposite of how her mother treated her. Instead of enforcing the idea he was some kind of monstrosity, she taught him that he was special. Better than everyone else. She also taught him to look out for himself because no one else (except for herself) would because that's what she had learned. And, yes, that all backfired spectacularly.

[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...

[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).

[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.