#rogue grisha

[stromuprisahat]

Matthias; Six of Crows- Chapter 20 (Leigh Bardugo)

There's nothing to gain by sending a Grisha-only unit to burn down a random village or two. Fjerdans already hate and fear Grisha, and this would only cement such belief, which is the exact opposite of the Darkling's long-term goal. Now, there are several options to explain the discrepancy:

a.) Brum lies. We don't know how much did Matthias see, so the lie can be anything from Grisha presence in general, through the level of their involvement to harmlessness of said village. When you have a chance to gain a loyal fanatic, you won't explain you made a target of their home in the first place.

b.) Not every Grisha is Second Army. Sure, Matthias calls them "Inferni soldiers", but (See: a.))... Even though we know very little about Second Army organization, Inferni work in pairs, and having a whole unit consisting of a single specialization- especially if they're supposed to be infiltrating enemy territory- makes little sense. A group of rogues would have less options to pick from if their talents don't differ.

c.) The Crown's order couldn't be ignored. If for some reason the Darkling's superiors decided Grisha are to do their dirty work, they couldn't refuse no matter how pointless the order.

[stromuprisahat]

Siege and Storm- Chapter 7 (Leigh Bardugo)

I'm gonna sound incredibly old, but this screams young, single, no responsibilities. Wait...

Lo and behold!

It sounds SO romantic, doesn't it?! Even calling them "rogues"...

Well, as long as they're putting only their own lives into jeopardy...

But once they'll be dragging along a child or two, barely ensuring their sustenance or roof over their heads... and what if such a hypothetical child turns out to be a sickly otkazat'sya? Do they just dump it somewhere? Or lovingly watch them die of an ordinary disease that could be prevented by something as simple as steady food supply and fireplace to warm themselves?

[stromuprisahat]

Six of Crows- Chapter 24 (Leigh Bardugo)

But rogues are sooo cooool, remember?!

It's not like a single fool choosing to work with the enemy of all their kind could change anything, right?!

Or that any Grisha could be so short-sighted and offer their services to people actively seeking Grisha annihilation in the first place...

The dangers awaiting Grisha are so widely known and understood after all...

But would they survive such a commission? Slave labor seemed more likely. As if surviving the job had anything to do with accepting a commission. The work being done has to logically come before (not) being allowed to leave and your possible "employer" isn't likely to broadcast their nefarious intentions, duh!

[stromuprisahat]

Siege and Storm- Chapter 7 (Leigh Bardugo)

These stories are so strongly biased, I can't possibly take those people seriously. Do they even realize, how ~lucky~ they've been?

One had an aunt who had spirited him away rather than let him be turned over to the Darkling.

Of course a child raised by her (assuming she didn't just dump them ~somewhere~) would see her as heroic, not questioning possible dangers she exposed them to. The phrasing shows an immature individual, who haven't grown up from his uncritical adoration. The way he puts it makes the Darkling into a semi-mythical, evil, child-snatching bogeyman, completely ignoring the moment said Grisha's powers manifested, he became the King's property. The Darkling's merely a figurehead to shit on.

Another had deserted the Second Army.

I'd be much more sympathetic towards him, if it was framed as escaping servitude instead of the terrible Second Army, that gave him food in a starving country, roof over his head and training to be able to defend himself. But no, he's a hero for abandoning his comrades, instead of defying the system that's been taking advantage of his people for centuries...

Another had been hidden in a root cellar ...

This is such a beautiul example of possible harm done by well-meaning do-gooders. I guess the Tidemaker was lucky enough to live in an accepting village. Lucky enough to be far enough from borders, never seen summoning by someone less Grisha-friendly. Lucky enough to be able to learn to control her own power well by herself.

“The neighbors cut my hair and passed me off as their dead otkazat’sya son until I was old enough to leave.”

... and go where?! The whole wide world wants to kill you or worse?! There's more luck hidden here- lucky enough to be so strong she is able to defend herself. Lucky enough not to encounter hatred or betrayal great enough to do them harm yet.