Skydiving instructor: we're not letting you leave this plane without a parachute
Jesper, wearing a hat with a little propeller on top: just trust me ok
Kaz Brekker is the kind of person to tell you f off and then block you and avoid you but Jesper is the kind who would tell you to f off and then find you 2 minutes later and apologise profusely.
i wonder if when the crows do their “scheming face?” “definitely” when kaz is thinking up a plan he ever just goes “you know i can hear you right?” I just think it would be really funny
my friend is reading Six of Crows for the first time (probably so I’ll shut up about it) and this take had me on the GROUND
Crooked Kingdom Quotes I Love:
We meet fear. We greet the unexpected visitor and listen to what he has to tell us. When fear arrives, something is about to happen.
What you want and what the world needs are not always in accord, Kaz.
Fear is a phoenix. You can watch it burn a thousand times and it will return.
If you couldn't beat the odds, you changed the game.
And that was what destroyed you in the end: the longing for something you could never have.
But what about the rest of us? What about the nobodies and the nothings, the invisible girls? We learn to hold our heads as if we wear crowns. We learn to wring magic from the ordinary. (to all the girls who feel they are ordinary- you matter, you are powerful and you are loved❤)
When the world owed you nothing, you demanded something of it anyway.
I would have come for you. And if I couldn't walk, I'd crawl to you, and no matter how broken we were, we'd fight our way out together-knives drawn, pistols blazing. Because that's what we do. We never stop fighting. (kanej😍😍😍)
You’re better than waffles, Matthias Helvar.
We talk a lot about Kaz's "I nurture my grudges" and "My mother is Ketterdam", but I'd like to give a shout out to my favorite Extra™️ line:
A day after Trass' birthday, Kaz and Inej sat in Kaz's office, the former feeding the crows as she always did and the latter signing the paperwork, a safe and comfortable silence surrounding them both.
It was a regular day, all felt natural.
Their eyes drifted to the other when they weren't looking and looked away as soon as the other noticed.
It was a quiet day... Until Trass bursted into the room, dancing around, screaming and shouting, way too energized for a normal human to be.
Kaz may have loved him, but at the moment, he questioned his love for the toddler.
That was the first time Inej had jumped out of surprise and spilt the crumbs of bread and Kaz had been clumsy enough to let the papers slip out of the hands.
Then in came Jesper, panting and taking support of the wall to keep standing. Seconds later, Wylan came in, took a step towards Trass, then collapsed out of weariness.
"I think we gave him too much cake..." Jesper stated.
"No shit, Jesper," Kaz said, annoyed, before he got hit by a slice of bread Inej threw at him.
"Kaz! There's a child in our presence." She looked at him with wide eyes and disbelief.
"Inej, he lives with Jesper and his first word was "fuck", I'm pretty sure we crossed that boundary 12 years ago."
She rolled her eyes at him and picked up Trass before passing him to Jesper, then dragged Wylan to him as well.
Jesper, confused on how to handle an unnaturally energized 12 year old and an unconscious adult, finally decided on keeping the former in his arms and dragging the latter.
Thud, thud, thud came the sound as Wylan was getting dragged down the stairs, then came the sound of a long tumble and a final, loud thud.
Inej winced at the sound while Kaz ignored it. Seemed Wylan had fallen.
The next day, Trass came in again, this time with a bar of soap. He pulled Kaz up and to the sink.
Kaz looked at Inej for answers—a habit that had grown over time, looking for answers in Inej.
But this time, even she lacked answers. She'd shrugged and that made Kaz nervous.
Trass turned on the faucet and the water came rushing, cutting off moment from moment due to the scarcity of it in Ketterdam despite the fact that it was surrounded by water all around.
Then he wet the bar soap and rubbed it on Kaz's hands that were stripped off his hands.
He had stopped wearing them two years ago but liked the occasional reminder of how much he had grown from time to time.
Trass was washing Kaz's hands... Why?
"Trass?"
"Uncle Dazle," I'm never living that down, "you need to wash your hands. It's basic hygiene, and people have started calling you "Dirtyhands." That's not a good thing."
Inej laughed out loud at Trass' innocence. So did Kaz.
He couldn't hold it in, he had to laugh.
Yep. He loved Trass.
Jesper: Ok, maybe playing ‘whose family is the most dysfunctional’ wasn’t the best idea we’ve had. We can't find Wylan and Kaz has been dead silent in the bathroom for an hour and we can’t get him to come out...
A friend on IG said how it must be Inej who sends Kaz letters from the sea because he doesn't clearly know her locations..
And now I can't help myself from imagining Kaz resigning to his room at the slat after a long day of work.
During late nights, he lies in his bed and reads the letters which are probably lengthy, detailed ones because she talks about her quests, then tells him how certain things remind her of him and of how he's always in her heart. She also writes in those letters how much she misses their time spent together because he was her world for so long and just how much she misses him.
And Kaz just reads them over and over, puts a hand over his eyes to cover his expression and chuckles softly in his raspy tone, in the peaceful quiet of him room..🥺
Bitches be like these are my comfort books, said books are about six teenagers with a lot of unresolved trauma
it's me I'm bitches
i feel like i have to apologize in advance for the next couple of posts i have planned
so there you have it
Tw: deathtrope, pain | SOC duology spoilers!
Thank you so much to @emmaannaelisabeth for contributing your ideas into this ( that one conversation we had lol ) and also this was inspired by the song Surrender by Natalie Taylor
He was still standing there, before sunrise, at Berth 22. He heard whispers from each and every corner of Ketterdam that made his spine shrill. ‘’Have you heard? The Wraith’s ship is gone.’’.
Yet Kaz still visits the harbour every morning, hoping for her return.
It was impossible to imagine that Inej was gone. She would’ve found a way out.
The other dregs told him that it was no point, that she was gone forever but still, Kaz was in denial. He could still hear the silence loudly. Well, that was what he kept telling himself. His friends have been trying to be strong for him, especially Jesper. But Nina could hear the dead whispering in her ears. She could hear Inej, the guilt Inej held.
‘’I should’ve stayed. I shouldn’t have drifted away.’’
‘’You listened to your heart, Inej. You chased your dreams, you saved lives.’’
Kaz was still at the harbor. Head down, hat off. His bare hands were resting on the crow’s head of his cane when Jesper found him. He needn’t have to announce his presence. Jesper stood next to Kaz, looking far out at sea, both of them in silence. ‘’Kaz,’’ Jesper said suddenly, his voice softened, ‘’you think she’s still out there?’’
‘’I know she’s still out there.’’ But that was not true. Kaz Brekker has lost all hope that his Wraith would come back home to him. He never heard silence so silent before. He just needed his crew to think he was brave, stubborn and still in denial.
‘’Well then, I believe you.’’ Jesper lied. He knew damn well that Nina could hear the dead but he just needed to be strong for Kaz, his brother. Kaz had been acting as if nothing had happened but he felt empty deep inside, and Jesper knew it. They were both standing there once again in silence.
I needed you to stay, Inej. But I let you drift away.
Jesper sighed, lowering his head and walked away quietly, leaving Kaz there alone.
Memories filled his mind. He remembered the time on their way back to Ketterdam from the Ice court when he had asked her to stay. He clearly recalled what happened then. I will have you without armour, Kaz Brekker, or I will not have you at all.
My love, where are you?
His thoughts brought him to the time in the hotel bathroom where he bandaged her, after a knife-battle with Dunyasha. His lips gently brushed the soft spot on her neck. How he wished he could do that once again, just once. He remembered how he clutched her tightly as she was bleeding all over his shirt as they were about to leave for the Ice-court heist. How he said she was nothing more than an investment to him. Foolish, foolish, foolish
Kaz looked down, a tear escaped from his left eye. He couldn’t help it. His Wraith was actually gone.
She’s not coming back. He shivered at the thought of that. Why was love always taken away from him? He was still mourning Jordie and now he had to mourn Inej, the love of his life. Another one lost to the waters. How was he going to resume life with the emptiness inside of him?
The sun was about to rise and he needed to leave before people saw him at his lowest, most vulnerable moment. He needed to put on a brave face again, letting people believe that he truly had no emotions, letting them be frightened of his ruthlessness. For the people of Ketterdam, he was the monster under every bed as one slept in. They knew him as the coldest, ruthless criminal without a heart. They believed he didn’t need a reason. But as far as he knew, t’was only Inej that knew what he truly was. Only she knew his secrets, not using it against him for her own benefits. But Inej was gone, gone to the sea, forever lost.
“Whenever you’re ready ‘Nej,’’ he whispered, ‘’whenever you’re ready... Come back home. Please?’’
It was suddenly windy, which doesn’t happen often in Ketterdam as the sun rises. He felt his face openly exposed to the breeze.
Keep her safe for me, Jordie.
when kuwai was like “hey jesper ;) come with me ;) we can learn our powers ;) together ;)” and wylan was like “i :) will :) drown :) you :)”
!! six of crows duology spoilers!!
we all have our theories and ideas of what terror Leigh will put our beloved characters through in soc 3, who will die, who will get some additional trauma, but what if the ending wasn't angsty? what if it took a different turn?
Kerch was mainly known for Ketterdam, its University, the harbour where ships carrying the most important cargo arrived, the Barrel where you could go and hear the spin of the Makker’s wheel, join wealthy, crazy people dressed in all kinds of colours in card games and enjoy a pint of lager as you tried your luck.
The rest of Kerch was not that well-known or famous, tourists rarely visited the beautiful waves of green hills spread across Western Kerch, the long golden fields where farmers worked in the burning sun, the Northern shores looking over a dark, cold sea.
Most of the Dregs, the young gang of Ketterdam’s Barrel, were not familiar with the rest of Kerch either, being city children. So when five of them took off on a boat to the North-West of Kerch only two of them knew what to expect. Kaz Brekker, the ruthless Dirtyhands, a criminal mastermind, who had grown up on a farm before fate took him to the cold hands of Ketterdam and Wylan Van Eck, the young merch who had inherited his father’s fortune and had spent his life traveling around the island with his father when the older merch had business meetings and dinners.
The rest, a Suli girl who had only known the cruel streets of the city that had ruined her life, a Zemeni sharpshooter who got doomed to a gambling addiction that he dropped out of school for, that forced him to join a gang and a Ravkan spy who had arrived to the city to help the man she loved from being sentenced to a crime she was forced to accuse him of did not know Kerch could be anything else but crooked houses and dark alleyways and were pleasantly surprised when their eyes fell upon the green sea of hills.
When the five teenagers debated as to where to go Kaz was the one to suggest the hills east of his hometown. He didn’t elaborate on why, of how he and Jordie used to go here and play when they were younger, but since no other ideas were offered they ended up taking the trip here. Now they walked the path that led through the miles of grass as Nina pulled out a kite.
“What in the name of Ghezen is that?” Wylan asked and arched a brow. Nina stared at him with a shocked expression.
“Wylan Van Eck, are you telling me you’ve never flown a kite?”
“I have never seen that in my life, Nina.” Wylan answered, studying the kite carefully.
“Jesper! Please tell me you’ve flown a kite before?” Nina asked, a desperate expression on her face.
“Of course I have! Novyi Zem is the perfect place for that,” Jesper answered, taking the kite from Nina’s hands and running his hand along it as if to check its quality. “I’ll teach you if you want, merchling.” Jesper said to Wylan with a wink, then returned the kite to Nina.
“Inej! You’ve flown a kite before right?” Nina turned and shouted at Inej, who along with Kaz walked further behind. Inej nodded with a soft smile:
“My brothers used to fly it every Summer, I’d sometimes join.” Inej shouted in reply, trying to push back her hair that the gentle wind coming from the coast kept covering her face with.
“Kaz?” Nina asked Kaz too. Kaz didn’t remember much of his childhood since he decided he’d become Kaz Brekker, since Kaz Rietvield drowned in the harbour. But now, slowly as he healed, as he realized there was more to life than spiteful revenge, some of his memories returned. They no longer filled him with fear and nausea, the waters no longer rised. The memory of Jordie’s cold body was so distant sometimes it faded to a forgotten past. Sometimes however Jordie’s face became clearer again, the water got colder, the darkness pried on Kaz. On those days no one touched or crossed him, most out of fear, his closest out of love. But now, the air clear with a scent of meadow and a clear sky with only a few white, fluffy clouds, the memory of him and Jordie didn’t do anything to Kaz. So he nodded, although briefly, in reply.
“See? Even Kaz flew a kite, Wylan.” Nina said as she turned back to the boy, his red curly hair shining golden in the sunlight.
“I’m sorry, Nina, Ketterdam just isn’t the best place to fly a kite.” Wylan answered.
“I am shocked. In despair. I feel mocked, miserable.” Nina sighed dramatically, the conversation fading as they quickened their pace, Kaz and Inej falling further behind. Kaz rolled up his sleeves, letting nature take contact with his skin.
“Are you okay?” Inej asked after a few moments of silence, carefully studying him. Kaz nodded. Inej looked over to the other three who had now made their way across a lawn perfect for flying a kite.
“You go. I’ll be alright.” Kaz told her, seeing the way she wished to join them. Inej looked up to him.
“You sure?”
“Ghezen, yes, Inej. I don’t need your company all the time, as much as I wish to have it.” Kaz said, smiling a bit. Inej frowned at the sight. Kaz started smiling more in the past few weeks, Inej still getting surprised every time. Finally she nodded, turning and running towards the other three.
Kaz closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, enjoying the silence as another wind ruffled his hair. Cold air brushed against his arm as he ran his hand through his hair, only ruffling it more. He shuddered; sometimes, usually when he was alone he could feel the temperature change, a movement in the corner of his eye. Sometimes, just like now his thoughts traveled to the idea of Matthias’ ghost visiting him. He shook it off, pressing his fingers against his temples. He’d been listening to too much of Inej’s stories of faith and spirituality.
And yet he couldn’t help but think about it, another cold wind brushing against his arm.
“I thought your ghost wouldn’t associate with me, Helvar.” Kaz murmured, a smile tugging on his lips, then cursed himself for talking to his own imagination. The cold wind danced around him, ruffling his hair again.
“Shouldn’t you visit Nina instead? I’m not your girlfriend, you know.” Kaz said, all his instincts shouting to shut up and stop acting like the wind was anything else but a natural phenomenon. He stayed quiet for a while, but the energy was still there, as if Matthias stood still next to him.
“You’re missed, Helvar.” Kaz finally said softly. Whatever it was, a wind or something else his mind had tricked him to believe was Matthias’ ghost dispersed, leaving Kaz alone. He looked over to his friends playing and flying their kite.
They were his friends. They were his crows. They were the people who made him believe in something more than revenge and spite, that maybe, just maybe life was worth living for something more than ruining his enemies.
Matthias, the boy who left too early, the young man who had been fed hatred his whole life and had understood compassion and that the people he saw as monsters were so much more than just that. The boy who fell in love with his enemy and thought there must be something wrong with him, that he was bringing dishonour to his country. The boy who turned against his father figure, his mentor, the boy who managed to care about the most dishonourable criminals of Ketterdam. Kaz loved him like an older, annoying brother.
Nina, the girl who had been hunted her whole life for being Grisha, for being herself. The girl who fell in love with a soldier of the enemy, who had accused him of a crime he didn’t commit and then did everything in her power to prove his innocence. The powerful Grisha who survived a dose of parem, whose power changed and soulmate died, yet she still stood strong, the girl who kept making fun of Kaz, who Kaz loved to tease. He loved her like a fun sister.
Wylan, the young boy Kaz had tried his best to corrupt who still stood at the right side of law, believing in a better world, believing in hope. The boy who trembled as he told Kaz his biggest secret, his biggest shame, the boy who didn’t realize how talented he was because all he had ever been told his whole life was that he was stupid. The boy who couldn’t read but had the right mind for mathematics, chemistry and music, the boy who proved to be a lot braver than he showed. Kaz loved him like a brother too, a younger and inexperienced brother who is yet to taste the bittersweet world.
Jesper, Kaz’s best friend, the boy who had stayed at his side since day one, who stayed loyal to him through the toughest times. The boy who lost so much to a gambling addiction but didn’t let that bring his wonderful mood down, the boy who always made Kaz laugh even if he didn’t show it. A great sharpshooter, an even greater friend, a boy ready to sacrifice everything for his friends. Little did he know, Kaz would sacrifice everything for him too. He’d do it for all of them. He loved him as much as possible, although it was purely platonic.
Inej. The lovely, beautiful Inej. His Saint, his Wraith, the girl who made Kaz believe in magic. The girl he worked with so well, who understood him, who went through so much and yet kept a good, kind heart, still believed in her faith. The girl he only wished to hold close in an embrace, the girl he’d burn the world down for, the girl he’d build it all up for again. The patient and understanding girl, the smart and brave and strong girl. He loved her more than anyone. He loved her more than a friend. He loved her more than he had ever believed possible. He was in love with her.
They were the ones society hated, judged, ignored. They were the ones who walked with broken hearts and their past weighing them down, the ones who were brought down again and again. They were young and yet they were stronger than most because they’ve been forced to become so by a cruel life. They were the ones who gathered secrets, the ones who could do anything they put their mind to. They were the broken ones, the crooked ones, the dark and lonely ones, the ones who proved even the most broken souls could feel happy and loved, to feel strong and to love. They warned each other of dangers, told each other who to trust, held each other up when they had nothing more but their motivations to keep them going.
They were the broken.
They were the healed.
They were the cruel and they were the compassionate.
They were the danger and they were the peace.
They were the six of crows.
