#kanej head canon

[neptune-scythe]

quick thing about the nuances of desire that is often over looked, specifically in regards to touch aversion

the argument I get the most when discussing Kanej having a relationship without any physical intimacy or touch is that they both want that

but here's the thing

yes they both express desires for touch or physical intimacy, but it's not as black and white as that.

there's three points I wanna make here

the first is there's a difference between wanting something and fantasizing about it. and by that I mean you can like the idea of something, you can have a desire for that idea, but it isn't the actual thing. so for the topic of touch, you can like the idea of a hug or a kiss, you can desire to experience the same feeling from it that other people do or that you think you should, but in reality it isn't actually enjoyable to you, it doesn't give you the feeling you want it to. you want it, maybe even enough to try it again and again, but it may never give you what you want out of it.

the second point ties into the first one nicely of being that you can want the feeling that touch is supposed to give, so you think you want the touch as well. but in reality you just haven't separated the two. you want the comfort, the safety, the closeness, the protection, or whatever else that you're supposed to feel when you touch someone, you might not actually want or enjoy the touch itself or get those feelings from it. but once you separate the two you can find those feelings you're searching for in other ways that are actually comfortable and beneficial.

and the third point is that sometimes you just want to want something. you want to have the desire to touch someone, to be able to feel comfortable with it, but you don't. you might try and convince yourself that you do want it because you think you're supposed to, but the actual desire just isn't there. you want to have the desire rather than actually having the desire.

so for Kaz and Inej, yes they both expressed desires for physical intimacy, but it's not as black and white as "they said they want it so that's what they need to be happy"

desire is much deeper than that, and humans are much more nuanced and layered and unpredictable.

and yes there are also times when people just have desires without any of the extra stuff, but given their history I personally don't think Kaz or Inej are that type. There are too many conflicting feelings and experiences for it to be that simple in my opinion.

and if there's one thing Leigh Bardugo is good at it's making deep, multifaceted, and complex characters, and that's what I enjoy so much about them. they have the capacity to portray all those nuances of desire that other characters just can't, and that's a very beautiful and important thing ... especially for y/a books. to capture the human experience, to explain the aspects of humanity that are hard to discover in one's self or notice in other people. it's a bridge to deeper understanding, it's putting that ability to understand in a language that is more accessible and universal than an intellectual self help book or an essay.

so to circle back to my overarching point, desire isn't a simple thing. thinking "I want __" doesn't necessarily translate perfectly the way it presents, and there are many complexities to the human mind that are unpredictable and surprising.

#touch aversion #touch averse #touch sensitive #desire #complexity #nuance #grishaverse #six of crows #kaz brekker #inej ghafa #dirtyhands #the bastard of the barrel #the wraith #kanej #kaz x inej #kanej hc #kanej head canon #kanej headcanon #kanej hot takes #kanej supremacy #kaz x inej headcanon #kaz x inej hc #kanej rants #kaz thoughts #inej thoughts #kaz brekker and inej ghafa #kaz and inej #kaz brekker x inej ghafa #inej x kaz

[crooked-jes]

what are wesper doing rn?

HEY, did you know that i have a funny little twitter account where i post cute little wesper headcanons? u didn't? well, now you do, go follow @wydwesper for a daily dose of wesper brainrot, you won't regret it (and i'm doing a follow spree currently!!)

*posting a gif of my fav scene from the show to get your attention*

#wesper #six of crows #crooked kingdom #shadow and bone #headcanon #kanej #helnik #wylan van eck #jesper fahey #jesper x wylan #head canon #idiots in love #fluff #domestic fluff #fanfiction #twitter

[eggsaladstain]

so i thoroughly enjoyed season 2 even if it was extremely rushed and the fact that it’s not a 1:1 adaptation is genuinely so fun to me.

like i get it, things are different from the books, the characters have developed in way they did not in the books, but the books still exist. the show canon does not negate the book canon in any way - we just have twice as much canon now and honestly i fail to see the downside to that.

book/show spoilers under the cut.

let me start with the not so good before i get to the good.

the crows really got shortchanged this time around and most of their storyline definitely felt more out of place this season compared to the first. and as satisfying as it was to see kaz beat pekka, all the wesper and kanej moments, and have 5 of 6 crows all together (sorry matthias, better luck next time buddy), the show was not nearly as successful integrating the crooked kingdom plot points as it was the storm and siege and ruin and rising ones. but i get it, the crows were always going to be secondary to alina.

that said, i do love the idea of taking this heist most of us are already familiar with and turning it on its head with these new character dynamics. imagine an empowered and free inej returning to ketterdam to help a less burdened, less haunted kaz plan the heist. imagine jesper in his element, confident and proud of his grisha abilities now that he’s made peace with his past. imagine wylan and jesper openly flirting at the most inopportune moments. imagine nina and matthias presumably actually getting some screen time together?? the possibilities are endless and i can’t wait to see where they go with this.

now, onto alina’s storyline, which has the biggest departure from the books.

the show ends with alina killing mal, amplifying her power to singlehandedly destroy the fold, bringing mal back to life with merzost, and then killing the fjerdan intruder with the cut summoned from shadows instead of light and seeming to enjoy her newfound shadow power. this is the story of a savior who becomes a saint who finds herself turning into a heretic - dark alina arc let’s go!!

i love this direction for the show because it’s incredibly consistent with alina’s journey and the way she is constantly presented as a foil for the darkling, following in his footsteps even without realizing it. she has tremendous power and a desire to protect those she cares about, and she’s clever and cunning and willing to do whatever it takes to reach her goal, whether that’s burning a set of maps so she can join mal in his trip across the fold or agreeing to a political engagement to give ravka hope for the future. though she has mal and nikolai and her other allies, this is really her journey and hers alone - her journey of discovery to embrace her own power, even as she becomes that very evil she worked so hard to destroy. the message of the show is that power corrupts, and it corrupts even those with the best of intentions, perhaps especially those with the best of intentions.

in contrast, the book ending is pretty much the exact opposite - alina fights the darkling’s forces inside the fold alongside both the first and second army. she kills mal to amplify her power but ends up losing it altogether. instead of amplifying her, the amplifier gives her power to the first army soldiers and other non-grisha around her and they, an army of sun summoners, destroy the fold once and for all. alina then kills the darkling, mal is resurrected using regular grisha-means, and alina and mal live a quiet life running the orphanage in keramzin. this is the story of a savior who is allowed to die a saint and live a quiet, happy life afterwards - poetic cinema, beautiful in its subtlety and restraint.

there’s a lot of criticism about the way ruin and rising ends and i get it, i really do. was it necessary for alina to lose her powers in order for the other sun summoners to gain them? why is her love for her power seen as something greedy, something to be punished and taken away? god forbid women do ANYTHING. but i will defend this ending with my last breath because it’s such a wonderfully subversive way to conclude alina’s story and i really don’t think it deserves most of the hate it gets.

the original trilogy started out as a pretty generic story about a chosen one who was destined to defeat a great evil and ended instead with a group of ordinary soldiers and orphans being the heroes instead. call me sentimental, but i ADORE how it comes full circle - alina was, after all, an ordinary soldier and orphan when we first met her. throughout the books, we see how she struggles under the weight of her power and the burden of her responsibilities, and i just really love the way ruin and rising said no, you do not have to do this alone, you are not the only light in the dark, here are your fellow countrymen to support you in your greatest hour of need. so often, these stories end with the heroine saving the world and then being expected to continue keeping watch with the knowledge that they will be called upon again the next time the world needs saving. and ruin and rising again says no, you have done your duty, let someone else stand guard, you have earned your rest and you deserve it.

all this is to say that i loved alina’s ending in the books, and i love that it’s different in the show. we get to explore the other paths her story could have taken, we are not just limited to the one. i love the crows as they are in the books as well, and i don’t entirely mind how different they are in the show for the same reasons.

this is an adaptation that knows when to pull from the source material and when to create something entirely new. it was never meant to replace the books, it was created in addition to them, and i hope we get many more new stories after this.

#sab meta #shadow and bone #sab season 2 #six of crows #grishaverse #alina starkov #kanej #wesper #helnik #kaz brekker #inej ghafa #wylan van eck #jesper fahey #matthias helvar #nina zenik #malina #meta

[cameliawrites]

Kanej Fic Recs: The "Figuring Out Intimacy" Trope

If you're anything like me, you're a glutton for very specific fic tropes applied to your very favorite OTPs (and we all know my OTP of OTPs is kanej). To this end, ao3 tags are your best friend. When you see that delicious combination of tags like "emotional hurt/comfort" and "healing" and "pining" with some sort of moody, vaguely poetic title, that's the good shit right there. That is a MEAL, and you are about to feast.

Anyways. I'm getting off track.

I come to you today with more than just an offering to the potluck; I am here to open up the doors to the whole damn buffet. That's right - FIC RECS. Specifically, fic recs that scratch the particular itch for "post-canon fics where Kaz and Inej figure out how to touch each other, but really the Physical Armor is always symbolic of the Emotional Armor that they have to learn to lower if they hope to ever really Be Together." Do you know what I'm talking about? If you know, you know. It's kanej figuring out intimacy. It's touch, but it's about the way they touch each other's souls. It's a fandom-classic fic trope. FEAST AWAY. (And feel free to reblog and add any of your own favorites! This is certainly not an exhaustive list, just some favorites of mine that fit the bill.)

They're all complete, they're all canon compliant (I had to set some limitations because my list was getting out of hand lol), and they're listed in order of rating (T, M, etc.), but otherwise they're in no particular order, and the summaries and/or most of the excerpts are those provided by the authors on ao3!

Can We Stop? by thegoldenkneazle (Rated G, 220 words, drabble)

Excerpt:

Kaz immediately drew back, rolling over onto his side of the creaky bed to create space between them. “Are you okay?” he asked, dark eyebrows drawing together.

Every Time We Touch by Pokemon67 (Rated G, 1k words, oneshot)

Summary: "Inej hadn't been exaggerating. It wasn’t easy for her either."

Excerpt:

She couldn’t quite recall how they’d ended up here, in Kaz’s room, on his bed. She was perched on his legs, right in front of him, and if she raised her head she could look into his eyes count the little flecks of gold the light always teased to her were there. 

Uncharted Waters by insignificant457 (Rated T, 5k words, oneshot)

Summary: "One step on the long and winding road to intimacy."

Excerpt:

Perhaps Inej should be insulted that she’s been penciled into Kaz’s schedule, fit snugly in between a Crow Club shareholders’ meeting and a parley with the Liddies, but when it comes to taking steps forward in their relationship, romantic spontaneity is not exactly something they can afford.

Council of the Tides by blacktag189 (Rated T, 15k words, multichap)

Excerpt:

With each tiny step forward they made, the urgency to be pulled out to sea still built. She couldn't ignore the brutal truth in that - that no matter how much he gave her here...one day everything would align just right and she would leave. But today wasn't that day.

Discover the Rest by Silver_89 (Rated T, 4k words, oneshot) (note: restricted to ao3 account holders)

Summary: "Post Crooked Kingdom fic where Kaz and Inej have made some progress with touch but touch is not the only progress Inej wants to see from him. She wants to know him too."

Excerpt:

Inej didn’t share much about her time at the Menagerie...And yet she had shared that she struggled with touch too. He understood why. But she didn’t know why he was the same. I will have you without armor, Kaz Brekker. Or I will not have you at all. It was time he tried taking it off.

All Flowers in Time (Bend Towards the Sun) by laurie_ipsum (Rated M, 10k words, multichap)

Summary: "Does this fandom need yet another Kaz and Inej figure out intimacy fic? Probably not, but I did it anyway."

Excerpt:

Kaz wants all his firsts. It’s written in his eyes, on his face, in every line of his body. She can tell it terrifies him. It terrifies her, too.

One Thousand and One Nights by Trogdor19 (Rated M, 11k words, multichap)

Summary: "One new touch, every night…"

Excerpt:

He dips his head, his cheekbone brushing against hers so quietly it’s like the way she moves. So silkily between shadows no one’s ever quite sure it happened. 'Wait for me,' he breathes. The letters barely given enough air to shape them.

The Trouble With Wanting by A_nonnie_mouse (Rated M, 6k words, oneshot, part of a series)

Summary: "Inej begins to reckon with her own armor so she can have what, and who, she wants."

Excerpt:

“Kaz.” She was frustrated at his self-deprecation. “Please understand. My mind wants you. My heart longs for you. My body…” She struggled for words, the shame rising again, threatening her eyes with tears. “My body isn’t entirely convinced something horrible isn’t going to happen again. This wasn’t because of you. You understand that, don’t you?” 

show me where my armor ends (show me where my skin begins) by kingsandqueensofthebarrel (Rated M, 25k words, oneshot)

Excerpt:

“You’re something I want, Wraith,” he says, his tone all business like. “And I don’t stop until I have what I want.” “That could have sounded romantic.” “It’s a fact.” She hums and squeezes his hand.

collision course by cameliawrites (Rated M, 10k words, oneshot) (shameless self-promotion)

Excerpt:

Inej adjusts to Kaz the way that winter adjusts to spring: she thaws, and thaws, and thaws—and then she utterly melts.

you're a bandit like me, eyes full of stars by sarathedreamer (Rated M, 54k words, multichap, part of a series)

Summary: "Kaz and Inej learning to be with one another after Crooked Kingdom (events in Rule of Wolves might be mentioned in later chapters but you'll be warned!) Basically a slow burn filled with angst and fluff, and little plot :)"

Excerpt:

She blushed and felt a smile tug at her lips, so she looked down at his hand, held up in front of her like an invitation. His fingers were barely shaking. Inej looked back up at his eyes, asking a silent question once more, and Kaz nodded after a short hesitation. She gently cupped his hand in hers, fascinated by the softness of it, by the way two of hers were not quite enough to hold one of his. No one but she could know how graceful Dirtyhands’ weapons were under his gloves, and that was another one of his secrets she would gladly keep close to her chest.

Things We Can Never Do by rainstormdragon (Rated E, 3k words, oneshot, part of a series)

Excerpt:

They had done this before more than once. First words, then their hands on their own bodies. Gasped encouragement and shared fantasies. “Tell me what you’d want to do,” he urged her, not moving even a hair’s breadth toward her, giving her the safety of the space between them. “Tell me what you’d want me to do.”

Closer by lilieswho (Rated E, 7k words, oneshot)

Excerpt:

There is a deep desire crawling under Inej’s skin. It’s a feeling she’s begun to grow used to by now — the feeling of wanting someone, wishing for their touch and hoping they wish for hers back. Not someone’s, no. Kaz’s.

If you've made it all the way to the end of this rec list (hi!! thanks!), you should absolutely reply to or reblog this post with your favorite "kanej figure out intimacy" fic, whether it's on this list or something else! :) Support your local organic pasture-raised fic authors, etc. etc.

#fic recs #kanej

[capinejghafa]

kanej + post-canon & “that’s the laugh”

short story by @oneofthewednesdays (under read more :D)

It took two weeks for Inej to finally summon the courage to ask Kaz the question that had been plaguing her since that morning at Fifth Harbor. During the day, she slowly remembered the girl she used to be—the girl who let her eyes drift shut when her mother massaged warm oil in her hair. Each time her father pressed a gruff kiss on the crown of her head, she remembered staring up at him on the hirewire. She remembered thinking he had hung the moon. 

But long after her parents slipped away for bed, she would lie awake, staring past the gossamer curtains at the glimmering waters of the Geldcanal. She could see the full-bellied moon reflected in the water. Watching the boats drift lazily past, she imagined the attic of the Slat awash in moonlight. Had Kaz left the attic window open for her? Whenever she remembered that morning, she remembered the feeling of her body braced against his—the cool touch of his fingers, intertwined with hers. She remembered the way his eyes had softened before he said something strange. 

“That’s the laugh,” he had murmured.

For two weeks, she repeated his words over and over in her head until exhaustion finally claimed her. 

But now, she was walking side-by-side with Kaz through the warehouse district. He had turned up on the doorstep of the Van Eck Estate earlier that morning, intent on ensuring the Wraith was well-stocked on her maiden voyage. He had greased the palms of the foreman of a warehouse that stocked arms and munitions. The foreman turned a blind eye as they wandered up and down rows of muskets and heavy cannons, pausing occasionally to examine the merchandise. Whenever Kaz turned away, she would chew on her bottom lip, certain that the question would spill from her lips unbidden if she didn’t keep them firmly clasped. 

But Kaz noticed. He always noticed. 

“Something is bothering you,” Kaz observed. “Am I bothering you, Inej?” 

She might have mistaken his tone as casual if she didn’t see the way his bare fingers clenched around the head of his cane. He was as nervous as she was—perhaps more so. It was a rare glimpse of the boy beneath the façade. At the realization, she couldn’t help herself. The corners of her lips turned up in the softest of smiles. 

“There was something you said that morning at Fifth Harbor,” she confessed slowly. “Something I haven’t been able to stop thinking about.” 

Pulling her mother’s shawl tightly around her shoulders, she turned to face him.  Pale morning light was filtering through the warehouse window, casting half of his face in shadow. His jaw tightened, but he gave the barest nod. Go on. Finish the story. 

“That’s the laugh?” she asked.

Her words hung between them, suspended in the air like dust motes dancing in the early morning sun. They were an echo—the memory of a moment so fleeting sometimes Inej was certain it had all been a dream. For a long moment, she thought he wouldn’t answer. His eyes remained flat, the eyes of a shark sliding through dark waters. But then his gaze slid to the head of his cane. He stared down at his clenched fists as he spoke. 

“I almost drowned beneath the Ice Court,” Kaz confessed. “For years, the promise of vengeance kept me alive. But when the baleen started to bubble, all I could think of was you, Inej. All I could think of was your laughter.” 

He paused, clearing his throat before continuing. 

“When you laugh, I remember a time before Ketterdam, before Pekka Rollins,” he said. “When you laugh, I remember a time when I used to believe there was magic in this world.”

Inej could feel her heart fluttering in her chest. All of her doubts—all of her fears—felt like distant memories. She remembered the girl who once doubted that the world could change—that girl was a fool. The realization was so miraculous that she could feel laughter bubbling to her lips. Startled, Kaz’s gaze snapped up. But his eyes softened as they traced the contours of her lips. 

“Thank you,” she said simply, reaching forward to take his hand in hers. 

He closed the distance between them.

#oneofthewednesdays #sabedit #shadow and bone #shadowandboneedit #mygifs15 #socdaily #socedit #kanejedit #kanej #tusermich #userzhr #janielook #userbecca #userlau #usercy #userng #userbeccaa #userghafa #amita gifs = #outpost s4

[its-tea-time-darling]

things i did NOT like about shadow and bone (netflix):

the darkling looks Old. he's supposed to look the same age as all the other main protagonists. this highlights alina's future of staying the same & young where everyone around her dies. it also blurs the line between good and evil more bc 'oh he's the older bad guy' is just such an easy solve. also while ben barnes is a snack imo the darkling was supposed to have a more alluring, youthful magnetism.

making genya's scars barely a few scratches. she's supposed to objectively have lost her former self perfected beauty!!! this is a thing!!! she doesn't just have some deep scars, she's supposed to look hideous at first sight, where is show adaptation teams' courage to show characters that are supposed to be mutilated as just that???? i promise audiences can survive on literally everyone else on the cast being very stereotypically pretty/handsome 🙄🙄🙄🙄

changing wesper's storyline so that they had a one night stand before canon sets in??? what kind of bullshit is that??? fucking robbing me of the "just girls?" -"not just girls" gay ANgST will they won't they, does jesper like him too, will they ever - BAM. KISS. !!!!!!! succession??? making wylan cute and awkward does NOT compensate their book storyline At All what were those show writers thinking??? 😭😭

this one i will forgive but i still rly liked it in the books so im a tad sad they didn't manage to include it: that alina has a time where she thinks she is morozova's second daughter's descendant. in many respects she has learned she is Special, and the shame she feels when she realizes this isn't another one of these cases, this isn't a way to finally show her A Path, that in this respect she is ordinary and mal is tied to fate that way, that's just such a good touch.

malina going seperate ways. what happened to "they had an ordinary life full of ordinary things--if love can ever be called that."????? "choice is true north" my ASS 😤😤😤😤 malina have always been in love and will always be in love idc abt the firebird amplifier thing that was just sth they had to do they've always been people and they've always loved each other there is no way around it

things i DID like about shadow and bone (netflix)

david and genya. specifically the delivery of the lines "I … I don’t understand half of what goes on around me. I don’t get jokes or sunsets or poetry, but I know metal. Beauty was your armor. Fragile stuff, all show. But what’s inside you? That’s steel. It’s brave and unbreakable. And it doesn’t need fixing. You don't need fixing."

genya telling the queen how she poisoned the king, and genya spitting at nikolai how his apologies are of no use and that he needs to prove a better king. generally just genya. 💞

nikolai sending his mother away + what he says to her.

all the malina flashbacks to the meadow <33

malina last night together 😳😳 they love each other sm!!!!!

the scene at morozova's home. baghra sharing her past, all the reveals happening there, and of course the darkling weeping over his mother's body. "know that i loved you. know that it wasn't enough." like OkAY.

sankta neyar's speech. so deeply touching, and doesn't just apply to immortals but to all of us who have been hurt and suffered loss before.

the darkling begging alina to let him be her monster. A+ delivery.

"How will you have me? Fully clothed, gloves on, your head turned away so our lips can never touch? I will have you without armour, Kaz Brekker. Or I will not have you at all." generally the entirety of kanej in this show. inej's hallucination. the mirroring to the last scene. breathtaking showstopping flawless.

little rabbit.

#shadow and bone #that's all for now #who is late to the party by several months? it's TEA 😃🎉🎉🎉🎉 #txt #shadow and bone netflix #sab #six of crows #soc #wesper #malina #kanej #long post

[saigeplant]

Being Kanej's daughter head canons

I know people have different opinions about whether or not Kaz and Inej would ever get so far as to have biological kids so I'm going to leave it up to you whether the reader is adopted or not.

CW: Kaz and Inej trauma mentioned in passing very briefly no description, swearing,

-Both Kaz and Inej were really scared to have kids because what if they mess it up? What if they pass on their respective traumas? Maybe they just aren't cut out to be parents.

-But then they hold this little baby in their arms for the first time and it's like holy shit? Kaz isn't really an emotional guy but he's just filled with this overwhelming desire to protect this little human because it's so fucking cute and he wants to give them the childhood he never had. Inej just wants to hold you forever and never let go.

-They're obviously very busy people but they take time off their responsibilities for you and kinda just chill for a bit never wanting to miss a moment.

-You're a very happy baby

-Your first word is crow. Kaz is secretly thrilled, Inej is a little disappointed but ma comes soon after quickly followed by da.

-One day when the crow club is closed Kaz is cleaning up with a two year old you on his hip, Wylan and Jesper are sitting at the bar and Kaz starts cooing and smiling at you and Jesper asks, "You know we could tell everybody about this and ruin your reputation?" Wylan follows it up with, "Why are you doing this in front of us?", And Kaz says with a straight face "Because no one will ever believe you"

-Inej teaches you how to wield a knife by age five

-Speaking of Inej she also teaches you how to slip into the shadows and be absolutely silent

-You have a running bet to see how can sneak up on Kaz.

-Neither of you have been successful

-By the time you're thirteen you start begging your parents to join the crows it does not work.

-But when you turn fourteen you play a lookout on a mission.

-By the time you turn sixteen you are a full member of the crows.

-Neither of your parents are very happy about this but they know you're capable of taking care of yourself.

-Speaking of that if anyone touches you or looks at you they will face a fate much worse then death

-When you start dating your partner faces hours of interrogation not only to figure out if they're trustworthy but also in your parent's opinion "If they aren't willing to sit through hours of your parents yelling at them they aren't the one"

-But you do find someone who had such a slow burn romance with you they didn't even realize you liked each other until they were full on shipping the two of you and you were both hardcore pining.

-This is my first post and if you'd like to hear about this particular OC tell me

Anyway I doubt anyone will read this but if you do and you enjoy it like, reblog, comment whatever.

I've been waiting to see this for so long but have been to scared to request anything but if anyone has any other ideas for this feel free to add because I kinda hate this and if you could tag me that would be great.

-Saige

#kaz brekker #kaz brekker x reader #six of crows x reader #jesper fahey x reader #kaz brekker imagine #kaz brekker x you #six of crows imagine #six of crows x child reader #platonic #kaz brekker x daughter!reader #inej gafha #inej ghafa #inej ghafa x reader #wylan van eck x reader #six of crows #shadow and bone #Kanej #kanej x reader #Inej ghafa x daughter!reader #kanej as parents

[greenleaf777]

I LOVE how in Kanej fics theres this general consensus within the fandom that when Inej returns home that she and Kaz share a bed even if they aren’t quite comfortable touching a lot or being physically intimate yet.

Its just such a cute head-canon. 🥰

I definitely need some fanart of that, feel free to point me in any kanej fanart direction too.

#six of crows #kanej #kanej fanfiction #kanej fanart #kaz brekker #inej gafha #kaz x inej

[thedelusionreaderbitch]

Poly! Kanej x gn! Reader - What kills

A/n: That scene where Catra and Adora fight and catra leaves? Ya, this is based off of that scene

Warnings: Mentions of past lovers, mentions of death, insecure reader, canon level violence, injuries (not descriptive), angstyyy, I think that's it? You have been warned!

Summary: You've always gotten other people hurt when you stay, this time you leave before you can do any damage. Or before you can't take it anymore

The three P's:

[Pronouns: you/your] [Pov: 2nd person] [Parings: (romantic!) kanej x reader, (romantic!) kaz x inej, (platonic!) crows x reader]

Your footsteps echoed off the cobblestones making a hallowed sound almost mirroring what you felt like.

There's a bag in one hand, and a gun in your pocket with knives scattered throughout your person. You would leave Ketterdam, the Crow club, your friends for good this time.

The biggest indicator that revealed that someone or someones were chasing after you were the hurried click of a cane and a small rustle from up above you.

Suddenly a figure launched on top of you as you tried to fight it off, as Kaz watched from behind gripping is cane with a strong force.

The girl tried dragging you back but you kicked her off, effectively pulling down her hood in the process as Kaz stabbed his cane right in the ground in front of where you were prepared to run away.

"Y/n!" Inej yells at you pulling you back as you grumble. "You can't just leave!"

Kaz's cane is in front of you when you turn around and take another step to leave.

"Y/n L/n, my crows do not leave without their notice."

Is that all you'll be them? To Kaz, to Inej will you forever remain a crow, a friend, an investment for them to use until they got bored.

Tears filled your eyes, you didn't want to stay, you wouldn't let yourself if that was bound to happen. Kaz had Inej didn't love you, not like you love them.

You hands curls as you remember what happened for this whole ordeal to be even occurring.

The crows were fighting for their lives all throughout the heist location. It even seemed like you guys were going to get out of their alive when the last three men ganged up on you.

You were alone, and these men where ruthless, but so were you.

It was all going fine until one pulled a gun on you and one held you by the hair as the other had a knife ready to use.

At the perfect timing when the man with the gun pulled the trigger Kaz had pushed you out of the way effectively taking the bullet. While the other man in his anger went up to stab you, he slashed Inej's arm instead as she threw herself in front of the two of you protecting you both.

Growling you spin on your heels and sock Kaz right in the jaw erupting a sound of concern as well as anger from Inej and pain from Kaz.

"See." A tiny voice in your head whispered. "All you do is get them hurt." The voice taunts you. "All you do is hurt the ones you love when you stay."

You couldn't even argue with that one, you had a lover once, but she had died because of your faults. If you had left her when you had the chance she would've had a good, amazing life. You did not want to see Inej and Kaz in the same place.

And that last heist was too close for comfort, you had overdone your stay here. If you stayed any longer you would get them killed, you had to leave.

"Why!" You holler at the both of them, pointing to their stitched up injuries that would certainly leave new scars for them to ponder at because you weren't good enough.

"Why do you have to be so good yet so terrible!" You cry out throwing your hands in the air. "Why do you two have to be self-sacrificing idiots for someone who doesn't matter!" You scream at the both of them.

"No, Y/n." Kaz says despite his jaw probably throbbing with pain. "You're important to me, to both of us."

Scoffing you cross your arms over your chest and look away so they can't see the tears threatening to break the dam that's holding them back.

"Not in the way I want to be."

Turning around fully with the intention to walk off before Inej latches onto your hand stopping you in your tracks.

"Stay, please, stay. We need you." Her voice wobbles as she desperately tries to get in one more attempt for you to remain in Ketterdam.

"No you don't." You sneer quietly your lips curling as tears start to flow down your face rapidly as you run off from the two of them.

You love the king and queen of Ketterdam, maybe they might've loved you you too, but not enough for you to take their side as an equal ruler with them. That you knew.

And it kills you.

Words 758

-thedelusionreaderbitch

Grishaverse taglist: @kaqua @rika90 @thefandomplace @musical-theatre-obsessed-dumbass @gallysonegoodlung @navs-bhat @sumsebien @dontjudgeabookbythecover @brekker-zenik @alohastitch0626 @brekkers-desigirl @emmsamultifan06

#kanej #poly! kanej #kanej x reader #poly! kanej x reader #kanej x gn! reader #delusion writes #six of crows #soc #kaz brekker #inej ghafa #inej ghafa x reader #kaz brekker x reader #kaz x inej #x reader #poly! kanej x gn! reader #shadow and bone #sab

[fantastic-nonsense]

I think it's really funny how the SOC fanfic community continuously makes Kaz focus on his ledgers as a way of keeping him busy like Kaz doesn't canonically keep them only because he thinks it's probably a good idea to have paper records of the numbers he usually just does in his head:

we all got the fact that he's a studious workaholic down but I think some of us forget the "extremely good and somewhat mildly photographic memory with a gift for numbers" part in our quest to write fun Kanej office scenes

#yes Kaz keeps ledgers. but canonically he's just like 'I've got it all up here. The ledgers are for other people and tax disputes' lol #six of crows #kaz brekker

[mrsmiroir]

whatre ur kaz/inej/kanej headcannons?

i’ve got. hair headcanons. because i’m a freak like that.

inej had had long hair her entire life. so had her mother, and her mother’s mother, and her father’s mother, and most women in her family. before each performance, her mother would braid it, keeping it out of her face, weaving flowers and ribbons into each strand, and every night, her mother brushed it out carefully, gentle with each knot, as her father massaged her sore muscles.

on the ship, the bottom becomes a matted lump. tante heleen inspects it on the dock, then promptly declares that it must be shaved. in canon, it would be impossible for her hair to be the length it’s described as had heleen shaved it. maybe she just intended it to be humiliating, highlighting inej’s loss of autonomy and identity. perhaps she only had a bit of it cut. inej is tiny, without her hair, she looks even smaller, even younger. maybe her hair makes her more profitable. whatever it is, it’s disgusting.

at the menagerie, the lady that combs her hair is far from gentle. she doesn’t use the same oils and treatments as inej’s mother. her hair is just one of those elements that help sell the disgusting othering fantasy of the menagerie.

she contemplated cutting her hair once she joins the dregs. it becomes dry and brittle and the hairbrushes she can afford are not meant for her hair. it falls out in clumps and it almost makes her happy. but she remembers her mother, her grandmothers, her cousins, her aunts; how their long dark hair flowed past their waists, twisting into intricate braids as they went about their day, catching the light as they braved the high wire or performed on the ground.

her own braids are loose and have hairs sticking out. with time, she gets better, and soon she can braid her hair into her signature coil that she can tuck into her scarf as she jumps from rooftop to rooftop, or let it fly freely as she leans her head out of the window at the top of the slat when she feeds the crows.

as for kaz, i think his hair is actually pretty wavy. his mother had jet black hair, both he and jordie inherited it. their curls, however, came from their father. his father cuts their hair in the kitchen of the farmhouse, and kaz’s haircut always looks a little lopsided because he won’t stop squirming (jordie doesn’t help, he’s too busy tormenting his little brother because that’s his duty as the eldest).

kaz’s hair covers his eyes when he lives on the streets, it’s dirty and tangled and he’s definitely got a colony of lice up there, but everyone his age does, and he doesn’t mind. he has other things on his mind anyway.

when he’s ten, the prison guards shave it all off, as they do with all prisoners. he won’t stop moving, desperately trying to escape their grasp as they drag their hands, razor and all, over his skull. he gets nicked several times, even bites the guards a couple of times before they shove him down and he passes out. he’s in jail so often that it never has any time to grow back.

he keeps it short for a while after that, not caring for his appearance until he realizes that he can forge it into another part of his persona (and also he’s a teenager he’s very image conscious!). he lets the top grow and keeps the sides and back short, because it’s easier to shave it than to cut it. it looks like shit because he can’t see the back of his own head. also it’s pretty much canon that he does it himself, so that’s probably why it looks Like That. he combs it back and gels it to emphasize the sharpness of his features. the first time the others see what it looks like without styling, curls and all, they’re taken aback. it makes him look softer, younger, like a boy instead of the monster he’s convinced everyone he is.

i think that post-canon, inej teaches kaz how to braid hair (which he learns, and then learns all the fancy ways to do it, because it’s a puzzle and he’s kaz). inej shaves the sides of his hair and cuts the top when it gets too long, even though she loves the way it looks when it gets all floppy when he lets it grow out. it’s all very tender yk.

#this is LONG #but here u go #it’s been a year sorry anon #kanej #kaz x inej #inej ghafa #kaz brekker #soc #soc headcanon #six of crows duology #six of crows #crooked kingdom #grishaverse #ask answered #anon

[luckylolabug]

Hiii Bugs (first-ever ask from me to you—it’s a big deal)!! Curious about these two for this ask game: 🍄🍦

Thank you and I hope you’re having a good one :D

Hellooooooooooooo! It is a big deal!!! 🍄 ⇢ share a head canon for one of your favourite ships or pairings Not sure which fandoms to pick for these so here's 3 of them that I know we share in common. L&C - Locklyle (duh): Lockwood always closes his eyes last right before kissing Lucy just so he can look at her longer. ATLA - Kataang (sorry people): Aang regularly hits up the past Avatars for relationship advice whenever he's feeling insecure or they're fighting about something. (For a more positive one, Katara jokingly calls Aang 'Kuzon' every time they have to go to the Fire Nation for anything) SOC - Kanej: Without even really ever solidifying an actual codebook or anything, I like the idea that Kaz and Inej communicate in innocuous letters whenever shes at sea, but everything is in a code that only they know. 🍦 ⇢ name three good things about a character you hate Hooo oh boy okay. L&C - Rupert Gale: 1. Snazzy dresser 2. A decent punching bag for George insults 3. Unintentionally did sort of shove the team to get better at their jobs secretly ATLA - Jet (oops sorry again): 1. I do like the idea of the moral ambiguity involved with the whole 'sacrifices have to be made to win the war' thing that he presents 2. The Freedom Fighters as a whole are a very fun concept 3. It gave us one of the best scenes. (WHAT ARE YOU DOING FIREBENDING YOUR TEA) SOC - Kuwei: 1. I dont really HATE him as a character, I just am sad he doesnt do much because the POTENTIAL is really good!!!! 2. Did sort of push the Wesper thing unintentionally in the right direction. 3. Pretending not to speak Kerch around the crows is kind of a serve

#bugs asks #lockwood and co #lockwood & co #atla #soc #locklyle #kataang #kanej #writing stuff

[19burstraat]

listen this is so random but you posted a kanej edit like a year and a half ago AT LEAST on tiktok and it was on twin skeletons (hotel in nyc) by fall out boy and it remains to this day one of the three fob songs i listen to specifically bc of that edit and you captioned it with smth like "crows and saints and sins and .. this is the kanej song" or smth like that but yea fav kanej edit ever!! and today i woke up at 4.37am in the morning because it was playing in my head WORD FOR WORD AND BEAT FOR BEAT and then it ended and i woke up and then i couldnt go back to sleep so i did my math homework and i straight up started writing a pre-canon kanej fic simply bc that song wld not stop playing in my head. still love it tho. idk if ill finish the fic but i feel like you shld know the impact that old edit still has on me (and i haven't had tiktok for like nearly a year so the fact that i still remember it is astonishing ngl)

well that's good to know LMAOOO though sorry for the lost sleep... I think it sadly got taken out in the great tiktok-UMG muting battle but I pondered remaking it. I think I made it in my first year of uni so it might have been longer ago than that now 😭😭 also, I made the edit because I had a post canon kanej fic called twin skeletons, so its good to know it's circled back around completely jfjrjd

#ask answered

[maniacmaniac-19]

Okay so I have a theory with regards to the whole Tolya and Inej ship thing happening:

From what I've seen, it seems to me that people who do ship them are more focused on (and maybe have only seen) the show, and so right off the bat, there is a lack of knowledge of the backgrounds of the characters

For the people who have only read the SoC duology, if they don't like Kaz, Tolya seems like a great alternative. He is religious, kind, strong, and we love him. This of course misses the fact that he is also explicitly regarded as aro/ace in the books. And even people who see that later or who have read the books can say, well, maybe, as a human being, his feelings and/or his mind changed, as people aren't locked into a sexuality. Of course, 1) this would be a major loss of representation and 2) would be contradictive to everything we have seen so far with Tolya in the books before, after, and during this point in the story (but essentially nothing we have seen in the show)

And people who haven't read the duology have an additional limitation of the lack of external indicators of Inej's trauma. And I think part of that is the result of the show being a visual medium in which we don't get to be inside the characters' heads in the same way as a book and the fact that they were so squished for time in the second season. Which, obviously neither of those things are great, but at least we had Amita Suman who obviously understands Inej

So Inej's "I will have you without armor" seems a lot more like she is issuing an immediate ultimatum. And this is just my own opinion, but I feel like this is a lot of fans' reading on this scene, both in book and show. Personally, I take this scene as her asking him to try. To show that he is willing to try and be open to her, not just (or even) to take his gloves off

So with that "ultimatum" reading, it makes sense to ship her with someone who appears to be able to give her what she appears to want (even tho show Inej still flinches even when Jesper, who she views as a brother, hugs her, so she is not ready for an immediate intimate relationship, rather, she wants to be able to get there someday with Kaz)

In addition, the show didn't have/make time (especially in the second season) to demonstrate the friendship and intimate knowledge that Kaz and Inej have of each other. Most of that is demonstrated in the first season and feels very Kaz focused, e.g. their confrontation in his room in the Crow Club, her asking him if he got the right uniform size since he didn't last time, him always noticing where she is.

We really miss that perspective of Inej knowing Kaz, which is super unfortunate. The first chapter of SoC makes it so clear that these two spend a lot of time together (the way she mentally refers to him implies q sense of intimacy and knowledge, plus her and Kaz concocting 100 theories for how the ambassador was murdered, that would take a decent amount of time), not to mention later the description of her just hanging out in his room feeding crows. She chooses to be there.

There are so many intimate (and platonic) moments and feelings between these two that the show didn't even touch on (and a lot of book fans who don't like Kanej even miss these moments imo). And combined with the limiting knowledge of the other characters, it makes sense that some people think Inej should be with someone else like Tolya

Personally, I love the idea of them becoming good friends and I can understand, at least in part, the logical steps that are taken to see them as a ship. But the full knowledge of these characters obviously prevents that from aligning with canon

#kanej #six of crows #shadow and bone #shadow and bone s2 #shadow and bone spoilers #inej ghafa #kaz brekker #of course people will ship whatever they want to #but this is just my analysis of why it's happening #not any justification or attack

[bohemian-rhapsody-in-blue]

SIX OF CROWS DOLLS!

So, at the beginning of July, my mom and I were shopping at a local used bookstore when we found an adorable little Nikolai Lantsov plushie (originally from this Illumicrate box), and I immediately fell in love. I furiously Googled to see if any other Grishaverse plushies existed and was disappointed to see they didn’t—so we decided to take matters into our own hands.…

Almost two months, several late nights, and many trips to craft stores, Dollar Tree, and Wal-Mart later, all six of them are done!!! My mom, a fellow Six of Crows fan and a ridiculously talented crafter, worked really hard on them, adding little details to make each of them true to their canon counterparts. She made them all from scratch, not using any pre-existing patterns or tutorials—she'd never made dolls before and sort of figured out the process as she went.

The dolls themselves fall somewhere between figurines and plushies—they have weighted boots so they can stand on their own, but they're made from soft material (felt, chenille yarn, velvet, etc.) that makes them perfect to snuggle, cuddle, and hug, which I've done in spades. I’m so happy to have these one-of-a-kind dolls, made with love, to call my very own. 💖

Photos of each individual doll and couple are under the cut! If you guys are interested, I’ll also make individual making-of posts for each doll, with photos of each of them in progress—let me know in the notes if that's something you'd like to see!

First we have the Bastard of the Barrel himself, Kaz Brekker! He sports a snazzy tailored suit and tie (made from a ribbon), with some rakish locks of chenille yarn hair falling over his eyes from underneath his impeccably-groomed velvet ‘do. His gloves are black duct tape over his hands, and they even have five individually cut-out fingers! (He does not yet have a cane; we’re working on that. The man needs his mobility aids!)

We decided early on that we wanted all the plushies to smile—I wouldn't really want them to scowl at me while I snuggled and hugged them. I imagine Kaz has some serious schemes being brewed up in that soft little head of his, though...

Next we have Inej Ghafa, the Wraith! She was actually the first doll we made (and was originally much shorter than Kaz and Jesper; her legs became longer when we duct-taped them for stability!). The top of her hair is black felt; the braid is jumbo strands of chenille yarn, braided together. Her cowl (purple felt, held in place by a matching purple pipe cleaner) provides the perfect cover for spying on dark Ketterdam streets, and her boots have beautiful silver trim—well-suited for hiding a knife. Her top has some similar trim, though it's hard to see in these pictures, with a subtle dash of magenta tulle to make her extra glam.

Kanej together—Ketterdam’s ultimate power couple 💖 I love that their height difference was maintained; this was sort of accidental when we made the dolls, but it ended up being a really nice canon detail!

As a licensed Toy Therapist (a profession I made up—I'm sure half a bachelor's degree in English and psychology is enough for me to qualify for licensure; after all, I AM the licensure board!), I have, through many intense sessions, successfully cured Kaz and Inej of their touch aversion—so they have both been the recipient of many, many snuggles and hugs from me. At one point, my mom told me, "You've probably given these Crow plushies more hugs in the past week than the characters have had in their entire lives"—which almost reduced me to tears. One thing I love about these dolls is that if I'm ever rereading the books and thinking, "[insert character here] needs a HUG," I can just reach over and give them one!

Now, here’s Matthias Helvar! His luscious golden locks are made of individual strands of chenille yarn (pulled back into a queue), and his scarf is hand-knitted. Also note the boots, with thick soles and “fur” lining to withstand the toughest Fjerdan winters. In the second picture, you can sort of see some blue “fur” around his collar—this was actually made from a blue glove, with fuzzy lining, that was part of a Cinderella costume for Halloween that I had when I was 6!

Mom and I imagine this is Matthias post-series, after having gotten into a relationship with Nina and overcoming his Wizard Racism, so instead of a serious, brooding expression, he has more of a happy smile. (Because as we all know, nothing bad ever happens to him, ever.)

Nina Zenik, Heartrender extraordinaire! Here we see her in her lovely red kefta with gold trim (the same gold trim used for Matthias' suit—fun fact: it was also part of an old Halloween costume, specifically Belle when I was 5) and some lovely golden boots with flowered trim—maybe the ones she was flirting with in a shop window? Fun fact: she originally had some green staining on her face from a mishap when we tried to use a marker to make her eyes look more green—but then Mom took a darker marker and turned it into eyeshadow. And now this doll has better makeup than me.

Helnik! They look very happy together, if you ask me. Matthias' right arm permanently sticks out at an angle, as you can see—a consequence of the duct-taping we did to his body for stability (it also makes him feel very solid and buff when I hug him, which is nicely in-character). This either means he's constantly reaching out his arm around Nina's back (awww) or he's constantly sticking out his arm to hitchhike and get himself far, far away from all the crazy people in Ketterdam.

Jesper Fahey, decked out in all the Barrel flash! He's rocking the green and gold look with a plaid jacket, tailored pants, and a tulle ascot. His hair is jumbo chenille yarn and it's SO ridiculously soft, oh my god, I cannot even properly convey to you guys how good it feels to nuzzle my cheek against his soft little head. His shoes have tiny laces, and it's hard to see here but his belt buckle has a tiny "F" for Fahey. 🎵 'Cause every girl (and boy)'s crazy 'bout a sharp-dressed man! 🎶

And finally...Wylan van Eck! This was the last doll we made (we finished him in the wee hours of this morning), and Mom seriously went above and beyond with him. His hair is red chenille yarn—it turned out to actually be the least curly/kinky of all the yarn we used, but Mom sewed it in specially to make sure it curled on his head. He carries a little messenger bag made of duct tape; inside is some rolled-up sheet music and plans for explosives, tied together with twine that you can see sticking out from inside the bag. (It also has a sticker with the initial W for Wylan—just like the sticker with Jesper's initial on his belt!) And in the second picture, you can see that he has tiny safety goggles! They're made out of duct tape and the plastic packaging of some bobbins for the sewing machine.

A funny quirk: because Nina, Matthias, and Wylan were made after the first three with a different and more standardized body mold, Wylan ended up being the biggest of the three...by a lot. He's a lot bigger than his boyfriend, that's for sure! You can see this height disparity in the first pic. My theory is that one of his chemical experiments went wrong and ended up acting as some sort of growth serum for him. Mom's theory is that he was jealous of being so much shorter than his boyfriend, so he asked Nina to Tailor his height, but Nina got distracted during the process and accidentally made Wylan a LOT taller than he was supposed to be and now can't figure out how to change him back.

Or I can just pose them in photos so that Jesper is standing on a box or something—like in the second pic—so he looks just as tall as he's supposed to be.

And finally, here's a picture of all six of them with the Nikolai plushie that started it all! He looks happy to have so many new friends.

And that's it! I love these guys so much and can't stop looking at them, cuddling them, and kissing them on their soft little foreheads. I'm so happy to have embarked on this project with my mom over the summer—we learned a lot, bonded over crafting and our love of the Grishaverse, and had a lot of fun! Let me know in the notes if you'd like me to post individual making-of posts for each doll—with behind-the-scenes pictures and explanations of how some of the features of each doll were made! NMNF 🐦

#six of crows #soc #crooked kingdom #grishaverse #shadow and bone #shadow & bone #leigh bardugo #books #bookblr #toys #dolls #plushies #crafts #maya’s masterpieces #grishaverse plushie tag #kaz brekker #inej ghafa #matthias helvar #nina zenik #jesper fahey #wylan van eck #nikolai lantsov #kanej #helnik #wesper

[capinejghafa]

kanej author recs | insignificant457

Notable/Favorite works:

What We Would've Become

“A hand seizes her wrist. It’s encased in cool leather, and she remembers it clutching at her in a chapel in Ravka. Remembers the voice that came with it, saying Stay.”

Rating: G / Quirks: Developing Kanej, Showverse/Book Blend (post-s2), pre-IC heist, Post-Canon (showverse), Canon divergence (book verse)

The Strangeness of Home*

She shakes her head, feeling befuddled. “I don’t know what to tell them, Papa. What do I say?” He smiles sadly at her, and gently tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “You say whatever you need to. Tell them as much or as little as you want. It is your story to tell, when–if–you want to tell it.”

Rating: M / Quirks: Inej Centric, Post-canon, Visit to Ravka (Inej only), Inej's parents, Inej's relatives, Angst with a Happy Ending, Minor Kanej

*a good standalone story with a follow up (the unexpected visitor) but also that one can be read a separate too. While Kanej is not the primary focus I would highly rec for the feels.

The Unexpected Visitor (WIP)

So yes, she can admit that this visit is a long time coming. At this point, his myth is nearly as grandiose among the caravan as it is in Ketterdam. It’s a recipe for disaster.

Rating: M / Quirks: Established Kanej, Post-canon, Inej's parents, Inej's relatives, Angst, Fluff, Healing! So much healing, a lot of hurt but healing, Inej and her Dad actually having a moment (it's what we deserve), Kaz and Inej's mom having moments, Inej's parents love Kaz... I can't stress enough people actually love Kaz and hate him too

Operation Kanej (WIP)

“The point,” Nina says, “is that Inej and Kaz clearly have feelings for each other, and would clearly make a great power couple, but are both too emotionally constipated to admit it. So we need to, you know, give them a little shove.”

Rating: G / Quirks: Kanej, Modern AU, Crows Friendship, Established Wesper & Helnik, meddling Crows!, Humor, Fluff, Gaslighting

#kanejauthors #kaz x inej #kanej #kanejedit #kaz brekker #inej ghafa #insignificant457 #six of crows #shadow and bone #soc #the crows #kanej fanfiction #kanej fic rec #mygifs16 #socedit