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everythinggrishaversebxm1012 · 2 months

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His Weakness

Summary - 'You cannot allow yourself weaknesses,' is what Kaz Brekker reminded himself constantly, from a young age. He learned that if you were to survive in The Barrel, you mustn't have any weaknesses. Anything that may hinder your decisions, your ability to move forward. He couldn’t have weaknesses, people or things he cared for.

A/N - I know it is short, but I just wanted to put something out there. I own none of the characters, including you. Do not repost this work without my express permission. 775 words.

No weaknesses–that’s what he told himself soon after his brother’s death. A slogan he constantly repeated to himself. He could not have weaknesses, it was that simple. He learned that people could easily and quickly become a weakness. Deep down he knew he had weaknesses, in the form of three people. The Wraith, Inej Ghafa; The Gambler, as you called him–– Jesper Fahey; and you, Y/N Y/L/N. He of course had let other people in before ending up in Ketterdam, but you were different for two reasons. One he was the first he had met in the city, two, he was in love with you–another fact he didn’t care to admit to himself. He had met you when soon after the official opening of the Crow’s Club located in the East Stave of Ketterdam. You were hired there and often were often serving the gambling hall’s patrons. There was something inexplicably attractive about you. Something that got his heart beating. It was probably some mix of your looks, caring personality, and no bullshit attitude. You were smart, crazy smart. Kaz would never admit how many people he might’ve beaten up for touching you in ways that made you feel uncomfortable. Yet each time you had managed to stop them. He would quietly smile to himself, imagining that you threatened them at some capacity.

A little ways down the road he the made choice to invite you to join his little band. A band already including Inej Ghafa and Jesper Fahey. On the surface level he simply saw you as a weakness, his weakness, and that would only interfere with jobs but he couldn’t seem to stop himself. He trusted that your sharpness would make up for whatever slack he caused. You were simply a good investment. It was one evening at finishing your shift that Inej informed you that Kaz wished to speak with you in his room. You nodded, watching Jesper continued mumbling about something under his breath. You stood and walked to Kaz’s room where he stood in front of his mirror. He told you to come in and pointed towards the chair at his desk.

“Inej has informed me of a job,” Kaz said staring at you in the mirror as you sat back in the chair.

“Who and how much,” you deadpanned in response. You glanced over at him. Kaz hated how much you knew him. He hated that you knew he wanted your opinion, and what was most important was the pay and the person.

“Dreesen.” There was a beat as he turned to face you. “A million kruge,” he dared to glance up to your face. You look to be in deep thought, tapping against the edge of the desk.

“What for?”

“He is hiring a crew who can cross the Fold into East Ravka. He has not clarified what he wants, only that he wants something,” Kaz responded turning back to face his mirror. He went back and forth between staring at himself you.

“The Fold is near certain death, but it certainly does pay a large amount,” you tapped the edge of his desk in the silence.

“Inej informed me that some of his men took someone down the back way to his place, and there was private security hired. Tendo being one of them,” Kaz explained, no longer interested in his reflection, only yours. He was happy that you didn’t notice. He made sure his face was hard to read.

“Gambles at one of Pekka’s clubs,” you responded, almost frowning. “So Rollins will certainly have leverage in this situation.”

“So?” What he really wanted to ask, is if you thought it was worth trying to cross the Fold. He had nearly made up his mind, yet you had this magical sway over him. If you said ‘no’ he would reconsider. If you said ‘yes’ he knew exactly what his next step would be. He didn’t wanted to ask the question, but he also felt himself going half insane for the fact that you knew what he meant by that one word.

“So I say we figure out how to cross the damned thing, and get ourselves a million kruge. It’ll take a miracle, but people’ve done it before.” You shrugged, looking up at his mirror.

“Yes, we certainly do. That is all. Inform Inej and Jesper.” He then nodded and you waited for a moment before exiting his room. The moment you were gone, he cursed himself for letting you have such a strong pull on his decisions. Yes you certainly were his weakness. He just didn't know he was yours.

#kaz brekker x reader #kaz brekker x you #kazzle dazzle #inej ghafa #jesper fahey #pekka rollins #tv show inspired #touch-averse kaz brekker #short and sweet

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friendlyneighborhoodpsyop · 3 years

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Quotes about Wylan Van Eck:

Somehow he looked like a child—smooth-skinned, wide-eyed, like a silk-eared puppy in a room full of fighting dogs.

“You’re cuter when you’re smart.” Wylan’s cheeks went pink.

Flirting with him might actually be more fun than annoying him, but it was a close call.

“Alive? I’m not big on killing unconscious men.” “We could wake them up.” “Pretty ruthless, merchling.”

“I’d never even seen a dead body before I came to the barrel,” Wylan admitted. “It’s not something to be embarrassed about,” Jesper said, surprising himself a little. But he meant it. Wylan needed to learn to take care of himself, but it would be nice if he could do it without getting on friendly terms with death.

“Music. Numbers. Equations. They’re not like words. They...they don’t get mixed up.”

There was a long silence, and then, eyes trained on the notch they’d created in the link, Wylan said, “just girls?” Jesper restrained a grin. “No. Not just girls.” It really was a shame they were probably going to all die tonight.

“Pay up, Kaz.” “I do hate to lose a wager. You see, Van Eck, Wylan bet me that you would have no qualms ending his life. Call me sentimental, but I didn’t believe a father could be so callous.”

But he had Wylan’s voice, his mannerisms, and—though Kaz could see the fear and hurt in his golden eyes—Wylan’s surprising courage, too.

“It may be permanent,” Kaz had warned him. Wylan hadn’t cared. “I need to know. Once and for all, I need to know what my father really thinks of me.” And now he did.

“A fool would’ve been waiting to be smashed to bits on that ship. And as for ‘traitor,’ you’ve called me worse in the last few minutes alone.”

“Maybe I liked your stupid face.”

“You know, Wylan, one of these days I’m going to stop underestimating you.” “Then you’re going to be a lot harder to surprise.”

“It’s brilliant,” Jesper winked. “Just like you.” Wylan blushed daylily pink.

“Is that how things are done around here? We all tell Kaz we’re fine and then go do something stupid?”

His father was going to erase him from the ledger, a mistaken calculation, a cost that could be expunged. The tally would be right.

Wylan had seen a lot of smiles from Jesper, but the one that spread across his face now was new, slow, and as closely held as a winning hand.

“You were angry. Angry wears off. I needed you righteous.” Wylan crossed his arms. “Well, you’ve got me.”

“You’re not weak because you can’t read. You’re weak because you’re afraid of people seeing your weakness. You’re letting shame decide who you are. We can endure a lot of things. It’s shame that eats men whole.”

They valued the things he could do instead of punishing him for the things he couldn’t.

His father would have sneered at these thugs and thieves, a disgraced soldier, a gambler who couldn’t keep out of the red. But they were his first friends, his only friends, and Wylan knew that even if he’d had his pick of a thousand companions, these would have been the people he chose.

Wylan looked like he’d fallen into the wrong story, a prince turned pauper. From then on, Jesper had been stuck somewhere between the desire to taunt the pampered little merchling into another blush and the urge to flirt him into a corner just to see what might happen.

Jesper had felt the tug of something more, something that came to life in Wylan’s unexpected courage, in his wide-eyed, generous way of looking at the world.

Wylan was sitting in the afternoon light, the real Wylan, the boy he’d first seen in the tannery, the lost prince who had woken up in the wrong story.

“Why can’t you just let things be easy?” “Because they’re not easy,” Wylan said in his simple, earnest way. No one in the barrel talked like that.

This was the kiss he’d been waiting for. It was a gunshot. It was a prairie fire. It was the spin of Makker’s Wheel. Jesper felt the pounding of his heart—or was it Wylan’s?—like a stampede in his chest, and the only thought in his head was a happy, startled, Oh.

Wylan summoned every bit of bravado he’d learned from Nina, the will he’d learned from Matthias, the focus he’d studied in Kaz, the courage he’d learned from Inej, and the wild, reckless hope he’d learned from Jesper, the belief that no matter the odds, they would somehow win.

#soc #wylan van eck #quotes

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retvenkos · 3 years

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I'm so happy you're loving six of crows so much! who's your favorite character so far? and do you think you will write for it when you're done? (no pressure of course!)

first of all, hell yeah i’m going to write for six of crows. i might even open requests again for some select fandoms, and six of crows will 100% be included. no promises, though, i still have a lot of requests and so little time.

then, about my favorite character,,,,, this question is so hard? the author does a great job of making you come to love everyone, and that is the power that i want to have in writing.

anyway, i think it is so easy to love kaz and inej. they get the most sympathetic backstories, they get a lot of screen time (although i probably shouldn’t call it that, since it’s not a screen), and they get a lot of the typical protagonist traits. we are supposed to love them the most, and while i most definitely do, i’m going to have to tip my hat to someone else, because kaz and inej stans are already in the majority...

idk if you’ve been keeping up with my reactions (esp. my tags), but if you have, then you know about my love and devotion to jesper. i have to say that right now he’s my favorite character, and this is 100% biased because he is a conglomeration of all of my siblings, in one character; he has a funny side, a wicked smart/competent side, a dash of secrets; terrible luck; and overall, just a lot of riotous fun. i think what stunned me the most was that i wasn’t expecting to love jesper this much, so when he came out being overall amazing, i was unprepared and caught off guard, and it gave him the advantage he needed.

all i’m saying is that if i were to have a twin, it would be jesper, and i would end up both loving and hating it because that is the jesper way.

#asks #get yourself a brother like jesper #that is all i'm saying #and i love the differences in his friendships with kaz inej and wylan? they're all so different and so precious i stan #if anything bad happens to jesper you guys cannot tell me but just know that i will die #let him have a cute enemies to friends to begrudging (!) lovers with wylan and leave him to rEST #and while your at it get some therapy for kaz and inej - but not therapy together because someone will die #once again miss leigh bardugo i am asking you to let me into the grishaverse so i can give these characters the therapy they deserve

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burningember0802 · 3 years

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Someone Like Me

summary : first, once again, i suck at summaries. Kaz meets a friend of Nina’s that he didn’t know about who is more like him than anyone else he’s ever met and that scares him more than he’d like.

It's a relaxing evening at the slat, or at least as much as it can be in Ketterdam. All the crows were sitting around a table talking and having a great night, even Kaz. He won't show it but he enjoys nights like this more than he'd like to admit. Nina and Jesper were laughing and talking about who knows what while Matthais sat with a loving smile on his face, Wylan and Inej sat talking about his newest tests, and Kaz sat just listening and watching, enjoying the time with his friends; his family. "Oh, Kaz! My friend is supposed to stop by tonight and drop off some things I asked her for so don't be surprised if we get a knock soon." Nina mentions. "You have friends?" He sarcastically said. "For a matter of fact, I do. She's amazing, I think you should meet her. She'd be a great addition to the crows. She's a fabrickator, both a Durast and an Alkemi. She is also the smartest person I've ever met, and the best fighter too. I've watched her and Matthais spar and she took him down in seconds easily. She's insanely good, Kaz. She'd be a great asset to the team. I think you'd like her too, she has similar interests among other stuff." She explains. Kaz thought for a moment before responding. "We'll see if I agree with you once I meet her." Nina thanks him with a smile and goes back to her conversation.

Kaz wasn't sure how he felt about the thought of bringing someone else onto the team. It was another person who could betray him, another person he could get attached to, another weakness. Not just anyone can join the crows, they had to earn it.

About half an hour later there was a knock at the slat door. Nina excitedly hopped up to get it. "It's her!" The heartrender almost squealed. The door opened to a girl, probably about 5'6 who has (H/L), (H/C) hair. She was gorgeous with a button nose that supported her thin-rimmed glasses, full lips, striking (E/C) eyes, and a curvy figure. She was wearing a tight green turtle neck, black pants, boots, and carrying a satchel on her shoulder. Kaz swears he almost felt himself stop breathing. The feeling he got when he saw her, despite not knowing her, scared him in a way he didn't like. He decided to push it down and continue on with the night.

Nina invited the girl inside with a smile that was returned by her. The girls walked back to the table where the rest of the group sat. "Y/N, the crows, the crows, Y/N." She introduced them all. Multiple greetings were heard around the table from everyone except Kaz of course. Y/N shyly waved with a soft smile. "I brought those things you asked about," Y/N said quickly changing the subject. She opened her bag and pulled out 3 boxes and set them on the table. She opened the first one which held a seemingly normal knife. "Here's the knife you asked about with the poison injection abilities. There are three vials in the box and there's one in the handle already. It injects a few drops upon impact, it’s potent so it will kill someone with just a few drops." Y/N said showing how to open the handle and where the vial was. She proceeded to open the next box that was full of bullets. "These are the bullets that explode upon impact you asked about." She said before setting them back down. You could see Inej eyeing up the knife and Jesper doing the same to the bullets. She finally opened the last box which revealed 7 sets of earpieces. "These are the earpieces, they have microphones in them to communicate from long distances." She almost mumbled, obviously nervous around all the people. Kaz had been watching the girl in shock the whole time she spoke. Nina didn't lie, she was insanely talented and would be a good asset.

"You're the best Y/N!" Nina exclaimed, making a quick movement to go to hug the girl. She quickly stopped when Y/N flinched slightly. No one else besides Y/N, Nina, and Kaz had realized it with everyone else too busy looking at the new gear. "Shit, fuck I'm sorry Y/N it was a mistake." Nina started apologizing profusely. "Nina, it's fine. Mistakes happen. I'm just a freak anyway." She said quietly. Kaz felt his heart clench at that. She was like him, she was anything but a freak though. "Anyway, I should probably get going." She said, staring at her feet. "You should stay for a while, meet everyone." Nina tried to convince her. Y/N was obviously apprehensive. "You should stay," Kaz said before he could stop himself. Both Nina and Y/N turned towards him quickly. Nina had a shocked look on her face, surprised that Dirtyhands would ever suggest that he wanted someone to stay. She thought for a second and smiled slightly and nodded.

The girl sat down at the last empty chair at the table, which happened to be next to Kaz. She immediately pulled into herself out of habit, bringing on her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around it, making herself as small as possible. Jesper and Inej immediately started asking questions about their new tools to which Y/N answered gladly. Kaz watched them contently, especially Y/N. She looked really happy talking about what she loved. Soon the conversations turned away from solely her after the crows had their fill of integrating. "Kaz, Y/N is the most knowledgeable person I've met about books, you guys have that in common," Nina mentions. Y/N glances at him with a soft smile. Everything about her made Kaz's fight or flight kick in. She was weirdly comforting but at the same time kicked on every instinct he had. He felt the need to run but also never move again. "What's your favorite genre of books?" Y/N asked the boy. Kaz missed having someone to talk to about interests like this, the rest of the crows weren't into things like this. Trying to make him comfortable she answers first. "I tend to read realistic fiction or fantasy." Kaz studied her face constantly looking for any signs that she wasn't genuine. "I like fantasy or mystery books." He answers. She gets a huge smile. He liked that, she had a genuine smile, that's rare in the barrel. Her smile was slightly lopsided and full of joy. "Mysteries are the best, I'm always on the edge of my seat. Sometimes I feel like I can't put the book down even when I have stuff to get done." She laughs. Kaz almost felt himself smirk. "Those are the best ones." He answers genuinely. "I just finished this amazing book, it's about the story of Achilles but from the point of view of Patroclus. It's called the song of Achilles and it's amazing." She says with a smile. "I'll have to borrow it sometime." He says. At that moment the two of them weren't even paying attention to the crows around them anymore, so they didn't see the knowing look from Nina.

The group all continued to talk and have a good time. Everyone liked Y/N a lot. Nina was accurate in her description of her. She was super smart and sweet. At one point they were talking about combat strategies and she was asked "What's the quickest way to win a fight?" by Jesper. Matthias let out a loud snort at that question, knowing the brunette's skills. "Are we talking immobilizing or killing? Those are two different answers." She says with a smirk. The girl had come out of her shell within the past hour and had grown more comfortable around the group. "Both?" Jesper said, confused. "For immobilization, the quickest way is to slice their Achilles tendon on the back of their ankle, if you do that they're not moving. Also, you always go for the eyes, nose, and groin, and if you use the bottom of the palm of your hand you can shatter someone's nose since that's the strongest part of your hand. Besides the Achilles tendon, the other easiest way if you know how to do it is there's a nerve on the side of your neck that if you squeeze right, knocks them out. Then if the purpose is killing you go for the neck, wrist, or thigh because that's where your main arteries are." She said matter of factly. Kaz almost laughed at how the girl said it.

That was the start of it all. Shortly after this first meeting Y/N started coming around more and more and everyone loved her, including Kaz. Kaz had started having more than friendly feelings towards her a couple months after meeting. The crows were eventually able to convince her to join so she was now living at the slat, making Kaz’s life a living hell. He felt like his heart was beating out of his chest constantly, and he knew that Nina knew this too with her heartrender skills. Nina was constantly giving him knowing looks and all he did was glare back at her. Kaz was drawn to her like no one else.

The two of them had become close over the last year, closer than most. They would often sit and talk for hours, a lot of times about books or anything else that came to their minds. Y/N was often like lightning in a bottle, constantly moving and going a million miles an hour. She seemed hyper and impulsive on the outside but Kaz knew she was very strategic and methodical. She was insanely smart, which she often used to her advantage to beat Kaz in chess to his dismay. Both parties had developed feelings for each other but both were too scared to tell the other because they’re idiots but the universe was going to find a way to get them together.

The heist the crows had tonight was insanely important. The group was supposed to go to a merchant party because while the merchant and everyone else was distracted they were going to steal a necklace that was held in the wife’s vanity room. The necklace was worth an insane amount of money so the crows took the task right away.

The only problem with the heist was that Y/N and Kaz had to be the two who had to fake being a couple at the party to keep the merchant distracted so the others could get the necklace. “We have to do what?” Y/N exclaimed when she found out her role. She felt her chest clench at the thought of being around that many people. “I need Inej on the roofs, Jesper on the ground as backup, Wylan as a waiter ready to cause a distraction if need be, and Nina and Mattaius getting the necklace so we’re the only two left.” Kaz grumbles, obviously not happy about the situation either. Both of them sucked it up for the money.

The night of the heist Y/N was the last to be ready since she had to wear a dress and makeup. She stepped down the stairs to where the crows were waiting. As soon as she stepped into the room there were joking whistles and screams from all the crows except Kaz. Kaz stood there in shock, his breath taken away. Emma was wearing a black dress with stars on it, a simple pair of black heels, several pieces of silver moon and star jewelry and finally topping it off with a few moon and star hair pins pinning back some of her hair. She looked gorgeous.

As they got closer and closer to the party both Y/N and Kaz became increasingly more nervous. “We don’t have to touch.” She says breaking the silence between them as they were dragging behind the group. “We have to and we both know it. If we don’t touch like a couple they’ll become suspicious. I know neither of us like touch but we’ll have to deal with it.” Kaz quickly responds, his voice rigid. She just nodded, not wanting to make this night worse.

Everyone got in their positions as soon as they made it to the house, leaving Kaz and Y/N near the entrance. Kaz hesitantly grabs her hand; he was shocked when he did. He didn’t panic as much as he thought. Kaz’s aversion was worse than Y/N’s for sure since hers was mainly quick movements and things related to abuse but Kaz’s was any kind of touch. All he felt was Jordie when he touched anyone, the stench of the air, the cold water around him, the stiff body he was clenching on to. He didn’t immediately drown touching her though, he felt the waters come up but they stopped, going no further.

As the two of them continued through the night the touches became easier and more frequent, it almost felt...real. Both of them deep inside wished it was. They wished the other loved them back. The two of them got many compliments throughout the night on how cute they were and questions about how they met among other things. The way Kaz would wrap his arm around her waist made her heart stop, the way Y/N put her hand on his shoulder and smiled at him did the same to Kaz.

Once Nina and Mattaius got the necklace everyone made their way back to the slat. Everyone was happy and ready to celebrate a successful heist except for Kaz and Y/N. They had a tension that wouldn’t go away. Both knew they’d have to talk about it or it’d ruin further heists but neither wanted to make the first move. So once they got to the slat both of them lingered at the door after everyone else. “Can-” “We should-” they both went to say at the same time. They couldn’t help but laugh at how in tune they were. “We need to talk about things.” Y/N says. “I know.” Kaz says, anxiety in his voice. “I like you Kaz.” the girl states plainly, shocking the bastard of the barrel. He couldn’t say the words he wanted to but he had to say something. “Yes.” was all he could manage out. It would sound stupid to anyone else but to Y/N and Kaz they both knew what that meant. “I can never touch you like you might want though.” He says anxiously. “Kaz, I have just as much of an issue with touch as you. Physical affection isn’t something I need in a relationship. If we really want to, we can work on our aversions together.” She answers with a comforting smile. Kaz nods,knowing she's right. “So together?” Kaz questions, trying to confirm that she is his and he is hers. She nods with a smile.

That was the start of it all. The start of the King and Queen of Ketterdam, taking it over together.

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krugerevengeinej · 5 years

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So, I’ve said this once and I’ll say it again

I do not think Kaz and Inej will have kids it would be very impractical for them. They’ve seen and experienced some of the worst things that life has to offer and likely wouldn’t be keen on sharing it with children even in the distant future I doubt they’ll somehow magically decide to run away from Ketterdam because they have work to do at least trying to make a difference in the world. But someone’s got to takeover when they’re gone (particularly Kaz he’ll probably die young.) No, they won’t adopt a kid either because that’s still someone who might be impressionable enough to fuck up and they’re not the most nurturing.

Why wouldn’t it be another kid like them who ended up on the streets of the barrel? Someone without family, confused, traumatized and hanging on to coping mechanisms but deserves a chance to succeed and has some useful qualities. There might be some other’s but the next generation of Ketterdam kids probably won’t be the lovechildren of our favorite Dregs that’s just not how it works.

· Inej has younger members of her crew that she’s trained and who’ve learn to trust her, respect her and look up to her.

· Of course she’s more willing to admit that she cares about them, and wants to see children who, like she and the other crows, went through a lot and had to become too mature too quickly.

· She wants to see at least a few do better than she did and tries to play role model for them.

· Kaz is feared and idolized by a lot of kids in the barrel. He probably has a lieutenant, someone who can help him run the gang because Inej isn’t around enough.

· But he needs someone young enough to be moldable, someone loyal to him who doesn’t have ulterior motives that he can mentor to take over eventually and do a lot of grunt work he hates doing.

· He really doesn’t want his gang to go to shit after he dies, and he has no idea when that’s going to happen, but it could be any day.

· So he finds what he dubs an ‘apprentice’ (basically just another Wylan and I know you’ll want to say son but it’s really more like student teacher).

· He’s too old to be a son and too young to be a brother

· He’s also a great character so let me introduce you, he’s nearly as fucked up as the rest of the dregs! 😊

· His name is Aleksander Verona, and he’s a Ravkan boy who’s about 14 or 15.

· He’s smart and practical but he doesn’t really have an edgy dramatic streak and was in the dregs for a couple years before Kaz noticed him.

· Because none of his strengths show very well, and he seems a bit boring.

· He’s very average looking, and the way his says things is very straightforward and simple.

· You wouldn’t notice he was serenading someone for information, and they wouldn’t either until he’d already gotten it.

· Any insults he says pass right over people’s head until they rethink what they just heard.

· He just seems like a very plain person (at least for a gang member in the barrel), but that’s mainly because he keeps everything under lock and key.

· It comes out in short violent bursts when he finally can’t keep it under control anymore.

· His outbursts get very vicious and very nasty very quickly and he doesn’t even realize what he’s doing until its already done and by then its too late because he’s gotten in deep.

· It’s exactly that trope of when some guy gets in a fight and loses control and literally can’t stop himself because he’s upset about a chick or something, but this happens to Aleks every single time he starts to get frustrated, scared, worried etc.

· He’s not even that mad at the situation or whatever person he lashes out at, but he gets starts spiraling.

· That’s his weakness, and how Kaz noticed him.

· He’d been put on a crew for some job or other that ended up with a brawl and it was him, Aleks and a couple others.

· Aleks seemed competent but not like anything special, not until it started to seem like they might lose the fight.

· Then he just tipped over some invisible edge, and the signs were clear.

· His eyes got hazy, breathing turned to ragged pants and his movements had a precision and force that seemed manipulated by an invisible hand.

· It was spectacular, some little scrap managed to salvage the fight entirely by himself.

· And Kaz liked that, he liked it very much.

· Of course, he didn’t just tell Aleks that he kept an eye on him for awhile and he wasn’t just good in a fight, he was calm and collected (alot of the time), intelligent, and most of all loyal.

· Almost like a dog.

· He was perfectly trainable and so Kaz decided to take him under his black, feathery wing.

· It wasn’t an official thing.

· It started with him sending Aleks on more exclusive jobs and personal errands until eventually he was teaching him how to do the crow club accounts.

· Aleks does a lot of the things that Kaz hates doing himself which usually involves running around the city and checking in on things constantly.

· He’s a very quick study for most of the things Kaz teaches him and even if Kaz isn’t willing to admit it he’s impressed.

· Aleks is usually at Kaz’s heels and for the manner in which his outbursts occur he starts getting called “Dirtyhands’s Guard Dog”

· And less commonly, “Prince of the Barrel”, usually to piss off Kaz because he’s not even old enough to have a 15-year-old kid.

· It’s about 12 years post ck so Kaz would be 29-30

· Aleks and Kaz lowkey bond over being fucked up messes and it’s really not good because Kaz doesn’t know how to help him at all.

· All he does is tell him how to not let his issues interfere with work.

· Especially after Aleks lashed out at someone during a meeting, no physical violence just said some awful things and got that same cloudy look in his eye.

· But when he lashes out with words it can be just as disastrous.

· Let’s talk about why Aleks is fucked up, and more of his general history.

· He’s actually only half Ravkan.

· He was born in Ketterdam though.

· His mother had him when she was very young and didn’t even know who his father was but he’s a mutt, probably a little Kerch or Shu, maybe some Kaelish who knows.

· She died when he was about 5, which would have been two years after ck when the gang wars in the barrel were really starting to rack up carnage. (this is what Kaz had to fight through)

· He doesn’t have a lot of memories about her but one very vivid one he has is of walking east stave with her and seeing a crow land in front of them.

· He asked her what it was, and she told but she’d used the Ravkan word, ‘verona’

· You see it? Yes he changed his last name to the only Ravkan word he knew.

· He’s actually very disconnected from his Ravkan heritage and isn’t super happy about that.

· But back to his mother.

· She’d lived in the barrel for a few years but she got caught in the crossfire and Aleks was left on his own.

· He saw some really horrible things growing up in Ketterdam around that time.

· Particularly his mother’s body chock-full of bullet holes and gruesome brawls in the middle of the street.

· He saw shootouts and watched gangs take people hostage when the stadwatch threatened to intervene.

· He saw some of the corpses gangs left for each other to ‘send a message’

· He bounced around orphanages and temporary homes but by the time he was 9 or 10 he was out on the streets

· And he ended up right back in the barrel.

· He’d been beaten bloody and had his head held in the canal until he nearly drowned, had his money and food and dignity stolen.

· He nearly died several times and it was only when he learned how to fight for himself, he started to do a bit better.

· He always sees himself as a useless child, watching the chaos and being unable to do anything when his mother or anyone was being attacked.

· Whenever his eyes start to get hazy, he’s flashing back to those moments and he really believes he’s that he’s still a helpless child.

· Even when he’s bloodied and bruised and panting like a rabid dog.

· And that’s what he is truly, a rabid dog who’s nearly impossible to keep a leash on.

· He tries as hard as he possibly can to rein himself in, but he’s never 100 percent contained.

· There was one particular outburst, when he was sparring with Kaz that freaked both of them out.

· Kaz had told him to go as hard as he possibly could and that might have been his own fault because Aleks nearly beat him to death (he was about 17 at this point)

· By the end of it he was covered in blood and his knuckles were bruised so bad he couldn’t even feel them, in fact he couldn’t feel anything.

· As soon as he became aware, he’d simply dropped to the ground.

· Kaz had seemed more worried about the deranged, vacant look in his eye than the fact he just got his ass kicked because that’s absolutely the look of a flashback.

· Something Kaz would know all too well.

· But they don’t talk about it, because he knows better than anyone that it can’t be fixed.

· Even if you tried to tell yourself beforehand that it wasn’t real when it happened it was the only real thing.

————————————————————

So @bitchasscrows and I had weirdly similar oc ideas and we started talking and came up with an ass ton of hc. There’s even more than this its like really bad. But I hope you guys like this! She wrote some of her own and you should them up soon, I urge you to read them and ask either or both of us for any more hc!

Its also late and I’m tired so sorry if this sucks or there’s any errors but I wanted to share and I’m too lazy to wait till tomorrow.

#Six of crows #soc #the dregs #kaz Brekker #Inej ghafa #Aleksander Vorona #crooked kingdom #ck #sfw #safe for work #certified by the dork #kanej

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ana-annotated · 6 years

Text

128 THINGS I LOVED ABOUT CROOKED KINGDOM (WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!!!!) Part 1

1. It has WYLAN’S POV

2. Jesper is one of his biggest reasons for committing to being a member of the Dregs and he knows it

3. Kaz breaks into the house of a wealthy and probably dangerous lawyer in the middle of the night but first things first, he’s gotta give the guard dogs belly rubs before robbing their owner.

4. Nina is still facing the consequences of ingesting parem and yet here she is undercover, charming this lawyer out of his whistle.

5. Wylan’s dark side just gets darker

6. Kaz having a rare soft moment and telling Wylan where his mother is buried cause he knows what it’s like to lose someone suddenly and not get to say goodbye

7. Matthias trying to understand Kaz’s sleight of hand and still failing to see how he does it

8. Matthias wishing Wylan or Kuwei would wear a hat so he could tell them apart

9. Wylan blushing at Jesper’s touch

10. Wylan Van Sunshine

11. Leave my grandmother out of this

12. Jesper’s dad is so innocent and precious and must be protected at all costs

13. Are you all students? Of a sort

14. Matthias has a little sister

15. Matthias comforting Alys cause she reminds him of his mother when she was pregnant

16. Nina whining over Matthias sacrificing her biscuits to keep Alys quiet

17. Matthias jealous of Jesper making Nina smile

18. Inej laughing in Van Eck’s face for thinking he outwitted Kaz

19. Nina expecting Matthias to rub her feet from now on whenever she wants him to

20. Matthias longing for a domestic life with Nina

21. Nina longing for the comfort of family relationships like the one Jesper has with his father

22. Jesper as a kid

23. Jesper’s mom was the sweetest most badass person ever and taught him everything he knows at such a young age

24. The WYLAN’S MOM CURVEBALL WHO THE HECK DOES THAT TO A PERSON MY POOR BABY HOW DARE JAN DO THAT TO HIM AND HER?!

25. Wylan’s motivation to get revenge

26. Kaz giving Wylan a pep talk about strength when facing a weakness

27. Matthias’s relationship with his wolf

28. Matthias pretending to be a happy go lucky Fjerdan

29. Nina having to explain every single dirty joke to him and convince him they’re not insults

30. Nina and Matthias’s first kiss being straight out of a Disney movie 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

31. Everyone points guns at each other in Ketterdam it’s basically a handshake

32. Matthias going into full military general mode and leads a two-man Grisha army in a victorious mini war against the Dime Lions

33. Kaz literally CRASHING Van Eck’s dinner party

34. Dunyasha: “I am Dunyasha, a white human blade, a ruthless assassin princess, and my sole purpose is destroying you. Prepare to feel my ninja stars.”

Inej: “New phone who dis?”

35. Colm Fahey adopting his teen gang member son’s five gang member friends

36. Nina finally getting her waffles

37. Only to realize Matthias Helvar is possible better than waffles (just barely, but still)

38. Matthias believing waffles is Nina’s one true love instead of him

39. What’s new? Nm, Nina can raise the dead to do her bidding, Inej plummeted 20 stories and nearly died at the ninja stars of some assassin chick with a huge ego, and there’s a huge gaping hole in Jan Van Eck’s dining room ceiling. Hbu? Who wants waffles?

40. They’re all crazy but Wylan realizes there’s nobody he’d rather have by his side cause the Dregs are HIS CREW

41. Kaz Ankle Breaker Brekker sliding past a pair of Van Eck’s guards and knocking them off their feet at once with his cane

42. The Crows trying to outdo each other with the highest rewards offered for their execution or capture.

43. Kaz winning that contest in a landslide

44. Nina flipping off their Wanted posters

45. Nina changing out of her Fjerdan costume with Matthias’s “help.”

46. Jesper and Kuwei’s haunting the Dime Lions

47. Little Inej stopping hearts and scaring her family to death on the high wire but wanting to keep going back on no matter what

48. Inej only falling when a net is underneath her

49. Wylan’s first impression of Jesper

50. Jesper’s flair for neon fashion

51. “Mother, father pay the rent! I can’t my dear the money’s spent!”

52. “On a dare I ate a literal trough full of waffles doused in apple syrup and almost went back for seconds.”

53. Kaz treating Jesper like a brother, even yelling at him and calling him Jordie because he’s so protective of Jesper and wants to keep him from making a mistake too big because of his gambling addiction. Seeing Jesper get carried away with his best worries him and he just wants him to be smart and not make the same costly mistakes Jordie did.

54. Kaz and Jesper arguing like brothers and then proceeding to fight like brothers while Inej, Nina, and Matthias sit around bored, waiting for them to snap out of it cause they’re definitely not going to kill each other with their bare hands, and there are bigger things to worry about.

55. Jesper’s dad breaking up the fight with a single threat

56. Jesper Llewelyn Fahey

57. I KISSED THE WRONG BOY

58. Inej and Jesper’s friendship

59. Matthias being very okay with PDA with Nina

60. Colm’s presence making the Dregs feel like kids worn out from a rowdy birthday party

61. Kuwei being a straight up savage and lying about his language barrier

62. KANEJ WOUND BANDAGING SCENE DESTROYED ME EVERYTHING ABOUT IT I HAVE NO COMPLAINTS NOR DID I EXPECT HIM TO EVEN GET HALF AS CLOSE TO HER AS HE DID

63. Kaz trying so so hard to push away all memories of his trauma to be in the moment and touch Inej and just show her how much she means to him

64. She followed him anyway

65. Kaz reclaiming his rightfully EARNED Dregs throne

66. Inej watching him kick out Haskell and kick traitor Dregs ass with pride

67. “I suggest a cane”

68. “What’s wrong with him?”

“Same thing that’s always wrong with him, he’s Kaz Brekker.”

66. Nina constantly trying to get Kaz to warm up a little, whether by joining a group hug or letting someone help bandage him up post-fight for his life

67. Colm willing to do anything to help the gang without question

68. Wylan’s cute anger at Jesper for mistaking Kuwei for him (let’s be real tho he was pretty mad at himself too for not being more upfront with his feelings since he had no Tailor to fix him)

69. Wylan getting mad at Nina for failing to mention she found a refugee Tailor that could change him back

70. Colm feeding into Nina’s waffle/food in general addiction

71. The politics in the story are so intricate and it just continues to be built upon in Crooked Kingdom. It’s detailed enough that honestly, Leigh could probably write a whole Grishaverse history textbook. It’s pretty interesting to read from everything we get from the Dregs discussing their home nations, their histories, traditions, and relations with other countries. Leigh put in so much effort to build not just an authentic country in Kerch, but an entire alternate world. Really fun to read about.

72. Wylan’s offense for Jesper not being able to tell him and Kuwei apart in that moment

73. Jesper stealing a portrait Wylan’s mother painted of him to help them reconnect once Wylan’s features are returned

74. “I told you, I like your stupid face.”

75. Jesper helping Genya tailor Wylan’s “stupid” face because he remembers it quite well

76. Jesper nearly losing it when he returns to find the boy he had fallen for at first sight has returned to his original appearance

77. JESPER KISSING THE RIGHT BOY

78. “I really hope we don’t die”

79. Colm giving an award worthy performance in front of Van Eck to rope him and the Council into falling for Kuwei’s fake indenture auction

80. Nina’s underlining threat to Van Eck for messing with Kaz, only a fool would try to scheme against Brekker

81. Colm telling Wylan that he’d be good for Jesper ☺️

82. Wylan taking an actual beating from other Dregs to make Jan Van Eck believe the Dime Lions were going to kill his son for him

83. Wylan’s on point acting making everybody in the chapel believe his father was a conniving scumbag all along

84. THE FACT THAT JESPER CAN ACTUALLY USE HIS POWERS TO AIM HIS BULLETS

85. Kaz lying like nobody’s business to the Merchant Council and everyone bidding on Kuwei to throw Van Eck under the bus

86. Kaz freaking BLOWING UP THE MENAGERIE IF THAT’S NOT A DECLARATION OF HIS LOVE TO INEJ IDK WHAT IS

87. Kaz and Inej hand holding

88. Nina pretending to be pregnant

89. Matthias believing Kaz could fake a birth

90. Genya teaming up with Kaz and Nina to fake Kuwei’s death

91. I haven’t even read the Shadow and Bone trilogy yet but I love King Nikolai and his alter ego and I can’t wait to read more of him in the series and in King of Scars!!!!!

#kaz brekker #six of crows #crooked kingdom #inej ghafa #kaz x inej #nina x inej #grishaverse #ketterdam #leigh bardugo #dregs #also matthias is still alive and no one can convince me otherwise #matthias helvar #nina zenik #jesper fahey #wylan van eck #jesper and wylan #wylan van sunshine #kuwei yul bo #kuwei

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ravenvsfox · 7 years

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I know you have already done a lot of the ship posts (and they are all phenomenal and accurate af) but can you pretty please do Jesper and Wylan from six of crows/crooked kingdom? Xoxo

I’m SO sorry this took so long, you’re such an absolute sweetheart and also christ I’ve never been called an inspiration before holy.. god

also heck i love wesper this is a treat

SEND ME A SHIP AND I’LL TELL YOU…

who is more likely to hurt the other?

don’t.. do this

they’re genuinely so good neither of them would ever TRY to hurt the other, and they’re both so tender and apologetic if they ever do. I think I’m gonna have to say jesper though just because. he’s still a little stirred by his addiction (to trouble! to bringing two guns to a gun fight! to gambling! to love!) and he’s got some jealousy and sensitivity baked into him, bless him. I feel like he’d run a risk and break Wy’s heart by accident, a little bit

who is emotionally stronger?

a genuine toughie bc they’ve both survived and persevered so MUCH. I think in terms of immediate reactionary instincts, Jes is better at letting bad vibes roll right off of him. He’s made of smiles. He’s trouble and a good time rolled into a waistcoat. If you insult him he only gets stronger. Wy was raised in silk and champagne but he was raised BY an absolute monster so. he’s a very bruised peach. criticism pierces him v easily. Though in a more fundamental way, wylan has fashioned his past trauma into a shield. by the end of ck he’s building himself new emotional strength with his bare hands

who is physically stronger?

ohhh man. They’re both noodle boys. Wylan is too smart for exercise. Jesper does his fighting at a 20 metre distance from his target. Jesper is bigger than wylan but most of his size is gangly and delightful and awkward. I think jes could probably still beat wylan in a pinch, but I’m more caught up in how funny it would be to see them try to fight it out

who is more likely to break a bone?

man I’m tempted to say jesper just bc he seems like he would be...... brittle. I think he gets into scrapes a lot. I think wylan starts to get into p frequent scrapes by nature of being the sixth crow. I think the both of them are so busy worrying about each other’s fights that they neglect their own and trip off a building or smth

who knows best what to say to upset the other?

I think wylan can be a nasty piece of work when he’s pissed enough. like he may be a silk eared puppy but he’ll chew your shoes and track mud around if you forget to feed him. jesper doesn’t have a malicious bone in his body man, I think he’s a sarcasm queen and a joker but he’s definitely not mean

who is most likely to apologize first after an argument?

I think jesper’s constantly assuming he did something wrong and he sits down with wylan 100% serious like ‘babe.. im so, so sorry. I never wanted to be the sort of person who made you look sad like that, we’re past that, I truly made a promise--’ and wy would be like ‘what no I was sad bc a screw on my flute is loose and I couldn’t practice today’. but also yeah if it’s a serious fight they make up in a rush, and they laugh at themselves, and they use their energy for something better

who treats who’s wounds more often?

here’s the thing about the crows man, they’re always sustaining minor injuries as a team and it’s a win if they live, right? All I can picture is the roar of activity when they pull off a job and they come back limping and bleeding and swearing and crowing w joy, and jes and wy take their seats opposite each other and clean wounds, kiss foreheads, smooth back sweaty curls, squeeze hands, make promises. the routine, u kno

who is in constant need of comfort?

uhhh both of them (it’s always both my guy jot that down). Wylan has 16 years of shitty imposed self loathing to unlearn, and traumatic experiences all over him. jes has lost a lot (including his mom) and he struggles with addiction so like. yeah they both need comfort. they both wake up w the phantom feeling of a mother’s arms around their shoulders. they’ve both seen the very worst of humanity. They’re just two nervy, high stress kids trying to figure things out

who gets more jealous?

lmao WYLAN VAN ECK did y’all read his scenes in crooked kingdom that boy is NOT SHARING. he glared real holes in kuwei’s head guys. jesper tbh is a terrible flirt and a HANDFUL and wylan is happy. to have his hands full. no one else.

who’s most likely to walk out on the other?

mmm nahhh

who will propose?

u bet ur ASS it’ll be jesper. Imagine wylan’s blushing face...... he’d do it for that alone. tbh there’s probably a point in their relationship where jesper’s outrageous flirting isn’t enough to get that pretty blush from wylan like he’ll roll his eyes and shove jes in the shoulder and w/e but they have to have increasingly ridiculous conversations about kinks or w/e until that blush comes out. jesper’s like ‘dang. guess I gotta step up the romance. what’s the most romantic thing? marriage? marrying wylan? son absolutely where do i sign’

who has the most difficult parents?

lmao lm a o lmaooo Lmao LMAO lmao

who initiates hand-holding when they’re out in public?

I feel like depending on the social climate of Ketterdam, hand holding might not be on the table?? especially for two criminals associated w the bastard of the barrel like idk man I can’t picture it. they don’t want to draw attention to themselves (well i mean. jes wants to. but they can’t). I think they’re all about sly glances and the most obvious smirks you’ve ever seen, and brushing shoulders!! brushing shoulders are their makeouts

who comes up for the other all the time?

they’re always together man bf’s that blow shit up together and live together stay together so like they rarely have the opportunity to talk about each other. howEVER jesper probably mentions his boyfriend in the middle of a hand of poker w an inappropriate smile or gushes to w/e prisoner he’s breaking out of jail or makes Kaz’s day weird by trying to confide in him

who hogs the blankets?

wylan is exhausted w luxury and jesper is a child who wants to be held so he rolls over and then over again so that wy always wakes up to a lapful of boyfriend and a roll of blankets and he has to wait for jesper’s heavy sleeper ass to arise so he can get up to pee

who gets more sad?

booooth -- jesper is understated sad with a side of unnerving frowns, wylan is a wobbling mouth and clenched fists. Sometimes they stay in the Wylan Van mansion and lock the doors so the maids can’t come in, and they bring the lavish decorative pillows into a heap on the carpet and feed each other sweets and rub each others backs and laugh and laugh the darkness away. wylan sketches. jesper poses. there’s scheming & kaz impressions. jesper is a storyteller and he imagines out loud what nina or inej are up to at that very minute, controlling gravity and hearts and the sea and their lives

who is better at cheering the other up?

see above ^^ they both go pro at the comfort olympics. Jesper is that little bit better though. He’s a sweetheart with all the right words in his pockets. He knows how to chop wylan’s dad down like the overgrown dead tree that he is. he knows how to flirt a smile onto wy’s face. he maybe lacks delicacy sometimes, but he’s so fun and wholehearted and warm that he can’t really go wrong

who’s the one that playfully slaps the other all the time after they make silly jokes?

this is canon y’all, jesper is a lecherous bastard and wylan is equal parts disdain and delight. he absolutely will slap a boy

who is more streetwise?

god bless wylan but he knows a hell of a lot less about the streets than jes. He’s learning fast by the end of ck, but he’s still very sheltered in a lot of ways. Jesper has a few years under his belt, and he’s.. like tbh he’s a part of a gang so. He’s seen a lot. He’s participated in a lot. He has a pretty steep list of kills, same as every other survivor out there. He’s detached from the deaths but he’s been on the other side of a lot of bullets that have crumpled people up and thrown them in the trash. He knows his business, too. He knows Ketterdam. Well. Wy knows the half of it Kaz wants him to see.

who is more wise?

Wylan is utterly brilliant and Jesper is wholeheartedly here for it. What was that line again? ‘you’re cuter when you’re smart’? Wylan can think his way out of just about anything, the world belongs to him. jsyk

who’s the shyest?

Wylan absolutely what a sweetie. I mean a lot of it stems from unfortunate self esteem issues and a history of being burnt but a lot of it is pure soul deep candy sweet embarrassment and not knowing what to do w his own cute face. He doesn’t know how to deal w people a lot of the time. he knows sheet music & formulas. he does not know how to look at a boy with beautiful lips all curled up at him and not pass out

who boasts about the other more?

jesper is loudmouthed usually and he’s that much more loudmouthed when he’s in love, catch him talking to anyone who will listen about wy’s stupid face

who sits on who’s lap?

jesper would definitely try it, don’t even test him, he would fold all his crane limbs into wylan’s lap and say ‘hello peaches’ and wylan would have to slide both of them onto the floor to escape his embarrassment. on a good day, jes’ll scoop wylan into his lap and he’ll feel quiet, for a while

#i love them #six of crows #wesper #six of crows hc #crooked kingdom #hc #long post #like really long #Anonymous #ask

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gravesfirstonesfree · 7 years

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rules: tell us your one favorite character from ten different fandoms and tag around ten people

I was tagged by the lovely loser that I love @undeadlaughter (look at that tongue twister)

1 -- Raven Reyes from The 100. I can’t not adore her, she’s amazing in every aspect from her strength to her intelligence. She is the origin of your fave could never. I’d get a tattoo for her, I’d die for her

2 -- Dutch Velders from The Strain This girl has taken too much shit from the fandom and the writers, and I will always support her. She’s too smart for her own good, and thank god Vasiliy gives her credit for it (unlike Ephraim), but she just really needs some hugs and someone to tell her that she is not a bad person

3 -- Hernando Fuentes from Sense8 Okay, so it’s really hard to choose a favorite from this beautiful show, but I can’t help but put this sweet, pure, too good for this world sunshine at the top. Everyone else is tied for second, but this sweetheart gets my heart

4 -- Lagertha from Vikings Talk about a fucking queen. She could kick anyone’s ass, she kicked Ragnar’s ass with a shield (best scene ever), and not to mention her relationship with her dear son Bjorn. I love those two so much, they’re mother and son goals

5 -- Waverly Earp from Wynonna Earp This was a hard decision just because I adore both Wavery and Wynonna, but Waverly is this extra kind of special, especially when it comes to her whole not-the-chosen-one trope and not-the-favorite trope. Fuck that, she’s my favorite and she’s brilliant, and she pulls off ear-muffs. Who does that? Her. And I just love anytime someone tells her something she needs and deserves to hear, especially when she was told my favorite line ever “Weak is something you’ve never been”

6 -- Noora Sætre from Skam She is such an angel, I want so much more for her, especially happiness (Noorhelm is endgame). I’ve never fallen in love with a character so fast, just, that scene where she sang, talk about holy shit. She’s probably the only one who’s gotten me teary over a depressing scene turning happy

7 -- Kaz Brekker from Six of Crows I can’t not love this son of a bitch. That ambition, it’s amazing, and he’s just so fucking ruthless (and dramatic). I adore the way he looks at and thinks of Inej, it makes me love them both even more than I already do. I’ve never seen someone have so many plans and loopholes

8 -- Glenn Rhee from The Walking Dead This boy deserved the world, and I will forever love him and cherish him, and I just miss him so much. I can’t enjoy Negan at all as a villain just because of how terribly my boy suffered. The sweetheart who trips over boxes

9 -- Oberyn Martell from Game of Thrones Another so very un-called for death. This one isn’t fair at all, he was so close, come on. I probably would have supported him just murdering the entire Lannister house after what had been done to his own family. He has to be the angriest, most passionate prince ever, and my favorite

10 -- Jack Pearson from This is Us He just hurts my heart so much because he’s so good and he’s so sweet and considerate and tries so hard, not to mention he handles development well. He just wants to be a dad and have lots of kids and take care of everyone. He even let himself be ordered out of the house by his wife (a very pregnant one) on his birthday, which she had forgotten, and it was after he tried to help out and make things easy for her, and he didn’t complain or get mad at her (not that this in any way takes away from how great she is too)

I’ll tag some sweethearts that put up with my bland-background Snapchats every day (love you beautiful guys) @itwontsurvivemee @kissabell

#not completely sure i completed all of these paragraphs #i'll probably remember another character later that i would have rather put in this list but oh well #fritz gets social #tagging games

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friendlyneighborhoodpsyop · 3 years

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Quotes about Jesper Fahey:

He held a grudge as well as he held his liquor, and he had a gift for making Kaz’s victories sound like they belonged to everyone.

This was the skill that kept him in the Dregs even after his debts mounted and it became clear Jesper loved the cards more than luck loved him.

“Close your eyes!” “You can’t kiss me from down there, Wylan.”

His hair was messed, his pupils dilated. He seemed almost drunk, or like he’d just rolled out of someone’s bed. He always had that look after a fight.

“Everyone knows you can’t keep away from a fight or a wager, not matter the odds.”

It cost Jesper something to admit that. Would Kaz have gone off on that kind of a mad-dog tear if it had been Jesper with a knife stuck in his side?

“Like a hive of bees in your dresser drawer.” Jesper barked a laugh. “Just like that.” “So what are we doing here?” Jesper turned back to the sea, feeling his cheeks heat a little. “Hoping for honey, I guess. And praying not to get stung.” “Then at least we’re both the same kind of stupid.” “I don’t know what your excuse is, Wraith. I’m the one who can never walk away from a bad hand.” “That makes you a rotten gambler, Jesper. But an excellent friend.” “You’re too good for him, you know.” “I know. So are you.”

“Facts are for the unimaginative.”

Jesper just grinned and whispered, “Well, we’ve gotten ourselves locked into the most secure prison in the world. We’re either geniuses or the dumbest sons of bitches to ever breathe air.”

Part of him wanted to ask, but he knew that was the stupid part, the hopeful farm boy who picked the worst possible person to care about, who searched for signs in things that meant nothing—when Kaz chose him for a job, when Kaz played along with one of his jokes.

He could have kicked himself. He’d finally seen the infamous Kaz Brekker without a stitch of clothing, and he’d been too worried about ending up on a pike to properly pay attention.

“You’re cuter when you’re smart.” Wylan’s cheeks went pink.

Flirting with him might actually be more fun than annoying him, but it was a close call.

“Maybe I liked your stupid face.”

Or maybe Jesper wanted something more than forgiveness from Kaz.

“I don’t want Jesper wandering off to take a spin at Makker’s Wheel.” “This song is getting old,” muttered Jesper. “Then learn a new refrain.”

Wylan had seen a lot of smiles from Jesper, but the one that spread across his face now was new, slow, and as closely held as a winning hand.

He seemed to exude pleasure, as if he’d just walked into a party he couldn’t wait to attend.

“There have been a lot of swindles, but I was usually on the swindling side. A lot of fights—I was usually on the winning side. A lot of card games. I was usually on the losing side.”

“Why don’t you just stop?” “It’s not like that.” There’s a wound in you. “Not for me. I don’t know why.”

“I didn’t raise you to be a gambler, Jes. I certainly didn’t raise you to be a criminal.” “I love you, Da. I love you with all my lying, thieving, worthless heart, but yes, you did. You taught me to lie.”

Guilt and love and resentment were all tangled up inside him, and every time he tried to unravel the knot in his gut, it just got worse.

“I’m dying anyway, Da. I’m just doing it slow.”

He felt greedy for something. He’d wanted to kiss Wylan since he’d first seen him stirring chemicals in that gruesome factory.

Jesper had felt the tug of something more, something that came to life in Wylan’s unexpected courage, in his wide-eyed, generous way of looking at the world. It made Jesper feel like a kite on a tether, lifted up and then plummeting down, and he liked it.

He understood the barrel. It was always hungry for more—money, mayhem, violence, lust.

“What do you think my forgiveness looks like, Jordie?” “Who’s Jordie?” “Someone I trusted. Someone I didn’t want to lose.”

They’d been not talking about things for so long that actually speaking the truth felt like it had broken some spell—not a curse, but good magic, the kind that kept everyone safe, that might preserve a kingdom under glass.

It’s not a gift, it’s a curse. But when it came down to it, Jespers life had been full of blessings. His father. His mother. Inej. Nina. Matthias leading them across the muddy canal. Even Kaz, with all his cruelties and failings, had given him a home with the dregs when Ketterdam might have swallowed him whole. And Wylan. Wylan who had understood before Jesper that the power inside him might be a blessing, too.

#soc #jesper fahey #quotes

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