#i dont think about grisha kaz often at all tbh

[barrel-crow-n]

Kaz Sun Summoner AU

Inspired by this post

Some context:

Kaz is seventeen like in Six of Crows (in fact, all the ages are the same)

Inej, Jesper and Nina are Dregs

Ice Court heist doesn't happen

Nina was taken by drüskelle like in canon, again she was young and Zoya was reluctant to take her but the Darkling allowed it because of Nina's skills (when Nina does not return, the Darkling is... very displeased with Zoya)

Inej follows him to Ravka because Kaz told her he wants her to gather Ravkan intel

(Yes angst cuz she's in Ravka and she could try find her parents but how? Also she's still in debt with Kaz and the Dregs and since Kaz will now be super politically and literally powerful he could hunt her down. Also like. He's the sun summoner???? Like a saint. She's super conflicted about that)

Mal isn't ordered to cross the Fold. Alina still is and she dies cuz idk what to do with her

Now onto the au

Kaz is kinda annoyed that he's the sun summomer cuz it fucks with his demon aesthetic (seriously, a demon who can summon sunshine??? Ugh.) but he understands the power he now wields and goes >:)

Kaz catches on to the Darkling and his plans immediately

Kaz lets the Darkling try and seduce him and plays along (to get info+power)

As for the seducing itself, Kaz allows flirting and the possessiveness of wearing the Darkling's colour but doesn't let the Darkling try and get physical (because of his haphephobia). The Darkling tries once and when Kaz punches him the Darkling doesn't try again and doesn't punish Kaz because he wants him on his side.

Yes, Kaz takes the offer of the black kefta

Kaz fucks with Zoya so much like: Ha yeah I'm the Darkling's fav what you gonna do about it lmaooo~

He doesn't exactly bond with Genya but he clocks that she's being sexually abused by the king and pulls some strings to try and help her

The other grisha are super jealous of him but simultaneously scared. They look down on him for being from the Barrel but he's also the Darkling's favourite. They are super passive aggressive and Kaz is his usual self back. Aka a snarky, smug asshole. They get humbled real quick

He does struggle with summoning light because he's metaphorically lived in the dark for so long and his ass cannot let go of Jordie

Baghra kinda acts as Jordie therapy. But it doesn't really work because instead of letting go of Jordie Kaz somehow manages to use his rage as fuel because his anger at Pekka Rollins blazes hotter than the fucking sun

His light is kinda unpredictable though. And it hurts. He isn't really good at wielding it in a way that doesn't burn (not him, it doesn't hurt to use, but he cannot just create light, he creates intense heat no matter how much Baghra tries to make him energy efficient. (He would not make a good light bulb)). He is a-okay with that.

When Baghra comes to him like: run whilst you can, my son is manipulating and seducing you! Kaz goes: Yeah, old news. So what?

But he would dip because he does not want to be enslaved thank you very much

He does not have wilderness survival skills (city boy !!) but he went around robbing grisha whilst he was at the palace so he has funds to buy himself equipment

And yes he had already scouted out the whole Little Palace and surrounding area for escape routes

Also Inej had sneaked into the Little Palace and was collecting blackmail/info for him

Inej comes to help him but it's tense cuz she kinda wants to book it and search for her family and Kaz knows that

Plus she half thinks he's a saint and that makes him uncomfortable (she only half think it cuz... he's Dirtyhands)

They don't go after the stag (duh) but the Darkling does (let's just say Mal was forced into the group to go find the stag cuz the Darkling heard that he's the best tracker or smth)

Unfortunately the Darkling catches Kaz (Inej disappears cuz she's Inej)

Kaz fights tooth and fucking nail and lands a really good hit on the Darkling

But he is no match for trained grisha so the Darkling has the collar put on him

Kaz tries to bite David as he does it btw

Inej bides her time, Kaz says he was alone

Kaz pretends to go along with the Darkling and then turns on him during the destruction of Kribirsk at the edge of the Fold with the help of Inej and they escape

They take a ship to Ketterdam using the remaining loot Kaz stole from the grisha at the Little Palace that Inej had been holding onto

This is where Inej learns her passion for sailing, and where she decides to destroy the slave trade. Kaz's enslavement (yes he doesn't have control over his powers because he didn't grant the stag mercy nor kill it) enlightened her. She knows her own suffering, and Kaz's made her realise that she wants to help those that were hurt like her (because she tries to help him)

When they get to Ketterdam, Kaz dons a disguise and only the most trusted Dregs know who he is (this does include Jesper, but not Nina because she was originally Second Army)

They go to Ketterdam because Kaz refuses to leave his city and where else would he go? Besides, it's hiding in plain sight and he knows his streets.

He's suuuuuuuper paranoid though. Understandably.

And he plots how to take the Darkling down

Kaz didn't necessarily love his powers, and he can definitely live without them, but they are his and the Darkling is keeping them under lock and key, stopping Kaz from using them. Exorting control over him. Kaz does not like being controlled.

Of course, the Darkling finds him.

The Darkling is still scarred, plus has nichevo'ya because Kaz did abandon him on the Fold so the light snuffed out when Kaz got out of bluetooth connection range

The Darkling had kept Mal alive because he wanted to search for the sea whip to make Kaz the ultimate weapon, even if Kaz is unpredictable. Besides the Darkling is kinda obsessed. He regrets fucking it up with Kaz, and is bitter that Baghra ruined everything - after all, she was still the push Kaz needed to dip. He doesn't exactly love Kaz, just like he didn't Alina in the og books, but he believes that they belong together and he wants Kaz to belong to him.

Jesper and Inej were both there when Kaz got taken and they get taken too because they try and fight to prevent Kaz from being taken

Kaz susses out Nikolai REAL quick on the whaler

The Darkling tries to get Kaz back on his side but Kaz refuses cuz he's essentially a slave now and he doesn't like that and will fight tooth and nail now because he's pissed off

They find the sea whip and Sturmhond's crew net it and get Kaz, Inej and Jesper on the Volkvolny

Kaz kills the Sea Whip without hesitation and restores control over his own powers with the scales

They still partly belong to the Darkling but with the Sea Whip he has control back

Pirate- sorry. Privateer hijinks ensue.

Jesper gets along great with Tamar, Inej with Tolya and Kaz with Nikolai, but Kaz is the only one that appreciates Tolya's poetry

When Nikolai drags him to Ravka and reveals his identity he is not impressed. He already saw it coming.

Jesper and Inej, however, did not.

Nikolai proposes to Kaz, a marriage of convenience, and Kaz goes sure, why the fuck not

It will give him immense power. He will be able to take down the Darkling PLUS Pekka back in Kerch

Kaz starts his own cult - two steps ahead of the Apparat

He isn't afraid to play the warrior saint role

He doesn't like it, but he's a good actor

He does destroy the Fold. Not because he's a hero but because it's spreading and that's really bad and it might spill out of Ravka which would be a disaster, especially if it reached his home

He kills Mal without hesitation

When he loses his powers he's bummed but he can live without them

He fakes his death and slinks back to the Barrel

(I ran out of steam at the end + I haven't read S&B in a while but these are my thoughts :3)

[all-inmoderation]

Inej for the ask game? <3

1. How I feel about this character

love her, respect her, i mean, how could i not ? also amita suman is gorgeous and seeing her face on screen makes me so happy. 

2. All the people I ship romantically with this character

I ship her with kaz cause, duh. and i ship her with jesper ! the latter i fell into because of their dynamic in the show- kit and amita have SO MUCH chemistry !! the moments between inej and jesper were so tender it almost overshadowed kanej in the show tbh. although kanej in the books definitely takes front and center. also this short fic really sells you on the rarepair.

3. My non-romantic OTP for this character

lol yes i know i’m a contrarian bc most people put inej x jesper in this category and nina x inej on the other, but i just think nina and inej love their boys too much themselves. i can def see why people ship them romantically, but i adore the comfort and friendship nina and inej find in each other, and when they commiserate over their idiot partners, haha. theyre just so sweet and i like viewing the pair as inej finally finding a girl friend after being abused by women like tante heleen, and nina seeing a sister in inej after being ripped away from her other sisters, the grisha.

4. My unpopular opinion about this character

i dont think this is unpopular, but i like how inej has a lot of spine. kaz can often be flippant about her beliefs, but i like how she can put him in his place, and still holds true to her values. this is part of what attracted kaz to inej too, i think. and if inej were any more sensitive or weak willed, i definitely wouldnt have shipped them, so i’m glad she always stands her ground and wholeheartedly continues to believe in her saints. i think her belief made Kaz better as a person, too.

5. One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

nothing in particular, if leigh bardugo writes any more 6oc books i would definitely love to see inej being a badass pirate queen and putting the fear in the hearts of all the slavers and their customers in ketterdam, too.