#kanej hugs

[dreamtigress]

WIP Wednesday

For this WIP Wednesday, have a short section from Thuiskomst, (Homecoming) featuring Inej coming back to Ketterdam after six weeks. Kaz greets her at Fifth Harbor, but ends up having issues with a hug in public in the rain. She meets him back at the Slat...

“I think I can offer a better hug now,” he rumbled, and Inej could hear the yearning there.

She stepped forward even as she replied, “I’d love that.”

This time they were dry, with no hats in the way, and no one to see them press together. Kaz wrapped her in his arms, and Inej was home. She returned his embrace with every fiber of her being. His lips brushed the top of her hair as he murmured, “Me mangave pa.” 

It took Inej a moment to realize what she’d heard. Oh my sweet man… your pronunciation needs a little work, but I adore you. She wasn’t about to let him go, even if she wanted to stare at him with shock for telling her in Suli that he loved her. With her face nuzzled against his soft black dress shirt, she replied softly, “Me isto, me drage.” Me too, my beloved.

They stayed entangled in each other’s arms for a few long minutes. Krai decided she needed to be a part of their reunion, and was twining around their legs. The cat was largely ignored as they communed with each other. Kaz laid kisses on Inej’s hair, lightly massaging over her leather vest. She returned the favor, rubbing his lower back. A low, satisfied groan came from him. Aside from his lips on her scalp, no skin touched yet. Just getting to be within the circle of his arms again was captivating. Inej inhaled, reveling in Kaz’s scent. But there was also the smell of hutspot and sausage and fried dough, and her stomach reminded her aloud it had been a long while since lunch on The Wraith. Kaz chuckled, the delightful sound vibrating her cheek. “I think you might be hungry, my beloved.”

Inej pulled back enough to be able to gaze up at his face, admiring the sight up close and personal. As much as she wanted more in the way of contact with him, she had to admit that eating was a solid plan. “I am. And you got us a lovely dinner, from the looks of it.”

“There’s one problem,” Kaz said with a devilish glint to his eyes. He was far more at ease now. 

Saints, I missed him like this. “Oh, and what’s that?”

“I am fairly certain I have to let you go in order for us to eat.”

Inej laughed, and watched as his face went tender, the glint in his eyes replaced with softness.

[fantastic-nonsense]

stop saying "Kaz would be jealous and possessive over Inej if he thought she and Tolya liked each other" no he wouldn't! Kaz isn't like that! He defends Inej's freedom, autonomy, and desires at every single turn in the books. He spends the entire duology pining over her and yet gives her every single chance he possibly can to walk out of his life forever if she wants. It's the foundational cornerstone of their entire relationship! It's why they work in the first place!

literally the only Crow who does petty jealousy is Wylan and that's that on that, folks

[whtsyours]

Losing my mind because Kaz always looks for people's tells/weaknesses, and he does this with Ohval too, he finds her husband. Then she says "He's not my weakness. He's my universe." and Kaz Brekker, who believes Inej Ghafa to be his weakness and almost constantly pushes her away because of it, hears that and it changes his perspective and he allows himself to open up to Inej about his hallucination, dares to beg her to stay in the finale, admits out loud that he wants her. Ohval's words gave him hope and–

[ruins-and-rewritez]

I absolutely love when fandoms just agree on things, these things aren't canon, but they also just are, we all just mutually agree that it's a thing, no absolute proof, it just is

like Kaz Brekker being the little spoon

it's not mentioned in the books but I know in my heart it's the truth

[freddycartr]

freddy and cal are such an underrated duo

[fanaddicted2000]

I wonder how Inej helps Kaz after a long and tiring day.

The kind that leaves him tired to his bones, his leg a constant throbbing rivaling with a nasty headache. The kind where he forgets to eat and numbers dance under his eyes. The kind of days where he almost lets himself miss long lost things.

Does she make him talk ? Exchange his cup of coffee with her mom's favourite tea ? Does she simply sit beside him -not too close, but almost closer than she would on normal days ? Does she dare take his hand ?

Maybe he would.

Maybe, he would slowly -painfully- force his way up the stairs, and enter his room to find her there already, sitting on his bed, unbraiding her hair. Maybe, though he has no strength to greet her, he would limp to the bed, and sat beside her -not too close... not too far. Maybe he would even reach for her with a silent hand laid on the bed, near her. She would know, of course she would, she always does. She probably lays her hand next to his, leaving barely the length of her pinky between them.

And they'd just be. Silently. Together. They'd be in the moment, in the silent, in the strange stillness of an exhausting day. They'd be together.

And it would be enough.

[sleepless-crows]

the six of crows and wednesday fandoms

🤝

the non-kissing scenes being the most romantic scenes in the series

[she-posts-nerdy-stuff]

Don't Go Blindly Into the Dark

Summary:

To hide that he can't read, Jan Van Eck has been forcing his son to pretend he's blind since he was eight years old. Wylan is now attending Ketterdam University, and meeting Jesper Fahey may very well be about to change his life. But is he safe to tell Jesper the truth? And what will Jesper say if he does?

Jesper is struggling to weigh up his life in the Barrel and his life at the University of Ketterdam, and there's a good chance that his growing debt is about to make the decision for him. He hasn't attended class consecutively for months, but maybe that will change when his newest project includes partnering up with Wylan Van Eck. But can he really leave the Barrel behind him? And how long can he keep up the pretence of who he thinks Wylan wants him to be?

Tags: @justalunaticfangirl @lunarthecorvus

If anyone else would like to be tagged let me know :)

Content warnings for this chapter: blood, wounds, death, dead bodies, implied violence, trafficking references

AO3 link

Chapter 28 - Kaz

“Where is it?”

Inej didn’t seem to have heard and Kaz asked again, but she didn’t say anything. Just carried on staring at the edge of his desk between them, arms stiff where she was gripping the chair as though she intended to snap it into pieces beneath her.

Kaz had known Inej was behind him before he heard the window clinking in the mezzanine level of the Crow Club, but he was still taken by surprise when he turned to see her - first of all because he’d heard the window clatter. He already knew something was wrong; the Wraith did not make such loud mistakes. And then he turned and Inej was all but collapsed onto the floor; the rain-slick window ledge behind her - the storm had finally broken not long after Wylan and Jesper both left entirely unhelpfully - was marked by a footprint, distorted where she’d slipped, the window itself left wide open in her wake for the rain to continue falling onto her and onto his carpet, and Inej was clutching to the edge of it with one hand, all of weight in one bent leg, her face ashen and her breathing heavy. Her loose hair was wet from the rain and the front pieces were plastered against her forehead, and the ill-fitting nightclothes that clearly should have hung off her angular shoulders like she’d been draped in a blanket were wet and sticking to her skin. Kaz barely registered what she was wearing before he’d registered the blood soaked into her sleeve cuffs.

He stared at her for a moment, a thousand panics and alarm bells ringing in his head, but when he opened his mouth all that came out was: 

“You’re dripping on my carpet,”

“Oh, well I’m terribly sorry for the inconvenience,” Inej just about managed to hiss through gritted teeth.

Kaz might have even smiled if he wasn’t too busy fighting off the need to sigh in relief; she was okay, at least for now. He beckoned Pim to cover for him watching the club floor, and he’d stared at Inej like she’d grown a second head until Kaz tapped the side of his leg with the end of his crows head cane and he turned quickly away to look down over the mezzanine. Kaz set off down the stairs, trusting that Inej would follow and deliberately setting a slow pace, but when he reached the ground floor he glanced back and realised that Inej did not need to be slowed down. She was still halfway up, clinging to the bannister with both hands and leaning almost all of her weight against it. He waited for her to get down, then walked slowly to his office where she all but collapsed over one of his chairs.

“It’ll be fine,” she’d managed, roughly and with her face contorted in pain as she dragged her leg after her to sit down, “Give me a week, maximum, and it’ll be fine,”

Clearly.

Kaz waited but she didn’t say anything more and he thought she might be in some kind of shock; he left some clean clothes on the desk for her and stepped outside. 

“Inej,”

She blinked, finally looking away from the desk and up at Kaz.

“The corpse,” he said, again, “Where is it?”

“The Slat. In my room,”

He studied her for a moment; she was shivering, just slightly, fidgeting with her shirt sleeve, looking up with eyes dark and deep enough to swallow him. Drown him. He’d had trousers in his cabinet that would fit her but had to give her one of his own white button downs for lack of other options, and the sleeve cuffs were sitting deep over her palms even after she’d folded them over. Her shoulders were narrower than his and even though she’d done the shirt up to the very top button it hung off her sharp angles ever so slightly off kilter, and exposed the very edge of her collar bone. Kaz squared his shoulders. He nodded.

“I’ll send someone to move it; we need to get ahead of this before the Black Tips get wise,”

They were already a pestering annoyance at Fifth Harbour, and the new shift pattern was thus far proving Kaz’s suspicions about one of his bouncers correct, he didn’t need a gang war over a dead spider on his hands. They could get Liesbeth’s body to neutral territory, or maybe even another gang’s territory if they were careful enough, and let her rediscovery be someone else’s problem. He watched Inej for a moment more; her gaze had slipped back to the edge of the desk and the nightclothes that she had folded into a slightly messy little pile at the foot of her chair. 

“Do you want to wait here?” he asked, after a moment, “Or go back to the Slat? I can send for Nina to-”

“Can I just…” Inej’s voice faded, “I just want to sit a minute. I…”

There was a long pause.

“I’m tired,”

She looked it. Heavy shadows bracketed her eyes and she barely seemed to be in the room, but instead floating somewhere in between it and the places in her mind. 

“Did you sleep at all?”

“At some point,” she whispered, almost dreamily, as if she couldn’t quite remember it herself, “Afterwards,”

Kaz frowned.

“After she died?”

Inej nodded. 

“How long ago?”

Inej gazed into the distance for a moment, her expression briefly confused.

“What time is it?”

“Nearing nine bells,” said Kaz, glancing at his watch.

Inej nodded.

“Fifteen hours? Fourteen?”

So someone might already know that Liesbeth was missing, then. Dammit. Kaz would have to get ahead of this quickly, on the off chance of there being any intention for the Black Tips to move against the Dregs he needed to make sure they didn’t have any ammunition to point to. He stood up.

“I’ll have someone move it,” he said, again, “Stay here as long as you want,”

She nodded slightly as he walked past her. 

The moment that Kaz stepped out onto the floor of the Crow Club just so happened to be almost exactly the same as the moment in which Nina Zenik burst through the doors at full speed. Her stress may as well have been a visible cloud with crackling sparks flying about for the obviousness of it, and she ran across the room towards him with breathless shouts.

“Inej-”

“Is in my office,” said Kaz coolly, “Not to tell you how to do your own job, Nina dearest, but did it not occur to you to check on her at any point in the last fifteen hours?”

“I didn’t-”

“Fifteen full hours she was sat in there with a corpse, Zenik, I don’t think the half hour you just spent with me justifies having missed that,”

Nina’s cheeks glowed, but he was pretty sure it was more with annoyance towards him than anything else. Kaz sent Juran, a boy who’d joined the Dregs early last year, back to the Slat to retrieve Liesbeth’s body and gave him instructions on where to leave it afterwards, though he would probably need another pair of hands for that, and then he and Nina turned back towards his office. Kaz was hoping that Nina would be able to convince Inej to go back to the Slat so she could lie down and hopefully get some sleep; at least get her to rest and take time to recover. 

“Her leg-”

“The pain will take a few days to subside but the worst is the ligament damage,” said Nina, smoothly, like she was rattling off a shopping list, “It’s her knee; the quickest it could be back to normal alone would be three weeks or so, but-”

“The longest?”

“Eight, probably. But that would be without my input, it shouldn’t take that long now. Hopefully, anyway. If it’s bad she should go to a real Healer,”

Kaz nodded, his mind quickly skipping through any Healers that he knew before he opened the door to his office. 

“Wraith-” he cut off, and held a hand up in front of Nina.

Inej was asleep. She slumped over against the desk, her mass of unkempt dark hair folding over her face, her shoulders moving slowly up and down with her breaths. For a second Kaz and Nina just stood there, and then Nina whispered:

“She should be keeping her leg elevated - and straight, if possible,”

Kaz nodded back to the door and they slipped outside, to fly through the conversation of should we wake her so she can go back to the Slat. They landed on the, possibly slightly strange, plan of moving Inej off her chair to lie on the floor of Kaz’s office. He’d been nervous that they’d wake her but she got no further than gently stirring in Nina’s arms and then flopping her head against the Heartrender’s shoulder. She seemed to murmur something, but Kaz was on the other side of the room and Nina said she’d only groaned. She gently coaxed Inej onto the floor and folded her own jacket up to slip beneath her head, then knelt down and very slowly moved Inej’s leg to straighten it as much as she could without worsening the pain and causing Inej to wake up. Of course Nina would be able to knock her out again if necessary, but she said it would be better for Inej’s natural rhythms if she remained undisturbed. Kaz found a couple more spare shirts from his cupboards to elevate Inej’s knee, and then they slipped out of the room in silence.

Kaz usually locked his office when he left, particularly if there was anything sensitive or valuable around, but with that obviously not being an option he shouted up to Pim on the mezzanine:

“Watch the door. Anyone goes in there they’re a dead man,” 

He nodded, and Kaz turned back just in time to see Nina lowering her raised eyebrow. 

“Stay here,” he told her, “Make sure no-one tries to kill her this time,”

“Where are you going?”

“Send to the Slat if you need me, if I’m not there they’ll be someone there who knows where I am,”

“What are y-?”

Kaz sighed. 

“I have a job to do, and I need someone to find some space at the Slat. I’d hate to have to stick your little Elodie in a cupboard,”

Nina blinked.

“You hired her?”

“Feliks wanted rid of her,” said Kaz, calmly, “I needed servers for the Club,”

“Feliks wanted to sell her, Kaz,”

That was true. And he would’ve gotten a far better price from another house on West Stave than Kaz had agreed to for the kid’s contract. But Feliks happened to have a pretty decent chunk of debt to Haskell, and Kaz happened to know a few things about Feliks that he didn’t want to get out. The conversation had gone briefly and smoothly. Mostly. Until the skiv had suggested Kaz might want to take ‘his’ Suli girl instead, presumably so he could still sell little Elodie and make money from both of them.

Kaz leaned back in his chair.  

“Excuse me?”

“I know it was you who had Haskell buy the Wraith from Heleen Van Houden,” Feliks shrugged, as if this were a normal fucking conversation topic, “I thought maybe you had a taste,”

The conversation went even briefer, and a lot less smoothly, after that. Elodie got a job offer and, as of Anika’s return about twenty minutes ago, she had accepted it. 

Kaz looked at Nina and shrugged.

“Stay with Inej,”

And then he turned and left, his cane clacking heavily against the boards. 

[apinchofm]

Embrace 

Two embraces between Kaz and Inej.

[magneticflower]

I have so many Kanej ideas but I cannot write Kaz to save my life so they'll just have to stay lurking in the back of my mind I gueSS

[neptune-scythe]

The thing I love and appreciate so much about Kanej is that they are an example of the deeper more nuanced aspects of a relationship that is so often overlooked in modern media.

It's Kaz loving Inej's laugh, it's Inej paying such close attention to Kaz that she can tell when he passed out just from the change in his breathing, it's Kaz emptying his life savings to buy Inej her freedom, it's Inej about to kill all the Dregs just to save Kaz, it's Kaz buying Inej a ship so she can have her dream of hunting slavers even though that means they'll be separated, it's Inej accepting who Kaz is and acknowledging that even if she didn't always agree with his methods that the Barrel needs him just as he is.

It's how well they know each other, that their relationship is based on friendship and mutual understanding, it's the little things like Kaz seeing Inej and feeling like a little boy who believes in magic again.

It's so much more than the typical modern portrayal of love that requires touching or sex to telegraph what two people feel about each other. They never need to hug or kiss or hold hands for us the readers to know how they feel because Leigh put the effort into portraying the beauty and depth of real love that modern media so often doesn't bother to attempt.

Regardless even of the fact that I, and many other aroacespec people, feel represented by Kaz, Inej, and their relationship, their relation and interactions with each other shows the aspects of love and friendship that is so rare in modern medias. And especially for younger generations growing up with TV and books, seeing love portrayed as sex or physical attraction can be very misleading and leave them confused when those things don't give the satisfaction in real life that it is given in media. But Kanej is the balance of that, they are real love, portrayed in the ways that show what real love is.

Young boys and girls and non binaries and every other gender or type of person can read these books or watch the show and see what real love is. They can see they don't have to sell their bodies or give up their boundaries to satisfy another person and that none of that would guarantee being loved, that love is so much more than just physical attraction, that being known and valued for who you are as a person in the current moment is the most important thing.

I want to make this another TedTalk about why I take issue with Kanej being portrayed in fanfics and fanarts as touchy or needing that to show they've healed or that their relationship is valid, but I'll keep this one focused on the positives so I don't get all the aphobes and haters clogging up my notifs ◉⁠‿⁠◉

[barrel-crow-n]

Something that makes me crazy is the difference in how Kanej deals with their issues.

Kaz was hurt so he hurt others. He got scammed so he became the scammer. He was beaten up so he became the one beating people up. He found a way to thrive in the toxic cycle of violence in the Barrel. This keeps him alive, but makes him a bad person. Kaz doesn't care. Kaz left decency behind the second that was what was necessary to survive. He shrugged it off like a cheap coat. Don't like touch? Simple. Break anybodies wrist that dares touch you; break their arm. Give them a reason to keep away. Make them scared because that keeps you safe (and as a result will keep them safer from you).

Inej was hurt so she prevents others from being hurt. She hunts down slavers so children won't have the same fate as her. She can't just leave decency behind, her values and beliefs won't allow it. She does penance after every kill, she cried after killing the first time, she isn't keen on violence and only does it when completely necessary (at odds with Kaz that attacks at the slightest provocation to the point of everyone giving him a wide berth). The violence committed on her makes her angry (and righteously) but she doesn't lash out at everyone like Kaz does, she holds that back for a select few, to make them pay for the suffering they've caused.

Kaz felt like he died and became someone new so he leaned into it. He change his name from Rietveld to Brekker, he became someone new, a stranger. Nobody knew who he was, or where he came from. Kaz Rietveld was dead, and a monster had taken his place.

Inej also says that she feels like she died. She says that the girl she had been died in the belly of a slavers ship. However, unlike Kaz, she refuses to change her name. And dehumanisation links to this!

Kaz was dehumanised so he dehumanised himself further. Dirtyhands. Per Haskell's rabid dog. Demjin. Kaz thrives in this, because it makes him feel safe, it makes him feel untouchable. Kaz Rietveld was weak, so was replaced by Kaz Brekker. When that isn't enough, Dirtyhands is there to get the rough work done.

Inej was dehumanised so she humanised herself. She is not a lynx or a spider or a wraith. She is Inej Ghafa. She is a pirate vigilante, rescuer of slaves. And the interesting thing is that Kaz offered this to her too! He asks her "Is that what you prefer to be called?" (referring to her name, Inej Ghafa) when buying her indenture at the Menagerie. He is offering her the same thing he did. A change of name, a clean slate. But she declines. She is a Ghafa and no matter what happens to her, she always will be.

Kaz was traumatised so he isolated himself. He holds people at arms length because he sees them as weaknesses, or as obstacles between him and his revenge. He put his gloves on and doesn't take them off, he failed once with Imogen and decided to never try again. He yearns for connection but it only serves to isolate him further. Because they have no idea what it's like to watch friends hug, knowing you can never have the same. Kaz builds up armour (the gloves) but he doesn't tackle the root problem that is his fear of touch. He tried once and failed and quit (which is actually out of character for him, in contrast with him learning magic ceaselessly until he has mastered it - and shows how terrified he is and how disgusted he is at himself) and this serves to make him feel like he just can't. Like the dream of friends is hopeless.

Inej was traumatised so she seeks human connection. She has Jesper and Nina. She has the other Crows. She tries to heal, to open herself up. She might still flinch at touch occasionally but her friends are helping her and she wants to try and heal. She knows how to ask for help.

In all, Inej's ways of coping are a lot healthier. Kaz is stuck in a toxic cycle, and has been for years, but Inej is giving him a way out of it. Finally, he can make the step towards proper healing. He won't change his name back. He won't stop being a gangster. But he can feel more comfortable in himself and with his friends. And that's what Inej wants to give him, because she knows how important that is.

[markofheroes]

I hate to sound pretentious, but i feel like a large portion of the six of crows fandom just doesn’t get what makes kanej so good beyond the surface level. I’ve spent a lot of time trying to find good kanej fics and while there are many with great writing/storylines, i personally feel like so many of them just don’t capture the tone/qualities of their relationship correctly. I can’t quite pinpoint all my issues, but I think one is that their relationship in the series was always one that was communicated through actions rather than words. Kaz not forcing her to get the tattoo every other Dreg has to, Inej telling the other crows to leave him alone when he doesn’t want to hug them in ck, kaz buying her the boat, etc. Their true care and feelings is almost always shown through what they do for each other. Instead of this, I think too many kanej fics just have them talking too much?? When i think about moments from the series like inej sitting on the windowsill while kaz works or the description of them staking out targets together for hours at night, what really stuck out to me is their desire to just be in each others presence without speaking. I get people want them to “heal” in their fics and verbal communication is a part of that, but i think there’s a point when it feels out of character. does that make sense????

[lunarthecorvus]

Post Crooked Kingdom Canon Compliant fanfiction recommendations part of Lunar's soc fanficiton rec series

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Vol. 1: Council of Thieves by lizaudreys

Wordcount: 122,891 Chapters: 45/45 (part of a series and is continued afterwards)

Characters: Kaz Brekker, Inej Ghafa, Jesper Fahey, Wylan Van Eck, Nina Zenik, Original Female Character(s), Original Male Character(s)

Tags: BAMF Inej Ghafa, Fluff and Angst, Jesper Fahey Has ADHD, Kaz Brekker Needs a Hug, Crime Children, Five Years Later, Post-Book 2: Crooked Kingdom, Hurt/Comfort, Slow Burn

Author's summary/notes: Five years after the Auction, the Crows have gone their separate ways. That is, until the Council of Tides demands that Kaz Brekker help rescue one of their newest initiates. Grisha all over are being targeted by ships disguised as slavers, rumors of a new form of jurda parem are spreading, and the fate of it all is yet again dependent on an unlikely gang of criminals. My summary/notes: Some fascinating council of tides lore, and the side/original characters in this fic are so interesting. Be prepared this fic has some wesper angst and some definite kanej angst, but there are some adorable moments. Goes into the crows friendships, especially Jesper + Inej and Kaz and Wylan (it does go into more dynamics). To finish it I will say there is a sort of ⊹hiest⊹.

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and you asked me to dance, but I said "dancing is a dangerous game" by sarathedreamer

Wordcount: 28,439 Chapters: 5/5

Characters: Inej Ghafa, Kaz Brekker, Wylan Van Eck, Jesper Fahey, Prince Ilya

Tags: Fluff and Angst, Fluff without Plot, Healing, Post-Book 2: Crooked Kingdom, Post-Book 2: Rule of Wolves, Hurt/Comfort, Canon Compliant ish

Author's summary/notes: “My darling Inej," he started in a very proper intonation, "treasure of my heart, feared Wraith of the Barrel, Scourge of the Seas, Bringer of Justice and Slayer of Men… would you like to dance with me?" Inej, Kaz, Wylan and Jesper get a very important invitation to the betrothal celebration of a certain Nina Zenik... angst, fluff, and yes, dancing, ensues between the King of the Barrel and the Queen of the Seas. This is part two of my kanej x cowboy like me series! I would highly recommend reading part one first before you dive into this :) Spoilers for RoW and obviously the Soc duology. Most of this is canon compliant because I love to play by the rules (except that we forget about the last two pages of Rule of Wolves for the sake of fluff and angst only... hehe) My summary/notes: Part of the kanej x cowboy like me series, which is such a good series, if you want kanej fluff then that is the series for you. This fic is Inej and Kaz being head over heels with each other for 5 chapters straight, featuring some wesper and Nina. May I intrigue you into this reading this fic by saying it has Kanej flirting and Captain Ghafa. Also THEY DANCE.

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Dealing With Our Demons by @ravenyenn19

Wordcount: 807,697 Chapters: 174/? (updates generally every few months)

Characters: Kaz Brekker, Inej Ghafa, Jesper Fahey, Nina Zenik, Wylan Van Eck, (as well as many other original characters and six of crows side characters)

Tags: Romance, Friendship, Love, POV Kaz Brekker, BAMF Inej Ghafa, Fluff, Romantic Fluff, Eventual Smut

Author's summary/notes: Inej's first letter back to Kaz after she leaves on her journey to hunt slavers, reunion ensues! Will they continue to learn how to battle their demons in order to get close to one another? My summary/notes: A classic Kanej fic, almost every Kanej fanfic reader knows this fic, the writing is impeccable. This fic made me fall in love with both Anika and Pim and then Pimika. To me this fic is canon. Now for a summary, this fic take you on a journey of healing and growing with both Kaz and Inej. You will come out of this fic a changed person.

[i-can-read-to-him]

The Wesper Fic Club's Author Spotlight is a post series that aims to feature two to three fic authors a month, randomly selected from a pool of names put forth on our server. The authors are then asked to answer three interview questions, select up to five of their fics for us to feature, and finally, recommend three fics by others in the fandom.

(Note: Our spotlighted fics are not limited to Wesper, though they tend to be a central pairing in most of our authors' featured works.)

This week, we are putting a spotlight on Elias's writing!

Socials: @starwritebrekker (Tumblr) | starlightwrite (AO3) | starwritecos (TikTok) | wellelwrites (Instagram)

❀

Part One: Author Interview

Q: What’s your favourite fic you’ve written for this fandom?

A: Do Us Part! It’s my first time writing a modern AU and I’m loving the challenge of finding modern day equivalents to the Crows world.

Q: When did you first start writing? What keeps you going today?

A: I’ve been writing stories since elementary school, earliest I can remember is second grade (seven years old). What keeps me writing is how much writing feels like a release. I’m not very good at speaking what’s going on in my head (see: neurodivergent), and writing it out helps me comprehend my own thoughts more and it helps me communicate my thoughts much better. It is my favorite form of expression.

Q: Who is your favourite character? What do you love about them?

A: Kaz Brekker. This boy is the embodiment of a person in survival mode for most of their life and not truly understanding what it is to come out of it. The world has hardened him but inside him, despite his best efforts, there is still that hope. That heart.

Q: Have you had a chance to interact with the SAB cast? Tell us about your experience(s).

A: Amita liked the photo of my Dregs tattoo on instagram! I love her so much and I’m so glad she interacts with the fandom so much as well.

Q: If you could be friends with any character in the Grishaverse, who would it be?

A: Matthias and I both grew up with organized religion being the backbone of our perspective of the world, so I feel like he and I could get along well. I want to give all the crows a hug (an air hug for Kaz).

Q: What are some headcanons you have that you consider your personal canon?

A: Kaz Rietveld-Brekker is transmasc. Argue with the wall XD. (I am nonbinary transmasc I hold this headcanon so close to my heart).

Q: Are there any songs you strongly associate with a favourite character or ship?

A: Francesca by Hozier is Kanej coded.

Q: How do you feel about your fics being translated into other languages?

A: Go forth and translate (just give me credit please and thank youuuuu)!

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Part Two: Selected Works

Do Us Part

Teen | 4.1K | Kanej, Wesper, Helnik Modern AU, Mentioned Character Death, The dog lives In Progress

Part of the Wesper Fic Club Big Bang 2024! The Crows run a funeral home in the suburbs of a modern day Ketterdam. There’s death. There’s a dog. There’s healing. There’s still a dog.

No Funerals

Teen | 10.1K | Kanej, mentioned Wesper, mentioned Helnik Vampire AU, slowburn, Wesper Child, Alby Rollins is there In Progress

There’s a figure that haunts the Barrel at night since time immemorial, he exists in the shadows and watery reflections of the canals of Ketterdam. He was once the undisputed king of the city, and now? He runs a gang of misfits and swindles the merchant council, not even death can escape his cheating. 

Forever Not to Disappear

Teen | 20.5K | Kanej, Wesper Sickfic, slowburn, healing from trauma In Progress

Kaz Brekker is stuck in bed (it’s a bad illness day) and is forced to reflect and process his emotions.

Clouded Judgement

Teen | 441 words | Kanej, Wesper Stream of Consciousness, Wishful thinking, Reflective Kaz Brekker Completed

Post-Season Two finale of Shadow and Bone, Kaz is hoveled up in his room, and his mind never stops moving. Nor does his pen.

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Part Three: Author's Recs

I’m The Perfect Stranger Who Knows You Too Well by @remadora-black / actressforever14 (my sister Cassie!)

Teen | 54.9K | Kanej, Wesper, Helnik Jordie Rietveld Lives, Childhood Trauma, Major Illness In Progress

Cassie’s description: What if Jordie did not die of Firepox? What if, instead, when Kaz returned from the Barge, his brother was waiting for him. Firepox would leave them both forever changed, but how will the course of the rest of their lives go? What will happen to Jordie when he realizes his little brother is no longer the boy he knew before, and that he has been left with a shell of a boy with only one thing on his mind: vengeance?

What the Water Gave Me by 19burstraat (astardanced)

Teen | 23.9K | Kanej, Crows friendship Post Canon, Canon Divergence, Angst With A Happy Ending Completed

Kaz as a Tidemaker. Get into it. Kaz as a grisha is extremely my sh*t. 

You’re A Dog And I’m Your Man by limelacroix

Not Rated | 27.8K | Kanej, Wesper Kaz Brekker gets a dog, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort

Kaz Brekker gets a dog. That’s the whole thing.Also extremely my sh*t

The Unexpected Visitor by insignificant457

Mature 90.9K | Kanej Post-canon, Implied/referenced SA, Implied/referenced sex In Progress

Inej brings one Bastard of the Barrel to the caravans for a family wedding. Hijinks ensue.

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[redraven25-stuff]

lockwood and lucy are stupidly similar to kanej. i’ve only watched the show of lockwood and co but have read and watch soc. there is a stupid amt of pining in both but kanej actually manage to kiss, even if it’s for a split second and both of them internally dying/neg. their trauma with touching hinders them.

lucy and lockwood have held each others faces and almost kissed to many fucking times. i was screaming at my tv for them to kiss or hug or do anything other than JUST STARING AT EACH OTHER AND BEING INCHES APART. in other words, kanej can actually touch each other a bit, even if they are dying a bit/neg and locklye have the ability to touch each other with out wanting to rip their skin off. locklyle pining is somehow stronger than kanej.

i love all of them too much