#kaz and inej

[applecidersstuff]

You know what makes Kaz a great boss? What makes him a better boss then both Pekka Rollins and Per Haskel?

He gets to know his crew and basically any people he’s working with. I know it’s basically an opposite of what he says about barrel gangs, but hear me out.

The main reason why Kaz was able to know that Big Bolliger was a traitor is because he knew that Bol was lazy. And knowing what he did in the "Crow club" it would be hard to know if he was lazy or just relaxed while on the job. Kaz knew that he was lazy - he took time to know the guy.

And also the thing that makes Kaz's plans good is that he keeps in mind all his crew's bad habits and vulnerabilities and plots around them. Its really easy to see that if you look at Jesper.

He keeps in mind that Jesper is late and that he can accidentally give up important info. We see that clearly in the beginning of the book. During the “set the wolf free” plan he made sure to tell Jesper the “wrong” time so that he would “be late” and free the animals at the right time. He knew Jesper would(or could) give up info by accident so he took precautions(saying this again: no one arranges an extra ship just to gather in front of it)

And we also have it in the end of CK.

I think both Inej and Jesper had been told the wrong time. Kaz knew that Dunyasha would be there, so he added some time for Inej to fight her. He talks with Jesper about kergud(I have no idea how to spell that, sorry) and also adds time for that fight. He might have actually putted the wyvil it Jespers pocket(as I do not remember Jes actually putting it there, or mb he just made sure it was there).

I mean, it would have been weird if there would be just the sound of one shot fired, but after the siren it would sound better.

When Kaz told Dregs that he won't be their father, he meant it, your father doesn't know you that well, but your sneaky annoying little sibling does.

[nainz7]

me reading six of crows: yes kaz’s perspective i can’t wait to know what the plan is

kaz: lol you and me both anyway let me tell you how beautiful inside out inej is and have i mentioned her laugh because-

[helnikskanej]

this scene means so much to me. inej apologizing, knowing how kaz feels about physical contact, the second kaz spends enjoying her touch, not riddled by trauma and pain. the way the reality hits him and he jerks away - freddy is phenomenal, the way he tells a story with just his eyes in this scene! amita is outstanding at portraying inej with gentleness and so much care and respect when it comes it kaz <3

[olskuvallanpoe]

a soc fic that’s just inej’s parents realizing their future son-in-law is a literal murderer and gang boss

[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 ◉⁠‿⁠◉

[vangoghsmissingearr]

I'm so normal about them

[bubblegumbabycow]

Kaz: Who hurt you? Inej: *snorting* What, do you want a list? Kaz: ...Yes, actually.

[feluart]

Sitting on the rooftop, watching the moon drop. 🌕

etsy | instagram

[quillsthrills]

Sometimes you don’t NEED skin on skin

Just to really bring the point home for those who have not read the Six of Crows duology and think that Inej deserves to “have some fun before she finds her way back to her true love”, or who perhaps think that a love triangle/jealousy drama would somehow spur Kaz into action (do you even know Kaz Brekker?):

For someone connected to the production to caption a photo of the actors with the (crack) ship name of their characters (“Tonej”) and talk about “skin on skin” might seem innocent (”it’s just an Insta post”), but let’s look at the context for those who are upset by this – some of whom have suffered similar traumas and find comfort/inspiration in Inej’s character.

Here is a sample of Inej’s previous experience of skin on skin:

There were young men, old men, handsome men, ugly men. There was the man who cried and struck her when he could not perform. The man who wanted her to pretend it was their wedding night and tell him that she loved him. The man with sharp teeth like a kitten who had bitten at her breasts until she’d bled. Crooked Kingdom p. 274 Kindle version

And these are the men she remembers; mostly she forced herself to go numb, while making all the right noises and moves so Tante Heleen would not abuse her further.

Because she loves Kaz, she tells him she is willing to work on that trauma IF HE WORKS ON HIS. This does not mean that she is itching for skin on skin action there and then, it means she wants to be ready for it if they are to have a future together. 

What if he had come to her, laid his gloves aside, drawn her to him, kissed her mouth? Would she have pulled him closer? Kissed him back? Could she have been herself in such a moment or would she have broken apart and vanished, a doll in his arms, a girl who could never quite be whole? Crooked Kingdom, p. 275 Kindle version

This is her mindset as she boards that ship in S2E8. She does not need a man who is basically a stranger to be her ticket out of trauma – not even a lovely one like Tolya (who in turn does not need or want romance in his life to be fulfilled). She needs healing, a purpose and – as a character – not to be reduced to half a ship in a fling which would be nothing but a waste of precious screentime. 

EDIT: Inserting screenshot of the caption/tagging of the photo depicting Amita Suman and Lewis Tan, just to highlight the clear reference to the characters  and not the actors, whatever was claimed afterwards.

[mizuharaannie]

[rabbitholessk]

modern university au Kaz would be the type to secretly carry around a stash of hard candies and discreetly pop one in his mouth every so often.

Nina would catch him during class and wave her hand in a ‘gimme’ fashion.

In a different class Kaz sits next to his not so secret crush Inej and slides her favorite flavor across the shared desk table. (She’s of course never told him which one’s her favorite.)

[pinkvenuss]

no other couple will ever be like them i fear

[nainz7]

Kaz really just randomly dropped “I would come for you. And if I couldn't walk, I'd crawl to you, and no matter how broken we were, we'd fight our way out together-knives drawn, pistols blazing. Because that's what we do. We never stop fighting” like that 😭

[hozierisgod]

Yellow is Kaz’ favourite colour.

Not some bright and neon yellow but a soft, somewhat golden, type of yellow. The yellow you would spot faintly in a sunset, the yellow that reminds him of the days as a child watching that very sunset with his family, the yellow you could spot faintly on Matthias’ hair when the sun hit it just right, the yellow spotted in small specks throughout Nina’s eyes as she smiled widely- a teasing and caring smile, the yellow found surrounding Wylan with a soft glow as he laughed and shone with pure emotion, the yellow that glints in front of Kaz’ eyes when the sun hits Jesper’s precious Zemeni revolvers at just the right angle, the yellow showing throughout Inej’s tunic embroidered in small details he has memorised, the yellow he has found to be intertwined with all his favourite things about his life.

So yeah, his favourite colour is yellow.

[your-local-bookworm]

"To hell with revenge, to hell with his schemes. If Rollins had done something to Inej, Kaz would paint East Stave with his entrails"

- Crooked Kingdom

I don't think we talk about this much, but this one line just shows how important Inej is, to Kaz.

Revenge is the foundation of Kaz's life, his sole purpose, his final destination, his motivation. The reason he lives. Revenge is why Kaz didn't give up. Revenge is everything to him.

And yet he was willing to give that up. For what?

For Inej. Inej Ghafa. His Wraith. The only person he could trust and knew won't use his secrets against him.

And I think it is very important.

[renegadesstuff]

The way they look at each other 🥺🤍