#kaz is fragile handle with care

[secretlyamushroom]

Have some angsty Kazzle Dazzle.

[yesimwriting]

The Promise of Rain, blurb 2

The Promise of Rain (part 2?? technically) 

A/n I was not originally planning a second part for this but some people wanted it and this idea came to me and it works better with the context of ‘The Promise of Rain’ but it can technically be read as a stand alone :))

Anyways this might turn into a small series of kinda connected blurbs that are all kind of canon with each other but aren’t necessarily connected except for the reader’s background (the reader is a very sunshine-y person and knows Kaz bc she’s a runaway princess that he was hired to bring back home but she managed to convince him to let her work for him instead)

--

The night air had left me with a chill that made me want nothing more than to have my covers draped over me as I read. I’m normally more sociable after a job, especially after such a simple and safe ending, but a lot of tonight had left me wanting to be alone. 

Well, not truly alone. The company of my books is always welcomed, but tonight I can’t seem to find much comfort within the pages. After almost every paragraph, I find myself distracted by gusts of wind and thoughts of the heavy, silver clouds that seem to make up tonight. A part of me longs for the rain. I know it’s ridiculous to expect rain each time I desire some sense of comfort, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want it. Especially when the sky so clearly implies it. 

“This must be the fifth time I’ve come here and you’ve been reading.” Kaz’s sudden appearance is almost enough to shake away my lingering somberness. 

I roll my eyes slightly, turning my attention back to the page in front of me. “That observation is just a testament to how often you come in here.” 

His glare is half hearted, a look I’d find endearing if I was less annoyed. “Where else am I going to find a reminder that good people exist in Ketterdam?” 

I think he may have a sixth sense that warns him when I’m treading the line between being annoyed and displeased. Everytime I find myself mad at him in a way that makes me want to avoid him instead of yell at him, Kaz makes some ridiculously heart-melting comment. He steps further into the room. I don’t miss the way he eyes my stretched out legs. Ever since the conversation we had after he woke up after an injury, we’ve fallen into the unmentioned habit of silently inviting the other to stay by moving to make room for them. 

It had started the day after the conversation in which Kaz had admitted that he wanted me to stay with him. He had been sitting on the small couch while discussing the details of a job. Shortly after I walked in he made a point of shifting so that he was clearly on one side of the couch. I didn’t think much about sitting down, but Inej and Jesper exchanged a look. 

Now, though, I keep my legs stretched out on the bed. He eyes my position on the bed, something grim crossing his features. 

“It might rain tonight.” 

He knows me so damn well. I hate it. “I hope so.”

I turn my head, analyzing the way the world seems to be on the cusp of something. I stare at the silver clouds until I feel something hard tap my leg. The tap is firm but not painful. I’m quick to look at Kaz as he lowers his cane. The mention of rain had been a distraction. 

“You distracted me on purpose.” 

“The first rule of the Barrel is to always be prepared.” There’s a slight uptilt to his lips, something I’ve learned to interpret as a sign of teasing. 

How is he so easy to be around one second and so cold the next? I resist a smile. “I’ll take notes.” 

Kaz ignores my passive aggressive tone. His focus seems to be on my legs that have still not moved to offer him a place next to me. “You wear your emotions too openly.” Great, he’s going to make us talk about it. “What reason could you possibly have to be mad at me?”

“I’m not mad at you.” It’s a partial truth. 

His expression harshens. “Don’t lie.” 

“I’m not thrilled with you, but I don’t think that’s the same as being mad.” 

Kaz lets out a partial sigh. “No, they’re not the same.” Such an early concession feels like a trap. “With you, the first option is worse.” I don’t have anything to say to that. “Is this because of what I said to Jesper?” 

My posture straightens on instinct. “He wants your validation more than he’d ever admit and I understand that expressing praise isn’t exactly something you do, but would it kill you to not actively insult him?” 

“I didn’t say anything that was wrong. He thinks he’s a gambler but he’s just someone born for losses.” The look I give him must mean something to him, because Kaz is quick to tact on, “That doesn’t make him less valuable of an asset or less relatively dependable.” 

I eye him cautiously, the slightest bit of vulnerability playing at his features. “Don’t look at me like that--and don’t tell me that. Jesper’s the one who could use the occasional reminder from you that you hold him to any regard with positive connotations.” His lips press together like he’s thinking about scolding me for scolding him. “It’s only because I know you care more about Jesper than you’d ever let on.” 

“Jesper’s esteem can handle the blow.” The curtness of his voice is a blow in its own sense. “And he didn’t exactly deserve to be in my good graces after what he did tonight.” 

My sigh is not weighted enough to match Kaz’s newfound fountain of emotion. “We were successful--”

“He left you.” I didn’t know Kaz’s voice was capable of such harshness. “I paired him with you, and he left you--and you almost didn’t make it.” I let the weight of his words take up all the available space in the room, keeping the silence that follows them until some of the heaviness has dissipated. “He could have cost me one of my best people.”

Oh. His harshness, his unwarranted coldness, had been a manifestation of his concern. For me. Guilt knots my stomach. Potential words that may offer Kaz some sort of support raise and die back down in my throat. Kaz turns towards the door. 

“Kaz.” He pauses. There’s a long moment in which I think he won’t turn around, but finally, he does. I tuck my legs beneath me, forcing myself to sit up a little straighter. “I told Jesper to leave because I knew the job would have failed if he had been trapped in that room with me.” I drop my gaze towards the window. “I was right, the job was successful, and I got out in time so it was worth it.”

“You risked your safety?” The harsh facet of his being is making its return in full force. 

“For the job,” I’m careful to keep my words factual, “It’s what we’re supposed to do.”

Kaz’s jaw locks. “When I said that keeping you near me would ruin you this is what I meant.” 

Is it really this big of a deal? I made it out. “Kaz.”

“This wasn’t my best idea.” His words are leached of anything. “You’re going back home. Tomorrow I’ll arrange the voyage myse--” 

“Kaz Brekker you may get to live your life doing anything you want but you don’t get to control mine.” My chin raises an inch, an instinctual act of subtle rebellion. “I am not going back there, even if I’m technically indebted to you because you didn’t return me to my father but that does not mean I’ll--”

“I’m not trying to control you.” His words are sharp, boarding on a yell. “A job like that one wasn’t worth you.” 

From Kaz, I know those words are heavy. There’s a lot of things I could say to that. I could tell him that I wanted to do something for him. I could say that I appreciate him telling me that. I could even say that in his own way, Kaz giving Jesper a hard time because he left me, is kind of cute in a misguided way. The thing is I think all of these responses will make things worse. 

“Kaz,” I keep my voice as steady as possible, “I’m fine, you’re fine, it all worked out.” Scratching the back of my arm, I exhale gently. “I’ll be more careful next time, I promise.” 

I watch him carefully, there’s a slight slump to his shoulders as he exhales. Is the fight leaving him so easily? He walks further into the room. “You better.” He sits down in the space I provided for him slowly. “If you’re not you’ll have worse things to worry about than anything that can happen to you on a job.” He moves his cane forward easily, tapping my knee in a swift motion. 

I roll my eyes at the mock threat. “They do say that there’s nothing to fear in the Barrel like the Dirtyhands.” 

“Remember that.” Any edge in his voice is forced. I fight against a smile that seems to always want to break across my face whenever I think I see something resembling lightness in Kaz. 

“I don’t think I could forget anything about you.” 

He turns his head slightly. “You should.” 

“Too bad.” 

Kaz leans his back against the wall, untensing slightly. “I think you just like disagreeing with me.” 

There’s no point in lying about it. “Only because when you argue with me you give me this really particular look.” 

“A look?” 

Adding insult to injury, I smile. “Sometimes you look like you’re too focused on being angry, like you’re compensating for something.” 

Kaz lets out a bitter sigh. “Maybe if you were less of a puppy I wouldn’t have to--”

The laugh that escapes is most definitely a mistake. “Did you just call me a puppy?” I don’t give him a chance to reply, laughter taking over again. “I mean this in the least argumentative way possible--but you’re so weird sometimes.” 

He rolls his eyes, tensing. “I’m leaving.”

I stifle the rest of my laughter. “No. I was--I was kidding!” I keep my eyes on Kaz, expecting some type of annoyed glare, but his expression is a lot more weighted than that. Odd. “Kaz?” 

“You need to be more careful.” I understand Kaz’s pause as something he does before saying something outside of his nature. “I’m not asking you this as a Crow or a Dreg.” 

On instinct, my posture straightens. “I promised and I meant it.” 

“Sometimes I wish I could believe in Saints,” his voice has taken off a distant quality, almost fragile, “That way I could believe something existed to help what matters.” 

Oh. “You never fail, even if I didn’t believe in Saints I’d believe in you.” 

“You’re wasting your faith.” The sound of lightning cracking is almost enough to make me jump. The rain finally came. 

I know I’ll never convince him that that’s not true. “I don’t think so, but that’s why it’s called faith.” 

“I have faith in some things.” His expression is far off. 

“Like what?” 

Kaz’s eyes find the window. “People that find meaning in the rain.” 

Something in my chest swells. “You’re like the rain.”

We sit there in silence, watching raindrops glide down the window. “What were you reading?” 

The question has me dropping my gaze to the forgotten book on my lap. “I stole this book from the palace before I left. It was my mom’s favorite, she’s read it so much the spine’s completely cracked and the cover is practically falling off.” 

“Hm…” He mumbles. “Read some, the books read in a palace must be worthwhile.” 

A part of me wants to tell him that elitism has no place in literature, but his request leaves me frozen. I nod once, turning to the first page of the book. “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife--” 

“Your upbringing makes sense--” 

“You can’t judge it off the first sentence,” he’s insufferable, “It’s setting up irony, and if you’re going to complain--” 

He lets out a conceding sigh. “I’m listening, I’m not interrupting.” 

I keep my eyes on him for a second longer than I should. “Okay.” Dropping my gaze back to the book, I adjust my grip on the worn paperback, “Good.” 

And then I keep reading. 

--

@theincredibledeadlyviper @grishaverse7 @lonelystarship @mentally-in-northern-italy @uhanddreag 

[cookiesnt]

Korekiyo, Kazuichi and Mondo with a feminine brother who get’s beaten for it.

tw: violence

No one should ever have to go through this.

Korekiyo:

He completely understood your enjoyment of what you wore.

He wore lipstick himself, after all.

He was very supportive.

“Y/n, I found this dress I think you would look nice in...”

With how feminine he was himself, he knew about the harassment you could face.

Due to this, he was quite protective...

...So you can imagine how furious he was when this happened.

It was a normal, Tuesday afternoon. He was reading a book from the nearby library and sipping a cup of tea while he waited for you to come home. It wasn’t unusual for you to be late coming home, so he wasn’t very concerned. After a few minutes, he heard the door open.

“Ah, Y/n. You’re ho-” He dropped his cup. It shattered on the floor. You were standing in the doorway, your makeup a mess, your dress covered in dirt, and you.. were covered in bruises and cuts. “Y-Y/N!” He jumped from the couch and ran to your side, his eyes filled with concern. He looked at your face, his eyes widening in horror as he saw your black eye. “What on earth happened?! Who did this?!” You couldn’t answer. You threw your arms around him and sobbed into his chest, clinging to his uniform. He reciprocated the hug, holding you protectively. “I am right here. You are safe now...” He sounded calm, but it was taking every ounce of self-control he had not to scream in anger. “Here, allow me to patch you up...” He picked you up and carried you into the bathroom, setting you on the counter and taking out a first aid kit. “Hold still...” He gently began to treat your wounds, his heart breaking as he saw all of them. “What kind of disgusting human could do this...?”

“...Some kids from school... T-They called me s-some awful t-things...” He looked up at you, sighing.

“Do not concern yourself with this matter anymore. I will handle it.” You shook your head.

“Kiyo, I can-”

“Y/n, as your older brother and your caregiver, I cannot allow that. I agreed to take care of and protect you.” You wanted to argue, but decided it wasn’t worth it. “I’m going to call your principal and keep you home from school for awhile. This time will be dedicated to healing and comforting you.”

“Okay... Thank you.” He pulled you into another hug, stroking your hair softly.

“I will always protect you, no matter the cost...” Even though he sounded calm, he was looking into the mirror with a furious expression as he silently made a promise to himself...

They will never lay a finger on you ever again, my brother... I will guarantee it.

Kazuichi:

He didn’t really get it.

But he was your big brother, so he wanted to support you.

“Hey Y/n? Sonia said you might like this nail polish...”

He had a hard time showing it, but he really did care about and support you.

Even if the outside world doesn’t.

He was working in his workshop, fixing up a motorbike. He had some music playing in the background and was humming quietly. He was deep in thought, but was torn away when he heard a scream.

“K-KAZUICHI!” He was confused, but then it registered that it was your scream. He stood up and made his way back into the house.

“What’s up, Y/n-” He choked on his words as he looked at you. Your torn shirt, bruised face and legs, ruined makeup... “Y/n!” He ran to your side and looked over you, concerned. “What happened?!”

“T-They came from n-nowhere and just... just...” Your legs were shaking and you collapsed, only for Kaz to catch you. “I-It hurts! It hurts, Kaz!”

“I know, I know... Here, let’s getcha fixed, alright?” He supported you on the walk into his workshop, cradling you as he cleaned your wounds. “This is gonna sting a bit, but I promise it’s gonna help, okay?” You winced as the swab touched you. “Shh... It’s okay...” Once he finished, he went back to asking questions. “Can you tell me what happened? Who did this?”

“I-I didn’t know t-them... T-They just s-started calling me awful things and d-did this...” Kazuichi sighed, shaking his head.

“I’m... I’m gonna call Fuyuhiko. He probably knows someone who was in the area. Is that okay?” You nodded softly. “Alright. For now, order whatever you want for dinner and throw anything you want on. I’m keeping you home for a bit, okay?”

“Okay...”

Mondo:

He was surprisingly supportive, especially after he met Chihiro.

“Hey kid! Chi said you might like this...”

Since he was an infamous biker gang leader, he expected no one would hurt you.

Keyword: suspected.

Sadly, he was wrong...

He was making his way back home from school. His bike was in the shop, so he had to be on foot. It had been a pretty quiet walk so far, but he was still on alert. Crime rates had been up in the city, and he wanted to be safe.

“L-Let me go!” His heart stopped in his chest. He’d recognize that voice from a mile away. After all, it was you, his little brother. He took of in a sprint, completely disregarding jaywalking laws as he did. He eventually came to an alleyway and-

“WHAT THE F*CK IS GOING ON HERE?!” The group that was surrounding you looked up at Mondo, freezing. You looked up as well, giving him a full look at the injuries on your face. He was beyond furious. He grabbed the boy that looked like the leader and pinned him to the wall. “What the hell did you do to my little brother, you piece of sh*t?!” The boy was too terrified to get a response out.

“I-I uh... W-We-” Mondo had enough and punched him, breaking his nose instantly.

“You listen to me and listen f*cking well; You will never lay a finger on my brother or anyone else ever again, or I’ll end your pathetic lives with no hesitation. Got that?!” They nodded. “GET LOST!” The boys scurried like mice out of the alleyway and away from the two of you. Once they were gone, Mondo knelt in front of you, looking over your injuries. “Sh*t kid, what the hell happened?!”

“T-They followed me and kept calling me... t-things I’d rather not repeat... I told them to f-f*ck off but... they got m-mad...” He sighed and pulled you into a hug.

“Let’s just get you home... Here, lemme carry you...” He picked you up gently, holding you like a baby. To him, you looked so small and fragile in that moment. He made a promise to himself that this would never, ever happen again... At least, not without bloodshed.

[anonymouslyangsty]

Okay so I adore Kazuichi Soda, but GOD do I feel like his character is wasted somewhat in game??? I really wish he had more of an ark

(Warning, I’m going to ramble like a himbo about my Sodapop son below. It’s...way to long and has spoilers)

So, Kaz’s whole character backstory is that he was a nerdy, shy kid who got pushed around by his ‘friends’. He got in trouble for helping a friend cheat on a test, but he wasn’t upset when said friend threw him under the bus. He only got upset when that friend stopped talking to him after, which in turn encouraged him to distrust others and change his behavior and appearance to appear tough.

What I get from this is that Kaz puts on a fragile act to look tough, has a hard time trusting others, and has rather low self esteem. He acts like a punk, but the second someone attacks him, verbally or otherwise, he crumbles and cowers. 

That all being said, I don’t feel that these traits are properly handled or addressed in the game

Firstly, the whole Sonia obsession. I think it makes sense from a few perspectives. In one option, Soda could see Sonia, being a princess, as above ‘normal’ people, thus making her an object of his affections. Option B is that he doesn’t REALLY obsess with Sonia that hard, but because he wants to look cool, he pretends to like her so he can fit in with what he thinks dudes are like. 

Whatever option we go with, it’s clear that Soda has a very shallow ‘love’ for Sonia, only really liking her for her title and appearance. Whenever she expresses the darker sides of her personality (love of the occult and serial killers), Kaz always tries to divert attention from or ignore it. He doesn’t love her as a person, but as a figure. 

The shallowness of his love is coupled with her total devotion to her. Kaz makes the exact same mistake he did with his friend: he trusts Sonia irrationally, incapable of seeing any fault in her whatsoever. So, whenever she’s put into question, he jumps at her aid, trusting her regardless of any evidence. 

This also means that he’s incapable of seeing how uninterested she is in him. She never bluntly says it, but it’s clear that Sonia, at the very least, vaguely dislikes Kaz. She straight up hopes that he’s the killer in chapter 4.

But again, just like with his friend, Kaz brushes it off as nothing. Sonia could do anything to him but, as long as he has her ‘companionship’ (or the illusion of it), he’s fine. This is clearly a terribly unhealthy mentality for a relationship, as Sonia gets idolized to an uncomfortable degree and Soda leaves himself open to any level of abuse as long as he thinks he’s accepted.

Kaz is repeating the same mistake from his backstory, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing. The bad part is the fact that it’s never addressed.

Sonia never tells Soda to stop, nor does anyone ever highlight the fact that Soda doesn’t really love her. He is constantly following her, but probably couldn’t say 10 things about her personality. If that WAS addressed, it could be used to show Soda that he isn’t going to make connections to people by keeping up his “cool, thirsty bro” persona, but instead by being genuine and kind, which is more align with his true personality. Honestly, I was expecting this to happen after chapter 4 but nope.

Another option, darker this time, is that Soda could find himself betrayed again. It would makes sense thematically; Kaz repeats the same mistake of blind trust, and is thus betrayed again. Maybe Sonia tries to kill someone, betraying the ideal pedestal Kaz places her on. Maybe she frames HIM for murder in an attempt to save Gundham.

Slight tangent here, but I really like the idea of a worst case scenario where Soda’s failure to learn from the past gets him killed (TLDR for the tangent, as if this whole thing doesn’t need a TLDR: Sonia and Kaz pull a DR1 first murder, but Kaz legit acts in self defense).

 Let’s say that, instead of the funhouse, chapter 4 gives motivation videos regarding everyone’s home. Of course, Sonia’s is about how her kingdom is falling into shambles. Extremely stressed, she locks herself in her room for several days. She eventually decides that, to save her kingdom, she has to sacrifice everything, even her morality. She decides to kill.

So, Sonia goes after the easiest target: Soda. Because of his blind faith in her, Soda wouldn’t hesitate to do whatever she asked. So Sonia asks him to meet her in some secluded area, perhaps the abandoned warehouse from chapter 1, sometime late at night.

Soda agrees to this blindly because he can’t EVER believe that Miss Sonia would ever do wrong. However, when he arrives, she attacks him, perhaps stabbing him in the shoulder. I know this is probably slightly underestimating Sonia, as she is trained in weaponry and could probably kill Kaz in one blow, but let’s say she’s so distressed that she doesn’t fatally would him.

Of course, there’s a struggle because, as much as Kaz obsesses over her, he’s not going to let Sonia murder him. She eventually backs him into a corner but, before she can kill him, he knocks her out with a wrench or something (he’s already established to carry one around because it comforts him, so it makes sense that he’d have it)

So now Kaz is alone, bleeding in an abandoned building with an unconscious woman at his feet. That would be a good point to wake everyone up and say what happens, but here’s where Kaz’s personality comes to bite him again. He still has faith in Sonia despite everything, unable to see her faults despite her having literally tried to kill him

So, his first priority is covering up HER crime. He hides the evidence of the attack as best as he can (which probably isn’t well given his panic and his wound). Then, he takes Sonia and carries her back to her room. He probably ties her up so she doesn’t her anyone else or herself when she wakes up. 

The next morning, Sonia isn’t at breakfast. Given that she’d locked herself in her room for several days, it wouldn’t be suspicious. Not wanting her to stay tied up, Soda offers to take breakfast to her. Once there, he wants to talk to her and calm her down, before letting her go and never telling anyone what happened.

However, you can’t just knock someone over the head and think they’re fine. That kind of kills people, and Soda soon learns that. When he gets into Sonia’s room, he finds her still tied up, dead.

Kaz is a coward, but is shown to be kind at heard. So, while I don’t think he’d be brave enough to confess, I don’t think he’d be willing to kill everyone else. Perhaps he’d try to kill himself before the trial to spare himself from execution. However, Nagito stops him. Nagito convinces Soda to cling onto the hope that he ISN’T the killer, and instead someone came to Sonia afterwards and killed her. It’s farfetched, but given his mental state, Kaz would buy it.

This all creates something I’ve always wanted in DR: an innocent blackened. Soda acted in self defense and had no intention to kill. In the trial, he wouldn’t be hiding info in an attempt to trick everyone, but in misplaced hope that he ISN’T the killer. 

Not only that, but this outcome really highlights the error of Soda’s mentality. Because he so blindly trusted Sonia, he was easily tricked by her. Because his self esteem is so bad, he doesn’t even get mad when she tries to kill him, instead hiding HER crime. Perhaps, if he’d gotten upset and ratted her out, she could’ve gotten some kind of medical attention and been saved. Instead, Kaz bent over backwards for her, leading to their deaths.

That was a long tangent, but the point is, I want Kaz’s failure to learn from past mistakes to be addressed, either by him growing past it or being punished for it. Nether happens though. The Sonia obsession continues throughout the ENTIRE game, with it never being addressed as a problem. It’s really strange thematically and character wise, as addressing it could’ve given both characters good development.

Moving on from Sonia somewhat, I HATE Kaz’s character ark, as he doesn’t evolve, but devolves. The source of Kaz’s problems is lis low self esteem. If he cared about himself more, he wouldn’t have accepted poor treatment from his friends in exchange for their companionship. He wouldn’t have changed his appearance and personality because he thought he was unlikable and boring.

Despite that however, in the end, the lesson he learns is to trust people again. That’s not a BAD lesson, but it doesn’t solve the problem. His self esteem is still nearly nothing; by once again falling into the idea that he has to trust his friends nonmatter what, he’s setting himself up to be used again (I’m not saying anyone in the DR2 cast WOULD do that, but the possibility remains.)

By trusting again without gaining self esteem, Kaz somewhat goes pack to step one. His ark really shoud have been about trusting and loving HIMSELF before he trusts and loves others. Kaz needs to realize that he doesn’t need to put on a tough act to make friends, as anyone who requires a tough act to like him isn’t his friend at all. He needs to realize that he deserves good treatment, and someone being your friend doesn’t justify cruel behavior towards you. 

But! He never learns that!!! He just goes right back to trusting without considering his self worth. That...really isn’t healthy and I wish it was addressed in his ark.

Another thing: why doesn’t Kaz have any dead friends? The entire surviving DR2 cast has someone who they were close to that died, Akane and Nekomaru, Fuyu and Peko, Hajime and Chiaki, Sonia and Gundham. It’s strange that everyone BUT Kaz has a close relationship with someone who dies in game.

Why not make Kaz friends with Mikan? I feel like they have a bit in canon, with both being anxious and prone to being bullied. I feel like a friendship between those two could be used to show Kaz’s more genuine personality. It’d be a chance to show that he isn’t CONSTANTLY thirsty over girls, that he can talk to Mikan without a hint of lust. Instead, they could just be friends, finding comfort in the fact that there’s someone else who’s just as terrified as they are.

Also, this relationship could be used to both mess with Kaz AND make another parallel to DR1. Make Mikan frame Kaz for the killing, just like Celeste with Hiro. This would not only be super interesting, but also a MASSIVE blow to Kaz’s ability to trust, which is already terrible. Also again, I just feel like Kaz’s anxiety is used for comic relief too often. I want this boy to straight up have a panic attack in trial. Destroy him with fear. 

So uh, yeah. I feel like Kaz’s depth is sacrificed for the sake of comic relief. He could’ve been so much more, but he isn’t and it’s a shame. Also, if you read this whole thing, then you must be just as obsessed with Kaz as I am. So, send me some good Kaz fics! It is SO HARD to find a fic that focuses on Kaz instead of Nagito. Do it.

[velvetcoves]

congrats on your milestone !! you deserve it !! can i get a matchup for danganronpa ? i have short brown hair cut into a mullet, with grey eyes, and a short, petite build. i’m kinda loud, but i’m extremely caring, but i’m an ambivert. i also enjoy reading books, painting, and writing !! my pronouns are she/it. i love sunsets, and catching butterflies. i like when it rains, and i enjoy jumping in puddles. i also love shopping for candles, specifically lemon scented. congrats , and tysm !!

you sound so pretty hNNG

i match you with..

Kazuichi Souda!

please this man is probably a bigger simp for you than he was for Sonia

i can toTALLY SEE Kaz lovin himself some mullets, so you bet your ass he loves your haircut

you two are so loud with eachother, but everyone can’t bring themselves to care because of how cute y’all are 🥺

he is another rain lover, so please imagine some splashin in puddles and/or getting completely soaked due to him cause it’s Kaz

he would LOVE for you to teach him how to catch butterflies!! he’d be scared to hurt them, so you would have to teach his poor ass how to correctly handle the fragile insects

Souda would very much pick you up at the most inappropriate/inconvenient times. he cannot get ENOUGH of how well you fit in his arms

dates would include!!

-rain dates!! take this lightly, cause this includes a number of things

-painting with Kaz!! that would be such a chore, but i can imagine you two having the time of your life (and he’s actively trying to make you laugh, so that’s a plus)

-going to small little butterfly enclosures. after he learned of your love for the creatures, he’ll often take you to see them :)

-homemade candle shops!! he’ll bring you to one at LEAST once a weak so you can add candles to your ever growing collection

TAKE CARE OF HIM!! i love you

[asthora]

The Last Dance, Pt. 3

The board is set and it’s time for the games to begin. Benny is back in Vegas but what exactly does that mean? Benny puts his boys in their place.  Indy tugs the leash. The Mojave calls their names.  Part three of my Benny x Courier saga. Parts one & two. 

Two Weeks Later

Benny is a fucking king.

He sits at a poker table with a broad on either side.  One’s a redhead, the other a blond.  No brunettes but he ain’t one to complain about a pretty bird.  

“Blow on the dice baby,” he says. “It’s for good luck.”

The blonde winks at him, pulls back her silky hair, and blows on the dice.  He throws, not giving a shit whether his luck is good or bad.  It’s his goddamn casino so whatever money he loses goes right back into his well lined pockets.

“Oh look at that,” he says, not even bothering to glance at the dice. “A perfect roll.”

He forgets about the game.  He’s bored.  He wants to mingle.  Swank is in charge of the floor tonight so he’s got time to do a little snooping, make some connections, listen to the latest gossip on the strip.  Word on the street is, the courier hasn’t been seen in two weeks.  He certainly hasn’t seen her since their little soiree at the fort.  Much as he misses her cute little face, he doesn’t mind.  Given him the space he’s needed to figure out his next moves.

“Baby, why don’t you go get us all a drink?” He whispers to the redhead.  “And you pussycat, go see about getting the music in here turned up.  It’s so goddamn loud I can barely hear Frank’s crooning.”

His girls giggle and scatter.  Good, he’s bored.  Time to disappear.  Benny dusts off his coat and heads over to where Swank and some of his boys are lounging at the edge of the casino floor.  They straighten when they see him.  

“Ben-man!” Swank says, clapping him on the back. “You know, having you back is still the highlight of my day.”

Benny raises his eyebrows.  He’s so full of shit.  Swank was eyeing his position the day he stepped foot out of The Tops.  When Benny walked back through those doors Swank’s face fell so far he was afraid he might not get it back.  He’s glad his second is enough of a coward not to challenge him.  Sticking Swank would be a lot harder than sticking Bingo, not because Swank can best him, hell no, but because Swank ain’t bad.  But he would kill him if he had to...right?  Definitely, he thinks. Of course I would.  For Vegas.

“How’s the ole’ girl running?” Benny asks, taking out a cigarette and placing it between his lips.

“Humming along like a dream,” he smiles. “Ever since that broad took the helm our profits have been aces.  Never done better business, boss.”

Benny grunts and lights his cig.  Indy had his old lighter delivered to his room with a lovely little note that reminded him he was nothing more than a mutt begging at her feet.  Bitch literally drew a fucking dog after she signed her name.  

“You leaving anytime soon, boss?” Katz asks.  Benny slowly turns to the dumb, mousy lookin’ bouncer.  He can barely fill out his suit.  Benny is surprised he’s lasted this long.  Katz was one of the Boot Riders, just a kid when they sauntered through those flashing Vegas gates.

“You know Katz, it’s rude to ask a man’s business.  Anyone ever told you that?”

Katz goes red in the face. “I-I’m sorry boss.  Just, just wanted to know.”

“Yeah, well keep your wonderings to yourself.  Alright?”

Katz nods and Benny sucks on his cig.  He surveys the casino floor.  Swank hastily tells Kaz to go check on security by the door and the little runt runs off like he’s had a fire lit under his ass.

“He’s asked a good question you know,” Swank says after a few moments. “You’re sticking around this time, right?”

Benny closes his eyes slowly then opens them. “I’ll do as I please, Swank.  But for now, I’m not leaving.”

“We just gotta know,” he says quietly. “You just left us, boss.  If it weren’t for In- Benny spins and leans in close to his second.  He fucking dares Swank to say her name.  He’ll skin him alive right now if he even mentions the courier.  

“Just because I’m not here to mop up everyone’s spilled milk doesn’t mean this place goes to shit, you hear me?  We don’t need that bitch to settle our own affairs.  Understand?”

Swank is stony. “Yeah, boss.  Platinum.”

He stares at Swank for a good solid ten seconds before he turns around and walks away.  Benny smokes his cig until he reaches the filter then throws it in an overflowing ashtray by the slot machines.  Why does the courier have to pepper every single conversation, huh?  Why is she the savior?  This is his casino, his game.  His boys.  Fuck her, she doesn’t get to have a say in his kingdom.

“Calm down, Benny.” He mutters to himself, slicking back his hair and tugging at the lapels of his checkered coat.  He’s getting worked up over nothing.  He’s back.  She can’t put her dirty fingers on The Tops ever again, not until the day his heart stops beating and the his lungs stop breathing air.  And he’ll have Vegas again.  One day. Maybe not tomorrow but she can’t keep hold of his baby forever.

Benny heads up to the stairs to the theater where the Rad Pack is singing an 18 karat cover of Dean Martin’s Sway.  He heads to the bar hoping that a little drink will help calm his nerves.  He’s been too jumpy lately, not himself.

“Whiskey neat,” he says to the bartender.  He leans against the tabletop and watches the stage for a moment before he starts on another cigarette.  The bartender, Charlie, slides him his drink and he takes a sip.

“You know, I almost missed you.”

Benny jumps.  Goddamn.  There she is, creeping up on him again.  The courier stands before him, covered in Mojave from head to toe.  Looks like she just stepped into town and decided to stop by and share a few neighborly hellos.

“You ever shower, baby?” He asks.

“What’s the point in showering when I’ve got to clean up everyone’s shit?” She asks, leaning against the bartop.

“Be careful then.  Don’t want you ruining the upholstery.”

Indy rolls her clear eyes and turns to Charlie. “Gin and tonic.”

“Surprise, surprise.  Thought you might be a white wine kinda girl.” He says.

She doesn’t even bother to look at him.  Indy grabs her drink and kicks it back like it’s water.

“What have you been up to since I’ve been gone?” She asks.  Straight to business, as always.

“Cleaning up the mess I left behind.  Checking the books, stomping out cats who’ve been singing.  You ain’t one of mine if you’ve been humming a tune about me.  I don’t like rumors.”

That’s a lie.  He loves rumors.  Rumors are the sea upon which Vegas floats.  See, rumors ain’t too bad.  Somewhere in them, there’s some truth.  It was once a rumor that House had a secret army.  Then it was a fact that he could put some oomph in his securitrons and rule the desert with the flick of a button.  So yeah, he loves a good rumor.  He just doesn’t care for rumors about him.

“Good call,” Indy says. “And were any of the...cats you let go Boot Riders.”

He gives her a look.  “Now why do you care?”

“Assessing how far your loyalties lie.”  She says plainly.

He watches her.  Indy stares back.  Her brown hair is pulled back in a messy ponytail and her tanned skin is peppered with light freckles.  She could be pretty.  It’s just the Mojave on her reeks.

“I believe you’re asking questions that lie in my jurisdiction.  I’ll run my casino the way I please.”

She smirks. “Yeah, well, at the end of the day hot shot, I get to ask whatever questions I want.  Oh, and I get answers too.  One way or another.”

Benny takes a drink and tears his eyes from Indy and back to the stage.  The Rad Pack is finishing up and a dame in a sparkly red dress is taking the stage.

“So did you just stop by to ask questions or are you here for something else, pally?  Or did you just wanna swing?” He asks.

Indy clears her throat. “I don’t know what that means.  Whatever, I’m here to get your help.  Pack your bags, pally.  We’re going out to do a little reconnaissance in a few days.”

“What?”

“Do you not know what that means?  Do I need to grab a dictionary for you?”

If only he could smack this broad ten ways till Sunday he fucking would!  She’s got a chip on her shoulder the size of California.  Benny blows smoke through his nose and grinds his teeth.

“I ain’t a Harv, pussycat.  I know about reconnaissance.  I just wanna know why you’re dragging me along.”

“You’ll find out when we get there.”

Benny turns back to Indy.  She doesn’t look smug for once, she looks serious.  Dead serious.  Like she knows something bad.  He straightens and puts out his cigarette.

“What am I supposed to tell my boys?” He asks lowly.

“Tell them that the courier has a business opportunity that can benefit The Tops.  Tell them nothing more, nothing less.”

“Swank will ask questions.”

“I thought you didn’t need my help running your casino?”

“Watch your fucking mouth,” Benny grumbles. “I’ll handle it.”

Indy smiles. “I’ll send word when I know more.  Dust off your Mojave gear, Ben-man. “

He feels his fucking blood go cold.  It was one thing to tramp through that rad infested shithole when he was tracking the courier, it’s another to go out into with no other reason than he’s got to stay close to his handler’s heels.  Benny watches her walk out the door of the Aces with his heart hammering.  The Mojave doesn’t scare him, just reminds him of a time he thought he left behind.

The Mojave never fully lets you go.

The Singer told him that once.  Benny winces.  Another bad memory.  One he’d rather pretend didn’t happen.  He does that a lot, he pretends.  Another reason he fucked up getting Vegas.  He pretended the courier wasn’t a loose end, pretended that fucking her would solve all his problems, pretended that The Tops and Vegas were putty in his hands and he could have both and his cake.

“Stop crying in the rain, pally.” He mutters, taking one last swig and exiting the theater.

Benny stands, leaning against the railing, surveying his fragile kingdom.  Swank is back at the desk and several Chairman make the rounds, watching for thieves and tricksters.  But all is quiet on the homefront.  Except for Benny.  He feels like a swing band is going off in his head.  Then there’s that feeling in his gut like things can never be fine again.  Like he’s heading straight for nowhere a million miles a minute.

-

She sends the croaker to fetch him.  

It’s 10AM on a Saturday when Arcade, that fucking doctor goon, walks through the door.  He’s dressed like he’s ready to go scavenging through an abandoned junkyard.  Benny’s heart drops to his well shined shoes.  He knows what this means.

“You ready?” Arcade asks.  Not even a hello.

“Where we meetin’ doc?”

“Lucky 38 lobby.  You have ten minutes.”

He turns around and walks back out the door without a goodbye.  Swank is behind the check-in desk and he looks utterly confused and a bit suspicious.

“What’s going, boss?” He asks.

Benny puts on his best reassuring smile. “Got a job in the Mojave.  A business opportunity for The Tops.  I’ll be back in a few days, don’t worry about it.”

Swank just nods, brows still furrowed and a frown on his face.  Benny knows he’s trying to figure out whether to believe him or not.  He doesn’t wait around for more questions.  Benny heads up to his suite and changes into something more suited for the desert rather than his best suit.  It’s been a hot minute since he’s wandered the Wastes.  Last few times wasn’t really wandering, just passing through.  He’s heard all the stories about the Courier.  By the tall tales floating around, she should know every inch of that hellhole by now.

Benny sticks Maria into a holster and slings his bag over his shoulder.  He takes one good last look at his suite before he heads out, using one of the stairwell exits as to not draw attention to himself.  He really isn’t into some brainless Omerta reporting back to his boss that he saw the Benny stomping around dressed like a wastelander.

He crosses the street and hops up the stairs.  When he reaches for the doors he almost doesn’t expect them to open.  Not even House let him into his fortress.  Anytime the asshole wanted to communicate he did it through a Securitron.  Guess he thought real  conversation would change his luck with the next protegee.  Too bad it blew up in his face.

Benny opens the door and a lovely  gust of AC cooled air blasts him in the face.  The door shuts behind him and he’s alone, standing in a dark red and black lobby.  It’s a lot grander than The Tops, a bit more preserved too.  The carpet isn’t as bad off and the wallpaper is somehow not peeling off the ancient walls.  Benny whistles lowly.  It’s impressive, but its lonely.  It would be one hell of a casino floor if there were singing slot machines, drunk broads laughing, and a nice crooner in the corner humming some sweet little tune.  But the Courier has her wrapped up tight, and for right now the 38 is about as friendly as cactus flower.

By a bar off to the left he sees the doc and three other people.  One of them is some redhead he doesn’t recognize and the other is that fucking NCR beret.  Sitting on top of the bar, swinging her legs back and forth  like a child,  is the queen herself.  

“Did I make it on time, your highness?” He calls.  He approaches them with swagger but he’d rather be running in the opposite direction right now.  There is no bone in his body that wants to walk outside these walls.

Indy pretends to look at a watch and bites her lip.  “You’re twenty-two seconds late but I suppose I’ll let it slide.”

The redhead scowls at him and leans against Indy’s thigh. “Jesus fucking Christ I never thought this prick would ever set foot in my presence again.  Yet here he fucking is.”

“Don’t be melodramatic, Cass.” Indy rolls her eyes. “You know why he’s still kicking.”

“Yeah I know,” she says.  “Doesn’t make me wanna put some lead between his eyes any less.”

Benny grinds his teeth.  “I’m getting real tired of everyone wanting me dead.”

“Then stop being such an ass.” Indy says, hopping off the bar.  She’s clean for once though her t-shirt and jeans have seen better days.  She’s already got a pistol strapped around her thigh and a hunting knife hanging from a holster on her belt.

“Before we go,” Benny says. “Tell me where we’re going.  Give me some peace of mind, baby.  I don’t like not knowing.”

She smiles sweetly, sickeningly.  It makes his stomach turn flips.

“You don’t need to know where we’re going or what we’re doing just yet.  It’s a precaution, you see.  I wanna make sure your eyes and ears in the city can’t see or hear a thing.”

He throws his hands up in the air. “Baby, the only eyes and ears here are my own and they ain’t about to go off and tell tall tales.”

Indy shrugs she takes the rifle offered by the NCR prick.  “I don’t care.  These are the rules and if you want to fight them be my guest, but there are consequences.”

Benny falls silent.  He’s not gonna get a damn thing out of this broad.  One thing's for certain, she’s stubborn.  When it comes to being in the dark, Benny has never felt so blind, but he respects her secrecy.  She’s smart, he admires that too, he just wishes for his own sake she was a little more loose lipped.

“Before we go let me introduce you to my people,” Indy says, shouldering the rifle. “This is Boone.  He is - or was - NCR.”  She points to the man with the beret and sunglasses.  

Benny smiles and claps the man on the back. “Oh I know this cat,” he says. “We spent some time together.  It was aces, wasn’t it partner?”

Boone looks at Benny and shrugs off his hand. “Don’t touch me.”

Indy ignores the exchange. “You know Arcade.  Everyone who’s ever visited the Mormon Fort knows Arcade.  And this is Cass.”  She nods to the redhead who is absolutely fuming.  She looks at him like she’s five seconds away from shivving him with a dull kitchen knife.

“Pleasure,” he says.

“You’re fucking desert trash.” Cass spits.

“Alright,” Indy puts a hand between him and the redhead. “Let’s not bloody my casino.  Just had the carpets cleaned.”

Cass takes a step back and pulls something out of her back pocket.  It’s a bottle of whiskey.  So the bitch is a drunk.  He looks at them all.  They’re all rejects, wasteland wanderers and castaways, people that not even the Mojave wanted.  Where the fuck did she find these freaks?  NCR kicked Boone to the curb and the Followers tolerate Arcade and this Cass seems like the drunk cousin you “forget” to invite over for Christmas.

Indy pushes past him and Cass. “We gotta go.  We gotta meet our contact before sundown and we’ve got desert to cover.”

Boone slings a polished sniper rifle over his shoulder and Arcade adjusts the plasma rifle strapped to his back.  Cass hangs back, nursing her whiskey and watching him with cold eyes as the four head towards the door.

“Hold down the fort Cass,” Indy calls over her shoulder. “Take good care of Rex for me!”

“Yeah yeah,” she calls. “I’ll take care of the mutt.  Don’t let the asshole with bad fashion sense stick you in your sleep!”

Indy waves and Boone opens the door.  This is it, his first act with the courier.  He shields his eyes against the sun and they set off, through the gate that separates the strip from Freeside.  They stroll past junkies and hungry kids and Kings who grin and shout “Hey there, sister!” when the see Indy walk by.  Then it’s the end of the line.  All that divides him from civilization and the desert is a bent steel gate and it’s sliding open a bit too quickly for him.  

Indy waves them forward and he follows her out of heaven and into hell.

[storytime-reviews]

Crooked Kingdom Book Review

Kaz Brekker and his crew have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn't think they'd survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they're right back to fighting for their lives. Double-crossed and badly weakened, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. 

As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz's cunning and test the team's fragile loyalties. A war will be waged on the city's dark and twisting streets―a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of the Grisha world.

Rating: ★★★★★

Spoilers ahead

On reading this novel, and even on finishing it, I had the feeling that this is the type of book that only gets better on repeated readings, in which you can more fully appreciate the intricacies of both character and plot. Therein lies one of the difficulties-as a duology, there is only so much we can learn. I know many people, my sister for one, are desperate for Bardugo to create more stories with these characters. In some ways I feel like the minority then. Not that I didn’t enjoy the book or anything, I definitely did, but I suppose that I am at peace with where Bardugo ends this story, and am at this stage patient enough to wait and see where she goes from here. That being said, I would be disappointed if Bardugo does not come back to these characters at some point. I was also relieved in the end that Matthias was the one to die, for though I enjoyed his character well enough, I was not attached to him, unlike the other characters. I must admit however, that the blurbs on both Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom don’t work for me-there’s just something about them that gives a different impression of what the book is about, especially after finishing both books.

Diversity is ever present within this series, be it diversity of gender, race, sexual orientation, as well as mental and physical disabilities and addiction. Inej and Nina are both two completely different female characters, and yet they can both be warriors and are great friends. One aspect of Crooked Kingdom that I felt was much improved from the first book was that we got to see more interaction between the two of them as they grew to be close. Even from the beginning of the novel, Nina is completely focused on the team rescuing Inej. I also loved the analogy of a lock to a woman, more specifically, how Kaz tore this apart. I hate the trope in so many novels to create an analogy such as this, likening women to objects or perspectives that are essentially sexist. Kaz tears apart this analogy seamlessly Whilst women are portrayed as especially complicated in fiction, Kaz recognises that we all are.

I also felt that the major themes of fear and shame were well placed, particularly regarding Wylan and reading, Inej and her shadow, and Jesper and his gambling addiction (and fear of his Grisha abilities). It’s important that Kaz does not treat Wylan’s inability to read as a weakness, nor as something to laugh at. In fact, he specifically states that Wylan’s weakness is his fear that people will see his weakness, his weakness is the shame that he feels. Kaz does not feel shame for his physical disability (in fact at one point it appears he could have had a Grisha take care of it, but specifically chooses not to). He does not live in shame, and in choosing to be the thing that people fear, his disability does not appear to be considered a weakness by others. He learns to fight with his cane, and actually makes it a strength. Of course, Kaz’s ptsd is revealed throughout this novel. His gloves enable him to hold it together, and we are given glimpses into his past and why he continues to use them. It is these experiences and feelings, along with his scenes with Inej, that make me feel that Kaz is asexual, sex-repulsed and touch averse. His trauma in no way invalidates his sexuality, and whilst this is not canon, I do believe that there is evidence to suggest this is the case. Also, in no way would this sexuality affect his feelings for Inej. Personally, Kaz could be great representation for people who have very little. These are only a few examples, but they emphasise the importance of diversity within this duology, in terms of not only representation for those that can relate to these characters differences, but also for as positive examples for others.

In terms of both character and plot, I felt that this sequel was much stronger than the original, which is exactly what the audience wants in a series. Bardugo’s writing felt much stronger, and she used the various points of view to a greater advantage in terms of creating better plot twists and character revelations than in Six of Crows. The strength of Six of Crows lies in how this ragtag group of individuals, many of whom don’t get along, somehow manage to pull together as a team. Crooked Kingdom, however, relies on an exploration of particular team dynamics, and how they have all come to understand each other. In some ways, it is more lighthearted, and yet, Bardugo couples this with higher stakes in order to facilitate increasing tension. 

What works particularly well in this sequel, is that the team’s success in rescuing Inej at the very beginning of the novel is very closely followed by their complete failure of their next objective. Crooked Kingdom begins with a member of the team missing, and Bardugo cleverly using alternating points of view to trick the audience into initially believing that Van Eck will be successful. Just as the other characters are invariably taken aback by Kaz withholding important parts of his plans from them, the audience is convinced they know the plans of both Van Eck and Kaz, until realising we have been blindsided. Significantly however, once Inej has returned, the team begins work on the next phase of the plan, which goes terribly wrong. I will admit at this point that I had to stop reading for a while, I couldn’t handle the anxiety of Van Eck and Pekka Rollins besting the team. It is important though, that the team’s initial success is later met with failure, that Bardugo tempers our belief in the team. Whilst we may believe that they will ultimately triumph, especially given how they beat the odds at the Ice Court, it would be unrealistic to suggest that this team has few capable obstacles. Complications and conflict are what make stories, and it would perhaps not be so interesting to watch Kaz’s plans go off without a hitch the entire length of the novel. Furthermore, if they had been successful at this point, then there really wouldn’t be much left to write about. Bardugo gets the balance exactly right. 

Having witnessed the team at their lowest, completely surrounded by enemies on all sides, including many of their own people, we are able to witness their rise from the ashes. It is necessary to bring the team down to this level in order to create the tension exhibited in Six of Crows. The impregnable nature of the Ice Court cannot be followed by something as simplistic as their first plan, otherwise the sequel could hardly improve on the original. This is exactly what Bardugo does, improving the story as we watch Kaz’s insane plan come to pass. With very few allies, stuck between a rock and a hard place, Kaz’s plan flourishes (though not without a couple of hindrances) at every angle, with the complete commitment of the team and their new Ravkan allies. Of course, it would not be a Kaz plan if he hadn't been holding out on everyone, including the audience. Again, this is where Bardugo uses the alternating points of view to her advantage, just as the other characters do not know the extent of his plan, neither does the audience. And as we are only privy to certain viewpoints at certain times, Bardugo ensures we are not privy to this knowledge. The multiple plot twists that occurred as Kaz’s true plan came to light were handled brilliantly, and enabled a much more satisfying end to Van Eck as his reputation was completely torn to shreds in front of everyone. It works so well because Kaz is running multiple games at once, even bringing Pekka Rollins to his knees. 

Even with Matthias’ death, I enjoyed the ending of Crooked Kingdom, and that in some way, the characters got what they had wanted and/or needed. Nina and Kuwei got to go to Ravka with the rest of the Grisha. Jesper and Wylan got to be happy, with Wylan now the rightful owner of all of his father’s property and wealth and his mother back with him (I loved how Kaz enabled this to happen). Inej not only gets her ship, but also gets to see her parents again. Perhaps this ending would have felt more bittersweet if I was attached to Matthias the way I am to the other characters, but mostly I was just pleased that they all got to be happy. Even with this ending, I still feel that there are plenty of places to go for these characters. I did love the very ending of the novel, the impression I got being that Pekka Rollins decided he was out of the business for good, and good luck to anyone else that may try and cross Kaz Brekker. So I guess, in the end, Kaz got what he wanted as well. 

[boybrute-a-blog]

‘ BACK SO SOON, HENDRIKS ?  i was under the impression you wanted nothing to do with us. ’     there’s amusement where there should have been surprise, knowing glimmers in coal - dark eyes. he lays the mockery on thick, words like syrup on his tongue. the merchling before him may as well have been stamped         FRAGILE !  HANDLE WITH CARE.  (  the barrel’s no place for porcelain skin and honest faces. despite the dirt and grime, wylan still reeks of privilege.  )  in fact, without kaz’s protection, he's good as dead already. van eck’s boy is hooked, nowhere left to go.  which is why kaz leans back against the wall and tilts his head in an assessing movement, a cat toying with its prey. 

‘ how do i know you weren’t paid to snoop around here ?  we value loyalty in the dregs. ’     or :  traitors are cut and left to die.

( starter call !  »  @ghezenblessed​​ )

[secretlyamushroom]

Insults

Never forget that Kaz is one of those types where you could verbally abuse him to hell and threaten his entire family and he’d respond in kind, but throw a cheap insult about his name or hair his way and he’d fold like a handkerchief;

Rich asshole: I will burn your friends and your home and your city to the ground and save you for last

Kaz: Oh yes? I wouldn’t. I would simply watch as your paltry riches and your house of cards you call an empire and your disloyal family crumble around you, and leave you to rot. I wouldn’t kill you because I will outlive you

Other rich asshole: Hah your hair is stupid 

Kaz:

Kaz: *holding back tears*