#kaz learning suli

[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.

[crowshoots]

the fact that 4/6 crows are primarily speaking their second or third language for the entirety of the book is an untapped gold mine

[fantastic-nonsense]

Things Kaz canonically does in the two years between Crooked Kingdom and Rule of Wolves:

(presumably) massively expands the Dregs' territory

buys Pekka's old club (the Emerald Palace) and completely renovates it, turning it into The Silver Six

massively expands the Crow Club to the point where it's "three times the size of every other establishment on the block"

builds an underground tunnel that goes from the Crow Club to the Geldstraat, where the Van Eck Mansion is

takes Jesper out on jobs with him often enough that Wylan has jokingly banned Jesper from answering the door when he knocks

learns about Ketterdam's Suli laborers and picks up additional knowledge of Suli culture

keeps up with Inej's whereabouts and helps her take out slavers

expands his information network to the Kerch colonies

is on friendly enough terms with the King of Ravka that he taught Nikolai how to pick locks and Nikolai feels comfortable personally writing him a letter when he needs to steal the titanium from Kerch

disguises himself just to follow people around on the streets

was planning to steal the titanium from the military base anyway just for fun

And that's just the stuff we see from Nikolai's and Zoya's incredibly limited perspectives during their Ketterdam sidequest

I 100% agree with Zoya when she thinks that "maybe Kaz was like Nikolai, a boy with an unquiet mind, a man in perpetual need of challenge" because ROW makes it so obvious that Kaz is bored and incredibly restless in his success. Someone get our boy a new life's purpose and a subscription to a long-running unsolved mystery podcast stat

[kazcreates]

Multilingual Crows

[Disclaimer: I know little about the languages that the Grishaverse languages were based on. These are about my personal headcanons for the Grishaverse languages.]

• Kaz speaks Southern Kerch, but taught himself how to speak like a native of Ketterdam. His old accent and dialect still slips out on occasion when he’s comfortable. He is also attempting to learn Suli, although he claims it’s a “business venture.” (Everyone knows it’s not).

• Matthias speaks high Fjerdan and knows more Kerch slang and swear words than most of the others.

• Nina speaks all languages fluently and can hide her accent. However, when speaking with Inej in Suli, she often slips Ravkan words into her speech.

• Wylan is fluent in Kerch, and knows the basics of and some songs in Fjerdan. 

• Inej speaks Suli, Ravkan, and Kerch. On occasion, she’ll tell Kaz a Suli proverb in Suli, both without realizing it and because it doesn’t translate into Kerch. He never corrects her.

• Jesper speaks Zemeni, Kerch, and bits and pieces of Kaelish. 

And thus, the Crows have multiple conversations at once, in multiple different languages. Nina and Inej sitting on the couch in the sitting room of the Van Eck mansion, chatting animatedly in Ravkan and Suli. Matthias and Wylan sitting on the rug, having a casual conversation about their days in Fjerdan, while Wylan occasionally turns to Jesper and tells him off in Kerch. Jesper, being Jesper, trying to see how drunk he can get Kaz so that he can see his old accent come out. Kaz, by this point, is comfortable enough with his crows to let some of his armor down, and appeases Jesper eventually, falling back into the Southern Kerch dialect, most of which Jesper can’t understand. (Which only amuses Kaz more.)

[garbagef4iry]

my random kanej headcanons:

— kaz cooks for them because inej always ends up burning the food. he’s good at cooking though and enjoys it

— sometimes inej bakes cakes and they turn out alright

— he learns how to make her favorite suli dishes and she learns how to make kerch desserts

— they love to learn about the others cultures. sometimes inej wears her hair in a traditional kerch milkmaid braid ( crown braid) and kaz absolutely loves it

— when they have their daughters (because kaz is a girl dad obviously) they speak kerch and suli around the house. kaz reads them old kerch folktales and inej sings suli lullabies

— originally they wanted a lot of kids like maybe five but end up stopping at three because inej didn’t think she could handle another pregnancy

— kaz keeps their house clean, like obsessively clean and organized. inej is more relaxed about it and kaz always ends up cleaning up after her. like when she leaves several used mugs out on the counter instead of putting them in the sink or clothes and shoes scattered on the floor

- he nags her about being neater but secretly finds it lowkey adorable

— inej’s favorite sleeping position is sprawling out on his chest. she loves to listen to his heartbeat and tuck her head underneath his chin

— kaz’s favorite sleeping position is big spoon/little spoon. he usually prefers to be big spoon, especially when she puts coconut oil in her hair and he can fall asleep smelling it. the scent is so relaxing to him. he also just likes to wrap his arms around her and keep her close

— when they’re alone and get more comfortable around each other kaz is a huge dork. like a lovesick annoying boyfriend that does stupid shit to make inej laugh

— inej calls him kazzie when they’re alone

— one time she slips up and calls him kazzie in front of jesper

jesper: kazzie?

inej: …

kaz: it’s suli for lover

inej: *hits kaz’s arm* no it’s not

[lilisouless]

"The horror! Kaz Brekker has been spotted with a four year old suli girl and she is taking notes, she even is dressed just like him and copies his movements"

"Oh no what if that is his spawn!"

"Saints forgive us!"

Kaz: The key is knowing your surroundings so you can improvise in case something goes wrong, no one yet knows i got this beautiful sapphire from the chambers of the queen of ravka-

Zoya entering: BREKKER! GIVE HER BACK!

Kaz: Sure, i don't really want the stone, it was just a test and the cut is cheap anyway-

Zoya: I meant my daugther! give her back! (and what the hell is she wearing?!)

"But uncle Kaz was going to teach me to open a safe"

Zoya: Not-your-uncle and you don't need that , we are rich. Next time your dad says "don't worry, i hired a babysitter" i won't trust him-

Kaz: I was only trying to practice parenting, one day i will bring to this world the next criminal mastermind and the city has to prepare itself

(Years later)

Kaz: Who wants to go outside to learn every single secret about this city

Kanej child: not me, i want to finish my friendship bracelets

Kaz: do you need seashells for that? i can get some

[she-posts-nerdy-stuff]

Literally nobody ever in any place or any time:

My brain in the middle of the night:

Inej’s POV chapters and experiences as described through other characters highly suggest that Suli is a spoken language only, not a written one. It would make sense for Suli to be a spoken language only, because the Suli people have little cause to write to each other since they travel together and the groups and families they travel with would appear to be the people they have contact with the most. Inej is fluent in both Suli and Ravkan, which makes sense since she primarily grew up in Ravka - with some of the roads her family travelled taking her through Northern Shu Han, but not very often. Following the assumption that the Suli people originated from Ravka, which the descriptions of both Inej and Zoya’s backgrounds would suggest, the need for the Suli people to speak Ravkan is apparent: they may have existed as a secluded and separate people to the Ravkan population, but over time as both cultures changed and evolved it became necessary for at least a certain level of integration - common with most cultures in our history. It appears that most Suli people are fluent in Suli and Ravkan, whilst very few Ravkan people can speak Suli. This highlights the common racism and prejudices against the Suli that are highly institutionalised in the country, particularly emphasised by Inej’s apprehension to meet members of the Ravkan government in Crooked Kingdom. Inej is also fluent in Kerch, and this is the language she primarily uses in Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom to communicate with the Crows, since it’s the one language they all share. However, what’s important to note here is that she cannot read Kerch - or at least she couldn’t before joining the Dregs; since she writes notes to Kaz she has presumably learnt to in more recent years. When she is first sold to the Menagerie, we as the reader know that she has at least some understanding of Kerch because she knows what Tante Heleen is saying, and even if she wasn’t fluent at the time she would pick the rest of the language up quickly over the course of a year, and is able to communicate easily and fluently with Kaz when they meet. What she does say at this time, when she would appear to be fluent in spoken Kerch, is that she cannot read it. She tells Kaz that she couldn’t read the contract Heleen made her sign, and when he shows it to her she is still unable to - he explains it to her in terms of the numbers, which she can understand (that links to a interesting theory about their alphabets and numerical systems, but is a bit of a tangent right now). For most people, learning another language relies on writing it down and learning to comprehend words written on the page before entering open conversation, but Inej has clearly learnt by speaking and listening instead; indicative that this is how she learns in her native tongue. Kaz also promises that she will be able to read her contract with the Dregs, and for that he has it written in Ravkan. Not Suli, Ravkan. Now yes, we did previously establish that few people outside the Suli community learn the language - in fact a student at the little palace in the first Shadow and Bone book calls it a ‘dead language’ - but the fact that Kaz was willing to track down a Ravkan translator (we know he is monolingual) in a city with such a low Ravkan population (as confirmed by Nina’s experience in little Ravka in Crooked Kingdom) suggests to me that if it could have been written in Suli, Kaz would have been willing to track down a Suli translator for her.

[ell0ra-br3kk3r-writes]

Back to December

pairing: kaz brekker x fem!reader

genre: angst, with a small resolved ending

el's thoughts: requested by @maliciousbrekker for my speak now event! i hope you like it! i think this is my personal favorite so far haha

The sound of rain echoed off the thin windows of the Slat while Kaz sat at his makeshift desk sorting through different papers and letters. The only light in the room was emitted from two small candle sticks on his desk, casting the rest of his room in darkness. The warm familiar scent of sugar cookies wafted up the stairs from the kitchen much to Kaz’s enmity. December had to be his least favorite month of the year, and he knew the crows couldn’t help themselves when they got into the holiday spirit. It wasn’t their fault she left.

The feeling of another’s presence in the room suddenly weighed on his shoulders. “Inej.”

The suli girl slipped around the corner and ducked her head. “A letter.”

Black coffee-brown eyes watched her carefully as she avoided eye contact at all costs. He reached out to get the letter and froze when he saw the return address under the flickering light of his candle.

Inej’s shoulder sank as she muttered her departure quickly, not wanting to see the effect of the letter on him.

Kaz heard the heavy door shut and released the breath that was stuck in his throat. He pulled his letter opener out of his desk drawer and pulled the letter out of the envelope. The glimpse of her messy handwriting brought a shameful sense of warmth to his chest. He had no right to feel comforted at the mere sight of her penmanship.

His eyes scanned over her words on parchment, he could almost hear her voice asking him questions about the other crows and his well-being. How’s life? Tell me how’s the crows? I haven’t seen them in a while… He could hear her trailing off in thought. He nearly laughed at her trying to keep small talk even in a letter, avoiding bringing up sensitive topics. Just her being thoughtful of him as always. Something he never learned to do with her. Well, that’s all from me. I still don’t know when I’ll be back. ‘If she’ll ever be back. It’s already been a year.’ Write back when you can, Kaz. Please. All the best, Y/N

He should write back, he had so much to tell her. How he regretted his words and how he wished he could take them back. Give her the love and appreciation she deserves. She deserved the world but he couldn’t even give her his time.

He sighed to himself and ran a hand through his hair. He picked up his pen while reaching for a clean roll of parchment. His eyes glazed over for a moment before he snapped himself out of his own thoughts. The pen’s tip was dipped in ink and hovered over the parchment for a moment too long. Kaz’s mind raced a hundred miles per hour while nothing stuck in his brain. Where was he to start?

Dear Y/N

~

*Summer of the previous year*

The heat of the night clung to Y/N’s skin as she walked along the balconies of the large manor the Crows were robbing. Inej was spying from the roof, the others were inside attending the party, and Y/N was making her way to the right window from where they would let her in.

“Saints,” she cursed as she fanned herself with her hands, the heat starting to make her dizzy and the black outfit she wore didn’t help. The click of the window sounded from beside her causing her to sigh in relief, “S’bout time.”

She slipped through the window and pulled her black hood down, her hair falling out and framing her face. She felt a pair of eyes burning into the side of her head, she smirked and turned towards the pair of coffee-brown eyes. “You unlocked the safe?” She tilted her head in question teasingly.

Kaz snapped out of his daze and turned back to the safe, turning the dial a few more times before it popped open. The sight of jewels and stacks of kruge brought smiles and smirks to all of their faces.

Ding! The half-hour mark.

“Let’s get moving.”

They all stuffed their pockets and bags full of jewels, all of them joking about how they’d be kings and queens as if they weren’t already. The group of five quickly tossed the bags out onto the balcony, Y/N following out the window. She leaned inside, finding herself face-to-face with Kaz as he waited to shut the window. “Meet you back home.” She lifted her head and pecked his lips quickly before turning and grabbing the bags, tossing one to Inej who was waiting above her.

It wasn’t long before all the crows were safely back at the Slat, completing another successful heist.

Y/N sat in Kaz’s room in her designated seat by the window overlooking the Barrel. The man came out of his washroom and made his way to his desk. Various candles lit the room, all of them different scented but all making the comforting scent of Y/N.

“You froze up today.”

Kaz avoided looking at her and hummed.

“Don’t ignore me,” she chuckled, walking over to his side. “You never freeze up.”

“I-”

“Don’t lie to me either.”

“Okay, fine.”

Y/N smirked, “So you admit you froze up?”

“Yes,” he huffed while sorting two piles of paperwork before placing them in a makeshift filing cabinet.

“You… Oh, I don’t know. Got distracted maybe?” She teased.

Kaz rolled his eyes, choosing to stay silent.

“That’s a yes if I ever heard one.”

“You didn’t hear anything because I didn’t say anything.” Kaz almost laughed at the proud smile on his girlfriend’s face. He knew that she knew what caused him to get distracted. She just wanted him to verbally confirm it, which would never happen.

“Well, I appreciate it.” She hummed, leaning her head on her palm.

He cocked an eyebrow, confused. “I didn’t do anything either.”

“You stared at me and it actually distracted you.” She giggled into her fingers as she covered her lips. “It was basically you complimenting me. So thank you.”

“Well, you’re welcome for not even saying anything.” He eyed her jokingly, admiring the way her head fell back when she laughed. The way her eyes squinted and all her teeth shone with her bright smile. He loved her. She deserved the world but he couldn’t give it to her yet. He would be able to one day, but all he knew at this moment was that he loved her.

~

*Fall*

The howling wind whistled through the narrow streets of the Barrel while Y/N sat at a small table looking out the window of her favorite coffee shop. Late. Again. She sighed to herself as she downed the rest of her coffee, thanking the barista on the way out. She went down all the familiar streets and alleyways back to the Crow Club. The tall building and warm lights came into view, the sound of bets being called, and laughter could be heard from all the way down the street. She pushed the door open before shedding her scarf and coat off and shook out her wind-swept hair. She turned to the bar, already flagging down the bartender as her eyes caught on to the recognizable black coat that belonged to her boyfriend. In the weak attempts to tamper down her irritation she noticed her Zemmini friend standing next to him while the pair shared drinks. She trailed over to the pair and shoved Kaz’s shoulder.

“Where were you?” she hissed through her teeth, trying not to cause a scene.

Jesper nodded and quickly left the couple alone.

“I’ve been here, what do you mean?” he asked apathetically as he brought his glass to his lips. The yellow lighting cast shadows across his face which made Y/N’s stomach twist when she saw a distant look in his eyes.

“What do you mean, what do you mean?” She snatched the glass from his hand and slammed it down on the worn wood surface of the bar. “This was the fourth time you stood me up. You made me look like a fool, just waiting there for an hour, hoping the Bastard of the Barrel would actually come.”

“Don’t yell at me. Not here.” He grabbed her wrist and pulled her behind him gently. She followed wordlessly as they passed their group of friends, feeling their curious stares burn into the couple’s backs as they walked up the stairs. He let go of her hand when they made it to his office and closed the door behind them.

“You didn’t show up. Again, Kaz” Y/N started once again and he could feel her exasperation radiating off her. “If you didn’t want to come in the first place, why did you set it up?”

“I forgot.”

“You forgot,” she scoffed. “Yeah, 'cause you can remember every single detail for a heist but you can’t remember a date you set up with your girlfriend?”

Kaz stared down at his desk, guilt crawling its way up his throat but he swallowed it down. “I’ll make it up to you.”

“Right, that’s the first time I’ve heard that. Kaz, I’m sick of being last on your list of priorities. If you don’t want me or- or I’m too much work for you then tell me so. Don’t beat around the bush with me, you don’t have to spare my feelings.” She sighed helplessly, her hands swinging by her hips. “Just tell me what you want.”

He shook his head slowly before looking up at her with regretful eyes, “I’ll make it up to you. I promise.”

~

*back to present time*

Walking down the dirt roads of her hometown was nostalgic but after a while it got boring. Y/N sighed as she walked up to her mother’s favorite fruit stand and smiled kindly at the owner. Picking up fruits and seeing which were ripe was now a weekly chore for the Crow and she had to admit, it was relaxing at first but she had grown to miss the begrimed city of Ketterdam.

“What about these?”

A cheery voice caught her attention and she turned to see a couple come up to the stand a bit away from her, examining the fruit just as she was.

“The farmer’s market! How did you know?”

Kaz chuckled deeply, “Right… Because you haven’t been talking about it all week.”

Y/N laughed and placed her hand in the crook of his elbow. “I just needed to make sure you got the hint, my love.”

Y/N shook her head and turned to the owner, quickly asking for the few fruits and berry baskets she had picked up. She handed over the coins and started her walk home, her thoughts drifting back to the man she loved who waited back in the Barrel.

It’s been a year since she left Ketterdam and in the meantime, she had found a job and tried everything she could to get over Kaz. “I have more than enough money…” She muttered to herself as the thought of going back settled in her mind. She missed the Crows dearly, the Slat and Crow Club as well, but she missed nothing more than she missed Kaz.

She sighed, “Maybe I left too soon.” Kaz hurt her and she was quick to become hot-tempered, making the irrational decision to leave and go back to her mother. She never really wanted to leave but he wasn’t giving her any reason to stay, so she bought a ticket for the next ship out. Her mother welcomed her with open arms and comforted her through her heartache.

The clearing of someone's throat brought her out of her thoughts. "A letter addressed to Y/N," the letter carrier held out a small envelope to her. She smiled and muttered her thanks as she looked down at the return address. Her eyes widened at the name written in flourished lines and loops. Kaz Brekker.

“She’d understand,” she said, trying to convince herself that her mother wouldn't hold her back as she walked up the small steps to the front door. ‘I’m going back home.’

She made her way to the kitchen and placed the fruits and berries away before calling into the house, “Mom! I need to talk to you.”

*

The Slat’s main door slammed shut with the strong wind tunneling in from the narrow streets. The noise caused some of the younger Dregs to lean farther away from the limping man as he walked up the narrow staircase to his room. The low lighting in the Slat cast dramatic shadows across his sharp facial features.

“Kaz,” Wylan’s voice sounded behind him.

He spun around and stared the younger of the pair in front of him down. Jesper nudged Wylan’s shoulder before muttering something Kaz couldn’t pick up on. The couple shared a knowing look, making suspicion rise in Kaz, but he quickly pushed it down.

“Uh- never mind. Sorry.” The fluffy-haired brunette cleared his throat.

With one more glare, he turned back and continued up the stairs, his knee weak with every step. He unlocked his room door and closed it behind him. He went to hang his coat on the wall as he slipped his shoes off and instantly noticed the hook on the wall occupied by a navy blue coat and a small matching hat. Also, he could feel the air blowing into the room from the now-opened window and the soft lighting of multiple candles around the room. Y/N. Her comforting scent could have drowned him where he stood.

“I didn’t expect you to be this late.”

Kaz froze in his place, not needing to turn around to know who it was. His heart began to race at the thought of her waiting for him in his room. “You’re back.” His voice was strained as he moved her hat to place his coat on top before hanging the hat again. He turned around and fought to keep his composure.

She sat in her regular seat with her legs crossed and hands folded in her lap neatly. Her smile was warm and welcoming as she stared back at him with so much love in her eyes. “I’m back. I’m sorry it took so long.”

[lunarthecorvus]

Inej Ghafa parent's fanfiction recommendations part of Lunar's soc fanficiton rec series

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what a mother was by @cameliawrites

Wordcount: 62k Chapters: 8/8

Characters: Inej Ghafa's Mother, Inej Ghafa's Grandparents, Inej Ghafa's Aunt, Inej Ghafa's Father, Inej Ghafa, Kaz Brekker

Tags: Mother-Daughter Relationship, Motherhood, Family, Romance, Coming of Age, Prequel, Time Skips, Suli Culture & Religion, Canon Compliant, Original Character(s), Canon-Typical violence, Period Typical Racism, Sick Character, Grief/ Mourning, Attempted Sexual Assault, First Love, Implied/ Referenced Homophobia, Eating Disorders, Bittersweet, Angst, Eventual Happy Ending

Author's summary/notes: "She could recount every detail of the day she married Kolhat: the geraniums her sister had embroidered along the sleeves and hem of her dress, one of her father’s old handkerchiefs tucked into her pocket, her mother’s silk veil draped over her hair. She could recall the day she met him, when she was all of twenty years old. Inej was not yet twenty. Shanta still felt as young as all that, and she felt far older." . . . Before she was Inej’s mother, Shanta Ghafa had a mother too. or: ten years and six suitors in the life of Mama Ghafa. My summary/notes: A beautiful retrospective of Mama Ghafa's past, the life she has lived, and all she has loved and lost. Camelia is just an amazing writer and every part of this fic was beautfully written. You can feel the grief and joy of Shanta's life and it added levels and depth to her character that I never would've expected. While reading this I couldn't believe that this wasn't canon and its own book. I would kill to read this for the first time again.

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Sankta Margaretha and Other Tales of Sorrow by @oneofthewednesdays

Wordcount: 18k Chapters: 8/8

Characters: Inej Ghafa, Inej Ghafa's Mother, Inej Ghafa's Father, Kaz Brekker, Jesper Fahey, Wylan Van Eck

Tags: Post-Book 2: Crooked Kingdom, Hurt/Comfort, Family, Angst, Implied/ Reference Rape/ Non-con, Canon Typical Violence, Graphic Description of Corpses

Author's summary/notes: When his daughter was stolen from beneath his nose on the outskirts of Os Kervo, Samir Ghafa lost his faith in the saints. After a letter arrives bearing the insignia of the Lantsov double-eagle, he finds his hope rekindled. But when he learns of the demon of Ketterdam, he begins to fear once more… My summary/ notes: I'm not sure how to write this without directly spoiling it.. but a certain opinion Inej's father has about someone is surprisingly uncommonly found in fics and its so interesting to read how the opinion is formed and how Samir acts because of it. Then consequently how the others act and feel because of Samir's actions. (I was laughing my ass off while writing this so vaguely)

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Ten Minutes in the Life of a Pear by @oneofthewednesdays

Wordcount: 8.9k Chapters: 4/4

Characters: Inej Ghafa, Inej Ghafa's Mother, Inej Ghafa's Father, Kaz Brekker, Asha, Hanzi

Tags: Panic Attacks, Healing, Implied/ Reference Rape/Non-con, Canon backstory, Pre-Canon, Pre-Relationship, Post-Canon

Authors summary: Four glimpses into breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert with the Ghafa Family. My summary/ notes: A heartwarming fic reflecting on the pain and the way relationships both platonic and romantic can develop and grow throughout the different points in life.

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Runs in the family by DopamineAddict

Wordcount: 99k Chapters: 16/18 (hasn't been updated since march)

Characters: Inej Ghafa, Kaz Brekker, Inej Ghafa's Mother, Inej Ghafa's father, Wylan Van Eck, Jesper Fahey. Tante Heleen, Specht, Roeder, Anika

Tags: Revenge, Family Reunions, Canon-Typical violence, Coming of Age, Inej Ghafa needs a hug, Past Rape/ non con, Post-Book 2: Crooked Kingdom, Kaz is scared of Inej's parents he knows hunger for revenge when he sees it, the Ghafa's might be a bit non canon but we only see them from Inej's pov in canon so..

Author's summary/notes: As the Ketterdam harbour grows closer, Priya and Devnand Ghafa steel themselves for the truth of whatever their daughter had been through over the past two years. And for what they might do about it. My summary/notes: Priya and Devnand meet their daughter again after years, they learn about her and what's she's been doing, but the other question that will be answered is what have they been up to since Inej has been taken. (This fic is just incredible, it changed how I saw her parents)

[applecidersstuff]

Have you ever thought that Wylan may be able to learn any other language and be able to read?

It is slow, yes, it's hard and after some time the words start to shiver, but he's able to make out at least some amount of information from the text.

I couldn't find any examples of letters in Zemeni, Suli, Fierdan, or Kaelish but the Kerch alphabet that I found sent me into a literal coma. I mean, have you seen it?! No wonder Wylans dyslexic ass saw spiders and bugs when looking in those books! those letters look like spiders and bugs!!!

Knowing that Fierdan was based on one of the Scandinavian languages I may guess it has the alphabet that we are used to. So it might be possible for Wylan to read it at least a bit. I am not saying that he SHOULD be able to read, no, but I don't think that he's unable to read entirely, and it's quite possible he can read Fierdan.

It said in Crooked Kingdom that Wylan tried to write and read but dropped that idea after seeing the disappointment on his father's face when he stuttered.

Imagen Wylan listens to Inej talk in suli to her parent and wonders if he could try to learn it. Imagen Inej catches him using his poor knowledge of ravkan to talk to her parents and realize what he'd been doing.

Imagen Inej teaches Wy suli when she comes back from her voyages and when he couldn't do something she'd tell him how Kaz was teaching her Kerch, and how annoyed he was every time she demanded he teach her more and more.

One day when Kaz visits, Inej agitates Wylan to try to read something, as she believes Kaz is a good influence on him(Jesper and Nina strongly disagree).

Wylan starts to quietly read some book he stole from Inej the day before and not the one she offered. This one was harder than the one Inej found, mostly because of the font but also because he didn't know some words.

He sits on the couch next to Kaz who watches Jesper and Inej argue over something unimportant regarding Nina's wedding, Hanne stands next to them having no idea what is going on because in a few long years of their friendship Jesper and Inej somehow taught each other suli and Zemeni(or at least some parts of them) and now were having an argument in a wild mixture of Suli, Zemeni and Kerch. Seating next to Wylan and Kaz on the couch is Nina, she looks as confused as Hanne, although shouldn't be as she knows all three of those languages.

When he starts to read out loud Wylan feels his heart beating so fast he thinks it might jump out of his chest, but he doesn't stop. It takes some time for Nina and Kaz to notice him. First, it is Kaz, he turns his head slightly, watching Wylan through his prereferral vision, but as he slowly realizes what Wylan is doing he fully turns his head. Wylan doesn't look up, he doesn't want to see that look of disappointment he had seen on his father's face so long ago.

Next, it's Nina, she turns to see what Kaz is looking at and sees Wylan clutching a book with a name written in suli. when she listens, She hears Wylan talk in suli and realizes that Wyan is reading. Very slow as if he was struggling to push every word out of his mouth.

When he, how it sounded, finishes a page he looks up. Inej has the widest, proudest, smile he had ever seen on her. Jesper seemed to still be putting the pieces in place but when he did his face had the weirdest spawn of emotions. Nina looked shoked and happy at the same time. But what surprised Wylan the most was Kaz. His jaw what you'd call " dropped" he was looking at Wylan with round eyes and for a moment Wylan thought Kaz had wanted to hug him. Then he smiled. It was the widest smile Wylan had seen from him.

None of them seemed disappointed at him.

None of them were.

[linearao3]

Linny do u wanna share 3 fun factoids or points that didn’t make it onto the page for publish or perish mayhaps

Boba you spoil me! I can’t promise I won’t find a way to stuff these back in but here are some things, mostly world building, that currently seem unlikely to make it directly into the text:

1. Kerch literature goes through 50-60 year cycles of being extremely pornographic (because The Market Demands) and extremely prudish (because Our Upright Kerch Culture). Kaz’s period, the Industrial, is largely prudish, as is Matthias’s, the Early Royal. (Jesper, Nina, and Inej have cross-period specialties, and Wylan’s literature, being pre-conquest and basically in a different language, predates this cycle.) At the time the story takes place, the porn is kind of on the way out, for which you can thank twerps like the student in chapter 2.

2. Inej knows Ravkan and some Suli and Shu from her upbringing, Kerch from her secondary education, and learned Zemeni to read critical theory for her doctorate.

3. Nina’s grisha education started when she was very young and focused on anatomy/medicine, and after it was over, she studied literature. (This is partly because, as a term of the peace treaty, Ravka agreed not to maintain a standing grisha army.) In terms of knowledge, she essentially has an MD and a literature PhD, and has her canonical facility with languages. However, she can’t do math beyond long division, and Inej has to put a “NO METAL” sign on the microwave.

❤️Thank you for humoring me.

[dreamtigress]

☆ - how about a happy Kanej headcanon

Eeee, thanks @intosnarkness.

Flowers! Mostly happy, with just a tinge of sadness on Kaz's end.

They each have two favorite flowers. Inej loves wild geraniums, because they're her mother's favorite, but her personal one is wild chamomile. She loves how they smell, that they are useful and beneficial, that they'll grow in many places, thriving in harsh conditions, like the Ravkan wilderness. Kaz learns to love chamomile because it reminds him of Inej. The scent can ground each of them. He even gets to liking the tea, using it to help him sleep, especially when Inej is away at sea.

Kaz's are both tied to his mother. The first is camellias, since his mother wanted to plant something that would bloom around his birthday. They're a little bittersweet, since he cannot help but think about that his mother only saw the bushes she planted bloom once before she died. His other favorite flower are dandelions. Because they're one of the first flowers to bloom in the spring, and they have two lives. Jordie taught him to blow on the seed puffs. Later, his father tells them that was their mother's favorite flower. There's a symbolism in the double life of the dandelion, its hardiness and tenacity.

When Inej asks him about flowers, and he shares his two, she tells him about dandelions. How she likes them too, how they grow in every country, what the Suli call them, etc.

Kaz makes arrangements with a zowa woman who can influence plant's growth and flowering patterns, to alter two chamomile plants for Inej as a birthday gift. They will bloom for a longer period of the year, albeit more slowly, and require slightly less sun. It's a less extravagant gift than some of his others, but Inej adores the plants, and the thought behind it.

From this Headcanon Meme. Ask me for your own!

[egret-orchids]

for the love of language

Kaz Brekker was stubborn. When he had his mind set on doing something, he did it. No matter how difficult, no matter how simplistic. He wasn't sure what category 'learning his girlfriend's language' fell into.

Kaz lovingly and painstakingly learns precious few words in Suli just so that he can surprise his Wraith with them.

| AO3 | SOC Sideblog |

word count: 948

It wasn't an unknown fact amongst the Dregs and Crows that Kaz Brekker knew one language, and one language alone.

He was stubborn, and though his rough voice and the hints of an accent that stemmed from southern Kerch were normal for him, hearing him reciting words in Suli was... odd. Jesper recognised the language from the few times he'd heard Inej muttering the melodic syllables, although he suspected most of it was just curses and swears, much like Jesper's messy Kaelish.

Jesper didn't want to run the risk of Kaz murdering him for snooping, but he did regale this to Wylan over cups of tea in the merchling's basement workshop.

"I was just walking past- y'know, because he'd asked me to grab a map for a job, and I hear him mumbling in Suli." Jesper said, sighing dramatically. This elicited a small chuckle from Wylan, who sipped his tea and then replied; "I think he has some sort of plan. He's never bothered learning more than basic decencies in other languages, and even then they're not great in terms of pronunciation."

Jesper nodded. "He tried to say hello to my Da in Kaelish and I'm pretty sure he accidently insulted him." Even if the anecdotes his father told him weren't exactly true, Colm Fahey was probably justified in his distaste. Some words in Kaelish were similar to others, and a slight error in wording could lead a pleasant hello to turn into somebody's mother getting called a whore. And it was also Kaz, who would probably do something like that purposefully; fully aware of what he was doing yet still taking the chance to be an ass.

Wylan smiled at this. "Are you going to ask him about it?" he asked.

Jesper shook his head. "He'd probably break my arms and threaten to gut me and leave my intestines for the crows or something like that."

"It's Kaz, of course he'd say that..." Wylan laughed quietly.

"I certainly wouldn't put it past him." Inej said with a smile from the doorway, and Jesper nearly jumped out of his skin as Wylan waved to her with a small, shy grin on his face.

"Saints, Inej, do you have to do that every time?" Jesper complained, rolling his eyes fondly. Inej didn't reply, simply shrugging and stepping towards the two. She sat on Wylan's workbench and looked at both of them with mock-sternness.

"Kaz has a job for you two. Some merchant from Shu Han." Inej passed Jesper a small, folded slip of paper- Kaz's signature way of informing them all of jobs.

Jesper flicked the note open and cleared his throat. "Shu Han merchant ship docked in Second Harbour- Saints, it's like he doesn't want us around all day today- unloading into the Stadhall. Jesper has the map." he read aloud, and the way Wylan immediately hung on the gunslinger's every word with such affection in his eyes almost made Inej laugh aloud.

Wylan hummed in response. "So this merchant if working with somebody in the Merchant Council, then."

"Yeah, and he's obviously going to be..."

Inej slid off the table and walked away, leaving the other two conversing about Kaz's latest job. It didn't need her skills, and she had a feeling that Kaz wanted her nearby.

She pulled up her hood, opting to meet Kaz, wherever he was. She didn't bother climbing the rafters and jutting beams to get to the window or the roof of the building next door and have to climb around searching for him, not in this weather. Besides, she knew Kaz would either be in his office, or somewhere on the Zentsbridge.

As it turned out, Kaz was leaning on the bridge's railings, gazing into the murky grey-green of the canal. He didn't move as Inej's neared his left shoulder, but he did shift his bad leg slightly. "Hello, Inej. Don't you have a job you need to help out on?" he said quietly, though the slight smile in his voice betrayed his joking manner.

Inej breathed a laugh, leaning on the railing next to him, back to the canal. "I wanted to know what you were planning. You normally make sure I'm with Wylan and Jes just in case either of them get distracted, be it by each other of something else." she replied.

Kaz shrugged. "Who's to say I'm planning something?"

Inej rolled her eyes. "Kaz Brekker, do you need to be so stubborn?"

Kaz tilted his head, meeting her eyes. "No." he said simply. "But stubbornness got me where I am today, and it got you out of the Menagerie, didn't it?"

"My stubbornness or your stubbornness?" Inej chuckled.

Kaz didn't reply at first; instead he moved away from the bridge's railing, and turned to face Inej, face almost expressionless but his eyes were less cold then they normally were.

"Volim te." he whispered, just enough for Inej to hear.

She swore her heart stopped beating for a solid five seconds when he said that.

It was a known fact that Kaz Brekker, that Dirtyhands knew Kerch, and Kerch alone. His accent was southern, from somewhere like Lij, but his language was that of someone born and raised in Kerch.

My mother is Ketterdam, he'd said, she birthed me in the harbour.

"What?" Inej murmured, too surprised.

My father is profit. I honour him daily.

"Volim te." Kaz repeated, and Inej can't help but laugh.

"Your pronunciation is awful, Saints."

Kaz glared at her, but it wasn't serious.

Inej moved towards Kaz, about to hug him. She stopped. "May I?" she breathed.

Kaz nodded slowly, and Inej pulled him into a hug.

"I love you too, Kaz Brekker."

[fantastic-nonsense]

What are five of your favourite Grishaverse quotes? Send this ask to 5 of your favourite grishaverse blogs!

Thank you so much for sending this, and sorry it took me such a long time to get to it 😭

Choosing was super hard because there are so many insanely good quotes in the books and I love several of them for very different reasons, but I'll try and give it a go anyways. So: five of my favorite Six of Crows quotes (because I still haven't read the SaB trilogy), in no particular order:

Kaz and Inej, on getting back up after a fall:

Get it together, Brekker, he scolded himself harshly. It didn’t help. He was going to faint again, and this would all be over. Inej had once offered to teach him how to fall. “The trick is not getting knocked down,” he’d told her with a laugh. “No, Kaz,” she’d said, “the trick is in getting back up.” More Suli platitudes, but somehow even the memory of her voice helped. He was better than this. He had to be. Not just for Jordie, but for his crew. He’d brought these people here. He’d brought Inej here. It was his job to bring them out again. The trick is in getting back up. He kept her voice in his head, repeating those words, again and again, as he stripped off his boots, his clothes, and finally his gloves. -Ch. 22, Six of Crows

Matthias asking for mercy for monsters/the "we are all someone's monster" observation:

“Nina,” he said, hand still pressed over the smooth skin on his chest where a bullet wound should be. “Nina, please.” “You know they would not offer you mercy, Matthias.” “I know. I know. But let them live in shame instead.” She hesitated. “Nina, you taught me to be something better. They could be taught, too.” Nina shifted her gaze to his. Her eyes were ferocious, the deep green of forests; the pupils, dark wells. The air around her seemed to shimmer with power, as if she was alight with some secret flame. “They fear you as I once feared you,” he said. “As you once feared me. We are all someone’s monster, Nina.” -Ch. 41, Six of Crows

Wylan and Kaz's entire conversation about disability and vulnerability while cracking Van Eck's safe:

He thumbed quickly through the ledger and said, “When people see a cripple walking down the street, leaning on his cane, what do they feel?” Wylan looked away. People always did when Kaz talked about his limp, as if he didn’t know what he was or how the world saw him. “They feel pity. Now, what do they think when they see me coming?” Wylan’s mouth quirked up at the corner. “They think they’d better cross the street.” Kaz tossed the ledger back in the safe. “You’re not weak because you can’t read. You’re weak because you’re afraid of people seeing your weakness. You’re letting shame decide who you are. Help me with the painting.” They lifted the portrait back into place over the gaping hole in the safe. Martin Van Eck glared down at them. “Think on it, Wylan,” Kaz said as he straightened the frame. “It’s shame that lines my pockets, shame that keeps the Barrel teeming with fools ready to put on a mask just so they can have what they want with no one the wiser for it. We can endure all kinds of pain. It’s shame that eats men whole.” -Ch. 18, Crooked Kingdom

Inej vs. Dunyasha on the Church of Barter rooftop, refusing to be cowed on her own turf:

“The blood you spill is the blood of kings,” seethed Dunyasha. “You are not fit for such a gift.” Inej almost felt sorry for her. Dunyasha really believed she was the Lantsov heir, and maybe she was. But wasn’t that what every girl dreamed? That she’d wake and find herself a princess? Or blessed with magical powers and a grand destiny? Maybe there were people who lived those lives. Maybe this girl was one of them. But what about the rest of us? What about the nobodies and the nothings, the invisible girls? We learn to hold our heads as if we wear crowns. We learn to wring magic from the ordinary. That was how you survived when you weren’t chosen, when there was no royal blood in your veins. When the world owed you nothing, you demanded something of it anyway. Inej raised a brow and slowly wiped the blood of kings on her trousers. -Ch. 35, Crooked Kingdom

And Inej at the harbor...hopeful, in love, and ready to take on the world with her boy and her ship:

Had she really thought the world didn’t change? She was a fool. The world was made of miracles, unexpected earthquakes, storms that came from nowhere and might reshape a continent. The boy beside her. The future before her. Anything was possible. -Ch. 44, Crooked Kingdom

[kazcreates]

The Crows’ Sibling Alignment

this is going to be ramble-y and probably only make half-sense but here we go.

Matthias is an eldest sibling. It’s canon, it’s obvious. He holds the weight of the world on his shoulders trying to be responsible in the group of people he’s been given.

Nina is a middle sibling with younger sibling traits. She had to fight for positive attention in the Little Palace, and learned that negative attention is still attention.

Inej is a youngest sibling. Ignoring the show, and taking a guess about Suli culture, I’d say she grew up around her cousins and they were all sort of raised together. Although she may not have any biological siblings, she was always the baby.

Kaz is a youngest sibling. No one else could have that much audacity.

Jesper is an only child with eldest sibling traits. Going from golden child to family disappointment is a pipeline 90% of eldest children have to go through. (Myself included). He puts a lot of pressure on himself, and wants to be good for his Da but he struggles.

Wylan is an only child. It’s canon, it’s obvious. But not only is he an only child, he’s a homeschooled only child.

[jkriordanverse]

Wesper ft. Helnik

- Jesper taught Wylan the alphabet song but Wylan doesn't remember the order (neither do I), so every time someone mentions a random letter Wylan just mentally does the song in his head and you can tell by the head bobbing. - Matthias learned how to cook all sorts of Suli delicacies for Inej and all sorts of treats for Nina - Jesper bought Wylan the alphabet cereal to help him learn how to read (YOU CANNOT CHANGE MY MIND WYLAN LOVES IT) Wylan also loves the fruit cereal - okay but you cannot tell me Wylan did not paint Jesper''s nails and that jesper has not once tried to make Kaz wear his hats