#which...shes younger than Wylan

[st4rfvckerr]

horribly niche headcanon time because talking about soc's minor characters is what i do best

out of all the other members of the dregs that we know of (those mentioned in the books that aren't the crows) i like to think that Anika is the youngest of them all because there's her, Pim, Keeg, Dirix, and Roeder who are all said to be younger members of the dregs that Kaz has a certain trust in and that are loyal to him. i'm guessing they were all scrawny, hungry barrel kids who found their way there as a matter of survival (just like Kaz did) i personally don't see Anika being any older than Kuwei is, maybe around 13 or 14 years old ? this is mostly based on two things, the first being her overall attitude, to me her behavior doesn't strike as particularly mature, and the way she tries to prove herself above anything else (reporting on intel, jumping to announce her loyalty to Kaz and being the first to stand up for him, maybe a little impulsive but the heart is there and that's so important) which could possibly mean that she probably is a little dismissed among the dregs.

which is my second point, we obviously know that there's no protecting/coddling in the barrel, especially since most of the dregs are pretty young, 13-14 is probably considered an average "big age" anyways. but i've noticed most of Anika's work in the dregs is relatively light, working at the crow club, giving reports, standing away from the parley. i mean, her and Keeg did beat up Wylan for Kaz's plan but it stood out to me how Anika was simply holding him up while Keeg was the one actually trying to make him talk. (and based on her reaction to Kaz fighting Haskell's men back at the slat she definitely hated it) we all know abt the crows' possible found family trope, right, but i also love the potential for it in Anika, Keeg, Dirix, Pim & Roeder's group, (or at least it makes sense to me) Anika being the youngest and Keeg the eldest (maybe around 17-18 ?)

this might be a kinda flimsy analysis but it's so important to me (and i just wanted to talk about Anika again...) barrel kids being so young is crucial in the series and it would make a lot of sense that some of them are even younger than the crows (especially in the dregs)

sincerely your local Anika enthusiast x

[evellynssocbrainrot]

An honest ranking of the Crows from fav to least fav because I'm bored

Kaz and Inej. Tied for first place. Do NOT make me choose between these two because I, for the life of me, can't. It's physically impossible for me. They are both such iconic and unbelievable characters who reinvented literature. Both of them have insane depth, outstanding personalities, amazing stories, great dialogue, unforgettable and heart-wrenching scenes and backstories, and are the kind of characters you could analyze and talk about endlessly because they are just that fascinating!

Jesper. Second because listen, I love him. I adore him. He means the whole world to me. And most of all, he makes me feel seen because I relate the most with him out of any character. It's so easy to write off a character like him as nothing more than comedic relief, but he isn't. He is so complicated, he is so insecure, he makes so many mistakes and bad choices, he constantly feels like a disappointment, he can barely figure himself out, he can't for the life of him sit still, he wanders right back to what he assumes is his source of comfort, even though it's hurting him, it's so hard for him to break away from the people he loves because he ends up loving them too much. His cockiness and swagger is really his way of disguising what he actually is, which is a huge terrible mess. It's almost scary how much I see myself in him.

Nina. Third because duh, she's Nina. She's the greatest. (Not greater than the first three but you get the idea). She is someone I strive to be like. I adore her confidence, her boldness, her badassery, her free and fiery spirit, the way she's so unapologetically herself. She is proof the girls who are feminine can also be strong. But, of course, that isn't to say that Nina doesn't have weak spots. She does because like Inej, she too is a girl. She feels insecurity and humiliation. She feels rage and pain. Even miles away, she feels the cold fury of her instructor, Zoya, and like I said, it voices tiny thoughts of doubts in the back of Nina's mind. And best of all, she's insane, cause like, girl did shove the top of a gun into a woman's eye socket so... I love her.

Wylan. I'm so sorry Wy lovers, but he's fourth on my list. It took me a little while to start liking him the first time I read Six of Crows. He grew on me more during CK. He is amazing, don't get me wrong. He is the perfect balance between a character who sees the good in the world, the good in people, who doesn't like violence and destruction and noise, and is really a nice and polite guy who is curious about things and very smart and a character who is able to do violent things whenever it's necessary. He can be a tough little guy whenever he needs to be. I do love him a lot, but just not as much as the Crows I listed before him.

And finally Matthias at five. I am so sorry, but he is my least favorite. I do love him, I don't hate any of the Crows (That is a hate crime against humanity), but I never felt extremely changed by Matthias, or like he is someone I can connect with. Nonetheless, like I said, I do still love him. He got some of the greatest character development I have ever read. He is so unintentionally funny, as well. And to this day, I feel really devastated when I think about the way he was confronted and killed by a younger version of himself that he tried to comfort despite being threatened. His death, which I still gaslight myself into thinking never happened, will forever be one of, if not, the most haunting and heartbreaking thing in the entire YA genre.

If you don't agree with my ranking, that's fine, but do not say any mean bullshit to me just because I ranked your favorite Crow low. Please be nice.

[kazcreates]

The Crows and Fevers

Kaz was always a sensitive child. Although fevers meant getting out of chores on the farm, they made him emotional and upset. It’s even worse after the plague and losing Jordie. From the second the chills set in, Kaz is on edge. The higher his fever, the worse the flashbacks get, delirium mixing with delusion and sending him back to the harbour. His immune system sucks so bad that he’s bedridden almost every time, despite the fact that he’ll try his hardest to work through them. Kaz despises fevers, in himself, but in others too. When those close to him develop a fever, he has to resist every fiber of his being screaming at him to get away from them. He can’t afford to catch anything. He can’t bring himself to watch them suffer. But when he’s healed some, he takes care of them. Watches over them at the very least, even as his hands shake inside his leather gloves.

Jesper also has a negative relationship with fevers. Although he never got them even as a child, being Grisha and all, he can’t stand the see them in other people. Watching those he loves reduced to a shivering and weaker version of themselves, it reminds him too much of sitting by his mother’s bedside as the poison coursed through her veins. He tries his best to be helpful, makes sure that they’re hydrated and at least eating a little, but he paces constantly, tries to distract himself from the memories that itch inside his mind.

Inej doesn’t mind fevers. She doesn’t enjoy them by any means, but she gets over them fairly quickly because she actually allows herself to take adequate time to rest. She doesn’t push through stubbornly like Kaz, and she doesn’t have many negative memories attached to sickness as the others do. She chides Kaz into taking care of himself when he needs to, sometimes going as far as threatening to tie him to the bed if he won’t lie down of his own accord.

Wylan has a strange relations with fevers. When he was younger, being sick meant a break from pointless and frustrating lessons trying to teach him to read. A fever meant rest, meant that he would be taken care of. His earliest memories of being feverish involve his mother, running her fingers through his hair, brushing a cool cloth over his face. Once things took a turn for the worst, sickness meant being lonely, ignored, locked up in his room. Which really wasn’t all that different from usual. But there was no one to take care of him, so he had to learn to be self-sufficient. Once he’s with Jesper and the crows, a fever would mean trying to hide the fact that he was sick as not to inconvenience anyone else. After all, he could take care of himself. (Jesper teaches him how to allow himself to be taken care of again.)

Nina, up until her run in with Jurda Parem, is unfamiliar with fevers. No one in the Little Palace ever got sick, and as a Grisha herself, she was never really around sick people. She’s been trained how to soothe fevers during her Corporalnik training, and practiced it a few times on First Army soldiers. Fighting off her addiction to Jurda Parem was her first interaction with fevers herself, and she was not a fan of it.

Matthias was taught to work through fevers, during his time in the druskelle. Something as fickle as being sick was not allowed to slow you down when you were dealing with dangerous Grisha. He views them as more of an inconvenience than anything. He works through them until he has time to rest, then he takes care of himself. He’s very independent, because there was no one to take care of him in the druskelle. He was a soldier, not a child.

[residentnikolaienthusiast]

The Infantilization of Wylan Van Eck (within the soc fandom)

Hi! This is my first tumbler post ever, which is like super scary I wont lie. But I've had this project I've been working on since October and I'd love to share it with people, so here goes nothing!

Infantilization or to infantilize someone means to treat them as a child or in a way that denies their maturity in age or experience, and it qualifies as a form of mental abuse. 

This treatment is common in fandoms, although it obviously isn't done in a hateful way on purpose. It’s often directed towards characters who are more innocent, more kind, or more anxious than the other characters within the universe. Or, sometimes these characters are literally just the youngest of the group. Some examples of this include, Entrapta from She-Ra and the Princesses and Power, Varian from Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure, Number Five from The Umbrella Academy, Hunter from The Owl House, Little Cato from Final Space, and even Peter Parker from the MCU.

However, most of the traits found in characters that are infantilized are also traits found in neurodivergent people. These traits include, missing social cues, being easily excitable or restless, often feeling anxious hyper fixating on something (usually related to science or math), being an outcast from the rest of the group in some way, and so on and so forth. Therefore, infantilization within fandoms is pretty problematic on its own. People (usually online) think that characters with these traits should be babied or pitied or demeaned in some way, even though neurodivergent consumers usually relate to these characters because of those same traits. 

Some evidence of Wylan being infantilized can include; the fact he's only referred to as cute or synonyms to that, while the other Crows or their actors are often sexualized more. People saying or implying he's smaller, weaker, or even younger than the others. And of course, people saying Kaz and Wylan are father and son... which is something I'll come back to later.

Why Wylan?

To better understand why exactly Wylan is receiving this treatment exclusively from the fans, we need to fully analyze the Six of Crows duology, which is exactly what I did!

When we are first introduced to Wylan in chapter seven (Matthias’ POV) of the Six of Crows, we see him sitting at the table and doodling while occasionally chewing on his thumbnail. He doesn't speak until Inej voices her doubts in Wylan’s demolition abilities. Jesper says Wylan “barely knows his trade”, and Kaz mentions that Wylan is “new to the scene”. Matthias also makes a comment about how Wylan “looks like he’s about twelve”. When Jesper and Inej continue to complain about Wylan being their demo man, Kaz tells them that Wylan is doubling as their insurance policy because Wylan is Jan Van Eck’s son, the rich merchant who’s paying Kaz and his chosen crew 40 million kruge in exchange for breaking Bo Yul-Bayur out of the Ice Court. This immediately makes everyone in the room think less of Wylan because of his privileged past.

This introduction sets up Wylan to the readers. His reserved body language, along with his inexperience and Matthias’ comment about his young appearance gives the impression that Wylan is more childish than the other Crows.

In the next chapter (Jesper’s POV) as the Crows react to the reveal of Wylan’s identity, Kaz tells Wylan that he’s “passable at demo, but excellent at hostage”. Jesper calls Wylan a “baby merch” and insists that Kaz leave him behind, less he slows the crew down. Wylan is annoyed that Kaz and Jpeser are talking about him as if he isn't in the room. Then, Kaz tells Wylan that the only reason he hasn't been mugged or jumped in the three months since he left his father’s house is because Kaz placed him under Dregs protection. In fact, Jesper even says that Kaz has been “coddling Wylan”. Jesper proceeds to call Wylan useless as he and Nina belittle Wylan for living in the Barrel “by choice”. This is also where the nickname “merchling” comes from. When the group continues to go back and forth over Wylan’s skills, Kaz repeats that he’s only bringing Wylan along because he doesn’t want to leave their hostage alone in Ketterdam. This makes Wylan the only Crow that wasn’t hired for their abilities, Wylan’s passable demo skills are simply a bonus. It’s a way for Kaz to keep the crew small and avoid splitting the money even further. 

This entire exchange and interaction between our six main characters lays out the groundwork for the dynamic between Wylan and the other Crows for the majority of the first book. Everyone else in the room believes Wylan is just another spoiled rich kid. They make fun of him for his lack of street smarts, and the money he was born into. Wylan never really fights back too much when it comes to comments from the others, which just reinforces the idea that he came from a cushy lifestyle where he never had to learn how to defend himself verbally. Wylan’s inexperience and innocence is often mistaken for stupidity by the characters, and therefore the readers. 

Kaz saying, “Always hit where the mark isn’t looking.” Only for Wylan to reply with, “Who's Mark?” is a great example of this. (Still chapter eight, Jesper’s POV.)

In chapter nine (Kaz’s POV) we see how Kaz views Wylan in his inner monologue. He says Wylan seems out of his depth, and even though he’s only a year younger than Kaz (making Wylan sixteen)  he still looks like a child. Kaz describes Wylan as a silk eared puppy in a room full of fighting dogs. This pushes the concept that Wylan is more childlike than the others further onto the audience. 

Additionally, in chapter eleven (Jesper’s POV), we see Jesper quite literally call Wylan “kid” during the attack at the docks, even though they’re also only one year apart. And in chapter fifteen, Matthias refers to Wylan as “the soft one” within his own inner monologue.

Since Wylan doesn't have his own point of view chapters in the first book, the reader’s entire understanding of this character is formed through the eyes of the other Crows. So, what we’re hearing about Wylan in the first book might not be entirely accurate, which is something people often forget. Part of the reason why the fandom treats Wylan the way they do is because of the way the Crows describe and talk to him throughout the entire series, The reader learns to rely on the others’ opinions on Wylan in order to learn more about him. 

All of the evidence I have shown so far, and even some smaller things I haven't included, plants a certain mentality in the reader; Wylan doesn't have the same knowledge as the other Crows, so he must be weak and gullible. Weakness and gullibility are often traits associated with the “younger-one-of-the-group” trope, or the “Kid Trope”. So, since Wylan is displaying behaviors that we as media consumers have grown used to attaching to characters who are literal children, Wylan must be a child, or at least be treated like one. 

However, the Crows don’t treat Wylan this way because they truly believe Wylan acts like a small child, because he doesn’t. Wylan’s behavior is perfectly normal, it simply sticks out in contrast to the harsh environments all the others have been exposed to. They treat him this way throughout the book as a sort of condescending joke, they belittle him for the stereotypes surrounding his upbringing and little else.

Still, like I said, the Crows’ mindset on Wylan is all the reader is exposed to for the entire first book, so the reader will subconsciously assume Wylan must be doing something to earn this odd treatment from the others. Sometimes readers don’t understand that it is not Wylan’s wealthy and sheltered background that makes him different, it’s the fact that the others are all criminals, murderers, soldiers, and convicts. Wylan is the only “normal” Crow on a very surface level, so his innocence is bound to stick out more.

As the first book continues, we see that there’s more to Wylan’s past than he lets on. We see first hand how smart and capable Wylan truly is, as his character grows with the story. It begins in the fight at the docks in chapter eleven, where Wylan uses his own flash bombs to help Jesper out.  In chapter thirteen, Wylan openly questions and even challenges Kaz after he throws Oomen overboard, which shows great courage on Wylan’s part. This pattern of questioning Kaz when no one else really does is a common theme when it comes to Wylan. We also see Wylan explain who Pekka Rollins is to Matthias in chapter fifteen. This shows that he’s not completely incompetent, and is at least somewhat aware of what goes on in the Barrel. Then, in chapter seventeen (Jesper’s POV), Wylan expresses his natural curiosity and desire for knowledge about anything, from the mechanics of the Ice Court moat to the design of Jesper’s guns. All of this builds to chapter twenty-two, where the Crows are attacked on the ice by Grisha who were sent by the Shu, dosed on parem. Wylan does a lot of heavy lifting in this fight with his bombs, and everyone is impressed. Jesper even makes a comment about how Wylan’s “earned his keep” now. 

Small moments like this that showcase Wylan’s natural resourcefulness and strength are crucial to communicating with the readers that the Crows were wrong about Wylan in the beginning. As Wylan’s true nature begins to develop further throughout the first book, we slowly see the Crows and their attitude towards Wylan change. It becomes more positive. In the future, when Wylan makes an ignorant comment, the others don’t poke fun at him as much. They’ll tell him to be quiet at most.

By the final climax of Six of Crows, chapter forty-six (Kaz’s POV), we find out Wylan cannot read. Jan Van Eck is open about his hatred and mistreatment of his son. When Jesper jumps to Wylan’s defense, he goes as far as to say Wylan is smarter than most of the others put together. Jesper is in love with Wylan at this point in the story, so his words might be a little exaggerated. But there’s still truth to them. This entire scene serves as evidence that Jesper and the other Crows have realized Wylan’s intelligence and worth, so they don’t even think twice when they find out Wylan can’t read or write. 

If all the Crows’ preconceived notions about Wylan were proven wrong before the end of the first book, then why does the fandom still view Wylan in such a problematic way? 

Blame Booktok

This is all mainly tied to modern day book consumption, and the obsession with “tropes”. Online reading communities such as “Booktok” or “Bookstagram” have normalized interpreting even the most complex characters through simple archetypes. This is something all six crows are a victim of, in fact, most characters within all kinds of media are. 

A good example of this within Six of Crows is Kaz Brekker himself. Kaz, within “Booktok”, is often lumped together with several other male YA love interests in books, like Aaron Warner or Cardan Greenbriar . They all usually share very few qualities, like having violent tendencies, being extremely protective of their loved ones, and acting cold or mysterious towards others. Regardless of the fact that all these characters are so complex and different, from their relationship dynamics, to their morals, to their backstories,  readers still often view them as one in the same because of videos online pointing out very minute similarities. A broader example I would use is the way the Hunger Games series was often marketed and discussed as if the love triangle between Peeta, Gale, and Katniss was the main focus of the story. But really it was just a subplot to a more serious and heavy narrative.

People will often focus too much on singular tropes because it makes books easily identifiable and marketable in this new era of self-publishing and online purchasing. It’s easier to judge a book by its cover if you have a broad sense of what might be inside based on the small character details or scenarios other readers liked from it. But what does that have to do with Wylan? 

Well, because people often talk about books or even whole genres on a surface level, they also discuss characters on a surface level. This lazy form of consumption is what often leads to mischaracterization. People can obviously understand complex characters like Wylan, so it’s not a question of intelligence. Fans online are just used to discussing things within books fandoms in such a simple way and viewing a character through the lens of one trope. They’ll put the character in a box, and Wylan just so happens to check all the boxes for a character who would be infantilized. Even though there are interesting things about Wylan besides his “innocence”, people are less inclined to talk about it. In short, viewing Wylan as just another character who falls under the category of a simple stereotype is easier than including and discussing his nuances. 

So who is at fault?

When it comes to talking about a more harmful fandom behavior, like infantilization, it’s important to keep an open mind. Sometimes, it’s the creator’s fault for writing a character in a problematic way, not the fandom’s fault for interpreting it that way. So, is Leigh Bardugo at fault here for writing Wylan in this light? Or is it the fandom’s fault for not looking past the obvious parts of a character? 

I don’t think it was Leigh Bardugo’s fault. If you take the second book, Crooked Kingdom, into account then you can clearly see that the way Wylan is disrespected in the first book is something he’s dealt with his whole life, especially from his father. Wylan has been taught to believe that his reading disability makes him useless as an heir, and as a human being all together. This is one of the reasons why we never see Wylan truly snap back in an aggressive way in Six of Crows when the others insult and belittle him. A big part of Wylan thinks that the others are right about him being useless. Obviously, Wylan couldn’t have had his own POV chapters in Six of Crows, because then that would spoil his father’s true motives. However, I think the fact we didn't get to see his point of view in the first book serves another purpose. Wylan’s low self-esteem is definitely a major thing he needs to overcome in his personal story within Crooked Kingdom. So for the readers to fully understand this, we needed to view Wylan from an outside perspective. First, we get to view him as the other Crows do, as someone sheltered and weak who’s in way over his head. Then, we get to see why Wylan is the way he is. I think this sort of reverse style of character writing is really interesting and more fun to read. But still, not every reader accepted Wylan just because the Crows started to warm up to him. So by extension, this is also why Wylan is one of the most hated Crows. Nevertheless, I think the way Leigh Bardugo chose to write Wylan is inevitable for the story and vital to his character! It wouldn't feel the same if we didn't get to see how the others viewed him first. 

The fault lies with the fandom when it comes to Wylan’s infantilization. But, are people online really just lazy when it comes to discussing characters, or is something bigger at play here? I think it’s both. People do misinterpret Wylan’s strong and resilient character because of laziness and the normalization of oversimplification and overconsumption within the book community. But this treatment is also rooted in subconscious ableism. To better explain what subconscious ableism truly is, I’ll be taking a deeper look at a specific dynamic.

Kaz and Wylan (are not father and son)

Despite these two characters only having a one year age gap, the fandom often views Kaz and Wylan’s relationship as one similar to a father and son dynamic. Which is understandable to a certain degree. Kaz is the very first person Wylan ever told about his reading disability. Kaz had Wylan placed under Dregs protection the minute Wylan set foot in the Barrel, which may have been for Kaz’s own selfish reason, but it still kept Wylan safe for a while. There are a couple scenes in the books where Kaz will give Wylan advice about life in general, or about having a disability, not just about being a criminal. We see Kaz take getting Wylan justice for his mother and stealing back Wylan’s inheritance very seriously. Wylan even starts to pick up some of Kaz’s mannerisms and facial expressions. All of these could be viewed as things a father and son would do, despite how small the actual age gap is. However, the fandom seems to take this relationship to the extreme, from fan fiction and fan art, to getting the characters’ actors involved. 

It’s somewhat because of very minute subconscious ableism. People naturally view Wylan as younger because of his demeanor, but also because of his disability. The opposite is true for Kaz. His physical disability makes people naturally view him as older than seventeen in their minds. This is due to long standing ableist tropes within the media. People with mental disabilities are often depicted as stupider in some way, so they need to be babied or coddled. While people with physical disabilities are often depicted as very ill, or very old. 

This might seem far fetched, but it’s true. And it’s quite obvious if you look closely enough at anything from books, to movies, to TV, to games! These are just some of the harmful stereotypes we see in our world every day, 

How to fix this issue

Now, of course people aren’t just going to stop misinterpreting characters or stop viewing them through small scale tropes all together. But keeping yourself educated and aware is a good way to stop promoting these harmful stereotypes. Listen to the voices that are being affected in these situations! In this case, it’s people with mental or physical disabilities. Be sure to take into account what they have to say on matters like this one. Allow yourself to take the criticism and learn from their experiences or feelings. It’s important to be empathetic and kind to one another, and acknowledge that sometimes we do problematic things without intending to. When talking about characters with disabilities, it’s important to remember what they represent, and the fact that you can't always say whatever you want just because the characters are fictional. 

As always, if you’re ever unsure about whether something you feel or think is harmful towards a certain community, never be afraid to ask questions and do your research!

[sky-neverending]

TW: mentions of death, corpses, and injury (the characters are already dead and have been for a long time), light descriptions of wounds and broke bones, and overall just heed the warning that this is basically just “what would happen if the crows all died” but from an outside perspective years later. also crooked kingdom spoilers. ok i think that’s all, it’s nothing too graphic or descriptive but i want to warn just in case

Six bodies lay in shallow graves, where the grass meets the sea. Six corpses, all decomposing into earth below them and becoming one with the land they, in varying degrees of reluctance, called home. Six piles of bones, all lined up in a row underneath the feet of whoever chose to walk over that barren wasteland.

Five of the bodies were buried at the same time.

The first, with a cane in one clutched hand and a body full of broken ribs. The other hand was stretched toward the smaller body beside him, this one with a knife under the bones where her thigh would be, and two completely shattered ankles.

The third and fourth bodies were that of two boys, barely men. Their fingers were intertwined, the bones almost melded together from years under the soil. The younger boy’s skeleton was broken into fragments at the wrists and the chest, almost as if an explosion had gone wrong and burnt through the skin. The older had a single gunshot wound to his skull.

The fifth body had no obvious sign of death except a small hole in her chest, but not one that signaled broken bones, or a gunshot, or any sort of physical trauma. It was almost as if she had been killed from the inside out, an internal force leading to the tragic passing.

The sixth body was deeper in the ground, the state of decomposition further along than the others by a year's worth of time. It too was the victim of a gunshot, the rest of the large frame untouched.

These six bodies were recorded as the following: Kaz Brekker, Inej Ghafa, Wylan Van Eck, Jesper Fahey, Nina Zenik, and Matthias Helvar. The first five died during their final, fatal heist. The last, a year prior.

It is said that Brekker wrote the following statement in his will, which was rewritten days before his death:

I am going to die. We all are. If you cannot bury me in gold, bury me with the rest of them. Bury me where he was taken from me. Let the tide run over my skin until I'm nothing but a shell of a man. Let them forget me.

The bottom of the note was marked with the coordinates of the graves. It is unknown how Kaz Brekker knew he was going to die, or who the ‘he’ is that he refers to.

All that is known are the rumors. The stories. The whispers of tragedy in the wind that blows in with the tide.

All that’s left is the bones.

The bones of the ones known as Crows.

[dcviated]

clothing/body prompts :: open

send a symbol for a thinger

@agloryofuniicorns sent: 🤐 - Hush my muse and press a finger over their lips. // ruto @ wylan

Wylan did not need to be told twice- hushed as it were. The swordsman was quickly aware that out here along the shores of Lake Hylia they were not alone. Maybe Ruto was more focused on their surroundings, but he'd already shifted into his silence. Slowed breathing, gentle heartbeat. Inches from sleep at appearance.

Oh, of course he was capable of such! One could say that knowing how to be loud and obnoxious lends experience in how to be the opposite. This is a situation where the skill isn't quite so vital. He's a far cry here from when he was younger. Picking pockets and dodging the knights and guardsman he once professed himself to serve.

"..." Ruto's attention isn't on him. Which could be considered a nice change of face. The heated focus of the heiress to the watery kingdom was quite often accompanied by scorn and punishment! Vitriolic and emotional politician she was. Amusing. So many buttons to push for a being that lived closer to nature than he did even when camping.

Her finger lingers. And. Wylan does the only thing he can think of. Why? Was it jealousy? Curiosity? Playfulness? Everything? He knows the sound she was hearing wasn't anything pertinent. Yes, it was hostile. But not the likes of a person or group large enough. Likely the wolfos that he'd driven off before.

...

Wylan licks Ruto's finger.

"Oh, not what I was expecting." He mutters quietly.

[dcviated]

"Say what you will about the strip, I think the hotels have a lot to offer. There's space, amenities, and the view in the mornings something to gamble for. Not that I needed to. I think I handled her pretty nicely, conclusion aside." Wylan defends himself only half-heartedly, as the retorts come about Sonia's suffering, a reminder of what that conclusion had brought.

A reminder he would not live down for some time. Given it had spurred a national spectacle and scandal for her. Which was really why he felt bad. Her emotions aside.. she went through everything else because of him, didn't she? The toils. The coverups. All of those lies because of him lying himself.

"Tch. I came back. At least. Just took me awhile." Is all he cares to say there, withdrawing somewhat as the foreign royals bickered between one another at his expense and Sonia's. Chatter about background checks. Digging into his history. Would they actually be able to find his birth name, Zachary Reis, and make the connection to his sister as a result? He'd like to doubt such, spare her the controversy. If Kat knew that he was here she'd already be putting up a two-sided fuss.

Wasn't it enough that her brother was a career killer working for world crime organizations? Did he really need to get involved with paparazzi-ridden monarchies? Apparently, yes. Yes he very much did. Because of course. It's Wylan. Why wouldn't Wylan become smitten not only with the crown princess but everything around that sort of life?

A disaster. And only part of which he'd be inevitably putting behind him as had been suggested to Sonia before... hm. Hm? Oh, they're talking to him again. Sam, the younger one and more manner-possessed. Wylan can't help but smirk at the question, and as the kid goes on about wishes he lets out a laugh.

"Haha! Putting myself in with a three letter organization? Are you kidding me? Gag. Like I want to spend time in dismal foreign countries taking out corrupt officials to help install new ones with a beeper in the pocket. There was the one time I thought about turning to work for the government, but I actually stayed affiliated with--"

Sonia interrupts and- Wow. This was a good reminder. Really. Why he came back. Why he stayed. And why he fell so helplessly for the woman who seemed fit to break every mold she could. While everyone else present was taken aback by her suggestion of a shared shower, Wylan was... aroused! Absolutely! Won't deny that! But lets look past his nethers (proud as they may be) and up to her face. What a woman to suggest that to a group gathered like this. Sure, this wasn't going to be the kind of language to continue to expect when in the presence of her parents but it lit a certain devious spark back into Wylan's own soul. One that had shuttered itself somewhat in hopes of placating future family.

"Well..."

A notion that Sonia did not see fit to share or indulge. Good!

Maybe, just maybe, moving to a life with royalty wouldn't be as stuffy as he thought?

"Actually, right now is probably the best time to keep me under supervision, I think. And who better than you?" Wylan cheerfully replies, clapping his hands at what was sure to be a first signal to another fantastic train wreck. "The person who can't keep their eyes off me. Oh. Come to think of it. I didn't bring anything back from the room though, so I'm lacking a change of clothes. Unless... your people already cleared it out soon as they knew where we were?"

Wylan spares a look towards Cecily, a scrutinizing lift of his brow.

"I wouldn't be upset if you did. I know how you people work, otherwise I wouldn't be so good at getting around it when I want to. Seeing as this is a time where I'm on the same side as your group-" Almost suggesting a different level of antagonization prior. "I hadn't locked or rigged the place before we left. So there won't be any glitter bombs this time." He smiles. Wondering if she knew what he was talking about, a time he'd intentionally left some evidence of a prior visit. Truthfully, it was less... Wylan had been clever and more in his lovestruck daze to be with Sonia he simply. Forgot. Whatever their team saw fit to do was probably done either way. Like he was with this room of unsettled strangers, soon as Sonia saw fit to drag him out.

The corners of Sonia's mouth twitched: if she'd waited much longer to activate the tracking device in her phone, she'd worried that Cecily would've had a heart attack and Sam, ever the responsible one, would have called either her mother or her father. Each option was, considering the current turn of events, an equally terrible scenario. Good hygiene had needed to be sacrificed for the sake of not causing an international incident in the City of Light. Or at least, buy time to figure out what sort of incident Wylan Rectur suddenly waltzing back into her life was going to be. She could pray for an easy introduction into her life beyond the Tokyo condo, but Sonia guessed those prayers would go unanswered.

"We are indeed leading with that," Cecily replied, giving him a disapproving click of her tongue. "Because no matter how many windows and locks that have been needed to be repaired due to your creativity, they pale in comparison to finding Her Royal Highness in a sleazy Las Vegas hotel room-"

"That room was rather nice, actually!" Sonia piped up with a smile. Even in her tousled, messy state from her hair to her clothes, much less the situation at hand, she couldn't help but feel cheerful about it all. Wylan's hand in hers brought an indescribable sense of strength. "I wouldn't call it sleazy at all. And if Wylan hadn't found the various cracks in the condo's security, someone else with far worse intentions might have done so and taken advantage of them."

"I want to know how he scaled the outside of that thing," Liam chimed in, mouth half full of pain au chocolat. "Or if there's a secret staircase we don't know about! I have to go there next: I'd like to know. For reasons."

Both Sam and Cecily shot him a look of varying degrees of 'you're not helping,' though Cecily's was tempered by Wylan's declaration that she was a good deal smarter than the rest of Sonia's security: from what Sonia could tell, her Private Secretary was torn between taking it as a compliment or an insult.

"Sure, sure!" Liam waved with a lazy grin. "We can get in a proper ring and everything and hit up a pub after. How are you with darts?" A bruise had begun to develop over his left cheek and yet he hardly seemed perturbed. Sonia figured, from what she knew of her cousin, that this was how he made friends. She hoped he wouldn't try to be more than that.

"We punched you because we care about her," Sam interjected, frowning. "It wasn't easy, you know: watching her suffer because of you."

"I was not suffering!" Sonia cried, earning her three knowing looks from Cecily and her cousins, not believing a word of that protest. "Well, I will not deny that it hurt but perhaps suffering is a bit much."

"Regardless of your volatile emotions for the majority of the past year," Cecily cut in, Sonia opening her mouth and then closing it. There was no point in refuting that one: Cecily might be her employee but she would give the Princess of Novoselic a dressing down when needed. Never in public of course, but it did humble her when it was necessary. "I'm the least of your problems, Mr. Rectur. Personally, I'm not sure who will take the news worse: Gabriel or His Majesty."

"I'm betting on Aunt Val!" Liam said between sips of tea. "She already threw hands and-"

Liam crossed the line with some regularity but rarely was he made aware of it, and even more rarely did he regret it. Sam, Cecily, and Sonia all shot him glares though Sonia's was the least bitter. Her expression was simply sad, having recalled a memory she'd like to forget, even if the faint scar on her cheek ensured that would never be an option. Liam swallowed, muttered a 'sorry,' and went back to his tea.

"Well, it is a good thing, I suppose, eventually, that you do not plan on abandoning her the way you did in America," Cecily sighed, though Sonia wondered how long eventually would take. Months? Years? Decades? "But you are right, Mr. Rectur. We will need to figure out where to go from here. How to introduce you to Their Majesties, for example, and performing the necessary background checks. Preferably after you both have bathed and put on some clean clothes..." A thought had occurred, as she began to fire off a few text messages on her mobile phone.

"What did you do, exactly, before coming to meet Sonia in Paris?" Sam asked with interest, his disappointing pastries forgotten as he poured himself another cup of tea from the pot. "And I do not mean 'I boarded a plane, booked a hotel room, and stalked her window to see when she was leaving.' Were you only some sort of assassin or were you a spy for the American government as well, like James Bond if he worked for the CIA? It would be cool if you were like James Bond."

"Wylan can share whatever he likes about his life after we both have cleaned up," Sonia advised him, leaving out once my growing headache has been tempered by a hot shower and the reminder that, when I'm done, he won't have gone. "They already know we've had sex, we might as well go clean up. You can have your own shower, if you like." The idea Sonia was only offering him a separate shower as an option earned her two horrified looks and one disgusted one, if just for the idea of having to be around a naked woman. She smirked in return: antagonize her long enough and she would have the upper hand.

[toolazytodecide]

I've seen some people theorise that Netflix Wylan has been out of his fathers house longer than book Wylan, which makes me wonder what that means for Alys.

Wylan's father turned on him when he found out his wife was pregnant with a replacement. If Wylan escaped years ago that would mean the baby would have been born. Which doesn't work plot wise, but imagine Wylan having a brother he's never met because of his father's cruelty.

[targaryenluvs]

Over you’re post about the crows x child!reader. And I was thinking of the same for a while! But I wanted to ask you about the crows with a moody teen. Like she’s maybe grown up, she’s like still bad ass but she’s going through teen age eyes. Like maybe like 13-14. Sorry, I just think it would be so funny like the guardians of the galaxy and teen age groot. She can have like a attitude problem with kaz.

Teenage Scare

six of crows x teen!reader, kaz brekker x teen!reader

Mean.

That’s how most people would describe you.

No matter what a discussion was about you always had something to say. When you were younger you were new to the Crow Club. Despite your rough life you were kind and sweet.

That part of you was snacking on waffles deep inside, because with your teenage years came change. And you didn’t like change. First came with your height, you were still short for your age but you could see you were growing faster than usual. Then came your face, where it was usually smooth came bumps and rough patches, not noticeable but to you? This was an attack on your face.

Then your chest, which was the worst. From 12 to 14 it grew and grew and you had no clue if it would stop. You’d caught the eye of local boys when you didn’t want to. Which lead to a few catcalls to you, and a few broken noses for them. You didn’t want to be treated differently for something so vain, so natural.

But it would happen either way, not only did boys notice but men did too. Although they always bit their tongue since the first (and last) man to say something ended up with all his money fit snuggly in your pockets and his teeth in a bin.

It made you angry and bitter.

You had to get new clothes every few months since it didn’t fit here or there and so on. After a big job the Crows had pulled off which you played a huge role in you were definitely more than able to afford it but you didn’t want to waste all your money on clothes.

So you took up sewing in secret.

You didn’t feel like being bullied for doing something so girlish whilst you condemned the Ladies of richer houses for being shackled to a birthing bed or cooking and cleaning.

But the thing was you liked it. It brung a sense of calm, using different colours of thread and different needles giving various outcomes. And there was nothing you could make that had been made before. There was so much freedom when it came to it.

Everyone else noticed the calm of the storm that was you, pretty quickly.

“What on Ketterdam just happened.” Wylan said to Jesper as he sat down with his breakfast. “What do you mean?” He looked up at him and cleared his throat, “I’m sorry I should’ve been clearer.” Jesper laughed, “What did I say about apologising for how you speak?” Jesper smiled timidly, “Not to. I remember, just a slip. It’s just, when I went into the Kitchen, Y/n was in there.”

Jesper tilted his head, encouraging him to continue, “Cooking. She hasn’t cooked since she was twelve.” Jesper brung his hand to his forehead and faked shock, “Oh my Saints, the world is off its axis.”

Wylan smacked his chest and frowned, “It’s not funny! She hasn’t cooked in so long, she says it’s boring and we have people for it so what’s the point?” Jesper wraps his arm around him, “I’m sorry love, you’re right it is odd. But maybe the beast is about to go into a deep slumber and we get the normal Y/n back. You know how the younger teenage years are.”

“We’re all in our 20s, we may not fully remember but it was awkward and weird. Everything was changing and we were adapting. Let her adapt.” He finished as Wylan nodded in agreement, what he didn’t notice was Jespers hand sneaking towards his toast.

“Hey! Drop it!” Wylan shouted as Jesper took a big bite out of the corner, “You love me, let me eat.” Wylan huffed in annoyance before getting up to leave but Jesper promptly wrapped his arm around his waist and brought him back down, “Oh no you don’t.” Jesper laughed as Wylan did too.

“Please stop giggling like school girls, you’re making me want to vomit.” Y/n said as she sat down with her food in front of them. “Don’t make any sudden movements, we don’t want to scare the animal.” Jesper ‘whispered’ as Y/n laughed sarcastically, “For a second I was wondering why I never sit with you two in the mornings anymore, now I remember why.”

“Oh it was just a joke Y/n, please sit, I feel like I never see you anymore.” Wylan spoke as he took a sip of his juice. “Maybe open your eyes up babe, I live with you.” Wylan smiled, “Yeah but I uhm, I missed talking to you.”

“Thanks. I’d miss me too.”

Jesper snickered as Wylan hit him again.

That was one of the moments you realised how much you’d changed. Whilst fearing over things being different you’d pushed away the Crows, your family. You’d begun spending more time in your room, or with other friends your age and while having friends your age was okay, you spent more time with them than at the Slat or Crow Club.

You’d let your fear take over. Not wanting to eat with them in the mornings to hear their questions and teasings of, “Are you okay?” “Is it that time of the month?” “New clothes?”

What you’d seen as annoying were actually just genuine questions of concern. From that day on you’d ease back into your life. Eating with them in the mornings, actually attending meetings rather than hearing the summary from Inej.

You’d go shopping with Nina for food, or have your daily reading sessions in Kaz’s office. You’d shop for hats and ingredients with Wylan and Jesper and laugh when Jesper touched the wrong thing and would get told off.

You’d be home again.

The meeting was at seven pm and this time you planned on showing up.

You were there twenty minutes early, grabbing your favourite book of tales you’d obtained from East Ravka. “You’re here for once?” Kaz asked as he walked into the room. You nodded, the realisation that you hadn’t talked to him in weeks.

Kaz noticed your change first. No longer did he receive sweet notes in the morning that had him smiling at himself, no longer did he hear your humming as you read in his office, something he claimed to loathe but he’d grown familiar to the sound, like a white noise.

When he worked to hard he’d always be so engrossed in whatever he was doing he’d sometimes not notice you bringing him dinner, lunch or breakfast.

Before every meeting you’d be the first to come along, not for the sake of punctuality, but so Kaz could silently hand over his plan, and have you fix anything that seemed out of place.

Once you’d become a teenager, you grew distant and indifferent to Kaz most of all. You didn’t want him to see you as an adult. Someone he could treat the same as others he worked with. You liked how it was, him always asking you if you’d slept, him telling you off when you became cheeky, when you ate like a girl starved. (Which you never were), when he’d let you, little by little break away his barriers.

With a pat on the back, a comment of praise, a loving look etc. What you both missed most of all was your night talks. Where you’d talk about anyone or thing. Nothing was off limits, it was in these talks that you found out about Kaz’s past.

His change of scenery from his fathers farm to the bustling streets of Ketterdam, the con played by one Jakob Hertzoon on two unknowing boys. How they were cheated out of their inheritance, Jordie’s death and the eventual reasoning behind Kaz and his fear of touch.

You vowed with him to bring Pekka down.

The words which he uttered, ‘Brick by Brick’ held new meaning in your eyes. And you and Kaz held them dear, you would do anything to bring the ‘King’ of the Barrel to his knees.

After such a monumental breakthrough, even if Kaz wouldn’t admit it, you drifted and it stung.

“Early as always.”

“What else do you expect from me?”

“For you to run away, play with your little friends rather than do your job.”

You lifted your head from your book, “I know I’ve been gone a bit, but I always get the job done. I’m always there.”

“I know you are. But as a Crow you’re supposed to be at every meeting, every briefing. Just because you’re a child it does not give you a free pass to skip out on anything.”

“I’m not a child.”

“No? You run away from your responsibilities, the plan is as important as the mission. You should know the ins and outs, the layout of the area rather than running around aimlessly before finally finding a window to go through.”

“That’s was one time!”

“It’s not good enough. You’re not good enough.”

You slammed the book down on the table and rose from your seat, “I’m sorry if I’m not fucking perfect Kaz. But I’m human. We all make mistakes and you know that. There’s a reason you always make me go over every plan. You’re not subtle, having Inej bring me plans as ‘potential opportunities’ and asking for my opinion. I know she relays all the information to you. I’m fourteen not stupid.”

“It’s been a while since I heard that phrase.”

“Oh fuck you.”

“Y/n.”

You stopped in your tracks, you knew that tone, you’d heard it on countless heists and with it you knew not to mess around. You turned slowly and crossed your arms, “What?”

“Brick by Brick.”

You sighed, the words had been lost to you, having not said them in forever.

“Brick by Brick.”

“Those words are close to me. I do not take them lightly, they’re a promise, it will happen. Don’t make me regret telling you of my past if you’re slacking. If you’re slipping, if you can’t handle yourself you can’t handle this life. If you’d rather be an ordinary girl I can organise a wealthy family to adopt you. It wouldn’t be hard, you’re well educated, mannered even if you’ve shown a lack of them in the past few years. But if you want to continue, continue with the Crows then let me know right now. I cannot have someone lacking in focus and effort because they’re moping about change.”

“I want to be here, I do. And the phrase, means a lot to you I know. I know how hard it was for you to share your past with me and i’m grateful you did. It showed me so much more to you. You built all of this from the ground and as much as you’d never admit it, it means a lot to you. The Crows do. I’d never want to jeopardise all you’ve done. I’m sorry for how I’ve been acting and I promise to get my act together. I don’t remember much from my years before here. And I don’t want to. This is my life, I was made for this.”

“That’s the Y/n I know. Now, go over the plan before everyone arrives.”

You sat back down, “Brick by Brick.”

You looked up and grinned, “Brick by Brick.”

[axe8472]

I have thoughts in my brain about six of crows and they may or may not make sense. So. The thing is when people talk about how the crows couldn't possibly be 16-18 because they're overly mature and competent and have life experience etc etc. i get that BUT is that not the whole point? I mean the books really hammer it home that notions of childhood in their world are entirely different from ours, like to the point where i would even say it's a main theme and kinda the driving force behind all the events in the duology.

Kids are taken away from their parent at like 11 to train as soldiers. Kaz was all alone in Ketterdam at 9 years old and there doesn't seem to have been any functioning system of care for kids like him, nor mandatory schooling. In Fjerda, it seems like the closest thing to foster care is being taken on by the Druskelle. Inej started training as an acrobat pretty much as soon as she could walk and was playing starring roles in performances by the time she was 14 (and probably a fair bit younger). I don't remember Jesper's backstory perfectly but I think he was put to work in the jurda fields (a hazardous agricultural job) as a small child, then worked with guns in some way, then got sent to school in a different country when he was like 15. This isn't exclusive to the crows - it's mentioned a lot that there are many kids in situations similar to Kaz and Inej in the Barrel. Even Joost, despite seemingly being quite sheltered, is working full time night shifts as a guard when he's not even old enough to grow facial hair.

It seems that there's just much more of a vocational focus for kids/teenagers in the grishaverse. This makes a lot of sense because many elements of culture across the grishaverse countries come from the ~1800s when the attitude towards kids was that they weren't all that different from small, inexperienced adults, especially in working-class and rural settings where you just had to get on with things. Kerch especially took inspiration from victorian England, where kids as young as 9 could legally work up to 60 hours a week in dangerous conditions. So yeah that's kind of the whole point imo. It's especially interesting because I read the soc duology as a (potentially semi-unintentional?) criticism of capitalism. This is highlighted by the fact that Wylan, the only one of the crows from a rich background, is also the only one who had a childhood and got an education even vaguely comparable to what we would consider normal. So clearly the whole childhood innocence vs being put to work at like 4 thing is closely tied to class. (obviously Wylan did not have A Good Childhood but it seems from the books that the standard for merchers' kids is to give them a really good and varied education with 1-to-1 tutoring etc, which is very different from what all the other characters seem to have had as kids.)

And okay yeah they're unrealistically skillful and competent and just generally smart, but that would be the case even if they were adults. Like you kinda have to just take liberties with your characters of they'll never manage to do anything, especially in a world that's so hostile toward them. And it's actually kinda hard to even say how unrealistic their capabilities are because their experiences are so different from the experiences of real-life modern teenagers. Like kids are crazy adaptable and good at learning things, especially when they've had no other choice, and the crows actually mostly have quite a lot of experience and had time to develop their respective skills because they haven't spent 8+ hours a day in school for most of their lives. The same goes for the degree of adult-ness in their general behaviour - they're really quick thinkers and less likely to panic in a crisis than any teenager I've ever met. Again I'd say that's the whole point. The charaters are acting older than they have any right to because the experiences they've had have forced them to develop the capacity to do so.

Idk maybe i just read it differently to some people but yeah i think that cross-cultrually throughout the grishaverse children just have very very different experiences to kids in real life. It makes sense that they would then grow up to be very different from real-life teenagers, and obviously the crows are an extreme example of that but there is like. clear historical inspiration behind a lot of the crows' backstories and the general cultural backdrop of the duology. And the whole thing with the books is yeah they're doing all of this stuff and they're capable of these amazing things but actually they are literally children and they are doing all of it mostly for the sake of survival and taking back the things that they deserve from the world. And everything they've done for years and the people that they've become has all been for the sake of survival. And they're kids.

[mery-cm99]

Vixen ~ Nikolai Lantsov (Chapter 2)

Masterlist

Description: Vixen is one of the Crows. Kaz saved her a long time ago. He’s the only one who knows the truth about Vixen. He’s the only one who knows her past, her secret. That’s until a certain privateer shows up in Ketterdam looking for a living Saint. 

Pairing: Nikolai Lantsov x fem!OC

Warnings: Mention of trauma, blood, war and sad stuff in general. English is not my first language, so sorry in advance for any grammar or spelling errors. The sign language used in this story is made up and does not correspond with any official one. The story is based on the series, not the books.

Rating: Teens and up

Chapter 2/6

Word Count: 2,802 words

Vixen used the shadows of the night to slip through the streets of the Barrel on her way to the workshop Kaz told them. When she reached the building across the street, she stayed hidden in an alley, waiting. She stood very still when she heard a pair of footsteps, but it turned out to be only a couple coming out of one of the game venues on the street. The man was almost on top of the woman and seemed to be under the influence of alcohol, because he was slurring his words and trying to grope her as they walked. The woman seemed a little annoyed with him, but kept dragging the man down the street. Vixen assumed he was going to pay her a good amount of coins for the service. 

After making sure no one had set them up, the girl came out of hiding and entered the workshop. Inside were already Jesper and Kaz, plus a red-haired boy who looked a little uncomfortable. Vixen recognized him without any problems. When the boy looked at her, she brought the thumb of her right hand to her chin and then held up three fingers to her heart, forming a W. In sign language it meant <<Hello, Wylan>>.

"Vixen," he greeted with a small smile, but looking away, as if even after all this time, the girl still intimidated him. Vixen smiled tenderly. Wylan was a couple of years younger than her and she had grown fond of him. 

"Wait. You two know each other?"Jesper asked in confusion.

<<Of course, don't you...>> But she couldn't finish signing because the red-haired boy interrupted her.

"Vixen has helped me a couple of times. Some bullies are a little obsessed with me," explained the youngest while his cheeks acquired the same color as his hair. The girl smiled even wider, understanding what was going on. Jesper had forgotten that he and Wylan had known each other before and the younger boy was embarrassed. 

She had been the one who had told Kaz about Wylan. While the rest of the crows were busy with the Crow Club problems, she was roaming the streets of Ketterdam, listening about rumors and the latest business. That's how she had found Wylan, who was playing his flute for money. She had arrived just in time to see the three men, much larger than either of them, stand in front of the boy and threaten to beat him if he didn't hand over all his money. The girl had been unable to restrain herself. She managed to stop them from beating the boy to death, but there was nothing she could do to stop them from taking his money. 

Inej appeared soon after, accompanied by another girl Vixen didn't know. Inej explained that she was the Heartrender Kaz was looking for. Vixen stepped away from them and stood on the other side of Wylan's desk, catching distance from the grisha.

"Nina Zenik, at your service," she introduced herself, taking off her hat. Vixen stared at her. Something about her seemed familiar. As she watched her talk to the rest she realized what it was. The way she moved, her easy, catchy smile. She had the same charming aura that her own mother used to have. That made her feel an inexplicable attraction to the grisha, which was accentuated when Kaz asked her what the price of her services was. 

"I want to get someone out of Hellgate"

Vixen, who had been sitting on the other side of the table, instantly stood up at the mention of prison. Nina turned to look at her in surprise, as if she hadn't noticed her presence. If it had been any other time, Vixen would have wondered why, considering she was a Heartrender and could hear her heartbeat, but at that moment all she could think about was the prison.

Kaz, who was already looking at her even before she got up from the chair, shook his head when Vixen signed that they had to help Nina. 

"What is she saying?" Nina asked worried when she saw the aggressive way Vixen was moving her hands in Kaz's direction.

"She wants to help you. She's asking Kaz to listen to you. There's a lot of swearing involved" explained Wylan, who had learned some sign language from all the time he had been with Vixen. 

"Please. He's the love of my life," Nina added. Vixen waved her hand at her without taking her gaze off Kaz, as if to say: <<See! She needs our help!>>

"I can't get you a release from Hellgate. But I can get you a visit," Kaz said at last. “In exchange for your service”

Vixen wanted to complain that that wasn't enough, but she had to admit that it was the most Kaz could offer the newcomer. Kaz wasn't about to endanger his crows in that horrible prison for someone they didn't know. And without getting paid in return.

Nina accepted, without much choice.

***

Vixen loved the docks, she liked the salty air and the humidity of the environment. She liked the crowds that were always there and that allowed her to hide. She also liked the streets of Ketterdam, where she had spent most of her life, trying to survive and escape the people who wanted to catch her, like the standwatch or Pekka Rollins' men. But if there was one place she didn't like at all, it was the cemetery. She always got goosebumps in that place and her demons seemed to stir the hardest when she was there.

She tucked her cloak a little tighter around her and limped on towards the reunion point, ignoring the voices claiming she hadn't done enough. In case of emergency, the Crows had agreed to meet at a mausoleum inside the Black Veil, the graveyard that was filled after the plague that desolated Ketterdam. No one went there because they said it was occupied by ghosts, so it was the best place to hide. 

When Vixen reached the doors of the mausoleum, she stopped for a moment and touched her leg. Pulling her hand away, she saw that it was covered in blood. She had had a not very pleasant encounter with a pair of Dime Lions. She allowed herself a moment of weakening and Anya came to light for the first time in three years. A tear rolled down her cheek and she muffled a sob of pain behind her left hand. The wound hurt, but that wasn't the main reason for her crying. After a few moments, she let Vixen return. She stretched again, brushed away her tears and entered the mausoleum where the rest of Crows and Nina were waiting for her.

As soon as she reached the bottom step, she saw that Kaz's eyes were fixed on her injured leg. Her boss was just as observant as she was, maybe even more so.

"Did the Dime Lions pay you a visit too?" Jesper asked as he watched her limp. 

Vixen held up two fingers, indicating the number of Rollins' men who had found her. Then she ran the fingers of her hand up her neck toward her chin and turned her hand over, as if it had died. Even for someone who didn't know much sign language, it wasn't too hard to guess what the fate of both men had been.

"You too?" Nina exclaimed as she came out into the main room to find the injured girl. She was referring to Inej, who had also faced death that night. They all had, but some were more wounded than others. "Come, I'll try to heal you. I'm not the best at this kind of work, but I'll do my best."

The silent girl followed Nina into the other room, where the grisha asked her to take off her pants so she could heal her. As she tended to her injuries, Vixen noticed the way Nina's fingers moved over the wound. A part of her was screaming at her to get away from the Heartrender, but she couldn't do it, she felt mesmerized.

When her wound was nothing more than a pinkish scar, Nina pulled away from her. Vixen put a hand to her chest and nodded, the sign of thanking her. Nina had no idea about sign language, but she guessed what that one meant. 

"Now, if you'll excuse me. I have to visit someone," Nina said with a small smile. The grisha was about to leave the room, but a voice stopped her.

"You have to get him out of there."

Nina turned around, surprised.

"You speak. I thought..." but she didn't finish the sentence.

"You can't let him rot in there. You have to get him out of Hellgate" she advised, and Nina could see the pain and sadness in the girl's eyes. She seemed to speak from experience, as if she knew what it was like to see someone rotting in said prison.

"I don't know how to do it," said the grisha sadly.

"I don't either. But we have to get him out of there. Whatever it takes."

***

A man elbowed her so hard that the girl felt her mask fall off from the blow. Vixen ducked down some more, put on her fox mask (a rather fitting disguise considering her name) and tucked herself back into her cloak, protecting the vial in her hand as she headed off to fulfill her part of Kaz's plan. Arriving at Pekka Rollins' place, which was full of people playing, drinking and laughing, she used her gift to go unnoticed and went all around the place impregnating the glasses, gaming chips, dice and cards with the powder Wylan had created.

The girl felt like the Grim Reaper, dealing out terror and death. Usually she wasn't too thrilled to be linked with death, but on that occasion she didn't feel too bad. After all, they weren't really dealing out the plague, they were just imitating it.

When she had finished spreading panic among the occupants of the premises, she returned to the street and hid among the rest of the people in disguise to head to her next destination, The Emerald Palace. She entered quietly and unnoticed and saw that the show had already begun. Pekka Rollins was on his knees in front of Kaz, pleading. The Crows boss had blood on his face and looked pretty beaten up, but at that moment Dirty Hands had the winning hand. Vixen quietly approached the bar, from where Jesper and Nina were watching the show.

Kaz told Rollins that he would tell him where his son was if he would sign a confession that he had killed Tante Helen and give Inej her freedom. Pekka signed it without objecting too much. Vixen would have felt a little bad for the man, but then she remembered all the times he had sent his men to capture or kill her and she had nearly ended up in Hellgate because of him. The only thing that could have turned her back from Kaz's plan was Alby Rollins, Pekka's son. Vixen had killed in self-defense and had used force on behalf of the Crows, but she would never endanger the life of a child. She had only agreed to go along with the plan because Kaz had assured her that nothing would happen to Alby Rollins.

After disposing of the boss of the Dime Lions, the four returned to the Dregs Club, which Kaz had occupied living up to his nickname: Dirty Hands. He had beaten the crap out of Per Haskell's men with only his hands and his cane. Vixen was about to go to her room to meditate —she said that when she wanted to be left alone without anyone bothering her, which was very often— but Nina followed her.

"Vixen, can I ask you a question that you don't need to answer?" She asked as they both walked up the stairs, away from the rest. 

The girl looked around to check that they were alone and that there was no danger before nodding somewhat reluctantly. She knew Nina was curious about her story, she could see it in her expression. But Vixen didn't like to talk about it. She didn't like to talk, period. Still, it was clear to her that sooner or later the questions would come. Jesper and Inej knew nothing about her past life because that was the way their relationship was. They trusted each other, but didn't question what they had done in past lives. Kaz was the one who helped her build her new life, so he was the only person who knew who she was before. And Wylan only knew her as Vixen, his silent guardian angel. But Nina was different, she was more open, more curious. 

"Maybe we should go into your room to talk more privately" proposed Nina clasping her hands together, as if she didn't know what to do with them. The other girl recognized that she was nervous, and that made her more alert. 

Vixen opened the door and let Nina enter the room before closing it behind them. The room was fairly empty and seemed impersonal. Something that made sense considering they had had to stay there on short notice, as the Crow Club was now nothing but rubble and ash. But Vixen's room at said venue was not much different from this one. She was used to living in the shadows, without a face or a name, so she had almost no possessions, and the few she had were always on her person. It was easier to run away and survive from her pursuers when she had nothing to tie her anywhere. 

She gestured for Nina to sit on her bed while she took the chair by the window. It was an unconscious act, but it would make it easier for her to flee if the situation became unbearable. 

Nina noticed the way she sat in the chair, with one leg under the other and only the tips of her toes propped up. She had noticed that. Vixen never sat in one place completely. She always seemed ready for action, whether it was to get into a fight or to run away. She saw her pull one of her daggers out of her belt compartment, though she only did it to play with it, twirling it between the fingers of her hand. Inej also did that with her knives.

"You lost someone there, didn't you?" Grisha began when the doubt became overwhelming. "In Hellgate, I mean," she added, realizing she hadn't fully explained herself.

The knife in her hands stopped suddenly and was about to fall, but Vixen's hand spun it around and she gripped it tightly by the handle again. Her heart gave her away too. It had sped up a lot, as if she was running in front of a pack of wolves, dead terrified of the moment they would catch up with her. It took her a couple of seconds to respond, and when she did it was by signs, which didn't do much good, as Nina still had no idea what they meant. 

Vixen must have seen it in her expression, because she stopped dead in her tracks and her hands dropped to her lap. Then she cleared her throat.

"Yes, my father," she repeated, accompanying her signs with her voice.

She didn't know why she answered Nina with the truth. A part of her, the part that always thought the worst, told her that Nina had forced her with her Grisha powers, but deep down she knew it was because of Nina herself. She reminded her too much of her mother, and she had never been able to lie to her. 

Nina nodded, but remained silent, waiting for the girl to continue on her own. 

"He was there for two and a half years. I went to see him every week without the guards knowing, during the fights. I watched his life, his light, disappear with each one. Until that day. He was fighting another prisoner and he was winning. Someone on the inside must not have liked it, because they unleashed a beast. My father was too busy fighting the man to see it coming. The noise of the crowd was deafening, everyone shouted and cheered, but my father didn't notice the beast until it was too late."

"Why didn't he turn around when he heard the commotion?" asked the grisha, completely caught up in the story. For someone who didn’t speaking too much, Nina thought Vixen had a mesmerizing voice.  

"Because he couldn't hear anything. My father was deaf" she explained, emphasizing each word with sign language.

[black-rose-writings]

I am currently working on a short story (probably 1 or 2 chapters once it's all done - I do have it mostly figured out, I'm just not happy with the pacing and Wylan - there are some other details I'm not sure on, but those are the big ones).

Working title is "Seven for a secret" (reference to the crow counting rhyme). It's a Crows centric-story, obviously, and I'm planning on shifting POVs, though mostly told by Kaz, Nina and Kuwei.

The premise is two-fold. One, all the Crows are Grisha and two, Kaz is Aleksander's son (I have had several discussions with the lovely @stromuprisahat about it and you can find pieces of it in her Kazimir Aleksandrovich AU tag).

Pretty much entirely show-verse, though padded out with the backstory details and worldbuilding from the books.

So, Nina and Jesper remain pretty much unchanged, save for some minor adjustments to put Jesper closer to his book counterpart (and also account for the 10 years added to his life) and Nina to an actually competent spy and Grisha who knows her shit. Kuwei is also mostly the same(he didn't ask for any of this shit), and he is the least aged up of the characters, being around 19.

(I am largely basing the Crows' ages on their actor's current ages, as they do largely feel appropriate)

Kaz, as mentioned above, is Aleksander's son, and he is roughly 30 (though he is treated as looking younger) and he's a shadow summoner. I don't fully have the backstory of how he happened figured out and it's not entirely relevant to the story. His backstory remains largely unchanged, though after Jordie's death, he does end up getting in touch with Grisha, who know Aleksander - they know of each other and have exchanged some letter, but do to the litaral wall of shadows between them, they have never met in person. Kaz recieved both regular education and some Grisha training from Aleksander's contact and only ended up joining with the gangs when he was in his late teens. He was still affected by the plague, due to being weakened by wasting sickness.

Inej is in her mid 20s. She is a Squaller, though it is not known about her. She met Kaz after she managed to run away from the Menagerie, when she was about 15, at which point, he arranges for her to not have to return. Though she does recieve some Grisha training in secret at this point, she mostly relies on the two talents she is natural at and does without much effort - sound manipulation and helping her balance. She avoids the more public use of her powers, for both money and safety reasons.

Wylan is around his mid 20s and he's an Alkemi, for pretty obvious reasons. There aren't too many changes to his backstory, save for adding 10 years to his age and the adventures he had in that time. Wylan was kicked out slightly later and his dad is somewhat more reasonable without the power-trip of holding the fate of the world in his hands. I have not quite figured out how to write him, so he is mostly the sticking point right now.

And now, for Matthias. I'm still not decided if I should fully commit to him being an adult and season Drüskelle or only age him up a little and keep him an initiate. He is a Corporalnik in this story (he's untrained, but leans more to the Healer side in his natural talents). He is aware that unusual things happen around him, but he attributes them to miracles or blessings of Djel, rather than being Grisha. He has a very good intuition for where people are (through his Corporalki sense), is very liked by animals (subtle and unknowling manipulations of their bodies), seems to heal faster than others and never gets cold. He also has a natural talent for syncing his heartbeat to the heartbeat of others, making him near unfindable for Heartrenders (unless they specifically can recognize his heartbeat). And I am absolutely planning to have a scene where Nina lists all of that to him, in the assumption that he knows what he is and is just a traitor and then realizing he genuinely doesn't know what she is talking about.

It is still very much WIP, but I do have the bones and it should be shorter than the other thing I promise yall before S2 came out.

I am also still open to short story prompts and ideas.

[carothehotmess]

In my opinion the newest castings are just continuing the trend of this show having the best and most true to the characters cast

Like Jack Wolfe being very Wylan and saying “I can’t wait to get started and join the family” and also looking significantly younger than he actually is (precious cinnamon roll I love him so much already I cannot WAIT to see him meet Jesper)

Patrick Gibson being very Nikolai with the dramatic pause and also not even introducing his whole name, just saying Patrick and assuming we know who he is (and I know he is gonna face criticism regardless bc everyone has such a specific idea of Nikolai in their minds but I personally think he will make a good Sturmhond and also him and Sujaya will make a hot af couple)

Anna Leong Brophy being very Tamar with her low key smirking excitement and then really perking up when talking about her axes (also she didn’t say her whole name either which I think fits her character as well but in less of a “everyone already knows me” way and more of a “you don’t really need to know more than that” vibe)

Honestly the only one who didn’t immediately give off the same vibes as his character is Lewis Tan, but thats probably more because I found him super attractive and I didn’t really think of Tolya that way in the books. But I can definitely see him reciting some epic poetry while in dangerous situations

[turoce]

actually on the topic of chefs staying or leaving their assigned restaurants, here's a list of who i think stayed or left

Roy+Joy: they're kinda stuck there, aren't they? Roy especially. i think Joy's more part time-ish.

Marty+Rita: they stay. i see them both as college student age (though only Rita goes to college. Marty's busy with life atm) and i think they both kinda concluded "eh, it's life experience ig" and stayed. i think they'd both leave if one of them put their mind to it though, because i headcanon that they became chefs together from the friend pact or something. i don't know how to describe it.

Maggie+Mitch: both also stayed, i haven't really thought of the whys for Mitch but i think Maggie stayed around for Mitch, something along the lines of "i don't think i could handle the thought of the Taco Mia! being dominated under the hands of Mitch..." probably got something to do with the love-hate thing going on. Maggie doesn't go as much as she wishes she could though, due to her responsibilities.

Penny+Alberto: stayed. despite the wave of customers in the beginning, it probably got more sustainable after that. don't really have headcanons for these two.

Cooper+Prudence: also stayed. i also think they're college students, (Prudence about 2~3 years younger than Cooper though) but it doesn't really take part of why i think they might have stayed. i think they do both kinda like the job.

Chuck: defos stayed. look at his Flipdeck.

Taylor+Penny: Taylor also defos stayed. i haven't really thought of anything for Peggy though, nor have i thought of a dynamic between the two chefs in general.... i may have to pay Hotdoggeria a visit one day.

James+Willow: i think Willow stayed, while James left, since he already has a job so i don't think juggling the two jobs would be very sustainable. i think James boosted Willow's self-confidence while they were both Cupcakeria workers, which is why Willow didn't quit when James did. but they both hang out with each other on weekends and watch tv shows :)

Utah: left. no coworker relationship headcanons to work with because Doan is a real person. also she was in Portalini for the wedding, and once the wedding is over... she doesn't really, have a reason to stay?

Scooter: er. i really haven't thought of anything for her. i honestly forget she's a chef at all in general. maybe she stays for the fast pass?

Scarlett+Rudy: tbh, i think all of the Shakers are employed under a Papa restaurant. but other than that, i'm not too sure. they defos take a lot of leaves though.

Timm+Cecilia: Ceci left, Timm stayed (i think that made things a bit more awkward with Quinn for a while...) i think it's the covid image (where he delivers pies with a drone) that's the reason why i think he stayed.

Clover: see with Scarlett and Rudy. i think she stays because she asked Marty about whether she should stay and he answered "if you think the experience will help you out, sure." and she was like "you're so lame bro but i get paid a lot so ig i'll stay".

Carlo+Koilee: 100% left, with no regrets. they both walked up to Papa one day and went "we quit" and walked out at the same time.

Allan+Akari: both stayed, although their time working shift can be a bit inconsistent, since one's a hockey player, and the other has to deal with 'deliver today' packets at 11:59pm.

Olivia+Wylan B: both stayed. i don't have any headcanons for the two at the moment though.

ideas i have for Koilee and Carlo are sparse, but i feel like they both quit the Scooperia at the same time.

i just don't see them to be lasting chefs actually. they both have professions that they like to do, and they're kinda stuck in the Scooperia against their will.

[sky-neverending]

excerpt below!!!

excerpt from ghost au:

About half-way through her story, something near the canal’s edge caught his eye. There was a boy there, maybe a year younger than Jesper himself. He had auburn curls that were tipped a muddy brown, like the colors were colliding with one another. His skin was pale, so pale that Jesper thought a moment longer in the sun might torch him alive. It was nearly translucent. Freckles littered his body, so many that for a moment, Jesper wanted to count them, trace constellations with his fingers across this boy's skin. He was wearing an outfit that looked like it could belong to someone’s great grandpa, long collared shirt under a burnt orange vest, a pair of deep brown slacks, and some shiny black shoes that had a point at the tip.

Everything about him was odd. The extremity of his paleness, the outdated fashion, and, as Jesper looked closer, the fact that he seemed to be soaked from head to toe, yet didn’t seem uncomfortable about it at all. He stared at Jesper, blinking slowly. His gaze was alluring.

“Jes?” Nina called, pulling him from his own head. “Jesper, what in the Saints name are you staring at?”

Jesper looked at her, and then back toward the canal.

The boy was gone.

excerpt from tbosas au:

Wylan sighed as Alys buttoned his vest, humming with each movement of her hands. The orange fabric was muted and smooth, not a wrinkle in sight. It laid atop a cream colored long sleeved shirt, and a pair of pants that matched. His auburn curls sat perfectly on his head and his freckled skin had not a square inch of imperfection. Everything was perfect, just like how it should be.

When Alys stepped away, he smiled at her. “Thank you,” he said. She nodded.

“Your father would be proud.”

[lollytea]

I wonder who anyone else would be in addendum to Hunter & Willow. Luz & Amity line up pretty well with Jesper & Wylan, and a younger Eda & Raine could work as Kaz & Nina. Odalia would obviously be Van Eck and Brum would be Belos. I just wonder about characters such as Nikolai and Haskall.

I feel like the subject matters in Six of Crows are overall a little too heavy for the toh characters so I wouldn't do like. An outright copy-and-paste AU where the story and the universe and background are all exactly the same. If I were to do anything it'd be an AU inspired by Six of Crows, with the characters having similar arcs to their counterparts. So we just cherry pick what aspects of the book we want to keep.

It wouldn't exist in the Grishaverse. It's still the Demon Realm. They are still witches.

I could absolutely see Eda fulfilling the role of Haskall in this case but also she has entirely different reasons for doing the things she does. Haskall had different motivations for running the dregs, most of which being business motivated. Eda is simply chaotic and would absolutely just adopt a whole bunch of fucked up kids and form a criminal gang found family.

I feel like Eda and Raine absolutely could have had a story that resembled Kaz and Inej when they were younger. The tension between them being Eda's Owl Beast form rather than Kaz's trauma induced emotional barriers. It was just as passionate, just as full of longing, but it still ended tragically. Like Kaz staying in the Barrell and Inej becoming a captain of her own ship, Raine also left Bonesborough to work towards the rebellion. Now its just a matter of the two meeting again 👀

Luz and Amity as Jesper and Wylan??? Hello???? HELLO?????? These respective stories and characters align so perfectly I am literally about to combust. Amity being a rich girl who's just never been good enough and Odalia's solution to that is to fucking KILL HER?? Her becoming a run away and eventually being a key role to tearing her Mom's whole fucking world apart. Brainy and blushy and feral. Yes fantastic.

It's actually one parallel between Luz and Jesper that's killing me. The generational trauma mostly. Also both kids leaving home with the promise to "improve" themselves, only to end up in an entirely different "world" and lying to their parent about it. The parent loving their kid so much but also being so flawed, very much effected by the death of their spouse. Oh I'm gonna lose it.

And yeah okay Hunlow as Nina and Matthias obviously.

Okay okay okay okay so stay with me here. I miss Gus...where is Gus....I would like Gus. So here me out.

While Eda and Raine probably had the spirit of Kaz and Inej's story, once Eda grows older and becomes the Haskall, Matt and Gus become the placeholders for the roles in this new generation of delinquents.

Because like....Mattholomule Lastnameomule: The Bastard of Bonesborough. Tell me that's not the funniest shit ever? Tell me you don't want to see this tiny ugly little man literally terrorizing the whole fucking town. He is 3ft tall and he killed a man this morning. That's hilarious.

Meanwhile Gus is the Inej in the sense that he's tiny, speedy and slippery. While Inej was considered lethal with her knives, you don't want to fuck around with Gus, the kid who summons images so horrific he melts your brain. Inej was called the Wraith and Gus is called the Phantom.

Matty is the one "in charge" of the six of them (somehow?? Idk who voted for him?? Maybe Eda just picked up cuz he bites the hardest.) and Gus is definitely the one he's closest to. He and Gus be having all that marriage squabbling and mutual understanding that Kaz and Inej had.

The whole gang calls themselves the Owls <3