Okay, here's the thing.

Yes, they've sped things up and put them out of order, but this hasn't ruined anything. In fact, we now have a chance for a true Kanej relationship that we never got to see in the books.

We are now in a post Inej "ultimatum" timeline where they get to grow separately from each other for awhile. (I hesitate to call this version an ultimatum, it's more of a promise/threat and Freddy's acting really hammered home the idea that Kaz understands what she's asking of him.) We know Kaz is already starting to pull himself into the type of man she deserves by his offer to buy the indentures of the Menagerie girls. When Inej returns for the Ice Court job, she's going to find a Kaz who is already much closer to who we know at the end of Crooked Kingdom. She's going to find a Kaz willing to try for her.

And our favorite scenes work in this new context too.

Inej is stabbed and bleeding out?

Kaz carries her to the safety, the same way she pulled him to safety in Shu Han.

And do we really think he's going to be less violent towards the man who almost took her from him? After already admitting that she is what he wants? We're gonna be lucky if he doesn't set Oomen on fire.

The bathroom scene. Good God, the bathroom scene.

Last time he tried to help her, he couldn't even touch her with gloves on. This time, she's injured again and it's his fault and maybe he'll fail, but Saints be damned, he's gonna try.

I'm just saying, we now have a Kanej that knows they love each other. Think of them potential for longing looks and pain and trying to be what the other needs.

I am personally here for it.

(Please, anyone who can hear me. Give me a Six of Crows spin off. I will gladly give my soul.)

please please please tell me that netflix is sharing all of these crows-related deleted scenes bc they’re building up to the announcement of the spin-off and not bc they’re cancelling it

(whoever cut the inej and jesper goodbye has no taste, that scene just made me cry so hard)

books found in my uni library pt.1: House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City 1)

bc i can’t believe it took me this long to find the fiction section 

My rating: ★★★☆☆ 

This is the first Sarah J. Maas book I’ve ever read (shocking, I know), and I have to say it actually surpassed my expectations. Albeit, they were not that high, but it still made for a very compelling read, with a fast pace and some of the most shocking revelations I’ve read in a while. 

In House of Earth and Blood we meet Bryce Quinlan, half-human half-fae, whose life takes a sudden turn when her friends are brutally murdered. A couple of years after this, Bryce is asked to join the investigation of these crimes when the deaths begin again. This is when she meets Hunt Athalar, a Fallen angel who will be working with her on the case, moved by the promise of his freedom. 

The plot: A book has not surpised me this much with a twist (not to mention A LOT of them) in a very long time. Seriously, I’m still processing some of the stuff, because it was honestly crazy in a great way. That being said, I also felt like the story opened up too many plot points at times that were kinda hard to follow. It kept jumping from one thing to the next without fully resolving any until the last 100 pages or so (which in a 800 pages book, is kind of late to me). 

The characters: They were alright. I can’t say any I fell in love with them, but I also don’t have any negative words against them. I liked them, they were solid characters with solid motivations and personalities, as well as plausible relationships. I just didn’t really connect with them.

The worldbuilding: I’ve heard some mildly negative opinions about Crescent City’s universe, but I have to admit that I enjoyed the fantasy background Maas buildt. She eases these details into the story without it feeling like she’s info-dumping, painting a fuller picture and describing a very rich world full of possiblities.

Something I absolutely loved? The tension between the two main characters. It was driving me insane! Can’t say it was a slow-burn, but it definitely kept me on the edge of my seat. 

Something I would change? There are certain characters which seem to be introduced just for the sake of building up their presence in future books. Slightly more prominent than just background npcs but still too far in the back to be considered fleshed-out characters, leaving them in an awkward position. I really hope these characters get a better deal in future instalments. (I’m dying to see more of Hypaxia, if I’m honest.)

Omg What. Deleted. Scene.

Netflix just released a Wesper deleted scene from episode 8!! (The still that got leaked/posted some days ago is from this scene, and now we have the whole thing)

A masterpiece, if you ask me.

Thank you, netflix, for keeping us well-fed.

now announce the six of crows spin-off, please and thank you

book!Wesper 🤝 show!Wesper

moving in right after getting together

just chilling in my economics lecture when my teacher (talking about investments) said “[...] I’m going to get my money back”

me internally, canalising kazzle dazzle: “and i’m going to get my girl”

i just realised Kaz can no longer refer to Inej as his “investment” on the show bc she doesn’t even work for him anymore

so... you’re going to have it a lot harder to pretend you don’t care about inej when you go literally insane when she’s stabbed at the start of soc, kazzie

in all seriousness now, though, i really want the soc spin-off to be greenlit, i’m so curious to see how they’ll deal with the change/“advance” in their dyanmic and how that will fit in with the source material

kaz “this is me trying” brekker and inej “mirrorball” ghafa

if there’s one thing fanfic-kanej is going to do every!single!time! is get married for tax benefits and/or to get inej full citizenship (and i’m gonna eat it up every!single!time!)

the AMOUNT of comfort I get from watching The Crows™ interviews is just unbelievable. the actors embody the characters so well even irl that I feel like I’m watching a very healing modern-day soc AU.

“I will have you without your armour, Kaz Brekker. Or I will not have you at all.”

Or, in other words, Amita’s brilliant performance as Inej.

I keep seeing people praising Freddy’s spot-on performance in season 2 (he embodies Kaz Brekker just as I pictured him reading the books, there’s no denying he is the perfect Bastard of the Barrel), but I don’t see enough love for my gal Amita!!! Her Inej is the perfect counterpart to Freddy’s Kaz, and, even though her trauma is far from being explored as deeply as Brekker’s, Amita manages to shine through in all of her scenes. Especially in this particular one.

To be honest, the scene on the show is not quite like I pictured it in the book. To put things into perspective, in the book that conversation happens after Inej confesses that she’s going to learn how to sail and set off to hunt slavers, right near the end of the first book. 

“Purpose”, Kaz said thoughtfully.

I think that sets the tone of the scene. Inej has found her purpose, a goal beyond survival and freedom. When Kaz takes her hand and asks her to stay in Ketterdam with him, we can peer into her internal monologue. It doesn’t matter how much she wants to say yes, she won’t settle for what he is willing to offer. And so throughout the whole conversation, Inej doesn’t hesitate. By no means is she harsh or lashing out or even angry, she has just accepted that she won’t have a relationship with someone who won’t meet her in the middle. 

Maybe it was because his back was to her that she could finally speak the words. “I will have you without armour, Kaz Brekker. Or I will not have you at all.”

He’s not even looking at her when she says the words. After the tiny bread crumbs of vulnerability that he just gave her, he can’t even bear to look at her when she expresses her wishes. In fact, throughout the scene Kaz is described in a sharp tone (his voice rough stone, with eyes fierce, the face he wore when he was fighting). Inej is not going to settle for this rough façade he’s built around himself. In her mind, she begs for him to say something so she can believe that the boy who saved her is worth saving as well, but Kaz is at the very beginning of his evolution as a character. 

Now, on the show, we obviously can’t know what’s going through Inej’s mind, so it’s on Amita’s performance to show us how difficult this conversation is for Inej, not just for Kaz, how she wishes for him to say anything that will show her she’s wrong, that he is willing to take off his gloves (both physically and emotionally) for her. To me, this makes the whole scene a lot lot more softer in an amazing way, and her speech becomes so raw, natural and realistic. The little hesitancy before touch in “so our lips never touch”, the sighs, the way she finally says the quote with the softest softest softest eyes ever? Perfection. The way she holds still once she’s done, looking into his eyes, waiting for him to say something that will prove her wrong.. and then he just gives a tiny nod and you can see the acceptance in her face but also the slight disappointment. 

However, this difference in tone isn’t only influenced by the change in medium. If we take into account the context of the show compared to the book, show-Kaz has started to evolve further compared to book-Kaz during this same conversation. The change is a subtle one, but I think show-Kaz has showed many more of his cards regarding how much he actually cares for Inej, even if it’s in his own emotionally-constipated way. By this point he’s already managed to freed her from her indenture, he’s already sort of tended to her wounds and, right before this conversation, he even confesses that he has been secretly trying to find her brother for her (which are all parallels to Crooked Kingdom scenes). To compare his attitude with his book counterpart in the specific scene, book-Kaz won’t even look at her once he realises she’s kinda rejecting him, but show-Kaz, though he struggles, always end up looking right back at her. He is looking right into her eyes as she states what she wants. 

And so she knows that he’s willing to do a lot of things for her, but is he willing to be in a relationship that’s not entirely on his terms?

I think that’s my main difference between the show and the book. In the books it feels like Inej is stating facts (this is what a relationship with you would actually be like, that is not what I want even if I love you) while hoping that he’ll give her a reason to stay. However, in the show it feels more like she’s asking a question (is a relationship with you going to be like this? because I love you but that is not what I want) while knowing that the answer is not going to be the one she wishes. 

the thing about shadow and bone season two is that unlike MANY other showrunners they didn’t act dumb abt Netflix cancellation record and said slow burns in THIS economy? yeah we know better

there’s something so personal to me about Inej having her hair tightly pulled back during most of her scenes in the shadow and bone show (which makes total sense, her hair is so so long it would get in the way during her Wraith activities)

but during the “i will have you without your armor” scene it’s all loose and flowy and natural

nina: what is love? baby don’t hurt me...

matthias: i would never hurt you

nina: no, it’s just a song-

matthias: i would never let anyone hurt you

OKAY BUT PICTURE THIS!!!!

soc spin-off, right? We get through the whole ice court heist, we’re on our way back to ketterdam. In the book, now is when we get the “I will have you without armour, Kaz Brekker. Or I will not have you at all.” But we’ve already gotten that scene in the show. Inej is already off on her own journey, and she’s had to come back for the heist. But the point is she (and most likely Kaz as well) have gotten through more character development compared to the books.

Which means that THAT scene will have to be replaced with something BIGGER, a step further into their relationship. I can’t even begin to think what it could be like (no gloves??), but I know it will definitely have me screaming.

But do you know what that means as well? The scene of Van Eck noticing Inej as Kaz’s tell and kidnapping her (which happens right after this) will have ANOTHER whole new level of ANGST, and I’m not sure I can handle it.

I’m going to get my money, Kaz vowed. And I’m going to get my girl.

I’m screaming, I can’t wait.

A part of me deeply appreciates that, regardless of medium, Inej is firm enough in her own emotional needs that she's able to say, "I love you back, but you need to work on some of your shit before we can be anything more than what we are, because I can't have a relationship where the level of vulnerability and honesty is uneven. I will help you but I will not fix you."

And that Kaz responds with respect and (in the books, bc the show isn't there yet) takes the Mr. Darcy route of making the effort without needing his hand held.