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#and that’s what i love so much about wylan
cowboylikejesper · 4 months
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trying to characterize wylan as a “mini kaz” in combatting his infantilization is STILL mischaracterizing him. like yes, he ISN’T a weak “uwu smol bean” but he also isn’t some ruthless criminal. he never particularly WANTED to be part of barrel life and he never intended on staying. he found himself there out of necessity. what i absolutely love about his character is that he shows his strength without needing to be ruthless or violent, because strength can be shown in so many different ways. yes, he isn’t some weak baby and he also isn’t some ruthless, violent criminal. he’s neither of those and THAT is what’s so important about his character. and it really bothers me when people can’t even acknowledge the depth of that.
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five-of-cr · 8 months
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ft. kuweis from the INCREDIBLE @inkwingart and @heartrender6 and jesper from the TALENTED @phy-be!!!
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Wylan:
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Jan Van Eck: Alys is pregnant with a son, who will become my true heir
Wylan: Cain instinct is real, I wanna kick this unborn child into the next realm of existence, he can never truly be my brother, Kaz is more my brother than that thing
#the difference was that wylan was working under the assumption that van eck would treat his little brother the same way he treated wylan#without love and as a constant burden and disappointment- which is why wylan would have been so quick to hype him up because wylan knows#what it feels like to not get van ecks love and he would never want his younger brother to think he was unloved- but then wylan saw#van eck love this unborn child more than he loved wylan and so wylan has to fully face the fact that it wasnt something wrong with his#father (it was but wylan wouldnt come to that conclusion)because his father does know how to love his son- so it must be that wylan is#unlovable and wylan- who is known to be easily jealousy- would hate his fathers reminder of his inadequacy and what he failed to be#alys' kid is basically van eck's kuwei- there in an attempt to replace wylan- the only difference is Jesper doesnt want to replace wylan#but van eck does- and that is what makes van eck the bad guy because we have this idea of unconditional love of a parent and van eck is#here to say 'but sometimes it isnt unconditional- some times there are conditions' and i think that is what makes him so much scarier#he is there to feed at our own insecurities of 'what if i am only lovable to a point' van eck is both a monster and incredibly human#he is what we're afraid our parents will be- he's so incredibly possible and real that he is one of the best villains ive seen in a while#wylan van eck#jan van eck#six of crows#incorrect soc quotes#crooked kingdom#six of crows spoilers#honestly alys did nothing wrong and I love her#even if she doesnt have the best singing voice- she owns it- much to the dismay of the crows#but she also cares about wylan so much and she is such a sweet innocent girl and she is the best#so dont even try to bash her cause i will fight you in a Denny's parking lot istg#alys van eck
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jpg-of-dorian-slay · 1 year
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queenerdloser · 1 year
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im rereading six of crows/crooked kingdom and every time someone on the team thinks about how kaz is meaner, smarter, and nastier than the big bad they’re up against i gain +5 life points. inej so sure no one can outsmart kaz! jesper basically comforting wylan with the reminder that kaz is so nasty and ruthless he’s going to raze his dickwad father to the ground and wylan a) absolutely believing kaz can and will do it and b) absolutely finding comfort in it. everyone is always going on and on about how cruel and unfeeling kaz is, but when their back is against the wall and there’s an enemy coming at them, they hear his cane or think about him and they feel relief! they feel safe! he’s a thug but he’s THEIR thug and frankly, as someone who imprinted on kaz like a baby duckling the first time i read the books, it’s a fucking godsend! 
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ladyhavilliard · 8 months
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So. I think I do fixate on people, huh.
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lady-a-stuff · 1 year
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IT PAINS me that Van Eck made Wylan BELIEVED all the hate and mockery and disregard he received from his father were okay, something people would do because of who he is
"I treat you no more harshly than the world will."
but then he meet the dregs, the crows and NO ONE treat him harshly because he can't read, joke's on you Van Eck
And it REALLY pains me that Wylan has a logical brain so how would he not believe that the logic voice of his father IT WASN'T RIGHT?
but it was his logic that haunted Wylan—that practical, irrefutable voice that spoke in Wylan’s head whenever he thought about attempting something new, or trying to learn to read again.
He only knew the biased logic of his father and based on that the world was constructed
And so the first thought Wylan has when he discovers that his father locked his mother in an asylum is THAT WAS HIS FAULT AAAAAAAAAGH I hate Van Eck
“You don’t understand. It was me. I caused this. He wanted a new wife. He wanted an heir. A real heir, not a moron who can barely spell his own name."
But Wylan HAS a logical brain, so when Jesper points out that parents aren't supposed to be like Van Eck and gives him and Mr. Fahey as an example Wylan CAN SEE THE TRUE 😭😭 also he had already talked with the crew about his condition and no one treated him badly because of it, he has other point of view about that, other's than his father's so he can beat what his father made him believe and I'm crying now
Anyways, hurts me when people are led to believe the bad things other people do to them are justified
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greedbent · 6 months
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no listen you guys you have no idea how hard it is to resist also writing wylan here bc
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zulemmita · 1 year
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I died
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19burstraat · 3 months
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Random SOC Trivia I Gathered On My Reread
I'll be using this for fics, but it's fun just to read!
Jesper does not hold alcohol well (though this is according to Kaz, who is not exactly impartial)
Wijnstraat, Nemstraat, Havenstraat, Ammberstraat are all street names if you want em
Van Eck has been involved in trying to clean up the Barrel; pious. (Allegedly pious, I doubt he really is)
1/5 Van Eck (or general Kerch trading?) vessels are lost at sea
Kaz arrested three times at ten, twice at eleven, once at fourteen. Does stints in jail but it does not say prison (ppl assume he's been to Hellgate / another prison but I don't think so. He'd never have shut the fuck up about it if he had; I assume the Stadhall Jail)
Kaz's cane is lead-lined. I wasn't sure if this was canon or fanon
Kaz runs book on prize fights, horses, and chance games. Floor boss at crow club since fifteen-ish. Youngest to run a betting shop and has doubled the profits.
Gambling halls: Treasure Chest, Golden Bend, Weddell's Riverboat, Silver Garter
West Stave brothels: The Blue Iris, The Forge, The Obscura, the Willow Switch, the House of Snow
Van Aakster is the widow mercher who sees Nina to ease his grief
Inej likes orange cakes in white paper
Black Tips tattoo is a hand with first and second fingers cut at the knuckle, Razorgulls is 5 birds in wedge formation
Nina Jesper and Kaz definitely all have the crow and cup; the others don't
Jordie seems to like books
ridderspel and spijker are arcade games
Bilge, clams, and wet stone smell in the Barrel (per Retvenko)
Kaz definitely is partial to dogs; Smeet's hounds and the grey dog the Hertzoon household had, the windup dogs, the metaphors. He loves a dog metaphor sorry ur not real babycakes you'd have loved thematic web weaving posts
Geldspin is the cotton mill in Zierfoort, Firma Allerbest is a cannery. Both in Alys' name
Wylan was 8 when Marya 'died'
the black veil tomb is carved like an ancient cargo ship
3 flying fish on a grave: government. Palm trees and snakes: spices.
Inej's mother braids her hair with orange ribbons (colour of persimmons)
University a series of buildings built around the Boekcanal and joined by Speaker's Bridge (where people debate and/or drink). Boeksplein four libraries built around a central courtyard and the Scholar's Fountain
Shipping container at third harbour is a Liddie hideout; Jam Tart House is an old hotel near the slat that the Razorgulls use
Long scar across Kaz's right knuckle
Violating contracts and interfering with the market can get you hanged in Kerch; same sentences as for murder (this is. Insane)
Haskell holds court with his mates at the Fair Weather Inn every week
Belendt is the second oldest Kerch city and sits on the Droombeld River
Jesper was 7 when Aditi died
Inej has an uncle (who seems to have some sort of ringmaster role) and cousins; Hanzi and Asha
Kaz convinced a locksmith in Klokstraat that he was the son of a wealthy merchant who highly valued his collection of priceless snuffboxes, and that's how he knows what locks the rich are using
Hubrecht Mohren, Master Thief of Pijl, who Kaz doesn't appear to think much of; one of Haskell's old cronies
Martin Van Eck, Wylan's great great grandfather, was a ship's captain, brought back a big shipment of spices from Eames Chin and started the Van Eck fortune
Kaz and Jesper (+ other Dregs boys) taught Inej to fight
Kaz and Jordie are from a town near Lij, as per the 'Johannus Rietveld' exposition, but Lij is seemingly the closest major city/county so it's easier to just say they're from Lij lol
The last time the Council of Tides appeared in public was 25 years prior to CK
Kaz found Filip running a monte game on Kelstraat; he also got the clerks who turned over fake info, the fake attorney, the man who gave them free hot chocolate
The spelling of Zentzbridge lapses to Zentsbridge, not sure which is right or if they're actually separate bridges or if there's a lot of wrong quotes floating around lol
Dryden house symbol is the golden wheat sheaf bound with a blue ribbon; Van Eck is the red laurel but we knew that
Kaz taught himself finance and gambling hall rules
Church of Barter roof is copper and long has turned green
Church of Barter built around the First Forge / The Mortar, which is a flat lump of rock that's supposedly Ghezen's altar
Ghezendaal Hospital is. Idk. a hospital. Just thought ppl might want the name
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cryptotheism · 1 year
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Lilly: Good morning New Babel, you're listening to Screw Loose, your favorite early-morning exo rig and rig maintenance rig show this side of the white river, I'm Lilly.
The Bear: And I'm the Bear, and you- are on the air. What can we help you with?
Caller: Howdy girls! Togen, from the South Teykile. I've got a bit of a mystery for ya, I was hoping you could help me solve it.
Lilly: Oh lovely! I think we're ready to sleuth.
The Bear: What the problem doll?
Togen: So I'm a boatwright. About a month ago, I'm on the job in a Wylan Mastiff UD-940. I'm lifting a panel of ship-chitin that weighs maybe 1000 kilograms, and I can feel the exhaust channels getting hot.
The Bear: Uh oh.
Lilly: Uh oh indeed.
Togen: I figure I'm overcycling, but the Mastiff can pull 1000kg easy right? So I put down the panel, and suddenly, BOOM! Radiator explodes right out of the chassis! I can hear the I-bolts ping against field tech's facemask!
[Both hosts begin to laugh]
Lilly: Huh!?
The Bear: Okay okay hold on a second-
Togen: I've got an insulated undersuit, but the radiator is just full-on burning at this point. Now, I'm not about to jump into the Occimedian with my rig on, so I slam the emergency kill. So now I'm lyin there, facefirst on the dock, hollerin for the other idiots to put me out!
The Bear: You had an extinguisher right?
Lilly: Maybe someone had a drink?
Togen: Well...Okay so get this. The yard has an extinguisher. That's union. But before someone could grab it, one of the boys uh, relieves himself, on the radiator.
[The hosts are silent for a moment, but can't keep it going. Lilly snorts loudly as she laughs.]
Togen: Hey it worked! Problem is, the damn thing hasn't been running right ever since. I replaced the radiator that evening, but for some reason I'm only getting about 70, 80 percent torque when I lift, but its only from certain positions. I've taken the thing to two different shops at this point, and they both said that everything looked fine. I’m at the end of my rope here ladies, can you help me?
Lilly: Sleuthing hats on!
The Bear: Well sir, I think I know what your problem is. You set yourself on fire, and then someone pissed on you.
Lilly: Yeah! Just tell the boys at your local rig shop, they'll know what to do.
[The hosts pause for a moment, deliberating]
The Bear: Well damn Togen, you've given us two mysteries for the price of one.
Lilly: First, we gotta figure out why your radiator exploded. Then, we gotta figure out why your lift capacity is damaged. Okay, replacing the radiator was the right call, did you have them look at the recycler? 
Togen: Yeah, when the first guy said it was fine, I took it to the second shop, and they said the recycler was probably running cold in the early morning air, you know, building up heat in the radiator. 
[lilly scoffs]
The Bear: That guy didn’t know what he was talking about. The recycler generates a ton of heat. While your rig is live, they’re actually floating in coolant because they generate so much heat. 
Lilly: Hmmm. Did you have any custom work on the Mastiff before it exploded?
Togen: Yeah. Lets see…I had the 8-cell replaced with a 10-cell, added a fluid circulator, and full weatherizing. Tubes, seals, soles, the works. 
The Bear: The weatherizing, synthetic or biosynthetic?
Togen: Biosynthetic ma’am. 
The Bear: Here’s what I think happened. Whoever shopped your rig under-tightened the bolts, and used overripe sealant. See, the biosynth sealant that Wylan uses is self-repairing, and it feeds on heat. I bet that when they replaced your power supply, they left a gap, so the sealant started growing into your radiator channel, sealed it up like a pressure cooker and BOOM. 
Lilly: Okay love, when you try squatting to pick something up in the rig, is there chugging from the leg hydraulics? Or is it more like the force just hits a wall at 70%?
Togen: There’s definitely chugging.
The Bear: Have you checked the tubing rings? You might’ve vented some heat onto them during the explosion, caused a hairline breach?
Lilly: Bearie dear I have a hunch. If he burned the rings he’d know. They’d pop right out as soon as he tried to squat. Follow me here.
The Bear: Uh oh.
Lilly: [starting to laugh] No! Listen! Okay you said you added a fluid circulator right?
Togen: Yes ma’am.
Lilly: Listen! Okay! Love! Here’s what I think happened! So urine has both salt and uric acid in it right? Both corrosive substances. I’d bet my bonnet that when you hit your kill switch, it took a moment or two for the circulator to spin down. There was probably already some urine in your radiator. That urine had enough time to get circulated into your hydraulics, where it’s been sitting, corroding your internal glide sheathes. 
The Bear: [laughing] Oh my lord that has to be it. Yes. Yes! That has to be it! Here’s what you’re gonna do, doll. You’re gonna take it to the local garage. You’re ask them for a total flush. Your biosynthetics should heal within a week. 
Lilly: And while you’re there, have them check the I-bolts on the new radiator chassis! 
The Bear: How’s that sound doll?
Togen: Well gosh ladies, I’m gonna be honest. The boys at the shop yard have a betting pool on just what was wrong with the rig, and I think all of us might owe the two of you some money. Thank you so much!
[The hosts laugh]
The Bear: Good luck doll!
Lilly: Thanks for your call! 
[The show transitions to commercial]
(If you want to read the full novel in this universe, Amber Skies is linked in my pinned post)
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barrel-crow-n · 1 month
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I was just thinking about how Kaz built this heartless persona for himself and how everyone falls for it to varying degrees: He's widely regarded as a monster and as "not made right"; Inej thought he wouldn't come for her and that once she was useless to him that he would discard her; Jesper never knows where exactly he stands with him; Nina "doesn't want to know what dark hole he crawled out of"; Wylan calls him "the most vengeful creature he had ever met"; Matthias believes he's a demon. But in reality his true motives for most things are love and grief and loss of family.
Kaz only wanted money for revenge, he didn't want to try and build a meaningful connection with Imogen because she would distract him from pursuing his vengeance, he only mentions how Pekka conned them out of money to explain how they ended up on the streets, how it was never about the money but about Jordie.
Kaz says that he and Jordie were such easy marks because they missed their dad. Kaz's biggest gripe was not just the loss of Jordie but the illusion of a home and family that Pekka had snatched away before the plague snatched Jordie away too.
It all always leads back to Jordie and his loss and avenging him and about never wanting to be that vulnerable again. Kaz created Kaz Brekker to protect himself, to hide his vulnerabilities. His grief is hidden behind a fake name, his naivety is hidden behind violence, his touch aversion is hidden behind the gloves.
Kaz pushes people away because he fears what will happen if he lets them in. He gets mean when he's vulnerable to hide said vulnerability. He did it in the clocktower, he did it in the bathroom. After he accidently calls Jesper Jordie he lashes out verbally and physically, when Inej asks about Jordie and Pekka's involvement in what happened he recounts how he tortured someone. In both incidents it's again Jordie that he's hiding, that is causing him to be vulnerable. It always leads back to Jordie. Even with Van Eck! He's again angry that he fell for what he fell for before, the thing that made him lose Jordie making him temporarily lose Inej.
In both the Jesper and Inej examples he hides behind violence - by brawling with Jesper and recounting a time when he tortured a young boy. He does this because he loves Inej and Jesper, and it scares him, and he doesn't know what to do with it. Because everyone he's ever loved has died in horrible ways (his father was torn apart by a plough, his brother died from a horrible sickness) and he doesn't want to go through it again - especially since he still hasn't let go of Jordie, although it has been eight years.
Kaz is a person who loves so deeply. Who is mainly motivated by love. Who, when Pekka asks him what he wants, replies "Bring my brother back from the dead." because he never cared about money, nor power, nor anything else. He just wants his brother. All he wanted this whole time is his brother, and since he no longer has him he lashes out, all hurt and grieving. He's hurting so badly that he destroys everyone even mildly involved in what took Jordie away from him. But he only did that because he loved Jordie. It wasn't revenge for the sake of money it was for the sake of love. It was for the sake of Jordie.
Kaz loved Jordie so much that he became the most feared person in Ketterdam, that he took down the King of the Barrel and a merchant from one of the oldest families in Ketterdam (because even if his gripe with Van Eck was unrelated, it's because of Jordie's loss that life snowballed into their interactions and the consequent betrayal and destruction of everything Van Eck held dear). Kaz loved Jordie so much that it changed the entire course of the narrative.
If not for Jordie's loss the heist wouldn't of happened, all of the Crows lives would've been different, some of the Crows would even most likely be dead, and this extends even further to much more major things. The King of Ravka managed to steal the titanium because of his help which will aid Ravka in wars, the path to jurda parem is no longer in the hands of the Fjerdans and a cure is being safely developed in Ravka because Kaz rescued Kuwei, Wylan took over the Van Eck empire because Kaz tampered with Van Eck's will and papers, Inej is working on taking down the slave trade which is only possible because Kaz freed her from her indenture, Nina became the queen of Fjerda because of things that Kaz started (her joining the Dregs instead of being indebted to the Dime Lions, him freeing Matthias, him organising the heist, Matthias dying in the aftermath, her going to Fjerda to bury Matthias and the results which ended up being her and her new lover on the Fjerdan throne trying to fix prejudice against grisha, and women, in the most conservative country).
All of it leads back to Kaz. And he did all of it for Jordie. It all always leads back to Jordie. Jordie and Kaz's love for his big brother and his grief over having him snatched away from him.
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millaniumcat · 1 year
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In season 2 ep 6, when Wylan sees the butterflies, he says "I can't believe that I get to see that in my lifetime." He then gets sad and says :"And there is noone to bear witness", and with a glance to the door behind which is jesper, he adds "Like he'd care."
And I don't think we talk about this enough. Wylan, who grew up surrounded by people (mostly his father) that didn't care for his interests, is so sure that Jesper, who he has absolutely fallen for, will not care as well. Jesper might bed him, but especially after their fight Wylan is so sure that Jesper would never care for his interests.
And then.
After they got the blade.
He rambles about the flowers and butterflies to Jesper, and Jesper actually LISTENS, and tried to show genuine interest - cue "I want to stand with you in front of all the detura ox things to come."
And Wylan, who has never had anyone care about him, his interests, who could never share his ramblings with anyone, can't help but kiss him for that.
I love this parallel so much. Wylan directly voicing that he thinks jesper would not care, and then later jesper caring for exactly that, just because wylan loves it, and he loves wylan.
The writers really knew what they were doing there.
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"Four Crow Investigation II: Lovebirds' Outfox" - Kaz Brekker x Reader
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[Four Crow Investigation]
☽ REQUESTS ARE OPEN ☾
Enjoying my work? You can leave me a tip on Ko-Fi
SUMMARY: Nina and the rest of "crow-vestigators" are not as inconspicuous as they think. Being a little too spiteful for your own good, Kaz and you string them along. What the amateur detectives consider "evidence" of an affair is actually a well-thought-out scenario.
WORDCOUNT: ~ 2.1k
>>Grishaverse-inspired playlist&lt;<
You stare with amusement as Wylan, Jesper, Inej and Nina are sitting around the table in a hardly inconspicuous manner. They’re leaning so close to each other, their bodies are covering their faces but you don’t need to read their lips or expressions to know exactly what they’re talking about. Meaningful glances, small nudges, animated whispering - none of that escaped your attention.
Then, you feel Kaz squeezing your hand in an attempt to shift your focus from the gossiping friends back to him. His eyebrows are slightly raised in a silent question.
"Do you think they know that we know that they know?" you ask, cringing at the word salad filled with repetitions.
"No," Kaz answers without hesitation. "Considering how long it took them to notice something so obvious, their observation skills are more underwhelming than I had originally thought."
The two of you glance towards your friends once more, left to only guess what tall tales they were making up. Observation skills, Kaz’s voice resounds in your head. Yes, they are good at noticing things they are desperately looking for, so, maybe, if they are looking for crumbs…
"Actually, I have an idea,” you begin in a hushed tone.  Kaz turns to look at you, his expression hardens the moment he notices your mischievous grin. “Up for a bit of roleplay?"
It’s been a wild week for the four Crows. They sat down at a corner table, across the club from you and Kaz talking about something by the bar counter. Absorbed by the conversation, you’re pouring a drink in a record-long time. Your hand hovers above the rum bottle as you’re closely listening to Kaz saying something. Then, to the surprise of the gossip club, you erupt in laughter.
Jesper frowns. “I’m telling you, there’s two of them. She gets the nice Kaz, we get the mean one.”
“No, the mean Kaz is still inside,” Inej refutes. “The nice one is making an effort to bury him but he’s definitely in there. Saw it myself.”
He turns back towards the group. Jesper puts his finger up in a warning gesture and speaks slowly: “Do not tell me Kaz Brekker is a knight in shining armour because there is no way I’m treating that as anything but a bad joke. I’m barely believing the stuff I’ve seen with my own two eyes.”
“N-no, there is some truth to that,” Wylan interjects. “I didn’t see him get angry,” he quickly adds, ”just… strangely protective.”
“So we can agree,” Nina says with expected giddiness, “there is passion in the perpetually grim Kaz Brekker.”
Jesper squints his eyes with suspicion. “I hate the fact that you used passion and Kaz in the same sentence but at the same time I’m curious why.”
“Oh, you’re going to love it!” She taps the table excitedly. “I’ll go first.”
╚ Nina’s Evidence ╝
You’re pacing around the office, jumping from one leg to another, shaking and fidgeting as much as you can without making much noise. While preparing to fool the Heartrender’s power, you’re ensuring that you look the part:
“Is this obscene enough?” you ask unbuttoning your shirt further. Tugging at your clothing, you’re making yourself look even more disheveled. Even the smallest sound outside the office door makes you jump as you’re impatiently waiting for a certain creek of one of the steps.
Kaz doesn’t answer. His watchful eyes are following your movements as he’s focusing on keeping his attention on the task at hand. That bright mind of his, however, fights relentlessly to memorize your unkempt look instead.
Not hearing him respond to your question, you turn around to look at Kaz. Leaning against the desk, he’s just staring at you with a quite inexplicable intensity. His unspoken passion is only making the voice in the back of your head louder: what if it was Him undoing my shirt?
But you stifle this thought. It’s not the time for this. Searching for distraction, you look at Kaz’s collar - the first two buttons are undone but they make him appear more sleepy rather than caught red handed at a moment of weakness.
“May I?” you ask, gesturing towards his garment.
“Go ahead,” he quietly answers. There’s a lot of trust in his lack of movement and calmness about your closeness.
Carefully, you grab the hem of his collar and open his shirt further, while making sure your fingers do not even graze the bare skin underneath, despite the urge sitting deep inside your abdomen. Then, you take a step back, examining his general state and whether it sets a believable scene. A proud smile creeps onto your face.
“You’re really enjoying this,” Kaz states.
“Actually,” you say as you lean against the table, fairly unaware that because of your disheveled clothing your cleavage is significantly more visible, “I’d be enjoying this little scheme a lot more if we were in fact being scandalous.”
Whether that was your objective or not, Kaz’s heartbeat picks up noticeably, his rogue mind flashing explicit images before his eyes.
A creek of stairs.
You and Kaz give each other a meaningful glance and you push the paperweight off the desk, knowing that Nina can hear it. The door swings open and you’re immediately in character, looking away with the most embarrassed expression you could muster.
Kaz clears his throat. “Is there a reason why you’re barging in?”
Nina looks a bit lost, still piecing together what she might have just interrupted. “I… uhm… I talked with Lizzie Hardy. She’s in, we can count on her.”
“Understood,” he says in a low, firm voice. “Now go. And learn to knock.”
A half-grin enters her face as she gets rid of any doubts as to what the two of you had been presumably occupied with before she entered. With a skip to her step, Nina throws a “You bet I will!” before leaving the office. She’s quite sure no one will have a better gossip than her.
╚ Wylan’s Evidence ╝
Wylan is startled by your yelp of pain, almost dropping the delicate vial in his hands. His focus immediately shifts to you, who is now frowning with your hand raised slightly above your head. A string of curses leaves your mouth as you check the wound again - yes, still there and still bleeding.
Right, bleeding.
“Are you okay?” he asks in a worried tone. Part of you feels guilty for fooling Wylan because of the sheepiness he wears most of the time but, on the other hand, he is part of the gossip girl club. This little scheme is just a consequence of his choice.
“Yeah, no problem. I’m a big girl, I’ll just wrap this and I’ll be fine,” you answer casually.
Pretending to look for something that can work as a bandage, you’re praying that Wylan can’t smell the cranberry preserve slowly dripping down your forearm. There’s an urge deep inside you to lick the jam, almost tasting the sweet and sour fruit in your imagination.
Kaz, who was waiting for the well-played-out yelp, rushes into the room with a grim expression. The moment he’s supposed to notice your injury, he makes a show of dropping his shoulders. He’s not saying anything, only giving short sighs and annoyed grunts as he reaches for a random rag laying around. 
“I’d advise against cutting off your fingers,” he says loud enough for Wylan to hear as he’s tightening the wrapped rag around your palm. "You need to be more ca-" Kaz cuts himself off, suddenly realizing he was about to use an off-limits word. "You need to pay attention to what you're doing."
Looking over Kaz’s shoulder, you see Wylan nervously glancing at the two of you out of the corner of his eyes. Jesper is going to hear world-shattering news in the next hour - on that you can safely bet any number of limbs.
╚ Jesper’s Evidence ╝
Too busy retelling what he had learned while following Lizzie Hardy, Jesper doesn’t notice the tiny signal you give Kaz while the three of you are walking through the streets of Ketterdam.
Air, cobblestone, a lost dog - it doesn’t matter. You stumble over something but ever watchful Kaz manages to grab you by the waist, preventing you from falling. To be honest, until this moment you weren’t completely sure this is going to work out because you never practiced this with Kaz. Well, you did, once, but the two of you got significantly distracted early on. So the plan to outfox Nosy Jesper was a leap of faith - literally and figuratively.
Jesper, the man in question, halted his story as he’s watching the unbelievable occurrence of Kaz having a caring reflex. For a moment he considers whether this wasn’t some kind of miraculous coincidence but on the other hand, the movement looked so natural and purposeful that it simply had to be deliberate.
Standing on your own, you look towards Jesper, who’s still staring at you and Kaz with furrowed eyebrows and his mouth slightly agape. “You were saying?” you coax him to continue as though nothing happened.
“Yes, right, the thing,” he stutters out as he’s trying to remember what he was talking about before seeing something so strange he’s questioning his own sanity.
╚ Inej’s Evidence ╝
Due to the late hour, or rather an hour so late it can be considered early, the club is deserted except for you and Kaz sitting by the bar. He’s silently watching your profile as you’re applying another layer of theatrical paint and makeup.
“Does it look realistic?” you ask for the hundredth time while examining the bruise in a small hand-held mirror.
“It’s good enough.”
You set down the mirror and look at him. To a degree, you know he won’t agree to your proposition but you try anyway, just to make sure:
“Maybe you could hit me?” you suggest. His expression grows colder. “Just for good measure. To really sell this,” you add in your own defense, as though there is a possibility of him retaliating for such a ridiculous proposition. Even when furious beyond imagination, you’ve heard him yell exactly once out of anger.
He leans closer towards you. Paradoxically, it’s you who is uncomfortable with the sudden intimacy but maybe the uneasiness is not due to the proximity but the chilling tension that has sprouted between the two of you. Kaz studies your expression for a moment, his jaw relaxes and clenches over and over again as he’s clearly pondering the earthiest way he can put his thoughts into words.
“I will never raise my hand against you,” his voice is quiet and wavering with emotions, “even if my life depends on it. So don’t ask again. Ever.”
Suddenly, you feel strangely small next to him as though Kaz is but a shadow that quickly grows larger as candlelight dims. “Right, sorry,” you answer awkwardly.
The door to the club opens with a creek and the nervous conversation has to be cut short. You cover your face with hands, having rubbed some chili seeds into your palms earlier. As the capsaicin reaches your nostrils and eyes, forcing yourself to cry is easier than ever. Pretending to be agonizing over something, you keep reminding yourself not to actually touch your eyes or nose.
You can’t see her face but you’re sure Inej is wearing a worried or confused expression and you’re quite correct in your guess - she walks towards you and Kaz with apprehension as though she’s still wondering whether she wants to intrude. Inej momentarily grows anxious, noticing the vibrant bruise on the side of your face.
Then, in a truly dramatic fashion, Kaz gets up from the bar stool and storms out of the club as you had agreed beforehand. While he’s passing Inej, she calls out to him:
“Kaz-”
But he’s quick to cut her off in a harsh voice:
“Not now, Inej.”
The door closes behind him with a slam and considering the state of the two of you, she prefers not to ask questions. It will be easier to sleep at night.
“They’re staring,” you inform Kaz while pouring him a drink.
“As far as I know, they have a reason to,” he answers, taking a sip of the beverage. His eyes are boring into you like his trying to look past your skin and bones, into your mind if not your very soul.
A wide smile brightens your face. You lean on the counter, face close to Kaz’s. Although it’s been some time, it still makes your heart flutter that he doesn’t move away. Perhaps it’s just his unreadable expression or maybe he really is unbothered by the proximity.
“To be honest, I enjoyed our little theatrics.” Smiling at him, your teeth glisten in the dim light inside the club.
“You make an impressive con artist, I have to admit.”
“Ah, forget the con part,” you wave your hand in dismissal. “It was entertaining, alright, but the best part was just spending time with you.”
Kaz almost chokes on his drink.
____ @moonstruckpoet @shara-ne @queenkalico
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Wait wait wait
Show!Wylan really thought he was so inadequate that the guy he had a one night stand with and clearly liked not only didn't remember him:
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But proceeded to shit talk him in front of him:
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Which given the context of his backstory in the book that is starting to be revealed in the show [if you don't want spoilers, don't read this] that Wylan's rich merchant father kicked him out for not being able to read and constantly belittled him the entirety of his life, making him constantly feel inadequate, which is why he was so ashamed to tell Jesper he couldn't read- and so it's heartbreaking when you put this opening to their relationship in this context, when Jesper (unknowingly) was reaffirming what Wylan has been told his whole life
And then the cinematic poetry that was making the contrast scene in the same location:
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This scene is him telling Wylan 'In the beginning, I probably would have left you like I leave all the others, but after getting to know you, I've found you are worth staying for', he is telling Wylan, who was always told himself as he is isn't good enough, that Jesper loves him more after getting to know more about him.
I think season 3 will explore this concept more. The whole point is that Wylan has these things that he thinks he is unlovable for, but then as Jesper and the crows knows him more, they find out about these 'unlovable parts' and they still love him, showing Wylan true love that he hasn't really experienced before, so like, as much as I love slowburn wesper, I don't think speed running their relationship ruins it, I think it still leaves room for and provides necessary and relevant character arcs and character growth in really interesting ways that still tie to the book in tons of ways that matter
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ladyhavilliard · 1 year
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Am I upset how much they changed Wesper in s&b? Yes. Is it bringing my Wesper obsession back anyway? Of fucking course.
#i can't read the handwriting#i'm doing something now and can't look at it#how do you pronounce this word#so far i love kanej!!!#i was upset with only 1 helnik scene last season and the rest was awesome#not much helnik this season so far. for obv reason#but with wesper... i don't necessarily like what they did and it upsets me how different it is. AND YET#THEY ARE MY TREASURES#AND I WOULD DO ANYTHING IN MY POWERS TO MAKE WYLAN HAPPY#i still love them very much <3#there's only one thing i am genuinely disappointed in and that's wylan telling jes about him not being able to read#IDC THAT IT SHOWED HE TRUSTED HIM ENOUGH TO SHARE#it is still so out of character for him#and it also made the issue look as if it's just about him being embarrassed about it#like i know they still had that tension and it was obviously not just fine and chill#but wylan is traumatized and terrified of anything surrounding this#he lives not only in great shame because of it (which they addressed by words but it still.. idk felt somehow way lighter in the show)#but he also lives in fear because of it#goddamn it his own father tried to murder him for it#no matter how much he trusts jesper#this is not something he would do#IF he wanted to tell jesper he would at first maybe hint of it. try saying without making it obvious#you know#he trusts jes enough to ask him for help#like bla bla#but here is the thing#this is his deepest secret and the one thing he is absolutely terrified of is ppl knowing it#he would never just... say it#at least not now- before any of the growth he has to go through or before really getting to know jes
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