van eck family portraits over the years

if you want to donate to palestine and make me draw more, check out @gvartistsforpalestine !

Marya and Colm sharing embarrassing baby and toddler stories of Wylan and Jesper to the other Crows who are eating it up

Anytime either of them start to complain about something Kaz is doing, he just gives them his hundred yard stare and whispers any number of the embarrassing child stories he now knows about. Both of them shut up real quick

Inej is a little more gracious about it, but she still finds opportunities to tease them about it

Nina just can't stop laughing for like a week straight

Matthias doesn't outright tease them, but now he understands why Wylan keeps handing him small bugs and various frogs whenever they go outside literally anywhere

Kerch, Ghezenism, and the Van Eck Family

The title pretty much sums it up. This is a rather extensive analysis, and to be honest with you all it is 2,500+ words. So get into this absolute beast at your own risk!

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From my experience in this fandom, I've seen it discussed very frequently how important religion is in the Grishaverse. Not only is it very deeply developed, to the point where many of the different countries have unique beliefs - which I'm not sure is seen very often in newer literature - but the various religious systems are also deeply important to many major characters, such as Matthias and Inej. However, one aspect of Grishaverse religions that seems to be overlooked somewhat often is the Kerch religion of Ghezenism. This may just be me, but I have a lot of thoughts on it. A big reason for that is that Wylan is, and always has been, my favorite character, and the culture surrounding Ghezen is actually a very important part of his character for many reasons. When you look into it in the way that I have, you discover that there are a lot of peculiar aspects of Ghezenism that make it stand out, as well as many ties that it has to major aspects of the story.

Right away, one thing that makes Kerch religion different from the others is how deeply connected to the economy it is. So much so that a lot of aspects of the two subjects are one and the same. Given that Ketterdam is a city largely fueled by commerce, it makes sense that Ghezenism would heavily tie into Kerch culture as well. Symbols of Ghezen can be found in many places throughout the city, even beyond the Church of Barter. A very good example of this is Vellgeluk, the island where the Crows meet Van Eck expecting to get their reward from the Ice Court heist: “Smugglers called it Vellgeluk, “good luck,” because of the paintings still visible around the base of what would have been the obelisk tower: golden circles meant to represent coins, symbols of favor from Ghezen, the god of industry and commerce,” (Six of Crows, Chapter 44). This just goes to show how many people in Ketterdam, and the wider country of Kerch as well, put their faith in Ghezen. Vellgeluk is a chosen place for smugglers to do business, specifically because favors of Ghezen are still present there. 

Another interesting part of that passage is the fact that Ghezen is referred to as the god of industry and commerce. Kerch may have other gods, but as far as I can remember - and I may be wrong, but I don't think I am - we never hear about any of them. A similar situation can be found in Fjerda, where Djel is specifically the god of life, implying the existence of other gods. In Fjerda, it is very clear that Djel is mainly what they base their culture and belief system around. This makes perfect sense for a god of life, but isn't Ketterdam’s situation a bit more unusual? The most frequently discussed god, Ghezen, represents industry. We can assume Ghezen is the primary god within the Kerch religious system. Not to mention that their largest church is called the Church of Barter, barter obviously being a term that has much to do with economics. Ketterdam, if not the entire country of Kerch, seems to have no real concept of the separation of church and state. They quite literally hold auctions inside of the church; the auctioning of Kuwei is not a singular event.

The impacts of religion can also be seen in the culture and behavior of the people of Kerch, as seen in a brief section of Crooked Kingdom. “Kerch women—even the wealthy ones—didn’t bother with anything as frivolous as embroidery or needlepoint. Ghezen was better served by tasks that benefited the household,” (Crooked Kingdom, Chapter 14). Obviously, things like this are much more typical of religion. But I would argue that even this holds traces of the same values expressed by the connection between Ghezenism and the economy. It is specifically mentioned here that Kerch women are encouraged to participate in tasks that will “benefit the household”. This displays one of the very prominent aspects of the Ghezenite religion, which is that one of the most important things a person can do is be productive, and create a prosperous life for themselves and their family.

In addition to direct ties between Ghezenism and the Kerch economy, occasionally the legal system is put into the mix as well. While considering what consequences his father might face after the events of the auction, Wylan reveals this piece of information: “Knowingly entering into a false contract for the purpose of subverting the market wasn’t just illegal, it was considered blasphemy, a blight on the works of Ghezen, and the penalties were harsh,” (Crooked Kingdom, Chapter 41). Essentially what he means by this is that not only is tampering with the economy against the law, but it is also heavily frowned upon in a religious sense, and anyone who does so will face punishment from both sides. This is extremely unique, even within the Grishaverse. This single sentence also reveals another very interesting thing about Kerch society. The market, as it exists in Ketterdam, is believed to be a creation of god - it is referred to here as being a part of the “works of Ghezen”. That, more than anything, is concrete proof of just how interconnected the economy of Kerch is with its primary religion. This also means that committing a crime such as Van Eck did isn't simply illegal (which we can assume he has no issues with), it is also an act that goes against his own religion. But stop to consider for a moment: does he really have a problem with that either?

There are numerous examples throughout both books of Van Eck blatantly abusing the values of his own religion. On its own, the teachings of Ghezenism aren't inherently bad. After all, things such as tampering with the market for your own gain are actively discouraged using the threat of blasphemy, which I'd say is generally beneficial. The issue, however, arises when Van Eck in particular attempts to twist some of these values in order to justify his own actions. If there is one single quote from the duology that exemplifies this, it would be this one: “Ghezen shows his favor to those who are deserving, to those who build cities, not the rats who eat away at their foundations. He has blessed me and my dealings. You will perish, and I will prosper. That is Ghezen’s will,” (Six of Crows, Chapter 45). Van Eck openly believes that, since he is a member of the upper class, he is somehow more deserving of a blessing. He is insistent that “Ghezen's will”, or what he interprets as what Ghezen wishes for him to do, is to trample others in order to further his own success. 

It doesn't matter to him who stands in his way, and it never will, because his goal is only to make himself more wealthy; he simply hides this behind a thin veil of piety. This motivation is especially clear when he is speaking to Inej while he is holding her captive. “When I leave this world, the greatest shipping empire ever known will remain, an engine of wealth, a tribute to Ghezen and a sign of his favor. Who will remember a girl like you, Miss Ghafa? What will you and Kaz Brekker leave behind but corpses to be burned on the Reaper’s Barge?” (Crooked Kingdom, Chapter 7). He frames people less fortunate than him - in this case Kaz and Inej - as forgettable and unimportant. The only thing he considers truly important is wealth, which he equates to power. He even references Ghezen here, claiming again that all of his actions, as well as his empire and legacy, are meant to show his dedication to his religion. He also claims that his ability to attain this level of success is a sign that Ghezen favors him. That in particular is a display of his extremely warped view of Ghezenism. The truth is that his success can only be attributed to his unethical actions, but the fact that he claims it is due to Ghezen's favor means that he will never be able to be convinced that he is wrong. He has what he believes to be an airtight justification.

His classism is also extremely evident, while indirectly, in an exchange between Kaz and Wylan earlier on in Crooked Kingdom. ““Your father much for charity?” “No. He tithes to Ghezen, but he says charity robs men of the chance at honest labor,”” (Crooked Kingdom, Chapter 2). This shows that Van Eck is very protective over his wealth. Which, quite frankly, is more likely than not the exact opposite of what Ghezenism is intended to promote. Based on what we are shown from an outside perspective, it seems as though one of the main aspects of Ghezenism is to create a prosperous economy for everyone. However, what Van Eck seems to believe is that he is intended to simply accumulate as much wealth as he possibly can, and keep it all for himself.

It is incredibly clear that Van Eck doesn't care about the well-being of anyone other than himself when it comes down to it. It could be argued that he cares for Alys, and will care for their child when it is born, but this simply cannot be proven. Just look at the exact mirror of this situation: Marya and Wylan. Wylan states about his parents, “I think he really loved her. They fought all the time, sometimes about me, but I remember them laughing a lot together too,” (Crooked Kingdom, Chapter 14). If we are to believe that this is true, and Van Eck truly did love Marya, that doesn't change the fact that he didn't hesitate to send her away as soon as he discovered that Wylan couldn't read or write. There is no evidence to say that he wouldn't do the same to Alys, under similar circumstances. 

And, of course, this all leads back to the matter of Wylan. When Van Eck decided that Wylan wouldn't be useful to him, he stopped caring about him very quickly. Near the end of Six of Crows, we hear more of the specifics on Van Eck's opinion of Wylan. “I have hired the best tutors from every corner of the world. I’ve tried specialists, tonics, beatings, hypnotism. But he refused to be taught. I finally had to accept that Ghezen saw fit to curse me with a moron for a child. Wylan is a boy who will never grow to be a man. He is a disgrace to my house,” (Six of Crows, Chapter 45). Van Eck believes that Wylan is a curse from Ghezen, purely because he thinks that Wylan will be incapable of producing profits for their business. This is perhaps one of the most egregious examples of his blatant abuse of his own religion, because he is entirely willing to abandon and even murder his own son in order to fulfill his goals, which he claims is all Ghezen's will.

There is no feasible way Wylan would be able to grow up being raised by Van Eck, and not be affected by his religious ideas in some way. In fact, there is evidence contained in the text that proves this rather thoroughly. There are even certain things that have already been cited within this analysis that can be circled back to, such as the quote just above. This quote exemplifies the sort of treatment Wylan was subjected to while growing up. This is mostly speculation, but it's safe to assume he was told at a very young age that his own father considered him a punishment from god. That is objectively terrible, and we know that by the age of eight his father was his only parent. The psychological impacts that that would have on a child that young are unimaginable. 

Additionally, we can return to this quote from Crooked Kingdom: “When I leave this world, the greatest shipping empire ever known will remain, an engine of wealth, a tribute to Ghezen and a sign of his favor. Who will remember a girl like you, Miss Ghafa? What will you and Kaz Brekker leave behind but corpses to be burned on the Reaper’s Barge?” (Crooked Kingdom, Chapter 7). While Van Eck is not talking to Wylan here, and Wylan isn't even present at the time, this passage still indirectly displays Van Eck's feelings about Wylan. Here he is expressing the fact that he maintains that if a person is not able to create wealth and prosperity for themselves, they are essentially useless. As we know from the previous example, he believes this of Wylan as well.

It is evident that Wylan was taught Ghezenite values from a young age. While examining the exterior of the Church of Barter, his thoughts include this: “He didn’t need to be able to read the words engraved over the arch. He’d heard his father repeat them countless times. Enjent, Voorhent, Almhent. Industry, Integrity, Prosperity,” (Crooked Kingdom, Chapter 31). This is confirmation that Van Eck frequently encouraged Wylan to think about these values, and it can be inferred that it likely wasn't in a particularly positive manner. Industry, integrity, and prosperity are clearly the three main ideals of this religion, and we can easily be led to the conclusion that Van Eck is certain his son is capable of none of them.

It is also suggested that Wylan may even associate his father's disapproval with religion subconsciously as well. A good example of this is in Crooked Kingdom, after Wylan is taken to the Church of Barter. “Van Eck shook his head. “Every time I think you cannot disappoint me further, you prove me wrong.” They were in a small chapel topped by a dome. The oil paintings on the wall featured battle scenes and piles of armaments,” (Crooked Kingdom, Chapter 31). While this is also simply meant to provide the reader with a description of the environment, the juxtaposition between the two halves of this passage cannot be an accident. What we can observe here is that after Van Eck once again expresses his ever-present disappointment with Wylan, emphasis is immediately put on the fact that they are in the church. This, along with the other passages listed, creates a clear link between Wylan's negative relationship with his father and the effects that their shared religion has had on it.

What I consider to be one of the most important quotes for this subject, despite also being the shortest one used, comes near the end of Six of Crows. After Wylan has played his role in foiling Van Eck's plan to trick the Crows, he says this: “Maybe you can pray to Ghezen for understanding, Father,” (Six of Crows, Chapter 45). This is sort of the first act of retribution that the reader sees from Wylan. He has just made his father look like a fool, and then he practically spits in his face by taking the thing that was used against him for so long - their religion - and using it against his father instead. Not only is this moment incredibly satisfying, it also marks the beginning of Wylan's growth as a character that eventually leads to him being able to stand up to his father in more ways.

Despite being arguably the least explored Grishaverse religion in online spaces, I find Ghezenism to be extremely interesting when it comes to the ways it ties into the themes of the story. It represents wider, more general themes found throughout the book, such as the idea that people often value their own success over the well-being of others, but it contains even more when examined under a closer lens. It opens the door to a completely new aspect of further analyzing the relationship between Wylan and his father, and introduces vital elements of in-depth characterization for both of them. The way Wylan and Van Eck each view the same religion is highly indicative of their individual values, and that is a very interesting thing to expand upon. It simply goes to show just how much thought went into creating both the culture of this world, and the characters who live within it.

Kaz and Wylan’s potential to become each other

Wow, you guys were a lot more excited about this than I was expecting! I made a post briefly mentioning this idea and it got way more attention that I was expecting, so as promised here is my explanation and I’ve tagged people who asked for it at the end :)

*WARNING: CONSTANT SPOILERS AHEAD*

Ok so the driving forcing of this comparison is rooted in the similarities of their characters and their backstories. Both of them lost a close family member, were abused by men with power over them, and experienced a form of ‘rebirth’ by nearly drowning in the Ketterdam canals. They also both experience disability; Kaz using a cane for a broken leg that didn’t heal correctly, and Wylan having severe dyslexia that prevented him from learning to read. A key difference that separates them, and arguably is a representation of the difference in the way their experiences have shaped their personalities as well, is that Kaz’s disability is a direct result of his chasing after vengeance, whereas Wylan’s disability was used as an excuse for his father to abuse him for what we as the reader see to be a minimum of eight years. (I’m assuming this because he is 16 in the book and was 8 when his mother ‘died’, which is the point that he describes he father to have “given up on him”)

I’m gonna quickly hop to parallels between Kaz and Pekka Rollins, bare with me I promise it’s relevant, which are quickly established as a key part of the novels. When Inej compares them, Kaz’s reply is “I don’t sell girls, I don’t con helpless kids out of their money” to which she gently responds “look at the floor of the Crow Club, Kaz”. Aside from this being the heartbreaking line that it is, it also does a very good job of highlighting their similarities and a similarity that they share with Jan Van Eck. When they meet the merch at the end of the first book they meet on an island called Vellgeluk, which is described as being popular with smugglers and slavers like those who kidnapped Inej. The other Crows are surprised Van Eck knows about Vellgeluk, but Kaz simply says “maybe he isn’t the upstanding merch he appears to be”. Great subtle foreshadowing for his double cross, and great establishment of the link between these three characters. In fact, Van Eck and Kaz echo each other more than you might think. Just as Kaz states “Greed bows to me, it is my servant and my lever”, Van Eck says “Yes, Chaos will come. And I will be it’s master”. In their first meeting, Van Eck accuses Kaz of murder and gambling with people’s lives, and in return Kaz points out that 1 in 5 of Van Eck’s ships will never return because they will sink or “fall prey to pirates”, so they are both doing the same thing, and that they both have the same motivations for this bloodshed: “profit”.

Now consider how often Wylan echoes Kaz, and therefore whether he echoes his father as well. They both have exceptional memories, Kaz’s being photographic/eidetic and Wylan being able to put words to music in his head to remember pages worth of infomation - this is even emphasised by Kaz being able to count cards when he gambles, saying “he could keep track of the game for up to three decks” and Jesper asking Wylan if he’d be able to apply “that trick to counting cards” to which he replies “probably. But I won’t”. They also both have impressive intellects, which could have placed them far higher up in the world than they’ve found themselves if it weren’t for cruel circumstances - Van Eck even comments on this, saying it angers him that Kaz has so much potential but does nothing with it. Then there’s their tendency to avoid being vulnerable. I think we too often overlook the fact that no-one knows Jan Van Eck hired two men to kill his son, not even Jesper, and that not even Inej knows what happened to Kaz on the Reaper’s Barge. Jesper believes that Wylan left his house as a result of his father’s abuse but that it was still his choice, and Inej has no information beyond “Pekka Rollins killed my brother” and the explanation of the con when Kaz faces off with Rollins in Crooked Kingdom. I genuinely believe that the biggest thing separating them is where they place blame for their situations. Kaz blames Pekka Rollins. Wylan actually blames himself.

Arguably, although he catalysed the events, if Rollins hadn’t conned Kaz and Jordie they still would have suffered in an almost identical way: they would both contract the Queen’s Lady Plague, they wouldn’t have enough money for both medicine and boarding, and Jordie would die. In that scenario Kaz would have still been left penniless and alone with nowhere to go, but he wouldn’t have had anyone to blame. In fact, he may have died as well because it’s really his drive for vengeance that makes him strive for survival. When he’s on the Reaper’s Barge he wonders if it’s worth trying to survive because there’s nothing waiting for him in the city, but then he realises that the chance of revenge is waiting for him, and that thought drives him to stay alive every day that follows. Without Rollins, Kaz probably would have blamed himself for Jordie’s death, and I’m backing that up with the singular moment when he’s first attacked by parem-high tide makers and has a brief “boy’s fear” that they are ghosts. He thinks, for a split second, that a ghost has come to kill him and what does he say? He says “Jordie had come for vengeance at last”. This is chapter three. We have no idea who Jordie is. With the limited information we had at the time and what we’d just seen happen to Big Bolliger, I assumed it was someone in Kaz’s gang that he had backstabbed and who has died because of what he did. But no. This single line leads me to wholeheartedly believe that Kaz blames Rollins, who realistically was only a small part of his suffering, quite so vividly to emotionally avoid blaming himself.

Wylan blames himself until around chapters 14 to 16 of Crooked Kingdom. His experiences with mental, emotional, and physical abuse have actively convinced him that his so-called ‘inadequacies’ caused a change in his father’s behaviour. But Wylan not being able to read didn’t magically turn Van Eck from a lucky family man into someone willing to try “specialists, tonics, beatings, [and] hypnotism” against his child. The fact is that Van Eck, like many abusers, is masterfully manipulative in everything he does. Wylan describes seeing his parents’ marriage as a happy one, but he also says “the argued all the time, sometimes about me. But I remember them laughing a lot too”. He’s quick to defend their relationship as if it isn’t supposed to be marred by argument and he lays blame on himself by suggesting that he was the root of their unhappiness. He also says that around Alys, Jan Van Eck becomes who he once was around Marya; a kinder, gentler man. I don’t think we’re meant to assume that he’s acting any differently with Alys in private right now, but I do think we’re meant to assume that he would have done down the line if he hadn’t been arrested (and presumably she filed for divorce). In chapter 14 of Crooked Kingdom, Wylan learns that his mother is still alive but that his father had her committed and declared insane so he could use it as grounds for divorce and marry Alys instead. And you know what happens? Wylan blames himself. He says, verbatim, to Jesper: “You don’t understand. It’s my fault”. He explains that Van Eck did this so he could have a “real heir”; because Marya produced a “faulty” child he needed a new woman to give him the child he wanted. That’s a messed up thing to think on so many levels, but Wylan doesn’t blame Van Eck because he is still being conditioned by his abuse. He and Kaz experienced different kinds of abuse, and Kaz wasn’t conditioned to blame anyone but his abuser, so that’s what he does. When Wylan does begin to blame Van Eck, he is immediately taken in by this same idea of revenge. Kaz says “you were angry. I needed you righteous” when explaining why he sent Wylan to St Hilde blind in chapter 16. Wylan was angry with his father before, but he wasn’t actively seeking vengeance. Now that he has a cause, someone other than himself to fight for? He tells Kaz “well, now you have me”.

Both of them have this potential to be fuelled by revenge or self-hatred, and although they go about it in different ways and lean towards different sides of the scale they are both balancing between those two extremes for the entire duology. Their past experiences have, and their future experiences could, tip them further either way but right now they are almost playing with the line.

Thank you so much if you’ve bothered to read this far, sorry for the long post but you did ask for an essay, so there you go. Tagging the people who asked - @kazooyay @mikasimaginairyworld @sunseeking-cyptid @moonlit-aura @alexplutoplanet @gandalfsmallnaturals @livsarthaven @goodomenstrack23 @origami-butterfly @flower-biatch @bookworm010307 @thesunniest @wherela @space-ace-thoughts @sixofbabycrows @antisocial-burrito

Sorry if I missed anyone!!!

The crows love Wylan's mother.

She's smart and kind, just like her son, or it's more like he takes after her.

She knows everyone's respective favourite sweets and kinds of tea. She loves to listen Jesper read for Wylan out loud in the evening. Kaz regularly brings new paintings for her collection, sometimes really fancy ones (he never tells where he took them from, claiming that "a good magician wouldn't give away his secrets"). There are lines adressed specifically to mrs. Marya in the letters Inej sends to the Van Eck estate. She always asks the servants to get Nina's favourite food cooked whenever the latter visits Ketterdam. And she didn't have a chance to see Matthias in person, but she uses every chance to know something about him, and they all feel how sorry she is for everything that happened.

But the main thing is - Marya Van Eck never judges people for the way they manage to live.

She actually knows that every friend Wylan has made for the last five months has probably killed more than one person. But she sees them for who they are - teenagers who have been through too much. And the people who helped her son. Who gave him a chance to survive. Who taught him to appreciate his talents. Who showed him love, after all. Unfamiliarly fair and strong love, not chained by conveniance or reputation. And if people of the Barrel are capable of it more than any merch is, their lawlessness doesn't mean that much.

When Inej is away, Kaz visits the Van Eck mansion almost daily. He's bored and lonely, but wouldn't admit it to anyone. And at some point, he finds Alys there.

Wylan thought it might be good for his mother to talk to someone, and Alys is the only person for that - that comes to his mind. He would've asked Inej or Nina, but both of them are away, and Matthias, who would've been a good choice too, is very far away.

Both Wylan and Jesper are away, so Kaz, not wanting to go back to Slat and his boring papers, sits there and at some point joins the conversation. Marya and Alys were talking about children and their hobbies, at some point Kaz feared Alys might start singing. Well, Kaz didn’t really join in, truth is, at some point, Maria simply began asking him questions and explaining some things that Alice, in theory, should have known.

And eventually, after the shock had settled, Kaz really joined in. Both women were telling him all the tea they knew, and Kaz became an expert in Ketterdam's high-class rumors and scandals. He knows why a merchant's wife attending a ball in the same dress she wore before is scandalous. Why young ladies cannot be in the same room as gentlemen alone. Why men calling off an engagement is a scandal, but a woman doing the same is fine.

At some point Kaz visits them almost every time Alys and Marya meet for tea. And they do it every week.

Sometimes Alys brings her dog, and Kaz tries to train it. Marya offers whistle but both Kaz and Wylan protest against it. Wylan because he doesn’t want to have a headache every time Alys and the dog are visiting, and Kaz because he doesn’t want the dog to be manipulated as easily as Smits dogs were.

Eventually the dog, a little Pomeranian, is trained. And Kaz to everyone’s surprise makes it do tricks and sometimes puts on a little act with the dog. He makes it jump through fire, disappear in a hat and appear later with a rose in his teeth.

The dog adores Kaz and Kaz adores the dog. Sometimes Wylan thinks that Kaz visits just to see the dog.

Guys omg Wylan should learn Morse code.

like he’d be so good at it because he’s good at memorizing and it would be a great way to teach him to “read” (he can’t like actually read but I don’t know how else to put it). it just dots and dashes so he’s be able to understand it.

And I feel like he’d have fun learning it and then teaching the other crows so Kaz could send him super secret message or Jesper could talk with him during merchant council meetings. He could leave sweet messages for his mom and Jesper around the house.

and he’d have so much fun!!!!

nobody has posted anything new in the marya hendriks tag for a whole entire month now 😔

this constitutes LOVE!! I think about her every day of my life. So consider this a Marya Hendriks/Van Eck appreciation post 💛💛💛

A moodboard? For Marya Hendriks? It’s more likely than you’d think.

Wylan: My son has somehow confused the word “vegan” with “cannibal” and we only just discovered this today

Jesper: A lot of conversations Ive had with him this week are making much more sense now

Wylan: Explains his complete horror and fleeing for his life when my Mom said she was going vegan

Jesper: amazing news! I finally got Nina to stop flirting with my dad

Wylan: that’s great

Jesper: All i had to do was trade one soul for another

Wylan: what does that mean?

Nina walking by with Marya: you know what? Out of Van Eck’s wifes, you are definitely my favorite. I have seen your paintings almost as lovely as yourself , could you one day draw me like one of your Kerch ladies?

Wylan: JESPER!

He leaned forward, seeking some answer in those vague hazel eyes. “What did they do to you?”

She laid a gentle hand on his cheek. Her palm felt cool and dry. “What did they do to you?”

was experiencing marya and wylan emotions and i’ve had this drawing of them in my head forever. neither of them actually look like this in the scene but you know. fuck it we ball.

today I am obsessed with thoughts about Wylan, Marya and Jesper destroying Jan's stuff

Jesper proposed to destroy something that reminds Wylan about his father, and he was thinking that it would be like 3-4 things that they would ruin together to release tension, and then they would do some declutter like normal people do: sell something, throw something out

And then they destroyed a few things of Jan, and Wylan looked so happy after it, all smiling and flushing, and he said that it was really helpful, so Jesper was just glad that he proposed something that actually helped Wylan, who still sometimes moved around the house like he is expecting Jan to enter the room every second

he totally thought about this as about one-time thing, but the next day he woke up to see Wylan sitting on the bed with a scheming face. Then Wylan understood that Jesper was awake and asked: "What do you think about drowning something in the canal tonight?"

"Are we talking about a person? Because I'm pretty sure that Kuwei is in Ravka", joked Jesper, and Wylan hit him with a pillow. "I am talking about those awful figurines from my father’s cabinet"

So they drowned those absolutely tasteless and ridiculously expensive porcelain figurines

And then Wylan asked next week in the middle of the breakfast: "What about some skeet shooting?" and this is how they got rid of the favourite dinner service of Jan

And then, one day, Jesper found himself helping Wylan to take out to the garden table from Jan’s cabinet, and Marya, who is sitting in the garden and having her afternoon tea, just calmly watching her son and his boyfriend setting the table on fire (this is one of the good days when she almost sure that she is remembering everything)

And Wylan came to her and kissed her on the cheek with: "Mom, is everything fine?"

And she smiled into the cup and said: "Yes, fire is very cosy, Wylan. Actually, what do you think about bringing Jan's formal portrait here?"

Was anyone going to tell me. That Sankta Marya. Is the patron Saint. Of PEOPLE WHO ARE FAR FROM HOME???? ARE YOU KIDDING???

some semi-recent soc doodles !!

I think Jesper and Wylan would end up raising Alys' kid if Alys died. This is all headcanon for if she died either in birth or she got in an accident or got sick or something. Because think about it: Wylan is 17 years older than his half sibling (I'm going to refer to them as his brother because I personally headcanon a boy but that's just me). So he's way more mature.

There would hardly be a sibling dynamic because by the time that kid is 8 Wylan would have a fully formed amygdala, be on top of the merchers in Ketterdam, probably a prominent member of the Dregs (secretly) thanks to Kaz, and also have a very reputable gunslinger as his long-term partner/spouse. Like there's no way he's going to have a spat with this kid over who gets the bigger slice of cake it's just not happening.

So, Wesper as parents/brothers:

Wylan would spoil the hell out of him. Like this kid would have everything he wanted.

He would be the sweetest little thing because Jesper and Wylan would praise him for even the smallest things. I think Wylan would teach him to be humble while Jesper would balance it out with confidence and pride. And it would be less them teaching him and more indirectly leading by example.

Jesper would be the firm guardian because he only wants what's best for this boy and he wants him to be able to get take care of himself and be okay in the world.

Jesper would act more like his mom than his dad while raising him.

He would teach him a lot because Wylan's busy. Anything from cooking to shooting to reading.

He would be the one to scold him for making a mess while Wylan is trying to figure out how to make sure his brother doesn't get upset while also trying to put his foot down.

Jesper would be the parent to go to for advice.

Wylan would be the parent to go to for comfort.

I think as they get older they would really come into themselves that way. Jesper would get wiser and Wylan would get a better handle on other people and how to share feelings and trust and comfort. This would reflect in his brother.

This boy loves his brothers/dad's so much and honestly their dynamic would be very trusting. I can't imagine Jesper or Wylan not being open with this kid because they didn't have as open/loving/safe a household as they would have liked, so they provide that for Wylan's brother with honesty and love and care.

And of course he would learn so much from the other crows:

Compassion and joy from Inej.

Strength and trust from Matthias.

Instinct and intelligence from Kaz. (And lock picking even though Wylan said no).

Love and Power from Nina.

Tell me your thoughts 💭