Kaz Brekker: A Character Study

You know I think an underrated theme in SOC is that, the adults have ruined the future of the next generation. They have created an inhumane environment that serves only them. They've crushed and wrung out the lives of the weaker and the new, keeping them desperate, subjugated, exploited, and dead. Pekka Rollins, Tante Heleen, Jan Van Eck, Jarl Brum, these are our villains.

But Six of Crows also says that these circumstances have manufactured a much darker and tougher individual than these people can imagine. While the older generation are content to rest on their laurels and their ill gotten easy lives, their juniors are sharpening their pain into cruel and effective tools, with a drive that someone on top simply cannot understand.

Idk, I think it's an interesting and empowering (if not subversively harsh) message for its core audience as a YA novel.

Nikolai Lanstov, whenever he can't fix Ravka's problems diplomatically: aight send in the crows

nina touching kaz when he starts having a flashback, trying to do her calming heartrender thing, but the power of his ptsd either cancels it out or just makes it impossible because she needs physical contact for it to work and that's obviously a no-go

kaz and inej's individual relationships with touch are honestly so compelling. inej hates the lack of control but when she sees it coming she'll let jesper and nina hug her because they're safe and she trusts them, and she wants to try with kaz despite everything, and she'll sit on the bathroom counter and let him stand between her legs to patch her up knowing it's difficult for both of them because maybe opening up about her own struggles will help him realise he's not all alone in the world

and kaz does try for her and he'll bodily throw himself at jesper to save his life and hold onto him when he gets knocked out in a very dangerous place in the process because like hell is he getting himself another dead brother, but at the end of the day it's still all about the trauma and the autonomy and the stolen innocence and the limitations and the boundaries and the trust placed in their chosen people not to cross them and-

i'm really going to miss you

“he’s so kaz-coded.” no, he’s just an intj. we are brooding and hot and here to win. you love us.

one thing the show missed how deadpan and hilarious kaz is like he had such a slick mouth like in the books one of the reason why he was such a fun character was because how ruthless he was but also he was so outta pocket all the time like he had so much witty one liners

i'd like to thank freddy carter's big blue eyes and acrobatic eyebrows for their contribution to the "stay in ketterdam" scene in the show. you can practically hear kaz thinking you inej, you through them (and honorable mention to his jawline that could cut glass)

missing this barrel rat right now

Happy Neil banging out the tunes day

The Crows as Text posts 2

(+ some S&B)