#I don’t know how to explain it but I probably read SoC and CK differently as a 15/16 year old than I did now as nearly 19

[absent-o-minded]

I just finished my annual reread of SoC and my third reread CK (bc I can only emotionally manage it so far).

I would really love to do some bigger analysis posts about all of them, collectively, as pairs and/or as individuals, because I’ve realised that I’ve never fully delved into it.

CK was as emotionally wrecking as it always is. But I think that on this round, it carried a heavier weight, because it’s the first time reading CK where I’m actually older than all of the Crows.

[strawberryloveyyy]

Reasons why I think Cowboy Like Me is the Kanej anthem

warnings: Description of violence

The song is about two con artists falling in love, which is fitting despite Inej and Kaz not being con artists. They’re criminals, they have very similar themes in my opinion (not necessarily con artists and criminals but Kanej.). So the refrain starts of like this:

'I've got some tricks up my sleeve Takes one to know one You're a cowboy like me Never wanted love Just a fancy car Now I'm waiting by the phone Like I'm sitting in an airport bar You had some tricks up your sleeve Takes one to know one'

“I’ve got some tricks up my sleeve” immediately reminded me of Kaz’s talent for sleight of hand tricks, but also his thing of not fully revealing his plans. There’s this thing in the books that I noticed.. the other crows whenever I read their chapters always tended to ask these questions, ‘what is Kaz planning?’ Or ‘What did Kaz plan?’ ‘Where did Kaz go?’

“Takes one to know one” Inej doesn’t necessarily completely understands kaz in the beginning. But she slowly grows to do so. Though I don’t think I can say much about since I haven’t finished reading CK yet. And SoC ended of with Inej not being able to see through kaz or through his armour, so I don’t think I can say much. But I probably will edit this after I finish CK.

“You’re a Cowboy Like Me never wanted love just a fancy car” I think this explains how Inej and Kaz never really meant to fall for each other. It wasn’t something they had planned to do, but did anyway. Both had separate goals. Inej wanted to find her parents, get away from Ketterdam, away from the menagerie. Pay off her indenture, live her life at sea, have her own ship, and hunt slavers. And Kaz wanted to grow in the barrel, to avenge his brother, to make Pekka Rollins pay for what he did to him, he wanted vengeance, money, riches, wealth. They both wanted all of these different things, these things that would make it so that they are separate. But in the process, they crossed paths and ended up wanting each other. And all of these things also apply to this verse.

'You're a bandit like me Eyes full of stars Hustling for the good life Never thought I'd meet you here It could be love We could be the way forward And I know I'll pay for it'

“You’re a bandit like me, eyes full of stars. Hustling for the good life, never thought I’d meet you here.” This line also circles back to the last paragraph’s topic. How both of them had this hope of doing better for themselves, and find this ‘good life’. But unexpectedly found each other.

“It could be love, we could be the way forward, and I know I’ll pay for it” We know how Inej has troubles with touch. From her time in the menagerie, I don’t think I can fully grasp what happened to her. Yet. But I do know that it has had a grave affect on her and who she will come to be. Like for example, her relationship with Kaz. She is pretty hesitant to touch as though she is afraid to relive the past times men had tried to touch her. Yet she tries, slowly. One thing about Inej is that she knows what she can and can’t take. She knows her worth. (In progress of editing)

In SoC it was said that Inej had tried to escape the menagerie, but she failed as she was caught. Tante Helen beat her and locked her in her room for a long amount of time as a consequence.

This line also reminds me of this thing in the book where he says. ‘He needed to tell her . . . what? That she was lovely and brave and better than anything he deserved. That he was twisted, crooked, wrong, but not so broken that he couldn’t pull himself into some semblance of a man for her. That without meaning to, he begin to lean on her, to look for her, to need her near. He needed to thank her for his new hat.’ For starters... he’s trying. Trying to overcome himself, overcome this reputation, this image of a man the barrel created. Dirtyhands. And he’s trying to overcome his trauma. Even if he feels like he’s drowning whenever he comes into contact with skin, with people, with her. (Yes I read this spoiler in a comment section somewhere) Yet at the end of CK he held her hand, he brought down his armour for her. He paid for it. It was love. This is my first way of interpreting it, and the other is...

We all know of this scene in SoC.

In the end of SoC Inej gets kidnapped by Jan Van Eck. And in her absence we see Kaz being more... 'Dirtyhands has come to see the work done.' And that is something we get to see during the first chapter of CK, Wylan’s perspective. Where he gets these flashbacks of Kaz, who was tangling this man by the ankles at a lighthouse. Who had answered all of Kaz’s questions out of fear, fear of falling to his death. Yet despite his pleas, Kaz lets go making him fall to the ground. This shows a bit more unhinged Kaz, it seems like he would do anything to get her back. Though we do know murder isn’t something beyond him.

There's also this scene in the first book, where they were ambushed by Pekka's people. Inej was left alone by herself since she wasn't with the rest of the crows when the decoy ship exploded. And she ended up getting stabbed when she was fighting with one of the men. Oomen. She nearly died in that fight, and if it wasn't for kaz, she probably would have. This is the scene where he said that most annoying line, 'I protect my investments' . Eventually, Kaz had carried Inej back to the schooner. Where we get the well-known scene of Kaz... So basically what happens is that Kaz got angry. Very angry. And got even angrier when Oomen spit on his face, which Kaz wiped with a handkerchief. Remember the handkerchief will you? He told Jesper to hold Oomen, and he then took a knife somewhere in his clothes, and slashed Oomen's eye. He carved out an 'X'... And I then I kid you not. Reached in Oomen's eye socket with his gloved hand and pulled it out, throwing it overboard. And remember the handkerchief? He stuffed that in the eye socket. yeah. shoved it in the eye socket. THen he threw the man off the boat.

And all of that ties back to that line he said in Shadow and Bone's season 2: 'This city's price is blood. And I am happy to pay with yours'

I definitely go a little insane with the three reasons why he's paying for it...