#nina already loves them

[always-a-joyful-note]

Link Click Season 2 "You viewers had your fun with the more high-stakes mystery plot and incredible actions sequences in the first two episodes so lets bring it back down to the way everyday life and individual tragedies are just as significant to the plot and universe and wreck you emotion and soul with a snapshot of how a single couple's life contains both beauty and tragedy and significance to their close ones and new friends" Episode 3

[tryingforthedelicatehopeofitall]

It's a new day and I still cannot stop thinking about that wesper scene!!!

I am trying to focus and carry on with the day but all I can think about is how in Jesper's nightmare/flashback which was essentially a sweet dream where he got to meet his mom again and she was so proudly telling him how Jesper was a natural and he would turn spoons into rings and coins into keys ... AND THEN JESPER USED A COIN TO MAKE THE KEY FOR WYLAN!!!!

Jesper is actually no longer hiding what makes him special. He is sitting with his lover in his bed and having a heart to heart and doing magical stuff 🥹

*twinkling sounds when Jesper makes the key*

And then the way Jesper is flustered when Wylan thought the key is a coat hook and started overthinking his sweet gesture (he is so me!) 🥺

Wylan saying “that is the kindest thing that anyone has ever done for me.” with his starry eyes filled with surprise, gratitude, hope and perhaps even love (?) 🥹🥹🥹🥹

They are so used to having their armour up but in that moment they are just fearlessly themselves and trusting each other with their vulnerability. I am going to actually cry now :'",,) <3

God I love them and their love so very much!!! 🥺💙💜💖🫶🏼

I wonder if one day Jesper would again turn a spoon into a ring. Only that time it would be the most beautiful ring to ever exist because it's literally crafted with love for someone just as lovely and beautiful 🥹

[throughpatchesofviolet]

I actually can't stop smiling. I always feel so happy when I get to guide and help people with my favorite games, and it makes me even happier seeing their joy when they succeed at them.

[silverflirts]

reminder to pleaseee send me stuff to my ask box!!!!!! silly questions of any type, requests for bots (pinned post has the link to the form but you can also drop ideas on my ask box if you want to!), opinions or even messages you had with my characters !!!!! i'd love to hear what your favorites are, what you most like/dislike about them, what sort of stories are you developing, i love that shit !!!!!

[evillillad]

dancing queen✨young and sweet✨only twenty five✨✨✨✨~~~~

[minigemdoodles]

They're finished! I spent so much time making them when I should've been doing other things but it was so worth it.

I listened a lot to the good omens audiobook while I worked on them and I didn't realise just how long it had been since I last read the book. It was a good experience

[bullagit]

some days it's just like yeah if the good omens fandom is gonna do one thing, it's watching aziraphale make choices that he clearly feels he has to make, despite whatever he personally wants or what would personally make him happy, because he wants to protect crowley or earth and humanity or whatever

and immediately making him out to be selfish/manipulative/cruel/abusive/too naive/a bigot/etc, solely bc of the fact that crowley is sad in the aftermath...

[boxwinebaddie]

Wait so did Ike knoww about Stan and Kyle dating? Also I'd love to hear abt Kyle and Ikes sibling relationship thats so adorable

soooooo long story short:

...y-yes. yes, he Does know.

hOWEVER, IKE DOES NOT KNOW RAVEN IS STAN THOUGH, THAT IS SENSITIVE INFO THAT IKE CAN BE TRUSTED WITH, OFC, BUT IT WOULD PUT HIM IN DANGER AND KY WANTS TO KEEP HIM SAFE.

but long story Long...

i'll leave it in the crotch. xx

( edit: so...my bad, baby. i accidentally went on a crazy TANGENT about ike and jerseykyle's relationship bc i love them a lot and their dynamic is very complicated, so if you want that info about how ike found out about ravesey dating...i gotta put it in another ask.

bc this...got Very long.

you don't have to read this. soz. >.> )

oookay!~ so i got REALLY excited about this because rm!jerseykyle and ike's relationship is super duper special to me, in that, as sp fanfic writer girlie who tends to lean away from a more gentle, kindly, introspective kyle and much more heavily into the potential brutal parts and menacing aspects of kyle's personality when i develop my style dynamics with, ofc, jers being the most brutal of all ncu kyles...

...the way that he speaks to ike -- gently, softly, tenderly -- the way that ike disarms him, the way that j.k. unravels around ike, bends for him, it's one of the ONLY instances written into my actual published canon where we see jers be extremely vulnerable. ( not crying, lmao! )

however, i will say, it was not ALWAYS like that!

*rings the cd re-education bell*

LORE TIME!

so, per my rm!take on the south park lore, ike, ofc, was adopted from canada around age five and he...was Perfect. he was this lil gorgeous, perf, lovely thing, no health problems, dark hair, i like to think his eyes are dark brown, closer to black, sweet kid, easy-going...

...and very NOT like kyle.

and, interestingly enough, i think, At First, that sheila and gerald were super obsessed with ike, cooed over him, he was the baby, y'know? which made jerseykyle MAD jealous of ikey and an Anti from day one.

which is also v interesting because rm!ike, really just fkn Worshipped jerseykyle, wanted to be close to him, wanted his approval, craved that brotherly relationship with him, idolized him...and kyle was NOT having it, dawg! like, it took him so long to even let stan in and let his cold, black heart be light and bright enough in some spots to do That, so he pushed ike away, constantly told him to fuck off/get lost

( i do think that ike's vocab being more vulgar/him being precocious comes from wanting to impress kyle/being influenced by him ), also ike was really fkn smart from the jump in a way kyle wasn't like, to me, jerseykyle has worked hard for everything, studied hard, fought hard, and ike was naturally a child prodigy and didn't have to work that hard for anything, all while being gentle and docile and kind.

-- but going back to STAN for a minute...as a direct contrast to how jerseykyle treated ike growing up...gods angel saint ravenstan was always EXTREMELY KIND to ike. stan never had a brother: okay, he had shelley but his relationship with shelley was even more complex than ike and kyle's relationship used to be and the way shelley treated ravenstan was similar to the way jersey was treating ike, so he Deeply Sympathized with that and endeared himself to ike, encouraged him, and the more kyle pushed him away, the closer ike got to stan.

stan and ike i think ALSO had very similar interests in that they both liked louder, heavier music, revolutionary/counter culture stuff, fighting the MAN, sports ( namely hockey ) i think as a gift, actually, that ravenstan gave ike his wayne gretsky hockey yersey and ike STILL has it ( yes, kyle was jealous ), stan encouraged him to be different and carve his own path in life and while kyle, obvi, was the person most effected by stan's untimely passing...it did also do a number on ike who seriously considered stan like a brother to him and was one of the only other people who Never misgendered stan.

SPEAKING OF STAN DY*NG THOUGH: this was when everything sort of...Flipped. because when stan 'died', whatever part of kyle that could love things also died with him along with a lot of his stability.

so on top of all of his health issues, kyle got really, REALLY gnarly ptsd, would fly into blind rages, got randomly triggered by things and see stan everywhere, have really, really sever panic attacks, had to be put on several medications, got into TOOOONS of fights, etc.

and ike...was just sweet, introverted, lovely ike. stayed in his lane, did his work quietly, existed quietly...while kyle was Loud and VOLATILE.

also, to tie in Another ask where someone asked me while sheila didn't take care of ike as well as she could...fair warning, i am a liiiittle defensive abt this topic because it wasn't that she didn't want to take care of ike or meant to neglect him AT ALL, it's just...when you have a a child who has a lot going on mentally and physically, is more of a firestarter, is more aggressive or more outwardly mentally unstable...

...that tends to require more immediate attention ( especially since kyle was sooo unhinged that he was constantly in police stations, juvie, the psych ward ) and sheila's attention more helicopter parent-y in that she wanted to keep kyle safe, whereas geralds attention was more negative, felt kyle was a failure/embarrassment :/// </3 )

so ike, by COMPARISION to jersey, was VERY low maintenance, did not require to be constantly watched to make sure he didn't hurt himself or others, and so, unfortunately while sheila loved him very much ( gerald just wasn't very interested in him as the second kid other than that he not act up/argue w/ him ) he got swept under the rug because of how pliable and pleasant he was personality wise.

so sheila really does Adore ike, she just doesn't worry about him nearly as much and because of how glaring jersey's issues were, she also mistakenly assumes he's mostly fine where...i really do think ike has pretty gnarly depression, tbh. he is stan coded, i mean that. i will say that him acting out is starting to cause a stir in their house.

anyways...i am sorry this is such a MESS but jerseykyle was watched with laser focus and because of this, ike got off scott free most of the time and received almost no attention. like all his accomplishments went unnoticed or were pretty normalized because the standard he set v young being smart/capable, set the bar high. ilysm, ikey. </3

tldr; ike was The Good Child

and jersey was The Bad Child.

but, in being 'good', he got extremely overlooked by his parents.

thiiiiiiis...is where jerseykyle stepped in. so basically his entire life he was staunchly anti-ike, but he warmed up to ike a lot after stan died because they bonded over talking about him a lot/that grief, and also grew up under intense scary jewish matriarch sheila broflovski and the serious shit show that was having gerald as a father...who jersey actually regularly took shit from so ike wouldn't have to, i.g. when ike did something less than perfect or did misbehaved or fucked up, kyle always took the fall for it and was the messed up problem child, so that ike would essentially spared from gerald's mental abuse/wrath.

ike was also kind of the only person j.k. had in the world, so kyle looked after him because...again...ike is very stan coded, kyle is very protective of the lil gentle hearted people and he basically raised ike in the stead of his parents which forced him to be hard on him in a way that sheila and gerald were not hard on ike...which created a lot of dissonance when ike was becoming a teen and kyle was in hs.

so, essentially while when they were little kids, ike followed kyle around, wanted kyle to like him, thought kyle could do no wrong, as he got older and kyle started to nitpick him, actually care about him and start enforcing rules/curfews on him because no one else did, ike developed a rebellious streak and started to not like or listen to kyle because he was like, bro, whatever, you're so boring, it's one party, oh my god, just because you're boring doesn't mean i have to be!!!!

it's mostly just skin deep though, ike is only irritated because jerseykyle is mad overprotective, hard core and did not gentle parent him as an older brother at like, i shit you not fourteen, like i am so sorry but jerseykyle raised ike basically, and inspite of actin like a heartless monster...loves ike very, very much ( even if he can't say it ) and ike also loves kyle very much. jerseykyle is pretty much the only other person besides firkle, tricia, etc. ( i'll get into that in a diff ask ) that truly gave a shit about him and put weight behind his actions.

so jerseykyle is like ike's older brother/dad, rags on him about doing his homework and being an edgelord

( ike has been acting out a lot, one, because he's finally starting to come into his personality more, which, imo, my hc is that ike is p popular but mostly by accident sort of how stan was because he's pretty and very nice, ike is captain of the hockey team, his accent is cute, gets good grades ( he is slacking right now tho bc hes being edgy as hell ), is a lil skater boy gamer boy, IS V INTO TRUE CRIME, JOURNALISM AND ACTIVISM, creating positive change, exposing injustice, enjoys punk rock music, thinks emo boy stuff is neato,

IKE IS THEEEE DAWN SPAWN OF EVER AND I MEAN THAT, he is a raven of crimson dawn FAN BOY, he is obsessed; i mean that...and despite wanting to make waves in that way, like, he really is kind of an antisocial DORK but lots of girls like him, he gets invited to parties, firkle gets invited by proxy even though people think they are a crazy demonic satan worshiping freak of nature...but ike's super bestie, ofc...their relationship is also interesting...BUT YEAH! IKE! <333 )

also per rm canon, jers does miss ikes birthday every year bc going to south park triggers the fuck out of him which he feels very, very badly about, rags on him but is very pro ike doing what he wants to with reason of not acting like a goddamn FOOL and doing his laundry, his emo dirt bag phase is making kyle's eye twitch ooooof, him bleaching his hair and sticking a safety pin through his lip the second ravenstan walks through their front door while ravesey are secretly broken up and jk is extra mad at him; ITS A HOT MESS EXPRESS, Y'ALL!!!!

if you made it this far...i have to put the answer to the FIRST part of your question with all that dialogue in another ask so feel free to re-ask me that, but to reference it a little...ike is so team ravesey like it is actually painful, that is his ROMAN EMPIRE. firkle actually really does not like kyle bc they think he is lame as hell, help, and is anti-ravesey bc they think romance is a distraction,

( okay, spoiler, but firkle is in love with ike, ike does not know this, ike is super fkn oblivious and is actually very bi, so it's not like he's just not aware he is not straight, he just....actually has no idea, rip, he also has a crush on a girl in his class, it DOES make firkle want to actually dome themself to hear about it 25/8, stupid Feelings, smh, firkle b hating jersey and is lowkey a little jersey coded ) anyways they think kyle dating raven of crimson dawn is going to interfere with the band, their music, their sound and is a hater. like boooo! come on, FIRK! :/

BUT IKE IS A ROMANTIC!!! IKE IS THE JR. RAVESEY CAPTAIN!!!!

tldr; kyle and ike have a complicated relationship but love each other very much and ike does eventually learn about ravesey secret dating bc they are the brothers of ever and cannot hide shit from each other BUT I GOTTA PUT IT IN ANOTHER ASK, I AM SO SORRY, BABY, YOU GOTTA ASK ME AGAIN ABOUT THAT! but i hope this thrills you?

-uncle nina, ceo of insane hs isaac moisha broflovski lore

[catastrxblues]

kinda already willing to die for helnik actually hmm hmmm

[ruins-and-rewritez]

I really like the idea of Matthias being really good at sewing like it was taught as part of his basic training or whatever because when you're in the war it's not like you can just send your socks off to the seamstress everytime they tear so obviously it would be a nice skill to have, so all these buff Fjerdan dudes are in a classroom with some little old grandma who comes in once a week to show them how to fix tears and rips and Matthias just happens to really be someone who picks it up really well, then timeskip to the future when he and Nina are getting ready for date night and he's sitting there waiting to go and Nina starts crying in the other room so ofc freaks out and runs in there and she just starts babbling about how her favorite dress snagged on a nail or something and she's devastated because she knows how much he loves it and she really wanted to wear it and now she can't because it's ruined and he just holds up a hand and pulls out his M.A.S.K (miniature army sewing kit) and fixes it and Nina is just stunned because he's literally the man of her dreams

[whimsicallywiddershins]

So who else watched the second season of Shadow and Bone by skipping all the Darkling bits, most of the Alina bits, and instead gleefully hyperfocusing on all the Crows? And then, when the season was over, went back and rewatched all of the Crows scenes?

[nikatyler]

Nina & Jacob will be coming back to my youtube channel soon 💜🐺

[devilbrakers]

OC DUALITY

was tagged by @morvaris​ to take this uquiz for my ocs >:) thank you nico this was super fun!!

tagging: @numbaoneflaya @time-is-a-lake @aartyom @nuclearstorms @girlbosselrond @druidgroves @malefiicarum @swordcoasts  @aldcaldos @sufferthorn @steelport @calenhads @lavinet​ and anyone else who’d like to join in !!

you and the hat man

oh boy you're fighting demons aren't you? it's like you're in a constant staring competition with something that's always in the peripheral. what the fuck. (at least, that's how people who don't know you would react). at this point you've probably gotten pretty familiar with the hat man. he's a reliable kind of guy. keeps to himself, sure, but you can trust him to be there. maybe a haunting isn't too bad if it's never left your side. you can only imagine what it will be like when he's not there any more.

god-hungry scientist and their abominable child

you stitched something together inside of yourself and gave it life with light from the sky and now it won't die and you can't kill it because part of you loves it and you're not quite right in the head or the person you used to be but at the end of the day it's simply a beast of sadness. you crave the mercy you didn't get from your creators and so i'm telling you please forgive yourself. please hold the monster by the hand.

moon curse of the werewolf

you have found yourself hungered or sickened or ambitious to the point of emotional carnage. you are fine, until you're not, and then you could rip someone in your way apart with your bared teeth by complete accident, and later claw at yourself in fits of pain trying to apologize. do you look at the moon that blessed you in her name, at her marred beauty and baneful eyes, and wish she could just crush that loving-hateful heart of yours before it crushes itself? every bite you take out of flesh is a response to the threads of silver bullets in you that haven't healed. the duality is that the human inside is howling too, gnashing, and without the wolf pelt, everyone can ignore it and turn away. at some point, you got tired of the moon being your only witness. now the wolf is there to make sure others know that you are hurt, and deserving of humanity, of attention to wounds. because that wolf loves you; all of you; and knows when you are hurt better than yourself.

[ac1numa]

@americanedpsycho, patrick bateman required a starter from nina riva.

nr. in the heart of new york city, amid the dazzling lights and upscale ambiance of a trendy restaurant, nina found herself seated at an exclusive table. dressed in an ensemble that effortlessly combined sophistication with a touch of edge, she radiated an air of success and confidence. her eyes, sharp and observant, scanned the room, taking in the hustle and bustle of the city's elite. it was the first time she found herself entangled witth the elite of manathan. something she was sure her father would be proud of. something she should hate but deep down, she has to admit that it was a change. she needed that. envied that even. as she leisurely sipped on her martini, she couldn't help but notice a familiar face in the crowd, patrick bateman . a man known for his meticulous attention to detail and his own brand of charisma. his presence intrigued her, and a subtle smile curved her lips as she lifted her glass in a silent toast. " patrick, " she greeted, her voice carrying a blend of warmth and intrigue. " what a surprise to see you here. i hope you're not just here for the ambiance. perhaps you're seeking something a bit more… exhilarating tonight ? " her eyes glinted with a playful challenge, aware of the underlying currents that often defined encounters in the fast-paced world they both navigated in.

[kazscrows]

Crooked Kingdom Reread

Chapter 4: Inej

I like that this chapter starts right off with Inej trying to escape on her own

She’s not a damsel in distress sitting around waiting to be rescued

She’s going to try escaping on her own first

The room was pitch-black, and all she could hear in the silence was her own rapid breathing as panic seized her again.

She’d leashed it by controlling her breath, in through the nose, out through the mouth, letting her mind turn to prayer as her Saints gathered around her. She imagined them checking the ropes at her wrists, rubbing life into her hands.

My heart aches for her

But what I love is how she leans into her faith

Her actions and her Saints aid her 💕

She did not tell herself she wasn’t afraid. Long ago, after a bad fall, her father had explained that only fools were fearless. We meet fear, he’d said. We greet the unexpected visitor and listen to what he has to tell us. When fear arrives, something is about to happen.

I think about this quote from Inej’s father a lot

Whenever I find myself feeling afraid it comes to mind

Well either this quote or Yoda’s quote about fear

Fear isn’t bad, but we can’t let it control us. Sometimes it can guide us to make slightly better decisions, but we can’t let it stop us in our tracks

So far Inej has thought of:

Her past kidnapping/trauma

Her saints aiding and protecting her

Her father

And finally how Kaz would already be free of his bonds if he were in a similar situation

Van Eck could not have chosen her jailer better. Bajan was Suli, only a few years older than Inej, with thick black hair that curled around his collar and black gem eyes framed by lashes long enough to swat flies. He told her he was a music teacher indentured to Van Eck, and Inej wondered that the merch would bring a boy like that into his household given that his new wife was less than half his own age. Van Eck was either very confident or very stupid. He double-crossed Kaz, she reminded herself. He’s leaning heavily into the stupid column.

Van Eck is hoping to lull her into a false sense of security with someone who looks familiar from her past

Her tune will change about Bajan soon

And heck yeah Jan Van Eck is extremely stupid!

He should have never tried hiring Kaz at all really. Conning him is like signing a death warrant

She thought of Jesper toying with his guns, Nina squeezing the life from a man with the flick of a wrist, Kaz picking a lock in his black gloves. Thugs. Thieves. Murderers. And all worth more than a thousand Jan Van Ecks.

They’re her friends. Her family-

Then where are they? The question tore at some hastily stitched seam inside of her. Where is Kaz? She didn’t want to look at that question too closely. Above everything else, Kaz was practical. Why would he come for her when he could walk away from Van Eck with the most valuable hostage in the world?

My heart is being ripped right in half—

They are coming!

He’s coming!!

Just hang in there-

Bajan wrinkled his nose. “Let’s not speak Suli. It makes me maudlin.”

Right before this Inej had called him “Shevrati” Know-nothing in Suli

If you’re like me you had to look up what maudlin means

It can mean sentimental or even sick

This is actually super interesting because for Inej to survive in Ketterdam she clutched onto her Suli culture and her faith

Remembering that is what has helped her survive

It looks like Bajan has done just the opposite by shunning who he used to be

That’s quite sad actually…

She knows Nina will try to come for her, and Matthias will follow because it’s what’s right

And Jesper would want to if he could

But she’s so unsure of Kaz…

…without Kaz, were any of them a match for Van Eck’s ruthlessness and resources? I am, Inej told herself. I may not have Kaz’s devious mind, but I am a dangerous girl.

I love her confidence in herself her though

It’s beautiful

Inej knew better than that. She’d learned from the best. Better terrible truths than kind lies. Kaz had never offered her happiness, and she didn’t trust the men promising to serve it up to her now. Her suffering had not been for nothing. Her Saints had brought her to Ketterdam for a reason—a ship to hunt slavers, a mission to give meaning to all she’d been through. She would not betray that purpose or her friends for some dream of the past.

She’s offered the possibility of freedom and a chance to be with her family, but she won’t betray her friends

Maybe Kaz and the others were coming for her, but she didn’t intend to wait around and see.

That’s my Inej!

Once Bajan and the guards had left, she’d slipped the shard of broken bowl from where she’d hidden it beneath the ropes around her ankles and set to work. Weak and wobbly as she’d felt when Bajan had arrived with that heavenly smelling bowl of mush, she’d only pretended to swoon so that she could deliberately knock her tray off the table. If Van Eck had really done his research, he would have warned Bajan that the Wraith did not fall.

She said she’s not as clever as Kaz, but honestly I think she could give him a run for his money sometimes

Oh gosh

Crawling through the tiny air vent would be so horrible

I never thought I was claustrophobic, but reading Inej describe the experience might be changing my mind-

Like this quote:

Every time she took a deep breath, it felt like the air shaft was tightening around her ribs.

She wished for her knives, for the comforting weight of them in her palms. Did Van Eck still have them in his possession? Had he sold them off? Tossed them into the sea? She named the blades anyway—Petyr, Marya, Anastasia, Lizabeta, Sankt Vladimir, Sankta Alina and found courage in each whispered word.

…Finally, her fingers hooked over a door frame and her hands wrapped around the knob. It wouldn’t budge. Locked. She gave it a tentative rattle.

The room flooded with light. Inej shrank back against the door, squinting in the sudden brightness.

“If you wanted a tour, Miss Ghafa, you might simply have asked,” said Jan Van Eck.

He stood on the stage of the decrepit theater, his black mercher’s suit cut in severe lines.

This scene feels very much like a play. It’s almost comical

But I guess it’s fitting considering the location

It’s also just super rude of Van Eck to just be there waiting in the dark for her to try opening the door like that

Like. It’s so ridiculously dramatic actually

And then she attempts to escape

And she fails…

It does take three guards to hold her though!

Inej is so incredibly strong. I forget that sometimes because of her physical stature

“You are not going to find your way out of this without my help or Mister Brekker’s. As he does not seem to be making an appearance, perhaps you should consider a change in alliance.”

Inej said nothing.

We’re almost to the part shatters me…. and now that I think about it that’s a really poor choice of words because of what almost happens to Inej—

“… Where is Kaz Brekker keeping the boy?”

“How could I possibly know that?”

“You must know the locations of the Dregs’ safe houses. Brekker does nothing without preparation. He’ll have warrens to hide in all over the city.”

“If you know him so well, then you know he’d never keep Kuwei somewhere that I could lead you to him.”

“I don’t believe that.”

“I can’t help what you do or don’t believe. Your Shu scientist is probably long gone already.”

“Word would have reached me. My spies are everywhere.”

“Clearly not everywhere.”

Dab on him

Is that cringe to say in 2023?

I don’t care. This is the cringe™️ website for a reason

Van Eck sighed. “Remember that I have tried to treat you with civility.”

*eye roll*

I hate when the bad guy is like “now remember I used to be nice to you, but since you’re being frustrating now I’m going to be mean and hurt you mentally and physically-”

Like I don’t care how you used to be

You’re being awful Now—

You’re threatening to torture her!

And he was always awful actually

He kidnapped her and kept her bond in a tiny room- that’s not civil—

“Wait,” said Van Eck. He was studying Inej as if he were reading a ledger, trying to make the figures line up. He cocked his head to one side and said, “Break her legs.”

Inej felt her courage fracture. She began to thrash, trying to get free of the guards’ hold.

“Ah,” said Van Eck. “That’s what I thought.”

All she can manage is repeating “Don’t” over and over again but then…

“He’ll never trade if you break me!” she screamed, the words tearing loose from some deep place inside her, her voice raw and undefended. “I’ll be no use to him anymore!”

It hurts

Every single time—

Van Eck held up a hand. The mallet fell.

Inej felt it brush against her trousers as the impact shattered the surface of the table a hair’s breadth from her calf, the entire corner collapsing beneath the force.

My leg, she thought, shuddering violently. That would have been my leg. There was a metallic taste in her mouth. She’d bitten her tongue. Saints protect me. Saints protect me.

Just. Chills.

Horrifying chills

Oh Inej, I’m so sorry—

Inej could not control her shaking. I’m going to cut you open, she vowed silently. I’m going to excavate that pathetic excuse of a heart from your chest. It was an evil thought, a vile thought. But she couldn’t help it. Would her Saints sanction such a thing? Could forgiveness come if she killed not to survive but because she burned with living, luminous hatred? I don’t care, she thought as her body spasmed and the guards lifted her trembling form from the table. I’ll do penance for the rest of my days if it means I get to kill him.

Van Eck made a mistake making an enemy of the Wraith

Bajan moved to place the blindfold over her eyes. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I didn’t know he intended … I—”

“Kadema mehim.”

Bajan flinched. “Don’t say that.”

The Suli were a close people, loyal. They had to be, in a world where they had no land and where they were so very few. Inej’s teeth were chattering, but she forced out the words. “You are forsaken. As you have turned your back on me, so will they turn their backs on you.” It was the worst of Suli denunciations, one that forbade you the welcome of your ancestors in the next world, and doomed your spirit to wander without a home.

Bajan paled. “I don’t believe any of that.”

“You will.”

Bajan is such a sad character

He turned his back on his own people

In her early days at the Menagerie, she’d believed someone would come for her. Her family would find her. An officer of the law. A hero from one of the stories her mother used to tell. Men had come, but not to set her free, and eventually her hope had withered like leaves beneath a too-bright sun, replaced by a bitter bud of resignation.

Kaz had rescued her from that hopelessness, and their lives had been a series of rescues ever since, a string of debts that they never tallied as they saved each other again and again. Lying in the dark, she realized that for all her doubts, she’d believed he would rescue her once more, that he would put aside his greed and his demons and come for her. Now she wasn’t so sure. Because it was not just the sense in the words she’d spoken that had stilled Van Eck’s hand but the truth he’d heard in her voice. He’ll never trade if you break me. She could not pretend those words had been conjured by strategy or even animal cunning. The magic they’d worked had been born of belief. An ugly enchantment.

But it’s not true Inej

Kaz will always come for you

Always. No matter what!

Keep your faith in him

End of Part One

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[esotericdescent]

@barrelcrow | cont. from here, for Nina.

   ❝It's easier, isn't it? Is that really so bad? ❞ Nina asked him quietly, but there was a gentle kind of earnest there, which surprised her. Brows briefly quirked upward with emphasis as she gazed down at her plate, nudging what was left of her dinner idly with her fork. The only thing she knew about Kaz Brekker was that he'd come from Ketterdam—and there were certainly whispers about his specifically coming from the barrel. She'd never been to either place herself, but she'd heard more than her fair share of stories. It was rumored to be dangerous, where gangs roamed the streets and where no one deemed it worth the trouble of maintaining law and order.

   Kaz's behavior would've make sense, if that was where he'd come from. Nina had also heard a few rumors about what he may or may not have done; from various criminal dealings to pure monstrous cruelty. However, she could only imagine the things he'd done just to survive, but ... either way, she wasn't inclined to ask about it. He was stubborn, perpetually irritable and impossible, but she couldn't deny that it was fun to ruffle his feathers, especially given that he could give back just as much as she dished out.

   She tilted her head, green eyes flickering up to search his sharper features; she felt a twinge of empathy for him, despite how many times she'd contemplated strangling him with her bare hands. The faintest hint of a smile curled at her lips as she grasped for that playfully antagonistic tone that was quickly becoming familiar between them.

   ❝It's okay, you know, ❞ Nina said. ❝ To not be so miserable. I know you think if you feel even the slightest shred of happiness, it might just kill you, but ... it wont.❞ After a moment of hesitation, she glanced back down at her plate, speared a piece of meat with her fork and plopped it into her mouth. Nina exhaled heavily through her nose and briefly let her eyes flutter closed as delicious flavor sparked across her taste buds. One thing she'd miss when she was forced outside of these walls was definitely the food.

   ❝It also certainly wouldn't kill you to wear a proper kefta, either, Saints forbid,❞ Nina continued, not at all concerned by the fact that she was speaking with her mouth full. She glanced at him again and leaned slightly closer, tilting her head as though she believed they were conspiring. ❝If you must insist on being so intimidating, the red is the color that causes the most unease.❞