When People Talk About Tfota They Always Mention Jude And Cardan And Sometimes Heather And Vivi But They

Crooked Kingdom is a goddamn masterpiece and I’ll preach that everyday but I think the best thing in it which is clearly not talked about enough is that whole fucking chapter with Wylan where the ENTIRE time he’s just like:

What the hell... what am I doing here? Who are these idiots? What the fuuuuuuckk... I’m a human fucking being, Kaz

And I think that’s beautiful

I know there are many iconic scenes in the book but why doesn't anyone mention the scene where Kaz proposes to surrender alone and everyone in the gang refuses without thinking while the whole city chases the crows, and he probably knew that if he surrendered he would be killed

How Six of Crows taught me that it was okay to not always feel fine

Since today is World Mental Health Day, I wanted to address a side of Six of Crows that has always been quite an important aspect to me.  

Mental illness and awareness is a huge topic in today’s society, and right of the top of my head, I can think of some brilliant YA novels that talk about the subjects; The Perks of Being a Wallflower, It’s Kind of a Funny Story, Turtles all the Way Down, and so on. The list is endless. But there seems to be a distinct lack of YA fantasy books that deal with mental health topics. I did a google search, and sure, you could argue that Harry Potter suffers from PTSD (controversial topic which I’m not going to express my opinion right here), or that Frodo Baggins suffers from depression (not a YA book, but you get the point), but the actual amount of YA fantasy novels where we can actually all agree that the protagonist or a side character suffer from a mental illness is incredibly small. Yes, it does exist, and a quick shoutout to all the fantasy authors who do write about mental health issues. I’m not gonna name any out of fear for forgetting any, but feel free to reblog this with any fantasy YA mental health awareness books you’d recommend (my personal favourite apart from SoC would probably be the Raven Cycle).

But honestly, Leigh Bardugo shows us that it is very much possible. A couple of her protagonists suffer from actual mental illnesses, others are insecure, or non-conforming in some way. Their issues are smoothly integrated into the story and help advance the plot by creating problems and secrets. It makes the characters incredibly interesting and round. It creates the least-cliché romantic side-plots I’ve ever read in a YA novel. And you know what? I think we, as readers, can learn something from every single one of the Crows.

Kaz Brekker teaches us that mental illnesses shouldn’t stop us from achieving our dreams. He teaches that you can not be able to touch anyone but still be powerful. That a horrible childhood doesn’t have to drag us down. Kaz teaches us how to be determined.

Inej Ghafa teaches us that faith can get us anywhere. She teaches us how to stand up to the people we’re afraid of, and that things that have happened to us in the past don’t have to define us. Inej teaches us how to be strong.

Jesper Fahey teaches us that it’s sometimes okay to go off the rails. That people make mistakes (and sometimes make a lot of them). Jesper teaches us how to be human.

Wylan van Eck teaches us that we are not our parents. He teaches us that we have the right to be our own people and don’t have to follow in anybody’s footsteps if we don’t want to. He teaches us to not listen to mockeries and insults. Wylan teaches us how to be independent.

Like Jesper, Nina teaches us that sometimes, we make terrible mistakes. she teaches us how to make them right. But she also teaches us to not be ashamed of who we are, even if we are different or special, and that our body weight does not define us. Nina teaches us to be proud.

And Matthias. Matthias Helvar teaches us that the way we we were raised doesn’t define us. You don’t have to follow the morals and the values and the hatred that may have been burned into your head. He shows us that people have the ability to change. They have the ability to forgive and be forgiven. He shows us that sometimes it’s okay to not know whether you’re doing the right thing. That sometimes, humans lose their way and have to find it again. Matthias teaches us how to develop.

Determination, strength, humanity, independence, pride, development. You know what? Those are some values I can get behind. And these six anti-heroic criminals teach us so much more. Of course, they teach us that it’s okay to not be heterosexual. They teach us that love isn’t always easy. That sometimes our pasts catch up with us. That we can’t always do what we want. But they also teach us that there are always people out there for us. A family. Friends. People who love us.

And I guess I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you to Leigh Bardugo, for creating such wonderfully human characters that I cried for and smiled for even though the real world was trying to drag me down. Thank you for creating characters who helped me understand that it’s okay not to feel fine.

And I also wanted to say, to everybody who is reading this horribly long monologue of mine (thanks for that, by the way), that you’re an amazing individual and you too can be a total badass like our favourite criminals if you put your mind to it. Stay safe, folks. And stay strong.

Happy World Mental Health Day.

@sixofcrowsnet heist: tragedies

“wylan understood then that he would never reach the school in belendt. he’d never been meant to. there was no secretary. no account in his name. no one was expecting his arrival. the supposed enrollment papers in his pocket might say anything at all. wylan hadn’t even bothered to try to read them. he was going to disappear, just as his father had always wanted, and he’d hired these men to do the job. (…) black spots filled wylan’s vision. he thought he could hear music”

Take on the World | Kanej

Summary: post-Crooked Kingdom. // Kaz Brekker is the King of the Barrel, with nothing and no one standing in his way. He has it all. But he soon realizes that “all” is not quite enough when he thinks he might loose Inej forever.

A/N: It’s finally here! Ngl, I struggled a LOT with this fic, specially with Kaz’s pov. I wanted these characters to stay true to the books, so it took me a very long time to perfect this. All the lovely people who wanted to be tagged will be at the end. I want to thank you all so, so much for your support and enthusiasm. It makes the struggle worth it. Thank you, thank you thank you. Also, this one-shot was inspired by the song Take on the World by You Me At Six. It has Kanej written all over it.

Finally, let me apologize for this being RIDICULOUSLY long. Some of you already know I have no control over this, it’s useless for me to try and cut down on the writing - it ain’t gonna happen. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy this! Comments are always appreciated, I respond to every single one!

Warnings: Crooked Kingdom spoilers!

Word Count: 6,722 (See, I told you. Someone PLEASE get in my ask box and say: “BRUNA, STOP WRITING SO MUCH, YOU’LL HAVE SO MUCH TO REVISE.” Because I clearly need an intervention.)

Find my masterlist here. Requests are open!

Happy reading, lovelies! <3

- All characters belong to our queen, Leigh Bardugo - 

Kaz

               She was leaving today.

               Inej hadn’t explicitly told him so. But Kaz knew – he felt it in his bones, in his veins, in his very heartbeat. He’d known there would be a day when he would have to fight through the tangled knots she’d skilfully, yet unconsciously, formed around his heart and let go of his selfishness, of his desire, so as to finally untie her from his life once and for all.

               He just didn’t think it’d have to happen that fast. That soon.

               There was still that part of him – that foolish, miserable, pathetic, hopeful part that longed to consider the possibility of Inej staying permanently in Ketterdam. With him.

               He had thought that she would, briefly.

               He had let himself hope, stupidly.

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CROOKED KINGDOM AND RULE OF WOLVES SPOILER

“Go little rockstar” but it’s Matthias watching Nina have mercy on his people

But wasn’t that what every girl dreamed? That she’d wake and find herself a princess? Or blessed with magical powers and a grand destiny? Maybe there were people who lived those lives. But what about the rest of us? What about the nobodies and the nothings, the invisible girls? We learn to hold our heads as if we wear crowns. We learn to wring magic from the ordinary.

That was how you survived when you weren’t chosen, when there was no royal blood in your veins. When the world owed you nothing, you demanded something of it anyway.

Crooked Kingdom, page 460

To the person reading this, I hope tonight treats you gently, and that tomorrow looks brighter

Friend: are you okay?

Me:

Me:

Me:[ Kaz slowly becomes more comfortable with physical contact with Inej. They share a bed on her ship and he always slips his gloves under his pillow. Inej won't allow him under the covers if he doesn't. Without gloves or not at all. Sometimes the dark harbor and dead bodies creeps back through his dreams and he bolts from the bed in a cold sweat, thinking the body he holds is Jordie and the lapping of the water is the harbor. Kaz escapes onto deck looking over the inky black water,his fingers flexing over the lifeless wood. Sometimes Inej will slip from the sheets to go stand silently beside his side until his hand seeks out her warm fingers, reminding himself who she was. That she was alive and breathing. That he wasn't that eight year old boy anymore. Sometimes she stays in bed and he doesn't return till the morning. ]

Me: I'm fine

She could fight for him, but she could not heal him. She would not waste her life trying.

One thing among infinite other things that I loved about Inej is, how always, she is her first priority. And just like that, Leigh reminded us again, that as ladies, it is not our job to heal another person. So many girls(and boys too) need to take a look at this, trying to heal them, when the said person doesn't put in as much effort as their SO does.

And my love for Kaz Brekker is just never ending. And I can see why Inej would say that Kaz is worth saving. She noticed Kaz trying. This part where he held her hand. Just that. It might be a small gesture but we can see it must take a lot of courage, for Kaz , to do that.

And I just love the effort he wants to take, he is trying to take, trying to go the extra mile. And it's not just for Inej. I feel he is doing it for himself too. And I love him so much. For all of it.