The Crows As Olympic Athletes

the crows as olympic athletes

kaz

hear me out — table tennis

he'd definitely be one of the more precise players

nicknamed "dirtyhands" for his use of unconventional techniques and trolling his opponents with snake shots and hidden spin

his role models include natalia partyka and ma long

like partyka, he competes in both the olympics and paralympics (classification 9)

inej

i think the obvious choice is artistic gymnastics; she'd be absolutely unbeatable in beam with her amazing balance

her fans have started calling her "the wraith", alluding to the way she twists through the air with unbelievable grace and strength

her biggest rival, dunyasha lazareva, is one of the only gymnasts who can match her in skill

jesper

skeet shooting

ithink the variability of the sport would definitely be something jesper prefers over something like air rifle/pistol

he's a star in the sport shooting world and made his olympic debut at 17 after switching sport from equestrian

(he met wylan at the riding club and the rest is history)

wylan

modern pentathlon

there was a brief scandal with his father and former pentathlete which put him in the public eye, but now he's famous only for his performance in the modern pentathlon

he first appeared at the youth olympic games where he claimed gold by a large margin

now at his first olympic games all eyes are on him as the favourite to win

nina

at tokyo 2020 she's just a random competitor in judo, unknown to most of the world — and then suddenly she shocks the entire world with a gold medal that almost looked easy

now everyone knows not to underestimate her, as she looks to defend her olympic title

matthias

i mean, he's made out of pure muscle, so is it really a surprise to see matthias in olympic wrestling?

he has made a name for himself as six feet and four inches of pure strength and power

he makes the team for the second time, up against competitors like jarl brum, three time olympic gold medallist

crazy how fanfic authors drop the most beautiful and gorgeous pieces of work ever, leaving you speechless and sobbing at three in the morning as you quietly contemplate the masterpiece you just read

and they don’t get paid for it they just do it because they’re having fun and they want to share their joy with you

like I would literally die for all of you fanfic authors out there reblog to swear your allegiance to fanfic authors

Alastair Carstairs Headcanons

for @halosthetic

even though it’s not talked about like it is with jamie, alastair reads a shit ton

he really liked cafe au lait and croissants when he was in paris

if he ever buys new furniture, he makes sure that it’s impossible for anyone to fit under it so they can’t scare him

he can draw really well even though he never really showed much interest in it

cordelia used to dye his roots. this is not up for debate

tells adults in the clave to their face when they’re being dumb

after his fallout with charles, him and cordelia make fun of him behind his back at clave events 

he sleeps with three or some pillows and no one knows why

has no idea of the actual situation, so he feels incredibly bad for grace blackthorn that she has to put up with charles

thinking about the fact that jan was so horrible that he fell short to kaz’s expectation of the world.

my olympics suggestion is that they should have an event where they draw two random teams and a random sport from a hat or something so you have like. the chinese women's skateboarding team and the lithuanian men's shooting team competing in a field hockey match

As a non-binary fan of SoC, I like to think about the implications of this scene a lot:

“Is Inej Ghafa your real name?”

A strange sound escaped Inej’s throat, part sob, part laugh. A weak, embarrassing sound. But it had been months since she’d heard her own name, her family name.

“Yes,” she managed.

“Is that what you prefer to be called?”

“Of course,” she said, then added, “Is Kaz Brekker your real name?”

“Real enough.”

Because it shows that Kaz understands the weight and importance of being called a name you want and being regarded/addressed in the way you need to be. (Inej is heavily connected to her birth name and so hearing and going by it means so much after having been called a false, objectifying one. And Kaz’s original last name is one he has a complicated relationship with and so goes by another.)

And I think about this scene a lot because it really strongly supports the fact that were Kaz ever to hire or work with a trans or gender-variant person, he wouldn’t bat a fucking eye. 

I mean, if you think about how trans people have historically been pushed to the margins of society and work/live in poor areas and have a high rate of sex work, you can bet your ass it’s SUPER likely the Barrel has its fair share of trans residents. And as Kaz has declared himself on multiple occasions, he knows everything that goes on in Ketterdam. He’d be in the know about all of it.

When he was hiring Inej on he literally asked her if she preferred to be called her birth name or not! Like, talk about a trans-inclusive question.

I mean, Kaz is in a gang with someone people routinely call Teapot for god’s sake, you really think he’s gonna get hung up by a name that’s traditionally gendered one way or another? The knowledge of someone’s trans identity would be something Kaz would just file away like any other fact about someone, same as their favorite coffee house, the things they spend their income on, what languages they speak, etc. It all goes in a little folder in his devious head to pull if he needs it.

Like, obv I wouldn’t put it past Kaz to be shitty about gender occasionally because we’ve seen that, if anything, Kaz Brekker is not sensitive about personal shit. He pokes at and makes comments about Inej’s and Matthias’ closely held religious beliefs, Nina’s devotion to her problematic country, Jesper’s gambling problems. But not in the way of reducing them to it. He makes jibes at Inej’s Suli proverbs and beliefs but he’s never fucking racist about it. His insults and remarks always have a personal slant to them. They’re always about the person and their relationship to the identity, never the group of people at large. That’s the thing, it’d be just like any other factor about someone. He’s insensitive about aspects of identity but he’s never mercher-level shitty and cruel. Take how Kaz treats Wylan’s learning disability and illiteracy, for instance. He’s like “so what? that’s just how you are. You can still make explosives, why should I care?” Which is how he pretty much treats anyone and regards anything. 

Kaz would be more likely to have the attitude of: “Does being genderfluid throw off your shot? No. So I’m not gonna fucking worry about it.” and “You wanna be referred to by they/them pronouns? No problem. That’s good, actually. More ambiguous. Gives away less info when people overhear things about you.”

I mean he wouldn’t be a super great ally or anything, let’s be real here. Take for example how he addressed Inej’s situation when she first joined the Dregs and moved to the Slat, being a young girl and a person of color. He told her that he wouldn’t be around to defend her against the disrespect she’d face and she’d have to watch her own back. Yet he still in words and actions shows that disrespect toward her because of her gender or ethnicity is never validated or welcomed around him. He’d probably be that way about gender identity and pronouns too. Like, he wouldn’t go out of his way to correct people if they misgendered someone but he’d make super witty burns on the person being shitty, he’d used correct words, he’d generally gain the intellectual upper hand in that way he has. He’d make it known that shitty comments and attitudes aren’t welcome or appreciated.

And Kaz would almost NEVER misgender anyone. Think about it. Kaz prides himself on knowing everything about everyone, about seeming like he’s mastered everything, and having a mind like a steel trap. He’d see calling someone by the wrong name, gendered word, or pronoun as a sign that he was somehow not as on top of things, forgetting information and details. He’d see it as a sign of a personal failing and as broadcasting something slipping through the cracks of his iron hold on information and so he’d be the last person to slip and call people the wrong things. Kaz’s pride is a fucking force to be reckoned with and to have that on the side of him getting somebody’s pronouns right is a hell of a thing.

Like ??,? The fact that my favorite thief crew would be inclusive gives me so much life. I mean @lbardugo has already woven such a beautifully complex world that is so truly detailed when it comes to diversity and the way personal identity is held by the characters when it comes to race, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, and class. And so for me to fill in that final gap myself as a reader with so much canon evidence to support that my fictional faves would be super chill with someone like me is my everything. Honestly.

tl;dr: Canon supports the notion that Kaz Brekker–scariest, cruelest, most hardened criminal in Ketterdam–wouldn’t be a transphobic shitbag, what excuse do you have?