#this is why i dont want soc3. this is a great stopping point thematically and in that respect i dont need or want to see more

[six-of-cringe]

Something that is sad but also that I hugely appreciate about CK is that by the end, most of the systems that harmed the crows are still in place, but their relationships with themselves have grown and changed. I find this particularly interesting in the cases of Jesper and Wylan (shocking I know). Their identities still put them in danger of being exploited or harmed - Grisha indentures are still the norm in Kerch, and the auction scene made it very clear that if the Council knew Wylan's illiteracy was true, they would treat him much the same as his father did due to the culture surrounding productivity and ability. This might seem disheartening, but the hope lies in the shift in how these characters see themselves and their role in the world. By the end of the book, Jesper and Wylan are beginning to put away their internalized shame surrounding their identities. They may still have to hide who they are from the world to survive, but they're no longer hiding it from themselves - their true selves are no longer this crushing burden they have to turn away from to function. A general theme of the series is how, in accepting who they are and what has happened to them on a personal level, the crows place themselves in positions to make change on a systemic level - Inej and her ship, Nina and her mission, Kaz and his Barrel empire, Wylan and Jesper with their political, high-society empire. None of them are all the way there yet by the end - they're still healing, and both the loss of Matthias and the weight of those oppressive systems are going to weigh on them for a long time - but we get to see the very beginnings of that process. I'm going to bite someone.

#that being said. they need so much therapy. that sort of deeply internalized shame doesn't go away after a heist or two #it is kinda heartening u know bc i get real down about how immovable systems seem #and even after something good happens in that regard on an individual level it doesn't seem to get any better #it's ok. what is change but a bunch of people doing better together #this is why i dont want soc3. this is a great stopping point thematically and in that respect i dont need or want to see more #let them exist in this place in my mind. on the brink of things getting better #anyway jan van eck die one million billion times #jesper fahey #wylan van eck #inej ghafa #nina zenik #kaz brekker #matthias helvar #six of crows #soc #tgt #soc meta #OUGHAHGAHGOUAGH