Jack

Grishaverse Fan🙈

[kerch-crows]

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the majority of the crows have bad experiences with water.

Traumatic experiences with water can symbolize emotional overwhelm, loss of control, personal change, and rebirth in literature.

Kaz is only the crow to almost drown twice. Kaz’s experience as a kid when he needed to use Jordie’s body to swim across the harbor symbolizes the moment Kaz becomes Dirtyhands. The change Kaz has there shapes who he is as a character and how he treats those around him. This is important for the second time he nearly drowns in the Ice Court. He needed Matthias and Nina to save him, which is breaking down Kaz’s barrier and symbolizes a loss of armor and vulnerability. It symbolizes that despite his Dirtyhands persona, he cannot survive completely alone against his internal turmoils. [For Kaz, water symbolizes change and loss of control]

Wylan had jumped into water after his father’s men attempted to murder him. This experience for Him escaping symbolizes the moment Wylan—as sheltered merchants boy—“died”, becoming the criminal in the barrel. This is also symbolizes the moment Wylan starts to truly feel that he is worthless and unloved, as his own father had tried to murder him. He felt these feelings prior, but the actual assassination solidified these emotions. [For Wylan, water symbolizes change and emotional overwhelm]

Nina and Matthias’ encounter with water happens together, which adds to the symbolism. The two were on a Fjerdan military ship that crashed, and they both had to rely on the other to survive. The crash of the ship symbolizes the fall of each of their ideologies. Nina learns that the demonization of Fjerdans that she grew up with isn’t necessarily the truth. Matthias learns to overcome the idea that Grisha are evil witches that should be executed. [For Matthias and Nina, water symbolizes change]

Inej was kidnapped by slavers and forced onto a slave ship. The open waters symbolized the loss of freedom she experienced and isolation from her family. Unlike the rest of crows—who tend to stray from the water—Inej reclaims it. She dreams of having a ship and conquering the water, and eventually she does. She takes the trauma that the water had given her and she flips it. She uses the water to be free, go anywhere she can, and she’s searching for her family. [For Inej, water symbolizes change and rebirth.]

While Jesper didn’t have an encounter with the sea like the rest of the crows, he actually has a very prevalent experience with water. His mother had used her powers to filter out the poison from contaminated water that a girl had drank, however she had absorbed the poison into her own body and died. For Jesper, this moment symbolizes how he views his own Grisha power—leading to his father forcing him to suppress and hide the fact he’s Grisha. By hiding the fact he’s Grisha, Jesper’s power becomes “stagnant water” inside him. It poisons Jesper into reckless behavior such as his gambling addiction. It is only when Jesper starts to accept the fact he’s Grisha that he begins to heal from his self-destructive tendencies. [For Jesper, water symbolizes emotional overwhelm and (refusal to) change]

Water holds personal symbolism for each of the crows, but it symbolizes change for all of them. Water symbolizes the change of who they once were to who they are now and can be. Jesper’s is slightly different, and I think that’s because instead of the water being rapid and harsh like the sea was for the rest of the crows, it was stagnant and (metaphorically) frozen. The change Jesper encounters is the decision to stop hiding who he is as a Grisha and finding stability.

[kerch-crows]

I think Wylan is very mischaracterized in fandom spaces.

I’ve often seen Wylan being portrayed as incapable, weak, submissive, and with the “helpless baby” kind of trope.

Wylan is canonically seen being stubborn, sassy and he is incredibly proficient. Not to mention the amount of resilience Wylan has—he navigated the barrel completely alone for months with a lack of money while processing an incredibly traumatic experience.

I do want to say I think this portrayal of Wylan comes from harmful stereotypes about learning disabilities and queer people. People tend to see that a character is gay, quiet, sheltered and artistic and go on to say they are submissive and need care and protection from their lover. It’s an unfortunate trope that occurs in likely every fandom. People see Wylan as dyslexic and then they tend to erase the fact that he is very intelligent. He is very good at chemistry, math, music, art, and has very good memory and problem solving.

Then, I’ve also seen him being portrayed as someone who loves bombs, fire, and even to the point of seeing him being called an arsonist. Yes, Wylan makes bombs. That doesn’t mean he’s an arsonist.

Wylan has canonically said that he doesn’t like chemistry and making bombs. He tells Jesper “I don't like the idea of killing people, either. I don't even like chemistry.” I don’t like the trope of Wylan loving to cause chaos and mayhem, because it just isn’t Wylan. He is skilled in his demolitions work, but that does not mean he is compulsively making these bombs for his own pleasure. It’s his job.

[kerch-crows]

I think Kaz Brekker is autistic

- Kaz has many hyperfixations/special interests. Magic, lock-picking, and honestly I would even consider his meticulous plans and schemes as hyperfixations to an extent.

- Socially detached, he struggles with/doesn’t care about social rules, standards, or small talk. (ex: extremely blunt, isolating himself from his own crew [the dregs], etc)

- Tends to be very literal

- He has very set rules in his mind about how people are and how society as a whole acts. (He struggled to believe that a father couldn’t be loving, he believes every single person has the same motive and drive for money and self-interest.)

- Routine is Kaz’s best friend

- He is like always stimming (ex: whenever he’s stressed he flexes/stretches/curls his hand up, twirling his cane, tracing the crow head on his cane, rolling coins, running hand through hair, etc)

But of course these are just the mundane things and I could be over analyzing