#but also shepard bunce

[brilla-brilla-estrellita]

Six Somethings Sunday!

Hello friends. I am couch-ridden with a sprained ankle. Do you know what that means?

It means I can't busy myself running around all day and forget/run out of time to do a post! So thank you to @monbons and @blackberrysummerblog for the tags!

I've posted a few times about Fettuccine and Foreplay and it's quite short, so I'm done teasing that one (it's in beta!). Instead, I'll share from my Wednesday x Carry On crossover fic. I don't think I've ever actually publicly made the connection that this fic is also the one with the Deaf OC, so, surprise!

Delilah is Penny and Shepard's daughter. I wasn't sure at first whether this would take place at the same time that Wednesday & co are at the school, or if it would just take place at Nevermore Academy some other time, but I can't have Thing and Delilah not meet and get into shenanigans together!

I also really want Simon and Baz's daughter to go, too, and I very much want that daughter to be Tori from our Heartstopper crossover, but Heartstopper x CO x Wednesday just feels like too much... so she may just be a very Tori-coded character...

Anyway, here are six bullets points (and some sub-bullets for bonus) from my planning doc:

Delilah notices Thing signing with Wednesday and Enid, them responding to him

he points at Delilah – Wed doesn't look, Enid waves

Thing taps and points again, Wed and Enid approach

Say Thing noticed Delilah signing earlier and wanted to meet; Delilah fascinated and so fucking excited

Thing, Delilah, and Enid set up date to hang out and learn from each other

Delilah: can we invite my dad? He would be so excited to meet you.

still won't know ASL, but what does that matter when the people at school who do understand sign know it from Thing, who has his own language? More opportunity to communicate regardless?

Enid gives them the scoop on everyone – first lead of who to talk to about alt magic??

Tagging: @onepintobean @martsonmars @thewholelemon @iamamythologicalcreature @artsyunderstudy @facewithoutheart @cutestkilla @shrekgogurt @ileadacharmedlife

[ebbpettier]

a set of completely normal and very romantic

CARRY ON VALENTINES

(with transparent treats to slap on top)

for your special someone, because this this is my very favorite holiday and unfortunately nobody stopped me

happy 14th! may all your chapters be 61

[lamentable-comedy]

you know, that one story about a relationship between a guy with an unprecedented one of a kind power and his kind of dead love interest who wears a lot of fancy floral print outfits

(aka Simon Snow Pushing Daisies AU)

[mrvampyer]

Carry On HGTV AU where Simon and Penny are contractors and Baz is an interior designer and they have a show called “Burning Down the House” where they renovate condemned homes all over Britain

[mo0nagedaydr3am]

Just finished reading the Simon Snow trilogy….I will never be normal about this. New hyperfixation unlocked

[taramemberence]

The Heart Line: COC 2022 MASTERPOST

All my chapters are actually all in the same spot, but I think having a list of them all with summaries would be better. That way there'd actually be a reason to click on a fic with no summary on ao3.

Day 1: The End

"This can't be the end."

Set after WS and before AWTWB. Simon is stuck to the sofa.

the rest of the descriptions are under the cut. the ones highlighted in pink are my personal favorites.

Day 2: AU - The Tingly Thing

"Don't tell them about the tingly thing."

Spider-Man meets Fangirl meets Carry On. A rewrite of the scene in No Way Home where MJ and Ned summon two different Peter Parker's.

Day 3: Expectations

"Still, Aunt Fiona keeps provoking him, and he keeps taking the bait, and the car is still sitting in the driveway, and neither of them can seem to see that I'm about to be back in that coffin again."

Simon finds out about the rule about who is allowed to sit in the front seat, and Baz has a panic attack.

Day 4: Cake

"We see smoke coming out of the oven again."

Simon and Penny make multiple attempts to bake Baz a cake for his birthday.

Day 5: Bloodlines

"If he never does it again, I want this to be the one good memory."

Baz finds himself at his mother's grave, feeling lost and suicidal. Simon finds him.

Day 6: Side/Alternative Ship - A World Without You

"Whatever happened between us, I'm going to need him to look past it and come back to me. I don't want to live a life without him."

Baz has a nightmare where Simon never survived America and he ended up staying there with Lamb.

Day 7: Veil - Love Me And Let Go

"I was the only one cursed to this life. Everyone I've ever loved and cared for is gone."

Simon has passed away, Visiting Baz every twenty years when the Veil lifts.

Day 8: Lyrics - End Game

"I wanna be your endgame," I tell him. He lifts his head, and his sleepy eyes meet mine.

"Simon, you already are."

Simon tries to analyze lyrics to a Taylor Swift song, and Baz is just trying to sleep.

Day 9: Staff

"I've insisted that it's probably just a product of growing older, but he disagrees. He's convinced that he's dying."

Simon takes a trip to the Wing and Knee specialist.

Day 10: Angst

"Shut up, Baz! Stop it!" He cries. This isn't enough. I'm not doing enough. Please Simon, forgive me later. Please.

Baz hurts Simon in order to save himself.

Day 11: WLW - Keep

"She's wrapping her arms around me, rocking me from side to side."

Fiona comes out to Baz and Simon.

Day 12: Devour

"I'm cold. He keeps insisting that it's warmer in the water, but I don't think I believe him."

Simon and Baz go on vacation together, and Baz has been lying about feeding. He hasn't fed.

Day 13: Devotion

"He pulls back and checks my face, wiping under my eyes again, hiding the evidence that I ever cried tonight."

All Baz wants to do is dance with his boyfriend at his father's New Year's party.

Day 14: Cryptid

"I kept insisting that I wasn't insane. Baz said I'm not insane."

Simon starts to have hallucinations.

Day 15: Fluff

"I wake up to Simon licking my face."

Snowbaz being cute and lazy in bed.

Day 16: Bridge

"I like myself better, knowing I'm carrying a part of him with me everywhere I go."

A continuation of chapter 13, but can stand alone. Simon pays attention to Baz's nose.

Day 17: Match

"I think I still have yet to find something that I wouldn't do for him."

Simon and Baz wear matching Christmas sweaters.

Day 18: Shepherd

"Shepard, of course, thought it was a brilliant idea. He's a complete buffoon, just like Simon."

Simon and Shepard dress as shepherds.

Day 19: Heal

"I gently touch his shoulders where his skin isn't mangled. I rub my fingers over his soft skin, leaning in to press a kiss there."

Baz still has bullets in his chest, so Simon does his best to take care of him.

Day 20: Fangs

"I'd bite my hand to stifle the sounds I'm making, but my fangs have dropped and I don't want to pierce my skin."

Every year, Baz has nightmares on the night of his mother's death.

Day 21: First Snow

"He puts his scarf back, covering my nose and mouth again. His face is red. I don't think it's because of the cold."

Simon and Baz go for a walk in the snow.

Day 22: Ritual

"The Mage carries me to my bed and sets me down, leaving without a word. It's okay. The look on his face is more than enough."

The Mage sends Simon on another mission only for Baz to pick up the pieces when he comes home.

Day 23: Hurt/Comfort - Bottom Of The Ocean

"I'd never leave you," I promise him softly, "even if it took me out with you, I would never let you die alone."

Simon and Baz are caught in a battle that leads to a fight for Baz's life under the water.

Day 24: Showers

"He makes it better. Even though I’m not feeling better, he makes it better."

Baz is in the shower when all the memories catch up to him.

Day 25: Sleep

"I can just break his heart while he hears how broken I am. I'll let him decide if he wants to try and fix me afterward."

A nightmare wakes Baz from his sleep.

[henreyettah]

AUgust week 3: childhood friends, part 2!

(Lil fic under the cut)

PENNY

My name is Penelope Bunce, and I have three friends. Simon’s a whole one, because he was my first friend, and so is Agatha even though she likes to pretend we aren’t whole friends.

Shepard is half my friend and half Premal’s, because they’re in the same grade. He’s a Normal, so Mum doesn’t want us to be around him much, but today we are anyways because he lives next door to the house the Coven is meeting at.

Basil is also my half friend, but that’s because he’s really bad at paying attention to me when I ask him very nicely to do so. Mostly when Simon’s around. Sometimes he’s really bad at paying attention because he gets sad about his Mum. I think he’d be less sad if he wore different colors, but his Dad won’t let him because they’re in mourning.

The bug I’ve found worms it’s way across my palms, and Basil turns his head after Simon instead of looking at it like he should. I want to show it to Agatha, but she would be mad if I dropped it on her. Shepard’s already learned to write, so he’s too old for bugs. And Simon’s busy running around. My fingers curl carefully around the bug to keep it from leaving. I don’t like the other kids here, the ones that aren’t my three friends.

[vampire-named-gampire]

COC day 8 - Bleed

Hello again. This snippet is a hot mess. I wrote it on campus while keeping an eye out for cops because my university keeps sending cops on students. It's really fucked up, but there's been no sign of cops yet and we just got a delivery of free falafels from people who support student activism :)

Anyway this fic! I want to talk about it so badly but it happens in the town that I live in, so I don't want to dox myself, I'm not sure I'll ever publish it. The AU is what if Simon and Baz never got back together in AWTWB, but make it four years later. Baz leaves England to get over Simon, Simon leaves England because he thinks he'll finally be happy somewhere else. Also Shepard gets kidnapped by an evil horse. It's weird.

Anyway here's the snippet. TW for blood (obviously) and alcohol. It starts with Simon riding a bike and nearly hitting Baz. 600 words

BAZ

The idiot on the bike just absolutely ate the pavement. Serves him well for riding so fast in a pedestrian zone. 

The smell of blood hits my nostrils immediately. Iron and life and alcohol and smoke and butter. 

My eyes widen in realisation. 

Smoke and butter. 

Fuck. 

Snow. 

He’s just gotten back on his feet and takes one stumbling step towards his bike. (Towards me. The bike flew in my direction when he fell.) He’s drunk as shit by the smell of it. 

Fuck, I have to deal with this. Even if he’s not hurt, I can’t let him get back on his bike in this state. He’ll nearly kill someone else. Or himself again.

“Are you okay?” I ask. 

His head shoots up at me and he looks at me for a few moments, like he’s waiting for his eyes to focus. 

“Baz?” He finally slurs. “What’re’you doing here?” He smells like cheap gin and sweat. Like blood and life. His eyes look like they’re still struggling to focus and that’s not good given how hard he just fell. He’s not wearing a helmet because of course he isn’t. 

“Sit down,” I instruct him. He does as I say. His palms are bloody and his jeans torn at the knees. There’s some blood coming through there as well. Thankfully, the smell of his blood doesn’t sting. I have two seagulls and three rats to thank for that. 

“Did you hit your head?” I ask, crouching next to him. He very slowly touches his hand to his head, then looks at me panicked when the hand comes back bloody. “That was bleeding before,” I dismiss him, taking out my wand. “Get well soon!”

Nothing happens. 

“On the mend!” 

His jeans repair themselves but his hands are still bleeding. 

“Magic doesn’t work on me anymore,” Snow slurs. 

“What the fuck do you mean magic doesn’t work on you anymore? Magic works on everyone. Get well soon!” 

Nothing happens. Snow shrugs. “Some shit happened. I’m immune to magic now.” 

Seven snakes, what have I missed in the four years of not seeing Snow? 

At least he can recall past events. That’s a good sign for head trauma, right?

I don’t know shit about Normal first aid. 

“Does your head hurt?” I ask. 

“Can’t feel shit. Too drunk.” His body sags forwards, as if to prove his point. 

Aleister fucking Crowley. 

I grab him by the shoulders, making him sit upright. Making him look at me. 

“Do you know my name?” 

“Tyrannus Basilton Grimm-Pitchhhh.” He smiles at me lazily. Drunkenly. I’m too busy trying to deal with the situation to be affected by it. (I’d like to imagine Simon Snow’s smiles don’t affect me anymore after four years, but I’d be fooling no one if I said that.) 

“Do you know where you are?” 

He looks around slowly. “No idea.” 

Fuck. “Do you know where you’re supposed to be?” 

“Home.” 

“Where’s home?” Had we been in London, this wouldn’t be an issue. I know where Bunce is and I know where his horrible flat in Hackney Wick is, but I have no idea where he lives here. 

He shrugs. “Dunno. Can’t really pronounce the street name.” 

“General area, Snow.” 

He shrugs again. “Dunno.” 

Either Snow is a massive fucking idiot, extremely drunk or he really hit his head. Possibly all three.

“Can I see your phone?” If he has no idea where he is, he was probably following some sort of navigation on his phone. He checks the pockets of his jacket, slowly at first, then more panicked. 

“It’s not there!” 

I spot it behind him, laying on the pavement, and reach over to grab it. The screen is cracked and it won’t turn on. 

Brilliant.

--

@carryon-countdown

[nightimedreamersworld]

Thank you for the tags today my lovelies @artsyunderstudy @martsonmars @forabeatofadrum @prettygoododds ❤️ sadly I still haven't had the time to take a look at your snippets (uni is killing me 💔) but I'm sure they're lovely! I can't wait to read your wips.

As for my own, well... I gave myself a head start on chapter 5 of wftbb (ew ugly acronym) and I thought I might finish it this week, but that was before I found out I have not one but TWO exams this week. Wednesday and Friday. RIP writing 🥲

Anyway. Hopefully next week will be calmer. Here's a snippet from chapter 3:

“I don’t see how quoting the Odyssey would help,” Penelope says as we walk along the edge of Victoria's park. “The whole story is about how some guy can’t seem to ever get home.” “But he does get there in the end,” Shepard chimes in.  “After ten fucking years,” Simon grumbles. He’s obviously not happy about the prospect of staying here so long.  I’m starting to share the sentiment.  “Odysseus faced a lot of shit in that time,” Bunce says. "Luckily it will be easier to send you back.”  “To another universe?”  “Have a little faith, Simon.” She says it without magic, but I think we could all use a little motivation boost.  So far, all our attempts—my attempts, specifically—have led Simon back to his flat in Hackney Wick. No matter if we were standing just outside his building or several streets away. Bunce even made me try out the spells she’d already used, but the outcome was the same.  “Maybe the spell can’t differentiate between universes,” she mused. “It’s taking Simon back to his home, the place where he lives, but in this universe.” We all agreed that made sense. So, we decided to go further away—Victoria’s seemed like a good place, full of secluded spots to do magic away from Normal eyes. We tried all the spells from Bunce’s list—including Home is where you hang your hat, and Home is where your heart is. (Simon didn’t go anywhere for that one, not even when I cast it.)

Also, basically all chapters of this fic + the title were named after lyrics of this song

(It's basically the theme song for this fic lol)

Tagging some friends: @cutestkilla @facewithoutheart @hushed-chorus @larkral (just realized yesterday that ADA is done!!! Congrats and can't wait to read the ending!) @captain-aralias @palimpsessed @whogaveyoupermission @aristocratic-otter @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @stitchyqueer @confused-bi-queer @ivelovedhimthroughworse see yall Wednesday! (Or whenever I can lol)

[jasonfunderberkerthefrogexists]

CARRY ON COUNTDOWN DAY 25 - CARNIVAL 🎡

today, we’re gonna be doing something different. I’m gonna compile a list of what I think the main 6’s favorite carnival foods and rides are. I dont know if this technically counts, but I say it does and I’m contributing so. Sue me.

Simon Snow - Deep Fried Butter/Hang Gliders

Starting off strong with our boy Simon and you just KNOW he loves carnival food. Fair/Carnival food was made for people like him, but especially all the insane fried combos they have going on in southern America; one of which being fried butter on a stick. You heard me right; just butter stuck on a stick and fried. It. Fucking. Slaps. Especially according to Simon. Now, the hang glider is just kind of another no brainer. He loves to fly and I feel like it would just give him a certain free feeling. However, I don’t think he’d be able to drag Baz on it more than once.

Baz Pitch - Funnel Cake/Ferris Wheel

Okay, funnel cake is objectively one of the best fair foods, and Baz understands that. He’s not usually a fried food kind of guy, but when it comes to funnel cake, I feel like he would give it a pass. Especially if it has extra powdered sugar and jam on top. I also don’t think that Baz is a ride guy, he seems like he wouldn’t be very interested in the bigger rides, but we all know that he is a ROMANTIC. I know he dreams about that perfect kiss at the top of a Ferris wheel, and I see you Baz ❤️

Penelope Bunce - Soft Pretzels/Tilt-A-Whirl

Penelope Bunce is Queen of the carbs and I fucking LOVE HER for that. But I think her favorite would be soft pretzels because they’re just the PERFECT carnival food. I mean, lightweight but also filling, the salt and carbs help with stomach acid issues, and they’re just plain good. Completely solid and logical, the perfect Penny food. Now, that being said, I think that she would love the chaotic energy of the tilt-a-whirl. It would feel like casting spells for her, I think. Just mindless fun and letting your hair down, y’know?

Shepard Love - Nachos/Screamer

Shepard is definitely a loaded nachos guy, the more toppings, the better. He wants his chips SOAKED. He would definitely be down for anything, but by the end of the night, he would have to have a good set of nachos. Honestly, he judges how good a carnival is based on how good or bad their nachos are. And there’s no secret here, Shepard is a THRILL SEEKER. Being in a metal cage and getting spun around a pendulum that was put together 2 hours ago? Sign. Him. Up. He loves riding it, but especially when he has a first-time rider next to him. He’s definitely the type to chat with the riders next to him while going through the craziest shit and you KNOW Penelope loves the energy.

Agatha Wellbelove - Cotton Candy/Carousel

People judge Agatha on her carnival interests, but honestly? She’s so real for that. Cotton candy is popular because it’s really fucking good? Like, it’s sugar. You cannot go wrong with straight sugar. And the texture is so unique and interesting! And of course she would love carousels, she loves horses. They’re also just really pretty and fun. Carousels are a little underrated in my opinion, they’re really great! And I feel like Agatha would prefer milder rides that she can use to spend time with the people she came to the carnival with.

Niamh Brody - Caramel Apples/Games

I feel like Niamh is a caramel apple person. I think she likes the mix of the thick caramel and sharp bite of apple, yknow? That combo is just unbeatable. There is no caramel apple that can be bad. However, I don’t think that Niamh is very into the whole carnival thing. It’s definitely not her scene, and I don’t think she would like rides. However, I do think that she would enjoy getting to play carnival games and try winning stuff for Agatha, who would pretend that her heart wasn’t melting out of her eyes. Niamh is a rigging carney’s worst nightmare.

Alright, well, these are my carnival hot takes for the main cast of the simon snow books! let me know what you think, if you agree with my takes, and if not, let me know why! I’d love to hear what you guys think! Have a good day all ❤️❤️

[chen-chen-chen-again-chen]

Hi, hello, hola! Thank you for the tag today, @you-remind-me-of-the-babe! Instead of six sentences, today I bring you "six somethings" - six places I'm excited to eat while I'm in London (March 24-April 7)!

If anyone has any recommendations for favourite places to eat in London, PLEASE let me know! 🍽️😋

I'll tag up here because this post is a long boi. Hello hello hello to a buncha folks! @aristocratic-otter @captain-aralias @cutestkilla @thewholelemon @dohrnaira @ebbpettier @facewithoutheart @hushed-chorus @ionlydrinkhotwater @imagineacoolusername @larkral @raenestee @onepintobean @theimpossibledemon @whogaveyoupermission @tectonicduck

6.) Pret (Heathrow)

I know Shepard loses his tiny mind over the sandwiches from Pret, but. I dream of their Chocolate Moose. I have an absurd amount of food allergies, so finding a Chen-friendly, ready made chocolate mousse is a dream come true. So excited to cram it into my face after I clear Customs.

From My Good Egg, Good morning, good night, good morning:

“All right.” Simon goes back to fiddling with Bunce’s phone, and then he says to Bunce, hopeful, “Any chance you brought the rest of my baguette from Pret?”

Bunce says, slowly and carefully, “Simon. I do not know the whereabouts of your airport sandwich. I was rather busy figuring out where you had disappeared to.” 

5.) Borough Market

I have very fond memories of Borough Market from the first/last time I visited London back in 2018. I remember sticking my head in a jar full of dried truffles and just inhaling all that amazing, savoury, umami truffly goodness. (Like, you know, the way that normal humans do.)

From What's Left by @cutestkilla:

I’ve been hanging around Borough Market quite a bit, and I’ve had everything from cheese and croissants to chorizo and balsamic vinegar (in small sample portions only). I think, though, that my favourite thing so far was a fresh buttered wild garlic scone that I bought with some of my stolen money after trying a sample.

4.) MotherMash (Covent Garden)

I also had a good time with a pal at MotherMash years ago - I think instead of pie, I had bangers and mash with gravy, and a tiny, perfect apple pie. My spouse has never been here, but he does frequently say, "I would like to eat a whole pie," and now he will be able to eat TWO pies - one for his main, and one for dessert.

From A cake with your name on it:

Baz was still fuming about the tasting when we met up at his flat for dinner. We had takeaway from MotherMash, and Baz kept stabbing his steak and Stoutheart pie instead of eating it. 

“I’ve never met such an idiot,” he said. “A bumbler. A fool. An absolute nightmare.” 

“Okay,” I said. “We still have that list from my mother with three other bakeries.” 

Baz whipped his head around to stare at me. 

“No,” he said, loudly. Too loudly. He was oddly flushed. “I don’t care if I have to murder and then resurrect him - Simon Snow is making our wedding cake.” 

3.) Brick Lane Beigel Bake (Shoreditch)

I asked my spouse, EarlobeGreyTea, what he wanted to do or eat or see while we're in London and all he would say, over and over again, was "Bagel." He is a remarkably easygoing travel companion.

From an earlier draft of My Good Egg, which ended up getting cut/changed:

They get to Brick Lane before Baz can embarrass himself any further, and he waits outside of a bagel shop until Simon comes out with a salt beef bagel crammed into his mouth, and a very full paper bag. “This one’s for you,” he says, holding out a salmon and cream cheese bagel to Baz. 

Baz takes it, but doesn’t bite into it right away. “Thank you,” he says, slowly, thinking that maybe offering food is one of Simon’s love languages as well, along with killing things. The rats seem to be a lucky intersection. 

2.) E Pellici's (Bethnal Green)

I think my favourite full English breakfast that I ever had was at Pellici's, which is tiny and and owned by an Italian family. The owner spent most of the time I was there embarrassing one of his teenage employees and a girl who was interviewing him for a school project. The owner high fived me when I bought a t-shirt and he went slack-jawed at my powerful, resounding high five. It was great.

From an unpublished bit of My Good Egg:

In the car, Baz passes both slices of fruitcake to Simon, and Simon practically dances in his seat. 

“Are you sure?” Simon asks, “like, really, really sure? Cause I’m telling you, this is really fucking amazing fruitcake, and you can’t buy it most of the time unless you order it special - they don’t even have it on the menu anymore.” “They’re yours, Simon,” Baz says. Honestly, Simon Snow is impossible. He was ready to kill a man for Baz, or not kill a man for him, and now he’s beaming at Baz because of some fruitcake. He needs to pin Simon to a mattress and keep him there — with handcuffs, with a collar, with a ring.

1.) Dishoom (King's Cross)

Dishoom is like... truly magical. That house black daal is no joke. I lack words to describe how amazing the food is - just check out their site (but honestly, it will make you hungry). Everything I've ever had there was fucking delicious and the place and the atmosphere is so gorgeous, just lush and colourful and immersive.

I shared another snippet before about Dishoom from My Good Egg, but here's Simon on the phone with Agatha right after he's ordered takeaway:

“Hey Ags. How’re you – no, I’m not bleeding or throwing up or on fire. I – yeah, I know you said not to call you when you’re at work unless I was bleeding or throwing up or on fire, but this is an – look, it’s not for me this time, all right? Or Penny. It’s for a friend – okay, rude, I have friends other than you and Penny!” Pause. “Yes, Agatha, we’re friends, even if you – yeah, I know you said you would never do another house visit, but you said that the last time, too!” 

Baz leans back so he can catch Bunce’s eyes, and mouths, What the fuck?  

Bunce just rolls her eyes and shrugs, like, He’s Simon, what can you do about it?  

“Well,” Simon says, triumphant, “we already ordered the daal for you, so there!” Pause. “Yeah, love you too. Bye.”  

RIPs & Honourable Mentions

Cinnamon Soho (also mentioned in "A cake with your name on it") - They closed down during the pandemic. But they had a delicious Indian afternoon tea 🥲

Cereal Killer Cafe - This place was rec'd to me by one of my British co-workers (his seven kids were mad for it), but sadly, they closed their storefront during the pandemic and went online. (In my headcanon, this was where Winifred from My Good Egg wanted to go for her(?) first(?) birthday)

Fortnum & Mason - I WILL be going here to buy tea and biscuits (and to replace one of my favourite tote bags, LOL), but not for high tea or afternoon tea. (We have a few other places lined up for that, including The Swan at the Globe and Tea House Theatre). Sorry, Daphne!

Nando's - I suggested to my spouse that we should get cheeky Nando's and have top bants and he gave me a dead-eyed look as if his soul left his body

Again, if you have any recommendations of favourite places to eat in London, please let me know!

I mean, I suppose I'll be doing other things besides eating, like hanging out with my beautiful friends, going to stationery shops, visiting the flower market, seeing shows and things... but really, food is the main draw. 😂😂😂

Happy Sunday!

[tender-ministrations]

The call

I still haven't posted on A03 yet because I want to work out some plot details first. Also very jetlggged ! (Need a Beta if anyone is interested).

But for now, enjoy a sweary WIP.... (Baz POV)

I finally find Chiang Rai on my map app. Of fucking course, they’d have to find trouble in the middle of hot, sticky jungle on the other side of the planet. More unnervingly Bunce, legendary witch that she is, can’t fix it by herself. The woman who outwitted a demon with a Normal for backup.  This is outside all our comfort zones. “Fucking Shepard! He couldn’t just focus on his wedding nuptials like every other new groom.” “Poor Penny!” says Simon. “It must be driving her mental not knowing.” “Yes. Yes, of course. Poor Penny.” I respond. (Fucking Shepard)

Thank you for the tags @blackberrysummerblog and @cows4247

[ebbpettier]

i claim to have a different favorite character every week but nothing in this world is ever going to usurp "nobody knew where you came from, and you might be dangerous!" in my heart

[technetiumai]

Only a couple of months later, I’ve finally started trying to sort through some of theses pictures I took using these fabulous paper dolls made for me by @cutestkilla!!!

This whole thing was for an unpublished portion of one of my WIPs in which Penelope and Baz are kinda-sorta tricked into going to Wisconsin instead of California, and where they meet a new friend who tells them about how his family’s annual trips to The House on the Rock were his introduction to the world of magic, and he introduces them to many of his friends therein. 

I really didn’t take much time to find like the cream of the crop or anything, I honestly just wanted to get some of these out there 😅

(It was actually... so hard to choose which pictures to post. If I didn’t know better, I’d say that this was the first time I had ever used a camera in my life---None of the pictures are great, but there were kind of a lot of them...)

This was so much fun! Someday I will take pictures with the Halloween costumes that @cutestkilla also made for them, and one day I’ll maybe even get around to writing the House on the Rock portion of that fic! Possibly in time for Halloween 2023! 😆 We will see...

Penny near a giant carousel

Fuzzy Simon, giving us a better view of the giant carousel

Fuzzy Baz, also by the carousel

Can’t find any of them with the actual automaton orchestras, but there’s the sign...

Baz and Simon have to share a bed, obviously.

This might be my favorite of the pictures

Look at that guy! Such a fun dude

Gotta get the snacks in

IDK, just seemed right

Infinity room, hell yeah!

The fate’s confirm Penny’s lovability

This used to be another snack place, but now it’s just a big friggin’ pointless room full of tables and chairs...

Penny’s fortune

Baz’s fortune

Simon’s fortune

Shepard’s fortune

That’s all I think, I know it’s not much, but I am... quite sleepy. I assume that I will wake up in the morning remembering this post as a fever dream and being very confused by the choices I’ve made here.

[johnwgrey]

Quotes from Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell / part three

part one / part two / part four

that "mum's home" quote is so random but I love it. I love that matter-of-factness only children have. Like, "Silly Mordelia, that's not mum, that's Baz" and I love how good Baz is with his siblings.

[space-ace-thoughts]

Yeah I think I understand. I also feel like there are some loose ends that need to be tidied up in a fourth book (you definitely need to harass Rainbow Rowell, you just have to). From the top of my head I am thinking of the whole vampire thing in America. NowNext vampires that try to get magic, very dangerous. I don't think the Vegas vampires will solve it completely. Speaking of vampires, there are just so many things that still need to be answered? Will Baz live forever? I know Nicodemus hinted that that wouldn't be the case but still. How does the blood "sipping" work? So many questions!!

Another thing is all the new Chosen Ones. They definitely stopped the biggest threat, but that doesn't mean it's over yet. I also feel like there is something else in Smith's whole reason that needs to be explained. Plenty of problems still with that.

Another UK problem: why could Shepard see Watford? Could Simon see Watford because he IS a mage? Are the goats okay? It was hinted that they were now that Agatha is the new goatherd, but still, I worry about them. On the topic of Agatha, what were the other things she needed to take care of at Watford?

Watford clearly wasn't okay, that one chapter from headmistress Bunce's perspective confirmed as much. Will Watford be okay again? Is all the Mage's corruption gone?

Conclusion: I have too many questions and way too much feelings left for the books to be over

So I finished the third Carry On book today

I loved book one with every fiber of my being, I loved book two slightly less but that’s because book one was perfect, but. While I loved most of book three…

I absolutely hated the ending. And it’s specifically because Simon never got his magic back.

And I know that… that’s kind of the point, HOWEVER, I hate that.

I hate when magical stories have a character lose their magic. I can’t stand it. I especially can’t stand it in the context of Carry On, and of Simon, who literally had his ENTIRE LIFE AND IDENTITY shaped by the fact that he was magical- and not just magical, but THE MOST MAGICAL EVER. And, obviously, every mage in Carry On’s world (And even some of the non-mages, like Shep) have their lives and identities defined by magic- Even Agatha, who tried to reject it- but none more so than Simon Snow. So to have his story end with him missing that, with him missing what was once the ENTIRE CENTER OF HIS BEING… it just feels so utterly, fundamentally wrong to me on every level.

Now, to be clear- I’m perfectly fine with him not being Chosen One “Greatest Mage” tier powerful. It’s beautiful that he loses that power at the end of Carry On and I wouldn’t change it for the world. However… what I take issue with is this: It is stated many times throughout the series that mages don’t have non-magical children. And we know that both of Simon’s parents- Lucy and The Mage- are mages. So, by birth and blood, Simon is a mage. And through almost all of Carry On, we see him being a mage- a damn powerful, DANGEROUSLY powerful mage. He loses that at the end of Carry On, alongside losing basically all of what he understood to be his identity- He and Baz don’t hate each other anymore (Even though they never did, but Simon on some level believed they did, which still contributed greatly to this loss of identity); his father figure, The Mage, is revealed to be evil and manipulating Simon, ultimately trying to steal his magic; Simon is forced to accept that the Insidious Humdrum, his greatest enemy that he was prophesized to defeat, is actually himself and the effects of his boundless magic; and, most of all, Simon has to give up said boundless magic to stop the Humdrum. It’s perfectly tragic and perfectly poetic, and I love it, and it makes sense that all of these things would culminate in what we see in Wayward Son, where Simon effectively loses his identity.

But throughout Wayward Son, we see Simon not only still wanting to be a part of the World of Magic- in spite of his conflicted feelings due to having lost his magic- but regaining some part of the identity he lost as he’s on an adventure through America with his friends, to visit (And later save) Agatha. And it’s powerful, seeing him start to reclaim himself. Now, obviously, it isn’t a complete reclamation, and his character struggle still Carries On (Haha) into Any Way the Wind Blows, but it’s progress, and it’s empowering.

But within Any Way the Wind Blows, we see Simon continuing to struggle with his identity as the Former Chosen One- figuratively AND literally, considering the ultimate villain of the book- and having lost his magic, and most of all, feeling like he doesn’t belong in the world of magic despite wanting desperately to be a part of it. That latter part hurts me more because that’s Shepherds exact arc, as well- only, unlike Simon, Shepherd wasn’t born into the world of magic, and because of that, the argument can be (And is) made that he doesn’t belong- but that argument is continually refuted about Simon, most of all by Baz, but also by Penny. Baz and Penny and all of Simon’s friends continue to affirm that he belongs in the World of Magic, even in spite of his lost powers, and the entirety of both Wayward Son AND Any Way the Wind Blows support this, as Simon is still one of the main players in resolving each book’s conflict- and at many times (Such as when he basically shrugs off getting shot at the end of Wayward Son despite seemingly being A Normal), it’s even implied that he DOES still have magic, but it’s never stated outright and Simon never has the explicit realization. And, to be fair, Simon IS still a part of the world of magic- his boyfriend is a mage and a vampire, his best friend is a mage, his ex-girlfriend is a mage (Though are they still friends? It’s. Kind of unclear at the end. I HOPE they are, because I love Agatha and Simon’s potential friendship, but like. Agatha’s kind of a flake and I could also see her just abandoning people to become a Woods Witch), so he very much is still a part of the World of Magic- but, frankly, not anywhere near as much as he should be. He’s the Mage’s Heir, he was the greatest mage who ever lived- regardless of if he still has that power- he’s the guy who beat the bad guys and saved the world countless times, and perhaps the one that hurts most of all- He’s Lucy Salisbury’s son.

Now, I want to focus in on that last point- Lucy. Because Lucy is a character that, in my opinion, gets kind of betrayed by the narrative. Now, maybe I just read things weirdly, but… the fact that when Simon beats the Humdrum and kills The Mage, he loses ALL of his magic, feels extremely wrong, not just for him, but for Lucy. Him losing the Chosen One identity and the boundless power makes sense, and WORKS, because that was all Davy/The Mage’s ambition, and HIS goals. But having Simon permanently lose his magic implies that that’s ALL Simon’s magic was- and that’s deeply invalidating to Lucy, who was just as much a mage as Davy, and who just wanted her son to be happy. And for almost the entire story, Simon didn’t even know Lucy existed! The only character who knew Lucy existed by the end of Carry On was Agatha- which, personally, I think is a great choice, but that’s a different discussion for a later day- and it’s only at the very end of AWtWB that Simon and the others learn that Simon Snow is actually Simon Snow Salisbury, son of Lucy Salisbury. WE, the reader, knew the entire time- because we read Carry On, and we read Lucy’s narration and heard her thoughts that no one else could hear, and we know that the ghost that said “My rosebud boy” to Simon WASN’T Baz’ mother, but Simon’s, but Simon never actually realizes that. Lucy was Simon’s mother- she LOVED him, more than could be put into words, and not only did she never get to tell him that (At least, in a way he would realize), her love, and almost all of his entire connection to her, in the form of his magic, was DESTROYED, by the SAME MAN WHO KILLED HER- Not only did Davy bring about Lucy’s death, he severed what little connection she DID have to her son! Simon was ALWAYS wanted, and ALWAYS loved, and he ALWAYS belonged in the World of Magic, but Davy- The Mage- Simon’s FATHER- Destroyed that. He destroyed Simon’s connection to the World of Magic, and he destroyed Simon’s connection to his mother and his family.

Now, again, maybe I just didn’t get something. Maybe I’m just missing the point, maybe I’m just wrong and I’ll realize that later and love the ending- I am 100% open to that possibility and in fact I REALLY HOPE it comes to pass because I love these books and I hate that this ending and my feelings on it are kind of ruining it for me- but having Simon learn the truth about his mother at the end of AWtWB, and having his entire character arc be about belonging in the World of Magic, and having him NOT regain/reawaken/reWHATEVER some form of his magic with that realization about himself, with that… relieving of all of his doubts, and reaffirmation of his identity? It feels WRONG. It feels INCOMPLETE. It feels like a disservice to Simon and to Lucy. And it feels like his story isn’t complete- really, it feels like his story is only just beginning. He went from one transitional period to another. He went from feeling like he didn’t belong, to knowing that he does, and needing to learn how- but we didn’t get to see the full arc of him learning how, because we only barely got to see him realize the full truth. I TRULY hope there comes a secret surprise fourth book, because it absolutely kills my heart for this story to end the way it did. I don’t want to believe that it ends this way- I don’t know if I even CAN. (I’ll unpack that later, whether I want to or not, I’m sure.)

I love this story, and I love these characters, and I know it has to end at some point- but Nicks and Slick, do I hope this isn’t it.

Edit: Feel free to reblog this with your own thoughts if you want and start a conversation! I would love to discuss this and possibly be proven wrong.