#simon snow's wings

[rosaart]

Simon's beautiful in battle: He never stops. You never see him plan his next move. He doesn't plan, he just moves.”

Wayward son @rainbowrowell

(HAPPY BIRTHDAY SIMON)

[vebokki]

number one truther of simon drools in his sleep and baz finds it terribly charming

[krisrix]

COC 12 ⁘ Wings

Pixel brushes for Procreate by Ittai Manero

True working size version (200px x 300px) under the cut.

[brilla-brilla-estrellita]

Stitchy Sunday!

As predicted, this is a day late, but I was off having a lovely cottage on the lake weekend with my friends followed by a Hobo Johnson concert. We're just going to pretend this is on time.

So thank you to @roomwithanopenfire @thewholelemon @blackberrysummerblog @tender-ministrations @artsyunderstudy

@emeryhall and @ic3-que3n for tagging me in your S-allerated Sunday posts!

As promised, today is the final outfit reveal for my Simon-inspired Ren Faire wings!

Wings closed, front and back:

Wings open, front and back:

I didn't get to make any of my other adjustments (like stronger magnets), but I did discover that the magnets are adjustable, meaning I can loosen or tighten the screws they're on to make the wings sit a little higher/lower and ensure the wings aren't tilted. I made them as tight as possible (so they sat as high as possible) and tbh I had no issues with them?? Was this the fix I needed all along?

When we arrived at the fairgrounds, I put the wings on, and as I tightened the straps the rivet popped off the left strap. I thought "Did I just do all this work to break them at the last minute and not be able to wear them?" Yet I was oddly calm, resigned to my fate. I asked Kat to see if she could jerry-rig it just in case. She slipped the disconnected top strap through the adjuster-thingy and... it worked??? We are unsure why this was so successful, but I had NO problems with it all day.

I got lots of comments, complements, and a few picture/video demonstration requests, validating my own belief that the wings are cool as shit. The LARPers were especially impressed. And becuase the fair was expanded this year, including more open space and less crowded walkways, I was even able to walk around with them open for a bit! And I didn't knock anything over inside the booths, either!

I also got my first trinkets from trinket-traders because they liked my wings!

I did not come prepared with my own trinkets as I have never been cool before, so I'm workshopping some ideas for next year, including: polished rocks (dragon horde shinies), painted bottle caps (perhaps with a dragony logo on each one?), sea glass (does require effort of going out and finding the sea glass...), scales (not sure what they'd be made of, though. 3D printed and painted? acrylic? gotta be a simpler solution...). Suggestions welcome.

Bonus: As we watached the joust, I of course started to build a Snowbaz Ren Faire AU based around the semi-scripted joust performances we have each year. I doubt I'll ever write it, but it's fun to think about!

I would like to thank Kat for being my Ladie's Maid every year and helping me get into my corset and, now, wings. Also for driving. I would also like to thank Dropout's D20: A Starstruck Odyssey and Netflix's Dead Boy Detectives for being my companions throughout this project. And of course, thank you to all of my Simon Snow friends for the enthusiasm and encouragement along the way!

Next year's upgrade: Tail!

Tagging even though it's late:

@bookish-bogwitch @onepintobean @technetiumai @martsonmars  @cutestkilla

@fatalfangirl @ileadacharmedlife @moodandmist @palimpsessed  @skeedelvee

@theimpossibledemon @shrekgogurt @cccloudsss @mooncello @monbons

@theearlgreymage @youarenevertooold @larkral @facewithoutheart @messofthejess

[plantsnpeace]

Felt like sketching Simon today. 🫶🏻 I’m pretty sure I would give anything for @rainbowrowell to write another Simon story (although I’m really excited for Slow Dance!)

[iamamythologicalcreature]

Carry On Countdown, Day 1: Creature

(Quotes from "Wayward Son" and "Any Way the Wind Blows" by @rainbowrowell)

My first ever @carryon-countdown! I immediately saw this image in my mind when I read the prompt for day 1.

[monbons]

Simon's Boudoir Photoshoot

Do you wish you could see that centerfold spread from Monsters and Minxes in real life? Wish no more...

Is that velvet? Absolutely.

Blue with a bit of sparkle just like Simon's eyes? Yes, please.

Even in B&W, Simon is a babe.

If you aren't already reading Only Creatures by @emeryhall, do it now. So, so good.

[simon-pitch]

some of the latest doodles from my scrapbook

(open for higher resolution)

[pumpkin-wants-a-cherry-scone]

Day 12: Wings

silly silly (I don't know how to draw curly hair which is partly why Simon has been missing from all of the draws thus far) (that and I've just had other ideas) but here he is!

[ivelovedhimthroughworse]

Inktober 2023

Day 26 - Remove

Dr. Wellbelove said he could remove the wings. And the tail. Whenever I'm ready. I could go back to school then, or get a job—I think I'd rather get a job. Earn something for myself. Pay my own rent.

It feels good to think about.

Wayward Son, Prologue, Rainbow Rowell.

Simon Snow's journey to accept his wings and tail as part of himself is one of my favourite themes in these books.

[otherpeoplesheartachept-2]

Happy birthday Simon Snow!!! In your honor I'm doing a lesbian reenactment of the end of Carry On by moving in to a new apartment w my girlfriend and their best friend

[drowninginships]

Wip Wednesday

Very excited that I finally made a banner! Did I do this instead of actually writing something for this post? Yes! Did I let it stop me? Absolutely not. Everyone has a banner and I wanted to fit in.

Anyway, thank you for @monbons for tagging me! You're so nice and you make my heart happy <3

So I guess I'm finally gonna share a snippet from the (currently untitled) Wing Fic. I'm writing this as a gift for my best friend @valeffelees even though I have never ever written wings in anything. But I love him, and for him, I will learn.

I'd rate this M, but I'll just put a disclaimer here, this is pretty mild but technically NSFW :)

Against my will, my eyes slip closed and my world goes dark. There's only pressure, only friction, only heat. Only Simon. Only ever Simon. When I finally manage to pry my eyes open again, hoping to see the expression on his face, my breath is stolen from my lungs. Red. Everything is red, and orange, and soft, and warm. Simon's wings have fully expanded in his passion, and as I gaze through the clouds of my lust, I can see the sunlight shining through the thin leathery membrane. Small, delicate red veins spread like a mosaic before me. I've never seen something so exquisite.

And there, that's all you're getting from me today. I hope you like it, please let me know what you think!! And I'm gonna add some no-pressure tags <3 @beastmonstertitan @valeffelees @roomwithanopenfire @mooncello @thewholelemon @youarenevertooold @raenestee @blackberrysummerblog @prettygoododds @brilla-brilla-estrellita and anyone else that wants to participate!

[benthehat]

[sailorblossoms-snowbaz]

what if baz had pulled his shit together in fifth year and launched a surprise kiss or a confession of undying love on simon? how do you think simon would have reacted? please write another gorgeous 10k on this

I have actually wondered this, but never got far because I would think "Baz would never do that" and call it a day. I mean, the guy is rolling around with Simon, worrying about whether he can convert someone with "so much saliva" because Simon would just not get his tongue out of Baz's mouth, and he's still reluctant to open up (emotionally, not his mouth, clearly that's not an issue). He's like "Perhaps I'll kiss Simon before dying, since I'm dying anyway" and he's still not kissing him! he's like "I'm going to do it... right now... totally going to do it" and it's Simon beating him to the punch. He's like someone standing in front of a pool, contemplating jumping in, but he's just not jumping until he's literally pushed.

First of all, we can't even begin to define what Simon would do without first defining what Baz is doing.

In fact, I'm considering as I think about how to answer this... Baz notes Simon is taking his cues from him after sex (he was also taking cues during sex, and actually he goes on to do so in most aspects of their relationship) but hasn't Simon always been taking cues from Baz? I think this can tie into his lack of autonomy, his lack of understanding of his feelings, and his familiarity with hostility. He understands anger. It might be the one feeling he understands the most. So when he meets Baz, he's like "this guy hates me?? well I guess I'm gonna hate him too >:c" "he's DISGUSTED by me?? well, I think he's a creep who only has two (2) emotions! >:c") (yeah, I imagine him making that face). If something changes on Baz's end, and he externalizes it and/or communicates it to Simon (as opposed to just thinking it while giving away nothing), Simon would continue to take his cues from him as well.

However, to have Baz in 5th year, or to know that it's even an option to not see him as a villain, would probably have been too much for Simon, Too confusing. Too destabilizing. If such feelings are already too much for his 18-year-old self, what chance does 15-year-old Simon, at the height of his angsty teenage dumbasery, have? (to be clear, I don't think he's a dumbass for not understanding his feelings, or that he's one in general, I think he's a dumbass for telling everyone who would listen that Baz is a vampire. Like, what did he think it was going to happen to Baz, if he was believed? Fucking nothing, because he wasn't using his brain). (Also: part of the reason it drives me insane when people don't get Simon wasn't into Agatha is that I think Simon not being in love or attracted to her is actually crucial to explain why they get together. As in, not having those feelings [among other things] is precisely why he dated her – not feeling those things made it all feel deceptively “manageable,” even if that created other problems. His feelings for Baz are too much for him, too intense and overwhelming, hence why he's regularly losing his shit around him [unable to leave him alone] even before he identifies them.)

On the other hand... does Simon actually grow, mentally and emotionally, between 5th and 8th year? Or does he stall in a particular place until he's forced out of it, kicking and screaming, his growth only made possible once he "gets off the map" with the events of CO? I wonder this because, well. Maybe the reaction of 15-year-old Simon wouldn't be too different from how he reacts at 18. When we meet him, he's still on the same type of “delusional bullshit” he would have been at the ages he was in some of the memories he shares. He's still clinging on to the thoughts and feelings of his 11-year-old self when he should know better. Maybe it's just not possible for him to grow at all, while he still lives under the structure that allows him to not process things and to just do what he's told, until he's pretty much forced out of the structure.

And this takes us back to Baz. A confession from him would certainly murder Simon's structure. But how does Baz say it? how does he show himself? Is he vulnerable? Is he in pain? Is he letting Simon in? I mean, when Simon catches him in the catacombs, Baz gets on the offensive. He's confrontational, he's not being "clear enough" in what he's communicating to Simon, so Simon doesn't know how to react. And when Simon is lost, he defaults to the familiarity of anger. But had Baz been clear in "I'm thinking of my mom and feeling like a monster and sad and suicidal" Simon would have completely changed his tune. In some ways, it does get to some part of Simon that Baz is sad in very concerning ways, even if he doesn't get anything else, which is why he's unable to go back to the catacombs. It's why he keeps hearing that song...

Those very same elements appear again in the forest scene, and how does Simon respond? He kisses him. And when Simon kisses him, it's impossible not to realize he wants him. When he's touching him before this, it's impossible to not keep looking for way to touch him again...

I think, if Baz is ever telling him for the first time, it's a very painful and vulnerable thing. That's exactly what it is, in canon. Simon is breaking up with him and Baz, heartbroken and feeling like it doesn't matter, says "I love you." He adds something that's absolutely devastating for Simon ("I'm the first thing you ever gave up on") and leaves. If Baz is saying it in 5th year, I can perhaps picture it like that. I can't picture a Baz who is "pulling it together and giving Simon a love confession" because that's a different person and it makes the question pointless – under no circumstances is Baz pulling his shit together to just say it, he fears too much, he's too committed to "protect himself," even at his own expense. And again, Simon, who exists without processing, responds to what he picks up from him (or what he thinks he's picking up from him). We know how Simon responds to Baz letting his wall down and showing his pain and vulnerability. He kisses him. He shows up at his door, asking to be taken back, practically on his knees. I don't think 5th-year Baz would ever say it, but if he does, it's going to be a very painful thing that would leave Simon no choice but to feel. It would absolutely devastate him. Simon's exact reaction depends heavily on what's happening, but in general: he would be confused. It would likely affect his magic. He's never able to leave Baz's alone, I think he would be even less capable of leaving Baz's alone here. Like his reaction in awtwb, it might take some hours, maybe a whole day or two, and some conversations with other people for him to even get to a true reaction.

The more I think about it, the more I think "how would Simon react" isn't the right question, but how would you sustain this situation. I mean, the immediate reaction is probably just that pikachu reaction image (:O) but get him alone with Baz, and tell him he has permission to see him as anything other than an enemy, and Simon is already trying to touch him (and even before, he was trying to touch him via fighting). He goes from bumping him, to putting his hand on his shoulder, to firmly touching his back, to grabbing his hands in like... a single day. He escalates very fast. "He was just giving him magic in some of those" I mean, that just makes it gayer. Penny establishes the importance of magical compatibility between lovers and that Simon isn't a touchy person, yet here we are.

This is probably going to be a separate post, but as much as Baz is the one who figures out his feelings first, it's Simon who's climbing Baz like a tree lighting fast with practically nothing. He figures he wants Baz as he kisses him. He asks him to be his boyfriend before figuring out his feelings for Baz. He's saying he wants to and likes being boyfriends so much better than fighting, that he doesn't want to be enemies or on opposing sides at all while believing the war is still going on. I don't think Simon would respond negatively to Baz opening up to him because he literally never does. He responds negatively when Baz does the opposite as he's pulling out his thorny defenses and pushing Simon away. I don't think it would have taken long for Simon to be all over Baz (in a gay way, not in a confrontationally gay way, as he used to be during those years). I think Simon would be confused as fuck, as this would push him to ask questions about himself he wouldn't be ready for, but he's still engaging in a kissing session that lasts an entire night after thinking "I don't understand shit" isn't he? He's not ever doing that "but Baz is a villain, what if this is plot" bit when Baz is actually being vulnerable, as he would have to be to confess. I discard Simon going "Is he plotting??" about a confession, because the manner in which Baz would confess wouldn't leave room for that.

It's also important to consider whether Simon is already in a relationship with Agatha when Baz "confesses." If he is, that complicates it because even when Simon is feeling (even if he's not identifying such feelings) that he wants to break up, he doesn't want to be the one who does it. If he isn't dating her, the expectation that he should would weigh on him as well. (Worth mentioning that Simon faces dating Agatha like it's a job he has to do, and at some point it feels like a routine – you can tell in the way he forgets he's no longer dating her and immediately goes, "anyway" after remembering... one of those instances is when he's kissing Baz and he has a second where he feels bad for Agatha before remembering they're not dating anymore. Which tells you that dating her wouldn't have stoped him from kissing Baz, even if he feels bad about it). Regardless, Simon would choose Baz, because he always does (if you're thinking about Simon not going to the numpties with Baz because he just discovered he's the humdrum, I wouldn't count it. It's like in awtwb when Baz discovers the Phippa thing and literally tells a Simon who's in shambles after Smith fails to restore his magic "I'm sorry love, I know your problem is important but I'm literally incapable of focussing on anything else until I fix this" – it's the exact same thing Simon is feeling towards the end of CO). When Simon feels like he's going to lose him, he's pushed to act (WS being the exception partly because Simon feels like a burden and like Baz is with him not because he still wants him but out of duty, which changes everything). But to have them figure this out at this point would be too difficult. Too painful. (Not that not figuring it out isn’t terribly painful anyway – there’s no escaping pain here)

The thing isn't really Simon's reaction – all things considered, that might be easier to put together than what would come after, given all the external factors. The thing is the mage (and not even war, as we have established that the war doesn't stop Simon from telling Baz they don't have to fight, he just wants to be boyfriends) and perhaps Simon worrying about fulfilling expectations in ways that suffocate him, in ways he doesn't know how to fight off because he's not used to making decisions by and for himself outside of combat and survival, and you definitely don't want the cocktail of emotions this would cause when he's in possession of his crazy magic. He does figure out how to fight this, but I think Baz is right when he says they figured it out at the right time – crucially, the strongest forces that would keep them separated are gone shortly after they get together. The thing is a million things, externally and emotionally, that would come into play if they go off script. And the mage is just too alive here, as opposed to fucking dead, which is both how we want and need him to be for Simon to have a better chance at making any type of choice in his life, heal and move on. He has too much control over Simon's life. But this is about reaction, not what happens after – at that point we might as well write fanfiction (I'm kinda already are with this post, anyway)

[brilla-brilla-estrellita]

Wing Update/Wipsday/Wingsday?

Thank you to @mooncello @monbons @thewholelemon @roomwithanopenfire and @theimpossibledemon for tagging me today! This is more like a "WIP is complete" celebratory post because nothing is actually in progress anymore now that SSCoNE 2024 is over! I debuted my wings at our tea party at The Bookworm!

Overall, it went well and I still love them, but boy do I have a new appreciation for poor Simon. Even with them closed, I spent so much time walking sideways to not run into the bookshelves or people, and they open and close themselves if I lean too far one way or if the wind blows strong enough (which, as it turns out, is not particularly strong). People could only sit so close to me without the wings getting in the way. If I could operate them like an appendage, maybe it would take away a little bit of the struggle that manual operation causes, but there's really no way to get around the fact that I'm just wider than I'm used to, and in the back where I can't even see it!

I seem to have only taken one picture with them closed, and I’m behind a car picture frame (done by the amazing @technetiumai), so oops on that. But it’s a cute picture!

Future Improvements Wishlist:

Holding open position: The wings are held open by a magnet that attaches to a screw. I want to see if I can find a stronger magnet to keep them from closing on their own.

Holding closed position: I'm not sure what to do about them opening when I lean, though. There's nothing really holding them closed the way the magnet holds them open.

Easy-open mechanism: I would love to be able to open them a little more smoothly. As it is, I struggle a bit to push on the bottom joints at the same time with enough strength to open them both. If I stretch my arms first, it goes a little better, but it's just kind of an awkward angle. I've seen other wings that have strings you pull to open them, but because of how these are structured, that won't work, and I'm not sure what kind of mechanism would work.

A better way to keep the spikes on top and bottom fleshed out and not looking flat/empty. I used little pieces of the same garden wire that I put inside the finger channels, but nothing is really keeping them in position, so they fall out after a little while. Maybe I can just sew a little patch of fabric underneath them so that they're sitting in a little closed pocket?

Before that, I will be making a completely new cover to go with my ren faire outfit! I have about one month to get this done, and I refuse to dye fabric this time around.

Tags below the cut!

@shrekgogurt @onepintobean @bookish-bogwitch @martsonmars @artsyunderstudy @facewithoutheart @cutestkilla @emeryhall @fatalfangirl @ic3-que3n @ileadacharmedlife @moodandmist @palimpsessed @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @skeedelvee and... Rainbow???? @rainbowrowell I just want to show off my wings 🙈

[ebbpettier]

He's your nemesis. It was kismet.