Once, Simon Snow was just a boy—plucked from obscurity and given a place among nobles. A future as a knight. A hero. There, he met Baz, an arrogant young prince who, in a rare moment of trust, revealed himself to be something else—something more. Over the years, as political tensions surged, the two forged a bond deeper than duty. One that could ruin them both.
At twenty-five, Simon Snow isn’t a hero. He’s broken. Disillusioned. Angry. And he’s searching for something.
Sliding in at the last minute to close off Mermay with some AU fanart of Simon and Baz from @rainbowrowell's Carry On.
Okay, so this particular illustration has been a rather long time coming. I did the original sketch for it two whole years ago, and since then I've worked on it a little bit here and there. But it's finally here! A bit messy for the odd journey it took, but still, HERE!
I had originally intended for Simon's tail and fin wings to be red, but after I posted my sketches, @monbons made these absolutely adorable dolls of them and gave them to me. (I treasure them!) She opted to make Simon's tail and wings green, and it got me thinking. I was then also inspired by the colors of the majestic sockeye salmon, and ta-da! Red and green. Baz also gets a purple(ish) tail. Because I too love putting him in purple. His tail and fins were inspired by those gorgeous tropical fish with striking patterns and beautiful diaphanous-looking fins. (I'm not sure which ones. I only know Alaskan fish.)
Anyway. Here, enjoy fishy Snowbaz! They will always have a special place in my heart.
The whole gang made it out to pride this year and what better way to celebrate queer joy than with a proposal? Baz planned the entire thing, including the amazing speech he promptly forgot in the thrill of the moment. That's okay. Simon said yes before Baz could even get any words out anyway.
(Close-ups of details below the cut because I am SO proud of everything I made!)
Yes, Simon's overalls have functional buckles and a functional front pocket on the bib. Baz sports real pockets, as well as a magnet in his hand that allows him to hold the tiny ring box with the gold band. (It has a magnet at the base!)
I painstakingly hand-sewed every sequin on Shep's jacket, Niamh's got a functional sports bra under her tee and a functional rainbow belt, and I commissioned Agatha's top since mini-crochet is one of the few skills I have not picked up yet.
Happy Pride, y'all! May it be filled with friends, found family, and love.
Hellooo would you ever do commissions. I love your art!
I would love to take commissions, but currently my day job is demanding and I have a limited amount of time to dedicate to it. But I hope to eventually open up commission spots. Once I do, I'll be sure to announce it here and on instagram.
It's a day off for me today and my Batman AU is on my mind. I'm trying to finish the final chapter and give Simon some rest. It's been hard, mostly because spending a lot of time with Simon on the (metaphorical but also sometimes literal) couch is always hard for me. I feel a lot of empathy for him in these moments, and it's hard not to feel what he's feeling. But also, I want some resolution for him, you know? I want him (me) to know there's light ahead.
It's just, in order to write that, I have to believe that there's light ahead, and sometimes it's hard to live in that space. I trust there will be light. I just can't actually see it and I can't write it.
But, I have a draft. No word if it works yet, it will probably need edits, but maybe that can get posted soon.
In other news, I tore through Thirty Love by Tom Vellner and that was a true delight. Highly recommend. And now I'm watching the French Open, which is pretty great, even though I still don't 100% understand the scoring conventions. I need to spend some time on Wikipedia to figure it out.
Under the cut, some Simon thinking about Baz and also tags.
Of course, if he’s honest, in the back of his mind, Simon wonders if he might run into Baz at the Goat. It’d be cute, right? Very romantic-comedy of them. It’s about time the universe gave him some good fortune anyway.
He stops on the pavement.
He’s still alive. It’s possible the universe feels like he’s gotten his fair share of good fortune at this point.
He pulls out his mobile.
Once, Simon Snow was just a boy—plucked from obscurity and given a place among nobles. A future as a knight. A hero. There, he met Baz, an arrogant young prince who, in a rare moment of trust, revealed himself to be something else—something more. Over the years, as political tensions surged, the two forged a bond deeper than duty. One that could ruin them both.
At twenty-five, Simon Snow isn’t a hero. He’s broken. Disillusioned. Angry. And he’s searching for something.
Once, Simon Snow was just a boy—plucked from obscurity and given a place among nobles. A future as a knight. A hero. There, he met Baz, an arrogant young prince who, in a rare moment of trust, revealed himself to be something else—something more. Over the years, as political tensions surged, the two forged a bond deeper than duty. One that could ruin them both.
At twenty-five, Simon Snow isn’t a hero. He’s broken. Disillusioned. Angry. And he’s searching for something.
Hey everyone! I’m a day late, but I wanted to post, so here goes! Thanks for the Wednesday tags, @onthewaytosomewhere and @fiend-for-culture, and thanks for the Wednesday open tag, @tailsbeth-writes!
I’m finally getting less busy, which I’m very happy about. I’m halfway through reading a novel and I’ve been writing some fic, too. Right now, it’s two snowbaz pieces—one domestic one that I’ve been working on for a while, and one new silly and steamy one that I randomly thought of. I’m hoping to post both of them together and soon, so keep your eyes peeled if you’re interested.
Today’s snippet is not steamy but it is silly:
“Everyone knows that vampires don’t have hearts.” Simon raises his eyebrows at me before rummaging in his bag. Searching for his wand—which is likely abandoned at the bottom, swimming with scone crumbs and pencil shavings.
“They have hearts, you numpty, just not heartbeats.”
“And how do you know that?”
I recall all the times I’ve watched Snow in the dining hall, or in the dorm room, or sitting on the bleachers next to the pitch, every time I’ve felt fondness or love or even anger on his behalf. Conclusive proof that unfortunately, I am cursed to have a heart, just like any other woebegone teenager.
I guess we started silly and then got a lil emotional 😅
In terms of RWRB—I am so excited about the novella news!!! I can't wait to read it, but I’m also just having a great time feeling everyone’s joy and geeking out over these characters together. If anyone has ideas for the next firstprince thing I should write, feel free to chime in.
It’s not as exciting as a novella, but in other RWRB news, my first trans!Alex fic reached a hit milestone! Thank you to everyone who’s given that story a click. 💜
Hope y’all are having a great start to your weeks:
Hello friends! You might have noticed I finally crawled out of my cave and posted a chapter and then promptly warned everyone not to read it. If you braved it anyway, bless. I am extending my arms stretch-armstrong style to wrap you up in a much needed hug. Luckily you won't have to wait too long for a conclusion, I AM posting the next chapter on Sunday. And it DOES offer ... something. Based on beta feedback, I think it's a good something.
Here's the least spoilery thing I could grab from said next chapter. (Which is a reasonable 5k btw and NOT another 13k behemoth. I swear none of the remaining chapters will be that long. Absolutely ridiculous.) (In my defense the 13k beast was originally two chapters that shacked up and made a giant angst baby.)
It’s warmer here than the rest of the labyrinth, but he shudders violently as the air touches his bare skin. He pushes forward, stepping through patches of dirt and grass to reach it. [Redacted.] What he’s spent years searching for.
Years that have done nothing to prepare him. Nothing to shield the remains of his heart.
Everything hurts: his injured palm and temples throb, his empty stomach turns, and his magick screams inside him like a caged animal. It thunders through him, threatening to climb up his throat like bile, to burn through his belly like acid. When he glances at his feet, he finds the surrounding grass has already begun to curl and crumble.
All the green withers.
Summer vacation starts for me in like 10 days. In an effort to hold myself accountable for making the most of the next three months AND to will this novel into existence, I am going to start putting my process out into the world. Is it terrifying? Yes. Will it be worth it? I sure hope so.
For today's WIP update: The Tunes
I always write to music. Although I rarely share them publicly, I have a playlist for every fic I've ever written. Mostly, they are just vibes. Occasionally, I curate one that goes beat-by-beat where the lyrics actually capture whatever is meant to happen in those scenes.
For my novel, I'd been amassing songs for both my OCs for a while because it seemed a good pastime while I couldn't find any words. Then, a few weeks ago, I decided to nail down the playlist for my primary narrator: Xavier "Xavi" Bonilla. I am so glad that I did. As I picked songs and tried to create flow between them, something finally clicked and Xavi poured out onto the page. Like his playlist, Xavi is a boy with big feelings---his joy is infectious and his pain is palpable. I've loved writing him so far, and when I feel a bit braver, I'll share some with you.
In the meantime, I gift you his playlist. (Thank you to my lovely forever beta @thewholelemon for creating it in a shareable form!)
I want you to imagine Xavi blasting these songs in his car, dancing in his seat because he simply cannot contain himself.
Until next time, ¡a bailar!
I am tagging a few people I know have expressed interest in my original writing. If you'd rather not be, no hurt feelings and I can take you off the list. If this comes across your dash and you'd like to be added to the tag list, let me know and I am happy to send updates---however (ir)regular they may be.
Update #1: I finished Notting Hill 🎉 I posted four chapters back-to-back and now it's all out there for you to read! Epilogue and all!
Update #2: I'm nearly finished with my @you-remind-me-of-the-babe's Depth of Reason rebind! I finished the covers and now all I have to do are the finishing touches! But here's a sneak peek:
Update #3: THE BIG UPDATE
I alluded to some big secret potential opportunity that I was being very chill and cool about last week. Well it happened! It's happening!
I'm working with author Alexandra Rowland on their Kickstarter for their new book, Wisdom of Emperors!
More below the cut:
On Saturday morning, hours before I was even awake on the west coast, Alex had posted the handmade luxury editions of the book, and they had sold out by the time I was awake.
Crazy! Exciting! Thrilling! (Scary!)
I was only able to commit to making five of these books, because they are... very elaborate, but after they sold out, Alex asked if I thought I could make any more. After some brainstorming, I agreed to make 10 more books with some alterations.
(There are currently five of those books still available.)
And so begins... The Plan 📝
The Plan for the month of May has ONE step.
Finish reading the manuscript.
It would have (and probably should have) more steps, but I'm going to a wedding and, you may not know this about me, I make most of my own clothes. So I need clothes to wear to the wedding. And that means making them, by June. (Tomorrow, work begins on the pants.)
Anyways, that's all for now!! I will be posting some in progress things for Wisdom of Emperors, so let me know if you'd like me to tag you in those in the future! 🤍
Once, Simon Snow was just a boy—plucked from obscurity and given a place among nobles. A future as a knight. A hero. There, he met Baz, an arrogant young prince who, in a rare moment of trust, revealed himself to be something else—something more. Over the years, as political tensions surged, the two forged a bond deeper than duty. One that could ruin them both.
At twenty-five, Simon Snow isn’t a hero. He’s broken. Disillusioned. Angry. And he’s searching for something.
First, I have officially written all of Notting Hill!!!!!!!!! The lovely talented @orange-peony is really the one to thank here. Peony, I would not and could not have done this without you. Thank you 🩵
I've got some final tweaks and edits to make and then I'll be posting all the chapters back to back because I don't want to leave you hanging in the angst!
Here's a little bitty snippet from the next chapter:
It's half past five in the morning. I don't need to check. I always wake up at half past five. Yesterday, Baz told me it was my least attractive quality.
Second, I had a goal to do six binds this year and I've only done one so far. But that's okay! I also had a goal to sew every month this year and that's coming along nicely so I don't feel too bad about the other. That being said, I have a final mock up of @you-remind-me-of-the-babe's fic Depth of Reason!!
Design under the cut...
These aren't necessarily the final colors because I haven't gotten the book cloth yet buuuuut what do you think?
I also LOVE to get ahead of myself, so I'm brainstorming a cover for another fic. Can you guess which one?
Anyways, that's all for now 💚 I hope May is treating you well
Simon and Baz are celebrating that the sun is finally out by catching some rays on the beach. The level of sparkle in these tails is unreal! Their design required over 1,500 hand-sewn sequins, with an equal number of glass beads.
More details below the cut
I love Baz’s long mermaid hair, especially with the little gold beads decorating it. And Simon has his own sparkly scales on his face, arms, and torso. Is Baz wearing a puka shell necklace? Absolutely!
These boys were a joy to make, and also mark my two year anniversary as a doll maker.
It’s hard to believe how far I’ve come. My very first felt dolls were also mermaids, entirely hand stitched, and a humble gift for the talented @iamamythologicalcreature two MerMays ago.
Here’s to kicking off another year of fabulous doll making and constant improvement!
I’ve been chipping away at Questions We Don’t Ask, and feeling good about the next part being near finished.
Enjoy this phone convo between Simon and Baz:
“Not that I want you to tell her, but,’ he stops, takes a deep breath and the line goes so silent I think we’ve been disconnected. I’m about to check as he starts up again. “But I think. Fuck. Then we—”
“No.”
"I'm just saying—“”
“Well don’t,” I say sharply, angry that my brain is already trying to fill in the gaps from the unspoken words. “That’s one unfairness too far.”
”Yeah,” he says, sadness dripping from the end of the word like a tear. “I’m sorry. Still, don’t like, make it a point to tell her. That would fuck shit up pretty bad.”
