Blue Paladin

Am very excited, because this was my first image colored in Procreate! Looking forward to playing with this tool a lot more (because boy do I still have a lot to learn). That said…

Baz pulls off the road suddenly and hits the brakes, fishtailing halfway into a ditch, then gets out of the car like he’s just parallel-parked it, and walks towards the trees.

When my six year old saw me drawing this, he said “If Simon loves Baz, why is he pointing a sword at him?” I had to laugh. (I set him straight of course and told him Simon was a little confused. 😂)

Anyway, this canon pic was to celebrate the end of #CarryOnReading today. ❤️ I had so much fun rereading the book, and naturally, it spawned more art! For those who are curious, these Catacombs were inspired in part by the ones in Paris and the Camden Catacombs in England. So many bones.... 💀

“Show some respect, Snow,” he said sharply, then slumped and leaned back again. “What do you want from me?”

At last! Another installment of “Cant Find My Way Home,” the Snowbaz podfic of @carryonsimoncarryonbaz‘s fanfic of the same name! This is an ongoing birthday gift for CSCB, featuring the voice talents of the incomparable @krisrix as “Baz” and myself as “Simon.”

Chapter 3 features the return of cast members, @penpanoply as “Ebb” and her husband (Mr. Penpanoply) as “Nico”! (This is inarguably the funniest of the chapters we’ve recorded so far, so be sure to listen to the end!) 😄

Download/listen to the radio play using the links below:

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

WAYWARD SON SPOILER WARNING.

“I don’t know if he’ll hear me over everything.” - Simon, Chapter 41, Wayward Son by @rainbowrowell

I’m so pleased to finally share this 4-spread sequential artwork inspired by Chapter 41 of Wayward Son. I kept words as sparse as possible to ensure I’m not infringing on the book’s copyright, but the words featured here were handlettered by the talented and generous @penpanoply. Thank you so much for lending your skills to this project, Jeska.

About the art:

I started sketching this scene almost immediately upon finishing the book, as the poetry of it had completely blown me away. In particular, I was moved by the subtext at work in this scene—that Simon and Baz’s relationship in WS on the whole had the same qualities as riding precariously in the back of a truck on a rough road, leaving them struggling to be heard over the noise, struggling to touch one another in a way that actually conveys what they intend. The ride is too rough, and the wind, too loud.

And yet, they find a way to embrace each other through it. The ride is such an effective metaphor for what it’s like to love someone through trauma, depression, and anxiety: the loss of what was once easy and natural between you and the one you love, in exchange for turbulence that requires so much more effort and care to navigate. It knocked the wind out of me to read it.

For the art, I’ve tried to hit milestones you’ll recognize. I’ve kept everything monochrome but the rear tail lights, which are in a bright fire-engine red, to underscore the anxiety that they’re muscling through in this scene. In the absence of narration, I’ve tried also to make their faces as true to the original as it’s within my skill to do, leaving some ambiguity in some of their expressions so that you can’t quite tell if they’re feeling pleasure or pain.

So, apparently, my Christmas plans are sobbing and bawling and losing my mind because the artists in this fandom are insanely talented. 

Holy crap. I can't stop crying as I see this piece over and over and over, and feel the beauty of this art wash over me and drown me and consume me. I'm floored. I haven't seen any chapter 41 art more beautiful than this.

The colours you've used, the night sky, everything, it's all so hauntingly beautiful. The way Simon looks at Baz in the first spread, it just feels like a blow. There are stars everywhere, it's breathtakingly gorgeous but Simon only has eyes for Baz. And Baz, he looks so pretty. His eyes are shining, there's that smile on his face and it just makes my heart flip so I can only imagine what Simon must be feeling!

In the second spread, when Simon rolls over Baz and the way Baz closes his eyes and that expression. I started crying there. That's the point where I just couldn't keep it in me. Baz's expression broke my heart into pieces. You've done a splendid job at that. It can be interpreted as both pleasure or pain but when I remember Baz's thoughts, I think it's more pained and well, I'm crying again ok.

“I touch Simon Snow like he’s made of glass.” And “I touch him like he’s made of butterfly wings.” I'm truly astounded by how you've shown that. I can see that Baz is holding on to Simon but not tightly. He's holding him but he's afraid to cross any lines. He's holding back and I can see it in your art and holy crap it blows me away.

““Can I?”

Can you what, Simon? Kiss me? Kill me? Break my heart?

“You don't have to ask.””

I'm so glad you used this part. You don't have to ask. It's such a powerful line to say, especially after what Baz thinks. Kiss him, kill him, break his heart, Simon has the permission to do it all. It truly shows the extents Baz is willing to go through. He's madly in love and this line shows that. I'm no good at explaining this and I know I have done an awful job here too but ungh I'm so glad you used that line.

And I love the last panel. I'm grossly sobbing, I can admit to that unashamedly. Baz and Simon on a bumpy road, clinging to each to get through the rough path of trauma and pain. There's darkness everywhere, there are mountains to cross, but their future is bright like the stars shining in the sky. They are heading towards that.

I'd also like to applaud your hard work. You've been working on this since the end of September, almost 3 whole months and that's a whole bloody lot. I'm- I think we all are- so grateful to have you here in this fandom. The hardwork and pain and love you put into this art is clear as the day. It's a masterpiece 💖

WAYWARD SON SPOILER WARNING.

“I don’t know if he’ll hear me over everything.” - Simon, Chapter 41, Wayward Son by @rainbowrowell

I’m so pleased to finally share this 4-spread sequential artwork inspired by Chapter 41 of Wayward Son. I kept words as sparse as possible to ensure I’m not infringing on the book’s copyright, but the words featured here were handlettered by the talented and generous @penpanoply. Thank you so much for lending your skills to this project, Jeska.

About the art:

I started sketching this scene almost immediately upon finishing the book, as the poetry of it had completely blown me away. In particular, I was moved by the subtext at work in this scene—that Simon and Baz’s relationship in WS on the whole had the same qualities as riding precariously in the back of a truck on a rough road, leaving them struggling to be heard over the noise, struggling to touch one another in a way that actually conveys what they intend. The ride is too rough, and the wind, too loud.

And yet, they find a way to embrace each other through it. The ride is such an effective metaphor for what it’s like to love someone through trauma, depression, and anxiety: the loss of what was once easy and natural between you and the one you love, in exchange for turbulence that requires so much more effort and care to navigate. It knocked the wind out of me to read it.

For the art, I’ve tried to hit milestones you’ll recognize. I’ve kept everything monochrome but the rear tail lights, which are in a bright fire-engine red, to underscore the anxiety that they’re muscling through in this scene. In the absence of narration, I’ve tried also to make their faces as true to the original as it’s within my skill to do, leaving some ambiguity in some of their expressions so that you can’t quite tell if they’re feeling pleasure or pain.

It surpassed my expectations. I’m not sure my brain has the capacity to cultivate the appropriate words right now but I also know I can’t rest tonight without commenting on this masterpiece. It deserves it. It deserves more than I can articulate in my current state but I’ll try.

This chapter in the book hit me so hard. The lyricism of the words. The poetry of their inner thoughts, particularly Simon’s. The desperate longing in Baz, in Simon. It has so much pain, love, yearning, tenderness, and a desperation to connect. It’s achingly beautiful, with language that is so deeply evocative that it resulted in cinematic detail in my head as I read it.

This art captures EVERY detail. Every nuance of emotion, expression, tentative reaching out, apprehension, deep and profound love, the aching loss of what they had, could still have. I’m in tears.

The choice to use a very muted, near monochrome palette is inspired. It evokes the darkness of the night but it also serves to highlight the faces and expressions.

The first panel starts out with the stars—the very thing Simon mentioned when he asked Baz to join him in the back of the truck—the stars that are such an integral part of their initial connection, that are so symbolic for their first deep communion. The companionable closeness here, shoulder to shoulder, sharing the beauty of the sky above. The next image gives us Simon’s smile, his arm curled around Baz and such a devastatingly soft expression on Baz’s face, the gratitude for this small moment of closeness so evident. Simon’s gaze shifting to Baz, to the proximity of him. You can see Simon’s expression shift from the smile to a far more serious, intent, focused look. Intentional. When their eyes meet—there is such an intensity in that wordless exchange—wistfulness, uncertainty, longing. The next image is Simon hovering over Baz, wings outstretched. It’s a powerful image, the flaring of the wings, of a decision being made. But then in the very next image we see Simon drop his head to rest it against Baz—it’s very much the “No. Don’t think about the last time. Don’t think it might be now. Don’t think.” moment.

And Baz. You can really see how they are aged up in this sequence, particularly in Baz’s face here. The weight of everything they’ve been through clearly evident. And his longing, resignation, yearning, pain. The turmoil is so very clear in him as his eyes close. So torn. He almost looks near tears. He’ll take what Simon gives him. Anything Simon gives him. He’s grateful for any bit of closeness.

And then the heart wrenching “Can I?” (so beautifully lettered here) the emotional distance between them necessitating such language now, when before such intimacy didn’t require such tentativeness. When a desperate kiss in a forest just happened, without words. The earnestness of Baz’s expression when he responds “you don’t need to ask”—earnest but also melancholy. It’s another manifestation of their distance, that those words have to be said, that they have so drifted away from that easy intimacy they had in the Carry On epilogue.

The tenderness in Simon’s face just before he kisses Baz broke me. It’s such a wordless expression of love, reverence. The kiss, eyes closed, letting their mouths and hands and skin on skin try to bridge the gap their words can’t. And then the way Simon’s wings encircle them, curve around to form a cocoon, placing them in their own space away from it all—a place where it’s just the two of them, the rest of it all—the noise, the confusion, the static, held at bay for a few brief moments.

The imagery in this scene is one of hope, despite the dark night scene. We get a birds eye view of the two of them, wrapped around each other physically, emotionally, mentally. They are each other’s entire world in this moment. The road ahead is long. It winds. It narrows. It threads it’s way through darkness. It is shadowed by mountains, choked by tight passages, empty and desolate. But it’s a road they are on together. A road that stretches out to the unknown but is bathed in the light of the stars, the faint light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. They are moving forward. The headlights shine into the night ahead. The tail lights are the only spot of color in this composition—those two red lights, metaphorically to me representing their two hearts, shining out through the darkness in unison, despite the space between them.

I bet they get lost with out help

some random idea i got on train yesterday

yes its omegaverse AU

TW: bulllying

my home is BLUE earth.( klance )

And the following song was why SS501 became my first love.

My first KIdols crush was Kim Hyun-Joong

That was then now he looks like below

You have seen him in Boys Over Flowers, Playful Kiss but he has just snatched & whipped me with his comeback featuring Jay Park (years ago) and I wasn’t ready. @yemme what do you think of this song, still trying to process it. With what he went through I’ve never seen this video until now (and I call myself a fan)

and I need to make this post about it.

“Lance will end up with someone he needs rather than wants”

He clearly doesn’t WANT Keith but he does go to Keith when he’s uncertain about himself or needs reassurance: 

Keith reassures him of course: 

And he leaves feeling reassured and confident about himself:

And sometimes Keith goes to him:

And reassures him once again:

And he leaves feeling sure of himself and confident again:

“Lance will end up at the opposite of where he started”

Do I even need to explain this one?

He starts off hating and arguing with Keith, who he treats as his rival: 

But eventually learns to respect and care for Keith as his leader and friend:

It was also mentioned by one of the producers of Voltron that the relationship between Keith and Lance is probably the one that develops the most out of any other in the show.

“Lance will end up with someone who is self assured and knows herself so that he can become that same person and know himself too”

I’m aware that Allura is self assured and knows herself but I definitely don’t think that she makes Lance sure of himself in any way, shape or form. In fact he often feels unsure of himself and insecure when he thinks about Allura:

He doesn’t feel good enough for her:

“And I can’t tell her how I feel. She wouldn’t take me seriously anyway. I don’t have anything to offer. I’m just a boy from Cuba not a space prince like Lotor”

Heck even when he wants to ask her out he’s unsure:

“Maybe this just isn’t the right time”

Even on their date this is the face he makes?:

But Lance literally becomes the paladin of the red lion, Keith’s lion and becomes Keith’s right hand man:

“And we’re gonna do it with the Lance that’s the paladin of the RED lion…”

AND we get an actual quote from Keith where he says:

“I don’t care where I come from, I KNOW WHO I AM.”

when he unlocks his marmora sword

“so that he can become that same person…”:

“…and know himself too”:

“…and the Lance WHO KNOWS EXACTLY WHO HE IS and what he’s got to offer”

“Lance will be someone’s first choice”

The mice tell Allura that Lance has feelings for her:

Two episodes later she kisses Lotor:

“Lance will be someone’s first choice”

Keith chooses Lance to live and Lance chooses Keith:

Keith sees Lance first when Shiro tells him that he needs to see the paladins in order to get to them:

He chooses Lance out of everyone to lead when he’s leaving:

“Lance, lead the way, keep the team together”

He calls out to Lance first when he’s in trouble:

“Lance’s endgame will be a slow burn”

Now I know that Allurance may have been a slow burn to an extent but typically a slow burn involves a romance that is slowly built up for both individuals. While Lance’s feelings for Allura was shown throughout the series, her feelings toward him were only ever made clear within the space of maybe 3 or 4 episodes. Their relationship only ever had a beginning and an end, there wasn’t really any in between. Plus to add onto that Lance never really developed his feelings for Allura, which is what typically happens in slow burn romances, he always liked her from the minute she fell into his arms, those feelings weren’t something he had to slowly become aware of or accept they were just there.

Unlike:

Starting out as rivals:

Having a bonding moment that shows that they don’t entirely hate each other and that they can work together:

But still having their ups and downs and being put into uncomfortable situations where they’re forced to work together:

but then their relationship gets a little deeper and they have to support one another even if it makes them feel uncomfortable or makes them sacrifice something so that the other is happy:

and then there’s a tear in their developing relationship:

aka Keith leaves and Lance is lonely even though he may not know why:

“yeah who am I gonna make fun of?”

But then they’re reunited:

But there’s still some tension and old hurt there:

“Keith. You ran away. Maybe you should have just stayed away.”

Lance is clearly hurt by Keith’s absence and doesn’t want it to happen again:

“Wait. Where are you going?”

But they still work well together because they’re in sync and a pretty good team:

And then they talk to each other again and share moments together when things are quiet:

and are slowly helping each other heal together:

and they recall old times and their journey continues:

Klance is so slow burn that 8 seasons of Voltron plus time skips weren’t even enough to show their entire build up and relationship growth. This isn’t how their story ends, its still developing. They end up together in the future but their entire story is like a million word slow burn fanfic.

Me: *confused panic*