Totally Si-ched

Title: I Don’t Want To Set The World On Fire

Set in WWII, the illustrated scene takes place on the worst night of the Second Great Fire of London. We had a very in-depth discussion on the moon phase of that night and how it would look in the sky because Historical Accuracy™️.

Thanks to @thewriterxj for help with the kablooies!

This is what “not communicating” looks like.

I’ll provide a breakdown of all the ✨artistic choices✨ I made on this…incredibly challenging, but rewarding, piece once I start posting the complete Secret Set Thing™️ (which might be done for the time being until school is over). (Thanks @krisrix and the discord homies for the hand advice! 🖤)

What IS important is that this piece had a soundtrack vibe inspiration/influence because I remembered Blur existed.

 Flipped image is found under the cut if you’re curious. And the Blur song.

baz: i love when they roll their sleeves up so you can see their forearms 

I’ve always loved this small interaction between the two and I think I understand why a bit better.

The conversation Simon and Baz have right here is one of their more mature ones. They’re reaching each other and understanding the other, something they tend to have trouble with in the books.

In this scene right here, Baz gets across to Simon what he needs and Simon goes “Okay, I get what you need right now, and I respect it and will give you space.”

They love each other so much and it shows! Simon and Baz can understand and respect and honor the other’s needs and wishes, they just sometimes have trouble communicating everything. (Which is understandable, given what they went though.)

INK-A-THON DAY 31: GENTLE

I touch him like he’s made of butterfly wings.

Note: The vampire-esque pose in this one is deliberate. I reckon you can figure out why. ❤️

And because I skipped Day 11, I decided perhaps I should choose the expected scene and present it in an unexpected way.

INK-A-THON DAY 11: STITCHED

I’d give him all that I am. I’d give him all that I was. I’d open up a vein. I’d tie our hearts together, chamber by chamber.

- Both quotes from Wayward Son by @rainbowrowell

Note: The treatment for this full color Inktober finale picture was in large part inspired by something Rainbow said about one of the songs on the Wayward Son Spotify Playlist, “Watch Me” by Labi Siffre: that it was the song for Simon and Baz at their best, “in those moments when they can actually cut through their damage and anxiety to be present for each other.” I happen to love this song. It feels like a sunny day and a starry sky all at once. I drew this while listening to it.

And that’s a wrap, folks. 31 days, 31 inks.

In the midst of pandemic and job and homeschooling and all the other stuff that threatened to kill this challenge, it miraculously came together and I just feel... really proud of this batch of illustrations. I hope you enjoyed this event as much as I did. To everyone who plowed through inktober alongside me, whatever list you chose to follow, I’m proud of you, too. And to all the cheerleaders whose comments/reblogs were the refreshment in the middle of a marathon, I’m so grateful. Without you, I would not have finished, and that’s the truth. 💙💛💙💛

Wings for an ice cold high fashion October.

Art by @parijpg​, fic by @sbazzing​

Tags: Slice of Life, Domestic Bliss, Post-Canon

Blurb: "He can’t believe anything, sometimes. Sometimes he catches himself when he’s just walking through the flat, or when Penny calls and jokingly blames ‘her idiotic husband’ for something, or when he wakes up with Baz sleeping next to him in bed, and he has to remind himself that this is real. This is his life now.“

Simon and Baz get ready together for a wedding reception.

Read ‘Nice and Easy’ on AO3!

A message from May: I’ve adored Pari’s art since the first time I saw one of her pieces, so I can’t even tell you how excited I was when we started talking about collaborating a while ago!! We both have a soft spot for domestic slice-of-life stuff (as you can probably see from our previous creations) so it was easy for us to settle on that for this collab’s theme. We toyed with a bunch of ideas, but eventually settled on this: a slice of a day wherein Simon and Baz go about their routine of getting ready together. 

The fic is very domestic and very soft, and in my opinion the artwork just perfectly captures the feeling of what we were going for–the warmth, the familiarity, the emotion. I was blown away with every WIP shot Pari sent me and am over the moon looking at this finished piece. And it was just such a blast working with her on this overall! 

“They take about a hundred portraits just sitting on the bench next to each other and smiling.”

This week was Red, White & Royal Blue‘s 1-year bookaversary! It felt only fitting to draw the courtship photobut then I might have taken it a bit too far...

Simon: Don't be so mean to the poor thing! How would you like it if I banged you against the desk??

Baz:

Simon:

Me and my sensitive ass:

Bringing you some soft boys in love to start your week. ❤️