#baz rants

[siriuslygay1981]

Always the artist, never the muse.

I love making art believe me. It has been a part of me since I could pick up a pencil. I like to capture the things I see, to show everyone how I see it and its beauty. Most of all, I really loved to draw people I adored, people who were a part of my soul. But at some point, after countless hours of drawing these people, spread out beautifully and in their element and then seeing others do the same online, speaking of their muse and just thinking of your own process you wish to be the muse. Even for a moment, for a single drawing...a doodle even. Doesn't have to be perfect, doesn't even have to be good...just has to be.

I have had countless artist friends, one IRL who has been my muse before. I had a s/o who did art sometimes who was and still is one of my biggest muses. I've drawn my sister a few times, she's an artist herself, I've drawn my mom who used to draw, I have never even been given art. I have given away art though, to friends and family. Never appreciated even when I'd spent hours on it.

Except a throw away drawing my baby sister did, she claimed she made it for me but I had caught her in the lie. she had drew stick figures and just added black hair so it could be me. I still have it tucked away in my box of mementos. Even though it wasn't meant for me at first...at least someone gave me something like that. She has been the only one. I don't expect to be drawn, I don't even ask it but maybe...for once I could be beautiful enough to want to capture. To someone I'll be beautiful enough to want to immortalize on a paper , in a drawing, something someone spent longer than a second on.

Maybe to someone I'm worth putting in effort, maybe to someone they think I'd be a beautiful piece of art.

[felt-squirrels]

Sometimes I feel sad but then I remember the sheer hilarity of the Carry On series and how Simon ended up falling in love with the person he hated most.

[thethirdfrogbrother]

A Short Simon Snow Character Analysis:

"Simon needed time. He needed care. He still startled at bright lights and sudden noises. And prolonged eye contact. He'd get jumpy when we were alone together." (Any Way The Wind Blows pg 85)

"On the worst days, on the even worse nights, I used to think about all the bad things that have happened to Simon– just the ones I know about. And then I'd wonder about all the terrible things that have happened to him that I DON'T know about. Twenty years of bad things. How long would it take for those painful memories to die back?" (Any Way The Wind Blows pg 86)

Simon is genuinely one of the saddest chosen ones I've ever read about, and I feel like its ignored by the fandom a lot. Like the book series is always portrayed as funny and light hearted and it is sometimes but at the root it's sad and heart wrenching. However, it's also really creative and has a tone of parallels and connections and like the whole concept of the chosen one fulfilling his purpose and no longer being needed anymore isn't used often. A lot of the times the Chosen one's issues aren't even addressed at ALL its just "Oh he went through a lot as a child but the bad guy is dead now and he got the girl (or guy) so it's fine, he's happy"

Simon was used by everyone his whole life. The Mage, the rest if the world of mages, even Penny and Agatha a bit too, (which Penny realizes and admits in AWTWB). Simon was left as a child at an orphanage where we really don't know much about his life, because he doesn't know much either. In Wayward Son, Simon talks to his therapist about not remembering a lot before he was 11 and she says the brain blocks out things that have traumatized or hurt us in the past. When Simon is 11 and comes to Watford, he speaks so little the teachers have to give him private lessons, and when that doesn't work he gets a speech therapist. A few other details a are given as well such as how Simon jumped from orphanages and Foster homes. All these allow us to infer that he didn't have a good childhood, and stuff probably happened to him.

The Mage becomes Simon's only father figure, and even then Simon says he never felt like a father. The Mage treated Simon like a weapon, and even lied to him about being his father. The Mage could have made things much easier for himself by raising Simon, but he chose to just leave him till he was 11 because he didn't feel like raising his own kid. "Maybe it's part of what the Mage did to me. He said he got me wrong, that I was a cracked vessel. I can't hold on to anything good." (AWTWB pg 65) the Mage only payed attention to Simon when it benefited him. Simon was an object to him, and if you remember in Carry On, it was obvious to literally everyone but Simon, who didn't want to believe he was being manipulated. It turned him into a killing machine.

Often times I feel as if the fandom portrays Simon as some talkative goofball, but that's completely ignoring his character. Simon says in Carry On that he doesn't think because in the end he just does what people tell him too. But that's not true. He does think, all the time, he just pushes away the stuff he doesn't want to think about, thinking about other things to muffle out these unwanted thoughts. Baz also says in Carry On that most conversations with Simon are just Simon shrugging. We feel as though Simon talks a lot because when it's his POV he's always rambling, but this is because Simon has a strong inner monolouge.

Simon had no adult figures in his life to lean on. Every character had someone, despite their maybe complex relationships. Baz has Fiona, and the two are close despite the tension and arguing. Penny has her mom and dad, despite their differences, they all love each other a ton. And Agatha has her parents, who do care about her. Simon never has a firm foundation. Not the Mage, Penny's mom barley likes him, Agatha's family only treats him well because he's the chosen one and dating Agatha, and Baz's family straight up despises him. Everyone else also has friends to lean on too, once you get later into the series. Agatha has a Ginger and even Penny, Penny has Baz and Shepard, Baz has Dev and Niall whom he chooses to sort of ghost, but also Penny. And they all have Simon. But I couldn't help but notice that whenever Simon tried to communicate, he was shut down.

Simon is bad at communicating. They all address this multiple times. But it's the fact that his friends don't even have faith that he'll survive. Multiple times from all POVS it talks about how everyone expected Simon to die, and they're all talking about how they would feel and how it affects them knowing that, but no one ever asked Simon. And Simon is aware of this too, but he just once again ignores it. No one wants a hero who's scared to die for his cause. Simon is shit at communication, but he has his own ways of showing that at least something IS wrong, that Penny and Baz have learned how to read, yet ignore when it's not convenient. Baz and Penny take Simon on a trip out to America, but it wasn't about Simon. Penny had ulterior motives, to see Micah and Agatha. Then the whole situation happened there, and though obviously Baz had nothing going on with Lamb, it clearly made Simon insecure and upset. But Baz just gets annoyed at him for it instead of trying to figure out the root of the issue.

A scene that always irked me in WS is the one where Simon comes back with his hair cut, after months of neglecting it because of his depression. And Baz says nothing, because he's too busy feeling sorry for himself. This may have seemed like a small thing but Simon literally couldn't leave the couch, for almost a year. His self hatred and issues were so bad he couldn't get up. So he finally makes this step, cutting his hair, trying to get better...and Baz basically ignores it.

Another thing is the end if WS when they're on the beach. Simon is trying to say how he feels, in his own way. That he isn't good enough for Baz, Baz should find someone else. And Baz just shuts him down, like he always does. Like he always does when Simon tries to communicate his feelings about being the chosen one, and what happened with the Mage. Then they get back to England, and Baz just acts like nothing happened. Simon shouldn't have ignored all his texts, and shouldn't have moved out leaving just a note, but he doesn't know how to communicate. No one taught him how to do this, all he knows is he needs to figure his shit out and no one currently in that situation, was really helping him.

I see a lot of people hating on AWTWB because Simon and Baz break up, because their relationship is admittedly toxic, and then get together the next day. But I think it makes perfect sense. They both love each other so so much, and they have an unhealthy attachment. Often with toxic relationships, especially when we love each other and want them to work out, we keep coming back in hopes of fixing things. Both boys have severe abandonment issues, and they don't want to loose each other.

I also see people hating on WS and AWTWB because Baz and Simon aren't all happy. Like legit, that is why I see those books getting the most hate. But it makes sense. People's pasts have an effect on them and how they behave. Simon killed the only father figure really he'd ever had. And he still doesn't understand the extent of abuse said man put him through. Simon doesn't know how to put himself first. Like when they're fighting the vampire's in WS, and simon is on the brink of death, he STILL stands up because that's what people have expected him to do all his life. Baz wants everything to be okay and happy and ignore their issues, because that's what they've done his whole life in his family, ignoring problems like him being a vampire. And what Simon desperately needs is to approach his, but he doesn't know how deep his issues run, except that he's a broken, fucked up, mess. He has ptsd, depression, and anxiety, and doesn't know how to help himself.

Overall, Simon's character holds a complexity that often times I see ignored. The story is romantic, and cute. I love Snowbaz as much as the next person. But you can't fully appreciate the story until you actually understand the depth of the characters, especially starting with Simon Snow.

Thank you, have a nice day <3

[sailorblossoms-snowbaz]

Simon doesn't really hate Baz (fighting and safety)

Just like Baz never truly hated Simon... (Simon starts to get it when he says something like "he hated me but didn't really hate me... didn't only hate me") Simon doesn't really hate Baz either. (It might seem obvious, but I have been surprised at the insane level of hostility some people seem to perceive Simon had for Baz – I never got that from CO, not even on that first casual read. The point is that it never got too far – the anathema scenes, including Simon reminding Baz for Baz's sake, being also proof of that– except very notably the tape recorder and vampire outing incidents, which were the result of them being dumbass teens who didn't think it was possible to truly hurt the other – both seeing some form of invincibility on the other... and this shit is key. Baz never pushing Simon harder than he could push back goes both ways – not literally for Simon, as he's aware he can't do much to Baz with punches, but you get the point.)

In the beginning, it’s more childish beef (what with them being literal children) and annoyance than true hate, and then he’s just reacting to what he perceives as Baz hating him (Simon has always been taking his cues from Baz). He's reacting to Baz “looking at him with disgust” – which he hates when he perceives it as actual hostility, but we know he’s actually into Baz being a little mean (once he knows he doesn’t truly hate him), and Baz fighting and being fierce.

In the same vein, Baz and Simon both match in being mean and rude because they want the other (but don’t/can't "have them") and they’re frankly socialized to be angry and antagonistic. They're lashing out because they're unhappy, because they want to reach the other and don't know how to do it outside of their assigned roles... because it's safe. It's safe to be angry with Simon, to lash out at him when he's feeling jealousy and heartbreak. Simon is invincible! He might as well be pushed and kicked in the knees, just a little bit. After all, Baz "can't hurt him."

And yeah, Simon goes "I'm gonna kill Baz so he isn't an option" – he's unsettled beyond his comprehension, and what else would he say? "I'm gonna kill Agatha?" the female friend he can easily hurt? He's not a demented creep – he's not going to lash out at her like that, even though he is angry with her, and he does lose his mind when he figures she is "serious" about Baz (and immediately regrets it... it's an accident, but it shows it’s not safe for Simon to have big emotions around people who aren't Baz! he can easily hurt Agatha!... which also tells you very obviously that he never loved her romantically nor experienced attraction for her. It wouldn't have been safe, and the point of their relationship was that it was, in many ways, safety... in no small part because he didn't feel). The things upsetting him about Agatha breaking up with him are numerous but have nothing to do with Agatha herself – it's Baz who he doesn't want to see with someone else, as his romantic jealousy is only about him (including making a jealous scene at Baz about holding hands with Agatha – not hearing him practically confessing he's a vampire because "did you have to hold her hands?" but just dismissing the whole subject with Agatha) (I always wonder "doesn't Simon literally think anybody but him about Agatha going after Baz" but I never check).

Lashing out at Baz like that, however, is safe, because for Simon, Baz, who is strong and capable and smart and ruthless, is also invincible, even if he doesn't think about it like that. And when he isn't, Simon is willingly walking into his traps not just to see what he's up to, but to make sure he's safe. I killed the chimera for you, he says (because I love you) (protection/taking care of Baz as a love language) (with or without realizing, Simon is saying "I was already in love with you in 5th year, when I killed that chimera for you"). Again, the idea of invincibility, of not believing it possible for the other to truly be hurt is key here. Anger is the one big emotion Simon is familiar with, and Baz is the one person who's safe to get emotional with... "I'll kill him," he says, because he is angry at both him and Agatha (because he’s jealous and wouldn't be able to handle Baz dating anyone, even worse if it's his close friend "liking Baz back" – that would sting far more than whatever "if dating the prettiest girl is a form of success, her choosing someone else is a form of failure" bullshit comphet brainwashing) but only Baz is truly safe to be really angry at. Baz can handle him at his worst. But this is the same guy throwing up at the idea of Baz being actually hurt – he can't handle it. Penny says "Baz" and "death" in the same sentence and Simon stops eating immediately. It's safe because Simon doesn't really mean it… Fighting is safe because neither thinks they can truly hurt the other (hence why verbal fights feel like shit in WS, and physical fights are not even a fucking possibility once they get together... once they get a taste of "we can have each other in the ways we actually want to" going back to their old combative ways just hurts) (see also how Simon's explosive anger is never directed at Baz anymore, but at who he perceives as safe targets, like "competition" that can also be seen as Evil) (Lamb, in case it's not clear) (trying to fucking kill him both as escalation of growing jealousy and protective instincts).

Few things are more telling than Simon jumping Baz, incapable of stopping his kisses when they should run, and going "it's so hot that I got to see you fight without picking a fight with you myself..." and that's part of it too. The big, hard-to-manage feelings Simon feels for Baz – romantic love and sexual attraction – being so hard to understand while trapped inside of a heteronormative mindset, and while just not being used to identify big feelings outside of sadness and anger... Baz got to him, he existed rent-free on his head 24/7, and he missed him terribly every time he had to go days, weeks, months without sleeping on the room as him... wouldn't it be easier to interpret attraction as anger when he's constantly picking fights with Baz to get his attention on him? Because he finds Baz hot and is especially hot when he sees him fight? And how would he understand he loves him when comphet is such a big thing shaping his life in that moment, when he resists processing and being inside of his head, when he seeks an easy “comfort” in being told what to do and how to live all the time by others?

It's easier to default to what he knows. But once he knows better (that he wants to love and take care of Baz, that he wants to make him happy), it's impossible to go back to that. Fighting is no longer safety, but torture. Once he understands what he feels for Baz (also tied to just... maturing, fighting as kids sure as hell isn't the same as fighting as grown adults) he can't direct his anger towards Baz like he used to, when he existed without thinking... because it is unthinkable. Note how Simon can't handle the thought of Baz being angry with him while they're not on good terms. Again, his reaction to Baz potentially being with someone else ("I'll let him go for his own good," says the guy who tries to kill the good-looking vampire who might or might not want to have his way with his boyfriend, who would rather spoil a mission with his presence because he's absolutely not risking his boyfriend possibly "flirting" with another guy) is completely different once he knows better. He shows anger and jealousy in front of Baz, but he does so like a regular person (as opposed to unhinged hero programmed to think like a boy soldier) (I mean the "showing his emotions in conversation part," not the stabbing part, and even then, again, that's not aimed at Baz. And that also says a lot: Simon is all "attack first, talk later," and yet with Baz, he's always all bark no bite during their “enemies” era)

[burymeinwillow]

people should really check out Riptide (1984-1986) if they like The A-Team. It was made by the same people who made The A-Team and it's so good and I mean

two bestfriend jocks and their geek best friend all live together on a boat working as private investegators

[theatre-heathen]

Okay but but hear me out, what kind of ritual or sacrifice do I have to make to whatever entity that allowed for Good Omens S2, RWRB, Heartstopper S2 AND young royals S3 to be a thing to negotiate the next tragic and chaotic pairing to be one Simon Oliver Snow and one Tyrannus Basilton Grimm-Pitch on our screens?? Bc… pretty pretty pretty pleaaaaase. Its beyond a want it’s a cosmic need.

[basilsleaf]

actually i'm not done strap in.

aside from simon and baz being adorable cohabitating boyfriends (still screaming about the wall kissing) snow for christmas made me sad.

baz doesn't want to be closeted by his family - about his queerness and his vampirism. "everything i am is something no one can mention." everyone is so excited at dinner about him eating with them as a family, but the reason he never ate with them before was because they can't stand to acknowledge what he is. simon never cared about the fangs. baz's family didn't have to care either, but that would require seeing their children as children and not props.

what is malcom really excited about at dinner? he's excited about this part of his child, the part he has always despised, being out of sight at long last. he's so glad he doesn't have to look at this part of his son that he's willing to tolerate the other thing about baz that he hates (queerness). he's pleased with simon because he thinks simon is the one who made the unmentionable thing go away. there's nothing heartwarming in that.

simon loves that baz is a vampire, even the gross parts. baz can kiss him with rat blood on his mouth and simon doesn't blink. simon wants to go hunting and watch baz drink. he thinks it's gorgeous. baz's own family can't bring themselves to love him that much.

this christmas with the grimms doesn't feel like a first step. it feels like a continuation of the same old shitty cycle.

[harlequinchaos]

Now that I'm older, every time some form of media is adapted in a new format (book to movie, videogame to tv series, animation to live action, etc.) I always take the criticisms of it with a grain of salt because I feel like what it means to adapt successfully means something different to everyone.

I always feel like people want an exact 1:1 adaptation but fail to realize the nuance that comes with each form of adaptation. Sure you can break every piece of media down by like, setting, character, and plot, or specific story beats or even down to specific physical details but people fail to realize how this is going to read to the consumer across different forms.

Scenes that are in a first person point of view in say, a book, are going to read different than a scene of a movie, which similar to a play or show on a stage need to be designed in a way the consumer can digest.

In a book, you can slowly be fed information as it is deemed necessary to the story. Details can be intentionally left out, leading to inaccurate judgements that can snowball into larger consequences. With movies or television, as soon as you see the scene or characters, you're seeing them as the whole bigger picture. The details are either there or they aren't, a faster judgment can be made, more meaning can be inferred by visuals, so a character's motivation becomes more of a driving point. A plot element intentionally left out in a book, can alienate the consumer if not properly handled in a movie or television setting, and part of adapting that piece of media is ensuring it's done properly, and I feel like people don't understand that. The art of adaptation is how consistent purpose can be conveyed while adhering to the rules of the established media.

It seems people just want, "the same thing" as a book, tv show, or a movie, videogame, comic, animated version, or in a live action version and it just Doesn't Work Like That.

Each form of media has their own rules of what 'works' and a good story will utilize those unique aspects of that form of media to tell the story; but the method of how that story is told has to change in order for it to be a successful adaptation.

[apriiciitty]

SALTBURN DESTROYED ME BECAUSE IT LEFT MY HEAD FULL OF THOUGHTS.

the problem with me is, once I’ve watched a movie or series etc, I can’t just simply shut up it.

so here is a small ranting;

saltburn, cinematically speaking, was like a mixture of baz luhrmann dropped somewhere in the early 2006 and mid 90s.

specifically, the whole theme/vibe (forgive me I don’t know how to describe the atmosphere) reminded me a lot of the ‘party’ scene in Romeo and Juliet 1996 and (I hope some of yall watched it) the ad baz luhrmann did for H&M in 2017 ‘the secret life of flowers’

but it was a chaotic mess. you didn’t know what to expect, you were not very sure what was about to come because the atmosphere felt to be filled and heavy with thoughts and moments.

like you could sense that Oliver was up to something but it wasn’t clear enough what.

every guess i had while watching this movie, came out to be mostly wrong or didn’t went as expected.

the ‘thriller’ element was missing in my opinion because of the ‘lack of act’ HOWEVER the psychological element was there from second one.

Ooooog there is so much to talk about but overall, Oliver was a disturbing figure.

[washa]

I listened to The Summit audio (part 2) and here’s my favourite personal comments/thoughts! (I HAVE SO MANY QUESTION WHAT)

YEAH WHAT IS FUCKING GOING ON??

Tf do you mean Porter, THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN PORTER

William order you to WHAT NOW 

Oh my god it’s an alibi for both of them

Alexis please find some care in your heart.

I mean.. We could make it a game of Cluedo. It would add more to the plot. 

Can vampires even get wrinkles??

“I didn’t kill him, now relax, we have work to do.” That was the most human i’ve heard Alexis.

—--------------------

OH HEAVENS SWEETHEART IS ALIVE WHOOP WHOOP

Wait did they see what happened??? 

Oh no Asher sounds so stressed 😭

—--------------------

David needs a fucking break

Pushed magically away? Oh shit is closeknit here. 

It’s so interesting to see the characters discover plot we already know of, Imagine their reaction to Sunshine and Elliot or Blake and Bestie.

Sweetheart maybe take the memo and not do this

Goddammit Porter. Godfuckingdammit.

Confrontation part 2??? Let’s go

—--------------------

“Get in line.” Porter you snarky bitch

WOAH THERE ASHER?? I’m kinda woahie 🤞

My jaw is dropped. MY JAW IS DROPPED ASH. THE TEETH??

Are they on the floor, like Porter being pinned or?

Big word time 😇

I’m so lost right now. I'm so shitty abt politics, all I'm getting is a corrupt government. 

Kinda attracted to both of them rn… 💕

Porter and Asher both have great points tbh

Where’s Sam when you need him 😕

—--------------------

Are we really doing a trial right now??? RIGHT FUCKING NOW???

So the department ruling has only been formed for 50 years. Oh wait nvm that's not Alexis.

OH HI SAMMM

Monarch Baz is so self centered I loathe her, But damn she can be commanding when needed.

“Do we get a vote.?” “Do I look like a vampire, How the hell should I know?” Yes you two make some comedic relief, god knows we're gonna need it.

What are the mates/partners doing?? Is Lovely playing uno with Angel in a corner or??

I’m losing track of the whole houses thing, but that’s ok. 

Monarch Baz sounds so URGAJDDSAK.

“Zane, Ephraim-” , I heard Zac Efron and I was so confused. WAIT IS THAT HOW ERIK GOT THE NAMES??

I’ll be honest, I don’t think “The House of Shaw” and the Solaire Clan are gonna be allies after this 😭

The House of Shaw needs a break what about that 😇

“A piles of bones, obviously.” God it’s sass meeting sass.

ASH?? Are we breathing him in right now???

“Only the bones were left.” Aw yum?? Little chew toy for Darlin’ or something 🤷‍♀️

Beheaded Adam style, Lovely. (Pun intended)

“Considering his skull was halfway across the room, I’m assuming he was beheaded. That, or someone played an impromptu game of soccer with the good king’s skeleton after the fact.” Alexis put a muzzle on yourself please 😭

Yeah tbf Christoper isn’t really a saint here, Vincent can vouch for that. Also where is Vincent.

Calm conversation?? CALM CONVERSATION???

What’s with him and blaming Solaire Clan?

Christoper. Maybe look Lovely in their traumatic eyes and tell them that. STRAIGHT TO THEIR FACE. 

Adam hate club 🙌

Porter standing up for Vincent? Wow he really does keep his word on the whole Solaire’s stick together, also how many people have been killed now.  

“Well, I realized I left the stove on four years ago when I left, I needed to come check on it.” God the Solaire’s breathe sass don’t they. 

Nevermind. All vampires are sassy. 

What is the Shaw pack doing again, are they just in the corner.

Demon blood? Yeah David. POISON??

So hypothetically, If Gavin bled and sprinkler style sprayed his blood everywhere, he could kill a bunch of Vampires if it gets them in the mouth. 

“Shockingly we don't make a habit of broadcasting our weaknesses pup.” Is this an Imperium reference or?? (I've only seen like edits of Asher being called pup so idfk??)

How the fuck did someone get demon blood. A blood bank??

Why are they so sassy? WHY ARE THEY SO FUCKING SASSY??

CLOSEKNIT GETTING BLAMED WOO, I was so scared they were gonna blame Sweetheart or something. 

NO BC FR THAT CLOSEKNIT AD WAS SO FUCKING RUDE, AND IT WASN'T EVEN A GOOD AD. IT WAS LIKE A PERFUME AD.

If the Shaw Pack is gonna keep getting trampled can they just leave? Pup, Dog, A leash??

Christopher, Your fucking alibi is so shitty man, You’re so fucked 😭😭

Oh shit he’s found guilty. HOLY SHIT WAS THAT HIS NECK??

The Shaw Pack is losing their minds and rightfully so, what the fuck.

IS THIS NORMAL TO GET KILLED OR SOEMTHING???

Bye Alexis?

OH LOVELY WAS THERE?? Oh yes ma’am.

Yes we’ll speak with William. IF WE CAN GET IN CONTACT WITH HIM??

Well. At Least that’s good? Thanks Monarch.

No Vincent, baby. 

Porter, You confusing bastard. 

IS THAT THE END?? NO URGSHDH. NOT AT THE LORE DROP URIFEKDFDF

[tyrannuspitch]

carry on reread has once again moved me to speak bc idk if i've ever realised quite how fucked up this is before.

one of the main rumours about where baz's been is - quote - "[a] dark coming-of-age ritual that left him too marked up to be seen in public".

so... baz's classmates see him looking sick, starved and injured, AFTER two entire months out of school, and they... they assume his family did that to him??? holy shit. and this is a normal enough assumption to be shared flippantly and gossiped about? like sure, it's a little unreal, in the realm of rumour, but still... it's plausible? everyone is thinking it?

[siriuslygay1981]

I'm such a cliche....like dawg stop.

Like ur so silly, creating a cliche scenario bc ur such a little funny little silly person

[pitchswift]

thinking about baz growing his hair long just to hide the scars on his neck

[charleswatford]

sometimes I picture little 15 year old Baz reading Interview with the Vampire and laugh. can you imagine reading that, of all books, to try and find yourself? find community or answers? not in the metaphorical, homo-erotic subtext way I'm meaning reading about the child vampire turning into a manipulative maniac and the sad wet dog of a main character having to sit there and take it. what the fuck. my poor boy.

[innocentartery]

simon baz’s origin story is literally just copaganda repackaged as diversity. it's so insidious that joining a law enforcement agency is presented the only avenue of "redemption" for a wrongfully incarcerated brown muslim man. there is no meaningful critique of the systemic injustice that led to his arrest in the first place—all it does is reinforce the idea that oppressed parties can only excel in society by assimilating into the oppressor class!!

[hertragedyconnoisseur]

You know what I was thinking about? What if Simon was really bad at magic because he had ADHD? I mean, Ive always thought he kind of had it sometimes, but what if that corelates with Magic. Hear me out. In magic, they have to think with purpose, they have to think clearly about what they want to happen. You can see how Simon, when he started using magic, always ended up thinking about something else, a lot of the times Baz. When he says something, his purpose is not there, because he's thinking about something else, or trying to control how much magic he's going to use. And when it is there, he thinks so much, he forces himself so much to concentrate, that he either goes off or does it with way too much magic. Thats why he feels overwhelmed. When he tries, is too much. And the worst part is that everyone he knows can do it effortlessly. If he had less magic, he may be capable of doing it because he doesnt has to concentrate in how much magic he has to use, only in the purpose.