#like I read Carry On by Rainbow Rowell (amazing book I am in love with it) and then Wayward Son

[jovenshires]

🦚 for the queer ask game!

🦚 - Are there any queer books/shows/etc. that you would suggest?

oh my god YEAH absolutely. i used to be a queer media connoisseur (im no longer a romance girlie when i consume media bc i write so much of it but i still have love for the genre). i'll do one rec for each category up here but ill put some more under the cut!!

book: aristotle and dante discover the secrets of the universe. it's my favorite book i've gotta put it out there. literally changed my life when i was like 16 i love it so much

show: there's so many popular ones that i feel like if you're gay you've already seen them by now, so im gonna throw a curveball and go with crazy ex-girlfriend. they talk a LOT about lgbtq+ identities and explore dynamics with different couples, and if you love musicals, you absolutely must go watch it rn i fear

movie: moonlight. oh my god if you haven't seen moonlight go watch moonlight it's so so incredible 10/10. a drama that follows a black gay man from childhood to adulthood, explores the themes of masculinity, family, and friendship as well as romantic love. it's just an incredible movie it deserves all the hype tbh

music: once again there's so many popular queer musicians nowadays that i Do Not HAVE to rec (you know the ones they go hard), so im gonna rec chrissy chlapecka!! she just makes such incredible, sugary-sweet pop music about such amazing fucked up shit i love her

send me some gay asks!

okie doke as promised here's some more recs from yours truly bc i really, really love media and have a collection to rec atp NDNKFNKND ill try to order them by genre from least to most obscure LMAO

BE WARNED: i do read some graphic stuff - im an adult and my media taste reflects that. before you read anything i rec, look it up for trigger warnings!! i don't want anybody to be hurt by something i recommend. <3

books:

of course like. simon vs the homosapien agenda by becky albertalli is out there. this is one of those classics i was talking about KDNKFNFK it's very ya-gay-romance-romcom you can eat up ya know. the movie's also not too bad (people think it's 'cringey' nowadays but that was HUGE for me when i was like 19 and had my first girlfriend). anyway it's feel-good fluff if you like that kind of thing!!

red white and royal blue is obviously another classic and one i can't rec enough. i love the way its written, i love the characters, i love the plot. like it's everything, if you're into the romcom vibe this is a great one to check out. (and as a bonus this one also has a movie and it Slaps)

it's not like it's a secret by misa sigura is a pretty solid wlw coming-of-age novel that i highly rec if you're into the rom-com type book. it's also got some EXCELLENT poc representation!!

bloom by kevin panetta is a graphic novel and i love it. so so so much. truly i think i read this in a day and i am NOT a huge graphic novel reader. feel-good romcom, poc rep, body diversity, AND pretty pictures. what is there not to love. everyone should read bloom tbh

lies we tell ourselves by robin talley is Probably my favorite wlw book ever. it's historical fiction and it is Everything to me. and im actually a known historical fiction hater so take it from me - its Good.

carry on by rainbow rowell is i think a classic at this point and i love it. so so so much. you ever identify with a character a little too hard. yeah thats me and this book. i gave my best friend a copy for her graduation. it is an Excellent take on 'remember all the heroes you wanted to be gay when you were a kid. imagine if they were.' it's my beloved

a hero at the end of the world by erin claiborne is another great one in the same vein, with a punchy, dry humor twist. basically if you were a harry potter kid but you hate jkr. you'll love this one and carry on KSNDKDNFK

nimona by nd stevenson is another graphic novel!! it's another fantasy, so if that's your cup of tea, i highly recommend it. it's got an amazing queer love story, a genderfluid protag, and most importantly, found family. literally everything. (it also has a movie but i haven't seen it yet

the raven cycle by maggie stiefvater is HUGEEEE i love that series it reshaped me. it's. mystery/supernatural i would say? it has multiple of my fave queer characters of all time and honestly. everyone there is a little gay. one of my absolute faves <3

we are the ants by shaun david hutchinson is a sci-fi horror adventure story and this one. it stuck with me. the main character hit me so hard and his internal struggle is so SO interesting. if you're into this kind of shit. give it a shot!

every day by david levithan is not one of MY all-time faves, but i can still say it's super interesting and has great rep!! it has a genderfluid/agender main character (depending on how you look at it). i will say i think there are multiple books in the series (?) but i stopped at one bc. it made me too sad anyway. <3

the perks of being a wallflower by stephen chbosky is not queer bc it's explicitly about a queer character or a queer love story, BUT. it still has one of my favorite lgbt characters of all time. patrick you will always be famous to me. as a bisexual girl in a catholic high school, saw a Lot of myself in patrick. (i do also have a special place in my heart for the movie bc it was my depression movie as a teen but patrick is played by ezra miller so be warned)

one of us is lying by karen mcmanus is another one that's not just. About a Gay Couple BUT it is one of my fave books (a murder mystery retelling of the breakfast club) and it has a gay main character!! his struggle with his sexuality is something he really struggles with and he has a boyfriend and i adore him.

shows:

i mean obviously like. heartstopper is incredible. like i said im not super into the romcom/young adult genre anymore but that show is just so beautiful and amazing and really healed my inner gay teen. it has a really diverse cast and representation for all kinds. i really recommend it!!!

everything sucks was gone before its time, but it is SUCH an amazing show. it has one of my fave on-screen wlw couples of all time. it's a feel-good, coming of age classic and i miss it deeply. (what did you just say??? 'katie rewatch it' oh my god you're onto something)

now if yall know me. glee is absolutely gonna be on this list. is it good? technically no. is it one of the greatest pieces of satire ever created? up until season three yes. i realized i was gay via santana lopez. THE gay character of all time. and all the love in my heart for all the other lgbt characters (kurt hummel you will always be famous to me......) some of it's a little dated (don't get me STARTED on unique) but it does genuinely have some great lgbt rep and if you watch it with a grain of salt it's a great comedy

julie and the phantoms made by kenny ortega (of THE high school musical and descendants fame) and it has a gay character i love!! (actually technically it has a few <3)

i'm a huge consumer of kids' media (i think phineas and ferb is a literal masterpiece and im not even kidding) so if you're like me and enjoy the disney/kid show beat i cannot rec andi mack enough. it's dramatic it's campy it's fun it's silly it's got a FANTASTIC gay character and a gay couple i deeply adore and not to mention!! so much representation!! it's like junior fosters tbh

we're gonna get into a little pocket here of like. normal romance but slightly niche - animes! sasaki to miyano is like my top lgbt anime rec. it is so, SO good. just absolute feel-good romcom goodness pls give it a shot

depending on interpretation, ouran high school host club arguably has a nonbinary character, some bi/gay characters, and a trans character! now. it IS hella dated do not get me wrong. BUT for the time? incredibly progressive and a wonderful watch. just brace yourself for some out of pocket shit

stars align has one of my favorite lgbt characters EVER, a nonbinary icon <3 and it's like. a PLOT. truly so rare to see something like that done on tv, let alone in anime. this is a sports anime - soft tennis my beloved - but it has So Much More To It than that.

another gay sports anime is run with the wind, a recent fave of mine. and i don't mean gay in the way that most sports animes are kinda gay. i mean he literally says 'im in love with this guy.' it's an amazing watch if you like that kinda thing!!

if you want an aroace genderfluid protag. the disastrous life of saiki k is up there as one of my fave animes ever AND saiki (the main character) is my fave protag of all time. this silly lil show is supernatural (ish?) and comedy all wrapped into one fantastic show i highly recommend!!

segueing back into live action shows, buffy the vampire slayer is an AMAZING, iconic, female-led supernatural dramedy with some early and, for its time, incredible lesbian rep.

yellowjackets because i LOVE unhinged lesbians. i didn't even know there was gay people in this - i started watching because i love horror and girls' soccer DLNKFNFLN and it's amazing!! if you like tragic gay women i HIGHLY endorse yellowjackets.

in the flesh. look. here's my pitch for itf. do you love being sad. do you love catharsis. do you love zombies. you will LOVE in the flesh. please. i miss it so bad i've seen this show 4 times (and you're right i should also watch this one again!!!) and i never tire of it.

sense8 is a sci-fi show and IT IS EVERYTHING TO ME. truly the diversity is unparalleled. so many lgbt characters of so many different identities. polyamory, trans people, a neuro-link that's destroying peoples' lives. it literally has everything.

the get down is not just an lgbt show, BUT it has an incredible lgbt character/storyline that i adore. a musical show, a historical fiction piece (which means a lot coming from me), and almost every character is a poc. pls give it a shot it's everything

bodies is another one that isn't just about lgbt+ rep BUT. it's incredibly diverse, examining people facing discrimination throughout history (you've got a gay mc, a jewish mc, a muslim mc, AND a disabled mc) and it just has such amazing plot lines and representation. it's a murder mystery/sci-fi double whammy, so give it a shot if you're interested!!

movies:

alex strangelove is a good, underrated, coming of age classic. it follows a guy who struggles with his sexuality. very teen rom-com-dramedy core!!

i adored boy meets girl when i watched it. a very romcom-y movie about a trans woman from a small town dreaming of getting out....... friends to lovers.......... i adore it

happiest season is a christmas movie and it's very sweet. its been panned (there are some just criticisms on the plot tbf) BUT i do think it's really cute

to wong fu thanks for everything julie newmar is just. so so good. it's an underrated classic imo. three drag queens go on road trip, end up in a small town, and change it for the better. it's literally so amazing it's just feel good found family PLEASE give this one a shot

the birdcage is another classic i so genuinely enjoy. who doesn't want robin williams and nathan lane as their gay dads. at the end of the day it's all about found family, love, and old gay men.

handsome devil is a foreign film - irish to be exact! - and i love it so much. once again as a catholic school kid.......... yeah. YEAH. anyway go watch the og gay nicholas galitzine movie LKNDKFNKNLFNKLF

pride is a historical piece and an excellent movie. it's got its ups and downs but god it's just an overall good movie. another irish film, coincidentally!

the way he looks is also a foreign film, this time in spanish, BUTTTTT it's one of my faves i love it so much. it's very feel-good, sweet, romcom so if you feel like you could be into that - give it a shot!!

rent, if you're into musicals, has some of my fave musical characters ever. angel dumott schunard you will ALWAYS be the love of my life. it is deeply sad but. other than that. i live in denial.

the prom is a much more light-hearted and silly lgbt musical. people shat on that movie but i think it's SWEET and cute and has some bangers!!

i mean like. we can joke ab how hyped it is all we want but brokeback mountain is basically required gay watching. it is EXACTLY as amazing as everyone says it is. the chemistry..... oh my god we could never make that movie again it was like catching lightning in a bottle.

bodies, bodies, bodies is a fun and campy lgbt horror if you're into that kind of thing!! the ending was a bit not my fave but otherwise it's an incredible cast and got some great silly scares

on the topic of gay horror, jennifer's body is gay and again, exactly as good as everyone hypes it up to be. you want gay women who are terrible to each other? oh boy do i have the movie for you

and i promise ill wrap on gay horror with it chapters 1 & 2. reddie will unfortunately always be famous.

everything, everywhere, all at once is not Just a gay movie BUT. it has an incredible gay character and it factors so interestingly into the mother/daughter relationship. i love that movie i will always talk about it

music (these are all just people i personally listen to but there are SO many more. im not gonna expand on these ones too much just go check em out you'll get it):

lil nas x

troye sivan

kim petras

kesha

tegan and sara

brandi carlile

hayley kiyoko

rina sawayama

peach prc

renee rapp

adam lambert

scene queen

willow

halsey

clairo

cavetown

janelle monae

#ask #asks #anon #anonymous

[rofelsstuff]

Carry On (book review)

Author: Rainbow Rowell Rating: 5/5 Synopsis: In this book, we follow the story of Simon Snow who's worst Chosen One who's ever been Chosen (that was his roommate Baz said). Simon Snow was the Chosen One who was prophesied to defeat the magic-eating-monster named, the Insidious Humdrum.

Note: This is mostly me being messy because I love this book so much!

If you read Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, of course you'll be familiar with the fanfic book that Catherine was writing there. This book (Carry On) is basically a story of a fictional character in another fictional book.

Okay so here goes the one word that could describe this book: AMAZING!

Rainbow Rowell didn't disappoint again with this story. My god, I don't even know where to start or where to find the words for me to describe this book. This isn't my Top 1 favorite book, but this book made me feel a LOT OF THINGS. And I won't complain!

The few pages and chapters of the book were slow paced but after Baz showed up and made his grand entrance EVERYTHING BECAME SO MUCH BETTER. He completes the book!!! (And Snow) I loved him very much. He made me love vampires again! And I love Simon! And Penelope! These characters made me laugh so hard and made me care for them so much that I did not want to finish this book at all.

I loved how Rowell made this book so fun to read and enjoyable. This is like a Drarry fanfic but so much better! (At least for me, please don't attack me). It was amazing how Rowell made this book like a similar of Harry Potter but at the same time, so different! The spells were so clever that they actually come from songs, and god, nursery rhymes! I can't count how many times I laughed at the spells.

And the SnowBaz syndrome! I wanted more! The kissing, the romance, the confessions, and the lines they throw at each other--I wanted more! I didn't expect myself to smile from ear to ear and giggle because of their cute romantic scenes! I am fangirling a lot of times because of them and will never ever complain.

“You were the sun, and I was crashing into you. I’d wake up every morning and think, ‘This will end in flames.”

I also love the ending! It was so realistic (not really realistic because it's fiction) but what happened in the end was so perfect yet so bittersweet that I don't know what to feel. But I absolutely love it. There were still many questions left unanswered, but I wouldn't mind reading the second and third book.

But if you do not like trilogy or series, you can read this book without reading the others because this book can stand alone as it is!

ANYWAY! I'm still not over this book. I am contemplating whether I will re-read this right now!

#snowbaz #book reviews #bookreview #book nerd #bookworm #book recommendations #book blog #book review #books and reading #reading #book lover

[olives-and-sunshine]

Some Information About Me

Navigation

Basic Info

Hi! My name is Elliot, but you can call me El if you'd prefer! I'm 17, and my pronouns are they/them. Just your local silly metalhead.

I'm neurodivergent and have chronic pain/fibromyalgia, so I will often write about that because there is not a lot of content for these things in x reader stuff.

Interests

Music

I consume a copious amount of music, to the point that it may be concerning, so my favorite artists change a lot. However, some of the artists I enjoy are The Amazing Devil, Starbenders, Maya Hawke, Ghost, and Iron Maiden

Books

My favorite author is Rainbow Rowell, my favorite book is Fangirl, and my favorite book series is the Simon Snow Trilogy (both are by Rowell). Two of my favorite books (other than all of Rowell's books) are "Carrie" by Stephen King and "The Grace Year" by Kim Liggett.

I also am in the middle of reading the "I Hunt Killers" Trilogy by Barry Lyga and am loving it.

I just read the Marvel's Runaways comics and I'm sad it's over so I'm reading the new She-Hulk comics.

Games

My favorite game is "The Witcher 3", but I also love "Control", "Beyond Two Souls", "Titanfall 2", and the "The Last of Us".

I am currently playing "Stray", "The Last of Us 2", and "Pokemon Shield". I'm planning on starting "Alan Wake" when I get a chance.

Shows and movies

My favorite shows are Prodigal Son, Miraculous Ladybug, The Magicians, The Witcher Cinematic Universe, Sense8, Stranger Things, and Doctor Who.

My favorite movies are Stardust, Carol, Hellboy and Hellboy: Golden Army, The Princess Bride, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, Deadpool, The Hogfather movies, and Fantastic Fungi.

I also really like Star Trek and the DC universe (not the new live-action DC movies).

Hobbies and Other

I like writing, most forms of art (especially drawing and oil painting), reading, gaming, and animal keeping (I live on an urban farm).

I also like several forms of science including mycology, psychology, and sociology. I enjoy analyzing things, especially literary analysis, and writing analysis papers.

Boundaries, personal healing, and therapy are very important to me.

In summary, I'm a massive nerd.

Feel free to send me a DM or an ask if you want to talk or be friends! I'm always open to talking to new people!

(More info on my Blog Rules post)

Ivy Divider Credit to @firefly-graphics

[star-struck-wonderland]

ooooooooo!! i know that book ^^ i follow her on my book instagram hehe i also wanna read that!! o: i’ve read verity by colleen hoover, i thought it was pretty good!! :3 i have…… lots n lots of books on my tbr.. but i am very excited for the third book in my favorite series, nona the ninth by tamsyn muir, n i’m really excited for velocity weapon by megan e. o’keefe, and lots of others… i love hearin u talk so you can share more too!!!!! i love books hehe 🥰💖 -🧸

Yeahh that's how I found out about her book! I love her insta hehehe! Verity is one of the ones that caught my eye, as well as It Ends With Us, All Your Perfects, and Reminds Me of Him. Those were the tops that caught my eye of hers!

Those all sound really amazing! I actually don't recognize any of those but I'll check them out! And if you want my TBR, dear, then I'll give it to you... I love love love talking about books hehehe! Ill put them under the cut though so the post isnt crazy long🧡/Lh

~Circe by Madeline Miller! I read the Song Of Achilles as you know and LOVED IT, and I want to read her other book! I bought it a couple of weeks ago and am just waiting for my eyes to get better so I can read!

~Carry On series by Rainbow Rowell. My friend is obsessed with it and I'm really excited to read it I just keep getting distracted haha!

~Red White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston! It's a gay book that I really want to buy and read, along with They Both Die At The End by Adam Silvera🧡

~All This Time by Mikki Daughtry, The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow, and The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White, purely because their covers are so pretty and they were recommended to be because they're similar to one of my favorite books!

~The Ones We Burn by Rebecca Mix, which from my understanding is a lot like TSOA and is about Greek Mythology (love!) and the cover is soooo pretty!

~Cain's Jawbone by Edward Powys Mathers!! Omg you HAVE to hear about this book! So it was published with the pages out of order and not numbered! What you have to do it take out the pages and try to put them in order and solve the murder mystery puzzle! Only three people have been able to solve it, and it came out in 1934! It's soooo cool and I really want to try and solve it! There's 32 million possible solutions and if you get it right, you win $1,335 dollars (Which was claimed by the first and one of the only people whove solved it! I think it's pretty cool hehehe

~We Are All The Same In The Dark by Julia Heaberlin- Also recommended to me from TSOA, and it looks super duper interesting!

~Indigo Magic by Victoria Hanley! A sequel to one of my favorite childhood books thst I never knew existed! Sadly, I doubt I'll ever be able to read it since apparently it isn't available in the United States...🥺

And The Fall of the Readers by Django Wexler!! The fourth book to my favorite book series growing up that I so so soooo want to buy and read!!

There's more (my TBR is pretty long sadly) but I think that's enough😅

#Lex Speaks🍄 #answered ask #thanks for the ask! #🧸 anon #book rant oopsies

[thecatprince]

Guess who just got the three Heartstopper books?? Me!!!!!!

#cat.txt #aksjsksbdndbd I AM SO HAPPY!!!!!! #like I know i have already read all of the online stuff for it but like STILL I GOT THE BOOKS!!!!!! #ajshdjdbdnd I love Heartstopper sm!!!! #i also have another of Alice Oseman’s books called Loveless which has an aro ace protag which is AMAZING!!!! #on this blog we stan alice oseman!! #also bought the books carry on and fangirl by rainbow rowell because queer book brain go brrrr #aksjsnsndnd i love queer ya books!!!! #also yay books aksjsksbdnfbd

[luvliesl]

Ok but like what if the Simon Snow Series had a prequel?

I recently read Rainbow Rowell's interview with Vanity Fair (which I would link if I weren't technologically inept, but I am so anyone interested will just have to look it up sorry) But one of the questions talks about the possibility of Rainbow writing another Simon and Baz related book and part of her answer got me thinking.

“But I would never say I'm never going to write about them again. I think it's likely that I might revisit them someday. But this story is over. If I were to come back to them, it won't pick up the next day.” 

Honestly I tend to get annoyed with people who sit around begging for more books in a series (or a film adaptation for that matter) when it just clearly is not going to happen. Especially since I think AWTWB ended in a good place and I don't think their story needs adding to so I am in no way holding out for a 4th Simon Snow book.

But it did get me thinking, what about a prequel? I know they tend to be pretty hit or miss and a lot of people tend to find them boring or just straight up not like them but in this case I feel like it could be really interesting. 

Just Imagine: 

all of the adventures we know Simon had explained in more depth (chimera, Baz trying to steal his voice, why the goblins want him dead, ALL of the things the humdrum sent) 

But also even more stories and adventures we don't know about or have short little mentions (Simon killing a were dog, him saving Agatha from a well)

All of Simon and Baz’s fights (we need a full pushing down the stairs scene)

Seeing more of Simons magic 

Along with some other non-Watford things like Simons experience in the care homes 

Baz learning about his vampirism and also how to deal with it 

Baz and Agatha's whole thing in the wavering woods 

But mostly the slow descend into Baz falling in love with Simon AS ITS HAPPENING

But also being able to flush out some more of the relationships. 

- Simon and the mage (I know we all hate him but really seeing all the ways he hurt Simon could be both sad and interesting) 

-Simon and Ebb 

-Simon and Agatha (seeing their relationship in full swing would be kinda weird though)

-Simon and that one random nurse who I don't remember her name off the top of my head but it was a great scene 

-Its mentioned in Carry On that Simon is like acquaintances with a lot of students so seeing him interact with outside people

-Baz and his whole family really (Fiona, Malcom, Daphne, his siblings) (also this is the stupidest little tid bit but for some reason I have always been curious about how his family found out he was gay and just how all of that went down)

-Baz and Dev/Niall (the one Dev scene is AWTWB was gold and I need more of Baz having interactions with people beside his family and Simon) 

-Penny and Micah? (I know he is old news now but still) 

-Ebb and Mara the dryad??? 

Literally the possibilities are endless  

In addition we can get the sense from Carry On that their eighth year isn't a very normal year for them. (Baz is gone for a long time, the mage tries to get Simon to leave, Simon and Agatha are on weird terms and then of course winter break and forward everything changes for them in multiple aspects) 

So we never really get to see what being at Watford is really like for them normally or what their personalities were like before since they do so much growing in Carry on. 

I would be lying if I didn't mention that part of the reason I want this is because of the fan fic Rebel Rebel by basic-banshee (which if you somehow haven't read yet go do that like right now) (once again would link if I knew how) Because I loved seeing Baz grow up and the experience of seeing him go through things as they were happening like his father marrying Daphne and then having children or him figuring about about his vampirism. And getting a canon version of that would just be amazing. 

Anyways this was a super long post and I doubt anyone will actually make it to the end but obviously this whole post is just hypothetical and an idea I had, but I felt like it needed to be shared because it would be great. 

#awtwb spoilers #any way the wind blows #simon snow #baz pitch #agatha wellbelove #penelope bunce #the simon snow trilogy #rainbow rowell #carry on #wayward son #i dont know how to tumblr #help #i dont know how to tag either #can this happen please #i hope this reaches at least one person

[victoronyurionice]

Carry On Trilogy: AWTWB Review

So I know this is pretty much a Yuri On Ice exclusive blog, but this is my one and only blog and therefore I have nowhere else to put my thoughts, so please excuse this post if you’ve never read Carry On.

However, if I’ve found the right people, and you have read Carry On, hello!! Let’s be friends. Also this will contain heavy, heavy spoilers, so if you haven’t finished the trilogy I suggest you finish reading and then come back to this if you don’t want anything spoiled for you :) 

One last thing before I get into the nitty-gritty let me just preface this by saying I am NOT an author, or even someone with massive experience with writing. Therefore any critiques I have regarding the writing, the storyline/plot or characterisation is purely my opinion, and what my brain specifically expects. 

Let’s get into it!!

So I discovered Carry On through Tessa Netting (an amazing Harry Potter youtuber) and was immediately drawn to the idea of it when she said it was basically like Harry Potter but if it was a Drarry fanfic. Being a HUGE Draco and Harry shipper, I thought hell yeah and decided to give it a go. I took to it immediately (well maybe not immediately, the first couple of chapters were kind of confusing, there was a lot of information to process at once, but then again you do catch up very quickly). The dynamic between Simon and Baz IS the main reason for why I chose to read Carry On and was delighted to discover that there was a sequel and a 3rd book in the works!

Carry On left many, many unanswered questions, so when the sequel (Wayward Son) was basically a filler novel with no answers to these questions and barely any interaction between Simon and Baz, I was really disappointed. However we DID receive Shepard (my beloved) and Agatha became a lot more bearable.

Fast forward to the present day where I’ve read Any Way The Wind Blows anddddd... I have a lot of thoughts. Mostly good ones so if you were looking for a review that absolutely bashes Rainbow Rowell and the entire Simon Snow series, you’re better off looking at goodreads. Howeverrr I do not hold back on any criticisms, so be warned.

First of all: We were promised SnowBaz by RR and BOY did we receive. I kept savouring each interaction between them, thinking it was the last, thinking that it’s gonna blow up and there’ll be no more, but it just kept coming and I loved that. I’ve seen a lot of criticism saying that it was overtly sexual and the dynamic was odd, but I personally disagree: I think that at times, yes it was awkward, and yes it wasn’t perfect, but in my eyes, that made it all the more REAL. Each interaction, each conversation and each intimate moment felt like witnessing a proper relationship. Romantic standards and expectations of what a relationship should be has become untouchable and set on such a high pedestal, it’s quite frankly unreachable, but RR found a way to make it realistic and I adored that. 

What I will say though, was that there were some unnecessary moments. I agree when others say that Simon and Baz did not need to break up for the duration of 20 pages, it didn’t add much to the plot...

Speaking of the plot... this was perhaps the most obscure thing regarding AWTWB...I’m still not quite sure what it was about, and the jumps between each narrator made it hard to follow at some point. We go from Simon and Baz having not-sex and hunting down the not-chosen one to Penny and Shepard summoning demons, to Agatha doing... well I’m not quite sure what she WAS doing

Agatha’s role in AWTWB was not needed, her narration and the plot set out for her really added nothing to the book. Honestly, if I were to just tear out each of Agatha’s sections, the book would still make perfect sense. I’m not quite sure what to make of this, since I really did not like her character in Carry On, but she has grown on me after Wayward Son and AWTWB - her gay panic when Niamh cut her hair is my favourite moment and it’s absolutely EVERYTHING. But really and truly her role in the book was to what? Assist a goat in giving birth? The jury’s still out on that one.

I mean, the main ‘villain’ in the book isn’t even a villain as far as I’m concerned. His intent wasn’t even that malicious really, he’s really not even worth mentioning. 

The ending for me was bittersweet. I’m going to pretend the epilogue doesn’t exist because it adds absolutely nothing to ANYTHING except confirm that Agatha’s become the new goatherd, which I guess good for her? 

I was very anxious when the book was coming to an end, 83 chapters in and still no indication that Simon knows who his real family is. Thankfully, it gets resolved, but it feels rushed. Also the excalibur bullshit, surely there was a MUCH better way to find out, then being able to pull out a magical heirloom from the family dining table. I personally thought it would have something to do with the whole ‘rosebud boy’ thing - that would’ve been a major set up for angst (imagine: all this time Baz has been clinging onto the thought that perhaps his mother did love him enough, to call him her rosebud boy, and maybe she wouldn’t be ashamed of his vampire-ness. Instead though, it was Lucy calling Simon her rosebud boy, so what does that mean for Baz?).

The ending is very sweet, our final SnowBaz moment, and it shows real growth on Simon’s part, as someone who used to rely on no one but himself and was very rarely vulnerable, is now holding onto Baz for support. I was satisfied with the way the trilogy ended, but I can’t help but think about al the big questions that remain unanswered:

Everything to do with Vampires. I feel like only the surface was scratched when it came to learning about vampires, what they can and can’t do and what their limitations are. It’s never really explained. How does a vampire drink human blood without turning the human in question? Was Nicodemus correct in saying drinking only animal blood will prevent immortality? What else is there to know about the Vampire world?

Just everything about the goats. We’re told they’re magic and have some sort of significance, but huh?? How? What? Why? Just...so many questions about the goats

Simon and his wings was a massive part of AWTWB...but we never get told what he decides to do with them. As far as I’m concerned he still hasn’t changed his mind about getting them amputated, but then again he never really mentions the subject at the end of the book so I’m really unsure

On the topic of Simon, it’s confirmed he was in fact Lucy and Davy’s son... the son of 2 very powerful mages, meaning he was a magician all along, and could never have been a Normal. What does that mean for his magic? For anything? Again this is not really explained

Ok last one about Simon, but for god’s sake, he just found out that not only did he ‘kill’ his mentor and father figure...but he was ‘responsible’ for the death of his actual biological father (or as I imagine he’d see it himself). That’s really got to fuck someone up - so what happens afterwards? I’d like to know the aftermath

Dead Spots - We’re aware to the fact that magic hasn’t returned to the spots the Humdrum stole the magic from, but we’re not given a concrete answer/explanation as to why they remain ‘dead spots’

All in all I still think there are quite a few loose ends that I would really love to be tied up neatly, but this was always supposed to be a trilogy, and while I think we’d benefit from a fourth book, I don’t necessarily think it’s needed. Perhaps a spin-off where some of the questions are answered. 

I think my main takeaway from AWTWB is if you’re in it for purely the plot, you might find yourself slightly disappointed. I’m not one of those people, I was largely in it for SnowBaz and I received PLENTY and I could not be happier for it, so if you wanna read about how these two idiots manage to make it work despite the odds, you will really, really enjoy it :) 

#this was really long #and unnecessary #and rambly #i apologise #carry on #carry on rainbow rowell #awtwb #awtwb spoilers #wayward son #simon snow #simon snow salisbury #simon snow series #simon snow trilogy #baz pitch #baz #snowbaz #agatha wellbelove #penelope bunce #penny bunce #basilton pitch #tyrannus basilton grimm pitch #review #carry on trilogy #rainbow #rainbow rowell

[im-gettingby]

30 Days of Carry On

posted (and written by?) @captain-aralias

(I’m doing most of these at once because I said so. it’s long so under the cut)

1. Favourite major character

I literally thought — Simon no Baz no Penny no, Agatha!

I guess I will pick Simon, since I relate to him the most — or at least, my connection to him led me into the fandom.

2. Favourite minor character

I think we all know this one 🐑🐑🐑

I have written many a treatise on Lamb Rights. I’ll spare everyone now

3. Character you relate to the most

Oops— I already answered this, kinda. I relate to them in different ways: I relate a lot to WS Simon because he has abandonment issues and “kid who was told he was extraordinary and then grew up to be ordinary” issues. We also both have a “fix all the things for everyone” complex, too.

Baz — It took me a while to get into Baz’s head, but I would say, I relate to him because of his intense emotional world and tendency to see the world through an intensely romantic/tragic lens. But also he’s a Pisces. and I’d never do that like a Pisces does. (Sorry, not sorry.)

4. Which character would you like to go to lunch with?

SHEPARD obviously. I don’t feel the need to elaborate.

5. Favourite non-Snowbaz ship

Ooh! Probably Lamb/Baz or Simon/Shep or just...literally anything. Like, I will read anything as long as it’s well written. The weirder the better. (Within...legal and moral limits.) in my other fandoms I’ve been a big multishipper and there’s not a lot of options for that in CO - which is fine - but wholeheartedly support rarepairs :D

6. Favourite non-romantic OTP

So, obviously Simon/Penny and Baz/Penny are great ones, but I think the nearest & dearest to my heart is Simon/Agatha. The kind of siblings/unwillingly dating/weird exes dynamic and the way they both shaped each other’s lives is just so interesting. And while Simon & Penny are closer, Agatha and Simon represent their aspirational selves to one another. And the way that they were both tied to one another along with their gender roles/places in society and both broke away at the same time is just...mwah

7. Favourite Baz outfit

I honestly dress kinda like Baz. Anything involving a printed silk shirt or a floral brocade suit, so like, all of them? I love WS Baz, his fashion sense is so thoughtful yet fun. He’s so expressive with it — in the sense of both being guarded, being sexy, and playing with masculinity/femininity.

8. How do you feel about Wayward Son?

In case it wasn’t obvious, I absolutely love it. I mean, from a writing/narrative standpoint, I don’t think it’s the most elegant or engaging book ever written, but it’s just so raw and fresh. I don’t see many examples of an author trying to do what Rainbow did, which is build a complex emotional AND plot-driven story with so many characters and so much lore. I’m very excited for AWTWB.

9. Favourite scene from Carry On, besides Chapter 61

I like what the book does/sets up overall. Honestly probably the first scene, where Simon walks to the bus stop & takes the train and just thinks about his life and makes lists -- I love Simon. I know Rainbow said she thinks that bit is boring, but it honestly says so much about his character in a short time. (and he’s an extremely complex character!) Also, Baz’s dramatic entrance. Also, the chapter where Baz says “and I’m hopelessly in love with him” because it’s just so dramatic, and it comes out of nowhere

10. Favourite scene from Wayward Son, besides Chapter 41

Baz and Lamb’s journey across the Strip - vampire lore, jealous Simon, Baz getting to be his own character— it’s beautiful.

11. Remind us about something in canon readers might have forgotten about

Ahahaha um. Simon says he thinks Baz’s cousin Marcus is fit. That’s pretty funny.

12. What are your hopes and fears for Any Way the Wind Blows?

I don’t have any hopes because I don’t want to be disappointed - and that’s not a cynical thing, I just want to go into it with an open mind. (I’ll take a break from fandom and reread the books beforehand so I’m (more of) a blank slate) I guess just...interesting emotional journeys, whatever that ends up being. There’s a lot that Rainbow has to do in the book and I don’t think any one person could get through all of it -- that’s why we have fanfiction.

Fears? I don’t know. I think just...the series ending. Even though I’ve been in fandom for less than a year I just really love this fandom & the thought of that kind of eroding away is sad. But also I don’t think that will happen immediately, and change is a part of life. I’ve never related as much to Cath as I do now :’)

13. An unpopular/cracky opinion you hold

unpopular: Lamb is the best character; I don’t want Simon to get his magic back; both Simon and Baz should have other romantic options.

14. Something from your head fanon

Hmmmmmmm well. Just mean things about Baz really. Like that he’s weird looking, not that great at football, and actually has kind of garish fashion sense. (which is a self-roast as well - see above.) I just feel like Simon/fandom put him on a pedestal, and Simon’s an unreliable narrator re: Baz anyway. So I like the idea that Baz is this average looking kinda strange nerdy guy who is everything Simon has ever wanted in life.

And before you tell me that Baz was hot at Watford and Agatha was into him, have you ever been to a tiny boarding school? Standards get weird 😂😂😂 and Terry being into him — come on. The guy’s a violent pervert.

also - back to Watford being a tiny school. Baz doesn’t have much competition to be the star of the football team. (also, does anyone except Simon even think that he is?)

16. Favourite location other than Watford

Vegas!

17, Favourite location in Watford

I’m pretty bad at Watford lore/geography bc again, I’m way more into WS. Probably the floor in the Cloisters where everything happens the same way, just a day later. There’s a fic there, but I can’t wrap my head around all the time travel implications enough to write it.

18. What would be your favourite subject at Watford?

Any potions-esque subject because I loved chemistry lab. Latin because I loved Latin in school. Uhhhh I don’t like history class, so not that — maybe a literature course focused on the derivation of spells.

19. What would your magical implement be?

Ooh! This is a good one. I’d like to think it would be a weird body piercing. Or a belt a la Gareth. Maybe some kind of traditional south Asian jewelry, like a nose chain or mang-tikka or something. maybe a hat. like, imagine your magical instrument being a fedora and you just have to...wear a fedora all the time.

21. Favourite canon spell

Hm. Kiss it better? Candle in the wind?I should try to think of a non-horny one. honestly they’re all so cool and clever - I love the magic system in CO/WS.

22. What would your eighth year spell at Watford be or do?

Maybe something from a poem I love. That would probably be pretty but not very functional. Or a healing spell.

23. Who would you want as your roommate?

Agatha is uptight, Penny is passive aggressive, Simon is a slob, Baz is both uptight and passive aggressive.

Definitely Shepard.

24. Favourite item of merchandise, official or unofficial

My @subparselkie sticker

25. Favourite book cover design

WS. Oh, another unpopular opinion - I don’t like the kevin wada cover of carry on. their faces look so weird and the colors don’t work for me. I own the version with the blue and yellow cover art instead

26. Do you want a movie? If yes - any fan casts for the movie?

Probably wouldn’t want a movie! Because I am way too possessive of these books/this version of the story. And I am historically extremely disappointed by adaptations — I get upset with the smallest of changes 😂

27. If they made a movie, what scenes do you think they’d cut that you’d be furious were missing?

See above. A LOT haha

28. If you could ask Rainbow Rowell one question, what would it be? (If you have already, you can share if you like)

What is Lamb’s full name????? Is it actually Lamb Lambert Lamborghini the third???

What is Rainbow’s relationship with sheep and goats. Why are there so many references to them

29. Have you read any of Rainbow’s other books?

Only Fangirl

30. How did you get into Carry On and/or Carry On fandom?

I read fangirl & the pages at the end mentioned carry on, so I read that, and enjoyed it but I wasn’t obsessed. Then I read WS spring 2020, reread it a bunch of times, reread CO, freaked out about the cliffhanger/cool vampire stuff/unresolved sexual tension, had pandemic cabin fever, got on AO3, and the rest is history.

As @annabellelux knows, I wrote my first (published) fanfic after reading her amazing fic Drop The Game. and the first fanfic I read was @captain-aralias’ Greener Grass. I was so obsessed that about a month later, I searched through the AO3 tags for it, because I couldn’t remember the title or author but kept thinking about it.

#tag game #30 days of carry on

[magiannaladdmac]

I’ve been seeing things on TikTok that talk about how amazing Carry On is and then at the end of their video say “don’t buy this book- pirate it or get it from the library”

I want to say this kindly but I’m angry so forgive my texting tone (I’m bad at online tones anyways).

First off let me say don’t pirate any book whatsoever.

But I want to get into why people are saying this. They are saying this because they don’t want to support the author, Rainbow Rowell. As you can tell from my icon and bio and literally everything about my account, I love Rainbkw Rowell. But she did write a book called Eleanor and Park that has a problematic side that Rainbkw has not addressed recently. The point in this post is not to talk about wether or not it is problematic- you can look into that yourself.

What I’m going to talk about is how pirating is a shitty thing to do NO MATTER the author. Believe it or not, authors don’t make much money unless they’re super famous. Like J.K. Rowling. And no one is going to go into a store and steal a Marauders map. Or the entire box set of books (if you do kudos to you for getting away with it, but it’s still a crime).

The issue is a couple of different things- first it is the fact that media or content that is available online is immediately given less value because of its accessibility. It’s seen as something everyone has a “right” to regardless of copyright or the rights of the creators to do what they want with their work. People think “I can’t buy a book or They don’t have it at my library. I have a right to gain access to this so I will do it in a way that is illegal”. On one hand, yeah knowledge should be for everyone. On the other hand, people own their work and they deserve compensation for it. Carry On isn’t going to educate you on how to survive. It isn’t necessary. If you don’t have access to it right now, that sucks, but you will have access eventually.

The second issue is that people dehumanize those who they feel are morally inferior. Let’s say hypothetically that Rainbow Rowell was an actual murderer. She still has the rights to her work. She still, legally, owns the copyright. YOU don’t get to decide wether someone is “allowed” to own their own work. You just don’t.

I get in most people’s mind they are thinking that they don’t want to support the author- in which case SURE! Go ahead I am all here for your protest! I am a vegetarian and I don’t eat meat because of the factory farm industry! I’m all for boycotting!

BUT you do NOT get to decide if the person or industry you are boycotting has rights! It is NOT as simple as “I don’t want to give you money” it IS “I don’t want to give you money, but you’re a good author. So I’m going to go around telling people not to buy your book but to read your book illegally because I don’t like you”. For instance, referencing the vegetarianism above, I boycott in a way that excludes meat from my diet, not in a way that involves stealing from factory farms as a “fuck you” to the industry.

This makes me so angry my blood is boiling.

BUT let’s say that you have decided that your moral superiority makes you the only person in the world who gets to decide the worth of other peoples work. In that case, you should know that giving attention to and supporting platforms that pirate books is not only harmful to the author of those books, but to the author if EVERY book on that platform.

You aren’t just “not supporting” an author. You are actively and encouragingly pointing at platforms that harm ALL authors and justifying it with your superior moral compass.

Fuck off. If you don’t want to support an author, don’t buy their books. But don’t pirate them either.

#carry on #simon snow #baz pitch #wayward son #carry on fandom #books and libraries #rainbow rowell #eleanor and park #awtwb #carry on series

[henry-fox-mountchristen-windsor]

so you read Red White and Royal Blue and want to know what to read next:

I am a big reader. So when I read rwrb and fell in love I was struggling with reading anything else afterward because of how i fucking love every single moment of that book. I'm assuming y’all have the same feelings or are interested in getting into more books (or both!) so (tldr) here are some books!

So you have fallen in love with royalty:

The Captive Prince series by cs pacat! Um fair warning it seems like total pwp, but I promise it is so much more! It’s a really great queer political drama.

The Royal We by Heather Cox and Jessica Morgan! This is another royal rom-com with a relationship that is based on Kate Middleton and William. Casey read it and it inspired rwrb.

Her Royal Highness. A YA novel set at a Scottish boarding school. Another great queer love story with some quality modern royalty.

Some other bi-disasters:

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell. Another YA book. Kinda like if drarry was canon but also totally different. I’d also recommending reading fangirl, very different book but one of my favorites!

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzie Lee. Don’t let the summary of this book fool you. This is one of my all-time favorites. Ahhh so complex, just so good. Also, there is a sequel starring felicity who is the main character's sister!

Other great LGBTQ books:

Check, Please! By Ngozi. A webcomic so it’s free online too. I am obsessed and the fandom is pretty lively. Also hockey. H O C K E Y

Heartstopper by Alice Osmond. Once again another webcomic so free online. It’s so cute BUT also goes pretty deep into some topics, also has a coming out story too.

Bloom by Kevin Panetta. This book gave me so many emotions. Also, it’s a graphic novel

I wish you all the best by Mason Deaver. Casey and Mason are friends which is super cool too. This book focuses on a non-binary teen and their coming out story. It was so emotional and pretty draining but such an amazing read.

Tell Me How You Really Feel by Aminah Mae Safi. The most recent book I read, it’s a story about culture, film, and it’s good and gay.

There Goes Sunday School by Alexander C. Eberhart. I read this a year ago but I had a really hard time getting over it. Man, it was so good and it really deserves more love.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. This book is a total classic and a must-read in YA. SUPER WELL WRITTEN.

Politics:

Not going to Lie, I haven’t read that many political books. But I can recommend a couple of tv shows!

The West Wing. This is one of my favorites if not my legit favorite tv show. It is so good and it just makes you fall in love with the White House. Also, June’s name was inspired by CJ Cregg who is the press secretary.

Parks and Rec. You maybe like what the heck is this doing here but man this show is legit.

Books from others!

We contain multitudes by Sarah Henstra

All books by Becky Albertali (I’ve read love Simon but no others)

A few other people gave me some book recs and I can’t find them :( so sorry y’all. Feel free to add on anything that you feel like i missed. I’ll will def be adding stuff on as I remember more.

#rwrb #RED WHITE AND ROYAL BLUE #alex claremont-diaz #Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor #Prince Henry #FirstPrince #alex and henry #alex/henry #Casey McQuiston #history huh #history huh? #rwrb book recs #lgbtq books #gay books #books #book recs

[ravenclaw-notes]

barnes & noble book haul

i know i haven't posted in a while lmao

recently, i got into booktok and decided that i just had to get these books!

here are my thoughts so far on at least two books i've started beneath the cut:

Fat Chance, Charlie Vega by Crystal Maldonado

wow... i am literally in love with this book and i literally started it today

reading it, i really see myself as Charlie. we're both Puerto Rican, we're both insecure about our weight, we're both big brown girls, and both from Connecticut. and it's these details that prompted me to pick this book up. reading her story makes me engaged more and i can't wait to see her ending

the pining over guys that she knows she can't have? TOTALLY relatable

now i don't have a friend that i'm envious of, but this book has amazing imagery that i feel like i do

i can't wait to finish it

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

so this book is being read by me and my book club (yes, i started a book club!)

so far, i get massive harry potter vibes and i'm not sure if this is done on purpose?

i read Fangirl (also by Rainbow) and to my knowledge, this is supposed to be Cath's fan fiction on the fictional Simon Snow series in the book. sounds confusing, right? A fan-fiction about fictional characters made by another fictional character in another fiction book.

some of the spells in the book sound ridiculous, not gonna lie. compared to harry potter's spells like "accio —" "expecto patronum" and such, this book has "stay put" "candle in the wind" and "out, out, damned spot"

it was hard to catch on at first, since there are so many parts of Simon's life that we're missing. but after a few chapters, you're able to follow up pretty well.

i can't wait to start the others! i read a couple pages of Red Queen and it seems really good so far. pretty soon, i have A Touch Of Darkness coming in the mail soon and that's the one book i'm really excited about reading. tiktok is hyping it up and i'm both curious and nervous about it.

#studyblr #my studyblr #my post #books #barnes and noble #barnes and nobels books #book haul #book review

[icanheareternity]

mid-year book freak out tag

yayyy thank you @bloody-wonder for tagging me. always a pleasure talking about books with you (and reading your amazing rants hahaha <3)

1. Best Book You've Read So Far in 2020?

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller and the All For The Game series by Nora Sakavic. They were both amazing reads for totally different reasons. It’s been 5 months since I read it and I still sometimes find myself thinking about Patroclus and Achilles and wishing them happiness in the Underworld. As for AFTG I have no words for how amazing and engaging the story and the characters are, I think Neil and Andrew will forever be two of my favorite characters.

2. Best Sequel You've Read So Far in 2020? 

Well obviously The King’s Men by Nora Sakavic.

3. New Release You Haven't Read Yet, But Want To? 

The Switch by Beth O’Leary, I loved her debut novel, The Flatshare, it was very impactful to me. I’m just waiting for the right mood to strike so I can read her second novel.

4. Most Anticipated Release For Second Half of 2020?

I’m very excited for the manga edition of Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. The first volume is going to be released on october (I’m thinking about buying it as a birthday present for myself, since I turn 25 at the end of october). Rainbow is my favorite author and Fangirl is definitely one of my favorite books.

5. Biggest Disappointment? 

The Raven Cycle :( I had such big expectations for this series and it just didn’t live up to it in the slightest. The main characters were amazing though, and they deserved a better book.

6. Biggest Surprise? 

The Foxhole Court. Seeing as book one of the AFTG series didn’t have any romance whatsoever, I wasn’t expecting to like it so much (considering I’m a sucker for romance and almost never actively pick up a book that isn’t straight out a romance novel).

7. Favourite New Author? 

Alice Oseman, I think? I’ve been accompanying her web comic Heartstopper and loving every bit of it and am also on my way to reading all of her novels.

8. Newest Fictional Crush?

Richard Campbell Gansey III. As I said before, he deserved to be in a better series, but I loved his voice in the books, all the chapters written on his POV.

(I feel like I should put Neil and Andrew from AFTG in this category too but I’m not confortable having a crush on either of them since they belong to each other)

9. Newest Favourite Character?

Neil Josten and Andrew Minyard. I JUST LOVE THEM SO MUCH.

(and I have mentioned the AFTG series way too many times in one post)

10. Book That Made You Cry? 

The Song of Achilles, I cried through the whole last 90 pages of the book and then for 30 minutes after that in fetal position in the darkness of my bedroom.

11. Book That Made You Happy? 

I guess the book that made me laugh out loud the most was The Lightining-Struck Heart by TJ Klune.

12. Favourite Book To Movie Adaptation You Saw This Year?

Emma. I looooooooved the movie so much, it’s such a fun adaptation with an amazing cast (Johnny Flynn <3) and good photography.

13. Favourite Review You've Written This Year? 

I don’t write reviews, I’m too lazy for that.

14. Most Beautiful Book You Bought So Far This Year?

I don’t usually buy physical books because they are too expensive, so when I buy one is because they are already my favorites. This month I bought Carry On and Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell (I’m on my way to having all of her books on physical copies), and also The Song of Achilles.

15. What Books Do You Need To Read By The End of The Year?

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo and Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz.

i’ll tag @jostens-pitch @anawkwardbibliophile @junebbbuggg @sharing-a-room-with-an-open-fire

this was fun (and it just made me realize that i still have so much to read this year)

#tag game #books

[thatwasthenightthingschanged]

Sarah’s lgbt faves

my post about me posting my list got like two notes so :D this goes out to the two ppl who wanted to see my lgbt media faves, yay! also, there’s a version of this list including German ppl so if anyone wants those too, lmk!

YouTuber

- Dutchy

→ one of my fav lgbt youtubers, she’s bi and she’s one of my no1 sources for gay content and memes

-Stevie

→ a classic amongst wlws

-Sufi & Anjali

→ an inter-religious wlw couple and they are SO adorable, honestly I mainly watch them to yearn ahskasdh

fav coming outs (bc I had to :D)

-Daniel Howell

-Eugene Lee Yang

series

-LOVE, VICTOR!! (hulu)

→ okay I have been talking abt this series for like two weeks straight now but I’m gonna keep annoying everyone on here until everyone has seen it because it is THAT GOOD

-Everything Sucks (netflix)

→ this was I think the first wlw series I’ve ever watched and honestly the overall plot was a mess and kinda meh but I loved the wlw love story so yeah ajsdhakjhd

-The Bold Type (amazon prime)

→ one of my all time fav series, I love the characters so much & the series is all about female empowerment. Also the wlw couple is insanely cute so there’s that

-Dear White People (netflix)

→ okay okay I know the characters with the gay storyline are kinda side characters but I loved it nevertheless, also I feel it’s really good to educate oneself :)

-One Day At A Time (netflix & pop tv)

→ also one of my fav series, the entire family has my heart tbh. also a great execution of the gay storyline in my opinion

-Hollywood (netflix)

→ it’s just so good!! that’s all I’m gonna say

-Queer Eye (netflix)

→ I don’t need to say more I think askhakhd

-Merry Happy Whatever (netflix)

→ okay YES I AM AWARE that this is a Christmas series but still, it was soo good

-High School Musical The Musical The Series (Disney+)

→ gay side characters I guess but still GOD TIER I love it so much (probably because I’m a sucker for musical series/movies oops)

-I Am Not Okay With This (netflix)

→ mystery, wlw content, what more can you ask for! also it’s freaking hilarious omg

movies & documentaries

YouTube:

-State Of Pride

→ watched this last year & I rlly rlly liked it!

-Stonewall Forever

- In A Heartbeat (although everyone has probably already watched this short movie aashdka)

Netflix:

-Disclosure

→ really insightful!

-The Death & Life of Martha P. Johnson

→ also very insightful (though I walked away from it kinda anxious so if you’re easily triggered you might have to keep that in mind)

-Alex Strangelove

→ okay this movie was also hella weird and some of it is probably problematic? but I liked the love story so

-The Half Of It!!!!

→ I love LOVE this movie. It’s more of a coming of age movie than a wlw love story movie but I still think it’s great!

others:

-The Perks of being a Wallflower

→ you guys know how I feel about this akhsdkh

-Love Simon

→ and this one too, because I legitimately don’t know how to shut up abt it oops

books

wlw books

-Wenn Worte meine Waffe wären/For enden af din pegefinger by Kristina Aamand

→unfortunately, there’s no English translation of this yet but I still had to put it on this list because it’s a wlw book with a Muslim protagonist which is really cool!

-Leah On The Offbeat by Becky Albertalli (ofc)

→ read for a badass bi protagonist and oh my God, so much yearning

-We Are Okay by Nina Lacour

→ okay I didn’t really like this book that much?? but a lot of people adore it so I’ve included it here

-The Truth About Keeping Secrets by Savannah Brown

→ mystery! bi wlws! what more can you ask for! (also I absolutely adore the author so)

(books that I still wanna read bc they sound amazing:

-The Falling In Love Montage by Ciara Smyth

→ two girls who plan on spending one incredible summer together & then break up; basically a plot that has been used in straight books/romcoms a lot but I’m really excited to read a wlw version of it!

-You Should See Me In A Crown by Leah Johnson

→ abt a black girl who wants to become a doctor but she needs the school’s scholarship to attend college. The school’s requirements are that u need to win prom queen to get it - so she has to win against another girl! (& u can imagine what happens)

-The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar

→ the protagonist needs to create a business for school, and hers is being an henna artist. Only problem, her crush is also doing just that so they are kinda competing

-Tell Me How You Really Feel v. Aminah Mae Safi

→ wlw enemies to lovers!! we stan!!

mlm books:

-Carry On (&Wayward Son) by Rainbow Rowell

→ fantasy mlm & I love both of them so so much, I would literally die for them

-Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

→ so freaking adorable, seriously

-Simon vs the homo sapiens agenda by Becky Albertalli

→ for obvious reasons. Also, y’all how have only watched the movie seriously miss out on some adorable Bram x Simon fluff

-The Perks of being a wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

→ for obvious reasons, also it’s generally the best book I have ever read

-What If It's Us by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera

→ ADORABLE! but without a real happy ending

-Autoboyography by Christina Lauren

→ about a guy falling for a Mormon boy. A little bit more heavy

trans books:

-The Art Of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson

→ again, thought it was really insightful. But of course I’m not a trans person so I might not be the best person to ask for recommendations in that department

music

queer women:

-King Princess

-Hayley Kiyoko

-girl in red

-MATILDA

-Halsey

-dodie

-Clairo

queer men:

-Troye Sivan

-Vincint

-Conan Gray

#these are my favs obvs there are more books and movies and musicians out there

[bastilledna]

so I finally started reading Wayward Son last night and blasted through 224 pages before finally conceding to sleep at like 3am and I need to Tell Mrs. Rowell how much this series MEANS to me @rainbowrowell

holy SHIT this series... is amazing. Rainbow Rowell is a fantastic author. here, have some bullet points because I need to Yell A Lot

RAINBOW IN GENERAL

I love her style of writing so MUCH. the voice and character personality in each narration is PALPABLE. it's amazing and I absolutely have adopted pieces of it into my own writing. I love it.

the way she interacts with fans??? SO WONDERFUL she doesn't need to do that but she does and she does it so kindly and enthusiastically!! I have tweeted her randomly and she's actually liked or responded! it's so fun (I'm sepspeaks on Twitter)

her love of fanfiction is so cool. I know she said she doesn't read Simon Snow fanfics right now because it would mess with her internal canon but wow I really hope she reads them after she feels satisfied with the series because I've read some GORGEOUS fanfics on ao3

when the sister was casually gay and crushing on the pizza girl in Landline???? my HEART casual gay representation is so GOOD we're just normal people living our lives it's so nice to see us just Living without it being a big deal

SERIOUSLY: HER. WRITING. IS. SO. GOOD.

CARRY ON

I read that book in one night. I stayed up WAY too late and devoured the whole thing and felt So Much of... SOMETHING afterward. then the next day I got up and read it again. I've read it several times. it's like a comfort book. it's so so so cool.

I feel so connected to Agatha for some reason. there are so many ways we're nothing alike but then there are those moments where I just feel her so strongly. It hit me when she ran away from the Mage. she was allowed to run away! she was allowed to be afraid and say this is too much! my anxiety-since-birth ass FELT THAT. I felt seen.

not only that but it was unique! I don't remember many other works where characters are allowed to run away without having to be dragged back and there's the whole fanfare of them Facing Their Fears. it was too much! sometimes, it's just too much! and that's okay!

Agatha struggling with feeling like she isn't capable of love??? (seen even more in Wayward Son) wow I felt that. I've only ever been in 2 relationships, the first was a weird middle school blip, the second was the only crush I've ever had and I absolutely fell In Love. but after that broke up, I have absolutely no idea how love looks like for me. I feel u Agatha. I do.

AND she doesn't want to do things just because she's Supposed To. she doesn't want to be a prize like we see so many women are in media. she wants to find herself. she doesn't know who she is. BIG RELATE. and wonderful female realness.

the ending was different than you'd expect and I LOVE IT. it was HIM and he irreversibly changed himself and lost something huge but he has friends and a lover and he's going to live on! god that ending is so so cool. such a cool plot.

WAYWARD SON

Okay so I haven't finished it yet but WOW I felt emotional reading it and need to Tell You about this

I put off reading it for months because (a) my anxiety response is heavy avoidance and (b) I was NOT expecting a sequel so I was afraid it would be disappointing like we've seen so many times in media, and (c) especially afraid of that because of how much I love Carry On, and (d) I had absolutely no idea what the plot could be. I knew the gist of what Carry On would be about but ZERO clue on how Wayward Son would go. and that's scary.

but I love love love Rainbow Rowell's writing and I loved Carry On so much so finally last night I said screw it and started reading and I am so glad I did

Simon? feeling trapped? sitting on his couch feeling like a failure while his friends are going out and Living Life? feeling like he's lost and doesn't know who he is or his purpose? BIG RELATE. I want to see Simon grow so maybe I can start to grow too.

the tense relationship between Baz and Simon??? but Baz still loves him so hard?? but they're both so insecure and afraid of hurting the other??? wowee that's some good angst. so so real too.

their relationship is pretty unhealthy for most of the book!!! and I think they both know it!!! they wanna fix it but they don't know how yet!!! it's really interesting

AGATHA. AGAIN. feeling lost! just trying to find a place that she fits in Enough. surrounded by people she doesn't even like that much but it's the best thing she could find in a world of nothing being the right fit. I feel that.

when she says "I wanted to want to kiss her" and "maybe then I'd understand why I feel so strange" !!!!!!!!!!!!!! another complicated love feelings mood!!!!!! I've tried to make myself have a crush on many people!!! and even though I've never struggled with being a lesbian, I can totally see how the "oh I'm gay that's why I feel so weird" would be a Real Thing for people. Simon kinda had that in Carry On.

when Agatha was like "I see the kinds of people here — it's mostly men, all the men are rich and powerful and all the women are normal but vulnerable people" I'm like DAMN that's so good! I don't think I'd have noticed! but that's a really important observation!!!!!!

when Penny had to face Micah breaking up with her and he said "you just wanted to check a box" and Penny keeps slowly realizing, yeah, she just wanted to check Relationship off and keep him there as a stable piece of her life not to worry about, but that's not fair to him. that's SO REAL. I've had those feelings before. that's super important but hard to recognize.

I love how much we're getting to know the rest of the world in this universe. Shepard is such a cool character. he's fun and earnest and I love it.

wow the elitism! the classism! hot takes! good talks!

the Renaissance Fair letting them blend in, especially Simon, wow that was so cool. I wanna see Simon feel comfortable with himself. it was really nice. (at least in the beginning lol)

Margaret is a DRAGON and dragons ARE the MOUNTAIN??? that is SO COOL. I love sentient plant/nature stuff. this is so awesome.

of course they somehow stumble into a villainous plot to defeat. of COURSE they do. Simon's not The chosen one, they are all The Chosen Ones. "why is it when there's trouble it's always you three" yup

and of COURSE Agatha winds up in a magical villainous plot again. she tried to escape it but nope! magic doesn't let go of you that easily.

the way even the writing/narration doesn't even acknowledge Baz getting shot until LATER when it's just casually like "and then I clean the gunshot wound" because that is EXACTLY how Baz is treating it! he's hiding it in plain sight and being casual about it! the writing style reflects that!!! that's so COOL! like I said, the VOICE is so strong

I got way too happy to see Baz making a list because that's how Carry On started. it's so fun.

I was SHOCKED when I learned Baz and Simon didn't live together. I could've sworn they bought a flat together. but then Baz is like "I should leave my shirts at his flat more often" and I'm like "HIS flat?" and then they don't even sleep on the bed together and they both stress about it in their POVs and ow my heart but god I love hard emotional growth

Simon is literally like "oh my god Baz you're so hot" and is all over him just because they fought baddies again jdhddhdhd. Simon... well, like Baz said, he was brought up a boy soldier, a tool for the Mage. all he knows is being the Hero. the fighter. of course fighting would make him feel like himself. it's all he knew. (but also "[you're] so hot" is so funny lmaooo)

Simon ditching his therapist and being like "if my brain is hiding the trauma why would I want to unhide it" and I'm like AAAAAAAAHHH I really hope we see him in therapy or at least talking about it later because I love therapy I'm so grateful I can go to my own therapist. Simon... buddy..... you can't stuff things down. it just comes out and hurts you in other ways.

all these characters have STUBBORN FLAWS and it's AWESOME. they're so human (even if they're not! lol).

I can't wait to finish this book. I love this series, I love Rainbow Rowell. So many themes and lines just stick out and feel made for me. thank you, Rainbow.

#rainbow rowell #Simon Snow #Carry On #Wayward Son #Baz pitch #snowbaz #mypost

[anightreader]

Carry on by Rainbow Rowell review

Okay, so I was really excited about this book and I wouldn't say I'm disappointed, but the book was very different from what I expected. To start with the things that I liked a lot: I loved Baz and Simon as characters. They were both very unique, and so well written! I also really liked that the book explained how magic feels different for everyone, which is a large contrast to the HP series. It did feel like a parody on HP, but with more diversity (thank you for that) and a more 'realistic' world of magic. The wizards were living with normals, they used cell-phones, etc. Also, there was always the option to join the 'normal' world, the division was less intense between the ‘normal’ and magical world. I really liked that, because it made the story more relatable. The beginning of the story was a little slow, and I was pretty confused because of all the callbacks that were made that I did not understand. However, I am very impressed that the writer was able to write a sort of final book of a series, without having written all the other books. The romance between Baz and Simon was amazing! I really liked that the love that Baz had for Simon was not really developed, but it was just stated that it was there, and that made sense if you think about how their relationship has developed for 7 years prior to the ‘final’ book. I personally really enjoy books that normalize being gay/bi/trans, and this book did that so well. It was never really proposed as something that was a big shift in Simon's personality when he realized he might be gay or something that he personally struggled with a lot. Obviously, Baz's coming out to his family showed some issues, but it was never shown as something that was a huge struggle for him. Obviously there a millions of people who struggle with this daily, and those stories are so important tell, but writing about it as a normal thing will shape the future generations perception of being part of the LGBTQ+ community. This book was also pretty funny, especially the spells that they casted were insane! One thing that I did not really like was that the world felt a little underdeveloped. It would have been amazing to get more backstory or more explanation on the world/the government/the culture etc, but other than that I think this was a fantastic book and very enjoyable! I did really enjoy how the trope of 'the chosen one' was criticized because I don't think that has ever been done before. (spoiler): I was a little sad that Simon's magic didn't come back at the end, however, it would be a little unrealistic if it did. I'm not sure if I'm going to read the sequel, but I'll think about it ;) 

final verdict: 4/5 stars 

#carry on #rainbow rowell #book #review