SnowBaz

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Pairing
Pairing: SnowBaz
Alternative name(s): Tyrannus Basilton "Baz" Pitch/Simon Snow, Simon/Baz
Gender category: slash
Fandom: Carry On
Canonical?: yes
Prevalence: fandom OTP
Archives:
Other:
SnowBaz pride art by Venessa Kelley, 2020
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SnowBaz is the smushname for Simon Snow/Tyrannus Basilton 'Baz' Grimm-Pitch, the main pairing in the Carry On fandom, based on the Carry On series by Rainbow Rowell and to a lesser extent her previous work, Fangirl.

As Rowell was heavily influenced by fandom when creating this universe, this ship combines several popular tropes: Enemies to Lovers, Oh My God, They Were Roommates and one half the pairing (Baz) is a Vampire while the other (Simon) is the chosen hero. The ship is canonical in Carry On.

History

Almost all Carry On fanfiction and most Carry On fanart is SnowBaz.

The pairing was first introduced in Fangirl where it's one of the most popular ships in the fictional fandom for the fictional Simon Snow series by Gemma T. Leslie. They aren't canon in the series. Only a few fanworks were made between the publication of Fangirl in 2013 and Carry On in 2015, mostly because there wasn't a lot known about the characters. Most of these works are written in third person and are more likely to be influenced by Drarry.

After Carry On, the ship became canon and the characters and the World of Mages were given more substance. This led to a rapid increase in the number of fanworks. Most fic published after Carry On was released is in first-person present tense, generally alternating between Simon and Baz's POVs.

The make-up of the fandom changes regularly (See Carry On Fandom). Along with the release of a second book (see Impact of Wayward Son), this has meant that characterisation of Simon and Baz, their relationship, and popular tropes has also evolved during a relatively short time period.

Almost all fanfiction is posted on AO3, although some is Tumblr or Instagram only. There is only and a small amount (largely by younger fans) is on Fanfiction.net or WattPad. Art is posted to Tumblr and Twitter (where Rainbow Rowell re-blogs/re-tweets art) and Instagram.

2017 and earlier

Many of the most kudosed fics in the fandom date from 2017, when the fandom was expanding most rapidly. Since new arrivals in the fandom tend to sort by kudos when choosing what fic to read first, these fics (including the Fangirl-era fics mentioned above) continue to gain readership far beyond newer work. Some of the most influential include:

Typical fic from this era is: fluff (often post-canon), AUs, particularly Mundane AUs, such as College AU, Coffee Shop AU and Flower Shop and Tattoo Parlor AU. (High school/secondary school AUs have always been rare - mostly writers age the characters up.) Some canon-divergent Watford-era get-together, but less than from 2018 onwards - fics in this category from before 2018 are likely to include drinking games/never have I ever/7 minutes in heaven.

The Carry On Countdown started in 2016, but became most popular later (2018 onwards)

Fanart was produced, but there don't seem to have been any prolific creators who became well known until 2018.

2018 to September 2019

BNFs Venessa Kelley (writer and artist), Basic Banshee (writer), KrisRix (writer and artist), TBazzSnow (writer) joined the fandom in 2018 onwards. As well as producing popular works, they are also influential on other writers and artists. For example, it's likely that Ban's works influenced the popularisation of Soulmates AUs and Text Fic in this era. Mundane AUs, particularly College AUs and Coffee Shop AUs continued to be extremely popular.

In addition to the above, fanart BNFs included Mara Miranda, Dancingwdinosaurs, gulliblegoldfish

Some (but not all) of the best-known creators from this period took part in Golden Days zine, the publication of which was led by KrisRix.

#Explicit Fic and Art became more popular during this period, as did AUs-in-other-settings, though both of these things had been produced before. More fics also started to focus on Baz's vampirism, often in an explicit context, but not always.

September 2019 onwards

Wayward Son was published in September 2019, leading to changes in the fandom as well as fanworks. (See link above.)

Art of Simon and Baz kissing in bed, by laeveleve (an artist featured in Let It Snow! although not with this piece), 2020[1]

Some (but not all) of the best-known creators from this period took part in Let It Snow! zine, the publication of which was led by SubparSelkie.

Major tropes that rose to popularity during this period unrelated to WS:

In Canon

Spoiler Warning: This article or section may contain spoilers. If this bothers you, proceed with caution.

Simon and Baz met at aged eleven at Watford School of Magicks. They are supposed to be enemies, due to their differing family allegiances, but are assigned as roommates by the Crucible.

Carry On is set in their eighth and final year at Watford. Baz has been in love with Simon since at least fifth year, but Simon believes they both hate each other. After Baz finally returns to school 6 weeks late, Simon and Baz work together to try and uncover the mystery around Baz's mother's death and become closer. Simon kisses Baz on Christmas Eve (in chapter 61 of the book) to keep Baz from killing himself/because he wanted to.

Chapter 61 art by Parijpg, created for Carry On Countdown, 2019[2]
He shakes his head, and he’s saying something, and I think I might kiss him.

Because I’ve never kissed anyone before. (I was afraid I might bite.) And I’ve never wanted to kiss anyone but him. (I won’t bite. I won’t hurt him.)

I just want to kiss him, then go.

“Simon…” I say.

And then he kisses me.

(Baz POV, Chapter 61)

They're still together in Wayward Son, but are having difficulties due to Simon's mental health and communication issues on both sides. Simon is considering breaking up with Baz because he believes Baz will be better off.

In Any Way the Wind Blows, Simon does break up with Baz, but then changes his mind. They get back together and move into a much more positive stage of their relationship. Baz moves into Simon's new flat and they have sex for the first time, which Simon initiates.

SnowBaz and Harry Potter ships

Drarry

Carry On is heavily inspired by Harry Potter and SnowBaz is the equivalent of Drarry. This can be seen through canon Harry Potter similarities like Simon being the chosen one and Baz coming from an old and traditional family. In addition, Rowell also added typical Drarry fanfiction tropes. For example:

  • Simon and Baz are stuck together as roommates and there's no possibility of changing it.
  • Baz is a vampire. Draco is often some kind of magical creature like vampire or Veela in fanfiction.
  • Baz is very similar to LeatherPants!Draco.
  • Simon is obsessed with Baz being evil and stalks him, especially when he was still younger.

Relatively few tropes from Drarry are obviously carried over into SnowBaz, except possibly in Fangirl-era fic where authors had less to draw on. However, there are a small number of fics that specifically reference the similarities between the pairings.

  • Love and Other Lovely Little Violent Things by Miss_Cosmonaut, 2015. The author's note states: "I changed up a few things and went into a more angsty drarry direction...sort of...? (Also, I just really wanted Baz to have a bit more of that nasty Malfoyishness...)"[3]
  • I Hoped It Was You by EllisyaSyron, 2017. One of the most kudosed fics in the fandom. "au where baz and simon start talking online bc baz writes drarry fics and simon draws fanart and they do a collab (they don't know that it's them)"
  • Team Baz by Gampyre, 2020. Also references Twilight, Baz reads Drarry.

Wolfstar

SnowBaz looks a lot like Remus/Sirius (Wolfstar). Both ships are also often shown as British public school boys. Fanart for the two ships or the main characters can be confused for the other, with the most obvious physical differences (apart from Simon's wings, post Carry On) being Remus's scars and the fact that Sirius is often portrayed as being shorter than Remus, whereas Baz is canonically taller than Simon.

This confusion is likely to be mainly true for Carry On fans, since Carry On is a much smaller fandom than Potter, and many SnowBaz shippers are or have been also interested in Wolfstar so are likely to continue to interact with fanworks from the ship.

Carry On fans have poked fun at this confusion in art, fic and memes.

Fanfiction

Partial comic of the bedsharing scene from Can't Find My Way Home (a popular AU-different setting fic) written by TBazzSnow, art by KrisRix, 2019

SnowBaz fanfiction primarily falls into one of these three types:

  • Watford-era (seventh year or eighth year) get together - in which Simon and Baz get together in some other way than they do in canon, possibly paired with other tropes, such as Soulmates. Almost Fangirl-era fic is set at Watford.
  • Post Watford/post Wayward Son fics - often fluff showing them canonically together, having sex for the first time, or dealing with Simon and/or Baz's depression
  • AU-different setting - generally get-together fics in other settings, particularly College AU and Coffee Shop AU, though some of the most popular fics in the fandom are other kinds of AU.

There is relatively little fic set before Simon and Baz's seventh year, even pre get-together. rebel rebel is a notable exception, although positions the get-together in seventh year. Others include:

The SnowBaz fanfiction library Tumblr (which created masterlists until 2019) created this tag list. Each tag represents a type of fic big enough to deserve a masterlist over 5 fics or more.

Watford-era get together

The reason for the get together is often a popular trope, particularly Soulmates (often explained as a result of magic gone wrong), Bed Sharing (as a result of one or both of them having nightmares), or Simon's magic going wrong (aka magical mishap). In these fics, Simon usually breaks up with Agatha either during the fic or just before. He rarely cheats.

Post Watford

For more information about how post-Watford fics changed following the release of Wayward Son, and more fanfic examples, see the main Carry On page.

Post Watford get together

There is also a small genre of post Watford fics in which Simon and Baz didn't get together at Watford for some reason and instead fall in love later in life.

Agatha Finds Out

Another smaller subset of Post-Watford genre, is 'Agatha Finds Out' (that Simon and Baz are dating). There are several fics essentially titled 'Agatha finds out out'. This genre was most popular before WS, in which Agatha is shown not caring Simon and Baz are dating.

AU Different Setting

Art by Parijpg based on a conversation with NineMagicks who then wrote You Who Swallowed a Falling Star. Several other artists have also produced art for this fic

Some of the most kudosed/bookmarked fics with AU settings include:

Fanart

Chapter 61 (Simon and Baz's first kiss) is a particularly popular subject for fanart. Some examples

Generally, Carry On fandom is strongly against re-posting art without creator permission. The artists shown in the gallery have given their permission for their work to be replicated on Fanlore. Other art is linked throughout the page.

  • Simon and Baz by KrisRix, artist's first piece in the fandom, 2018[5]

  • SnowBaz proposal by KrisRix, created for Carry On Countdown, 2019<ref>Making happier Christmas memories, Tumblr,

  • SnowBaz with fireflies from Wayward Son, by cynopoe, 2019[6]

  • SnowBaz by cynopoe, 2020[7]

  • SnowBaz kiss from Wayward Son, by Venessa Kelley, 2020[8]

  • Inspired by the Fangirl manga, art by laeveleve, 2021[9]

  • Simon and Baz kissing by super-duper-twelve for KrisRix, 2021[10]

  • Simon and Baz by super-duper-twelve, 2021[11]

  • Still from of an animation of Simon flying and kissing Baz, by hufflepunky for palimpsessed, 2020[12]

  • Simon and Baz wedding by palimpsessed for Carry On Countdown, 2020[13]

  • Mundane AU (human Baz) kiss in the rain by banjjakbanjjak, 2020[14]

Explicit Fic and Art

The fandom skews fairly young (see Carry On) and before the rise of the fandom Discords in 2019 (spaces that allowed older fans to talk in adult-only spaces) relatively few explicit fanworks were produced.

Author Sharkmartini put the following note at the beginning of her 2017 fic The Monster Under the Bed:

This is a little more explicit than the stuff I usually see in this fandom, sorry if that's inappropriate. This is literally just porn.[15]

As of January 2021, gen/teen rated fics still outnumber mature/explicit fics 4:1, but this is a significant percentage gain over the pre-2019 fandom and posting explicit fic or art is no longer seen as strange, as long as it's posted on spaces such as AO3 that ask for age statements before reading.

Explicit fic

Spoiler Warning: This article or section may contain spoilers. If this bothers you, proceed with caution.


Explicit Watford-era fic is almost always set in either seventh or eighth year. It often features Simon walking in on Baz wanking (Monster Under the Bed, referred to above, is one of these and inspired the 2021 fest of the same name) and/or asking Baz for help understanding his own body. Alternately, there may be some magical reason for them to get together and/or have sex. Following some drama in 2020, most Watford era explicit fic written after this point takes place in eighth year, so that both characters are over 18, although some seventh year fic is still written.

Post-Watford explicit fic is often first-time fic, with post-Wayward Son fic often focusing on what fans perceived to be Simon's touch aversion. In Any Way the Wind Blows, Simon and Baz canonically have sex. This is on page the first time, and fade to black the second time. Simon is shown to be proactive (and extremely horny for Baz, all the way through the book) and Baz asks him to be gentle, although he does qualify that this is just 'for now'. Simon hates Baz being gentle with him. Simon also tells Baz that he was able to have sex because he was treating it as a mission, making it good for Baz. This is a significant change from how their sex life was perceived following Wayward Son but before AWTWB, with some similarities, for example: Simon canonically tells Baz he thinks vampirism is hot, and Baz is canonically into Simon's tail and grips it during sex.

Most but not all explicit fic is focused on the sex, rather than being a plotty fic that also has sex.

Most sex is face-to-face, with being able to look at each other often being cited as important. Baz's fangs often drop just before the crucial moment. He will also usually calls Simon by his first name during sex, even if he still calls him 'Snow' during the rest of the fic. Many fics use the non-canonical spell "Slippery When Wet" as a lubrication spell and/or cherry-flavoured lube. 'Anathema' (referencing the 'roommates anathema' spell that means they can't hurt each other) is often used as a safeword.

Increasingly, explicit fics may explore Baz's vampirism and/or Simon's wings and tail. As of AWTWB, these can no longer be spelled away (canonically), but Baz also clearly likes them.

Baz is often depicted as a bottom, but not always and there is no agreement (or drama) about this in the fandom. Because of the factors above, there is relatively little kink fic, beyond bondage and rimming, which are popular in fics, as well as the occasional blood drinking.

Explicit art

Only a very small number of artists post explicit art, all of whom are well known for non-explicit work as well, and only really from 2020 onwards.

As Tumblr is the main fandom hub and the platform doesn't allow explicit images, posts are usually cropped with the full work actually hosted on Pillowfort. Artists also share this work in adult-only channels in Discord.

Resources

For other example works see Carry On.

Other resources:

References

  1. ^ laeveleve Instagram, 2020
  2. ^ parijpg Tumblr, Carry On Countdown Day 29: Firsts, Dec 23rd, 2019
  3. ^ Love and Other Lovely Little Violent Things by Miss_Cosmonaut, 2015
  4. ^ letraspal Tumblr, December 5, 2020
  5. ^ Three year anniversary of joining fandom post, Tumblr, 2020-10-28
  6. ^ cynopoe Tumblr, Oct 28th, 2019
  7. ^ cynopoe Tumblr, Dec 13th, 2020
  8. ^ “Guys!” Bunce shrieks. “We are literally fleeing a crime. And also still in Middle America.”, Tumblr, Sep 28th, 2020
  9. ^ "laeveleve Instagram, 2021".
  10. ^ super-duper-twelve Tumblr, January 2nd 2021
  11. ^ super-duper-twelve Tumblr, January 3rd 2021
  12. ^ hufflepunky Tumblr, JULY 13TH, 2020
  13. ^ palimpsessed Tumblr, Dec 24th, 2020
  14. ^ banjjakbanjjak Tumblr, 2020
  15. ^ The Monster Under the Bed by Sharkmartini on A03, 2017
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