and it's almost convincing, but i've been known to go against my instincts

and i know you're performing but it's working for me

we can talk about it in the morning*

How long does it take to do your boards?

It depends on the subject of the board and how many I'm going to do. Like sometimes I don't do all the members because I dont want to make them seem too repetitive or similar

My process is usually

Think of idea/theme (usually when listening to music)

Find core image for it (main pic to demonstrate theme) | maybe 30 mins|

Sift through my extensive music library and find songs/lyrics that fit theme or look on google for a quote/poem | bout an hour|

Assign lyrics to the guys | another hour because I constantly change who gets what |

(My most consistent step when creating anything) procrastinate actually starting any of the boards for a day or two

Start with the person who made me think of the idea initially (typically its Eric or Ace)

Look on google (always incognito) for images while listening to the song on repeat | about 45 mins, maybe an hour if I cant exactly find what I need|

Put them in my editing app (I usually use pixlr) and decide on a layout |when creating them I usually mess with the layout as I go, and when I decide on one I keep it for the whole set|

Look through my thousands of kiss photos to Find photos of the members that go along or just fit the aesthetic | typically 10-20 mins |

Edit the photos if needed (i.e changing the colors to fit the color of the guy, like purple for Paul and blue for ace etc. Or just adjusting brightness, saturation and all that.) |Usually takes about 30 minutes to do all of them of I'm doing 9 photos|

Repeat for everyone else, when making a set of boards I usually try to get 3 done at a time then another three the next day; but I do have a life outside making moodboards lol. To finish putting together a set it takes about 2 or 3 days depending on my schedule outside of creating. (Other times they take longer just because I have no clue what to do with specific members)

Put into tumblr and queue it up

Overall for one board (not counting procrastination days) about 3.5 hours on a good day

(I know you didn't ask for my process but this was my way of tallying up the time)

Hello! Your Secret Santa Again ❄️ Many apologies for the long silence I hope you're doing well!

Thank you for the Exo vid recommendations in your last answer! I haven't seen that many of the concert stages yet and both the ones you named were amazing!! that acoustic medley though!! But since you asked, right now my favorite stages are... maybe the 2019 Smtown in Japan Gravity and the KBS awards For Life?

You also picked the sweetest Suho moments, very fun to revisit. <3 Our leader really puts his heart into everything he does. I haven't started his drama yet either although it looked exciting! I have been watching Xiumin's ceo-dol mart, I just have the last couple episodes left. What have you been watching lately?

My favorite bbh moments... are many lol. I love the late night car ride lives he was doing for a while just singing and driving.

Favorite Kyunsoo songs... all of Empathy? I also really like Wonder off the new album.

I don't know that I have a SHINee bias, I feel like it changes every day but I adore them all. For WayV either Ten or Kun (speaking of lovable dorky leaders).

I like SuJu as well (so many good songs!!) I haven't heard any VIXX- what's your song rec? For Pentagon now is probably a rough time to get into them haha but I would recommend looking up Shine and Naughty Boy those are my favorites, or maybe Daisy or Dr. Bebe if you like a more intense concept.

I am not really a true horror fan but I really like the sort of offbeat gothic creepiness (think Addams Family or SHINee Married to the Music energy) and I like having a season to play that up. I don't have any halloween plans, but I decorated! What about you? Do you celebrate Halloween?

Re: your present, I wanted to ask if there was anything specific you might want? I mostly do digital art, but I can also do traditional drawing, moodboards, edits...I already have some ideas, but lmk if there's anything you had in mind!

Talk soon! <3

Hi!! ❣️ Oh it's definitely okay! And please accept my apologies as well - it's been rather hectic lately and I didn't have wi-fi for a bit and I caught a small cold etc. so I took way longer to answer you than I intended to... I hope that this doesn't make you feel too stressed about my gift? I'd love to receive anything really - I did pick fanart on the sign-up sheet, but I like all the options you mentioned so please feel free to do whatever you feel inspired to do! ✨

How have you been since our last talk? Hearing about you decorating during Halloween made me smile (>v<)🧡 I don't celebrate it myself, (I've been getting ready to celebrate Advent instead hahah) but I do like the aesthetic of it somewhat? And I get what you mean about the Shinee/Addams vibe! There's some humour to the creepiness, which is really nice! ✨ Still, I have to admit that I like watching/listening to darker horror movies/tales in every once in a while, especially if the stories are good (>v<;)

Oh, don't mention it! I'm just happy to hear that you liked those stages as well 💗 and you picked some great ones too! I tend to forget to look for SMTown videos and rewatch the music show stages for some reason, but now I have the perfect opportunity to do so 💫

Aahfbdf your kind words has me smiling really wide over here (>///<)💖 He really does, and I love and admire him so much for it 💕 I'd love to talk to you about Myeon's drama when we get to watch it! And I'd also love to hear what you thought about Xiu's drama - I've seen some gifsets from it and it looks fun! ✨ Sadly I haven't been able to watch anything lately, but I really want to get back into it! (>^<) I've been playing some Ni no Kuni though, maybe that counts ahah

That's a lovely answer! I also love his spontaneous lives where he's just being himself, it's so genuine somehow 💖 You also picked some great songs of Soo's, I can't help but agree with you on loving the entire "Empathy" album! 💚 I have to ask you a hard question now - what is your favourite Baek album? And favourite songs sung by him?

I understand that! They're a bunch of lovable dorks, who's not to adore? (the same goes for pretty much all the groups hahah)💕 I think it's the same with me regarding WayV though, I also gravitate towards Ten and Kun whenever I stop to think about my bias (>w<;)

ooh you're also an elf? I have to ask about the songs you think are good then ahdfbf 🎵Thank you for the Pentagon recommendations! I actually heard Shine and Dr Bebe before, I just forgot? I do like both though! And Naughty boy is so cute, while Daisy really is more intense - but definitely my style! 💗 For Vixx, I got into them thanks to Fantasy, and I still think of it as a favourite along with Shangri-La and Hyde - I like their dark concept, but at the same time some of their gentler songs are the sweetest I've ever heard, like Love letter and The rain! 💌

Thank you for answering all my questions so far, and I'm sorry again for taking so long to reply - I really enjoy reading your messages and I look forward to talking to you again soon ❣️ Take care!!

helloooo!!🩵 how are you?? I've taken some rest (and yes, I did reread otde...) but I wanted to thank you for even reacting to the playlist! I'm so glad I got to share it with you and introduce you to some new artists! I still listen to yours and I agree with you saying that both yours and mine give off the same vibe! They definitely do and i honestly love that sm! 💗 since I reread the story I got a ton of motivation ( and an amazing mood, god i love this story so much omfg) so be prepared for the moodboard AND the playlist bc my mind's just full of ideas rn also, thank you so much for giving me such nice replies, it feels like you really read all of my rants and it just makes me so happy ajwhehhehe i always get so so so excited and overall happy when you reply😭🩵buuut I got share something with you🤭

So I've been thinking what types of love/ tropes could fit with Felix and aside from best friends 2 lovers and enemies 2 lovers, I think the type of love where both love each other so much that it slowly eats away at them is so fitting! Like the type where they are always together, doing everything together to the point where they don't even know anything beyond each other — they know it's slowly ruining them but they don't care as long as they are together, and they always put each other before anyone else which kind of ends up with the losing a few friends/aqquantiences but they still just really don't care because, you know, the still have each other. the kind where they love each other with their own bones, know everything about the other by heart. Lets say, the type of love where it slowly ruins them, without them even knowing. I feel like this fits Felix so much,bc he's so nice and sweet that before you could even begin to notice that what you two have may be a bit unhealthy, you'd just simply be to deep and wouldn't be able to imagine a life without him. like soulmates / twin flames but a bit twisted 🤔 why I'm saying this is, because i think that mc and felix in otde are so tied together that in some future, this could potentially fit them (not neccessarily perfectly but it's there, you know what I mean?) , since they're going through the hardest times together, but also bc I feel like you might like this trope! Unfortunately, I haven't seen anyone write for Felix (which makes me a bit mad so I might as well do it myself)

But that's all for today's rant! Hopefully it wasn't too long🫠 as always stay safe and take care, love you sm! 🩵💗

welcome back my🩵🩵 i’ve been wondering how the rest of your week has been!! i’m glad you got to rest (and do a little reading🤭) i’ve been pretty good, but im so ready for the weekend lol.🫠

omg no need to thank me for reacting to the playlist, to be honest i’ve already come back to it multiple times since you sent it my way💕 it makes me so happy to hear that you feel motivated just from re-reading the story because i feel the same about your playlist, having all of these new songs to write to has certainly helped me get a good start on chapter 5.🤭 and i hope you know how excited it makes me to hear that you're planning to make the moodboard too?!?! if it comes from you then i already know it’ll be a masterpiece, and now i have even more motivation to look forward in the future!! you’re spoiling me🩵🥹 i love your “rants” (every single word!!) please never stop sending them, they are so special to me and put the biggest smile on my face no matter what time of day it is or wherever i am when i read them :) i dont think ill ever be able to express how much i appreciate them but ill continue to do my best to try💕

oohh something to share you say….🤭

“I think the type of love where both love each other so much that it slowly eats away at them is so fitting!” 

AND I THINK YOU’RE ONTO SOMETHING HERE. i completely, totally, one HUNDRED percent agree with you. this is SO Felix i can’t even put into words how much i enjoyed reading this because YES. just yes. like the type of love where its totally harmless at first, right? there’s this unexplainable connection between them that neither of them can ignore...even from the first time they see each other. and then they start spending more and more time together because they just can’t help it. and soon they're all each other can think about, and they’re not even trying to do things like push others away but they continue to let it happen, because they’re just so intoxicated with each other you know???? (omg i could go on forever) and i think felix is the perfect person for this trope because like you said, he’s so sweet and i can see him getting completely wrapped up in his partner because of how much he seems to genuinely care for those around him (and i mean vice versa, who wouldn’t get tunnel vision for felix????) the idea of soul mates and twin flames is great and all, don’t get me wrong, but take something that’s supposed to be innocent and make it a little twisted?? that is RIGHT up my alley. and i think it perfectly suits our main duo in otde because they're already feeling that pull toward each other and it's only natural that their bond will grow even stronger because of what they're currently going through/will go through together in the future....🫢

so in conclusion..you are a a genius🩵🩵my mind is already buzzing with inspiration from reading this🤭 and it makes me want to pick your brain even further to find out what other brilliant ideas you have hiding in there lol. okay okay im cutting myself off here (i am so very sorry for how embarrassingly long this😂) thank you so much once again for the inspiration💕🤗 i hope you have a wonderful weekend, it always makes my day to see the little blue hearts in my inbox, ily so very much🩵🩵

*busts through the door like I'm the Kool-Aid man* BONJOUR FUCKERS I'M BACK!!! It is I, the Theatrical Gay Anon™! I hope you're ready to endure my endless babbling for a bit cuz I've got lots to say holy shit. Consider this part 1 of like, 1000 cuz I think Tumblr got rid of the submissions feature. I apologize in advance for the spam hehe.

Okay, with that out of the way. Ms. Yehet-Me-Up, may I call you Sarah? Sarah, what the fuck!? I can't even rn. I I give you a simple suggestion, no expectations behind it. I say "Hey, don't you think it'd be cool if Zitao was in the Exodus Mall universe?" to which you said "Yeah, that'd be neat, I might do that. Perhaps make him work at an Irish pub or something" and then I flip out with gratitude and excitement thinking you're gonna do like, a DRABBLE. 500 words at MOST -Theatrical Gay Anon

Imagine my SHOCK, my STUPEFACTION, upon realizing that you wrote OVER TEN THOUSAND WORDS about Huang Zitao aka the wind beneath my wings, the rain to my drought, the corny joke to my Junmyeon. And not only that! But you did this A MONTH AGO. I could've been reading this for so long and I had no idea! How foolish am I? I can't believe you wrote all of this based off of a silly little suggestion I made. I feel like bowing over how not worthy I am Wayne's World style -Theatrical Gay Anon

NOW IN REGARDS TO THE CONTENT OF THIS MASTERPIECE OH MY GOD WHERE DO I EVEN BEGIN!? I am floored by your preeminence. First things first, the title? Perfect. Full disclosure, I suck at titles. I've been writing for over a decade now and I'm still shit with titles. It's so hard to come up with just a few words to encapsulate everything you wrote but you do it SO WELL. The moodboard? Amazing. I've always loved that picture of Zitao and it fits so well with the pub setting -Theatrical Gay Anon

I'm afraid you've written "Fractions of Tomorrow" so well that I don't see there being a need for anyone to write anything else...ever. Stories? CANCELED. Poetry? CANCELED. Biographies? CANCELED. It's all over folks. Sarah has written The Best Thing Ever. We've peaked as a society. After I finish writing these asks I'm gonna become a hermit in the woods and make friends with all of the woodland creatures that inhabit it. -Theatrical Gay Anon

But seriously though, I love absolutely everything about this story. As a Zitao fan, I'm used to getting breadcrumbs. Not a lot of ppl write fics about him. I can count on one hand how many long fics of his you can find on Tumblr. But THIS?? This was no breadcrumb, this was a whole fucking bakery. And it all appeals to me so much oh my god? The sappiness of it all, the flowery prose, the rebellious rejection of cynicism, it's all so beautiful I want to marry it. -Theatrical Gay Anon

If I discussed all of the sentences in this fic that made me giggle with joy and kick my feet around I'd be here all day so keep in mind this is just a FRACTION of the ones I loved but I couldn't go without mentioning at least some of them so here we go. "It’s not his first time here, but it’s his first time paying attention" SHUT UP this line is go good it's so simple yet so nuanced I adore it. Seriously, why hasn't anyone hired you to write a screenplay? -Theatrical Gay Anon

"He wonders if you ironed the collar of your shirt to be that precise or if you simply move through the world without acquiring any wrinkles" God, this line is so CUTE it's DISGUSTING he's fond of the reader's un-wrinkled clothes that's such a specific thing to like and is totally the type of thing I've done with the ppl I've crushed on throughout my life. -Theatrical Gay Anon

"‘Zitao,’ he says finally. ‘Cute.’ You say" this is such a little thing but I love that you included his full name in this. I love his full name so much it sounds really pretty. Whenever I hear him refer to himself as "Huang Zitao" in interviews my heart soars. Hearing him speak Mandarin in general is a delight as well. It's an audibly gorgeous language and any racist who says otherwise can EAT MY ENTIRE ASS -Theatrical Gay Anon

"For someone who’s been in love for as long as you can remember she fights awfully hard against Baekhyun’s romantic nature" DEAR GOD I LOVE THESE TWO! I love these movie loving lovesick fools. I love that everyone in the world knows they love each other except them. I love seeing bits and pieces of their story throughout this written universe. I can't wait to see it all come together in Baekhyun's Exodus Mall fic. It's gonna be GLORIOUS -Theatrical Gay Anon

Also! I know you enjoyed my song recs that I thought fit perfectly with All Our Broken Places so here are some for when the Baek x Hitchcock fic drops. I know it's not done yet but I just *know* what it's gonna be like I can feel it in my bones. "Sidekick" by Walk the Moon and "Tongue Tied" by Grouplove. As for Fractions of Tomorrow I knew right away what songs I'd pick. "Dreams" by The Cranberries, "Jumpstarted" by Jukebox the Ghost and "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey -Theatrical Gay Anon

Gosh, this fic filled me with so much energy and joy I feel like a toddler on caffeine. But I really should sleep now though. It's gotten so late that I can see the sunrise peaking up sdksdksl. I'll see ya soon! I will be spamming you with more compliments about this fic once I wake up though! - Theatrical Gay Anon

Hi! I'm back. Okay, now where was I? Oh yeah, I was talking about some of my favorite lines from the story. "‘Hey man, how’s it going?’ Baekhyun reaches out and does a complex handshake with the man before you. ‘Oh, you know. Just working at the salt mines,’ Tao says with a laugh." I LOVE that you made Baek the one Zitao was close with. I miss the beef brothers so much. I'll never forgive SM for what they did to OT12. They were all such good friends 😔 -Theatrical Gay Anon

"‘I’m not sure.’ For a flash Tao’s eyes linger on you once more. ‘I think it would depend on the person.’ And then the bastard goes and winks at you." GOD, HE WOULD DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS! HE'S SUCH A SHAMELESS FLIRT I HATE HIM *narrator voice* This was of course a huge a lie, he in fact loved Zitao immensely -Theatrical Gay Anon

"‘Sweetheart, I’m everyone’s type.’" You've captured Zitao's unlimited confidence so well and that makes me really happy. It's one of my favorite things about him. The man truly loves himself and I think that's awesome -Theatrical Gay Anon

"Tao looks at you through his lashes, bending close enough that you can feel his breath on your lips when he speaks. ‘Words are just the appetizer, darling. I prefer to have an entire feast.’ 'Any other questions or can I grab your orders?’" ASDKDSDSL SO YOU'RE JUST GONNA SAY THAT PANTY DROPPER LINE AND GO BACK TO BUSINESS AS USUAL ZITAO???? HUH??? IS THAT WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO??? -Theatrical Gay Anon

"‘Oh, nothing.’ He looks like the cat that caught the canary. ‘I just love being right.’" Something I love about EXO fic writers (myself included lol) is that despite all of the different ways they'll write the other members, there is one member who is always written the same and that's Baekhyun. He will always be written as a cheeky little shit cuz he *is* a cheeky little shit. That's just who he is. Messing with ppl is a favorite past time of his. -Theatrical Gay Anon

"'So, love, huh? There’s not some girlfriend or boyfriend of yours waiting for you at home?’" Thank you for not being heteronormative with the "are you dating someone?" convo. I know it might not seem like much but I really appreciate it. -Theatrical Gay Anon

"The beginning of love is always a lightning bolt. If that’s all it ever is you never have to deal with being knocked on your ass by the resulting thunderstorm" OOF, this one got me. So very true. The beginning of love is so scary! -Theatrical Gay Anon

"I could argue that anarchy still is love. Love of your beliefs and love of a person or a place or a thing so much that you’re willing to fight for it" OKAY BUT PASSIONATE LEATHER JACKET WEARING ANARCHIST ZITAO IN A ROCK BAND IS SUCH AN ATTRACTIVE CONCEPT!!! There's nothing sexier than a bad boi that will hate capitalism with you! He'd probably be the one to give ppl rides to protests and stuff I LOVE IT -Theatrical Gay Anon

"If we say love is a feeling, who’s to say that we aren’t in love? If we decide it’s an action then which one is it? A kiss or a commitment or - maybe it’s nothing more complicated than putting words to the way I feel when you look at me?" Listen I don't mean to be dramatic or anything (wait, who am I kidding? I'm literally the Theatrical Gay Anon being dramatic is like my Thing) but if a guy ever said that to me my trans boi pussy would be open for business IMMEDIATELY

Alright, so, uh Final Thoughts. This may be my new favorite work of yours, and no it's not just cuz it's got my ultimate bias in it lmao. This year has been so shitty and it's made my depression + anxiety reach the highest possible levels but reading this, this love story filled with hope and certainty despite not knowing what the future will hold for them, made this year seem easier to cope with. Thank you so much for making this, it means the world to me. -Theatrical Gay Anon

ALRIGHT, LAST ASK AND THEN I'LL SHUT UP I PROMISE but I personally headcanon that Double Shot + Zitao stayed together till the very end. They didn't get married cuz they hate formalities but they got matching tattoos and even when they're old and grey you can still them clear as day on their wrists. When they're asked how they met no one believes their answer lol. And when Double Shot died of old age before Zitao he would sing her favorite song by her grave every Saturday -Theatrical Gay Anon

OKAY SO I know I said I was done and I know I've already sent in like, 30 bajillion asks but I'm curious does Yifan or Luhan also work at the Irish pub?? Or do they work somewhere else in the mall? Inquiring minds want to know -Theatrical Gay Anon

When I tell you this made my entire month (when you sent it weeks ago, I’ve been hanging onto these because they seriously bring me SO much joy holy crap) I am not remotely kidding j;oaisjdflkasdjfa

I am absolutely going to put on these song recs while I work on the next chapter! 

a;osdfjlaksdfjasl the fact that you stayed up late to read this warms my heart so much. It reminds me of all the times I stayed up til the ass crack of dawn reading fanfics because I simply could NOT stop reading, so the fact that you enjoyed this like that makes me helllllaaaa emo 🥰

I just??? 2020 was indeed such a long year and affected my energy and creativity and honestly don’t really remember writing this hahaha. I kind of go into a fugue state with these longer fics and they just EMERGE. So to see you reflecting back some of what I wrote allows me to enjoy the process so much more. Makes writing and tumblr fun and I seriously wish everyone writing and creating could have someone as passionate and thoughtful and hilarious as you hyping them up 🌟 it honestly feels like a GIFT and I will absolutely keep writing this series and hoping to be worthy of it 😘

We will definitely get to see more of these two in the finale fic! I got into EXO after Tao, Yifan, and Luhan left so I’m not quite as familar with their personalities, but I could definitely see Yifan working at the US Bank haha. Business suit by day and partying/flirting by night. As for Luhan I feel like he’d work somewhere like the bookstore or the music store?? somewhere quieter and more contemplative. 

Thank you again for sending this and for being you <3 I hope 2021 is a wonderful year for you and that you know how AMAZING you are 💖💖💖💖💖

hi there and congrats on 2.5k!! may i get a 🔥 please? for bandstand and marvel, and i'd like to be shipped with a guy! 💙

i'm a hufflepuff and INFP! i love listening to music (taylor's evermore is on repeat rn), making moodboards, and drawing fictional characters. i tend to be really shy but i love talking to people once i'm comfortable with them - it takes me a bit to get out of my comfort zone, but i'd like to do it more often. a couple things i dislike are cucumbers (lol) and feeling anxious/socially awkward. thanks so much !!

Bandstand:

I ship you with Johnny Simpson!

johnny would just  a d o r e  you, and that’s something that makes you feel really special and is really good for your relationship since you are slow to get to know and you are slow to warm to others.

honestly, johnny would do well with an introvert, because while he is very extroverted himself, he often has to take a moment to sit out for a minute because of his injuries, and you would be more than willing to do that with him.

and on the days when he has to stay inside or needs to be alone? you completely understand and don’t pressure him at all, which is really good for his well being.

also! your love for making mood boards probably lends itself to making collages of old photographs, and johnny loves to watch you gather up the photos and meticulously plan out where each one is going to go. he’ll often times sit on the couch while you work on the floor, photos spread out everywhere, and he’ll peek over your shoulder and ask the stories behind each photo. he loves to listen to you talk and reminisce.

i imagine you eventually make him a scrapbook for some birthday or another, and you’ve written down memories beside each photo. he loves it very much, even on those days when he hates himself for how easily he forgets things.

and while literally everyone in the band loves music, i think that johnny has a really deep connection to it, so he’d love to listen to music with you! he’s getting good at associating songs with memories, so he especially loves to repeat songs and remember things better than usual.

he also loves dancing - whether it’s in the kitchen listen to what’s on the radio, or going to a club with a live band, he loves moving - gently, you remind him, so his back doesn’t kill him in the morning.

i think that johnny might push you out of your comfort zone just a little bit when it comes to talking to new people and doing new things, but he’s also very respectful of your boundaries - you are so kind with him and so he will be equally as kind with you. all you have to do is give him a look or say no, and he’ll pull back.

Marvel:

I ship you with Steve Rogers!

i apparently like the idea of you in the 40s, lol, but i’m focusing on cap in modern day because we don’t need that angst.

my gut reaction is that you and cap meet on like a park bench. you’re just a normal person doing some normal illustrations in the park when cap comes by, just having finished a run. (i want it to be a gag that steve is constantly meeting strangers while going on his morning runs, and all of them are just,,, really loyal to him for no reason? natasha is astounded, and it’s a laugh)

you’ve probably seen each other a few times now, so it’s not terribly odd when he starts to chat with you. and he notices your drawings! and hey - they’re really good. and when you try to brush it off, he says that he’s an artist himself, so he recognizes talent when he sees it. and he leaves not too long after that, and it’s cute little interaction that you don’t think is going to lead to much.

but then, you walk to your spot the next day, and steve is sitting there - without having gone on a run - drawing, with some of his old art on hand (he probably wanted it out of a museum and tony probably bought it for him, lol)

and now you’ve officially become art friends with captain america,,,, how did that happen???

anyway, it’s a cute relationship start, you get a lot of coffee dates trips to art museums, and steve is just so glad he has someone he can do mundane things with. there’s something really calming about doing the little things, and it helps him greatly. he can still feel so strange in this world, but you put him at ease.

and your love of music? the two of you are definitely listening to your favorites, because cap has a lot to catch up on, and you have just the right playlist.

also,,,, your personalities match up really nicely. both of you can be a bit awkward, but you’re loyal, passionate, thoughtful people with the kindest hearts.

and steve is the definition of a gentleman, he would treat you right and would pull you out of any situation that makes you uncomfortable. he’s totally chill to stay in and watch tv, do some cooking, or read. he missed so much life that he finds a lot of joy in the small pleasures - especially ones that are timeless.

and in a hogwarts au steve is 100% a hufflepuff, so the two of you would spend a lot of time in the common room, hanging out.

Okay I think one of my asks may have got eaten by Dumblr 😂 or I'm just blind and can't find it on your blog. That's okay, I'll ask again and do some more compacting. What is your favourite song by each member of Queen from Innuendo and why? What is your favourite song by each of them in general and why? 🎄

That will be a really long answer hope you ready for that..

So here we go

Innuendo:

Don't try so hard (Deacon/Mercury)

I like and i hate it, multiple reasons really, i find it a really sad song and the fact that is a collab between John and Fred makes me soft.

Headlong/Show must go on(May)

Well i LOVE this song....it's carefree and rock, and i adore the video truly. They look sooo good.

The second because was the song that gave/give me the strenght to go on, it became my anthem.

I'm going slightly mad (Mercury)

It's one of the first song i've heard back in days, i love how absurd was and the video made me giggle as every time when i was little. I love it

These are the days of our lives (Taylor)

Obviously, this one is beautiful and makes me sad so much, after -Was it all worth it- this is another testament of the band.

-----

In general

Every Deacon song - no, i'm kidding

That one that surprised me was Party (May/Deacon/May) . That song is so funny and explain very well how most of Queen parties were.

We have then Spread your Wing/I want to break Free (Deacon) that are somewhat connected, like one it's the start for something and the other is the realization, truly i love almost every John song but these two...are special.

Then there's My baby does me (Deacon/Mercury). Well that song is sexy, really, listen to the lyrics...it tells everything...and had inspired me many drabbles.

Drowse(Taylor) underrated, but this song is so relaxing and beautiful, i like few Rog songs and this is one of them

Sleeping on the sidewalk (May) as much as i love '39 this song became soon one of my fave, Brian's voice in this is....well, soo damn good. It has the right country feel to it.

The fairy feller's master stroke/Good old fashioned lover boy (Mercury) i LOVE these, like i really LOVE! The first one ispired me so much fantasy AU you don't have idea, this is my kind of song.

Second one, is quirky enough to be listened to soo many times (yes i obsess) and the imagines that gives me? (One of my first moodboards was about this song.

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Those are the FAVE and it was a really hard choice for me....there are still so many...

ty!! i'll try to organize them. sorry there are so many! i got carried away 🙈 1. what typically comes first when an idea is born? plot, characters, a certain scene..? 2. what's your outline process like? do you do it all before writing begins, or just beginning and ending, then fill it in as you go? 3. how do you keep track of all the moving pieces as you write? 4. is it weird going from writing just one longfic (violet rain) to multiple longfics at a time?

Alrighty anon! I’ve got (really long) answers to each of these questions under the cut. Please just keep in mind that what’s true for me and works for me is not gospel on writing, and there are a million ways to write well. Also, as far as I know I'm just rambling incoherently here so with any luck it's at least mildly helpful 💗

Additionally, these answers are true for fics I’ve written alone. Cowritten fics 'exist' differently in my brain. The planning, writing, and editing process is different and the way I look at them as WIPs is different. I will say, if you're having trouble getting words down on the page for a longfic, find a friend to RP / cowrite with. The literal drafting can go much faster.

1. What typically comes first when an idea is born? At the risk of sounding vague, I would say my ideas come in sort of snapshot things. Maybe it’s a line of dialogue, or a picture I see, or a lyric from a song, or a TV episode b-plot, or just a particular experience that I want to encapsulate. These little nuggets accumulate until I have enough to start writing. For example, Violet Rain was initially inspired by a moodboard I scrolled past on Tumblr. At around the same time in my life, I was listening a lot to the musical soundtrack Six (about the six wives of King Henry VIII) and reading Margaret Atwood’s The Blind Assassin (a book about an extremely unhappy marriage.) Those pieces of inspiration fell into place as I started to think about this long story I wanted to work on. From whatever those initial premises are, the story takes on a life of its own, and then it just sort of marinates in the back of my head at all times (yes it's kind of hell.) Often in my writing documents I keep a reference folder with every photo, song, movie, line, and ‘aesthetic’ that has contributed to that fic. That keeps the inspiration in one place. I also tend to write down every vaguely-fic or writing-related idea I have in my Notes app and organise those notes every couple days. Maybe it’s specific to a project (one note I currently have is “Edge of Virtue: SIM tells Peter he shouldn’t believe in fairytales”) or maybe it’s more open-ended (like just this line “There was the scent of summer liquor heavy in the air. And that good-tired feeling that came from socialisation and too much sun.) Idk where that line will go yet or when, but I’ve got it written down and on hand if the time ever comes. 2. What’s your outline process like? Do you do it all before writing begins, or just beginning and ending then fill it in as you go? I tend to write “skeleton outlines”. These are fairly open-ended bullet point outlines of any ideas I initially have, then I order them somewhat-chronologically. Then they get fleshed out as I continue to work. And/or I also sometimes fill out an outline based on the Hero's Journey (filling in a description for each stage) because I'm a simp for Joseph Campbell's book. I try not to get too deep into drafting a story without the ending in mind and a somewhat-complete outline in place (though entire arcs can get added to that outline. The original “complete” outline of Violet Rain was 12 chapters, but then my beta and I came up with more ideas… and more ideas… and more ideas…) I’ve read before that you should outline scene-by-scene or arc-by-arc, but I’ve always just done it chapter-by-chapter with an open mind and a willingness to move things as necessary (for example, the first outline of Argent Sea had all the events of Chs. 4 and 5 in one chapter. Obviously that didn’t work out length-wise, so I shifted some scenes around. No big deal.) I’d tentatively say I always have a solid 'direction' to write in before I start drafting, but I’m very open to changing an outline or adding to it over time. The outline of Violet Rain changed and had stuff added to it up until I was writing Ch. 28. Or, if you’ve read the author’s note on Ch. 4 of Argent Sea, you know I drastically changed something from my outline at the end of that chapter which is now going to impact every other chapter, so I’ve had to adjust the outline and draft a lot for that. I tend to think about writing as drafting being 35-40% of the work and planning / outlining / revising / proofreading is the other 60-65%. I’m sure many people would disagree with me. But I think outlining and being willing to make big changes in the revision process is important. 3. How do you keep track of all the moving pieces are you write? With difficulty. In my case, and I apologise for trying to sell you something, I have to give credit to two softwares I use: one is called Scrivener (for drafting and organising ideas) and the other is called Aeon Timeline. They take some time to get the hang of, and aren’t cheap, but I’ve been using them for years and years. In my

opinion, they’re more than worth the one-time payment. Aeon is nice because I can tag characters to timeline events and then sort the timeline either as a master timeline or just by character to show just that person’s events / where they are. But the fact is, you can keep track of timelines or details however you want. For Violet Rain, my betareader and I did it all in Google Docs using Docs’ outline feature. For an original project that I used to work on, I had a physical 3-ring binder for it. You gotta do what you know works for your brain. The other thing I do to track moving pieces is I keep a list of symbols or things "to track" and I go through that list when I edit each chapter. I tick things off to make sure they're addressed, developed, or not contradicting what's established. For example, use of the word "kid" to describe Peter is very intentional in Violet Rain. So in part of my revising process for each chapter I would search for "kid" in the chapter and make sure I didn't contradict what I wanted to do. Similarly, the lemon tree is a symbol for Peter's feelings about Tony, so when editing each chapter I had "lemon tree" on my list and I would look to see if I'd mentioned the lemon and — if so — if it correctly symbolised what I wanted it to. If everything is checked off, I can publish the chapter. I’ve had buddies who work better with physical reminders, and so sometimes they use sticky notes for each moving piece or a whiteboard to track things. I’ve done sticky notes and index cards before and really liked it (I just don’t really have the physical space at home right now to spread out that much.) Once again, it’s about whatever works for you and your brain and your process. I also somewhat-frequently reread what’s already been published or written (or, if not rereading it, keeping a tab open of what’s been published as I’m working, for quick reference.) That’ll usually help me remember those details I need to keep track of and add them to my list if needed. They also help me keep track of what the reader knows vs. what I know. 4. Is it weird going from writing just one longfic (Violet Rain) to multiple longfics at a time? Yes. Mostly because, before Violet Rain, I’d been working for years on a novel of original fiction that — ever since Violet Rain — has been on the back burner. The truth is, I’m not a fan of the multiple-WIP hole I’ve dug for myself in the past six months, it feels unwieldy and dampens my inspiration for any given fic. So I’m looking forward to wrapping up shorter projects and getting back to a place of just having one active longfic at a time.