#why so concise ? - the rambler

[papillon-de-porcelaine]

Hi! I'm not trying to fight, I'm just trying to offer my perspective on this, as a huge fan of both pieces of media, who still voted destiel. (I mean, look at my icon! Its literally Hua Cheng!)

So. Supernatural is a show that started in two thousand and five. It is a show that lasted 15!!!! Years and was quite literally constantly reshaped by the evolving political and cultural landscape around it. Destiel was a thing for 12 of those years. It went through three different showrunners, countless writers, several presidents. It's a behemoth of a ship that shaped a lot of fandom culture to this very day! And calling ALL the writers and actors homophobes is kind of an insane take. Misha has always supported the ship even way back when, and more and more writers are coming out and saying they always wrote with Destiel in mind, even as far back as SEASON 5, in 2009!! This was 6 years before gay marriage was legalized in the US, by the way. The true villains here are the studio execs, who always tried to suppress the relationship and told the writers to bury it more.

The last three seasons of the show, destiel is canon in every way that isn't a kiss/saying it out right. Dean goes through an entire widower arc, for God's sake. There is a mixtape involved. The villain of the last season is literally a heavy handed metaphor for a TV executive trying to control everything!! And the characters breaking free from the narrative!! So many writers were on our side. And the confession this website memed to oblivion ? So many people fought so hard for it behind the scenes, including an openly gay writer. It was edited down to pieces, but it still somehow aired , on prime time TV, for the world to see. It quite literally changed the status quo.

Now TGCF is great. It's amazing, and I love it dearly. But it does not and never will have the cultural significance and depth of destiel. I mean, Hua Cheng, for how cool he is and how much I love him, has the character depth of a piece of cardboard ; he solely exists as Xie Lian's love interest, a fully devoted believer, MXTX said it herself. Compare that to the years and years of layering and development Dean and Castiel both have, and it's not contest for me.

And like, I am aware China is very repressive of gay media, I'm not trying to invalidate that. But TGCF is more niche than SPN and it exists in a "danmei bubble" where there weren't ever any fights about those guys being in love or not.

I think it's the contrast of supernatural starting as a macho for-cishet-men by-cishet-men show full of beer and cars and hot women and ending up as a queer narrative and a quest for freedom that gets to me. That "against all odds" flavor, not solely within the narrative, but in the meta-narrative too.

Honestly, it made me kinda sad to see so much hostility towards Destiel in the Hualian shippers' tags. We shouldn't be fighting guys, we should be holding hands and working together against the one true enemy: censorship.

Tumblr Top Ships Bracket - Semifinals

This poll is a celebration of fandom and fandom history; we're aware that there are certain issues with many of the listed pairings and sources, but they are a part of that history. Please do not take this as an endorsement, and refrain from harassment.

[pandorkful-art]

Is MerFolk just merwomen or does it have other LGBTQ? (trans people, bisexuals, gay men, ect.) Just curious!

Hiya! Thanks for the ask!

MerFolk has mostly mergals being merpals, but I tried to include more than just lesbian mermaids. As a non-narrative collection of images, it's kinda hard to lock down what each merfolk's sexuality and gender identity is... it feels super lame of me to say "Oh it's up to the viewer to decide!" but when it comes down to it, it kinda is...

I want to say that a number of them are trans and nonbinary, but at least at the time I was doing the drawings I wasn't conscious of how to make that respectfully blatant...

So that said, mostly presumed-female merfolk and a couple presumed-male merfolk and at least one gnc sharkfolk with a sick tattoo.

\o/

[iustusetpeccator]

how I run my blogs

TAGGED BY STOLEN FROM: @invelleity​  TAGGING: @corfortiium​ @paraliminal​ @tnott​ @all-my-potter-babies​ @worth12malfoys​ @lucklessladies​ @proditeur​ @imbricare​ @cerebrumcormeum​ @therearemoreimportanthings​ + you, random citizen!

SPEED:  Everything gets replied to in roughly chronological order, and the queue is currently set to two replies, two musings of some sort, and one bit of Rita’s gossip every day. I’d absolutely love to kick things up a notch, but anytime my drafts hit double digits I have a Moment, so I guess slow and steady is how it’s gonna have to be. If you want speed, catch me on disco! REPLIES:  I’m a rambler, okay. Like I’m actually one of the few people who like purple prose (think Anne Rice), and honestly? I’m aware it’s not objectively Great—but it is what it is. I would like to be a bit more concise so my words have more weight, but I don’t dislike my style, so. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Also mad respect for people who can write tightly, I admire the shit out of you folks! STARTERS:  If my replies are rambly, my starters are absolutely insufferable. I like to set a scene, provide some context, indicate the mood, etc. I don’t expect people to match my length except in the roughest sense, though, so we good. INBOX:  I mean, you’re welcome to send shit, but I am terrible for letting things sit in there for months and then deleting them, be it starters, headcanons, what have you. I have a massive backlog of stuff that’s gonna get dealt with soon, either posting or deleting everything, but uhhh... If I can’t be arsed writing the thing, I just won’t. SELECTIVITY:  I’m selective about who I write with because frankly, I’m a neurotic bitch and small things can annoy me A Lot. Plus like I said, I keep an eye on my draft list at all times and don’t see the appeal of having 36,085 mutuals and 3,748,994 threads going on at any one time. I like my writing gang just now and I’m not actively looking for new partners, tbh—but if you slide into my IMs, I won’t turn you down or anything. WISHLIST:  LOCKHART LOCKHART LOCKHART. Also Poppy Pomfrey and Minerva McGonagall and maybe even Emmeline Vance. And something for Nerida and Nadya because I love them to bits and they don’t get any attention. HONEST NOTE:  When people leave me hanging (i.e. don’t reply to my IMs for a length of time), I get really self-conscious. I’ve got a pretty healthy level of self-esteem overall, but I’ve never been good at making or keeping friends, and I always worry I’ve said the wrong thing or come on too strong or w/e. So if you’re not great at getting back to me, and unless you actually let me know why, I might well unfollow you because frankly, communication is everything to me. But also if you talk to me and we get along, I will find a way of making our muses work no matter what. Muns > muses, always.

[astralmeta]

shiro, keith, & the black lion

i’ve wanted to write about my interpretation of keith becoming black paladin + bonding with the black lion for a while, and i think post-s7 is as good a time as any to try and get my thoughts out there. i want to be as concise and understandable as possible but at the core, i am rambler, so pls bear with me. 

disclaimer: this is just my own interpretation of canon. you don’t have to agree with me but i’m asking you to at least be respectful. 

imo, i think a key thing to understand when approaching keith’s leadership arc and becoming black paladin is his relationship with shiro. if you’re not on board with shiro and keith having intertwining character arcs, i really can’t help you there, tbh. 

i think the lens of which you’re meant to at least partly view keith becoming black paladin is through his love and dedication to shiro. keith and the black lion, in a strange way, are narrative parallels. galra origins. slow to trust. willing to do anything to save shiro. 

there’s a reason this is the first instance of an actual connection between keith and the black lion. the basis of their bond is through their mutual love and care for shiro - their desire to protect him from harm, to keep him alive. 

“i know i’m not shiro, but he’s in trouble. we have to help him.” keith to the black lion, s2ep1 ‘across the universe’ 

of course, throughout the rest of season 2, it’s shiro’s bond with black and keith’s bond with red that take a good amount of focus from the narrative. and that’s fine. imo, a part of the reason that keith is chosen by the black lion was keith’s complete trust in shiro as black paladin. he constantly assures shiro of his leadership and his place as the head of voltron. 

“shiro’s the head.” s1ep2, ‘some assembly required’ 

“you mean you’ve got your bayard.” s2ep13, ‘blackout’

“shiro was the black lion.” s3ep2, ‘red paladin’ 

and, in season 3, it’s keith who is still mourning and hurting over shiro’s disappearance while the rest of the team is still trying to move on. keith, once again, connects with the black lion through their mutual love of shiro - and the black lion also recognises the potential that shiro saw in keith to be a leader.

however, keith’s development as a leader is hindered by his issues with self-worth - he has yet to fully understand his past, he can’t stand the thought of “replacing” shiro, he doesn’t feel he’s capable of leading the team like shiro did etc. and, once shiro/kuron turns up, desperate to grasp hold of leadership again in the wake of escaping the galra (again), keith pulls away from the team - because he believes that shiro’s the “rightful leader of [voltron]” and that shiro was “finally able to be the leader [he] was unable to be”. 

there’s a whole other meta i could do on keith and shiro’s parallel isolation arcs throughout act 2 (s3 - 6) but i’m trying to keep this focused on the black paladin stuff. in short version, the time keith spends with the blade of marmora is also essential to his leadership arc - it gives him a different perspective and experience on the war than being a paladin of voltron does, and it also leads him to krolia, his mother. the two years keith spends with krolia allows keith to come to terms with his past and allow him a chance at a childhood he didn’t really get a chance to have. think of keith’s self-worth issues as a knot - and the original knot is his abandonment as a child. untie that original knot (i.e. keith meets and bond w/ his mother, understands why she left) and everything else slowly unravels after it. 

krolia also helps keith understand that there’s space in his life for both love and “the mission” - another aspect on keith’s leadership arc i could a whole other meta on. that love is, in fact, an essential part of “the mission”. 

“i finally understand why you left. you put the mission above all else.” 

“that’s not true. i left to protect the person i most love. you.” s6ep2, ‘razor’s edge’ 

so, when keith returns to the team, buffed up and bonded with his long-lost mother, he’s ready to pilot the black lion and his first order of business? rescue shiro. and the black lion’s completely on board with that, because the black lion understands going to extremes to rescue shiro, because shiro’s currently housed in their consciousness because the black lion couldn’t let shiro die. just like keith can’t let shiro die. 

and ‘the black paladins’ completely convinced me of black paladin keith, because it brings home everything about keith and black’s bond that’s beautiful. and this one’s for everyone who thinks keith just “won” the black lion for no reason. 

shiro fought zarkon for the black lion. shiro essentially became the black lion. keith fought ‘shiro’ and DEATH for shiro (who is the black lion). keith is the reason shiro is alive, just as the black lion is the reason shiro is alive. 

it is keith’s love and dedication to shiro that proves him worthy of being black paladin. it is keith’s love and dedication to shiro that brings shiro back to life. that brings the black lion back to life.   

the entire episode is keith trusting in his love for shiro and ends with keith both at peace with the idea of dying with shiro but also not willing to give up just yet, because shiro wouldn’t want him to give up. and the black lion/shiro saves them, because how could they not? after all that? and the black bayard appears in keith’s hand in order to release shiro from the control of his tormentor and free him of his pain. like, holy shit, y’all. 

both human and galra. both paladin and blade. ready to spit in the face of death for the man he loves. 

and then - just to drive home the point - there’s the second scene in the astral plane. where it’s clear (to me) that shiro is content with keith as black paladin - that shiro sees keith bond with black for what it is. proof of keith’s potential that shiro saw in him so long ago. proof of keith’s unconditional love for shiro.

shiro guiding keith in piloting black is a scene completely bathed in golden light that echoes a sunrise. new beginnings, rebirth etc. you’re meant to view it as something beautiful. because love is beautiful. it’s really kind of that simple, i think. 

tl;dr keith’s love for shiro is essential to understanding keith as black paladin. and understanding keith in general, tbh. there’s honestly so much more i could write on this but i don’t want this to turn into an essay, lmao. hope you enjoyed!  

[sokokoko]

Have you ever just decided to discontinue a story idea because, like, it did have plot but you couldn't really decide what to put in the middle? Or the plot was more of a concept but nothing solid?

You can see how it starts and how it ends, perhaps, but you still wonder what's going to make up the meat of the story?

It's pretty nice to assemble a bit of a plot by daydreaming but I recently had an idea that helped me generate more ideas

I decided to turn two stories I have that weren't going anywhere on their own into games/TV shows/movies/comics in the universes of others that were more developed and then draw parallels between them

In "The Raven & The Dove", an assassin who goes by 'The Raven' reminisces about his favourite book "Killer Queen", where a young adult (who spent his childhood being used by his father as a thief/assassin) is ordered by his father to crossdress, marry the king and kill him without anyone finding out he's male

I never named the guy from "Killer Queen" but he was this skinny, slightly tan dark blue haired guy with really dark brown eyes, we'll call him 'Mu' for now though.

Basically, the old king died and now the former prince got crowned king so he needs a wife. To get one, they basically hold a series of interviews, trials and dates at the palace where all the candidates temporarily come to stay. Mu's mission is to act as one of the candidates and win over the king so a marriage can be arranged. On their wedding night the king will want to consummate their marriage and Mu will kill the king before he can find out his gender.

But, as these things go, King treats Mu like a 👑 ✨queen ✨👑 and is genuinely interested in him because Mu doesn't go waving his status, riches or the political benefits of choosing him to wed in his face or anything like that. And wow, since King treats Mu like a human being 🤯 Mu's in love/ is reluctant to go on with the plan

But falling in love with someone just because they're the first person who showed you human decency doesn't really vibe with me as a romantic plot anymore, so I didn't really want to write it anymore

Now, The Raven would rather like a reason to abandon his murderous life and high key relates with having his parent use him. But rather than his father, it's his mother who stopped seeing him as a child when he murdered a loan shark who kept harassing her in order to make her love him more

PARALLELS 👏

In another story— actually, no. technically it's different because I specifically made the games/ series to give 2 characters a reason to bond and interact and went way overkill with world building. BUT! One character in the main series (Guardians) belongs to a race that needs to sacrifice part of their lifespan to use magic and in the games (Gaia Underground) there are 2 examples of species giving up something to use magic (faeries and cyclopses). So my guy Alan has a heart to heart with his magic guardian about that. I'd probably need 2 other posts to explain everything about both series so I'm purposely keeping it concise, I'm a bit of a rambler as you can see :}

I'm trying out this formula with another series where I liked the plot but couldn't go anywhere with it too

Basically I'm viewing these characters from other characters' points of view. What does your boogieman character think is cool about your adaptation of Persephone? What's his favourite scene? Why? Which arc struck a chord with him? How? Why? (Is it relatable?) Maybe your run of the mill bakery girl likes Hades. She thinks his vulnerability and loneliness make him a softy. He's a tough guy but makes her heart melt.

What about characters being introduced to your series by someone who's really enthusiastic? How would they sell the series' good points? Do they accidentally spoil something? Is it just that good?

[threeletterslife]

CHANA I sent an ask earlier on my laptop but it wOuLd not send (at least I think it didn’t??) so houhee try 2 on mobile :,) anyways I WILL NOT HESITATE TO SAY I SCREAMED WHEN YOU POSTED IGNIS FATUUS OMG I WAS SO EXCITED FOR THAT FIC JKFLDJH and I am a sucker for gigantic fics too so when I saw the whopping 26K I was like yes these are the things I live for 😎 but anyways I like how you made the apocalypse more mellow at first, which was an interesting take on zombie apocalypse fics as most of

them are all like oMG *fight pow die* in the first paragraph shjkfjdlsk :,) but also I am vEry scared for the next chapter because if the bus broke then they’re going to have to wALk to the hospital and the city’s going to be like all zombie infested ahhh although they may possibly meet more survivors at the hospital hMm honestly though I feel like the angst is really going to be strong in the second half because Ignis Fatuus means like a deceptive hope I think so why do I feel like the ending

may be like the eight of them realize they’re stuck in this zombie apocalypse world forever or something shklfjldk because I felt like most of the first part all the characters were all pretty dang hopeful that things would get better since they’ve already survived this long and for the most part stuff was running smoothly?? Jjklfdjk I feel like my theory is so small-brain though but I sWEAR this Ignis Fatuus thing must come in play somehow/be related to the tHeMe of the fic because this is

a ChAna fic and they have like 84902390490 layers of meaning sigh sigh :,) but also since JK and Y/N were alike yEah things will get better and we’ll eventually be able to play baseball again and stuff huhuhurjlkgjls I don’t know sigh I feel like the ending is going to be depressing self realization of the fact that even though they’re alive they’re going to die sooner or later/be stuck in misEry forever >:(( also quick question, for your hiatus later on, will you be active but not posting for

the time period, or will it be a complete hiatus where you won’t be active on Tumblr at all? Anyways I’m sorrY for this giant four part ask (and most of it was just me trying to express a single theory on the plot of Ignis Fatuus but rambLing about it very not - concisely lkfjklds) but I hope you have a good day/rest of the day :3 **also your HPxBTS house sorting was so accurate omg Chana sometimes I’m scared at how sharp you are for details and analysis :O

SMFH tumblr blocking asks a saga, part 69, take 420 🙄🙄 thank you for sending your message again in this amazing (monstrous-size) ask!! i LOVE rambles (i ramble all the time) so ALL TYPES OF RAMBLERS ARE WELCOME HERE

i like to think that i took a very,,, quarantine-esque take on a zombie apocalypse, which i actually find more realistic... not that it’s realistic that a zombie apocalypse will happen any time soon (but i mean, 2020 sucked this much and we still got about a month left, so we’ll have to see for sure)

aNYWAYS,, i just feel like most of the human population WOULDN’T try to butt heads with mf ZOMBIES. it would probably be more common for them to HIDE. not everyone in the world has main character syndrome 🧍🏻‍♀️🧍🏻‍♀️ (especially not me. forget being a hero/protagonist, i’m getting my ass up and RUNNING AWAY.) so i thought it would be interesting to take a less action-based route and also compensate for the grim situation with cRACK/weirdly distinctive characters)

you’re absolutely right tho! the next part is devastatingly angsty,,, like it’s the angstiest thing i’ve ever written 😀 and yes! the ignis fatuus thing rlly does play into the story in part 2. i will neither confirm nor deny your theory tho 👀👀 (#no spoilers) i WILL say that the ending is actually bittersweet, even though without context, it sounds pretty brutal. part 2′s gonna feel like a trainwreck, not gonna lie. but it’s gonna be so horrific that you’re not gonna be able to look away 😀 (i think? lol idk) it would be very VERY interesting to hear your reaction after you read part 2 and reread this ask you sent in LMAO

also! i’ll be active on tumblr (to answer asks and stalk my favorite authors) during my hiatus, but i just won’t be posting new stories. (gotta start stocking up lol.) somewhere along the lines, i’ll post a text fic that i was saving for emergencies and i’ll be updating my wips list with a NEW schedule. i’m so excited for the fics i have in store fjdskfjsdlf

AND THANK YOU!! i’ve been thinking about bangtan’s hp houses for literally like three years now. all those pent up arguments/thoughts finally got released LMAO

i did have a good day too (: thanksgiving break was a blaST!!! i wish you have an amazing day/afternoon/night! AND THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR THEORY W ME! I ENJOY READING COMMENTARIES OF MY FICS SM— ESPECIALLY IF THEY’RE UNFILTERED RAMBLES *CHEF’S KISS*

(omg after part 2 is posted, i’ll be able to explore more of my intentions in the story, jk & yn’s ambiguous relationship, the purpose of the ending, etc. i’m so excited fjslfjlsd)

[zoobus]

my professor is talking like the white guilt starbucks girl sans the tears and being more tepid about racism and it's really hard not to laugh, it was just supposed to be an intro and fun story about herself, but she's been talking for 8 minutes

[emerald-amidst-gold]

10, 17, and 75 for the OC ask meme? :D

We meet again, I see! >:D Time to ramble as the rambler does~! You've instilled my brain with inspiration, so another drabble there will be!

10. What’s a simple thing that brings them joy?

Cake. Hey, it said 'simple', and that's simple for Fane! Give the man a slice of cake, and he's content. But give the man a whole cake, and he's as golden as the flecks in his eyes. *winks* It's Mhairi's secret weapon for coaxing a tiny smile from, and later, Solas adopts the trend because it gets Fane to listen. Pfft.

17. Do they show a lot of affection, or are they pretty reserved?

Fane is reserved in public. He doesn't like when others playfully taunt or tease him or Solas, even though neither of them are ashamed of their relationship. The act of affection is something Fane treasures because he was never allowed to do it in the past with Solas. Being a dragon wasn't the best means at showing love through action, you know? So, he's reserved around others, but behind closed doors? Well, Solas can attest that his legs have asleep from where Fane's head has fallen asleep.

As to platonic affection, Fane is only openly affectionate with Mhairi, and that's still pretty reserved. A pat on the head, or just tucking a piece of hair behind her ear is all he really feels comfortable doing. Again, he doesn't like people poking fun at it, or saying, "Oh, so you do have a heart under all that anger!" It may be said in jest, but Fane isn't good at reading sarcasm sometimes.

75. Is there anyone they consider their rival?

Cullen. Allow me let the words speak for themselves~

"Let's spar, Commander.", Fane said without an ounce of hesitation as he stood by the railing of the training ring, arms crossed and eyes watching the soldiers feint and parry with each other. They were getting better. Less clumsy, unnecessary movement, and more purposeful intent.

Pointed ears twitched as Fane heard Cullen, who was standing next to him let out a heavy sigh.

"That is the fifth time you've asked within the last hour, Inquisitor.", Cullen said, sounding exasperated and just plain tired.

Fane drew his gaze away from the sparring soldiers to look over at Cullen, amber orbs meeting his almost immediately. Oddly, he didn't see fear or wariness in those eyes, but he did see a question within bronzed honey.

They were asking, 'Why?', and he had a simple answer for the Commander.

Fane let his arms unwind themselves, rolling his shoulders with a slightly discomforted grunt before he took a few towards the railing of the sparring ring. With one fluid motion that was strange for his stature, Fane glided over the barrier before facing Cullen with a stern glare. The Commander met his with even more questions embedded in amber.

"I didn't ask.", Fane said bluntly as he motioned for one of the soldiers to throw him a weapon. In short order, one of the recruits bustled over to him, placing a dulled training sword within his palm, and all the while, he kept his eyes glued on Cullen's.

Cullen watched everything with mounting curiosity before letting out a defeated sigh. "I assume this is an order?"

Fane shook his head, testing the weapon idly by giving it a few concise swings. "Not an order. I don't give orders.", he said before pointing the sword at Cullen, firmly tapping the man's breastplate with it. "This is a necessity."

'A necessity?", Cullen asked with a raised eyebrow.

Fane let out a growl of frustration before flicking the sword up to nearly knock it into Cullen's chin, and noticed how the man didn't even flinch. Interesting, but not enough.

"Yes. A necessity.", he responded before taking a step back. "Now, grab a sword and get your ass in here. That's an order."

"I thought you just said--"

"Now, Commander."

Cullen let out one more heavy sigh before letting his own crossed arms fall to his sides in defeat. Fane let a tiny smirk grace his features before schooling them, waiting. He would have his observations yet.

"Very well, Inquisitor. As you command."

"I don't command. I guide."

As you can see, it is somewhat one sided because Cullen is just fucking confused as to why Fane is so intent on antagonizing him. *snickers*

Thank you for the ask, and thank you for inspiring me! <3