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lemonwrld · 3 years

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Just reblogged @macden-byebitch's very interesting gif set. It shows Mac's change of mind/growth re. child-rearing and gender roles.

Anyhow, it's left me thinking about the gang's personalities. I'm interested in hearing what other people feel the gang's individual best qualities are? Sometimes it seems like their better natures are swallowed whole in the tight and not-exactly-loving embrace of the gang. So I'm thinking of them more in the context of their solo attributes.

For me, I find Mac most endearing when he demonstrates his child-like over-estimations of himself, Dennis, and his parents. It's a kind of ridiculous optimism in the face of cold hard reality, and I just think it's sweet. He's also generous and protective. He wants to take care of the people/animals that he considers to belong to him. See basically any interaction between him and his parents, Poppins, and Dennis... When the latter are in trouble or distressed, Mac is surprisingly empathetic and self-sacrificing. For someone who is otherwise self-centred and typically lacking in compassion, he shows a different side around his chosen loved ones.

To me, Charlie's best trait is his creativity. Obviously with respect to music. But he's also just a talented s.o.b. in general. Look at him play every sport on the show. He kills it. And he either doesn't fully recognise the talent in himself or he doesn't care. And that's almost more admirable to me - the 'not caring' part. It's like a rejection of status. He doesn't attribute meaning and value to his talents and skills in terms of 'what other people think'. He just wants to do things his way for his reasons. He's like the ultimate rebel. But cooler, because he doesn't care about shit like that.

Dee's best quality for me is her self-sufficiency. Of all the gang, I feel she's the most able to strike out on her own and try new things (even if they don't go to plan). I mean, she got that job at the high school as a substitute drama teacher; she was visiting the comedy club by herself (just to gag on stage, but still); she lives on her own and prefers it that way (arguably none of the others would manage this so well). Maybe she's had to be more independent because the rest of the gang are much less inclined to indulge her? I think it's also a self-protection thing, which is wise. She'd be an idiot if she didn't hold some of her stuff back. I'm pretty sure she opted out of sharing everything with the gang a long time ago.

Dennis... I've been turning Dennis' character over and over in my mind and the one thing that keeps hitting me is like... his palpable vulnerability. And I'm not 100% sure that this is a legit character trait of his, or just me projecting/imagining it. But I feel like he's so obviously powerless and so easily wounded. For some pathological reason, that appeals to me. (I guess maybe in the same way it does to Mac? Cos you instinctively want to protect and fulfil the meaningful role of care-giver?)

Anyway, when I try to think of Dennis' other positive traits like charm or occasional intelligence, they just seem to be so erratic. Like he's not always charming, sometimes he's downright repulsive. And he's not always smart, he's pretty frequently a dumbass. You could apply that to his vulnerability as well, but I feel like even when he's groping for power and control, he's really just emphasising to me how vulnerable he is. Because he thinks he has to do that to be okay. Resilient people don't have to control their lives like that, imo.

It's like peeking through a keyhole. His vulnerability exposes his underlying humanity and all of his deep (big) feelings. And deep feeling is also attractive to me, because it means that you care about things. And it might also mean that you have an authentic internal life that you are afraid of other people destroying. (👀Me too, babe.)

Lastly we have Frank. What to say about Frank? To me, he's the least emotionally developed character. But not in an obvious way, because Danny DeVito fleshes him out so well. Frank could feel a lot more one-note if he wasn't played by such a talented actor, imo.

Frank is probably the most straightforward of the gang. He's a simple man with simple needs. I suppose I like his connection with Charlie? And the fact that he's totally non-judgemental. Yeah, let's go with that. I like how Frank practises unconditional positive regard towards himself and Charlie most of the time. He's an upbeat feckless kinda guy who's just doing his own thing. And he knows how to enjoy himself. ☠

#but please do tell me your favourite traits #sometimes i don't see a trait until someone else puts their finger on it #the gang #sunny #iasip #dennis reynolds #mac #frank reynolds #dee

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thelawyerthatwaspromised · 5 years

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We Really Need to Talk About the Forehead Kiss Scene

Consider this another iteration of the Sansa and Jon “Would that be so terrible?” scene that I covered a little while back.

For a lot of people that believe that Jonsa will happen, the scene on the battlements in “The Winds of Winter”, the finale episode of the sixth season of Game of Thrones, is the starting point of that belief.

It’s unusually sweet, as Jon and Sansa scenes tend to be. It’s almost semi-unnecessary to the plot. It’s the last we see of Jon before it’s revealed that he is the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark, making this decidedly un-sibling like interaction with Sansa a bit less suspicious except upon rewatch. (Sidenote, imagine if this scene took place after we learned about R+L=J...)

But a lot of Jonsa skeptics (I’ll call them that though there are obviously varying degrees of this such as “venomous”) seem unable to understand why this particular scene feels so different from just about every single other scene on the show. To me, there are multiple factors that make this particular scene unique from any other on the show.

It’s an almost perfect example of a “romance setup” from multiple angles.

1.) It didn’t really advance the “plot”

For some reason, this scene was included among the 10 most crucial scenes of the series by HBO pre-season 7 buuuuut not a lot happened at face value.

Jon had just banished Melissandre for burning someone alive (inquisitive emoji) and was watching her leave on the battlements. He’s approached by Sansa. She says she’s sorry. He credits her for winning the battle. They say they need to trust each other. They leave. So why is a “recap of events” considered a crucial scene? Why was it on the show at all? Viewers wanted to know what Jon was going to do about Sansa arriving with the KotV and if they were going to have a conflict about it. Except that part took about 5 seconds. And the opposite happened.

Similar to the Littlefinger choke scene in season 7, this didn’t really directly affect the actions of the characters in any way. Even if a scene doesn’t advance “plot”, it’s meant to advance the “story”. What happens here between Jon and Sansa? It revealed something between the two of them that wasn’t revealed simply through the dialogue. It’s inclusion in the show at all should leave you wondering about its purpose, but the added layers of the length, framing, and use of reaction shots should make it fairly obvious that it’s a romantic scene.

2.) Both characters are pleasantly surprised by each other’s tenderness towards the other

I think to really grasp this scene, you have to get inside the heads of each character.

Normally, any surprise in Game of Thrones is a bad thing. The strange quality of the battlements scene is that it’s an inversion of the normal routine. We need to take a step back and evaluate the psychology of Jon and Sansa as they’re entering.

Jon has just banished the person who resurrected him. He’s just won a battle that he knows he should have lost. He’s clearly been quite introspective about Sansa and what she meant and her importance in winning the battle since he’s already preparing her chambers. Somehow, the tent scene is magnified in its intensity because this scene is its exact opposite and it’s where we last left off with Jon and Sansa.

Sansa pleaded with Jon to listen to her.

To be fair to Jon, it’s hard to understand what Sansa is saying but instead of trying to understand her more, he allows them to be dead locked and unable to finish their thoughts.

and it ends with Jon’s sad resignation that he desperately wants to win but he’s not sure if he can.

So this was the last time they spoke privately before the battle. Jon feels guilt for failing to listen. Sansa feels guilt for calling in Littlefinger, an option neither she nor Jon would have wanted.

Then - their relationship suddenly became stronger because of the weakness they revealed to each other. Instead of punishing each other, they forgive each other. Instead of gloating, Sansa reaches out and expresses to Jon that she never wanted it that way. Instead of holding it against Sansa, Jon reaches back and validates her importance in multiple ways.

The most rewarding part is how they each give wonderful gestures to each other in turn without being prompted.

He’s publicly affirmed her place as the Lady of Wintefell...

She objects but only because she thinks he should be seen as the head of the family...

Sansa tells him he should take it. Jon responds with a sad smile and says he’s not a Stark. And then Sansa gives Jon the most gentle but meaningful affirmation that he’s ever gotten on the show...

“You are to me.”

(I decided halfway through this to leave the text off the gifs because I want the focus on the micro expressions of the actors because...damn...)

What else could anyone say to Jon that would mean more to him at this point? His entire life has been marked by his non-Starkness. Sansa is working to undo the biggest source of his sadness without his ever asking for it.

Jon’s gift to Sansa is recognition and it comes in two parts;

1) “You’re the Lady of Winterfell.” He was right there as Lyanna Mormont referred to her as a Lannister and a Bolton. He was right there as Lord Glover looked right into her eyes and told her that House Stark is dead. No. Jon is determined that those statements are to be corrected.

2) “We’re standing here because of you.” He’s not just “gifting” her the position and the lord’s chamber. She’s earned it in his eyes. Her place is meant to be elevated above his at this point. This is before he was crowned as king. He was content for her to be in charge until he was thrust into the position of command.

So what does Sansa do? He’s just basically said “you were right” and she has a chance to respond. Does she gloat? Does she say “well yes I suppose I am the last remaining Stark (that we know of) and so I should rule our house...I also command the loyalty of the Vale”? None of that, she apologizes to him. She’s still expecting his anger and disappointment and feels she deserves it.

And it makes sense. Leave aside that it was absolutely necessary for Sansa to bring in the KotV and ask yourself “when was the last time Sansa was ever actually rewarded or treated gently by someone she thought she wronged?” She’s existed in a constant state of punishment since Littlefinger betrayed Ned in the throne room in season 1. Misery is her expectation. Her expression as Jon approaches confirms this exactly.

Part is her actual guilt, and I’m sure part of it is an expectation based on her experiences...and to her pretty obvious surprise, Jon does the exact opposite.

HA. You’ll have to wait for the kiss gifs because I want to change gears now.

The entire last section was explaining why this scene was so unexpected given the context of the setup. Both characters had reasons to treat the other harshly. Jon for his stubbornness. Sansa for not telling Jon about the Vale. All the components were there to reinforce an ongoing feud between the two. These were the factors commonly cited by those oh-so-brilliant Starkbowl predictions leading up to season 7.

Yet despite that tension, we didn’t get a shouting match and glares and future plotting. We got a moment of clarity for once...and a whole new set of questions about these two. The beauty of their quiet moment together was in its simplicity - but also in the way that the writers indicated that there was so much more going on than we could have ever known.

Yet all of this information is packed into a scene that’s so quiet and slow. It’s in the romantic pacing.

3.) The Pacing

Jon and Sansa have had always had a distinct strangeness to their scenes in that they’re almost all completely different from any other. Their reunion was a moment of triumph for any Stark fans as they were the first two reunited since the pilot episode. Their fireside chat started incredibly sweet and ended with the heightened stakes of Sansa attempting to convince Jon to re-take Winterfell. The Pink Letter scene is the realization that their little oasis was about to meet the realities of a harsh world that still viewed both of them as threats.

The cloak scene where Sansa gifts Jon a Stark cloak after Jon takes keen interest in Sansa’s new dress is another moment where each took the initiative to validate the other without any prompting.

They argued twice, while at the encampment and in the tent before the battle, but each scene was unique as Sansa indirectly criticized Jon’s decisions to follow Davos considering Stannis’ ultimate failure, and Jon mostly tried to tune Sansa’s arguments out - while the tent scene is where those complaints came into a direct collision.

Then they met on the battlements and it was equally emotional but in a total reverse of tone.

Simply put, this scene was about “Jon & Sansa” as an entity and not about “Jon” having a talk with “Sansa”. It’s all in the pacing and it’s all in the framing.

We already know the setup. Now comes the payoff. Jon has already told Sansa they need to trust each other. That would be the “plot” purpose of the scene. As far as things happening that affect the story directly, it could have ended right there. “It’s ok Sansa. We’re a team now.” Or, alternatively, Jon could have kissed Sansa’s forehead and THEN said they need to trust each other and the tone could be viewed entirely differently. Instead, the show disposed of the “textual” purpose of the scene and continued right through with the “subtext” (which also continued into season 7) which is: what exactly is the nature of Jon and Sansa’s relationship?

It’s not just the forehead kiss. It’s not just the romantic back drop. It’s not just the setup. It’s not just the micro expression of the actors. It’s not just that the whole scene is relatively unnecessary. It’s all of that mixed together.

This is where the pacing comes into play. Let’s recap the scene to this point...

Sansa gets about 13 seconds of an entrance before Jon tells her he’s having the lord’s chamber prepared for her.

Sansa waits 3 seconds before answering “mother and father’s room?”

Jon waits about 3 seconds before he says he’s not a Stark.

Sansa answers “you are to me” almost immediately.

Jon has roughly a 5 second reaction shot.

There’s about a 5 second pause after Jon gives Sansa credit for winning the battle before Sansa starts apologizing.

Sansa says sorry and Jon waits about 6 seconds before he even starts walking over to her.

There’s about 3 seconds between Jon saying they have enemies and him reaching up to kiss her.

Jon gets roughly 3 seconds to kiss Sansa and about 4 seconds of gazing at her (and her gazing at him). They make this moment last.

Then they transition into a micro expression that juuuuust says everything.

The second Jon closes his lips, he looks down and abruptly starts to walk away. But his mood has immediately turned almost melancholy or sort of a confusion. It’s not normal to kiss someone tenderly and then just turn around and leave. Even if it were entirely platonic. There’s something left unsaid...especially since the camera focuses on the post-kiss for almost 6 seconds altogether before Jon starts to leave. Viewers aren’t the only ones left a bit bewildered.

Sansa’s reaction tells the same story.

She stands in the same position, almost frozen. She’s internally probably as confused as Jon. She came to Jon to apologize (remember, she approached him) - which I’m assuming she would have been dreading. She got her apology, and he delivered his form of “there’s nothing to forgive” which would normally signal that her part here is over. Yet he initiates physical affection for her when positive physical affection is something that’s a very complicated subject for her.

And it stuns her. As he begins to leave, we see her expressing that she doesn’t want the moment to end.

It’s ridiculously beautiful. Sansa finding a reason for Jon to get one last look, right after he had turned away in sort of Byronic melancholy, only to have her call him back again is extremely romantic given what we know about both of these characters.

The immediacy of Jon’s response in turning back towards her and the utter-seriousness of his look again makes the end of this scene a twist of its own.

“Winter is here.” That phrase is of course a play off of “Winter is coming” the words of House Stark and the ominous warning of fear and looming destruction echoed throughout the entirety of the series. Those words should mean “fear”; real “fear”. (also take note of her deliberately deep breath as her eyes scan Jon again..)

And how do they react to this potentially terrifying threat? By being adorable again!?!?

Well of course they do. Because winter is here and they are home. Think about this. Being together (moments after entering a scene which they both began reluctantly) is enough to make them smile sweetly as they acknowledge the coming storm.

And the end really cements Jon’s view of Sansa as a noble lady.

And the pure joy Sansa feels as the scene concludes.

To wrap up...the scene didn’t have to happen in the first place. The setup made you wonder if there was going to be fracture. It was tender. It was warm. It’s pacing made you sit and take notice. It didn’t waste any time - it took its time.

We were meant to see not just the displays of forgiveness and validation by Jon and Sansa towards each other. We were meant to see them expecting the worst and getting something beautiful instead. We were meant to see them wrestling with the confusion of where the scene was heading. We were meant to see them completely comfortable in each other’s presence in this very moment - and we were meant to see a very subtle but also very unsubtle indication that the direction of their relationship is causing (and must cause) them inner conflict before it can truly provide them fulfillment.

They weren’t a royal couple in this scene but I’m fully confident that after the finale season has concluded, this scene will be the one everyone can point to and say “this is where Jon and Sansa ending as king and queen truly became possible.”

#jonsa #jon x sansa #king and queen in the north #jonsa is endgame #tltwp meta

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stag-garden · 7 years

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This is a Steven Universe OC, but the creator used this art without crediting the original artist. That being said, this is me giving credit to the original artist. I have no idea who drew this, but good on them.

Name: Moon (Originality hitting us hard.) Age: Since the Universe was Born (We’re off to a rocky start. This isn’t a good thing. Making your OC as old as the universe itself is severely frowned upon, and earns the creator a slap on the wrist. Bad artist, no god complex-ing in this Gucci household.) Gender: Female Pronouns (”What’s your gender?” “Female pronouns.” This makes very little sense. There’s a difference between genders and thr pronouns you use. I’m pretty sure all gems are agender.) Good or Bad: Mixture of Both (So, neutral.) Personality: Stressed, angered very easily, very powerful (powerful is not a personality trait in this context.), dark at times, rarely kind because of her past (The following comma should be a period because the phrase used afterwards is a complete sentence.), when her eerie side creeps over, it's best to stay away. (I don’t wanna say this is ‘edgy’, but it’s pretty fuckin edgy. Kinda reminds me of creepypasta OCs lmao-) Likes: The River Snake (No context is given, I have no idea what this means.), Cats, Earth, Homeworld (Again, this makes no sense. A gem colonized on the rebel Earth is more likely to feel resentment towards Homeworld. A gem created on Homeworld will be pushed to despise Earth and the Crystal Gems.), the Moon, Darkness (This list is so far unacceptable. Go sit in a hole and think about what you’ve done.), homeworld gems, etc. (Adding “etc.” to your OC’s list of liked things is incredibly vague. We as the readers have no idea what this could possibly mean. Does she like these things and everything else? Are there a few things you didn’t mention? We might never know.) Species: Gem Bio: I was created at the same moment as the universe itself. (die.) 5 gems, made in unison, fused instantly. (”fused instantly” If the first 5 gems ever created were fused instantly, then Homeworld would not have banned the concept of fusion when not in battle. Cross-gem fusion would not be frowned upon. This completely clashes with the show, and that’s not good because this isn’t an AU.) Nobody knew what futures lied ahead of them, as they accepted true fate. Black Spinel, Black Onyx, Black Diamond, Black Jade, Black Sapphire. (All of these are black. Why? More color would possibly mean a brighter, more original design. No one needs your dull sadness here, shoo shoo.) They were not 5 gems anymore, but a single entity. Moon. There are held secrets of Black Spinel that keeps Black Onyx up at night, a damaged heart that Black Sapphire prefers to keep hidden. A warm smile covers the deepest memories in Black Diamond's mind, The prettiest eyes have cried the most tears, shed by none other than Black Jade. Black Spinel... As soulless as she is... Is somewhat the most pained of them all. Her past haunting her at all times, trying to maintain balance, as all attempts of finding herself end in vain. Underestimated, thrown away, a quintette of destroyed voices. (I love how the creator is trying to sound deep and meaningful with their dark backstory, but their writing is just garbage. They are a fusion, and they have been since their creation. Why is it that each one is completely miserable again? Black Spinel’s secrets can’t keep Black Onyx up at night, they’ve been one and the same since birth. When you share a body since the day you were created, you can’t have secrets or haunting pasts that others don’t know about. You’re contradicting yourself.) Through all their pain, they remain strong. Brave. Nobody stands in their way once they fuse together, into the powerful Homeworld Leader you see today. (The Homeworld leaders are all singular gems. None of them are fusions.) Nobody currently knows of her real past.(Giant diety, created at the same moment as the universe itself, yeah, that’s a real easy secret to hide. No one may ever know.) Family?: None Rank: Homeworld Leader Appearance: Images below; long black hair, black suit, when in winged mode, large outstretched, feathery, raven-like wings. Eyes can change color with mood. (She looks like an anime girl to me, but it’s whatever I guess. Her appearance seems human, but the relationship between the gems isn’t stable. They’d be lucky to stay together for long. Their appearance as a fusion would be monster-like.) Weapons: black sharp spear that holds black flames, feathered black wings, clawed black gauntlets, (God, stop, just stop with all the darkness. It’s pissing me off.) flaming arrows. (one for each of her 5 gems) Powers: Shapeshifting, fire, darkness (Elaborate.), lightning, flight, teleportation, super-strength. (This all seems pretty overpowered if you ask me.) Friends: The River Snake , I call her River (Again, this makes little sense. So the River Snake is a person? A gem? I can’t figure it out.) Fusion Dance Style: Graceful, probably has spins included, hard to explain. (No, as in what’s the dance style. Fusion dances take after dance styles. You’re just lazy.) Theme Songs: "Darkness, Darkness" "My Mom (NOT by eminem)" "S'all Right" "I will not Bow" "Monster" "Radioactive" "Criminal" "It took me by surprise" "Human Sacrifice" "Blue Lips" (i love music don't judge) "Beautiful Lies", "Bad Blood (Creature Feature)". (All of this is copyrighted music, written by other people, and has nothing to do with the series.) Motto/Quote: "The Prettiest Smiles, hide the deepest secrets. The Prettiest Eyes, have cried the most tears. The Kindest Hearts.. have felt the most pain." (You didn’t fucking say that, that’s something that’s been passed around the internet with gifs of crying anime girls for years.)

Final Rating:

~Sonico

My favorite SU episode is S2 EP12- Keystone Motel. Those who haven’t seen it will have to see the episode beforehand to understand the context.

#Steven Universe #OC #Anime #OP #Emo #Shameful #Someone help me out of this cruel edgy gem hell

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