#it's still just an *undercurrent*

[halcified]

to be clear i think the funniest direction to take ritsu and terus relationship is that they arent besties Or haters i think they try really really hard to be nice to each other (not because they dislike each other, just to make a good impression) for mob + their works sake but they see through each other immediately, and, because they both hate losing, it just devolves into passive aggressive middle school pettiness where they both keep doing really nice things for each other in a battle to see which one of them will cave first, all while inwardly seething and setting up more and more challenges to prove theyre the Better more Genuine friend in between like. warrior cats roleplay or whatever these two get up to. except that it backfires and they realize they do kind of sincerely really like each other as people. but also they still one up each other constantly for fun

#mp100 #riteru #<< AGAIN target audience not necessary tho #sequel to that other post btw #to be clear this is a gradual background thing #like theyre still hanging out regularly but its interspersed with this undercurrent of like #'Tch. ill buy teru this shirt he really wanted. THATLL show him!' #whereas mob is just like. aw. :-) ritsu has a friend :-) #theyd go to a cafe and it would be this intense back and forth of INSISTING that they pay. Really its fine. except this goes on for an hour #tome (shes here bc teru and her sre besties inmy heart) and mob have to force them to split the bill #i dont know if this is necessarily the most in character thing for them but as stated: it Is the funniest #text

[messiahzzz]

When I came across that "joke" from Tav to Quill and Z'rell's comment (plus Halsin), I had to take a minute to process what happened. Gale might be a bit silly and eccentric but he's the kindest, sweetest and most passionate character in that party. No wonder the poor man has deep insecurities to solve, so many people reduce him to an easy target! Ofc one of the side effects would be overconfidence and ambition as a defense mechanism. He's obv lonely; only Tara and Morena ever loved him for him.

his eccentric nature might be a part of it. he is loquacious, outgoing, and doesn’t see the point in hiding his enthusiasm. he is considered to be the weird one. naturally, wizards in general being seen as somewhat squishy and physically weak might also add to it.

personally, i really don’t like the implications of the (widely considered) autistic-coded character being the one who faces the most ridicule by far by other characters and fans (and larian) alike.

some might disagree with me on that, but i don’t find it funny by any means either. mostly it just makes me feel bad. “he deserves it. cocky, arrogant, hubris-ridden wizard needs to be taken down a peg” like he isn’t… y’know… already at his lowest. it also disregards the fact that much of his bravado is part of his carefully curated Great Wizard of Waterdeep™ persona that he has skillfully adopted to mask his general feeling of being defective. being fiercely proud of your skill and knowledge and being doubtful of having something truly worthwhile to offer are mindsets that can coexist. according to fandom, gale is either secret hubris incarnate that is only waiting to be unleashed upon the world or pure baby that can do no wrong. instead of a character that is just as flawed and traumatized as all the others, but no less deserving of genuine love.

to me, the constant ridicule just reads as further feeding into his deep-rooted insecurities and his belief that he (as gale, the person) isn’t someone who holds inherent worth. it really, really doesn’t sit well with me.

#gale dekarios #gale of waterdeep #bg3 #baldurs gate 3 #but then again i believe that fandom still has a hard time grasping his character as a whole #we always talk about wanting complex and complicated characters that contain multitudes #but once we get them we don’t know what to do with them #and proceed to try our hardest to reduce them to a few select traits #gale is a kind and good-hearted person. that is not up for debate. #anyway gale deserves people around him who respect and cherish him and are genuinely supportive #protect that wizard and shower him in all the adoration. he needs it. #and i get you anon!!! i also really wish we could call out our companions & npcs #my tav would always keep a spray bottle on hand just in case #someone is being mean to gale again? [pssssht pssshhht] u stop that right this instant #on that note i also don’t like the undertone tav has when they have the option to talk about gale to other parties #what’s with the hesitancy and the derisive undercurrent??? #am i supposed to pretend that my tav wouldn’t turn into the personification of the will smith meme whenever they had the option to #talk about their bf/husband???? lies and slander #larian critical #it speaks

[spocks-kaathyra]

do u think that um. yk Julian was having a rough time in the later seasons. and ofc he wants to talk abt it, wants someone to help him process it, wants someone to just listen. but it's not easy to talk abt. and he wants to talk to Garak, wants Garak to know what's going on in his life, wants to be vulnerable and be met with support and care. but Garak is so emotionally unavailable and so unwilling to break his pleasant facade and so unwilling to deviate from their little social script. he was taught never to show care or vulnerability. and Julian gets so tired of playing their little game when, god, there's a war going on, his life is falling apart, can't Garak even acknowledge how bad things are for both of them? he doesn't need witty retorts, he needs sincerity. and Garak can't give him that. so he withdraws from their friendship. and it's not that Garak doesn't care. it's not that he doesn't want to help. but sincerity and vulnerability were beaten out of him a long time ago, and he doesn't know how to take off his mask. even just acknowledging genuine emotion is practically impossible for him. and maybe that's why ASIT is the apology that it is. it's saying, here, I've learned to be honest, I've learned to be vulnerable. I know the harm I caused you by refusing to acknowledge pain, so here's a whole book of me acknowledging pain.

#this is entirely projection idk if this is at all supported by the text #for the record I am garak here. gosh who knew it could hurt the ppl u love when u refuse to be emotionally vulnerable at all? #god I don't know. it's so hard. how do I look someone in the eyes and say I care. I love you. I want you to be okay. tell me what's wrong #I don't know how to deviate from the pleasant little social script we've rehearsed so many times #even when I know it's all a facade. when we're both refusing to acknowledge the emotional undercurrent of it all. #I want to help you. but that would require me to confront the impossibly big feelings I have abt it. and I can't. I just can't #I'm sorry #sigh. god knows if garak can overcome his repression then I can too. give me another few years. if you're still alive by then #ok to rb LMAO #narcissus's echoes #ds9

[thesweetnessofspring]

A lot of times Everlark fans look at Katniss's reaction after Gale was whipped and kind of just say "oh well Katniss didn't know what she was feeling then and oh look, she wants Peeta to hold her, let's skip ahead to that!" And first, this is just a great chapter for Katniss when it comes to her seeing the larger picture of the necessity of a rebellion for all people, not just her survival. But I've been thinking about how Everlark isn't gone in this scene entirely either, specifically this passage:

For the first time, I reverse our positions in my head. I imagine watching Gale volunteering to save Rory in the reaping, having him torn from my life, becoming some strange girl's lover to stay alive, and then coming home to her. Living next to her. Promising to marry her. The hatred I feel for him, for the phantom girl, for everything, is so real and immediate that it chokes me. Gale is mine. I am his. Anything else is unthinkable.

Now I think this passage in particular helps to have another one to add into this conversation from the first chapter of THG:

Besides, if he wants kids, Gale won’t have any trouble finding a wife. He’s good-looking, he’s strong enough to handle the work in the mines, and he can hunt. You can tell by the way the girls whisper about him when he walks by in school that they want him. It makes me jealous but not for the reason people would think. Good hunting partners are hard to find.

Katniss admits she's already jealous of the idea of Gale getting a wife, but more because it would change their dynamic and the ability she would have to rely on him. Wife would get priority over her and she'll lose her hunting partner entirely, as implied by the fact that "good hunting partners are hard to find" or, I'd have to find a new one and I like the one that I have now. This is what she admits her jealousy stems from, of a loss of someone to depend upon for her and her family's survival.

Of course, Katniss develops bonds with people even when she doesn't mean to, and Gale has been with her for years. But where I see this particular passage in CF as really supporting Everlark is that she is switching their positions. If Peeta were really just "some strange" boy to her, would she have a reason to feel jealous of Gale's "phantom girl" equivalent? If she were so impartial to Peeta and their friendship/romance, Katniss wouldn't feel such an influx of jealousy when writing this AU in her head. Because you can marry someone and have it mean nothing, can be cold and distant and selfish in that relationship and prioritize other people over your spouse. But in this instance when Katniss switches things around, she is the one losing a hunting partner, losing support, losing priority to her friend. Because that's what's happening to Gale as she's gotten closer with Peeta, and not just because of some act that Capitol is putting on. Because her priority is shifting to Peeta, if slowly and without her being entirely aware of it.

#the hunger games #everlark #catching fire #katniss everdeen #peeta mellark #thg analysis #thg meta #everlark isn't The Point of this chapter (neither is gale) but there's still that undercurrent of the fact katniss is falling for him #she is just so confused about what is going on with her and doesn't see herself or the situation properly

[sysig]

It’s hard to put on a bright face, in spite of everything (Patreon)

#Doodles #Flowey #UT #Underfell #Just regular Underfell this time! His interactions with Fellplates!Gaster are fun but it was also a great springboard of thinking of Just He #I've never really considered Underfell!Flowey - I love that he's duplicitous and tragic and terrible <3 So a happy Flowey was just kinda #Fine I guess? Kinda missing his depth tho isn't he? #That's what I thought initially anyway hehe ♪ I think he could definitely hold some lies in his belly still ♫ #I think no matter what version you end up with - no matter what stimuli you introduce to him - you're going to end up with Flowey™ #He's still just a lost little soul with too much Determination and the ability to use it to his own ends - and he's bored. And he's Tired #Especially of getting killed all the time - that whole Kill or Be Killed thing got old Fast - faster than it did in Undertale anyhow #He's still just a fearful little dust-coward in there <3 And when he loses his ability to come back? Oh I think that'd scare him silly #I don't believe for a second that he'd be any more merciful to the player if he didn't think he'd get something from it #Protection - new things to see or feel - maybe he'd even have something of a capacity to be appreciative that'd be nice #And I do think he'd be genuinely helpful! But I think it'd have a Lot of the same undercurrents as what happens to him in the Genocide run #Depends a lot on the player as well - maybe the kinder you are to other monsters the better he'd behave #But would it be out of fear or cockiness of still surviving haha ♪ I just love when he's the worst! He's my favourite when he's the worst! #I think the big question would be Omega Flowey - I mean. Even someone kind-hearted like Asriel became what he did #And Asgore was willing to give himself up to become a True Monster as well - I just :| I don't think he'd fare well lol #Maybe the rules are different in Underfell I dunno but if the rules are the same- #But then again ♪ I also like it when he has the opportunity to be terrible and then doesn't. For whatever reason - selfish - selfless #He's just my favourite :) And it's fun to imagine him acting differently from the same source/different reasons hehe

[divinekangaroo]

Started reading Lymond Chronicles after @deadendtracks' comment that SK must've read them too / based Tommy on Lymond....

and like i'm what, at ch3 or 4 maybe and...

yeahhhhhhhhhh XD

#i don't mind what crimes i commit as long as they've got a sensible purpose #johnnie the offsider gypsy #by god i'll give you one night to remember the head of your family by (says the elder brother) #also vaguely robin hood ish / will scarlet etc #i do like the very very different prose (same affection for it that i had for the different prose in the Witcher books) #the purple proseness of description which somehow is still very sparing (no long descriptive paragraphs just 1-2 thick sentences) versus #the intense vernacular used in dialogue. i am mildly over the homogenisation of the 'no style' style in current sf/fan genres #the interesting thing is how Dunnett herself in the a/n says how she was trying to craft a certain persistent masculine trope/character #not her exact words but this undercurrent 'Type' of criminal out there #and tommy and lymond (class difference aside) sit in that space #the other thing i think tho.did SK do it from the beginning or did he start to lean harder into that after seeing CM in S1 #I feel certain routes/themes wouldn't have worked with a different kind of actor and later seasons built more and more on CM's strengths #like the descent into S5/S6 imagery and the sheer symbolic/poetic language wouldn't have worked with statham at all...if it ever got there #tim mielants to steven knight while contemplating cm ordinarily drinking his coffee 'he has become the embodiment of my brothergrief'

[roominthecastle]

bonus:

#all creatures great and small #anna madeley #samuel west #siegfried x audrey #long post #mine #this is the story of everybody who plans to take just 5 minutes #also the way their fingers brush bc she just has to open that bottle for him yes I APPROVE #also why does he look so attractive when he's sick???? #also just how obedient he is around her .... it is extra sexy of him #he doesnt even ask her what it is he just chugs it back like it could be cyanide and he would still drink it as long as she insists #also why do i feel a certain undercurrent beneath this short exchange? #bed. five minutes. oh no it will be longer than that.... #no dont answer i know #*runs away*

[leohtttbriar]

struggling to figure out why they decided to use this scene to emphasize the height difference here. at prom the height difference wasn't even this obvious, despite the fact that their fights starts with sam barefoot and tory in heels. like, the first time tory approaches sam with the intention of asking for help and not to fight is the first scene where you realize she stands a full head taller than sam? like, here's this giant girl but she's not dangerous anymore? like a retired-from-the-dog-races greyhound. all shaky-leg. big frickin eyes. just wants something soft to land on.

#it really cracks me up #the only equivalent scene is when tory just lifts sam up during the all valley #but still THEN there was the same undercurrent that tory was not there to hurt sam that she did not want to be a danger to her #for the most part otherwise they're shot like they're looking at each other eye to eye #idk funny stuff #samtory

[takiki16]

I will wait for dinner to settle BEFORE I watch the keelhauling episode

#black sails #my posts #like…I flatter myself I have a reasonably average genre fan’s tolerance for violence and gore #the rest of the show is fine for me in that respect. nothing testing my tolerance limits #but the keelhaul…really truly made me nauseous the first time around d #it’s not WHUMP. it’s specifically and distinctly to my mind NOT whump. it’s a CHARACTER DEATH #Whump is fine bc the whumpee has a certain amount of either plot armor or external purpose #the emotional undercurrents of the physical damage are what is being communicated to me - the audience #the nobility and sacrifice of the sufferer. their helplessness and submission or whatever else etc etc etc #and even if the whumpee does die the emotional undertone is still there #I usually have a specific empathetic bond with the whumpee that puts a different cast on the violence #I have NO SUCH BOND with Blackbeard so his gruesome end is just that. gruesome. #even his defiance and determination not to give Roger’s anything makes it WORSE rather than better #maybe BECAUSE I don’t like him as a character. there is no intermediary emotional layer #which is of course the point. the point is that Roger’s is committing an act worse than any pirate and he has the backing of the Law #and it’s gruesome and sickening in a way that none of the so called monsters sailing under the black have managed

[got-eggs]

Never mention the SA2 music around me, you WILL experience the mad ramblings of how the music for Shadow is stylistically/thematically different from the rest of the music EXCEPT for Supporting Me... for biolizard

#even then that song is still offset from the regular music #it's similar but there's an undercurrent of other that the rest of Shadows music has #and that song comes AFTER he's on Sonic's side #you can imagine wherw this is going #mind you im just someone who likes videogame music and i dont typically analyze it

[gothamcityneedsme]

tbh the fact that the game lets you like. kick diana allers out whenever you want and like really has this tone as a result thats like 'this character should piss you off for some reason' is like. Practically just weird metatext from 2012.

#Shitpost #because gamerbros hated this lady for some reason because she #checks notes. The actress had a show about video games or whatever #tbh i forget. I knew back then tho #but its like. Such a weird undercurrent of hatred that still exists in the game over a decade later #like. One day people wont know gamerdudes hated the actress #Its so so weird and sort of vile tbh #And sad that bioware made you able to kick her off at any time even tho story wise shes unobjectionable #because bioware was prepping for the gamerdude hate #its just. Such a weird like #i feel the irl 2012 era encroaching in the game in this way #honestly it makes me so uncomfortable and just. I feel bad for the character that suffers due to assumed hatred #and for the actress as well #none of the writing has this hate its literally just that you have the option to remove her and its like #aggressive to encounter every time you check if she has new dialogue

[gayleviticus]

rewatched the majhal episode of fma 03 and 'gender nonconformity is a sign of grief, get well soon' is not just a bad but also incredibly weird take, BUT I don't think it's quite as random and arbitrary as I used to.

I feel the story is kindve alluding to Something re gender by having both 'old man who ignores the actual aging woman in love with him in favour of obsessing over ideal youthful feminine beauty that's nothing more than a lifeless doll created through violence' and 'girl who fervently rejects femininity and hides herself as a tomboy'

However these two things don't actually meaningfully connect/juxtapose/or comment on each other at all, as best as I can tell, AND it's already stemming from a 'haha tomboys are funny. girls should be feminine' place so it ends up just weird and annoying as hell

#now if claus (? idk her english name) lost her brother instead of her sister her tomboyishness might make sense as grieving him #(and foreshadowing al in shamballa!!!) #and ofc itd still have a weird undercurrent of gender conformity good but i think you could at least get where its coming fom #whereas the episode as it stands is just why are they doing this #fma 03 #fma 2003 #fma #fma 03 meta

[johnny1note]

can you elaborate on freaky friday vs parent trap

Freaky Friday is an example of a movie whose remake is overwhelmingly superior to the original.

The remake is a beautiful story about communication, selflessness, growing up, and resolving grief, all centered around the healing of a mother-daughter relationship in crisis. It has high dramatic stakes and clear character arcs: mother wants her daughter to stop acting out and daughter wants to shut her mother out, but mother needs to support her daughter's emotional needs and daughter needs to accept the love of her mother and her new stepfather.

By contrast, the original film's premise is simply "mother and daughter both learn that the other doesn't have it easier", which is not nearly as interesting as the relational conflict in the remake. The mother and daughter in the original don't even speak to each other during their body-swap so to whatever degree there was conflict between them, we don't see it get resolved. And although there is an attempt at a character arc for the daughter, it's weak, and it leaves the film to meander in repetitive fish-out-of-water jokes and over-the-top physical comedy.

The Parent Trap, on the other hand, is an example of a movie whose remake strips most of the dramatic weight from the original.

The original is a powerful fable about the trauma of divorce. The splitting of the twins is a metaphor for the intrapsychic split made in a child whose time and loyalties are necessarily divided and who is not able to receive the full attention and care of both parents together. The film shows us real hurt and anguish when we see Susan scream at her mother, "I think what you and Daddy did to us children is lousy, in fact I think it STINKS!", and when we see Sharon have a breakdown when she finds out that her father is going to marry another woman and not reunite the family "you're an old man, it's completely revolting!...I cut my hair for you!"

The original film also shows us that the conflict between the parents is real and that it's something that needs to be worked through. Maggie and Mitch continuously bicker, and it's unpleasant, but we see them apologize to each other and resolve the conflict, and this is the crux of the story and the golden hope for any child of divorce, that mommy and daddy will work out their differences and reunite for the good of the family unit.

The remake does not have Hallie (the Susan equivalent) express any anger towards her mother, and though it keeps the scene where Annie (the Sharon equivalent) melts down when she finds out about her father's impending marriage, there is also no anger. It rings completely hollow.

Likewise, the conflict between the parents in the remake is not shown. At no point do we see Nick and Elizabeth angry at each other; there is a reference to a past incident where she threw her hairdryer at him but we have absolutely no idea what precipitated this or how it could be resolved, so we aren't really able to evaluate what they could have done differently.

The remake places the blame of the failure of the relationship solely on the father for not going after the mother when she decided to leave, which is...insulting to everyone involved, imho. Compared to the original where both parents have to work together to repair the relationship and acknowledge the past hurt, it's a grandiose fantasy of a romantic gesture rather than a mature, self-reflective communication.

#the parent trap 98 is still watchable #it has cute moments and the nostalgia factor #elaine hendrix chews the scenery as the bitchy fiancee and i love it #but it's not nearly on the same level as the original #freaky friday 76 on the other hand is just...boring #and there's an uncomfortable undercurrent of conflict against the father that goes unaddressed

[queer-crusader]

.

#tw period #im so sick and fucking tired of this shit #like. im not even in extreme pain! im at low-to-medium level discomfort that comes in waves all day #but that's the PRELUDE. my period hasn't even officially started yet #and i don't know what this means. idk if this means i'll be slammed as if by a fucking freight train tomorrow if i don't take my meds #i think it will bc that's becoming the norm. light periods are quickly disappearing or few and far between #im so tired #(doesn't help that i didn't get enough sleep last night but still) #and i feel that while my periods are pretty brutal they're not the level i see people with diagnosed endometriosis speak of #i've got meds that pretty much suppress the majority of it leaving me with just an undercurrent hum of pain #which is a fucking blessing btw bc without them i would be almost unable to function on day 1 and 2 #so im like well ive got something that works and it's easily available drugstore medication so surely it can't be THAT level of bad #like. it's bad. but it's not [insert chronic illness] right? #i just don't fucking know. all i know is that this sucks and it happens every month and im uncomfortable to go on hormones and just. #it fucking sucks. #i remember when my periods felt the way im feeling right now (as im yet to start bleeding) and it scares me #idk if it'll get worse but it sure ain't great already #anne speaks

[red-elric]

man something about how that one conversation between karkat and terezi in the meenah flashes completely turns your opinion on karkat around

#it me #karkat vantas #terezi pyrope #homestuck #karezi #technically #literally up to that point hes soo annoying #and yeah also super funny like hes LIKEABLE sure #but the last big moment he had before that was penis ouija #which is GREAT but has an undercurrent of him being really shitty about the thing w terezi :/ #really makes u wonder why she ever bothered w him yknow #but that ONE CONVERSATION where hes finally moved on and hes still just. so sweet to her #and u see him the way terezi sees him. shes fucking FLOORED by that moment #and hes telling her how much he believes in her while shes learly feeling so down about herself #plus the dramatic irony for rereads where we realize she's just let aranea heal her eyes #mwah v good turning point for his character presentation #theyre not meant to be romantically but their relationship is everything to me actually

[cutemeat]

charlie kelly in s15 was like... finally back to core charlie.. like s1-s3 charlie thats HIM!!!

#lol when charlie day on the podcast was like 'we cant only lean into one side too much..' abt dennis i just Felt this undercurrent #he was talkin abt charlie too LOLOLOL #again charlie kelly saying 'snowflake' in s15 that was real that was for Me i loved it #THATS my charlie kelly thats my fuckin GUY right there!!!! #yes hes still BEEN there but i love him most when hes not playing dumb #charlie kelly is at his best when hes a god-complex having resentful spiteful thief n bastard and i saw that flare up in s15 its everything #thats him #i need him at full arrogance again next szn plssss rcg pls #bring back the bad room... again theres no Way hes just OVER the events of the ireland arc. theres just no fuckin way #i have a pitch for an arc where he pulls a DDL n disappears in the finale like... to go to Ireland n run his dad's business #he leaves a note n steals some of frank's money for travel expenses #but next season he comes back cuz ofc. n it turns out his dad was a member/leader of a cult like his whole fucking family was in it #n the gang have to deal with a 'brainwashed' charlie cuz they dont realize yet that charlie was RUNNING th cult when he went back to irelan #n when they find out they like check him into rehab LMAO #some good charlie/dee parallels 'soulmates of pain' coming full circle moment for ya there. thats it thats my dream #parker texts