#app dynamics

[o-wild-west-wind]

While I’m still a bit bummed that they didn’t go with a more book-aligned POC Fiyero for the Wicked movie, I’ve been thinking (heheh) about how his being white highlights the really interesting foil relationship between him and Glinda (and, in many ways, the audience yourself).

At its core, Wicked is a cautionary tale about propaganda, (literal) scapegoating, and what it means to uphold the status quo. The audience is watching through Glinda’s eyes—it is through her, arguably the most beautifully tragic character of the show, that we learn how lonely life becomes when you forfeit your values in favor of systemic power and likability (“No One Mourns the Wicked” is, in many ways, about HER).

Now, this is where Fiyero’s whiteness can get interesting—if you consider him and Glinda to share roughly equal footing at the beginning in terms of privilege/how much they have to lose (applying our real-world lens of race and power here, where whiteness is the apex), his storyline essentially represents what could have happened if Glinda had made the brave (and arguably wise and loving, if you’re picking up what I’m putting down 👀) choice to go with Elphaba and fight the good fight (this is also why I feel like a queer reading of G&E’s relationship is almost implicit to the story, but I digress).

As the POC/marginalized allegory, Elphaba has much less of a real choice in her curtain-pulled-back turning point. But Fiyero and Glinda—both representing privilege—get to choose. So in Act II, we see the consequences of both the choice to stay (Glinda) and to go (Fiyero). In Fiyero’s case, his ultimate rejection of his own power, privilege, and even beauty leads to immense physical loss—including his own body—but that is then compared to the loss of love, community, and identity that we see Glinda left with by the end. And this brings us to the question that the audience is left grappling with: in an unjust system where loss is inevitable (a.k.a. our own world, as the Wizard himself represents), which of these things are YOU more willing to give up?

It’s important that Glinda is an empathetic character because, in reality, most people are going to be Glindas (obvi this is nuanced among us Elphabas of marginalized identities, but I’d still argue that there’s some level of Glinda in us all)—and it’s important to be rattled by the end of the show when you realize that she is the one who has the sad ending. But it’s also so important that Fiyero is empathetic (which I’m SO glad this movie leaned into)—because he’s ultimately who Glinda—and thus we, as the audience—should have been.

And especially given the state of US politics right now…this is just all more relevant than ever.

[destiel-wings]

Dean Winchester & hug dynamic analysis

I was thinking about how whenever Dean hugs someone he's almost always the one hugging the other and how this links to his psychological trauma of always being the caretaker of people, making himself bigger to protect them.

Because that's how Dean sees himself, as a shield for others, and then I thought about how Cas actually is the shield, and he's HIS SHIELD, specifically, the only one who's really there to protect HIM, which is why it hits so much when we see this:

The way Cas wraps his arms around him, trying to protect him with his whole body--that he'd use as a shield and give up in a second if he could spare him from any pain and save him.

(for context: Dean was about to go use the soul bomb on Amara there, it was a suicide mission)

Bobby is another one that hits, he hugs him as the big hugger because he's his father, he loves him and he's actually here to protect him (and Dean LETS him -barely, but he lets him *and Cas* - in a way that he doesn't let Sam)

I watched a compilation of Sam & Dean hugs to check if i was right about it, but it's almost always Dean the big hugger with Sam, except when he's about to die or Sam sees him alive again after losing him.

Even then, Dean mostly tries to hug Sam as the big hugger anyway, with at least one arm, like a way to comfort him, making him feel protected, like his body language is saying "I'm here, I'm okay, I'm still strong, i can still protect you" (because their real father failed and Dean thinks it's his job).

He rarely lets himself be the little one hugged with Sam, unless he's barely conscious. Which is why it kills me so much more now that in this moment (s14, when Dean was going to lock himself in the Ma'lak box cause he was possessed by Michael) and Sam has a desperate breakdown and punches him (to stop him) he forcefully hugs him as the little hugger, the way Dean always kept him, like a way of saying "I still need you to protect me, please don't do this to yourself".

In the scene below he gives Sam his blessing to do a dangerous (possibly suicidal) mission, and one of his arms is down, but the other one tries to stay up--he's forcing himself to do it and he struggles because he still wants to protect him, but (as the seasons progress) he slowly becomes more prone to let go.

So in this view the hug dynamic becomes an indicator of how Dean sees Sam (and himself) and his protector role, how adult and self sufficient he considers Sam, and how much he lets people around him take care of him, lowering his walls and letting himself be hugged.

This is also why i think hugs from characters like Garth or Charlie are so special, because they're just like us: they see Dean and they just know that he needs to be hugged a lot, and that he's not used to it, so they just go for it-- and it's so normal and kind and spontaneous that Dean's just not used to it-- he doesn't know how to respond (especially with Garth, at the beginning, but as the seasons progress, he learns to, and he even initiates the hug eventually).

I love the hugs where they're 50/50 (one arm up, one arm down both), feels like they're equals, both taking care of each other. I feel like with Sam and Dean, this indicates a healthier dynamic, because Dean lets go a little of the role that was imposed to him and manages to see Sam as the strong individual that he is. But the same applies to 50/50 hugs with other characters, like with Cas, where I feel like it testifies how equals they feel in terms of being fighters, there's a show of respect of each other's strength that transpires by the gesture (which is even more astounding considering that Cas is literally a powerful angel).

And just to end on a destiel note, I'd like to note the possessiveness and protectiveness of Dean (rightfully so) whenever he finds Cas after he thought he had lost him, and how that translates into his body/hug language:

[magicicephoenix]

guess who impulsively made an animation!! :D

the sillies,,,

[octopiopa]

they were everything to me during my rewatch of s1

so much wasted potential . . .

[sasukeless]

mmmmyeah

[etirabys]

thinking about getting sexiled on short notice in my freshman dorm (worst case: coming back from a shower to find door locked & hair tie around the doorknob) and how ludicrous that seems to me now. "a fundamentally unserious way for people to coordinate around sexual activity"

[corporalkiheart]

I just finished Long Live Evil and want the Emperor in a way that is frankly concerning. Sarah Rees Brennan knows her villain fuckers and what we want, because she is definitely one of us.

[crow-of-paradise]

SCREAMING SHALLAN AND KALADIN’S REAL INTRODUCTION!!!!!

😭 lmao the way they did not stop tearing into each other and both got under each other's skin, I fear I LOVE their dumb asses!!!

[o-sunny-day]

Second big project I have in mind!!!

This ones been in the ol noggin for…flips through papers at least a year.

ILOVETHEYMIGHTBEGIANTSILOVETHEYMIGHTBEGIANTSILOVETHEYMIGHTBEGIANTSILOVETHEYMIGHTBEGIANTS

I really enjoy Flowey and Papyrus’ relationship, and honestly don’t find any interpretation of it as extremely offensive cause IT IS REALLY WEIRD Some people are like Forgettable AU and others are like Flowey Is Not A Good Life Coach ITS QUITE A SPECTRUM- and those are my 2 favorite Undertale fan creations so YIPPEE!!! I do not support the creator of Flowey Is Not A Life Coach btw- i found out about their other fics like months after I finished it

I think this song does it justice in the VIBE and the constant “im your friend, but im not really your friend, well actually im your only friend” LIKE THATS SO THEM NO MATTER WHAT INTERPRETATION YOU FOLLOW

im definitely gonna TRY to make at least a whole storyboard/animatic (i have no problem showing the whole plan i had cause ITS DEFINITELY OUTDATED I MADE IT A YEAR AGOEDHHDSHB)

lastly, proof that I used to fucking love they might be giants (and still do) (and that i have been thinking about this with an undertale amv for a while)

[divorceblogger]

Interview with the Vampire 1x07 // Mad Men 6x08

[walkingclownemoji]

[fruityumbrella]

bsky is fun ig but it truly is like walking into an irl party where you dont Really know anyone and everyone already has their own little circles, like maybe this is just the "little kid who never Quite fit in at school" in me but even though my mutuals on there are really nice i cant spend more than 10 mins on that app without feeling bad

[pinkyjulien]

▶ WIP Wednesday - Tagged by @therealnightcity ! (on an actual Wednesday woagg)

Thank you for the tag! 🧡🤗 Perfect Timing 👀

I collabed with Berdagon once again, this time commissioning him for a "Flat Chest" detector (really similar to how the Bulge detector works)

The incoming ArchiveXL/TweakXL update will allow the use of both the Bulge Detector and Flat Chest Detector to work with Dynamic Appearances / DAAXL!

I'll be updating my recent mods to DAAXL to support this (soon to be release) Flat Chest Detector script 🤠 I'll also write a tutorial soon-ish, like I did for the bulge script

My vision is ALMOST COMPLETE NOW ✨👄✨ I'm so happy that this was doable AND that it works so well too!!

Lot of friendos got tagged already - So if you see this post, consider yourselves tagged 😌 share what you've been up to! 👉

[sepvqiite]

teehee can i be the first oc/210 ship on here

maris/3/π(it's complicated) x bacchus/210

[morgg-g]

i think they should be friends. two ends of the sad gay military father figure spectrum