#underrated!!! underrated!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[stillgotscars]

the alcott - the national, taylor swift

[great-and-small]

An underrated bird noise: this "dying smoke alarm" chirp by the Red-Winged blackbird

[prokopetz]

Today's aesthetic: two bloggers publicly arguing about whether a particular piece of obscure media is underrated or overrated in a way that makes it clear that neither of them have actually bothered to see it.

[denniswhitakers]

eddie digging himself into a hole & then digging himself right out!

underrated buddie moment pt 5/?

[denniswhitakers]

things are serious. this is NOT me and eddie bagging a turkey in south pasadena, ok? it's not

buddie underrated moments part 3/?

[graysonizdeworzt]

don’t ask. just read. it’s literally me.

Will Wood music is so good it’s like. I’m at a jazz show. I’m at a rock concert. I’m disassociating. I’m hyper aware of how my body looks. I hate modern society. Can’t we go back to the 50s? Wait the 50s sucked too. I’m a vampire. I’m a werewolf. I’m incapable of love. I have so much love to give. What’s my gender anyway? I am at a skeleton swing party in an animated film.

[thejakeformerlyknownasprince]

There's a world of character development between Ax not killing a random guy because he might be Tom in #6, to holding Tom at tailblade-point in #53.

Oh yes, 100%. In #6, Ax still very much sees Jake as Surrogate Elfangor and sees Elfangor as perfect. If Jake says they're going to rescue Tom, then they're going to rescue Tom. Jake is going to succeed where Ax himself failed, Jake is going to rescue his older brother, Jake is going to save his planet, Jake is a war-prince exactly like all the other princes.

And then. An entire lifetime's worth of growing up, and growing together, over the next three years. Including:

The moment in #8 where Jake is naïvely ecstatic at the idea of yeerks dying because he assumes those humans are just going to walk free now, and Ax having to be the one to tell him the truth.

Their conversation at the end of #11, where Jake begs Ax for reassurance that he's not a failure to Elfangor's memory and Ax admits for the first time that maybe Elfangor was also just a guy doing his best while in over his head.

Ax getting slapped in the face with the failings of andalite war-princes in #18, and also watching Jake step up to fill in their gaps.

Their whole exchange in #26: Jake knows that Ax is tearing himself apart over having run away from the howlers, Ax knows that Jake knows. And then Jake asks Ax to be the one to risk everything drawing the howlers into their trap because he knows Ax needs this, and Ax knows that Jake knows, and Jake knows that Ax knows that Jake knows... but all they ever say out loud to each other is "Don't call me prince"/"Yes, Prince Jake."

All the times Ax has to defend following Jake when talking to fellow andalites: #8, #18, #38, #40, #45-46, #54. And the way that Ax shifts from "He's a war-prince because... because he is, okay?" to "Shut up, Prince Gonrod, and listen to the guy who has 100x the experience fighting yeerks that you do" forces him to verbalize all the ways that Ax may have forced Jake into this role, but Jake sure as hell rose to the occasion.

The agonizing scene in #49 where Tobias realizes Jake's too late to save his family, Ax realizes Jake's too late to save his family, and Jake... dribbles Tom's in circles and chatters about lawn mowers. Where we don't know for sure how much Jake is actually being naïve vs. how much he's in denial, but Tobias and Ax try again and again and again to get Jake to realize it's too late. They fail; it takes "Jean" firing a dracon beam at Jake's head for Jake to finally notice he's failed.

Ax being offered the title of prince in #51. With all that that entails. And all he has to do in return is give up on Jake.

By #53 Ax knows: he's following a human being. A fallible, immature human with no formal training. A human that Ax loves dearly, will soon risk disgrace and dismemberment to protect, a human more qualified than any human or any andalite to protect Earth from yeerks... but just some guy. Some guy who's doing his best, in over his head. Some guy who, like Ax, won't be strong enough to save his big brother. A guy who needs someone to protect him at times, the way Ax wishes he could've protected Elfangor. Even when that protection means facing down hard truths that Jake himself cannot see. Jake's blind spot is Tom, always has been, always will be. Ax would be doing humanity a favor to kill Tom right there, and Ax understands better than anyone why he cannot do that to Jake.

[chronicowboy]

thinking about bobby in the engine when eddie tells buck about christopher on the way to the high rise and the precipice of it all and how he turns around to see which edge buck tumbles over but of course. of course he doesn't tumble. he steps. he steps inside with eddie. i love kids! just like bobby taught him. and bobby gets to watch it happen.

[denniswhitakers]

you dont understand these things just happen bc oliver cant walk straight

buddie underrated moments part 4/?

[kidspawn]

Oh so actually, yeah I will defend early day Adam and Blue and the fact that they dated and that it's crucial to both of them. Not just because it shows us what they both needed in a relationship, and why they didn't work with each other for their conflicting needs (though that is an excellent point and one I attribute to their narrative relevance.) but also because... they're really important to each other?

Adam and Blue meet, and it's when Adam is worried about being judged for who he is and Blue wanting to be wanted (and not just useful which is a concept that breaks me because ahhhhh) and they actually challenge that with each other? Blue is drawn to Adam because while he is attractive, he's also something different - she sees a fray in his jacket, and she likes that he isn't the typical Raven Boy. She likes this aspect of Adam he worries about being judged for. And you can say all you do about how Blue describes him in comparison to something dusty or how she compares him to traits of himself he detests, but while Adam dislikes these things Blue likes this about him. I cannot stress that enough. It was not what Adam needed (this is something Gansey, actually, needed) but it was important.

Blue wants to be wanted, to be around someone who sees her as more than just useful. And, yes, Adam does seem to evaluate her based on how useful she will be to the group, but it's important to note that Adam is drawn to Blue because he wants to be around her. He thinks she's funny. He thinks she's pretty. He legitimately likes her as a person. He seeks her out for physical comfort, not just because she's useful but because he likes being around her, he wants her, he wants her company. There is a lot you can say about how Adam equates usefulness with love and affection and he definitely values Blue based on her usefulness in the group but it's more than that. He envies her ease with which she makes friends, the confidence she has in herself. (Adam + Envy is also a prevalent theme with how he experiences attraction.) Adam genuinely admires Blue as a person. He wants to be around her, appreciates her input and her presence. And that was important to Blue at the moment.

And, yes, the ultimate issue comes into their conflicting needs in a relationship, but I think when it comes to Blue and Adam it's such a beautiful exploration of what a short-term romance brings to teenagers. It's common to explore relationships through these awkward fumbles between what you need in the moment and what you need in the long term. They get those awkward, first relationship jitters and anxieties together, they learn what they both need and value going further into their teen years. And it is messy and complex and all over the place and very hormonal. And that is a really precious thing to explore in a shorter relationship, especially with a friend, and with a person you feel understands you. (Something neither of them had gotten.) Also, if they hadn't dated they wouldn't have brought the group together. Poverty twin rizz, guys. They really carried the first book on their backs.

Anyway, my point is that Blue and Adam together are very valuable to the story, their character arcs, and please know you can give them the respect they deserve without detracting from Bluesey or Pynch or detracting from the significance of their friendships. I actually think if they'd been given more time, that platonic dynamic would've been one of the strongest in the series. Because when you share such a valuable milestone (the horrors of teen dating) you bond on a level many don't understand or relate to. Blue and Adam I love you.

[sciderman]

thinking about Peter Parker falling in love with Wade and also falling in love with Johnny. maybe not falling in love with Nathan Summers but loving how much he and Wade love each other. Peter also falling in love with MJ and Felicia and Betty Brant and every person he has ever met and talked to. thinking bout the good time line where they're all in a polycule

that boy can fit so much love in him!!

funny, though - i don't think 9319 peter was in love with betty, exactly. not in the same way he was in love with gwen and johnny and wade and MJ and – i think what peter and betty had was a little bit different. i think they were kind of platonic. i mean - peter says it himself, he didn't know "love" until gwen.

i do think what peter and betty had was more akin to peter kind of wanting to prove he was a man. he got bit by a spider, and suddenly he felt like he was cool and could talk to girls. an older girl.

i think him dating betty was more of a wanting to prove himself and look cool instead of a genuine romantic interest - and while they were dating, peter was kind of so wrapped up in himself and his own insecurities to really get to know betty.

i think betty definitely liked peter, though. enough to remember all about his three freckles.

[x]

(see, betty pays attention. peter doesn't.)

i think now they're good friends, and know each other a lot better - and peter knows betty well enough to love her back, finally.

i kind of really adore peter and betty's dynamic. peter's still so embarrassed over how he was with her - how betty knows him from the most embarrassing era of his life - but they're still these kind of awkward friends who interact practically every day in a professional work environment but still have this playful flirtatiousness between them, because they have that awkward bit of history together. i love them. i love them. they're such an underrated pair.

[desolationlesbian]

sometimes I think too hard about like. how the ability to record audio fundamentally changed how humans interact with music. can you imagine if the only time you ever heard music in your whole life was when you or another human being in your actual physical presence decided to create it. and 99.99% of the time that person was not a professional but just like your wife or your dad or your co-worker or church choir singing or playing whatever they happened to know. i honestly don't think we can fathom it

[artifacts-and-arthropods]

Yellowjacket-Mimicking Moth: this is just a harmless moth that mimics the appearance and behavior of a yellowjacket/wasp; its disguise is so convincing that it can even fool actual wasps

This species (Myrmecopsis polistes) may be one of the most impressive wasp-mimics in the world. The moth's narrow waist, teardrop-shaped abdomen, black-and-yellow patterning, transparent wings, smooth appearance, and folded wing position all mimic the features of a wasp. Unlike an actual wasp, however, it does not have any mandibles or biting/chewing mouthparts, because it's equipped with a proboscis instead, and it has noticeably "feathery" antennae.

There are many moths that use hymenopteran mimicry (the mimicry of bees, wasps, yellowjackets, hornets, and/or bumblebees, in particular) as a way to deter predators, and those mimics are often incredibly convincing. Myrmecopsis polistes is one of the best examples, but there are several other moths that have also mastered this form of mimicry.

Above: Pseudosphex laticincta, another moth species that mimics a yellowjacket

These disguises often involve more than just a physical resemblance; in many cases, the moths also engage in behavioral and/or acoustic mimicry, meaning that they can mimic the sounds and behaviors of their hymenopteran models. In some cases, the resemblance is so convincing that it even fools actual wasps/yellowjackets.

Above: Pseudosphex laticincta

Such a detailed and intricate disguise is unusual even among mimics. Researchers believe that it developed partly as a way for the moth to trick actual wasps into treating it like one of their own. Wasps frequently prey upon moths, but they are innately non-aggressive toward their own fellow nest-mates, which are identified by sight -- so if the moth can convincingly impersonate one of those nest-mates, then it can avoid being eaten by wasps.

Above: Pseudosphex laticincta

I gave an overview of the moths that mimic bees, wasps, yellowjackets, hornets, and bumblebees in one of my previous posts, but I felt that these two species (Myrmecopsis polistes and Pseudosphex laticincta) deserved to have their own dedicated post, because these are two of the most convincing mimics I have ever seen.

Above: Pseudosphex sp.

I think that moths in general are probably the most talented mimics in the natural world. They have so many intricate, unique disguises, and they often combine visual, behavioral, and acoustic forms of mimicry in order to produce an uncanny resemblance.

Several of these incredible mimics have already been featured on my blog: moths that mimic jumping spiders, a moth that mimics a broken birch twig, a moth caterpillar that can mimic a snake, a moth that disguises itself as two flies feeding on a pile of bird droppings, a moth that mimics a dried-up leaf, a moth that can mimic a cuckoo bee, and a moth that mimics the leaves of a poplar tree.

Moths are just so much more interesting than people generally realize.

Sources & More Info:

Journal of Ecology and Evolution: A Hypothesis to Explain Accuracy of Wasp Resemblances

Entomology Today: In Enemy Garb: A New Explanation for Wasp Mimicry

iNaturalist: Myrmecopsis polistes and Pseudosphex laticincta

Transactions of the Entomological Society of London: A Few Observations on Mimicry

[noonecareslol]

underrated in his OWN SHOW.

raw. next question.

[artsymeeshee]

Wanted to make some cute, fluffy art with Soos and Melody :3