u/Literati_drake

I'm not sure what this is called, any and all help or other examples appreciated

Mostly Secondary or even tertiary character will mention they have various disparate hobbies or interests that are rarely explored further.

Generally it either comes up as: a throw away line to make everyone go "huh!?"

Or: because it's useful for that episode's plot,

"You speak French?"

"They are speaking Quebecoise. I spent three years in France, so while my Parisian is decent, both the dialect and our accents are making this harder."

May or may not be followed up by:

"You lived in France!?"

And occasionally will lead to further information:

"Just for my apprenticeship in medieval stained glass restoration." (Character is a data analyst)

Or, Conversely, it's of no use to the current situation:

"I only speak Navajo, Greek, and Igbo. Not German."

The same character will later be revealed to compete in amateur polka dancing, be a known & liked figure in the local Death Metal scene, collect vintage Jell-O molds and keep bonsai rosebushes.

This mental gif keeps popping up in my head and I CANNOT remember the flick.

A teenage boy with short blond hair and a round face. He's wearing a tank top(?) and a "surfer" necklace, a thin cord with a tiny symbol or maybe shark tooth.

He's rushing down a dock (boardwalk?) and then slows to a stop. He's kind of upset/ shocked at what he's seeing. I can HEAR his feet hitting the planks. And there's boats in the background. I get the impression he's seeing someone hurt; another human or maybe marine life like a dolphin or a seal?

It's POSSIBLE that it cuts to someone telling him to go get a thing and then cuts back to him giving the slightest acknowledgement before running off to do the thing.

I would have seen this in the mid-90s to early 2000s. My babysitter's dad managed a Blockbuster so I saw A LOT of movies, especially during the summer (Phoenix). It was most likely a kid's movie, fair odds a straight to video.

Any help appreciated.

This mental gif keeps popping up in my head and I CANNOT remember the flick.

It's Live action NOT animated.

A teenage boy with short blond hair and a round face. He's wearing a tank top(?) and a "surfer" necklace, a thin cord with a tiny symbol or maybe shark tooth.

He's rushing down a dock (boardwalk?) and then slows to a stop. He's kind of upset/ shocked at what he's seeing. I can HEAR his feet hitting the planks. And there's boats in the background. I get the impression he's seeing someone hurt; another human or maybe marine life like a dolphin or a seal?

It's POSSIBLE that it cuts to someone telling him to go get a thing and then cuts back to him give the slightest acknowledgement before running off to do the thing.

I would have seen this in the mid-90s to early 2000s. My babysitter's dad managed a Blockbuster so I saw A LOT of movies, especially during the summer (Phoenix). It was most likely a kid's movie, fair odds a straight to video.

Any help appreciated.

I love books that follow characters through their everyday lives, not just racing tunnel vision to achieve story objective. Sometimes even without much plot beyond: I live here, this is what it's like.

Thing is, basically every book I've found is either an 80 year old with half the book recalling a bygone era, takes place a long time ago or in another country. They're good, but . . .

Gimme everyday millennial and Gen-z folks doing things they love, hate, are indifferent to. Ones who have friends and relationships. (Found family or non-nuclear waste level toxic family a bonus.) Going to work, having good and bad days, try to make the best of their situation and occasionally give up sort of things.

Cozy vibes preferred. No objections to an actual plot, but lemme see & FEEL how they live.

Things like race and LGBTQIA (sorry to whomever I missed) not required to be front and center but not unwelcome.

1% socio-economic parasite class centric need not apply (though I did enjoy"Nanny Diaries" and "Ivy Chronicles", mainly because they were navigating dealing with the 5%).

Addendum: Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin is one of my favorite stories because of this. He shows people just - being people. Good, bad, every day, trying to live their lives.

Same with Cannery Row or Sweet Tuesday by John Steinbeck.

Or James Harriot.

But those are far away and long ago. I'm after modern.