Entry 21 · the alphabet of motion

U

Undertone

A subtle ambient motion underneath the primary action.

ambient

CSS @keyframes · undertone

The long entry

Undertone is the breath beneath the dialogue. A static character should not be perfectly still — they should sway, blink, breathe. In UI, an undertone can be a slow gradient drift behind a hero, or a near-imperceptible scale on idle cards. The audience does not notice the motion; they notice when it stops.