lepurcinus

[lepurcinus]

I can totally see that message and of course it makes sense to learn to appreciate what you have and look at what is beyond the simple. And that every single thing, even the lives and the individuality of the most little and banal creatures actually matter too and deserve to be cared and loved.

But I meant it in a more ironic sense? As I said in a previous post I find it a bit funny that so many of these stories come from a place that really pales in comparison to what it once was, can work as a kind of good teaching though, little a "sorry".

Because beyond some visible variety that you might come across and appreciate it's a bit unfortunate to know that it's not even half of what there once was in that place as u know, before terrible resource management happened, thousands of predators and small "nuisance" animals killed, more crop fields and flowers introduced before the natives to such an extent that even a species that is actually introduced (the protagonist) actually thrives on them. It gave an approach in that biological sense¿.

I was researching about Spain for my own story as I am not from there, certainly nowadays it is not at all better in management and little to little seems to follow the same destructive steps, but belonging to the same continent it is a place that can still talk about having some prosperity in nature and comparing its landscapes and species present makes already a big difference.

Richard Adams really went to great efforts to describe and sell Watership Down as such a beautiful, diverse and almost paradisiacal place for rabbits. Like an alternate world.

Because take a look at it on Google Earth and it's...not unlike other places in Europe. An almost empty landscape with a couple of trees, bushes and plants watered around, and the river.

Maybe it would be more impressive if I saw it in person, but I don't know. Also because I'm lucky enough to live in a country that calls itself megadiverse is that I get to see much more often much more vivid natural areas and something like that doesn't seem so shocking to me.

It is in the end a bit sad because it is a story about nature and its protection, but they are in a place where there is hardly any fauna or flora to speak of. Even that for them is the most wonderful thing in the world. But it's just crumbs of something that was once so much more beautiful.

[lepurcinus]

Richard Adams really went to great efforts to describe and sell Watership Down as such a beautiful, diverse and almost paradisiacal place for rabbits. Like an alternate world.

Because take a look at it on Google Earth and it's...not unlike other places in Europe. An almost empty landscape with a couple of trees, bushes and plants watered around, and the river.

Maybe it would be more impressive if I saw it in person, but I don't know. Also because I'm lucky enough to live in a country that calls itself megadiverse is that I get to see much more often much more vivid natural areas and something like that doesn't seem so shocking to me.

It is in the end a bit sad because it is a story about nature and its protection, but they are in a place where there is hardly any fauna or flora to speak of. Even that for them is the most wonderful thing in the world. But it's just crumbs of something that was once so much more beautiful.

[lepurcinus]

Another thing I don't like is when they take that "prey animal makes a deal with a predator" concept where they do something along the lines of "I'll let them live if they at least let me take about two a day" or something like that. Because they handle it like it's something inherently evil and almost sectarian, then you have the protagonists saying "oh they're enslaving them" "you should be ashamed of yourself for selling your dignity like that".

Even in stories that try to keep carnivores more in a neutral environment they still look for ways to see them in a negative light most of the time (Yes, even wsd does this).

And I mean, that's pretty much how a damn ecosystem works, there's a reason things like super and sub predators exist, and there's a reason all herbivores aren't extinct.

You have in the case of the rabbit and the Iberian lynx, not only that the latter depends on the former to subsist. In places where lynxes have been reintroduced, they have helped to increase rabbit populations, since the lynx drives away any other competition and allows the growth of rabbits.

And I don't see any rabbits complaining about it. It's natural, it's normal, it SHOULD look that way.

[lepurcinus]

The Watership Down of the new generation would be like:

1: The rabbits don't have the slightest idea of having a thousand enemies because they're all damn near extinct or the elil are so rare that they don't care about them at all anymore.

2. The rabbits realize that Cowslip's philosophy wasn't so bad because there are no natural landscapes left anyway and there are human formations and crops on every corner.

3. Woundwort is the real fucking hero.

4. In some alternate universe they manage to recover the whole ecosystem and now the rabbits coexist with many other species and tell many good stories about them, while at the same time they learn about real survival from real predators like lynxes or wolves (I dreamed it, it will probably never happen).

[lepurcinus]

Another thing I don't like is when they take that "prey animal makes a deal with a predator" concept where they do something along the lines of "I'll let them live if they at least let me take about two a day" or something like that. Because they handle it like it's something inherently evil and almost sectarian, then you have the protagonists saying "oh they're enslaving them" "you should be ashamed of yourself for selling your dignity like that".

Even in stories that try to keep carnivores more in a neutral environment they still look for ways to see them in a negative light most of the time (Yes, even wsd does this).

And I mean, that's pretty much how a damn ecosystem works, there's a reason things like super and sub predators exist, and there's a reason all herbivores aren't extinct.

You have in the case of the rabbit and the Iberian lynx, not only that the latter depends on the former to subsist. In places where lynxes have been reintroduced, they have helped to increase rabbit populations, since the lynx drives away any other competition and allows the growth of rabbits.

And I don't see any rabbits complaining about it. It's natural, it's normal, it SHOULD look that way.

[lepurcinus]

New book review!

Frost Dancers by Garry Kilworth

[lepurcinus]

Woundwort's backstory in the book perfectly shows how he developed the values and motivations he has in the present, and I think Adams did an amazing job giving his villain a tragic backstory that made sense for his type of villainy. But as such I have gripes with the miniseries for changing it--because the changes didn't make sense! His new backstory doesn't mesh at all with why he's so paranoid and obsessed with man and desperate to be in control at all times. It feels like they just stuffed it with random violence to be edgy, and it's honestly overkill.

[lepurcinus]

🕯️❌ RITUAL ♥️🕯️

[lepurcinus]

Brazilian cottontail, Tapeti, Coelho Tapiti, common Tapeti (Sylvilagus brasiliensis), SouthAmerica.

General view

Sources:

1, 2, 3, 4

[lepurcinus]

I just discovered this BEAUTIFUL GOGH amv it’s so good

[lepurcinus]

Then I finally took a look at the WD graphic novel. Since I found it uploaded online on a site.

I would have liked to read it in physical, still, I'm resigned to the fact that this may not happen for a long time. Anyway, I read the novels in online version anyway.

It's definitely the most faithful visual adaptation we'll have in a long time. And that's something I really appreciate, especially being so tired of adaptations that don't quite get the tangent and go for "too dark" "or too cutesy funny" without giving a good balance. There are all the important characters there, they have their specific moments. The scenes are also beautifully done, both in the quiet moments and in the more harrowing ones.

The art style is beautiful, the authors managed to make realistic rabbits but at the same time stylized and recognizable from each other. Although I admit that like some of the comments I also found that at some moments I got confused about who was who due to certain characters with very similar colorations, besides the fact that the body types do not vary much for rabbits that are not close-up. But that's a minor complaint.

On the other hand, my biggest complaint is basically the same sin from which the movie suffers from.

-Having to have cut segments, sequences and characters out of the story. Which, in addition to missing out on important things also makes several parts feel very rushed, not all of it unfolding at the same time.

Sure, I don't need the novel to be +600 pages long and I understand it's hard (almost impossible) to have every detail perfectly. But still, I regret again not being able to see Nildro-hain nor my boy Speedwell physically in an official way, same for Avens. Also I felt the lack of Silverweed and Thethuthinnag (although there was a female near Hyzenthlay who seemed to be her, but she is never named) and some other. But hey, we finally got to have Buckthorn and Acorn in all their glory and that's something I appreciate.

But as I say many sequences feel like they happen too fast, despite the inclusion of the characters many times we don't really see them participating either and several things boil down to just being things you know because a character narrated it and not because you saw them doing it directly. It all came to me in a rather fleeting way.

Plus elimination of important elements for something in the story or a character, again to have discarded the part of Woundwort's story, not even said in an indirect way or as a slight narration. The explanation of why he is the way he is and why he does what he does is lost again, so again he just comes off as a evil rabbit who is bad just because. To give an clear example.

Now yes, what I never forgive is THE LACK OF THE STORIES WHERE ARE MY STORIES?

I'm seriously not lying it's possibly the most underrated part of this whole story, it's always overlooked in adaptations without leaving room to show it's true importance in all of this. It's my favorite part of this whole book that got me hooked on it in the first place and I can never win on this 🫠.

I appreciate again the inclusion of the first El-ahrairah story and the very slight mention of The King's Lettuce. As well as finally being able to see a visual version of the black rabbit story (still cropped and with the notable absence of Rabscuttle).

Also love the detail of taking into account what Richard said on Reddit and having shown King Darzin and his people as beavers. (On the other hand, I wasn't a big fan of the design Frith was given in the stories, I'm sorry, that silly and cute look clashed with me a bit. I would have preferred him to be faceless, I kept seeing him as a giant happy face Emoji or one of those anti-stress balls that you squeeze with your hand.)

But still, it feels so empty. Again Fiver giving the idea of the dog doesn't feel as epic without having heard Rowsby Woof's story, plus again following the form of showing Fiver convulsed directly saying what Hazel should do instead of the sequence of Hazel having shared the vision and the voice calling him to do it.

Incidentally and as a silly detail, I was a bit annoyed that when Fiver scares Vervain it was with Vervain seeing a vision of the dog rather than the ghosts of the rabbits he killed in the past, which certainly gives me a bit of a cringe. But like I said, it was just personal annoyance.

Another silly detail, I adored how there were certain important features in the rabbits' gesticulation, mainly how Cowslip had such an unnatural movement moving his paws in a more humanoid way. Although at other moments I missed again the lack of showing the rabbits making use of body language before the spoken one (but this is something all adaptations suffer from and if I get bored enough I might do a post about it)

Beyond this or anything else I could say, I'm satisfied with the result. I still say it's possibly the best adaptation we're going to get in a long time, I highly recommend giving it a chance, you won't regret it regardless. Even with what I said, it better captures the true essence of what WD is more than the animated adaptations have managed.

If Tales is ever adapted to this same format, I'd be more than happy to read it (I might even like it better)

I'd say it's even a great start for new people to get to know WD and give it a facelift after the years of infamy it has suffered. I have nothing more to say, a beautiful job and very well done, it's what WD deserved all this time.

[lepurcinus]

Confession time...

Please re-blog this if it is okay to anonymously confess a fantasy to you.

[lepurcinus]

if tumblr shuts down you can find me on tumblr. ill still be here. they cant make me leave

[lepurcinus]

Consumed by loss

Some fanart for @goldenshrikecomic that I forgot to put on tumblr

[lepurcinus]

White-Tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus townsendii), Northamerica.

General poses, body shape, coat variation.

Sources:

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

[lepurcinus]

Some american (North, Central and South) rabbits appreciation post.

[lepurcinus]