#media for adults

[moniquill]

Watership Down - first the film, then the book, is one of the most formative media influences in my life. I’ve written about it briefly, here https://i-blame.tumblr.com/post/69030937937/moniquill-moniquill-kucala-moniquill

but having watched the above video essay, I want to say more.

The first time I saw a deer up close was in my grandfather’s back yard; I was about four years old. I don’t remember the reason that my mom dropped me off at my grandfather’s house for an afternoon, but I know that it was unplanned - because he was in the middle of processing a deer. It had been field dressed, organs already removed, and was hanging by its ankle tendons from the t-shaped steel pole at one end of the backyard clothesline. I was startled, worried, concerned that the animal was hurt. There was blood! There was flesh!

My grandfather responded by calmly explaining what he was doing, step by step. Explaining why he was skinning the deer, and quartering it, taking it from this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-tailed_deer to this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venison

He talked about hunting, and about gratitude, and about humans and our proper place in the world - what meant to live in a good way.

By the time my grandfather was cooking tenderloin medallions and plating them up to me with grape jelly (don’t knock grape jelly on meat until you’ve tried it!) and instant mashed potatoes, I wasn’t startled or concerned anymore. I had a deeper understanding of the way the world worked, of my role as a consumer, a predator. Of the responsibilities that entailed. I couldn’t have explained it then, of course, with my 4-year-old mind and vocabulary - but Philosophy had been set into motion. This is a core memory for me. 

I did not have nightmares about the butchered deer. 

I was six when I first saw Disney’s Bambi. I DID have nightmares about that; between Bambi and The Land Before Time, I was absolutely convinced that my mother was going to die. That I was being presented with these media themes to educate and prepare me for that eventuality. I am the youngest daughter of a youngest daughter, and I have an extended tribal family. My grandfather died when I was six. His was one of many funerals I attended at that age; his generation succumbing to age and illness. I was aware of mortality. 

I wasn’t a ‘normal’ child, by the standard of the community that I went to school in. I was too poor, too indigenous, too very obviously autistic (without being diagnosed). I had very different media influences and interests than the other kids at my public school. No one else was deeply obsessed with David Attenborough’s documentaries (Life on Earth 1979, The Living Planet 1984, Lost Worlds, Vanished Lives 1989). No one else had even heard of Dot and the Whale. No one else in my class had Lifeways Lessons classes, because they didn’t have tribes.  

I wasn’t terribly interested in most media intended for children; it was boring because it was simple. I didn’t feel motivated to watch Disney movies over and over. Don Bleuth films had more staying power in my mind; An American Tale, All Dogs Go To Heaven, The Land Before Time. More complex stories, stories that confront suffering and death. My mom read me CS Lewis and JRR Tolkein, Jack London and EB White - lots of other stories that were not ‘age appropriate’, stories that were written for People, not Children.

I watched Watership Down for the first time when I was about five, and my mom read the book to me when I was about six. I was not disturbed by the violence, being far more interested in the themes explored in the video essay above. I had, by this time, seen a rabbit skinned IRL. I’d eaten rabbit stew. 

I did not have nightmares about Watership Down. 

I failed to make friends with the kids at school, for the most part - I primarily socialized with my cousins. In fourth grade (age 9), my class did a unit on tropical rainforests, and I brought in this video: I did not think that there was anything at all controversial about it, but at about 32 minutes in David Attenborough talks about the Guarani people and their traditional ways of life. There’s footage of an unclothed man climbing a tree. His penis is briefly visible. THE CLASS WENT WILD, and the teacher rushed to turn the video off, and I was sent to the office. It caused a school-wide incident, and bringing in videos was thereafter banned. I was deeply, deeply confused by this series of events. The video had come from the public library - how could it possible be offensive? But the incident became a vector of bullying that followed me until middle school - the adults had confirmed to the kids that I had done something taboo, that I was fundamentally wrong in some way. I quietly came to the conclusion that Most People(™) are very stupid and very reactionary, that one has to carefully coddle and explain things to them. 

It took me many years to only mostly overcome that conclusion.

Later that same year, I had my first real success in making a childhood friend - someone who came to my house after school and had sleepovers and such. She had transferred from another school and didn’t know I was THE WEIRD GIRL the way my other classmates did. I remember trying to introduce my favorite movies to her, as she introduced her favorites to me. She was a Horse Girl(™) and much more interested in Age Appropriate Girl Things than I was, but we shared a love of My Little Pony - I had a bunch of episodes on VHS, recorded off TV. She thought that https://mylittleponyg1.fandom.com/wiki/Rescue_at_Midnight_Castle was ‘too scary’ and preferred https://mylittleponyg1.fandom.com/wiki/My_Little_Pony:_The_Movie. 

I showed her Watership Down. She freaked out about it. It gave her nightmares.

She was, as many people, deeply disturbed by the violence of the film. She had not, at the age of nine, seen animals butchered. She didn’t seem to care about the deeper meanings and philosophical treatises presented; the fact that there was violence and death was too shocking.

I’m not sure how to conclude this essay, except with this: Watership Down is now a litmus test, for me. If a person is aware of it and appreciates it, we’re intellectual compatible. If a person’s whole reaction is shock and disgust and cries of ‘nightmare fuel!’ then we are not.

[kookies2000]

Friend: How is it possible that you are SO in love with Dreamworks Trolls? But you watch adult stuff like Hazbin Hotel, Helluva Boss, Don't Hug Me I'm Scared, and now The Amazeing Digital Circus?

*Watches the Trolls' films and specials*

Friend *trying to take in all the sex, drug jokes, and heavy messages. And the diverse animation style. Combing live action, 2D, 3D, and creative as hell.*........... why do some Trolls have genitals while others don't? And how do they flip the bird if they only have four fingers? And how does racism even work here? Does that mean that Funk Trolls were slaves, if we're paralleling their world to ours? Are the Pop Trolls white folks in this world? Colonizing and all. Are they like chinchillas? Instead of bathing in water, they bathe in glitter the same way chinchillas bath in dust? Is Branch still depressed because he keeps going from blue to gray?

###

This is just a combination of things my friends have asked. And they end up listening to the soundtrack afterward. Look, this is why I love what I love. Helluva Boss is very cartoony, silly, and colorful. Kid like but rated R. Hazbin Hotel is baiscaly a Disney Princess story but rated R. Don't Hug Me I'm Scared is self-explanatory. Sesame Street gone wrong. The Amazeing Digital Circus is like a roblox game that kids play all the time turned into a horror show. And Trolls is made for 6 and under, but man, do they get away with risky jokes and go heavy on the message/story and make amazing music. A massive treat for adults. And all shows/films have amazing world building and charater designs.

Baiscally, stuff that caters/treats the adults while having a child like wonder to them is my favorite form of media. 🤣

[hadthatdreamagain]

i think she shouldve changed outfits each game it wouldve been cool

kinda redraw of these

[thepeacefulgarden]

Stay informed, but resist the urge to doomscroll, or to stay glued to the news all day/night long. Get your news from actual news sources, not social media. (This is an important strategy to prevent misinformation and disinformation.) It's okay to take a step back from the news, turn off the push notifications, etc. It doesn't mean you don't care, or that you're callous/selfish/a bad person/etc. Your brain was simply not meant to handle everything, everywhere, all at once. (And that's true no matter how privileged you are or aren't.) It's okay to use Tumblr for fun, or for other non-activism-related things. (Same with any other social media site you use.) It's okay to not devote every waking minute to activism. In fact, it's good to take a break every now and then, for the sake of your mental and emotional well-being. And with that...

Please, please, please take care of yourself. Make sure you're eating and drinking water, getting rest and sleep, showering, taking your meds, checking in with your support system, etc. etc. etc. The causes you're fighting for need the best of you, not the rest of you...and more importantly, you need the best of you. You are your most important ally. Rest and self-care are not rewards for success, and they are not selfish, or frivolous indulgences. They are absolute necessities, and they are part of the work. Think of them as an act of defiance against the people, the forces, and the systems that want you to disappear, or to burn out and give up.

[scurvyboy]

GET THAT NASTY BILL OUT OF YOU AND HOWS ABOUT YOU DRAW FIDDLESTAN HAPPY FOR 1 SINGULAR TIME, PLEASE, I CANT STAND SO MUCH ANGST, I CANT SIT SO MUCH ANGST EITHER

is this what you want? is this how you see them?

[danandfuckingjonlmao]

ok everybody block dnp on all socials they have eyes everywhere. they know way too much. those omniscient fuckers are always watching. no one is safe.

like what do you MEAN you know about those stupid “real voice” compilations and people absolutely clowning about jumpcuts and smudged whiskers and what do you MEAN you’re aware of those 2009 phan theories people still debate to this day? what happened to “i don’t check my indirects” “i don’t go on the tags”?? i bet you’re lurking RIGHT NOW reading this very post. all men do is lie. can’t trust anyone 😤😪

[reasonandfaithinharmony]

Seriously

[arcanegifs]

ARCANE LEAGUE OF LEGENDS: 1x06 - "When These Walls Come Tumbling Down" ↳ "You're a class act, Sister. Sister. Thought I missed her. Bet you wouldn't miss her."

[mikami1992]

The situation is becoming more and more chaotic…

Over the past month, a series of kidnappings of politicians and businessmen have taken place throughout the country.

The latest victim?

Lex Luthor was the 10th victim and it occurred during a press conference in front of the Lex Corp building… The modus operandi was the same as the previous ones, a group of people with helmets and white motorcycle suits, along with green lacer weapons assaulted the tycoon and proceeded to take him away under the newly discovered Anti-Ecto law, once again there was a confrontation between the "Hunters" and the security group of the place, again nothing could be done and several of the guards were taken away under the charge of terrorism according to the guidelines of the previous law…..

o

The teenagers of Amity Park decided to make an unconventional protest to publicize and accelerate the repeal of the Anti-Ecto Laws, said proposal consists of kidnapping the politicians who approved the law (knowing about it) as well as the businessmen with more questionable practices.

The idea ended up emerging when, noticing how the GIW began to check humans for ecto-contamination, they decided to make a "Jewel" with the sole purpose of fooling the government's sensors.

Once they had it ready, the Phantom team had to explain to the rest of the town's teenagers how and why they had to use the device…

And amidst all the chaos of the situation, the crazy group of teenagers decided that they had to do something to stop the laws, so they made the following plan…

Reverse the jewels so that they create a false ectoplasmic signature.

Implant it in politicians, businessmen or any questionable person so that they are "ecto entities"

Use a scanner "approved" by the GIW, that is, by the government, and identify them as ecto entities

Proceed to kidnap them in the most public way possible while shouting anti-ecto acts.

Wait for the chaos in the government and the repeal of the laws.

[r-2-peepoo]

I just saw a really stupid take from a Star Wars fan (I know, absolutely unheard of! (heavy sarcasm)) so here is a reminder:

People who ship clones with Jedi are more than aware of the power dynamic. That’s a huge part of what makes them interesting. If we were to to ship Cody with basically anyone else other than Obi Wan, it probably wouldn’t work as well because Obi Wan is precisely the last person who would ever want to pressure him or cross his boundaries.

The Jedi were totally screwed over and backed into a war that goes against so much of what they stand for and on top of that, now they have an entire army of brand new humans to lead. All of those brand new humans are totally unique and just experiencing the world for the first time, even though they’re all mature adults too. It’s a totally screwed up situation which puts so much added pressure onto the Order, so we throw romantic feelings on top of that and we’re not supposed to find that absurdly compelling?

Obi Wan is literally defined by his empathy and his kindness. The reason shipping him with Cody works so well is because there is no one who represents what the Jedi are meant to be better than him. Goodness is at the core of his character. There would never be a day that he didn’t value Cody’s wellbeing over his own feelings. Not to mention that they’re both so dedicated to their beliefs and responsibilities that a relationship is never even realistically an option while the war is going on.

Codywan is about the yearning. It’s about them both knowing they have feelings for each other and not being able to do anything about it because they are fighting for something much bigger than themselves. It’s about the infamous “after the war” conversation that they never got to have. It’s about them meeting again on Tatooine years later, finally on equal footing and completely alone in the galaxy, bonded together by their grief.

That’s why people love Codywan. The suggestion of anything otherwise is just an insult to the hard work all the artists and writers have put into making some of the most incredible fanfiction and fanart and fanon lore I’ve ever seen in any fandom ever.

P.S.— the portrayal of something in a piece of media doesn’t equal the condoning or promoting of that sort of behaviour. I thought we’d long since established that. Let’s use our brains here.

[needanaccount2readarcaneposts]

that particular flavour of caitvi stans screeching at critics of S2 about how, "you just wanted a simplistic happy ending! you can't handle the NUANCE! you have no MEDIA LITERACY!" while simultaneously insisting that we should all unquestioningly accept and praise arcane for giving us caitvi, which they hold up as the sine qua non of wlw representation, because their primary basis for comparison is... legend of korra. is she-ra. is owl house. is steven universe.

none of this is shade on those shows. all of these are okay-to-good-to-great shows, that did genuinely brave things with regard to representation and which often handled mature subject matters in age-appropriate ways. you know what they also are?

children's cartoons. they are cartoons for children.

sorry, when shows like black sails and andor exist, which have prominent wlw characters/ships, and which embed those ships in actually well-written, complex, adult narratives about freedom, oppression, rebellion, and self-determination, arcane doing a, "diversity win! your cops are lesbians!" is not enough for me to give it brownie points.

[soullessjack]

not only should any autistic character who’s ever been infantilized by their fanbase kill and maim more people, but they should also fuck as nasty as possible too. as a treat

[proselles]

What I don't get is why news outlets and Netflix are trying to convince us that arcane was expensive to make. 250 million usd for both seasons they said, and obviously that's a lot of money, but they make the mistake of comparing it to big budget movies like Tangled. So you're telling me that I got an animated masterpiece that combines multiple different art styles fantastic voice acting and creative and passionate writing, that's 6-7 hours LONGER than major animated movies, and its the same fucking price?? And you're expecting me to agree with the corporations outlook, that it's too expensive? Yes, tangled is considered one of the most expensive animated movies, but arcane is like FOUR Tangleds. Many other 3D animated movies fall within the 160 million mark, but again, they're hours shorter than arcane was. I think the prices are comparable. I believe in saw someone (on reddit maybe?) divide the cost down to minutes of screen time for each show or movie and it becomes really obvious. I'm also pretty sure that many of these movie budgets do not include marketing in their overall expenses; arcane does.

This isnt even bringing live action tv shows into the equation; i dont think arcane even touches like the top thirty of those. And yet it's framed as such an expense!! Bitch its an incredibly successful tv show!! Ik Netflix is cheap as shit and has its own reputation to grapple with, but is the disdain for animation so much? Is it disdain for female lead action, for poc representation, for LGBT rep on screen? For the animation medium as a whole? I know the answer of course. But it's still very upsetting to acknowledge and think about.

Separately, arcane is absolutely crushing it. Ik act three is going to knock it out of the ballpark. Keep crushing corporate execs expectations please.

[egophiliac]

Do you play genshin impact or honkak a

Star rail?

I don't play Honkai, but I've just started looking into Genshin Impact's story (someone described Neuvillette's character to me and I was like. hmm. HMM.) I haven't gotten far yet -- really JUST started looking at it -- but I'm looking forward to more! :D

(I know almost nothing about these characters yet, I'm probably drawing them SUPER wrong, sorry)