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The way Jordan Peele uses animals in his films to reflect how certain people are treated is absolutely fantastic.

In Get Out, we see how deer, prey animals hunted for sport, are used to reflect the way black people are treated by the wealthy white supremacists in power. The disdainful way the Armitage patriarch refers to them as “pests” to be “exterminated” and the enormous deer head looming over Chris Washington as he’s being prepped for the surgery to excise him from his own body.

In Us, we’re shown the rabbits that the Tethered eat. They’re also prey animals, but ones specifically known for their proliferation and make their homes underground. They’re either ignored or exterminated or treated as pets, believed to be harmless and only noticed when their numbers increase to such a point that they can no longer be ignored. An underclass of animals.

Now, we have Nope, which focuses quite a bit on how animals are treated; the disrespect and lack of care in handling them because humans believe that, at the top of the food chain, there’s no need to take proper precautions or build a relationship of respect and trust. Hollywood is notorious for the animal abuses that occurred on film sets (and I’m sure in some cases, still do). And it’s notable that with the animals in the film, the only real ones are the horses. Gordy and Jean Jacket, for obvious reasons, are CGI creations but it’s worth pointing out that they’re also the only active predators in the film.

The horses are loved and respected and cared for by OJ, who values them and wants to fight for them even as he has to sell them to make ends meet. But despite them being intelligent and capable, they are overlooked and disrespected by others outside the Haywood Ranch; the film crew on the commercial don’t listen to OJ’s warnings and Jupe is feeding them to Jean Jacket. Between the two major predators being used for their entertainment value and the hardworking, steadfast horses sacrificed, devalued, and/or ignored, Peele is pointing us towards the ways certain people (specifically POC and anyone in a lower class than celebrities/wealthy) who are put on display or ignored/disrespected even though they’ve helped build the very industry that devalues them.

Honestly, I could go on, especially in regards to Nope, since that film narrows its focus on animals so much (and I know plenty of other people have picked up on what the film is discussing). I just wanted to share my thoughts on what I find to be an interesting motif in Jordan Peele’s filmography.

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Throwback Thursday: It was 5 years ago when we were celebrating award season for The Shape Of Water, and I got to live my dream of being in an old musical dance number (dressed as an Amphibian Man, of course) with the amazing Sally Hawkins.

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No unicorn was ever born who could regret

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So, I'm probably months late on that one, but I've always wondered why Jinx has only the blue cloud tattoos and not the violet bullets ones like she does in League:

But then I realized.

The blue clouds are for Vander, Mylo and Claggor's deaths.

And the violet bullets then...

She literally has her guilt tattooed on her skin.

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Check out my ongoing comic Crow Time. It has crows, and also neat pantheons of epic beasties.

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Queen Storm with a cloudy haircut 😏😏

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“You’d die for the cause, but you won’t fight for one?“

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am done behaving i want gay things to happen now

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Elizabeth

I initially wanted to make this unsettling but otherworldly worked better <3

Anyways this was my Art final that I made back in April! Posting it now because my it's not in a public display anymore

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Javier Mayoral, The Motel and the Iguana, 2021 

Acrylic on panel, 8 x 9.5 in.

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The reason it’s called French Toast is absolutely ridiculous and I’m so mad rn about the story

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Spoopy Season Safety

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this is real

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THE LOST BOYS (1987) dir. Joel Schumacher

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🦇Service Mindset🦇

A look into Charles’ work life.

Don’t be rude to whoever has the midnight shift at McDonalds

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