#diversity in anime

[sailormoonnoir]

Bleach in Black 🗡️

[lilyginnyblackv2]

It's so refreshing to see more anime series have female characters that aren't conventionally thin and not overly sexualize them or make their bodies into jokes.

[markscherz]

Just a reminder that in much of the northern hemisphere there is Good and Exciting Stuff to be found right now (early Summer) in your local ponds and waterways.

[rabid-catboy]

yknow sometimes i see art of haurchefant and like. by all accounts its good art. but for some reason they fuck up his nose. and im like. its a simple nose you just gotta not invert it

like does this guy look like he has a little button nose to you

its weirdly common i think some of yall are just allergic to drawing cool facial features

[tsalala]

Leucistic puma in Parque Nacional da Serra dos Orgãos, Brazil in 2013. Photo via Carlos Soares.

[ganondoodle]

once you notice how few characters in media have brown eyes it really becomes impossible to not pay attention to it and its been bothering me ever since

[teawizard]

No way! Animal Crossing introduced new villagers!

Who would you like to see on your island?

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

[a-dinosaur-a-day]

Living Species, by the Numbers

Species of Mammals: ~5,500

Species of Birds: Between 10,000 and 20,000 (lots of disagreement)

Species of nonavian Reptiles: Between 10,000 and 20,000 (see above)

Species of Amphibians: more than 7,000

Species of "Fish": more than 33,000

Species of Echinoderms (star fish, sea urchins, etc.): ~7,500

Species of Arthropods: over 2,000,000 and growing (only 1,257,000 described but all researchers know that is a gross underestimate)

Species of Molluscs: > 100,000

Other Bilaterans (wormy things): ~85,000

Corals & Jellyfish: ~16,000

Sponges: ~11,000

Fungi: > 6,000,000

Plants: > 400,000 (plants species are weird)

"Protists": unknown, but more than 100,000 and is severely underestimated

"Bacteria": who the fuck knows. there are too many. Our bodies are half bacteria. possibly in the trillions.

This is what we mean by mammal bias: mammals are the smallest group on here, and yet, because we are mammals, they get the most research money, the most screen time, the most conservation funding, the most love, the most interest. That's ridiculous. That's patently nonsense. Mammals are not "more evolved" than anything on this list - we're all modern life and thus, equally evolved. The other groups of life deserve at least more attention, more care, more interest, even if we can never get it to be proportional. In fact, you can even see mammal bias in this list - because mammals are so well studied, that's the only species count that is NOT vague.

We rely on ALL of these creatures because we are part of a complex biosphere where all of these organisms work together to allow the flow of nutrients and energy through the system. We are all descendants of each biosphere that came before. Mammal bias - focusing only on things that we share the closest genetic ties to - is not only ignorant, its self defeating.

Kill the mammal bias in your head. Kill it now. Because its gross, its inaccurate, and mammals do not in fact rule the world. Bacteria do, and if we *must* give it to an animal, that animal would be Arthropods.

This has been a PSA. Please reblog to spread, because I'm tired of dealing with mammal bias in my own house.

[sleepynegress]

Everything about this... I scream.

I think this is the first Indigenous vampire I've ever seen?!

They made Olrox Indigenous and he's voiced by Zahn McClarnon, whom I adore:

Elizabeth Bathory (voice by Franka Potente) is a vampire up in this bitch?! (but of course) The animation is top-tier... giving me all drama and delicious beautiful violence I need... And baby, Annette is voiced by Thuso Mbedu?! I am. shaking. NETFLIX PAY YOUR ANIMATORS, WRITERS, AND VOICE ACTORS!!!

[barblaz-arts]

I don’t know how you do it. But Hazbin is a cartoon. 2D animation. And yet you bring a level of realness to Charlie and Vaggie with your art that’s just so amazing!! Your style is genuine, real, and beautiful. THANK YOU for sharing it and letting us see it.

P.S. drawing Charlie with a realistic body type is awesome

Thank you!!!!

Although I also enjoy seeing artists apply their creativity in their redesigns of characters, I like to stay as "on model" as I can even with the wildly different art style I have compared to the source material. Idk it's kinda similar to how strict I am with keeping things in character with fics I guess. Despite that tho I really do also wanna add some "flavor" to their designs too that make sense to their character, as long as I can stay true to their silhouettes.

So Vaggie's still petite and flat chested and has CHILD BEARING HIPsss... But she has toned muscles because being an ex soldier still has her regularly working out. Charlie has wide shoulders and long limbs and an overall lanky frame, but underneath the suits she's got a pretty sizeable rack because she got em from Lilith and some tummy rolls and love handles because that's just how a skinny person who's healthy and hydrated and doesn't work out looks sometimes. Also, if she's naturally strong because of her genes, then that's even less reason for her to work out.

Ngl I probably got the idea in my head about Charlie specifically because of the chaggie fic Igual. The author made it a important to point out that Charlie's got love handles while Vaggie's inner monologue still raves about how attractive she is and that was just so nice to me.

[comparativetarot]

Knight of Pentacles. Art by Viv Tanner and Eli Baum, from Sefirot.

“Let not my love be called idolatry, Nor my beloved as an idol show, Since all alike my songs and praises be To one, of one, still such, and ever so.”

[sailormoonnoir]

The Soul Society

[triangular-static]

congrats to bill cipher on managing to be both sides of the "it's me boy i'm the ps5" meme

[televised-uhhh-nerdistry]

Cartoon rec of the week:

Craig of the Creek

I haven't seen enough people talking about the show, so I'm mentioning it here. Absolute 10/10 cartoon. Just three kids, running 'round, making friends, running their own semi-sustainable community in the forest (there are some concerns about how much trash they leave there but ultimately they're better than most adults). Literally such a dream. they encourage each other to be emotionally healthy and they protect each other from "danger". Like they'll help each other achieve their dreams as they come (and new dreams show up pretty often because they're young kids).

And they're so funny! Like genuinely these kids are so earnest and intelligent and incredibly humorous and full of heart! They have full lives and they live them to the fullest out in nature after school, on the weekends, and in the summer. It's one of the best representations of found family I have ever seen in a cartoon, and I absolutely love it.

Also several of the writers behind the show are POC and queer (I think the head writers are all Black but I could be wrong), so you know that it was written well and the representation is awesome like I know that it should absolutely go without saying, but representation is much more than just showing BIPOC people on screen, and in terms of cartoons I haven't seen that many shows understanding that fact except maybe the Proud Family, Fat Albert, and a few others whose names will return to me once I've taken my ADHD meds. But the point is that Craig of the Creek gets it right. Most of the characters throughout the show (from what I've seen) are BIPOC, and you can tell that there are caring nods to BIPOC communities (primarily Black American communities), and more than that, that the writers know what they're talking about and are deeply familiar with and are a part of those communities. Craig, the titular character, is a young Black boy, and his family are middle class and ultimately very successful Black people. Kelsey (one of the main characters) is Jewish and Polish, and written with more complexity than having a one and done Hanukah celebration. The Creek's main business, a trading post, is run by Kit, a young Black girl with a love for economy and business. And many other characters are racial or ethnic minorities as well, and it warms my heart to see these characters done justice time and time again.

There's great subtle queer rep too, and you can tell it wasn't written just for the sake of representation, like it was thought out and intentional, and it worked beautifully. There are queer witches, and there are no labels applied to them, they're just allowed to exist with no explanations, happily in love with one another. There's a non-binary character later in the series (I'm only like 10 episodes in so I haven't met them yet but I've read amazing things about them). Kelsey also apparently identifies as a lesbian later in the series (I say "apparently" because I haven't done much reading so as to avoid spoilers, not because I am discounting her identity). On top of that, JP (one of the main characters) has a sister who is dating another girl.

There's also a significant amount of body positivity in the show, at least far than I've seen elsewhere. Not only do they openly say "all bodies are beautiful" and follow up on that by defending one another, there's also very little need to defend one another, because there's a very unspoken and deep respect in the Creek for things like body type, skin colour, disabilities, and so on. The kids of the creek, and their grown ups, are all different body types, and given their penchant for community and uplifting one another, it's no wonder they all seem confident in their bodies.

Not to mention the disability representation. There is a character later on in the series who is Black and deaf, and he not only speaks in Sign Language, but in Black American Sign Language. In addition, though unconfirmed, many of the kids in the creek embody aspects of various neurotypes. For example, the three main characters, Craig, Kelsey, and JP all come across as neurodivergent, with special interests, neurodivergent ways of thinking, and so on. Some have speculated that JP has Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, which is a disability often comorbid with ADHD. Not to mention that all the kids in the creek embody different special interests, most of which would be considered weird or frowned upon in everyday society, but that are given the opportunity to shine and flourish in the Creek's accepting culture.

Take the Horse Girls for example, a small clique of girls who roleplay as horses in a pasture near the Creek, and of course many of their behaviours are played as jokes, but ultimately they are accepted and involved in many adventures because of their unique interests and abilities which are ultimately how they aid the rest of the Creek. Every kid is a useful and accepted part of the Creek, with the exception of the ranger scout kids, who are essentially the same as cops, who are often exploitative, rude, and disruptive to the community as a whole.

Ultimately, the show is one of love, friendship, community, and acknowledging differences as a natural and helpful part of life. On top of that, it's not copaganda! What more could you want?

[markscherz]

What is the best toad species, and why is it Anaxyrus terrestris?

Okay Anaxyrus terrestris is definitely a Good Toad™, but I’m not sure if you’re aware of the diversity of toads; A. terrestris is up against some steep competition.

For instance, is A. terrestris blue with yellow spots like Rentapia hosii?

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No I thought not.

Is A. terrestris svelt, nimble, and covered in bright reticulated patterns like Atelopus hoogmoedi?

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No I thought not.

Is A. terrestris one of the largest frogs in the world and causing widespread ecological havoc in Australia like Rhinella marina?

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No I thought not.

Is A. anaxyrus a miniaturised toad with comically large hands and feet like Pelophryne albotaeniata?

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No I thought not.

Does A. terrestis climb trees and give birth to fully developed froglets like Nectophrynoides viviparus?

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No I thought not.

IN SUMMARY, Anaxyrus terrestris is good, but who can say it’s the best when there are so many incredible true toads out there??

[tsalala]

Inka’s facial markings Photographed by Ryan Stephens Big Cat Sanctuary, Kent, England