Cartoons & anime here, dating sims there, with a dash of memes and who knows what else. My patterns can be unpredictable so take it as you will. Check out the "#good vibes" tag if youre feeling down. I try to at least keep organized.
she/her
By far the most unrealistic part of Nimona was that anyone believed Ballister was capable of being a villain.
Look at him. Look at his face. Look at his big brown eyes. This man has never done anything wrong in his life. I’m currently forfeiting all my worldly possessions to this man and his puppy-dog, disney-princess eyes. You’re going to look this man in the eyes and accuse him of murder? Stfu
Okay I don’t think this is super spoilery, but man, that scene where Ambrosius goes into a meltdown rant about everything that’s gone fucked up only for it to smash back that this is all in his head and outwardly he looks totally dead inside?
Relatable. As. Fuck.
God knows how many times I’ve been the exact same way with people who are like “Why don’t you ever tell me what’s wrong?” because they’re the reason I keep quiet.
Thinking about how Ballister tried to convince Nimona to conform when he’s been singled out and targeted his whole life — how the whole kingdom was against someone outside the original knight bloodline joining them, how he had to work harder and still faced backlash, how even on the day he was supposed to be officially made one of the knights he still visually stood out because his armor was black while everyone (save Ambrosius, Glorith’s descendant) wore white
He was ignorant and sheltered, and he was also a queer elder seeing a queer kid embrace things that scare him because he was hurt just for existing — imagine how much worse it would’ve been if he intentionally rocked the boat like that
Thinking about how, despite everything he tried, he was still labeled the villain and she was still called a monster, and eventually he was willing to throw away everything he knew and loved to protect her. Thinking about the joy he experienced once he started cutting loose and questioning all the limits he put on himself and others put on him. Thinking about how he was tokenized and targeted growing up, thrust in the spotlight from a young and how even then very few people were willing to try and actually see him for who he is. Thinking about how he saw Nimona
Thinking about evolution and growth within the queer community, about in-fighting from actual good (if fear and ignorance based) intentions can be even more damaging than malicious intent, about how for some queer people being seen as “just like cishets” is a matter of life or death while for others embracing being “different” is the thing that keeps them going, and how empathy and understanding of others can unintentionally heal yourself. Something something something, we come together and then we win
Releasing Nimona on the last day of pride month 2023 was such a great move because it’s a really needed piece of media right now. Lots of countries that legalised gay marriage years ago have been grappling with this rising TERF narrative of “if you’re gay it’s whatever but if you’re trans, non-binary or gender non-conforming in some way you’re a PERVERT! A MONSTER trying to GROOM CHILDREN!” The outrage against simple things like pronouns and drag events, and the movement against gender affirming healthcare have reached a terrifying peaks for contemporary times.
So a kid’s movie set in a fictional country with controlling government officials with personal agendas, with an openly gay couple but also a shape-shifting kid who cannot even be afford to be out is our reality in the US today. Nimona’s feelings about her vibe, body and form, her insistence that she is only “Nimona” no matter what she looks like and her aversion to “small-minded questions” together forms such a beautiful allegory about trans, genderfluid individuals.
Ballister asks her to be a girl, but for whose sake? It’s only for the comfort of people who refuse to understand her, and would rather see her die than let her be herself. And it’s this widespread rejection and loneliness that has eventually made Nimona indifferent to pain, that makes her feel suicidal.
In the end, it is another member of the LGBTQ+ community that truly sees and accepts Nimona for who she is. And that should be a reminder that we cannot let them divide us. Trans people stood up for the rest of us and made historical change happen, and we need to do the same for them. Besides, cis queer people are only the “good ones” until they’re done with trans people and then will turn on us.
