I always appreciate how introspective you are. you make great stuff. and the introspection isnt surface level, or grasping at straws, but usually well thought out and trying to get at the deeper “essence” of stuff, or at least what you got from it. Its been a while since Ive been at school, but it reminds me of those rare occasions when you get a book assignment for english class you really click with and start to pore out your soul and get to that deeper “essence” of something more universal that you can see glimmers of in a narrative. And it feels really good and fulfilling to do. A bit rambly, but really, thank you for this stuff. You help me to reengage with some of my favorite things that I sometimes forget about in the hustle of life.

Thanks for the part after the story it was really heartfelt and it made me feel happy

I like this story and how they made a religion for rabbits I really like frith the creators of all the animals and the prince of a thousand enemies

You're a shining gem, my friend.

@@ObeyNoLies why thank you sir

I hate teachers like that

@@melanieortiz712 teachers like that expect you to fail, miserable bunch

Uh huh

They're the one that only saw the dust cover and assume 🙄smh people these days

I have almost the exact same story involving this book. I took it to school on my very first day (I was five, for reference) because it was one of my favourites, a comfort thing because I was absolutely NOT looking forward to the whole school thing - and got a LOT of "yeah right, like you can read that" and some kids even stole it and tried to flush it down the toilet, although thankfully I got there in time, and the school learned that I had pretty significant anger issues when the principal got involved due to all the yelling and a couple of kids with black eyes and broken noses. I came back to class absolutely shattered, and when the teacher asked what happened and I told her, even she was incredulous. So she called me up to the front of the class, and told me to start reading. It ended up as kind of a daily thing, after the teacher's initial shock wore off, I guess, and I never hinted at how fucked up it might have been for the other kids, if the thought even occurred to me. The teacher didn't even seem to know what to expect, or she'd never have asked me to read it to a bunch of five- and six-year-olds, lol. But day by day, I went through a chapter each time, completely oblivious to the reactions slowly building up around me until the sound of bawling children finally registered as I closed the book. Even the teacher was just sitting at her desk biting her knuckles and quietly stifling her own tears. Which is... really bizarre and unsettling for such a young kid. Aaand that's the abbreviated version of "How I Spent First Grade Giving Thirty-Odd Children And One Teacher Lasting Psychological Trauma". No regrets. I liked school a lot more after that.

Our artist, Abbie, does some really amazing concept design doesn't she?? -Benji

Absolutely. The deepest emotion from use of such simple shapes.

Doomed to failure from the start?

@@TheTaleFoundry is hate you

They need sum Hos xD

And speaking to how well woven the conlang is with the story, I hould mention that - to this day - I can only remember the Rabbit's trickster god only by translating the name "Prince of a Thousand Enemies" back into rabbit. The translation comes automatically though. The story, language, and characters are so perfectly woven together that its all one thing in my brain

Isn't it Bigwig who says that?

It's incredibly well integrated. You don't realize exactly how much you've picked up until that statement at the end. Silflay has entered my regular lexicon, and the onomatopoeic Hrududu is a close second.

But the funny thing is, rabbits regularly eat their shit because they can’t fully break down the hay and rough forage that comprises the bulk of their diet.

*leader not predator

Do you raise rabbits?

@@theeldenbeast I have one! His name is Dumplin'. He lives in my room with me! The whole space is bunny proofed and I buy him new toys every paycheck.

When my mom passed away, that was how we told family and friends

@@theeldenbeast Walter! Good to see you didn't eat your new device yet.

@@TraditionalAviator Yeah, they need that sort of space and it's great to have them around! We're currently taking care of a sprightly senior (12 years!!!) with an amputated hind leg and a plucky little doe five years younger than him. The apartment is all theirs although the older one doesn't like smooth surfaces so we carpeted his usual ways.

I don't know if it's the desperation in Hazel's voice, or the way the soundtrack comes in, But I've always found the way John Hurt delivers that line in movie exceedingly moving.

@@craftyvulpine4141 What I always found moving is this: Frith *responded.* He makes it clear that this prayer issomething he hears every day, but he does not make that bargain. After all, all things are Frith's creation. Why should he give his blessing to one when it will be to the detriment of another. A god should not play favorites.

@@FirstLast-cg2nk Except if said god is Yahweh. But it seems that Frith is much more generous and caring than Yahweh is... A lot of human deities have a lot of flaws, even the monotheistic ones like Yahweh, the Christian God or Allah. Lord Frith is basically the "perfect" monotheistic god.

In the book that line is said by the black rabbit Inle, embodiment of death. But it’s said to El-ahraira not Hazel.

@@TheFriendlyneighborhoodBlubell I watched this movie dozens of times in the '80s as a young kid. I later read the book as an adult. As usual, the book has so much more and you are right that the line is delivered differently in the book. But this is one case where I think it actually hits harder the way the movie does it. It was something I had remembered for many years before reading the book and the only thing I was a little disappointed with when I finally read it. This is one of my top three favorite books.

That's so cute he went on rabbit blind dates

"The story that would make ElAhrira to cry" chapter still makes me weep when I remember

Aww that's cute. Yes the film is beautiful but haunting and touched me profoundly. I'm now starting the book. 🐰❤️

The best part is they then assumed the leader was a massive rabbit that they hadn't seen yet and started to panic. Because bigwig had already got the better of woundwort by then

Definitely the coolest part of the story for me. I love just the realization of how they couldn't possibly conceive of someone, or something that wasn't this terrible monster. Imagine the surprised if they found out that little limp rabbit they had seen earlier was the chief

As a child, I found it unrelatable and unconvincing. Because I didn't figure out how rumors work until I was a teenager...

Bigwig's line has me in tears every time I think about it. His dedication to his Warren and to his Chief Rabbit is the culmination of his best traits applied to the group and not just himself. 🥲

Why did i start hearing buggs bunny on the background while the vídeo was playing

This is the biggest brain interpretation i've ever heard of and that's not me being sarcastic Your dad is thinking on another level here man has changed the game

Elihrairah

Hi gastr

Considering El-ahrairah was a trickster hero, the comparison to Bugs Bunny is quite apt.

The way I SNORTED

But he never actually names or identifies Hazel to the Efrafans, thus starting the confusion and rumors that stall their advance and, along with how Bigwig is able to make Woundwort bleed like a normal rabbit, breaks their morale. And then the dog shows up.

@@Vinemaple yes! And I always read that as a not so subtle power play on his part. We, the readers, know that he's announcing Hazel as Chief and himself as head of the Owsla, and we know why that relationship works based on their respective traits. But by keeping the Efreffans in the dark he invokes the specter of a rabbit who simply exceeds himself in all the traits they understand and respect. (And who also exceeds Woundwort in those traits, if Bigwig will obey his Chief but fight to overthrow Woundwort) Only Thlayli can have this kind of impact on the reader and on all the other rabbits on both sides of the battle with such a simple line of dialogue, because we know, as the rabbits do, all of the events that led up to that moment, and that he's the sort of character clever enough and bold enough to make threats in that situation.

There are no accidents

Same here, it was one of my favorite movies as a little kid, and it's one of the few things I remember from when I was very young. Specifically, I vividly remember the haunting audio and imagery from the scene where they find out what happened to their old warren, as well as a few graphic scenes with Bigwig. I distinctly remember the lore at the start being my favorite part of the whole movie though haha Needless to say, I have a much deeper appreciation of the story as an adult than I did as a small child.

Same it in my opinion is the BEST book, TV series, movie I have EVER read or seen!

I read the Velveteen Rabbit at school and it was amazing. Yeah, Watership Down was a very fascinating story/series on Netflix, I haven’t read the book tho. Now I feel like watching the series again, and I feel like reading the Velveteen Rabbit again.

Same here! I loved the subversion of rabbits not being cutesy wootsy animals, but very humanistic and even aggressive.

Yeah, theres an animated film for it too. :(

@@Noisycatstephanie the movie horrified me as a kid, had nightmares for months haha

Try Shardik. It's hard to find and rough to get through, but like the others, very much worth it.

We don't talk about plague dogs... no no

Yeah, Plauge dogs is way more dark then Watership Down, no contest. At least in Watership Down, the rabbits do eventually make it to their new warren and live in peace for years there. And it’s heavily implied if not outright confirmed that there’s a peaceful afterlife waiting for them when they die. With the Plauge Dogs, Rowf and Snitter have no real proof if the utopian Isle of Dogs they’re trying to escape to even exists, and is heavily implied to be a figment of Snitters deteriorating grip on reality. And dogs in this universe are given no such afterlife mythologies or grimreaper-esque death deities to speak of. All they have is either a painful and tiring existence where they’re experimented on or hunted by humans, or the black empty void of death. The only thing close to comfort being the friendship Rowf and Snitter share and the mutual goal to just try and survive. It’s bleak and nihilistic in ways Watership Down, despite it’s reputation as the darkest animal stories out there, isn’t.

The ending still chokes me up especially in the 1978 animated where you simultaneously see him take his last breath and run off with the black rabbit

I think warrior cats (Warriors,as the books titled)might be your taste,unless you already read them

Me too. It touched my heart and had a profound effect on me. ❤. Haunting but beautiful.

“It’s about rabbits and how utterly terrifying the world can be from their perspective, did I mention humans are cthulu?”

I watched at around 3-5 as a child with my twin brother and mum. My mum was covering her eyes for a lot of it and I really didn't get why at the time. I found the movie interesting, but still don't know why I remembered it so vividly. Needless to say around a year ago I remembered seeing the movie after seeing it on my recommended, understood why my mum was covering her eyes, had a short-lived fear of the movie for a while and then went back to toddler me where now I find it interesting

I think that later they made a cartoon that was "less scary", but im not sure, cuz only me and my two sisters remember that cartoon, and no one of our friends remember it

Same. ❤🐰

I remember the time when I realized I wouldn't have time enough to read all the books I would want to....

To be fair, humans would totally attempt to kill each other in displays of dominance if there's only a few females in the tribe.

I tend to group a lot of books together, and one of these groupings is: Preteen novel with human animals and highschool drama. Some of the books in this category are: Warriors, Wings of fire, Wolves of the beyond, and Foxcraft. I don't include Watership down in this grouping though, for this exact reason. The rabbits aren't just rabbits physically, but also maintain mental aspects. That's the beauty of this book.

Johnny five is allliiive!

Need. Input.