Knowing people are making six figures by copying and pasting Wikipedia articles, stealing information and tracing art, I now feel more proud of every single piece of work I create and engagement I receive because I do not resort to theft for my work!

okay so i know I'm some random. guy. on the Internet but my stupid brain finds all of my opinions important enough to post on aforementioned internet so I wanted to weigh in on hbomberguy new video because it's really fucking funny. here are some disorganized thoughts.

first off, hi. I'm Shroomi, I'm 16, and I'm a video essayist. i was inspired to pivot to video essays around a year ago by (originally) illuminaughtii, Harris Boober the Guy, and mainly Philosophy Tube. video essays are some of my favorite things, and I watch a lot of them.

im homeschooled, so I end up spending most of my time on YouTube. when you watch as much as I do, it's normally really easy to tell when someone does not care about what they are doing. i inevitably discovered James Somerton around a year ago through his Killing Stalking video, and it became very apparent to me that he was using a genuine crisis of media literacy to push a misogynistic agenda. that's all I remember from that video (and I'm not rewatching it)-- he made no good points, no clippable quotes, just... really hated teenage girls? for some reason?

this is a common thread in specifically white queer media, to direct an unreasonable amount of hate towards straight women, or those we perceive as such (the author of Love, Simon is a good example of his contempt). it's rooted in misogyny, as is everything. this is a common thread in Somerton's videos, it seems. I'll admit my knowledge of his videos is meager at best, but I have watched enough of his content to tell he is stuck in this phase of the white queer journey. he still has many internal (though he externalizes them quite a bit) biases to work through before he can even be a good video essayist. good media is unbiased media, and he has a clear bias. bro hates women. well, that may be an overstatement, but he seems to have this contempt and disregard for women and their ideas.

I'm not going to pretend the Killing, Stalking video and his contempt for the fanbase wasn't at least a little deserved. for those who aren't fatally online, Killing, Stalking is a gruesome account of a (fictional) abusive relationship. the fanbase, however, treated it as a love story. since Somerton's video on the subject came out, the fanbase has largely died down, which is honestly a good thing, but the amount of hatred Somerton seemed to have for these teenage girls who failed to understand the true meaning of Killing, Stalking was unprecedented. I found it odd to look at his subscriber count and find it over 100k; why would such a large YouTuber cover something so niche? but it is clear now to me that he was trying to push this gentle version of misogyny.

this isn't even mentioning the true subject of hbomberguy's video, plagiarism. as a previously dedicated Illuminaughtii fan, i should be talking about that. but I'm stuck on the contempt for women.

I'm probably gonna rewatch the video and reblog an addition after I sleep I've been awake for like 20 hours so apologies if this is poorly worded

...I just want to do this.

I'm watching a video by Illuminaughtii on how we need to stop romanticizing serial killers, mostly based on the movies pushed out by Netflix.It honestly reminds me a lot of the issues with Gundam IBO and, by extension, the Fodlan games.

The problem with IBO is it's direction. If we go by interviews, the director always intended for the protagonists to end up digging their own grave. It was a show with villain protagonists, though the producers dictated that it had to appears as close to "good vs. evil" as it could. The director's solution to this was to make it so the audience wouldn't question the protagonists, wouldn't think they were wrong or misguided.

In short the anime empathized with it's villain protagonists, made the audience understand why they were doing the things they were doing and trying to make them seem like they were the good guys.

In execution this means as Tekkadan recruits more and more children into their ranks, it's framed as a good thing while the show is basically listing all the push factors for child soldier recruitment. That we are meant to go along with their belief that they need to complete any mission they are hired to do no matter what the cost, and that crushing their opponents is the way to go. The AV system, something Tekkadan uses extensively, is treated as simply being taboo while out-of-universe sources state it's completely illegal while Tekkadan's enemies are meant to be demonized for using illegal weapons. That we the audience should want to avenge a guy who took runaway girls, employed them in his smuggling operations, made them part of the mafia, called them his "daughters" while they compared their situation to being in a woman's shelter," slept with them saying they came to him including the girls he's known from a young age, got them pregnant, then would put their babies on his ships while they smuggle and fight off pirates, and did all of this to hook up with the woman he "loves." That Tekkadan put a corrupt politician into office during the first season or that Kudelia's character arc involves her abandoning her former ideals and ending up as a pawn of the mafia is meant to be seen as good.

To the show's credit, it seems to have a message of "don't blindly follow along, question your leaders" and at points will drop lines that are meant to call things into question. That you, the audience, need to stop going along with that information and process what is being said. But that's not what people took away.

You have people saying Tekkadan fought for Martian independence, yet in the show they joined McGillis in order to be kings of Mars. That they fought to make sure there would be no more child soldiers like them, yet they recruited hundreds of kids according to numbers given by staff and had no problem killing child soldiers the other side used. They want to spin the ending as Tekkadan being the winners, and any nasty things they did was okay because the other side wasn't humanized enough.

God, I'm getting flashbacks of people supporting Flit "Grandpa Genocide" Asuno from Gundam AGE with that last one.

And of course, you have the people demanding a sequel where Tekkadan are avenged...even having the MC's son do it. That people say IBO is pro-war. Considering G-Witch features the MC being used by her mom for revenge, and using an illegal mobile suit and labeled a witch (due to the witch hunt for people involved with Gundams. Fun fact: the creators have said people are hunting Tekkadan survivors down to bring them to justice) it feels like Gundam is tackling what IBO accidentally said by proxy.

We see a lot of these same issues pop up in the Fodlan games. That we are meant to emphasize with Edelgard no matter what route we play. That we should feel bad about fighting her and for her. You know, instead of feeling bad for HER GODDAMN VICTIMS! And of course, you have people trying to make any good change after the game be directly because of her and for her to be the "real" good guy rather than the villain (possibly protagonist) she was meant to be.

Here's hoping G-Witch continues to be good, and that Engage doesn't try this shit again.

More questions! 3, 4, 11!

oh shit round 2

3. What ideas come from when you were little

The earliest memories I have for what I'd draw come from when I'd looked at ooooooooold sketchbooks years after the fact, but I know I can list a few prime examples

I used to decorate my room in themes like "it's a zoo now" so I remember drawing on these big big big pieces of white paper (which might have been taped together) to make crayon leaves and a monkey to tape to the walls. The monkey was a very how to draw anime human with no clothes and a tail.

Lots of little comics based on my sims 2/maybe sims 3 interest at the time. It was probably my first forray into storytelling tbh cause I'd doodle sims getting kids and alien abducted and be like yes yes this story is the most engaging and dramatic of its kind. I loved making dramatic little sims stories in general like OH SHIT MY SIM IS DEFEATING THE EVIL BAD GUYS WITH HER KUNG FU POWERS

lots of little mysterious girls in flowing short white dresses, looking out mysteriously into the mysterious sky. blame namine kingdomhearts for that one, even tho I only knew her from the opening cut scene from khii for the longest time

As for any ideas that survived until the present day, that'd be a handful of my ocs, including Alex & Ella who started as an isekai type story where Alex falls to the Fairy World and falls for Ella's brother. I think the isekai element is still here to this day but the story morphed and changed a lot. and the brother got dropped as a character bc I realized oh shit what if Alex... got with ELLA... OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GAY GIRLS

And there's also my ocs Demi, Jazz, and Vic, who started as 1) A self insert type oc made for a deviantart crossover school au club, 2) a middle school friend's character they asked me to draw and then I may or may not have accidentally stolen after making a lot of changes to over the years oops?? listen I was like 13, and 3) the Boy (I forget why I invented him....... )

4. Fav character/subject that’s a bitch to draw

Dib my son Dib to this day gives me grief when I want to draw him bc of that fuckin hair of his, though thank you to the movie for deciding to grow out that undercut of his bc it's cuter and easier to draw imho

in general I've been struggling with open coats which is a problem when I have a lot of characters I like to draw with open coats (Dib included)

I'm also struggling to draw dragons and need to practice that more, tho that's what the webcomic is for babey

11. Do you listen to anything while drawing? If so, what

Oh yeah lots of stuff all the time. Recently I've been listening to a lot of lost media vids like blameitonjorge or allthingslost, or scam debunking vids like illuminaughtii

but I also listen to music, podcasts, other youtubers, ect ect the list goes on and it really depends on my mood

Best: the ninja turtles characters with really Odd For Them interests. Also known as “Gemma Projecting Again” and “Things Gemma Wants In Canon But Can’t Have So She Writes Them Instead.”

Like, Writer!Raph that gathers random bits of knowledge about fucking everything--ancient sex practices, like the legend about Cleopatra and the Bees, and strange phases of scientific theory like Schrodinger’s Cat, and obscure plant symbolism like basil representing hatred. But, him being 1/4 himbo, he also couldn’t tell you shit about algebra or “normal” history like WWII dates (or sometimes even the years). Also witch!Raph? Like crystals and candle magic and legends and shit. Greco-Egyptian Paganism mixed with traditional Japanese myths and practices, with sprinkles of Norse thrown in. He collects things that represent his familiar to use in his craft, and also because he’s terribly sentimental. He has playlists for everybody with all their favorites.

Donnie with a soft spot for old rap--Sir Mixalot and Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg and Missy Elliot and Lil’ Kim. Also modern girl power rap like Megan Thee Stallion and Doja Cat. Donnie that enjoys vampire romances and has a weird obsession with trying to figure out how vampires drink blood (fang straws or simple sharp tools?) and how the modern vampire image came to be (which in turn leads to familiarity with the origins of Fifty Shades and the history of MCR).

Leo, who is a connoisseur of different music genres--boy listens to everything from 2000s era Flo Rida to TikTok-spawned singles like History Hates Lovers by Oublaire; old Japanese lullibies and folk songs to 1970s era Aerosmith; 2010s Disney animated musicals to post-Kinky Boots Todrick Hall music (and pre-Kinky Boots Todrick, but it’s the Hot Boy Summer trend that started about that time that I’m referring to here). Also a fan of YouTube commentary channels like iNabber and the Illuminaughtii, and also Sims players like the wholesome lilsimsie but at the same time the vulgar Whiny Brit.

Mikey who likes crime shows and unsolved mysteries; Mikey as a NCIS fan and someone who binges podcasts on Spotify. He’s got, like, a million random facts about the history of NYC tucked away in his brain, all having to do with things or people that shaped the eclectic culture of the different boroughs but especially Manhattan because he loves humans and thinks they’re Neat. He keeps up-to-date with politics and has tried on multiple occasions to sneak out for marches and protests, but Splinter and Leo always have to coax him into less risky forms of helping. Idolizes Marilyn Monroe because she was a fucking Queen and she deserved better than the hand she was dealt.

Karai that likes cutesy little cafes and flower shops, and whose favorite place to be is perched on the kitchen counter in the lair, just listening to the sounds of her family without being within the wonderful chaos. She makes an origami animal every night, each one representing a family member--wolf for Raph, lion for Leo, Phoenix for April, cat for Shini, octopods for Donnie, dogs for Mikey, a rat for Splinter, and a tiger for Casey--and she slips them under doors and into pockets and onto tables for them to find and be reminded of their loved ones. (Raph asks specifically for a white snake one Christmas and stares her in the face when he puts it on his alter, right next to all the other animals he’s collected from her.) Karai that can sew because it’s a practical skill but dives into fanciful dresses and kimonos and sequins because Leo and Mikey begged her help with a project one time and she couldn’t bring herself to stop.

Casey that falls asleep listening to nature sleep sounds and makes mix-tapes for all of his friends and family, catering specifically to how he sees them (things like When Will My Life Begin from Tangled and Diagnosis (I Cannot Give Anymore) by Milo McAllister for Mikey, for example). Casey that can’t cook or bake for shit but is actually really good at practical math like measurements and ratios which makes him an absolute blessing in the kitchen anyway (just don’t leave him in charge of anything that’s being cooked/baked) and leads to a fun rivalry with Donnie about estimating the height of buildings they want to scale and lengths of gaps that they want to jump across. Casey that binges Theorizer videos and can never view his childhood movies or Tv shows in the same light because of this, and shares his discoveries with anyone unlucky enough to be nearby after a binge session.

April that takes up photography after she notices the severe lack of family photos and permanent memorabilia around the lair. She loves reading but is So Bad at finding the symbolism on her own, and prefers fanfiction romances over published romances because there’s a general lack of blatant sexism within healthy fandom spheres. She likes fucked up music like Hollywood Undead and Eminem, which are her Get Shit Done music. She ironically reads Twilight on a fairly regular basis because her dad bought her the series when she was in high school and she finds an odd comfort in it, despite its issues. She’s a Selena Gomez fan and tried popcorn dipped in pickle juice for the hell of it and... just never stopped. Got Mike hooked on it, though.

Shini that does watercolor painting with Splinter and meditates to Casey’s Sleepy Nature Noises. She loves silly children’s media and her 2000s McDonald’s Shrek and Fiona glasses have a reverential place on her mantel. April and Raph introduce her to American rap and rap rock and she Loves It; memorizes Boss Bitch by Doja Cat within a week of hearing it. Collects queer comics from all over the world, even if she doesn’t speak or read the language, just for the sake of supporting the artists and bringing awareness to the media. Is a truly eldritch being and knows about ten different dances but Doesn’t Dance, Mikey, Please Stop Asking. Her household skills are virtually nonexistent but she’s really good at embroidery so she makes everybody protection charms. She used to be a tattoo artist in Japan in the ‘90s so Raph and Casey ask her to do their ink, but she specialized in flowery designs and inspirational kanji--they have her do the Hamato clan emblem on their shoulders and gush about it for weeks afterward.

Splinter that jams to Disney musicals with his kids and can’t help but snort at the creative use of language in some of the more vulgar music they enjoy--he has a stubborn soft spot for Ashnikko, courtesy of Karai, because she reminds him of her (K). Still not his favorite but he doesn’t say anything if someone puts her music on. His favorite non-cheese food is cheesecake (doesn’t count as cheese, don’t be smart!) and he has about seven different recipes memorized, and has dabbled in cake decorating. He started studying carpentry after his and Shen’s wedding because he wanted to build their future child(ren) their own cradle and he used this knowledge to help construct the lair into a proper home (and later help Donnie with his earlier inventions). Splinter that starts using different colored candles during meditation and different incense and tea blends depending on what he’s figuring out/trying to bring himself/his family because Raph came out of the broom closet and he wants to be Encouraging and show his understanding (and he likes the change without giving up the old comforts of his childhood). Splinter that likes pop art and gifts his kids large buckets and long mops after he finds out they’ve been doing graffiti, enforcing the “clean up after yourselves” rule but not discouraging them from the outlet (Leo is under Strict Orders to photograph everything). Splinter that’s really good at making Mexican food as long as Mr. Jones walks him through it. He discovers he absolutely loves Anglo-Saxon and Norse stories, and begs literature from Shinigami until they have to scrounge up a dozen different translations just to keep him satisfied. He’s terrible at taking pictures but draws everything April shoots for her part-time gig with Channel 6. If caught in the right mood, particularly if he’s just a little bit tipsy, he will Lose His Goddamn Mind at well-executed sex jokes (a fact they find out because Mona Lisa excels at those).