Disclaimer: The links within this article are Not Safe For Work (NSFW).
Out of every social media application out there, TikTok might be the most chaotic. Its resemblance to peak Tumblr days is uncanny most time. Speaking of which, the latest trend on the random video application has, yet again, distinct Tumblr vibes.
A sound called “Zone Tan Ankha music” currently has nearly twenty thousand videos attached to it, with rapidly climbing numbers. The videos all draw from an animation about Nintendo’s own Animal Crossing franchise. In the original video, the player character interacts with the titular villager, Ankha, in some interesting ways. Ankha is a feline character with an aloof attitude, and that nonchalance permeates this animation, as the character constantly stares with deadly eyes.
The original video rose in popularity on Twitter recently. While posted in February, Twitter user @SmurrLewd (https://twitter.com/SmurrLewd/status/1357779557059821570?s=19) noticed that their tweet suddenly climbed to thousands of retweets. Currently, their tweet has well over ninety thousand likes, with almost ten thousand retweets and 2.7 million views total.
The “Zone” in the TikTok sound name refers to the artist who made the animation in question. Zone (https://twitter.com/Z0NE?s=09) is also previously known for their work with the Skullgirls developers. They’ve since gone to retweeting fans paying tribute to their work.
In the animation, Ankha and the player character depict a variety of sexually explicit acts. This artform is what is known on the internet as Rule 34. As such, we can’t show most of it here. There is a lot of switching positions and distended body parts going on. Let’s just say that a lot of Ankha’s body is used on a particular body part of the player character. The one move that has seemed to hit TikTok the most is a swaying hip motion, while Ankha stares downward. The very powerful stance is periodically interrupted by a full downward thrust, all while keeping the arms crossed.
Many people, in or out of Ankha cosplay, are creating TikTok posts with the swaying motion, accompanied by the music in the video. That track is “Camel by Camel” from Sandy Marton’s album, People from Ibiza, made in 1984. It’s a jaunty track that fits the Egyptian vibe from Ankha’s aesthetic. The “ankh” part in the feline’s demeanor is equally situated in a strategic position, by the way.
While fan art and cosplay are certainly a flattering celebration of a certain gaming franchise, there are a few concerns to take into account. For one, as a family game, Animal Crossing attracts a lot of minors, who are now recreating the original animation.
This is amplified by the origins of the app also being targeted primarily at minors. While that has a larger conversation about the dangers of being broadcast to strangers as a child, there is the immediate consequence of the digital footprint this leaves. Once you dance to smut on the internet, it’s there for a while.
More importantly, Nintendo tends not to react positively to fan interaction on such a scale. While Nintendo has little control over the wide array of people profiting from their licenses, they do clamp down on things that affect their image. Particularly, moving away from the generally wholesome family branding seems to alarm the company the most.
Previously, another popular TikTok creator by the name of Pokeprincxss had to alter their name, under pressure from the company, as the creator had also used that branding for their sex work. The since rebranded Digitalprincxss has recently gotten more backlash, after an arrest over alleged child neglect.
Whether you’re for or against Rule 34, most TikTok trends only last so long before another one comes along. Hopefully, everything will be all in good fun until then. Have fun, do a little dance, and be safe. Just make sure you frame yourself as appreciating Animal Crossing and not doing anything naughty, so you don’t get sued by Nintendo.
