morningleaf24 - Tumblr blog

[morningleaf24]

"The best thing we can do with power is give it away" - On the leftist critique of superhero narratives as authoritarian power fantasies:

The ongoing "Jason Todd is a cop" debate has reminded me of a brilliant brief image essay by Joey deVilla. [EDIT: I SCREWED UP! This was created in 2019 by the guy who runs the Midnighter-Core page on Facebook, and Joey just reposted it!]

So here it is, images first and the full essay text below:

"A common leftist critique of superhero comics is that they are inherently anti-collectivist, being about small groups of individuals who hold all the power, and the wisdom to wield that power. I don’t disagree with this reading. I don’t think it’s inaccurate. Superheroes are their own ruling class, the concept of the übermensch writ large. But it’s a sterile reading. It examines superhero comics as a cold text, and ignores something that I believe is fundamental, especially to superhero storytelling: the way people engage with text. Not what it says, but how it is read. The average comic reader doesn’t fantasize about being a civilian in a world of superheroes, they fantasize about being a superhero. One could charitably chalk this up to a lust for power, except for one fact… The fantasy is almost always the act of helping people. Helping the vulnerable, with no reward promised in return. Being a century into the genre, we’ve seen countless subversions and deconstructions of the story. But at its core, the superhero myth is about using the gifts you’ve been given to enrich the people around you, never asking for payment, never advancing an ulterior motive. We should (and do) spend time nitpicking these fantasies, examining their unintended consequences, their hypocrisies. But it’s worth acknowledging that the most eduring childhood fantasy of the last hundred years hasn’t been to become rich. Superheroes come from every class (don’t let the MCU fool you). The most enduring fantasy is to become powerful enough to take the weak under your own wing. To give, without needing to take. So yes, the superhero myth, as a text, isn’t collectivist. But that’s not why we keep coming back to it. That’s not why children read it. We keep coming back to it to learn one simple lesson… The best thing we can do with power IS GIVE IT AWAY." - Joey deVilla, 2021 https://www.joeydevilla.com/2021/07/04/happy-independence-day-superhero-style/

- Midnighter-Core, 2019

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0bU6TrKdX6QgMLnUFk64jResHMVwiSyENASvJk7efasgZ94G4c81XJCVgGcLFPgPsl&id=594855544368212&mibextid=Nif5oz

[morningleaf24]

I think Elementary is the only modern Sherlock Holmes adaption that actually acknowledges Sherlock's addiction in a respectful, meaningful, and realistic way.

Joan starts out as his sober companion, he attends meetings, he has a sponsor he actually talks to, he loses friends to their own addictions and struggles with what that means for his sobriety, he covers his mouth and nose when near smells that could trigger him, he doesn't drink at all, he talks about how addiction will always be part of him, he recognizes addiction in other people and bonds with them over the experience, and he worries constantly about relapsing.

Addiction isn't a convenient plot point that's only relevant when needed in Elementary, it's a fundamental part of Sherlock's character and the story.

[morningleaf24]

Damian: Why doesn't anyone want to be my friend? I'm delightful!

Also Damian:

He's just a shy little guy (and Nightwing's #1 fan)

Thanks for the idea @junespriince ☝️

[morningleaf24]

Some of my favorite batfam moments from the 2004 series

[morningleaf24]

The Battle of the five Armies countdown - day 21 of 30

Bonus: 

[morningleaf24]

I like the idea of Nightwing being a well-known figure among the hero community, but relatively unknown to the public outside of Gotham and Blüdhaven. Like, he was the first ever sidekick and a kid of one of the Justice League's founding members. Most older heroes are his aunts and uncles, the first generation of sidekicks are his friends, and to the younger ones, he is a mentor and older brother figure. The hero community loves him. But outside of that, he is just a local hero. He sticks to the shadows, and while the people of blüdhaven love him, and the people of Gotham have at least heard of him, he is not very well known.

That is until the Justice League hosts some sort of public event with a lot of younger heroes attending, and one journalist gets an idea for a fun, lighthearted story. They go around asking different heroes and sidekicks who their favorite hero is, and 80% have the same answer: Nightwing

[morningleaf24]

hozier’s little side quest narrations in between songs are so important to me. saw him (live !!! first time ever !!!!) today spend a solid three minutes going “i’ve just seen the most amazing bootleg hozier tshirt. if i could sell it without getting in loads of trouble i would. if i could WEAR it without getting in trouble i would. it says HOZIER and then it just has pictures of faramir from lord of the rings. oh no— oh i’m sorry, it’s a higher honor, it’s aragorn. and you have— is that boromir? and who’s that, that’s— that’s your fella from the princess bride” about a group of 3 people who had aragorn, boromir, and inigo montoya respectively on their “bootleg hozier” shirts. king.

[morningleaf24]

The Queen offering to banish Lady Danbury's unwanted visitor. Love these besties.

[morningleaf24]

YOUNG QUEEN CHARLOTTE  and YOUNG LADY DANBURY QUEEN CHARLOTTE: A BRIDGERTON STORY (2023)

[morningleaf24]

Only the most delectable morsel of knowledge could bring such bemusement to Her Majesty The Queen.

[morningleaf24]

Taylor Swift x Neil Gaiman

Part 3 : Dead Boy Detectives x The Great War

Credit : Reyes.strand's TikTok

[morningleaf24]

Honestly this entire scene is why I don't believe that Eloise was a bad friend to Penelope.

They are having an honest conversation, listening to each other and responding in kind. It's sweet and lovely, and Eloise clearly realises something new about Penelope that she would not have known if not for going to the ball together.

In fact, Eloise puts things together very quickly. She has always thought of her friend as someone smart and articulate, she just understandably did not make the connection between her best friend and the random gossip column that has given her family pain. The moment where Eloise figures it out is when she puts together what she already knew, and was reminded of then, that Penelope is sharp and funny, and that only one person knew where she went that day.

Eloise is understandably angry. She is not a bad friend for being so.

BRIDGERTON 2.01 ⋄ Capital R Rake

[morningleaf24]

GENOCIDE Art by Igor Dobrowolski

@IgorDobrowolsk

تخيل الفنان البولندي إيجور دوبرولسكي شكل إعلانات الشركات العالمية التي تدعم الاحتلال في حربها على غزة. فقد جمع هذا الفنان الصور المأساوية للحرب ووضعها إعلانات في شوارع وارسو رسالة منه لمقاطعة هذه العلامات التجارية.

Update:

Igor Dobrowolski

[morningleaf24]

Batman being aggressively secretive towards the Justice League is one of my favorite tropes, but it gets INFINITELY funnier when you take the younger generations of heroes into consideration.

Barry Allen? He doesn't know shit about Batman, still partially convinced he's not human, still a little bit scared to talk to him. But Wally West? That's Nightwing's best friend. He's been around Dick since both of them were kids. He's had sleepovers at the manor since he was thirteen.

I just think it would be hilarious if all of the younger generations 100% know that Batman is Bruce Wayne. They've slept at the manor, some of them have taken various Batkids to school dances, they've been offered Alfred's cooking. And all because they've gotten close to at least one Batkid and said Batkid wore Bruce down until he let them reveal their identity. But all of them manage to keep this information from their mentors. Either purposefully or completely on accident.

Then you end up with a situation where the younger generations grow up and join the League and the older members Very Quickly realize that they seem a lot more comfortable with Batman than they should be.

[morningleaf24]

Ecosocialist praxis

[morningleaf24]

Fuck that post going around saying "you can have coffee in your story without justifying it :) you don't need to explain everything :)" I want, no, I DEMAND a fully researched ethnobotanical paper on every single food item in your work, if you don't explain to me where did potatoes come from in your fantasy setting or don't explain how the industry of coffee works over interstellar distances with full detail you are doing things wrong and I personally hate you and I hate your stupid story, fuck you

[morningleaf24]

I was reading the Attack of the Clone's script for *research* purposes, and it's been a while since I've seen the full movie but:

OBI-WAN: You look tired. ANAKIN: I don't sleep well, anymore. OBI-WAN: Because of your mother? ANAKIN: I don't know why I keep dreaming About her now. I haven't seen her since I was little. OBI-WAN: Dreams pass in time. ANAKIN: I'd rather dream of Padmé. Just Being around her again is... intoxicating. OBI-WAN: Mind your thoughts, Anakin, they betray you. You've made a commitment to the Jedi order... a commitment not easily broken... and don't forget she's a politician. They're not to be trusted.

Literally I will never be able to take the "Obi-Wan is so mean he didn't let Anakin go find his mother" argument seriously ever again. On a purely factual level, there's not a single indication Anakin told Obi-Wan his dreams showed him his mother was in danger or that he thought they were dreams from the Force. Anakin says himself that he doesn't know why he's dreaming of her, which makes Obiwan's "Dreams pass in time," so incredibly reasonable.

Wait wait wait let me update the language to the *pretentious voice* modern parlance. It'll be like a Shakespere "translation." Here we go:

Obi-Wan: you look tired Anakin: I haven't been sleeping well Obi-Wan: Cuz of your dreams? Anakin: Yeah I've been randomly having dreams about my mom all of a sudden. Obi-Wan: They'll probably go away if you wait a bit. Brains are weird like that sometimes. …

The only evidence Obi-Wan might have to the danger point is that the dreams are disrupting Anakin's sleep. But Obiwan is the one to bring up the dreams, in context of them disrupting Anakin's sleep. If Anakin was looking for an opening, that was it.

But way more importantly to me currently is the fact that Anakin transitions out of talking about his mother by going "I'd rather dream of Padmé. Just Being around her again is... intoxicating."

Wtf anakin??? Who says that??? Let alone to their brother-dad???

He seriously goes from talking about his dreams of his mother to how his crush that he's known for a couple days total at this point is really hot, and people expect me to believe that Obi-Wan was supposed to divine from this conversation that they needed to immediately run halfway across the galaxy to prevent imminent disaster?????

Let me continue my translation:

… Anakin: I'd rather dream about having sex with Padmé. She's so hot and pretty and nice Obi-Wan: Anakin remember how the beliefs you've been committed to for the past ten years are maybe important to you? Also politicians are generally corrupt, we eat the rich in this household.

This is a fanfic type miscommunication plot at best, except for some reason people act like Anakin isn't being about as clear as mud.