I Dont Consider Myself A 'fashion Guru' By Any Means But One Thing I Will Say Is Guys You Dont Need To

"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. 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 in 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/

Op where’s the essay

OP

If we look at how almost every character in Undertale treats Papyrus, everyone talks about him as though he’s a young child despite him being either a late teen or young adult, and they all think of him as naive and innocent. However, the one person who explicitly states confidence in Papyrus (while also admitting he can be tricked easily by those who aren’t honest about their intentions) is Sans, Papyrus’s brother and therefore the one who knows him best. Additionally, in the neutral ending in which Papyrus becomes ruler of the Underground, we see him showing much more maturity than most characters give him credit for, even insuring a policy that humans can’t be judged all good or all bad–something we don’t see other rulers do.

Papyrus’s experience of being treated as childish and naive by everyone except his relatives despite showing a great deal of maturity is highly reminiscent of autistic teens/adults’ treatment in mainstream society and media. In this essay, I w

You hate that your favorite bands are exercising their free speech.

"oh sorry, i guess i was infodumping again" - sad, shy, apologetic

"you sly dog, you got me monologuing" - cool, strong, confident

Just a reminder there’s only 2 weeks until commissions close! Still have slots open!!!

commissions are open until feb 2025!

(◡‿◡✿)

(ʘ‿ʘ✿) “what you say ‘bout me”

(ʘ‿ʘ)ノ✿ “hold my flower”

Finished it

A Wip re-draw of the very first oc I ever digitally drew

Yearly mermaid doodle!