popcornmonk

[popcornmonk]

[popcornmonk]

im noticing that for a lot of americans “free palestine” has been an ideological motto and symbol rather than them actually believing in their heart that freedom is attainable and necessary

[popcornmonk]

“The believer has no relief except meeting Allah ﷻ Himself.”

—Abdullah ibn Masud (ra)

[popcornmonk]

If im reading a 800 page book I should be freed of all other responsibilities in my life. Like sorry I can’t do that right now because im reading this long ass book. Yeah you know how it is

[popcornmonk]

solidarity between people who want to take psychiatric meds to function and those who don’t.

What’s important is that we both have autonomy, informed consent and safe access to treatments we want, and to not be forced, coerced or pressured into those we don’t.

[popcornmonk]

solidarity between people who want to take psychiatric meds to function and those who don’t.

What’s important is that we both have autonomy, informed consent and safe access to treatments we want, and to not be forced, coerced or pressured into those we don’t.

[popcornmonk]

🪻

healing is personal...

...and it's a process.

you don't have to share it. you don't have to hide it. you don't have to speak about it. you don't have to do it a particular way.

all you need to do, is acknowledge it from time to time. let yourself feel it. affirm it to your mind, even if it's only 1% better right now.

don't ignore the efforts of your existence ✨

[popcornmonk]

I just got a pin at a yard sale and I think it is old. Could I send in a picture to see if you know anything? All I know it is Bone China and also from England.

Sure! I'm not the best with dating jewelry but I could give it a shot.

[popcornmonk]

[popcornmonk]

I can believe it, does that look like the face of a being who has ever beheld a thought

This is Trico!

he is an idiot.

[popcornmonk]

In imitation of the Prophet ﷺ, Muslims are expected to be merciful, to bring good, and to seek the benefit of others - all others not wish them harm or rejoice in the evil that befalls them.

[popcornmonk]

include physically disabled people in your body positivity.

prosthetics, mobility aids, hearing aids, etc. are often extensions of our body to us. not accessories.

these things are highly stigmatized and cause people to think it's okay for them to invade our privacy, boundaries, and bodies.

[popcornmonk]

[popcornmonk]

(Personally) Connecting Comic Books & Ibn Katheer

I've been thinking, "Why are comic books and media so compelling?"

I believe that it's because they've had popularity and longevity, two features needed for stories to solidify into concrete lore. And humans need concrete, reliable stories - mythologies, prophecies, parables. We are natural storytellers, but it's more than that. We need to tell stories in community. We need to collectively build lore, tweak it as it goes to parallel our experiences collectively, and share how meaningful a story is to our individual and collective living.

Comic books fill a gap, they are necessary mythology for the human living in late-stage capitalism. Consider that they are

Accessible & easy to understand

Relatable and mirrors the universal struggles of the human experience

Familiar and comforting

Superman always saves the day, a god tried by mere human emotions of longing & belonging, the representative of man's resilience and goodness.

Batman is tortured, driven by grief to change an event long gone, or at least the consequences. A true Byronic hero for the modern day male heterosexual.

Magneto and Professor X represents Western Psychology's representation of the duality of man; the idealised figure strategically working for peaceful coexistence vs the exhaustive rebel demanding by any means necessary

Scarlet Witch embodies female rage at its finest; lightly oriental and exotic, very fucking sexy while being exceedingly traumatized.

Ghost Rider is inescapable guilt and vengeance denied.

And I would even argue that Deadpool as an antihero is the trickster archetype through modern day lenses.

New characters are routinely introduced into comic cannon, but they rarely become beloved staples. The characters that succeed tend to be a foil for the legacy characters, often times in the form of a protégé character. How many batkids does the average person know? If you're lucky, they know 3 individual Robins and their names. However, everyone knows the archetype of the sidekick Robin. Few people know other sidekicks like Batgirl or Signal.

From left to right, Jason Todd (Red Hood), Dick Grayson (Nightwing), Tim Drake (Red Robin), and Damian Wayne (the present Robin)

But that's a wide example, let's narrow it down a little. Courtesy the popularity of the Spiderverse movies, we know Miles Morales. In the first Spiderverse movie, his character arc is so well executed that we all agree that he IS a Spiderman. But what makes Spiderman a Spiderman?

High intelligence. In some comic runs, Peter Parker works as a scientist in Osbourne labs, and that's where he gets bitten. Varyingly, he has worked with Stark Industries, or with Reed Richards (canonically the smartest man in the Marvel Universe). Early in the movie, we see Miles deliberately fail his tests as a way to flunk out of school and his teacher reprimanding him on his antics.

Awkward and nerdy. He's a fucking nerd, okay? Spiderman might be for the streets of Queens, but Peter Parker is for playing videogames and tinkering in the labs. The fact that he is unbelievably nerdy and socially awkward is what makes it so unbelievable to those around him that he's Spiderman, despite all the obvious evidence.He's often bullied in school or at work. We see the same trait of annoying verbal diarrhoea that Peter is known for become humourous when he is Spiderman. Nothing changes, except that Peter is more confident as Spiderman, than he is Peter Parker. Miles is even more awkward than Peter (Remember the tragic "Heyyy" scene with Gwen? We all know a guy who sorely overestimates his rizz)

Humour. As Peter Parker, his humour is for the audience. He is the butt of the joke, and the jokes are the socially awkward situations he finds himself in. But as Spiderman, he is the jokester and we're all in his court. Some versions or writers lean into one of these than the other. Compare Andrew Garfield's more confident clown persona to Tobey Maguire's shy, butt of the joke Peter Parker. I think Miles is good mix of these two.

Personal Growth. This is what it all comes down to. A Spiderman must make a personal journey driven by grief, anger and revenge, but ultimately choosing to act in alignment with their values, and hoping that the action honours the memory of their loved ones. This, interestingly is what sets apart Miguel O'Hara (Spiderman 2099) apart from his colleagues. He is unable to make the complete character arc of a Spiderman, just like Miles struggled to in the first Spiderverse movie.

Miles is a Spiderman, and a popular one. But to be both beloved and popular, a protégé character must not only follow a recognisable character archetype or hero formula, they must go one step ahead - fill a cultural gap that the legacy character can't manage regardless of how many times the storyline is retconned.

Miles represents the desire for many media consumers to see themselves reflected more accurately on the big screen, and how diverse backgrounds shape their anxieties, questions and dreams for the future.

It follows logic that many protégé characters that were rolled out in the 2000s were diverse characters. This is capitalism baby, create a problem and applaud yourself for selling us the solution.

I have thought about comic books in many moving parts for years now, but currently, it's how much people need stories to cultivate faith. I was thinking of Omar Suleiman's series explaining Ibn Katheer's voluminous history book - Al Bidaayah wan Nihaayah (The Begining and The End), and why it was and still is, so foundational to me.

For the first time in my personal history, I could see my place in the universe. Where I, against the backdrop of a universe long in existence before me, and after I'm gone, fits. As a child, it was drilled into my head that we are here to worship Allah. But where do my own dreams fit into that? And everything that I was, am, and will be - does God care about that? Watching the series helped me understand that there is a bigger picture and I am an intentional part of it.

Someone once remarked that there is a thin line between religious accounts and mythologies. I believe that the utility for humans are the same. We use stories as a compass and guide, and storytelling is a dying art form, very few people are allowed the opportunities and resources to learn that skill.

Most stories never change, but people do and they grow into the wisdom the story offers, year in, year out. At the end of the day, stories give life to faith.

PS: For whatever reason, I thought Ibn Al Qayyim wrote Al Bidaayah wan Nihaayah, unsure if it plain old brain fog from chronic illness or just me getting it wrong, and I'm so thankful for the friend that called it out. It's been edited to reflect Ibn Katheer, who did indeed write the book. Ofc it's Ibn Katheer, he's the history buff 😅❤️

#finally putting my minor in anthropology to use #just the way Allah intended #on Tumblr #mythology and folklore #comic books #comic movies #autistic special interest #media studies #communications theory #yes I plan on starting a media co-operative one day #I'll finally live my Marxist girl boss dreams #stories of the prophets

[popcornmonk]

do you want to know how one combats the venomous deafness of the world in the face of genocide? read about operation "nemesis"

[popcornmonk]

[popcornmonk]

And then the dragon and the knight become good friends. The king keeps sending more knights to slay the dragon, who also ends up befriending the dragon. And finally all the knights and the dragon go and kick the king's ass (right off the throne).

Aka: A knight is sent to slay a dragon. It does not go as expected.

(or: this seemed like a better idea in my head, please bear with me)