#threads idea vaccuum

[irregularbillcipher]

watched the musical demon show (don't wanna name it so this post isn't in the tags) at the behest of an IRL friend and i can already tell this is going to be a piece of media where i absolutely cannot stop thinking about it, not because i really love the show as-is, but because it has so many individual components i really like and find incredibly fun or compelling, and i'm so frustrated that it doesn't come together for me

i think the main thing i can say about it as a show, setting aside some of the insensitive choices that were made that i really don't feel qualified to tackle or talk about, is that the entire thing sort of gives off this vibe of someone really excited to show you every single oc they made in high school and college and i very genuinely mean that in both the best and worst ways possible

there are some good hooks for season two though so i will absolutely give them that

[everybody-loves-purdy]

I'm never really satisfied with the discussions of ableism in this fandom, and I think its because not enough people akcnowledge the very foundation of the series, "a cult developed around choosing to live a harsher life they find more satisfying to live to the point of arrogance", is inherently ableist. The clans don't live in a vaccuum, they live in a world where they could go off and find a twoleg within a few weeks who would take care of them entirely, and the series, especially the first arc, entirely opperates under the premise that if a cat can't cut it as a warrior then they should go live a oft kittypet life.

At its core its a neutral fact, their lifestyle is harsh and not suitable for every cat, and more levelheaded cats in the series treat it as such, but their society as a whole puts itself on a pedestal and looks down upon amyone who isn't up to snuff. I think too many people act liek this is an unintentional problematic aspect when it is portrayed as being part of their flawed and problematic society. Especially firestar's story was about admiring the positives of this society and yet willign to step back and view it form an outside perspective to see where things could do better and this society could evolve instead of remaining in its current stagnant and insular state. That's why clan cats look at Cinderpelt and Snowkit and Brightheart and completely accept the terrible fates they were going to be given for being "weak" and why firestar stepped to at least try to change that. He creates a society thats better about it but still has many a flaw, in which sometimes they fumble backwards and sometimes they take steps forwards, and they learn to be a more complex and compassionate society. Its not so black and white or linear either, as before the prequels scrambled to justify them there was the implication that because of how they glorify warriors and defending their clan they also wear scars and wound slike badges of honour, being renamed in honour of them, and it was only through brighthearts case and firestars alternative perspective that they began to see how it wasnt so great.

This is a weird ramble and probably incoherent, sorry. Warriors has a lot of ableism problems, and I just would like to see it discussed more not in just the meta context, but in story as well. Its a very interesting thing to view the warriors society as the dynamic every changing society it is in the same way we examine character slike hollyleaf who change- maybe not always as the authors intended, but still making something worth examining and expanding on. I think if we think about it that way it is very interesting to see the push and pull of their society, and how it affects the characters that are most inherent marginalized and also glorified. I think looking at it in story more could add more to the meta discussion.

Yeah I think I get where you’re coming from

One detail I find a lot of people forget is that ThunderClan never pressured Jayfeather into the medicine den, StarClan did. Firestar was very open to the idea of Jaypaw training as a warrior and never tried to put a barrier in place for him. And Briarlight was going to move back into the warriors den and presumably try and take on more responsibilities as she felt more ready to but that was just something that got completely forgotten once Vicky left, who knows what Briarlight’s fate could have been if that plot thread wasn’t literally just forgotten.

I think the main issue people have is that we yet haven’t many prominent characters who have managed to escape from the box that the clans’ integrated ableism wants to keep them in. Particularly cats who have disabilities related to loss of limb function, hearing impairment, and sight impairment in both eyes. Sure we have Deadfoot and Volewhisper but this was almost all done offscreen. And while we do have characters with missing tails, apart from Halftail, these characters just aren’t treated as disabled by the narrative, half the time the books forget they’re not supposed to have tails!

I feel at this point like you say if we were to have a significantly disabled main character warrior, they probably would have to face in-universe ableism to some degree (as horrible as it is) because it just would be odd not to considering the ableism that has just continuously existed within the clans. If a deaf cat decided to become a warrior, there would definitely be those in-universe who wouldn’t approve because there hasn’t been a deaf cat born in the clans (that we know of) since Snowkit. Several characters probably just wouldn’t be able to comprehend the idea of someone functioning perfectly fine without hearing because it’s a concept almost completely new to them. It would be a very satisfying story I think to see this deaf character just ultimately prove them wrong, obviously they would face challenges and need to adapt differently to their clanmates, but in the end once they get the hang of things their own way, it could be a very satisfying conclusion. I think this or a similar concept would be something interesting to see tackled and challenged in-universe. But given the track record for author ableism with these books, I wouldn’t hold my breath about it being non-offensive and actually good representation.

[morgue-xiiv]

I've finally used my Moonman (Majohn) C4 enough to rate it. Iike nearly all MM pens I'll give it a 10/10 if I'm feeling generous.

Nib: Like the Q1, comes in extra fine and writes well, cannot compare to fine/med nib since I always go for the finest available, but I assume the fine nib will be the same as the C1/C2 (I seem to recal at least the finer nibs on C3 were bad, but those were gold coloured and very different) Either way I'm happy to assume you will get a smooth writing experience, with decent flow. For me, the EF nib being offered is a huge bonus. No issues with the feed so far, though I'd say it's a little dry for fast writing I've had no skipping, only paler/thinner lines if I write fast. As it's on the dry side, there's been no leaking so far.

In terms of both nib and styling it resembles a stretched out Q1. If you liked the design of the Q1 but found the form unappealing/uncomfortable to hold, this may be the ideal pen for you.

Filling: Like the majority of Moonman pens, it's dropper fill, according to the instructions that come with it. HOWEVER, It is, for some reason unfathomable to me, designed to look like a vaccuum fill pen. This design goes far enough to have a functional movement: an uncrewable end and vaccum pole built into the body that really pulls out... but without the diaphragm that would allow it to vaccuum fill properly. Out of interest I tried. This was what's called "a stupid idea" and probably wasted a few droplets of my precious Dominant Industries ink.

Frankly I find this descision to be both cynical (aping the look of a popular fill style that tends to command more money) and ugly (it's ugly). Once the pen is filled with a dark coloured ink this faux vaccuum pole doesn't really show, so the only sign of the design is the extra threading at the end, which I don't find to be ugly. Be cautioned that with lighter coloured inks or when the pen runs low on ink, the piston might be visible and unappealing. This detail with the usual visual style of a transparent acrylic Moonman, which tend to be droper fill precisely to create that minimalist look. Still, the solid acrylic body is very beautiful, as they always are.

Since Moonman have never had a vac fil pen in their roster (as far as I'm aware) I suspect this was initially a sincere attempt to create a vac-fill mechanism which simply failed at some stage of R&D and rather than waste their product development money they released it as an oddly designed dropperfill pen. I prefer dropper-fill anyway. I find vacs fiddly, difficult to clean, impossible to top up and unpredictable. The lack of vac fill is a bonus to me, as I tend to use a dropper to fill my Wing Sun 3013s and lament needing to use the vac on my WS 601A, which is the only vac pen in my live rotation.

Lid is screw cap (this probably gives Moonman their resistance to drying up in storage, which is why they are ALWAYS in my ready-to-write deck, so any inconvenience is well compensated!) it posts somewhat securely. (if you're not a fountain pen nerd, posting is our special word for putting the cap on the back of the pen) being quite solid in its build and acrylic, the cap is weighty and when posted may not suit a writer who dislikes top-heavy pens. Unposted the pen feels a touch light, but well balanced. I'm not very sensitive to these things. Its construction is reasuringly thick in the acrylic and with the cap on it feels heavy and prestigious. Though some of the gold trim is a touch gaudy it is finished well without any flash/burrs/other signs of poor moulding, and it doesn't have the vile tackiness of the S5's plastic gem. As it's the same as the Q1 in many respects I expect this plasticy gold trim and clip will wear the same, mine showing thin spots in places and minor scratching which actually helps take the excessive shine off.

Due to impatience I ordered my C4 from already imported European stocks, rather than save money with an overseas order and potentially get the Asian market version what still says "Moonman". For this reason the barrel trim on my pen says Majohn, the European trade name since Kaweco patent trolled them. The nibs tend to not follow this rule, wether due to the specificity of the patent troll, or simply hoping no-one notices (don't tell Kaweco).

I hope you found this review interesting. I'll happily review more pens if anyone actually reads all of this and wants another.

[hadesknockedupintheunderworld]

So I got this comment (name cropped out on purpose) about this post. And though I ended up replying in the comments, I've decided to put that reply I made here.

Sure, but the thing about Sonic canon is that

Most characters that aren't main characters appear in one or two games max

Though the games and adaptations aren't great with continuity (understatement I'm aware), they often will have threads from other games to pull from even on a minor level that affect well...why a specific story is like that. Like how certain games/adaptations will reference other ones, or they'll operate under the idea that you understand the origins of characters shown

Now, headcanons, playing with fanon, that's fine and dandy. That's what fanon fun is for.

But when you have characters that appear in like. One game's story mode (Chip, Infinite, Mephiles, etc) or in singular adaptations (Scourge, Eclipse, the variants from sonic prime, various characters from older tv shows (a few of which also do show up in the archie comics), Dr. Starline, Surge)

And people who are fans of these characters or who depict these characters refuse to engage with the source material whatsoever, we get people who base their ideas of those characters off of popular fanon and their character designs and some random shit they heard, popular fanon which was based off of testimonies from people on youtube who ragged on the source material/didn't take it seriously or people who haven't consumed the source material in a while/didn't take any of it seriously when they did consume it. Hence, the long game of telephone example

And on top of that, because these "interpretations" (which often have glaring contradictions if you check the source material) are considered to be accepted canon as far as the fandom is concerned (which means opposing this or pointing out inconsistencies means you don't fit in with the "in" group and are therefore considered "weird" or someone with poor media literacy. In some cases it can be a quick way to get a person who heard half what they know about a cutscene comps, or at the very very least whichever adaptation they claim to be a fan of), just going off of popular fanon (influenced by the long telephone game), or only engaging with any given game or adaptation canon so they can force it all to fit within the fanon they like, just so they can then claim this is all just intended canon.

Are they really even understanding the way the characters "look and should act" in this case?

Hell. I've seen people go on and on about how they refuse to watch the Knuckles series, but they believe whatever the popular fanartist who maybe saw it (or some of it) said is canon, and then use that to influence their rants. I've seen people admit that they haven't read any of Archie Sonic, but if you dare say anything that goes against what they believe is canon and insist is canon about X Archie Sonic original character, then well...

And to this day no matter what happens in recent game or adaptation material, fandom members treat Tails like he's canonically a small baby who needs taken care of by the whole cast and is a little guy who says some smart things sometimes but is ultimately motivated by wanting a big bro to take care of him (which happens even if you put a specific recent game/adaptation in a vaccuum and consider only what was shown, said, and implied within it to be canon)

In the end the problem is not anyone playing fast and loose with canon, it's that people don't consume source material or don't consume source material with any genuine intent of meeting it where it's at, and so they only accept popular fanon as canon, and can get wildly angry at anyone who dares disagree with "the majority". Even in cases where we should be able to converse about differing interpretations

That's what this post is referring to. I just wanted to make my meaning more clear

Every time I consume another Sonic game I become more and more aware of the extent that which the Sonic fandom has played a long game of telephone for canon (or "accepted as canon" for fanon) knowledge with like. Maybe 1% having actually even watched a cutscene comp at least for the thing

[madmaudlingoes]

Sewing Your Own Face Mask (Or Wearing A Cloth Mask)

I’m gonna use this post to consolidate what I know about cloth face masks (making or wearing) because I am making myself crazy looking at different proposals and arguments and research. Under a cut so I can keep the post up-to-date without spreading misinfo.

Question: what’s the point of wearing a mask?

Masks of any kind do two things: prevent the wearer from inhaling germs, and prevent the wearer from exhaling germs.

Healthcare workers need masks that will prevent them from getting sick while they treat the sick: that’s why they’ve been desperate to collect N95 masks and face shields. If you’re not a healthcare worker, isolation and social distancing are better ways to avoid being exposed to germs than masking in public. Of course, not everybody can isolate right now -- people still gotta work, gotta buy groceries, gotta use public transit, etc. -- so going out in a mask is a decent compromise.

On the other hand, if you know or strongly suspect you’ve been exposed, wearing a mask can help you avoid infecting others. (This is how masking became a norm in Asian countries long before the coronavirus pandemic.) Again, carriers really shouldn’t be venturing out of isolation at all, but if you can’t avoid it, masking up can minimize the danger you pose to others. 

As of 4/3, the Centers for Disease Control recommends that everyone wear a mask when they leave the house. 

Update 6/1: As states “re-open,” requirements for face coverings in public may be dropped, but that doesn’t mean you have to stop wearing one. Especially if you’re attending a protest (crowds, lots of chanting/yelling), a mask can still keep you safe.

Question: how well do cloth masks work?

The evidence on this is pretty meh. The US Centers for Disease Control has said, “Any mask is better than no mask,” but studies have shown that cloth masks are strictly inferior to single-use medical masks when it comes to preventing the wearer from getting sick. Some reasons why:

Cloth masks are often made from materials that don’t trap tiny particles as effectively.This video explains how single-use masks work, and why woven material doesn’t work as well as the non-woven polymers that are normally used for medical masks.

Cloth masks absorb and retain moisture more than single-use masks, which reduces their efficacy over time. A study from India found that cloth masks and single-use masks both lose efficacy after two continuous hours, and another study in Vietnam found a single cloth mask worn throughout an eight-hour shift actually performed worse than single-use masks, and possibly even worse than no mask at all.

Cloth masks, depending on their design, may not fit snugly or smoothly, resulting in gaps that permit unfiltered air through. A recent study from Northeastern University in Boston found that pulling a nylon stocking over your mask-- not your whole head, we’re not robbing banks -- could significantly improve the effectiveness of any cloth mask, and even single-use surgical masks, by keeping everything snug.

A wonky mask might also cause you to touch your face more trying to adjust it, resulting in contamination.

Wearers may not be cleaning cloth masks effectively between uses, or may be cross-contaminating their hands when removing a used mask.  See “How do I wear a cloth mask?” below.

So a cloth mask is a last resort when isolation isn’t an option and single-use masks aren’t available. As of 6/1, the US is still facing shortages of single-us PPE thanks to mismanagement by the Trump administration, and as states “re-open” the demand for masks will start to increase again.

Question: If cloth masks aren’t effective, why bother with them?

Some healthcare facilities have asked for donations of cloth masks in order to stretch their supply of single-use masks because, as stated above, we’re running out of supplies. Some other orgs (from nursing homes to animal shelters to police forces) have been asking for mask donations to conserve single-use masks for healthcare workers. For most people going out in our daily lives, a reusable cloth mask is more cost-effective than running through boxes of disposables, especially if we’re also doing what we can to avoid high-risk acitivies.

Question: What’s the best material to make a mask out of?

Research by Davies et al (2013) compared several different materials for DIY masking. Two factors are in play: how well does the material trap germ-sized particles, and how well can the wearer breath while wearing it? For example, vacuum bags are great for filtering tiny particles, but turned out to be uncomfortable and difficult to breath through, while woven silk was very breathable but a poor filter. (Some 3D printed masks that are currently circulating could give you fatal CO2 poisoning.)

The Davies papers’ recommendations were cotton knits (like a medium-weight t-shirt) or tightly woven cotton cloth (like a high thread-count pillowcase). More layers isn’t necessarily better, but most patterns in circulation use at least two. Some also incorporate a filter of some kind, either removable or sewn into the mask.

Knit fabric is tricky to sew, especially if you’re a beginner, but the trade-off is that a mask made with knit can achieve a snugger fit. Woven cloth is easier to work with, but the resulting mask may require more tailoring to avoid gaps. If you have a choice, use plain, light-colored fabrics so it’s easier to see stains or wet spots. (Also, frankly, a mask sanitized with bleach regularly won’t retain color for long.) Some hospitals are recommending using two fabric colors if you can, to ensure you can tell the��“inside” and “outside” apart easily, but if you don’t have that much fabric laying around, use what you got.

To secure the mask, narrow (1/8 - 1/2 inch) elastic bands are common, but these can pull hair/rub skin. Woven elastic in this size is also getting hard to source, and may contain latex, which is an allergy risk. Consider instead making ties from bias tape or twill tape; narrow strips of sewn fabric; a clean shoelace; or narrow grosgrain ribbon (the kind with ridges).

Some mask designs include a pocket for inserting a separate filter, which improves their protective power. Good ideas for a filter:

Quilt batting or interfacing (Fusible interfacing may help make knits more workable, at the cost of their stretch.)

Extra layers of cloth

shop towels made from microfiber or “hydro-knit” material

Bad ideas for filters include vaccuum bags (not breathable, may contain fiberglass) and cut-up N95 masks (why???). And if you’re making masks primarily for personal use on short trips out, you probably don’t need a filter anyway, though Mueller and Fernandez (2020) found that cotton masks with a filter + a nylon stocking over the top actually approached the protective power of a single-use mask.

Question: What pattern should I use?

If you’re making masks for donation, use whatever pattern is requested. If you’re making them for personal use, or for donation to an org that hasn’t given any guidance, here are some ideas:

New: The Clover Mask is a hybrid of several of the designs below, designed by the MakeMasks.Org Slack. Intermediate difficulty.

Erin’s Mask, based on a design developed by Dr. Chen Xiaoting of Taiwan. Erin tweaked the pattern and converted it to US measurements for those of us allergic to metric. This mask has a pocket for a filter and can be made with either elastic or a fabric tie to secure. Intermediate difficulty.

Cynthia’s Mask does not have a filter pocket and uses twill tape or ribbon for tie-backs. Probably the easiest on the list.

John Hopkins Medicine has also produced a mask pattern pretty much the same as Cynthia’s. So has Kaiser Permanente, which also made a helpful video if you’re not used to making pleats.

The Aries 2.0 Mask is being produced en masse by volunteers in St. Louis, which is where I’m based. It’s more complicated than Cynthia’s mask, and has a filter pocket like Erin’s mask, using curved pieces instead of pleats to achieve a good fit. Intermediate difficulty.

Some additional options, which have been less popular than the above:

The Turban Project Mask has been promoted by Deaconess Medical Center in Evansville, Indiana. It uses elastic and has no filter pocket. Just as easy as Cynthia’s mask, but the ear loop design may be less comfortable and some people have reported shortages of elastic.

The A.B. Mask is designed to be worn over an N95 mask, to extend its lifespan, or by itself. It uses cloth ties. It’s the most complex pattern to sew on this list, with darts and seam binding, but was designed by a nurse.

The Fu Mask from Freesewing uses curved pieces like the Aries mask, but has no filter pocket, which makes me a little more leery of the big center seam.

The Olson Mask has a filter pocket and uses regular hair ties for fasteners.

If you don’t sew at all, this mask can be folded from one sheet of cut cloth. A silky scarf might not be optimal material (see above re: material types) but a cotton bandana or a “fat quarter” of quilting cotton is almost the same size. If you’re using cut fabric, you could just tape or whipstitch the raw edges so it’ll survive the washing machine.

There are a ton of Facebook groups, Discords, etc. with suggestions on how to tweak these masks for best fit or greater comfort. One common hack is putting a length of pip cleaner or floral wire in the upper seam, to help the mask conform around the bridge of your nose. Be cautious when washing a mask with a built-in wire, because it might rust; the Aries 2.0 mask has a sleeve so the wire can be removed for cleaning.

Question: how should I wear/clean a cloth mask?

Depending on the mask, you might secure the mask behind your head or over your ears, either with elastic bands or cloth ties. Make sure you’re breathing primarily though the mask, and not around the sides, even when you turn your head or talk. (This might require some tweaking of your pattern.) This NYT piece has illustrations of how the mask should sit -- over your nose and under your chin, snug to your cheeks on both sides. If you can’t click through, @theexoticvet has posted the images here.

(Note: an N95 mask can’t make a tight seal over facial hair, but a cloth mask doesn’t seal even on a smooth face. So don’t fret about your beard making your cloth mask useless -- just make sure it’s pulled snug all the way around.)

Studies suggest a fabric mask is useful for two hours, max, or until your breath makes it noticeably damp. When you remove the mask, grasp it by the ties, loops or edges. Don’t touch the part that covers your nose or mouth, because that’s where germs have accumulated. If there’s a removable filter inside, wash your hands thoroughly after removing it, and then wash the mask.

Research shows the novel coronavirus can persist ~24 hours on a cardboard surface, but not necessarily how long it survives on/in cloth. Also, leaving a potentially contaminated mask laying around is probably not a good idea. So, to clean your mask:

Hand-wash with hot water and soap, at a minimum.

Boiling the mask for ~10 minutes should kill just about anything, but don’t just drop it in the pot and forget it -- you should keep stirring/agitating the water so it thoroughly penetrates all layers.

Add 1 T (15 ml) of bleach to 1 gallon (3.8 L) of cold water and soak your mask for 15-30 minutes. Then rinse thoroughly with hot water. Over-bleaching will degrade the fabric and make the mask less effective.

If you have access to a washing machine and/or a tumble dryer with a “sanitize” setting, use that. Otherwise use the hottest settings each one has.

If you have to air-dry your mask, make sure it’s completely dry before you use it again.

Question: How can I make masks to donate?

As of 6/1, mask donations are ramping down as the supply chain for both conventional PPE and reusable masks has stabilized. Most people and orgs can now buy reusable masks if they want them. On the other hand, some people can’t afford to buy a mask, so homeless shelters, food pantries and crisis nurseries may still be taking donations. Activist groups planning protests may also be looking for masks to distribute at their events.

Donations are being coordinated on a Make Masks Slack channel, at #MasksNOW, or at RosieSews.org. You can also text “masks” to ResistBot (50409) to find out how to help get PPE to healthcare workers who need it. Also try a Facebook search for “Million Mask Mayday” + your state, as the original Million Mask Mayday site was overwhelmed.

Check one of these spots or contact a local org BEFORE you sew a bunch of stuff, to ensure you’re matching their needs. Just dropping off a bunch of masks off randomly to a group that doesn’t even need them isn’t helping anybody.

If you initiate contact with a facility or org, ask them a) are they taking donations, and b) do they have specific needs regarding size, materials, or construction.

Also ask about whether the masks need to be sanitized before donation (use one of the methods above) and how donations should be delivered in light of social distancing recommendations.

[paragonrobits]

like i thing comics fandom, or the hatedom that’s swelled up as a backlash against the MCU, has seized on the idea of being willing to kill villains strictly as a positive and not willing to kill means you’re weak or an accomplice to evil and

well, I think that’s both a very authoritarian point of view, and also dangerously short sided.

like, people escalate. Just look at the issue with the police in america and you’ll se what happens when people who have authority are allowed to kill on the job if they think it’s warranted. It gets out of control; the job begins to attract power-hungry bullies, they make excuse after excuse to justify what they’ve done, until you have a bloody-handed accomplice to power, and power alone.

that’s really not the kind of thing we need to be endorsing. heroes who are like ‘they klll as much as the cops do but they kill the people i don’t like’ is absolutely not a story thread we need to push, so having some modicum of restraint is honestly the best idea.

so what’s more important than the actual willingness to kill or resolve not to, I think, is the attitude of the characters in question.

For example: a black champion of the downtrodden smashing his hammer into a racist wearing a white hood will read VERY, VERY Differently from a guy with a union Jack tattoo telekinetically pulverizing an entire nation and saying they deserved it for not getting out of the way. you MIGHT say that they’re both killing, so who cares, but context matters. the reasons why matter

it also helps that, in real life, self control is always a better thing than flying off the handle and doing whatever you want. If you’re willing to do a given thing for a GOOD reason, there’s a door opened and you might go through it and do it for a bad reason if your restraint slips, so mindfulness is an incredibly important character trait to use in your protagonists.

people don’t exist in a vaccuum. If your characters kill left and right, its going to affect how they deal with other people. You can’t have, say, a heroine slaughter a thousand guys and then go home to her loving wife as if none of that meant anything; that kind of thing does stuff to you, no matter how justified, and its important to bear that in mind.

[thisdiscontentedwinter]

Thanks again for your response. I think it should be said that if you want to stop this discussion at any point, please say so. You keep raising points I want to respond to, so I keep coming back! I hope you’re not getting any shit in your inbox as a result of this discussion; if so, I apologise. I also hope you slept well. “I’m not going to tell someone they are or aren’t a woman. I’m not the gatekeeper of womankind.” Well, I’m not either, but I’m still a member of it. I have opinions on what my experiences are and how they fit in the wider sociopolitical culture and climate. I have opinions on how that sociopolitical culture and climate is constructed and articulated, and I would like consistent clear definitions and language. I don’t see why my views should be ignored. I would imagine you have opinions as well. You’re allowed a say on what womanhood means to you and to articulate your experiences and identity as a woman in the way that reflects you. Trans women are also not the gatekeepers of womankind - I suppose my issue is that they act like it in the name of inclusivity, and in doing so block female voices from speaking because of fear of being labelled transphobic and noninclusive. The irony. “But gender dysphoria is certainly something that has been scientifically proven to exist, so we’ve already opened up to the idea that gender does not equal how we are assigned at birth.” I’ve said this and we agree. Gender is not sex, but they are associated together. Gender dysphoria is a psychological phenomenon, and it certainly exists; what isn’t logical is how just because these two concepts are articulated as separate, it follows that gender takes precedence over sex in everyday culture. But … how are you using the word ‘gender’ here? We might be operating with different understandings of the word. You seem to be meaning ‘gender identity’, which I would see as separate from 'gender’. “So if someone tells me that they are a woman, then that’s good enough for me.” Okay, I think I get your reasoning. I completely disagree with it (what a surprise!), but I understand it. Thanks for explaining. “what does the gender of the person spearheading that attempt matter? I just don’t understand how a transwoman trying to do this is worse than a ciswoman trying to do it, or a man trying to do it.” In a vaccuum, it doesn’t matter. It *shouldn’t* matter. We are not living in a vaccuum. We are living in a patriarchal world where women have formed a movement that articulated a need for these organisations and have set them up. These kinds of organisations continually struggle because the men who make them necessary would like to see them shut down. Trans women are biologically male and were socialised as such until transition. You could read the action as “you don’t cater to me, therefore I’ll try to get rid of you”, quite a 'male’ response. Even if you don’t read that level of intention into it, it does smack of misogyny from someone who states as part of their activism that they resist misogyny; given the current conversation around trans women, yes, I think this adds an extra level of hypocrisy to the situation. It’s an opinion; I don’t think this is something we’ll agree on or even have to. “What is the biological function of a woman?” Argh, I did not articulate this well, you’re right to call me out on it. I think what I was trying to say is female biology in general, not the function. Girl children have female biology, infertile women have female biology, post-menopausal women definitely have female biology. They’re all women, whether or not that biology is flawed in some way (such as in infertile women and intersex women). My argument was that presence of that biology, regardless of any anomalies in functionality or what women choose to do with their bodies, is the basis of the label 'woman’ and the reason for oppression of women. It’s a cornerstone when discussing feminism and oppression. “prisons can be inherently violent places for everyone, and that all inmates, regardless of gender, should be provided with a safe environment.” I agree wholeheartedly with this statement. I think I could summarise the rest of your paragraph as 'because there’s preexisting violence in a space, it doesn’t matter that another potential source of violence is added into that space.’ I don’t think that’s adequate justification for allowing trans women into women’s prisons, or into domestic violence shelters, or into locker rooms. Crying “but they’re women” is obscuring the reasons why there’s separation in the first place. I confess, I don’t have an easy solution to this issue, particularly prisons. You’re right, they are violent places, and that’s for a number of reasons including the type of population in them. Looking at what violence happens, in what contexts, and why is mecessary to reducing it. I don’t think trans women offenders and their likelihood of violence should be ignored from an assessment of overall violence. “I certainly don’t face the same oppression, as I said, of a 12 year old child bride on the other side of the planet” I would argue you do, actually. The *effects* of that oppression are vastly different, but there’s a common thread of male entitlement and sexualisation of young girls that I’m pretty sure exists in both situations. I can’t speak for what you’ve personally experienced, but I’ll try to illustrate what I mean with examples. I think it’s a common experience with women in developed countries like Australia, the UK, Canada etc, that as children of 11, 12, 13, they experienced sexual harrassment from men in the street. I did. It’s clear that even though laws in these countries say 'this age means child, child cannot consent, child cannot be married, if man has sex with child, child is raped and this is a violation of her bodily rights’ and even though the majority of men and women in these countries agree with that, there’s still the persistent sexualisation of young girls by some male creeps, and there is still an entitlement around access to those girls, and this is *still* in the social culture, enough to affect women at a widespread level. In a culture where child brides are common, the laws and the culture say something else about the legal entities of children and women that allows that male entitlement full throttle without pushback. It’s degrees of the same underlying issue. The effects of being married at 12 are much worse than the effects of having some man trying to grab you or shout threatening sexual stuff at you at 12 - I mean, to the point that I feel bad for comparing them - but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a similar root cause underlying both situations. “if we can include so many different and disparate women into feminism, then there is certainly room for transwomen too.” I understand how you think this, but we’re operating with different understandings on how feminism is united under what definition of 'woman’ and the nature of shared oppression. From a position of semantics, I don’t agree with you.

You could read the action as “you don’t cater to me, therefore I’ll try to get rid of you”, quite a 'male’ response. 

I don’t agree that this is “quite a male response”. I think there are plenty of entitled women in the world, and I don’t think it’s helpful to rely on gender stereotypes when it comes to discussing individuals. You seem to be equating that trans woman’s behaviour as some sort of residual male privilege when it’s just as likely they’d be an asshole whatever their gender. 

One thing I thought about as I read through your post, was what about the kids who are transitioning younger and younger these days? Because those transwomen will grow up with exactly the same sorts of oppressions that you mentioned: they will be ogled at by men, and they will be sexually harassed, and they will face exactly those same issues you described. 

I’m not going to tell those girls that sorry, you’re not a woman because you were born with a penis. 

[transhawks]

Forgive me, but I've had it with people derailing threads to be angry about any comparisons to real life issues as if fiction is not written to be a reflection or influenced by reality. As if people making content aren't real. In the period where the Twice Hawks raid was being written/published, Japan had two viral videos involving police abuse and in the latter case brutality involving racial minorities. One of them ended up in protests mere days before the George Floyd murders which then added fuel to the same protest (regarding Japanese police assault a Kurdish migrant that was caught on film).

The idea that 'foreign' works are apolitical or that we are 'inventing western problems in Eastern works' is a sick form of Western paternalism in of itself because societies are complex and yet issues like police brutality, criminalization of marginalized people are global issues. Do you expect Horikoshi to live in a vaccuum where those viral videos of Japanese police beating a man did not reach him? Did his internet connection cut out when we in the West saw pictures and videos of police in Hong Kong attacking protestors? Or are we just more comfortable with the idea that whatever sociopolitical issues Horikoshi uses quirk as an allegory for have no real life basis because otherwise that means actually engaging with a work more critically than people want in their escapism?

And increasingly Horikoshi has either written about the marginalization of people in the Bnhaverse or PERSONALLY APPROVED the writing of it in BNHA Vigilantes, which goes through him for checking.

Secondly, the fact is, Shigaraki has been extremely "wishy-washy" whether he has an ideology or not. He's agreed when OTHERS (all might, AFO, Stain/Kurogiri) say he's just out for mindless violence like a child, but he also consistently professes a sick sort of double-standard (Heroes get to be violent and the system picks and chooses which violence is acceptable to the more recent "heroes get to hurt close people in the name of strangers". The fact that it's mostly others, at the beginning, who have consistently doubted that he has any other ideals other than nihilism and he has consistently triumphed over them in some way or the other is important, because it's very easy to dismiss him and the League as violent for violence's sake instead of Shigaraki's points that All Might's society allowed others to smile and feel safe - at the expense of others. That it allowed little five year-old boys to be abandoned and predated on by a groomer because simple human kindness and concern for others became purview of the hero system.

To recap, the idea a thirty-year old man who is a huge Marvel and DC fan and cites that as his biggest inspiration has no sociopolitical viewpoints is frankly insulting when from the very first page of the manga, inequality was expressed as a core theme point of this manga. The idea that we cannot compare it to the current issues in our zeitgeist and is the level of thinking of base reddit fans whose only concern are "how strong" characters are and "strength feats". If you genuinely believe there's no reason to compare the issues in BNHA to real life, you show as much reading comprehension as every person complaining about videogames being too political and pointing to things like Wolfenstein.

AfO isn't wrong, and that's the whole point. It's been established since the first chapter of this manga that those who don't have quirks or socially aceptable quirks are looked down upon. Look at how Toga was treated by her parents and peers, look at Twice's preemptive death. The League is a group of people who have been marginalized in some way or another, and even though they bring up valid points - Just who needs saving? Where do they draw the line? Was Jin not a person, too? - the heroes refuse to stop and listen to the League's grievances with society because the League isn't dealing with their pain in nice, socially acceptable, good-victim ways. They're villains and therefore they are automatically wrong. The readers aren't immune to this mentality this either. This is why so many readers justify Hawks killing Twice and Best Jeanest attempting to choke Spinner and Shigaraki. The people doing the harm in these cases were in positions of power that are generally seen as good and therefore were allowed to do these things. The people on the receiving end of these brutalities were villains and therefore have no value or dignity, which isn't the message Hori is trying to send by humanizing the League and detailing their traumas and motives.

This is eerily reminiscent of policing IRL protestors for destroying public property, or people becoming angry over injustices. "Well you have a point but you're going a out things the wrong way! It's wrong to destroy businesses! Well, you have a point but your protests are blocking traffic and making me late! You can ask for your rights or whatever as long as I can ignore you and go on with my life because I don't like how you're dealing with me ignoring your previous methods of changing the system."

AfO saying all of this is so ironic because him saying this guarantees heroes (and some readers) will disagree with him on principal because no way a villain has good takes, right? He will be proven correct again and again and again as long as the system doesn't change. No way a villain, who is morally bad, can be correct about the society that trodded on them and then drove them to make the choices they made.

[loganimation]

Research Theory 1

This lecture was pretty jam packed with information. From the kinds of shots used to color, line usage, composition and shape language, we learned all the different ways you can evoke emotion visually. The really neat thing about this lecture is that Mhairi, currently a BBC employee, is a jack of every trade you can think of in production. Much of what she's done is editing, which makes me glad because it tells me that even if I get put behind an NLE again (which is likely), I can still use all these in my knowledge in choosing and editing shots. Later on in the class, we used all this to break down the beginning of The Wrong Trousers, but I'll be using a different example. 

The most important thing to keep in mind is to think in pictures. Visual language is very simple once broken down, and most shots can be boiled down to 1 or 2 elements. However, keep in mind that everything affects the way something is seen. A red sky vokes something much more different than a blue one. The best movies are ones that can still be told without any language barrier. The Red Balloon is a prime example. Jaws is another one, and it's the reason why Hollywood now has the 3-act story structure. But even smaller changes can change a mood such as eye trace. There are also some tricks that can be used to allow the mind to process easier.

Now, how do you go about all this? This is where examples come in. The one I'll be using here is a sequence from the movie "Brave Little Toaster" done by, well, essentially Pixar before they really became Pixar. In this sequence, the shattering of the picture of a young Master provides the catalyst for the next one, in which the air conditioner - something the Master was too short to use - expresses remorse and anger for this, to the point of literally blowing himself up.

As mentioned, the first image is that of the broken Master photograph. The Master himself is mostly made of round shapes, and warm colors, signifying that he's a kind and gentle person.The act of the shattering has given a sense of vulnerability to the photo, and by extension, the Master himself. It cuts to a group of concerned appliances. The photo itself is in the direct center of the frame, letting it be the elephant in the room. All the pieces,in diagonal lines, are strewn across the frame, as it foreshadows the topic and how very splintered it gets. This vulnerability is easily taken advantage of, as the cold wind from the Air Conditioner from offscreen blows the photo, as if to attack it.

Next, we see the Air Conditioner along with the other appliances. We now know the relationship between the photograph and the AC, as well as the other appliances and where they are in relation to each other. However, this is a worm's-eye-view, forcing our perspective to be from the appliances themeselves. The AC himself is a great, big box, entirely made of rectangles. This can show how strong, sturdy, and unmoving he is (he's quite literally stuck in a wall). The diagonal lines force the viewer to look up at the AC, and since he takes up quite a deal of screen space, he becomes quite intimidating. The vertical, red curtains and pink sky behind him show a sense of aggrivation and reinforce the idea that he's a strong character. He's not someone to be trifled with.

However, Toaster, our main character, is also mostly made of squares, save for the round part at the top. This as well, can show how stubborn he can be, and it seems like he might be in this shot, as he points up and directly at the camera. Every line from the floor to the other appliances seems to point directly towards him, especially as he's in the center of the frame. AC isn't someone to be trifled with, but Toaster is up to the challenge.

After quite a bit of back and forth, and subject-changing, Kirby (the vaccuum) says something, and the tone immediately shifts. There's a bit of a silence, and we see this. It seems almost identical to the previous shot of Air Conditioner, but this time, we're at his eye level.

He doesn't want to look down on us anymore. He wants things to be rather equal. He's dead-center in the frame in a medium shot, eyes directly in the line of thirds, and the two curtains arenow bright red. Not only are the curtains vertical this time, but every line that's not a part of AC is a vertical line. This is a strongfeeling that AC has, and he's now brought us to his level. This later changes into a shot that turns entirely red and moves into a dutch angle, as AC slowly and violently sputters until his rage brings him to completely burst.

And then it's over, and we're brought to the perspective of the appliances again, but this time, they see a corpse that was just veryvery lively a second ago. Like in Toaster's shot, everything points to AC's lifeless and askew box. The one-point perspective is very forced, but it places AC in a very isolated spot and now makes him very tiny. This shot will set the tone for the rest of the movie.

I’m going to admit here, it was very difficult to pick a scene, and it was even harder to simply narrow this down into 5 key shots. Later on, I’ll probably post an honorable mentions shot breakdown thread, because there are some absolutely fantastic examples of editing and shot composition that got nixed while I made this. Tumblr isn’t a very good place for long posts.

[viewfinderjournal]

DOMEPIECE (2015)

“Domepiece is a B side edit to the Headcleaner video that you’ll find as a bonus feature on the Headcleaner DVD. It consist of the footage filmed by Chris Thiessen for Headcleaner along with a chunk of unused clips as well. The footage is arranged in chronological order from first clip filmed with each person to the most recent. Filmed almost entirely in Long Beach with some stuff in San Pedro and Atlanta as well.”

[viewfinderjournal]

SUPERVISUAL

“In accordance with the title, Supervisual aims to point out the visual nature of skateboarding, with a homage to the heavy influence of Supernaut's underrated legacy. Featuring David Clark, Dom Henry, James Coleman, Trevor Thompson, Alex Schmidt, Randy Rhodes, Brian Powderly, and the rest of the Threads usual cast. DVDs are available at theoriesofatlantis.com & tennskate.com.”

SV is by Matt Creasy, Alex Rose & Chris Thiessen (threads idea vacuum) @alexrosefilms @christhiessen @threads_idea_vacuum

[viewfinderjournal]

THREADCLEANER

“Threads Idea Vacuum video number three, Threadcleaner, by Alex Rose, Matt Creasy, and Chris Thiessen. A natural progression from the last installment, it includes much of the same cast from Headcleaner, as well as new additions: James Sayres, and the Widdip crew. The second half of Threadcleaner includes a promo from The Vacation (newly formed skateboard company), featuring: David Clark, Jason Spivey, Brian Powderly, and Jonathan Ettman.“