Musings & Morsels

i don't think there's anything inherently wrong with drawing or writing boy characters as girls or liking those kinds of fanworks, in fact sometimes i do it myself and quite enjoy it. i also recognize that a significant portion of fandom creators are female and/or lesbian, and are in part likely seeking to project their own identities onto the characters comprising the main yaoi ship (often some of the strongest and most-developed characters from the source media). however when this becomes widespread as a phenomenon i personally cannot help but think of it as a version of (largely) sfw a/b/o - of trying to subvert or vent about the struggles of misogyny via fanworks without addressing the underlying misogyny in the space itself; a way of achieving "women without women".

this is why the fact that these interpretations are usually contextless genderbend alternate universes and rarely explicit specific trans headcanons is particularly significant to me. in my mind, an obvious way to imagine "what if this male character was a woman" would be not to necessarily create an entire alternate universe where this cisgender male is her cisgender female "opposite", but instead to consider the implications of the idea that she was a closeted woman all along, and what effect this would have had on the narrative. however, this necessarily involves confronting misogyny and specifically transmisogyny in the text and in fan spaces, something that many genderbends seem unwilling or unable to do.

Jackass Jenny #5 - Horsin' Around

The Sundered Houses are, definitionally, titled! Nobles, aristocracy! They hold political power in their status as nobles through the Chamber of Lords Advisory. Their power literally runs in their bloodlines, as sorcerors.

The bourgeoisie are people who are not titled, who are businesspeople; their power comes first through wealth obtained in commerce. Dol-Makjar doubtless has a bourgeoisie, but they are not the Sundered Houses. (We’ve met some of them, like folks at Hand & Wheel; they may have started out as artisans, but their scale is too large not to have employees now.)

These are two different groups! The confluct between them defined a large chunk of the history of early modern Europe, not to mention the American Revolution! They definitely do also ally together at times against the working class!

Pirate Witch~

I DIY'd my hat and corset, which are pretty important focal points in this look. I had so many inspirations, pirates, red mages, wizard and witch aesthetics, the list goes on!! This was for an event called Spell Bloom.

It took a few iterations to get here but overall happy with the aesthetic. I need to finish up some extra details like adding some appliqué detail to the gloves.

The rest of my outfits was styled using pieces from my closet.

Robe: hippie shake

Belt: la femme en noir

Long gold belt: amazon

Boots: thrifted

Bloomers: tiktok shop

V-glove: amazon

Lost Kitchen Scrolls

It has a huge variety of historical recipes from different regions, taken from manuscripts, transcribed and translated, and a whole section of notes about the context for the recipe. It's really fun and I AM going to try a couple of these recipes.

Look at how this lamb recipe is presented:

This is just such a fun way to learn more about historical foodways and discover traditional cuisine.

Look at all the filters you can use:

Maybe if I can forage some good blackberries this year, I can make a 300 year old recipe for blackberry wine!

Cutting - in my opinion, the most labor intensive part of the process. The amount of time/effort needed varies depending on the pattern and if seam allowance is included or marked separately, but no matter what this process can not be done by machine. Each and every panel and piece of fabric that goes into a garment must be cut by hand by a person.

Pinning/clipping - pinning (or clipping) is the stage at which you align the pieces you are going to be stitching together and hold them together with — you guessed it! — either pins or clips. This can not be done by machine.

Stitching - the actual sewing. This can be done by a sewing machine, but that machine still needs to be operated by a human being.

Ironing/pressing - two words that mean the same thing. The iron itself is a machine, but once again, it needs to be operated by a human being.

Finishing - depending on the technique you use, there are certain finishing techniques that can only be done by hand. But, let’s assume we’re talking about fast fashion, which is usually just finished with a simple overlock/serger. Once again: these machines need to be operated by people.

These are just the basic steps to making a garment, and don’t include textile arts that I am not as knowledgeable about, such as weaving, knitting, and crochet. Also, it is important to note that there are a lot of things that can only be done by hand, such as certain stitches and decorative techniques.

Also, the machinery being operated in textile factories is not equivalent to a domestic sewing machine. We’re talking about one of these guys:

See that gray cylinder under the table, behind the knee pedal? That’s the motor. These machines can sew through your fingers bones and all and not even stop. The people in these factories and sweatshops are operating heavy machinery, and are subject to all the risk that comes with that in addition to all of the work I mentioned above.

The Sundered Houses are, definitionally, titled! Nobles, aristocracy! They hold political power in their status as nobles through the Chamber of Lords Advisory. Their power literally runs in their bloodlines, as sorcerors.

The bourgeoisie are people who are not titled, who are businesspeople; their power comes first through wealth obtained in commerce. Dol-Makjar doubtless has a bourgeoisie, but they are not the Sundered Houses. (We’ve met some of them, like folks at Hand & Wheel; they may have started out as artisans, but their scale is too large not to have employees now.)

These are two different groups! The confluct between them defined a large chunk of the history of early modern Europe, not to mention the American Revolution! They definitely do also ally together at times against the working class!

Commodity fetishism.

The current system is simple: they're not supposed to. The market only appreciates art where it can be commodified. An artist can produce art, even plushies and keyrings, without reliance on exploitative labour in other countries - though it is far less likely they will make enough money doing this for it to be a full income or a "sustainable business model".

But if you're only able to make rent because you're repeating the systems of oppression against exploited workers, then are you any better than the landlords?

The system is designed to oppress you or turn you into an oppressor. Take TADC as an example: putting aside any issues with the actors or production, did it need to be funded by successive waves of cheap merchandise that will exist for a blink of an eye then spend centuries congealing into a layer of polyesters in a landfill? Do you need that blind bag? That FunkoPop? Yet another plushie to go on your pile?

Remember these items don't just appear from nowhere, they're the end product of thousands of exploited workers and victims, from the oil workers who pump the crude, sacrificing their own health and that of everyone around them and the land itself; to the farmers who are forced to grow cotton on land that dies a little more each year, prompting another clearcut of rainforest and more indigenous peoples murdered; to the manufacturers who spin the polyesters and handle the chemical dyes; to the individual people - likely women - who are paid pennies for working hour after hour sewing yet another Pomni.

It is a chain of abuse. Your purchase isn't responsible for all that harm but it gives it reason to continue. And the artists who choose to engage in it continue it as well.

No, there is no ethical consumption under capitalism, that's the meaning of that phrase. But you can make choices to change your habits, and promote community around you, and be a little more aware of where the things you own actually come from and the costs behind them.