#constitute different architecture

[kaurwreck]

fun fact! the contemporary Japanese constitution as amended does not and can't exist in bsd. this isn't conjecture— there are institutions that still exist in bsd that were dissolved by Japan's current constitution, and the events leading to Japan's current constitution have not happened in bsd.

Japan's constitution was rewritten by US General Douglas MacArthur in 1946, in the aftermath of WW2. But WW2 hasn't happened in bsd. (This is also not really conjecture; it's evidenced by there being a Great War and Fukuchi's aims to prevent a second would-be-greater war— irl, the Great War was only called that prior to WW2 because it was, until WW2, the most destructive, widespread war in the modern world. We then had an even greater war and so began numbering them.)

but, it's not even only that WW2 hasn't happened. you might have noticed bsd's Great War parallels but doesn't mirror irl!WW1— in bsd; the international alliances were different (ex: France was allied with Japan and Germany); Japan disengaged from the Great War before its conclusion (after Fukuzawa killed Japan's war hawks); the subsequent peace treaty was between France, Germany, and England (in lieu of the Treaty of Versailles); different nation states arose in the aftermath (the Republic of Nares only exists in bsd, it never existed irl— but WW1 did collapse empires and beget several new nations); the Great War beget the United Nations instead of the League of Nations; etc.

it's not clear precisely where bsd's alternate history breaks from ours— or if there was ever even a break or if it's an entirely parallel timeline—but it is canon that the Port Treaties that forcefully opened irl Japan exist in bsd but were never abolished like they were irl in 1899. it's canon that Suribachi City formed after itty bitty baby Chuuya black hole kaiju'ed a foreign settlement in Yokohama since there wasn't any appetite to rebuild it— which means that as recently as approximately a decade prior to canon, there were still foreign settlements in Japan. this is further confirmed by the Colonel in 55 Minutes.

all of this to illustrate: any claim regarding bsd!Japan's laws based on irl!contemporary Japan is incorrect unless specifically affirmed in canon. Based on the information we've been given thus far, the two Japans are operating on completely different legal frameworks.

in other words, there's no basis for deciding same sex marriage is illegal in bsd!Japan until Kafka Asagiri writes it into canon.*

*For example, I'm fairly certain Yokohama's municipal tax laws and regulations are similar enough to irl!Yokohama because Kunikida mentions a specific tax zone in Osamu Dazai's Entrance Exam that seemingly aligns with a tax zone specific to some contemporary Japanese municipalities, including Yokohama.

*Random fanfic of any gay BSD ships getting proposed to/are married/seems like they are married

“it’s cute and all but you’re forgetting that gay marriage is illegal in Japan”

Stfu, they are literally part of the mafia and have killed poeple, you really think they’d care about that💀

[meanbossart]

How do Drow and Astarion go about Astarion’s whole “Vampires can’t be in direct sunlight without burning up” thing after the main quest is complete?

By having really weird sleeping schedules, basically!

In my little fic A Novel Experience, DU drow purchases a wagon and an ox for them to travel out of Baldur's Gate and start a life elsewhere (generally take a huge load off), at that point, their days constitute of DU drow and Shadowheart waking up early and dividing chores. The drow does the hunting and the cooking/ration keeping and anything that requires more elbow grease. Shadowheart took care of the ox, helped him clean skins and keep inventory of their resources, as well as used magic to aid in their daily tasks (a whole lot of firebolt, create water, casting silence around them for hunting, etc).

These are all daylight errands and, in the meantime, Astarion would be inside the wagon bored out of his mind and entertaining himself with Shadowheart's growing literary collection - something I headcanon her getting into out of a curiosity for aspects of the world she was sheltered from while living in the Sharran cloister. Nothing is really expected of him in this period, so he gets to enjoy being stuck in a little hot box while his friends and partner do everything, including collecting animal blood for him to drink. DU drow is fully convinced that this is a good and functional arrangement.

During night time they can all interact properly, and usually this means staying up late. DU drow and Shadowheart probably sleep a LOT, from like 4am to 2pm given how much they exert themselves.

After reaching a town their schedules become a little more independent. DU drow becomes more of short-bursts type of sleeper and is usually up for a few hours in the very early morning, asleep in the afternoon, and then awake throughout most of the evening and night. Astarion's schedule is somewhat similar minus the morning part, he also gets to be a lot more active at this point and is often at a vampiric friend's house come late-night. Shadowheart's is a bit more normal, with a slight propensity for staying up late but nothing as extreme as the other two. All in all they do tend to all be awake in the evenings.

The city in question they stay in at this point also has tall buildings and tight streets, so Astarion gets a little bit of leeway if he needs to step out at sunrise\sundown, as there are plenty of spots that don't see the sun for hours at a time due to the local architecture.

I'm sure this is something they would just have to continuously adjust for throughout their lives depending on necessity and habit. What is interesting though is that it does lead to Astarion and DU drow always living just SLIGHTLY different lives because of their schedules. DU drow will always be more useful during daytime for one reason or another; Astarion will always secretly look forward to having a few hours for himself when the night is dark and his partner is asleep. Also, they both have a need for independence, though for vastly different reasons. In conclusion: they just wing it, I guess!

[fashionlandscapeblog]

A style is not something you simply stumble upon and suddenly 'find', it's something you develop through the years through a trial and error process. To have a style only requires to know yourself and what you really love, not just wear things because others are wearing them, but do wear them if you genuinely love them, regardless if others are wearing them or not.

To state that style and taste exist in a vacuum of originality without inspiration being it designer creations, other people, your passions and interests, etc is not only false and a big fat lie but physically and mentally impossible. NOTHING exists in a vacuum. And there will be people who might have a similar style inspired by one or two of the same things you love, but not everything. Call style and taste the whole sum of all the inspirations, creations, collections, outfits of other people, art, architecture, films, things you saw and experienced through your lifetime, it can't be replicated.

No one can claim to be inspired by the exact mix of countless brands, people, or personal interests/experiences you've had through time, because personal style is the entirety of the unique combination of all those things. I love power shoulders, puff sleeves, backless pieces, off shoulder tops, volumes, ruffles, fishtail skirts, full length coats, skirt pants, leather, dresses over pants, sharp lines, architectural, deconstructed and asymmetrical silhouettes not because of Helmut Lang or Margiela or even Peter Do, but because of my architectural background and these are things that I feel good with and suit me. I've been wearing asymmetrical pieces since I was in my early 20s without having known these designers, because I've always been a huge fan of Gehry, Calatrava, Eric Owen Moss and deconstructivist architecture in general. It used to be my design style as a student.

I wish reality was different, free of injustice, racism, poverty, etc, that's why I am a surrealist. I believe the impossible can become real.

Because of the same reason, I wear leather, not because it makes you look 'badass', but because I feel identified with the punk movement and I am a rebel at heart.

Lastly, style is not buying brand names or 'archive pieces' just because they're archive pieces, it's all about the design and what suits you. If you have a hint of style, you'll wear and carefully/mindfully purchase the things that make your heart beat faster and you won't discriminate something thrifted or second hand, or an unknown designer.

It might sound like a paradox, but I might not be original, yet I am unique. We all are, especially if you are not afraid of showing or neglecting it just to fit in a particular group. Just because I am not original, you're not entitled to to duplicate the entire unique mix of things that constitute who I am.

[cisthoughtcrime]

Are you telling me democracy existed before the Roman Empire?? I have spent decades thinking America invented it?? How many times has it been made and unmade?

There is more history here than I can possibly summarise or do justice. different versions of democracy(ish) systems of governance have popped up all across history, but most point to ancient Greece (Athens specifically) as the "birthplace of democracy". France should also get a special mention in the history of modern democracy. If you want to look at the different forms democracy has taken and what happened with it over the past ~2600 years, the Wikipedia article for the history of democracy is a good place to start and it goes chronologically.

America established a democracy rather than appoint its own king after the Revolutionary War -- arguably it invented its own version of democracy, but that's kind of true of every democratic country. The Roman Republic was also born from a revolution against a cruel king, and the founding fathers leaned extra hard into that. "The Republic of America"'s democracy is heavily inspired by the democratic systems of ancient Greece and Rome and the much more recent developments in France (federal republic + liberal democracy, things like the separation of powers, the Constitution, the need for the Senate). it's pretty much why the architecture in all the iconic governmental buildings is so Roman-styled, so many place names (esp on the east coast) are Greek and Roman, and there's Latin all over place.

Different founding fathers pushed for different blends of Greek and Roman democracy and worked to turn each others' legacies into echoes of ancient heroes of democracy (like Washington giving up the presidency and quietly going back to rustic retirement = Cincinnatus) to use as American exempla (legendary Roman historical figures who exemplified their national moral values and were household names).

A different form of quasi-democracy continued to exist after Rome became an empire. There was still the Senate and there were still votes on some things, but one person now held ultimate power: someone who was not elected, who held that office for life, and who could pass whatever laws through what used to be real checks and balances. With each successor, the new Empire resembled its democratic peak less and less.

The parallels between the rise of the Roman Republic and the rise of the American Republic are intentional.

The parallels between the fall of the Roman Republic and what's happening right now in the American Republic are terrifying. More and more and more people have been pointing it out recently.

[reikorun]

KlubOutside Q&A 401-500 [Translation]

Translated by @reikorun

Q401.

2022.10.24

I'd like to ask you a question about BTW! Given that "Bruno" means "bull" (*buru = bull in Japanese) and the crest which represents "The Inks" is also reminiscent of Taurus, are you perhaps using the zodiac constellations as a reference for the names of characters?

A401.

No, that's not the inspiration. I didn't even consider the "bull" in "Bruno"…. Now that you've brought it up, it does appear as though I used that as source material, LOL.

Q402.

2022.10.31

It is said that the Gotei 13 constitutes just under 3000 people, but with this many Shinigami, is it possible that this can result in Zanpakutō with the same names? Also, will it ever have the same name as a Zanpakutō that existed in the past?

A402.

No two Zanpakutō can ever hold the same name in the same era. It may, however, share the same name as a Zanpakutō from the past.

Q403.

2022.10.31

What is the name of Ryūken's mother?

A403.

I have passed on background details to anime staff so depending on the composition of the story, it may appear in the anime.

Q404.

2022.10.31

Do you have a favorite character among the Dragon Quest heroines? I like Jessica.

A404.

I guess the childhood friend from Dragon Quest 4….

Q405.

2022.11.07

I have a question. Is the horizontal line running across Hisagi's nose a tattoo or tape…? In the anime, it was drawn to look very tape-like, but the one Kubo-sensei drew in color on the cover of the novel, for instance, is expressed with the same coloring as his "69" tattoo, so personally I assumed the anime turned it into something that was tape-like for a certain reason, but is it in fact a tattoo?

A405.

Did it really end up looking like tape…? It's a tattoo.

Q406.

2022.11.07

What is your favorite traditional Japanese sweet? Alternatively maybe I can ask, do you prefer sweet or salty?

A406.

I like sweet foods more, and I like almost all traditional Japanese confectionery made with Tsubuan (*chunky sweet red bean paste).

Q407.

2022.11.07

Will Ichika's Zanpakutō turn out to be Mirokumaru, the same one owned by Senna?

A407.

That won't happen. They're two different people and Mirokumaru isn't a name I came up with.

Q408.

2022.11.14

The certificate of residence bonus was wonderful! I'm a huge fan of the actual contents of course, but the red seal which secured the envelope and the "KOS" design representing the name of this fanclub is so cool. 

A408.

This was Ishino-san's design proposal. Isn't it great?

Q409.

2022.11.14

About the Shiba siblings and Ichigo, are they cousins?

A409.

That's how it is.

Q410.

2022.11.14

The Granz brothers share the same birthday, height and weight, but are they considered twins?

A410.

They are.

Q411.

2022.11.21

What kind of dog is Uni-chan?

A411.

Pomeranian.

Q412.

2022.11.21

I would like to learn more about the mechanics of Shunpo. Unlike teleportation, if you come under attack while moving, will the attack successfully land?

A412.

If it can keep up with the movement speed, the attack will land.

Q413.

2022.11.21

In volumes 15 and 32, Hitsugaya Tōshirō is seen making fun of Hinamori, calling her "bedwetter Momo", I believe this indicates that he's old enough to remember Hinamori from her early childhood. In the general overview of the Gotei 13 from "KaraBuri+", it's mentioned that his current concerns include the sluggish rate of his growth. Furthermore, in volume 26, Hinamori says "I don't need to be given advice about growing by Hitsugaya-kun!!" Judging by this, it seems that Hitsugaya has been experiencing a longer period of halted physical growth compared to others, however is it possible that he is older than Hinamori?

A413.

He's older.

Q414.

2022.11.28

I like the atmosphere of Soul Society's architecture. Are there any places you used as reference?

A414.

Other than Louis Kahn and Oscar Niemeyer which I mentioned in a previous Q&A, I like Brutalist architecture and have been aided by, or rather, influenced by the Royal National Theater in England, Corbusier's chapel in Ronchamp and the Trinity Church in Vienna to name just a few. Additionally, I also like the residence of Luis Barragán.

Q415.

2022.11.28

In chapter 302 of volume 34, "Pride on the Blade",  specifically on the double page spread where Byakuya says "because you aimed your blade at my pride", Rukia is drawn pressing a sword against her own neck through Zommari's ability. However, Rukia is seen clasping Senbonzakura rather than her own sword, a fact that has no direct relevance to the contents of the main storyline. Did Kubo-sensei draw it that way because you wanted to convey something? 

A415.

I commented on this at the BLEACH exhibition.

Q416.

2022.11.28

Since assuming the role of Captain, did none of Rukia's comrades tease her by calling her "Captain Abarai"? I'm curious if she's being called "Captain" in the first place, considering that the nickname "Kuchiki" has become commonplace among those around her. 

A416.

Shunsui immediately began addressing her as "Captain", so calling her by the title of “Captain” very quickly caught on among everyone else. Shunsui has always been the type that would make an effort to immediately call a newly appointed Captain by their title and help them get used to the new environment quickly.

Q417.

2022.12.05

Sensei, is there a character from BLEACH that you would like to see made into a figurine, or do you have a favorite among those that already exist?

A417.

I think it would be great if a figurine of a scantily clad female character was released. If they have big boobs then anyone will do.

Q418.

2022.12.05

The following information has been recorded on Wikipedia regarding Ichigo's Zangetsu after the conclusion of the series:

"On top of being able to fight by choosing between single blade style and dual blade style while in Shikai (through changes to Reiatsu), while in Bankai, Tensa Zangetsu can be used in either a katana state (a combination of Tensa Zangetsu from the beginning and middle stages of the series), or in a large sword state (after special training with Urahara Kisuke and Hyōsube Ichibē of the Zero Division respectively)." Is this accurate?

A418.

Let's refer to official source material, not the wiki.

Q419.

2022.12.05

In the scene where Kenpachi meets Yachiru, Zaraki asks her "where did you come from?" Yachiru touches Zaraki's Zanpakutō, was this foreshadowing that Yachiru = Nozarashi?

A419.

Since I've already talked about Yachiru here, I can give you an answer: yes, you are correct.

Q420.

2022.12.12

Regarding the advertising slogans on the character cover art at the time of the Jump magazine publication, in addition to the catchphrases which accompanied the Captain & Vice-Captain cover art illustrations that were printed in the art book "All Colour But The Black" and the Jump special issues, are they created by Kubo-sensei rather than the editor? Are there also any other slogans devised by Kubo-sensei that were not included in said cases?

A420.

My editor writes all the slogans. The editor who did the work around the Captain and Vice Captain title pages, is Nakano-san who is currently the editor-in-chief of Jump.

Q421.

2022.12.12

Please tell us the gender of both Senjumaru and Nianzol.

A421.

Senjumaru is a woman and Nianzol is a man.

Q422.

2022.12.12

Where in the body is the location of the "Saketsu" and "Hakusui", often referred to as "the heart of a Shinigami"?

A422.

In the context of acupuncture points, I imagine that the Saketsu is the equivalent of "Jade Hall", and Hakusui is around the "Heavenly Pivot". ×[1]

Q423.

2022.12.19

What was the most stressful event in your life?

A423.

I guess it was when I first appeared on stage at Jump Festa. It was before the series had an anime adaptation, so there were only three of us: myself, my editor, and the female host, it was tough. I think it was at this time that I did my first ever autograph session.

Q424.

2022.12.19

If anything, it always bothered me to no end that there was a certain air about the BLEACH anime where it appears to be trying to make it look as though Ichigo and Rukia were in love with each other. How much did you tell the anime staff about your vision for the final landing spot of the original work?

A424.

I didn't tell them anything because no one asked me about it. Before the anime aired I was only told “the entirety of the Soul Society arc should be covered in one year”, so I thought "oh, the anime will end in a year." I can't remember very well whether or not the anime tried to turn Ichigo and Rukia into lovers.

Q425. 

2022.12.19

Akon's skin tone is painted in a different color between the Thousand-Year Blood War arc color pages and KaraBuri, is this something intentional? I remember his complexion being quiet pale, so it caught me by surprise to see him painted with some color in his cheeks in the Thousand-Year Blood War. 

A425.

At the beginning of TYBW, I used a color that gave him a bit more of a typical human complexion as it creates a contrast with Mayuri. Was the color choice really that dark…?

Q426.

2022.12.26

Has Kubo-sensei checked the lines in the English-language edition of BLEACH? Are the nuances and so on reflected in the English translation?

A426.

I like the English language, but it's not like I can read it so I don't check them.

Q427.

2022.12.26

Please tell us the intonation of the name "Kazui"! 

A427.

It's the same as the intonation of "atsugi" (*Japanese for warm clothes). The same with "kabuki" (*eccentric), or "kasumi" (*haze).

Q428.

2022.12.26

Who is your favorite member among the Bambies?

A428.

I like all the Bambies.

Q429.

2023.01.02

Is Byakuya affectionate towards Ichika?

A429.

Very much so.

Q430.

2023.01.02

Is the entire 5th Division barracks overflowing with items of Hirako Shinji's leisurely pursuits?

A430.

At present, It is being extensively renovated to suit Hirako's tastes.

Q431.

2023.01.02

A question regarding Findorr. During his conversation with Hisagi, the way in which there is a repeated exchange of questions and answers, until finally Findorr makes a serious attempt at his life after an incorrect answer is given, in addition to Pinza Aguda, it reminded me of the Yōkai Kanibōzu. I was wondering if that's where sensei also developed his ideas from.

A431. 

When I looked it up, it turned out there is indeed such a Yōkai! That wasn't the source of my inspiration, but I love Yōkai so I'm glad to have learned about one I had no idea existed.

Q432.

2023.01.09

I love BLEACH so much that I want a T-Point card or some other kind of point redemption card with a BLEACH design on it! Where can I ask to have my suggestion considered!?

A432.

This question was sent before the art exhibition, but I'm glad to say the cards were made available!

Q433.

2023.01.09

All four of the Seireimon Gatekeepers have gigantic bodies, but I wonder if they have increased in size naturally or if they are using a kind of enhancement drug or something in order to serve as Gatekeepers.

A433.

Being a Gatekeeper of the Seireimon is an occupation only held by those who possess a huge physique on an exceptional scale.

Q434.

2023.01.09

Ichigo's occupation was revealed to be a translator, but what languages does he translate?

A434.

He does English to Japanese translation.

Q435.

2023.01.16

If Shinigami had a driver's license, who would you say is the best driver and who is the worst?

A435.

I suppose it depends on what measure of skill we use, but if we're talking about safe driving, then it's Isane, if it's about mastery, then it's Kisuke, as for those who are bad at driving… I get the feeling that a lot of them would be quite bad…. Kenpachi would probably crash first….

Q436.

2023.01.16

I think the Espada, Nnoitra Gilga, is an Arrancar who embodies an abundance of praying mantis elements, both in terms of his Zanpakutō name and its release call, but also in terms of his personality which appears to fit the idiom "praying mantis's axe" (*courageous but doomed resistance). The other day, a program called "Amazing Insects!" featuring Kagawa Teruyuki-san was being rebroadcast on TV, and I learned about a praying mantis called "Peruvian shield mantis" which is characterized by its round thorax. Is this praying mantis the original motif for the round part of his clothes behind his head?

A436.

When I searched it up, it really did resemble Nnoitra! Interesting way of looking at things but it's just a coincidence. 

Q437.

2023.01.16

It seems that Yammy's Fracción Kukkapūro was left in the spot where Yammy died, but was he safe when the Quincy launched their assault in the final arc? 

A437.

He's safe. Well, to be honest, if you had asked me this before I got my dog Uni, I would probably have said that he's dead…. But now, I can no longer bear to watch any form of entertainment where an animal dies, so Kukkapūro is fine.

Q438.

2023.01.23

The 'Shop' has goods such as T-shirts and art boards, but are there any plans to add a wider variety of other merchandise in the future? (Acrylic stands, for example.) Personally, I really want Yuyu-chan merch…!

A438.

There were quite a few acrylic stands released at the exhibition…. But it's true there aren't many Yuyu goods so I'll let my editor know! 

Q439.

2023.01.23

Sensei, although you draw BLEACH as a battle-themed manga, do you always bear in mind that it also has aspects of horror manga while writing it? I ask this question because I read the new one-shot and it reminded me of the consistent presence of horror elements which has been there since the beginning and that made me curious.

A439.

Wherever it was that I felt "it might be more interesting if it was slightly scary here", I would go ahead and draw it with a slight touch of eeriness. Though, I don't have any particular intention of drawing manga in a horror-like style. I'm not good with scary stuff. I can't handle scary stories or movies at all, but I'm fine with the ones I've drawn myself. 

Q440.

2023.01.23

Within the story of BLEACH, multiple anesthetic drugs were presented such as Shinten, Gaten and Hōten, but are drugs like Gaten and Hōten effective even on people with high Reiatsu?

A440.

That's correct. Out of those Shinten is the weakest, followed by Gaten, then Hōten which has the strongest effect and can even come to take effect on individuals who possess a powerful Reiatsu. 

Q441.

2023.01.30

Kubo-sensei, do you use BLEACH LINE stamps?

A441.

Deciding whether or not to use stamps from one's own work is a matter that varies among artists, but I'm the type who's too embarrassed to use them. My editor and my friends often use BLEACH stamps.

Q442.

2023.01.30

Did Kubo-sensei come up with the novel titles, like "The Honey Dish Rhapsody" and "Can't Fear Your Own World"? I'm especially interested in the "knot" from the title "We Do knot ALWAYS LOVE You" because it reminds me of Yumichika's line "it's much harder to tie than to untie."

A442.

"Can't ~" was suggested by Narita-san and I gave it the okay, the rest are titles I came up with. The "knot" from "We Do knot~" as you correctly pointed out, was extracted from Yumichika's line.

Q443.

2023.02.06

Sensei, does Orihime still work at the bakery? Or has she become a housewife and is occupied with raising her child?

A443.

By the time of the one-shot, Kazui has grown somewhat and Ichigo also has a job that allows him to stay at home a fair amount, so she works part-time at the bakery every now and then.

Q444.

2023.02.13

Do you have a favorite novel?

A444.

The first time I spontaneously thought "I love this~" was when I read Revolution No. 3 by Kaneshiro Kazuki.

Q445.

2023.02.20

I'd like to hear which character's lines gave you the most trouble to create so far.

A445.

I don't remember which lines gave me the most trouble because it's not the spoken lines that stand out but rather the plain explanatory narration.

Q446.

2023.02.27

What exactly did sensei do in order to improve his drawing skills? Did you do things like drawing rough construction lines, or did you try copying your favorite pictures?

A446.

Of course I tried drawing by imitating my favorite manga, but it was never something good enough to be called a 'copy'. I still don't know the proper way to draw construction lines.

Q447.

2023.02.27

When did Ichigo get his hair cut short? Was it Yuzu-chan who cut it for him at the time as well?

A447.

I haven't decided on when exactly he got it shortened, but after graduating from high school, Ichigo used to go to an ordinary hair salon. At the badgering of Yuzu who became a hairdresser, Ichigo now goes to the beauty salon where Yuzu works.  

Q448.

2023.03.06

The subtitles of chapter 129 and chapter 130, which were included in volume 15 of BLEACH, were titled "Etude of Transcendent Technique" when they were published in Jump magazine. Does Hinamori Momo's theme music comprise of "glass elevator", which was unveiled on the JET special website, in addition to the fourth étude "Mazeppa"? 

A448.

That is a title dedicated to Ichigo's training. When putting the chapters into a tankōbon, I thought the main focus here should be Hinamori, so I changed the title in that direction. Wow, I never would have guessed that I'd receive a question about the subtitles at the time they were being published in the magazine.

Q449.

2023.03.13

What kind of pen nib do you use when composing your manga with traditional art mediums?

A449.

A Zebra G pen. I only use this one type.

Q450.

2023.03.20

The front cover of volume 70 features Haschwalt, but why is the illustration different when the book jacket is removed? Is this something sensei intended? I was curious because the book jacket of the other volumes was the same as the inner cover illustrations. I mean, his expression on the book jacket looks like a cold stare, but when you remove it, you can see a little light in his eyes and his expression is also somewhat melancholic…. To go further, in the opening poem, his eyes are closed. When you follow that sequence, like the fluctuations in the emotional state of Haschwalt himself, you're left with an indescribable feeling. I was observing, thinking how amazing it was that the sequence of facial expressions synchronized with the opening poem!

A450.

The variations are intentional.

Q451.

2023.03.27

What day of the week is Kubo-sensei's favorite day on Love It!?

A451.

If I had to choose one, then it's probably Wednesday. (*Love it! is a variety show in Japan.)

Q452.

2023.03.27

Is the reason why Nemu's breasts have gotten so big a side effect of changes in Kubo-sensei's art style throughout the series? Or is it because Nemu has developed? Or perhaps Kubo-sensei finds it more fun to draw them bigger?

A452.

Huh, are they that different? It was always my intention to draw them large from the very beginning. 

Q453.

2023.04.03

Is the necklace worn by Ricky in BAD SHIELD UNITED the same one Rachel wore?

A453.

That's correct. Huh, I get questions like this too!?

Q454.

2023.04.10

Are the settings etc. of this recent one-shot and the Hell Verse movie treated as parallel?

A454.

It's separate from the movie.

Q455.

2023.04.10

There was an event called "Bankai Battle" in the BLEACH mobile game, was Kubo-sensei involved?

A455.

I'm not involved, but I'm aware that the swimsuit illustrations were erotic, so I want a book with all the swimsuit art collected inside.

Q456.

2023.04.17

I love Kitarō as much as I love Bleach, so I get excited every time Kubo-sensei talks about it. I love Mizuki Shigeru-sensei's manga of course, but I also love the Kitarō anime, has Kubo-sensei ever watched it? I like the sense of distance between Yōkai and humans in the second season (70's).

A456.

I've only watched the third season. (It's not that I dislike the others.) In the third season, there was a guest appearance by an original character known as Yumeko-chan, so it appears to be an unconventional choice among fans, but I like her. The rendering style for Kitarō is completely different from the original work (like his hair type), but when I was in elementary school, I used to draw Kitarō in both the style of the anime and the original work.

Q457.

2023.04.24

In chapter 477, Rukia jumps out to protect Ichigo from Tsukishima, however her facial expression appears to be one of surprise, so I was considering if it was actually Riruka controlling her body. Whose intention was it truly, Rukia's or Riruka's? 

A457.

It's Riruka’s.

Q458.

2023.04.24

I would like to know if there are any painters that Kubo-sensei likes or any that have influenced him. Thank you.

A458.

My favorite painter, or perhaps I should say, my favorite painting is 'Flowers In a Vase' by Édouard Manet (or more accurately, it's something like 'Carnations and Clematis in a Crystal Vase'). When I was a student, I tore out a calendar page which had that picture printed on it and pasted it to the wall of my room.

Q459.

2023.04.24

I was convinced that Ichigo would become a doctor, but I am surprised to find out that he became a translator. I would like to know what led Ichigo to becoming a translator. 

A459.

It's because he had an interest in connecting two worlds.

Q460.

2023.05.01

Is Yokochin doing well? I'm worried that he may be involved in some high-priced reselling or something shady like that.

A460.

It really seems like that would be the case, huh?

Q461.

2023.05.01

Were Szayelaporro and Yylfordt actually brothers during their time as humans? I think it's an exceedingly rare occurrence for both brothers to Hollowfy after death and also become an Arrancar, but I wonder if there was some common trigger? I have been curious about the pair for a long time, so I would like it if you could tell me.

A461.

The two of them were too similar at their core, so they were met with the same fate.

Q462.

2023.05.08

This is a question regarding Yayahara Yuyu. It seems like she's obsessed with gyaru style due to Lisa's influence, but what was her appearance like before that?

A462.

She wasn't a gyaru back then, but I might draw what she used to look like someday so I'll keep quiet for now.

Q463.

2023.05.08

Where is Nelliel's Hollow hole located?

A463.

In the heart.

Q464.

2023.05.15

In the one-shot, Rukia referred to Orihime by her first name, but how does Orihime address Rukia?

A464.

She calls her "Rukia-chan".

Q465.

2023.05.15

I want to know why Yoruichi-san can take on the form of a black cat. It seems possible to interpret it as the form of Yoruichi-san being sealed into a different one, that of a black cat, however it also appears to be fundamentally different to Hadō and Bakudō. Is it a power that diverges from Kidō? Or perhaps it's some kind of technology belonging to Urahara-san?

A465.

It's the Shihōin bloodline. Sometimes, individuals who can transform into the shape of an animal emerge from within the Shihōin clan. 

Q466.

2023.05.22

I frequently use LINE stamps from BLEACH and BTW! I would like BLEACH and BTW LINE themes too, are there any plans of this kind for the future?

A466.

I haven't heard about any such plans, but I'll let my editor know!

Q467.

2023.05.22

It appears that Ryūken is a surgeon, but what department has Uryū been working in since becoming a doctor? 

A467.

He is currently assigned to the pediatric department because he is popular with children.

Q468.

2023.05.29

I would definitely love to see replica Zanpakutō being made into merch. Whether it's a full scale model, or around the size of a pencil, I'd like to make a collection either way. What do you think?

A468.

I feel like there were keychains out there in the past…. I'll try to pass that on to my editor. 

Q469.

2023.05.29

In the Thousand-Year Blood War arc, when they gathered energy as part of the world distortion repair team, and in the novel CFYOW, after the battle with Tsunayashiro and company had concluded, Hiyori came to the Soul Society in a normal manner. Does that mean the other Visoreds who remained at their base of operations are able to travel back and forth between Soul Society and the Human World like normal now? Are they opening the Senkaimon by themselves? I assume if they don't have a Hell Butterfly, they'd be sent through the Dangai…. I'm curious what their relationship with Soul Society is like after the battle with Aizen had come to an end.

A469.

At present, the Visored are being lent passes that can substitute for a Hell Butterfly.

Q470.

2023.06.05

I've always been super curious about this, but are all Shinigami's underwear loincloths? Is it different for female Shinigami, or people like Sasakibe-san who likes Western culture, or Ichigo who is a substitute Shinigami?

A470.

Excluding those who are extremely picky about it, It's a basic loincloth for both men and women.

Q471.

2023.06.05

Are Aizen-sama's glasses just for show? Personally, I thought that he wore them to make his face look gentle, but I would like to know the reason behind why he wore glasses if there is one. 

A471.

You're exactly right. He wore them in order to give his face a softer look.

Q472.

2023.06.05

Just like with Isshin's Engetsu and Ichigo's Zangetsu, when there is a parent-child relationship, will the names and properties of a Zanpakutō be similar?

A472.

Not limited to parent and child, similarities can sometimes occur among blood relatives.

Q473.

2023.06.12

When Ichigo addresses members of the Gotei 13, regardless of their rank, he either drops the honorifics in their name, or attaches the polite suffix '-san', like "Byakuya" versus "Rangiku-san" for instance. Does he have some kind of criteria? I can understand dropping honorifics if it's an opponent he once fought or something, but for example, when he interacts with Tōshirō for the first time in the story (with the Hitsugaya advance party), Ichigo was already calling him just "Tōshirō!", so that got me curious.

A473.

I wonder what it is… I get the feeling that Ichigo drops honorifics for guys who, in his mind, are classed as "youngsters"….

Q474.

2023.06.12

I love the Lost Agent arc. Roughly how old is Ginjo, and how exactly did he become a substitute Shinigami? 

A474.

How he became a substitute Shinigami is a secret, but his human age is 28 years old.

Q475.

2023.06.12

Gerard's Schrift is M: The Miracle, and his ability involved "the gigantification of any body part which had damage incurred upon it and then strengthening it." When Gerard was sliced in half by Zaraki Kenpachi's Bankai, something resembling a Quincy cross emerged from his head. Was that something akin to Gerard's core and if it had been destroyed, would Gerard have been defeated?

A475.

If it were destroyed, he would have been defeated. As long as something is capable of destroying it.

Q476.

2023.06.19

In the PV for the Thousand-Year Blood War arc anime, was it Kubo-sensei himself who drew the "Thousand-Year Blood War arc" lettering which appears in the logo?

A476.

It was the designer. That lettering is great, isn't it? 

Q477.

2023.06.19

I have a question about the Central 46. They are said to be composed of forty sages and six judges gathered from all over Soul Society, but what is the recruitment criteria like? Is there some kind of training school, like the ones in the Human World? Also, as far as I can see from the illustrations in the manga, they appear to be wearing clothes which are similar in appearance to Shihakushō, so I wonder if they are also classified as Shinigami?

A477.

They are Shinigami.

Q478.

2023.06.19

Since Yachiru, Nemu and Unohana-san are no longer here, what happened with regard to the personnel of the Shinigami Women's Association?

A478.

When it comes to Nemu at least, Hachigō has already become a member.

Q479.

2023.06.26

If there are any recently released games that you highly recommend, please tell me about it.

A479.

By the time this is posted, I plan to be hooked on the new Zelda game.

Q480.

2023.06.26

Painted on Lilynette's mask, there is something resembling the flame insignia found in the BLEACH title logo, is there any reason why that flame mark is on Lilynette's mask?

A480.

The one on Lilynette's mask is her Estigma. ×[2]

Q481.

2023.06.26

Dokugamine Riruka from 12 years later looks so pretty. What is her current occupation?

A481.

She started up her own brand and works as a designer.

Q482.

2023.07.03

It is mentioned that Captain Unohana sensed something strange about Captain Aizen's corpse. Is it a result of the fact that she had slashed too many people in the past, that she felt something was wrong from the sensation of cutting (or perhaps slashing) during the autopsy? Also, was this one depiction that hinted at her past as Yachiru who is known for slaying an excessive amount of people?

A482.

It is because she has seen too many corpses, both in the past and present. I guess It's a hint if we can call it that? 

Q483.

2023.07.03

Does the Soul King have a name?

A483.

He does. It may be revealed depending on the current flow of events in the anime.

Q484.

2023.07.03

In the anime, the color of Ukitake's eyes were brown, however in sensei's color illustrations, his eyes are painted green on several occasions. Which is correct?

A484.

They are green.

Q485.

2023.07.10

When Grand Fisher confronted Isshin in his Shinigami form, he made a statement along the lines of "Kurosaki Ichigo is a Shinketsu (*true blood)", but what exactly did he mean by "Shinketsu". My prediction is that the word refers to a being who happens to possess all the elements of "Shinigami, Quincy, Hollow and human", or perhaps a being born between a Quincy and a Shinigami. 

A485.

"Shinketsu" refers to a Shinigami who was born from a Shinigami, not an individual from Rukongai who became one.

Q486.

2023.07.10

I like Hisagi and always look forward to seeing his Zanpakutō in action ever since its first appearance, but the phrase "a shape that reaps life" appealed to me so much that Kazeshini became my favorite Zanpakutō. Hisagi exudes a strong impression of a character who is often toyed with, so I recall being very happy because he was surprisingly cool. Nevertheless, it's because my mental image of Hisagi was just as the aforementioned, that I also remember being taken by surprise after seeing Kazeshini. There are some characters whom I think have a Zanpakutō that is different to their image, and some characters whom I think have a Zanpakutō which suit them perfectly. So, I'm curious whether sensei creates a character first and then thinks about their Zanpakutō, or if it's the other way around.

A486.

Off the top of my head, they come after the character. The same goes for Hisagi, of course.

Q487.

2023.07.10

I quite like Kurumadani Zennosuke, but I haven't seen much merchandise featuring him…. Even after I tried searching, I could only find one card from BLEACH Soul Card Battle… I'd like to see any kind of Zennosuke merch released even if it's just a sticker. My dream is to buy Kurumadani Zennosuke merch someday. Also, Kubo-sensei, what kind of goods do you think you can commercialize with Kurumadani Zennosuke? If you don't mind, please tell me.  

A487.

It won't be profitable because you're gonna be the only one buying it, you know? Come to think of it, I feel like there wasn't any original artwork made for Kurumadani at the exhibition either….

Q488.

2023.07.17

This is a question regarding Ōetsu's line, "I know the whereabouts of every Asauchi" which appears in volume 59. I considered that perhaps this so-called "whereabouts" has three components:

1. Physical location ①

2. Physical location ②

3. Psychological & spiritual location 

First of all, "1. physical location ①" is the storehouse where the Asauchi are kept, which will be distributed to those who will soon enter the Shin'ō Academy and become Shinigami or members of other organizations. Even in this case, it certainly would be surprising for Ichigo, but I don't think it's something to be that boastful about. This is because it is (most likely) a teacher from the Shin'ō Academy who takes out Asauchi from the storehouse and then distributes them, so it's not Ōetsu's privilege.

Next, "2. physical location ②" means that, similar to GPS, he can perceive the current location of all Zanpakutō which have been released from their Asauchi. 

Finally, "3. Psychological & spiritual location" is the key point where Shinigami who possess Asauchi liberate their Asauchi. I believe there is a standard which dictates how far a Shinigami needs to go before they are able to release it, and I wonder if Ōetsu knows what that standard is for all Shinigami. Knowing the key point for the release criterion of all Shinigami extending from Soul Society let alone to the various locations in the Human World is truly an extraordinary feat which deserves to be called 'god-like'.

It's not the best idea to base things on personal impressions, so I would appreciate your opinion or answer regarding this analysis.

A488.

What Ōetsu meant is that he knows "who owns the Asauchi and what kind of state it is in" so no. 3 is the closest.

Q489.

2023.07.17

When Ikkaku was 3rd seat and Yumichika was 5th seat, did anyone occupy the 4th seat in Squad 11?

A489.

No one did.

Q490.

What is your favorite drink at Starbucks? (Including any limited-time items from the past.)

A490.

It's Adzuki Frappuccino.

Q491.

2023.07.24

In the story of Isshin and Masaki-san's chance encounter, we observed an injury, received from a Hollow, which had undergone treatment. But, I wonder if it involves the Kishi being treated directly, or if the soul is treated after being extracted from the Kishi, or perhaps the soul is treated directly through the Kishi? Which one is it? Since Shinigami do not harbor Kishi in the first place, they only have a method of treatment for the soul, and since the Quincy are living human beings, I think it was necessary to establish a treatment method that directly affects the soul through the Kishi.

A491.

There are Quincy who treat only the Kishi, and there are Quincy who have the ability to treat even Reishi alongside the Kishi. 

Q492.

2023.07.24

The art exhibition was so amazing! I would like to know about three characters in particular who appeared in the exhibition illustrations. Is the man wearing glasses next to Ikumi-san her husband?? Is the boy in the suit next to Nelliel Shishigawara-kun?? I also want to know about the pink-haired woman to the upper left of Uryū. It took me 20 odd hours to put the puzzle together, but I finished it without incident so now it's displayed in my room!

A492.

The pink haired woman is Riruka. You are correct about the other two.

Q493.

2023.07.24

It's something I noticed when looking at the newly drawn illustrations made for the art exhibition, but has Kubo-sensei never drawn Harribel outside of her Espada look (such as in a swimsuit)? I wound up paralyzed after seeing all the different versions in Brave Souls. There are swimsuits for Nelliel and Riruka, but now that I think about it… I started to wonder about something. Is the reason why there were few opportunities to draw Harribel, because it's difficult to integrate her with other characters?

A493.

It doesn't seem like Harribel would be willing to wear a swimsuit, does it?

Q494.

2023.07.31

The back of Kisuke's haori from volumes 2 to 5 has a circle with the character "喜" (*ki from "Kisuke") within it, but it disappears from volume 6 onwards. Does this design change have any significance? Or does Kisuke wear two types of haori that he made himself?

A494.

I got rid of it because it was too tedious to draw, but maybe I should just pretend that he has two? Well, from a design perspective, I prefer for it to be simple without that particular aspect to it.

Q495.

2023.07.31

What will happen to the returned Zanpakutō of Shinigami who have left their position in the Gotei 13? Will Ōetsu turn them into Asauchi again?

A495.

After being stored for a fixed period of time, they are returned to Ōetsu and made into Asauchi again. The length of this "fixed period" depends on the owner.

Q496.

2023.07.31

Captain Hitsugaya and Vice-Captain Hinamori are childhood friends, but are these two neighbors? Or did they live in the same house? 

A496.

The same neighborhood.

Q497.

2023.08.07

When a child is born among inhabitants of Soul Society, does that soul belong to someone who died in the Human World? Or, is it that inhabitants who died in the Human World are mixed together with inhabitants of Soul Society who were born and raised there?

A497.

All newly born children are inhabitants of Soul Society.

Q498.

2023.08.07

If the poison of Kamishini no Yari were to be injected into Nakk Le Vaar, without anything being injected into him beforehand, would he die? Or will he endure? 

A498.

If he is injected with the poison without ever having come into contact with Gin (his Reiatsu) at all, then he will die.

Q499.

2023.08.07

Is there even the slightest possibility that Luppi could be a girl? When I first saw Luppi I thought "she's super cute"…. So I was shocked to hear a male voice actor perform the role in the anime. Up until then, I had been calling him "Luppi-chan".

A499.

Even if there isn't the slightest chance, please keep calling him "Luppi-chan".

Q500.

2023.08.14

Towards the end of Volume 55, Mayuri remarks towards the Captain Commander: "that time, 1000 years ago, you failed to kill that man", but the words "that time" suggests that Mayuri also happened to be present on that occasion. Do his words actually carry this nuance?

A500.

Mayuri found out about it in the course of researching other things. He was not actually present.

Translation Footnotes:

×1. "Jade Hall" is located on the sternum mid-line. "Heavenly Pivot" is located at the level of the navel.

×2. “Estigma” (mask crest) is a term which appears in the Masked character book, page 246: “A pattern marked on an Arrancar's face, possibly as a remnant of their mask. It is unique to each individual and can also appear when they activate Resurrección.”

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Andy Craig at The UnPopulist:

In 1801, when President John Adams peacefully accepted defeat and ceded power to the winner of the prior year’s election, his partisan opponent Thomas Jefferson, it established a model for how electoral contests, even sharply divided ones, would conclude in our burgeoning republic. It was, substantially, the first time anything like it had ever happened. Over time, as elections attracted novel challenges of various sorts—such as the 1876 presidential contest—Congress and the states passed new legislation, and sometimes constitutional amendments, and courts provided rulings that accumulated in more procedural certainty. For the most part, we got by without triggering very many electoral crises thanks to candidates of all political affiliations following longstanding norms. We can no longer take those norms for granted.

Donald Trump’s avowedly anti-democratic stance, in both the previous election and this one, isn’t grounded in serious arguments about flaws in our electoral processes, or fairly arguable legal disputes. He rejects the premise, root and branch, that voters should ultimately be able to go with someone else instead, and that his power should be checked in any way by the rule of law. He is not running for president, he is running for dictator. Trump and allies filed over 60 lawsuits in 9 different states after the 2020 election—none with any merit. When legal efforts weren’t leading anywhere, he resorted to fraud and then to violence. And if things don’t go his way on Nov. 5, he’s likely to attempt even more of the same. But we should resist treating his electoral challenges with a legitimacy they don’t possess. We shouldn’t normalize what is essentially a repudiation of our democracy, not a good-faith challenge to the accuracy of vote totals or our election processes. These are not just questions of law, with answers to be found in the Constitution and statutes and court rulings. They are an attack on our fundamental political philosophy as a nation, the principles of the Declaration of Independence.

Trump’s Election Claims Aren’t Genuine Legal Challenges

Today, largely in response to the turmoil following the 2020 election, the legal architecture around election disputes has become more robust. The Electoral Count Reform Act (ECRA), which passed with bipartisan support in 2022, tightened the procedures for certifying presidential results, ensuring that no vice president or rogue state officials can obstruct the will of the voters. Some states have also taken measures to shore up weak points in the administration and certification of their election results. But while the law has evolved, the fundamental reality hasn’t changed. No recount or post-election lawsuit is capable of flipping a presidential election unless the apparent margin of victory is razor-thin—as in, no more than a few hundred votes in a decisive swing state.

Of course, the arguments advanced in the aftermath of the 2020 election were completely spurious, both factually false and legally baseless. Voting machines did not alter the count. Trump’s claims of millions of illegal votes were made up out of thin air. Changes made to accommodate the pandemic were lawful, and upheld by the courts, and happened in states Trump won as much as those he lost. Nor did botched social media policies about Hunter Biden’s laptop affect the outcome, not that such a thing could be legally relevant anyway. State legislatures do not have the power to overturn presidential election results. Neither do governors and secretaries of state have the power to refuse certification. The fake electors scheme was completely bogus, and the conspirators who instigated the attempt knew it. The last-ditch litigation by Texas suing Pennsylvania and other swing states won by Biden was so frivolous the Supreme Court refused to even hear it. Mike Pence did not have the power to change the result, and neither did Congress under the circumstances. And yet, most of these same lies are being repeated now.

The groundwork being laid for Trump to overturn a defeat, if he is in fact defeated, is far more ambitious than any sincere dispute over a genuinely close outcome. These attempts cannot be reduced to mere creative lawyering, or trying to find the right legal loophole. Treating them as such, even in rebutting them, grants these schemes a patina of legitimacy they do not deserve. They are pure lawlessness. Like the attempt to overturn the last election, which Joe Biden won by tens of thousands of votes across multiple states, these plans are not pursuing any colorable legal theory. They are a criminal conspiracy—as one federal judge put it: “a coup in search of a legal theory.”

[...]

Recounts Adjust, They Don’t Overturn

Recounts exist to correct small errors, not to rewrite history. When every vote is recounted, slight adjustments are inevitable, but they are typically minor—a handful of votes here, a few miscategorized ballots there. In highly unusual cases, the final tally shifts by a few hundred votes, but even that is the upper limit. Often it’s less that; a recent statewide recount in Washington, where the candidates were initially separated by only 53 votes, ended up moving the margin by just two votes. The reality is that modern voting systems and election administration methods, despite their imperfections, are remarkably accurate. They are designed to withstand the occasional human error or technological hiccup without compromising the overall result. Even if a court finds evidence of localized errors or irregularities, the remedy is proportional to the scope of the problem. If some ballots are misread or reported incorrectly, the solution is to correct the mistake—not to invalidate thousands of legitimate votes. Legal challenges that aim to disqualify broad swaths of the electorate or overturn certified results require proof of systemic failures or outright fraud on an extraordinary scale.

[...]

The Myth of Widespread Fraud

Donald Trump and his allies, including X owner Elon Musk and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, have been busily pushing the idea that non-citizens are voting in large numbers and tipping elections. There is no evidence to support this claim, but that hasn’t stopped them from using it as a rallying cry. It is worth being blunt: the idea that there is widespread voter fraud going on is an utter myth. Exhaustive investigations by election officials, courts, journalists, and independent watchdogs have consistently found that improper voting happens at rates so low as to be statistically irrelevant. Georgia, for example, identified a small number of incorrect registrations, but could not identify a single non-citizen who’d actually cast a ballot. Even in the few cases where non-citizens or ineligible voters have cast ballots, the numbers are minuscule. Isolated instances, often the result of confusion rather than malice, and which involve members of both parties, are not sufficient to swing a presidential election. In the vast majority of elections, the margin of victory is measured in thousands of votes or more, far beyond the impact of any sporadic irregularities. In a system where more than 158 million votes were cast in 2020, a number likely to be greater this year, some errors are inevitable, and yet the number of provable cases is astonishingly few. But the purpose of these fraud claims is not to address a real problem; it is to provide a pretext for overturning accurate results. This narrative is not just about casting doubt on election outcomes, it is about laying the groundwork for rejecting the possibility of losing an election altogether. Trump’s playbook isn’t to prove fraud under any existing law—it is to create a cloud of suspicion, enough to justify extraordinary measures. The point is not to win by the rules, but to convince supporters that the election was stolen, regardless of the evidence, and that a possible Democratic victory can’t be legitimate.

Andy Craig writes in The UnPopulist that Donald Trump is likely to see another coup attempt if he loses to Kamala Harris.

[fanhackers]

How To Be Gay, by David M. Halperin

While there are obvious fan studies classics, there are other books that don’t always fall into the “fan studies” canon that I have found incredibly useful for my own thinking.  I cited one of them, Carol Dyhouse’s  Heartthrobs: A History of Women and Desire (2017), a few posts ago; another is David Halperin’s How To Be Gay (2012)

How To Be Gay came out of a course Halperin taught at the University of Michigan, whose full title was “How to Be Gay: Male Homosexuality and Initiation.”  The initiation in question was not sexual, but cultural:  Halperin believes that there are not only gay texts, a gay canon of sorts, but also gay ways of reading that are taught and learned and that help constitute something we might call a gay subjectivity (that you don’t have to be gay actually to have):  e.g. Hollywood movies, opera, Broadway musicals, camp, diva worship, drag, muscle culture, style, fashion, interior design. Halperin asked both why this set of things–why musicals? why this diva or that–and what do they tell us about gay experience? Halperin was trying to trace “gay men’s characteristic relation to mainstream culture,” which often involves collaborative and camp appropriation: a queering.

I find this book very useful, both because fandom also has its own shared languages and rites of initiation (consider the idea of watching something with fannish goggles or slash goggles or a fanfic lens, as was recently discussed in a previous post; think about all the languages and tropes and artistic structures we all learn from each other) but also because Halperin talks about modes of identification that aren’t representational or based obviously in identity politics. So, for example, he says that the gay male students in his class were more likely to express themselves vis a vis a shared text like  The Golden Girls than vis a vis the traditions of what Halperin calls “good gay writing.” There is, Halperin argues, a queer pleasure in the Broadway musical that’s different than the pleasures of gay identity or even gay sex; similarly, queer female fans might find pleasures in identifying with, say, Sherlock, Crowley, or Blackbeard that are very different from the pleasures offered by a woman- or lesbian-centered text. 

Here’s an excerpt that gives a good sense of the book, I think: fans might identify with this or recognize it as descriptive of their own fannish feels.  (FWIW, the italics are all his!)

[H]omosexuality is not just a sexual orientation but a cultural orientation, a dedicated commitment to certain social or aesthetic values, an entire way of being.  That distinctively gay way of being, moreover, appears to be rooted in a particular queer way of feeling. And that queer way of feeling—that queer subjectivity—expresses itself through a peculiar, dissident way of relating to cultural objects (movies, songs, clothes, books, works of art) and cultural forms in general (art and architecture, opera and musical theater, pop and disco, style and fashion, emotion and language). As a cultural practice, male homosexuality involves a characteristic way of receiving, reinterpreting, and reusing mainstream culture, of decoding and recoding the heterosexual or heteronormative meanings already encoded in that culture, so that they come to function as vehicles of gay or queer meaning. It consists, as the critic John Clum says, in “a shared alternative reading of mainstream culture.” As a result, certain figures who are already prominent in the mass media become gay icons: they get taken up by gay men with a peculiar intensity that differs from their wider reception in the straight world. (That practice is so marked, and so widely acknowledged, that the National Portrait Gallery in London could organize an entire exhibition around the theme of Gay Icons in 2009.) And certain cultural forms, such as Broadway musicals or Hollywood melodramas, are similarly invested with a particular power and significance, attracting a disproportionate number of gay male fans. What this implies is that it is not enough for a man to be homosexual in order to be gay. Same-sex desire alone does not equal gayness. In order to be gay, a man has to learn to relate to the world around him in a distinctive way.  (p. 12 - 13)

–Francesca Coppa, Fanhackers volunteer

[windowlessatmosphere]

Something Real

Summary: Sky is thrilled to have his very first internship, earned entirely on his own. This is dampened slightly by the fact that he keeps getting hit on by the boss' son. When he eventually decides to drop in the fact that he has a boyfriend, his entire workplace decides that he must be making the whole thing up. Sky's not really sure whether he should be more amused or offended. Prapai has chosen offended.

It was a good feeling, to have done it on his own.

Prapai had offered to connect him with multiple architecture firms, and Payu had all but straight up told him he could come work with him.

He’d done it on his own, though.

His grades, his interview, and his letters of reference had been enough, and he had finally started his first internship. Rain had secured one, too, though not at the same firm. Not at Payu’s firm, either, much to Payu’s disappointment and Rain’s insistence.

So, they wouldn’t be working together. That was fine. Sky had already made a few friends, mostly the other interns, as well as a few of the assistants.

It had been a great experience, overall, and he was learning a lot. His resume wouldn’t suffer either, what with the company’s reputation in the industry. There was only one problem, really.

“He’s so annoying,” Sky complained, stuffing his mouth with noodles.

“Just tell him you have a boyfriend,” Rain suggested, rolling his eyes.

“He hasn't actually done anything yet,” Sky replied moodily. “He just keeps making these weird comments.”

“Just bring it up in passing, then,” Rain pivoted. “Maybe he’ll drop it.”

Sky shrugged, considering it. It was a fair point, after all, just one he hadn’t gotten the chance to try. Win had been a slight annoyance since the beginning of his internship, but he’d never really stuck around long enough to have an actual conversation.

Eventually, though, there’d be an opportunity for Sky to mention it, and then things would resolve themselves.

-----

“You look nice today.” Win flashed him a smile as he walked by, passing him before Sky could open his mouth to reply.

He glanced down at his outfit, trying to gauge whether he looked different enough today to elicit a genuine compliment, or if it was definitely flirting.

“You don’t look that nice,” Jem deadpanned, not even sparing a glance at him.

He rolled his eyes. He was wearing a new shirt today. Maybe that was it.

-----

“How about Sky?” Win suggested, fixing him with a beaming look. “He’s done so well on all his current projects.”

Sky’s boss, Sakda, fixed him with an evaluating look before agreeing with a slight nod. The initial rush of pride faded quickly. While Win was technically just a junior architect, the fact remained that his father owned the company, and Sakda was likely just agreeing with him out of deference.

Of course, there was the possibility that he was impressed with Sky’s work, but that was nearly impossible to tell. With the amount of praise Win heaped on Sky, the lines were far too blurred.

-----

“We should have coffee sometime,” Win suggested, leaning against the counter in the kitchen.

“We’re having coffee right now,” Sky pointed out, raising his own mug with a lifted brow.

Win let out a short laugh, giving him a fond smile.

“Really, though,” he continued. “Maybe on Saturday?”

Sky blinked, trying to figure out if that constituted a date or just a friendly hang-out.

“I can’t this Saturday,” he decided. “I’m going to the beach with my boyfriend.”

Win was silent for a moment. “Oh,” he said, sounding caught off guard. “Yeah. Maybe another time.”

Sky nodded, and they made light chitchat for a bit until Win made an excuse and dashed off somewhere. Sky let out a breath, the tension in his chest easing a bit now that the awkwardness had dissipated. He shot off a text to Rain with an update and immediately got back a bunch of thumbs-up emojis.

-----

“Excuse me,” he heard a voice call as he walked through the front doors. “You tell me nothing,” Jem informed him, pulling on his arm.

“Good morning to you,” he responded, a light tone of amusement clear in his words.

“Since when do you have a boyfriend?” she asked accusatorily.

“For like…two years?” he replied, furrowing his brow. “We’ve talked about him,” Sky said. They must have talked about him. “P’Pai,” he prompted her, tilting his head.

“He’s your boyfriend?” Jem asked, sounding surprised. Sky nodded, and she continued, “I thought he was just a friend.”

“Why?” Sky asked, laughing a little as they got on the elevator.

“You complain about him a lot,” she pointed out.

“He deserves it,” Sky defended himself. “Besides, he’s used to it.” The elevator doors opened, and they got out, heading to their desks.

“Show me a picture,” she said, just as they were passing Ying’s desk.

“A picture of what?” Ying interjected. “Sky’s boyfriend?”

“Why does everybody know about this?” Sky wanted to know.

“You turned Win down,” Ying pointed out.

“Finally,” Jem butted in.

“And nobody even knew you had a boyfriend.”

“Exactly,” Jem agreed. “So. Picture.”

Sky sighed, sliding his phone out of his pocket and pulling up his photos. He scrolled through a couple recent ones of the two of them before landing on one of Prapai at the park. Sky had taken it when they’d gone for a picnic, and Pai was smiling widely at the camera. It was a nice picture.

“He’s cute!” Ying said approvingly, while Jem raised a suggestive eyebrow in lieu of a comment.

“What does he do?” Jem asked, nodding towards Sky’s phone.

“He’s in business,” Sky said vaguely, continuing when Jem and Ying both stared him down. “He works for his dad’s company.”

“Who does?” Alpha’s voice came from behind him, and Sky groaned internally. 

There was really very little actual competition in the internship program. Axis Architecture encouraged a collaborative atmosphere of teamwork and communication–according to the website, anyway. Alpha, however, had made it her mission to compete with Sky at every opportunity, despite his complete and total lack of interest in reciprocating.

“Sky’s boyfriend,” Ying chimed in, ignoring both Jem and Sky’s fervent looks to say nothing.

“I heard about that,” Alpha gave him a tight smile. “Odd we hadn’t heard about him before,” she commented with a slight shrug. Sky resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Sue him for not bringing his personal life into work.

“We should probably get going,” Jem interjected, not bothering to give Alpha a fake smile. “I need to go over some things with Sky before the morning meeting.”

Sky confirmed the half-truth, figuring she probably did want to go over some things. They were just likely to be completely unrelated to work. They walked off, waiting until they were completely out of earshot before either of them spoke.

“She’s the worst,” Jem informed him, as though he was unaware. “And so are you.”

“Hey,” Sky protested.

“You tell me nothing,” she reminded him.

“I tell you things,” he defended himself. “You just assume other things.”

“Fine, fine.” She waved him off. “So tell me things, then.”

“Like…?”

“Like, what’s he like?” She rolled her eyes at him.

“He’s great,” Sky answered automatically. “He’s sweet, thoughtful, supportive, he’s got a great relationship with his family—”

“He’s hot,” Jem interjected.

“Sure,” Sky allowed. “We communicate well, and he’s in touch with his emotions and—”

“Rich,” Jem added, causing Sky to furrow his brow.

“Yes?” It came out as somewhat of a question.

“Hobbies?” she questioned, squinting her eyes as she studied Sky.

“I mean…” Sky thought about it for a moment. “He rides motorcycles? And he likes working out.”

Jem sighed.

“I support you,” she said, completely unprompted.

“Thank you?”

“And I totally get it,” she continued. “You don’t like Win, but he’s still the boss’ son. It’s cool.”

“Okay?” he replied.

“But maybe dial it back a little with the whole ‘boyfriend’ thing,” she suggested. “It’s a good idea,” she hurried to explain. “But you don’t need to make him hot and rich and into motorcycles and emotionally available.”

Sky blinked.

“I’m not—” he started.

“It’s fine,” she reassured him, giving him a hard pat on the back. “I get it.”

She walked off, leaving Sky utterly confused and standing by himself. Win rounded the corner and spotted him, giving him an awkward nod before passing him without making eye contact.

So. At least that was happening.

Jem had some weird idea that Prapai…didn’t exist? Wasn’t actually dating him? Wasn’t actually that great? At this point, he wasn’t too sure. Regardless, it would be fine. He would clear things up with her later, if she was still confused, and Win would leave him alone, and everything would be fine.

-----

His workplace had not gotten the memo.

For the rest of the day, despite the hushed voices, he heard far too many people whispering when he walked by. Speculating over whether he had a boyfriend or not, whether he’d grabbed some guy’s picture off Instagram and made the whole thing up, whether Win had been harassing him so much that it had warranted that.

Alpha was the worst of them all, of course, not bothering to make her comments to anyone other than Sky. She didn’t come right out and say it, but it was clear she thought Sky was full of shit and wanted everyone else to think so, too.

It was infuriating, especially so because no one—excluding Jem—had actually accused him of lying about anything. He couldn’t exactly start brandishing pictures of him with Prapai at people when they were just talking amongst themselves.

I mean, he could. It just probably wouldn’t go that well.

“So, Sky,” an incredibly annoying voice interrupted his musing. He sighed, bracing himself before turning to face Alpha.

“Yes?” he asked, raising an eyebrow and trying to keep his exasperation from bleeding into his tone.

“I’ve been hearing so much about your boyfriend lately.” The amount of false brightness in her tone was insufferable. “I can’t wait to meet him.”

Sky resisted the urge to laugh. Like that was happening. His disbelief must have been evident on his face, though, as she clarified, “You’ll be bringing him to the gala, right? Everybody gets a plus one.”

He racked his brain, finally pulling up a vague memory of a quickly-skimmed email from a while ago.

“Right,” he said. “The gala.”

“Everyone’s so excited to meet him,” she emphasized, raising a challenging eyebrow.

“Well,” he replied. “He’ll be there.”

-----

“I can’t be there.”

“P’Pai!”

“I’m sorry,” Prapai said, looking contrite. “If you had mentioned something sooner…” Sky shot him a withering glare. “I am sorry,” he reiterated. “But I’ll be in London that whole week for work. It’s unavoidable.”

Sky groaned, ignoring Pai’s raised eyebrows when he slid off the couch onto the floor, defeated.

“You don’t usually want me at these things,” Prapai reminded him. That was true. It wasn’t that Sky didn’t enjoy his presence, it was just that he liked to keep his work and his personal life separate. Until now, apparently.

“There’s this guy…” he trailed off, shaking his head. It was fine. Pai couldn’t come, anyway.

“What guy?” Prapai wanted to know immediately, eyes narrowing.

“The boss’ son,” Sky explained. “He was kind of…hitting on me.” 

Prapai grumbled under his breath.

“So I told him I had a boyfriend,” Sky continued, rolling his eyes at the way Pai immediately brightened. “And now everyone thinks I made you up.”

“I’m not made up,” Prapai said, clearly offended at the idea. “I’m real! I’m right here.”

“Yes, I’m aware,” Sky said, half-laughing as he shook his head. “It’s fine. I promise.”

-----

“It’s fine,” Sky told Jem through gritted teeth. She gave him a doubtful look before her eyes flicked over to a group in the corner, which, of course, included Alpha.

“Apparently, he can’t come,” Alpha said in a faux-whisper, more than loud enough for Sky to hear. “Convenient.”

Jem rolled her eyes and dragged him away by his arm.

“Look,” she said, once they were alone. “Just say that you broke up. It’ll all blow over.”

“What?” Sky blinked at her, confused.

“I can start the rumor,” she offered, tilting her head at him.

“What?” he said again.

“And if Win starts bothering you, just say you’re still getting over it and you’re not ready to date. People will stop talking, and you won’t have to make excuses when he doesn’t show up for the next event. Or the one after that. Or the one after that.”

“Jem!” he protested, genuinely frustrated that she, of all people, didn’t believe him either. “He’ll come to the next thing,” he told her. “He’s just out of town.”

“In London, you mean?” raising an eyebrow skeptically. “You could’ve come up with something a little more believable,” she insisted, shaking her head before she turned to leave.

Sky opened his mouth to explain himself further, then stopped. Whatever. It wasn’t worth it. With his luck, Pai would be busy next time, and then he’d look even stranger.

On the bright side, now he had to go to the gala by himself, with everyone whispering about him. Including his friends, apparently. He could barely stand the excitement.

-----

“I hate this,” Sky hissed to Jem, trying to keep his expression neutral as Alpha strode over confidently.

“Do you want me to kick her in the shins?” she whispered back, and he couldn’t hold back a smile.

“Maybe,” he muttered, just before Alpha reached them, several of the other interns clustered around her.

“Sky!” She gave him a wide smile. “How nice to see you.”

He did his best to return the smile, but couldn’t bring himself to echo her sentiment. It really wasn’t that nice.

“It’s really a shame,” she continued, undeterred. “We were all looking forward to meeting this boyfriend of yours, weren’t we?” The other interns looked slightly uncomfortable at being directly invited into the conflict and just murmured something incomprehensible in response.

“I’m sure we’ll meet him next time,” she continued. Sky refrained from rolling his eyes. “You know, unless he’s out of town again?”

Sky opened his mouth to reply, not entirely sure what he was about to say, when he was interrupted.

“Sky!” A familiar voice came from behind him, and he turned around to see Prapai. Prapai, who was in London. Though, apparently not.

“P’Pai?” he asked, obvious confusion seeping into his words. Pai was smiling widely as he came over.

“Maybe,” he answered, eyes sparkling. Sky rolled his eyes.

“You’re supposed to be in London,” he reminded him.

“I worked hard,” Pai defended himself. “Pa let me duck out early so I could make it here in time. Aren’t you supposed to be happy to see me?” he pouted.

Sky rolled his eyes.

“Sure,” he allowed, unable to fully suppress his smile as Prapai leaned in to kiss him quickly.

Jem made a sound in her throat, reminding Sky of the fact that he was surrounded by coworkers.

“Sorry, sorry,” he said hastily. He turned around, blinking when he realized that the crowd had grown, all of the other interns now peering curiously at Prapai.

“This is P’Pai,” he directed his words mostly at Jem and Ying, who had also appeared out of nowhere. “P’Pai, this is Jem and Ying,” he gestured, “and my coworkers,” he landed on, nodding to the crowd as a whole.

“Nice to meet you all,” Prapai grinned widely, pretending to be wildly oblivious to the fact that he had been such a topic of conversation.

Alpha was gaping a bit, clearly lost for words in a way that Sky couldn’t deny was satisfying. Win was a ways behind her, with a similar expression on his face. Sky decided immediately not to introduce him to Prapai.

“Can I get you a drink?” Pai asked, nodding at the empty glass Sky was holding.

“Sure,” Sky said, blushing a bit when Pai kissed him on the cheek before heading off.

“He seems great,” Ying said, not even waiting for Prapai to be out of earshot.

“So great,” Jem agreed. “I never doubted you for a second.”

Sky stared at her for a second, incredulously. A moment of silence passed between them.

“Does he really ride motorcycles, though, or was that…?”

[outofangband]

Hi! I was wondering if u had any opinions about the colors Morwen would wear? I was thinking along the palette of the Hadorian heraldic device, + maybe black bc mourning (although what constitutes mourning-wear in Beleriand is another can of worms I suppose lol), but maybe she would want to incorporate Beorian colors/something else entirely? Thanks & have a good day!

Oh my gosh I have so many thoughts about this! I have some various fashion and clothing hcs here and in a couple other places

@erotetica

Sorry for the ramble!

For Hadorian clothing, I imagine they use wool, imported flax, occasional imported cotton, and leather. Their communities are agricultural based and men and women often wear smock like outfits on most working days. Noblewomen and those with more resources wear more cotton and dresses and skirts are common.

Dyes are mostly plant based and done by individual families with the exception of more expensive or elaborate pieces that will be made by artisans. Yellow and light green are common colors because they can be easily produced from dyers woad which grows abundantly in Hithlum. Blue can also be produced from woad though the process is somewhat more difficult and so is rarer in Hadorian dress.

General sewing and fabric work is done by both men and women while embroidery and decorative sewing is more gendered.

Flower patterns are a common Hadorian motif on clothes and architecture and purely abstract patterns are rare on clothes. You will often see mostly plain clothing but with designs of patterns around the hem, collars and for those with more time and resources, along the seam going down the side.

The Bëorians used more wool from alpaca and sheep as well as imported flax and occasionally nettles.

Color is very important in ceremonial clothing and dyeing is a significant trade among the Bëorians

Red madder root, woad, dyer’s croton, common marigold, dayflower, yellow chamomile and black mulberry are among some plants valued for dyes. Earthen and stone pigments are also used.

Red madder dyes are of particular significance to the Bëorians. The deep red color is used to dye sashes and headwear that is traditionally worn during formal occasions.

As the climate of Hithlum is different from Ladros, red madder could no longer be used after the Bragollach among Bëorian refugees. The deep red it yields is also considerably less common among Hadorian clothing and customs.

Many Bëorians in Hithlum had to relearn trades they had been doing their entire lives because of the differences in materials, processes and customs. As most had come with nothing, their clothing and possessions having been destroyed during the sudden flame, this was extremely disheartening and yet another aspect of the devastating losses of culture and customs.

I agree that Morwen would make point to wear Bëorian colors. The colors Morwen wears depends on when in her life. In Hithlum, in addition to Bëorians colors, I headcanon she often wore muted colors, and earthen ones, even before Húrin's loss.

I do think she would wear the Hadorian colors on some ceremonial occasions. She has a strong sense of honor and duty and although I think she is fiercely loyal to the customs and culture she grew up in, she is also loyal to Húrin.

Abstract patterns, some with cultural meeting, some without, are much more common in Bëorian clothing than in Hadorian ones. Geographic patterns are some of the most common and storytelling through these is a practice. Some of these patterns are carried over by refugees but many are lost.

I specifically headcanon that Morwen refused to use Hadorian customs whenever possible. The clothing she made, especially before her marriage, used Bëorian design and custom to the extent that it could.

I have the headcanon that Bëorian women who are married wear specific braids to designate marriage. In the event of widowhood, one of the braids is cut, the other kept. I go back and forth on if Morwen cut one of her braids, as she did believe Húrin to be alive. I think other aspects of mourning she was not able to engage in due to lack of resources during the occupation.

[germanpostwarmodern]

As a reaction to the overly rigid and schematic conception of architecture in the postwar years the Dutch Structuralists focused on the human being, the inhabitant, as an individual with changing needs and lifestyles. The key protagonists of the movement were, among others, Aldo van Eyck, Jaap Bakema, Herman Hertzberger and Geert Boon, the so-called „Forum Group“ which made up the editorial board of the Forum magazine. In their orbit also moved the young Jan Verhoeven, then student at the Academie van Bouwkunst in Amsterdam and a student of Aldo van Eyck whose seminars and teaching deeply impressed him: the human scale of his projects as well as his spatial configurations of added small units can also be found in Verhoeven’s house designs. Another recurring theme in his work is the zoning of individual and collective parts, a principle that came to bear especially in his housing projects.

The latter also constitutes the major part of his architectural oeuvre as the present book demonstrates: Mette Zahle’s monograph „Jan Verhoeven 1926-1994 - Exponent van het Structuralisme“, published by Stichting Bonas in 2012, which provides both a comprehensive work analysis and catalogue with special emphasis on Verhoeven’s housing projects. The author recounts Verhoeven’s deep involvement with the different housing programs and architect groups that especially during the 1960s and 1970s greatly influenced state funded housing construction, e.g. Werkgroep Stichting Nieuw Woonvormen, which he co-founded, and with it emphasizes the architect‘s deep concern for resident-focused housing. The basis for these designs always rests on Verhoeven’s unique variation of linked and mirrored uniform components that result in fascinating floor plan structures and equally fascinating drawings.

What Zahle’s book on the other hand lacks is a deeper insight into Verhoeven’s personality: although she delves into his upbringing and training and also doesn’t spare out the importance of the architect’s wife Eva as corrective authority Verhoeven nonetheless remains somewhat opaque as a person. But in view of the extensive work catalogue this is a negligible flaw and the book remains a great read.

[posttexasstressdisorder]

A battle over this Inner Richmond wall speaks to a very San Francisco crisis

Column: The Green Street Fund's Luke Spray on the tyranny of the gray wall

A view of a gray wall on Clement Street between 9th and 10th avenues, on Thursday, May 8, 2025.Charles Russo/SFGATE

By Luke Spray, Freelance WriterMay 9, 2025

There’s a battle underway on Clement Street. The battlefield is a plywood wall between 9th and 10th avenues, and it’s attracted a wide array of challengers. Local artists, party promoters and wheatpaste advertisers. Teenage taggers, protesters and walking club enthusiasts. Each takes their shot. But the victor here is always the same: another thick slathering of gray paint.

It’s a gray that’s more relentless than the afternoon fog. A gallery-sized version of photographer Michael Jang’s famous shot of the Golden Gate Bridge’s 50th anniversary was gone so fast I didn’t even get a picture of it — though, amusingly, a small print of it was glued to a wall nearby a few days later. Typical Jang. In between the bouts of gray, the space quickly reverts back to a delightful hodgepodge, a mix of protest statements, comedy night flyers and Converse ads. By contrast, each fresh slathering of gray is monotonous, only seeming to draw attention to what a dead zone the wall creates on an otherwise vibrant section of Clement. Yet this battle isn’t just graffiti vs. the gray; it’s part of a longstanding tussle over San Francisco’s streets that goes back to the 1800s and continues to confound us.

A variety of different pieces by local artist Michael Jang line the wall of a shuttered building on Clement Street between 9th and 10th avenues. Courtesy of Luke Spray

There’s a fundamental piece of urban psychology that the gray wall acts as a counterpoint to. It’s a rule you intuitively know and understand. It says that great places have something new and interesting to see every 15 to 20 feet. The foremost researcher on this subject, Danish architect Jan Gehl, describes this as “3 mph architecture.” He points out that there’s a reason why so many of our pre-car commercial corridors maintain this architectural rhythm: it’s a pedestrian’s pace, priming us for sensory delights every few steps.

A pedestrian walks past the plywood gray wall on Clement Street between 9th and 10th avenues, on Thursday, May 8, 2025. Charles Russo/SFGATE

If San Francisco is a feast for the eyes, street art may be the amuse-bouche. You’ll find it occupying otherwise unremarkable stretches of a street, or tucked away, waiting for you to discover someone’s artistic enhancement, a small treat offered up to the urban environment.

There’s a broad range of what might constitute street art. On one end of the spectrum, you’ve got sloppy tags and Sharpie scribbles. Do those count? On the other end, works from artists like Jang, Agana and Megan Wilson bleed from the canvas onto our culture. Those definitely count. Somewhere in the middle you’ll find sidewalk stencils, cryptic flyers stapled to telephone poles, and the “listen 2 the happys” guerrilla marketing campaign.

A close-up view of the plywood gray wall on Clement Street between 9th and 10th avenues, on Thursday, May 8, 2025. Charles Russo/SFGATE

Back at the gray wall, I look up the address and find a for-sale listing. A rendering of the space as a glassy restaurant sits below the sales price, $2.9 million. The restaurant rendering obscures the fact that this building is a prime candidate to become housing under the city’s proposed family zoning plan, a fact that’s revealed in the building’s price tag. It’s priced to build. Housing would be a welcome addition here, as everyone should be so lucky as to live in the Inner Richmond, but I fear the possibility of housing promises an extended lifespan for the gray wall. It’s good business for an owner to bide their time until their building fetches some inflated price, but it makes for bad neighbors. Yet speculative landowners don’t seem to mind. For them, this is just a waiting game — and it’s an old game at that.

The question of what to do about land speculation has long vexed San Francisco. In 1879, a young journalist living on Rincon Hill, Henry George, wrote a popular book that described how land speculators reap value they don’t earn, benefiting from the improvements made by their neighbors while their lots lie dormant. It can be summarized by a phrase later turned into a billboard: “Everybody works but the vacant lot.” To remedy this, George advocated for a new system, a “land value tax” that taxed property but not the structures or improvements made upon it. In theory, this change would prompt owners to make the most of their properties, eliminating land speculation while reducing economic inequality. This, in a nutshell, is Georgism. It’s a cult favorite economic theory if there ever was one, born right in our backyard from problems we still deal with today.

One way San Francisco is trying to address this issue is through the city’s commercial vacancy tax. It charges property owners for each linear foot of vacant business frontage. The building with the gray wall was not listed when I looked through the program’s database. It seemed like a strange omission, as the space has been vacant for years now. Perhaps I was missing something, so I dug deeper. I was unsurprised to find a number of calls for graffiti removal when I looked at 311 requests. Yet there was a curious note at the bottom of one of them: “Property has been scheduled for abatement with opt-in crew.”

A pedestrian walks past the plywood gray wall on Clement Street between 9th and 10th avenues, on Thursday, May 8, 2025. Charles Russo/SFGATE

How this property escaped from the vacancy tax yet benefits from a $2 million taxpayer-supported graffiti removal program feels like a uniquely San Francisco problem. We’ve got multiple vacancy tracking programs, all of which fail to track the absurdity of the situation. We’re footing the bill to clean up graffiti while giving a free pass to those who create the canvases. It’s a bizarre bureaucratic ouroboros that devours our already limited budget while diminishing civic capacity.

When you see a building sit vacant for years, or read a story about SF’s “most hated landlord,” it’s easy to wonder about how some clever Georgist tax policy might fix it. But the lackluster rollout of the vacant storefront tax doesn’t inspire much confidence. When you compare it with our zealous approach to street art removal, it seems to imply that we’ve shifted our focus toward the issues right in front of us, rather than their underlying causes. Courtesy graffiti abatement becomes a symbol of a city that’s functional, a distraction from our inability to resolve the vacancies at the root of our vibrancy crisis.

A variety of different pieces by local artist Michael Jang line the wall of a shuttered building on Clement Street between 9th and 10th avenues. Courtesy Of Luke Spray

In this light, the wall on Clement seems to be a collective shout, as contributors to the city speak out against the forces that seek to consume it. Agana pointed me toward Oceanwide Plaza in Los Angeles, a 40-story abandoned eyesore that the city preferred to overlook until graffiti made its presence too hard to ignore. San Francisco has its own Oceanwide development debacle. It’s one part money pit, one part object lesson on how negligent property owners swallow parts of the city where we might otherwise find vibrancy. The plywood wall around that void seems to suggest that the only response is another coat of gray paint.

“Who do you think are the real vandals in this situation?” Agana asks. Neglect reappears as a canvas, just waiting for inspiration to strike.

[uniqueestimations]

Step-by-Step Guide: How to Estimate Construction Costs for a New Home

Accurately estimating construction costs is essential when planning to build your dream home. Understanding and calculating these expenses helps in making informed financial decisions and avoiding unexpected surprises. Here’s a detailed, step-by-step guide on how to perform a thorough construction cost estimate for your new home.

If You Need more Information about cost Estimations, visit this Website -> https://uniqueestimations.com/new-york-construction-estimating-services/

1. Understand the Types of Construction Cost Estimates

There are different methods for estimating costs depending on the stage of your construction project:

Preliminary Estimate: An early-stage estimate based on basic information.

Detailed Estimate: Involves itemized costs for materials, labor, permits, and more.

Bid Estimate: Prepared by contractors and includes detailed pricing for project execution.

Selecting the right construction cost estimator for your project depends on your project’s complexity and accuracy needs.

2. Define the Scope of Your Project

To start estimating, it’s important to clearly outline:

Square Footage: Determine the size of the home.

Design Complexity: Architectural style and special features add complexity and cost.

Quality of Materials: Decide between budget, standard, or high-end finishes.

Having a well-defined project scope ensures that your cost estimation in construction is accurate and reliable.

3. Calculate Material Costs

Material costs often constitute a significant portion of new construction estimating costs. Factors to consider include:

Foundation Materials: Concrete, steel reinforcements, and formwork.

Structural Components: Wood, steel, or concrete framing.

Exterior Finishes: Siding, roofing materials, and insulation.

Interior Finishes: Flooring, drywall, cabinetry, and paint.

Consulting local suppliers and utilizing a construction cost estimator can help you get current pricing.

4. Account for Labor Costs

Labor expenses can vary widely based on your location, the size of your project, and the expertise required. Common roles involved include:

General Contractors: Manage the entire construction project.

Specialized Contractors: Focus on plumbing, electrical work, and HVAC installation.

Skilled Laborers: Carpenters, masons, and roofers.

Make sure to factor in wages, benefits, and potential overtime when estimating construction costs for labor.

5. Include Permits and Legal Fees

Local regulations often require permits for various aspects of home construction, including:

Building permits

Plumbing and electrical permits

Environmental impact assessments

Research the requirements in your area and budget accordingly to avoid delays or fines.

6. Don’t Forget About Utility and Site Preparation Costs

These expenses cover tasks that prepare the land for construction and ensure the home is connected to essential services:

Site Clearing and Excavation: Removing vegetation and leveling the site.

Utility Hookups: Connecting water, sewer, gas, and electricity to the property.

Driveway and Landscaping: Installing access roads and outdoor spaces.

Including these in your construction estimating costs ensures you capture the full scope of expenses.

7. Estimate Plumbing and Electrical Costs

Specialty work like plumbing and electrical installations requires detailed estimates. Utilize a new construction plumbing cost estimator to calculate the expenses for:

Plumbing: Pipes, fittings, and fixtures for kitchens, bathrooms, and outdoor areas.

Electrical Systems: Wiring, outlets, switches, and lighting installations.

These components are critical to home functionality and should be accurately budgeted.

8. Factor in Contingency Costs

Unexpected expenses often arise during construction. To mitigate financial strain, allocate:

5% to 15% of Total Budget: For unanticipated changes or issues.

Price Fluctuations: For materials and labor due to market conditions.

Including a contingency buffer is essential for realistic cost estimation in construction.

9. Use Construction Cost Estimating Tools

Modern technology makes it easier to get accurate estimates with tools such as:

Online Construction Estimators: Provide quick preliminary cost insights.

Software Programs: Offer detailed and customizable reports.

Professional Services: Hiring a professional estimator can add precision and expertise.

Selecting the right tool depends on your project’s complexity and your need for accuracy.

10. Review and Adjust Your Estimate Regularly

As your project progresses, costs may change. Continuously updating your estimate ensures that your budget remains accurate and relevant. Factors to reassess include:

Changes in material prices

Design adjustments

Project delays

Regular reviews help maintain control over your estimating construction costs and prevent budget overruns.

Final Thoughts

Accurately estimating construction costs for a new home requires careful planning, detailed calculations, and regular monitoring. By following these steps, you can confidently manage your budget and make informed decisions throughout the construction process.

If you want to read more information about construction cost Estimation Website just visit --> https://uniqueestimations.com/new-york-construction-estimating-services/

[melinda-pascal]

QCQ 2

1. QUOTE:

"He emphatically stated, 'Why hang things on the wall when the wall itself is so much more a challenging medium? I am offended by the closed minds of people who think that only architects can create walls and artists decorate them.' This challenge was encapsulated by his 'building cuts,' a subtractive technique that radically reconfigured buildings by subverting the conventions of architectural design. The works were striking and disorienting and constituted an attack on architecture as an exclusionary and hierarchical operation." (Gordon Matta-Clark, p.181)

2. COMMENT:

I chose this quote because it summarizes Gordon Matta-Clark's inspirational approach to both art and architecture. His statement challenges common boundaries by questioning why art should be refer to simple decoration rather than engaging with those surfaces as the primary medium. He refused to see walls as plain fixed canvases for decoration, arguing instead that they should be treated as dynamic elements open to reconstruction. I find this perspective interesting because it reminds me of how traditional boundaries in different fields whether in art, design, or even technology often limit change. It’s a call to think outside of recommended roles and reimagine how spaces, both physical and conceptual, can be used. This resonates with my own experiences in collaborative projects where breaking traditional artistic roles led to unexpected, creative outcomes. By taking an collaborative approach, Matta-Clark demonstrated that meaningful disruption can reveal new possibilities.

This quote also reminds me of my own experiences dealing with the limitations of regular media. In my room video project, where I used shadow art and cardboard cutouts, I challenged the use of space and visual storytelling, similar to how Matta-Clark used buildings as part of his art. His building cuts, which confused viewers, align with my desire to evoke emotional responses from audiences through unexpected, non-traditional means.

3. QUESTION:

In what ways can we expand our understanding of artistic practice beyond traditional boundaries, and how might destroying these boundaries lead to more meaningful engagement with public spaces? How can we, as artists or creators, challenge the separation of disciplines in our own work?

4. IMAGE:

As a visual aid, I have chosen one of Matta-Clark's "building cuts," specifically "Splitting" (1974), which showcases his creative approach to architecture and art. In this piece, Matta-Clark sawed a house in two, creating a dramatic split that revealed the interior spaces while at the same time challenging the viewer's understanding of walls. This act illustrates his belief that walls can be more than simple boundaries; they can act as powerful mediums for artistic exploration and expression. By exposing the structural elements and the layered history of the building, Matta-Clark invites us to reconsider how architecture shapes our experiences of space, encouraging a dialogue about the socio-political suggestions of urban environments. Through "Splitting," he blurs the line between art and architecture, transforming a regular home into a thought-provoking work of art that reflects his commitment to reimagining the built environment.

[maximumphilosopheranchor]

Security concerns and commercial interests attracted the Ottomans to the region. In particular they were interested in slaves. The slave trade had always been important in the region’s economy, but it now became dominant. The Ottoman Empire, whose Islamic laws allowed the enslavement only of non-Muslims and encouraged the emancipation of slaves, was always in need of free labor. The Noghays and the Crimean Tatars responded to the demand, expanding their slave-seeking expeditions to the lands north of the Pontic steppes and often going much deeper into Ukraine and southern Muscovy than the frontier areas. The slave trade supplemented the earnings that the Noghays obtained from animal husbandry and the Crimeans from both husbandry and settled forms of agriculture. Bad harvests generally translated into more raids to the north and more slaves shipped back to the Crimea. All five routes that the Tatars followed to the settled areas on their slave-seeking raids went through Ukraine. Two of them east of the Dniester led to western Podolia and then to Galicia; two on the other side of the Southern Buh River led to western Podolia and Volhynia, then again to Galicia; the last passed through what would become the Sloboda Ukraine region around Kharkiv to southern Muscovy. If the demand for cereals led to the incorporation of the Ukrainian lands of the sixteenth century into the Baltic trade, their connection to the Mediterranean trade was due largely to Tatar raiding for slaves. Ukrainians, who constituted an absolute majority of the population of the steppe borderlands north of the Black Sea and moved into the steppes in search of grain, became the main targets and victims of the Ottoman Empire’s slave-dependent economy. Ethnic Russians northeast of the Crimea were a close second. Michalon (Michael) the Lithuanian, a mid-sixteenth century author who visited e Crimea, described the scope of the slave trade by quoting from his conversation with a local Jew who, “seeing that our people were constantly being shipped there as captives in numbers too large to count, asked us whether our lands also teemed with people, and whence such innumerable mortals had come.” Estimates of the numbers of Ukrainians and Russians brought to the Crimean slave markets in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries vary from 1.5 million to 3 million. Children and adolescents brought the highest prices. The fates of the slaves differed. Most of the male slaves ended up on Ottoman galleys or working in the fields, while many women worked as domestics. Some got lucky, but only in a matter of speaking. Talented young men made careers in the Ottoman administration, but most of them were eunuchs. Some women were taken into the harems of the sultans and high Ottoman officials. One Ukrainian girl known in history as Roxolana became the wife of the most powerful of the Ottoman sultans, Suleiman the Magnificent, who ruled from 1520 to 1566. Her son became a sultan under the name Selim II. Under the name of Hürrem Sultan, Roxolana sponsored Muslim charities and funded the construction of some of the best examples of Ottoman architecture. Among these is the Haseki Hürrem Sultan Hamamı, a public bathhouse not far from Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, constructed by the best-known Ottoman architect, Mimar Sinan. In the course of the last two hundred years, Roxolana has figured as the heroine of novels and a number of television dramas in Ukraine and Turkey. To be sure, her life and career were the exception, not the rule. The Tatar attacks and the slave trade left deep scars in Ukrainian memory. The fate of the slaves was the subject of numerous dumas – Ukrainian epic songs that lamented the fate of the captives, described their attempts to escape from Crimean slavery, and glorified the men who saved and freed slaves. Those folk heroes were known as Cossacks. They fought the Tatars, undertook seagoing expeditions against the Ottomans, and, indeed, freed slaves from time to time.

Serhii Plokhy, The Gates of Europe: A History of Ukraine

[spewagepipe]

Dev Pipeline: Determined and #Dungeon23 [Pt. 7]

Anyone reading my blog already knows what happened to my game in 2023: I signed up for the megadungeon challenge. This was going to kill two birds with one stone – and by "two birds" I mean "several dozen interrelated design problems", and by "one stone" I mean "three hundred and sixty five bespoke puzzles".

Joking aside, #dungeon23 showed up at exactly the right time to rescue my game. Having reached the conclusion that procedural generation wasn't going to work, I had instead hit upon the idea that what I needed was more like a "monster manual". Except instead of only monsters, it would provide all sorts of encounters: Traps, puzzles, bizarre architecture, whatever I could think of. The GMs of Determined wouldn't design their own dungeons, they'd just grab my premade rooms and slot them in as needed.

#Dungeon23 offered an obvious extension of the idea: I could arrange those encounters into a single, cohesive megadungeon, and then GMs of Determined wouldn't need to do any prep at all. They would just run my dungeon straight out of the book.

This scheme also allowed me to diegetically address the various exploits and other un-fun gameplay that had cropped up in testing my rules: the dungeon would constitute the entire diegetic reality of Determined – players would start inside it, and never leave, and so I would never need to address the possibility of them accessing any resources except the ones that I had curated for their use.

Over the course of #dungeon23, I refined a lot of the specifics. Different room concepts explored possible versions of certain mechanics, and I often found myself making modifications to the core rules after seeing how a particular room might affect the game as a whole.

In this way, I was also able to push the limits of what seemed to be possible with the system. For instance: I had initially figured that, since I had tied the GM's hands, there was no one who could role-play as NPCs – until a play-tester offered that an NPC might use a table or flow-chart to dictate all of their possible behaviours. A bit "video-gamey", granted, but technically functional, and it allowed me to not only include NPCs, but eventually also quests and even faction play.

By the end of the year, my perspective on both OSR design and Determined had been revolutionized. You can see my tagged #dungeon23 posts if you want some impressions of the whole thing in progress, but for the Dev Pipeline here I'm just going to talk about the evolution of the core rules.

Click here for Part 8

[irismfrost]

July 15 - Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, the Grand Hotel, and Shilin Night Market

The memorial hall looks like the Taiwanese version of the Lincoln Memorial. Chiang Kai-Shek was a leader of the opposition in the Chinese Civil War before WW2. He then fought for China in the second Sino-Japanese War. After Japan was defeated at the end of WW2, he continued his fight against the Communist Party in China. Defeated in the Civil War, he fled to Taiwan. That is why Taiwan is officially named the Republic of China (ROC). He made Taiwan into a “little China”. Despite the memorial dedicated to him, the Taiwanese people have mixed feelings about him. On one hand, he represented freedom from Communist China and on the other, he took over what already existed in Taiwan. At the memorial, there are 3 words above his statue that represent what he stood for: ethics, democracy, and science. However, as much as he promised democracy, he changed the constitution to leave him in power until he died. His son succeeded him and built the memorial in his name. Eventually, the US influenced the country into a democracy with a similar system used in the US. The memorial is divided into these two different perspectives. One side shows all of his positive achievements and the other shows all of his less-than-stunning side. He is also not buried at the memorial, and is actually not laid to rest at all. He wished to be buried at his home in China after Taiwan reconnected to China. That hasn’t happened (yet?), so he hasn’t been buried. That is another example of why not all Taiwanese like him, because he never saw Taiwan as his home.

We also visited the capitol building, it is basically the Taiwanese version of the White House, except the President doesn’t live there. Not much to report there. 

Next, we visited the Grand Hotel. This is the largest building in traditional Chinese architecture, where the most important people were welcomed into the country. It was created by madam Chiang Kai-Shek, Soong Mei-ling, who actually lived until 105 years old and passed in 2003. From movie stars to presidents, many important events took place here (and still do). It is located at one of the highest points in Taipei with a killer view. A few people in our group were able to buy some luck charms from a lady in the hotel for really cheap. She really liked us and our team had some fire negotiation skills. We got over 15 charms for about 10 USD. 

Our last stop was the Shilin Night Market. Compared to the Raohe Night Market, it was more organized, had wider streets, and the products seemed a little higher quality. It was also much larger, the largest in Taipei actually. However, there is so much fried food at these night markets, I can barely eat. I had what was basically a mozzarella stick with extra dough around the outside and it was good for the first few bites and then I just felt sick. I also got these grilled mushrooms which looked good and actually weren’t bad, but by that point, the mozzarella stick was not sitting right so I barely ate the mushrooms. 

I have been walking so much recently, and I’ve opted to take the stairs instead of the escalators at the metro station when available because why not, so my lower body is killing me. I definitely need sleep so badly. 

Reflection

Chiang Kai-Shek was a very powerful guy. It takes a strong character to lead a revolution, lose, convince followers to permanently leave their homes, and portray yourself as a savior in the country you are taking over. But he did it. He brought a new culture to Taiwan and is the reason that there is such a strong Chinese influence here. When he first came to Taiwan, China was moving away from traditional styles, so he made Taiwan into what he thought China should be, “little China”. At the memorial, there are two large, traditional Chinese buildings on either side of the square. They house a music hall and a theater. The square is called Freedom Square and modeled after Tiananmen Square in China. Based on the limited knowledge I have, I think he wasted his time making Taiwan into his ideal replica of China. I think that maybe he was never able to accept his loss in the Civil War and he dealt with that by trying to prove to China that he could lead a more successful version. And he had a strong enough character to make an entire country help him with that - a little scary, but also a little impressive. 

I am surprised by the food here. I wasn’t really sure exactly what to expect, but I figured that there would be some nice vegetarian options for me, as about 14% of the population is vegetarian, and I thought the food would be healthier than in the US. I was wrong. Today, I had my first real meal since I’ve been here (aside from hotpot earlier this week, but I didn’t feel like that style of eating was made for a vegetarian). It was good ramen. The soup base was a summer special of pumpkin. It has some great noodles, tofu, egg, mushrooms, and some other veggies. There was so much of it that I wasn’t able to finish it, and when I asked for a to-go box, they boxed it for me. I’ve noticed that customer service is a high priority here. Everyone just seems to care about other people so much. Yesterday, a random man gave me his cold, unopened water because I was struggling with the water dispenser (they all have hot and cold settings). 

It’s strange to think about the contrast between a culture that’s so caring and a founding “president” who created a world for himself. Maybe they are influenced by each other.