#historic loves

[lackadaisycal-art]

I'm getting so sick of major female characters in historical media being incredibly feisty, outspoken and public defenders of women's rights with little to no realistic repercussions. Yes it feels like pandering, yes it's unrealistic and takes me out of the story, yes the dialogue almost always rings false - but beyond all that I think it does such a disservice to the women who lived during those periods. I'm not embarrassed of the women in history who didn't use every chance they had to Stick It To The Man. I'm not ashamed of women who were resigned to or enjoyed their lot in life. They weren't letting the side down by not having and representing modern gender ideals. It says a lot about how you view average ordinary women if the idea of one of your main characters behaving like one makes them seem lame and uninteresting to you.

[incomingalbatross]

Enough Goncharov. I want to see more discussion of revolutionary 1928 film The Dancing Cavalier starring Don Lockwood and Lina Lamont (and the uncredited voice of Katherine Selden)

[weirdsociology]

hey writers we have to talk.

if you've read any romance or fanfic in the past twenty years (i know you have), you know that there are a certain number of scents associated with hot dudes. you can probably recite the list of Things Men in Fic smell like in your sleep: leather, black pepper, pine, sandalwood, "something uniquely him", clean sweat, and if the character has ever fucking been within 50 yards of a firearm, something called "cordite".

here's the thing.

NO ONE SMELLS LIKE CORDITE.

cordite was a highly specific type of smokeless gunpowder developed in the 1890s by england specifically and used mostly in wwi.

if your good-smelling guy is not (a) english (b) using a very specific type of british rifle (c) dying in a trench in flanders, he does not smell like cordite. technically even if he does meet all those conditions he still doesn't smell like cordite because he smells like trenchfoot.

the point is, cordite is so far from universal that no one but the most hardcore gun nerds give a single shit about it. making your Sexy Hero smell like cordite is like naming a cassette-only bootleg live recording from the 1970s as your favorite grateful dead album. everyone at the party hates you immediately and knows you're doing it for clout. also, it's just factually... wrong. please stop. i know everyone else is doing it, but you can do the right thing here, i believe in you.

so what do people who are using guns smell like?

well if your story is set before the late 1880s, the smell of a fired gun is black powder, which, unfortunately, smells like seventeen flatulent cows have been shoved in a tire factory. trust me, you do not want your Hot Dude to smell like black powder. it's b a d.

if your story is set after the late 1880s, guns are using some variety of modern 'smokeless' powder - which speaking broadly doesn't really have a ton of scent when used. it does have some, but it's sort of non-descript: the best way i can describe it is the sweet, ozone, hot-plate smell of popping your car hood with a warm engine.

people who use guns a lot don't smell like fired guns all the time anyway, so while those scents might work in a fight scene, they're not realistic all the time. but there are some things that your Sexy Shootist will smell like basically 24/7 and that's metal and gun oil. metal you can go and sniff (i recommend non-stainless steel), but if you want a reference, most gun oils have a sharp, organic smell that's not dissimilar to canola oil but muskier and with a tang overtop. it's not unlikely leather is in the mix as well due to routine handling of leather equipment and gear. modern gear also tends to have a certain smell although it varies by production country and storage conditions - lots of opportunities there.

in conclusion: gunslingers and hired killers and military folks can be sexy and smell great on page, but i am begging you not to say "cordite" when you mean "gunpowder" ever again. we can do this. we are writers and therefore pedants. i believe in us!

[undynestan]

That’s all it takes, Griddle? That’s all you demand? This is the complex mystery that lies in the pit of your psyche?

[happyheidi]

𝘈 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥-𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘤𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘻𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘤, 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘌𝘶𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 15𝘵𝘩 𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘺.

“𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝗓𝗈𝖽𝗂𝖺𝖼 𝖼𝗈𝗇𝖼𝖾𝗉𝗍 𝗈𝗋𝗂𝗀𝗂𝗇𝖺𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝗂𝗇 𝖬𝖾𝗌𝗈𝗉𝗈𝗍𝖺𝗆𝗂𝖺, 𝖾𝗏𝗈𝗅𝗏𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗁𝗋𝗈𝗎𝗀𝗁 𝖦𝗋𝖾𝖾𝗄 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖱𝗈��𝖺𝗇 𝗌𝖼𝗁𝗈𝗅𝖺𝗋𝗌𝗁𝗂𝗉 𝖻𝖾𝖿𝗈𝗋𝖾 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖼𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗆𝖾𝖽𝗂𝖾𝗏𝖺𝗅 𝖤𝗎𝗋𝗈𝗉𝖾. 𝖡𝗒 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝟣𝟧𝗍𝗁 𝖼𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗎𝗋𝗒, 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖽𝗂𝗌𝗌𝖾𝗆𝗂𝗇𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝗈𝖿 𝗉𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝗆𝖺𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗂𝖺𝗅𝗌 𝖺𝗅𝗅𝗈𝗐𝖾𝖽 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗋𝗍𝗌 𝗅𝗂𝗄𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗈𝗇𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖼𝗁 𝖺 𝖻𝗋𝗈𝖺𝖽𝖾𝗋 𝖺𝗎𝖽𝗂𝖾𝗇𝖼𝖾. 𝖠𝗌𝗍𝗋𝗈𝗅𝗈𝗀𝖾𝗋𝗌 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗌𝖼𝗁𝗈𝗅𝖺𝗋𝗌 𝖼𝗈𝗇𝗌𝗎𝗅𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗆 𝖺𝗌 𝖺𝗂𝖽𝗌 𝗂𝗇 𝗂𝗇𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗉𝗋𝖾𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖧𝖾𝖺𝗏𝖾𝗇, 𝗐𝗁𝗂𝗅𝖾 𝖺𝗋𝗍𝗂𝗌𝗍𝗌 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗉𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗌 𝗋𝖾𝖿𝗂𝗇𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗂𝗋 𝗍𝖾𝖼𝗁𝗇𝗂𝗊𝗎𝖾𝗌 𝗍𝗈 𝖼𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗍𝖾 𝗆𝗈𝗋𝖾 𝖺𝖼𝖼𝗎𝗋𝖺𝗍𝖾 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗏𝗂𝗌𝗎𝖺𝗅𝗅𝗒 𝖺𝗉𝗉𝖾𝖺𝗅𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝗄. 𝖮𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝗍𝗂𝗆𝖾, 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗓𝗈𝖽𝗂𝖺𝖼 𝖻𝖾𝖼𝖺𝗆𝖾 𝖾𝗆𝖻𝖾𝖽𝖽𝖾𝖽 𝗂𝗇 𝖼𝗎𝗅𝗍𝗎𝗋𝖺𝗅 𝗉𝗋𝖺𝖼𝗍𝗂𝖼𝖾𝗌, 𝗂𝗇𝖿𝗅𝗎𝖾𝗇𝖼𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖼𝖺𝗅𝖾𝗇𝖽𝖺𝗋𝗌, 𝖺𝗀𝗋𝗂𝖼𝗎𝗅𝗍𝗎𝗋𝖺𝗅 𝗉𝗅𝖺𝗇𝗇𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗇 𝖺𝗋𝖼𝗁𝗂𝗍𝖾𝖼𝗍𝗎𝗋𝖺𝗅 𝗈𝗋𝗇𝖺𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇.”

ᴠɪᴀ ᴀʀᴄʜᴇᴏʟᴏɢʏᴀʀᴛ

[mrsskepticism]

Cait Vi Au Fanfic "Her captive lens" (not my artwork, artwork by mimi) https://archiveofourown.org/works/62171647/chapters/159033685

[hgedits]

+ bonus

[lapdogchase]

if you ever think "why bother posting my spotify wrapped/apple music replay nobody really cares anyway" think of ME. I CARE. i love that shit i love seeing what music people like and how many minutes they listened to music etc. PLEASE post them i love it i love ittttt it's like a holiday for me

[nipuni]

😔 Oh Crowley..

[pigeons-with-jello]

robert smirke being just some fucking historical guy in england will never not be funny, like imagine being robert smirkes ghost and you hear that theres a piece of media talking about your achievements and such long after youve died. you reasonably get excited and alexander hamiltions like dude be careful. its never good when youre in media now adays. and you shrug it off because hamiltion was a great musical. and then you listen to the magnus archives. and holy shit. you wished it was hamiltion.

[murderandcoffee]

are we dragging isaac newton into the horrors now? was the apple that fell on him full of teeth?

[misandriste]

ELOISE BRIDGERTON + being mistaken for a suitor

[bands-of-joy]

the manwhore au by @anniflamma has a chokehold on me just bc it’s so funny

this should be the next saga in the au after thunder saga bc eurycholus needs it desperately

[royaltea000]

he could not control the class 😔

[marzipanandminutiae]

quotes by Victorians about the 1920s view of their generation's women

"We are frequently told that the Victorian woman...generally behaved like a pampered and neurotic infant. This is all moonshine. I do not think that I ever saw a woman faint before I came to London in 1869, and not often after then...they enjoyed a hearty laugh, and a good many of them a contest of wits with any man." -Nineteenth Century, a Monthly Review, 1927 (written by a man born in 1850)

"What queer ideas the girl of 1929 has about the Victorian period- they are not a bit true...Marriage was by no means the end and aim of our existence. Oxford and Cambridge claimed quite a few of us after school days were over. We had great ideas about 'life' and what it all might mean to us." -St. Petersburg Times, 1929 (written by a woman born in 1853)

"True, debutantes were chaperoned at balls. But that fact did not prevent them from dancing as frequently as they chose with their favorite partners. The idea that girls in the Victorian era spent their days sewing seams and practicing scales is another fallacy." -Gettysburg Times, July 1, 1927 (quote from the Dowager Lady Raglan, Ethel Jemima Somerset, who lived from 1857 to 1940)