#rant about historical accuracy

[skadi-gemini]

There’s a Cleopatra movie in the works and we once again won’t get a historically accurate depiction. 😩

Contemporary busts from her time depicting what she looked like. ⬇️

I just want accuracy, man. That’s it. 😭 We could’ve got an actual Greek or Mediterranean person. :/

[alpinelogy]

you know what i will throw a bone to ridley scotts napoleon: the the world, for josephine character poster fucking slaps and it will forever live rent free in my head

[blumineck]

hi! you're great I love your work! I've got a weirdly specific archery question and thought I'd send it to you in case you'd find it fun to have a crack at

say you're an expert archer originally from Vietnam sometime in the late bronze age. say you're a super duper expert archer because it turns out you're immortal, and so you do your archery across Eurasia through the first millennium BCE and the first millennium CE and into the age where gunpowder weapons are evolving into cannons. that's a long time to be alive and you do lots of hunting and fighting with all kinds of bows and shooting styles, especially war archery on horseback. then you're out of the picture for a while, let's say you're peacefully sleeping for a handful of centuries. (this is about Quynh from The Old Guard who alas was not peacefully sleeping)

all of a sudden you blink and you've gone from the era where firearms were just starting to develop and maybe with this new flintlock thing guns could eventually get good enough to rival a bow and arrows— bam, now you're in the 21st century. what kinds of modern archery tech would you be most excited to try out? what would you think of a compound bow? Olympic style archery? plastic fletching?? how about the modern reproductions of what are now considered historical bows and shooting styles? is there anything about 21st century archery that you'd want to rant about at length? other opinions about these newfangled takes on your trusty old bow and arrows you care to share?

This is a phenomenal question, and thank you for asking it! Here’s my 2 cents:

The thing about modern archery is that for the most part, modern bows are designed to make it easier to be accurate, to the stage that modern target accuracy is probably better than it’s ever been historically.

BUT, if we assume Quynh is capable of feats of archery that match the level of melee combat skill that e.g. Andy has, then she doesn’t NEED it to be easier to be accurate.

My guess is that someone like her would actually find most modern archery developments needlessly slow and awkward. Compound bows and Olympic recurves are NOT designed for instinctive, fast shooting, and would probably feel quite restrictive once she got over how easy they made accuracy.

BUT, I imagine she would be blown away by the range and arrow speed that modern bows can generate, and there are some recurves (and at least one compound bow), that have been designed to make use of the efficiency of modern materials and bow design, while still allowing traditional shooting styles, and those, THOSE are something an ancient immortal archer might fall in love with! (FWIW, my own go-to is a horsebow made with carbon-fibre limbs and a modern limb profile, and for impact energy it can match some traditional bows with a draw weight that’s 50% greater. The Oneida eagle compound could trump that).

So yeah, it might take her a bit, but once she gets her hands on the right equipment, she’d be (even more) TERRIFYING!

[the-kingshound]

Just came here to say that the energy your blog and followers have around gender and such is so nice to see :3 something about it just feels so free and unapologetic. "Let her be King", indeed.

Also, The King's Hound is lovely, and your writing is wonderful <33

Me, seeing this:

My stance on gender/sexuality... has changed, admittedly, as I have grown more accustomed to this topic, and most of all as I have learned and listened others in the community. My belief is this: regardless of what people might say about historical accuracy etc, we have always existed and always will. Perhaps we hid more, or there weren't specific words to describe us, but queer people have always been here and will always be here. Representation is, often, just talking about it and saying this out loud.

Anyway, sorry for the rant, but aaaa thank you so much for the ask I am always so happy when I get one such as this❤

[hollowed-theory-hall]

Gryffindor's Sword

This isn't really a theory for the books, but this really bothered me, so it's more like a little rant, I guess.

See, I love historical weapons (and historical fashion, but that's not what we're talking about now), and I hate the design of Godric Gryffindor's sword in the movies. And I want to rant a little about what Gryffindor's sword would actually look like if anyone bothered to do a quick Google search.

This ornate little thing:

Is not a sword, it's a toothpick. No way would a self-respecting English wizard-warrior of the 11th century use something that looks anything like that. Not only does the blade look pathetic, this sword isn't remotely functional. Here is a summary of some of my complaints about the design (without talking about historical accuracy):

This thing is tiny. Swords shouldn't be this dainty, they need to have some weight behind them so blows would actually do damage. This so-called "sword" is barely better than fighting with a knitting needle.

The hilt is too ornate, it looks purely ceremonial and not functional. Battle-made swords would usually be simpler. All the ornate details on the hilt make it so it'll be incredibly uncomfortable to hold in your hand, which is the last thing you want in a fight.

Additionally, the all-metal hilt would have a very weak grip with little to no friction. It means that in the middle of a duel, you could find the sword slipping out of your hand if your opponent strikes it hard enough.

The blade profile is atrocious. The edge should thin out gradually to improve the cutting, here we see the edge just, thins out really quickly at the end, without gradual tempering. Even kitchen knives have this gradual thinning. But not this sword, I guess no one needed to cut with it.

And it won't be good for stabbing either, as the point is barely pointy (even in other photos). And even if we assume it's pointy, a blade designed for trusting would be thinner at the point than this one (on all planes). That said, thrusting swords in this period would still be better at cutting than the above atrocity.

This sword lacks a fuller (the sort of cave-in in the middle of the blade). The fuller helps reduce weight and strengthen the rigidity of a sword. Magic can help with both these issues, but, the lack of fuller is a mark of a poorly designed sword.

Well-made swords would usually have what's called a "distal taper", which is that the blade gradually thins on the horizontal plane to reduce weight at the point. This is good for balance and stabbing. This is an example of a distal taper on a knife:

The design from the movies does not have a distal taper and I can guarantee no goblin would look at the abomination the movies called a sword and think it's remotely passable.

So, if we want to talk about what Godric Gryffindor's sword would actually look like?

It'll be something like this:

(11th-century Viking Sword, got popularised in Britain by the Viking invasions)

Or this:

(11th-century Anglo-Saxon Broadsword, existed in Britain since the 5th century in slightly different designs. Yes it is very similar to a Viking sword, it was a common design at the time)

Or even an arming sword that rose in popularity around the mid-11th-century:

(Early 11th century English Arming Sword)

As an 11th-century English wizard, Godric could've had either of the three.

As for the design described in the book and how it could work with this kind of blade:

A gleaming silver sword had appeared inside the hat, its hilt glittering with rubies the size of eggs.

(CoS, 295)

For the metal, there are two possibilities here:

Harry doesn't know much about swords or metals, I think he could mistake polished steel for silver. Silver is way weaker than steel and depending on forging, another steel sword could cut through it. Pure silver would also not hold its form as much as steel, so a sword design like that of older bronze swords (another softer metal) could be better for it than what was typical for steel swords in the 11th century. Even if the silver is hardened to keep it in shape (which can be done) it would become brittle and break easily. Basically, regular silver is a really bad metal for these kinds of swords, especially if your opponents wield steel. Which brings me to the second option...

The other possibility is that Goblin-forged silver is just magically very strong so it won't break under pressure (like regular hardened silver). Steel swords solve the issue by having some yield to bend instead of snapping, if goblin silver is just magically strong enough that the sword won't snap or the sword is enchanted unbreakable, this would work too.

As for the egg-sized rubies, well, maybe the size of fish eggs? I honestly don't know what JKR was on about here... The sword could have one egg-sized ruby on the pommel (the metal piece at the end of the hilt), but that's it.

If I were to get more specific with the design, I did like that the movies wrote Godric's name on the sword, which is very much possible with a more historically accurate functional sword. Like these Viking/Anglo-Saxon swords from the early 10th century with gold and silver inlay on the blade and hilt (The sword is damaged but it's real):

So his name and maybe some other patterns could be written on the sword in silver and gold, which would look really cool, in my opinion.

Also, you could get even decorative on the pommel and crossguard while keeping it functional, including the addition of more precious metals like silver beyond just inlaying it.

Like this replica of 10th-century bronze Viking sword hilt:

Ceremonial swords (not meant for battle) could get even more ornate on the hilt. Like the Essen Sword gifted in 993 A.D that actually has precious stones decorating its pommel and crossguard:

My vision for Gryffindor's sword

Steel blade or magical goblin-forged silver (doesn't really matter) that is shaped like the blades above. Personally, I'm leaning towards an arming sword design, with blade inlays of silver and gold that write the name Gryffindor along with some other magical imagery of lions or dragons.

The hilt would be made of silver (or covered in silver) and have one large ruby on the pommel and/or multiple rubies like in the sword pictured above along with gold inlays. I also imagine the crossguard ending with little lion heads, kinda like the little dragons on this crossguard (The date on this sword is debated to be anywhere between the 8th century to the 13th century, but they could create hilts like this in the 11th century):

The hilt would have a wrap of leather so there would be a better grip for fighting. No way is Gryffindor carrying a ceremonial sword that he can't use. I think said leather should be painted red.

[pendragonsclotpole]

succession but bruce wayne is 45 and tired of having to attend pointless board meetings when he’d much rather be plotting how to get rid of all the stupid money he has (he’s tried everything, invested all of his funds into gotham, secretly funded the justice league and hid it from his tax returns in hopes that the irs would bust him. spoiler: they don’t, they consider his anonymous donations to be charity AND WRITE HIM TAX BREAKS. he’s even given everyone at WE a living wage, offered free daycare, amazing healthcare, in hopes of making running WE so expensive it drives down profits, but all it does it ramp of productivity and stock prices. he’s in too deep. let one of his children handle it pls).

candidate #1: dick grayson-wayne, bruce wayne’s eldest boy, former cop, circus acrobat, college dropout and style icon (TM). he immediately takes himself out of the running when a pap keeps calling him “richard” and he shouts back “dick.” that’s his name, but no one cares. also his pics from his mullet era resurface. the world is never the same again and the board summarily agrees he’s too divisive.

candidate #2: jason todd-wayne. initially the main contender when alleged footage of him breaking into a very important wayne warehouse leaks. he’s shouting “reclaim the means of production.” wayne enterprise stock falls but the internet is in favor. he’s unfortunately taken out of the running as all legal records indicate—he’s dead? but there’s cute footage of a 13 year old jason todd ardently defending the historical accuracy and superb writing of jane austen’s pride and prejudice. he loudly proclaims he’ll marry mr. darcy at the end. his candidacy remains very popular and the internet starts publishing memes about converting to satanism and practicing necromancy to revive jason todd-wayne.

candidate #3: tim drake. a popular front runner for the old guard of gotham as tim’s also the heir of the drake fortune. unfortunately, he runs away screaming every time someone comes up to him asking about the possibility of taking over WE full time. a major scandal breaks out when he’s caught buying something in a shady alleyway, and people are convinced he’s another partying rich boy. until the full footage leaks and it’s revealed he was buying coffee beans from a barista in the alleyway behind a newly opened coffee shop. multiple coffee shops then make posts online that yes, bruce wayne has called each of them and offered them copious sums of money to NOT serve tim drake or anyone representing tim drake caffeinated drinks after 5pm and before 5pm. many of the videos feature framed photographs of fake wanted posters featuring a very tired looking tim. tim, on a caffeine withdrawal posts a tiktok ranting about the injustice of tyrannical parents think this energy:

and the hashtag save tim wayne trends.

candidate #4: damian wayne. except as a twelve year old he’s not really in the running, except he’s the only wayne by blood so some members of the board are gunning for him. one of them kidnaps him, huge mistake, and footage leaks of him chasing his kidnappers with a katana? appears. he’s officially out of the running but it also fuels calls for bruce to be liberated so he can actually parent his children. joke’s on them, damian’s damianess is 99% thanks to richard grayson.

candidate #5: cassandra cain-wayne. she takes herself out of the running but she’s a dark horse because everyone loves her youtube channel Cass Cayne and her business decisions for brand deals are top tier. bruce makes background appearances and the internet learns cass is def the favorite.

candidate #6: stephanie brown. she’s not a wayne? people think? are 99% sure? but like she’s always there? she dated tim drake? maybe? she calls bruce dad!

[thelemoncoffee]

LARPer Kokichi is funny to me- mostly because of the hypocrisy involved thanks to his interactions with Himiko- but another aspect i love is him being a nerd about it

i think Kokichi, as a person who i hc loves to know everything he can about a subject and will get fustraited if he can't access or understand it, would get balls deep into costuming accuracies for larping.

this can result in very entertaining interactions with not just Himiko, but Tsumugi and Korekiyo as well. i can see him holding back a whole nerd rant because Tsumugi as a cosplayer doesn't focus on hystorical accuracy and frequently gets costuming details wrong, and i can also see him struggling to play dumb around Kiyo so he doesn't learn he's also well read on historical stuff.

it's so simply but so funny to me. Kokichi is a nerd at heart, he is full of knowledge, but thanks to the persona he chose to make for himself he can't be a nerd openly and now must suffer when his classmates with similar interests talk about his nerd stuff- especially when they're wrong about his nerd stuff

[landoffreaksandfrogs]

what type of youtubers would the trolls be? Karkat would definitely make rants and reviews of romance movies, Kanaya would make makeup or fashion tutorials, Sollux has an IT channel he made so people stop bugging him (nobody ever bothers checking it instead of asking him)

quick spitballed ideas bc this is such a cute prompt

aradia - reviews of inaccurate halloween decoration skeletons. theyre not rated on anatomical accuracy but by how much swag they have. most of her other videos are short clips of her livevlogging her day and telling short stories, but shes funny and witty so they do numbers. very low effort and low cost, but shes having fun.

tavros - CARD PACK UNWRAPPING. guy who in no way can afford his hobby but keeps getting these card packs for his channel. surprisingly relaxing to listen to while you have him minimized in another tab while you do something else. he goes over each card in the deck and their effects as well as rarity.

sollux - basically what you said. IT guide on walking through common computer problems. horrible mic quality, but really helpful information.

karkat - ABSOLUTELY would be a movie reviewer. no facecam but for whatever reason has CRISP mic quality. somehow NEVER peaks his mic despite all the screaming he does. he loves media analysis and getting pissed off over fandom drama so hed probably also do breakdowns of scandals in fandom spheres, and somehow almost getting sued.

nepeta - SPEEDPAINTS. and like. flipnote hatena style amvs. obviously very amateur but its a very cute art style and she has no concept of copyright infringement.

kanaya - makeup tutorials and fashion reviews. would definitely be like that one youtuber who reviews the accuracy of historical fiction dresses in film and tv. everytime the virgin mothergrub is in the background of her videos her comments are spammed with "MOTH MOM REAL"

terezi - animated shitposts. like. grinchs ultimatum, garfielf, shit like that. REALLY bright colors and shitty linework with windows moviemaker transitions. no one knows who she is and shes never done a face reveal so shes a total enigma. there are deep web theories that her videos are anti-empire propaganda.

vriska - flarping tutorials. genuinely. she goes over mechanics, spells, class breakdowns, even shares stories of her own flarp campaigns. VERY passionate about it and kind of has an asshole youtuber persona. posts an apology video like once a month then goes on like nothing happened. replies to every mean comment.

equius - weightlifting videos. dead silent. just grunting and metal clanking. no editing. addresses every comment in every video. lots of heavy breathing. very uncomfortable. almost like performance art in how desolate it feels.

gamzee - cooking videos. its as bad as it sounds.

eridan - showing off everything in his hive and talking about it. his guns. his outfits. ranting about pollution. each video is an hour long. its mostly just him complaining or bragging about the stuff he owns.

feferi - has a live feed of her cuttlefish pen going constantly. posts animal care videos. posts music. does challenges. her youtube is kind of an inconsistent mish-mash of content but one thing remains: you will watch her cuttlefish.

[smugglerofsass]

Sneaking in to share my thoughts since clothing/style history is my specialty/focus as a museum professional. 18th century styles like this are typically done with a combination of curls and ponytails, braids do appear in some sources, but they don't seem to be the most common method. Based upom this, it's likely a ponytail with the ribbon wrapped around quite a bit of the hair before being tied in a bow. Historically, these styles would be created with a hogs fat mixture that acted as a kind of pomade like product. These styles could be wigs or natural hair, and up until the late 18th century, it was common to powder them to give a white or grey cast like a wig. Powder began to fall out of favor for young men in the later part of the century, and the combination of English taxation of hair powder and French association of these styles with the aristocracy put an end to these styles in the 1790s.

I could be wrong and it could totally be a braid, there don't seem to be clear enough pictures anywhere, but the little ponytail with the bow, with or without curls on the top and around the face, is basically the men's style of the 18th century.

hi, do you know if there are any clearer pictures of bastille crowley? I'm rewatching the show and I'd like to know if he's wearing his hair in a ponytail or a braid in those scenes and for the life of me I can't tell. thank you ❤

Hiya! :) The back of his hair I don't think we have a good pic of :/:) But I think there is a bow of some kind? (lightened it a lot up to see)

[wonderlands-ass]

I can't decide if I think Jedediah can or can't read.

Like the idea that he can't read explains the part of secret of the tomb (3rd movie) where he and Octavius are in Pompeii, only Octavius even bothered trying to read the sight and he'd didn't even question it nor try to read it himself.

But then again in his real life (in 1800s) he learned to write and learned latin, so he can most definitely read with that argument.

But that also leaves the idea , does he have the capability to understand Octavius when he speaks latin?

That does give the idea what if Octavius talks with some of his most trusted soldiers or something, about how he's starting to develop a crush or already is in love with Jedediah. And Jed just doesn't know how to deal with that.

Considering the fact we stick with the historical accuracy, Jed might also have some not great thoughts with homosexuality, in his life Jed was pretty religious with a pretty *high* moral compass.

(please correct me if ik wrong about something here).

But this is just with the thought of Jedediah, I've not researched Octavius enough to really make q rant about him.... Yet

So yeah... Thoughts

[star-vessel]

Gladiator 2 sorta rant so spoilers ahead

For a legacy sequel, it's fine. I think it's not 100% necessary but I still had fun watching it. I don't have any major complaints bc I could give less of a flying fuck about the "historical accuracy" of an action blockbuster. Here's a few things I noticed:

The pacing was so off at times. Jumping from scene to scene A LOT. There's probably like an hour worth of deleted scenes too.

I liked the twin emperors the least. No offense to Fred and Joe, but they were almost comically evil. It kept throwing me out of the moment.

Marcinus was the luckiest then unluckiest schemer in Rome. Like he didn't have a fleshed out plan at all, shit just always happened to go his way until it didn't. They say he's this brilliant strategist yet don't really show it.

A lot of rehashing and flashbacks to the original film. I feel like it's trying hard to be both a recap for ppl who didn't watch the first and a new story for original fans.

Anyway, I still enjoyed it. The set design and costuming were really great. (Pedro in the white & gold ✨️) The cast worked well together and it is what it is tbh. I'd like to see the deleted scenes or a director's cut someday.

Also where tf is this statue??? They cut it out yet it looks so amazing. Marketing team should've sold miniature versions 👀

[madwolfxiii]

Season 3 of Bridgerton. Holy shit. I loved it. As a fan of not just the show, but also the books, I am excited with some of the changes they are throwing in. But everyone on the Bridgerton fb group I am in are not. Should I be shocked since it's people on fb??? But I just had to share my little rant review that I posted in the group for all of the people being salty. Spoilers below!

What can I say about those final 4 seasons of Bridgerton except WOW. And it's a good wow. I was upset that it was split up but the season was still amazing. Romancing Mr. Bridgerton has been my favorite of the books (so far). And I feel like they really did it justice. They had the main story beats while still doing something different.

Moving onto the Francesca stuff. You know what. I am actually excited about the change to Michaela. At first when people were spoiling it I was just like, why do they have to do that? I feel like genderbending an established character is just lazy. But I can forgive it because I think it would definitely make their story interesting! Now I could be saying this because I haven't finished her book. I started it before watching season 3 and just got to where John died and Francesca had her miscarriage. So I am not so invested in her and Michael as people who have read the book and may consider it their favorite. But I can see why people would be bummed with a major change to their favorite couple.

But I HIGHLY disagree with everyone saying that the show will be unwatchable now. It's still the same story. Just Michael is Michaela and that will just present more obstacles for them. I do realize a big part of Francesca's storyline is her infertility and wanting children. That really doesn't need to change just because she falls in love with a woman. She can still have that struggle. They can show it during her marriage with John before he dies. Maybe they really struggle to get pregnant then they do and he dies and she loses the baby. Michaela can help her through that and they fall in love and maybe adopt!

But before I hear the "well their relationship can't be public because it wasn't allowed back then." Are you really looking for historical accuracy with Bridgerton? Mixed couples were DEFINITELY not allowed back then but the Queen is poc. Bridgerton is presented as like an alternate timeline to history. The real Queen Charlotte was not of color. None of the couples in the books are mixed. But Shona created this world where it is accepted in earlier times then real life. Not without scrutiny and struggle, obviously, as we see in Queen Charlotte when skin color is commented on throughout the season. But some people are okay with that inaccuracy but put their foot down with a main couple being a gay one? On the topic of them being accepted and being able to be public, well that may be part of the storyline and maybe the Queen helps them out. In the novelization of Queen Charlotte, her and George knew about Brimsley and Reynolds and they were okay with it. I'm sure the Queen would have found a way to let them be together if the story wanted to go that direction. Sadly we never found out what happened to Reynolds.

Also people are saying that Michael is supposed to be one of the hottest love interests and their book is the steamiest. Uh it still can be. Michaela looks pretty hot to me and I am as straight as they come. If seeing two girls be intimate on screen makes you uncomfortable then that's your problem. I am ready to see Franny get down and dirty with her lady love.

Also I totally saw Benedict as bi since season 1. He always came off as a little bi curious and I was so happy that he finally accepted it. Good for him for having a threesome. The only complaint I had about that particular storyline was how we would be watching some Whistledown drama then it would suddenly cut to the threesome. It was sort of jarring, as hot as the threesome was. But I thought it was cool seeing Benedict explore his sexuality because like I said, in actual history that was not allowed. But Bridgerton isn't following actual history to a T. It's paving its own way and I am fine with that. With the mention of the masquerade ball next season, Benedict will FINALLY get his love story. Maybe Sophie would be down for a threesome. Who knows.

Also to all the people STILL saying Polin was unconvincing...you need your vision checked because their love and their happy ending had me in tears. I was really happy with how well it did follow the book while also changing it up enough to make it interesting. Because if I want the beat by beat story of the book, I will just read that again. That's the thing people. WE STILL HAVE THE BOOKS. They are not going anywhere. This show will not "ruin" them.

[lykegenia]

A: That sword did not come into common usage until the 14th century and isn't weighted properly for use from horseback. Why are those cuisse plates from the 16th century. Where is the priest sanctifying this engagement. Victory is not achieved through points. It is astounding that man has lasted this long, his form is terrible, look at that footwork, the Harleian Manuscript clearly states -

F, wearing rubber elf ears and sipping mead out of a plastic tankard with a straw: Can't you just switch off and enjoy the show?

A: You are doing this on purpose.

At the biannual Renaissance Festival having my biannual thoughts of A Du Mortain pointing out inaccuracies and having to be held back from correcting the joust

[firecooking]

(bruhstation) hey neil! thank you very much for supporting fortezza bigg city so far :] I really appreciate the thought you've put into analyzing bits of my silly little AU, and I've also gained a huge appreciation for your own works as well. it's so clear you've put a lot of thought and research into your AU and it really blew my mind because everything is so meticulously thought out!!! and I'm looking forward to more!!! here's a quick sketch of your gal zaffre! once again thanks :3 (also you're inspiring me to make my own z-stacks oc! haha)

OHHH MY GOD LOOK AT HER MY BABY GIRL MY SWEET CHEESE SHE LOOKS AMAZING AHHH YOUR ART IS SO GOOD I LOVE YOUR FORM AND VOLUME AND HOW YOU DO YOUR LINE WEIGHT WITH THE OPACITY AND LINE DYNAMICS your handle on anatomy and rendering is really interesting to me, reading you work in Fire Alpaca with a mouse is mind boggling to me, i remember when I was doing the same years and years ago and the skill you show is really fascinating and i am jealous, the way your art is put together is scratching my brain. i have been doing art studies of it and trying to dissect it, it'd have such a interesting feel for animation, you have a wonderful style for breaking down into a limited animation style with a emphasis on dynamics with animation in a 8s, 6s, and 4s with 2s detailing and a hard tweening style [<- just professional animator things lol] The way you render shadow and lighting is also ough. This Zaffre is genuinely so wonderful, new desk top background moments. I love her gesture and expression here, it really captures her as a character! Also the way you draw hands, augh, just augh I wish.

You, my friend, are a fabulous illustrator!

And oh my god your AU is scratching my brain in ways I didn't think possible! I know so little yet there is so much there. When I genuinely say that it is affecting me as much as if not more that @askthefamous8 that is the highest compliment I can muster [that AU has been one of my special interests since 2015,]. I am legit making a post it note wall over FBC just like ATF8 had when I was in middle/high school

You have the most loyal human AU fan on your team now, I genuinely smile thinking about Fortezza Bigg City all day long, my friends and partner are getting annoyed to death from me ranting. sorry dear if you are reading this: I know you hate tugs

Also thank you! I really love doing in depth research, its the autism at work. I am a proud vehicle autistic. I've said it before but working on a ship for a summer just to know the mechanics of how actual sailing works is probably the most unhinged thing I can say I've done for accuracy sake. Loved my Captain and fellow crew, very sad I got sick and had to leave. Honestly would love to be a sailor if my heath wasn't bungled up and I wasn't like $200k of debt in animation college.

My humanoid vehicle AU's are partially based on my sadly never going to be picked up pitch bible for a science fiction based historical vehicle show [my fatal flaw is niche interests] And it literally makes my day to sit down and work on the most expansive and historically researched BS on earth, my AU is both a lovely love letter to TUGS as the show it is and a Love Letter to what TUGS wanted to be! At the end of the day TUGS wanted to be it's days Steven Universe or MASH [something I am gonna elaborate in another format later] but unfortunately it just didn't have the right ingredients. Its the Same as the TUGS musical I'm working on, it's a love letter to what TUGS both is and was supposed to be along with being a love letter to the characters themselves

Also:

Join the Z-Stacks OC League, we have cool hats and crime

[problematic-president]

Watching I Made America after having recently seen Hamilton live in west end.....i have incoherent Thoughts (incoming rambling)

In so many ways Hamilton could be considered the perfect musical but a TERRIBLY flawed historical adaptation. Meanwhile IMA has the opposite problem, it's not as flashy or polished as Hamilton but i think it works better as a historical adaptation. Right now for me this discrepancy is....quite hard to explain. I have a Hamilton analysis in the works (no idea when, or whether i'll get it finished). Maybe Hamilton was too ambitious, maybe the sillier concept of IMA made it inherently easier for the writers to adapt the historical aspects, maybe it's that Hamilton had a set of ideals it was trying to push which directly contradicted its purpose of existing in the first place (not elaborating on that but if you know YOU KNOW). Idk man.

But something about IMA felt different. Something about Alexander Hamilton's rant in the episode People Hate Bastards really struck a chord with me and made me understand the man better than Hamilton the musical ever could, even though the latter literally covers his entire life story. It's truly fascinating.

Funnily enough i've observed historical adaptations that "try less" to be faithful end up being better at adapting the source material. Classic example of this is Blood Bloody Andrew Jackson. Historical accuracy is NON EXISTENT in that musical but look at that!!! It provides a hard hitting depiction of Andrew Jackson which both perfectly shows how much of a POS he was while also getting the audience to care about him!!!!! It's crazy to me!!!!!

Honestly this is such a fascinating recent social phenomenon and i think it should be studied more

[the-kingshound]

might be long rant and it's more of a vent and i apologize for that but here it goes!!!

I'm the "let her be king" anon. I'm a non-binary person. And from the beginning, after finding TKH and playing it for the first time, I've enjoyed Arthur's portrait, and how despite being and feeling like a man, he still uses gender neutral pronouns. Because gender and pronouns are not mutually exclusive and it's very affirming and refreshing to see that being acknowledged!! When you started mentioning the possibility of transfem Arthur I was ecstatic!! more gender!! give it!! especially because you just portray gender in such a natural, humane way, as just another characteristic like hair color rather than a box.

Fuck historical accuracy, like you said we've always existed, and the world has been even shittier than usual lately, the last thing i personally want is to come online and be confronted yet again with what's expected of me as a (gender assigned at birth) and deviating from it will get some kind of reaction, especially when the story isn't even about societal issues.

it's just very comforting seeing it be treated so casually. I don't know if I'm making sense, I'm just so very grateful for your writing and your work. You're doing a great job, and I think allowing Arthur to be a woman and be King is right. Because it's just a title and at the end of the day, she will be erasing Uther's legacy as king in yet another way, and she'll be a better King than he ever was

i do have one question and that would be a curiosity! will transfem Arthur still use she/they pronouns or she/her exclusively?

First of all, I may be repeating myself, but knowing there are people like you who put that much value in my game makes me strive to keep writing and do the best work I can. Thank you❤

I am with you in that I often find myself seeking worlds where I can escape, especially now, the oppressing reality we all live in, TKH has been what kept me going for years, and more than that it perhaps reflects some aspects I would really like to see irl.

For your question: Arthur will use she/they pronouns, as they have very similar feelings on gender/pronouns male Arthur has!