#1870s boots

[digitalfashionmuseum]

Black Velvet and Fur Carriage Boots, 1875-1885.

Albany Institute of History & Art.

[fashionsfromhistory]

Boots

1865-1875

United States

The prevailing fashion for long skirts in the 19th century and the general importance of feminine propriety encouraged rather limited decoration of contemporary ladies' footwear. While ornate bows and embroidered vamps are relatively common on evening shoes, heavy soled walking shoes , like this pair of button boots, were seldom ornamented with anything more than a simple bow or buckle. By consequence, the presence here of an elaborate machine-embroidered design covering the entire upper is of particular interest. The beaded cordwork was applied over the embroidery, presumably by the wearer, to increase the decorative program even further, perhaps for a special event for which it was not possible to purchase shoes specifically.

The MET (Accession Number: 2009.300.1424a, b)

[walzerjahrhundert]

Francois Pinet

boots

late 1870s to early 1880s

[shewhoworshipscarlin]

Boots, 1878, Paris.

[sexjoes]

She Ronald on my Reagan till I trickle down (economics)

[my18thcenturysource]

I don't know if you're ready for this BUT American Duchess and the Bata Shoe Museum just launched a collab collection called In Bloom.

They made 3 styles in several colours using 3 styles from the the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries from their current exhibition "In Bloom: Flowers and Footwear", and are currently in pre-sale, with estimated deliveries between July and August 2023.

Let's take a look:

We start at the 18th century with the Primrose shoes, based on their Dunmore model, accurate for 1770s-1790s they are embroidered on satin and are $179 USD while in pre-sale and later will be $199. The original style is in black and pink silk satin, and OF COURSE that's my favourite variation, but the green ones are a close second.

Images from top: 1780s shoes, Bata Shoe Museum / Primrose shoes, American Duchess.

From the 19th century we have this style called Flora, accurate for the late 19th century (1870s-1900), are $230 USD while in pre-sale and later will bee $250. This embroidered boots with satin ribbon laces are probably my favourite style from the collection. Of course my fave colour is black, which is also the colour of the original piece, but the lavender ones are just *chef kiss*:

Images from top: the original French embroidered boots by Francois Pinet, late 1870s-early 1880s, Bata Shoe Museum. / Flora boots, American Duchess

Finally, the 20th century style is the Daisy, accurate for the 1920s-1940s. A vintage style full of flowers and colour, this T-strap style is perfect to pair with a simple dress from any decade and have a very decent 6.3cm heel, so you can dance all night in these art deco shoes.

1920s shoes, Bata Shoe Museum / Daisy shoes, American Duchess.

The sales from the In Bloom collection will support The Bata Shoe Museum in their study, outreach, and conservation of historic footwear, and we're here for it.

More info:

"In Bloom: Flowers and Footwear"

Read more about the collaboration at the American Duchess Blog.

Buy the whole collection in pre-sale here.

Which style are you looking for the most?

[thesimline]

For the last Halloween lookbook of the year I thought it would be fun to transport Batman and his gallery of villains into the late Victorian era. Can't you just imagine them skulking around in the fog and shadows?

OUTFIT RESOURCES

Batman: Cowl (TSR) | Glasses (TSR) | Bandana (TSR) | Outfit | Gloves

Catwoman: Mask | Glasses (TSR) | Top | Undershirt | Claws | Bag | Pants | Boots

Poison Ivy: Hat (TSR) | Hair (direct download - 1870 Rose Hair) | Glasses | Earrings | Dress | Gloves

Harley Quinn: Mask | Makeup | Ruff (direct download - retired CC) | Outfit | Gloves (My Wedding Stories) | Tights (TSR) | Boots

Penguin: Mask | Outfit | Umbrella | Shoes

Joker: Hat (Base Game) | Hair (My First Pet) | Hair Colour | Face Scar | Face Paint | Black Eye | Outfit

With thanks to some amazing creators: @lady-moriel @helgatisha @nsves @bokchoijo @candysims4 @waxesnostalgic @nolan-sims @sentate @plazasims @serawis @joshseoh @magic-bot @pandorasimbox @mmoutfitters

[ghouljams]

WDYM U MUSNT DO A 1870S COWBOY AU

HISTORICAL COWBOYS ALL THE WAY!!!

"Oye vaquero," Ghost hears the click of a primed rifle, and turns quickly on his heel, raising his pistol to face the woman pinning him in his sights. 

"State your business," you advise him in Spanish. Ghost doesn't blink, doesn't lower his weapon, doesn't feel his heart flutter just a bit at the sparkle in your eyes. You whistle and he snaps back to himself, grips his gun a little tighter and knocks the hammer back.

"Price sent me, I'm supposed to talk to Goose for a-" he fumbles for the Spanish word, as you carefully settle the lever back on your rifle.

"Your accent is awful," you tell him in English. Your voice is even sweeter when he doesn't have to translate it, the annoyance in your tone is a wonderful touch.

"I'm supposed to give Goose a message, you know him?" Ghost lowers his pistol as you settle your rifle against your hip.

"I am him." Ghost doesn't freeze, but he pauses, looks you up and down. The wide stance under cotton skirts, the way you grip your rifle, the loose hair that tumbles out from under your hat, he tries not to dwell too long on the dip of your waist or the soft skin just peaking out from your collar. You're not what he expected.

"Ghost," he introduces himself, carefully pushing the hammer of his gun back into position.

"Pleasure," you nod in greeting, he wishes you'd spare him a smile. He's sure you're a sight when you smile. "What's the Sheriff want?" You ask.

Ghost holsters his gun and reaches into his coat to pull a letter free. He holds it out to you, watches you take it with careful fingers. Your eyes skim the paper, and flick up to meet his every few passes. Ghost takes the time to glance further up the dirt path, there's a farmhouse just at the end of it. He can just make out a barn behind it. 

"How long are you planning on being in town?" You ask, drawing his attention back.

"Not long," although if anyone could convince him to stay longer it's you, "Price said you board."

"I board rangers, not gunslingers."

"What's the difference?"

"Rangers pay their bills." You fold the letter and tuck it into your shirt. Seems like a comfortable place to be. Ghost wonders if- He shakes himself from his staring to snort at your insult.

“I’ve got money.” He tells you, you raise a brow.

“Here? Or on a bounty you’re hunting?” He hesitates, and you nod in understanding, “Figured.” You click your tongue and look back towards the house. Ghost isn’t one to beg, worst case he goes back and asks the saloon if they board. At least the barkeep can run a tab to be paid later. “Sheriff says you served, Union?” You ask after a moment of thought.

“That’s right,” Ghost nods. You nod again, apparently having made a decision.

“Alright, you’ve got a room.” Ghost blinks, he shouldn’t be surprised, Price said his letter would do most of the legwork, but still he thought there’d be- “Got some rules though.” There it was. You hold your fingers up and drop them as you speak, “You help with chores until you can pay, you keep your boots off my tables, if you want supper you better be back by six, and if you try bringin’ a bounty back to my house I’m takin’ it.”

“And how d’you plan on doin’ that?” 

“I got no qualms shooting pretty gunslingers.” You shrug.

"Can you even use that thing?" Ghost nods at your rifle, some part of him now desperate to see you actually fire it. You're quick to grip it with both hands and fire over his head. He turns to watch a duck fall out of the sky, hears you whistle and sees a dog race past to catch it.

"Any other questions?" You ask with a bored sort of amusement. It's terribly charming.

"You married?"

"You askin'?"

"No." Maybe.

"Then I'm not," You smile, it's a small thing, but it lights up your face like the sun peeking out behind a cloud. Ghost’s heart beats a little faster. He wonders what you’d say if he was asking. “If you wanna try sweet talkin’ your way outta paying you can sleep in the barn with the other animals,” You tell him, bending to take the duck from your dog’s mouth before you turn on your heel to start towards the house.

“You get a lot of men sweet talkin’ you?” Ghost asks, following after you without a second thought.

“Only the real stupid ones.” Ghost tips his hat a little further forward to keep the setting sun out of his eyes. He wonders how many men get your sweet talk. Pretty you’d said. Was he pretty? He’s quick to bite down his smile. He’s always been weak to women like you, the sort of pretty thing that won’t hesitate to kill him.

Here's to hoping his bounty takes a while.

[cringeborg]

200 Followers Gift: 19th-century Men's Lookbook

Finally, here it is. A gift to you all for getting my follower count up to a whole 200. I know it's not a huge milestone, but I'm excited about it, and I'm glad so many other people are interested in the things I make. As of right now I have 212 followers, and there were only about 190 students at my elementary school. That's weird. That's a lot of people.

This is a more informal lookbook than my usual ones. I haven't really gone all in on the photo editing. It's more of a timeline of fashion than a true lookbook. Note that it's a mix of casual wear (1810, 1820, 1830, 1850), regular daywear (1800, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1890) and evening wear (1840).

1800s: hair / glasses (TSR) / suit / boots (Base Game)

1810s: hair / facial hair (Base Game) / vest / breeches / boots

1820s: hair / facial hair / vest / pants (Discover University) / boots

1830s: hair / facial hair (Base Game) / outfit / boots (Base Game)

1840s: hair / facial hair (Base Game) / suit / shoes

1850s: hair / facial hair / outfit / shoes (Base Game)

1860s: hat / hair / facial hair / suit / gloves (Base Game)

1870s: hat / hair / facial hair (Cottage Living) / jacket / pants (Sack Pants) / gloves (Base Game) / boots

1880s: hat / hair / facial hair (Horse Ranch) / suit / boots

1890s: hat / hair / facial hair (Cats & Dogs) / suit (Professor Plum) / shoes (Get Together)

huge thanks to all the cc creators included in this! you rock!

@simverses @anachrosims @johnnysimmer @peebsplays @birksche @joliebean @happylifesims @theroyalthornoliachronicles @feralpoodles @chere-indolente @buzzardly28 @vintagesimstress

[ghulehunknown]

Copia x F!Reader

Day 5 of KINKTOBER is (finally) here! 🎃

**WARNING - EXPLICIT/NSFW**

Also available on AO3!

Written by request for @honey-dripp1n

“Do You Deserve It?”

Summary: You wear your shortest skirt to your one-on-one meeting with Copia, and face the consequences.

CW/Tags: short skirt, boots, degradation, vaginal fingering, thigh riding, PiV sex, unprotected sex, AFAB reader, F!Reader, zero aftercare, dom Copia/submissive reader

Word Count: 1870

It was a rainy, fall day and instead of being curled up in bed reviewing Papa’s business reports, you were in his office with him going over every single line item. ‘Well,’ you thought, ‘at least I could do something to make the boring task a little more fun.’

Oh how you loved to tease him and watch him get flustered in meetings, in the hallway, during mass, or even during a ritual. Would he be able to hide that hard on or not? This was your favorite game to play.

So you showed up to work in your shortest habit - the skirt just barely covering your ass. Perfectly perched on the arm of his chair as he sat at his desk, you gazed out of the window into the garden as the rain went pitter-patter against the glass.

He was completely immersed in his stacks of paperwork. “The September file,” he murmured.

“Hm? Oh, yes I have it right here,” you said, losing your focus on the stapled spreadsheet in your lap. You handed the top stack of papers to him and glanced over your shoulder to double check his work.

After a few moments his left hand wandered into your lap. You thought at first he was reaching for another spreadsheet, but his hand slipped in between your legs. You shifted just slightly, to alleviate the heat now pooling there.

He slid his hand under your skirt and trailed towards your hip. Then a sly smile spread across his face when he realized there was no hem of your panties - just bare skin. “You think I would not notice, Sorella?” he asked, his eyes still on the paper on his desk, one eyebrow cocked.

“Mmm Papa, you know better than anyone that tight clothes and a visible panty line just do not mix,” you replied in a sassy tone.

He shifted in his seat to look you in the eyes, knocking his pen off the desk in the process. “And just what am I expected to do with you now?” You pursed your lips and tucked a strand of hair behind your ear, waiting for him to answer his own question.

He looked at the pen on the floor out of the corner of his eye, then glanced back at you. “Pick it up,” he commanded.

You slid off the arm of his chair and daintily kneeled down, tucking your knees together to remain decent. He kicked the pen further on the floor so it was now under his desk. Now you’d have to get on your hands and knees to retrieve it.

You crawled under the desk, your back now to him. You could hear the chair scrape on the floor as he pushed his chair back to give you room - or him a better view. You couldn’t reach the pen from this angle, so you outstretched your arm, arching your back and shoving your ass in the air. You could feel cold air hit your nether regions, so you had a pretty good idea of Copia’s view.

“Such a naughty Sister. Do you enjoy dressing like a little slut and parading your bare ass around the Ministry this way?”

You let out a little chuckle as you finally reached the pen - then a small yelp. He lifted your skirt a little and clapped you on the ass once. You couldn’t help it - the smallest whimper escaped your lips as you stayed frozen on your hands and knees. You felt your slick trickle down your inner thighs as you heard Papa mutter “mmmn,” under his breath.

You started to get up from the floor when you felt his leather boot on your back, immobilizing you. Not sure what to do next, you said meekly, “Here’s your pen Papa,” as you held it up for him.

He snatched it from your hand and snarled in your ear, “Just one more test before I let you up Sorella. Have you been a good or naughty girl today, mm?”

Hm. This seemed to be a trick question. Either response could yield the result you wanted - or do the exact opposite. Gauging by his demeanor so far, you concluded he wanted you to be naughty. “Oh Papa,” you began, savoring your words and choosing them carefully. “I…I’m afraid I’ve been a bad girl today.”

“And how is that, cara mia?” His boot was still on your back, pressing you down harder on the floor.

“Well, you’ve seen how I dressed today Papa. I…I’ve been aroused all day just thinking of you, and how easily you could take me without all those silly layers getting in our way.”

“So you have felt a tickling sensation in the middle there all day, eh? Should I take your word for it or put it to the test?” The pen still in hand, he leaned in close as if he was about to insert it inside your entrance. Your whole body tensed in preparation, and you made another small noise, stifling the sound in your closed mouth. “Relax Sorella, I could smell your sweet musk as soon as you sat down next to me.” He removed his foot from your back and gave you room to stand up.

You stood up beside him and began to straighten yourself and pull your habit back down over your hips but he stopped you, holding your hand firmly in his.

“I still need to see for myself,” he said. He grabbed you by the waist and plopped you down on his desk in front of him, shoving the papers out of the way in the process. He parted your legs with his knee, still sitting in his chair. One hand on your hip, the other sliding between your legs, he stared at you intensely.

You shuddered and tilted your head back as he slipped his middle finger inside you slowly, inch by agonizing inch.

“Mmm so fucking wet,” he said. “You have been bad. So bad to think of me all day and do nothing about it until now.” When you whimpered quietly again, he teased. “Does la mia piccola puttana need more, mm? So greedy you need two fingers?”

He slid his ring finger inside and pumped in and out a couple of times before removing his hand from your core, bringing with it a small pool of your arousal onto his desktop.

You exhaled sharply as he removed his fingers, aching to be filled again. “Yes Papa, I need it so desperately, Lucifer below I do.”

He inserted the same fingers into your mouth and you sucked on them, tasting yourself, tickling his fingertips with your tongue. He grabbed you by the waist and sat you on his thigh, facing him.

Instinctively, you began to grind yourself against the thick, ripped denim, wrapping your arms around his neck.

“So desperate to get off you can’t even wait for your Papa? And just look at the mess you have already made in my office. Who will clean this up? You expect Housekeeping to clean your shame?” he said, gesturing to the giant wet spot now on his jeans and the small puddle of slick on his desk.

Without hesitation, you leaned over and licked your own arousal off his lacquered desk top. It was still warm from being in your body just moments ago. He seemed slightly taken aback, but rolled with it.

“Lucifero,” he whispered as he started to say something but you kissed him on the mouth to shut him up, sliding your wetness you collected in your mouth into his. “Mmn -” he muttered in surprise, then swallowed and broke away from your embrace. “You are full of surprises, Sorella. I can tell I’m going to have fun with you.”

“I think you’ll be able to keep it up better than your brothers,” you whispered into his ear. Grinding on his thigh still, you began to unbuckle his trousers.

He slapped your hand away before you could go any farther. “Did I say you could touch, troia? If you’re going to act like the Ministry’s cum rag, then that is how I will treat you. You don’t get to touch what you’ve been getting from everyone else in this goddamn place. Is there anyone you haven’t fucked?”

“Your father, but that can be changed.”

He grabbed you by the shoulders, nails digging into your skin and leaving red marks. “You’ll regret saying that. And after I’m through, you’ll forget about those other quick lays you had.” He whipped you around and bent you over the desk, fumbling with his belt buckle before freeing his already leaking cock and burying it inside you - deep.

“Oh God Copia!” you screamed as he entered you fully without hesitation. You braced yourself on the desk as he began to pummel into you, grabbing your hair and tugging each time he thrusted back into your slippery cunt. He was moving so quickly - and you were so wet for him - he almost slipped out entirely several times.

“Lucifero all'inferno, come fai ad essere già così bagnata?” he grunted as he relentlessly slammed in and out of you. “Does my little whore enjoy taking Papa’s cock, mm?” he teased as you moaned loudly for him. “Do you think you deserve to cum?” he asked as he reached around to your front and rubbed circles around your clit. “Do sluts like you deserve to cum, do you even deserve Papa’s cock?”

“Please, Papa!” you cried as he touched your sensitive bud.

“Please what? Mm, speak up slut.” He clapped your ass again for good measure. His hips bounced off your plump ass in perfect rhythm to the circular sway of his thrusts. He shoved your head down on the desk so the side of your cheek pressed flat against it, your arms bent on top of the desk to shield your face from getting slammed into it repeatedly.

“Please let me cum! I’ll be so good for you, Papa, I promise - ohhh fuck -” you struggled to say with your head shoved down through rough thrusts.

“You think you deserve it? I don’t think you do, strega.”

You screamed out as he pounded away. “Please Papa!” you begged, so close to orgasm.

“Since you’ve been so polite, puttana.” He continued the small circles around your clit, building up the pressure more and more until your climax came in a sudden explosion throughout your body, shaking uncontrollably.

“Sto per venire! I’m cumming, fuck!” He groaned, body shuddering as he slammed three more times into you - quick and deep. You could feel his warm seed swell inside you, spilling out as he pulled out of you.

You laid there, slumped over the desk like a ragdoll. Your chest heaved as you felt both your cum and his flow down your legs.

He used some tissues to clean off his cock then zipped up his pants. “You did well, Sorella. No wonder you’re everyone’s flavor of the week around here.” He threw the tissue box to you and said, “Now clean yourself up. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Silence filled the air as he left you on the desk, still too overstimulated to move. You could hear the rainfall tap at the windowsill.

English to Italian Translation

- cara mia (my dear)

- la mia piccola puttana (little whore)

- troia (slut)

- Lucifero all'inferno, come fai ad essere già così bagnata? (Lucifer in hell, how are you already so wet?)

- strega (witch)

- Sto per venire (I’m cumming)

[digitalfashionmuseum]

Cream Crocheted Wool Baby Boots, 1870-1880, American.

Met Museum.

[floydsteeth]

Ok so I finally finished asking my mum about the characters fashion I'll ask my aunt about it another time, first I'd like to state that unlike my aunt who does fashion history as a job(there's probably an actual name to the job I just don't know it) this is just a hobby for my mum, also that both of them specialize in women's fashion

here's what my mum had to say on each of them

Sariel- mostly modern (boots, pants, belts) slightly 17hundrends, the knotwork on his jacket(?) Seems military inspired

Jin- looks like he's wearing jeans, good shoes, late Victorian and his shirt & tie looks 1920s

Chevalier- modern take on cavalier(16 hundreds)

Gilbert-"oooh oh no it's really looking like a nazi uniform, but his cane is gorgeous" that's all my mum wanted to say about him

Clavis- regency (purple jacket) white jacket looks like a great coat (still worn today most common in late 16 to early 17 hundreds) pants look like modern dress pants

Silvio- buccaneers (16&17 hundreds privateer) shirt regency, "those boots are just a mess"

Leon- "he looks like captain Harlock from albator", modern dress pants, military inspired, jacket looks modern

Keith- Spencer(a type of women's jacket during regency) modern pants looks like it had a fake fall front, looks militarily inspired, waistcoat looks modern

Rio- outfit one(commoner) "can be anywhere from modern to Victorian, so just generic"

outfit two(attendant) Victorian evening wear "oh that's a gorgeous tail coat!"

Outfit three (prince) button up looks Victorian enough, modern dress pants with a fall front, the tail of his jacket look like court wear from Louis the 14th, looks like he's wearing a jabot (necktie(not a modern one though))

Yves- waistcoat 1870s evening wear, modern pinstripe dress pants, look like cavalier boots but too short, Italian Renaissance linen shirt

Licht- modern pants, military inspired "its a mess"

Nokto- fancy trench coat, sleeveless tail coat??? Modern waiste coat, 1970s button up shirt & tie, modern dress pants, modern shoes

Luke- looks like he's dressed in knit fabrics (modern) pants look like jeans

Overall she said that all of them look to be wearing modern pants

I hope you guys don't mind being tagged @fang-and-feather @lorei-writes @sh0jun

[omgthatdress]

Cécile and Marie-Grace were released alongside the best friends line of dolls, and are a pretty transparent gimmick to get people to buy two dolls at once. That being said, I actually kind of love their collection.

Their story is set in New Orleans in 1853, which is a pretty great way to represent the Antebellum South without having a Scarlett O’Hara doll. New Orleans was one of the few places in the south with a robust middle class. Everywhere else had tremendous wealth inequality with absurdly rich plantation-owners, barely surviving poor Whites, and slaves.

Cécile is of the gens de coleur libre, that is, the free people of color, a class of New Orleans citizens born out of the plaçage system in which White men would take women of color as informal second wives. Plaçees held a really interesting position, as they could legally claim inheritance once their patron died, and the children born of plaçage could be named heir of an estate. Plaçees were also allowed to develop assets and run small businesses. All of this created a level of generational wealth that was unique among African-Americans at the time. Today, their descendants are known as Creoles.

As far as Marie-Grace goes, I don’t think she’s Cajun, just French-American. Cajuns are a specific group, the Catholic descendants of the French colonizers of Acadia, now called Nova Scotia, who were forced by the British out of the home. They settled mostly in the fertile Mississippi delta, and maintained a rural, somewhat insular way of life. Marie-Grace is the city-dwelling daughter of a doctor, so probably just the descendant of regular French citizens who settled in New Orleans.

Hair-wise, this is the era when girls tied their hair up with rags at night to have fat sausage curls in the morning. Most photographs and paintings that I’ve seen of Black girls in the era show them with their hair tied up, but there are a few who had curls.

Marie-Grace’s face-framing curls are a little bit more Jan Brady than 1850s, but it’s cute on her, so I’ll give her credit for that. The long hair isn’t inaccurate.

There’s something about Cécile’s dress that keeps saying “wrong” but I can’t quite put my finger on it. A more accurate dress would be more along the lines of something like this:

(The Victoria & Albert Museum)

(The Victoria & Albert Museum)

(New York Historical Society)

Marie-Grace’s dress seems to have been inspired by this portrait of Creole children:

(credit to @in-pleasant-company​ for finding it)

Cécile’s pillbox hat is a style that was adopted more in the late 1860s and 1870s. A more accurate hat would also have her in a “coal scoop” bonnet.

Her gloves, however, are accurate and adorable!

(The Met Museum)

Marie-Grace is wearing a kind of sun hat that was popular for children:

(The Met Museum)

Marie-Grace’s fan looks typical of the French fans that were popular at the time. They were usually painted with pretty pastoral scenes instead of flowers, however, although Chinese fans at the time frequently had floral themes.

(The Philadelphia Museum of Art)

(The Victoria & Albert Museum)

The shoes are definitely late Victorian rather than 1850s. Fine city ladies in the 1850s would be wearing boots made out of silk with leather soles:

(The Met Museum)

[shewhoworshipscarlin]

Boots, 1870.

[paganminiskirt]

I love reading your analyzing of Coyle. I wondered if you had any thoughts on his sexuality? (I mean I have a damn spread sheet myself, but you're so much better at words and really great at psychoanalyzing lol). I've described him as being "the straightest gay man I've ever seen" to a few people now and eventually the "get" it.

(CW: discussions of canon typical sexual and racial violence, slavery, internalized homophobia, domestic violence and femicide. One of the linked videos also discusses fascism using disturbing transphobic rhetoric as an example.)

Thank you for your kind words, it’s really nice to know my ramblings are resonating with someone! Discussion should be allowed to emerge naturally, but I think much of the debate that arose from the revelation of Coyle’s character was removed from the context of the oppressed groups being commented on by the text. I say that mainly in reference to people of color, since the KKK represents a cultural trauma which is inextricably attached to blackness, but the statement applies to queer people as well. That very Klan was almost extinguished in the 1870s until it was revitalized half a century later by a film, of all things: media is obviously important. There’s much more that can be, and to an extent needs to be, said about this story beyond rehashing “it is/is not okay to hornypost about this” ad nauseam.

So let’s get this out of the way: I think Coyle was deliberately being written as queer. The ethics of incorporating LGBT characters in a setting so obsessed with the grotesque are questionable (you can read more perspectives on that here and here,) but I think there was intention behind the decision to depict him this way, whether it's "good representation" or not.

One of his defining traits is that he habitually deploys lewd, effeminate language to intimidate and dehumanize his victims: “alluring piglet,” “honey,” “beautiful/sexy b*tch,” “darling,” “sweet, ripe young things" and the like. You could argue that is solely a degradation tactic rather than a direct indicator of his sexual preference, and he does seem to do it primarily to scare you. But a big part of the horror in Kill the Snitch is that Coyle is very unembarrassed about how much pleasure he gets out of subjecting you to that degradation. (“You lick my boot, maybe I let you up.”) The innuendo he taunts the Reagents with is unaffected by their gender presentation, and The Snitch is a fixed character presented as a cis man who Coyle treats with just as much aggressive leeriness. From there, it's difficult to interpret him as straight. 

And since Coyle is one of the main villains of the game, I think I would be remiss if I argued that his bi/pansexuality is a thematically insignificant byproduct of his broader characterization as a sadist. That conclusion certainly presents itself: even if his queerness is loudly implied, it isn’t commented on directly by the text the way other aspects of his character are, like racism and uxoricide. The closest we get to a clear, unmistakable identification of his sexuality comes in the form of his aforementioned attitude towards The Snitch. 

While the Reagents are interchangeable grunts, The Oogie Boogie Man Snitch is Coyle's own prisoner, and as such we witness him compound the usual routine of sexualized cruelty with repeated assertions of possession, calling him things like “toy” “mine” and “property” to emphasize a sense of ownership. He comes completely undone when the Reagents electrocute him to death, exploding into thwarted, miserable rage like a kid watching their sandcastle get kicked to shit (“No! FUCKING NO! He was mine!”) and throwing out all of his beliefs at once as this jumbled, fascistic mess; “anarchist pinko fucks” this and “country’s going to shit” that.

Perhaps the most telling line about their dynamic is this one: “Jesus Christ you look like my second wife, you know that? Spittin' image. Woman got me 'bout as hot as Missouri asphalt.” The only time we see how Coyle interacts with people on an even playing field is in the files, when it’s mentioned that he killed two of his fellow soldiers when serving in the army & brutalized a murkoff agent interviewing him. The social dominance he has over people like The Snitch and his wives seems to be the only way he’s capable of conducting interpersonal relationships on a vaguely emotional level. Otherization, fuckability, and the need for corrective shame/subordination are all intertwined in Coyle's head, muddling together to form his notion of natural hierarchy: one which is incoherent, self-serving, and more about appearances than anything else. (“I know what you did. I just need to hear you say it.”)

And the importance placed on appearances isn’t just something that Leland happens to believe. In the era when this game takes place, the electric chair was at peak popularity as a form of “humane” capital punishment: in reality, it was a callous technological repackaging of the methods of execution which came before it, namely the (distinctly racialized) hanging/lynching. These methods were designed to reinforce social hierarchy by staging voyeuristic displays of dehumanization, and were levied with particular barbarism against people of color. There’s a catalog of horror stories I could insert here about white supremacy and the electric chair, but that’s another post entirely. What I want to establish is that:

A. It's easy to interpret The Snitch’s execution (and the Reagent’s forced participation in it) as a symbolic enforcement of Murkoff’s construction of social dominance, akin to capital punishment or lynching/state sponsored terrorism. B. Men like Coyle were categorically responsible for orchestrating executions like the one in the game, and the fact that he gets so angry and addled about it even though he’s ostensibly a follower of their doctrine speaks to the nature of his ideology. 

Though a lot of real world topics get touched on by Coyle's dialogue, it certainly isn’t 100% down-to-earth social critique. Many of his lines invite you to laugh at him (“It's hurtful when you disrespect the badge. I have feelings, too”/”Ain't you slicker'n a can of mashed assholes”) and his crimes themselves are, at times, overblown and ridiculous. He's a caricature of institutional violence and injustice, not a straight faced example of it. No, the realistic part of Coyle’s storyline is how the power structures of 1950s America both protected him from consequences and deliberately encouraged him to degenerate. I’ve alluded to this before: it’s one of my favorite things about Trials.

He was sent to military school because of his violent tendencies and joined the marines to avoid investigation after killing his first wife, but once he had the Police Department to shield him his behavior escalated in severity so much so that it attracted the attention of an even worse organization. The process was Military School → Ku Klux Klan → Marines → Police Department → Murkoff. This facet of the story was always there, but the newly released comic really hammers in the point, that Coyle - infantile, nonsensical, vulgarly abusive and utterly unworthy of authority - was never a barely tolerated outlier or a well kept secret within the systems he budded up from. The files directly attach his klan involvement to police work even as he's described as a “good cop:” because there were no good cops in Blackwell, because good cops aren’t real. US Law Enforcement can be traced back to early southern slave patrols, they've had a handshake agreement with the Klan for decades, and you need look no further than the recent Minneapolis Police Department exposé to see how they operate in the modern world - and this game is set sixty years before 2023. Horrifying, yeah?

Understanding cops themselves to be fundamentally immoral and unjust, by the time we meet him in the game, Coyle isn’t even a competent cop in terms of his willingness to enact unjust aims. Yes he is brutal, yes he is racist, yes he clings to the childish, cowardly belief in immutable superiority found in actual modern fascists - but the ouroboros of psychosexual issues driving him to behave the way he does take precedence over his purported devotion to any belief system, to such a degree that he isn’t even acting in explicit defense of an institution anymore. That job, to defend the current institution, is what the Reagents are being trained for: the same ones he deems subhuman and, most tellingly, “perverted.”

One thing that makes Coyle’s whole presence in Kill The Snitch  so surreal and disorienting is how manufactured and aimless his job as The Snitch’s defender really is. The man play acts an interrogation of someone who will never see trial, referencing vice squads, courts and elections that are nowhere to be found in the Sinyala facility - even though a different line of his mentions how they “don’t favor courts in these parts.” So, he’s directly contradicting himself. When the Snitch dies, he goes “NO! NO! I'll never... God DAMNIT,” not even finishing his own sentence about what it is he apparently needed The Snitch for.

The man obviously thinks otherwise, but he’s a make-believe cop, a test dummy for trainees to be pitted against ala shencomix’s professional hater. Though nowhere near as disenfranchised, Coyle is a puppet in Murkoff’s trials as much as the Reagents are, all his nasty, grandiose rhetoric ultimately amounting to hot air: and unlike the Reagents, this does not end with him being reborn. He lacks the overarching purpose of eventual service to a greater cause that they have.

And therein lies the self-destroying prophecy inherent to his understanding of reality. You can argue that Coyle is aware (subconsciously or otherwise) that there exists the potential for him to be otherized, and by extension subordinated, for an immutable part of himself which is directly attached to his sexuality and masculinity. I’d be surprised if he wasn't, considering how loudly the prejudices of the culture he arose from are relayed to the audience. The fear that comes from that knowledge gives birth to an obsession with categorism, shame, and “justice:” which he rationalizes as an immutable aspect of reality by connecting it with the natural phenomenon of lightning. (“I used to stand in a storm and watch the lightning strike the plains and I would think, "well there you go." That's justice. Sometimes the finger of God reaches down and touches you. But you never know which finger it is you're gonna get.”)

This leads to violence which he is constantly rewarded for: and because it’s the only viable outlet he has for exercising those very issues which he was trying to avoid confronting in the first place… he overindulges. Loses all interest in presenting the rhetoric coherently, in favor of chasing the immediate release that cruelty provides with ever-increasing vigor. (Funny how he calls the Reagents “dope addicted” too. Mr. Sony VPL strikes again!)

But in the end, Coyle is worthless. He’s a tool, designed to be overcome. It's a similarly symbolic, utilitarian role to that of The Snitch, which potentially feeds into his perverse sense of protectiveness over him, but the people who are coming out the other end of this with a job to do in the real world are the Reagents. People he looks down on, people he terrorizes, people he’s so desperate to bend to his will. He’s like... white chauvinism revealed as senseless, small and disgusting, condemned to chase its own tail & buckle under its own weight no matter how hard it shakes it's fist at the sky. 

And in a series so fixated on delusion and the disintegration of the self, the nugget of reality within that was thrilling to see on screen. 10/10, would cringe at again.

[ancientromesims4cc]

Ancient Rome - Sims 4 CC (4/5)

Hi friends,

Since I started to play with the Sims 4 trying to recreate Ancient Rome, I wanted to place in a single post all the CC I found (for myself, first of all, and for anyone who might find the list useful).

I am a historian of the Ancient World, so I am quite obsessed with historical accuracy (not excessively!)

I will continue to update the posts with my finds.

Build mode objects are here. Buy mode elements are here. Hobbies / activities and mods are here. Decorations are here

Early Civilization Clothing Pack by @teanmoon Knitted Thighs by mammut

Clothes - Male: Cesar Dress by @natalia-auditore Gladiator Outfit by Wistful Castle Toga Set by Paogae Egyptian Men's Bottom by bekahluann Egyptian Men's Robe by bekahluann Aquiles Outfit by natalia-auditore Male Toga by natalia-auditore Greek Male Top / Paesant by natalia-auditore Greek Dresses by natalia-auditore Male Tunika by mammut Early Civ. Top and Skirt by mammut Early Civ. Outfit by mammut Early Civ. Outfit 4 by mammut Nature Pants by mammut

Clothes - Female: Alexis Dress by Sifix Aurelia Dress by Sifix Daenerys Dress by Sifix Daenerys Dress II by Sifix Daenerys Dress III by Sifix Evadne Dress by Sifix Fortuna Dress by Sifix Harmonia Dress by Sifix Karya Dress by Sifix Mary Dress by Sifix Megara Dress by Sifix Melpomene Dress by Sifix Missandei Dress by Sifix Nalani Dress by Sifix Nemesis Dress by Sifix Odilia Dress by Sifix Odyssey Dress by Sifix Omorose Dress by Sifix Saga Dress II by Sifix Sansa Dress by Sifix Saskia Dress by Sifix Tallulah Dress by Sifix Xarenia Dress by Sifix Persefone Greek Dress by natalia-auditore Damaris Set by @satterlly Rogue Fuzzy Boots Outfit by @simverses Hekate Dress by natalia-auditore Egyptian Linen Robe by bekahluann Roman Palla by @vintagesimstress

Hairstyles Grecian Hair by Naunakht Lucrezia by @tekri Ancient Greek Hair by natalia-auditore Demeter Hair by natalia-auditore Artemis Hair by natalia-auditore Ilithyia Hair by natalia-auditore Lorella by @laeska Amalia by @laeska Rosalina by @laeska Beatrice by TwistedCat 1870s hair by @buzzardly28

Gladiator shoes by madlen

Golden Bracelets in the S/S 2019 Collection by Sentate

Olive Leaves Headband by SLYD

Leaf Hairpin by S-Club

Cicero Hair Laurel by okruee

Cameo Choker by @teanmoon

Clothes - Children Toddler Outfit by mammut Toddler Robe by bekahluann Egyptian Girl's dress by bekahluann Egyptian Boy's dress by bekahluann Egyptian Girl's robe by bekahluann Child Outfit by mammut at the Simszoo Child Winter Outfit by mammut at the Simszoo Humble Child Clothing Set Early Civ. Outfit by mammut Paesant Baby Clothes by VII Medieval Children Clothing by tadala Efrosyni Sandals for children by KyriaT Efrosyni Toddler Tee by KyriaT Efrosyni Infant Body Outfit by KyriaT