#history reference

[talesofedo]

Maybe I should make a "handsome samurai of the week" column? 🤔

Here we have Obata Tokujiro, on the left, and Matsuyama Toan, on the right, photographed in the late Edo period.

Obata Tokujiro was a teacher of both English and science at Kaiseijo, a school of Western learning in Edo, which was one of the forerunners of what is now Tokyo University. During the Meiji period he traveled both Europe and the United States before returning to Japan, and he later became head of Keio University.

Matsuyama Toan was a doctor, head of Keio University School of Medicine, founder of Tokyo Jikei University School of Medicine, and translator of the first English-language medical book published in Japan, among other things.

[libertarian-druid-in-greater-vt]

Is it wrong that I’m hoping for another Christmas Truce? Like for Ukraine. Bartholomew I could do the same as Benedict XV and just ask for a truce “on the night the angels sang”. And honestly, it’d probably end up the same way since the Russians figured they’d be there a month. Maybe even better than that and have the Enlisted refuse to fight after. Once they realize they’ve been killing their brothers and sisters. 

Like don’t get me wrong, I’d love it if the war was over before then, but we all know it’s not going to be over in 4 months. 

[english-history-trip]

Ever see a depiction of St. George and the Dragon? It's pretty fair to say if you've seen one, you've seen them all: Georgie on a horse stabbing a flailing dragon creature, princess piously kneeling in the background, vague landscape alluding to the homeland of the artist's patron.

The most varied part is the dragons. No one had a real definition for the thing, it seemed. For your pleasure and entertainment, I have ranked some medieval depictions based on how impressive George's feat seems once you see the dragon.

Paolo Uccello, 1456

This is a terrifying beast. The hell is that. Uccello was one of the first experimenters with perspective, so the thing also looks surreal, like it's taking place on Mars, or a Windows 95 screensaver. I would not want to fight that, I would not want to be tied to that. (Sometimes the princess is tied to the dragon for some reason.) 10/10

Horse thoughts: Maybe if I look at the ground it will be gone when I look up

Unknown artist, c. 1505

This is a rare change of form for the dragon; it's the only one I've seen actually flying (or at least falling with style). It doesn't look particularly deterred by the spear through its throat, either. Also, George looks appropriately nervous. On the other hand, it hasn't got teeth, it seems to be fuzzy rather than having scaly armor, and George is bolstered by his army of Henry VII and his children, most of whom definitely didn't actually die in infancy. Still, wouldn't want to fight it, wouldn't want my pet sheep near it. (Sometimes the princess has a pet sheep for some reason.) 9/10

Horse thoughts: I am so glad I wore my mightiest feather helmet for this

Raphael, 1505

We are coming to Dragons With Problems. This guy looks about comparable in size to George, and does have wings, but doesn't seem to be using these things to his advantage (and has he only got one wing?) And how does he deal with the neck? He does have a comically small head, but holding it up with such a twisty neck seems complicated at best. But most egregiously, he is doing the shitty superheroine pose where he is somehow simultaneously showcasing his chest and his butt, with its unnecessarily defined butthole (more on this later) (regrettably). 8/10 bc it's Raphael

Horse thoughts: AM I THE BESTEST BOI? AM I DOING SUCH A GOOD JOB? WE R DRAGON SLAYING BUDDIEZ

The Beauchamp Hours, c. 1401

We had a spirited debate about this one at work. Again, the dragon has gotten smaller, and this one hasn't got even one wing. He's basically a crocodile. So the debate became: would you want to fight a crocodile if you had a horse and a pointy stick? Would the horse trample the animal, who can't get on its hind legs, or freak out and throw its rider? Would the pointy stick be enough to pierce the croc's thick hide? In this case, George seems to be controlling his horse and putting his pointy stick in the dragon's weak spot, so we can be impressed by his skill and strategy. However, his hat is dumb. 7/10

Horse thoughts: Dehhhh

Book of Hours, c. 1480

Here we have the same kind of croco-dragon, but George's focus on his strategy has gone out the window. He's flailing around, not even looking at his target, he's about to lose his pointy stick, he hasn't got a hand on the reins, and his sword seems to only be poking the invisible dragon over his shoulder. All he's got going for him is that his hat is slightly less dumb. 6/10

Horse thoughts: Yay, new friend! Come play with me, new fr- what is happening

Final dragons put behind this Read More for your safety:

Rogier van der Weyden, c. 1432

I'm thinking this guy is at least semi-aquatic. Webbed feet, wings that seem more like fins, bipedal but top-heavy, jaws that seem more for scooping than biting. Maybe she's crawled up here from the nearby body of water to lay her eggs, and this is all a big misunderstanding. Moreover, George's dagged sleeves seem entirely impractical for the situation. 5/10

Horse thoughts: i got my hed stuk in a jar and now it is this way forever

Unknown artist, c. 15th century

I hate this. I hate everything about it. Why has it got human eyes and teeth. Why is its nose melting. Why has it got a dick on its face and balls under its chin. The fin/wings are back but they look even more useless. Also, George is shifty as hell, schlumped over in his saddle with his bowler hat thing over his eyes. The baby dragon at the bottom eating some hapless would-be rescuer is kind of metal. 4/10 at least the thing is gonna die

Horse thoughts: I Have Smoked So Much Crack

Book of Hours, c. 1450

Remember what I said about the buttholes? First, sorry. Second, yeah, we're back to that. I'll admit this one is less about the danger from the dragon itself than the very specific choices the artist has made. They didn't need to do that. It's a lizard. They don't even have. And it's like they had an orifice budget and they skipped an exit wound for the spear to focus. Elsewhere. It's so detailed. And George had an even dumber hat. 2/10 take it away

Horse thoughts: I Have Smoked So Much Weed

Book of Hours, c. 1415

This is just bullying. There isn't even a princess. That is clearly an infant. Look at that smug look on George's face as he swings his sword that's bigger than the whole little guy. This is the equivalent of when DJT Jr. hunted those sleeping endangered sheep. 1/10

Horse thoughts: ....yikes

And this is the previous one, but now the baby dragon is cute. He's chubby. He's got toe beans. He's Puff the Magic Dragon. His eyes have already gone white, implying that George is just kicking its corpse around for funsies. What's the difference between the dragon and the lamb in the background? That the dragon is dead, like our innocence. This George is truly deserving of the dumbest hat of all. 0/10 plus one more butthole for the road

Horse thoughts: Perhaps it is we who are the buttholes.

[blumineck]

The skinny archer trope is close to my heart for obvious reasons, but it's not compulsory!

(Incidentally, I've got a lot of thoughts about the cultural shifts that led to the prevalence of this trope- I'll be chatting about them on Patreon this week!)

[record-keepers]

Gil,

I hesitate to write this, and I don't know when I'll bring myself to send it. I want you first to know I miss you so much, and I think of you every day. I also want you to know you can believe in me, and that I've been doing what I believe in. Recently one of your friends spied on me at a very unfortunate time, and it could've caused a lot to go wrong. You'll have to forgive me for being vague, and for not calling you. I can't think of a safe way to explain it all yet. I know your friend will tell you. I know you'll worry and you'll want to find me. I know you may call me. I dread that you may be angry with me. Please know I am safe. In simplest terms, I have lost faith in the powers of the world. I must find out what is happening, and I must find a way to undo what they've done to you.

Please understand, I just want you to be able to come home again.

With your sister's entire heart,

I love you a million, Gillion.

[literarycinematics]

"i'm so normal about this piece of media" i say, fresh from consuming it for the 5th time this month

[yeoldenews]

Hi I was wondering if you know of any good resources to get good vintage names that aren’t typical and boring (Fred, Edward, Alfred etc)?

Some of the names in the Santa letters are certainly peculiar and it made me wonder what kind of names those “vintage baby names” lists are leaving out 😜

Thanks! And happy new year 🎊

One place to get a good general overview of what names were like in a certain era is the Social Security Administration's lists of popular names that go back to the 1880s. The further down the lists you go the less common they get. However these are still all names that had at least a few hundred occurrences, so you're not going to have any Gloyds etc..

I personally always try to find names from primary sources (newspapers, census, vital records, etc.) as you're more likely to come across unusual names that don't make the top 200 lists.

Also keep in mind that name popularity varied greatly by location. Just because there were a bunch of Juanitas in Tulsa in 1930 doesn't mean there were that many in Boston.

Honestly if anyone is working on a specific project and needs names from a certain location/era (i.e. you're writing a novel that takes place in London in 1627) feel free to message me and I'd be happy to work with you to compile a list from primary sources. I love this stuff and will use any valid excuse to spend an evening digging through 17th century baptismal records.

[anne-is-confused]

Captain Francis Crozier, at Furthest North.

[tanuki-kimono]

Edo period types of hakama pants, fantastic chart by Edo-lover Nadeshico Rin. You can see here from left to right, top to bottom:

Fundomi hakama 踏込袴 - pants with a narrow bottom hem, a type of nobakama (see below)

Tattsuke hakama 裁付袴 - pants tight below the knee, sometimes refered as "ninja pants" (= Iga hakama). Those were worn by many, from samurai to servants and craftmen.

Umanoribakama 馬乗袴 - lit. "riding pants", wide hakama with high gusset split legs for confortable horse riding.

Nagabakama 長袴 - formal trailing hakama worn by samurai from late Muromachi era.

Andonbakama - skirt-like hakama worn by Meiji period female teachers and students (hence why it's sometimes called onna bakama). A boy version appeared after mid-Meiji.

Yamabakama 山袴 - daily-life work pants with narrow legs and sometimes a gathered bottom hem. Name greatly varies depending on areas and time. A direct descendant of this style are women's monpe もんぺ.

Nobakama 野袴 - shorter hakama with black velvet hem, worn by travelling samurai. It was also part of firefighters' gear.

Hirabakama 平袴 - the "classic" ankle lenght men hakama pants, with a low gusset which means it looks nice when sitting (tailoring is hence different from the umanori, see above). Also called hanbakama 半袴, those were longer than the ancient kobakama 小袴 and shorter than formal trailing nagabakama (see above).

[talesofedo]

I finally had a chance to scan this set of letters written by Okita Soji. These are reprints published alongside a small booklet with transcripts and information, not originals, but they are absolutely enormous and needed to be scanned in sections, which is why I've been putting it off.

The bottom image is Soji's New Year's card to Kojima Shikanosuke, using his absolutely neatest possible handwriting. That's quite a contrast to Soji's normal handwriting seen in the two letters above it, both of which were written to Sato Hikogoro. The long letter in the center is the one where he talks about Sannan's death.

If you want larger versions of the letters, or scans of the booklet, they're in my Dropbox.

[decadesfinds]

Contrary to popular belief, stuffed toys were not invented by or for Teddy Roosevelt in the 1900s. They existed before this, in different forms, for almost all of human history. However, well, toys get loved to death and are often buried with their people if they died young, or even in old age - or are so well-worn that the only surviving bits are the wooden or bone framing.

The above dolls have stuffed and padded elements to their bodies, and survive from the middle ages, apparently. There's no dates attached, but they are absolutely beautiful examples.

We cannot forget ragdolls, which were obviously popular, and definitely betray my example a bit too well, into the "this is a bit scary" realm. But these were toys, and they were loved dearly by their owners. We have to remain respectful of that.

The first commercial stuffed toy was apparently a stuffed elephant in 1880 intended as a pincushion, but often purchased as a toy for children. They also made others, such as the lion below:

The next was a cat that is still a popular pattern today for toys - the Ithaca Kitty. Here are some replicas:

I've definitely seen a ton of these used as pillows to this day.

So, if you are writing or depicting history, don't be afraid of giving your kids a stuffed friend to love. They did exist before you think, and were much more popular than you would believe. They just often were not commercial, and were handmade by loved ones, or sold in small quantities, individually crafted by one talented artist.

[ziseviolet]

Hi my friend wanted to ask about Chinese Opera and the red pom poms on their hats and their significance. I asked my mom and she said they were for decoration so I just wanted clarification

Hi! Thanks for the question, and sorry for taking ages to reply!

The pom poms you see on 盔头/kuitou (Chinese opera headdresses) are called 绒球/rongqiu (lit. "velvet ball"). They are often red, but can also be other colors, and vary in size. Ronqiu are decorative and serve to distinguish the many different types of kuitou from one another. Each type of kuitou is distinct in the number, size, and color of rongqiu that it's decorated with (of course, not all kuitou have rongqiu).

Below - a few different types of Beijing opera kuitou decorated with rongqiu (x):

Rongqiu isn't used just for Chinese opera performances - it's a very common decorative item for Chinese headwear, especially for traditional/folk performances.

Below - examples of rongqiu use in folk custom/performance costumes, left to right: 1) 游神/youshen (wandering gods) procession in Fujian (x), 2) 英歌舞/yingge wu (yingge dance) performer in Guangdong (x), 3) & 4) 高跷/gaoqiao (stilt walking) performers in a 社火/shehuo parade in Gansu (x):

As a festive decoration, rongqiu was also widely used on bridal guan (crowns) from the Qing dynasty into the modern day.

Below - examples of rongqiu use in historical bridal guan: Left - a bride during the late Qing dynasty, circa 1890 (x); Right - a bride during the Republican era/minguo, in 1939 (x):

For some reason it's been extremely difficult to find sources on the origin of rongqiu that would shed more light on its significance, but based on historical paintings the use of rongqiu as a head ornament may have originated in the Qing dynasty. During the late Qing dynasty, it was fashionable among women to wear rongqiu on the sides of their hair, as can be seen in the paintings below (x):

This particular style of rongqiu hair ornament was depicted in the 2012 historical cdrama 娘心计/Mother's Scheme:

For more references, please see my rongqiu and kuitou tags.

If anyone has more information on the significance of rongqiu, please do share!

Hope this helps ^^

[record-keepers]

Gillion's Prophecy:

A hero born of moonlight, storm and sea.

They shall rise or fall to bring unity.

They will be tested or bested by evil’s hand.

By their choice one will remain: sea or land.

[doodlewizardry]

Have you ever wanted to find your old Ao3 comments? Easily keep track of which (and how many) fics you've commented on? Rediscover a fic that you left a time capsule of a gushing essay on?

Well, you can! And it's simple! (* Note: it only works for comments written after you turn this on.)

Go to your Preferences:

There's a checkbox labelled "Turn off copies of your own comments". This is selected by default. If you deselect it (and save your preferences) then you receive an email for every comment you leave.

But I don't want to get my inbox flooded by Ao3!

Understandable! Luckily, most email clients allow you to set up rules for incoming mail depending on their sender and contents. For instance (using Gmail), I've made it so that these emails skip the inbox, are marked as read, and moved to a label I call my "Comment Collection".

The result? A complete, organised and fully-searchable repository of any comments you leave from this point onwards! Search by fic name, author, date, that one sentence you vividly remember leaving!

I've set up other rules, too, like starring emails that are replies to my comments - I'm always excited to receive them!

I love this system, and I think it's motivated me to leave more comments. I hope that others find it useful too. Happy commenting!

Original preferences trick from this Reddit thread. Tagging @justleaveacommentfest, which motivated me to write this post!

[ridrawsart]

"I'll carry her."

Other titles I thought of: The Burden, Pain and Power, Compassion.

Please feel free to ignore me, I'm just crying on the floor having more Ashton and Laudna feels then I should be. Platonic or romantic, doesn't matter to me, I just want them to be happy!!! (Also I may or may not relate way more to Ashton then I feel comfortable with, they're just a really good character, like, damn bro.)

The fact that Ashton was willing to sacrifice so much for his friend just to bring her back to life really tugs at my aromantic heartstrings. It means everything to me.