#timeline of western fashion

[dresshistorynerd]

An Introductory Timeline of Western Women's Fashion

I think a good place to start to get into dress history is general overview of the whole timeline. Understanding especially how the silhouettes change is really important ground knowledge to build the rest of the information on.

I'll start the timeline from Middle Ages and go till the first world war. I'll focus on upper class England/French sector, so keep in mind that before 17th century there were huge regional differences in fashion inside Europe and class differences too. There is a lot variance, changes and nuance inside any century and decade I'm about to discuss, but I'll try to keep this short and introductory and very simplified. I used a very scientific method of basically what makes most sense to me to divide the periods. I've made sketches what I would consider to be the basic silhouette of the period stripped mostly out of the detail and then I give couple of primary source examples.

12th century (Middle Ages)

Dress was simple one or more tunics over a chemise. They were overly long for upper classes, made out of straight lines. There were loose tunics often worn over another tunic, and tunics with laced bodice called biaut. In France bliaut sleeves often widened from the elbow, in England they often widened in frists.

13th century (Middle Ages)

Clothing was mostly very similar as in the previous century, though bliaut was mostly gone and new popular style was a loose sleeves surcoat.

14th century (Middle Ages)

Tailoring basically revolutionized clothing production, since clothes weren't made out of rectangles anymore and could be better made to fit form. Also functional buttons and lacing was popularized resulting in very fitted styles. The underlayer tunic, kirtle, became a fitted supporting layer.

15th century (Middle Ages)

Improvements in weaving technology and trade and growing prosperity in Europe showed in clothing as excess of fabric and variety of trends. Houppelande, a loose A-lined overdress lined with fur and fastened with a wide belt under chest, became a very popular clothing item, and in later decades developed into the iconic Burgundian dress (the red dress). Fitted overdress continued to be popular alongside the warmer houppelandes.

1500s-1550s (Tudor period)

In the renaissance era clothing became increasingly structured and elaborate. The bodice was heavily boned and the skirt was also structured.

1560s-1610s (Elizabethan Era)

Both structuring and elaborate decoration reach it's peak during Queen Elizabeth's reign. She became the defining fashion icon of the late renaissance.

1620s-1670s (Baroque)

In baroque era the bodice was still heavily structured, but more curved than the conical Elizabethan bodice. Otherwise though structuring was replaces with dramatic excess of fabric.

1680s-1710s (Baroque)

In the late 17th century there was a huge shift in the clothing industry as mantua, a loose open robe inspired by Japanese kimono, came to dominate fashion. Rigid bodice was replaces by structured under layer, stays. Stays brought back the conical silhouette of Elizabethan era.

1720s-1780s (Rococo)

Mantua developed into the iconic Rococo dress in France, robe à la francaise (first example picture), and in England robe à la anglaise with closed bodice. Rococo fashion was characterized by the wide silhouette of the skirt.

Since Tumblr won't accept more than 10 pictures per a post I'll have to continue in a reblog. So to be continued!

[marzipanandminutiae]

I was never into the American Doll toys cus they weren't popular in my country, but I've always had the feeling that the XX century dolls all look like they are wearing adult's outfits. And tbh I don't think it's that bad cus some of the most iconic dresses of their respective eras weren't standard styles for children. I saw someone commenting that the styles on the 90's doll look like tv characters, and I think that's accurate for dolls from other decades as well, maybe it just irks us millenials cus that's an era we were closer to living so it doesn't feel natural.

It depends on the character, as far as I can tell! Going down the decades:

Samantha definitely looks like a little girl from 1904 (see: the dropped waists and short skirts on her dresses- adult ladies in that era wore gowns at their natural waists, with long skirts, and their hair pinned up).

Ditto Rebecca. Similar age rules to Samantha's era, all well-followed. No notes there.

Claudie...was made recently and therefore her collection is peak Mattel-tastic hot nonsense, painful as that is given how amazing her story could have been. Her Meet outfit isn't too bad? Like it's believable for a 1920s girl? But everything else looks awful, from a quick Google search. Not even Adult 1920s Fashion; just bad stereotypes.

Kit seems pretty on-brand for 1930s little girls' clothing, though we're getting further from my eras of expertise. The original collection, not the BeForever BS.

Molly is, again, getting way out of my wheelhouse, but she's definitely not wearing 1940s adult fashions. It's interesting to see the same era done with Nanea considerably later in the company's timeline, because it seems much more like their later "distilled" approach to the historical characters. Less researched, less detailed, less of the period and more Generic Vintage. Also, it's the 1940s and she has NO casual dresses? Really? I get that she lives in a tropical climate, but, again. 1940s. Little girls generally wore skirts most of the time, in any place where western fashion predominated.

(Class photo, Thomas Jefferson Elementary School, Waikiki. 1942.)

Maryellen is very...Intensely 1950s, but based on what I've seen, she's not Overly Mature in her attire per se. I feel like they're leaning too hard on the big fluffy skirts- didn't girls often wear a slimmer silhouette for school, out of practicality? -but it's not too old for her. I don't think. and of course, this is well post-Mattel takeover, as with Claudie's collection

I feel like they're trying really hard to differentiate Melody from Maryellen, but based on photos of my mother as a kid in the early 1960s, there was a lot more bleed-over between the two decades than people realize? this is another Mattel Made It Costume-y one for me, I think. it's not too mature exactly, but it's. Off, somehow

I kind of see Julie as the beginnng of the end, in terms of research quality in the company's history. It's not WRONG, but yeah, it's only one specific aspect of the era's clothing and it's more something popularized by adults. Kids did wear the hippie look in the 1970s, but it's definitely not what you think of when you consider a child's play-clothes or school-clothes back then.

Courtney is just. Okay, while she was considerably younger, my sister was an '80s kid, and she did not dress like Madonna or a Jazzercise dancer 24/7. Serious question- is AG allergic to jeans on historical character dolls from eras wherein jeans existed?

And now we have. Clueless and The Disney Channel Exploded, coming soon to an overpriced mall store near you!

This has been an unnecessarily long walkthrough of AG thoughts with Marzi! Thanks for giving me an excuse, and I'm so sorry.

[runthepockets]

The most acceptable forms of presentation for trans men are "ubermensch body builder who gets all the retweets and reblogs when it comes time to post transition timelines because rigid adherence to masculinity is the only way people can comprehend manhood" or "super skinny twinky androgynous dude who gets all the retweets and reblogs because cis people (and sometimes other trans people) are very fragile and need to project insane fantasies on anyone they can perceieve as a cis woman with a pixie cut", and when you're not dealing with that you also have Juiced Up Hollywood Male Celebs flexing in ads for body wash or flippantly posting their shirtless selfies to their IG stories like they don't adhere rigidly to shaving any and all body hair and have personal trainers, chefs, etc, Andrew Tate types constantly berating and flexing on dudes for having more money and access to all the latest fashion and tech bullshit, and incels who have, for some god forsaken reason, deluded themselves into thinking any human being is too "ugly" to be worthy of love, as if there aren't over 3,000 women right now who have happily been married to an overweight 5' 3" balding dude or like some 5' 7" guy in a flannel with a beer gut who still can't grow a full beard at 27 isn't about to propose to his GF of 10 years tomorrow. It wasn't uncommon to see trans men parroting incel talking points in context of their own dysphoria, either, especially during the pandemic.

This is why being Just Some Guy feels borderline empowering to me. It kinda feels like a massive "fuck you" to everyone on all sides. I don't wanna have body dysmorphia, I don't wanna be another porn category, I refuse to go to the gym more than 3 or 4 days a week and I refuse to let abstract and highly personal / conditional criteria for what's considered attractive under white western patriarchy have a stranglehold on my mind, I refuse to be a weird fantasy or to have my self esteem withered to dust. I'm just some guy who looks like he works at a skate shop and has the same name and interests as your brother or your childhood best friend. Nothing to misconstrute or latch onto here. It's a mindset and presentation that has improved my self esteem more than any other depiction of masculinity and it fits like a fuckin glove to boot.

[medeaheartly]

𝐐𝐧𝐀: 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘺���𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨

Part of the 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 for Wednesday!

Unfortunately, no one actually came to ask anything―let alone send anything in my ask box :'D (apart from Lia lmao)―so I'm just gonna give general questions and give my answers to those

Question #1: "𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫?"

I've chosen to make the Reader and also the Impostor be gender neutral as to have some kind of representation for those who don't want yet another female reader and impostor for SAGAU.

Let's not ignore how almost all SAGAU works are written solely with a female reader in mind. And no hate to female readers and authors who write for female readers! I too am a female reader, but I just wanted my work and own little au open for more fans of SAGAU regardless of their gender! :D

Regarding their clothing, I'll try to make everything as "genderless" as possible. Though if you do see me writing in future chapters of the Impostor wearing a gown or a long dress―that's just me referencing different sorts of "royal" fashion because the Impostor is in a position to dress like nobility (I'll try to make it so it's not overtly feminine don't worry)

Question #2: "𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐀𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐋𝐮𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞?"

I won't lie, it's mostly because I'm based and a simp that I chose Aether BUT-!

I really do like the idea of Abyss Princess Lumine rather than Aether being the prince. One―because I think Lumine suits the role better, Two―because I am more used to Aether and probably know more of his "personality" than Lumine's (rest assured, Lumine will appear in the au so no need to worry)

Question #3: "𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫? 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦?"

Reader is definitely a legal adult, I can't say for sure what they are since I want them to be above 18 but younger than 22 so maybe let's agree on 19 or 20!

I want the Reader to still have that spunk and spite of the teenage phase but have some of the maturity and wisdom of someone who's a young adult.

I'd like to think the Reader is pretty westernized don't you think? I'm not saying their american no no, but I will say that they know enough about western culture for them to reference so much western media in dialogue or their thoughts.

Question #4: "𝐀𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐰?"

I'm gonna be honest with you, I don't know jack shit about what's happening in the canon story right now. All I know are the major events/boss fights and some of the story quests that are well-known but other than that―I don't know squat about the canon story

SO! Because of my ignorance and lack of knowledge, I'm making the timeline up to fit my lacking knowledge. Right in chapter 3, Aether was introduced in Liyue right? I'm probably gonna write it so he's just got done dealing with the entire quest for Liyue, y'know the Childe boss fight and the whole fight with Osial etc.

That's when he meets the Reader and talks to them.

In terms of what year the Reader was from originally and what update they're on right now-

Currently, the year would be early 2022 in the story so the most recent genshin content they would know would be the whole funeral for Signora and the meeting of the Fatui and also the rumors for Sumeru (so no, the Reader does not know about the recent characters of Sumeru as well as the new Scara lore)

Question #5: "𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲?"

The Reader's personality is pretty much based on- "If a real genuine person were in this situation" schtick.

I tried to write the Reader so they'd be more direct and blunt, also have more common sense than your usual anime protagonist.

Though I did decrease their self preservation as their thought process is just [Death = Escape from isekai world] because even with the character buff of common sense, they still remain dependent on the numerous isekai media they've consumed (like how most mc's die and get isekaid and become op af)

I also made them a simp. No further explanations :D

I want the Reader to genuinely try anything and everything for them to go back to their world, because they have their own life, own relationships, own responsibilities, of course they have to go back!

The Reader comes from a pretty chill life, yeah the world is collapsing due to the pandemic and just general corrupt government shit but do you really think they'd sacrifice a life on earth for a life of a wanted criminal wearing a so-called "Creator's face" and being hunted like prey? Hell no bruh

Question #6: "𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐨 𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞?"

I mean- I have the whole "Reader reclaims the throne" scene all completely written and drafted-

But I'm not so sure about apeshit level of rage.

I can't say anything without spoiling ya'll, but what I've written on that scene so far is very far from what you're all expecting the usual confrontation to go down.

To answer the question though, yes but not in the way you'd expect :)))

Aaaand that's all the questions I'm answering for today! I might edit this post and add more if someone sends an ask (or I might just answer them with a separate post)

But yeah, that's all for the Wednesday appreciation event! Hope ya'll enjoyed :D!

[2n2n]

I was doing some very unpleasant and grueling chores this morning, and somehow it made me contemplate Tsukasa. Having fun thinking about possibilities fitting within the boundaries of established canon + within the general themes of JSHK… its a flight of fancy, but it was so fun and distinct I want to try to summarize and describe it (: its fun to think "what if" ....

Tsukasa's outfit is so specific… we've got no idea where the get up originates from diegetically-- is this something Tsukasa wore in life, at all, or is it an invention, of Amane's boundary, something symbolic from Amane's heart? Why is it…. a meiji/taisho era, circumstantial uniform, not an era Amane himself would have lived through… ?

I guess I thought to myself, "well, their mom is very traditional (especially contrasting their very suit-wearing western-styled dad), and she would have ~ a little experienced the taisho era vibes possibly, depending on her age and family's upbringing… " if we say, imagine she's ~25 years old when she has her twins (the boys were born in 1955), that places her at sortof experiencing the ending of taisho era, where the look Tsukasa sports could be organically extant in her lifetime...

But… then, in what context would Tsukasa even be made to wear a … taisho era laborer's uniform? (from what I've read, that's what this specific fashion is seen doing? Errors possible... there aren't tons of sources accessible to me;;)

Doing my terrible chores, I thought, well, if Tsukasa isn't her 'son' anymore, what is he to her? If he's replaced with something 'different' and he can't be 'exorcised', maybe he can be recontextualized as a servant of the family, and be treated as that, by her (and I don't know, maybe dad is detached and checked out once mom is ~off her rocker, and can't be bothered to correct anything, and doesn't want her placed into a position to be institutionalized, if resistance escalates her). Allowed to stay in their household, but no longer seen/treated as her own child, but, an interloper, something lodging here.

It's a weird thought! But I guess, thematically with Jibaku Shounen, it tickled my brain to think of Tsukasa's transfiguration into a kaii, coming with soon being entered into servitude, and dehumanized, objectified. Much like Hakubo, who could only be allowed to exist if he was a slave to the Minamoto clan. At the whims of humans…

But you know. It's not as if Tsukasa was, beaten with a burlap sack filled with rocks daily or something (neither was Hakubo!), he's allowed to attend Tanabata with Amane, and he's even initially allowed to attend school with his brother, as we see them enter middle school together. I think being treated as a lesser, interloper, in the home, by mom, isn't incongruous with that. Or even, being pulled from school at a later point in the timeline.

I was thinking about Iro's love for fairy tales… he reimagines Snow White and, completely and utterly tears it asunder, flipping all of its symbols on their heads (Neige or Rasphard in certain routes are analogous to 'poisoning old hag', and it's Neige's step sister who is in fact kind and virtuous, while Neige is vain and cruel... and so much farther do we step from any of that in later routes!), and essentially the only thing kept in-tact is, this, poison motif. Jibaku Shounen touches on the Little Mermaid playfully, but in the most threadbare sense, much like Snow White. Little more than, some little bits and baubles borrowed.

For a moment I thought of Tsukasa as a 'Cinderella' figure, but, flipped on its head … a biological child reduced and othered into 'not my child' and deprived from mother's love. The 'true child', Amane, allied and in love with his deprived brother... not an enemy allied with mom.

Tsukasa reduced to a servant is tantalizing to imagine, and Amane continuing to enshroud him in this imagery in his heart (despite killing him in his school uniform) would be symbolically powerful; having stolen and overbeared on Tsukasa's autonomy, made him his property, taken him all for his own. Still a servant, to someone else… now Amane's source of power, in his boundary. 'Seeing him' as this, still... while Tsukasa, exists in a loaded get-up, keenly aware of its purpose in his life, and aware Amane 'sees him' or 'wants him' like this. Dying in his uniform, and reawakening in this garb, there would be plenty to dwell on...

While for Amane, Tsukasa back in a gakuran for vol4 and out of the laborer's uniform Amane had (SUBCONCIOUSLY???) imposed on him, I can't imagine what that would 'say' to him, on the roof. (but maybe they wore their gakuran, in the cold seasons, during some essential rooftop memory, and Tsukasa wanted to recall it visually....?)

Maybe Amane had pressures placed on him to support their family, to become the breadwinner, to make up for Tsukasa's faults, to become educated and live to support them in turn… taking care of your parents as they age is definitely a traditionalist mindset, and, Tsukasa certainly would not be trusted with it...

It's interesting to think of an Amane stuck in this position, placating the whole family, but desperate to prove his loyalty to Tsukasa, only Tsukasa… the only person he really cares about.

Sigh. With it all, even thinking of the rooftop of the school's significance, where Tsukasa chooses to reunite with his brother, where Amane goes to brood, where Amane wishes to recite his Antares speech, where Nene told him she liked him, and later, asked him to run away with her-- I always wonder, did Tsukasa ask Amane to run away with him, too? Is that a deja vu moment, for Amane? Is the roof significant between them? Did Amane fail to, at that moment, double down on only Tsukasa? Or did he promise something he couldn't commit to? Maybe he lied, or, maybe he didn't take Tsukasa seriously ... something....

Tsukasa's radio intrigues me. I always think, that perhaps he was in a position of being deprived of entertainment or resources, and in such a space, he only had the radio to listen to, so it became something precious to him, or influential... holding a place as important to him as Amane's knife. It must play some role....

He is fond enough of it to cuddle it as he naps, and give it its own plate of food at Mitsuba's party…

In a 'Cinderella' narrative, I enjoyed the mental image of Tsukasa in a laborer's uniform as enforced in the home by his mother, cordoned into a smaller, more barren room apart from Amane (their old toyroom?), with only his radio as company, if Amane was not present. Not allowed to leave the house on his own, perhaps ... perhaps Amane as his protector, always with him outside of the house, shepherding him, Tsukasa his ward in these moments.

And it's interesting to imagine Amane offering himself bound in ropes (自縛 lol) to a Tsukasa in such a state as a show of loyalty or passivity or acceptance, alright! What a visage it would be… and, I think the aesthetic of a hakama + kimono would have such a different impression and atmosphere to Amane, than it has to his mother, who would have her own upbringing influencing her.... Maybe to Amane, it, just, looked beautiful. Much like he sees the 'bottom of the middle' Yashiro as breathtakingly beautiful ... the camellia of modest beauty, etc...

... there is such an intriguing thing in JSHK, where both Amane (and by extension, Tsukasa) and Nene are ah, er, confirmed as unattractive by conventional canon beauty standards. Amane is a bug-eyed short scrawny boy, as far from handsome, tall, icey-eyed Teru or even fairly nice-with-it Natsuhiko as you can get. While Nene is scarcely given a second glance by anyone, gets no chocolates or love letters or even charitable rejections.... considered weirdly shaped and frumpy ... it's , then, really, charming how much Amane can fall into a starry-eyed tizzy seeing Nene or Tsukasa, at times, captivated by them. He's rude and defensive, but in his heart, he has some reverent feeling for them both. They are silly and clumsy and goober-y and fundamentally 'weird' ... but to Amane, everything, dangerous to stare at, scary to want so badly.

I kindof think a Cinderella thing would be so cute with all of that ... wwww... and I think Amane deserves two princesses... oh yeah, and 'wishes' and 'pure of heart/gracious' or, what have you, are 'Cinderella things' that fold nicely into Tsukasa's thing....

Maybe doing chores is a good and fun thing! How would I ever have all of these thoughts without lugging the compost through the snow...

[navree]

Piggybacking off of your costumes comment: I loved a lot of them, but I wish there was a bit more of a cohesive silhouette. Especially so you could tell the passage of time a bit easier. ALMOST every era in history has a cohesive silhouette. Like the 1860s are known for the slim waists and the big circle crinolines, the 1520s known for the big sleeves and the head coverings (among other things)

It’s fantasy but there should be some cohesion.

Yeah that's my big thing, there should definitely be some sort of link in the costumes rather than everything just seeming very much like they all got dumped out of a bin and rifled through. It's one of the things that earlier seasons of GOT actually did fairly well, the fashion of King's Landing was defined with a specific kind of hairstyle and those wrap kimono style gowns with long hanging sleeves, men in the cities of Slaver's Bay wore those specific robes with knotted cloths that differed in types of colorings for the different cities specifically (white and green in Astapor, white and blue in Yunkai, blue and yellow in Meereen). Not only was there cohesion in the silhouettes overall, but there was also cohesion based on location, and key differences based on location as well, the same way that the silhouettes for fashion in our world have varied based on location and culture (the silhouettes of the Mughals during the reigns of Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb looked very different to the silhouettes of the English in that time period, for example). Alicent and Otto are from Oldtown, which is actually pretty far removed from King's Landing, it's further south and on the Western end of the continent where King's Landing is on the east, so why not see some differences in the clothing that they tend to gravitate towards vs the kind that people who've lived in the Crownlands might wear. The Targaryens are also still clearly trying to keep in touch with their Valyrian roots at this point, what with all The Tapestries and everything, so why not have their own sense of fashion have a flair of Valyrian to it, to mark them as distinct even beyond the pale hair whenever they walk into a room, rather than just a simple red color scheme. Another issue for me was also just that the clothes never seem to convey passage of time? HOTD season 1 alone is meant to take place over a period of twenty years, and even in twenty years silhouettes change a lot. The costume designer I think said they were modeling a lot of the clothing on the Renaissance for instance, which is why we see a lot of men with chains of office on fancy occasions, and the silhouettes of the Renaissance also went through changes. For example, the 1550s tends to hew closely to the fashions we expect from Tudor dramas, wide and triangular skirts and hoods and hanging sleeves, whereas the 1570s was seeing the emergence of the types of fashions you think of when you think of Elizabeth I or Mary Queen of Scots, the beginnings of farthingales and puffed sleeves that were close fitted at the wrist and a lot of ruffs. It would have been cool to see how Rhaenyra and Alicent and Daemon's fashion choices all evolved not just due to personal decisions, but also to the simple passage of time and the change in styles that would come with it even if the changes are only slight, and it would have helped with the overall timeline better.

Yeah, there are costumes that I do think look good, and barring some nerdiness about why certain people aren't wearing chemises or other stuff (I know it's not real but like why isn't Alicent wearing anything under the green dress if she's just got straight brocade damask on her skin that's just gonna be uncomfortable, that's why people liked chemises back in the day!), but I do wish they looked more put together than they do.

[clove-pinks]

I have been told by @benjhawkins that you are a good person to ask about Western men’s fashion in the 18th century.

I’m hoping to phrase this as delicately as possible: why were men’s breeches so unappealingly baggy in the seat while the thigh was so carefully tailored to fit the leg?

Thank you for any insight you can give!

For reference: the fellow in red

Hello and thank you for the intriguing question! I'm more of an 1810s person (hence the perpetual Napoleonic/War of 1812 vibes around here), but always willing to attempt to answer fashion history questions, especially ones about the early-mid 19th century. I'm not a professional dress historian, just interested in the subject.

I turned to Farid Chenoune's A History of Men's Fashion, which doesn't comment much on the tailoring of fashionable men's breeches except to emphasise their tightness. The Mémoires of one Baron de Frénilly are quoted:

Breeches, to be fashionable, had to be so tight that one needed help to get into them, skill and prudence to walk and especially to dance in them, talent to sit down or bend over with them—any heedless movement exposed one to the risk of disaster.

Chenoune has a visual timeline for western men's fashion printed on the endpapers of his massive book, and these are the earliest ones (he begins in the era of 1760-1850):

Tight breeches, of course, and also long coat skirts. It's the latter that makes me think of @/ellie-valsin’s masterpost on 1830s men’s bottom layers. It’s significantly later than the time period that you’re asking about, but it specifically addresses men’s trousers and breeches cut with a baggy seat, and proposes fluffing out the coat skirts as the main reason, fashion-wise (and to give the poor man just the slightest bit of ease in his tight pants, maybe).

Norah Waugh’s book The Cut of Men's Clothes 1600-1900 has many quotations from contemporary sources, and one attributed to Town and Country Magazine of 1772 has this to say about foppish Macaronis:

They make a most ridiculous figure with hats of an inch in the brim, that do not cover but lie upon the head, with about two pounds of fictitious hair, formed into what is called a club, hanging down their shoulders as white as a baker’s sack. The end of the skirt of their coat reaches the first button of their breeches which are either brown-striped or white, as wide as a Dutchman’s

Possible evidence for padding out the coat skirts? Plenty of contemporary sources attest to men not wanting to appear too thin, e.g. using calf padding. In the next section of The Cut of Men's Clothes, focused on the 19th century, Waugh writes, “Whereas the eighteenth century was characterized by its attention to cut, the nineteenth was notable for its concentration on fit.”  Did tailors move away from baggy behinds due to improving techniques? (And after the 1830s, the silhouette for men starts moving away from an hourglass to boxy mid-century looks).

Unfortunately all of the period tailoring manuals that come to mind are 19th century vintage, but maybe one of my readers is more knowledgeable about the Georgian Gentleman’s baggy breeches. (Please chime in!)

[amberfossils]

𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐖Ꮺ

Matthew -—- Matt

general populace... Xe/Xem/Xyr

close friends... He/Him

testing... Bat/Batself; Rot/Rotself; Gun/Gunself; !!!/!!!

•●══════••●XXX●••══════●•

1. DNI CHECKLIST

2. ABOUT ME

3. LINKS

4. FRIENDS/MUTUALS

5. INTERESTS/LIKES

•●══════••●XXX●••══════●•

1. DO NOT INTERACT

Basic DNI (racist, antisemitic, pedophiles/maps/proshippers, alt-right, ableist, etc); Queer exclusionists (including aphobes, transphobes, anti-mogai, enbyphobes, transmeds, terfs, etc); "queer is a slur" believers; SAM gatekeepers; demo/endo/otherwise non-traumagenic system (including western tulpas and "mixed-origin"); anti-system/anti-fictive/fakeclaimers/"reality checkers"; anti properly researched selfdx; kink/NSFW/18+ blogs

1.5 OFF-LIMITS AROUND ME

Please do not refer to the Eddsworld Spares clones as "rejects", call my source memories "fake", or insist that I don't remember something (unless I already admit that I don't)!

•●══════••●XXX●••══════●•

2. ABOUT ME

Classic + Early Legacy Eddsworld fictive from the Troublemaker System; professionally diagnosed with DID and self-diagnosed with autism. I do have source memories and identify heavily with source <3

Asexual, Aromantic, Gay MLM, Amatopunk, Voidmasc (voidpunk + masc) and Queer. I also have a gender hoard!

I'm some flavor of nonhuman (albeit def human-passing <3)

SpIn: Dinosaurs! Ask me about dinosaurs! Eddsworld, Mogai/Labels, and Pokemon are some others

My previous username (dinodrumstick) was a reference to an article on a specific fossil at Tanis, a perfectly preserved Thescelosaurus leg that was referred to as "the world's greatest dinosaur drumstick"! I changed it to be prettier but it's still about dinosaurs because I love love love dinosaurs

I am 5'6 >:] the body's shorter than me tho

I use kaomojis and bracket smileys because they make me happy!!

OH my birthday is July 13th, the body's birthday is Dec 12th :]

Some of my aus:

"the idiot pea brain au", or basically my eddsworld timeline

diner au

rave au

•●══════••●XXX●••══════●•

3. LINKS

3.3 BLOGS

Stim Blog (Primary)

System Blog

3.6 FAV. FACECLAIMS (dm for removal! <3)

Pest (Fullbody) Edit

Pest (Setting Me On Fire) Edit

Pest (Me n The Boys) Edit

My Artwork ("Gel Sticker")

My Artwork ("Vampy")

Tordlette (Body HCs)

Tordlette (Matt Fashion)

Plactranq ("stupit")

Mxttellion (Late Night)

Mxttellion (Flustered)

Ghoostcats (Mirror)

Synthsworld (←(>▽<)ﾉ)

3.9 FOR ME?

Xenogender Aspec Matt Icons

Xe/Xem Acearo Matt Icons

Sodapop Stimboard

Tomdigrade Stimboard

Diner AU Tord's 2 Moods

•●══════••●XXX●••══════●•

4. FRIENDS/MUTUALS

Tom — Singlet Boyfriend!

Eddie — System Mutual(s)

Cuddlebuds — System Mutuals

Synth — Singlet Mutual

Tordlette — System Mutuals

There's technically more but they don't follow my personal ｡:ﾟ(;´∩`;)ﾟ:｡

•●══════••●XXX●••══════●•

5. INTERESTS/LIKES

5.2 Medias + Characters

Eddsworld, Pokemon, OHSHC, A Softer World, Garfield, Raggedy Ann & Andy, FNAF Security Breech, Minecraft, Coraline, the Super Mario franchise, the Sonic franchise, That 70's Show, Undertale, Animal Crossing, Toxtricity (Pokemon), Shadow (Sonic), Pompompurrin (Sanrio), Cinnamoroll (Sanrio), Raggedy Andy (Raggedy Ann & Andy), Monty (FNAF Security Breech), Bob (Animal Crossing)

5.4 Hobbies

Stimboards, Poetry, Kandi, Sewing, Rollerskating, Archery, Woodworking, Baking, Horseback Riding, Fashion, Collages, Art, Web Design, Edit

5.6 Topics (please ask me about these things tm)

Dinosaurs, the Tanis Fossil Site, my Source Memories

5.8 Favorites + Misc

Blinkies, Userboxes, Chewelry, Strawberries, Hexbugs, Stuffed Animals, Vampires, Zombies, Werewolves, Bats, Cats, Bunnies, Triceratops, Punk Subculture, Emo Subculture, Goth Subculture, Scene Subculture, Ravecore, Glowcore, Eyestrain, Farmcore, Music, Halloween, Valentine's Day, Lost Media, Chimaera Sharks

[macaron-n-cheese]

YIPPEE!!

The reenactment I went to over the weekend (The Grand Encampment) was so fun! :DDD

Unfortunately, since it was the first annual occurrence of this event, it was a bit small for a timeline event! There were other events that weekend for many other groups, so groups were scattered around southern California. Only Union soldiers (so the artillery group acted as the sole Confederates) and very few Rev War groups. Hopefully it will be better next year since the planning will be better and more organized!

I went in my colonial outfit with my regiment, the Royal Marines :). I did get sunburnt though sdoufbisdubfs. It was pretty hot. and everyone was tired XD! Both days I went in my colonial dress!

On the first day in the morning I mainly just got settled and explored our era’s camp a bit. We had two tented taverns set up and our regimental tents. We talked to one of the tavern keepers and he told us about all his antique furniture in the tavern! The chair to the right (my left) above is from the era! I missed the pass and review, though, which is basically an introduction to every participating group. Our battle was first, but since we had such a small group, it was an extremely small skirmish! I was watching as a camp follower and spoke with some time travelers. General Howe personally commanded our troops and the rebels were dispersed!

Right after, there were two air demonstrations. First, the Red Baron flew by and landed for us!

Second, the “D-Day Doll” took off and skydivers landed on the green!

An American WWII plane also flew!

Next, there was a WWI demonstration! Trenches were dug for the reenactors! This was a western front demonstration, so we had British (and Canadian) and German soldiers. One French soldier was there, too! However, the French soldier’s regiment didn’t come and he was alone ;-;. The trench battle had the British and Canadians crossed no man’s land to the German trenches that they had gassed. Only one of the Allies and I think 1 or 2 of the Central Powers survived. Great accuracy on their part!

After the battle, we met a WWI Marines reenactor who had so many original artifacts! There were original helmets, rifles, spades, etc. One of them was an original record player with original WWI records including “Over There” and “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary”! I can post them in a repost!

Next was a WWII battle based on a battle in the Pacific Islands. So, the battle was between the U.S. and Imperial Japan. The battle was fought in the brush so we could see the Marines, but Imperial Japan hid in the brush. In the end, there were no U.S. survivors. A sandbag actually caught on fire near the brush and some WWI soldiers ran to put it out thankfully odushfcsidhf. Here is a photo before the battle!

More WWII! There was a tank! An M4 Sherman used by the U.S.! I got to look inside the turret. The tank gunner showed us the cranks to turn the turret and gun.

Next was a fashion show through different eras and a meeting of reenactors who are historical figures! I went to the Civil War camp and had a lot of fun talking to them. All so nice :3. That evening there was a swing dance with a live band! (The instructors got sick but there were so many great dancers, anyway). It was amazing :D! I did do some dance but not very good XD. There were many WWII reenactors there :).

On day two, I came a bit later. For our battle, we had more British soldiers! I met a few other ladies who are part of the Britannic Society and watched the battle with them. Next, we went to the WWII camp to talk to the reenactors. Many of the ladies were portraying women’s divisions during the war! I went back to the AmRev era with my group. We practiced drilling. It’s so much easier to do it in person than reading! After drills, I went to the tavern and we had snacks that were cooked over the fire! I was with the Britannic society members, the tavern owners, a few soldiers and George Washington. It was so much fun :D!

After, I went back to drilling but assumed a soldier impression! My commander loaned me his gear so it was all very big on me XD! Here we are, the only three Royal Marines over the weekend!

We practiced marching and other commands. No firing since it was my first time. The musket was pretty heavy and my arms were tired after!

Overall, it was a super fun event! I can’t wait to go to more!

Bonus! There was an anime convention across from our hotel and the cosplays were so cool!

[joe-kidd]

hey i'm soph❗❗

○ digital artist & writer (fics & oneshots coming soon maybe?)

○ programs used for art: clip studio paint debut & 2018 wacom intuos pen tablet

○ DNI: JJBA proshippers, whitewashers, clone/clone shippers, master/padawan shippers, star wars or JJBA gatekeepers/toxic fanboys, just gross people in general

○ most of the content I post will be about my ocs. See below for details about each character ⬇

star wars ocs:

● Danari Wren: Mandalorian bounty hunter during the rebels era of the star wars timeline. Danari is assigned by her children of the watch covert to find an untouched planet far beyond the Mandalorian system of the galaxy to find refuge from the empire (the leader of her covert is force sensitive and predicted the purge. She sends Danari to find a place where they would be safe.) While on this mission, Danari meets Din Djarin. They work together and successfully relocate Danari's people to this new world. Shortly thereafter, they are tricked by the empire on a mission and Danari is forced to remove her helmet because of her injuries. She and Din go their separate ways, and Danari is killed in the mines of Mandalore seeking redemption for removing her helmet.

● Emery Nolokai: Jedi knight & temple guard during the clone wars era of the star wars timeline. Also in a romantic relationship with ARC Trooper Fives. When the war began, Emery began having premonitions of order 66. When they expressed their concerns to the Jedi Council, they were turned away and recruited by the temple guard faction of the Order. Assisted Eno Cordova from JFO on his mission to find a temple safe enough to hide a holocron containing a list of force-sensitive children should the Republic fall. Emery survives order 66 and finds a force-sensitive child, named Tour, while in hiding on Jedha. They are killed 5 years later by the Second Sister.

JJBA ocs:

● Part 5/Golden Wind - Francesca Ghirga: Gangster in the Italian mafia "Passione." Francesca operates on the harbor of Naples where the capo Polpo granted her authority. Spends the majority of her time with Bruno Bucciarati and his team. The climax of her story takes place during the week she worked with Bucciarati's gang to protect the Boss' daughter, Trish Una. Francesca's Stand is called Baby Hotline and has the ability to mimic any voice it's ever heard/transfigure into whoever it's impersonating. She is first cousins with Narancia Ghirga and is in a romantic relationship/later married to Guido Mista. She does make an appearance in part 6 but it's only in the beginning and very brief.

● Part 0/Tides of War- Joel: Main JoJo/protagonist of my own JJBA part, Tides of War. Joel's story takes place during the 10th century AD. She is a pillarwoman, and shortly after having her first son, Wham, Joel is asked by her people to wipe out all of the hamon users in the western hemisphere so that they can expand their influence and territory in the world. She goes on this mission with her jobro, Kars, and her Stand ability, Immigrant Song. Joel was stabbed with a piece of the stand meteorite that the arrows were made out of shortly before the part begins. Immigrant Song manifests as a bow while the piece of the meteorite was fashioned into the first stand arrow. Joel can either give an ally a stand ability/give them a requiem or manipulate an enemy's Stand. When she and her war party reach Greenland, they make a compromise with a viking tribe of hamon users. They agree to take them to a land where they will be safe from other hamon & stand users if the pillar people don't destroy them. Joel and Kars' guide is one of the vikings, named Starman, who cannot channel hamon. He and Joel have an enemies-to-lovers relationship and have twin daughters, Josephine and Jones. Joel and Starman create a surname, Joestar. Their daughters are the first of the Joestar bloodline. Shortly thereafter the vikings decide they don't want the pillar people to leave them and hold Joel and Kars captive. Kars escapes with Starman, but she and her war party stay behind and die fighting against the hamon tribe. Starman takes his and Joel's daughters to England, where Jonathan Joestar will be born several centuries later.

○ my tags:

art: #joekiddraws

writing: #joekidwrites

○ oc tags:

Danari Wren: #danariwren

Emery Nolokai: #emerynolokai

Francesca Ghirga: #francescaghirga

Joel: #joeljoestar

[maniacwatchestheworld]

This is probably an issue that only I have, but when people talk about events in and around Legends Arceus, it bugs me just a little bit when people say that it takes place in 'Ancient Hisui' or some 300 or 500 years ago or something.

Pokemon: Legends Arceus seems to be taking place very specifically in the Pokemon World's equivalent of the Meiji Period. In real life, the Meiji Period was from 1868 to 1912. My guess would be that Legends Arceus takes place in the earlier half of the Meiji Period and so would be happening ~150 years ago if we are to assume that Pokemon's timeline approximately parallels our own. And personally I would hardly call 150 years ago 'ancient history.'

It's alright if you think that Pokemon takes place something like 100 years in the future relative to our timeline, but Pokemon as a franchise has always implied that it takes place in a sort of alternate universe that is contemporary to our present one (or at least whatever was considered contemporary when the games were released). This is especially reflected with the level of technology that we see the Pokemon World being at, specifically given that different Nintendo console systems do indeed canonically exist within these games. So personally, I would consider the Pokemon World's timeline and our real life timelines to be analogous, even if only in the broadest strokes.

The fact that Legends Arceus takes place in the Meiji Period is reflected with the level of technology that Hisui is at, the fashion sensibilities that the different characters have (and what you have access to in the clothing store), the fact that Laventon (seemingly a Galaran) is allowed in the country at all, the mixing of Eastern and Western sensibilities in general, and especially in the themes of the game.

Legends Arceus as a game is largely about embracing the future (in a very literal sense in some ways) and the importance of accepting and coming to understand the world outside of the one you know, even and especially if it's one that scares you. This is a theme that very strongly resonates with what the Meiji Period was all about; Embracing the outside world and learning how to integrate this strange new world into the familiar one that Japan had become so accustomed to at the time. For a Pokemon game all about the characters learning to embrace a more harmonious and unified future, it's only appropriate for it to take place in the Meiji Period.

But again. This is probably something that bothers me and only me alone. But the thing is that the Meiji Period happens to be one of my favorite historical topics because of just how unique it is to Japanese history. It's just a fascinating topic to me because of how much it allowed Japan to thrive where so much of the rest of the world was getting royally screwed over by colonialism at the time, but that's an entirely different subject that I probably shouldn't get too much into here. In any case, I think that the fact that Legends Arceus takes place in the Meiji Period is one of the things that makes it such an interesting and special experience. Of course, you're welcome to disagree with this interpretation of things, and maybe there's canon material that contradicts this. I don't expect everyone to know Japanese history to even this basic degree. But hey! I think that this is something that may be importantish to keep in mind when thinking about the world that the game takes place in! It's definitely something interesting to consider in trying to understand the possible context of this game and the world it's in.

[marzipanandminutiae]

Head canon Sophie Hatter's dress/style in comparison to real world fashion timeline? I picture like...1890s day/work dress for the drab grey dress described in the book

Man, I have SO MANY THOUGHTS about the clothing in Howl’s Moving Castle (book).

Most of the female characters’ clothing- when it’s described, which isn’t often -does give me 1890s vibes. Possibly because of the technology level, speech, and mention of elastic-sided boots when Howl brings Sophie new clothes to pretend to be his mother:

(Lady’s elastic-sided boot. This particular example is from the 1860s-70s, when they were at their most popular, but they enjoyed a brief revival in the 1890s and early 1900s.)

However, the men’s high fashion is just...like nothing I can think of in real western dress history. Howl is all trailing sleeves and suits with multi-colored diamond patterns, and other grandly-dressed men are described in similar clothes. Honestly it reminds me most of a few picture books I had as a child. Namely The Twelve Days of Christmas, illustrated by Sheilah Beckett:

(I THINK this is meant to evoke Italian Renaissance styles? But in a very fantastical, early 1990s-does-Ye Olde Timey way. One feels Howl would approve of Lord True-Love’s outfit here.)

and The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon:

(This character is female, and the pattern is checks rather than diamonds. Somehow I still get Big Howl Energy. Also I love everything the Dillons ever did and I want to live in one of their fantasy illustrations. But I digress.)

There’s a lot of mind-bending and Making It Make Sense that has to go on to imagine women in 1890s and men in totally over-the-top clothing that fits into no specific era. But it helps for me if I put more fashionable Ingarian ladies in the more extreme 1890s styles:

(Cape, House of Worth, 1890s. Bonkers collars were most commonly for outerwear, but did find their way onto dresses, too. And this is a fairly tame example. I imagine Fanny’s collars make it look mundane by comparison.)

(Pelerine, 1890s. This is entirely made from beads. I want it. But moreover, the Witch of the Waste probably has one for each day of the week.)

(Day dress c. 1890, Kent State Museum. Sophie probably has this once she and Howl are married. Everyone thinks it’s remarkably subdued for such an important sorcerer’s wife.)

Maybe mix in some elements from Artistic Dress, like the sleeves seen here:

(Dress by Liberty and Co., 1893-94. Victoria and Albert Museum.)

...and it’s starting to seem a bit more like the same world as the fantastical menswear.

I might have to do a sketch based on some of these ideas, now you mention it. I’m not a stunningly talented artist, but the concept is just too fun.

Thanks for giving me an excuse to throw some ideas out!

[ithilienns]

Celebrían | Women of Arda - Ladies of the Teleri | Part 6 of 6

Celebrían was the daughter of Celeborn and Galadriel, who by the Third Age ruled as Lord and Lady of Lothlórien. Although her parents likely met in F.A 6, Celebrían was not born until the early Second Age. Her birth place may have been by the shores of Lake Neunial, or perhaps she was born later after S.A 750 when her parents relocated to the Noldorin kingdom of Eregion.

In S.A 1350, Celebrían joined her mother in departing Eregion through the halls of Moria and arrived in the realm of Lothlórien soon after. There, they lived as guests of King Amdír and his son, Amroth. Given this timeline, it is likely that Celebrían was born by the time Sauron came to Eregion in S.A 1200. Sometime after S.A 1590, Celebrimbor delivered to her mother the ring of power Nenya. Eregion’s capital, Ost-in-Edhil, would later fall to Sauron in S.A 1697. Celeborn fought in defence of Eregion, but along with Elrond, who had arrived with a host of reinforcements from High King Gil-galad, was forced back into a dell on the western slopes of the Misty Mountains. There they founded the refuge of Rivendell, which was also called Imladris by the elves.

Celebrían and Galadriel crossed the Misty Mountains in search of Celeborn in S.A 1701. Upon arriving in Rivendell, Celebrían met Elrond for the first time. It is said that Elrond loved her then, but he did not speak anything of it for many years. Eventually they would marry in T.A 109. Celebrían was a distant relation of her husband on both sides of her family, as Galadriel was the granddaughter of King Olwë of Alqualondë and Celeborn was the grandson of Elmo, both brothers of his ancestor King Thingol of Doriath. Additionally, Elrond’s grandmother Nimloth was the daughter of Galathil, Celeborn’s brother, and they both could claim descent from King Finwë of the Noldor. Together they had three children, twin sons named Elladan and Elrohir who were born in T.A 130, and a daughter Arwen in T.A 241. At some point, Celebrían would pass on the elfstone she inherited from Galadriel to Arwen, which would later be given to Aragorn and earn him his name of Elessar. This may have been the same elessar worn by Idril Celebrindal of Gondolin and her son Eärendil, or perhaps a latter one fashioned by Celebrimbor in the former's image.

Celebrían’s company was attacked by orcs while crossing the Redhorn Pass in T.A 2509 when she went to visit her parents in Lórien. Elladan and Elrohir rescued her from the dens of the orcs, but although Elrond was a skilled healer he was unable to cure the spiritual wounds she suffered during her torment. She departed for the West in T.A 2510 to seek healing in Valinor. Her sons fought many battles against the orcs, seeking vengeance across Middle Earth for her loss, while Arwen visited her grandparents several times across the mountains.

Elrond sailed in T.A 3201 following the War of the Ring along with Galadriel and they would have been reunited with Celebrían in Valinor. Arwen chose mortality for her love of Aragorn and became the queen of the Reunited Kingdoms of Arnor and Gondor. She had one son, Eldarion, and several daughters. When Aragorn died in F.A 120, Arwen went to the abandoned realm of Lothlórien and died on the hill of Cerin Amroth the following year. Celeborn and the twins did not initially sail West. They may have lingered in Middle Earth until Arwen passed or remained there until they faded, but it is not known. Consequently, Celebrían may never have seen any of her children again and was never reunited with Arwen.

[dialup-kin-help]

I am in awe of the fact u have an empty inbox n we loved the other one so here have two more reqs >:D could I get some headcanons n names for a transfem tubbo fictive? If it helps at all, i had special interests in nuclear science and bugs, and tommy was also transfem in my timeline. [1/2]

EHE HI AGAIN !!! we r just very small still all things considered we're vibin in our little corner... /pos

names!!:

marie

astra

ada

cobalt

mellie (think mellifera! apis mellifera.. western honeybee!)

katy (katydid!)

headcanons:

her fashion probably didn't change all that much! sure, more comfortable in feminine clothes, but the overall vibe and style didn't alter a whole lot! maybe a little more in the "cottagecore" vibe, at least

she got really excited over both her and tommy coming out! it was nice to have someone else, *plus* being such a close friend, PLUS transfem club pog :]

it's not very uncommon at all for a side comment to be made that turns into a LOOONG ramble about histories behind certain things or terms related to a special interest - it's hard to contain, okay!! it's just very interesting stuff!

(similarly, she's very specific over bugs and bug types and stuff like that. she's not PERFECT at identifying them, of course, but at the same time very particular about the stuff she DOES know confidently.)

she was probably the kind of person that used to do things like catch and play with grasshoppers, mayflies, pillbugs, etc etc! other kids had varying degrees of reactions to this fact..

[softcallofdutyimagines]

Was going to send this via DM then realized it's pointless because DMs are hard. So here it is as an ask.

The Summarized Timeline of Modern Warfare:

COD 4:

In 1996, John Price and Captain MacMillan try to kill Irman Zakhaev. It fails.

Fast forward to 2011. The Russian government and the Ultranationalists are at war. The separatist leader and extremist Al-Asad, an ally of the Ultranationalists, stages a coup d’état in an unknown Middle East country, provoking U.S. involvement. With Shepherd as supreme commander, the U.S. send a platoon over to catch Al-Asad. They fail.

Meanwhile, Soap is recruited to Price’s team and helps Price and Gaz infiltrate a cargo ship with a nuclear device in the Bering Strait. Later, with the help of Russian forces lead by Kamarov, they rescue double agent Nikolai, who has been keeping tabs on the Ultranationalists. Price learns that Al-Asad has a nuke and warns the U.S. The U.S. doesn't care and attacks Al-Asad’s palace, only to then get wiped off the earth by the nuke. Makarov and Yuri watch from a distance. Shepherd is demoted to general because of this.

Price captures and kills Al-Asad after finding out Zakhaev is the leader of the Ultranationalists. He hunts down Victor Zakhaev, son of Irman, to lure Zakhaev into a trap. Victor commits suicide to avoid interrogation. Mourning, Zakhaev deploys missiles to destroy various western continents but Price stops them remotely. Zakhaev faces Price’s forces himself and kills Gaz. Soap then kills Zakhaev. Makarov takes over the Ultranationalists and begins terrorizing the west with mass murders, trafficking, bank robberies, and drug dealing.

Intermission (the comics/in game side lore)

Late in 2011: Task Force 141 is created. Shepherd recruits Ghost to TF141. Ghost quickly proves himself to be a useful member, partaking in multiple operations, including becoming a hostage alongside children in a school to help distract their captors until the task force rescues them.

It’s 2012. Roach is recruited.

It’s 2013. A failed mission results in Price becoming a captive for the rest of the task force to escape. Rather than being killed, he’s simply placed in a gulag.

MW2:

It’s 2016. Russia and the U.S. are hanging on to maritime by a thread. Shepherd sends Joseph “Alexei Borodin” Allen as a mole within Makarov’s forces and participate in the airport shooting. However, Shspherd also told Makarov Allen’s identity, and Makarov kills Allen just in time for his body to be found by Russian police. Prior to the shoot-up, Yuri betrays Makarov, and Makarov shoots him, leaving him to die in a parking garage tied up. Yuri escapes and attempts to kill Makarov but passes out. An enraged Russia starts a war with the U.S.

TF141 starts the hunt for Makarov, first finding his weapons dealer in Brazil, then freeing the one man who scares Makarov more than anyone else: Prisoner 627, or John Price for short. They storm a submarine bay where Price sets off a ballistic missile. Price and Soap, and Roach and Ghost then split up to find Makarov and/or his plans in the Middle East.

While that’s happening, Russia attacks the U.S., hence leading the Ramirez memes. Russia’s basically destroyed everything (but not Burger Town!) and cornered the U.S., but in good COD timing fashion, Price’s ballistic missile destroys all Russian technology and the U.S. soldiers are able to keep on fighting.

Ghost and Roach are betrayed and killed by Shepherd, who wants to kill Makarov himself to restore his glory. Angry, Price and Soap turn to Makarov for help, whose forces are being crippled by Shepherd's attacking forces. Makarov reveals Shepherd’s location. Price and Soap hunt down Shepherd and kill him, however Soap is gravely injured. Nikolai rescues them, then brings Soap to a safehouse where he can be tended to while Price meets a new ally named Yuri.

MW3:

Russia continues its attacks on the U.S. Team Metal of Delta Force destroys the Russian Navy, which causes Russia to retreat from the East Coast. Makarov captures the Russian president and receives launch codes to nuclear bombs after threatening the president’s daughter. He sends chemical bombs to Sierra Leone and Europe, detonating the European ones. Price finds the ones in Sierra Leone.

Team Metal, Team Price, and Kamarov group up in France and plan a meeting with the CEO in charge of the chemical bomb creation. It’s a trap, and they’re ambushed by Makarov’s forces who kill Kamarov and fatally wound Soap. Yuri is revealed to be Makarov’s old ally to which Price is pissed about, but then decides to work with on a rescue mission to save the Russian president’s daughter in Berlin.

They save her, but at the cost of Team Metal sacrificing themselves. The Russian president and his daughter are returned to Russia and Russia and the U.S. call a ceasefire while Price and Yuri hunt for Makarov. Makarov is cornered and kills Yuri but is killed himself when Price wraps a wire around his neck and hangs him.

MW19:

Scrap everything I just told you except for character names.

In 1999, a young 20 year old Russian named Barkov invades Urzikstan and enslaving the people there for 20 years. Farah and her brother Hadir are orphaned during the invasion. At some point, the people of Urzikstan begin to talk of a savior named Karim who will guide them to freedom.

Around 2009, Farah is revealed to be Karim, and Barkov plans to kill her, however the SAS get involved and Price sets Farah and her people free from the Russian prisons. Farah becomes the leader of the Urzikstan Liberation Forces and the SAS keep tabs on the Urzikstan situation.

In 2019, CIA operative “Alex” discovers a Russian chemical weapon, which is used to attack Piccadilly Circus 24 hours. The U.S. gets involved in Urzikstan, and Alex’s handler Kate Laswell sends him to Urzikstan with reference to Price’s name so he isn’t killed. He helps Farah fight against Barkov’s forces and Barkov's sympathizers, Al-Qatala. Meanwhile Price and Kyle Garrick chase down associates to the gas attacks.

Hadir steals the Russian gas and kills Barkov’s forces and Al-Qatala during one attack, at the expense of Farah’s forces and nearly Farah and Alex. Farah disowns him. Hadir runs away and Price and Kyle hunt him down, realizing Hadir plans to overtake Barkov's position. They find Hadir and use him to get to Barkov, then capture him and hand him to Laswell. Russia demands the U.S. returns Hadir to them, which they reluctantly do before withdrawing from the Urzikstan war and labelling Farah’s forces as terrorists to. No one is happy about that.

With Laswell's secret help, Price, Farah, Kyle, and a now CIA-defect Alex, along with Nikolai, attack Barkov’s chemical compound together. Alex is supposedly killed due to a faulty detonator, and Farah and Nikolai hatch a plan to lure Barkov into an escape helicopter, where she then kills him. With Barkov dead, Hadir takes over Barkov’s position and the Ultranationalists get involved, this time run by Victor Zakhaev.

Price proposes the idea of a task force to Laswell, deciding that three special operators named Gaz, Ghost, and Soap should be part of the lineup. He also introduces her to Kamarov. Meanwhile Alex is revealed to be alive with a prosthetic metal leg now.

BEHSJDDJD THIS IS SO COMPREHENSIVE, AAAAAAAAAA THANK YOU

I knew more about MW2019 bc I watched my brother play more of that one, but I'm glad to see all of the modern warfare timeline!!

I wonder if they're going to bring Makarov back coming up in the series 👀

[eco-nnect]

Coal and Colonialism: how India became the scapegoat of COP26

Picture this, it's 1902, a warm evening during the British Empire's grasp on the Raj. A Boris Johnsonesque Colonial official reprimands an Indian child for not appropriating white behaviours quickly enough. Fast forward to November 12th 2021, and you can see the exact archetypal figures spitting vehemently at Indian delegates, but this time it's the words coal is wrong; you're wrong.

There is a lot to unpack in these interactions, from the evident bullying to the more subtle but equally insidious patronising and paternalistic attitudes of wealthier countries who believe they have the authority to reprimand the same countries they have historically exploited and whose energy trajectory they have been entirely implicit. 

Coal, for example, is out of fashion in the West and has been for some time. Whilst I don't advocate coal as a sustainable energy form, I support global equality and truth. We must then acknowledge the historical power imbalances which have resulted in the timeline of coal's decline in the West, whilst the Global South has been left dependent on nonrenewable energy sources like coal and other fossil fuels out of necessity.

It is not unusual for the Western capitalist supernations to deflect blame onto the Eastern countries of the world. This power imbalance which Edward Said coined in his pivotal book Orientalism, published in 1978, is evident in the scapegoating of Eastern countries India and China as the 'bad guys' in the aftermath of the disappointing COP26 climate deal.

Asad Rehman, executive director of War on Want, the anti-poverty London Based charity which challenges the root causes of inequality and injustice through partnerships with social movements in the global South and campaigns in the UK, described the deal as;

a betrayal in which only the fossil fuel industries will be celebrating.

It is a deal where global sized countries received the blame, whilst the richest countries, the United Kingdom, the USA and the European Union (also the countries most accountable for the violence and destruction of imperialism) bullied the smaller and poorer nations through treacherous omissions, and by controlling the venue and negotiating rooms by barring members of civil society whilst those big business lobbying corporations had no issue accessing platforms both digital and in person. 

The guilty three also blocked progress on promises of loss and damage demanded by the Global South who make up 80% of the world's population and whose inhabitants have already seen and lived through the threats imposed by the climate crisis, which intersects across the board of political and health inequity with which these countries are relentlessly battling against.

The colonial perception continues to manifest in the UK's hosting of such a problematic COP and the Western media's shameless and unoriginal portrayal of the East as the binary of bad and backward to the West, which heralds change and progress. Consequently, I'm reading Black Gold by British journalist Jeremy Paxman who celebrates the classic British mentality: the UK's deeply connected social and economic history with coal, describing it as essentially the vehicle which birthed the British Nation as a major modern economic power. Whilst Alok Sharma may be 'deeply frustrated' by India and China over coal, as it stands, India’s green energy policies have increased five-fold in the last ten years. Whilst the innovative Bhadla Solar Park is evidence of the country’s commitment to investing in renewable energy (often done through private finance) to decarbonise the power industries and make the country a cleaner and more stable home for its vast population. India then represents, in truth, not frustration but hope.