* — r e v e n a n t.

i’ve just been filled in on the recent drama and here’s my two cents on the whole thing. as, you know, a certified historian.

i will start off by saying this: i understand the ‘outrage’ at the initial situation that sparked this whole thing. it crossed quite a few lines and wasn’t okay. 

that being said, some people are failing to see a distinction that’s very important when it comes to historical roleplay and writing historical fiction in general. and it’s this: there are historical people that we know and there are historical people that we know from stories. let me explain what i mean by that.

historical people that we know are people that lived recently enough that people alive today still remember them. there are still people on this planet who spoke to them, interacted with them, knew them intimately. these are people who have played a role in our history but have since passed away and yet still are very familiar to us. as if we can still feel them. there are photographs, audio recordings, video recordings, etc. these are people whose memories can be tainted, who have close relatives and friends and intimates who can be hurt by certain representations of them. those are the kind of people i agree shouldn’t be roleplayed. it’s like roleplaying someone’s dead grandmother. it’s not acceptable because these people still have a link to our present.

historical people that we know from stories are an entirely different matter. these are people that have been dead so long that no living creature on this planet has known them personally. there is no one who has spoken or interacted with them. there is no direct close family that still cherishes the memory of these people. and we most likely also have very little evidence of their lives at this point. before video, photograph, voice recording or the internet, the evidence we have of people’s lives is rare. it’s fragmentary at best, even more so the further back we go. with this fragmentary evidence, historians have created an image that resembles that historical figure as closely as possible but is far from complete. there’s a narrative about that person, based on scarce evidence, and most likely, that narrative is constantly evolving based on new methods of interpretation, new evidence that surfaces or simply a new perspective on said person. meaning that basically any story about that person could be true, as long as it fits whatever few documents we have about them. to complicate matters even more, the narratives created about historical people are often limited in dimension because personal lives are incredibly hard to reconstruct. mainly because a lot of the rare evidence we have is administrative and public, not private. long story short, we can probably tell you if that person favoured this or that political stance or this or that side in war but not their thoughts, feelings and desires.

what i’m trying to say, is this: you can’t really misrepresent a historical character from, say, the 1500′s or the 1200′s because even with the best academic research, we can’t tell you if a certain scenario is plausible or not. we just don’t know because these people are so far in the past that what we know of them, or think we know of them, is based on such limited evidence. which is why writing them in any given context is so exciting: you can literally drop them in any given situation and no one can say it’s impossible because who knows? just because there’s no evidence that situation ever took place doesn’t mean it never did. it just means a) no one wrote it down, b) they wrote it down and the document was lost deliberately or accidentally or c) they wrote it down and the document survived and we simply haven’t discovered it yet. 

not to mention the fact that every historical rper i know dedicates themself to doing as much research as they can and works on their portrayal to get it just right with a lot of love and nuance. their work does not differ from the work authors of historical fiction do when they weave a story about the same characters. hell, i’ve seen rpers do better at writing their character than a published author did. 

so stop harassing people for writing someone who’s been dead for maybe 300 years and who we only know from incredibly biased, scarce evidence that no two historians can agree about. it’s unfair and disgusting and you’re just trying to make yourself feel more righteous than everyone else. 

thank you and goodnight

❝  is this what you [origin/nationality/family] call dancing?  ❞

❝  then i will introduce you to some pretty young noblemen instead.  ❞

❝  allow him his fancy.  ❞

❝  but no warfare tonight, i trust.  ❞

❝  oh, dear me, i’m no dancer, let me find a better partner for you.  ❞

❝  i can think of nothing less appealing than an evening of watching other people dance.  ❞

❝  will you please come and set an example for your companions?  ❞

❝  would you take a drink with me?  ❞

❝  i may not be [name], but may i dance with you?  ❞

❝  may i have a waltz?  ❞

❝  have some more wine, my wine.  ❞

❝  take a dance in the garden, my garden.  ❞

❝  the pretty young noblewomen of [place/family] would delight to have you paw at them.  ❞

❝  but if i were to become a woman with half your grace and beauty, [name]… i would be proud and happy.  ❞

❝  you look… as lovely as ever, [name].  ❞

❝  it’s a relaxation to dance with you, [name].  ❞

❝  i’ll save you the third dance just because it’s your first ball.  ❞

❝  he has the strength of an ox. and sadly the grace of an ox as well.  ❞

❝  the whole party is here to help my father prepare for the party.  ❞

❝  you and your idiot matchmaking.  ❞

❝  you have shown yourself to be a fine dancer, despite all your protests.  ❞

❝  do you not dance, mr. [name]?  ❞

❝  though i am an old married man, i would enjoy dancing with [you/name].  ❞

❝  will you stay for the [name/celebration] ball, [name]?  ❞

❝  oh, isn’t this room just like a fairyland?  ❞

❝  tonight is for celebrations.  ❞

❝  how do you like my hair?  i did it myself.  ❞

❝  oh, i had the most wonderful time!  it was out of a dream—  ❞

❝  where do you want to be taken?  ❞

❝  if i may have the pleasure, will you join me in a [dance]?  ❞

❝  she hates us both. hardly a reason for courtship, surely.  ❞

❝  you fear for the constancy of your lover’s affections?  ❞

❝  put on your best finery, [name]. your most beautiful dress. you’re coming with me.  ❞

❝  it’s the last dance.  ❞

❝  there is a response to such an insult. but it would not be appropriate here.  ❞

❝  if i may be so bold, i would ask for your advice.  ❞

❝  i would dance with you, if you will ask me.  ❞

❝  sprezzatura. i have heard it means ‘ the effortless display of grace ’.  ❞

❝  i see no evidence of sprezzatura.  ❞

❝  i care nothing for your pretty young noblewomen.  ❞

❝  if you will be my partner, [name].  ❞

❝  it would not be improper for us to dance.  ❞

❝  [name] told me she does not mean to dance this evening, but i do see a young lady whom i should like to see dancing.  ❞

❝  i dare say, but if i’m not to dance with you, i’m getting out of this operetta and going home.  ❞

❝  i come with some admirable qualities.  ❞

“  i’m not going anywhere.  ” “  you make me feel safe.  ”   “  i think i might be in love with you.  ” “  i just like seeing you happy.  ” “  just let me take care of you.  ” “  you’re my family.  ” “  i can stay, if you want.  ” “  you make me feel alive.  ” “  you’re captivating.  ” “  i want you to know i’ll always be here for you. whatever you need.  ” “  you don’t have to tell me anything, we can just sit here.  ” “  i trust you. more than anyone else.  ” “  you have a beautiful soul.  ” “  i feel like i could watch you all day. everything you do has a touch of magic to it.  ” “  i hope i see you in my dreams.  ” “  do you trust me?  ” “  you don’t ever have to pretend. not with me. not ever.  ” “  i love you, every part of you. even the parts you don’t like.  ” “  you make everything a little easier.  ” “  will you just…hold me? please.  ” “  just tell me everything’s gonna be okay.  ” “  you’re enough. you’re more than enough.  ” “  you have my heart in your hands. be gentle with it.  ” “  i wanna be the one you go to. the first one you tell when there’s something good. the shoulder to cry on when it’s bad. and every mundane thing in between. i want to share it all with you.  ” “  i have faith in you.  ” “  i’ve never met anyone quite like you.  ” “  knowing you is like…coming home. like i’ve finally found something that’s been missing all this time.  ” “  every hard thing in my life feels worth it. it all led me to you.  ” “  i feel like i could endure anything as long as i have you to come home to.  ” “  i can tell something’s bothering you.  ” “  what can i do to help?  ” “  come on. let’s get out of here.  ” “  i’m taking you somewhere special.  ” “  where are you taking me?  ” “  i don’t need grand gestures or declarations of love. i just need you. all of you.  ” “  you make me feel like i’m worthy.  ” “  you deserve good things.  ” “  i want to be your home.  ” “  loving you is like something holy.  ” “  i made you something.  ” “  come back to bed.  ” “  stay the night with me.  ” “  are you sure you’re okay?  ” “   you wanna talk about it?  ” “  did you wanna tell me something?  ”  “  you’ll always have me.  ” “  i’m proud of you.  ”   “  i need you.  ” “  thank you. for always being there for me.  ” “  don’t ever let anyone make you doubt your worth.  ” “  i’m not leaving you. not ever.  ”   “  you have kind eyes.  ”   “  sleep, my love. i’ll keep the nightmares away.  ”   “  there’s so much light in you.  ” “  i want you here.  ”  

ACTIONS: 

what are some of the cultural foods that anya fell in love with when she finally returned home?

Russia  was  already  experiencing  a  food  shortage  for  six  years  because  of  WWI  when  the  Revolution  of  1917  occurred,  after  which  this  shortage  didn’t  get  any  better,  but  actually  worsened.

At  one  point  the  food  shortage  became  so  severe  it  was  officially  dubbed  the  Famine  of  1921  in  the  history  books,  with  the  death  toll  reaching  upwards  of  five  million.  This  was  due  to  a  number  of  different  economic  disturbances:  the  War,  the  Revolution,  the  Bolsheviks’  prodrazvyorstka  policy  (  a  campaign  in  which  the  Bolsheviks  confiscated  grain  and  other  agricultural  produce  from  Russia’s  peasantry  for  a  nominal  fixed  price  according  to  specified  quotas  ),  and  the  collapse  of  railway  transportation  of  food.  

This  meant  that  meals  that  had  once  been  a  staple  of  Russian  cuisine,  like  meats,  were  expensive  and  hard  to  come  by  if  you  weren’t  higher  up  the  social  ladder  and  by  this  time,  most  of  Russia  was  living  off  the  land  and  growing  their  own  food.  Because  Anya  was  growing  up  in  the  orphanage  at  this  time,  she  was  part  of  the  lower  class  that  bore  the  brunt  of  this  famine.  

That  being  said,  when  Anya  was  finally  reunited  with  her  grandmother,  one  of  her  indulgences  became  meat:  Zharkoye  (  meat  with  steamed  vegetables  )  and  Pelmeny  (  small  balls  of  minced  meat  covered  with  a  pastry  )  are  among  her  favourite  Russian  dishes,  as  well  as  more  simple  dishes  like  soups. 

Desserts  were  another  thing  she  didn’t  often  get  to  enjoy  because  of  the  famine.  When  she  was  much  younger,  growing  up  in  the  Palace,  she  was  particularly  fond  of  Blini  or  Russia’s  equivalent  to  pancakes  with  honey  and  butter.