Historical fiction: A plausible fictional character is influenced by a real historical figure in a well-documented city, finding their place in History thereby. Or, on occasion, the other way round. (Johnny Tremain, War and Remembrance, Lust for Life)

Alternate history: An obviously fictional character causes a real historical figure to directly contradict history and found a nonexistent city, but they're a time traveler with very thorough knowledge of the original timeline, and it shows. (Lest Darkness Fall, Ruled Britannia, 1632 – honestly the demarcation is so clear you didn't need to be told)

Period piece: An obviously fictional character meets another fictional character in a patently nonexistent village, then they go visit a relatively peripheral historical figure in the city, and it's all mildly contradictory to documented history, but all the major recorded events are mounted in place and heaven forbid you're off by three months on a song or a costume. (The Baroque Cycle, scads of romance novels, any story in which Sherlock Holmes meets Jack the Ripper)

Based on a true story: A halfway plausible fictional(ized) character causes a real historical figure to directly contradict history in a city which is nothing like its well-established documentation. If it catches on, the poor historical figure is going to have to be disentangled from this every time you mention them, so please have the good grace to change the names if you can. (Braveheart, The Sound of Music, and - gauntlet thrown - anything by Philippa Carr)

When I first heard that Poe died of drink, not strictly of his own volition, but probably as a consequence of election fraud tactics, I thought it was a Fascinating History Fact. But I've since learned that Baltimore has, since 1812 at minimum, never been anything but “criminally hot under the collar about politics.” Except, I guess, for that late-twentieth-century stretch where it just stuck to “extravagantly criminal.” Not the point. The point is this city had exactly two mustachioed celebrity drama queens to its name and Poe is the one they kill for a political cause.

But I don't grudge the Baltimore Ravens. What athletic thing in those parts is good for a team name?

Wretched hive.

PSA: This blog will temporarily be hijacked strictly by things two or fewer degrees of separation from Baltimore in 1861.

This is Objective Beauty. And don’t any of the race-harried people in this thread forget it.

setup and punchline

Friendly reminder that the mainstream media hates you and wants to destroy everything you love

Am I the only person who thought this was really fucking funny

Why, then, is the Third World selling drugs to us rather than each other? Do they lack for trauma and devaluation of human life?

THE SOLUTION TO THE OPIATE CRISIS IS MOTHERFUCKING NOT TO MAKE OPIATES MORE ILLEGAL OR HARDER TO GET

IT JUST FUCKING ISN’T!!!!!!!!!

maybe this is just the ‘growing up relatively poor’ speaking but like why do some people like NEED disneyland to be open to simulate an area where they can enjoy themselves. just grab a popsicle from the gas station and go hop around on some abandoned piles of concrete behind the softball pitch smh

“happy endings” this “sad endings” that– you can debate the relative merits of each till your mouth goes dry and it’s still not a meaningful binary. Is the ending coherent and emotionally appropriate for the story? Cool.

In other words, the rest of the story was probably equally pointless. Definitely true of the indie films I've seen that fit this trope. What I really want to know is how the 1951 Browning Version stacks up against the '90s one by this measure; I've only seen the latter.

“happy endings” this “sad endings” that– you can debate the relative merits of each till your mouth goes dry and it’s still not a meaningful binary. Is the ending coherent and emotionally appropriate for the story? Cool.

“happy endings” this “sad endings” that– you can debate the relative merits of each till your mouth goes dry and it’s still not a meaningful binary. Is the ending coherent and emotionally appropriate for the story? Cool.

me, helping a little girl pick out a locket at the shop: do you usually like to wear goldtone or silvertone?

little girl: I like silver because of Artemis, the goddess of the moon and the hunt and also she’s a warrior and she never got married.

me, internally: never let the world change you

Mark Helprin is best Swan Lake. I realize that ballets do not usually draw comparison with J-fiction novels, but then J-fiction novels are not typically written to be a deep font of ethereal beauty so there you go.

Tchaikovsky was inspired to create the piece, ‘Swan Lake’ after watching the film, ‘Barbie of Swan Lake (2003)’. Close friends of Tchaikovsky reported him saying it was, “one of the most emotionally thrilling and aesthetically divine” films he’d ever seen.