originally wrote this for uni but had to cut it. Thinking ab how — whilst gender as identity definitely still exists in tlt — traditional gender roles don't really, and gender isn't really the primary social dichotomy along which people are divided. Instead, you could propose that Necro/Cav is the new social dichotomy — with the majority of our characters in gtn being one or the other (of course this dichotomy only really applies to the small 0.01% of society that we see in gtn, but I like to assume the rest of Nine Houses society mirrors the Necro/Cav relations of their ruling class.)
and so I thought in a typically me fashion: how would this paradigm shift affect lesbian identities? Butch and Femme are identities defined traditionally by masculinity or femininity, but what if they weren't? What if instead they were defined by adherence to their Necro/Cav roles?
Femmes are defined by their "necromancer-ness", with them often being skinny, malnourished, sickly, shorter, less colour in makeup/clothing, more stylistic or extravagant or regal fashion, integration of bodily motifs in dress (i.e. bone lacing or patterns with body-parts). Femmes exert soft power, controlling from the sidelines through manipulation. They would also be typically seen as playing the dominant and active role in a relationship.
Butches are defined by their "cavalier-ness", with them generally being more physically capable, stronger, faster, and more martial. They would typically wear more practical clothing, with a simpler, less emphasized look so as not to detract from their partners, and adorned with more metal and protective gear/pieces such as wrist bracers. They may also carry weapons as accessories. Butches exert literal power, acting through direct confrontation. They would also be typically seen as playing the more submissive and passive role in a relationship.
Courting would be an ordeal of Cavalier-Butches vying to win the attention of Necromancer-Femmes, generally through acts that show-off their physical capabilities and aptitude for service.
Of course necromancers can present traditionally butch and cavaliers can present traditionally femme, but I think it'd be fun to re-frame how we view these lesbian archetypes within a completely different social setting.
Interested if anyone else wants to expand on this idea hehe
I am a little bit obsessed with the 1600s men's pants that look like board shorts. Handbook of English Costume in the 17th Century by C. Willett Cunnington and Phillis Cunnington simply calls them "open breeches unconfined at the knee" and adds that "these somewhat resembled modern 'shorts' and were a Dutch fashion from 1585 and an English from 1600 to 1610 and again from 1640 to 1670's."
ſurf's upp!
Of course cavaliers sometimes wore them; they're cool and sexy. The mid-1600s cavalier drawing by Nicolaes Pieterszoon Berchem has this type of breeches.
But I'm also finding them shown on the Parliamentary soldiers in the English Civil War?
Obviously these illustrations are from modern uniform reference books and might be questionable; but literally Cromwell himself is shown in breeches unconfined at the knee in a 1652 satire print (Rijksmuseum)!
I don't think this particular style of breeches has a necessarily foppish appearance (unless you put ribbons all over them), they can also be plain.
Here's a Puritan of 1649 in the Cunningtons' book, with the source given as "Reproduced in Planché 'Cyclopaedia of Costume.' (1876-9) vol. I, p. 109." He has the board shorts AND bucket-top boots? Anyway I am dying for more period illustrations and portraits showing this style.
Known as “The Green Machine”, the corps paid homage to its nickname with "Machine," a mostly original musical presentation penned by brass arranger Richard Saucedo and percussion arranger Jim Casella. When the robots stopped their rampage, the corps had won its seventh DCI title, also taking caption awards in Brass, Visual and General Effect.