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historical accuracy in works of fiction doesn’t matter
using a historical setting is just the framework and tool to tell a story but doesn’t necessarily need to be 100% correct when in modern adaptations have to make use modern themes that the audience can relate to that may never impact someone say from Victorian England
there will always be some cherry-picking involved of what is essential to paint the picture of the Victorian era without the setting being true to Victorian England so that the characters can act in a natural way to a modern audience while combating sexism, classism, racism, etc
I think this is especially true for urban fantasy when cultures would develop alongside magic systems would be completely different than what we know (I beg you, dear authors, to go BONKERS with your worldbuilding)
historical accuracy in wartime— you have the ships the guns the places but the characters job is to tell their story with the motivations of war blurring the line between fiction and historical biography (or in cases, propaganda)
historical accurate homophobia, violent misogyny, racism— you can literally just not do that, maybe ask yourself why you feel the need to write it in the first place (lookin specifically @ u white writers)
there is the counter argument that leaving out racism, homophobia, violence against women is an erasure but really it’s not a fictional creators job to educate the masses on such core societal issues when people shouldn’t be learning history through fiction in the first place imo
successfully using historical accuracy and appropriating a culture to tell a story are wildly different and a whole other essay but equally bullshit
putting historical accuracy aside just to have fun??? fucking BANGER
