History Lessons with no books
Dec. 4th, 2006 11:06 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tj_roweSee, I would be writing more of 524. However, I'm scared to suddenly dump them on mainland Eurasia. Have the Germanic tribes begun their migrations yet? Is the Western Roman Empire still firm, is it fallng, or has it fallen? Has Christianity risen or is it still rising? Where are the Visigoths? And why is there no information on what China is doing during this century?
Bloody Dark Ages. -_-;;
The thing is: I don't know how much time I need. 524 AD is my end-date, but how long can the journey be? Decades, surely, but how many? Guan must be the hourglass, I suppose; he and Dashi are the mortals. So... 50 years? That'll keep me in the Early Middle Ages, so I'll only have one time-frame to look up (even if it's one time frame over a triple-continent with three or four warring Empires and a great deal of moving around...).
IIRC, the Shaolin Temple was built (for the first time XD) in the 49?s. I'm putting that somewhere in the middle of the journey, I think - and if I stick it later rather than earlier in the decade then the Wandering has a fair bit of time. And if I have the gang be in Europe or Russia then, then that's even better.
On the other hand, I probably want to keep them away from Constantinopolis - too much Theology. On the other hand, they're not going to intentionally stray too far from the biggest Empire/Orient trade routes in the er, Empire. Um.
*dies from brain overload*
Encylopediae are fun, but I should probably retreat from the masses of Europe stuff and stick mostly to China. That is the 'geographical centre' of this fic, thanks to Dashi. Even though there is nothing (in English and online, at least) that has any information apart from geneologies of Royals-or-equivilant. *goes off to research the time of Emperor Xiaowen, has no luck* But the beauty of my main cast all being immigrants is that, well, they aren't going to live like anyone that history talks about. They're poor and have to learn the languages. So I have a lot of slack here. XD
... Y'know, even if people did care about Historical Accuracy in fanfiction.
... I've probably procrastinated enough for one night.
Bloody Dark Ages. -_-;;
The thing is: I don't know how much time I need. 524 AD is my end-date, but how long can the journey be? Decades, surely, but how many? Guan must be the hourglass, I suppose; he and Dashi are the mortals. So... 50 years? That'll keep me in the Early Middle Ages, so I'll only have one time-frame to look up (even if it's one time frame over a triple-continent with three or four warring Empires and a great deal of moving around...).
IIRC, the Shaolin Temple was built (for the first time XD) in the 49?s. I'm putting that somewhere in the middle of the journey, I think - and if I stick it later rather than earlier in the decade then the Wandering has a fair bit of time. And if I have the gang be in Europe or Russia then, then that's even better.
On the other hand, I probably want to keep them away from Constantinopolis - too much Theology. On the other hand, they're not going to intentionally stray too far from the biggest Empire/Orient trade routes in the er, Empire. Um.
*dies from brain overload*
Encylopediae are fun, but I should probably retreat from the masses of Europe stuff and stick mostly to China. That is the 'geographical centre' of this fic, thanks to Dashi. Even though there is nothing (in English and online, at least) that has any information apart from geneologies of Royals-or-equivilant. *goes off to research the time of Emperor Xiaowen, has no luck* But the beauty of my main cast all being immigrants is that, well, they aren't going to live like anyone that history talks about. They're poor and have to learn the languages. So I have a lot of slack here. XD
... Y'know, even if people did care about Historical Accuracy in fanfiction.
... I've probably procrastinated enough for one night.
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no subject
Date: 2006-12-05 04:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-06 07:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-05 01:22 pm (UTC)Oh yes. So much agreement. It's not like I didn't try. It's so hard to find good, solid info for that period in time, dynasties aside. My fanfic is wildly AU to begin with, so I thought, "Screw it!" and just went for a fictional Chinese history for the backstory, complete with fictional Emperor and fictional generals.
no subject
Date: 2006-12-06 06:55 pm (UTC)*coughs*
Heh, now we know why it gets called 'the mysterious Orient'. Mysterious.
I think I read somewhere that that was China's feudal period, but I can't remember where I read it or what else was said. Or even if that was said at all. -_-;;
I'll probably end up with 'my China' being a fairly basic fantasy background and try to make it up as I go if I end up needing Culture. Chase at least I want to do back to Europe for a while, but the others will probably stay put. -_-;; I'll take some cues from the far more public Japan when I need to (but not too much!), I guess. Have a fictional military to sort things out.
no subject
Date: 2006-12-05 09:24 pm (UTC)I put you down as my contact for
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Date: 2006-12-06 06:34 pm (UTC)Though, I should be here between the 13th and the 16th, and after the 26th. So maybe it would be all right?
And isn't this the first ever anon exchange in this fandom? *tries to decide whether adding another thing to procrastinate on would be a very very bad idea or just a very bad idea* 500 words in 20 days, some of which will be spent bored in hotel bars and travelling the country...
Can I name you as my contact? ^_^
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Date: 2006-12-06 10:08 pm (UTC)I definitely think that you can manage 500 words in 20 days! = D
But of course. I've no problem with that at all.
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Date: 2006-12-08 11:26 pm (UTC)Ta!
I've mentioned the exchange on my LJ, too, hope you don't mind.
no subject
Date: 2006-12-09 08:07 pm (UTC)Cool! It needed more people to sign up for it.