#kirsten

[cerastes]

I can't stop thinking about Kristen, or some say, Kirsten's trap hole working on Saria, it's funny, sure, but it's deep in a sad way. It's a Zhuge Liang vs Sima Yi situation, the famous anecdote where Zhuge Liang had basically no one to defend a city against Sima Yi's sizeable army, but when he learned that it was Sima Yi that lead the army, he simply opened the doors and welcome them in. Sima Yi immediately looked at this and said Absolutely The Fuck Not, He's Got Irons On The Fires, Plans Upon Plans, and retreated. This was a bluff that would only work on Sima Yi, and only if Zhuge Liang would use it. It's such an obvious bluff, which any other general would call out, and no general in their right mind would use. But, because it was Zhuge Liang using it against Sima Yi, because of their shared story, Sima Yi got mind bamboozled into a "He knows I know, he knows I know he knows I know" bluescreen loop, because Sima Yi would never fall for such an obvious bluff, but it's Zhuge Liang using it, and Zhuge Liang KNOWS that Sima Yi would never fall for it, but then, that in itself could be a trap, but but but but but.

And so he left. He did not take his chances. It was a bluff that could only work on him, if used by exactly one person.

To me, the trap hole scene is kind of like this. Kristen knows Saria. Better than anyone else. To the point that she knew exactly where and when she'd say something, and when and how exactly she could catch her with the oldest trick in the Acme playbook. Saria. The woman who couldn't be stopped with the Kristen-designed Anti-Saria Wall, which possessed Screw Saria Particularly effects. You could hit Saria with a warhead and the warhead loses that one in all likelihood.

But Kristen doesn't need a wall or a warhead. Kristen knows Saria. Better than anyone else. She knows her so well, she can topple her with a flap on the floor.

And yeah that's hilarious and all, but also, so deeply sad, because it's basically an acknowledgement of just how much Kristen has paid attention, how well she knows her, how immensely knowledgeable Kristen is about Saria.

It's sad because Kristen does not care. She ultimately decided she doesn't value this. She knows. She observed. She lived the most beautiful moments of both of their lives together. And she decided it was worthless in the end, and that she didn't care. She saw all of this as nothing more than a weapon to make a trap door on the floor work. All of that.

This is what makes Kristen so immensely fascinating and chilling. It's not that she doesn't care in terms of ignoring the world around her. Oh, she's observing, alright, she knows exactly what and who surrounds her. She simply doesn't care even if she knows all of these things. She doesn't care. Kristen Wright simply does not care. A level well above not noticing: She knows and observes and is aware, she simply decided those things are worthless.

That is the next level of indifference. I like her so much, she is awful.

#arknights #kristen #or some say #kirsten #I am so so so fascinated by her

[stluciabuns]

The Historical Accuracy of Kirsten's Dirndl

Despite its adorableness, I have seen many people complain about Kirsten's Swedish Dirndl outfit.

I would kill a man to have bought this for $22.

She wears this outfit for most of Meet Kirsten, being that she is an impoverished immigrant child who does not own any other clothes, and also for continuity reasons.

Frequently, I have seen it claimed that this outfit is not historically accurate and should not have been included as part of her collection. Conversely, I have also seen many German folk costumes marketed as being made for Kirsten. Both of these pain me a great deal (actually they just annoy me).

Nonetheless, I have decided to further procrastinate doing actual, meaningful work and instead set out on a new mission: figure out what the fuck is up with Kirsten's Dirndl.

In this post, I will lay out the research I have done, the evidence supporting the historical accuracy of this outfit, the challenges to its existence, and ultimately aim to answer the question of whether this outfit is one Kirsten plausibly could have worn on her journey from Sweden to America in 1854.

Let's begin.

First, the name. Pleasant Company/American Girl referred to this outfit as "Kirsten's Swedish Dirndl and Kerchief."

Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a Swedish dirndl. "Dirndl" is a German term, and refers to folk costumes worn by people in German-speaking areas of Europe (the Alps, Bavaria, Austria, and so on).

Kirsten is Swedish, and before Meet Kirsten has never left Sweden before. It is very unlikely she would have acquired, and regularly worn, a German dirndl. See this gorgeous example of a dirndl c. 1840:

Outfit, c. 1840. Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Münchner Stadtmuseum.

This ensemble is beautiful, but tragically, it is not what Kirsten is wearing.

What, then, is Kirsten wearing? What kind of traditional dress does Swedish culture have?

As it turns out, the proper term for what she is wearing is a folkdräkt. This is a Swedish term meaning "folk costume." Here is an illustration depicting multiple examples of Swedish folk costumes. In proper terms, these would be called "Svenska folkdräkter."

Nordisk familjebok (1908), vol. 8, Folkdräkt. Retrieved from runeberg.org.

These outfits are not quite identical to anything we see in Kirsten's collection, but you can observe various elements that have carried over -- the vertical stripes, black woolen skirts with ornate trim, and white dresses and red sashes (hello St. Lucia)!

Let us dive deeper. What do extant Svenska folkdräkter, specially those made c. 1850, look like? Is there anything like Kirsten's outfit among surviving examples?

Johan Sodermark, "Kvinna i dräkt."

In my few hours of research, this example image is the closest thing I have found to Kirsten's dirndl.

This lovely portrait is a watercolor from 1850 painted by Johan Sodermark. It is very creatively titled "Kvinna i dräkt" -- literally, "Woman in costume." The pattern of this woman's apron is incredibly similar to that of the skirt of the Kirsten doll's outfit -- a dark red base with blue and yellow stripes woven throughout.

Here is a closeup from the American Swedish Institute.

Although it is not shown in the doll-sized version of the outfit, the illustrations in Meet Kirsten by Renée Graef show us she also wears a light-colored, striped apron, which is almost surely the one that comes with her meet outfit.

Illustrations from Meet Kirsten, drawn by Renée Graef.

Notice the fabric of the bodice in the third illustration, though: Kirsten's top is made of red plaid fabric, while Sodermark's girl has an outfit full of stripes. Kirsten, bless her heart, spends an entire book outfit-repeating a potential pattern-mixing fail: plaid and two kinds of stripes and a floral scarf. Did Pleasant Rowland just hate her? Is Kirsten on another, elevated fashion plane far beyond my comprehension? Is there a historical basis for this combination of patterns?

I have no answer to the first two questions, but thankfully can speak on the third.

Komplett Vilskedräkt, Västergötlands museum. Some pieces c. 1865.

The top is plaid and laces up, which is not necessarily the most common way of fastening (in most examples, the bodice pins up), but it is a sensible choice considering both Kirsten's age (9) and the fact that Pleasant Company was making toys for little hands.

The model for the outer shell (the lace up top) belonged to Karl Edberg from Hällestad; it is not dated, but at least one piece of this set (the bag, which is not shown) is c. 1865. Additionally, the blouse here is very similar to the one that comes with Kirsten's winter outfit -- look at that keyhole neckline!

So, Kirsten's Dirndl outfit is actually very accurate as far as the clothing itself goes...the name remains the trouble.

I have no idea why they called it a dirndl. Folkdräkt is definitely challenging to pronounce, but why wouldn't PC just translate it as "folk dress" or "Swedish outfit" and call it a day? Why the insistence on referencing a culture that isn't relevant to the doll or her dress at all?

Perhaps this is a mystery to tackle for another day...

#kirsten larson #kirsten #american girl #pleasant company #meet kirsten #american girl kirsten #american girl dolls #agig #ag doll #ag dolls #american girl history #historical characters #1854 #rambles #kirsten 1854 #historical clothing #historical fashion #american girl analysis #renee graef #swedish historical fashion #folk dress #pleasant rowland #ag tumblr #ag on tumblr #american girl doll tumblr

[melfiiis]

🦉: "babe are you okay i saw you posted Smith College Girls for i-D magazine 2004"

#this one's for all the women in STEM degrees we're gonna make it girls #arknights #my art #saria #kirsten #saria arknights #kirsten arknights

[paradiseyuri]

✿.｡.:* ♀ *.:｡✿｡:.* ♀ *.｡.✿ Created By:||☆ALililililili☆ respective credits to the creator ✿.｡.:* ♀ *.:｡✿｡:.* ♀ *.｡.✿ ⓟⒶⓇⒶⒹⒾⓈⒺ♡ⓎⓊⓇⒾ

#Yuri #Arknights #Kirsten #Saria #Girls Love #GL #WLW #girls kissing #Art by #ALililililili #@Joshua73982135 #¡please support the artist in twitter!

[higherentity]

#kirsten dunst #actress #kirsten

[dilfgifs]

Charlie Hunnam as Raymond Smith The Gentlemen (2019) dir. Guy Ritchie

#charlie hunnam #the gentlemen #filmgifs #fyeahmovies #moviegifs #usersavana #* #kirsten

[dreamerwitches]

H.N. Elly icons

#madoka magica #pmmm #puella magi madoka magica #h.n. elly #elly #hn elly #kirsten #witch kiss #icon #icons #witch #madoka magica witch

[jostoys]

Last but not least, here is Beth March. She is an American Girl CYO, purchased gently used on eBay. She looks exactly as I have always pictured Beth, who has always been my favorite of the March sisters. She is wearing a dress by Etsy seller Threads of Silk and is pictured alongside Josefina’s English square piano. Her kitten is from Kirsten’s collection, and her china head doll was purchased on eBay

#american girl dolls #dollblr #little women #Beth March #antique mini doll #Josefina #Kirsten

[syniiart]

"You got ma a decaf."

#kirsten #kirsten longacre #vigil #fanart #synii

[cerastes]

Must feel a hell of a way to be Saria, with her brain the size of a planet and her incredible arsenal of competences and skills, and still fall for a Looney Toons traphole, the grandmother of all Acme inventions, because Kristen (or some say, Kirsten) is actually a slapstick character, and thus could simply never be defeated by conventional means.

#arknights #saria #kristen #or some say #kirsten

[rhythmgameurl]

"Average Arknights Lesbian has been divorced at least once" factoid actually just statistical error. Average Arknights Lesbian hasn't been divorced even once. Divorces Saria, who's been divorced more than 4 times, is an outlier adn should not have been counted.

#arknights #saria #lone trail #muelsyse #kirsten #silence #most divorced woman in fiction

[melfiiis]

this dog is fucked up bruh

#i love kirsten so much can you tell? #world's biggest lonetrail fan excited to play it for the first time #arknights #my art #kirsten #kirsten arknights

[federer7]

Patrick, Stella and Kirsten. 1995

Photo: Patrick Demarchelier

#Patrick Demarchelier #1995 #Stella #Kirsten

[angelbrained]

some simple, aliased transparents of a few madoka witches i made for some friends a bit ago, covering most of the witches with a prominent role in main series. feel free to use for anything

#pmmm #gertrud #charlotte #hn elly #kirsten #oktavia von seckendorff #elsa maria #walpurgisnacht #walpurgis night #kriemhild gretchen #madoka magica #puella magi madoka magica #mahou shoujo madoka magica #lindseys art tag

[higherentity]

#kirsten dunst #actress #kirsten

[omgthatdress]

Public schools were fully an institution in the 1850s, and they were often where immigrant children like Kirsten learned to speak English. Like the collection shows, children sat on log benches and did their lessons with chalk and slates.

(finding credit @in-pleasant-company​)

Kirsten’s lunch box is a tine, or a box usually made out of bent birch wood in both Sweden and Norway, which can be quite elaborately decorated.

Kirsten Learns a Lesson is where Kirsten meets her friend, Singing Bird, who is of the Objibway tribe.

The Ojibway are one of the few groups of Midwestern Native Americans who weren’t violently removed from their homes in the Black Hawk and Dakota wars. The story vaguely references the hardships of Native Americans in Minnesota by having Singing Bird mention that European settlers were hunting all the food and forcing her people west. This may have been true for the Ojibway, but it still obfuscates the bloody reality of how families like mine and Kirsten’s were able to buy cheap and abundant farm land in the Midwest. America likes to forget the genocide it was founded on, and AG should have done better at representing it.

#1850s #American Girl #Kirsten