Kuroshitsuji Writing Guide:

Chapter 1:

The first chapter of this guide is intended to focus on 19th Century elements in fanfiction. I spot quite a number when I read fanfiction on here.

The mistake that I often see is called an anachronism. For those that have not come across the word before, it can be defined as placing something in a period in which it does not belong. Examples of this are amusingly enough in the early chapters of the Kuroshitsuji manga. There is the mobile phone in the chapter where Ciel gets kidnapped and Finny's references to a television series. These items do not belong in the Victorian time period and are therefore anachronisms.

Mistakes related to the Victorian setting in Kuroshitsuji fanfiction revolve around clothing, characterisation and names.

From Ciel's birth date and his age and the presence of Jack the Ripper, it can be assumed that the manga takes place in 1888.

Fashion:

Accuracy in terms of fashion is difficult to get correct as Victorian Fashion greatly varied in each decade so I am not greatly critical in this area. Just do not have your female character in modern underwear if she is a Victorian lady (I've seen it done).

I chose some facts about Victorian clothing to help people out in this area. Only facts about fashion for women are mentioned as that is where the slip ups occur. You can infer what some of the mistakes in fanfiction are from the facts I provided.

Corsets:

·         Corsets were never worn next to the skin for washing purposes. (The boning and eyelets would rust). Instead a corset cover or chemise was worn underneath.

·         Corsets consisted of a busk down the middle at the front to provide a smooth line and whalebone to give the structure.

·         Victorian corsets had to be rigid to conceal all the layers of underwear such as drawers and petticoats that were concealed underneath.

Dresses:

·         It was deemed scandalous to reveal the ankle so do not have a character wear a dress with a hemline above the ankle unless they are a younger character. As you may notice you can see Lizzie's ankles as she is fairly young. The cut off point is difficult to define. 20 should be the absolute maximum,

·         To bulk up the skirt of the dress, women had to wear crinoline which is a petticoat made out of horsehair and linen. All the layers of crinoline made dresses restrictive so do not have a character pull off something wearing a ball gown that would realistically be impossible.

·         Women wore long  cotton nightgowns in bed so do not have pyjamas make an appearance

Names:

Be careful with naming original characters in fanfiction. Some names that authors use can be a bit strange. There are several reasons; it's a blatantly Japanese or foreign name or it didn't exist in the time period.

No one British in the 19th Century would have had a Japanese name. I can understand the temptation to name an OC after your favourite anime character, but do not do it. It is one of the worst anachronisms I see. Unless they have a Japanese origin in your story, stick to western names.

The other mistake is modern names. Unless your character is one of those "I got transported into the world of Black Butler" ones, you have to stick to older names. Do not name a Victorian character a modern name like Kylie or Zara. It makes the story very unrealistic.

If you are having trouble, simply look up a list of Victorian names.

Etiquette:

A lady in the Victorian era had to follow a strict set of rules otherwise it would reflect badly on them and their family. Some of these rules are quite complex so I have only covered the basic ones that would be necessary in a Kuroshitsuji fanfiction.

This is a list of ones for Victorian women:

·         Never speak or act in anger.

·         Learn to speak in a gentle tone of voice.

·         Never make an ostentatious display of wealth.

·         When visiting do not touch or stare at articles in a room.

Calling cards:

Calling cards would have the name of the visitor on them and would be handed by a servant to this mistress of a house who would then make the decision to receive or reject the visitor.

This means if your character is a lady, do not have her suddenly burst into Ciel's manor.

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I have read a lot of OC fanfics on here which is where I find most of the mistakes and I have even read the smut ones which is why there are facts about corsets and nightwear.

Sources:

literary-liasons.com

logicmgmt.com

Victoria and Albert Museum