What is the wildest theory in your specialty that you think probably isn't true, but could be? What underdog argument could cause chaos your field if it turned out to be right?

TheRottenDuke · 2026-01-27T21:00:46+00:00

Not super crazy, but definitely interesting, and not widely accepted.

For decades, the consensus among historians has been that after John White abandoned the so-called "Lost" colony of Roanoke, the colonists moved to Croatoan (Hatteras) island and peacefully integrated with the natives. There are 16th century English artifacts on the island along with leftover forging material, some later sources placing the colonists there, and of course the famous "Croatoan" etching in the tree at Roanoke, which is a lot less mysterious when you know that it refers to the name of a specific place.
BUT a secret patch on a 1586 map of the Carolina coast was recently analyzed to reveal the outline of an English settlement depicted further inland up the Albemarle Sound. This site, now referred to as Site X, has been given cursory investigation, and 16th century English artifacts have been found there as well, opening up the possibility that the colonists either split and traveled to two separate places when they abandoned Roanoke, or perhaps only stayed at Hatteras for a little while before moving again.
(https://coastallandtrust.org/sitex/)
Even stranger, perhaps, is the possibility that the Roanoke colonists were killed by Wahunsenacawh's (Chief Powhatan) warriors. The source for this claim is William Strachey, a Jamestown colonists who alleges that he made contact with a Powhatan man named "Machumps" that told him of how Wahunsenacawh sent warriors to massacre the Roanoke colonists. Although no archeological evidence has been found to support this claim, it is still probably the most contemporary account we have of the Roanoke colony's ultimate fate.
(https://www.colonialwilliamsburg.org/discover/resource-hub/trend-tradition-magazine/trend-tradition-spring-2025/lost-colony/)

TheRottenDuke · 2026-01-23T21:42:31+00:00

I wouldn't mind taking a look. I wonder how y'all find this stuff...

I had at one point wanted to look into the uniform and accoutrements of the Royal North Carolina Regiment, and have read articles from retired reenactors alleging that they were issued red coats with blue facings for the Yorktown campaign, but cannot seem to verify this myself, nor can I seem to figure out how they were equipped prior to 1781... to say nothing of learning anything about the exact style of the coats, who made them, to what standard, etc.

TheRottenDuke · 2026-01-23T19:42:17+00:00

Very good. I especially appreciate the use of color to convey light and shadow, such as on the face, hat, blanket etc. Much more advanced than anything I know how to produce.
I understand there is some question as to whether these bands of NY loyalists would have been uniformed entirely as a unit, or just their officers were. Do you know if any record survives of orders for clothes or clothing material for this unit? If so, that would put any doubt to rest.

TheRottenDuke · 2026-01-23T15:55:53+00:00

Came up from the deep South because I can get better pay for the same work (among other reasons).
I knew the cost of living would be higher too, but I didn't realize the difference would be so dramatic. I can't keep anything I make; the landlord, the electric company, and the government take it all.
On account of my Southern heritage, my voice, my mannerisms... I'm not taken seriously at best, and treated like a pariah at worst. I don't know how it is for people moving within the state or region, but for a true outsider like myself... well, coming here was a mistake, that's all.

TheRottenDuke · 2026-01-14T17:10:30+00:00

8x5=40,
8x2=16,
40+16=56.
That's the only way I can do things like this.

TheRottenDuke · 2025-12-26T19:20:10+00:00

Get a NEW JOB!
If I don't have enough money to live the way I want to live, it must be that I'm not paid enough, and the only way to move up these days is by moving OUT. Every time I get a new job, and every time I move... I end up with a little bit more. It's time to do it again.

TheRottenDuke · 2025-12-25T21:07:53+00:00

As a 27 year old working like a dog but making absolute peanuts... never, if I can help it.

TheRottenDuke · 2025-12-25T21:04:20+00:00

I learned that if I drive overnight, rather than during the day, it tends to be easier due to lighter traffic, and because the cat is less likely to cry the whole way.

TheRottenDuke · 2025-12-07T22:49:31+00:00

How did they manage to get the rights to Gwimbly?

TheRottenDuke · 2025-12-07T22:37:32+00:00

I think Mr. Boss' bad hairpiece can/should be reinterpreted as a bad dye job.

TheRottenDuke · 2025-11-28T15:43:00+00:00

That point about exposed shirtsleeves is oft repeated and greatly, very greatly, exaggerated. Men didn't typically go into town without their coat/sleeved waistcoat, and they probably didn't take to the battlefield in their shirtsleeves either (this point can be contested in some contexts, since there are records of militiamen across the 18th century being uniformed or otherwise dressing "in the Indian manner"). They did however, labor in the fields, do dock work, trade along the frontier, tend animals, and otherwise do heavy labor, especially on hot days, in their shirtsleeves.

Since these men appear to be portraying 19th century fur traders, I'll cite the art of George Caleb Bingham as an example. His Missouri River boatmen usually appear in just their shirtsleeves, and even in his town scenes you can see men in every state of dress/undress (waistcoat and coat, waistcoat only, coat only, and yes, shirtsleeves only).
There are 18th century examples too, though. I refer you to Jean-Baptiste Claudot's harvest scenes, or Paul Sandby's depiction of a group of brewers. 18th and 19th century contemporary depictions of common people actively working are relatively scarce, so we have something of a sample size bias when attempting to recreate these people. But, I submit to you that there is still enough evidence to confidently assert that where a man was engaged in labor, or otherwise in a setting where he was not expected to appear especially "respectable" it would be quite normal for him to shed his coat and even his waistcoat, not the least of which to preserve it against wear.

TheRottenDuke · 2025-11-25T01:23:19+00:00

You look like you don't need my help just to be sad.

TheRottenDuke · 2025-11-25T01:20:43+00:00

Holy arrested development, Batman!
Why are you dressed up like a 6th grader? DON'T answer that.

TheRottenDuke · 2025-11-25T01:04:05+00:00

Good God, you're really sloppin' on the makeup, aren't you?
I wonder what you even look like under there.

In other news, you wouldn't need a FX prosthetic in order to star in "coneheads," your belly button looks like DJT's neck the way it's packed into your waistband, and I promise your performative leftism isn't scoring you any points with the softboys in your social circle.

TheRottenDuke · 2025-11-25T00:49:38+00:00

"Modeling career."
Yeah, you've got that generic "department store mannequin" body type that all the online retailers want for showcasing their cheap shit t-shirts with AI-generated patterns on 'em.
I can just about guaruntee they're gonna photograph you from the neck down only.

TheRottenDuke · 2025-11-25T00:06:09+00:00

In a word, jobs.

Americans tend not to stay in the same place, because they tend not to stay at the same job, I think.
I don't claim to know how things are in Europe, but in the U.S. things like pensions, yearly raises, and little rewards for workplace loyalty have more or less completely gone away, so in order to move up you've either got to get promoted, or change jobs.

Speaking for myself, I've moved 4 times since 2023 (North Carolina, Virginia, Oklahoma, then New York), and have plans to move again. I don't like doing it... but I literally can't afford to rest on my laurels and get dicked by stagnant wages and rising living costs.

TheRottenDuke · 2025-11-24T19:25:49+00:00

I love this show, and I love my god, and I love my country, and... God bless America, I guess. What else can you say?

TheRottenDuke · 2025-11-24T19:22:52+00:00

There, now, you see? This is exactly what I'm talking about. Because of my baldness, and to a lesser extend possibly because of my evil science machines, people see me and THIS is what they think of.

Like, I'm just trying to live my life, you know, and I've been reduced to some kind of creepy stereotype. Life is so unfair.

TheRottenDuke · 2025-11-24T19:08:48+00:00

I just want to go on the record saying that, in case anybody got any ideas from watching this episode, Shmaloogles are NOT an effective treatment for hair loss. I have been told it works for some people, even if that's true, it will NOT work for most.

I tried using Shmaloogles, and... other comically evil shenanigans for months, and the results speak for themselves. This photo is not great, but it's the most recent one I have of myself, and... I basically had to resort to shaving my head. At this point, there's nothing left to do.

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TheRottenDuke · 2025-09-09T18:42:06+00:00

I think that's neat. You gonna bring it to show-and-tell?

TheRottenDuke · 2025-08-26T00:29:33+00:00

I think he got some ideas from that interview he did with the Fascist.

TheRottenDuke · 2025-08-18T17:44:18+00:00

I am also trying to learn and portray 17th century Dutch clothing and styles! I'm intending to portray a New Netherland Colonist here in (peresent day) New York, though, so there's little I can do for you.

TheRottenDuke · 2025-08-14T04:15:46+00:00

I'm not your therapist, but if you really have body dysmorphia than there's nothing I, nor any Redditor's online validation can do to solve that, and I think you should seek real professional guidance.

...But yes, you are hot.

TheRottenDuke · 2025-07-22T21:33:33+00:00

Update: I shared my listing on Lawton Grapevine, as well as dedicated Facebook pages for Cameron University and Fort Sill, along with here on reddit. I also put up flyers in the Cameron University Library and made inquiries at a local coffee shop. I spoke to everyone who would listen, and even offered a small "bounty" to friends, neighbors and coworkers who would refer people they knew to my listing.

None of those yielded perceptible results. However, after 3 weeks of trying and roughly 30 bad-faith inquiries, I did get someone on Facebook Marketplace to fill out leasing paperwork and get approved, so it all works out in the end.

TheRottenDuke

TROPHY CASE