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outpastthemoat · 2 years

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the thing about mr. hatter is that he is a black hole of a character. we know NOTHING about him except that he was proud of his daughters and sent them to a prestigious school, and went heavily into debt for it. we don’t know how he treated his daughters, or if he paid them any attention for anything other than scholastic achievement, or if he had an obvious favorite child; all we know about mr. hatter is how his death affected his family. and I think the lack of personal information on mr. hatter is a choice that diana made on purpose.

because without telling us that mr. hatter was a bad father or a unrelentingly strict man, without including a single scene where he shouts at his daughters or acts coldly to his young - very young - new wife, she leaves space for us to slowly realize what is not so obvious, what sophie herself does not recognize or understand about her family: that none of the hatters truly know each other, only the roles they have played for so long.

the death of a beloved and loving father would have been deeply grieved. fanny would have been inconsolable. sophie would be shedding green silme, so to speak, left and right. lettie would have taken to her bed. martha would be sobbing in her friends’ arms.

instead, what we see in the aftermath of mr. hatter’s death is this: fanny goes about her business, briskly gets each of her daughters settled in a trade, and then wipes her hands clean of the hat shop and marries agains, within three months of her husband’s death. lettie is full of anger and rebellion and runs away from her apprenticeship; martha blames fanny for all her problems - and lettie and sophie’s too - and runs away from her apprenticeship.

and sophie.

never says a word about her father once he dies. does not miss him. does not think about him, not ever. only regrets leaving her prestigious school. and goes into a sharp depression that has nothing to do with losing a beloved family member and everything to do with seeing a promising future that she’d worked so hard for taken away.

this was not a happy family when mr. hatter was alive. diana never tells us so, but you can tell from clues she sprinkles in throughout the story that mr. hatter was not a kind or even particularly moral man.

the most glaringly obvious sign of dysfunction in the hatter family, of course, is that immediately after his wife died, mr. hatter married fanny, his youngest shop assistant, who very soon afterward gave birth to the youngest hatter daughter: the implication being that he had been having an affair before mrs hatter died, and that he carried on with fanny, who was probably no older than sophie herself when she entered that hat trade, who was no position to tell him no and had few choices she could make for herself.

there is sophie’s intense perfectionism and dedication to the hat trade despite hating it, a sign that mr. hatter probably demanded perfection and obediance from his daughters.; she probably worked equally hard to achieve good grades and accolates at school. notably, neither martha nor lettie regret leaving their school - but neither of them seem to have internalized perfectionism to sophie’s degree.

there are mentions of sophie frequently acting as a caregiver to martha and lettie; she has become a partent-figure towards her sisters and even fanny, who is not much older than she is. and it’s clear that sophie has deeply internalized that sense of parentification and duty - she stays late at the hat shop, well after the other employees leave - and can’t force herself to abandon the hat shop until she becomes an old woman, because she believes fanny needs her to keep working. sophie so deeply believes herself as worthless unless she is serving others that she becomes a housecleaner in the very first place she finds, and then spends the entire book scrubbing howl’s floors and sweeping his rafters, keeping herself so busy that she never has a chance to wonder why she thinks she is only valuable when she gives every part of herself to others.

this is a family that keeps secrets from each other - lettie and martha plot to subvert fanny’s and mrs fairfax’s plans, sophie runs away from home in disguise because she is afraid of her family seeing her as she truly is - they ALL hide from each other. fanny does not really know martha or lettie or sophie’s true natures, she makes assumptions about what trade each daughter would like to be settled in; sophie herself is shocked to learn a new side to her sisters when they subvert their destiny. and her perception of fanny is shaken through the book: sophie looks at her and is surprised to realize that fanny is still young and pretty and wanted more in life than a hat shop, just like sophie herself, but had done her best for her girls with the resources that she had at the time.

howl’s moving castle doesn’t tell the story of a grieving family who rises above the loss of a beloved patriach - it would be quite a different book if it was. instead, it’s the coming-of-age story of four women who finally have a chance to learn who they truly are, instead of who they thought they were supposed to be.

#howl's moving castle #diana wynne jones #sophie hatter #my meta

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kidsnextdoor-doodles · 17 days

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Just putting my rambles here because I’ve been brainstorming some ideas for my Ever After High au

I want Kuki to be a Wonderlandian but I’m not sure which character she should be the child of. I’ve been thinking the Mad Hatter is the best idea but I’ve also thought of her being Alice or the March Hare’s kid

I’ve basically taken Ramona Badwolf and Cerise Hood’s backstory and given it to Cree and Abby (for those who don’t know, they are the daughters of both Little Red and The Wolf, which is seen as going against the stories so they have to hide it). So Abby is the next Little Red Riding Hood while Cree is the next Big Bad Wolf

Henrietta is the daughter of the witch from Hansel and Gretel. This was the easiest choice to make

Fanny is like Darling Charming (A girl assigned the destiny of being a damsel in distress but wants to be the heroic knight) but angry

I need to make one of these kids Pinocchio if I don’t I will implode

I think no matter what fairytale I assign to Hoagie, Tommy will not know his destiny or even have one, which would be a source of insecurity for him

Nigel inherently his mother’s story (whatever I decide it is) and it’s believed his father doesn’t have a destiny/story. It’d be revealed he’s actually of the Grimm family, being Benedict Grimm’s twin brother

Guys please give me ideas of what fairytales to assign knd kids

#knd #codename: kids next door #kids next door #forever after au #<- name of the au #numbuh 86 #numbuh 362 #numbuh 60 #numbuh 65.3 #numbuh 1 #numbuh 2 #numbuh 3 #numbuh 4 #numbuh 5 #cree lincoln #henrietta von marzipan #tommy gilligan

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jay-avian · 8 months

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Epilogue Writing Exercise

Prompt: Write an epilogue for another story

I chose Howl's Moving Castle, one of my favorite books by far! I had such a fun time writing this one :)

Note: we had 10 minutes prep and 40 minutes of writing time

Sophie never understood the fuss of a wedding. She supposed something so heartfelt did deserve some special attention. It was a miracle that Howl managed to find love after all. Though she still didn’t feel she deserved something big and grand like Howl was hoping for. He wanted them to wear the finest clothes and be wed in the most extravagant of places. Sophie, however, wanted something closer to her roots. Through some arduous bickering, they eventually agreed upon something quite fitting.

They’d be wed in the flower field among their friends and family. Martha talked with the Cesari to help make them a splendid chocolate cake. Fanny would help sew Sophie’s dress. (Howl insisted that he magic up his own, lest Sophie’s family line was just as bad with fixing clothes as her.) Michael sent invites to everyone they knew, including Howl’s family from Wales. They weren’t too thrilled with the idea of another world, but they were glad that he found someone who could tolerate him.

It was the day before the wedding and the hustle and bustle was upon them all. Decorations to be put up, food to be delivered, a priest to be found. Everyone was running hither and thither to complete the finishing touches. And while the hectic spree was going on outside, Fanny was helping Sophie get ready in the castle bathroom. Sophie sat on a stool in her long, ruffled, white dress staring into the mirror as Fanny brushed and braided her hair. Sophie could hardly believe who she was looking at. Not months before, she would’ve been looking at a misfortune girl, given up on making her own way. Now, she looks at the bold, beautiful young woman before her in reverence.

“Something the matter, dear?” Fanny pauses to ask. “You seem thoughtful.”

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Sophie replied. “Just.. uncertain, that’s all.”

“Oh don’t worry! Those feelings will pass once you see your husband-to-be. In fact, when I was to marry your father, I…” Sophie drowned her speech with her own thoughts of Howl. She still couldn’t quite believe how he had been able to see her for who she was. Especially since she couldn’t even see herself in such a way.

‘My fortune really did turn around,’ she thought to herself.

Much sooner than she thought, it was time for Sophie to walk down the isle. When she opened the door, all eyes were upon her. She was able to catch a glimpse of Howl talking quite proudly with Michael. She thought perhaps he was gloating about how he didn’t feel nervous at all. (What a lie that would’ve been.) But when he turned to look, his expression turned to awe. He stood still, taking in a beauty he had never quite seen before.

Fanny took the honors of walking Sophie down the carpeted path amongst the tulips. When Sophie reached the altar, she was just as captivated by Howl. Trying to hide her nervousness, and ease Howl’s, she decided to banter. “What, no questions about how your outfit looks? Or comments about your hair?”

Howl eases into a smile. “I’m sorry dear, you seemed to have cast some sort of spell to make me speechless.”

Calcifer clears his throat and begins speaking. “Dearest friends, we are gathered here today to witness a miracle. The miracle of love, and how Sophie managed to worm her way into Howl’s heart (quite forcefully, might I add)...”

“Oh, skip to the end, Calcifer,” Howl said, waving him off without so much a glance.

Calcifer sighed. “Do you, Howell Jenkins, accept Sophie to be your lawfully-wedded witch?”

“I do,” Howl sighed with stars in his eyes.

“And do you, Sophie Hatter, accept Howell to be your lawfully-wedded wizard?”

Sophie gazed at Howl. She notices not only the excitement in his eyes, but the soul that was returned to him. She sees the heart she helped to free, the passionate, loyal, and caring heart she learned to love after everything. “...I do.”

“Then, by the power invested in me (by Miss Sophie), I now pronounce you husband and wife! For those averse to intimacy, look away now.” Howl took Sophie in his arms, dipped her down, and kissed her as she held his head in her hands. The crowd cheered for the couple, though they could not hear it. Their attention was drawn to each other yet again, feeling each other’s smiles and hands.

The after party was excellent. Market Chipping was decorated with lights, the streets were filled with music and dancing. The cake turned out a marvel, too! Then the time came for Sophie to toss the bouquet. She sent it flying behind her, and a group of girls scrambled for it. In the end, it was Martha who caught it, who blushed deeply glancing at Michael (who also grew red). The night was filled with joy. Everyone went on their merry ways home, and Sophie and Howl went on back to the castle to live on their happily-ever-after.

#creative writing #little red writing hoods #howls moving castle #diana wynne jones #epilogue #fanfic #wedding scene??#hopefully i did it justice

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thecagedsong · 2 years

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Back to the Hatter sisters, because I hold that removing her sisters from the movie was a bigger crime than removing her weedkiller attacks.

Each sister sought exactly what they were told they could not have, introducing the theme of defying societal expectations early on.

(ironically the essence of the youngest wins trope, which started because oldest siblings inhereited and younger siblings went to the church or became scholars or something without real power. It’s a trope in storytelling because so much of history has the youngest sibling losing, which is why it’s fun to turn it on their head)

Sophie frames all her musings in the early chapters as “her life was not one where exciting things happened”. Sophie wanted adventure. In most stories, the eldest inherits and is stable, boring, or they try adventure first and fail miserably before dying or going back to stable and boring. She craved adventure, part of why she loved Howls is that he was a disaster of a person, really more of a loose collection of character flaws than an actual person, but never boring.

Lettie? The middle child? She was told she was going to be average. Not as dull as the eldest, but not as talented or successful as the youngest. Her fate was to be average. She said hell no, and had craved a life of learning. She didn’t hate the bakery, she hated that her fate was to get married and be normal. If Lettie had been forced to stay at the bakery, she would have become the premier baker in the kingdom, probably ignoring every suitor that ever called. In learning witchcraft, she aimed to become the best, and didn’t hesitate to learn under literally the best wizard in the kingdom when she got the chance. She would be extraordinary, adventure or love were possible, but not at the expense of her spotlight.

Martha, the youngest, was supposed to be extraordinary. She would go on adventures and do fantastic feats. She said no, I actually want an easy love, steady and true, and to give love in a home where the biggest problem is children growing too fast to teach them everything. She wanted people to be with people, not out doing heroic things by herself. The spotlight is too lonely. Adventuring distasteful when you could be at home.

I don’t have as much textually support for my last point, but it’s pretty clear Fanny was too young to be a good mother, and Sophie appeared to do a lot of it. Fanny let Sophie handle Lettie when she was being stubborn or the girls were throwing tantrums. Fanny let Sophie take the responsibility of the hat shop, not mature enough to see what it was doing to her, and Fanny listened to Sophie when Sophie explained the roles her sisters were going to play. That being said, I think the reason Martha and Lettie were able to get themselves to their preferred endings is because they heard what Sophie was supposed to be and went “Our Sophie? Boring? Stuck at home? Well the whole idea is hogwash,” and thus didn’t internalize the message the same way Sophie did. Sophie had already broken the mold for them.

Sophie? She saw her beautiful, wonderful younger sisters. Clever and charismatic, willful and determined and went. “Well, these girls are definitely going to succeed at whatever they try. Look at how wonderful they are!” Because it seemed to her that they were already developing along story lines, in her eyes because you never see yourself clearly, the saying took root. Sophie would fail any adventure, and her sisters would succeed after her. Of course they would, they’re little forces of nature! She would know after spending so much time sitting on them to do their homework or clean their rooms. Never realizing that she shared those traits in equal or greater measure.

Lettie and Martha could find their fortunes because they had Sophie’s support and example growing up. Sophie didn’t have an example, leading to her “refusing the call” and into her story arc.

#Howl's Moving Castle #Hatter Sisters #Lettie Hatter #Sophie Hatter #Martha Hatter

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aucasaurus · 1 month

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#pink #aucasaurus #studio ghibli #ghibli #studio ghibli howl's moving castle #howl's moving castle #ghibli howl's moving castle #howl no ugoku shiro #ghibli howl no ugoku shiro #studio ghibli howl no ugoko shiro #honey hatter #fanny hatter #honey

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scotianostra · 1 year

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John Paton Laurie was born on 25th March 1897.

Laurie was born at Dumfries, to William Laurie, a clerk in a tweed mill and later a hatter and hosier, and Jessie Ann Laurie née Brown Laurie attended Dumfries Academy, before abandoning a career in architecture to serve in the First World War as a member of the Honourable Artillery Company. Upon his demobilisation, he trained to become an actor under Elsie Fogerty at the Central School of Speech and Drama, then based at the Royal Albert Hall, London and first acted on stage in 1921.

A prolific Shakespearian actor, Laurie spent much of the time between 1922 and 1939, playing Shakespearian parts including Hamlet, Richard III and Macbeth at the Old Vic or Stratford-upon-Avon.

He starred in his friend Laurence Olivier's three Shakespearean films, Henry V Hamlet and Richard III He and Olivier also appeared in "s You Like It. During the Second World War, Laurie served in the Home Guard - the only future Dad's Army cast member to do so.

His early work in films included Juno and the Paycock, directed by Alfred Hitchcock. His breakthrough third film was Hitchcock's The 39 Steps in which his menacing, understated performance as a crofter (opposite Peggy Ashcroft) is particularly memorable. Other work included Peter Manson in The Edge of the World, Clive Candy's batman in The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, the farmer recruit in The Way Ahead, the brothel proprietor in Fanny by Gaslight, the repugnant Pew in Disney's Treasure Island and Doctor MacFarlane in Hobson's Choice. In the 1945 film I Know Where I'm Going!, Laurie had a small speaking part in a céilidh sequence for which he was also credited as an adviser.

It was on the small screen that we remember Laurie most fondly as Private Frazer in Dad’s Army with his 'Wur doomed, wur awl doomed....” catchphrase. He cropped up in four episodes of the popular classic TV Show, The Avengers, playing a different role each time and in three episodes of Dr. Finlay's Casebook again playing different roles. Of course with a voice like his he was a natural as a storyteller on the bairns TV show Jackanory.

One of his final appearances, looking slightly frail, was in Return to the Edge of the World, directed by Michael Powell in 1978.

John Laurie died aged 83 in the Chalfont and Gerrards Cross Hospital, Chalfont St Peter, from emphysema, he was cremated and his ashes were scattered at sea.

#scotland #scottish #actor #theatre #television #cinema #history #Dads army

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yatescountyhistorycenter · 3 months

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The fascinating life and mysterious death of Helen M.T. Ayres

By C.J. Thompson

After reading the story, “Clippings from Fanny’s Bible,” written by M. Laura Race in the March /April 2023 issue of Yates Past, I was compelled to do more research on the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of Miss Helen M. T. Ayres. The newspaper clipping described that Helen hadn’t been seen all day on Thursday, January 26, 1899. The neighbors became very concerned, as she hadn’t appeared for her usual meal at the Knapp House.

Once authorities obtained a key from the man who had worked on her furnace, they – along with Mrs. Bower, a neighbor – searched her home without success until one of them opened her old Saratoga trunk, which she apparently let her Angora cats sleep in (with the lid opened). They found Helen in the trunk kneeling with her head on the tray cleat with a bottle of chloroform that was opened near her face. Was this a murder or a suicide? Who was the man who took care of her furnace?

She was born Helen M. Turner on October 11, 1840, in Ovid, Seneca County to John Turner and Susannah Ayres. John and Susannah died in 1842 in Elmira, Chemung County. One of Susannah’s older half-brothers, Lewis Smalley Ayres, and his wife, Esther McLellan, adopted Helen, as they had no children of their own. Lewis had lost his mother and another sibling during a difficult childbirth when he was just 3 years old, and his mother was only 19 years old.

In order to better understand all of Helen’s amazing achievements for a woman living in the 19th century, I delved into the lives of her adoptive parents. Lewis was born on January 29, 1811, in Trumansburg, Tompkins County to Nathaniel Ayres and Susannah Coddington.

At the age of 17 in 1828, he went to Ithaca to learn the hatter’s trade. He married Esther McLellan in 1832, and they settled in Penn Yan, where he purchased stock in the hat business of Eleanor Jenkins. Lewis later sold his shares in the hat store for health issues to Lewis B. Mandeville.

In 1835, Lewis and William Griffin established a dry goods business and he worked there for about a year. His next venture, in 1841, was a hardware business with partners William Whitney and Oliver Stark on the corner of Main and Elm streets. Subsequent to the dissolution of the partnership before 1850, Lewis created an insurance agency, where he worked for the remainder of his life. He was also active in political affairs and held a high position in the Masonic order.

Interestingly, the hardware store now known as Pinckney Ace Hardware remains in the same location where a hardware business first began more than 180 years ago. A fire in March 1985 did extensive damage to the building, but the building was salvageable and has been renovated. The hardware business in this location has had numerous partnerships that served Penn Yan and surrounding areas, including Armstrong & Gage, Armstrong & Hollowell, and Hollowell & Wise. Sons would either purchase their father’s shares or inherit their shares when they died.

Between 1836 and 1841, Lewis also held various town offices, being a village trustee for Penn Yan and a superintendent of the Crooked Lake Canal, and he worked under the Pierce and Buchanan administrations for eight years. Lewis died at home on May 14, 1876 at age 66. Helen had been his assistant early on and then became his partner in the insurance agency for numerous years and now assumed control of the business, located on the Knapp House block on Main Street.

Esther Ayres was born in 1810 in Johnstown, Fulton County. Her parents were Archibald McLellan and Isabella McIntyre. I traced Isabella’s maternal side back to 1492 to her 10th great-grandfather, John MacIntyre, who was born in Strathclyde, Scotland. All of the men in this line were chieftains of Clan MacIntyre. Isabella and Archibald were both born in Scotland and married there at the young age of 16. According to Esther’s obituary in the Penn Yan Express, dated September 17, 1879, her parents headed to America shortly after marriage. It is unknown if Esther displayed any attributes from her Scottish ancestors. The port of Glasgow, Scotland was the starting point of Helen’s European trip itinerary in the summer of 1888, onboard the S.S. Furnessia of the Anchor Line.

Did Helen perceive education and hard work exemplified by her father as a key to her success or did social discrimination lead Helen to attend college? Lewis was dedicated to his family and the small community of Penn Yan. Helen first appeared with her parents in the 1850 U.S. Census, living in Penn Yan. Esther was listed as a homemaker in the Census from 1855 to 1875. It is mentioned in Esther’s obituary, dated September 10, 1879, that she had become an invalid in her later years. Three different servants were also listed as living in the household between 1860 and 1875.

Helen was a woman ahead of her time; she attended Elmira Female College from 1855 to 1859 and was one of 17 women in the first graduating class. She was only 15 years old when she started classes there. Being first in alphabetical order, Helen was handed the first diploma. Helen later presented her diploma back to the college as a gift, and it now hangs in the College Archives.

Elmira Female College was founded as a college for women in 1855, and it is the oldest existing college in the United States granting degrees to women equivalent to those given to men. Helen, along with other women of her class, would have lived in the first college building known as Cowles Hall. The women would also attend classes and dine there.

In the Troy Weekly Times, dated July 26, 1856, an article describes a fire at 212 Liberty St. in Penn Yan and how 15-year-old Helen M. T. Ayres was badly burned. Fire ignited by fluid in a lamp consumed her dress and burned her flesh. William Gaumann, of Leroy, was there and burned as well. Given the time frame, Helen must have been home from college on summer break. Helen did not let the burns stop her from attending the Fall 1856 semester at Elmira female College.

The article is brief and doesn’t give details on the severity or where on Helen’s body she was burned. This could be another clue that may have played a role in Helen’s death. In those days, it was common to prescribe chloroform to treat pain.

It was exciting to view a photograph of Helen on FamilySearch. The following excerpt is from the original copy of her passport written by Helen, dated June 21, 1888 in Penn Yan: “Enclosed please find application for a passport. Our trip will include Scotland, England, Ireland, Wales, France, Germany and Switzerland. As I could not give a very description of myself, I enclose a photograph from what of myself, so that you will be able to file the passport more intelligently. Please return at once as we sail next week, signed Helen M.T. Ayres.”

She had also included money for her friend and neighbor, Miss Helen Baxter, to accompany her on this voyage. Helen and her friend, Helen Baxter, were two of the 207 passengers aboard the S.S. Furnessia. It appears Helen either jotted this note hurriedly or maybe it was a sign of an underlying health issue that would return later down the road.

Helen did not let her rural upbringing deter her from attaining her goals. She was only 5 feet tall and wanted her voice to be heard. Helen is not listed in the U.S. Federal Census for Penn Yan from 1860 to 1870. She reappears in 1875.

In a letter dated February 6, 1955, Sidney E. Ayres, of the Penn Yan Printing Company and editor of The Chronicle-Express, wrote to Mr. Barber of Elmira: “Helen had apparently taught and was a preceptress in one or more southern schools for about 10 years after graduation, according to a pile of letters from her former pupils. Family legend tells that the feeling ran so high against her as a Yankee teacher, at one time that she was sent home through the lines by a Confederate gunboat and transferred under a flag of truce to a Union gunboat on the Mississippi, I presume.” Although Sidney E. Ayres, a relative of Helen’s, never found any proof of that happening.

It is interesting to note that Helen and other family members – Stephen B. Ayres Jr., his wife, Harriet, and son Malcolm claim that they were all born in England, in the 1892 U.S. Census. Was it possible for all of them to be hiding from someone? If so, who?

Helen was actively involved with her alma mater after graduation and took many trips with friends and students attending Elmira Female College. One such trip was documented by Montreal Printing and Publishing, dated 1871. On this trip, passengers would travel on the Northern Central Railway as well as the Royal Mail Line of steamers. The tour included the Hudson River; Trenton Falls; Toronto, Ontario; Montreal, Quebec; the Thousand Islands; and the St. Lawrence River.

Like her father, Helen was an active participant in her community. Among her many achievements, she served not only on the board of the Penn Yan Public Library, which was founded in 1895, but also was the first librarian there. She was one of the founders of the 19th Century Club. Club members took many trips and one of their favorite places to go was Lake Luzerne. Helen hosted numerous lawn parties that included members along with their children at her home at 212 Liberty St. in Penn Yan.

Her house was located next to where the Michael Sterns Clothing Factory once was, and the house was demolished in 1956 in order to accommodate a much-needed expansion for the Michael Sterns Clothing Factory. Aldi is there now.

In April 1873, Sibyl, Elmira Female College’s literary magazine, stated, “We learned that Helen M. T. Ayres, is at present engaged in writing a book.” Helen purchased a Remington typewriter in December 1884 in Syracuse according to an article in the Yates County Chronicle. The Remington typewriter was manufactured by gun makers E. Remington and Sons, of Ilion, in 1874.

The Shakespeare Club was another club Helen was active in, and according to various newspaper articles she went from secretary in October 1883 to president at the December 9, 1898, meeting. The club meetings were held at different members’ homes. According to her obituary, she had sent out notes the day before her questionable death, assigning members parts for the next meeting on the second Friday of every month.

Why would Helen send out notes for the Shakespeare Club on the day before she was found “possibly positioned” in her Saratoga trunk? According to witnesses, she had gone to supper on Wednesday evening, and by all appearances seemed to be her normal, lighthearted self. However, she did purchase a 6-ounce bottle of chloroform earlier in the day. Who was the chloroform for?

In the past, known by her closest family and friends, Helen had purchased chloroform from the local druggist to provide her treasured Angora cats – who were very sick and had no hope of surviving – a more tranquil way to pass. On her death certificate, the Manner of Death was documented as “Chloroform Administered by herself.”

How did the police and possible witnesses of Helen come to that conclusion? There surely must have been an inquest. Given the year of the incident, Helen’s house may have not been secured as a potential homicide site. Those who walked into the home and touched things in search of Helen may have contaminated any evidence.

It is also mentioned in her obituary that there had been a handkerchief saturated with chloroform on the nightstand bedside Helen’s bed along with a smaller container of chloroform. Were these items placed there specifically to throw the authorities off the possibility of murder?

Furthermore, there had been what appeared to be a slight irritation on Helen’s face as she was lifted from the Saratoga trunk and placed back on her bed. According to those who were present, her bed looked as though she had been in her bed prior to the trunk.

Neighbors had mentioned that before her untimely death, she had suffered a severe attack of the grippe, commonly known today as influenza, and that it had left her weak and suffering from insomnia. Chloroform can make an individual sleepy quickly, but how long they sleep depends upon how much of the chloroform they were exposed to. Is it possible that Helen neglected the power of this drug?

The Penn Yan community had lost an intelligent and vibrant individual who by all accounts was happiest when helping others. Family, friends, and business acquaintances alike were dumbfounded as to why Helen M. T. Ayres would end her life in such a matter when all circumstances gave the impression of her going about happily as she would any day.

Nothing in her will, dated and signed on May 31, 1893, seems out of the ordinary. She listed items she wanted to go to specific family members and friends. At the time of her death, the value of personal property did not exceed $2,500. The last sentence in her will reads, “I do this in token of affection, and as a recognition of their affection for me, believing as I do that they, better than any other living persons, love me.”

Her obituary was in the Yates County Chronicle and the British Whig of Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Helen was mentioned in the Chronicle, dated February 1, 1899, by other members of the 19th Century Club: “Our dear friend was kind, generous, thoughtful for each member-the perfect embodiment of unselfishness.”

Although my research on Helen M. T. Ayres is finished, I am fascinated by all that she accomplished in her life. The tenacity that she had challenged her to do things that most women would not have dared to do during that time period. I am now able to put her story to rest, but I will always wonder whether she truly did administer the chloroform herself.

#historyblog #history #museum #archives #american history #us history #local history #newyork #yatescounty #pennyan #helenmtayres #death #murder #suicide #accident #chloroform

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thecluelessdoctor · 11 months

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say are you gonna make ur 'Welcome to the Moving Castle' AU a real AU? It's a strange but rather interesting concept, and seeing all the other designs you have made for AUs, I can't wait to see with one.

Tripped a little on those last two words lmaooo. But uhhh

Should I? I'm not sure if I will or not ngl lmao. Ill probably make designs because I'm cool like that lmao

I sorta did start thinking about roles so.. djdbhdbd. And yeah, ik canonily in howls moving castle Sofie and Howl end up being a thingz but in this AU there will be no canon ships, so no romance between the howl and the sophie. That's up to interpretation lmao

Anyway, On with the roles. I'm probs gonna go by the Movie rather than the book because it's just a bit easier for me story wise.Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the book, but I have such a attachment to the movie I just can't. But it's kinda gonna be a mix like- The story will be like the movie's, but who ever is Micheal is still gonna be older than he is in the movie.

Anyway roles

Wally is Howl!

Home is the Moving Castle

Eddie is Markl/Micheal

Sally is Calcifer lmao

Barnaby is Percival (the Dog man thing *shrug*)

Poppy is the scarecrow/ turnip head :D

Julie is probably Sofie

Jonesy is probably Lettie

Franny is probably Martha

Bea is probably Fanny Hatter (yes I know Bea is her sister, and Fanny is Sophie's mom stfu)

Howdy will have a filler character made by yours truly. A merchant who is never to far from the castle?

Frank, I am so sorry my fellow Frank fans, but this MFER would be the witch/wizard/ WARLOCK?? of the waste :D yes that implies they put the curse on Julie shshshshsgssh

Yeah.

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iepurasdepraf · 10 months

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Dormouse - The Kept:

Their name was chosen ironically as the Mad Hatter mistreats the Dormouse in the original story and maybe Jervis is paranoid about that enough to have named them thusly or maybe I just think I'm funny.

I'm also in a wheelchair, as a preamble to this. There are some days I can waddle around, some days I'm lucky if I can stand at my counter long enough to cut a head of lettuce, and some days I can't stand at all. The chronic pain doesn't even always play a role in that. Some days I don't hurt, but it's like my legs are made of three day old spaghetti noodles left in a sink.

There's more, but you get my point. I had an accident and now I'm a little fucked up. Sometimes when you're fucked up, especially when you live alone like I do, you just want now and then to be taken care of and so I maladaptive daydreamed up Dormouse. Baths, leg rubs, someone bringing you soup, someone just taking the time to sit there with you, naps, and carrying you down a flight of stairs because the world forgot you can't use them. Someone just holding your hand.

They are my every indulgent whim of wanting to be taken care of. Were they a villain of their own before a tragic accident? Were they just someone Jervis stole out of a park? Were they friend? Foe? Stranger? I like to play with the bits and bobs of them. Like changing a dolly's dress. They're nonbinary though and I can't be arsed nor fannied to pick out a schmeat for them. It might even be something that changes. It doesn't matter, it's not about that.

With Secret Six Hatter, I like to make them a part of the team who got injured and Jervis helps them recuperate because they were kind to him or maybe even saved his hat and that's why they got hurt. That's my favorite to write. You saved his best friend? His beloved hat? And at such a high price. Good luck getting him more than a foot from you now. Sometimes the team replaces them. A cruel reality that hits just a little less hard when Jervis doesn't abandon them. Maybe he takes them with him when he too leaves the team.

Endless possibilities.

When it comes to Arkham Hatter my favorite way to go is that Dormouse was a fellow inmate who was also a victim of the mistreatment at the asylum. Jervis behaves when Dormouse is around. Why not let them have a tea party in the garden? Well, usually they behave. Not always. In Arkham City there's no one to tell them they can't have tea and no one there to take care of Dormy. No one, but Hatter.

I see Jervis as someone capable of great care as much as he's capable of great harm. His general instinct is to protect, tend, and keep unless his delusion is broken. There's a very delicate dance of relying on him and being unable to while maintaining your place in his mindscape.

I think it's fun and it's always very cathartic for me to write.

#.ramblingsofamadwriter.

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