My Bracers! I'm Pretty Proud Of These Because I Designed Them Myself.

I was working on a history paper today and found a book from 1826 that seemed promising (though dull) for my topic, on an English Catholic family’s experience moving to France.

And it ended up not really being suitable for my purposes, as it goes. But part of the book is actually devoted to Kenelm, the author’s oldest son…and man, his dad loved him.

Kenelm seems to have had a fairly typical upbringing for a young English gentleman, although he is a bit slow to read. At twelve he’s sent to board at Stoneyhurst College—often the big step towards independence in a boy’s life, as he’ll most likely only see his parents sporadically from now on, and then leave for university.

When he’s sixteen, however, his father moves the whole family to France, so Kenelm gets pulled out of school to be with them again. Shortly after the move, his dad notices that he seems depressed. Kenelm confides in him that he’s been suffering from “scruples” for the last eighteen months—most likely what we’d now call an anxiety disorder.

And his dad is pissed—at the school, because apparently Kenelm had been seeking help there and received none, despite obviously struggling with mental health issues. So his dad takes it seriously. He sets him up to be counseled by a priest—there were no therapists back then—and doesn’t send him away to be boarded again, instead teaching him at home himself.

And his mental health does improve. His dad describes him as well-liked, gentle, pious, kind and eager to please others; at twenty he’s thinking about a career in diplomacy or going into the military—which his dad thinks he is not particularly suited for, considering his favorite pastimes are drawing and reading. He’s excited about his family’s upcoming move to Italy, and he’s been busy learning Italian and teaching it to his siblings.

Henry Kenelm Beste dies of typhus at twenty years, four months, and twenty-five days. That’s how his dad records it. That’s why his dad is telling this story. It’s not an extraordinary story—Kenelm’s story struck me because he sounds so…ordinary, like so many kids today. And he was so, so loved. His dad tried hard to help him compassionately with his mental health at a time where our current knowledge and support systems didn’t exist. You can feel how badly he wanted his son to be remembered and loved, to impress how dearly beloved he was to the people who knew him in life.

I hope he’d be glad to know someone is still thinking of Kenelm over 200 years later.

Anyway, that’s why I’m crying today.

I LOVE THE YOUNG AVENGERS SO FREAKING MUCH OML I HAVEN'T SEEN THIS I'M MISSING OUT I'M MISSING INFO ON MY BOYS WHAT AM I MISSING I NEED MORE

you know that trope in shows or movies where the evil character is in captivity and starts talking to the Heroes to try and mess with their minds, and starts analysing them going “face it you’ll never be good enough” … “you try to act tough but inside you’re broken” … and the Hero gets really rattled and upset.

well i want a scene like that where it doesn’t work

Villain: “You have a darkness inside of you. You try to hide it, but it’s there–”

Hero: “Yeah that’s the depression, there’s pills for that.”

Villain: “You try every day to make your mother proud. Even after death, it still haunts you. But she’ll never be proud of.”

Hero: “Well yeah, she was an emotionally abusive narcissist, she was never proud of anything I did, what else is new.”

Villain: “You put on a good show, but deep inside I know you don’t feel worthy.”

Hero: “I know, man, I’ve been trying to work on that in therapy.”

Like… give me characters who know they’re mentally ill and traumatised who can’t have it used against them because they’ve fully accepted it

I’ve been really into Welcome to Night Vale lately and this is a product of that. Not my best, but I was trying a new style out.

good things will happen 🧿

things that are meant to be will fall into place 🧿

DIPPPPPEEEERRRRRR!

Risu just sent me this and I am SO DELIGHTED

CNN

World's oldest string of yarn found in French cave

Archeologists say they have found the world's oldest piece of yarn or cord, making it the earliest known evidence of textile and cord making

Ahhhhhhh!!! Go read it! Go read it!! The cording was plied by Neanderthals!!! The article talks about how we can’t keep thinking about them as being stupid it’s so delightful! In these trying times, let’s read about some joyful anthropological and archaeological discoveries!!!

DIIIISSSSSNNNEEEEYYYY

So I'm going to Disney on Wednesday. I may post pictures or videos for you guys but for the most part I will not be on I'm gonna try to get my Friday letter in but we'll see what happens. I will be mostly inactive from the 6th to the 11th though. Sorry, guys! This is my first time at Disney and I'm soooo excited!

I read your blog information and I also really love the Middle Ages! what is something you particularly like? or wish you could see more in media in which the Middle Ages are discussed?

The very messy marriage situation isn't used nearly enough. People could agree to get married without any witnesses or the church, and it wasn't uncommon for people to do that, then like the guy would deny they did it so he could marry someone else. The church really tried to get a hold of things, it's why it became a thing to announce to the church three Sundays in a row that you were getting married, so if you married someone else they could tell on you and such.

That said, there's something just wonderful about the idea of a couple in a stressful situation where all they have is each other, in a candle lit barn on the way to what could be death, saying whispered vows of devotion. I think this whole thing could be used way more.

Also I want more accurate clothing and hair. Give us the silly hats, cowards, hair shouldn't be so loose and visible. Let clothing be colorful, peasants dyed things too. Alack, modern fashions will always get in the way.

Embroidered head cloths and bag at the Museum of Scotland. Aren't they just beautiful? The dyes there in front of the second one is 1800s but the head wraps are 1500s if I remember correctly. Renaissance, but still, they are my beloved.

Wedding Dress

Lucile

1908

Fashion Museum Bath Twitter

Graduation

I did a graduate. Am graduate. Did a graduating. Time for summer then college. Wooo