Chapter Seven Notes & Illustrations

[manniness]

Because I actually had to do RESEARCH (gasp!panic!) for this book, I'm including various background information that would be well-known to Alice or Tarrant (or both) but not to us here in Modern Day. 

Chapter Seven Notes:

1. Here are images of the hat Tarrant crafts for Alice to use in London. The black and white ink drawing is by me (Manniness). The colored version was completed (very generously) by a friend of mine, CROWe, when I confessed that my inability to “see” the hat was causing a rather uncomfortable blockage in my writings. (^__~)

     

2. Yes, they did have kaleidoscopes in Victorian England. Invented in 1816.

3. And yes, there was some Serious Air Pollution in London during this time period. Sewage + coal fires + unwashed masses = Gag to the Nth power

4. By 1870, several London institutions had been built: Big Ben, the South Kensington Museum (a.k.a. “Brompton Boilers” - industry and science), the Victoria and Albert Museum (art), the Crystal Palace, and Trafalgar Square to name a few. I checked. (^__~)

5. “Scut” is Outlandish for “a person’s rear end” – Check out the “Glossary of Underland” tag, Walt Disney’s Glossary of Underland, entry: Guddler’s scut. A “coal scuttle” is the bucket or decorative box that holds coal in a household.

6. I’m American. My husband is Japanese. So when I write of Tarrant’s fascination, curiosity, and amusement at funny coincidences and Alice’s rediscovery of a world she’s always taken for granted, I’m basing a lot of these details on the sorts of moments that really happen in an international exchange friendship or an international marriage.

7. Regarding the passage of time in Underland and Upland, I’m using the concept from Through the Looking Glass (found in Chapter 9) which states that several days or nights are had two or three at a time. According to the Red Queen, “Now here, we mostly have days and nights two or three at a time, and sometimes in the winter we take as many as five nights together – for warmth, you know.” So, generally speaking, Time passes more quickly in Underland. (But not always! He’s a temperamental fellow! Remember in Book 1, Mirana explains that if Alice goes through the looking glass without someone to hold it open, a moment, a day, or a week might pass in Underland during the course of one afternoon in Upland? Finicky guy, Time...) But, as Tarrant suggests, in times of peace, there are a lot of Lingering Moments and Several-Days/Nights-At-Once (as peaceful ones are easier to stack than action-filled ones!) which is how seven years in Underland equals about two years in Upland. (Which would also mean that between Alice’s first visit when she was six-and-a-half years old and her return when she was nineteen several decades may have passed in Underland! No wonder everyone was so obsessed with her being the “right” Alice and destined slayer of the Jabberwocky!! So, how does that work with everyone not aging? Well, I’m sure you’ve heard the saying: “You’re only as young as you feel.” And that just so happens to be exactly the case in Underland! And the reason for why Tarrant has been looking “younger” lately.  I guess being happily married can do that to a person!)

8. Regarding Alice’s absence from Underland (while she was apprenticing with the trading company) and the fact that three years passed in both worlds...? I haven’t forgotten to explain this! More on that in later chapters!  (Although I've given enough hints in Book 1 for you to be able to make a very good guess.)

9. For the purposes of this plot, I did some very BASIC research on the London Underground. While both Mansion House Station (comprised of three platforms) and Earl’s Court Station (comprised of six platforms) were opened for operation in 1871 (Alice and Tarrant travel to 1870 London) there is no evidence that dynamite was used in their construction. Case #1 of Abuse of Artistic License, m’kay? And I’m sure it won’t be the last...

10. Dynamite was patented in 1867, so it would have been available to those who could afford to purchase it. It was also vastly safer to work with than other known explosives of the time period.

11. This is my husband’s plot bunny. Oh-so-innocently, he wondered aloud, “Maybe Underland is in danger from London’s subway...” And then, later, when I panicked just like Alice over how to confront the problem, he said (he’s so smart!!!), “How about negotiating?” OMG, I LOVE YOU, SWEETIE!!!

Comments

[broomclosetkink.livejournal.com]

I want Alice's hat. I'd wear that sucker all the time. Sooo pretty!

(Also? You got mad art skeelz - I'm insanely jelous!)

Haha ain't research fun? Like getting teeth drilled.

P.S. Your husband ROCKS. *high fives* One innocent comment later, there's the third book in the series. WIN. xDDDD

<33333

[manniness.livejournal.com]

Isn't that a GREAT hat? After I spent 4 hours Googling hats, ladies hats, women's hats, Victorian hats, vintage hats, veiled hats, cloches, bandeaus, and touring hats, I just said "F*ck it; I'll draw my own." I don't have any *consistent* artistic skill with sketching, but every once in a while, it comes through for me.

And as for the hubby... When I was considering the plot for Book 2 (waaaaaay back after I'd finished posting Book 1 and was soaking up all that amazing adoration from my Public), he popped out that little bunny and, initially, I was like, "No, too much research and no sword fighting and... no." But then it slowly, slowly, slowly started to grow on me. That was when I realized it was one of those Insidious Ideas. So, even before I'd written the Epilogue for Book 2, I had the Knees Scene down. But I held out for two (torturously long) days before sitting back down and starting to type again. Yeah, go me.

[manniness.livejournal.com]

01 - Bake. I can't bake worth a damn. (^__~)

02 - Thanks! I just did a whole bunch more last weekend, but I hope I won't end up with another mountain o' notes from it. [grumbles]

03 - I will most definitely tell him he's a genius. Again. (It's a daily ritual here!)

P.S. I know I've said this before, but I'll say it again: I LOVE THIS ICON!!!! Bwhahaha!!!

[niphuria.livejournal.com]

I just HAVE to have that hat!

And your husband is a bright one, isn't he? Definitely earned some lovin' I'd say!

These were interesting notes. I knew dynamite was around, but wonder how much it costs (commemsurate to today's prices, of course) back then. They used to use Nitro, right? Anyway, thanks so much for the pic of the hat. It's odd how one little thing really bugged me; not being able to picture it was annoying! Well, now I can. Thanks!

[manniness.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you liked the hat! My friend, CROWe, is a genius as color/texture combinations!!

I don't have enough fingers and toes to count all the ways I love my husband, but his super genius skillz are one of them! (^__~)

And I'm glad you enjoyed reading the notes. I didn't think many people would be interested, but after all that research I wanted to show off my "hard work"! LOL!!

Oh, definitely nitroglycerin... some other volatile substances, too, (but I forget the names at the moment) that people died trying use. I wonder about the price as well. I assume it would have been fairly expensive at this point because the inventor (Alfred Nobel - yes, the Nobel prize guy) was very wealthy by 1900. (Obviously! I mean, he started the Nobel Prize thingy!!) And, three years after it having been patented, I assume demand would be going up for such a successful product, and thus so would the price. This gets touched upon a bit later in the story.

Tarrant's POV regarding Alice's hat was lovely, but not very easy to visualize: I agree. Hence the visual aids! (^__~)

[just-a-dram.livejournal.com]

You can draw as well? Heavens, girl. You're a creative tour de force.

You're so right about London or any other city at the time being a stinking pit of gross. Dickens really had it right. It gets romanticized too often.

[manniness.livejournal.com]

Drawing is rare for me. Like lightning. But when it strikes there are definite Results. (^__~)

Yeah, I was pleasantly surprised to see that in the recent Hollywood remake of Sherlock Holmes they kept to that: London, England's pit o'slime-n-grime.

[elanaranne.livejournal.com]

The hat is gorgeous. <3 Jealous of your drawing skills; I can't draw to save myself! It is so VERY Alice, isn't it? Love it.

And WOW! The amount of research you put in is totally inspiring. -is awed-

[manniness.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I really did put an effort forth to not be the complete and utter personification of Laziness with this story. (^__~)