I apologize in advance for the abuse to the good names of the characters (especially Hungary) and all OOC-ness arising from said abuse (and also modifying names to convert them into English nobles).
Also, imagine them speaking in excessively prissy, high class sounding accents.
Sometime in the mid 1700s
“Oh, my, just look at all the poor savages. Such a shame they’re all mad. Some of them look quite… Normal, I suppose. Really, this is quite entertaining, to see all these madmen.” Elizabeth, Lady Edelstein, clung daintily to my lord Edelstein’s sleeve, gently fluttering her fan. “But truly, the smell is quite disgusting. This place needs some agreeable perfume to disguise the natural tendencies of the inhabitants.”
Roderick, Lord Edelstein, gently pulled his wife on. “Yes, my dear, as you say. Perhaps we can make a donation of perfumed sachets for the hospital to mask the stench. Now, what do you say of that one?” Lord Edelstein pointed to one of the patients, a young man with mussed, sandy locks and striking green eyes.
“He’s even writing!” Lady Edelstein gasped elegantly. “I never conceived of the notion that any of the creatures could do something so intelligent! What madness do you suppose is his fate, my lord?”
At this attention, the young man looked directly at them. “I am England. I am certainly not mad, ‘though you probably think me so for saying that alone. However, I represent all the people of the country, including you.” This said, he returned to his letter, an expression of wry amusement on his face.
Lady Edelstein nodded her head sagely. “Mad indeed, my lord. Just the thought of it! Countries walking around among us. Absurd!”
“As you say, my lady. Now, shall we move on? That next fellow is certainly acting the madman. Pounding his straw and cursing it as the Duke of Cumberland! Why, I never saw such a diverting sight in my life!”
I’m sorry, this is rather short, and only just fits your prompt, but I did have fun…
England gets out eventually, of course, but that’ll take some more research, so I don’t know when, or if, I’ll actually write that. A Part Two, featuring AU!Bad Touch Trio, may or may not be forthcoming.
Notes: In 18th century England (where this fic takes place), the premier madhouse was Bethlehem Hospital, otherwise known as Bedlam. This was not a good time to be considered insane. Knowledge was extremely limited, and good “cures” included submerging or showering the patient with cold water and all sorts of things that to modern people would seem quite ridiculous. As added fun, Bedlam was treated as a sort of fashionable menagerie, and visitors went to gawk at the patients. This practice was not stopped until the latter half of the 18th century. There were, of course, private insane asylums for those with money (especially all those inconvenient wives!)
The man cursing the Duke of Cumberland was actually seen by Dr. Samuel Johnson in 1746. The Duke of Cumberland, for those of you unaware, was the English leader at the battle of Culloden in 1746, which was an extremely bloody slaughter of (mostly Scottish) supporters of Bonnie Prince Charlie as true heir to the English throne. Well, this particular Duke of Cumberland, anyway. There were at least five different creations of the title.
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A Trip to Bedlam
(Anonymous) 2012-03-25 03:45 pm (UTC)(link)Also, imagine them speaking in excessively prissy, high class sounding accents.
Sometime in the mid 1700s
“Oh, my, just look at all the poor savages. Such a shame they’re all mad. Some of them look quite… Normal, I suppose. Really, this is quite entertaining, to see all these madmen.” Elizabeth, Lady Edelstein, clung daintily to my lord Edelstein’s sleeve, gently fluttering her fan. “But truly, the smell is quite disgusting. This place needs some agreeable perfume to disguise the natural tendencies of the inhabitants.”
Roderick, Lord Edelstein, gently pulled his wife on. “Yes, my dear, as you say. Perhaps we can make a donation of perfumed sachets for the hospital to mask the stench. Now, what do you say of that one?” Lord Edelstein pointed to one of the patients, a young man with mussed, sandy locks and striking green eyes.
“He’s even writing!” Lady Edelstein gasped elegantly. “I never conceived of the notion that any of the creatures could do something so intelligent! What madness do you suppose is his fate, my lord?”
At this attention, the young man looked directly at them. “I am England. I am certainly not mad, ‘though you probably think me so for saying that alone. However, I represent all the people of the country, including you.” This said, he returned to his letter, an expression of wry amusement on his face.
Lady Edelstein nodded her head sagely. “Mad indeed, my lord. Just the thought of it! Countries walking around among us. Absurd!”
“As you say, my lady. Now, shall we move on? That next fellow is certainly acting the madman. Pounding his straw and cursing it as the Duke of Cumberland! Why, I never saw such a diverting sight in my life!”
I’m sorry, this is rather short, and only just fits your prompt, but I did have fun…
England gets out eventually, of course, but that’ll take some more research, so I don’t know when, or if, I’ll actually write that. A Part Two, featuring AU!Bad Touch Trio, may or may not be forthcoming.
Notes: In 18th century England (where this fic takes place), the premier madhouse was Bethlehem Hospital, otherwise known as Bedlam. This was not a good time to be considered insane. Knowledge was extremely limited, and good “cures” included submerging or showering the patient with cold water and all sorts of things that to modern people would seem quite ridiculous. As added fun, Bedlam was treated as a sort of fashionable menagerie, and visitors went to gawk at the patients. This practice was not stopped until the latter half of the 18th century. There were, of course, private insane asylums for those with money (especially all those inconvenient wives!)
The man cursing the Duke of Cumberland was actually seen by Dr. Samuel Johnson in 1746. The Duke of Cumberland, for those of you unaware, was the English leader at the battle of Culloden in 1746, which was an extremely bloody slaughter of (mostly Scottish) supporters of Bonnie Prince Charlie as true heir to the English throne. Well, this particular Duke of Cumberland, anyway. There were at least five different creations of the title.
Re: A Trip to Bedlam
(Anonymous) 2012-03-26 07:01 am (UTC)(link)