Something I'd like your take on:
I get the Mcduck family tree but its kinda complicated when you think about it too much. I love it and how all the generations are there but sometimes I get wrapped up in its time line. Scrooge is ancient, his parents moreso, so, for Donald and Della's ages to make sense, Hortense must've had them when she was VERY old.
Scrooge was born in 1867 and is the oldest of his siblings. Hortense was the youngest but noone knows her birth year. But using Scrooge's birth year as a rough estimate, that means she'd have been in her 100s or 90s in 1981, which is when Della and Donald were born, if we are to assume that the reboot takes place in 2017. And that part always confused me! Like I really don't get it. Its not like ducks having babies and being that age is just a thing, judging by how often Scrooge's age is commented on. So I really don't get it? Plus, Webby's cork-board has pictures of Hortense and Quackmore. Quackmore looks in his 30s but Hortense looks at least 10 years older. When I read your fanfic, whenever they are brought up in passing, I always picture Hortense with her short blond hair and in her 30s before she died, same with Quackmore. But then I remembered all of this and wanted to ask your theory on it? 🙂🙂
Loved chapter 11 BTW, it was so realistic!!! I've had some family sessions and boyyyyyy my mom's stubborn. Also, it was just really well done and characterful, I can't wait for the next one!!!❤
Firstly thank you so so so much! I appreciate the love and support!!! It means the literal world to me ❤❤❤
Super long answer incoming! *rubs hands together excitedly* I've thought a ton about this!.
On to your question; agreed that the family tree is just ridiculous sometimes and Scrooge's age is a bit wild to think about. With only knowing Scrooge's canon birth year I've had to make my own estimates for Matilda and Hortense. For Matilda I've made her birth year 1873 and then for Hortense her birth year is 1877.
Now using those years and if we jump back to Chapter 9 of my fic, the opening of which takes place in 1880, it means Matilda is 7 and Hortense is 3 at the start of Chapter 9. And Scrooge of course is 13.
So where does that leave us? We got that down but how are they still alive all this time? The immortality on Castle McDuck of course. But wait, when was Castle McDuck rebuilt? Unfortunately I can't find any answer on that. Now that castle may have ORIGINALLY been built sometime in the 900's (before 946 is the only specification I can find.) But definitely no answer I can find regarding when Scrooge rebuilt it.
Thus I've had to come up with my own answer for when Scrooge rebuilt the castle.
Without any immortality of his own, Scrooge at aged 29, 16 years after he left home, rebuilds his ancestral family home.
Matilda is 23 by this time and Hortense is 19. Both still live at home with Fergus and Downy trying to help out. There's a lot of guilt on Fergus and Downy's part as they want their daughters to be able to go out and be in the world as Scrooge did and find success and love and good things as he has been instead of at home helping them in their old age. But Hortense and Matilda insisted. But then Scrooge surprises them with a visit and a gift of the castle. A castle that thanks to the druid magic (I'm keeping that part true) preserves the life of those who dwell inside.
So for Hortense this means she was 104 by the time 1981 came around. Wowza. But obviously she isn't that old from our few pictures of her and whatnot. So what's the deal?
After the castle is done and the family moves in, they all stay there for a long, long time. Initially not knowing that the magic is preserving their life. They do know they can't safely travel out into the fog (which I say is probably just some fae bullshit. In Scotland, always blame the fae.) But it takes quite a few years if not decades for them to realize their life is being preserved.
1927. 31 years after coming to live in the castle. Matilda is the first to grow restless with this life. So she leaves one fog clearing. 5 years later she returns with stories to tell, things from the outside, and has even aged a little bit. It isn't much but it can be seen. This starts to become more frequently for Matilda. She's been doing this for long enough now that this is why she has the appearance of someone who's probably about her late 30's maybe mid 40's at the most when we finally meet her in Fight for Castle McDuck!
Hortense though took a lot longer to ever venture outside. She didn't want to leave her parents alone, even when Matilda offered numerous times to stay so she could venture out. But it was just too darn scary! She'd never been out on her own before, ever! And now surprise! It's been decades and she's still 19 years old! So she was scared to venture out on her own without Matilda but also didn't want to leave her parents alone for the next 5 years.
Eventually though after some time of Matilda coming and going and Hortense still being too afraid, her dear Ma and Pa have a sit down with her. The next fog lifting is coming up soon and Matilda is ready to head out again. And this time, they want her to go with her. And she's at first so scared or worried that she did something wrong but it's not that at all. They just want her to be able to live. They love her immensely but want her to get to have a chance to live as well. So, please, go out there. Live a little. Grow a little. Feel the sun on your face. Meet people. Fall in love. Experience what life is supposed to be.
And though she was afraid, she joined Matilda for the first time in 1957 (Poodle skirts for Hortense!)
So this now becomes their thing. Hortense and Matilda leave when the fog lifts and come back 5 years later. A little older, a little wiser, with things and stories and people met.
And then in 1969, Quackmore and Hortense meet.
So, obviously the original birthdate for Quckmore (1875) doesn't work here. So I've had to think of my own for him as well. 1945 is the year Quackmore Duck was born. This means he'd be 24 when he first meets Hortense.
They immediately drive each other crazy and are madly in love.
So when it's getting to be time to return to the castle, Matilda has a crazy suggestion. He should come with them. Meet the family! See it for himself!
It was scary to agree to but Hortense explained it to him and he took it surprisingly well. He might have not fully believed her which, fair. But he was willing to do so. So he said goodbye to his family for the meantime and left his job and joined them at the castle for the next 5 years, in 1972.
And he indeed learned that Hortense wasn't kidding.
Now these two still have their iconic tempers. They would certainly fight and get frustrated with each other and whatnot. Pa even suggested after one particularly nasty argument that they just chuck him into the fog. But somehow, inexplicably, they never ended things. Love still burned as did their tempers. And to Hortense's surprise, her parents were continously encouraging her to move away and get married and gave a children if she wanted, have a life outside of this place. If not Quackmore, at least someone! But it's still such a scary thought! Marriage??? A her age!? Well, not her literal age. But still. What a thought. Moving away. Not living at the castle. Having a life. A REAL life! Could she even do it!? She's been so young and alive for so long could she really face growing old and dying someday?
So it was incredibly shocking to Hortense and Matilda both that in 1977, less than a week after the fog lifted and the 3 left the castle, that Quackmore Duck proposed to Hortense.
And though she was scared, she chose life. A life with him. Even if it meant moving out of the castle and facing change and growing old and dying someday. It would be a life worth living. So she said yes.
But they could still have their fights and frustrations but they seemed to mellow out more and more with time. The biggest thing they fought over past this point was whether or not to move to America. Ultimately they decided to do so even though it wasn't easy.
And then in 1982, holding their not quite year old twins in hand, Quackmore and Hortense returned to the castle for the night. Only the night. They didn't stay. They just wanted to introduce the grandkids. The surprise was incredibly welcomed.
And sadly it was the last time.
Because in 1987, the next time the fog lifted, Hortense and Quackmore had already passed. Scrooge struggled to face his own family in this time so he sent Duckworth to take the children to their grandparents for the night while he attended to other matters around Scotland. So twins and Duckworth, Matilda and Fergus and Downy, all grieved together for this one evening.
And Scrooge spent it alone.
So anon, to make a long post short, the TL;DR here is. Yes Hortense was over 100 years old but my interpretation of how the castle works is everyone who lives inside it remains frozen at that age until they leave. People who only visit for the brief window that the fog is lifted but are gone before it closes again (like Scrooge and the kids in 2017 for example) aren't affected. But if you're there when the fog closes again you'll now be stuck at that age until you leave again. So Hortense going to live in the castle at a fairly young age and not venturing outside of it for so long and plus always returning in another 5 years means that ultimately she was only about 33/34 when the twins are born and only 38/39 when she died. Quackmore was 37/38 at the time of his death although technically 42 adding the 5 years he stayed in the castle when he died. And she's technically 110. Also just on a random note I'm gonna say I believe she was fairly blonde until around the time of her death then her hair turned gray. It wasn't like a side affect of the castle or anything, I think she just started prematurely graying. Quackmore jokes with her about how much she looks like Downy but she doesn't actually hate it. In fact she fully embraces the oncoming head of gray. People tell her it makes her look older than she is and she just chuckles that it's her old soul poking through. She doesn't take their suggestions or offers to cover up her gray. It's a sign of a life well lived. She lived a long life with love and family and experiences.
She died with only two regrets. One that her dear big brother Scrooge was still so cold and distant from the family. And two, that she wasn't going to be able to be there for her children.
Hopefully, he would take care of them as he promised. He would step up as their guardian and they'd warm his heart. Maybe even help him reach back out to the rest of the family again and they could all be together and close again.
Even if she couldn't be alive for it.
