#baudelaire mansion

[beatricebidelaire]

now and then

The Baudelaire Mansion, now and then.

~2.3k. Beatrice-centric, ensemble cast.

written for day 2 of woevember of @asouefanworkevent, The Baudelaire Mansion

The Baudelaire Mansion was built during Beatrice's teenage years. Beatrice still remembers seeing it gradually becoming taller each time she visited the then still-in-development building. Mother and Father were living in their previous place not far away from there but a lot smaller, and Beatrice was mostly living at the VFD headquarters when she was in The City. She spent quite a lot of time outside of The City though, back then. The Hinterlands and Mortmain Mountains. Paltryville. Widdershin's submarine. R's place at Winnipeg.

Each time she came back, the mansion looked a little more complete than the last time.

The mansion is her parents' gift to her, and since she's going to be the one to live in it after it's complete, she had quite a lot of say over the design. VFD's architecture classes came in handy, but even more so were the books she found in the library, and her friends - a couple of years older than her but already running a hotel of their own. Of course, each of them had their own opinion on things, which Beatrice took into consideration all very enthusiastically, and usually ended up with a surprising choice that people never quite expected. Or perhaps they did, knowing that she's always full of surprises.

Teenage Beatrice had thoughts about how the rooms and spaces would be used, once the mansion was all done. She had visions of filling the kitchen with all kinds of food and spices and ingredients (- well, aside from peppermints, something she and her family have always been allergic to) and kitchen appliances and fancy plates and wine collection. And of course root beer floats. Always root beer floats.

She and Lemony were very much in love then, and she's not only in love with him but also all the things they love together - poetry and literature and music and she playing soccer while he cheerleads in the background and various food and most of all the root beer floats. And of course their friends. Their wondrous collection of tight-knitted friends whom she adored endlessly and whom she once upon a time thought all those friendships could go on forever.

How young she was, back then. How young they all were.

[continue reading]

[littlestsnicket]

baudelaire mansion ( @asouefanworkevent )

Beatrice plays several jaunty arpeggios, improvising along with her smallest daughter’s delighted shrieking. She is not a talented pianist but she does alright enough to entertain her family, and if not her, who else will play the grand piano in the ballroom?

It seems a waste to let such a lovely room, with its wide windows, gilt mirrors, and glittering chandelier, go unused just because hosting balls has fallen out of fashion.

She smiles at her three children, unaware of the significance of the green varnish that remains in the divots of the floor despite an unnecessary number of refinishings.

[somewhat-bored]

After the events of atwq, Ellington vowed to ruin Lemony’s life through destroying the only thing he deemed incorruptible, untainted by the treachery surrounding every aspect of his life, the only thing that made him happy:

Rootbeer floats.

She put an absurd amount of effort into this.  The diner Lemony goes to solely for the rootbeer?  She shut it down after anonymously reporting several health code violations.  Every rootbeer bottle Lemony gets from the store?  Thoroughly shaken by Ellington.  His ice cream?  She takes it out of the freezer and lets it melt, or if she’s feeling particularly evil she eats all of it and sticks it back into the fridge.

Lemony thinks that this is the behavior of other volunteers, ones who have no regard for the possessions of others.  It’s not until the Baudelaire mansion burns to the ground that Ellington reveals herself.

“Snicket.”

“Feint.”

“Your suffering brings me great joy.”

“You... you killed Beatrice?  You left their home in ashes just to get back at me.”

“What?  No, who are you even talking about?  I’ve been preventing you from having decent rootbeer floats for the past fifteen years.”

“...”

“If I was going to kill someone, it would be you.”

“My rootbeer... how could you?!”

“You don’t deserve rootbeer!”

“Ellington, that’s like saying you don’t deserve coffee!”

They proceed to have one of the most petty arguments recorded in history.

“And you know what?!  Your sister’s been helping me get my revenge the whole time!”

“Just because I killed your father?!  Does that warrant such atrocities?!  What did my rootbeer ever do to you?!”

[asouearchitecture]

the debris of the Baudelaire mansion

[hvbris]

𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐄 & 𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐓@mcltiples

"The art room?" repeated Violet with a smile, "that sounds great! I love inventing things." While she would prefer a workshop to work on her creations, an art room was already quite exciting, and would allow her to work on her sketches and designs.

"Where did you go?" she asked politely, following Marinette in the school's corridors. "I moved around a lot, and lived with relatives after the fire that destroyed my house. My Aunt Josephine lived near Lake Lachrymose, it's a very beautiful lake."

The compliment was met with a wider smile. The kind that made her eyes get pushed up by the apples of her cheeks. This was going so well and she was proud of herself for making a new friend right away.

"Mhm," She nodded in confirmation. With a quick pause, looking in either direction, she pointed towards her left. "Let's start with the art room, it's where all the others gather around to do all sorts of creative things,"

Leading the way, she made sure to pay attention to Violet's words. Her eyes widened just a tad. Surprised to hear just how far she's moved from. "Wow, I've been there before, it was really nice," Even if she found herself in the midst of the same chaos she dealt with on a regular basis. "Which part?"

[sizeofyoursoul]

Interview with the Vampire, The Original Ending

From The Vampire Companion by Katherine Ramsland:

"The first draft of IV was somewhat different from the version that was eventually published. The boy reporter guesses Louis's age to be around thirty-five rather than twenty-one, and much of Louis's story remains the same- with the exception of his discovery that Lestat wrote poetry as a boy- until he and Claudia arrive in Eastern Europe.

Although Louis and Claudia made plans to go directly to Paris, they stay there only two days, for Claudia's reading of vampire lore urges them toward the superstitious lands of Hungary and beyond. The description of their travels is brief, but the vampiric discoveries are the same as in the published version: mindless, animated corpses. Louis realizes that this is what Lestat became after he was resurrected from the swamp, and Lestat is never heard from again in this version.

They return to Paris, take a flat on the boulevard du Temple, frequent art galleries, and attend parties and balls. Soon they see a lone vampire on the banks of the Seine, then a pair walking, and another in a theater. These vampires flee from them, so Louis and Claudia make themselves more conspicuous in the hope of inviting the vampires to approach them.

One night they return to their rooms to find one female and nine male vampires, all dressed in black. These vampires are rather inscrutable, but they invite Louis and Claudia to a house on the Faubourg St .Germain. The house is a musty old mansion that is staffed by elderly human servants who hope to be made vampires one day. Inside, Louis and Claudia see paintings similar to those described in the subterranean room in the Theater of the Vampires. They are met by Armand, who invites them to a ball, where he ladles animal blood from an ornate cauldron into crystal goblets.

About twenty vampires enter the room and form an oval. They recite from Baudelaire's poem, "Les Fleurs du Mal," which offers images of hell, degradation, and death. Louis believes that the vampires must be connected to Satan in some fashion, which gives him some small comfort: he is about to uncover answers to his pressing theological questions.

Two servants then bring in a blond girl, and the scene is a repeat of that in the Theater of the Vampires. She begs for her life, but succumbs to the death they offer, and is passed around. Louis drinks from her, although he is horrified at the orgy of feasting. Armand then takes Louis to a bedroom where another mortal woman is sleeping, and Louis crawls in with her and drinks from her as she sleeps. Louis then engages with Armand in a theological discussion similar to that in the published version of IV. It becomes clear to Louis that Armand has no knowledge of God or Satan, for Armand describes himself as merely part of the natural rhythms of life and death.

Later Louis observes the coven's ceremonies and mannerisms: they prize conformity, abhor wasted opportunities, and delight in provoking one another with elaborate dares and challenges. Also, the making of a new vampire is for them a communal act, involving a democratic process. Louis remains aloof and detached from this coven. He does not like what he sees of their rigid rules. But Claudia quickly exchanges her lavender dresses for black and allows her hair to be dyed white so that she fits in with the coven. She also befriends three brothers who teach her how to torment priests.

When the other vampires learn that Claudia killed Lestat, they decide that his death was just, and there are no punitive consequences; Claudia does not die in this version of the story. However, she does leave Louis for vampires who seem to her to be more her own kind. Left on his own, Louis wanders around Paris alone. One night Armand catches up with him and asks why Louis has shunned him. Louis insists he is completely taken with Armand but does not feel kinship with the rest of the coven. Armand leaves them for Louis. He tells Louis how he was made a vampire in Venice at the age of twenty-five and how he lived with his vampire maker/lover for over a century. They leave Paris together and travel the world.

Louis convinces Armand that what they do is evil, and Armand agrees to go into the sun with Louis and destroy himself if that is what Louis wants. However, Louis does not really desire this, and he eventually gives in to pressure from Armand to go to New Orleans. There he learns how to use the cemeteries to find Armand's favorite victims: those who want to die. One poignant scene describes a mother one year after the death of her daughter. She has also lost her mother and cannot conceive of continuing with life without these two. Time has given her no reprieve, and she suspects that life is just not worth it. It is the expression of Rice's own despair at the time (1973).

Louis admires Armand's ability to draw close to such victims, but he prefers those who struggle to hang on to life. He then also informs the boy reporter that New Orleans was the place of his greatest suffering as a vampire, for it was where he met his mortal love. As tantalizing as this piece of information is, the tale ends here, and the identity of this character is not made known. The boy realizes that dawn is approaching and backs out of the room, hoping Louis will not notice.

By the time he reaches his car, Louis is there, angry that the boy had kept him talking simply to keep his mortal body safe, and he wants the tapes back. Armand arrives and tells Louis that the boy will do with the tapes what Louis wants done: he will make them public. Louis and Armand get into a cab together, while the boy goes to the radio station to listen to what he has recorded."

[astheworldgoesonitswickedway]

After all that work, and after all that tragedy, if Count Olaf had finally succeeded in getting the Baudelaire fortune, I think we can all agree he would have blown it in about two weeks max. He may have wanted it because it was the BAUDELAIRE fortune. But. The man put everything on the line for decades worth of revenge and one big partying spree that would have left him in exactly the same position as before. Lazing around that rotting house with his wannabe actor troupe, plotting stupid crime and being depressed. Things would probably have continued on just the way they were, living his life of mindless chaos. And If that's not in character I don't know what is. 🤦🏻‍♀️😅

While I was briefly swayed into thinking he would purchase a nicer home, I came to the conclusion Olaf wouldn’t be emotionally capable of leaving his mansion. And if he was, his new home would end up the same way.

[asouefanworkevent]

another fall is upon us! another woevember is coming!!

what is it?

woevember is an asoue fanwork event week, that will take place from november 12th through november 18th, 2023. last year there was a different group of characters each day, and this year, each day of the week is dedicated to a different location for a series of unfortunate events or all the wrong questions.

what do i do?

the prompts will be revealed now, so everyone has time to make something. between now and the week of november 12th, you’ll create fanworks about the prompts, and then post it on the corresponding day during november 12th - 18th!

don’t forget to tag this tumblr (asouefanworkevent) in the post so i can find it and reblog it, and tag the post with #woevember !

what do you mean by fanwork?

everything! fanfic and fanart are of course allowed, but woevember has always been meant to be an event that is as big or as little effort as you want! fanwork also means edits, gifs, analysis posts, headcanons!! your cosplay!! your photography!! your photosets!! your web weaving!! your super short fics!! your sketchiest drawings!! your most ramble-y half-fic idea posts!! your wip scenes!! you merely saying 'lemony snicket, though. am i right?????' (and you are. you're so right.) whatever you are moved to make from the prompts! i want people to be encouraged to and be able to create even something small that didn’t exist before for the snicketverse, and share it with other people!

are there any rules?

to keep the event open and comfortable for everyone, no explicit content. also, as always, sibling romance and age gaps will not be tolerated.

do i have to make something for every day?

only if you want to! feel free to just make something for one day if you want :) the point of having a different theme for each day is so some part of canon that you like comes up eventually, and you can at least make something for one of the days. or you get struck by an idea you might not have considered before! i want to get people thinking about all the intriguing people and places in asoue and atwq and the exciting different ways we can interpret and create from the same idea.

what are the prompts?

the description under each prompt is just some ideas to get your brain going -- feel free to take them in another direction too!

november 12th - olaf's mansion

to celebrate the 24th anniversary of the bad beginning! what becomes of the house post-canon? was it olaf's family home? what sort of nefarious, or, perhaps, completely innocent shenanigans have occurred here, pre-canon? does this house also have a secret passage somewhere?

november 13th - the baudelaire mansion

did beatrice and bertrand build the mansion? what sweet pre-canon moments have we missed with the baudelaire children and their parents? what visitors came there? do people still think the mansion remains are haunted post-canon? what sort of new home do the baudelaires make for themselves when they return to the city?

november 14th - the clusterous forest

the wild and lawless place. what was it before the water was removed? what sort of beach or shore was there? where did the water go? does it ever come back? what does lemony, or anyone else, find in there? does another train ever come through after the thistle of the valley? do the stain'd-by-the-sea crew ever go in to investigate it? what sort of rumors might be created about a place like the clusterous forest?

november 15th - the hotel denouement

the last safe place! is it vfd-owned, or denouement-owned? what happens down in the archives? are the archives ever found? what sort of firefighter or firestarter meetings have taken place here? what relationship might they have with the preludio hotel? what were the denouements up to at the hotel? what hotel, or what sort of home in general, might frank and ernest create for themselves post-canon, with dewey's absence?

november 16th - the masked ball

the duchess of winnipeg's masked balls have so much potential! what happened at that last one, where lemony tried to contact beatrice? when was that? what happened at past balls? what is the duchess's relationship with the parties? (whether the duchess is jacquelyn or r or jacquelyn is r's daughter is up to you, dear reader!) what costumes do they all pick! or is there even a different masked ball you might have in mind?

november 17th - the reptile room

to also celebrate the 24th anniversary of the reptile room! what becomes of this house post-canon? how did monty come to own the reptile room, where does his herpetology career fit into vfd? why was the quagmire mansion connected to it? how did jacques get there and find quigley? what other moments with the baudelaire children in the reptile room might we have missed -- or pre-canon moments with the baudelaire parents? do not forget about our beloved, the incredibly deadly viper!

november 18th - free space!

there's tons of other locations, too! prufrock prep, heimlich hospital, 667 dark avenue, paltryville, caligari carnival, the city, the punctilio, veblen hall, the orion observatory, the opera, the sewers, the hemlock tearoom and stationery shop, the museum of items, the museum of bad breakfast, the snicket mansion, the quagmire mansion, the island, the mortmain mountains, lucky smells lumbermill, wade academy, killdeer fields, anwhistle aquatics, the queequeg? or do you care not for locations! use the free space to write about the character or relationship or thought of your choosing!

if you have any questions about anything, feel free to drop me an ask or a message!

happy creating, and i hope to see lots of you november 12th-18th!! ✨

[whoslaurapalmer]

i was listening to slippery slope yesterday and. i forgot!! how much this part hurt!!

"Hello?" Violet called, looking around her at the rubble. "Hello?" She found that her eyes were filling with tears, as she called out for the people she knew in her heart were nowhere nearby. The eldest Baudelaire felt as if she had been calling for these people since that terrible day on the beach, and that if she called them enough they might appear before her. She thought of all the times she had called them, back when she lived with her siblings in the Baudelaire mansion. Sometimes she called them when she wanted them to see something she had invented. Sometimes she called them when she wanted them to know she had arrived home. And sometimes she called them just because she wanted to know where they were. Sometimes Violet just wanted to see them, and feel that she was safe as long as they were around. "Mother!" Violet Baudelaire called. "Father!"

[unfortunatetheorist]

Orwellian Secrets: Is Brett Helquist in the Netflix series?

I would like to dedicate this theory to @snicketstrange, as well as credit him for the concluding ideas of this theory.

After TCWOCL Part 7, TMM Part 1, I noticed a theorist's window of opportunity. In the scene where Georgina hypnotises Klaus, one of the pictures she shows him is the picture of the burnt remains of his home: the Baudelaire mansion after the fire.

She asks him, "Fire or accident?" ... I'll lay out my thoughts on this in a separate post.

In TBB:RE, Lemony describes a part of his research at the Baudelaire mansion:

pp. 12-13 Here and there, the children could see traces of the home they had loved: fragments of their grand piano, an elegant bottle in which Mr. Baudelaire had kept brandy, the scorched cushion of the windowseat where their mother liked to sit and read.

Curiously enough, Mr. Baudelaire's brandy bottle was found on the remians of the dining table, with no coasters nearby. This would indicate that either the coasters were burned beyond recognition, or the Baudelaires had received a visitor who had no manners whatsoever.

The picture in the series (when paused at the correct moment!) can be identified due to the large 'portion' of grand piano. But @snicketstrange has helped me come to the conclusion that:

Brett Helquist is NOT in the Netflix series; instead, it is the photographer of LSTUA, Julie Blattberg.

In LSTUA, we get this:

Crucially, this proves: the fact that Mr. Helquist made an illustration does not mean that the only source of images available are the ones he created.

Plus, logic (@snicketstrange, thank you for providing this logic 😅) dictates that photography and film are closer than drawing (illustration) and film.

Therefore:

THEORY: Julie Blattberg, Lemony's photographer, is a part of the Netflix canon.

Possibly:

As an undercover member of The Daily Punctilio

As herself, helping Lemony and Beatrice II write 'A Series of Unfortunate Events'.

With help from @snicketstrange,

~ Th3r3534rch1ngr4ph, Unfortunate Theorist/Snicketologist

[when-we-drive-away-in-secret]

aside from Lesbian Reasons™︎ (understandable.), what is it about esme that makes you adore her so?

Ooooooh boy I am SO glad you asked

Okay, so first off I just think she's fun. Like, obviously a terrible person, but a fascinating character—the show kind of did her dirty in some regards, but if we go off the books, she's definitely one of the most competent adults, and yet no one actually seems to acknowledge it?

Like, especially in terms of the fandom, people CONSTANTLY underestimate her as a character, but I'm so intrigued by her. We're introduced to her as just another terrible guardian; selfish, arrogant, frivolous. Not a terrible person, but not a good one, either. She cares more about trends and appearances than the lives of children, but there doesn't seem to be any real malice in it. And then the children tell her everything; they've discovered a good portion of her and Olaf's plan, and if it were Olaf confronted with this information, he would have become immediately violent and panicked. He probably would have lashed out, grabbing a child (most likely Sunny) and threatening them to get them to fall in line. Not Esmé, though. She stays perfectly calm, perfectly in-character. She guides the children outside, reassures them, and switches at the last minute, pushing them into a pre-prepared trap. The children—very intelligent, notorious for seeing through disguises—had no idea until they were falling however many feet to their presumed deaths.

Then, even more fascinating, she fools them again. Sure, you can argue the kids didn't interact all that much with officer Luciana, but when Olaf "disguises" himself, it takes them all of two seconds to clock him. Even Fernald is better at disguises than the supposed actor! But Esmé talks to them, has a whole scene in the court, and they have no idea. If I remember rightly, even when Olaf shows up, it's not until the end of the book that they actually clock her. And yet everyone pretends she's the incompetent member of VFD!

Then of course there's the rivalry with Beatrice. We know Esmé tried to save Olaf's parents, and yet Esmé's the villain and Beatrice is the hero (another gorgeous demonstration of the grey-morality typical throughout the entire series). But do we get any explanation? Kit specifically had to get past Esmé to give Beatrice the darts—why? It implies that Esmé was not only aware of what was going on, but actively trying to stop it—did she tell Olaf? Did he not believe her? Did she try anyway, knowing what the deaths of his parents would do to him? (I have my own personal answers to all of these questions, and a long-ago thought up fic plot to explore them, but that's another story). And why was there a tunnel connecting the Baudelaire mansion to the penthouse? In the books, it isn't even a network of tunnels; it's all but stated it was a direct route! Why? Why was Esmé so intent on getting that penthouse? Why didn't she use the tunnel? Or did she? When? And what for?

There are just so many curious elements to her character that I LOVE to think about, and mentally expand upon—but also the lesbian reasons, of course

[littlestsnicket]

i have no idea what i would do with this headcanon, but i'm kind of obsessed with the idea that all of the vfd mansions that were built in the city around the same time (both the baudelaire's and olaf's) were built from the same architectural plans with the same wood from lucky smells lumber mill.

the idea of the baudelaire's walking into a mirror of their own lost home--and maybe it's in such a state of disrepair and carnage that they don't even consciously notice it--really intrigues me.

[didsomebodysaypancakes]

Sugar Bowl Theory - Beatrice Edition

I'm wondering if the sugar bowl, at least in the books, held written or recorded documentation by Beatrice herself of her actions while working for VFD, either a confession, diary, or just reports to keep track of everything.

We know very little about the sugar bowl, but what we do know is that its contents are thought to exonerate Lemony and implicate Olaf. There's also the fact that everyone's after the sugar bowl and Widdershins wouldn't tell the Baudelaires what was inside.

Assuming Beatrice included everything she knew and did, including the fact that she killed Olaf's father at the opera, this might be enough to exonerate Lemony (assuming there's no accomplice or conspiracy liability in ASOUE-world). I could also see why Widdershins would think this information was too horrible for the Baudelaires to know. Who would want to tell these kids that the only people who loved and took care of them did such horrible things?

It wouldn't be surprising if the work she did involved Olaf and his crimes. For that matter, plenty of other people could be implicated by this documentation. It would expand the potential of who could have burned down the Baudelaire mansion, even on the supposed fire-fighting side (after all, though Violet, Klaus, and Sunny are thought to be more closely affiliated with the fire-fighting side, they start plenty of fires themselves).

I also think this would fit with how voiceless Beatrice is throughout the series, but how central she is to the series itself. As far as I remember, we don't get any dialogue or writings from Beatrice in The Unauthorized Autobiography. And in The Beatrice Letters, we never get Beatrice I's side of the correspondence. Of course, Beatrice is too dead (probably) too quickly (probably) to say anything in the 13 ASOUE books. But still, each of the 13 books is dedicated to her, her kids are targeted by Olaf and his crew largely because of his hatred of her, even without a voice she is central to the series. So, having a chance to have Beatrice tell her side of her story, but then constantly having that chance be just out of reach until it is finally lost forever (like Beatrice herself) I think fits thematically with her role in ASOUE.

[moldygreenblue]

Ashes, Ashes, We All Fall Down

[Day six prompt for Woevember, created by @asouefanworkevent]

(In Which A Submarine Captain Has a Reason to Visit Ruins)

“I still don’t understand why we’re here, Stepfather,” said Fiona. She took her gaze away from the ruined library, and up to the former grand stair cases. Carefully, Fiona placed her hand onto a burnt wooden railing. “And so late at night. Didn’t Jacques Snicket investigate the ruins?”

The two stair cases are still strong and structured; Snicket’s report noted how they were still sturdy to step on. But walking up them is dangerous to those who are inexperience in ruins. Widdershins placed his cold hands into his coat pockets, and walked towards the stairs.

“Aye. But there’s something Snicket forgot to search for in his investigation,” said Widdershins. “Something that escaped his mind entirely. Not that I can blame him, aye. He has so much on his mind as of now. The same goes to Kit Snicket. Aye, I can’t blame them at all…”

To think that Jacques and Kit forgotten about it! Especially Kit! Just because it’s small and fits in the palm of one’s hand, it’s of no importance and forgettable!

Or…maybe it is of unimportance and forgettable. Widdershins was never a close associate to Beatrice. Or Bertrand. Or even R, Duchess of Winnipeg. He could be wrong with how they truly felt about it the entire time. Especially R; Widdershins knew from Kit how R felt the ring was a heavy burden to wear, especially on the finger. But he who hesitates is lost. Aye, it’s better to find it and return it. Or at least try to find it. Who knows if it survived the fire.

“Stepfather?” asked Fiona. “Where are you going?”

“Upstairs,” continued Widdershins, carefully placing his foot on the first step. “Fiona, if you see anyone suspicious, hide the best you can. Aye, hide or run for your life. Either will do.”

(In Which An Unknown Swimming Woman's Identity Is Known)

“It is truly necessary for us to leave with you?” asked Widdershins, hesitantly. He curled one end of his odd mustache. “I know that it shouldn’t fall into the wrong hands, but—”

“Widdershins,” interrupted R, “you and I know that the Baudelaires are almost full-fledge volunteers. By organization standards —current standards— their training is complete. And in regards to Fiona…”

R played with her ponytail. She reminded herself to not speak to Widdershins as one parent to another. She had to speak to Widdershins as a Volunteer. She can’t let her desire to find Ramona —God, R desperately hope that Ramona was still alive and with the Snow Scouts— have her say the wrong thing to Widdershins.

“With Monty’s death, Fiona has been an involuntary volunteer for quite some time now. And you and I know that it’s time for her to truly volunteer. By assisting me in this mission, you’re allowing Fiona to take the first step of her journey towards it.”

Widdershins stopped curling his mustache. He reached into his pocket —R forgot those suits have pockets— and frowned as he pulled out his spyglass. Was he looking for something else?

Widdershins gripped the spyglass tightly, and then turned to Phil.

“Phil, there’s a change of plans,” said Widdershins. “Get the balloons nonetheless.”

“Yes, captain.” Phil scurried off to who knows where for the balloons.

With Phil going elsewhere, Widdershins gave his attention back to R. Widdershins placed his spyglass back into his pocket. The frown was still on his face.

“Widdershins,” asked R. “What’s the matter?”

“…Many things. The current matter at hand I want to discuss is regarding one of your belongings. But I forgotten I lost it in Hurricane Herman until I reached into my pocket.”

“Widdershins, the fire destroyed all of my belongings. I lost my furniture, my father’s cigar box, my snacks, the non-fireproof drapes, the Winnipeg jewelry like the earrings and the necklace and…” R trailed off. “You went to the Baudelaire Mansion ruins, did you?”

“Aye. The ring survived the Baudelaire Fire. Second floor, in the remains of Beatrice and Bertrand’s bedroom. My plan was to return one of your belongings back, and now—”

“Oh, Widdershins,” interrupted R. “I understand what you were trying to do. And I appreciate it. I do. But…” R sighed. “You and I know that ring hasn’t belong to me in a long time.”

(In Which An Old Man Wonders, And Perhaps You Should Too)

On first glance, the abstract markings on the ring’s band are just that. Abstract markings. But upon closer inspection, the markings are two Rs; one faces forward while one faces backward.

The ring’s gem is a deep violet color. Or purple; the two colors are one and the same. The gem is an amethyst. Or so he thinks. He’s not that knowledgeable when it comes to gems.

Such a beautiful ring shouldn’t be on such golden sands. But it is.

Ishmael picks it up, and holds it in the palm of his hand. While small, the ring is heavy.

Ishmael knows the history behind the golden ring, the violet or purple amethyst. He knows the family that it belongs too. He knows how the ring went through many owners, before being owned by a woman who never wears it, who prefer to keep it hidden from the world.

It was a ring that Ishmael thought was destroyed in the fire. But it didn’t.

Many questions run through Ishmael’s mind. But they are questions he can only speculate the answers, and not know for fact.

Ishmael slips the ring into his robe’s pocket.

It’s best to turn in for the night.

[afterthegreatunknown]

a headcaon post for the most minor of all characters, violet's friend ben, who i'm giving the surname of gaiters:

out of all of the baudelaires friends, ben would have contacted them directly after the baudelaire fire, had the gaiters family not been on vacation. ben as such got a shock when he went to visit the baudelaire mansion like any other day, only to see the remains.

when learning they were in the city in the care of count olaf, ben tried contacting them. but letters sent were return, calls went unanswered, and visits were stop by the acting troupe. by the time the baudelaires were sent to live with dr. montgomery montgomery, ben assumed they didn't want anything to do with their old lives anymore.

ben tried contacting the baudelaires once more when he learn they were going to prufrock prep. knowing his first cousin carmelita spats attended there, ben knew the baudelaires need help trying to survive the cruel girl's antics. the letters were once again, returned. but ben suspected sunny at least seen his letters, for they were 'damaged' via four small holes.

his attempts to contact them again when he learned they were back in the city, living with the squalors, also failed. this time he made phone calls, and they always went unanswered. the one time he got through, the woman esme, told them that they were out; ben thought they were 'out' as in the fad, and stopped all together.

when ben read the news that the baudelaires killed count olaf at the village of fowl devotee, he decided to go find them. ben didn't believe the newspaper, not at all. but everything about the baudelaires' lives since the fire has been a mystery. and it's one he needs to solve. and so ben ran away to began his search.

ben found the ashes of dr. montgomery montgomery's home. he saw the cliff that once had josephine anwhistle's home and her shredded life jacket. ben talked to charles on a payphone about the baudelaire's time at the lumber mill. ben personally talked to jerome squalor at 667 dark avenue, with jerome allowing the boy to stay a few day to rest before going on his way again.

not long after this, ben's parents found him. to make sure he doesn't run away again, ben parent's force him to join the snow scouts. ben used as a way to get information from carmelita about the baudelaires time at prufrock prep. and carmelita talked nonstop about the 'cakesniffers' and their friendship with duncan and isadora quagmire (carmelita was furious with violet and her 'crush' on duncan).

ben felt stupid when he got trap in the net, seeing that violet and klaus and the not dead quagmire quigley, were there with the snow scouts. ben felt stupid for not recognizing violet. he wanted to call out to violet, but he was scare of the possibility she didn't recognized him. that same fear was in ben when he and others rowed the carmelita, for he saw the baudelaires and the girl with triangle glasses, and the hook-handed man trying to get back to the other submarine.

when free, having heard about the hotel denouement, ben went directly there. he saw the city firefighter's surrounding the now gone hotel. he saw the ambulances tending to the injured, one being jerome squalor. ben talked to mr. squalor again, learning about the rigged trial, and how the baudelaires and count olaf set the hotel on fire.

ben accompanied jerome to the hospital, as well as visit him every day until the man's release. two parted ways again when jerome brought ben back to his parents, who weren't at home at the time of the fire that destroyed the gaiter's home, having been at the police asking them to find their son (again).

ben after this stopped his search for the baudelaires, living life as he did before. but he didn't throw away his research. and every day, he visits briny beach, hoping to see them there. and one day, a little after the date of the hotel denouement fire, saw them on briny beach, looking worst for wear with a little baby.

ben ran towards them. ben's first instinct was to give violet a hug. but he stopped himself in time, staring at them. ben opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. he wasn't sure if they recognized him. he wasn't sure if things were going to fine. ben fears that they think he had abandoned them, and he couldn't blame them for it.

it's only went violet ran up to him, and gave him a hug as if to make up for all the lost time, did ben felt things will at least, work out.