#the denouement triplets

[inner-egg-pong]

if i think about the denouements post-tpp too hard i /will/ combust… the doomed siblings of it all… did e&f survive the fire? are they still a part of vfd? are they still on opposing sides? how do they cope with losing dewey, the glue holding their relationship together? do they blame themselves for dewey’s death? do they blame the other? do they part ways or do they rebuild the hotel together? too many thoughts not enough answers

[the-nonsense-is-mine]

logically the concept of the hotel as a library was probably dewey's idea HOWEVER

I like to consider that Frank and Ernest organized the rooms in the hotel like that so that they could say their brother's name every time they explained it

[beatricebidelaire]

the other day i was thinking about olaf being described as tall in the books, and then i paused to consider, was he "much taller than average", or just "seemed tall from a child's perspective"? after all, olaf's age, according to DH, is "however old children think old people are". so when he was described as tall, could that just be that he looked tall to the three kids.

so i thought, were other people described as tall? off the top of my head the one thing i recall is, jacques was described as " not as tall as olaf" and "not as thin as olaf", and possibly the only adult character whose height is directly compared to olaf's iirc

for comparison's sake, i went back to check if other adults were described as tall as well. olaf and each of his disguises were repeatedly described as tall. within his troupe. the bald man has been described as tall, and fernald, while in disguise, has also been described as tall. charles and sir were both described as tall at some point. so were georgina, esme, jerome. and some more.

esme, like olaf and fernald, has also been described as tall when in disguise and using a fake name. she's also been described as slender.

denouements are also tall, and more than once described as "tall and skinny, with legs and arms sticking out at odd angles"

side note: this has nothing to do with height but: georgina is described to have blond hair. this is interesting because in the books it wasn't that often that a character's hair color is specified. aside from georgina, olivia is described to have blonde hair - "with a flick of her wrist, she unraveled the turban, and her long, blond hair fell down around her tearstained face" (she, on the other hand, was not described as tall)

references below:

poe:

 a tall figure striding toward the Baudelaire children. (tbb)

charles:

the children turned to see a very tall man with very short hair. He was wearing a bright blue vest and holding a peach. (tmm)

nero:

a tall man with a violin under his chin and an angry glare in his eyes. (taa)

georgina:

Dr. Orwell was a tall woman with blond hair pulled back from her head and fashioned into a tight, tight bun. (tmm)

esme:

in walked a tall, slender woman, also dressed in a pinstripe suit. (tee)

Officer Luciana was a very tall woman wearing big black boots, a blue coat with a shiny badge, and a motorcycle helmet with the visor pulled down to cover her eyes. (tvv)

a tall, skinny figure walking down the B aisle STOP. (thh)

jerome:

a tall man wearing a suit with long, narrow stripes down it. (tee)

hector:

A tall skinny man in rumpled overalls stood up from one of the folding chairs as the Chief of Police stepped off the platform with a lipsticked smile on.  (tvv)

jacques:

He wasn’t as tall as Count Olaf, and he wasn’t quite as thin, and there wasn’t dirt under his fingernails, or a nasty and greedy look in his eyes. (tvv)

colette:

a tall skinny woman with curly hair squinting down at them, and in the third was a man with a very wrinkled face who was still asleep. (tcc)

denouement:

He was very tall and skinny, and his arms and legs stuck out at odd angles, as if he were made of drinking straws instead of flesh and bone. (tpp)

even the tall, skinny figure of either Frank or Ernest, who would occasionally rush by them on errands of his own. (tpp)

it was a man, tall and skinny, with his legs and arms sticking out at odd angles, as if he were made of drinking straws instead of flesh and bone. (tpp)

taxi driver from tpp:

the children felt a shadow over them, and looked up to see a tall, skinny figure standing over them. In the darkness the children could not see any of his features, only the glowing tip of a skinny cigarette in his mouth. (tpp)

sir:

The door of the sauna swung open, and Klaus saw a tall, dim figure step into the steam. (tpp)

[william-he-they]

So i gave the denouement triplets diffences to tell them apart when I draw them

Ernest denouement- Hidden Anger issues, burns from starting fires, autumn vibes.

Frank denouement- guilt isssues, eyebrow slit little scar from accidently falling in an abandoned place he was exploreing with friends, Summer vibes.

Dewey denouement- social cue issues, busted finger nails from a chair thats bottom wasnt correctly put on so he got up and tried to push his chair in and his fingers got caught between the wooden seat bottom and the metal legs, small eye bags from loseing track of time in the librarry, spring vibes.

[drowninginredink]

OH MY GOD THIS IS SO TRUE AND THE MOST ACCURATE FAN THEORY EVER

The book’s cover

or “Some musings on the appearance of the Denouement brothers” 

Re-reading the series as a medical student, there are some parts of ASOUE that stick out to me as interesting or just wrong medically and scientifically. I’ve talked about how Kit’s decision isn’t actually what it seems to be when you look at it with a scientific understanding. I haven’t thought that it was worth pointing out in a separate post so I’ll just say it here - Sunny’s allergic reaction to peppermints is impossible since she was never previously exposed to peppermints. Etc. 

One of the things that I noticed while reading TPP was the rather unusual descriptions of the physical appearance of the Denouement brothers:

Keep reading

[oh-look-another]

there’s something about sibling relationships in asoue/atwq that is just,,, unique, for lack of a better word. or maybe wholesome. because most siblings in the snicketverse are like,,, in threes. the snickets. the baudelaires. the denouments. the quagmires. hell, even the white-faced women. it probably means something. i’m too tired too figure out what. it’s just something about them. like i could maybe analyse them tomorrow when i’ve had a good night’s sleep but for now have some of my ramblings.

[ven10]

[badlydrawndrawnings]

ASOUE Characters (The Adults)

And the Beatles Songs I Can't Help But Associate Them With

Lemony Snicket, In My Life (~All these places had their moments/With lovers and friends, I still can recall/Some are dead and some are living/In my life, I've loved them all~)

Beatrice Baudelaire, Golden Slumbers (~Golden slumbers fill your eyes/Smiles await you when you rise/Sleep pretty darling do not cry/And I will a lullaby~)

Bertrand Baudelaire, All My Loving (~All my loving, I will send to you/All my loving/Darling, I'll be true/All my loving/All my loving, Ooh/All my loving, I will send to you~)

Count Olaf, Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) (~I once had a girl/Or should I say she once had me/She showed me her room/Isn't it good Norwegian Wood?~) + (~And when I awoke I was alone/This bird had flown/So I lit a fire/Isn't it good Norwegian wood?~)

Esme Squalor, Girl, being the Girl in question, not the 'singer'* (~She's the kind of girl who puts you down/When friends are there/You feel a fool/When you say she's looking good/She acts as if it's understood~)

*The 'singer' of 'Girl' is Jerome Squalor, who has strong feelings of his former marriage with Esme, more bad than good

Jacques Snicket, While My Guitar Gentle Weeps (~I look at the world and I notice it's turning/While my guitar gently weeps/With every mistake we must surely be learning/Still my guitar gently weeps~)

Kit Snicket, Help* [~When I was younger so much younger than today/I never needed anybody's help in any way/(Now) But now these are gone (These days are gone)/I'm not so self assured/(And now I find) Now I've changed my mind/And opened up the doors~]

*Despite the upbeat tone, the lyrics really do fit Kit

Dewey Denouement, A Day in the Life (~I read the news today, oh boy/About a lucky man who made the grade/And though the news was rather sad/Well, I just had to laugh/I saw the photograph~) + (~A crowd of people stood and stared/They'd seen his face before/Nobody was really sure if he was from the House of Lords~)

Ernest Denouement, Carry That Weight (~Boy, you're gonna carry that weight/Carry that weight a long time/Boy, you're gonna carry that weight/Carry that weight a long time~)

Frank Denouement, You Never Gave Me Your Money (~You never give your money/You only give me your funny paper/And in the middle of negotiations/You break down~)

[snicketverse-fic-finder]

ASOUE characters: How popular are they on Ao3?✨📚😎😮🫢

No.of fics with each character in them

Baudelaires:

Beatrice: 417

Bertrand: 257

🔧Violet: 977 🏆

📚Klaus: 822

🍳 Sunny: 662

👶 Beatrice II: 192

Quagmires:

Mrs Quagmire: 34

Mr Quagmire: 28

🖋️Isadora: 369 🏆

🗞️ Duncan: 367

🗺️ Quigley: 332 (Surprising tbh, I thought he’d win out of the triplets at least)

Widdershins:

⚓️Captain Widdershins: 40

🍄 Fiona: 114

🪝 Fernald: 166 🏆

Olaf+his troupe:

🎭 Count Olaf: 722 🏆

🍸 Esmé Squalor: 379

Woman with hair but no beard: 30

Man with beard but no hair: 25

👓 Georgina Orwell: 143

Henchperson of indeterminate gender: 84

Bald man: 57

White-faced women: 56 (just mildly less popular than the bald man yet there’s TWO of them- that’s gotta blow 😔-)

🎪[The Freaks] 🎪

Kevin: 14 🏅

Hugo: 13

Collette: 12

Denouements:

Frank: 76

Ernest: 92

🦄: 102 🏆

Snickets: (Take this with a grain of salt bc they have a whole other series -ATWQ- going for them)

Jaques: 347

Kit: 410

Lemony: 536 🏆

Guardians+the likes:

🏦 Mr Poe: 104

🗞️ Eleanora Poe: 14

📰 Polly Poe: 1

🐑 Edgar Poe: 10

💰 Albert Poe: 6 (Why is Edgar more popular??)

🐍Uncle Monty: 114

🐍 Ink/The Incredibly Deadly Viper: 8

🪟 Aunt Josephine: 72

Ike Anwhistle: 26

[🚬 Sir: 30

Charles: 54

👓 Georgina Orwell: 143 🏅

😃 Phil: 10 ]

[🎻Vice Principal Nero: 37 (That’s less than the bald man who has maybe 3 lines total, take that!)

Mrs Bass: 4 (Damn.)

Ms. Tench: 2 (Double damn)

Mr Remora: 3

📚 Olivia Caliban: 237 🏅]

🍸 Jerome Squalor: 104

(✨Esmé Squalor: 379 but I put her in the Olaf’s troupe section. This is just for quick comparison to Jerome. Poor guy. Ish. I don’t actually feel that bad for him tbh.)

🦅 The Council of Elders: 4

🎈 Hector: 48

Hal: 8

Babs: 9

Phil: 10

[🍎 Ishmael: 17

🐟 Miranda Caliban: 8

🕶️ Friday Caliban: 26 🏅

🚢 Thursday: 5 ]

Miscellaneous VFD members:

😎 Jacquelyn Scieszka: 172 🏆

🎥 Gustav Sebald: 78

🐟 Larry Your-Waiter: 85

👑 Duchess R of Winnipeg: 61 or 64 (3 are under ‘Duchess R’

Uncategorised:

Ben: 4

🚲 The Paperboy: 3

💃 Carmelita Spats: 149

Top 3:

1~ Violet Baudelaire! 🔧💜 (977 fics on Ao3 are tagged ‘Violet Baudelaire’! 🎉)

2~Klaus Baudelaire!!📚💙(822 fics!)

3~ Count Olaf! 👁️ 😈 (722 fics!)

Loser:

Polly Poe (with a disappointing 1 fic!😱)

[drowninginredink]

Consider: trans male Denouement triplets who originally developed the habit of hiding which triplet they were not because they actually wanted to keep their identity secret, but because they hated their deadnames and no one could call them by them if they didn't even know which person it was. By the time they had names they actually liked, they were stuck in the habit.

Also come on, the idea of Frank picking his name and Ernest going "I know the most annoying name I could pick now that would make people confuse us even more." Like I know the Snicketverse has weird names, but those make a lot more sense if they chose them and not their parents. Also like, yes, the librarian absolute chose to name himself Dewey. He didn't just happen to be born with a fitting name.

It would make it easier to hide Dewey, too. "Oh, our third triplet? Well she's cis, so she left the VFD because she couldn't exactly pretend to be us anymore."

This makes way too much sense for an idea I literally only had because I was thinking over a fic in my head and was like "I don't wanna write PIV sex this time. What if I just transed Ernest?"

[inner-egg-pong]

the thing about ernest denouement is that he is simply the most fascinating character in the entire series. why is he the way that he is. what motivated him to join the fire starters. does he still love his brothers. is he ambidextrous.

[the-nonsense-is-mine]

There is a cluster of people hovering around the front desk of the hotel when Jacques arrives, and both managers are mostly hidden by the many visitors vying for their attention. Jacques takes his time wandering over, pinching an abandoned newspaper and posting himself at the side of the front desk. He scans a few articles as he waits for the crowd to die down.

"What can I help you with today, J?"

Jacques looks up a few minutes later to find that the burst of activity in the lobby has faded. One of the managers stands at the end of the front desk, grinning back at him.

"Hello, Ernest."

His gaze slides over Ernest's shoulder, to where the other manager has just sent a family off to their room, and is turning to face Jacques as well.

"And hello..." says Jacques, raising his eyebrow, "Frank."

Dewey almost hides his laugh, before moving smoothly back into his practiced air of professionalism. He turns away to answer a ringing phone, leaving Jacques with only Ernest and Ernest's poorly disguised amusement.

"This is rather inconvenient," says Jacques, folding his newspaper, "as I was hoping to see your brother."

"My brother is right here," replies Ernest, with immense delight. "I'm sure his phone call will only take a minute. Unless it's something I can do for you instead?"

He leans in over the desk, one hand toying with the cuff of Jacques' shirt. It would be a more convincing ploy if he didn't look like he was seconds away from laughing out loud. Jacques puts his hand on top of Ernest's, pressing down to stop his wandering fingers.

"I think this may be a job that Frank will want to see to personally," he says, purposefully low and suggestive.

Ernest does laugh then, yanking his hand away from Jacques and swatting at his shoulder.

"That," he says, producing a key from behind the desk, "doesn't narrow down the possibilities. Though I'd wager you land a little higher in priority than say, pruning the lobby plants. He's in his office."

He dangles the key between them on one finger.

"Higher than the plants!" Jacques says, winking as he takes the key. "Careful, Ernest, or I might think you're flirting with me."

[beatricebidelaire]

bertrand known amongst the hotel denouement concierges as “the manager’s boyfriend” except the concierges couldn’t quite agree on which manager he was dating but he’s definitely dating (at least) one of them, everyone agreed. and then one day he suddenly stopped coming for a long time, rumor said he’s out of the city. on an island, even. when he’s back in the city they all heard he married famous actress beatrice baudelaire.

[afterthegreatunknown]

a long, complicated denouement headcanon, featuring the sbg

Despite their ‘100%’ identical appearance in TPP/the ASOUE period, the Denouement triplets weren’t 100% identical. Dewey, Ernest, and Frank did not like being mistaken for one another when they were children, partly because the adults thought it ‘cute’ they dress identical. By their pre-teen years, they begun to differentiate from one another, and by the time they became young adults, were 100% no longer identical. Did that stop anyone from mistaking them for the wrong brother? Nope. But they (reluctantly) accepted it as it is.

(It’s ‘100%’ identical because there is one [1] thing that prevents them from truly being 100% identical.)

After an incident that had Dewey almost dying by a fire-starter, the Denouements realize that to keep their family and the newly built Hotel Denouement safe, they had to be identical once again. Fearing also for Dewey’s life, they hatched a plan that they didn’t want to do, but knew was necessary to allow them to be secretly neutral a la Olivia Caliban under the Madame Lulu persona at Caligari Carnival (the organization didn’t grant them permission to be neutral).

The Denouements ended up faking Dewey’s death in an unrelated VFD accident, and have Ernest and Frank fake their own family schism. Ernest ‘joins’ the fire-starters, while Frank remaining ‘loyal’ to the fire-fighters. With the two brothers now on opposite sides yet still running the Hotel Denouement together, both sides end up treading carefully with their actions. As such, the Denouement triplets achieve the goal of neutrality underneath almost everyone’s noses (some are in on the ruse).

So, by ASOUE, they’re ‘100%’ identical. But in the past, they weren’t, yet sometimes still got mistaken for one another despite making it easy. What were those attempts? Who are those that can 100% tell the brothers apart, mostly pre-canon? Who can’t 100% tell the brothers apart, pre-canon (and maybe during canon itself)?

100% can tell the Denouement triplets apart:

Raymond ‘Q’ Quagmire: As their [adopted] cousin, Raymond discovered a speaking quirk the Denouements triplets individually have. Dewey speaks in a steady pace that isn’t too polite or formal; it’s in between. Ernest speaks slightly faster on the casual/friendly side. Frank speaks slightly slower, more directly + formal, and is the sole Denouement to throw in a cuss word in conversation if given the chance/angry (sometimes minor, sometimes major).

(This speaking quirk is the one [1] thing that prevents them from being 100% identical by the ASOUE period.)

Joan Quagmire, nee Morstan, and her triplet sisters Alex and Lindsey: The sisters picked up the speaking quirk after their first meeting with the Denouements. The sisters also discovered how each Denouement triplet -at least Ernest and Frank- use a different dominate hand. Ernest is right-handed, while Frank is left-handed. Dewey while ambidextrous, is more likely to use his right hand than left. So if Joan, Alex, or Lindsey are interacting with either Dewey and/or Ernest but don’t know who it exactly and they’re using their right hand for something, the speaking quirk is their guide.

(By the ASOUE period, Ernest and Frank successfully taught themselves to use their other hand. Frank had the harder time though.)

The Snicket Siblings: The Snicket siblings, not long after picking up on the speaking quirk, discovered the Denouement style their three (3) hairstyles differently. Their first style -short hair with bangs- has Dewey leaving his bangs alone, Ernest sweeps his bangs more towards the right, and Frank sweeps his bangs more to the left. Their second style - hair down to their neck nickname ‘the Mane’- their ends are all different; one of Dewey’s ends goes down  while the other ends flips upward, both of Ernest’s ends flip up, while both of Frank’s ends goes down. Their third style is the ‘growing out’ stage between hairstyle one and two; Dewey never tucks and runs a hand through his hair, Ernest tucks and runs a hand via his right hand, and Frank tucks and runs a hand via his left hand.

(By the ASOUE period, it was agreed via Dewey’s insistence that they rotate one another in a cycle, to keep it lively. During the period of TPP, all three brothers were in their ‘Mane’ phrase, copying Ernest’s style.)

Bertrand: After picking up on the speaking quirk, Bertrand discovered the Denouements react differently regarding hugs and handshakes. Dewey accepts and gives them out with glee. Ernest is always shock when receiving them and ends them quick; he also rarely initiates them but when he does, he does it in a friendly/casual matter. Frank reluctantly accepts and gives them out. Frank is also the sole Denouement willing to tackle/throw someone to the ground if they’re very suspicious, VFD member or not.

(By the ASOUE period, Ernest and Frank managed to act like Dewey regarding hugs and handshakes. Frank also managed to stop tackling/throwing people to the ground, making others do it in his place, like the waitress in TPP who threw that man on the floor after he asked for sugar.)

Beatrice: After picking up on the speaking quirk and hair quirk, Beatrice discovered the Denouements wear different colors socks, even if they’re all dress identically for reasons. Dewey wears blue socks, Ernest wears green socks, and Frank wears red socks. Beatrice also learned another 100% sure way to tell them apart if all three are in a matching suit and tie (they don’t wear bowties) with matching socks; Dewey always has his tie properly on, Ernest’s tie is slightly loosen, and Frank for whatever reason is missing a cuff link, or has one unbuttoned cuff.

(By the ASOUE period, the Denouements decided to wear white socks only. Ernest and Frank also decided to copy Dewey’s dressing habit. Ernest constantly fights the urge to loosen up his tie. Frank quickly adapted to wearing both cuff links/have buttoned cuffs.)

Can 100% tell apart the Denouement triplets. HOWEVER...

R: R learned the Denouement triplets dressing quirk of different color socks, taking weeks to figure out which color each triplet associated with. However, when it comes to a matching suit and tie with matching socks, R for some reason, thinks Dewey is missing the cuff link/has the one unbuttoned cuff, Ernest has the tie properly on, and Frank has the slightly loosen time. R discovers she got this particular quirk wrong post-canon, after an accidental meeting with the sole Denouement triplet survivor.

Monty: Monty learned of the Denouement triplets hair quirks for hairstyle one and two after several rapid conversations with each brother in under an hour. However, Monty never did figure out the quirk for their third hairstyle, and so he keeps quiet on who he thinks he’s talking too to avoid trouble. In Monty’s defense, he rarely interacts with the Denouements when they’re growing out their hair; Monty has the odd luck of interacting with them with either short hair with bangs or with ‘the Mane’.

Widdershins: Widdershins picked up on the Denouements’ speaking quirk after a few years of interactions. However, Widdershins can be trick into thinking he’s talking to the wrong brother. The only Denouements who does the tricking is Ernest, but that’s only in the month of April. Widdershins is mainly trick by his associates who also can 100% tell the brothers apart due to them wanting to prank the Denouements, or are angry at the Denouements and are using Widdershins as their stand-in.

Can 100% tell apart Ernest and Frank, but throw in Dewey...

Gregor and Hector + Josephine: The three discovered that Ernest is right-handed and Frank is left-handed. Because Dewey is ambidextrous with a leaning of using his right-handed, they will make the mistake of thinking Dewey is Ernest, and vice versa until correct, which in that case, they’ll apologize to both. At least Hector and Josephine. Gregor will apologize to Dewey, but not Ernest. Ernest has no idea why he never gets the apology.

Miranda and Olivia: The two Calibans discovered together that Ernest is a bit of a motor-mouth, and Frank is a bit of a slow talker. Dewey’s steady, polite pace has him getting mistaken as Frank by the two. In their defense, they don’t interact much with the Denouements, so they will apologize when corrected. Olivia does it more so, especially to Dewey.

Can 100% tell apart Dewey and Ernest, but throw in Frank...

N (Nestor) Caliban: Like his sisters, N. discovered that Ernest is a bit of a motor mouth. However, his discovery was made when Ernest was with Dewey. As such, Frank’s slightly slow speaking matter is mistaken at times by N. as Dewey trying to get his point across. N. usually realizes he’s wrong after thirty seconds, apologize, and continue on with the conservation.

Haruki: Haruki, because of all the coffee drinks Ernest partakes in with him and Larry, knows the man’s quirks. But Haruki doesn’t know the quirks of Dewey and Frank, for Haruki rarely visits the Hotel Denouement. As such, whenever Haruki runs into Dewey or Frank at a party or meeting, he avoids saying their name or says ‘Denouement’ when talking to one of them.

Can 100% tell apart Dewey and Frank, but throw in Ernest...

The Sebald Siblings: The reason why Sally and Gustav can’t tell Ernest apart from Dewey and Frank is because they interact with Ernest the least. Every quirk known for Dewey and Frank, the Sebalds know. It’s just Ernest’s quirks they lacking knowledge of. They’re as such, apologizing constantly.

Can 100% tell Ernest and Frank apart, but they don’t think Dewey exists (because they got the luck of never interacting with Dewey properly):

Ike: Ike discovered the sock quirk by accident, and the dominate hand quirk after observations. One of the two SBG fire-fighter members to think Dewey as non-existent, sort of. Ike thinks Dewey was a brother to Frank and Ernest (in that order because Ike assumes Frank is older due to his demeanor), but died after choking on an avocado pit. Attempts to tell Ike the truth about Dewey never happen due to Ernest finding it hilarious to stop anyone from telling Ike (this is why Gregor never apologizes to Ernest).

Larry: Larry is the other SBG fire-fighter members to think Dewey as non-existent, sort of. He too, thinks Dewey was a brother who died after choking on an avocado pit, and also not told the truth due to Ernest finding it hilarious to stop anyone from telling Larry. Larry learned on his own very quickly Ernest and Frank have different hairstyles after accidentally getting coffee with Frank once. Larry does learn Dewey is, or was, real, post-canon, and promptly punches the sole surviving Denouement triplet in the stomach for making him [Larry] thinking Dewey died by other means.

Olaf: After interacting with Ernest and Frank after so many years, especially Ernest, Olaf picked up on their hair quirk. Regarding Dewey, Olaf thinks of him as their dead brother who didn’t survive childbirth that comes to ‘life’ every April Fool’s Day. Attempts to tell Olaf the truth are always interrupted by outsiders, before attempts just stop happening.

Esme: Esme picked up on their hair quirk after an accidental night out with Frank (best night Esme ever had). Regarding Dewey, Esme thinks that Dewey was their brother who died as a child in the same fire that also killed their parents, and goes with the ‘joke’ every April Fool’s Day that brings Dewey back to ‘life’. Attempts to tell Esme the truth never happened.

[Regarding the matter of Dewey faking their death and his funeral, which would reveal to the four that Dewey is a real person, they were all conveniently out of the City and Land of Districts at the time of it happening. On the matter of Ernest ‘joining’ the fire-starters while Frank ‘stays’ loyal to the fire-fighters, their return had them learning of a family schism that drove the brothers apart, and weren’t given more information about it.]

100% can’t tell Ernest and Frank apart, and has no idea Dewey exists.

Jerome: Not part of the SBG or VFD, but his association with Beatrice and the Snickets (mainly Jacques) puts him on the list. Jerome, try as he might with Beatrice’s help, he just can’t tell Ernest and Frank apart. Jerome managed it twice, but they were lucky guesses due to Frank swearing. Jerome didn’t get better even after learning of VFD during the ASOUE period.

Charles: Not officially part of VFD, but because he offer his services and has knowledge of VFD and its working, he gets put on the list. Charles, to avoid embarrassment on being wrong, refers to Ernest and Frank as ‘Denouement’, even in less formal settings. This actually works to Charles’ favor, for either one will always say, “Please, call me [X].”

Fernald: Not part of the SBG, but he is a lump member. Fernald legit can’t tell Ernest and Frank apart, even with help from his stepfather (before he became a stepfather). And Fernald didn’t get better after joining the fire-starters. Fernald as such, keeps quiet and hopes others like Olaf or Esme, will recognize they’re talking to Ernest, before jumping into the conversation himself.

100% can’t tell the Denouement triplets apart and doesn’t bother to make the attempt to learn their quirks:

Georgina Orwell: Because Georgina doesn’t see herself as part of the SBG and never makes the attempt to associate/interact with them as if she is, this is chalked up to rare interactions between them. The Denouements rarely are in need her services, and Georgina rarely goes to their hotel (she prefers the Preludio). When they do interact (usually in a meeting or party), Georgina takes the polite route and calls them ‘Denouement’.

Bonus: A lump OSG member who 100% can tell the Denouement triplets apart, but pretends otherwise:

Adeline Montgomery, Monty’s older sister: Adeline is four years older than Monty. When the schism broke out, Adeline being ten and Monty being six pushed her into being lump with the OSG. Adeline can tell the Denouement triplets apart by their hair quirk. The reason she pretends not to is because she feels bad that Monty, who also uses the hair quirk, still makes mistakes, so she makes herself worse in comparison.

[constancecontraire]

i know they canonically wear the same things but in my mind frank wears a necktie and ernest wears a bowtie