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Post by Emma “Emmz” Squalor on Jan 29, 2008 15:05:17 GMT -5
I was inspired by Quagmire44 and have decided to put together bios of my original characters for ASOUE, and will probably do some for the cannon characters in the way they are portrayed in my ficverse.
The first bio is Emma's. I first wrote this back in July or August, but my knowledge of Esmé and Olaf's past together has improved since then, so this is the "improved" version. The original will never see the light of the internet, however.
Anyway, here is Emma...
Name: Emma Esmélita Salinger Squalor DOB: March 6th Age: 12 Current Residence: The penthouse apartment at 667 Dark Avenue Hair Color: Black Eye Color: Blue Height: 5'2" Tall Weight: Thin Distinguishing Features or Marks: One long eyebrow and shiny, shiny eyes.
School: Prufrock Preparatory School Grade: 6th Favorite Subjects: English & music Least Favorite Subjects: math & science Favorite Foods: raspberries & parsley soda Least Favorite Foods: anything spicy
Interests: performing & fashion Qualities: kind; sincere; caring; dramatic (sometimes overly); stylish; short-tempered; confident; resentful; creative; insecure at times; determined. Known Relatives: Esmé Gigi Genevieve Squalor (mother); Count Olaf (father, deceased); Jerome Squalor (godfather); Carmelita Spats (adopted sister); Vice Principal Nero (brother-in-law, husband of Carmelita); Kit, Jr. (niece); Monty, Jr. (nephew, twin brother of Kit)
Personality: Equipped with her parents’ love of acting and her mother’s keen sense of fashion, Emma is prepared to make her mark in the world. She enjoys performing for others and large groups of people don’t bother her at all. In fact, the bigger the crowd, the more confident she becomes and is therefore able to put all of her effort into her performances. She is an active member of Cork St. Clair’s Acting Studio for Gifted and Aspiring Performers. Her dream is to attend the Moonstone University of the Performing Arts when she grows up.
Emma is insecure about her “one single eyebrow” and conceals part of it beneath her hair in order to give the impression that she possesses two instead of one. Due to the teasing she receives concerning her unusual feature, she finds it difficult to get along with people her own age and so typically surrounds herself with adults.
Since Emma has been forced to grow up without a father, it is not surprising that she harbors resentment towards people more fortunate. She harbors crushes on both Walter Dali and Duncan Quagmire.
Aside from her father’s love of performing, Emma has also inherited his vicious temper, which will show itself if she is provoked long enough.
Portrayed As: Madeleine Martin
History: As part of a villainous ploy to gain access to the penthouse apartment at 667 Dark Avenue, Count Olaf convinced his girlfriend and former acting student, Esmé Salinger, to marry wealthy stockbroker, Jerome Squalor. Three months after the wedding, Esmé returned to Olaf and the two embarked on a series of crimes together, along with his villainous acting troupe.
It was in the submarine during The Grim Grotto that Emma was conceived, and after escaping the fire that destroyed the Hotel Denouement in The Penultimate Peril with Carmalita, she and Esmé fled the city and retreated to the Mortmain Mountains. When Esmé discovered that she was pregnant with Olaf’s child, she returned with Carmelita Spats to the city and was reunited with Jerome.
Next up will be Faust, daughter of Fernald and Colette.
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Post by Very Funky Disco on Jan 29, 2008 16:50:50 GMT -5
Sounds awesome! It looks like you've really gone indepth. I have so many characters from all my fandoms to go through, though. I might do a little something on the Quagmires later, though.
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Post by Emma “Emmz” Squalor on Jan 29, 2008 17:02:14 GMT -5
Thanks, I am trying to be as descriptive as possible with the bios. I am working on Faust's bio and she has such a large family it isn't even funny. I will love to read what you come up with for the Quagmires. That should be very interesting.
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Post by Very Funky Disco on Jan 29, 2008 17:15:20 GMT -5
I came up with middle names for the Quagmires the other day, but now I can't even remember what they are. I remember Isadora Rosalee Quagmire, but that's about it. I suppose I should do middle names for the Baudelaires, as well. I was thinking possibly Klaus Lemony Baudelaire, but I think he would've mentioned something - if Lemony was his middle name.
With the Baudelaires, I have to stay within the contraints of their history as estabblished in the books. With the Quagmires, though, I have more freedom to build onto their history. In a way, it's a good thing Daniel Handler left some questions unanswered - so that we as fanfic writers have more room for imagination.
Do you think Daniel Handler or Lemony Snicket of the ASOUE Universe would look like Daniel Handler? I mean, both seem to exist in the universe as separate entities. I'd probably give one of them the same birthday as the real life Daniel Handler, but the year would be different. I guess Brett Helquist also exists in the ASOUE Universe.
If the ASOUE books are published in the ASOUE Universe, then I guess there would come a time where the VFD is no longer a huge secret.
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Post by Emma “Emmz” Squalor on Jan 29, 2008 19:20:59 GMT -5
Yeah, I hate it when I come up with names for characters and then I forget them almost immediately. I like "Rosalee" for Isadora's middle name. It's very pretty and really suits her well.
And you're right, it would have been mentioned if Klaus' middle name was Lemony. Such as the scene where the Baudelaires discover that their parents had planned to name Violet "Lemony" if it turned out she was a boy.
Actually, I've always pictured Lemony and Daniel looking somewhat alike. And I know Brett Helquist definately exists in the ASOUE universe. I have taken to giving many of my characters the same birthdays as people I know in real life. Faust's birthday isJune 19 (which is the same as my high school friend I mentioned to you). Emma's birthday, though, was random, since she was born in March in my fic and it's kind of too late to go back and change it now.
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Post by violet on Jan 29, 2008 20:14:46 GMT -5
This is a good idea..there is one bio that I can't do though because then it'll be a big spolier.
Name:Violet Baudelaire DOB:April 13 Age:In '13 Years Later',28 Current Resistance:In '13 Years Later',a house in the city with the Quagmires Hair Color:Black,straight, Eye Color:light gray Distinguising Figures or Marks:ribbon in hair
Favorite foods:wasabi,puttenesca sauce Least Favorite Foods:peppermint Interests:Science and mechanics Known Relatives:Beatrice and Betrand Baudelaire (deceased),Sunny and Klaus Baudelaire (siblings),Fred Baudelaire (nephew),Fiona an Fernald Wiidershins (brother and sister in law) Spouses:Quigley Quagmire Personality:interested in mechanics and science,extremly clever.Slightly depressed from all that happened,and sometimes even stressed.
I don't have much time now-I'll finish later
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Post by Emma “Emmz” Squalor on Jan 30, 2008 1:33:12 GMT -5
[Thanks, Violet. I really enjoyed reading Violet's bio and look forward to reading the rest soon. Okay, I went into a bit more detail with Faust's history than Emma's all because there was little to nothing in regards to Fernald and Colette's pasts in the books. Enjoy.] Name: Faust Widdershins DOB: June 19th Age: 10 Current Residence: 72 Lousy Lane Hair Color: Blonde Eye Color: Green Height: 4'10" Average Weight: Thin School: Prufrock Preparatory School Grade: 4th Favorite Subjects: Gym & Art Least Favorite Subjects: Science & History Favorite Food: Anything prepared by her Aunt Sunny. Least Favorite Food: Horseradish Interests: Playing dominos with her mother; swinging from trees, monkey bars, and (occasionally) chandeliers. Qualities: inquisitive; unintentionally troublesome; gentle; content; daring; loyal; protective; competitive; easily attached; patient. Known Relatives: Fernald Widdershins (father); Colette Dubois (mother); Cory Widdershins (younger brother); Captain Widdershins (grandfather); Fiona Widdershins (aunt); Klaus Baudelaire (uncle, husband of Fiona); Violet Baudelaire (aunt, older sister of Klaus); Sunny Baudelaire (aunt, younger sister of Violet and Klaus); Beatrice Baudelaire (aunt, adopted sister of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny); Quigley Quagmire (uncle, husband of Violet); Isadora Quagmire (aunt, sister of Quigley); Duncan Quagmire (uncle, brother of Quigley and Isadora); Hector Dickens (uncle, husband of Isadora) Personality: Due to Faust’s advanced gymnast abilities, younger children admire her and will often gather around to watch her swing from one tree branch to the other. She is a born performer, and is happiest when she is soaring through the air. She gets enjoyment out of swinging from high places (much to the worry and dismay of her parents) and dreams of becoming a famous trapeze artist someday. Since her mind is always wandering, she does poorly in school and gets sent to the principal’s office as often as Emma does, which is where the two first met. Faust enjoys showing off, but is always willing to share the spotlight. Although she has an even temper, she is known to become fiercely competitive when faced with a challenge, and will often push her abilities to their full limits. She is also very protective of her parents, and is quick to take offense to the term “freak”, even if it is not being referred to her or her family directly. She is very close to Emma Squalor, whose own temper surpasses hers, but which Emma teaches Faust to control. Portrayed As: Dakota Blue Richards History: When he was eighteen, Fernald Widdershins left his family to join forces with Count Olaf and become a member of his villainous acting troupe. During a visit to Caligari Carnival in the hinterlands, Fernald met eleven-year-old Colette Dubois. The two soon developed a very close bond, though he explained that it was necessary for him to speak to her in public the same way Olaf spoke to him all the time in order for Fernald to maintain a villainous stature. Seeing as he was the first person who had never shunned her for being different, Colette willingly agreed to his request. As the years passed, their friendship deepened and eventually transpired into romance. Although overjoyed when Colette decided (along with Hugo and Kevin, two of her co-workers from Caligari Carnival) to join Count Olaf’s troupe, she and Fernald soon parted ways upon his reunion with his long-lost sister, Fiona. Though he tried to convince Colette to come with them, she refused, believing that there was nothing out there for a contortionist such as herself, and she and Fernald parted ways. After hearing about the fire that had destroyed the Hotel Denouement, Fernald was convinced that Colette was dead, and for nearly a year wallowed in guilt and sunk into a deep depression. One day, while he stood stocking shelves as easily as a man with hooks instead of hands is able to at the Not So Supermarket where he worked, he heard a familiar voice ask him where the cinnamon was. Fernald turned and, realizing it was Colette, he threw his arms around her. She explained that she had escaped the fire though, sadly, she had not seen nor heard anything of Kevin or Hugo since that dreaded morning. Since they were no longer associated with Count Olaf or V.F.D., Fernald and Colette decided it was time to make up for all the years they had lost. They dated for nearly a year before he proposed to her and, to his happiness and delight, she accepted. Nine months later, they were blessed with a daughter named Faust, and four years after that their son, Cory, was born.
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Post by Very Funky Disco on Jan 30, 2008 7:50:34 GMT -5
Sounds awesome! I'll look forward to reading about Emma and Faust. With Beatrice, I guess they could be something of a power trio! Okay, here's what I have so far - and I might exand later: Klaus Baudelaire Parents: Bertrand Baudelaire and Beatrice Smith Siblings: Violet (1967) and Sunny (1980) Date of Birth: February 15, 1969 Height: 5' 8'' tall Weight: average Hair Colour: medium brown Eye Colour: green Portrayed as: Liam Aiken Violet Baudelaire Parents: Bertrand Baudelaire and Beatrice Smith Siblings: Klaus (1969) and Sunny (1980) Date of Birth: April 16, 1967 Height: 5' 2'' tall Weight: slim Hair Colour: light brown Eye Colour: green Portrayed as: Emily Browning Duncan Quagmire Parents: Rupert Quagmire and Lorraine Baines Siblings: Isadora (1968) ~triplet~ and Quigley (1968) ~triplet~ Date of Birth: June 20, 1968 Height: 5' 4'' tall Weight: average Hair Colour: medium brown Eye Colour: slate blue Occupation: journalist Portrayed as: Michael J Fox Isadora Quagmire Parents: Rupert Quagmire and Lorraine Baines Siblings: Duncan (1968) ~triplet~ and Quigley (1968) ~triplet~ Date of Birth: June 20, 1968 Height: 5' 2'' tall Weight: slim Hair Colour: medium brown Eye Colour: brown Occupation: poet (in particular, couplets) Portrayed as: Lea Thompson Quigley Quagmire Parents: Rupert Quagmire and Lorraine Baines Siblings: Duncan (1968) ~triplet~ and Isadora (1968) ~triplet~ Date of Birth: June 20, 1968 Height: 5' 4'' tall Weight: average Hair Colour: medium brown Eye Colour: slate blue Occupation: cartographer Portrayed as: Michael J Fox I haven't decided yet what Sunny would look like. Maybe I'll give her blond hair.
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Post by Emma “Emmz” Squalor on Jan 30, 2008 12:33:17 GMT -5
These are great bios! I really like how you portray Michael J. Fox as Duncan and Quigley. It really works.
I chose Madeleine Martin from the Showtime series "Californication" as Emma and Dakota Blue Richards from "The Golden Compass" as Faust, since they are both very close to how I picture my characters.
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Post by Emma “Emmz” Squalor on Feb 2, 2008 14:09:52 GMT -5
[Here is Esmé's bio. I went into a lot more detail with her history than the others. Keep in mind that a lot of her personality and history is mostly how I write her in my fics and doesn't reflect the way she is in the books. Anyway, enjoy.]
Name: Esmé Gigi Genevieve Squalor DOB: April 4th Age: Early to mid 30’s (The Return); Early 40’s (The Terrible Truth) Current Residence: The penthouse apartment at 667 Dark Avenue Hair Color: Black Eye Color: Blue Height: 5’8” Tall Weight: Thin Distinguishing Features or Marks: Long, sharp-nailed hands.
Occupation: Financial Advisor Favorite Foods: Anything “in” Least Favorite Foods: Anything “out”
Interests: Counting money and being very fashionable. Qualities: depressed; emotional; overprotective; passionate; stylish; sweet; temperamental; sensitive; talented; supportive. Known Relatives: Jerome Squalor (husband); Emma Salinger Squalor (daughter); Carmelita Spats (adopted daughter); Vice Principal Nero (adopted son-in-law, husband of Carmelita); Kit, Jr. (adopted granddaughter); Monty, Jr. (adopted grandson, twin brother of Kit); Joseph Salinger (father, deceased); Adelle Salinger (mother, deceased)
Personality: After escaping the fire that destroyed the Hotel Denouement and discovering she was carrying Count Olaf’s child, Esmé Squalor changed from a greedy, selfish woman into the complete opposite of who she was for so many years. She is in love with Jerome, but refuses to acknowledge it, which is caused by the feeling that she doesn’t deserve him because of all the terrible things she did while she was still with Olaf.
Esmé is prone to outbursts of crying, which can occur whenever she is faced with questions about her past or with particularly stressful situations. She is slightly bothered by the fact that her daughter has inherited not only Olaf’s single eyebrow, but also his shiny, shiny eyes. Despite this, Esmé is a loving mother and supports Emma’s dream of becoming a world-famous actress.
Shortly after the birth of her daughter, Esmé was diagnosed with postpartum depression in connection with the so-called “loss of her pre-pregnancy figure”. Over the years, her postpartum depression has developed into clinical depression, which (aside from Emma’s birth) is caused by Olaf abandoning her in the hotel while it was on fire.
Because of the circumstances that occurred in her past, Esmé feels undeserving of any human affection or love, and will often push away those who try to get close to her. This is especially true of Jerome, whom Esmé feel she’s hurt more than anyone.
Portrayed As: Katherine Zeta Jones or Parker Posey
History: Esmé was born into a loving but poverty-stricken family. Her mother, Adelle Salinger, was a seamstress, and her father, Joseph Salinger, was an employee at Lucky Smells Lumbermill.
Try as she might to fit in with other children, Esmé learned early in life that they wanted nothing to do with someone living in squalor. She wallowed silently in loneliness until she was ten, when she met twelve-year-old Beatrice Taylor at a tea party her father’s company was having. Esmé and Beatrice became fast friends, and were literally inseparable for the next ten years.
Esmé was thirteen years old when she met her future boyfriend and partner in crime, Count Olaf, who was twenty-eight and had been hired as the drama teacher of her school. It was love at first sight for young Esmé, and she was thrilled when he took her aside after class one day to inform her that he would be casting her in his production of The Marvelous Marriage.
When Esmé was fifteen, Beatrice introduced her to seventeen-year-old Bertrand Baudelaire. Beatrice was currently dating a friend of his, Lemony Snicket, and was pleased to see that Esmé and Bertrand hit it off. Later that year, however, Adelle became gravely ill. Because of the expense of her medical bills, she and Joseph had no choice but to turn their custody of Esmé over to someone else. They decided on Count Olaf, who had become a close friend of the Salingers over the years, and Adelle and Joseph were confident that he would take good care of their daughter. Within a few months, Adelle slipped away, and Joseph followed four years later.
After Esmé came to live with him, Olaf let her in on the secrets of V.F.D. and made her an official member of the organization, of which Beatrice, Lemony and Bertrand were also members. Five years later, when Esmé was twenty, a schism erupted, and the organization was split into two opposing sides. The worst part of all was that she had been separated from Beatrice and Bertrand.
Heartbroken by the loss of both her best friend and her boyfriend, Esmé did her best to remain optimistic, but her determination was shattered the day she caught the two of them kissing on the steps of Veblen Hall. After screaming at Bertrand and Beatrice how much she hated them and that she never wanted to see either of them again, Esmé raced home in tears to Olaf.
When she arrived, she found him sitting on their beat-up old sofa, holding a box of matches. He asked her what was wrong, and after taking a few minutes to console her, he explained that he had a “special task for her”. He convinced her that the best way to get revenge on Beatrice would be to take from her something that she loved. A moment later, it occurred to Esmé what that something was, and a vengeful smile appeared on her face. After telling Olaf what it was, he smiled deviously, and the two of them waited until nightfall before climbing into his beat-up old station wagon and heading off to the national library.
It wasn’t far from their apartment, and after making sure that there was no one around, Esmé and Olaf set to work. They poured kerosene over the banisters and all three floors of the building, drenching the books in what was left. Once the first part of their plan was complete, they walked to the front doors where Olaf retrieved a match from the box in his pocket and lit the match. He handed it to Esmé, who tossed it onto the floor.
They watched from a secluded spot in the parking lot as the building became engulfed by flames, every book inside going up in smoke quicker than it had taken to write. Esmé felt slightly guilty for what she had done, but when Olaf squeezed her hand and insisted that what she was doing was for the greater good, she couldn’t help smiling in spite of everything.
They spent the next several years doing the villainous side of V.F.D.’s bidding, which involved setting more fires and ruining the lives of innocent people. Along with several of his henchmen and two henchwomen Olaf had acquired to assist him and Esmé with their villainous schemes, they disguised themselves as theater performers to keep from being discovered by the authorities.
Ten years after Esmé’s first act of arson, Olaf received word that Beatrice and Bertrand (who had been married a few years after Esmé had caught them kissing) had perished in a terrible fire, but that their three children— who were heirs to a vast fortune that their parents had left behind —had survived. Olaf explained to Esmé that he had a plan that would ensure their futures, but that she would have to do everything he told her. However, she didn’t expect that plan would involve her getting married to someone who was not her beloved Olaf.
After a brief but heated argument, Esmé agreed to locate Jerome Squalor, a young stockbroker who had recently purchased the penthouse apartment on 667 Dark Avenue, and convince him to marry her. She wrote to the famed columnist of The Daily Punctilio, Geraldine Julienne, who told her she could meet Jerome at the Veritable French Diner every morning between seven-thirty and eight-thirty if she wanted to “accidentally” bump into him.
Esmé took Geraldine’s advice, and went to the Veritable French Diner to put the first part of her and Olaf’s plan into action. Esmé began by making small talk with Jerome and eventually asked him for a date. He readily agreed, and after only one evening together, the two were married.
Upon the Squalors return from their honeymoon, Esmé requested that the elevators be removed from the building, claiming they were “out”, and used her status as an “unbelievably wealthy” woman to ensure that this action was carried out.
Six months later, the Squalors adopted Violet, Klaus, and Sunny, the children of Beatrice and Bertrand Baudelaire. It was during this time that Olaf was putting the rest of his plan into action by disguising himself as Gunther, an auctioneer. He used the empty elevator shaft to hide the two Quagmire triplets, Duncan and Isadora, who were heirs to a vast sapphire fortune and who Olaf and Esmé planned to sneak out of the city.
The day of the In Auction at Veblen Hall, they concealed Duncan and Isadora inside of a giant red herring, which would be purchased by Fernald Widdershins (an associate of Olaf’s who was disguised as the doorman of the apartment building in which Esmé and Jerome lived). Olaf’s plan succeeded, and he and Esmé escaped, along with Fernald and the Quagmires.
Esmé and Olaf continued to pursue the Baudelaires, and eventually ended up on Mount Fraught where they met up with twelve-year old Carmelita Spats— who Olaf had known during his time as a gym teacher at Prufrock Preparatory School —and invited her to join their troupe. She eagerly agreed, though Olaf’s affection for her soon faltered, due to her brattiness and spoiled attitude.
Shortly after their arrival at the Hotel Denouement, Esmé and Olaf broke up, due in part to an argument over disciplining Carmelita. Later, the Baudelaires assisted him in setting the hotel on fire and the four of them escaped.
Esmé and Carmelita were left to perish, but were rescued by Jerome Squalor and Vice Principal Nero. Esmé thanked Jerome for rescuing her and Carmelita, but that she didn’t think she deserved him after all she had done.
Esmé took Carmelita into the Mortmain Mountains where they lived in the last known V.F.D. headquarters before Esmé discovered she was pregnant. At this point, they returned to the city and were reunited with Jerome.
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Post by Very Funky Disco on Feb 2, 2008 21:26:34 GMT -5
Wow! That is very in-depth! It sounds like she had a terrible childhood, so it's easier to understand why she became the way she was. Still, I was so angry with her, when she kept pinching Sunny - and then acted like why had no idea why Sunny wouldn't stop whimpering. Like, duh! Anyway, it's great how you've given Esme so much depth!
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Post by Emma “Emmz” Squalor on Feb 2, 2008 21:40:57 GMT -5
Thanks, I'm glad you liked it! Yeah, Esme is my favorite character (female-wise), which I guess is a lot of the reason why her bio came out so long.
And I agree that she was really mean to Sunny in TSS (which is my favorite book next to TAA and TEE).
The next bio I'm going to do will be Jerome's, then after that I'll either start on Carmelita's or Nero's. Nero is going to be a bit of a challenge since we know nothing about his childhood, and I haven't taken any time to think about it.
I am also planning another Esme and Jerome story, though it's going to be very angsty. It's just that time of the month for me and my emotions are all on edge, so I feel like writing something sad.
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Post by Very Funky Disco on Feb 3, 2008 1:08:47 GMT -5
I would love to read Nero's bio. I'd be interested in reading about why he was so mean to the orphans. For him to accuse the orphans of cheating, when they were only trying to get the same amount of rest as all the other students, was a real low blow!
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Post by Emma “Emmz” Squalor on Feb 3, 2008 1:28:52 GMT -5
Yes, it was.
Hmm... I feel an idea brewing in my head now.
Also, I'm off to post that storyI mentioned earlier. But if I may offer a warning: EXTREME ANGST!!!!!!
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Post by Jenny on Feb 3, 2008 16:06:28 GMT -5
Great bios--well done on them, you both. I just haven't got anything worked out that deeply--ever--so congratulations on writing them.
Looking forward particularly to Jerome--I always wondered about him.
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