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Post by Hermes on Mar 3, 2021 20:22:16 GMT -5
A beast - possibly a Beast? Might this be connected with the question mark next to the dead man?
Beatrice, now, is in her late thirties, which would put her birth - and hence the events of ASOUE - in the early 80's. We don't know when the prologue is set, but if it's also now - which seems likely, since it's just describing the situation rather than a specific event - the murder happened 'a few years ago' - possibly about the same time as Lemony's meeting with Beatrice? And the fire was round about 2000.
Should we suppose that B is still on the same search for the Baudelaires she was on in TBL, implying they have not been found in the meantime?
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Post by Isadora Is a Door on Mar 4, 2021 6:36:02 GMT -5
March 1st 2021
10:16
The municipal library in the centre of town was an old and tired building. Daniel had not been there for many years, and he was sure that nobody was recognise his face. But then he had already been surprised once this morning, and he couldn't rule it out from happening again. He wasn't comfortable being around people. It made both nervous and anxious. He was nervous that he might be recognised, and he was anxious about what might happen if he was.
The person he spoke to at the desk did not recognise him however. She was a stern looking woman in her late thirties, with her tied up in a bun and and a name badge with 'Louise' written on it, so he assumed that must be here name.
'I was wondering where I could view some old maps?' He asked her, cautiously.
'Third floor. What maps were you after specifically?'
'Well, that's the difficult part. I don't know what they're maps.'
Louise sighed 'Well that's not much use is it.'
'I do have some information though. The map is relating to a murder that took place several years ago at 13 Dark Avenue.'
Louise stared at him intensely '13 Dark Avenue? are you sure?'
No, thought Daniel, I'm not sure. I'm not sure about of this. Beatrice had told him that he would find the maps here, to bring them to her, and that they would be the first step in answering all of his questions. But he didn't trust her enough to be sure, and he did not trust himself either. 'Yes' he said, the lie coming easily to his lips. 'I'm sure.'
She led him to the third floor, and as she retrieved the map from a large filing cabinet she told him how it was interesting that should ask for this particular map, as it had only just become available for public viewing, and that it was unusual for such an item to be added to the collection, and that sadly it was only available for reference.
Daniel found a space by an old wooden table, and sat down on a tiny plastic chair that groaned under his weight, and unfolded the map. It was as he had expected. The map detailed the hundreds - or perhaps thousands - of tunnels that ran under the city. A lot of them were subway tunnels, many of them sewers, but most of them were the vast network of secret passageways formerly used by VFD. The map was incredibly detailed, with annotated instructions on her to access some of the more hidden areas of the cities depths.
As Daniel studied the map, his eyes unconsciously following the snaking pathways, he began to question what he was getting himself in to. Perhaps he was getting in to something he should not be a part of. He was asking questions that were best left unanswered. Disturbing things that should not be disturbed.
That was when he noticed something - or two things, to be exact. Most of the map was drawn in a fine black ink, but there were two exceptions. One was located at 13 Dark Avenue, and it was a single question mark written in blood red ink. The other was written in the same ink, and it was located in the depths of the deepest and furthest tunnel on the map. This wasn't a question mark, but the words 'Fortuna Juvat'.
Daniel reached into his pocket and took out the watch Beatrice had given him, a watch that had the same words engraved on it's casing. The time on the watch now showed 10:28. Beatrice had said she would meet him again at 10:38, however long that would be. The hands on the clock seemed to pay no attention to the passing of time, as if it were measuring something else entirely.
It was an easy thing for Daniel to smuggle the map out of the library. He folded it several times over until it fitted snugly into his pocket, and simply walked out of the building. When they noticed the map was gone, they would simply suspect that it was another old man who was slowly losing his mind. Perhaps they were right.
10.29
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Post by Optimism is my Phil-osophy on Mar 4, 2021 11:01:27 GMT -5
Ok ... So it's not like the movie Memento. What we have here are two main timelines where the story unfolds. Beatrice Jr seems to be the link between the two stories. Let's put aside the allegories for now (although I believe they still exist). With each chapter there is a new mystery ... What is the clock marking? What will happen at 11:00? Where is Lemony Snicket in 2021?
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Post by Christmas Chief on Mar 4, 2021 13:29:18 GMT -5
You've chosen a great moment from TBL to explore. The last line of this chapter surprised and intrigued me.
Edit: The above comment referred to the second chapter. After I posted I realized I had missed the most recent update!
Daniel smuggling a map from a library is very in character. (Of course, we know he's borrowed library property indefinitely in real life.) I'm especially intrigued by this line:
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Post by Isadora Is a Door on Mar 4, 2021 15:01:29 GMT -5
Beatrice, now, is in her late thirties, which would put her birth - and hence the events of ASOUE - in the early 80's. We don't know when the prologue is set, but if it's also now - which seems likely, since it's just describing the situation rather than a specific event - the murder happened 'a few years ago' - possibly about the same time as Lemony's meeting with Beatrice? And the fire was round about 2000. I feel that it's safe to say that this summation of the timelines is accurate. Ok ... So it's not like the movie Memento. What we have here are two main timelines where the story unfolds. I have not heard of the movie Memento before, but I would think it's too early in the story to put definitions on such things. You've chosen a great moment from TBL to explore. The last line of this chapter surprised and intrigued me. My hope is for each chapter to surprise the reader in some way. Hopefully as the story progresses the surprises will change from surprising questions to surprising answers.
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Post by Optimism is my Phil-osophy on Mar 4, 2021 16:51:51 GMT -5
10:02
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Post by Isadora Is a Door on Mar 5, 2021 7:37:40 GMT -5
March 1st 2016
10:29
Beatrice and Lemony had been walking for several hours, descending further and further into the depths of the network. Most of that time had been spent in awkward silence. Occasionally, Lemony would turn as if to ask her a question, but he would think the better of it and keep himself to himself. She was a stranger to him, an unknowable quantity that he could not define. Eventually, however, he seemed to find his courage.
'How did you find me?' He asked her.
'I made an educated guess, that was all.'
Lemony cast her a doubtful look. 'Your education was less than formal, I suppose.'
'As was yours.' Beatrice smiled at him, hoping it would calm him. It seemed to have the opposite effect.
'We, ah, we need to go through here.' Lemony indicated with his torch, and a beam of light shone on the wall. Halfway up from the ground was a narrow hole, barely large enough for a human to fit through. 'I'll go first.' he offered, 'I know the way, after all.'
Despite his age Lemony still seemed to be relatively fit and healthy. He hoisted himself up and into the narrow tunnel, and began to crawl onwards as Beatrice did the same. A lifetime of volunteering meant she had become accustomed to dark, narrow spaces.
Once they reached the other side they found themselves in a much larger tunnel than any of the ones they had encountered so far. The walls were adorned with sconces, a lit candle burning in each of them. The tunnel was also strangely warm, like they were entering a large oven or furnace. There was a thin covering of water all around them, and as Beatrice jumped down on the ground her long legs were sprayed some of the black inky substance they had encountered earlier.
'I just need to get my bearings' said Lemony, as he pulled something out of his pocket.
'What is that?'
Lemony looked uncertain, and for a moment he looked like he was going to turn and run away from her. He studied her curiously for a moment, before reaching a conclusion in his mind. 'Okay, I'll show you' He walked over to her and unfolded a very large and very detailed map. The map detailed the hundreds - or perhaps thousands - of tunnels that ran under the city. A lot of them were subway tunnels, many of them sewers, but most of them were the vast network of secret passageways formerly used by VFD. 'I've been working on this for many years, and it's been a great help to me. In fact, if it hadn't been for -'
Lemony was cut off by a a loud scraping noise from somewhere nearby. He quickly whipped his hand over Beatrice's mouth, and pulled her up against the wall. He blew out the nearest candle and they waited until the noise had stopped. A few moments later Beatrice could hear the splashing of footsteps not too far away from her, and in the distance, where the passageway reached a junction point, she could see the vague outlines of three people running past. Only once he was sure they were gone did Lemony remove his hand from her face.
'We need to be careful, we're getting close.' He studied the map again. 'We need to go to this way.', he whispered, and headed of in the same direction the three figures had headed. 'Stay close to me, and stay quiet.'
They continued on in silence for a few more minutes. Beatrice watched Lemony with extreme fascination. When you have learnt so much about a person it can often be confusing when you finally meet them. They may live up to your expectations, they may disappoint you, or they may confound you entirely. Lemony seemed to be all three. Occasionally he would stop at a corner and check his map. Even more occasionally he would bend down and place his hand in the water, as if he were testing for something. After a while he reached into his pocket and took out a jar of what looked like caviar. He took a small amount a sprinkled it in the water, which sizzled upon contact. He shook his head worryingly, as if he had expected a different result.
Soon they rounded a corner and were confronted with what at first appeared to be a dead end. Upon closer inspection, however, it was large doorway wrought out of iron. The door seemingly had no handle, no discernible way of opening it, yet it nevertheless was a door. In it's centre was cast the image of a caduceus; above that was the insignia of VFD; below both of those were the words 'Fortuna Juvat.'
'Now' said Lemony 'We need to work out how to get in.'
10:38
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Post by Optimism is my Phil-osophy on Mar 5, 2021 10:17:54 GMT -5
Ok ... So let's look at what we have. Let's do a more thematic analysis than we have so far. There is something repeating itself in most chapters so far. I would say it is audacity.
Characters need to be audacious to get what they want. The concept of audacity is a little difficult, but when we see it we identify it. It doesn't mean to be reckless, but I would say it's the position to stand around waiting for things to change. And Beatrice Jr is the avatar of audacity here. I really liked this portrayal of Beatrice Jr. I really like both Beatrices. Seeing a Beatrice trained and in action is really enjoyable. In my Fanfic Untie My Silence Knot (in the second part) I portrayed her as audacious but untrained. And her creativity and wit had to make up for the lack of training.
Now I really wonder to what extent the adventures of Beatrice Jr and Lemony here actually take place in the same universe as Daniel Handler (the character). I wonder if the adventures of Lemony and Beatrice Jr would be just the portrayal of the imaginative process inside Daniel Handler's mind, something like "Inside Out" (2015). It may be my fault, because I can't abandon the idea of allegory as much as I want to. But Beatrice having referred to Klaus, Sunny and Violet as sinbligs is getting me out of sleep. Why? And then the movie A Beautiful Mind (2001) came to me.
I may be wrong, and my overactive imagination may have played a trick on me, but I think Beatrice Jr in 2016 looks the same in 2021, (she has a big black ink stain in her legs). Either she spent five years without taking a shower, or she got dirty again, or the paint was permanent, or she is an imaginary person. Of course, the latter option in general would be the least likely. But the fact that she claimed that Klaus, Sunny, and Violet were her sinbligs, makes me think that she sees Daniel Handler as her father, in the sense that he is the father of all the characters he created.
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Post by R. on Mar 5, 2021 10:50:37 GMT -5
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Post by Isadora Is a Door on Mar 5, 2021 13:46:49 GMT -5
There is something repeating itself in most chapters so far. This is the most pertinent of your observations. Also, it has always been intention for this story to have three segments (or 'Hours') with an overall title, but I was unsure at which point to reveal this. I've decided to do so now as I don't really know why I haven't since the start.
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Post by Isadora Is a Door on Mar 6, 2021 7:52:57 GMT -5
March 1st 2021
10:38
Darkness was beginning to consume the world. The last vestiges of sunlight were disappearing over the horizon, and although the dull orange hew of streetlights was beginning to form around him, it wouldn't make much difference. The fog from this morning had intensified, and nothing could break.
He had been told that they would meet outside 13 Dark Avenue, so that was were Daniel waited. He took the watch out of his pocket, and checked the time. It was 10:38, so she be here within the next minute; at least by the watch's time. He could be waiting for hours. Daniel wished she could have picked a less foreboding place. 13 Dark avenue had a reputation, and he did not want to become a part of it. Daniel could feel the cold seeping into his bones. He wasn't made for nights like these. Although perhaps he wasn't made for anything any more.
Sure enough, as the minute hand reached 10:39 Beatrice arrived. She looked much the same as she had this morning, only she was carrying with her a large flashlight and what looked like a crowbar.
'Good evening, Mr. Handler. Did you get it?' she asked him.
'I did'
'Good' She smiled at him, and stretched out her hand.
Daniel hesitated for a moment. 'Why should I give it you? How do I know I can trust you?
'You don't. In my experience, trust is something that has to be earned. I would think no less of you if you simply turned and walked away from me, and we never saw each other again. I hope that you don't. I need you, Mr. Handler. I've been searching for answers for so long, and only you can help me unlock my questions. If it helps you feel better, you can keep the map. We won't be needing it today anyway.'
This surprised Daniel. 'But I thought we would be going in there?' He indicated to the building behind him. 'Where are we going?'
Beatrice smiled again. It was a sad sort of smile, one that crosses the face but not the eyes. She didn't answer him, but instead she walked over to an automobile parked to one side, and unlocked the door. 'We're going to the beach.'
Whilst the car wound its way through the city, Daniel began to feel more and more uncertain about what he was getting himself into. He thought he had some idea of what was going on, that it was all to do with 13 Dark Avenue and what had happened there 5 years ago, but perhaps that nothing to do with any of it. Every second it seemed as though he was falling deeper and deeper into mystery and confusion.
'We're here' Beatrice announced, and she clambered out of the car.
At first Daniel could not be sure where here was, as the fog was even thicker by the sea, but after a few moments he realised that they were at Briny Beach. For He stepped out of the car, and saw that Beatrice had already begun heading off down the beach. For a second he considered taking Beatrice's advice and walking away. He shouldn't be here, he didn't need to do this. Beatrice turned to look at him.
'Are you coming?' she called to him.
'I need to know what we're doing here. Where are you going?'
She pointed with her crowbar in the direction of some rocky cliffs. 'There's a sewer, in the cliff face. That's where we're headed.'
'And what are we going to do there?'
'There's a creature in there. A creature that needs to be stopped.'
'I can't.' Daniel shook his head. 'I can't come with you.'
Beatrice walked back over to him. 'I thought you wanted to know the truth.'
'I do' He said solemnly. 'You told me that we would find out what happened to Lemony'
She was stood right in from of him now, and reached out a hand and touched him on the shoulder. 'And you will. This is what Mr. Snicket was working on before he died. The map, the watch, the beast that killed him, everything. It's all connected. All you need to do is trust me, Mr. Handler, and together we can unlock the Great Unknown.'
10.45
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Post by Optimism is my Phil-osophy on Mar 6, 2021 8:10:08 GMT -5
So Lemony died. So let's unlock the Great Unknown. Unlocking is an interesting word ... It reminds me of an expression: "creative block".
In fact, if I could now compare it to a film, I would compare it to Vanila Sky (2001). Stopping to think the early 2000s was marked by several films with similar Twists plot. Was this an effect of the Matrix (1999)? In this case, the very universe that Daniel Handler is in can be considered a fruit of his own imagination. After all, when we are dreaming, the notion of time changes a lot (the inception, 2010).
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Post by counto on Mar 7, 2021 4:12:58 GMT -5
I like the idea of ASOUE taking place in the early 80's (possible 1984 being the Year of the Rat). Which would make her 32 in 2016 and 37 in 2021. So if Lemony Snicket (the character) died in 2021, does that mean Daniel Handler and Lemony Snicket are two separated people in the ASOUE universe. Because that make a lot of sense.
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Post by Isadora Is a Door on Mar 7, 2021 7:25:02 GMT -5
March 1st 2001
10:45
The stretch of road that leads out of Hazy Harbor and into the town of Tedia is less than enjoyable, though to describe it as the most unpleasant in the world would be an act of exaggeration. It gives the game away that despite your morose personality and melancholy stance that you have perhaps been able to make the best of your circumstances.
Lousy Lane runs through fields that are a sickly grey colour, through which ran a handful of stumps belonging to trees that have long since been removed. Several sheep could be found milling about the field, and they knew as little about why they were there as anyone else.
Lousy Lane traverses the Grim River, a body of water do densely packed with mud that one may be forgiven for thinking that that was all contained. If you followed the path of the river, it would lead you out to sea, and if you followed the path of the sea it would eventually lead you to an island. The opposite is true as well, of course, something which had proved a great help to the residents of that island almost 20 years ago.
The Grim River encircled a former horseradish factory, and so that was the first place the islanders had landed. And they had remained there ever since, isolated from the rest of the world. The factory was their castle, the river their moat. And nobody was allowed to cross, under any circumstances.
As such, Lousy Lane had been mostly abandoned in the last few years. Stories had begun to spread about people vanishing along the road on dark and misty nights, of screams heard echoing across the land, and of things lurking in the water. Stories, however true they may or may not be, were exactly what Ellington Feint needed. As Ellington drove the dusty roadster around it twisted turns, she was glad that a heavy fog was building. It would do well if she were not seen.
She pulled up at the side of the road next to a telephone box. She could see that there was someone in the telephone box, and she could tell from the expression on their face that they had been there a while. She opened the car door, and went to the trunk. She took out a large flashlight, a jar of caviar, and a walking stick. The stick was made of a strange dark wood, and the top of the stick was carved in the image of a strange beast.
Ellington walked over to the phone booth and rapped on the door with the head of the stick. She heard a grumble, and after a few moments Lemony Snicket came out.
'I thought you would be here sooner.' he told Ellington
'I told you what time to expect me.' She sighed at him. 'It's your own fault for always being fashionably early. You forget I'm not a volunteer.'
'Sadly not.' He sighed back at her, before looking questioningly at the walking stick. 'I didn't think you'd need one of those.'
She laughed. 'I don't need a stick, not yet anyway. It's in case we run in to trouble.' Ellington reached in to her pocket, and took out a golden watch with the words 'Fortuna Juvat' engraved in it's casing. As she removed it from her pocket Lemony gasped
'How...where did you get that?' he asked, a look of bewilderment in his eyes
Ellington smiled, a laugh almost betraying her lips. 'I've had it for many years now, Lemony.'
'All this time?' He shook his head in disbelief. 'Is it the -'
'One and the same' Ellington showed him the clock face, displaying 13 segmented hours of time. 'We don't have long left.'
'How did you get it? Who gave it to you?'
Ellington's smile grew even bigger now. 'Your sister.' She bent down to examine a manhole cover that was just next to the phone booth. 'Do you have the key?' she asked him.
'I do, but first I think we need to get some things straight. I know why I'm on the road less travelled, but i'm not sure how you got on path, or what you think our destination may be. What do you want Ellington?'
She rose and stood directly in front of Lemony, her face serious now. 'I want what I've always wanted. To confront the Beast that killed that kmy father, and to put things right.' Her eyes were staring deep into Lemony's now, and she could feel his discomfort growing. 'And what do you want?'
'I want answers, but sadly I no longer feel I will get them.'
'Oh you will Lemony.' She held out her hand to Lemony. 'I know Beatrice has made contact with you. You know that the Baudelaire's were taken by the Great Unknown. This is our chance to get them back, them and my father as well. We can put it right.' And as Lemony gave her the key, for a second she almost believed it.
10.49
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Post by Optimism is my Phil-osophy on Mar 7, 2021 19:39:53 GMT -5
Meeting with dead people ... Would this be a journey through the dead?
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